Ceraulen's Blog - Express yourself in English!

Appearances

xiaolikang — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:48:00 GMT

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 Songs Gay 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

Social networks phenomenons

xiaolikang — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 19:48:00 GMT

Dear readers,

Nice to write articles for you after a long silence ;-)
Thanks for your words of encouragement and comments about this blog.
The first year you were about 1,000 readers mainly from France. For the time being, most of you are from other countries and it is great. I am quite happy about it and it will be a pleasure to exchange with you and publish articles on worldwide or more localized societies / phenomenons.

We will start the new season with a "best" of the previous term topic studied within my English Circle. The article from wikipedia concerned "Facebook". I decided to enlarge it to the social networks.
Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook

So, we focused first on the society phenomenon called "social network".
What is it? what for? where? any example? bad or positive experience?

There is not the slightest doubt that Western countries suffer more than other countries in Asia for example from "loneliness", "selfish features" and a trend of not respecting the neighbours anymore ;-( That is my point of view. Let me clarify things.

To introduce, let us quote Mother Teresa's words:

"In the West there is loneliness, which I call the leprosy of the West.
In many ways it is worse than our poor in Calcutta."

As you probably know, I had the opportunity to live in China several years ago and was dumbstruck about the social behaviours to always be within a group. It was really a discovery as everyone was at the right place and within one member the organization did not work such as a watch. If you take off a part, the watch does not work anymore...
Now, based on the new rich class people, unfortunately Chinese people behave like Westerners wanted to be more concentrated on their own business and main interests. It is the Westerners' way of life.

On the opposite, and I talk mainly about French people and especially Parisian people, for a couple of years, a new phenomenon appeared : the social network.

WHAT IS A SOCIAL NETWORK? WHAT FOR?
Well, the new concept of social network consists in linking a relationship based on the common interests, activities, living places... so that creating a kind of community with members, exchanges, meetings, gatherings, organizers...
Most of the time, this social link is created from an internet connection on a community website.

I have an example: PEUPLADE which was a good idea based on the mutual aid on neighbourhood.
Even the BBC wrote an article about it ;-): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/programmes/click_online
http://www.peuplade.fr/home/nHome.php

The idea comes from two people I met. They wanted to know better their neighboursn which is not always so easy especially in a big city like Paris.
At the beginning, PEUPLADE covered only the 17th district and members were enrolled from friends then friends of friends.
Afterwards, media began to find the idea interesting and a new generation of members were registered. I took part from those ones and discovered a gold mine of activities and people. It was a kind of small society grouped together all kind of people we can meet in the street and maybe we should have never talk with.

It was a kind of natural magic to meet so many various and interesting people. A part of them are now my friends and my faithful supporters within the English circle ;-) I even organized a brunch when each friend or acquaintance can bring a dish or a bottle to celebrate my job recovering in 2007.

Of course, I also met some inveterate minesweepers. They were quite lucky as bachelor ladies in Paris are numerous and sweet.

Concerning the activities, you had a large choice from having a drink to going to cinema or exhibitions or taking part to karaokes... I became a fun of karaoke just because I met a guy really involved in who transmitted me the karaoke virus ;-)
I also organized some gatherings in restaurants, promenades, picnics... and created the English circle and a "peuplade" (French word for a group within this website) for Ch'ti people (people coming from the North of France like me) and for people who wish to have lunch with other members closed to their office. For the last idea, you can find a places list and can exchange with people working near your office so that organizing lunches. A good escape to have lunch with your colleagues every day or eat alone ;-)

Unfortunately for PEUPLADE, a competitor observed the weaknesses and cured them on his own website. The main issue was the cancellation in last-minute or unrespect of the gathering. If you registered and not come for example for a restaurant party, you can imagine that the organizer is not so happy and embarrassed towards the owner.
In the competitor's website called OVS, you cannot register if you do not come to the meeting. http://paris.onvasortir.com/
Consequently, former members of PEUPLADE walked away or register within OVS under the same nickname or change it...
Thanks to Peuplade, a lot of people become friends and still meet each other on their own place. Another new way is to communicate using "facebook".

ABOUT "FACEBOOK"
Nobody can ignore it even if you are not a member. For those who really do not know what is Facebook, here is a "refresher course". http://www.facebook.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5gtN16gOr8

We recover the social link at the national and even international level as you just have to enter the name of people to maybe have the chance to read their names and contact them. It is also convenient to share with your friends, relatives, colleagues, acquaintances your feelings, life events, pictures, to play with them...

The other side is confidentiality. If you do not want people to have pieces of information on your life, do not register as even future employers could check Facebook to know who you are and who are your "friends". Corporations also use the information you gave. Be careful about it and read this article: http://www.computernetworking.com.au/computer-networking-articles/2008/3/27/facebook-confidential/

You can restrain the access of your profile to friends but imagine that a friend show your profile to other people so in which way are you protected? Friends of your friend can also have access on the list of your contacts...

Other dangers such as virus and hackers can break your privacy using Facebook or other platforms - See the article : http://personalweb.about.com/od/facebooknewsandscams/a/facebookdangers.htm

CONCLUSION
Be conscious about the impact of your registration on websites and do not publish any too personal information or pictures.
Social networking is a good way to open your mind, get acquainted with others, exchanging opinions and as it happens making friends.
So wish you enjoy the ease of such websites and find what you are looking for.

As far as I am concerned, I am a user of Facebook and be cautious about it even if I really like to share my pictures with my friends and contacts. I prefer using a blog as intellectually speaking it is more interesting. The only gap is that the readers are most of the time anonymous even if I can get statistics about the countries where the readers are from and which articles they read the most. That helps me to find subjects. Pls remind that your feedbacks, points of view are really important for the author you agree or not with the author's opinion. Each comment I received is a good point.

So hope you enjoyed this topic. Pls let me know... and write another article shortly.

With best wishes,
Ceraulen

The influence of first name on personality

xiaolikang — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:48:00 GMT

Dear all,

One studied topic during the English circle last year concerned the influence of first name on personality and especially life.

An extract from an article published by the Herald Tribune published on November 10th, 2008 explained how Barack Obama's popularity sparked a new baby craze in Kenya.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/10/america/10babies.php

Indeed, more than half of the male babies born at a hospital in Kisumu province on the day of the US election were named Barack. Kisumu is the area where Obama's father came from.
We can notice the same phenomenon with "Obama" as in Swahili, this name means 'blessed one'.

Many parents called also their newborn daughters Michelle, the name of Barack Obama's wife.
The new elected President has become a real national hero in Kenya.

To tell the truth, it is not unusual for parents to name their children after actors, pop stars or sport heroes.
Maybe due to the fact the parents hope their children to have a magic or successful destiny.

Another article from the BBC Magazine points out the perception of who you are can be influenced by your first name.
The title is relevant: "Would he be even more handsome called Ryan" and we can find the picture... of George Clooney, THE gorgeous man...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7312412.stm

Is it your case? What is the meaning of your first name? You can discover it on the interesting website:
http://www.babynames.com/

VOCABULARY LINKED TO NAMES
- pen/assumed name : an author's pseudonym
- first name: given name - the name that precedes the surname
- given name: Christian name
- maiden name: a lady's surname before marriage
- married name: name of the husband

EXPRESSION WITH MIND
- to change one's mind about sth: to change your opinion on (changer d'avis sur)
- to keep an open mind about sth: need to assess the situation before giving ideas (reserver son jugement sur)
- to make up one's mind about sth: to take a decision on (se decider a propos de)

BABY - Spend one minute writing down all the different words you associate with the word "baby"
Here are the answers (from the interesting website http://www.wordreference.com):

- babysitter: a person engaged to care for children when the parents are not home
- bottle: the glass including the milk for baby
- to breast: either of two soft fleshy milk-secreting glandular organs on the chest of a woman
- to suckle: suck milk from the mother's breasts; "the infant was suckling happily"
- bib: a napkin tied under the chin a child while eating
- rattle: a baby's toy that makes percussive noises when shaken
- nappy: garment consisting of a folded cloth drawn up between the legs and fastened at the waist; worn by infants to catch excrement
- formula: a liquid food for infants
- leggings: a covering designed to be worn on a person's body
- sling: bandage to support an injured forearm; consisting of a wide triangular piece of cloth hanging from around the neck
- to rock / cradle: hold gently and carefully; "He cradles the child in his arms"
- to teethe: grow teeth; cut the baby teeth; "The little one is teething now"
- to gurgle: make sounds similar to gurgling water; "The baby gurgled with satisfaction when the mother tickled it"
- to crawl: a slow creeping mode of locomotion (on hands and knees or dragging the body); "a crawl was all that the injured man could manage"; "the traffic moved at a creep"
- to deliver: to give birth
- to be expecting a baby : to be pregnant

Hope you enjoyed this scheme ;-)

With best wishes,
ceraulen

Happy New Year 2009!

xiaolikang — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:07:50 GMT

Dear all,

How are you?
Pleased to write a short message to wish you all the best for 2009!
Prosperity in spite of the financial crisis, success and happiness! More humanity and sharing, more time to listen and take care of the others.

For Chinese people, the "9" figure sounds like the "longlasting" word (jiu). That is why it can be considered as a "lucky" number even if the "8" was much better.
The proof: the opening of the Olympic games in Beijing (Peking) on August 8th, 2008 at 8:08 PM as the "8" sounds similar to the word which means "fortune", "prosperity" or "wealth".

This year will be the Ox Year for Asian people.
Let us read some interesting articles on this matter:

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12833897
http://www.theholidayspot.com/chinese_new_year/more_zodiacs/ox.htm
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art60143.asp

Hope to share with you soon different views.

With best wishes,
Ceraulen

Personality traits

xiaolikang — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:08:00 GMT

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

Only Children

Positives: Only children are the movers and shakers- task-orientated, highly organised, conscientious and reliable. They like concrete facts and details, and are comfortable with responsibility.

Negatives: The negative characteristics of only children can be difficult to put up with. Often unforgiving, they can be demanding and unwilling to admit it when they're wrong. They generally don't accept criticism too well. Other people mqay think of them as sensitive and indeed, their feelings are easily hurt.

First-borns

Positives: Natural leaders, first-borns are often high achievers- many politicians, spokespersons and managing directors are first-borns. They frequently have a sense of entitlement and possibly superiority. Some are compliant nurturers/caregivers, while others are aggressive movers and shakers. They are both in control, but use different methods. Generally, first-borns are picky, precise people that pay heed to details, tending to be punctual, competent and organised. They want to see things done correctly first time around and dislike surprises.

Negatives: They are frequently moody, and they occasionally lack sensitivity. They can be intimidating, especially by pushing people too hard or refusing to take no for an answer. They are sometimes a bit 'know-it-all' and are often poor at delegating – mainly because they don't trust others as much as themselves. They also tend to be bossy perfectionists and overly conscientious.

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.

Negatives: They tend to be less ambitious or driven than first-borns, but much more eager to be liked― or, at least, to be happy with other people. They can have a difficult time setting boundaries, so they can drift into 'co-dependence' by trying to please everyone. They are not good at making decisions which offend others and tend to blame themselves for the failures of others.

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

Personality Traits By Blood Type - A Japanese Concept
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 Japan as the idea of matching horoscope with personality is in the States.

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

What are the meanings of colours?

xiaolikang — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:27:00 GMT

Hello everybody!

Nice to talk with you again!
A couple of months ago, I found an interesting subject about colours and expressions linked to different kind of colours .

Somewhere over the rainbow...

See article to get more details about VOA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_America
Voice of America (VOA), is the official external radio and television broadcasting service of the United States federal government. Its oversight entity is the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).

I selected this topic because we live with colours but do not have a clear notion of their interpretation. This subject was particularly appreciated by the members of the circle.

We started studying the VOA article. Here it is (quote):
http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/archive/2007-04/2007-04-01-voa1.cfm

Colors: I'm Feeling Very Blue Today
Many everyday American expressions are based on colors. Transcript of radio broadcast: 01 April 2007

Now, the VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stories.

Every people has its own way of saying things, its own special expressions. Many everyday American expressions are based on colors.

Red is a hot color. Americans often use it to express heat. They may say they are red hot about something unfair. When they are red hot they are very angry about something. The small hot tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hots for their color and their fiery taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland jazz.

Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.

Blue is a cool color. The traditional blues music in the United States is the opposite of red hot music. Blues is slow, sad and soulful. Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded a famous song – Mood Indigo – about the deep blue color, indigo. In the words of the song: “You ain’t been blue till you’ve had that Mood Indigo.” Someone who is blue is very sad.

The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling stomach may say she feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green.

Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the color of the back side of the paper money.

The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day in which everything goes wrong as a black day. The date of a major tragedy is remembered as a black day. A blacklist is illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations.

In some cases, colors describe a situation. A brown out is an expression for a reduction in electric power. Brown outs happen when there is too much demand for electricity. The electric system is unable to offer all the power needed in an area. Black outs were common during World War Two. Officials would order all lights in a city turned off to make it difficult for enemy planes to find a target in the dark of night.

I also found some expressions including colours on the BBC website. Can you guess some of them? http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv337.shtml

Quote:

We have many idiomatic expressions involving the whole range of colours in English. In answering your question, Michal, we will have a look today at just three colours: red, white and blue (the colours of our national flag).

white colour idioms
White in British culture is traditionally associated with purity and innocence. See if you can work out the meaning of the following white colour idioms word for word. Then check your understanding by reading examples of how they are used in context. Finally, check again against the explanations given.

go as white as a sheet
white coffee
a white-collar worker
tell a white lie
whiter than white

The news must've been bad. She went as white as a sheet when she read the telegram.
- Do you want white or black coffee? - White please. Well, dark brown, actually - just a dash of milk.
He hopes to get a white-collar job, though, with his level of education, he'll be lucky to get a blue-collar one.
It's OK to tell a white lie. It doesn't do any harm and it nearly always does some good.
She's whiter than white - the image of perfection. In her entire life she has never put a foot wrong.

ANSWERS

go as white as a sheet: become extremely pale in the face
white coffee: coffee with milk (note: not white tea; instead: tea with milk)
white-collar worker: an office worker (note blue-collar = factory or physical work)
tell a white lie: telling a lie to avoid making someone upset
whiter than white: someone who is totally fair and honest

red colour idioms Red is often associated with anger or danger (red traffic lights). In British culture, red-haired people (redheads) are traditionally hot-tempered and high-spirited. Try to work out the meaning of these red colour idioms in the same way as before.

be in the red
see red
roll out the red carpet
paint the town red
a red-letter day

She's always in the red, never in the black. No overdraft would ever be big enough for her.
When she realised saw that no housework had been done all week, she saw red and banished us from her holiday
It'll be time to roll out the red carpet when Auntie Meg returns home. We haven't seen her for twenty years.
They decided they would paint the town red after winning so much money by gambling on the horses.
It was a red-letter day for us when we were able to move into our new holiday house - the house of our dreams.

ANSWERS

be in the red: have minus amounts on one's bank account (in the black = in credit)
see red: lose one's temper; become suddenly angry
roll out the red carpet: put on a special welcome for an important person
paint the town red: enjoy yourself by going to bars and/or clubs
a red-letter day: a very happy or exciting day

blue colour idioms

Blue is traditionally the colour of boys' clothes in British culture - pink for girls. It is also associated with loyalty and true love. Try to work out the meaning of these blue colour idioms in the same way as before.

a blue movie
out of the blue
scream blue murder
the boys in blue
a blue-eyed boy

Blue movies, or adult videos as they are sometimes called, are normally only available from sex shops.
His suggestion that we should move to Cyprus came completely out of the blue. I wasn't expecting it.
They started to scream blue murder when I told them they would have to work an extra half an hour on Saturday afternoons.
It's a criminal offence. We can't sweep it under the carpet. We should hand it over to the boys in blue.
He's the blue-eyed boy of skateboarding all right. He's won this competition five times.

ANSWERS

a blue movie: a film with explicit adult scenes
out of the blue: suddenly and unexpectedly
scream blue murder: make a lot of fuss; shout loudly and emotionally in protest
the boys in blue: the uniformed police
a blue-eyed boy: a young man (grudgingly) admired because he is successful

Finally, Jennifer Kyrnin with her analysis about "Color symbolism chart by culture" gave us the final view of the circle. To enlarge, always enlarge our point of view and think in terms of international way.
Here is her item extracted from http://webdesign.about.com/od/color/a/bl_colorculture.htm

Understand the Meanings of Color in Various Cultures Around the World

If you use color on your Web site, then you should be aware of how your audience views those colors. This is especially important if you are designing a site that is intended for an audience of a different culture than your own (or a global audience). The cultural basis for color symbolism can be very powerful, and if you don't understand what you're saying with your colors, you can make big mistakes.

Red

China: Good luck, celebration, summoning
Cherokees: Success, triumph
India: Purity
South Africa: Color of mourning
Russia: Bolsheviks and Communism
Eastern: Worn by brides
Western: Excitement, danger, love, passion, stop, Christmas (with green)

Orange

Ireland: Religious (Protestants)
Western: Halloween (with black), creativity, autumn

Yellow

China: Nourishing
Egypt: Color of mourning
Japan: Courage
India: Merchants
Western: Hope, hazards, coward

Green

China: Green hats indicate a man's wife is cheating on him, exorcism
India: Islam
Ireland: Symbol of the entire country
Western: Spring, new birth, go, Saint Patrick's Day, Christmas (with red)

Blue

Cherokees: Defeat, trouble
Iran: Color of heaven and spirituality
Western: Depression, sadness, conservative, corporate, "something blue" bridal tradition

Purple

Thailand: Color of mourning (widows)
Western: Royalty

White

Japan: White carnation symbolizes death
Eastern: Funerals
Western: Brides, angels, good guys, hospitals, doctors, peace (white dove)

Black

China: Color for young boys
Western: Funerals, death, Halloween (with orange), bad guys, rebellion

Hope you have found this item as interesting as it was pleased to write down.
Talk to you shortly!

With best wishes,
Ceraulen

PS: a strange colour, an anagram (once more of my first name Laurence) is also a colour:

cerulean (uncountable) - http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cerulean

(color) A deep blue colour, like the sky on a fine day.

cerulean colour:

Cerulean may be applied to a range of colors from deep blue, sky-blue, bright blue or azure color through greenish blue colors.

The first recorded use of cerulean as a color name in English was in 1590.The word is probably derived from the Latin word caeruleus, "dark blue, blue or blue-green", which in turn probably derives from caelulum, diminutive of caelum, "heaven, sky. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerulean_blue)

And finally... Hope and Happiness: Yellow is sunshine. It is a warm color that, like red, has conflicting symbolism. On the one hand it denotes happiness and joy but on the other hand yellow is the color of cowardice and deceit.

Ganesha Festival in Paris

xiaolikang — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 15:17:00 GMT

Dear readers,

Today, the Ganesha Lord Festival has started in Paris in the 18th district where I live.It is my first festival and it sounds very interesting.

At 9:00 AM, a religious ceremony took place inside a Temple and at 11:00 AM, the parade composed of different cars and groups followed a route from Philippe de Girard street to Marcadet street and came back to the Temple around 3:00 PM.

For this festival, street are sprayed with rose water including saffron. The Ganesh and Murugan cars are pulled by nude feet believers (fideles). Men wear "vesti", long white costume whereas ladies wear "saree", lon coloured piece of fabric. Musicians and "cavadis" porters march past (defiler) on first position. Then, ladies bearing fired camphor presents followed the parade.
On the road, a lot of coconuts are layed so that being broken when the cars arrive.

** The point of view of a specialist of hindouism about the festival : How to celebrate the great Ganesha festival
From Subhamo Dass (http://hinduism.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/a/ganeshchaturthi.htm)

A life-like clay model of Lord Ganesha is made 2-3 months prior to the day of Ganesh Chaturthi. The size of this idol may vary from 3/4th of an inch to over 25 feet.

On the day of the festival, it is placed on raised platforms in homes or in elaborately decorated outdoor tents for people to view and pay their homage. The priest, usually clad in red silk dhoti and shawl, then invokes life into the idol amidst the chanting of mantras. This ritual is the pranapratishhtha. After this the shhodashopachara (16 ways of paying tribute) follows. Coconut, jaggery, 21 modakas (rice flour preparation), 21 durva (trefoil) blades and red flowers are offered. The idol is anointed with red unguent (rakta chandan). Throughout the ceremony, Vedic hymns from the Rig Veda and Ganapati Atharva Shirsha Upanishad, and Ganesha stotra from the Narada Purana are chanted.

For 10 days, from Bhadrapad Shudh Chaturthi to the Ananta Chaturdashi, Ganesha is worshipped.

On the 11th day, the image is taken through the streets in a procession accompanied with dancing, singing, to be immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual see-off of the Lord in his journey towards his abode in Kailash while taking away with him the misfortunes of all man. All join in this final procession shouting "Ganapathi Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya" (O father Ganesha, come again early next year). After the final offering of coconuts, flowers and camphor is made, people carry the idol to the river to immerse it.

The whole community comes to worship Ganesha in beautifully done tents. These also serve as the venue for free medical checkup, blood donation camps, charity for the poor, dramatic performances, films, devotional songs, etc. during the days of the festival.

SOME WORDS ABOUT GANESHA
Extract from: http://www.angelfire.com/id/croon/india/ganesha.html

GANESHA is easily the most popular god in India and is the one you pray to when launching new projects. On wedding invitations, at street come shrines, in carved doorway and in every temple -- Ganesha is everywhere in the Hindu world. He is worshipped before any venture is started. He is obviously important to Hindus and non-Hindus alike -- the question is, why? There are of course many answers to this question. Perhaps, Ganesha's popularity stems from the fact that he is the most physical of the major gods: Ganesha is the closest to the material plane of consciousness, most able to assist us in our day-to-day life and concerns.
The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. In fact, Ganesha is one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga being the other four) whose idolatry is glorified as the panchayatana puja. Ganesha's life cycle is broken into eight main incarnations, based on the accounts of the Ancient Hindu classics.

SOME INTERESTING WEBSITE ABOUT GANESHA, HIS LEGEND...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha
http://www.cix.co.uk/~ganesh/ganesha.htm
http://www.hindunet.org/god/Gods/ganesh/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week804/belief.html
http://www.indiantemples.com/beliefs/ganesha.html

A GLIMPSE ON ANOTHER BELIEF
** The syamantaka jewel

It is said that anyone who looks at the moon on the night of the Ganesh Chaturthi will be falsely charged with theft or a similar crime. If someone inadvertently sees the moon on this night, he/she may remedy the situation by listening to (or reciting) the story of the syamantaka jewel. This story may be found in the Puranas such as the Bhagavata and the Vishnu. Briefly, Satrajit, who secured a jewel syamantaka from Surya, did not part with it even when Krishna the Lord of Dvaraka, asked for it saying it would be safe with Him. Prasena, the brother of Satrajit went out hunting wearing the jewel but was killed by a lion. Jambavan of Ramayana fame killed the lion and gave it to his son to play with. When Prasena did not return, Satrajit falsely accused Krishna of killing Prasena for the sake of the jewel.

Krishna, in order to remove the stain on His reputation, set out in search of the jewel and found it in Jambavan's cave, with his child. Jambavan attacked Krishna thinking Him to be an intruder who had come to take away the jewel. They fought each other for 28 days, when Jambavan, his whole body terribly weakened from the hammering of Krishna's fists, finally recognised Him as Rama.

I now know You. You are the life in all creatures, virility, grit and strength. You are Vishnu, the Primeval Lord, All-prevailing, the Supreme Lord (of the worlds). (Bhagavata 10.56.26)

He Who built a bridge (across the ocean) that is a standing monument to His fame, set Lanka ablaze, and with His arrows severed the heads of Rakshasas, which fell to the ground.

As repentance for his having fought Krishna, Jambavan gave Krishna the jewel and also his daughter Jambavati in marriage. Krishna returned to Dvaraka with Jambavati and the jewel, and returned it Satrajit, who in turn repented for his false accusation. He promptly offered to give Krishna the jewel and his daughter Satyabhama in marriage. Krishna accepted Satyabhama as His wife but did not accept the jewel.

In the event one is not even able to listen to or read the story, the following mantra may be recited holding some water in the palm of the right hand. The water is then to be sipped.

A lion killed Prasena; the lion was killed by Jambavan. Don't cry, O dear child! This syamantaka jewel is yours.

Excerpted from an article by Anand Hudli (ahudli@silver.ucs.indiana.edu).

Well, that is it for today!
Talk about another subject soon!

With best wishes,
Ceraulen

Let us taste the rat-a-too-ee dish!

xiaolikang — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:31:00 GMT

RATATOUILLE or a delicious adventure to share !

I discovered this afternoon the latest computer animation film (the eight) from the Pixar Animation Studios distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and it is really excellent!
I must confess that I was not a fan of cartoons or animation films even if for a while I worked as a purchasing manager assistant for kid's and baby's garments under licences such as Disney or Barbie, and Finding Nemo convinced me. So I am a fervent admirer of the Pixar's team skills and abilities.

** Extract from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixar)
In a few words, Pixar was founded as the Graphics Group, one third of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm that was launched in 1979 with the hiring of Dr. Ed Catmull from the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT). It is an American computer animation studio based in Emeryville, California (USA) notable for its seven Academy Awards. It is best known for its CGI animated feature films—such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Cars—achieved through PhotoRealistic RenderMan, its own implementation of the industry-standard Renderman image rendering API, which is used to generate high-quality images.
On January 24, 2006, The Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Pixar for $7.4 billion through an all-stock transaction. The acquisition was completed on May 5, 2006 (swapping one Pixar share for 2.3 shares of Disney), making Pixar a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney.

** First of all, maybe we can just comment the title because it is original and so familiar for French people. It is maybe not the case for people from other countries.
Well, "la ratatouille" is a speciality from South of France (Nice) composed of tomatoes, courgettes (zucchinis), aubergines (eggplants), peppers, garlic, onions, olive oil, thyme, laurel, rosemary (romarin) and salt.
It is a very tasty vegetables dish to eat with meat.

** Ratatouille, the hero of the animation film and the French cuisine
Without being pretentious, we can say that French cuisine is well-know for its diversity and can be considered as one of the most refined (raffine). We also do not forget the Indian and Chinese cuisine which are also very tasty and with thousands of flavours and spices to let our taste buds (papilles) enjoy eating each dish ;-)
That is the reason why the film takes place in France, in Paris and relates the story of Remy, an educated and gourmet rat whose aim is to become a cooker and more precisely a "chef".
His confidence in human being, his determination will let him realize his dreams.

We can also notice some similarities between Auguste Gusteau, the founder of the high-class restaurant where Ratatouille will become a cooker and Bernard Loiseau, the famous French chef whose suicide on February 24th, 2003 was a regrettable event.
Indeed, Bernard Loiseau was ranked 3 stars at the demanding Guide Michelin, et 19/20 at Gault-Millau. Considered as one of the best chef of the French cuisine, he planned to set up a luxurious and elegant hotel resort. Due to a failure during the Gault-Millau inspection (from 19 to 17/20) and severe comments saying he lost inspiration and innovation challenge, he preferred to leave the stage after being so humiliated.

To realize this animation film, we can imagine that the photography manager, Robert Anderson and his team spent a lot of time studying each dish and components from a kitchen (cuisine) to make them so real. For example, they met the following chefs in France and USA to have a perfect view of all the components from a kitchen:

Taillevent
Guy Savoy
Hélène Darroze
La Tour d'Argent (famille Terrail)
Cyril Lignac
Café Procope, the most ancient CAFE of the world set up in 1686
Le Train Bleu
Chez Michel

** Why Ratatouille is so lovely that he conquers the heart of children we are?
Maybe because Ratatouille is the symbol of the resourceful rat who can take opportunities and in spite of his differences, can reach the success on his level.
He has to fight against his own family to stand out (imposer) his choices and find the strength to reach his goal.
He has also a different opinion about human being than the other rats and believe in his own abilities. He does not want to do exactly the same as his companions and follows his own road to find himself.
It is nothing else than a life experience similar to the one that each of us can experience if we just want to try, to let us the chance of discoveries, especially the discovery of your "ego" and the others.
Even if the hero is just a rat, so not so cute animal with a good reputation, the story reveals a message especially for the critic who caused the suicide of Gusteau, a kind of redemption or maybe the end of a pain, the recovery of himself at another level. Let you judge by yourself !

** Ratatouille Breaks Records in France

Variety reports that Ratatouille has scurried past previous records as it set a new record in box office performance in the land of the French, France.

Taking in nearly $16 million through 1,951,074 ticket sales on 721 prints, the average of 2,706 viewers per screen is the highest-ever bow for a cartoon.

says the article. Great success for Ratatouille in France is bound to happen, with the French eager to see an animated Pixar film featuring their beloved capital city. This is similar to the way Australians reacted to Finding Nemo back in 2003, which features Sydney.

Selection of interesting articles/documents about this film:

A Taste of Whimsy Wows the French
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/13/AR2007081300990.html

Review: 'Ratatouille' is visually rich
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/2007-06-26-1733734342_x.htm

Official website from Disney
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/ratatouille/

If you want to see some extracts of the film: http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=6FFoK8ss3Sw
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=NwrJjLDIj1w (Ratatouille Pixar - 9 Minutes Preview)

So, hope I have convinced you to join Remy and Gusteau's circle saying that EACH OF US CAN COOK (!)

With best wishes,
Ceraulen

Live Earth concert

xiaolikang — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 11:59:00 GMT

Dear readers,

What a pleasure to come back to my first writing love after so long time. What happened?
Well, I was confirmed in my job and found a certain balance between professional and personal circle. The rest belongs to me. So, I will keep the silence...

The English circle I set up in last January in Paris is still alive, more than ever (plus que jamais). It is quite pleasant to welcome members just because they heard about the circle thanks to other people.

One our last studied topic was related to Live Earth series of concert. have you ever heard about this society phenomenon?
"Live Earth is a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series taking place on 7/7/07 that will bring together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis.

Live Earth will reach this worldwide audience through an unprecedented global media architecture covering all media platforms - TV, radio, Internet and wireless channels.

Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign led by the Alliance for Climate Protection, The Climate Group and other international organizations to drive individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve global warming. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is the Chair of the Alliance and Partner of Live Earth ."
(extracted fro the website http://www.liveearth.org/)

We studied a short article saying that musical extravaganzas (spectacles) featuring (mettre en vedette) some of the biggest names in the rock and pop such as Madonna, Phil Collins, Red Hot Chili Peppers...
Many newspapers were critical of the pop stars who created a considerable amount of carbon by flying half way round the world in their private jets. Moreover, the Artic Monkey's drummer confessed it would be "a bit hypocritical" to think this young band could change the world, "especially when we are using enough power for ten houses just for lighting".

What a delicate position! On one hand, you want to make a human action, a good deed (une B.A, bonne action) and on the other hand, you do not respect the cause you stand up for (appuyer, lutter pour une cause).

Let us first study the vocabulary linked to the event: Live and Earth

TO LIVE: to reside / to manage one's life / to be (remain) alive / to exist / burning / full of energy
A LIFE: existence / useful duration / animating spirit
LIVELIHOOD: the financial means whereby one lives
LIVING STANDARD: level of life

Other expressions:
LIVE AND LET DIE: vivre et laisser vivre
LIVE AS HUSBAND AND WIFE: vivre comme mari et femme
LIVE ALONE: vivre seul
LIVE IN PEACE: vivre en paix
LIVE SHOW: spectacle en direct

EARTH: ground / land / wordly concern
EARTHQUAKE: shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity
EARTHWORM: terrestrial worm that burrows into and helps aerate soil; often surfaces when the ground is cool or wet; used as bait by anglers

Then, we discussed about the carbonfootprint and climate change. Here are some interesting website on this matter:

A Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/

http://www.myfootprint.org/

Concerning Al Gore and his documentary:
http://www.climatecrisis.net/

To explain clearly the scientific phenomenon in simple words:
http://nature.ca/sila/hm_e.cfm

Here is a glimpse to this serious subject. We really need to save the planet doing simple things such as taking a shower rather than a bath, switch off computer, riding bicycle...
What have you did for the planet today?

Talk to you soon!

With best wishes,
Ceraulen

English resources

xiaolikang — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 19:55:00 GMT

Dear readers,

English & the Internet

The Internet provides students with an inexhaustible supply of material and resources. It can compliment your course by bringing language learning to life..

The Internet also offers exciting opportunities for meaningful interaction in the target language. This interaction can take place between the students and native speakers anywhere in the world. The interaction can be asynchronous (email) or synchronous in the form of audio chats or voice and video messaging.

There are several internet sites which provide Free English Lessons You just have to type English in your search engine, and choose.

The best way to improve your oral English (speaking and listening) is to listen, watch and speak, of course within an English Circle for example.

Listening & Watching:

Audio and Video resources with free content:

British:
www.bbc.co.uk (Site of British Broadcasting Corporation, British public Radio and Television)

www.channel4.com/news/video/ (Independent TV Channel)

www.sky.com/skynews/video (Private News Channel)

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-listening-downloads.htm (British Council)

http://www.dailyesl.com/ (Conversationstarters for English students)

American:
www.Pbs.org (Site of Public Broadcasting Service, American public television)

www.npr.org (Site of National Public Radio, American public radio)

http://edition.cnn.com/video/ (Private TV Channel)

Reading

British Press:

Sites of Major quality Newspapers with free content:

www.timesonline.co.uk (The Times)

www.guardian.co.uk/ (The Guardian)

www.independent.co.uk (The Independent)

Sites of magazines:

www.economist.com (The Economist)

www.newstatesman.co.uk (The Newstatesman)

www.spectator.co.uk (The Spectator)

www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/ (Prospect magazine)

American Press:

Newspapers
www.nytimes.com (New York Times)

www.washingtonpost.com (Washington Post)

www.latimes.com (Los Angeles Times)

www.usatoday.com (USA Today)

www.iht.com (International Herald Tribune)

Magazines :

www.newyorker.com (The New Yorker)

www.theatlantic.com (The Atlantic)

www.salon.com (Salon magazine)

www.thenation.com (The Nation)

www.motherjones.com (Mother Jones)

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032542/site/newsweek (Newsweek)

www.time.com/time (Time magazine)

Arts Magazines

www.artnewsonline.com/index.cfm (Art News)

www.artforum.com (Art Forum)

www.artdaily.com (Art Daily)

www.art-review.com/index.php (Art Review)

www.artsjournal.com (Arts Journal)

www.artpress.fr (Art Press, bilingual art magazine)

Toeic Resources:

Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) measures the ability of non-native English-speaking people to use English in everyday work activities.

There are several internet sites which provide Free Toeic Tests. You just have to type TOIEC in your search engine.

You will also have access to the Toeic Mastery, an interactive Toiec preparation software for practice at home. It is the best Toeic software available.

Toeic Mastery site: http://www.toeicmastery.com/

http://www.toeic.eu/no_cache/toeic-sites/choose-your-country/

Other Free Tests at the following sites:

http://www.toeic-europe.com/index-fr.htm
www.edulang.com
http://www.free-english.com/
http://www.encomiuminteractive.com/exams/demo.asp
http://www.anglaisfacile.com/index.php
http://wordchamp.com/lingua2/Reader.do
www.onlineenglish.de

Hope this list is helpful for you!

With best wishes,
Ceraulen

Ceraulen's Blog - Express yourself in English!

Appearances

Gloria Gaynor Version

Social networks phenomenons

The influence of first name on personality

Happy New Year 2009!

Personality traits

What are the meanings of colours?

Understand the Meanings of Color in Various Cultures Around the World

Red

Orange

Yellow

Green

Blue

Purple

White

Black

Ganesha Festival in Paris

Let us taste the rat-a-too-ee dish!

A Taste of Whimsy Wows the Frenchhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/13/AR2007081300990.html

Live Earth concert

http://www.myfootprint.org/

English resources

A Taste of Whimsy Wows the French
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/13/AR2007081300990.html