merry Christmas! by English on my own.

Hi Folks I am just passing by to say happy Christmas!

STRESS!

"Oh, no, late again! And I forgot my cell phone, and I didn't pick up my new glasses, and I have to pay my bills, and I have to work on tomorrow's assignment . . . my life is so hectic! How can I possibly find time to be with my friends?"

"Gee, Alex, why don't you just relax!"
That's good advice. Relaxation is important, but it's not always easy to do. The relaxing effects of exerciseand meditation are well known. Here are some less well-known, but very effective ways to "just relax."

The Nature Connection
Doctors and dentists who have aquariums in their offices have sensed what recent research has confirmed: being near plants and animals can reduce anxiety. When people concentrate on the motion of fish, gaze into a crackling fire, listen to birds, or look up at the stars, their stress levels fall.

Sweet Stress Relief
Recent brain chemistry research suggests that sugar, in moderate amounts, has a calming effect on most adults. A cup of sweetened herbal tea or a cookie will make you feel less stressed. Excessive amounts of sugar, however, will make you jumpy and nervous.

Tropical Time Out
Taking a steamy shower is also a good way to relax. Of course, it's better if you can sunbathe on a beautifulbeach! But if you can't escape to a tropical climate, a long, hot bath, shower, or sauna can feel almost as good!

10 Best Languages to Learn

Learning to speak more than one language is always a plus in life, especially when it comes to travel, business, and the internet. Knowing more than your native tongue is really beneficial in the business world, especially for those working in international business. While some languages may be harder to learn than others, it is important to work at your own pace and set goals for yourself when learning new languages. If you're thinking about picking up a second language the following are good to know now:

1. Spanish With over 34 million Spanish speakers in the United States, the US has the world's fifth largest Spanish speaking population. Spanish is also the second most spoken language at home, behind English, in the US. Working and living in the US, it is beneficial to know Spanish because of those statistics alone. Many states in the US require government notices and official documents to be bilingual in Spanish and English. Also, many jobs in the US today, either require the applicant to be bilingual in English and Spanish, or offer higher salaries for those that qualify.

2. Chinese Over 2 million people in the US speak some form of the Chinese language. Since China has become one of the largest trading partners with the US, it is very beneficial for English speaking people to learn Chinese. Of all foreign languages offered and studied at high schools and universities, the Chinese language shows the most increased enrollment rates. With such a fast growing economy and global market in China, speakers fluent in Chinese can find various jobs in fields such as government, international relations, technology, translations and many more.

3. French With French being the fourth most spoken language in the US, it is important to know the French language. According to statistics, over 1.5 million Americans speak French, and there are several French communities in the US- located in Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. In the US, most high schools and universities offer French language courses, and degrees in the language are becoming more common. The French language is also the second most studied foreign language behind Spanish, so there are plenty of opportunities to learn the language.

4. German Over 1.5 million people in the US speak German. The German language is offered in many high schools and universities across the country. Since German and English are both Germanic languages, they share some of the same words and origins, which makes it a good choice for English speakers. Since German is important in the global economy and many American companies are owned by German companies, learning the German language should be important for employees to know.

5. Tagalog Tagalog, which is spoken as a first language in the Phillipines, is spoken by over 1.2 million people in the US. The majority of Filipinos living in the US are fluent in Tagalog and it is offered as a major at many universities across the country. With Filipinos being one of the fastest growing Asian populations in the US, it may be likely that in the future, Americans who know the language are likely to be hired with companies who require fluency in other languages.

6. Vietnamese With more than 1 million Vietnamese speakers in the US, many of them living in California and Texas, Vietnamese is a fast growing population. Statistics show that many immigrant groups such as Vietnamese Americans tend to be small business owners, making their language an influential part of family owned businesses across the US. Many other states in the US that are fast growing in their Vietnamese populations suggest that the language may be beneficial to learn.

7. Korean Korean is the official language of Korea and is spoken by more than 850,000 people in the US. Like many immigrant groups in the US, Korean immigrants are small business owners across the country, making the Korean language favorable to learn. Korean is also one of the less difficult Asian languages to learn because the alphabet is simple, and reading the language doesn't require learning thousands of symbols.

8. Polish With more than 650,000 people speaking Polish in the US, it is becoming a more popular language to learn. The largest populations of Polish speakers exist in New York, New Jersey, and Chicago. The Polish people and language have been relevant in economical and social growth in these areas. The Polish in Chicago represent the second largest Polish population outside of Poland, making it very beneficial to know the language in that area.

9. Russian About 750,000 people in the US speak Russian. It is more frequently spoken in the areas of California, New York, and Miami, with its largest speaking areas in the Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island parts of New York. The large influx of Russian immigrants into the US, has caused an increase of the language usage, making it a more popular language, therefore, more beneficial for people to learn.

10. Italian More than 1 million people in the US speak Italian. Due to the large Italian immigrant influx the Italian language has been spoken more widely in the last 100 years. The Italian language is good to learn because it is connected to the arts such as, architecture, sculpture, and literature. If these are of particular interest to you, Italian is a good language to learn.

Santa Claus

Oi pessoal.


Fuçando a net descobri que quem criou a imagem do PAPAI NOEL o velhinho fofinho vestido de vermelho e grande barba foi a Coca Cola...


APENAS COMPARTILHANDO.


JUST SHARING WITH YOU GUYS.

1930′s to 1960′s

Coca-Cola is often credited for creating the image of the modern Santa Claus as an old, jolly and fat man in a red and white suit. Coca-Cola did invent the red-and-white jolly Santa during the 1930′s, the illustration done by Haddon Sundblom. Before Santa, pretty young women were used to endorse Coca-Cola.

The image of Coca-Cola Santa Claus appeared through their advertisements for three decades. Because of Coca-Cola advertising, the Santa Claus we all know and love today came into being. Before Coca-Cola’s Santa, the image of Santa is somewhat varied, he can be big, small, fat, elf-like, lovable, old, young, etc. He has worn all kinds of suits, even donning a priest’s robe or even huntsman animal skin.

LOOK.

Look

Look

When the lights are off

And the music is loud

I just want to dance

To move every muscle in my body

Under the disco bright of red, green, and blue

And sway to the bass and the beat and the tone

It’s the only thing I can do

To break free

From the pressure

When a glass of beer or two won’t help

And I look wild

I just can’t handle myself

From my addiction

Of attention

Look at me

Dear Happy Ending,

Dear Happy Ending,

My venture in finding you

Starts with a hope,

Ends with a cope.

In this endless circle,

Vigorously.

It’s eating me alive

Until I’m numb(entorpecida) to the tears

And the screams.

Wishing that you’re just a step closer

And closer

Every time.

I want you now.

The dirty air.

The dirty air

The last cigarette

made its way in between my fingers

to the tip of my lips.

My breath provoked the flame

when its end met the fire,

flashing another regret.

But what do I know.

I absorbed the smoke,

along with the pain,

the truth, and the longest day.

I drew in the mist,

the smell I hated the most.

I breathed out the fog

away

from my mouth,

from my system,

but it’s too late now.

My lungs compromised,

my throat adjusted.

Another excuse.

I wasn’t adapting,

I was influenced.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Until I lost my count.

One that turned into a dozen

and many more.

But I see their faces dissolved

with the smoke.

Away they go,

with the pain,

the troubles.

Another addiction I can’t handle.

I lost my senses.

If your heart was a piece of paper

If your heart was a piece of paper,

I would staple it to mine

or I would just scratch the hell out of it,

and toss it to the trash can.

If your heart was a piece of paper;

maybe it was,

because I started to think that your heart is weightless,

light,

and probably worthless

just like thousands of billions other out there;

typical,

not special.

If your heart was a piece of paper,

you would give the chronic paper-cut

to my skin

and I would bleed.

An avalanche of nightmares

An avalanche of nightmares

is haunting me in the very worst way possible,

crawling up to my skull and messing with my head,

and keeping me awake

dawn, day, and night.

An avalanche of nightmares

brings me back to the savory(salgado) taste of your lips,

to my desperate crave of your touch,

to every pleasure from your presence,

before it wakes me up from the truth.

An avalanche of nightmares

opens up the scar you’re giving me

constantly

when I pretend to blind myself

from your lies

and your laughs.

I am bigger and brighter

than you think I can ever be.

An avalanche of nightmares

because in the end,

with you, it’s like

having the sweetest nightmares.

Wake Me Up

Wake Me Up 

Wake me up

before you kiss me in my dream.

Wake me up

before I stare at your eyes,

before I believe in your lies again,

in my dream

and only in my dream.

Wake me up

because I work so hard

to expunge you

out of my life,

my equation.

Wake me up

because the pleasure of seeing you,

kissing you,

touching you,

is not worth the pain.

Wake me up because

in sleep I see only you,

in sleep I smell

and taste

and hear

only you

a nightmare exhausted 

but just beginning

when, in dreams

your lips come to

meet mine

too close, too comfortable

wake me up.

These dreams of you

have become horror waiting to play out

pain hidden in the

hands of pleasure

cupped like treasure

and I’m asking

for you

to wake me before you kiss me

in my dreams

because your pleasure

isn’t worth the pain.

BROKEN MIRROR.

Because I want to know

What says you when the star has gone

When you have to stop making a wish

Not to do something in your life

But to kill your brain and your dreams

Because I know you will run away

From the pain, the cry, and the scream

Not the smile you have been looking for

Not the life you have been living

And you can hear the clock is ticking

It sounds just too loud

Even the voice of your heart beat

And those whispers

I know how they hurt your ears

I can see you crawling back to your bed

All those smile and dreams worn you out

And every inch of your step

Every mile that you go through

How you wish everything was real

Not even to your heart you want to admit

Because people think you are living in a wonderful life

Because no one hears you cry

Because you don’t want them to know

And here is my favorite part

To actually see you fall

And drag all of your shit to move on

And no one knows if you can make it

And you realize that you’re pretty close to insanity

Talking to yourself

In a broken mirror.

I’m starting to lose my mind

Everything has been played over and over again in my head. I’m out of words and sentences to explain what I’m feeling now. It’s not enough.

There’s still something that has been bothering my mind. I know what it is, but I have the fear that if I write it down, or say it out loud, or tell someone about it, it’s not going to bring my sanity back and I’m gonna make a fool out of myself.

I’m tired of all of this shit. I just want to move the fuck on and deal with something, or someone else.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

Back to the surface

The depth(profundidade) feels so good

but I was built with flaws,

I was made to breath in

the warmth and the breeze

of air.

So I try to go back up

where the rain intertwines

with the wind

and the waves

and the flood

to inhale my oxygen,

and I just wish

that I have enough time

before the blue

fills up my lungs

and stops me

from functioning.

Why Is It Called “Black Friday”?

Porque chamam Black friday.
o dia das compras no usa.

Is your tummy full of turkey? If so, that must mean it’s time to go shopping! Let’s learn more about Black Friday today .

Have you ever wondered…

Why is it called “Black Friday”?

Is it better to be “in the black” or “in the red”?

What is Cyber Monday?

Did you know?

After the turkey has been eaten, the football games have been watched and digestion is fully under way, millions of Americans turn to another holiday tradition: planning their Black Friday shopping spree.

That’s right! It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and that means it’s time to shop. Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving in the United States — signals the beginning of the holiday shopping season.

Although it’s not an official holiday, millions of employers give their employees the day off, and many people use that day to get a jump-start on their holiday shopping. A similar day in Canada and Great Britain is called “Boxing Day.”

Black Friday has become somewhat of a marketing sensation in recent years. Since 2005, it has been the busiest shopping day of the year. To lure shoppers, retailers routinely open their doors as early as 4 a.m. and offer special sales and promotions to the shoppers that arrive early.

Some of the special deals offered by stores are only available in limited quantities. That is why some shoppers intent on getting the best deals often camp out in front of stores overnight so that they’ll be the first in line when the doors open.

But why Black Friday? There are a couple of explanations of how this name came about.

Historians believe the name started in Philadelphia in the mid-1960s. Bus drivers and police used “Black Friday” to describe the heavy traffic that would clog city streets the day after Thanksgiving as shoppers headed to the stores.

Businesses, however, didn’t like the negative tone associated with the Black Friday name. In the early 1980s, a more positive explanation of the name began to circulate.

According to this alternative explanation, Black Friday is the day when retailers finally begin to turn a profit for the year. In accounting terms, operating at a loss (losing money) is called being “in the red” because accountants traditionally used red ink to show negative amounts (losses).

Positive amounts (profits) were usually shown in black ink. Thus, being “in the black” is a good thing because it means stores are operating at a profit (making money).

Regardless of when a retailer turns a profit for the year, it’s clear that Black Friday is a very important day for most retailers. Some retailers are indeed dependent on holiday shopping to turn a profit for the year. For others, it’s a day when they definitely make bigger-than-usual profits — and that’s a lot of black ink!

The recent popularity of Black Friday has spawned another new shopping holiday: Cyber Monday. For those who are too busy to shop on Black Friday — or who just don’t want to fight the crowds — the Monday following Black Friday has become known as Cyber Monday for the many online deals that shoppers can take advantage of from the comfort of their homes.

Try it out!

Have you been good this year? Really? Says who? You?

As the gift-giving holiday season approaches, you may have started thinking about the gifts you might like to give and receive. What better day to think about shopping than Black Friday?

Take some time today to start a list of gift ideas for others. Rather than buying something, it might be something special you do for someone else.

You also can write a persuasive letter to your parents about the gifts you want most this year. A persuasive letter is one that attempts to persuade (convince) the reader of your views.

In your letter, you will attempt to convince your parents that you deserve the gifts you want. You’ll want to put some thought into your letter.

Should you list the gifts you want first? Or should you list them later in the letter… after you’ve talked about — and given several examples of — how good you’ve been this year?

It will be important to remember that your belief that you’ve been good this year is an opinion. It’s simply what you believe to be true. Your brothers, sisters, friends, classmates and parents could hold other opinions.

To convince your parents that they should agree with your opinion that you’ve been a good boy or girl this year, you should think of some facts that support your opinion. These should be clear examples of times that you’ve been helpful, kind or behaved appropriately.

You might also want to bring up and explain any clear examples of times you may have behaved inappropriately. Being honest about these times will help strengthen your overall argument, as long as the good times outweigh the bad, of course!

One final note: Don’t bother to list gifts that you know are unrealistic. If you live in a city or only have a small yard, even the best child is not likely to get a pony as a gift.

Be realistic with your hopes and keep in mind the old saying about it being better to give than to receive. It’s quite true!