Bye Bye Vancouver

I`m currently at the airport waiting till i can board. Wanna use this opportunity to say goodbye to all who have been reading my blog in the last 3 months. I hope u enjoyed it. My stay in Vancouver was better than i expected thanks to a lot of kind people i met here ( I thank those as well).

Gotta leave now i`m running out of battery.

Cu later

English

No comment on this one. Just read the article and you will hopefully understand why i am struggling with English.

http://observer-online.com/articles/2007/12/05/editorial/editorial/column.txt

One useful sentence

Most people who start to learn English begin to memorise simple sentences which allow them to keep up a small talk. But when it comes to a case of emergency phrases like "How are you" or "I am from Switzerland" do not help at all.

Whereas the majority of the countries from all around the world don`t give a rat`s ass about that fact and do not take into account to change their approach of how to teach a language whatsoever, clever Japanese pedagogues created a DVD with the most vital sentences.

In this example the woman is facing a big problem and is desperately looking for help. Unfortunately, she is lost for words and the friendly gentlman is unable to find out what is bothering her.

Take a look at this sample and you will soon realise how far ahead the Japanese are.

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1791484


P.S.: After wathing this movie for at least 10 times i start to ask myself
1. Why on earth doesn`t she call the ambulance on her own?
2. Wasn`t it possible to cast a better actor than this man?
3. Do the dancing girls know what they are singing?
4. Who came up with the idea to combine gymnastic with diarrihea?
5. What are the odds that this "Diahrrea-dance" is going to be the next big hit after the "macarena-dance"

How to reduce stress

In this week's blog i want to talk about different ways how to reduce the level of stress which every student is familiar with. Too much homework, getting stuck in a traffic jam istead of doing work for school or facing an unforseen test in the morning are nerve-recking experiences and you better know how to stay calm.
I want to introduce some ideas which might be helpful. So listen up!

1. Take it easy, everyone has the same problems
2. Have a good time in a jacuzzi
3. Enjoy a peaceful run through a park
4. Listen to your favourite songs
5. Run as fast and as long as you can till u are totally exhausted
6. Destroy something (it doesn't has to be expensive but it should be your property)
7. Try to wrestle one of your friends. Even though it's just for fun it does wonders!
8. Play an ego-shooter game on you computer
9. Eat candy. Especially chocolate helps
10. Meet some friends and share your feelings
11. Go for a swim
12. Buy a punching bag (no further explanation needed here)
13. Snuggel with your partner. But be careful! Time flies when you are having fun and you might be even more stressed out afterwards.
14. A small sip of alcohol should always be the last option but taken in a appropriat dose and not too regularly might be relaxing.
15. Don't take drugs. Try rather out points 1 to 14 first!

My favourite option to feel at ease is probably number 11 at the moment. But back home in Switzerland i prefer to hit my punching bag. When i am worn out i don't have any energy left to feel stressed.

Quotations

In a word. I have been writing this blog for more than 30 minutes till I accidentally deleted it. As you can imagin i am really pissed off right now. That is why i will keep it short.

This blog is all about famous quotations i like and which are interesting for me for whatever reason.

Quotations

1. That what does not kill us makes us stronger (Nitzsche)
Great quote with different layers. Especially for whimps very suitable.

2. God cannot alter the past; historians can. (Samuel Butler)
That is what my history theacher told me when i was in the Gymnasium ( this has nothing to do with the gym. It is a school!) I think cultural and historic background of an editor of an history book has a big impact on the content. I am sure that in example a book about the 2.WW from Russia conveys a slightly different version of the war than a book from Germany.

3. Never give up! (ME 10 minutes ago)
Although i was really angry about the loss of my previous masterpiece i did not give in! As long as you keep trying to achive something you are definitly closer to your goal as when you give up before even having tried it.

A pharse I use a lot

I catch myself saying "Holy crap" or "Holy moly" very often during the day. This happens usually not during lessons in school which in my opinion wouldn't be appropriate. I use it mostly somewhere on the street, in the bus or other puplic places where something strange or very amazing just happend that i did not expect.
As an example: Some days ago I was standing in the bus (no more seats were avaiable) as the driver hit the break very hard. I, tired and almost asleep, was waiting to arrive at my destination as I was instantly catapulted to the front of the bus. In this case I also said to myself "Holy crap"!! It is not like that I am shouting this phrase out like a morron since i don't want to offend other people. In the majority of cases it is said silently and someone has to be very close to me to understand it. Sometimes it is only a thought.


I try now to translate this phrase into some different languages.

German
Same meaning: Was zum Teufel! .... or Scheisse!
Literally: Heilige Scheisse!

Polnish
Same meaning: Kurwa mach!

Mexican Spanish
Same meaning: No mames!

French
Same meaning: Putain! (As far as I know it's also used in cases like this)

Cambridge English
Same meaning: I was not expecting this to happen; thus, I am absolutely astonished!
--> Watch out, only few people might use this version!

Klein Britanien -- That even sounds strange!

This video shows a sketch from a show called Little Britain. When I was watching this movie for the first time I realised that understanding English is not only knowing words (meaning and fuction) but also to recognise them if they appear in a sentence. This character called Vicky is known to speak extreamly fast and tends to alter between topics confusingly which makes it difficult to understand.
But exactely this makes it so interesting for me. I have once watched Little Britain in German and it was much worse and more boring than the original show. Additionally, it is also not possible (or they just don't do it) to copy the differend kind of accents this show presents which gave the different characters an adorable touch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0Ah5tCBzA0

I bet u leave a comment to this one Thomas!:)

Swimming time

When I arrived in Vancouver 2.5 weeks ago I was very fascinated by everything that this city provides. Even though this fascination has not changed the weather here is much worse than I had expected. Surely it is still possible to visit touristic attractions but when it comes to doing sport things are getting a bit uncomfortable. Going for a run is mostly connected with getting soaked. That is why I, who loves to be physically active, had to finde an other possibility to appease my urge to move. My homestay mother recommended me a Health and Wellness Centre which belongs to the YWCA. I really like this Centre because they provide a lot of opportunities to do different kind of sport. At the moment I often join the pool area which also contains a whirlpool. After a hard and exhausting day in school there is nothing more relaxing than to relax in a warm jacuzzi.

Pronunciation

This short video clip demonstrates why learning English is so important!
It is not only essential to be able to have a small-talk in the early morning or to order food in a take-away. Speaking English enables you to help people who are in dangerous situations which can be only eased by you. So if you once get in this kind of position you better be prepared! Learn English, now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK5RkV7OJUI&mode=related&search

Trip to Vancouver Island

Hi there

I have been living in Vancouver for 1.5 weeks now. On my last weekend I checked out the nightlife of Van and made a trip to Stanley Park which was lovley. Some class mates and me hired bikes and drove around and through the park.
We (friends and me) are thinking of going to Vancouver Island in October. Refering to my host-mother going on a longer trip in October could be our last good chance to have nice weather. She suggested to do this trip as early as possible. It is a well known fact that the raining season will start soon in Vancouver. This trip is going to be much longer than the one to the park. On one hand the Island is much bigger and there are many things to see. On the other hand the Island is quite far away and it wouldn't pay off to travel such a distance to be there for only one day. Therefore we are even considering to miss one day in school to make this extraodrinary voyage lasting a bit longer.

Dear visitors,

I created this blog to give you an overview of my life here in Vancouver. This is my first post (without much content) but in a few days you may find here more interesting information about my stay in Vancouver.

cu soon