My Ideal Job

Students' Corner,

Kindly sent by Miguel Raposeiras

I don’t know if you have heard it but, last Monday, the International Labour Organization reported that about 20 million jobs have been destroyed since September 2008. And the day before yesterday, Mr. Obama announced a new plan in order to decrease the unemployment rate.

Why am I telling you this? Because, and this is not a secret, it’s really hard to find a job nowadays. So, it’s a good time to imagine what kind of job we would like to have.

In my case, the first thing I have to say is: ‘I don’t like working’. Working is mundane and usually stressful. But I realize it’s a need. I mean, not only for having a fixed income, but for having your mind occupied and feeling you’re useful. Unemployed people get depressed easier than workers. Despite this, I have it clear that I work for living and not live for working. As you can imagine, I’m an expert waiting until the eleventh hour to do my tasks.

Second, I have to get job satisfaction. A really good job for me would be the one which makes me claim: ‘Oh, man! I would work for free… but don’t tell my boss!’. It doesn’t mind if I’m not good at doing it, I need to be happy doing whatever I have to do. For example, I’ve been said to be good with figures… but I hate numbers!

Third, getting on well with my colleagues is very important for me. If there is a great job atmosphere, you’ll be more comfortable working.

And, finally, it would be important, but not necessary, that my boss were able to get the best out of me. I always need to be motivated. Furthermore, I work better if the tasks are challenging for me. I think it’s a satisfying way to avoid boredom at work.

To sum up, my ideal job must be stimulating and I need to be able to develop my personality and skills in it.

By the year 3000…

General

The Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen is such an important issue I couldn’t let it go by without saying a word or two about it. One hundred and ninety-two countries have signed the climate change convention and more than 15,000 people are expected to attend .


Global warming and climate change is something we should all be giving a thought and what’s more… we should be asking ourselves what we can do to contribute to stop global warming.
There are lots of very easy things one can do to help the Earth… ‘cause I need it to last longer than me and longer than my children . I want my great great grandchildren to remember who I was and how I lived and to be able to do this ,they need to be given the chance to be born .
Let the big ones decide on the big issues and let us help our Planet before it’s too late by doing very simple things, by adopting a more responsible lifestyle.
Replacing a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb saves about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Another very easy thing to do is to be careful about leaving things on like the television, the computer or the lights and not to leave appliances on standby, using the “on/off” function on the machine itself.
Carpooling ,which is driving with someone to a place that you are both going to, minimizes the amount of greenhouse gases put into the air by a car, as it obviously does ,walking to school, using public transport or the bike. Recycling also helps. Easy things such as covering your pot while cooking saves a lot of energy needed when preparing a dish, taking a shower instead of a bath, reusing your shopping bag, buying fresh food instead of frozen food , airing your house,by opening the windows for only a few minutes,using the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full,using a clothesline instead of a dryer…etc

When I saw this video the first time I could only consider the funny side of it; the second time I could only consider the fact that funny though it might seem , I still won’t be able to see it. There is no way I would ever live to see the year three thousand , not even my children ( who, by the way were born in the previous century , just like me) but maybe my grandchildren and I hope definitely my great gran would be enjoying these mod cons. And , this funny side of the future , helps me forget the sense of grim foreboding I have for it. God forbid!

 

Related posts:

Food for thought

Foof for thought II

The Earth is breathing

 

 

Tons of music

Audio, Music, Students' Corner, , ,

This link was sent to me some days ago by one of my students, Jose Manuel Hildalgo. Many thanks to you for sharing!!  Add it to your favourites if you are keen on music, and even if you are not, to learn some English.

How does it work? Easy !! Just click on any  letter of the alphabet, and a list of all the singers whose name begins with this letter will be displayed . Click on the one you want, (strictly forbidden to click on any singer other than the English -speaking ones) and the screen will be filled with the lyrics of the song on one side and the video on the other one.

 

 

Related posts:

Music on my Mind

Music, Students' Corner,

I am one of those teachers who think that playing music is as good a way to improve listening as it is playing any other piece of information.
That’s why every Monday you’ve been doing listening based on lyrics. It’s not always easy to choose the song and even more difficult to choose which lines you will be able to understand. What’s more, I’m also quite aware of the fact that the music I like is probably not everyone’s cup of tea (I know, I know… you’ve never complained). So , now it’s your turn. Have you been listening to some tracks lately and thought… “Cristina should be playing this track” ?
Yes…. Then, let me know. Send me a reply to this post with your suggestion. It should include the following information

Singer/ Band:
Song Title
A few lines:

and thanks for your help. This blog is written for you and with you.