#6 English Song

Chandelier

by Sia

Party girls don't get hurt
Can't feel anything, when will I learn
I push it down, push it down
I'm the one "for a good time call"
Phone's blowin' up, they're ringin' my doorbell
I feel the love, feel the love


[Pre-Chorus]

1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
Throw 'em back, 'til I lose count


[Chorus]

I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier
I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist
Like it doesn't exist
I'm gonna fly like a bird through the night, feel my tears as they dry
I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier

But I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down won't open my eyes
Keep my glass full until morning light, 'cos I'm just holding on for tonight
Help me, I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down won't open my eyes
Keep my glass full until morning light, 'cos I'm just holding on for tonight
On for tonight


Sun is up, I'm a mess
Gotta get out now, gotta run from this
Here comes the shame, here comes the shame


[Pre-Chorus]

1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
1,2,3 1,2,3 drink
1,2,3 1,2,3 drink


[Chorus]

I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier
I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist
Like it doesn't exist
I'm gonna fly like a bird through the night, feel my tears as they dry
I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier

Chandelier by Sia, currently is one of my favorite song. Because not only the music sounds really good but also the lyrics has a really great meaning behind it. I think everyone's interpretation of the song is different but quite similar in some ways.

The music video features Maddie Ziegler, an American child dancer, actress, and model. She is best known for appearing on Lifetime's reality series, "Dance Moms", and for her appearances in numerous music videos.

Chandelier is written and sang by Sia Kate Isobelle Furler, better known simply as Sia. She is an Australian downtempo, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter.

I really love the song because I think the melody is beautiful and quite unique.

The music video seems to be quite confusing and weird at first, but if you listen carefully to the lyrics and the song, it would make more sense and there's actually a deep meaning behind the song itself. 

My own interpretation of the song:

She's keeping her feelings to herself and trying to forget them by partying and drinking. She doesn't have any real friends. Her friends just want to be around her when they want to have a good time (partying, going to the clubs, etc.)

Alcohol is the only thing that makes her forget about everything.

She doesn't want to think about tomorrow when she could feel her pain again, and so she keeps saying she's just holding on for tonight. 

She has a mask that she puts on. She wants the people around her to think that she's fine, that she's happy. But in reality, she is actually broken.

Click here to watch the official music video.

Chandelier Cover Art

#5 Steve Jobs' 2005 Commencement Speech

Watch the video and read the script of Steve Jobs' Stanford Commencement Speech on the link below: 

Steve Jobs' 2005 Commencement Speech 

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
- Steve Jobs

I personally feel that Steve Jobs' speech is quite inspiring, especially for us students, who still have a long way to reach success. We have to have the courage to follow our heart.
Sometimes we already know what we really want to do in our life, but we're just too afraid to actually go out of our own comfort zone and make our dreams come true. There are also times when we are afraid of other people's opinion on ourselves, what the society think of us, what our friends and relatives think of us, etc. But that doesn't mean that we have to give up our dreams and forever live in misery.
We don't have to wear a mask and wasting our whole life to become someone else. The most important thing is to be ourselves, everyone is unique in their own way. 
I also often tell myself not to think too much about what other people think, and just focus on becoming a better person each and everyday. 
To live life to the fullest.

-G

#4 Randall's Cyber Listening Lab

So today as this week's assignment, I am going to list some words and their definitions along with the example sentences from two audio clips (College Life and A story to Remember) from Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab.

First Audio: College Life

1. hectic (adjective)
very busy; full of activity
ex:

• I had a really hectic day.

• Despite their hectic schedules, the two stayed in constant contact.

2. tuition (noun)
the money that you pay to be taught, especially in a college or university
ex: 

• He worked as a newspaper seller to pay for tuition at a music school.

• The cost of tuition at public universities is soaring.

3. scholarship (noun)
an amount of money given to somebody by an organization to help pay for their education
ex:

• If I were you, I would apply for the scholarship.

• The scholarship made it possible for him to continue his education.

Second Audio: A Story to Remember

1. bizarre (adjective)

very strange or unusual

ex:

• This is one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen.

• I can't believe we're getting involved in something so bizarre.

2. overhead (adverb)

above your head; in the sky

ex:

• I saw a helicopter flying overhead.

• Should I put my bag in the overhead compartment?

3. therapist (noun)

a specialist who treats a particular type of illness or problem, or who uses a particular type of treatment

ex:

• The therapist agreed that my mind was in good health.

• His mom worked full-time as a physical therapist.

-G

source: Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab @ http://www.esl-lab.com/

#3 Google Syntax

This week we learned about Google Syntax and below I'd list some examples of them:

1. Search for an exact word or phrase - "search"

"Halloween Costumes" - About 106,000,000 results

2. Search within a site or domain - site: 

halloween costumes site:ebay.com - About 496,000 results 

3. Search for pages that are similar to a URL - related:

related:topshop.com - About 28 results

4. Search for a specific file format - filetype:

halloween filetype:ppt - About 7,540 results

5. Search for pages that link to a URL - link:

link:youtube.com - About 4,610 results

So honestly, I find this quite embarrassing that I just knew about Google Syntax recently, but I think this'd make our "research" on google way easier and faster. And I'm not complaining about that, too! ;)

-G

#2 Dictionary Exercise

This week's assignment that was given by our teacher, Miss Sally;
is to read an article from BBC News : Walk or cycle for 'a happier commute'.

For me personally, I don't really have any significant problem in understanding the whole article and vocabularies,
but I'd still list some words that I think are quite interesting and a little bit unfamiliar for me.

1. a necessary evil

(idiom)

a thing that is bad or that you do not like but which you must accept for a particular reason
ex:The loss of jobs is regarded as a necessary evil in the fight against inflation.

2. face up to something

(phrasal verbs)

to accept and deal with something that is difficult or unpleasant
ex:She had to face up to the fact that she would never walk again.You have to face up to your responsibilities.

The online dictionary that I chose to look the words up is the Oxford Learner's Dictionary.
I find it very simple and also easy to use. 
Definitions and examples that it provides are also extremely clear and helpful for me.
I actually prefer online dictionaries better than the actual 'book dictionary', because not only it is highly convenient, but also it's faster for us when we look the words up. Online dictionaries save us so much time and we don't even have to turn the pages one by one just to find a word in the thick-and-never-ending book (aka the 'old-fashioned' dictionary). 
We just have to type the words that we're looking for and the results will just instantly come out; definitions, example sentences, additional notes, etc. Perfect for learning new vocabularies and improving our English skill.
In another word, a big thank you for whoever invented the Online Dictionaries! 

-G

#1 Greetings!

My First Blog Post Everrrrrr!!!

Hey Everyone! Nice to meet you! *shakes hand*

First of all, welcome to my blog :) 

My name is Gabriella. 

Currently, I'm studying at National Taipei University of Business, majoring in International Business.

I'm studying at one of the Uni in Melbourne now ^_^

So, this is actually my first time writing a blog post. I've never had a blog before, so pardon my writing if it seems so amateur-ish :P

Anyway, I'm trying my best to improve my writing skill and I hope this blog can help me to keep on going. 

Like they say, practice makes perfect! ;)

I do have a lot of hobbies and interests, such as shopping (who doesn't love shopping, right? Pretty clothes & makeup, anyone?), movies, music, novels, food (yum!), well...great things in general that makes me happy.

The purpose of this blog is not only to help me practice and improve my English writing skill, but also to share with you guys some random stuff and posts about my daily life as a university student.

So feel free to leave me any feedback and comment down below! Don't be shy ;)

-G