Great stuff, Yingwen. It aptly illustrates the point that the beauty of the English language is its versatility, and how it allows us to seamlessly move from one thought to another. Both you and Fish have proven the "efficacy of the mundane." Or, as a good friend and mentor used to say, "Let's take that thought one step higher."

At any rate, great fun. I think I'll use this thread as a lesson for my reading classes.

Thanks for the best wishes for vacation time. We went to our usual haunts in Yunnan. Love those Yunnan people - so close to the earth and so seemingly unencumbered by the zaniness of the rest of the world.

Hope you had a nice holiday as well.