public speaking

It's said that public speaking is ranked the #1 fear for most people. I used to be, and still am, one of those people. It's gotten easier over the years though. For one thing, I don't stutter as bad as I used to, and I'm trying to eliminate those infamous "like's" and "um's".

Where exactly did these filler words come from? Who was the first person to start using these words to bridge those awkward gaps in your speech? The answer may be untraceable like a lot of things. It's almost a part of your culture to use these words in everyday conversation too. I overhear many conversations and people tend to over-exaggerate a lot of situations by constantly saying "very", "so", and "literally". That sentence itself used too much "too much".

I  think public speaking will probably get better as you experience more things...and practice doing it a lot. That's the only way you're going to get better at it. To this day I still don't know if speaking in front of people you do know is harder/easier than speaking in front of those you don't.

Sometimes in English we watch these videos called TED talks, and although I don't always follow what the actually speaker is saying, I watch what they do...and how they project their idea. It doesn't matter what you say most of the time, it really is how you go about it. I hope one day to be an effective public speaker like so many I have seen before.

stranger than fiction

Stranger than Fiction is a movie about an IRS auditor who one day hears a voice that narrates his life. The strange part is that no one else can hear this voice besides him. Will Ferrell stars as the main character, Harold Crick. So far I enjoy this movie and I hope that it'll get better too. Normally, when it comes to movies, I'm very picky and my attention starts to wander off. I don't know why, but I automatically judge movies when I first hear of them. But this one seems nice. I think my taste in movies would definitely be weird or bizarre movies, like Donnie Darko.

If I were to hear a voice that narrated my life, I'd be creeped out but kind of fascinated at that same time. It'd be nice to have another perspective on my own day-to-day actions, like say for instance, if I got a 100 on my test, it would be nice if  someone repeated that to me for my own benefit. I feel like there are definitely moments in real life where music could come into play too...like when someone proposes to me (hopefully), there'd be some sappy indie music playing in the background. Band of Horses maybe. Yeah that'd be nice.

I'd like to make this post longer but unfortunately my ideas are tapped right now!

Language barriers

Today in class we watched a TED video that talked about languages and the restrictions it places on people. But on the other hand it also can benefit us, if we want to protect our ideas from other people. I always wonder about that. When someone copies me, it is not "the sincerest form of flattery", I think it's stealing. But like the guy in the video said, if I communicate that I allow you to do it, then it's not stealing. It still makes me angry when I see someone take my ideas however..

Anyhoo, that's a little off-topic. My mom and I got in a tiny argument over dinner and while I could express most of my thoughts clearly, my mom had to improvise. Cantonese is not as specific as English is. My mom can definitely understand what I'M saying, but she can't fully articulate what she's thinking. And I don't know whose more at fault here for this barrier. One side is that my mom and dad did not exactly keep up with teaching Cantonese to me while I was taking ESL classes; the other is that I did not make more of an initiative to continue it as well.

It's mind-boggling how many languages there are in the world, and how these two in specific vary so much. Even as I was watching a Korean drama the other day, the differences between Chinese and Korean are huge. Korean would be very difficult for a native English speaker to even begin to learn. Romance languages aren't as hard because they have a similar root...but Asiatic language seems to be very hard. For one thing, you have to develop the "tongue" for it.

But I can't say any one language is hard. Funny how we deemed English to be the most universal language when really it is one that causes the most difficulties. But I suppose that's life right? Gluttons for punishment.

it's all in the deets

So I just got done having an impromptu heart-to-heart with my sister.

It's amazing how much I actually learn from these chats. I mean, do you really listen to what people say to you? If we did, the world would be 100x more productive.

People will hear what you say, but they don't always listen. Some would say it is "selective hearing", and I believe that. When you take the time to listen to words and roll them around your mind, you start to gain perspective.

One topic came up and it was about social norms, about how people are expected to say certain things at certain times. Words can make someone feel put-out, or just that much happier. Take, for instance, if you were invited to dinner at someone's house and they ask you how it was. And you could say "Pretty good" in a flat monotone, or you could respond earnestly with "I really loved it, it was great!". I find that sometimes I fall into the dull responses category, but not even on purpose. I say "pretty" and "kinda" before many of the replies I give, and I realize that it makes things sound uncertain. That kind of tone can hurt another's feelings. Although I do not mean any harm by it, another person will not know that. So the point of this was to emphasize the importance of diction, of tone. It's not what you say (although that's important too) but mainly HOW you say it.

Words can be sharper than knives!