Homophones Visualized – Book Review

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Homophones Visualized

by Bruce Worden

Watt a grate book!

Homophones, words that sound the same but have different meanings, can be annoying (the title is a good example). Homophones Visualized by Bruce Worden is a wonderful reference which showcases simple yet informative illustrations explaining the differences between a good selection of homophones in English. If you want to learn this linguistic phenomenon in a fun, playful, and entertaining manner, this witty book is just for you! I also find it intriguing that the author's name, Bruce Worden, contains "word" in it (it is as if he is destined to write such books). I really enjoyed Homophones Visualized greatly (no mistake this time) and I hope you do two! ;-)

Note that this book is to be read from the American English standpoint. Thus, some of the content may not make sense, say, from the perspective of British English.

Have you read Homophones Visualized? What are your thoughts on this book? Share your opinion in the comment section below!

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A Reflection on Death

My dad has just passed away. At the age of 67, after battling liver cirrhosis for many years, he finally succumbed to the medical condition. My relationship with him would not have been described as best; we had a multiple-year-old feud until recently, when we naturally made it up. One thing I will never forget is the fact that he took me on his motorcycle to Jay Chou's first concert in Jakarta back in 2013, for which I am infinitely grateful. (Thank you, Dad! 🙏🏻💙✨)

My late father, Hendry Budiman, resting in his casket in Husada Funeral Home, Mangga Besar, Jakarta (photo taken on May 1, 2025)

A portrait of my late father, Hendry Budiman (photo taken probably on May 3, 2013)

Despite our not-so-close relationship, I couldn't prevent myself from shedding tears. I think it's perfectly natural for us humans to cry for a deceased person who has been with us for a long time; their departure from life is a natural tearjerker. This was certainly a sad moment for me and my family, and I would like to thank everyone who expressed their love and support during the bereavement period. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

The death of my direct male progenitor has consequently shoved me into a state of reflection. That day would and has come. My father has ceased living in this world, completely losing consciousness and transforming into nonliving matter. This serves as a poignant reminder of the ephemerality of our lives. Our time on this planet is incredibly short, and the clock is continuously ticking, unable to be stopped. Conscious of this fact, we need to get our act together, before it is too late. Sing, dance, travel, smile, play, love, explore, ... the list is endless. Do what you want while time is still available, and relish the present to the fullest because now is the most important moment of all. This is the essence of the Stoic practice of memento mori; the great philosopher Epictetus instructs us to "let death put everything in perspective".

Death can seem odious and petrifying. The thought of having your mind shut down and your existence zapped can certainly drive you nuts! However, if we take a helicopter view of life, we can see it through a completely different lens and stop being neurotic. Dr. Kenneth Lacovara points out in his interview with FRANCE 24 English: "Everybody dies. That's what people do. That's what organisms do." It is just part of the workings of nature. Rather than lamenting this biological phenomenon, I think it is prudent to "celebrate" it as a fact of life. Dwelling in romanticization will bring about more bad than good. Reality will not change through wishful thinking: facing up to it is the only way.

I would like to conclude this article with words from the preeminent guru Osho Rajneesh:

"I do not want life to be taken seriously. Seriousness is a kind of psychological disease. Life has to be a fun. Life has to be a rejoicing, a dance, a song, a love affair. In such a small life, being serious is simply wasting the opportunity. That's what I mean when I said it is a circus; it should be everywhere a circus, and we should turn everything in playfulness. But people are so heavy and long-faces, and so burdened and carrying loads on them. And life is so short, soon you will be reaching to your grave. Before reaching to the grave, have a little dance, a little drink."

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The Book of Understanding – Book Review

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The Book of Understanding: Creating Your Own Path to Freedom

by Osho

Warning: If you are not open-minded or cannot resist taking offense, do NOT read this book.

The Book of Understanding by Osho is certainly one of the most mind-boggling and thought-provoking books I've ever read. The Indian mystic gracefully explains what understanding really is in lyrical language of his own style. The concept of "Zorba the Buddha" is absolutely fascinating, but this book is much, much, much more than that. Brilliant. Eye-opening. Electrifying. Powerful. Moving. All the same, it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with all of his points. I am completely sure, though, that it is quite impossible to finish reading The Book of Understanding by Osho without taking something home.

Unfortunately, due to local circumstances, I cannot fully express my view on the self-development book in this blog. If you are interested to know more of my thoughts, I would be more than happy to discuss The Book of Understanding by Osho with you personally.

Have you read The Book of Understanding? What is your opinion of this book? Share what you think in the comment section below!

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The Lesson from the Bakery

It is quite difficult to cease reading the profoundly thought-provoking The Book of Understanding by Osho for a short while, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right? My writing mind has been throbbing, aching to share a sort of epiphany that pierced through my brain on my recent visit to a bakery near my home.

Photo by Robert Anderson on Unsplash

Inside the relatively small establishment, I was suddenly enthralled by the beauty of the creations displayed there. The experience was kind of peculiar since I had been there so many times but never felt the same way before. The cakes I saw imbued me with a very strong and deep feeling of appreciation and admiration; it was as if I was about to weep tears of joy for the wonderful works, created with an incredibly high level of precision and dedication. Marvelous! Perfection! Masterpieces! The feeling was so overwhelming that, had the baker(s) been present right in front of me, I would probably have commended them directly.

But then, my mind made a shocking, sudden turn, swerving into another dimension. What is the meaning of all of these? It felt as though poignancy was starting to sprout in my soul. All the grandeur the cakes were carrying, is it really something that people can enjoy? Is it something that can genuinely satisfy someone to their very core? These fancy products can certainly be purchased by those with enough money, but can these items really form bona fide smiles in their receivers?

In the same place, I noticed that there was a little girl accompanied with who I believe was her dad. Apparently, she was buying a birthday cake for her mom, uttering to the cashier the birthday greeting to be written on it. Judging from their appearance, they were not a part of the affluent, probably getting a cake that was cheaper than most of what were on offer. However, there was one thing catching my attention: her attitude. She seemed so genuinely happy to be able to buy the cake for her mom. While the cake might not be of the exquisite kind, she felt full, complete, overflowing with bliss originating from her desire to make her mom happy on her birthday. (And I believe her mom would be really happy and grateful for the birthday present as well.)

Then, I answered my own question. Life is how you view it. Luxury can mean nothing, simplicity can mean everything. Pursue what makes genuine happiness bloom in your heart. That's the lesson from the bakery.

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A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth – Book Review

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A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Chapters

by Henry Gee

Perhaps, for most people, the word "history" invokes monumental events that have peppered humanity's communal trajectory – the Industrial Revolution, the Second World War, the invention of the internet, etc. That's the upshot of us being so accustomed to peering into life through an infinitesimal lens, which, in a sense, doesn't do justice to the grand scheme of things. A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth by Henry Gee provides an easy, almost cheating-like way to grok life in a vastly larger picture.

As the title says, this book summarizes what has transpired to date in relation to life on our planet. Compressing 4.6 billion years into 12 chapters in 230 pages or so is no mean feat, and the author deserves lavish praise for doing that. A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth is brilliantly "written with style" (as Sunday Times testifies) and emanates a modicum of humor. The fact that this book also projects life in the future is to be celebrated, and, as a dinophile, I love the fact that the author has devoted an appreciable portion of it to discussing the icons of the ancient past.

All that being said, despite the inclusion of timeline diagrams, I wish this book was accompanied with more pictures, as it would help readers with imagination in regard to the points of discussion. What I read is the Kindle version, though, so the paperback and/or hardcover version might feature the visual aids.

All in all, if you are interested in or curious about the history of life on Gaia, including that beyond our own species', it is well worth dedicating a tiny part of your own history/life to reading A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth by Henry Gee.

Have you read A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth? What do you think of this book? Share your opinion in the comment section below!

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Quote #122

"Silent moderates are (at least partially) responsible for the action of violent extremists." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Quote #121

"Be completely at ease with certain uncertainty." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Big & Fancy Words That Might Make You Smarter...er – Book Review

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Big & Fancy Words That Might Make You Smarter...er: A Vocabulary Builder For The Lexical Deficient Interlocutor Albeit Soon-To-Be Supercilious Smarty Pants Confabulator

by Albert B. Squid

Happy New Year, everybody! 🥳🎊🎉 The year 2024 ended with two great things: the presence of my sixth monster in Monster Rancher 2 DX, Wackosaurus; and the completion of my perusal of this vocabulary builder. 🥰

Big & Fancy Words That Might Make You Smarter...er by Albert B. Squid is a English-learning book with a difference. This vocabulary builder showcases "big & fancy words" (as the title says) presented in calendrically sequent order – you will learn one unusual but cool word for each day of the year, from January 1 to December 31. Apart from easy-to-digest definition(s), each word is accompanied with information on its part of speech (whether it is a noun, verb, etc.), an example sentence (which is often, if not always, funny or even hilarious!), and synonym(s) and antonym(s). Among the book's lexical selection are "opprobrious", "turpitude", "anathema", "peripatetic", and "crepuscular". It is not every day that we hear this sort of expression, is it? I guarantee that you will learn a plenitude of vocabulary in a fun way from this unique book!

Despite the positive things I have mentioned, there are some changes that I wish could be made to this vocab booster. First of all, as this book is intended to educate its readers on English language, the lack of linguistic accuracy is something to be dealt with. There are a number of mistakes, without which this book would be far more valuable. Here are several examples:

• A synonym for "antediluvian" should be "old-fashioned", not "old-fashion". (p. 43)
• The correct spelling for "consistant" is "consistent". (p. 72)
• The word "vengence" is a misspelling; the correct one is "vengeance". (p. 319)

I wish there was a pronunciation guide as well (we all know how exasperatingly unphonetic English is), and, if there was an index, it would be much easier for readers to revisit an entry (I bought the Kindle version, and, since the entries are in an image format, I cannot use the search function for this purpose).

All things considered, Big & Fancy Words That Might Make You Smarter...er is an amazing resource for enriching your lexical repertoire – Mr. Squid deserves scores of plaudits! Buy this book (it won't make you impecunious), read it, and impress your audience with your upgraded vocabulary!

Have you read Big & Fancy Words That Might Make You Smarter...er? What are your thoughts on this vocabulary builder? Share in the comment section below!

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