Monday, 20 September 2010

Sports: Uncommon Ball Games -- Part 1

As I was in the bus on East Corridor towards Causeway Bay, I saw this green artificial court at Victoria Park, which reminds me that there are a lot of ball games which are uncommon to English learners.

For example, Bowls, which I suspect to be the main ball game people play on the court in Victoria Park, is a game to roll a bigger ball (called bowl) in an attempt to stop closest to a smaller white bowl. The following you see is called Lawn Bowl.


Bocce is a similar sport with an Italian name, and the biggest difference is that it is played within a long court.

Image from web.mawebcenters.com

If you are better with a stick, maybe you should try Croquet. It's kind of like golf, but it takes a different kind of skills.


Image from croquetnc.org

If you want a much more exciting one, how about Sepak Takraw? A Malay-named sport that is also known as kick volleyball, native to Southeast Asia. I watched a little when I was in Singapore, not my real interest, but definitely crazily skilful!!






Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1EzBllupss&feature=related
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bocce
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CP6ykzsK0M
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepak_takraw
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_games http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croquet
Posted by at 16:30 2 comments Labels: ,

Friday, 17 September 2010

Technology: Windows 7 now? (Updated)

Image from digitaltrends.com
Install now?

What? Windows 7?

Isn't it a bit late to talk about Windows 7 now? Well, yeah, I have to agree, because I am kind of slow with computer stuff these days, but on the another hand, I don't like to constantly update my computer software. I usually do that once every 2-3 years after most of the bugs have been fixed, or when I realised that it is not enough for me anymore. So, even though Photoshop is running CS5 now, I am still using CS3. My computer is too slow for any software upgrade anyway.

What I really find interesting these days is how fast Windows 7 boots up my computer. When my computer had nothing but Windows XP after installation, I enjoyed 30 secs boot-up time. That was simply an amazing feeling, almost like coming out from a hot tub after a whole day of tiring work! Then as you install more and more software, it gets slower and slower. Well, still tolerable, but I miss that amazing feeling of quick-booting.

And I have heard that Windows 7 allows me to regain that long-gone feeling, so I would like to give it a try. And I feel good!!!! Haven't really done the timing, but from pressing the power button to seeing sky-blue starting screen on an Intel Core i5 4GB RAM computer, feels like roughly 5 seconds. Then another 15 after keying in the password, so that is about 20 seconds.

Now, the computer at my home is still Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2180 (1M Cache, 2.00Hz, 800 MHz FSB), 2GB RAM, will I be able to install Windows 7 and enjoy the same speed?

Here's my mini-research from Wikipedia,


 So looks like I am fit for a 64-bit upgrade, but 2 GB RAM is the minimum requirement, so looks like it would be safer for a 32-bit version. Since my computer is getting moody and is constantly crashing, it might soon be time to give it a fresh soul!

But for now, when it is in a good mood, I would rather let it stay in good mood, because it will surely take a long time to format and install all the software that I am using.

And also, don't just rely on feelings, there are some Pros who do benchmark tests out there. Check this out!

Updated: I found a Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to check if I can upgrade my XP to 7, Check it out here if you would like to know if your computer can upgrade or not.

Resources:
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/family/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7#Hardware_requirements
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E2180
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_i5
http://download.cnet.com/Windows-7-Professional/3000-18513_4-10906772.html?tag=mncol;6
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx
Posted by at 16:37 5 comments Labels:

Wednesday, 15 September 2010

Grammar: Grammar 101 -- SVOAC

I have this question about grammar from one of my students asking me what forms a correct sentence.

Now, you might think this is simple but in fact, it is something that even some teachers are confused about.

I will now give a very basic grammatical structure of a sentence for those of you who might also have this question in mind. However, examples will be at the simplest level and it will not cover all the sentence structures.

Are you ready?

Okay. First of all, you have to know what is 'subject', 'verb' and 'object', we call them S-V-O.

eg. I agree.
Subject is 'I', verb is 'agree', object doesn't exist in this sentence.



eg. I have a pen.
S is 'I', V is 'have', O is 'a pen'.

eg. I like lobsters.
Subject is 'I', verb is 'like', object is 'lobsters', pay attention that 'lobsters' is considered as one object only.

So basically, English is a S-V-O language. But there's more! And that is, 'adverbial' and 'complement', A-C.

Adverbial generally tells us more about a sentence or a verb, and complement has a wide definition, generally it is a word or a group of words which is/are necessary to complete the meaning.

And the basic order should be, S-V-O-A-C (with exceptions, of course).

eg. I enjoyed this party very much.
S is 'I', V is 'enjoyed', O is 'this party', A is 'very much', C doesn't exist in this sentence.

And the next example is one of my favourites, from the movie Tropic Thunder,

eg. "You m-m-m-mmm-m-make me hap~py!"
(okay, should be 'you make me happy')

S is 'You', V is 'make', O is 'me',  A doesn't exist in this sentence, C is 'happy'.

Last example is this,

eg. I was washing my dishes in the kitchen at 6pm last night.
S is 'I', V is 'was washing', O is 'my dishes', 1st A is 'in the kitchen', 2nd A is 'last night'.




Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverbial
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complement_(linguistics)
Posted by at 18:53 2 comments Labels:

Monday, 13 September 2010

Business Writing: "Please find attached sth..." or "Attached is sth"?

A couple of days ago, I received a very good question from a student asking me about business email writing. After getting permission from them, I am now going to share this with you.

First of all, we need to understand that "Time is money" in the business world and so, we do not need to use big words or long sentences to say what we want, which is why if we can use fewer words in business email, we'll do just that. No one wants to read long and tedious emails, they will just throw them away.

Image from bizzyness.com

Therefore,
"Please find attached my report for your reference" (8 words) 
(find + 2 objects)
can be simplified to
"Attached is my report for your reference." (7 words).

But if your concern is which one is more polite and more suitable for writing to big clients, important partners or bosses, then of course, choose the first one, because it has the word "please".

Now, how about 
"Attached please find my report for your reference." 

Well, you can ask yourself this question, who should find my report in this case?

HW: Do you know who?


Vocabulary:
tedious -- (adj) boring


Resources:
Posted by at 16:12 5 comments Labels: , ,

Friday, 10 September 2010

Event: Lionel Richie - All Night Long In Hong Kong 2010



Hong Kong
Image from No Expectations


Hello everybody, it's Friday again. Time for a little break and have something relaxing to shed those weights from your aching shoulders. How about some classic songs for the ears?

Do you know how is Lionel Richie? He's coming to Hong Kong to hold a concert on the 28th September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wanchai !!!

Don't know, take a look at his picture might help you recall.

Image from Wolfman Jack Entertainment

What? Still can't recall? He's a world-class love song master, you know? Okay, have you heard of the song?

"All Night Long"

It's impossible you haven't heard of it, right? Listen to his lovely voice in ...
"Ballerina Girl"


How about this classic sad song,
"Hello"


More lovely relaxing listening,
"Truly"

Reading for some concert style? Here's the first one,
Three Times A Lady

There's more! Here comes what I call "excellent" singing technique and "style"!!! Check this out!!!
"Stuck On You"

See, that's a SUPERSTAR!!!!


How about duet? For Lionel Richie an Diana Ross performance:
"Endless Love"



Now, are you tempted to go and watch? What time is it going to be?  It's at 8pm and only one show!!! HKU Alumni has 10% discount for his concert. Click here for details. Don't miss it, guys!!!

Have a nice weekend!!


For your listening practice, I picked "Endless Love" and this video has better sound quality:




Lyrics:

My love,
There's only you in my life
The only thing that's bright

My first love,
You're every breath that I take
You're every step I make

And I
(I-I-I-I-I)
I want to share
All my love with you
No one else will do...

And your eyes
Your eyes, your eyes
They tell me how much you care
Ooh yes, you will always be
My endless love

Two hearts,
Two hearts that beat as one
Our lives have just begun

Forever
(Ohhhhhh)
I'll hold you close in my arms
I can't resist your charms

And love
Oh, love
I'll be a fool
For you,
I'm sure
You know I don't mind
Oh, you know I don't mind

'Cause you,
You mean the world to me
Oh
I know
I know
I've found in you
My endless love

Oooh-woow


Oooh, and love
Oh, love
I'll be that fool
For you,
I'm sure
You know I don't mind
Oh you know-
I don't mind

And, YES
You'll be the only one
'Cause NO one can deny
This love I have inside
And I'll give it all to you
My love
My love, my love
My endless love







Resources:
Hong Kong Ticketing

Posted by at 14:22 10 comments Labels: , , , ,

Wednesday, 8 September 2010

Animal: Prehistoric Sharks, Other Fish and Our Environment

Hi guys, I have been keeping this entry not posted until one day something related is out, and now there is.

Is any one of you interested in a latest movie called Piranha 3D? I watched the trailer and I thought it was stupid, so I decided not to watch it. Is it really stupid? Well, you can watch this video clip review for yourself. If you want to learn some of the terms they used, here is the page.



Here's a real one:
Piranha
Image from destination360.com

Am I promoting the movie? Nope. Then why do I want to talk about it? Actually, I don't want to talk about this movie, except that the piranhas in the movie are prehistoric. I just want to bring up the point on prehistoric fish, in particular, the prehistoric sharks and fish that I am really fascinated by.

Okay, how about a piece of news from DBW, a China web, 500kg Chinese Sturgeon caught in Helongjiang (Thanks to Google Translate, I roughly know what the news is reporting).
Chinese Sturgeon
Image from dbw.cn

Chinese Sturgeon from the front
Image from dbw.cn


Freshly caught!!! Want more? Here's a huge Sturgeon pool!



Let's watch a huge discovery of a live living fossil, a Frilled Shark!!!

The shark eventually died. The question is, what was it doing in the shallow water? According to Wikipedia, "It has been caught as deep as 1,570 m (5,150 ft), whereas in Suruga Bay, Japan it is most common at depths of 50–200 m (160–660 ft)"


Frilled Shark
Image from National Geographic

Here's the next one, also appearing on video camera for the first time in history, a live Goblin shark!!!! 


Goblin Shark
Image from dearjesus.files.wordpress.com

Cool, isn't it? Since we have seen two types of prehistoric sharks, might as well see two more, the Sixgill Shark and the Pacific Sleeper Shark. The latter can live 2,000m (6,600ft) below water surface!!!!


Here are two pictures for you to see a little clearer:
Sixgill Shark
Image by echeng.com

Pacific Sleeper Shark
Image from aneh.thatbest.com

Not old enough? Want the oldest fish on this planet? Check out the following!!

Live baby Coelacanths!!

Nov 17 - Japanese and Indonesian researchers capture on film a newly born Coelacanth - a prehistoric fish experts see as a ''missing link'' between fish and amphibian creatures. Reuters

Coelacanth
Image from thenakedscientists.com

I hope you enjoy watching all these videos, get to practise your listening skills and find these fish interesting. Just a little question / homework for all of you to think about.

HW:

It is really amazing to see these remarkable, prehistoric fish, better swimming in the sea than getting caught and eventually die. But why is it that these fish suddenly become unobscured (not hiding)? The fact that they have been hiding from human for millions and billions of years, what make them want to show their faces to us now? Has their environment changed? If so, how much?

Fruit for thoughts.

Vocabulary:
unobscured -- (adj) not obscured
obscure -- (vb) [T] to make something difficult to discover and understand


Picture resources:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frilled_shark
Posted by at 18:55 2 comments Labels: , , ,
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