1. Mars and Venus on a Date
2. Finding the Right Person for You
3. Stage One: Attraction
4. Stage Two: Uncertainty
5. Stage Three: Exclusivity
6. Stage Four: Intimacy
7. Stage Five: Engagement
8. Making It Through the Five Stages
9. When the Clock Keeps Ticking and He’s Not Wearing a Watch
10. Men Are Like Blowtorches
11. The Dynamics of Male and Female Desire
12. Men Pursue and Women Flirt
13. Acknowledge Men and Adore Women
14. Men Advertise and Women Share
15. Why Men Don’t Call
16. To Call or Not to Call
17. Men Love a Woman with a Smile
18. Women Love a Man with a Plan
19. Why Some Women Remain Single
20. Where to Find Your Soul Mate
21. 101 Places to Meet Your Soul Mate
22. And They Lived Happily Ever After
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Mars and Venus
The book “Mars and Venus on a Date” is written by John Gray.
The subtitle of the book is that a guide for navigating the 5 stages of dating to create a loving and lasting relationship.
This is a book for people to understand the difference between men and women in dating and how to complete the 5-stages of dating.
It is not enough to merely to authentic in sharing yourself; to succeed in dating you need to consider how you will be interpreted as well.
The five stages of dating
Stage One: Attraction
We experience our initial attraction to a potential partner. The challenge in the first stage is to make sure you get the opportunity to express that attraction and get to know a potential partner.
Stage Two: Uncertainty
We experience a shift from feeling attraction to feeling uncertain that our partner is right for us. The challenge in this stage is to recognize this uncertainty as normal and not be swayed by it.
Stage Three: Exclusivity
We feel a desire to date a person exclusively. We want the opportunity to give and receive love in a special relationship without competition. We want to relax and have more time to share with our partner. All of the energy that went into looking for the right person can now go into creating a mutually loving and romantic relationship. The danger in this stage is that we become too comfortable and stop doing the little things that make our partners feel special.
Stage Four: Intimacy
We begin to experience real intimacy. We feel relaxed enough to let down our guard and share ourselves more deeply than before. The opportunity of this stage to experience the best in ourselves and our partner, while the challenge to deal with our less-than-best sides. Without and understanding of how men and women react differently to intimacy, it is easy to conclude mistakenly that we are just too different to proceed.
Stage Five: Engagement
With the certainty that we are with the person we want to marry, we become engaged. In this stage we have the opportunity to celebrate our love. This is the time to experience our relationship joyfully, happily, peacefully, and lovingly. This is a time of great excitement and promise. Many couples make the mistake of rushing into getting married. They do not understand that this is a vital time to gather positive experiences of sharing together and resolving disagreements and disappointments before the bigger challenges of being married, moving in together, and having a family. This stage provides a strong foundation for experiencing a lifetime of love and romance.
The fastest way of finding a special partner or being found by someone is to create positive dating experiences.
Learning from mistakes helps prevent the repetition of negative patterns.
The subtitle of the book is that a guide for navigating the 5 stages of dating to create a loving and lasting relationship.
This is a book for people to understand the difference between men and women in dating and how to complete the 5-stages of dating.
It is not enough to merely to authentic in sharing yourself; to succeed in dating you need to consider how you will be interpreted as well.
The five stages of dating
Stage One: Attraction
We experience our initial attraction to a potential partner. The challenge in the first stage is to make sure you get the opportunity to express that attraction and get to know a potential partner.
Stage Two: Uncertainty
We experience a shift from feeling attraction to feeling uncertain that our partner is right for us. The challenge in this stage is to recognize this uncertainty as normal and not be swayed by it.
Stage Three: Exclusivity
We feel a desire to date a person exclusively. We want the opportunity to give and receive love in a special relationship without competition. We want to relax and have more time to share with our partner. All of the energy that went into looking for the right person can now go into creating a mutually loving and romantic relationship. The danger in this stage is that we become too comfortable and stop doing the little things that make our partners feel special.
Stage Four: Intimacy
We begin to experience real intimacy. We feel relaxed enough to let down our guard and share ourselves more deeply than before. The opportunity of this stage to experience the best in ourselves and our partner, while the challenge to deal with our less-than-best sides. Without and understanding of how men and women react differently to intimacy, it is easy to conclude mistakenly that we are just too different to proceed.
Stage Five: Engagement
With the certainty that we are with the person we want to marry, we become engaged. In this stage we have the opportunity to celebrate our love. This is the time to experience our relationship joyfully, happily, peacefully, and lovingly. This is a time of great excitement and promise. Many couples make the mistake of rushing into getting married. They do not understand that this is a vital time to gather positive experiences of sharing together and resolving disagreements and disappointments before the bigger challenges of being married, moving in together, and having a family. This stage provides a strong foundation for experiencing a lifetime of love and romance.
The fastest way of finding a special partner or being found by someone is to create positive dating experiences.
Learning from mistakes helps prevent the repetition of negative patterns.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Gifts of Love
One dollar of eighty-seven cents. That was all. Della had been saving for months, one or two pennies at a time, but there was only one dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.
She sat down and cried. She had spent many happy hours planning a nice Christmas present for Jim, her dear husband, but there was not enough money to buy even a cheap necktie.
Della stopped crying and stood up. She turned and stood before the mirror. She pulled her down and let it fall.
Now, Jim and Della had little money, but they had two things that were like treasures. One was Jim’s gold watch, which had been his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s beautiful long hair. It looked like shining waves of water.
Della pinned her hair back up, then rushed out the door and walked quickly down the street. She stopped before a sign that read, “Beautiful Salon.” She ran inside.
“Will you buy my hair?” she asked. She unpinned it and let it fall down again.
“Twenty dollars,” the owner said, looking at the hair carefully.
“Give it to me quickly,” said Della.
For the next two hours, she looked in all the stores for Jim’s present. She found it at last: a fine gold watch chain.
Della returned home, then sat down and waited for her husband. “I hope Jim will think I ‘m still pretty,” she said to herself.
Soon, the door open and Jim stepped in. When he saw Della, he looked shocked. He stared at her, with a strange look on his face. Della jumped. He stared at her, with a strange look on his face. Della jumped up. “Jim, darling, don’t look at me that way. I sold my hair because I wanted so much to give you a Christmas present. Don’t you love me just at much anyhow?”
“Don’t make any mistake about me Della,” he said. “Your short hair doesn’t make me love you less. But if you open this package, you will see why I was so surprised.”
Her fingers tore open the paper. She gave a cry of joy --- but it quickly changed into tears. There lay the set of combs that Della had wanted for so long. They were beautiful, with jewels on the edges, and just the right color for her hair. But now she had no hair to wear them in.
She held the combs tightly and looked up. Her eyes were red, but she smiled and said, “My hair grows very fast, Jim.”
Then Della quickly gave Jim his present. “Isn’t it lovely? I looked all over town for it. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks!”
But Jim just sat down on the coach, put his hands behind his head, and smiled. “Della,” he said, “let’s put our presents away. They’re too nice to use right now. I sold my watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now I guess it’s time for us to have our dinner.”
(adapted from “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Herry)
She sat down and cried. She had spent many happy hours planning a nice Christmas present for Jim, her dear husband, but there was not enough money to buy even a cheap necktie.
Della stopped crying and stood up. She turned and stood before the mirror. She pulled her down and let it fall.
Now, Jim and Della had little money, but they had two things that were like treasures. One was Jim’s gold watch, which had been his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s beautiful long hair. It looked like shining waves of water.
Della pinned her hair back up, then rushed out the door and walked quickly down the street. She stopped before a sign that read, “Beautiful Salon.” She ran inside.
“Will you buy my hair?” she asked. She unpinned it and let it fall down again.
“Twenty dollars,” the owner said, looking at the hair carefully.
“Give it to me quickly,” said Della.
For the next two hours, she looked in all the stores for Jim’s present. She found it at last: a fine gold watch chain.
Della returned home, then sat down and waited for her husband. “I hope Jim will think I ‘m still pretty,” she said to herself.
Soon, the door open and Jim stepped in. When he saw Della, he looked shocked. He stared at her, with a strange look on his face. Della jumped. He stared at her, with a strange look on his face. Della jumped up. “Jim, darling, don’t look at me that way. I sold my hair because I wanted so much to give you a Christmas present. Don’t you love me just at much anyhow?”
“Don’t make any mistake about me Della,” he said. “Your short hair doesn’t make me love you less. But if you open this package, you will see why I was so surprised.”
Her fingers tore open the paper. She gave a cry of joy --- but it quickly changed into tears. There lay the set of combs that Della had wanted for so long. They were beautiful, with jewels on the edges, and just the right color for her hair. But now she had no hair to wear them in.
She held the combs tightly and looked up. Her eyes were red, but she smiled and said, “My hair grows very fast, Jim.”
Then Della quickly gave Jim his present. “Isn’t it lovely? I looked all over town for it. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks!”
But Jim just sat down on the coach, put his hands behind his head, and smiled. “Della,” he said, “let’s put our presents away. They’re too nice to use right now. I sold my watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now I guess it’s time for us to have our dinner.”
(adapted from “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Herry)
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Attractions at Tucson
1. Old Pima county courthouse
2. Historic architecture: St. Augustine Cathedral, Fort Lowell, the Owls club, Steinfield mansion, Casa Del Gobernador, La Casa Cordova, J. Knox Corbett house, Edward Nye house.
3. University of Arizona
4. Pima air museum
5. Titan missile museum
6. Mission San Xavier Del Bac
7. Saguaro National Monuments
8. Sabino Canyon
9. Mt. Lemmon
10. Santa Catalina mountains
11. Old Tucson Studios
12. Tohono Chul Park
13. Biosphere 2
14. Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
15. Kitt Peak
16. Mission in the Sun
17. Colossal CaveReid Park Zoo
2. Historic architecture: St. Augustine Cathedral, Fort Lowell, the Owls club, Steinfield mansion, Casa Del Gobernador, La Casa Cordova, J. Knox Corbett house, Edward Nye house.
3. University of Arizona
4. Pima air museum
5. Titan missile museum
6. Mission San Xavier Del Bac
7. Saguaro National Monuments
8. Sabino Canyon
9. Mt. Lemmon
10. Santa Catalina mountains
11. Old Tucson Studios
12. Tohono Chul Park
13. Biosphere 2
14. Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
15. Kitt Peak
16. Mission in the Sun
17. Colossal CaveReid Park Zoo
Making Telephone Calls
Communicating in English on the phone can be difficult. But it will be easier if you become familiar with some common expressions. Also, remember that most Westerners follow certain rules of politeness when talking on the phone. The following are some guidelines for American telephone manners.
1. When you call someone, introduce yourself first. Even if you know the person, don’t expect him or her to recognize your voice.
2. After introducing yourself, you might ask, “Are you busy right now?” If it is a business call, you can say, “Is this a convenient time to call?”
3. If the person is busy, you can say, “What time should I call back?”
4. When you answer the phone at home, you can simply say “Hello.” At an office, you should identify the name of your company. For example: “Formosa Plastics, may I help you?”
5. If you dial a wrong number, it is not polite to say, “What number is this?” Instead, you can say, “I’m sorry. Is this 2595-2345?”
6. When you want to end a phone conversation, you can say, “Thanks for calling” or “It’s been nice talking to you.” To be more direct, you can say, “I’m sorry. I have to go now.”
(From Far East English Reader)
Dialogeues:
1. A student in Taiwan is calling a school in the United States.
Operator: University of Oregon.
Student: Could I have the Language Training Center, please?
Operator: One moment, please.
Secretary: Language Center. May I help you?
Student: Hello, I’m calling from Taiwan. I’d like to get some information about your program.
Secretary: Just a minute. I’ll connect you with Ms. Barnes.
2. A man calls the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) AIT has a recorded phone message.
Recording: This is the American Institute in Taiwan. If you know the extension you want, please dial it now. If you need other information or want to speak to an operator, dial 0.
Operator: AIT. May I help you?
Caller: Could I have the visa office, please?
Operator: One moment.
3. Hua-ming makes a personal call to his friend Steve.
Steve: Hello.
Hua-ming: Hello, is Steve there?
Steve: Speaking.
Hua-ming: Hi, Steve. This is Hua-ming.
Steve: Hua-ming! How’ve you been? I haven’t heard from you for ages!
Hua-ming: I’ve been great. How have you been?
4. Mei-ling calls her classmate Ruth, who has an answering machine.
Recording: you have reach 2333-6633. We can’t answer the phone right now. Please leave your name and number after the tone.
Mei-Ling: Hi, Ruth, this is Mei-ling. Please call me back when you get home. My number is 2264-8878.
5. Amy calls her classmate Peter, but she dials the wrong number.
Answerer: Hello.
Amy: Hello, could I speak to Peter?
Answerer: I’m sorry, there’s no one here by that name.
Amy: Oh? Is this 2718-3357?
Answerer: No, it’s not. I’m afraid you have the wrong number.
Amy: Sorry!
Idioms and Phrases:
1. Even if: in spite of the fact that.
Even if you can do it by yourself, you’d better discuss it with us first.
2. Hear from: to receive a letter or telephone call from.
3. For ages: for a long time.
We haven’t seen each other for ages.
1. When you call someone, introduce yourself first. Even if you know the person, don’t expect him or her to recognize your voice.
2. After introducing yourself, you might ask, “Are you busy right now?” If it is a business call, you can say, “Is this a convenient time to call?”
3. If the person is busy, you can say, “What time should I call back?”
4. When you answer the phone at home, you can simply say “Hello.” At an office, you should identify the name of your company. For example: “Formosa Plastics, may I help you?”
5. If you dial a wrong number, it is not polite to say, “What number is this?” Instead, you can say, “I’m sorry. Is this 2595-2345?”
6. When you want to end a phone conversation, you can say, “Thanks for calling” or “It’s been nice talking to you.” To be more direct, you can say, “I’m sorry. I have to go now.”
(From Far East English Reader)
Dialogeues:
1. A student in Taiwan is calling a school in the United States.
Operator: University of Oregon.
Student: Could I have the Language Training Center, please?
Operator: One moment, please.
Secretary: Language Center. May I help you?
Student: Hello, I’m calling from Taiwan. I’d like to get some information about your program.
Secretary: Just a minute. I’ll connect you with Ms. Barnes.
2. A man calls the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) AIT has a recorded phone message.
Recording: This is the American Institute in Taiwan. If you know the extension you want, please dial it now. If you need other information or want to speak to an operator, dial 0.
Operator: AIT. May I help you?
Caller: Could I have the visa office, please?
Operator: One moment.
3. Hua-ming makes a personal call to his friend Steve.
Steve: Hello.
Hua-ming: Hello, is Steve there?
Steve: Speaking.
Hua-ming: Hi, Steve. This is Hua-ming.
Steve: Hua-ming! How’ve you been? I haven’t heard from you for ages!
Hua-ming: I’ve been great. How have you been?
4. Mei-ling calls her classmate Ruth, who has an answering machine.
Recording: you have reach 2333-6633. We can’t answer the phone right now. Please leave your name and number after the tone.
Mei-Ling: Hi, Ruth, this is Mei-ling. Please call me back when you get home. My number is 2264-8878.
5. Amy calls her classmate Peter, but she dials the wrong number.
Answerer: Hello.
Amy: Hello, could I speak to Peter?
Answerer: I’m sorry, there’s no one here by that name.
Amy: Oh? Is this 2718-3357?
Answerer: No, it’s not. I’m afraid you have the wrong number.
Amy: Sorry!
Idioms and Phrases:
1. Even if: in spite of the fact that.
Even if you can do it by yourself, you’d better discuss it with us first.
2. Hear from: to receive a letter or telephone call from.
3. For ages: for a long time.
We haven’t seen each other for ages.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
27 Dresses (2008)
Movie
Plot Summary:
Two things about Jane: she’s never says no to her friends (she’s been a bridesmaid 27 times and selflessly plans friends’ weddings), and she’s in love with her boss, George, nurturing dreams of lovely, romantic wedding of her own. She meets Kevin, a cynical writer who finds her attractive, and that same week, her younger, flirtatious sister Tess comes to town. Jane silently watches George fall for Tess, a manipulative pretender. Worse, Jane may be called upon to plan their wedding. Meanwhile, Kevin tries to get Jane’s attention and has an idea that may advance his career. Can Jane uncork her feelings? Then what? (Written by jhaliley)
American-born Jane is career-oriented and secretly in love with her employer, George. She spends most of her time as a bridesmaid, and has appropriate dresses as evidence, and also include a traditional Hindu wedding dress, complete with Bindi. Then her structured and ordered life comes unhinged when her younger sister, Tess, re-enters her life, a reporter, Kevin, who also has an alias, claims to be is attracted to her Kevin decides to publish Jane’s secret and her overwhelming wardrobe. Things get even more complicated when Jane find out she may end up losing George to none other than her very own sister. (Written by AjOo)
Cast:
Katherine Heigl: Jane
James Marsden: Kevin
Director: Anne Fletcher
Writer: Aline Brosh McKenna
Plot Summary:
Two things about Jane: she’s never says no to her friends (she’s been a bridesmaid 27 times and selflessly plans friends’ weddings), and she’s in love with her boss, George, nurturing dreams of lovely, romantic wedding of her own. She meets Kevin, a cynical writer who finds her attractive, and that same week, her younger, flirtatious sister Tess comes to town. Jane silently watches George fall for Tess, a manipulative pretender. Worse, Jane may be called upon to plan their wedding. Meanwhile, Kevin tries to get Jane’s attention and has an idea that may advance his career. Can Jane uncork her feelings? Then what? (Written by jhaliley)
American-born Jane is career-oriented and secretly in love with her employer, George. She spends most of her time as a bridesmaid, and has appropriate dresses as evidence, and also include a traditional Hindu wedding dress, complete with Bindi. Then her structured and ordered life comes unhinged when her younger sister, Tess, re-enters her life, a reporter, Kevin, who also has an alias, claims to be is attracted to her Kevin decides to publish Jane’s secret and her overwhelming wardrobe. Things get even more complicated when Jane find out she may end up losing George to none other than her very own sister. (Written by AjOo)
Cast:
Katherine Heigl: Jane
James Marsden: Kevin
Director: Anne Fletcher
Writer: Aline Brosh McKenna
Made of Honor(2008)
Movie
Plot Summary:
Made of Honor revolves around Tom and Hannah, who have been platonic friends for 10 years. He’s a serial dater, while she wants marriage but hasn’t found Mr. Right. Just as Tom is starting to think that he is relationship material after all, Hannah gets engaged. When she asks Tom to be her “maid” of honor, he reluctantly agrees just so he can attempt to stop the wedding and woo her. (Written by Orange)
Cast:
Patrick Dempsey: Thomas ‘Tom’ Bailey
Michelle Monaghan: Hannah
Kevin Mckidd: Colin McMurray
Director:
Paul Weiland
Writer:
Adam Sztykiel (screenplay), Deborah Kaplan(screenplay), Harry Elfont(screenplay)Adam Sztykiel (story)
Plot Summary:
Made of Honor revolves around Tom and Hannah, who have been platonic friends for 10 years. He’s a serial dater, while she wants marriage but hasn’t found Mr. Right. Just as Tom is starting to think that he is relationship material after all, Hannah gets engaged. When she asks Tom to be her “maid” of honor, he reluctantly agrees just so he can attempt to stop the wedding and woo her. (Written by Orange)
Cast:
Patrick Dempsey: Thomas ‘Tom’ Bailey
Michelle Monaghan: Hannah
Kevin Mckidd: Colin McMurray
Director:
Paul Weiland
Writer:
Adam Sztykiel (screenplay), Deborah Kaplan(screenplay), Harry Elfont(screenplay)Adam Sztykiel (story)
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