Today's word from Diary: Snow Day

1/31/2008
I got up early today to start working and was planning to go out to breakfast. However the scenery outside the window told me that it wouldn’t be possible. "Look at the roof!" I said to my husband in slight shock.

"So much accumulated snow can be dangerous" he said, "Snow can become so heavy that it can make a roof collapse. Snow can also be dangerous for trees. Snow can accumulate in trees and snap the branches." An hour later, I actually saw a big tree branch break under the weight of the snow and fall to the ground. He continued "On days like this, classes are sometimes cancelled in school. It is called a 'Snow Day'. It is probably time for a snow day." Soon after, a text message arrived to inform that school was closed for today, and tomorrow.

Snow Day from the News
Area schools may be closed tomorrow, and while kids love a snow day, parents are left in the lurch. So who's going to watch your kids if you can't be there?
(Fox2 News from http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5643095&version=4&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1)

Today's word from Diary: zesty, tangy

1/30/2008
It snowed a lot yesterday, again. When we went out to our car we found an unbelievable amount of snow packed on top of the car. My husband said, "It's like six inches. I've never shoveled off my car before." We had to spend time clearing the snow off the car and making a path through the snow to get the car out of the driveway. We finally managed to get out of the snow and drove to Denny's. Denny's is a fast food restaurant open 24/7. We go there frequently when we have some work to do until late night. I ordered top sirloin steak with a side of cinnamon apples and onion rings. I have my own way of eating onion rings. I remove the crust off the onion rings, and just eat the onions inside. So even after I finish eating, it looks like I still have something left because of the piled-up crusts. Servers often ask me if I need a box, even though I actually have nothing to take home.

After the dinner, I decided to get some dessert. While I was looking at the menu, I encountered two unfamiliar words, zesty and tangy. "Zesty nachos" and "mozzarella cheese sticks … with a side of our tangy marinara sauce". I said to my husband "I don't know these words, zesty and tangy." He answered, "They are just marketing terms. Usually only marketers and advertisers use them. They just want to emphasize that their products are good." After I got home, I searched for the words in online dictionaries. Zesty means "sharp and pleasantly stimulating to the mind or senses (bland pasta that needs a zesty sauce)" [Merriam Webster Dictionary]; tangy means "having a sour, acidic or citrus taste" [Allwords.com]. Despite those fancy words, neither nachos nor cheese sticks were appealing to me. I just got a slice of cheese cake with strawberries.

Today's word from Diary: snow plow

1/27/2008
It has been snowing a lot. To go out somewhere in this weather is tough. Not only is it dangerous to drive, but there is also heavy work required to clear the packed snow off a car before driving. I saw a truck removing snow from the road. It is called a 'snow plow' - a vehicle or piece of equipment on the front of a vehicle that is used to push snow off roads, railways etc (Longman Online Dictionary).

I am surprised that main roads for cars are always clean even when there is heavy snow. Yet most pedestrian areas are still covered with snow and ice, thus quite slippery, except for parking lots for restaurants and stores. I heard that one of the differences between adults and children is whether one likes snow or not. When I was little, I loved snow. It was not only because I could make a snowman or have snowball fighting, but also because I just loved the prettiness of the snow. However, I am not as happy to see snow as I was as a child, though I still do like to build a snowman. Maybe I am growing up.

Snow plow from the news:
A pedestrian was killed in a fatal crash with a snow plow early Sunday morning, according to the state Department of Transportation. The DOT vehicle was clearing snow off the shoulder of State Route 26 just east of Othello when the person was hit just after midnight.
(KOMO TV.com from http://www.komotv.com/news/local/14467852.html)

We are on a local newspaper!!!

Today's word from Diary: Jittery

1/26/2008

Today I was a bit tired, and slept until 10 AM. After taking a shower, we went to breakfast and got a couple of newspapers. I ordered a vegetable omelet with hash brown and toast. My husband got strawberry crapes and bacon. We also had coffee.

After breakfast, we went to a coffee shop. We love to study and talk about different topics that interest or inspire us in our favorite coffee shop hangout. He got a triple shot iced mocha. After a while, his hands started getting shaky. He said "I drank too much coffee. I am really jittery now." Jittery means "shaky and slightly uncontrolled" or "nervous" (Cambridge Dictionary Online)

Jittery from the News:
Scary movies are supposed to leave patrons feeling a bit scared and jittery, but the newest horror flick is leaving Oklahoma City-area moviegoers with a different feeling – nausea.
(Local 6.com from http://www.local6.com/entertainment/15118651/detail.html?rss=orlpn&psp=entertainment)

Korea's plan to teach classes in English

Korea's transition committee for the president-elect announced plans to have all high schools teach English classes in English and possibly other classes as well, starting in 2010. Improving the language skills of Korean children is certainly important. However, an equally important issue is providing support to teachers to help them get ready for teaching in English. Even teachers in foreign language high schools, relatively better-equipped with foreign language skills, do not always feel comfortable teaching in English. In fact, an increasing number of students in those schools have experience studying, living, or visiting English speaking countries and complain about the English proficiency of their teachers.

To help these plans be successful, the government needs to provide professional incentives to teachers and support the development of training programs and materials for teachers about how to prepare classes in English. This can also include bringing in native English speakers with classroom teaching experience to act as advisors and consultants to the teachers. Several Korean universities have already started recruiting foreigners to help their faculty develop lectures and class materials in English. A good policy aimed at increasing the language skills of Korean students needs to also provide support to increasing the language skills of Korean teachers.

Today's word from Diary: Bloated

1/24/2008

My husband and I went out to dinner at a Korean restaurant. The Korean restaurant we often go to serves Korean and Japanese dishes. Although many Americans like to have Japanese sushi, some try Korean dishes, such as Bulgogi (seasoned beef) and Bibimbap (rice mixed with vegetables). My husband loves Bulgogi especially with Kimchi (spicy fermented cabbage). Today was no exception. He ate a lot of Bulgogi and Kimchi and got very full. After dinner he said "I feel bloated." "What does it mean 'bloated'? ", I asked. He said "it means to be inflated, swollen, puffed up, or full."

The dictionary defines it as "swollen and rounded because of containing too much air, liquid or food (e.g.) a bloated (=uncomfortably full) feeling" It also can be used to describe something unnecessarily large." [Cambridge Dictionary Online]

Bloated from the news:
While a decrease in home prices is likely to help shave some excess from the bloated inventories of unsold homes and eventually bring the housing slump to an end, economists warn that falling home prices could cut into consumer spending.

(Reuters from http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN1549913820080124?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true)

Korea to take English education as a national task

Korea just elected its new president, and the transition Committee for the president-elect has been suggesting many ideas about new policies. The chairwoman of the committee said on January 22 that the new government regarded English education as a national task, and would consider teaching classes in English starting from elementary school. The president-elect had said on January 18 that he would consider changing a law to allow the hiring of foreign citizens to public service sectors, even to be a minister. (See related article: http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2885383)

I agree with the importance of following the trend of globalization, and of English education in public schools. However, if the purpose of English education is raising the competiveness of Koreans and Korean national brands in the global market, the new government should also be concerned about the English websites of its local governments and Korean corporations that are trying to expand their market to the world. Most foreign audiences, including foreign governments and corporations, view Korea through those websites, but very few of those websites represent their governments or corporations with an effective use of English.

Today's word from Diary: Perishable

1 /22/2008

I got up, brushed my teeth, and had cereal in the morning as usual. While preparing my cereal, I was reading the cover of the milk carton. I found the phrase "Perishable. Keep refrigerated" As a learner of English as a second language, I am always curious about the meanings of new words. So I asked my husband "What does perishable mean?" "Perishable means food that goes bad relatively quickly, thus should be refrigerated."

After I was done with breakfast, I started writing this diary, listening to my favorite Korean popera (pop+opera) singer Lim Hyung-joo. His voice is so clear, and makes my mind calm to help me start a new day. I looked up the definition of perishable on an online dictionary. It says "liable to perish: liable to spoil or decay (such perishable products as fruit, vegetables, butter, and eggs).[Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online]

Perishable from the news: Restaurants are currently reluctant to donate unused, perishable food because of the fear of being held liable. As a result, a lot of food that is still fit for human consumption is thrown out.
(WMBB-News13 From http://www.wmbb.com/gulfcoastwest/mbb/news.apx.-content-articles-MBB-2008-01-21-0010.html