03 octobre 2009
Appearances
Dear readers,
Another interesting topic concerned the physical appearance.
Venus of Milo - Le Louvre - Paris
Indeed, not always easy to accept our own appearance especially in our consumption society where sexy pictures or advertisements are so noticeable. Sell at any price, using the charms of VIPs, guess handsome/gorgeous part of bodies...
The "basic instinct" is pricked / stimulated in each of us.
The most difficult period is, as each of us knows, the adolescence. At this period, we believe we are ugly and need time to accept the changes in our body, trying to hide our defects using make-up, cream or large clothes...
How to live when we do not have a star appearance or a peach (canon lady or man)?
We need to really love us to transcend all these negative thoughts and complexes / inhibitions.
The support of parents, relatives, friends is so important to build your champion spirit and strengths. Humour is a key to break bad ideas and open doors.
A good example is the article "Large and Lovely site" we studied within the English circle and written on the Bellaonline's website by M.E. Wood.
I found it particularly "sound in body and mind" (sain de corps et d'esprit), humorous and relevant. Well done Miss Wood! It is a really good humanity lesson for each of us.
Link: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art1240.asp
A few extracts:
First, the author is factual and tries to give a substantial definition helping from a dictionary. She is wondering why this word has a so negative resonance in our mind.
"I like the word fat. It is short. Easy to write"
"Why cannot we just use the word fat? What is wrong with the word?"
"The word fat does not define who we are. There are seven definitions in Merriam-Webster (...):
1 : notable for having an unusual amount of fat: a : PLUMP b : OBESE c
of a meat animal : fattened for market d of food : OILY, GREASY
2 a : well filled out : THICK, BIG (a fat book) b : full in tone and
quality : RICH (a gorgeous fat bass voice -- Irish Digest) c : well
stocked (a fat larder) d : PROSPEROUS, WEALTHY (grew fat on the war --
Time) e : being substantial and impressive (a fat bank account)
3 a : richly rewarding or profitable (a fat part in a movie) (a fat contract) b : practically nonexistent (a fat chance)
4 : PRODUCTIVE, FERTILE (a fat year for crops)
5 : STUPID, FOOLISH
6 : being swollen (got a fat lip from the fight)
7 of a baseball pitch : easy to hit
Then, Miss Wood complains about the general meaning and systematic bad point linked to a fat appearance:
"It's time we reclaim the word. Redefine it. You might be thinking. I don't want 'fat' to be positive. I don't want to call myself 'fat'. To do so means I’m giving up on trying to improve myself and become healthy. No darlin', it doesn't."
Finally, she asserts herself saying she is proud to be like as she is. She found a lovely and subtle acronym:
"I'm a F-abulous A-ttractive T-alented Woman!"
She adds some finely selected adjective to define her status enlarging at the same our vocabulary:
Need help with some words? Here a few:
F - Fabulous, Fun, Friendly, Fortified, Funny, Fun-loving, Fashionable, Forthright, Feminine, Feisty, Faithful, Freespirited, Fervent, Fearless.
A - Attractive, Astute, Assertive, Able, Analytical, Alluring, Aware, Adamant, Affectionate, Active, Amiable, Amorous, Attentive, Astounding, Amazing, Akamai (Hawaiian)*, Adept, Astonishing, Audacious, Assertive, Ardent.
T - Talented, Trustworthy, Tireless, Trendy, Tasteful, Tempting, Tempestuous, Terrific, Tender, Tough, Triumphant, Tactful, Tenacious, Tolerant, Tremendous, Thriving, Thoughtful.** fortified: having something added to increase the strength
** forthright: frank, free-spoken, outspoken
** feisty: showing courage
** astute: sharp, shrewd
** adamant: inexorable, intransigent
** amorous: romantic
** astounding: staggering, stupefying
** assertive: confidently aggressive
The conclusion of this article is a hope message letting us with hindsight (avec du recul) appreciate more who we are and accept us as we are:" We need to change the negative connotation around the word 'fat' and 'fat' people. Let's face it, there are fat people out there who have happy, fulfilling lives. We aren't all depressed slugs that sit on the couch all day whining about our body image. And for those who are, it's probably only a temporary setback. Women have reclaimed the words "Woman" and "Vagina" now it's time for us to reclaim the word "Fat". We are FAT women. Fabulous, Attractive and Talented!"
Let the words from Gloria Gaynor ring in your mind and your soul as it is a so great song giving you wings to fly and feel lighter and so relaxed, do not you think so:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnGouhet2HQ&feature=related
Version of Karen Mulder I really like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWAjDqZHc6s
FYI, from Wikipedia:
"I Am What I Am" is a song originally featured on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles (1983–1987). The song is found on the finale number of the play's first act, and performed by the character of Albin Mougeotte. The song was composed in 1983 by Jerry Herman, an openly gay man.Gloria Gaynor Version
The song was later re-recorded and released as a single by gay icon and disco diva Gloria Gaynor in 1983, and proved to be one of the singer's best known hits among her fans. While pretty much unknown to the mainstream American public (it reached a peak position of #82 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsGay Pride movement, alongside another song of hers, "I Will Survive" (1979). chart), Gaynor's version of "I Am What I Am" was a hit elsewhere, reaching no.13 in the UK charts, and would become the rallying cry of the of the Gay Pride movement, alongside another song of hers, "I Will Survive" (1979).
This song is now a standard and keeps its emotion as concerns each of each.
"I am what I am
I am my own special creation
So come take a look
Give me the hook or the ovation
Its my world
That I want to have a little pride in
My world
And its not a place I have to hide in
Lifes not worth a damn
Till you can say
I am what I am (...)"Enjoy! Talk to you soon ;-)
With best wishes,
Ceraulen
24 mars 2008
Personality traits
Dear all,
Hope you enjoyed the Eastern week-end. I visited my parents in North of France, closed to Lille. We will talk shortly about the "Ch'ti" culture and film which is a real success!
Well, in the meanwhile, let us introduce personality traits linked to two documents.
The first one is an extract from the "www.Usingenglish.com" website and I found an interesting text from Hui Yen Yu.
Birth order factor and your personality: 8 facts
that might surprise you
First-borns
Middle-Borns
Positives: The classic middle child is very relational; a people-pleaser who usually
dislikes confrontation. They basically need to keep life smooth, and their
motto might be 'peace at any price'. They are usually very calm, will roll with
the punches as amiable, down-to-earth people and great listeners. They are
skilled at seeing both sides of a problem and keen to make everybody happy,
making them good mediators and negotiators.
Last-Borns
Positives: Last-borns are the cheerleaders of the world. They have good social skills
and love to entertain and talk to other people. They make friends readily, and
quickly make others feel at home. They’re extrovert, energised by the presence
of other people and probably not afraid of taking risks.
Negatives: Last-borns often tend to get bored fast. They are fearful of rejection and
have a short attention span. When the fun stops, they've had enough and want to
check out. To some extent they're self-centred. They can harbour unrealistic
expectations of finding a relationship that’s always fun, and, of course, such
relationships simply do not last.
How do you fit into the mix? Do you think your birth
order has influenced your personality?
VOCABULARY LIST
- dependable: good/safe/honest: fiable, sûr, honnête
- responsible: trustworthy: sérieux / fiable
- achiever: réalisateur (personne efficace)
- cautious: unwilling to risk/pride,t/conservative: prudent, précautionneux
- spoilt: gâté
- objective: concret
- demanding: difficult: exigeant, éprouvant
- conscientious: conscientieux, soigneux
- self-confident: sûr de soi, plein d’aplomb
- humourous : comique
- diligent : appliqué
- uncomplicated: facile
- outgoing: sortant (qui aime aller à l’extérieur)
- event-empered : d’humeur égale
- easygoing : serein,
facile à vivre
- peacemaker: pacificateur
- bossy: autoritaire,
despotique
- intimidating: intimidant
- studious: studieux
- messy: désordonné
- picky: méticuleux
- unforgiving: impitoyable
- moody: humeur noire
- selfish: égoïste
- spokesperson: porte-parole
- managing director: gérant
- entitlement: droit
- compliant: obeisant, conciliant
- to nurture: faire éclore, encourager
- caregiver: travailleur social
- to pay heed to: payer attention à
- to tend to: avoir tendance à
- know-it-all: tout savoir
- overly: exagérement
- smooth: lisse, calme
- boundaries: confines d’un territoire
- to drift to: glisser
- failure: échec
- cheerleader: pom-pom girl, majorette
- to entertain: s’amuser
- fearful: craintif
- span: durée
- to check out: régler
la note
- to harbour: entretenir, nourrir
Another way to describe personality is an amazing way coming from Japan...
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art22988.asp
Guest
Author - Melanie Shintaku
Beginning in approximately 1930, the Japanese embraced the idea of matching
personality traits with one's blood type. This phenomenon is as popular in
Almost all Japanese are aware of their blood type. The idea began when some in
the west were touting the idea that the asian peoples were more closely related
to animals then humans, or lower on the evolutionary chain, since type B blood
was the predominant blood type in asians and animals. As ludicrous and
unscientific as this idea was, it was insulting to say the least. Modern
science disproves this obviously faulted idea. In the 1930's Furukawa Takeji
(1891–1940) set out to disprove this notion and a new idea was born.
However, the idea of personality traits being influenced by blood type remains.
Companies in
Japan even had divided workers by blood
type.
Here are the general ideas of each blood type. The Rh factor plays no role in
the blood type/personality idea:
Type O:
Type O's are outgoing, and very social. They are initiators, although they
don't always finish what they start. Creative and popular, they love to be the
center of attention and appear very self confident.
Type A:
While outwardly calm, they have such high standards (perfectionists) that they
tend to be balls of nerves on the inside. Type A's are the most artistic of the
blood groups. They can be shy, are conscientious, trustworthy, and sensitive.
Type B:
Goal oriented and strong minded, type B's will start a task and continue it
until completed, and completed well. Type B's are the individualists of the
blood group categories and find their own way in life.
Type AB:
Type AB's are the split personalities of
the blood groups. They can be both outgoing and shy, confident and timid. While
responsible, too much responsibility will cause a problem. They are trustworthy
and like to help others.
Compatability by Blood Groups:
A is most
compatible with A and AB
B is most compatible with B and AB
AB is most compatible with AB, B, A and O
O is most compatible with O, and AB
What do you think about this concept? Do you agree with such arguments?
Talk about another subject shortly!
With best wishes,
Ceraulen
15 novembre 2006
Emotional intelligence
Hugs to those laughing people!
Dear readers,
After
this exotic and business trip in Hong Kong and Guangdong area, we will
travel on the psychology sphere with an introduction about EQ (Emotional Quotient) which cannot be represented in figures like your IQ (Intelligence Quotient). It is rather (plutot) a complex mixture of self-awareness (confiance en soi), empathy, persistence and social skills.
Some definitions:
- self-awareness: scientist use the word "metamood" which is the ability to stop in the middle of a feeling and recognize it.
- empathy: social emotion, the ability to feel for other people, to analyze and evaluate a social situation.
THE INTERPERSONAL SKILLS (abilities = habiletes, capacites)
Emotional
intelligence is a term coined (created) by two Yales psychologists and
popularized by the psychologist, journalist, author and former Harvard
academic, Daniel Goleman, in the book entitled "Emotional Intelligence", published in October 1995.
The
author sets out (tries) to present the results of recent scientific
studies into the emotions, a "flood of neurobiological data" (flux de
donnees neurobiologiques), and help the reader "understand what it means - and how - to bring intelligence to emotion".
Daniel
Goleman places his aims (goals) in the largest context, including
emotional education of children, and bringing "civility to our streets
and caring to our communal life".
This book became a worldwide bestseller and there are now dozens of me-too (similar) books featuring (showing) "emotional intelligence" in their titles. Daniel Goleman lectures (to talk during conferences) to businessmen the world over (all over the world).
Evidently (evidemment), it has long been known that success in work -or in private life- does not depend merely (simplement) on the individual's IQ ("intelligence quotient") but also on his interpersonal skills or "emotional intelligence", which Daniel Goleman defines as including "self-control, zeal (empressement) and persistence, and the ability to motivate oneself", "empathy" or being sensitive (sensible) to the emotions of others, knowing how to handle (manage) relationships smoothly (doucement / ici: avec tact).
Stress is increasing in companies as the protected markets in which they were used to working in are eroded. In the increasingly knowledge-based (base sur le savoir) society we live in, companies must be effective (efficient, efficace) "learning organizations", where people collaborate to learn together and share what they learn, and to do this well it is necessary that they get on well together (aller bien ensemble, etre en harmonie). Companies are increasingly (more and more, de plus en plus) involved in (implique dans) multicultural structures as integration of the countries of the European union proceeds (process) and European companies merge (fusionner). The accelerating globalization of the economy means that companies participate more and more in international alliances with suppliers and customers. For these reasons and others, interest in interpersonal skills has taken on a new urgency today.
It is important to notice that people in positions of great responsability and power will have had to be able to empathise with people, display social deftness (adresse) and persistence to get where they are. We can mention for instance (as examples) JFK, John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963) as in 1960, this Democrate candidate became the youngest man and the first Catholic to be elected US president (the 35th) and Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), a Republican who became presidentof US from 1981-1989 (the 40th).
Official biographies of JFK and R. Reagan:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jk35.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/rr40.html
Fur further details about interpersonal skills, EQ and Daniel Goleman:
http://ilearn.senecac.on.ca/careers/succeed/developing.html
http://science.uniserve.edu.au/projects/skills/jantrial/interpersonal/interpersonal.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_intelligence
http://www.eiconsortium.org/
http://www.eiconsortium.org/members/goleman.htm
http://www.shareguide.com/Goleman.html
http://www.edutopia.org/php/interview.php?id=Art_699&key=020
With best wishes,
Ceraulen
04 août 2006
Confidence: you sell only you
Hello everybody !
For this first day, I propose you to study an article from an unknown author related to THE CONFIDENCE.
It is an interesting scheme and all what the author says have to be taken into account, especially when we are sad, disappointed, stressed... for one or another reason.
After reading the attached file and having a look on the vocabulary, it will be relevant to discuss on the following questions:
- What is the meaning of confidence for you?
- Do you agree with the theory of the author?
- Do you think we are relaxed and opened enough to the “creative and interrelated world around us”? If not, how can you manage to follow this way?
- What are the options you have to develop confidence ?
- In which kind of situations is it better to be self-confident?
- Do you know any other expressions meaning self-confident?
Personally, I agree with the author when he says “self-confidence” is not something you were born with. It is something to develop.”
To be self-confident is based on your own knowledges, experiences, way of thinking, introspections, way of solving problems, recovering after failures or mistakes.
We need to be open-minded, attentive to others and mean well. Is it often the case? I do not think so because you have our own worries and we do not do as much as we could do. It is a shame!
We need to be all the time self-confident because every day is different and we meet different people, behaviours, situations we need to face to, to assume, to escape, find solutions...
As we are not perfect, we have “up and down” and have to deal with them.
In terms of words/expressions related to the subject “confidence”, you can find:
- to enjoy somebody’s confidence: avoir la confiance de qqn
- to place one’s trust in somebody: investir qqn de sa confiance
- to be in good cheer: etre en confiance
- to speak freely: parler en toute confiance
- to earn/win somebody’s confidence: gagner la confiance de qqn
- to withdraw one’s confidence in somebody: retirer sa confiance a qqn
- to have trust/confidence/faith in somebody:avoir confiance en qqn
- to believe/to rely/to trust on somebody: se fier a qqn
Here we are for today! Comments are welcome!
With best wishes,
Ceraulen