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
Tuesday, 25 December 2007
Prepositional Phrases (1)
Sunday, 23 December 2007
Jingle Bells
Perry Como
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 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.
--------------------------------
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
Saturday, 22 December 2007
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
---------------------------------
Click here for Heroes – The New Frontier (1/2)
Thursday, 20 December 2007
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
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
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
Saturday, 15 December 2007
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.
Friday, 14 December 2007
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
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
~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
~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.
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!
Wednesday, 12 December 2007
Getting to know each other
This game "Getting to know each other" is not only for group of all *new* people who just meet one another at the first time, but also for the *old* people who are colleague knowing each other already. This game will let people introduce themselves in a natural way. I got this game in the Acet English club which is organized on every Wednesday afternoon (run by Ms. Trang). Here is the game:
1/ The host need to print the form (as in picture above) out to a number of copies depends on how many member in the game.
2/ Then separate the crowd into 2 groups: A and B
3/ One of each group should have a speaker who will read slow and loud line by line in the paragraph to the group. And remember the speaker also write down the answer as well.
4/ Speaker need to stop for a second and wait for the group finish each line in the paragraph.
5/ After all members in A and B complete the form. Then the host inform that every person in group A can swap the paper to anyone in group B.
6/ With the swap like this, person-A got person-B's paper and vice versa. So they can guess the information of each other in a curious method. That's called "Getting to know each other"
This is just a version of it, the host can do in variation way, you may change the content of paragraph to appropriate your need, more funny, more creative. I have written the content of this version and applied this one to my staff and it has worked well, people enjoy this game very much so that the crowd turn to be noisy because of talking. I intent to do this in 20 minutes, but it has run for half an hour and it has been forced to stop :)
After getting done to know each other. Mr. Marc, company English instructor, suggested that everyone must have some words to describe the partner. Yup, this was a very good idea till then we went through it and discovered new and funny thing about colleague during the introduction. It was really a good time to start my English club every Friday for the QA team.
I think this game is also a good candidate game for team building purpose.
>> This MS. Word file of the game can be download here
Monday, 10 December 2007
Let, Make and Help - common error
This short lesson which I got from "Tip of the day" - About.com is very helpful. Most of learners confuse this tip, me too, always adding "to" without the reason. Now we got the clue why not to use "to" all the time. Here we go:
-------------------------------------
Let, Make and Help
With the verbs "let, make and help" we use the following structure: S + let, make or help + object + verb without to
For other verbs that take this structure we use: S + verb + object + verb with to
>> Example Sentences:
She let him stay out late.
What did your father make you do?
Sunday, 9 December 2007
Advertising techniques which are used to target children
This is the first assignment at Acet which I just handed last Friday. It's 293 word count. (the expected is 300).
Assignment : Write an information report identify and describing 3-4 advertising techniques which are used to target children.
No one can deny the fact that advertising is indispensable in promoting products to consumers who are both adults and children. Advertisements that target children have its specific features apart from the adult ones. The ads for children usually have colorful cartoons, loud sounds, and jingles. Three of the popular techniques are cartoon characters, free offers, and role models.
First, the most popular approach; “cartoon characters” in television advertising aimed at children. Advertisers not only use the well-known characters, such as Mickey mouse and Donald duck, but also creating new ones. Izzy Snack is an illustration of this type of scheme. In this advertisement, there is a funny robot voice, singing a song, while a piece of snack is flying in a house, then to downtown where crowds of children are waving their hands to catch the flying snack.
The other popular technique is “free-offers” which are also named as "giveaways" or "premiums". As a successful method used on adult, advertisers hope that it produces the same effects on children. Kido Ice cream from Kinh Do is another example. Children are encouraged to collect the characters of gifts such as a bicycle or a computer. These characters are engraved on ice-scream sticks.
Last but not least, the “role model” is a method that utilizes older children who looks professional in certain activities related to the products, that younger children admire or look up to. Targeted audience evidently wants to imitate the idols whom they viewed as a role model. For instance, in Dutch's Lady Milk advertisement on television, a fifth-grade boy sits in the middle of the crowd and looks on while the older seventh-grade boy wins the first prize of swimming, Tae Kwon Do, and mathematics in competitions.
Saturday, 8 December 2007
Eternal flame
Bangles
Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling
Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand?
Do you feel the same, am I only dreaming?
Is this burning an eternal flame?
I believe it's meant to be, darling
I watch when you are sleeping, you belong to me
Do you feel the same, am I only dreaming
Or is this burning an eternal flame?
Say my name, sun shines through the rain
A whole life so lonely, and then you come and ease the pain
I don't want to lose this feeling
[break]
Say my name, sun shines through the rain
A whole life so lonely, and then you come and ease the pain
I don't want to lose this feeling
Close your eyes and give me your hand
Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand?
Do you feel the same, am I only dreaming
Or is this burning an eternal flame?
[break]
Is this burning an eternal flame?
An eternal flame?
(Close your eyes and give me your hand
Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand?
Do you feel the same, am I only dreaming
Or is this burning an eternal flame?)
Wednesday, 5 December 2007
Thanks letters
Today is a special day in my working life. Now I'm going toward *leaving* officially, the day can be Dec-30 this year. The mail has sent, it's really hard to say goodbye the team, but it has to be for my new venture.
This is Thanks email just sent this morning (with the comment of English instructor) . List of receiver are: Tuan Truong; #LTRC_BOM; Marc Nguyen; Chau Tran; Thao Nguyen; #LTRC_EngServices_LeadsManagers; #LTRC_RnD
--------------------------------
Dear all,
First of all, congratulations to Hoang, Thuyen and Quang. I wish you all the best and much success in life. (3 of these people just got a promotion, Hoang is the man run the QA team next term)
As you are aware in the announcement, I’m no longer the lead of Rnd-QA. I will be leaving LTRC at the end of this month to pursue my own plans. Believe me, I’m very proud of being a part of the LTRC family in general and particularly, a member in RnD. We had great times as well as ‘not-so-bad’ time together :) both to me are memorable. The last two years has helped me to understand how challenging TESTING can be (I used to develop before) and enjoyed it during the time here. It’s been very exciting is all I can say.
I’d like to say THANK YOU so much to my managers: Hans Buwalda, and Tuan Truong for everything, and RnD Staff (Nhan Ha, Phuc Phan, Thuyen Do, Dung Truong, Khuong Ngo, Cong Hoang and other dear members) and special thanks QA Staff as well (Hoang To, Quang Tran, Minh Tran, Tu Le, Aticah Chau, Khanh Tran, Dinh Vo, Vu Tran) who helps me so-much to make work more enjoyable. I also would like to thank: anh Dinh, anh Long, Thao, Chau in HR Dept who are ready to respond to my requests/inquiries in the most effective and efficient manner.
It’s also an honor to be a student of anh Hung Nguyen, Michael Hackett, chi Hoa, Marc Nguyen for all the Technical and English courses; from the first lesson in Quang Trung about Boundary Condition to the latest course of Lead-360.
I could not thank you enough for all the Lead@Service who supported me and to have feedbacks of TA as a contact group. They are: Kim , Quoc , Quynh , Hien , Hung , Xuan , Thach , Tuyen , Phuc N, Thang, Duong H, Vinh and Hieu Pm. Thank you all once again…my dear friends
I love you all J and wishing you success in what you are undertaking. I wish nothing but the best to come true at LTRC – The Vietnam World Leading Testing Company
Thank you and Regards,
Duong Pham
--------------------
By the way, I have a collection of "last day" email which I may post it here sometime...just for referencing of English
Monday, 26 November 2007
English arround the world
In a Bangkok temple:
"IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN."
Cocktail lounge, Norway:
"LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR."
Doctors office, Rome:
"SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES."
Dry cleaners, Bangkok:
"DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS."
In a Nairobi restaurant:
"CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER."
On an Athi River highway:this is the main road to Mombasa, leaving Nairobi.
"TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE."
On a poster at Kencom:
"ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP."
In a City restaurant:
"OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS."
A sign seen on an automatic restroom hand dryer:
"DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS."
In a cemetery:
"PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES."
Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations:
"GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED."
On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
"OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR."
In a Tokyo bar:
"SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS."
Hotel, Yugoslavia:
"THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID."
Hotel, Japan:
"YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID."
In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
"YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY."
A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest:
"IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE."
Hotel, Zurich:
"BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE."
In a Swiss mountain inn:
"SPECIAL TODAY - NO ICE-CREAM."
Airline ticket office, Copenhagen:
"WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS."
A laundry in Rome:
"LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME."
****************************
What's about Vietnam? Any suggestion huh???
I'm thinking about it....
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Internet facing 'meltdown' by 2010
(This report public on Nov-20-2007 at vnunet.com)
The internet could suffer a dramatic slowdown by 2010 as the sheer scale of data exceeds the ability of the network to cope.
Analyst firm Nemertes Research Group has spent the past year analysing data flows over the internet and the core infrastructure that carries that information.
The company has concluded that serious bottlenecks will occur in three to five years.
"Our findings indicate that core fibre and switching/routing resources will scale nicely to support virtually any conceivable user demand," said the Nemertes report.
"But internet access infrastructure, specifically in North America, will cease to be adequate for supporting demand within the next three to five years.
"We estimate that the financial investment required by access providers to 'bridge the gap' between demand and capacity ranges from $42bn to $55bn, or roughly 60 to 70 per cent more than service providers currently plan to invest. "
The authors do not envisage that the internet will actually fail to operate, but that access times and bandwidth constraints will fall to such levels that innovation will be seriously hampered.
The next generation of YouTube, for example, would not be possible in this scenario, according to the research.
E-commerce will also be hit hard as access times will be erratic, and customers will be turned off and less able to make purchases.
Business will suffer much less, however, since most have access to fast network connections that are unavailable to consumers.
"Consumers are often not able to purchase these 'fat pipes' at any price," the report continues.
"So an additional effect of the bandwidth crunch at the edges would be to increase the gap between the 'haves' (chiefly businesses) and the 'have-nots' (chiefly consumers)."
The report echoes earlier warnings by Dr Larry Roberts who led the team that built the internet's predecessor, Arpanet.
Dr Roberts warned last month that the internet would be in trouble unless serious technological advances were achieved in networking.
>> There are more interesting related links and comments, click here
(Source: vnunet)
Related Vietnamese link:
1/ At Dantri goes here
2/ Internet map at procul.org
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
You don't know me
Michael Buble
You give your hands to me
Then you say hello
I can hardly speak
My heart is beating so
And anyone can tell
You think you know me well
But you don't know me
No, you don't know the one
Who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips
And longs to hold you tight
Oh I'm just a friend
That's all I've ever been
'Cause you don't know me
I never knew
The art of making love
Though my heart aches
With love for you
Afraid and shy
I've let my chance to go by
The chance that you might
Love me, too
You give your hand to me
And then you say good-bye
I watch you walk away
Beside the lucky guy
You'll never never know
The one who loves you so
Well, you don't know me
You give your hand to me, baby
Then you say good-bye
I watch you walk away
Beside the lucky guy
No, no, you'll never ever know
The one who loves you so
Well, you don't know me
Saturday, 17 November 2007
Saying "no" nicely
Sometimes you need to say no when someone make a suggestion, offers something or ask you to do something for them. Of course, saying just 'no' can be rather rude. Here are some of the most common ways to say 'no' nicely - or at least not rudely.
* Would you like to see a film tonight?
I'm afraid I can't go out tonight. I've got a test tomorrow
* Why don't we have Chinese food?
Sorry, but I don't particular like Chinese food.
* How about taking a nice walk?
I'd really rather not to take a walk this afternoon
* Would you like to come to the museum with us?
Thank you, but it's not my idea of a fun afternoon out.
* Let's go for a drive
Sorry, I'm not really fond of driving for the fun of it
* Why don't you stay the night?
That's very kind of you, but I really have to get back to the city.
NOTE: Notice how we often say 'thank you' in some way before refusing the offer. When someone make an offer it is polite to first thank that person and then say 'no', often offering an excuse for not wanting or being able to do something. Just say 'no' is considered very rude behavior indeed!
After you study these about constructions, take the saying no nicely quiz to check your understanding. Click here when you are ready.
(Source: About.com)
(Next time would be for saying yes)
Are you lonesome tonight?
Elvis Presley
Are you lonesome tonight?
do you miss me tonight?
Are you sorry we drifted apart
Does your memory stray to a bright sunny day
When I kissed you and called you sweetheart
Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare
Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there
Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?
Spoken:
I wonder if you're lonesome tonight
You know someone said that the world's a stage
And each must play a part
Fate had me playing in love you as my sweet heart
Act one was when we met, I loved you at first glance
You read your line so cleverly and never missed a cue
Then came act two, you seemed to change and you acted strange
And why I'll never know
Honey, you lied when you said you loved me
And I had no cause to doubt you
But I'd rather go on hearing your lies
Than go on living without you
Now the stage is bare and I'm standing there
With emptiness all around
And if you won't come back to me
Then they can bring the curtain down
Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight....
Friday, 16 November 2007
A difficult day just closed
Today is the hardest day during my working life. I have decided to leave the company after 2 year working full-hard there. It's not so easy to send such an email, but I must have a choice... which one? food or sand? Yes, of course. Sand cannot be count as food, but sometime you need a time to think back, think deep (right now, sand to me here mean lying on the nice ocean somewhere else, not in an office, crazy thought!) . Friends, life, Bill, colleague, project, managers, lead, engineers, elderly, lonely, nothing... oh, one song just come up in my soul... are you lonesome tonight, did you miss me tonight...ohh.... Elvis, Elvis you are always my king.
Anyhow, the mail was sent, the word was gone. Sorry/painful/new horizon/ whatever happen here and there, it seem something just lost ... something.. I don't know. Best friends, best staffs, best manager, best "đại ca", best Hans, best CEO, everything perfect. I still remember exactly the date I've been employed at LTRC, it was a bit lucky I can say. Yes, lucky is always a part of everybody's life. You need it, you want it, you like it, you love it, ... I'm not exception, just in the last few minutes of an interview for Web developer position. Then I have changed the situation just by a suggestion/question "I'm also interested in Testing, can I applied for that?", that was amazing luck I have ever met. Now, guess what...I got employee ID "25" now the total is employees is closed 300. That's great. It likes a dream, you close your eyes one night with a several people around and then tomorrow morning, open up with hundreds wow.... "What are you doing man...you shocked me.... are you sure???", "...everything cannot be done well if you lose focus...", "people cannot go to university without graduate from high school..." these are the emotional comment in Skype I got. And next question "what's next?"... IBM, or an European one, even a Holland or maybe a Vietnamese, ... thanks and thanks you guys H, C, T, Dz for all the messages/advices.
So... what's next??? I ask myself. Let's see thing happen... OK, for now, next will be the bed.
The song is still keep going in my mind...are you lonesome tonight, did you miss me tonight...
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
East vs West -- a sharp cut of differnces in Culture
Understanding of Chinese/ Asian culture vs. Western...interesting research.
I think it also applies to all Asians, including the Indians, Japanese, Thais, Koreans, Indonesian, Malays, etc...
These icons were designed by Liu Young who was born in China and educated in Germany.
Blue --> Westerner Red --> Asian/Chinese
Now, enjoy...
Punctuality
Queue when waiting
Handling problem
In a restaurant
Ways of life
Names Are Read to Mark 25th Anniversary of Vietnam Veterans Wall
Download MP3 here
(MUSIC)
I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:
We listen to some music from the movie "Into the Wild"…
Answer a question about a famous American landmark…
And report about a special anniversary for Veterans' Day.
Anniversary of the Wall
HOST:
November eleventh is Veterans Day in the United States. It is the day Americans remember those who have fought in the nation's wars. This year is a special one at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. That memorial honors American men and women who served in the Vietnam War. Faith Lapidus has more.
FAITH LAPIDUS:
~~ A Vietnam veteran holds a rose to a name on the memorial
This year is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial known as the Wall. The Wall is two large,shiny, black stones built into the ground, forming the letter V. The names of more than fifty-eight thousand Americans are cut into the stone.
These are the names of those who died or who are missing as a result of their service in Vietnam. As part of the anniversary observance, the names of all those listed on the Wall are being read aloud this week.
(SOUND)
The Wall has the power to create strong feelings. The shiny black stone acts like a mirror. It seems to draw in visitors so that they too are part of the Wall. This is especially emotional for those visitors who served in Vietnam and for the family members of those killed there.
Vietnam Veteran Jan Scruggs thought of the idea for the memorial as a way to honor those killed in one of America's most divisive wars. He formed an organization to build the memorial. In nineteen eighty, a competition was held to choose the design. Judges considered more than one thousand designs. They chose the design of a twenty-one-year-old Yale University student, Maya Lin.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was officially opened on November thirteenth, nineteen eighty-two. The design of the memorial caused great debate. Supporters thought it was simple and powerful. But some people said it was not personal enough and did not show the heroic efforts of those who fought in the war.
As a result, other structures were added to the memorial. They are the Three Servicemen Statue and the Vietnam Women's Memorial statue. A special plaque honors those who died later as a result of injuries from the war.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is the most visited memorial in the nation's capital. More than four million people visit each year. Some visitors make a copy of one of the names on the Wall. Others leave a special object of love and remembrance. Visitors have left tens of thousands of such objects at the Wall. These include flowers, letters, poems, toys, photographs, baseballs and military medals. These objects are links between those who were killed and those who will always remember them.
The Gateway Arch
HOST:
~~The Gateway Arch
Our listener question this week comes from Russia. Andrey Lopatin wants to know The Gateway Arch about the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis, Missouri. This famous curved steel structure next to the Mississippi River rises one hundred ninety-two meters in the air. This is the same distance between the arch’s two legs. The Gateway Arch is the tallest freestanding federal monument in the United States.
Plans for the arch developed in the nineteen thirties. During this time, the city of Saint Louis decided to build a federal monument to honor the westward expansion of the United States during the nineteenth century. In eighteen oh three, President Thomas Jefferson had bought more than two million square kilometers of land from France, including what would become the state of Missouri.
The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States at the time. This famous land deal made it possible for the young American nation to expand and grow. The next year, President Jefferson hired Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore this large new area of land. The Lewis and Clark Expedition started just west of Saint Louis. So Saint Louis became known as the Gateway to the West.
The Jefferson National Expansion Park was established in nineteen thirty-five. The federal government and city of Saint Louis agreed to share the building costs. During the nineteen forties, city officials created a national competition among building designers to decide what form the new monument would take.
The Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen won the competition in nineteen forty-eight. Building the arch finally began in nineteen sixty-three was completed two years later. The arch is an example of excellent structural engineering. The shape of the structure is called an inverted catenary curve. This is the form a free-hanging heavy rope or metal chain takes when it is hung between two supports.
Each year, about one million visitors ride special vehicles to the top of the Gateway Arch to enjoy its history and expansive views of Saint Louis.
"Into The Wild"
HOST:
“Into the Wild” is a new movie that tells the true story of a young man named Christopher McCandless. In the nineteen nineties, he dropped out of society after college to test himself in the American wilderness. Actor Sean Penn wrote and directed the movie, which is based on a book by Jon Krakauer.
Penn asked his friend, the singer Eddie Vedder, to write the music for this powerful film. The songs help express the inner voice and personal discovery of this brave young man. Barbara Klein has more.
(MUSIC)
BARBARA KLEIN:
That was Eddie Vedder singing “No Ceiling.” You might recognize his voice. Vedder is the lead singer for the rock band Pearl Jam. This is the first album in which he performs on his own. Vedder says that when he read the book “Into the Wild” and started to write songs for the movie, the story of Christopher McCandless took control of him.
For two years, this young man traveled through deserts, down rivers, and up mountains in the western United States. He traveled all the way to the northern state of Alaska. On the road, he met many people and influenced them with his intense and intelligent personality. Here is the song “Hard Sun.”
(MUSIC)
Christopher McCandless did not survive his adventure. Some people have noted that he really was not prepared to survive in the wild. He died of starvation at the age of twenty-four, all alone in the Alaskan wilderness. But the story of his independence and desire to live in the simple beauty of nature lives on.
We leave you with the song “Society.” In it, Eddie Vedder imagines the thoughts of Chris McCandless as he says goodbye to the rules and demands of society in order to lively freely on his own.
(MUSIC)
(Source: VOA - American mosaic)
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
A lucky day with Ms. Margot Politis
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This seminar was held in 5th floor 5 stars Majestic Hotel on November-11-2007, at 9h30h am. It was a rainy Sunday, not so heavy but I also need a rain coat to come to seminar in dry.
Although I looked forward to this seminar, I had come there a bit late, around 9.10, but it was so crowded. ACET has done PR very good to inform many many students coming to join the seminar, I observed a group of teen-people still standing over the gate of conference room. The seminar started at 9h30 with a video clip Ms. Margot Politis who is the speaker of 'Study English' in Australia Network TV.
After a few talks from ACET, then Mr David show which is most expected. He again mentioned about Accuracy and Fluency and some techniques in the IELTS exam, Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking. Some are known, other is interesting to know. I have it noted already and will post later.
At the last of seminar there is a lucky lottery game which I won one of six prizes. The organizer put a hidden lucky letter under the chair. There are 6 letters like that, wow, I was very lucky to sit on that chair (among 200 chairs)
Here as following are some pictures of mine:
Conference room may contain more than 200 audiences.
A very nice landscape of Saigon river
Reading the prize of lucky game
Hand shaking with lady Margot
Here are the cover and the next page with hand writing of Ms. Margot and Dr. David Larbalestier.
>> Or you can see them Ms. Margot and Dr. David Larbalestier from a Vietnamese interview which reported by TTO here
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Back, Shoulders and Chest: A Pat on the Back for a Job Well Done
Download MP3 file here
There are many American expressions that use parts of the body. These include the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and even the heart. Today we will tell you some expressions that use other body parts – the back, shoulders and chest.
When I am facing a lot of pressure at work, my back and neck will start to hurt. Sometimes, this tension is the result of too much work. I have too many things to do because my supervisor is on my back all the time. In other words, my employer is always telling me to do things.
Sometimes, I want to tell my employer to get off my back! I want her to stop criticizing me and making too many demands on my time. I can not say this, however. I would never turn my back on her and refuse to help when there is a need. If I did refuse to help, my supervisor might say bad things about me behind my back. She might criticize me when I am not present. This would surely be a stab in the back. It is never kind to unfairly harm or say bad things about other people.
Sometimes, when I am very productive in my job, my employer gives me a pat on the back. She praises my work. She might even say “I will scratch your back if you will scratch mine.” This means she will do something for me, if I do something helpful for her in exchange. Such an offer usually comes straight from the shoulder. My supervisor has a very direct, open and honest way of speaking.
I know that my employer carries a lot on her shoulders. She is responsible for many things at the office. And because she is so important, she sometimes gets to rub shoulders with the top officials. She gets to spend time with some very important people.
I believe the top official values my supervisor. He never gives her the cold shoulder. He is never unfriendly to her. He always treats her like she is an important part of the organization.
I also value my supervisor. In fact, I think she is very effective in her job. Of course, I could yell my opinion at the top of my lungs, or as loudly as I possibly could. It might even feel good to get my emotions off my chest. It is always helpful to tell people how you feel so that your emotions do not trouble you.
But it is not necessary for me to praise my supervisor. Most of my co-workers feel the exact same way about her. So, I think I will just save my breath. I will keep silent because talking or repeating myself will not do any good.
(Source: VOA)
Friday, 9 November 2007
Accuracy versus Fluency
It's an subject tonight at Acet, Mr. Thyer wrote on the whiteboard next to the term "Impromptu Talks". I have to note this down right after I come back from school, since this is very interesting thing I have ever heard. Actually, the content is not new to me but the way he present absolutely won my heart.
It answers directly the question: "How should I improve speaking in advance?" which I have been wondering till now.
Accuracy in speaking count the exactly/correctly how you use grammar, idiom, phrase, tense, ...in your speech. And Fluency count the percentage of how people understand what you said.
You might see someone speak English fluently, and people can understand that person easily and clearly. But if you ask a native speaker or a teacher, he will point out several wrong things in grammar, phrase, ... so this person can be called fluency speaker. But with the student very good at grammar, vocabulary, ...if his pronunciation is not so good. Even he uses the sentence in standard and correct of course, but people seem misunderstood him. In speaking, if you think you fair in Accuracy level then you must find yourself the way to improve Fluency.
Not only the pronunciation takes impact on your Fluency, but also many other items. So I'd like to list it below top ten issue for us to measure how good are you in speaking:
1/ Pronunciation
2/ Stress, intonation, rythm
3/ Speed, pause/hesitation (we need some pause during the talk for audience have time to understand you)
4/ Clarity (clear enough) and Volume (must be not too slow)
5/ Grammar and vocabulary
6/ Content and organization.
7/ Linking lanuage (Firstly, secondly, therefore, ...to notify audience now you start to go the next idea/items.
8/ Body language: gesture (using hand), posture (the way you sit, just like relax), facial expression (acting in your face must follow the content of speech), eye contact (keep your eyes open and, nervous mannerism (when you nervous you scratch everywhere, especially the back of your head)
9/ Location, movement (just move arround up n down during making speech)
10/ Enthusiasm/Energy/Confident
This is actually the instruction for the "Impromptu Talk" hour in the class. I will talk about this later next post...These top ten issues are not easy at all to go through since you cannot do this by your self, you need a group sitting there and ready listen to you. And I think I'm very lucky to have this situation.
Practice makes perfect...
Notes: One more thing has just connected me to the idea in advance for current English class @LTRC. I think I must discuss with Mr. Marc about this, we should not focus much on Accuracy but the Fluency instead. (I mean this for the advance group, like my group :))
