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Stuff that matters
“In the situations I have witnessed, there is no divine intervention. All we have is each other. We create our own problems, and it us up to us to solve them.”
James Nachtwey, anti-war documentary photographer (1999: 469)
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(updated: February 8, 2008)
Publications
Forthcoming
David, M. K., Ngeow, Y. M, Yoong, D. (fc). Gender Stereotypes in Malaysian Parliamentary Sittings: Stereotypes and Their Implications.
Yoong, D. (2008). Mixing Them Together: Interdiscursive Elements in Contemporary Animes and Mangas. La Trobe Linguistics Working Paper.
Yoong, D. (2008). Framing Poverty in Indonesia. Journal of Poverty.
Yoong, D. (2008). Standard English and Singlish: The Clash of Language Values in Contemporary Singapore. [pending]
2007
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2007). Elderspeak: Deprivation of Linguistic Human Rights?. In M. K. David (ed.) Language and Human Rights. Serdang: Universiti Putra Press.
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2007). Code-Switching in Eldercare. In S. I. Harnisch (ed.) In Memorium Rudolfo Jacobson.
Yoong, D. (2007). Rapport Building between an Uncle and Niece in a Malaysian Chinese Family. In David, M. K. (ed.). Politeness in Malaysian Family Talk. (In press).
2006
David, M. K., Jariah Mohd Jan, Kow, Y. C. and Yoong, S. C. (2006). Function and Role of Laughter in Malaysian Women’s and Men’s Talk. Multilingua 25. ISSN 0167-8507
Yoong, D. (2006). Accommodating to the Elderly in a Malaysian Geriatric Day-Care Centre: A Discourse Analysis. Unpublished Master Dissertation. Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya.
Yoong, D. (2006). Boycotting an International Tourism Company: A Critical Discourse Perspectives. In M. K. David, H. Burhanudeen, A. N. Abdullah (eds.). The Power of Language and the Media (146-161). Frankfurt: Peter Lang.
Yoong, D. and David, M. K. (2006). Talking to Older Malaysians: A Case Study. Multilingua 25, 165-182. ISSN 0167-8507
Paper Presentations
2006
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2006). Applying Knowledge of Psycholinguistics in Language Teaching. Paper presented at the Universiti Sains Malaysia International Language Learning Conference (November 23-25, 2006: Batu Feringgi, Penang).
David, M. K. and Yoong, D. (2006). Constructive Communication in Marriage and the Family. Paper presented at the Marriage Philosophy Seminar (29-30 Mac 2006), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Vol.2 Paper 39 (12p.)
Yoong, D. (2007). Framing Poverty in Indonesia. Paper presented at the Discourse of Poverty Conference (July 19, 2007) at the Faculty of Sociology, La Trobe University, Australia.
In progress
Yoong, D. (in progress). Orders and Disorders of Discourse in the Dewan Rakyat during Question Time. Unpublished PhD Thesis. La Trobe University, Australia.
Academic activities
An abstract reviewer for the Eleventh Conference of the Foundation for Endangered Languages: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, "Working Together for Endangered Languages: Research Challenges and Social Impacts." University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 26-28 October 2007
From impoverished Peruvian villages to MIT's D-Lab, professor Amy Smith and her spirited team of engineers are on a mission: Fight global poverty and improve living standards for developing countries—one low-cost, accessible invention at a time.
haha... you can have multiple items on screen (left or right) without minimising them. e.g. watch a film on the right screen and surf online on the other.
That's right. Animaniacs has this really cool educational song on how insignificant and puny we all really are. In a way, it also kinda presents an agnostic view point.
This has got to be THE BEST ARTICLE I've ever read in a long while
Here's one of the many lines that strongly resonates with me.
The ability to engage in introspection, I put it to my students that day, is the essential precondition for living an intellectual life, and the essential precondition for introspection is solitude.
It's a pretty long article, but well worth it. HIGHLY HIGHLY Highly recommended read of the disadvantages of an elite education. Why, I even wrote to my lecturer-friend at Taylor's college:
that is the most fucking bestest article i've ever read in a long while... READ!!! READ!!!
Anyway, was pretty surprised (and pleased!) to have received a mail from a website called Schmap.com, seeking my consent to publish a picture of mine, taken some time ago at the Melbourne Zoo.
No royalty, but free publicity... -.-' Better than nothing, no?
I'm told that this picture (I prefer others instead of the selected one... but hey, whatever) has been short-listed for inclusion in their fifth edition of their Schmap Melbourne Guide, to be published at the end of this month.
Surprising? Not really. It's emotionally devastating to be rejected...
BUT!
One way of overcoming this problem (not part of the article), according to my method (and a few other notable individuals), is to channel the negative 'energy' of rejection into creativity and self-improvement. Then one day, when you have finally reached the peak of success through self-determination and self-will, you can turn around and surprisingly find the ones who rejected you, longing for your attention. At that point, turn away and politely (optional) remind them that you're merely reciprocating to the way they have treated you.
Speaking of which... :P I was talking to one of my buddies last night, and we did talk about the matter... excerpts as follow:
David: I'LL BE FAMOUS!! XD Brandon: yeah yeah.. Brandon: and pls dont forget bout me after you're famous Brandon: wahahaha David: yah yah David: no problemos David: but when they come up to me and say, "hi david" David: "remember me?" David: "you had a crush on me" Brandon: then you just say "who are you?" David: Nah... I'll say ..."please make an appointment, i'm busy" Brandon: hahaha.. Brandon: you're so terrible David: revenge can be sweet Brandon: hahaha David: oh so damn sweet
it has worked with other people. as for me, i'm getting there. it's much better than telling them to, "piss off!"
why? because once you reach the pinnacle of success and turn around, you'd realise that you're what they could only dream to be OR never could be. when they want to bask in your halo, you need not treat them with importance. so instead of letting the negative emotions destroy you, use them to your advantage and better yourself in any possible way.
after all, it's imperative to note that they've never been there for you whenever you needed them and they only succeeded in adding injury to your emotional well-being.
haha... some might say this is arrogant or conceited, but really... so fucking what? as long as you work hard to get where you are today and did so without having any support from them, you deserve your status. as for them, they can whine and complain forever and really... and no one gives a shit.
Aikido was cancelled today, BUT... I met a 3rd dan Karate black-belter Indian guy (from India) who told me that the Karate class at the university was "a bit disappointing." XD HAHAHAHAA!!!
Of course man, what do you expect?
Well, this guy's a pretty serious and dedicated martial artist who has done lots of tournaments (in fact, he proudly showed me his news-clipping in a magazine), so it's not surprising that he kinda found the Karate class to be... *ahem* kiapcai/subpar. XD
When I told him that I'm a 2nd dan ITF black-belter (got to flaunt my status a bit mah), his eyes widened and he went, "OH!" With that, I managed to convince him that Aikido would suit him better.
And oh, did I mention that he thinks he has found a new best friend in the martial arts at the uni? :P
Melbourne could be headed for its coldest winter in a decade with warm days expected to cool this year.
Above-average winter daytime temperatures experienced in past years are predicted to return to normal after a lengthy warm spell, according to the Bureau of Meteorology...
...The outlook for snow season is also promising.
"We've already had a good start with a couple of snow falls on the Alps," he said.
"If we follow up with average temperatures ... we should maintain them."
Mount Hotham Alpine Resort spokeswoman Jessica Rose predicted a bumper 2008 season beginning in less than two weeks on the Queen's Birthday weekend.
"We hope it will be the best. All of the indications are good - colder weather and more rainfall," she said.
The resort usually records snowfalls of above one metre and is already on target with two dumps of about 30cm in the past month.
The biggest fall occurred less than one week ago on May 19.
Buller Ski Lifts spokeswoman Katherine Johnston said Mount Buller had also experienced early falls with two dumps in the past four weeks of more than 10cm.
"I'm really excited and enthusiastic, particularly with the recent snowfall," she said.
Excerpts via MSNBC. Interesting neurolinguistic stuff.
Mind reading may reveal mother tongue Scientists decipher language proficiency by analyzing brain activity
ROME - No one can read our thoughts, for now, but some scientists believe they can at least figure out in what language we do our thinking.
Before we utter a single word, experts can gauge our mother tongue and the level of proficiency in other languages by analyzing our brain activity while we read, scientists working with Italy's National Research Council say.
For more than a year, a team of scientists experimented on 15 interpreters, revealing what they say were surprising differences in brain activity when the subjects were shown words in their native language and in other languages they spoke.
The findings show how differently the brain absorbs and recalls languages learned in early childhood and later in life, said Alice Mado Proverbio, a professor of cognitive electrophysiology at the Milano-Bicocca University in Milan.
Proverbio, who led the study, said such research could help doctors communicate with patients suffering from amnesia or diseases that impair speech. It could also be of use one day in questioning refugee applicants or terror suspects to determine their origin, she said.
Switching languages alters brain waves The interpreters who took part in the study were all Italians working for the European Union and translating in English and Italian.
"They were extremely fluent in English," Proverbio said in a telephone interview earlier this month. "We didn't expect a big difference in brain activity" when they switched from one language to another.
The subjects were asked to look at a screen that flashed words in Italian, English, German as well as nonsensical letter combinations. They were not aware of the purpose of the study and were simply tasked with pressing a button when they spotted a specific symbol, Proverbio said.
