Event: Earth Hour 2011 this Saturday!!!!

See you there!

Image from Earth Hour

26th March, 8:30pm

Resources:
Environment: Earth Hour 2011 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/03/environment-earth-hour-2011.html

Similes & Song: Everything At Once -- Lenka

Image from rojak

Wow!! New Age, new songs! Recently, Lenka releases a new album Two and there is a song called "Everything at once". The lyrics of the song are flooded with similes!

Image from tnellen

Simile is a very important part of  movies and songs and of course, in spoken and written English, as an English speaker, one must learn at least some of the more common ones.


I hope you still remember what similes are. If not, here is the definition from Cambridge Dictionary,


similes
noun [C or U]
(the use of) an expression comparing one thing with another, always including the words `as' or `like'

And of course, I like the definition from Wikipedia better,

A simile is a figure of speech that indirectly compares two different things by employing the words "like", "as", or "than".^[1] Even though similes and metaphors are both forms of comparison, similes indirectly compare the two ideas and allow them to remain distinct in spite of their similarities, whereas metaphors compare two things directly.

Image from Kai Power

And here are the common formulas,

1. verb (phrase) + like+ noun (phrase)
2. verb (phrase) + (as) + adjective + as + noun (phrase)

Any examples?

Let's check out the lyrics of the song then!

Lyrics:

As sly as a fox, as strong as an ox
As fast as a hare, as brave as a bear
As free as a bird, as neat as a word
As quiet as a mouse, as big as a house

All I wanna be, all I wanna be, oh
All I wanna be is everything

As mean as a wolf, as sharp as a tooth
As deep as a bite, as dark as the night
As sweet as a song, as right as a wrong
As long as a road, as ugly as a toad

As pretty as a picture hanging from a fixture
Strong like a family, strong as I wanna be
Bright as day, as light as play
As hard as nails, as grand as a whale

All I wanna be, all I wanna be, oh
All I wanna be is everything

As warm as the, the sun, as silly as fun
As cool as a tree, as scary as the sea
As hot as fire, cold as ice
Sweet as sugar and everything nice

As old as time, as straight as a line
As royal as a queen, as buzzed as a bee
Stealth as a tiger, smooth as a glide
Pure as a melody, pure as I wanna be

All I wanna be, all I wanna be, oh
All I wanna be is everything

I have a website here which will offer you a list of similes. Hope you enjoy learning them!!!

Have a nice weekend!

Resources:

Lenka Official Website
http://www.lenkamusic.com/us/home

Everything at once @ Sing365
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Everything-At-Once-lyrics-Lenka/EC2A49E74482BA564825783E0007E112

Everything At Once by Lenka w/ lyrics @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbrwlqYVwCE&feature=player_embedded

Simile @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simile

Similes @Said What
http://www.saidwhat.co.uk/spoon/similes.php

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/simile#simile__3

Technology: Apple iPad 2 VS Motorola Xoom

Image from myblogsg

Speculating in Apple products is a risky business because you don't know when it will be officially released, but that ironically, is also the reason for the existence of such business. Like the Chinese saying, "when there is risk, there is opportunity".

But situation can change within a day, while some gray market dealers are still thinking that the gray market iPad 2 can be sold at double price on the 14th March, a day later after the official Apple announcement of sale of iPad 2 in Hong Kong in April, the price has immediately cut down fiercely.

Maybe you are thinking about "To Buy, or Not To Buy", well, I ran into a great review of the Apple iPad 2 and Motorola Xoom earlier on, maybe that can help you a bit.

Enjoy the listening practice!

Vocabulary:
speculate -- (vb)[I] to buy and sell in the hope that the value of what you buy will increase and that it can then be sold at a higher price in order to make a profit

Resources:


Vocabulary: Parallel Import / Grey Product @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/06/vocabulary-parallel-import-grey-product.html

iPad 2 Already Selling For Twice The Price On Hong Kong Gray Market @ Business Insider
http://www.businessinsider.com/ipad-2s-hong-kong-gray-market-2011-3


iPad 2 on sale in Hong Kong, Singapore in April @ The Sydney Morning Herald
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/ipad-2-on-sale-in-hong-kong-singapore-in-april-20110323-1c5dx.html

Apple iPad 2 and Motorola Xoom: Tested, Rated, Compared (Video) @ PC Magazine
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2381812,00.asp

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/speculate_2

Vocabulary: @ Hong Kong Flower Show 2011

I know it is a little too many songs in 2 weeks, but that is because I'm feeling particularly down and I need some time to recover, so a few nice songs can definitely "soothe the burn, ease the pain" a little. 

I went to the Hong Kong Flower Show 2011 alone yesterday and took some pictures, hoping that will cheer myself up a little. Did it work? Of course not, but I could use a little distraction.

Apart from that, like I always say, as long as you pay attention, there is always something to learn. To be easy on myself and easy on you, I'm just going to introduce a few flower names.

First, something edible, the cabbages, located near the main entrance.

A close-up of Cabbage, I like the water droplets on the leaves

Cabbages in groups. Yummy!

Then comes the orchids,  reminds me of a restaurant name in Hong Kong every time I go to watch movies at the UA Cinema. Never tried that restaurant though.

Don't have enough zoom, need a new lens

Then another plant reminds me of Chinese dessert, the Green Bean Soup, called Rue, They have beautiful little small flowers. They smell SO SO good!

Rue

There were more herbs, such as Parsley, Peppermint and Basil,

Parsley

Peppermint

Basil

Another flower which we have talked about is the Chrysanthemum, or simply, mum. Mum's tea anyone?

Chrysanthemum

The sunflowers are not looking that good already, and it was hard to pick one that still looked all right.

One in-good-shape Sunflower

The others were just wilting.

Wilting Sunflowers

There was something new to see, like the King Protea, the National Flower of South Africa. 

King Protea

And the Dancing Grass /  Telegraph Plant, Codariocalyx motorius, "a tropical Asian shrub...is widely distributed throughout Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam... It produces small purple flowers. "

"Dancing Grass" / Telegraph Plant 

How does it dance? Let's take a look!

The tulips were definitely the plant of the show and it was packed with photographers with lenses longer than my leg.

Tulips

The orange ones had gradient colours.

And the red ones were so red that they looked almost fake,

The yellow ones were warm,

The pink ones were gentle.

Anyway, the one flower that I was chasing for, was my favourite flower, the Sweet Osmanthus, Osmanthus fragrans. Like the name, they smell so sweet! And the most exciting of all, they actually bear fruits!!! I couldn't resist and took one home to plant! Shhhh!!! Don't tell anyone!

Osmanthus with fruits

The last one, is a picture of my dinner last night, it is beanstalk and Chinese kale,

Beanstalk and Kale

Many of these flowers have actually been mentioned before, so please refer to the links below for more revisions, and if you want to see all the pictures, you can visit my Facebook album.

Vocabulary:
distraction -- (n) [C or U] something that prevents someone from concentrating on what they are doing
edible -- (adj) suitable or safe for eating
wilt --(vb)[I] (of a plant) to become weak and begin to bend towards the ground, or (of a person) to become weaker, tired or less confident

Resources:

 Hong Kong Flower Show 2011

http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/green/hkfs/2011/en/index.php

Vocabulary: Chinese New Year Flowers and Plants @ Locky's English Playground

http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/02/vocabulary-chinese-new-year-flowers-and.html

Herbs: Rue / Ruta in Green Bean Sweet Soup @ Locky's English Playground

http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/08/herbs-rue-ruta-in-green-bean-sweet-soup.html

Spice: Thai Basils @ Locky's English Playground

http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/04/spice-thai-basils.html

King Protea @ Wikipedia

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

Dancing Grass @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVBTqh37TGM&feature=related

Dancing Grass @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codariocalyx_motorius

Osmanthus @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmanthus_fragrans

Chinese Kale @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai-lan

All pictures on my Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=569470411&aid=347712

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/distraction
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/edible
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/wilt

Movie: Short Circuit

Number 5 / Johnny 5
Image from hexus

From my favourite childhood movies, I met my favourite robot of all time, Number 5 (Johnny 5). From Johnny 5, I learn to be a good boy, be a good person, and love the world. He may not be very pretty from the first look, but he is so cute in the movies. Anyone who watches the movies will grow to love him in a very short time!

Why am I writing about it? Because there is a very exciting news I happen to find while searching for the theme song of Johnny 5's first movie, Short Circuit, and that song is Bee Gee's More Than A Woman.

I grow to love this song mainly because of Johnny 5. Honestly, it is very hard to say how much I love this robot, what he did to make me love him so much. He is like a friend, who spent years with me while I watched and rewatched his movies, then I also used my LEGO to make a toy of him and brought him with me anywhere I went. At that time, LEGO already had enough small parts for me to make one very similar to him.

Image from sfweekly

I have never forgotten about him, as he is always in my mind. When I saw Wall-e again, I was immediately reminded of Johnny 5 again!

Image from azeemkhan

The first movie talks about one of the soldier robots called Number 5 manufactured by a military group was struck by lightning one night and therefore didn't follow orders and started operating by itself. The robot learned to read everything he came across and developed an understanding of the human world, and because the robot was very hi-tech, it even developed feelings and love as it spent time with a girl called Stephanie. Then of course, the military group felt the potential danger of this robot and sent out to search for Number 5 and wanted to destroy it. And here's the trailer of the first movie.

The sequel talks about Number 5, now called Johnny 5 as he gave himself a name, went to New York to spend time with his military group old friend Ben. Since Johnny 5 used to live in the village and this was the first time to visit the city, he found many things very new, and he made some bad friends who cheated him in committing crimes. These bad friends later turned ugly and wanted to destroy Johnny 5 as well, and the story continued.

Okay, so, what is the very exciting news? Well, Wikipedia said this!!!!

"IMDb currently has the Short Circuit remake listed as a 2011 release. According to the page, the set storyline is described as being an updated re-imagining of the classic John Badham film where Number 5, one of a group of experimental military robots, undergoes a sudden transformation after being struck by lightning. He develops self-awareness, consciousness, and a fear of the reprogramming that awaits him back at the factory. With the help of a troubled young boy, Number 5 tries to evade capture and convince his creator that he has truly become alive. There is currently no cast information, only a confirmation that Steve Carr will be directing."

And this is true!!!! Here is the page!!!! This time though, it will not be Stephanie, but a "troubled young boy". Let's hope he is not Justin Bieber! But even if he will be this boy, I will still watch this movie! I love Johnny 5 so much and I really miss him!

That reminds me that I should get the DVDs! If not, I will download them again! Cos my VHS tapes are super moulded!

Do subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more Johnny 5 updates!
http://www.youtube.com/user/lx3h1981#grid/user/669365E7C0D6E7C8

Resource:

Short Circuit (1986) @ IMDb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091949/

Short Circuit 2 (1988) @ IMDb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096101/

Short Circuit @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Circuit

Short Circuit 2 @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Circuit_2

Short Circuit 1 Trailer @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TBcQ8h_kXU&feature=related

Short Circuit 2 trailer @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6VVELKyhOg&feature=related

bee gees - more than a woman @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZCtgFmQvjQ

Short Circuit (2011) @ IMDb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0929281/

Short Circuit @ Locky's English Playground's YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/lx3h1981#grid/user/669365E7C0D6E7C8

Song: Officially Yours -- Craig David

Okay! I know a lot of people are worried about the nuclear plants in Japan, but too much of that doesn't help the mood, and even if it does leak, life goes on, people still have to work and try to live a good life. Our English Playground will cheer for Japan! And to cheer for Japan, LOVE is the most important at this point!

So, let's not let the love stop!

Finally, it's time to introduce my favourite favourite singer that I have been listening since he broke out from the common pop songs framework in year 2000 and created a whole new listening experience! Young and talented, naturally soothing and easy-listening vocal singing his very unique style of R & B, Craig David become an immediate success in his very first album, Born to Do It!

Image from PUM

According to Wikipedia,

"The success of David's debut, which was written almost entirely by David andMark Hill of Artful Dodger, led to the United States release of "Fill Me In" in May 2001. It reached Number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Born to Do It was released in the United States on 17 July 2001, peaking at Number 11 on the Billboard 200 and sold over one million copies. The single "7 Days" hit the Top 10 in the U.S.; although "Walking Away", which had reached Number 3 in the UK and Number 5 in Australia, missed the Top 40 in the U.S. and was the last of his singles to chart there.
In April 2009, MTV viewers voted Born To Do It as Number 2 on their "Greatest Album of All-Time" poll, behind Michael Jackson's Thriller."

Now, to the song I'm recommending, Officially Yours -- from the album Trust Me (2007/2008).

Image from wikipedia

This is a soft slick midtempo song with lyrics that show regret, make apology and make proposal to to his lover at the same time. The melody is happy, warm, romantic and fortunate. I like the bridge in particular as he stretches his voice in several occasions and changes his keys.

The purist love is love that is given unconditionally.

Enjoy!!!!

Lyrics:

"Officially Yours"

[Intro]
Oh yeah yes
La da day, la da day
La da da da da oh

[Verse 1]
Thinkin' how the story goes
You're helpless and I'm wishin'
Put the film inside my mind
But there's a big scene that I'm missin'
As I re-read my lines
I think I said this, I should've said that
Did you edit me out of your mind
'Cos in a flash you had disappeared, gone (gone)
Before the curtain falls
And we act this out again
Maybe I should risk it all and state

[Chorus]
That I'm officially going on the record
To say I'm in love with you
I'm officially everything you hope that I would be
This time I'll tell the truth
I'm officially wrong I know
For letting you go the way I did
Unconditionally more than I ever was before
I'm officially yours
La da day, la da day
La da da da da oh

[Verse 2]
Travellin' down this road again
Gotta make a few decisions
Don't want you to feel this hurt again
That's why I'm hopin' that you'll listen
If you let me press rewind
I'll rehearse every word I should have said
'Cos girl I'm ready to make things right
Here on this stage so we can move on (on)
And before the curtain falls
And we act this out again
Missin' pieces I'll resolve so stay

[Chorus]
I'm officially going on the record
To say I'm in love with you
I'm officially everything you hope that I would be
This time I'll tell the truth
I'm officially wrong I know
For letting you go the way I did
Unconditionally more than I ever was before

[Bridge]
Things I should have said
Like I appreciate the time that I spend with you
Inspire me with the smile I put on your pretty face
My world comes alive, now I know (now I know it babe)
This time I'm not letting go
'Cos I'm officially yours (oh oh)

[Chorus]
Officially everything you hope that I would be
This time I'll tell the truth
I'm officially wrong I know
For letting you go the way I did
Unconditionally more than I ever was before

I'm officially going on the record
To say I'm in love with you
I'm officially everything you hope that I would be
This time I'll tell the truth
I'm officially wrong I know
For letting you go the way I did
Unconditionally more than I ever was before

[Outro]
Girl I'm unconditionally yours (oh yeah)
Officially yours, your man (La da day, la da day, la da day)
Girl I'm unconditionally yours (La da da da da oh)
Officially yours, I am

Girl I'm unconditionally yours (listen what I'm tryna say)
Officially yours, your man (oh oh)
Girl I'm unconditionally yours
Officially yours, I am

Vocabulary:
stretch -- (vb) [T] (also stretch out) to make a process or task continue for a longer period of time than was originally planned
unconditionally -- (adv) completely and not limited in any way
inspire -- (vb) to make someone have a particular strong feeling or reaction




Resources:

Craig David @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_David

Officially Yours @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Officially_Yours

Trust Me @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust_Me_(album)

Craig David - Officially Yours (Official Video) @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp9ZvbMLF4g

Officially Yours Lyrics @ AZlyrics
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/craigdavid/officiallyyours.html

Officially yours - Craig david w/ lyrics @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSrYx3hIfGA

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stretch_5
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/unconditional
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/inspire