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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Practice Survey Results

The survey itself is here.

Totals
Males- 25, Females- 24

18-20- 12
>20- 36
n/a (no answer)- 1

1. Do you drink?

Total - yes 41, no 8

Males - yes 22, no 3
Females - yes 19, no 5

18-20 - yes 8, no 4
>20 - yes 32, no 4
n/a - yes 1, no 0

2. Which describes your feeling about alcohol?

Total
41- A little alcohol is good for you but too much is bad
2- You should drink as much as you can
5- All drinking is bad for you, but it's fun anyway
1- Drinking should be illegal for everyone
0- Drinking makes you a cool person

Do you ever do "binge" drinking?

Total

yes 10, no 39

Males - yes 5, no 20
Females - yes 5, no 19

5. When (at what age) did you start drinking?

Total

13-15 - 7
16-18 - 20
19-20 - 17
n/a - 5

Males

13-15 - 3
16-18 - 9
19-20 - 11
n/a - 2

Females

13-15 - 4
16-18 - 11
19-20 - 6
n/a - 3

6. Do you think the drinking age should be lowered in Carbondale?

Total
Yes- 15
No- 34

by age
18-20
Yes- 4
No- 8

>20
Yes- 11
No- 25

n/a
No- 1

Do you think too much drinking is a problem in Carbondale?

Total
Yes- 13
No- 36

by age
18-20
Yes- 4
No- 8

>20
Yes- 8
No- 28

n/a
Yes- 1

our childrin

There are big problems facing young teenagers. In this time everything is change, people change them mind, everything now is available, whatever you want. So teenagers before fifty years ago were completely different than teenagers now, this since everything available now, like alcohol, weed, drugs and bad friends, absolutely they will deviate. Moreover the teenagers face problems in them school, therefore, all family who has teenagers should every family take care of this teenagers carefully. They have to know about them children or teenagers everything they going to do, what they are doing with their lives, also where they are going, with howm and how they are. Each father and mother should sty with their children to talk together, to know about them and what they think about. the important part in our life after marriage our children. There are some teenagers or guys who already have bad behavior, they want every body similar them. They won’t let everybody he/she will be better than them or successful more than them. Teenagers in this age they excited to do anything; they want try everything.

How are teenagers different in the US and Japan?

Almost all Japanese teenagers put makeup on their face. Actually I started to put makeup on my face when I was 13 years old. Also, they start having interest in making earring holes on their bodies; especially their ears. On the other hand, American teenagers usually don’t put makeup on themselves. I think some people do, but most don’t. I was surprised at parents who allow them to making earring holes on their body even when they are children. In Japan, many parents disagree with making earring holes on their body. I felt a big difference about fashion between the US and Japan. In addition, I think Japanese are more fashionable than Americans, because Americans are always wearing jeans, parka, and sneakers. I feel pity for that, because Americans have longer legs than Japanese, so they can be more fashionable.

The different between the weather here and in my country.

The weather that we had in Carbondale is unusual and it is way different from the weather in my country. The weather in my country in the summer is very hot but at night is nice, and in Carbondale the weather in the summer is very nice, nicer than my country's weather. Also in the cold season it becomes very cold, but we don't have snow over there. But in Carbondale we got the very cold weather and even the people who live in Carbondale say that they haven't had this much snow since 2000 or 2001. Also Carbondale has TORNADOES, but in my country we never saw a TORNADO over there. Moreover, here in Carbondale we have a lot of rain but in my country has become last year and this year stronger and colder. Finally, I think in the future the weather will become stronger in Carbondale too.

The best city to live in...

There are a lot of beautiful cities in the world. Also, people get confused when they are going to move to another city, because each city is better than the other. I think the best city in the world to live in is Miami. Miami has a lot of good things for living. The main reason that makes me think that Miami is the best city is that there are a lot of international people, who make me think that I am not going to be alien. Also when we compare between Miami and other cities, we are going to find that you don't have to spend as much money as people spend in other cities. Moreover, the other reason for me to live in Miami and makes it the best city for me in the world that the weather in Miami is very similar to the weather in my country. Also Miami doesn't have as much crime as the other cities have, so I can live safely. Finally, it has a lot of jobs, so I can secure my future and be sure that I am going to handle my kids and my wife's day trips.

Chating online with my friends

The good thing about speaking with my friends online is that it did not cost me that much money. Also, in some situations it let me be in touch with my friends most of the time more than cell phones. For example, when I came to the United States of America I can not call all my friends from time to time because it is going to cost me too much money, but after I suggested using online chatting, it did not cost me that much money. Moreover, there are some problems when I speak to my friends online. Sometimes I think there is no serious talk between us; it is all going to be asking how we are doing, playing together and kidding. Also we are losing time more than with other kinds of communication, and these problems come from the fact that we do not talk seriously, we are just having fun. Also, sometimes it does not let me pay attention to what he or she said. Finally, there is one more thing that I don't know the answer for, which is that sometimes I talk more openly to my friends than with the other kinds of communications.

SIUC students with drinking alcohol

At SIUC university people are drinking too much alcohol. Also, people want drinking alcohol to be legal from age 18. Moreover, some of the people drink alcohol every day. Alcohol drinking at SIUC is very dangerous because a lot of people when they drink alcohol drive their cars. Many of the people at SIUC drink alcohol legally. But SIUC is way different than the universities in my country. The first thing that is different; almost none of the people drink alcohol because it is illegal in my country. Also the people who drink alcohol in my country can not go out to the street while they are drunk. When the police arrest the person who drinks alcohol from different ages, they have to put them in jail even if he is over 21. Drinking alcohol in my culture and my religion is a taboo.

The best resturant

When I went to Los Angeles, there were a lot of good resturants, but in my opinion the best resturant is the Italian resturant. First, this resturant is so expensive, but the food that they make is very healthy and very delicious. They have different kinds of food such as margarita pizza, garlic cheese breads and lasanga. Also they have different kinds of drinks. Moreover, the good thing is that they make the food in front of you. Sometimes they make a party and this party will go crazy, like house parties and the night clubs, so there are a lot of people you go to meet and chat with. Also the resturant is located in Los Angeles' downtown, and that makes it easy to get to the restaurant. We know a lot of people like seafood and this resturant is very famous for sea food. Also there is one thing I forgot to tell, which is a very good thing, that when you order you will get your order very quickly, in four or five minutes, not like the other restaurants. Finally, this resturant is a very big resturant, it can take over 100 people to sit inside the raesturant.

Stress with the TOEFL

We know that students sometimes get stress from the TOEFL test. And sometimes it improves their scores and sometimes it makes them worse. When I take the TOEFL test I feel very comfortable, and that makes my scores go up. But the problem is when we take the TOEFL exam and we start with it, we are going to get confused by some of the questions. After these confusing questions I have stress, then I'll have a big problem which is that I am going to think about these confusing questions and I'll lose a lot of time. So when I lose a lot of time I won't have time to read all the questions, and these problems make you get more stress. So all these things make the scores worse. When I get the right answers I'll blow the stress away and I feel more comfortable to answer the other questions. Also when I feel comfortable I'll have a lot of time to use with the confusing questions, so that will make my scores go up.

Dealing with stress

We know that is each person has to have stress. Also the stress is different from person to person, and the same stress is different from level to level. But the problem is there are a lot of people who don't know how to deal with stress or how to fight stress to put it away. A lot of people fight stress by using exercises or talking to somebody or smoking. A lot of time I fight stress I smoke a lot and talk to someone that I know very well. The thing that is working out most with me to get the stress away is doing exercise, because I always have stress when I get angry. So, I exercise and get my anger off, and after I get my anger away, the stress will go away too. All these things are very helpful. Also if I am not going to control myself and know how to deal with the stress I think that I am going to have disease problems, such as heart attack and cancer from the earliest age.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Practice Survey

EAP1WW
Mini Survey

Thank you for participating in our survey.

___ male ___ female

___ <18 ___ 18-20 ___ >20

1. Do you drink alcohol?

___ yes ___ no

2. Which describes your feeling about alcohol the best?

___ a little alcohol is good for you but too much is bad
___ you should drink as much as you can
___ all drinking is bad for you, but it's fun anyway
___ drinking should be illegal for everyone
___ drinking makes you a cool person

3. How often do you drink?

___ 1x week ___2-3 X/week ___4-5X/week ___ every day

4. Do you ever do "binge drinking?"

___ yes ___ no

5. When (at what age) did you start drinking?

___ 10-12 ___ 13-15 ___ 16-18 ___ 19-20

6. Do you think the drinking age should be lowered to 18?

___ yes ___ no

7. Why or why not?




8. Do you think too much drinking is a problem in Carbondale?

___ yes ___ no

9. Do you think Carbondale/SIUC has more underage drinking than other universities like it?
___ yes ___ no

My future job

I already planned for my future job and i decided to work with Saudi Cultural Mission. I plan to be an adviser for students. Also, I'll work with the financial part. I plan to work there because i'll have a lot of money and a lot of knowledge of people. Moreover, in this job I don't have to work a lot of time. For example, there are people who work more than 6 hours a day, but with this job I am going to work about 5 or 6 hours a day and sometimes less than that. But it does not mean that this job is so easy; it is hard sometimes, because the person who is going to work there has to have responsibility. What I have been thinking about is that I am going to be far away frim my family and how I am going to be allowed to stay and work in the USA. These all are disadvantages. But the advantage is that I'll know a lot of important people and I'll have a chance to help the people who need help, and this will be good to get people to like me.

Alcohol is bad for child

If my children are teenagers, I will tell them alcohol is bad for them. Alcohol is unhealthy; it can make their minds unclear. It might make them have accidents. If they want to drink, I will tell them not to drive. It is very dangerous. It can make them die. Their growth is not done. So, if they drink early, it could make their growth late. When they drink too early, alcohol might make them get cancer or other diseases. I will show some addict video or pictures to them, and let them know drinking will make like those people.

My teenagers and alcohol

I will teach my children a lot of things about alcohol, because i hate it. I will teach them how it is dangerous to their health and their mind. Also, it is bad in our religion, and God will be angry with us if we drink alcohol. I will teach them that alcohol will affect their mind and they will do bad behavior, that they would never do if they weren't drunk. I will teach them about the side effects of drinking alcohol.
1. alcohol makes you gain weight.
2. it makes you feel sick.
3. it gives you bad breath.
4. it slurs your speaking.
5. it makes you feel out of control.
And how is it dangerous to their body and health; they may have serious diseases such as addiction to alcohol, poisoning, and they may die or get stomach ulcers.

My favorite restaurant

Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant which is my favorite restaurant. This restaurant is so elegant and it is a nice place to go. Also, they have delicious food. They have an unbelievable menu. The have soups, appetizer, salad, desert and steak. They also have all kind of Italian pasta. For me, I really like the fettuccini that is made with chicken and Alfredo sauce; it tastes so good. Moreover, their waiters are very polite. When you want to invite someone to such a nice place, it is the perfect one. I really like it and I enjoy my time there. Now I feel hungry to just think about it.

In K.S.A. Alcohol Is Illegal

It is totally different in K.S.A; we don’t drink alcohol, which is good. In SIUC I always see students who went to the bar on the weekend. When they went there, they seem to me that they are so happy. But after midnight the bars start closing, and the students look terrible. They do crazy things; such as sleep on the ground. I thank god that the people in K.S.A can't drink alcohol. In K.S.A the students have different things to do on weekends. They go to a place where they can play sports or they go to their friends' house and they watch movies together or watch television. Or study. They are really healthy young people. I wish that one day they will outlaw alcohol in the U.S.

I don’t have to go to the mall anymore

In the past the people had to go to the mall if they needed anything or go to the stores where they could find what they needed. But the world has been changing now; if I need anything I can log in to the Internet and go to an online shopping website and choose what I want and buy it, and they will send it to me. I prefer online shopping because it is easy, I can get anything I want when I am sitting in my home. Another benefit is that I can find a big collection, I can see everything, any brand from any store. I don’t have to buy just what we have in the next mall. So I have a choice. Also, it can be cheaper than buying stuff from the stores, I can find many collections and I can combine the model, the brand name and the size. Nowadays it has be come a very illustrious business, and I think that people who have an online business can make good money very easily.

I love Carbondale

Carbondale is the best city in the world to live in, because it is not a big city, it is not very crowded, and it is a student's city, so it is cheap to live here. It does not cost me too much to rent an apartment or for other services. I believe that Carbondale is a healthy place to live in, because it has many green trees. Also it doesn't have any factories. Moreover, it has the most wonderful university in the U.S, S.I.U. Also, it is very quiet, which is good for me as a student. Finally, Carbondale actually is a beautiful city. It has so many lakes, beautiful green trees and wonderful weather; it has all the four seasons, winter, spring, summer, and fall.

The difference between the weather in the U.S. and in the K.S.A.

The weather in the U.S. and in the K.S.A. are totally different.
In the U.S. the weather has all the four seasons, spring, winter, summer and fall. But in the K.S.A. we just have two seasons, winter and summer. Also, when the winter comes in the U.S., they have a lot of rain and snow and it is too cold here. In the K.S.A., when the winter comes, it is too cold, but that’s it, no rain, no snow, we have nothing except cold weather. It is so different for me to live in the U.S. Sometimes I face some difficult time, like driving in the snow, or walking when it is raining, because I may fall down. But I love it here because you feel you are alive. Also, we don’t close our schools because of the weather. Moreover, K.S.A. is not a beautiful place to visit, because we don’t have anything like what the U.S. has of beautiful nature.

Deal with stress

Stress is something we face every day in our lives. The stress is caused by different things. However, the important thing is how we should deal with stress. When I feel stressful the first thing I do is take a long breath. If I feel stressful in a public place I try to walk to be more relaxed. In addition, when I feel stressful because I have a quiz or exam I try to go to the recreation center and I do some body exercise such as aerobic exercise. The best thing for my case to relieve my stress is to go to the swimming pool, because that makes me more relaxed. Sometimes I would like to see some of my friends, because that helps to break stress. Moreover, I like to watch movies when I feel in a bad mood, because that helps to be stressing less. All these ways work very well and change my mood to be better.

CESL Stress

In my special case I feel stress when I have something to do. When I prepare for any exam I do not feel stressful. However, when I go to my class to take the exam I feel stressful. On the other hand, TOEFL drives me crazy and is stressful even if I start to study it. Moreover, the listening part is the most stressful part on the exam. Then I become a little bit stressed when I move to the other parts. Also, there is a big stressful point on the TOEFL which is the time. On TOEFL I face many reasons that increase my stress such as the level of questions and the time. In fact, the stress makes my grade worse than what I deserve. Finally, I should be stressed less on my exams because that will improve my grades.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

If I have children, what will I tell them about alcohol?

If I have children, I won’t ban alcohol from them. I started drinking when I was under 18, but I’m a healthy person. To tell the truth, I used to drink a lot when I was younger than now, and I hurt myself. Actually, too much alcohol at one time is bad for our health, but I believe appropriate alcohol is good for our health. Therefore, if I have children, I will let them drink appropriate amounts of alcohol whatever their age. My parents have strict personalities, so I drink behind my parents’ back. I don’t want my children to tell me a lie, so I will permit them to drink whenever they want. In addition, I think I have to tell them not to drain their glass in one gulp, because it may cause acute alcoholism. I know many people who become acute alcoholics because of it, and some may die of it. Parents have to tell their children how to cope with alcohol.

The weather in Carbondale

The weather changes very quickly in Carbondale. In the morning, we see there is enough sunshine and we are feeling good, but it maybe rain in the afternoon. For example, these days we feel very bad. At first, it rained heavily and then the weather became snowy. All the car froze and traffic was stopped. But now, we all stand in the sunshine and feeling good. I don't know what will happen next hour. But Carbondale is warm all year. Although it often rains and snows but it is warm because Carbondale is located in the South part of Illinois. Carbondale sometimes has a storm or tornado but it is not very big. So I think it is OK. I like Carbondale’s weather, because it is better than that of my hometown.

Teenager

I think Korean parents overprotect their children. They usually take them to school by car when they are teenagers. They take them not only to school but also everywhere their children are. In the US, they are also worried about their children who are teenagers, but they don’t overprotect them as they do in Korea. I think it is the most important thing that makes teenagers become independent. However, if we do like Korean parents, teenagers will not be able to be independent easily. So we always say that teenagers, only those who are men, have to take military service for two years. And then they change when they have finished that. It is not necessary, but if you want to learn how to survive when you have grown up you should take that. I think every Korean man needs to take military service because of that reason.

Teenagers in U.S or in China

China has more than 5,000 years of history. Also China has a long history of education. So Chinese teenagers’ education is mostly traditional and formal. Chinese teenagers should know politeness. And teenagers must go to school from 6AM to 9PM. It is not joking. They have lots of homework to do after school also. So they don’t have time to play or to create something they like. They cannot have extra time to do what they want to do. But teenagers are different in America. Their education is leading in the world. Parents give them enough freedom and teenagers can do everything they want to do. School needs them to be themselves. Also school gives them lots of time to do they like to do things. That is the big different between teenager in U.S. and in China

Teenagers Are Different In The US And Thailand

Teenagers in the US and Thailand have different lifestyles. Because of Thai culture, Thai teenagers have to live with their parents until they get married, but American teenagers are separate and live by themselves. In Thai culture, parents pay tuition and allowance to children until they work, but American teenagers have to get student loans and work to earn their living. Many American teenagers start smoking earlier than Thai teenagers. American teenagers can live together before they get married, but we can not. In school, Thai teenagers are usually shy and scared to ask question in class. Americans always ask teachers if they do not understand. I like this culture because if we keep some question that we do not understand in our mind, we can not continue to study the next chapter. After class, American teenagers spend too much time with friends. We have the rule that after finishing school, we have to go back home to do homework and much housework. These are some examples of how teenagers are different in the US and Thailand.

Teenagers Different in the US and Korea

Teenagers in the US and Korea grow up in different environment. In addition, American teenagers have a stronger independent spirit because they are independent from their parents earlier. However, Korean teenagers do not get an independent spirit from their parents early. But some teenagers become independent from their parents. Moreover, Korean teenagers cause many problems, related to their smoking, drinking, and using drugs. Sometimes they behave violently. It is called a juvenile delinquency. However, I think American teenagers do less than Korean teenagers. American teenagers are exposed to violence more than Korean teenagers. So, Korea has to have more protection of teenagers.

Different Teenagers

In America, teenagers get to the root of things. They do not care about whether their family was broken or they lost their studies. They never care about their future. In my country, teenagers also have a period of contrariness. But they still study hard. They are not drinking a lot of alcohol. American teenagers are more lively than my country's teenagers. American teenagers are very generous. In my country, they always have a lot of worries. They worry about their future, family, and studies. American teenagers and my country's teenagers have different characters.

How to tell children about alcohol

If I have children, I want to tell how dinking alcohol is bad to my children. First, I want to tell them drinking alcohol can make big trouble, because alcohol can make us confused when we drink a lot. So we cannot remember something we did, and sometimes we cannot control our mind and do something ugly or worse. Second, drinking too much alcohol is not good for us. It makes us get heart disease and some other disease. It is too bad for our health. Last, I think I should tell my children that alcohol costs too much money and the smell is not good. Drinking alcohol can make us fail in our job, have a broken marriage and some other bad things.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Between US and My Country

Teenagers in my country have only one aim, university. We study for fifteen hours per day in high school, in order to go to university. There is no reason, it's just because every student does that and we believe that it’s a good way for success. We learn too much in high school even though it’s not necessary for anyone. We think there is an occasion for study. If you are old, you can’t study because you have to be responsible for your family. However, Americans think their life is theirs. They prepare to be independent. They look for their life in their teenage years. Therefore, they can study or do what they want if they are old. And it’s related with their country's situation.

TOEFL! Stressful!

When I took TOEFL test. I really feel stress. Part of listening is better. But Reading makes me sleepy and tired. I can't read clearly anymore. And I can't put my mind in a right way. Worth worth worth... And I can't think the article so I can't answer quickly. And before TOEFL test I feel worried. And I can’t sleep so I feel very sleepy on TOEFL test. I feel tired and I can’t answer question very clearly. Almost I can get 500. But if I feel stress I just got 450. And I got lower score I stay same level again and I feel more stressful. I can’t happy any more then I can’t study very well. And at last I will stay CESL a long long time. So I want to control my mind to think and answer the TOEFL and get higher score. Finish CESL class quickly and go to SIUC. That’s the better way I want to. So control our mind is very important. If we can’t control stress very well, maybe we will be crazy.

My Children with Alcohol

If I have children, I don’t want my children to drink as teenagers. I will absolutely control their drinking. Of course, they can drink sometimes, but they should not let me know. It’s polite for me, and maybe it can be a model for managing them. I will teach them that alcohol is not bad, but you can’t drink it. There is no reason, it’s my rule. I am father. Father should be father, children should be children. If they don’t want this, they can leave when it is possible. But I hope not.

Safer From The Influence Of Alcohol

Alcohol causes many problems in our society. It is especially teenagers that are high risk of drinking. Environment is one of the best ways to protect them from alcohol. In my opinion, I think the most important environment is family. Members of the family should talk to each other every day. It will create a good relationship in the family, and members will know problems and can help to solve problems. Parents should pay attention to children’s friends. When children spend time with their friends, parents should ask them about the time they will come back home, or call them when the time is too late. Children also have to live in a good environment that is not crowded and not full of addicted people. In addition, children have to study in a good school that has good teachers, friends and activities for them. I think these methods would keep them safer from the influence of alcohol.

Alcohol improve my English

Drinking alcohol is good for me to improve my English. If I want to drink alcohol, I will go to bar. And all the waiters are Americans. So I buy alcohol with English. I drink and talk with Americans. That is great; also it is a bust way to study vocabulary that Americans often use in the life. In the other hand, drinking makes me brave and I can talk with American and fell happy. We discuss everything we want to know each other. And then my English just improve every time. Atlought that is a little bit increase, but I think if I drink a little and speak more, that will be better for my health and English. Yes, my opinion is drinking alcoho0l can improve my English and also let me make new American friends.

Influence of Alcohol (Fe #9)

I think parents or family are important in teaching drinking alcohol, because the young do not know how to drink alcohol. Many teenagers are exposed to alcoholic drinking. We need to protect teenagers, because they can cause serious problems. These kinds of events cause drunk driving and fights with other people. Moreover, teenagers have a spirit of insubordination, because they are in adolescence. However, some people do not have concern for teenagers. So, we need to protect teenagers. We teach decorum, and they should control themselves when they have a drinking party. And we have to have concern for teenagers

My children about alcohol

If I had children I would teach drinking manners when they were underage. In Korea we usually drink alcohol with our father at first. The reason is that if we do that when they grow up enough to drink, it would prevent problems and accidents, because we can learn how to control ourselves with from those who are like father. Therefore we also aren't curious about drinking, because already we have got experience. So if I have children, I will teach them how to drink. And also I will teach them how to control themselves. I don't want to let my children have problems. So I have responsibility as their father. That means I want to protect them from accidents because of alcohol.

Friday, February 15, 2008

San Francisco

San Francisco is a very beautiful city. I like this place because it has a wonderful river and beautiful structure. When I visit San Francisco, I have surprise time. The weather is so cold because it is a port town. It has many tourist attractions. For example, there are Golden Gate Bridge, Cliffhouse, and Alkatraz Island. There are many Korean restaurants and it has fresh air. I like San Francisco. So, I want to live in San Francisco.

The best city in the world to live

In my opinion, Tokyo is the best city in the world to live in, because the public transportation system is very convenient, people keep order and welfare facilities also are good. The first time I went there I was alone and I didn’t know anything about transportation, but I could find out where I wanted to go, because transportation was really easy to understand. People also were really kind to me. They keep order well of course. Everywhere you can see welfare facilities for the disabled. Above all I love the night view in Japan. I always dream that I will live in Japan one day. So I should start studying hard now. And then when I graduate university I will get a job in Japan. I think everyone understands why I have chosen this city.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Abdullah Al-Mutrif
EAP1

The important thing in our life is technology. The entire world tries to advance with technology; there are many things technologists do, that if we don’t have maybe we can’t advance our life and country. I’ll start with my country. 60 years ago they didn’t have any kind of technology in some parts of my country they didn’t have electrically ether. It was a very difficult life. So, now Saudi Arabia is totally changed by the technology. Also, technology changed the rules of the country too. For example, we weren’t having any kind of technology like cameras, DVD or color television. So when the technology came to Saudi Arabia all things changed. The advances are continuing in my country; at this time we can see that each house has three or four TV, DVDs and cameras some families have many electric things; all these things are by technology. No body in this time can live without technology, because technology now is part of our life. Technology can make our life easy and comfortable.

Abdullah Al Mutrif
EAP1

There is only one restaurant in Carbondale that I can say is my favorite. This restaurant is one of the most popular restaurants in the world. This restaurant is Hunan; this restaurant introduced Chinese food. They make many type of food a taste perfect. Moreover, you can see a lot of people of different generations or different nationalities who like Hunan restaurant. So we can see this restaurant in many places around the world. Furthermore, they have a good dessert selection. They have excellent decorating in dishes, wall and food design. In addition, the waiters are very polite and give a good serves. I would like to say this type of restaurant is my favorite, and I love Chinese food.

Rush huor

Abdullah Al Mutrif
EAP1

Rush hour gives most of people stress. We can see that they are many cars and crowds in the big city after employees and school let out when they finished they job or school. In this time the crowed in the street give some of drivers stress and nerves. Now I will talk about the stressful throng in the street, especially in the rush hour. For example, when the driver cuts off the road of the other driver or He /She drives with nonchalance maybe they can fight each other. Moreover, the weather is important to change the mood. For example, when the weather is so hot it can give stress to people when they drive. So the most stressful thing in the road is when they can’t drive easily with crowds of cars, when the weather is hot or when they have something to do quickly and they can’t.

I would like to be a businessman and be successful. When I was young I went with my father to his job. In my father’s job he had stores and buildings for rent. So with many times when I went with him, I started to love this kind of job. This kind of job is so good, because it gives me feerdome without limits in my life. Also I do many things without rules and I can make more maney. So my job in the future will be businessman. I will try to make huge business around the world. It will be a grate job when you have a freedom.

Weather (Fe #8)

I come from South Korea. Carbondale weather is similar to that of my country. However, my country has more snowing and raining. Moreover, summer is very hot, and winter has more cold than Carbondale. We have a short spring and fall, because I think it is caused by environmental pollution. When I first arrived here in San Francisco, there was a very strong wind and it was very cold. It was just May at that moment. I think Korea has more pollution. So, nowadays Korea has more serious weather changes. I hope that we have to have a good environment.

Weather comparison

When I first arrived here, I was surprised because there was a snowfall. I had not seen this before when I was in Korea. In Korea, there is snow sometimes, but not such like here. Here it is much colder than Korea. Sometimes I cannot even breathe, because it is too cold. And something is strange here, because some days it is really warm, but the next day it is very cold. I cannot understand how weather can change suddenly. Another thing is sometimes it was snowing, but a few hours later it was raining. And then finally it was icing. I think Korean weather is better than that of the U.S.A.

The weather

A few days ago it was snowing. It was not snow. It was an ice storm. Here winter is sometimes warm, sometimes cold. It is very uncommon. This place and my country have some differences. In my country the seasons are very clear. In summer it is very hot, and in winter it is very cold. Here, summer is hotter than in my country, but winter is so warm. It may be because of global warming. We should protect the enviroment.

How is the weather different here from where I am from?

Carbondale is much colder than Japan definitely. Actually, I have two hometowns, because I’m living alone. My parents are living in Kochi prefecture in Japan, and there is a temperate climate. It is called southern country, but it is not. I’ve never seen snow in Kochi. On the other hand, my second hometown, Osaka prefecture, has severe climate. It has severe heat in summer because of land conditions. Osaka is the second biggest city in Japan, so too many buildings block winds and windows of high buildings reflect sun light. However, it has severe cold in winter. Sometimes I saw snow, but not usually. I think winter climate is similar to Carbondale, because both Osaka and Carbondale are cold in winter, but don’t have much snow.

Move From Hot To Cold Weather

I come from Thailand, which is located in Southeast Asia. The weather in my country is very hot. However, in the winter, the weather in my country is very nice. It is a little cold. In contrast, when I came here in August, the weather was very hot. I think it was hotter than the weather in my country. Now, in the winter, the weather is very cold but I like it. When I walk outside, I have to run to get inside as soon as possible. I do not understand why America has very different weather in different seasons. I think it is because this country is very big and it has different climates in different areas. Thai people who live in America usually go back to Thailand in the winter because they are not used to living in very cold weather. For me, I can live in either America or Thailand.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Boston

Boston is very beautiful. I like it. In this city I can do many things. In summer I can be with my family or friends, go to the beach, and be exposed to the sun. Boston is located in the inshore. So, when I feel very bad, I can see the beach. When I see the beach, my heart can feel peaceful. Sometimes I can be with my friends and go fishing. One important thing is that I can eat fresh the yield of the sea. The beach can give me animation. So, I hope if I have a chance to live there, I exactly want to live in Boston.

Friday, February 08, 2008

The Best City In The World

I want to recommend to you my hometown, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Chiang Mai is the second capital of Thailand, which is located in the north. Chiang Mai has a long history more than 700 years. There are very famous tourist spots, such as Suthep Temple, and beautiful waterfalls. One famous tourist spot is Doi Intanon, which is the highest mountain in Thailand. The weather in Chiang Mai is not hot like Bangkok. Every winter, a lot of tourists go to Chiang Mai for traveling. Chiang Mai people are very kind. The transportation is convenient and there are no traffic jams. Northern food such as Kao Soi and Sai Oua is very popular for Thai people and foreigners. All living expenses are very cheap, for example, the price of a bowl of noodles is only 70 cents, and you can see the food everywhere. For these reasons, I think Chiang is the best city in the world to live in.

Billiards

My favorite sport is billiards. There are many kinds of billiards in Korea, for example, three ball, four ball, six ball and pool. I often play four ball. Anyway, billiards doesn’t require much physical strength. When I was young, I liked to play basketball, but it’s so difficult for me right now because I’m fat and a little bit old. Billiards doesn’t require that I prepare something. If you want to play, just go a billiard room, and it also doesn’t require too much time. Moreover, the rules are very simple. You can learn them very easily. And it isn’t expensive. I like billiards for various reasons. Billiards is the best sport.

Paris

Paris would be the best city in the world to live in. There are many beautiful constructions in Paris, for example the Eiffel tower, the Triumphal Arch, and the Versailles Palace. Not only are there famous sightseeing spots, there are also thousands of beautiful buildings there, because even ordinary houses are delightful. You can see many colorful pretty houses when you travel there. In addition, Paris is an urban city of course, and is so convenient to live in. There are many lines for subways and buses working until midnight. Some people say they don’t like living in a city because of too many people, but I don’t think Paris is a crowded city. French people have calm and gentle personalities, and also are a little lazy in nature. Therefore, we don’t need to wear a wristwatch all the time, I thought when I visited Paris. Paris is the best city to spend a slow life.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Online Shopping

Recently, we often buy something online. There are many shopping malls online, and many other malls are coming. Because it's more cheap, convenient and easy than offline, we often use that. It might change the nature of business. For example, my friend, who makes furniture and sells it, also made a web site-related his shop to sell. Before, people came to his shop and bought furniture, but they don't do like that nowadays. So he made an online shop, and there are more customers than offlne. I think it's s general trend nowadays.

Chatting

These days, our technology has changed a lot. So our life is also more comfortable now. In this century, we can talk online with friends who stay in another country. And we can also talk with friends face to face. We can use a cam, which makes us able to see our friends. Quality is getting better, and price is going down now. So you can talk with your family or friends whenever you want, without charge. But most people do not know that. So we should let them know. I will tell my mother to use this one, because cell-phone payments are high.

Easy to talk with friends

Now technology is growing very fast. In former days, if I wanted to contact my friends, I just called them. But now we can use Internet to talk. It is convenient for our lives. Before I just had one choice, but now I can e-mail her or use MSN to talk. It helps us to get more information easily. Although I do not go out or go to my friends' home, I also can talk with her. If I go abroad to study, I cannot call her every day. But I can use online communication every day. Although we are far apart, we can contact each other anytime. It is very easy to use.

Technology Changed My Social Rules

At the present, there are many kinds of technology that have an important role for my country. It is especially true of internet, which is very useful for communication in all countries of the world. Many Thai people accept the fact that western culture changed Thai culture. For example, they copy celebrities by dressing in a very sexy dress. It is not Thai culture. Thai people should wear a tidy dress. Another example is Thai people wasting money to buy a cellular phone which is high technology. They tried to change to a new version all the time. They think it makes them cool. These are just a few examples that technology affects my social rules. I think everything has both positive and negative sides. It has good and bad examples. You can accept it and adjust to it if you think it is suitable for you, but still keep your social rules.

Internet

Nowadays we have new technology about using internet. Many people use chatting with cam in internet. When I was young, I usually used the computer. But I did not control computer very well. So I did not know how to use the chatting with cam. My friends have taught me how to use this technology. This technology has benefits. It is convenient and quick. And I can use it everywhere, because it makes internet. As a result, many people talk with friends by chatting with cam

The way to talk with our friends

Technology developed rapidly, and our lives have become more convenient. Especially, the computer has changed a lot in recent years. A few years ago we could talk with friends using keyboard, but we couldn’t speak with them. However, now we can speak as we would on a phone, and if we have a live chat camera, we can talk with friends while watching their face. In addition, we can communicate with them using both camera and keyboard. If we want to show them a map or URL, we can use keyboard and type it. It is possible to talk with many friends on the computer live chat. I’m not sure, but someone told me computer live chat has better timbre than cell phones. Of course it depends on the machine I think, but after I used a live chat camera, I agree with that opinion. Also, we can use the computer live chat for free. In my case, that is the advantage I’m most grateful for. International calls are too expensive for overseas students.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

The causes of stress in modern life

Today, most people have a lot of stress in modern life because they do lots of work and have to do their work to make a living. These stresses can cause harm to people by changing their personality, giving them bad health, causing bad relationships with people, etc. There are some reasons why people get stress. Three reasons people get stress are studing and working pressure, relationship pressure, and time pressure. First, the people who are students have been stressed out because of a lot of homework and also examinations. They always think about their homework and exams. When they get home, they feel weary, but they should do their homework or prepare for the examination. When the date of exam comes near, they get feelings of anxiety and stress. In workers' case, they are always concerned about their family. So, they work harder, because they want a better life than now for their family. But too much work can cause oversensitivity. For this reason, they get stress and they try to relieve the stress with their family. And it becomes a family trouble. Therefore, people should reduce their stress for the future.
Secondly, people get stress from relationships with other people. Many people worry about relationships with friends and co-workers, and family. I think the most difficult thing is love trouble from unrequited love. For instance, one of my friends has loved someone, who is a Korean girl, for five years, but she has not really cared about it. He was really a positive and cheerful guy, but now he is not cheerful anymore, and also he is not positive either. What this story tells us is that even our character can be changed by strong stress.
Finally, people are pressed for time, because people live in a battle against time. Examples are when people wake up early in the morning for working or studying, when people get nearer to an examination or a job interview, when people wait for an important thing, and when people go to airport, but the airplane's departure time is delayed. Time is very impotant for everyone. However, we always get stress from time. If people spend time well, it is good for them. Therefore, time can cause stress for people.
In conclusion, these ways are causes of stress in modern life. I think that the most common stress is relationships with people. We should live a comfortable life without strong stress. However, we may have some stress because we do not know what will happen. Therefore, we should control ourselves for a good life.

drink

When I first came here, I met a student who is American. He invited me and Giljae to his girl’s birthday party. When we joined the party there were a lot of people, who are SIUC students, in his house. From that time, we started to drink, but I wondered about one thing, which is why they just drank beers. When I drink beers it makes me feel full, and also I go to the restroom a lot. So I thought, why don’t they drink something stronger? In our country, which is South Korea, we usually drink so-ju, which includes 20% alcohol. And other different things are, if we start to drink we will drink until when we are drunk seriously. There is no exception; you should drink even if you don’t want it. The final one is when we drink in Korea, we sit on a chair while we drink. We don’t move except going to the restroom. But in Americans case, they always walk around while they drink, so it’s difficult to talk about my trouble or something I am worried about.

drinking

I think alcohol behavior is different here at SIUC than in my country's universities. When I went to university, we always had to drink alcohol. Sometimes I did not want to drink but I had to drink, because we have a regard for senior. It is a traditional convention. On the other side, when you have a chance to drink, there are not demands at SIUC. An American friend invited me and Younghan to his girlfriend's birthday party. When we went to his house, they said if you want drink, you can get a drink. I think it is right. Korea needs to change its drinking culture.

Effect of Alcohol

What effect does alcohol have on my English speaking ability? There are some advantages and disadvantages. I think sometimes alcohol is useful to my English. For example, when I meet Americans for my conversation, alcohol helps to encourage me and makes us more friendly. Besides, alcohol can help me cope with my stress when I study English. On the other hand, it affects my English. Actually, alcohol isn't good for studying. Alcohol can break my biorhythm, and make it easy for me to forget. Alcohol is a good way to deal with stress but it makes me tired. Everything is not good for you if you abuse that.

What different is here and my country?

In America the college students often drink. Here, at 21 years old, people can drink, but in my country 18-year-old people can drink. Here many people drink on the road. In my country they always drink inside. If they drink outside, other people might consider them to be tipplers. At SIUC, the people just drink on Friday. In my country, if they want to drink, they can drink every day. They never worry about whether the next day they have class or should go to their company. In the U. S., when people drink, they think about tomorrow having some important thing. Americans are sometimes very crazy.

Alcohol Affects My English

I do not usually drink alcohol because I think it is bad for my health. Sometimes I have to drink for social reasons. Like last month, I had a party at my home. All of the guests are my aunt’s American friends. I was so shy to speak English to them. When I spoke English and nobody understood me, it made me unconfident. After drinking, I was not afraid of them anymore. I tried to speak to them even if they did not understand. I changed to easier words to make them understand more quickly. It can help me to improve my English. I think everybody can speak English, but it depends on a person’s bravery. I am not encouraging everybody to drink alcohol to improve English, but my point is everything is up to you. If you face your fear, you will be a winner.

Alcohol

Alcohol has a strong influence on my English speaking ability. Generally they get cheerfulness, when people drink alcohol as I do. Sometimes, I hesitate to speak English in front of many people, but alcohol drives all care away. I can speak English more loudly, fluently, and friendly. That’s why friends who I met at the bar told me I should drink alcohol every day. However, too much alcohol causes my English skills to become worse. When I get drunk, my tongue becomes out of control, it can say same things even in my native language. Responsible alcohol makes me more active and friendly. Therefore I could get more opportunity to speak English and chance to improve my English ability, I believe.

Friday, February 01, 2008

My favorite restaurant in Carbondale

My favorite restaurant in Carbondale is New Kahala. It is located on a main street (Illinois Ave.) and near the Old National Bank. It opens 6 days Monday to Saturday. That is a Chinese restaurant. I think it is the most delivers food in Carbondale and the waiters are nice. And my favourite food at New Kahala is crop pork over rice and Chinese eggplant with beef. That’s good; I like that. And they have many kinds of food. If you like sweet food, you can choose the House Chicken. And if you like very hot food, you can choose tofu of mushoo. All kinds of Chinese food you can choose in this restaurant. That will be very nice, I promies.