Hey guys! :) I just came across this really awesome website called http://www.engvid.com/. You probably haven't heard about it before so I am going to tell you what it is all about. Basically, it is a website aimed to help everybody who wants to learn English, especially in preparation for the TOEFL or the TOEIC. Several professors videotape their lessons where they explain various chapters of grammar, subject areas of all kinds or simply give you some advice concerning oral presentations, job interviews etc. All in all, they cover grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and much more. What I like most about the website is the fact that the video lessons are divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced. So, you can choose whichever level you think is adequate for improving your language skills. What's more, depending from the professor (for example James), the lessons can be quite entertaining. But hey, go see for yourself if you want to find out more about it :)
I actually wanted to show you this video I found where Ronnie teaches the differences between American and British food vocabulary. In my opinion she explains the differences very well and you probably won't forget the new words you are going to learn too quickly.
I also found two other videos that are very well done and offer some useful information.
In this (entertaining) video you are going to learn the meaning of the following expressions:
to stew in your own juices
sandwiched
to sugar-coat something
sugar daddy
gravy train
In this video you are going to learn the meaning of the following expressions:
couch potato
out to lunch
piece of cake
bottoms up
sweet tooth
I hope you enjoyed the videos! Have a nice day!! :)
I would like to tell you about an American television
interview series called „The Conversation“, which started airing in
2012. You probably haven’t heard about it before, which is why I would
really like to recommend you (especially or maybe even exclusively you
girls) to check out the website.
Amanda de Cadenet, a British photographer and former
actress, is the host of the website. Demi Moore is the co-executive
producer. On the show, Amanda de Cadenet has interviewed celebrities
such as Lady Gaga, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jane Fonda Last, Alicia Keys, Eva
Longoria, Christina Applegate, Olivia Wilde, Eva Mendes, and many many
more.
What I find so special about this show is the topics
they talk about and above all, how they talk about it. As the guests
staring the show are all very famous, not only in the US, but also on
the rest of the world, one would expect them to use this show in order
to push their careers by saying whatever they think people might want to
hear from them. All the more I was surprised when I first watched the
show. They talk about love, sexuality, parenting, career, etc. All in
all - about life and the difficulties everyone has to face and overcome,
but also the positive sides of our existence. What makes the show
really successful and fascinating, is, according to me, the honesty and
wisdom the guests are sharing. Every single
story of these famous women is extremely inspiring. One quickly
realizes, that although they are rich and famous, they go through just
the same stuff as women like us (who didn’t (YET ;)) make such an
astounding career).
If you are a bit of a philosopher like I am, if you
like talking about the “important” things of life – about what life is
really about - every now and then, if you have a problem you are unsure
how to solve, or if you just feel like you need some inspiration – take a look
through some of the videos and see for yourself how moving, inspiring
and touching these videos are. You can even watch the full episodes
online.
In case you prefer reading, there’s also plenty of
selected articles on a great variety of subjects by people from all over
the world – mostly writers, life coaches, psychotherapists or Amanda de
Cadenet herself.
I guess all of you have at least heard something about the Villacher
Fasching before. It is a carnival that takes place every year in
February in my hometown, Villach, in Carinthia. This year we are
celebrating it on February 9 and as the date
is coming closer and closer I am starting to think about a costume. You
should know that the Villacher Fasching is very popular in Villach and
that it is one of the main events throughout the year besides the
Villacher Kirchtag and the European Bike Week. You should also know that
we really love to get dressed up. We usually invest either quite a lot
of money in our costumes or a great deal of creativity, which is what I
am usually going for. Of course there are always some people who are not
that into putting on a disguise, but the majority of children as well
as adults definitely loves it. For us “Villacher” it is that special
time of the year, when we are officially allowed to make a fool of
ourselves, to make fun of others, to joke around and above all, to amuse
ourselves and have a great time with our family and friends.
The Villacher Fasching always takes place on a Saturday and in
the afternoon there is a huge parade that lasts about one and a half
hours. Hundreds of groups participate in it. I guess what makes it so
attractive is that basically anybody can found
a group. All you need is at least five other persons that accompany
you. Once you have found your allies you just have find a theme and
decide whether you want to walk or drive. Finally you have to fill in a
registration form, send it in and you are good to go. Normally plenty of
schools and kindergartens take part in it as well as fire brigades,
politicians, advertising agencies, sports clubs, dance groups, bands and
other fellow citizens. The parade is a spectacular event. Loud music is
being played by live bands or coming from loudspeakers fixed on the
cars or tractors that are passing by, confetti and candy thrown off the
cars or distributed by the groups are constantly flying through the air,
everybody is shouting “LEI LEI!”, and the mostly amazing and original
costumes are a pleasure to look at. Also, more and more international
groups are participating, especially Italinas and Slovenes.
The highlight of the parade is the adult as well as the
children “Prinzenpaar”, a selected adult and children’s couple that is
crowned every year on November 11, the official beginning of the
carnival. The tradition of crowning two couples goes back to 1956. The
prince and the princess form a fictive couple (they usually don’t know
each other beforehand) and are supposed to take care that everyone
behaves correctly during the period of carnival. In reality though, they
mostly party a lot themselves and appear in the media several times.
Furthermore the “Villacher Faschingsgarde” is an essential part of the
parade. It describes a group of girls dressed in black and yellow
uniforms that performs a typical dance during the parade.
I love celebrating Villacher Fasching. I mean, who wouldn’t?
How great is it being granted permission to do whatever you want for an
entire day? Usually I either throw a party myself or attend a friend’s
party. After our little get-together we go out and celebrate in the city
with all the other dressed up “Faschingsnarren”. We also have a few
food traditions. Herring salad, fritters (=Krapfen) and a Carinthian
specialty called “Fleischnudeln” (a dough made of potatoes filled with
smoked meat) accompanied by sauerkraut and crackling (=Grammeln) are my
personal favorites.
So, if you haven’t had the chance to be a part of the Villacher
Fasching yet, I highly recommend you to try it out at some point. With
this in mind, LEI LEI!!!
I would like to tell you about yet another famous song with an interesting background
story. This time I chose “My name is Luka” by Suzanne Vega, a catchy
tune that seems to spread joy and happiness, but by taking a closer look
at the lyrics you realize that it is actually a very sad song about a
big issue.
Suzanne Vega released her highest-charting hit
“Luka” in 1987. It was one of the earliest songs that dealt with child
abuse and domestic violence. Contrary to the sad topic, the music is
quite lively and joyful and revokes feelings of happiness. This was made
on purpose and is supposed to be a metaphor for all the victims of
child abuse and domestic violence, who often tend to deny their abuse.
Suzanne Vega once said about her song: “A
few years ago, I used to see this group of children playing in front of
my building, and there was one of them, whose name was Luka, who seemed
a little bit distinctive from the other children. I always remembered
his name, and I always remembered his face, and I didn't know much about
him, but he just seemed set apart from these other children that I
would see playing. And his character is what I based the song Luka on.
In the song, the boy Luka is an abused child—in real life I don't think he was. I think he was just different.”
My favorite line of the lyrics is “I think it’s because I’m clumsy”. Not only do these words describe how too many
victims of child abuse and domestic violence handle their situation
(namely by lying about it or even worse - denying it), but they also
emphasize how the victims feel about their mistreatment. They often
think that it is their fault that they are being mistreated and they
come up with various reasons for justifying the actions of their
abusers. In fact, it is not at all their fault though. All in all, child
abuse and domestic violence is a very complex topic that preoccupies an
uncountable number of people all over the world and unfortunately many
people are still afflicted by it. Susanne Vega surely succeeded in
touching hundreds and thousands of people with her song, which is
(according to me) the most powerful tool of a song.
My name is Luka I live on the second floor I live upstairs from you Yes I think you've seen me before If you hear something late at night Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight Just don't ask me what it was Just don't ask me what it was Just don't ask me what it was
I think it's because I'm clumsy I try not to talk too loud Maybe it's because I'm crazy I try not to act too proud They only hit until you cry And after that you don't ask why You just don't argue anymore You just don't argue anymore You just don't argue anymore
Yes I think I'm okay I walked into the door again Well, if you ask that's what I'll say And it's not your business anyway I guess I'd like to be alone With nothing broken, nothing thrown Just don't ask me how I am Just don't ask me how I am Just don't ask me how I am
My name is Luka I live on the second floor I live upstairs from you Yes I think you've seen me before If you hear something late at night Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight Just don't ask me what it was Just don't ask me what it was Just don't ask me what it was
I think it's because I'm clumsy I try not to talk too loud Maybe it's because I'm crazy I try not to act too proud They only hit until you cry And after that you don't ask why You just don't argue anymore You just don't argue anymore You just don't argue anymore
I love finding out more about the background of songs, especially if I
can relate to the lyrics in any kind of way or if the lyrics move me
personally.
In an earlier post I have already revealed some facts about the
Boomtown Rats' song I Don't Like Mondays. In this post I would like to
tell you about Eric Clapton and what kind of tragic event inspired him
to compose one of his most successful songs - Tears in Heaven.
Eric Clapton, born 30 March 1945, is an English guitarist and
singer-songwriter. On 20 March 1991, Eric Clapton's four-year-old son,
Conor, died after falling from the 53rd-floor window
of his mother's friend's apartment in New York City. Shortly afterwards
Eric Clapton wrote the song Tears in Heaven, which was co-written by
Will Jennings. By means of this song, Eric Clapton expressed his grief
and mourned over the sudden loss of his son.
The song was initially featured on the soundtrack to the film Rush (a
movie about two cops who go after an elusive drug dealer and eventually
become drug addicts themselves) and it won three Grammy Awards.
In 2004 Eric Clapton stopped playing the song due to personal
reasons. He explained to the press that he could not perform it anymore
because his emotions had changed over the years. He did not feel the
same kind of loss anymore as he did right after the mortal accident of
his four-year-old son, which is such an essential part of performing the
song according to him. In an interview Eric Clapton stated: " I almost
subconsciously used music for myself as a healing agent, and lo and
behold, it worked...I have got a great deal of happiness and a great deal of healing from music."
I think the number of people all over the world who know this song is
completely amazing, even though the majority probably does not even
know about the meaning of the song and what Eric Clapton tried to
express with it. All in all, it is a song written about the pain and
loss Eric Clapton felt following the death of his little boy who died at
a terribly young age.
I added the video for you to listen to it once more - if you feel like it.
Unfortunately I am not talking about myself. I was not the lucky one
to spend New Year's Eve in Rio de Janeiro - my brother was. He is
currently on a two-week holiday in the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro.
His trip with four of his friends started on December 25th. As I
already mentioned, they had the unique chance to spend New Year's Eve on
Copacabana beach. I am a very adventurous person myself and love
travelling more than anything else, which makes me really really
jealous of my brother. Ever since he told me about his New Year's Eve in
Brazil I am dreaming about spending New Year's Eve there as well some
day in the near future.
I did some research on how the inhabtitants of Rio de Janeiro usually
spend their New Year's Eve and here's what I found out. (I did not find
out too many details about it from my brother yet, because he is busy
going sightseeing and lying on the beach, tanning in the searing sun of
Brazil - average temperature: 38 degreees) Anyway, Copacabane Beach is
famous for its amazing celebration and fireworks display. New Year's Eve
takes place in the middle of the summer, right when the temperature is
at its highest and when the kids are off school. Many people
traditionally wear white clothes and throw flowers and/or small mementos
into the surf believing that if they do not come back, their wish or
prayer will be granted. The fireworks display at midnight is famous all
over the world and is watched by several million people on the beach.
So, I can only imagine that you do not have a lot of personal space and
that pickpockets make a fortune on December 31st. The fireworks are
launched from various barges in the ocean. According to me it is
completely overwhelming and one of the most beautiful things I have ever
seen in my life. I spent my New Year's Eve at the Schlossberg in Graz
and thought the fireworks were stunning, but take a look at the video I posted below and see for yourself that the fireworks in Rio de Janeiro are not that famous all over the world for no reason.
One day, I am certain of that, I will spend New Year's Eve in Rio de
Janeiro and enjoy the amazing fireworks. It must be even more beautiful
to experience it live than it already is on the video.
The last few weeks have been quite stressful. We had to study
and revise for hours, take plenty of exams, hand in loads of homework
and profit from the little free time left at the same time. As we are
now finally getting closer to three weeks of relaxation and mostly
study-free time, I thought we could all need some inspiration in order
to keep up our enthusiasm and motivation for the last week at university
and for the last few exams before Christmas break.
So, here is a video I have recently come across that really
inspires me. Will Smith shares his wisdom talking about the purpose of
life, how to live a meaningful life and above all how to enjoy life. I filtered out the most important phrases for you:
Greatness exists in all of us.
I know who I am, I know what I believe and that is all I need to know.
There are no shortcuts to success.
Lay one brick at a time.
Focus on making a difference.
He, who says he can and he, who says he can't are both usually right.
Make a choice. Decide what it's going be, who you're
going be, how you're going do it. Just decide. From that point the
universe is going to get out of your way.
You really have to focus with all of your fibre, all of your heart and all of your creativity.
The truth is the only thing that is ever going to be constant.
Don't ever let somebody tell you you can't do something.
If you want something, go get it. Period.
Just go ahead and watch the video. I really hope you like it. I
know it is quite long, but it is absolutely worth it plus it is a good
listening exercise for everyone.
