The Lucky dog and the unlucky men


Last weekend was a hot weather; I went to my uncle house to fix his house
I helped him fix the roof, but it was a hard work, because the sun was very strong
I felt very hot, then I wanted to leave roof to drank some water, but my uncle his big dog
Lucky, he hit the stair fall down. So I couldn’t leave the roof I talked to my uncle the
Stair fall down, my uncle said what the stair fell down how could we go down?. Oh man,
I said let me try to went down, I tried to climb down but the house too height, I couldn’t
Climb down, I said we can call some people help us, did you bring your phone uncle,
He said no I put my phone at the living room, then I said we can loudly call your
neighborhood for help, but his neighborhood weren’t at home, so we stayed at the roof
for three hours , then my aunt came home, she see us sit on the roof , she said you’re so
work hard , I said help! Aunt my stair fell down on the ground helped me put it up, then
we went down to the ground and went in to the house ,I saw lucky at the living room ,
I said; no more hot dog and no more ham.

A STORY

After work, a woman ran into a stranger as he passed by.

“Oh excuse me please,” the woman said.

The man replied, “Please excuse me, too. I wasn’t watching for you.”

They continued on their way together. They talked, laughed and, finally, said “Goodbye” to each other. They were very polite.

Later, at the woman’s house, she was cooking dinner. Her son was standing beside her and he asked her something. She turned and nearly knocked him down.

“Move out of the way,” she said with a frown. The boy walked away with his eyes full of tears.

At midnight, the woman woke up and went to the kitchen. She saw some flowers on the kitchen counter. She quietly went to her son’s room. She said,

“Wake up, honey, wake up”.

The boy opened his eyes and looked her surprisingly.

The woman said, “Are these the flowers you picked for me?”

“Yes, I picked them up because they’re beautiful like you” he replied

“I’m sorry for the way I acted today. I love you.” She said

He said, “Oh, mom it’s okay. I love you any way”.

The woman hugged her son and smiled.

Do you think about the story?. We are always polite with a stranger but we are rude with our love ones. This story that I want to share with everybody

Now I understand!

Just Joking!

I read these jokes in the newspaper. I am going to write on the blog to share them with my classmates.

One day a man went to casino for fun, but he lost all his money. The next day a neighbor asked the gambler’s wife. “Did your husband win money yesterday?”

“He went to casino in a car that cost twenty thousand dollars ,and then he returned home in a car was that was even more expensive. Now what do you think, did he win or lose?” the gambler’s wife answered.

“Of course, he won money,”the neighbor answered quickly.

The gambler’s wife shook her head and answered sadly, “No, he lost all his money

“How could that be?” the neighbor asked:

“Because when he went to casino ,he drove his own car. When he came back home, he took the bus. Do you understand now?”.

“Oh my god,” said the neighbor. He understood immediately.

Mangos in Fish Sauce

My Trip to San Jose

Last weekend I went to the flea market in San Jose. I bought some cleaning supplies. I bought a screwdriver. I walked around. I looked at the vegetables. I looked for green mangos then I saw some big green mangos. I bought them and I took them home with me.

I made a fish sauce and put in some sugar. I peeled the mangos and put them in the sauce.

It was delicious!

By Anh Thi Pham

Arequipa's Earthquake

Arequipa’s Earthquake

It was a quiet and beautiful Saturday when an earthquake happened in my city, Arequipa, six years ago. The seismographer said that it was 6 on the Merchalli scale.

On the Merchalli scale a six means that the earthquake was strong. It was felt by everyone. Many people were frightened and ran outdoors. Windows, dishes, glassware were broken. Books fell off shelves. Some heavy furniture moved or overturned. Damage was slight.

That day I went with some friends to the International Club to celebrate the anniversary of my work. We had a lot of fun. First, we played some games and then we had a barbecue.

We were dancing when the earth began to move. The trees shook a lot. All my friends were shouting and crying, and some of them ran to their houses. They were very worried about their families.

I was frightened, when I saw how the earth came down in a landslide. I started to cry.

Then, on the way to my house, I saw people running on the street. Some ancient walls had fallen down and in one store I could see broken bottles scattered on the floor. It was incredible.

When I got home, I could finally breath. All in my family were well, even my nephew, who was playing in the park. We only have had a big scare.

Review of the Present Perfect

Hi, classmates, recently our teacher, Richard, taught us about the present perfect tense. I felt that it was not easy to make use of the present perfect. So, I wrote down some examples of sentences for my understanding and reviewing. Our teacher made corrections for me. And he asked me to post those sentences on the blog. I thought, if it is helpful for our classmates, I am willing to post it.


Present Perfect Tense

Subject + have (has) + past participle

Usages:
1, recent past action that is important now. (Just, already)
2, past experience, indefinite (now) past time. (How many times, ever, never)
3, past experience (past action or situation) that continues now. (Since, for)
4, with yet.
5, with a superlative.
6, with “the first”, “the third”, etc.
7, repetition of an action.

Examples:
Usage 1:
Key words: just, already.
1, I’ve just gotten up.
2, I’ve already bought one. I don’t need two.
3, Taame has just learned that his friend is alive.
4, Susan has just gotten back from China. She told me that she had a great time.

Key words: finish, realize, come cook, take, run.
Sam: I have just cooked some spaghetti. Would you like some?
Dean: No, thanks. I have just (means recently) finished eating lunch.
Pete: Hey, the next time you go to the post office, would you pick something up for me?
Gwen: It’s too bad you didn’t ask me sooner. I have just come back from there.
Keith: Can you give me a ride to the store now?
Jim: I’m sorry, but my car has just run out of gas.

Woman: Excuse me, sir. Has flight 663 left yet?
Man: Yes, it has already taken off. Why do you ask?
Well, I’ve just realized that I have left my carry-on bag on the plane.

Usage 2:
Key words: How many times, ever, never.
1: “Have you ever gone there?”
“No, I’ve never gone there, but my uncle has traveled there many times.”

Key words: Have, think, hear, study, eat, be.
Emily: Have you ever eaten tempura?
Laura: No, I haven’t. What is it?
Emily: It’s a Japanese dish. It’s fried vegetables or fried fish.
Laura: Really, I have never heard of it.
Emily: You should try it. It’s delicious.




Vic: Have you ever studied a foreign language? (Present Perfect – indefinite)
Carl: Yes, I studied French when I was in college. (Past – definite)
Vic: Have you ever had a chance to use it? I mean, have you ever been (traveled) to France?
Carl: Unfortunately no. I have never traveled (have never been) a broad.

Ben: I’m sorry I’m late, but I had car trouble again this morning.
Jean: Why do you keep that old car? Have you ever thought about getting a new one?
Ben: Sure, I’ve thought about it many times, but I have never had (don’t have) enough money to buy one.

Usage 3:
I have been studying (Perfect continuous) here for two years.
I have studied here for two years, but I’m going to go to Laney this summer

Use Since with a beginning date or time (yesterday, 2:00 am, 1993).
Use for with a period or length of time (2 weeks, 1 minute, 3 years, decade)
I live in Oakland. (Present Tense)
I moved here five years ago. (Past Tense)
I moved there in 2002. (Past Tense)
I have lived in Oakland for five years. (Present Perfect Tense)
I have lived there since 2002. (Present Perfect Tense)

Apples are on sale. The sale started on Monday.
The apples have been on sale since Monday.

Cam owns a BMW. She bought it in 2001.
Cam has owned a BMW since 2001.

We know the mayor. We met him ten years ago.
We have known the mayor for ten years.

I began to work at this office two years ago. I still work here.
I have worked at this office for two years.

Henry has a huge house. He bought it when he moved here.
Henry has owned a huge house since he moved here.


Keith plays tennis. He learned how to play in 2003.
Keith has played tennis since 2003.
Keith has played tennis for 4 years.


Usage 4:
1, Ben always eats dinner at 7:00 pm. It’s 6:45 now.
Ben hasn’t eaten dinner yet.
2, The weather report predicted rain for today. The sky is dark, but the ground is dry.
The rain hasn’t fallen yet.
It hasn’t rained yet.
3, The monitor says the plane will arrive in 10 minutes. The plane is still in the air.
The plane hasn’t arrived yet.
The plane hasn’t landed yet.
According to the monitor, the plane hasn’t landed yet.
4, We are all very hungry. The stew is on the stove. It needs to cook some more.
The stew hasn’t finished cooking yet.
5, I wanted to speak with Dr. Adams yesterday, but I didn’t have time. I need to speak to him.
I haven’t spoken with Dr. Adams yet.
6, The big game is tomorrow. I forget to buy my ticket this morning. I need a ticket.
I haven’t bought my ticket yet.

Usage 5:
1, Key words: long, take, trip
That was the longest trip that I have ever taken.
2, Key words: good, mojito, drink.
That was the best mojito (that) I have ever drunk.
3, Key words: expensive, car, drive.
It was the most expensive car I have ever driven.
4, Key words: delicious, meal. Eat.
That was the most delicious meal I have ever eaten.
5, Key words: beautiful, flower, see.
It was the most beautiful flower I have ever seen.
6, Key words: expensive, shirt, buy.
This is the most expensive shirt I have ever bought.
7, Key words: busy, day, have.
It was the busiest day I have ever had,
8, Key words: fun, movie, see,
It was the funniest movie I have ever seen.
9, Key words: hard, time, experience.
That was the hardest time I have ever experienced.
10, Key words: bad, day, have.
Yesterday was the worst day I have ever had.

Usage 6:
1, This is the second time that you have given me yesterday’s paper.
2, It’s the third day that I have seen Frank and Tony, but I still have trouble remembering
their names.
3, that is the fourth time that you have dropped a ball in this game. Are you trying to set a
new record?

Usage 7:
Paolo: Yeah, it’s crazy. We’ve had six tests so far this month. (Key words: six…so far)
Weiping: You know, in my biology class, the teacher has given only one test this semester.
(Key words: one…this semester)
Maybe so, but I’ve had a lot of classes like that here. (Key words: a lot)

A Good Mood Day

HI! My classmate. Do you have good weekend?
My honor teacher Richard I feel so sorry! Because I haven't written some story for long time. I hope you could forgive me,because I was so busy,I need to work almost every day. I had best weekend,because I could use computer at home. I connected high speed Internat on yesterday,but my cousin helped me that how to connected the Internat.
On yesterday. We spent three hours to finish. Because I do many thing wrong. At first,I forgot my password,it was big letter or small letter. I tried many time, but I discovered when I called the company,I could passed these part, so when I couldn't passed, I surely called the company.

U Pick Farms

Click here to find a list of farms where you can pick your own fruit.

OUR RESPECTABLY TEACHERS!

Dear honored teachers, Ms. JOLI FORTH, Ms. SHIRLEY MITCHELL and Mr. RICHARD BLUM. My name is Nghia Tran. I come from a distant country, Vietnam. We, my classmates, are immigrants to the USA, with a lot of strange questions and a lot of difficulties to confront in our new life. We are very lucky to be studying English at the Neighborhood Centers Adult Schools with no fees. We are really happy that we met teachers like you. You always listen and share our worries, ambitions and problems. You always encourage us to try more and more to get success.

We come from different countries with different languages, but you are always patient. You try to understand us and explain everything that we don’t understand. Sometimes, we are absent. There are a lot of reasons: work, taking care of our children, nobody to take us to school or we may just feel lazy that day. But you always come to class five days a week and bring a lot of smiles. We feel that you love your job and your students very much.

I wrote this lesson, but my writing represents all of students who study at our school. We thank you for your enthusiasm and dedication. We wish you good health and that you continue to have a passion for your job. We hope you continue to teach newcomers like us.

Thank you, thank you and thank our honored teachers.

My Father's 50th Birthday

For me, my father's 50th birthday party, was a memorable experience.

My father is the oldest of nine siblings (eight boys and one girl)

and all of them came to his party. Even my uncle, who lives in the United States, came and brought a big bottle of tequila to share with everyone.

The party was in my house and it started early in the day. In preparation for the party, we decorated the house with flowers and golden ornaments according to the custom.

My mother cooked delicious food.The guests talked and danced until midnight. Some of my father’s friends like to sing, so they sang typical Peruvian songs for my father.

My father was very happy. Whenever my family gets together, we remember that day. We hope to have a similar kind of party for my mother on her birthday in October.

THE MEANINGFUL OF A FLOWERBUNCH

In outlandish of countryside had a new teacher came to taught elementary school.

The early morning, the teacher opened the door and saw a bunch flower in front of her house.

And then, second day, third day also had offer a bunch flower.

To the fourth, she decided got up early to find out who did it.

From distance, a child step slowly to her house. In his hand was a bunch flower. He was caught in the act, he was puzzled and said:”Dear teacher, not only me. This is an agreement with us. Before you came here, we had a teacher. Unexpectedly had a man came to the city? Every time he visited our teacher, he offered her a beautiful and fresh flower.

For a little while, our teacher came with him. We felt very sad and thought” Why she left our, we didn’t had a present the same him for her, is it a reason why?”

So, this time before you have another man come, every day morning you have a bunch of flower from us.

My first day at Oakland Adult School

Hello classmates,

I’m Cecilia and I grew up in Peru. I came to US three weeks ago. I came because I want to know how is life here and for many other reasons. So, I decided to study English because this is important for all the things that I want to do here.

Therefore, I started looking for classes where I could study English. I asked my family and some friends what was the best place to study English. They all said Oakland Adult School.

On May 21st I took the placement exam and I was pleased because I did well even though I studied English so many years ago in my country.

I went to my first day of classes and I thought everyone spoke Spanish like me. However I was very surprised because I found out that many students came from other countries. And that made me realize that we all had to learn English if we wanted to communicate each other.

MY FEELING!

"Do not run through life
so fast that you forget
not only where you have been
but also where you are going.
Life is not a race,
but a journey to be savored
each step of the way."

February 24, 2007 was the day I left my hometown. I left the bones my parents and my close friends and I moved to another country. It was the United States of America.

When I stepped off the airplane, I felt scared. The police stood in front of the door. They looked bigger and taller than me. They didn't look friendly and especially their skin looked very different from the skin of Asians like me.

Everything for me was very strange, My new life confused me. I didn't know the street I lived on. I didn't know how to use money. I didn't know the prices of anything. I didn't know how to drive a car. My skin dried and I got acne. I had allergies from the California grasses. The language was different. The weather was also different. I felt scared by criminals when I went outside alone. I had to depend on others for everything. I couldn’t do anything myself.

Teacher, I miss my parent so so much, but I never and forever will see them again, because they went far far away.

I try to always remember ,"I need to try more and more, because everything is just beginning."

Hello, Classmates

Hi, my name is Cecilia.

I am going to write a story on the blog soon.

See you in class!

Jelly Belly Visitor Center and Factory!

Jelly Belly Visitor Center and Factory

Hi, teacher and everybody! How is your weekend going? Did you get a chance to relax yet this holiday?

I want to introduce you and your family to a tourist destination where you can go shopping and dining. That’s the Jelly Belly Visitor Center and Factory.

L ook at these pictures. What are they? Can you guess? The flower on the cake, the egg and butterfly on the grass, the flower basket, and the cottage with a pine tree all were decorated with Jelly Belly candy. It’s wonderful

During the 40 minute free tour, a tour guide will walk you through the factory. She will you the state of the art candy making machines. More than 150 different flavored candies are made there. The process is clean, automated and professionally administrated.

You will enjoy the natural aromas of cappuccino, lemon, kiwi, coconut, cinnamon toast and more. If you on a diet, don’t worry, they have a lot of candies without sugar for you choose from. At the end of the tour, you’ll receive two free bags of jelly beans with their compliments.

The Jelly Belly Visitor Center and Factory is located in Fairfield, California, approximately one hour driving time from San Leandro. It’s open from 9am to 5pm. You should come before 4pm if want to take part in the free tour.

I hope you and your family have a nice tour!

THE PRICELESS

The mother was repairing dinner in the kitchen, suddenly little boy ran in and gave her a piece of paper. After she wiped up her hand on apron, his mom opened and read:

- For cutting the grass: 5$

- Clean up my bedroom: 1$

- For go to the market with mom: 50 cent

- For babysitting my young brother: 25 cent

- For take out garbage: 1$

- Good final test: 5$

- For sweep the yard: 2$

Total you owe me: 14.75 $

After she read, looked at her son who waiting for the answer. She took a pen, turns the paper over and wrote:

- Nine months ten days I carried you in my belly: free

- Beside and took care when you felt sick: free

- The tears you made my cry years ago: free

- Sleepless to worried for your future: free

- All the toys, food, clothes you had: free

- And the most expensive, that’s my love for you: too free

After he read this page, he feel moved and said: “I love you very much”. And then he wrote the sentence with big letter: “YOU WILL BE PAY FULL”

Source: www.tuoitre.com.vn if you don't read Vietnamese, scrool to the bottom half of the page - Translate from: "Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul"

THE MYSTERY SPOT

If, on occasion, you come to Santa Cruz, California, don't forget to visit a famous place called The Mystery Spot.

It was discovered in 1939 and opened to the public in the 1940's. In this spot it seems like the laws of gravity do not apply. Things seem very strange. It can make you dizzy.

When you stand on one side a line you may seem shorter than your friend. If you and your friend change places than you will seem taller than your friend. If you drop a ball put down a slide it looks like the ball is rollingup hill. I didn't believe my eyes. I was stupified!

The plants in the forest are odd, too! The branches of the plants are all leaning toward one side. When you walk around this spot your body inclines forward 30 degrees even though the ground looks level. You need to be in good health when you go there because it will make you feel dizzy. I felt dizzy for several days.

If you don't believe me, go and find out for yourself!

MOTHER`S DAY!!!!!!

HELLO! Class,Today i talking about Mother`sDay.In must latincountrys,we celebrated in May10.On this oliday,Im send money and flowers to my mom,money to my sisters and my mother-in-law.This mont is very special for me, is my birthday too.im feeling little sad becose my family is in my country but my two dauthers,and my husban, give me; happines.In this country celebrate at secon sunday from this monts,the people was on restaurant,or gotten some gifs,Althroug some peoples thougt this is bad is only business,stores,and merchant to take advantage,sale more expensive.If you felt good done this is O.k,My father told; each head is a word.

Welcome to Viet Nam!

WELCOME TO VIET NAM!

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is the first place in Viet Nam that you should visit. It's beautiful, animated, noisy and friendly. There are a lot of famous places you can visit: Independence Palace, Ho Chi Minh Museum - Nha Rong Wharf, Lotus Lake Park, Suoi Tien Tourist Area (Fairies Stream), Van Thanh Park and Ben Thanh Market are worth seeing.

At Ben Thanh Market you can buy handmade souvenirs including traditional Vietnamese clothing like the "Non La” - hat made of latanier leaves and the Ao Dai formal dress.

The second place I want to introduce is Hanoi. Hanoi is the capital of Viet Nam. Life in Hanoi is calmer. It isn't as noisy and animated as Ho Chi Minh City. Ba Dinh Square is the place where Uncle Ho read the "Independence Declaration" on September 2nd, 1945.

There are also many other interesting towns, cities and beautiful places to visit. Ha Dong is a small town famous for its silk. Ha Long Bay (the Bay of the Descending Dragon) is often touted by proud Vietnamese as the world's eighth wonder. Among the main attractions of Ha Long Bay are the calm water and the thousands of limestone mountains dotting the seascape.

Sapa is an old French hill station, nestled among the Hoang Lien Son Mountains near the Chinese border. Because of its situation near the tallest mountain range in our country, it is possibly the most scenic location in Vietnam. Members of the Black Hmong ethnic minority live near the town. Other ethnic minorities come to Sapa for the weekly market.

Vietnamese are funny, friendly and open-hearted. Welcome to Viet Nam, I hope you have a good trip!

Hi, Classmates

My name is Nghia. I will write a story very soon!