PART TWO : What Pets Write in Their Diaries -- A cat's Diary

A CAT'S DIARY 

NOTE to the reader:

TO BE READ IRONICALLY! Of course! And you will find some 

KEY words in reference to PRISON, at the end of this document. Hope you get a good laugh at the references!

Day no. 983 of my captivity...

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. The Bastards!!!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage. 

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but next time  -- at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded!

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell      

                    

                                   So he is safe …  For now … !!!

KEY WORDS: first time doing this, hope it helps!

Captors > owners/propriétaire
hash > food > chopped up into little pieces> from Fr.< hacher

Inmates > prisoners > prison mates

make my contempt … clear > mon désaccord de cette réalité

Escape > as in being free/me sauver

Strike fear > to scare someone/faire peur

What I’m capable of … > what I CAN do

The ‘Bastards’ > form of angry remark > insult/Les Bâtards!

Assembly of their accomplices > ceux qui sont de connivence

Solitary confinement > prison term/en cellule fermé

My tormentors > mes bourreaux

Weaving ... feet > to be in the way/être dans ses jambes

Flunkies > 'yes-men' > des dépendants (ref. to dog)

and snitches > informants/rapporteurs (ref. to parrot)

cell > prison cell > avec des barreaux 

Have a great weekend!  

Suzanne

CAT LOVERS WILL UNDERSTAND! from Simon's Cat series

Today it's a video!

A cat one at that!
So funneeeee! It made me laugh out loud.

I enjoyed it and I can see some similarities

with some of my past cat Balou's habits.

Thanks Jean O. for sending this!!!

Thanks again for thinking of me and making me laugh!
I will send it on to some of my cat-loving friends,

and share the laughter!

Suzanne 


* Click on title for Simon's official WEBSITE
or on YouTube list, Simon's cat.
There are more! 18 are listed ... YESSSS!!!

ANOTHER MITCH ALBOM BOOK produced as a MOVIE

Mitch Albom's latest non-fiction book 

Have a Little Faith

                                        

has been produced and made into 

a TV movie/film.

It's on ABC, Sunday night, 

should be 8:00 or 9:00, 

To be sure, check you local 

or cable TV listings.

 This coming  Sunday evening, you might want 

  to watch a movie on American TV.

 Of course, it's Thanksgiving weekend in the USA,

so they always have special programming,

usually inspirational and in relationship

with the spirit of this family oriented American holiday. 

They are presenting the movie-version of Have A Little Faith.

The movie is based on another Mitch Albom non-fiction book.

very similar to the preceding one 

that I had mentioned in class, Tuesdays with Morrie.

If you want to read more and prepare for the film,

and, also, if you missed today's Dr.Phil Show 

with its guests, the actors and the author,

you can click on the title of this post.

Of course it's basic message is about faith.

FAITH being an open word here!

About believing in life, in yourself and in others,
whichever way you SEE it or UNDERSTAND it. 

but there is also an underlying message about

inclusion and accepting differences.

You are given opportunities in your life,

it's up to you to choose to act on them or not!

LIFE AFFIRMING decisions and actions.

SUZANNE 

WHAT PETS WRITE IN THEIR DIARIES

For today, here is M-D. and her daughters' 

contribution to this blog of mine!

This is the FIRST PART of:

What Pets Write in Their Diaries!

 A Dog's Diary    

8:00 am - Dog food! 
             My favorite thing!

9:30 am - A car ride! 

             My favorite thing!

9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!     

10:30 am - Got scratched & petted! My favorite thing!

12:00 PM - Lunch! My favorite thing!

1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!          

          

5:00 PM -   Milk Bones! My favorite thing!

7:00 PM -   Got to play ball! My favorite thing! 

8:00 PM -   Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!

11:00 PM -  Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!                         

Tomorrow, the second part: 

A Cat's Diary.

SEE YOU!!

STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS BLOG

Hello! and How are you doing? 

It's been a while! Recently, I have been really busy. 

As we say: I have a lot on my plate! (idiom)

I've been updating all my ESL documents. Making them more visual and reconfigurating them so they are more USER FRIENDLY. As I move along, I'm getting more and more inclass experience and student feed-back (THANKS!). As a result (so), I'm improving all my former documents by adding colors and details and CLIPART in some cases. And also creating NEW ones!

I'M REALLY HAVING FUN!!! 

As the advertising slogans goes: 

So I've been posting less here. 

And I've decided that I need HELP!

So I'm going to introduce 

some emails and communications

that I get from some of you, dear students!

Today I want to publish an email I received from one of this year's students. Her name is Marie-Denise. She has a daughter and a friend that regularly send her internet texts and jokes and pictures TO HELP MOM/FRIEND in her attempts to understand and learn English. What great helpers! In rebound I get to receive them also. Aren't I lucky?

To all you committed followers, today and the following days you will be reading one form or another of student contributions. 

For today, here is M-D's and her 'people' s 

contribution to this blog of mine!

And I am grateful!

   

Suzanne 

THE SOUNDS of ENGLISH

THE SOUNDS OF ENGLISH               

THE FINAL ED SOUND.

When using the simple past and 

the past participle (perfect) of REGULAR verbs, 

the ones that finish in ED, have a definite sound.

A PHONETIC RULE

There is a specific pronunciation rule 

USING the vibrations (or NOT) of your vocal cords.  

The TECHNIQUE that I have already shown you 

using your fingers on your throat and 

pronouncing ONLY the final sound 

of the word (here the verb).

*** For a live lesson, GO TO:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7hi-ipU2n0
or click on title for link
Remember to exaggerate while practicing! 
The final sound is of the utmost  IMPORTANCE
it tells the listener that you are speaking of he past! 

Teacher's TIP: read OUT LOUD !!   
HAVE FUN!
SUZANNE

ON LINE reading

I love reading on line!
AWESOME!

Speaking of which ...
The book of Awesome and the on line reading blog.
Just click on title or
image on your right.
These stories make you smile and
they are such a joy to read!
TRY THEM!

There is also WIKIPEDIA.
It reminds me,when I was young,
how I would go from one reference to the other,
flipping through the pages of the dictionary,
seeking information and fueling my curiosity.
Looove WIKI ...
it does all of it for you, it's all in the LINKS!
AWESOME!

And how about learning on line with
all the ressources offered to  ESL students and teachers!
AND THIS BLOG!!!
Super awesome!


I'm so grateful and happy
that one day, two years ago (nearly), 
I clicked on Google's: how to create a blog.
It has brought me many, many happy hours!
As you can see, I love to write
and you can read!
The best of both worlds.

SUZANNE
TRIVIA:  one out of every eight letters you read is the letter ‘e’.

’.

READING HABITS, what are yours?

All about READING

This post will help you to form sentences in which you can use the simple VERB tenses in your communications in English when talking or writing about habit & repeated actions.

I love to read.

Reading is one of my favourite activities.

POSSESSION:

I have many books. My books range in genre from fiction to essays (non-fiction) which I have more of! I have hard-cover books in many different sizes and just ordinary pocket books also. They are cheaper (less expensive) and popular editions. I also have some really expensive 'coffee table' books. I looove magazines especially on interior decoration and design. I have several subscriptions.

HABIT:

I read every day. I usually read for an hour and sometimes on weekends, up to five or six hours. Sometimes I even read two or three books at a time!! I usually read in my favourite reading chair and always read in bed fevore going to sleep. As you can see in the image above, I love to read in a nice warm bath too! 

I like to say: 

TIME FLIES WHEN YOU ARE READING!

  

PRESENTLY I am reading Tuesdays with Morrie for the second time. I really enjoy reading this book. It brings such wisdom into my daily life! This is a non-fiction novel. 

I’m also reading a new ESL book about English idioms. Reading to be informed. It is very well presented and explained. The approach is like the one in the LONGMAN learners’ dictionary that I recommended last September, at your first class. The one you purchased (bought) at the book store for your English classes. The dictionary that you use every day!!  And that eventually will become your best friend for learning English! I am telling you this because of students’ feed-backs and comments. They use it regularly while reading and writing. 
By the way, I would like to inform you that Marie-Denise, one of my students,  is presently accumulating quite a collection of ESL books. She and I are presently preparing a list of suggested books that you can ask for as a Christmas gift! Isn't this a great idea!!!

EXPERIENCE/ OPINION :

My favourite book of all times is The Alchimist.  I never hesitate to recommend this book. I read it the first time fifteen years ago. It took me just two ‘sittings’ to finish it. Over the years I have read it so many times that I forget. I have read it in French and in English. I finally bought myself, as a gift, an illustrated hard cover copy. This book is always by my bedside and once in a while I open it and read it on the chosen page. Reading has the power to transform lives| This book has influenced me profoundly.

 It’s called BOOK LOVE!!! 

The love and the joy of reading.

Have a great 'reading' weekend!
SUZANNE

NOTE:

This post comes from a document I created for this year's beginner group.
Reading is one of the best ways to enrich your vocabulary while having fun!

AUTUMN ...

Last year I think I was in a more 'poetic' mood. Here is a post that I've decided to bring back. I'm less enthusiastic about fall this year even though we are having  such wonderful season and the weather to go with it ... a lot of sunshine for a change. So here are last year's musings!

When I say the word AUTUMN  ...

what is the first word that comes to mind ?

season, fall

trees, leaves, colours

afternoon, Indian Summer

festivals, harvest

outdoor markets

apples and apple pie

pumpkins and Hallow’een

change, weather, cool, rain

TEMPO’s (just kidding!)

Many words come to mind and many images do also. 

This is what is called ASSOCIATION!

Put all these words together and you get 

A STORY ABOUT AUTUMN.

Sounds like the title of a movie, doesn’t it? Actually it is in fact the reminder that in English, Autumn is a girl’s name, just like Winter is, and Summer and Spring as well. There are  April’s, May’s and June’s too.

But let’s concentrate on the word AUTUMN which is the name of a season, one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, from hot to cold, weather that is! The synonym being FALL. Which of course comes from LA CHUTE DES FEUILLES: falling autumn leaves and we get, fall foliage and fall colours. These are all expressions used while talking about autumn.

You have song lyrics and poems that celebrate this colourful season. There are novels and short stories too. You also have visual art forms, paintings and photographs and videos that show many of our fall colours. These are the ones used to best describe them: red, yellow, orange, gold and crimson, rusts and browns, and all the different hues of each. The most spectacular presented by the sugar maple tree!


You also have the sounds of fall: the Canada geese flying over, the rustling of leaves on the ground, the sound of the cool wind in the trees, the little squirrels running around gathering their nuts for the winter. And what about the smell of woodsy dying leavesand the cool fresh air hitting your nostrils. All your senses are sollicited!!!

So, no wonder that autumn is so much 

a part of our lives here in Québec …

YOU CANNOT MISS IT!!!!
You can SEE it, SMELL it and HEAR it!
You can also EAT some of it
But mostly be TOUCHED by all of it!

I WISH YOU ALL A GREAT FALL
and
A HAPPY AUTUMN!

An after thought or comment:

I really had the intention of waking up your senses when I wrote this. 
I also wanted to show the ones that hate that summer is over 
that fall is really to be appreciated.
I personally love fall/autumn even though it means 
coming back to the city but it also represents 
starting my ESL classes which I ADORE!!!


Suzanne