TV: Mythbusters on Youtube

An add-on to the previous post, I found the Mythbusters on Youtube which you can sit on your couch and veg out to watch all 30 episodes in clips.




There are more, just search and you will find them.

Enjoy!

TV: Mythbusters

Saturdays and Sundays is the best time to make some recommendations such as movies, songs, books and TV shows. Some people see these as yawns, just another "it is good for you" from your teacher. Well, I like to see them as entertainments, something that really WILL do you good without you even noticing.


I really like this, "Learn when you don't even notice you are learning", in fact, it is the main objective of my teaching in Secondary School now. Too bad I can't show this to the professors and my classmates in the HKU after they have rejected my application for the Master's degree. (Remember I mentioned about the devastation of mine, this is it!)


Well, enough of the spit, life goes on. If you are truly interested in learning, you are always welcome in this playground.


Let's get back to the recommendation.


If I must recommend a channel to watch, my first choice would definitely be 'Discovery Channel', because I can just veg out in front of the TV for the entire afternoon just watching the programs on it. And if I must recommend a program I find it most fun, I would pick 'Mythbusters', a science program with lots of scientists and experts working on proving and disproving some of the urban science myths and legends.

Here is the page which you can watch some summarized online versions of the show:

http://api.ning.com/files/gzVPmRXhgsTLBryyYd2JkCOYMR-qFbLukedfB4bxDNU_/Mythbusters.jpg

Mythbusters
http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/mythbusters/



The beauty about this program is that it makes learning English and learning science at the same time! Now, you may argue,


"if that is the case, anything could be used for teaching English!"


And my answer would be,
"You are very right!"


English speakers use English for whatever they do, and thus learning English is never only on books and literatures, grammar and business. Then why not expose yourself to more and wider knowledge, so that your love for English actually comes from your love for these knowledge?


Pure English on English textbooks could be dull sometimes, even for me. I go for all possible ways to find what I like about the language.


So if you do have NOW TV, please do tune in more often as it also has other great shows to watch. I will recommend other shows on this channel next time.





Once you find what you love, you just cannot stop. I am totally addicted to it. -- Locky

Movie: An Inconvenient Truth

Image from  riaus.org.au

I have always been an environmental friendly person, seriously collecting every little piece of paper, plastic and metal for recycling. Sometimes, when I finish the milk and have to dispose the canter, I would actually peel off that piece of paper for recycling first before throwing the rest away (too bad I cannot recycle the rest).
Once on TV, I watched a documentary about the collection of polystyrene in Japan for recycling, as the truck drove through the lanes of neighbourhood, residents nearby would take out all their expanded polystyrene foams and through it into a container of citrus rind oil (obtained from oranges), which would react with the polystyrene and melt into nothing. When the truck returned to the factory, the juice was poured into a machine which would carry out some kind of chemical decomposition and become polystyrene polymer again, ready to be used once more.

That was simply amazing!!!

Here I have a similar video for you to see.

And here is the link to the research article:

Research Article on recycling expanded polystyrene using natural solvent

Ever since I have finished watching this video, I curse myself every time I have to throw away a used polystyrene product, and I would blame the Hong Kong government for not having similar recycling project in Hong Kong.

And I thought I was environmental awared enough knowing and doing what I did.

I was wrong.

An Inconvenient Truth

Al Gore, the Nobel Peace Prize winner 2007, has done so much more.

This documentary film, as he put it, is the scariest of all the films that anyone on this planet has ever seen. I totally agree. Nonetheless, after watching this film, instead of feeling fearful, I did a lot of self-reflection as to why I am on this planet and what I can do to contribute more to this world. It is a movie that can truly bring up the conscience of mankind and awake the moral responsibilities for the environment that lie dormant inside our minds.

In this documentary, Al Gore was giving a lecture to a group of audience, and like most other lectures, he utilised Powerpoint slides, pictures and movie clips. It sounded all so simple, but the evidence that he unveiled was enough to stun the world and his charisma clearly influenced every simple person who watched this movie. Compared to the time when Al Gore was running for president, this Al Gore was totally heroic! I guess there is nothing much I can say about this movie, because only watching it will truly give you a feeling how tremendously good he was.

His messages were ever so clear, "the ice has a story to tell", ''What we take for granted might not be here for our children".

Time is running out. It is about time we all stand up and do something to save our planets.

If you can only watch one movie in your life, this would be the one.

"What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know. It's what we know for sure that just ain't so." -- Mark Twain

Vocab & Slang: Running, Beer & Potato

Have you ever run a marathon before? Or a half marathon? I have never done that. But in Singapore, I needed to pass a fitness test and everybody had to run 2.4 km within a certain time to pass the exam, my fastest time was 10 mins 19 secs. I think just enough to get an ‘A’. (My good friends could easier finish that less than 9 minutes) The route was not fun as far as I can remember, I hated the part right next to the highway because every breath I took, I felt that I would die a day earlier.

 

Anyway, one of my students asked me how to cheer others in a running competition. That’s interesting! If it is 100m or 200m, there is not much you can say apart from

“Yay!!!!!” or “Woww!!!!”

 

If your friend is doing a marathon and you have to cheer, you have more time to do the cheering and so you can try something like,

“Good job! Good job!”

“Way to go, buddy! Way to go!”

“Come on! Guys! Come on!” (to push them harder)

“Move soldiers, move!” (sounding like a soldier)

“Don’t sprint! Keep the pace!” (if you know what you are saying),

“Just another kilometer /mile to go!” (make sure you are certain about the distance)

“Homestretch, keep pushing it! ” (when it is near the end)

“Home is near!” (when it is near the finishing line)

“The trophy is waiting!” (if he is leading)

“Run for your life!” (when he is behind but finishing soon)

“For your fans!” (if he has any waiting at the finishing line)

 

You can use your creativity, but I found one that interests me and that is,

“Beer and Music at the end!”

 

It may not be attractive to everyone, but definitely some, especially for some (if not most) foreigners.

 

I think for most people in Hong Kong, they know the word ‘beer belly/ gut’ (informal) best, due to similar sayings in Cantonese. It is referring to a fat stomach that is caused by prolonged drinking habits. However, not everybody knows that ‘small beer’ (UK informal) actually means something / someone that is relatively unimportant, because local speakers know the US version ‘small potatoes’ better, despite the fact that they mostly use it on something, and seldom someone.

eg.. His salary is small potatoes for his qualification.

The word ‘potato’ is generally used to describing someone or something in a negative way, despite the great taste it is. Apart from the ‘small potatoes’ example,

 

From Cambridge Online Dictionary,

‘couch potato’ noun [C] (informal)

-- a person who watches a lot of television and does not have an active style of life

 

From Urbandictionary,

And that has spun off a new slang,

‘mouse potato’ noun [C] (informal)

-- Someone who spends all their time on the computer surfing the net or playing games.

 

From The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language,

‘hot potato’ noun [C] (informal)

-- A problem that is so controversial or sensitive that those handling it risk unpleasant consequences: gun control—a political hot potato. 

Combining the dictionaries with my rephrasing,

‘hot potato’ noun [C] (informal)

-- sth / sb undesirable or difficult which is not advisable to be dealt with, similar to the Chinese version of ‘hand-scorching taro’. 

Since these are simple yet commonly-used words, try to apply them today! Make yourself a few examples and you will be able to remember them!

Vocab: Interesting Names

Something devastating happened to me today, but like I always tell my students who feel the same when facing difficulties in learning English, here is always a bright side of everything. It is just whether you want to think in that way or not. If you enjoy pain, go ahead and feel bad about it; if you adore joy, laugh it up and feel lucky about yourself!’

Let’s get back to last topic.

From the word ‘Jack’, that brings up a whole new topic on meanings of names.
Have you ever tried putting your name in the dictionary to find the meaning? Well, I have. Cambridge didn’t give me anything, but Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary gave me,

Locky (adj)
-- having locks or tufts

And what is tuft? From Cambridge:

tuft (noun) [C]
-- a number of short pieces of especially hair or grass which closely grow together or are held together near the base:
eg. He had a few tufts of hair on his chin, but you could hardly call it a beard.

tufted (adjective)
-- with a tuft:
eg. the tufted duck


Riggggggggghhhhhht…… So I have hair on my bottom. I prefer that I have locks or my definition

Locky (n)
-- someone who has locks and keys, can be metaphorically referred as knowing ones troubles and having solutions at the same time, that he CAN HAVE the cake and EAT it.

What’s now? Your turn!
You can use whatever dictionary you can find including the Urban Dictionary I have recommended because you might find your name under some nasty entry. Anyway, let’s make this clear, we are not going to consider representations of short forms, like IBM or FORD.

Use the legend to find source:

U: Urban Dictionary
C: Cambridge Dictionary Online
D: Dictionary.com

Right, let’s begin, who shall we start?

Abby
U:
1) ancient mesopotamian name for thunderbolt of lightning. The name Abby, was only given to those of great beauty and power.
2) Sexy hot, every boy loves her.

Ada
D: a female given name: from a Germanic word meaning “noble”.

Bernice
D: a female given name: from a Greek word meaning "bringer of victory."
U: Bernice is a beautiful name for gorgeous women and girls. Bernice means precious and priceless.

Cathy = Catherine
C: Catherine wheel -- a round firework which is fixed to a stick and which spins round
D: names of many empresses.
U: The act of being extremely interesting, smart, cool, athletic, and just about every positive thing that a person can be.
eg. Wow you were so Cathy! I wish I were as Cathy as you! Man you are so Cathy. If I were that Cathy I'd probably would have a pretty Cathy life!

Doris
D:
1) Classical Mythology. the wife of Nereus and mother of the Nereids.
2) a female given name: from a Greek word meaning “bountiful”.
U: A lady's perfectly-maintained and coiffeured hairstyle, which frames a charming, vertical smile.
eg. Although she was now over 80, her many admirers seemed to be quite content to gaze upon her DORIS all day.

Fanny
C:
1) UK OFFENSIVE a woman's sexual organs
2) US OLD-FASHIONED INFORMAL a person's bottom
D: same as C
U: same as D

David
D: a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “beloved”.
U: A formidable foe to normal people. intelligent, strong forceful. a weird hybrid of a bully and a nerd. As well as the first dictator of the America and king of the new peaceful world. Also known as Timebomb and various other variations including at least TB.
eg. I am David. All other David's fall in march as we conquer the world. For a new Earth of peace void of general stupidity.

2) a very hot guy usually nice and very funny
eg. dude he is such a david
C: Stars of David -- a star with six points which represents Judaism

John
D:
1) a toilet or bathroom.
2) (sometimes initial capital letter) a fellow; guy.
3) (sometimes initial capital letter) a prostitute's customer.
U:
1) same as D.
2) The other one is too long to include.

George
D:
1) a male given name: from a Greek word meaning “farmer.”
2) British Slang. an automatic pilot on an airplane.
by George! Chiefly British Informal. (an exclamation used to express astonishment, approval, etc.)
U: A generic name used sarcastically to imply that the person being called it is an idiot. The name is derived from American president George W. Bush.
eg. Nice going George you just mispronounced every word on your cue cards.


And the list is too long to go on. How about you try and post them as comments?

Vocab: Jack

Actually, the same colleague asked me why Jack is in the proverb, and I told her,
"Well, I guess Jack kind of give people a feeling of knowing a lot."

When I said that, of course, I had a few examples in my mind to give to support me view.

First, there is a saying,
Jack-of-all-trades, master of none.
It is used to say someone knows many things, but is very good at none of them. This is one that I would use to describe myself.

And if you just do a little search in the dictionary, you can easily find a lot more meanings. You can click on the words for definitions or pictures (credits given to all contributors but myself):

1. 'Jack-of-all-trades' without the later part is a positive noun to say someone who can do different jobs.
2. 'A car jack' is used to lift up a car for fixing.
3. To 'jack sth up' is to lift up sth heavy with a jack. e.g. ~ the car.
4. To 'jack sth up' is also an informal phrasal verb meaning to lift up the price greatly and suddenly. e.g. ~ the price of pork.
5. 'Jack' is a playing card with a letter J and a man in it. It is after '10' and before 'Q'.
6. 'Jack' is a small ball in a rolling ball game.
7. 'Jack' is a device connecting 2 other electrical devices.
8. 'Jack Frost' is a baby word to describe very cold weather.
9. To 'jack-knife' is to make a bend that looks like a pocket multi-knives.
10. 'Jack-knife' is of course the multi-knife itself.
11. 'Jack-in-the-box' is a children's toy that has a toy jumping out from a box when opens.
12. 'Jack-o'-lantern' is a lantern made with pumpkin for Holloween.
13. 'Jack plug' is a connector from one electrical device to another. See picture.
14. To 'jack sth in' is an UK informal phrasal verb which means to stop doing sth that you do not enjoy. e.g. ~ his job.

(I hope you are fine with my rephrasing of the definition, hope it makes it easier to grasp.)

Tomorrow, I will look into the meanings of other names with you, but before I do, I think you can see how widely used is this particular name. So even if Jack doesn't carry a real meaning of 'a person who knows a lot', I guess you will agree with me that the word 'Jack' does know how to appear often in the dictionary.


Do you know how to put your name on the dictionary? I don't know. So, 'Jack' knows more than 'Locky' does.

Not to forget the famous figures with the name Jack.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_(name)