写作

 

 

I am really excited that the reality show the Amazing Race is back. I totally enjoyed the previous seasons. I guess one of the reasons I was drawn to the show was that I wanted to see the world myself. 

 

 Aside from catching a glimpse of the world, I find it interesting to observe how the contestants interact with each other while they scramble to finish their tasks.

 

Sometimes, we can change our lives simply by taking the first step. My profession as a freelance interpreter accommodates my wanderlust neatly. I've backpacked through the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore this year. And I am keen on visiting more countries next year. 

 

 

今天早上做了一个交传会议。地点在华南理工大学的逸夫科学馆

 

在这里向华工的网友问好。华工可是一个人才辈出的地方 

 

华工离我家很远。为了保证准时到会场，一大早就爬起来了。出门后一边走，一边咬着馒头，吃早餐。光鲜的外表后面其实是奔忙。

 

 

论坛聚集了美国硅谷的华人精英。方博士在美国多年，虽然翻译不是本职，但是有时候国内来人，找不到翻译，也充当过翻译。他说他能体会翻译的辛苦，所以特地表扬慰问我一番。

 

其实，做口译的辛苦，只有做过口译的人才明白这项工作的复杂性和工作强度。

 

 

午饭的时候和嘉宾坐在一起。他们问我做不做同传，我说同传也做。一位嘉宾说，“同传是一个技能，很难”。

 

我笑答，“同传不仅是技能，还是苦力活呀。和挑沙，挑砖头差不多”。 

 

其实长时间的交传一个人扛下来也是非常累的。做同传还可以轮换一下，但是一个人做交传，连喝水和上洗手间的时间都没有，更别说休息了。

 

 

华工太大了，还有校内巴士。

 

 

逸夫科学馆

 

逸夫工程馆

 

逸夫人文馆

 

 

邵逸夫先生一捐就是几个馆，在这里为他歌功颂德一番。

读书

I sometimes read the last pages of a book before I set about reading the whole book, not because I'm afraid I may die not knowing the ending, like Harry in 'When Harry Met Sally'.

 

Jung Chang's new book 'Mao- the Unknown Story' is banned in mainland China. I got my copy at Singapore Changi Airport.

 

The last sentence of the 764-page book on Mao goes,'Mao died...His mind remained lucid to the end, and in it stirred one thought: himself and his power.'

 

I cannot assess the whole book as I have read only a few pages so far, but I find the last sentences arbitrary and disturbing.

 

How could Jung Chang possibly know what Mao was thinking as he lay dying?

 

I believe even a power-monger can think of something other than himself on his dying bed. 

 

Give this man some credit. After all, he was the founder of a great nation!

 

《绝望主妇》第五季第二集

'Desperate Housewives' Season 5 Episode 2 

 

 

当Gabby羡慕有钱人的生活，觉得她自己却失去一切的时候，她的丈夫说：

'Trust me, they are every bit as miserable as I was when I was out there chasing that stuff. We've lost nothing that matters. We have a home. We have each other. We have work that supports us. We have two beautiful little girls that love us more than ice cream. I have never been happier in my life... the only thing that would make me happier is for you to realize how good we've got it. '

 

他们的两个女儿可是肥胖儿童哦，but they love their parents more than ice cream.

 

How sweet!

 

Love you more than ice cream!

以前在宿舍照的一张相片。 可惜光线不好。

 

 

喜欢看特工类的英文电影或美剧。

 

特工们个个身怀绝技，身手敏捷，体力过人，冰雪聪明，通多国语言。   耍帅玩酷样样精通。

 

特工素质简直是让我等凡人同传觊觎不已。  

 

要让自己成为一名翻译特工！

rapporteur
n.
大会报告起草人

 

NEPAD-The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)- 非洲发展新伙伴计划

 

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. -全球抗击艾滋病、结核病和疟疾基金

 

Cool Earth Partnership -地球降温伙伴

-------

 

这段时间给自己定的目标太多了，发觉时间不够用。。。

 

 

Algiers

n.
阿尔及尔(阿尔及利亚首都)

 

landlocked developing countries - 内陆发展中国家

 

the UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and
Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS),-联合国最不发达国家、内. 陆发展中国家和小岛屿发. 展中国家高级代表办事处

 

transit access developing countries -过境发展中国家

 

call for accelerated progress

 

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 

 

machete
n.
弯刀

subsist
v.
生存, 存在, 供养

 

unrest
n.
不安的状态, 动荡的局面

 

cyclone
n.
旋风, 飓风, 暴风,

 

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)-联合国人道主义事务办公室

water-borne diseases - 水传播疾病

air-borne diseases - 空气传播疾病

 

outstrip: verb

past tense and past participle outstripped present participle outstripping
[transitive]
1
to do something better than someone else or be more successful
We outstripped all our competitors in sales last year.
2
to be greater in quantity than something else
Demand for new aircraft production is outstripping supply.
3
to run or move faster than someone or something else
Speeding at 90 mph, Denny outstripped police cars for an hour.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) -国际原子能组织

convoy n.
护送, 护卫
vt.
护航, 护送

sierra leone
n.
[国名]塞拉利昂(位于西非)

 

drug trafficking -贩毒

 

enact
vt.
制定法律, 颁布, 扮演

 

 melamine-contaminated milk products in China

 

melamine
n.
[化]三聚氰胺

 

renal failure -肾衰竭

 

cyanuric acid
[化]氰尿酸,三聚氰酸

 

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights- 《世界人权宣言》

 

 the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)-联合国人口基金

 

 internally displaced persons (IDPs)-国内流离失所者 

 

Azerbaijan
n.
 阿塞拜疆

 

ratification
n.
批准，签署

ethos：the set of ideas and moral attitudes that are typical of a particular group
a community in which people lived according to an ethos of sharing and caring

usurpation
n.
篡夺
the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)-经济及社会理事会( 经社会）

 

 UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) -世界知识产权组织

 

acclamation
n.
欢呼, 喝彩, (以欢呼、鼓掌等表示的)拥护, 赞成

 

flash flood  - 山洪爆发

 

The Horn of Africa - 非洲之角

 

op-ed page/article
a page in a newspaper that has articles containing opinions on various subjects, or one of these articles

 

wraparound sunglasses

 

wraparounds:sunglasses that are curved in such a way that they fit close to your face, from one ear to the other

 

be a stickler for detail/rules/accuracy /perfection etc
to think that rules etc are very important and that other people should think so too

 

wrangle: [intransitive] to argue with someone angrily for a long time
wrangle over/about
They are still wrangling over ownership of the house.
wrangle with
The various government departments are wrangling with each other.

 

美国富国银行（Wells Fargo)

 

one-upmanship: attempts to make yourself seem better than other people, no matter what they do

rock-bottom prices - 最低价格

 

美联银行（Wachovia Corp.)

 

lumber along -举步维艰

 

----

 

外面又下暴雨啦。我要停下来看一下美剧，调节一下情绪。

 

我的爱好很简单：美剧，电影，旅游，写作，音乐和艺术。  要争取把健身和美容也变成一种爱好。   健康美丽！

 20：20

 

起来周身骨痛，昨天坐了8个小时的车。。。

 

起来后点击下载了几部美剧，接着看会议文件，准备会议。外面下着雨，下午若天气好出街...

 

关于学习方法，请参照官方网站英语角的文章，我不再赘述。

 

http://www.chinagemini.com/englishcorner.htm

 

像“如何背单词”，“怎样学口语”这样的问题，我已经被问过上千遍，再回答也是在重复以前说过的话。

 

其实我也没有什么特别的秘诀，每天坚持学习，每天进步一点，坚持就是胜利。

在泰国的布吉(Phuket)参加了一个Elephant Trekking的旅游项目。

 

一个大象可以载两个人。我们前面这对美国couple可乐了。  

 

 

这对穆斯林couple,丈夫穿着短袖短裤，妻子则要全身裹着黑布，真是不公平。

 

我们的大象driver， 想不出更好的名字，马夫，象夫? 牛仔，象仔？   他骑在大象头上，悠然得像放牛娃一样。

 

 

后来让我们轮流坐了一下大象头，都觉得不踏实，有点害怕，坐了一会儿就要求会座位上坐了。

 

 

Elephant Trekking 一路上的风景很美，还是顶值得参加的旅游项目。

 

 

 

 

骑完大象后花了50泰铢买了一盘香蕉犒劳一下我们的大象。 强烈呼吁要给大象小费呀(i.e. bananas:)

National Geographic 有一个专辑是介绍曼谷的大象。一些大象没有工开，大象的主人只好带着大象在街上卖香蕉给游人喂大象，这样才养活了大象和家人。有工开的大象还是比较幸运的。 就像我们抱怨工作枯燥、辛苦，工资低一样，其实还是比没有工作的人幸运。

 

 

你瞧它，一下子卷起四个香蕉，一盘香蕉两下就喂完了。

 

 

 

可爱的大象，可爱，可爱，可爱

Raffles Hotel (Chinese: 莱佛士酒店) is a colonial-style hotel in Singapore, dating from 1887, and named after Singapore's founder Sir Stamford Raffles.  - Wiki

 

这是新加坡历史最悠久，最奢华的酒店。在这里住一晚要四五千人民币。有钱人烧钱的地方。 酒店还有自己的博物馆，不过我去到的时候已经关门了。

 

 

看到有一个查尔斯王子模样的外国人点了一桌海鲜，那是真正的有钱人。

 

我这背包客只点了一杯最便宜的饮料 Ginger Ale，加上服务费要10.06SGD,约50元。 然后静下来听歌，看导游书和地图。

 

 

本来想点一杯有名的Singapore Sling鸡尾酒，好像要20SGD. 但是据Lonely Planet上说，it tastes like cough medicine, 就算了。写到这里想念柬埔寨的Tomb Raider Cocktail.

 

 

在泰国普吉的一家酒吧也是点了一杯 Ginger Ale，一百泰铢，约25元。点了一杯饮料想在那里听歌，不过音乐实在太吵杂，没有什么韵律可言，后来饮料没有喝完就走了。  

 

 

Raffles酒店的歌手唱歌很好听。悠闲、慵懒的爵士风格。

 

 

后来一个韩国女子走过来和我搭讪，问我是不是韩国人，想我和结伴回旅馆。看来我的样子还是很东南亚。很君子地陪这名韩国女子回到她旅馆的路口，然后自己回旅馆。

 

虽然满街贴着通缉犯的相片，不过新加坡还是一个比较安全的国家。