Thinking in a Linear, Coherent Fashion...
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... does not seem to be that common, which is a sad, sad thing.
I've been increasingly frustrated in my interactions with folks who just can't seem to think coherently. They keep missing the point, misinterpreting facts or what was said, or they'll get distracted and go off-tangent altogether and then when you try to draw them back to the main topic at hand again, they just don't or won't or can't get it.
The shocking thing is, even university graduates can be guilty of this!
I'm starting to think if there's something seriously wrong with our education system here.
Also, I think something should be done to keep students awake during English lessons from Primary school onwards. Apparently, most just don't pay due attention to their English classes because if you would just look around, the grammar can be pretty atrocious. Could it be a case of us sitting on our laurels? It's amazing that we boast of English being our first language and the main language used in conducting business and yet, our mastery of the language leaves much to be desired!
I wonder if anyone else here feels the same way about the two points I brought up. Sure hope I'm not alone in this!
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Its everywhere. Some pple choose wat they want to listen. And for those they don't wan to hear, they haf another interpretion to it.
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Camellias, that's true. It's disturbing though when the issue being discussed is a work issue and not a personal issue because then, that often calls for objectivity. And it's frightening when you work in my line, to realise that too many folks apply subjectivity in their rationale!
And not only do some folks find it tough being objective, they also cannot rein in their helter-skelter thoughts. I've used the analogy of a shotgun to illustrate this point... think of their thoughts as a single bullet that when fired from the shotgun, explodes and in so doing, releases and scatters multiple ball-bearings within that does considerably more damage because, well, they just scatter! 
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One of my friends, an English teacher who has just moved from Singapore to Sydney, was commenting on the appalling standard of English being taught at public schools here in Sydney. She said the teachers don't teach grammar at all to the kids; instead, they are expected to 'pick it up' as they go along!
She said the standard of English is higher in Singapore than in Sydney - I find that rather shocking! -
To be honest, my standard of English deteriorated since I joined nursing school.Originally posted by SydneyLibrarian:One of my friends, an English teacher who has just moved from Singapore to Sydney, was commenting on the appalling standard of English being taught at public schools here in Sydney. She said the teachers don't teach grammar at all to the kids; instead, they are expected to 'pick it up' as they go along! She said the standard of English is higher in Singapore than in Sydney - I find that rather shocking!
These days, I try to prevent it by reading more and hey, I'm starting to write again!
I remember how much I loved to complete English assessment books in Primary School. I was always challenging myself to finish yet another one. It was quite fun.
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Err my English deteriorated lots. I think if I'm to take my 'O' levels now the most I'll get is a B3Originally posted by Rhonda:To be honest, my standard of English deteriorated since I joined nursing school.
These days, I try to prevent it by reading more and hey, I'm starting to write again!
I remember how much I loved to complete English assessment books in Primary School. I was always challenging myself to finish yet another one. It was quite fun.
For my biz I speak more mandarin and dialect so those are becoming stronger and my English SUCKS now
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In my workplace, it's also Mandarin and dialects.Originally posted by elindra:Err my English deteriorated lots. I think if I'm to take my 'O' levels now the most I'll get is a B3
For my biz I speak more mandarin and dialect so those are becoming stronger and my English SUCKS now Sometimes, I'm quite naughty and practice 'selective linguistics' meaning, if someone's trying to be difficult, I oops, sorry, don't know how to speak Hokkien / Cantonese.
Sometimes, for abusive patients, it's 'selective deafness'.
Seriously though, listening to the spoken English at my workplace can be really hilarious!
For instance, once, my colleague told me that 'The patient has a prayer omelette by his bed'. I was and then I and my colleagues were all staring at me and didn't know what was wrong until I told them that an 'omelette' is an egg dish whereas what she meant was an AMULET.
Or, there was that instance when I said, 'Been There, Done That!' and my colleague earnestly pestered me, 'Been where? Tell me!!! Tell me!!! I want to know where??' and I was rendered speechless and just 
Or, during Christmas, I was grumbling about being made to work nights on Christmas Eve, Christmas AND Boxing Day and being robbed of the chance to be kissed under the mistletoe and my colleague went
, made a bowl with her hand and asked, 'Mee Soto? Stand under the Mee Soto??'. Then I decided to go around asking my colleagues to find out who knew what a 'mistletoe' was and a sad sad sad day it was cause NOBODY on duty that day knew what in the world a mistletoe was
Scary mistakes at work would be when they use the past tense for things that have yet to be done. For instance,
"Patient's wound dressing done."
"Oh, good. How was the wound?"
"No! No! Dressing not done!"
"Then why did you say 'done'?"
"No! Not done!"
OK, to be fair, not all are Singaporeans but the standard of English for locals is pretty appalling too.
When I was in my corporate job, I used to think that wow... Singaporeans have a good standard of English and are an educated lot. Now, maybe in my job, I get exposed to more people from all walks of life and I'm continually being stunned.
It wouldn't have been so bad if it's the older generations that had bad English, but if you'd just click on 'Newest Topics' here and read the titles of the threads being listed, you'd realise with a sinking heart that it's our younger generation who is callously mis-using English too.
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i've never gotten higher than B3 for English..
as for thinking coherently, i can't do that sometimes.. my thought processes go in a thousand directions linking lots of seemingly unconnected things at a million miles an hour..
a straight track is difficult for me -
Rhonda, the worst I got was "What does Pot Calling the Kettle Black" mean. Why your english so cheem wan.
I was like -
Originally posted by the Bear:i've never gotten higher than B3 for English..
as for thinking coherently, i can't do that sometimes.. my thought processes go in a thousand directions linking lots of seemingly unconnected things at a million miles an hour..
a straight track is difficult for me
That is so ... hard to believe! ...
Well, when I talk about linear thinking, I was referring more to the ability to hold an argument or discussion without going off-tangent or becoming totally irrelevant and not knowing it.
Like this conversation I heard recently:
'How's the patient's vital signs?'
'Don't worry... I didn't give sedation!' -
Originally posted by elindra:Rhonda, the worst I got was "What does Pot Calling the Kettle Black" mean. Why your english so cheem wan.
I was like
That was like something we knew in Primary School!!!
Are the English teachers doing their jobs right? Or could it be that we need to promote the good ol' habit of reading again?
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c'mon.. you're probably as alike as chalk and cheese
so, you're accused of using "cheem" english
i get that a lot in here..Originally posted by elindra:Rhonda, the worst I got was "What does Pot Calling the Kettle Black" mean. Why your english so cheem wan.
I was like -
No seriously. I think I speak very basic english. I've been accused off in the past for speaking english with an accent and using bombastic words. I have toned down lots but I thought that is really basic english!!!
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My recent round of night duty, I was accused by a colleague to 'Stop using cheem English here, lah! I don't understand you and have to check a dictionary every other word!' and I was stunned!
I mean, she said words like 'inconceivable', 'inertia' and 'conniving' were new to her! -
errr that is like primary school english as wellOriginally posted by Rhonda:My recent round of night duty, I was accused by a colleague to 'Stop using cheem English here, lah! I don't understand you and have to check a dictionary every other word!' and I was stunned!
I mean, she said words like 'inconceivable', 'inertia' and 'conniving' were new to her! -
Originally posted by Rhonda:...Or, during Christmas, I was grumbling about being made to work nights on Christmas Eve, Christmas AND Boxing Day and being robbed of the chance to be kissed under the mistletoe and my colleague went , made a bowl with her hand and asked, 'Mee Soto? Stand under the Mee Soto??'. Then I decided to go around asking my colleagues to find out who knew what a 'mistletoe' was and a sad sad sad day it was cause NOBODY on duty that day knew what in the world a mistletoe was
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Oh I forgot! Someone asked me what is a "Tiramisu"
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Originally posted by elindra:Oh I forgot! Someone asked me what is a "Tiramisu"
No kidding!!!! Is the person a local? Do they even step out of their house?!
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some dunno...
it's not something one typically finds in asian places..
sorta like asking a European what Mee Suah isOriginally posted by elindra:Oh I forgot! Someone asked me what is a "Tiramisu" -
OK, once, during lunch break, I was talking to a colleague about cheese and I mentioned, 'Gorgonzola' so this colleague who overheard it, exclaimed, 'Ah! I didn't know you watch those 'Godzilla' movies! So this Gorgonzola... what kind of monster is it?'
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What is so surprising about the fact that different people have different life experiences and thus possess different commands of languages, as well as terms of references in life, like food?
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It's surprising cause we went through the same English syllabus in Primary school for Grammar, at least.Originally posted by choco B:What is so surprising about the fact that different people have different life experiences and thus possess different commands of languages, as well as terms of references in life, like food? -
Maybe we ate more potatoes instead of rice
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again, it's not what we get, but what we do with life...
again, a yank may not know what roti-chanai is eitherOriginally posted by Rhonda:It's surprising cause we went through the same English syllabus in Primary school for Grammar, at least. -
Yeah, same education system. I guess not everyone learns the same way.Originally posted by Rhonda:It's surprising cause we went through the same English syllabus in Primary school for Grammar, at least.