CHRISTMAS IN KUALA LUMPUR

December is the most wonderful time of the year and it is here again bringing with it all the joys of the Christmas season. The Christmas season is one of the most magical times of the year, especially for Christians, because it is the time of the year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Prophets have foretold His coming long before he was born. The shepherds and astrologers knew that He was not an ordinary baby and they all shared the excitement of His birth on the first Christmas day more than 2000 years ago. Even the star stopped over Bethlehem to mark the way for them.

It should be noted that Christmas is not just about presents, Santa Claus, or decorating trees. It is certainly more meaningful to us if we remember the reason we celebrate Christmas.

According to Luke 2:8-17:
There were shepherds in that region, living in the fields and keeping night watch by turns over their flocks. The angel of the Lord appeared to them as the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were very much afraid. The angel said to them: "You have nothing to fear! I come to proclaim good news to you - tidings of great joy to be shared by the whole people. This day in David's city a savior has been born to you, the Messiah and Lord. Let this be a sign to you: in a manger you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

"Glory to  God in high heaven,
peace on earth to those on whom
his favor rests."

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another: "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us." They went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger, once they saw, they understood what had been told them concerning this child.

Matthew 2:1-12 says:
After Jesus' birth in Bethlehem of Judea during the reign of King Herod, astrologers from the east arrived one day in Jerusalem inquiring, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage." At this news, King Herod became greatly disturbed, and with him all Jerusalem. Summoning all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. "In Bethlehem of Judea," they informed him. "Here is what the prophet has written:

'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the
princes of Judah,
since from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.' "

Herod called the astrologers aside and found out from them the exact time of the star's appearance. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, after having instructed them: "Go and get detailed information about the child. When you have found him, report it to me so that I may go and offer him homage too." After their audience with the king, they set out. The star which they had observed at its rising went ahead of them until it came to a standstill over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house, found the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did Him homage. They they opened their coffers and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They received a message in a dream not to return to Herod, so they went back to their own country by another route.

The Christmas story reminds us that Christmas is a time for giving as Jesus is a gift from God to the world. For God so loved the world that he gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him may not die but may have eternal life (John 3:16). Regardless of the hardships that we have experienced throughout the year, as Christians, there is a spirit of giving and happiness among us. Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most (Ruth Carter Stapleton). Like the shepherds and astrologers, we celebrate Christmas with great excitement and joy. Let us invite Jesus into our hearts this year and have a "Merry Christmas."

Scientists believe that Christmas decorations can improve our mood and make us happy. This is perhaps why we feel happy during this festive season. I always look forward to see the Christmas decorations in the shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur every year and take photos with these stunning decorations. And I am proud to say that Kuala Lumpur has some of the best Christmas decorations in the world. One of my favorite hobbies is photography and I never miss out the opportunity to pose for and take Christmas photos every year. Below are some of my Christmas photos taken this year.

A starry Christmas 2019 at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

A Dazzling Christmas 2019 at Fahrenheit88 Shopping Mall, Kuala Lumpur.

A Wild Christmas 2019 at Sungei Wang Plaza, Kuala Lumpur.

The three photos above were taken by my brother who is also my photographer. After posing for photos, it's now time to show my talent in photography. I'll begin with Christmas Dreaming at The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City. Located at Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, The Gardens Mall is a premium 6-level shopping haven. It has a range of different stores where top international fashion brands reside. This year, The Gardens Mall with its beautiful snowy Christmas really looks like a jungle of Dreams.

Christmas at The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City

Christmas Dreaming at The Gardens Mall

A Snowy Christmas

A Beautiful White Christmas

A Jungle of Dreams

Next, I'll take my readers to Santa's Toyland at Mid Valley Megamall to enjoy the sights and sound of Christmas. Located at Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City (next to The Gardens Mall), Mid Valley Megamall is a shopping mall surrounded with hotels and offices.

Christmas at Mid Valley Megamall

Welcome to Santa's Toyland!

Christmas is joy, religious joy, an inner joy of light and peace - Pope Francis

Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts - Janice Maeditere

God put Santa Claus on earth to remind us that Christmas is 'sposed to be a happy time - Bil Keane

The WOW! Wild Christmas at Sungei Wang Plaza is my favourite. Established in 1977, Sungei Wang Plaza is located at Jalan Bukit Bintang, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. This seven-storey shopping center is also connected to Bukit Bintang Plaza. There is an interconnecting bridge that links Sungei Wang Plaza and Bukit Bintang Plaza to Lot 10 just across the road.

Let's have a Wild Christmas at Sungei Wang Plaza!

Now, let us go to Pavilion Kuala Lumpur for a starry Christmas in conjunction with the release of the highly anticipated movie, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This year, its Center Court is transformed into a galactic Christmas playground, with amazing showcases, experiential pop-ups and everything STAR WARS in collaboration with Disney. Pavilion Shopping Mall is located at 168, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.

A Starry Christmas at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

God never gives someone a gift they are not capable of receiving. If he gives us the gift of Christmas, it is because we all have the ability to understand and receive it - Pope Francis.

You may also like Berjaya Times Square and its glittering Christmas at 1, Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur. Berjaya Times Square is easily accessible via monorail / MRT and is within walking distance from Sungei Wang Plaza and Pavilion.

A Christmas Glitter

A glittering Christmas at Berjaya Times Square

Some Christmas tree ornaments do more than glitter and glow, they represent a gift of love given a long time ago - Tom Baker

Lastly, we will stop at Suria KLCC, the epitome of shopping in Kuala Lumpur, to experience its Christmas wonders in white. Suria KLCC is located at 241, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur and is easily accessible via LRT. With the KLCC-Bukit Bintang Walkway (near Pavilion), you can walk comfortably from Bukit Bintang to Suria KLCC, and vice versa.

Christmas wonders in white at Suria KLCC

The tallest Christmas tree in Malaysia can be found at Suria KLCC

Thanks for reading. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.


Reference:
The New American Bible. New York: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT @ FACEBOOK

The Equality Act of 2010 defines sexual harassment  as "unwanted conduct of a sexual nature which has the purpose or effect of violating someone's dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them." According to Australian Human Rights Commission, examples of sexually harassing behavior include:

• suggestive comments or jokes
• sexually explicit pictures or posters
• requests for sex
• intrusive questions about a person's private life or body
• insults or taunts based on sex
• sexually explicit emails or SMS text messages
• obscene phone calls

Similarly, the Project deSHAME  report, online sexual harassment is defined as unwanted sexual conduct on any digital platform and is recognised as a form of sexual violence. Online sexual harassment encompasses a wide range of behaviors that use digital content (images, videos, posts, messages, pages) on a variety of different platforms (private and public). It can make a person feel threatened, exploited, coerced, humiliated, upset, sexualised or discriminated against.

Sexual harassment is nothing new and it continues to be a severe and pervasive problem in our world today. What's wrong with our world today? Is society so sick to the extent that sex becomes as necessary as food and water and this biological need must be satisfied even though this would mean that the perpetrators would have to resort to sexual harassment? Sad to say, even young children can have a penchant for pornographic materials and are thus not exempted from sexually intrusive behavior as indicated by the more recent cases (Please click here to read about a 12-year-old boy who raped a 4 year-old girl and here to read about an 11-year-old boy who raped his 12-year-old cousin). We cannot deny the fact that there are many sex addicts out there who are psychologically sick, immature, and immoral who often resort to sexual violence or cyber sex to satisfy their unusual sexual desire. If they could find a willing partner and they are geographically separated (being remotely connected via computer network), perhaps not much harm can be done if they choose to remain anonymous to each other. However, with the use of a webcam to transmit real-time video of the partners, cyber sex can turn into a sextortion scam particularly when the perpetrators have the intention to blackmail.

Those who have strong cravings for sex ought to think twice when they receive a message of invitation to cyber sex as there are many sextortionists out there waiting to lure them into video calls encouraging them to masturbate, show their private parts, get nude or sexual and secretly record the victims' sex videos. The perpetrators would then threaten to make the video go viral unless the victims agree to pay a ransom. And of course these sextortionists would keep asking for more and more money until the victims go bankrupt. When the victims can no longer afford to come up with the money they ask for, these videos could still go viral.

Although sextortion can be very devastating for the victims, they should not panic but stay calm and seek help. The first thing a victim must do is to stop all contact with the sextortionist and stop paying him as it would only result in more demands for payment. Next, collect evidence, keep a record of all contact with the sextortionist and lodge a police report. Talking to family members or trusted friends can help to ease the pain as the victim needs their support. The victim may also seek the help of a counselor. Self-blaming should be avoided as this can happen to anyone and the victim is not alone. 

In this article, I would like to share snapshots of my conversation with a sex maniac from India @ Facebook. Although I ignored him totally, I still feel very upset about the whole thing because of his obscene behavior. I think this sex maniac / sexual addict must have some kind of behavioral or psychiatric disorder or he wouldn't be so desperate for sex. Or is he a sextortionist trying to make some easy money? Either way, it seemed that he did not know how to feel ashamed of his behavior as he kept pestering me with his unwanted calls and smses even though I totally ignored him. I admit that I was really enraged by his weird, disrecpectful, disgraceful, and irrational behavior. His nuisance calls in the wee hours of the morning were so annoying that I could not sleep and had to turn off my mobile data. I didn't understand why his calls could still reach me after I logged out of Facebook. To let go of the anger I feel towards him, I will publish snapshots of his entire conversation. These are arranged in chronological order below. Please click to enlarge the images.

He started the conversation telling me he was from India and was proud to be a Christian. That was his first message at Facebook Messenger.

Next, he started to call me but I declined his call. I told him that it was not necessary for him to call me as he could always leave his comments about my blog posts @ my blog or Facebook.

He then asked for my whatsapp number but I did  not give it to him. Could this be a sextortion scam? I told him to read the 'About Me' page in my blog if he wanted to know more about me. I don't have the habit of introducing myself as I have given a very clear description of myself in my blog. Looked like he was only interested in sex chat as he was too lazy to read anything about me. That was why he asked me where I'm from - a stupid question which I did not answer. 

He told me he had a Church in India and asked me if I would help poor Indian people. Who were these poor Indian people he referred to? Sex maniacs or sextortionists?

I did not access my Facebook until a few days later. Before I knew what was happening, he suddenly requested for sex chat and started to call me repeatedly even though I did not answer any of his calls. I also stopped replying his messages at that instant. Was his sexual behavior out of control? Or was he just trying to get some easy cash by offering his sex chat services? He may also be a sextortionist waiting to get a ransom. Do poor Indian people make money this way? 

He seemed to be very enthusiastic in offering his sex chat services as he kept calling me repeatedly in the wee hours of the morning. What a shame! I didn't even know him.

He kept requesting for sex, calling me, and asking me to call back. What on earth made him that think I would call back? The thought of him was nauseating. I couldn't help feeling that he was not only cheap but also hateful, irritating, annoying, and disgustingly dirty.

Not knowing how hateful and disgusting he was, he sent me messages requesting  for sex when I did not answer his calls . 

According to him, he was "in the mood" but that did not justify his obscene actions. He should seek help from a prostitute instead of begging for sex and pestering someone who is totally uninterested in his sexual services.

Why did he still call repeatedly knowing that I would NOT answer his calls? Shameless creature!

This sex maniac from India then sent a sex GIF.

He kept calling me and sending me messages even though I ignored him completely.

He sent the sex GIF again and again.

As you can see in the snapshots, I totally ignored his calls and messages but he was unrelenting in his attempt to request for sex. Why was it so difficult to get rid of this cheap guy?

Lastly, I blocked him @ Facebook. He should be thankful that I was kind enough not to report his sexual harassment to Facebook and erased his face and name from the snapshots above. However, I am still wondering if I should expose his face to the whole world. 

HOW TO LEARN FRENCH EFFICIENTLY ON YOUR OWN

Before I went to Lourdes, I managed to learn some essential French phrases for travel and every day life. Being able to speak a little French not only made it easier for me to interact with residents but also made it so much more enjoyable to visit Lourdes thus enabling me to make the most of my trip. The locals were happy that I made an effort to speak their language but deep in my heart, I wished that I could speak French like them. Even though they said that I was doing well, I still felt that I was not good enough and vowed to master the language because I have fallen in love with it during my stay in Lourdes. Thus it was in Lourdes that my French Language story began. The silent, private joy of peace that I experience each time my mind drifts to this place is my greatest inspiration to learn French.

To me, French is the most beautiful language in the world. But why French? Because it keeps drawing me closer to Lourdes, to the Grotto of Massabielle, the place where the Virgin Mary appeared 18 times to St. Bernadette from 11 Feb to 16 July 1858 (Please click here to read more about the Grotto of Massabielle). Massabielle Grotto is the heart of the Lourdes shrine. It is a place for silent contemplation and the silent, private joy of personal prayer that Bernadette experienced during the first apparitions is today shared by all those who come to pray at the grotto. It was at the Grotto of Massabielle that I spent many hours in the evenings waiting for the sunset. I feel very peaceful each time I read a French book because the language reminds me of Lourdes, especially of those peaceful moments when I sat in front of the Grotto of Massabielle praying and waiting for the sunset. Although I learned French because of my love for Lourdes, I feel glad that I am able to speak French because it is a major language of international communication and the second global language in the world, after English.

Frankly speaking, I have never attended any French lessons because I don't like to go for classes. As a daydreamer, I would only dream in class and that was why I preferred to study on my own at home. In this article, I would like to share my French learning experiences and French Language Collection with my readers. My French learning experiences are divided into three stages and these are described in detail below.


THE FIRST STAGE

In the first stage, I focused on simple French conversation, listening, elementary grammar, and vocabulary building.

Collins Easy Learning French Conversation & Get Talking French (audio course) by Jean-Claude Arragon. Communicating effectively in French isn't just about linguistic competence - it's also about cultural knowledge. To feel confident in a French speaking country, it is useful to know more about French culture and lifestyle. Collins Easy Learning French Conversation also provides the necessary information to enable a beginner to gain a deeper insight into the language, the country and its people.

By listening to these specially composed melodies with their rhythmic repetitions of French and English a few times, you can pick up over 200 essential words and phrases that will not just be on the tip of your tongue, but burned deeply into your long-term memory in next to no time. Volume 1 is your survival kit of essential words and phrases to get you by on your trip abroad. Volume 2 will have you talking about yourself, past, present and future, expressing your opinions, and chatting.

Adventures with Nicholas: The Missing Cat (a story-based introduction to learning French) & Berlitz New Basic French. I really enjoyed singing the songs that accompanied the story of the missing cat even though they were a bit childish. Berlitz New Basic French (my first self-study French course) comes with 6 CDs and includes a variety of language building activities, culture and language tips, pronunciation activities, easy-to-understand grammar basics and review exercises.

Adventures with Nicholas - A Visit to Grandma & The Five Crayons. I love my exciting bilingual adventures with Nicholas because I learned a lot from him! 

French by Association by Dr. Michael M. Gruneberg - an effective technique for learning and remembering Basic French Vocabulary and grammar. This innovative method can help beginners to remember what they learn. Please click here to read more about this book.

1000 French vocabulary study cards to increase your vocabulary. They really worked for me.

Berlitz French Vocabulary Handbook (with thousands of essential words and expressions covering everyday situations) & Berlitz France Handbook (packed with all the information you need to know about France).

These French visual dictionaries featuring a complete range of illustrated objects and scenes from everyday life provide a quick and intuitive way to learn and remember thousands of French words. A picture is worth a thousand words. When I was a beginner, I used to look at the pictures in these visual dictionaries and they really helped me to pick up thousands of French words in no time. 

THE SECOND STAGE

In the second stage, I began to learn French grammar. To become fluent, I had to learn how these language building blocks are used in everyday speech and writing. The only way to build my confidence in French was to practice, practice, practice. That was why I really took the trouble to do the exercises in my grammar books (below).

French Verb Tenses by Trudie Maria Booth & Complete French Grammar by Annie Heminway

French Vocabulary (320 exercises with answers) and French Grammar (578 exercises with answers) by Mary E. Coffman Crocker.

French Grammar by Didier Bertrand and French & English Grammar by C. Frederick Farrell Jr.

French Sentence Builder by Eliane Kurbegov & French Pronouns and Prepositions by Annie Heminway

French Verb Drills by R. de Roussy de Sales & French Verbs for Dummies by Zoe Erotopoulos.

At this stage, the easy to understand Berlitz French Easy Read Dictionary was like a Bible to me because learning French grammar also involved vocabulary learning. 

The Ultimate French Review and Practice (mastering French grammar for confident communication) & The Ultimate French Verb Review and Practice (mastering verbs and sentence building for confident communication) by David M. Stillman and Ronni L. Gordon. The Ultimate French Review and Practice (organized into 28 lessons) offers clear, concise explanations of all the grammar topics that intermediate and advanced learners of French ought to know. Each grammatical concept is illustrated with examples that reflect everyday usage.

Berlitz French Verb Handbook (a complete guide to French verbs) & Grammar Handbook (featuring clear and simple explanations on parts of speech, spelling and punctuation, syntax, types of verbs, verb tenses, and conjugations). 

Collins Easy Learning French Grammar & French Verbs with thousands of examples to show you the right way to use French grammar / verbs. 

Correct Your French Blunders by Veronique Mazet (warns you of hundreds of typical errors learners make and explains the reasons behind the mistakes) & French Grammar by William Rowlinson (where you will find all the basic grammar of French presented clearly, comprehensively, and succinctly).

Essential French Grammar by Jean Severy & 101 French Verbs: The Art of Conjugation by Rory Ryder.

Common French Expressions and Idioms & French Verbs Exercise Book by Jean Severy. Mr Jean Severy is a lecturer in the Department of Asian and European Languages, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University Malaya.

French Grammar Drills by Eliane Kurbegov (features more than 150 drills that demonstrate how the French grammar system works, including review exercises to reinforce learning) & Advanced French Grammar by Veronique Mazet.  After all the grammar practices, it was time to take my French grammar skills to the next level and tackle more sophisticated sentence constructions with Advanced French Grammar.

THE THIRD STAGE

In the third stage, after mastering French grammar, I began to read dual language books.

I started with 101 French Proverbs and 101 French Idioms by Jean-Marie Cassagne that are packed with mini-dialogues to enrich my French conversation followed by Better Reading French before I began reading the dual language short stories.

Better Reading French by Annie Heminway (a reader and guide to improving your understanding of written French) & Short Stories in French (a dual language book). Better Reading French brings you short passages that reflect real-life, contemporary issues and situations taken from magazines, the Internet, books, and newspapers. Following each article is a set of exercises that help your comprehension and develop invaluable reading skills including (i) skimming and scanning, (ii) using word formation, cognates, and context to determine meaning, & (iii) understanding idioms and artistic expressions.

Best Short Stories by Guy de Maupassant & Selected Fables by Jean de La Fontaine. 

French Stories (Ten short stories by Voltaire, Balzac, Gide, Camus and others in the original French and new English translation) & Nineteenth-Century French Short Stories (Stories by Merimee, Nerval, Daudet, Flaubert, Zola, and Maupassant). The short stories really motivated me to read and enjoy what I read.

Collins Robert French Dictionary (complete & unabridged) - my favourite dictionary. At this stage, I don't use visual dictionaries anymore. I want something more professional and, of course, this is the best dictionary for me now. What am I going to read next? The Bible in French. You may also like to read FRENCH GRAMMAR: THE PRESENT TENSE, FRENCH GRAMMAR: THE PAST TENSES, FRENCH GRAMMAR: THE FUTURE TENSE and HOW TO LEARN ENGLISH EFFECTIVELY ON YOUR OWN.

TEACHING & LEARNING FRENCH BY ASSOCIATION

St. Thomas Aquinas, the patron saint of the art of trained memory (A 17th Century painting by Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez)

In ancient times, there were no readily available note-taking devices, but the Greek and Roman orators were capable of delivering lengthy speeches with unerring accuracy because they memorized their speeches thought for thought, using memory systems. During those days, a trained memory was of great importance and the ancients knew that memory techniques could have an essential role to play in enhancing their thinking process. Cicero wrote that the memories of the orators of his time were aided by systems and training and in De oratore he recounted how he himself used memory techniques. It should be noted that oratory was an influential career during those days. As stated by the philosopher Quintilian, "We should never have realized how great is the power (of a trained memory) nor how divine it is, but for the fact that it is memory which has brought oratory to its present position of glory."

According to The Memory Book, what the early Greek and Roman orators did was, basically, to apply the association technique:

They associated each thought of a speech to a part of their own homes. These were called "loci," or "places." The opening thought of a speech would, perhaps, be associated to the front door, the second thought to the foyer, the third to a piece of furniture in the foyer, and so on. When the orator wanted to remember his speech, thought for thought, he actually took a mental tour through his own home. Thinking of the front door reminded him of the first thought of his speech. The second "place," the foyer, reminded him of the next thought; and so on to the end of the speech. It is from this "place" or "loci" memory technique that we get the time-worn phrase "in the first place."

The method of association described above is not confined to speeches alone as it can be used to memorize just about anything. All memory, whether trained or untrained, is based on association. For instance, many people can remember the shape of Italy because they know that Italy is a boot-shaped country. Since the shape of a boot is something they have already known, the shape of Italy can easily be remembered once it is associated with the boot. This simple idea is the basis of the Link system of memory.

French by Association by Dr. Michael M. Gruneberg

According to Tony Buzan (the originator of Mind Maps and the Buzan Organic Study Technique, as well as new developments in the theory and development of mnemonic systems and creativity), "You will recall anything which is connected better than something which is disconnected. You will more or less automatically be able to recall anything which is strange, unusual, out of context, or outstanding." In order to remember new information, it must be associated with something that you already know or remember in some ridiculous way. Known as the secret to a great memory, this method of association, also known as the linkword method, can be used effectively in learning the French Language. The following examples of learning French by association are taken from the book entitled French by Association by Dr. Michael M. Gruneberg, a memory expert. I find this book very helpful especially for beginners because it provides a quick and easy way to acquire a solid foundation in  elementary grammar and basic French vocabulary. The brain never forgets a ridiculous picture - that is why the grammar and vocabulary acquisition strategies suggested by the author are very effective in improving learning and memory retention. Further, the French exercises provided can greatly improve the French language skills of a beginner as they can immediately practise what they have learned. I have read this book countless times when I first started to learn the French language. In just a short while, I have learnt hundreds of new French words and was able to string these words together to form grammatically correct sentences. The knowledge gained from this book has enabled me to learn more advanced French efficiently on my own.


ELEMENTARY GRAMMAR

Since grammar accuracy is the foundation in language proficiency, I would begin with some elementary grammar rules and show how these can be easily remembered and understood using the association technique.


Gender

Gender is an important aspect of French grammar. All nouns in French are either masculine or feminine. As it is not possible for you to tell whether a word is masculine or feminine just by looking at it, you can use the following method to remember the gender of words in French.

• If the word is masculine, you can associate it in your mind's eye with a boxer. For example, rabbit is masculine in French - imagine a boxer punching a rabbit. Every time you see a word with a boxer, you will know that it is masculine.
• If the word is feminine, you can imagine the word interacting with a bottle of French perfume. For example, cow is feminine in French - imagine a cow with a bottle of perfume dangling from her neck. When you see a bottle of perfume with a word, you will know the word is feminine in French

It should be noted that you need not follow the above methods strictly if you hate boxers or have an aversion to perfumes. Much would depend on your creativity in generating your own mental images based on your preferences. For instance, I never like boxers and since The Incredible Hulk is one of my childhood heroes, I find it more comfortable to imagine the hulk cuddling a rabbit. As for the feminine nouns, I prefer to make use of flowers and in the above example, I find it easier to imagine a cow with a floral head wreath.


the (le, la, l' or les)

The French for the when the noun is masculine is le. The French for the when the noun is feminine is la. If the French is plural, then the word for the is always les. Finally, if a word starts with a vowel (like animal), then the word for the is l' (for example, l'animal or l'oie) irrespective of the gender.

• The gender of dog is masculine (imagine a boxer dog with a boxer) - le chien
• The gender of bed is masculine (imagine putting a boxer to bed after a bad fight) - le lit
• The gender of cow is feminine (imagine a cow with a bottle of perfume dangling from her neck) - la vache
• The gender of clock is feminine (imagine a bottle of perfume at the bottom of the pendulum of a clock) - la pendule
• The gender of goose is feminine (imagine a goose pecking at a bottle of perfume) - l'oie
• The gender of camera is masculine (imagine photographers photographing boxers during a fight) - l'appareil
• The gender of vêtements is masculine (imagine a boxer putting clothes on after a fight). This is a plural word. The word for the plural is les - les vêtements
• The gender of toilet is feminine (imagine a toilet where the smell is sweetened by perfume). Toilet (toilettes) is usually plural in French - les toilettes

a (un or une)

If you want to say a for masculine singular nouns like a book, a male friend, a horse, a garden etc., then the word for a is un (pronounced "en," something like the English earn).

• a book is un livre
• a male friend is un ami
• a horse is un cheval
• a garden is un jardin

For feminine singular nouns like a door, a house, a lady, a mouse etc., the word for a is une (pronounced ooN)

• a door is une porte
• a house is une maison
• a lady is une dame
• a mouse is une souris

my (mon or ma), his (son or sa), her (son or sa), its (son or sa)

The French possessive adjectives like my, his, etc. have two forms: one in the masculine and one in the feminine. For example:

• my computer (masculine singular) is mon ordinateur (MOHn)
• my life (feminine singular) is ma vie (MA)

In other words, the my is masculine if it goes with a masculine word, but it is feminine if it goes with a feminine word.

The same rule applies for his:

• his computer is son ordinateur (masculine)
• his life is sa vie (feminine)

You must remember that his is feminine when it is used with a feminine noun. Similarly, the word her is masculine when it goes with a masculine noun.


The French word for her  is also son  when it goes with a masculine noun, and sa when it goes with a feminine noun.

• her computer is son ordinateur (masculine)
• her life is sa vie (feminine)

Its is also the same as his and her

• its dog is son chien (masculine)
• its table is sa table (feminine)

Once you can distinguish between feminine and masculine nouns and figure out the gender of a word, you would be able to apply the grammar rules correctly. In the following section, I would like to share a simple trick on how to remember French vocabulary quickly and easily using the association technique.  Rote learning is boring, ineffective and outdated. It is being increasingly abandoned for newer techniques and thanks to Dr. Gruneberg's association method, learning a foreign language is no longer as difficult as it used to be.


BASIC FRENCH VOCABULARY

In this section, the approximate pronunciation of words is given in parentheses. For example:
The French for chair is chaise (SHEZ).
(SHEZ) is the way the word is pronounced.

Home, Furniture, Colors

• The French for chair is chaise (SHEZ) - imagine you have shares in a chair.
• The French for cupboard is placard (PLAKAR) - imagine a placard stuck to a cupboard
• The French for curtain is rideau (REEDOH) - imagine having to re-do the curtains after you have made a mess of them
• The French for armchair is fauteuil (FOTOEY) - imagine taking a photo on an armchair
• The French for pink is rose (ROZ) - imagine a pink rose
• The French for yellow is jaune (JON) - imagine someone yellow from jaundice

Clothes, Family Words

• The French for underpants is slip (SLEEP) - imagine you sleep in your underpants
• The French for dress is robe (ROB) - imagine someone robs you of your best dress
• The French for hat is chapeau (SHAPOH) - imagine taking off your hat when you enter a chapel
• The French for husband is mari (MAREE) - imagine you marry your husband
• The French for son is fils (FEES) - imagine having to pay school fees for your son.
• The French for daughter is fille ((FEE) - imagine selling your daughter for a fee

Shopping and Business Words

• The French for shop is magasin (MAGAZAHn) - imagine every shop you go into sells magazines
• The French for office is bureau (BooROH) - imagine a writing bureau in an office
• The French for mistake is erreur (EReR) - imagine being told that errors and mistakes cannot be rectified
• The French for accountant is comptable (KOHnTABL) -imagine thinking that your accountant is contemptible.
• The French for salesman is vendeur (VOnDeR) - imagine a salesman trying to sell you a van door.

CONCLUSION

Dr. Gruneberg calls this book French by Association because the technique used in this book involves remembering French by association with something that the learners already know. If they know how to associate anything they want to remember to something they already know, they'll have a trained memory. Learning French is as simple as that! (You may also like to read FRENCH GRAMMAR: THE PRESENT TENSE, FRENCH GRAMMAR: THE PAST TENSES, FRENCH GRAMMAR: THE FUTURE TENSE & HOW TO LEARN FRENCH EFFICIENTLY ON YOUR OWN)

References:

1.  Gruneberg, Michael M. French by Association. Passport Books.

2.  Lorayne, Harry & Lucas, Jerry. The Memory Book. NY: Dorset Press.
3.  Buzan, Tony. Make the Most of Your Mind. London: Pan Books Ltd.