Archive for April, 2009
Karaoke
Apr 29th
I LOVE LOVE LOVE singing, but the truth of the matter is that I am very bad at it. The first time I did karaoke was when I was living in South Korea in 2004. I never did karaoke in Canada before because here you usually go to a bar and sing in front of everyone, including strangers.
I am well aware that I am a horrible singer and didn’t want to torture strangers with my bad singing (or to embarrass myself). But when I went to Korea I discovered Norabong (which is karaoke) but in a private room with just your friends. This was the best discovery ever! I went very often with my friends.
Since I have been back in Canada I have missed karaoke but this weekend I discovered a Norabang in Montreal. It’s called Pang Pang and it is awesome. It’s exactly the same as it was in Korea (I think they even had the same books of songs to choose from). I went there with 10 of my friends (including Maura) and we had a great time. Everyone was singing the whole time.
I know for sure I will be going there again sometime soon!!!
Harp
And one more dance video!
Apr 27th
We had a lot of fun recording the “Get down” episode. Have you already checked out the dance video in the previous post? Well, I have another one for you!
Expression: Cut to the chase
Apr 26th
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When someone is telling you a story with a lot of little details and you want them to get to the main point, you can say cut to the chase. This expression is used with friends when you want them to cut to the most interesting part of the story. You are too excited to wait! Check out the examples in this episode, and the other expression we mention that can be used in the same way.
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Maura: Oh yeah, yeah.
Robin: Yeah and I took it for a spin around the block and I went up north and I came back.
Maura: Ok?
Robin: It’s a really good car but along the way I started noticing some problems.
Maura: Ok? Cut to the chase. Robin, what are you trying to say?
Robin: Oh, I broke your car!
Podcast/ Lipservice: ESL Podcast Culips, Photo: fairlightworks
Dance expressions
Apr 19th
Hi!
Have you already checked out our new episode this week? It was so fun to make for you. This episode is about expressions we have for dancing. It is called “Get Down” which is just one expression for dancing.
When we were working on this episode different dance songs would get in our heads, we would start singing songs with the dance expressions! It was fun!
There are so many songs using expressions for dance it is hard to choose only one video to post! The video today uses the expression “Get Up”. It is an older video from the 1990s that I listened to when I was a kid. The video is pretty funny and out of date (not modern). They use the expression “Get Up” many times.
Here is a short excerpt of the chorus (they actually use LOTS of “get” expressions here):
(starts at 0:35)
Get up, get up
Get busy, do it
Get up and move that body
Get up, people
Now get down to it
Before the night is over
Slang: Get Down
Apr 18th
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Get down is very important for you to know if you like to party! If you like to go out to the club and dance you will hear this expression! Or if you like to listen to dance music, it is fun to know all the slang for dancing. This episode we are talking about getting down (and Robin sings!)
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Maura : Yeah, I love getting down to good music.
Robin : Yeah. Indeed.
Maura : So we wouldn’t use it in a professional way, to talk about professional dancing or performance. It is really just casual, for fun. What is another slang term for dancing?
Robin : We can talk about shaking your booty.
Podcast/ Lipservice: ESL Podcast Culips, Photo: ESL Podcast Culips
India – Shopping Vacation!
Apr 16th
Hi everyone,
It has been a long time since I blogged and I’m sorry but I have a good excuse, I went to India for 2½ weeks. As most of you know my family is originally from India (I was born in Canada ) and a couple of months ago I started planning a trip there with my mom and 2 sisters.
Before this trip I had only been to India one time before in 2005 so I was very excited to go again. The main purpose of this trip was SHOPPING! My older sister is getting married in July in Canada and although there are a lot of Indian clothing shops in Canada the selection and prices are much better in India . We went shopping in a lot of different cities including Delhi , Chandigarh, Patiala and Moga.
Shopping for Indian clothes is so much fun because there are so many vibrant colours and designs. An Indian wedding is much longer than a traditional North American wedding, usually about 5 days of festivities and for each day a different outfit is required – this means a lot of shopping. We bought a lot of Punjabi suits and saris (I have included a picture of me in a sari).
I love shopping in India . It is very different from shopping in Canada. In Canada when you are looking for new clothes, you go to a store and you look around at the clothes yourself. In India you sit down and the clothes are presented to you, also you are always offered snacks and drinks. It is very fun!
Soon we will be uploading a podcast where I talk about my trip to India in more detail!
I will write again soon about the traffic in India , it is very different and interesting.
Harp
Expression: Get ahead of yourself
Apr 11th
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If you try to use an expression before you know the definition then you are getting ahead of yourself! That is why it is always good to listen to our podcasts 
We look at this expression and other similar ones about looking too far into the future. The other expressions include to jump the gun and to count your chickens before they have hatched. Start listening to find out what they all mean.
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Maura: For sure, sometimes I can get ahead of myself when I am excited about an idea but I’m thinking about the result more in the future.
Jessie: Right.
Maura: Or another example could be. A friend of mine thought she got a promotion at work, and so she thought she was going to have more money, she thought got a raise so she went out and bought a new car because she was so sure and unfortunately she didn’t get the promotion so she got ahead of herself.
Jessie: Sounds like it.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo credit: Andi Sidwell
Interview: Jewelry Designer Sheena Purcell
Apr 4th
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We’d like to introduce Sheena Purcell to you. She is a new friend of ours at Culips and she is super talented. In this Chatterbox episode, Sheena tells us a little bit about her experience as a jewelry designer and how she decided to start making jewelry. We also find out what inspires her beautiful creations! Check out her designs on her website.
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Harp: Wow, OK! So, I went to your website today and your jewelry designs are amazing. So tell me, you went to school for jewelry design or how did you get started?
Sheena: Yes. Well, actually my mother was a jeweler when I was a child, and she stopped when I was about eight years old …
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Sheena Purcell,
Sheena’s web site: http://sheenajewellery.etsy.com
Happy April Fool's Day!
Apr 1st
Hello Everyone!
Did you see our April Fool’s Day prank on our homepage?
We made an advertisement selling Culips drinks that can help you learn English. Of course, most people probably didn’t believe that. I wish that there was a drink to help people learn languages!
So if you believed that Culips was selling drinks to help you learn, we are sorry to disappoint you!
Did you play any jokes on your friends today?
Of all the podcasts with 'real world' English examples, I like yours the best. Maybe its the fun you put into the lessons. The students can here that in your voices. And they also feel your dedication to what you are doing - it's just not a job you do, but a gift you give to everyone who listens. And while the students like the Lipservice PDFs for all the information it contains, as a teacher I am impressed by the professional effort put into making them. I give the Culips podcast and the Culips crew my highest recommendation, both as a teacher, and a listener. 
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