My diary

January 7th 2011

Friday

Which one improvement can I make to impact my English studies the most? My answer is writing and my reasons come as follows:

1- Almost most universities and companies in Canada test writing ability. It is not important if you have PhD or you are a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, etc, you must pass the writing test relatively well.

 2-Writing is a good way to review all new vocabularies. To write well, I have to know many vocabularies. Making a list of all new words and using them in a sentence is somehow useful. But, it does not guarantee to memorize them very well. Moreover, if not used, words would be forgotten. So, to recall new words, I have to use them as much as I can and this is not done without writing. As said, “Use it or lose it.” 

  
 3-Writing in English is not as boring as making a list of vocabularies with a sentence using the new words. After a while, your flash cards would be piled up and you do not even know how to organize them. But, by writing on the Microsoft word, you can use less paper and have enough space to keep them organized. More importantly, when I write, I barely forget a word. And, when I speak English, words automatically jump into my head.

 4-I have to read more. By reading, I review all the words that I just learned and learn more new vocabularies. According to linguistic experiments, a word should be used and seen as nearly as 20 times so that it remains in the long-term memory. Since, I see words in a context, I do not have to struggle to memorize them. I effortlessly keep them in my mind.

 5-Vocabularies help improve listening skill.

 6-One good technique that helps to speak fluently is writing. Most English learners ask how they can improve their speaking skill. Writing and speaking is so alike. In writing, you write in the way you speak. The only difference is that you only change some informal words into formal ones. So, writing helps you improve your speaking ability. Interestingly enough, one practice for speaking section of TOEFL test is to first write down what you are going to speak and then, to read it out loud. When test takers have done this many times, they can record their voice and speak without looking at their written text. By doing so, they improve their speaking skill.

 7-I have to think logically and to know English rules since the organization of writing has special order. Every word or sentence should be chosen carefully. I should spend most of my time on the organization of my writing, brainstorming and mapping than what I am going to write about. So, logical thinking is a great part of a good writing as well as having the good sense of grammar. I have had a good grammar basis but I learned grammar mostly by reading and writing.

 8-I pay much more attention to the sentence structures while I read a text and try to use the same structure in my writing as well.

 9-English learners read and speak more than they write. We can speak or read every day but we can barely find a chance to sit and write about a subject. Writing is not satisfying because the final result is childlike. Therefore, we give it up.

10- English learners should be more disciplined and organized to write. You can read your book, magazine and newspaper wherever you would like. But, to write, you should find a place, have a notebook or a computer, find a good and interesting topic, have enough knowledge or experience and finally, courage. So, it is a much more complicated task.

11- English learners should write as quickly as he/she can. Imagine you are working in a company or you are in a class, you do not have the extraordinary amount of time to write. You should think quickly and decide what you are going to write. So, writing for fun differs mostly from writing for professional and academic works.

 12-To practice dictation, synonyms and antonyms, punctuation, writing is a good way.

 13-English learners would like to be good at writing but, they do not take any action towards it. To be good at writing, we should practice writing.

In short, it is said that do less and accomplish more. By only focusing on writing, I improve other skills such as listening, speaking, reading, dictation, word forms, synonyms, grammars, etc. In addition to that, writing is the most difficult skill. Most English learners have problem in this area and most firms and universities pay much more attention to this part. Therefore, writing is so significant.

Be fun and free,

Nafis

My Diary,
January 6th 2011
Thursday

I was always angry at people who give up easily criticizing them for not being so strong to achieve what they long for. Now, I think I became like those whom I criticized before. However, I would like to be stronger this year not being sorry for my past mistakes and not being worried for future. I would like to do my best at this moment to achieve my goals. As such, I have decided to write either a blog or a paragraph or even a sentence every day for about 15 minutes. The perfection of my writing is not significant. I just determined to write. I would call this year for myself, “The year of writing.” I will write to remind myself of what is necessary to do at this moment, to be in touch with my inner self, to think clearly, to learn more, to gather knowledge and to sum up, to grow.

To begin with, I would like to write about my good moment in dentist’s office. While I was waiting, I saw Reader’s Digest magazine, December 2010 issue. The title of “The benefits of doing good deeds” caught my attention. The article was talking about how our good acts can change people’s life as well as ours. People who are helped more likely help others. They may not give you rewards in return for your act, but they more probably give it forward. By doing good deeds, we create a positive attitude in others, ourselves and our environment generating coherence in the world.

In the end, the author mentioned some useful websites including actsofkindness.org, helpothers.org, doagooddeed.com and thegooddeedsorganisation.com for those who would like to make a change by doing a kind act. Some of these websites even have some ideas how to assist individuals. I hope this year be filled with good deeds and consequently, peace!

Be fun and free,

Nafis

To: Dear Joseph, dear Tara and all EC members,

Thank you all for your attentive support and exceptional messages throughout the last year. I am blessed with your presence in my life. Of course, all your suppotive messages, comments, cards, blogs, videos, etc gave me such a strong energy to pass through my ups and downs in the last year. So, I wish you all the best for Christmas and for coming New Year! May God bless you all!

With love and regards,

Nafis

“A New Earth; Awakening to Your Life's Purpose” is known as one of the best spiritual books of our time and was on Oprah Winfrey’s book club list. Later, I discovered online classes on Oprah’s website discussing about the book by its author, Ekhart Tolle. You can watch or listen to the videos or mp3s here if interested, http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/A-New-Earth-Syllabus. The book and the videos both are summarized as follows, hoping that you like it.

The book of “A New Earth; Awakening to Your Life's Purpose” consists of ten chapters. In first chapter, Ekhart Tolle talks about the purpose of the book stating that it can be totally useful or meaningless for whom to read it. It will be useful if at the end, you are peaceful. He mentions," The ideas and concepts presented here [in the book] may be important. But, they are secondary. They are no more than signposts pointing toward awakening. As you read, a shift takes place within you. The book’s main purpose is not to add new information or beliefs in your mind or try to convince you of anything, but to bring about a shift in your consciousness.” However, the book can be meaningless if one is not ready spiritually.

In chapter two, he describes current state of humanity, that is, Ego. Ego has various names such as “self”, “Voice in the head”, “Little me” and thoughts. Ego takes control of the mind whenever it complains, compares, grieves, refuses to accept reality, intents to be right and to make others wrong, takes everything personally and feels superior or inferior. In the video interviews, Mr.Tolle emphasizes that when “The voice in the head” complains; it is not our true self which complains. In fact, we are consciousness behind the voice. So, there are “I” and “self”.

He then refers to his own life story when he recognized this separation between “I” and “self”. He was about to commit a suicide that he whispered to himself,” I am tired of myself.” Who is “self” that he is tired of? Is he two persons in one body? Who is that person? Then, the separation between “I” and “Self” occurs and “Consciousness” comes afterwards and brings extraordinary amount of peace. The day after that awakening is a new day and a new beginning. He enjoys a songful bird in a tree in front of his home that he had never realized its presence before. He was so drowned in his own thoughts that he could never realize the beauty of the sound.

In the Oprah’s interview, Mr.Tolle shows a way to manage the voice in the head stating that whenever it comes, do not pay attention to it. “If you resist ego, it will persist”, he emphasizes. Just let it be there as it is. This way, you are the awareness behind it and as awareness comes in, unawareness goes away.

In chapter three and four, he describes more about ego and gives more examples of its various faces. In chapter five, emotional side of ego is described. Ego has another dimension which is emotion or “Pain body.” Fear, anger, anxiety, jealousy, envy, etc, are different faces of the pain body.

Because the body is intelligent, it reacts to the thoughts and therefore, emotion is a response to the mind. In fact, ego plays a game with us. It starts telling a story which body believes in. Then, body reacts to it. The reaction feeds energy back to the thought making more emotional thinking and emotional story-making. Ego also feeds on the past and future for its existence. To clarify, Ekhart Tolle uses an example of two ducks that fights with each other in a pond of a park where he went to take a rest. After fighting, the two ducks just flapped their wings in order to let the negative energy go. Then, they floated off in the opposite direction and forgot completely about what had happened in the past. What it would be if they had a human mind? “I won’t believe what he just did. He thinks he owns this pond. He has no consideration for my private space. I’ll never trust him again. Next time, he’ll try something else just to annoy me. I’ll teach him a lesson he won’t forget.” (Page 87)

The answer to how we can control the pain body is hidden in chapter sex. The most significant thing to do in order to reduce pain body impact on the mind is to realize first we have a pain body, and then, to be present enough to recognize it. By only being present, we can identify pain body. This identification results in separating our true self from pain body and as soon as this separation occurs, pain body is unable to overcome.

But, the most important question is that how we can be present. In the video, Ekhart Tolle describes three ways to live at the present moment. First, just look around without judging. He emphasizes that it is better to look at the nature rather than a manmade object because the manmade object brings more thoughts to the mind. For example, just look at a tree without judging so that you can feel its presence. Look at its leaves, the color of the leaves, how it bends over when the wind blows and so on. Second, in daily activities, focus on what you are doing. If you wash your hands, try to feel the warmth of the water, the sound of the water, how water flows into your hands, how you feel when the warm water touches your skin and so on. Third, concentrate on your breath. Breathe deeply, release it slowly and watch it when you inhale and exhale. These methods help us to divert our thoughts from the mind and to live at the present moment.

In chapter seven, the author brings attention to one of the most important questions of our life; who are you really? Are you your name, your occupation, your personal history, your shape of your body and whatever is identified with ego? Knowing oneself is not concerned with ideas and thoughts in the mind. Instead, it is in “Being.” We are human being rather than human doing. And, only by Being, we can find consciousness which lies within.

Inner space is discussed in chapter eight indicating that this physical body is just an illusion. With the help of science, we are now able to see inside a cell which is made of atoms. And, deep beneath each atom, there is a space. In other words, our body consists of the space beneath the atoms. Thus, we are that space, and because the space cannot be manifested and tangible without the body, we have a body. Therefore, the universe expresses itself through us in order to be manifested, the author states in the video interview with Oprah. Moreover, by isolating the ego and knowing that we are not the ego, we create a space between ego and consciousness. And, this gap creates awakening.

Chapter nine and ten discuss about inner and outer purpose of life emphasizing that inner purpose is primary and outer purpose is secondary. The inner purpose of life is to be awakened which we all share on the planet because it is the purpose of humankind. However, the outer purpose is changeable over time.

Moreover, to be fulfilled, it is necessary to be in alignment with the inner purpose. If not, we will cause suffering for ourselves and others. So, awakening is when outer and inner purpose is aligned with each other, which is possible by “awakening doing.” Awakening doing has three modalities including acceptance, enjoyment and enthusiasm. When these three modalities are not present in what we are doing, we suffer. For example, imagine a bank clerk whose job does not satisfy him. It means that he does not accept his job situation. Therefore, he does not work compassionately; he complains all the time and creates an unpleasant environment for himself, colleagues, clients and his family.

In the end, the book has promising news. By being awakened, we build a new earth. The new earth is not a utopia. The new earth comes when external world is in accordance with the internal world and when we are egoless, in the surrendered state, in oneness with ourselves, others, the whole universe and God. So, this awakened individual can change everything on the earth because outer life is not inseparable of the consciousness within. And, it mentions it is already happening, “A new species is arising on the planet, it is arising now and you are it.” (Page 187)

Dear friends,

My contact list has been growing up and now, it is too big to be managed very well. To be organized, I have decided to delete some friends from my contact list. By doing so, I do not want to offened or insult anyone. It does not mean that I do not like my friends or do not care for them. I just want to be organized. I very much appreciate your understanding in advance.

Have a terrific time,

Nafis

When we travel, the first thing that we do is to look through the city brochure and find the museums. Have you ever thought why people visit museums? There are different reasons why people come to museums. In my view, not only they provide a rich source of data but also they are timesaving, perceivable and uplifting.

First of all, you gain comprehensive information and preserve the short time. Tourists usually have limited time to visit all sightseeing. And, since artefacts have been collected in only one area, it saves a lot of time going from one place to another as well as acquiring cultural, historical and political information. Today, most museums try to catch the audience through the cyber world. So, they usually design multi –media websites which includes pictures or videos of the museum’s objects and the exact time and date of the upcoming events or exhibits. As a result, before even visiting, the audience can determine if it suits his desire and need or not. Therefore, this is an efficient way to attain excessive information in a short period of time.

Another advantage is that the visit will be carved on the memory. Most museums try to nurture their audience by providing written text, different films, books and brochures. Visitors can read a brief explanation or even ask about the artefacts. So, it results not only in better understanding but also in better recalling. On the other hand, if you read a book, it may be so complicated and boring. But, museums utilize all the possibilities and media to make their point understandable and unforgettable. The laundry museum in Zanjan, Iran, is still crystal clear in my mind even after six years passed by. The anthropological museum had used mannequins dressed in Qajar era’s outfit and displayed them as if they are washing their clothes in the narrow canals. So, with the help of various media, learning process is profound and unforgettable.

Finally, museums are inspiring. Nowadays, we all busy with our own daily life in order to meet ends. So, museums give us the opportunity to be relaxed and enjoy the time. The special architectural design of the Art Gallery of Toronto, the easy listening music, the silence and the sheer beauty of the oil paintings make great atmosphere to evade from overwhelming life.

Briefly, if you are curious to visit a new sight, visiting a museum would be a great choice. They provide you with cultural and historical backdrop. So, you know more during a limited time and still have time to see many other places. And more importantly, the visit becomes one of your memorable time of your life.

Notice: You can listen to the corrected version of the essay in the following address Museums.wma, which is corrected by Dear Bill. You can also see Louvere Museum ,The Museum of Modern Art and The Art Institute of Chicago here if you are interested.

Enjoy your time,

Nafis

I clearly remember seven years ago when I came across "Seven secrets for ESL learners" on English Club. The information was so excellent and impressive that I wrote an Email to Mr.Josef Essberger, the founder of EC. Although my writing was not so good, he kindly read it and humbly responded. I could not imagine one day I can easily interview him, and as usual he accpetd my request right away and humbly responded. Here is the interview:

1-There is a photo on your page, the photo of the first computer that you used for EC, so how did you come up to create EC?

I had just discovered the Internet. I was teaching English in Paris at the time, and doing some translation work for a client who wanted to work through the Internet. So that forced me to learn about the world wide web, which in Europe was pretty new at the time. As soon as I saw the Internet, it kind of clicked in my mind that here was this fantastic new medium for the distribution of information and knowledge. I had no idea how it would develop. I don’t think anyone had at that time.

2-At the beginning was it easy to build EC? Was anybody supported you?

Ha! I had one thing going for me: I spoke and taught English. But I knew almost nothing about computers, and even less about the Internet. So the technical side was probably the most difficult. There was a lot to learn – about HTML, and then about various scripts like CGI and PHP. But that was fun and kept my brain active. As for support, no, but over the years we have built up a team of really creative individuals who help in developing EnglishClub in a variety of ways:

http://www.englishclub.com/about/team/

3-How many years has EC been built?

I started EnglishClub in 1997.

4-Did you think that you would have one of the best English websites? Because EC is on English as a Second Language best English website list.

I don’t know. I think it’s impossible to try to be “the best”. One should try to be good, or very good, or the best that one can be. If some people consider that to be among the best, then it is very gratifying. But we should always keep trying to improve, and ultimately to think of the user and the user’s needs.

5- Have you ever thought you shouldn't have created it?

NO!!! That idea has never occurred to me. Your question is the first time I have even thought about it. It’s a good question, though.

6-what does success means to you?

In general terms, I think that success means achieving a goal. Logically then, we cannot be successful if we do not have a goal. So having a goal is the first and most important thing. Without a goal, you cannot measure success.

7-How many members do you have already?

About 150,000 in total, but not all members participate in all parts of EnglishClub. For example, MyEnglishClub, which started less than a year ago, has just over 12,000 members. But when you take in newsletter subscribers, forum members, chat room members and so on you get something like 150,000. Those are really active members. It would be more but we are rigorous about cleaning out the database, and we don’t count for instance members whose newsletters bounce back to us because they’ve changed email address. In terms of visitors per month though, we have nearly 2 million. EnglishClub is free access and we don’t force people to join in order to see content.

8 - When you get a negative feedback from your members, how do you deal with it?

Very good question. And yes, we do of course get negative feedback at times. It’s sometimes difficult not to take criticism personally. I know that several forum moderators, who are volunteers and give their time freely, have once or twice been really hurt by “negative feedback”. But in reality we have to be grateful to anyone who writes in with criticism, as long as it’s serious and not abusive. Often they have a valid point and we do what we can to correct the issue as appropriate.

9-How do you feel when you see EC's name on the influential websites like EST as a TOEFL resource studying material?

Good. Very satisfied. I’d be lying if I said otherwise. But at the same time, I have to think of and thank all those people who have helped to put it there, and remember that it’s not automatically going to stay there!

10-Would you please describe one of your best memories of EC?

Seeing so much creativity coming from members. For example, first in the ESL Forums where members would create games for each other or write poems, and more lately in MyEnglishClub where members have come up with the most amazing ideas, writing, games, audio and so on. Something else that is very exciting is “The Learning English Video Project” that is currently in production.

11-Would you please describe one of your worst memories of EC?

I think two things, which are kind of related. One is just spam, or attempted fraud. Which unfortunately is a fact of life. It’s sad to think that people spend so much time and effort over something that is ultimately going to get them nowhere but causes so much trouble for others. The other is intolerance, the kind of thing that happens in chat rooms or forums, not just on EnglishClub, when people get abusive with each other without stopping and trying to see the other person’s point of view.

12-What messages do you have for those who have new ideas and want to take action making their dreams come true?

Believe in your dreams. It’s a little bit like the “goal” we were talking about earlier. And like the lyrics from “South Pacific”, that wonderful musical film that came out long before most EnglishClub members were born: “You gotta have a dream, if you don't have a dream, How you gonna have a dream come true?”

13- How did you learn Thai Language?
By taking some lessons, by using Thai with Thai people, by watching Thai TV. By learning to read and write Thai since it uses its own script.

14-Which topic did you like most when you were a student?
Art, English

15-Which topic didn't you like when you were a student?
Maths

16- What famous figures do you admire most?
Genghis Khan

17-what is your favorite color?
Grey

18- If you were born once again, what kind of job would you choose?
Doctor

Dear Josef, I very much appreciate for your kindness and taking your time in order to answer my questions.