Movie & Vocabulary: The Bride of Gingy @ Scared Shrekless

Since the entry "Technology: How to Use Your Galaxy SII? (Updated 6th Dec, 2011)", some readers find it really funny and want to learn the words in it, so as a request, I'm going to do a detail explanation of the scary story called "The Bride of Gingy" from Shrek, more precisely, from a spin-off of Shrek, a 21 min movie called Scared Shrekless (2010)! This clip is so funny that I have watched over 20 times and I'm still laughing! And, it has lots of English to learn!

"Like" this entry and subscribe to the English Playground!

Buckle up, everybody. The quicker I scare the wits out of you lot, the sooner I can be home, cozy in my bed. Unless anyone else thinks they've got what it takes. Oh! Oh! Pick me, pick me! I have a scary story! This isn't the one about you getting trapped in the petting zoo again, is it? - 'Cause that's not scary. - Actually...If you look at it from my perspective... Hey, guess what, Pinocchio, no one cares! Get ready to send these jokers home, Shrek, 'cause I've got a doozy...and it's all true! It was a dark and stormy night... Gingy? My girlfriend kicked me out. I don't know, something about me being too into myself. Blah, blah, blah, yack, yack, yack. You? But you are so adorable. I know! That's what I keep telling her! I need a good woman, Muffin Man. Ah. I can help you, Gingy. - How about this one? - Aw, I dunno. - You like her, huh? - Nope. Weird hair. - How about this one? - Too skinny. No! Don't like it! Okay. Well, how about this one? Yes! That's it! Ah! She's perfect. The girl of my dreams. Wait! More sugar. But that is not the recipe. Trust me, Muffin Man, this girl's gotta be real sweet. I want someone who will love me forever. I must warn you, Gingy. No one has ever made cookies with this much sugar. You are tampering with forces far beyond your comprehension! Just put her in the oven! Ah ha ha ha ha! Ah ha ha ha... Ow! Ha ha ha ha! Hey. I get a little privacy? - Huh? - Take a hike. Oh, oui. Oh, my gosh, I'm in love! A cookie angel. Wow! And you're hot too! Hello? Hello? Oh... I guess it didn't work. Ha ha! Gingy, is it you? The one I was made for? Oh, we'll be together forever. Sweet! ♪ I can't see me loving nobody but you for all my life ♪ ♪ When you're with me baby, the skies'll be blue for all my life ♪ ♪ Me and you and you and me no matter how they toss the dice ♪ ♪ It had to be the only one for me is you and you for me ♪ ♪ So happy together ♪ - Are ya happy, Gingy? - You bet! The time since I met you has been the best...7 and a 1/2 minutes of my life. Good! Because this is only the beginning. I'm going to love you and hold you and feed you and dress you and cling to you... - Yeah... Hang on to you and smother you with my love. - Yeah... - Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever... - You know, it's gettin' a little stuffy in here. You know, I might go get some air. Oh, no, you don't. Oh, no... Not without your umbrella. - Come on! - Here, let me get that. Wait for me! Sugar, could you just do me one small, little teensy favor? Anything. Could you leave me alone for like 30 seconds? Anything but that. You know, I forgot my gumdrop buttons. Yeah! Could you run over there and get 'em for me, please? Sure, I can. I'll be right back. ♪ Gingy, Gingy ♪ Run, run, run, as fast as you can if you wanna remain a gingerbread man! Oh! - Oh, Gingy. - Whaa... I don't understand. - I thought you were happy! - Oh, well... It's all my fault. I should have tried harder! No, no, no! Don't try harder! Maybe I'm not pretty enough. I can be pretty... really pretty! The girl of your dreams. - Aah! Remember? Farewell! Gingy! Let go, Gingy! Fall with me...so we can be together forever! Here's a thought...You let go! Together! Together fore... Boy, what a night! I'm so glad that is over with! Oh! Oh, well. Nothing lasts forever. - In sports... Together forever. Aah! Together forever. Together forever. Together forever. What a nice surprise! Together forever. Together forever. Together forever. Together forever. - Hey... So what's up? - Together forever. I think we both may have said some things I might regret. - Together forever! - Gosh, your eye is pretty! Look, I know you're upset, so... Aah! Why don't we just sit down...and discuss this? Then... they ate me! Wee, wee, wee, wee, wee, wee! They're gonna do that all the way home. I... I gotta go. They're my ride. Wait a minute. If they ate you, how is it that you're still here? Did you not say this was a true story? Um...You made it up, didn't ya? I... hey, look! Lord Farquaad's ghost! Aah! Doody heads!

Vocabulary:
spin-off -- (n)[C] a programme or other show involving characters from a previous programme or film
buckle up -- phrasal verb UK (US buckle up) to fasten the belt that keeps you in your seat in a car or a plane
wit -- (n) [S or U] the ability to use words in a clever and humorous way
cozy -- (adj) (US for cosy) comfortable and pleasant, especially (of a building) because small and warm
petting zoo -- (n) [C] US an open area where small or young animals are kept which children can hold, touch and sometimes feed
doozy -- (adj) an extraordinary one of its kind
adorable -- (adj) describes a person or animal that is easy to love because they are so attractive and often small
tamper with sb phrasal verb to touch or make changes to something which you should not, usually without enough knowledge of how it works or when you are trying to damage it
take a hike -- US informal a rude way of telling someone to leave
you bet -- informal used to emphasize a statement or to mean 'certainly'
cling -- (vb) [I + adverb or preposition] to stick onto or hold something or someone tightly, or to refuse to stop holding them
smother -- (vb)[T] to kill someone by covering their face so that they cannot breathe
stuffy -- (adj) disapproving A stuffy a room or building is unpleasant because it has no fresh air
teensy -- (adj) tiny
gumdrop --  (n) [C] (also gum) a chewy sweet that usually has a fruit flavour
doody -- (n)[U] (slang, childish) Excrement, poop, poo poo.

Resources:

Technology: How to Use Your Galaxy SII? (Updated 6th Dec, 2011) @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/12/technology-how-to-use-your-galaxy-sii.html


Scared Shrekless @ IMDb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1725156/

Gingy!! @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/xvHwHqaThi8

Scared Shrekless (en) Script
www.subswiki.com/original/6571/0

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/spin-off?q=spin-off
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/belt-up_2#belt-up_2__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/wit_1?q=wit
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/cosy_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/cozy?q=cozy
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/petting-zoo?q=petting+zoo+
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doozy
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/adorable?q=adorable+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/tamper-with-sth?q=tamper+#tamper-with-sth__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/take-a-hike#take-a-hike__1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/you-bet?q=you+bet#you-bet__1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/cling_1?q=cling
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/smother_1?q=smother
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stuffy_1?q=stuffy
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/teensy
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/gumdrop?q=gumdrop+
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doody

TV & Academic Research: Heroes VS Fringe (Season 1 comparisons)

One of the advantages of doing assignments is that if it is well-written, I can post it to benefit my readers, or maybe others who need to do similar tasks.

The assignment below requires me to make a comparison of the two sci-fi TV series Heroes and Fringe. If you have seen them, you might also have the same feeling as I have.

Here is an assignment I wrote which came back with an 'A' grade!

Image from rollmops.files.wordpress.com Both being science fiction television series, Heroes and Fringe adopt paranormal and interlocking mysteries as the plot development, kicking off with the phenomena which are unexplainable with modern day normal-stream science to draw viewers’ attention. What gives Heroes the competitive edge over Fringe is the scaffolding of the network of characters in the first episode. Each character is unique in their superpowers and the weight of the story is evenly spread amongst the characters that are located in different parts of the world. The potential in developing the threads of the story through each character is huge. Viewers are tempted to see how each of the characters will develop their own stories and how they will eventually unite. Fringe on the other hand has a pattern which is regular and predictable, that is it focuses one individual case in one episode. Image from geek-news.mtv TV series are being watched by viewers globally and viewers love to see their countrymen appearing on the small screen as much as the big screen. The producers of Heroes understand this perfectly. In terms of marketing potentials, Heroes displays several large cultures in the series such as the Indian and the Japanese cultures which definitely suit the taste of the Asian viewers and the massive Asian markets whereas Fringe remains a typical wholly America-based FBI-detective TV series. Heroes also defeats Fringe in terms of depth of thought. Heroes addresses the issues or even conflicts between traditional beliefs and science and in some ways attempts a merger of two, conceptually it is more intriguing to look into the deep philosophical beliefs such as destiny and meanings in life versus the opposing belief of science and evolution than sole paranormal mysteries in Fringe. In terms of filming techniques, Heroes makes use of low-light shooting, night scenes and low key tone in daylight, pictures are tinted with slight purple, dark blue or grey through the use of lens filters, which creates various mysterious atmospheres throughout the episodes; Fringe does not apply lighting effects and filters as often as Heroes does. The use of a recurring sword-like symbol in some scenes of Heroes to trigger the viewers’ pursuit of the story is effective but is slightly overdone at times; Fringe applies similar technique by using frog, leaf and handprint in between scenes to achieve the same result, but because they are not shown in the scenes, it is doubtful that these symbols will be explained in the future.

As you can see, this is the writing style expected at the Master's level, highly densed, highly nominalised, and very little non-sense. If you want to know how to write like this, please revise my earlier articles on titled
"Business Writing: How to write like a pro? -- Part 0,1,2,3,4"

Vocabulary:

paranormal -- (adj) impossible to explain by known natural forces or by science
interlocking -- (adj) firmly joined together, especially by one part fitting into another

be tempted -- (vb) to want something or to want to do something
intriguing -- (adj) very interesting because of being unusual or mysterious
tint -- (vb) [T] to slightly change the colour of something
pursuit -- (n) [U] when you try to achieve a plan, activity or situation, usually over a long period of time




Resources:
Business Writing: How to write like a pro? @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/search/label/Writing

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/paranormal_1?q=paranormal+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/interlocking?q=interlocking
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/tempt?q=tempt
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/intriguing?q=intriguing
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/tint_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/pursuit_3

Message: Back At Full Throttle

Dear English Players,

A good news to you all and that is our English Playground will be back at full throttle this week! That is because I will soon be completing all my assignments. So just remain patient! Lots of good stuff to share!

Hope you like the new background picture!

Cheers,
Locky

Vocabulary:

at full/half throttle -- at full/half speed or power


http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/at-full-half-throttle#at-full-half-throttle__1

Technology: How to Use Your Galaxy SII? (Updated 6th Dec, 2011)

Samsung Galaxy SII (Model GT-I9100)
Image from techwench.com

Following my blog entries on the Galaxy SII (See Resources below), at least two of my student Ella and Angus have bought their new favourite. But there are a number of questions on how to operate and protect the phone and so I decide to write an entry on this.

Upgrading to Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread
Android's OS comes in a series of cute names, here are the names of the more popular versions,

• 2.3.x Gingerbread (for smartphones)
• 3.0.x Honeycomb (for tablets)
• 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich (for newer smartphones such as Galaxy Nexus)

Image from wikia

Image from geeky-gadgets.com

Image from androidcentral

My SII came with with the older 2.3.3 and needed to be updated. If yours is also running the older version, I highly recommend that you upgrade it to the current 2.3.5 as it will give it more flexibility in managing your phone.

To see your current version:

Go to Settings --> About phone --> Software update --> Android version

To upgrade,
Go to Settings --> About phone --> Software update --> Android version --> Update

The really good thing about the Android phones update is that it doesn't need to plug into the computer with a wire, which is something that iPhone has just recently managed to do! Slow!

Power Saving Mode
After the upgrade, the operation should be smoother and battery use should be slower. But if you are still experiencing battery drain issue (because you start too many applications, using too much energy on the screen, leaving WiFi on at all time, etc.) the easiest way is to switch on your Power Saving Mode.

Go to Settings --> Power saving mode --> check the box at Use Power saving mode

After that,
Go to Settings --> Power saving mode --> Custom Power saving settings

and check every box there. Under Brightness, choose 10% brightness (enough for me personally). Under Screen time-out, choose 1 minute (too short is quite irritating when it dims too often).

Power-saving mode
Image from cdn-static.cnet.co.uk

Personally, I won't check System Power Saving because it slows down the phone a lot.

Quick Drag-Down Settings

Quick Drag-Down Settings
Image from cdn-static.cnet.co.uk

Perhaps one of the best features of the Android Gingerbread is the Quick Drag-Down Settings, which allows the users to change their settings with one touch.

Go to Desktop page --> Touch the black bar on the top --> Drag down the bar

From here, you can press the buttons to activate / deactivate your Wi-Fi, Bluetooh, GPS, Sound and Auto rotation functions.

Flight Mode

Flight Mode @ Phone options
Image from img.gadgetian.com

Definitely the best feature on this phone is the Flight Mode. If you are still want to use your phone in the middle of the night as an alarm clock for example, don't mind there are no incoming calls or internet connections and you don't want to power off the phone, you can simply:

Power / Flight Mode button
Image from mos.futurenet.com

Hold the power button on the right of the phone for 1 second --> choose Flight Mode. What is really cool about this Flight Mode is that the phone will consume less than 2% of the power in 9 hours! I use it when I am away teaching a class to conserve the power on my phone as I won't be able to pick up calls or use the 3G anyway but switching off the phone on and off will consume more power.

For more tips on how to use your Galaxy SII, please "Like" the blog on Facebook!

Gingy

Talking about Gingerbread, Christmas is coming, and so here's a scary story called "The Bridge of Gingy" from Shrek! It's incredibly funny and he's my favourite character in Shrek too! See if you can hear what he is saying without the subtitles.

If you want the script to this, here it is!

Buckle up, everybody. The quicker I scare the wits out of you lot, the sooner I can be home, cozy in my bed. Unless anyone else thinks they've got what it takes. Oh! Oh! Pick me, pick me! I have a scary story! This isn't the one about you getting trapped in the petting zoo again, is it? - 'Cause that's not scary. - Actually...If you look at it from my perspective... Hey, guess what, Pinocchio, no one cares! Get ready to send these jokers home, Shrek, 'cause I've got a doozy...and it's all true! It was a dark and stormy night... Gingy? My girlfriend kicked me out. I don't know, something about me being too into myself. Blah, blah, blah, yack, yack, yack. You? But you are so adorable. I know! That's what I keep telling her! I need a good woman, Muffin Man. Ah. I can help you, Gingy. - How about this one? - Aw, I dunno. - You like her, huh? - Nope. Weird hair. - How about this one? - Too skinny. No! Don't like it! Okay. Well, how about this one? Yes! That's it! Ah! She's perfect. The girl of my dreams. Wait! More sugar. But that is not the recipe. Trust me, Muffin Man, this girl's gotta be real sweet. I want someone who will love me forever. I must warn you, Gingy. No one has ever made cookies with this much sugar. You are tampering with forces far beyond your comprehension! Just put her in the oven! Ah ha ha ha ha! Ah ha ha ha... Ow! Ha ha ha ha! Hey. I get a little privacy? - Huh? - Take a hike. Oh, oui. Oh, my gosh, I'm in love! A cookie angel. Wow! And you're hot too! Hello? Hello? Oh... I guess it didn't work. Ha ha! Gingy, is it you? The one I was made for? Oh, we'll be together forever. Sweet! ♪ I can't see me loving nobody but you for all my life ♪ ♪ When you're with me baby, the skies'll be blue for all my life ♪ ♪ Me and you and you and me no matter how they toss the dice ♪ ♪ It had to be the only one for me is you and you for me ♪ ♪ So happy together ♪ - Are ya happy, Gingy? - You bet! The time since I met you has been the best...7 and a 1/2 minutes of my life. Good! Because this is only the beginning. I'm going to love you and hold you and feed you and dress you and cling to you... - Yeah... Hang on to you and smother you with my love. - Yeah... - Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever... - You know, it's gettin' a little stuffy in here. You know, I might go get some air. Oh, no, you don't. Oh, no... Not without your umbrella. - Come on! - Here, let me get that. Wait for me! Sugar, could you just do me one small, little teensy favor? Anything. Could you leave me alone for like 30 seconds? Anything but that. You know, I forgot my gumdrop buttons. Yeah! Could you run over there and get 'em for me, please? Sure, I can. I'll be right back. ♪ Gingy, Gingy ♪ Run, run, run, as fast as you can if you wanna remain a gingerbread man! Oh! - Oh, Gingy. - Whaa... I don't understand. - I thought you were happy! - Oh, well... It's all my fault. I should have tried harder! No, no, no! Don't try harder! Maybe I'm not pretty enough. I can be pretty... really pretty! The girl of your dreams. - Aah! Remember? Farewell! Gingy! Let go, Gingy! Fall with me...so we can be together forever! Here's a thought...You let go! Together! Together fore... Boy, what a night! I'm so glad that is over with! Oh! Oh, well.Nothing lasts forever. - In sports... Together forever. Aah! Together forever.Together forever.Together forever. What a nice surprise! Together forever.Together forever.Together forever.Together forever. - Hey... So what's up? - Together forever. I think we both may have said some things I might regret. - Together forever! - Gosh, your eye is pretty! Look, I know you're upset, so... Aah! Why don't we just sit down...and discuss this? Then... they ate me! Wee, wee, wee, wee, wee, wee! They're gonna do that all the way home. I... I gotta go. They're my ride. Wait a minute. If they ate you, how is it that you're still here? Did you not say this was a true story? Um...You made it up, didn't ya? I... hey, look! Lord Farquaad's ghost! Aah! Doody heads!

Vocabulary:
drag -- (vb) [T] to move something on a computer screen using a mouse (DEVICE)
activate -- (vb) [T] to cause something to start
deactivate -- (vb) [T] to cause something to be no longer active or effective


Resources:
Technology & Video: My Samsung Galaxy SII ad (Updated 2011-11-25) @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/11/technology-video-my-samsung-galaxy-sii.html

Technology: iPhone 4S vs Galaxy SII vs Galaxy Nexus @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/11/technology-iphone-4s-vs-galaxy-sii-vs.html

Technology & Opinions: iPhone 4(S) VS Samsung Galaxy SII @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/10/technology-opinions-iphone-4s-vs.html

Technology & News: Free Apps To Recommend Part 1 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/11/technology-news-free-apps-to-recommend.html

Android Version History @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history

Gingy!! @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/xvHwHqaThi8

Scared Shrekless (en) Script
www.subswiki.com/original/6571/0

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/drag_1?q=drag
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/activate?q=activate
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/deactivate?q=deactivate

Medical & Healthy and Fitness: Star Anise As A Cure For Flu

Star Anise
Image from Wikipedia

In fact, I have completed this research long time ago, but there are so many interesting topics that I just have to give them the priority and have to put this one till now.

Recently, I attended student Suki's wedding banquet (Congratulations to Suki and Chiu by the way!) and somehow I must have caught a cold then. When I got home, I started sneezing and blowing my nose non-stop, at one point I couldn't even find time to take my breath. Because of this, I went into the kitchen, got 5 pieces of this miraculous seeds, crushed them, poured half a cup of boiling water into a flask with the seeds, soaked them for 5 minutes or so and drank all the water. I added another half of cup of hot water just in case. In 10 minutes' time, all my symptoms were gone, then after I woke up from sleep that night, I was back to 100%.

Star Anise tea with Cinnemon, lemon and honey
Image from colourbox

Why would I choose this seed? Because it contains Shikimic acid which is a primary ingredient in the anti-influenza medicine Tamiflu, the heroic drug that was used to combat Swine Flu in 2009.

Chinese Five Spice Powder
Image from tumblr

Star Anise, literally "eight-corners" or "eight horns" in Chinese, (Illicium verum, commonly called Star anise, star aniseed, or Chinese star anise) is a spice that has been widely used in many regions of South-East Asia, a key ingredient of the traditional Chinese Five Spice Powder, and is commonly used in Chinese cooking to make the sauce known as "Lou" in "Lou Mei", literally means "marinated dishes".

Lou Mei
Image from tw.tranews.com

According to Wikipedia's reliable sources,

Rheumatism Image from otamoka.com "Star anise has been used in a tea as a remedy for rheumatism, and the seeds are sometimes chewed after meals to aid digestion. As a warm and moving herb, star anise is used to assist in relieving cold-stagnation in the middle jiao, according to Traditional Chinese medicine. Modern pharmacology studies demonstrated that its crude extracts and active compounds possess wide pharmacological actions, especially in antimicrobial,antibacterial, [1] antioxidant, insecticidal, analgesic, sedative and convulsive activities."

So if you think you are coming down with a cold or a flu, do give this Star Anise water a try! Add some honey to balance the sour taste is a big tip from me! Adding cinnamon will increase the flavour!


Vocabulary:
rheumatism -- (n) [U] a medical condition that causes stiffness and pain in the joints (= places where two bones are connected) or muscles of the body
stagnation -- (n)[U] staying the same and not grow or develop
antimicrobial -- (adj) kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms^[1] such as bacteria, fungi, or protozoans.
antibacterial -- (adj) intended to kill or reduce the harmful effects of bacteria especially when used on the skin
antioxidant -- (n) [C] a substance which slows down the rate at which something decays because of oxidization (= combining with oxygen)
insecticidal -- (adj) of a chemical substance made and used for killing insects, especially those which eat plants
analgesic -- (n)[C] (adj) a type of drug which stops you from feeling pain
sedative -- (n)[C] a drug used to calm a person or animal or to make them sleep
convulsive -- (adj) describes sudden uncontrollable movements of the muscles in your body
come down with sth -- (phrasal verb) to start to suffer from an illness, especially one that is not serious

Resources:
Anise Star @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anise_Star

Shikimic Acid @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikimic_acid

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

Swine Flu @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_flu

Lo Mei @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lo_mei

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/rheumatism?q=rheumatism+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stagnate?q=stagnation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/antibacterial?q=antibacterial
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/antioxidant?q=antioxidant
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/insecticide?q=insecticide
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/analgesic?q=analgesic+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sedative?q=sedative+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/convulsive?q=convulsive+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/come-down-with-sth?q=come+down+with#come-down-with-sth__2