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Karaoke Day in Irvine, California

Paul Huber

Valentine’s day is approaching.  Love is in the air, but birds aren’t the only ones singing. 

 

For February’s inter-campus event, POLY Languages at Irvine is hosting a Karaoke day followed by dinner at Diamond Jamboree in Irvine! Karaoke will begin at 3:00 p.m. and will carry on until 5:30 p.m. 

 

Karaoke – an interactive form of entertainment where amateur singers sing lyrics off a television screen into a microphone, while a music recording plays in the background. It is a favorite pastime that’s enjoyed by people all over the world. According to Wikipedia, “Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice and augments regular speech by the use of sustained tonality, rhythm, and a variety of vocal techniques.” Like learning to speak a new language, singing requires one to focus on tone (intonation), rhythm (flow), and other techniques (such as stress, etc.). 

 

Singing is a part of everyone’s culture and Karaoke is an essential social activity in many countries, especially countries in Asia. Bryan Singer wrote in USA-Karaoke that “Japan and the Philippines are two huge karaoke spots” furthermore, he explains that in the Philippines and Korea, “it isn’t unusual for them to grow up with a karaoke machine in their living room.” He lists several reasons as to why Karaoke is more popular in Asian countries, these reasons include: cultural differences, price, setting, and song choice (Asian countries have over 30,000 songs to choose from).

 

The special thing about this inter-campus event for our students from abroad is that students and faculty from all three campuses (Pasadena, Irvine, Los Angeles) will be joining in. This will be a great opportunity to meet and befriend other international students. After karaoke, we’ll most likely be going to BCD, a Soon Tofu restaurant located in the same complex. Fellow ESL students will be able to share and compare their experiences from different parts of Southern California! We especially encourage students to sharpen their pronunciation and really try out their new skills on KARAOKE DAY!

Love and Relationships Idioms

Paul Huber

In February, there are several special dates observed or celebrated in the United States:
Groundhog Day, Lincoln’s Birthday, Rosa Parks Day, Presidents’ Day, Chinese New Year, and
the Super Bowl among others, but none is more popular than Valentine’s Day, which is celebrated by
approximately 54% of Americans. Considering that the population of the U.S. is 325.7
million… that’s a lot of people!

 

Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14. It is a day in which many people celebrate their
love for their partner. This includes giving cards, flowers, chocolate, jewelry, fancy gifts,
romantic dinners, and many other demonstrations of love. Here are some idioms connected with
love and relationships.

 

fix somebody up with somebody – to find a romantic partner for somebody
Example: I tried to fix him up with my friend, and he said he wasn’t looking for a relationship,
but the next time I saw him, he was engaged!

 

be an item – to have a romantic relationship
Example: I was surprised when I found out that they were an item.

 

love at first sight – to have strong feelings for somebody from the first moment you see them
Example: They met at a party and it was love at first sight. They started to go out and got
married six months later.

 

be head over heels – to be very much in love with somebody
Example: I never saw him so head over heels for any other girl.

 

lovey-dovey – to express love in public by constantly kissing and hugging
Example: They were all lovey-dovey at the movie theater.

 

pop the question – to ask somebody to marry you
Example: So, how did he pop the question?

 

tie the knot – to get married
Example: When did they tie the knot?

 

a match made in heaven – a couple that is great because they complement each other so well
Example: I think that their marriage will last; they’re really a match made in heaven.

A Great Leader – Student Essay

Paul Huber

A Great Leader

Student Essay

Written By: Jayeon Kim

What traits make a great leader? I have a few ideas about this. The Kingdom of Great Joseon, now known as Korea, was a dynasty and a really strong empire for more than 600 years. It was the longest ruling dynasty in the world. The reason it lasted for 600 years was because there were great leaders. Though some characteristics of great leaders changed in the Joseon dynasty, others still remain in modern society. In addition to the Joseon dynasty, I can also find some traits of great leaders in the art field and in Hollywood.

First, a great leader should be dedicated. A person should give their whole life to something like art. For example, Tehching Hsieh is the most famous performance artist in the world, and he influences many artists. Usually, before his works, artists performed only for a few hours or a day. However, he did six durational (long) performance pieces such as ‘One Year Performance,’ ‘Art/Life,’ and ‘Thirteen Year Plan’ which were completed between 1978 and 2000. During these performances, he spent one year in a cage he made and spent one year outside, not entering buildings or shelter of any sort, not even cars. Also, he and another woman artist stayed together in the same room; they were tied together with a rope and were not allowed to touch each other for a year. He took photos and videos to document each project. Hsieh’s works makes him a great leader because his performances required a sensational amount of dedication.

Dedication is not the only characteristic of a great leader. A great leader must also be strong; people follow strength. Jason Momoa, for instance, is an American actor known for being in “Aquaman” and “Game of Thrones.” Because his appearance is so strong, his role is always a leader: a leader of the ocean or a leader of the Dothraki. In the Dothraki tribe, Jason Momoa’s character is a powerful warlord. He is an accomplished warrior and has never been defeated in battle. As a result, he has really long hair, because when warriors fight in this world, the winner can cut the loser’s hair. Because his hair is long, people follow his strength. Moreover, in Aquaman, his character is also really strong, and everyone follows him as he tries to retrieve the Trident of Atlan from his power-hungry brother King Orm. All of these things combined show that, if you’re strong, people follow you. That’s why people follow Jason Momoa’s characters.

In addition to dedication and being strong, creativity is an important quality in a great leader. A man with creativity helps people in a lot of ways. For example, the 4th King of Korea, Sejong, was given the title ‘Sejong the Great’ because, during his years as ruler, Korea advanced in natural science, agriculture, literature, and engineering. He developed new policies, and low status people were allowed to work for the government. He broke the rules and peoples’ general way of thinking; it was an innovation. Also, Sejong displayed his talents as an inventor. He created machines to facilitate agricultural work, astronomical devices, and eyeglasses. All of these things made Korea become a rich country. Moreover, he created Hangul, the Korean alphabet. Since 1440, Koreans have exported Hangul to other countries. If he hadn’t had creativity, many Koreans would not remember him as a great leader.

In conclusion, I think a great leader should be dedicated and strong. Many artists followed Hsieh’s dedication, and the Dothraki people followed Jason Momoa’s character’s strength. On top of that, creativity is a significant trait of a great leader. If King Sejong had not been a creative person, Hangul would not have been created. These are three traits that I think a great leader needs.

 

New Year’s Idioms

Paul Huber

In the United States, when the new year is approaching, many people think about what they accomplished and what mistakes or wrong choices they made so they can change them in the year that’s about to start. In other words, they think of the new year as a new beginning – an opportunity to leave anything they don’t like about their life in the past and set goals to change them, or they just set new goals for self-improvement. Here are some idioms or phrases connected with this practice.

New Year’s Resolution– a promise that you make to yourself to start doing something good or stop doing something bad on the first day of the year.

Example: “Did you make any New Year’s resolutions?”

     “Yes, I’m going to eat healthier and give up smoking.”

 

turn over a new leaf– to change your behavior in a positive way.

Example: She turned over a new leaf; she began getting to school on time and doing all her homework.

 

kick the habit– to give up something that you have done for a long time.

Example: He used to smoke but he kicked the habit last year.

 

bite off more than you can chew– when you do something that proves to be too difficult 

Example: I think he’s bitten off more than he can chew taking all those classes; he should’ve started with just a couple of classes at first.

 

get the ball rolling– to make something happen or the beginning of something 

Example: We want to get fit this year so we joined the gym to get the ball rolling.

 

back to the drawing board– to go back to the beginning of a plan, and start over

Example: My plan to read one book per week did not work last year. I have to go back to the drawing board and think of a new way to accomplish my goal of reading more.