What can you say about this...

 

Take a look at these unique, interesting and funny pictures of toilets.  People are very creative.  The next time I go the bathroom, maybe I'll see one of these.  Take a look at the 'Toilets' photo album!  This one is my favorite.

 

I just added new pictures of unique bulidings that are being built around the world.  Look at the Unique Structures photo album.  Below is a summary about all the unique buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Military prepares for Hillary's takeover as Commander in Chief! 

 

 

Look at the pictures in the 'Military under Clinton' album. 

 

Very funny!

 

Remember: These pictures are just for laughs.  No political statement is intended.

Woke up this morning, looked outside the window and...  It's snow!  It only snowed for a few hours, but a nice sight to see.  I love the snow!  See the pictures of snow in Ningbo!

Download ESL PowerPoint Presentations

On my blog, you can download all of my ESL PowerPoint presentations that I made for my social club classes.  On the top right, is banner ad which will take you to all the files which you can download.  I add new ESL PowerPoint lessons every week, so bookmark my page.  Here's a list of all the ESL PowerPoint presentations.  

 

This is what the banner ad looks like.  It's on my main blog home page top right corner.  Click it and a new window will pop open.  Download the files from there. 

 

(Clicking this picture below will NOT open the file.  You must click the banner ad on the home page)

Home page -  http://fgoningbo999.spaces.live.com

 

                                          

 

American Football - Learn about the basics of playing American football.  Here in China, many people don't know much about American football.  Although American football is growing in popularity, soccer is still much more popular.  Back in the US, I love watching football.  Living in Seattle, WA, my favorite team is, of course, the Seattle Seahawks.  In this PowerPoint, you can learn about the basic rules, game play and positions.  Football can be a complicated sport with a lot of vocabulary.  This presentation gives you a brief look at football.  It also contains some information about the Super Bowl, commercials during the Super Bowl, as well as some football jokes. 

 

Chocolate - Everyone loves chocolate! At least, I do!   In this PowerPoint, you can learn a little about chocolate history, the cocoa bean, how chocolate is made, myths about chocolate and why chocolate is good for your health.  It also has some fun facts about chocolate.  Like, chocolate syrup was used to represent blood in the famous 45 second shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's movie, "Psycho" a scene which took 7 days to shoot.  Remember, in the cookie of life, friends are the chocolate chips.  Download this ESL Powerpoint presentation and learn all about chocolate.  A sweet subject!

 

Christmas - Learn why Christmas is an important holiday all around the world.  Who is Santa Claus?  Learn about Santa and the different Santas around the world. Learn  Christmas Vocabulary that everyone learning English should know, such as mistle toe, holly, wreath, etc.  Also in this lesson are the lyrics for Frosty the Snowman, Grandma Got Runover By a Reindeer and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  Did you know, Christmas trees are edible! Download this presentation! 

 

Clothes and Fashion – Learn some fashion and clothing vocabulary like the mini-skirt, anorak, poncho and cardigan.  This presentation also contains a list of popular clothing idioms. 

 

Election 2008 – Who’s running for U.S. President in 2008?  Find out in the PowerPoint Presentation about the presidency.  How do you become president?  Learn about the Electoral College, the system the U.S. uses to elect their leader.  Learn some basic election vocabulary, like debate, caucus, campaign, etc.  Are you Republican or Democrat?  Find out in this lesson.  What’s a lame duck?  Hanging chad? 

 

Health and Eating – Are you a junk food junkie?  Learn about healthy eating.  Why are so Americans getting fat?  Find out 5 nutritious habits from the world’s healthiest countries.  Improve your diet today, eat better and live longer.  Learning all about healthy eating!

 

Humor – A funny lesson!  See funny pictures about toilet humor! Take a fun psychic test!  Women always have rules when it comes to men.  Well, what are man’s rules?  See poor English signs.  “Don’t spit too loud!”  Pictures of ‘If Women Ruled the World.’  Do you have dementia?  Take a test.  Watch a humorous strip about corporate America.  Funny lines from real resumes, fitness – American style, stupid tech support calls and much more!

 

Movies – What’s a cliché?  Something has been used too often that it has become meaningless.  Find out about action movie clichés.  Why does the bad guy fire his gun about 100 times, but never seems to hit the good guy?  Learn about the major components that make up a movie, like the plot and climax. 

 

Perfume – Do you smell good?  Study this presentation and learn about perfume.  Learn about perfume history, the making and the materials used.  Did you know there are 3 stages in perfume?  What’s a ‘nose?’  Also, you’ll find handy tips on wearing perfume.  For example, if you apply perfume to your inner wrists, don’t rub them together as this can change the scent.  Smell good and learn about perfume!

 

Political Interviews – This lesson is about how politicians never really answer journalist’s questions.  Have you ever watched a press conference?  This presentation also contains some dumb President Bush lines.  This PowerPoint is short because it is mean to accompany a classroom activity.  Divide the class in two groups.  One group is the politicians, the other is the journalist.  Make up some issues about the politicians.  For example, in a speech you gave last week at an Environmental conference, you preached about low emission cars.  But later that week, you bought a Ferrari.  The journalist will ask the politician to please defend himself.  Give some time for each side to organize their arguments.  It’s a fun exercise in speaking and practicing English.

 

Psychology – What is Psychology?  Learn about visual perceptions and optical illusions.  Why do we see optical illusions?  In this PowerPoint lesson, you’ll see many slides of optical illusions.  Take a memory test and see how perceptive you are.

 

Rap Music – Yo Yo Yo!  Wassup! Do you know Ebonics?  What is that loud bass booming fast talk?  Oh, that’s rap music!  Learn about popular slang words found in rap music.  Like bling bling, front, da bomb, gold digga and much more.  Read the lyrics of some rap songs.   Do you understand what they’re talking about? 

 

What Do Men and Women Want? – In the ESL PowerPoint lesson, we learn about what men and women really want in a mate.  This lesson guides the classroom in an activity that will help people learn about what they really want in a mate.  You’ll also learn about ways to attract a man or woman.  Read about some unrealistic expectations of a relationship.  You’ll also find some cheesy pick up line!  Who knows?  Maybe those lines will work for you.  If you single and actively searching for that special someone, download this lesson. 

 

Warren Buffet - He's the second richest man in world.  In a recent interview with CNBC, he said he donated US$31 billion to charity.  This short Powerpoint presentation shares Warren Buffet's philosophy on life and business. This PPT was sent to me from a friend.  I used it in class because because I thought his philosophies were very inspiring and insightful.

 

"The HAPPIEST people DO NOT necessarily have the BEST of all.

They simply APPRECIATE what they find on their way”

 

 

Seattle - This ESL Powerpoint presentation gives the class a brief introduction to Seattle.  Where is Seattle? What is it famous for? The lesson has pictures of popular tourist areas and yearly activities, such as Bumbershoot and Seafair.  The lesson gives a brief history of Seattle and introduces famous large companies like Boeing and Microsoft.   It also has some information about Bill Gates multi-million dollar home.  This lesson also includes lots of vocabulary about water bodies, such as estuary, embayment, etc.  Also includes vocabulary about popular Northwest outdoor activities, such as hiking and kayaking.   Other slides inlcude, Seattle earthquake, WTO riots, Pike Place Market, Space Needle, Chittenden Locks, Seattle Art Museum, University of Washington, famous graves, Starbucks, Capitol Hill and of course the weather!  For those of you who want to teach your class about Seattle, this is a good basic lesson. 

 

Winter Weather - This ESL Powerpoint presentation is a short lesson about winter weather.  Mainly the types of snow.  Flurries, Blowing snow, etc.  A couple of weeks ago here in Ningbo, China it snowed the most in 20 years.  A lot of students came to me and asked me how you would describe the snow falling outside.  So I just put together a very basic winter weather vocabulary presentation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just added my latest PowerPoint Presentation titled 'Perfume.'  It takes a brief look at perfume's history, the making, popular brands, tips on wearing perfume and much more.  If you want to learn more about perfume and fragrances, download 'Perfume' by clicking on the Social Club Presentations ad on the top right.  Have fun and smell good!

I put a link on the right to download TVU Player.  It's a free program from tvunetworks.com you can use to watch TV online.  There are channels in many different languages.  I use this program to watch American TV channels, such as CBS, Fox New, Spike TV and Nickelodeon.  The broadcast is coming from the San Fransciso bay area, so the times are Pacific Standard Time.  Right now, the time difference is 16 hours behind Ningbo time.  I often go to www.tvguide.com to check what's playing.  On TVGuide, you can enter the zip code 94598 or city Walnut Creek, CA, then choose Walnut Creek, Comcast Cable.  This will pull up the correct tv listing. 

 

On my blog is the older version of TVU Player.  I tried to use the new version, but for some reason it didn't work on my computer.  You can try the new one at http://www.tvunetworks.com/.  

 

Have fun! 

I just added my last social club presentation titled American Football.  Learn about how to play basic football.  Information about the Superbowl, commericials, jokes, cheerleaders and more!

 

 

I just added my last social club topic:  What Men and Women Want.  It's about what attracts men to women and women to men.  It also has some pick up lines for you to try.  I didn't get a chance to talk about many of the slides, so you can read them yourself. 

So, if you're single and looking for a mate, check out this PowerPoint Presentation. 

If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.

I just added the last ESL powerpoint lesson about how a president gets elected, Republicans and Democrats.  Feel free to download it or any other Powerpoint presentation.

I just added the latest PowerPoint ESL lesson about Chocolate. 

If anyone has any questions or comments, please send me a message. 

 

Also, if you have any ideas or suggestions on social club topics, please let me know.

Uh, oh!  Typical car and E-bike accident.  Everyone is agressive in the streets.  Cars, trucks, e-bikes, bikes and pedestrians.  But like always, the car always win.  Luckily for this E-bike rider, she wasn't injured. 

 

During their visit here in Ningbo we went to Yuyao, Fenghua and Dongqian Lake (Eastlake).  You can see the pictures in the photo albums.  (Fenghua pictures will come later.)   Fenghua is known for Chiang-kai Shek's home town.  There we saw his old house and where he was born.  Yuyao has a relatively new theme park called Jade World.  Lots of stuff made from jade.  Dongqian lake is a scenic lake.  All these places are about 30-60 minutes away from downtown Ningbo.

For those of you who don't know, Jiuzhaigou, China is about 10 hours by car north of Chengdu, Sichuan.  Chengdu is famous for it's Panda bears.  Tingting and I went to Jiuzhaigou during the October holiday.  As you can see from the pictures, the place is absolutely gorgeous.  If you get a chance to visit China, it's definitely something to see.  Just be careful, it's at a high elevation.  The elevation at Jiuzhaigou is 3000m and at Huanglong it's 4000m.  Huanglong is a park next to Jiuzhaigou that also has beautiful pools. 

The Chinese have been working very hard in preparation for the 2008 Olympics.  They have now completed the rating of all public restrooms in China.  Check out this picture:

Nowadays, I only go to toilets that are 3 stars and up!

I've added a link on the right so that people can download my powerpoint presentations that I use in English class.  If you have any comments or want something else, please send me a message.  Thanks!

I got this Dementia Test from Dad.  Pretty funny!  I guess I must have dementia cause I got a few of the answers wrong too! 

 

It's that time of year to take our annual senior citizen test.  Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles. As we grow older, it's important to keep mentally alert. If you don't use it, you lose it! Below is a very private way to gauge your loss or non-loss of intelligence.  Take the test presented here to determine if you're losing it or not. The spaces below are there so you don't see the answers until you've made your answer. OK, relax, clear your mind and begin.

 

1. What do you put in a toaster?

Answer: "bread." If you said "toast," give up now and do something  else.
Try not to hurt yourself. If you said, bread, go to Question 2.

 

 2. Say "silk" five times. Now spell "silk." What do cows drink?

Answer: Cows drink water. If you said "milk," don't attempt the next question. Your brain is over-stressed and may even overheat. Content yourself with reading a more appropriate literature such as Auto World. However, if you said "water", proceed to question 3.

3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a green house made from?

Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass. If you said "green bricks," why are you still reading these???  If you said "glass," go on to Question 4.

 4. It's twenty years ago, and a plane is flying at 20,000 feet over Germany (If you will recall, Germany at the time was politically divided into West Germany and East Germany .) anyway, during the flight, two engines fail. The pilot, realizing that the last remaining engine is also failing, decides on a crash landing procedure. Unfortunately the engine fails before he can do so and the plane  fatally crashes smack in the middle of "no man's land" between East Germany and West Germany . Where would you bury the survivors? East Germany , West Germany , or no man's land?"

Answer: You don't bury survivors.  If you said ANYTHING else, you're a dunce and you must stop. If you said, "You don't bury survivors", proceed to the next question.

5. Without using a calculator - You are driving a bus from London to Milford Haven in Wales . In London , 17 people get on the bus. In Reading , six people get off the bus and nine people get on. In Swindon, two people get off and four get on. In Cardiff , 1 1 people get off and 16 people get on. In Swansea , three people get off and five people get on . In Carmathen, six people get off and three get on. You then arrive at Milford Haven. What was the name of the bus driver?

Answer: Oh, for crying out loud! Don't you remember your own name? It was YOU!!

Now pass this along to all your friends and pray they do better than you.
PS: 95% of people fail most of the questions

Welcome to Fred's Space!  

 

Funny story.  Everyday, I take the bus to Ningbo University.  It's about a 30 minute bus ride.  One day on the way home, there was a woman holding a baby.  The baby was maybe 1 or 2 years old.   The bus was quite full of people, which is normal.  The baby started to cry and the mother realized that the baby had to go poopie.  So she grabs the bus garbage can, a little plastic waste basket, and put it's in the middle of the bus by her chair.  She holds the baby up over the waste basket and pulls his pants down.  Oh, my god!  He's gonna go poopie right here in the middle of the bus while we're still moving!  The baby was crying, drawing all kinds of attention to him.  Fortunately for us passengers, he wasn't able to go poopie.  That would have been one stinky bus ride home!  

 

Another funny story.  I was chatting with one of my friends.  He has a young daughter, about 5 years old, who goes to the local International School here in Ningbo.  In this school, there are foreign students from all over the world as well as some local students.   It's a private school and the tuition is quite expensive.  One day, the school had a meeting with all the children and the parents.  It was in a big auditorium that hold about 2000 people.  In the front few rows were the foreign children.  Behind them were the parents.   So, right behind the foreign kids, there was this lady who was holding a baby.  At this time, the meeting had already started and everyone was sitting down.   Of course, the baby wants to poop.   So what does she do?  Well...  She pulls his pants down, spreads her legs so he can sit on her lap.  Just like a toilet seat.  And the kid just goes poopie right there on the ground.  She just leaves it there, poopie all stinky right in front of her.  Pretends like nothing every happened.  All the foreign kids in front could smell it.  Of course, the kids complain to the administrator, but she just said, "Well, you know.  Just move to a different seat."