BIZZBLOG

Childhood Memories

2010-10-16T01:32:00.000-07:00

Stickers are, essentially, just papers that stick. However, for a period of time during my childhood years, they have played a rather significant role in my life. Stickers and sticker collecting books were common gifts, and building my sticker book to be the most decorated book on school-grounds was, for a short while, one of my greatest aspirations. Some of my most prized stickers included furry mid-sized animals, glow-in-the-dark cartoon characters, shiny metallic robots, as well as depictions of fairies glossed with a layer of shimmering sparkles.

Looking back, I would consider sticker collecting as one of my generation’s earlier ice-breaking devices. Conversations would initiate, new friends would be met, and past times would be spent—all through the process of trading stickers. To us, it wasn’t just another hobby—it was a form of communication.

I recall giving up one of my most prized stickers to my father as a birthday present during the peak of my fascination with this hobby. I was disgusted at first that, instead of choosing to store the sticker on a sticker collecting sheet, he wasted it by sticking it to the interior of the car that he had just purchased. I don’t remember where the rest of my collection had disappeared to. Today, the only item left serving as a symbolism of that small, but significant part of my childhood sits in the form of a tiny limousine sticker, stuck under the radio knobs of a certain 1999 Toyota Sienna.

– Esther

LOL: Laugh Out Loud

2010-08-02T01:04:00.000-07:00

lol. (Or, for I would say 1% of the online population: lawl.) How often are these three letters incorporated into our everyday communication? I have to be honest: lol (along with hahaha and lmao) probably makes up 25% of EACH MSN conversation that I engage myself in everyday. But in reality, am I really laughing out loud whenever I make use of these three letters?

I find that there are hidden messages behind the lol that people–or at least I–use. lol can convey one message, while LOL and lmao can convey another. To break it down into simpler terms, below is a guide to my interpretation of the different forms of lol:

lol – It's not funny, but I just don't have anything else to say.
lol. – It's not funny; go away.
lololol/hahaha – It's pretty funny.
lmao – I'm chuckling.
LOL/LOLOLOL/HAHAHA – It's pretty darn funny! (Added with some more chuckles.)
LMAO – I'm really laughing out loud!

– Esther

Business Communications Club

2010-07-30T23:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Bizzblog, UBC Business Communications Club's Blog