The answer, mGf, is blowing in the wind

Where is the bloody answer to CHALLENGE 2?

The answer, mGf, is somewhere hidden within the text below, extracted from column of:

Sunday, July 31, 2005
The Importance of EDITING for a Beautiful Product
desiderata.english



Dear Readers, especially the YoungOnes, today I’m doing an EDITING EXERCISE with one of your peers’ copy. This article is short, but very important lesson for students to POLISH UP their DRAFTS. A draft copy is an initial piece written by the student. The editing process, which is undertaken by the writer himself/herself or another person recruited for the job, for example, at a publishing house or newspaper, is responsible in making the final copy look as professional as it can.

The EDITING PROCESS involves spotting the obvious errors (we call them HOWLERS because these mistakes make the reader howl, like when one steps on a pin!), the grammar mistakes, with an emphasis on subject-verb agreement, the right tenses being used, proper spelling (in accordance with the British system, not American); replacing a certain word with a more suitable one, or even a phrase that wields a greater impact; re-arranging sentences or ideas to improve the flow; making the essay or story coherent, logical, and arresting, which means, attention-grabbing, so that the reader is encouraged to read to the end.

In the news-room at any daily newspaper, there are specialists doing this important function; they are called SUB-EDITORS or COPY-EDITORS. But on top of normal editing functions, some also advise the reporters on how to approach writing their stories or reports.

The copy for our study is as originally submitted by EAGLE WINGS, a schoolgirl from Sarawak who as won't of many writers, she just wants to be known by her nick. (Remember what this word stands for? Remember IgnorantCow and his teenagers blog? Remember Timothy Su?)

The topic selected for discussion is unusual; the subject is an ordinary tool found in many Malaysian homes, especially Chinese, but it appears in the SINGULAR! Normally, it works in the PLURAL. In a writer’s hand, the ordinary and mundane can be TRANSFORMED into something extraordinary, and entertaining. Eagle Wings’ original copy has been edited by Desiderata to show you how improvements can still be made, so read the second edition and compare and contrast with the first.


A CHOPSTICH

(For those who miss'd this exquisite writing, from Eagle Wings I mean, please go back in time, you're allowed to, you know ...)

SsssssSpirit read the above which won her (the writer, not the reader!) a copy of Catherine De Costa's CHAALENGE TO LOVE.

DESIDERATA, in a happy and generous mood, has extended the DEADLINE to 1.00p.m for you to have the LAST, and MUKTAMAD, chance to win an AUTOGRAPHED (both Cathy's and YLChong's) copy. May become a collectible in 10 years selling for AUSD1million, YOU NE'ER KNOW!


CHOW, as in saying B'Y, B'Y, or Have a NiCe BF, Desi is leaving for his on a cold morn for BKT?


SsssssSpirit (see this teAcher is vely biased! You know why, becos she's the only ONE who reatraced that article to read, digest; after digesting, she, like a good customer, unlike most souvenir hunters, asked for a CHOPSTICK, she did not squirrel it away!), you won to no what's BKT, come back at 2.00pm, righto? Meanwhile, crack thy head and give it a go-go!

UPDATE: coming at 2.00pm, Tuesday August 23, 2005...


Ah, today’s not Sunday.desiderata, but Desi will always make room for EXCEPTIONS, as I often told my ESTEEMEDREADERS, we’re aloud and loud to, WE ARE A TRUE DEMOCRAZY!


From the CHAMBERS English Dictionary (I once used The ‘ick (rhymes with Nick) at Mack’s BrandMalaysiaMalaysia.com and was admonished for using a pronfunity, which a journalist like me should know better; so I play safe not using any sensitive short forms just in case it leads to MISS-understanding!):

wont adj. used or accustomed. – n. habit – v.i. to be accustomed to

Won’t will not

EXAMPLES:

I am wont (used) to postponing doing my assignment till the last minute, a journalist’s habit I fostered through the years, I guess.

I won’t(will not) join you (SweetSpirit) and Sabrina for tea this afternoon as I andd mGf Mr Coww are here in Seremban, and you’re there Down Under, a thousand S-miles away, but we’ll share a cyber teh-tarik, from Hari Das of course!


Hey, you IgnorantCowws out there, I underestimated your IQ – you people were way above this teacher at IQ radinsg; I tried to throw some red herrings around like an Agathie Christie murder mystery, but you people live at Steven Spielberg. STAR WARS, RETURN OF THE JEDI or whatever returns, or J K ROWLING’s levels of super-intelligence with Marry Potter 1, 2, 3 , 4 or 5 such that desi cannot keep track. But you get stumped with olde Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot’s folk detection – the answer is not blowing in the wind. RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF THY EYES, BUT LIKE MOST MCA MEMBERS< YOU CHOOSE NOT TO SEE! (ooops, poor comparision, I’d gostan, canONE - RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF THY EYES, BUT IT ESACAPES THEE, LIKE A COOL 20MILLION BUCK-EYES.

It’s just an APOSTROPHE, and Desiderata was writing on EDITING FOR A BEAUTIFUL PRODUCT, but goofed at one key moment (no excuse!)in putting in that APOSTROPHE when it’s NOT welcome! In this context, I was thinking of one word, but I used another giving quite the opposite meaning just because my mind went wandering for a split second. And you can’t afford that “split” when that one slip in your trousers or skirt acts on thee, can you! Ah, ne’er ind, poor comparison, maybe I digress, ah… THE LUXURY!

Now I’ll peep over at the COMMENTS channel to see if any intelligent ones among these IgnorantCowws came even close to winning THE CHALLENGE TO L’VE.


(ends 244pm)

Closing shop at about 6.10pm (Msian time for those DU, I don't keep track of Oz and NZ times, but I know the US times are recorded at COMMENTS, can't follow the arithmetic although trained by Shyloock and Poiru...

Sab and kyels and ssssspirit -- sorry mates, you tried too hard looking at para, but it's THAT pariah sign, the APOSTROPHY -- oops, wrong spell, ne'er mine, yours, hers also can-lah! Not even a word, a sentence, or phrase, just one sign in a 4-letter word that slipped through the writer's hands, ah, I DIGRESS! -- That's how Agatha's and Hercule's mysteries are played out. APOSTROPHE ...COMAS, HYMEN and WTF! ooops, the YOUNGONES are here, COMMAS, HYPHENS and WTH! ('tis for What the heck/hell!) -- mild swearing is allowed and aloud at Desi's, as long as brudder Mack deems them NOT profAnities!


And kyels -- dickheads? -- that's NOT a 4-letter word!

And Sab, look at the next email (IM-Don't get jeles, being cool like the Y1 bloggers adopting new style in spellin', showOFF-lah, kenORknot!) -- a surprise awaits.

Hey, my late comers did try hard -- 2Salutes to primrose and fashonasia!;);) This fashionable one even HIJACKED my 3rd CHALLENGE on BKT! She's got guts, bro IM, thou shalt not trifle with her (I presumeth it's fe-mail ...), bro Moses, OK-lah!

And where art thou? Moses, jessy, james, dezmond (with a zee, not an Ass!,poptart, Imran, & IntelectualOne HOWSY? Howsy, what'd ya do with 0.5bookie?


Maybe I've prepare CHALLENGE 4 (C3 done, remember, youDon'Tno, remember??) for coming sunday's column -- but if the responses are not flowing in like a tsunama, I'll re-surrect my mild THIRD PERSUADE to retire my desiderata.english!

Meanwhile, I'll share this wisdom from that IgnorantCoww:

Coww: Desi, you cannot keeep on banging your head against the wll railing and baying against the MCA politicians. They are trying very hard to lead the Chinese community.

Desi: Yes, they try very hard to become ROLE MODALS -- see, a Ling Junior who became a billionaire at age 27 (by virtue of being the Transport Minister's son) is now equivalent to UMNO's Khairy Jamaluddin, who at age 28 became the second most powerful man in the country (by virtue of being current PM Pak Lah's son-in-law.)

Coww: It's alright, Chinese culture dicates one must help one's family to rise and rise and rise ...

Desi: Yes, that's their Cowwlture, UMNO and MCA, and if you think National Day in eight days' time will see a tsunami wave of Jalur Gemilang flying. I think these politicians are dreaming. They can "Eat, Drink, and Be Merry" driving a HUMMVY while we are dring a Potong Mana, they holiday in the UK, US of A or Down Under for six months in a year, They are MITE MISTAKEN! They are living in a BolehHand nextdoor to NeverLand. I and my ICowws are adjourning to OUR I-LAND -- UPDATE on funding -- I just collected H1million, still RM19million to go. Mr Coww counted another strand on Desi's baldin' haed to make him a millionHair!


Passing on an Important Message here, especially the YoungOnes here, please apply to join YoungPeopleParty, kyels is sending out MembershipFroms!

I'm pondering the post I took upon myself for moo-ing the idea -- as Honorary Adviser, who gets paid an Honorarium, that's according to the MaidChambers Dic'shenery!

NB: YoungOnes here is defined in line with MARK TWAIN's definition of AGE:

Age is mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't
matter.


STAY TUNED FOR TOMORROW: Desi will continue with Brothers4 version of
The answer my fRiend, is Blowing in the Wind...