Dream on the Path to the Sky

Born as a middle child among 9 children to poor parents in a small farming town, my mother had rarely drawn attention or special care at home. Once in her childhood, she was wanted by a Japanese couple with no child living next door as their adopted daughter, but she did not wish to leave her mom, dad, and eight loving siblings even if she had not been viewed as a special kid in the family but rather one of those many children or even a diddly-squat. No more than a shy and quiet girl, but deep down inside, she had a dream of becoming SOMEBODY in the future, although she had no clear idea of what that SOMEBODY might mean. In her mind, “somebody” might refer to someone who at least would not be a swarthy, thewless person with nothing to achieve in a secluded town, but rather the one who tries to hypostatize her amorphous dream.

The day came for this almost invisible high school girl to put her first step forward to get closer to become someone special in her family. It is applying for the air force as the first female air cadet corps in the Republic of Korea, which was supported by the government. When her parents came to learn about what their ‘non-person’ kind of insignificant daughter was up to, they furiously opposed the addle-headed idea of becoming a pilot. Since aviator was regarded as men’s job back then, her conservative parents even threatened by telling her they will repudiate her to say the least. She was locked inside her room, but her dream of flying made her escape through the window of her room.

She was the Korean War veteran and later discharged from the air force as a captain. Although her dream was not embraced by her own parents since she became a pilot, fortune favored the brave. She was granted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study abroad by the government scholarship. Literally not knowing the ABCs of English, her stay in the small college named Guilford in North Carolina had been no picnic at all. Eating, sleeping, and working myriads of part-time jobs with English dictionary in her hand finally led her to the point of showing up on a popular CBS TV show “What’s My Line?”. In the year of 1962, she became the most popular female pilot from Asia in the States and was fortunate enough to be presented a light aircraft called ‘Piper Colt’ funded by other American female aviators’ under the slogan of ‘We Help Captain Kim’ using their collection of green stamps. The precious aircraft was donated to the Aerospace University in Korea when my mother came back in the year of 1963.

My mother’s life had often been filled with trepidation and upslope throughout her path to the sky, but each time she was considered by the square viewpoints of the world and her own parents calling her “enfant terrible”, she reminded herself of Amelia Earhart’s beautiful thoughts in life: “Everyone has oceans to fly if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless? Maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?” Who cares if your goals or dreams in life could be no more than a reverie that will never come to fruition? As long as you are putting your best foot forward, just one step at a time, you are already in the right direction towards your dreams.

Expressions

  1.   diddly-squat: nothing/ zero

  2.   thewless: cowardly; timid

  3.   to hypostatize: (verb) to treat or regard (a concept, idea, etc.) as a distinct substance or reality

  4.   amorphous: (adjective) without a clearly defined shape or form

  5.   to repudiate: (verb) to cast off or disown (one’s children)

  6.   Fortune favors the brave/ bold: (phrase) "Fortune helps the brave", and "Fortune favors the strong" are common translations of a Latin proverb.

  7.   Green stamps: (proper noun) S&H Green Stamps are a discontinued line of trading stamps popular in the United States from the 1930s until the late 1980s. They were distributed as part of a rewards program operated by the Sperry & Hutchinson company (S&H), founded in 1896 by Thomas Sperry and Shelley Byron Hutchinson

  8.   trepidation: (noun) a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen

  9.   enfant terrible: (idiom) a person whose unconventional or controversial behavior or ideas shock, embarrass, or annoy others.

  10. reverie: (noun) a fanciful or impractical idea or theory

Idiom Check: Let’s get the meaning of your personality!

Life can be interesting because there is not exactly the same type of two people on earth. Each has his or her own specific traits and personalities. This week, we would like to go over some idiomatic expressions to describe personality.

<i> to not have a nasty bone in one’s body: to be a mean streak

<ii> all mouth and no trousers: full of boastful, arrogant, or shallow talk, usually by a male, who then cannot deliver on his claims (=all hat and no cattle)

<iii> wouldn’t say boo (to a goose /or to anyone): to be particularly shy, diffident, or timid by nature/ To not say a word (to anyone); to keep quiet/ not to be assertive

<iv> to keep himself to himself (or keep herself to herself): to lead a very private and unsociable life, while someone who is always lively and cheerful

<v> Someone’s bark is worse than their bite.: One's actions will not be nearly as severe as one's words imply.

<vi> a force of nature: a  person or creature possessing unnatural or God-like power/ or if we describe an extrovert and energetic person as a force of nature, we are probably mocking them at least a little

<vii> a cold fish:  someone who seems unfriendly and who does not share their feelings

<viii> a (nasty) piece of work: a very unpleasant person

<ix> a wall flower: a shy person, especially a girl or woman, who is frightened to involve herself in social activities and does not attract much interest or attention:

<x> a skiver: a person who is absent from work or school without permission

Ready to check your idioms to describe the following        people.

  1.   Tom needs to know that our team manager has been watching over us to secretly see who is the ______________ that often skips early morning meetings.

  2.   Bradley regrets that he has not been a good boyfriend to Olivia. Olivia decided to leave him because she can’t stand his coldhearted attitude anymore. Bradley is such a _______________.

  3.   Don’t worry about what Ted said last night. Although he sounds very intimidating and threatening, his ____________________________________________.

  4.   Mary stays at the gym all day taking every single exercise classes on a daily basis. My Gosh! She is a _____________________________!

  5.   The legendary pop idols Michael Jackson had not shared his private life with public. He kept ________________________________________________.

  6.   Are you sure Matt cheated on his loving girl friend? Well…I believe he doesn’t have a _______________________________________.

  7.   Linda never goes to a party, because she doesn’t want to become a _________________________ while everyone else is having a good time, chatting and socializing.

  8.   Today’s “Me, too” campaign in the States has made all the sexually molested women break the silence and come forward to find their right to speak up. They are not the same girl who wouldn’t _________________________________________ anymore!

  9.   You’d better steer clear of Jim. He is such a nasty _________________________________. Everybody says he is so annoying and even violent sometimes.

 10. Ronald is wheeling out the same old excuses for being way behind in his project that is due tomorrow. He always toots his own horn or even cooks up a story to embellish his capability, but everybody knows that he is all ______________________________________.

Answer Key

1. <x> skiver

2. <vii> coldfish

3. <v> bark is worse than their bite

4. <vi> force of nature

5. <iv> himself to himself

6. <i> nasty bone in his body

7. <ix> wall flower

8. <iii> wouldn’t say boo to a goose

9. <viii> nasty piece of work

10. <ii> all mouth and no trousers

Texan Idioms

Wanna learn some idioms or funny phrases originated from Texas with me?

As a newly moved resident here in Texas, I am pretty much interested in local colors especially in language. Let us explore some interesting and appealing expressions of this Lone Star State together!

(source from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/27/texas-slang_n_5526788.html)

Guess the meanings of the given expressions (in the box) and fill in the blanks of the following sentences.

madder than a wet hen,   all hat and no cattle,   more than you can shake a stick at,     ready and rarin’ to go,       bless your heart,    sure n’uff,     y’all, fixin’ to

1. Just can’t wait to go to the concert!!! I am __________________ to go~!

2. The famous Southern cook Paula Deen opens her cooking show by saying “Hey, _____________! Welcome to Paula Deen show!”

3. A: What’s up, man? You look so pissed!

    B: I’m ________________________________ because my room mate took my new car without telling me last night! Gosh!

4. A: What are you doing now?    B: I’m __________________ go shopping for groceries.

5. After I proved the southerner wrong, they looked me straight in the eye and said "_________________________.", which, I later realized, was totally a four letter word in Texas!

6. Jared says he is super rich and normally makes a lot of money. He even says he wishes to buy my business, but after checking his credit references I've found that he's__________________________________.

7. At the protest there will be more homeless people than ______________________________________.

8. A: Dang! That lady is a real looker!    B: Yup, she ________________ is!

Answer Keys and Clues

1. ready and rain’ (meaning ready and excited/ revving and keen to do ~)

2. y’all (meaning you all/ you guys)

3. madder than a wet hen (meaning ‘to be very angry’)

4. fixin’ to (meaning about to do…/ just get ready to do…)

5. Bless your heart (which is an expression of pity used by southerners/ or southern euphemism for F-word)

6. all hat and no cattle (meaning  someone is all talk and no action/substance. Someone who dresses nicely but doesn't really have any money)

7. more than you can shake a stick at (meaning a lot, too many, tons)

8. sure n’uff (meaing sure enough – usually used to express agreement)

Stranger in Texas

Wrapping up the decade of life in one place and moving to some unfamiliar region did not sound very heartsome or attractive to me at all. Besides the fact that I am not the kind of person who welcomes a challenge or any kind of abrupt changes in life, leaving those friends of mine who have known me so well enough to read my mind without asking was like a home truth or some kind of a bad plisky of your destination.

However, I know for sure it all depends on how you look at things in life. Change could mean building new expectation, not just being pushed to venture out of the comfort zone. It is no one else but you that creates another happy chapter in life. Having to say goodbye to the old friends of yours doesn’t and should not mean at all to sever all ties with them in your future life. Leaving them would rather make your hearts grow fonder and realize once again how precious those people are to you. To me, living in a new place means having a new addition of human relationships to the existing group of wonderful friends that I am blessed to have.

Daily affirmation goes like this: “Worries or concerns laid aside. No need to think of worst case scenarios. Take a deep breath and soak up the Texan heat. Ev’thang is gonna ah’ite!”

Expressions

heartsome: (adjective) cheerful/ giving cheer or spirit/ encouraging

hometruth: (noun) an indisputable fact or basic truth, especially one whose accuracy may cause discomfort or embarrassment

plisky: (noun = adjective) a mischievous trick; practical joke; prank.

to venture out of….: (verb) to go out of something cautiously

to sever all ties with ….: (verb) To break up a relationship

Ev’thang is gonna ah’ite.: (Texan diction/ dialect) Everything is going to be alright.

American College Slangs/ Idioms

We see a lot of international students on college campuses in the States today. A lot of them are identified as American with their own ethnic backgrounds, whereas quite a lot of them are called “FOB” that stands for “Fresh Off the Boat”, meaning the ones who have just come to America or immigrants. Sadly, quite often times, FOB is used with a pejorative or not very pleasant connotation towards the immigrants. L

This week, let me share some English slangs or idiomatic expressions that are often used among college students. (*source from https://share.america.gov/learn-some-american-college-slang/)

  1.   GPA Killer: (noun)

GPA stands for “Grade Point Average”, so GPA killer refers to a very challenging/ difficult course that could be detrimental to your grade. Synonymous expressions include grade RIPer/ death trap

  2.   to ace a test/ exam: (verb) to get the best grade possible

  3.   to put an all-nighter: (verb) to burn the midnight oil/ to study all night long

  4.   to pregame: (verb) to go to a small party before a bigger party

  5.   underwater basket weaving: (noun) an insulting name for an elective class that doesn’t count toward a graduation requirement or for a class that is particularly easy. It is also interchangeably used with Netflixer/ bird course/ sleeper/ snoozer

  6.   NARP: (acronym) Non-Athletic Regular Person (or Random Person)

            A term the athletes on campus use to describe the rest of the student body or a person with minimal athletic ability and very low game spitting skills.

  7.   to cupcake: (verb) to flirt or talk sweet to someone you like

   

  

  Time to practice the above expressions!

  1.   A: Man. You looks totally prepared for the midterms!

      B: Yes, I am confident enough to _________________ all the tests this       semester. I’ve been pulling an ______________________ for the last few       weeks.

  2.   Is Mr. Redford’s class one of those _________________________________ courses that most kids would sign up for good grades?

  3.   No way, his class is so-called a ____________________________ that would destroy your college life. You are required to turn in a time-consuming paper every week.

  4.   Mary-Jane has had enough with Tommy. She says Tommy keeps cheating on her and never stops ________________________ with other girls.

  5.   A: Are you coming to Burt’s house tonight before joining the end-of-the-year party?
B: No, I won’t ___________________ tonight, because I need to be sober at the year-end get-together.

  6.   Dan was always viewed as a ___________________ by his friends in his basketball team. He loves basketball but not very good at it.

  

  

  Answer Keys

  1.   ace, all-nighter

  2.   underwater basket-weaving/ bird course/ Netflixer/ sleeper/ snoozer

  3.   GPA killer/ grade RIPer/ death trap

  4.   cupcaking

  5.   pregame

  6.   NARP

What the year of 2017 meant for me

Around this time of every year, I normally find myself sitting in a quiet corner of my room with my eyes closed, focusing on my breathing, and trying to recollect the past 12 months filled with lots of expected and unexpected events and episodes. This past year started with the most unforgettably sad incident in my life. My father passed away on the 13^th of January, and it was snowing a lot outside. The sudden rush of raw feeling of loss and emptiness has engulfed and flooded through me as its bitterly cold and unfamiliar reminder each time special days come along: Father’s day, his birthday, mother’s birthday, my parents’ 52^nd anniversary, my birthday, Christmas, to name a few. 

I do not believe it is possible for anyone to completely come to terms with their beloved parents’ or sibling’s or children’s deaths no matter how long ago they happened. I am no the exception. It is not about forgetting or avoiding the saddest day of our lives, but more about remembering and cherishing the shared time with our loved ones. Saying goodbye to someone or something special in our lives doesn’t necessarily mean that we are apart from them. In the midst of going through a loss of loving folks, we see things clearer and learn how to live in this right moment to the fullest. We realize there’s no such thing as a “guaranteed tomorrow” as we age. Then, why wait for later to say you love them so much?

As we were preparing the inter-State moving lately (from a small, peaceful Midwest town named Peoria in Illinois to a somewhat more upbeat and busier city named San Antonio in Texas), once again, we reached a point of saying goodbye to our close friends of a decade made in our good old town. It was hard to hold back tears and smile while sharing goodbye hugs and taking pictures together, but I knew for sure that every single day since I left for a new home place would be more packed with my love, thoughts, and fonder heart for them.

The year of 2017 has seemed to be the time for leaving or parting, but on the other hand, it has led me to a point of keeping those I dearly love more tightly and strongly in my heart. I will keep trying to fill my sad and sour hollow in my life with blessings that I have. They are my memories shared with those special people that no one can steal. That way, I’m gonna make this change in my life as seamless as possible to go ahead for another day like peaceful yesterday. No need to bedizen myself with a fake smile as I wrap up this year, but instead I rather feel calm like a survivor after the stormy days. Adieu 2017!