SUBJECT: INTELLIGENT PEOPLE

George W. Bush meets with the Queen of England.

He asks her, "Your Majesty, how do you run such an efficient government? Are there any tips you can give to me?"

"Well," says the Queen, "The most important thing is to surround you yourself with intelligent people."

Bush frowns. "But how do I know the people around me are really intelligent?"

The Queen takes a sip of tea. "Oh, that's easy. You just ask them to answer an intelligence test. Listen to this".

The Queen pushes a button on her intercom. "Please! send Tony Blair inhere, would you?"

Tony Blair walks into the room. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

The Queen smiles. "Answer me this, please, Tony! Your mother and father have a child. It is not your brother and it is not your sister. Who is it?"

Without pausing for a moment, Tony Blair answers, "That would be me."

"Yes! Very good," says the Queen.

Back at the White House, Bush asks to speak with Vice President Dick Cheney. "Dick, answer this for me. Your mother and your father have a child. It's not your brother and it's not your sister. Who is it?"

"I'm not sure," says the Vice President. "Let me get back to you on that one."

Dick Cheney goes to his advisors and asks every one, but none can give him an answer. Finally, he ends up in the men's room and recognizes Colin Powell's shoes in the next stall.

Dick shouts, "Colin! Can you answer this for me? Your mother and father have a child and it's not your brother or your sister. Who is it?"

Colin Powell yells back, "That's easy. It's me!"

Dick Cheney smiles, "Thanks!"

Cheney goes back to the Oval Office to speak with Bush. "Say, I did some research and I have the answer to that riddle. It's Colin Powell."

Bush gets up, stomps over to Dick Cheney, and angrily yells into his face,

"No, you idiot! It's Tony Blair!"

(Thanks to Mr Ign Herry Djoko who gave me this story)

THE POWER OF THE INTERNET FOR ENGLISH COURSES

A couple days ago I got a LINE message from a complete stranger. She contacted me from Soppeng in South Sulawesi. Her name is Ms Siti Fatimah. She was a stranger because I had never known her. She asked me a few questions about how to run an English course, especially how to get a NILEK from the Ministry of National Education. So, before I answered her questions, I asked her how she had been able to contact me. She replied that she had found my contact number in the internet. 

I have used internet services since 1990s. Internet has helped me a lot. With the internet, I can find a lot of information that I need. When I have a question over an issue, I just need to ask Google and there are many answers there. With the internet I can make blogs to express my ideas, to promote my English course and to earn some money. With the internet I can contact my old friends and  find new friends. 

For my English course, the internet has helped me much. First, I can find unlimited material sources; I can download them for free or buy certain books online. Second, I can use my blogs so that more people and students can know about my services. Third, the internet has helped me when I need to input data required by the Ministry of National Education.

My conversation with Ms Siti Fatimah continued as she asked me further questions about my English course. I shared my experiences and she might learn something from my stories. Here, the internet has helped both of us to share stories and experiences.

Yes, the internet. The online world. It is something that has helped me have more contacts with many people that I have known or met before. It helps me share knowledge and experiences with others. It is something that helps me much to find much information that I need.

How to Improve your English Listening Skills?

Some of my students sometimes tell me that they find it difficult to understand English movies, English lectures, and other types of English talks and conversations. When they take a TOEFL test or IELTS test, their listening score is not always good. They ask me how to improve their listening skills.

Here are some tips that I have collected from several sources in the internet.

First, learn English pronunciation rules.

Many people usually think that pronunciation is about speaking. It is true that learning the rules of English pronunciation allows students to understand native speakers much better. Listeners need to know how the language is being changed if it doesn’t come naturally to them. When you are familiar with English pronunciation, you will be able to understand an English speech.

Second, watch a video or listen to audio in English with a transcript.

Try to listen to English with a transcript. You can read what is being said while you hear it. You will be familiar with the pronunciation and accents as well as the word spelling.

Third, watch TV shows in English with no subtitles (either in your native language or in English).

This will help you to train your ears. Without a transcript, you need to be an active listener. Think about what you are hearing, and if you don’t understand, replay the audio and make an effort to figure out how the speech is being changed.

Fourth, why don’t you try to talk to native English speakers or foreign tourists who can speak English.

Talk to native speakers and foreign tourists. In Bogor you may find them in your English course, Bogor Botanical Gardens, tourist destinations and campuses. If you don’t understand something that you have heard, ask them questions about it. Do not be too aggressive; be friendly with them so that they want to talk to you.

Fifth, write down the sounds of sentences that you do not understand and try to figure them out later on your own.

Use those written sentences to test yourself. Sometimes learning and figuring out English–or any second language–is like putting a puzzle together. After a while, the pieces will start to fit together.

Six, write down your questions and discuss them with your English tutor or to someone that can speak English. You may use some social media to practice your English, to ask for explanations, to share stories, or to read other people’s ideas. When you can share or get English videos or recording, and you listen to them, you will improve your listening skills.

Seventh, replace your Indonesian or other native language activities with English activities.

Be busy with English. Express any idea in English. Ask questions in English. Talk to yourself in English. Ask your friends to hang out with you in English. Watch or listen to the news on the internet in English instead of your first language. There are so many free resources online; we really have no excuse not to replace some of our first language activities with second language activities.

If you live in Bogor and you want to study English together with me, please do not hesitate to contact me via Whatsapp at 0813-8099-8494, or you may write to independent.ec@gmail.com.