brOKen DOLl

still

the dark side in that mirror will never go away



you dreamt of a wonderful land

grasses....moon.....starry sky.....

you wished upon the shooting star

it actually was tearing them apart and eating as it was supposed to be

hoMESIcknESs

Vocabulary:

• I'm joined by someone.
• suffer: to experience physical or mental pain
  I think he suffered quite a lot when his wife left him.
  she's been suffering from cancer for two years.
  he suffers from asthma. 
• combat: try to stop something unpleasant or harmful from happening or increasing
  The government is spending million of dollars in its attempt to combat drug abuse.
  I have to combat this constant desire to eat chocolate. 
• in their early days
• at university
• pine for sb/sth: to want something or someone very much, usually when it is impossible to have them or when they have gone away
  he's still pining for his ex-girlfriend.
• long for sth / long to do sth : to want something very much
  she longed to see him again.
  i'm longing for news of him. 
• remind sb of sth: make someone think of something or someone else.
  your hair and eyes remind me of your mother. 
• growing: increasing in size or quantity
  there is a growing awareness of the seriousness of this disease.
• panic attack: a sudden period of severe anxiety 
• withdraw from: to stop talking to other people and start thinking thoughts that are not related to what is happening around you.
  as a child, she frequently withdraw into her own fantasy world.
  after the accident, he withdrew into himself and refused to talk to family or friends.
• stay in touch with
• phone:
  could you please answer the phone?
  we speak on the phone twice a week.
  if the phone lines are busy, please try again later.
  i left the phone off the hook, so that it wouldn't ring. 
• left sth/sb behind: to leave a place without taking something or someone with you
  we left in a hurry and i must have left my keys behind.
  he was forced to leave the country, leaving behind his wift and children. 
• expat community: someone who does not live in their own country
  a large community of expatriates has settled there.  
• take the pressure off
• struggle: to experience difficulty and make a very great effort in order to do something
  i've been struggling to understand this article all afternoon.
  fish struggle for survival when the water level drops in the lake. 
• have a hard time / give sb a hard time
• acknowledge: to accept, admit or recognise something or the truth or existence of something
• homesickness / homesick :
  as i read my mum's letter, i began to feel homesick. 

Lazy

vocabulary:

• stall:
  (n) a large table or small shop with an open front from which goods are sold in a public place
  in the village market, the stalls are piled high with local vegetables.
  (n) the seats on the main floor of a theatre or cinema, not at a high level
  (v) if an engine stalls, it stops working suddenly
  i stalled the car twice during my driving test but still managed to pass.
• squiffy: slightly drunk
  "I've only have one glass of sherry and i feel squiffy already." she said.
• tipsy: slightly drunk
  Auntie Pat is getting a little tipsy again. 
• sober: not drunk or affected by alcohol.
  are you sober enough to drive?
  sober (sb) up: to become less drunk, or make someone less drunk
  i went for a walk to sober up.
  have a black coffee - that should sober you up. 
• There are plenty more fish in the sea: user to tell someone whose relationship has ended that there are many other people that they could have a relationship with
  Don't cry over him - there are plenty more fish in the sea! 
• spring to mind: to come quickly into your mind
  say the word 'Australia' and a vision of beaches and blue seas immediately springs to mind. 
• clumsy: describe someone who often has accidents because they do not behave in a careful way
  that's the 3rd glass you've mashed this week - you're so clumsy. 
• footy: football 
• bloody: used to emphasise an adjective, adverb, or noun in a slightly rude way
  life would be bloody boring if nothing ever went wrong.
  I had a bloody good time last night.
  What a bloody morning. 
• mend: to repair something that is broken or damaged
  I've left my watch there to be mended.
  could you mend this hold in my shirt?
  on the mend: to be  getting better after an illness or injury
  my hand is on the mend. 
• fix (fix a problem, but mend a thing) 
• knackered: very tired
  i'm too knackered to go out this evening
  knacker: tire out
  don't go to fast. you'll knacker yourself in the first hour. 
• aloof: not friendly or willing to take part in things
  she seemed rather aloof when in fact she was just shy.
  not interested or involved, usually because you do not approve of what is happening
  she kept herself aloof from her husband's business. 

sCALd

Gosh! i scalded my hand!!!

vocabulary:

• scald: to burn the skin with boiling liquid or steam
  i dropped a pan of boiling water and scalded my leg. 
• imminent: coming or likely to happen very soon
  a strike is imminent.
  imminent disaster/danger
• groovy: very fashionable and interesting
  that's a very groovy hat you're wearing, did you knit it yourself? 
• hooray/hurray: used to express excitement, pleasure or approval
  you won? Hooray!
  Hooray! It's time to go home!
• hurt:
  (v) to feel pain in part of your body
  Tell me where it hurts.
  My head hurts.
  (v) injure someone or cause them hurt
  Emma hurt her back when she fell of her horse.
  (v) to cause emotional pain
  she criticised my writing quite severely and that hurt.
  (v) to cause harm
  one more drink won't hurt.
  a lot of firms are being hurt by the current high interest rate.

my scalded hand is really hurt! 

lESS iS morE

Learning from conversation.

Vocabulary:

• scaredy-cat: someone, especially a child, is easily frightened
  come on, scaredy-cat, it won't bite you. 
• underfoot: under your feet as you walk
  it feels nicer underfoot.
  the grass was cool and pleasant underfoot. 
• rousing: making people feel excited, and proud or ready to take actions
  she delivered a rousing speech full of anger and passion.
• Silhouette: a dark shape seen agains a light surface (???)
  the silhouette of the bare tree on the hill was clearly against the winter sky.
• en route: on the way to or from somewhere
  I stopped en route and got some wine. 
• rowdy: noise and possibly violent
  a rowdy party 
• hut: a small simple building, usually consisting of one room
  a mountain hut
  a wooden hut
  a row of beach huts 
• stilt: one of a set of long pieces of wood used to support a building so that it is above the ground or water
  the houses are built on stilts to protect them from annual floods. 
• mosquito net 
• coral reef: an area of coral, the top of which can sometimes be seen just above the sea
• snorkel / snorkelling:
  we went snorkelling along the Great Barrier Reef
• fairly: more than average, but less than very
  I saw her fairly recently.
  we get on fairly well.
  I'm fairly sure that this is the right address.
• suppose: 
• to think something is likely to be true: suppose + (that) / suppose + to V
  I couldn't get any reply when I called Dan, so I suppose (that) he's gone out.
  Do you suppose (that) she will marry him?
  he found it a lot difficult to get a job than he supposed it would be.
  We all supposed him to be German, but in fact he was Swiss.
  Her new book is supposed to be very good. 
• used in making polite request
  I suppose you couldn't lend me some money till tomorrow, could you? 
• used to show unwillingness to agree
  I don't agree with it, but I suppose (that) it's for the best.
• (conjunction.) used at the beginning of a sentence or clause to mean "what would happen if":
  Suppose we miss the train - what will we do then?
  We'd love to come and see you on Sunday, suppose/supposing I don't have to work that day.
• presume: to believe something to be true because it is very likely, although you are not certain.
  I presume (that) they are not coming, since they haven't replied to the invitation.
  You are Dr. Smith, I presume?
  "Are we walking to the hotel?" "I presume so/not."
• assume: to accept something to be true without question or proof
  I assumed (that) you knew each other because you went to the same school. 
• apart from: except for or not considering
  apart from us, there was anyone there under 30.
  apart from the salary, it's not a bad job.
• except: not including; but not
  the museum is open daily except Monday(s).
  everyone was there except for Sally. 
• seem: to be judged to be 
• He's 16, but he often seems younger.
  the children seemed tired.
  I suspect his claim is not all they seem -- he tends to exaggerate.
  things are seldom as/what/how they seem. 
• I seemed to know more about him than anyone else.
  they seemed to be taking a long time to decide.
  There seems to have been a mistake -- my name isn't on the list. 
• It seems (that) she can't come.
  It seems to me (that) we need to be at the airport two hours before take-off.
  "was a decision made?" "It seems not/so." 

Expression: 

• What time it will get you there? 
• It is a long time since I have been to Paris.
  It's been a while since I was last time in Paris. 
• I bet: said to show that you understand why someone has a particular opinion or feels a particular way
  "I was so relieved I didn't have to clean up after the party." "I bet you were."
  "I'm so annoyed with her." "I'll bet."

cAmP

vocabulary:

• camper: a person who stays in a tent or in a hoiday camp 
• camper van: a motor home
• retro: similar to styles, fashions from the past
  inside, the decor is very retro. 
• foreign money
• stall: a large table or a small shop with an open front from which goods are sold in a public place
  in the village market, the stalls are piled high with local vegetables.
• tent: a shelter made of canvas and supported by poles and ropes that you can fold up and carry with you.
• caterpillar
• costume: a set of clothes worn in order to look like someone or something else, especially for a party.
  our host was wearing a clown costume.
• sort: to deal with something by repairing or organising it
  to get everything sorted
  We've sorted out the computer system's initial problems. 

Okey-FOkEY

vocabulary and phrases:

• omnivore: an animal that is naturally be able to eat both plants and meat
• omnipresent: present or having an effect everywhere at the same time
  the singer became an omnipresent icon of style and beauty.
• foul: to do something against the rules of a sport, often causing injury to another plater
• lad: a boy or young man
  a group of young lads were standing outside the shop
  lads and lasses (boys and girls)
• renowned: famous for something
  the region is renowned for it outstanding natual beauty.
  renown: a state of being famous
  her renown spread across the country.
• Absence makes the heart grow fonder. : when people we love are not with us, we love them even more. 
• bring it on. : said to show that you are prepared and willing to compete in a competition or to do something difficult. 
• stag party / hen party : a party for a man/woman who is going to get married, to which his only male friends/her only female friends are invited  
• yep: yes
• yap: short, high sounds made by a small dog
  yappy
  a yappy little dog
• okey-dokey: ok
• footy: football

eXPRessioNs

expressions:

• are you being served? 
• what are you having?
• can i take your order, please?
• can i get you anything else?
• I'll just get your order for you now.
• like mother, like daughter. 
• i've got to say....
• i'm just worry about ....
• How are you coping without her. 
• let her down.
• I've gone through this relationship.
• what are you up to?
• are you up for it?
• How are you doing?
• how do you spend your day? 
• off the top of my head...:
  I couldn't tell you off the top of my head, but i could go and look it up. 
• i'm chuffed with his present.
• i'm delighted with it.
• i'm please with it.
• only time would tell. 
• i got quite a shock.
  i was in shock.
• It's not rocket science.
• the weather turns really bad.
• at busy time, queuing may be necessary
• I've never ever seen that before. 
• long story short,...
• it happens all the time.
• shall we start?
• as cool as a cucumber: calm
  she walked in as cool as a cucumber, as if nothing had happened.
• good for you / good to hear. 
• how did you find it?

dReamArKER

When I listen to some gothic music, it always gets me thinking about you, my dear friend.
I miss you.

IntAnGIbLe waSTe

after moving to windsor, i saved lots of time on commute to work. However, i didn't manage my time better. that's a huge problem. I've got to change it! there are several things i need to sort out. 

first, the banking thing! I reckon i'm running out of taiwan dollars in my taiwan account soon. secondly, the GP. since i've already been staying here for more than 6 months, i should and have to register GP in case i need any medical service here. apart from that, i did sort out some things, like the rental house problem. I'm lucky that the B&B host seems to welcome me to rent the house for longer term. that's exactly a good thing to me. first of all, i don't need to give deposit so that i can use my money more flexible. on top of that, the host is really kind that she's willing to give me discount for renting the room. how lucky i am! 

as to the inner things of me, i am very unsatisfied with my time management. I didn't spend quality time studying english, instead, i spent too much time working, from 9am to 7 pm or later. it's funny that when i was living in Putney, i'd got to force myself to watch TV less so that i could have more time studying english on my own. now, since the family i'm living with watch films on TV a lot, i don't really watch TV. however i hardly remember what i've done actually. that's horrifying that i waste my immense time intangibly. 

let's see. 24 hours - 8 hours (sleeping) - 9 hours (working & lunch) - 2 hours (breakfast & cooking & dinner)   = 5 hours! how can i waste the 5 hours without doing anything! 

set the goals and just do it! think before you leap. once you decide it, do it without thinking! 

YoRK

vocabulary:

• chord
• daunt: to make someone feel slightly frightened or worried about their ability to achieve something
  she was not daunted by the size of the problem.
  nothing daunted: still confident and enthusiastic despite a failure or problem
  she was rejected the first time she applied to the university, but, nothing daunted, reapplied the following year and was accepted.
  daunting: making you feel slightly frightened or worried about your ability to achieve something.
  the country was faced with the daunting prospect of overcoming four decades of division.
• archaeology
• brooch: a small piece of jewellery with a pin at the back that is fastened to a woman's clothes
  she wore a small silver brooch. 
• toga: a piece of clothing wore by people in ancient rome
• cloak: a loose outer piece of clothing without sleeves.
• authentic: if something is authentic, it is real, true, or what people say it is.
  an authentic 1920 dress
  an authentic viking shopping
  authentic italian food
  

KitCHeNWarE

vocabulary learnt from shopping!

• shed: a small building, usually made of wood, used for storing things
• colander: a bowl with small holes in it, used for wash food or for emptying into when it has been cooked in water
• oven tray / roasting pan
• saucepan 
• frying pan
• mould: a hollow container with a particular shape in which soft or liquid substances are pored, so that when the substances become hard it takes the shape of the container
  a cake mould 
• tin: a closed metal container in which food is sold
  a tin of beans
  a biscuit tin
  we used two tins of paint when we painted the ceiling.
• mill : a small machine for crushing things into power
  a pepper mill
  a coffee mill
• froth: small white bubbles on the surface of liquid
  i like the froth on the top of the coffee
• turner
• toothpick
• serviette: a squire piece of cloth or paper used while you are eating
• kettle
• chopping board
• zest: fruit skin 
• grater: a small device with holes surrounded by sharp edges used to cut food into small pieces
• coaster: s small piece of wood, plastic or other materials that you put a glass or cup on to protect surface from heat or liquid
• mug
• cloth: a small piece of material used to cleaning
  a washing-up cloth
• airer
• mat: a small piece of strong material that covers ad protects part of a floor
  a bath / door mat
  a small piece of cloth, cardboard or plastic that is put on the table surface to protect it
  a bear / sink mat
• cutlery: knifes, forks and spoons
• bottle opener
• scoop
• knifes and forks
• tongs

lEARning FROm DOinG

Vocabulary learnt from hiking:

• spring / sprang / sprung : to move quickly
  those deer sprang. 
• barn: a large building on a farm in which animals or hay and grain are kept
  we saw a large barn. 
• straw: the dried yellow stems of crops
  a bale of straw
  a straw hat 
• flint: a kind of stones
• elderberry: a kind of berries
• cock: an adult male chicken
• vane: a flat narrow part of a fan which turns because of the pressure of air 
• windmill: a building or structure with large blades on the outside that provide the power for getting water out of the ground or crushing grain when turned by the force of the wind

  

  Windmill

• wind turbine: a tall structure with blades that are blown round by the wind and provide power to make electricity

  

  Wind Turbine

  
  
• maize (UK) / corn (US.)
• lone (adj): alone
  a lone tree
  a lone survivor
  lone parent
  he was a lone voice arguing against a reduction in resources.
• doing sb's head in: to make someone feel confused and unhappy; annoying
  Getting up at four o'clock every morning was doing my head in.
  He's really doing my head in.
• in the middle of nowhere: describes a place far away any towns and cities and where few people live.
  he lives in a tiny cottage in the middle of nowhere.

toO mUCH

Keep studying.

• keep/get/be/remain in touch: to communicate or continue to communicate with someone by using a phone or writing to them
  are you still in touch with any of your old school friends?
  we're in close touch with our office in Spain.
  Jane and I never kept in touch after college. 
• lose touch: to  stop communicating with someone.
  we lost touch over the years.
• be in contact with / lose contact with / make contact with
  have you been in contact with him?
  you can contact me by my phone / on (number).
  she finally made contact with him in Italy
  Air traffic control lost radio contact with the pilot of the aircraft ten minutes before the accident. 
• I couldn't be happier.
  I couldn't care less.
  I couldn't agree more.
  I couldn't ask for more. 
• i was in a rush/hurry to get home.
  they were in no rush/hurry to sell the house.
  what's the rush/hurry for?
  we left in such a hurry that we forgot our tickets.
• what are you up to at the end of this month?
  it's up to the manager to make the final decision.
• blow sb away: to surprise to please someone very much
  we are blown away.
  the ending will blow you away.
• go for: to choose something
  which one you've gone for?
  instead of wine, I'll go for a beer.

So MANY GeT oN...

How can there be so many "get on" to get on with.......?
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/search/british/?q=get+on

collocation:

• get on: to have a good relationship
  we're getting on much better now.
  he doesn't get on with is daughter.
• get on: to manage or deal with a situation, especially successfully
  how are you getting on you new home?
  we are getting on quite well with the decorating.
  I wonder how Michael is getting on in his new job.
• get on: to continue doing something, especially work
  I'll leave you to get on then, shall i?
  Stop talking and get on with it.
  I suppose I could get on with the ironing while i am waitng.
• get on to sth: to start talking about a different subject
  how did we get on to (the subject of) your grandmother's cat?
• get on for: almost
  it was getting on for midnight.
  he must be getting on for 80 now. 
• get on sth: to go onto a bus, train, aircraft, or boat
  i think we got on the wrong bus.

DeVOn

To compensate yesterdays missed study, i've got to do more tonight!

Vocabulary:

• Vally:
  there was snow on the hill tops but not in the valley.
• peninsula: a long piece of land that sticks out a large area of land into the sea
  the Korean peninsula
• nature /ei/
  natural /æ/
  nation /ei/
  national /æ/
• heritage: features belonging to the culture of a society, that were created in the past and still has historical importance
  this monument are a vital part of cultural heritage of South America.
• sector: one of the area into which economic activity of a country is divided
  in the financial sector, banks and insurance companies have both lost a lot of money.
  public sector / private sector
• coastline: the particular shape of the coast, especially as seen from above or on a map
  coast: the land next to or close to the sea
          we spent a week on the coast
          the accident happened 3 miles off the coast
  costal: position on or relating to the coast
          a coastal town
  shore: the land along the edge of a sea, lake, or wide river
          you can walk for miles along the shore.
          the boat was about a mile off the shore when the engine suddenly died.
          we waited until we were on shore before repairing the sails.
          onshore wind
  beach: an area of sand or small stones near the sea
          we spent the day on the beach
  seaside: the area near the sea, especially where people spend their holidays
          let's go to the seaside at the weekend
          a seaside resort

gEt TIRed anD cARRY On

Today's vocabulary:

• set off: to start a journey
  what time will we have to set off for the station tomorrow?
• head off: to start a journey or leave a place
  what time are you heading off?
  head off to London
  head off for the beach
  head off west 
  Let's head off!
• phenomenal: extremely successful or special
  her rise to fame was quite phenomenal.
  his first book was phenomenally successful.
• immensely: extremely
  he was immensely popular in his day. 
• immense: extremely large in size or degree
  they spend immense amount of time getting the engine into perfect condition.
  he is an immense goalkeeper. (extremely good)

stEP by sTep

I've found that there is an obvious improvement since I've been trying to spend 2 hours everyday studying english. Although you just study by yourself, as long as you concentrate in a period of time to organise your mind and really look up every vocabulary you've learnt or heard everyday, trying to absorb those vocabulary and their usage, it really makes you can learn it by heart. don't be greedy to learn too many words at one time. that usually results in learning nothing. everyday a little bit, it really feels great that you find yourself can remember the new vocabulary when you are trying to write down something or during the conversation with others.

fOCus

I don't like the feeling of hesitation.
That wastes my time and mind. however, if i want to get rid of it, i've got to train myself to make decision quicker! I've got to prioritise values in my mind.

coNtENt

sometimes you've got to convince yourself to be patient.
I've worked with my new job for about 3 weeks. I'm quite excited everyday, although i do feel stressed sometimes due to the language. but, that's one of the reasons i am here, isn't it?

The most intriguing thing to me is that I can feel happy and excited when i work as a software developer. I am not sure what is the difference between here and taiwan. i just knew that I didn't really feel "excited" when I worked in taiwan and realised there must be something wrong. there was no serious problem with my jobs (frankly speaking, they are all nice and rewarding), but I just didn't feel satisfied and happy deep within my heart. I would complained easily when things went wrong, or say, not in the way i expected.

Here, working for a small, or say tiny, company gives me a totally different points of view. It's not perfect. Everything seems relatively unstructured to me. However, instead of unhappy, that makes me even more energetic. I'm certain there are many things waiting for me to work on.

It's quite interesting that even now I am facing a new working environment, new challenges, and new skills (I think I was a bit not open-minded enough to the front-end stuff in the past), I feel content (I am not sure if it can describe my feeling correctly, ha!). I am desperate for learning as much as possible, no matter it's new or old to me. If i already knew it, I wanna know deeper. If it's new, brilliant! it's the time to broaden my horizons.

now I look forward to keeping this great altitude with me wherever I am and keep open-minded to the unknown future.