on the ball...

Anastasia, you really are on the ball with the blogs. I can understand that you have plenty of time to dedicate to blogging now that you are temporarily unemployed. Great to hear that you are using the extra time to extend your learning of languages. You gave a very comprehensive history of your home town, what’s it like to live there? Perhaps you could describe the city as it is today, what facilities do you have there, do people live in houses or apartments and how do people get around? I’d like to have a mental picture of where you live as I’m sure it’s very different from places I have lived in.

I had to smile when I saw the photo of you in your ‘winter’ coat and your comment about Greens! Many Russians living in Beijing wear fur coats and this shocked me at first but I guess it’s the norm in Russia to do so. Although you looked as snug as a bug in it, fur coats are very controversial as I’m sure you know but different cultures have very different perspectives on it.

I’m in the middle of a busy day and have been rushing here and there to finish off work before the hols start. I’m an IELTS examiner, not sure if you are familiar with that exam but I had to mark exam papers today, then to tutor some Japanese students and finally another class from my home. Now my husband and daughter have gone to the pub to meet some friends there and left me at home to get some peace and quiet in order to write this blog. The great thing about today had been that travelling around the city is super fast due to the fact that most people are off work and at home. So the streets are roads are relatively empty compared to the usual mayhem and my travel time today halved as a consequence.

Thanks everyone for the replies to my blogs so far.Adriana from Brazil, James (Zhih-Cheng Wu) from Taiwan, Pary from Iran, Abida from Islamabad, Pakistan, Paulraj from India, Leila and Paulray many thanks for your comments.
Naheed I really don’t know whey Brits adore Indian food so much, Indian restaurants can be found over the length and breadth of the UK and are very popular but I can’t put my finger on the reason why!

Hyoshil (chin up, sorry you feel homesick!) and Brian from Taiwan both mentioned the terrible weather conditions that have swept across China over the last week or so, thank you both for your concern and luckily I’m in Beijing which hasn’t been hit by the severe weather conditions. It’s sad to think of all the people waiting at train stations in the freezing cold trying to get back to their hometowns but to no avail. According to the news many people in different provinces will be left without electricity this holiday and in these sub-zero temperatures it doesn’t bear thinking about.

Beatriz from Montevideo, Uruguay regarding the Spanish idiom you told me about, in English we do say “It’s all Chinese to me!” sometimes for things we don’t understand. Brian from Taiwan, well done for using the idioms correctly in your post-that was great and keep at it!

Paco and Kirsti asked me about my use of ‘I ‘, in the last blog, yes where I have used 'I 'in the examples you mentioned, using ‘me’ is also possible. Paco also wondered why I used the phrase ‘take out food’ instead of ‘take away food’; both phrases mean the same Paco, ‘take out’ is a North Americanism. Mixing with so many different nationalities here has meant that I often interchange between British English and some American English unconsciously.

Although I haven’t read ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’, I watched the film which starred Nicholas Cage. I also visited the Greek island where it was filmed, one year after the movie was released. A vast majority of the local Greeks were cast in the movie as extras and nearly every small shop or restaurant had a picture of the owner(s) standing next to Nicolas Cage and the other actors which was pinned proudly to their walls!

Back to books, I have no choice but to read numerous books simultaneously and I’ll tell you why. One book is my reading for pleasure book, usually a modern fiction or classic, the second book is a novel that I am teaching my students and the other book (s) are related to my study that are compulsory reading. I’m in the last year of a Master’s degree in Psychology and the amount of reading I need to do is phenomenal.

The book I just finished ‘Fahrenheit 451’ gives some food for thought. The author says his aim in the novel was to 'prevent the future, not predict it'.I’ll give you a brief synopsis… the protagonist , Guy Montag is a fireman who lives in a society in which books are illegal and his job is not to extinguish fires but to start them; firemen must burn all books and the houses they are found in. Firemen wear the number ‘451’ on their uniforms as this is the temperature at which books burn. This role reversal of firemen is not the only difference between present day society and Montag’s world-his contemporaries live only for light hearted entertainment and pleasure, taking no interest in politics, world issues or even the upbringing of their own children. People in Montag’s society are shallow and spend their time watching TV screens that take up three of the four walls in their living rooms. Out of the blue, Montag meets a young girl, Clarisse whose questions act like a slap in the face for Montag and make him realize that there might be more to life than the electronic entertainment that absorbs the whole society. Clarisse makes him wonder about life beyond the TV screens and causes him to reflect on life and its meaning. Montag’s new found curiosity leads him to take an interest in books, the very thing that he is supposed to burn and destroy, this interest in literature leads him into deep trouble.

I’m not going to divulge any more of the story just in case you ever get to read it. Also one of my pet hates is when people recommend a book or movie to you and spill the beans by telling you the whole story including how it ends! Knowing the ending, for me, ruins the book or the film-what’s your opinion on that?
I think that the strategy you employ when reading to learn new vocabulary is extremely useful and a great tip to share with other learners of English; this technique obviously works very well for you and it’s very diligent and motivated of you to self-study in this way. Can I ask you whether you have a good English language learning environment? Can you watch TV in English, are there other competent speakers of English around you, do you have contact with many native speakers for example?
About one of your native languages, Udmurt, roughly how many speakers of this language are there? What language do you speak at home and in your home town? Is Urmurt mainly spoken in the Republic with everyone able to speak Russian as a kind of second language? Do you think that having knowledge and fluency in your two different Mother tongues had aided you in your study of English; do you think you will acquire Spanish and Italian more quickly as a result?

I’ll use your number references to the corrections you did on your mistakes;
1) ‘rime’ is an extremely archaic word that I have never seen used in contemporary English. The last time I read the word ‘rime’ was in a Coleridge poem called ‘January Frost’, where it is used as a synonym for frost. Therefore you should have just used ‘frost’ in your sentence
2) Yes ‘plane ticket’
3) ‘Isolated’ is a good choice but if you extract ‘up’ from your original sentence it would be correct.
4) The sentence should read ‘There I, an eighteen year old girl, was impressed…..’

Well, I’ll be off now and will leave you with a little picture to say Happy Chinese New Year (xin nian kuai le!!!)

PS I’ll nit pick a few errors in the next blog from you Anastasia! And I’ll be asking more about your wedding plans!


Vocabulary
On the ball to be very alert and aware

comprehensive(adj) thorough, includes everything

snug as a bug warm and cosy

controversial (adj) causes public discussion and arguements

mayhem (n) chaos and confusion

length and breadth the whole area

to put one's finger on something/somebody to identify the exact reason

chin up cheer up

simultaneously (adv) two things happening at the same time

compulsory(adj) somethng that is necessary and must be done

phenomenal (adj) remarkable, extraordinary

food for thought something to think deeply about

synopsis (n) a summary of a book, play or film

protagonist (n) the main character

extinguish (v) put out flames/fire

divulge (v) to make a secret known

spill the beans to reveal information, especially secret information

archaic (adj) no longer in current use

Joyful in the Jing

It’s a bright, sunny day in Beijing today and, although it’s cold, it’s bearable.Nothing like the sunshine to put a smile on my face and a spring in my step. This morning we went to a ‘temple fair’ at Ditan in downtown Beijing (literally a fair inside a temple grounds). It was packed with people lighting incense sticks and making wishes for the New Year by hanging red ornaments on the walls. People were stroking the heads of horse statues to bring them riches this year and buying rat-themed trinkets, bracelets and wall hangings as they are auspicious. All kinds of traditional street food was on sale and there were juggling performances and Chinese puppet shows .This is a picture of the front of the temple, the big pot at the front is for incense sticks

The next photo is of Teah and me in front of the ‘red wall’. You buy the red Chinese knots that have a small wooden square attached. On the wood, you can write your wishes and resolutions for 2008 and then you tie them to the wall so that the hopes come true. I wished for a huge win on the lottery or a sudden windfall, do you think I’ll get what I wished for!!! I’ll let you know if my wish is granted…



If you look closely at Teah’s hat and scarf, you will see an emblem in the shape of a shield that gives a clue to one of my biggest passions. The shield has the phrase ‘Prepared’ on it. Also note the colour of the hat and scarf, claret and blue which is another clue. If you are still not getting it, then I’ll just say they beat Newcastle 4-1 yesterday!! Yes, it’s football and in particular, Aston Villa. Anastasia, as you have visited the UK, you surely cannot have been oblivious to the fact that Brits are mad about football. Watching it is a national pastime and even though we are always sad when summer is drawing to an end, we are secretly glad too because it means the football season will start again. A love of Aston Villa is a family tradition for me. This stems from the fact that my family lived close to the Aston Villa football ground. Now, my parents have moved a little further afield but the distance from home to Villa Park is only 28 miles. My Grandad was an avid fan and we still have the programmes he got from games he visited in the forties kept in pristine condition, my Mum and Dad are Villains(name for Villa supporters) and this passed on to me and my brother. Now I’m trying to indoctrinate Teah with the football bug!


Are you interested in exercise Anastasia? I have an exercise machine at home called a ‘cross trainer’ or ‘stair master’ which I hop on for about 20 minutes a day. Due to the poor air quality and smog that hangs over this city, I think it’s better for me to run on a machine indoors than jog outside. Inside the compound I’m living in, there is a clubhouse with a gym, sauna and Olympic sized swimming pool. When spring comes, I’ll buy a membership card and test these facilities out for myself. I’m wondering if Russians are into sports? My husband thinks watching all sports is tedious and loathes the thought of doing any sport or exercise himself but he is only half Russian so might not be representative!!

The weekend is nearly over, I hope you had a good one. The next important day on the calendar this month is the 14th...what do you think your boyfriend has in store for you?!Roses, chocolates, an intimate dinner?Or something more imaginative perhaps..I'll be lucky if my husband even remembers!

Wishing you a sunny, joyful day everyone
Trudi

PS Did you ever tell me what we have in common, Anastasia?


Vocabulary

spring in my step added energy

incense (n) substance that produces a strong smell when burnt, often used in religious ceremonies

trinkets (n) small bits of jewellery with little value

auspicious (adj) a promising start, favourable

resolutions (n) decisions to do or not to do somethng in the year ahead

windfall (n) unexpected good fortune

claret (adj) dark red

oblivious to the fact that unaware or not noticing something

further afield farther away(from home)

avid (adj) eager

pristine (adj) original, unspoilt condition

indoctrinate (v) to teach someone a particular belief

football bug footabll craze

smog (n) mixture of smoke and fog

tedious (adj) very boring

loathe (v) detest, really hate

Less haste, more speed

I’m typing as fast as possible today as I want to get a posting written while Teah naps because when she is awake, I’m running around like a headless chicken and can’t get anywhere near the computer, let alone type a blog! However, as fast as I try to type, the more mistakes I make. I bet you’ve all had the experience of trying to rush something and just making a complete hash of it! I need to pay heed to the old English expression ‘Less haste, more speed’! Who can explain what lesson that is trying to teach us?

First let me say ‘job well done’ to Anastasia for the ‘rat story’ she wrote, all expressions were used perfectly and I was suitably impressed with the tale. I’m thinking of setting more tasks like that as it’s a good way to actively learn, use and therefore remember new vocabulary!

Anastasia, you mentioned the fame of Russian ballet and the history of pavlova and I was glad to see that your knowledge of ballet was a little sketchy because mine is too! In fact, I have only ever seen one ballet and that was in 2004. My husband took me to see ‘Swan Lake’ in a theatre in the centre of Sofia, Bulgaria and that performance was by a Russian ballet troupe. I really enjoyed it and wouldn’t mind seeing more performances if I have the chance in the future. During the same trip to Bulgaria, we also went to watch an opera(also my first time), I have to admit that I wasn’t overly enamoured with the opera I saw but , of course, I will give it a try again one day and see if it can win me over. Perhaps things like opera are an acquired taste and maybe my lack of exposure to opera resulted in me not liking it. Opera is extremely expensive in the UK and so is ballet (especially compared to the cheap tickets we bought in Bulgaria), which is a pity as the cost means lots of people are excluded from such activities; they just can’t afford it

On the topic of expensive UK ticket prices, even going to watch a football match costs an arm and a leg these days. I sent my Dad a couple of tickets for a Villa match on his birthday in November and the total cost was 66 pounds- how does that compare to your country? One of the main complaints about Britain from overseas visitors AND people who live there is the high cost of living. Were you gob smacked at some of the prices Anastasia? I certainly feel the pinch on my pocket when I go back home every summer. It’s much cheaper to stay in China!

On the topic of China, here are a couple more pictures. The first is of a huge old fashioned coin that is placed inside a tent. For good luck at New Year, you have to throw small coins through the centre hole and if you are successful, your year will be prosperous.

This picture shows one of the food stalls at the festival I visited on Saturday. They are barbequing lamb kebabs and cooking a whole cow on a spit in the background.



Moving swiftly on to mentioning all the comments I’ve received.

Antonio from Belgium, Kirsti from France, Irina from Moscow, thanks for your interesting observations, stories and comments.

Sandra Cartaxo – Brazil, welcome, what a good start to commenting on blogs and keep on visiting!!

Ana from Poland, I read about the books you recommended with interest and seems like we share a similar taste in genre

Arghavan from Iran, self study can be profitable if you organize your time and stick to a timetable. Perhaps a text book will help give you guidance about what to learn. Do lots of reading and listening to re-activate the English you learnt before and keep writing comments here for practice. About IELTS, look at the structure of the test on the website and practice your exam skills (working under time constraints etc) Can you find a person near where you live to practice speaking with?

Abida from Islamabad, Pakistan I’d love to visit Lahore and the places you mention, the temple picture I posted is typical of architecture here and all over China

Paulraj from India, keep on reading, sounds like you are getting more and more competent as a reader so well done.

Abida from Pakistan, great use of language and expressions!

Silwal Kishor from Nepal, congratulations on a great ‘rat’ story (you know that ‘drowned rat' means soaking wet usually used after someone gets caught in heavy rain, don’t you?)

Ana Paula from Brazil, sorry that your comments either haven’t got through or haven’t been answered yet. My masters degree in Psychology is a distance course run by a UK university and I’ll complete it in June 2009. Until then, its lots of hard work, heaps of reading, many essays and the most dreaded thing-regular 3 hour exams. As you can guess I want to change my career and become a psychologist (an educational psychologist as I have a teaching background)

Elena from Moscow, American English seems to be favoured by the Chinese and there are many American textbooks and American English courses here, Chinese students feel it is easier to learn. I used to work in an American international school and all the students used to correct me if I said ‘biscuit’ instead of ‘cookie’ and tell me I was wrong if I said ‘rubbish bin’ instead of ‘garbage can’!!Of course, I am very biased, but I think British English has more beauty and charm!! I also teach some Koreans and Hong Kongese children whose parents want them to speak and learn British English. At the end of the day, as long as people learn and get a grasp of the language and know how to use it, making distinctions between American and British English is arbitrary.

Tiasha from Sri Lanka, I love your name. Sorry I haven’t seen any of your comments before. If you can read and understand the BBC website perhaps you are higher level than a beginner?! If you want to start reading story books in English, I suggest looking in the children’s section in the bookshop. Do they have ‘graded readers’ in Sri Lanka in libraries and bookshops? A graded reader means English books re-written in a more simple way for English students, often they are well-known stories too. Don’t try anything too hard or complicated as it will discourage you or put you off reading in English totally!

Now to the sentence corrections…

1) ‘Correct!’ (said in a strict teacher’s voice, my impression of Russian teachers is that they are serious and strict)
2) ‘Just to name a few, I saw hares…
3) I felt extremely self-conscious- this is an error of style, the sentence you wrote is in the same style as a character called ‘Yoda’ speaks in the ‘Star Wars’ films! Your choice of sentence can be used as a literary device but sound very weird when placed in normal speaking or writing.
4) ‘If I’m not getting (anything) confused’
5) Your correction is OK, as an alternative you could have written ‘I still haven’t managed to take advantage of it’6) Correct!
7) Correct but a more common construction in the context is‘my advice to you would be to come here…
8) As your sentence was referring to the photo of the buildings in your town , the sentence should read ‘This is what the buildings in the city centre looks like’

Isn’t it funny that many of us failed to guess who Alexander was in the picture!! Do you call him ‘Sasha’ or ‘Sasho’ as a nickname? Many Russian friends here in China are called Alexander but they usually go by those nicknames instead. Maybe you can shed some light on the reason why? Do you have a nickname or shortened name Anastasia? Perhaps people call you ‘Ana’? I use nick names/short names for nearly all of my friends and family, for example I call my Mum ‘Gloworm’ (real name Gloria), and I call my Dad ‘Gazza’ (his name is Garry), my grandparents are ‘the Grimbles’ and many of my friends call me ‘Strudel’.


Anyway Anastasia, look at the following from the last two blogs and see if you can make some improvements. These are from blog ‘Ballet and a Rat Tale’
1) We do have theatres and ballets, it’s fact.
2) Not to the extent where you know all the important names. Here. I have said it.
3) We are all having are nerves on edge at the moment
4) I and my friends went skating today in the afternoon.
5) Then there appear brooks and puddles everywhere.

‘A Villain....’ blog

6) I didn’t risk biking in England as I am a bit scared of riding a bike along a road with the flaw of vehicles
7) So probably my decision was the only right.

I wish you all a great day and will catch up with you later in the week
Cheers!

Trudi


Vocabulary

like a headless chicken running around fast and madly

to make a hash of something to do something badly

pay heed to pay attention to

sketchy (adj) lacking detail, incomplete

troupe (n) group of ballerinas

not overly enamoured with something not very keen on or fond of something

win me over get my support or favour

an acquired taste a thing that someone learns to like gradually

to cost an arm and a leg very expensive

gob smacked ( verb-slang) extemely surprised or shocked

feel the pinch suffer from a lack of money

constraints (n) limit or restriction

arbitrary (adj) not based on reason

nickname (n) familiar or funny name given to someone instead of their real name

Call you Nastya from now on, I will

Attention, don't copy the structure of the title in your own speaking or writing for it is just 'Yoda-speak' and a little joke to Anastasia/Nastya/Yoda, any of which we may call her now!


I read the description of Russian food and learnt something new. My knowledge of Russian cuisine is limited to dishes my husband likes and those on the menu at the numerous Russian eating houses here in Beijing. There are a couple called ‘Traktir’, a famous one called ‘The Elephant’ and one near the Russian embassy called ‘White Nights’. My husband, Rossen bought me some pirogi home this week from a restaurant, they were filled with minced beef and were in a broth that had onions, mushrooms and slivers of liver (do you like my mini-alliteration there!). I wonder what ‘saulty soup’ is, is this a typo for salt soup!! Surely not because who would eat soup that is basically brine! I’m sure you’ll clear this up in your reply. I agree that Russian food is not exotic, but it is hearty and heart-warming and is what we call ‘comfort food’. I am not a mad lover of soups in general however for borsch I can make a huge exception as I adore it. Rossen sometimes makes a huge pot of it for us, it takes him 4 hours to make and takes us 4 days to eat as he makes so much of it. For me, it has to have huge dollops of sour cream and copious amounts of dill. Talking soups, have you ever tried Thai soups? They are amazingly good, my all- time favourite being ‘Tom Yum Goong’, it really is a taste sensation. Do you have any foreign restaurants in your city Anastasia? In Beijing there are loads and loads so it’s lucky for people like me who live to eat. By the way, look at this picture of a huge steak I ate on my last visit to the UK. It weighed 32oz and the manager of the pub made a bet with me that I couldn’t manage to clear the plate. I was victorious, to everyone’s surprise I polished it off and I won a free dessert (strawberry cheesecake) that I couldn’t even eat one bite of as I was ready to burst!





I don’t eat this much every day, honest! I just was in the mood for a big slab of cow. I apologise to all the vegetarians out there who might find the picture and the description I just wrote repulsive but ‘each to his own’ as we say in English. Who can tell me what that means?


This week, Rossen went to the Russian embassy to do the paperwork for a new passport. I thrust the camera in his hands as he was walking out the door and gave him strict instructions to come home with pictures of the Embassy for you to have a look at. The picture he took (below) isn’t very inspiring but it is from outside looking at the main gates, the reason the Russian embassy in Beijing is worth mentioning is that it is the biggest embassy (by area) in the world. Don’t say I never teach you anything!! That is your trivial knowledge for today



I loved your love story! Is the tale of Mr. Rabbit and his friends going to become an epic? Have you ever thought of writing children’s books for a living?! I think you have a flair for creative writing. It seems as if you have a penchant for animal stories too. About your corrections, they were all right except 2 and 3, just see below
2) Not to the extent where you know all the important names. There, I have said it (it only required changing ‘here’ to ‘there’, a nit picky error)
3) The construction is to be on the edge of one’s nerves, so your sentence should be ‘we are all on the edge of our nerves at the moment’

How are you spending this weekend? I taught two classes this morning and will go out in the sunshine later on-sorry that you are still under heavy snow. I almost feel guilty when I look at the blue sky and sun outside my window today but it’s still nippy here too. All the talk of food at the beginning of this blog made me peckish but now at the end of the blog, I could eat a horse so I’m signing off for today so I can raid the fridge!! Just to prove that I am not just an eating machine and I take my health, fitness and physique seriously, look at this picture of me training for the Beijing Olympics...

Look how hairy my armpits are!!!

If you are going to describe Russian weddings and related traditions in your next blog, how about sharing the story of how you and Alexander met? Don’t forget to tell us who proposed and how?!

Bye for now
Trudi

Vocabulary

eating house restaurant

sliver (n) very thin slice

alliteration (n) the same sound or letter at the beginning of two or more words together

brine (n) salty water

hearty (adj) large and filling

dollop (n) a lump of soft food

copious amounts of something lots and lots

victorious (adj) the winner, triumphant

polished it off finished it all up

ready to burst too full after overeating

slab of cow a huge beef steak

repulsive (adj) disgusting

trivial (adj) unimportant

epic (n) a long story with heroic deeds and exciting adventures

have a flair for natural ability to do something well

penchant (n) a special liking for something

nippy (adj) chilly, a bit cold

peckish (adj) a bit hungry

to eat a horse eat a lot

raid the fridge find things to eat from the fridge

physique(n) appearance and size of the body

Echolalia

When reading or studying, I sometimes come across a word that I don’t know or have never even seen before. Of course, I look it up in a dictionary so that I understand what it means and so that I’ll remember for next time I come across the same word. Today I read a fabulous sounding word which is ‘echolalia’!! It’s my word of the day and means 'the exact repetition of others’ speech'.

Well we are in mid February now; Chinese New Year and Valentines Day are over so what is there to look forward to now? It’s all a bit flat with no holidays or special days on the horizon until Mothers day in March and then Easter. Are there any holidays or celebrations coming up in Russia Nastya? On Thursday, it’s my Nan’s 85th birthday. I’m just deciding what to send her for her birthday; I usually order something for her online and get it delivered. I have to rack my brains this year to think what present she would like, what do you need or want when you are 85? That’s a ripe old age isn’t it; hope I make it that far! I’ll write more about my Nan on her birthday later in the week. Do you have grandparents Anastasia? You haven’t mentioned much about your family so far.

Whilst crawling around Beijing in a taxi over the weekend (traffic jams and congestion everywhere again), I precariously hung out of the window to take a couple of photos to show you all the developments taking place here. Even though the Olympics is very close and starts in August, the city is still half building site. Construction is taking place everywhere and it’s been like this for years.





Old buildings have been razed to the ground of late to make room for new super-buildings and skyscrapers. The face of Beijing had changed dramatically and is still changing. There are some really unusual, amazing and beautifully designed buildings around and everything is on a grand-scale. The phrase ‘concrete jungle' is apt when talking about this city.

Although progress and development are good, I often reminisce about the sights and sounds of Beijing when I first arrived in 1997. It had a much stronger ‘Chinese’ ambiance back then and a lot more character; there was something interesting on every street corner. Although it’s more foreigner-friendly, modern and similar to other Asian capitals now, I feel it has lost some of its charm. I’m not so excited to see the spread of Starbucks and McDonalds across the city and the gleaming, up-market shopping malls selling Gucci and Prada as these things seem so bland. It was Beijing’s uniqueness that I used to love. On the flip side, many people prefer the modernised Beijing so it’s all a matter of taste I guess.

Anastasia, the Yamal peninsula where you worked, looks like my idea of hell! Bitterly cold, snow everywhere and totally isolated, that description sends a shiver down my spine! That kind of place would be a total culture shock for me and having no shopping possibilities whatsoever is unimaginable for a shopaholic like me! I think the seclusion and quiet would be nice for a week or two but after that I would go stir crazy!!

That’s all folks! (for today)
Trudi
PS. So glad we discovered that we are both hairy armpit girls!

Vocabulary

a bit flat not very exciting

on the horizon coming in the future

rack my brains think really hard

congestion (n) full, overcrowded with traffic

precariously (adv) unsteady, unsafely

razed (v) completely destroyed

apt (v) suitable, fitting

reminisce (v) recall past experience and events with pleasure

ambiance (n) atmosphere

to lose its charm to lose the interesting features and attractive qualities

gleaming (adj) shining

bland (adj) uninteresting

on the flip side on the other hand

shopaholic (n) someone who really loves shopping and goes often

Birthdays and weddings

Am I right in guessing your computer is fixed and fully functioning now? It’s only when computers break down that you realise how important they are to your life…how did we live without them!

Today is Lantern Festival in China and officially the last day of the Chinese new Year; it's also my Nan's 85th and another of my friend's birthday.
By 10am UK time today, my Nan should have received the card I sent her through the post and a delivery of all her favourite, luxury food stuffs that I ordered online to be delivered to her door. I sent her a huge chocolate cake, pork pie, scones and clotted cream, chocolate coated marzipan etc as they are things she loves and doesn’t often buy for herself. The gift was following my Mum’s advice and Mum’s are always right!
Here is a picture of my Nan with Teah; it was taken last summer when I was visiting the UK.

Now onto Anastasia’s wedding plans…yes I think a hair pin is fine for the ‘something borrowed ‘bit and I’m sure we’d all love to help choose your wedding invitations but do you trust our opinions?!

I absolutely love St. Michael’s Cathedral, it is so dramatic, imposing and awe-inspiring. How lucky you are to be getting married there! I’m sure it will be a ‘fairy-tale ‘wedding in such a location, it is the kind of place that I imagine the rich and famous, celebrities to get married in (is there something you are not telling us?!)Do many people get married there? Did you have to book the cathedral many, many months in advance? How many guests will be invited to the church ceremony? And the reception?

In keeping with the theme of the blogs, I’ve decided to tell you briefly about my wedding day. I got married in China and my and my husband’s immediate family came over for the wedding. Even though neither of us are religious, we got married in a church(one of the very few in Beijing)I followed the ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’ tradition, wore a very simple ivory dress but in general we didn’t want the pomp and ceremony or the formality of dress that traditional weddings have. The only people to attend the church ceremony were our families. Here is a picture of my Dad walking me down the aisle to ‘give me away’.



This was taken in the church grounds after the wedding ceremony. From left to right in the picture Jamie, my brother, my Dad, my Mum, me, Rossen, Rossen’s Mum (carrying my bouquet, she wanted to look like a bride too!), Rossen’s Dad who appears to be having forty winks and his brother, Victor.




The reception was the really fun and unusual part of the day but I’m going to keep you on a knife’s edge and tell you about that another time!

Thanks for all your comments, please forgive me if I don’t reply to all the comments every week.
The meaning of ‘each to his own’ was guessed correctly by Hyoshil and Ana Paula; it means everyone has their own ideas and opinions

Kuldeep, thanks for the jokes and the information. Hope your daughter is happy and is learning English well.

Paco, so you are looking forward to a holiday next week on the 28th. How do people spend this day usually?

Marianna thanks for the comments. Teah can’t draw yet, she can only scribble at the moment. I could post some drawings of my own on the blog though. My artistic skills are so bad you might think my pictures were drawn by a child!

Kristina thanks for the info. Of course, I know echolalia refer to autism as I’m studying child development. The point I was trying to make to all readers was that native speakers come across new words all the time and we should look them up in a dictionary and remember them, just as students of English should do;-). I also think it is a very nice word to say as it just rolls off the tongue.

Adek to understand a woman is a contradiction in terms!

Abida, if I had a penny for all the students who had asked me a quick way to learn phrasal verbs, I’d be a rich woman. Unfortunately, phrasal verbs are one of those things that just mean hard slog and difficult study. I don’t know a fast way to learn them especially as they often have multiple meanings and sometimes a literal and metaphorical meaning too. Reading helps in understanding how they are used and experience of the language teaches you more and more. Can anyone else offer any suggestions for learning phrasal verbs for Abida? Anastasia how did you get your head around phrasal verbs so well?


Learning new vocabulary, I can share some of the methods I suggest to students and the feedback has been that the method is useful. Remember different methods work for different people.A simple method is to write the new vocabulary word on a small slip of paper. Also write what kind of word it is (n., adj., adv., v., prep.), write the meaning (using English if possible or accompanied by a translation) and also write a simple sentence using that word. When you have about 10-15 slips of paper, put them in an envelope and carry the envelope around with you all day in your bag or pocket. Whenever you have 5 minutes free time, go through and read each the piece of paper one by one and do it as many times per day as possible. When you really know a word, you can leave that piece of paper at home for future review and put a new word into your envelope.

A similar technique can be employed using cue cards in a small box at home, read the first card in your box then put it to the back , keep going through the words until you know them. If you are using cue cards remember that colours (using different coloured pens or coloured cards) and pictures aid your memory too.

Thus far my week has been pretty ordinary, Nastya but tonight I’m going out with 4 friends for a birthday bash. We are going to do something ‘posh’, dress up, go to a five star hotel in downtown Beijing and eat Italian buffet dinner and drink free-flow wine that is included too. I’ll try and remember to take my camera and get some pictures of us all. I have the rest of the day to wonder (as typically women do) ‘what shall I wear?’ and to conclude ‘I have nothing to wear’!!!

Bye for now and have a great day
Trudi

PS I'm struggling to find anything but minor and infrequent errors in your blogs Anastasia. I think I may have to set you another challenge soon to keep you on your toes!

Vocabulary

fully functioning everything working as it should be

imposing (adj) impressive and grand appearance

awe-inspiring (adj) a feeling of respect and wonder mixed together

immediate family close family

pomp (n) big ceremony or impressive display

to have forty winks a have a short nap/sleep

to keep someone on a knife's edge to keep someone in suspense

to roll off the tongue nice sound and easy to say

a contradiction in termsstatement containng two words which contradict each other's meaning

hard slog difficult struggle

to get your head around something to understand something

birthday bash birthday party

posh (adj) luxurious, upper-class

Got to grit my teeth

Spring is just around the corner here and a couple of warmer days last week indicated as much. Whilst spring symbolises daffodils in bloom, lambing, returning to greenery all around and general growth and liveliness in the UK, in Beijing it indicates something less pleasant. Beijingers have to get to grips with grit. To explain, spring is the annual sandstorm season and this entails a few months of dust, dirt and grit blowing around the city. On the worst sandstorm days, conditions are downright appalling because the sky turns a browny orange as it’s laden with sand and it’s impossible to breathe or even open your eyes properly. People either take cover until the storm passes; wrap chiffon scarves around their faces like full face turbans or wear face masks.


I read over the weekend that this year will be especially grim according to Beijing Meteorological Station because the winter was comparatively warm and there was little rainfall in the desert areas surrounding the capital. It’s predicted that we have approximately 11 days of dust storms ahead of us(and I bet this is a conservative estimate as we always get more bad weather than the weather office predict!). It feels like winter has dragged on for months but excitement for the arrival of spring is tainted by the knowledge that I’ll be eating mouthfuls of grit and blowing sand out of my nose.

Look at this picture of a sandstorm in 2007. Wish you were here?!

Ok that is my moan for the day over, just had to get it off my chest! Hope Nastaya is well and working hard, toiling away at my phrasal verb challenge;-) You said you opened a Facebook account, my friends have been crazy about Facebook for months and I wonder of anyone who works in an office in the UK ever does any work anymore-they all spend all day on Facebook!! It’s pretty useful for posting pictures and videos and quickly getting in touch with friends I must admit but some people find it as addictive and time-consuming as computer games. Beware Anastasia; don’t let yourself be sucked into the world of Facebook!!! (I think it’s great for nosy people like me to look at friend’s profiles and photos though!)


I liked the picture of St. Basil’s Cathedral. Is it possible to get married there?! Who designed it? I ask because I vaguely remember being told a gruesome story about the architect of that place. I don’t know if this story is correct but hopefully Nastya can verify if it’s right. I was told that the Queen or King of England asked the architect of St. Basil’s to go over to London to design and build a similar structure there. Whilst on the boat on the way to Great Britain, the crew who were following Ivan the Terrible’s orders pulled out the architect’s eyes and blinded him so that he wouldn’t be able to work again and no country (especially not Britain) would be able to have any building quite like St. Basil’s.


Waiting to see the invitations tomorrow, I bet everyone will have different opinions as ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. Does anyone have a similar expression in their language? If Alex has a job in London, what does that mean for you? Will you be moving there with him? Where and for how long? Tell us about Alex’s job and your plans for the future…Perhaps you are unemployed now as you are planning the patter of tiny feet by the end of the year: 0


As a final note for today, here is an extract from your horoscope for the Rat year Nastya, I read it in a magazine here yesterday and it seems quite apt for you (the pig)
‘Congratulations, as a pig this year you are endowed with the best love luck of all the twelve zodiac signs. Expect opportunities to blossom, since you’ll suddenly find yourself being perceived as more attractive and welcomed into the lives of others like never before. It’s time to start a serious relationship…’

sending you a big gritty grin :-))
Trudi

PS Do you know what the title means? It's a 'grit' related idiom that fits with my topic today.

Vocabulary

To get to grips with something to deal with a problem or challenge
Grit (n) small bits of stone or sand
Appalling (adj) really bad
Laden with full of/ loaded with
Grim (adj) very unpleasant
Meteorological (adj) scientific forecasting of weather
Conservative estimate a cautious/moderate guess often under the real number
Tainted (adj) spoilt
To get something off one’s chest to say something you have wanted to say
Toiling (v) working really hard
Vaguely (adv) unclearly
Gruesome (adj) horrific, frightful
The patter of tiny feet referring to the sound of a baby you might have in the future
Extract (n) a small part of a longer article or piece of writing