Bliss English Club

Dear Blissers,

We went through two commencement speeches last Saturday.Due to the culture differences,it might have been a little difficult for us to understand Conan's speech well,but if you read (or listen to) it twice,you can find the humor in it.Here are some vocabulary and extracts I'd like to share you.

faculty=all the teaching staff at a college/ incidentally= by the way /impart傳授 / spearhead 帶頭 /motto 座右銘/
mumble含糊地說/pander 迎合,勾引/ prognostication 預知/ disorient 使迷惘/ shag 絨布/ compass 指南針/ adrift漂浮/
conviction 確信/ perception 觀念,感知/ quirk怪癖 / emulate仿真,同..競爭/peer 同輩/ catalyst 催化劑/obsessively 著迷地/
conjure 念咒召喚,令人想起/taboo 禁忌/sign off 廣播完畢的信號 /fidget 坐立不安/ scratch抓/ strike out三振出局/
bulb電燈泡/ shrink 退縮,收縮/ accompanist 伴奏者/ hearse 靈車/ prophecy 預言/ counselor 顧問/crawl 爬/
ambulance 救護車/ homophobic恐同的/confine限制 / wretch 可憐的人/diaper 尿布/sibling兄弟姊妹/

Excerpts from Denzel's speech:
(1)Nelson Mandela said :"There is no passion to be found playing small─in settling for a life that's less than the one you're capable of living."
(2)You'll never see a U-haul behind a hearse.You can't take it with you.The Ancient Egyptians tried it-and all they got was robbed.
(3)The chances you take,the people you meet,the people you love,the faith you have─that's what's going to define your life.

Excerpts from Conan's speech:
(1)Whether you fear failure or not,disappointment will come.The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity,and with clarity comes conviction and true originality.
(2)Whatever you think your dream is now,it will probably change.And that's okay.
(3)Work hard,be kind,and amazing things will happen.

The participants were Vicky,Ellen,Iris,Daniel,Todd, Sanli,Jessica,Spencer,Genie, 灌強, Joey,Jay,Barkley,Mengta,Jeff, Vera and Michael Huang.Thanks for your coming!
Let's welcome our new member: Daniel !!  http://ppt.cc/qzby

Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/ ilovebliss.taipei/ 2011CommencementSpeechByVickyJ uly232011

This Saturday we will have a special topic as "Nose Picking" hosted by Willy.You can find the more details in the below letter from Willy.If you'd like to attend this interesting meeting,please print out and read the attached articles in advance then bring the hard copy to Brown Coffee 3F! Please come and join us!

Best Regards,
Vicky

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Dear Bliss good friends:

 

Each member in Bliss English club comes from different specialized field and background.  Since 1997, more than 400 meetings were held here.   Those meetings have a wide variety in themes and topics.  It isn’t easy to generate new topics here.  Also it means everyone has used up his/her literary talent including me.  At least I do, because I came to Bliss and began to hold meetings since 2002.  But I still have to force myself to create the new ideas and topics. Why?

 

Man cannot live without soul.  Bliss cannot move on without spirit.  What is the spirit of Bliss?  Good question!  Do you know what “B-l-i-s-s” stood for before 2005?  It stood for “Bravo Language Interpretation and Social-studies Society”.  After then, it has been defined as” Brilliant Lecture Illustration Study Society”.  Wow, these three words “Brilliant, Lecture, Illustration” suddenly enlighten me.  I have to follow the spirit and mind of them.  It is decided to challenge my limit.  The new topic I chose is not in popular demand within friendly knowledge around your daily life. It is NOSE PICKING.

 

Now, what comes in your mind? Disgusting, filthy, dirty, dingy or grubby?  Do not worry about it!  The topics always meet the standard in Bliss.  It depends on how you view it. It is what you think.    

 

Nose picking has been the most popular pastime for mankind–and the oldest.  Considering this, remarkably little has been written on this subject.  With a growing number of traffic wardens and mobile-phone users, nose picking is on the increase.  If nose picking is banned in public area, nose picker’s freedom is threatened by discipline, penalty, punishment, prejudice and discrimination.

I just want to strike a blow for nosepickers.  How to do?  Very simple!  You will see the developments of nosepicking technique and contents of a wide range of advice for pickers on every aspect of picking, rolling and flicking.

 

If you have not yet discovered the joys of picking your nose, this meeting will provide you a blow-by-blow instruction.  If you are a confirmed nosepicker, the tips and refinements distilled from this meeting will surely add to your enjoyment and make nose picking an even greater pleasure.

 

Some members wrote me emails to give me some suggestions.  They want to read some jokes in my next meeting.  They cannot believe how come Willy would make normal jokes such funny.  Therefore, I prepare several NEW jokes which will be ENJOYED in the beginning of meeting.  The jokes will be listed later.

 

Lastly let me reminder my words again.  If the purpose why you come to my meeting is WILLY’s public praise, I would tell you the meeting might destroy your imagination at once.  But who cares?  If the purpose is for getting my special gift, I cannot guarantee that you can get what you want.  All gifts are all up to the draw.  In case of that you are bored in the afternoon, you do not want to Wang’s play in MLB and you REALLY need to know the nosepicking by Willy, please come.

 

The winner is asked one question always － “what is the impression for you after winning game?”  My sentence for the meeting is “There are things that take a life time to realize, there are things worth a life time when realized”

 

Meeting Agenda:

1400-1410 Introduction of new members

1410-1450 Study jokes

1450-1500 A brief introduction of nosepicking

1500-1540 Nosepicking in verses and songs

1540-1600 The relations between your star sign and nosepicking

1600-1630 A fun fact file for pickers

1630-1700 The technique of nosepicking

1700-1715 Wrapping

 

Willy

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