Xmas

Time flies. It´s already the end of the year once again! When I started seeing Xmas decorations all over, panettones (an Italian word) in supermarkets, my students talking about their forthcoming social gatherings at the companies they work for/own, I clicked: "Gee, the year 2010 is over!" :oO
A retrospective always springs to mind in this period. I try to remember (I said ´try´ because I´m usually quite forgetful...) the things I did in 2010, what I conquered, what made me happy, what surprised me, what I learnt, what I taught, who/what touched my heart, who/what inspired me, the places I visited, the books I read, the people I met, the dreams that came true, what changed me somehow, well, this sort of thing.
Xmas is a time that calls for reflection naturally. Xmas reminds me of how important my family is to me.
A picture: Mrs. Claus back in 2008. She was busy in Mexico in 2009. ;o)
A mini Xmas gift to my readers: a naughty comic strip. Calvin and Hobbes, of course! :oP

(Source: "There´s treasure everywhere" - a Calvin and Hobbes Collection by Bill Watterson)

* Yellow *

I´m going through a ´yellow´ moment, but I don´t know why... Maybe it has something to do with my birthday dress, maybe not... Or perhaps it has to do with the fact that yellow is the color of the sun and only God knows how much I love the sun! It´s also the color of gold!!! :oD

The folklore says that yellow undies (women´s underwear) bring you wealth and good luck if you wear it on New Year´s Eve. Or is it on New Year´s Day??? In doubt, how about wearing yellow on both days so that you make sure you get some extra luck. ;o) 

Apparently, the tradition applies to women only (sorry, guys...) and bras don´t count, according to a lingerie website... I´m not 100% sure about that, so all men can have a say here... 

Whatever the reason, today´s post is about words that are related to yellow and I do hope you learn something new. ;-)

- yolk: the middle part of an egg;

- to yellow (verb): to make or become yellow, often because it´s old. Eg: The photos yellowed with age.

- yellow alert: a situation of danger, but less serious than ´red alert´;

- yellow card: held up by a referee to indicate that the player has broken the rules.

And this is me in yellow! :oP

October

Many of you know I like the month of October slightly more than the other months... no offence. 

I mean, I like December because of Xmas and January because of New Year´s day, it´s true, but I´d say October is simply full of special occasions, at least to me: it´s my brother´s birthday, my parents´ wedding anniversary and children´s day ON October 12th. Then, it´s teacher´s day just a few days after, ON October 15th - a cardinal sin to forget such an important day! Some very dear friends of mine celebrate their b´days IN October too... If you´re the kind of person who pays attention to star signs - the signs of the zodiac - you should know that Libra (NOT "Balance"!!!) comes first and Scorpio (NOT "Scorpion"!!!) comes next. I don´t really give importance to this, especially considering Scorpio´s reputation... Finally, there´s my b´day ON October 29th and Halloween ON October 31st!!!

A remark: note the use of IN (we say ´IN October´...) x ON (we say ´ON October 29th´).

I was happy to find out there´s a cute song called "October", sung by U2. Is there a song that talks about the month you like the most???

Happy Children´s Day!!!

I love the date! Children´s day makes me think that my parents have done the right thing. What I am now has probably lots to do with what they taught me and gave me at that time. 

I was one of those happy children who had love, attention, protection, support, stories that were read to me in bed, songs to put me to sleep, brothers who made me company and played with me all day long... 

As I only had brothers, I was the kind of naughty girl who would accept to be part of a soccer team, who would play basketball, handball, baseball, I would go to all wild and scary roller-coasters because all I wished was to be close to my brothers. I wanted them to be proud of me and think to themselves: "wow, my sister is wicked"!

And my childhood was exactly like that: full of adventures, games, nice stories, friendship, fun, loyalty, laughter, endless love... Plenty of happy memories. :o)

So, this is me some years and years ago... Looking pretty much the same, right? hehe

Social language

Do you know some expressions that you can use when it´s necessary to say you are only kidding and people shouldn´t take you too seriously? 

What about the opposite? What can you say if you want people to believe you and reinforce that you aren´t joking this time? 

I came across this table of "Being light x Being serious" when going through the pages of "New Routes". I suppose it can be useful to all of you. Check it out:

And now let´s imagine that Smudge and Monica could make use of one of these expressions after this childish argument:

English bookmarks :o)

I am addicted to all the bookmarks Disal has been distributing to its customers lately. Every single time I go there, I get one for my personal use and some more as mini learning gifts to all my dear students. hehe

Each bookmark has a cute and colored drawing on it. It advertises a certain book and the language that appears on its back part is related to the book in question. So interesting! 

People who speak more than one language can be even happier: the bookmarks are offered in English, Spanish and French!!! Yippie!!! :oD

Today´s post brings you the scanned image of a bookmark which advertises the book "Fale tudo em inglês em viagens". Needless to say it is very useful vocabulary... Would you know how to say ´lombada´ in English? What about ´rua sem saída´, ´desvio´, ´multa´, ´caixa eletrônico 24h´???

If you know these words, congratulations! If you don´t, well, two options: go to Disal and get yourself a bookmark... or... enroll. ;o)

XOX

Are you really using the right word?

English can be tricky sometimes, I know it. There is an endless number of words out there that can confuse everyone because of Portuguese interference. We must be very careful because a word we use may not mean exactly what we are trying to say... 

The thing is that our mother-tongue language may help the learner in many cases owing to the similarity between English and Portuguese words. Examples that come to mind are: consequently, result, use, recommend, observe, suggestion, telephone, visit, implement, obvious, conclusion, moment, divorced, paranoid, different, restaurant, apartment, family, intelligent, distant, movement, adult, invest... I am sure (certain!) you recognized them!!! ;-)

There are even better cases - when they are identical!!! Cinema, superficial, banana, piano, hotel, similar, social, panda, altitude, zebra, capital, ego... We only pronounce them differently, of course.

However, we all know life is not easy. Life is full of mysteries, adrenaline, challenges. As I said in the beginning, English can also fool us!!! Words which appear to be close to Portuguese, well, they can be a real trap! Pretend, anniversary, actually, chef, expert, pasta, terrific, prevent... I am sorry to inform you, but these words are quite dangerous! 

The best to do is to keep on studying, reading, practicing, being curious. 

I am reading a book about this at the moment. It is called "Small differences, huge mistakes", by Israel Jelin. On its cover, it is written under the title "Evitando gafes em inglês". Yes, a word that is not used correctly can put you in a bad situation.

As some Spanish books say: ojo. A reminder: Spanish is trickier than you think! 

Time for a joke :oP

I studied several definitions of Marketing in the two courses I took in Australia. The courses were Business Management and Marketing respectively. 

Nowadays I go through more definitions by teaching Business English to some of my students. There is always a unit that involves this subject as part of the book content.

But today I found the best definition ever! hehe I was having a look at the website of a magazine called "Brand New Routes" (published by Disal) when I came across a witty explanation of what Marketing is under the section "Humor". So simple, informal, amusing and definitely clear - in a joke format!

Have fun! xxx

What is Marketing?

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. 
You go up to her and say, "I am very rich. Marry me!" 
That's Direct Marketing

You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl. 
One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, 
"He's very rich. Marry him." 
That's Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. 
You go up to her and get her telephone number. 
The next day you call and say, "Hi, I'm very rich. Marry me." 
That's Telemarketing.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. 

You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her and pour her a drink. 
You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say, "By the way, I'm very rich "Will you marry me?" 
That's Public Relations.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl. 
She walks up to you and says, "You are very rich...? 
That's Brand Recognition.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. 
You go up to her and say, "I'm rich. 
Marry me" She gives you a nice hard slap on your face. 
That's Customer Feedback

 

Source: http://www.brandnewroutes.com.br/BrandNewRoutes/site/?pag=conteudo/listar&cat=humor#a271

Spelling matters!

This reminds me of a story. A person who I met a while ago had a chat with me online one day and, mistakes that could have passed unnoticed, were there, visible, as they were written. 

His first phrases were sweet but completely misspelled (=misspelt): he said that it was ´um previlégio me conhecer´ (it´s prIvilégio - with I!) and he ended his pick-up lines by saying : ´a gente pode quando você quizer´ (quiSer, please, with S!).

Spelling matters, people. It´s very important to write words correctly. English spelling can be easy (the word ´cinema´ is identical!), but it can be diFFicult (double F) too. A good example of a tricky word is ´tough´ (no wonder why it means hard, difficult).

I decided to teach you, dear readers, some challenging words and we´ll keep seeing some others in the future. 

I´ll look after you, I promise (and ´promise´, attention, with only one S). 

1. begiNNing;
2. coMMent;
3. iMMediately;
4. exaGGerate;
5. oCCupation.

Proverbs

I have just finished reading a book which deals specifically with proverbs. Proverbs have something to do with customs, culture, principles or beliefs and sometimes they just fit like a glove. 

Here is my personal list with the top 20. Have fun! :oP

1. Charity begins at home.

2. A word to the wise is enough.

3. Never look a gift horse in the mouth.

4. Curiosity killed the cat.

5. Haste makes waste (= A pressa é inimiga da perfeição).

6. Finders keepers, losers weepers (= Achado não é roubado).

7. Money does not grow on trees.

8. Looks are deceiving. 

9. Bad news travels fast.

10. Actions speak louder than words.

11. Barking dogs seldom bite.

12. Our last garment is made without pockets (= Da vida nada se leva).

13. Hell is paved with good intentions.

14. It takes two to make a quarrel.

15. The best advice is found on the pillow.

16. No news is good news.

17. Better safe than sorry.

18. Time will tell.

19. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (= Quem ama o feio, bonito lhe parece) 

And now, last but not least...

20. Where there is a will, there is a way. My favorite!!! :o)

Precious Saturdays!!! :oD

Most of you have already seen the famous acronym "TGIF", which stands for "Thank God it´s Friday" somewhere. Or you may have seen it as the name of the US restaurant chain "T.G.I. Friday´s".

One way or another, the fact is that Fridays are good, that´s absolutely true, and the expression shows some sort of relief after working so hard throughout the week. It brings the idea of relaxing or partying over the weekend.

But no matter how good Fridays are, Saturdays are without a doubt far better! Saturdays are light, seductive, alluring. The city looks different. We feel ourselves a bit different too. And we don´t want to miss a thing!

And here´s Calvin to illustrate how valuable each second can be! 

It´s Saturday today! Calvin is jumping for joy! So am I!!! :oD

Love,

Fabi/Bia

A special postcard :o)

I came across a very special postcard when I was trying to organize the big colored box where I keep some things that I brought from Australia. 

There are hundreds of memories inside that box: letters from friends/family/colleagues who studied with me, a card from a neighbor who sent me flowers on the day we had an argument, b´day cards, Xmas cards, love letters in English, love letters in German (that´s a looooong story...), pictures, some cute gifts that I received from people, my personal notes in Malaysian and Thai (I really liked the idea of knowing a few words or phrases in the language of the country I was going to visit), notes in Japanese because of my Japanese friends (of course!), a German pocket book as I needed to understand those love letters better... 

Well, tons of things that surely made me feel very nostalgic... And they made me laugh too! :oP

Anyway, as I was saying in the very beginning, I found a postcard in that treasured possession of mine which is being kept in my wardrobe until now. It´s lovely and I hope you like it as much as I do!

XXX

Preposition: What are you enthusiastic ABOUT?

Students and people in general usually feel some sort of dislike (lack of enthusiasm???) when they hear or read the word "preposition(s)". 

All I can say is that the topic is part of the process and it exists in any language (don´t blame English...). Loads of them appear in one simple conversation with a friend, a boss, a neighbor, a partner... with anybody! 

Some prepositions are less difficult to memorize, that´s for sure. For example, we say "to accuse somebody OF something" (Susan accused Paul OF lying to her; The assistant was accused OF fraud; Jack was accused OF having an affair with another woman etc...). 

We´re going to see just one more case today because it´s far easier to remember and fix it in your mind if you study the subject gradually. 

* enthusiastic ABOUT sb/sth; enthusiastic ABOUT doING sth

I counted on Calvin & Hobbes to make this explanation effective and fun! I hope you enjoy the comic strip - it´s one of the best!!!

(From "There´s treasure everywhere", a Calvin and Hobbes Collection by Bill Watterson)

Swear words, ladies and gentlemen :oP

Swear words are words that are considered rude (IMpolite), DISapproving, UNacceptable, INappropriate... To put it in a nutshell (= to summarize it), bad language.

Offensive terms may come up when you are stuck in a traffic jam for hours on end, if you break something very valuable, or maybe because you have mistakenly sent a confidential email to a very wrong recipient... "Things" happen, right? hehe

As a teacher, I am more than aware that my students and all of you are exposed to this kind of language. If you do not use it, you definitely see its occurrence in films, series, on the Internet, in magazines...
Knowing (not necessarily using...) swear words is important and relevant, in my view. We have to be ready to differentiate when people are offending us or complimenting us! Otherwise, you may end up saying "thank you" when somebody calls you a "ding-dong" (an empty-headed person, an idiot)...

So, in case you are curious about more swear words with the purpose of being prepared to protect yourself (self-defense! :o), I highly recommend the book I am reading at the moment. It is called "Watch your mouth!" and the book starts with an interesting saying:

"When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear!" 

(Mark Twain) 

It is a f***** good one! Ooooops, excuse my French... 

PS: F***** is being employed here for teaching purposes only (and with the asterisks because I am a lady :oD). As an adverb, it was used to emphasize the word and it would mean "really good", "very good indeed". Plus, it gives me the chance to introduce the phrase "Excuse my French" (or "Pardon my French"), which is an attempt to excuse the user of profanity or curses in the presence of others. 

Did you know that? ;o)

Copying is not theft ;o)

Hello everyone,

I must start this post by revealing something important: I copied (!) this video from a beloved friend of mine who lives in Amsterdam. He posted the link at Orkut, I checked it out and fell in love with it right away! It´s incredibly cute, I simply loved it!!! :-)

Nel, as copying is not theft and I assumed you wouldn´t be mad at me for showing the video here, I dedicate today´s post to you and I also thank you for always presenting these interesting things to me!

All that´s left to say is: I miss you badly in Brazil!!! Should I copy you and head to Amsterdam in order to live there??? hehe 

Please send my love to Kell! :-x

XOXOXO

Music, the French language, architecture and... Paris!

It is nice and warm in Paris now. Women are wearing their fashionable dresses, colored skirts, men are walking around in shorts, T-shirts, wearing sunglasses, kids are playing with their toys in one of those amazingly beautiful parks, gardens... Tourists are enjoying the sunshine, everyone is probably sitting near a fountain, having an ice-cream... The sun is a real blessing, isn´t it?
And here we are, facing the coldness... a little bit of rain, sometimes... opening our windows and seeing a grey sky. At this very moment, I am wearing velvet pants, a blouse, a jacket, a scarf, boots and I only took my gloves off in order to write this post. Gee!!! :o{
I´ve decided to imagine myself there today (for the whole day!) - in Paris... I strongly believe that, in past lives, I was a Parisian girl. And that would explain the love and passion I feel about their language, city, cafés in every corner, parks and gardens, wine, art & architecture in the air...
Thus (=so), I would like to feed my soul today with a special post which combines music, one of my passions (sung by the elegant and talented singer Carla Bruni), the French language that fascinates me so much, architecture and the beauty of Paris. I´m giving myself a treat, aren´t I? ;o)
If you know Paris, you certainly know and understand why I feel "homesick" today. I mean, the Parisian version of me related to past lives feels really homesick today... :oP
Bisous et au revoir, tout le monde! :ox

Please, repeat it: IMpolite.

Dear students/people who like English/friends... A minute of your attention to end this story once and for all. Seriously. :-{

I don´t know why so many people make this sort of mistake. I truly don´t get it... I imagine there must have been a time when teachers didn´t correct their students and the students kept saying this adjective incorrectly over and over again. :-(

The moment of truth, readers: the antonym of ´polite´ is IMpolite. 

Again, let´s fix this IMmediately because it´s IMportant: IMMMMMMMpolite. With IM-. 

It´s IMpossible to use another prefix with this word. I´m not IMpatient at all, as all of you know, but this is something that really gets on my nerves... :,-(

A tip: if you´re in doubt, don´t say **polite (well, you know...). Don´t go wrong - just say "rude". 

And the problem is solved! :oD

PS: To stare AT sb/sth = to look at sb/sth with fixed eyes.

Identifying myself with Calvin today...

There are some days in life when we have the impression we are complete angels because we don´t play up at all. We do everything accordingly and there are zero complaints to be accounted in terms of behavior. We are what people could easily call us "a model person". :-)

On the other hand, there also days when we behave like total brats... We want to have a little extra fun, we feel like being up to some mischief...

I guess today is one of those days that I strongly believe Calvin and I could be great friends! hehe

No further comments. :oP

XOXOXO

Source: "There´s treasure everywhere", a Calvin and Hobbes Collection by Bill Watterson

Pregnancy

I woke up this morning with a text message from a beloved friend of mine saying that her baby (yes, we are talking about a princess, not a prince...) had been born the night before.

After reading her message, I was jumping for joy and I tried to imagine her happiness too. If I was so excited about the news, she would be walking on air!!!

I had two instant sensations: I felt like a mother for a fraction of seconds. And it felt sublime, noble... Then, I clicked I am not one (at least not yet), and that made me want a baby right away! hehe Funny, funny thing when you receive this kind of announcement when you are partially awake, partially asleep. :oP

As she is one of my best friends (a sister to me!), I followed her pregnancy closely. Every nausea, the scans she had, her doctor´s appointments, her wish to have a normal delivery instead of a Caesarian, her belly just getting bigger and bigger as time went by, her tiredness when we were near the delivery date...

And here I am with so many thoughts in mind. Trying to figure out what this whole thing is... It is probably something similar to being born again. Restarting your life. Or seeing your life being changed forever. Or none of the above.

I reckon I would have to face the situation myself to understand it better. What I know and can assure: it is definitely something special. I remember clearly the bliss (=the state of complete happiness) all over me when I read her lines.

Welcome to life, princess! :oD

"Travel broadens the mind" (Proverb)

I´m the kind of person who always wants to discover new places and explore the world. I could do it every day, I guess. :oD

In my view, it´s the richest experience any human being can have in life. It doesn´t really matter if your destination is a small village, a friendly town or a big city... The coast, the mountains... A short or a long trip...

What really counts is: are YOU ready??? Are you willing to see, hear, taste, touch, respect, absorb, dive into everything that is coming your way? Are you traveling with an open mind/heart?

Traveling (=travelling) is about so many things. It goes far beyond holding your passport and having a stamp on it. It´s so much more than boarding and telling the others you´re visiting a place.

It has to do with getting to know yourself even more (or more than you think you do...), facing a new reality, having enough sensibility to capture a message, living a different day somewhere else, meeting new people and making new friends, perhaps. Speaking a new language, if possible. Finding out the beauty awaiting you... It could be through a beautiful landscape, it could be through something that touched you while you were there.

During the stay, be curious, generous, adventurous, alert. Traveling always adds to life. We come back changed somehow.

I´ll let it happen. See you soon, kids! ;o)