Archive for Words
June 23, 2007 at 2:51 pm · Filed under Learning, Words
Many of you probably know that many Japanese words are written using one of more kanji, each kanji having it’s own meaning. Sometimes the meanings of the individual kanji do not seem to relate to a word formed using them but usually they do. Take for example 電話, “denwa” or “telephone”. The “den” (電) means electricity and the “wa” (話) means conversation (roughly). The thing I love is that sometimes you come across words and the meanings of the kanji they can be written with give you a new perspective or sense to the word concept.
Example: 大抵 (taitei) means “usual” used in a sentence like “on usual days…”
大 has meaning of “big” and
抵 has meaning of “resist”
Learning that, I started to see the “usual” as being “big resistance” (ie. to change).
April 19, 2007 at 6:03 am · Filed under Words
from answers.com: u·surp (yū-sûrp‘, -zûrp‘)
v., -surped, -surp·ing, -surps. v.tr.
- To seize and hold (the power or rights of another, for example) by force or without legal authority.
- To take over or occupy without right: usurp a neighbor’s land.
- To take the place of (another) without legal authority; supplant.
v.intr.
Example? I baked cookies so that he would come to the kitchen, giving me the chance to usurp his spot on the couch.
April 14, 2007 at 11:28 am · Filed under Theeeeeeeeeeesis, Words
I’ve been using this word - evaluation - and I just realized that it is totally not the word that I want to use.
This happens often. A word fits and you use it over and over again and one day you actually read the definition and realize how wrong it is for your ideas.
evaluation: the act or result of judging the worth or value of something or someone
At some point I made evaluation mean the act of seeking understanding and I guess at times people judge to seek understanding but I am more interested in understanding gained by stripping away judgements.
Now I need to find a new word. This is gonna take all Friday night folks.
March 12, 2007 at 7:21 pm · Filed under Words, Work
How do I say that I want to create something that people become attached to without sounding like I’m from marketing or dealing in the streets?
March 5, 2007 at 9:52 am · Filed under Words
some really sweet things about japanese:
- you don’t need to think about capital letters. it would be especially great if i could make my powerpoint presentations in japanese so that i could avoid the philosophical arguments about capitalization that i get into with myself
- the word など (nado) to indicate that a list of stated things is not complete. used in a similar fashion to “etc.”
apples and oranges nado…
but it is a really word. ok - so, i have a hard time accepted “etc.” as a really word even in its expanded form which i will leave you to look up because i cannot remember the spelling. i cannot use “etc.” without being aware that i am using it. just like how now, i am trying to be on strike from capital letters but i am entirely aware of it and might just go back and capitalize before i post this.
which is making me wonder - what does it say when a person avoids capital letters? are they in a hurry - they can’t take the time to hit shift? is it a coolness that is being projected? is it modesty? they do not want to capitalize “I->i” but then they realize that de-capitalizing i while keeping all other capital letters makes it look like they are trying too hard so they de-capitalize everything. and then someone’s name comes up and you have to question your relationship with them - “is it appropriate for me to not spell their name with a big first letter?” and sometimes, even if their name would look way cooler all lowercase, you just have to capitalize.
and because i am working in all lowercase here and because it is saturday night and i am working on a presentation but also working through huge frustrations at myself for how much i don’t express because i am too scared about what people will think of me and finally because you might not ever ever hear me actually sing it, i will share with you the words to a song I wrote (and no not while brainstorming for thesis ideas):
glass plate in my throat
rubber tube in my stomach
i am searching for the words
from the eloquence machine
to explain why i can’t digest you
these robotic legs
can’t take me fast enough
from the magnetic pull
between you and me
that promises destruction within us
and i can say that i’d take the chance
with every implant in me
that could process my thoughts of you
and make my actions the same
who knows where i would go
if i could disappear
when i catch sight of you
with my cyber gear
body’s all plastic now
so that you can’t grow on me
i am multi-coloured themed
my template fits the scene
and i hope it makes you jealous
don’t worry, i won’t make this poetry corner (sort of speaking for myself because my poem/mediaspace maximum is about three. any more than that and my eyes crust over and i can’t see the point). i just need to put it…somewhere.
January 25, 2007 at 10:42 am · Filed under Words
Yesterday was meetup #3 with the karate club. Oh boy it is hard to do those moves when you can see your awkwardness in the mirror. But people are so helpful. Near the end of practice they were helping me “understand” the form I need for side kicks. At one point I think one person was helping me balance while 3 others held my leg up trying to bring it backwards in a direction it currently doesn’t think it can go to. I need a lot of practice and more flexibility and some more core strength would help too.
If things work out I will eventually buy a karategi (I think that is what it is called…karate training uniform). Most of the people in the club have their names embroidered on their karategi and they told me I should think of kanji for me name. Why not use the katakana (メーガン ドイッチャ）? Because you pay per character and it can be written in fewer kanji characters. So I have thought about this before. I think I know how it works of course I could be horrible wrong or unaware of some rules but…first I break my name down to: me - gan - do - i - cha and then I find kanji with readings of those syllables. Again, I might be totally missing something but…this is just to entertain myself. Taking my first name and a kanji reference book I found the following kanji for me:
目 (eye)
芽 (sprout)
and the following for gan:
岩 (rock)
岸 (coast, shore)
頑 (obstinate, stubborn)
願 (prayer, wish, vow)
丸 (circle)
元 (origin)
眼 (eye)
顔 (face)
含 (include)
癌 (cancer)
鴈 (wild goose)
Now for many of the above symbols, gan is a Chinese reading of the symbol. I don’t know if Chinese readings are typically used but I think you can use them. So what are good and meaningful combinations? 目眼(eye-eye)? 目顔(eye-face)? 目癌(eye-cancer)? The eye kanji would be good because it is very simple. But combinations of sprout might be more meaningful like, I am 芽願 (a sprout’s prayer). 芽頑 uses the kanji for “stubborn” which is typically viewed as a negative word but is it always negative? Stubborn can be firm, strong, steady. I am a stubborn sprout meaning that I am firmly rooted.
But am I?
Anyway, I will have to think about this one for a bit. Will probably also want to consider the aesthetics, recognizability (is that a word), and my ability to write the kanji.
September 12, 2006 at 5:34 pm · Filed under Mundane, Thinking, Words
I just ran into a guy in the hallway at work, or rather, he ran past me then stopped and looked back. My first thought was “yes, I know I am beautiful but you don’t have to stare” (kidding) and then he said “remember me?” That certainly pulled me from my vanity - {oh crap I totally don’t remember} “yeeee..eeesss…” {did I meet him last week at the conference?} “your face looks familiar but…” {I don’t remember his face, usually I remember faces} “…I don’t remember your name”.
“More’s…” {???} “…you were there with my girlfriend for supper.”
Then I remembered, but still couldn’t place his face. I think he was wearing a suit that time and today he was in casual clothes. The suit transforms the man.
Crazy though, I met him during my first week in Japan. I met a lot of people then and have met many people since. Many I remember but there are people who slip through the mind’s cracks. I feel horrible when I realize I have given them blank stares of nonrecognition. When that happens my reaction is to (for the next day or so) smile at everyone like we had lunch the day before and talked about so many things that there isn’t much sense in starting a conversation at that particular moment or even saying ‘hi’.
On another note, I was sending an email to my Japanese teacher and couldn’t remember how to say “anytime” so while searching I came across this:
無芸大食
むげいたいしょく
mugeitaishoku
meaning: lacking the talent to do anything but eat, a noun I think…mugei is lacking talent, taishoku is gluttony. I like it.
August 9, 2006 at 12:59 pm · Filed under Things Found Online, Words
I tend to avoid NSFM (not safe for mother) material here, but this is too good to pass up. I was googling the word “bathe” to get to dictionary.com’s thesaurus and the top site caught my attention:
Bathe with Jesus
Have not ventured past the first page of the site and don’t think I will but…oh boy. I laughed, and then it made me a little sad, then I laughed again.
This makes me think about the meaning of words based on their top google results. Search for “apple” and you get Apple computers, far from the fruit…”banana” leads me to Banana Republic first. Search engines load and expand the meaning of our words.
Now the meaning of “bathe” shall be forever changed to me .
January 10, 2006 at 11:57 pm · Filed under Random Thoughts, Words
Yes! Something in the ol’ SK was boingboing’d. We are officially on the map and for LSD experiments conducted at the Weyburn Mental Hospital nonetheless.
In other news, I had the most amazing weekend and I want to write about it but I don’t think I could summarize it in words quite appropriately. Instead, here are some enjoyable words. Please use them this week! But avoid thinking about them too much. They’ll start to bug you.
Astonishing
Swimmingly
December 11, 2005 at 7:37 pm · Filed under Words
vi·ti·ate (vĭsh’ē-āt’) pronunciation
tr.v., -at·ed, -at·ing, -ates.
1. To reduce the value or impair the quality of.
2. To corrupt morally; debase.
3. To make ineffective; invalidate.
Usage:
Thus the substantial work by the artist in constructing a response system has been vitiated by a too tenuous connection between action and reaction. (Stephen Boyd Davis)
I like it.
August 5, 2005 at 10:19 am · Filed under Random Thoughts, Words
I don’t think that I’ve mentioned it already, but I love the word “immediately”. I love when other people say it, it makes me giggle. I love it for its sense of present, its impatience, its motivation; it’s not waiting, it is getting right there with no go between, no delay. I love the fact that such an urgent word uses so many syllables. I should get back to work, immediately.
June 13, 2005 at 3:03 pm · Filed under Words
I just realized that the magnetic poetry widget refreshes the words on your dashboard after you shut down / restart. :)
howling grey shrieks
crowded cart-horse crash
shedding home throw teapot
your beloved did uglify drawing
declared wonder
wander needs year
June 13, 2005 at 8:51 am · Filed under Computers, Words
I didn’t think the new Dashboard for Mac OSX Tiger was THAT cool. It seemed okay. But I started liking it a little and now that I have found out that you can download extra widgets it’s just the greatest thing in the world. Like the Wikipedia widget?? Sweet!!
I just downloaded the magnetic poetry widget. It’s pretty awesome although I was disappointed that when I added it to my dashboard, it didn’t toss 200-300 words onto my screen. You have to add words one at a time - the results being unpredictable. I decided to not allow myself to delete the words they give. I selected a number and then made my first dashboard poem:
steam-engine zigzag
crash station
advise eyes
yours suit sounds
February 1, 2005 at 8:37 pm · Filed under Things Found Online, Words
Common Errors in English
This is a great little site on common english errors. It finally clarified the meaning of Catch 22, I had some confusion even after reading half of the Heller novel.
I am trying to improve my writing skills by:
a) verifying that expressions and long words used are in the correct context
b) make clear, precise sentences
c) minimizing use of “I feel…”, “I think…”, “I believe…”, I, and me
The last one is really really tough! Trying though.
