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It’s all a matter of perspective

Last night, I had an “I suck” moment. I mispronounced a word and felt very much like a newbie. Simon pointed out something similar before. He teases me about the fact that I use words like “thrice” instead of “three times”. My language is more formal, bookish.

So yeah, I had an “I suck” moment, unhappy with my awkwardness.

I was about to clam up and have one of those hot chocolate days, but
Simon listened to me and helped me figure out that little bug. That
helped immensely. As we walked through a park, he reminded me that I’m
new here, I’m from a different culture, and my errors are just like
those of anyone who learned English primarily through reading.

Hmm. Come to think of it, that *is* true. Although my family speaks to
me primarily in English and so do my friends, I just read and write so
much that the way I think of words is visual, not auditory. I need to
listen to more people, I think!

I explained how I felt, and I learned a bit more about myself. I
remembered how I was much like that in grade school as well: nose
buried in books, comfortable with more words than normal, but letting
that vocabulary get in the way of communication. It’s still something
I need to work on.

Hmm. There’s nothing wrong with being bookish. I should learn how to
set people at ease so that they know I’m not trying to impress them
with words…

Short URL: http://sachachua.com/blog/p/3751

On This Day...

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  • 2007: A fantastic year — Every year is better and better. This year was more intense and tumultuous than the last, filled with challenges and accomplishments and [...]
  • 2006: More malong pics — My mom sent two more malongs through Von Totanes. Slowly building a malong collection and coming up with different ways [...]
  • 2005: Birthdays — I’m planning to get myself a domain name tomorrow to celebrate my 22nd birthday. Geeky, huh? Well, it’s about time I [...]
  • 2004: Happy birthday to me! — I’m now 21. Old enough to open my own checking account! =)
  • 2002: Religion — I’m also coming to terms with religion. After much soul-searching (and an unbelievable amount of Googling), I’ve realized quite a [...]
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Stories from my Twenties: Highlights from a Decade of Blogging