an idiom a week

This weeks' idiom is very sweet:

a piece of cake- something that is extremely easy to do or to achieve:

Fixing that door hinge should be a piece of cake for Fred.

jokes

The rich American couldn't undertand why the Irish angler was lying lazily beside his boat on the beach, smoking a pipe. "Why aren't you out fishing?" asked the American. "Because I have caught enough fish for the day," said the fisherman. "Why don't you catch some more?" "What would I do with them?" "You could sell them and make more money," was the American's reply. "With that you could have a motor fixed to your boat and go into deeper waters and catch more fish. Then you would make enough to buy nets. These would bring you more fish and more money. Soon you would have enough money to own two boats . . . maybe even a fleet of boats. Then you would be a rich man like me." "What would I do then?" asked the fisherman. "Then you could really enjoy life." said the American. "And what do you suppose I might be doing right now?" said the Irishman, smiling and puffing away on his pipe.

What they said

E.M.Forster quotes:

"If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country."

"You can transmute love, muddle it, ignore it... but you can never pull it out of you..."

"To make us feel small in the right way is a function of art; men can only make us feel small in the wrong way."

"I suggest that the only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little farther down our particular path than we have yet gone ourselves."

"Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice..."

new trends

The hottest clothing trend of this summer have to be embellished dresses, which have a rapidly growing fanbase amongst the Hollywood stars and starlets.

If, as a mere mortal, you too wish to jump on the bandwagon and inject some quirky glamour into your wardrobe, you can choose between a wealth of such dresses at high street shops like HM or Zara.

Have a merry time looking for the embellished dress of your dreams!

Frightened by phrasal verbs?

When teachers talk about phrasal verbs it gives many a English learner the willies as the grammar and the meaning of this verbs is so knotty.

Unluckily, native English speakers adore to blend a few basic verbs and some particles into a phrasal verb while speaking so as to show off.

So what can the English learners do?

In the May issue of Spotlight Robert Parr offers guidance on how to become friends with phrasal verbs:

STEP 1. : Realise that it is paramount for you to understand phrasal verbs and not to produce them initially. As time passes, however, you should start to make use of them more frequently because your spoken English will sound much more fluent if you do so.

For example, force yourself to say "We have to put off the meeting until Friday." instead of "We have to postpone the meeting until Friday."

STEP 2. : Don't bother too much about the grammar and the meaning of phrasal verbs because if you revise them from time to time, you will master this difficulty.

STEP 3. : Finally, ban the thought of phrasal verbs being something to be afraid of from your head and use them actively while speaking as often as possible, which is what I'm attempting to do at the moment with limited success.

dating-part 2

For all of you hopelessly romantic people out there here is the second part of the "useful-vocabulary-for-dating" series:

Two days later, Sandra is talking to her friend Ivana on the phone.

Sandra: He's gorgeous! So easy to get on with.

Ivana: What does he do?

Sandra: Design software.

Ivana: I hope you didn't bombard him with questions about his job.

Sandra: Look, are you my dating coach or something? Anyway, why not?

Ivana: He might think you're checking for wallet padding.

Sandra: You've never even met him!

Ivana: He paid, I suppose.

Sandra: Yes. Is that another mistake?

Ivana: So, when are you seeing him again?

Sandra: Tonight.

Ivana: Tonight? Don't you think you're coming on a bit too strong?

Sandra: He only suggested a quiet drink somewhere.

Ivana: Don't you think maybe now's a good time to hang back a bit?


Explanations:

bombard with- an excellent, show-off-your-range-of-vocabulary way to say that someone is asking you way too much questions:
They bombarded him with questions about his looming wedding.

dating coach- After some time browsing the web, I stumbled across a great article about dating coaches which goes to show that they are currently all the fashion. According to the article, dating coaches are the last port of call for a mushrooming number of desperate singles. Although the methods applied on the clients and the charges vary greatly from dating coach to dating coach, apparently all of the coaches have one ultimate goal-to boost their clients' seductive skills. What can I say about that, but ask myself what ever happened to the good, old times when people just went on a date oblivious of any rules and still found their perfect match.

To read the whole article, visit: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/FunMoney/Story?id=2193295&page=2

wallet padding- is an expression which stands for how much money there is in a man's wallet

come on strong- informal-to make it very clear to someone that you find them sexually attractive

hot books

Although this book has an excruciatingly long title, you shouldn't be put off by it as "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" ranks high amongst my "the-best-ten-books-which-were-ever-written" list.

In a nutshell, the story is about a 15-year-old boy named Christopher who has autism (a mental illness which makes people unable to communicate properly, or to form relationships). Apart from the fact that he cannot show emotions easily, he is as clever as they come. Just how shrewd he is can be observed by the reader while he tries to find out who killed a neighbours' dog, which is the ostensible topic of the novel.

As the plot unfolds, the reader gets the unique opportunity to see the world through the eyes of a boy who says that feelings are nothing else than "...having a picture on the screen in your head." While reading, you feel sorry not only for Cristopher, but also for his family, who always feels that they are fighting a losing battle aganist his illness and are accordingly jaded by their life routine.

I must say that I'm well aware that this book doesn't give you a complete insight into the complex phenomenon of autism, but what it certainly does is to broaden your perspective through acquiring knowledge on this topic. What's more, so poignant is the book at times that a male friend of mine even had to sob while reading it.

All in all, this attention-grabbing book is definitely worth spending time on as it is a far cry from any fiction book I've ever read before.

useful websites

As our listening exam is looming, I have here a collection of the superior listening quizzes for academic purposes:

http://www.esl-lab.com/

http://www.parapal-online.co.uk/listening.html

http://www.elllo.org/

http://www.gettoefl.com/preparation.htm

life with a French man

In a post I read on this blog yesterday Thomas wrote about the fact that he doesn't consider France to be a democratic country. How come?

Well, democracy should be about the power for the people by the people. In other words, the people we elect each year are those who are supposed to represent us, our voice. Here is where the root of the problem is. Instead of discussing the problems of the electorate, politicians start to fight about who will get the larger piece of the action and who knows what else. The end result is that you as a voter feel cheated by exactly those people who should have implemented their pledges to you and accordingly you lose the faith in the power of voting.

This is exactly what is happening to me at the moment. I've only voted for two times so far, but still I feel that there is not much point in voting again because:

a) all the parties have similar manifestos
b) when one party comes to power it instantly forgets all about its promises
c) for the next four years I only witness battles between the opposition and the party in power about who will take more money from the Croatian public

Nevertheless, I think I'm going to vote in the next general elections in November as it is my civic duty to do so although for the Croatian politics to change for better, there should be an earthquake which would bring the politicians to their senses again.

If you want to read what Thomas wrote about this explosive topic, take a look at:

http://lifewithafrenchman.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html

nerd's eye view

As Mandel is both a nature and cycling enthusiast, in the posts I've read from her last she wrote about the Iron Horse Trail and the Rattlesnake lake.

The Iron Horse Trail (picture above) is located in Pennsylvania and it has two sections with some moderate climbs which require you to wear quality hiking boots while admiring the magnificient countryside on foot or by bicycle.

Rattlesnake lake is a lake in Washington located in the Rattlesnake Mountain Scenic Area which is a mountain ridge crisscrossed with numerous foot paths.

Anyway, let me tell you now something about a topic which is close to my heart, but has nothing to do whatsoever with countryside. What I wish to talk about is something Mandel many a time writes about in her posts namely about my all-time favourite food-fish. Actually, to be more precise, about the rewards of fish being part of your daily diet.

First and foremost, fish together with other seafoods provides over a billion of people around the globe with animal protein. What's more, especially saltwater fish is high in Omega 3 fatty acids which contribute to a healthy heart, so a fish diet is highly recommendable to anyone.

Because of all the above mentioned, consuming fish is top of the agenda for me whenever I'm home as we have it on tap there. However, when I'm in Graz, my fish intake is much lower than it should be as I always make a song and dance about the fish sold in Austria. Somehow it doesn't taste like "genuine" fish to me although its taste is far from being bland.
I guess, that's the story of my life.

Sources:

http://www.visitpa.com/visitpa/details.pa?id=59713

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_%28food%29

Ireland from a Polish perspective

Yesterday I read a post from Krystian's blog where he was going on about the integration of the ever-growing Polish community in Ireland and how the integration is still in its infancy. The rough estimate is that 130,000 Poles are living in Ireland at the moment.

To cater for their needs as an ethnic minority, they have a Polish weekly magazine published in Ireland (Polska Gazeta) as well as some Polish shops, pubs, and clubs. However, all this is just a drop in the ocean and the problems like the wage gap between Irish and Polish workers are still legion.

The moment I read this post it rang a bell because Ms Welland gave us a text to read for this week's class with a similar topic. It's message could be applied to the Polish in Ireland as the writer of the text thinks that today we are living in a super-diverse society and only if the legal status of immigrants is profoundly changed both on a national and local level, can a common ground to start on be created between immigrants and the locals.

I must say that this solution appears to me to be the soundest one. Nowadays, as no country can seal itself off from immigration, there should be mechanisms created that will be highly beneficial both for the immigrants and the locals. The last step that should be taken now is to walk the talk.

If you wish to read more about the Polish community in Ireland, visit:

http://www.theredcard.ie/news/2006/03/spotlight-on-nation-polish-in-ireland.html

Americans talk about their jobs

This week I would like to introduce you to an amazingly brave soul namely Janice Lejeune who despite being deaf-blind works as a merchandise handler.

Her life story reads something like this:

For many years she was a housewife and mother. One day she divorced and because of both acute loneliness and financial difficulties, she went through a training programme for disabled people. Finally, after some time searching for a job, she got hired as a merchandise handler.

Reading what she says you can sense that not only does she adore the buzz of working, but she also is tenacious to carry out any arduous task she might receive.

Another crucial aspect of her job is the working climate as all her colleagues are very caring without being overprotective which makes her feel over the moon almost every day on her job.

The only thing that is a crying shame for her is the fact that although she could no more stop working than a fish could stop swimming, she is only a part-time employee. Nevertheless, she is very proud of everything she has achieved so far as apart from working she is also studying for her General Education Development Degree.

While reading her life story, I had to fight back tears so touched was I by everything this woman was talking about. I must admit that I find it extraordinary that a woman with such a ghastly illness has the stamina to push boundaries and make her dreams come true. Such stories are the ones that restore my belief that only the sky is the limit for anyone who is conscientious enough.

Sources:

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?job_did=J8C5RG63WKZQ10499T2&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=2ed2941042cc47249a671961a51f388b-232337471-JF-5

the description of the duties of a merchandise handler

driving over lemons

Finally I've managed to get my hands on the book "Driving over lemons" by the one-time drummer of Genesis Chris Stewart.

Before immersing myself in the book, I went to check what my trusted friends, reviewers at amazon.com, said the advantages and drawbacks of this book were.

Once on the site, I immediately noticed that the positive reviews outnumber the negative ones. Many readers hold the account of Stewart's life at the El Valero farm in Las Alpujarras, south of Granda, to be entertaining and an eye-opener. What's more, the characters are thought to be credible and the book an easy yet pleasurable read.

On the flip side, the minority of readers think that the book is too detached and at times even mind-numbing and that Stewart didn't dedicate enough pages of the book to the colourful portrays of the locals.

Despite the negative reviews, I hold that this book bodes well and the only thing that is left for me to do now is to start reading and commenting on it.

speaking

Another Thursday. Another stint at Prince Charles pub. Our topic of conversation this time was tattoos.

If I cast my mind back a few years, I would remember how my fellow grammar school friends got tattoos surreptitiously done on all just imaginable parts of their body. Unlike them, I didn't get one as the mere thought of the needle used in such a procedure made me feel frozen with fear.

Nevertheless, back then I committed myself that one day I would find out more about tattoos and this day has finally come.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON TATTOOS

A tattoo is a mark made by inserting pigment into the skin as a way of body modification. The word derives reportedly from the Samoan or Tahitian word tatau which means to mark or strike twice.

Tattoos have been around since time immemorial as they go hand in hand with different cultures where they symbolise ranks, rites of passage etc. Nowadays they are seen as expressions of a person's character. Some tattoos are a form of cosmetics called permanent makeup which is used to intensify a person's eyebrows, eyes etc. by using natural colours.

The procedure of getting a tattoo revolves around an electric tattoo machine which inserts ink into your skin via a group of needles.

Although many people get tattooed or even heavily tattooed following the maxime no risk, no fun, I still look at tattooing with a cautious eye because of the health risks attached which can range from the less harmful infections and allergic reactions to diseases like tetanus or hepatitis due to being tattooed with unsterilized equipment.

Despite the fact that most people wear their tattoos forever, some repent their decision very soon and usually try to turn back time via laser removal. Alas, every laser removal is a complex, painful and costly procedure and no removal can prevent permanent scarring.

Taking all the above mentioned into consideration, before you get a tattoo, weigh all the pros and cons carefully, so that you don't end up with a hole in your pocket and a salutary lesson learnt.

Sources:

http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/skin_stuff/safe_tattooing.html

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

p.s. While talking about something else, someone told me the English equivalent of "Versuchskaninchen" namely guinea pig.

reading-Mother's Day

As tomorrow is Mother's Day in many countries around the world, this post is dedicated to the intricate history of Mother's Day in the USA and Mothering Sunday in the UK.

1. The history of Mother's Day in the USA

It is believed that the earliest celebrations of Mother's Day date back to ancient Greece and the practice of mother worshipping.

A good deal of centuries later, in 1872, the social activist Julia Ward Howe introduced Mother's Day in the USA as a day of peace commemoration after the Civil War was brought to an end.

By 1908 the function of Mother's Day changed thanks to Anna Jarvis who said that this day should be a memorial day for women from all the corners of America and such a view of the role of Mother's Day spread like a fire on to 45 countries in the world, including my home country.

2. The history of Mother's Day in the UK

In the UK Mother's Day is known under the name of Mothering Sunday as a synonym for Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent. (this year it was the 18 March)

Other names given to Mothering Sunday are Simnel Sunday (because of the simnel cake; picture above), Refreshment Sunday or Rose Sunday. On this day centuries ago domestic servants were given a day off to pay a visit to their families. Today the main tradition is "church clapping" when worshippers congregate and build a ring around the church building, holding hands.

3. Contemporary Mother's Day

Alas, contemporary Mother's Day is all about spending money on lavish gifts for your mother. In other words, Mother's Day has been stripped down to yet another lucrative business in our greedy world and its true spirit is all but gone.

In my desperate quest to keep the spirit of Mother's Day alive I wish to thank my mother for her all-embracing love with this post. What's more, thank you for being my unfailingly reliable and most ardent supporter in good and bad times, and for being willing to move heaven and earth just to lend me a helping hand.

Finally mom, let me just say that you are worth your salt as a mother.

My sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_day

http://www.holidays.net/mother/

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

writing

This weeks' writing post revolves around the correct usage of short forms in English.

Everything I will be writing about is adapted from the May issue of Spotlight magazine.

1. Short forms common in writing

Many common abbreviations have Latin or French origins:

AD (Anno Domini)- in the year of our Lord

cf. (confer)- compare with- cf. The New Fowler's

e.g. (exempli gratia) - for example- Try not to eat sweet foods, e.g. chocolate, cakes or ice cream.

etc. (et cetera)- and so on- We'll need drinks for the party: beer, wine, orange juice, etc.

i.e. (id est)- that is- The club is open only to adults, i.e. people over 18.

NB (nota bene)- note well- NB this door is locked from 2 p.m. to 8 a.m.

RSVP (réspondez s'il vous plait)-please reply- Come to our party, from ten till late. RSVP Tanja& Thomas

2. Everyday short forms

aka- also known as- Agatha Christie, aka "The Queen of Crime"

Nimby-not in my back yard- you hope to keep something unpleasant out of your neighbourhood

TGIF- Thank God it's Friday!- used at the end of the week

3. Small ads

If you want to rent accommodation, you might stumble across the following:

n/s prof non-smoking professional
refs reqd references required
320 pounds pcm 320 pounds rent per calendar month

If, on the other hand, you're looking for a partner, knowing this short forms may be very helpful:

GSOH good sense of humour
OHAC own house and car
WLTM would like to meet

4. Your task

Can you comprehend the abbreviations in this advert?

Pretty woman, slim, 40s, SOH, loving, intelligent, WLTM man for mutual appreciation, TLC, adventures and perhaps LTR. Hants, Box 0652.

Madeleine's abduction

1. Facts

The three-year-old Madeleine McCann was abducted from the Mark Warner's Ocean Club family resort (situated in the Algarve region in Portugal) on the 4th of May while her parents were dining at a restaurant nearby, checking on her and her twin brothers every half an hour.

Twelve hours ellapsed before the Portuguese police started searching for her, thinking initially that she may have lost her way somewhere and that she would return. The relatives of the family are running down on the alleged incompetence of the local police while the Portuguese public thinks that a Portuguese child gone missing wouldn't be looked for so feverishly. Such notions, however, will not bear in my opinion any fruit in the search for Madeleine.

As the Portuguese law forbids the police to inform the public about their procedures, rumours are mushrooming. The latest say that a woman and a girl fitting Madeleine's description were noticed at a service station and that she must have been abducted by a British national who had insider information about the family's daily schedule.

2. Opinions of the public

The majority of the public sympathise with Madeleine's parents who are at the moment going through every parents worst nightmare and a horrendous ordeal on top of that as their first family holiday has been transformed into a holiday from hell.

The McCann's try to stay positive although every minute that passes without their adorable girl makes it a little bit harder to breath for them.

Despite of the fact that the great majority of the public is aware in what a desperate state the parents are, their leaving their children alone while eating out has sparked off a heated debate. Some parents say that they shouldn't have left their children unatended while others hold that you cannot take care of your children 24/7 and that there is always a risk involved in being a parent.

Be that as it may, the way I see it is that today we are living in an increasingly threatening world and yet we cannot curb our children's freedom because of something that might happen. Abductions are after all few and far between.

Finally, I would like to say that my prayers are directed to the family and I sincerely hope that Madeleine will return home safe and sound.

Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6636869.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6629399.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6637469.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6638793.stm

http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/features/display.var.1381410.0.0.php

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/05/08/do0803.xml

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/05/07/wtoddler107.xml

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6627605.stm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2007/04/18/vanessa_today_feature.shtml

Some noteworthy vocabulary I stumbled across while reading my sources:

negligent; negligently;negligence-irresponsible
Mr Brown was found guilty of negligent driving.

to be a part and parcel of something-to be a necessary feature of something
Working irregular hours is all part and parcel of being a journalist.

salutary-formal-a salutary experience is unpleasant but teaches you something

zealous; zealously-someone who is zealous does or supports something with great energy
No one was more zealous than Neil in supporting the proposal.

listening

This week I have been getting a thrill out of watching and listening to my dearest series CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) on this link:
http://www.tv-links.co.uk/index.do/1

1. Why is CSI my best-loved series?
First and foremost, CSI is my favourite series because of its subject matter- the investigations of a team of Las Vegas forensic scientists who risk their life and limb daily trying to unearth the truth behind robberies committed by sly and treacherous thieves or violent deaths executed by cold-blooded killers with a heart of stone.

What attracts me even more about CSI is the renowned style of each episode with its involved plots, odd camera angles, crime reconstructions, and lighting in the manner of avant-garde films. Of course, what makes this series special are also its multifarious main characters who have to carry out a bewildering array of tasks in order to corroborate someone's guilt or innocence. What's more, what seems like light years ago I would have sold my soul for becoming a crime scene investigator myself if I wouldn't dread the thought of examining dead bodies.

2. Criticism of the series and its two spin-offs

Me loving the series is only part of it. The amount of people who critizise it for showing so much violence and sexual content is the other side of the coin. Alas, violence has become the norm today and CSI has pushed the boundaries in that it was the first series showing such themes during prime time.

As much as the series is railed against for the violent pictures shown it is also disparaged by the police and the juridical forces for portraying far-fetched police procedures as well as nurturing the belief in some people that any crime is soluble. The latter belief is also known under the name of the CSI Effect.

This all may be well and good, but we must remember that a television series is fictional and accordingly everything it depicts should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI:_Crime_Scene_Investigation

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/csi/

Some compelling vocab I came across while watching CSI:

entourage- British English-a group of people who travel with an important person
the president and its entourage

graveyard shift-especially American English-a regular period of working time that begins late at night and continues until the early morning, or the people who work during this time

hideous; hideously; hideousness-extremely unpleasant or ugly
hideous crimes

put/press/push the pedal to the medal-American English-to drive a car etc. very fast

famous people

Christian Lacroix (full name-Christian Marie Marc Lacroix) is a French fashion designer born in Arles on May 16, 1951.

His childhood was spent delighting in Provencal and Gypsy traditions, theatre, opera, and museum visits. Near the end of his adolescence, Lacroix began studying Art History at the University of Montpellier. Later, he continued his studies at the Sorbonne and the Ecole du Louvre hoping to realise his long-cherished dream of becoming a museum curator.

However, a completely different fate was awaiting him. First, he met his future wife Françoise who coaxed him to draw. Around the same time, he ran across the designer Jean-Jacques Picart the collaboration with whom propelled Lacroix to stardom as the hottest designer of the late 1980s.

In 1987 he opened his own couture house and since then his star has been in the ascendant as his house has been successfully selling products ranging from handbags to perfumes and children's wear.

As a designer he is renowned for the theatrical style of his clothes as well as for closing all his haute couture fashion shows with a model dressed up as a bride.

Apart from all that, Lacroix is the darling of many Hollywood stars and starlets and he, for instance, designed the wedding dress of Grammy award winning Christina Aguliera.

Today, his company owns 1,000 flagship stores around the world and his retirement is still light years away.

To read more, visit:

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

http://www.infomat.com/whoswho/christianlacroix.html

http://www.christian-lacroix.fr/
(Lacroix's official site)

jokes

A garda pulls over a speeding car. He says, "I clocked you at 80 miles per hour, sir." The driver says, "Are you sure? I had it on cruise control at 60, perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating." Not looking up from her knitting the wife says: "Now don't be silly dear, you know that this car doesn't have cruise control." As the garda writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls, "Can't you please keep your mouth shut for once?" The wife smiles demurely and says, "You should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did." As the garda makes out the second ticket for the illegal use of a radar detector unit*, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth, "Woman ,didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut!" The garda frowns and says "And I notice that you're not wearing your seat belt, sir. That's an on the spot 60 euro fine. "The driver says, "Well, you see sir, I had it on, but took it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of my back pocket." The wife says, "Now, dear, you know very well that you didn't have your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you're driving." And as the garda is writing out the third ticket the driver turns to his wife and barks, "WHY DON'T YOU PLEASE SHUT UP??" The garda looks over at the woman and asks, "Does your husband always talk to you this way, Ma'am?" Smiling sweetly, she replies. Only when he's been drinking, sir."