they're after me...

A nightmare....

In this dream, I lived in a really nice big apartment with Daeshy, and had my own room ... we had a little dog [it was the same dog I saw curled up next to the car tyre last night - the one I was playing with when Daeshy came to pick me up. "Why must you play with random dogs on the street?!"]. For some strange reason, we were missing a whole wall because there was some renovation work going on and everything was becoming dusty and dirty.

~~my interpretation: it's a bit metaphorical, isn't it? I guess there's still a few repairs to be made between us~~

However, to compensate, the building was allowing us to use this bigger better swimming pool that they didn't normally allow anyone to use.

I was trying to renovate my room - I really wanted a desk in it, which was in this storage space we had, and he was helping me do that...

Very vague dream...

At some stage I realised that I have to leave, that I can't stay, and I'm standing on the balcony with that dog, we're on the second floor, and I think we have to jump, it's the only way to escape, and I throw the dog down in a way I know she won't be injured. But she's scared, and she climbs back up the wall. I try to make her go down again, and once again she climbs back up the two stories.

~~my interpretation: I guess I'd never really go...~~

I decide I may as well pack before I go, since I'm going to have to take the door now. The sound of the 6 p.m. prayers (Muslim prayers) float in through the window, except they sound like the 6 a.m. morning call to prayer.

I'm trying to pack, but I can't decide which shoes to wear, and because of the missing wall, the neighbours can see into the apartment as I pack. [the apartment now has 2 floors and spans between the 8th and 9th floors] Then Daeshy is there and he's acting all cold because I am leaving. "Who's going to take over your room?"

I'm shocked that that is all he's thinking about when my life is in danger and I have to leave because of that. He sees I'm in shock, and gently says - "How about Ginny? She and her mother are in town." I was really upset, and thought I really should find a way to stay, no matter what happens to me...

~~that says it all~~

...... what a random dream?

there were lots of weird little details that I won't even start trying to describe, because they just don't make enough sense to be able to describe

... and anyhow, what on Earth has happened to Miss Ginny Loh?

Uncontactable!

INVITATION!

MIFF is on!

Everyone join in!! Let me know if you are coming na

Tomorrow, 3 p.m., Regent Theatre: A Scanner Darkly

Saturday, Aug 5, 3 p.m., Regent Theatre: The Way I Spent The End of the World

Thursday, Aug 10, 9:10 p.m., Regent Theatre: Invisible Waves

Saturday, Aug 12, 1 p.m., RMIT Capitol Theatre: Be With Me
Saturday, Aug 12, 3 p.m., ACMI: The Blossomming of Maximo Oliveros

Happy Birthday (belated)

Yesterday was my blog's second birthday :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!


Somehow I don't think my blog will feel upset that I forgot, though ;P

But more importantly... Today is P'Oad's birthday



Ofcourse, he doesn't read my blog, so this is a little pointless...

Since I'm not going to have a change to call today (I don't think), would somebody please convey him the message that his sister wishes him a happy birthday if they speak to him after reading this? (P'Oad is one of the few rare people who simply DON'T USE E-MAIL. ~grrrr)

*** *** ***

I wish I'd taken my camera along to the Nott last night. I rarely ever go, and don't know when I'll actually go again. It's a bit too much to have a drink on Thursday night when I actually get up at 7:30 on Friday morning (even though I don't have class!). But I definitely had fun - it's good to take a break sometimes, right? Company? Great! I've known Lashi for two and a half years and I'm wondering why I didn't go for a drink with him and his friends sooner? What a character! He made me drink a whole jug of beer on my own :( :( :(

Something I shall not be repeating any time soon!

I also had a good chat with this girl, Nu - she's a first year student studying philosophy... Just a couple days ago I felt like I've learned nothing in the past two and a half years... but listening to her using the same arguments that I was using back two years ago (but coming to different comclusions to me), I've realised how much more analytical I've actually become.

Also had a chance to practice Spanish at length, with this guy called Michael, who studied in Spain for about a year and a half! That was taxing on the brain, especially after all that beer, though :P

Good stuff...

Thursdays at the Nott... Monash culture :)

Weekend coming up... work, Daeshy, and a little bit of chill...

*** *** ***

Final note: I'm sick of my big, bulky, accident-prone, electric-shock giving, feature packed but unfunctional i-mate PDA phone now. It's 2 and a half years old and I swear it has developed into a person with it's own intentions and aspirations. As such, I feel that it would be unethical to continue to enslave the rational being with a mind of its own.

Justice for all! (yeah brotha!!)

As such... I did a little bit of research, and decided that I shall shell out AUD$500 from my savings and get THIS phone

Not the latest model, but I think it's a fair deal pricewise. And no, I don't want comments on my decision (such as "fon - WTF??!) on this issue, UNLESS they are positive!!

Comments, please?

**I have to submit a statement of purpose for my exchange application... self-promotion is difficult man! Please let me know what you think!! I've already edited this a little bit after some constructive comments (Thanks Gu & Daeshy)**

Statement of Purpose for Honours Study Abroad

Valisa Anniina Sipila (Fon)

19294999

I’ve grown up as what I like to call “globally unsettled dust”, otherwise known as a “third culture kid” in the literature. Before I landed in Melbourne to pursue a degree in Arts, I spent my years as a resident in countries such as Ethiopia, Zambia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Spain, among others. Educated solely in International Schools, the concept of multiculturalism or multilingualism has never struck me as being anything other than the norm.

What is multiculturalism? Multilingualism? How do people communicate and compromise through vast differences in background? ‘International’, the current buzzword at Monash University, as well as National University of Singapore, resonates strongly – yet I haven’t until recently given these questions serious thought.

Not only was my upbringing a mosaic of worlds, but my home life, too, was spent negotiating cultural barriers and boundaries. Having one parent from Thailand and the other from Finland meant that even the concept of a ‘homeland’ and ‘mother-tongue’ became amorphous. What is my native tongue when I speak three languages natively and can switch with ease from one to another in the context of one conversation?

What had seemed a simple and natural part of my upbringing was given special significance in the context of a philosophy and linguistics double major. These questions about multiculturalism are gaining importance in many disciplines and fields, and linguistics is no exception. Scholars are asking questions such as: “Why do bilinguals code-switch?”; “How does the language use and psyche of a multilingual differ from that of a monolingual?” and “How do we apply this knowledge of the multilingual user to education? To society and identity? To policy?”

My interest lies in researching the rules and situations that guide multilinguals in their switch from one language to another, looking especially at emotive and strategic factors. Although Monash University is a multi-cultural setting, it forms only a micro cosmos. Singapore is a model of a successfully multi-ethnic and multi-lingual society. Starting my honours research at the National University of Singapore will be inspirational boost to my thesis, as well as further enhance the prospect of being a truly international citizen!

It is easy to see why I chose NUS. “Towards a Global Knowledge Enterprise” is an attractive slogan. To me, it shows that the university is reflecting on the deeper implications of a country with multilingualism already built into everyday norms. It goes beyond recognising a multi-ethnic community to encouraging students to think globally with the assets provided by their surroundings and upbringing. As a person striving to find ways to utilise my own background affectively, NUS seems to be a logical avenue in which to further this goal.

Political Compass

What do I have in common with these three men?

Well, according to Political Compass, I'm in the same ideological region...

"The Dood" would disagree, I'm sure.



Me:

I found this cool site matches your face to that of a celebrity...

...badly...

but I suppose it's entertaining.

I have used pictures my subjects have themselves placed as their display pictures on friendster.

The subjects of my experiment are:


Tenzing: Last login - 24 hours


Sidhaesh: Last login - 2 weeks


Sarinda: Last login - over 3 weeks


Myself: (The facial-feature recogniser didn't recognise the back of my head as a face, as on my profile, so I used another picture from the same photoshoot instead).

I really shouldn't have chosen those subjects for my study, though. Apart from the blatantly obvious gender re-assignment, can anyone tell me what's wrong with the big picture? Hint: Being blisfully unaware of time-frames can keep a person happy.

Break-down

After the glowing references, I had a little ego-boost, obviously...

Well, that all came crashing down today when I went to discuss (for the second time) what it is that I want to write my essays on (the 10,000 words that I'm doing on top of normal assessment).

Julie was quite obviously getting a little frustrated at my influx of original ideas that had no grounding in the relevant fields of research (I'm meant to be writing on Universal Grammar - something I'm not particularly fond of and have thus not taken in very well). She said, after I was in her office for about half an hour, "Fon - all you've told me about Universal Grammar is that you don't like it."

So once again, I have reformulated the question, and will stop trying to make universal grammarians come to terms with relativism. I'm writing a 5,000 word essay based on the work of Boroditsky and Kecskes.

The question: "Is it possible to be multilingual (YES!) and what implications does this have on relativism?"

I'll be doing a little bit of exploration of how I can get Kecskes' model of a Common Underlying Concept Base to fit into Lera's account of relativism (which is essentially a Whorfian view).

As for the other 5000 words? Two essays on universal grammar... :(

Not my cup of tea... but as they say: Know thine enemy.

Anyhow - the point of all that was that I suddenly feel as though I've been in university for 2.5 years and I know nothing. Do you all feel that way sometimes?

Glowing references and a solar eclipse:)

I'm in the final stages of putting together my application to go to Singapore on exchange... almost there!

Part of the process is getting references from two academic staff. I'm not technically supposed to see what they have written about me, but both of them provided me with an envelope and said "I won't seal it".

How nice:

"Fon is a very able and independent learner with intense intellectual energy and curiosity [sic]. She has shown great initiative in following her academic interests and a maturity beyond her year level. In addition to her intellectual abilities she has excellent social skills and great intercultural adaptability. Highly recommended."

"Valisa would be an excellent candidate for student exchange program. She is reliable, commited [sic] to her studies, and very enthusiastic about subjects in philosophy. She got an excellent grade and is very good in discussion. Overall, good candidate to show off Monash Undergrads abroad."

Hehehe... shamelessly promoting myself, am I? :P

This is way better than a friendster testimonial!

After a discussion with my philosophy lecturer, I found that she was trying to convince me to do philosophy honours. Since I am already planning to do linguistics honours, she said "why don't you do a combined honours?"... Erm...

Well... seems like a good plan, but the problem is that my interests in philosophy and my interests in linguistics are slightly divergent...

But more crucially, besides that, I won't have finished my major in Philosophy yet when I go off to Singapore.

But the prospect of a combined honours degree does sound exciting, so I may choose to simply stay in Melbourne and do the coursework at Monash. Besides, there's someone I don't really want to be apart from for too long :)

Well, for now, I'll just put in the application for linguistics honours abroad and see which path this semester steers me down.

On another note, for those of you interested in eclipses, here are a couple nice pictures (click on them to see more!). I bumped into a friend, Lashi, today, and he's a rare breed indeed. He likes to chase eclipses around the world!

Second warning and minor reprimand...

I have once before warned my dad that if he intends to comment on my blog, he will have to do it on my blog. Not by sending me an e-mail. The justification for this, ofcourse, is that the 'blog-o-sphere' is a community by its own rights. And a community that doesn't appreciate secret dealings at that!

As this is the second warning, I shall not publish the e-mail I have received in response to my previous blog, but I shall post my reply. A third warning will result in the publication of the e-mail :) :)

In response...

I have already mentioned in an earlier e-mail that I have no intention of being an observer. In fact, I'm a crucial part of my own research as well. Let me elaborate. I've discussed doing a thesis on code-switching and conversation analysis.

Follow the links to find out more.

Point is... I know what I want to do, and I have a clear idea. If you think that the misunderstandings are a bad thing, you are mistaken. In fact, it is precisely those misunderstandings that make this interesting as a thesis in linguistics.

It may be that linguistics has come a long way since the days that you studied it. For one, people are nowadays interested in natural data, along with all the flaws, and not necessarily in studying formal language. Linguists leave the study of formal written styles to those studying English and literature. Linguists are much more interested in the ways that people actually communicate.

If I were to do this study, I would have to spend a fair amount of time at home, as the first two to three weeks of recorded data would not be natural, as it would take all of us time to grow accustomed to being recorded. So this would be a study that would take about two months.

There is a much quoted study in this field on the dinner table conversations of a typical Jewish-American family. I can't remember the name of the study right now, but this academic found a very interesting rule in the discourse precisely because the rules were broken. The rule, for this family, in any case, was that the mother would always ask "and how was your day dear?" from everyone on the table. And this was revealed as a rule because one day she forgot to ask the 4-yr-old, who angrily responded "YOU DIDN'T ASK HOW MY DAY WAS!!!".

My study, however, would not be looking at the rules that guide discourse, but rather, at the rules that guide code-switching. I'm sure you've noticed that our dinner table conversation is more often than not consistent of three conversations, not just one. I'll talk to Mae in Thai, you in Finnish, and then we'll have spurts of English. I want to find what it is in the conversation that guides that switch of language in conversation.

On a broader level, this has practical applications in the real world where many people are competent in several languages and are able to code-switch with ease. I'm sure when it is all done, both you and Mae will find the study a quite insightful analysis of our own family life.

As far as transcripts are concerned, you don't have to worry - the privacy of the family is ofcourse the highest priority, and only a few samples from the data that are of linguistic structural interest will be used. In other words, I'm not interested in reporting on what we say around the dinner table, but rather, how we say it, and in which language.

Ok... I hope that answers some of your queries

How??

Where do I begin?!

First day back at uni and my head is ALREADY exploding!!!

How to get through 12-point overload??!

*sigh*

And to make matters worse... I thought of the best idea for my honours thesis - with a little help from a PhD student I met in Brisbane. I came back and talked to Dr. Julie Bradshaw about it... and she really like the idea too... and then... my parents are not liking the idea!

I have assured them about three times already that I know what I am doing, they are trying to convince me that I am simply going to ruin my work by recording them?!

Where else can I get a pure tri-lingual code-switching environment than at my own dinner table??!

My parents haven't learned each others' languages, and that makes our dinner-conversations ideal for the study of code-switching and language contact.

I don't get it. My supervisor thinks it's a great idea, I think it's a great idea... but my parents still insist that they know more about the field of linguistics than the linguists??

I'm very confused and failing to understand the rationale behind such an explicit denial when all my life my parents have been so supportive academically :(

I guess that means I won't get to see my parents next April, either, cos I'm going to have to working on my thesis then, and if I'm not using my own resources, I'll have to be here in Melbourne studying something else... so much for that idea.

A vivid blue, and the case of the missing professor

I had one of those long and impressionistic dreams last night...

The part I remember best is standing underneath the water in the ocean. The waves were strong and choppy - in fact, so strong that I saw them swallow a black car, scatter some large 'sea-monkeys' and suck some sharks into the depths. The sky was the colour of a moodswing. But under the water, the sea was a dark, yet clear blue, like an electric shock.

I was standing next to this underwater cliff, the edge of an abyss wall that spanned as far as the eye could see. And at the bottom of this cliff was a Meditterranean-looking ruin. It wasn't too far and I could swim down and almost touch the artefacts, the underwater walls - beautifully intact. Yet there was something scary about being there alone. Perhaps I had found Atlantis?

All this while I had in the back of my mind that earlier in the dream I had been taking lessons of some sort in a classroom that was part of a beautiful city, but the professor didn't show up for a lesson. We were all aware that she was of bad health, and when we reported her missing, someone rang a bell of alarm in the middle of the warm city, and everyone came out to search for her.

But then I was standing on the edge of that abyss, I mentioned earlier, and wondering which honoured teacher it was that had gone missing. People even came to ask me: "Is it...?", "Is it....?" and I couldn't remember who had disappeared or even a single identifying feature, except that that person was a professor.

And then I was alone again.


*** *** ***


I'm back in Melbourne... back at work... back with my Daeshy (... he cooked a beautiful dinner last night)

Perhaps last night would have been perfect had I not felt the entire time that something was just slightly off...

And I couldn't put my finger on it until this morning.

No matter how big the surprise, the sorry, the compensation is...

It's those simple little things that count, not the big fancy glosses.

A promise is a promise...

But I'm not angry... I just need to write, and to get it out of my system, and be rid of this stupid sense of disappointment that I only momentarily managed to shake off last night.

Almost over...

I'm in my last day of classes at the ALI2006 course. *sigh*... then back to Melbourne, back to work, back to uni... but I *do* get to see my Daeshy (miss him!)... so it's all good.

Had a good long chat with Sachin last night though, after a nice dinner at this place called Southern Spice... some really nice iddly, eggplant pakora, vara, masala dosai, and... what was the other thing we had??...

oh, well... after that, went back to powerhouse, where I went with Gerald last week. I really like that phrase, bar/art centre, converted from an old powerplant. Love it!


When will we meet again? I'll miss you!



Flowers outside Powerhouse



Spark Bar in Powerhouse



Inside the old powerstation



Some illumination?


p.s. Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog... and I lost all my comments from before as a result :(... but otherwise it's cool :)

Results OUT!

Here's a few pictures from this last week. A quick note before I get comments: I have been in the ALI course, as well as the conference from about 9-5 EVERY DAY since I've been to QLD.

I know my dad once commented that I seem to be doing nothing but going out when I once posted pictures of me having fun... so just a line in defence... Everyone deserves to relax, right?


Gerald: a very fun person, doesn't know how to drive on the correct side of the road. This was last Friday night after the ALAA conference dinner. You'll be missed!

The following pictures are from last night, when Sachin, Jonathan, Aung Si and I went for dinner at JaZ restaurant... although the pictures are from Mt. Cootha.




~~Sunny Brisbane~~

On another note:

I thought since mid-sem that I would be getting somewhere in the '60s' or 'Credit' or 'C' for 'Phonetics and Phonology' and for 'Topics in Indian Philosophy', but I got my results last night and I'm psyched!



Not bad... if I may say so myself. (By the way 'HD' is 'A' and 'D' is 'B', for those of you unfamiliar with the Australian system :)

In Brisbane

People seem to think that just cos I'm in Brisbane I've dropped off the edge of the earth.

Well, I'm here.

And I AM reading YOUR blogs, but not responding cos well... I'm actually in class right now (joys of wireless) and trying to kinda concentrate (but falling asleep anyhow).

Oh, well.

Have fun on your last week or two before uni starts again :)

Brisbane...

Tommorrow morning things are going to start getting hectic... the busy times will begine and I won't get a break until April 2007... yep, going to Brisbane, conference, course, then crazy amounts of assessment!

*sigh*

Here goes...!

3 + 20 +10 (live, love, dream)

I stole this tag off dreaming-neko...

20 years ago (1986 - age 2.5):
-i lived in Finland with my family after coming there from my Aunt's care in Bangkok.
-i loved absolutely everyone
-i dreamed about the ghosts in cupboards, and thought (?) they were real...

15 years ago (1991 - age 8):
-i lived in Lusaka, Zambia, after a while in Ethiopia.
-i loved my dogs and had a huge crush on a boy called Adam.
-i dreamed a about a farm with lots of ghosts and a mass grave.

10 years ago (1996 - age 13):
-i lived in Almaty, Kazakhstan
-i loved Pepper (my dog), and went on a couple dates with Ilias (the mayor's son).
-i dreamed about a girl watching cockroaches climb a wall

5 years ago (2001 - age 18):
-i lived in Helsinki, alone for the 4th year, and had almost killed myself several times
-i loved nobody because I'd lost everyone (including Pepper, who was poisoned when we went to Vietnam together)
-i was dreaming very little

3 years ago (2003 - age 20):
-i lived Barcelona still in the beginning of the year, and came to Bangkok for the second half.
-i loved everybody again, and found those who I'd lost
-i dreamed of finding my lost dreams

last year (2005 - age 22):
-i lived in Melbourne, studying at university
-i loved Sid, and then I pushed him away by the end of the year
-i dreamed of waiting for my dreams to stop fluttering around like mad

this year (2006 - age 23):
-i lived in Melbourne
-i loved Sid, still, and found him again
-i dreamed about stability

yesterday (june 30, 2006):
-i lived with my best buddy Sarinda, as I have done since the beginning of the year
-i loved the gym a bit too much and now have sore muscles
-i dreamed about making it to PhD(!)

last night (june 30, 2006):
-i lived on the edge
-i loved the "Super-Bobo" outfit...
-i dreamed of being more careful so that I don't fall off the edge again

today (july 1, 2006):
-i live to tell the tale
-i love my Daeshy to death
-i dream about trust

tomorrow (july 2, 2006):
-i'll live ...
-i'll love ...
-i'll dream (hopefully)...

next year (2007 - age 24):
-i'll live in my birthyear - year of the pig!
-i'll love my honours thesis
-i'll dream of a life with Sid

5-10 years from now (2011-2016 - age 28-33):
-i'll live as a graduate, struggling with my degree
-i'll love ... you, who else?
-i'll dream of a house with lots of cupboards

two squared

This is yet another tag I stole off dreaming-neko

four jobs i have had in my life:
-nanny
-waitress
-model
-translator

four movies i could watch over and over:
-aladdin
-robin hood: men in tights
-amelie
-last life in the universe

four places i have lived:
-adis ababa, ethiopia
-lusaka, zambia
-almaty, kazakhstan
-hanoi, vietnam

four TV shows i love/loved to watch:
-don't watch tv
-don't watch tv
-don't watch tv
-don't watch tv

four places i have been on vacation:
-cape town, south africa
-skeleton coast, namibia
-monaco, monte carlo
-new york, new york

four websites i look at daily:
-mine, and other bloggers' sites
-gmail.com
-google.com
-nationmultimedia.com

four of my favorite foods
-green-tea red-bean buns
-vegetarian mockfish in sour-spicy curry sauce (my own recipe)
-kappa maki
-durian or mango sorbet

four jobs i would really stink at:
-cab/bus -driver (i'm always lost)
-police officer (i'm easily distracted)
-gangster (i trust everyone!)
-singer/performer (i don't have the patience to practice every day)

four pretend nicknames i’ll NEVER live up to:
-'funny'
-'tall'
-'dam' ('black' in thai - not offensive!)
-'fifi'

four movies i will NEVER watch again, ever:
-most movies aren't worth watching again
-especially movies about teenagers doing stupid things
-and movies with the 'america saves the day' idea
-remakes of books tend to suck, too, especially if you've read the book!

four places that i would NEVER live in:
-the office
-an old building with ghosts
-isolation
-my own head (that's the scariest place i know)

four things i HATE to do on my weekends:
-sleep too much
-overeat
-have a hang-over
-cry

four TV shows i used to geek out to:
(see above)

four liquor brands I’ve tried and enjoyed:
-malibu
-sang som
-jw green lable
-drambuie
(on the list for golden-week)

four things i CAN live without:
-animal products
-suffering
-prejudice
-war

four of my favorite cholesterol laden foods:
-coffee
-coconut milk
-hmmm... I'm vegan, so hard to say...
-any suggestions?

four places i would rather be in right NOW:
-singapore, with my Daeshy
-bangkok, with my little nephews and niece
-helsinki, with my parents
-but i'd rather live for the moment, so i'm happy here