Sometimes life doesn't play out the way you want it to. Whenever you feel at a low point, you've got to remember that you can't predict what will happen in the future. Everything will always work out in the end. Every failure, every rejection always leads to new opportunities. Think of a time when you really failed. What insights did you gain from the experience? How had that changed your life positively? Would you have gotten those insights any other way? Looking on the positive side of things allows us to embrace our lives and accept reality.
"When you exercise your optimism, things will always work out"
- Louis
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
ALL FOR PUN AND PUN FOR ALL!
One of the most exciting things about puns is engaging in a battle of wits with others. Before you go out and pick fights, I've got to make sure you're well informed of the ground rules, once you've got those down, the sky's the limit.
1. You must make a pun that is related to the pun you are attacking. The subject must be the same or you will be subject to ridicule, especially if the subject is ridiculous.
2. You must not repeat a pun that has already been used previously.
3. You must not use the phrase "That's Punny"
4. You must allow the other person to respond before attacking again.
5. Battle is over when one party fails to respond to an extremely good pun.
6. Parties can call a truce when the battle becomes stagnant.
Happy Hunting!
"A Battle of Twits"
Saturday, January 21, 2012
La Lune, les crabes et l'acteur
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Lesson #3, Phonetic Puns, Homonyms, You Name It!
Probably the staple crop of all corny pun threads, all pun battles, is what I call the "phonetic" pun. Using a word's sound to form a second meaning.
For example the infamous chemistry thread that begins with "What do we do with dead chemists? Barium" The beauty of this kind of pun is its simplicity. You don't ever need the "meaning" of the actual word "barium," just its phonetic sound. My friend Kevin and I once battled for 30 minutes using puns of country names.
I use this technique consistently to make puns with people's names (which don't have definitions). Here's the breakdown of some basic techniques I've used.
1. Get the name, the word of interest, you want to use to make a pun.
2. Say it to yourself, ignoring the meaning, 5-10 times. (more if needed).
3. While saying it to yourself, try to jog your memory and think of words that sound like the name or may contain the sound of the name.
4. Weave a concise phrase around the second meaning that you just made. Using idioms helps bridge the understanding gap and ensure delivery of the pun.
I'll demonstrate with "Evan" (Who occasionally posts as Vincent O'Hara II on the blog).
-Evan..Evan...Evan..."Evan-ge." "If you slay me in a battle of wits, my dear friend will surely Evan-ge me!"
-Evan...Evan....Evan..."Heaven" "If you manage to slay my friend too, i'm sure he'll soon arrive at the gates of "Evan" because he's a firm believer in "Evangelicalism"
5. Now the longer the name, the more foreign the name (indian names omg), the harder the pun making becomes. Very frequently, you've got to cut the word up, usually in two pieces. The first half of the word will be the first word, or the END of the first word. The second half of the word will become the second word, or the BEGINNING of the second word. With my friend "Ashish," I cut his name into "Ash" and ish." Using "Ash," I thought of "Ash" "Cash" and "Bash." With "ish," I only thought of "issue." Combining the thought process I came up with "Cash Issue" = "C-Ashih-use." All that's left is to weave a phrase. Try cutting the word up differently if you're stuck. I could have cut it up into "A" and "shish" and made the pun "A shish-kebab."
That's it! Those are the basics of how to make puns with people's names. This used to be one of my trademark tricks, but now the secret is out!
Thanks for reading!
Louis Cai
~Related Warning~
I have heard every possible pun made with my name**. Don't even try.
**Probably the best one ever made was made by my friend Camille: "B-Louis Cai"
For example the infamous chemistry thread that begins with "What do we do with dead chemists? Barium" The beauty of this kind of pun is its simplicity. You don't ever need the "meaning" of the actual word "barium," just its phonetic sound. My friend Kevin and I once battled for 30 minutes using puns of country names.
I use this technique consistently to make puns with people's names (which don't have definitions). Here's the breakdown of some basic techniques I've used.
1. Get the name, the word of interest, you want to use to make a pun.
2. Say it to yourself, ignoring the meaning, 5-10 times. (more if needed).
3. While saying it to yourself, try to jog your memory and think of words that sound like the name or may contain the sound of the name.
4. Weave a concise phrase around the second meaning that you just made. Using idioms helps bridge the understanding gap and ensure delivery of the pun.
I'll demonstrate with "Evan" (Who occasionally posts as Vincent O'Hara II on the blog).
-Evan..Evan...Evan..."Evan-ge." "If you slay me in a battle of wits, my dear friend will surely Evan-ge me!"
-Evan...Evan....Evan..."Heaven" "If you manage to slay my friend too, i'm sure he'll soon arrive at the gates of "Evan" because he's a firm believer in "Evangelicalism"
5. Now the longer the name, the more foreign the name (indian names omg), the harder the pun making becomes. Very frequently, you've got to cut the word up, usually in two pieces. The first half of the word will be the first word, or the END of the first word. The second half of the word will become the second word, or the BEGINNING of the second word. With my friend "Ashish," I cut his name into "Ash" and ish." Using "Ash," I thought of "Ash" "Cash" and "Bash." With "ish," I only thought of "issue." Combining the thought process I came up with "Cash Issue" = "C-Ashih-use." All that's left is to weave a phrase. Try cutting the word up differently if you're stuck. I could have cut it up into "A" and "shish" and made the pun "A shish-kebab."
That's it! Those are the basics of how to make puns with people's names. This used to be one of my trademark tricks, but now the secret is out!
Thanks for reading!
Louis Cai
~Related Warning~
I have heard every possible pun made with my name**. Don't even try.
**Probably the best one ever made was made by my friend Camille: "B-Louis Cai"
Saturday, January 14, 2012
You gotta hand it to me for this one....
"Playing video games could be considered a form of ...digital exercise."
Today I learned that fingers don't even have muscles! Muscles in your hand actually pull the strings (tendons)! I've always bragged about how strong my finger muscles were from playing violin...but there was really nothing to brag about!
Today I learned that fingers don't even have muscles! Muscles in your hand actually pull the strings (tendons)! I've always bragged about how strong my finger muscles were from playing violin...but there was really nothing to brag about!
(Picture courtesy of "lazydictionary" from Reddit)
Friday, January 13, 2012
A pun for your amusement...
The construction worker representative passionately demanded compensation for the carnival's poor work conditions. The scene could be summarized as "one charged a fair."
~Related Optical Illusion~
Is this ferris wheel turning to the right or to the left?
~Related Optical Illusion~
Is this ferris wheel turning to the right or to the left?
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Chemical Favoritism of the Full Stop
Lesson #2, Idioms and Clichés
Sometimes the best things in life are those simple pleasures. It came upon me today, as I thought about a few of my favorite puns of all time, that there was a striking semblance between them.
Let's see if you can figure out the thing that all these puns share. (you most likely have heard me tell them already; for that reason I've included a written laugh track)
A) "I was wondering why the baseball was getting bigger, and then it hit me."
......ha..ha..ha..hahahahahahahaha
B) "Did you hear about the guy who lost his entire left side in an accident? He's all right now"
...ho....ho...ho....hohohoho...hoho..ho..heehee
C) "Did you hear about the butcher who backed up into his meat grinder? He got a little behind in his work"
......hehe hohoho haha yodelayeeehoo..
Alright, did you figure it out? (hint: check the title of the post). As it turns out, in each of these cases, the punchline (phrase of interest) uses a common expression: "then it hit me," "all right," and "got a little behind." The power of these phrases is that people understand the first meaning naturally, so the double meaning can be a little more "out there," and people will still get it.
Making these puns are very straightforward.
1) Start with a phrase that's commonly used, or an idiom. An example might be "to touch one's heart" which means to emotionally move another.
2) Think of another meaning for the phrase. We'll use the literal meaning of touching one's heart. Not a very creative example, but it'll do the trick.
3) Lastly, weave a phrase that plays to both meanings.
"My surgeon's breathtaking performance really touched my heart...and my lungs."
That's it! Not too hard, and remember: the more you make, the more likely you'll stumble on a gem!
Thanks for reading!
Louis Cai
~Random Thought~
Today I realized the idiom "bark up the wrong tree" actually had a hidden pun in it!
Let's see if you can figure out the thing that all these puns share. (you most likely have heard me tell them already; for that reason I've included a written laugh track)
A) "I was wondering why the baseball was getting bigger, and then it hit me."
......ha..ha..ha..hahahahahahahaha
B) "Did you hear about the guy who lost his entire left side in an accident? He's all right now"
...ho....ho...ho....hohohoho...hoho..ho..heehee
C) "Did you hear about the butcher who backed up into his meat grinder? He got a little behind in his work"
......hehe hohoho haha yodelayeeehoo..
Alright, did you figure it out? (hint: check the title of the post). As it turns out, in each of these cases, the punchline (phrase of interest) uses a common expression: "then it hit me," "all right," and "got a little behind." The power of these phrases is that people understand the first meaning naturally, so the double meaning can be a little more "out there," and people will still get it.
Making these puns are very straightforward.
1) Start with a phrase that's commonly used, or an idiom. An example might be "to touch one's heart" which means to emotionally move another.
2) Think of another meaning for the phrase. We'll use the literal meaning of touching one's heart. Not a very creative example, but it'll do the trick.
3) Lastly, weave a phrase that plays to both meanings.
"My surgeon's breathtaking performance really touched my heart...and my lungs."
That's it! Not too hard, and remember: the more you make, the more likely you'll stumble on a gem!
Thanks for reading!
Louis Cai
~Random Thought~
Today I realized the idiom "bark up the wrong tree" actually had a hidden pun in it!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Why mightypensword.blogspot.com? What does that mean?
The name came from the saying "the pen is mightier than the sword," which you very well know implies the great power of words. The domain title has a dual meaning, many people see it differently believe it or not. It could be read as both "mighty pen sword" or "mighty pen's word." Just a slight paradigm shift can open up new perspectives, which is the goal of this blog.
Start thinking out of the box!** Maybe you've been seeing your life through only one perspective, when in reality, multiple ones exist....
Stay healthy and free your mind,
Louis Cai
**Actually there shouldn't be a box at all. As my friend Nick pointed out, if everyone is thinking outside the box....then they're actually thinking inside the box....imagine the implications that quote might..contain
~Random related thought~
My good friend Taylor once wisely told me: "When you find yourself with someone you can't stand, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, you'll be a mile away from that person, and you'll have his shoes!
Start thinking out of the box!** Maybe you've been seeing your life through only one perspective, when in reality, multiple ones exist....
Stay healthy and free your mind,
Louis Cai
**Actually there shouldn't be a box at all. As my friend Nick pointed out, if everyone is thinking outside the box....then they're actually thinking inside the box....imagine the implications that quote might..contain
~Random related thought~
My good friend Taylor once wisely told me: "When you find yourself with someone you can't stand, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, you'll be a mile away from that person, and you'll have his shoes!
Lesson #1, The Double Meaning.
You've all seen those one liner joke books when you were kids, the riddle section of newspapers, and the manifestation of pun related memes on the internet. They don't magically appear; some people may have a natural affinity for them, but in reality there is a pretty straightforward process behind all of those.
Let's look at this random pun of the day from www.punoftheday.com
"Ducks don't have their palms read, they look for it on the web"
There are many types of puns, but they all root themselves in the principle of association. Association is how we think, how we remember things. Has something ever "jogged your memory?" When you're having a conversation with someone, you link one topic idea to another through associations. Have you ever said the phrase, "that reminds me of that time..." On a smaller scale that's how puns work, and all humor essentially.
Lets examine these average puns. The core of the mediocre puns you see on the internet have to deal with double meaning words. In the duck pun, the word of interest (WOI) is "web." You have to have a WOI before you make a pun; nearly any word can be used to make a pun; you will come to realize that soon enough.
This particular pun is an example of a classic pun, one that employs multiple meanings of one word. I'll teach how to make one.
1) Once you have a WOI, think of it's different definitions and synonyms. For the word"web" - the internet, a spider's web, the web between fingers, the web in mathematics, a net, a complicated network.
2) Start with one meaning that you think is the easiest to work with. In this case we'll choose "the webbed fingers" definition. What do you think of when you hear the word webbed fingers? Ducks, frogs, the web between our own fingers come to mind. Choose from the first few things that come to mind; they are likely to be the more stronger associations. The stronger the association, the more likely someone will "get" your pun.
3) Once you get the first association, try to imagine it interacting with any the other meanings. For this example, the duck is surfing the internet, but the duck could also be stuck in a spider web, the duck could be tracking a serial killer across the country (if you've ever watched Heroes). Choose the easiest one to imagine because it will require the least set up and not much explanation.
4) So we've got a duck surfing the internet now. You're halfway there. Here comes the more intricate part, you've got to find a way to associate the two meanings. Why might a duck surf the internet? How does the internet relate to the webbing of a duck's hand? What can you learn from someone's hand that you can also learn from the internet? That's when you need a little creativity. Multiple reasons can be drawn: You can check your fortune (palm reader vs internet). You might need to get your hand fixed (hand doctor vs. internet advice). It might want to check if someone's married (married ring vs. facebook relationship status)
5) Now you weave an eloquent set up that plays to both meanings. The entire joke in this case was
"Ducks don't have their palms read, they look for it on the web"
but you could have also done "Ducks don't to go to hand doctors, they ask doctors of the web"
You could also make a one lined joke: How does one duck know if the other is married? They look on the web.
The important thing to remember is to keep as concise as possible, phrasing it as eloquently as possible. This part takes the longest, but your choice of words determines how well received your pun will be! You probably think this pun was lame, and it definitely is. The majority of the puns you make will be made through this process, and most will be lame. However for pun making, quantity is better than quality! Once in a while you'll stumble on an extremely witty one and you'll find the whole process rewording. Practice recognizing these kinds of puns and seeing how they're set up. Soon you'll get better at it!
Thanks for reading!
Louis
~Random Pun~
What do you call a man singing with another man's wife in the shower? A Soap Opera.
Let's look at this random pun of the day from www.punoftheday.com
"Ducks don't have their palms read, they look for it on the web"
There are many types of puns, but they all root themselves in the principle of association. Association is how we think, how we remember things. Has something ever "jogged your memory?" When you're having a conversation with someone, you link one topic idea to another through associations. Have you ever said the phrase, "that reminds me of that time..." On a smaller scale that's how puns work, and all humor essentially.
Lets examine these average puns. The core of the mediocre puns you see on the internet have to deal with double meaning words. In the duck pun, the word of interest (WOI) is "web." You have to have a WOI before you make a pun; nearly any word can be used to make a pun; you will come to realize that soon enough.
This particular pun is an example of a classic pun, one that employs multiple meanings of one word. I'll teach how to make one.
1) Once you have a WOI, think of it's different definitions and synonyms. For the word"web" - the internet, a spider's web, the web between fingers, the web in mathematics, a net, a complicated network.
2) Start with one meaning that you think is the easiest to work with. In this case we'll choose "the webbed fingers" definition. What do you think of when you hear the word webbed fingers? Ducks, frogs, the web between our own fingers come to mind. Choose from the first few things that come to mind; they are likely to be the more stronger associations. The stronger the association, the more likely someone will "get" your pun.
3) Once you get the first association, try to imagine it interacting with any the other meanings. For this example, the duck is surfing the internet, but the duck could also be stuck in a spider web, the duck could be tracking a serial killer across the country (if you've ever watched Heroes). Choose the easiest one to imagine because it will require the least set up and not much explanation.
4) So we've got a duck surfing the internet now. You're halfway there. Here comes the more intricate part, you've got to find a way to associate the two meanings. Why might a duck surf the internet? How does the internet relate to the webbing of a duck's hand? What can you learn from someone's hand that you can also learn from the internet? That's when you need a little creativity. Multiple reasons can be drawn: You can check your fortune (palm reader vs internet). You might need to get your hand fixed (hand doctor vs. internet advice). It might want to check if someone's married (married ring vs. facebook relationship status)
5) Now you weave an eloquent set up that plays to both meanings. The entire joke in this case was
"Ducks don't have their palms read, they look for it on the web"
but you could have also done "Ducks don't to go to hand doctors, they ask doctors of the web"
You could also make a one lined joke: How does one duck know if the other is married? They look on the web.
The important thing to remember is to keep as concise as possible, phrasing it as eloquently as possible. This part takes the longest, but your choice of words determines how well received your pun will be! You probably think this pun was lame, and it definitely is. The majority of the puns you make will be made through this process, and most will be lame. However for pun making, quantity is better than quality! Once in a while you'll stumble on an extremely witty one and you'll find the whole process rewording. Practice recognizing these kinds of puns and seeing how they're set up. Soon you'll get better at it!
Thanks for reading!
Louis
~Random Pun~
What do you call a man singing with another man's wife in the shower? A Soap Opera.
Greetings!
You wondering what the purpoise of this blog is? Well I want everyone to sea the world differently!
Puns have always been acclaimed as the "highest form of humor," and while that may be true, one certainly doesn't have to be a genius to be a master of puns.
In this blog, I'll share all the techniques that I use to make puns out of nowhere in addition to sharing some of the ones I made (I hope you do the same!)
Once I start explaining my techniques, you'll start to understand that making puns only requires only common sense and a little creativity. I'll teach you how to expand your world view and exercise the right side of your brain (the one more creative half). Soon you'll know the right way to think!
I love puns, and feel free to share any of them you make or any that you've heard. However, I warn you, i've read every single pun on the internet, so you should think twice about reposting.
Thanks for reading!
Louis
~Random Pun~
Cool sign idea: Bewere wolves.
Puns have always been acclaimed as the "highest form of humor," and while that may be true, one certainly doesn't have to be a genius to be a master of puns.
In this blog, I'll share all the techniques that I use to make puns out of nowhere in addition to sharing some of the ones I made (I hope you do the same!)
Once I start explaining my techniques, you'll start to understand that making puns only requires only common sense and a little creativity. I'll teach you how to expand your world view and exercise the right side of your brain (the one more creative half). Soon you'll know the right way to think!
I love puns, and feel free to share any of them you make or any that you've heard. However, I warn you, i've read every single pun on the internet, so you should think twice about reposting.
Thanks for reading!
Louis
~Random Pun~
Cool sign idea: Bewere wolves.
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