Monday, September 05, 2005
My GP tutor, Ms Dorothy Chua, told our class once that Cambridge is fond of giving the word "essence" in the vocabulary section in the Compre paper. i ran this word on dictionary.com and the result was this:
essence
- The intrinsic or indispensable properties that serve to characterize or identify something.
- The most important ingredient; the crucial element.
- The inherent, unchanging nature of a thing or class of things.
- An extract that has the fundamental properties of a substance in concentrated form.
1. Such an extract in a solution of alcohol.
2. A perfume or scent.
3. One that has or shows an abundance of a quality as if highly concentrated: a neighbor who is the essence of hospitality.
- Something that exists, especially a spiritual or incorporeal entity.
What the hell man? How are you going to explain essence as a vocabulary question?
*****
Anyway, checked out what 'white elephant' actually means after seeing it over the newspaper numerous times. Pardon my poor knowledge of English. i'm still learning, through such means.
white elephant
- A rare, expensive possession that is a financial burden to maintain.
- Something of dubious or limited value.
- An article, ornament, or household utensil no longer wanted by its owner.
- An endeavor or venture that proves to be a conspicuous failure.
- A rare whitish or light-gray form of the Asian elephant, often regarded with special veneration in regions of southeast Asia and India.
i wonder if those residents near the Buangkok NEL line means the first, second or the fourth one. Or maybe all except the last one.
*****
i finally got down to some serious mugging today. Still, i achieved little. i'm not sure how i'm going to fare for my prelims this time. Actually, i'm having this strange feeling of confidence about it. This is not good. It is scary actually. How the hell am i going to do well if i feel confident and not study? It is sure death!
