An unidentified man takes a walk in Washington, DC in this file picture.
ELEANOR Roosevelt, an American politician, diplomat and activist, was the longest serving First Lady of the United States. She once famously said: “With the new day, comes new strength and thoughts.” For me, I begin my day with a double espresso, going through the emails, learning a new word and geting an inspiration in a new quote from famous person.
However, I was completely gobsmacked, when my desktop diary revealed the word of the day is “Kiasu”. Seriously? “Kiasu” is now listed in the Oxford English Dictionary? The word is defined as a noun: A grasping, selfish attitude, or objective as a person who is very anxious not to miss an opportunity and grasping. The origin of the word is described as from Chinese (to be more accurate, from Hokkien) meaning “scared to lose”. The dictionary even provided an example of a sentence: “I should have gone two hours earlier; the kiasu in me is growing”
