The Etymology of Thank YOUs around the world

"Thank you", one of the first words we learn in every language. Ng Guo, Duo Jie, Xie Xie, merci beau coup, muchas gracias, namaste. Why? Because human civilization values the time and effort of at least trying to do something, learn something, do a task, even if that person is by largely failing and only marginally succeeding. Thank you is a powerful motivator for human relationships to not only flourish but to also be productive. 

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the English word “thank” derived from the word “think” around 450AD. Up until this time, people would typically express their gratitude by saying: “I think of you kindly.” This evolved to become “I Thank You” which was then shortened to “Thank You” around the 14th century. That later became “thanks” and, by the 18th century, simply “ta”. 

The etymology of modern day "merci" is from Middle French merci, mercy, from Old French merci, from Latin mercēdem (“wages, fee, price”). 

In Chinese, Xie Xie is used as thank you in general. In Canton, Ng Gou is used to saying thanks for the favor whilst duo jie means thanks for the gift.

The word namaste comes from Sanskrit. It’s a combination of namas (“I bow”) and te (“you”), which literally translates to I bow to you (McBroom, 2023). If the first particle sounds familiar, that’s because it is also featured in the word namaskar (e.g., Surya Namaskar), which means “greeting” or “salute. ”In terms of pronunciation, the word namaste is broken down into three syllables: nah-mas-tay, with emphasis on the first syllable. Traditionally, namaste is a non-contact way of greeting someone, expressing gratitude, or showing one’s respect. Namaste is usually accompanied by Anjali mudra, with the palms pressed together at the center of the chest, close to one’s heart. To reflect on its literal meaning, the verbal greeting is performed with a respectful bowing of the head in the direction of the person you are speaking to.

In the context of yoga, namaste is usually spoken at the beginning or at the end of the class. When it is said at the start, namaste is a way to greet each other. A teacher saying it to a student (or students) can also use namaste as a way to convey that the students are welcome and accepted. At the end of the class, namaste has a different connotation. It’s an expression of appreciation and gratitude. It is customary for the teacher to thank the students for sharing their practice and opening their mind to the wonders of yoga. The students tend to echo the sentiment with their own namaste to express gratitude to the teacher for guiding them and to fellow students for sharing their space and energy.
Culturally, thank you is the most fundamental "magic word" you can use and start teaching a child to be a polite member of the family, society, be it a small community or eventually the ever globalizing world. And this kind of manners is not just verbal and superficial lip service, but to allow children to see adults saying thanks to one another a lot, is a good practice for a healthy and warm home to be developed. And if not, there's also the other magic word "sorry".
 
That's just Airlie's 2 cents into this.
xxx

Hong Kong: The Land of Paradoxes

My recent 33rd birthday reflection as well as a recent conversation with my family comparing living in Scandinavian, Australian and Canadian cities allowed me to reorganize my thoughts on the city I now reside in: Hong Kong. How I locate myself on this canvas. What I have found out is that we HK residents live in a land of paradoxes.

Before the handover in 1997, Hong Kong was already one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Now that the city has been forced to open up to it's biological mother China, it has now entered the inevitable stage of being a (what I like to think) rebellious teenager with an identity crisis. For those who want to jump and criticize me for insulting HK residents like that, let me just preempt that I have no intentions of doing so but quite the contrary. Bear with me.

HK residents ever since the 60s and 70s has developed a great work ethic of diligence. Working their supposedly 9-5 job way over time. The abbreviation O.T. (standing for over time) is widely used and understood even by my grandma who knows negligible English. This work ethic was inherited by the next generation of millennials (ahem, moi) the only difference is that we are the living, breathing anthem of "Work hard, play hard." Unlike our parents who never indulged in designer brands, fine dining and traveling to save money for an apartment, we millennials are lucky enough to have a family that is in no dire financial abyss and hence can live life a bit more than the last generation. HK residents literally coined the Cantonese short hand for the weekend routine of "shop, movie, dine". In recent years, some has dove into the alternative of wellness, spending time at the gym, doing yoga, hiking or cycling. 

And here is my first observed paradox: HK residents would gladly give into a job they most probably loath and grind at for most of the week, and then at the end of the week, do an absolute 180 and just let loose. What is the meaning of life for the many bankers and office workers who either hate their tedious jobs or the ethically questionable institution they loath? What is the meaning of life for the many people who is complacent at their government jobs yet spends the holidays protesting against their boss? Why not work in something you feel passionately for most of the week so you do not have to force a weekend of  "let's make myself happy"? 

The next paradox is derived from that very last question but perhaps a more quantified question: Is the hefty price tag of indulgence that important that we give up our choice of how we make a living?

A parallel paradox is that we work tirelessly for months so that we can go traveling. Why not build a home we do not need to escape from? This question after some thought is the result of the system we unfortunately can't change too much. There are more mainland Chinese flooding into our city whether, some just tourists or some evolving into residents taking up not only space but even resources. And I understand that this frustration is often what drives us to travel. But wouldn't it be nice that we can live in a city, working at a job we love, so we needn't have to escape all the time?

Another paradox comes in the form of health and lifestyle: (and I am by no means an exception from this) we live in a society that salivates on the gluttony of Instagram worthy food yet after that then again take a 180 turn and torture ourselves in the gym. Why not stay disciplined when consuming food in the first place? Why not exercise because we enjoy it, not to detox?

Last paradox: we spend so much time at work multi-tasking, when we don't we need apps to remind us to breathe, to stand up and walk around, drink, to do basic things we used to do on our own. Our minds are so preoccupied that we need time to meditate and unwind from that. And sometimes we aren't even good at doing that. 

What I have come to conclude (at least for me) is that life is a gift of constantly being in the present. If I wake up everyday knowing I love the work that I do, that I enjoy nurturing the next generation about literature, that I feel a humbling sense of work flow when I write, I do not have to force a weekend of "make up for the fives days I just spent in hell" nor do I have to escape when I travel around the world. That my traveling is instead wanderlust driven. 

Life At This Point

As the semester and also 2016 comes to an end, I am left here sitting in my new home grading essays as well as pondering what goals should I aim for 2017. For most of my twenties I have loved to travel and yearned to travel even more. But as I have built a career and home I don't need to escape from, as well as my wanderlust satisfied for the past decade or so...I find my mind wandering and wondering about what else can I achieve? What other places can my career bring me? And for many years even before I started writing the manuscript of my novel I simply wished to be a published writer. That was the goal. But somehow that shifted recently. I still want to be published but I want it to be published in my way, a very socially corporate responsible way, and so I want to start my own publishing company. I want to adapt the model of:
1. Every time you buy a book, a book will go to a child who needs one
2. If you send in a second hand book, you can get a half price discount, that book again will go to a child who needs one.
Selling 3 manuscripts (novel, nonfiction and my short story and poems collection) as well as this business model is almost hard to achieve at all, much to say in the short future) so why shouldn't I start my own publishing company? With this business I also want to help the many writers who keep feeling rejected by the major publishing houses because their writing is not "commercial" enough. I want to create a publishing house that is not just printing money but printing heartfelt pages.

At this point in my life I also don't need to broaden my network at mixers because I know that if I really go through with this business model, I know the trusty friends I have whom I can contract as editor, designer, IT, tax advisor and legal advisor. I have been reading up whether LLC or S-corp will be a better business model, costs of publishing paper books and ebooks. I have even been fiddling with names for my publishing house. I think the more serious I get with this project, the more it would come true. It's like the self fulfilling prophecy I had for my novel. Telling myself I could do it, while I kept doing it made it come true.

Life at this point is about taking care of myself, my family, and giving back to the community that blessed me with their help. Life right now...is still going to be challenging (I wouldn't ask for any less of it). And life right now...is pretty damn good...=)

#GivingTuesday (It still is Tuesday on the other side of the globe)

A very very belated Travel Blog: Boracay Philippines

So there is a reason which I will keep brief why it has taken me so long to write my Boracay travel blog, but first of all for those of you who haven't read the precursor blog of why I wanted to go to Philippines you can click here

So yes I wanted to be adventurous and go to Philippines uninsured of political kidnaps, by myself for two weeks of Easter. I wanted to get to know Philippines people, enjoy the beaches there, and take some time to do some writing I have been putting away since work got hectic. And I did initially book a whole suite to myself in January. But along came a guy (I will not dignify and call him a man because he is not) that swept my feet off the ground for two months, followed me to Philippines, as well as broke my heart shortly after he left separately (he took bank holidays to go whilst I took school holidays).

Regardless, I will not be moping about him in this blog but rather talk about the great experience I had nonetheless.

1. First of all, the people are extremely nice, food is exquisitely delicious, gosh I had seafood and garlic rice almost everyday without getting tired of it. Everything is very cheap, I didn't even bother to negotiate prices much as some of the things I bought were hand made Catholic woodwork, and a tortoise too. I didn't want to take advantage of their hard work of making them and standing there selling the whole day. Station 1 has many sail boats in which we took advantage of with some friends we met there.

2. I did a pretty cool mermaid touristy stunt in which you get to put on a tail and play with it in the water. There is also a photographer to help you take photos. It was one of the most awesome things I did on that little island, and earned me many likes on Facebook.

3. Sunsets are gorgeous. The west side of Boracay is the tourist area dissected into areas called stations 1, 2 & 3. I stayed at station 1's G-Suites Hotel Boracay which is closer to the pier that cruises to the closest airport to Manila. It is quieter than station 2 which is where the pubs, clubs and strip mall is. Station 3 has more upscale resorts interrupted by Ariel's Cliff, and then with a boat ride you get to Shangri-la Resort. I was very happy with G-Suites Hotel because the room was very spacious with all the amenities I needed and very attentive staff. Whatever I asked for or asked of they were able to help me.

 

4. The beach water is most pristine in station 3 where I spent most swimming and lounging times at. Between station 2 & 3 is a tiny island with stairs in which you can go up and take a picture with St. Mary there.

The spa massages there are very nice too. I went to Palassa Spa where you can feel the sea breeze dancing in while you doze off your relaxing massage.










5. Reading the local English newspapers, I was happy to see how resilient they were from the hurricane and how self-sufficient they have enabled themselves.



6. The churches are very different. They have very simplistic architecture and amenities (no-air conditioning). But many people flock there in their tank tops, shorts and flip flops, not too rigid with their attire, which I found pretty cool and makes sense.

7. There is I would say only one club that is more fun which is "Epic". Comfy lounge area with a fun dance floor. DJ has some hip beats going on. Second floor washrooms are spacious and has a patio for you to take in the beautiful stars.

8. Tricycles(tuck-tucks) are very cheap and efficient. Easy to hail or call from hotel.

9. The Greek restaurant there Cyma was amazing. I would say better and more worth it than the buffet I had at Regency Resort. The selection of food was limited.

10. East side  Boracay where the locals live (and where I wish to retire) is absolutely gorgeous. Maybe it's because there are no tourists and more secluded.



Overall, I was very pleased with my trip. Philippines Air's business class is very nice too. regardless of all the great interruptions, I was able to do some writing, give my novel a push. I definitely recharged my batteries to deal with hectic work and a breakup. I will definitely go back to Cebu perhaps to see a different kind of Philippines island.

Forever 21 haul/Spring trends 2013/Kota Kinabalu

This cotton nautical striped one piece is very form hugging and can elongate your legs. Very comfy and perfect for my flight as HK was a bit chilly and Kota Kinabalu was a bit warm, so all I needed was a light coat in HK, and take it off when I landed. It was at a bargain price I recall only HK$99.

This neon pink bikini top was for me to mix and match some printed bottoms, not that it was too flattering on me but it was worth the try for just HK$41. Though you can't see too clearly in this picture, I paired it with a Coach headband scarf and my Ray-Ban aviators. Perfect match =)







This turquoise sheer strapped coverup is perfect for spring and summer times on the beach or with a short white miniskirt. HKD$100. The headband scarf was purchased in Shenzhen XP and the shades at H&M ages ago, but I thought they would still look fab this season on the beach. =)







Although mustard is rumored to be the "it" color this printemp ete, mustard doesn't look good on us Asians, hence I think I'll avoid it. I'll keep going with coral and mint colors as well as pastels. Of course floral patterns, off-shoulders and ruffled cuts will always be my thing.

Gonna shove in a little perfume haul:
Since I have finished my bottle of "Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker" which I was infatuated with (and also complimented by many guys) but sadly is discontinued...I had to go hunt for new fragrances.

My first purchase was Dolce and Gabbana's Light Blue because not only my sister whom I absolutely trust recommends it but also Hollyannaree the youtube beauty guru did as well. It also has the scent of musk which I was very used to in Lovely and it's supposed to be seductive XP Although it is an eau de toilette, it comes with a body lotion that can prolong the scent. I absolutely love it!=)

Hollyannaree also recommended this Chloe eau de parfum, saying that it smelt soapy and that her boyfriend liked it. The online reviews also raved about it, so I was determined to try smelling it at the major stores in HK, but none of them would let customers smell. So on my Kota Kinabalu trip, at the duty free shop, I smelt it and fell head over heels in love! Only it was a bit too expensive... but I went back to HK and purchased it at a bargain price!=)




Kota Kinabalu was awesome!!=) Although there were hiccup incidents here and there but the company I was with more than made up for that! Shangri-la Rasa Ria Resort is quite nice. Although the room wasn't as spacious as Renessaince or Intercontinental that I've stayed with before, but the delicious food, attentive service, great spa and steady wifi countered that off. The city can be a bit rough but definitely worth the venture. All in all it was a good trip!=)

Until my next post, ciao for now!=)