Books, fics and kids

Finally finished the whole movin thing. Went back to the agent’s shop this morning, swapped all the old keys, electric bill receipts, old tenancy agreements and stuff for my full deposit – after proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’ve not used any electric at all fert past two weeks. Mostly cos I’ve not been living there, obviously.

Finally finished me latest ‘Doctor bloody Who’ fan-fic, as yet still untitled and just needing a general polish before it gets flung into the ether for your ridicule and resentment. Had some wee problems wi canon, or more accurately, what is and isn’t canon. Looms says one, traditional growing up from babies, says another. Bugger, says me, I’m not having this tripping up me entire story. Sorted it now, mind.

Finally finished listening to the ‘Doctor bloody Who’ BBC audio book ‘The Feast Of The Drowned’ by Stephen Cole, and read with devastating effect by Mr David Tenninch Tennant. I know he must have been to drama school and did proper jobbing as an RSC act-or etc. before he got big roles on telly, but where did he learn all them accents? A decent impersonation of Rose, a bang-on, almost identical rendition of Mickey (yeah! Mickey!), a little old woman from Edinburgh, a scientist from Aberdeen, an American naval admiral and a whole host of Cockney extras. Boggles the mind. And a cracking story too – might have to go and get another one for meself. So long as he reads it again.

And so to things as said by kids at work. Two contenders for the Mistaken Words category coming up then.

Student: [reading from phonics paper] So he drop-did the pound on the –
Me: He dropped dead? He dropped dead? Well was he ill, or something?
Student: I don’t understand. He drop-did the money on the –
Me: Dropped. Dropt, mate, dropt.
Student: Oh.

This is a peculiarity with Hong Kong kids, but might be shared by Asia kids in general, I wouldn’t know. Any ‘-ed’ ont end of a word gets pronounced as its own syllable. It takes a long time to beat it out of some of them.

And then we have a wee lad’s attempt to come first in a comprehension exercise. More haste = reading the words incorrectly:

Me: What do leopards eat?
Student: [reading from text and getting much too excited] Teacher! Teacher! They eat money and beer!
Me: …
Student: It says here! It says ‘leopards eat money and beer!’
Me: No, it says ‘leopards eat MONKEYS and DEER’.

I think I prefer his answer though.

That’s it, I’m off. Just time to plug me on-going Wallpapers Of The Week (yes, they’re still going even though show’s finished till Christmas) and say ta-ta.

Tags:
Doctor Who ~ David Tennant ~ BBC ~ Hong Kong ~ fanfic