Field Trip : Cherry Beach

Today our school had a field trip to go to Cherry Beach. Most of classmates took part in this activity. Some classmates went to there with their children or friends.

Cherry Beach is located at southern of Toronto by the Ontario Lake, It is close the Centre Island. The traffic is convenient, you can go to there by car or bus(172). There is a big sand beach by the lake, the sand is small and smooth. It is good place to lie down to enjoy sunshine or just play with the sand. The beach is long, the west of beach is the area for dogs.

We were lucky! It was said it would rain today, but it didn't have any rain when we were at the beach. We arrived the beach around 11 a.m.. First we walked along the beach. Today is not weekend, there were a few people at the beach, most of people at in the beach were our classmates. The sky was blue with white clouds, the gentle wind came from the clear lake, the seagulls free walked on the beach and fly over the lake. It is good place to walk with good friends. At the beach, I met a staff of beach and asked him why this beach is called Cherry Beach, He said sorry to me he didn't know that.

In noon we enjoyed the food came from different countries, the SuShi made by Silvia and Max's wife were very delicious. After the lunch the classmates played games. One of games is throwing the water balls, the ball is a balloon filled with water. People are divided many groups, one group is two people. one person throws the water ball and another catches the ball. If the ball cannot be caught and falls down and broken, this group game is over. The winner is the last group. Some classmates swam in the lake, I didn't swim because the lake water is too cold to swim for me. We took many beautiful pictures there.

Today I had a good time in Cherry Beach, Thanks LINC teachers and classmates.


            happy time

                  throwing the water balls

                crazy teachers


     Funny teacher Joseph, What is he doing?





 my LINC school classmates

ESL Podcast 559 – Ending a Restaurant Meal

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0d2mUcAB6ou

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0oOWF8lET4I
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1kE9Nb2bpuh

http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=8382151

Filed Trip - Farintosh Farms

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0cUQMrOEZj6

My teachers and classmates went to Farintosh Farms this morning. The Farintosh Farms is located in Stouffville Rd and Warden Ave, north of Toronto, It is more than twenty kilometers from our LINC school and takes about twenty minutes by car  from school.
The farm is a small. They plant various vegetables, such corn, beans, squash,etc. There is only a house at the farm. An old tractor is in front of the house, and it is the oldest tractor I have ever seen, many classmates liked it and took a picture with it. The farmers sell their vegetables in the house, you can buy the vegetables at there or pick vegetables up in farm field by yourself. It is cheaper to pick vegetables by yourself.
Today only corn and beans could be picked by yourself. There are three kinds of bean, one is green, one is yellow and one is bit red. There are several kinds of corn, the owner introduced the sweet corn to us. I ate the fresh corn in field, its taste was very good. I picked twelve bars of corn, one dollar for 4, it is cheap. Wendy picked more than forty bars of corn, she said she would share these corn with her friends. How nice she is!
We were all happy and went home with a lots of beans and corns. It is good today! Thank LINC's teachers for this trip!

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1Qg2Fcaal0q
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1xpcGCc5hTU

Making an Emergency Medical Call -- http://vocaroo.com/

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1zdlCarh9fs

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0QYXBrewxbO

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1sqMKTIOw3d

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0s0FmXnDFQ5

Aug 7
http://www.eslpod.com/website/show_podcast.php?issue_id=15262707
ESL Podcast 1007 – Getting Mugged 
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0y4TOTVe7H2
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1kuStnxd4C4

Magpie Festival

Magpie Festival is Chinese traditional festival, it is at July 7 in Chinese Lunar calendar and is called Chinese Valentine's Day. This was a famous myth legend lovely story between an orphan Cowboy(Niulang) and a fairy Weaver Girl (Zhiniu) in ancient China. 
Long long ago, there was an orphan named Niulang living with older brother and became a cowboy.  Sister-in-law didn't like him to live together and wanted him left her home. One day she had a difficult question to Niulang, she asked him to take care 9 cows outside and to come back with 10 cows, otherwise never came back. When Niulang was so sad, someone told him how to solve the question. Then he found a sick old yellow cow in a mountain far away and took it back home. He took care the cow carefully and it got well soon. This cow was not a general cow, it was the Golden Cow coming from the heaven. As a reward, the Golden Cow told Niulang how to meet a beautiful fairy coming from heaven. Then one day Niulang found a place where seven fairies were showering, he loved the youngest fairy named Zhiniu very much and took away her clothes. After the shower, Zhiniu found her clothes everywhere, but she couldn't get it. She couldn't go back heaven and had to stay earth. Niulang and Zhiniu fell in love and they had a twins soon, one boy and one girl. They loved each other and had a good time. 
The heaven's Queen who was Zhiniu's mother was very angry when she knew that her loveliest and youngest daughter marred with a cowboy and had twins without her permission. Zhiniu was taken back to heaven by her queen mother. Niulang missed her wife so much and brought two kids to fly to the heaven with Golden Cow's help. When the queen knew Niulang and his kids had got to heaven, the queen made the Milky Way to keep them separate.
The magpies were touched by their lovely story and sympathized them. The magpies made a decide to fly together and form a bridge over the Milky Way on July 7 in Chinese lunar calendar very year. So Niulang family reunited on the magpies' bridge once a year. Now the day becomes a Chinese traditional festival.
This is song about this lovely story. The lyrics and music are very wonderful. I like it very much and hope you enjoy it. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cafu-q498Cg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9XZ8SHz6dY


　    鹊桥仙                                           

　　纤云弄巧，
　　飞星传恨，
　　银汉迢迢暗渡。
　　金风玉露一相逢，
　　便胜却人间无数。
　　柔情似水，
　　佳期如梦，
　　忍顾鹊桥归路。
　　两情若是久长时，
　　又岂在朝朝暮暮。

　　Immortals at the Magpie Bridge             (许渊冲 译 translate by Xu)

　　Clouds float like works of art,

　　Stars shoot with grief at heart.

　　Across the Milky Way the Cowherd meets the Maid.

　　When Autumn’s Golden Wind embraces Dew of Jade,

　　All the love scenes on earth, however many, fade.

　　Their tender love flows like a stream;

　　Their happy date seems but a dream.

　　How can they bear a separate homeward way?

　　If love between both sides can last for aye,

　　Why need they stay together night and day?

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　　Immortals on the Magpie Bridge          　(卓振英 译 translate by Zho)
　　Her love into th’ clouds the Maid subtly weaves,
　　And th’ shooting stars display how th’ Cowherd grieves.
　　When dew falls the Milky Way sees their meeting rare.
　　However, no secular love can e’er compare
　　With the holy sentiments they for a time share.
　　Their tender feeling is like a long stream;
　　Their rendezvous’s like a transient dream.
　　They may not bear to part at th’ Magpie Bridge! But nay,
　　So long as undying their affections will stay,
　　Whereat should they be bound up every night and day?
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* This tune name derives from the myth of the sincere love between the Cowboy(Niulang) and the Weaver (Zhinu), who are separated by the Heavenly Queen with the Milky Way and allowed to meet only once in a year at the bridge built by the magpies which sympathize with them.