Hoseok pronunciation

Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho stars in Charles Gounod's "Faust" at the Paris Opera PARIS - No one loves wearing a mask at work, but spare a thought for the chorus of the Paris Opera, having to project through multiple layers of cotton and polyester. When they took the stage recently for a rehearsal at the Bastille opera house, the 70 or so chorus members certainly did not appear to have lost any of their sonorous beauty. But having a mask strapped across one's face is far from ideal for a singer. "It really disturbs the delivery," said Sylvie Delaunay, who has been with the chorus for more than 20 years. "When one sings opera, there are deep inhalations and deep exhalations, so if breathing is restricted, we get tired very easily." With all cultural institutions in France shut due to the pandemic, the chorus of the Paris Opera was preparing for a new staging of "Faust" by 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod, to be screened on television and online from Friday. ... » Learn More about Singing opera in a surgical mask

In Italy, people with a craving for wonton refer to them as ravioli cinesi , or “Chinese ravioli”, which is also how they are listed on the menus of Chinese restaurants in the country. And yet in Hong Kong, tortellini and ravioli are often described as Italian wonton. Is this just because the stuffed dumplings look alike, or is there an ancient link and a common ground that straddles the line between history and myth? There are infinite varieties of stuffed dough across the world, from Russian pelmeni to Nepalese and Tibetan momos, Japanese gyoza , Arabic samosa, Uzbek samsa and Korean mandu . They vary in shape, size, and fillings – meat, seafood, vegetables, spices, mushrooms or fruit – and how they are prepared and eaten, whether in soup, fried, boiled, steamed or baked. They can be salty or sweet, served as a main course or dessert, eaten on their own or with a sauce. But whether it’s Syrian shish barak drenched in yogurt, Italian fried seadas (filled with honey), cjarsons ... » Learn More about Wonton, mandu, pierogi, ravioli – all dumplings, but who made them first?

As Christmas and the New Year draw close, people around the world are preparing to clink glasses and toast to a hopefully brighter, happier and post-pandemic future. In France, Italy and sometimes Britain, the word for “cheers” has Chinese origins. “ Cin-cin! ” (pronounced chin-chin) is uttered by Italians when they raise and clink their glasses together in a toast before sipping from a flute of spumante sparkling wine as they look each other directly in the eye. Being superstitious, Italians believe failing to look a guest or friend in the eye during the act, or with water instead of alcohol, can bring bad luck. A French toast is pronounced the same as the Italian expression, but spelt tchin-tchin , and chin-chin can occasionally be heard in British bars and restaurants. The colourful salute can be traced to the Mandarin phrase qing qing , which is rarely used during toasts in China today. The phrase’s use in celebratory feasting was imported to Europe and adapted to ... » Learn More about Chin-chin! How a Chinese drinking toast became popular in Europe

Baekhyun speaks during a “Bambi” press conference Tuesday. (S.M. Entertainment via The Korea Herald) Baekhyun of South Korean boy band EXO dropped a new solo album, “Bambi,” which is packed with relaxed yet emotional R&B chords. The artist attended a press conference Tuesday ahead of the album’s release later that day. Fellow EXO member Xiumin was master of ceremonies at the event, which was livestreamed online due to coronavirus concerns. According to Baekhyun, the title track is a fairytale-like song that tells a mature love story through groovy R&B sounds. “‘Bambi’ really resembles me, so much that I feel like it was made for me. It incorporates the range of sounds and rhythms that I’m comfortable with, so the recording was done really easily. Also, I found the hook really addictive and thought ‘this is mine’ the instant I heard it,” Baekhyun said. The title, which recalls the famous cartoon deer, has two meanings. “‘Bambi’ refers to both the deer ... » Learn More about EXO’s Baekhyun gifts fans with R&B-packed ‘Bambi’

PHUKET: A family in Phuket had their regular laid-back Saturday evening rudely interrupted by a cobra trying to enter their home. “We had dinner with family and friends in the garden near the pool. After dinner, my wife, Nongyao, cleared the table, and on her way back to the kitchen she encountered a snake,” explained Lothar Schudt, who has lived in Rawai off Saiyuan Road, for 16 years. “I was already in the pool enjoying the lovely evening when my wife started yelling: ‘Snake! Snake!’,” he said. Despite his many years in Thailand, Mr Schudt said he initially had trouble understanding what his wife was screaming. “I couldn’t tell if she was yelling ‘Rat!’ [ noo ] or ‘Snake!’ [ ngoo ], which are very similar in pronunciation,” he explained. After failing to get through to several numbers published as snake removal services, he called the Kusoldharm Foundation who promised to send someone immediately. “Fifteen minutes later, Sayon Thommapun of Chalong Rescue and his ... » Learn More about Phuket cobras running out of room, into houses

Addressing an audience publicly can be a terrifying experience for adults, let alone a child. It brings out the nerves and it is often difficult to feel ‘normal’ when on stage. While adults are still able to manage themselves in front of others, public speaking is often a common fear among children. This is why they must be initiated into it early in their lives. By doing so, you not only ensure that your child is able to speak publicly with confidence, you also instil a sense of worth and leadership in your child. So when he/she is up on the stage or giving a presentation, they’re not hesitant or have sweaty palms and a racing heartbeat. Often times the fear of public speaking can result in signs from slight nervousness to paralysing fear and panic. And no parent wants that for their child. Therefore, a gentle parenting approach is what you must adopt if you want your child to have good public speaking skills. Let’s take you through some of the ways in which you can parent your ... » Learn More about 12 ways to help your child get over public speaking phobia

BANGKOK: As the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on millions of jobs in Thailand last year, Unyakarn Booprasert found herself penniless and with no friends or relatives who could help. The 59-year-old was splitting one packet of instant noodles between three meals. She was desperate for the 15,000 baht (S$655) promised by the government, to be paid over three months, under its No One Left Behind cash relief scheme. When she learnt she was among the 15 million applicants who did not qualify for aid, Unyakarn decided to plead her case to Thailand’s authorities last April. “When I got to the Ministry of Finance, sure enough, they didn’t listen,” said the cleaner. “From their actions, a poor person was similar to a pig or a dog, an animal with scabies.” Unyakarn tried to kill herself with rat poison in front of the ministry’s building. “I wanted to protest. It didn’t happen only to me. It happened to many people,” she told the programme Undercover Asia . I thought that ... » Learn More about With Southeast Asia’s highest suicide rate, Thailand grapples with mental health challenge amid pandemic

OPINION Gaffe-prone US President Donald Trump, recently mocked for his mispronunciation of the name of Yosemite National Park as “YO-semite”, has stuck his foot in it again: Finland is obviously for fins, Switzerland for switzers, Iceland for ice and Holland for the nethers. Surely there’s a home for everyone’s favourite part of the leg, between hip and knee? Very stable genius Trump made a compelling case for it today, amazing the world with his unique pronunciation of the Land of Smiles. At a campaign event which hit the interwebs early this morning, Mr. Trump dropped his unique take on “Thighland” while whinging about one of his pet grievances: perceived unfair trade. “Foreign competitors … shifting production to Thigh-land,” he said during the speech, before quickly correcting himself in the next sentence and expressing his fondness for its undemocratic leadership. “Thailand and Vietnam, 2 places that I like their leaders very much. … They’re very nice to us … Do they take ... » Learn More about Trump decries “Thighland’s” unfair trade practices

SINGAPORE - Rosyth School and Hwa Chong Institution emerged champions of this year's National Chinese Challenge, which saw a record number of participants. In its eighth year, the competition attracted about 5,045 students from 172 schools, up 40 per cent from last year's participation. The National Chinese Challenge is an annual event to promote the Chinese culture and cultivate an interest in learning Chinese among students. Participants can also showcase their language abilities and interact with other Chinese language learners. The event is organised by Singapore Press Holdings' (SPH) Chinese Media Group and Nanyang Girls' High School. It is Hwa Chong Institution's first time clinching the top position in the secondary category, while Rosyth School's last win in the primary category was in 2016, said SPH in a statement on Saturday (April 17). Fifteen-year-old Andrew Timothy Siauw from Hwa Chong Institution said: "We have been preparing for the competition on top of school ... » Learn More about Rosyth School and Hwa Chong Institution win National Chinese Challenge

To master the art of Quran recitation, 21-year-old Hassan Ali Kasi had to follow a strict regime of yoga, hours of rehearsing vocal scales - and a total ban on biryani. His dedication is paying off, and he was recently named champion of an international online qari competition hosted by Afghanistan, where he was up against men from 25 other countries. Revered in Pakistan, qaris are professional reciters of the Quran, called upon to lead prayers at mosques and also to teach the Muslim holy book to students. They are in particularly high demand during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting currently being observed around the world. "It was a job of the prophets," said Ali Kasi in the capital Islamabad. "One of the very first elements of preaching was recitation. It is as old as Islam." Qaris require perfect Arabic pronunciation, a difficult feat in Pakistan where Urdu is the national language. A finesse of rhythm and intonation produces the slow, melodic sound similar to ... » Learn More about Livin’ on a prayer: Champion Pakistan Quran reader in full voice