The heart I left behind

Lies hidden in the heart of the deep forest

Exhausted with no the strength to search

Vanish into the infinite darkness

If it's so small,

I wonder Can I see it even now?

As we live on We lose a little bit more

Shrouded in falsehoods and lies

We stand frozen to the spot

Unable to cry out

The days pass by and change

Without us even realizing how blue sky really is

Overcoming that made-up scheme

We live the present

Our rusted hearts begin to beat again

Find the rhythm of time

Fly once again

We live our lives

Wandering the end of the earth

Believing in you

Now I begin my journey with you

In search of the light

Closing off the way back

We walk on for eternity

What do we need from a friend?  What kind of person could be your friend? If I can choose my friend, I want a person with good manner, kindhearted and good looking. Cheer up my days and support whatever I do –as long as it’s good off course-. What can I do? I can’t choose my friend, neither me nor my friends choose. They become my friends because they meant to be. There was a saying “show me your friend and I can tell who you are” –to be honest I got this from Mishaikh’s blog-. I’ll show you my friend so you can define what kind of person I am.

My closest friend is younger than me I call him ‘Best’, a teenager who is my pupil. He has bad manner and uncontrollable act. Best is talk active and childish. Caused me so many troubles and like to shout while mad. When my blog got featured about a month ago, I have showed him and see how he reacted upon that.

“Do you think I care of what you did there on facebook?” said Best

 “This is EC” I said,

“Whatever!”

See that? How annoying! I was mad, yes! He seemed don’t care about me, expected him to support me? “In your dream” he said,… uuuuurgggghhhh!!! I am gonna die young.

Once I asked what can make me so attached to him, Best said because he is sexy –I admit this little bastard has pretty face, lol-. I have tried to get rid of this relentless boy but in the end he always there, stand by me in the time I need the most.

I rarely meet Best and kind of not in touch. But when I am in a bad time, Best is the first person who make a call and ask “what’s up?” in the right time. This is not happened once or twice but every time I get a problem. I tell him what is going on because he would mad if I refuse and he suddenly turns into a good boy listen to my story as he listens to a fairy tale. Then, he will do nothing but go away after said “you will be ok” –Well, he said that my mum is gonna kill me when I told him I had a problem with her-. This way is not solve my problem but I have courage to face it.

I don’t know how Best know I have problem and he said he has no idea like me. I don’t know if Best even listen, I don’t know whether he cares or not. I don’t even dare to ask because I know he will shout at me as usually he mad. But I am sure he is a little angel God send to share my pain.  My secrets are safe with him and he asks nothing as payment –but free English course, I guess-.

Soo, that’s my friend you can use to define me, I call him Best because he is the best among my friends. This month he will turn 16^th and I’d like to express my thanks towards him, thanks to all the problems he gave, thanks for the awesomeness when I taught a smart boy, thanks for giving me a chance to have a special best friend. Happy Birthday, Best.

Summarize

Hello All…

This is maybe my last blog this month. I’ve been reading a lot of wonderful blogs. They are so inspiring and giving courage. I am so grateful for this opportunity. I wasn’t very active, just wrote few blogs and dropped few comments but I do really enjoy my time here, believe me I didn’t leave any comments or clicked like because I was too amazed and exhausted to read it all. There were so many blog and I found the writers were sharing their experiences and thoughts. I should admit that blog writers are active and creative writers. They seem never lack of idea, energy and time to write.  Let me make summarize and little preview of blogs I have read on this crazy blog month.

First ten days, the challenge started. I found the blogs were all about blog itself as written in the Tara’s page. Not only share their motives and spirits to write blog, but also courage others member to participate. There were only a few blog about non blog. I conclude that members here were deep in love with blog, they have so many things in their mind about blog. Eager to break the record by support it as much as they can. The challenge was well responded and I feel like can hear every member here said “let’s give it a try”.

Second ten days, it was getting hot here because the rain of blog kept falling. Still blog themed but the number of non blog themed increased. At this phase, writers seem to realize that write a blog is just a piece of cake so they made many blogs. Everything could be turned into blog, like the interview blog based on the chat history and challenge another member to write such a blog, those were great idea. Thanks for admin and moderator for keep reminding us to read other’s blog and leave comment as usual. A blog without comment is not a blog, I guess so. I salute to all members here who have a lot of energy to write and being active to make these blogs more fun. By leaving comments, members are supporting each others to keep writing and whining.

Last ten days. I think I started to tired, haha! But come on, they never stop blogging. I did read some blogs were complaining, the point here is even the complain became blogs and increased the number. See how creative the member is. I was a bit surprised when Tara announced that the real record was 580, whoa.. the target suddenly increased more than a hundred blogs. A question crossed my mind how this record breaking would continue and I was not disappointed at all, nobody’s surrender yet. And here I am, sitting and starring to my monitor with few blogs still left to read.

That’s all from me, I wish this blog month will become treasure on my mind as sweet memory about all of you. Thank you.

 I noticed members here like to talk about love so I create a blog about that. This is just coming from my point of view you might agree or disagree. Doesn’t matter, just for fun and don’t be so serious. One may not get the meaning fully because it didn’t happen to that person yet. Briefly I differentiate three phases of love, let’s check it out!

• I’ve loved and lost

There was a saying in my language “if you ready to love something, you shall ready to lose it”. Clear enough I guess, it is our desire to be with someone or something for the long time, more over until the end of the time. But it is not us to decide how long we can stick together. There always a reason for separation such as bad condition, different point of view, death etc. Death is the most logic way of losing someone, but still it’s hurt if we are not ready to face it. When you are with someone you love, don’t think how much you feel happy with him/her, but how much you feel alone without that person. I have passed this phase, yes it is hurt but I took it as a lesson and something for granted.

• I love and am loved

This phase is more refer to love ourselves, inside and outside. By loving ourselves we would take care of ourselves better, carefully guard our mind and body. We won’t easily get hurt because when something hurt happens, we would be able to comfort ourselves because we love and appreciate ourselves. In other side, we would feel happy for knowing we are loved, by ourselves. Never ever feel alone anymore because we have made a friendship with ourselves, someone else inside ourselves. I am not talking about bipolar but just like say “all is well” like Rancho did to himself on movie “Three Idiots”.

Family’s love is also on this phase, this is the easiest way to learn to love ourselves. We do love mother, father, and siblings. Undoubtedly we are loved by them as well. This phase is more crucial than previous one I guess, but I put this as second line for a reason. Sometimes we don’t appreciate what we have until we lose it. For example a teenager girl fall in love with his friend, they were so close and broke up someday. The feeling of hurt because of this lost make the teenager realize that her mother love herself more than her friend who left her with unacceptable reason. Soon, she started to learn love herself.

• I’ll love and will be loved

The most difficult mode, to love all the people and loved by many persons. Such become an actress or actor?  No, just make it simple. Our body and mind are belong to ours but not our life. We are not living alone, like it or not we affect and got affected by others. We may love all the people but we never can fulfill their desires. The easiest way to show our love is by treat other in good way, even if we are treated badly. Hatred is allowed but don’t let it drive us to do crazy thing as hurt others. Keep it to ourselves only as something to be tamed for. Love is giving without asking back, we will love even though we will not be loved back. Let’s affect other more with good things and less affected by unnecessary things.

That’s all from me about love. Hope you like it!

Once upon a time there was a prince and his servant as his best friend. Whenever the prince was going, the servant always accompanied him. The servant was a calm person and he always said “that’s good” for everything which was happened to him, no matter that was good or bad. One day, an accident happened and the servant cut his master’s middle finger not in purpose. After did this, the servant didn’t show some regrets and just said “That’s good”. The prince obviously was mad and ordered his servant to be jailed because of this mistake.

Another day, the prince went to the forest for hunting animals. Unfortunately, he was captured by a cannibal tribe. He was almost got killed and eaten by the tribe but suddenly they released him. The reason was the tribe was forbidden to eat human with non complete body. His missing middle finger saved the life of prince. This event reminded him of his best friend in the prison, he felt so grateful and released him to pay the debt.

“I am so sorry to put you in the jail, my dear friend” said the prince when finally he met the servant.

“That’s good” said the servant as usual.

“Why did you say that’s good? You were prisoned by me and that’s not good” said the prince again.

“If I was not in the prison while you were in the jungle. I must be there with you when you were captured by the cannibal tribe”

The prince shocked to hear that and realized the words from his best friend were truly true. By that time the prince learnt something, that his servant was someone he chose subconsciously as his best friend.

Ps : The story is not mine. I heard about this long time ago and I just try to retell this in my own style. Hope you like it.

Hellooo,.

How are you everyone? First let me apologize for not doing this when I started to blog here. Many of you may have no idea who I am. Second, I am so grateful for admins and members here for welcoming me, make some correction about my blog, leave a sweet comment and click like on it. So, let me introduce myself.

My user name is Peppo, given by my brother. This is a character from “Gankutsuou”, an anime based on classic France’s novel, his favorite one, “La Conte De Monte Cristo” by Alexander Dumas. A teaser girl he thought suit me well even though I am no longer flirty. This year I am going to be 24 years old and I want my graduation announcement become my birthday present. My major in university is English education, more specific for teenage learners. This is my last year – I hope so- and I teach student privately in my own course.

I was working in a garment factory as labourer after graduate from high school. One year later I continued my study, studying and working at same time. That time I became an admin of a delivery office until I resigned last year because I want to focus on studying and teaching. At first I have no idea about English. Little by little I learn and get to know English better. Besides studying from books, I use internet as well, watching English movies, listening music, playing online games and joining sites where I can improve my skills.

I love reading, especially fiction. Then I got interested with classic literature and fairy tales when studying. Lately I like to read my syntax book and the newest book my teacher send me, Phrasal Verbs and Idioms. By join this site, I wish I can improve my writing skill and make a good friendship with other members.

I think that’s all from me. I would like to read any comment and correction from you. Have a great day.

My surrounding

I am sitting in front of my desk in my dark room. In the daylight this room could become so dark because the only light is coming from my laptop’s screen and in the night I turn on the lamp which is hanging under the roof. The large of my room is no more than 2,5 M X 3 M, a half of it occupied by many boxes contain my old books, toys, dolls and stuffs from my childhood. They are well arranged behind me.

There is a bookshelf by my right side, it has 4 piles. The lowest pile is place for my draft of essays, reports and drawing stuffs. Second pile from below is my fiction’s shelf. There a few novels in my language, English and a bunch of Japanese comics. Third pile from below contain my varsity’s books, all about English I use them often, mostly are about grammar and linguistics. I put Qur’an and religion’s book in the upper side.

Beside to study, my family uses this room as place to pray. There is a prayer mat spread out on my left side and few praying veils belong to me, mom and sister. I can spend the whole day inside just like a hermit and leave for personal business such as eat, take a bath and etc. when someone is going to use my room when I am in the middle of something, I take a book from my shelf and go outside.

Ignoring the other people's feelings and claiming that they are doing that for them more than they do it for themselves, that is what I call Selfish.

I have never been selfish in my life. I take less and give more. I take the blame and accept the bad part to be on me instead of blaming.

My reactions cannot be expected because me, myself. I cannot expect them and I keep it this way. I never changed myself for any reason and I was always told when I ask people what can I do for them "Stay as you are".

I stay

as I am

then they leave, as usual.

Boo!!!

Don’t be so serious to read that. It’s only a piece of writing of my brother in the past. Believe it or not, he is the laziest person in this world but still the dearest person to me. He was telling me about selfish after I blamed him for being weak. I was in rage at that time because again and again he was treated badly, left behind after “being used” by his friends. The words he has said to me at that time I wrote it above, made me speechless. 

We simply take selfish as same as egoist, focus on personal interest only. Ignore people just like they are not exist. There will be a time when this selfish person need to work with others and when this happens, he/she just do things for his/her own benefit and somehow use others as device to reach the goal. See how bad the meaning of selfish is. We don’t like it when someone calls us selfish without realize sometimes we can be selfish for real. Notice my bro first sentence, ignoring people’s feeling and claiming they do it for them.

Let me close this blog with questions for you, Have you ever done something that in your opinion you do it for someone’s pleasure? If yes and it ended well, you are not selfish then, congrats!! Hehe…

Have a good day!

Hello everyone!

What will cross your mind when you hear about train? It is long, fully loaded, has iron tires, and forth. Sometimes a train need to cross a highway, when this happens, someone need to close a gate to stop vehicles on that way, like it or not, they shall let the train pass first. Why? Because the train is fast and heavy loaded cannot be stopped as easy as another little vehicles. Maybe… oh wait! Check out it railway, train has its own track. The track is tinier than usual road used to cars but it has strong built. Somehow I find few similarities between a train and a man. A great man who has his/her own track.

Great look of a train resemble of an empathic person cannot be confronted. None dare to disturb because afraid of its greatness. The ability to contain a lot of things is just like a wise man full of things. Train has iron tires to make it stand up move fast, like a person who has strong feet, not in actual meaning, these feet is something that bring him/her to anywhere with no fear, stand still and not easy to fall. The iron tires only can move if we put it on the railway. Railway here represent a faith, something that guide, show us where to go. When someone placed his/her feet in a faith, follow the rules of supreme directions and never dare to infringe, he/she would be a train which is running fast forward into the direction he/she aim for.  

Both train and human need to be careful, as the broken train which is used everyday need to be fixed, human too, need to rest and relax when tired. Sometimes we find railway no more in good condition so we need to change the track with new one, and when we do that, no train shall pass or else a serious accident will happen. Human need to replenish his/her knowledge, enlighten the mind. Take a break to evaluate and think of everything he/she has done. It is not good idea to keep going on without do this. Another case of railway is cross-roads, if there are two trains about to pass by this, one of them should stop to let another pass first. Same thing with human, as long as other person stay on their right track, it’s not wrong to let them crossed our way, the matter is which one come first, cross first.

That’s all from me about similarities between train and man. I conclude if a great man with strong feet know where’s to go, nothing can’t stop him. So, keep on your track, guys! May you enjoy read this. I would like to read your comment and corrections.

Have a great day!

Have you ever read the story of Cinderella? It is a story about a kindhearted girl with her shinning crystal slippers given by fairy godmother. I was always warned to take lessons from everything even it just from simple thing like this childish story. So, I interested very much with this character, Fairy godmother. Not because of her magical power or because Shreek movie has ruined this character by showed her as a cruel unstable villain. I just wonder what would happen if this character never appear in this story. That’s no matter for Cinderella, but for us who aren’t living in a fairy tale, that’s the most important thing.

Rosella was the real name of Cinderella who usually sitting near the embers of the fire. She described as pretty girl with charming manners. Fairy godmother was an old woman whom Cinderella often helped to gather wood in the forest. It was her promise towards Cinderella’s mother so the fairy guarded her. I have question in this part, if the fairy was actually guarding Cinderella every day, why she seem to appear in right time? Because Cinderella eager to come to the ball. Imagine if the girl was not interesting to meet the Prince and tried her luck, real form of Fairy godmother might never show up. That’s the point, Cinderella’s will. By this I conclude that Fairy godmother is something built from our good manner/attitude in our daily life and our dream.

Now let’s avert this to us, do we have Fairy godmother? There are two kinds of people in my version that relates to this, the people who already have clear purpose in this live, and they who didn’t find it yet. The first type often put the goal in first place. They make a list to do in order to make it real. It is all about how to reach the goal. This type focus on what really matter like their beloved people such as family, friend and their job as well. I don’t think this type need fairy godmother, their life is already perfect. Still I expect them to be good to everyone, concern or not to their dream, who knows someday one of them will be your fairy. The second type, this type might need fairy godmother the most, believe me it will come to you someday, when you deep in need of it. But I am not guarantee it will be an old woman or a well dressed fairy. It’s your fruit of your hard work during the journey to find who really you are. The key is be good to everyone, who treat you good or not, help others even though you are not in good condition and take the chance whenever it comes to you.

I used to think that Cinderella was a lazy girl, weak and stupid because she let herself threaten by others. Then I learn to change my point of view towards anything so I can define it better. Take the good and leave the bad, and you will find entire of it the good things only. Now I find her as a great girl who take granted everything on her and she has a will to change her bad life without hurt others. If the fairy wasn’t coming, I bet it doesn’t matter to her, she would find another way out. The worst case, her story would never be heard.

Tribute to Angeline
Dedicated to Children all over the world


Their smile brighter than any sun
Their laugh louder than any noise
Their tears scarier than any hard rain
Their sadness darker than any night

As sacred as angel
As pure as pearl
As fragrant as flower
As sweet as strawberry

If the pain exists
Don't let them feel
If the suffer exists
Don't let them know

Because they wont speak it out
Even they feel pain
Because they can't show it off
Even they are in suffer

Yet they ask nothing
But a warm shelter
Hugs and kisses
Just to make sure they are loved

Hi all!!!

Do you ever wonder about your mind? What inside it looks like? Psychology is not my major but let me write about it a little in this blog. Just for fun and do not think too much. Human’s mind is something abstract, formless and cannot be explained by word. It’s something inside us, like another version of us who we talk with almost all the time. There are two actually, that help us in the term of decision making, thinking and feeling. Some people say we think by brain and feel by heart. I have my own perception that they are different each others, have different ability and doing different activity. Sometimes we think too much and abandon our feeling, sometimes the feeling is ruled us so we no more think straight. I can’t say one is bad and another is good, both are different things and when we can make a good use of them, we would have a better and peaceful life.

It is about mind I want to talk about but it’s not appropriate if I am not bringing out the thinking and feeling, though they are different, they are initially one because exist inside us who actually just one person. When we are in trouble and need to take a decision, which is part you asked first? Is that brain? Or heart? Some will answer heart without realize the first time they do is just panic and don’t know what to do, hehe.. just kidding! what can I say is, they who talk with their heart the most are those who rarely use their brain and vice versa. In order to release the best each of them we should put them at the same level. In other words, treat them in the same way. 

Mind is something abstract, but if I need to explain that in simple language, it looks like a room with a lot of doors, waiting to be opened, and when you are open a door, you will find another room with a lot of doors, no matter how hard you try, you just will find the same room after open a door, it’s endless. You can go back to previous room and open another door, the result will be same. But those doors are special, the keys are hard to find and a key can open only a door, imagine how many keys you need. Like it or not, you shall find a key to move to another room, it’s not a good idea to stuck in a room or just playing around.

A mature person, that’s how I call people who not only has opened many doors in his/her mind, but also can elaborate the thinking and feeling properly. As the parts of mind, brain and heart have a lot of doors too, but they need different keys. If knowledge enriches our brain’s content, affection increases heart’s sensibility. Experience and education would open a lot of doors, but life’s pain could open many doors at the same time in a short time. That’s why a mature person in young age usually has a bad past, they gain more life lesson than others can get.

At least, what I mentioned above is just my own opinion about mind, no more, no less. This way of thinking help me so much when I am in the middle of something I need to solve, that I am inside a room, looking for a key. When I am in a very big trouble, it gave me courage to know that the doors will be opened soon if I pull my brain and heart harder. It’s only you who can find the key and open it. Be friend with your own mind and still you need to act for real. Problem is not solved by thinking and feeling only.

That’s all from me. I am sorry for long post. Hope you enjoy this. Leave your comment and #corrections if you like to. Have a wonderful day!

Hello everyone…

My third blog this month is not about the blog, but still it relates to English learning. In my previous blog you can find I mentioned Literature Based Approach. This is an approach to learn English using literary texts. There are many reasons for using it in the process, one of reason is literature expands language awareness. When we use literary works in the class, we actually exposed many functions of written language. By reading we gain familiarity with many features of written language such as the formation and function of sentences, the variety of possible structure, different ways of connecting ideas which can broaden and enrich our writing skills. Literature can also help us increase our reading skills through which can develop the ability in making inferences from linguistic clues, to deduce meaning of context. By this, we will be more aware of the norms of language use.

Here I show you example how I examine sophisticated or non standard of language use which can occur in literary texts. I choose traditional fairy tales because the lexical and syntactic difficulties suitable with high school students. You can choose any text you can comprehend it.

The Ugly Duckling

It was summer and the countryside looked beautiful. Mother Duck was sitting on her nest in some tall reeds near a pond. There were five eggs in the nest and Mother Duck knew that they would hatch soon. She had been sitting on them for a very long time.

Look at the first sentence, it consists of two sentences connected by conjunction “and”

1. It         +         was                 +          summer

   Subject            to be (past)                  identification of time             

2. The countryside          +          looked            +          beautiful

    Subject (place)                        V2                           adjective

We can see “it” at the first sentence refer to “summer” and “was” between them indicated the event happened in the past. From the second sentence, we can say it was past tense because the using of Verb two and beautiful as adjective because the word explain about the countryside.

The sentence after that seems have different structure with a long adverbial of place.

Mother Duck   +    was   +       sitting     +      on her nest in some tall reeds near a pond

Subject(n)        to be (past)      Ving                            Adverbials of place

Guess what is the tense used on that sentence? Yup, it is past continuous tense because the verb+ing on it. Word “was” as to be just indicated it was happening in the past. About the adverbials of place we can see that preposition “on” used for more specific place than “in”.

 There are two sentences left, if I separate them like two sentences before like this

 1. There + were + five eggs + in + the nest + and + Mother Duck + knew + that + they + would + hatch + soon

2. She + had + been + sitting + on + them + for + a very + long time

Imagine  how many information can we gain beside new vocabularies and enjoy the story.

I think that’s all from me. I am still very new in this world of blog so if you find some mistakes I did, please leave your comment and #corrections , I would love to accept that from you J

Thanks for your attention and Have a great day!!!

Why English Language Teachers Should Blog

Hello everyone…

 I choose this topic as my second blog in this challenge because I am a teacher and I like writing. Though it was just a hobby and most of my writing is not posted anywhere. As a teacher I don’t have all day to sit and write but usually I write my classroom activity as blog, I could use that as my teaching record and a good reminder of past. It is a pleasure to write a blog besides teaching and examining my student, I would love to do that every day if only I have enough time because blogging is very useful and fun.

I do agree English language teachers should blog because of few reasons. First, blog make English easier to learn and in interactive way. English is not an easy lesson for non native speaker. Need a lot effort to learn foreign language which is have different linguistic element. We may learn that from book but we need to interact as well because languages relate to communication and it cannot be done alone. Blog is device that allow us not only improve our writing and reading skill, but also let us learn English in interactive way. Second, blog give a lot of information about teaching method. Teacher mostly occupied by their students, it’s the duty of teacher to input knowledge and make student able to apply the language. It is not an easy work, teacher need to be creative and innovative. When we are teaching a specific lesson about English, a good teaching method is needed so students can learn that properly. For example, a lesson about grammar, specifically tenses. There is an old method to teach grammar called Grammar Transition Method. It looks like this; we explain the rules of the grammar in mother language, then give a task to students to make sentences using those rules. Somehow I find this method not effective, take too much time and students learn passively. Due to this case, I am looking for a better method I might use that to teach in internet, lucky me I find a blog explain about a new method to teach grammar inductively. It is called Literature approach, learning grammar through literature, by analyzing the structure and collecting new vocabularies, it’s a bit hard at first but then I am glad we enjoy this method rather than previous one. Third, we can share useful information so people can take advantages of it like I do now, share my teaching record. :D

That’s all for me this time, about why English language teacher should blog, because it give us many utility as it makes our learning easier and allow us to get and share useful information. Thanks for read my blog, I would happy to read your comments and #corrections . Have a wonderful day.

My Definition of a Blog

Hi there,.

I was an inactive member here but from now on I’ll try to be active by posting some blogs and get to know another member better. At first I have no idea what to write but a friend of mine suggested me to visit Tara’s page and Ding! I found an interesting challenge special in this month. How lucky I am, have a chance to write and read about blog when I just decided to start again. Hope you enjoy read as much as I write and I would love to read any comment you left for me. Happy reading!

Blog is not a new word for me though I rarely use that. I heard this word first time about six years ago after I graduated from high school. It was a website filled by pages, every page contain an essay, could be short or long, with or without picture. Under that essay there usually a box where the visitors can leave their comment after read the essay posted there. Visitors also can click ‘Like’ icon if they like it but have no time to leave any comment. All the pages are drafted and they listed by date it was made. So it looks like a diary but online so people are able to read that, is not just an essay they posted there, it could be about anything and some are have special theme depend on the owner of the blog. For example if the owner likes to write poem, then the blog usually all about poetry. If the author is an English learner, we will find his/her blog English themed.

The purpose of making blog is to tell about something to the reader. Blog is online and could be read by many people. So, it must be filled by something important or at least should be known by people. Nowadays blog is like a device to express author’s thinking and feeling. This way is give more benefits than just tell about something. Let me take an example myself as an English learner. I write a blog to improve my writing skill, I tell people how hard learning English is because it was not my mother language and how eager I want to be fluent in English. After I share my blog I get few responds from my fellow bloggers. I find some of them have same problem with me and expect to solve this together. Some others are great in English so they advice me relate to my blog. Now we can see how useful blog to me as a learner. First, I found many people with same interest with me, a good way to build a good friendship. Second, the advices I get could improve my English. The more I write blog, the more my English improved. I could share my thoughts, ideas or anything inside my mind which is good to minimize stress. Make a lot of friendship so I can learn English in interactive way with many people, exchange knowledge, help each other and so on.

I think it’s enough from me about definition of Blog, it is an online device to tell about something to people and usually it is about what the author’s thinking and feeling. Thank you for reading and have a great day.

"When love beckons to you follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
(...)
But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love."
- Kahlil Gibran - on love

I got that poem shared by a Sir of mine on his page. I would like to post something relate to love, as my welcome back to this page I didn't open for a long time due to work and study. Hope you like it, everyone :)

Those words are just too powerful and have deep meaning thought. Every word is alive, no matter if it stands alone or is united with another lively words. That poem shows us what love is, based on poet's opinion. Reading that lovely poem could make one feel mixed emotion, happy, cheery, sad, desperate etc. Most of the lines describe love in ironies like in this line : for even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you", and so on. Now let me show you my brief thought about that poem, love is a beautiful pain.

It is a pain for a mother bringing an angel in her womb during her 9 month pregnancy, but it is beautiful. It is a pain when a mother is giving a birth, very painful, but still it is beautiful. When a mother keeps awake the entire night to take care of her newborn baby, and has to do all the daily chores in daylight while lacking sleep and being tired, is it a pain? Yes, but it's beautiful, right? I took a mother's love as an example because it is easy, and we don't have any doubt that mother's love is unlimited. Now, let's see what happens when the baby grows up. The kid could become naughty and disappoint his mother, which is a pain for the mother, but will it decrease her love to her child? My answer is "no" and this is beautiful, beautiful pain.

The same thing could occur when a girl falls in love with a guy or vice versa. Unlike a mother's love, a young couple's love is more complicated. The girl and the guy might come from different family, environment, background, way of thinking, and many more differences. It's good if they love each other, things will be going fine even though they might have to face a few problems from outside. Family or culture usually take this place. But if they can go through this pain by keeping stick together, it would be a beautiful process. How about one side love? It is a pain in the ass. There is no word can well describe this calamity except "pain and hurt". But what can we do? No matter how painful and hurtful it is, those lovers who are in pain would still feel subtle sweetness of love and be thankful for the feeling of love. Love is such a gift from God which we cannot deny. That is it.

There are many examples of love as a beautiful pain but I think those I have written above are enough. Whether you agree or not with my points depends on your own definition about love itself. I just tried to convey my humble opinion about love from the poem.

PS :

Very nice poem, Sir. I myself is a fan of Kahlil Gibran, the Prophet. Thanks for sharing :)

Thanks for my mentor, Tia Ma'am for review and editing. This blog is special for you and all members of EC.

Hello everyone! I want to share some strategies I use when learn English especially speaking. There are more strategies in another English skills like in Listening, Reading and Writing. For now let me write about speaking first. I wish you like it, enjoy ….

In speaking

Cognitive strategies

1.    I  use rhymes to remember new English words

2.    I try to remember new English words by pronouncing them

3.    I speak a word or sentence several times to remember it

4.    I try to learn a new pattern by making a sentence orally

5.    I try to translate my language sentences into English sentences and produce them orally

6.    I try to remember what the English word equivalent to my language word is

7.    I tape record the sentences I produce

8.    I mix my language words and English words if I do not know the English words

9.    I put words into rules that I know in speaking

10. Before I respond orally to questions, I write out the answer

Metacognitive strategies

11. I try to correct my mistakes that I produce orally

12. I try to speak with my self to improve my speaking

13. I try to evaluate my utterance after speaking

14. I notice my English mistakes and use that information to help me do better

15. I prepare a topic or grammatical rules in speaking practice

Social strategies

16. I ask somebody to correct me when I talk

17. I practice speaking with my friends or my teachers

18. I practice English with native speaker

19. I ask questions in English

20. If I cannot think during a conversation in English, I use gestures

if you have another strategy in speaking, please specify

21.  

Right now, few minutes before I upload this blog, I have been starring at my monitor, trying to figure out this live. What do I do? Spend almost the time here, working, playing games, chatting, etc. I was thinking about what my old friend i just meet after long time not see told me earlier. We meet each others in a holiday then she asked me ‘how was your life dear?’ this is a simple question but I am stunned after hear that, ‘eeerrr I am working’ I answered. “yes I know you are working, but how about your live?” she came with another questions about what I am doing, about my college, my friends, my activities, I just smiling and realized something, that I have no real life.

Yes I went to college, but not much, just take my lesson and go away after that, I almost never socialize with my classmates, I only knew few of them and not too good. My friends ?! Whoa I have a lot of them, and they come from all around the world, I got them from something we called net. We almost never meet each other and all of our contact is just trough net. Then, can I call them my friends? I meant my friends in my old friend version. When someone asked me “do you have friends?” I think the friends here refer to people in real life who take care of you. They always stand beside you, make a lot of great story with you, live your live, once again I said “in real life”.

Let me think a while. So there was a two kind of friends, the friend from our real life and the friend from internet. Both of them are special person for us if we were have one. They understand us, make us smile, live our days, never trying to upset you and they wont see our sadness. Then what the differences? I think this is very clear though. If you have a good friend from real life, they would stay near with you, coming to you whenever you need them, take care of you while you sick or just have break up with your another special person. I have an imagination when I involve in a fight, my dear friend would be my savior or else, my sparring partner. Next, friend from internet. They can make you happy, they care about you, share their story with you, live your live also. But, they not with you. If you were sick, they would feel sorry about you but they can’t do anything for you like take you to a doctor, for example. All I can say the difference between them is the way of our deals.

Back to my problem about answer my old friend question, to be honest I have no problem about that, just said ‘I have a few’ then it’s over, but the main trouble coming when she told about her, how she have a lot of ‘real’ friends, how she spend nice time with them, what a great story worth to hear about that. When she coming back to me with question “what are you doing with your friends? Hanging out? Climbing the mountain? Making a music band?” well I am speechless.

At least everyone must be have a friend or someone special who can make they smile even just by remember his/her name. I don’t care whether I don’t have any friend in real live neither net world. But I will try my best to be nice with everyone. It’s okay if I have no one as my sparring partner or someone who will take care of me when I am sick, I am sure I can through it all with or without my friend. A wise man once said, it’s a great thing if you can through the day alone, and if you have someone with you that day, it’s a blessing.

Translated from a japanese song 'i wanna go to a place' bye Rie Fu

It would be nice if we could put away and throw out
everything except what really mattered, but
reality is just cruel.

In such times,
I see you laughing
whenever I close my eyes.

Until the day I reach eternal sleep,
that smiling face will
have to stay with me without fail.

People are all sad, so
they go and forget, but--

For that which I should love,
For that which gives me love, I will do what I can.

Back then, when we met,
it was all awkward.
We went the long way, didn't we?
We got hurt, didn't we?

Until the day I reach eternal sleep,
that smiling face will
have to stay with me without fail.

Back then, when we met,
it was all awkward.
We went the long way, didn't we?
We got there in the end.