News Article & Education: Johnny Depp joins primary school's pirate mutiny

Have you ever thought about asking your children write to a movie star? I doubt it. Because you know that they will never get reply from them, and then your children would feel upset about it. But why not? At the end of the day, there are certain advantages to this, one is to give your children a chance to learn through doing tasks that seem almost impossible, so that they will not be restricted by that "won't get good result, so don't do" mindset, and another one is to let them know "what they give, is often not what you get; yet they should still try" just because it is a valuable experience.

A primary school girl in Greenwich, London, did something just like that, and guess what she got in return?

Johnny Depp joins primary school's pirate mutiny When you're planning to lead a mutiny against your teachers, who better to enlist than Hollywood's most famous pirate? By Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor Published: 7:30AM BST 08 Oct 2010 Image from http://i.telegraph.co.uk Johnny Depp is filming the latest Pirates of the Caribbean instalment at the nearby Old Royal Naval College Photo: DARRYL GREEN Nine-year-old Beatrice Delap did just that by writing to Captain Jack Sparrow, star of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. "We are a bunch of budding young pirates. Normally we're a right handful but we're having trouble mutinying against the teachers. We'd love it if you could come and help," she wrote. To the astonishment of staff at Meridian primary school in Greenwich, south-east London, Captain Jack arrived in the form of Johnny Depp, the actor who plays him. Depp is filming the latest Pirates of the Caribbean instalment at the nearby Old Royal Naval College. Beatrice said: "I had the idea to write the letter last week after me and a friend went to see the film set. Yesterday the school called us in for a special assembly at the end of the day. "Then Johnny Depp walked in dressed as Captain Jack. There were gasps and screams. He pulled the letter out of his pocket and said he was going to frame it. Then he called me down and gave me a hug. "He said the pirates were going to take over the school and only eat candy and our teeth would turn black and fall out. But he said we shouldn't mutiny against the teachers because there were some police outside and we might get into trouble. It was the most exciting school day ever." Acting head teacher Jo Graham said: "It was a very memorable day."

Having a actor as kind as Johnny Depp is definitely great! Isn't it? He is not only a great actor, but also an educator who cares about the development of the younger generations.

Having something to dream about is a great thing nowadays. In the past, children dreamed about their future naturally, some dreamed about becoming a policeman, some dreamed about becoming a nurse, and so they studied hard, worked hard; however, time has changed and Generation Y are so much different. They have no dreams at all, no focus in life, no reason to study, no need to obey. They care none about others, no need to give love to others because they get "money-equivalence" from parents, no need to give respects to anyone because they think they are bosses. They don't care about the future because they take everything for granted, not knowing the difficult life that they will be facing when they grow up. They have no failure because they don't have expectation. And so they continue to sink ...

Want to pull them out? Once they are teenagers, it will be too late and too hard. Dreamings should start early, and children should be guided by their parents in the process of dreaming-trying-failing-rethinking-retrying-refailing-understanding-redreaming.

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Keep your heart open to dreams. For as long as there's a dream, there is hope, and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living. -- Anonymous

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Vocabulary:
mutiny -- (vb)[I] (n)[C or U] when a group of people, especially soldiers or sailors, refuse to obey orders and/or attempt to take control from people in authority
astonishment -- (n)[U] very great surprise
gasp -- (vb)[I] to take a short quick breath through the mouth, especially because of surprise, pain or shock
frame -- (vb) [T] to fix a border around a picture etc. and often glass in front of it






Resources:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/8049146/Johnny-Depp-joins-primary-schools-pirate-mutiny.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/mutiny_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/astonishment
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/gasp_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/frame_7

News: Rowan Atkinson takes his life in his hands as he shoots scenes for Johnny English Reborn in London

Johnny English IS BACK!!!!!



Since the last time I recommended this movie, I have been longing for the sequel. And after the sequel has been announced and filming started in August, we have more news from Rowan! The new movie name will be "Johnny English Reborn" and "English is brought out of reclusive retirement in Asia ), as the government beg him to try and stop the assassination of the Chinese premier." [1] The movie shoots for 13 weeks in the U.K. and Hong Kong [2]! I wonder if I would get to see him in person?? If I had the chance, I would definitely like to sit down and chat with him. Are you too longing for more English actions?

Here's a trailer for your recap.

Rowan Atkinson takes his life in his hands as he shoots scenes for Johnny English Reborn in London By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 12:19 AM on 26th September 2010 Rowan Atkinson took his life in his hands as he shot scenes for Johnny English Reborn in London. The 55-year-old actor was being pulled along in a motorised wheelchair by a huge film truck as they filmed the footage on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace. And while a stunt double was used for the scenes which saw the wheelchair whizzing underneath a lorry, Atkinson didn't escape the dangerous side of the shooting as he was pulled along in the chair at speeds of around 40mph. That's what you call dangerous driving: Rowan Atkinson is pulled along by a truck as he sits in a motorised wheelchair while filming scenes for Johnny English Reborn in London Careful, Rowan! Atkinson is reprising his role as hapless spy Johnny English for the film sequel The movie, the sequel to 2003 film Johnny English, sees Atkinson reprise his role as hapless British spy English, and also stars X Files actress Gillian Anderson as well as Rosamund Pike. And Pike said recently she is enjoying the filming despite not being given any weapons to fire. She said: 'Although it's Bond spoof, it's nothing like being a Bond girl, because I've got a very interesting role to play actually. 'Not that the character in the Bond film wasn't interesting but, I don't get to play with guns of fight. There is a scene in a car, so there is an element of Bond about it. But she's quite a funny character.' Stunt time: Atkinson's stunt double has a go in the wheelchair as they start shooting scenes for the film Slipping underneath: The stunt double bends back as he gets pulled underneath a moving lorry Missing by an inch: The stunt double lays completely backwards as he travels underneath the lorry Pike added: 'Rowan Atkinson came after he saw An Education and wanted me to do this part in the Johnny English film for him. It's a very, very funny script.' Johnny English Reborn marks a return to the movie industry for Atkinson, who has largely been out of the spotlight since appearing in 2005 family comedy Keeping Mum. But Richard Curtis said recently that he is 'hopeful' Atkinson will one day reprise his most famous role of Mr Bean. He said: 'I think Mr Bean in 2010 would be obsessed by his Sky box and having access to everyone and endlessly going on YouTube. All in black: Atkinson wore an entirely black outfit as he shot scenes outside The Mall by Buckingham Palace 'I am tempted by the idea or Mr Bean in an old people's home, so Rowan doesn't have to go on dyeing his hair. 'Mr Bean does behave with all the selfishness of a child and I think a lot of childish traits remain in people as they grow up – though of course they try to hide them.' Johnny English Reborn is due for release in 2011.

Opinions:
And so Mr. Bean might be coming back as well, but being in an old people's home sounds pretty sad to me. Do I want to see him in this kind of situation? Not really, but I'm sure Rowan's good friend Richard Curtis will make it extremely funny. Anyway, for Richard to be proposing now means that nothing is being written at present, and with Johnny English Reborn only out next year, I don't think we will get to see Mr. Bean again anytime before 2012. That is a lot of patience needed.

Vocabulary:
sequel -- (n) [C] a book, film or play which continues the story of a previous book, etc.
reclusive -- (n) [C]a person who lives alone and avoids going outside or talking to other people
assassination -- (n) [C or U] the murder of someone famous or important
stunt double / stunt man / stunt woman -- (n)[C] a man or woman who performs stunts, especially instead of an actor in a film or television programme
whizzg -- (vb) [I + adverb or preposition]  informal to move or do something very fast
reprise -- (n) [C] specialized a repeat of something or part of something, especially a piece of music
hapless -- (adj) [before noun] formal unlucky and usually unhappy
spoof -- (n) [C] a funny and silly piece of writing, music, theatre, etc. that copies the style of an original work
traits -- (n) [C] a particular characteristic that can produce a particular type of behaviour


Resources:
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/11/movie-vocab-johnny-english-spoke-in.html

[1] http://movies.sky.com/johnny-english-2-takes-shape
[2] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i29f492889037dafdadcaa5d08c3af5b4

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1315287/Rowan-Atkinson-takes-life-hands-shoots-scenes-Johnny-English-2-London.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAPM6b-Z5hM

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sequel

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/recluse

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/assassination

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stunt-man-woman

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/whizz_1#whizz_1__3

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/reprise

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/hapless

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/spoof_1

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/trait#trait__3

Sports: Uncommon Ball Games -- Part 2 (Updated)

Hope you like Part 1 of the uncommon ball games, here's part 2.

Let's start off with Water Ball!!!!

Is this a new ball game? No! Quoting from Wikipedia,

A water ball, also known as a walk-on-water ball, an AquaSphere or a Wowball is a large inflatable ball that allows a human occupant to 'walk on water.' The water ball dates back to at least 1985, when it was used in the Beach Boys music video "Getcha Back."

And here's the video for the MTV:

Nice, isn't it? I wish I get to play this game one day, this is so cool! Floating on water, must be a lovely feeling! I just suppose it would be a little hot inside.

Let's move on.

House and Wilson Playing Foosball

If you watch House M.D., then you might sometimes see Doctor House and the team playing a game of ball in the doctors' lounge, and the name to that game is called Table Football, fussball or foosball. It is a game very commonly seen in the bars and pubs in the U.K.. Possibly due to the fact that people of U.K. like football so much. I couldn't find the video of House playing foosball, but I did find they are in season 2 episode 14 and season 4 episode 8, or maybe more. But I have got an even better video here.

After the fun, we can get serious...... let's watch this foosball World Cup 2010

So, which video's more interesting?

Last of the ball games for this entry, is one that is more popular in schools' Physical Education, a game in which players try to hit other players in the opponent team with balls and avoid being hit at the same time.

Meet the Dodgeball!!!! Presented to you by Ben Stiller!!!!

Would you like to try these?

Resources:
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/09/sports-uncommon-ball-games-part-1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_ball
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmVOGKVT43E&feature=related


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_football
http://foosball.software.informer.com/wiki/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fV9aadCmHo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=921pXD3hQOE&NR=1

Getcha Back -- The Beach Boys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAZBbZ27xlM

Dodgeball -- Ben Stiller
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOBSXAISxtA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodgeball

News Article: The kaleidoscopic world inside a Hong Kong tram

Something local, something cool.

There are many more beautiful pictures in the website of the article below, but I can't copy them, so you can go there and read up.

But if you want vocabulary, you can stay here first. And if you like old things about Hong Kong, you are highly adviced to visit Gwulo : Old Hong Kong

Possible location: Des Voeux Road Central

Image from gwulo.com

The kaleidoscopic world inside a Hong Kong tram CNNGo reader Edison Hung takes a ride on a tram and enjoys the diversity of people within, still using Hong Kong's oldest transportation system By Edison Hung 29 September, 2010 If I am asked to pick a word to describe the tram -- the oldest public transportation in Hong Kong, running since 1904, I would choose bizarre. It is bizarre in the sense that its existence is actually contrary to the living qualities modern people pursue in everyday life.  It is not efficient in terms of speed. It is not comfortable as there is no air-conditioning or nice fabric seating. Unlike the bus or minibus, where the passengers can enjoy TV or the radio, there is no entertainment provided. Nevertheless, the tram has run on the Hong Kong Island for more than a century, and I am pretty sure that we will hear the ‘ding-ding’ sound ringing from the tram for a long period of time. So how can it be? What makes the tram so unique that it can still exist without being knocked out by other transportations? Low price is a reason, but it alone can’t explain the whole picture. If you pay enough attention to both outside and inside a tram car, it is not difficult to discover the rich diversity of passengers which cannot be found in any other transportation. Observing their activities and the street scenes is not only interesting, but also a way to unveil a missed part of life in Hong Kong. It is not surprising to find elderly on the vehicle, but seldom do people notice that more old people like to go upstairs. Probably it is because the tram moves slowly, making it safer when they are moving up and down. To start their day, the elderly take the tram to different parks along the railway like Victoria Park for morning exercise, tai chi practice or a game of chess. After a morning of activities, it's time to take care of their grandchildren, as their parents have gone for working. Riding the tram is also a good way of spending a nice, sunny afternoon. It is not difficult to find kids sitting on their grandparents' laps, looking out the window and asking this and that, or the greybeard holding babies in their arms and waving a fan for them. In this sense, the tram is not only about transportation, it can also be a space full of warm moments where we recall the long lost childhood memories we have with our own grandparents. Taking photos on the tram is always a favorite among photographers, both professional and amateur. Indeed there are many places that are peculiar along the railway that are worthy to be captured. For instance, the ‘dry seafood street’ (Des Voeux Road West) in Sheung Wan, where you can find an entire row of shops selling the same type of product such as dried shark's fin and dried shrimp. Or taking photos of some attractive buildings in Central like Legislative Council Building and HSBC headquarters. Without a doubt it would be more difficult to take a good shot while the tram is moving, yet it is a challenge that most photographers would not hesitate to take. Domestic helpers are another type of passenger adding color to the tram, making the ride more interesting. If it is a weekday, you can find them with several red or white plastic bags on the tram as they have just finished buying food for lunch and dinner. The tram is so convenient for them since it can take them to different street markets: Wan Chai Market, Shau Kei Wan Market and North Point Market in particular, which the tram runs through directly. Having the tram pass through the market appears dangerous yet it remains very safe to shop in Hong Kong. The scene is different on Sundays. It is every domestic worker's day off. Victoria Park and Statue Square are popular hangout places for them to spend with their peers. Since the tram can reach both locations directly, it is the favored means of transportation. Surrounded by the restless buzz of Filipino and Indonesian workers, you can find them everywhere inside a tram car. Being slow finds its advantage at night, when lovers can enjoy more romantic moments being together on the tram. Ladies usually sit next to the window and lean lightly against their partners’ shoulders. After a hard day of work, couples can now embrace in the gentle breeze blowing in and relax with their beloved one. The tram can be a reflection of a society in microscopic scale, which enables a deeper understanding of people's lifestyles. Apart from those mentioned above, there are indeed many more types of passengers: half-drunken ladies in provocative wear singing loudly after having a good time in Lan Kwai Fong, foreigners looking up and down from a map to check where they should get off, to name but a few. So why don’t you take a tram ride and explore yourself? Service Information of Tram: Fee: HK$2 for adults, HK$1 for senior citizens and children Operation hour: from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. Website of Hong Kong Tramways Limited : http://www.hktramways.com/ 'Ding Ding' Hong Kong Tram Guide by Hong Kong Tourism Board: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/

Vocabulary:

kaleidoscope -- (n) [C] a tube-like toy that you look through to see different patterns of light made by pieces of coloured glass and mirrors

image from my.execpc.com/~gbonsack/

kaleidoscopic -- (adj) quickly changing from one thing to another

bizarre --(adj) very strange and unusual

pursue -- (vb) [T] If you pursue a plan, activity or situation, you try to do it or achieve it, usually over a long period of time

lap -- (n) [C usually singular] the top surface of the upper part of the legs of a person who is sitting down

greybeard -- (n) men with grey beard on the face.

amateur -- (n) a person who takes part in an activity for pleasure, not as a job

peculiar -- (adj) unusual and strange, sometimes in an unpleasant way
restless -- (adj) unwilling or unable to stay still or to be quiet and calm, because you are worried or bored
buzz -- (n)[S] informal a feeling of excitement, energy and pleasure
microscopic -- (adj) specialized very small and only able to be seen with a microscope
provocative -- (adj) If behaviour or clothing is provocative, it is intended to cause sexual desire

Resources:
CNN Go News: http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/life/kaleidoscope-tram-547237

Gwulo : Old Hong Kong: http://gwulo.com/

Hong Kong Tramway: http://www.hktramways.com/en/home.html

Youtube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npn-FxKMl_g&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcAmRWoH3fQ&videos=kOhXCxx0gzg&feature=BF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xq12AAn2Lw&videos=kOhXCxx0gzg&feature=BF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGFUGjpaFzc&videos=kOhXCxx0gzg&feature=BF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn9jMOgvKUo&NR=1

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/kaleidoscope
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/kaleidoscopic
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/bizarre

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/pursue_3

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/lap_1

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/amateur_2

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/peculiar_1

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/restless

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/buzz_5

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/microscopic_2

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/provocative_3

News Article: FDA advisors urge more study of genetically altered salmon

First, let's start off with a video so you know roughly what this is all about before you read the text version of the news:

Wait, one more video, no hurry...

Now, do you think you know the story? If so, time to check out the printed text.

FDA advisors urge more study of genetically altered salmon A panel debates the safety of the fish, developed by AquaBounty Technologies, that would be the country's first genetically engineered food animal. Instead of voting, it recommends more research. By Andrew Zajac, Tribune Washington Bureau September 21, 2010 Reporting from Washington A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel debated Monday whether to endorse the safety of genetically engineered salmon, but instead urged the agency to require more studies to demonstrate the fish's safety. The North Atlantic salmon developed by AquaBounty Technologies Inc. of Waltham, Mass., would be the country's first genetically engineered food animal. The Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee did not vote on the FDA's preliminary findings that the fish was safe for people to eat and did not pose a significant environmental risk. Instead, the panel offered a series of recommendations aimed at fleshing out information, including the possibility that the fish could trigger allergies or other health problems in some consumers. The panel's chairman, David Senior of Louisiana State University, said he thought members generally believed the fish was safe to eat, but were concerned that some studies had a small sample size. One panelist, Greg Jaffe of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, predicted after the meeting that the FDA would eventually approve the salmon, "but I don't think the agency's going to go quickly on this." The salmon is produced by taking a portion of the gene that protects the ocean pout fish against freezing, transplanting it into the growth gene of a Chinook salmon and transferring the blended genetic material into the fertilized eggs of a North Atlantic salmon. The resulting fish grows during the winter months as well as the summer, unlike an ordinary salmon. Several panelists raised concerns about the fast-growing fish, saying there were not enough data to answer key questions about allergens and other potential risks. "There are questions that have not been answered by the data that has been presented," said panelist James McKean, a veterinarian and professor at Iowa State University. But other panelists argued there was no difference between the altered salmon and its natural counterpart. "I would not feel alarmed about eating this kind of fish," said Gary Thorgaard, a professor and fish researcher at Washington State University. The panel's conclusions are not binding, but the FDA usually heeds its recommendations. The hearings continue Tuesday, when the FDA will hear testimony about what labeling, if any, should be required if the salmon was approved. azajac@latimes.com Reuters contributed to this report.

Opinions:
People love the North Atlantic salmon, and so people eat them, until there isn't enough for people to eat, people think of new ways to save the fish, or make them grow faster so as to meet the demand, thus helping the fish. Sounds very ideal of course, but will all people support gentically modified (GM) fish? What if eventually, most people go against GM fish? Then the native fish will still be consumed and eventually die out, kind of like the direction that the tunas are heading, and the biotech companies go bankrupt. The question is, will most people go against GM fish? Well, that is hard to say, people need hard data to support their switch from native fish to GM fish. No data, no talk. But there isn't enough data, so in order to save these companies, not placing GM labels on GM fish might work, so people eat the fish without knowing. By then, people turn into lab rats and if no one dies eating salmon, that's the data!

Is there another way to get data? Well, yes, need to hire some GM fish lovers to risk their lives and do the testing over a period of 3, 4 or even 10 years. By then, the biotech companies would have died out sooner than the salmon.

Is there a perfect solution? I guess not. Maybe we need some fast-eating, fast-growing GM humans to consume a large amount of GM salmons in a short time and test for cancers or rashes. Still, GM humans? That wouldn't be conclusive, we need real humans.

Okay, how about speed-eating competitions? Real humans there eat quickly, we can see how they react to GM salmon after consumption? Just make sure the researchers follow every other meals these guys have and make sure they don't eat another things that might mess up the results.

Okay, okay! How about this, how about asking those unfortunate, seriously underfed people who are still eating tree barks 3 times a day (while the rest of the world consumes their shares of food) if they are willing to try out some juicy, fat GM salmons? If they nod their heads, these biotech companies can donate thousands and even millions of fish to these people and get the data they want. Really unethical for me to say this? Well then, throwing away hundreds and thousands tonnes of unconsumed food into the bin each day is not unethical? Is not immoral? I eat up everything I order in every single meal, what about you?

And so I have heard that in every 6 seconds there is 1 person dies from hunger.


Vocabulary:
debate -- (vb) [I or T] to discuss a subject in a formal way
endorse -- (vb)  [T] to write something in order to give permission for something, especially your signature on the back of a cheque, in order to make it able to be paid to someone else
allergens -- (n) [C] [specialized] a substance which can cause an allergy (= condition of the body reacting badly to something) but which is not harmful to most people
altere -- (vb) [I or T] to change something, usually slightly, or to cause the characteristics of something to change counterpart -- (n) [C] a person or thing which has the same purpose as another one in a different place or organization
unethical -- (adj) not ethical (= based on moral beliefs)
immoral -- (adj) not within society's standards of acceptable, honest and moral behaviour; morally wrong


Resources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upa-8l-5HoE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf_dIXv0P3I
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-na-salmon-fda-20100921,0,1724639,print.story
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_pout
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinook_salmon

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/debate_2 http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/endorse_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/allergen#allergen__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/alter_1#alter_1__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/counterpart   http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/unethical
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/immoral

Technology: Windows 7 Crossover Windows XP

Alright, in the last entry about Windows 7 I mentioned about a software called Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor that can help me find out whether or not I can upgrade from XP to 7, and now this is what happened about I wrote that entry...

Image from images.tothetech.com

As expected, I downloaded the Advisor, installed it and ran it, and I was more than happy to know that I can upgrade to Windows 7, only that I should install the 32-bit version instead of the 64-bit one. Well, that is okay because I have both versions.

Image from hdd-tool.com

As I was almost getting ready to press that install button, I suddenly remembered that I should at least try to make my data partition safe by hiding it, so I ran an old software called Partition Magic 8, aka PM8, ( there are many other free versions that can do the job just as well, and there is the Disk Management on your Windows XP and Windows 7 too ) because I am more familiar with PM8, and chose "Hide Partition" to ensure my data partition cannot be overwritten.

Image from intelliadmin.com

While I was doing that, a question just popped up in my head, "Why can't I have both Windows XP and 7 on the same hard disk?" I have tried to install 2 Windows ME on the same hard disk, and then later 2 Windows XP on two separate hard disks, though there was not much point doing that, there is a good reason I do this now. As I know that there are still quite a number of software not compatible with Windows 7, so keeping Windows XP allows me to ensure I can still work smoothly if anything goes wrong with the installation.

Now, this is called "Dual-booting".

Image from instructables.com

The first thing to do then, was to create a new Primary Partition for Windows 7 to be installed later, and also hide the current Windows XP partition, then reboot system.

To cut short the story, the installation was quick and smooth, and the installation program was smart enough to download all the most updated drivers from the internet and saved me from lots of hassle. (But soon after that I realised the hiding of the partitions was unnecessary because Windows 7 is too smart.)

Image from blogsdna.com

In no time, I was running on Windows 7. But let's not forget, my goal was to be able to choose which Windows to run when I wanted, and with my data partition and XP partition hidden, I need to unhide them, now how do I do that?

1. I could either install PM8 on my Windows 7 first, but no guarantee it will work on the 7, or,
2. I could make use of my Windows PE, a home-made Windows ME that allows you to run Windows using just the RAM (well, not really, but more or less true), which includes PM8 and other cool disk manager softwares inside.

Image from Google

And of course, I did the latter, because I hate to install something that I later do not need, and in seconds, Wahla!!! All partitions are visible now!

But now what? Will your computer now knows that you have 2 different Windows on the same hard disk and so let you choose which one you want to use?

That depends on your luck. Windows 7 has a Windows Boot Manager at startup, but if it doesn't come out, then you'll need to install something called the (second-stage) boot loader, in this case, I used EasyBCD. 

Image from wiki.wegotserved.com

Following the instructions I found from the internet (please see links below), and Ho Ho Ho!!! I can now choose which ever Windows I want to boot! Hurray!!!!

After installing all the usual software I often use, I have figured out a new challenge, which I will share some time after accomplishing, or failing......

(To be continued)

Vocabulary:
Dual-boot / Dual-booting -- Multi-boot or Multi-booting is the act of installing multiple operating systems on a computer, and being able to choose which one to boot when starting the computer. The term dual-booting refers to the common configuration of exactly two operating systems.
hassle --  [C or U] informal (a situation causing) difficulty or trouble
boot loader -- a software that loads the main operating system for the computer.




Resources:
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/09/technology-window-7-now.html
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_booting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booting#Second-stage_boot_loader
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EasyBCD

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/hassle_1

For a video guide instead of reading what I am writing:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/dual-boot-between-windows-xp-and-windows-7.aspx

On detail use of Disk Management:

http://www.techspot.com/guides/143-dual-boot-windows7/

On using EasyBCD:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/8790/dual-boot-your-pre-installed-windows-7-computer-with-xp/