I wonder if all these Singaporeans smiled as they left the books on the floor and walked away.

It's a sale. In Singapore. Are you HONESTLY surprised?

I would anticipate that, and I would still go anyways, nothing like a good book deal. Whats wrong with a little digging on the floor and whatnot from the piles that was left on the floor?

I was there when the sale was at Suntec City, but Expo was a tad bit too far away for me to go to ...

To be is to do
To do is to be
Doo bee doo bee doo

This is the thing to expect whenever there is a sales going on, full of human traffic squeeze here squeeze there, ppl throwing away whateva they don't want on the floor, the same happen to IT show also. Expect the worst this month end at Comex

i was there. well, actually i think that the books on sale are kinda.. old and frayed. so.. there shouldnt be much of a hype right at the start. and yes, there are LOTS of people sitting on the floor reading the books. like "uhhuh. right.."

-lance

Dear Sausage,

Thanks for your interesting and acute observation, but Old Aunty cares enough for you that you should try and write in proper English. I cringe at reading sentences that scream for grammar to be corrected, "I is go in at 9am but at 9.20am all books shelves is
almost empty."

You may think it is stylish to write like this and have your own identity as in break dancing, but unlike break dancing, language affects your readers greatly. We are what we read, and at a time when efforts are being made to help improve the English standard in our nation, I appeal to everyone to try to write with dignity. I am not Professor Higgins trying to turn every Eliza Doolittle into ladies and royalties, but a little propreity in handling the English Language will benefit everyone. At 52, Old Aunty is still trying to improve in her writing and speaking, and this is why she she recently joined her company's Toast Masters' Club.

I am glad you like writing enough to have a blog of your own. Keep practising and improving.

Always a teacher at heart,
Old aunty

proper english is overrated. the saxons did not speak proper english. and I doubt anyone will a century from now
-
`because E-language is intended to be incoherent, so there is no way to understand it`

I think people are too concerned with grammar and propriety and all that stuff that they forget that the aim is communication. Good communication is more than just grammar. Ppl like rockson may not speak in standard English, but the logic and ideas are very well put across. Or you can have people like Mr drinkalot who writes ornate and long sentences and nobody knows what he's saying.

If you look at his old posts he speaks in fairly good English, and then it's obvious that his bengish English is just a put on. When some people blog, they are acting. When you read a blog you are watching a show. Colorful English makes the show more colorful. In this case the issue of grammatical correctness is secondary. Perhaps, instead of criticising his grammar you are actually criticising his attitude?

I have nothing against Singlish or Benglish! If you read "tomorrow's 'about us', the editors have used Singlish in a charming way. One can be Singlish and Benglish but the fundamentals of English syntax must be there.

Perhaps let Old Aunty use an analogy. One can be as unique and as stylish in creating one's own music on the piano, but the fundamentals of music harmony must be adhered to, or the discordance of sound will be jarring to the ears.

I take it you're not a fan of Stravinsky, Bartok or Thelonious Monk?

People will always look at things differently. Somebody will say you are breaking the rules, and somebody else will say that you are simply following a different set of rules that most people aren't accustomed to.

For me these things are more important than grammatical correctness:
1. Precision of expression
2. Unambiguity
3. Cogency of thought

And I find that on these measures he does better than many other forummers on this board.

Are you a fan of Bartok or Matyas Seiber?
-
`apple apple fallen in the water`

Only Bartok. One of those "Hmmm this note seems to harmonise, I think I'll scratch it out" composers.

I is talking avant garde English!

you'll like John Rutter's Andante - 2nd movement of Gloria then
-

Discordance is not necessarily a bad thing
-
`Our strength is we can sing anything, because we don't have these traditions, we don't have baggage, we don't have hang-ups. We can constantly explore and import, in that sense`

Old aunty is as old aunty thinks. Come on lady, let's celebrate diversity~

Actually I is think the book sale more exciting is because digging fun. You getting what you pay for!

Sadly we got stomped on (or rather our stuff) during the last fireworks display. :(
They had that Tamiya event outside and people just stampeded through.

People sucks.

I is think sounds stylish, but it is gibbersh. I think it is anti- english language. I no think it no good. Sorry.

Now see, this, as a counterexample, is bad English, because like the meaning is ambiguous.

As in Mathematics, two negatives make a positive. So you actually think it is good.
You have to say, "I don't think it is good".