…I used to love Barbies.

…I used to help my mom take care of my brother.

…I used to have long hair.

What about you? Share your childhood memories

Every time I watch a movie that was based on a book I have read, I feel somewhat disappointed. Even if the movie is good, I always feel there’s something missing…

What about you? Share your views by choosing one of the answers in the poll and/or leaving a comment.

It takes time an effort.

Here are some tips from my conversation group on how

to be a better speaker of English:

1) Have a good range of vocabulary and grammar (reading, listening to  music, watching movies)

2) Be confident. The more you are afraid, the less you speak.

3) Change the words you don’t know.

4) Fill the silences to keep the listener’s attention.

5) Don’t worry about accent. You don’t need to sound like a native speaker.

6) Enjoy speaking English!!!

How useful do you think these tips are?

Which ones do you try or will try to use?

Let’s talk about our families?

I have a very big family. My father and my mother have two sisters and four brothers each. So, I have four aunts and eight uncles!!!

I don’t know how many cousins I have, as you can see…A LOT!!!

I have a younger brother who is very tall and handsome. He is a photographer and a musician. He is 23 years old. My mother is a nurse and my father is an accountant. She is 49 years old and he is 50 years old.

There’s my boyfriend, too!!! He is veeery handsome and he is 27 years old.

I love my family!

Look at the pictures and try to guess who they are!

What abou your family???

…person?

…pet?

…subject?

I s Semenya really a woman?

Caster Semenya won by a huge margin Wednesday in the face of revelations that the world track body asked her to undergo gender testing.

About three weeks ago, the IAAF asked the South African athletics federation to conduct the gender test after Semenya burst onto the scene by posting a world leading time of 1 minute, 56.72 seconds at the African junior championships in Bambous, Mauritius.Her father, Jacob, told the Sowetan newspaper: “She is my little girl. … I raised her and I have never doubted her gender. She is a woman and I can repeat that a million times.”

(from: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32477147/ns/sports-olympic_sports/)

There have been other curious cases like this in the history of athletics. Other athletes like Stella Walsh, Zdenka Koubkova, Dora Ratjen and Ewa Klobukowska left many people wondering whether they were really women.

Take a look at their pictures, what do you think???

Read more: (in Portuguese) http://br.esportes.yahoo.com/noticias/esportes-campeas-olimpicas-eram-homens-ou-20082009-71.html

To what extent is it  ethical to question somebody’s gender???

One of the greatest things aboutTwitter is that you can receive news updates real time  from many different vehicles (as long as you follow them). This afternoon, I came across an article from Newsweek about the swine flu, and it just happened to be the topic I was discussing with a group of students yesterday, so I thought it might be useful to post. Here it is:

You (Probably) Won’t Die From Swine Flu: Putting H1N1 in Perspective

It seems like everyone is freaking out about the upcoming flu season and the havoc H1N1 might wreak in America. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sibelius says she’s “preparing for the worst.” Experts are worried vaccines won’t be ready in time. Schools are contemplating quarantine situations. And the media is very concerned, judging by all the “Swine Flu – How Will It Affect Your Weekend?” stories each week.

But how worried should we really be? The facts can sound a little staggering: swine flu first hit the scene in late April, and by June 11, the World Health Organization declared swine flu a pandemic. The last flu pandemic declared was in 1967, 42 years ago—the Hong Kong flu, which killed about 700,000 people worldwide. So far, this swine flu is responsible for 1,462 deaths globally. Already, hundreds of thousands of people have contracted swine flu—so many that the WHO has stopped counting. In America, 447 people have died.

A little perspective shows that H1N1 isn’t as scary as it sounds. Pandemic, with all its seemingly lethal connotations, simply means geographically widespread. The common cold, for instance, can always be classified as a pandemic.

To read full article, go to: http://www.stumbleupon.com/s/#5UpzFd/blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thehumancondition/archive/2009/08/19/will-you-die-from-swine-flu-putting-h1n1-in-perspective.aspx/

To be honest, I’m still a little bit worried about the flu…

What about you….How do YOU feel about the swine flu?

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved dogs. I’ve  had many different breeds of dogs but I never liked cats. I mean, I used to like them until I was bitten by one at age 3. Of course, after the trauma, I didn’t want to be around a cat anymore.

Last year, a cat “adopted” my mother! I say that because the cat was found in her yard, with a little kitty. Both were so cute, we couldn’t resist, but feed them and take care of them. After some time, the mother cat went away, leaving the baby alone. My mother had no choice and let the kitty live with her.

I was not very hapy about her decision (I was like “No, mom, not a CAT!”), but let it go. As time went by, I got more and more fascinated by how cats can be really adorable. I had never thought they would interact with you the way they do.  ” Just like a dog”, I thought. I was even more surprised when I realized the cat answered by its name! OMG, I want one!!! I felt like squeezing it and kissing it all over!!!

Anyway, three months ago, Donatella gave birth to 4 lovely little kitties. I helped mom to give them to people who would treat them nice, but there was one kitten left.  My mother brought she to my house and I fell in love with her.

Well, now, as unbelievable as it can be, I have a CAT! And I love it!

Her name is Brigitte, and we are having a great time together…some hard times, too, as she is still learning how to behave in an apartment. But it’s been wonderful to have her here!

Isnt she lovely?

What about you?

Do you like pets? Do you have one?

Have you changed your opinion about any pets, just like me?

If you dont have a pet, would you like to have one? Which?

What other animals do you like?

Please, post your ideas here!

See you!

…and I decided to take the risk and start.

Here I am! Very happy to be another teacher-blogger.

Hope this is just the first of many many posts.

Living and learning!!!