Stop this blog

Today is Sunday, June-8-2008, I have moved all writing here to tag English Zone in my main blog address: pkduong.net And all the update from now on will be there not here anymore.

Thanks for visiting.

PKDuong.net

What a Wonderful World

"What a Wonderful World" is a song by Bob Thiele (using the pseudonym George Douglas) and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released as a single in early fall 1967, and was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Intended as an antidote for the increasingly racially and politically charged climate in the U.S. (and written specifically for Armstrong, who had broad crossover appeal), the song details the singer's delight in the simple enjoyment of everyday life. The song also has a hopeful, optimistic tone with regard to the future, with reference to babies being born into the world and having much to look forward to. The song was not initially a hit in the United States, where it sold fewer than 1,000 copies, but was a major success in the UK, reaching number one on the UK singles chart. It was also the biggest-selling single of 1968 in the UK. The song made Louis Armstrong the oldest male to top the charts, at sixty-six years and ten months old.

The song gradually became something of a standard and reached a new level of popularity. In 1988 Louis Armstrong's 1967 recording was featured in the film Good Morning Vietnam and was released as a single.

(Source: wikipedia)
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What a Wonderful World
Louis Armstrong



I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.

The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do
Theyre really sayin......i love you.

I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
Theyll learn much more.....than Ill never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world

(instrumental break)

The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are there on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do
Theyre really sayin...*spoken*(I ....love....you).

I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
*spoken*(you know their gonna learn
A whole lot more than Ill never know)
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself .......what a wonderful world.

Happy New Year 2008

This morning when the Lord opened a window in Heaven looking down to the world. I was lucky to see him at the moment. And he asked me: "My child, what is your greatest wish for today?" I responded: "Lord please, take care of the person who is reading this message, their family and their special friends. They deserve it and I love them very much." The love of God is like the ocean, you can see its beginnings but not its end. This message works on the day you receive it.

To some it may sound dumb, but the person who sent this to me was impressed with the quickness of its effect. Let's see if it's true. Angels DO exist, but sometimes they don't have wings, so we call them Friends, such as YOU.

Please pass this on to your true friends, and SOMETHING GOOD WILL HAPPEN TO YOU

Prepositional Phrases (1)

We are all experienced that preposition is annoying us in learning English. It's a bit confusing when we decide to use a strange Prepositional Phrases. Actually, it's not a big deal in conversation but it will help our writing sharply.

I have just received some kind of tips like that from about.com via email. Here are they, enjoy it with me, to make them not strange at all :)
(I just extracted some interesting sentences along with the phrases)

according to

in case of

on the behalf of

in front of

without regard for (She was a fearless woman who acted _____ her health.)

with regard to (______ your proposal Tom, I'm afraid we won't be able to approve your project.)

by means of (We finally solved our problem ____ a new device created by our research and development department.)

because of

lack of

due to (_____ the large number of requests we have received, we are going to extend the sale to the end of the month.)

instead of

in favor of ( I'm all ____ helping out the poor when in need.)

in addition to (_____ our friendly staff, you'll find our hotel provides everything you could ever desire.)

as for ( _____ me, I will be happy to dedicate a few extra hours to the cause.)

apart from

in common with (How can they be going out?! Jane has nothing _____ Peter.)

by far (Learning English is sometimes difficult. However, you should remember that communication is ______ the most important thing.)

by mistake (I'm afraid I've charged you too much _____. Sorry about that!)

regardless of (You are going to have to work overtime _____ your responsibilities at home)
>> the boss is most likely to say this sentence by somehow, I hate this kind of boss :(

on purpose (Please don't be angry with me. I didn't break the toy ______.)
>> I like this one most

For the full quiz please go here

Jingle Bells

Perry Como

Dashing through the snow
On a one-horse open sleigh,
Over the fields we go,
Laughing all the way;
Bells on bob-tail ring,
making spirits bright,
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight

Jingle bells, jingle bells,
jingle all the way!
O what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh

A day or two ago,
I thought I'd take a ride,
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side;
The horse was lean and lank;
Misfortune seemed his lot;
He got into a drifted bank,
And we, we got up sot.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
What fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

A day or two ago,
the story I must tell
I went out on the snow
And on my back I fell;
A gent was riding by
In a one-horse open sleigh,
He laughed as there
I sprawling lie,
But quickly drove away.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
What fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

Now the ground is white
Go it while you're young,
Take the girls tonight
And sing this sleighing song;
Just get a bob-tailed bay
two-forty as his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! you'll take the lead.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
What fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

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At the stroke of midnight on Christmas, if a fat man dressed in a red suit jumps through your window, grabs you and puts you in a sack, don't panic. I told Santa I wanted YOU for Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2008

Heroes – The New Frontier (2/2)

This is printed version which I have used to deliver for group. Unluckily, last Friday I didnot have much time to share with group all of this because I was the last one in class :(, the last one always is the apple of all other eyes in class. All will look toward him/her and make them
embarrassed sometimes. I was in that case. Anyhow, I note down here just to share few of interesting thing about the article Heroes. This article is about 5 pages A4 long (fontsize 12pt)

1/ My favourite sentences:

- The world has changed, and so has heroism

- No-one is fooled into thinking that fame-----or even success-----is the same as heroism
(How to use the symbol ----- ?)

- Has TV----as it is so often accused of doing----diminished the possibility of heroes, and devalued the every word, by feeding us to many stories about too many celebrities, surrounded by too much hype?
(abreviation, symbol----usage, a long question..)

- Today’s potential hero (or was he/she a mere celebrity) is soon pushed aside by tomorrow’s headline
(An example of bracket usage in the sentence)

- Unsung heroes have always been a part of us, of course; not necessarily buried in an organisation, but possibly just chipping away, year after year, making personal sacrifies that enrich our lives and encourage us to aspire something beyond the everyday in our own lives.(semi-colon usage, a very long sentence, a new word Unsung)

2/ My favourite vocabularies:

+ Hero >> Heroine (women) >> Heroic(a) >> Heroism (n)

+ “sm” suffix of the noun:
- Feminism: the movement aimed at equal rights for women (feminist: a supporter of feminism)
- Heroism

+ unsung: having value that is not acknowledged not famous or acclaimed

+ accuse: (v) make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against

+ diminish (v) decrease in size, extent, or range+ aspire (v) have an ambitious plan+ mere (adj) being nothing more than specified (chi3 là)+ hype (n) blatant or sensational promotion

+ celebrity (n) a widely known person (or the state of being widely honored and acclaimed)

+ triumph (n) a successful ending of a struggle or contest

+ inspire (n) truyen cam hung

+ sophisticated technology: cong nghe tinh vi, hien dai

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Click here for Heroes – The New Frontier (1/2)

Don't worry, be happy

"Don't Worry, Be Happy" is the title and famous principal lyric of a song by musician Bobby McFerrin, the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, holding that position for two weeks in September of 1988. It also peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart on its fifth week on the chart. At the 1989 Grammy Awards, "Don't Worry Be Happy" won 'Best Song of the Year'. The song's title is taken from a famous quote by Meher Baba. The original music video stars Robin Williams and Bill Irwin. Every "musical" part of this song was noises that McFerrin made, and compiled together. There are no instruments in this song.

For further information, please visit here


Don't Worry, Be Happy

Bobby McFerrin



Don't Worry, Be Happy
From the Movie "Cocktails"
Performed by Bobby McFerrin

Here is a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy......

Ain't got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed
Don't worry, be happy
The land lord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate
Don't worry, be happy
Lood at me I am happy
Don't worry, be happy
Here I give you my phone number
When you worry call me
I make you happy
Don't worry, be happy
Ain't got no cash, ain't got no style
Ain't got not girl to make you smile
But don't worry be happy
Cause when you worry
Your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
So don't worry, be happy (now).....

There is this little song I wrote
I hope you learn it note for note
Like good little children
Don't worry, be happy
Listen to what I say
In your life expect some trouble
But when you worry
You make it double
Don't worry, be happy......
Don't worry don't do it, be happy
Put a smile on your face
Don't bring everybody down like this
Don't worry, it will soon past
Whatever it is
Don't worry, be happy.


Please click here for downloading the song

Heroes – The New Frontier (1/2)

Here after is the reading sheet scheme using in Friday reading group at Acet. I have used this content to present to other students of what I have learnt from the reading article.

Title of the text:
Heroes – The New Frontier (P.108)

Author: Hugh Mackay

Publisher: MacMillan, date: 1999

Type of the text: (eg: short story, novel, critique, magazine article, report)
A social research, maybe a series research (this is chapter eight)

What is the purpose of the text (eg: to inform, argue, entertain, recount, …)
Informative new definitions of Heroes in modern time

What is the text about?
All kinds of Heroes. Who is the hero? How to be a hero in ancient time as well as modern time.

What are the main ideas of the text?

- First, the author sees the turning point of the century’s end. The world has changed, and so has heroism. Then the author gives an opinion of Hero “..no-one is fooled into thinking that fame, or even success, is the same as heroism… Heroes inspire us because they show us what we human are capable of going…”
- Second, the names of old-style heroes are detailed with some name listed as: Christopher Columbus, James Cook and ways to be heroes at that time.
- Finally, comparing old and new style of heroes is the theme of the article.
“…Edmund Hillary on the Everest, Neil Armstrong on the moon, John Landy on the track (not for winning, but for upholding the noblest standards of sportsmanship when he stopped in the middle of an important race to help a fallen competitor.)”. Just three names from many examples of new-style heroes. On the other hand, we are fed too many stories about many celebrities, surrounded by much hypes by mass media. Today’s potential hero (or was he/she a mere celebrity) is soon pushed aside by tomorrow’s headline.

What is your opinion of the text? Would you recommend it to other students?

I really like the way Hugh Mackay talks about the unsung heroes. “..Unsung heroes have always been a part of us”. Let’s think about this, all of us are also a hero of someone else. Phuc Nguyen, a friend of mine and a colleague at LogiGear, turns into a helper for poor children at the end of every year, a time when people enjoy a lot of fun together during Christmas and New-year parties. Phuc enjoys this time differently, this year she and her friends organized a charity campaign to help poor children in Kon-Tum, such as: collecting old-clothes, cash for rice from LTRC employees. To me, she is a hero of those children. I can imagine how happy the children are when they receive the clothes and rice on a cold Christmas holiday.

Please click here to get there "Heroes – The New Frontier (2/2)" for sharing my extracted interesting thing from the article.

------------------------------------------
Hugh Mackay at a glance:

He is a Psychologist, Social researcher, Newspaper columnist (weekly in the Sun-Herald and West Australian, and occasionally in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age) and authors of 11 books, including 4 novels.

Please go here for further information: http://www.myspace.com/hughmackay

Reading group at Acet

There are some new methods which I have never learnt before at another English school but Acet. Reading group is one of them. Students have amount of time to read and understand a topic choosing by themselves, and then share the story in couple of minutes speaking with the others. The topic sometime is a chapter from famous story, sometime is a report or an article about Australia or England. These topics are collected thoroughly by Acet staff and binding as book called 'Reading book'.

How does it works?
Students are divided in groups of 3-4, then go to choose an article/story in the reading book. We have 2 weeks for understanding the chosen-topic. Assignment usually come up on Monday and report/re-tell day will be on Friday of the week after next. Students are mixed together to make sure that everyone with different topic is put in a group. One by one will stand up and speaking about the story -which they read- in front the group in about 2-3 minutes, student is advised not necessarily summarize the whole article/story but possibly just re-tell their favourite part or interesting vocabulary.

Benefits
This is a really good idea for self-learning as well as encouraging reading a very long parapraph. Students may continue reading the rest of story because of curiosity after they found themselves appealed. I myself is in the case, after finishing chapter one of "The Client" (John Grisham) I have tried to figured out what it is with Mr. Google. And then I may buy one to continue following the rest of story in leisure time. Moreover, student can take advantage of
collocation from the native writer, then avoid confusing in gathering words together. The sentence which has very nice structure and grammar will be extracted and saved in notebook for later usage. In addition, new interesting vocabulary is also advised mentioning in the speaking. This is absolutely helpful not only for enriching the knowledge but also the culture.

Yes, I really enjoy this activity so much that I will post here some sort of the preparation for the Friday speaking just to share how enjoyable it is.

Christmas greeting messages

X'mas and the new year are coming, now it's time for us to share the happiness with whom we love. Here as following are the greeting text for Christmas you may use to decorate the life. Thanks so much my Mother, my Father who gave birth a baby called PKDuong. And wishing you all the best luck and happiness on the way you undertake.

Quote from famous people:

1. “The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.”
~Burton Hillis

2. “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”
~ Charles Dickens

3. “The magi, as you know, were wise men - wonderfully wise men who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents.”
~O. Henry

4. “Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.”
~Dale Evans Rogers

5. “Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.”
~Oren Arnold

6. “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.”
~Norman Vincent Peale

7. “Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”
~Hamilton Wright Mabi

8. “I have always thought of Christmas as a good time; a kind, forgiving, generous, pleasant time; a time when men and women seem to open their hearts freely, and so I say, God bless Christmas!”
~Charles Dickens

9. “Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind . To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.”
~Calvin Coolidge

10. “Love came down at Christmas; love all lovely, love divine; love was born at Christmas, stars and angels gave the sign.”
~Christina G. Rossetti

11. “Where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door the dark night wakes - the glory breaks, Christmas comes once more.”
~Phillips Brooks

12. “Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home! ”
~Charles Dickens

13. “The only real blind person at Christmas-time is he who has not Christmas in his heart.”
~Helen Keller

14. “Bless us Lord, this Christmas, with quietness of mind; Teach us to be patient and always to be kind.”
~Helen Steiner Rice

15. “There is no name so sweet on earth, no name so sweet in heaven, The name, before His wondrous birth, to Christ the Savior given.”
~George W. Bethune

16. “Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.”
~Washington Irving

17. “Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance - each beautiful, unique and too soon gone.”
~Deborah Whipp

18. “It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself”
~Charles Dickens

19. A Christmas candle is a lovely thing; It makes no noise at all, But softly gives itself away; While quite unselfish, it grows small.
~Eva K. Logue

20. It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.
~W. T. Ellis

21. I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.
~Harlan Miller

22. “The mystery of the Holy Night, which historically happened two thousand years ago, must be lived as a spiritual event in the ‘today’ of the Liturgy,” the Pope clarified. “The Word who found a dwelling in Mary’s womb comes to knock on the heart of every person with singular intensity this Christmas.”
~Pope John Paul II

23. At Christmas I no more desire a rose
Than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled shows,
But like of each thing that in season grows.
~William Shakespeare.

(Source: www.ambimama.com)





From ordinary people

* If there is no joyous way to give a festive gift, give love away.

* May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!

* Christmas carolers sing about peace on earth, but they don’t tell us where.

* Wish you a Merry Christmas and may this festival bring abundant joy and happiness in your life!

* May this Christmas be so special that you never ever feel lonely again and be surrounded by loved ones throughout!

* You are special, you are unique; may your Christmas be also as special and unique as you are! Merry Christmas!

* Here's wishing you all the joys of the season. Wish you and your family a Merry Christmas!

* May joy and happiness snow on you, may the bells jingle for you and may Santa be extra good to you! Merry Christmas!

* May this Christmas be bright and cheerful and may the New Year begin on a prosperous note!

* Love, Peace and Joy came down on earth on Christmas day to make you happy and cheerful. May Christmas spread cheer in your lives!

* Sending the warmest Christmas wishes to you and your family. May God shower his choicest blessings on you and your family this Christmas.

* May all your days be merry and bright and may your Christmas be white! Merry Christmas!

* It is that time of the year again, when you are thankful for everything merry and bright. May this Christmas be a delight! Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

CHRISTMAS MESSAGES

* Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, making everything softer than snowflakes and all the more beautiful. Wish you a Magical Christmas.

* Jingle Bells are ringing the wishes of Christmas. Sending the warmest Christmas wishes on soft snowflakes just for you!

* Faith makes all things possible; Hope makes all things work and Love makes all things beautiful. May you have all the three for this Christmas. Merry Christmas!

* On this Christmas, remember, the joy that you give to others, is the joy that comes back to you. So be joyful and make others joyful too! Merry Christmas!

* Joy resonates in the hearts of those who believe in the spirit of Christmas! Wishing you all the peace, joy, and love of the Christmas season!

* Christmas is a state of mind when you cherish peace and goodwill. The real spirit of Christmas is to have mercy, love and faith.

* At the stroke of midnight on Christmas, if a fat man dressed in a red suit jumps through your window, grabs you and puts you in a sack, don't panic. I told Santa I wanted YOU for Christmas!

* May this Christmas end the present year on a cheerful note and make way for a fresh and bright new year. Here's wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

* Jingle the bells and play the music loud, for Santa Claus is coming to town! Merry Christmas!

(Source: nguyenhonganhtesol.blogspot.com)