Jenna H C. on LinkedIn: Roo'Ra - The angel who lost wings, 룰라 - 날개 잃은 천사, MBC Top Music 19950428 | 36 comments (2024)

As a language nerd personally, I always have a tendency to scrutinize minute details of a word or a phrase in a language. As a localization and content manager of enterprise scale projects professionally, I have been used to analyzing languages and cultures in a big picture. Oftentimes that means not just by an individual country, but by a region. Such as the regions of Asia, NorAm, LatAM, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and more.So many my linguistic and cultural posts are dedicated to a regional theme. Although I haven't figured out a right name for other regions, yet, for Asian posts, I call them the posts about the subtle Asian traits. Asia is diverse and complex, but the subtlety is one of the most commonly known cultural and societal feature. Like its namesake, such posts are about subtle things that I perceive as common or characteristic of more than one nation of people in Asia.But I have digressed. This post is based on an Itchy Feet comic, about some fun and subtle Asian words with no real English equivalent, and my biased explanations:Japan (Japanese) - 木漏れ日 (Komorebi):The positive phrase "Komorebi" describes the serene beauty of light filtering through tree leaves. Japan's deep respect for nature and fleeting moments is very subtle.Vietnam (Vietnamese) - Di Nhậu:"Di Nhậu" is a positive term for the Vietnamese tradition of meeting friends for street beer and snacks. The importance of social gatherings and community in Vietnam is less subtle.Korea (Korean) - 답정너 (Dapjeongneo):"Dapjeongneo" is a neutral phrase used to describe the common practice of asking questions with an expected answer. Korea's communication style is surely indirect an subtle.Thailand (Thai) - เคร่งใจ (Krengjai):"Krengjai," a neutral term in Thai culture, describes the practice of giving a polite but intentionally incorrect answer to avoid causing discomfort. Very subtle indeed. China (Chinese) - 山寨 (Shanzhai):The negative phrase "Shanzhai" originally referred to knockoff products but has evolved to reflect China's pragmatic approach to imitation and sometimes creativity. Such a blatant disregard of intellectual properties has triggered the evolution of this not-so-subtle self-deprecating mocking term. No, many Chinese people(me included) are not proud of this at all, and really want a shift from such a notorious development model.Philippines (Filipino) - Gigil:"Gigil" is a positive expression that captures the urge to squeeze something cute. Such an urge isn't so subtle or typical in Filipino culture, and it's why many of us find it irresistible to hug our cats and dogs.Indonesia (Indonesian) - Jayus:The positive term "Jayus" describes a joke so unfunny it becomes funny. Indonesia has a love for humor that is awkward but still brings joy. So subtle...Malaysia (Malay) - Muak:"Muak," a negative phrase, describes the feeling of being sick from overeating rich food, a common experience in Malaysia's food-centric culture. Not so subtle!

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Got your back, bruh…😎 It’s nothing significant or impactful. It’s as trivial as scratching someone’s back.It’s given with good intent, and received with good humor. It’s just a random act of kindness. Please let it be a subtle human trait…🥹😁 Image credit: https://lnkd.in/gD8CcbA5

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Totally true! 💯The instant emotions the phrase “I love you” in my native language of Mandarin evokes are all related to:“I love you, my dear motherland;I love you, Beijing Tiananmen Square;I love you, the Great Leader Chairman Mao…”…😅Chinese people don’t declare their romantic feelings easily but such patriotic sentiments or/and expressions are commonly seen in textbooks. Once formed, such emotional evocations are tricky to get disassociated from.

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This dude DM’ed me, a total stranger, to say “thank you for liking my post”: 😊DM’ed again with an unsolicited offer of “please buy the sh*t I’m selling”: 😳……dude is now blocked…Why? The sh*t you are selling isn’t even anything remotely relevant to my industry, my role or my personal interests. I’m quite sure that’s not how networking is supposed to be. 😩

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** A linguistic and cultural post about a Venn diagram of the most infamous F word and my biased observations. **My third post on swear words in the English language. To (attempt to) stay classy, let us refer to the F word as "fluffy" here. It is one of the most taboo and potent swear words in the English language, yet it is also one of the most flexible. Its usage spans across different emotions and contexts, as the diagram shows. This reflects several social and linguistic phenomena:Expression of Strong Emotions: Often used when someone experiences intense emotions, such as anger, frustration, or surprise, to amplify the emotional weight of a statement. Because it's fluffy-ly cathartic for occasional psychological relief!Embodiment of Social Taboos: "Fluffy" embodies some of society's most frowned-upon taboos:- Sexuality: Its original meaning relates to sexual intercourse, a somewhat taboo subject in many cultures.- Aggression and Violence: Often used in contexts of anger or violence, reflecting societal discomfort with these emotions.- Vulgarity and Offensiveness: Able to disrupt polite conversation, making it a linguistic boundary marker between acceptable and unacceptable speech.That's why "fluffy" is considered highly inappropriate in formal or polite settings. Its usage is often censored in public media, and many people find it offensive. However, this taboo nature makes the word even more powerful when it is used, as it breaks social norms and expectations. Cue that scandalous and shocked look from an aunt with delicate nerves when you blast out "what the fluffy is fluffy"...Versatility: Despite its status as a taboo word, "fluffy" has become a linguistic tool due to its ability to fit into various grammatical roles—noun, verb, adjective, or interjection. It can convey both positive and negative emotions in informal speech. It's an all-purpose glue word!Reflection of Societal Attitudes: The widespread use of "fluffy" reflects society's complex relationship with taboo topics such as sex, violence, and intense emotions. While society officially condemns the use of such language, its prevalence in everyday conversations suggests a kind of rebellion against these norms. Because many of us are the type of "don't threaten me with a good time" (a phrase from a popular song title, fun to check it out) people.Cultural Shift: The image hints at a cultural shift where the use of "fluffy" has become more normalized, particularly among younger generations and in online communities. Its frequent appearance in memes, social media, and casual conversation suggests that while it remains taboo, the boundaries around its usage are loosening. In the era when fluffy stupid online challenges can be trending, we are perhaps getting fluffy unhinged...p.s. Obviously, the diagram is from Subreddit Funny.p.p.s. I will keep my fingers fluffy crossed that this post doesn't get me banned. So...may dirty delete later?...😨

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A crap sign(bad pun intended)Maybe the toilets operate a for-profit biogas plant and are paying customers for 💩.p.s. Both the Chinese and Korean versions make sense and judging from the original Japanese wording, it seems to be a human mistranslation. The unfortunate omission of the preposition “for”. 😅p.p.s If anyone happens to have knowledge about pros and cons of biogas produced based on human and animal waste, as a renewable energy source, please enlighten me. I have heard it may cause more harm than doing good. 🤔Image Credit: https://lnkd.in/giZrt2C9

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He was perhaps the greatest comedian, but beneath the laughter, he was allegedly a deeply sad man. He once said he loved walking in the rain because it hid his tears. Generations have laughed to tears, or have laughed despite of tears because of him, even long after he was gone. He remains one of my lifetime heroes.That’s how I am learning to approach life. To laugh and to make others laugh to tears, if tears are inevitable. A sense of humor is my all-purpose glue, holding me together even when life is falling apart. Without humor, I think I’d be quite speechless. 🔇A̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶l̶i̶f̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶💩̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶w̶,̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶f̶a̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶b̶l̶o̶w̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶~̶~̶

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‘Cause, isn’t it the story of life? Suck it up, buttercup! 😎Image credit: https://lnkd.in/gxjsyyXt

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**A rambling post on extreme modern beauty standards in China, based on a video and my personal observations.**"So, what's your weight?" my friend in Shenzhen asked again as my trip to China approaches. She's been my bestie since high school—a former fashion model turned studio owner specializing in custom wedding gowns. At 5'3" and currently 105 lbs, I was told to trim down to 100 lbs for the high school reunion she's organizing for my sake. High school reunions are a women's battlefield (a juicy topic for another post). In China, the 45-50 kg weight range isn't just a suggestion—it’s a societal expectation. The phrase "美女不过百" (a pretty woman doesn't exceed 50 kg) isn't just a saying; it's a standard many women feel pressured to meet, often at the cost of their health and sanity.For emphasis, my friend has mentioned some recent beauty trends. I have found a short video that sums them up nicely and I'm adding my own observations:Fish in Collarbone Challenge: Women show off their collarbones by balancing small fish in the hollow of their collarbones. The thinner and more prominent the collarbones are, the more beautiful the women (refer to the video).A4 Waist Challenge: Comparing a woman’s waist size to the width of an A4 sheet of paper. The idea is to have a waist so small that it can be hidden behind the paper. The slimmer the waistline, the more beautiful the women (refer to the video).Chopstick Legs Challenge: The idea is to have legs so thin that they resemble chopsticks. Lots of videos circulated on SNS are heavily post-edited since it's physically impossible to be that thin. The thinner and straighter the legs, the more beautiful the women (refer to the video).Butterfly Shoulder Blade Challenge: Women try to make their shoulder blades protrude and resemble the wings of a butterfly by contorting their arms or shoulders in certain ways. The more defined and prominent the shoulder blades, the more beautiful the women (refer to the video).Heart-Shaped Face Challenge: Using makeup or plastic surgeries to create a heart-shaped face, with a pointed chin and wide cheekbones. The pointier the chin in contrast to the wide cheekbones, the more beautiful the women (link in comments).And then there's a controversial TikTok trend, the Wasian look, which blends Asian and Caucasian features using makeup. It's sparked discussions about cultural identity (link in comments).I'd be a hypocrite if I said that I wasn't conditioned by such beauty standards to a certain degree. However, I'd be an idiot if I blindly followed these trends or attempted the "challenges." For my upcoming batt... I mean, reunion, perhaps I should plump up a bit. Because what was the point, even if I won on that "battlefield"...?I mean, the prize of stupid games are usually stupid, too. Right?! 🤔😂

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