It's no secret that it's a buyer's market right now, meaning that property and land prices have plummeted (=gone down), mainly because few people can afford to buy.
So what better time to spend your lottery winnings on a plot of land on...a distant planet!
Yes, a nice unspoilt unpolluted planet, apparently life-sustainable if it actually exists, and only 2 light years away. Not to mention that it's a real bargain: plots are going for as little as 20$!
Don't believe me? It's true! Check out the Ebay ad:
As I managed to get out of doing Christmas carols in class this year, again, I've decided to put one here.
This is probably my favourite one, maybe because it's just about presents. :D No, seriously, I like the tune and the "5 golden rings bit".
There are many many versions and some variations, mostly humourous, and while I was searching through Youtube for an embeddable one I liked, my daughter actually got to learn a bit, and now sings it around the house. Unfortunately the one she likes is the last one.
The 12 days of Christmas, traditional version with the original lyrics:
One of many traditional sarcastic responses to the 12 days of Christmas song:
Ther are countless humourous versions of the song itself, but I thought this Indian version was particularly cute.
Lyrics:
The 12 days of Christmas - Boy Mongoose
On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me a totally insufficient dowry.
On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me two nosey in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.
On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me three butter chickens, two nosey in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.
On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me four Hare Krishnas (is that Indian?), three butter chickens, two nosey two in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.
On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me five Indian games (I want to be the cowboy) Four Hare Krishnas, three butter chickens, two nosey two in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.
On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me six IT graduates, five Indian games. Four Hare Krishnas, three butter chickens, two nosey in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.
On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me seven/eleven workers, six IT graduates, five Indian games. Four Hare Krishnas, three butter chickens, two nosey in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.
On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me eight Bollywood films, seven/eleven workers, six IT graduates, five Indian games. Four Hare Krishnas, three butter chickens, two nosey two in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.
On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me nine telemarketers (good day ...(?) this is Colin Jones. Are you wanting greater coverage?), eight Bollywood films, seven/eleven workers, six IT graduates, five Indian games. Four Hare Krishnas, three butter chickens, two nosey in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.
On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me ten minute yoga (think the lotus, feel the lotus, drive the Lotus) nine telemarketers (hello this is Colin Jones. Are you wanting greater coverage?) eight Bollywood films, seven/eleven workers, six IT graduates, five Indian games. Four Hare Krishnas, three butter chickens, two nosey in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.
On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me eleven syllable names, ten minute yoga (think the lotus, fell the lotus, drive the Lotus) nine telemarketers (hello this is Colin Jones. Are you wanting greater coverage?) eight Bollywood films, seven/eleven workers, six IT graduates, five Indian games. Four Hare Krishnas, three butter chickens, two nosey in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me twelve cricket ball tamperers (I was simply correcting the stitching), eleven syllable names, ten minute yoga (think the lotus, fell the lotus, drive the Lotus) nine telemarketers (hello this is Colin Jones. Are you wanting greater coverage?) eight Bollywood films, seven/eleven workers, six IT graduates, five minutes of fame. Four Hare Krishnas, three butter chickens, two nosey in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.
On this typical Christmas morning I'm but one of millions (?) of people putting the traditional turkey in the oven to roast, although maybe later than most. I'm sure people in England get up early to do stuff like that.
I don't.
So, following the aforementioned tradition, the first thing I did this morning was go straight to the computer to google cooking times and temperatures.
The American pages (they have theirs on Thanksgiving) are no use as they don't contemplate turkeys of less than 4 kg, so I focused on British pages, comparing one and another until I found this:
It's so complete! Not only do they give all the necessary info about times, temperatures, how to carve it (watch the video) etc, but hilariously I discover that there actually exists a British Turkey Information Service, with a helpline! Ok, it only works at Christmas, but still. :D
Well I hope that those of you who have never tried roast turkey decide to try it one day: you have all the info, and a mouth-watering photo here to tempt you. The one in the photo isn't mine, as mine's still in the oven, but if we're not too hungry when it's ready and we don't fall on it like a pack of ravenous wolves, I'll try to remember to take a pic.
Hope you're enjoying whatever food you're making, the traditional Escudella, maybe? I could have seriously used a helpline whan I was making that yesterday by the way. Maybe TV3 or Gencat have one, come to think of it. But the end result was edible and tasty at least. :)
Hiya students! Thanks to those of you who came to the party yesterday; I hope you had a good time. :)
Me, I've spent part of the morning making this lovely card for you.
I'm sure you'll all be able to appreciate the art and sheer beauty of it, as well as the best wishes for these special days and promise for the coming year...
Merry Christmas and Happy new Year, everyone! Take care, and see you soon!
Don't be put off by the Backstreet Boys, Avril Lavigne and co. on the home page: search for your favourite artists, choose a video, then a level, and start filling in the missing words.
I did the only Sex Pistols one, God Save the Queen, just for fun, and I had trouble. Mind you, they don't exactly pronounce properly: there's my excuse.
Don't forget that this Wednesday, our last day at IES Mallafré, is also the day of the traditional EOI Christmas party.
Here's the invite with the info, in case you haven't been to class lately or whatever. Remember, you're all welcome (you can bring a friend or relative too), and it's a great occasion to talk to other people you probably wouldn't have the chance to talk to because of levels, timetables, etc.
Even if you're busy and have better things to do (which I doubt), do pop in for a (free) drink and to wish everybody Happy Christmas.
As I've already mentioned in class, I particularly recommend the German Glühwein (I don't know if I've spelt that right): this lovely warm spicy wine which is perfect for this chilly weather.
The word "enterprise" does exist, but in a larger more general meaning, in the sense of a project, or an iniciative. See http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=enterprise It can be used to refer to a particularly large company with many departments and far-reaching activities, for example,. It is also a more sophisticated and flashy-sounding word that some people may use instead of "company" just to sound more important...
Basically, the meaning of "enterprise" is what you would imagine for the action or effect of the verb "emprender", more than the entity itself.
My knowledge on this subject reaches no further. :P
Some while ago, Maite (5A) recommended EnglishCentral.com for listening and pronunciation practice. It was already recommended somewhere in this blog, and Maite's right: it IS very good.
The only problem with it is that, although it's free, you have to register, and for some reason the hassle of registering puts a lot of people off. You know, clicking things is soooo tiring...
You also need a mike, which is also unfathomably off-putting: look, you've probably got one lying around the house somewhere without realising, and even if you haven't, they're really inexpensive and are extremely useful for language learning, for obvious reasons.
So, basically, in order to convince you of its usefulness, I've put together this not-very-good video about how to use English Central (not to mention that Sheldon Cooper is also one of my favourite sitcom characters).
Your feedback demanded appreciated, PLEASE.
PS. Wow, what does Blogger do to videos to make them so blurry and squashy-looking?
This lady insists that the key to being understood in English is slowing down.
I agree up to a point: speaking too slowly sounds silly - in fact I had an argument about that with a Mexican Movistar operator just the other day- but on the other hand, if you're having trouble being understood, slowing down does enable you to pronounce and use intonation properly.
I know when you know a lot of English there's a great temptation to speak more quickly because it sounds more "native" and more natural. But unfortunately, the lady is right: in a lot of cases, speaking fast = speaking unintelligibly, and that way, all the English you know just goes to waste.
So, do try this at home, people! We'll also practise in class, reading aloud, like the other day. It's a bit boring, and takes up time, but I think it helps a lot. What do you say?
You may have already seen it, as it's been going round the internet: Extreme sheep herding in Wales. All you need is some sheep, a few Border Collies and some LED lights. Simple!
On Sky News:
The original video going round (ok, well not the original as the original has an advert stuck before it, and I don't know about you but I don't like being forced to watch adverts. The original with the advert is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2FX9rviEhw) :
Fabricio (5B) sent me this video where this man from Belfast is stumped by something he caught in a Charlie Chaplin film. He introduces his video like this (then watch for yourselves):
This short film is about a piece of footage I (George Clarke) found behind the scenes in Charlie Chaplins film 'The Circus'. Attending the premiere at Manns Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA - the scene shows a large woman dressed in black with a hat hiding most of her face, with what can only be described as a mobile phone device - talking as she walks alone.
I have studied this film for over a year now - showing it to over 100 people and at a film festival, yet no-one can give any explanation as to what she is doing.
My only theory - as well as many others - is simple... a time traveler on a mobile phone. See for yourself and feel free to leave a comment on your own explanation or thoughts about it.
George - 20th October 2010
Personally I think that firstly, it's not a woman but a man. And what do you see in his/her hand? Really a mobile? Or what? What do you think? Time traveller or something else?
If you Google "chaplin time traveller" you'll find a lot of people giving their ideas in forums, etc.
