Stories to Stimulate!

Will and Mary part 10

Part 1 of 5. 

Inside a dusty workroom, an old craftsman held up a chess piece to the window. He rotated it in the sunlight and inspected its every detail. 

“Perfection,” said the craftsman. 

He added it to the set he had been building. Sixteen grey pieces sat on his worktable, all handmade and almost ready for sale. 

The craftsman felt very satisfied with his designs. He was ready for the final stage of the process. He picked up one of the pawn pieces and said, “What about you, my little friend? What colour would you like to be?” 

He reached for his paint brush, dunked it into glass of water and then into a container of paint. The grey pawn received a heavy coating of shiny white paint.

Fast-forward several years into the future. After repeated use and abuse, that little pawn’s proud white colour had faded. Areas of his original grey were visible. Because of this, whenever players assembled their chess set, they left this little grey-white pawn to the side. 

“Uhm, is that yours or mine?” said the white player. 

“It doesn’t matter. Put it back in the box and choose from the others,” said the black player. 

This little plastic pawn’s name was Gary. 


Being a Cloud

Gary the Chess Piece


   a. Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth - To be born into a wealthy or privileged family.
      Example: "He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, never having to worry about money."
   b. Strike gold - To discover or achieve something highly valuable or successful.
      Example: "She struck gold when she found the rare antique at the flea market."
   c. Win hands down - To win easily or without much effort.
      Example: "The experienced team won hands down in the basketball tournament."
   d. Make a killing - To make a large profit or financial gain.
      Example: "He made a killing by investing in the stock market."
   e. Luck of the draw - Outcomes determined purely by chance.
      Example: "Who gets the biggest office is just luck of the draw."


IELTS Podcast 雅思博客

Luck and success idioms:

Let me tell you something. In the world of business, communication is king. But forget fancy speeches and teleprompters. What you really need is the ability to connect, to think on your feet, and inspire – on the spot. That's where I come in.

As your business communication coach, I won't just train you to speak. I'll help you find your voice, the one that resonates with authenticity and power. We'll work together to build a foundation of strong business acumen. Numbers, trends, market forces – these aren't just dry facts, they're the fuel that propels your message.

But knowledge alone isn't enough. You have to be able to listen, truly listen, to the people you're speaking with. What are their concerns? Their aspirations? We'll hone your active listening skills, so you can build bridges, not walls, during those impromptu interactions.

Now, let's be honest, practice makes perfect. We won't just talk the talk, we'll walk the walk. Mock interviews, simulated meetings, even impromptu presentations on random business topics – we'll throw you curveballs, and you'll learn to hit them out of the park. We'll record your sessions, analyze them together, and help you refine your delivery, ditch the filler words, and find that clear, concise style that cuts through the noise.

Remember, confidence is key.  I'll be your guide, your cheerleader, pushing you to embrace challenges and see every unexpected speaking opportunity as a chance to grow. Because ultimately, it's not about having all the answers, it's about the passion and purpose behind them.

So, are you ready to step up, to take your communication skills to the next level?  Together, we can turn you into an impromptu speaking champion, someone who commands attention, inspires collaboration, and leaves a lasting impression. Let's get started.

The Global Professional Podcast

I can help you master Impromptu Speaking - Episode 95

Atsushi and I are both online Japanese teacher on italki.
On Oct 11th, 2022, Japan finally open border to international individual tourists.
We talk about making both new Airbnb experiences and teaching Japanese.

Atsushi
https://www.italki.com/ja/teacher/9451959/japanese

Akari
https://www.italki.com/teacher/916033
https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/24592207



Akari Talks Japan

Atsushiさんと日本観光の話

conjuguemos y conjugamos 

Capítulo 3 - DIRÉ - WILL SAY

"I've got a CRASH on you!!!"

Borders, politics, culture, and even life couldn't separate them.
Their Love brought all to their knees!!!
It looks like a typical romantic comedy,
But it becomes a great drama about Love!

국경, 정치, 문화, 목숨까지도 사랑앞에 다 무릎 꿇었습니다. 
아주 전형적인 로멘틱 코미디 같았지만 
나중에는 진지한 사랑에 관한 드라마였던 아주 멋진 작품!!
========================

🎀축하합니다!! Congratulations!!🎀 
Last week, we broke the highest subscribers record in this podcast!
We just hit 200 subscribers! Wow!!! Thank you so much!! 
I appreciate it:) 
I promise you I am gonna give you high-quality content every week just like I have done before. 
If you have any requests for K-universe, please leave a message. 😆

그거 봤어? Did you watch it?

21.Crash landing on You🎈(사랑의 불시착)

안녕하세요.
저는 이번에 여행을 다녀왔어요.
4박 5일 여행을 다녀왔는데 지금은 여행 중에 쌓인 여독을 풀고 있어요. 

저는 이번 여행에서 태어나서 처음으로 오로라를 봤어요.
운 좋게 오로라를 볼 수 있어서 정말 기뻤어요.
아직도 그날 밤하늘을 잊을 수가 없어요.
태어나서 지금까지 본 밤하늘 중에 가장 비현실적인 하늘이었어요.

밤하늘에 별이 수없이 많았는데 그렇게 별이 가득한 하늘은 처음이었어요.
그리고 오로라는 정말 신비롭고 마법처럼 느껴지는 색깔과 모양이었어요. 
초록빛 오로라가 까만 밤하늘에 아주 예쁘게 춤을 추고 있었어요. 
너무 아름답다, 그리고 예쁘다는 말밖에 나오지 않았어요. 
정말 꿈 같은 순간이었습니다. 

그곳에 모인 많은 사람들이 오로라를 보고 싶다는 마음으로, 거기까지 그 추운날 갔다는 것도 정말 특별했어요. 그때 기온이 영하(-) 29도였거든요. 와.. 정말 그렇게 추운 날씨는 태어나서 처음 겪어 봤어요. 5분만 밖에 있어도 추웠는데 오로라를 보기 위해서 2시간 동안이나 밖에 있었어요. 진짜 너무 추웠어요. 어떻게 이렇게 날씨가 추울 수 있지? 놀랐습니다. 한국에서는 절대 경험할 수 없는 추위였어요.

정말 추웠지만
그날 밤하늘은 아주 오랫동안 제 기억속에 남을 것 같아요.
너무나도 아름답고, 황홀했고, 신비로웠고, 마법 같았어요. 

제가 본 수많은 별들과, 떨어지는 별똥별을 보며 빌었던 소원들, 
마법 같은 오로라를 보았던 그 기억은 저에게 소중한 추억이 될 거예요.

힘든 일이 있을 때마다 어려움을 잘 극복할 수 있게 힘을 주는 그런 반짝이는 기억이 될 거라고 믿습니다.

여러분도 특별히 기억에 남는 하늘이 있어요?
어떤 하늘을 좋아해요?

전세계 그 어디에서나 우리가 보는 하늘이 같다는 사실이 가끔 큰 위로가 될 때가 있어요.
 
여러분이 바라보는 하늘이 지친 하루를 위로해 주는 따뜻하고 포근한 하늘이기를 바랍니다.

감사합니다. 


4박 5일 4 nights 5 days, 여독 fatigue from travel, 비현실적이다 being unrealistic; being unreal 수없다 innumerable; countless, 신비롭다 mysterious, 황홀하다 magnificent; splendid, 별똥별 shooting star, 수많다 numerous; abundant, 소원을 빌다 make a wish


Korean with Rumi

오로라_an Aurora

Approaches to Learning

Transcript: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19cicbT2oLtRYp_viG8miN71H_g0iuyBL/view?usp=drivesdk