Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Hello everybody!! I wish you the best to all of you. As coming the new year all the wishes are achieve.

Ms Vanessa I want to do something for studing. Please when you'll have free time, tell us some ideas. I think is time to do something creative to fell better. I need to do something.

I'm sorry for my absence. I realise that I have to do something if I want to find myself again.

Thank you .

See you soon.

Happy New Year

Tang architecture -bracket system

Hi Everybody let's carry on the tour!

Tang Dynasty timber complexes were mostly modeled on the traditional quadrangle courtyard design and buildings were arranged symmetrically along an axis.

bracket system is the most characteristic feature in Chinese monumental architecture. Its ingenious design evenly transfers the load of the beam frame and roof directly or indirectly to the columns.

Bracket with single layer

Bracket with muti-layers

Load from the bracket indirectly to the columns.

Tang architecture employed timber as its principal building material. Its structural system was post and beam construction, with the load of the beam frame and roof supported by the columns throught the bracket layers. The walls were merely erected to provide enclosure, seclusion and partition, thus allowing a high degree of flexibility in planning. The locations of doors and windows were not restricted by the walled enclosure.

next time will continue our tour in the garden.

Classmate RAjeev asked me a question that Somebody told me that Chinese language is still pictographic? Is it true?

As I knew, Chinese language has developed since few thousand years, part of the language was refer to the animals shape, Nature sceneries image..etc. Form this to develops the Chinese calligraphy art. I had just finished a 3 years diploma calligraphy course at extra-curricular in local university.　

Herewith some simple sample for your understanding:-

Chinese Word : Sun

Wood

Mountain

To wish it cans help us to have some ideas of the Chinese words.

See you next time.
Bye!

Ancient China_Architectures

Dear All
Today! I would like to introduce Timber Architectures, In ancient China, architectures can generally be categorized into “ting” (pavilion), “tai (terrace), “lou” (tower or house), “ge” (pavilion or tower), “xie” (house), “”xuan” (hall or house), “zhai” (study). There is “guan” (house or hall) and there are “lang” (verandahs) and “wu” (enclosed verandah). Generally speaking, a tingis an individual structure for people to have a short stay. When it is enclosed it becomes a Ge.may also be more than one storey. a terrace is a mound or a solid platform above the ground on which structures may be built. A lou is usually a multi-storeyed structure. It is not easy to distinguish a xiea xuan a zhai or a guan, however. They may be an individual structure or a group of structures in a complex. The usage may vary. They can be a place for people to read, to paint, to have tea, to entertain or to confer. There are no strict rules for their categorization and they are usually determined in accordance with people’s preferences.
Traditional Buildings in China were mostly constructed of natural materials such as clay, stone, and in particular, timber. Noted for its easy-to-work nature and structural flexibility, timber has been utilized to develop a unique style of architecture that is distinctively Chinese. Growing out of the earth, timber is symbolic of life and growth. It is exactly this symbolic meaning tha Chinese architecture embodies. Timber adds life to the monastic hall and evokes a feeling of harmony and unity with the cosmos.
The tiled and gabled roof provides easy drainage for rain and snow, and the drip tiles of protruding eaves serve both practical and decorative functions. The other parts of the roof and the ridge can also be decorated with various kinds of ornament.

Next time, would like to introduce how to build and the speical structure - the Bracket System.

Meanwhile send my regard to Mata and all of us , let's never give up!
Good health.

Bye Bye!
Allun

Hello all!!

Hello Ms Vanessa and all classmates

I apologize for my long time absence but I am not very good. Actually I’m very in a badly situation. My psychologically problems are still exists. Times to times I visit our site, but I can’t think anything to write. I think I loose my mind sometimes. I have lost a lot of weight and my smile. I think that I’m lonely in this world. I want to leave permanently, far away from all, sometimes I want to die. I know that it’s terrible to say that bur I feel like this.

I own to you writing assistant about an artist, but I can study for him now. I miss you all I really mean this. But for now I have to find myself. I have to find the old matoula.
I hope all you are well.

Sorry about this but I feel you my friends and I want to speak to a friend. I hope back to you again soon.

Take care, all of you!

The West Hill

Hello! Everybody let us continues the tour.

Passing the Lands and Seas, Visitors come to a gentle uphill path and the West Hill is borders the flyover highways on the west. Evergreen plants on the hill include Chinese Mahonia, Luohan Pines, Indian Canna and others. The hill, plants and sound-proof barriers have the function of blocking out outside scenes and maintaining tranquility of the Garden.

West Hill

End of the path the Chinese Timber Architecture Gallery in Tang designed is located there, here have some of the most representative examples of fine timber structures in China still in existence today. These include the pavilion, terrace, tower, verandah, hall and study room. They represent different types of traditional architectures in ancient China.Remind guests that photography is not allowed inside.
Chinese Timber Architecture Gallery


Next time we will introduce the traditional architectures in ancient China for review.

Good luck! See you soon.

Start the tour

First of all, I would like to thank you Rejeev & Emey for comments about the virtual tour of Hong Kong-Nan Lian Garden. To wish all of you could enjoy the tour. So we may start now!


After along a wide path in the west, the wooden wall design is of simple classic elegance, stands at the main entrance before entering the Nan Lian Garden, it is made of beech wood, the special features are three-bays formed by four columns, two tall columns at the top and paved with large stone slabs of form a wooden screen like a wall. It has the shadow in sunset because of the mask sunlight naming “Shadow Wall”.


(1) Black Lintel Gate is the main gate of the Garden. Which is basically a gate with a rectangular door frame and constructed in beech wood, comprising two doors, a wooden banner and two pillars; it is decorated with motifs of lotus, the sun, the moon, clouds, grasses and bats that were prevalent patterns in Tang Dynasty. This Tang Dynasty timber structure is based on a fresco in Dunhuang, China. only officials of Grade Six and above were entitled to use black lintel door at their official residence. The top of the two pillars are decorated with black colored tiles, hence the name of Black Lintel


Everybody or will ask the question “Why establishes this wall here?” The reason is that the wall shelters the Garden from haphazard views and shields off noises from outside, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the city. Passing the Shadow Wall, visitors enter the main gate of this ancient garden.

On the opposite side of the Black Lintel Gate is the first view, Majesty of China’s lands and seas is revealed through symbolization, where are nine pieces of gorgeous greenish rocks symbolize the Nine States of China with the surrounding pones epitomize the Eight Seas, and some ancient Luohan pines greeting visitors.




At its side is the wooden signboard-Nan Lian Garden. The calligraphy is by Professor JAO Tseung-I who is very famous in China culture field.


The next spots wll be West Hill and Chinese Timber Architecture Gallery, See you later.
Have a good day.

A virtual tour of Hong Kong- Nan Lian Garden

My name is Allun, living in Hong Kong where is located the south part of Mainland China is a small modern city. In Feb this year, I have joined in the Chi Lin Nunnery, which is a Buddhism charity.

My working place is in the Nan Lian Garden, where is designed as a garden in the style of the Tang Dynasty, a classical circulatory landscape garden based on the blue print of the Jiangshouju Garden in Shanxi Province, the shape of which bears a close resemblance to the Garden site.

In 2003, the HKSAR Government invited Chi Lin Nunnery to join hands in promoting traditional Chinese culture to design and build a classical with art of landscape garden named Nan Lian Garden, Government would fund the infrastructure and construction works , and the other costs would be donated by Chi Lin as a contribution to the community.

The Garden was opened to the public in November ,2006. To ensure that the valuable experience gained in the construction of the Garden can be continued in the future, Chi Lin has undertaken to be responsible for the maintenance, management and operation of the garden for a period of 5 years for a nominal fee of HK$1. Chi Lin would strive to establish a working model for the future of the Garden during this period.

Part of my job is guiding a tour of the Nan Lian Garden to help visitor(s),mainly are China and Hong Kong Chinese people , appreciate the Garden. I want to hold a virtual tour and invited Vanessa and all our contributors to join in the tour of Nan Lian Garden, I will try to learn and use English guiding and explanting the tour on the specific scenic spots with picture on the blog., The tour will be planned to write into several separated paragraphs and continued to delivery on the blog every week or not more than 10 days. Welcome to raise questions, I will try to answer and share all I knew.

Kinds of Reading

Reading actively

Reading is that it is not the same activity each time you do it! When I read my novel in bed before switching the light off at the end of the day I read ’passively’ - I start at the top of the page and read the story steadily at the same speed (I sometimes even get to the bottom of the page before I fall asleep!). 

This type of reading for pleasure is often called ‘extensive reading’ by teachers. What is important about this type of reading is that you choose the book and you don’t worry too much about difficult words you come across. Your extensive reading may be ‘readers’ (shorter simpler versions of real novels) or more authentic materials written for any reader. You may not ‘enjoy’ the reading at first but (rather like taking exercise) you will see the benefits in the long run.

But I actually wanted to think more about the other type of reading, intensive reading, which you do academically, for study, and when you read for study you are an ACTIVE reader. There is nothing passive about reading for study! If you start at the first word and read steadily through the text it is unlikely that you are going to achieve your goals.

What are your goals for reading the text? Are you sure you want to read the text at all? How do you know if it will be useful for you? What parts of the text will be useful? What point is the writer making? What notes will you make? What are your notes for?

All these questions make you into an ACTIVE READER as you employ a variety of strategies to help you meet your goals and over the next few posts I’d like to give you some tips on how to start developing or continue improving your reading strategies. The starting point is to raise your awareness of the topic of academic reading and for that I am pointing you to this page on Study Advice and Learning Development from the University of Reading.  This page gives you an overview of the issue of academic reading and you can read it here.

Benchmarks for scaling

Many ESL educators favor evaluating by scaling over test taking. This type of scaling is most frequently used to judge oral proficiency via an interview format.

How well do you think scaling would work in, say, evaluating capacity to write or read academic or professional material? What, if any adaptations, would be necessary?

Benchmarks for evaluating language skill level by scaling:

Level 5 (educated native speaker): no trouble using the language.

Level 4 (advanced): reads, writes, speaks, and understands with few
         errors.  At ease in the target language milieu.

Level 3 (advanced intermediate): Adequate skills in most subjects, but
         better in some areas than others.

Level 2 (lower intermediate) can communicate (with difficulty) in some
         areas.

Level 1 (beginner) little or no familiarity with the target language.

---

report on validity of self-rating

Listen and Read: Free Audiobooks

Audiobooks, audiofiles and podcasts are good listening practice. They are also ideal for "multi-tasking." You can listen to them when you are doing something else and your hands aren't free to to hold a book. But you can also use them to improve your reading skills. Find or print out a copy of the book or article to read along while you listen.

Free Audio Books

LibriVox is the king of free audio books. You can use the catalog to search through their library of nearly 1000 works, all part of the public domain. If you’re feeling generous, you can even contribute wiki-style by recording audio of your own.

AudioBooksForFree also has a big catalog to sort through, with an emphasis on classic works, but a decent amount of mystery, sci-fi, and thriller as well. The only catch here is that you’ll have to pay for quality: the lowest quality downloads are free but anything better than 8 Kbps costs $5-8.

Daily English Activities

Daily English Activities is a site is for EFL | ESL students. Each day you can find a new simple online activity to help you improve your English.

For example, you can "Exercise Your Ears With Authentic Film Clips" (Saturday September 6). Watching and understanding films in English can be very difficult, but Yolango is a website that makes it much easier. The site has a huge collection of clips from films and has subtitles or the script to help you understand them.

Movies are a great way to practice understanding, especially if you are a movie buff (fan). If you watch on video or CD, you can pause when you don't understand a passage. Here's another, older site on using movies to study English: The English Learner Movie Guide.

27 Best Internet Sites For English Language Learners

Ranked list of the 27 Best Internet Sites For English Language Learners -- 2008

There's a reader's poll that goes along with it for people to vote how they would rank them, too.

Also, you'll find over one hundred other "The Best..." lists at Larry Ferlazzo's - one busy ESL teacher and blogger

Word Games

These online word games look like fun (not all learning has to be serious). And of, don't forget Grammar Gorillas...

I've always enjoyed Wacky Web Tales - good practice for writing and grammar. Who can come up with and post the wackiest tale? MadLibs are more grown up - just as hilarious. Try mad-libbing your own version of "Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles or The Princess and the Pea

Grammar games - and more English language games & BBC skillwise games

Three games to test your longer sentence skills. Spot the sentences, make sentences and put a text into sentences.

Have fun - and please share your wackiest web tale/madlibs.

Learning English Howlers from around the world

something just for fun....

Do you know why they are wrong? Do you know what they should have said? Do you know of any more howlers? http://www.learnenglish.de/Level1/Extras/MoreMistakes.htm

Here are some silly English mistakes from people in advertising who really should know better:

Medical howlers http://www.learnenglish.de/Level1/Extras/HorrorMistakes.htm

and more formally useful if less entertaining...

Common mistakes and their explanations http://www.learnenglish.de/mistakes/CommonMistakes.htm

The Best Online Learning Games

Try these "best online learning games" - then tell us which you like best and why. Are they the best? Can you add any learning games to the list?

More from same source:

• Pointing & Clicking For ESL: Using Video Games To Promote English Language Development
• Home Computers & English Language Learning
• Online ESL Computer Lab

Gender - words

Hello everyone!

I have a question about gender word, Human or Lizardman 

I have been playing some chatting game which player can pretend to be some creature.

The situation is ....

There is a character "Female" which her race is "Lizardman"

I asked them, does it correct to use "Lizardman" for female character ? or it should be just "Lizard" ?

Then there was some player agued that ... If that so, race Human should be called just "Hu" ?

If I remember correctly, Human is some kind of exception word but I am not sure about word "Lizardman" 

Are there any keyword to google about gender issues ?  I am really curious at the moment ^^!

Thank you in advance for any answers :=)

-Tai

Play It 4 Word

A Game of Wits and Words for ESL learners, Basic Writers, High School English, Developmental Writing and First Year Composition. http://www.stevenleeclimer.com/PI4/

The object is to be the first to complete a sentence and get all the points. Playing the game that teaches learners of all levels the parts of speech and word position and helps students understand parts of speech and how English sentences are constructed

Play it 4word rules
http://www.stevenleeclimer.com/PI4/pi4_rules_traditional.html

Also in Junior (for beginning readers, ESL beginners, literacy programs), Wicked (not for the squeamish or vocabulary challenged), MLA and APA versions. PlayIt4Word MLA and APA are described as a fun way to learn documentation of research in an essay. The ultimate oxymoron, or what?

ESL Lessons on Video

These lessons looked interesting - each lesson has a short online video and links to exercises.
http://www.real-english.com/reo/index.html

Hello there!

Hello everybody!

Thank you very much for the warm acceptance as your new classmate and friend! I feel so glad when I saw and read all your comments. Anyway, let me first introduce myself. My name is Lourdes L. Pasia from Quezon City, Philippines. I was born 18th of May 1978 and I am now 30 years old. I am married since November 18, 2002 but it was only a civil marriage. We wished to have our church wedding last October 30, 2004 to be blessed by God and by our parents too. After the church wedding was the only time we became together as a husband and wife. It’s sad to say that we don’t a baby yet but we very much happy with our married life. My husband’s name is Mel Pasia. He is a seaman and on board right now. He is coming back more or less January 2009. I am working at Suburbia Automotive Ventures Inc. located in Quezon City, Philippines as an accounting assistant. Our company is engaged in automotive services. We provide auto detailing, rustproofing chemical application, car washing, body repair and painting to most of car dealers here in our country. I worked here for almost 6 years and I’m still enjoying my job.
I am very sorry that I responded late. It is because we have got so busy for the last two weeks of June. We have to prepare our Income Statement on a monthly basis and we have to submit it on the 5th working day of the month. After Income Statement I’m going to prepare computation of commission for almost 80 sales people and will going to have it issued every 15th of the month. Same with our payroll, will going to prepare it at least 3 days before 15th and 30th of the month and have it to be credited to our personnel’s payroll account on the 15th and 30th every month. Nice meeting you all here! God Bless!

Odeth

Hi!

Hi Teacher Vanessa!

Thank you for inviting me to join in this class blog. I dont know anything about blogging but i am really interested to learn how.

Odeth

Re: an update from your ESL teacher

Ning I'm late and behind on class mail too. So we'll have to excuse each other. You are still in the class and registered as a contributor on the class blog at http://blogging-learningenglish.blogspot.com/. I think we are evolving into more of an ESL study group than a formal class. A group is more flexible and should be more appropriate for self-paced adults anyway. So just log on and catch up. Yupaphat, Sadamu and Rajeev have been "on break" too but are back now. We'd love to hear more about your travels.. Mata posted a map to mark where each of us are - or are from. We've been discussing whether to mark where we are now or where we are from originally. Maybe we should mark both but in different colors. Teacher Vanessa Teaching ESL at EFI Beginner For EFI StudyCom --- On Wed, 4/23/08, Pattanee Sungsuwan <psungsuwan@yahoo.com> wrote: From: Pattanee Sungsuwan <psungsuwan@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: an update from your ESL teacher To: efi_beginner@yahoo.com Date: Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 7:45 PM Dear Teacher Vanessa,   Thank you for your all e-mail and very sorry late reply. After I'm moved back from USA and continue to Johanessburg and last to Combodia. Is not good with internet I can't do anything. At the moment I'm in Bangkok is my home town, since January 2008. I'm start my own bussiness here. Is my Travel agency "Beyond Asia Travel". When I'm here I must running my bussinestoo.   I would like to ask you can I continue study again?   Best Regards,   Ning

Maps Alive

Make Online Maps Interactive with MapsAlive
http://www.mapsalive.com/

Online Map tools

Online Maps: 50+ Tools and Resources

WORLD MAP WITH OUR NAMES

Tell me if you like my work . I have done it very quicly but it will be like this picture. I look for something better. you have to do zoom above the picture to see the tiny black person at the botom of the picture . Above his head there is his name and his country's name. It is mine. Tell me if you agreed with my idea and if you like the picture and my work. Tai knows how to work on picture better than me. Maybe she has to add something else better or maybe can help me . Tell me your opinion or your ideas

Hello all and Ms Vanessa

I hope everyone is well. I thought something to work on it all together. I want to make a world map as a picture and write on, it our names. I’ll write my name above the Greece’s country. You have to post here where do you live exactly and every time I'll add your name to your country. With this way we’ll know where come from each other off us. I don’t know much about geography and it is a way to learn something more. If you agree Ms Vanessa and all of you I'll look for a full-size map. I’ll send you a off-hand picture as an example to understand what I mean.

Ms Vanessa I prepare to write the assignment that you ask from us a month ago. It was about an artist in or from our country. It is difficult to decide for whom I write. I’m thinking to write about Kazantzakis’s life. I know almost nothing for him. It is an opportunity to learn more things for this person. So next the days I’ll have to study some links for Nikos Kazantzakis, and then I’ll do my assignment.

Hello everyone!

Hi teacher Vanessa and everyone,

I am Yuphaphat. I have been away from the class and the blogger for a long time. There is nothing much change about me. just working and taking care of the kids. For the update, I have 2 kids - one is 2 years 3 months old, one is 10 months old. I am working part time and spend the rest of the time with the kids at home. I think about teacher Vanessa's online class today, for some reason and feel bad that I have been away for too long. So, I try to get on Blogger and am so happy to see that I am still part of the class!

I will try to keep in touch with the class more often.

hi all
how are you?
in last times, when I was absent ...I went to an another city with my family and we spent a nice vacation there.now I came back again with my family to my village...it's has a beautiful sight seeing..
these is the pictures:
(1)
the far part is a new village and the nearest is the old village
(2)
this picture for the old houses of my village....but people today don't live in it...now it is not competent for living
(3)
those houses from old years..maybe since 150 or 200 years ago or more..it is built from stone and mud
(4)
this is a fort
(5)

this picture for levee. it is from long time since 1000 years ago or more...but a part from it broken from the water...this place around it, always filling in water after falling the rain
(6)
this is the the side of levee
(7)
the last picture from the new city

China's "Crazy English" training camp

Crazy English by Evan Osnos Li Yang is China’s Elvis of English, perhaps the world’s only language teacher known to bring students to tears of excitement. His philosophy, captured by one of his many slogans, is flamboyantly patriotic: “Conquer English to Make China Stronger!”… READ THIS STORY SLIDE SHOW: PHOTOGRAPHS FROM A LI YANG CRAZY ENGLISH TRAINING CAMP