Set the wheels in motion

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-12-27T04:15:00.000-08:00

It's Another New Year...
...but for what reason?

"Happy New Year!" That greeting will be said and heard for at least the first couple of weeks as a new year gets under way. But the day celebrated as New Year's Day was not always January 1.
ANCIENT NEW YEARS

The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon (actually the first visible cresent) after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring).
The beginning of spring is a logical time to start a new year. After all, it is the season of rebirth, of planting new crops, and of blossoming. January 1, on the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary.
The Babylonian new year celebration lasted for eleven days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration, but it is safe to say that modern New Year's Eve festivities pale in comparison.
The Romans continued to observe the new year in late March, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors so that the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun.
In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the new year. But tampering continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar. It again established January 1 as the new year. But in order to synchronize the calendar with the sun, Caesar had to let the previous year drag on for 445 days.
THE CHURCH'S VIEW OF NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS

Although in the first centuries AD the Romans continued celebrating the new year, the early Catholic Church condemned the festivities as paganism. But as Christianity became more widespread, the early church began having its own religious observances concurrently with many of the pagan celebrations, and New Year's Day was no different. New Years is still observed as the Feast of Christ's Circumcision by some denominations.

During the Middle Ages, the Church remained opposed to celebrating New Years. January 1 has been celebrated as a holiday by Western nations for only about the past 400 years.
NEW YEAR TRADITIONS

Other traditions of the season include the making of New Year's resolutions. That tradition also dates back to the early Babylonians. Popular modern resolutions might include the promise to lose weight or quit smoking. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.
The Tournament of Roses Parade dates back to 1886. In that year, members of the Valley Hunt Club decorated their carriages with flowers. It celebrated the ripening of the orange crop in California.
Although the Rose Bowl football game was first played as a part of the Tournament of Roses in 1902, it was replaced by Roman chariot races the following year. In 1916, the football game returned as the sports centerpiece of the festival.
The tradition of using a baby to signify the new year was begun in Greece around 600 BC. It was their tradition at that time to celebrate their god of wine, Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket, representing the annual rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility. Early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth.
Although the early Christians denounced the practice as pagan, the popularity of the baby as a symbol of rebirth forced the Church to reevaluate its position. The Church finally allowed its members to celebrate the new year with a baby, which was to symbolize the birth of the baby Jesus.
The use of an image of a baby with a New Years banner as a symbolic representation of the new year was brought to early America by the Germans. They had used the effigy since the fourteenth century.

FOR LUCK IN THE NEW YEAR

Traditionally, it was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night after the ringing in of a new year. It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man.
Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune.
Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.

AULD LANG SYNE

The song, "Auld Lang Syne" is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year. At least partially written by Robert Burns in the 1700's, it was first published in 1796 after Burns' death. Early variations of the song were sung prior to 1700 and inspired Burns to produce the modern rendition. An old Scotch tune, "Auld Lang Syne" literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good old days." The lyrics and the music can be found in last year's entry. Check it!

Once you've finished reading take this New Year's Quiz! http://wilstar.com/holidays/ny-quiz.htm

Mother's day

2008-10-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

Everything I ever needed to know I learned from my mother:

My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE: "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside - I just finished cleaning!"
My mother taught me RELIGION: "You'd better pray that will como out of the carpet."
My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL: "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week."
My mother taught me LOGIC: "Because I said so, that's why."
My mother taught me FORESIGHT: "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."
My mother taught me IRONY: "Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about."
My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS: "Shut your mouth and eat your dinner."
My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM: "Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck."
My mother taught me about STAMINA: "YOu'll sit there 'till all that spinach is finished."
My mother taught me about WEATHER: "It looks as if a cyclone swept through your room."
My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY: "I've told you a million times - don't exaggerate!"
My mother taught me about THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
My mother taught me about BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION: "Stop acting like your father."
My mother taught me about ENVY: "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have a wonderful mother like you do!"

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Eric Grohe

2008-10-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

There are some people who can make something extraordinary out of ordinary things. Eric Grohe is one of them. He paints murals and here is a token of his talent:

If you want to see more of his work click here http://www.ericgrohemurals.com

Happy Spring!

2008-09-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

Spring
Robert McCracken

Today is the day when bold kites fly,
When cumulus clouds roar across the sky.
When robins return, when children cheer,
When light rain beckons spring to appear.

Today is the day when daffodils bloom,
Which children pick to fill the room,
Today is the day when grasses green,
When leaves burst forth for spring to be seen.

Children's day

2008-08-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

The United Nations General Assembly recommended in 1954 (resolution 836(IX)) that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children and of activity promoting the welfare of the world's children. It suggested to governments that the Day be observed on the date which each considers appropriate.

In Argentina Children's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of August, TODAY!!!
HAPPY DAY CHILDREN!

Olympic Games

2008-08-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

This is the link to the official website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Enjoy it!

http://en.beijing2008.cn/

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

2008-08-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogery chwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is the longest named railway station in the world. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgo gerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is an actual town in Wales.Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerych wyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, translated in English means "The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio's of the red cave".
The locals hardly use this long word, instead call it as Llanfair.
Also, this town boasts the longest single word (without the hyphens) .com domain name in the world. The maximum allowed characters as a .com domain name is 67 characters in length. So this, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogery chwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.com has a few more characters to spare (58 characters in length). Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogery chwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.com is officially in the Guinness Book of World Records and was registered by Internetters on 21st October 1999.

There are two other towns with longer name than llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogery chwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, one in New Zealand with 92 characters long, "Tetaumatawhakatang ihangakoauaotamateaurehaeaturipukap ihimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuaakitanarahu" and the other in Thailand which has a staggering 163 characters long named, "Krungthepmahanakornamornra tanakosinmahintarayutthayamahadilokph opnopparatrajathaniburiromudomrajaniwes mahasatharnamornphimarnavatarnsathitsakkattiyavisanukamprasit".

It is easy to understand why the people living there burst into tears when you ask them where they are from.

Winter

2008-08-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

Winter

Autumn winds are dying
As winter rears its head.
Soon the land will sleep again
In the silence of the dead.
The gray sky seems a blanket.
The golden trees now bare;
Their branches reach out to the sky
To grasp the misty air.

Dark browns replace the orange
And grays replace the blue
Soon snow will change this landscape
As the spiral dance holds true

The silence will be welcomed
By a solitary crow.
An eerie song of mystery
That few will ever know.

For winter keeps its secrets,
The ones not hard to hide.
The answer's all around us,
But the question sleeps inside.

Friend's day

2008-07-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

Friend's Day is a celebration of friendship held annually on July 20th, mainly in Argentina and Uruguay but also in some other countries.

The idea for Friend's Day goes back to Argentine teacher, musician, and dentist Enrique Febbraro, who had the idea of turning the anniversary of the first moon landing into an international day of friendship. He argued that on this particular day, the whole world had been friends of the three astronauts. The first official recognition of the day came with decree No. 235/79 by the government of the province of Buenos Aires, which authorized the celebration and gave it official nature.

In Argentina, Friend's Day is often a good excuse for a common friendly gathering, though people also employ the day to get in contact with old and seldom-met friends and greet them. Since it is not a public holiday in Argentina, the gatherings tend to happen during the evening.

Though Friend's Day has always been respected, in recent years it has turned into a very popular mass phenomenon. In 2005, too many well-wishing friends led to a temporary breakdown of the mobile phone network in the cities of Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Rosario. In Rosario, the celebration of the Friends Day has been moved to the 19th of July, when Roberto Fontanarrosa, the best comic writer of the city, died.

Source: http://www.translatorscafe.com/cafe/MegaBBS/forumthread12038.htm

Mandela's words

2008-06-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

While reading about Nelson Mandela, South Africa and the Apartheid last Friday, I found this quotation I'd like to share with you.

Mandela's statement from the dock in the Rivonia Trial ends with these words:

I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.

Verb tense practice

2008-05-31T07:42:00.001-07:00

Those of youwho want to practise with verb tenses should try this website. You can do exercises and get corrected on-line. Thank you Anto for the tip!
Good luck!

www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html

Irish Prayer

2008-05-30T05:59:00.000-07:00

Today is a very cold morning, it's freezing outside!, but I found this Irish prayer that could make you feel warmer inside. I hope you like it!

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.

But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.

Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.

But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.

But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.

Ken Nesbitt

2008-05-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

Ken Nesbitt is a children's poet from Spokane, USA. His poems have appeared in every book in the acclaimed Kids Pick the Funniest Poems series and in school textbooks around the world. He writes a popular children's poetry web site, and his poems are also consistent winners of the "Read 'Em and Rate 'Em" contest on www.GigglePoetry.com.

Here is another of his poem (Back to School was also written by him)

This Poem's Not About a Dog

This poem's not about a dog.
It's not about a cat.
It's not about a fish or frog
or anything like that.

It's also not about my shoe,
or cows from outer space,
or purple pigs from Timbuktu,
or weasels on your face.

This poem's not the slightest bit
about some guy named Fred.
There are no robot ducks in it,
or hippos overhead.

It's not about electric sheep,
or eighty-five times nine,
or watching grandpa fall asleep,
or cheese from Lichtenstein.

It's not about a hungry hog
who ate a bowling ball.
This poem's not about a dog,
or anything at all.

--Kenn Nesbitt

Julian Beever

2008-04-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

In a few days Julian Beever is going to be in Buenos Aires. Julian Beever is an English artist who draws and paints flat images on the floor, if you look at those images from the right angle, the pictures seem to defy the laws of perspective and you'll see an amazing 3-D effect. He only uses chalk, so after some time his works vanish. What a pity!

Here is an example,

Could you believe this is just a regular drawing on the floor? Incredible, isn't it?

If you want to read more about him:
http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/index.html

I believe

2008-04-16T06:32:00.000-07:00

I Believe...

I believe-
that we don't have to change friends
if we understand that friends change.
I believe-
that no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a while
and you must forgive them for that.
I believe-
that true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.
I believe-
that you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.
I believe-
that it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.
I believe-
that you should always leave loved ones
with loving words.
It may be the last time you see them.
I believe-
that you can keep going long after you can't.
I believe-
that we are responsible for what we do,
no matter how we feel.
I believe-
that either you control your attitude
or it controls you.
I believe-
that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first,
the passion fades
and there had better be something else to take its place.
I believe-
that heroes are the people who do
what has to be done when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.
I believe-
that money is a lousy way
of keeping score.
I believe-
that my best friend and I
can do anything or nothing
and have the best time.
I believe-
that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down,
will be the ones to help you get back up.
I believe-
that sometimes when I'm angry
I have the right to be angry,
but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I believe-
that just because someone doesn't love you
the way you want them to
doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
I believe-
that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had
and what you've learned from them
and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I believe-
that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I believe-
that no matter how bad your heart is broken
the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I believe-
that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become.
I believe-
that just because two people argue,
it doesn't mean they don't love each other
And just because they don't argue,
it doesn't mean they do.
I believe-
that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret.
It could change your life forever.
I believe-
that two people can look at the exact same thing
and see something totally different.
I believe-
that your life can be changed in a matter of hours
by people who don't even know you.
I believe-
that even when you think you have no more to give,
when a friend cries out to you you will find the strength to help.
I believe-
that credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.

by Unknown

Somebody sent me this poem by e-mail and I really liked it, so I want to share it with you. Enjoy it!

Benjamin Zephaniah

2008-04-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

Here you have more info about Benjamin Zephaniah:

"Dr Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah was born and raised in Birmingham, England. He cannot remember a time when he was not creating poetry but this had nothing to do with school where poetry meant very little to him, in fact he had finished full time education at the age of 13. His poetry is strongly influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica and what he calls 'street politics'.

Young writers have said that the accessibility of his work has inspired them to take up writing, many record sleeves bare witness to the fact that he has inspired many of the new generation of rappers, and of all the performance poets that emerged in the late seventies/early eighties he is one of the few that is still going strong. He has thirteen honorary doctorates in recognition of his work and a wing in a west London hospital has been named after him. Zephaniah believes that working with human rights groups, animal rights groups and other political organisations means that he will never lack subject matter. He now spends much of his time in China, but he continues working throughout Asia, South America and Africa, and is as passionate about politics and poetry now as he has ever been." http://www.benjaminzephaniah.com/

This is one of his poems and my favourite one.

The London Breed

I love dis great polluted place

Where pop stars come to live their dreams

Here ravers come for drum and bass

And politicians plan their schemes,

The music of the world is here

Dis city can play any song

They came to here from everywhere

Tis they that made dis city strong.

A world of food displayed on streets

Where all the world can come and dine

On meals that end with bitter sweets

And cultures melt and intertwine,

Two hundred languages give voice

To fifteen thousand changing years

And all religions can rejoice

With exiled souls and pioneers.

I love dis overcrowded place

Where old buildings mark men and time

And new buildings all seem to race

Up to a cloudy dank skyline,

Too many cars mean dire air

Too many guns mean danger

Too many drugs means be aware

Of strange gifts from a stranger.

It's so cool when the heat is on

And when it's cool it's so wicked

We just keep melting into one

Just like the tribes before us did,

I love dis concrete jungle still

With all its sirens and its speed

The people here united will

Create a kind of London breed.

You can find more about him here: http://www.britishcouncil.org/arts-literature-publications-and-resources-poetryquartets-benjamin-zephaniah.htm

St. Patrick's day

2008-03-18T04:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was St. Patrick's day, a very important day for Irish people around the world.

Why Celebrate St. Patrick's Day ?
Saint Patrick's Day has come to be associated with all things Irish, including luck, rainbows, leprechauns, shamrocks, and anything green or gold. It is celebrated by those who merely want an excuse for excessive partying and for those of faith who use St. Patrick's Day as a traditional day for spiritual renewal and prayer.
It is believed that we celebrate this day on March 17th to celebrate the day of St. Patrick's death. As the Irish immigrated throughout the world, they took their history, beliefs and traditions with them , especially the celebration of St. Patrick's Day on March 17th. Although he was born nearly 1600 years ago, his presence is still felt today around the world.

Welcome back to school!

2008-03-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back to School

"Dear students, the summer has ended.
The school year at last has begun.
But this year is totally different.
We're going to only have fun.
"We won't study any mathematics,
and recess will last all day long.
Instead of the pledge of allegiance,
we'll belt out a rock-and-roll song.
"We'll only play games in the classroom.
You're welcome to bring in your toys.
It's okay to run in the hallways.
It's great if you make lots of noise.
"Your video games are your homework.
You'll have to watch lots of T.V.
For field trips we'll go to the movies
and give away candy for free.
"The lunchroom will only serve chocolate
and triple fudge sundaes supreme."
Yes, that's what I heard from my teacher
before I woke up from my dream.
--Kenn Nesbitt

St.Valentine's Day

2008-02-15T04:30:00.000-08:00

The History of St. Valentine's Day

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

Valentine Traditions

Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on Valentine's Day. They went singing from home to home. One verse they sang was:
Good morning to you, valentine;Curl your locks as I do mine ---Two before and three behind.Good morning to you, valentine.

In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him.

Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman and her wide dress. Later, the love seat or courting seat had two sections, often in an S-shape. In this way, a couple could sit together -- but not too closely!

Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.

Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.

If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.

A dangerous riddle

2008-02-05T05:25:00.000-08:00

There was once a storyteller who inadvertently offended a rich and powerful king. The king was furious and in his rage, condemned the storyteller to death!
On the day of his execution, as was the custom of the time, the storyteller was granted one final request. He said, “I ask only that I be allowed to live as long as it takes the king to solve a riddle”. Now the king rather fancied himself at solving riddles and so he readily agreed.
But through all of his lifetime, he was unable to solve the storyteller’s riddle. It became his lifelong obsession until he eventually lost his mind, lost his queen and lost his kingdom. He died in misery in a place set aside for the incurably insane! As for the storyteller, he lived to a ripe old age, dying peacefully in his sleep.
The riddle became such a threat to the sanity of man that a law was passed forbidding it ever to be repeated. And it never was. Until a few years ago when an archaeologist discovered an old manuscript upon which was written the story that I have just told you. It also contained the storyteller’s riddle.
I could tell you what it said and you might try to solve it yourself. But before you do, just remember what happened to that rich and powerful king, all those hundreds of years ago. Are you sure that you want to risk losing your sanity?!

All right, here it is: I can touch you but you can't touch me. Although I have no wheels, wings or sails, I can take you on a long journey. And sometimes you can see me best with your eyes closed! What am I?

VERY TECHNOLOGICAL QUOTES

2008-01-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

Favourite Technology Quotations

Everything that can be invented has been invented.
- Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899

640K ought to be enough for anybody.
- Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, 1981

I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.
- IBM Chairman Thomas Watson, 1943

There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.
- Ken Olson (President of Digital Equipment Corporation) at the Convention of the World Future Society in Boston in 1977

The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do.
- B. F. Skinner

Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done.
- Andy Rooney

In a few minutes a computer can make a mistake so great that it would have taken many men many months to equal it.
- Anonymous

One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.
- Elbert Hubbard

Any teacher that can be replaced by a computer, deserves to be.
- David Thornburg

Those parts of the system that you can hit with a hammer are called hardware; those program instructions that you can only curse at are called software.
- Anonymous

We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.
- Carl Sagan

Never let a computer know you're in a hurry.
- Anonymous

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
- Thomas Edison

Technology is like fish. The longer it stays on the shelf, the less desirable it becomes.
- Andrew Heller, IBM

A scary poem

2008-01-26T04:28:00.000-08:00

Here is a nice and scary poem I found. I hope you like it!

I Am The Night

I am the night.

I am darkness at it's bluest.

To me there is sheer delight in the shadow of the night

No need to insist, for the night I exist.

The light of day is not night's way.

I am the night.

I am a creature of the dark.

I have been groomed for gloom.

For eons of time, the night has been mine.

I can't remember when the night and me didn't function as twins.

Just as the ocean's floor holds mysteries, the night alone conceals my history.

I am the night

Just as poetry flows from ocean currents and from the slashing force of wind

springs forth designs,

Each drop of rain delivers music to our minds, poetry never ceases.

From my point of view, at night it increases.

I find beauty in each dancing shadow and exquisite delight in the secret of the night.

The spirit things clothed in the unknown,

Travel the same path that I consider home.

Things that move skillfully at night do so without sight.

I love these wonders for I am the night.

My five senses are more acute than most.

Of this superiority, I proudly boast.

My movements are as swift as lightening dashing across the sky.

They can't be held in focus by the human eye.

Question - Who am I?

I feed on a secret vein of life and rest in the protective cover of dusk in disguise.

My skin is cold to the touch, don't worry you won't touch me much.

My beginning is of no importance, but I see no end in sight.

I believe I am forever;

I am the night

I have been known by many titles and names.

For none of them do I feel shame, for I exist as all do.

Just as I am me, and you are you.

I am called Satan, Impaler, Death, Blood Drinker; just to name a few -

Pick one that suits you.

Some even call me a Ghost;

yet, vampire is what I am called the most

Whether these names are wrong or right, the fact remains -

I am the night.

Prepositions = a nightmare?

2008-01-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

There are 150 prepositions in English. Some of them are short, typically containing five letters or fewer. There are, however, a significant number of multi word prepositions. Throughout the evolution of the the English language, new prepositions have come into use, old ones fallen out of use, and the meaning of existing prepositions changed.

A preposition is a word governing, and usually coming in front of, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element.

Prepositions:
aboard
about
above
absent
according to
across
after
against
ahead of
along
alongside
amid
amidst
among
around
as
as far as
as well as
at
atop
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
by
by means of
despite
down
due to

during
except
far from
following
for
from
in
in addition to
in case of
in front of
in place of
in spite of
inside
inside of
instead of
in to (into)
like
mid
minus
near
near to
next
next to
notwithstanding
of
off
on
on account of
on behalf of
on top of
on to (onto)
opposite
out of
outside
outside of
owing to
over
past
plus
prior to
regarding
round
save
since
than
through
throughout
till
times
to
toward
under
underneath
until
up
upon
with
with regards to
within
without

Happy birthday Jennine!

2008-01-18T11:19:00.000-08:00

You see! How could I forget?!
Happy birthday Jennine! I wish you the best, and good luck in the USA.
See you in March
Love you!
Andrea

I wish you enough

2008-01-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

I WISH YOU ENOUGH
Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport as the daughter's departure had been announced. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, "I love you and I wish you enough." The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom." They kissed and the daughter left.
The mother walked over to the window where I sat. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry.
I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking but why is this a forever good-bye?" "I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.
When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, "I wish you enough." May I ask what that means?" She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. "When we said 'I wish you enough' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them". Then turning toward me, she shared the following, reciting it from memory,"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye."She then began to cry and walked away.
They say it takes a minute to find a special person. An hour to appreciate them. A day to love them. And an entire life to forget them.
TAKE TIME TO LIVE!

wear sunscreen!

2008-01-11T04:57:00.000-08:00

summer!

2008-01-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Today: good literature, a nice poem by John Keats (1795 - 1821). To find more stuff about him, go to http://www.john-keats.com/

Written on a Summer Evening

The church bells toll a melancholy round,

Calling the people to some other prayers,

Some other gloominess, more dreadful cares,

More harkening to the sermon's horrid sound.

Surely the mind of man is closely bound

In some blind spell: seeing that each one tears

Himself from fireside joys and Lydian airs,

And converse high of those with glory crowned.

Still, still they toll, and I should feel a damp,

A chill as from a tomb, did I not know

That they are dying like an outburnt lamp,

- That 'tis their sighing, wailing, ere they go

Into oblivion -that fresh flowers will grow,

And many glories of immortal stamp.

John Keats

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2007-12-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

Auld Lang Syne

2007-12-30T14:10:00.000-08:00

The most popular Scottish New Year song ''Auld Lang Syne'' with its melody and swinging quality has been regarded as the most apt song for greeting the new beginning. Hope, dream, aspiration and desire laces the song and is an eloquent utterance of the poetic excellence of Robert Burns who composed the Scottish New Year song. Let us greet this New Year with the melody of the Scottish New Year song.

Auld Lang Syne (Scottish Dialect)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne
And surely ye 'll be your pint' stowp

And surely I 'll be mine

And we 'll take a cup o' kindness yet

For auld lang syne

We twa hae run about the braes

And pou'd the gowans fine

But we 've wander'd monie a weary fit

Sin' auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn

Frae morning sun till dine

But seas between us braid hae roar'd

Sin' auld lang syne

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere

And gie 's a hand o' thine

And we 'll tak a right guid-willie waught

For auld lang syne

[CHORUS]For auld lang syne, my dear

For auld lang syne

We'll tak a cup o' kindess yet

For auld lang syne

Times Long Gone (English translation)

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

And days of long ago

[CHORUS:]

For old long ago, my dear

For old long ago,

We will take a cup of kindness yet

For old long ago

We two have run about the hillsides

And pulled the daisies fine,

But we have wandenavy many a weary foot

For old long ago

We two have paddled in the stream

From noon until dinner time,

But seas between us broad have roanavy

Since old long ago

And there is a hand, my trusty friend,

And give us a hand of yours,

And we will take a goodwill draught

For old long ago

And surely you will pay for your pint,

And surely I will pay for mine

And we will take a cup of kindness yet

For old long ago

I'm sure you've heard the song before, in case you don't remember it check here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSFk50qdYO4&feature=related

Idiomatic expressions: Crocodile tears

2007-12-28T05:21:00.000-08:00

To weep crocodile tears is to pretend a sorrow that one doesn't in fact feel, to create a hypocritical show of emotion. The idea comes from the ancient belief that crocodiles weep while luring or devouring their prey.

This story seems to have been taken up by medieval French and English writers and that's where we get it from. For example, in 1565 Sir John Hawkins wrote: "In this river we saw many Crocodils .. His nature is ever when he would have his prey, to cry and sob like a Christian body, to provoke them to come to him, and then he snatcheth at them".

The first example known in English seems to be in a travel book of about 1400, "The Voyage and Travail of Sir John Mandeville" (I've modernised the spelling a lot): "In many places of Inde are many crocodiles - that is, a manner of long serpent. These serpents slay men and they eat them weeping". One version of the story says that the beast weeps over the head after having eaten the body, not from repentance but from frustrated gluttony: the head is simply too bony to be worth consuming.

The story was taken up by Edmund Spenser in "The Fairie Queen" and then by Shakespeare. Having such authorities on its side made it almost inevitable that the reference would stay in the language. For example, in the story of how the elephant got his trunk in the "Just So Stories", by Rudyard Kipling: "'Come hither, Little One,' said the Crocodile, 'for I am the Crocodile,' and he wept crocodile-tears to show it was quite true".

My naturalist friends tell me that crocodiles can't cry, because they have no tear ducts - they would be useless in an animal that spends so much time in the water. The eyes can produce secretions to moisten the lids if the animal is out of the water for a while, but these are hardly tears. They might have given rise to the idea, though.

World Wide Words, Issue 317, Saturday 23 November 2002

World Wide Words is copyright (c) Michael Quinion 2002.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2007-12-24T03:49:00.000-08:00

Surfing the net I found this story which was written by Tomie dePaola in a book entitled 'Tony's Bread', and tells us the story of panettone. I hope you enjoy it!

THE STORY OF PANETTONE
Once, in a little village in the hills above Milan, there was a baker named Antonio and a very good baker he was too. He made bread for all the people in the village. Good coarse country bread that kept the villagers from going hungry when they worked in the fields, ploughing and tending the grapes.
Now the baker was a widower and he had one daughter a beautiful girl, but spoilt. Because her father was so very fond of her, he wouldn’t let her do any work. Not in the bakery or anywhere else. He wouldn’t even allow her to help with the housework. All poor Seraphina had to do each day was sit in her window and watch the world go by.
She spent most of her time looking out into the street and the market square - and eating sweets! So she wasn’t only spoilt and bored, if truth were told, she was getting sadly fat!
One day in November, not long before Christmas, there was great excitement as a group of young huntsmen rode into the village looking for something to eat and drink. As Seraphina leaned out of her window, her eyes met those of one of the young men and 'pouf!' it was love at first sight!
Luckily it was love at first sight for the young man as well and he gave her a big wink! He then sat down to talk to the old ladies who are always to be found in Italian village squares. He wanted to find out about the lovely lady in the window. They in their turn were eager to know who he was. Tt turned out the young man was called Angelo. He was the son of the Duke of Milan and a very important person. Between them, Angelo and the old ladies hatched a plot so that Seraphina and Angelo could meet.
Angelo called for ink and paper and wrote two letters, one to Antonio and one to his daughter Seraphina. This is what they said. To Seraphina he wrote,"Dear Seraphina, I love you. Soon we will meet and I will hold you in my arms".To Antonio he wrote,"Dear Antonio, I like your bread. Please meet me at the Market Square after Mass tomorrow. I have a plan that will make you rich and famous!"He asked the old ladies to deliver the letters. Next day they all met and Angelo told Antonio of his plan to set him up in a bakery in Milan and for him to marry Seraphina. Both Seraphina and Antonio thought that this was a good idea and the next day they left for Milan.
Once in Milan, Antonio and Seraphina spent the day going round the bakeries of the great city. They tasted Torte, Pane and Biscotti and found them delicious. The biscuits were sweet and crisp and the bread soft and white, and scattered with wonderful seeds.
While they walked and nibbled at the bread, Antonio became more and more sad. At the end of the day he went to Angelo and said, "I cannot make bread here, my bread is good bread but it is bread for the workers in the hills. Your friends would not buy my bread". "Oh", said Seraphina, "if only you could make bread as sweet and rich as these dried fruits and candies". "Yes", said Angelo, "and as rich and sweet as this punch fortified with eggs and milk and honey". "THAT’S IT!" said Antonio, "I'll make a bread that tastes like all of these things!". And soon Seraphina and her father departed back to their village with wagonloads of the biggest eggs the sweetest honey and the plumpest raisins and fruit.
All the next day Antonio experimented and muttered to himself in his bakery and at the end of the afternoon, he put all the dough into bowls to rise overnight. The next day he filled every baking tray and tin in the bakery with the dough. There was still some dough left over so he put what was left into clean flowerpots and baked it in them.
Soon the whole village was filled with the delicious smell of baking bread. Antonio, Seraphina and the people of the village, plus Angelo (who had ridden up from Milan), could hardly wait for the bread to be cool enough to be cut and tasted. At last Antonio took his first bite and everyone waited with bated breath, "YES!" he shouted, and soon everyone was munching and laughing. And then Angelo loaded up the cart and took what was left back to Milan.Everyone in the village waited and within the week, a cartload of new supplies came up from Angelo with a note, "My friends loved your bread and please can you make lots more? Also, make it all in flowerpot shapes because my friends liked that best. Bring it to Milan as soon as possible and Seraphina and I will be married the next day".
As soon as he could, Antonio with Seraphina set off for Milan with lots of the new bread. As they approached the gates of the city, Antonio could hear the bells ringing and he thought it was because it was Christmas Eve, but as he abecame nearer, he could hear cheers and the people calling "Toni, Tonio we love your bread, 'Pane', Panne, Panettone".
And that’s why the Italians always eat Panettone, 'Tony’s Bread', at Christmas and why the best Panettone comes from Milan.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Celebrations

2007-12-23T08:21:00.000-08:00

Last Monday the 4th year adults class and I celebrated the beginning of the holidays with a nice dinner at Peperoncino, we had a great time and we ate a lot!

And on Wednesday, 5th year junior class invited me to Il Popotte and we had great pizzas and a great time.

To tell you the truth, this has been a tough year, I had a lot of work and a lot to study, but I had such wonderful groups that I enjoyed it deeply.

I want to thank them all, in Necochea and in La Dulce for this wonderful year and let's hope that 2008 will be the best year in all our lives.

Love

Andrea

A story with a moral

2007-12-22T10:54:00.000-08:00

A tale is told about the Buddha, Gautama (563-483BC), the Indian prince and spiritual leader whose teachings founded Buddhism. This short story illustrates that every one of us has the choice whether or not to take personal offence from another person's behaviour.

It is said that on an occasion when the Buddha was teaching a group of people, he found himself on the receiving end of a fierce outburst of abuse from a bystander, who was for some reason very angry.

The Buddha listened patiently while the stranger vented his rage, and then the Buddha said to the group and to the stranger, "If someone gives a gift to another person, who then chooses to decline it, tell me, who would then own the gift? The giver or the person who refuses to accept the gift?"

"The giver," said the group after a little thought. "Any fool can see that," added the angry stranger.

"Then it follows, does it not," said the Buddha, "Whenever a person tries to abuse us, or to unload their anger on us, we can each choose to decline or to accept the abuse; whether to make it ours or not. By our personal response to the abuse from another, we can choose who owns and keeps the bad feelings."

An Aesop's Fable

2007-12-20T06:33:00.000-08:00

The North Wind and The Sun

The North Wind boasted of great strength. The Sun argued that there was
great power in gentleness.
"We shall have a contest," said the Sun.
Far below, a man travelled a winding road. He was wearing a warm winter coat.
"As a test of strength," said the Sun, "Let us see which of us can take the coat off of that man."
"It will be quite simple for me to force him to remove his coat," bragged the Wind.
The Wind blew so hard, the birds clung to the trees. The world was filled with dust and leaves. But the harder the wind blew down the road, the tighter the shivering man clung to his coat.
Then, the Sun came out from behind a cloud. Sun warmed the air and the frosty ground. The man on the road unbuttoned his coat.
The sun grew slowly brighter and brighter.
Soon the man felt so hot, he took off his coat and sat down in a shady spot.
"How did you do that?" said the Wind.
"It was easy," said the Sun, "I lit the day. Through gentleness I got my way."

This is the power of gentleness

See you

Andrea

Julieta

2007-12-18T16:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Julieta! I love you!

You are so, so sooooooooooo special, I'll never forget you!

Andrea

buttons

2007-12-18T05:13:00.001-08:00

This is something to amaze family and friends. In the middle of a conversation you have to raise the question:

There is a reason why men's clothes have buttons on the right while women have buttons on the left. What is it?

They are going to think that you're going to come out with a silly remark, and here is when you surprise them giving this clever and true answer:

Most people are right handed and find it easier to fasten a button which is on the right through a hole which is on the left. This is why men's buttons are on the right. When buttons were first used it was rich people who could afford clothes with buttons. Among this class the ladies were often dressed by maid servants. The servant would face the lady and so it was easier for right handed servants to fasten buttons which were on the lady's left.

the bucket and the bath

2007-12-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

Do you need a bed in a mental hospital? Check it with this story!

See you!

Andrea

A party of suppliers was being given a tour of a mental hospital.
One of the visitors had made some very insulting remarks about the patients.
After the tour the visitors were introduced to various members of staff in the canteen.
The rude visitor chatted to one of the security staff, Bill, a kindly and wise ex-policeman.
"Are they all raving loonies in here then?" said the rude man.
"Only the ones who fail the test," said Bill.
"What's the test?" said the man.
"Well, we show them a bath full of water, a bucket, a jug and an egg-cup, and we ask them what's the quickest way to empty the bath," said Bill.
"Oh I see, simple - the normal ones know it's the bucket, right?"
"No actually," said Bill,

"The normal ones say pull out the plug. Should I check when there's a bed free for you?"

The Alphabet

2007-12-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

The English Alphabet

The letter 'o' is the oldest letter in the English alphabet; it has been the same shape since about 1300BC.
'O' is also the least common letter in English; the most common letter is 'e'.
The novel Gadsby, written by Ernest Vincent Wright, has over 50,000 words but none of them use the letter 'e'.
'Almost' is the longest word in English that has all its letters in alphabetical order.
The word 'set' has the most definitions of all words in English.
The word 'four' has four letters; it is the only number in English whose number of letters is the same as its value.

6th year dinner party

2007-12-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

Finally! Here is one of the photos! (thank you Mili, you kept your word)
We had a great time, and I'm going to miss this group a lot!, some of them have been in my class for three years! Others came last year, or a few months ago but they became part of us and we'll always remember all of them.
Tomorrow First Certificate! Good luck to you all!

How to leave your comment!

2007-12-06T03:59:00.000-08:00

After receiving many complaints, I've decided to give you this short guide on how to leave your comments on the posts.

1) click on COMMENT (wow! I bet you didn't see that coming!)
2) write your COMMENT (in English!!!)
3) copy the letters in the box.
4) click on "nickname" and(surprise, surprise!) write your nickname, or click on anonymous and do not write anything (for the lazy / shy ones!)
5) click on PUBLISH and there you go! your comment is on the web!

Piece of cake!

The sheikh and the camels

2007-12-04T05:48:00.000-08:00

Another brain-teaser to wake those brains of yours up!!!

An Arab sheikh tells his two sons to race their camels to a distant city to see who will inherit his fortune. The one whose camel is slower will win. The brothers, after wandering aimlessly for days, ask a wise man for advice. After hearing the advice they jump on the camels and race as fast as they can to the city.What does the wise man say?

Mafalda

2007-12-03T04:44:00.000-08:00

We all know who Mafalda is, but Have you ever read it in English? Sounds strange, doesn't it? Anyway, it's one of my favourite characters. Hope you like it! (click on the image to enlarge it)

December has started!

2007-12-02T14:48:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday, the fourth Thursday of November, the Americans celebrated Thanksgiving, we talked about this celebration in one of the classes. For the ones who wants to know something about it here is this great website: http://www.history.com/minisites/thanksgiving/ There's even a video! I think it is easy to understand. Hope you like it.

By the way, December has started and I know most of you are already studying for your finals (hopefully), but keep in mind that in a few days time we'll be enjoying our HOLIDAYS !!!

Our 6th year dinner party was a great success, we enjoyed it very much! Soon I'll upload some of the photographs.

The best things in life

2007-11-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today we have our annual 6th year dinner party, I hope everything will go well. We are working really hard for it!
I'm still waiting for someone to solve yestarday's brain teaser.
Today I have a collection of things some people consider THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE, what would YOU add to the list?

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE

Falling in love.

Laughing so hard your face hurts.

A hot shower.

No lines at the Supermarket.

A special glance.

Getting mail.

Taking a drive on a scenic road.

Hearing your favorite song on the radio.

Lying in bed listening to the rain outside..

Finding the sweater you want is on sale for half price.

A bar of Chocolate .

A long distance phone call.

A bubble bath.

Giggling.

A good conversation.

The beach.

Finding a $100 note in your coat from last winter.

Laughing at yourself.

Laughing at an inside joke.

Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.

Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.

Friends.

Falling in love for the first time.

Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.

Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.

Your first kiss.

Making new friends or spending time with old ones.

Playing with a puppy.

Late night talks with your roommate.

Having someone play with your hair.

Sweet dreams.

Hot chocolate.

Road trips with friends.

Swinging on swings.

Watching a good movie cuddled up on a couch with someone you love.

Wrapping presents for the Christmas tree .

Song lyrics inside your new CD so you can sing along without feeling stupid.

Making chocolate chip cookies!

Hugging the person you love.

Watching the sunrise.

Getting out of bed every morning feeling thankful for another beautiful day.

Train your brains!

2007-11-29T04:54:00.000-08:00

Mental exercises such as crossword puzzles, brain teasers, chess, or card games help keep the mind working in top shape. This helps build what is called a "cognitive reserve." Formal education also helps build a person's cognitive reserve. In fact, each year of education reduces a person's chances of getting Alzheimer's by an average of 17%. Scientists believe this is because people with a large cognitive reserve are better able to adapt as neurons are killed by the disease. The more neural connections you have, the longer it takes for the disease to make a significant impact.It's important to note that mental exercise cannot help significantly once Alzheimer's has already set in. A person must have a lifetime commitment to learning in order to build up his or her cognitive reserve. It is probably not possible to completely prevent the disease in genetically susceptible people, but it is possible to delay the onset so that it will not occur in the person's lifetime.

In conclusion, study a lot! Let's also have some fun with this brain teaser which will help you to wake your brain up:

Greatest Area

A farmer challenges an engineer, a physicist, and a mathematician to fence off the largest amount of area using the least amount of fence.

The engineer made his fence in a circle and said it was the most efficient.

The physicist made a long line and said that the length was infinite. Then he said that fencing half of the Earth was the best.

The mathematician laughed at the others and with his design, beat the others. What did he do?

The answer? ... SOON

Milagros' birthday

2007-11-27T16:46:00.000-08:00

Better late than never! Yesterday was Milagros' birhday, I should have prepared a special entry for her!!! Sorry Millie! Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

This is a poem I found in one of my drawers (you can find almost anything there) and I liked it. I hope you like it too...

Don't Ever...

Don't ever try to understand everything-
some things will just never make sense.
Don't ever be reluctant to show your feelings-
when you're happy, give into it!
When you're not, live with it.
Don't ever be afraid to try to make things better-
you might be surprised at the results.
Don't ever take the weight of the world
on your shoulders.
Don't ever be threatened by the future-
take life one day at a time.
Don't ever feel guilty about the past-
what's done is done. Learn from any mistakes
you might have made.
Don't ever feel that you are alone...
there is always somebody there for you
to reach out to.
Don't ever forget that you can achieve
so many of the things you can imagine-
imagine that! It's not as hard as it seems.
Don't ever stop loving.
Don't ever stop believing.
Don't ever stop dreaming your dreams.

THREE TURTLES

2007-11-26T04:42:00.000-08:00

Monday again!

What follows is a funny story, but if you read carefully between the lines, we could talk a little bit about friendship, confidence...Can you find the moral?

THREE TURTLES

Three turtles, Joe, Steve, and Raymond, decide to go on a picnic. So Joe packs the picnic basket with cookies, bottled sodas, and sandwiches. The trouble is, the picnic site is 10 miles away, so the turtles take 10 whole days to get there. By the time they do arrive, everyone`s exhausted.Joe takes the stuff out of the basket, one by one. He takes out the sodas and says, `Alright, Steve, give me the bottle opener.``I didn`t bring the bottle opener,` Steve says. `I thought you packed it.`Joe gets worried. He turns to Raymond. `Raymond, do you have the bottle opener?`Naturally, Raymond doesn`t have it, so the turtles are stuck ten miles away from home without soda.

Joe & Steve beg Raymond to turn back home and retrieve it, but Raymond flatly refuses, knowing that they`ll eat everything by the time he gets back.After about two hours, the turtles manage to convince Raymond to go, swearing on their great-grand turtles` graves that they won`t touch the food.

So, Raymond sets off down the road, slow and steadily. Twenty days pass, but no Raymond. Joe and Steve are hungry and puzzled, but a promise is a promise.Another day passes, and still no Raymond, but a promise is a promise. After three more days pass without Raymond in sight, Steve starts getting restless. `I NEED FOOD!` he says with a hint of dementia in his voice.`NO!` Joe retorts. `We promised.`Five more days pass. Joe realizes that Raymond probably skipped out to the restaurant down the road, so the two turtles weakly lift the lid, get a sandwich, and open their mouths to eat.

But then, right at that instant, Raymond pops out from behind a rock, and says, `Just for that, I`m not going.`

English is a crazy language

2007-11-24T11:28:00.000-08:00

This is something that Thomas Payne, a Linguistics professor, has written, it's really clever. Let's face it, English is a crazy language, don't you agree?

ENGLISH IS A CRAZY LANGUAGE

Let´s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant or ham in hamburger, neither apple nor pine in pineapple...

English muffins were not invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren´t sweet, are meat. Boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don´t fing, grocers don´t groce, and hammers don´t ham ?

If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn´t the plural of booth beeth ? One goose, 2 geese. So, one moose, 2 meese ? Is cheese the plural of choose ?

If teachers taught, why don´t we say that preachers praught ? If a vegeterian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat ?

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital ?

Ship by truck and send cargo by ship ? Have noses that run and feet that smell ? Park on driveways and drive on parkways ?

When a house burns up, it burns down. You will fill in a form by filling it out, and an alarm clock goes off by going on.

When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

And why, when I wind up my watch, do I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it ?

Thomas Payne, Department of Linguistics, University of Oregon

Happy Birthday Lucila!

2007-11-23T05:15:00.000-08:00

A special entry for Lucila who is 15 today! I hope you have wonderful party with ALL your guests (you know what I mean... ;) )

A little poem for you:

Because today's so special

it really wouldn't do,

to send one simple birthday wish

to last the whole year through...

So this wishes happy moments,

a day when dreams come true,

and a year that's filled with all the things

that mean the most to you.

The importance of writing clearly

2007-11-22T04:55:00.000-08:00

When you write compositions, letters, or anything you need, don't take anything for granted. Look what happened to these two kings...

War of Words

A king sent a message to the ruler of a neighbouring country. The message read: "Send me a blue diamond as large as a pigeon's egg or else..."The king on getting the message wrote back:"We don't have such a diamond and if we had..."The first king got very angry and declared war on his neighbour. The fighting went on for several months till a third king arranged a meeting between the two warring rulers. So they met and the first king said to the other: "What did you mean when you said, 'Send me a blue diamond as large as a pigeon's egg or else...'?""Why," he replied, "I meant a blue diamond as large as a pigeon's egg or else... some other diamond. I love diamonds. But what did you mean when you said, 'We don't have such a diamond and if we had-'?""It is easy to guess my meaning," said the other man. "What I wanted to say was, if we had such a diamond we would have gladly sent it to you."The Kings pledged to write more clearly in future communications and embraced and made peace.

Hope you like it!

PS: Some of you've asked me for extra practice, you can find some exercises here:
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com

November 19th

2007-11-21T04:34:00.000-08:00

Finally! I have found the time to write!…
Last Monday, November 19th, was the 17th anniversary of my graduation as a mum, it was Julieta’s (better known as “Chul”) birthday. If I think about it a little bit more, It was not a graduation (I never got the degree!) it was just the beginning of a long-life learning period. My daughters are teaching me how to be a mother on the way, it’s a pity there isn’t an instruction manual. Anyway, I’m really proud of them, so things are coming out pretty well.

Happy birthday Juli! I love you…

Now, back to students, read this poem that I think is really useful, especially for this time of the year when we are all really tired.

"Don't Quit"

When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things go wrong that you must not quit.

- Author Unknown

in a hurry!

2007-11-20T04:45:00.000-08:00

Today I don't have much time, so I'll upload a cartoon I found. (Don't take it too seriously!)

I'm correcting tests, and the internet connection comes and goes... bad day

A story with a moral

2007-11-16T05:46:00.000-08:00

Today we have a story with a moral and here it is...

The Wise Old Man

A wealthy man was worried about his son, he was irresponsible, he never did what he had to and he was extremely lazy. So, he requested a wise old man to wean his son away from his bad habits. The old man took the youth for a stroll through a garden. Stopping suddenly he asked the boy to pull out a tiny plant growing there. The youth held the plant between his thumb and forefinger and pulled it out. The old man then asked him to pull out a slightly bigger plant. The youth pulled hard and the plant came out, roots and all."Now pull out that one," said the old man pointing to a bush. The boy had to use all his strength to pull it out."Now take this one out," said the old man, indicating a guava tree. The youth grasped the trunk and tried to pull it out. But it would not budge."I – It's impossible," said the boy, panting with the effort.
"So it is with bad habits," said the wise man. "When they are young it is easy to pull them out but when they take hold they cannot be uprooted."

Hope you like it!
last but not least, let´s wish Valentina a happy birthday!

A photo!!!

2007-11-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

This is my fifth year group in Necochea, wonderful children and great students (I haven't corrected the tests yet, I hope to think the same about you on Monday!)
From the left: Lucía, Lucina, Nicolás Milagros, Inés, Jennine, Me!, Cristian and Lucila, Josefina, Betiana, Maylén, Fiorella, Ayelén and Birgit.

Love you all!

Could you believe it?

2007-11-15T06:35:00.000-08:00

If you think you're having a bad day, read this:

A psychology student in New York rented out her spare room to a carpenter in order to nag him constantly and study his reactions. After weeks of doing so, he got really angry and beat her repeatedly with an axe leaving her mentally retarded.

In 1992, Frank Perkins of Los Angeles made an attempt on the world flagpole-sitting record. Suffering from the flu he came down eight hours short of the 400 day record, his sponsor had gone bust, his girlfriend had left him and his phone and electricity had been cut off.

Two animal rights protesters were protesting at the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn. Suddenly the pigs, all two thousand of them, escaped through a broken fence and stampeded, trampling the two hapless protesters to death.

A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen, shaking frantically with what looked like a wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current she whacked him with a handy plank of wood by the back door, breaking his arm in two places. Till that moment he had been happily listening to his Walkman.

The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska was $80,000. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers. A minute later they were both eaten by a killer whale.

Swedish business consultant Ulf af Trolle labored 13 years on a book about Swedish economic solutions. He took the 250-page manuscript to be copied, only to have it reduced to 50,000 strips of paper in seconds when a worker confused the copier with the shredder.

Iraqi terrorist, Khay Rahnajet, didn't pay enough postage on a letter bomb. It came back with "return to sender" stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb, he opened it and was blown to bits.

Amazing facts

2007-11-14T04:59:00.000-08:00

Here are some amazing facts that you might find useless but interesting, :)
The 1st Certificate Girls in La Dulce are going to be happy... they love them!

DID YOU KNOW?

-There are more chickens than people in the world. -The longest one syllable word in the English language is “screeched”.
-Winston Churchill was born in a ladies’ room during a dance.
-There are only four words in English which end in “dous”: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
-In most advertisements, including newspapers, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10.
-A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
-It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
-Most lipsticks contain fish scales.
-Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn’t wear pants.
-Ketchup was sold in the 1930’s as medicine.
-The number of possible ways of playing the first four moves per side in a game of chess is 318,979,564,000.
-There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.
-The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan. There was never a recorded Wendy before.
-Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. It also took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa’s lips.
-Sherlock Holmes NEVER said “Elementary, my dear Watson”.

Another Birthday!

2007-11-13T17:03:00.000-08:00

Today is Joaquín's birthday!!! And in spite of being Tuesday 13th, it was a lucky day for his partners because he took delicious cookies to celebrate.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

11 RULES

2007-11-13T04:59:00.000-08:00

Hi again!

Here are 11 rules for students which some people said were laid down by Bill Gates, I doubt this is true, but some of them are interesting. What do you think? Which ones do you agree with?

Rules for students. (by Bill Gates?)

Rule 1:

Life is not fair -- get used to it!

Rule 2:

The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3:

You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4:

If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5:

Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping -- they called it opportunity.

Rule 6:

If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7:

Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try tidying the closet in your own room.

Rule 8:

Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9:

Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10:

Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11:

Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Happy Birthday

2007-11-11T11:40:00.000-08:00

Today is Ayelén's birthday and last Thursday was Ximena's too. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Both of them are sixteen now! I hope both of you keep on being such nice girls.

Sweet 16

Today you turn sweet sixteen
Life no longer appears as it's been
Put away your childhood toys
Make way for all those teenage boys ;)

Poison

2007-11-09T05:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we finished reading Poison with my 5th year class in Necochea, and after finishing it somebody asked why the story was called like that, of course it wasn't about the krait (we know there wasn't one), but if we come to think about it, the story is about racism. Harry Pope is perfectly willing to tolerate Dr. Ganderbai, who is an Indian native, as long as his life is in danger, but as soon as Ganderbai dares to question the white man, Harry lets his true colours show.

Can you think of other examples of "poison" in our lives?

Now I leave you with a quotation I've found and I think you might like it...

"...Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden inthe most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."

Never trust your spell-checker

2007-11-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

This is a poem somebody wrote and the word processor never showed the mistakes in it. The first two lines should read:

"I have a spelling-checker

It came with my PC "

Could you write the poem as it should be?

The first one to do it successfully will... ahh... mmmhh... Well, we'll see, but try anyway!

(If you click on the poem, you'll get to see it bigger!)

Halloween

2007-11-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday there was a discussion in my 5th year course. Some of the students claimed that All Saints day is on November 1st, while others disagreed and said that it had been the day before, others said it would be the following day. For all of them, here is this text about halloween. Let's find out who was right.

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.
The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

Set the wheels in motion

2007-11-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

Do you know what "set the wheels in motion" means? It means: to do what is necessary to make something begin. What is that something I want to make begin? I'd like you to begin to like reading and writing in English. I'd like you to begin to share anything you think is interesting. I'd like this website to begin and become a good place to meet, even if you are not my students anymore.
Welcome and let's SET THE WHEELS IN MOTION!!!