00262--CONFUSABLES [ENGLISH GRAMMAR]

CONFUSABLE S

canvas	a rough cloth
canvass	to ask for votes
centenarian	someone who is at least 100 years old
centurion	the commander of a company of 100 men in the ancient Roman army
cereal	food processed from grain
serial	a book or radio or television performance delivered in instalments
ceremonial	describes the ritual used for a formal religious or public event
ceremonious	describes the type of person who likes to behave over-formally on social occasions
childish	of, like, or appropriate to a child
childlike	having the good qualities, such as innocence, associated with a child
clothes	garments
cloths	the material out of which clothEs are made
canon	is a cleric
cannon	is a large gun
cast	a group of actors in a play a plaster CAST throw (something) forcefully in a specified direction
caste	a social group
cite	to refer to
sight	vision
site	land for a particular purpose
complement	that which completes
compliment	praise
alley	a little lane
ally	a friend
contemptible	worthy of contempt
contemptuous	a person who shows contempt is contemptuous
council	a board of elected representatives
counsel	advice
councillor	an electedrepresentative
counsellor	one who gives professional guidance
credible	believable
credulous	gullible
currant	a small dried grape used in cooking
current	a steady flow of water, air or electricity happening at the present time
allude	to refer to indirectly
elude	to evade capture or recall
allusion	an indirect reference
delusion	a false belief
illusion	a deceptive appearance
alternate	alternate Mondays (every other) alternate between two moods
alternative	another possibility two choices
amoral	not being governed by moral laws
immoral	means breaking the moral laws
astronomy	the scientific study of the stars and planets
astrology	the study of theinfluence of the stars and planets on human life and fortune
beside	next to by the side of
besides	Also as well as
blond	to describe men’s hair
blonde	to describe women’s hair
boarder	a person who pays to live in someone’s house
border	the edge or boundary of something
born	eg. He was born in 1989.
borne	bear-bore-borne (past participle)
dairy	a building or room for the processing, storage, and distribution of milk and milk products
diary	a book in which one keeps a daily record of events and experiences
decent	conforming with generally accepted standards of respectable or moral behaviour
descent	act of coming down ancestry
desert	abandon in a way considered disloyal or treacherous  sandy
dessert	a pudding
disinterested	impartial, unselfish, acting for the good of others and not for yourself
uninterested	bored
economic	related to the economy
economical	Thrifty avoiding extravagance
effective	able to produce a result
efficient	working well without wasting time, money or effort
eligible	suitably qualified
legible	able to be read
emigrant	leaves his or her country to live in another
immigrant	moves into a country to live permanently
eminent	famous
imminent	about to happen
epigram	a short witty saying
epitaph	an inscription on a tombstone
exceptionable	open to objection
exceptional	unusual
exhausting	tiring
exhaustive	Thorough fully comprehensive
explicit	stated clearly and openly
implicit	implied but not actually stated
fewer	the comparative form of ‘few’ used with plural nouns eg. fewer children
less	the comparative form of ‘little’ ‘a small amount’ eg. less enthusiasm less than is used with number alone; eg. Less than ten
fiance´	masculine
fiance´e	feminine
heroin	a drug
heroine	a female hero
historic	famous in history memorable likely to go down in recorded history
historical	existing in the past
imaginary	existing only in theimagination
imaginative	showing or having a vivid imagination
impractical	could be done but not    worth doing
impracticable	incapable of being done
industrial	associated withmanufacturing
industrious	hard-working
its	a possessive adjective  eg. its colour
it's	It is  it has
judicial	pertaining to courts of law and judges
judicious	showing good judgment
later	the comparative of ‘late’ shows time
latter	the opposite of ‘former’ shows position
lay	Lay-laid-laid lay down the weapon she laid an egg yesterday she has laid an egg already
lie	Lie-lay-lain I lie down for rest. I lay down for rest yesterday i have lain down in the shadow of this tree many a time.
luxuriant	growing abundantly
luxurious	rich and costly
masterful	dominating
masterly	very skilful
medal	a small metal disc given as an honour
meddle	to interfere
momentary	Lasting only for moments
momentous	of great significance
official	Authorised formal
officious	Self-important interfering
partake	to share with others (especially food and drink)
participate	to join in an activity to play a part in
personal	Of or pertaining to a particular person
personnel	Employees office staff
principal	chief teacher important
principle	moral rule
quiet	silent
quite	very
sceptic	One who doubts
septic	Infected by bacteria
sew	stitch
sow	Plant scatter
social	related to society
sociable	friendly
stationary	Not moving still
stationery	Writing materials envelops office materials
veracity	truthfulness
voracity	greed

00261--Howard Wolowits is no more! [The Big Bang Theory, Comedy TV show]

                                                                   

                                                 Howard Wolowits is no more!

 Howard Wolowits is no more! I am sorry to inform you the sad news!  What we see in today’s BBT is the ghost of Wolowits.  He used to be a lot more lively, funny, energetic, charming…the list goes on.  Marriage is a religion which is built on the foundation of boredom.  I firmly believe that Wolowits is undergone a religious conversion from that of a bachelor one to a married one. 

You could do it to Leonard.  That wouldn’t make much of a difference, he could still be the same.  But when you made Howard to marry, you were actually ripping his real self off.  What he has to do now? Can he pathetically woo the ‘no chance’ women now.  No way!  I must say you MURDERED Howard. 

But still there are rare occassions in which we see the glimpse of a genius comedian but it is like a lion locked in a cage that rarely roars.  Open tha cage and let the comedian be free. 

Here the writers have acted like responsible parents who see to it that their children get married not so late.  But was it necessary?  However Simon Helberg is a gifted comedian who could make us laugh even if he is given only the role of a statue that stands still!

                                                                       

We need the real Wolowits back.  Put him in such situations where he can dance his true dance. 

00260--Introduction [The Big Bang Theory, Comedy TV Show]

The Big Bang Theory is a satire on, and celebration of human nature.  I laughed a lot, and understood a lot from these characters who innocently declare their wisdom and foolishness with an irresistible charm.  The setting of the story in general is in Pasadena, California, United States. The main characters include a Jew and an Indian.  Why not a Muslim among the characters?  If handled carefully such a character could be a synthesis of two opposing cultures.  The creators of the show were very careful in avoiding all such possible chances of aberration from their motto: “make all laugh”.

The Big Bang Theory is all about innocent laughter.  Be child like (did Osho say that?), be flexible and then open your hearts to the pure joy that let yourself taste the bliss of immortality.  I believe this TV show is an antonym for the words like rigidity, stubbornness,   tenacity etc.  This show is a celebration of our complexes, follies and egotistic manners.

The Cast and Characters 

The cast can’t be better.  Penny is hundred percent Penny.  Sheldon is Sheldon to the core, and everyone else is so.  If you really want to know how the characters (cast) can change the show, watch the Season 1 Episode 0. 

a.       Sheldon [Jim Parsons]

Sheldon is the soul of The Big Bang Theory.  There are Episodes that wholly centers on him.  There are times when Sheldon transforms into a child, into a dictator, into a giant super-ego (or a giant d**k), into an obedient son, and the list goes on.  I love to watch the scenes in which Sheldon is alone with Penny, or when Sheldon confronts Penny.  Those are beautiful scenes.  We can literally (literally? literally?) see here two opposite poles meeting each other often in a hostile manner.  But we are surprised to see the harmony between the two.  In fact, Sheldon is the true match for Penny.  Though the physical intercourse is between Leonard and Penny the synthesis of thesis and anti-thesis is when Sheldon and Penny come together.

b.      Leonard [Johnny Galecki ]

Leonard is the stage on which other characters perform.  He is the mother of the show; he understands everyone, stands up for everyone, he is the one who gets all the blows finally.  He is the one who mediates between Sheldon and Penny, Wolowits and Sheldon, and them and the rest of the world. He is tiny but courageous.  He is a guy who understands the grays.  He suffers from the fact that never once he was loved by his mother.  May be that’s what he sees in penny.  When the occasion comes he transforms into a Napoleon Bonaparte or a sweating vulnerable teenager or a saint of all virtues or cupid himself!

c.       Penny [Kaley Christine Cuoco]

She is the charm of the show.  I like her so much.  Who doesn’t?  She is naughty and modest.  She is ambitious and depressed.  She is feminine and masculine.  She is soothing and raging.  When her hair is combed straight backward she looks furious and we see a real villain in her; and when the hair style is again changed she becomes adorable.  She is everything a woman can be. 

d.      Howard Wolowits [Simon Helberg]

Howard is a pure comedian.  I think he can all alone lead a comedy show without anyone to assist him; he is a genius.  It is a wonderful experience to watch him in action.  He loves his mother though that process is not very pleasant.  He had some very serious conflicts with Penny in the beginning.  But, later on it’s Penny who plays an important role in his life by introducing him to Bernadette.

e.      Raj [Kunal Nayyar]

Raj is not often allowed to dance his true avatar.  Whenever he gets such a chance he uses it to the maximum.  We can see his potential even when he makes a simple nod with his eyes narrowed.  He can’t talk to women unless he is drunk.  But when he talks it is another Sheldon we listen to.  A lot is left in him that is yet to be explored.

Other characters are all important and each one has an individuality which  makes them important and memorable though they don’t appear as often as the leading characters.

It is not just the dialogues that make this show a hearty experience but the overall intelligence of the people working behind this project.  They take care of each and every aspect, like when my eyes are stuck on some parts of Penny which is completely unnecessary for the understanding of the plot, immediately the camera from another angle will continue the story.  When Sheldon makes a remark cameras will absorb the facial expressions of all others and then only the appropriate one will be shown to us.  This sense is not seen in many other TV shows. There are episodes that are of poor standards.  We always compare one episode with the other.  If one brilliant episode is followed by an average one, the latter in comparison to the former may seem terrible.   

I will be dedicating one post for each episode.  I do this only because I love the show so much; this is a natural reflection of the light that the show sheds upon its child like viewers. Not to judge but to enjoy am I writing this blog.  All this can, like Sheldon says, be a big BAZINGA!

00259--Daffodils/wordsworth

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth

00258--10 QUOTES BY AGATHA CHRISTIE

10 QUOTES BY AGATHA CHRISTIE

1. “It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them. ”


2.  “An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets, the more interested he is in her.” 

3.  “They tried to be too clever---and that was their undoing.” 

4.  “An appreciative listener is always stimulating.” 

5.   “If the fact will not fit the theory - let the theory go” 

6.   “Instinct is a marvelous thing. It can neither be explained nor ignored.” 

7.   “Every murderer is probably somebody's old friend.” 

8.  “You gave too much rein to your imagination. Imagination is a good servant, and a bad master. The simplest explanation is always the most likely.” 

9.   “When you find that people are not telling you the truth---look out!” 

10.  “You know, Emily was a selfish old woman in her way. She was very generous, but she always wanted a return. She never let people forget what she had done for them - and, that way she missed love.”

 

00257--Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

 Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

00256--The Road Not Taken------Robert Frost

 

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

                             

                                     Robert Frost