Tuesday, December 31, 2013

How to Achieve your New Year's Resolutions !

Have you made any New Year's resolutions ? Would you like to achieve them this time ? Watching the following video , in only 59 seconds , you will discover 5 key principles to help you achieve your New Year's resolutions .(Script below)

1- Break your goal into a  series of smaller steps.
2- Tell your  friends and family what you are trying to achieve.
3- Remind yourself regularly about the benefits of obtaining your goal.
4-Give yourself a  small reward each time you obtain one of the steps.
5- Map out your progress.

As a language learner, why not try these simple principles with your English?



SCRIPT

I tracked the lives of 5,000 people as they attempted to keep their New Year's Resolutions.Now most of them failed but 10% did obtain their aims and ambitions.What were they doing that was so different ? It all came down to 5 simple principles:
First of all they broke their goal into a series of smaller steps.
Second they told their friends and family what they were trying to achieve so they elicited fear of failure but also a sense of support.
Third they regularly reminded themselves about the benefits of obtaining their goals.
Fourth they  gave themselves a small reward each time they obtained one of their small stepsand finally they mapped out their progress in a spread sheet on the fridge door or in a journal so they knew exactly where they were.
And those are the 5 key principles to actually achieving your  New Year's resolutions.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Icelandic Cuisine

Icelandic cuisine has evolved by adapting to an inhospitable climate and terrain. It is difficult to grow (cultivar) fruit or vegetable, and only animals like sheep and cows can survive the difficult conditions. Using the sea’s resources (recursos del mar) and ingenious methods of preserving food for the winter has created this unusual cuisine. A combination of greenhouses (invernaderos) and imported food have meant that now the Icelandic diet is more varied, but the essence of traditional cuisine, especially on special occasions, has not changed very much in centuries.

Fish and Sheep 
Fish is central to the culture and economy of Iceland, especially cod.(bacalao) Fishing rights provoked various “wars” with Great Britain in the 1950s and 1970s. Nobody was killed, but there was a lot of diplomatic tension. The majority of the cod, however, is for export, and locals prefer haddock (eglefino) or halibut. The most common way  to serve fish is boiling (hirviéndolo) it and serving it with potatoes. There are also many ways to preserve fish by drying,(secándolo) smoking (ahumándolo) or marinating it. Sild, marinated herring (arenque) in vinegar and onions, and hardfiskur, wind-dried (secado al viento) fish, are popular snacks.
       
Sheep is the principal animal in Iceland, and you can eat every part of the animal. Smoked lamb, hangikjöt, is a delicacy (exquisitez) that is served at Christmas. But sometimes it is best not to know what part is in some of the dishes! Do not be surprised to see boiled sheep’s heads at traditional feasts. If you do not want to have a head on your plate, the flesh (carne) is also made into a jam.(mermelada) And do not forget to have some hrútspungar before you leave – made from sheep’s testicles.
      
Christmas Celebrations
Icelanders will use any excuse to eat, drink and celebrate, and locals go to various Christmas Buffets, Jólahlaðborð, during December. It is not unusual to attend three: one with work colleagues, one with friends and one with the family. These include lots of Icelandic and imported delicacies. A typical family meal on Christmas Eve is roast (asado) lamb with cream sauce, caramelized potatoes, red cabbage (col roja) and laufabrauð,  a fried pastry. (pasta frita) For dessert there is a pudding made with rice, cream, raisins (pasas) and sugar. There is one almond (almendra) in the pudding, and the person who finds it gets a special present!


Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas 2013



Home English wishes you a Merry Christmas 2013 and a Happy New Year 2014.



I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the tree tops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all
Your Christmases be white

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the tree tops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases
May all your Christmases
May all your Christmases
May all your Christmases be white

I'm dreaming of a white
Christmas with you
Jingle Bells
All the way, all the way

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Company Christmas Party

Imagine you are the PR Manager ( public relations manager) of an important company in London. This year you are in charge of ( a cargo de) planning your company’s Christmas Party. It can be a fun experience but also nerve racking ( destroza los nervios ). .

Bash, party, reception: whatever you call it , there’s no better way of impressing potential customers and showing staff and clients how important they are to the company.But it is easy to get it wrong. Organise the right event and your guests will remember it for years. Get it wrong and they will remember it too . But not in the way you want !
Start with a good location . It helps to create a positive atmosphere and gives a great impression of success.
Have a look at the ideas below and tell us which one you would choose !

Option 1. Brilliant White Christmas Cruise. ( £115.00 +VAT per person, Savoy Pier) Enjoy a brilliant White Christmas party in London aboard the finest luxury river-yacht on the Thames.

Included
Sparkling wine upon arrival
Three Course seated Christmas dinner
Unlimited beer, house wine & soft drinks
'Brilliant White Christmas' event styling
DJ & Disco
Itinerary7:00pm Guests embark
7:30pm Cruise begins
10:45pm Return
12:00am Guests disembark

Option 2 Casino Royale (£75.00 +VAT per person. WC1B Bloomsbury )
The James Bond festive event in London where the office Christmas party will have a licence to thrill. (ilusionar, emocionar)
Included 
Champagne reception
Themed decor
Themed Bond music played over dinner
Four course meal
James Bond laser shooting game
Roulette and blackjack tables
007 vodka ice sculpture
DJ and disco



Option 3. Diamonds in the sky.( £99.00 + VAT per person.Westminster)
Live the high life this Christmas and join a spectacular shared Christmas party at the top of the Millbank Tower in Westminster.


Included
Delicious 3 course dinner
Coffee & chocolate truffles
Christmas crackers on the table
Disco & DJ