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Post by Bonobo on Feb 29, 2008 21:55:13 GMT 1
A few days ago I got an amusing surprise from my a certain compatriot. He approached me to ask for a favour: calling to England on his behalf to arrange some financial matter with his English bank. He gave me all the details on a piece of paper....and waited..... and I was waiting too..... hahahahaha So there were a few seconds of mutual uncertainty.
I had my mobile on the table, and he just started motioning to it, obviously trying to suggest that I should use it to make a call. I stopped the game by asking him for some telephone. He looked puzzled for a while hahahahahaha
Was he that cheeky or just stupid? hahahahaha
Really, people amaze me sometimes.
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 2, 2008 19:18:45 GMT 1
A lot of my suprises concern food. Every few months I get amazed to see some unusual product in a shop. E.g., this youghurt with beetroot, cucumber and chive. Those are vegetables which I would never associate with processed milk, yet it is possible.  Another surprise I got was when I found smoked or roasted cottage cheese. Incredible.  |
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livia
Just born
Posts: 121
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Post by livia on Mar 3, 2008 15:45:14 GMT 1
Was he that cheeky or just stupid? hahahahaha Really, people amaze me sometimes. Maybe he just didn't THINK about it in time? Was the guy from Krakow as well? ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 3, 2008 20:40:57 GMT 1
Maybe he just didn't THINK about it in time? Was the guy from Krakow as well? ;D ;D ;D No, he was thinking quite clearly I suppose. No, he wasn`t from Krakow but from a small town nearby. |
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Post by jeanne on Mar 3, 2008 22:55:32 GMT 1
Was he that cheeky or just stupid? hahahahaha Really, people amaze me sometimes. I think he was waiting to see if YOU were stupid! |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 4, 2008 11:04:33 GMT 1
Was he that cheeky or just stupid? hahahahaha Really, people amaze me sometimes. I think he was waiting to see if YOU were stupid! Yes, there is some riddle in it which I still don`t fully grasp. |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 11, 2008 9:13:29 GMT 1
I have discovered something shocking. I have gained 5 kilos during winter. It is quite unbelievable as I had always been slim and well-built. But I have good news for you. I am still rated IN NORMAL RANGE. Height - 187 cm. Weight - 85 kg. Body weight index - 24.3 !!!! 69% people in my age group are heavier than me. Now, girls, even better news!! Here is a site to calculate your index! Go and check how much you need to drop after winter! hahahaha www.halls.md/body-mass-index/bmi.htm |
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livia
Just born
Posts: 121
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Post by livia on Mar 11, 2008 13:07:36 GMT 1
174cm, 62 kg, BMI 20,5 kh/m2, 78% of my age group heavier.
Try dancing, Pawian ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 11, 2008 20:42:27 GMT 1
174cm, 62 kg, BMI 20,5 kh/m 2, 78% of my age group heavier. Try dancing, Pawian ;D ;D ;D I am an excellent dancer but I don`t like it. I prefer chess. |
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livia
Just born
Posts: 121
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Post by livia on Mar 11, 2008 23:50:36 GMT 1
174cm, 62 kg, BMI 20,5 kh/m 2, 78% of my age group heavier. Try dancing, Pawian ;D ;D ;D I am an excellent dancer but I don`t like it. I prefer chess. Chess won't make you loose the 5 kg But since you like it, here we go! d2-d4 ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by jeanne on Mar 11, 2008 23:55:15 GMT 1
OK, you two 'younger than I am' Poles, my BMI is 22.6, Normal Range, 87% of my age group weigh more than me!!
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 12, 2008 19:33:17 GMT 1
I am an excellent dancer but I don`t like it. I prefer chess. Chess won't make you loose the 5 kg Nope. Brain uses a lot of energy. I am starving in the evening after a whole day of teaching and heavy thinking. On the contrary, during holidays and days off work, I have only breakfast and then nothing else for a long time. |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 12, 2008 19:35:24 GMT 1
OK, you two 'younger than I am' Poles, my BMI is 22.6, Normal Range, 87% of my age group weigh more than me!! Wow. Excellent result. It is quite unusual in the USA nowadays, I heard? |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 12, 2008 19:47:23 GMT 1
Receiving surprises from life is exciting.
Giving people our surprises is even more exciting.
I am talking about the black and white mini television. We have only it to watch TV. It is a great sacrifice on my part because I would gladly throw it away if others didn`t object. In 1990s, for 10 years, when I lived on my own, I didn`t have a television at all and I was happy..
It was very amusing to see people`s reactions after they learnt about it. They thought I was crazy hahahahaha
But my wife has been delicately nagging on me to buy sth new.
What do you think???
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Post by jeanne on Mar 12, 2008 21:29:46 GMT 1
OK, you two 'younger than I am' Poles, my BMI is 22.6, Normal Range, 87% of my age group weigh more than me!! Wow. Excellent result. It is quite unusual in the USA nowadays, I heard? Well, I think older people have generally always been a little bit overweight because their metabolism slows down. The sad thing in the US right now is that children are becoming overweight. Too much TV and video/computer games, not enough outside activity! |
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Post by jeanne on Mar 12, 2008 21:35:32 GMT 1
Receiving surprises from life is exciting. Giving people our surprises is even more exciting. I am talking about the black and white mini television. We have only it to watch TV. It is a great sacrifice on my part because I would gladly throw it away if others didn`t object. In 1990s, for 10 years, when I lived on my own, I didn`t have a television at all and I was happy.. It was very amusing to see people`s reactions after they learnt about it. They thought I was crazy hahahahaha But my wife has been delicately nagging on me to buy sth new. What do you think??? I am so impressed that you only have that little TV! Good for you! I would toss ours in the trash, only my husband likes to watch sports on TV. I think TV is intrusive and detrimental. My two daughters whom I have mentioned in another thread both live without TV's and I am jealous. |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 14, 2008 11:07:08 GMT 1
I got amazed hearing that some of my students, as young as 8, still in primary school, watch a stupid cartoon serial, a sort of Polish South Park. It`s at 8pm, contains swear words and characters display quite a questionable behaviour. The serial is on a private channel, called Lords of Flies. I am surprised that parents allow for this, especially that teachers, priests, politicians etc etc constantly remind people of the harmful influence of TV on children. Why are some parents so stupid and ignorant? Watch an episode. Or rather see its beginning and you will know everything. pl.youtube.com/watch?v=6uCMkiRAcnAThat is why I don`t want a TV at home, in order to avoid any temptations on my children`s part to watch such moronic stuff. |
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Post by jeanne on Mar 14, 2008 11:26:54 GMT 1
I got amazed hearing that some of my students, as young as 8, still in primary school, watch a stupid cartoon serial, a sort of Polish South Park. It`s at 8pm, contains swear words and characters display quite a questionable behaviour. The serial is on a private channel, called Lords of Flies. I am surprised that parents allow for this, especially that teachers, priests, politicians etc etc constantly remind people of the harmful influence of TV on children. Why are some parents so stupid and ignorant? Watch an episode. Or rather see its beginning and you will know everything. pl.youtube.com/watch?v=6uCMkiRAcnAThat is why I don`t want a TV at home, in order to avoid any temptations on my children`s part to watch such moronic stuff. I think many parents use the TV as a convenient 'babysitter' to keep children occupied and out of their hair. Not a good idea. And a disturbing new trend here in US is homes that have a TV in every room. Very many children at my school have their own TV's in their bedrooms. There is NO way I would allow that. There is also a similar problem with video games. I hear so many parents complaining that their children spend so much time engaged in that pasttime. Well, why do they allow the games in their homes?? Just don't buy them; come on, use your heads!! |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 14, 2008 21:58:27 GMT 1
Well, I think older people have generally always been a little bit overweight because their metabolism slows down. The sad thing in the US right now is that children are becoming overweight. Too much TV and video/computer games, not enough outside activity! That is really frustrating because American kids are pack leaders for the kids of the world, they impose new trends and everything that they invent is pasted into other countries` cultures. Don`t American kids feel the burden of responsibility put on them? Don`t they realise that the world kids are watching them for clues for life? |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 14, 2008 22:04:40 GMT 1
I am so impressed that you only have that little TV! Good for you! I would toss ours in the trash, only my husband likes to watch sports on TV. I think TV is intrusive and detrimental. My two daughters whom I have mentioned in another thread both live without TV's and I am jealous. Hey , I am under great impression upon hearing about the absence of TV in your daughters` houses. So far I have heard about one family from Krakow who don`t have a tv. As I said, one day, maybe this year, I am going to buy a wide screen tv monitor for my wife. She reads a lot of books but sometimes likes to watch too. She doesn`t work and takes care of the baby, tv might be an alternative pastime. However, I am happy I managed to teach my older kids to ignore TV. They prefer books or computer. |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 14, 2008 22:16:06 GMT 1
I think many parents use the TV as a convenient 'babysitter' to keep children occupied and out of their hair. Not a good idea. And a disturbing new trend here in US is homes that have a TV in every room. Very many children at my school have their own TV's in their bedrooms. There is NO way I would allow that. There is also a similar problem with video games. I hear so many parents complaining that their children spend so much time engaged in that pasttime. Well, why do they allow the games in their homes?? Just don't buy them; come on, use your heads!! Well, I don`t mind intelligent computer games. Our kids have a lot of them, those educational with a lot of fun. Yes, I prohibit my sons to play bloody shooting or fighting games. But I can see how deeply they are tempted. I wonder if my restrictions won`t bring on a counter effect, i.e., their increased interest in such stuff. You know, the forbidden fruit tastes the best. |
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Post by jeanne on Mar 15, 2008 1:20:34 GMT 1
Well, I think older people have generally always been a little bit overweight because their metabolism slows down. The sad thing in the US right now is that children are becoming overweight. Too much TV and video/computer games, not enough outside activity! That is really frustrating because American kids are pack leaders for the kids of the world, they impose new trends and everything that they invent is pasted into other countries` cultures. Don`t American kids feel the burden of responsibility put on them? Don`t they realise that the world kids are watching them for clues for life? No, I don't think American kids even think about this. And also, on another serious note, experts say that the children of this 'overweight' and inactive generation will be the first generation in American history that does not live longer than their parents did. This is a sobering thought. |
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Post by jeanne on Mar 15, 2008 1:42:19 GMT 1
I am so impressed that you only have that little TV! Good for you! I would toss ours in the trash, only my husband likes to watch sports on TV. I think TV is intrusive and detrimental. My two daughters whom I have mentioned in another thread both live without TV's and I am jealous. Hey , I am under great impression upon hearing about the absence of TV in your daughters` houses. So far I have heard about one family from Krakow who don`t have a tv. As I said, one day, maybe this year, I am going to buy a wide screen tv monitor for my wife. She reads a lot of books but sometimes likes to watch too. She doesn`t work and takes care of the baby, tv might be an alternative pastime. However, I am happy I managed to teach my older kids to ignore TV. They prefer books or computer. Yes, it is a good thing that your children prefer books. It is also nice that you wish to do a kind thing for your wife and buy a TV. But, just how wide of a tv monitor are we talking about here? Not one of those monster size ones, I hope! |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 17, 2008 21:33:02 GMT 1
Yes, it is a good thing that your children prefer books. Yes, I know. It is not a Christian feeling but I realise what advantage they will have over non-reading people in the future. Generally students don`t like to read nowadays. They prefer TV or computers. But I can see a wide intellectual gap between students who like to read for pleasure and those who don`t or do it for school purposes only. Hmmm, it is better to have a satisfied wife at home, isn`t it? For the satisfaction she gives to me, it is just returning the favour..... hahahaha Look, after the mini black and white TV everything seems wide screen! hahahaha I mean a 26 or about 30 inches wide screen. |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 23, 2008 19:49:37 GMT 1
I constantly receive surprise from my fellow language teachers. They keep complaining that their children, either little, adolescent or adult, have never wanted to learn a language with the parent. I always tend to thing the worst: either the parent is a lousy teacher or they consciously neglected their beloved offspring.
I teach my children. The only thing I need is time and strong will. A lot of time, a few hours a week preferably, but in practice, during the busy school year, it is usually 1 hour. It gets better when holiday comes: Christmas, Easter, summer and winter holidays. Then the teaching becomes longer, a few hours a week.
Strong will? Yes, it requires a lot of it. I finish my work in the evening, and it continues so for weeks and months, when the holiday comes, I want to have e rest. I want to forget about teaching, otherwise I might go crazy.
But I clench my teeth and force myself to give a lesson. If the subject is funny, there is some diversion for me, too.
But let`s get it clear: teaching your own kids is as hard work as teaching at school. hahahahaha
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Post by jeanne on Mar 24, 2008 11:15:22 GMT 1
But let`s get it clear: teaching your own kids is as hard work as teaching at school. hahahahaha Sometimes I think it is harder to teach them at home because they become accustomed to school being the place to 'learn' and home being the place to relax and have fun! |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 24, 2008 11:37:15 GMT 1
But let`s get it clear: teaching your own kids is as hard work as teaching at school. hahahahaha Sometimes I think it is harder to teach them at home because they become accustomed to school being the place to 'learn' and home being the place to relax and have fun! Yes, that`s right. When kids are still preschool age, the lesson can be naturally attractive as the material is easy and light. But it is more complicated with school kids - the lessons are more difficult and homework appears. Then a child may get disheartened. A wise teacher should realise when to apply special methods of encouragement to keep the falling interest. I encourage my kids with: games and contests; live dialogues; funny books; interesting audio exercises. Last but not least, the pocket money they receive every week is a giant motivation too. I sometimes repeat: You don`t want to learn English?? OK, but kiss your pocket money goodbye! hahahahahaha The results are amazing. My older son who is in 2 grade primary school, is doing things which are usually taught in Polish junior high school, 6 years ahead. Greed for money of modern children is terrifying! But it certainly works miracles! hahahaha |
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Post by jeanne on Mar 25, 2008 2:04:03 GMT 1
Yes, that`s right. When kids are still preschool age, the lesson can be naturally attractive as the material is easy and light. But it is more complicated with school kids - the lessons are more difficult and homework appears. Then a child may get disheartened. A wise teacher should realise when to apply special methods of encouragement to keep the falling interest. I encourage my kids with: games and contests; live dialogues; funny books; interesting audio exercises. Last but not least, the pocket money they receive every week is a giant motivation too. I sometimes repeat: You don`t want to learn English?? OK, but kiss your pocket money goodbye! hahahahahaha The results are amazing. My older son who is in 2 grade primary school, is doing things which are usually taught in Polish junior high school, 6 years ahead. Greed for money of modern children is terrifying! But it certainly works miracles! hahahaha Hey, I'm not opposed to bribery...do whatever works! Seriously, though, I know the reason your older son is doing so well is because you are not only a good teacher, but also a good dad. I can tell this by the time you devote to taking your kids places and awakening in them a sense of wonder. This comes through to me in your photos. |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 28, 2008 23:32:00 GMT 1
Hey, guys, my account address in Youtube has received a message: What should I think about it? The message was sent from American address. What do they want from me?  Should I respond in any way? What do you think? |
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Post by valpomike on Mar 29, 2008 2:14:42 GMT 1
Let's us check it out for you, and we will vote.
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Should I respond in any way?