Buying a Bike Or Car For A Trip Or As An Expat

 Some people, instead of hiring a bike or car, if there's no convenient pickup and drop off point, will  buy a car or motorbike or pedal bike and sell it before they leave. You might do this on an Indonesian island where there is not opportunity to take your bike or car on a ferry, or if the cost is too high, or you only have time to fly in and out.

You might also consider buying if you are a long-term expat. We bought and sold a car in the USA. You just stick a sign in the car saying how much you want for it. It was much cheaper to find a car with a number plate with your name on it in the USA than in the UK.

Singapore flag.

Buying and Selling in Singapore

We also bought and sold motorbikes in Singapore. In Singapore the buyers were interested in the number plate. Was it a lucky number? Eight is lucky. Four which sounds like death is unlucky.

What are the differences about buying and selling overseas?

Safety

For safety always meet buyers and sellers in public places under security cameras.

You want to be sure you are not being sold a stolen bike.

When buying we asked for a history of the services, oil changes.

Helmets Tell Tales

You can tell a lot from looking at the bike and helmets. A man with two helmets might be riding around with his partner or wife. A basic helmet indicates slow speed in the city. A reinforced big helmet with a vison and he is out on the open road and speed, wearing out the vehicle, possibly crashing.

How are the tires worn? Worn down on one side suggests speeding around corners.

Bike Shops

Chat up the local shop and bikers. 

Who is selling the bike? Do they have a business card? Can you find them online or check their business or employer? Can you find their home address? Their LinkedIn or Facebook page?

Do they belong to any bike or car owners' club?

Scam Checks

While you are about it, check scams for everything you can think of, the vehicle, city, name of  seller, type of transaction, credit card, condition of vehicle. Is the vehicle still being produced? Can you find the garage where it was serviced and ask them the cost of giving it an overhaul after buying it? You might find out the availability of spares, cost of repairs, even whether they know the vehicle or the owner.

Useful Websites

https://www.decathlon.sg/12187-discover-cycling

About the Author

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters  speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 

She  has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

3 

What's special about Singapore? Clean, Green, Traditional and Ultra Modern Multilingual

 

 Singapore's Views Of And From Marina Bay Sands

My son and his fiancee (now his wife) went to the Marina bay Sands hotel for a drink with a view from the top. They loved the view so much they checked in for a night and enjoyed hours in and beside the Infinity pool overlooking Singapore. You can admire Marina Bay Sands, like a giant set of three cricket stumps, from the downtown area of the city. 

Or buy a ticket to the top where your voucher buys you most of a cocktail or a pizza per person. We did that one New Year's Day.

Airport Waterfall

The airport, Changi Airport. itself has a giant waterfall in the centre of a mall linked to the terminal buildings by a walkway. When Covid-19 restrictions end, the shops and restaurants and mall and waterfall will be back, re-opened for you to enjoy. 

For gardens which are seasonally decorated and a giant waterfall with zigzagging walkways, go to Gardens By The Bay. 

Gardens By The Bay

For free you can take the waterside walk passing plants with plaques.

Another free place is the Botanical Gardens.

Now the opportunity is to go jogging along trails around the countryside, the beaches, the jungles. Bicycle trails are opening. My husband hired a hybrid bike for on road and off road, and hired a camera.

Useful Websites

https://www.visitsingapore.com/see-do-singapore/nature-wildlife/parks-gardens/gardens-by-the-bay/

https://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en.html

wikipedia

wikicommons

wikitravel

wikivoyage

tripadvisor

About the Author

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters  speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 

She  has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Lovely places for lovers: lovely views, love lockets, love spoons

My mother of the room hanger. Picture by Angela Lansbury.

Singapore's Sheraton Towers Hotel. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Every continent has something special for romance. For honeymoons, if money and travel restrictions were not an issue I would pick, in Asia, the Americas, and Europe:

Asia

Halong Bay, Vietnam, picture from Wikipedia. 

1 Halong Bay, a beautiful reflection in Vietnam.

Halong Bay is like America's Monument Valley on sea, with ships and little boats ready for romance. As we boarded our ship the staff stood at the stop of the spiralling staircase throwing down rose petals. This joy was for the benefit of a honeymoon couple. But all of us couples benefitted and loved it. Big boats bring you to your overnight stop. Take optional trips to caves on little boats.

You can sit on your small cruise ship and watch the scenery pass. Our room on board had a balcony.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

2 Cambodia's  temples, starting at Ankor Wat. 

Giant faces with eyes watch you from the wats, or temples. The faces watch you calmly and tree roots are entwined up the old walls. Carvings galore. Temples galore. 

Your base is a rickshaw ride from the city of Siem Reap. You buy a three day ticket and see not one but half a dozen temples over three days. Stunning. 

Plus gold buddhas under four-poster canopies.  

Ankor Wat is not just a temple but a complete walled city with a temple in the centre. 

A motorbike rickshaw, decorated with colourful paintings over the outside and inside, collected us from the airport and bounced and blew along between the trees. Tie on your hat. 

We stayed at a tiny hotel with a swimming pool. We had breakfast beside the pool. Perfection.

3 Singapore's Views Of And From Marina Bay Sands

My son and his fiancee (now his wife) went to the Marina bay Sands hotel for a drink with a view from the top. They loved the view so much they checked in for a night and enjoyed hours in and beside the Infinity pool overlooking Singapore. You can admire Marina Bay Sands, like a giant set of three cricket stumps, from the downtown area of the city. 

Or buy a ticket to the top where your voucher buys you most of a cocktail or a pizza per person. We did that one New Year's Day.

The airport itself has a giant waterfall in the centre of a mall linked to the terminal buildings by a walkway. When Covid-19 restrictions end, the shops and restaurants and mall and waterfall will be back, re-opened for you to enjoy. 

For gardens which are seasonally decorated and a giant waterfall with zigzagging walkways, go to Gardens By The Bay. 

For free you can take the waterside walk passing plants with plaques.

Another free place is the Botanical Gardens.

Now the opportunity is to go jogging along trails around the countryside, the beaches, the jungles. Bicycle trails are opening. My husband hired a hybrid bike for on road and off road, and hired a camera.

Americas

1 Bryce Canyon in the USA

Fabulous for pink sunsets.

2 Monument Valley in the USA

Make your own movie of yourself in Monument Valley.

3 Niagara Falls in Canada

Just sit and watch it. 

In February 2021 it was iced over. Another view. Another kind of photo.

EUROPE

UK

England

The Lake District. Where the hills and fir trees are reflected in the water of the lakes. Wordsworth said it all. 

'I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills

When all at once I saw a crowd

Of dancing daffodils.'

Welsh love spoons tea towel. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

I love Wales. I usually go there once a year, either spring or summer. 2021 was the first year I have not visited the Writers' Holiday in Fishguard because it was cancelled because of Covid-19.

I have had this tea-towel for ages. To my surprise, the label says Made in Pakistan. Never mind. It shows Welsh love spoons and tells you about them.

Wales

Welsh love spoons as souvenirs. 

Waterfalls and castles. 

Welsh cakes.

Welsh love spoons.

Similar linked spoons from Norway. (Wikipedia.)

Czech Republic

Love lockets bridge in the capital, Prague. But the the locks are cut off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seMUW6pakbo

New Zealand

New Zealand has its own lake district. I used to go every year to New Zealand for skiing in the British summer. Their seasons are upside down. Now they have added the movie tours.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Angkor_Archaeological_Park

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters  speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 

She  has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

3 

Commonwealth Countries - Which Are They?

 

Commonwealth of Nations Map from Wikipedia

Commonwealth flag

Commonwealth Day is Monday 8th March 2021.

The number of members might cause you some confusion.  A country might withdraw or be asked to leave. Or apply to join. 

Notable large areas which have members:

Australia

Antigua

Banglasesh

Cameroon

Canada

Cyprus

Grenada

Guyana

India

New Zealand

South Africa

Total commonwealth realms, currently 15, but countries, 54. :

Hover your mouse pointer over a country on the map and its name pops up.

https://thecommonwealth.org/

I found:

Australia

The Bahamas

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belize

Botswana

Canada

Fiji

Ghana

Grenada

Jamaica

Kenya

Malawi

Malaysia

Malta

Mozambique

Namibia

New Zealand

Nigeria

Pakistan

Papua New Guinea

Sierra Leone

Solomon Islands

Sri Lanka

St Christopher & Nevis

Tanzania

Tuvalu

Trinidad & Tobago

Zambia

Useful Websites

https://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/guyana

https://www.royal.uk/commonwealth-and-overseas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nations

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Flag_of_the_Commonwealth_of_Nations

https://www.facebook.com/commonwealthsec

About the Author

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters  speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 

She  has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Handy Chinese Signs - for reading notices in China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam

 

Chinese character (traditional/ simplified)	Pīnyīn (Mandarin pronunciation)	Meaning	Looks like
山	shān	mountain	3 peaks
人	rén	person/people/humanity	a creature standing on 2 legs
口	kŏu	mouth	an open mouth
刀	dāo	sword/knife	a blade
木	mù	wood	a tree
日	rì	sun/day	a sun with a cloud in the middle
月	yuè	moon/month	same as 日, but in the shape of a crescent
女	nǚ	woman/girl/female	person with large breasts
子	zi/zĭ	child	a child wrapped in a blanket
馬 / 马	mǎ	horse	a horse with a head, a mane, a body, a tail, and 4 legs
鳥 / 鸟	niǎo	bird	a creature with a head and a wing with feathers
目	mù	eye	an eye with 2 eyelids
水	shuǐ	water	three streams of water

Simplified	Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning
马	馬	mǎ	horse
鸟	鳥	niǎo	bird
鸡	鶏	jī	chicken
华	華	huá	magnificent / China
国	國	guó	country / nation / state / kingdom
听	聽	tīng	listen / hear
强	強	qiáng	strong
无	無	wǔ	nothing
面	麵	miàn	noodles
话	話	huà	speak / speech / talk
银	銀	yín	silver
饮	飮	yĭn	drink
狗	豿	gŏu	dog
杀	殺	shā	kill
长	長	cháng	long / length
云	雲	yùn	cloud

Chinese character (traditional/ simplified)	Pīnyīn (Mandarin pronunciation)	Meaning	Looks like
一	yī	one	1 line
二	èr	two	2 lines
三	sān	three	3 lines
大	dà	big/large/great	a person 人 holding out his/her arms as wide as possible
天	tiān	heaven/sky/day	like 大, but one line above, so the greatest of the great
小	xiǎo	little/small	fingers holding onto a needle
上	shàng	up/above/previous	a plant's stem and leaf above the ground
下	xià	down/below/next	a plant's roots
本	běn	root	a tree 木 with its roots showing underground
末	mò	apex	a tree 木 with one extra line on the top, so the very top

Chinese character (traditional/ simplified)	Pīnyīn (Mandarin pronunciation)	Meaning	Looks like
明	míng	bright/light/tomorrow	a sun 日 and a moon 月 next to each other, indicating that tomorrow happens after the sun and moon passes
好	hǎo	good	a woman 女 and a child 子 next to each other, indicating that a woman with a child is good
休	xiū	rest	a person 亻(人) next to a tree 木
林	lín	woods	two trees 木 next to each other
森	sēn	forest	three trees 木 next to each other

Chinese character (traditional/ simplified)	Rebus word (Mandarin pronunciation)	Original word	New character for the original word
來/来	lái "to come"	lai "wheat"	麥/麦 mài
四	sì "four"	sī "nostril(s)"	泗, can also mean "mucus/sniffle"
北	běi "north"	bèi "back (of the body)"	背
要	yào "to want"	yāo "waist"	腰
少	shǎo "few/little"	shā "sand"	沙 and 砂
永	yŏng "forever/eternity"	yŏng "to swim"	泳

Chinese character (traditional/ simplified)	Pīnyīn (Mandarin pronunciation)	Meaning	Semantic radical	Phonetic radical (meaning)
清	qīng	clear	氵(水) water	青 qīng (greenish-blue)
睛	jīng	eye	目eye	青 qīng (greenish-blue)
菜	cài	vegetable/food dish	艹 (艸) grass/plant	采 cǎi (harvest)
沐	mù	to wash oneself	氵(水) water	木 mù (wood)
淋	lín	to pour	氵(水) water	林 lín (woods)
嗎 / 吗	ma	yes-no question marker (word that ends the sentence of a yes-no question)	口 mouth (interjections and particles often have this radical)	馬/马 mǎ (horse)

• Transformed cognates, zhuan zhu (转注), or characters that used to be different ways of writing other characters, but have later taken on a different meaning.

Cognate word	Original word	New pronunciation and meaning of cognate word
考	老 lăo "old"	kào “test, exam”

I gave one website the feedback that it would be useful to recognize signs such as toilets

and drinking water and not drinking water.

Water you might recognize from wind water, fung shway or feng shui

I put the latter words into google translate and got this

drinking

water 

and

not

drinking water

喝
水
和
不是
饮用水

Hē
shuǐ
hé
bùshì
yǐnyòng shuǐ

From another website I got

drinking water

饮(飲)用水 (yǐnyòngshuǐ)

Useful Websites

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_characters

duolingo.com

translate google

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-chinese/drinking-water

About the Author

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters  speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 

She  has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Moshe Schulhof Sings Best Yiddish Song Rumania Rumania Excellent!!! To...

Romania by composer and singer Lebedeff. 

I found two other version but this is the best. It features singer Moshe Schulhof and a humorous cast

Singer and Composer Aaron Lebedeff

Aaron Lebedeff photo from Wikipedia.

Romania - the country

The country name Romania comes from the word Rome from when the Romans ruled. The name has changed its spelling a couple of times, eventually going back to Romania.

You might notice some Italian sounding words as well as French. The Romanians say mersi for thank you.

Moshe Schulhof - Yiddish singer (1947-2013)

The name Moshe is Yiddish for Moses. Schulhof means school yard. Hof translates as court (courtyard). Moshe's father was a rabbi and Moshe was a child prodigy performing at the age of six in front of a huge audience. He has sung in seven languages.

What to see in Romania? 

Yiddish Singers

Yiddish singers  listed in Wikipedia include The Barry Sisters and Connie Francis. She sang Tzena Tzena, O my Papa, My Yiddishe Mama.

Useful Websites

Romania 

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romania

wikitravel

wikivoyage

tripadvisor

Lonely planet

Angela's posts on Romania

Moshe Schulhof

https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/schulhof-moshe

http://www.israel-music.com/cantor_moshe_schulhof/

https://www.jmi.org.uk/old-archive/synagoguemusic/events/mosheschulhof.html

Obituary

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/florida-jewish-journal/fl-xpm-2013-07-01-fl-jjdc-schulhof-0703-20130701-story.html

Lebedeff in Wikipedia

Moshe Schulhof is not in Wikipedia although he is extensively written up elsewhere. Is anybody who is registered with Wikipedia or would like to be, willing to add him?

About the Author

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters  speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 

She  has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Hiring a camera - what you need

Mobile phones take great pictures. But sometimes you want something more. Movement detection for animals at night. Underwater. Or higher spec.

Camera. Lens. Choice of wide angle, telephoto and so on.

Tripod.

Camera lens covers front and back. 

Inventory.

I shall show you photos of the camera we hired soon.

About the Author

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters  speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 

She  has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Hiring a bike - what you need

We looked at the cost of buying an electric bike. (My husband already has a motorbike.) He wanted to go off road along a railway track and take photos. The bikes were very expensive, and he might only want it occasionally. 

I suggested, check the price of hiring. Yes, hiring would let him take his dream trip. 

First decision, city bike, mountain bike or hybrid. Shops vary. Some stock mostly or only one type of bike.

What else do you need?

A Helmet.

For running around town slowly, a basic helmet. For speeding, a more protective helmet.

Chain and Padlock 

Number of lock if you are collecting when the shop is shut.

Hiring time.

Inventory.

Map.

Water.

Stopping point on journey for coffee or meetups, in public place with mask, and somewhere safe to park the bike which does not charge too much for parking.

Documents

Trace or vaccination passport and copy of photo ID if challenged by police.

If you are afraid to carry the original for fear of dropping it or having it stolen, have a high quality copy with the reference numbers to show to prove your identity and right to be in the country, plus any vaccination documents.

Camera. (see next post)

About the Author

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters  speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 

She  has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

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Cautionary tales: Safety on road trips and Joshua Tree National Park, USA

Joshua tree picture from Wikipedia. The Joshua tree is so named because it reminded early travellers of Joshua in the bible raising his arms to the sky.

Joshua trees in Joshua Tree National Park, USA.

I was inspired to write this post by the sad story of a a single mother, Erika. who took a trip in the USA and was found later, dead, miles outside a damaged car.  Windows damaged. But also a damaged radio? 

The comments made some useful suggestions, mainly about not travelling alone, taking water, and one about a compass. Here are my collected suggestions.

1 Have a health and safety plan. Known to UK school trip organizers as Risk Assessment.

For example, a class teacher might not be allowed to take a class of  twenty or thirty children to nearby pond or river or field if the regulations require one adult for every thirty children. Another teacher, or two or three, would be needed, or a parent or another helper. You need a second adult in case a child falls and has to be accompanied to hospital. The ratio may vary with age. In some areas you need one adult for ten children for the reception class, but fewer chaperones for older children. Check your local regulations for what is required and what you feel would be a sensible precaution.

2 a Don't go alone.

2bTake another person.

3a Don't take children to remote places unless you are a group.

3bIn a group have a designed person with a minor at all times.

4 Take two cars. 

5 Leave behind a map of your direction.

Ask your friends and family before they depart to show you or mark their journey route on a map.

6 Have your water bottle attached to your body so it can't get left behind or roll downhill.

7 Consider a bubble compass attached to your body.

The cheapest compasses are only under five dollars, and I looked for a waterproof compass and found them under ten dollars.  I looked for scout compass because I thought they might be simpler to use and read than the ones used by professionals.

Phones may contain compasses which can be used in cities and built up areas. But make sure you have a spare battery. In national parks and deserts and on hiking trails you might be out of range of transmitters so you will also need a separate compass.

Thumb compass, left. A see through compasses can be placed over a map.

Simplest compass, with ring to attach to your clothes, so it is not dropped and broken, nor forgotten. 

8 Learn how to use a compass.

9 Have a map, with directions marked. 

10 Have two big car windshield (UK word windscreen) signs for emergencies, one saying help, the other saying who to contact if your car is found abandoned.

11 Looters will break a window. Glass falls inside. Angry looters or vandals might break more windows out of anger or for 'fun'.   Cars you left parked when you return may be vandalised and undrivable, glass on seats, footwells, hand rests. Happened to us outside Madrid zoo. We hired another car to take ourselves and our small son back to London. Our car was towed to a Spanish garage and given a temporary unmovable window. The car was sent by ferry to a UK port where we had to collect it. When my husband went to drive it off, he found it had no petrol. (Americans say gas.)

Teach children, adults, rangers, criminals, never break into or damage an empty house or car. Think of other people. Eventually somebody will come looking for their loved one in the house or car. It is distressing to the family, especially if the owner is found dead. Think of yourself; you might become a murder suspect or accused of tampering with evidence.

Finally, you can take a virtual tour of the park.

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9283847/Mom-disappeared-setting-pandemic-road-trip-dead.html#comments

https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/safety.htm

https://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Compass

Bubble compass on amazon and camping shops

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=compasses

https://www.lazada.sg/catalog/?q=waterproof+scout+compass

ROSPA

Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents

https://www.rospa.com/

Joshua Tree Park, touring and virtual touring

https://www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm

https://www.nps.gov/jotr/learn/photosmultimedia/virtual-experience.htm

Author

Angela Lansbury

see other blogs on travel and dress and language

Please share links to posts

I was Double booked! Two zoom meetings. Disaster. Embarrassment. Confusion.

This week I was double booked. Online meetings. Whats app messages. Are you free on such and such a date? First of the month.

I replied Yes.

Then I got a message from another: This happens a lot. VIP asks you. Helper chases you. 

Can You confirm you are free on the first of the month?

Yes. 

Now, to me 'confirm' means they already asked, so I assume this refers to the previous event.

The meeting switches from afternoon to evening.

On the evening I log in.

I ask for the meeting program. They say they already sent it.

I can't find it.

Then I get a frantic call from another. Where are you?

Already logged in.

I can't see you.

We go around this whole loop again.

Eventually person two asks if I can see him.

No. But I can see the meeting chair person. Ray.

\Ray is not the meeting chairman. I am 'Harry'.

You are essential. We are waiting for you.'

'Send me the zoom link, Harry.'

I tell the other group,' sorry, gotta, Emergency. I'll explain later.'

From now on I shall insiste that anybody sending me a meeting and a date, must tell me the organization and names of all persons who will be chasing me, to prevent another mix-up.

Tanjong Pagar car crash: The full footage by E3N Security Pte Ltd

Five killed in a car which crashed and caught fire. At Tanjong Pagar in Singapore. Five in a two door four-seater.

Girlfriend of the driver ran into the flames and ended up in hospital badly burned.

Survival suggestions:

Don't race cars.

Don't ride in racing cars.

Don't sit in the back of a two door car without escape doors beside you.

In an accident you may be knocked out or trapped by air bags.

In an accident the doors may be bent or buckled.

If on fire, roll on the ground.

Be like Cinderella, go to bed at midnight.

Don't drink and drive.

Don't modify your car.

What else could be done?

how about manufacturers or laws lowering the top driveable speed of cars in places where there are few opportunities to drive fast.

A driver of cars and motorbikes told me: "It is not just a question of speed. Vehicle owners want fast cars because they have fast acceleration." 

Useful Websites

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHspo7fphCI

Building a Better Ship for Tsunami Survival

How to survive a tsunami>

One man is building a spherical boat like a pingpong ball.

But what about submarines?

Useful Websites

About the Author

Simple Signs to read in China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan

I thought I would take a few words I wanted to recognize, such as big and central which I often saw on signs. Big is like the curved A shape without the central bar which is like a simplified walking or running person. the wide oblong with  the vertical (upright) sign means centre. 

The Sign For Person

First I tried China and Chinese and  Singapore and Singaporean to see what was the difference. If you add the sign for person on the end you get Chinese or Singaporean. 

So now I can understand the signs at an airport and the road signs. The road sign (signpost) without the person sign means the country. 

At the airport a sign with the person sign on the end is telling nationals of that country that here is where to queue. (For the British word queue, Americans say line up).

1

one

Singapore

Singaporean

1

一

新加坡

新加坡人

..............................................................

2

two

lion

city

狮子

城市

The sign which looks like a seven with a large line across the middle is son or offspring or thing or animal or creature. It appears after the name of an animal.

...........................................................

3

three

central

city

中央

城市

...............................................................

4

four

in

heart

在

心

I had learned heart from my Chineasy flashcards.

.......................................................................

5

five

buy

thing

....................................................

6

six

shopping

shopping center

...................................

7

seven

pedestrian

pedestrians

When you translate pedestrian and pedestrians you get the same word. No wonder I used to see signs in Singapore saying Pedestrian this way. When they looked up pedestrian or pedestrians in Chinese they always got singular pedestrians in English. 

Now I know what the Chinese find hard to get right in English and why. It is not that they are half-witted or forgetful. Their language works differently. Think of the word man in English. We would add a man to mean one man. In Chinese you would add one to specify only one.  That is how English and French probably started years, centuries ago.

8

eight

China

Chinese people

...........................................

9

nine

new

year

..........................................

10

ten

Quickly

pleasure

of

grand

exhibition

A kind

          in

买

事物

购物

购物中心

购物中心

行人

行人

中国

中国人

新的

年

迅速地

乐趣

的

盛大

展览

一种

           zhēn

           在

Useful Websites

duolingo.com

Chineasy.com

thamesandhudson.com (Produced my Chineasy cards)

translate goggle

About the Author

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language), French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of many Toastmasters  International speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge. Vice President Public Relations of Braddell Heights Advanced speakers' club. BHA in 2021 has members whose first languages are British English, American English, Chinese Mandarin from China, and Cantonese from Hong Kong. Contact us through

toastmasters international find a club

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 

She has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

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