paltry \PAWL-tree\, adjective:
1. almost worthless; trifling
2. of no worth; contemptible, despicable
The Denver defense is in tatters, ranking among the worst in the league, surrendering 31 points to a Raiders team that had been averaging a paltry 12.8 per game.-- Mark Kiszla, Denver Post, 11/24/2008
It has long been acknowledged, for instance, that the British Secret Intelligence Service has compensated for its paltry size - it has about one-tenth the manpower of the CIA - by leveraging the reputation of its most famous fictional spy, James Bond.-- Kelly M. Greenhill, Los Angeles Times, 5/28/2007
Almost everything on the vastly unimaginative happy hour menu contains pico de gallo and sour cream, including small, wizened potato skins containing a few paltry crumbles of bacon.-- Nikki Buchanan, The Arizona Republic, 11/25/2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
A word a day.
jaded \JEY-did\, adjective:
worn out; tired, weary
The bad guys were potential Islamic extremists. But anywhere, at this jaded stage in the global war on terror, was literally and metaphorically off the map: a remote African laboratory for the long anti-terror struggles of the future.-- Paul Salopek, Chicago Tribune, 11/18/2008
The dynamism of this U.S. election will have important ripple effects elsewhere. Voters in much of the developing world have become jaded about elections, especially those heavily promoted by the United States.-- Trudy Rubin, Miami Herald, 11/9/2008
worn out; tired, weary
The bad guys were potential Islamic extremists. But anywhere, at this jaded stage in the global war on terror, was literally and metaphorically off the map: a remote African laboratory for the long anti-terror struggles of the future.-- Paul Salopek, Chicago Tribune, 11/18/2008
The dynamism of this U.S. election will have important ripple effects elsewhere. Voters in much of the developing world have become jaded about elections, especially those heavily promoted by the United States.-- Trudy Rubin, Miami Herald, 11/9/2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
A word a day.
fabricate \FAB-ri-keyt\, verb:
1. to make, build, or construct
2. to make up, invent
3. to fake or forge a document or signature
"I've had more people tell me that throughout my career: 'Man, we love to watch you play. Your enthusiasm and stuff like that.' I mean, it's not fabricated. I love to play the game …"-- Dennis Waszak Jr., The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/19/2008
At the same time, Mr. Heinonen acknowledged that the agency "did not have sufficient information at this stage to conclude whether the allegations are groundless or the data fabricated."-- Elaine Sciolino, New York Times, 10/9/2008
The complex-shaped crystals of calcite were fabricated using a technique that involves depositing the mineral in a way that creates intricate microscopic patterns.-- Sandeep Junnarkar, CNET News, 2/21/2003
1. to make, build, or construct
2. to make up, invent
3. to fake or forge a document or signature
"I've had more people tell me that throughout my career: 'Man, we love to watch you play. Your enthusiasm and stuff like that.' I mean, it's not fabricated. I love to play the game …"-- Dennis Waszak Jr., The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/19/2008
At the same time, Mr. Heinonen acknowledged that the agency "did not have sufficient information at this stage to conclude whether the allegations are groundless or the data fabricated."-- Elaine Sciolino, New York Times, 10/9/2008
The complex-shaped crystals of calcite were fabricated using a technique that involves depositing the mineral in a way that creates intricate microscopic patterns.-- Sandeep Junnarkar, CNET News, 2/21/2003
Monday, December 8, 2008
Cambodia
I've been away to Cambodia, and hence, a lack of posts in my domain.
In general, it is always more convincing if you see it for yourself, rather than me telling you. Therefore if you have the chance, go TRAVEL. Widen your horizons!
I don't mean to preach, but I've decided to post this, just so you know how fortunate you people are in Singapore. While you may be busy spending your time playing your PSP (which by the way, in your official English composition is Playstation Portable game) or XBox 360 or Wii. Guess what an average kid in Cambodia is busy doing???
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
A girl stationed by the tree, waiting for passing tourists...
She came up to me, asking me to make a purchase...
AND THERE ARE MANY LIKE HER IN THEIR COUNTRY.
*
*
*
*
Let's just be thankful you are born in Singapore huh.
In general, it is always more convincing if you see it for yourself, rather than me telling you. Therefore if you have the chance, go TRAVEL. Widen your horizons!
I don't mean to preach, but I've decided to post this, just so you know how fortunate you people are in Singapore. While you may be busy spending your time playing your PSP (which by the way, in your official English composition is Playstation Portable game) or XBox 360 or Wii. Guess what an average kid in Cambodia is busy doing???
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
A girl stationed by the tree, waiting for passing tourists...
She came up to me, asking me to make a purchase...
AND THERE ARE MANY LIKE HER IN THEIR COUNTRY.
*
*
*
*
Let's just be thankful you are born in Singapore huh.
A word a day.
eminent \EM-uh-nuhnt\, adjective:
1. high in station, rank, or repute; prominent, distinguished
2. conspicuous; noteworthy
3. high; lofty
4. standing out above other things; prominent
Several others of the most eminent artists of our country had urgently requested Mr. Dickens to sit to them for his picture and bust, but, having consented to do so to Alexander and Dexter, he was obliged to refuse all others for want of time.-- G.W. Putnam, The Atlantic, October 1, 1870
Children who are to become eminent do not like schools or schoolteachers. Many famed men found their own homes more stimulating, preferred to skip school and read books omnivorously. Today's "regimented schools" would not consider them college material.-- Victor Goertzel, The Gifted Child Quarterly, December 1, 1960
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incursion \in-KUR-zhuhn; -shuhn\, noun:
1. a sudden attack; invasion, raid
2. a running or flowing in
Jerina's bulwarks failed to protect Bosnia from the last great incursion against Europe from the East, the invasions of Ottoman Turk armies into the southeastern corner of the continent beginning in the fourteenth century.-- Chuck Sudetic, Blood and Vengeance
1. high in station, rank, or repute; prominent, distinguished
2. conspicuous; noteworthy
3. high; lofty
4. standing out above other things; prominent
Several others of the most eminent artists of our country had urgently requested Mr. Dickens to sit to them for his picture and bust, but, having consented to do so to Alexander and Dexter, he was obliged to refuse all others for want of time.-- G.W. Putnam, The Atlantic, October 1, 1870
Children who are to become eminent do not like schools or schoolteachers. Many famed men found their own homes more stimulating, preferred to skip school and read books omnivorously. Today's "regimented schools" would not consider them college material.-- Victor Goertzel, The Gifted Child Quarterly, December 1, 1960
********
incursion \in-KUR-zhuhn; -shuhn\, noun:
1. a sudden attack; invasion, raid
2. a running or flowing in
Jerina's bulwarks failed to protect Bosnia from the last great incursion against Europe from the East, the invasions of Ottoman Turk armies into the southeastern corner of the continent beginning in the fourteenth century.-- Chuck Sudetic, Blood and Vengeance
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A word a day.
adulterate \uh-DUHL-tuh-rayt\, verb:
1. to add an inferior, impure, or improper substance to; lower the quality or purity of a food or other substance without greatly altering the appearance; corrupt
2. debased by adulteration; adulterated
It would seem as if some men considered it a sin ever to sell a pure article, if it be possible to adulterate it with something cheaper.-- Adulterated Drugs, Drinks, and Diet, New York Times, October 23, 1949
Industrial plant directors bent upon fulfilling the Plan adulterate their products to increase quantity.-- Lance Morrow, The Inscrutable Soviets, Time, May 9, 1972
The disciples also promised not to adulterate milk with water, or flour with powdered stone.-- Atomic Vows, Time, May 14, 1946
1. to add an inferior, impure, or improper substance to; lower the quality or purity of a food or other substance without greatly altering the appearance; corrupt
2. debased by adulteration; adulterated
It would seem as if some men considered it a sin ever to sell a pure article, if it be possible to adulterate it with something cheaper.-- Adulterated Drugs, Drinks, and Diet, New York Times, October 23, 1949
Industrial plant directors bent upon fulfilling the Plan adulterate their products to increase quantity.-- Lance Morrow, The Inscrutable Soviets, Time, May 9, 1972
The disciples also promised not to adulterate milk with water, or flour with powdered stone.-- Atomic Vows, Time, May 14, 1946
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
A word a day.
frowzy \FROW-zee\, adjective:
1. dirty and untidy; slovenly
2. smelling bad; musty
"Lady," said a frowzy, spiritless panhandler, "c'n ya lemmee have a quarter to buy my little boy some milk?"-- The Bleatniks, Time, August 10, 1957
Based on an old apartment building in Spokane, Wash., it is complete with frowzy lobby and stains on the wall that you wouldn't want to analyze too closely.-- Jerry V. Haines, Minneapolis mind expansion, Los Angeles Times, August 13, 2001
The chief of staff's normally impeccable office had become a frowsy litter of coffee cups, cigarette butts, carbines and musette bags.-- Frank Gibney, Help Seemed Far Away, Time, July 9, 1946
********
ensconced \en-SKONST\, adjective:
1. sheltered comfortably and firmly
2. sheltered safely; hidden
Determined to make the continental crossing in style, Reed ensconced his wife and four children in an enormous, custom-built, two-story wagon, complete with sleeping bunks, upholstered seats and a built-in stove.-- Bruce Barcott, Meals on Wheels: A novel of the Donner Party," review of Snow Mountain Passage, by James D. Houston, New York Times, April 7, 1997
Hamish is our puppet millionaire: an aged plant-tub tycoon, ensconced in a country house of sprawling vulgarity, he remains the befuddled pawn of his wife Gemma.-- Martin Amis, Prose Is the Leading Lady," review of Words of Advice, by Fay Weldon, New York Times, October 1, 1973
Only when he was firmly ensconced in the prime minister's office, with the reins of power in his hands, did Atsuko Abe began to discuss his true agenda with his closest allies.-- Stephen Coonts, Fortunes of War
1. dirty and untidy; slovenly
2. smelling bad; musty
"Lady," said a frowzy, spiritless panhandler, "c'n ya lemmee have a quarter to buy my little boy some milk?"-- The Bleatniks, Time, August 10, 1957
Based on an old apartment building in Spokane, Wash., it is complete with frowzy lobby and stains on the wall that you wouldn't want to analyze too closely.-- Jerry V. Haines, Minneapolis mind expansion, Los Angeles Times, August 13, 2001
The chief of staff's normally impeccable office had become a frowsy litter of coffee cups, cigarette butts, carbines and musette bags.-- Frank Gibney, Help Seemed Far Away, Time, July 9, 1946
********
ensconced \en-SKONST\, adjective:
1. sheltered comfortably and firmly
2. sheltered safely; hidden
Determined to make the continental crossing in style, Reed ensconced his wife and four children in an enormous, custom-built, two-story wagon, complete with sleeping bunks, upholstered seats and a built-in stove.-- Bruce Barcott, Meals on Wheels: A novel of the Donner Party," review of Snow Mountain Passage, by James D. Houston, New York Times, April 7, 1997
Hamish is our puppet millionaire: an aged plant-tub tycoon, ensconced in a country house of sprawling vulgarity, he remains the befuddled pawn of his wife Gemma.-- Martin Amis, Prose Is the Leading Lady," review of Words of Advice, by Fay Weldon, New York Times, October 1, 1973
Only when he was firmly ensconced in the prime minister's office, with the reins of power in his hands, did Atsuko Abe began to discuss his true agenda with his closest allies.-- Stephen Coonts, Fortunes of War
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Hot off the press!!!
Sometimes, I wonder... is life that worthless??? Or did this guy want to create a HUGE bang before he leaves this world??!!! I think I'm more horrified by the fact that a tiger can actually claw/ pound a person to death. I would never have imagined their viciousness, as the only form I have ever witnessed were these, which were caged up in the zoo. So yah, tigers in captivity kills too - it's their natural instinct. I forgot, they are not Alex, the dancing tiger in the New York Zoo in Madagascar, the movie. Anyway, the news had me dumbfounded for a while. Any thoughts from your side?
********
The Straits Times
14 November 2008, Friday
Cleaner killed by zoo tigers
By Khushwant Singh
A CLEANER at the Singapore Zoo who jumped into the white tiger enclosure yesterday was killed by the animals as a horrified crowd looked on helplessly.
Malaysian Nordin Montong, 32, was set upon by two of the three big cats in the enclosure at around noon.
According to eyewitnesses, Mr Nordin, who was seen shouting and flinging items about shortly before the incident, vaulted a low wall and landed in a moat in the enclosure, four metres below.
Carrying a yellow pail and a broom, he then crossed the 1.75m-deep moat, walked up to a rocky ledge near where the animals were and began agitating them by swinging the broom.
As two of the tigers approached him, he covered his head with the pail, lay down on the ground, and curled himself into a foetal position, two eyewitnesses, an Australian couple, told police. Their identities were withheld pending investigations.
In a flash, two of the extremely rare white tigers were on him. One took a swipe at him with its paw - which is about the size of a softball glove - and he began screaming in pain, said another eyewitness, Dutch tourist W. R. de Boer.
He said many in the crowd of 30 or so onlookers at the enclosure initially thought the intrusion was part of a show.
But when Mr Nordin began screaming, they reacted with horror.
'Some were screaming: 'Go away' to the tigers and others were shouting to scare the tigers,' he said.
The cries alerted zoo staff, and the alarm was raised.
About 20 keepers arrived within minutes. Some tried to prevent the attack from continuing by throwing brooms and dustbin covers, while the rest ushered the shocked onlookers away.
Also deployed were two zookeepers armed with rifles and live ammunition, but these were not used, said the zoo's assistant director of zoology, Mr Biswajit Guha.
Despite the efforts of the keepers, one tiger continued attacking Mr Nordin for several minutes, the zoo said in a statement yesterday.
It only relented after a door to the tigers' feeding area was opened. The animals retreated to it, leaving the cleaner motionless on the ground.
Once the tigers were in the feeding area, the door separating it from the rest of the enclosure was closed, and keepers were able to reach the cleaner.
It was too late, however. Mr Nordin, who hails from Sarawak, had been bitten on the neck and suffered a fractured skull. He died before police arrived.
His colleagues later told zoo staff that the contract worker, who had been working at the zoo for about 41/2 months, had been behaving strangely minutes before the incident.
He had thrown his cutters and meal coupons about before telling them in Malay: 'Goodbye, you won't be seeing me again.'
He then rode off on his bicycle.
The Australian tourists also said they saw him shouting and throwing some things as he walked by the crocodile exhibit, just 10 minutes from the tiger enclosure.
Yesterday's incident was the first time a person had been killed by an animal at the zoo since it opened in 1973.
Before this, the most serious incident occurred in 2001, when Chawang, a bull elephant, gored his keeper of 18 years, Mr Gopal Krishnan.
The keeper suffered fractured ribs and a punctured lung, and was in hospital for close to two months before he eventually recovered.
The zoo, which had to stop the tram ride and prevent visitors from entering during the incident, said yesterday that it would close the white tiger exhibit temporarily as a precautionary measure. It did not say how long the closure would last.
It said the tigers, which are nine years old and were brought in from Sumatra in 2001, would not be put down as they had acted naturally.
********
The Straits Times
14 November 2008, Friday
Cleaner killed by zoo tigers
By Khushwant Singh
A CLEANER at the Singapore Zoo who jumped into the white tiger enclosure yesterday was killed by the animals as a horrified crowd looked on helplessly.
Malaysian Nordin Montong, 32, was set upon by two of the three big cats in the enclosure at around noon.
According to eyewitnesses, Mr Nordin, who was seen shouting and flinging items about shortly before the incident, vaulted a low wall and landed in a moat in the enclosure, four metres below.
Carrying a yellow pail and a broom, he then crossed the 1.75m-deep moat, walked up to a rocky ledge near where the animals were and began agitating them by swinging the broom.
As two of the tigers approached him, he covered his head with the pail, lay down on the ground, and curled himself into a foetal position, two eyewitnesses, an Australian couple, told police. Their identities were withheld pending investigations.
In a flash, two of the extremely rare white tigers were on him. One took a swipe at him with its paw - which is about the size of a softball glove - and he began screaming in pain, said another eyewitness, Dutch tourist W. R. de Boer.
He said many in the crowd of 30 or so onlookers at the enclosure initially thought the intrusion was part of a show.
But when Mr Nordin began screaming, they reacted with horror.
'Some were screaming: 'Go away' to the tigers and others were shouting to scare the tigers,' he said.
The cries alerted zoo staff, and the alarm was raised.
About 20 keepers arrived within minutes. Some tried to prevent the attack from continuing by throwing brooms and dustbin covers, while the rest ushered the shocked onlookers away.
Also deployed were two zookeepers armed with rifles and live ammunition, but these were not used, said the zoo's assistant director of zoology, Mr Biswajit Guha.
Despite the efforts of the keepers, one tiger continued attacking Mr Nordin for several minutes, the zoo said in a statement yesterday.
It only relented after a door to the tigers' feeding area was opened. The animals retreated to it, leaving the cleaner motionless on the ground.
Once the tigers were in the feeding area, the door separating it from the rest of the enclosure was closed, and keepers were able to reach the cleaner.
It was too late, however. Mr Nordin, who hails from Sarawak, had been bitten on the neck and suffered a fractured skull. He died before police arrived.
His colleagues later told zoo staff that the contract worker, who had been working at the zoo for about 41/2 months, had been behaving strangely minutes before the incident.
He had thrown his cutters and meal coupons about before telling them in Malay: 'Goodbye, you won't be seeing me again.'
He then rode off on his bicycle.
The Australian tourists also said they saw him shouting and throwing some things as he walked by the crocodile exhibit, just 10 minutes from the tiger enclosure.
Yesterday's incident was the first time a person had been killed by an animal at the zoo since it opened in 1973.
Before this, the most serious incident occurred in 2001, when Chawang, a bull elephant, gored his keeper of 18 years, Mr Gopal Krishnan.
The keeper suffered fractured ribs and a punctured lung, and was in hospital for close to two months before he eventually recovered.
The zoo, which had to stop the tram ride and prevent visitors from entering during the incident, said yesterday that it would close the white tiger exhibit temporarily as a precautionary measure. It did not say how long the closure would last.
It said the tigers, which are nine years old and were brought in from Sumatra in 2001, would not be put down as they had acted naturally.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
A word a day.
soiree \swah-RAY\, noun:
an evening party or social gathering
Rose was reminiscing at a soiree I hosted on a recent sultry evening on Chicago's North Side.-- Laura Washington, World still watching -- but now it's a love fest, Chicago Sun-Times, August 10, 2004
The couple will be honoured guests at this week's soiree and the evening's success will matter more to them than anyone.-- Someone is saving your bacon, Daily Telegraph, April 5, 1998
an evening party or social gathering
Rose was reminiscing at a soiree I hosted on a recent sultry evening on Chicago's North Side.-- Laura Washington, World still watching -- but now it's a love fest, Chicago Sun-Times, August 10, 2004
The couple will be honoured guests at this week's soiree and the evening's success will matter more to them than anyone.-- Someone is saving your bacon, Daily Telegraph, April 5, 1998
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