Listening to the British Accent
Until now, I had believed my listening skills were somewhat decent, but when I attempted Part 1 of the actual IELTS test, it was a complete disaster. The accent was so unfamiliar that I couldn't even grasp the basic words like "phone" or "key". Putting off adapting to the British accent might be risky.
Informative IELTS Video
Really informative video.
Those struggling with making natural and flowing writing in English, including me, should watch this.
He doesn't offer any extraordinary advice for us. What we need to do is just answer the question correctly. For example, many band 6 students tend to write redundant introductions that don't lead to high scores. The ideal approach is to provide a prompt and concise answer in the first paragraph and then elaborate on it in the following main body paragraphs.
Another common mistake is to use examples that are too personal. Examiners expect logical reasoning rather than personal experience. Therefore, it's essential to focus on broader perspectives when providing example sentences.
This video offers a wide variety of other helpful tips. I should revisit this after writing some training essays.
Exemplary Speakers
I asked chat-GPT for recommendations of speakers who should serve as role models for speaking in standard American accent and whose videos are widely available on YouTube. Here are some of my favorite speakers in the responses and my thoughts on them.
- Barack Obama
- A well-known former president of the United States. Many say he is the greatest orator of all time
- Conan O'Brien
- His interview series is worth watching because the people he invites are interesting too.
- Trevor Noah
- I have watched his videos before. He is an interesting speaker, but his speaking style may be too fast to imitate.
- Jerry Seinfeld
- He often pauses, chooses his words, and gives short, witty replies. I think this is a style that suits me.
- Anderson Cooper
- An American broadcast journalist. He speaks calmly and intelligently. His way of speaking is not distinctive but easy to listen to.
- Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Simon Sinek
- Very well known presenter. His voice is good as well as his speaking style.
- Jocko Willink
- His simple and straightforward way of speaking is characteristic. However, I may not be able to imitate the deep voice that comes form his well-trained body.
- Thomas Friedman
- His way of speaking is very professor-like. He speaks slowly but with inflection.
- Jim Rohn
- Although he passed away in 2009, his legacies are still widely available on YouTube.
In the process of searching for these great speakers, I also found several notable interview hosts. I leave a note to remeber to revisit them later.
- Larry King
- Larry King (same channel name as his name)
- Joe Rogan
- Powerful JRE
- Steven Bartlett
- The Diary Of A CEO
Oral Candidiasis
Unfortunately, I've developed oral candidiasis as a side effect of my asthma inhaler medication. The doctor assured me that I can expect a relatively quick recovery by switching to a new medication called itraconazole. This is great news, but the taste of itraconazole is absolutely terrible.
Never Skip Your Habit Twice
Skipping your habit once can be seen as a mistake rather than laziness. However, If you skip it twice in a row, it immediately becomes a new habit. Skipping is easier than sticking to the habit, and easy habits form quickly. As a result, the probability of repeating the habit for the third time becomes extremely low.
Never skip your habit twice.
Piano Keyboard
I've been using the Kawai MP10 for several years, but it was not ideal for my needs. As I use it as both a MIDI controller and digital piano, many of the switches and controllers on the MP10 are completely useless to me, or even worse, they prevent me from placing my computer keyboard and mouse on it.
A few years after I bought it, Kawai released the VPC1. This model was exactly what I had been looking for, as it doesn't have any knobs or sliders on its panel, yet it offers almost the same hammer action as the MP10. I should have waited a bit longer.
Because of that, I've been thinking about selling my MP10 and replacing it with the VPC1 recently. The best stand for both the MP10 and the VPC1 is K&M Omega Pro, so I don't need to worry about the stand. I'll contact one of the used piano sellers and ask if it is possible to reasonably exchange my MP10 with the VPC1.
Desk Arrangement Problem
I have the urge to redesign my computer desk settings.
I have been wondering how to arrange my piano keyboard and computer input interfaces (keyboard and mouse) in front of the monitor for over a decade.
No matter which one, whether the piano or the keyboard, is placed at the back, the one at the back becomes more difficult to use. The piano is harder to play when it is placed at the back, and the keyboard is more challenging to type on when it is placed at the back. On top of that, I require a weighted keyboard, which typically has a larger size. This further complicates matters because it is challenging to find a suitable placement for the bulky instrument alongside the computer devices.
While there may not be a straightforward solution, I'm determined to continue exploring and experimenting to find the optimal arrangement for these devices.
