Cut up a disposable water bottle and keep the neck and top, as in photo.
Insert the plastic bag through the neck and screw the top – to seal.

The bottle is made to be air-tight, such that water will not leak, the secret lies with the top and screw

This is a great idea to share. Good for us and the environment too.

ACTIVITY

Do you know?

1. What does ‘air-tight’ mean?

1. No air can go in or out
2. Not enough air
3. Air from a high place

2. The article says this idea is ‘Good for the environment’. Do you think so? Why?

Put your answers in the comments!

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Have a look at what is ahead in these four pictures. Also, read the explanation of what they are.

Our future is incredible!! 

What an age we live in!

Look closely and guess what they could be…

Are they pens with cameras?

Any wild guesses? No clue yet?

Ladies and gentlemen… this is a new pc!

Here is how it works:

In the revolution of miniature computers, scientists have made great developments with bluetooth technology.

This is the forthcoming computers you can carry within your pocket.

This “pen instrument” produces both the monitor as well as the keyboard on any flat surface. You can then carry out functions you would normally do on your desktop computer. 

Looks like our computers are out of date… again!!!

ACTIVITY:

Read these two sentences.

1. You’ve just seen something that will replace your PC in the near future.
2. You’ve just seen something that could replace your PC in the near future.

Which sentence do you think is correct? Why?

Put your answer in the comments!

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Have you bought any gifts yet?

I remember when I first spent Valentine’s Day in Japan, I thought all the girl’s loved me, because they all gave me chocolate! In Western culture, we only give a gift to someone we love, such as a boyfriend or girlfriend! I soon found out (sadly!) – I was wrong! Japanese culture is different!

In the West, both boys and girls give gifts to someone they love on Valentine’s Day. We do not have White Day here.

So what have you bought?

I bought this great red chocolate rose!

It is made of chocolate, but looks like a real rose!! What do you think? Will my lovely lady like it?

Question:

What have you bought? Let me know in the comments!!

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Yesterday  I gave you a quiz. How to respond when you don’t understand the question:

Q)Yo dude! Sorry to get in your face, but can you tell me where I could hang a leak?

I chose this sentence because the only ‘easy’ word is the question word: ‘where’.

When you have trouble with English, focus on what you DO UNDERSTAND. It will help you guess the rest!!

I congratulate those who had a try at the question! It is always good to take a guess! And have a try! Then we all learn something!

It is great to have such smart people out there!

So, what does the sentence mean?

 It means:

Sorry to bother you, but could you tell me where the toilet is?

IMPORTANT TIP:

This sentence uses slang. I did this to make the question more difficult.

The Slang:

1. Yo dude: Hello, or excuse me
2. Sorry to get in your face: ’bother someone’ or  ‘fight with someone’
3. Hang a leak: Go to the toilet to do a wee or unrinate (look these words up in your dictionary)

I suggest you use slang carefully. Not everyone likes slang!

Hope you are having a good week!

Question:

Do you use slang? Who do you talk to that you don’t use slang with?

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When you do not understand something someone says, you have two options:

1) Tell them you do not understand
OR
2) Show them you do understand a little, but not all.

I think option 2 is better.

WHY??

1) It is what NATIVE speakers do. (You do it in your language too!)

2) It helps conversation to continue – Saying “I don’t understand” STOPS CONVERSATION.

EXAMPLE:

Imagine, someone starts talking to you.

A: Excuse me, where is the station?

You say: “I do not understand.”

A: Oh…ok

The person will then walk away and talk to someone else.

This is natural – EVERYONE WANTS TO BE UNDERSTOOD!!

I know you do!

SO – Using the ‘echo’ strategy is a better way.

The ECHO Strategy

The ‘echo’ strategy means to repeat what you DO UNDERSTAND, but then ask a question for more information.

EXAMPLE CONVERSATION 1:

A: Excuse me, where is the station?

B: Er, sorry, you want to go where?

A: To the station, Tokyo train station

B: Oh! The train station! It is over there!

Notice what happens here -

1) You show them what you DO understand – They want to go somewhere
2) They then give you more information – THEY KEEP TALKING TO YOU!

EXAMPLE CONVERSATION 2:

Two people talking at a party:

A: Last night I went out with my friends and it was wild man! Woo! We had a top time – grabbed a bite to eat and then caught a flick!

B: Er… really… with your friends… er… where did you go?

A: To the movie theatre down the road. Saw the new ‘Jumper’ Movie. You seen it?

B: Not yet. Was it good?

A: Not bad, …….

AGAIN – By showing what you DO UNDERSTAND – The conversation can continue!

ACTIVITY

Have a try! What could you say if someone said this to you

(DON’T USE YOUR DICTIONARY!!! HAVE A TRY, OK!!)

A: Yo dude! Sorry to get in your face, but can you tell me where I could hang a leak?

B: PUT YOUR RESPONSE IN THE COMMENTS!!!

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  Q: If I would like you to repeat what you said or explained again because I cannot understand what you said or explained clearly, how should I say?

1. Sorry?
2. Could you repeat that, please?
3. Pardon?

I think, most Japanese use all three, which I think is wrong. I believe “pardon” is used only when I can not hear what they have said.

Am I right or wrong?

Also, Is “sorry?” polite?

If you have time, please answer!

  A: Thank you for the question! And it is a very good question!

Knowing what to say if you do not understand is very important!

If you heard what the speaker said clearly, but do not understand, I would use:

1. Sorry?
2. Could you repeat that, please?

I would use ‘Pardon?‘ when you could not hear what they said.

Another good strategy is to echo the part you did understand.

QUESTION: Do you know what I mean by ‘echo’

If not, I will tell you tomorrow!

Let me know if you know what ‘echo’ means in the comments!!?

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Many people from China and Japan ask me this question when I eat with them!

I don’t know why they are so surprised that I can use chopsticks!

Maybe because my eyes are green!

Actually, I can use chopticks very well! I use them a lot at home – not just in restuarants! I started using them when I was a child.

Anyway, today I went to a Malaysian restuarant and on the chopstick wrappers, they had these instructions:

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO SEE IT CLEARLY!

Now watch this video. Listen carefully to the instructions.

So now you can help your friends who have trouble with chopsticks!!

QUESTION:

Can YOU use chopsticks?

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Here is a joke. Read it carefully. See if you can get the punchline! TIP: Punchline = Funny line of a joke.     A mature (over 50) lady gets pulled over for speeding… Older Woman: Is there a problem, Officer? Officer: Ma’am, you were speeding. Older Woman: Oh, I see. Officer: Can I see your license please? Older Woman: I’d give it to you but I don’t have one. Officer: Don’t have one? Older Woman: Lost it, 4 years ago for drunk driving. Officer: I see…Can I see your vehicle registration papers please.. Older Woman: I can’t do that. Officer: Why not? Older Woman: I stole this car. Officer: Stole it? Older Woman: Yes, and I killed and hacked up the owner. Officer: You what? Older Woman: His body parts are in plastic bags in the trunk if you want to see. The Officer looks at the woman and slowly backs away to his car and calls for back up. Within minutes 5 police cars circle the car. A senior officer slowly approaches the car, clasping his half drawn gun. Officer 2: Ma’am, could you step out of your vehicle please!The woman steps out of her vehicle. Older woman: Is there a problem sir? Officer 2: One of my officers told me that you have stolen this car and murdered the owner. Older Woman: Murdered the owner? Officer 2: Yes, could you please open the trunk of your car, please. The woman opens the trunk, revealing nothing but an empty trunk. Officer 2: Is this your car, ma’am? Older Woman: Yes, here are the registration papers. The officer is quite stunned. Officer 2: One of my officers claims that you do not have a driving license. The woman digs into her handbag and pulls out a clutch purse and hands it to the officer. The officer examines the license. He looks quite puzzled. Officer 2: Thank you ma’am, one of my officers told me you didn’t have a license, that you stole this car, and that you murdered and hacked up the owner. Older Woman: Bet the liar told you I was speeding, too. Don’t Mess With Mature Ladies!

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How old is Grandma???   I think you will be surprised!

Stay with this — the answer is at the end…

One evening a grandson was talking to his grandmother about current events.
The grandson asked his grandmother what she thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

The Grandma replied, “Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:

• television
• penicillin
• frozen foods
• photocopier machines
• contact lenses
• radar
• credit cards
• lasers
• ball-point pens
• air conditioners
• dishwashers
• clothes dryers, the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and
• man hadn’t yet walked on the moon
  Your Grandfather and I got married first, . . and then lived together.Every family had a father and a mother.Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, “Sir”.
  And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, “Sir.”We were before computer- dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy.

  Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense.

  We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.

  We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.

  

  We had never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.

  • “grass” was mowed,
  • “coke” was a cold drink,
  • “pot” was something your mother cooked in and
  • “rock music” was your grandmother’s lullaby.
  • “Aids” were helpers in the Principal’s office,
  • “hardware” was found in a hardware store and 
  • “software” wasn’t even a word.

We listened to our radios.If you saw anything with ‘Made in Japan ‘ on it, it was junk.

Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, and instant coffee were unheard of.

We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.

Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all 5 cents.

And if you didn’t want to splurge, you could spend your 5 cents on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.

You could buy a new car for $600, . . . but who could afford one?
Too bad, because petrol was 11 cents a litre.

No wonder people call us “old and confused” and say there is a generation gap… and how old do you think I am?

I bet you have a very old lady in mind…you are in for a shock!

                        
This Woman would be only 58 years old!

Times change quickly!

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DID YOU KNOW…?

‘Stewardesses’

is the longest word typed with only the left hand

And ‘lollipop’
is the longest word typed with your right hand.
(Bet you tried this out mentally, didn’t you?)

No word in the English language rhymes with
month, orange, silver, or purple.

‘Dreamt’ is the only English word that ends in the letters ‘mt’.
(Are you doubting this?)

Our eyes are always the same size from birth,

but our nose and ears

never stop growing.

The sentence:
‘The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’
uses every letter of the alphabet.
(Now, you KNOW you’re going to try this out for accuracy, right?

The words ‘racecar,’

‘kayak’

and ‘level’
are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).
(Yep, I knew you were going to ‘do’ this one.)

TYPEWRITER is the longest word
that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.
(All you typists are going to test this out)

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
(Some days that’s about what my memory span is.)