Sensei Michael

I have updated this story ( original link , for those interested) with more details, to fulfill conditions for the Notion Press story-writing contest (link here ) Admiral Edward peered out the bridge of the  Starflight  into the murky blackness outside. The glass-like material separated him between the cold of the 12-degree Celsius interior, and the certain chill and deadly touch of the darkness that stared back at him. There were rocks. And more rocks. The only features that marked the Asteroid Belt. A smile came to his lips at the memory of his elementary school Science textbook. As a veteran of many battles in the Terran Defence Force, he knew by then that out there in the Asteroid Belt, the distance between the larger rocks were so huge that they hardly get visual sighting of the many asteroids that dotted the place. Only three types of captains got their ships struck by these rocks. Either an incompetent one, or a foolhardy one, or an unlucky one. Getting their ship struck by one ...

A very well-written piece, on the difference between "finish" and "complete" - the former ending by exhausting, the latter ending by fulfilling. Answer by Shreeya Dwivedi: In many contexts, the meanings are pretty much the same, but you might hear finished more often than completed in casual conversation. The word completed can convey some sense of accomplishment. In the context of a race, it might work when the race is a major achievement. You might see completed in more formal contexts, such as a paper on education, or a course syllabus. From wordreference : fin•ish /ˈfɪnɪʃ/ v. to bring or come to an end or to completion to use completely to overcome completely; destroy or kill to put a finish on (wood, metal, etc.) And still from wordreference : com•plete /kəmˈplit/ v. to make whole, entire, or perfect to bring to an end ;finish Complete is to be wholly made up. Finish is to exhaust, or expended. So in their use in a sentence, they can be used from that o...

I would have made the same mistake with the use of this word! What is the cutest mistake you’ve ever seen someone make? by Barbara Laird https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-cutest-mistake-you%E2%80%99ve-ever-seen-someone-make/answer/Barbara-Laird?srid=ibaJ&share=7e2c12c3

If there is something that characterises me, it is that I am always willing to try out new things, even as there are many new things that I do not want to try. I have gotten and completed my first freelancer project, a translation project. It is not the first time I get paid for my translation services (most of the time I do not get paid). The first was when I did the book Flowing Desires for Vivian (a China-born Singaporean), who has since become a family friend. Kitten and I put in long hours to translate the novel - it was harder than we thought. This time, I translated an 8-page brochure from English to simplified Chinese. It was a brochure on yacht ownership, and it makes me really want to own one of those yacht memberships one of these days. If the Lord be willing, one day I shall. Perhaps when the children are all flown the coop, Kitten and I can live onboard a yacht! I was rewarded for my few hours of work with USD27 (USD 30 paid by my employer, of which USD3 goes to Freelancer...

What's the coolest or most interesting Chinese character that most Chinese do not know? by Jason Chen https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-coolest-or-most-interesting-Chinese-character-that-most-Chinese-do-not-know/answer/Jason-Chen-268?srid=ibaJ&share=54c4a7b1

This was originally published when Sensei Michael was in China. Many westerners who come over to oriental societies have to immediate grapple with one reality – the strong culture and presence of gifts-giving and even bribery that takes place in our societies. It can range from the blatant (Indonesia or Vietnam) to the indirect (China or Philippines) to the “legalised and regulated” (Singapore!). I remembered my first encounter with gifts as a teacher – I got a very expensive book from a parent. It was very, very difficult for me to return that gift without offending the parent so I approached my principal for advice. Public servants in Singapore (of whom teachers are a part of) have very strict instructions regarding gifts (declare value, report to superiors, etc), to avoid any problems or even appearance of bribery. I decided to make that book publicly available to all my colleagues. Over at my school, I encountered Korean parents – and I realised that Korean parents took their gift-...

Why do military personnel say halt rather than stop? by Thierry Etienne Joseph Rotty https://www.quora.com/Why-do-military-personnel-say-halt-rather-than-stop/answer/Thierry-Etienne-Joseph-Rotty?srid=ibaJ&share=350e4ffe