Happy New Year!

Many readers of this blog will be celebrating the New Year on a different date, but for me the calendar year is ending tomorrow.
2011 has been memorable! I started a wonderful new job and have gotten to work with amazing and truly generous people. I traveled more than any other year, and was fortunate to have a new book published. Good health and good fortune accompanied me through the months, and when I reflect on the year, my sense is one of deepest gratitude! Other people have taken care of me and shared their love and wisdom, and they are the real reason I will remember 2011 with great appreciation.
I hope that your year, however you measure it, has been a great one, and that the days ahead of you are marked by the things you value and enjoy...

Time will tell

Time will tell means that we will know the result of something after some time passes. I suppose this expression has a little skepticism attached to it, in the sense that the person who says it may doubt the results of the thing in question. Here's an example:

You: I think the new program to reduce costs will be really successful. What do you think?

Your coworker: Well, it sounds good, but I'm not sure it will work... Time will tell.

Turn over a new leaf

To turn over a new leaf means to change something about yourself or your life. Here are a few examples:

He must have turned over a new leaf; he used to frown all the time and now he's always smiling!

I've decided to turn over a new leaf and start taking yoga classes.

A lot of people decide to turn over a new leaf on January 1.

Read a children's book

One of the three kings brought a very nice book the other day: Otto, El Oso de Libro.

This book is great! And in these days before Christmas, I see a lot of children's books in bookshops, and some of them are wonderful. So I was very happy to receive a book in Spanish, with marvelous illustrations! I could read it very easily and I learned some new words too!

So, why not read a children's or young person's book in English? You probably read a lot of them in your native language, and I bet you learned a lot of words and expressions as you went along... So, don't be shy! Pick out a great book like Where the Wild Things Are, or something by Dr. Seuss, and start some delightful reading!

See the light at the end of the tunnel

A tunnel is a dark place you have to pass through to arrive somewhere.
To see the light at the end of the tunnel is to begin to see the end of a difficult situation or period. Here are a few examples:
After working continuously for the past three months, we're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
You'll feel better when you see the light at the end of the tunnel!
The worst part of a project is when you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

See you later, alligator!

Okay, maybe I didn't get quite enough sleep last night.

Or maybe I'm just in a good mood after Spanish class with the incomparable María.

In any case, I can't resist posting this expression.

We say this to kids when we're saying goodbye. Here's an example:

You: See you later, alligator!

Your seven-year-old: In a while, crocodile!

Try it. I guarantee at least one of you will smile!

This post is dedicated to my dad, who always makes me smile!

Long time, no see!

If you haven't seen a person for a long time, you can say "long time, no see!"
You could also say this ironically, if you have just seen the person.
This expression is very informal.

To not see the forest for the trees

To not see the forest for the trees means that you don't see the big picture because you're too focused on the details. So this expression means to lose perspective.
Does this ever happen to you? I suppose that many of us have jobs or other responsibilities that demand some attention to detail, which can result in not seeing the forest for the trees. Certainly we can see other people losing perspective, in sports, politics, etc., and making mistakes they might have avoided. What's the risk of not seeing the forest for the trees? I guess the most serious risk is forgetting what's really important. Getting caught up in the details can make it more difficult to remember the real reason that we're doing something.
What do you think?

Interview on rob mclennan's blog

rob mclennan has very kindly posted an interview with me on his blog. What impresses me most about his reviews and interviews is the care he takes in making links, which gives the posts a huge amount of added interest.
Thank you so much, rob!!!

To be seeing someone

If you're seeing someone, it means that you're dating. It may mean more or less involvement, depending on the situation, but it always means that you're spending time with the person in a romantic way. Here are a couple of examples:

Him: Would you like to have dinner with me on Saturday?
Her: Um, actually, I'm seeing someone.
Him: Oh.
*******
Her: He seemed pretty disappointed when I told him I was seeing someone.
Her friend: Yeah, I bet he was. But are you really serious about Felix?
Her: Well, we've been seeing each other for a while now, but I'm not sure...
*******
As you can see, we usually encounter this phrasal verb in the continuous, and we don't usually use it in the future. So we would say "He was surprised that she was seeing someone," to express a situation in the past.

Expression: See the world through rose-colored glasses

If you see the world through rose-colored glasses, it means that you always see things in a positive way.
You could also see a person this way, or a situation.
Although many people think that it's good to see things through rose-colored glasses, others argue that it's unrealistic to see everything this way all the time.
What do you think?

(This image is by Salvador Dali.)

Funny

Funny is an adjective which has two primary meanings. It can describe something or someone which makes you laugh. It can also mean strange or unusual, in other words, peculiar. So sometimes we have to clarify which meaning is intended. Here's a conversation to illustrate this kind of situation:
You: A funny thing happened to me yesterday...
Me: Funny ha-ha or funny peculiar?
You: Funny peculiar...
"Funny ha-ha" refers to the kind of funny which makes you laugh, and this is a common question to clarify the situation.
This post is dedicated to Anna and Aida, who can sometimes be funny ha-ha, but are never funny peculiar.

Foolish

Foolish is an adjective, and it has the following meanings:
1: lacking in sense, judgment, or discretion
2a : absurd, ridiculous 2b : marked by a loss of composure
3: insignificant, unimportant
Here are a few examples, which you could match with the meanings above:
He was wearing a foolish grin.
She's been taking foolish risks.
Those clothes make her look foolish.
She must feel foolish wearing those clothes.
I never thought you'd be foolish enough to believe him.

It's worth noting, though, that for some people, being foolish is not a bad thing. Steve Jobs famously says at the end of his Stanford commencement address: "Stay hungry, stay foolish." Here he means that people should keep taking risks, even if other people think they're lacking in judgment.
In the Tarot deck, The Fool represents innocence and a sense of adventure, and often signifies the beginning of a journey.
In the song, These Foolish Things, the idea is that insignificant things remind the speaker of her lover. Here's a version sung by Ella Fitzgerald:

I think it's safe to say that acting foolish is commonly associated with being in love, or being very engaged with something, or having a great passion for something. Inventors have often been considered foolish, until their inventions were found to be useful or important. Creative people are sometimes seen as foolish, because others may not understand their obsessions and therefore find them very impractical.
What do you think? Is being foolish only negative, or could it have some positive possibilities?

Finally, the noun of this adjective is foolishness, and the adverb is foolishly.

Expression: Give up the ghost

When an object stops working forever, we can say it has given up the ghost. For example: "After ten years, my car finally gave up the ghost yesterday."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mistakes in English: do you really need to apologize?

If you know me, you know that I'm taking a wonderful Spanish class. My teacher is fantastic in every way, and in the past few weeks, spending an hour and a half together on Wednesdays, she has taught me a lot, provided a supportive space to practice, and generally encouraged me to the extent that I'm already speaking a lot more whenever I have the chance! Thanks, María!

One reflection I've had during these classes is that maybe we don't need to apologize for our mistakes if they don't offend anyone. I mean that if we use the wrong verb tense, or pronounce something incorrectly, or don't understand something, maybe we don't need to apologize, because these are natural parts of the learning process. We're taking a class because we don't know something, so why should we apologize when we make mistakes?

Is there any time when we should apologize in class? Well, maybe if we weren't paying attention, or forgot to turn the cell phone off, or were late to class. Those would all be good reasons. But not when we make mistakes.

So what should we do? What about smiling and going on, correcting the mistake ourselves or asking for help? What do you think?

Lexis: active and passive

I'm reading a marvelous book called Learning Teaching, by Jim Scrivener. This book was recommended to me by one of the greatest people I know, and it's absolutely a must if you're interested in language teaching. Here are a few things I have found interesting from the learner perspective:

Lexis

One of the most useful observations in the book is about the concept of lexis. Lexis is all the words, collocations and phrases that compose a language. These parts of language fall into two big categories, active and passive. This means that we have some words we use all the time, and others that we don't use often (or ever) but know and can recognize.

Active vs. Passive Lexis

An example of this in my case would be a word like "microscope". I never use this word! but I know what a microscope is, so if I read or hear this word, I understand it. I think it's accurate to say that the majority of my lexis is passive. I know a huge number of words and expressions, but I only use a very small number of them on a daily basis. This is true in my native language, and it will also be true in any language I learn. What do you think? Is this true for you? What percentage of all your native words and expressions do you use on a daily basis?

Learning Strategies

The value of thinking about active and passive lexis when you're learning a language is that you can classify new vocabulary, and this will probably affect your strategy with learning. You need to have a good active vocabulary which allows you to communicate in everyday situations. This vocabulary should be accessible and increasingly automatic for you. So you may need to put in some extra effort here if you can't remember the words and expressions. But as you continue, you'll also be learning a lot of passive lexis. It makes sense to pay attention to this, and connect it to your active lexis when you can, but also not to worry too much if you have trouble remembering all the words. When you encounter new lexis, it may help to ask, active or passive? For a scientist, "microscope" is probably active!

Why Is Passive Lexis Important?

As you learn, you'll naturally increase both your active and passive lexis, and your passive lexis will be important, especially when you're reading or listening to other people speak. In fact, increasing your passive lexis may be one of the most important elements in understanding what you hear, so using resources like TED and the BBC can be very helpful. You may never have occasion to say "at sixes and sevens," but if you know what it means, you'll undertand it when someone says it!

Expression: Self-fulfilling prophecy

A prophecy is a prediction that something will happen. A self-fulfilling prophecy means that you make a prediction, and then the thing really happens, because you make it happen. The idea is that because you believe that things will occur in a certain way, your behavior adapts to your belief, and that makes the thing come true.

Do you agree with this idea? I'm not sure it's true in every case, but I think it happens sometimes. For example, if someone is very insecure in a relationship, and afraid that his or her partner will leave, he or she may start behaving in ways that make the relationship more and more difficult. Finally, the partner might really leave! Have you ever witnessed anything similar?

Many people think that that what you believe conditions your actions, which then affect outcomes, while other people think that what happens is simply chance, luck or destiny. What do you think? Have you ever experienced a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Schlep

To schlep is to carry. Here are some examples:
The meeting room was changed at the last minute, so we had to schlep all our stuff to the new room.
Did you schlep all these things by yourself?
We helped our friend move, and it took all day to schlep his boxes to the new apartment.
This word may look difficult to pronounce.The trick is that the c is silent. So you make the sh sound, like sheep, and then add the l.

Expression: So far, so good!

So far means until this moment. So good means that things are going well. So far, so good is an expression which means that everything is going ok until this moment; nothing bad has happened yet and the status is positive.
What's the feeling of this expression? People use it when they want to say that everything is going well but the future is uncertain. Of course, the future is always uncertain, but some people like to emphasize this more than others.
So if someone asks you the status of a new project, for example, you could say "So far, so good" if everthything is going well.

Peace of mind

We have peace of mind when we feel calm about something. Solving a problem can give you peace of mind, or coming to the end of a project or challenging situation. When we're worried about something, we don't have peace of mind. Our mind is constantly disturbed by the thing we're worried about, so peace of mind is the absence of mental stress or anxiety.
What do you do to restore your peace of mind? A lot of people like to go to he mountains, or the sea, in order to have some quiet time in nature. Other people like to clean! Personally, I find that taking care of some things that need to be done is a good way to have peace of mind; reading certain books, or seeing a friend can do the same. Sometimes it's enough just to do something fun for a while, to get a new perspective.
There is a nice post about having more peace of mind here.

Get the hang of it

To get the hang of something is to learn how to do it, especially by practicing. Sometimes, I think I'm getting the hang of teaching! As an adult, it's difficult to remember just how much practice was needed to learn things that now seem natural, like riding a bike, cooking, or driving a car. Getting the hang of something takes time, patience, repetition, and real desire to learn. Many people believe that artists are simply talented, but I think that artists practice a lot to get the hang of using the methods they need to create their art. The same is true with writing: you have to get the hang of it! Part of learning English is getting the hang of learning it. I mean that by practicing, you learn the best way to learn. Also, you get the hang of how different grammar structures work, or how to use new vocabulary. The main thing is to be patient with yourself, don't worry too much when you make mistakes, and keep practicing!

Schmooze

To schmooze to converse informally or chat and it also means to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner especially so as to gain favor, business, or connections.
This image is from a professional event in Portland, Oregon, so it relates to the second meaning. You could say that this kind of schmoozing is networking.
But you can also just schmooze, especially at a party or in a cafe or bar. Just chat with people and share a few jokes together!
This post is dedicated to Montse, who reminded me of this wonderful word!

Each other

Each other is a way to express a feeling or state shared by two people or two groups of people. Here are some examples:

I like him and he likes me. We like each other.

She knows him and he knows her. They know each other.

We met in 2008. We've known each other since then.

We don't like them and they don't like us. We don't like each other.

Show up

To show up is to arrive or appear. Here are some examples:

We were worried about Amber, but she finally showed up at midnight.

How many people showed up for the meeting?

Well, I'm glad you showed up!

They're amazing; they showed up late for their own wedding!

Trick or treat

When I was a child, we used to go trick-or-treating on Halloween night. This meant getting dressed up in costumes and going from house to house, knocking on the doors and saying "trick or treat!"
People would usually put some kind of decoration on the house to show that they were ready for trick-or-treaters, like a jack-o-lantern, one of those pumpkins with a face and a candle inside.
Trick or treat means: choose between giving us a treat (candy) or having us do something mean (a trick). Of course, everyone chose to give a treat! But there were some tricks in the neighborhood too, like teenage boys who would decorate someone's house in toilet paper. in general, though, the kids who went trick-or-treating received a plenty of candy and had a good time seeing neighbors and friends with their decorated houses...

Use your English to learn something!

When you can communicate in English, one of the greatest things is to start using your English to learn something! You could take a course, or you could read about something you're really interested in; you could get a group together to have wine tastings and learn the vocabulary in English; you could form a book or film group; you could have some friends over to watch a TV series together. There are soooooo many things you could do to start using your English! And this is the whole point, right? To be able to use your English! Of course you may want to continue studying English in order to improve. But imagine how much you could learn if you started cooking or learning about a sport or reading about things you really love!

Seven years in Barcelona

This weekend will mark the seventh anniversary of my arrival in Barcelona!

Since the original idea was to stay for one year, I think you can imagine that it's been a wonderful experience, full of surprises along the way.

For example, I never expected to meet the marvelous people I've met here.

They have been worth coming here for, and worth staying for!

Expression: Play it by ear

If you play it by ear, it means that you don't have a plan of action, you improvise as you go along.
What do you think of this way of doing things? For some people, preparing a plan and folllowing it are important or necessary. Others like to play it by ear. Some prefer a mix of the two approaches, and I think I fall into this category. When I plan a class or presentation, I prepare an outline and some resources, but I try to be present enough in the moment to play it by ear if the situation seems to ask for it. Sometimes the best classes are the ones which deviate the most from the plan!
What about you? Do you like to play it by ear?

Best web resources: Presentation Zen

Presentation Zen is a marvelous website created by Garr Reynolds. It concerns the art and craft of giving great presentations, and I always find it excellent; written with care and creativity. Garr puts a huge number of resources there, and if you like the site, you might also enjoy his personal blog. I admire Garr's creativity, constancy, sense of humor and Zen aesthetic. Also, if you're interested in Steve Jobs, there are some wonderful posts there with some of his presentations. I hope you enjoy!

Best web resources: Khan Academy

Have you discovered Khan Academy yet? It's a truly remarkable web resource. About the site:
With a library of over 2,600 videos covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and 215 practice exercises, we're on a mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace.
A free world-class education for anyone anywhere.The Khan Academy is an organization on a mission. We're a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere.
All of the site's resources are available to anyone. It doesn't matter if you are a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology. The Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge.
Click on the image to go to the site!

Expression: From scratch

From scratch works like an adverb, and it describes making or doing something from the beginning; starting with no advantage or prior preparation. For example, if you bake a cake from scratch, it means you don't have a packaged cake mix; you make it with flour and eggs, etc. Here are a few other examples:
There were so many errors in the program that the programmer decided to rewrite it from scratch.
When I was a child, my parents and I used to bake Christmas cookies from scratch.
We started from scratch on the project; now I realize that we could have had more help at the beginning.

Did you communicate?

In my company, we sometimes have the great opportunity to travel and go to conferences or other kinds of events. Sometimes we're presenting, but often simply participating in these events. We meet people from many places, and the majority of them are communicating in English, which is a second or third (or even fourth or fifth) language for them. In my opinion, what's really important at these events is communication, and usually people do well with it! So, if your goal is to communicate, how do you know you're successful? Here are a few questions you could ask:
Did people understand me in general?
Did people ask me questions?
Did I understand the others in general?
Could I ask questions and pay attention to the answers?
Was I able to do the things I needed and wanted to do, like order food and drinks, find my way around, buy things, etc.?

If you can answer yes to most of these questions, I think you communicated! Even if you made mistakes, you were able to make contact with people, and do the things you needed to do. It's important to reflect on how well you did, and not only on the things you'd like to improve. Of course you can always improve, and you will! But if you're communicating, you're doing the most important thing right now!

Expression: Dim bulb

A dim bulb is a person who is not very intelligent. Since bright is another word for intelligent, and dim is the opposite of bright, you can see how this expression emerged. A bulb is a lightbulb.

This is not a very nice thing to say about somebody, so I'm not putting it here for you to say, but for you to recognize!

A variation on this is "She's not the brightest bulb on the string." The meaning is the same, and the image is of a string of lights with one dim bulb.

Phrasal verb: Touch base

To touch base with someone is to communicate with them about the status of a project or other question. Here are some examples:

• Voicemail message: Hi! This is Miriam. I'm just calling to touch base with you about the meeting next week. Do you have everything you need? If not, just call me back.


• In a meeting: I want to touch base with everyone about the new provider and make sure that we're getting the service we need. Do you have any feedback?


• An email: Hi Bob, I want to touch base with you about the training for the new staff. How is everything going?

Gregarious

My word for today is gregarious.

A gregarious person likes to be with people, and generally meets new people easily.

Are you gregarious?

Odd numbers and even numbers

We call 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc. odd numbers.

We call 2, 4, 6, 8, etc. even numbers.

Expression: At sixes and sevens

To be at sixes and sevens is to be confused or badly organized.
Where does this expression come from? I don't know, but I like it! Here are a few examples:

The whole office was at sixes and sevens before Mary came.
We're at sixes and sevens this morning; could we call you back in a few hours?
She always seemed to be at sixes and sevens and her agenda was out of control!

Goodbye, Steve Jobs

...And thanks for everything.

"Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it."

President Barack Obama

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Steve Jobs

Hacked off

Hacked off is an adjective that means angry. Here are some examples:

Sue: "What are you so hacked off about?"

James: "I accidentally deleted my report and now I have to rewrite the whole thing!"

John was hacked off about the increase in his rent, so he decided to look for another flat.

Bob: "I'm a little hacked off about the new policy, how about you?"

Phoebe: "Yeah, I know what you mean!"

As you can see, we usually put about after hacked off and before the cause of the anger. But if you're angry at a person, you could put at: "I'm hacked off at Jennifer because she cancelled our meeting again!"

How to read more

Leo Babauta has a very nice post on zenhabits about how to read more.

Do you have enough time to read? I'm not sure that I do. I've pretty much given up on reading in bed, at least during the week, because it seems to make it difficult for me to sleep. So I do most of my reading on the weekends.

I really agree with Leo, though, that reading is a great, great pleasure, and one that deserves time and attention. He also recommends a cup of tea...

This image is a cartoon of Gromit reading, based on the claymation film A Grand Day Out. You can see more about Gromit and his friend Wallace here.

Aware

To be aware of something is to know about it. Here are some examples:
"Are you aware of the new rules about smoking in the building?"
He wasn't aware that Jane had left the company.
It's important to be aware of changes in the market.
The noun form is awareness. You can also make a negative adejective: unaware. So you could say: "He was unaware that Jane had left the company."

Chockablock

Chockablock is an adjective which means extremely full; crowded; jammed; for example: a room chockablock with furniture and plants.
I don't really like things that are crowded or full, unless they are chockablock with something wonderful, like books, interesting people, etc.
Fortunately, I work in a company which is chockablock with cool colleagues!

The Generosity Experiment

In this presentation on Vimeo, Sasha Dichter of the Acumen Fund shares the results of his month-long "Generosity Experiment" where he said "yes" to every request for help.

Sasha Dichter: The Generosity Experiment from TED Blog on Vimeo.

Crowded

My word for the day is crowded.

This is an adjective derived from the noun crowd. A crown is a large group of people. Crowded means full of people.

Whether or not you think a place is crowded is very subjective, based on your culture and you personal preferences. If you've grown up surounded by a lot of people, or in a culture where being close together is important, you may feel more comfortable in a crowded place. For someone else, though, a bar could feel crowded with only a few people. What about you? Do you prefer crowded places, or quiet ones?

This image of NYC from www.safran-arts.com

Overrated and underrated

It's very popular to rate things: movies, books, hotels, restaurants, etc. To rate is to give an opinion on quality, to evaluate. A lot of websites allow users to post their ratings, and these are often represented with stars.
If something is overrated, it means that people give it an evaluation which is too high. If something is underrated, the evaluation is too low.
In my opinion, new restaurants are often overrated. People write and post reviews with a lot of stars simply because a place is new. On the other hand, some movies are definitely underrated: they receive bad or so-so reviews, and then people don't see them.
A concept or idea can also be overrated. Ideas come and go, and sometimes they're in fashion for a while, until people feel that they're overrated, or proven to be untrue or useless.
Have you noticed anything overrated or underrated lately?

Doodle

My word for the day is doodle.

To doodle is to draw or write in an unstructured way, often when you're supposed to be listening to someone in a classroom or meeting, or when you're on the phone.

The truth is, I don't doodle much these days, but when I was in high school, I doodled a lot. My notebooks are filled with notes, but also lots of drawings and the names of boys I liked, repeated many times.

Some people think that doodling is bad, but I think it can be very creative! And some people draw or write truly beautiful things.

What about you? Do you doodle now, or did you when you were in school?

The image here is from www.jocheung.com

When a verb is the subject

When a verb is the subject of the sentence, you should use the gerund or -ing form. Here are some examples:

1. Working in the UK: some useful information.

2. Getting eight hours of sleep can be difficult.

3. Being on time is very important in business.

4. Smoking is prohibited in all areas of the airport.

English in the elevator: be brave!

I feel sorry for my colleagues.

Especially the ones who get into the elevator with me in the morning.

The problem is that I'm committed to speaking English here at work. All the time. In fact, just the other day one of my favorite people in the office told me that he was hearing me speak too much Spanish around the office, and that I should watch out!

Well, those people in the elevator might not agree. It's not easy to speak a second or third language with someone you don't know very well in a small crowded elevator, in front of your workmates. I realize this, and I offer you my compassion.

So, what is the best approach, apart from complete silence? Probably just to be able to ask, "How are you?" And to respond, "Fine, thanks. And you?" This is probably enough. And if you're brave enough to say more, good for you! But if not, don't worry! The time in the elevator will be over very soon!

Snack

A snack is a small amount of food that you have between meals. Some people prefer a sweet snack, like a cookie or some chocolate; other people like a salty snack such as peanuts or potato chips. Similar to other meals or drinks, we use the verb have: the kids had their snack at 11:oo.
When people talk about healthy snacks, they usually mean some fruit or something better for you than what you'll find in the vending machine.
Snack can also be a verb, and it often goes with the preposition on: we shouldn't have snacked on those chips because now it's time for dinner!
Typical times for a snack are mid-morning or mid-afternoon, although we also have the expression "midnight snack" for those trips to the fridge to satisfy nighttime cravings...

Follow a news story

One of the best ways to improve your English is to start following an ongoing news story. Ongoing means continuing, so your story should be something important enough to be in the news for several weeks. Why is this a good idea? Here are some reasons:
1. If you choose something you're interested in, it will help you to keep following the story.
2. If you keep following the story, you'll learn a lot of new words, because they will be repeated and this way you'll really learn what they mean.
3. Important news stories are usually in many places at the same time: in the newspaper, online, on television and on the radio. So you have the opportunity to use any or all of these sources to follow your story.
So, what do you think is the most important story in the news right now, from your perspective?

Navel-gazing

Navel-gazing is a wonderful verb which literally means to look at your own belly button. Metaphorically it means that you’re looking inward in an ineffectual manner; you’re not reflecting on yourself critically or constructively, you’re just very busy with your own, possibly inconsequential issues. Meanwhile the world is going on all around you.
In business, navel-gazing is a common problem that generally arises at a point of maturity, or after early success. The passionate, customer-driven startup can easily become a slow organization primarily focused on its own internal atmosphere, with lot of time spent on creating comfort, diversions and perks for the staff.
This phenomenon would seem to stem from a misunderstanding of the workplaces of famous high tech companies like Google, Apple and Facebook. In each case, an uneducated outsider is likely to see an oasis for workers, while missing the long hours and productivity which create real value. But high tech aside, we’ve probably all been to a shop, bar, doctor’s office or restaurant which appears to be set up more for the staff’s comfort and entertainment than to actually serve customers or patients effectively.
The bottom line is that if you’re not the only provider of your product or service, there’s probably someone out there would like to capture some of your customers while your employees are enjoying their massages or taking that long coffee break. Are all your perks and comforts really adding value and productivity? Or are they helping your people to forget that there are customers our there?

Undercover English speakers

One of the best things about my job is that I'm constantly meeting people who appeared not to speak ONE WORD of English, who turn out to be Undercover English speakers. These are people who actually know a good amount of English but are shy or lacking in confidence because it's been a long time (or a little while) since they last had an English class or any other chance to practice. The great thing is that when they start speaking again, they often remember English very quickly! Then it seems like magic! Sometimes they can really talk a lot, and it's wonderful that they've had the courage to begin again, and come into the light as English speakers. If you should happen to be an Undercover English speaker reading this, I encourage you to find an opportunity to start speaking again... If you look for a supportive person or people to talk with, you will benefit and probably inspire some other people too!

This image is from the original Get Smart TV series, and it shows the agents with their famous shoe phones.

Author Bill Coulton

Some of the readers of this blog already know that my dad, Bill Coulton, is a novelist. He now has a website and blog, and his books are available on Amazon. I think he has some really interesting things to say about writing fiction on his blog, as well as excerpts from his work.

Happy reading!

Today at 999 Things...

Have you visited the blog near the top of the links list called 999 Things that make me happy?
I really recommend it! Not only is it well done in general, I think you might be surprised by it, because the things are interesting and different, like "The Sunflower's example," or "So in love as the beginning."
Also, it might inspire you to start a blog of your own...

Tired vs. sleepy

Are you tired? Are you sleepy? Is anyone yawning?

Tired means that you're physically and/or mentally fatigued. Sleepy means that you feel like sleeping, even if you're not really tired. After lunch, for example, or on a summer afternoon when you're lying on the beach or by the pool, or just relaxing on the sofa. Your eyelids are getting heavy, you feel sooooooo relaxed....

This image from Calvin and Hobbes is by Bill Watterson.

Text describing words

Text words describe the form of the letters and the text. This is called italic. This is bold. We use different fonts, like Arial, Times New Roman, or Courier. Sometimes we write in ALL CAPS, but this sounds like SHOUTING! Sometimes we use emoticons :) to help to give the right message. We can put information in a list with numbers, or with bullet points.
What's your style?

Remind to/about

We often put notes or post-its on our desks or refrigerators to remind us to do something. These are called reminders. We can also ask someone to remind us to do something, or to remind us about an event. For example:

Could you remind me to feed the cat?

Thank you for reminding me about the meeting.

I reminded him to call his mother.

Why didn't you remind her about the lunch?

If you review these examples, you'll notice that we use remind + me/him/her + to + verb, and remind + about + noun.

Remind of

If someone reminds you of someone else, it means that he or she is similar to that person in some way, either in appearance, or personality. For example:
You remind me of my brother. You look just like him!
Does he remind you of anyone?
She reminds me of my aunt Mary because her smile is so similar.
We can also use this for places, or other things which make us think of something or someplace similar. For example:
Your apartment reminds me of my first apartment on College Avenue.
That dress reminds me of the one you wore to John's wedding.
This presentation reminds me of the one we saw last year.
It's important to note that you need remind+me/him/her+of to make the complete structure.

Stay the course

To stay the course is to maintain your direction and continue, even if you have problems. This is an expression often used to talk about people or organizations who keep going in spite of difficulties, and it has a very positive feeling. People who stay the course are considered to be strong and resilient. Stay is a regular verb. Here are some examples of the expression in use:

The crisis has been difficult for the company, but we're staying the course.

At first, he didn't like English, but he stayed the course and now speaks fluently.

This is a very tough situation for you, do you think you can stay the course?