Lesson 01: MOMENT OF EMBARRASSMENT

When I am driving a car, my kids sit in the back seats always sing. The song they sing is very popular. I think all parents have sung this song to their kids. It is “The wheels on the bus”. 

One day I drove with my kids to the park. They were very happy and they sang this song together. I really felt happy and I follow them to sing this song, too. “The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round and round, round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round. All through the town.”  Suddenly my kids stopped singing and laughed aloud. When they laughed, I stopped singing, too. I asked them why they were laughing. They did not tell me. After a while they sang again. I followed them, too. But when I sang at the point of “Bus”, they stopped to laugh again. I really was confused and I asked my daughter sincerely. “Please tell me why you laugh aloud.” This time my daughter told me the real reason. “Dad, you said Bus like 84. It is not 84. It should be Bus.”  At this time I realized that my pronunciation was wrong. But I really do know where I was wrong. At this time, my wife said. “You can not open your mouth wildly.”

I felt a little embarrass at this moment and I realized that the pronunciation was very important. And I did not worry about my kids a lot because they can learn English faster than me.

Maxwell Hu

2013-05-07 

Never give up

I landed on Toronto with my family on Feb 1, 2012. When I settled down, I found that Canada is really a beautiful country but I did not know how to adapt to this new environment. There were no friends here. I felt lonely.

Fortunately there is a LINC program which is delivered by CIC. MicroSkills has this class and it is very close to my residence. I think I was a lucky guy that I had a chance to take the LINC 5 class. I still remembered the first day of my class. I was excited that I can not only improve my English but also make friends there. Joseph Ng is really a good tutor. Every month we had at least two times to go out to take other events. It helped me be family with this city as soon as possible.

I spent almost 3 month in this class. It was very important and helpful for me because it helped me to take the first steps towards the future. It also let me love this country more than before. This country, people and MicroSkills are so friendly to our newcomers. I think I cannot give up although there are a lot of difficulties ahead of me.

After I finished my 3 months’ studying in MicroSkills, I practiced my speaking and listening. Then I have a chance to take ELT class. During the period, I not only improved my English but also improve my confidence. Then I was about to looking for some job opportunities about my professional knowledge. At first I did badly on interviews. But I never give up and continued to sending my resume and improve my speaking. It lasted almost 3 months and I always told me never give up. Finally I got an offer.

Upon my experience, I believe that we should never give up. With everyone’s help and encourage, such as Joseph, Barber, Paul, my wife and so on, I found my way. I trust that if you never give up and take advantage of opportunities, you will find your way, too.

Several E-mail Demos

1.  a day off

Hi Barb,

I would like to ask for a day off on Wednesday because I received a message and I will have a telephone interview on Thursday, at 3 pm.  I would like time to prepare.

 Regards,

Maxwell HU

2. a week off

Hi Paul,

I would like to ask a week off next month from August 13 to August 17.

These days I feel tired and I went to see my doctor last week. He told me to take some tests and he helped me book an appointment for August 14. I think the tests are very important and I would like to ask for a week off next month.

Could you please let me know if you have made a decision? 

Best regards,

Maxwell HU

3. cover letter

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to apply for the position of ETL Developer that I found posted on Workopolis.com.

As a hard working individual with excellent skills, I am confident that I am a very suitable candidate for this position. The attached resume will provide you with my additional details and experience. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Maxwell HU

The War of 1812

Recently, Joseph presented some information about The War of 1812. It gave me a chance to learn some of the important historical events of Canada. The War of 1812 is one of the most important events which we should know.

In order to learn more about the war, I searched on the google.com website. I discovered that there are lots of information and many articles about this war. After going through some articles, I'd like to  recommend two of them.

One is "War of 1812" which is published on the website, wikipedia.org. You can find this article by using the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812. This article is brief and to the point. I got a general outline of the war and the reason for President James Madison declaring war.

The other is a series of videos posted on youtube. You can search these videos by using the key words, "First Invasion War of 1812". There is a list from Part 1 to Part 12 for these videos. After I watched Part 1, I could not stop myself from watching the next part. So I recommended that you have a look if you have enough time. It will be worth your time.

After gaining some knowledge about the war, I have a strong feeling that we should show our respect to the war.  Battles such as the Battle of Queenston Heights and the Battle of Chrysler's Farm became iconic for Canadians. It welcomed an era of peaceful relations and trade with the United States. We should not forget the war and that those who died bravely in battle, earned everlasting glory.

Transcribe the audio

Transcribe the audio for 1:30 - 1:36 and 3:12 - 3:13.

1:30 - 1:36
Yes, all my life I have been waiting for an opportunity.

3:12 - 3:13
No, Not sitting down.
I feel cool.

My University Life in My Country

When I thought about this topic, I was so excited. Studying in university was a memorable experience in my life. It was so exciting that I can not forget.

When I first went to university, I was only 19 years old. It also was the first time that I moved out of my home and started living on my own. I spent about 7 years at university.

I still remember my classmates and roommates. I built a good relationship with them.  You may not believe it but there were 7 guys living in one living room. It's true.  The room had four bunk-beds . One was for our luggage and the other 7 beds were for us to sleep. It was crowded. Although we did occasionally disagree on some issues, we had a happy time and built strong relationships among us.

Living on campus was so casual. It also gave us a chance to fall in love with each other. My wife was my schoolmate. I still remember the scene when I first met her. It was an unforgettable moment. She was so beautiful that I was attracted to her. At that moment, I realized that I had fallen in love with her.

Now I sometimes think back to life in university. It was so sweet that I wish I could go back to the campus one day.

Whether OSAP is Available for Overseas Studies

If you want to go to college or university, you can get a range of grants and loans from OSAP. OSAP can help you start your education easier than you think.

If you want to study abroad, can you get the OSAP Financial Aid or 30% Off Ontario Tuition? The answer is Yes, but you have to confirm whether institutions outside of Ontario have been approved. OSAP only provides financial assistance for studies at approved institutions outside of Ontario or overseas . Last year, the government invested more than $3.5 million to establish over 1,400 Ontario International Education Opportunity Scholarships for students who wish to pursue part of their studies abroad.  You can go to the website and enter the school name to make sure the college or university is in the approved list.  Follow is the website: https://osap.gov.on.ca/SchoolSearchWeb/search/school_search.xhtml?commonTask=Y