tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65165531987333766092024-03-05T07:26:40.853+03:00Alex Pup's Cybermorgue'Get the hell outta here ...' <br>
<i>My Grandma</i>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.comBlogger453125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-27785112952342229102011-11-17T01:18:00.001+04:002013-05-01T11:58:10.317+04:00To whom it may concern<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
HERMAN HESSE:<br />
“There is no escape. You can't be a vagabond and an artist and still be a solid citizen, a wholesome, upstanding man. You want to get drunk, so you have to accept the hangover. You say yes to the sunlight and pure fantasies, so you have to say yes to the filth and the nausea. Everything is within you, gold and mud, happiness and pain, the laughter of childhood and the apprehension of death. Say yes to everything, shirk nothing. Don't try to lie to yourself. You are not a solid citizen. ... You are not harmonious, or the master of yourself. You are a bird in the storm. Let it storm! Let it drive you! ..."<br />
<br />
<img height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGyyvL6evq8f7KO-4t0V8UWLUYhCZx8IhMZXXf6r8H8_3l0LWi6bSH9ErCJwELbR-21tAJPBDtE8JlbdAHE7yLiMQld6zjysdZdAXO2BeyLqnm1pCLh_wEz0ko6GVoDHbPBCpgzkY5zRI/" width="640" /></div>
</div>
AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-19821496026389349172011-10-03T20:45:00.001+04:002011-10-03T20:45:07.770+04:00The ABC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm learning the ABC ... again.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/29274467?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://vimeo.com/29274467">The Alphabet 2</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/n9v">n9ve</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
</div>
AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-9014796229518423162011-08-01T00:19:00.000+04:002011-08-01T00:19:57.464+04:00One more vocab test<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been reading the EFL.ru feed for quite a number of years now. There a lot of Russian guys there, who, instead of actually speaking the language or requesting second opinion or something post links like <b><a href="http://www.insightin.com/test/test.phtml">this </a>. </b>And guys like me actually follow these links and test themselves.<br />
What is interesting is the criteria for the results are based on something that reeks of digested high-caloried food. How would you then account for the fact that a week ago, around 9:00 p.m. my vocabulary was slightly over 17000 (according to this super site <a href="http://testyourvocab.com/">http://testyourvocab.com/</a> )<br />
<br />
<table style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande' !important; text-align: center;"><tbody style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande' !important;">
<tr style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande' !important;"><td colspan="2" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande' !important; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: 'Lucida Grande' !important;">Your estimated vocabulary size: <b style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande' !important;">7000</b></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande' !important;"><td colspan="2" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande' !important; text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande' !important;"><td colspan="2" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande' !important; text-align: center;">You've answered 50 of 50 questions. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-54346468210037907532011-07-14T19:33:00.000+04:002011-07-14T19:33:27.063+04:0029 Nine Ways to be Creative<iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24302498?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/24302498">29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/tofudesign">TO-FU</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
I would add a couple of techniques here like:<br />
1. Objects unrelated<br />
2. You = Me<br />
3. No limits.AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-24464569673505030552011-04-30T06:30:00.000+04:002011-04-30T06:30:19.391+04:00The Murder<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><object><embed width="460" height="353" align="middle" flashvars="stats=http://www.1tv.ru/addclick/" allowscriptaccess="always" swliveconnect="true" wmode="window" allowfullscreen="true" quality="high" bgcolor="white" name="videoportal" id="videoportal" src="http://www.1tv.ru/promoovideo/32154" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"/></object></div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-68454157684583443212011-01-01T17:27:00.001+03:002015-11-03T01:35:26.653+03:00About ordinary things<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My favourite site never fails to inform me of the things I use every day but have never known how or through whom they appeared in the world. Take this for instance. A three-course meal. How did that come into being and who was it 'advocated' by? The listverse has the answer. This was introduced by a slave. Yes, a slave , Ziryab (789-857 AD), a Persian polymath (вот вам и словцо интересное, означающее эрудит): a poet, musician, singer, cosmetologist, fashion designer, celebrity, trendsetter (красиво звучит - законодатель моды), strategist, astronomer, botanis, geographer and former slave. Most people have never heard of Ziryab, yet at least two of his innovations remain to this day: <br>
1. he introduced the idea of a three course meal (soup, main course, pudding) and <br>
2. he introduced the use of crystal for drinking glasses (previously metal was the primary material). <br>
3. He introduced asparagus and other vegetables into society, and made significant changes and additions to the music world. He had numerous children, all of whom became musicians, and spread his legacy throughout Europe. He could perhaps be considered an ancient Bach. <br>
The list of societal changes Ziryab made is immense – <br>
1. he popularized short hair and shaving for men, and wore different clothes based on the seasons. <br>
2. He created a pleasant tasting toothpaste which helped personal hygeine (and longevity) in the region, and <br>
3. also invented an underarm deodorant. He also promoted bathing twice a day.
</div>
AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-60680140329159451342010-12-28T17:28:00.002+03:002011-12-22T22:06:44.961+04:00Guess the activity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rad_1300155_cr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Medical X-rays Round pneumonia in a 15 year pa..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="262" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Rad_1300155_cr.jpg/300px-Rad_1300155_cr.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rad_1300155_cr.jpg">Wikipedia</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
Let's see if you can guess the activity described in this article. (The key words have been taken out)<br />
<br />
... is one of the most popular forms of ..., and it's easy to see why. The only equipment you really need is ... , and you can go for a ... just about anywhere. Plus, it's meditative, burns calories, builds your endurance and tones your body.<br />
Many people find the activity addictive. You've probably heard of the so-called "... high". <br />
... releases endorphins into the brain, and endorphins are responsible for mood changes. The harder you ... , the more endorphins released, and the giddier your "high." Some studies show that this <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorphin" rel="wikipedia" title="Endorphin">endorphin rush</a> allows people to continue ... even when injured.<br />
And that brings us to the point of this article -- why people continue their ... even when they're sick. Most of us curl up in bed with some chicken soup and the remote control when we're under the weather. But ... do not. Are they helping or hurting themselves by ... with a cold? How do you know when it's OK to ... and when it's better to take off ... and climb in bed?<br />
The best way to decide whether you should ... is to employ what doctors call the "neck check." Feel free to ... if your cold is "above the neck." Above-the-neck symptoms include:<br />
Runny nose<br />
Nasal congestion<br />
<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sneeze" rel="wikipedia" title="Sneeze">Sneezing</a><br />
<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.everydayhealth.com/symptom-checker/sore-throat" rel="everydayhealth" title="Sore Throat">Sore throat</a><br />
<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctors_%282000_TV_series%29" rel="wikipedia" title="Doctors (2000 TV series)">Doctors</a> advise against proceeding with ... if your symptoms are "below the neck," however. These symptoms include:<br />
Chest congestion<br />
<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.everydayhealth.com/symptom-checker/cough" rel="everydayhealth" title="Cough">Hacking cough</a><br />
<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.everydayhealth.com/symptom-checker/nausea" rel="everydayhealth" title="Nausea">Nausea</a> or upset stomach<br />
<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.everydayhealth.com/symptom-checker/fever" rel="everydayhealth" title="Fever">High fever</a><br />
Fatigue<br />
Body and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myalgia" rel="wikipedia" title="Myalgia">muscle aches</a><br />
<br />
Some people think that ... in cold temperatures will actually make them sick. But this isn't really true. You can't freeze your lungs or windpipe. When the air is particularly cold, you may feel a burning in your chest as you inhale. If that's the case, try covering your mouth. That'll help heat up the air before you inhale. But if you have a simple <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.everydayhealth.com/cold-flu/index.aspx" rel="everydayhealth" title="colds">head cold</a>, it should be fine to ... , even if it's cold outside. The adrenaline ... provides can even help clear up a stuffy head.<br />
(The article was taken from HowStuffWorks.com and edited a bit to make it hotter)</div>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
<a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=be6c4da4-f616-4825-bf72-305a230085ba" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>
</div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-65188564784517245342010-12-28T12:00:00.001+03:002010-12-28T12:00:53.572+03:00Fall-flat JokesTwo fish were in a tank. One said to the other, "Do you know how to drive this thing?" <br/> <br/> Did I ever tell you the story about the broken pencil? It had no point. <br/> <br/> I was reading a book about adhesive the other day. I just couldn’t put it down. <br/> <br/> Q: What’s the friendliest school? <br/> A: Hi school. <br/> <br/> Q: What’s black, white, black, white, and green? <br/> A: Two skunks fighting over a pickle. <br/> <br/> Q: What do you give a dog with a fever? <br/> A: Mustard. (It’s good for hot dogs.) <br/> <br/> Q: What do you call a bass vocalist who sings by himself? <br/> A: So-low. <br/> <br/> Q: Where do books eat dinner? <br/> A: At the table of contents. <br/> <br/> Q: Why were the suspenders arrested? <br/> A: For holding up a pair of pants. <br/> <br/> Q: What do you get if you cross a cow with a camel? <br/> A: A lumpy milkshake. <br/> <br/> Q; What did the angry inflatable teacher say to the irresponsible inflatable child in the inflatable school? <br/> A: Not only have you let me down, you’ve let yourself down, and you’ve let the whole school down! <br/> <br/> Q: Why was the broom late? <br/> A: Because he overswept.<div style='clear: both; text-align: center; font-size: xx-small;'>Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5</div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-63236079264540352010-12-16T12:28:00.002+03:002010-12-28T12:25:09.428+03:00Joke of the Day<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>A virile, young Italian man was relaxing at his favourite bar in Milan, when he managed to attract a spectacular young blonde.<br />
<br />
Things progressed to the point where he invited her back to his apartment, and after some small talk, they retired to his bedroom for sex. After a pleasant interlude, he asked with a smile, "So... you finish?"<br />
<br />
She paused for a second, frowned, and replied, "No."<br />
<br />
Surprised, the young man reached for her and the love-making resumed. This time she thrashes about wildly and there are screams of passion. The love-making ends, and again, the young man smiles, and again he asks,<br />
<br />
"Now, you finish?"<br />
<br />
And again, after a short pause, she returns his smile, cuddles closer to him, and softly says, "No."<br />
<br />
Stunned, but damned if this woman is going to outlast him, the young man reaches for the woman again.<br />
<br />
Using the last of his strength, he barely manages it, but they climax simultaneously, screaming, bucking, clawing and ripping the bed sheets. The exhausted Italian falls onto his back, gasping. Barely able to turn his head, he l ooks into her eyes, smiles proudly, and asks again, "You finish?"<br />
<br />
Barely able to speak, she whispers in his ear,<br />
<br />
"No, I Swedish!"<br />
</div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-19043628842159622372010-12-11T13:07:00.001+03:002010-12-11T13:07:17.020+03:00Purple Patch: The Prestige<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Michael Cain begins with a slightly modified version of this in the movie.<br/>
<br/>
An illusion has three stages.<br/>
First there is the setup, in which the nature of what might be attempted is hinted at, or suggested, or explained. The apparatus is seen. Volunteers from the audience sometimes participate in the preparation. As the trick is being set up, the magician will make every possible use of misdirection.<br/>
The performance is where the magician's lifetime of practice, and his innate skill as a performer, conjoin to produce the magical display.<br/>
The third stage is sometimes called the effect, or the prestige, and this is the product of magic. If a rabbit is pulled from a hat, the rabbit, which apparently did not exist before the trick was performed, can be said to be the prestige of that trick<br/>
</div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-69266721950770852412010-12-04T16:16:00.001+03:002010-12-04T16:16:13.728+03:00Life elsewhere<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Yesterday, 2/12/2010, scientists at NASA announced the discovery of a new form of bacteria that uses arsenic as part of its basic biology, something previously thought impossible. Just imagine how difficult it would be to kill the bitch.<br/>
<br/>
The bacteria appears to use the arsenic to replace phosphorous — possibly even in its DNA. Phosphorous was considered to be essential for all life, fish have lots of it, and so if confirmed, this discovery is a stunning affirmation of the idea that life can exist in forms wildly different from those normally found on Earth, and that in turn has enormous implications for how we should look for life elsewhere in the cosmos. Taken from TED talks solely and purely for ruminative purposes.<br/>
</div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-47613651465712239242010-12-04T15:55:00.001+03:002010-12-04T15:55:44.346+03:00Intensifying Adjectives<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>I'm a great lover of the intensified utterance, and this article esl.about.com/od/grammarstructures/a/g_intadj.htm can come in handy for those like me.<br/>
</div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-2970039464533351202010-12-02T10:47:00.001+03:002010-12-02T10:47:59.274+03:00Joke of the day<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>This one goes out to all those ppl who hate being plagiarized and leave a lot of trash comments instead of simply requesting to delete the post that is been unwittingly borrowed from their blog just to be remembered. It sux when people you look up to turn out such ... . But that's life.<br/>
<br/>
My mother caught me shaving my arse in the kitchen the other day.<br/>
She was astounded as to how I obtained the donkey in the first place.<br/>
</div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-87595217034567421272010-11-20T23:15:00.001+03:002010-11-20T23:15:01.294+03:00The Day of a Billion Candles<p><a href='http://lh5.ggpht.com/_c7vWDRroezw/TOgsH1mxGVI/AAAAAAAACDQ/AXAv1O85sw4/IMAG0037.jpg'><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/_c7vWDRroezw/TOgsH1mxGVI/AAAAAAAACDQ/AXAv1O85sw4/s400/IMAG0037.jpg' /></a></p><p><a href='http://lh6.ggpht.com/_c7vWDRroezw/TOgsKYwck5I/AAAAAAAACDU/5t-5UDkFM2M/IMAG0039.jpg'><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/_c7vWDRroezw/TOgsKYwck5I/AAAAAAAACDU/5t-5UDkFM2M/s400/IMAG0039.jpg' /></a></p><p><a href='http://lh4.ggpht.com/_c7vWDRroezw/TOgsNNbvqwI/AAAAAAAACDY/Fq0GlWsYCXw/IMAG0043.jpg'><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/_c7vWDRroezw/TOgsNNbvqwI/AAAAAAAACDY/Fq0GlWsYCXw/s400/IMAG0043.jpg' /></a></p><p><a href='http://lh4.ggpht.com/_c7vWDRroezw/TOgsQSAaSmI/AAAAAAAACDc/pb-11jroTQQ/IMAG0034.jpg'><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/_c7vWDRroezw/TOgsQSAaSmI/AAAAAAAACDc/pb-11jroTQQ/s400/IMAG0034.jpg' /></a></p>Today we went downtown to buy a couple of high (7.5) volume öl, but instead we found ourselves in a dream town lit by millions of candles in the snow, along the sidewalk, along the road, on the trees. <br/> The store we were headed for turned out closed because It's öppet only bis 15-00 on Lördag. <br/> <br/> We stood and watched a choir sing some national songs or some winter songs. We ate a couple of dogs and they sawed our fingers off by the end of the evening. Oops. Fix. We had a couple of hotdogs and our friends saw us off when the party was over.<div style='clear: both; text-align: center; font-size: xx-small;'>Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5</div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-41190078827396234662010-10-12T17:46:00.000+04:002010-10-12T17:46:21.950+04:00A Series Of Ghost Rider's EssaysThis is what one of the sanest individuals (and freelancers) wrote on his blog. I'm putting it here for 2 reasons:<br />
1. He deleted his blog from lj<br />
2. For the most part his ideas resonate with me.<br />
3. They are very-well put. I'd say professionaly.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Getting Organized</b> It's Monday again and last week I promised to myself that I would try and get organized this week, or rather that I would try and begin getting organized by which I mean that I want to be able to decide what I'm going to do and when I'm going to do it and then stick to my schedule. It can become quite a daunting task when you are a freelancer rather than a 9 to 5 drone. I spend most of my time working to deadlines and procrastination has scourged me from time immemorial and yet I can never seem to get over it. I make plans about how I'm going to break down my work into pieces and then do a little each day over a reasonable long period of time but almost invariably I end up putting it off until it becomes clear that unless I start immediately I will miss all the deadlines. Curiously in some of my projects, especially those that involve writing programs this approach can actually work better than starting early; I found that with software, before you can produce a really elegant piece of code you want to allow yourself some time for brainstorming the problem without actually writing any code, sometimes just let it simmer in the back of your head while you're doing something else, like watching a movie or writing a lj entry. Anyways, still I think that organization is essential, even procrastination is better when it's planned procrastination. Plus I really like that line that Arny Schwarznegger once delivered to the waiting journalists at some film event as he walked past them down the red carpet and they stuck their microphones out at him, he said, "Everything's under control" OK, I know in real life nothing is really under control, but the illusion of control which we can create by making plans and sticking to them can be quite comforting, it's like after a while you actually begin to believe you know what's going to happen to you.<br />
<b> Time's a flying</b> One thing probably everyone notices as we get older is how much faster time seems to pass as we advance in years. And there's this peculiar feeling as you remember some events from several years ago, some memories are so vivid that it seems that it all just happened yesterday. I was just thinking about 2005 as I looked at a link to some book that was published in 2005 I caught myself thinking, oh, it's a new book and then I remembered it's already 2009 now and the book actually came out more than three years ago and it being a computer book it's probably already obsolete, in the IT industry things seems to be changing at such an astonishing pace I can hardly keep up.<br />
<b>What is a person?</b> What is it that makes us who we are, is it our principles and beliefs? Is it our prejudices and superstitions? Or is it maybe something else, or maybe our personalities are just an illussion as stipulated in Bhuddism? It so happens somtimes that when a person does something that contradicts their own ideas about themselves they begin to feel totally disoriented, they can no longer trust themselves, because once they already did something they could never have expected of themselves and which on top of that also caused pain to people they at least thought they cared about. It's a major drama. Yet I think if one wants to be happy one just has to go ahead and be happy. Like Henry Ford said, whether you think you can or you think you can't you're right. It can sometimes be difficult trying to reconcile ourselves with the fact that we are not constant, but rather constantly changing and what we were fond of at one time we may well end up hating after a while. It's just part o flife, there's not a lot we can do about it. And yet people repeatedly delude themselves into thinking they can hold on to sets of beliefs or to the same lovers forever. No can do. Fuck it. I think I'll just have to try and seer clear of these sorts of situations in the future and these sorts of people probably too. They can be interesting and fascinating at first but after a while they can become a major pain in the ass. It's fuck all. you can't even have proper sex with them after a while cause they're no longer interested, lethargic and begin to treat you like shit. It's more relaxing to just jerk off in the privacy of one's bathroom, or hire a prostitute who just does as she's told.<br />
<b>Fear eats soul</b> When things aren't going according to plan and you're driven to the edge of poverty, fear becomes your worst enemy. They say fear is an acronym which stands for false expectations appearing real. The hard truth is, those expectations are not always entirely false, however, if you're convinced deep down that those expectations you fear the most may eventually turn out to be true, chances are your conviction may actually make them become true. It's a thin thread you've got to walk between being delusional and desperate. Sometimes there's no other choice though. It's true that even hope goes eventually but as long as you're alive things may still begin to improve one day. Yet fear, it's got the power to paralyze you at the worst possible moment, making you miss opportunities which may in fact be crucial in your situation. As I watch the current economic crisis unfold I'm beginning to thing that what it's feeding off primarily is human fear rather than anything else, and since the modern financial system depends to such great extent on trust, as soon as people get scared everything just begins to crumble, and then the whole situation goes into a vicious self perpetuating circle of people's fears becoming reality and thereby making people even more afraid.AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-61537762380912132482010-10-08T17:05:00.002+04:002010-10-09T12:06:58.624+04:00Packing like a ProI've got my life in the suitcase and ready to go go go away ..... And indeed life it is!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="295" style="background-image: url("http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/L5UlxHsgD58/hqdefault.jpg");" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/L5UlxHsgD58?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/L5UlxHsgD58?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="295"></embed></object></div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-117889971938108552010-10-08T01:05:00.002+04:002010-10-08T01:05:46.293+04:00БодрячокThis track has something in it. It says 'Fuck all this. We're still united. Like Manchester United fans'<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nh5R6VBn63E?fs=1&hl=ru_RU"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nh5R6VBn63E?fs=1&hl=ru_RU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-42457827187437879712010-10-07T16:22:00.000+04:002010-10-07T16:22:57.674+04:00RebrandingAs is seen in the title above, this blog is going to suffer a slight rebranding. Here and there you'll find some phrases, even sentences in the language slightly different from the two normally used here. That's why it is only logical to assume that the 3 letters coming after AlPup's don't make sense at times.<br />
<b style="color: red;">On a side note.</b> Far be the days I hoped this blog would become the cemetery for my teaching ideas. Just the other way around, it has become, through the years, one of my most favourite nooks no other individual (apart from my gran) has ever entered. (<blink>This information is inaccurate!</blink>) <br />
<br />
From now on, this place is no longer Alpup's EFL Cybermorgue. It's a tad shorter and lacks the EFL feature.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Voila!</span> Alpup's Cybermorgue</b></div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-69470494583659286342010-10-04T13:00:00.001+04:002010-10-05T00:36:02.559+04:00I Can Dance (Jon Lajoie)<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="295" style="background-image: url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/eHnGwDy2y6s/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eHnGwDy2y6s?fs=1&hl=ru_RU"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eHnGwDy2y6s?fs=1&hl=ru_RU" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="295" width="480"></embed></object></div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-30335509461743904902010-09-22T16:54:00.000+04:002010-09-22T16:54:00.501+04:00Kell'em Gently - The Game( This is tribute to the most wonderful person who appeared in my life i 2006 and left me on the 18th of October, 2010. This language game is a joint effort of Denys and me. We played it in two modes: Comment Mode and IMing Mode. We took turns to devise the possible progression of events in such a way that everyone is thought to be the murderer.)<br />
<br />
<b>Description</b>: <br />
<span style="color: maroon;">This game has been primarily conceived as a tool to practice your conversational skills through the dialogue of the main characters. </span><br />
<span style="color: maroon;">This game is largely based on the plot of Old Auntie Agatha's suspense novel "And Then There Were None". However, in this version, only one person knows who committed the murders. The narrator directs the plot by posting, for example, 'Then they talk about his 3d wife's sudden death...'. You, i.e. the player, should speak about it and add as many details as your imagination can create.</span> <br />
<div align="center"><strong>The players are requested to</strong></div><ul><li>make use of : 'he said, she murmured, he remarked.' ... etc...</li>
<li>avoid sentences 'then he told them how it happened ...'</li>
<li>make the dialogue dynamic and “polysyllabic”,.</li>
</ul><br />
<b>Setting</b>: <span style="color: maroon;">There are 12 people in a mansion on an island in the middle of the sea. They've been invited by a certain Mr. Preston Axesithe to spend some time there. They know nothing about each other, the person who invited them, nor do they know why they have been purposefully gathered in this magnificent mansion. The psychopath is among them and longs to shed blood. The players in this game practice their spoken English by inventing the dialogue of the characters.<br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Characters</b></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<b>1 Gregory Dipps</b> Age: 68<br />
Occupation: a statesman (politician) now retired<br />
Interests: golf, football, chess<br />
Appearance : a giant of a man about 2 meters tall, a little overweight, dark complexion, aquiline nose, bushy moustache, pointed chin, high wrinkled forehead, a scar on the right cheek, bulging eyes, grayish hair, shaggy eyebrows.<br />
<i>Character’s idiosyncrasies:</i><br />
likes to talk at length about his past as a diplomat in Russia.)<br />
frequently uses FORMAL vocabulary, proverbs and quotes famous politicians a lot<br />
likes moralizing about nearly every thing.<br />
always gives evasive answers<br />
<b><br />
2 Berthold Mumps</b><br />
Age: 49 (looks much older)<br />
Occupation: gynecologist<br />
Interests: medicine (knowledgeable practically in all fields), chemistry, biology<br />
Appearance: a stocky slightly stooping man wearing spectacles, almost bald with some hair wavy hair on the sides of the head, small deep-set eyes behind glasses, rounded cheeks. <br />
<i>Character’s idiosyncrasies:</i><br />
likes to compare everything with diseases, uses medical terms and idioms with parts of the body and head<br />
Very polite (in fact uses all of the patterns of polite speech and a lot of modals “Could it be that… Would you kindly … so on.”)<br />
A bit absent-minded.<br />
frequently uses “That reminds me of the case … ”<br />
stammers slightly (occasionally) especially when talking to the other men<br />
<br />
<b>3 Nicholas Ironwill </b><br />
Age: 30<br />
Occupation: a boxer (on the decline of his sports career)<br />
Interests: sports, ladies <br />
Appearance: well-built, sturdy in limb, with a battered nose and a swollen right eye ( had been KO'd the night before he got to the mansion,), fat-lipped, walks with a slight limp, harsh voice, a man of action, choleric. <br />
<i>Character’s idiosyncrasies:</i><br />
Uses lots of sports slang.<br />
His speech is informal. And he always asks Doctor Berthold to repeat and explain the medical term he says. <br />
Doesn’t mind downing a glass or two of gin. <br />
<br />
<b>4 Myrtle Jason</b><br />
Age: 26<br />
Occupation: translator (German)<br />
Interests: philosophy (Sigmund Freud und Friedrich Nietzsche)<br />
Appearance: a very attractive (graceful) woman, tall, slender with long well-shaped legs, voluptuous breasts, an oval face with a sensuous mouth, well-cut red lips and even white teeth, straight nose, hazel eyes , long eyelashes, penciled eyebrows. Voice: hoarse due to constant smoking.<br />
<i>Character’s idiosyncrasies:</i> <br />
Occasionally snaps at the doctor when tries to persuade her to put out her cigarette<br />
From time to time she uses German proverbs, and, when asked, never translates them. Otherwise her language is mostly formal.<br />
Her favorite exclamation is “Mein Gott in Himmel!"” <br />
occasionally quotes German philosophers.<br />
tends to bite her upper lip when deep in thought and look at her fingers when she’s not interested in the conversation. <br />
thinks herself superior to men <br />
<br />
<b>5 Edward Fourspeed</b><br />
Age: 49<br />
Occupation: an attorney <br />
Interests: Criminal Law, Hunting<br />
Appearance: a person of size with a long hooked nose and pale blue wide-set eyes, somewhat unattractive, with 3 huge moles on his cheek and very small ears.<br />
<i>Character’s idiosyncrasies</i>:<br />
Divorced his wife leaving her not a single penny<br />
Always speaks as if he were delivering a final speech, asking questions and making well-backed suppositions on who the murderer and the next victim might be. <br />
uses a lot of comparisons (many of his own making) and employs many similes in his speech.<br />
There’s not much love lost between him and Gregory Dipps. Dips had been his ex-wife’s lover.<br />
<br />
<b>6 Jeremy Snow </b><br />
Age: 33<br />
Occupation: ex-drug dealer with a criminal past, having served a 5 year prison term for drug trafficking<br />
Interests: unknown<br />
Appearance: a three-days growth of whiskers is his permanent feature, a disfigured ear that is completely deaf (an injury during a prison brawl)<br />
<i>Character’s idiosyncrasies:</i><br />
Uses a lot of prison slang, street words for drugs.<br />
No one is aware that he carries a knife<br />
<br />
<b>7 Esther Flicks</b><br />
Age: in her 60's (spinster)<br />
Occupation: servant<br />
Interests: knitting <br />
Appearance: a very thin woman, hollow cheeks, pointed cheekbones, wearing VERY big glasses. Wears heavy make-up.<br />
<b>Character’s idiosyncrasies</b>:<br />
a very nervous person, afraid of everyone in the mansion. Thus she keeps herself apart from the rest of the party. <br />
When she speaks she uses a lot of conditional sentences like “What if …?”<br />
Her English is that of an uneducated country woman.<br />
<br />
<b>8 Benjamin Spurt</b><br />
Age: 59<br />
Occupation: cook<br />
Interests: cooking (learned how to cook in prison)<br />
Appearance: tall and very thin, to the point of being cadaverous, skin is mottled and pitted. His clothes are always impeccably clean, in spite of the work in the kitchen bald, with a shiny pate <i>Character’s idiosyncrasies:</i><br />
Meticulous in everything he does, nothing is ever out of place in his kitchen<br />
mute but can read lips<br />
<br />
<b>9 Douglas Cadavere</b><br />
Age: 40<br />
Occupation: a coroner (of French extraction)<br />
Interests: Latin, History, Philosophy<br />
Appearance: the most intelligent person in the whole company, slim, tall in good shape,dark blond hair, boyish face, a sharp eye<br />
<i>Character’s idiosyncrasies:</i><br />
has a sense of humor...sometimes a bit on the dark side <br />
The lady characters can't keep their eyes off him... He has charisma that is attractive to both women and men<br />
Light on his feet soft-spoken, but intense<br />
Likes to tease gently<br />
Likes to use double-entendre (it means he like to use phrases that have two meanings...one is usually sexual in nature)<br />
Frequently uses Latin idioms giving their immediate translation.<br />
<br />
<b>10 Lisa Stager</b><br />
Age: 21<br />
Occupation: a model [came to the mansion instead of her friend Collette]<br />
Interests: money, fame <br />
Appearance: tall, slim, with an abundance of long thick red hair ( her mark of fame in the fashion world), white flawless skin, full sensuous lips, slender hands that she likes to use a lot as she speaks, green eyes that flash<br />
<i>Character’s idiosyncrasies:</i><br />
manipulative (she slept her way to the near top of the fashion world, and is now looking to get into films (has been known to have affairs with both men and women)<br />
adept at using her wiles to achieve her goal<br />
has a soft breathy laugh<br />
a little hysterical <br />
a slight accent that cannot be pinned down no one knows where she is from<br />
uses short sentences<br />
<br />
<b>11 Barton Coolhed</b><br />
Age: 33<br />
Occupation: a shrewd businessman [who values his time and money]<br />
Interests: shares, shares, shares <br />
Appearance: average height and build, dark hair, somewhat thin on the top that he tries to hide by combing his hair over the bald spot, favors dark suits, crisp shirts matching ties, hands are somewhat large, which he tries to conceal<br />
<b>Character’s idiosyncrasies:</b><br />
rather dull <br />
He seems to see everything only in a monetary fashion...<br />
He is somewhat of a cold fish, seemingly devoid of sexual tension or appetite<br />
<br />
<b>12 Aston Grooves</b> <br />
Age: 35<br />
Occupation: a writer ( he has written a best seller, but now finds he has writer's block)<br />
Interests: music, art, architecture, and of course, literature<br />
Appearance: In excellent shape (he obviously spends time at a gym), dark hair that he likes to keep somewhat long, giving him a romantic Lord Byron-esque appearance, hands that are manicured, hairy chest that he likes to display, likes to wear clothes that show off his physique, smooth and graceful walk<br />
<i>Character’s idiosyncrasies:</i> <br />
Cracks jokes, plays on words, uses oxymorons, … <br />
He quotes snippets of poetry a lot.<br />
he is a good dancer.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Beginning: The Arival </b></div><br />
The party arrives at the mansion and marvels at its beauty. Meanwhile they all get acquainted with each other. Coolhed is constantly sneezing and everybody says ‘God bless you’ after he does. Cadavere is very talkative. He introduces everybody to everyone and jokes a lot. Dipps and Grooves are engaged in a kind of argument about the younger generation. Lisa is complaining about having to be on the island, Fourspeed is trying to calm her down. Mumps, Jason and Ironwill go outside to have a walk around the mansion. They are all wondering why they are here. In the evening the party is seated at the huge dinner table. They realize that their mobile phones aren’t working any longer. (<i>необходимо грамотно подвести разговор к проверке телефонов</i>)...AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-13369876365886744012010-09-21T01:13:00.000+04:002010-09-21T01:13:11.953+04:00When you're drunk ...<b>Things That Are Difficult To Say When You're Drunk</b><br />
<br />
1. Innovative<br />
2. Preliminary<br />
3. Proliferation<br />
4. Cinnamon<br />
<br />
<b>Things That Are Very Difficult To Say When You're Drunk</b><br />
<br />
1. Specificity<br />
2. Anti-constitutionalistically<br />
3. Passive-aggressive disorder<br />
4. Transubstantiate<br />
<br />
<b>Things That Are Downright Impossible To Say When You're Drunk</b><br />
<br />
1. Thanks, but I don't want to have sex.<br />
2. Nope, no more booze for me!<br />
3. Sorry, but you're not really my type.<br />
4. Taco Bell? No thanks, I'm not hungry.<br />
5. Good evening, officer. Isn't it lovely out tonight?<br />
6. Oh, I couldn't! No one wants to hear me sing karaoke.<br />
7. I'm not interested in fighting you.<br />
8. Thank you, but I won't make any attempt to dance, I have no coordination. I'd hate to look like a fool!<br />
9. Where is the nearest bathroom? I refuse to piss in this parking lot or on the road side.<br />
10. I must be going home now as I have to work in the morning.AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-84612210485980808282010-09-15T17:20:00.000+04:002010-09-15T17:20:25.406+04:00Top ten signs that you are too drunk10. You have to hold onto the lawn to keep from falling off the Earth.<br /><br />9. Mosquitoes catch a buzz after attacking you.<br /><br />8. The back of your head keeps getting hit by the toilet seat.<br /><br />7. Your idea of cutting back is less salt.<br /><br />6. You can focus better with one eye closed.<br /><br />5. You fall off the floor.<br /><br />5. The whole bar greets you when you come in.<br /><br />4. You haven't had a driver's license in such a long time that you have forgotten what one looks like.<br /><br />3. Roseanne looks good.<br /><br />2. You don't recognize your wife/husband unless seen through bottom of glass.<br /><br />1. You spent more time on the floor than you do standing up.<div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/991634674208949406-4998194084729202787?l=1jokeaday.blogspot.com" height="1" width="1" /></div>AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-77225218203943955812010-09-15T17:19:00.000+04:002010-09-15T17:19:52.064+04:00Money from the Priest<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/1JokeADay/%7E3/jSRMpM4a_ng/money-from-priest.html">Money from the Priest</a>: "There is a girl walking up the stairs in a church one day. As the priest is walking by, he looks up and notices that this girl is not wearing any panties.<br />The Priest calls the girl and gives her $20 and says, 'Little girl, take this money and buy yourself some panties. It's not proper to walk around without any panties on.'<br />The girl goes home and gives the money to her mother and asks her mother to buy panties for her. When the mother asks where the girl got the money, the girl explained what happened.<br />Upon hearing how the girl got the money, the mother rushes to her room, whips off her panties, and puts on one of her shortest dresses and runs out to the church.<br />As soon as the mother sees the priest coming, she begins to walk up the stairs. The priest then notices the lady and calls her down.<br />The woman not wanting to show that she is expecting anything, walks back to the priest very calmly.<br />The priest hands the lady $1 and says... 'Lady, take this money and for God's sake, go buy yourself a razor!'AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-3149987162942834752010-09-15T15:51:00.000+04:002010-09-15T15:51:12.013+04:00Great thoughts<a href="http://yolka2802.livejournal.com/5321.html"></a>"Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio<br />'To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.'<br />My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:<br /><br />1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.<br />2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.<br />3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.<br />4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.<br />5. Pay off your credit cards every month.<br />6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.<br />7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.<br />8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.<br />9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.<br />10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.<br />11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.<br />12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.<br />13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.<br />14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.<br />15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.<br />16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.<br />17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.<br />18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.<br />19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.<br />20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.<br />21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.<br />22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.<br />23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.<br />24. The most important sex organ is the brain.<br />25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.<br />26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'<br />27. Always choose life.<br />28. Forgive everyone everything.<br />29. What other people think of you is none of your business.<br />30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.<br />31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.<br />32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.<br />33. Believe in miracles.<br />34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.<br />35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.<br />36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.<br />37. Your children get only one childhood.<br />38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.<br />39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.<br />40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.<br />41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.<br />42. The best is yet to come.<br />43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.<br />44. Yield.<br />45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.'<br />I wish I would follow most of this rules."AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6516553198733376609.post-84052586870389089302010-09-15T14:54:00.001+04:002010-09-15T14:54:56.434+04:00You hold it...<a href="http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/angryrat/post104958728/">You hold it...</a>:<br />"In a city park stood two beautiful statues, one female and the other male -- both nude. These two statues faced each other for many, many years.<br />Early one morning an angel appeared before the statues and said, 'The two of you have been truly exemplary statues and have brought enjoyment to many people that have visited the park over the years. I am hereby authorized by God to give you the greatest wish that can be bestowed upon you. I grant you the gift of life -- albeit, as a limited offer. You have thirty minutes to do whatever your hearts desire.'<br />And with that command, the two statues came to life. They smiled at each other, slowly moved their limbs about in wonderment. They looked all around, at their own bodies and back at each other.<br />Smiling, they then ran to the nearby woods and dove behind a large bush.<br />The angel smiled to herself as she listened to the giggling, bushes rustling and twigs snapping. (Angels aren't naive.)<br />After fifteen minutes, the two statues emerged from the bushes, looking extremely satisfied and wearing nothing but even bigger smiles than before.<br />Puzzled, the angel looked at her watch and said to them, 'You still have fifteen minutes. Wouldn't you like to continue?'<br />The male statue looked at the female and asked, 'Do you want to do it again?'<br />'Oh yes!' the female statue replied. 'But this time YOU hold the pigeon down and I'LL shit on its head.'"AlexPuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07763082058263646696noreply@blogger.com0