1 thg 9, 2007

Tắt Thanh Navbar

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Làm sao để tắt thanh Navbar



Các bạn vào Edit HTML và chèn đoạn code màu đỏ vào trước chữ body như đoạn code dưới đây:

/* global
----------------------------------------------- */

#navbar-iframe {
height: 0px;
visibility: hidden;
display: none;
}

body {
margin: 0;
text-align: center;
min-width: 760px;
background: #4386ce url(http://www.blogblog.com/thisaway_blue/bg_body.gif) repeat-x left top;
color: $textColor;
font-size: small;
}

Hoặc các bạn copy đoạn code màu đỏ dưới đây rồi copy vào trc thẻ </head> như vd bên dưới.

]]></b:skin>

<style type='text/css'>
#navbar-iframe {
height: 0px;
visibility: hidden;
display: none;
}

</style>

</head>

Cả 2 cách trên thì cách nào làm dc được

Thanks To VAL!

31 thg 8, 2007

Hướng Dẫn Làm Blogspot Theo Yêu Cầu

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Nhằm hỗ trợ và giúp đỡ cho tất cả các bạn yêu thích blog có cơ hội tìm hiểu và tạo cho mình một trang blog ở http://blogger.com cũng như muốn chia sẽ cho các bạn các thủ thuật và những kinh nghiệm nho nhỏ khi làm blog, nay Đăng post bài viết này thông báo đến tất cả các bạn đã ghé thắm blog của Đăng, nếu các bạn có bất kỳ thắc mắc hay yêu cầu hướng dẫn gì thì hãy comment tại đây, hoặc để lại tin nhắn ở shoutbox yêu cầu hoặc câu hỏi mà bạn cần được giải đáp.

Đăng sẽ cố gắng gải đáp mọi thắc mắc của các bạn trong việc làm blog cũng như các vấn đề khác có liên quan tới blogspot.

Hoặc nếu có những bài viết, thủ thuật làm blog nào bằng tiếng anh mà bạn không hiểu thì có thể gửi cho Đăng bài viết đó hay link bài viết đó, Đăng sẽ giúp các bạn dịch bài viết đó ra và trình bày lại bằng tiếng việt cho dể hiểu hơn. Chú ý nhớ ghi rõ nguồn của các bài viết đó và link tới bài viết đó nữa nha.

Rất vui khi được giúp đỡ và chia sẻ các kiến thức IT cũng như những kinh nghiệm làm blog tới các bạn. Đăng sẽ cố gắng hết sức để có thể giải đáp tất cả các thắc mắc của các bạn dưới sự tài trợ bởi Mr.YHT - http://yht4ever.blogspot.com Hé hé!


#526 Music Man - Tres talks about his love of music and the drums

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Introduction:
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When the audio stops you will see a question with three possible answers.
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Todd: So Tres, you are a drummer.

Tres: Yes, I am indeed. And for all that negative baggage that comes with that term, yes I am a drummer.

Todd: Wait wait, so you say that there’s negative terms that go with being a drummer?

Tres: Well sometimes when people hear “oh they’re a musician” you know, “oh you better watch out for them”. Yeah, it’s true.

Todd: OK. Well, what kind of drums do you play?

Tres: I grew up playing in punk bands, mostly because those were the only bands scouting for drummers at the time. However, what I enjoy playing is funk, jazz, blues and salsa, specifically Cuban salsa.

Todd: OK. Now, so for the different types of music that you play, do you always use the drum sticks, or do you sometimes just use your hands?

Tres: When I play on a drum set, I either use drum sticks or a bundle of sticks that are really small called hot rods, or brushes. Usually if I’m doing a jazz piece or a very soft acoustic set, I’ll use brushes. If I’m using other percussion instruments, for example a jimbei, then of course I use my hands.

Todd: What’s a jimbei?

Tres: Jimbei is a large drum that comes from West Africa. And you play with your hands using various African poly-rhythms. And lately, a lot of Western drummers have picked up the drum, and have fused Western rhythms along with African and Latin poly-rhythms. So it’s a very fun, but very difficult instrument to play.

Todd: What do you prefer, using the sticks, or the hot rods or using your hands.

Tres: Again it depends on the music that I’m playing. I enjoy playing in general. My preference would be playing the drum set with the sticks, just because I really love the more rocky-fusion-type-jazz, the more avant guard type stuff. And I also like salsa, which usually, you know you have your clave, which is a little wooden-like block. And your calmo, and you also have timbales, which are two drums that you hit on. Sorry for the bad description.

Todd: That’s OK. When you’re playing the drums, do you ever lose a drum stick?

Tres: I have in the past, yeah. Those question you’re asking are very very embarrassing for a drummer to answer. But yes, sometimes I’ve thrown them into the audience, usually on purpose. But occasionally, a drummer will lose a drum stick. So you usually have a pouch that you’ll put either next to your high hat, which are two symbols that you open and close with your foot, or next to a fore tomb which is the large drum that sits on the ground. So you have extra sticks that you can grab when you need them.

Todd: Sounds cool.

Tres: Very cool.

#525 High School - Tres talks about his high school in America

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Todd: So, Tres can you talk about American high school. What was high school like for you? What is American high school like?

Tres: That’s a very good question. When one says “an American high school”, to some people maybe movies that depict high school life come to mind. But the most thing I would like people to keep in mind is that depending on the school district, the state, the area of the state in which you live, the high school you go to can vary extremely. There are many poor schools in poor districts. And there are very rich schools similar to the “Beverly Hills 90210” television show, that’s quite popular around the world. I was fortunate to go to a high school that was a public school under a magnet program. And the idea was that you have a test to get in to the school. You have to excel academically. And the school would try to suck in, or attract students from all over the state, students that excelled in the math and sciences, sports, English, literature, foreign languages, and tried to bring those students together. Not only that, the idea of the school was to create an atmosphere that was “biologically diverse”. That just sounds better than “racially diverse”. So we had students of various socioeconomic backgrounds, meaning we had students of various races. Even though I don’t think “race” truly exist. But sociologically speaking, we had students of various races. At the school you could take classes from Italian to classical English. Many of our teachers had Ph.D.s so it was just a great academic atmosphere to be in. And then, we had a lot of fun on top of that. The first few years I went there, we had an open campus, which meant that during our lunch, we were able to get in our cars because we all drove to school. Get in our cars and drive home or drive to our friend’s house or drive to a restaurant during our lunch period. So we didn’t have to stay at school for lunch. We were completely free. And the school was very liberal. So the teachers had a very open idea of how students learn, and they wanted to make sure that we were learning in a way that was best for us. Now that doesn’t mean that they were not strict on us. When we did something bad, when we were in trouble, they let us know. But still many of our teachers were very open, and they would give us hugs if we needed hugs.

Todd: The teachers would give you hugs.

Tres: Yes, I know some schools, many teachers would want to keep that professional
distance. But I think when you’re working with children, always keep in mind that they are young adults. And they need to be taught a good model to fit into society. I think one of those models is reaching out to others when they are in trouble. Sometimes you know, a student may need a hug, be it your friend or be it a teacher. So I really enjoyed getting hugs from my principal, so I always give hugs to everybody.

Todd: Wow, that’s a lot different from my high school.

#524 Tulsa - Tres talks about his hometown

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Todd: So Tres, can you introduce yourself. Where are you from?

Tres: Hello everyone, my name is Tres Goodman. I’m from Tulsa Oklahoma. I was originally born in St. Louis Missouri, but I spent most of my life in Tulsa Oklahoma and in Japan.

Todd: Wow. What’s your city like back home Tulsa?

Tres: Tulsa’s an amazing city. We have about a half a million people, I think. Don’t hold me to it. There’s a lot of culture. Many people from various parts of the world, who either immigrated to Oklahoma, or their parents immigrated there. And therefore, they’re first generation. So we have lots of foods from all over the world. Oklahoma used to be a part of a Mexican state. So we have a very strong Mexican heritage that still exists. Going into food, of course we have food that’s similar to Northern Mexico, but we also have ribs which are probably the best you’ll ever find in the United States.

Todd: The ribs. Why are the ribs so good?

Tres: Because they’re so juicy and soft. You don’t need teeth.

Todd: That’s pretty good. So when you say ribs, that’s beef ribs.

Tres: Beef ribs, we also have pork spare ribs.

Todd: What’s the nightlife like in Tulsa?

Tres: Night life, I haven’t been back in many years, but when I grew up there, I remember there being many clubs in the area. Majority of adults are single, so everyone’s looking for a spouse. I grew up playing music, so I would visit nightclubs and bars to play in bands when I was under age. So I think people really found ways to enjoy themselves.

Todd: Ok, so you say you were in a band and you played an instrument. What instrument did you play?

Tres: I’m a drummer. I’ve played drums ever since I was in junior high. And I love music, so I’ve also played violin and I sang in a church choir ever since I was a little baby, growing up until university.

Todd: That’s a lot of talent.

Tres: It’s a lot of fun.

Todd: What would you say is the best thing about Tulsa?

Tres: The best thing about Tulsa, I would say, is the atmosphere. Once you go, people are so nice. They’ll invite you in to do anything that they’re doing. It’s just an easy town to fit in. It’s a large city, but it’s not too large. It still has a small town atmosphere like probably most middle-sized cities in the United States.

Todd: Is there anything that’s bad about Tulsa?

Tres: Well, we do have our share of violent crimes. We have a river that’s pretty much polluted. It would be nice if it were a clean river so that we could swim in it. I would say that’s about it as far as I can remember.

Todd: That’s ok. That sounds like two big enough problems right there.

Tres: Yeah, pollution and crime.

Todd: Thanks Tres.

#523 Wellington - Kate talks about her city in New Zealand

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Introduction:
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Todd: Hello can you say your name please?

Kate: My name is Kate.

Todd: Ok Kate where are you from?

Kate: I’m from New Zealand.

Todd: Oh are you from Auckland?

Kate: No, I’m from Wellington, the capital city.

Todd: Oh Wellington is the capital? Is it in the north island or the south island?

Kate: It’s in the bottom of the north island.

Todd: What’s Wellington like?

Kate: Wellington is a very beautiful city. It’s got… the centre is obviously the townshop with a few tall buildings. Then we have the harbour which is very beautiful especially at night time with city lights reflecting on the harbour. And then on the outside we have all the suburbs where everybody lives.

Todd: How is Wellington different from Auckland or Christchurch?

Kate: First of all Auckland. Auckland is much bigger: it’s the biggest city in New Zealand. And the city itself in the very centre, downtown centre, the buldings are much taller and much more hectic. Traffic is hectic every day, going to work. Wellington is much more calmer. However in Christchurch it is flat, completely flat. Wellington is very hilly, many hills.

Todd: Is it a cheap place to live? Or is it expensive?

Kate: Reasonably cheap. Compared with Auckland it is much cheaper.

Todd: How much do things cost? In New Zealand how much is a bus ride?

Kate: Bus ride from home to town would be 1 dollar 50, New Zealand dollars.

Todd: Ok and how much is a loaf of bread?

Kate: Loaf of bread, 2 to 3 dollars.

Todd: What’s the best thing about your city?

Kate: Best thing about my city is strangely enough the wind.

Todd: The wind?

Kate: It’s known for its wind.

Todd: How’s that a good thing?

Kate: How’s that a good thing? The cool breeze especially in summertime when it gets quite hot, a
cool gentle breeze although it can get quite strong.

Todd: And what’s the worst thing about your city?

Kate: Worst thing about my city would be the trains: they’re so inconvenient and they don’t cost so much but they’re just inconvenient and the buses aren’t so good either.

Todd: Well it’s kind of the same in my country!

#522 Travel Tips for New Zealand - Kate gives travel tips for New Zealand

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Todd: So Kate, if somebody had a month to spend in New Zealand where do you recommend they go and what do you recommend they do?

Kate: Well most often you will fly into Auckland airport so you can start off in Auckland whch is a nice big city, however the most important thing about New Zealand is the smaller countryside parts of New Zealand, so you should go up to the north… past… further north than Auckland. Go to the beautiful beaches and you can go all the way up to a place called ‘Cape Reinga’ which is the very top of New Zealand. From there you can see the Pacific ocean.

Todd: Sounds nice.

Kate: Yeah, it’s very beautiful.

Todd: How long do you recommend someone stays there?

Kate: Just stay there maybe only a couple of days, maybe a week maximum at the top of New Zealand. Just get to see some beaches and the top of the north island, Cape Reinga.’ And then travel down the island by car or just hire a car or a camper van. You can just sleep in the camper van or on the camping ground and one, it’s cheap and it’s a lot more fun with your friends.

Todd: Sounds like a good time. So when you go camping, when you move down the islands, the north island or the south island, what do you recommend that they see or do?

Kate: Well definitely go to the national park. It’s called Tongarigo national park. It’s where Lord of the Rings was filmed.

Todd: Oh woah!

Kate: And I’m sure if you’ve seen that movie you can.. you know the beautiful scenery that was there. Really amazing.

Todd: Good deal. So besides Auckland are there any other cities that people should see?

Kate: Then you can go down to Wellington, the capital city and you can just see the museum and the harbour. Just the museums. That’s the main thing.

Todd: Ok well, sounds like a nice country to visit. I would definitely go!

#521 Kiwi Kid - Kate talks about life growing up

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Introduction:
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Todd: So Kate, can you talk about growing up in New Zealand, what it’s like?

Kate: Growing up in New Zealand is very free. Kids have a lot more freedom that kids in other countries: we can.. obviously we go to school from 5 years and until 16 years old you must go to school, but when we come home from school there’s our parents there. They’re very loving and caring, in general that is. And we have a lot of lawns, a lot of scenery, landscapes that we can run around on.

Todd: What kind of things did you do when you were little, like games and sports?

Kate: Sports.

Todd: Oh sports, what sports?

Kate: I started off with ballet and I got really bored with ballet. I went to gymnastics and that was my main sport when I was growing up.

Todd: Oh wow you were a gymnast? What events did you do?

Kate: Events? Well you have levels: competition levels, so you start from level 3 and I went up to level 7 and next level would have been very competitive, it’s called ‘junior elite’. Had I continued I would have probably stopped school and concentrated on gymnastics only.

Todd: When you were younger was your dream to go to the Olympics?

Kate: Yes definitely.

Todd: Oh ok. So do you ever - because you’re still very young - do you ever practise gymnastics still?

Kate: Yes I do actually. At the university that I go to I joined the club which is not gym but it’s kind of dance and I can still do some of the stuff I used to be able to do.

Todd: As you get older have you ever thought about becoming a coach?

Kate: Yes, I did think about it but it’s not a reality any more. I’ve forgotten so many things already. Just teaching for fun.

#520 Favorite Actor - Kate talks about her favorite movie actor

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Todd: So, Kate, are you into movies?

Kate: Erm yeah, I watch them from time to time.

Todd: What actors or actresses do you like?

Kate: My favourite actor would be Brad Pitt.

Todd: Really, Brad Pitt? Now is that because he’s handsome or because he’s a good actor?

Kate: Erm, he’s handsome but he’s actually a very good actor. I like him because he is very well respected in Hollywood. You look at the other actors and they’ve all had these scandals: drinking scandals, drug scandals but I haven’t heard of anything about Brad Pitt.

Todd: That’s true actually, when you come to think of it I never have. What’s a movie that he was in that you really like?

Kate: Mm Oceans Eleven. That was a very very good movie.

Todd: Yeah, any other movies that you really liked?

Kate: I can’t think of the names right now but he has a recent movie out called ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ and it’s with Angelina Jolie. Did you hear about that? They heard….Angelina Jolie is said to have been with Brad Pitt while they were making the movie, although Brad Pitt is supposed to have been with Jennifer Anniston.

Todd: Right so they’re married, right?

Kate: Yes, they were.

Todd: They were married?

Kate: They separated.

Todd: But they’re not divorced?

Kate: Not divorced, no.

Todd: Oh ok, no I didn’t know that. So as a Brad Pitt fan who do you think is more his type? Mrs Jolie or Mrs Anniston?

Kate: I prefer Jennifer Anniston because she’s more calm and more… they seem like they could have a nice little family together but Angelina Jolie, she’s very wild and keeps partying and…

Todd: Yeah they do seem like they’re different, that’s true.

Kate: Yeah, very different.

Todd: What is it about Brad Pitt’s features that you think make him attractive?

Kate: I like his smile and his eyes. That’s generally what I go for.

Todd: So in a guy you look for a nice smile and nice eyes?

Kate: Definitely. From first look, first impression, definitely the smile and eyes. If they stand out I will go for them.

Todd: Oh very interesting. Ok, thanks

#519 Exchange Student - Kate talks about being an exchange student

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Todd: Kate, you said you were an exchange student when you were younger?

Kate: That’s right. When I was 15 I went to Tokyo, Japan for just 2 weeks on a high school exchange.

Todd: So were you alone or with your school?

Kate: Erm I was…Well you could say I was alone. I went with a group of about 7 people around about the same age and they were from the same city.

Todd: What was it like living with a Japanese family?

Kate: Oh it was very interesting. The customs were so different. The family was really great to me, really kind and caring.

Todd: What is different about the Japanese lifestyle and the lifestyle in New Zealand?

Kate: Erm, in a way they have this togetherness , the family. The traditional way is that the mother is home all day: she is a housewife and she will wake up at 5 o’clock in the morning, make the breakfast for the whole family and then she is at the home all day cleaning. Then when the kids come home and she makes them dinner and finally the father comes home very late at night after work, and then he gets his dinner. Very very different from my family which is everybody just gets their own dinner. Everyone is independent.

Todd: Wow that is a lot different. Any other differences like, for example, bathing or sleeping or eating or anything like that?

Kate: Bathing, yeah. They share ofuro… it’s like, they share a bath. I think it starts when they’re children. I’m not sure, I can’t quite remember but they all share the same water, they don’t waste water. They are very conservative.

Todd: So one person gets in the bath, then the next person, then the next?

Kate: That’s right.

Todd: Separately?

Kate: Separately.

Todd: Oh, interesting. Ok, and what about sleeping? Did you sleep on a bed or a futon?

Kate: I slept on a futon which to me… it felt like the floor. I might as well just put the futon away and slept on the floor but I got used to it.

Todd: What do you prefer now: a futon or a bed?

Kate: I have a bed now but I don’t mind a futon. I’ve really gotten used to it.

Todd: So you obviously have really good memories having an exchange… or being an exchange student. Would you like to have an exchange student some day?

Kate: Yes, of course. I’ve had 3 already actually in my house.

Todd: Really?

Kate: Yes, because when you go to Japan you’re expected to have a host sister or host brother come back to New Zealand the next year, the following year.

Todd: Ah, I see.

#518 Exchange Host - Kate talk about hosting exhange students

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Todd: Now Kate, you said that you actually had exchange students live with you…

Kate: I did.

Todd: …in New Zealand.

Kate: I’ve had 3 exchange students.

Todd: Ok, can you talk about each one?

Kate: Yep, the first one, she was very young, she was 14 I think at the time, so it was quite difficult for her to come to another country by herself, but by the end of 2 weeks she was in tears when she left our family. She was just so happy and overjoyed. And we still keep in contact.

Todd: What was her name?

Kate: Ariko.

Todd: Oh, ok.

Kate: Ariko.

Todd: So were all the exchange students from Japan?

Kate: They were. Three from Japan.

Todd: Who else did you have come to stay with you?

Kate: The next one was interesting. She was from Kanto.. Kansai, near Osaka in Japan. And she actually…she was in a band, a brass band, an orchestra. She actually came to New Zealand to just play in this orchestra. She was a very lovely girl. She spoke fluent English so we had no problems in communicating.

Todd: How long did she stay?

Kate: She stayed for 3 weeks actually. A bit longer.

Todd: You said there was one more…

Kate: One more was Ayako. She was older, she was actually more my brother’s age so she spent a lot of time with my brother rather than with me ‘cause I was going to school every day.

Todd: Oh, I see.

Kate: But we still got on very well. And my most memorable moment was going horse riding with her.

Todd: Oh, nice. Had she been on a horse before?

Kate: No, first time.

Todd: She must have been pretty scared of the horses!

Kate: Yeah she was.

#517 World Resident - Carla discusses the many places she has lived

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Todd: Hello, can you introduce yourself please.

Carla: Hi, my name is Carla Edes. And where I'm from is a little difficult, because I grew up in Canada. But then I moved to Africa. Then I moved to England, and now I've been living in Japan for fourteen years.

Todd: Wow. That's amazing you've been on four continents.

Carla: Yes, four continents.

Todd: Why did you grow up in Canada?

Carla: In Canada, I grew up in Vancouver.

Todd: Oh cool West Coast.

Carla: West Coast. Very nice place.

Todd: See that's why I like you, cuz I'm from San Francisco. I'm also a West Coast person.

Carla: Ah, that's why our accents are similar.

Todd: Very similar, yes.

Carla: Ya

Todd: Ya very interesting. So what's it like growing up in Vancouver?

Carla: Wonderful. It's got mountains for skiing and hiking. And I went to UBC, so I had, I was right there, could do all those lovely things. Leave school on Friday night, ski all weekend, get back to school seven o'clock Monday morning.

Todd: Wow, sounds fun. Now, UBC is University of British Columbia?

Carla: Right.

Todd: OK, is that the major university in British Columbia?

Carla: Yes.

Todd: OK. What did you study at university?

Carla: Biology

Todd: Biology? Did you ever want to become a biologist?

Carla: I actually wanted to become a doctor.

Todd: OK.

Carla: And then I got foiled in that. So then I studied, I did research in the biology department there. Then I went to England where I met my husband. Then he went out to Africa. So he wrote me a letter saying “come to Africa”. So I wrote him a letter back saying “OK , get me a job”. So he did.

Todd: What was your job in Africa?

Carla: Teaching, that's when I started teaching.

Todd: Wow. Sounds romantic.

Carla: Ya quite romantic. But the really romantic thing was, we got married. When we got married, we got married in Ghana. And we put all our worldly possessions on the back of our motorbike which was sauce pans and a bed roll and a few pieces of clothes. And we motorbiked across Togo and across what was then Dohomi, but is now Benin into Nigeria.

Todd: Wow

Carla: That's romantic, don't you think?

Todd: Yes, very much so.

#516 Life in Africa - Carla talk about living in Africa

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Todd: So Carla, you lived in Africa.

Carla: We got married in Africa.

Todd: Wow.

Carla: And we moved to Nigeria. As I told you before, we got married in Ghana, and we moved to Nigeria. And our kids were born in Nigeria. But I wanna tell you a little bit about before our kids were born, because we lived in a place, a small small village that had no running water, no electricity, we could buy fresh food once a week. That means there were no toilettes, so the people used the rocks and the bushes around the village. Maybe that's too graphic, is that too graphic?

Todd: No no no no.

Carla: And, we had to pump our water out of a well. And at night we would pump one bucket full of water, and it would be half full of silt by the next morning the kind of muddy silt would have sunk to the bottom. And then we would pour off the clear water off the top. And it was a bad drought year in 1976. And we had to, we would cook our vegetables and then drain off the water and then use the water, reuse the water to wash the dishes and even to wash our clothes. And we had just enough water to. Fresh water we kept for drinking. Washing ourselves, washing our vegetables, cooking, washing the dishes, we used, reused vegetable water. And I had, we had no electricity so I cooked a stew once a week. And twice or three times a day I had to, we had to heat the stew up again, boil it to kill all the germs. Otherwise, it would've poisoned us.

Todd: Man.

Carla: But in that year that we lived there, I think we were healthier than we had ever been before, or since.

#515 The Chameleon - Carla discusses a chameleon she used to have

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Introduction:
You will hear four audio segments about a topic or situation.
When the audio stops you will see a question with three possible answers.
You must choose the correct answer to move forward. If you choose the wrong answer you have to listen again.

Click Read More For Transcript

Todd: Carla, you said you have a chameleon story?

Carla: Yeah.

Todd: Actually first of all, just for the listeners, what is a chameleon.

Carla: I was going to tell you what that is. A chameleon is an animal that can change its' colour depending on where it is. So if you put it on a black book, for example, it'll turn very dark. If you put it in a light place, it'll go bright bright green. It could go spotty yellow and green. And the other thing that's interesting about it is that it's eyes can move in two different directions. So it's right eye can look forwards and it's left eye can look backwards. So if you stand on one side of it and wiggle your hand around, one eye will look towards the back and the other eye will look towards the front. And it also has a long long tongue so it zaps its tongue out to catch a fly. Anyway, we found this chameleon, and we took it into our house. And we had it for about, I think maybe two weeks. And we had an electrical chord, that went from our refrigerator, up the wall, into the ceiling above up to the electrical box in the roof space. And this chameleon spent two weeks crawling up the chord getting to the ceiling and dropping off. And crawling up the chord and getting to the ceiling and dropping off. But every once in a while we would, I took it into the classroom sometimes and we would kind of play with it because we liked to, it was a good biology experiment …

Todd: Yeah.

Carla: … to put different colours of things around it and see what colour it would turn into. Then after a while we let the poor little thing go.

Todd: So it didn't mind you picking it up and taking it?

Carla: Actually, it did mind because if you picked it up by about half way… three quarters of the way down it's back, that was safest because it can't swing its upper body around. But it would turn around and hiss at you.

Todd: Oh, wow.

Carla: So you, the first time I just dropped it cause it was scary. And the second time I realised that's about as scary as it got so. That was it.

#514 House Mates - Carla discusses creatures she had in her house

Unknown






Introduction:
You will hear four audio segments about a topic or situation.
When the audio stops you will see a question with three possible answers.
You must choose the correct answer to move forward. If you choose the wrong answer you have to listen again.

Click Read More For Transcript

Todd: So Carla, you lived in Africa, so you must have some cool animal stories.

Carla: Do you want my cockroach story, or my monkey story, or my chameleon story? I know! I have a snake story.

Todd: Ok

Carla: We had a snake that lived in the bookcase. And you can never tell where he was except that that book was, except that that book was sticking out of the bookcase so you always knew where he was. And if you knocked on the book, you could pull it out and he would just lie there. But if you pulled the book out without knocking first, he would be frightened so he'd rear his head up and hiss at you and stick his tongue out and wiggle it around. He was a python, a baby python. Maybe two metres long.

Todd: And you just let him live in the house? You didn't make the snake leave?

Carla: When he was growing a little bit bigger, and he started leaving his skin around, we got fed up with that. I said to him “I'm fed up of clearing your skins away so you're out fella”.

Todd: Wow, well who made the snake leave. How did you get him out of the house?

Carla: Oh we just put him outside in the garden.

Todd: Did you ever see him again?

Carla: Oh I have scorpion stories too. Never mind scorpion stories.

Todd: No no no, tell. Ya what's the scorpion story?

Carla: Well, the scorpions were about… what ten, fifteen centimetres long. Great big black things. And a friend of mine had… We didn't have any running water in that village either. And so we had a man who would come in every morning with a big head load of water. A big huge bucket on his head carrying water, and he'd tip it into our huge barrel in the back garden. And then we would have to move it out bucket full by bucket full. Anyway, so our bathroom was always dry. There was never any water, the taps didn't work. And we kept our bath sponge on the edge of the bath. And one day, I went to take a shower to have a bath, and I picked up the sponge and I put it against myself and I got this terrible pain. Because there had been a scorpion hiding underneath the sponge. And it stung me. But luckily it stung me in a place where it didn't hurt so much. On my stomach.

Todd: Wow.

Carla: If you get it on your foot or you hand where you've got lots of nerves, it's really excruciating.

Todd: Oh man. I'm glad you're ok.

#513 Butsudan - Carla talks about her interest in the butsudan

Unknown






Introduction:
You will hear four audio segments about a topic or situation.
When the audio stops you will see a question with three possible answers.
You must choose the correct answer to move forward. If you choose the wrong answer you have to listen again.

Click Read More For Transcript

Todd: Now, Carla you have you own website.

Carla: Yes I, when I first came to Japan, I didn't learn languages because actually I'm quite terrible at learning languages. But I'm very interested in culture, and Japanese traditional culture is fantastic. So, little by little I got interested in butsudan. Now butsudan are Buddhist family alters which the Japanese use in two ways. They pray to Buddha by kneeling in front of them, but they also keep family memorabilia. That's like, wedding certificates, or graduation certificates, photographs, post cards from interesting places. They keep all these in the butsudan and they communicate with the ancestors this way. So they have a kind of dual purpose. And, but truthfully, I'm not particularly interested in Buddhism, and I'm not interested in the finished butsudan because it's a little bit garish, and not at all the way I imagined the understatement of Japanese culture. But, the making of them is fantastic and the traditional old-fashioned ways of craftsmanship are going out because Japanese craftsmanship is very expensive. And it can be made in China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Korea much cheaper than they can be made in Japan. So, a lot of the traditional craftsman are just not finding the work anymore. No new apprentices are training for the job, and it's difficult to find butsudan that are made in a traditional way. The traditionally made butsudan could cost as much as twenty to thirty million yen. A butsudan made in China and imported into Japan and sold here could be, could sell for about three million yen. That just gives a ratio of the relative price. So, there is, there are three wood working crafts, two metal working crafts, and two lacquering crafts that go into the making of the butsudan. So, my aim really, is to document the traditional craftsmanship before it's completely gone. And no one has ever done this in English before. And it's hardly been done by the Japanese because it's one of these things that Japanese craftsman really don't talk about amongst themselves. So it's all kind of, it's not as if it's secret it's just that they have different vocabulary for the same thing. They do things in slightly different ways. They just never talk about it. When they train an apprentice they don't say do this do that the way we do in the West. The apprentice just has to watch the master and copy. So for many things they don't even have words for them. So it's been quite interesting to document that.

Todd: Well, sounds good. We'll have your URL on the bottom. And people will have to go and check out your website.

Carla: Ya, that would be good. I'd like that. It's being made now, it's not quite finished yet.

Todd: Oh ok.

Carla: But, little by little it will be and if anybody is interested it's more of a resource than something that you would sit and read. But you might be interested in the drawings. A friend does the drawings, and I did the photos and the text, and you know it's quite ambitious I think.

Todd: Ok, well thanks.

#512 At the Restaruant - Akane and Ruth role play a scene in a restaurant

Unknown






Introduction:
You will hear four audio segments about a topic or situation.
When the audio stops you will see a question with three possible answers.
You must choose the correct answer to move forward. If you choose the wrong answer you have to listen again.

Click Read More For Transcript

Waitress: Hi, welcome to our restaurant.

Customer: Thank you very much.

Waitress: How many people are there?

Customer: Just the one.

Waitress: Just one person, ok. Smoking or non-smoking?

Customer: Non-smoking please.

Waitress: Come along and have a seat right here.

Customer: Thanks.

Waitress: Here are your menus and a glass of water.



Waitress: Can I get you something to drink?

Customer: Mmm I was wondering about this wine actually. What’s your house wine?

Waitress: Our house wine is this red wine right here and it’s 10 dollars.

Customer: Oh, I think I’ll have a glass of that actually.

Waitress: Just a glass?

Customer: How much is it for a bottle?

Waitress: 10 dollars.

Customer: Oh sorry. Yeah I’ll have a bottle then, thanks.

Waitress: Can I take your order for an appetiser?

Customer: Mmm I quite like the look of several of these. Now the melon, does that come with anything else?

Waitress: The melon? It just comes with some garnish But it’s pretty much just plain melon with garnish and some whipped cream.

Customer: What would you recommend?

Waitress: Well I really recommend the fries. They’re quite good and they come with cheese and tomatoes and some chile on top.

Customer: Oh they sound nice. Ok, I’ll have those thanks.



Waitress: Are you ready to order your meal?

Customer: Yes I think I’m ready now. I think I’ll have this vegetable goulash.
Can you tell me, is it vegetarian?

Waitress: It is, actually. It’s all vegetarian but it does come with cheese.

Customer: Oh that’s ok, I eat cheese. Do I get any with it?

Waitress: It comes with a side order of rice or potatoes.

Customer: I’d like rice please.

Waitress: Ok.



Waitress: Did you enjoy your meal?

Customer: It was delicious, thank you.

Waitress: Can I get you anything else?

Customer: Oh, I’d like to look at the desert menu please. Mm these all look nice. Oh I think I must go for this chocolate cake here.

Waitress: Chocolate cake. Very good choice-that’s our most popular dish.

Customer: Could I get cream with it please?

Waitress: Would you like custard or whipped cream?

Customer: Whipped cream please.

Waitress: Coming right up.

Customer: Could I have the bill please?

Waitress: Certainly. Here you go.

Customer: Mmm 30 dollars. Oh that’s ok, that’s not too bad.

Waitress: Thank you for coming.

Customer: Ok no problem.

Waitress: Bye, come again!

Customer: Bye!

30 thg 8, 2007

List of the first hacks in my blog

Unknown
+ Show lastest posts.
+ Show recent comments.
+ Blog calendar archive.
+ Remove navigation bar
+ Three column template.
+ Related posts.
+ Site counter (google analytics and statcounter).
+ Background image, fixed background.
+ weather report.
+ Table of content
+ Post with summary content.
+ Embeded background music
+ Shoutbox
+ Typing vietnamese

New hacks:
+ Favicon
+ Scrolling Title
+ NEO Template
+ Tab Labels
+ RSS
+ Yahoo Embeded


I have just done a few feature. I'll try get more for my blog soon. Let's me know your opinion about my blog, about the graphic design.

28 thg 8, 2007

Cách Cài Đặt NEO CHo Blogger

Unknown
Sau khi giới thiệu về NEO cũng như những tình năng của nó (giới thiệu NEO), bài viết này mình sẽ trình bày cách cài đặt NEO cho blog của bạn. Trước khi bắt tay vào làm cũng như trước khi bạn hack bất kỳ gì vào blog của bạn, hãy nhớ backup(lưu lại) lại template hiện thời của bạn đề phòng lúc cần dùng lại nếu ta làm sai.

Để backup lại template, bạn làm như sau:

>>>Truy cập vào blogger.com>>>Đăng nhập User và Pass

>>>Click vào Setting(Cài đặt)>>>Rôi click vào Template>>>Click tiếp vào Edit HTML

>>>Ở mục Backup/Restore Temlate(Lưu lại mẫu), bạn click vào Download Full Template rồi Save nó lại.

Vậy là bạn đã lưu lại template của bạn rồi đó.


Sau khi đã backup xong bạn làm theo các bước sau để cài đặt NEO cho blog của bạn:

Chú ý: trước khi làm bạn nhớ đọc kỹ hướng dấn sau ít nhất là 2 lần để ko làm sai.



Bước 1: >>>Truy cập vào blogger.com>>>Đăng nhập User và Pass
>>>Click vào Setting(Cài đặt)>>>Rôi click vào Template>>>Click tiếp vào Edit HTML. Chú ý KHÔNG chọn Expand Widget Template.

Bước 2: Tìm và copy hết những dòng code bắt đầu bằng “b:widget…"và kết thúc bằng ”/>”. Mở Notepad lên và copy toàn bộ những đoạn code này vào Notepad để đó. Chú ý chỉ trừ widget có id "Blog1". Xem hình bên dưới

Bước 3: Bấm vào đây để download template NEO về máy. Sao đó mở file này lên tìm đoạn code sau:

Và copy tất cả những đoạn code mà bạn bỏ ở Notepad lúc này, paste vào đoạn code ở trên thay thế cho dòng chữ đỏ “Add all your widgets here…” và save nó lại. Sau đó bạn upload file neo.xml lên blog của bạn.

Bước 4: Khi upload lên nếu bạn nhìn thấy lỗi như sau:

thì đừng bấm vào Confirm & Save mà hãy bấm vào Cancel. Trong hộp thoại báo lỗi nó sẽ hiển thị một số ID của widget, như trong ví dụ thì đó là Label1, HTML1, HTML2. Tùy vào blog của bạn mà nó sẽ hiện ra ID nào. Sau khi bấm vào Cancel, bạn quay lại mục Edit HTML và nhớ KHÔNG Expand Widget Template. Tìm và xóa những widget có ID trùng với ID mà nó báo lổi ở trên. Trường hợp trong ví dụ thì bạn phải xóa những widget có ID là Label1, HTML1, HTML2. Xong rồi save lại.

Bước 5: Bạn click vào Page Element, bạn sẽ thấy có 3 cột như hình sau


Chú ý: bạn không được chỉnh sửa hoặc xóa bỏ, di chuyển thành phần có tên là Labels và Posts vì nếu bạn thay đổi nó thì blog của bạn sẽ bị mất chức năng NEO.

Xong, thế là bạn đã sở hữu được một template NEO cho mình rồi đó. Bạn có thể tùy biến sao cho phù hợp với blog của bạn, nhưng đừng đụng chạm gì đến Labels và Posts.

Nhớ đọc kỹ nhiều lần trước khi làm nhé bạn. Nếu có gặp vấn đề gì thì cứ comment nhé. Chúc bạn thành công!

- - DangLVH
Bài viết này có sử dụng thông tin từ blog: http://hackosphere.blogspot.com
Author’s NEO template(tác giả): Ramani, powered by Hackosphere
Thank to Ramani

Giới Thiệu NEO - Template Truy Xuất Nhanh Dành Cho Blogger

Unknown
Đôi điều về template NEO, chắc hẳn ít nhiều gì các bạn cũng đã nghe nói đến template NEO rồi phải không, nhưng nếu chưa biết gì về NEO thì ngay bây giờ hãy bắt đầu khám phá những điều kỳ diệu của nó nhé.

Trước tiên, nếu bạn chưa biết gì về NEO thì hãy liếc nhìn blog của mình nhé. Các bạn có thấy điều gì khác biết so với các blogger khác hay ko. Nếu vẫn chưa thấy, bạn hãy thử click vào bất kỳ mục lục nào, hoặc bất kỳ bài viết nào xem. Bạn thấy thế nào. Có phải khi bấm vào thì nó sẽ hiện ra nội dung ngay lập tức cho bạn không. Hihi, tới đây thì chắc các bạn đã thấy sự khác biệt của nó rồi phải ko.


Đúng, NEO là một template có tốc độ cực nhanh khi liên kết qua lại hoặc truy xuất đến bất kỳ bài viết nào trên blog của bạn. Tốc độ nhanh rất nhiều so với các dạnh template thường, khi mà các template thường mõi khi muốn truy xuất tới một bài viết nào đó hay một mục nào đó thì nó phải load cả trang blog của bạn làm cho việc truy xuất rất chậm.

NEO sử dụng một công nghệ được gọi là AJAX(Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) và kết hợp với các chức năng cao cấp khác của Blogger như là label feeds(feed của các nhãn), post feeds(feed của bài viết) và comment feeds(feed của comment). Và hoàn toàn miễn phí!

Sau đây mình sẽ liệt kế các chức năng chính của NEO:

1. Khi ghé vào một trang blog có sử dụng NEO, vd như blog của mình, người truy cập có thể truy xuất đến tất cả các mục trên blog của mình một cách nhanh chóng bởi vì mõi lần truy xuất đến bất kỳ mục nào thì trang web chỉ load các phần bạn muốn liên kết đến chứ ko load cả trang blog. Vd: bạn thử click vào bất kỳ bài viết nào ở mục Recent Post và bài viết đó sẽ hiện ra ngay ở cột bên phải của blog mà ko cần load cả trang blog. Hoặc khi bạn bấm vào mục Learning English Online thì tất cả các bài viết thuộc mục này sẽ hiện thị ở cột chính giữa của blog mình.
2. Thứ 2 là các comment sẽ được hiển thị theo thứ tự từ cái comment mới đến comment cũ. Từc là những comment mới sẽ hiển thị đầu tiên thay vì thông thường thì các comment cũ sẽ hiển thị trước. Và các comments được chia ra với nhiều trang nếu bạn có nhiều comment, mõi trang sẽ có 10 comments. Chức năng này sẽ giúp cho các reader dể dàng đọc các comment hơn khi lướt blog của bạn.
3. Và nếu như bạn dùng Fire Fox load trang blog của mình thì bạn có thấy các cột có cái khung bo tròn ở mõi góc ko, và bạn có thể thay đổi màu, cũng như độ dày của nó sao cho phù hợp với blog của bạn hơn.(mình sẽ hướng dẫn các bạn ở các bài viết sau)

Tuy nhiên, NEO cũng có một vài giới hạn của nó. Chẳng hạn như việc sử dụng các Adsense hoặc các dạng link quảng cáo khác sẽ rất khó khi làm trên NEO template. Vì ở NEO bạn không thể tùy biến như ở template thường được, ở NEO bạn chỉ cần di chuyển các cột khác vị trí so với mặc định của NEO thì chức năng NEO sẽ không còn nữa. Nên nó rất hạn chế khi ta muốn tùy biến cho blog của chúng ta thật ấn tượng.

Nhưng bạn cũng đừng lo, mình chỉ nói là nó khó làm, chứ đâu phải là không thể làm được đâu. Nên nó tùy theo óc thẩm mỹ của mõi người và cách chỉnh sửa nó như thế nào để nó thật sự ấn tượng để bạn có thể đặt các link quảng cáo. Thường xuyên châm chút, “tưới nước” cho blog của bạn và có những chỉnh sửa, loại bỏ cần thiết thì blog của bạn sẽ trở nên rất ấn tượng và professional.

Vì thời buổi bùng nổ thông tin như hiện nay thì việc tìm kiếm các thông tin cũng như việc khai thác các nội dung trên web trở nên khá dể dàng. Nên để trang blog cũng như trang web của bạn có một chổ đứng trong cộng đồng internet thì bên cạnh nội dung thật phong phú, trang web/blog của bạn cần phải nhanh, thật thuận tiện cho các vistor sử dụng và khai thác trên trang web/blog của bạn và bên cạnh đó là việc giữ chân các visitor cũng là một điều rât quan trọng.

Hy vọng bài viết này sẽ giúp cho các bạn hiểu rõ về NEO và có cái nhìn mới về NEO, để có thể tận dụng được những tín năng hay của nó.

Các bài viết sau mình sẽ trình bày cách cài đặt NEO như thế nào và một số chỉnh sửa cần thiết. Hẹn gặp lại các bạn ở các bài sau nha.

- - DangLVH
Bài viết này có sử dụng thông tin từ blog: http://hackosphere.blogspot.com/
Author’s NEO template(tác giả): Ramani, powered by Hackosphere
Thank to Ramani

Love Don-t Come Easy- Monrose

Unknown

Download Here

I’ve travelled the whole wide world
Still I haven’t found you
Call out your name almost every day
Hope to hear from you soon

Still believe that you will come to me
And I’ll be waiting right here
I keep on looking for you patienly
Fighting out all doubts and fears

Just a vision of you is enough for the prove
And I’m willing to do what it takes
I am ready for pain and the joy that you bring
I’m holding on even if my heart breaks

Chorus:
Love, love don’t come easy
For the one who wants to be loved
Love, love don’t come easy
Seems there is none but I won’t give up
Love don’t come easy
Feelings grow slowly, slowly
Love is taking its time
Love don’t come easy
Don’t wanna be lonely, lonely
One day you will be mine, you will be mine

I’ve lived so many lifes
I’ve touched millions of hearts
I’ve spread my wings but I couldn’t fly
Though I wished on so many stars

I painted different pictures in my mind
But I can’t build a frame
And what’s the use of painting if I seem to be blind
Please show me your face

Just a vision of you is enough for the prove
And I’m willing to do what it takes
I am ready for pain and the joy that you bring
I’m holding on even if my heart breaks

Chorus
Love, love don’t come easy
For the one that wants to be loved
Love, love don’t come easy
Seems there is none but I won’t give up
Love don’t come easy
Feelings grow slowly, slowly
Love is taking its time
Love don’t come easy
Don’t wanna be lonely, lonely
One day you will be mine, you will be mine

What did I do
Did I scare you away
What can I do to make you stay
Why can’t you see I’m on my knees
I need you here with me, ooh!!

Chorus
Love, love don’t come easy
For the one that wants to be loved
Love, love don’t come easy
Seems there is none but I won’t give up
Love don’t come easy
Feelings grow slowly, slowly
Love is taking its time
Love don’t come easy
Don’t wanna be lonely, lonely
One day you will be mine, you will be mine

27 thg 8, 2007

#511 Owning vs. Renting - Todd and Akane debate renting vs. owning

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Introduction:
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Todd: So, Akane, I was talking with my friend and he’s just recently married and he was wondering should he rent a home or own a home. That’s a tough call. What do you think?

Akane: It is a tough call but I personally prefer to rent.

Todd: Really? So why would you rather rent?

Akane: Well, because there’s just no extra costs. You don’t have to pay for extra things like maintenance and just keeping up your home. When something gets broken you don’t have to pay to get it fixed. Property tax is already included, things like that.

Todd: Yeah but if you own a home I mean first of all I think the biggest reason is you’re not throwing money away, it’s a solid investment. You can actually make a profit on the home later on.

Akane: That’s true but with this day and age you really never know when you’re going to lose your job or if you’re going to have to move for job reasons and for that reason I think that if you’re stuck with a mortgage and you lose your job then you won’t be able to pay it and what if you can’t sell it?

Todd: That’s a good point actually but you could always rent the house out, right, so…
One common thing that rich people all have is that they own property and they own real estate.
So you could just rent it to someone else.

Akane: Well that’s a good idea but still I think that’s a lot of work for somebody as busy as me and I’m not a rich person.

Todd: That’s how you get rich!

Akane: Right! Well, I don’t think I could be bothered with the hassle of renting to somebody and first you have to find someone to rent it and then you have to make sure that they pay the rent and then you have to make sure that things are fixed It’s too much of a headache for me.

Todd: That’s a good point. You know, actually I think the main reason why I would ever want to own a home is because you could have a dog.

Akane: Oh that’s a great reason; I love dogs.

Todd: When you rent a house often they won’t allow you to have a pet.

Akane: That’s true. Well you can have a cat or fish and maybe a hamster.

Todd: True, but if you’re a dog lover its not the same thing.

Akane: I guess so.

#510 The Haircut - Ruth talk to Akane about her new hairstyle.

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Akane: Hi Ruth

Ruth: Hi

Akane: Hey did you get a new hair cut?

Ruth: Yeah I did actually.

Akane: Wow, it looks really nice!

Ruth: Oh you like it? Thanks.

Akane: It’s shorter than before.

Ruth: Yeah, it’s quite a lot shorter actually.

Akane: So where did you get it cut?

Ruth: Oh it’s quite an interesting story. I went to a hairdresser just down the road. I saw a sign outside and it said that they were offering cheap haircuts so I went in there.

Akane: Oh, ok well, how cheap was it?

Ruth: Erm, well it was 1500 yen which is about £7.50.

Akane: Oh right, ok. So are you pleased with your new haircut?

Ruth: Erm, yeah, I am pleased. I’m pleased that it’s shorter and it’s better than it would have been if I had done it myself and I’m also pleased that it was cheap, but its not exactly what I was looking for.

Akane: Oh, so, would you go there again?

Ruth: Erm, probably not!

Akane: No? Well, what kind of person cut your hair?

Ruth: Oh it was quite interesting. Erm, it was really, it was quite a dirty hairdressers really.

Akane: Oh no, dirty!

Ruth: Well it was kind of a bit greasy and everybody in there…well, it was full of old men and I was the only girl in there.

Akane: Oh, ok

Ruth: And the haircut took probably 7 minutes.

Akane: Wow, that’s really fast!

Ruth: Yeah, exactly and they didn’t wash my hair or anything, so…

Akane: Oh no!

Ruth: But it was cheap and you know I like bargains so it wasn’t too bad.

Akane: So there were a lot of old men there and no women?

Ruth: That’s right.

Akane: So was it a barber?

Ruth: I hope not! I hope I didn’t make the mistake of going into a barber but there was a woman in there cutting hair and she cut my hair

Akane: Oh that’s a good sign.

Ruth: Yeah that was a good sign.

Akane: So do you think your haircut will last until you have to go back to England?

Ruth: Well I’m hoping so. It is quite short; it’s a lot shorter than it was before so hopefully it will.

Akane: Ok, well I really like it.

Ruth: Oh that’s really nice of you, thanks! Well, if you get your haircut don’t go there!

Akane: Ok, good advice!

#509 Day Trip - Ruth and Akane talk about their day

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Ruth: Hey Akane, didn’t we have a really good time in the city in Oita last weekend?

Akane: Yeah we had a great time. I’m glad we went.

Ruth: Oh me too. It was so good! You know, I thought it was really good to get out of this small town. It was really good to go somewhere bigger.

Akane: Definitely. I really like big cities.

Ruth: And wasn’t it good that we managed to get some shopping done?

Akane: Definitely. I think we got a little carried away though.

Ruth: Possibly yeah, possibly. What did you buy again?

Akane: I bought a new skirt and I’m wearing it right now.

Ruth: Oh of course, yeah. Oh it looks really nice.

Akane: Do you like it?

Ruth: Yeah, yeah. Is this the first time you’ve worn it?

Akane: It is actually.

Ruth: And did you buy anything else?

Akane: Erm I think I bought a new CD.

Ruth: That’s right you did. Yes and we also bought a few things from the 100 yen shop didn’t we?

Akane: We did.

Ruth: Yeah it was a good day.

Akane: Did you really like the 100 yen shop?

Ruth: It was fantastic! You know that’s the biggest 100 yen shop that I’ve ever been to!

Akane: Me too. Five floors! Can you believe it?

Ruth: I know, it’s fantastic! I seem to remember we were in there for about 2 hours, were we?

Akane: 2 hours. I think you’re right.

Ruth: I think we were in there for quite a long time.

Akane: We were. We were really enjoying ourselves in there.

Ruth: But it was worthwhile.

Akane: Definitely. What did you buy?

Ruth: Oh that’s a good question. Yeah I think I bought a t-shirt didn’t ?

Akane: Yeah I think you did.

Ruth: Yeah it was really nice. I bought a t-shirt and I bought a dictionary.

Akane: Oh that’s right, your dictionary! Have you used it yet?

Ruth: Erm I’ve used it a couple of times but maybe not as much as I should have.

Akane: Well hopefully it will help you to study Japanese.

Ruth: Oh I’m hoping so.

Akane: It was quite a big dictionary.

Ruth: Yeah, yeah it was expensive so…

Akane: How much was it again?

Ruth: It was three and a half thousand yen, three thousand five hundred.

Akane: So that’s about35 dollars.

Ruth: Yeah, 35 dollars. That’s a lot for me.

Akane: It is for me too.

Ruth: Really?

Akane: But books are important.

Ruth: Absolutely. Don’t you think we should go back to Oita sometime?

Akane: Definitely. When do you want to go next?

Ruth: Why don’t we go next weekend?

Akane: That’s a great idea and we can do some more shopping.

Ruth: Brilliant! Ok, let’s do that next weekend

Akane: Ok.

#508 Favortie Fruits - Ruth discusses certain fruits

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Todd: Hey Ruth, how’s it going?

Ruth: Fine, thank you. I’m fine. How are you?

Todd: Good. Now Ruth, I was noticing that you are eating raisins.

Ruth: That’s right yes.

Todd: What is it with the raisins? You always have raisins!

Ruth: I really like raisins. They’re so nice. They’re so practical because you can take them anywhere.
It’s not like if you take other fruits with you: they squash and they bruise but raisins are so handy and they come in a little packet and you can always have fruit with you.

Todd: That’s a pretty good point there actually but still, I mean, all the time? I see you with raisins every day!

Ruth: I eat raisins every day. I really like them.

Todd: Don’t you get sick of them? I mean eating them every day?

Ruth: I don’t ever get sick of things like raisins or broccoli for that matter. I could never get sick of it.

Todd: Well that’s strange. What about grapes? Because you like raisins do you like grapes?

Ruth: Actually I prefer grapes. Grapes are probably my favourite fruit but they’re not practical. You can’t carry them around with you and they’re heavier and they’re more expensive as well. Raisins are cheap.

Todd: Have you ever noticed that grapes, at least when I eat grapes, my mouth gets a sensation (not the taste) but something about the texture of eating grapes: my mouth gets a sensation that no other food gives me?

Ruth: Yeah that’s true. I don’t know why that is. Do you think that’s because its slightly acidic maybe?

Todd: Ah, could be.

Ruth: I don’t know but I like it.

Todd: Yeah, grapes are great. Actually where I’m from in California it’s a big producer of raisins.

Ruth: Oh yeah that’s right and you can get raisins in little red boxes can’t you?

Todd: Yeah. The thing is, I love raisins but not just plain. Eating raisins just doesn’t do it for me but I love raisins in my cereal. And I love raisin bran. Best cereal ever made.

Ruth: I really like it too.

Todd: And I love raisins in cookies and raisin bread.

Ruth: I don’t think I’ve ever had raisin bread.

Todd: What? You’re like a big raisin fan. And you’ve never had raisin bread?

Ruth: I don’t think so. Is it like a teacake?

Todd: No, it’s just like a sweet bread with raisins in the middle.

Ruth: No, I’ve never had that.

Todd: You are deprived!

Ruth: Obviously!

Todd: Well I’ll find some raisin bread and I’ll give it to you.

Ruth: Oh you’re a star, thank you.

#506 Cheesecake - Ruth explain how to make a delicious dessert

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Akane: Hey, Ruth, how are you at cooking? Are you any good?

Ruth: Not really if I'm honest.

Akane: Oh, OK. Well, is there a one recipe that you know how cook really well?

Ruth: There is actually. It's chocolate cheesecake.

Akane: Wow! That sounds really good. So what kind of ingredients are in this
chocolate cheesecake that you're talking about?

Ruth: Well, you need chocolate spread, digested buscuits, condensed milk, and you also need cream too.

Akane: Wow! And where can you buy these things?

Ruth: Well, normally I buy them in the supermarket. It's quite convenient.

Akane: OK, and it's pretty easy to find?

Ruth: Very easy to find. All of these ingredients.

Akane: And what kind of utensils or equipment do you need to make this cake?

Ruth: Well, you need a baking tin, which has got an open bottom and you also need a whisk and you need a bowl and you need a fork, and other than that I think that's about it.

Akane: I see.....Now, how do you get started with this recipe? What do you do first?

Ruth: The first thing that you do is you crush the digested biscuits, and so that they're like crumbled, and then you heat the butter, and you add the butter to the digested biscuits.

Akane: OK, well that sounds easy enough. And what do you do next?

Ruth: Well then you leave that in the fridge for a day, then when you come back to it, you whisk the cream, you whip it up, and then you add the condensed milk to the cream with the fork very slowly, you fold it in.

Akane: Oh, fold it in. Is that hard to do?

Ruth: It's quite, yeah, it involves skill. It's quite delicate.

Akane: OK. Is that it? Is there any other steps?

Ruth: Well, then you need to heat the chocolate spread up and you need to add it to the top and fold that in as well.

Akane: And it's done?

Ruth: And then that's the end of the cheesecake.

Akane: Oh, OK. Now, with this recipe is there anything you need to be careful of?

Ruth: Not really, I mean it's quite easy, but the main thing is that you leave the digested mixture in the fridge for long enough, and then after the whole cheesecake is ready, you still have to put it back in the fridge. I'm always tempted to eat it immediately, but you have to wait a few hours for it to cool.

Akane: Oh, that sounds great. Thanks Ruth.

Ruth: OK.

#507 Shopping - Akane explains her shopping style

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Ruth: Akane, you've got a new skirt!

Akane: I do. Thanks for noticing.

Ruth: Oh, that's OK. So are you quite into fashion?

Akane: Well, I do like to buy stuff now and then.

Ruth: Yeah, and was that the last thing you bought?

Akane: Ah, I'd say so, yes.

Ruth: So do you spend quite a lot of money on clothes?

Akane: Ah, no, I like to look for bargains.

Ruth: Oh, good plan.

Akane: Yeah.

Ruth: And was that skirt a bargain?

Akane: Oh, yes it was.

Ruth: How much was it?

Akane: It was actually only 1,300 yen. (Wow) Yeah. That's about 13 Canadian dollars.

Ruth:That's such a bargain. That's fantastic.

Akane: Yeah, it was.

Ruth: So how often do you go shopping?

Akane: Um, not too often, maybe about once a month.

Ruth: Once a month. For clothes?

Akane: Um, yeah, just to browse around, look around. Um, I might not always buy something, but once in awhile I do.

Ruth: And where do you go?

Akane: Well, I like to go to the local market, and things like that, cause I think that's the best place to find bargains.

Ruth: Do you normally try clothes on before you buy them?

Akane: I do. I prefer to try them on before I buy them. It's not always possible though.

Ruth: So if you buy something at a market, so you try it on first?

Akane: Well, yes I would ask the person if I can try it on. If they say no, then I would try
to see if it fits or not right on top of my clothes and make a good guess.

Ruth: Do you ever buy clothes which are second hand, which other people have already worn?

Akane: I used to be really into vintage clothes when I was younger. Yes, there's a huge area
in Toronto where I'm from where there are many shops with vintage clothes, and I used to go there
all the time.

Ruth: Wow. So there kind of dated clothes are they?

Akane: Yes, they are. They are second hand clothes. They're used and they're very cheap and very fashionable.

Ruth: Oh, that sounds fantastic.

Akane: Yeah, it is.

Ruth: Does anybody else ever buy you clothes? Do your parents buy you clothes sometimes?

Akane: Um, I suppose they used to when I was younger, but not anymore, because you know, I like to choose my own things.

Ruth: Of course, yeah.

Akane: But once in awhile I might go shopping with my mother, and if there's something
I like she might buy it for me if it's a special occasion.

Ruth: Oh, that's generous.

Akane: She is.

Ruth: Alright, well thanks for that Akane.

Akane: Alright.

#505 Family Members - Ruth discusses her family.

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Akane: Hey, Ruth.

Ruth: Hi, Akane.

Akane: So, um, how big is your immediate family?

Ruth: Ah, there are four of us.

Akane: Four people, OK. Whose in it?

Ruth: Not big really. Well, there's my mum and my dad and my older brother and then there's me.

Akane: Oh, I see....Does everybody still live together?

Ruth: Well, actually at the moment my brother lives in London and my parents live in
Darbyshire and I live in Japan but very soon we are all going to move back in together.

Akane: Ooh, are you looking forward to that?

Ruth: I'm looking forward to it but I think it could be interesting.

Akane: Yeah, for sure.....So who is the oldest person in your family?

Ruth: The oldest person is probably my great aunt and she's 80.

Akane: Oh, and who is the youngest person in your family?

Ruth: Actually, my cousin was born about two weeks ago. She's called Ema. She's two weeks old.

Akane: Wow! Did you see a picture of her?

Ruth: I have seen a picture of her, yes. She lives in Sweden.

Akane: That's really exciting.

Ruth: Yes, it was nice.

Akane: And how big is your extended family?

Ruth: Well, I'm not from a really big family actually. My dad has got three sisters and my mom has just got one brother, so you know, some people are from families and somebody has ten children, and they have lots of aunties, and uncles. It's not like that in my family.

Akane: Oh, OK. And where is your family originally from?

Ruth: Originally, my parents, and their parents,and their parents I think , are all from Yorkshire in England. It's in the North of England.

Akane: Everybody in your family is from there?

Ruth: I think so, although my family have since moved, and so some live in Sweden now, some live in Australia and some live in America.

Akane: Oh, that sounds really interesting......So when does your entire family ever get together?

Ruth: Well, that's a good question. Well, a lot of people get together at Christmas, but even then not everybody does. I think really we only see the entire family at weddings and at funerals.

Akane: Oh, OK, and when was the last time there was a wedding or a funeral?

Ruth: Um, I think it was about eight years ago, so quite a long time ago, now.

Akane: Oh, I see. OK, well thanks for that story, Ruth.

Ruth: Oh, no problem. Thanks, Akane.

#504 Family Characters

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Akane: Hey, Ruth.

Ruth: Hi, Akane

Akane: So we've been talking about your family a little bit. Um, I'd like to know a little bit more about the specific people in your family.

Ruth: Sure

Akane: So who is the funniest person in your family?

Ruth: The funniest person! Probably my mom actually. She's really funny. She's got a really good sense of humor, and she plays tricks on people, and she's really silly but everybody in my family has a good sense of humor.

Akane: Oh, good. Now who is the most serious person in your family?

Ruth: Serious. Do you know, actually, I don't think anybody in my family is serious.

Akane: Oh, really.

Ruth: I don't think we have any very serious members.

Akane: Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing?

Ruth: I think it's a good thing although occasionally, I think it's a bad thing.

Akane: Right! Now who is the hardest worker?

Ruth: Oh, can I say me?

Akane: Sure

Ruth: No, I don't think that's true actually. Well, both of my parents work very hard, and they both have very different jobs, but they both work very hard and always have done.

Akane: Well, parents do tend to be hardworking.

Ruth: That's true, yeah!

Akane: And who is the most generous person in your whole family?

Ruth: My brother is really generous and he makes me feel bad because he's so generous in buying me things and giving me things, and I would say my brother.

Akane: Really, what's the last thing he bought you.

Ruth: Ah, that's a good question. He bought me some clothes actually before I came to Japan.

Akane: And who do you talk with the most in your family?

Ruth: All of them really, but I suppose deep down I maybe talk to my mom the most. I tell her most things.

Akane: Really! What kind of things do you tell her?

Ruth: Just everything that's going off in my life, really ,because she's a really good friend to me so, I'm just very open with her, and she's open with me.

Akane: That's excellent. Who do you resemble the most in your family?

Ruth: Some people say I look like me mom and some people say I look like my dad but most people say I look like my brother, so maybe my brother.

Akane: Your brother.

Ruth: Yeah.

Akane: Do you have a picture of him?

Ruth: I do have one, yes. I'll show you later.

Akane: I'll look forward to that.

#503 Mom

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Ruth: So, Akane, tell me about your family. Who do you get on well with in your family?

Akane: Well, I think I get along the best with my mother, I would say.

Ruth: So, why is that?

Akane: Well, I think it probably has to do with the fact that we're both female. I mean the only other
people in my family are my father and my brother.

Ruth: So, what does your mom look like?

Akane: Well, she's actually taller than me. She has dark hair and a pretty firm build.
Um, she's not too thin and not too fat, and yeah!

Ruth: And what does you mom do? Does she have a job?

Akane: Oh, good question. She's actually a hair dresser. (Wow) Yeah, so she does my hair and
she's also an aesthetician as well so I get free skin care products from her.

Ruth: Oh, that's fantastic.

Akane: Yeah.

Ruth: So what does your mom like to do when she is not working?

Akane: Well, she used to take sewing lessons, so she really likes to sew things like her own curtains
and she even made me some clothes a few times.

Ruth: Wow, so she's talented.

Akane: Yeah, she's quite artistic.

Ruth: So when did you last see your mom or speak to your mom?

Akane: Well, the last time I saw her was this spring. I stayed at my parents house for about a week and,
yeah, that's when I saw her.

Ruth: Was that a couple of months ago?

Akane: Yeah, a couple of months ago, that's right.

Ruth: And what was the last thing your mom bought for you?

Akane: Actually, just before I came here, we went shopping together and because I have to fly away
to a new country she bought me some new clothes. She bought me a new coat actually.

Ruth: Wow, that's really nice. Well, thanks for that Akane.

Akane: Thanks.