My teacher

Richard is my teacher. He has a nice last name. It is Blum. (It looks like plum fruit). I like to hear people call him Mr. Blum.

My teacher has a nice voice. His tone is communicative. However, he is aging now but he looks like a kid. He likes to have fun. He would rather make people laugh than cry. He is a happy person who always smiles at the world. He gives to the world a lot, a lot. . . .of happiness.

In America, most students call teacher by their first name. But I don't, I like to call him " teacher." I respect him very much. I like him, because he correct my homework. He always gives me nice words. I made him busy with my essays. Sometimes, I feel guity. But I have no choice. I really need him to help me improve my English. On my job, sometimes, I don't feel confident because my grammar is still poor. I can't make good in sentences. I'm not happy about my English. I confuse people with my talking.

Anyway, Richard is a good teacher and he has enthursiam for his students. He likes helping people. I like him because he is the one who always pushes me to study. He made me feel confident in speaking. I hope this class continues to let me have a opportunity to develope my talking.

He is a patient teacher. I have learned a lot of from him. I won't forget the happy face he has!

My Daughter's Birthday

Today is the change of time day and it is Joanna's birthday, also. She looks like she enjoys sleeping too much on her birthday. It's eleven o'clock now, but she is just weaking up.

She has never asked me to buy anything for her birthday, but I want to buy her somethings surprise her. Finally, I buy a birthday cake for her. She is very happy and enjoy eating the birthday cake with her brother.

Last night, Joanna was set up her birthday in my electric dictionary. So, this mornig I went to check a new word and I saw her birthday is show up in my dictionary. She is a very careful girl. She doesn't want me forget her birthday.

Halloween

I used to bring my kids to Alameda to get Halloween candy for many years. It was crowded over there. Most kids and adults wore Halloween costumes when they went to get candy. They said," Trick or Treat " to people who gave out candy.

I feel like people like it over there very much because there are more people who gives out candy and the houses are close by. For that reason, the number of "trick or treaters" has been increasing year after year.

A few days ago, I asked my kids if they wanted to trick or treat in Alameda. They seemed to be not interested. They didn't answer me.

I want them to be happy and excited. Maybe I have to change where we go to get candy, but I don't know of a place that is close by where they can get a lot of candy and have fun.

Do any classmates know about places to go to get Halloween candy?

Please, let me know and show me how to get there. Thank you very much!

Happy Halloween!

My Feeling

I have wished I have plenty of English to let me can handle by myself for every aspect.

I want my English to get rich to let me can protect myself.

I feel shy if my English is poor.

I feel like having a hindrance on my way if my English is lack.

English is my priority and it is a big challenge for me also.

Land by Leo Tolstoy Part 3

This is the final part of Land by Leo Tolstoy

Part 3

Aren't You Interested in Sharing, Are You?

Hi, classmates:
I thought, the blogger here is the place for all of us to share the ideas, to exchange the knowledge and conversation each other.

The list of members are increasing, but the writers seem to be reduce.

Why?

Aren't you interested to share with me, are you?

Do you regret with a chance have gone?

The opportunity comes only at once, try your best!

I'd love to hear more feedback from you guys.

Land by Leo Tolstoy

Land is recorded in 3 parts: (Click each part to play)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3 (I'll post it after we discuss the third part in class)

I Enjoy My Job

I love my job because I meet different people everyday. I have learned many things from my customers.

My job is in customer services. So, I have to take good care and make my clients happy with my work. I like to take time with them when I'm not very busy. I like talking with customers to build the relationships with them.

I have many picky customers.
My challenge is to honor every customer request.

I'm very happy when I see my customers walk out with happy faces. I feel rewarded. All my hard work is paid off.

Most my customers are loyal. They don't mind to come back if I'm very busy. They are my main source of income.

My Birthday's Present

Last year, my husband gave me an electric dictionary for my birthday. I was very happy because it was the one which was I really need it. The dictionary helped me to save a lot of time in checking new words. It's very tidy to bring to school also.

However, it isn't a valueable gift but I like it very much. Because it is the right one that I'm necessary. It help me a lot in studying.

Ben and Jerry Ice-Cream Makers

Ben and Jerry were friends in junior high school. They started and grew their business in 1960's & 70's.

It was during the generation called "hippies ". Hippies believed that people should think more about peace and love and less about making money. It wasn't cool to be a businessman at that time. Ben and Jerry's goal was to make people happy with their ice cream, not to get rich.

In the first year, the business wasn't making money. But Ben & Jerry had promised to celebrate their aniversary by giving away ice cream. Every year on May 5 is "Free Cone Day" for all the Ben & Jerry stores.

For the next three years, Ben and Jerry sales increased but they failed to make a profit for each year. It was clear that they had to make a choice: raise prices or go out of business. So, they raised their prices.

In 1980, Ben and Jerry began expanding their business. They started selling their ice-cream in local stores. The ice cream was a big hit with the public. Time magazine call it the" best ice cream in the world ". Today, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream is sold in nearly every state.

Ben and Jerry also feel there is a spiritual aspect to business which is usually overlooked. Love, kindness and caring need to be a part of every aspect of our lives.

Ben and Jerry have proven that a socially responsible business can indeed work!

Ben and Jerry make great ice cream! But they also use their business as a tool for social change. Their commitment to social values has paid off big in profits and loyalty of their customers and employees.

People love their ice cream. It looks like my children love it, also. After my kids read about Ben and Jerry's history they believe in Ben & Jerry's ice-cream even more.

Now, they only eat Ben & Jerry ice-cream. That's why?

To Visit M.H.de Young Museum

Last Sunday, My family and I visited the M.H. de Young Museum.( see picture )
It is located at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This museum is a sleek copper-clothed building. This 293,000-square-foot museum has 3 exhibition levels. At the northeast corner of the building stands a 144 foot-tall tower.

A lot of the display objects have been showed off. The heaviest objectt is the Olmec " Colossal head no.4 ". It weighs 5 tons. ( see picture )

We did not have enough time to see everywhere, so we just visited the first floor and left before it closed.

About Grammar

Today, I studied unit 47 exercises. In 47.1 no.2, the answer is: "How long have they been married."

Can I answer this exercise like this: "How long have they married?"?

Last week, in unit 43, 43.1 no.7, the answer was: " Three men are said to have been arrested after the explosion."
Can I answer this exsercise like this: " Three men are said to be arrested after the explosion."?

Teacher could please give me some corrections.

My favorite Relative

Joanna is my daughter and she is my favorite family member. She is a beautiful, smart and alert girl. She is going to turn thirteen.

Joanna is good at communicating with me. We like going out shopping, eating and doing laundry together. She likes to talk and ask about funny things to make me laugh. She know how to make jokes and make me happy.

She loves making cake. She made a birthday cake with decorations for her brother. On Mother's Day, she made some paper roses by herself and gave them to me.

She is a busy girl. After English school, she comes home. She eats a snack, takes a shower, and then it is time to go to Chinese school. For several years, she has been an excellent student in both schools. She won many medals in English school and got reward checks from the Chinese school, also.

Joanna is nosy. She read my essays on the computer, then she said, "Your writing does not make sense. I don't understand it." Then I said, "It's O. K., my teacher understands my writing."

I feel pround of her and hope, that when she grows up, she will stay close to me, because she is the one, who brings me a lot of hapiness and laughter. I love her very very much . . . .

The Trip to Hawaii

Last summer, my family and I went to Honolulu, Hawaii. Everybody dreams about going there because it is a lively city. Many travelers visit Honolulu.

It took about six hours to fly to Hawaii. On the airplane, I was excited. I wanted to get there as soon as possible. I waited for every hour to pass by. I read, watched TV and relaxed.

It didn't take too long before we got to Hawaii. We took a rental car and drove to the Waikiki Surf Hotel. We stayed there for one week. It was not very fun for the first day because we didn't know much about Hawaii. But it was okay. We walked to the beach and took a look and we went around Waikiki. We looked at a few restaurants where we were going to eat for the next few days.

On the second day, we took the Atlantic tour. That tour lasted a few hours. We went into a submarine, saw fish, seaweeds and turtles. We even saw some ships on the ocean's floor.

On the third day, we joined a snorkeling tour. We took the minibus and then transferred to a big ship. We stayed on the ship for about three to four hours while the captain took us to a place in the ocean. We swam and saw lot of fish. We put on lifejackets before we jumped into the ocean. The kids liked it very much.

On the fourth day, we attended the Polynesian Cultural Show at the Princess Hotel. This was the first time we saw Hawaiian singing and dancing. We ate dinner at the hotel before the show started.

On the fifth day, we joined the tour called The Island Tour. We sat on the bus though out most of the tour. The tour guide was also the driver. He drove us around the island. At every point he stopped, he let us out to take a look at the view. Some points weren't so special. He explained about the island and what we saw. I also remembered he us through a wildlife preserve. We saw a lot of flowers and special trees. We also stopped at the Dole Plantation and bought some pineapples.

On the sixth day, we went to a water park. We went by ourselves. We had a lot of fun because there was a “hurricane” ride. For the people who knew how to swim, they didn't care about the hurricane's waves coming. People who didn't know to swim were scared, but they had a lot of fun.

On the seventh day, we went home.

It was a happy and enjoyable trip. Hawaii had very nice weather. I will never forget the trip there. I regretted that I didn't have a chance to visit Pearl Harbor.

It was a worth while trip even though it was expensive.

Cam Hong

Please Don't Feed the Pigeons

Most people don't like pigeons very much because they deface vehicles, trees, benches and fountains in parks. They made cities dirty. Pigeons cause pollution with their feathers and odors from their nesting material.

Pedestrians may be slip by their excrement on walkways. Airplanes are endangered from large numbers of pigeons.

Still, some people like pigeons. They love to feed them left over food.

However, some people don't know diseases may be carried by these birds and transmitted to humans. Ornithosis is found in pigeons.

So, should we stop feeding pigeons?

To avoid an increase in the pigeonpopulation we must realize"food control" to keeping ourcities cleaner so people don't get diseases and pollution from pigeons.

Cam Hong

Space Star (part 2 continued)

This is the end of the story!!!

Read the previous post first!!!

Space Star (part 2 )

Start Part 2 here!

Listen to Space Star (part 2 continued) after you listen to this post.

Space Star (Part One)

Please forgive my reading mistakes.

This is the first time I recorded a story for the Internet.

Like all of us, I need more practice speaking to an audience.

Leave comments if you would like me to record Space Star (part 2).

This one is for Mung Kai

Do you want to learn an interesting new (and, often, difficult) word each day?

Go to the New York Times Word of the Day website.

American high school students take a test called the SAT (Scholastic Achievment Test) before they apply to colleges.

Many students memorize the Word of the Day in preparation for the SAT.

More Stories

I'm very interested in this class because it has grammar lesson every morning. Although it's complicated, but I like it. In addition, if this class have two or three stories to read every week, it'll great! It might attract me more.

What is the purpose of taking this class for? Is it grammar and reading?

I think having more stories to read is very helpful.

Cam Hong

Writing is Difficult

Writing is difficult, but it can express all what we want to say; and it can stay what we want people to remember. I think it's very good in any aspect. Sometimes it look like a souvenir.

Mention to writing we have to know well about grammar. But grammar is so difficult for foreigner like us. If we are not good in grammar, it might be mixed up or misunderstand to the audience.

Anyhow we are students, we are on practicing. We don't care about any mistake, we still have a good editor beside us. We have to be brave to write it directly. The more we write, the easier it gets.

Cam Hong

Blue Angels flying show

Dear Classmates,

I am Kai Lok.

Yesterday there was a Blue Angels flying show in San Francisco.

It was very difficult to park in the north coast area of San Francisco, so my wife, my elder son and I drove to Treasure Island.

WE could see the planes from there. We got there about 1:30 pm.

It was a warm, bright sunny day. Breeze blew from S.F. bay. Many people sat on the benches or the rocks facing S.F. along the coast.

The show was taking place. A red biplane flew from high in the sky to near sea level then flew up over the Golden Gate Bridge with a white smoke curve line. After several minutes, three stunt planes appeared. They flew toward S.F. When they flew close to the Golden Gate Bridge, they suddenly flew up to the sky and released red, white and blue smoke. The three colorful curved tails followed them.

The curved tails looked like a big colorful cloth which was hung in the sky. After this flying team leaving, a black spot moved quickly from our left hand side. Very soon the blackspot became six jet planes – F-18 Hornet jets. People could easily identify them.t They were the world famous “Blue Angels" flying team. They flew together over S.F. and up high with colorful smoky tails, and then they seperated. The colorful smoke looked like a big flower. People applauded.

Suddenly a thunderous sound exploded. A Hornet jet flew over us from behind. It flashed closely to us toward S.F. People were very excited and applauded again. Six jets flew together. They did rolls, loops and reverses. They flew about half hour and then flew to the south east of San Francisco and ended the show.

If you have never seen the Blue Angels flying show, I suggest you have to visit this event sometime to feel that exciting moment.

During the show, I had taken some pictures although it was not easy to take pictures of flying jets. I will post several pictures on the blog. I hope you like them.

Hiring a New Administrative Assistant

Today we listened to a podcast about hiring a new administrative assistant.

Click on ESLpod.com for the complete transcript.

Here is a list of the key words, phrases and idioms in today's podcast:

• Administrative assistant
• Gave notice
• Could not have happened at a worse time
• Busy time of year
• Nothing I could do
• Right away
• Want ad
• Classified
• Applications
• Interviews
• Narrowed it down
• Resume
• Experience
• Working at
• Telecommunications
• Looked promising
• Dressed professionally
• Seemed personable
• With confidence
• Sounded like
• Perseverance
• Drawbacks
• Chatty
• Seemed disorganized
• Capacities
• Candidate
• Rough around the edges
• Earnest
• Eager
• Air of someone who had
• Corporate environment
• Seemed bright
• Easy to get along with
• Did strike me
• As shy
• Nervous
• Two options
• Give it some more thought

Look at your notes to review the meaning of each item on the list.

English In Use CD ROM

Each morning we do an exercise from English In Use (intermediate level) .

Many students find these grammar exercises useful.

Would you like additional practice exercises that you can access on your home computer.

Here is a link to the English In Use CD ROM.

Internet Radio

If you want to listen to Internet Radio on you computer, download Scream-Radio from their website.

I just learned about it today and have been listening to it all night.

In case you are interested, I am posting this link.

Adverbs of Probability

That's right, I used the present continuos because I was typing the title "right then".

Now that the moment has passed I could change the title to:

In case you are interested, I posted this link.


In case you are still hungry for knowledge, click here.

Do you need a laugh this morning?

Click here for a quick laugh.