Hey, surprise, I am blogging. Why? I have that little bit of free time in my hands now. So why am I blogging in my free time? Well, blogging actually is a bit educational. One of the best way to improve English is to

1. Read

2. Write

So I am writing now. If you have noticed I do not use any internet slangs in my blogs, maybe I have but either I do not remember or its really minimal. Also, for those who do not know, I do not really type very fast. So this is a way for me to improve my typing speed.

The chinese new year is here, so HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR to everyone.

Everyone is school and I have a two day break from school. This time has to used wisely, have a break but do not forget to study.

I have a lot of stuff to do. Then again, I must have fun, but how do I have fun, that is a question I have to ponder on. Anyone have any ideas, feel free to tell me.

I have not read a book in a three weeks, that for me atleast, is a VERY long time. Last book I read that kept me riveted was Digital Fortress by Dan Brown. He was the man who wrote the best selling book - the da Vinci code - Digital Fortress was his first book by the way and it is well written. It was one of the books I chewed through in one day ( I DID NOT literally chew the book) Before I continue, I would just like to say, a writer is cannot be solely judged by critics. Each one is a storyteller and each has his or her own story. It is a personal choice whether one likes a book or not. If you like it, good, carry on reading, if not, put it down and pick up another one. Furthermore, being the avid reader I am, I have been through a lot of different writing styles. And I have a few interesting questions on grammar.

1. The use of single quotes ( ',' ) and double quotes ( " , " ). A quick look at ' Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary ' told me that single quotation marks are used in British English and double quotations are used in American English.

Authors who use single quotations marks to punctuate direct speech.

1. J.K. Rowling (British)

2. H.G. Wells (British)

3.Sir Arthur Conan Doyle(British)

4.Dan Brown(American)

5.Clive Cussler(American)

6. Agatha Christie(British)

Authors who use double quotation marks to punctuate direct speech.

1. Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish)

2. Lewis Carroll(British)

3.Paulo Coelho(Brazilian)

4.Carlo Collodi(Italian)

5. Christopher Paolini(American)

I understand this represents a very small proportion of writers. And I am assuming that the publishers publish the manuscripts exactly. So there seems to be a good mix. I also wonder if authors use single quotes because its easier to type.( You have to press SHIFT + single quote button) to type double quotes on a modern keyboard.

Well the real question though, is why do we, in Singapore, use double quotes, when we are a country that uses British English.

Well, it really does not matter. It is a interesting topic to think about though. And makes for a exciting blogging topic.

Until Next Time

Bhalaji