Just in time for the New Year...

... PART 2 ...




Toast can mean different things depending on context – there's the crunchy toast you eat for breakfast, you can “be toast” if you're late to work, and then there's the celebratory toast associated with the clinking of wine glasses to offer words of encouragement, salutations, or even to ring in the new year. Here is a taste of how people from regions around the world say “Cheers!” in style:

China – Gān bēi (literally means 'dry cup')
France – A votre santé ('to your health')
Spain – Salud
Germany – Prost
Hawaii – Okole Maluna
Italy – Cin Cin (formal); Salute (informal)
Japan – Kampai
Korea – Chukbae
New Zealand – Kia Ora('good health')
Philippines – Mabuhay
Zulu – Oogy wa-wa


Ring in the New Year with rhythm! You may have heard the song “Auld Lang Syne” before... it's one of those songs where you likely recognize the tune but just can't remember what it's called. This song is commonly sung on New Year's Eve, but what does the song title mean? The words 'Auld Lang Syne' originate from the Old Scottish dialect and literally translates to “Old Long Ago”, a song about love and friendship in the past.

Just to get into the New Year's mood, check out one of the funniest Mr. Bean episodes where he celebrates New Year's Eve with two friends. You can hear the jolly bunch singing 'Auld Lang Syne' at the 7:00 mark...


Happy holidays and Happy New Year 2012!!!

6 Fun Facts about Winter holiday lingo

It's that time of year where the big man in red, with the frosty white beard, stealthily slides down your chimney with a ho-ho-whole lot of presents to put under that Christmas conifer (er, I mean tree) in the spacious living room of yours. Just don't forget to set out a plate of cookies au lait (what I mean is with milk... sorry) to say “gracias” (which means “thank you”... here we go again) for the well-deserved gifts. Take a look at the unique and somewhat unusual origins and history behind some of the popular lingo you will surely hear about during the Winter holiday season.



What is a holiday party without some phoradendron – or in plain terms – mistletoe ! This feisty little sprig of green shrubbery has the unexplained power to make almost anyone within inches of each other (and under the mistletoe) want to lock lips during the holiday season. Maybe it won't seem as romantic to know that mistletoe is actually poisonous to humans if consumed, but it provides nutritious food for creatures like birds and butterflies. Mistletoe also provides an important source of pollen and nectar for bees. It still makes a great centerpiece of a room, don't you think?



Sometimes, we just need to laugh with a “ha ha ha” (typical laughter), “hee hee” (giggle), “teehee” (cute giggle), or a “muahaha” (very evil laughter). But you might get a strange look if you laugh aloud with a “Ho Ho Ho” . Only Santa can pull this off! The term “ho” is actually used to call or attract attention to oneself, sometimes used after a word referring to land. For example, sailors in the olden days are said to have hollered phrases like: Eastward ho! or Land ho! During Christmas, however, jolly old Santa Claus supposedly “ho ho ho's” heartily as an exclamation or expression of amusement as found in many 19th century representations of the cheery man. There are many ways to laugh, but Santa probably does it best!



With Rudolph's nose so red and bright, can he and his brethren really fly? Well, only during Christmas Eve it seems... but normally, reindeer are excellent swimmers (at about 4-6 mph) and fast runners with their hooves acting like snowshoes for extra traction. More interesting is that both male and female reindeer have antlers! The origins of the word 'reindeer' come from ancient languages: 'deer' originates from the Middle English word 'der' meaning “beast” and from the Old English word 'dor'. The origins of 'rein' comes from the Old Norse word 'hreinn'. Far from being beastly, reindeer are said to be gentle animals, nice enough that they won't make fun of you or other reindeer!



The holiday season just doesn't seem complete without some festive food and drinks. One of the most traditional (and likely creamiest) beverages during Christmas time is eggnog , which is typically made of cream, milk, sugar, raw eggs (lots of it), cinnamon, and nutmeg. While this beverage supposedly originated in Norfolk, England as a strong ale, the word 'eggnog' comes from a Middle English term which literally means: eggs inside a small, wooden, carved mug that is used to serve alcohol. The actual 'nog' is defined as “any beverage made with beaten eggs, usually with alcoholic liquor.” However, most of the 'nog' served at holiday parties seem to lack the booze altogether, but no complaints.

...PART 2 in the next post!...

Visualizing the Power of Word Associations

Occupy. This ordinary verb (which means to take over, full; to invade) has taken on a whole new meaning in the past month with the bold movements of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Oakland, which made national headlines as it captured the attention of people worldwide. “Occupy” has become a powerful phenomenon that represents the 99% of regular citizens against the 1%, labeled as the wealthy members of society. It is quite fascinating how this verb has become associated to many people as a call to justice regarding the economy, employment, and fair treatment.

We learn to associate words to abstract meaning from the time we can comprehend the distinctions from one word to another, whether through phonemic difference or written character patterns. One of the prominent challenges faced especially by English language learners is understanding that several different words can be used to represent one meaning, the same meaning, also known as synonyms. It can be hard to keep track of what words mean what just talking about them, but do you remember the saying that “seeing is believing?” Visuwords makes this saying a reality.

Explore the relationship of different words to each other. Enter the word into the search bar and...

Discover the meanings of all kinds of words. Hover your mouse over each node for the meaning or a sample sentence.

Drag, pull, and play with the elasticity of word connections!

Visualizing words will help you develop easier methods to remember word meanings and allows you to have fun while doing so. One question to be further explored is: Can students retain vocabulary words more effectively through the growing trend of interactive, spatial learning as opposed to linear text study habits?

Two Carne Asadas

This is what my lucky students experienced on the first day of class:



A tasty food run for lunch! After the first hour of teaching on a warm and sunny day, my supervisor was getting hungry. He was very hungry, and asked if we can all go to the local Costco just down the street to get lunch. I expected to walk, but we drove instead, all together, anticipating a great meal. But there was a catch: I was to show the students how to order the food, and the students would order what they want to eat. Seems simple enough, right? Well, the reality of it all is that ordering food is downright scary for some people. Especially without knowing how to pronounce what you want to eat! My Asian students likely skips Mexican food for Chinese cuisine during a regular day. Today, however, they leaped out of the comfort zone to order something new. As my students and I neared the cashier to take our order, my previously calm students, quietly rehearsing their order with each other, suddenly vented an urgent sense of panic. One person to go to satisfy our hunger.

"Excuse me! What do I say again?" Of all the food items, they choose to try a Mexican specialty with a hard-to-pronounce name. Good practice, I think to myself, but maybe we need more time to get it right. Carne Asada. Car-nay A-sa-da. Two carne asadas. They're not finding this easy. I have doubts whether I am pronouncing them correctly myself.

I try my best to ease my student who will make the order. "You can say: Can I have two carne asadas? They'll understand, you'll do just fine." I imagine the worst that can happen is to put up two fingers and point to the picture to express a non-verbal order.

"Next please." The cashier call us up to the counter, and in the moment to shine with all that we rehearsed, my student collects his thoughts, puts up two shaky fingers and says clearly: "Two car-nay a-sa-das." He looks over at me with a sigh of relief as the cashier repeats his order correctly. I smile at him to congratulate him on the accomplishment and improvisation. Next time, it is someone else's turn.

Mission: Ordering food for the first time in the U.S. Result: Success and a satisfied appetite!

A Decade Later: Remembering 9/11

For many people, today is a day filled with grief, tragedy, mourning, lingering anger at the loss of innocent life, as well as acceptance for the events that unfolded on September 11, 2001. Such a momentous event in our lifetime will never be forgetten; memories of that day will likely remain in every person's life journey. In the spirit of honoring the victims and families affected by 9/11...

Commemorate the courageous firefighters and emergency personnel who risked their own lives to save others.

Remember the strengthened unity of Americans to help each other through difficult times during and after 9/11.

Call to mind how such life-changing events can encourage you to serve others in times of tragedy and heartbreak.

Dwell upon the act of everyday heroes in your life, and how you can be someone else's hero.

A decade later: September 11, 2011.

Learn from Many Things

Learning a second language can be a less daunting task if you use the appropriate resources, whether it is in the classroom or on the Internet. One website that I highly recommend for English learners and language educators is ManyThings.org. This site offers the ultimate English learning experience, not only considering the wide selection of topics to explore, but more importantly it can help students build confidence by applying what they learn and what they know to real-life situations.

The layout of this website can be described as elegantly simple. The links and written text on the homepage are neatly organized within boxed lines. You can easily find interesting topics to learn by clicking on the links found at the top, left, and right side of the homepage. Students of any age and educational background can greatly benefit from the focus on different aspects of English including speaking/pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Although it may take some time to familiarize yourself with the sea of links to find specific topics, there are plenty of "gems" within the site that make it a worthwhile learning experience.

Audio Podcasts: This site allows you to listen to audio podcasts while reading along with the written texts. This method of learning integrates awareness for your reading speed, accuracy, fluency, and listening skills. The lesson topics are plenty, ranging from animals and health to sports and history.

Themed Videos: Sometimes, you may just want to learn something from watching a YouTube video. ManyThings.org provides a rich collection of ESL videos with a wide range of topics. You can find the link under the drop-down category "Listening & Speaking" which is located on the top row.

Interactive Games: This is an excellent way to review your word knowledge, apply what you have learned, and creates an excuse to have fun while learning! Among the educational games are crossword puzzles, matching games, the all-time favorite Hangman, and scrambled words. These can be found under the category "Vocabulary".

American Culture: Learning a language entails learning a culture. This site provides insightful resources to help second language learners “blend in with the crowd” by increasing awareness of English idioms, proverbs, slang, and even how to read English signs. These links can be found under the "Other" category.

During any educational journey, it is important to set specific goals to accurately track your progress and maintain a trend of continual improvement. Maybe your goal is to increase your vocabulary knowledge by studying word lists, or improve your pronunciation by practicing with phonics... however you decide to achieve your goals, remember that being creative and staying determined can go a long way to help you reach your fullest potential.

Plug into the "Tech" Era of Language Learning and Language Teaching

The general realm of education is reaching a new level of cool. Learning to read, write, and improve spoken fluency has never been more fun than using smart technology and interactive games, instead of being limited to "rote memorization" techniques. Reports of elementary schools giving iPads to the students as a learning tool makes me ponder how my primary school years with somewhat lacking technological variety may have affected my outlook on learning styles. With the lightning-fast pace of digital advancements in our daily lives, I have noticed an upswing in the use of technology to supplement language learning and language teaching. As part of a Multilingual Writing group, I have come across many excellent resources that you can use to implement into your own learning or teaching process/curriculum. I will explore, analyze, and share some thoughts of useful websites, products, etc. in the coming weeks.