<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Teacher Albert]]></title><description><![CDATA[Articles]]></description><link>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/albert/</link><copyright><![CDATA[Copyright Teacher Albert]]></copyright><generator>sNews CMS</generator><item><title><![CDATA[A Farewell...]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
  
  



        



   
  

    Quotes about Goodbyes           

     
  
  
          


Don't be dismayed at goodbyes.  A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.  And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.  ~Richard Bach    


Why can't we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together?  I guess that wouldn't work.  Someone would leave.  Someone always leaves.  Then we would have to say good-bye.  I hate good-byes.  I know what I need.  I need more hellos.  ~Charles M. Schulz    


How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.  ~Carol Sobieski and Thomas Meehan, Annie    

Some people come into our lives and quickly go.  Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.  ~Flavia Weedn, Forever    

Where is the good in goodbye?  ~Meredith Willson, The Music Man    

I wanted a perfect ending.  Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end.  Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.  ~Gilda Radner    

Never part without loving words to think of during your absence.  It may be that you will not meet again in this life.  ~Jean Paul Richter    

Don't cry because it's over.  Smile because it happened.  ~Theodor Seuss Geisel, attributed       
 ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:02:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/albert/level-b/a-farewell/</link><guid>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/albert/level-b/a-farewell/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Spring Destinations In the World]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
  
  

      Top Five Spring Destinations In the World      

  
     
  



Spring is a time for beauty and regeneration of the earth. When we travel during the spring, whether it’s for Spring Break revelry, a honeymoon, a family trip, or simply cabin fever, we want to get some of that regenerative beauty into our own lives. Waking up after a long winter toil without enough warmth or light, we want the most pleasant places the world has to offer. These five spring destinations are guaranteed to be both off the beaten path and beautiful enough to renew your spirit.    


    1) Amsterdam, Holland        

          

Old-world European architecture, soothing canals, and fresh blooms of tulips along every path make Amsterdam a natural choice for your Spring 2010 holiday. If you’re looking to get away from the bustle of cars and modern stress, but don’t want to leave the company of people or the liveliness of a major metropolitan nexus, Amsterdam is the perfect choice. Check out the magnificent botanical gardens, castles, and hundreds of galleries scattered throughout, or visit the friendly rural townships all around the city.    


    2) Kyoto, Japan        
          

Any place in Japan is nice, really, but the purpose of this trip is to watch the cherry blossoms bloom. It may sound silly, but seeing flowers open before your eyes, as if they were the mouths of creatures, is something magical to behold. The Japanese have made a festival of it, and everyone goes out to watch. Spring in Japan is full of other festivals and good cheer, and the weather is mild to warm – perfect for visiting temples, sitting out on the beach in the south, or touring ancient Japanese castles.    

    3) Athens, Greece        
          
Ah, Greece. Mediterranean beaches, rolling green hills, excellent cuisine, relaxed people. Could there be a better holiday spot, especially in the spring, before the sweltering heat of summer sets in? Easter in Greece is a colorful, riotous affair, and the May Day festival sends crowds dancing into the street. Be sure to visit the islands and look at ancient ruins, surrounded by wildflowers and warm sea breeze, and keep your radar on for folk singing, dancing, and musical performances.    

    4) Bath, England        
          
Perhaps the most oddball choice here, Bath is probably the most beautiful, least rainy spot in Springtime England. Everybody’s pocket is reined in, and airlines and British tourism agencies have lowered travel rates tremendously to lure people to England. Filled with ancient Roman ruins, Gothic and Georgian architecture, and close to some stunning hot springs, Bath is the place people stop at, just as a whim, and say, “huh! I wasn’t expecting it, but that was the favorite part of the trip!” Save big, and plan your trip here.    

    5) Queensland, Australia        
          
For those of you absolutely set on the standard summer yearnings met in springtime travel (Spring Break college beach partygoers, adults with that college spirit, looking at you), Queensland is an excellent off-the-beaten-path choice. If you go in early spring around Easter, college students will be out on break, and the beaches will be filled with people enjoying the last gasps of 70-80 degree F weather before winter sets in. Be sure to check out Surfer’s Paradise, the Great Barrier Reef, or the quiet, tropical Daintree Park. Feel free to take part in the revelry or simply enjoy it from a distance.     ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 21 Feb 2011 08:56:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/albert/level-c/spring-destinations-in-the-world/</link><guid>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/albert/level-c/spring-destinations-in-the-world/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Popular Philippine Dishes]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
  
  

      PINOY DISHES      

  
     
  

        


    Adobo.      Typically pork or chicken, or a combination of both, is slowly cooked in vinegar, cooking oil, crushed garlic, bay leaf, black peppercorns, and soy sauce, and often browned in the oven or pan-fried afterward to get the desirable crisped edges.    
        

    Crispy Pata.      Deep fried portions of pork legs including knuckles often served with a chili and calamansi flavored dipping soy sauce or chili flavored vinegar for dipping.    
        

    Kare Kare.     A meat, tripe, and oxtail stew with vegetables in peanut sauce customarily served with bagoong alamang (shrimp paste).    

        

    Lechon.     A dish made by roasting a whole pig over charcoal. It is often cooked during special occasions. A simpler version has chopped pieces of pork fried in a pan or wok (lechon kawali). Also refers to a spitted and charcoal roasted marinated chicken (lechon manok).    

        

    Sinigang.      A sour soup/stew made with meat or seafood and vegetables.  Its soup is usually tamarind based.    

 ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:07:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/albert/level-c/popular-philippine-dishes/</link><guid>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/albert/level-c/popular-philippine-dishes/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Raw meat sushi bar in Tokyo]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
  
  

      Raw meat sushi bar in Tokyo attracting female meat-lovers      

  
     
  
          


TOKYO — 
A new kind of sushi bar in Tokyo has been proving popular with customers, especially younger women who have a liking for raw meat.    

Instead of raw fish, slices and cuts of uncooked beef, chicken, pork, deer and horse meat are used as toppings on hand-pressed rice at ‘‘Nikuzushi’’ (meat sushi), which opened last May in the trendy Ebisu district in Shibuya Ward.    

At least 60% of the customers are women, many of them around 30 years old, according to the restaurant’s operator Spice Works.    

‘‘Customers can try various types and cuts of meat, and I think this stimulates the appetites of carnivorous women,’’ Akira Ito, an employee at the company, said in reference to a recent buzzword which suggests women are more aggressive in pursuing romance and sex than ‘‘herbivorous men’’ who are largely inactive.    

After seeing monthly sales at the Ebisu restaurant chalk up an impressive 5 million yen, the company opened four more Nikuzushi outlets in Tokyo in the six months following the opening of the first restaurant, and is now looking to open franchise stores outside the capital.    

When the restaurant opened one recent evening, its 15 or so seats were quickly filled by office workers and couples.    

‘‘It’s a luxury to be able to enjoy meat and sushi at the same time,’’ a female customer who ordered ox tongue sushi and beer with her two female friends said.    

‘‘I love raw meat, so when I saw this place on television I just had to come,’’ one of her friends said.    

Sushi covered by a huge sheet of raw beef loin, about 10 by 20 centimeters in size, called ‘‘sashitoro,’’ is a hot seller on the restaurant’s menu, which has more than 15 items. Horse meat sushi with spicy miso is also popular.    

To have the rice better compliment the meat, the restaurant dresses the rice with balsamic vinegar, rather than regular vinegar for ordinary sushi.    

Dining at the restaurant costs on average around 3,000 yen.    

For more information, visit http://r.gnavi.co.jp/a687110/.     

  2011 Kyodo News  
www.japantoday.com         ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Feb 2011 09:06:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/albert/news/raw-meat-sushi-bar-in-tokyo/</link><guid>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/albert/news/raw-meat-sushi-bar-in-tokyo/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chinatowns in Japan]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
  
  

      Chinatowns in Japan      

  
     
  

          


Japan has three chinatowns in Yokohama, Nagasaki and Kobe. All of them originated as residential areas of Chinese merchants, who settled in Japan during the early 20th century, the second half of the 19th century and earlier.     

Today, Japan's chinatowns are tourist spots, popular for their restaurants and "exotic" atmosphere, rather than residential areas of Chinese immigrants.    

  

    Nagasaki Chinatown    , also known as Shinchi Chinatown, is Japan's oldest chinatown. It was established as early as the 17th century, due to the fact that Nagasaki's port remained the country's only major port opened to Chinese trade during the era of isolation.     

Over the centuries, the residents of Shinchi Chinatown have bestowed the city of Nagasaki which a Chinese flair not felt in any other of Japan's major cities.     

Today, Nagasaki's chinatown is best known for its restaurants and their two most famous local noodle dishes, champon and sara udon. Restaurants typically open between 11:00 and 15:00 for lunch and from 17:00 to 21:00 for dinner.     


    Yokohama Chinatown     (Yokohama Chukagai) is Japan's largest chinatown, located in central Yokohama.     

          

The main attraction of the Yokohama Chinatown is the cuisine offered at its many restaurants and food stands. Popular favorites include steamed buns (manju), ramen noodles and a wide array of other Chinese dishes, many of which have been Japanized to a certain degree.     

Various events and festivals are held in Yokohama Chinatown, such as Chinese New Year around the beginning of February.     

  
    Kobe's chinatown    , also known as Nankinmachi, is a rather small chinatown, but offers a nice atmosphere and some good food.     

Nankinmachi developed as the residential area of Chinese merchants, who settled in Kobe after the city's port had been opened to foreign trade in 1868.     





 ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:40:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/albert/level-c/chinatowns-in-japan/</link><guid>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/albert/level-c/chinatowns-in-japan/</guid></item></channel></rss>