Tag Archives: lauren

19 Sep

eat the frog first

Who taught: Lauren

eat the frog firstWhen learning a new expression, you need to try to have your own picture. What do I mean by that? Let me give you an example.

A few days ago, my friend Lauren posted a question on my Facebook timeline. She said, “Eating the frog first. Are you familiar with this one?”

I find it is harder to guess or figure out the meaning of an expression by myself when there is no context given.

No doubt that we all know what frog is and what eating means! But, good news is that Lauren herself was not familiar with this expression till that Morning when she heard it from her friend. So, it is OK to not to be able to figure out what it means.

So, this is it. Why don’t you figure out by yourself?

 

Ha! I am joking. After a few comments by Lauren and myself, I was able to have my own picture for this expression.

Every Morning, you have different foods that you can eat for a whole day. Some of them are your favorites but some of them are not so much. In fact, you do not like it at all but you know you should eat it on that day because, if not, it will go bad. So, those foods that you do not like at all are considered to be your frogs. With this kind of choice, what would you eat first? Frogs or your favorite foods? To me, eating the frog first will definitely make me feel better during the day because I know all I need to do for the rest of the day is to eat my favorite foods. Hooray!

So, do you get it?

I like writing blog posts but sometimes it does not make me that excited but I know I really should write one.

In that case, writing a blog post early Morning in a day can be my eating the frog first of the day.

What’s yours? Have you eaten the frog yet?

Lauren told me that she took an exam at 8 am. That’s for sure a perfect example of eating the frog first, right?

 

18 Jan

poser

Who taught : Pat, Rachel, Phil, Kelly, Lauren and Sean

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Source: Wikipedia)

Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr birthday. It is one of the national holidays. 48 years ago, he made “I have a dream” speech. Here is the part of it.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day out on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state sweltering with the heat and injustice of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor’s lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plains and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

48 years later, I see a lot of things he mentioned in his speech actually happening even though there are still many steps to go. Isn’t amazing? One man can make a difference. One man who has a dream can make a big difference. I am sure all of us can be the man. Let’s have a dream, a big dream! It will come true.

A few weeks ago, I was with my friends. And we were talking about some people. During the conversation, Lauren used a word, “poser.” Hearing it, I sort of figured out that it has negative connotation. If you look up a dictionary, I am sure you will find the following definition.

A person who poses.

Huh! What the heck? It does not help at all. Anybody can pose, right? So, this is not usually the meaning of the expression when you hear this expression from your American friends. Here is the meaning my friends told me.

A person who likes to be seen in trendsetting clothesin fashionable bars, discos, etc.

A person who attempts to blend into a specific social group.

My friends tried to give me good examples and they said a skateboarder or a snowboarder can be a poser. (FYI, I am a snowboarder. 🙂 ) I think this expression is kind of hard to fully grasp and use it. Hey, my American friends! Do you have any other thoughts or examples to give in relation to Poser?