ESL 095 listening log

I watched a movie called, “Grown Ups” in DVD acted by Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider. The movie was shown on screen last year; the five elementary basketball teammates, who haven’t met 30 years since their last game, gather for coach’s funeral, and they go to the camping bringing their each family. They get to know about their past, wife, family, and kids as fathers and as husbands. The story refers to our real society, for instance; the kids playing video games, texting to friends all day, not knowing the nature, having awkward couple relationships, etc. The comedy touch story brings tears in our eyes in ending part. I spend my childhood spending time in the outside, so I could tell what the director wants to tell us. However, it became one of my favorite movies so far.

Trailer - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e01NVCveGkg

Picture from IMDb

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375670/

Trailer from youtibe.com

ESL 095 listening log

I watched the movie called, “Tangled” which my roommate downloaded legally. It was such a pretty movie. The 18-year-old princess Rapunzel, who has a magical long hair, spend her entire life in the tower built in the forest, but escapes from the tower being led by the thief, Flynn. She will see the world out of the tower for the first time, experience things happening in the world, and find out the secret reason of being forced to live in the tower for 18 years. The characters are hilarious, especially the horse. The story made me think that I want to have a boyfriend and how the world is beautiful. Besides, Disney movies make the story easier to understand for kids by including musical parts. I could understand most of the parts, and it became one of my favorite movies so far.

Tangled Trailer-from YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN4OKH-zswk

picture from Google-http://zoltanzone.blogspot.com/2011/01/tangled-weak-story-but-deepish.html

ESL writing blog 5

Eat Healthy

There are two popular/famous coffee shops in Prince George, Starbucks Coffee and Tim Horton’s. Both provides variety kinds of coffee and food; however, it is tough to manage our desire for all the temptation, especially who those are on diet. Many people don’t know how much calories they are taking, everyday, and how much calories the food contains. Do you know how much calories of things that you eat? I try to manage the calories which I eat; I look for nutrition guide at store even in a coffee shop.   A cup of coffee without any sweetener and milk is less than 10 calories, but, I prefer different flavor, such as: Mocha, Latte, etc. The calorie jumps up extremely higher when the black coffee changes into special flavored coffee. For instance, I love White Mocha. Unfortunately, its calories is 400, which worth eating 6 inch sandwich from SUBWAY! However, Starbucks Coffee makes customer possible to manage their drink’s calories.  “Skinny” Latte and “Light Blended” Frappuccino reduce 100 calories compared to regular Latte and Frappuccino keeping its taste.  Ordering tea would be another option. Starbucks has variety kinds of tea as much as coffee. Tea costs less than coffee, and has fewer calories than coffee. Using honey would cut more calories than using sugar, and it is healthier.

                Also, Tim Horton’s has better variety of food compared to Starbucks. It could be for breakfast, light supper, or snacks.  Sandwiches, soups, wraps are some of the examples that contains vegetable, meat, and carbonyls. For example, Healthy Vegetable soup, sesame seeds beagle worth only 340 calories, which is lower calories than drinking large hot chocolate! They also have law-fat, fiber contained products such as beagles and muffins.  It could be another option to shift the food in to healthier way. It would be better choice to eat something that has higher calorie, but that is nutritious.

                Managing my health is one of my roles in order to stay in shape and to focus on my studying.  It is becoming one of my hobbies that to check nutrition and calculate total calories for each day.

ESL writing blog 4

Idioms

Give it a shot, what a drag, bite the bullet, that’ll be the day, once in a blue moon, having second thoughts, getting cold feet, be chickened out, mind is wandering round, up in the air, etc. ESL students have got opportunities to learn idioms, the phrase or word that have different meaning. I have learned some of them, I have made sentences, and I have asked Canadian about the use and the meaning of idioms; however, I had never heard idioms which I learned in my daily life until I took Leadership. The idioms didn’t sound familiar to me even though I was learning them. My group mates and I were filming the video for our project for Leadership 101. The video camera stopped working somehow; we tried to figure out the solution. Kristina, one of my group mates said, “Alright, let’s give it a shot how it would work.” The spark came across in my brain and the meaning that I learned came up in my mind! I shouted, “Idioms!!” But, they were like, “What are you talking about? What the heck the idiom is??” Surprisingly, Canadian doesn’t know about idioms! I described it and told them how much I was shocked. By the way, it was my first time that I spoke up in a group. They started laughing and said, “You are English learner Ami.” Later on, they became more understandable about international students, showing their interests what I am learning in class. They always make fun of me because I always get excited when I hear idioms in usual conversation. Does it gunny for Canadian? The time I hear idioms, it helps me to memorize it understanding perfectly. Once I started recognize what kind of idioms do Canadian use, I hear them every day and every conversations.

            The idiom broke the barrier between my classmates and me, and got involve into Leadership class. Happily, the group mates the one said idiom; she is the closest friends in Leadership class. "Give it a shot" is my favorite idiom so far.

ESL 097 writing blog 3

Different TV show uniqueness

I have been watching TV drama over a year, there are quite difference between American romance and Japanese romance.  In American romance, it doesn’t take time to fall in love, get married, to be in a relationship. The main characters get close immediately, and repeat breaking up. It might be showing real society in the country.  For example, glee; there are main characters Finn, Rachael, and Quinn. At the beginning, Finn and Quinn was a couple, but they broke up in first season because of cheating. Quinn cheated Finn’s best friend, Pack and she pregnant his baby. Later, the other girl, Rachael who liked Finn, became in a relationship with Finn. However, Rachel broke up with Finn, and Finn tried to get back with Quinn because he couldn’t get over her. Quinn was in a relationship with other guy, so she persuades Finn to get back with Rachael. These things go over and over during the show. In other words, it shows that people don’t care others whether who had relation with who, or who used to be in a relation with somebody. The decision making is made by one person, “I.”

                Japanese romance is more complicated and it takes long time to get together. The character refers our society; we act as a group. The character cares others – if were in a relationship with somebody, what other people would think about us/me.  Basically, it takes one season to make things happen. The important events cannot be completed in one episode; people have to wait the climax until next episode.   In addition, Japanese dramas don’t last over 1 or 2 seasons.  The story is written in details and dramatically, most of dramas use popular actress and actresses to spark viewer’s interests.

                Personally, I prefer American romance because I don’t have to wait climax until next episode, and it has more variety of story lines.  

ESL 097 writing blog 2

Different value**  

Canada and Japan-these two countries have totally different social, and educational backgrounds. Canada, North American society is individualist; believing in individuality, becoming independent in early age. Japanese, Asian society is collectivist; believing in being one of the members of the society, considering one’s self second. Since spring semester, I’ve been taking Leadership, which gave me an opportunity to think about difference between North American societies an Asian society. Besides, it can be referred education system of both countries. In Canada, teachers educate students in order to create critical thinkers; students are given ideas to think by their own, not only to figure out the answers, but also to think processes to find out the answers. These chances would allow students to be able to think their own opinion, not being afraid of having different opinion from others. Having group works, discussions are some of uniqueness of North American educations. They would assist student to be confident speaking up their opinions, and sharing the ideas.

In addition, there are differences between careers. I see many people who go back to college in their 30^th and 40^th. In Canada, changing one’s job in his/her life is not uncommon thing. Going back to college or university would allow people to be capable, to be skilled, and to be employable. Studying with different generation may bring opportunity to learn different opinions, and feelings. Taking variety kinds of courses may bring opportunity to get to know other jobs, which help people to have varieties of options to choose their jobs. It might be very valuable for some people to change their jobs and start new things again. 

Canada is such a multi-culture country, so people might be flexible adapting themselves into different culture, and different situation. 

ESL 097 writing blog 1

What do I like about Canada/Canadian

I have been here since last summer, and I have been living with the same roommates, Laura and Alan. They have got two kinds so far: 20 months old Blake, and 3 months old Jessica. Canadian people have different way of raising their kids, which surprised me, and I would like to do when I got my kids. They kiss their kids, hug their kids, and tell them “I love you.” My parents love me a lot; however, they have never said, “I love you” kissing and hugging me, including my sister and my brother. Japanese culture doesn’t have “skin-touch”; touching their kids skin by skin like hugging or kissing. The way, kids can feel they are being loved, and comfortable. In addition, many Canadian people let other people communicate with their kids. That would make easier for people to get close with each other.

I like the environment that is surrounded by English. It helps me to learn the language, and to look back my country, which allows me to learn not only new things, but also things that I have been using or haven’t realized. English has way more variety of vocabularies compared to Japanese, especially related with emotion. English speaker can express their emotion exactly what they feel in many ways. For example….

*tired=down, blue, exhausted, depressed, etc

*happy= cheerful, joyful, glad, pleased, etc

Also, people say, “Oh my god!”, “Holy cow!”; when people surprised or people want to describe their emotion. These phrases help word to be more emphasized. In Japanese, we don’t have similar word in order to express our emotion, Japanese people seems less emotional compared to North American people. (in my opinion)

 My favorite part is mostly culture that Japanese culture doesn’t have. Those are the some examples that I like about Canada/Canadian culture so far.

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