English Recordings

I don't want to burden you with my problems.

Capture every little thought, to-do, or idea. When an idea is safely captured and off your mind, not only are you no longer burdened by it, but you’ve taken the first step towards making that idea come to fruition.

The silk floss tree is a deciduous tree (it completely loses its foliage), from the tropical and subtropical South America's rain forest. It has a host of local common names (here in Argentina), such as palo borracho (literally "drunken tree").

This guy had pasta and biscuits crawling with parasites, rotting meats and dairy products, and olives covered in mold.

The beach was crawling with tourists.

Its snout is prominent and juts out from the lower jaw.

Look into my eyes! Can't you see? They are open wide!

So long as you get up by eight, you'll catch the train.

The librarian tries to charm me. She's making sheep's eyes at me.

Here are tips on building character in a 5-year-old so that your child can learn how to express themselves without tantrums.

I must get the lawn mower out this weekend because the grass is a foot long.

Today, I received a message about my voice blog in English from one of my Lang-8 friends.

The message was fun and it cracked me up. He said that I was too hard on myself about my English reading. As soon as I read his message, I could not help admitting that I was a real masochist!

I laughed at myself.

It's true that I sometimes push myself to try to reach a goal. At the time, of course I felt down about letting myself think that my goal is too far away.

However, having said that, I enjoy the brutal oppression on myself about my English improvement at the back of my mind.

Hey, I'm not that cruel a person! I just have high standards! lol

It's a desire from deep within my mind to enhance my English. Thus, I don't want to overlook any of my flaws.

Although my personality is basically easy-going, and often sloppy regardingmatters of taste, English is awfully special to me. It holds great significance, because it's already become part of my life.

If anything, I would like to become a little bit like a native speaker, and look for some small way to be so.

I started to study English about four years ago. In fact before that time, I was trying to learn German. But unfortunately it turned out that I wasn't very good at German. The reason was probably that I simply didn't like that language. And I decided to start learning English purely as a hobby. That was when I was about eighteen or nineteen years old. At that time, I was already a student at the University of Oaxaca in Mexico. Well, I decided that that hobby could be useful at some point in time.

And so I decided to start learning English on my own. The first book that I bought was a self-study book. It consisted of a number of lessons. I was supposed to read the material and repeat it to learn the words and so on. It was supposed to take about a year to complete. Through doing this, I discovered that the English language was much more attractive to me. Another especially interesting point was that English grammar simply did not exist for me after having studied German. This is because the German language has a very complex grammar. It has something like seven tenses. And there's a lot of very difficult stuff for a learner. That's why English attracted me at first. Then I simply liked it.

As a beginning learner, I decided to use some very interesting techniques for learning words. For example, I didn't learn words in pairs, which means that I did not take a word and its translation and try to learn the pair of words. Instead, I was reading texts. I was trying to read some simple passages, some basic texts, some elementary information and so on. And when I encountered words that I did not know yet, I looked them up in the dictionary. And I was trying to put those words into context to learn their meaning, instead of learning the words themselves, to try to feel what they meant in the particular text. I think that technique was pretty useful for me because the whole thing worked pretty quickly.

After studying English for a year, I started to talk a little bit. I also started to read some fairly complicated texts. And what really helped me with English was the possibility of communicating with English speakers. Approximately three years ago, I got a chance to talk to American students who were visiting Oaxaca. They were on a business trip to Mexico and I helped them by being their interpreter. At that time I had a pretty good knowledge of English, but I did not have much practice speaking. This is why speaking English with the American students helped me a lot at that point in time. As a coincidence, the day after those students left for the United States, I was supposed to take my TOEFL test in order to apply for a graduate program in the United States. So that was particularly helpful.

That experience led me to believe that communication with English speakers is definitely very useful for learning English. Absolutely nothing can replace that in the process of learning English. It was particularly true in my case. I think that it really helped me to learn this language because I've only been studying it for four years. and I think I've made good progress.

((Oct 1 7th . 2010 ) <Lazybones`s reading on Sunday.> • Today I overslept badly, and I woke up very late in this morning, then ate/had brunch. I took a book and lay on a sofa and began to read it.
And I had read it through in the evening. This book was written by a professor who received a doctorate in Germany and now he teaches socio-cultural psychology at a Korean university(one of Korea’s universities ) The title of the book which/that I read was “I regret marrying.” Haha ~~.What is he saying? What is he trying to tell us? Is it humorous?Is it a joke? Maybe it was in order to attract more public attention that he chose that title?
Most of the contents of this book talks about middle-aged men`s thinking and psychology.Also, there were some stories about middle-aged men `s thinking and psychology regarding their married life.
So it was not a serious account, so it`s easy to read in just a day. (NOTE4: ) Haha ~~ that writer said on the epilogue page, when he decided to tell his wife the title, she asked him “Do you really regret marrying me ?”
He : …regret… “…Em…… sometimes/ occasionally”.
• Wife: ..looked out window .I don`t regret .”
• He: felt more embarrassed “ … …En … …?
• Wife: more lower voice “…Em Yes, …… sometimes/ occasionally”.
• Haha ~~ isn`t it funny? ︿︿／
• “Marry”: Men? Sometimes regretmarrying;
• Women? : Sometimes do not regret marrying ~~
• Hahaha~~~ Have a good Sunday night!

Patronizing: Speaking or behaving towards someone as if they are stupid or not important.

So, you’ve Focused on your folders, you’ve whittled down your Contexts, you’ve set your Flagged filter, and you’ve set your Estimate filter.

Put the top back on the toothpaste tube.

A bouillon cube (US) or stock cube (Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, UK) is dehydrated bouillon or stock formed into a small cube about 15 mm wide.

Grated cheese (or shredded cheese in the United States) is a type of cheese that has gone through the process of being grated.

The royal scepter is placed in the new ruler's hands, and -- dut-dutta-dah -- the archbishop lowers.

Constantly making your child stuff her anger leads to emotional problems down the road.

She isn't ill, that is just a cop out so she doesn't have to go to school.

Passing responsibility for discipline to the absent parent is easy, but it’s a cop-out. Learn to deal with behavior crises yourself. Your children will respect you for it.

She pointed at the object with her mouth open and her eyes wide with awe.

We use underarm deodorant and we brush our teeth to avoid offending others with body odor and bad breath.

The Eiffel Tower is poking me in the armpit.

Wash under your arms.

Italian butcher arrested for his shop of horrors

I haven't written any English entries for a while.
ⓐIt`s been almost more than a week.
ⓑIt`s been over one week since I last wrote one.

Just a moment ago I reread and rewrote my last year`s English entries( =my English entries from last year)
,ⓐnow I will briefly write about my hair cut on I had yesterday.
now I will briefly write about the haircut that I got yesterday
,ⓒnow I will briefly write about my haircut which I got yesterday ,
,ⓓnow I will briefly write about the haircut that I got yesterday.

I hadn't had a haircut for one or two months.
I didn`t go to a beauty salon one or two months.
So I felt bothered. So I didn`t feel comfortable.
So I had been feeling uneasy.

Prior to this, I had been feeling uncomfortable as I hadn't been for a while.
I haven't been to a beauty salon for a month or two,
so my hair has been bothering me.
so I had been feeling uncomfortable.
So yesterday on the way home
ⓐ, I dropped in beauty salon, finally!
ⓑ, I finally dropped in to a beauty salon.
ⓒ, I finally dropped by a beauty salon.

ⓐSo I cut my hair, finally.
ⓑFinally I got a haircut.
ⓒSo I finally cut my hair.

ⓐIt makes me feel so easy and better!
ⓑIt felt so easy/relieved and better.
ⓒIt made me feel so free and refreshed!
ⓓIt made me feel so free and refreshed!
ⓔIt made me feel so much better.

ⓐToday's picture is that I took at that beauty salon.
ⓑI took todays picture at the salon.
ⓒToday's picture is a picture that I took at the salon.

I'm aware of my health problems and I admit to having bad habits,so I am going to try to exercise more often because I have a lot of time on my hands. I have to come up with a clever plan to change these habits. Last year, I used to go swimming, do athletics or play tennis. My friends made fun of me because I always got hurt (It was either my leg or my arm and so on and so forth). But this year, I became a real couch potato. I'm considering going on a diet and buying new equipment like a new indoor bicycle and all that sort of stuff. Without taking notice of the things I already have, I'll buy new things to motivate me. I wish it was easy to begin practicing a new sport. It always hurts your muscles and it's very daunting and tough at first. Tomorrow morning I'll get up early and go out to run. Aside from that, I'll lift weights in the afternoon.

I was told that drinking lot of water is very important because if you lose one percent of water during the exercise, your performance decreases 10 percent, so I need to drink water before, during and after exercising. I found a marvelous website , www.bodyrock.tv (from then on I became a bodyrocker as she says), where you can learn tips and find fitness advice or workout videos. I've learned a lot from Zuzana. She knows a lot: I tip my hat to her. You should check out her videos on Youtube because they're strikingly good. Every time I watch her videos I learn something. I really appreciate her exhaustive efforts to make us more healthy.

My goal is to raise the bar each day, and at the end of 2011 I'll be able to do the same workouts that I did in 2009. As I get used to the workouts I have to eat only low-calorie food like fish. Of course lots of water, and no soft drinks or alcohol. Which is quite easy because I never liked them to begin with.

It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured. I realised, somehow, through the screaming in my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, I was still free: free to hate the men who were torturing me, or to forgive them. It doesn't sound like much, I know. But in the flinch and bite of the chain, when it's all you've got, that freedom is a universe of possibility. And the choice you make, between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life.
In my case, it's a long story, and a crowded one. I was a revolutionary who lost his ideals in heroin, a philosopher who lost his integrity in crime, and a poet who lost his soul in a maximum-security prison. When I escaped from that prison, over the front wall, between two gun-towers, I became my country's most wanted man. Luck ran with me and flew with me across the world to India, where I joined the Bombay mafia.

When I was 11 years old. I've been to Europe with my family. We travelled three countries for two weeks.
At first we landed on Frankfrut, Germany. And then we went to Munich by train. And to Zurich, Alps, Montreux, Basel in Switzerland. The next place is Roma, Italy.
What is the best place to you?
In my case, Basel in Switzerland. Because I keep in mind a very special memory. I met an old man in the tram. My mother asked him where the hostel was? But he answered that the hostel was not anymore and proposed to go to his house together for finding another one by telephone and internet.
I thought 'wow~ how kind he is!'
We went to his house, there are three members in his family. He, his wife and their pet dog.
It's not easy to find a hotel. Because of carnival at that time. Many people came to see the carnival all around the place. So did we.
At last we found one late at night.
The old man was so kind to drove us to the hotel. We were very impressed.
I thought 'Good person, good place. I love Basel. I will help foreigners in Korea, too.'
Next morning, we went outside to see the carnival. There were crowd along the street. We saw parades in different costumes. Some were scared, some were funny. I could not understand the meaning of their costumes and messages. But we had a lot of fun in carnival all day, following the parades here and there. I got many kinds of present from them. Orange, banana, doll, candy, popcorn, necklace, pasta, yellow hat and so on.
That experience made me very very exicting.
Good person, good place.
Basel is the best place for me forever.
Thank you for listening my memory.

"You are yours."
All of you call me Zena.
Yes, my name is Zena.
When I say my name, many people ask me. "Your name is justlike English name." or "Do you have chinese characters?" "Have you been in America?"
I'm going to tell about my name.
First, I've never been in America.
Second, I don't have chinese characters. Third, my name is Korean word.
When my elder brother was born 12 years ago. My father went to the huge bookstore in Seoul. He picked up several names in the very thick Korean dictionary. My father and mother talked to each other all day long for the best choice. At last my brother have a name, and the others in list was forgot.
Two years later, I was born. Again my parents talked to each other for a long time. Suddenly my mother got a idea. She remembered to have a naming list two years ago.
She found the list, and choosed the one. That is my name, Zena.
What does my name mean?
Zena means, "I as is my own thing" in Korean. You can find the word in Korean dictionary.
My parents said to me, "You are yours. Be a owner in your life like your name." I heard that Zena is in English name, too. There is a TV series titled 'Xena:warrior princess' I like it. Of course I don't want to be a warrior. But I don't want to be a princess either, want to be a powerful woman as a owner in my life.
I thank my father and mother for giving me a good name.
My mom told the joke, when I were inside her, she was waiting to meet me '이제나 저제나'(Yi jena jeojena=all the time). So '이제나 저제나' became '김제나(Kim zena).
Also, she always says to me, "I love Kim zena '언제나'('un jena' which means forever."
Thank you for listening my naming story.