While skimming through my journal, I came across a lovely night that I had before the uprising taking place in my beloved country Syria. I'd like to share it with you.

Feeling very bored that I couldn't study nor do anything else, I proposed to my family to have a tour around Aleppo Castle. After some discussions, we set off to the castle. Horaaay!!! I was so excited and happy. You may be wondering why that much?!! Well, it's because this's my chance to meet some tourists and practice my English.

Reaching the wanted place, we got off the car and started the journey. I walked with my sister arm in arm in the lead while my parents were strolling behind us. The first group I came across weren't, to my greatest disappointment, foreigners. Ooops!!! Seeing their outward appearances, I judged they must have been tourists, but I was wrong unfortunately. I started with them as following,"Hello, are you tourists?! Do you speak English?!!" They turned saying somehow loudly,"What do you want?!!!" in Arabic. Oops!!! What an embarrassment!! I heartly apologized for the disturbance and resumed my search.

It took me awhile to find some tourists; however, at last I spotted a young couple walking around. This time, I was certain that they were true foreigners. I dared to ask if they spoke English and, to my great satisfaction, they did very well. Being overwhelmed with happiness, I started a conversation with them. They were a newly married couple from Paris, France. They met at a bank where they both worked. They were really kind and friendly. We chatted for about 20 minutes and then, wishing them a happy journey, I proceeded my search for others.

Well, not all the people that I met were as nice as this couple. I, for instance, came across two girls from Holland. They were so unfriendly. They ignored me:-( and didn't wanna chat. I don't know the reason behind that, but I guess they didn't trust foreigners. That was really disappointing. By the way, they wanted to have a drink and smoke hubble-bubble. Seeing that they were busy and a bit bully, I retreated.

After this unfortunate incident, we proceeded our tour spinning around the castle looking for tourists here and there. Some minutes later, I noticed that four people alighting from a car. They went directly to Umayyad Mosque. I followed them and asked,"Hi, do you speak English?!!" To which one of the girls answered,"Yes, if you want" but again that was in Arabic. Opsss! I shouldn't have fallen in the same trap twice, but believe me their appearances were quite deceiving! Anyway, I said I was sorry and decided to end the tour and go home.

Wow!!! This was a great adventure! Though I had some moments of deep disappointment and embarrassment, yet I enjoyed my time to the full, practicing and talking English.

Hope you like it! This was the last time I went to the castle before the crisis in order to meet some tourists, so it's a significant day for me...

Hi Everybody!

Today, I'd like to share with you information about the types of signatures and their meanings. Let's start by defining what a signature is:

Well, your signature is your logo or trademark. It is a written picture of how you see yourself in relation to others.

In general, you’ll notice that where a signature is written simply and looks similar to the rest of the handwriting, the writer has a balanced and down to earth opinion of himself. He is modest and unassuming. On the other hand, where the signature is much larger than the rest of the writing it shows a writer who is trying to impress.

Moreover, any writer who has a signature that is very large and flamboyant is trying to project himself as being far more important than he really is.

Now, We'll have a look together at the various types of signatures and the attitudes of their writers:

1) SINGLE UNDERLINE BELOW THE SIGN !!

These persons are very confident and are good personalities. They are a little bit selfish but believe in "Happiness of human life"

2) TWO DOTS BELOW THE SIGN !!

These persons are considered to be Romantic, can easily change their fiances as if they change their clothes. They prefer beauty in other persons and they themselves try to look beautiful. They easily attract others.

3) SINGLE DOT BELOW THE SIGN !!

These persons are more inclined towards classical arts, simple and are very cool. If you lose faith with them, then these persons will never look back at you. Hence its always better to be careful with these people.

4) NO UNDERLINES OR DOTS BELOW THE SIGN !!

These persons enjoy their life in their own way, never pay attention to others views. These are considered to be good nature but are selfish too.

5) RANDOM SIGN, NO SIMILARITY BETWEEN NAME and SIGN !!

These persons try to be very smart, hide each and every matter, never say anything in straight forward manner, never pay attention to the other person of what he is talking of.

6) RANDOM SIGN, SIMILARITY BETWEEN NAME and SIGN !!

These persons are considered to be intelligent but never think. These people change their ideas and views as fast as the wind changes its direction of flow. They never think whether that particular thing is right or wrong. You can win them just by flattering them.

7) SIGN IN PRINTED LETTERS !!

These persons are very kind to us, have a good heart, selfless, are ready to sacrifice their life for the sake of their near and dear. But these seem to think a lot and may get angry very soon.

8) WRITING COMPLETE NAME AS THEIR SIGN !!

These persons are very kind hearted, can adjust themselves to any environment and to the person they are talking. These persons are very firm on their views and posses a lot of will power.

Having read that, why don't you show us your own signatures in order to know what kind of personality you enjoy???

Hello Everybody!

Hope you are all having a great time :_) Guys, I've been quite shocked with the results when making a research about the benefits of love...You won't believe it...Here's what I've found out:

Love makes you smarter
Falling in love induces a calming effect on the body and mind by raising levels of nerve growth for about a year. This hormone-like substance helps to restore the nervous system and improves memory by triggering the growth of new brain cells.
(Sify News 2007.)

Love benefits your immune, endocrine and cardiovascular systems
We may also pay a price if we don't give love. Research shows that loving acts neutralise the kind of negative emotions that adversely affect immune, endocrine and cardiovascular function.
(Stephen Post Ph.D professor of bioethics and religion at Ohio's Case Western University.)

Love is good for your heart
The brain becomes "fired up" when talking to someone it finds attractive and sends impulses to the heart making it pound three times faster than normal. This results in increased blood supply to the body, specifically the cheeks , which gives us the feeling of butterflies in the stomach.
(Dr John Marsden PhD. chartered psychologist and senior lecturer at London's Institute of Psychiatry.)

Love makes you live longer
Studies have indicated that a lack of love causing social isolation increases the risk of early death by up to five times. Feeling connected is essential to good health.
(Dean Ornish MD, author of Love and Survival: 8 Pathways to Intimacy and Health.)

Research carried out at The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, suggests that selfless love can increase our immunity by de-stressing us as well as possibly extending our life spans and improving our mental health states, including reducing depression, for those who focus their attention on giving or helping others.So why don't you go and help somebody?

Love can lower your cholesterol
Research has shown that expressing your feelings of affection can reduce cholesterol levels. A study in Human Communication Research found that people who wrote about their feelings of affection for significant friends, relatives, and/or romantic partners had significantly lower cholesterol levels than those that didn't.

Can you believe this?!!! So hurry and look for your mate, because your life, health and happiness depend on her/him :-)

Hi everybody!

I've been thinking about the currencies used around the world. Unfortunately, I've come up with only a handful: the dollar, the euro, the pound, the lira and few more. It's right that I know the names of some, yet there are many other currencies which I neither know where they're used nor how they look like. As a result, I thought that it'd be nice if you help, poor me, enrich my information by telling the members about the name of currency used in your country including a  photo of it.

Now... Let's know about the currency used in Syria. Well, it's called the Pound or the Lira. Here are some photos...

I hope you're fine. Acually, I've seen an Indian movie called " Mien Prem Ki Diwani Hoon"; it's such a nice movie! There in that particular movie, I've listened to a great song called " kasam Ki Kasam". I love this song; it's melody is so unique as well as it's lyrics as far as I remember. Here is where I need your help... Could you please translate this song for me?

Here it is:

Kasam Ki Kasam Lyrics
Kasam Kee Kasam Hai Kasam Se, Hamko Pyar Hai Sirf Tumse - (2)
Abb Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Phir Humse Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Kasam Kee Kasam Hai Kasam Se, Hamko Pyar Hai Sirf Tumse
Log Kehte Hai Pagal Hu Mai Yeh Bhee Na Janu
Dil Lutaya Hai Maine Abb Kisee Kee Na Manu
Chain Dekar Ke Maine Bechainiya Yeh Lee Hai
Ninde Udakar Ke Maine Tumse Wafaye Kee Hai
Kasam Kee Kasam Hai Kasam Se, Jee Rahe The Ham Tere Dum Se
Abb Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Phir Humse
Kasam Kee Kasam Hai Kasam Se, Hamko Pyar Hai Sirf Tumse
Kuchh Isharo Me Tumne Humse Jo Yeh Kahan Hai
Abb Yakin Aa Raha Hai Tumko Bhee Kuchh Hua Hai
Kyon Tumko Dekhte Hain Kya Dil Me Sochte Hai
Tufan Jo Uth Raha Hai Ham Usko Rokte Hai
Kasam Kee Kasam Hai Kasam Se, Yeh Milan Hai Sanam Ka Sanam Se
Abb Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Phir Humse, Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Kasam Kee Kasam Han Kasam Yeh Kasam
Dee Kasam Lee Kasam Han Kasam Kasam Kasam Kasam
Kasam Kee Kasam Hai Kasam Se, Hamko Pyar Hai Sirf Tumse
Abb Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Phir Humse, Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

Many Thanks, guys.

Hello my friends!

When passing by your precious blogs and discussions, I sometimes come across some mistakes: grammatical, spelling and others concerning structure and punctuation. Every time that happens, I feel like I need to correct them; howerver, I hold myself back and say," What if my correction hurts the feelings of the person in question; what if that person feels like his/her English is not good and stops writing again." To be honest with you, I won't be able to live with this burden. As a result, I've decided to carry out this poll in order to find out what you people think about my offer... What are you waiting for, folks? Go and rain me with your opinions!

PS, I will be very grateful in if you correct my mistakes in return.

Many thanks,

Lama

     Hello everybody, I've been trying to post new photos for about a week, but it doesn't work. I've been told that the uploading process has been successful and that I've just needed to get the photos approved. I've been waiting for about 4 days and nothing has happened.

Does anyone have an idea why?

     I have another problem, I posted 3 photos on 23th Seb. The photos were posted and I got comments on them; however, after some days I've noticed that 2 of these photos were deleted.

Can anybody help me figure out the reason behind that as well?

Many thanks,guys.

Many people tend to evaluate a person from the very first meeting thinking that the first impression one leaves is the most honest and shows his/her real character.Accordingly, that person will work his/her socks off to leave a good impression on the host. That's pretty recommendable and important as long as the person acts and behaves as he/ahe truly is. Unfortunately,some people misunderstand the concept and the essence  of "the first impression" and start to fake their personalities and appearances in order to impress the other person. So don't you agree with me that the whole idea of the first impression has become nothing more than hypocrisy and deception!

     Through my study to English, I've studied phonetics which is of great importance for learning the correct way of speaking the English language. One of the most significant things I've learned is assimilation. Assimilation is something which varies in extent according to speaking rate and style; it's more likely to be found in rapid, casual speech. Assimilation in most cases affects consonants.

Types of Assimilation:

1-A final consonant with alveolar place of articulation is followed by an initial consonant with a place of articulation that is not alveolar. For example, the final consonant in `that` ðæt is alveolar t. In rapid, casual speech the t will become p before a bilabial consonant, as in :`that person` ~ `ðæp pɜ:sən`; `light blue` ~`laɪp blu:` ; `meat pie` ~ `mi:p paɪ`.

2-Before a velar consonant, the t will become k, as in : `that case` ~`ðæk keɪs` ; `bright colour` ~ `braɪk kʌlə` ; `quite good` ~ `kwaɪk gʊd`

3- the consonants s becomes ʃ (sh) and z becomes  ʒ (treasure) when followed by ʃ or j (year), as in : ` this shoe` ~ `ðɪʃ ʃu:` ; `those years` ~ `ðəʊʒ jɪəz`

     In all the past three examples we have what is called assimilation of place because it's related to the place of articulation of the consonants. Now we will talk about another kind of assimilation that is related to the manner of articulation of consonants. A final plosive becomes a fricative or nasal (e.g ` that side` ~ `ðæs saɪd` , `good night` ~ `gʊn naɪt`. Another example, `ten men` ~ `tem men`

     The last type of assimilations is that of voice. This has to do with the suffix s which will be pronounced as s if the preceding consonant is voiceless and as z if the preceding consonant is voiced, thus:

`cats` ~ `kæts` ; `jumps` ~ `dʒʌmps` ; `Pat's` ~ `pæts` ; ` dogs` ~ `dɒgz` ; `runs` ~ `rʌnz` ; `Pam's` ~ `pæmz`. These are all in one word. Now some examples where we have assimilation of voice in two words:

`with thanks` ~ `wɪθ θæŋks` ; was sent` ~ `wəs sent` ; ` have to ` ~ `həftə`

     Other cases of assimilation:

1-d in `good` gʊd becomes g in the context "...girl" ~ `gʊg gɜ:l` or b in the context "...boy" ~ `gʊb bɔɪ`

2-` wouldn't` ~ `wʊn`

     I know that there are some words like plosive, fricative and others you never heard of; though, I mentioned them without explanation on purpose becuase what I'm aiming at is the way of pronuncing some words not the reason behind such pronunciation. Yet If you have any question about it, please don't hesitate to pose.

My role model is my dad. He made his way by himself without getting any help from anybody. Despite the fact that his father passed away when he was just 3 years old, he was able to study and at the same time provide for his family. My dad studied really hard and as a result, he got a scholarship and was able to get a PHD in economics from Romania. I am very proud of him!

I have noticed that all of us would love to improve his/her English skills including speaking. As a result, I collected tips from here and there to help you speak and practise good English:

1-Read in English whatever you come across (books, articles...)

2-Watch English movies and listen to English songs and news.

3-Try to read aloud a lot to hear the way speak or you can record your own voice and listen to it afterwards so that you know your mistakes and work to get red of them.

4-Think in English.Try to say in your head what is going around you. Or you can imagine a conversation with somebody and be part of it.

5-Try to visit places where you can meet native speakers and practise your English with them.

6-DO NOT worry if you forget a word. In such cases, don't panic just act natives do: use " filler" of the coversation, such as "er, um, oh..." and then carry on as if nothing happened. Moreover, you can " beat around the bush" and describe what you have on your mind in other words.

7-Train all your English skills: listening, speaking, grammar and vocabulary.

8-Remember not to speak SO fast.Try to speak in a way that is understandable and clear.

9-Practise speaking on regular basis. Set your self a schedule and stick to it. You can practise one hour a day, for example.You can stand in front of a mirror (just like I do) and speak to your self.Relax,that does not mean you are crazy, lol.

10-Try to use SKYPE or ICQ to practise English and speak with natives and other learners so that you get accustomed to different accents.

11-You can go to a restaurant pretending to be a native speaker of English. The better you are, the more convincing.

 I hope you find these tips helpful. I would love to receive other tips from you.

Many thanks,

Lama

I read this article and found it nice,so I wanna share it with you.I didn't copy the whole article but the most significant points because it is very long.This article explains how you can improve your luck in different ways.I found that inviting!

To be honest with you,I tend to be a pessimistic person most of the time.I feel like if I think of the worst,I will not be surprised with the results no matter how terrible they turn to be.I admit it I don't think positively.Maybe that is why I liked this article.

I hope you enjoy reading it.

1. Positive Thinking Attracts Luck

If you are the type of person who believes that the glass is half full, not half empty, than you're already familiar with positive thinking. Studies have actually shown that being optimistic can relieve stress and help you live longer.

2. Accentuate the Positive with Visualization

Visualization is a technique where you picture yourself experiencing a desired event, which helps you work out the steps to make that event happen.

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3. Affirmations Reinforce Lucky Thinking

If you watched the movie, Evan Almighty, you might have noticed that Evan's character starts every morning by looking in the mirror and saying, "I am smart, I am successful, I am happy." This is an affirmation.

Affirmations are ways of planting the seeds of success in our subconscious, helping us to think positively and to be more prepared for success. As W. Clement Stone said, "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."

Affirmations are always positive, in the first person, and in the present tense. You can write them out or repeat them to yourself several times each day. Some good affirmations to improve your luck might be, "I am lucky, I am open to success, I am a winner."

4. Feng Shui Lets Luck Flow

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art designed to bring balance, health, and even luck to the people who practice it. Some dismiss feng shui as superstition, but the principles of this art can help you to be more productive, more positive, and less distracted.

For example, one of the principles of feng shui is that clutter has a negative effect on your energy levels. And it's true - a messy, disorganized area makes it difficult to find what you need and to concentrate on your work.

5. Lucky Charms and Rituals

Many people swear that they have increased their luck by wearing a favorite pair of socks or t-shirt , or by having lucky symbols like four-leafed clovers, ladybugs, or even Troll dolls near their computers while they enter. Still others perform some kind of lucky rituals before they start their daily sweepstakes. But this is superstitious nonsense, right?

Not necessarily. Using lucky charms and rituals makes you feel luckier, happier, and more optimistic. This positive attitude makes it easier to keep entering sweepstakes, and thus improves your chances of winning. 

6. Increase Your Karma, Get Luckier

Karma is one of the principle tenets of Hindu philosophy, but it can be simply summarized as, "What Goes Around, Comes Around." In other words, if you do good things, more good things happen to you and the luckier you'll be. While it might seem to be smarter in the short run to keep the contests and answers that you find to yourself, everyone needs some help and encouragement at some point. Helping each other to win increases the luck of the entire sweepstakes community.

7. Increasing Luck Through Spirituality and Prayer

Many people turn to a greater power to help them increase their luck. Some say a prayer before they start  doing anything important, asking God to help them get what they need.Some feel that asking God for specific prizes is inappropriate, but ask instead for the strength and the positive attitude to do something in the right way.

Others ask the Universe to send them luck, prizes, or a positive attitude, or they use meditation to help them focus and enter more quickly and persistently.

8. Work Harder, Be Luckier

Thomas Jefferson said, "I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." The harder you work, the less you need to rely on luck.  Hard work is the secret of success. By being patient, persistent, and having a positive attitude, you'll see many more lucky results in your life.

    For me,I usually practise the affirmation technique.I wake up every morning and repeat some words to warm me up and raise my spirits like"I am confident,successful and the like..."Honestly,I am not sure if that works or not;however, if it doesn't work,it won't hurt