May

27

Visual Dictionary

Filed Under Books, Business & Finance, Consumer Concerns, Education & Campus Scene, Language | 5 Comments

In an overly ambitious attempt to become “bilingual” (German and French) like a Bieler someday — maybe in 20 years’ time? — I’ve bought the French-German visual dictionary Franzoesisch Deutsch to build up my vocabulary.

Priced at CHF18.20 (USD15.00), the 360-book features over 6,000 French and German words and phrases matched with wonderful photos. Themes range from people, health, home, food, work, and services to shopping, transport, sports, leisure, and environment. It’s the perfect reference companion for visual learners who are studying German and/or French either as a pastime or as a means of survival. I’m more into the ’survival’ part, obviously.

Franzoesisch Deutsch is a welcome addition to my other visual dictionary, Englisch Deutsch, which was published in 2005 by the same company, Dorling Kindersley. Another version, Spanisch Deutsch, is also on sale now in our local bookstore (this is ideal for Spanish-speaking people who wish to learn German and vice versa).

Kudos to the team behind these visual dictionary projects. The book layout is easy on the eye — a very good balance of texts and pictures on each page — and the words and phrases featured are those used in day-to-day living. I personally like the way the German definite articles der, die, and das as well as the French articles le and la were included in each word presented. The book, in all its different language versions, is very readable, and I highly recommend it to language learners.

The next time some non-English-speaking Swiss workmen (i.e. the plumber, the carpenter, the fridge experts, et al.) come to our apartment for some ‘fixing duties,’ I better pull out my Englisch Deutsch book from the shelf, just in case they talk to me in rapid Swiss German/German or French. The pictures in my visual dictionary might be able to shed light on an otherwise confusing language barrier encounter of the third kind.

RANDOM TIP: If you’re a foreign language student, watch a lot of TV shows and films that are shown in your target language. It helps build up your vocabulary as you “see” and listen to the language used in its proper context. It also helps improve your pronunciation as you hear the natives enunciate the words. In Switzerland, there’s a host of TV programs presented in German, French and Italian, and cable TV subscribers, who are trying to learn these three languages, will surely not be in lack.

May

24

Peephole Video

Filed Under General, Humor, Photography, YouTube | Comments Off

Because I’m loaded with more important things to do now — there is, after all, life beyond blogging — and have no inspiration whatsoever to post something decent in this blog, I’m simply featuring here an amateurish video footage taken through the “eyes” of my door peephole (Nikon Coolpix L1 was used to “film” this plotless scene).

It’s the first of a four-part “art film” series (yeah, right) inspired by the installation of a new door in our apartment equipped with…what else but a peephole. The two young men featured here are Swiss delivery guys who brought my neighbor’s new fridge on the day I refused to speak Gerench (German-French).

This one’s for you, Gigi. Told you I was “psychologically challenged.”

RANDOM TIP: If you enjoy taking videos, try opening a free account at YouTube. It’s a cool way to share your personal videos with your family, friends, and even the whole world. To view some really nice YouTube videos, visit Geneva here and Lucerne here. YouTube user Alex C.K. (a.k.a. chotanan) produced these excellent videos — a good find, indeed!

May

20

Smiley Toaster

Filed Under Business & Finance, Consumer Concerns, Food & Drinks | 15 Comments

Buy toaster, will smile.

If I tend to smile now more than ever, it’s probably because of our newly bought Smiley Toaster. No laundry duty can dampen my spirits these days as long as I have my Smiley mug filled with dark Caotina chocolate drink in one hand, and a toasted Smiley bread, topped with butter and strawberry jam, in the other.

The Smiley Toaster, which costs only CHF19.95 (USD16.00) at Interdiscount (a Swiss consumer electronics store chain), comes with a tri-lingual (German, French, and Italian) instruction manual that says one has to turn the toasting level knob to “4″ — maximum being “7″ — if you want a golden Smiley burnt mark on your sliced bread.

If used with a 560-mg. pack of COOP Prix Garantie Englisch Toast consisting of 20 slices, the Smiley Toaster promises to be your perfect breakfast companion.

Maybe the tight-lipped Swiss, those who look stone-faced even though you cheerfully greet them “Grueezi” or “Bonjour” (probably because of all the taxes they have to pay), should hie off to Interdiscount pronto and take home a Smiley Toaster.

Breakfast is beautiful with a Smiley on your bread and a smile on your face, isn’t it? Start the day right. Toast your bread, and smile!

RANDOM TIP: If the Smiley Toaster is available in your country of residence, invest in one because it’s worth it. Residents of Switzerland can simply go to Interdiscount anytime.

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