Is there an art to expressing frustration with finesse? Smith, in his insightful discussion, unravels the intricacies of expressing oneself when vexed. With a touch of advanced yet accessible language, Smith emphasizes the significance of articulating frustration in a constructive manner, fostering better understanding and resolution.

LEARN BY LISTENING

Listen to THIS when You're feeling FRUSTRATED

In this episode, we talk about the pleasure we get from hearing stories, and I share with you a beautiful tale about the joy that comes from helping others. Listen now, and then read the (shortened) transcript below to check your understanding.

This story takes place in a hospital, many years ago. And there was a room where there were two men, both seriously ill. One of those men was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend of all his time lying flat on his back. He couldn’t see anything, except the ceiling.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke about their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, where they’d been on vacation, and the things they’d learned in their lives. And every afternoon, when the man in the bed next to the window, could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the wonderful things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods when his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and the colour of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every colour of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all of this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.......... 

If you'd like to read the rest of the transcript, send me a message on italki and I will gladly send you a copy. Or better still, book a lesson with me now, so that I can help you on your English learning journey. 

Learn English with Cambridge David

The one about storytelling

Learn the basic music industry terminology so that you can do business as a musician.

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English for Musicians

Die Deutschen und das Fahrrad
(A)  Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts war ein Fahrrad ein wertvolles Objekt: Es beförderte seinen Besitzer schnell und ohne große Anstrengung von A nach B und konnte dazu noch Gepäck  transportieren. Vor etwa 50 Jahren begann sich die Rolle des Fahrrads dann zu ändern: Es entwickelte sich mehr und mehr zum Sportgerät. Die meisten Käufer legten Wert darauf, dass es leicht war, viele GÄNGE hatte und gut aussehen sollte es natürlich auch. 
(B)  Seit der Jahrtausendwende gibt es wieder einen neuen Trend: das E-Bike. Das ist ein Fahrrad mit einem kleinen Elektromotor. Im Jahr 2021 wurden in Deutschland von insgesamt 4,7 Millionen Fahrrädern zwei Millionen E-Bikes verkauft, Tendenz steigend. 
(C)  Was macht das E-Bike so beliebt? Erstens ist es umweltfreundlich, zweitens kommt man in den Städten schneller zum Ziel als mit dem Auto und drittens ist die Parkplatzsuche kein Problem. Und abgesehen davon werden die Deutschen immer älter. Mit einem E-Bike sind Senioren mobil, sie haben Bewegung und sind in der frischen Luft. Trotzdem stellt das Fahren kein Risiko dar, auch dann nicht, wenn sie beispielsweise Herzprobleme haben. Die KEHRSEITE DER MEDAILLE ist, dass sich ältere Menschen oft überschätzen und die Unfallrate mit dem E-Bike hoch ist. Elektro-Fahrräder sind selbstverständlich nicht billig, aber ihr Siegeszug ist nicht mehr aufzuhalten.
 

LearnGermanToday

10_Die Deutschen und das Fahrrad


小明的零花钱    líng huā qián  =pocket money
Xiǎomíng de líng huā qián 

小明现在小学三年级了。妈妈每周给他４０元的零花钱。
Xiǎomíng xiànzài xiǎoxué sān nián jí le。Māma měi zhōu gěi tā sì shí yuán de líng huā qián。

星期一：小明在超市买了五块钱的文具，两块钱的小蛋糕；
Xīngqī yī: Xiǎomíng zài chāoshì mǎi le wǔ kuài qián de wénjù, liǎng kuài qián de xiǎo dàn gāo;

星期二：今天是小明爸爸的生日，小明花了10块钱，买了一个又漂亮又有音乐的贺卡送给
               爸爸，还在卡片上画了可爱的图画；
Xīngqī èr: Jīntiān shì Xiǎomíng bàba de shēngrì, Xiǎomíng huā le shí kuài qián, mǎi le yī gè yòu piàoliàng yòu yǒu yīnyuè de hèkǎ sòng gěi bàba, há zài kǎpiàn shàng huà le kě'ài de túhuà。

星期三：回家的路上，小明在零食店里花了五块钱，买了一瓶可乐和一包小饼干；
Xīngqī sān: Huí jiā de lù shàng, Xiǎomíng zài língshí diàn lǐ huā le wǔ kuài qián, mǎi le yī píng kělè hé yī bāo xiǎo bǐng gān；

星期四：早上妈妈来不及做早餐，小明花了六块钱买了一份早餐（一盒牛奶和一个面包）； 
Xīngqī sìì: Zǎoshang māma lái bù jí zuò zǎocān, Xiǎomíng huā le liù kuài qián mǎi le yī fèn zǎocān (yī hé niú nǎi he yī gè miàn bāo);

星期五：学校下午有社团活动。下课后，爸爸来接小明回家，还请他吃了一顿肯得基。
Xīngqī wǔ: Xuéxiào xiàwǔ yǒu shètuán huódòng。Xià kè hòu, bàba lái jiē Xiǎomíng huíjiā, hái qǐng tā chī le yī dùn kěn dé jī。

你知道小明这周一共花了多少零花钱？还剩下多少钱吗？
Nǐ zhīdào Xiǎomíng zhè zhōu yīgòng huā le duōshǎo líng huā qián ? Hái shèngxià duōshǎo qián ma?

星期一：（5+2）=7块钱
星期二：10块钱
星期三：5块钱
星期四：6块钱
星期五：没花钱

  合计：28块钱； 还剩下12块钱。


 

Do you know how much pocket money Xiao Ming spent this Monday?  Is there any money left?  
 
Monday :(5+2) =7 yuan  
Tuesday: ten yuan  
Wednesday: five dollars  
Thursday: six dollars  
Friday: Nothing  
 
Total: 28 yuan;  There are twelve dollars left.  

Listening & Speaking (Mandarin)

小明的零花钱    Xiǎomíng de líng huā qián    The pocket money of Xiaoming   (HSK2-3)

大部分人出國旅行生活都會經歷各種簽證海關問題，好似美國咁，學生就F簽，旅行就B簽，訪問學者就J簽。而喺攞到個簽證後，就終於可以飛啦，但係入境有時都可以遇到一啲奇怪嘅問題。我地幾位粥友都有過唔同嘅簽證同過海關經歷，呢兩期我地就分享下我地各自嘅奇特經歷，尤其係特別分享去加拿大簽美國簽嘅故事，如果你都有過疑問同抱怨，就一定唔好錯過啦！

夠鐘煲粥 Congee Time

EP.10 美國簽證那些事

People have no doubt what the most famous game in Korea is. 
League of Legends, which is called “롤(L.O.L)” in Korea, has just finished its league in the spring of 2022. 
T1, having won the title, has become “The best L.O.L team in Korea in 2022”. 
Let us find out what L.O.L means to the Korean young generation and how the LCK spring season ended this season. 
Welcome to the infinite L.O.L universe!

