I'd better calm down.........

Hi guys! How are you doing after our presentations? Studying hard before final writing exam?
I think it was a really good experience for us before going to the University. As Murray said it is very difficult to make your brian and our mouth work together at the same time. The worst is when you stuck and do not know what next to say. In this case you are standing like an idiot and cannot think about anything at all. It happened to me and I was lucky that I had my notes. Ha-ha! :) Anyways we need to be able to present our ideas even if we are shy and even though English is not our native language.
What else I want to say is that I am a little bit nervous about tomorrow's writing final. I know we have written a lot of different essays and assignments on various topics. Moreover, it's not the first that we are having a test, yey? We had EAP2 and half of EAP3 so we may concider ourselves a kind of experienced people. BUT... The pressure of time is very hard to handle. I'm thinking about the topics trying to guess what our dear teachers created for us. Anyways, I'd better calm down................
Wish you good luck tomorrow! We are smart, guys! We'll do it! I'm 100% sure!

Large Double-Double 1 Soft 2 Hard

What is the easiest way for you to remember things? What are special moments associated with in your mind?

I was thinking about this today... And finally I decided that for me it's music or I can say sound in general. I remember very clearly the way my Mom sang me a song and I remember her voice. I would never forget those sounds. They are immortalized in my heart :). Another melody that I remember from my childhood is my brother's song about me. He used to sing it almost every day, so it is in my mind forever. My father always whistle a particular melody when he is angry or irritated with something or even a bit nervous. So if I hear those sounds I can easily understand that he is not ok :(.

A lot of the best moments in my life are assosiated with a particular song. I'm sure it happens to everybody as well. Very often when I hear a song or a melody, I can fly to another place in my mind in the past. Finding myself in a place where important events happened, I start to live over those moments again while the music is playing. Ye, music is a kind of long term memory for me, the strongest and the most sensitive one. By the way, I mixed up the words sensitive and sensible recently. Anyway, in this case I intended to use sensitive....Now I know what they means. It's better late than never, yey?

The last idea that comes out of my mind is that I am very tired of working in Tim Horton's and Taco Time today. I worked 2 hours in THorton's where the line up is always. Then I moved to TacoTime. The line there was even more crazy. So... I like customers and I have to smile to them no matter what's going on in my mind. Anyways, large double-double and one soft two hard is my today's sound assciations. Ha-ha! Anyways, the fact is that women's ears are too sensitive. That's why they fall in love through their ears. Ooops! I have to stop writing now. I'm getting too far ............

Artist or Monkey

Hi guys! To be honest I don't have any special ideas in my head right now, but after having read Scott's blog about the purpose of blogging I decided just keep typing. That's why you wont find anything interesting. HAHA!
Anyway, I want to say that I really liked today's Reading class about the monkey and artist. I made one mistake - in the second painting. I saw a woman in it with long hair. It was a reason why I thought it was painted by the artist not by the monkey. Hihi! I was wrong. Monkeys are sometimes as creative and talanted as people... They can even paint people with long hair :) It is proved that we came from monkeys, but because I'm a religion person I don't believe in that. I think it's just an scientific opinion. I believe God created us.
And now I'm thinking about people in general and why thay have different languages and cultures. There are a lot of stories about that. In the Bible a story about the Tower explains that fact. A long time ago people used to have one language and they understood each other easily. One day they decided to reach God on the heaven, so they started to build a tower. They were trying to make it as high as possible in order to get into the heaven. They thought they could do that. God punished people for their self-confidence and separated them by giving them different languages. After that people could not understand each other and now we have what we have. Everybody has to study foreign languages to be able to communicate with others. Now we have to study English. Just imagine - all of us have the same language and background. Less problems, less disagreement. Life would be perfect, but boring... Yey? I cannot imagine myself do not studying English now .... ........... .................. :)

Back home ticket

Today on my way to the university I was thinking about my native country Ukraine. I'm going back home in May but I don't know the exact date yet because one part of my ticket is still on the waiting list. To be honest, I'm so exited going home that I even couldn't sleep last nights :)
It sounds strange but I was thinking about what had changed in my city as well as in Ukraine in general for the last eight months that I've spent in Canada. Are these changes positive or nagative? Will I be able to distinguish them? Of course, I will. However, my evaluation scale changed for the last months that's why I'm not sure what kind of impression I'll get.
Another thing I was wondering about is my parents. Even though I talk to them very often and they know almost everything that is going on in my life - I should emphasize ALMOST everything :) - I cannot believe that we'll see each other pretty soon. I missed them so much all this time that it sounds a kind of unbelievable for me now. And my brother... He became more mature. I know that for sure. So this change is going to be the best and pleasant change which I'm going to face.
Ye... My new life started here and probably in a month of being in Ukraine I'll tell my parents that I miss Canada... Probably... But I'll not do that. In order not to make them upset...
Going back... home...

Broccoli

Why I decided to write about broccoli? The first reason is that I have run out of interesting ideas. The second one is that green is my favourite colour after red. Another reason is that I really like broccoli. It is a nice vegetable, which is very delicious and good for pople's health. Moreover, a good example was given about children who do not like broccoli because they have never tried it before. But... how can they know the taste of broccoli if they do not had a chance to try it?

Tomorrow we are going to have changes in our EAP 3 life because we'll have class with other teacher. To be honest, I am used to Scott's classes and to his good way of teaching us. Now I don't know what to expect. The only thing that I know for sure is that I will be comparing the new teacher with him anyway. Of course, in order to say if the broccoli tastes good or not really, people have to eat it at least once. Only after having done that they'll have their own opinion about it...

I'm a person who likes changes. I get bored very easily and quickly. However, I don't like to change anything that I like. For example, our classes with Scott.

I strongly believe that the changes, which are going to happen tomorrow, will influence our knowledge of English in a positive way...

Good teeth smile

It happens a lot of times... When I'm in a bad mood I don't want to smile. However, a smile can be the best helper in life due to several reasons. That's why I’d like to suggest that people smile more often.
Why, might you ask? Simply because a smile can do a lot of things for you and for others. Other than working out your facial muscles, here are a few things a smile can do:
+ A good smile makes you more attractive! Well, sort of… As long as you have good teeth behind that smile, then you’re ready to go. Otherwise, you might want to work on the closed mouth smile (JK) :) haha :)
+ A good smile will brighten the days of others! How many times have you had a bad day, but then seen a friend who was smiling. For a few moments you’ll most likely forget about your troubles and smile back at your friend. Smiles makes people happy! So spread some smiles!
+ A good smile often helps to feel more confident! A weak smile only shows insecurity.If you’re meeting people for the first time, you want to give a good first impression, one that says you’re confident, not one that says you’re scared. This comes in extra handy at those interviews!
+ A good smile can help to lighten the mood. If everyone’s talking in straight faces, and one person’s smiling while they talk, the tone of the conversation will definitely lighten up, or “cheer up”. While there’s nothing wrong with serious conversations, it’s always good to lighten up once in awhile.
+ Smiling leads to laughing. Everyone should have a good laugh everyday. It’s not only fun, but it’s healthy to have a good laugh. So not only are you having fun, but you’re helping everyone’s health out by leading them to laugh!
+ A good smile can also help how you view life. If you’re walking around with an unhappy face, then you’re obviously looking at life through sad eyes. All the details you see will have a sense of sadness to you. So why not smile, and view life with a more cheerful attitude?
So I'm going to smile as much as I can tomorrow. :) Hopefully all of my teeth will stay in my mouth till tomorrow. Not funny? I know....

Who is more romantic: men or women?

Last semester we had a very interesting blog discussion about how smart men and women are. Due to the result of students voting that were arranged by Amin, men are smarter than woman. However, some of male students voted twice from different computers. Could the final results be considered as true? I don't think so ........ :) Yey, ladies?
Anyways, what I was thinking about today was romantism. Who is more romantic: men or woman. The first idea that came into my mind was WOMEN! For sure! They always want to have a romantic dinner, a romantic surprise, a bunch of flowers with a romantic note... However, after I read some articles on this topic, I found out that my first thought was completely wrong.
Who Falls In Love Faster? Men!In one study, seven hundred young lovers were asked, “How early did you realize you were in love?” Men fell in love faster. Before the fourth date, 20 percent of men had taken the tumble, whereas only 15 percent of the women realized Cupid had stung them; 43 percent of the women still didn’t know they were in love by the twentieth date, compared to only 30 percent of the men.Women are more cautious about getting involved.
Who Is More Idealistic About Love? Men!Another study determined that men had a far more idealistic and less practical view of love. Men were not nearly as concerned with a woman’s social position or how much money she made.More men felt that as long as two people truly love each other, they should have no trouble getting along in marriage.
Who Usually Initiates the Breakup? Women!A group of Harvard scientists vigilantly followed the affairs of 231 Boston couples. Of those who split up, usually it was the woman who suggested the separation. The men wanted to stick it out to the bitter end.
Who Suffers More From a Breakup? Men!The men felt lonelier, more depressed, unloved, and least free after a split. The men reported that they found it extremely hard to accept that they were no longer loved and that she had really gone. What disturbed them most was that they felt there was nothing they could do about it. They were plagued with the hope that if only they had said the right thing… done the right thing….In fact, three times as many men commit suicide after a disastrous love affair as women do.
Who Loves Their Lovers More? Men!Men love their lovers more in relation to others in their life. Several researchers at Yale University polled male and female participants from age 18 to 70 and asked, “Who do you like, and who do you love, most in your life?” The choices were lover (or spouse), best friend, parents, and siblings.Men, it turned out, loved and liked their lovers more than their best friends, whereas, with women, the rankings were about equal. Many women liked their best friends more than they liked their lovers!
Gentlemen, the next time your lover complains, “You men are so unromantic,” just show her these statistics and say “You know, dear, you have a good point. I’m sorry. I’ll try to be more romantic. I love you.”
:) :) :)

Yulia Tymoshenko's style

Sienna Miller

Yulia Tymoshenko is the elected Prime Minister of the Ukraine, voted by Forbes Magazine in 2005 as the third most powerful woman in the world. But what Yulia Tymoshenko is most noted for around the world, is her hair or rather «the braid».

Tymoshenko was an extremely important politician in the Orange Revolution of 2004, when her beauty was commented nearly as often as her role in bringing down the post-Soviet government in Ukraine.
The braid has become such a staple of her persona that her Web site features articles about it, including some claiming that the braid has influenced designers like Narciso Rodriguez and the actresses like Sienna Miller.

Yet the braid is not just a fashion statement. It is a calculated political tool with significant cultural resonance, one that has helped turn her into more than a candidate. To her supporters at least, she is regarded as a kind of Lady Liberty.
A braid is a traditional Ukrainian hairstyle, and by adopting it, Tymoshenko has been able to underline her nationalist credentials, drawing a contrast with her main opponents, who are more closely linked to Russia.
Tymoshenko has tried to play up that view with her other signature look, white clothing, which is intended to show her purity in the face of what she has called a corrupt political and business culture.
Tymoshenko's hair color has varied over the years, from dark to blond, but lately she seems to be keeping it almost as light as her clothing.
Still, she is regularly asked that most frivolous of questions: Is the braid real?
"Everything that I have is natural - braid, nails - I practically never use cosmetics," she once said at a news conference. "They often ask me in the provinces about my braid. Now, once and for all, I am going to lay to rest these rumors."
With that, in front of the cameras, she let her hair down, for all the world to see.

The Snow Castle

A few days ago I was thinking about my childhood. We used to have really good times together with my brother, specially in winter. We used to spend as much time as possible outside, playing snowballs with our friends — girls against the guys, skating, making snowmen and snow castles. It was extremely happy time of our life. So... I decided to make the snow castle for my nephew Dimitri, as he is only 3 years old and cannot build it by himself.
The snow wasn't wet enough to make the castle easily, but we decided to do our best. My cousin and our friend from Ukraine helped me. Of course, the best helpers ever were Dima and Ivanka — Dima's «girl friend», if I can say like that:). We spent more than three hours bulding the castle for our prince and princess who couldn't wait it to be finished. They were extremely excited and kept saying: «Let's pretend we are in the tale about a prince and a princess!». Later on, when the castle was built we put the blue-and-yeloow umbrella on the top as well as the huge blanket instead of the roof. The constructors were too tired to do the roof, and as a result, they cheated a bit.
Dima and Ivanka were jumping like crazy when they came in there. We made two small shelves for snacks inside and put the wooden board on the wall telling them it's going to be their TV. It was funny, but the guys sat on their small chairs, took their chips and started watching TV. Their imagination helped them to watch their favourite cartoon «Diego» for more than half an hour. When I asked Dima if I may come in, he answered me very seriously: «Yes, Sanka, you may come in, but for a few minutes because you are too big for our house».
I was happy! I'd been for more than half a day back in my childhood. I'd met the real prince and princess on the backyard who were so happy that I understood the tale could become true sometimes...

Once upon a time...

There are a lot of stories that people create using their imaginatoin. They are not true, and very often cannnot happen in real life. Although, some of them are results of human activities which are written in order to provide future generations with good and useful advice.
Sometimes on Sundays we are going to church with my cousin. We would like to go there every Sunday. Usually it happens twice a month though (we are lazy and want to sleep till late during weekends). We went to church today in the morning where the priest told people a very interesting story. I want to write it in my blog as I think it's a really useful one for us, guys...
Once upon a time... In a nice town with a lot of green trees and colourful flowers lived a man who worked at the construction company. You ask if there were construction companies at that time? Don't ask, please, but read till the end. The man was almost at his age to be retired. He was tired of his job and didn't want to work any more. He dreamt to be ritered as soon as possible. His job was really important because he built houses for people. Therefore, the better quality of his job, the happier people would be in the future as they had a good and warm house.
It was Monday... The manager of the construction company came to the man and asked him to build one more house - the last one before being retired. He told that this house would be a home for a family with 3 kids that are poor, and asked him to do his best while building.. The man was upset and with every minute he became more and more angry. "Why should I? Oh no, I'm fed p with everything! I want to have a rest", he thought. He couldn't say 'no' to his manager though, so he promised to build a good and nice house.
On Tuesday he started his last job. He didn't know at that time it will be important for him but not for other people. He wasn't enthusiastic about building that house. As a result, he used the cheapest materials and did everything very quickly. Till the the next week he finished the house. The manager was shocked. "Oh, good job! You must have been working really hard", he sad. "I have good news for you. " The man was happy to hear that. "What kind of news? Tell me, tell me, please! " "You were a really good worker, and you always worked so hard. Our company is thankful for your devotion to what you have been doing. We decided to make a present for you: here's the key of the new and nice house you have recently built." .
And now it's time for us to think about everything we are doing for other people. Very often we don't know that we are doing that for ourselves.

HF!M

I've made a new acronym for myself. Why? What's the reason I did it? ...I was thinking about the life. Ye, I like to think about my life and people's life in general, sometimes, not very often. I decided there are a lot of things which are important for me. I tried to do my best to cut it as much as possible, and I've got the short word HF!M which stands for:
I hate days when I have headache. At this time I cannot think at all. I want to stay home doing nothing and do not go anywhrere. I do not expect any good emotions or feelings as well as any positive and useful results. Even though it's just a light headache and not a real desease... As a result, one of the most important things in my life is Health. However, what's the more interesting is that I don't usually like to act in order to improve my health or at least keet it at the same level. I have to put a lot of clothes when it's -20 outside, but I hate that. I should wear two pairs of trouses not to get cold. I like ice-cream and chocolate. Of course, I know it's junk food that influences my helth badly. Still I'm keeping eat it. That's ok, right? Nothing wrong with that. I was just trying to make an acronym. I wasn't trying to change my life habits, no matter what they are.
I like letter F. Many good words start with this letter like Family and Friends - F! These people mean a lot in my life. I would not be myself without them. I think everybody knows that only having lost something, you can understand the real value of it. I totally agree with this statement. I didn't lose my family or my friends - they are still living somewhere (in Ukraine, as far as I know). The only thing I've understood being in Canada, far away from them, is how much I love them and how I appreciate evrything thay are doing or have done for me. Probably, one of them is reading my blog now - am I right, Yulia, and understands everything... And my family. It was the castle full of love and kindness. So... what could be better?
Ok, I'm almost done with my explanation. The last letter and the last important thing for me is... You may not agry with me, guys, but be honest! I don't want to be involved in any suspicious thoughts like 'Oh, she likes Money!' It's natural to want more than you have. Does everybody like money? Let us think. Does everybody would like to live in the huge house with swimming-pool and bowling room? No, because not everybody likes to swim and to play bowling. In this case, the acronym would be different than mine. I like to swim and I love bowling...
Cheers!

The Best Advisor

Very often I like, it's even better to say I love, to spend my time doing stupid things... like shopping. I can spend many many hours in the malls watching stuff and deciding what's better to buy, what's more useful and has better quality. The ladies can understand me but not the gentlemen who usually hate shopping.
I spent more than 4 hour on Saturday doing that with my cousin. And I should have spent those 4 hours for studying English :) specially on improving my writing skills. Even though there was a lot of snow on the roads, and it was not really safe to drive, we couldn't stay home and do not go shopping. Sounds funny but I guess it's one of my hobbbys. Probably the worst one but I need it like water.
I should say that shopping is not totally wasting of time as people sometimes consider bacause it makes you think a lot. You have to watch all kind of stuff, to choose, to remember what you need for this week, do not forget to buy anything. So I'm usually trying to think about what I need before and to make a kind of list. Ye, sort of. But it doesn't help lots because I will forget something for sure every time. There is no help for forgetful people ):
One more reason why I think it's the worst of my hobbies is that it makes me tired. Very tired! Every time I'm coming back home I think why I spent some much time in the shop. I have a lot of thinks to do that are important and should be done. But now no time for them left and I have to do everything in a hurry because I was doing a funny thing - shopping. I want to have a rest after that. A long and good rest. Then why I still continueing to go shopping for many hours and to enjoy that activity, if I can say like that, every single week. I guess if I am not studying and working I would spend at least 10 hours out of 24 in the malls every day.
Ladies, say I'm not the only one like that. I know there are many of us. But why? What's wrong with our minds? I know some guys who enjoy shopping as well as me, but not a lot. And they are not my father and brother whom I drove crazy while taking to go shopping with me.
The one thing I know for sure is that if you don't know which dress to buy and you are still deciding between two of them: the red one or maybe green...? Ask the guy. He is the best advisor. Right, guys?

The best way of English

When I'm thinking about English I always remember the first time I started to study it - it was in school when i was 7 or 8 years old. I hated that time because I couldn't understand what the differende between do not and does not. When should I use that? It sounds funny but I failed my first test in English and I was crying the whole way back home.
Now I like studying English. And I know where I have to use do not and where does not, even though there is a lot of problems with this language as it's completely different from my native Ukrainian. What's the best way to study Foreign language? I think you'll do it faster if you go to the country where this language is widely used. I remember my own experience when I was working in the US with children in summer camp. After caming back home I felt like I was really lucky cause I could spend the whole 2 month in the English enviromnmental. I hate American accent, but I made my best to get use to it and to express myself as clear as possible for American people.
I think that good teacher give a lot to students in the field of studying. They are like advisor that show the way you should follow and then it;s up to you if you want to take their advice and knoledge and keep it for future or leave and don't care. Sometimes I did like that. I mean I didn't care. If I had studied harder in the past and been more responsible for everything, I would have had different life now than I have. But I dont want to have the different life. Im happy with what i have and what Im doing, so,.,, maybe it's a good idea to be sometimes unresponsible and do not care? :)