How would you deal with unsolicited pieces of advice?

Quite a lot of joggers and runners in the street might have faced awkward moments from time to time when some random pedestrians (who happen to be around the same spot) shouted at them “You’ll have arthritis soon!”, “Watch out for Sciatica!”, or “You’ll need a box of donuts to go on!”  Welp, have those rude meddlers been asked to barge into the runners’ life in such an abrupt way? Are those snoopers the ones that can hardly ever resist the urge to poke their noses into others’ businesses? Otherwise….are they simply jealous?!!!

In the world filled with social networks and instant messaging or texting, people are snowed under by cascade of personal thoughts and opinions at any time on a daily basis. Indigestible amount. Insurmountable suggestions. Indefatigable pull of plausible “alternative facts”. Runners in the street are not the only ones that are frequently roasted by nosy people who keep firing shots and napalm of insult disguised in true care and concerns on and off line. All right. At least, they are at least interested in you and your life. However, how would you respond or react to all different kinds of unsolicited, even annoying pieces of advice without sounding too offensive or rude to those advice-providers?

Here’s a list of ways to respond to the unwanted advice, suggested by Amy Morin, the author of “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do”.

(https://www.inc.com/amy-morin/the-6-most-effective-ways-to-respond-to-unwanted-advice.html)

 1. "I'll think about that."

 2. "Good idea. I'll consider if that's right for me."

 3. "That's an interesting opinion, but I prefer to do it this way." 

 4. "I'm not looking for any advice right now."

 5. "That's not actually in line with my values."

 6. Thanks for your thoughts, but…."I'm not going to do that."

<Expressions>

-      sciatica: (noun) the symptoms of leg pain—and possibly tingling, numbness, or weakness—that originate in the lower back and travel through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of each leg

-      meddler: (noun) someone who likes to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation; someone who interferes officiously and unwantedly

-      to barge into….: (verb) to force oneself upon, especially rudely; to interfere in

-      snoopers: (noun) someone who prowls or pries

-      insurmountable: (adjective) too great to be overcome or incapable of being surmounted, passed over, or overcome (Synonym:insuperable)

-      napalm: (noun) a highly flammable sticky jelly used in incendiary bombs and flamethrowers, consisting of gasoline thickened with special soap

-      unsolicited: (adjective) unasked/ unwanted

Idiomatic Expressions with Summer-related Words

What comes to your mind when you think of Summer? I personally like Summer because I was born with the sign of Leo in July when the strong sun rays help me unlock power and bounce to get up and go. However, quite a lot of people complain Summer is the season that would gaslight them by making their normal abdomen look like ugly beer belly.  They go on to say that it is hot, muggy, scorching, sultry, and even suffocating outside around this time of year. I wonder what kind of feeling summer time brings you out there. This week, let us go over some idiomatic expressions that have words from this riveting or grueling season of the year!

(*source from https://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/summer-sun-shine-and-summer-idioms)

Clues:

1.   to think the sun shines out of someone's backside (very casual/not polite): to love someone so much that you think they are perfect. This has a negative image as we usually use it when someone loves another person too much and forgets their faults

2.   a knight in shining armour: someone who helps you when you really need help; a kind of ‘hero’

3.   to take a shine to someone: to be attracted to someone or to like them. Usually with new people we meet.

4.   Come rain or shine (or 'whatever the weather'): to say you will do something regardless of the situation, or how difficult it might be. We use it to show we are determined to do something

5.   to swim against the Tide: to go against the general trend

6.   a summer fling: a short and simple romance/ light and fun-filled relationship with nothing to worry about at the end of the season

7.   to make a Splash: to get a lot of public attention

8.   a place in the sun: a job or situation which makes you happy and gives you everything you need and want

9.   One swallow doesn’t make a summer: an expression that means that just because one good thing has happened doesn’t necessarily indicate that the tendency will continue.

10.  Rise and shine!: the phrase, often uttered in the morning to the man who walked away from a dream.

Fill in the blanks with proper idiomatic expressions based on the clues given above.

1.   Hey, sleepyhead! It’s almost nine! _________________________________!

2.   Raymond is a notorious womanizer. I’ve heard so many episodes of his short-term ___________________________.

3.   My brother thinks the sun _________________________________________. I don’t understand how he’s not able to see all her faults.

4.   The Simpson family had been in deep debt when Mr. Carey sent them a year supply of nonperishable foods and basic necessities. Mr. Carey is a __________________________________ to the Simpsons.

5.    Our school won the regional Scholastic Bowl last night! But our coach said one _______________________________________, because we have way a couple of more matches to go.

6.   Her performance in the street did make a ________________, but her popularity fizzled out pretty soon.

7.   My kitten easily takes a _______________ to visitors at my house. It doesn’t take her long to warm up to strangers.

8.   Don’t worry, I will come _______________ or ______________ to your B-day party.

9.   Oh, my word! Are you going to wear those baggy pants to school today? Well, I know you always go off the beaten paths, but why do you __________________________________ even when it comes to your outfits?

     10.I love my new position at work! It is definitely a _______________________________!

 

*Answer Keys:

1. Rise and shine!,   2. Summer fling,   3. shines out of her backside,

4. knight in shining armor,  5. swallow doesn’t make a summer,      

6. splash,  7. shine,  8. rain or shine,  9. swim against the tide, 10. place in the sun

How well do you know about your future, Body-wise?

Some senior citizens or even mid-aged people might believe or feel that their bodies have been overused, maltreated, and have no bright future in store for them. In a nutshell, they are stuck in their own belief that fete is over for them. Would you agree on their gloomy mindset? Well, I beg to differ.

With the incredibly advanced developments in the field of medicine and pharmaceutical Sciences, we can predict and prevent the potential disorder or illnesses that would be likely to occur in our bodies. According to Dr. Joohan Kim (from Seoul National University in South Korea), Biomedical and Health Informatics (BMHI) makes it possible for your body to be meticulously analyzed in advance, which reveals strengths and weaknesses of your DNA. This remarkable approach in the medical field is more about the quality of life rather than lengthening life span. In other words, this advanced medical strategy and tactic would help us – who could have somewhat dreary picture of our own health and future – stay positively in good shape. Not an uptalk of something plausible, but an active means of living better for the rest of our lives. I am already seeing quite a few people around sending their hair to local hospitals to find out if they are on the right track health wise.

One major concern with BMHI could be the possibility of abusive uses of the technology. What if employers secretly screen the potential employees’ DNA and give favor to the ones with superior(?) DNA? How about the colleges and universities taking advantage of leaked DNA information of their applicants?

As long as BMHI is used with its righteous goal, the rest of our lives would look bright, because the more accurate we know about ourselves, the better tomorrow can we expect. I believe that living one’s life in the best physical state, actively doing the parkour through and around nasty corners and avoiding obstacles, is not an impalpable fairy tale anymore.

(*reference: http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/schools/school-of-medicine/departments/clinical-departments/dmice/about/what-is-biomedical-informatics.cfm)

Expressions

fete: (noun) festive celebration or entertainment

Biomedical and Health Informatics (BMHI): (noun) the field that is concerned with the optimal use of information, often aided by the use of technology, to improve individual health, health care, public health, and biomedical research

dreary: (adjective) gloomy/ lifeless/ bleak/ dull

uptalk: (noun = verb) making something, or someone, seem better that is really is

parkour: (noun) a method of movement that focuses on maximum conservation of momentum in order to create a fluid and painless way to get from point A to point B

impalpable: (adjective) not easily comprehended or unable to be felt by touch

Romain Rolland’s Jean-Christophe

We all go through unexpected bumps or hills at some point in our lives, through which a lot of lessons are inculcated inside of us and growing occurs thereafter. In a sense, everyone holds life on a precarious tenure. Then what do we argue for in this world of uncertainty? Why would we try to hide the unalloyed feelings when there’s no guarantee of tomorrow?

As we read through Romain Rolland’s bildungsroman titled Jean-Christophe, there comes a moment of realization that all the hardships and sufferings , if well endured, would eventually add up to the culmination of a great human being. The predicament  in Jean-Christophe (such as exploitative father, destitution, or loss of love) does not just end up being confounding situations that destroy the milk of human kindness, but rather helps complete a man as an exquisite artist.

Of all the amazing virtues, respectability, and interesting characteristics of Jean-Christophe, I personally wish to have his genuine enthusiasm in loving. Let me excerpt the scene where Jean-Christophe expresses how he feels about loving someone (a shop girl named Ada in this novel) :

….”He thought it was only a morbid jest of a neurasthenic girl, amusing herself by annoying him. He would shrug his shoulders or pretend not to hear her: he would not take her seriously. But sometimes he would long to throw her out of the window; for neurasthenia and the neurasthenics were very little to his taste….. But ten minutes away from her were enough to make him forget everything that had annoyed him. He would return to Ada with a fresh store of hopes and new illusions. He loved her. Love is a perpetual act of faith. Whether God exist or no is a small matter: we believe, because we believe. We love because we love: there is no need of reasons!”…………….

How about you all, my friends? Do you still have this passion for love and life? If so, would you try to rekindle it in any legitimate ways you’d like? Life feels good when you have time to find the sparkle in your heart that would lead you to another beginning of wonderful living filled with love and passion.

Expressions

to inculcate someone with something: (verb) to instill/ imprint/ teach some attitude or idea in someone

to hold life on a precarious tenure: (verb) to be not certain or sure of tomorrow in life

unalloyed: (adjective) unreserved and complete feelings/ emotions

bildungsroman: (noun) a novel about the moral, intellectual, and psychological growth of a youthful main character

culmination: (noun) the highest/ final/ or decisive point

confounding situations: (noun) very confusing or perplexing or discouraging situations

jest: (noun) a prank/ joke/ frivolous manner

neurasthenia: (noun) nervous exhaustion. A group of symptoms, including chronic physical and mental fatigue, weakness, and generalized aches and pains, usually considered a psychological disorder

(adjective form: neurasthenic)

Useful Common American Phrases

In my ESL tutoring class, one of the most important things I found out was that my student wanted to improve his Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS), because he needed to face every single day at work filled with lots of meetings and conferences full of American coworkers and higher-ups using common English expressions, many of which he doesn’t get their meanings. This week, I will share some of the useful and common English expressions for ESL/ EFL buddies.

1.   to issue a call for ….: to make an official/ public request or invitation for something

e.g., The organizer of the Act Green conference at the McCormick center has issued a call for participations from fertilizer manufacturers.

2.   (It’s) my way or (the) high way.: The attitude of believing that one is always right, and that anyone who doesn't agree has no business dealing with you. No choice other than the way I have described to you.

e.g., My manager said “Before you find a pink slip on your desk one morning, you’d better get real. There’s no other choice to make in this project. It’s my way or the highway!”

3.   It strikes me that…..: It seems to me that…./ used to say that one understands or is aware of something

e.g., It strikes me that you look totally wiped out after hiking with your friends.

4.   (to get) the bang for the/one’s buck: worth the value for what one pays

(*bang means “excitement”, and buck means “money)

e.g., Wow, I’m lucky! I got more bang for my buck in this business! I guess you were right when you advised me on how to invest my money.

5.   It’s a jungle out there!: refers to a threatening environment where it is difficult to survive. The world and the people in it can be very cruel.

e.g., The U.S. president Trump has always believed that mass media and social networks are rigged against him in every way. I think he is living with a strong belief that it’s a jungle out there.

6.   I’m just plugging along.: I’m working steadily away at something;  persevering doggedly; just managing to function

e.g., A: How is your training for the upcoming half marathon going?

       B: Well, I’m just plugging along. Thanks for asking.

7.   Much obliged.: Thanks so much.

e.g., A: Hey, I couldn’t have made it on time without your giving me a ride! Much obliged!

B: No prob.

8.   My bad.: Sorry, it is my fault!  A way of admitting a mistake, and apologizing for that mistake

e.g., A: Who left my fridge door open?    B: Woops! My bad!

9.   sellout: whistle blower/ one who betrays a cause for personal advancement

e.g., Quite often times, laid-off employees would turn out to be sellouts.

10.                More power to you/ya!: You say this to express “Good for you!” or “Well done!” when someone says a secret or something respectable.

(*The stress in this sentence is on “TO”)

e.g., A: You know what! I passed the bar exam!

       B: More power to you!

Waiting for the Rain

Waiting for the Rain

By Jean Lee

For all the lands that are parched to the root,

A gentle touch of sweet drops would perfectly suit.

To all the souls that are broken apart,

A quiet sound of savory drizzle would heal the heart.

I believe there will be a hint of blessing tomorrow.

So that withered petals of our hopes find their light even in sorrow.

Seeing through the blank look of your loved one someday,

You may shout inside ‘Are you with me?’ like you pray.

With the looming gap of miles and miles between each other’s mind,

The ailing soul is reaching out to you in silence so unkind.

It is your story, their stories ,…. and mine.

You don’t need to keep it a secret, and I’m fine.

Only if there’ll come a day we have the long lost rain,

All our tears won’t have been shed in vain.

Whisper three words into his or her ears in no time

Albeit it looks like they don’t even care a dime.

Could be this very moment

  That would last in our hearts, being so fragrant.