Learning Shanghainese

Another of my new linguistic escapades...

The Shanghainese dialect is a very interesting language. For a native Cantonese speaker who is accustomed to a rich array of consonant endings and a more 'musical' set of tones, learning this dialect can be quite disconcerting - both to the ears and the palatial muscles. All words can only end with a vowel, -ng or a glottal stop -q. But where it suffers in terms of a limited selection of endings, it more than makes up for it with a dazzling array of consonant beginnings, and its own unique array of tones - both long and short.

I now have in my collection, two out of the three books that form a set of learning texts for the Shanghainese dialect (the series is divided into "Basic", "Daily Use" and "Business"). All the books come with CD's, which I now play in my car to practise my listening skills - much to the disgruntlement of all those who have the misfortune of being my passengers over the next few weeks!

儂身體好伐? 倷飯吃過了伐? 謝謝儂! nung seng-thi hoa va? na ve chi ku le va? sha-sha nung! (How are you? Have you eaten yet? Thank you!)

Pull-ups and dips... back in action!

I am a true believer in Body Pump™ now.

Before I started classes, my pull-ups and dips were in the absolute doldrums. I was barely able to muscle out 7 pull-ups and 15 dips, reminiscence of my younger days. But after just four sessions, my pull-ups have shot back up to 13, and my dips have hit 30!

Now that I am back on a roll, I have reverted to my good old strength workout routine for rock-climbing, i.e. doing pull-ups and dips with added weights dangling from my feet (7kg for pull-ups and 20kg for dips). The way I figure it, if I keep this training routine up, I might just be able to break my 21st birthday record number of pull-ups, i.e. 23.

The downside is, my cardiovascular endurance is going down again. It was on an up-climb while I was still doing RPM classes regularly, so I think I better get back into it again. Thing is, nothing strikes more fear into my heart than that ghastly Track #5, where you are expected to do that insane 'stand-up-sit-down' thing during the chorus! Ugh, my burning ass...

Denial (逃避現實)

Denial can be a powerful state of mind. It cripples you, forcing you to see and hear what really is not there, throwing you into a whirlpool of one self-fulfilling prophecy after another.

While the rational side of your mind struggles to bring you to your senses, the state of denial clouds your better judgement, as you fight the uphill battle of trying to justify to yourself - and to those around you - the apparent rationality behind what is truly futile nonsense.

The mind knows it is wrong, but the heart soldiers on into the abyss. There is no hope for survival, or for even the faint sight of light at the end of a long corridor. And yet, the heart presses on.

In the distance a hand - the hand of the mind, of rationale - stretches forth to this intrepid sentimental fool, beckoning him to return to his senses. But another stronger hand pulls him away. It is the hand of the heart. It draws him further away from reality, taking him where the final, inevitable end is nothing but pain. Yet, he allows himself to be drawn to that end.

A painful end, no doubt. But that is the power of denial.

Tummy woes...

Warning: Not for the faint-hearted

Had to take a day of medical leave from work today, due to stomach problems. It started on Sunday (3 days ago), with what I thought was gastric pain. By Sunday evening after dinner, the pain was so bad that I could barely stand upright. It kind of subsided by Monday, so I figured everything was alright.

However, the respite was short-lived. By last night, the pain was so bad, and my belly so bloated with gas and crap. I tried relieving the pain by sitting on Her Majesty's throne, but nothing - not even the courtesy of some wind - came out. Finally, I had to force myself to vomit, just to release the pressure being built up in my belly, which was now rock-hard. Even had to chuck again an hour later.

It was only in the wee hours of dawn that diarrhoea finally set in. Four straight crapping sessions effectively relieved the excruciating pain that had kept me awake for most of the night. I really thought I was going to die of colon cancer. Anyway, I got some medication from my Dad this morning to fix things. As to why it took so long for the crap to be released, even he could not explain.