Embracing Our Future EOF

EOF VIsion Sharing (21 Sept 2019):

ANNOUNCEMENT: EOF Connect Launch

Dear friends, this week is officially the launch of "EOF Connect," a new lesson method that takes our lessons online. Our lessons will be done through video conferencing (no additional charges). Some course work can be sent and marked online. The benefits are many:

- Students can take classes in flexible hours.
- Students can receive lesson discounts.
- Students can save time doing course work outside class time.
- EOF can focus on delivering classes with more quality and care without travelling time.

Interested in finding out more? Call us at 5703 1104

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My photo caption: See you when I see you!

Photo by Domenico Loia on Unsplash

Teaching Sharing 21 Sept 2019:

A student and I are in the final part of their university application. The final question said:

"Is there anything else not already mentioned in your application that you would like us to know?"

Student: "What kind of things do people write in here?"

Me: "I have a violin, his name is David."

We laughed so hard! This is one of those sentences that would make or break your application, with a heavy slant towards the latter.

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My photo caption: At EOF, we believe that any lesson could be fun and joyful. We learn better this way. And if you have a violin named David, please don't take offense- I have a golden pen named "Mightier"!

Photo by Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash

EOF teachers' sharing 2 Sept 2019:

"Bomb" is a word used in conversational English, and it can have several different meanings...

1) "Did you watch this movie? It's a bomb."
- The movie is terrible and nobody went to see it.

2) "She is a bombshell!"
- She is very beautiful and attractive

3) "It's a bomb! Run!"
- This means exactly what you think it means. So, run!

Understand my confusion when my student said:
4) "Mr. Justin, you're a bomb!"
- Am I getting reviewed as a teacher? These days anyone can rate anything! Is my student a secret agent from the "rate my teacher" website?

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My Caption:
At EOF, we believe that our students' responses in various ways are a reflection of our performances. (Read this again, this statement has no "negatives" in it). Ergo, the photo is an imaginary teachers' bomb.

Photo by Hello I'm Nik 🇬🇧 on Unsplash

English joke of the day (15 Aug 2019):

*My sister does something really smart, something that we both didn't think of.

Me: Wow mom! she is so smart, she does not have your genes.

Mom: Yes Justin! But you have my genes!

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My caption: Sis, you might not be academic smart, but your handiwork abilities amaze me! I'm just so glad you're not like me, or else you would be boring!

Photo by Jasmine Coro on Unsplash

Month in review (12 July 2019):

It has been a very fruitful month. This month in the various classes we covered:

- Nutritional labels and scientific experiments

- Their beloved pets

- Military history and planning of the defence of HK (I'm a geek)

- Things they don't teach you in business school (because you are in business school, and I'm not)

- Communication skills with the opposite s*x. (Don't ask, I don't know that either, so the lesson was "interesting")

- "What's the meaning of life" (I'm not settling on "42")

- Creating your own school lunch menu

- Movie reviews + the genre of action films

- Writing your own horror stories + the elements in a horror story

- "Grandma's Grammars" (Olde English)

- Famous last words

- International law, and why people like to go to remote islands and plant flags of their own after removing somebody else's

-The story of Hong Kong's Soya Sauce King

- Drawing your own bakery + planning its opening

- Africa's Great Migration (yes, those animals- Antelopes, Zebra etc.)
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My Caption: In EOF, we believe in the fun, relevant and tailor-made classes. So it's quite an interesting ride if you want to learn English with us. You are welcomed to hop on!

Photo by Joshua Eckstein on Unsplash

Language joke of the day (5 July 2019):

A friend and I were discussing "strategic incompetence," which is when someone pretends to not being able to do a task to avoid work.

Friend: For example, I use strategic incompetence at work to avoid responsibilities.

Me: Wait, I thought you said you actually did not know how to do it?

Friend: Yea, that's true too...

Me: So it's really just simple "incompetence", plus you want to avoid responsibilities...
(*awkward silence)

Friend: Do you think I should get fired?
(*more awkward silence)

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Disclaimer: This post has been given permission by the friend. I hope you don't get fired.

Photo by Jordan Whitfield on Unsplash

Language joke of the day (3 July 2019):

Me: There's a hot potato on my lap!

Family: Don't be dramatic. It's just work.

Me: No, you don't understand. It's literally an actual hot potato, on my lap!

What does "hot potato" mean? Come to my lessons and you will "find out" !

Language joke of the day (28 June 2019):

Me: I've only slept for 6 hours last night. I'm spent.

Close friend: Yea, it's actually quite good for you. Because you sometimes only sleep for 3 hours.

Me: Wow! Now that you compare it like that, I don't feel sleepy at all! I just snapped out of it! You should be a sleep therapist.

If you want to "learn more about sarcasm", come to my classes.

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My photo caption: This is DEFINITELY not me.

Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash

Teaching sharing (28 June 2019).

Let's learn about law!

In view of recent social events, I started teaching legal principles and systems of Hong Kong. More importantly, how to read and analyze legal documents.

At EOF, we will not teach you what to think or force values upon you. However, we will teach you how to form your opinions independently and choosing your values by your volition.

An example is I use Hong Kong's Public Order Ordinance (Cap.245) as a cut in point to talk about the definition of "riots" and "unlawful assemblies." The purpose is for the students to realize there are much more complicated ideas at play, and to analyze media/social media information independently.

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My photo caption: A familiar sight during my law school days. This is what you will have to read if you enter law school. So if you want to learn about the law without going through this bookshelf, come to me! (note: I don't provide formal legal education. Please don't file a complaint!)

Photo by Iñaki del Olmo on Unsplash

Author of the week (15 June 2019): "Douglas (Noel) Adams." One of my favourite writers during my high school years. Want to know how funny he is? Check his quotes below:

“For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

“Nothing travels faster than the speed of light, with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws.”
― Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless

“If there's anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now.”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
― Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt

“I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer”
― Douglas Adams

“A learning experience is one of those things that says, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.”
― Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt

“A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.”
― Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless

“Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.”
― Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See

“Meanwhile, the poor Babel fish, by effectively removing all barriers to communication between different races and cultures, has caused more and bloodier wars than anything else in the history of creation.”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

“There is no point in using the word 'impossible' to describe something that has clearly happened.”
― Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

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Photo Caption: "42" is featured in his comedic work "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Want to know what "42" means? Me too! Try to read his work to find out!

As I always tell my students. Let's have fun failing!

https://imgur.com/gallery/QFz77

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.” —J. K. Rowling

“I don’t believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed the process.” —Oprah Winfrey
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My photo caption: One of my favourite scenes from Saturday Night Live.

Imagine Firing Oprah 288404 views and 8573 votes on Imgur