Monthly Archives: January 2013

Learn German from Girls4Teaching on Youtube

With my plans to go to Germany this summer, I have started trying to pick up some basic German…I’ve attempted learning some Italian, French and Korean before, all which never went very far…I found pronunciations in Italian easier than French. Grammar and sentence structure easier in Korean. French, neither. Now I find the grammar hardest in German. And such loooooong words! ‘Ninety-seven’ is siebenundneunzig. The word for ‘speed limit’ is Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung. Like I can pronounce or remember how to ever spell that! lol

Anyways, if you’re interested in learning some basic German, check out girls4teaching on Youtube

It’s really hard to find a good online learning method, but these videos are really great. The process is well thought out, visually interesting, as well as helpful in being able to read what the teacher says. There are some typos and errors in some videos which viewers have commented, but it’s not a big deal.

With learning any new language, it’s always a good idea to ‘hear’ the language’. The tone, intonation and pronunciation makes it key in being able to communicate better with natives. At the time of this blog post, there are #28 lessons by girls4teaching on German, so plenty of material to learn.

Hopefully, I can also blog about my trip to Germany in my Travel category. But for now, I must learn!!

Viel glück! (good luck!)

Goodbye Landline Phones + MSN Messenger, Hello Skype

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How many of us still have landline phones? Those living in urban, modern cities probably only carry a cell now. If you’re not a business, then you’re likely out with school, work, eating out and socializing all day. You only come home to rest and sleep. It would be inconvenient for anyone to reach you through your home landline.

I got rid of mine 2 years ago. Strangely, it was a bit hard to let go at first. Growing up with landline phones, they seem to be more secure and cheaper for long distance calls. But that’s not the case anymore. With my unlimited minutes on my cell, I can call anyone for as long as I want. If I need to call any long distance number, I now use Skype. I used to buy those calling cards. They saved me a lot compared to being in a landline or cell plan for long distance since I didn’t call outside of the local area that much. Inconveniently, they usually lasted 6 months from the first time you activate the card. But with Skype calls, the savings are even greater and more convenient.

With Skype, you can chat, voice+video calls much like MSN messenger. If you purchase Skype credits, $14 increments as needed (active for 6 months) or opt for a monthly subscription that allows you to make unlimited calls for a flat rate. You can call most landlines and mobile phones, locally and around the globe. For the most part, the audio quality is pretty good. You can also receive and answer phone calls on Skype (you will need to get a Skype Number first but will help your caller have cheaper long distance rates). Download the Skype app on your mobile phone or tablet, and you call also make and receive calls from your device as well.

If you’ve been using MSN Messenger, you might have received an email saying that the Messenger will no longer be used after March, and all user should switch to Skype. For the longest time, I was a messenger user until I finally completely switched to Skype over an year ago. I kept both accounts, and they both had their pros and cons. But now messenger is telling us to switch to the competitor? Weird? Not at all. That’s because in October 2011, Microsoft bought Skype for 8.5 billion dollars. It’s they’re baby now.So goodbye to messenger…goodbye to landline phones in most people’s homes, and hello to Skype. No emergency calls with Skype

Shizenya

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2 years ago, I changed my diet to avoiding canned foods, frozen/microwavable foods, processed snacks, alcohol, coffee, MSG and I wondered if I would be able to eat out again with friends. (at the time of writing this blog, I have since then started eating some these foods again at a moderate but less than before quantity)

I happened to pass by this small cute restaurant in downtown and was excited to see their sandwich board placed in front of their restaurant. Organic foods, no additives and MSG free! Most of the rice used in their dishes were ‘genmai’ or brown-rice (which is much healthier than regular white rice, much like how whole-grain bread is better than white bread).

The first time I went, I went with a bunch of friends for dinner. You’d think that being ‘organic’ and all that the prices would be outrageous. But it wasn’t! I ordered organic avocado roll (with genmai) $3.95 (8pc) and organic vegetable with chicken gyoza (dumplings) $5.25 (6pc). I thought it was really good, and felt healthy. The male guests weren’t too impressed though, describing the as tasting ‘too healthy’. LoL. I guess that means bland. But most of the ladies thought it was good. If you’re already eating healthy without MSG and use to the ‘natural’ taste of foods (as in you don’t use much sauce in your cooking), then I’m sure you will enjoy their dishes. And with a 94% on Urbanspoon, many agree that it’s a good restaurant!

I’ve been back many times, and the dishes have always been good!! The staff are Japanese, and is excellent service. The restaurant can get really hot and humid without any windows or ventilation…that’s only my issue…but not really a big complaint.

Check them out! They’re open Monday to Saturdays 11am-10pm – closed Sundays

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