By Valentina Tu
Summer is coming, if it is not already here. For many people, summer screams SKIN! To get the smoothest and clearest skin in the world, you have to remove your hair. Here are some facts and tips about hair removal.
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By Juan Francisco Moreno Murillo
Before the Renaissance, people in Europe used to think that the world was a flat circle, just like a coin. The big kingdoms of Europe, including Spain, traded with Asia and other parts of the South Pacific. The route they used to take was through the Mediterranean Sea and the Suez Canal, taking them directly to Asia without the need of sailing around Africa. Later, in the middle of the fifteenth century, the Turkish took control of the Suez Canal and would attack any ship that was not Turkish, so the Europeans had no option but to sail around Africa in order to get to Asia. But on the way they would also encounter pirates and ferocious sea storms that might wreck their ships. Europeans needed to find a solution. The answer came two decades later when Christopher Columbus came up with a plan: it consisted of convincing a sponsor that the world was spherical and that if he could sail across the Atlantic Ocean a new route to Asia would be discovered. Columbus tried repeatedly with the kings of Portugal and England, until he finally got approval from the king of Spain, who provided Columbus with three ships and a crew composed of jailed convicts. In 1492, Columbus sailed for five weeks until he reached the Bahamas, where he was welcomed by the local inhabitants. Columbus named the island “San Salvador” (Saint Savior in English). He later explored the north coast of Cuba, where one of the ships ran aground and had to be abandoned; he would later have to leave part of his crew behind because the two remaining ships couldn’t carry them. Columbus later arrived in the Dominican Republic, but he was received with arrows by the hostile natives. He kidnapped ten of them and took them to Spain as proof of his discovery. In 1493 he arrived back in Spain, and news of his discovery spread rapidly throughout Europe. In the same year, the king of Spain encouraged Columbus to make a second voyage, this time to colonize new lands. The king provided him with 17 ships and a large crew of around 1200 men (among them priests, farmers, and soldiers). He first arrived at the Island of Dominica and continued exploring the Lesser Antilles. He later explored the Greater Antilles and rested in Puerto Rico; later he continued his route and discovered the south coast of Cuba (which Columbus thought was a peninsula) and Jamaica. In 1494 he would return after many failed attempts at colonization. The king was not pleased with Columbus’s results. In 1498, Columbus got a third sponsorship from the king and left with six ships. He arrived at the island of Trinidad (very close to Venezuela) and explored the coastline of South America, discovering the islands of Tobago and Granada. Columbus later visited one of the surviving colonies that he founded on the island of Hispaniola, where he discovered that many Spanish colonizers were unhappy with his faulty administration. Later they rebelled against Columbus. Columbus had the rebels hanged, and later he would be accused in court by his shipmates of gross mismanagement and was arrested shortly after the trial. Four years later in 1502, Columbus set sail on his last journey with four ships, his son, and his brother. He made a brief stop in Jamaica and later sailed to the Bay Islands of Honduras. In August 14 he landed in mainland America, in Puerto Castilla, Honduras. He spent two months exploring the Atlantic coast of Central America. After many hurricanes, attacks, and hardships, Columbus returned to Spain in November 1504 with news of his discovery, and in the following years the Spanish conquest of America began. El encuentro con America Antes del Renacimiento, la gente de Europa solía pensar que el mundo era plano, tal como una moneda. Los grandes reinos de Europa (incluyendo España), harían comercio con Asia, y otros lados del Sur Pacifico. La ruta que los Euro-peos solían tomar era a través del mar Mediterráneo y el canal de Suez, llevándolos directamente a Asia sin la necesidad de zarpar al rededor de África. Luego, a mediados del siglo quince, los Turcos tomaron control del canal de Suez, y atacarían cualquier barco que no fuera Turco, así que los Europeos no tenían otra opción más que zarpar al rededor de África para poder llegar a Asia, pero en el camino ellos encontrarían piratas y furiosas tormentas marinas que dañarían sus embarcaciones. Los europeos necesitaban encontrar una solución. La respuesta vino dos décadas después cuando Cristóbal Colón diseñó un plan; este consistía en convencer a quien lo patrocinara, que el mundo es esférico y que si él pudiera zarpar a través del océano Atlántico; una nueva ruta a Asia, seria descubierta. Colon trato repetitivamente con los reyes de Portugal e Inglaterra, hasta que finalmente la aprobación de los reyes de España. Ellos proveyeron a Colón con tres carabelas y una tripulación compuesta de reos. En 1492, Colón navega por cinco semanas en Atlántico hasta llegar a Las Bahamas, donde es bien-venido por lo aborígenes. Colón nombró esa isla “San Salvador”. Colón después explora la costa norte de Cuba, donde una de sus carabelas encalla y es abandonada, él después tendría que dejar atrás parte de su tripulación por que las otras carabelas no tenían capacidad para ellos. Colón después llega a Republica Dominicana. Donde es recibido con flechas de los hostiles aborígenes; Colón captura a diez nativos y se los lleva a España como prueba de su descubrimiento. En 1493, él llega a España, y las noticias de su descubrimiento se dispersan rápidamente a través de Europa. En el mismo año, los reyes de España animaron a Colon para que hiciera un segundo viaje, en esta ves para colonizar nuevas tierras. Los reyes le proveyeron con 17 embarcaciones y una gran tripulación de alrededor de 1200 hombres (entre ellos sacerdotes, granjeros y soldados). El llego a la isla de Dominica y continuo explorando las Antillas menores. Luego el exploro las Antillas mayores y descanso en Puerto Rico; luego continuo su ruta, descubriendo la costa sur de Cuba (la cual Colon pensó que era una península) y Jamaica. En 1494 el regresaría con mucho intentos fallidos de colonización. Los reyes no estaban complacidos con los resultados de Colon. En 1498, Colon consiguió un tercer patrocinio por los reyes, y zarpo de España con seis naves, el luego arribaría en la isla de Trinidad (muy cerca de Venezuela) y exploraría la línea costera de Sur América, descubriendo las islas de Tobago y Granada. Luego Colon visito una de sus sobrevivientes colonias que el fundo en la isla de Hispaniola, el descubrió que muchos colonizadores españoles estaban descontentos con Colon por su mala administración, y luego se revelarían en contra de Colon. Colon ordeno el ahorcamiento de los rebeldes, después el seria acusado en corte por sus compañeros marineros por muy mala administración y seria arrestado poco después del juicio. Cuatro años después en 1502, Colon zarparía en su último viaje con cuatro naves, su hijo, y su hermano. El hiso un breve descanso en Jamaica y luego zarpo para las Islas de la Bahía de Honduras. En el 14 de Agosto el toco tierra del continente Americano; en Puerto Castilla, Honduras. El estuvo dos meses explorando las costas de Centro América. Después de muchos huracanes, ataques y dificultades, Colon regresa a España en Noviembre de 1504 con las noticias de su descubrimiento, y en los siguientes años, la conquista española en América iniciaría. It’s summertime and we’re all about easy one-pieces. There’s something for every occasion.
By Jennifer Jieh Dinner Date: Opt for something classy and feminine. Just a bit above the knee is the perfect length for a flirty look. Something satin or silky will look gorgeous and glisten in dark lighting. Keep the silhouette simple and accessorize with a headband or delicate jewelry. Garden Party: Pastels such as baby pink, mint, lavender and canary yellow are perfect against a natural setting. Materials such as chiffon and lace match perfectly with the airy vibe. With the right strappy sandals or nude pumps, you will go from girl to goddess. School Day: Floral, stripes, and basic colors all work for everyday school wear. It is cute and girly without being over the top. Pair it with a colorful cardigan and some cute flats or sandals for a casual and preppy look. Night Club: Bold colors and shimmer can make you stand out from the crowd. Go for something edgy and playful. Statement jewelry can help take your look to the next level. And always pair your look with a clutch and some sexy heels. Resort Wear: Maxi dresses or ethnic designs will look perfect in any exotic setting. Accessorize with chunky bangles and your look will be complete. Keep the look simple and easy. Tips to owning your look.
By Nathalie Leutenegger
What is Swiss German? Did you learn at school that Swiss people, amongst other languages, speak German? Well, that’s not quite true! Even though Standard German (the language spoken in Germany) is one of our official languages, we don’t really speak German in Switzerland but Swiss German, and that’s something entirely different. Swiss German has its own pronunciation, many different words, its own grammar, and most Germans have great difficulty understanding this funny sounding language. We Swiss write Standard German, that’s true (there is no Swiss German official language), but still some literature, movies, TV shows, etc. use the dialect. Swiss German is usually intelligible to speakers of other Alemannic dialects (a group of dialects of the High German branch of the Germanic language family, spoken by approximately ten million people in six countries: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France, and Italy), but it poses greater difficulty for total comprehension to speakers of Standard German, including French- or Italian-speaking Swiss who learn Standard German at school. Swiss German speakers on TV or in movies are hence usually dubbed or subtitled if shown in Germany. Was ist Schweizerdeutsch? Hast du in der Schule gelernt, dass wir Schweizer unter anderem auch Deutsch sprechen? Das stimmt so nicht ganz! Obwohl Standarddeutsch (die Sprache, welche in Deutschland gesprochen wird) eine unserer offiziellen Sprachen ist, sprechen wir nicht wirklich Deutsch in der Schweiz, sondern Schweizerdeutsch und das ist etwas ganz anderes. Schweizerdeutsch hat seine eigene Aussprache, viele andere Wörter, seine eigene Grammatik und die meisten Deutschen haben grosse Schwierigkeiten, diese lustig klingende Sprache zu verstehen. Wir Schweizer schreiben auf Standarddeutsch, das stimmt (es gibt keine offizielle Schweizerdeutsche Sprache), trotzdem gibt es Literatur, Filme, Fernsehsender usw., welche vom Dialekt Gebrauch machen. Schweizerdeutsch ist für die Sprecher der Alemannischen Dialekte (eine Gruppe von Dialekten, welche im Südwesten des deutschen Sprachraums von circa 10 Millionen Leuten in 6 verschiedenen Ländern gesprochen wird: Schweiz, Deutschland, Österreich, Liechtenstein, Frankreich und Italien) meisten verständlich, stellt aber für Sprecher der Standarddeutschen Sprache, inklusive Französisch und Italienisch sprechender Schweizer, welche in der Schule Standarddeutsch gelernt haben, eine Schwierigkeit im totalen Verständnis dar. Deutschschweizer Fernsehsprecher oder Schauspieler in Filmen werden daher meist synchronisiert oder mit Untertitel versehen, wenn sie am Deutschen Fernsehen gezeigt werden. Where is Swiss German spoken? Swiss German is actually not one language, but the name given to the group of Alemannic dialects spoken within Switzerland. These dialects vary considerably from one neighborhood to another. Unlike in other countries, no dialect is considered better than others. A Swiss can identify where another Swiss grew up simply from the dialect he or she speaks. Wo wird Schweizerdeutsch gesprochen? Schweizerdeutsch ist eigentlich keine Sprache, sondern die Bezeichnung einer Gruppe Alemannischer Dialekte, welche in der Schweiz gesprochen werden. Diese Dialekte unterscheiden sich von einer Region zur anderen. Im Unterschied zu anderen Ländern wird kein Dialekt als besser als ein anderer angesehen. Ein Schweizer kann anhand des Dialekts eines Mitbürgers erkennen, wo in der Schweiz dieser aufgewachsen ist. Where does Swiss German come from? Back in 1291 when Switzerland was created, the people founding it all spoke a dialect of Alemannic, a branch of High German covering what is now the South of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Woher stammt das Schweizerdeutsch? Als in 1291 die Schweiz erschaffen wurde, sprachen die Gründer einen Alemannischen Dialekt, ein Zweig des Hochdeutschen, der nun den Süden von Deutschland, der Schweiz und Österreich abdeckt. Is Standard German being used in Switzerland? If yes, when is it used? There are only a few specific settings where speaking Standard German is demanded or polite, e.g., in education (but not during breaks in school lessons, where the teachers will speak in dialect with students), in multilingual parliaments (the federal parliaments and a few cantonal and municipal ones), in major news broadcasts, or in the presence of German-speaking foreigners. Wann wird Standarddeutsch in der Schweiz benutzt? Falls ja, wann wird es benutzt? Es gibt nur wenige Situationen, in welchen Standard Deutsch Pflicht ist oder als höflich gilt wie zum Beispiel in der Schule (nicht aber in den Pausen, in welchen auch die Lehrer in Dialekt mit den Schülern reden). in mehrsprachigen Parlamentssitzungen (das eidgenössische und ein kantonal und kommunale Parlamente), in den News oder in der Gegenwart eines Deutschsprechenden Ausländers. What does Swiss German sound like? Swiss German vocabulary is quite rich. Most words that are used in Swiss German are adopted from Standard German. Most of them are so common that they have completely substituted the original Swiss German words, like Hügel (hill), which has replaced the original Swiss German word Egg or Bühl. Other words have replaced the original words only in certain parts of Switzerland, as the word Butter (butter), which was originally called Anken. Literally any Swiss Standard German word can be transformed to Swiss German, of course always adapted to Swiss German phonology. Still, certain Standard German words are never used in Swiss German, e.g. Frühstück (breakfast), niedlich (cute) or zu Hause (at home); instead, the native words Zmorge, härzig and dähei are used. Swiss dialects also borrow some words from French, which are perfectly assimilated. Glace (ice cream) for example is pronounced with a mute e in French unlike in Swiss German. The French word for thank you, merci, is also used as in merci vilmal, which literally means thanks many times. Swiss German speakers like to make every possible noun diminutive by placing the ending “-li” on it; for example Gipfeli (croissant), Brötli (a little bread), Hundeli (little dog), and so on. In recent years, Swiss dialects have also taken some English words, which already sound very Swiss, such as gamä (to play computer games) or snöbä or boardä (to snowboard). While most of these loanwords are of recent origin, some have been in use for decades, e.g. tschutä (to play football, from the English word shoot). The most common English word taken Swiss German is muesli. Wie klingt Schweizerdeutsch? Das Schweizerdeutsch Vokabular ist ziemlich reich an Wörtern und Ausdrücken. Die meisten Worte, welche im Schweizerdeutschen benutzt werden, sind vom Standarddeutschen übernommen worden. Die meisten von diesen Wörtern sind heutzutage so geläufig, dass sie das Schweizerdeutsche Original komplett ersetzt haben wie das Wort Hügel, welches das Schweizerdeutsche Original Egg oder Bühl ersetzt hat. Andere Worte haben das Original nur in Teilen der Schweiz ersetzt wie beispielsweise das Wort Butter, welches ursprünglich in der ganzen Schweiz Anken genannt wurde, jetzt aber vielfach durch das Deutsche Wort ersetzt wurde. Wirklich jedes Wort kann vom Standarddeutschen ins Schweizerdeutsche übernommen werden, natürlich immer mit einer Anpassung der Phonologie. Trotzdem gibt es einige Standarddeutsche Wörter, welche so nie im Schweizerdeutschen gebraucht werden, wie zum Beispiel Frühstück, niedlich oder zu Hause; stattdessen werden die Wörter Zmorge, härzig und dähei benutzt. Schweizer Dialekte haben auch einige Wörter vom Französischen übernommen, welche perfekt angepasst worden sind. Glace zum Beispiel wird im Französischen mit einem stummen e ausgesprochen ganz im Gegenteil zum Schweizerdeutschen. Das französische Wort für Danke, merci, wird auch als merci vielmal benutzt, was wörtlich übersetzt Danke vielmals heisst. Deutschschweizer machen gerne aus allen möglichen Substantiven einen Diminutiv indem sie die Endung “-li” an alle Substantive anhängen wie bei Gipfeli, Brötli, Hundeli, usw. In den letzten Jahren, haben die Schweizer Dialekte einige Englische Wörter angenommen, welche nun schon sehr Schweizerisch klingen, wie gamä oder snöbä oder boardä. Während die meisten dieser Lehnwörter noch sehr jung sind, gibt es auch welche, die schon seit Jahrzehnten benutzt werden wie tschutä. Das meistgebrauchte englische Wort, welches vom Schweizerdeutschen übernommen worden ist, ist Müesli. Swiss German Survival Guide: Consonant Phonetics: b as in Blues ch as in Loch Ness or in Bach, always voiceless at the back of the throat d as in Door dt t as in let f as in finger g as in god gg short strong g (gk) as in French Jacques h as in hip hop j as in yes k throat rasping Ch l as in lion m as in me n as in night ng as in English sing nk ngk as in think o as in olympics p as in pizza (never aspirated) qu as in quantity r as in burrito (usually rolled like in Spanish) s as in sad (voiceless) t as in French tu (rather soft, never aspirated) v f as in finger w v as in Valentine x gs as in Mexiko z ts as in lots Vowel Phonetics: a as in Africa ä as in bear ai as in eye au as in how e as in elephant ei as in hey i as in easy o as in oracle ö as in French deux u as in cool ü as in French tu y as in French tu Hi Hoi / Sali / Salü (informal) Hi (to several people) Hoi zämä (informal) Hello Grüezi (formal) Hello (to several people) Grüezi mitenand (formal) Good morning Guätä morgä Good evening Guätä n Abig Goodbye Tschau (informal) Goodbye (to several people) Tschau zämä (informal) Goodbye Uf wiederluägä/ Uf wiedersee / Adieu (formal) Have a nice day / evening. No en schönä Tag / Abig. How are you? Wiä gahts Inä? (formal) Wiä gahts? (informal) Thank you. Dankä / Merci Sorry Entschuldigung / Exgüsi What’s you name? Wie haissed Sie? (formal) Wie haissisch du? (informal) Do you speak English? Chönd Sii Änglisch (formal) Sorry, I don’t understand. Sorry, ich verstah Sie nöd (formal) Sorry, ich verstah dich nöd (informal) I don’t speak Swiss German. Ich chan kei Schwiizerdütsch I have a problem. Ich han es Problem. Where’s the toilet? Wo isch s WC (we-ce)? Enjoy your meal! En Guätä! Cheers! Proscht! What do I say if my bread falls off my fondue fork? Unless you want to be embarrassed don’t say anything! If someone finds a piece of bread in the fondue deny it by saying: Das isch nöd mis Stuck Brot! Ich han kais verlore! (That is not my piece of bread! I didn’t lose one!) What do I say if I want to learn how to yodel? Chasch du mir lernä wie mer jodlet? (literally: Can you teach me how one does yodel?) What do I say if I ate too much chocolate? Hilfe, ich platz jetzt dänn gad – ich han viel z vill Schoggi gässä! (Help, I’m going to burst any minute - I ate way too much chocolate!) What do I say if I am looking for the bus stop? Wo isch d Bushaltestell vo de Linie X? (Where is the bus stop of line X?) What do I say if I go swimming in a mountain lake and a cow eats all my clothes? Gopfertammi, jetzt hät die Chuäh doch mini Chleider gfresse. Was machi jetzt? (Damn, this cow ate my clothes. What do I do now?) What do I say if someone got a little too easily offended by something I said? Sonä beleidigti Leberwurscht! Dä / Diä verstaht ja kei Spass. (lit.: Such an offended liver sausage! This guy / girl isn’t able to see a joke) What do I say if I want to drink some hot Swiss Miss? Unfortunately, Swiss Miss is completely unknown in Switzerland. You can ask for an ovaltine though (which by the way is Swiss unlike Swiss Miss) by saying I hett gärn ä haissi Ovi! (I would like to have a hot Ovi – Ovi is an abbreviation for Ovomaltine, which is ovaltine’s original Swiss name) What do I say if someone says something downright preposterous? Dä / Diä hät doch en Sprung i dä Schüsslä (lit.: he / she has a crack in the bowl – he / she is crazy) or Dä / Diä isch durä bi rot (lit: he / she has crossed on the red – he / she is crazy) What do I say if my friend falls down a mountain? Hilfe, min Fründ isch dä Berg abgeit. Lüütet de Rega a! Schnell! (Help, my friend fell down the mountain! Call the Rega (Swiss air rescue)! Quick!) What can I say if something is really easy? Slang: D Ufzgi sind schoggi gsi (The homework was chocolate, which is a metaphor for very easy) Tschau zämä! By Wendy Chen
According to the Gillberg diagnostic criteria, Asperger’s Syndrome can be defined as: Social impairment (extreme egocentricity) with respect to at least two of the following:
The exclusion of other activities Repetitive adherence Actions more by rote than by meaningA compulsive need for introducing at least one of the following: routines and interests which affect every aspect of the individual’s everyday life routines and interests which affect othersSpeach and language peculiarities with respect to at least three of the following:
Limited use of gestures Clumsy/gauche body language Limited facial expression Inappropriate facial expression Peculiar, still gazeMotor clumsiness
After reviewing this chart, do you have the feeling that you might have Asperger’s Syndrome? Don’t worry, most of us have many of these characteristics anyway. People with Asperger’s Syndrome (sometimes, referred to as Aspies) are like highlighted lines in a textbook: they indicate important details, and they may have the same personality and behavioral traits that we do, except that they have them in a more extreme way. In the following article, I will introduce a few details regarding Asperger’s Syndrome to help readers better understand this unique disorder and to realize that we should look at it with a more positive attitude. What is Asperger’s Syndrome? The term Asperger’s Syndrome comes from Dr. Hans Asperger, a Viennese pediatrician who in 1939 noticed a distinct pattern of behavior and personality in his patients. This type of condition is categorized as an autism spectrum disorder, though it differs in terms of the relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. The level of severity varies from person to person. Sometimes a person can may have only one or two traits from each category mentioned in the chart above, or he or she may have all of them at the same time. Nowadays many are referring to Asperger’s Syndrome as High Functioning Autism. The two terms actually came about around the same time, in 1981. They have been used to describe children who have classic signs of autism in early childhood but later develop a greater degree of intellectual ability, adaptive behavior, and communication skills than a typical autistic child. A group of researchers at Yale University have suggested that the two terms are different, but other researchers have found that they canot really be distinguished from each other. Asperger’s Syndrome is not caused by inadequate parenting or by psychological or physical trauma. Studies have firmly established that Asperger’s Syndrome is due to a dysfunction of specific structures and systems in the brain. The brain is not defective, it is simply “structured” differently from others. Complications during pregnancy have been identified in 31% of children with Asperger’s Syndrome; however, it has also been suggested that the condition is hereditary. How Prevalent is Asperger’s Syndrome? Statistics provided by the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published in 1994 by the American Psychiatric Association, as well as the International Classification of Diseases show that the prevalence of Asperger’s Syndrome is between 1 in 1200 and 1 in 33,000. Yet according to the statistics of Gillberg and Gillberg, popularly used by clinicians in Europe and Australia and more accurately describing the condition according to Dr. Asperger, between 1 in 210 and 1 in 280 have Asperger’s Syndrome. Notice the huge difference in numbers in the overall survey, the reason being that these figures only represent people who have actually been diagnosed with the syndrome. But most people with the condition don’t even realize that they have it, even though it has been more than seventy years since it was introduced to the medical world. Asperger’s Syndrome is a highly subtle and highly misunderstood condition. Most of us only learn about it through the media—autobiographies, novels, TV shows—but even then the information is still very limited. Most stories only focus on Aspies’ intense interest in a subject that has made them so successful in their careers, such as John Elder Robison, author of Look Me in the Eye, who has worked for Pink Floyd and Kiss to create awesome electric guitars for producing special effects during concerts. Yet many people know nothing about the other features of the syndrome. More Aspie Males than Females? For a long time, scientists have believed that there was an extreme “maleness” to this condition, as well as for other kinds of autism. For example, Aspies would have higher intellectual capacity in fields like mechanical engineering or mathematics but would lack emotional ability or other “feminine” strengths such as intuition. However, recent studies have shown that this is not the case. There are just as many girl Aspies as boys; the reason why we notice more guys with Asperger’s Syndrome is that girls tend to learn to adjust and blend in by imitating those around them while guys merely isolate themselves or are just too stubborn to think that acknowledgment can actually solve anything. Compensatory and Adjustment Strategies to Being Different As mentioned above, people with Asperger’s Syndrome have different ways to cope when they discover that they have a mind/body condition different from everybody else. Adjustment strategies will vary according to personality, experience, and circumstance. Aspies may develop self-blame and depression, or escape into fantasy. Those who are more expressive with their feelings may become arrogant and blame others for their difficulties. They may also see others as obstacles and develop a hostile and condescending attitude toward other people. In other words, some have a more constructive attitude toward their condition while others fall into an even deeper psychological problem. Females with Asperger’s Syndrome generally have a more positive attitude toward their situation. They understand that if they work hard to observe others and absorb their personality traits, they would become socially successful. The girls would first watch how other people interact and then rehearse the same gestures, tone of voice, and mannerisms over and over with dolls or imaginary friends. Most are able to achieve fluency and confidence to be included in social situations. These rehearsals may turn out somewhat artificial and contrived, but hard- working Aspies still deserve a pat on the back for their positive efforts. Autism Awareness Month Being different from others in any way is always hard to cope with, whether or not anyone outside your family even knows about it. Therefore, April has become Autism Awareness month. Fundraising activities are held throughout the world in order to understand that many varieties of Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. Libraries put books on the subject on display, and information is circulated in neighbourhoods and on the internet to show how we can “embrace” these autistic conditions. Diagnosis Young children with Asperger’s Syndrome may not feel the pressure of being different. However, if a diagnosis is not pursued and no explanation is provided, others may start to alienate the Aspies simply because of the extraordinary strangeness in their behavior. In the long term, detrimental effects will become evident and inappropriate attitudes may develop in these kids. If diagnosed early, treatments and programs will help them adjust to society more easily, providing them with firmer support and a better sense of purpose. By Casey Huang
1. Love Yourself – Do you love yourself? This is a serious question, because if you get into a relationship without truly loving yourself, how can you expect someone else to love you? Loving yourself means being a balanced person; it requires surrounding yourself with positive energy, being truthful to yourself about your own feelings, boosting your self confidence, growing spiritually, and being ready to receive and give love both mentally and emotionally. 2. Be Realistic – “If you are not a 10, don’t fixate on finding a 10!” the most fundamental attributes you should look in a mate are not looks and/or money but a loving heart, dependable nature and is commitment to you. 3. Make Dating A Priority – Always be prepared, you never know when or where you will meet your prince charming. If you are trying to find love, don’t just sit home all day and expect someone to fall on your doorstep; go out and socialize at a bar or party! 4. Opposites Should Not Attract – When getting to know someone, ask yourself if you and he have the same core values, such as lifestyles, morals, and sense of humor. 5. Present A Challenge – According to an experiment conducted a few years ago, they discovered that men are most attracted to women who are hard for other men to get - but not as hard for themselves to get! This may sound confusing; however, the key is to be selective. When you are interested in somebody, make sure he knows you like him, but do it in a way where he doesn’t think that you’d accept just anybody. It is okay to show your interest in somebody, as long as you do it with confidence. 6. Be A Sunny Girl –Don’t come out as masculine, dress stiff, start debating or arguing about world affairs on your first date. Lower your guard and be nice. 7. Don’t Be A Blabbermouth – During your first date, sure you may have lots of fun stories to tell, but save some for other dates. Give the man a chance to talk occasionally; don’t go overboard on talking about yourself! 8. Don’t Think About Changing Him – You should not date someone who is not the type of person you want in hopes that you will be able to mould him into what you want. If the person you are planning to get serious with does not even meet your basic requirements, then you either accept and respect him for who he is, or you just move on to the next. Trying to change him will only make both of you miserable. 9. Don’t Be Threatened By Your EX – When you start dating someone, don’t start comparing him to your ex. Let it go and forgive your past lovers, don’t bring in pain from past relationships and carry around resentment. It brings negative energy and pushes away the good things in your life. It may not be easy; however, it is not a good idea because you may be disappointed in finding out that they may be either too alike or too different. Also, don’t talk about your ex on the first few dates, it is a major turn off, since it may sound like you are still in love with them. 10. Be Independent – After you’ve been on a few dates with your guy, don’t take his initial interest as a signal to latch on to him straight away. Don’t build your social life around him; make some time for yourself and your friends. Just because he is welcome to be an addition in your life does not make him your entire universe. Top 6 Flirting Tips 1. Eye Contact Eye contact is crucial; nothing shows more confidence and more sex appeal than meeting a guy’s eyes and keeping your gaze steady. After a few gazes give a nice smile, so he will make sure that it is really him you are flirting with. 2. Extra Swing To Your Step Women should be aware that when you are walking, guys are drawn to looking at your hips, thus adding a little more swing to your hips as you are walking in front of him will catch his attention. 3. Crossing Your Legs As You Sit If you are sitting down, not only will this action draw attention to your legs and make them look more slender, it will also show more of your feminine side, attracting his attention. 4. Leave Your Group Leave your pack for a while and give him a chance to approach you. No man can bear a rejection in front of a herd, thus don’t make him feel like he cannot approach you because you are surrounded by a wall of bodyguards. 5. Moistening Your Lips You often want to draw his attention to your lips, tempting him in imagining kissing you. You may do this by simply licking your lips once in a while, or applying lip gloss. 6. Playing With Your Hair This classic tip involves twirling with your hair or making it slightly fall in front of one eye, adding mystery and a come-hither look in your character. By Bianca Tsuo
Taiwanese Misconceptions Four hours by plane (and half a month if you take a ship) from Taiwan, Malaysia is a tropical country next to Singapore and Indonesia. Malaysia is famous for its Twin Towers, tropical islands like Pulau Redang, and its multi-racial population. Malaysia is lucky, for it has no natural disasters like typhoons, earthquakes, or tsunamis. Malaysia consists of three major races: Malay (66.07%), Chinese (25.09%), and Indian (7.42%). And there are many MBCs – short for Malaysian Born Chinese – studying in Taiwan, but I’ve also discovered many misconceptions about the country. Taiwanese people often ask: so are you guys Malay? The answer is: definitely NOT (with a grimace)! Most of us speak Chinese, which Malays don’t. Like many Taiwanese, most MBCs are from China, many of them having settled in Malaysia since the nineteenth century. We speak Chinese so well because we all speak it since we were little and we use it with our family and friends. It is our native tongue. Some Taiwanese also ask: why are you so dark? Well, many of us have dark skin, simply because of the hot climate all year round and people normally don’t use sun protection. And we can’t help loving outdoor activities! Many MBC boys play soccer, exposing themselves to the sun every now and then. Some Taiwanese ask: why is your skin so greasy? That’s irritating, but it’s likely due to our culinary culture: fried noodles, nasi lemak (traditional Malay rice steamed with coconut milk), deep-fried seafood, all of them oil-rich. We just love them! And we normally don’t do much in the way of skincare when we are little. And some Taiwanese will even ask: since Malaysia is a developing country like India and Indonesia, do you live in a tree? Once a Malaysian friend of mine replied: “of course! And I have to swing along ropes to move between the trees. It’s tiring!” The last frequently asked question is: why are you here? Haha, such a funny question! No, it’s not because AirAsia tickets are incredibly cheap, although that may be part of the reason. If an MBC’s parents choose a private high school for their children, once their graduate they almost always study overseas. This is because universities in Malaysia don’t normally take students from private high schools as they use Chinese or English as their language of instruction; national high schools use Malay. And for us, Taiwan is a lot cheaper than many other countries, and Taiwan welcomes foreigners. Also Taiwan is a lively and vibrant place, especially when compared to a Muslim country. Lastly, we speak Chinese as well as most Taiwanese. Some Funny stories Our accent is somehow thought to be funny. The thing is, we cannot help but speak the way we do, generally stressing our words more than many Taiwanese. People who aren’t familiar with our habit just think it’s a little scary. Once while with some Taiwanese friends I ran across an MBC friend, and we began to talk to each other excitedly. After he left I switched back to my Taiwanese “phonetic channel.” My Taiwanese friend asked, “what were you quarreling about? It sounded like you were shouting at him the entire time!” Once my friend went out with a Taiwanese friend and said (in Chinese) “I need to click money at the ATM.” “Clicking money” just means to withdraw money. Later, when they were boarding a bus, he realized he had no coins with him and asked “Do you have any coins? Can you ‘dong’ money into the coin box for me?” His friend was completely bewildered. “You want me to knock on the box?” Once when I went back to Malaysia for Chinese New Year, my father put some white shoe polish on my sport shoes by mistake. We used to do that for our school shoes to keep them white. So when I came back to Taiwan I went shoe shopping with a Taiwanese friend, and when I took off my shoes she screamed: “Look, the paint on your shoes is peeling off!” Latest Hottest MBC Movies Playing in Taiwan Great Day, 2010 Filmed by novice Director Chiu Keng Guan (an MBC), this story is about love, love, love: boy-meets-girl love, parental love, and neighborly love. A lonely old man, Lim, escapes from the old folks home in search of his children who live in the city. Realizing his son and married daughter are not happy with their lives, Lim chooses to spend more time with them and his granddaughter Zi Xin, and they really have fun together. Finally, Lim has to go back to the old folks home, and at the end there is a big dinner for everyone at the old folk’s home just in time to celebrate Chinese New Year. The message is: don’t forget to spend time with the ones you love! Ice Kacang Puppy Love, 2010 Cast with MBC singers who are famous in Taiwan, Gary Chaw, Fish Leong, and Sinje Lee, the story is set on Penang island, Malaysia, in the early '80s. Botak, the son of a coffee shop owner, is secretly in love with tomboy Fighting Fish, who has been separated from her father since she was small and has become bold and stubborn. Their teenage friends all have crushes on each other but are too shy to reveal them. In the end, everyone leaves to chase their future, which is inevitable, but their memories will live with them for the rest of their lives. An earthy plot and great acting blends with native humor, a peculiar movie telling stories of romance among '80’s Malaysian Chinese. Malaysia boleh! (Malaysia can do it!) By Fiona Lin
Alarm Clock Xtreme To wake up or not to wake up, that is the question. That’s why humans invented alarm clocks. Yet often we “accidentally” disable our alarm and regular clocks don’t seem to be as useful as before. Why else are we always missing our Monday morning midterms? Alarm Clock Xtreme is our savior. Being the coolest alarm clock on earth, Alarm Clock Xtreme has many incredible features to prevent excessive snoozing and to get you out of bed. It can even automatically disable when it detects that you’re traveling to work or school. It has regular functions such as repeating alarms and random song alarms, but it also has crazy functions such as making you solve a math quiz correctly to make it stop ringing (the level ranges from easy to extremely difficult). Or you can shake it to turn it off (the number of times can be customized), or draw a certain symbol on your touch screen to make it stop. It can also give you a fake call saying: “You’re fired!!!” Available on Android only. SoundHound SoundHound provides a total solution to finding music anytime, anywhere, within seconds and with a nearly 100% matching rate. Every time you hear a melody on the radio or it suddenly flashes through your head, just tap on your phone and sing, hum, or hold your phone up to a speaker. SoundHound will name the tune. Forget the melody but remember the artist’s name or part of the lyrics? Speak a name or type in some of the lyrics, SoundHound identifies that, too. SoundHound has the ultimate singing and humming recognition technology. It supports a broad range of music from rap to classical, and songs from many different languages are also supported. SoundHound can link you to the iTunes store where you can purchase the song immediately, and it also supports email/Facebook/twitter sharing. Similar app for PC: midomi.com is a site established by the same company, with the same features as SoundHound. It provides more abundant music information such as album previews, videos, artist photos, and fan clubs. Available on Android, Appstore, and for personal computer. RunKeeper Staying in shape can be really hard to do. Fast food chains are all around us and fatty foods are common in most people’s lives. In a world full of high-calorie temptation, how do you slim down? Stop playing AngryBird on the couch; get on your running shoes and head outside, and let RunKeeper be your best workout partner. RunKeeper is an application available both for Android and at Appstore. It records your running speed, provides audio feedback and visual tracking of your exercise time, distance, speed, and calories. It also enables GPS function, tracking the path of your fitness activities on a map. What’s even smarter is that it allows you do design your own workout playlists. Though originally designed for running, there are many other activity types you can choose from, such as cycling, mountain biking, walking, downhill skiing, or even snowboarding. All activities will be recorded, allowing you to track your progress. Social network sharing is also available, you can always post your progress on Facebook and keep yourself motivated! Available on both Android and Appstore. Cool sports related apps: Nike Training Club (more than 60 training sessions, with audio and video instructions), Nike Boom (intense game and workout for men), iMapMyFITNESS (allows recordings of activity routes by GPS, enables live tracking of your friends routes) ScatterBrain Having trouble keeping track of ideas and notes? There are dozens of note-taking apps but none is as beautiful and focused as ScatterBrain. ScatterBrain is designed to help you capture thoughts quickly when they happen. It has a smooth and sleek interface and fast-loading speed, providing a simple but elegant platform for jotting down quick notes and to-dos. The interface is easy to use. You can jot down thoughts by tapping on the big plus sign at the bottom of the screen, entering a title and description, and then choosing a color. The main page displays a task-focused quick overview, with a search function on the top. You can organize your thoughts by colors or by last modified date. Available on both Android and Appstore. Other popular note-taking apps: all-in Notes (allows photo attaching, voice recordings, and color coding), Safe Note (allows protection of notes with a password, lets you select favorites or mark a note as urgent), Note Taker (write with your fingers on the screen and the app will take down your scribbles as a note) Fake-A-Call and Fake-A-Text Sometimes we find ourselves trapped in a boring date, in monotonous meetings, or dull conversations, and we wish that a superhero would show up at just the right time and fly us out of the room. Thanks to technology, now you can download your superhero to your phone for free. Fake-A-Call and Fake-A-Text allow your phone to fake an incoming call or text from your boss, your boyfriend, or a celebrity to get you out of bad dates, to impress your friends, or to play pranks on your enemies! Fake-A-Call allows you to schedule an incoming call, with a fully functional keypad, contact buttons, and customized background images. Of course, fake caller settings, calling time, and ring tone settings can be customized, and nine different voices can start talking to you when you answer the fake call. You can have Justin Timberlake calling you during lunch, with the “boyfriend” character speaking honey words to you. To make it appear more real, it also provides nine scripts to follow when you answer the phone. Simply by repeating what the voice says, the scripts can make you sound like a doctor, a lawyer, or just an important person that really needs to go. You can also record your own scripts customized for any special event. Fake-A-Text bears similar features. It also provides 100% real-looking displays, customization of sender settings, and incoming time; what’s more, you can even reply to the text and have it generate fake responses. Available on both Android and Appstore. Read Later Fast Every student shares the same habit when writing papers: web browsing, making bookmarks; checking Facebook, adding bookmarks, checking email, adding still more bookmarks. By the time you finally start reading the pages it’s past 2:00 a.m. and you find that your bookmark list is seriously flooded. Read Later Fast, a web-based application for both smartphone and computer, is your solution. Read Later Fast allows users to group bookmark folders with temporary links, it also enables offline reading and an archive for webpages. Similar to an email inbox, you can delete, drag, and drop to organize articles, and mark unread entries. When you come across a page that you want to read later, instead of adding it to your bookmarks, just right-click and save on Read Later, the article and its link will automatically be saved, enabling you to read both offline and online. Moreover, you can always sync to the application and access your webpages on different computers. Available on Android, Appstore, and the Chrome Web Store. by Pei-hua (Stuart) Chuang
During our interview Dr. Ju-chin Lee noticed a baby babbling loudly nearby. “I think children are so interesting,” she said, “even the ones that seem ugly. In my eyes there are no ugly children—all of them are angelic.” |
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May 2024
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