1 Uraguay2 Uruguay won the first World Cup in 1930 and we’re going to win the next one too. There are only three million people in Uruguay but we have a great footballing history. We really think it’s our turn to shine again on the world stage. We have the players to do that. Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez are among the best strikers in the world. I love watching them play. They really are top class goalscorers. I’m so looking forward to seeing my team play in South Africa. I know I will get a lump in my throat. Every time I see their blue and white striped shirts, I get excited. I think we have the best soccer kit in the world. As our coach Oscar Tabarez says, “we have a lot of strong points and we hope to be able to show them.” I hope his words come true in South Africa.

3 South Africa4 FIFA deciding to give the 2010 World Cup to South Africa was a proud moment for us. We South Africans have been preparing years for this event – the first on African soil. We will win the trophy. History is on our side. If you look back at previous tournaments, the host nation has won many times. That will happen this time too. We will show the world our Bafana Bafana spirit. We aren’t afraid of anyone and will even beat France to reach the next round. We can do it. Last year we only just lost to Brazil in the Confederations Cup. We will go a stage further in June. We have some of the world’s top players. They play in the English Premier League. I’m sure Steven Pienaar will shine and become one of the stars of the World Cup. Please enjoy our African football.

5 Winter Olympics6 I think the Vancouver Winter Olympics will be really special. It’s such a great place to have the event. I’m not sure if I like the winter or summer Olympics better. I’d rather be a competitor in the summer games – it’s warmer. The winter Olympics are definitely the most beautiful. Looking at skiers come down a snowy slope against a blue sky is a wonderful sight. I also love the winter Olympics because of the skating. It’s amazing watching the speeds the speed skaters reach – they’re so fast. I also think the figure skaters put on a fantastic show. Another winter Olympic event I like is the luge – I think people have to be crazy to sit on almost nothing and shoot down an ice tunnel at high speeds. I wonder who will win the most gold medals. Maybe it’ll be Norway, or Russia.

7 Organ transplants8 The question of organ transplants is a difficult one. Not for me though. I’m quite happy to donate all of my organs for transplants. I don’t mind my body being donated to science after I die. I think it’s much better to be useful even after I die. I would be so happy to know that my heart was used to save someone else’s life. I don’t need my eyes after I die, so it’d be great if someone else could use them to see. Even though I want my body to be used for medical science, it feels a little strange to think that medical students will be cutting me up. I know in other parts of the world there are many people who don’t like the idea of organ transplants. They believe the body should stay in one piece. I hope that changes because doctors really need the organs.

9 Ozone Layer10 I first heard about the ozone layer about twenty years ago. I was still in school. I thought it was interesting, but I didn’t take it seriously. It was a bit like science fiction, I mean, how could there be a giant hole in the atmosphere? Over the years, more and more scientists spoke about the ozone layer. Global warming became a serious issue. Important people like Al Gore made movies about it. We all know today that the thinning ozone layer is perhaps the most serious crisis we face today. Even though many people have changed their lifestyles, we are still damaging the ozone layer. We need to do something really drastic to stop this. We all need to stop driving cars and stop using coal. That would be a start.

11 Super Bowl XLIV12 I so can’t wait for the Super Bowl. It’s gonna be the best ever. Every year I always look forward to it. It’s quite simply the greatest show on Earth. You can’t compare the Super Bowl to any other sporting event. It’s even better than the Olympics. It’s one hundred times more exciting than the soccer World Cup. This year is extra special. My favorite team’s playing – the New Orleans Saints. The Indianapolis Colts are the favorites. We’re the underdogs, but I don’t care. I have this feeling we’re gonna win big. I also just found out the British rock group The Who are performing during the halftime show. I love those guys – they really rock. All in all I think Super Bowl 44 will be totally awesome.

13 Overpopulation14 Overpopulation is a real problem. It could kill the Earth. Very soon, there will be too many people and not enough land. There won’t be enough farms to grow food for everyone. We’ll eat all of the fish in the sea. And our pollution will cause more global warming. I think we are in a very serious situation. I don’t know what the answer is. Our leaders don’t seem too worried. They never see the bigger picture. The world’s population is exploding, and explosions cause great damage. More and more people are living longer and longer. We have better medicines. Our scientists have found cures to many diseases. There are many reasons. What we really need to do is think about how overpopulation is damaging the Earth.

15 Opinions16 We all have opinions on everything. Some of us have very strong opinions. Others have not-so-strong opinions. And then there are those who say they have no opinion, which I suppose is some kind of opinion. It’s interesting how our opinions can be so different. Even on the smallest of things. It’s also interesting to see how your opinions change as you get older. My opinions of other people change a lot. You have first impressions of someone – that’s your initial opinion. Then, as you get to know them, your opinions of them can change – for better or worse. Whose opinion is right? I suppose it’s the person who is strongest. They try to force their opinions on others. It’s important to listen to and consider the opinions of other people.

17 One18 The number one is a good number. Maybe it’s the best number. Why? Because everyone wants to be number one. It’s actually a very useful word in English. There are so many different expressions with ‘one’. Of course it’s a number and useful in maths, but there’s so much more. Try a little experiment, Write down all the common word partners of ‘one’. I can think of loads right now. ‘One way’, ‘one world’, one chance’, one time’, etc. There are also lots of expressions, such as ‘one in a million’ or ‘one at a time’. I’m sure if you looked in any dictionary, you’ll find hundreds of useful things on ‘one’. If you want some really detailed info on the word or number one, go to Wikipedia.com. ‘One’ really is one useful word.

19 Operations20 Operations are amazing things – unless, that is, you’re having one. I always think it is incredible how doctors can cut people open and repair their body. It must take great skill. I can’t believe some operations can take over 12 hours. I’ve had a few operations in my life. I have very mixed feelings about them. My worst fear is that I’ll die. My biggest hope is that the operation will be successful and I’ll make a full recovery. I also think about how interesting it is. I like watching all the things the doctors and nurses do before the operation. I’m really nervous, but it’s like being in the middle of a TV documentary. I once had an operation and I was awake for the whole thing. I could see lots, but I won’t go any further.

21 Oil22 Oil is good and bad. It’s good because it helps our energy needs. It’s bad because it causes pollution. Oil is a fossil fuel. Burning it produces carbon dioxide (CO2). This is one of the biggest causes of global warming. There isn’t much oil left in the ground. Some people say it will all be gone this century. I suppose that means we won’t make as much pollution. But what will we do when the oil runs out? Scientists are working on that right now. We need to do something because we use oil to power our cars, homes and factories. Whatever we replace oil with must be better for the environment. I don’t think oil-producing countries are happy their oil will run out. They need to start thinking about how to make money after the oil has gone.

23 OK24 I like the expression ‘OK’. I don’t know why. It’s so useful. Everyone in the world understands what it means. It must be the only word that everyone knows. Is it a word or is at an abbreviation? We spell it ‘okay’ but abbreviate it as ‘OK’. I wonder how many meanings it has. You can ask if someone is OK, if they are ill; you can ask if someone understands a question or instructions using OK; you can even let someone know ‘enough is enough’ by saying OK. If you say something is OK, it means you don’t really like or dislike it. In fact, sometimes, if you say, “He’s OK” or “She’s OK, it means you don’t really like them. I think okay is also a verb. I have heard people say, “It’s OK, John okayed it”.

25 Olympics2627 Old age28 I’m a bit worried about my old age. I don’t really want to get old. I like being young. On the other hand, if I do get old, I want to live to be over 100. I’m hoping old age will be nice. It seems a time when you can relax and slow down. If course, you have to slow down because you’re body wears out. There are two things I’m worried about. One is money. I think if you are old and poor, you’ll be miserable. No money to enjoy yourself. Maybe not even enough money to eat, pay bills or go to the hospital. That’s scary. The other thing I worry about is being in good health. Especially my mental health. I imagine I’ll be happy in my old age. I have so many hobbies and I know I’ll enjoy doing them all every day.

29 Obesity30 Obesity is a problem that is getting bigger and bigger around the world. It really hits rich countries. When people have money, they buy a lot of the wrong food. They become lazy and eat fast food. They also forget about exercise and sit in front of the TV instead. The worrying thing is that more and more children are suffering from obesity. This is a big problem. The number of overweight kids I see today is amazing. I think the reason is quite simple – junk food, video games and the Internet. When I was growing up, I had a balanced diet. I also spent most of my free time outdoors. I spent hours every day on my bike or playing football. Kids today hardly go outside. They are glued to one kind of screen or another – TV, computer or games console.

31 Oceans32 I really worry about our oceans. Not many people understand how important the oceans are. Every day we hear stories about the rainforests and the ice caps, but we rarely hear about the oceans. They form most of the Earth’s surface and most of the world’s species live in them. They are responsible for weather patterns and a lot of the world’s foods. The problem is, they are becoming very polluted. Many fish species are in danger of dying. The coral reefs in our oceans are also in danger. We really need to think more about our oceans. We have to protect the life in them, or we might die. I love the ocean. I love the sound, the smell, the colour. I feel so happy and relaxed just looking at the ocean.

33 Nuclear weapons34 Nuclear weapons are the worst thing invented by man. The day we invented them was a black day in our history. Fortunately, they have only been used a few times. We only need to read the history of what happened in Japan to understand why nuclear weapons must never be used again. The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed in an instant. Hundreds of thousands died. Today, nuclear weapons are a hundred times more powerful. It’s scary to think how much harm one nuclear bomb could cause. Even scarier, is what happens if terrorists get hold of nuclear weapons. I fear for our future. One day, all countries will have nuclear weapons and then we’ll be in real trouble.

35 Nursing36 Nursing is one of the greatest professions in the world. It’s so much more important than most jobs. The sad thing is that nurses get paid so little. They do such a valuable job but get paid less than politicians. This is not right. Politicians do whatever they can to take our money. They even vote to stop nurses getting increases in pay. This is wrong. Governments need to do more to help nurses. There should be a bigger focus on the profession. I would much rather have more nurses than more weapons. A few years ago I wanted to get into nursing. I met some nurses who told me not to. They said the job involved too many hours, too much paperwork and not enough pay. That’s sad. We can’t afford to treat nurses so badly.

37 Nuclear energy38 Many scientists say nuclear energy is our future. Many normal people aren’t so sure. I think most of us worry about nuclear energy. We hear on the news about the dangers of nuclear power. Many years ago there was a big accident in Chernobyl, Russia. A nuclear reactor caught fire and melted. Because of this, deadly radiation spread across the whole of Europe. There were reports that sheep in England caught radiation sickness. I think things are safer now. Many countries trust nuclear energy. France and Japan each has dozens of nuclear power stations. I think it’s probably a good idea. We really need to stop using fossil fuels. Nuclear power is a lot less harmful to the environment. Perhaps we need to spend more money on making it safer.

39 Numbers40 A Just stop and think how important numbers are to our lives. Numbers control us. In fact, we are numbers. We have passport numbers, social security numbers, ID numbers, and more. We live in a house and a street that has a number. We communicate with each other using telephone numbers. We worry about how small or big the numbers are on our bank statements. We can’t survive without numbers. Most of the world cannot function without the numbers zero and one. These are the two numbers computers use to run their programmes. I don’t think numbers were always so important. Maybe 500 years ago, we only had to remember the number of sheep, goats or children we had. I wonder how many numbers we need today!

41 Noses42 Our nose is the strangest of all body parts. It’s such a funny thing. And where is it? Right on the front of our face. Right in the middle. It would be OK if everyone had exactly the same nose. But we all have a different nose. Some of us have a big nose, some a small nose. Some of us have a crooked nose with big nostrils. My nose is one part of my body I’d really like to change. It’s too big for the size of my face. When people talk about why other people are beautiful or handsome, no one says, “because he or she has a nice nose,” or “oooh, his (or her) nose is just soooo sexy”. I suppose if you really don’t like your nose, you can have a nose job. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford cosmetic surgery.

43 Noise44 Noise is everywhere. I bet there isn’t a place on Earth where you can’t hear anything. I live in the city, so noise is everywhere. Sometimes it gets to me. I really want to have a button to turn it off. It’s amazing how much noise there is around us. We usually never even think about it. Listen now to the noise around you. Cars, computers, music, people talking. It’s strange to think that in the past few decades, people have been talking about noise pollution. That’s a really good description. Noise is quite often pollution. It’s stuff that makes our surroundings unpleasant. I wonder if there is any kind of noise that is good noise. The very word ‘noise’ has a negative meaning. But if you say sound, it has a different meaning. I love the sound of babies laughing.

I love the Olympics. It really is a unique and special world occasion. There’s only one event in the world better than the Olympics, and that’s the Football World Cup. Anyway, the Olympics really is a celebration of humanity. The whole world watches and gets excited. We love watching our heroes trying to win gold. I don’t usually get excited about seeing my country’s flag, but at the Olympics, I love it. I think the Olympics were better many years ago. Then, they had traditional Olympic sports. Nowadays we have professional tennis and baseball stars playing in sports that aren’t really Olympic sports. I would love to see an Olympic games. Maybe I’ll be lucky and get a chance to see the London games in 2012.

45 Night46 I like the night. It’s an interesting time of the day. The city changes at night. I like all the bright lights. People seem to be more active. Everyone is rushing home or going out. All the action starts at night. Restaurants, bars and clubs open. Everyone is happy. Night means we can stop working or studying and enjoy ourselves. It’s cooler at night so you feel more relaxed. Of course, the city at night is very different from the country. All you can do in the country is look at the night sky or sit around a fire. Everything stops at night in the country and people sleep very early. Except for insects. Night time can be very noisy because of the insects that come out at night. I’m a night person. I’m nocturnal, like an owl or bat.

47 Nobel Prize48 I wonder why the Nobel Prize is so famous. Sure, the people who win it are very clever, but they’re not really superstars. I’ve usually heard of the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize because they’re always in the news. But have you ever heard of the Nobel Laureates for Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, etc? Even though I read a lot, I only sometimes know the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. I like reading about who won the Nobel Prize. It makes me want to be like them. Of course, I can never win such a prize, but I can study more. Some of the Nobel Prize winners of the past are really famous. Einstein and Mother Theresa are perhaps the most famous. I was shocked to learn Gandhi never won the Nobel Peace Prize.

49 No5051 Neighbours52 Neighbours are very hit and miss. Sometimes you hit the jackpot and get neighbours who become great friends. Other times you get the short straw and have nightmare neighbours. I’ve had good and bad neighbours. I’m not sure why some neighbours are so bad. It’s really not that difficult to be a good neighbour. All you have to do is be polite, don’t play loud music late at night, and don’t park in front of their house. It sounds easier than it is. I think a long time ago there was a lot of neighbourliness. Families lived near each other for generations. It’s different today. New families come and go. They never get to know each other. Everyone keeps their distance. This is not always a good thing.

53 Natural disasters54 I don’t know about you, but I think there are more natural disasters now than before. Every time I turn on the news there’s some kind of disaster. There are bushfires in Australia and California, earthquakes in China, hurricanes in Mexico and droughts in Africa. I’m sure global warming is creating more natural disasters. I’m lucky. Where I live, we don’t really have natural disasters. I’ve never experienced anything like the things on TV. Japan has many natural disasters. They have earthquakes, typhoons, flooding, volcanoes, all kinds of things. They are lucky they have the money to deal with them. There are countries in Africa that aren’t rich. When a natural disaster hits them, everyone suffers terribly.

55 Names56 I like my names. I have four names – my family name, my given name and two middle names. I’m not sure why I have two middle names. I guess my parents wanted to name me after two of my uncles. Names are different all over the world. In some countries, family name comes before the given name. In the Muslim world, a girl’s name includes her father and grandfathers’ names. In Japan and China, there is no middle name. I think it’s interesting how people choose a name. I really don’t understand naming a baby after a famous actor or sports star. That’s silly. I think names should have a meaning. In the West, people don’t really know what their name means. In many countries, each name has a special meaning.

57 Nationality58 Nationality is a strange thing. I don’t think it used to be. Nowadays, with globalization, people want to change their nationality. Many people from poor countries want to go to rich countries and become citizens. It’s strange because I don’t understand how your nationality can change. Even if I live in Peru for 50 years, I’m still English, even though I might have a Peruvian passport. I think people have confused feelings when they change nationalities. Their heart is still in their real country and not in the country of their new nationality. Nationality unfairly decides how successful you’ll be in life. If you’re born in a rich country, you’ll get a good education. If you’re born in a poor country, you might not even get basic human rights.

59 Nails60 Nails are funny things. Why do we have them? I actually find them quite annoying. We have to keep cutting them, they get dirty, and sometimes they break and become painful. I’d rather we didn’t have nails. I’m sure it wouldn’t change our lives. I guess women would say no to that idea. My female friends spend a lot of money on their nails. I don’t know why. Nail polish stinks, and so does nail polish remover. I really don’t know why they waste their time going for manicures. It must be really boring sitting there, watching someone paint your nails. Nail art is now big business. People have become millionaires opening nail art salons. The best thing for me would be to have really short nails that never grow.

61 National anthems62 Some national anthems are really good and some aren’t. I like my country’s anthem. It makes me feel proud of my country every time I hear it. I’m a little embarrassed to say I don’t know the words to it. In some countries, they play the national anthem every day in school. I remember being in Thailand. They play the national anthem in the streets every morning. Everyone stops and stands still. When the anthem finishes, people start walking again. In other countries I’ve been to, they play the national anthem in cinemas before a movie starts. I really like hearing my national anthem played at the Olympics. That means my country won a gold medal. I have to hold back the tears when I hear it then.

63 Mysteries64 Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

65 Mysteries66 Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

67 Musical instruments68 I really wish I could play a musical instrument. I can’t. I had a few music lessons when I was a kid, but I didn’t keep them up. I really regret that now. I get quite jealous of people who can play a musical instrument. It’s a wonderful ability. I hope they know how lucky they are to be able to play an instrument. Of all the musical instruments, I’d like to play the piano. I think this is the king of musical instruments. It sounds so beautiful. Pianos also look beautiful. I imagine it’s very relaxing playing it. Another instrument I’d like to play is the guitar. I still want to be a rock star, although I’m a bit old now. I suppose it’s never too old though to learn to play something. I haven’t given up hope.

69 Music70 What would life be like without music? I wonder how music started. It is an important part of every culture on Earth. I wonder when we first became interested in music. I also wonder when we first become interested in music. Is it when we are a baby? Some people think our interest in music starts before we are born. Music is an essential part of my day. It changes my feeling and puts me in a good mood. There’s nothing better to do on a train or bus than put on my headphones. I like all kinds of music, from classical and opera to jazz, rock and world music. I’m always looking for something new. Sometimes I hear a song or piece of music on the TV or radio. I have to find out who it is. Do you do that? I’m sure I’ll keep collecting CDs or mp3s until I’m a hundred. Perhaps I won’t be able to hear it then!

71 Museums72 I totally love museums. They really are one of the most important parts of our culture. Museums are important for so many things. They educate us, they preserve our history, they show us how we have developed. There are museums on so many different things. In fact, I’m sure there isn’t a topic there isn’t a museum for. I’ve loved museums since I was little. We used to go to different museums on school trips. I loved them. I saw so many amazing things. I will never forget seeing the bones of a T-Rex in the natural history museum. I also remember staring at Tutankhamen’s gold mask for ages. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. The best museum I’ve ever been to is the National Museum in Cairo. It’s unbeatable.

73 Murder7475 Multiculturalism76 Multiculturalism is everywhere today. As the world gets smaller, multiculturalism becomes bigger. Few of us today live in towns in which there is only one culture. Today, we live in towns where we are surrounded by many other cultures. If we live in a city, we will see people from all over the world. Of course, some cities are more multicultural than others. New York is a real melting pot. It is called the most multicultural city on Earth. A city like Tokyo isn’t so multicultural. I think multiculturalism is a great thing. It’s fantastic walking out of your door and seeing other cultures. This didn’t happen when I was young. People didn’t understand other cultures. They didn’t even want to understand. I’m glad things are changing today.

77 Mp3s78 Aren’t mp3s amazing? Maybe young people today don’t think so. They are part of the “digital generation” and think mp3s are normal. But I was born long before digital music started. When I was a teenager, I had a record collection. You had to go to a store and buy your music. I had hundreds of records. The first time I came across mp3s I laughed. I was totally amazed. I still find it hard to believe I can keep 10,000 songs in my pocket and take them anywhere in the world. I also love the idea of mp3 downloads. It’s much easier than going to a record store. I’m wondering what happens after mp3s. What’s next? I’m sure one day people will laugh at how “old technology” mp3s are.

79 Mother80 Mothers are the people dearest to us. We all have a special relationship with our mother. We are naturally bonded to our mother. We spend nine months growing inside her and she is the person who looks after us when we are babies. Our mother does everything for us. She feeds us, cleans us, wipes away our tears, treats our cuts and bruises, supports us and loves us. And all of this never stops. Mothers still do motherly things even when we are old and she is really old. It is very sad to hear that someone’s mother has died. I remember this happening to some children in my class at school. I can’t imagine how children grow up without a mother. I hope my mother lives forever. She deserves to.

81 Movies82 I love watching movies. At the cinema, on TV or on my computer. I'm a big movie fan and love all the news of my favourite movie stars. I like all kinds of movies - Hollywood blockbusters, black and white movies from the 50s, independent movies... They're all good. Recently I've got into watching foreign movies. I like the films that come out of Bollywood - they're very different. The first film I saw at the movie theatre was Star Wars. I was amazed at the special effects. Nowadays, so many movies have such good computer graphics that we forget how special the effects are. One of my favourite ways of relaxing is to rent the latest DVD and sit on the sofa with a big bag of potato chips. The sound has to be up to the max and the lights have to be off.

83 Mountains84 I love mountains. I much prefer them to every other kind of natural feature. They are much better than the sea, beaches, deserts, etc. Mountains are so cool. They rise up so high into the sky. I can’t stop looking at mountains, wherever I am in the world. I also love being in the mountains. The landscape is just spectacular. You really feel part of God’s wonderful creation when you are surrounded by mountains. There are so many things you can do in the mountains. Some people like climbing them or jumping off them with a parachute. This is not for me. I just like going for a walk and having a picnic. There’s nothing better than sitting down and admiring the mountain view and feeling the cool mountain breeze. This is paradise.

85 Moon86 The Moon is a very mysterious thing. It has fascinated us for thousands of years. It is mentioned everywhere in science and literature almost from the time humans started writing. And today, it still fills us with wonder. The most amazing thing about the Moon is that humans have been there. Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon’s surface must be the greatest human achievement ever. Even though man has walked on the Moon, not everyone agrees on its colour. In Japan, and perhaps in other countries too, they think it’s yellow. Of course, the Moon is white. One day, we’ll probably have holidays on the Moon. I’d totally love that. Imagine staying in a Moon hotel and waking up in the morning to look at the Earth.

87 Money88 “Money makes the world go round.” I wonder if this famous English expression is very true. If you have money, the world goes round very gently and you are happy. If you don’t have money, the world might not go round so smoothly. They also say that “money is the root of all evil”. I think this is so true. Money makes people kill and steal. Greed means there are things in the world like blackmail, corruption, slave labour and a lot more terrible things. Another common saying in English is “money can’t buy happiness”. I’m not so sure about this one. I know if I had loads of money I’d be pretty happy. I think if all the world’s money was shared out, the world would go round more happily, and there would be less evil and more happiness.

Sometimes I like the word ‘no’, and sometimes I hate it. It is a very powerful word, even though it has just two letters. I don’t like the word ‘no’ when I have been for a job interview and didn’t get the job. I also hate this word when I ask someone on a date. Then, hearing ‘no’ is like a kick in the teeth. I think I probably say ‘yes’ more than ‘no’. I love going out. I never say ‘no’  if anyone asks me to go to a club or go on a trip. I wonder how many ways there are of saying ‘no’. Sometimes you can say ‘no’ when you really mean ‘yes’. Other times, ‘no’ means ‘no’. I also like this small word because it fits into some interesting phrases, like ‘no-can-do,’ a ‘no-go area’ and ‘no way Jose’. My favourite is ‘that’s a real no-no’ – for things you must never do.

Murder is the most evil thing in the world. I don’t know how it is possible for one person to murder another. Why do they think they can take someone else’s life? Even worse are people who commit multi-murder. Mass killing seems to be more and more common today. Shootings at schools are especially bad. How can we prevent murder? Every time we look at the news, there’s another murder. I hope it is not something that will stay with the human race forever.  What is the correct punishment for murder? In some societies it is just a few years in prison. In others it is the death penalty. But there are some countries that don’t punish people for murder. If you are in power and are rich, you can literally get away with murder.

89 Monarchy9091 Mobill phones92 How important to you is your mobile phone? Do you really need it? In the 1980s there were no mobile phones. People still managed to phone their family and friends and do business. Of course, there were more public telephones then. There was a telephone box pretty much on every street corner. I wonder whether mobile phones are a good or bad thing. For sure, they are very convenient, but they can also be a nuisance. There’s nothing worse than talking to someone and then they ignore you for ten minutes while they answer their phone. I have even seen people on a date and one person chats on the phone for 30 minutes. How would life change for you if you didn’t have a mobile? Would you miss listening to other people’s conversations on the train?

93 Modern living94 Are you happy with your lifestyle? What kind of lifestyle do you lead? It seems that we think about our lifestyle more and more these days. Every time we turn on the TV or open a magazine, there is an ad, programme or article about this lifestyle or that lifestyle. We are told about healthy lifestyles, modern lifestyles, alternative lifestyles. Magazines use pages and pages and pages to describe the lifestyles of the rich and famous. I get the impression that few people are happy with their lifestyle. Most people are jealous of other people who have a “better” lifestyle. Those people should stop for a minute and think about the poor people in the world, or those caught up in wars. Those people don’t worry about lifestyles; they just worry about life.

95 Models96 Models are strange people. It’s almost as though they live in a totally different world to the rest of us. Every day they are told how beautiful they are. I’m sure this affects them in some way. They constantly think about their beauty and their figure. Male models too. A lot of female models also have to be very strict with what they eat so they don’t put on weight. Today, a model has to be size zero to be successful. This is unhealthy. The sad thing is that many normal girls want to look like a model so they end up having health problems. I suppose the life of a model is glamorous. The supermodels fly all over the world. They walk the catwalks at fashion shows and visit exotic locations for photo shoots. And get paid big money.

97 Milk98 Milk is one of the best things we can eat or drink for our body. It’s so full of goodness and it tastes pretty good too. Milk is rich in calcium, which makes our bones and teeth strong. This makes milk essential for babies and growing children. It makes them grow up stronger. Milk is also full of many important vitamins and minerals. When I was little, I didn’t really like milk. I think I had a bad experience with sour milk, which turned me off of it. I remember drinking it again when I was a teenager and liking it. Now I think it’s one of the most refreshing drinks you can drink. Just looking at its whiteness makes me feel healthy. I like all kinds of milk, including goat’s milk and even camel’s milk. It’s all good for us.

99 Microsoft100 What would life be like without Microsoft? Impossible? Perhaps not impossible, but definitely difficult. Microsoft seems to be a big part of our lives today. Most of us use Microsoft products every day. We need MS Word to create documents and Excel to make spreadsheets. At school we have to make PowerPoint presentations. Perhaps the biggest thing we use Microsoft for is getting on the Internet. Most of the world’s computers use the Explorer browser to connect to the Web. Millions of us use Hotmail to send e-mails. Millions more play games using Microsoft’s X-Box. In the future, there’ll probably be a lot more Microsoft stuff that helps us in our life. And to think, Microsoft didn’t even exist a few decades ago.

101 Mental health102 I sometimes worry about my mental health. There are times when I think I’m going crazy. I think it’s because of this world we live in. Everything is so fast. Everyone is in a hurry. Everything has to be done yesterday. I’m sure life wasn’t so stressful a hundred years ago. Then, people’s mental health was probably better. The only good thing nowadays is that there are mental health specialists who can help us when we are in trouble. But, there is a problem with these experts. They keep on thinking up new mental health problems we suffer from. What we all need is to take a step back and slow down. That will be good for our mental health. We need to laugh more and care more. If we don’t do this, we’ll all have mental health problems.

103 Meditation104 Meditation is one thing I’d really like to be able to do. I can’t do it. I have tried many times but nothing seems to happen. I have read a lot about meditation and it sounds really good. You can relax anytime you want. Twenty minutes of meditation is the same as three hours’ sleep. I love the idea of meditating for twenty minutes in my lunch time and then feeling totally refreshed. Meditation is also a good way of relieving stress. The thing I most like about meditation is that it makes you calm. All the people I know who meditate are always relaxed and easygoing. They never worry about anything. I think we should learn how to meditate at school. That would probably solve a lot of problems in society.

105 Literature106 Literature is one thing that makes me very happy. I have loved books of all kinds since I was very small. I don’t know what I would do in life without novels, poems and plays. It’s amazing how literature can change your life. It educates you, makes you happy, makes you sad, inspires you and so much more. I think I’d be a completely different person without it. Literature has been a big influence on my life – perhaps as much as my friends. I think literature is really powerful. It can help us understand other cultures. Recently, I have read a lot of Indian literature, in English, of course. The books I read have totally changed my image of India and Indians. My experience has really made me want to read more books from other countries.

107 Love108 Love is the most important thing in the world. We all need to love and be loved. Love is the glue that makes us one big happy family. It is perhaps the most powerful emotion we feel. It is certainly the one that makes us happiest. Falling in love has to be the greatest feeling ever. It is also the one that makes us saddest. When we lose someone we love it can take forever to get over. Sometimes we never get over it. You can fall in love in an instant. We use the expression “fall in love at first sight” for this. We can also be “head over heels in love,” which is a strange expression. We don’t just love each other. We can love cars, chocolate, holidays, singing in the rain… anything. And, of course, you can also love studying English.

109 Men110 Are men really from another planet? A lot of women think so. There are a lot of books about how strange men are. This is rubbish. Men are men, the same as women are women. Of course men are not perfect, no one is. Men actually have done a lot of bad things in the world. All of the wars in history were started and fought by men. They seem to be naturally aggressive and wanting to fight rather than talk. Things are changing though. There was the “1980s man”. Suddenly, men were more human. They helped with the shopping, cooked and did the washing up, and they even cried. We do need men. They are better at reading maps than women and men’s sports are more exciting than women’s sports.

111 Memories112 If you’re lucky, you have more good memories than bad ones. I’m very lucky. I have lots of good memories. I don’t have many painful memories. I don’t know why. Lots of bad things happened to me when I was younger but I don’t really have strong memories of them. I do have very clear memories of happy times. My earliest memory is of my first day in kindergarten. I guess I was three. I remember playing in the sand and eating it. I don’t remember my mother getting angry though. My most wonderful memory is a holiday to Mexico when I was ten. I remember every sound and smell so clearly. When I look at our family photos, the memories of what we did come flooding back. I’d like to relive those memories one day.

113 Media114 Where would we be without the media? How would we get information about the world? All of us are interested in the news. We all want to know what’s happening around the world. We switch the TV on just to watch the news. It seems as though every train passenger has a newspaper. The journalists who bring us the news do a very important job. Many risk their lives to bring us the news from the world’s danger zones. Unfortunately, many reporters are killed while they are covering a war. The media make us feel we are part of the world. We become experts on other countries and on the big news stories. The media also bring us many unforgettable images, such as a man walking on the moon. Really, the media show us history as it happens.

115 Libraries116117 Knowledge118 I really want to have more knowledge. My general knowledge is pretty good but I want it to be better. When I was a kid, I loved quiz programmes on the television. I used to read lots of encyclopedias to build up my knowledge. I now know most of the world’s capitals and which animals and birds are the fastest, and how many bones there are in the human body, etc. I love watching the news and this helps me get more knowledge. Even though I think I know quite a lot, I always meet people who are really knowledgeable. It seems some people know everything about everything. They are just like walking encyclopedias. I wonder if they’re happy with the amount of knowledge they have inside their brain.

119 Medicine120 I don’t understand how anyone can like medicine. I’ve never liked it. I used to refuse to take it as a kid because the taste was so disgusting. I’m not sure whether or not medicine is a good thing. I’m sure that most of the time our body will recover naturally, without medicine. I actually think medicine can be bad for us. It makes the body weaker because we rely on medicines too much. I also worry about the safety of medicines. I read too many times about side effects. How can doctors be sure that the medicines we take one day won’t make us ill later in life. A lot of what goes into medicine isn’t natural. I’m a big believer in natural medicine. That seems to make much more sense. The Chinese seem to have it right.

121 Learning122 Learning is one of the most important things we do in life. It starts pretty much when we’re born. In fact, many scientists say learning begins earlier. We listen to the outside sounds. This is when we first start learning a language. Our ears get used to the different patterns of intonation. Learning is a lifelong process. We spend our childhood years doing nothing but learning. We learn a language before we are two. We learn how to play and do all the everyday things people do. Most people think learning only begins at school. I’m not sure about this. Are we really learning, or are we just memorizing things? I think a lot of learning happens outside school. We learn more from our hobbies and interests than what we learn from school books.

123 Kissing124 If you think about it, kissing is strange. I mean, here we are in the twenty-first century and we still like kissing. I think we’re the only species on Earth that does this. Of course, there are different kinds of kissing. Kissing your parents or friends as a greeting is normal enough. That’s just like a friendly handshake. Passionate kissing is different. I’m not complaining though. I think kissing is great. I remember my first kiss. It was very exciting. I was nervous though because I kept thinking if I was doing it right. Some people say there is an art to kissing. I’m not so sure. If you love someone enough, you’ll be artistic enough. One thing I don’t like about kissing is people who do it next to you on the train or bus. Yuck!

125 Job interviews126 Job interviews are always hit and miss for me. Sometimes I have a great interview and get the job. Other times, my interview bombs and I don’t get the job. It’s really important to prepare. You must also be confident and make sure the interviewer knows you really want the job. The trick is to make the interviewer think you are the best person for the job. I always wear my best suit and arrive early. I always smile when I walk into the interview room. First impressions are very important. It’s also a good idea to talk about your experiences - sell yourself. Make sure you have a few good questions to ask at the end of the interview. Interview technique is something we learn over time – you get to relax more the more interviews you have.

127 Jewelry128 I think jewelry is stupid. What’s the point? I can understand it was popular a couple of thousand years ago, but not today. It all belongs to when we lived in caves. Why do people feel the need to wear necklaces and bracelets? It seems that jewelry is becoming more and more popular. Nowadays people are wearing rings on their toes and piercing their tongues and bodies. I’ve never really understood why men wear jewelry, especially thick gold chains. A lot of jewelry is dangerous. I often think if ear-rings catch on something, they’ll rip your ears. Some rings that women wear are also dangerous. They could cause serious damage to someone’s face. The only jewelry I wear is a wedding ring. Just a simple one.

129 Information130 We are living in an age of information. That’s what I keep hearing on TV and reading in newspapers. We are surrounded by information technology that puts information at our fingertips. To get ahead, you need the latest information. I’m not really sure how much information we need. Our brains can only handle a certain amount of information at a time. I reckon a lot of us have information overload. I’m sure before computers came along this didn’t happen. One problem with computers is the amount of personal information online. I worry about putting confidential info on different websites. Of course the great thing about computers is that we have so much information at our disposal. That’s pretty useful.

131 Inflation132 Inflation seems to be a big issue at the moment. Every time I turn on the news there is a story about inflation. Many countries around the world are fighting to keep inflation under control. Sometimes you read about countries that lose the battle against inflation. Zimbabwe once had an inflation rate of trillions of percent. I can’t imagine trying to add up my shopping bill with so many zeroes. I have no idea how they brought it under control. Inflation in my country is OK at the moment. The government is worried about prices going up. Me too. Inflation seems to be the thing economists worry about most. They do everything they can to keep the rate of inflation low. It has been pretty stable for years now.

Do we really need a monarchy in the 21st Century? It’s such a strange idea. It certainly is not a democratic idea. No one votes for someone to be king or queen. When a prince or princess is born, he or she automatically has a wonderful life. This is not fair. I had to study and work very hard just to get an average job, with not much money. Those in a monarchy are born into wealth. They never really have to lift a finger. The strange thing is that most people who live in a monarchy like their king and queen. Take the United Kingdom, for example. Around 80 per cent of British people support their monarchy. I suppose it’s good for tourism. I wouldn’t say no to being part of a royal family.

Libraries are wonderful places. Every library I’ve been to in the world is the same. They all have a special atmosphere. A room with a large collection of books does things to people. We become very quiet and want to know what’s on the shelves. This happens even to children as young as three, although perhaps not the being quiet. It’s amazing to watch a small child in a library looking at all the books. They can sit there for hours pulling the books off the shelves. I really spent a lot of time in the library at university. It was where I spent most of my time.  This is where I really learnt how useful libraries are. I spent hours every day looking at journals, newspapers and text books. I felt quite happy sitting in the quiet of the library, reading my books.

133 Mathematics134 When I was a kid I was top of the class in maths. I was really good at mental arithmetic and doing sums. Things were easy back then, It was all addition and subtraction, multiplication and division. I knew my times tables like the back of my hand. Then, things got difficult when I was about 14. We had to learn stuff like algebra and geometry and lots of other stuff I can’t remember the names of. Suddenly. I wasn’t so good at maths any more. I think there were a few reasons for this. One was my maths teacher, another was because I sat at the back of the class, and another was I talked a lot. I still like maths and know I would be good at it again if I studied. I did statistics when I was at university and loved that.

135 Marketing136 Marketing is a funny thing. Sometimes I like it, other times I hate it. There is definitely an art to marketing. Some of the advertising campaigns you see are the work of a genius. Someone has thought of a great idea, slogan and advertising campaign to sell us or tell us something. I like it when I can see the creativity. There are other kinds of marketing that make me angry. Ads and campaigns that are directed at children make my blood boil – especially the McDonalds ads that do not mention food, but show lots of free, cheap toys. I also hate viral marketing – that’s when you receive spam mail trying to sell you something. I also get annoyed with marketing campaigns that have slogans that are just untrue, like smoking is cool.

137 Listening138 Listening is the easiest English skill for me. I can understand about half of what people say to me. This means I can guess the things I don’t understand. Listening to the English of my American friends is not so difficult. I have problems when I try and understand the news on television. I also find movies hard to follow. I need the subtitles at the bottom of the screen. I think listening to songs in English made my listening better. It’s a lot more interesting than my listening CDs. I have one piece of advice for students who want to improve their listening. That is to listen to the same thing again and again. You understand more every time you listen. What’s your advice?

139 Leadership140 Leadership is a word we here a lot nowadays. Every time we turn on the news we hear about how important leadership is. Especially strong leadership. American presidents often talk about the importance of leadership. I suppose they’re right. It’s important that someone takes responsibility and shows leadership. With the right leaders, we can achieve success. But not every leader shows leadership. In many countries around the world, there are corrupt leaders. They do not have good leadership skills, they simply control people by fear. Good leadership is being respected by everyone and getting the job done. It’s important to have good leadership in companies too, except many of the banks’ leaders have not shown such good leadership.

141 Meat142 I’m a big meat-eater. I love meat of all kinds. I have eaten all sorts of meat. Even though I love meat, I could easily stop eating it, and I don’t think I’d miss it. A long time ago I heard the vegetarian slogan “Meat is Murder”. If you think about it, that’s true. I don’t think animals are here today for us to eat, especially when we don’t need to eat meat. And then there’s the threat of global warming today. Raising animals needs land. Many forests are cut down to raise cows for meat. This really has to stop. Instead of meat, there are other things we could have. Dairy products would give us the protein we need. I know a lot of people who could never give up meat. They always say it would be impossible to go without a big, juicy steak.

143 Lifestyle144 Everyone wants a good lifestyle. I do too. I want a good job that is quite near my house – I don’t want to spend a long time on trains and buses. I also want a nice house where I can relax. I like decorating and shopping for furniture. I also want lots of friends so I can do stuff with them. My idea of a good lifestyle is being happy at work, going to the gym or going out for a meal after work, and spending the weekends with friends doing things or going places. Of course I have to have a holiday every year in another country. I haven’t got that lifestyle yet because I haven’t got enough money. I’m a little jealous of my friend’s lifestyle. She has everything and is always going out and having fun.

145 Marriage146 Marriage seems to be a dying institution. Everywhere we look, there are more and more statistics saying marriage is on its way out, divorce is on the increase, or people are leaving it later and later to tie the knot. A worrying trend over the past few decades is the number of people who live together without making the commitment of marriage. I’m not really sure what the difference is. If you love someone and want to stay together forever, why not get married? I think marriage adds a lot to a couple’s life, from the wedding day itself, right through to all of the anniversaries. Unmarried people miss out on these special occasions. Marriage is also important if you want to start a family. Perhaps I’m just old-fashioned.

147 Human rights148 I think human rights only became an issue after World War II. That’s when the United Nations issued their Universal Declaration on human rights. This is kind of the rulebook, the do’s and don’ts of human rights. When I look at the world today, it seems not many people have read this. I doubt if most people know it exists. I think government leaders should know about this. A lot of them don’t care much about human rights. I can’t believe it’s the twenty-first century and human rights is still an issue in pretty much all of the world’s countries. The most powerful countries even attack each other for abusing human rights. I hope one day that all human rights are respected. That will be paradise.

149 Junk mail150 I hate junk mail. I’m sick and tired of it filling up my InBox. I mean, who believes the stuff written in it? I love the ones that start with “Dearest” and then tell you how their uncle died during some war and they need your help to transfer $18 million. I wonder how many people fall for those. My spam mail filters do a pretty good job at keeping junk mail away from my InBox. But, I occasionally get a mail trying to sell me medicine. The most dangerous kind of junk mail is called phishing. That’s when a criminal fakes an e-mail to make it look like it’s sent from a bank. It looks exactly the same as a bank’s mail. The mail asks you to reset your password. The criminal then takes your money.

151 Homelessness152 Homelessness is a terrible thing. It really shouldn’t exist today. A country should be ashamed if anyone is homeless. Governments are so rich today, yet they have no money to provide basic needs for their citizens. This is rubbish. Think how much money governments waste on fancy cars and other unnecessary things. It’s a crime. Even in rich countries, there are thousands of homeless. The government tries to sweep them under the carpet. They want to pretend the problem doesn’t exist. The world’s richest countries spend billions of dollars on weapons, but can’t make sure people have a roof over their head. This is disgusting. All world leaders should be ashamed of themselves. I feel so sorry for the homeless.

153 Housewife154 I think being a housewife is a very demanding job. Most housewives have a lot to do, especially if they have children. Of course, some have an easy time because they have a maid or a tiny house. Most housewives though are working pretty much from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. They have to get up the earliest to cook everyone’s breakfast. Then they have to do the dishes, start the washing, iron and then go shopping to buy the food. Before their children go to school, the housewife has to make their packed lunches. I reckon cooking three meals a day every single day can be pretty tiring. Afternoons are just as busy, and then it all starts again when everyone comes home from school and work!

155 Management156157 Marathons158 I’m full of admiration for people who run marathons. I couldn’t do it. I love running and have done a few half-marathons, but I always found a full marathon to be too much. Marathon runners are special. I don’t think I have the stamina to do it. Not properly, anyway. I could “run” one of the big marathons in the world, like the Boston or London marathon, but it would really be pretty much as a fun run. Most people who take part in these well-known international marathons only do so for fun. I think to be a marathon runner, you need to train and run a hundred kilometres a week. I wonder what it’s like to be in the lead in the Olympic marathon. That must be an amazing feeling. I think the marathon is the most important Olympic event.

159 Laws160 Without laws the world would end. OK, maybe the actual Earth might not end, but life as we know it would end. We’d all end up fighting and killing each other. It would become the survival of the strongest, or perhaps the survival of the nastiest. If there were no laws, people could do anything. There’d be no police or courts to keep control. Law is very important. It keeps order in our society. Our laws started thousands of years ago. Many of today’s laws were made centuries ago. New laws need to be made every day. Especially in today’s world, where the Internet is so important. It’s very difficult to keep laws up to date with new developments. The latest area of law is intellectual property. It’s important that people’s ideas are protected.

161 Juice162 Everybody loves juice. It’s the yummiest thing in the world. I can’t think of anything tastier than a cold glass of any kind of juice. I have to have a glass of orange juice every morning. I like to spend a little extra to make sure it’s 100 per cent juice. I don’t really like the stuff that says it’s juice on the box, but is really 70 per cent water and sugar. Of course freshly squeezed juice is the best - you can really taste the fruit. One thing I love about going to another country is trying different kinds of juice. Tropical countries have all kinds of really delicious juice. One time I remember trying sugar cane juice. I was in heaven. It’s a shame I can’t buy it where I live. I also love coconut juice, or is that coconut milk?

163 Home school164 I think home schooling is great. I wish my parents had done this. The idea of never going to school sounds too good to be true. I hated school. I wanted to stay at home every day. I really wouldn’t have minded staying at home and studying. Of course, you need to be careful not to forget studying. One thing about home schooling I like is visiting museums or watching documentaries to learn more. This is so much better than learning in school. I think my learning at school suffered because there were many kids who didn’t want to learn. I could have got better marks if I had stayed at home. Perhaps there’ll be more home schooling in the future because of the Internet.

165 Heroes166 I don’t really have a hero. There are many people I respect, but they are not really my hero. Some people choose very strange heroes. My friends have rock stars and football players as heroes. Of course, these people are very good at what they do, but they’re not really heroes. They get lots of money for doing what they love. When they’re not singing or playing football, I wonder what they’re doing. I think most of the world’s heroes are unsung heroes. People who work to help others every day. We generally don’t notice these heroes. Then there are those who put their lives on the line for others. Fire fighters, police officers and soldiers are heroes. Without them, the world would be less safe.

167 Hate crime168 Hate crime is becoming a big problem in many societies. You’d think that in the twenty-first century we’d all respect each other. With all the communications we have and with globalization, we should know enough about each other to understand we are all the same. We should at least be able to respect our differences. I blame the media for a lot of hate crime. They are very good at highlighting particular groups of people and casting them in a negative light. Just look at what’s happened since the 9/11 attacks in New York. Hate has increased in the world and the media seems to fuel this. I’m glad I live in a country that has laws against hate crime. They don’t always work, but at least it’s better than in most countries.

169 Investments170 I’m totally hopeless with money. I’ve never really understood things like investments. I should be more interested in investments because I know I’ll get more money. I find everything very confusing. I never know what to invest in. Some of my friends invest in stocks and shares. I never did this. I’m happy because I didn’t lose money in the financial crash. I think it would be interesting to invest in things like wine. I saw a TV programme once. Wine goes up and up and up in price. You really can make a lot of money. I think investing in property nowadays is risky. I also know a lot of people who now owe lots of money on the house they bought because the prices crashed. Perhaps it’s better to keep my money under the bed.

171 Heaven172 I wonder if heaven exists. I guess if heaven is real, then hell must be real too. I think heaven must be a great place if it’s better than Earth. It’s difficult to believe that heaven is a place that looks like paradise. Pretty much every religion in the world believes that heaven is real. I don’t think it’s full of angels with wings though. I think there are lots of heavenly places on Earth. Anywhere in the countryside is heaven to me. Sitting on a beach with blue skies is also heaven. You can even be in heaven in the city. Walking into a cool, air-conditioned building from a hot, sweaty street is heaven. I also find heaven in food. A double chocolate fudge and nut ice cream with maple syrup and extra whipped cream is simply heaven.

173 Harry potter174 Harry Potter is a boy wizard who has taken over the world. He is everywhere. No one had heard of Harry Potter before 1997. That’s when J.K. Rowling published her first book. She’s the creator of Harry Potter. The first novel was called ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’ and it became an amazing success. Everyone was talking about it and Harry became an overnight phenomenon. Six more Harry Potter books followed and they all became best sellers. People went crazy over every new book. My friends waited overnight outside a bookstore to make sure they got their copy of the latest book. My friends are 40 years old! Harry Potter is now a global industry, with movies and merchandise of all kinds. It’s amazing how big he is.

175 Internet176 I think the Internet is the greatest invention ever. Think how it has changed the world. So much information is out there. It has totally changed my life. I can chat with friends, download music, buy books and get all the info I need for my homework. It took days or weeks to do any of these things before the Internet. I spend hours every day online. I think I spend a little too long. I’m sure staring at a computer screen all day isn’t good for my eyes. I think it’s also making me fat. I need to exercise a little more. The only thing I don’t like about the Internet is that it can be dangerous. I don’t really like putting my personal information online, especially on social networking sites like Facebook.

Management is a funny thing. Most of the people I know who are in management are not actually managers. I mean, they don’t have any qualifications to say they are managers. I think most managers are like that. They spend a year or two in a job and then become managers once the old manager moves on. I’m not sure whether or not you can learn management. Of course there are things like MBAs that teach you this, but in the end, management is all about how you deal with people. If you have a personality that can’t respect people and treat them fairly, you can’t be a good manager.  I have worked for some terrible managers. They have no idea what they’re doing and only create lots of work for others.

177 South Africa World Cup178 The 2010 South Africa World Cup is nearly here and I’m so excited. I love the World Cup. Every four years I can’t wait to watch this brilliant event. I heard more people watch the Finals than the Olympics. All over the world, people go soccer crazy. Even people who don’t like football. I was in Tokyo for the Korea-Japan Finals in 2002 – the atmosphere was amazing for a whole month. The 2010 Finals are extra special because it’s the first time for them to be in Africa. I’m sure it will be a great success. And who will win? I think Argentina will lift the trophy. Lionel Messi will show why he’s world player of the year. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if England won. They have a strong team and Rooney is on fire at the moment.

179 Hair180 I never know what to do with my hair. Sometimes I want it long, sometimes I want to cut it all off. My hair is a little unmanageable. It never does what I want it to. It’s very thick. When it’s long and I have lots of split ends so I have to go to the hairdresser’s for a trim. I also have dandruff, which is a little embarrassing when I wear dark sweaters. I don’t often have a bad hair day. This usually only happens when I have to meet someone important. My hair sticks out all over the place. I hate it. I always think everyone is looking at me, or looking at my misbehaving hair. I often wonder what it would be like if we had no hair - if we were all bald. We could save lots of money on shampoos and conditioners.

181 Immigration182 Immigration wasn’t really a problem a long time ago. Many countries welcomed immigrants because they needed workers. The USA, Australia and Canada encouraged millions of people to come and live in their countries. Today, however, immigration is becoming a problem. Many countries are trying to control immigration. At election time, it is a major issue. Immigration today is big business. More and more people from poor countries want to live in rich countries. It is easier to travel nowadays because of cheap transport and more open borders. People risk their lives to get the chance of starting a new life in a rich country. This can cause anger in the countries immigrants go to. It is an issue that will be with us forever, I think.

183 Identify cards184 I’m not sure what to think about identity cards. There are good and bad things about them. I think on the whole they are a good thing. It depends on what the government uses the information for. It also depends on how secure the database is that keeps our information. A lot of people think ID cards are too much. They think the government is trying to control us too much. I’m not sure that’s true, but it is something to think about. In this day and age, when immigration is a problem, I think ID cards might be useful. Some countries are using ID cards as a one-stop card for everything. The card is your driving license, medical card and ID all rolled into one. That’s a great idea. All we need now is to make it a passport and credit card.

185 Google186 What was life like before Google? This might look like a silly and strange question, but it is a good one. Google has changed our lives. In an amazingly short space of time, the verb ‘google’ has entered our language. I think everything about Google is amazing. It helps us so much. We can find any information we want just by typing in what we want in the search box. I even like the Google home page. It’s so simple. You know, I can’t remember the last time a day went by when I didn’t use Google for something. I wonder what Google will be like in the future. Only those at Google know. The strange thing about the Internet is that something we don’t even know about yet might come along and totally replace Google overnight.

187 Golden Week188 Golden Week is such a lovely time to be in Japan. The weather is great and everyone is relaxed. There’s a real holiday feeling all over the country. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. The only down side is that the roads are full of traffic. You can spend hours stuck in traffic jams. So I usually stay at home and do things near my house. I love going on picnics in local parks. I’m English so I find it really interesting to see how Japanese people have picnics. Very different from picnics in England. Many people have the whole week off work to celebrate the different holidays. The Emperor’s birthday and Constitution Day are important and so is Greenery Day, but I like Children’s Day. This is when Japanese parents do special things for their kids.

189 Houses190 All houses are unique. Even if they look the same from the outside, they are very different on the inside. I think houses are very interesting. I like looking at the way they are built and the style they are built in. In London there are many houses that are hundreds of years old. These are beautiful. You can still see much of the original wood and stone structure. Modern houses are also interesting. It’s funny how they copy many of the features of older houses. I love looking at houses when I travel. Every country has its own special designs, from Japan to Arabia to Greece. Nowadays people are building eco-friendly houses. They want houses that save energy and help protect the planet.

191 Hospitals192 I don’t really like hospitals. I have many bad memories of them. I’ve stayed in hospital seven times in my life. I guess I must be unlucky. My friends all say I’m accident prone. My longest stay in hospital was for three months. That was boring. I had lots of visitors but staying in bed for that length of time isn’t much fun. The worst thing was hospital food. I couldn’t wait to get out and have some real food. The strange thing is that I really like watching TV dramas and movies about hospitals. It feels like I know everything that’s going on. I wouldn’t like to work in a hospital though. I hate the smell and the sight of blood. I’ll do my best from now on to stay away from hospitals, unless I’m visiting someone else.

193 Lies194 I wonder if there is anyone in the world who never lies. Not even a small white lie. It seems everyone lies at some point in their life, or their day. Some people are better liars than others. In fact, I often read lying is an art. Children are pretty good at lying. Or perhaps they’re pretty bad, because it’s easy to tell when a child is lying. I read that the more lies children tell, the more intelligent they are. You need to be creative and imaginative to lie. There comes a stage in our lives when most of us stop lying. We are all told that it’s always better to tell the truth. Not all of us do this though. There are many very intelligent people who lie. We even trust them to run our country. I’ve lost count of the number of politicians who have been caught lying.

195 Life196 Life is for living. That’s what I believe. It sounds very simple, but actually, it’s quite difficult. You only have one life, so you really have to live it. Don’t waste time doing boring things. Live life for today. Is living working in an office all your life? No. Take some risks in life. Invest in your life and do the things you really want to do. If you don’t try and live your dreams, you don’t really live. I often hear people saying to other, “get a life”. I agree with them. Don’t wait and let life pass you by. Life is too short and you can’t go back. I have a full life. I don’t live life in the fast lane, but I do make sure I do things so that when I look back on my life, I won’t have any regrets.

197 Luck198 I often wonder how important luck is in my life. I’m not sure if there is a thing called luck. Some people say they are lucky and others say they are unlucky. I think everyone in life has good luck and bad luck. Just because someone loses something or has an accident doesn’t mean it’s bad luck. An accident is an accident. People who always say they have bad luck are negative. If they wait, something good will happen in their lives. I do like to wish people good luck though. I think it’s a nice thing to say if someone has an interview or an exam. But, people pass exams and interviews because they studied hard or spoke well, not because of luck. In England people think they’ll have seven years of bad luck if they break a mirror. That’s strange.

199 Language200 Where would we be without language? We’d all be in our own worlds and we’d never really have a life. Can you imagine never talking to anyone? Of course if there was no language, we wouldn’t be able to use body language or sign language. The fact that we do have languages means we have gone to the moon and built things like the Internet – which also needs a special computer language to work properly. I think language is amazing. It means we can tell anyone anything. I often think it’s a shame there are so many languages in the world. If there was only one language, we could all communicate better. Perhaps that way, we’d all understand one another better. What would the world language be? At the moment, English.

201 Love at first sight202 Love is a wonderful thing, but is it possible to fall in love with someone at first sight? Many people say they have done this. How can it be possible? Surely it takes a time to get to know someone and then fall in love. I think falling in love at first sight is dangerous. You don’t really know the person. Maybe after you’ve built your life around them you’ll find lots of faults in them and suddenly be disappointed. Then you’ll have to fall out of love. Anyway, is it really love at first sight or is it love at first conversation? And what if the other person doesn’t fall in love with you at first sight? This could be a bit painful. It could also be embarrassing. I think I like the traditional way of falling in love after 257 dates.

203 Magazines204 There are magazines on just about anything you can think of. Just walk into a big bookstore and see the hundreds of different kinds of magazines. There are magazines for men, magazines for women, for children, for bankers, stamp collectors and even English students. They’re quite amazing when you think about it. There’s so much information in them. It must take a long time to make one magazine. And they are such great value for money. I like reading magazines that I would never usually buy. This happens when I’m in a waiting room. I like flicking through the magazine rack and looking through the magazine. I don’t care if it’s in another language. The pictures are interesting.

205 Laughter206 Laughter is what makes the world go round. If you can’t laugh, life would be very boring and depressing. The sound of laughter is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. Just hearing it makes me smile and want to laugh too. I have to find out what’s funny so I can share the joke, or share the fun. I particularly love the sound of small children laughing. Their laughter is infectious. It’s amazing the things they find to laugh about. I think I heard somewhere that laughter is the best medicine. That’s so true. I also think a good laugh keeps you healthy. A few people I know belong to a laughter club. They stand around in circles and laugh. Yes, laughter really is one of the best things we do.

207 Journalist208 When I was younger I wanted to be a journalist. I used to watch the news and think how amazing it would be to report from places around the world. I think journalism is a pretty tough profession. You really need a special character to survive. I think journalism is one of the most important professions in the world. Without it, we wouldn't know anything about what's going on in the world. It can also be a dangerous profession. Of course, reporting in war zones is dangerous, but even reporting in the street carries risk. I'm sure many journalists have many experiences of angry people they try to interview, or even of other journalists who get angry. When I watch journalism award shows, I still feel a desire to become a journalist.

209 Jokes210 I love jokes. I could listen to people telling jokes all day. I laugh at even the silliest of jokes. In fact, I love silly jokes. I still laugh at the jokes I laughed at when I was a child. I’m not so good at telling jokes. I have just a few of my favourite ones that I tell. They’re pretty funny. I think telling jokes is a real skill. You need confidence, timing and you need to know when to deliver the punch line. Some of my jokes don’t work with people from other countries. They don’t get them. It’s also interesting to see how American and British jokes are different. I listen to American comedians but can’t see what’s funny. I also love practical jokes. Playing jokes on other people is very funny – as long as they see the funny side.

211 Insects212 Some people love insects and others absolutely hate them. I can’t count how many of my friends are terrified of insects. I have one friend who jumps and screams at the sight of the tiniest bug. He’s over forty years old! My son loves insects. He has many books on them and knows everything about them. He loves going to insect museums and watching nature documentaries on insects. I also love them. I think insects are fascinating. I can watch them for hours. I also love looking at them in zoos and museums. It’s like looking at a tiny miniature world. I think if I was insect-sized, life would be pretty scary. Or even worse, what if one day there were giant insects roaming the streets. That’s the stuff of horror movies.

213 History214 My favourite subject at school was history. I don’t know why. I loved reading the stories about famous people and famous events. When I was little, history was just stories. As I got older, I realized history is the study of how we got here today. It’s a long journey that describes all the wars, great people, inventions, disasters, etc that have brought us to this point in time. I now love any kind of history. It’s fascinating to visit a new country and learn about its history. Watching the news today is like seeing history unfold. Lots of the things I learnt at school now make the news more interesting. History provides us with the perfect background information to a news story.

215 Genocide216 I really don’t understand why genocide happens. Every five or ten years we hear about the latest genocide. Every time we hear about it, governments say it will never happen again. After the genocide in Rwanda, the USA and other world powers promised to stop any future killing. Then Darfur came along and all they do is talk. If a crazy government wants to kill thousands of innocent civilians, no one can stop them. Genocide is the biggest shame in our history. Countries go to war because of oil, but not to stop innocent people being murdered. Only recently has the international community started chasing those who organize genocide. The International Criminal Court prosecutes those who commit crimes against humanity.

217 Intelligent218 People say intelligence is a lot more attractive than beauty. I often ask people if they would prefer a partner who is intelligent or good looking. They almost always say they want someone who is intelligent. I wonder why it is some of us are so intelligent and others aren’t. Surely we are all born with a similar level of intelligence. I’m not really sure how intelligent I am. Sometimes I think I’m intelligent, but then I do something really dumb. Or I meet someone who is super-brainy who makes me feel unintelligent. One day, I’m going to take one of those intelligence tests to measure my IQ. Another thing I don’t get about intelligence is how people think our leaders are so intelligent, but then the leaders do such stupid things. Do intelligent people start wars?

219 I love you220 Love makes the world go round, not money. I agree with the centuries-old quote that says, ‘Love conquers all’. It’s true when you think about it. So much has been written about love. It must be one of the most written and talked about topics ever. How many songs and poems are there about love? Millions. Billions, perhaps. Love is everywhere. You can’t pass a single day without hearing someone say ‘love’. It is one of the most beautiful words in any language. Your heart can melt when someone says, ‘I love you’. It’s also very important to tell people you love them. You should do it every day. There are many different kinds of love and they are all important. Except perhaps when you love pizza or burgers. That’s not healthy.

221 Holidays222 I love holidays. They are the best thing in the world. The only problem is they are always too short. Even summer holidays at school aren’t long enough. I recently had an eight-week holiday and it flew by. It seems as though time goes quickly when we are on holiday, and slowly when we are at school or work. I always really look forward to holidays – even one-day holidays are great. I live in a country that has many national holidays, so there’s always a break around the corner. I feel sorry for some workers who only get two or three weeks holiday a year. They can’t do anything or go anywhere. I love holidays even if I don’t go away. Staying at home is just as good as going on holiday somewhere. Sometimes going on holiday is stressful.

223 Getting married224 One of the busiest times of our life must be our wedding day. Getting married can be a very stressful time. But, it is also one of the happiest days in our life. It all begins with the proposal. After that comes setting the date. Once the couple know the wedding day, it’s planning, planning and planning. They have to decide where to get married, who to invite, what kind of flowers, where to have the reception, and a million and one other things. Getting married can be a very expensive occasion. Some parents save all their lives to pay for their son’s or daughter’s wedding. Getting married seems to be similar all over the world. The happy couple make some vows in front of their guests and then there is a big party after.

225 Heart attacks226 Heart attacks kill millions of people each year. I think it’s one of the world’s biggest killers. A lot of people have a heart attack because of their lifestyle. I’m sure if people ate healthy food and exercised, the number of heart attacks would drop. The thing I worry about is stress. For me, it’s difficult to avoid. Research shows that stress is one of the biggest causes of heart attacks. The problem with this is that you get stressed, and then you worry about your heart, which makes it beat faster and gives you more stress, which then makes your heart beat even faster. Best not to get stressed. There are so many things you can do in life to reduce your chances of a heart attack. I think we need more information.

227 Gangs228 Gangs are becoming a big problem in many countries around the world. We’ve always had gangs, and they’ve always created problems. Recently, things seem to be getting out of control. Gangs are taking over our streets. In many parts of South America, gangs kill because of drugs. In many parts of Europe, gangs hang around on street corners and hassle anyone who walks by. There’s a lot of pressure for young people to join a gang. If a young person doesn’t join a gang, they might be bullied at school. The government always says gangs are a problem, but they never do anything about it. I was in a gang when I was younger. It’s scary when I look back on it. We used to have lots of fights and do many bad things. I never had a knife.

229 Happiness230231 Friends232 I think I have the greatest friends in the world. They are just as important to me as family. In fact, they are my family, really. My best friends and I all grew up together and shared so many experiences together. We know everything about each other. I would do anything for my friends and I’m sure they’d do anything for me. I’m sure there’s nothing in the world that could stop us from being friends. I’ve also made lots of other good friends from university and the different places I’ve worked. They are also important to me. We are now all over the world and it’s sometimes difficult to meet each other, but we stay in touch. One day I’d like to get all of my friends together for a big party. That’d be great fun.

233 Heart234 The heart is one organ we really have to look after. Most of us, I think, don’t really know how to look after it. Or perhaps we know, but don’t do enough to keep our heart in a healthy condition. Our heart is an amazing thing, when you think about it. It beats so fast for years and years and years, pumping millions of litres of blood around our body. It keeps working, even though we do so many bad things to it. It really is the source of our life. We need to promise our heart every day that we’ll look after it properly. I think kids born today are lucky. Modern medicine and science will soon have all the answers to keep our heart strong. Even today we’re lucky. Doctors can replace your heart via a heart transplant.

235 Glambling236 Gambling is a very dangerous thing. At least that’s what I think. I don’t think much good comes of it. People lose their money and then get angry. Sometimes people lose everything they have. The only people who win are the companies, casinos, etc. that organize gambling. I don’t really understand why people would want to risk their money. Most of the time they lose it. The odds are always against you. Gambling causes so many social problems I’m surprised governments allow it. In some countries it is illegal to gamble. This is good. I never understand why people gamble again and again. They must get fed up with throwing their money away. I suppose they always think the next one will be the one they make a lot of money.

237 Hangovers238 A hangover is one of the worst feelings you can have. There’s nothing you can do to make it go away. You just have to wait for it to wear off. It usually takes a whole day and can even take two days to disappear. The most stupid thing about a hangover is that you never learn. A hangover is your body’s warning that too much alcohol is bad for you. When something is painful, you never do it again. Not so with a hangover. When people have a hangover, they often drink again the next day. This makes your original hangover much worse. Many people have their own hangover “cure”. None of them work for me. All I can do is suffer. I suppose the best thing for a hangover is not to drink at all, or at least not drink too much.

239 French Fries240 Someone once told me that French fries are not French. There must be some connection between fries and France, otherwise they wouldn’t be called French Fries. Wherever they are from, I love them. I guess they’re the most popular food in the world. Everyone eats French fries. They are very versatile – you can eat them with so many things. You can even have a French Fries sandwich. People put all sorts of things on top of French fries. I love ketchup and mayonnaise on my fries – both together. You have to have salt. The only time I don’t like fries is when they are cold. I get angry if I get fries that aren’t hot in a fast food restaurant. I take them back immediately. All of this talk of French fries has made me want to eat some.

241 Humour242 I think humour is one of the best things in life. Without it, nothing in life would be funny. It’s strange how we start laughing from such a young age. I wonder what makes tiny babies laugh. What do they find funny. Babies laugh and smile all the time. This means we are born to laugh and make other people laugh. Our sense of humour develops as we grow up. Some people become very good at telling jokes. I always find it difficult to remember jokes. I don’t understand jokes from other countries. I love comedy shows from England, but I can’t see what’s funny when I watch American comedies. I guess humour is different, even with people who speak the same language. Anyway, I think I have a good sense of humour and I like a good laugh.

243 Gun control244 Gun control should be a really serious issue. In my country, politicians rarely talk about it. They only discuss it if someone goes nuts and shoots lots of people in a school or shopping mall. Gun crime is on the increase everywhere but the government never talks about gun control. I really think there should be huge fines for anyone caught with a gun. Too many innocent people are dying. The situation will only get worse. I think if a politician stands up and argues for any kind of gun control, he or she will win the next election. I’m sure most people think controlling or banning guns in societies is very important. Unless you live in America. I’m not sure if gun control exists there. It seems everyone has a gun.

245 Home246 “Home is where the heart is.” That’s so true. I’ve lived in many different houses during my life but not all of them have been home. When you are growing up, home is where your family lives. I left home when I was 18 and slowly my childhood home was no longer. Now it’s my parents’ house and not my home. I moved around a lot and only spent a year or so in most places I lived. They never really felt like home. A home is somewhere you feel totally relaxed and want to come home to. The expression “Home Sweet Home” is also true. You have to have nice feelings about it to call it home. Home doesn’t have to be in your home country. I’ve lived in several countries and have had a home in all of them.

247 Hiking248 Some people love hiking and some people hate it. Personally, I don’t really like it. I don’t see the point of walking for miles and miles up and down mountains. You get all sweaty and out of breath. The worst thing is that the next day all your muscles ache. Of course it’ll rain, so you’ll get soaking wet. If it’s sunny, you’ll get sunburn. To make things really bad, you might fall over and twist your ankle or get stung by a bee. I have terrible memories of hiking when I was a child. My parents always wanted to get to the top of the mountain, and then the next mountain top, and then the next. No matter how much we complained, they always said: “It’s not far.” Never believe anyone who says that, especially someone who loves hiking.

249 God250 God created us all. God created life. God created everything around us. I often try to think what was before God. But God has always been there, so there was nothing before God. I wonder why God always appears as a man with a beard in books. He’s also usually a white man. No one knows if God is a man or a woman. God is also different to different religions. Most people in the world pray to God. They ask for forgiveness when they do something wrong; they thank God for bringing good things and ask for God’s help when things go wrong. People who believe in God get strength from their belief. They know that God is looking down on them. One thing I don’t understand is why there is so much killing and bad things in the world.

251 Food252 Isn’t food one of life’s greatest pleasures? Do you know anyone who doesn’t like food? I don’t. There is so much delicious food in the world. You could spend a whole lifetime eating a different dish every day. What’s the tastiest food in the world? This is a very difficult question to answer. My taste in food keeps changing. Sometimes my favourite is a dessert, but then I change my mind and go for a spicy curry. It’s great that countries have so many different dishes. Do you think your national dish is best? Nowadays we have to be careful about what we eat. Fast food is not good for us. We need to focus more on healthy food. Maybe we have to be more careful in the future. Make sure the food you eat is good for you.

253 Feet254 Some people like their feet and other people don’t. I quite like mine. They’re not too big and not too small. Some people I know have huge feet. They even have problems trying to buy shoes that fit them. My feet are pretty normal. They’ve been very useful down the years. I’ve done a lot of running, loads of hiking and played thousands of hours of football. I’ve never injured my feet or my ankles. I sometimes get sore feet when I go shopping. That seems to be the only thing my feet don’t like. That and new shoes. New shoes usually give me blistered feet. Oh yes… and the cold. My feet hate the cold. My toes go numb. Especially my big toe. One thing I’m happy about is that I don’t have smelly feet.

255 Health256 I never used to worry about my health until recently. When I was a kid, I did loads of exercise. Even in my twenties and thirties I was very fit and never ill. I have been lucky all my life – always in the best of health. I rarely get even a cold. I suppose time catches up with you. Now I seem to be getting lots of little aches and pains. I should go to the doctor for a health check, but I’m too busy. The older you get, the more you worry about your health. One good thing is that I’m eating more healthily now than ever before. I no longer have fast food and midnight snacks. I also sleep a lot more. I’ve read that getting seven or eight hours sleep every night is one of the best things you can do for your health.

257 Horoscopes258 I totally do not believe in horoscopes. I can’t think of anything more ridiculous. Perhaps the only thing more ridiculous is the number of people who read their horoscopes and believe what they say. I mean, just how can a horoscope be true? How is it that the same things are true for half-a-billion people born between January 23 and February 22. It makes no sense. Not all of those people will be lucky in love and have a nice financial surprise at the beginning of the month. Horoscopes are a part of many cultures. Every time I go to another country I see the horoscope in magazines. I have a friend who has the same star sign as me. Our lives and fortunes are very different. That proves to me that horoscopes are rubbish.

259 Healthcare260 Every country must provide free healthcare to its citizens. I can’t understand why the richest countries in the world don’t do this. It’s shocking that a country can be so rich and let its people die because they cannot pay the hospital. I saw a great movie once on America’s healthcare system. It’s called “Sicko,” directed by Michael Moore. He went to England and France and was amazed that people in those countries didn’t have to pay when they went to hospital. He then went to Cuba. He went with lots of Americans who couldn’t afford healthcare in America. Amazingly, the Cuban hospitals treated them all for free and gave them medicine. They were so happy. I’m sure there’s enough money in the world to provide everyone with free healthcare.

261 Guns262 Guns are bad. Full stop. I’m fed up hearing about people who think they have a right to carry a gun. A gun is a deadly weapon. People who are for guns say people are the deadly ones. That’s stupid. The truth is, that if there were no guns in the world, there’d be more people alive. Students with guns kill other students at school. No guns, no deaths. Guns are used in millions of crimes around the world. Gun crime is out of control in many countries. The societies in which guns are illegal have very little gun crime. The problem is that guns aren’t going away. They are getting easier to buy. Now that many international borders are open, smuggling guns to other countries is easy. Maybe the whole world will return to the Wild West.

263 Gold264 I don’t understand the fascination with gold. It’s just a soft metal. It isn’t even the most valuable metal. It’s interesting how almost every culture in the world loves gold. Indians spend a fortune on it. When their children get married they give gold bracelets and rings as gifts. Most of the world’s wedding rings are gold. I know different countries prefer different types of gold. In Thailand, only 24 carat is good enough, but in England, people buy a lot of 9-carat gold. It seems like we have always loved gold. Think how many stories there are from hundreds of years ago about gold treasure. In fact, if you go back further, Egyptian kings and queens had lots of gold. I’ll never forget Tutankhamen’s mask. The gold in that was really golden.

Happiness is sitting on a beach with a good book and no more work and studying for a year. Ahhhh… if only. What’s your idea of happiness? It’s such an important thing. I like Bhutan’s idea (Bhutan is the small country next to Nepal). There, they prefer to measure happiness instead of money. The most important thing for Bhutan’s government is how happy the people are. What a fantastic idea this is. Imagine if governments focused on making us all happy. They could spend money on beaches and free ice cream instead of fighting wars. I looked at everyone on the train this morning. No one looked happy. Maybe the news should be full of happy stories instead of the usual doom and gloom

265 Food safety266 Food safety seems to be a big issue nowadays. I can’t remember it being such a big problem years ago. With today’s technology, it shouldn’t be a problem. But it is. In fact, there are many problems. In my country, GM food is a big issue. People do not want to eat food that is genetically modified. They say it is unsafe. I know in America GM food is everywhere. Another issue with food safety is food imports. A lot of imported food has made people ill. Our government bans a lot of food from certain countries. This is a good idea. A concern in my country is with chickens and cows. We have bird flu and mad cow disease. It might be better to be vegetarian.

267 Gardens268 I really like walking around gardens. Every garden is different. Even two gardens that are next to each other are different. I loved the garden our family had when I was small. I also loved starting my own garden when I bought my house. The best gardens in the world are in England. English country gardens are famous all over the world. The gardeners are like artists. It’s amazing how they make everything so perfect and so colourful. I can sit in or walk through an English garden all day. I also like Japanese gardens. They also have a very special feel about them. Everything is so perfect and you feel really peaceful. I’d like to spend my life visiting different gardens.

269 Factories270 I have a strange hobby. It’s visiting factories. I’m really interested to see how things work and how they are made. I’ve learnt so many things on my factory visits. Factories are amazing. They are like mini cities. The thing that surprises me most is how everything works together. Everyone knows exactly what to do and when to do it. Even the robots. Car factories are cool, but very noisy. A car assembly line is like a giant ballet dance with everything moving perfectly together. It’s quite easy to visit factories. All you have to do is go to their home page and see if they have visiting times, or write to them. The best factories to visit are ones that produce food and drinks. You always get free stuff. Unfortunately you don’t get a free car at car factories.

271 Hair cut272 I wonder how many times we have our hair cut in our life. Hundreds. It would also be interesting to know how many different hairstyles we have. I know the styles I had when I was younger would look silly today. I really like haircuts. It’s interesting sitting in the hairdresser’s chair and watching the stylist do things. I often think a good haircut is like art and the hairdresser is the artist. I have had a few disastrous haircuts – usually when they cut too much off. I need a long fringe because my face is a strange shape. The best thing I like about haircuts is having a chat to the hairdresser. He or she can usually talk about anything and everything. I also like the smell of everything when I’m sitting in the chair.

273 Hands274 Hands are interesting things. They can do so many things. We’d be lost without them. I think hands are one of the most useful parts of they body. They are so clever. We can do so many different things with our hands. We can hold things, squeeze things, feel things. We can swing on jungle gyms, write and type letters; the list is endless. I think hands are a very beautiful part of the body, if they are well looked after. It’s interesting to see how many different parts there are to our hands. We have a palm, fingers, knuckles, life lines, fingertips and the back of our hand. There are lots of good things you can do with your hands. I like holding hands – of course with my wife and children.

275 Genetic engineering 276 I think the idea of genetic engineering is fascinating. It’s also quite dangerous. Fiddling around with what makes us human might make us less human. We could end up creating a Frankenstein’s monster. The idea of genetic engineering has been around for centuries. Scientists have always wanted to change us. The real breakthrough came in the latter half of last century. Geneticists cracked the genetic code and found ways of altering our genes. Now they can clone animals and reproduce human tissue and organs. I don’t think it’ll be too long before scientists clone a person. Once all the fuss has died down, younger generations will be more accepting of genetic engineering. We might even live to be two hundred years old.

277 Furniture278 I have a passion for furniture. I love it. I particularly love antique furniture. I love going round old houses and looking at all the beautiful sofas and chests and cabinets from hundreds of years ago. Making furniture used to be a real art. They don’t make furniture like they used to. Nowadays a lot of furniture is rubbish. A lot of it you have to make yourself! Actually, I quite like that. I like wandering around IKEA and seeing what they have. You can pay extra to have the guys assemble your furniture for you, but I like doing it myself. I’m studying interior design and would like to start my own furniture workshop one day. I’ll mix modern ideas with traditional ones. I’d like to start a trend for green furniture that helps the environment.

279 Gossip280 I hate gossip. It really gets on my nerves. I really don’t understand why people gossip about other people. My office is full of gossips. They have nothing better to do. Surely there are more important things to talk about. Gossip isn’t true. That’s why it’s gossip. OK, it might be true, but who cares? Gossiping is dangerous. It can make perfectly nice people look bad. I’m not sure if I’ve been the subject of gossip. I’m sure I wouldn’t like it if I was. I have some friends who buy gossip magazines. They love celebrity gossip. That’s even worse than office gossip. At least with office gossip you know the people. Any time someone comes to me to tell me the latest piece of “juicy gossip” or “hot gossip,” I tell them I’m not interested.

281 First impressions282 People say first impressions count. What do you think? Can you understand a lot about someone from the very first time you see them or meet them? I think I’m good at judging someone’s character from the first time I set eyes on them. It’s easy to understand if the person is my kind of person. First impressions count most when you meet someone important. If you have a job interview, it’s very important to give a good first impression. The interviewer can decide if they like you as soon as you walk through the door. Are you well-dressed? Do you look happy? Do you greet the interviewer? All these things are important. I also think first impressions count when you meet your future in-laws.

283 Family284 What does family mean to you? In a perfect world, all families should be happy and everyone should get on well together. I know a lot of families that have many problems. Brothers and sisters who don’t like each other, parents who never talk to each other. I wonder why this is. How can you live so close to your family members and feel apart from them? There is a lot of talk in the news about the breakdown of family life. Divorce is rising everywhere in the world. This means single parents have less time to spend with their children, which creates problems. Maybe the stress of modern life puts too much pressure on families. It seems as though family life was better a generation or two ago. Is this true for families in your country?

285 Funerals286 If I could, I’d never go to another funeral again. No one likes funerals, of course, but for me, they make me so sad. I can’t stop crying. Quite often I’m the only person crying. Everything about a funeral makes me cry. When I open the invitation, tears well up in my eyes. When I see the funeral procession drive by, I start. The actual ceremony is almost unbearable. I have never learnt to control my sobs. If you hear someone sniffing non –stop, that’s me. The music at funerals is unnecessarily sad. I’ve told my friends I want salsa music at my funeral. And I don’t want people to wear black. I also hope the party after the funeral isn’t a sad occasion. People should laugh and remember the funny times.

287 Electricity288 Electricity is one of the most important inventions ever. It is the thing that powers the Earth. If there was no electricity, we’d be back in the dark ages. Few people stop and think just how amazing electricity is. With the flick of a switch, you can power almost anything. Think about what would happen if there was no electricity. We’d have no TV, no computers, no traffic signals. It would be like going back to living in caves. There are a few negative points about electricity, of course. Number one, it’s dangerous. Thousands of people die each year from electrocuting themselves or in electrical fires. And number two, it isn’t good for the environment. Most electricity comes from burning coal and that creates greenhouse gasses.

289 Four seasons290 I’m not sure how many people ever stop to think how wonderful four seasons are. I think people who live in cities don’t care about the seasons. City people spend half their lives indoors or underground. I live in the country and I love watching the seasons come and go. Every day is different in the countryside. I love watching the crops grow in the fields. I watch them push their way up from the ground in the spring and then grow tall in the summer sun. Just before autumn arrives, the farmer harvests them and then winter comes. Seasons means it’s like living in a new place every four months. Everything changes. One wonderful thing about seasons is the seasonal food you get. There’s always something tasty that’s just come in season.

291 Driving292 Driving is one of life’s greatest pleasures. There’s nothing better than getting behind the wheel and going for a drive. I live in the countryside, so it’s easy to get out onto an open road. I open the windows and turn the music up and then just drive and drive. I like driving to new areas and finding new roads. I find it very relaxing and great fun. I like the speed and the freedom. I even like driving in towns and cities, although not when traffic is really heavy. It’s not much fun being stuck in a traffic jam half the day. Driving in different countries is great fun. I’m a little nervous at first, but I soon get to know the roads. People have different ways of driving in different countries. I don’t like countries that have aggressive drivers.

293 Emergency294 Are you a good person to have around in an emergency? I am, I think. I have a very cool head and I don’t panic easily. The most important thing to do in an emergency is stay calm. If you do this, you can think straight and decide what’s best to do. Also, if you stay calm, other people might stay calm too. The worst thing to do is panic. Once you panic, things become worse. Of course, it depends on the kind of emergency. For really serious emergencies, you should call the emergency services. That’s 999 in the UK or 911 in other parts of the world. My biggest emergency recently was a big one. I pressed the delete button and lost my 3,000 songs in iTunes. Luckily, I had a back-up.

295 Freedom296 Freedom is a funny thing. It seems to mean different things in different countries. People in my country say they have freedom, but I don’t think so. We have to go to school, we have to pay tax, we have to work, we have to do lots of things. That’s not freedom. I’d say we have more freedom than people in other countries. There are many countries in the world where people are like slaves. They can’t leave the country, can’t get a passport, and have to work 16 hours a day. I wonder what a society would be like if everyone was totally free to do anything they wanted. It would probably be a total mess. No one would work. I suppose freedom means having some rules to follow.

297 Drugs298 Drugs are becoming a big problem in many societies. When I was growing up, you rarely heard about drugs. Now, they’re everywhere. Children in schools are smoking marijuana and taking harder drugs. There were many kids at my school who smoked. Nicotine was the most serious drug they used. Today’s kids seem to have access to all kinds of drugs. I don’t know what the government should do about it. Some countries have legalized drugs like marijuana, but others have made it a crime to possess even the smallest amount. You can even go to prison for having a tiny, tiny bit. Governments need to do something before society ends up in a real mess. I’m not sure what the solution is.

299 Grammar300 Grammar! Why is English grammar so confusing? I studied grammar for many years at school and I still don’t understand when to use a tense. Is it the simple present or the present perfect? What’s the difference? My teacher tells me to keep visiting grammar websites and doing the practice activities. She told me to look for patterns, but I’m not really sure what she means. She also told me one of the best ways to learn grammar is to read for pleasure. She said that way I’ll keep seeing good grammar and it will slowly come to me. I think the best way to learn grammar is to write and let my teacher point out my mistakes. Do you have any good tips on how to learn grammar?

301 Globalization302 What does globalization mean? We always hear this word on TV and read about it in newspapers. It means the world is now a village – the global village. The world has become smaller. Of course, the world did not shrink and it isn’t a village. Because of better transport, the Internet and more trading between countries, it is easier to do business. Japanese car makers have factories in Thailand; American computer companies employ thousands of people in China. That’s globalization. And don’t forget the millions of call centre jobs in India that workers in America and Europe used to do. Globalization also means it is easier to work in another country. Is globalization a good or bad thing? That’s a difficult question to answer.

303 Global warming304305 Gangsters306 When I was a kid, I thought gangsters were really cool. I loved watching gangster movies. Al Capone was almost like a hero to me. I always wanted the gangster in the movie to escape from the police. The movies made gangsters look like heroes. Now I’m older, I think that’s shocking. How can they glamorize the life of gangsters. Of course, we all know gangsters are dangerous. They are involved in many crimes. They sell drugs, traffic children and run prostitution rings. Many gangsters control politicians and policemen. In fact, in many countries around the world, gangsters become politicians. The funny thing is, even now, when I look at gangster movies, I still think the gangster is the good guy. That’s a little worrying.

307 Gardening308 Everybody should take up gardening as a hobby. We can all get back to nature. Thousands of years ago we all did a bit of gardening. It’s one of the most relaxing hobbies I can think of. It’s also very satisfying. I get very excited about gardening. I love planting seeds and then letting nature take over. It’s amazing how quickly things grow. Before you know it, your seeds are beautiful flowers. You also learn a lot about flowers, vegetables, shrubs and trees. Of course, gardening is also very practical. If you grow vegetables, you can eat what you grow. Vegetables picked fresh from your garden really do taste better than the ones in the shops. Gardening is good for you. It makes you feel part of the Earth.

Global warming is the biggest problem in the world today. Everyone know about it but not everyone is trying to stop it. Many world leaders are more interested in blaming other countries for the crisis. Countries like China, India and Russia say they will not act unless America takes more action. America says it will not act until other countries take more action. It seems a little childish that leaders are acting in this way. The future of our world is at risk and governments can only argue with each other. Many presidents and prime ministers tell us that technology is the answer. They say future scientists will find solutions to save the planet. This is a big gamble. I hope they are right. I don’t believe them, so I’ll continue switching off lights and recycling.

309 Fun310 Everybody wants to have fun. Life would be so boring if fun was taken away. There are so many things you can do for fun. The best thing, I think, is simply to be with your friends. You’ll always have a fun time with them. I can’t remember the most fun I’ve ever had. I had loads of fun times when I was a kid. It seemed as though life was all fun, except for homework. But university was also a lot of fun. I’d love to do all that again. I’m not sure if I’d call working fun. There’s not much fun in sitting at a desk and trying to please your boss. Weekends are fun though. I always try to have as much fun as I can at the weekend. Having fun is the best way to relieve the stress that builds up during the week.

311 Frustration312 Frustration is a terrible thing. In fact, it’s a frustrating thing. Getting frustrated is one of life’s biggest frustrations. I wish I didn’t get frustrated, but there are so many things in life that are frustrating. I think the biggest thing recently is computers. Getting a new computer out of the box can be frustrating. Understanding how everything works is doubly frustrating. And then there are all the frustrations with programmes that freeze, web pages that don’t open, and things you lose. I wonder why we get so frustrated. I think we could do things better if we relaxed and did everything slowly. I wonder if animals and birds get frustrated. I’m sure a lot of the things we humans do causes them a lot of frustration.

313 Football314 Football, that’s soccer to Americans, is the biggest and best sport in the world. There are millions of reasons why it is the world sport. For a start, it is played all over the world. The football World Cup is the biggest event on Earth. It’s bigger than the Olympics. More people watch the Final on TV than any other event. Football also brings nations together. The greatest of enemies put aside their differences for 90 minutes to play a football match. Then there are the teams, like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool. These names are more well known across the world than the top basketball or baseball teams. A famous coach once said: “Football isn’t a matter of life and death; it’s more important.”

315 Fish316 I think fish are the most interesting creatures on the planet. They are absolutely fascinating. I love their different shapes, colours, social behaviour, everything. I can watch tropical fish in my aquarium for hours. Even the tiny little fish are so beautiful. When I go to the city aquarium, I can spend the whole morning or afternoon looking at the fish. I don’t have a favourite fish. I must confess that after watching the movie ‘Finding Nemo’ I do now like clownfish. As well as looking at fish, I also love eating them. Tuna is my favourite, especially raw tuna. When I visit Japan, the first thing I do is go to a sushi restaurant. Raw fish is so much tastier than cooked fish. And probably a lot healthier.

317 Flying318 I absolutely love flying. I love everything about it, from buying my air ticket to getting off the plane and collecting my baggage. There’s something very special about getting on an airplane. It’s always a real adventure. I like short flights and long-haul flights. Many people say economy class is terrible, but I like it. There isn’t enough legroom but I don’t mind that. Many people also say they hate airplane food. I love it. The only thing I don’t like about flying is turbulence. I think that’s really scary. I always worry the plane will crash. Another thing I don’t like is waiting to get off when the plane stops. It takes ages before the flight attendants open the doors. One day I want to fly business class and first class.

319 Fear320 What are you afraid of? I’m not really afraid of anything. When I was a child I was afraid of the dark. I used to hear strange noises at night when I was in bed. I couldn’t move. I was frozen with fear until it got light outside. I’m no longer afraid of the dark, thankfully. I also used to fear speaking in public. My face would go red and I’d get very hot. I overcame this fear because I had to make many speeches at school. The more I did this, the more my public speaking fear disappeared. People are afraid of many strange things. Did you there is a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth? There is even a medical name for it. I don’t think fear is a bad thing. It probably stops us from doing really dangerous things.

321 Diseases322 One day, all diseases on Earth will be gone. I wonder. In fact, if all diseases die out or doctors find vaccines and cures for them, that will really change our planet. Think about the amount of overpopulation if no one died from diseases. There’d be a population explosion. I don’t think the Earth would be able to feed so many people. It’s a really difficult question. Some diseases in the world are really horrible and cause a lot of suffering. It would be great if scientists found cures for those. Scientists have already found a cure for many diseases. It’s amazing how far science and medicine have come. I think more cures for diseases could be found if governments spent more money. They seem to spend so little on controlling disease.

323 Death324 People say that death is the only thing in life that is certain. That’s true. I’m not afraid of dying, but I do think it’s a sad thing. I’d like to live forever. I like life. I want to see my children’s children’s children grow up. People have different views on death in different cultures. In some countries, you die and go to heaven. In other countries you die and come back to Earth as something else. Some people celebrate people’s death because they had a good life. In other countries, death is a sad and dark affair. I know of many countries where death is a taboo subject. People just don’t talk about it. I have no problems talking about death. Especially to my family. I think it’s useful to tell everyone what I want to happen when I die.

325 Discrimination326 I don’t understand discrimination. To me, it’s evil. How can you not think that all people are the same? It doesn’t matter what kind of discrimination it is, it’s all terrible. People who discriminate because of other people’s race, sex or age should be named and shamed. I think there should be really strong laws against all forms of discrimination. Racism is horrible. What difference does it make what colour your skin is? The thing that surprises me is that even in the most cosmopolitan cities, racism is everywhere. Sexual discrimination is also stupid. Sexist people have sisters, mothers, wives, daughters; but they still treat women as being less able. I wonder if we'll ever live in a world where we’re all equal.

327 Danger328 Danger is everywhere. It’s all around us. That what I’ve decided. I thought about danger the other day and decided we live in a dangerous world. Even our house is full of danger. There are many chemicals in our cosmetics, cleaners, fridges, computers that are not good for us. The electric wiring could go wrong and electrocute us. We could fall down the stairs or slip on the kitchen floor. And then when we leave our house, we enter a dangerous world. Cars travelling at speed, people holding cigarettes, construction workers with heavy objects above our heads… all of these things present danger. Just turn on the news or open a local paper to see how much danger there is. I think I’ll stay in bed today.

329 Fast food330 Do you like fast food? Lots of people complain about it but I think a lot of it’s quite tasty – as long as you go to one of the international chains like McDonalds or Kentucky. I think in today’s world, it’s difficult to avoid eating in fast food restaurants. They are so convenient and seem to be everywhere. Of course they’re not the same as real restaurants. I wonder if they are restaurants. There aren’t any waiters. Anyway, the most important thing to remember about fast food is that it isn’t so healthy. People who eat it every day develop health problems. I don’t understand why schools serve fast food during lunch time. Schools should encourage students to eat healthily. If you have time, look at a website on slow food.

331 Credit cards332 Many years ago I read that credit cards were the thing of the future. Credit card companies were telling us that plastic would replace cash. Well, this hasn’t happened. People are still using notes and coins. The Internet has increased the use of credit cards, but many people worry about putting their card details online. Lots of personal info gets stolen by fake sites pretending to be famous banks or online stores. Personally, I love credit cards. I always prefer to pay by card than by cash. When you use your card, you get air miles and every six months you can cash them in for presents. I do worry about credit card security. I keep waiting to see a huge purchase on my statement that I didn’t make.

333 Evolution334 I learnt all about evolution when I was about ten years old. I remember it clearly. I thought it was amazing. My mind was full of images of strange creatures crawling out of a green, soupy lake. Fish that had somehow developed legs and the ability to breathe air. Then these creatures turned into all kinds of animals. All the books I read said we came from apes. Scientists are still not sure how. There’s a missing link. When I think about it now, the theory of evolution is a clever concept. The man who thought of it, Charles Darwin, said nature is all about the survival of the fittest. Only the strongest species survive. We are still evolving. Scientists believe we will look quite different a million years from now. I wonder what we’ll look like.

335 Fomular One336 I’m really into motor racing. Especially Formula One. It really is one of the most glamorous and exciting sports. Of course, it’s one of the fastest. I’m amazed by the speed of the cars and how skillful the drivers are. I’d love to drive a Formula One car to see how fast they go. People say Formula One is a man’s sport. It isn’t. I know lots of women who love it. One day, there’ll be a female world champion. You wait. I got into Formula One years ago. I loved the names of all the drivers. I watched a few Grands Prix on TV and then I was hooked. I never miss a race on TV. One day, I’d really like to go to a circuit and watch a Grand Prix live. I guess Monaco would be best – they drive through the streets there.

337 Fishing338 I really don’t know why fishing is so popular. It’s one of the best-loved hobbies all over the world. Anywhere there’s a pond, a river a lake or sea, you see people fishing. I’ve only been fishing twice and I thought it was boring. I didn’t catch any fish. Even if I had caught a fish, I don’t think I would have been excited. To me, sitting next to a river waiting for something to happen is strange. I know lots of people who love fishing. They even get up at four o’clock in the morning in the winter to sit in the freezing cold. They say the best time to fish is before the sun comes up. I say they’re crazy. Big game fishing looks good. I like the idea of cruising on a boat near Hawaii looking for giant fish.

339 Fashion340 Have you ever thought how strange fashion is? People tell us what clothes to wear. That’s weird. Fashion stores tell us what is “in” this summer or this winter. People then buy the same clothes and look like everyone else because they want to feel trendy. The thing is, fashion is about being an individual, but then we all wear clothes that are the same as everyone else’s! Keeping up with fashion is expensive these days. Everyone is into brand fashion. Have you seen how much the most fashionable sneakers are? How can kids afford those? The craziest fashion is the luxury brands. People spend a month’s salary, or more, on a handbag or watch. That’s crazy. I’m happy with an unknown brand at half the price. I don’t mind being unfashionable.

341 Exercise342343 Eggs344 Eggs are great. Where would we be without them? They are so useful. I can’t imagine life or cooking without them. There are many ways of cooking eggs for breakfast – fried eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, etc. There are even many ways of “cooking” these. You can have a runny or hard fried egg or even have it sunny side up. You can have soft or hard-boiled eggs and fluffy scrambled eggs. There are also many things to put on top of eggs – mayonnaise, ketchup, salt, soy sauce. Each country has something different. I like cooking with eggs. I particularly like breaking them. I can now do it with one hand, without breaking the yolk. Sometimes it gets messy and the egg white starts dripping down your arm.

345 Crime346 Why do we have crime? When will it all stop? It’s sad that there is so much crime in our society. It hurts so many people. Most people in the world just want to live happily and be good neighbours. Why do some people turn to crime? Money is a big reason. Many criminals pickpocket, steal, kidnap, or even kill people to get money. There are many terrible crimes in the world. Perhaps the worst is ethnic cleansing. This is a crime against humanity. Many people are killed because of their colour or religion. People who commit this crime rarely go to prison. Have you ever been a victim of crime? What do you think we need to do to reduce crime rates? Perhaps you should write to your government. Tell your leaders enough is enough.

347Clothes348 I have too many clothes. I have many clothes I’ve only worn once. Sometimes I even find something at the back of a drawer that I never even wore. I bought it, put it away, and then forgot about it. I’m sure I don’t need so many clothes. I don’t think anyone really needs 11 pairs of jeans and 32 sweaters. I won’t tell you how many pairs of shoes I’ve got. That’s way too embarrassing. The simple truth is I love clothes and I love shopping. Maybe I have a problem. I’m sure I’d be a lot richer if I didn’t buy so many clothes. I like brands, so the clothes I buy are quite expensive. One day I’m going to have a big clearout. I’ll take all the clothes I no longer wear and give them to charity.

349 Dreams350 I dream almost every night. I have a lot of dreams and I remember most of them. I’m not sure what they mean. Some of them are quite strange. One day I’ll have to buy a book on dreams and see if I can interpret them. When I was a little kid, I had really bad dreams. Real scary ones. They were probably nightmares rather than dreams. Usually it was some big, bad stranger chasing me. My dreams today are all very different. Sometimes I’m speaking in another language in my dream. The ones I don’t like are the ones where I’m falling. But I my dreams where I’m flying. I sometimes have really nice dreams, but then my alarm clock goes off. I press snooze and try and get back into my dream for another ten minutes.

351 Directions352 I’m hopeless at giving directions. I get very confused. I’m sure I send people in totally the wrong direction. For some reason, I always get stopped for directions in the street. I can usually direct someone if it’s just a block or two, but that’s it. If it’s half way across town, I’ll send you in the opposite direction, guaranteed. The funniest thing is asking for directions in another language. I’m pretty good at saying where I want to go, but when I receive the directions, I understand nothing. I nod my head and smile and say “thank you very much”. The person walks away thinking I understood the directions. I’m impressed by people who can give directions from one town to another. They must have a map inside their head!

Exercise is something most of us love to hate. A lot of us avoid it altogether. I do a lot of exercise, but not because I like it. I do it because it helps me stay slim and healthy. I always feel great after exercising, so there are good parts to it. The thing I hate most is getting ready. It’s really difficult after a hard day’s work to come home and then prepare for your exercises. I really don’t want to do it when I’m getting changed. I hate the warm-up stretching. I also hate the first

353 Cars354 Are you into cars? My brother is. He’s car crazy. He buys car magazines, watches car programmes on TV and spends hours looking at car websites. He knows the name, maker, engine size and top speed of every car on the planet. Every time we go out, he talks non-stop about the cars he sees. I like cars. They are interesting. If I had a lot of money, I’d like to buy a sports car. I’m saving up for a small car at the moment. I’ll probably buy a hybrid car that is good for the environment. My brother thinks these are boring. He says a car should be powerful and fast. I don’t agree. I think cars should get you from A to B and be big enough for me and my friends. I also prefer smaller cars because they are easier to park.

355 Books356 Don’t you think books are the best thing in the world? I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t reading a book. I still have memories of being in my school library when I was about five years old. I have been a bit of a bookworm since then. You’ll usually see me with my head buried in a book. I love all kinds of books. Novels are great for getting to know other worlds and cultures. A good book is one where you never want the story to end. I also like autobiographies because I think it’s interesting to read about people’s lives. Encyclopedias are cool too – you can learn everything about everything in these. I still prefer books to the Internet. Books need to be in your hand and made of paper.

357Climate358 Climate change is one of the most worrying things for our planet. Many politicians and scientists say it is the biggest danger we face. I read almost every day that climate change is changing the Earth forever. Many species of animal, fish, insect, frog, etc. are dying. The ice caps in the Arctic and Antarctica are melting. Our weather is changing so places are getting warmer, or colder, or are having more and stronger hurricanes. We all need to do our bit so that climate change does not destroy us. It’s important to cut down on things that produce greenhouse gasses. These warm the planet and change the climate. Doing simple things like turning off lights and recycling paper all help.

359 Education360 Education is one of the most important things in our lives. Don’t you agree? It can make the difference between success and failure. An education can bring us knowledge and make us rich. In rich countries, people are lucky to have good schools. Children start learning from a very young age. They can further their education and go to higher education or university. In Japan, there are even private schools for babies to learn English. It’s a shame that in many rich countries, many children don’t want to learn. Perhaps schools need to find better ways to teach so children want to learn. It’s sad that in many parts of the world, children want to learn but can’t. Make sure you never stop learning. Education is the key to a better future.

361 Dogs362 There’s an old English saying that says, “A dog is a man’s best friend”. This is true for many people – men and women. Most people I know love dogs. They are pretty cool animals. They are intelligent and very helpful. Dogs are a real member of the family if you have one as a pet. I think dogs are very useful. They keep you company, they bark if a stranger comes near your house, and they fetch your slippers. Not all dogs are nice, though. Some are dangerous. I get sad when I read in the paper about children being attacked by a dog. Owners need to train them better. I also get sad when I read about abandoned dogs. People who want a dog as a pet should get an abandoned one.

363 Careers364 Choosing a career is one of the biggest decisions we make in life. It used to be that we chose only one career. People would start a job when they were 18, 19 or 20 and stay in that same career for life. Their career path was quite straightforward. Nowadays, it is normal for people to change careers, five, six, seven times. New technology and globalization means things change quickly. We need to study and keep up with all the changes. I’ve had four different careers now. I like moving from one job to another. It means life never gets boring. It’s much better to keep learning different things in different careers. I have no idea what career I’ll choose next. Perhaps one that doesn’t even exists today.

365 Blood366 I hate the sight of blood. Looking at it makes me go all weak at the knees. I can’t even look at my own blood. I don’t know why. The thing I hate most is giving blood for a medical check. I fainted once after I saw my blood in a small bottle. If I have a nose bleed, I have to sit down for 30 minutes before I feel better. It’s impossible for me to watch operations on TV. I wish I could donate blood to others. I can’t. I know giving blood is really important, but I’m not brave enough. One thing about blood I do find interesting is blood types. I think your blood type can affect your personality. I know that in some countries, people with blood type A would not be a good romantic match for someone with blood type O.

367 Baths368 One of my favourite times of the day is bath time. I absolutely love taking a bath. Baths are so much better than showers. Having a bath is the most relaxing thing. There’s nothing better in life than sinking into a hot bath and letting the water take away my troubles. A bath really makes you feel great. I especially like taking a bath before going to bed. Bath time is pretty much the only time of the day when you can really pamper yourself. It also means a lot of quality time to yourself. It’s perfect for listening to music and reading a good book. The only thing I don’t like about bath time is when I fall asleep and the water goes cold. Or even worse – when you want a bath and there’s no hot water.

369 Art370 I’m a great art lover. I look at beautiful paintings and sculptures and wish I could be artistic. I can’t draw or paint to save my life. I wonder why some people are so talented and can create amazing pictures, when other people, like me, can’t even draw good matchstick figures. I would like to fill my house with art from all over the world. It’s interesting to see how different cultures have different kinds of art. There’s nothing better than visiting art galleries when you go to another country. I prefer more traditional art. I don’t really understand a lot of modern art. I look at an exhibit of a pile of bricks in a museum but can’t see how it’s art. I always laugh when my children say, “Daddy, I can do better than that!” I often think they can.

371 Beauty372 People say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That means if someone thinks someone else is beautiful, then they are beautiful. I think the idea of beauty is interesting. Why do we think some things or some people are beautiful and others aren’t? Some people think a building is beautiful, while others think the opposite. People nowadays spend too much time and money on beauty. I agree with the expression, “beauty is only skin deep”. This means that what’s really important is someone’s heart and character, not what they look like on the outside. It’s a little strange, and unfair, that you have to be beautiful to be a top actress or even a news reader on TV. I think there should be equal rights for most of us “non-beautiful” people.

373 Autumn374 Autumn is such a cool time of the year. Of course it is cool because the temperatures drop after summer. But it is also cool because it’s such a great time of the year. I love the changing of the leaves. The different autumn colours are one of nature’s most beautiful scenes. Sometimes I can’t stop looking at the mountains near my house. They are like an artist’s palette of golds, reds, yellows, browns and other autumnal colours. In America they call autumn ‘fall’ because that is when the leaves fall from the trees. I like the coolness of autumn. Summer is over but you can still wear a T-shirt – just about. You can also spend hours outdoors without sweating. Autumn is the best time of the year to go hiking and go for long walks.

375 Airports376 Aren’t airports strange places? There’s so much happening in them. People coming, people going; people crying with sadness because they’re going away, people crying with joy because they’ve arrived. Big airports are almost like small towns. It seems like you walk across a town by the time you check in and get to your departure gate. The thing I like most about airports is people watching. There are people from all over the world. I also like how everything fits and works together. You check your luggage in and then it disappears, before you see it again at the next airport. I still think airports need improving. There’s not a lot to do there. Airports really need to have an entertainment area so people can kill time.

377 Famine378 There is no way that famine should be a problem in today’s world. We are so rich. Companies have billions of dollars. Countries have trillions. It’s a real shame that people do not give enough to help famine victims. It’s a sin. There is more than enough food in this world to feed everyone. Government leaders need to tell the world why they let people die of hunger. Even the United Nations can’t persuade governments to give enough money to help the starving. Of course, there are good governments and bad ones. The bad ones often let their own people starve. The leaders steal the country’s money. Some countries have a famine but their state TV tells people there are bumper crops. That’s shocking.

379 Digital cameras380 Digital cameras are so useful. I love my digital camera. I take it everywhere with me. My friends think I’m mad, but I’ve got thousands of really good photos. Digital cameras are so much better than the old cameras with film. They’re also much better than mobile phone cameras. My digital camera fits in my pocket and takes great photos. I usually take a few photos every day and then put them online for my friends to see. The best thing about digital cameras is that they are so easy to use. It’s child’s play. The good thing is that digital cameras today give the same quality photos as you could only get on really expensive cameras. All you need is 10 to 12 megapixels. That’s more than enough.

381 Airplanes382 Airplanes are amazing. How does something so big and heavy get off the ground? I’m always amazed at how the millions of different parts work together. Travelling by airplane is always a wonderful experience. I don’t care whether economy class is cramped and has no space. I like playing with the in-flight entertainment system, especially now they have all the latest movies. I also love airplane food. Many of my friends say it’s disgusting, but I love it. I often ask the passenger next to me if I can have the dessert or roll they don’t want. The only thing I don’t like about planes is turbulence. When the airplane hits those air pockets, I always worry we’ll crash. But I once read that turbulence has never caused an airplane to crash.

383 Cyber crime384 I don’t think people understand cyber-crime. It’s only just started. In the future, it’s going to be a huge problem. There have already been a few amazing examples. A few years ago the whole Internet in Latvia was attacked by another country. Cyberspace has become a new battleground. Countries spy on each other. If there’s a war, it’s possible one country could attack the other country’s Internet. This would mean all communication, transport, etc would stop. It would cause huge damage to hospitals and other important buildings. But cyber-crime is happening today to ordinary people. Have you ever heard of phishing? That’s with a ‘ph’ not ‘f’. You really need to be very careful about what information you put online.

385 Dancing386 I have loved dancing ever since I can remember. It was a part of my life when I was growing up and it is still important to me now. It has to be the best way to exercise. What can be better than dancing to your favourite songs? I love going to clubs and discos. I can dance all night long. I never get tired of it. When I was small, I used to go to school discos. I’d also dance at the parties my parents, friends and neighbours had. I don’t think I’ll ever stop dancing. I also love looking at dancing. Ballet is beautiful. Dances from all over the world are beautiful. I think the life of a professional dancer must be a good one. One thing that always amazes me is how much children love dancing. I think dancing must be in their blood.

387 Cosmetics388 I wish we didn’t need cosmetics. We spend so much time and money on them. And for what? We take them off at night, only to put them all on again in the morning. If you think about it. they’re amazingly expensive. Why does a lipstick or a small tube of cream cost so much? The really expensive cosmetics don’t actually make you look that different than really cheap ones. A lot depends too on your skill – choosing the right colours to match your face, and how you put your make-up on. I sometimes laugh at the ladies selling cosmetics in department stores. They’re meant to be experts but they look like clowns. I mean, do they really need to paint their faces? One thing I worry about is whether the chemicals damage your skin.

389 English390 I’m a bit shy when I have to speak in English. I’m a little worried about making mistakes. I also still lack confidence. Many of my friends don’t worry about mistakes. They just talk and talk. They always get their message across, even if their grammar is wrong. I think this is the best thing to do. My teacher always says it’s best to learn by doing. If I don’t try to speak English, I’ll never be able to use it when I need it. One thing I started doing recently was talking to myself. I have short conversations with myself. I think it works. I also make short stories about people and say them aloud. I do this in my room, of course. People would think I’m crazy if I did it in class or on the train.

391 Energy392 My energy levels go up and down. Sometimes I’m full of energy, and sometimes I’m drained of energy. Mornings are when my energy levels are high. I wake up ready to go. I don’t need 30 minutes to wake up, like some people I know. For some reason the food I eat doesn’t affect how energetic I am. Some people feel tired after lunch, while others complain they need to eat something for an energy boost. I seem to have the same level of energy even if I eat nothing all day. The one thing that does affect my energy is the weather. A bright, sunny day gives me lots of energy. A dull, rainy day makes me feel less energetic. I also have a lot of energy if I’m doing something exciting – even if it’s study or work.

393 E-mail394 E-mail certainly keeps me busy. I never used to write as many letters as I do now. In the good old days before computers, we wrote real letters, with paper and envelopes. I wrote one or two letters a week. But now, with e-mail, my in-box is never empty. There’s always someone mailing me. I would like just one day where I’m free of e-mail. The sad thing is, very few mails I get are interesting. I get loads of spam – junk mail trying to sell me things I don’t want. I also get lots of mail from people asking me to do stuff. Do this, do that, reply ASAP. It’s too much sometimes. The one good thing about e-mail is that you can get things done quickly. I can e-mail a company in another country and they can mail me back in two minutes.

395 Eating396 Eating is the best thing ever. I love eating. Any time of the day or night I can eat…. and eat and eat and eat. I have a very big appetite. I always have. My mother used to complain about how much I ate. She used to ask me if I had a hole in my stomach. Eating is very, very satisfying. There are many different aspects of eating. It fills us up and stops us feeling hungry. Food tastes so good and eating it makes us feel very happy. Sometimes I feel like I’m in heaven when I’m eating – especially chocolate fudge cheesecake. Yum. Eating is also a great social activity. I love eating with my family, with my friends or even at work. Eating can also be an international experience. Eating is great just about anywhere you eat.

397 Divorce398 Divorce is on the increase around the world. It seems divorce rates are rising in pretty much every country you read about. I know in my country, divorce is now not unusual. More than thirty per cent of marriages end in divorce. I suppose it’s easier nowadays to get a divorce, and it’s more socially acceptable. I know it was more difficult to get divorced 50 years ago. People thought that there was something wrong with you if you were a divorcee. Today, it’s common to get through two, three, even more marriages. Perhaps people should think a bit more before they get married. Divorce is pretty hard on children. When a divorce gets ugly, the kids really suffer. Sorting out divorce settlements can be a messy business.

399 Cosmetic surgery 400 Would you like to change your face and body? Would you like movie star looks? A lot of people want to do this. They pay lots of money to go to a cosmetic surgeon and change their appearance. The most common operation we call a nose job. People who are unhappy with their nose have it reshaped. Other people want their wrinkles to disappear to make themselves look younger. People also go under the knife and have things made bigger or smaller. I think this is a waste of money. I'm not the best-looking person in the world but I would never consider plastic surgery - even if it was free. Some people have so many operations they end up looking like they’re made of plastic. I'd rather stay looking human.

401 Chocolate402 Anyone who does not absolutely love chocolate is mad. I don’t think I know anyone who dislikes it. Some of my friends say they hate white chocolate or dark chocolate, but then they like some other kind. I think chocolate is one of the best inventions ever. It is also one of life’s true pleasures. There’s nothing better than having your whole mouth full of chocolate and letting it melt. I love pushing the chocolate up against the roof of my mouth and then moving it all around. Yum. I eat chocolate every day. I know it’s bad for our teeth and makes us fat, but I don’t care. I prefer to think about the health benefits of chocolate. I’ve read many articles that say chocolate is good for us.

403 Dentists404 I’m afraid of the dentist. Always have been, for as long as I can remember. Even if the dentist is really, really kind and gentle, I’m still afraid. Even if the dental surgery is colourful and there’s relaxing music, I’m still afraid. Dentists for me haven’t changed a bit. When I was a child, I hated the sound of the drill. That sound is still there today. When I was young, I hated the smell. Same smell today. I can’t wait for the day scientists invent something so we never need dentists. The strange thing is, when I was younger, I wanted to be a dentist. I thought it would be good to treat people just like me. I felt I would understand others who have the same fear. I think I would have been a good dentist.

405 Calories406 Do you ever think about or worry about the number of calories you eat and drink every day. It’s not really something I thought about when I was younger. But now I have to think about my calorie intake. I’m putting on weight and so need to be more careful with what I eat. This is difficult because all of the yummiest food has the most calories. I’ve found an answer to this problem. If I do lots of exercise, I can eat what I want and not have to worry about calories. I burn off 500 calories when I jog for an hour. This means I can have a pizza and dessert and not feel guilty. I wish there was more information about calories in restaurants. It would make it easier for me to know what to eat and what to avoid.

407 Doctors408 Doctors are cool. They spend all their day helping people and saving lives. There can’t be many better jobs in the world. I wanted to be a doctor when I was a kid but I was no good at science. I think doctors are among the most important people in society. They should get paid lots and lots of money. It’s not right that bankers get paid more. Doctors are really clever and very kind. They never seem to panic or get angry. Every time I’ve seen a doctor, he or she has always made me feel better – not just because of their treatment, but also because of their kindness. It must be amazing being a doctor and knowing all kinds of stuff about the human body. It would be pretty useful being a doctor because then you’d know what was wrong with your own body.

409 Being Single410 Being single has its advantages and disadvantages. I think it’s better to stay single when you’re young. You need to live and have fun. You also need the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Being single in your twenties gives you lots of time to go travelling, see the world and experience different things. Most people like being single in their twenties and then want to settle down in their thirties. I think being single later in life can be sad. All of your friends are married or attached and people tend to go out and party less. I think being single when you’re old would be very lonely. The longer you stay single, the harder it becomes to settle down. In some countries, people think you’re strange if you’re single later on in life.

411 Christmas412 I think Christmas is one of the happiest times of the year. Everyone has a smile on their face, especially children. It’s such an exciting time for kids. They can’t wait to open their presents and play with all of their new games and toys. It’s a nice time for adults too. They can catch up with their families and relax. Traditionally, the mother of the family is busiest at Christmas. She does most of the Christmas shopping and wraps the presents. Of course, she also spends hours cooking Christmas dinner. Let’s not forget the true meaning of Christmas, though. It is not about shopping and Christmas trees and ‘Frosty the Snowman’. It’s all about love for each other and peace around the world. Let’s hope this message stays alive.

413 Carbon Footprint414 We have to do something about pollution. Even though there are warnings about global warming, companies don’t do anything to reduce pollution. Our sky, air, rivers, beaches and countryside are becoming rubbish dumps. The air is so polluted it is giving children breathing problems. Polluted rivers have no fish left in them and beaches are too dangerous to walk on because of the garbage everywhere. It seems a lot of people don’t care. I think there should be big fines for polluters. I don’t mind paying more for things if they can be made with less pollution. The problem is that companies are more interested in profits than pollution. We have only just started looking at our carbon footprint.

415 Birthdays416 Birthdays are brilliant. I’m 62 years old and I still love them. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad birthday. In fact, I think birthdays get better and better the older you become. Sure, kids love birthdays because they get presents and get to eat cake. But when you get older, birthdays make you feel special. It’s your special day. Even if no one wishes you a happy birthday, it’s still your special day. A lot of my friends think I’m mad. They hate their birthdays because it means they’re another year older. I hope I get to celebrate my hundredth birthday. I’m not sure if I can blow out 100 candles though. When I look back at all my birthdays, it’s difficult to choose the best. I’ll just say my last birthday is always the best one.

417 Banks418 I’m not the world’s biggest fan of banks. I’ve had too many bad experiences of them. I really don’t know how they can advertise and say they look after you. They don’t. Bank charges are way too high; you spend ages waiting to be served; and then they say no if you want a loan. The bank I bank with makes dozens of mistakes with my account. The thing they’re best at is making excuses. I’m not at all surprised so many banks did badly in the credit crisis. I hope they change. Bankers get far too much money. All they do is desk work. Banks need to focus a lot more on real customer service. At the moment banks only offer an excuse for customer service. They don’t even offer you a drink when you sit down and open an account.

419 Apartments420 In the USA, they’re called apartments; in the UK they’re called flats. They are a modern invention. I don’t particularly like them. I don’t think it’s good for so many people to live so close together. It’s not good for people to live on top of each other. I don’t understand how people can live above the second floor. It’s not natural to live in the sky. The thing I hate most about apartments are the lifts (Americans say elevator) and the fact there’s no garden. More and more people are moving into apartments. This creates problems with overcrowding. There aren’t enough spaces to park your car, there’s nowhere to throw your rubbish and you have to wait ages to reach your floor. Give me a little house with a little garden any day.

421 Diamonds422 There’s a famous song that says “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. Is that true? Do all women like diamonds? They are certainly very beautiful, especially when you see them sparkling. But really, only rich people can afford diamonds. When I bought my wife’s wedding ring, we could only afford a smallish diamond. There were lots of beautiful rings in the store with huge diamonds but they all cost an arm and a leg. One day I’ll buy her a big diamond as a surprise. Nowadays you have to worry where diamonds come from. Many countries sell diamonds to buy guns and tanks. These are called blood diamonds. If you buy a diamond, make sure it has a certificate so you know which country it came from.

423 Current events424 I love the news and current events. I’m addicted to what’s happening in the world. It doesn’t matter what kind of news it is, I love watching it. Even if it’s from countries I’ve never heard of. I’ll even watch the same news programme three or four times and not get bored. I guess it’s so fascinating because it’s real. I get really interested in a story when it breaks, then like to follow it as it unfolds. Following current events makes you quite knowledgeable. I know most of the world’s capitals and most of the world’s leaders. Watching the news is really looking at history happening now. But you never know what’s going to happen next. Every time you turn on the news or read a news story, you’ll find something unexpected.

425 Computers426 It’s hard to believe that no one had computers a few years ago. I wonder how people lived. There must have been a lot of paperwork. I can’t imagine writing everything by hand. I also wonder how everything worked without computers. We need computers today for everything. Hospitals, airports, the police… nothing can work without computers. I’m sure I’d be ten times busier than now if I didn’t have a computer. Imagine having to find a piece of paper and an envelope and then walking down the street to mail a letter! I love my computer. It makes everything in my life so convenient. Sure, it freezes and crashes sometimes. Sure I lose some data. But that’s not often. Most of the time my computer is like my best friend.

427 Advice

428 I don’t know what I would do without my friends’ advice. They’ve all given me so much good advice over the years. It’s sometimes very difficult to make decisions on your own. Listening to advice can be great for helping you make the right decision. The greatest piece of advice I’ve received was from my father. He told me I can do anything in life if I try hard. He was right. I am now passing on his advice to my own children. Right now I need some advice on money. My financial advisors are telling me to be very careful. That’s very sound advice. I would advise anyone to do the same. Someone asked me the other day about the worst piece of advice I’ve ever had. I couldn’t answer. I don’t think I’ve had any really bad advice.

429 Children430 Children are angels. Most of the time this is true. I’m very lucky because my two children really are the greatest angels. I think I won the children lottery with my kids. I could not have asked for lovelier, happier, sweeter little children. They have brought me endless amounts of joy since the second they were born. Everything they do fascinates me. Everything they say makes me smile. Watching them grow up is my greatest pleasure. In a way, it’s a little sad. I always want them to stay the age they’re at now. When they were 18 months old, I thought that was the cutest age. I thought the same when they were two, and then three and then four. I guess however old they are, they’re perfect. I wish all the children in the world were as happy as mine.

431 Bad Habits432 What are your bad habits? I think everyone has bad habits. Not everyone agrees on what bad habits are. Some smokers don’t think smoking is a bad habit. Young people don’t think listening to loud music on the train is a bad habit. In Japan, slurping your noodles is a sign that you enjoy your food, but making a noise while eating in England is not good. Have you ever tried to break your bad habits? I have quit smoking and have stopped leaving things laying around the house. I wish other people would stop their bad habits. I get annoyed when people are late for meetings or talk loudly on their phones in public. I also think many motorists need to think about their driving habits. Perhaps I should point out their bad habits.

433 Animals434 I’m a real animal lover. I’m fascinated by the whole animal kingdom. I loved animals when I was a kid. I used to read every book I could find on animals. I knew all the different animal species. The most exciting thing for me was going to the zoo. I would spend hours just watching the animals walk around, sit, or even sleep. When I was older, I went on a safari to Tanzania. I saw real wild animals in the wild. Everyone should do this once in their lives. Looking at animals in their natural habitat is a real honour. Now I’m worried about the future of many animals. Some of my favourite animals are in danger of dying out. We really need to change our lifestyle so our children can have the chance of seeing animals in the wild.

435 Advertising436 What is advertising? Is it telling the truth or is it making things look better than they really are? Or is it lying? Companies pay a lot of money for adverts. Some of the ads you see in glossy magazines look like art. The commercials on TV look like mini movies. Do they really change our behaviour? Do adverts make you buy things? I think some advertising is a form of lying. Is BMW really “The ultimate driving machine” like they say in their ads? British Airways used to say they were “The world’s favourite airline,” but had to stop saying it because it wasn’t true. Personally, I get tired of watching ads on television. They always interrupt a good programme. I like ads in magazines. They’re usually quite interesting.

437 Culture438 I’m really interested in the culture of other countries. I don’t know why, but I always think other cultures are more interesting than my own culture. Every time I travel, I learn wonderful, strange, amazing and interesting things about other cultures. One of the biggest surprises I had was when I went to the USA as a child. I’m English so I thought Americans had the same culture as me. When I went to America I understood Americans and Brits are very different people. Understanding the culture of other people is very important. It helps us all to get along. If everyone really tried to learn about other cultures, the world would be a more peaceful place. The world is becoming smaller, so I think this is happening.

439 Coffee440 Scientists and doctors can’t make their minds up about coffee. One study says it’s really bad for us and the next report says it’s good for us. I’ve even read that 10 cups a day is good for our brain. I like a cup of coffee at certain times of the day. I must have a coffee first thing in the morning. I can’t survive without my morning coffee. I have another cup or two when I get to work. And that’s it. I never drink coffee after lunchtime. If I do, I can’t sleep at night. The only time I drink coffee in the evening is if I go to a nice restaurant. Coffee seems a lot more complicated these days. When I was younger it was just coffee. Now it’s latte, frappucino and all kinds of other strange words.

441 Chickens442 Chickens are so important to many of us because they are a major part of our diet. Every country has so many chicken dishes, and eggs are one of the most common foods around. Chickens are also cute. Well, chickens aren’t, but chicks are - cute, fluffy chicks that make everyone go ‘aaahh’. It’s strange though that the word ‘chicken’ is used in so many English idioms. When I was at high school, you couldn’t ‘chicken out’ – to not do something because of being scared. Things are different today - I’m no spring chicken (that means I’m no longer young) so no one calls me a chicken any more. I work now - as a teacher. I get chicken feed (low wages) but I like my job. I plan to retire before I’m 50, but I’m not going to count my chickens before they’re hatched. This means I won’t quit working until I have enough money.

443 Business444 Business isn’t so good at the moment. In fact, it’s the worst time for businesses for decades. Many businesses are going bust because of the global financial crisis. Even sound businesses like the car industry and electronics are going through a really bad time. Many small businesses have gone out of business. It’s a real shame because so many lives are being ruined. With a lot of businesses it’s a real fight for survival. I really respect people for trying to make a go of their business. I don’t have much business sense. I wouldn’t know where to start in opening my own business. I suppose the best thing would be to look at business startups on the Internet. An online business might be good. There seems to be less risk.

445 Busy446 Are you busy? Do you lead a busy life? It seems we get busier and busier in our lives. I hate being busy. I’d much rather have nothing to do. Being busy makes me stressed and I end up making mistakes or forgetting something. Who’s the busiest person you know? I bet he or she is really stressed. The busy people I know are always looking ahead to their next holiday… and then in their holiday they are busy doing other things. I think we busy ourselves with too many things. We need to learn to relax and take things slowly. Even at work we have to look busy, even if we’re not. When the boss comes, we tell our friends, “Look busy!” That’s silly. It would be great if the word ‘busy’ disappeared from the English language.

447 Being Afraid448 An American president once said the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. Can’t remember which President, but never mind. I think that’s an interesting quote. It’s so true, most of the time. We all spend a lot of time worried or afraid that something bad will happen, and then nothing happens. It is the fear that frightens us, not the thing that might or might not happen. And then there are phobias. Millions of people are afraid of something that the rest of the world thinks is quite normal. How can you be afraid of things like peanut butter? There’s actually a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Amazing. Fear is sometimes good. It makes us alert and can keep us safe in a dangerous situation.

449 Avatars450 Most people know the word 'avatar'. Perhaps we all saw the movie with the same name. Avatars are becoming a normal part of our life. Well... I should say our online life. Almost everywhere you go on the Internet you see avatars. Sometimes it's a website asking you to make an avatar, and other times it's people's real avatars. Do you have one? Or two, or three? I see a lot of avatars that are kind of cute and look like Japanese anime. One of the most popular things is to choose an animal as an avatar. I always take a long time to choose my avatar. It's important to make one I really like. It has to be funny. I also like avatars that move. All of the best avatars I've seen move. They are usually very funny, and clever.

451 Getting Married452 Getting married is one of the happiest days of anyone’s life. Being married is also full of happiness, but there are also many difficulties. It isn’t always easy to be married. You have to put up with your spouse’s bad habits and moods forever. You have to negotiate and compromise on many things from who’s first in the bathroom in the mornings to where you go on vacation. Of course, being married also has many wonderful sides to it. You have a lifelong friend who will love you forever. You share many wonderful times together and support each other through good and bad times. And you grow old together and look back on years of happy memories. I think being married is great for your soul.

453 Babysitting454 I loved babysitting when I was younger. It was a really easy way to make money. All I had to do was sit in my neighbour’s house and look after the kids. That was the easy bit, because the kids were usually asleep in bed. The parents would give me a lot of money for watching DVDs and eating snacks. When I was even younger, I liked it when my babysitter came round. She would always play games with us and let us stay up late. She would send us to bed just before my parents came home. I know in some countries, babysitting isn’t so common. It isn’t part of the culture. I suppose that’s not such a bad thing. I read a lot in the papers nowadays about babysitters hitting the children because they don’t sleep. That’s really bad.

455 Alcohol456 I hate alcohol. I really don’t understand how or why people drink it. The smell of alcohol on people’s breath is disgusting. It’s expensive and it gives you a bad headache. I drank when I was much younger, but I haven’t touched a drop for years. I hated hangovers so I decided to stop drinking altogether. I have a much better time without alcohol. People say they need to drink to relax. They drink and just act and look stupid. Their face goes red and they can’t walk in a straight line. Alcohol is also the most damaging drug in society. That’s what I think, anyway. Alcohol causes many illnesses, traffic accidents, fights and domestic violence. If you banned alcohol, people would be healthier, richer and have a better family life.

457 Aliens458 There are aliens out there, somewhere. I strongly believe this. Not sure what they look like, though. I really doubt they are green, like they are in science fiction movies. I also don’t think they look like us. But I’m sure they exist. I just don’t think we’ll ever see any or find any. They live too far away. If you think about it logically, there has to be aliens out there. All a planet needs is to be warm and have water and life will exist. There are billions and billions of planets in the universe, so there are probably millions and millions that have life. Alien life. It’s also likely that some of the aliens are much more intelligent than we are. I wonder what we’d do if really intelligent aliens visited Earth. What would we ask them?

459 Actors460 Being an actor must be great. I really wish I could act. I’d love to have the confidence to act in front of people. Being a member of the audience at the theatre is great, but acting on stage is better. I wonder what it’s like to be a movie actor. I think you need to be beautiful or handsome to be a successful Hollywood or Bollywood actor. They all look great. Actors are very lucky. They get paid huge amounts of money to do what they love doing. My favourite actors are all dead now. I really like the actors in the old black and white movies. They all looked so cool. Actors in the old days seemed to be more glamorous than today’s actors. The best thing about being an actor is that all of your friends are famous too.

461 Accidents462 I wonder how many accidents I’ve had in my life. I’ve had a few serious ones where I’ve ended up in hospital. Traffic accidents are the worst. They’re always painful. I haven’t had too many work-related accidents. I suppose that’s because I do office work and that’s not so dangerous. Most of my accidents are those around the house. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve hit my thumb with a hammer. I’m also really good at standing up and hitting my head on something. I’m not as bad as my friend though. He’s a real accident looking for somewhere to happen. Almost every time we meet, he has some story to tell about his latest accident. He’s quite unbelievable. I think I’d be very worried if I were his mother.

Uruguay won the first World Cup in 1930 and we’re going to win the next one too. There are only three million people in Uruguay but we have a great footballing history. We really think it’s our turn to shine again on the world stage. We have the players to do that. Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez are among the best strikers in the world. I love watching them play. They really are top class goalscorers. I’m so looking forward to seeing my team play in South Africa. I know I will get a lump in my throat. Every time I see their blue and white striped shirts, I get excited. I think we have the best soccer kit in the world. As our coach Oscar Tabarez says, “we have a lot of strong points and we hope to be able to show them.” I hope his words come true in South Africa.

FIFA deciding to give the 2010 World Cup to South Africa was a proud moment for us. We South Africans have been preparing years for this event – the first on African soil. We will win the trophy. History is on our side. If you look back at previous tournaments, the host nation has won many times. That will happen this time too. We will show the world our Bafana Bafana spirit. We aren’t afraid of anyone and will even beat France to reach the next round. We can do it. Last year we only just lost to Brazil in the Confederations Cup. We will go a stage further in June. We have some of the world’s top players. They play in the English Premier League. I’m sure Steven Pienaar will shine and become one of the stars of the World Cup. Please enjoy our African football.

I think the Vancouver Winter Olympics will be really special. It’s such a great place to have the event. I’m not sure if I like the winter or summer Olympics better. I’d rather be a competitor in the summer games – it’s warmer. The winter Olympics are definitely the most beautiful. Looking at skiers come down a snowy slope against a blue sky is a wonderful sight. I also love the winter Olympics because of the skating. It’s amazing watching the speeds the speed skaters reach – they’re so fast. I also think the figure skaters put on a fantastic show. Another winter Olympic event I like is the luge – I think people have to be crazy to sit on almost nothing and shoot down an ice tunnel at high speeds. I wonder who will win the most gold medals. Maybe it’ll be Norway, or Russia.

The question of organ transplants is a difficult one. Not for me though. I’m quite happy to donate all of my organs for transplants. I don’t mind my body being donated to science after I die. I think it’s much better to be useful even after I die. I would be so happy to know that my heart was used to save someone else’s life. I don’t need my eyes after I die, so it’d be great if someone else could use them to see. Even though I want my body to be used for medical science, it feels a little strange to think that medical students will be cutting me up. I know in other parts of the world there are many people who don’t like the idea of organ transplants. They believe the body should stay in one piece. I hope that changes because doctors really need the organs.

I first heard about the ozone layer about twenty years ago. I was still in school. I thought it was interesting, but I didn’t take it seriously. It was a bit like science fiction, I mean, how could there be a giant hole in the atmosphere? Over the years, more and more scientists spoke about the ozone layer. Global warming became a serious issue. Important people like Al Gore made movies about it. We all know today that the thinning ozone layer is perhaps the most serious crisis we face today. Even though many people have changed their lifestyles, we are still damaging the ozone layer. We need to do something really drastic to stop this. We all need to stop driving cars and stop using coal. That would be a start.

I so can’t wait for the Super Bowl. It’s gonna be the best ever. Every year I always look forward to it. It’s quite simply the greatest show on Earth. You can’t compare the Super Bowl to any other sporting event. It’s even better than the Olympics. It’s one hundred times more exciting than the soccer World Cup. This year is extra special. My favorite team’s playing – the New Orleans Saints. The Indianapolis Colts are the favorites. We’re the underdogs, but I don’t care. I have this feeling we’re gonna win big. I also just found out the British rock group The Who are performing during the halftime show. I love those guys – they really rock. All in all I think Super Bowl 44 will be totally awesome.

Overpopulation is a real problem. It could kill the Earth. Very soon, there will be too many people and not enough land. There won’t be enough farms to grow food for everyone. We’ll eat all of the fish in the sea. And our pollution will cause more global warming. I think we are in a very serious situation. I don’t know what the answer is. Our leaders don’t seem too worried. They never see the bigger picture. The world’s population is exploding, and explosions cause great damage. More and more people are living longer and longer. We have better medicines. Our scientists have found cures to many diseases. There are many reasons. What we really need to do is think about how overpopulation is damaging the Earth.

We all have opinions on everything. Some of us have very strong opinions. Others have not-so-strong opinions. And then there are those who say they have no opinion, which I suppose is some kind of opinion. It’s interesting how our opinions can be so different. Even on the smallest of things. It’s also interesting to see how your opinions change as you get older. My opinions of other people change a lot. You have first impressions of someone – that’s your initial opinion. Then, as you get to know them, your opinions of them can change – for better or worse. Whose opinion is right? I suppose it’s the person who is strongest. They try to force their opinions on others. It’s important to listen to and consider the opinions of other people.

The number one is a good number. Maybe it’s the best number. Why? Because everyone wants to be number one. It’s actually a very useful word in English. There are so many different expressions with ‘one’. Of course it’s a number and useful in maths, but there’s so much more. Try a little experiment, Write down all the common word partners of ‘one’. I can think of loads right now. ‘One way’, ‘one world’, one chance’, one time’, etc. There are also lots of expressions, such as ‘one in a million’ or ‘one at a time’. I’m sure if you looked in any dictionary, you’ll find hundreds of useful things on ‘one’. If you want some really detailed info on the word or number one, go to Wikipedia.com. ‘One’ really is one useful word.

Operations are amazing things – unless, that is, you’re having one. I always think it is incredible how doctors can cut people open and repair their body. It must take great skill. I can’t believe some operations can take over 12 hours. I’ve had a few operations in my life. I have very mixed feelings about them. My worst fear is that I’ll die. My biggest hope is that the operation will be successful and I’ll make a full recovery. I also think about how interesting it is. I like watching all the things the doctors and nurses do before the operation. I’m really nervous, but it’s like being in the middle of a TV documentary. I once had an operation and I was awake for the whole thing. I could see lots, but I won’t go any further.

Oil is good and bad. It’s good because it helps our energy needs. It’s bad because it causes pollution. Oil is a fossil fuel. Burning it produces carbon dioxide (CO2). This is one of the biggest causes of global warming. There isn’t much oil left in the ground. Some people say it will all be gone this century. I suppose that means we won’t make as much pollution. But what will we do when the oil runs out? Scientists are working on that right now. We need to do something because we use oil to power our cars, homes and factories. Whatever we replace oil with must be better for the environment. I don’t think oil-producing countries are happy their oil will run out. They need to start thinking about how to make money after the oil has gone.

I like the expression ‘OK’. I don’t know why. It’s so useful. Everyone in the world understands what it means. It must be the only word that everyone knows. Is it a word or is at an abbreviation? We spell it ‘okay’ but abbreviate it as ‘OK’. I wonder how many meanings it has. You can ask if someone is OK, if they are ill; you can ask if someone understands a question or instructions using OK; you can even let someone know ‘enough is enough’ by saying OK. If you say something is OK, it means you don’t really like or dislike it. In fact, sometimes, if you say, “He’s OK” or “She’s OK, it means you don’t really like them. I think okay is also a verb. I have heard people say, “It’s OK, John okayed it”.

I’m a bit worried about my old age. I don’t really want to get old. I like being young. On the other hand, if I do get old, I want to live to be over 100. I’m hoping old age will be nice. It seems a time when you can relax and slow down. If course, you have to slow down because you’re body wears out. There are two things I’m worried about. One is money. I think if you are old and poor, you’ll be miserable. No money to enjoy yourself. Maybe not even enough money to eat, pay bills or go to the hospital. That’s scary. The other thing I worry about is being in good health. Especially my mental health. I imagine I’ll be happy in my old age. I have so many hobbies and I know I’ll enjoy doing them all every day.

Obesity is a problem that is getting bigger and bigger around the world. It really hits rich countries. When people have money, they buy a lot of the wrong food. They become lazy and eat fast food. They also forget about exercise and sit in front of the TV instead. The worrying thing is that more and more children are suffering from obesity. This is a big problem. The number of overweight kids I see today is amazing. I think the reason is quite simple – junk food, video games and the Internet. When I was growing up, I had a balanced diet. I also spent most of my free time outdoors. I spent hours every day on my bike or playing football. Kids today hardly go outside. They are glued to one kind of screen or another – TV, computer or games console.

I really worry about our oceans. Not many people understand how important the oceans are. Every day we hear stories about the rainforests and the ice caps, but we rarely hear about the oceans. They form most of the Earth’s surface and most of the world’s species live in them. They are responsible for weather patterns and a lot of the world’s foods. The problem is, they are becoming very polluted. Many fish species are in danger of dying. The coral reefs in our oceans are also in danger. We really need to think more about our oceans. We have to protect the life in them, or we might die. I love the ocean. I love the sound, the smell, the colour. I feel so happy and relaxed just looking at the ocean.

Nuclear weapons are the worst thing invented by man. The day we invented them was a black day in our history. Fortunately, they have only been used a few times. We only need to read the history of what happened in Japan to understand why nuclear weapons must never be used again. The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed in an instant. Hundreds of thousands died. Today, nuclear weapons are a hundred times more powerful. It’s scary to think how much harm one nuclear bomb could cause. Even scarier, is what happens if terrorists get hold of nuclear weapons. I fear for our future. One day, all countries will have nuclear weapons and then we’ll be in real trouble.

Nursing is one of the greatest professions in the world. It’s so much more important than most jobs. The sad thing is that nurses get paid so little. They do such a valuable job but get paid less than politicians. This is not right. Politicians do whatever they can to take our money. They even vote to stop nurses getting increases in pay. This is wrong. Governments need to do more to help nurses. There should be a bigger focus on the profession. I would much rather have more nurses than more weapons. A few years ago I wanted to get into nursing. I met some nurses who told me not to. They said the job involved too many hours, too much paperwork and not enough pay. That’s sad. We can’t afford to treat nurses so badly.

Many scientists say nuclear energy is our future. Many normal people aren’t so sure. I think most of us worry about nuclear energy. We hear on the news about the dangers of nuclear power. Many years ago there was a big accident in Chernobyl, Russia. A nuclear reactor caught fire and melted. Because of this, deadly radiation spread across the whole of Europe. There were reports that sheep in England caught radiation sickness. I think things are safer now. Many countries trust nuclear energy. France and Japan each has dozens of nuclear power stations. I think it’s probably a good idea. We really need to stop using fossil fuels. Nuclear power is a lot less harmful to the environment. Perhaps we need to spend more money on making it safer.

A Just stop and think how important numbers are to our lives. Numbers control us. In fact, we are numbers. We have passport numbers, social security numbers, ID numbers, and more. We live in a house and a street that has a number. We communicate with each other using telephone numbers. We worry about how small or big the numbers are on our bank statements. We can’t survive without numbers. Most of the world cannot function without the numbers zero and one. These are the two numbers computers use to run their programmes. I don’t think numbers were always so important. Maybe 500 years ago, we only had to remember the number of sheep, goats or children we had. I wonder how many numbers we need today!

Our nose is the strangest of all body parts. It’s such a funny thing. And where is it? Right on the front of our face. Right in the middle. It would be OK if everyone had exactly the same nose. But we all have a different nose. Some of us have a big nose, some a small nose. Some of us have a crooked nose with big nostrils. My nose is one part of my body I’d really like to change. It’s too big for the size of my face. When people talk about why other people are beautiful or handsome, no one says, “because he or she has a nice nose,” or “oooh, his (or her) nose is just soooo sexy”. I suppose if you really don’t like your nose, you can have a nose job. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford cosmetic surgery.

Noise is everywhere. I bet there isn’t a place on Earth where you can’t hear anything. I live in the city, so noise is everywhere. Sometimes it gets to me. I really want to have a button to turn it off. It’s amazing how much noise there is around us. We usually never even think about it. Listen now to the noise around you. Cars, computers, music, people talking. It’s strange to think that in the past few decades, people have been talking about noise pollution. That’s a really good description. Noise is quite often pollution. It’s stuff that makes our surroundings unpleasant. I wonder if there is any kind of noise that is good noise. The very word ‘noise’ has a negative meaning. But if you say sound, it has a different meaning. I love the sound of babies laughing.

I love the Olympics. It really is a unique and special world occasion. There’s only one event in the world better than the Olympics, and that’s the Football World Cup. Anyway, the Olympics really is a celebration of humanity. The whole world watches and gets excited. We love watching our heroes trying to win gold. I don’t usually get excited about seeing my country’s flag, but at the Olympics, I love it. I think the Olympics were better many years ago. Then, they had traditional Olympic sports. Nowadays we have professional tennis and baseball stars playing in sports that aren’t really Olympic sports. I would love to see an Olympic games. Maybe I’ll be lucky and get a chance to see the London games in 2012.

I like the night. It’s an interesting time of the day. The city changes at night. I like all the bright lights. People seem to be more active. Everyone is rushing home or going out. All the action starts at night. Restaurants, bars and clubs open. Everyone is happy. Night means we can stop working or studying and enjoy ourselves. It’s cooler at night so you feel more relaxed. Of course, the city at night is very different from the country. All you can do in the country is look at the night sky or sit around a fire. Everything stops at night in the country and people sleep very early. Except for insects. Night time can be very noisy because of the insects that come out at night. I’m a night person. I’m nocturnal, like an owl or bat.

I wonder why the Nobel Prize is so famous. Sure, the people who win it are very clever, but they’re not really superstars. I’ve usually heard of the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize because they’re always in the news. But have you ever heard of the Nobel Laureates for Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, etc? Even though I read a lot, I only sometimes know the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. I like reading about who won the Nobel Prize. It makes me want to be like them. Of course, I can never win such a prize, but I can study more. Some of the Nobel Prize winners of the past are really famous. Einstein and Mother Theresa are perhaps the most famous. I was shocked to learn Gandhi never won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Neighbours are very hit and miss. Sometimes you hit the jackpot and get neighbours who become great friends. Other times you get the short straw and have nightmare neighbours. I’ve had good and bad neighbours. I’m not sure why some neighbours are so bad. It’s really not that difficult to be a good neighbour. All you have to do is be polite, don’t play loud music late at night, and don’t park in front of their house. It sounds easier than it is. I think a long time ago there was a lot of neighbourliness. Families lived near each other for generations. It’s different today. New families come and go. They never get to know each other. Everyone keeps their distance. This is not always a good thing.

I don’t know about you, but I think there are more natural disasters now than before. Every time I turn on the news there’s some kind of disaster. There are bushfires in Australia and California, earthquakes in China, hurricanes in Mexico and droughts in Africa. I’m sure global warming is creating more natural disasters. I’m lucky. Where I live, we don’t really have natural disasters. I’ve never experienced anything like the things on TV. Japan has many natural disasters. They have earthquakes, typhoons, flooding, volcanoes, all kinds of things. They are lucky they have the money to deal with them. There are countries in Africa that aren’t rich. When a natural disaster hits them, everyone suffers terribly.

I like my names. I have four names – my family name, my given name and two middle names. I’m not sure why I have two middle names. I guess my parents wanted to name me after two of my uncles. Names are different all over the world. In some countries, family name comes before the given name. In the Muslim world, a girl’s name includes her father and grandfathers’ names. In Japan and China, there is no middle name. I think it’s interesting how people choose a name. I really don’t understand naming a baby after a famous actor or sports star. That’s silly. I think names should have a meaning. In the West, people don’t really know what their name means. In many countries, each name has a special meaning.

Nationality is a strange thing. I don’t think it used to be. Nowadays, with globalization, people want to change their nationality. Many people from poor countries want to go to rich countries and become citizens. It’s strange because I don’t understand how your nationality can change. Even if I live in Peru for 50 years, I’m still English, even though I might have a Peruvian passport. I think people have confused feelings when they change nationalities. Their heart is still in their real country and not in the country of their new nationality. Nationality unfairly decides how successful you’ll be in life. If you’re born in a rich country, you’ll get a good education. If you’re born in a poor country, you might not even get basic human rights.

Nails are funny things. Why do we have them? I actually find them quite annoying. We have to keep cutting them, they get dirty, and sometimes they break and become painful. I’d rather we didn’t have nails. I’m sure it wouldn’t change our lives. I guess women would say no to that idea. My female friends spend a lot of money on their nails. I don’t know why. Nail polish stinks, and so does nail polish remover. I really don’t know why they waste their time going for manicures. It must be really boring sitting there, watching someone paint your nails. Nail art is now big business. People have become millionaires opening nail art salons. The best thing for me would be to have really short nails that never grow.

Some national anthems are really good and some aren’t. I like my country’s anthem. It makes me feel proud of my country every time I hear it. I’m a little embarrassed to say I don’t know the words to it. In some countries, they play the national anthem every day in school. I remember being in Thailand. They play the national anthem in the streets every morning. Everyone stops and stands still. When the anthem finishes, people start walking again. In other countries I’ve been to, they play the national anthem in cinemas before a movie starts. I really like hearing my national anthem played at the Olympics. That means my country won a gold medal. I have to hold back the tears when I hear it then.

Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

I really wish I could play a musical instrument. I can’t. I had a few music lessons when I was a kid, but I didn’t keep them up. I really regret that now. I get quite jealous of people who can play a musical instrument. It’s a wonderful ability. I hope they know how lucky they are to be able to play an instrument. Of all the musical instruments, I’d like to play the piano. I think this is the king of musical instruments. It sounds so beautiful. Pianos also look beautiful. I imagine it’s very relaxing playing it. Another instrument I’d like to play is the guitar. I still want to be a rock star, although I’m a bit old now. I suppose it’s never too old though to learn to play something. I haven’t given up hope.

What would life be like without music? I wonder how music started. It is an important part of every culture on Earth. I wonder when we first became interested in music. I also wonder when we first become interested in music. Is it when we are a baby? Some people think our interest in music starts before we are born. Music is an essential part of my day. It changes my feeling and puts me in a good mood. There’s nothing better to do on a train or bus than put on my headphones. I like all kinds of music, from classical and opera to jazz, rock and world music. I’m always looking for something new. Sometimes I hear a song or piece of music on the TV or radio. I have to find out who it is. Do you do that? I’m sure I’ll keep collecting CDs or mp3s until I’m a hundred. Perhaps I won’t be able to hear it then!

I totally love museums. They really are one of the most important parts of our culture. Museums are important for so many things. They educate us, they preserve our history, they show us how we have developed. There are museums on so many different things. In fact, I’m sure there isn’t a topic there isn’t a museum for. I’ve loved museums since I was little. We used to go to different museums on school trips. I loved them. I saw so many amazing things. I will never forget seeing the bones of a T-Rex in the natural history museum. I also remember staring at Tutankhamen’s gold mask for ages. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. The best museum I’ve ever been to is the National Museum in Cairo. It’s unbeatable.

Multiculturalism is everywhere today. As the world gets smaller, multiculturalism becomes bigger. Few of us today live in towns in which there is only one culture. Today, we live in towns where we are surrounded by many other cultures. If we live in a city, we will see people from all over the world. Of course, some cities are more multicultural than others. New York is a real melting pot. It is called the most multicultural city on Earth. A city like Tokyo isn’t so multicultural. I think multiculturalism is a great thing. It’s fantastic walking out of your door and seeing other cultures. This didn’t happen when I was young. People didn’t understand other cultures. They didn’t even want to understand. I’m glad things are changing today.

Aren’t mp3s amazing? Maybe young people today don’t think so. They are part of the “digital generation” and think mp3s are normal. But I was born long before digital music started. When I was a teenager, I had a record collection. You had to go to a store and buy your music. I had hundreds of records. The first time I came across mp3s I laughed. I was totally amazed. I still find it hard to believe I can keep 10,000 songs in my pocket and take them anywhere in the world. I also love the idea of mp3 downloads. It’s much easier than going to a record store. I’m wondering what happens after mp3s. What’s next? I’m sure one day people will laugh at how “old technology” mp3s are.

Mothers are the people dearest to us. We all have a special relationship with our mother. We are naturally bonded to our mother. We spend nine months growing inside her and she is the person who looks after us when we are babies. Our mother does everything for us. She feeds us, cleans us, wipes away our tears, treats our cuts and bruises, supports us and loves us. And all of this never stops. Mothers still do motherly things even when we are old and she is really old. It is very sad to hear that someone’s mother has died. I remember this happening to some children in my class at school. I can’t imagine how children grow up without a mother. I hope my mother lives forever. She deserves to.

I love watching movies. At the cinema, on TV or on my computer. I'm a big movie fan and love all the news of my favourite movie stars. I like all kinds of movies - Hollywood blockbusters, black and white movies from the 50s, independent movies... They're all good. Recently I've got into watching foreign movies. I like the films that come out of Bollywood - they're very different. The first film I saw at the movie theatre was Star Wars. I was amazed at the special effects. Nowadays, so many movies have such good computer graphics that we forget how special the effects are. One of my favourite ways of relaxing is to rent the latest DVD and sit on the sofa with a big bag of potato chips. The sound has to be up to the max and the lights have to be off.

I love mountains. I much prefer them to every other kind of natural feature. They are much better than the sea, beaches, deserts, etc. Mountains are so cool. They rise up so high into the sky. I can’t stop looking at mountains, wherever I am in the world. I also love being in the mountains. The landscape is just spectacular. You really feel part of God’s wonderful creation when you are surrounded by mountains. There are so many things you can do in the mountains. Some people like climbing them or jumping off them with a parachute. This is not for me. I just like going for a walk and having a picnic. There’s nothing better than sitting down and admiring the mountain view and feeling the cool mountain breeze. This is paradise.

The Moon is a very mysterious thing. It has fascinated us for thousands of years. It is mentioned everywhere in science and literature almost from the time humans started writing. And today, it still fills us with wonder. The most amazing thing about the Moon is that humans have been there. Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon’s surface must be the greatest human achievement ever. Even though man has walked on the Moon, not everyone agrees on its colour. In Japan, and perhaps in other countries too, they think it’s yellow. Of course, the Moon is white. One day, we’ll probably have holidays on the Moon. I’d totally love that. Imagine staying in a Moon hotel and waking up in the morning to look at the Earth.

“Money makes the world go round.” I wonder if this famous English expression is very true. If you have money, the world goes round very gently and you are happy. If you don’t have money, the world might not go round so smoothly. They also say that “money is the root of all evil”. I think this is so true. Money makes people kill and steal. Greed means there are things in the world like blackmail, corruption, slave labour and a lot more terrible things. Another common saying in English is “money can’t buy happiness”. I’m not so sure about this one. I know if I had loads of money I’d be pretty happy. I think if all the world’s money was shared out, the world would go round more happily, and there would be less evil and more happiness.

Sometimes I like the word ‘no’, and sometimes I hate it. It is a very powerful word, even though it has just two letters. I don’t like the word ‘no’ when I have been for a job interview and didn’t get the job. I also hate this word when I ask someone on a date. Then, hearing ‘no’ is like a kick in the teeth. I think I probably say ‘yes’ more than ‘no’. I love going out. I never say ‘no’  if anyone asks me to go to a club or go on a trip. I wonder how many ways there are of saying ‘no’. Sometimes you can say ‘no’ when you really mean ‘yes’. Other times, ‘no’ means ‘no’. I also like this small word because it fits into some interesting phrases, like ‘no-can-do,’ a ‘no-go area’ and ‘no way Jose’. My favourite is ‘that’s a real no-no’ – for things you must never do.

Murder is the most evil thing in the world. I don’t know how it is possible for one person to murder another. Why do they think they can take someone else’s life? Even worse are people who commit multi-murder. Mass killing seems to be more and more common today. Shootings at schools are especially bad. How can we prevent murder? Every time we look at the news, there’s another murder. I hope it is not something that will stay with the human race forever.  What is the correct punishment for murder? In some societies it is just a few years in prison. In others it is the death penalty. But there are some countries that don’t punish people for murder. If you are in power and are rich, you can literally get away with murder.

How important to you is your mobile phone? Do you really need it? In the 1980s there were no mobile phones. People still managed to phone their family and friends and do business. Of course, there were more public telephones then. There was a telephone box pretty much on every street corner. I wonder whether mobile phones are a good or bad thing. For sure, they are very convenient, but they can also be a nuisance. There’s nothing worse than talking to someone and then they ignore you for ten minutes while they answer their phone. I have even seen people on a date and one person chats on the phone for 30 minutes. How would life change for you if you didn’t have a mobile? Would you miss listening to other people’s conversations on the train?

Are you happy with your lifestyle? What kind of lifestyle do you lead? It seems that we think about our lifestyle more and more these days. Every time we turn on the TV or open a magazine, there is an ad, programme or article about this lifestyle or that lifestyle. We are told about healthy lifestyles, modern lifestyles, alternative lifestyles. Magazines use pages and pages and pages to describe the lifestyles of the rich and famous. I get the impression that few people are happy with their lifestyle. Most people are jealous of other people who have a “better” lifestyle. Those people should stop for a minute and think about the poor people in the world, or those caught up in wars. Those people don’t worry about lifestyles; they just worry about life.

Models are strange people. It’s almost as though they live in a totally different world to the rest of us. Every day they are told how beautiful they are. I’m sure this affects them in some way. They constantly think about their beauty and their figure. Male models too. A lot of female models also have to be very strict with what they eat so they don’t put on weight. Today, a model has to be size zero to be successful. This is unhealthy. The sad thing is that many normal girls want to look like a model so they end up having health problems. I suppose the life of a model is glamorous. The supermodels fly all over the world. They walk the catwalks at fashion shows and visit exotic locations for photo shoots. And get paid big money.

Milk is one of the best things we can eat or drink for our body. It’s so full of goodness and it tastes pretty good too. Milk is rich in calcium, which makes our bones and teeth strong. This makes milk essential for babies and growing children. It makes them grow up stronger. Milk is also full of many important vitamins and minerals. When I was little, I didn’t really like milk. I think I had a bad experience with sour milk, which turned me off of it. I remember drinking it again when I was a teenager and liking it. Now I think it’s one of the most refreshing drinks you can drink. Just looking at its whiteness makes me feel healthy. I like all kinds of milk, including goat’s milk and even camel’s milk. It’s all good for us.

What would life be like without Microsoft? Impossible? Perhaps not impossible, but definitely difficult. Microsoft seems to be a big part of our lives today. Most of us use Microsoft products every day. We need MS Word to create documents and Excel to make spreadsheets. At school we have to make PowerPoint presentations. Perhaps the biggest thing we use Microsoft for is getting on the Internet. Most of the world’s computers use the Explorer browser to connect to the Web. Millions of us use Hotmail to send e-mails. Millions more play games using Microsoft’s X-Box. In the future, there’ll probably be a lot more Microsoft stuff that helps us in our life. And to think, Microsoft didn’t even exist a few decades ago.

I sometimes worry about my mental health. There are times when I think I’m going crazy. I think it’s because of this world we live in. Everything is so fast. Everyone is in a hurry. Everything has to be done yesterday. I’m sure life wasn’t so stressful a hundred years ago. Then, people’s mental health was probably better. The only good thing nowadays is that there are mental health specialists who can help us when we are in trouble. But, there is a problem with these experts. They keep on thinking up new mental health problems we suffer from. What we all need is to take a step back and slow down. That will be good for our mental health. We need to laugh more and care more. If we don’t do this, we’ll all have mental health problems.

Meditation is one thing I’d really like to be able to do. I can’t do it. I have tried many times but nothing seems to happen. I have read a lot about meditation and it sounds really good. You can relax anytime you want. Twenty minutes of meditation is the same as three hours’ sleep. I love the idea of meditating for twenty minutes in my lunch time and then feeling totally refreshed. Meditation is also a good way of relieving stress. The thing I most like about meditation is that it makes you calm. All the people I know who meditate are always relaxed and easygoing. They never worry about anything. I think we should learn how to meditate at school. That would probably solve a lot of problems in society.

Literature is one thing that makes me very happy. I have loved books of all kinds since I was very small. I don’t know what I would do in life without novels, poems and plays. It’s amazing how literature can change your life. It educates you, makes you happy, makes you sad, inspires you and so much more. I think I’d be a completely different person without it. Literature has been a big influence on my life – perhaps as much as my friends. I think literature is really powerful. It can help us understand other cultures. Recently, I have read a lot of Indian literature, in English, of course. The books I read have totally changed my image of India and Indians. My experience has really made me want to read more books from other countries.

Love is the most important thing in the world. We all need to love and be loved. Love is the glue that makes us one big happy family. It is perhaps the most powerful emotion we feel. It is certainly the one that makes us happiest. Falling in love has to be the greatest feeling ever. It is also the one that makes us saddest. When we lose someone we love it can take forever to get over. Sometimes we never get over it. You can fall in love in an instant. We use the expression “fall in love at first sight” for this. We can also be “head over heels in love,” which is a strange expression. We don’t just love each other. We can love cars, chocolate, holidays, singing in the rain… anything. And, of course, you can also love studying English.

Are men really from another planet? A lot of women think so. There are a lot of books about how strange men are. This is rubbish. Men are men, the same as women are women. Of course men are not perfect, no one is. Men actually have done a lot of bad things in the world. All of the wars in history were started and fought by men. They seem to be naturally aggressive and wanting to fight rather than talk. Things are changing though. There was the “1980s man”. Suddenly, men were more human. They helped with the shopping, cooked and did the washing up, and they even cried. We do need men. They are better at reading maps than women and men’s sports are more exciting than women’s sports.

If you’re lucky, you have more good memories than bad ones. I’m very lucky. I have lots of good memories. I don’t have many painful memories. I don’t know why. Lots of bad things happened to me when I was younger but I don’t really have strong memories of them. I do have very clear memories of happy times. My earliest memory is of my first day in kindergarten. I guess I was three. I remember playing in the sand and eating it. I don’t remember my mother getting angry though. My most wonderful memory is a holiday to Mexico when I was ten. I remember every sound and smell so clearly. When I look at our family photos, the memories of what we did come flooding back. I’d like to relive those memories one day.

Where would we be without the media? How would we get information about the world? All of us are interested in the news. We all want to know what’s happening around the world. We switch the TV on just to watch the news. It seems as though every train passenger has a newspaper. The journalists who bring us the news do a very important job. Many risk their lives to bring us the news from the world’s danger zones. Unfortunately, many reporters are killed while they are covering a war. The media make us feel we are part of the world. We become experts on other countries and on the big news stories. The media also bring us many unforgettable images, such as a man walking on the moon. Really, the media show us history as it happens.

I really want to have more knowledge. My general knowledge is pretty good but I want it to be better. When I was a kid, I loved quiz programmes on the television. I used to read lots of encyclopedias to build up my knowledge. I now know most of the world’s capitals and which animals and birds are the fastest, and how many bones there are in the human body, etc. I love watching the news and this helps me get more knowledge. Even though I think I know quite a lot, I always meet people who are really knowledgeable. It seems some people know everything about everything. They are just like walking encyclopedias. I wonder if they’re happy with the amount of knowledge they have inside their brain.

I don’t understand how anyone can like medicine. I’ve never liked it. I used to refuse to take it as a kid because the taste was so disgusting. I’m not sure whether or not medicine is a good thing. I’m sure that most of the time our body will recover naturally, without medicine. I actually think medicine can be bad for us. It makes the body weaker because we rely on medicines too much. I also worry about the safety of medicines. I read too many times about side effects. How can doctors be sure that the medicines we take one day won’t make us ill later in life. A lot of what goes into medicine isn’t natural. I’m a big believer in natural medicine. That seems to make much more sense. The Chinese seem to have it right.

Learning is one of the most important things we do in life. It starts pretty much when we’re born. In fact, many scientists say learning begins earlier. We listen to the outside sounds. This is when we first start learning a language. Our ears get used to the different patterns of intonation. Learning is a lifelong process. We spend our childhood years doing nothing but learning. We learn a language before we are two. We learn how to play and do all the everyday things people do. Most people think learning only begins at school. I’m not sure about this. Are we really learning, or are we just memorizing things? I think a lot of learning happens outside school. We learn more from our hobbies and interests than what we learn from school books.

If you think about it, kissing is strange. I mean, here we are in the twenty-first century and we still like kissing. I think we’re the only species on Earth that does this. Of course, there are different kinds of kissing. Kissing your parents or friends as a greeting is normal enough. That’s just like a friendly handshake. Passionate kissing is different. I’m not complaining though. I think kissing is great. I remember my first kiss. It was very exciting. I was nervous though because I kept thinking if I was doing it right. Some people say there is an art to kissing. I’m not so sure. If you love someone enough, you’ll be artistic enough. One thing I don’t like about kissing is people who do it next to you on the train or bus. Yuck!

Job interviews are always hit and miss for me. Sometimes I have a great interview and get the job. Other times, my interview bombs and I don’t get the job. It’s really important to prepare. You must also be confident and make sure the interviewer knows you really want the job. The trick is to make the interviewer think you are the best person for the job. I always wear my best suit and arrive early. I always smile when I walk into the interview room. First impressions are very important. It’s also a good idea to talk about your experiences - sell yourself. Make sure you have a few good questions to ask at the end of the interview. Interview technique is something we learn over time – you get to relax more the more interviews you have.

I think jewelry is stupid. What’s the point? I can understand it was popular a couple of thousand years ago, but not today. It all belongs to when we lived in caves. Why do people feel the need to wear necklaces and bracelets? It seems that jewelry is becoming more and more popular. Nowadays people are wearing rings on their toes and piercing their tongues and bodies. I’ve never really understood why men wear jewelry, especially thick gold chains. A lot of jewelry is dangerous. I often think if ear-rings catch on something, they’ll rip your ears. Some rings that women wear are also dangerous. They could cause serious damage to someone’s face. The only jewelry I wear is a wedding ring. Just a simple one.

We are living in an age of information. That’s what I keep hearing on TV and reading in newspapers. We are surrounded by information technology that puts information at our fingertips. To get ahead, you need the latest information. I’m not really sure how much information we need. Our brains can only handle a certain amount of information at a time. I reckon a lot of us have information overload. I’m sure before computers came along this didn’t happen. One problem with computers is the amount of personal information online. I worry about putting confidential info on different websites. Of course the great thing about computers is that we have so much information at our disposal. That’s pretty useful.

Inflation seems to be a big issue at the moment. Every time I turn on the news there is a story about inflation. Many countries around the world are fighting to keep inflation under control. Sometimes you read about countries that lose the battle against inflation. Zimbabwe once had an inflation rate of trillions of percent. I can’t imagine trying to add up my shopping bill with so many zeroes. I have no idea how they brought it under control. Inflation in my country is OK at the moment. The government is worried about prices going up. Me too. Inflation seems to be the thing economists worry about most. They do everything they can to keep the rate of inflation low. It has been pretty stable for years now.

Do we really need a monarchy in the 21st Century? It’s such a strange idea. It certainly is not a democratic idea. No one votes for someone to be king or queen. When a prince or princess is born, he or she automatically has a wonderful life. This is not fair. I had to study and work very hard just to get an average job, with not much money. Those in a monarchy are born into wealth. They never really have to lift a finger. The strange thing is that most people who live in a monarchy like their king and queen. Take the United Kingdom, for example. Around 80 per cent of British people support their monarchy. I suppose it’s good for tourism. I wouldn’t say no to being part of a royal family.

Libraries are wonderful places. Every library I’ve been to in the world is the same. They all have a special atmosphere. A room with a large collection of books does things to people. We become very quiet and want to know what’s on the shelves. This happens even to children as young as three, although perhaps not the being quiet. It’s amazing to watch a small child in a library looking at all the books. They can sit there for hours pulling the books off the shelves. I really spent a lot of time in the library at university. It was where I spent most of my time.  This is where I really learnt how useful libraries are. I spent hours every day looking at journals, newspapers and text books. I felt quite happy sitting in the quiet of the library, reading my books.

When I was a kid I was top of the class in maths. I was really good at mental arithmetic and doing sums. Things were easy back then, It was all addition and subtraction, multiplication and division. I knew my times tables like the back of my hand. Then, things got difficult when I was about 14. We had to learn stuff like algebra and geometry and lots of other stuff I can’t remember the names of. Suddenly. I wasn’t so good at maths any more. I think there were a few reasons for this. One was my maths teacher, another was because I sat at the back of the class, and another was I talked a lot. I still like maths and know I would be good at it again if I studied. I did statistics when I was at university and loved that.

Marketing is a funny thing. Sometimes I like it, other times I hate it. There is definitely an art to marketing. Some of the advertising campaigns you see are the work of a genius. Someone has thought of a great idea, slogan and advertising campaign to sell us or tell us something. I like it when I can see the creativity. There are other kinds of marketing that make me angry. Ads and campaigns that are directed at children make my blood boil – especially the McDonalds ads that do not mention food, but show lots of free, cheap toys. I also hate viral marketing – that’s when you receive spam mail trying to sell you something. I also get annoyed with marketing campaigns that have slogans that are just untrue, like smoking is cool.

Listening is the easiest English skill for me. I can understand about half of what people say to me. This means I can guess the things I don’t understand. Listening to the English of my American friends is not so difficult. I have problems when I try and understand the news on television. I also find movies hard to follow. I need the subtitles at the bottom of the screen. I think listening to songs in English made my listening better. It’s a lot more interesting than my listening CDs. I have one piece of advice for students who want to improve their listening. That is to listen to the same thing again and again. You understand more every time you listen. What’s your advice?

Leadership is a word we here a lot nowadays. Every time we turn on the news we hear about how important leadership is. Especially strong leadership. American presidents often talk about the importance of leadership. I suppose they’re right. It’s important that someone takes responsibility and shows leadership. With the right leaders, we can achieve success. But not every leader shows leadership. In many countries around the world, there are corrupt leaders. They do not have good leadership skills, they simply control people by fear. Good leadership is being respected by everyone and getting the job done. It’s important to have good leadership in companies too, except many of the banks’ leaders have not shown such good leadership.

I’m a big meat-eater. I love meat of all kinds. I have eaten all sorts of meat. Even though I love meat, I could easily stop eating it, and I don’t think I’d miss it. A long time ago I heard the vegetarian slogan “Meat is Murder”. If you think about it, that’s true. I don’t think animals are here today for us to eat, especially when we don’t need to eat meat. And then there’s the threat of global warming today. Raising animals needs land. Many forests are cut down to raise cows for meat. This really has to stop. Instead of meat, there are other things we could have. Dairy products would give us the protein we need. I know a lot of people who could never give up meat. They always say it would be impossible to go without a big, juicy steak.

Everyone wants a good lifestyle. I do too. I want a good job that is quite near my house – I don’t want to spend a long time on trains and buses. I also want a nice house where I can relax. I like decorating and shopping for furniture. I also want lots of friends so I can do stuff with them. My idea of a good lifestyle is being happy at work, going to the gym or going out for a meal after work, and spending the weekends with friends doing things or going places. Of course I have to have a holiday every year in another country. I haven’t got that lifestyle yet because I haven’t got enough money. I’m a little jealous of my friend’s lifestyle. She has everything and is always going out and having fun.

Marriage seems to be a dying institution. Everywhere we look, there are more and more statistics saying marriage is on its way out, divorce is on the increase, or people are leaving it later and later to tie the knot. A worrying trend over the past few decades is the number of people who live together without making the commitment of marriage. I’m not really sure what the difference is. If you love someone and want to stay together forever, why not get married? I think marriage adds a lot to a couple’s life, from the wedding day itself, right through to all of the anniversaries. Unmarried people miss out on these special occasions. Marriage is also important if you want to start a family. Perhaps I’m just old-fashioned.

I think human rights only became an issue after World War II. That’s when the United Nations issued their Universal Declaration on human rights. This is kind of the rulebook, the do’s and don’ts of human rights. When I look at the world today, it seems not many people have read this. I doubt if most people know it exists. I think government leaders should know about this. A lot of them don’t care much about human rights. I can’t believe it’s the twenty-first century and human rights is still an issue in pretty much all of the world’s countries. The most powerful countries even attack each other for abusing human rights. I hope one day that all human rights are respected. That will be paradise.

I hate junk mail. I’m sick and tired of it filling up my InBox. I mean, who believes the stuff written in it? I love the ones that start with “Dearest” and then tell you how their uncle died during some war and they need your help to transfer $18 million. I wonder how many people fall for those. My spam mail filters do a pretty good job at keeping junk mail away from my InBox. But, I occasionally get a mail trying to sell me medicine. The most dangerous kind of junk mail is called phishing. That’s when a criminal fakes an e-mail to make it look like it’s sent from a bank. It looks exactly the same as a bank’s mail. The mail asks you to reset your password. The criminal then takes your money.

Homelessness is a terrible thing. It really shouldn’t exist today. A country should be ashamed if anyone is homeless. Governments are so rich today, yet they have no money to provide basic needs for their citizens. This is rubbish. Think how much money governments waste on fancy cars and other unnecessary things. It’s a crime. Even in rich countries, there are thousands of homeless. The government tries to sweep them under the carpet. They want to pretend the problem doesn’t exist. The world’s richest countries spend billions of dollars on weapons, but can’t make sure people have a roof over their head. This is disgusting. All world leaders should be ashamed of themselves. I feel so sorry for the homeless.

I think being a housewife is a very demanding job. Most housewives have a lot to do, especially if they have children. Of course, some have an easy time because they have a maid or a tiny house. Most housewives though are working pretty much from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. They have to get up the earliest to cook everyone’s breakfast. Then they have to do the dishes, start the washing, iron and then go shopping to buy the food. Before their children go to school, the housewife has to make their packed lunches. I reckon cooking three meals a day every single day can be pretty tiring. Afternoons are just as busy, and then it all starts again when everyone comes home from school and work!

I’m full of admiration for people who run marathons. I couldn’t do it. I love running and have done a few half-marathons, but I always found a full marathon to be too much. Marathon runners are special. I don’t think I have the stamina to do it. Not properly, anyway. I could “run” one of the big marathons in the world, like the Boston or London marathon, but it would really be pretty much as a fun run. Most people who take part in these well-known international marathons only do so for fun. I think to be a marathon runner, you need to train and run a hundred kilometres a week. I wonder what it’s like to be in the lead in the Olympic marathon. That must be an amazing feeling. I think the marathon is the most important Olympic event.

Without laws the world would end. OK, maybe the actual Earth might not end, but life as we know it would end. We’d all end up fighting and killing each other. It would become the survival of the strongest, or perhaps the survival of the nastiest. If there were no laws, people could do anything. There’d be no police or courts to keep control. Law is very important. It keeps order in our society. Our laws started thousands of years ago. Many of today’s laws were made centuries ago. New laws need to be made every day. Especially in today’s world, where the Internet is so important. It’s very difficult to keep laws up to date with new developments. The latest area of law is intellectual property. It’s important that people’s ideas are protected.

Everybody loves juice. It’s the yummiest thing in the world. I can’t think of anything tastier than a cold glass of any kind of juice. I have to have a glass of orange juice every morning. I like to spend a little extra to make sure it’s 100 per cent juice. I don’t really like the stuff that says it’s juice on the box, but is really 70 per cent water and sugar. Of course freshly squeezed juice is the best - you can really taste the fruit. One thing I love about going to another country is trying different kinds of juice. Tropical countries have all kinds of really delicious juice. One time I remember trying sugar cane juice. I was in heaven. It’s a shame I can’t buy it where I live. I also love coconut juice, or is that coconut milk?

I think home schooling is great. I wish my parents had done this. The idea of never going to school sounds too good to be true. I hated school. I wanted to stay at home every day. I really wouldn’t have minded staying at home and studying. Of course, you need to be careful not to forget studying. One thing about home schooling I like is visiting museums or watching documentaries to learn more. This is so much better than learning in school. I think my learning at school suffered because there were many kids who didn’t want to learn. I could have got better marks if I had stayed at home. Perhaps there’ll be more home schooling in the future because of the Internet.

I don’t really have a hero. There are many people I respect, but they are not really my hero. Some people choose very strange heroes. My friends have rock stars and football players as heroes. Of course, these people are very good at what they do, but they’re not really heroes. They get lots of money for doing what they love. When they’re not singing or playing football, I wonder what they’re doing. I think most of the world’s heroes are unsung heroes. People who work to help others every day. We generally don’t notice these heroes. Then there are those who put their lives on the line for others. Fire fighters, police officers and soldiers are heroes. Without them, the world would be less safe.

Hate crime is becoming a big problem in many societies. You’d think that in the twenty-first century we’d all respect each other. With all the communications we have and with globalization, we should know enough about each other to understand we are all the same. We should at least be able to respect our differences. I blame the media for a lot of hate crime. They are very good at highlighting particular groups of people and casting them in a negative light. Just look at what’s happened since the 9/11 attacks in New York. Hate has increased in the world and the media seems to fuel this. I’m glad I live in a country that has laws against hate crime. They don’t always work, but at least it’s better than in most countries.

I’m totally hopeless with money. I’ve never really understood things like investments. I should be more interested in investments because I know I’ll get more money. I find everything very confusing. I never know what to invest in. Some of my friends invest in stocks and shares. I never did this. I’m happy because I didn’t lose money in the financial crash. I think it would be interesting to invest in things like wine. I saw a TV programme once. Wine goes up and up and up in price. You really can make a lot of money. I think investing in property nowadays is risky. I also know a lot of people who now owe lots of money on the house they bought because the prices crashed. Perhaps it’s better to keep my money under the bed.

I wonder if heaven exists. I guess if heaven is real, then hell must be real too. I think heaven must be a great place if it’s better than Earth. It’s difficult to believe that heaven is a place that looks like paradise. Pretty much every religion in the world believes that heaven is real. I don’t think it’s full of angels with wings though. I think there are lots of heavenly places on Earth. Anywhere in the countryside is heaven to me. Sitting on a beach with blue skies is also heaven. You can even be in heaven in the city. Walking into a cool, air-conditioned building from a hot, sweaty street is heaven. I also find heaven in food. A double chocolate fudge and nut ice cream with maple syrup and extra whipped cream is simply heaven.

Harry Potter is a boy wizard who has taken over the world. He is everywhere. No one had heard of Harry Potter before 1997. That’s when J.K. Rowling published her first book. She’s the creator of Harry Potter. The first novel was called ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’ and it became an amazing success. Everyone was talking about it and Harry became an overnight phenomenon. Six more Harry Potter books followed and they all became best sellers. People went crazy over every new book. My friends waited overnight outside a bookstore to make sure they got their copy of the latest book. My friends are 40 years old! Harry Potter is now a global industry, with movies and merchandise of all kinds. It’s amazing how big he is.

I think the Internet is the greatest invention ever. Think how it has changed the world. So much information is out there. It has totally changed my life. I can chat with friends, download music, buy books and get all the info I need for my homework. It took days or weeks to do any of these things before the Internet. I spend hours every day online. I think I spend a little too long. I’m sure staring at a computer screen all day isn’t good for my eyes. I think it’s also making me fat. I need to exercise a little more. The only thing I don’t like about the Internet is that it can be dangerous. I don’t really like putting my personal information online, especially on social networking sites like Facebook.

Management is a funny thing. Most of the people I know who are in management are not actually managers. I mean, they don’t have any qualifications to say they are managers. I think most managers are like that. They spend a year or two in a job and then become managers once the old manager moves on. I’m not sure whether or not you can learn management. Of course there are things like MBAs that teach you this, but in the end, management is all about how you deal with people. If you have a personality that can’t respect people and treat them fairly, you can’t be a good manager.  I have worked for some terrible managers. They have no idea what they’re doing and only create lots of work for others.

The 2010 South Africa World Cup is nearly here and I’m so excited. I love the World Cup. Every four years I can’t wait to watch this brilliant event. I heard more people watch the Finals than the Olympics. All over the world, people go soccer crazy. Even people who don’t like football. I was in Tokyo for the Korea-Japan Finals in 2002 – the atmosphere was amazing for a whole month. The 2010 Finals are extra special because it’s the first time for them to be in Africa. I’m sure it will be a great success. And who will win? I think Argentina will lift the trophy. Lionel Messi will show why he’s world player of the year. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if England won. They have a strong team and Rooney is on fire at the moment.

I never know what to do with my hair. Sometimes I want it long, sometimes I want to cut it all off. My hair is a little unmanageable. It never does what I want it to. It’s very thick. When it’s long and I have lots of split ends so I have to go to the hairdresser’s for a trim. I also have dandruff, which is a little embarrassing when I wear dark sweaters. I don’t often have a bad hair day. This usually only happens when I have to meet someone important. My hair sticks out all over the place. I hate it. I always think everyone is looking at me, or looking at my misbehaving hair. I often wonder what it would be like if we had no hair - if we were all bald. We could save lots of money on shampoos and conditioners.

Immigration wasn’t really a problem a long time ago. Many countries welcomed immigrants because they needed workers. The USA, Australia and Canada encouraged millions of people to come and live in their countries. Today, however, immigration is becoming a problem. Many countries are trying to control immigration. At election time, it is a major issue. Immigration today is big business. More and more people from poor countries want to live in rich countries. It is easier to travel nowadays because of cheap transport and more open borders. People risk their lives to get the chance of starting a new life in a rich country. This can cause anger in the countries immigrants go to. It is an issue that will be with us forever, I think.

I’m not sure what to think about identity cards. There are good and bad things about them. I think on the whole they are a good thing. It depends on what the government uses the information for. It also depends on how secure the database is that keeps our information. A lot of people think ID cards are too much. They think the government is trying to control us too much. I’m not sure that’s true, but it is something to think about. In this day and age, when immigration is a problem, I think ID cards might be useful. Some countries are using ID cards as a one-stop card for everything. The card is your driving license, medical card and ID all rolled into one. That’s a great idea. All we need now is to make it a passport and credit card.

What was life like before Google? This might look like a silly and strange question, but it is a good one. Google has changed our lives. In an amazingly short space of time, the verb ‘google’ has entered our language. I think everything about Google is amazing. It helps us so much. We can find any information we want just by typing in what we want in the search box. I even like the Google home page. It’s so simple. You know, I can’t remember the last time a day went by when I didn’t use Google for something. I wonder what Google will be like in the future. Only those at Google know. The strange thing about the Internet is that something we don’t even know about yet might come along and totally replace Google overnight.

Golden Week is such a lovely time to be in Japan. The weather is great and everyone is relaxed. There’s a real holiday feeling all over the country. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. The only down side is that the roads are full of traffic. You can spend hours stuck in traffic jams. So I usually stay at home and do things near my house. I love going on picnics in local parks. I’m English so I find it really interesting to see how Japanese people have picnics. Very different from picnics in England. Many people have the whole week off work to celebrate the different holidays. The Emperor’s birthday and Constitution Day are important and so is Greenery Day, but I like Children’s Day. This is when Japanese parents do special things for their kids.

All houses are unique. Even if they look the same from the outside, they are very different on the inside. I think houses are very interesting. I like looking at the way they are built and the style they are built in. In London there are many houses that are hundreds of years old. These are beautiful. You can still see much of the original wood and stone structure. Modern houses are also interesting. It’s funny how they copy many of the features of older houses. I love looking at houses when I travel. Every country has its own special designs, from Japan to Arabia to Greece. Nowadays people are building eco-friendly houses. They want houses that save energy and help protect the planet.

I don’t really like hospitals. I have many bad memories of them. I’ve stayed in hospital seven times in my life. I guess I must be unlucky. My friends all say I’m accident prone. My longest stay in hospital was for three months. That was boring. I had lots of visitors but staying in bed for that length of time isn’t much fun. The worst thing was hospital food. I couldn’t wait to get out and have some real food. The strange thing is that I really like watching TV dramas and movies about hospitals. It feels like I know everything that’s going on. I wouldn’t like to work in a hospital though. I hate the smell and the sight of blood. I’ll do my best from now on to stay away from hospitals, unless I’m visiting someone else.

I wonder if there is anyone in the world who never lies. Not even a small white lie. It seems everyone lies at some point in their life, or their day. Some people are better liars than others. In fact, I often read lying is an art. Children are pretty good at lying. Or perhaps they’re pretty bad, because it’s easy to tell when a child is lying. I read that the more lies children tell, the more intelligent they are. You need to be creative and imaginative to lie. There comes a stage in our lives when most of us stop lying. We are all told that it’s always better to tell the truth. Not all of us do this though. There are many very intelligent people who lie. We even trust them to run our country. I’ve lost count of the number of politicians who have been caught lying.

Life is for living. That’s what I believe. It sounds very simple, but actually, it’s quite difficult. You only have one life, so you really have to live it. Don’t waste time doing boring things. Live life for today. Is living working in an office all your life? No. Take some risks in life. Invest in your life and do the things you really want to do. If you don’t try and live your dreams, you don’t really live. I often hear people saying to other, “get a life”. I agree with them. Don’t wait and let life pass you by. Life is too short and you can’t go back. I have a full life. I don’t live life in the fast lane, but I do make sure I do things so that when I look back on my life, I won’t have any regrets.

I often wonder how important luck is in my life. I’m not sure if there is a thing called luck. Some people say they are lucky and others say they are unlucky. I think everyone in life has good luck and bad luck. Just because someone loses something or has an accident doesn’t mean it’s bad luck. An accident is an accident. People who always say they have bad luck are negative. If they wait, something good will happen in their lives. I do like to wish people good luck though. I think it’s a nice thing to say if someone has an interview or an exam. But, people pass exams and interviews because they studied hard or spoke well, not because of luck. In England people think they’ll have seven years of bad luck if they break a mirror. That’s strange.

Where would we be without language? We’d all be in our own worlds and we’d never really have a life. Can you imagine never talking to anyone? Of course if there was no language, we wouldn’t be able to use body language or sign language. The fact that we do have languages means we have gone to the moon and built things like the Internet – which also needs a special computer language to work properly. I think language is amazing. It means we can tell anyone anything. I often think it’s a shame there are so many languages in the world. If there was only one language, we could all communicate better. Perhaps that way, we’d all understand one another better. What would the world language be? At the moment, English.

Love is a wonderful thing, but is it possible to fall in love with someone at first sight? Many people say they have done this. How can it be possible? Surely it takes a time to get to know someone and then fall in love. I think falling in love at first sight is dangerous. You don’t really know the person. Maybe after you’ve built your life around them you’ll find lots of faults in them and suddenly be disappointed. Then you’ll have to fall out of love. Anyway, is it really love at first sight or is it love at first conversation? And what if the other person doesn’t fall in love with you at first sight? This could be a bit painful. It could also be embarrassing. I think I like the traditional way of falling in love after 257 dates.

There are magazines on just about anything you can think of. Just walk into a big bookstore and see the hundreds of different kinds of magazines. There are magazines for men, magazines for women, for children, for bankers, stamp collectors and even English students. They’re quite amazing when you think about it. There’s so much information in them. It must take a long time to make one magazine. And they are such great value for money. I like reading magazines that I would never usually buy. This happens when I’m in a waiting room. I like flicking through the magazine rack and looking through the magazine. I don’t care if it’s in another language. The pictures are interesting.

Laughter is what makes the world go round. If you can’t laugh, life would be very boring and depressing. The sound of laughter is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. Just hearing it makes me smile and want to laugh too. I have to find out what’s funny so I can share the joke, or share the fun. I particularly love the sound of small children laughing. Their laughter is infectious. It’s amazing the things they find to laugh about. I think I heard somewhere that laughter is the best medicine. That’s so true. I also think a good laugh keeps you healthy. A few people I know belong to a laughter club. They stand around in circles and laugh. Yes, laughter really is one of the best things we do.

When I was younger I wanted to be a journalist. I used to watch the news and think how amazing it would be to report from places around the world. I think journalism is a pretty tough profession. You really need a special character to survive. I think journalism is one of the most important professions in the world. Without it, we wouldn't know anything about what's going on in the world. It can also be a dangerous profession. Of course, reporting in war zones is dangerous, but even reporting in the street carries risk. I'm sure many journalists have many experiences of angry people they try to interview, or even of other journalists who get angry. When I watch journalism award shows, I still feel a desire to become a journalist.

I love jokes. I could listen to people telling jokes all day. I laugh at even the silliest of jokes. In fact, I love silly jokes. I still laugh at the jokes I laughed at when I was a child. I’m not so good at telling jokes. I have just a few of my favourite ones that I tell. They’re pretty funny. I think telling jokes is a real skill. You need confidence, timing and you need to know when to deliver the punch line. Some of my jokes don’t work with people from other countries. They don’t get them. It’s also interesting to see how American and British jokes are different. I listen to American comedians but can’t see what’s funny. I also love practical jokes. Playing jokes on other people is very funny – as long as they see the funny side.

Some people love insects and others absolutely hate them. I can’t count how many of my friends are terrified of insects. I have one friend who jumps and screams at the sight of the tiniest bug. He’s over forty years old! My son loves insects. He has many books on them and knows everything about them. He loves going to insect museums and watching nature documentaries on insects. I also love them. I think insects are fascinating. I can watch them for hours. I also love looking at them in zoos and museums. It’s like looking at a tiny miniature world. I think if I was insect-sized, life would be pretty scary. Or even worse, what if one day there were giant insects roaming the streets. That’s the stuff of horror movies.

My favourite subject at school was history. I don’t know why. I loved reading the stories about famous people and famous events. When I was little, history was just stories. As I got older, I realized history is the study of how we got here today. It’s a long journey that describes all the wars, great people, inventions, disasters, etc that have brought us to this point in time. I now love any kind of history. It’s fascinating to visit a new country and learn about its history. Watching the news today is like seeing history unfold. Lots of the things I learnt at school now make the news more interesting. History provides us with the perfect background information to a news story.

I really don’t understand why genocide happens. Every five or ten years we hear about the latest genocide. Every time we hear about it, governments say it will never happen again. After the genocide in Rwanda, the USA and other world powers promised to stop any future killing. Then Darfur came along and all they do is talk. If a crazy government wants to kill thousands of innocent civilians, no one can stop them. Genocide is the biggest shame in our history. Countries go to war because of oil, but not to stop innocent people being murdered. Only recently has the international community started chasing those who organize genocide. The International Criminal Court prosecutes those who commit crimes against humanity.

People say intelligence is a lot more attractive than beauty. I often ask people if they would prefer a partner who is intelligent or good looking. They almost always say they want someone who is intelligent. I wonder why it is some of us are so intelligent and others aren’t. Surely we are all born with a similar level of intelligence. I’m not really sure how intelligent I am. Sometimes I think I’m intelligent, but then I do something really dumb. Or I meet someone who is super-brainy who makes me feel unintelligent. One day, I’m going to take one of those intelligence tests to measure my IQ. Another thing I don’t get about intelligence is how people think our leaders are so intelligent, but then the leaders do such stupid things. Do intelligent people start wars?

Love makes the world go round, not money. I agree with the centuries-old quote that says, ‘Love conquers all’. It’s true when you think about it. So much has been written about love. It must be one of the most written and talked about topics ever. How many songs and poems are there about love? Millions. Billions, perhaps. Love is everywhere. You can’t pass a single day without hearing someone say ‘love’. It is one of the most beautiful words in any language. Your heart can melt when someone says, ‘I love you’. It’s also very important to tell people you love them. You should do it every day. There are many different kinds of love and they are all important. Except perhaps when you love pizza or burgers. That’s not healthy.

I love holidays. They are the best thing in the world. The only problem is they are always too short. Even summer holidays at school aren’t long enough. I recently had an eight-week holiday and it flew by. It seems as though time goes quickly when we are on holiday, and slowly when we are at school or work. I always really look forward to holidays – even one-day holidays are great. I live in a country that has many national holidays, so there’s always a break around the corner. I feel sorry for some workers who only get two or three weeks holiday a year. They can’t do anything or go anywhere. I love holidays even if I don’t go away. Staying at home is just as good as going on holiday somewhere. Sometimes going on holiday is stressful.

One of the busiest times of our life must be our wedding day. Getting married can be a very stressful time. But, it is also one of the happiest days in our life. It all begins with the proposal. After that comes setting the date. Once the couple know the wedding day, it’s planning, planning and planning. They have to decide where to get married, who to invite, what kind of flowers, where to have the reception, and a million and one other things. Getting married can be a very expensive occasion. Some parents save all their lives to pay for their son’s or daughter’s wedding. Getting married seems to be similar all over the world. The happy couple make some vows in front of their guests and then there is a big party after.

Heart attacks kill millions of people each year. I think it’s one of the world’s biggest killers. A lot of people have a heart attack because of their lifestyle. I’m sure if people ate healthy food and exercised, the number of heart attacks would drop. The thing I worry about is stress. For me, it’s difficult to avoid. Research shows that stress is one of the biggest causes of heart attacks. The problem with this is that you get stressed, and then you worry about your heart, which makes it beat faster and gives you more stress, which then makes your heart beat even faster. Best not to get stressed. There are so many things you can do in life to reduce your chances of a heart attack. I think we need more information.

Gangs are becoming a big problem in many countries around the world. We’ve always had gangs, and they’ve always created problems. Recently, things seem to be getting out of control. Gangs are taking over our streets. In many parts of South America, gangs kill because of drugs. In many parts of Europe, gangs hang around on street corners and hassle anyone who walks by. There’s a lot of pressure for young people to join a gang. If a young person doesn’t join a gang, they might be bullied at school. The government always says gangs are a problem, but they never do anything about it. I was in a gang when I was younger. It’s scary when I look back on it. We used to have lots of fights and do many bad things. I never had a knife.

I think I have the greatest friends in the world. They are just as important to me as family. In fact, they are my family, really. My best friends and I all grew up together and shared so many experiences together. We know everything about each other. I would do anything for my friends and I’m sure they’d do anything for me. I’m sure there’s nothing in the world that could stop us from being friends. I’ve also made lots of other good friends from university and the different places I’ve worked. They are also important to me. We are now all over the world and it’s sometimes difficult to meet each other, but we stay in touch. One day I’d like to get all of my friends together for a big party. That’d be great fun.

The heart is one organ we really have to look after. Most of us, I think, don’t really know how to look after it. Or perhaps we know, but don’t do enough to keep our heart in a healthy condition. Our heart is an amazing thing, when you think about it. It beats so fast for years and years and years, pumping millions of litres of blood around our body. It keeps working, even though we do so many bad things to it. It really is the source of our life. We need to promise our heart every day that we’ll look after it properly. I think kids born today are lucky. Modern medicine and science will soon have all the answers to keep our heart strong. Even today we’re lucky. Doctors can replace your heart via a heart transplant.

Gambling is a very dangerous thing. At least that’s what I think. I don’t think much good comes of it. People lose their money and then get angry. Sometimes people lose everything they have. The only people who win are the companies, casinos, etc. that organize gambling. I don’t really understand why people would want to risk their money. Most of the time they lose it. The odds are always against you. Gambling causes so many social problems I’m surprised governments allow it. In some countries it is illegal to gamble. This is good. I never understand why people gamble again and again. They must get fed up with throwing their money away. I suppose they always think the next one will be the one they make a lot of money.

A hangover is one of the worst feelings you can have. There’s nothing you can do to make it go away. You just have to wait for it to wear off. It usually takes a whole day and can even take two days to disappear. The most stupid thing about a hangover is that you never learn. A hangover is your body’s warning that too much alcohol is bad for you. When something is painful, you never do it again. Not so with a hangover. When people have a hangover, they often drink again the next day. This makes your original hangover much worse. Many people have their own hangover “cure”. None of them work for me. All I can do is suffer. I suppose the best thing for a hangover is not to drink at all, or at least not drink too much.

Someone once told me that French fries are not French. There must be some connection between fries and France, otherwise they wouldn’t be called French Fries. Wherever they are from, I love them. I guess they’re the most popular food in the world. Everyone eats French fries. They are very versatile – you can eat them with so many things. You can even have a French Fries sandwich. People put all sorts of things on top of French fries. I love ketchup and mayonnaise on my fries – both together. You have to have salt. The only time I don’t like fries is when they are cold. I get angry if I get fries that aren’t hot in a fast food restaurant. I take them back immediately. All of this talk of French fries has made me want to eat some.

I think humour is one of the best things in life. Without it, nothing in life would be funny. It’s strange how we start laughing from such a young age. I wonder what makes tiny babies laugh. What do they find funny. Babies laugh and smile all the time. This means we are born to laugh and make other people laugh. Our sense of humour develops as we grow up. Some people become very good at telling jokes. I always find it difficult to remember jokes. I don’t understand jokes from other countries. I love comedy shows from England, but I can’t see what’s funny when I watch American comedies. I guess humour is different, even with people who speak the same language. Anyway, I think I have a good sense of humour and I like a good laugh.

Gun control should be a really serious issue. In my country, politicians rarely talk about it. They only discuss it if someone goes nuts and shoots lots of people in a school or shopping mall. Gun crime is on the increase everywhere but the government never talks about gun control. I really think there should be huge fines for anyone caught with a gun. Too many innocent people are dying. The situation will only get worse. I think if a politician stands up and argues for any kind of gun control, he or she will win the next election. I’m sure most people think controlling or banning guns in societies is very important. Unless you live in America. I’m not sure if gun control exists there. It seems everyone has a gun.

“Home is where the heart is.” That’s so true. I’ve lived in many different houses during my life but not all of them have been home. When you are growing up, home is where your family lives. I left home when I was 18 and slowly my childhood home was no longer. Now it’s my parents’ house and not my home. I moved around a lot and only spent a year or so in most places I lived. They never really felt like home. A home is somewhere you feel totally relaxed and want to come home to. The expression “Home Sweet Home” is also true. You have to have nice feelings about it to call it home. Home doesn’t have to be in your home country. I’ve lived in several countries and have had a home in all of them.

Some people love hiking and some people hate it. Personally, I don’t really like it. I don’t see the point of walking for miles and miles up and down mountains. You get all sweaty and out of breath. The worst thing is that the next day all your muscles ache. Of course it’ll rain, so you’ll get soaking wet. If it’s sunny, you’ll get sunburn. To make things really bad, you might fall over and twist your ankle or get stung by a bee. I have terrible memories of hiking when I was a child. My parents always wanted to get to the top of the mountain, and then the next mountain top, and then the next. No matter how much we complained, they always said: “It’s not far.” Never believe anyone who says that, especially someone who loves hiking.

God created us all. God created life. God created everything around us. I often try to think what was before God. But God has always been there, so there was nothing before God. I wonder why God always appears as a man with a beard in books. He’s also usually a white man. No one knows if God is a man or a woman. God is also different to different religions. Most people in the world pray to God. They ask for forgiveness when they do something wrong; they thank God for bringing good things and ask for God’s help when things go wrong. People who believe in God get strength from their belief. They know that God is looking down on them. One thing I don’t understand is why there is so much killing and bad things in the world.

Isn’t food one of life’s greatest pleasures? Do you know anyone who doesn’t like food? I don’t. There is so much delicious food in the world. You could spend a whole lifetime eating a different dish every day. What’s the tastiest food in the world? This is a very difficult question to answer. My taste in food keeps changing. Sometimes my favourite is a dessert, but then I change my mind and go for a spicy curry. It’s great that countries have so many different dishes. Do you think your national dish is best? Nowadays we have to be careful about what we eat. Fast food is not good for us. We need to focus more on healthy food. Maybe we have to be more careful in the future. Make sure the food you eat is good for you.

Some people like their feet and other people don’t. I quite like mine. They’re not too big and not too small. Some people I know have huge feet. They even have problems trying to buy shoes that fit them. My feet are pretty normal. They’ve been very useful down the years. I’ve done a lot of running, loads of hiking and played thousands of hours of football. I’ve never injured my feet or my ankles. I sometimes get sore feet when I go shopping. That seems to be the only thing my feet don’t like. That and new shoes. New shoes usually give me blistered feet. Oh yes… and the cold. My feet hate the cold. My toes go numb. Especially my big toe. One thing I’m happy about is that I don’t have smelly feet.

I never used to worry about my health until recently. When I was a kid, I did loads of exercise. Even in my twenties and thirties I was very fit and never ill. I have been lucky all my life – always in the best of health. I rarely get even a cold. I suppose time catches up with you. Now I seem to be getting lots of little aches and pains. I should go to the doctor for a health check, but I’m too busy. The older you get, the more you worry about your health. One good thing is that I’m eating more healthily now than ever before. I no longer have fast food and midnight snacks. I also sleep a lot more. I’ve read that getting seven or eight hours sleep every night is one of the best things you can do for your health.

I totally do not believe in horoscopes. I can’t think of anything more ridiculous. Perhaps the only thing more ridiculous is the number of people who read their horoscopes and believe what they say. I mean, just how can a horoscope be true? How is it that the same things are true for half-a-billion people born between January 23 and February 22. It makes no sense. Not all of those people will be lucky in love and have a nice financial surprise at the beginning of the month. Horoscopes are a part of many cultures. Every time I go to another country I see the horoscope in magazines. I have a friend who has the same star sign as me. Our lives and fortunes are very different. That proves to me that horoscopes are rubbish.

Every country must provide free healthcare to its citizens. I can’t understand why the richest countries in the world don’t do this. It’s shocking that a country can be so rich and let its people die because they cannot pay the hospital. I saw a great movie once on America’s healthcare system. It’s called “Sicko,” directed by Michael Moore. He went to England and France and was amazed that people in those countries didn’t have to pay when they went to hospital. He then went to Cuba. He went with lots of Americans who couldn’t afford healthcare in America. Amazingly, the Cuban hospitals treated them all for free and gave them medicine. They were so happy. I’m sure there’s enough money in the world to provide everyone with free healthcare.

Guns are bad. Full stop. I’m fed up hearing about people who think they have a right to carry a gun. A gun is a deadly weapon. People who are for guns say people are the deadly ones. That’s stupid. The truth is, that if there were no guns in the world, there’d be more people alive. Students with guns kill other students at school. No guns, no deaths. Guns are used in millions of crimes around the world. Gun crime is out of control in many countries. The societies in which guns are illegal have very little gun crime. The problem is that guns aren’t going away. They are getting easier to buy. Now that many international borders are open, smuggling guns to other countries is easy. Maybe the whole world will return to the Wild West.

I don’t understand the fascination with gold. It’s just a soft metal. It isn’t even the most valuable metal. It’s interesting how almost every culture in the world loves gold. Indians spend a fortune on it. When their children get married they give gold bracelets and rings as gifts. Most of the world’s wedding rings are gold. I know different countries prefer different types of gold. In Thailand, only 24 carat is good enough, but in England, people buy a lot of 9-carat gold. It seems like we have always loved gold. Think how many stories there are from hundreds of years ago about gold treasure. In fact, if you go back further, Egyptian kings and queens had lots of gold. I’ll never forget Tutankhamen’s mask. The gold in that was really golden.

Happiness is sitting on a beach with a good book and no more work and studying for a year. Ahhhh… if only. What’s your idea of happiness? It’s such an important thing. I like Bhutan’s idea (Bhutan is the small country next to Nepal). There, they prefer to measure happiness instead of money. The most important thing for Bhutan’s government is how happy the people are. What a fantastic idea this is. Imagine if governments focused on making us all happy. They could spend money on beaches and free ice cream instead of fighting wars. I looked at everyone on the train this morning. No one looked happy. Maybe the news should be full of happy stories instead of the usual doom and gloom

Food safety seems to be a big issue nowadays. I can’t remember it being such a big problem years ago. With today’s technology, it shouldn’t be a problem. But it is. In fact, there are many problems. In my country, GM food is a big issue. People do not want to eat food that is genetically modified. They say it is unsafe. I know in America GM food is everywhere. Another issue with food safety is food imports. A lot of imported food has made people ill. Our government bans a lot of food from certain countries. This is a good idea. A concern in my country is with chickens and cows. We have bird flu and mad cow disease. It might be better to be vegetarian.

I really like walking around gardens. Every garden is different. Even two gardens that are next to each other are different. I loved the garden our family had when I was small. I also loved starting my own garden when I bought my house. The best gardens in the world are in England. English country gardens are famous all over the world. The gardeners are like artists. It’s amazing how they make everything so perfect and so colourful. I can sit in or walk through an English garden all day. I also like Japanese gardens. They also have a very special feel about them. Everything is so perfect and you feel really peaceful. I’d like to spend my life visiting different gardens.

I have a strange hobby. It’s visiting factories. I’m really interested to see how things work and how they are made. I’ve learnt so many things on my factory visits. Factories are amazing. They are like mini cities. The thing that surprises me most is how everything works together. Everyone knows exactly what to do and when to do it. Even the robots. Car factories are cool, but very noisy. A car assembly line is like a giant ballet dance with everything moving perfectly together. It’s quite easy to visit factories. All you have to do is go to their home page and see if they have visiting times, or write to them. The best factories to visit are ones that produce food and drinks. You always get free stuff. Unfortunately you don’t get a free car at car factories.

I wonder how many times we have our hair cut in our life. Hundreds. It would also be interesting to know how many different hairstyles we have. I know the styles I had when I was younger would look silly today. I really like haircuts. It’s interesting sitting in the hairdresser’s chair and watching the stylist do things. I often think a good haircut is like art and the hairdresser is the artist. I have had a few disastrous haircuts – usually when they cut too much off. I need a long fringe because my face is a strange shape. The best thing I like about haircuts is having a chat to the hairdresser. He or she can usually talk about anything and everything. I also like the smell of everything when I’m sitting in the chair.

Hands are interesting things. They can do so many things. We’d be lost without them. I think hands are one of the most useful parts of they body. They are so clever. We can do so many different things with our hands. We can hold things, squeeze things, feel things. We can swing on jungle gyms, write and type letters; the list is endless. I think hands are a very beautiful part of the body, if they are well looked after. It’s interesting to see how many different parts there are to our hands. We have a palm, fingers, knuckles, life lines, fingertips and the back of our hand. There are lots of good things you can do with your hands. I like holding hands – of course with my wife and children.

I think the idea of genetic engineering is fascinating. It’s also quite dangerous. Fiddling around with what makes us human might make us less human. We could end up creating a Frankenstein’s monster. The idea of genetic engineering has been around for centuries. Scientists have always wanted to change us. The real breakthrough came in the latter half of last century. Geneticists cracked the genetic code and found ways of altering our genes. Now they can clone animals and reproduce human tissue and organs. I don’t think it’ll be too long before scientists clone a person. Once all the fuss has died down, younger generations will be more accepting of genetic engineering. We might even live to be two hundred years old.

I have a passion for furniture. I love it. I particularly love antique furniture. I love going round old houses and looking at all the beautiful sofas and chests and cabinets from hundreds of years ago. Making furniture used to be a real art. They don’t make furniture like they used to. Nowadays a lot of furniture is rubbish. A lot of it you have to make yourself! Actually, I quite like that. I like wandering around IKEA and seeing what they have. You can pay extra to have the guys assemble your furniture for you, but I like doing it myself. I’m studying interior design and would like to start my own furniture workshop one day. I’ll mix modern ideas with traditional ones. I’d like to start a trend for green furniture that helps the environment.

I hate gossip. It really gets on my nerves. I really don’t understand why people gossip about other people. My office is full of gossips. They have nothing better to do. Surely there are more important things to talk about. Gossip isn’t true. That’s why it’s gossip. OK, it might be true, but who cares? Gossiping is dangerous. It can make perfectly nice people look bad. I’m not sure if I’ve been the subject of gossip. I’m sure I wouldn’t like it if I was. I have some friends who buy gossip magazines. They love celebrity gossip. That’s even worse than office gossip. At least with office gossip you know the people. Any time someone comes to me to tell me the latest piece of “juicy gossip” or “hot gossip,” I tell them I’m not interested.

People say first impressions count. What do you think? Can you understand a lot about someone from the very first time you see them or meet them? I think I’m good at judging someone’s character from the first time I set eyes on them. It’s easy to understand if the person is my kind of person. First impressions count most when you meet someone important. If you have a job interview, it’s very important to give a good first impression. The interviewer can decide if they like you as soon as you walk through the door. Are you well-dressed? Do you look happy? Do you greet the interviewer? All these things are important. I also think first impressions count when you meet your future in-laws.

What does family mean to you? In a perfect world, all families should be happy and everyone should get on well together. I know a lot of families that have many problems. Brothers and sisters who don’t like each other, parents who never talk to each other. I wonder why this is. How can you live so close to your family members and feel apart from them? There is a lot of talk in the news about the breakdown of family life. Divorce is rising everywhere in the world. This means single parents have less time to spend with their children, which creates problems. Maybe the stress of modern life puts too much pressure on families. It seems as though family life was better a generation or two ago. Is this true for families in your country?

If I could, I’d never go to another funeral again. No one likes funerals, of course, but for me, they make me so sad. I can’t stop crying. Quite often I’m the only person crying. Everything about a funeral makes me cry. When I open the invitation, tears well up in my eyes. When I see the funeral procession drive by, I start. The actual ceremony is almost unbearable. I have never learnt to control my sobs. If you hear someone sniffing non –stop, that’s me. The music at funerals is unnecessarily sad. I’ve told my friends I want salsa music at my funeral. And I don’t want people to wear black. I also hope the party after the funeral isn’t a sad occasion. People should laugh and remember the funny times.

Electricity is one of the most important inventions ever. It is the thing that powers the Earth. If there was no electricity, we’d be back in the dark ages. Few people stop and think just how amazing electricity is. With the flick of a switch, you can power almost anything. Think about what would happen if there was no electricity. We’d have no TV, no computers, no traffic signals. It would be like going back to living in caves. There are a few negative points about electricity, of course. Number one, it’s dangerous. Thousands of people die each year from electrocuting themselves or in electrical fires. And number two, it isn’t good for the environment. Most electricity comes from burning coal and that creates greenhouse gasses.

I’m not sure how many people ever stop to think how wonderful four seasons are. I think people who live in cities don’t care about the seasons. City people spend half their lives indoors or underground. I live in the country and I love watching the seasons come and go. Every day is different in the countryside. I love watching the crops grow in the fields. I watch them push their way up from the ground in the spring and then grow tall in the summer sun. Just before autumn arrives, the farmer harvests them and then winter comes. Seasons means it’s like living in a new place every four months. Everything changes. One wonderful thing about seasons is the seasonal food you get. There’s always something tasty that’s just come in season.

Driving is one of life’s greatest pleasures. There’s nothing better than getting behind the wheel and going for a drive. I live in the countryside, so it’s easy to get out onto an open road. I open the windows and turn the music up and then just drive and drive. I like driving to new areas and finding new roads. I find it very relaxing and great fun. I like the speed and the freedom. I even like driving in towns and cities, although not when traffic is really heavy. It’s not much fun being stuck in a traffic jam half the day. Driving in different countries is great fun. I’m a little nervous at first, but I soon get to know the roads. People have different ways of driving in different countries. I don’t like countries that have aggressive drivers.

Are you a good person to have around in an emergency? I am, I think. I have a very cool head and I don’t panic easily. The most important thing to do in an emergency is stay calm. If you do this, you can think straight and decide what’s best to do. Also, if you stay calm, other people might stay calm too. The worst thing to do is panic. Once you panic, things become worse. Of course, it depends on the kind of emergency. For really serious emergencies, you should call the emergency services. That’s 999 in the UK or 911 in other parts of the world. My biggest emergency recently was a big one. I pressed the delete button and lost my 3,000 songs in iTunes. Luckily, I had a back-up.

Freedom is a funny thing. It seems to mean different things in different countries. People in my country say they have freedom, but I don’t think so. We have to go to school, we have to pay tax, we have to work, we have to do lots of things. That’s not freedom. I’d say we have more freedom than people in other countries. There are many countries in the world where people are like slaves. They can’t leave the country, can’t get a passport, and have to work 16 hours a day. I wonder what a society would be like if everyone was totally free to do anything they wanted. It would probably be a total mess. No one would work. I suppose freedom means having some rules to follow.

Drugs are becoming a big problem in many societies. When I was growing up, you rarely heard about drugs. Now, they’re everywhere. Children in schools are smoking marijuana and taking harder drugs. There were many kids at my school who smoked. Nicotine was the most serious drug they used. Today’s kids seem to have access to all kinds of drugs. I don’t know what the government should do about it. Some countries have legalized drugs like marijuana, but others have made it a crime to possess even the smallest amount. You can even go to prison for having a tiny, tiny bit. Governments need to do something before society ends up in a real mess. I’m not sure what the solution is.

Grammar! Why is English grammar so confusing? I studied grammar for many years at school and I still don’t understand when to use a tense. Is it the simple present or the present perfect? What’s the difference? My teacher tells me to keep visiting grammar websites and doing the practice activities. She told me to look for patterns, but I’m not really sure what she means. She also told me one of the best ways to learn grammar is to read for pleasure. She said that way I’ll keep seeing good grammar and it will slowly come to me. I think the best way to learn grammar is to write and let my teacher point out my mistakes. Do you have any good tips on how to learn grammar?

What does globalization mean? We always hear this word on TV and read about it in newspapers. It means the world is now a village – the global village. The world has become smaller. Of course, the world did not shrink and it isn’t a village. Because of better transport, the Internet and more trading between countries, it is easier to do business. Japanese car makers have factories in Thailand; American computer companies employ thousands of people in China. That’s globalization. And don’t forget the millions of call centre jobs in India that workers in America and Europe used to do. Globalization also means it is easier to work in another country. Is globalization a good or bad thing? That’s a difficult question to answer.

When I was a kid, I thought gangsters were really cool. I loved watching gangster movies. Al Capone was almost like a hero to me. I always wanted the gangster in the movie to escape from the police. The movies made gangsters look like heroes. Now I’m older, I think that’s shocking. How can they glamorize the life of gangsters. Of course, we all know gangsters are dangerous. They are involved in many crimes. They sell drugs, traffic children and run prostitution rings. Many gangsters control politicians and policemen. In fact, in many countries around the world, gangsters become politicians. The funny thing is, even now, when I look at gangster movies, I still think the gangster is the good guy. That’s a little worrying.

Everybody should take up gardening as a hobby. We can all get back to nature. Thousands of years ago we all did a bit of gardening. It’s one of the most relaxing hobbies I can think of. It’s also very satisfying. I get very excited about gardening. I love planting seeds and then letting nature take over. It’s amazing how quickly things grow. Before you know it, your seeds are beautiful flowers. You also learn a lot about flowers, vegetables, shrubs and trees. Of course, gardening is also very practical. If you grow vegetables, you can eat what you grow. Vegetables picked fresh from your garden really do taste better than the ones in the shops. Gardening is good for you. It makes you feel part of the Earth.

Global warming is the biggest problem in the world today. Everyone know about it but not everyone is trying to stop it. Many world leaders are more interested in blaming other countries for the crisis. Countries like China, India and Russia say they will not act unless America takes more action. America says it will not act until other countries take more action. It seems a little childish that leaders are acting in this way. The future of our world is at risk and governments can only argue with each other. Many presidents and prime ministers tell us that technology is the answer. They say future scientists will find solutions to save the planet. This is a big gamble. I hope they are right. I don’t believe them, so I’ll continue switching off lights and recycling.

Everybody wants to have fun. Life would be so boring if fun was taken away. There are so many things you can do for fun. The best thing, I think, is simply to be with your friends. You’ll always have a fun time with them. I can’t remember the most fun I’ve ever had. I had loads of fun times when I was a kid. It seemed as though life was all fun, except for homework. But university was also a lot of fun. I’d love to do all that again. I’m not sure if I’d call working fun. There’s not much fun in sitting at a desk and trying to please your boss. Weekends are fun though. I always try to have as much fun as I can at the weekend. Having fun is the best way to relieve the stress that builds up during the week.

Frustration is a terrible thing. In fact, it’s a frustrating thing. Getting frustrated is one of life’s biggest frustrations. I wish I didn’t get frustrated, but there are so many things in life that are frustrating. I think the biggest thing recently is computers. Getting a new computer out of the box can be frustrating. Understanding how everything works is doubly frustrating. And then there are all the frustrations with programmes that freeze, web pages that don’t open, and things you lose. I wonder why we get so frustrated. I think we could do things better if we relaxed and did everything slowly. I wonder if animals and birds get frustrated. I’m sure a lot of the things we humans do causes them a lot of frustration.

Football, that’s soccer to Americans, is the biggest and best sport in the world. There are millions of reasons why it is the world sport. For a start, it is played all over the world. The football World Cup is the biggest event on Earth. It’s bigger than the Olympics. More people watch the Final on TV than any other event. Football also brings nations together. The greatest of enemies put aside their differences for 90 minutes to play a football match. Then there are the teams, like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool. These names are more well known across the world than the top basketball or baseball teams. A famous coach once said: “Football isn’t a matter of life and death; it’s more important.”

I think fish are the most interesting creatures on the planet. They are absolutely fascinating. I love their different shapes, colours, social behaviour, everything. I can watch tropical fish in my aquarium for hours. Even the tiny little fish are so beautiful. When I go to the city aquarium, I can spend the whole morning or afternoon looking at the fish. I don’t have a favourite fish. I must confess that after watching the movie ‘Finding Nemo’ I do now like clownfish. As well as looking at fish, I also love eating them. Tuna is my favourite, especially raw tuna. When I visit Japan, the first thing I do is go to a sushi restaurant. Raw fish is so much tastier than cooked fish. And probably a lot healthier.

I absolutely love flying. I love everything about it, from buying my air ticket to getting off the plane and collecting my baggage. There’s something very special about getting on an airplane. It’s always a real adventure. I like short flights and long-haul flights. Many people say economy class is terrible, but I like it. There isn’t enough legroom but I don’t mind that. Many people also say they hate airplane food. I love it. The only thing I don’t like about flying is turbulence. I think that’s really scary. I always worry the plane will crash. Another thing I don’t like is waiting to get off when the plane stops. It takes ages before the flight attendants open the doors. One day I want to fly business class and first class.

What are you afraid of? I’m not really afraid of anything. When I was a child I was afraid of the dark. I used to hear strange noises at night when I was in bed. I couldn’t move. I was frozen with fear until it got light outside. I’m no longer afraid of the dark, thankfully. I also used to fear speaking in public. My face would go red and I’d get very hot. I overcame this fear because I had to make many speeches at school. The more I did this, the more my public speaking fear disappeared. People are afraid of many strange things. Did you there is a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth? There is even a medical name for it. I don’t think fear is a bad thing. It probably stops us from doing really dangerous things.

One day, all diseases on Earth will be gone. I wonder. In fact, if all diseases die out or doctors find vaccines and cures for them, that will really change our planet. Think about the amount of overpopulation if no one died from diseases. There’d be a population explosion. I don’t think the Earth would be able to feed so many people. It’s a really difficult question. Some diseases in the world are really horrible and cause a lot of suffering. It would be great if scientists found cures for those. Scientists have already found a cure for many diseases. It’s amazing how far science and medicine have come. I think more cures for diseases could be found if governments spent more money. They seem to spend so little on controlling disease.

People say that death is the only thing in life that is certain. That’s true. I’m not afraid of dying, but I do think it’s a sad thing. I’d like to live forever. I like life. I want to see my children’s children’s children grow up. People have different views on death in different cultures. In some countries, you die and go to heaven. In other countries you die and come back to Earth as something else. Some people celebrate people’s death because they had a good life. In other countries, death is a sad and dark affair. I know of many countries where death is a taboo subject. People just don’t talk about it. I have no problems talking about death. Especially to my family. I think it’s useful to tell everyone what I want to happen when I die.

I don’t understand discrimination. To me, it’s evil. How can you not think that all people are the same? It doesn’t matter what kind of discrimination it is, it’s all terrible. People who discriminate because of other people’s race, sex or age should be named and shamed. I think there should be really strong laws against all forms of discrimination. Racism is horrible. What difference does it make what colour your skin is? The thing that surprises me is that even in the most cosmopolitan cities, racism is everywhere. Sexual discrimination is also stupid. Sexist people have sisters, mothers, wives, daughters; but they still treat women as being less able. I wonder if we'll ever live in a world where we’re all equal.

Danger is everywhere. It’s all around us. That what I’ve decided. I thought about danger the other day and decided we live in a dangerous world. Even our house is full of danger. There are many chemicals in our cosmetics, cleaners, fridges, computers that are not good for us. The electric wiring could go wrong and electrocute us. We could fall down the stairs or slip on the kitchen floor. And then when we leave our house, we enter a dangerous world. Cars travelling at speed, people holding cigarettes, construction workers with heavy objects above our heads… all of these things present danger. Just turn on the news or open a local paper to see how much danger there is. I think I’ll stay in bed today.

Do you like fast food? Lots of people complain about it but I think a lot of it’s quite tasty – as long as you go to one of the international chains like McDonalds or Kentucky. I think in today’s world, it’s difficult to avoid eating in fast food restaurants. They are so convenient and seem to be everywhere. Of course they’re not the same as real restaurants. I wonder if they are restaurants. There aren’t any waiters. Anyway, the most important thing to remember about fast food is that it isn’t so healthy. People who eat it every day develop health problems. I don’t understand why schools serve fast food during lunch time. Schools should encourage students to eat healthily. If you have time, look at a website on slow food.

Many years ago I read that credit cards were the thing of the future. Credit card companies were telling us that plastic would replace cash. Well, this hasn’t happened. People are still using notes and coins. The Internet has increased the use of credit cards, but many people worry about putting their card details online. Lots of personal info gets stolen by fake sites pretending to be famous banks or online stores. Personally, I love credit cards. I always prefer to pay by card than by cash. When you use your card, you get air miles and every six months you can cash them in for presents. I do worry about credit card security. I keep waiting to see a huge purchase on my statement that I didn’t make.

I learnt all about evolution when I was about ten years old. I remember it clearly. I thought it was amazing. My mind was full of images of strange creatures crawling out of a green, soupy lake. Fish that had somehow developed legs and the ability to breathe air. Then these creatures turned into all kinds of animals. All the books I read said we came from apes. Scientists are still not sure how. There’s a missing link. When I think about it now, the theory of evolution is a clever concept. The man who thought of it, Charles Darwin, said nature is all about the survival of the fittest. Only the strongest species survive. We are still evolving. Scientists believe we will look quite different a million years from now. I wonder what we’ll look like.

I’m really into motor racing. Especially Formula One. It really is one of the most glamorous and exciting sports. Of course, it’s one of the fastest. I’m amazed by the speed of the cars and how skillful the drivers are. I’d love to drive a Formula One car to see how fast they go. People say Formula One is a man’s sport. It isn’t. I know lots of women who love it. One day, there’ll be a female world champion. You wait. I got into Formula One years ago. I loved the names of all the drivers. I watched a few Grands Prix on TV and then I was hooked. I never miss a race on TV. One day, I’d really like to go to a circuit and watch a Grand Prix live. I guess Monaco would be best – they drive through the streets there.

I really don’t know why fishing is so popular. It’s one of the best-loved hobbies all over the world. Anywhere there’s a pond, a river a lake or sea, you see people fishing. I’ve only been fishing twice and I thought it was boring. I didn’t catch any fish. Even if I had caught a fish, I don’t think I would have been excited. To me, sitting next to a river waiting for something to happen is strange. I know lots of people who love fishing. They even get up at four o’clock in the morning in the winter to sit in the freezing cold. They say the best time to fish is before the sun comes up. I say they’re crazy. Big game fishing looks good. I like the idea of cruising on a boat near Hawaii looking for giant fish.

Have you ever thought how strange fashion is? People tell us what clothes to wear. That’s weird. Fashion stores tell us what is “in” this summer or this winter. People then buy the same clothes and look like everyone else because they want to feel trendy. The thing is, fashion is about being an individual, but then we all wear clothes that are the same as everyone else’s! Keeping up with fashion is expensive these days. Everyone is into brand fashion. Have you seen how much the most fashionable sneakers are? How can kids afford those? The craziest fashion is the luxury brands. People spend a month’s salary, or more, on a handbag or watch. That’s crazy. I’m happy with an unknown brand at half the price. I don’t mind being unfashionable.

Eggs are great. Where would we be without them? They are so useful. I can’t imagine life or cooking without them. There are many ways of cooking eggs for breakfast – fried eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, etc. There are even many ways of “cooking” these. You can have a runny or hard fried egg or even have it sunny side up. You can have soft or hard-boiled eggs and fluffy scrambled eggs. There are also many things to put on top of eggs – mayonnaise, ketchup, salt, soy sauce. Each country has something different. I like cooking with eggs. I particularly like breaking them. I can now do it with one hand, without breaking the yolk. Sometimes it gets messy and the egg white starts dripping down your arm.

Why do we have crime? When will it all stop? It’s sad that there is so much crime in our society. It hurts so many people. Most people in the world just want to live happily and be good neighbours. Why do some people turn to crime? Money is a big reason. Many criminals pickpocket, steal, kidnap, or even kill people to get money. There are many terrible crimes in the world. Perhaps the worst is ethnic cleansing. This is a crime against humanity. Many people are killed because of their colour or religion. People who commit this crime rarely go to prison. Have you ever been a victim of crime? What do you think we need to do to reduce crime rates? Perhaps you should write to your government. Tell your leaders enough is enough.

I have too many clothes. I have many clothes I’ve only worn once. Sometimes I even find something at the back of a drawer that I never even wore. I bought it, put it away, and then forgot about it. I’m sure I don’t need so many clothes. I don’t think anyone really needs 11 pairs of jeans and 32 sweaters. I won’t tell you how many pairs of shoes I’ve got. That’s way too embarrassing. The simple truth is I love clothes and I love shopping. Maybe I have a problem. I’m sure I’d be a lot richer if I didn’t buy so many clothes. I like brands, so the clothes I buy are quite expensive. One day I’m going to have a big clearout. I’ll take all the clothes I no longer wear and give them to charity.

I dream almost every night. I have a lot of dreams and I remember most of them. I’m not sure what they mean. Some of them are quite strange. One day I’ll have to buy a book on dreams and see if I can interpret them. When I was a little kid, I had really bad dreams. Real scary ones. They were probably nightmares rather than dreams. Usually it was some big, bad stranger chasing me. My dreams today are all very different. Sometimes I’m speaking in another language in my dream. The ones I don’t like are the ones where I’m falling. But I my dreams where I’m flying. I sometimes have really nice dreams, but then my alarm clock goes off. I press snooze and try and get back into my dream for another ten minutes.

I’m hopeless at giving directions. I get very confused. I’m sure I send people in totally the wrong direction. For some reason, I always get stopped for directions in the street. I can usually direct someone if it’s just a block or two, but that’s it. If it’s half way across town, I’ll send you in the opposite direction, guaranteed. The funniest thing is asking for directions in another language. I’m pretty good at saying where I want to go, but when I receive the directions, I understand nothing. I nod my head and smile and say “thank you very much”. The person walks away thinking I understood the directions. I’m impressed by people who can give directions from one town to another. They must have a map inside their head!

Exercise is something most of us love to hate. A lot of us avoid it altogether. I do a lot of exercise, but not because I like it. I do it because it helps me stay slim and healthy. I always feel great after exercising, so there are good parts to it. The thing I hate most is getting ready. It’s really difficult after a hard day’s work to come home and then prepare for your exercises. I really don’t want to do it when I’m getting changed. I hate the warm-up stretching. I also hate the first

Are you into cars? My brother is. He’s car crazy. He buys car magazines, watches car programmes on TV and spends hours looking at car websites. He knows the name, maker, engine size and top speed of every car on the planet. Every time we go out, he talks non-stop about the cars he sees. I like cars. They are interesting. If I had a lot of money, I’d like to buy a sports car. I’m saving up for a small car at the moment. I’ll probably buy a hybrid car that is good for the environment. My brother thinks these are boring. He says a car should be powerful and fast. I don’t agree. I think cars should get you from A to B and be big enough for me and my friends. I also prefer smaller cars because they are easier to park.

Don’t you think books are the best thing in the world? I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t reading a book. I still have memories of being in my school library when I was about five years old. I have been a bit of a bookworm since then. You’ll usually see me with my head buried in a book. I love all kinds of books. Novels are great for getting to know other worlds and cultures. A good book is one where you never want the story to end. I also like autobiographies because I think it’s interesting to read about people’s lives. Encyclopedias are cool too – you can learn everything about everything in these. I still prefer books to the Internet. Books need to be in your hand and made of paper.

Climate change is one of the most worrying things for our planet. Many politicians and scientists say it is the biggest danger we face. I read almost every day that climate change is changing the Earth forever. Many species of animal, fish, insect, frog, etc. are dying. The ice caps in the Arctic and Antarctica are melting. Our weather is changing so places are getting warmer, or colder, or are having more and stronger hurricanes. We all need to do our bit so that climate change does not destroy us. It’s important to cut down on things that produce greenhouse gasses. These warm the planet and change the climate. Doing simple things like turning off lights and recycling paper all help.

Education is one of the most important things in our lives. Don’t you agree? It can make the difference between success and failure. An education can bring us knowledge and make us rich. In rich countries, people are lucky to have good schools. Children start learning from a very young age. They can further their education and go to higher education or university. In Japan, there are even private schools for babies to learn English. It’s a shame that in many rich countries, many children don’t want to learn. Perhaps schools need to find better ways to teach so children want to learn. It’s sad that in many parts of the world, children want to learn but can’t. Make sure you never stop learning. Education is the key to a better future.

There’s an old English saying that says, “A dog is a man’s best friend”. This is true for many people – men and women. Most people I know love dogs. They are pretty cool animals. They are intelligent and very helpful. Dogs are a real member of the family if you have one as a pet. I think dogs are very useful. They keep you company, they bark if a stranger comes near your house, and they fetch your slippers. Not all dogs are nice, though. Some are dangerous. I get sad when I read in the paper about children being attacked by a dog. Owners need to train them better. I also get sad when I read about abandoned dogs. People who want a dog as a pet should get an abandoned one.

Choosing a career is one of the biggest decisions we make in life. It used to be that we chose only one career. People would start a job when they were 18, 19 or 20 and stay in that same career for life. Their career path was quite straightforward. Nowadays, it is normal for people to change careers, five, six, seven times. New technology and globalization means things change quickly. We need to study and keep up with all the changes. I’ve had four different careers now. I like moving from one job to another. It means life never gets boring. It’s much better to keep learning different things in different careers. I have no idea what career I’ll choose next. Perhaps one that doesn’t even exists today.

I hate the sight of blood. Looking at it makes me go all weak at the knees. I can’t even look at my own blood. I don’t know why. The thing I hate most is giving blood for a medical check. I fainted once after I saw my blood in a small bottle. If I have a nose bleed, I have to sit down for 30 minutes before I feel better. It’s impossible for me to watch operations on TV. I wish I could donate blood to others. I can’t. I know giving blood is really important, but I’m not brave enough. One thing about blood I do find interesting is blood types. I think your blood type can affect your personality. I know that in some countries, people with blood type A would not be a good romantic match for someone with blood type O.

One of my favourite times of the day is bath time. I absolutely love taking a bath. Baths are so much better than showers. Having a bath is the most relaxing thing. There’s nothing better in life than sinking into a hot bath and letting the water take away my troubles. A bath really makes you feel great. I especially like taking a bath before going to bed. Bath time is pretty much the only time of the day when you can really pamper yourself. It also means a lot of quality time to yourself. It’s perfect for listening to music and reading a good book. The only thing I don’t like about bath time is when I fall asleep and the water goes cold. Or even worse – when you want a bath and there’s no hot water.

I’m a great art lover. I look at beautiful paintings and sculptures and wish I could be artistic. I can’t draw or paint to save my life. I wonder why some people are so talented and can create amazing pictures, when other people, like me, can’t even draw good matchstick figures. I would like to fill my house with art from all over the world. It’s interesting to see how different cultures have different kinds of art. There’s nothing better than visiting art galleries when you go to another country. I prefer more traditional art. I don’t really understand a lot of modern art. I look at an exhibit of a pile of bricks in a museum but can’t see how it’s art. I always laugh when my children say, “Daddy, I can do better than that!” I often think they can.

People say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That means if someone thinks someone else is beautiful, then they are beautiful. I think the idea of beauty is interesting. Why do we think some things or some people are beautiful and others aren’t? Some people think a building is beautiful, while others think the opposite. People nowadays spend too much time and money on beauty. I agree with the expression, “beauty is only skin deep”. This means that what’s really important is someone’s heart and character, not what they look like on the outside. It’s a little strange, and unfair, that you have to be beautiful to be a top actress or even a news reader on TV. I think there should be equal rights for most of us “non-beautiful” people.

Autumn is such a cool time of the year. Of course it is cool because the temperatures drop after summer. But it is also cool because it’s such a great time of the year. I love the changing of the leaves. The different autumn colours are one of nature’s most beautiful scenes. Sometimes I can’t stop looking at the mountains near my house. They are like an artist’s palette of golds, reds, yellows, browns and other autumnal colours. In America they call autumn ‘fall’ because that is when the leaves fall from the trees. I like the coolness of autumn. Summer is over but you can still wear a T-shirt – just about. You can also spend hours outdoors without sweating. Autumn is the best time of the year to go hiking and go for long walks.

Aren’t airports strange places? There’s so much happening in them. People coming, people going; people crying with sadness because they’re going away, people crying with joy because they’ve arrived. Big airports are almost like small towns. It seems like you walk across a town by the time you check in and get to your departure gate. The thing I like most about airports is people watching. There are people from all over the world. I also like how everything fits and works together. You check your luggage in and then it disappears, before you see it again at the next airport. I still think airports need improving. There’s not a lot to do there. Airports really need to have an entertainment area so people can kill time.

There is no way that famine should be a problem in today’s world. We are so rich. Companies have billions of dollars. Countries have trillions. It’s a real shame that people do not give enough to help famine victims. It’s a sin. There is more than enough food in this world to feed everyone. Government leaders need to tell the world why they let people die of hunger. Even the United Nations can’t persuade governments to give enough money to help the starving. Of course, there are good governments and bad ones. The bad ones often let their own people starve. The leaders steal the country’s money. Some countries have a famine but their state TV tells people there are bumper crops. That’s shocking.

Digital cameras are so useful. I love my digital camera. I take it everywhere with me. My friends think I’m mad, but I’ve got thousands of really good photos. Digital cameras are so much better than the old cameras with film. They’re also much better than mobile phone cameras. My digital camera fits in my pocket and takes great photos. I usually take a few photos every day and then put them online for my friends to see. The best thing about digital cameras is that they are so easy to use. It’s child’s play. The good thing is that digital cameras today give the same quality photos as you could only get on really expensive cameras. All you need is 10 to 12 megapixels. That’s more than enough.

Airplanes are amazing. How does something so big and heavy get off the ground? I’m always amazed at how the millions of different parts work together. Travelling by airplane is always a wonderful experience. I don’t care whether economy class is cramped and has no space. I like playing with the in-flight entertainment system, especially now they have all the latest movies. I also love airplane food. Many of my friends say it’s disgusting, but I love it. I often ask the passenger next to me if I can have the dessert or roll they don’t want. The only thing I don’t like about planes is turbulence. When the airplane hits those air pockets, I always worry we’ll crash. But I once read that turbulence has never caused an airplane to crash.

I don’t think people understand cyber-crime. It’s only just started. In the future, it’s going to be a huge problem. There have already been a few amazing examples. A few years ago the whole Internet in Latvia was attacked by another country. Cyberspace has become a new battleground. Countries spy on each other. If there’s a war, it’s possible one country could attack the other country’s Internet. This would mean all communication, transport, etc would stop. It would cause huge damage to hospitals and other important buildings. But cyber-crime is happening today to ordinary people. Have you ever heard of phishing? That’s with a ‘ph’ not ‘f’. You really need to be very careful about what information you put online.

I have loved dancing ever since I can remember. It was a part of my life when I was growing up and it is still important to me now. It has to be the best way to exercise. What can be better than dancing to your favourite songs? I love going to clubs and discos. I can dance all night long. I never get tired of it. When I was small, I used to go to school discos. I’d also dance at the parties my parents, friends and neighbours had. I don’t think I’ll ever stop dancing. I also love looking at dancing. Ballet is beautiful. Dances from all over the world are beautiful. I think the life of a professional dancer must be a good one. One thing that always amazes me is how much children love dancing. I think dancing must be in their blood.

I wish we didn’t need cosmetics. We spend so much time and money on them. And for what? We take them off at night, only to put them all on again in the morning. If you think about it. they’re amazingly expensive. Why does a lipstick or a small tube of cream cost so much? The really expensive cosmetics don’t actually make you look that different than really cheap ones. A lot depends too on your skill – choosing the right colours to match your face, and how you put your make-up on. I sometimes laugh at the ladies selling cosmetics in department stores. They’re meant to be experts but they look like clowns. I mean, do they really need to paint their faces? One thing I worry about is whether the chemicals damage your skin.

I’m a bit shy when I have to speak in English. I’m a little worried about making mistakes. I also still lack confidence. Many of my friends don’t worry about mistakes. They just talk and talk. They always get their message across, even if their grammar is wrong. I think this is the best thing to do. My teacher always says it’s best to learn by doing. If I don’t try to speak English, I’ll never be able to use it when I need it. One thing I started doing recently was talking to myself. I have short conversations with myself. I think it works. I also make short stories about people and say them aloud. I do this in my room, of course. People would think I’m crazy if I did it in class or on the train.

My energy levels go up and down. Sometimes I’m full of energy, and sometimes I’m drained of energy. Mornings are when my energy levels are high. I wake up ready to go. I don’t need 30 minutes to wake up, like some people I know. For some reason the food I eat doesn’t affect how energetic I am. Some people feel tired after lunch, while others complain they need to eat something for an energy boost. I seem to have the same level of energy even if I eat nothing all day. The one thing that does affect my energy is the weather. A bright, sunny day gives me lots of energy. A dull, rainy day makes me feel less energetic. I also have a lot of energy if I’m doing something exciting – even if it’s study or work.

E-mail certainly keeps me busy. I never used to write as many letters as I do now. In the good old days before computers, we wrote real letters, with paper and envelopes. I wrote one or two letters a week. But now, with e-mail, my in-box is never empty. There’s always someone mailing me. I would like just one day where I’m free of e-mail. The sad thing is, very few mails I get are interesting. I get loads of spam – junk mail trying to sell me things I don’t want. I also get lots of mail from people asking me to do stuff. Do this, do that, reply ASAP. It’s too much sometimes. The one good thing about e-mail is that you can get things done quickly. I can e-mail a company in another country and they can mail me back in two minutes.

Eating is the best thing ever. I love eating. Any time of the day or night I can eat…. and eat and eat and eat. I have a very big appetite. I always have. My mother used to complain about how much I ate. She used to ask me if I had a hole in my stomach. Eating is very, very satisfying. There are many different aspects of eating. It fills us up and stops us feeling hungry. Food tastes so good and eating it makes us feel very happy. Sometimes I feel like I’m in heaven when I’m eating – especially chocolate fudge cheesecake. Yum. Eating is also a great social activity. I love eating with my family, with my friends or even at work. Eating can also be an international experience. Eating is great just about anywhere you eat.

Divorce is on the increase around the world. It seems divorce rates are rising in pretty much every country you read about. I know in my country, divorce is now not unusual. More than thirty per cent of marriages end in divorce. I suppose it’s easier nowadays to get a divorce, and it’s more socially acceptable. I know it was more difficult to get divorced 50 years ago. People thought that there was something wrong with you if you were a divorcee. Today, it’s common to get through two, three, even more marriages. Perhaps people should think a bit more before they get married. Divorce is pretty hard on children. When a divorce gets ugly, the kids really suffer. Sorting out divorce settlements can be a messy business.

Would you like to change your face and body? Would you like movie star looks? A lot of people want to do this. They pay lots of money to go to a cosmetic surgeon and change their appearance. The most common operation we call a nose job. People who are unhappy with their nose have it reshaped. Other people want their wrinkles to disappear to make themselves look younger. People also go under the knife and have things made bigger or smaller. I think this is a waste of money. I'm not the best-looking person in the world but I would never consider plastic surgery - even if it was free. Some people have so many operations they end up looking like they’re made of plastic. I'd rather stay looking human.

Anyone who does not absolutely love chocolate is mad. I don’t think I know anyone who dislikes it. Some of my friends say they hate white chocolate or dark chocolate, but then they like some other kind. I think chocolate is one of the best inventions ever. It is also one of life’s true pleasures. There’s nothing better than having your whole mouth full of chocolate and letting it melt. I love pushing the chocolate up against the roof of my mouth and then moving it all around. Yum. I eat chocolate every day. I know it’s bad for our teeth and makes us fat, but I don’t care. I prefer to think about the health benefits of chocolate. I’ve read many articles that say chocolate is good for us.

I’m afraid of the dentist. Always have been, for as long as I can remember. Even if the dentist is really, really kind and gentle, I’m still afraid. Even if the dental surgery is colourful and there’s relaxing music, I’m still afraid. Dentists for me haven’t changed a bit. When I was a child, I hated the sound of the drill. That sound is still there today. When I was young, I hated the smell. Same smell today. I can’t wait for the day scientists invent something so we never need dentists. The strange thing is, when I was younger, I wanted to be a dentist. I thought it would be good to treat people just like me. I felt I would understand others who have the same fear. I think I would have been a good dentist.

Do you ever think about or worry about the number of calories you eat and drink every day. It’s not really something I thought about when I was younger. But now I have to think about my calorie intake. I’m putting on weight and so need to be more careful with what I eat. This is difficult because all of the yummiest food has the most calories. I’ve found an answer to this problem. If I do lots of exercise, I can eat what I want and not have to worry about calories. I burn off 500 calories when I jog for an hour. This means I can have a pizza and dessert and not feel guilty. I wish there was more information about calories in restaurants. It would make it easier for me to know what to eat and what to avoid.

Doctors are cool. They spend all their day helping people and saving lives. There can’t be many better jobs in the world. I wanted to be a doctor when I was a kid but I was no good at science. I think doctors are among the most important people in society. They should get paid lots and lots of money. It’s not right that bankers get paid more. Doctors are really clever and very kind. They never seem to panic or get angry. Every time I’ve seen a doctor, he or she has always made me feel better – not just because of their treatment, but also because of their kindness. It must be amazing being a doctor and knowing all kinds of stuff about the human body. It would be pretty useful being a doctor because then you’d know what was wrong with your own body.

Being single has its advantages and disadvantages. I think it’s better to stay single when you’re young. You need to live and have fun. You also need the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Being single in your twenties gives you lots of time to go travelling, see the world and experience different things. Most people like being single in their twenties and then want to settle down in their thirties. I think being single later in life can be sad. All of your friends are married or attached and people tend to go out and party less. I think being single when you’re old would be very lonely. The longer you stay single, the harder it becomes to settle down. In some countries, people think you’re strange if you’re single later on in life.

I think Christmas is one of the happiest times of the year. Everyone has a smile on their face, especially children. It’s such an exciting time for kids. They can’t wait to open their presents and play with all of their new games and toys. It’s a nice time for adults too. They can catch up with their families and relax. Traditionally, the mother of the family is busiest at Christmas. She does most of the Christmas shopping and wraps the presents. Of course, she also spends hours cooking Christmas dinner. Let’s not forget the true meaning of Christmas, though. It is not about shopping and Christmas trees and ‘Frosty the Snowman’. It’s all about love for each other and peace around the world. Let’s hope this message stays alive.

We have to do something about pollution. Even though there are warnings about global warming, companies don’t do anything to reduce pollution. Our sky, air, rivers, beaches and countryside are becoming rubbish dumps. The air is so polluted it is giving children breathing problems. Polluted rivers have no fish left in them and beaches are too dangerous to walk on because of the garbage everywhere. It seems a lot of people don’t care. I think there should be big fines for polluters. I don’t mind paying more for things if they can be made with less pollution. The problem is that companies are more interested in profits than pollution. We have only just started looking at our carbon footprint.

Birthdays are brilliant. I’m 62 years old and I still love them. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad birthday. In fact, I think birthdays get better and better the older you become. Sure, kids love birthdays because they get presents and get to eat cake. But when you get older, birthdays make you feel special. It’s your special day. Even if no one wishes you a happy birthday, it’s still your special day. A lot of my friends think I’m mad. They hate their birthdays because it means they’re another year older. I hope I get to celebrate my hundredth birthday. I’m not sure if I can blow out 100 candles though. When I look back at all my birthdays, it’s difficult to choose the best. I’ll just say my last birthday is always the best one.

I’m not the world’s biggest fan of banks. I’ve had too many bad experiences of them. I really don’t know how they can advertise and say they look after you. They don’t. Bank charges are way too high; you spend ages waiting to be served; and then they say no if you want a loan. The bank I bank with makes dozens of mistakes with my account. The thing they’re best at is making excuses. I’m not at all surprised so many banks did badly in the credit crisis. I hope they change. Bankers get far too much money. All they do is desk work. Banks need to focus a lot more on real customer service. At the moment banks only offer an excuse for customer service. They don’t even offer you a drink when you sit down and open an account.

In the USA, they’re called apartments; in the UK they’re called flats. They are a modern invention. I don’t particularly like them. I don’t think it’s good for so many people to live so close together. It’s not good for people to live on top of each other. I don’t understand how people can live above the second floor. It’s not natural to live in the sky. The thing I hate most about apartments are the lifts (Americans say elevator) and the fact there’s no garden. More and more people are moving into apartments. This creates problems with overcrowding. There aren’t enough spaces to park your car, there’s nowhere to throw your rubbish and you have to wait ages to reach your floor. Give me a little house with a little garden any day.

There’s a famous song that says “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. Is that true? Do all women like diamonds? They are certainly very beautiful, especially when you see them sparkling. But really, only rich people can afford diamonds. When I bought my wife’s wedding ring, we could only afford a smallish diamond. There were lots of beautiful rings in the store with huge diamonds but they all cost an arm and a leg. One day I’ll buy her a big diamond as a surprise. Nowadays you have to worry where diamonds come from. Many countries sell diamonds to buy guns and tanks. These are called blood diamonds. If you buy a diamond, make sure it has a certificate so you know which country it came from.

I love the news and current events. I’m addicted to what’s happening in the world. It doesn’t matter what kind of news it is, I love watching it. Even if it’s from countries I’ve never heard of. I’ll even watch the same news programme three or four times and not get bored. I guess it’s so fascinating because it’s real. I get really interested in a story when it breaks, then like to follow it as it unfolds. Following current events makes you quite knowledgeable. I know most of the world’s capitals and most of the world’s leaders. Watching the news is really looking at history happening now. But you never know what’s going to happen next. Every time you turn on the news or read a news story, you’ll find something unexpected.

It’s hard to believe that no one had computers a few years ago. I wonder how people lived. There must have been a lot of paperwork. I can’t imagine writing everything by hand. I also wonder how everything worked without computers. We need computers today for everything. Hospitals, airports, the police… nothing can work without computers. I’m sure I’d be ten times busier than now if I didn’t have a computer. Imagine having to find a piece of paper and an envelope and then walking down the street to mail a letter! I love my computer. It makes everything in my life so convenient. Sure, it freezes and crashes sometimes. Sure I lose some data. But that’s not often. Most of the time my computer is like my best friend.

I don’t know what I would do without my friends’ advice. They’ve all given me so much good advice over the years. It’s sometimes very difficult to make decisions on your own. Listening to advice can be great for helping you make the right decision. The greatest piece of advice I’ve received was from my father. He told me I can do anything in life if I try hard. He was right. I am now passing on his advice to my own children. Right now I need some advice on money. My financial advisors are telling me to be very careful. That’s very sound advice. I would advise anyone to do the same. Someone asked me the other day about the worst piece of advice I’ve ever had. I couldn’t answer. I don’t think I’ve had any really bad advice.

Children are angels. Most of the time this is true. I’m very lucky because my two children really are the greatest angels. I think I won the children lottery with my kids. I could not have asked for lovelier, happier, sweeter little children. They have brought me endless amounts of joy since the second they were born. Everything they do fascinates me. Everything they say makes me smile. Watching them grow up is my greatest pleasure. In a way, it’s a little sad. I always want them to stay the age they’re at now. When they were 18 months old, I thought that was the cutest age. I thought the same when they were two, and then three and then four. I guess however old they are, they’re perfect. I wish all the children in the world were as happy as mine.

What are your bad habits? I think everyone has bad habits. Not everyone agrees on what bad habits are. Some smokers don’t think smoking is a bad habit. Young people don’t think listening to loud music on the train is a bad habit. In Japan, slurping your noodles is a sign that you enjoy your food, but making a noise while eating in England is not good. Have you ever tried to break your bad habits? I have quit smoking and have stopped leaving things laying around the house. I wish other people would stop their bad habits. I get annoyed when people are late for meetings or talk loudly on their phones in public. I also think many motorists need to think about their driving habits. Perhaps I should point out their bad habits.

I’m a real animal lover. I’m fascinated by the whole animal kingdom. I loved animals when I was a kid. I used to read every book I could find on animals. I knew all the different animal species. The most exciting thing for me was going to the zoo. I would spend hours just watching the animals walk around, sit, or even sleep. When I was older, I went on a safari to Tanzania. I saw real wild animals in the wild. Everyone should do this once in their lives. Looking at animals in their natural habitat is a real honour. Now I’m worried about the future of many animals. Some of my favourite animals are in danger of dying out. We really need to change our lifestyle so our children can have the chance of seeing animals in the wild.

What is advertising? Is it telling the truth or is it making things look better than they really are? Or is it lying? Companies pay a lot of money for adverts. Some of the ads you see in glossy magazines look like art. The commercials on TV look like mini movies. Do they really change our behaviour? Do adverts make you buy things? I think some advertising is a form of lying. Is BMW really “The ultimate driving machine” like they say in their ads? British Airways used to say they were “The world’s favourite airline,” but had to stop saying it because it wasn’t true. Personally, I get tired of watching ads on television. They always interrupt a good programme. I like ads in magazines. They’re usually quite interesting.

I’m really interested in the culture of other countries. I don’t know why, but I always think other cultures are more interesting than my own culture. Every time I travel, I learn wonderful, strange, amazing and interesting things about other cultures. One of the biggest surprises I had was when I went to the USA as a child. I’m English so I thought Americans had the same culture as me. When I went to America I understood Americans and Brits are very different people. Understanding the culture of other people is very important. It helps us all to get along. If everyone really tried to learn about other cultures, the world would be a more peaceful place. The world is becoming smaller, so I think this is happening.

Scientists and doctors can’t make their minds up about coffee. One study says it’s really bad for us and the next report says it’s good for us. I’ve even read that 10 cups a day is good for our brain. I like a cup of coffee at certain times of the day. I must have a coffee first thing in the morning. I can’t survive without my morning coffee. I have another cup or two when I get to work. And that’s it. I never drink coffee after lunchtime. If I do, I can’t sleep at night. The only time I drink coffee in the evening is if I go to a nice restaurant. Coffee seems a lot more complicated these days. When I was younger it was just coffee. Now it’s latte, frappucino and all kinds of other strange words.

Chickens are so important to many of us because they are a major part of our diet. Every country has so many chicken dishes, and eggs are one of the most common foods around. Chickens are also cute. Well, chickens aren’t, but chicks are - cute, fluffy chicks that make everyone go ‘aaahh’. It’s strange though that the word ‘chicken’ is used in so many English idioms. When I was at high school, you couldn’t ‘chicken out’ – to not do something because of being scared. Things are different today - I’m no spring chicken (that means I’m no longer young) so no one calls me a chicken any more. I work now - as a teacher. I get chicken feed (low wages) but I like my job. I plan to retire before I’m 50, but I’m not going to count my chickens before they’re hatched. This means I won’t quit working until I have enough money.

Business isn’t so good at the moment. In fact, it’s the worst time for businesses for decades. Many businesses are going bust because of the global financial crisis. Even sound businesses like the car industry and electronics are going through a really bad time. Many small businesses have gone out of business. It’s a real shame because so many lives are being ruined. With a lot of businesses it’s a real fight for survival. I really respect people for trying to make a go of their business. I don’t have much business sense. I wouldn’t know where to start in opening my own business. I suppose the best thing would be to look at business startups on the Internet. An online business might be good. There seems to be less risk.

Are you busy? Do you lead a busy life? It seems we get busier and busier in our lives. I hate being busy. I’d much rather have nothing to do. Being busy makes me stressed and I end up making mistakes or forgetting something. Who’s the busiest person you know? I bet he or she is really stressed. The busy people I know are always looking ahead to their next holiday… and then in their holiday they are busy doing other things. I think we busy ourselves with too many things. We need to learn to relax and take things slowly. Even at work we have to look busy, even if we’re not. When the boss comes, we tell our friends, “Look busy!” That’s silly. It would be great if the word ‘busy’ disappeared from the English language.

An American president once said the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. Can’t remember which President, but never mind. I think that’s an interesting quote. It’s so true, most of the time. We all spend a lot of time worried or afraid that something bad will happen, and then nothing happens. It is the fear that frightens us, not the thing that might or might not happen. And then there are phobias. Millions of people are afraid of something that the rest of the world thinks is quite normal. How can you be afraid of things like peanut butter? There’s actually a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Amazing. Fear is sometimes good. It makes us alert and can keep us safe in a dangerous situation.

Most people know the word 'avatar'. Perhaps we all saw the movie with the same name. Avatars are becoming a normal part of our life. Well... I should say our online life. Almost everywhere you go on the Internet you see avatars. Sometimes it's a website asking you to make an avatar, and other times it's people's real avatars. Do you have one? Or two, or three? I see a lot of avatars that are kind of cute and look like Japanese anime. One of the most popular things is to choose an animal as an avatar. I always take a long time to choose my avatar. It's important to make one I really like. It has to be funny. I also like avatars that move. All of the best avatars I've seen move. They are usually very funny, and clever.

Getting married is one of the happiest days of anyone’s life. Being married is also full of happiness, but there are also many difficulties. It isn’t always easy to be married. You have to put up with your spouse’s bad habits and moods forever. You have to negotiate and compromise on many things from who’s first in the bathroom in the mornings to where you go on vacation. Of course, being married also has many wonderful sides to it. You have a lifelong friend who will love you forever. You share many wonderful times together and support each other through good and bad times. And you grow old together and look back on years of happy memories. I think being married is great for your soul.

I loved babysitting when I was younger. It was a really easy way to make money. All I had to do was sit in my neighbour’s house and look after the kids. That was the easy bit, because the kids were usually asleep in bed. The parents would give me a lot of money for watching DVDs and eating snacks. When I was even younger, I liked it when my babysitter came round. She would always play games with us and let us stay up late. She would send us to bed just before my parents came home. I know in some countries, babysitting isn’t so common. It isn’t part of the culture. I suppose that’s not such a bad thing. I read a lot in the papers nowadays about babysitters hitting the children because they don’t sleep. That’s really bad.

I hate alcohol. I really don’t understand how or why people drink it. The smell of alcohol on people’s breath is disgusting. It’s expensive and it gives you a bad headache. I drank when I was much younger, but I haven’t touched a drop for years. I hated hangovers so I decided to stop drinking altogether. I have a much better time without alcohol. People say they need to drink to relax. They drink and just act and look stupid. Their face goes red and they can’t walk in a straight line. Alcohol is also the most damaging drug in society. That’s what I think, anyway. Alcohol causes many illnesses, traffic accidents, fights and domestic violence. If you banned alcohol, people would be healthier, richer and have a better family life.

There are aliens out there, somewhere. I strongly believe this. Not sure what they look like, though. I really doubt they are green, like they are in science fiction movies. I also don’t think they look like us. But I’m sure they exist. I just don’t think we’ll ever see any or find any. They live too far away. If you think about it logically, there has to be aliens out there. All a planet needs is to be warm and have water and life will exist. There are billions and billions of planets in the universe, so there are probably millions and millions that have life. Alien life. It’s also likely that some of the aliens are much more intelligent than we are. I wonder what we’d do if really intelligent aliens visited Earth. What would we ask them?

Being an actor must be great. I really wish I could act. I’d love to have the confidence to act in front of people. Being a member of the audience at the theatre is great, but acting on stage is better. I wonder what it’s like to be a movie actor. I think you need to be beautiful or handsome to be a successful Hollywood or Bollywood actor. They all look great. Actors are very lucky. They get paid huge amounts of money to do what they love doing. My favourite actors are all dead now. I really like the actors in the old black and white movies. They all looked so cool. Actors in the old days seemed to be more glamorous than today’s actors. The best thing about being an actor is that all of your friends are famous too.

I wonder how many accidents I’ve had in my life. I’ve had a few serious ones where I’ve ended up in hospital. Traffic accidents are the worst. They’re always painful. I haven’t had too many work-related accidents. I suppose that’s because I do office work and that’s not so dangerous. Most of my accidents are those around the house. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve hit my thumb with a hammer. I’m also really good at standing up and hitting my head on something. I’m not as bad as my friend though. He’s a real accident looking for somewhere to happen. Almost every time we meet, he has some story to tell about his latest accident. He’s quite unbelievable. I think I’d be very worried if I were his mother.

Uruguay won the first World Cup in 1930 and we’re going to win the next one too. There are only three million people in Uruguay but we have a great footballing history. We really think it’s our turn to shine again on the world stage. We have the players to do that. Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez are among the best strikers in the world. I love watching them play. They really are top class goalscorers. I’m so looking forward to seeing my team play in South Africa. I know I will get a lump in my throat. Every time I see their blue and white striped shirts, I get excited. I think we have the best soccer kit in the world. As our coach Oscar Tabarez says, “we have a lot of strong points and we hope to be able to show them.” I hope his words come true in South Africa.

FIFA deciding to give the 2010 World Cup to South Africa was a proud moment for us. We South Africans have been preparing years for this event – the first on African soil. We will win the trophy. History is on our side. If you look back at previous tournaments, the host nation has won many times. That will happen this time too. We will show the world our Bafana Bafana spirit. We aren’t afraid of anyone and will even beat France to reach the next round. We can do it. Last year we only just lost to Brazil in the Confederations Cup. We will go a stage further in June. We have some of the world’s top players. They play in the English Premier League. I’m sure Steven Pienaar will shine and become one of the stars of the World Cup. Please enjoy our African football.

I think the Vancouver Winter Olympics will be really special. It’s such a great place to have the event. I’m not sure if I like the winter or summer Olympics better. I’d rather be a competitor in the summer games – it’s warmer. The winter Olympics are definitely the most beautiful. Looking at skiers come down a snowy slope against a blue sky is a wonderful sight. I also love the winter Olympics because of the skating. It’s amazing watching the speeds the speed skaters reach – they’re so fast. I also think the figure skaters put on a fantastic show. Another winter Olympic event I like is the luge – I think people have to be crazy to sit on almost nothing and shoot down an ice tunnel at high speeds. I wonder who will win the most gold medals. Maybe it’ll be Norway, or Russia.

The question of organ transplants is a difficult one. Not for me though. I’m quite happy to donate all of my organs for transplants. I don’t mind my body being donated to science after I die. I think it’s much better to be useful even after I die. I would be so happy to know that my heart was used to save someone else’s life. I don’t need my eyes after I die, so it’d be great if someone else could use them to see. Even though I want my body to be used for medical science, it feels a little strange to think that medical students will be cutting me up. I know in other parts of the world there are many people who don’t like the idea of organ transplants. They believe the body should stay in one piece. I hope that changes because doctors really need the organs.

I first heard about the ozone layer about twenty years ago. I was still in school. I thought it was interesting, but I didn’t take it seriously. It was a bit like science fiction, I mean, how could there be a giant hole in the atmosphere? Over the years, more and more scientists spoke about the ozone layer. Global warming became a serious issue. Important people like Al Gore made movies about it. We all know today that the thinning ozone layer is perhaps the most serious crisis we face today. Even though many people have changed their lifestyles, we are still damaging the ozone layer. We need to do something really drastic to stop this. We all need to stop driving cars and stop using coal. That would be a start.

I so can’t wait for the Super Bowl. It’s gonna be the best ever. Every year I always look forward to it. It’s quite simply the greatest show on Earth. You can’t compare the Super Bowl to any other sporting event. It’s even better than the Olympics. It’s one hundred times more exciting than the soccer World Cup. This year is extra special. My favorite team’s playing – the New Orleans Saints. The Indianapolis Colts are the favorites. We’re the underdogs, but I don’t care. I have this feeling we’re gonna win big. I also just found out the British rock group The Who are performing during the halftime show. I love those guys – they really rock. All in all I think Super Bowl 44 will be totally awesome.

Overpopulation is a real problem. It could kill the Earth. Very soon, there will be too many people and not enough land. There won’t be enough farms to grow food for everyone. We’ll eat all of the fish in the sea. And our pollution will cause more global warming. I think we are in a very serious situation. I don’t know what the answer is. Our leaders don’t seem too worried. They never see the bigger picture. The world’s population is exploding, and explosions cause great damage. More and more people are living longer and longer. We have better medicines. Our scientists have found cures to many diseases. There are many reasons. What we really need to do is think about how overpopulation is damaging the Earth.

We all have opinions on everything. Some of us have very strong opinions. Others have not-so-strong opinions. And then there are those who say they have no opinion, which I suppose is some kind of opinion. It’s interesting how our opinions can be so different. Even on the smallest of things. It’s also interesting to see how your opinions change as you get older. My opinions of other people change a lot. You have first impressions of someone – that’s your initial opinion. Then, as you get to know them, your opinions of them can change – for better or worse. Whose opinion is right? I suppose it’s the person who is strongest. They try to force their opinions on others. It’s important to listen to and consider the opinions of other people.

The number one is a good number. Maybe it’s the best number. Why? Because everyone wants to be number one. It’s actually a very useful word in English. There are so many different expressions with ‘one’. Of course it’s a number and useful in maths, but there’s so much more. Try a little experiment, Write down all the common word partners of ‘one’. I can think of loads right now. ‘One way’, ‘one world’, one chance’, one time’, etc. There are also lots of expressions, such as ‘one in a million’ or ‘one at a time’. I’m sure if you looked in any dictionary, you’ll find hundreds of useful things on ‘one’. If you want some really detailed info on the word or number one, go to Wikipedia.com. ‘One’ really is one useful word.

Operations are amazing things – unless, that is, you’re having one. I always think it is incredible how doctors can cut people open and repair their body. It must take great skill. I can’t believe some operations can take over 12 hours. I’ve had a few operations in my life. I have very mixed feelings about them. My worst fear is that I’ll die. My biggest hope is that the operation will be successful and I’ll make a full recovery. I also think about how interesting it is. I like watching all the things the doctors and nurses do before the operation. I’m really nervous, but it’s like being in the middle of a TV documentary. I once had an operation and I was awake for the whole thing. I could see lots, but I won’t go any further.

Oil is good and bad. It’s good because it helps our energy needs. It’s bad because it causes pollution. Oil is a fossil fuel. Burning it produces carbon dioxide (CO2). This is one of the biggest causes of global warming. There isn’t much oil left in the ground. Some people say it will all be gone this century. I suppose that means we won’t make as much pollution. But what will we do when the oil runs out? Scientists are working on that right now. We need to do something because we use oil to power our cars, homes and factories. Whatever we replace oil with must be better for the environment. I don’t think oil-producing countries are happy their oil will run out. They need to start thinking about how to make money after the oil has gone.

I like the expression ‘OK’. I don’t know why. It’s so useful. Everyone in the world understands what it means. It must be the only word that everyone knows. Is it a word or is at an abbreviation? We spell it ‘okay’ but abbreviate it as ‘OK’. I wonder how many meanings it has. You can ask if someone is OK, if they are ill; you can ask if someone understands a question or instructions using OK; you can even let someone know ‘enough is enough’ by saying OK. If you say something is OK, it means you don’t really like or dislike it. In fact, sometimes, if you say, “He’s OK” or “She’s OK, it means you don’t really like them. I think okay is also a verb. I have heard people say, “It’s OK, John okayed it”.

I’m a bit worried about my old age. I don’t really want to get old. I like being young. On the other hand, if I do get old, I want to live to be over 100. I’m hoping old age will be nice. It seems a time when you can relax and slow down. If course, you have to slow down because you’re body wears out. There are two things I’m worried about. One is money. I think if you are old and poor, you’ll be miserable. No money to enjoy yourself. Maybe not even enough money to eat, pay bills or go to the hospital. That’s scary. The other thing I worry about is being in good health. Especially my mental health. I imagine I’ll be happy in my old age. I have so many hobbies and I know I’ll enjoy doing them all every day.

Obesity is a problem that is getting bigger and bigger around the world. It really hits rich countries. When people have money, they buy a lot of the wrong food. They become lazy and eat fast food. They also forget about exercise and sit in front of the TV instead. The worrying thing is that more and more children are suffering from obesity. This is a big problem. The number of overweight kids I see today is amazing. I think the reason is quite simple – junk food, video games and the Internet. When I was growing up, I had a balanced diet. I also spent most of my free time outdoors. I spent hours every day on my bike or playing football. Kids today hardly go outside. They are glued to one kind of screen or another – TV, computer or games console.

I really worry about our oceans. Not many people understand how important the oceans are. Every day we hear stories about the rainforests and the ice caps, but we rarely hear about the oceans. They form most of the Earth’s surface and most of the world’s species live in them. They are responsible for weather patterns and a lot of the world’s foods. The problem is, they are becoming very polluted. Many fish species are in danger of dying. The coral reefs in our oceans are also in danger. We really need to think more about our oceans. We have to protect the life in them, or we might die. I love the ocean. I love the sound, the smell, the colour. I feel so happy and relaxed just looking at the ocean.

Nuclear weapons are the worst thing invented by man. The day we invented them was a black day in our history. Fortunately, they have only been used a few times. We only need to read the history of what happened in Japan to understand why nuclear weapons must never be used again. The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed in an instant. Hundreds of thousands died. Today, nuclear weapons are a hundred times more powerful. It’s scary to think how much harm one nuclear bomb could cause. Even scarier, is what happens if terrorists get hold of nuclear weapons. I fear for our future. One day, all countries will have nuclear weapons and then we’ll be in real trouble.

Nursing is one of the greatest professions in the world. It’s so much more important than most jobs. The sad thing is that nurses get paid so little. They do such a valuable job but get paid less than politicians. This is not right. Politicians do whatever they can to take our money. They even vote to stop nurses getting increases in pay. This is wrong. Governments need to do more to help nurses. There should be a bigger focus on the profession. I would much rather have more nurses than more weapons. A few years ago I wanted to get into nursing. I met some nurses who told me not to. They said the job involved too many hours, too much paperwork and not enough pay. That’s sad. We can’t afford to treat nurses so badly.

Many scientists say nuclear energy is our future. Many normal people aren’t so sure. I think most of us worry about nuclear energy. We hear on the news about the dangers of nuclear power. Many years ago there was a big accident in Chernobyl, Russia. A nuclear reactor caught fire and melted. Because of this, deadly radiation spread across the whole of Europe. There were reports that sheep in England caught radiation sickness. I think things are safer now. Many countries trust nuclear energy. France and Japan each has dozens of nuclear power stations. I think it’s probably a good idea. We really need to stop using fossil fuels. Nuclear power is a lot less harmful to the environment. Perhaps we need to spend more money on making it safer.

A Just stop and think how important numbers are to our lives. Numbers control us. In fact, we are numbers. We have passport numbers, social security numbers, ID numbers, and more. We live in a house and a street that has a number. We communicate with each other using telephone numbers. We worry about how small or big the numbers are on our bank statements. We can’t survive without numbers. Most of the world cannot function without the numbers zero and one. These are the two numbers computers use to run their programmes. I don’t think numbers were always so important. Maybe 500 years ago, we only had to remember the number of sheep, goats or children we had. I wonder how many numbers we need today!

Our nose is the strangest of all body parts. It’s such a funny thing. And where is it? Right on the front of our face. Right in the middle. It would be OK if everyone had exactly the same nose. But we all have a different nose. Some of us have a big nose, some a small nose. Some of us have a crooked nose with big nostrils. My nose is one part of my body I’d really like to change. It’s too big for the size of my face. When people talk about why other people are beautiful or handsome, no one says, “because he or she has a nice nose,” or “oooh, his (or her) nose is just soooo sexy”. I suppose if you really don’t like your nose, you can have a nose job. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford cosmetic surgery.

Noise is everywhere. I bet there isn’t a place on Earth where you can’t hear anything. I live in the city, so noise is everywhere. Sometimes it gets to me. I really want to have a button to turn it off. It’s amazing how much noise there is around us. We usually never even think about it. Listen now to the noise around you. Cars, computers, music, people talking. It’s strange to think that in the past few decades, people have been talking about noise pollution. That’s a really good description. Noise is quite often pollution. It’s stuff that makes our surroundings unpleasant. I wonder if there is any kind of noise that is good noise. The very word ‘noise’ has a negative meaning. But if you say sound, it has a different meaning. I love the sound of babies laughing.

I love the Olympics. It really is a unique and special world occasion. There’s only one event in the world better than the Olympics, and that’s the Football World Cup. Anyway, the Olympics really is a celebration of humanity. The whole world watches and gets excited. We love watching our heroes trying to win gold. I don’t usually get excited about seeing my country’s flag, but at the Olympics, I love it. I think the Olympics were better many years ago. Then, they had traditional Olympic sports. Nowadays we have professional tennis and baseball stars playing in sports that aren’t really Olympic sports. I would love to see an Olympic games. Maybe I’ll be lucky and get a chance to see the London games in 2012.

I like the night. It’s an interesting time of the day. The city changes at night. I like all the bright lights. People seem to be more active. Everyone is rushing home or going out. All the action starts at night. Restaurants, bars and clubs open. Everyone is happy. Night means we can stop working or studying and enjoy ourselves. It’s cooler at night so you feel more relaxed. Of course, the city at night is very different from the country. All you can do in the country is look at the night sky or sit around a fire. Everything stops at night in the country and people sleep very early. Except for insects. Night time can be very noisy because of the insects that come out at night. I’m a night person. I’m nocturnal, like an owl or bat.

I wonder why the Nobel Prize is so famous. Sure, the people who win it are very clever, but they’re not really superstars. I’ve usually heard of the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize because they’re always in the news. But have you ever heard of the Nobel Laureates for Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, etc? Even though I read a lot, I only sometimes know the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. I like reading about who won the Nobel Prize. It makes me want to be like them. Of course, I can never win such a prize, but I can study more. Some of the Nobel Prize winners of the past are really famous. Einstein and Mother Theresa are perhaps the most famous. I was shocked to learn Gandhi never won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Neighbours are very hit and miss. Sometimes you hit the jackpot and get neighbours who become great friends. Other times you get the short straw and have nightmare neighbours. I’ve had good and bad neighbours. I’m not sure why some neighbours are so bad. It’s really not that difficult to be a good neighbour. All you have to do is be polite, don’t play loud music late at night, and don’t park in front of their house. It sounds easier than it is. I think a long time ago there was a lot of neighbourliness. Families lived near each other for generations. It’s different today. New families come and go. They never get to know each other. Everyone keeps their distance. This is not always a good thing.

I don’t know about you, but I think there are more natural disasters now than before. Every time I turn on the news there’s some kind of disaster. There are bushfires in Australia and California, earthquakes in China, hurricanes in Mexico and droughts in Africa. I’m sure global warming is creating more natural disasters. I’m lucky. Where I live, we don’t really have natural disasters. I’ve never experienced anything like the things on TV. Japan has many natural disasters. They have earthquakes, typhoons, flooding, volcanoes, all kinds of things. They are lucky they have the money to deal with them. There are countries in Africa that aren’t rich. When a natural disaster hits them, everyone suffers terribly.

I like my names. I have four names – my family name, my given name and two middle names. I’m not sure why I have two middle names. I guess my parents wanted to name me after two of my uncles. Names are different all over the world. In some countries, family name comes before the given name. In the Muslim world, a girl’s name includes her father and grandfathers’ names. In Japan and China, there is no middle name. I think it’s interesting how people choose a name. I really don’t understand naming a baby after a famous actor or sports star. That’s silly. I think names should have a meaning. In the West, people don’t really know what their name means. In many countries, each name has a special meaning.

Nationality is a strange thing. I don’t think it used to be. Nowadays, with globalization, people want to change their nationality. Many people from poor countries want to go to rich countries and become citizens. It’s strange because I don’t understand how your nationality can change. Even if I live in Peru for 50 years, I’m still English, even though I might have a Peruvian passport. I think people have confused feelings when they change nationalities. Their heart is still in their real country and not in the country of their new nationality. Nationality unfairly decides how successful you’ll be in life. If you’re born in a rich country, you’ll get a good education. If you’re born in a poor country, you might not even get basic human rights.

Nails are funny things. Why do we have them? I actually find them quite annoying. We have to keep cutting them, they get dirty, and sometimes they break and become painful. I’d rather we didn’t have nails. I’m sure it wouldn’t change our lives. I guess women would say no to that idea. My female friends spend a lot of money on their nails. I don’t know why. Nail polish stinks, and so does nail polish remover. I really don’t know why they waste their time going for manicures. It must be really boring sitting there, watching someone paint your nails. Nail art is now big business. People have become millionaires opening nail art salons. The best thing for me would be to have really short nails that never grow.

Some national anthems are really good and some aren’t. I like my country’s anthem. It makes me feel proud of my country every time I hear it. I’m a little embarrassed to say I don’t know the words to it. In some countries, they play the national anthem every day in school. I remember being in Thailand. They play the national anthem in the streets every morning. Everyone stops and stands still. When the anthem finishes, people start walking again. In other countries I’ve been to, they play the national anthem in cinemas before a movie starts. I really like hearing my national anthem played at the Olympics. That means my country won a gold medal. I have to hold back the tears when I hear it then.

Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

I really wish I could play a musical instrument. I can’t. I had a few music lessons when I was a kid, but I didn’t keep them up. I really regret that now. I get quite jealous of people who can play a musical instrument. It’s a wonderful ability. I hope they know how lucky they are to be able to play an instrument. Of all the musical instruments, I’d like to play the piano. I think this is the king of musical instruments. It sounds so beautiful. Pianos also look beautiful. I imagine it’s very relaxing playing it. Another instrument I’d like to play is the guitar. I still want to be a rock star, although I’m a bit old now. I suppose it’s never too old though to learn to play something. I haven’t given up hope.

What would life be like without music? I wonder how music started. It is an important part of every culture on Earth. I wonder when we first became interested in music. I also wonder when we first become interested in music. Is it when we are a baby? Some people think our interest in music starts before we are born. Music is an essential part of my day. It changes my feeling and puts me in a good mood. There’s nothing better to do on a train or bus than put on my headphones. I like all kinds of music, from classical and opera to jazz, rock and world music. I’m always looking for something new. Sometimes I hear a song or piece of music on the TV or radio. I have to find out who it is. Do you do that? I’m sure I’ll keep collecting CDs or mp3s until I’m a hundred. Perhaps I won’t be able to hear it then!

I totally love museums. They really are one of the most important parts of our culture. Museums are important for so many things. They educate us, they preserve our history, they show us how we have developed. There are museums on so many different things. In fact, I’m sure there isn’t a topic there isn’t a museum for. I’ve loved museums since I was little. We used to go to different museums on school trips. I loved them. I saw so many amazing things. I will never forget seeing the bones of a T-Rex in the natural history museum. I also remember staring at Tutankhamen’s gold mask for ages. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. The best museum I’ve ever been to is the National Museum in Cairo. It’s unbeatable.

Multiculturalism is everywhere today. As the world gets smaller, multiculturalism becomes bigger. Few of us today live in towns in which there is only one culture. Today, we live in towns where we are surrounded by many other cultures. If we live in a city, we will see people from all over the world. Of course, some cities are more multicultural than others. New York is a real melting pot. It is called the most multicultural city on Earth. A city like Tokyo isn’t so multicultural. I think multiculturalism is a great thing. It’s fantastic walking out of your door and seeing other cultures. This didn’t happen when I was young. People didn’t understand other cultures. They didn’t even want to understand. I’m glad things are changing today.

Aren’t mp3s amazing? Maybe young people today don’t think so. They are part of the “digital generation” and think mp3s are normal. But I was born long before digital music started. When I was a teenager, I had a record collection. You had to go to a store and buy your music. I had hundreds of records. The first time I came across mp3s I laughed. I was totally amazed. I still find it hard to believe I can keep 10,000 songs in my pocket and take them anywhere in the world. I also love the idea of mp3 downloads. It’s much easier than going to a record store. I’m wondering what happens after mp3s. What’s next? I’m sure one day people will laugh at how “old technology” mp3s are.

Mothers are the people dearest to us. We all have a special relationship with our mother. We are naturally bonded to our mother. We spend nine months growing inside her and she is the person who looks after us when we are babies. Our mother does everything for us. She feeds us, cleans us, wipes away our tears, treats our cuts and bruises, supports us and loves us. And all of this never stops. Mothers still do motherly things even when we are old and she is really old. It is very sad to hear that someone’s mother has died. I remember this happening to some children in my class at school. I can’t imagine how children grow up without a mother. I hope my mother lives forever. She deserves to.

I love watching movies. At the cinema, on TV or on my computer. I'm a big movie fan and love all the news of my favourite movie stars. I like all kinds of movies - Hollywood blockbusters, black and white movies from the 50s, independent movies... They're all good. Recently I've got into watching foreign movies. I like the films that come out of Bollywood - they're very different. The first film I saw at the movie theatre was Star Wars. I was amazed at the special effects. Nowadays, so many movies have such good computer graphics that we forget how special the effects are. One of my favourite ways of relaxing is to rent the latest DVD and sit on the sofa with a big bag of potato chips. The sound has to be up to the max and the lights have to be off.

I love mountains. I much prefer them to every other kind of natural feature. They are much better than the sea, beaches, deserts, etc. Mountains are so cool. They rise up so high into the sky. I can’t stop looking at mountains, wherever I am in the world. I also love being in the mountains. The landscape is just spectacular. You really feel part of God’s wonderful creation when you are surrounded by mountains. There are so many things you can do in the mountains. Some people like climbing them or jumping off them with a parachute. This is not for me. I just like going for a walk and having a picnic. There’s nothing better than sitting down and admiring the mountain view and feeling the cool mountain breeze. This is paradise.

The Moon is a very mysterious thing. It has fascinated us for thousands of years. It is mentioned everywhere in science and literature almost from the time humans started writing. And today, it still fills us with wonder. The most amazing thing about the Moon is that humans have been there. Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon’s surface must be the greatest human achievement ever. Even though man has walked on the Moon, not everyone agrees on its colour. In Japan, and perhaps in other countries too, they think it’s yellow. Of course, the Moon is white. One day, we’ll probably have holidays on the Moon. I’d totally love that. Imagine staying in a Moon hotel and waking up in the morning to look at the Earth.

“Money makes the world go round.” I wonder if this famous English expression is very true. If you have money, the world goes round very gently and you are happy. If you don’t have money, the world might not go round so smoothly. They also say that “money is the root of all evil”. I think this is so true. Money makes people kill and steal. Greed means there are things in the world like blackmail, corruption, slave labour and a lot more terrible things. Another common saying in English is “money can’t buy happiness”. I’m not so sure about this one. I know if I had loads of money I’d be pretty happy. I think if all the world’s money was shared out, the world would go round more happily, and there would be less evil and more happiness.

Sometimes I like the word ‘no’, and sometimes I hate it. It is a very powerful word, even though it has just two letters. I don’t like the word ‘no’ when I have been for a job interview and didn’t get the job. I also hate this word when I ask someone on a date. Then, hearing ‘no’ is like a kick in the teeth. I think I probably say ‘yes’ more than ‘no’. I love going out. I never say ‘no’  if anyone asks me to go to a club or go on a trip. I wonder how many ways there are of saying ‘no’. Sometimes you can say ‘no’ when you really mean ‘yes’. Other times, ‘no’ means ‘no’. I also like this small word because it fits into some interesting phrases, like ‘no-can-do,’ a ‘no-go area’ and ‘no way Jose’. My favourite is ‘that’s a real no-no’ – for things you must never do.

Murder is the most evil thing in the world. I don’t know how it is possible for one person to murder another. Why do they think they can take someone else’s life? Even worse are people who commit multi-murder. Mass killing seems to be more and more common today. Shootings at schools are especially bad. How can we prevent murder? Every time we look at the news, there’s another murder. I hope it is not something that will stay with the human race forever.  What is the correct punishment for murder? In some societies it is just a few years in prison. In others it is the death penalty. But there are some countries that don’t punish people for murder. If you are in power and are rich, you can literally get away with murder.

How important to you is your mobile phone? Do you really need it? In the 1980s there were no mobile phones. People still managed to phone their family and friends and do business. Of course, there were more public telephones then. There was a telephone box pretty much on every street corner. I wonder whether mobile phones are a good or bad thing. For sure, they are very convenient, but they can also be a nuisance. There’s nothing worse than talking to someone and then they ignore you for ten minutes while they answer their phone. I have even seen people on a date and one person chats on the phone for 30 minutes. How would life change for you if you didn’t have a mobile? Would you miss listening to other people’s conversations on the train?

Are you happy with your lifestyle? What kind of lifestyle do you lead? It seems that we think about our lifestyle more and more these days. Every time we turn on the TV or open a magazine, there is an ad, programme or article about this lifestyle or that lifestyle. We are told about healthy lifestyles, modern lifestyles, alternative lifestyles. Magazines use pages and pages and pages to describe the lifestyles of the rich and famous. I get the impression that few people are happy with their lifestyle. Most people are jealous of other people who have a “better” lifestyle. Those people should stop for a minute and think about the poor people in the world, or those caught up in wars. Those people don’t worry about lifestyles; they just worry about life.

Models are strange people. It’s almost as though they live in a totally different world to the rest of us. Every day they are told how beautiful they are. I’m sure this affects them in some way. They constantly think about their beauty and their figure. Male models too. A lot of female models also have to be very strict with what they eat so they don’t put on weight. Today, a model has to be size zero to be successful. This is unhealthy. The sad thing is that many normal girls want to look like a model so they end up having health problems. I suppose the life of a model is glamorous. The supermodels fly all over the world. They walk the catwalks at fashion shows and visit exotic locations for photo shoots. And get paid big money.

Milk is one of the best things we can eat or drink for our body. It’s so full of goodness and it tastes pretty good too. Milk is rich in calcium, which makes our bones and teeth strong. This makes milk essential for babies and growing children. It makes them grow up stronger. Milk is also full of many important vitamins and minerals. When I was little, I didn’t really like milk. I think I had a bad experience with sour milk, which turned me off of it. I remember drinking it again when I was a teenager and liking it. Now I think it’s one of the most refreshing drinks you can drink. Just looking at its whiteness makes me feel healthy. I like all kinds of milk, including goat’s milk and even camel’s milk. It’s all good for us.

What would life be like without Microsoft? Impossible? Perhaps not impossible, but definitely difficult. Microsoft seems to be a big part of our lives today. Most of us use Microsoft products every day. We need MS Word to create documents and Excel to make spreadsheets. At school we have to make PowerPoint presentations. Perhaps the biggest thing we use Microsoft for is getting on the Internet. Most of the world’s computers use the Explorer browser to connect to the Web. Millions of us use Hotmail to send e-mails. Millions more play games using Microsoft’s X-Box. In the future, there’ll probably be a lot more Microsoft stuff that helps us in our life. And to think, Microsoft didn’t even exist a few decades ago.

I sometimes worry about my mental health. There are times when I think I’m going crazy. I think it’s because of this world we live in. Everything is so fast. Everyone is in a hurry. Everything has to be done yesterday. I’m sure life wasn’t so stressful a hundred years ago. Then, people’s mental health was probably better. The only good thing nowadays is that there are mental health specialists who can help us when we are in trouble. But, there is a problem with these experts. They keep on thinking up new mental health problems we suffer from. What we all need is to take a step back and slow down. That will be good for our mental health. We need to laugh more and care more. If we don’t do this, we’ll all have mental health problems.

Meditation is one thing I’d really like to be able to do. I can’t do it. I have tried many times but nothing seems to happen. I have read a lot about meditation and it sounds really good. You can relax anytime you want. Twenty minutes of meditation is the same as three hours’ sleep. I love the idea of meditating for twenty minutes in my lunch time and then feeling totally refreshed. Meditation is also a good way of relieving stress. The thing I most like about meditation is that it makes you calm. All the people I know who meditate are always relaxed and easygoing. They never worry about anything. I think we should learn how to meditate at school. That would probably solve a lot of problems in society.

Literature is one thing that makes me very happy. I have loved books of all kinds since I was very small. I don’t know what I would do in life without novels, poems and plays. It’s amazing how literature can change your life. It educates you, makes you happy, makes you sad, inspires you and so much more. I think I’d be a completely different person without it. Literature has been a big influence on my life – perhaps as much as my friends. I think literature is really powerful. It can help us understand other cultures. Recently, I have read a lot of Indian literature, in English, of course. The books I read have totally changed my image of India and Indians. My experience has really made me want to read more books from other countries.

Love is the most important thing in the world. We all need to love and be loved. Love is the glue that makes us one big happy family. It is perhaps the most powerful emotion we feel. It is certainly the one that makes us happiest. Falling in love has to be the greatest feeling ever. It is also the one that makes us saddest. When we lose someone we love it can take forever to get over. Sometimes we never get over it. You can fall in love in an instant. We use the expression “fall in love at first sight” for this. We can also be “head over heels in love,” which is a strange expression. We don’t just love each other. We can love cars, chocolate, holidays, singing in the rain… anything. And, of course, you can also love studying English.

Are men really from another planet? A lot of women think so. There are a lot of books about how strange men are. This is rubbish. Men are men, the same as women are women. Of course men are not perfect, no one is. Men actually have done a lot of bad things in the world. All of the wars in history were started and fought by men. They seem to be naturally aggressive and wanting to fight rather than talk. Things are changing though. There was the “1980s man”. Suddenly, men were more human. They helped with the shopping, cooked and did the washing up, and they even cried. We do need men. They are better at reading maps than women and men’s sports are more exciting than women’s sports.

If you’re lucky, you have more good memories than bad ones. I’m very lucky. I have lots of good memories. I don’t have many painful memories. I don’t know why. Lots of bad things happened to me when I was younger but I don’t really have strong memories of them. I do have very clear memories of happy times. My earliest memory is of my first day in kindergarten. I guess I was three. I remember playing in the sand and eating it. I don’t remember my mother getting angry though. My most wonderful memory is a holiday to Mexico when I was ten. I remember every sound and smell so clearly. When I look at our family photos, the memories of what we did come flooding back. I’d like to relive those memories one day.

Where would we be without the media? How would we get information about the world? All of us are interested in the news. We all want to know what’s happening around the world. We switch the TV on just to watch the news. It seems as though every train passenger has a newspaper. The journalists who bring us the news do a very important job. Many risk their lives to bring us the news from the world’s danger zones. Unfortunately, many reporters are killed while they are covering a war. The media make us feel we are part of the world. We become experts on other countries and on the big news stories. The media also bring us many unforgettable images, such as a man walking on the moon. Really, the media show us history as it happens.

I really want to have more knowledge. My general knowledge is pretty good but I want it to be better. When I was a kid, I loved quiz programmes on the television. I used to read lots of encyclopedias to build up my knowledge. I now know most of the world’s capitals and which animals and birds are the fastest, and how many bones there are in the human body, etc. I love watching the news and this helps me get more knowledge. Even though I think I know quite a lot, I always meet people who are really knowledgeable. It seems some people know everything about everything. They are just like walking encyclopedias. I wonder if they’re happy with the amount of knowledge they have inside their brain.

I don’t understand how anyone can like medicine. I’ve never liked it. I used to refuse to take it as a kid because the taste was so disgusting. I’m not sure whether or not medicine is a good thing. I’m sure that most of the time our body will recover naturally, without medicine. I actually think medicine can be bad for us. It makes the body weaker because we rely on medicines too much. I also worry about the safety of medicines. I read too many times about side effects. How can doctors be sure that the medicines we take one day won’t make us ill later in life. A lot of what goes into medicine isn’t natural. I’m a big believer in natural medicine. That seems to make much more sense. The Chinese seem to have it right.

Learning is one of the most important things we do in life. It starts pretty much when we’re born. In fact, many scientists say learning begins earlier. We listen to the outside sounds. This is when we first start learning a language. Our ears get used to the different patterns of intonation. Learning is a lifelong process. We spend our childhood years doing nothing but learning. We learn a language before we are two. We learn how to play and do all the everyday things people do. Most people think learning only begins at school. I’m not sure about this. Are we really learning, or are we just memorizing things? I think a lot of learning happens outside school. We learn more from our hobbies and interests than what we learn from school books.

If you think about it, kissing is strange. I mean, here we are in the twenty-first century and we still like kissing. I think we’re the only species on Earth that does this. Of course, there are different kinds of kissing. Kissing your parents or friends as a greeting is normal enough. That’s just like a friendly handshake. Passionate kissing is different. I’m not complaining though. I think kissing is great. I remember my first kiss. It was very exciting. I was nervous though because I kept thinking if I was doing it right. Some people say there is an art to kissing. I’m not so sure. If you love someone enough, you’ll be artistic enough. One thing I don’t like about kissing is people who do it next to you on the train or bus. Yuck!

Job interviews are always hit and miss for me. Sometimes I have a great interview and get the job. Other times, my interview bombs and I don’t get the job. It’s really important to prepare. You must also be confident and make sure the interviewer knows you really want the job. The trick is to make the interviewer think you are the best person for the job. I always wear my best suit and arrive early. I always smile when I walk into the interview room. First impressions are very important. It’s also a good idea to talk about your experiences - sell yourself. Make sure you have a few good questions to ask at the end of the interview. Interview technique is something we learn over time – you get to relax more the more interviews you have.

I think jewelry is stupid. What’s the point? I can understand it was popular a couple of thousand years ago, but not today. It all belongs to when we lived in caves. Why do people feel the need to wear necklaces and bracelets? It seems that jewelry is becoming more and more popular. Nowadays people are wearing rings on their toes and piercing their tongues and bodies. I’ve never really understood why men wear jewelry, especially thick gold chains. A lot of jewelry is dangerous. I often think if ear-rings catch on something, they’ll rip your ears. Some rings that women wear are also dangerous. They could cause serious damage to someone’s face. The only jewelry I wear is a wedding ring. Just a simple one.

We are living in an age of information. That’s what I keep hearing on TV and reading in newspapers. We are surrounded by information technology that puts information at our fingertips. To get ahead, you need the latest information. I’m not really sure how much information we need. Our brains can only handle a certain amount of information at a time. I reckon a lot of us have information overload. I’m sure before computers came along this didn’t happen. One problem with computers is the amount of personal information online. I worry about putting confidential info on different websites. Of course the great thing about computers is that we have so much information at our disposal. That’s pretty useful.

Inflation seems to be a big issue at the moment. Every time I turn on the news there is a story about inflation. Many countries around the world are fighting to keep inflation under control. Sometimes you read about countries that lose the battle against inflation. Zimbabwe once had an inflation rate of trillions of percent. I can’t imagine trying to add up my shopping bill with so many zeroes. I have no idea how they brought it under control. Inflation in my country is OK at the moment. The government is worried about prices going up. Me too. Inflation seems to be the thing economists worry about most. They do everything they can to keep the rate of inflation low. It has been pretty stable for years now.

Do we really need a monarchy in the 21st Century? It’s such a strange idea. It certainly is not a democratic idea. No one votes for someone to be king or queen. When a prince or princess is born, he or she automatically has a wonderful life. This is not fair. I had to study and work very hard just to get an average job, with not much money. Those in a monarchy are born into wealth. They never really have to lift a finger. The strange thing is that most people who live in a monarchy like their king and queen. Take the United Kingdom, for example. Around 80 per cent of British people support their monarchy. I suppose it’s good for tourism. I wouldn’t say no to being part of a royal family.

Libraries are wonderful places. Every library I’ve been to in the world is the same. They all have a special atmosphere. A room with a large collection of books does things to people. We become very quiet and want to know what’s on the shelves. This happens even to children as young as three, although perhaps not the being quiet. It’s amazing to watch a small child in a library looking at all the books. They can sit there for hours pulling the books off the shelves. I really spent a lot of time in the library at university. It was where I spent most of my time.  This is where I really learnt how useful libraries are. I spent hours every day looking at journals, newspapers and text books. I felt quite happy sitting in the quiet of the library, reading my books.

When I was a kid I was top of the class in maths. I was really good at mental arithmetic and doing sums. Things were easy back then, It was all addition and subtraction, multiplication and division. I knew my times tables like the back of my hand. Then, things got difficult when I was about 14. We had to learn stuff like algebra and geometry and lots of other stuff I can’t remember the names of. Suddenly. I wasn’t so good at maths any more. I think there were a few reasons for this. One was my maths teacher, another was because I sat at the back of the class, and another was I talked a lot. I still like maths and know I would be good at it again if I studied. I did statistics when I was at university and loved that.

Marketing is a funny thing. Sometimes I like it, other times I hate it. There is definitely an art to marketing. Some of the advertising campaigns you see are the work of a genius. Someone has thought of a great idea, slogan and advertising campaign to sell us or tell us something. I like it when I can see the creativity. There are other kinds of marketing that make me angry. Ads and campaigns that are directed at children make my blood boil – especially the McDonalds ads that do not mention food, but show lots of free, cheap toys. I also hate viral marketing – that’s when you receive spam mail trying to sell you something. I also get annoyed with marketing campaigns that have slogans that are just untrue, like smoking is cool.

Listening is the easiest English skill for me. I can understand about half of what people say to me. This means I can guess the things I don’t understand. Listening to the English of my American friends is not so difficult. I have problems when I try and understand the news on television. I also find movies hard to follow. I need the subtitles at the bottom of the screen. I think listening to songs in English made my listening better. It’s a lot more interesting than my listening CDs. I have one piece of advice for students who want to improve their listening. That is to listen to the same thing again and again. You understand more every time you listen. What’s your advice?

Leadership is a word we here a lot nowadays. Every time we turn on the news we hear about how important leadership is. Especially strong leadership. American presidents often talk about the importance of leadership. I suppose they’re right. It’s important that someone takes responsibility and shows leadership. With the right leaders, we can achieve success. But not every leader shows leadership. In many countries around the world, there are corrupt leaders. They do not have good leadership skills, they simply control people by fear. Good leadership is being respected by everyone and getting the job done. It’s important to have good leadership in companies too, except many of the banks’ leaders have not shown such good leadership.

I’m a big meat-eater. I love meat of all kinds. I have eaten all sorts of meat. Even though I love meat, I could easily stop eating it, and I don’t think I’d miss it. A long time ago I heard the vegetarian slogan “Meat is Murder”. If you think about it, that’s true. I don’t think animals are here today for us to eat, especially when we don’t need to eat meat. And then there’s the threat of global warming today. Raising animals needs land. Many forests are cut down to raise cows for meat. This really has to stop. Instead of meat, there are other things we could have. Dairy products would give us the protein we need. I know a lot of people who could never give up meat. They always say it would be impossible to go without a big, juicy steak.

Everyone wants a good lifestyle. I do too. I want a good job that is quite near my house – I don’t want to spend a long time on trains and buses. I also want a nice house where I can relax. I like decorating and shopping for furniture. I also want lots of friends so I can do stuff with them. My idea of a good lifestyle is being happy at work, going to the gym or going out for a meal after work, and spending the weekends with friends doing things or going places. Of course I have to have a holiday every year in another country. I haven’t got that lifestyle yet because I haven’t got enough money. I’m a little jealous of my friend’s lifestyle. She has everything and is always going out and having fun.

Marriage seems to be a dying institution. Everywhere we look, there are more and more statistics saying marriage is on its way out, divorce is on the increase, or people are leaving it later and later to tie the knot. A worrying trend over the past few decades is the number of people who live together without making the commitment of marriage. I’m not really sure what the difference is. If you love someone and want to stay together forever, why not get married? I think marriage adds a lot to a couple’s life, from the wedding day itself, right through to all of the anniversaries. Unmarried people miss out on these special occasions. Marriage is also important if you want to start a family. Perhaps I’m just old-fashioned.

I think human rights only became an issue after World War II. That’s when the United Nations issued their Universal Declaration on human rights. This is kind of the rulebook, the do’s and don’ts of human rights. When I look at the world today, it seems not many people have read this. I doubt if most people know it exists. I think government leaders should know about this. A lot of them don’t care much about human rights. I can’t believe it’s the twenty-first century and human rights is still an issue in pretty much all of the world’s countries. The most powerful countries even attack each other for abusing human rights. I hope one day that all human rights are respected. That will be paradise.

I hate junk mail. I’m sick and tired of it filling up my InBox. I mean, who believes the stuff written in it? I love the ones that start with “Dearest” and then tell you how their uncle died during some war and they need your help to transfer $18 million. I wonder how many people fall for those. My spam mail filters do a pretty good job at keeping junk mail away from my InBox. But, I occasionally get a mail trying to sell me medicine. The most dangerous kind of junk mail is called phishing. That’s when a criminal fakes an e-mail to make it look like it’s sent from a bank. It looks exactly the same as a bank’s mail. The mail asks you to reset your password. The criminal then takes your money.

Homelessness is a terrible thing. It really shouldn’t exist today. A country should be ashamed if anyone is homeless. Governments are so rich today, yet they have no money to provide basic needs for their citizens. This is rubbish. Think how much money governments waste on fancy cars and other unnecessary things. It’s a crime. Even in rich countries, there are thousands of homeless. The government tries to sweep them under the carpet. They want to pretend the problem doesn’t exist. The world’s richest countries spend billions of dollars on weapons, but can’t make sure people have a roof over their head. This is disgusting. All world leaders should be ashamed of themselves. I feel so sorry for the homeless.

I think being a housewife is a very demanding job. Most housewives have a lot to do, especially if they have children. Of course, some have an easy time because they have a maid or a tiny house. Most housewives though are working pretty much from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. They have to get up the earliest to cook everyone’s breakfast. Then they have to do the dishes, start the washing, iron and then go shopping to buy the food. Before their children go to school, the housewife has to make their packed lunches. I reckon cooking three meals a day every single day can be pretty tiring. Afternoons are just as busy, and then it all starts again when everyone comes home from school and work!

I’m full of admiration for people who run marathons. I couldn’t do it. I love running and have done a few half-marathons, but I always found a full marathon to be too much. Marathon runners are special. I don’t think I have the stamina to do it. Not properly, anyway. I could “run” one of the big marathons in the world, like the Boston or London marathon, but it would really be pretty much as a fun run. Most people who take part in these well-known international marathons only do so for fun. I think to be a marathon runner, you need to train and run a hundred kilometres a week. I wonder what it’s like to be in the lead in the Olympic marathon. That must be an amazing feeling. I think the marathon is the most important Olympic event.

Without laws the world would end. OK, maybe the actual Earth might not end, but life as we know it would end. We’d all end up fighting and killing each other. It would become the survival of the strongest, or perhaps the survival of the nastiest. If there were no laws, people could do anything. There’d be no police or courts to keep control. Law is very important. It keeps order in our society. Our laws started thousands of years ago. Many of today’s laws were made centuries ago. New laws need to be made every day. Especially in today’s world, where the Internet is so important. It’s very difficult to keep laws up to date with new developments. The latest area of law is intellectual property. It’s important that people’s ideas are protected.

Everybody loves juice. It’s the yummiest thing in the world. I can’t think of anything tastier than a cold glass of any kind of juice. I have to have a glass of orange juice every morning. I like to spend a little extra to make sure it’s 100 per cent juice. I don’t really like the stuff that says it’s juice on the box, but is really 70 per cent water and sugar. Of course freshly squeezed juice is the best - you can really taste the fruit. One thing I love about going to another country is trying different kinds of juice. Tropical countries have all kinds of really delicious juice. One time I remember trying sugar cane juice. I was in heaven. It’s a shame I can’t buy it where I live. I also love coconut juice, or is that coconut milk?

I think home schooling is great. I wish my parents had done this. The idea of never going to school sounds too good to be true. I hated school. I wanted to stay at home every day. I really wouldn’t have minded staying at home and studying. Of course, you need to be careful not to forget studying. One thing about home schooling I like is visiting museums or watching documentaries to learn more. This is so much better than learning in school. I think my learning at school suffered because there were many kids who didn’t want to learn. I could have got better marks if I had stayed at home. Perhaps there’ll be more home schooling in the future because of the Internet.

I don’t really have a hero. There are many people I respect, but they are not really my hero. Some people choose very strange heroes. My friends have rock stars and football players as heroes. Of course, these people are very good at what they do, but they’re not really heroes. They get lots of money for doing what they love. When they’re not singing or playing football, I wonder what they’re doing. I think most of the world’s heroes are unsung heroes. People who work to help others every day. We generally don’t notice these heroes. Then there are those who put their lives on the line for others. Fire fighters, police officers and soldiers are heroes. Without them, the world would be less safe.

Hate crime is becoming a big problem in many societies. You’d think that in the twenty-first century we’d all respect each other. With all the communications we have and with globalization, we should know enough about each other to understand we are all the same. We should at least be able to respect our differences. I blame the media for a lot of hate crime. They are very good at highlighting particular groups of people and casting them in a negative light. Just look at what’s happened since the 9/11 attacks in New York. Hate has increased in the world and the media seems to fuel this. I’m glad I live in a country that has laws against hate crime. They don’t always work, but at least it’s better than in most countries.

I’m totally hopeless with money. I’ve never really understood things like investments. I should be more interested in investments because I know I’ll get more money. I find everything very confusing. I never know what to invest in. Some of my friends invest in stocks and shares. I never did this. I’m happy because I didn’t lose money in the financial crash. I think it would be interesting to invest in things like wine. I saw a TV programme once. Wine goes up and up and up in price. You really can make a lot of money. I think investing in property nowadays is risky. I also know a lot of people who now owe lots of money on the house they bought because the prices crashed. Perhaps it’s better to keep my money under the bed.

I wonder if heaven exists. I guess if heaven is real, then hell must be real too. I think heaven must be a great place if it’s better than Earth. It’s difficult to believe that heaven is a place that looks like paradise. Pretty much every religion in the world believes that heaven is real. I don’t think it’s full of angels with wings though. I think there are lots of heavenly places on Earth. Anywhere in the countryside is heaven to me. Sitting on a beach with blue skies is also heaven. You can even be in heaven in the city. Walking into a cool, air-conditioned building from a hot, sweaty street is heaven. I also find heaven in food. A double chocolate fudge and nut ice cream with maple syrup and extra whipped cream is simply heaven.

Harry Potter is a boy wizard who has taken over the world. He is everywhere. No one had heard of Harry Potter before 1997. That’s when J.K. Rowling published her first book. She’s the creator of Harry Potter. The first novel was called ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’ and it became an amazing success. Everyone was talking about it and Harry became an overnight phenomenon. Six more Harry Potter books followed and they all became best sellers. People went crazy over every new book. My friends waited overnight outside a bookstore to make sure they got their copy of the latest book. My friends are 40 years old! Harry Potter is now a global industry, with movies and merchandise of all kinds. It’s amazing how big he is.

I think the Internet is the greatest invention ever. Think how it has changed the world. So much information is out there. It has totally changed my life. I can chat with friends, download music, buy books and get all the info I need for my homework. It took days or weeks to do any of these things before the Internet. I spend hours every day online. I think I spend a little too long. I’m sure staring at a computer screen all day isn’t good for my eyes. I think it’s also making me fat. I need to exercise a little more. The only thing I don’t like about the Internet is that it can be dangerous. I don’t really like putting my personal information online, especially on social networking sites like Facebook.

Management is a funny thing. Most of the people I know who are in management are not actually managers. I mean, they don’t have any qualifications to say they are managers. I think most managers are like that. They spend a year or two in a job and then become managers once the old manager moves on. I’m not sure whether or not you can learn management. Of course there are things like MBAs that teach you this, but in the end, management is all about how you deal with people. If you have a personality that can’t respect people and treat them fairly, you can’t be a good manager.  I have worked for some terrible managers. They have no idea what they’re doing and only create lots of work for others.

The 2010 South Africa World Cup is nearly here and I’m so excited. I love the World Cup. Every four years I can’t wait to watch this brilliant event. I heard more people watch the Finals than the Olympics. All over the world, people go soccer crazy. Even people who don’t like football. I was in Tokyo for the Korea-Japan Finals in 2002 – the atmosphere was amazing for a whole month. The 2010 Finals are extra special because it’s the first time for them to be in Africa. I’m sure it will be a great success. And who will win? I think Argentina will lift the trophy. Lionel Messi will show why he’s world player of the year. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if England won. They have a strong team and Rooney is on fire at the moment.

I never know what to do with my hair. Sometimes I want it long, sometimes I want to cut it all off. My hair is a little unmanageable. It never does what I want it to. It’s very thick. When it’s long and I have lots of split ends so I have to go to the hairdresser’s for a trim. I also have dandruff, which is a little embarrassing when I wear dark sweaters. I don’t often have a bad hair day. This usually only happens when I have to meet someone important. My hair sticks out all over the place. I hate it. I always think everyone is looking at me, or looking at my misbehaving hair. I often wonder what it would be like if we had no hair - if we were all bald. We could save lots of money on shampoos and conditioners.

Immigration wasn’t really a problem a long time ago. Many countries welcomed immigrants because they needed workers. The USA, Australia and Canada encouraged millions of people to come and live in their countries. Today, however, immigration is becoming a problem. Many countries are trying to control immigration. At election time, it is a major issue. Immigration today is big business. More and more people from poor countries want to live in rich countries. It is easier to travel nowadays because of cheap transport and more open borders. People risk their lives to get the chance of starting a new life in a rich country. This can cause anger in the countries immigrants go to. It is an issue that will be with us forever, I think.

I’m not sure what to think about identity cards. There are good and bad things about them. I think on the whole they are a good thing. It depends on what the government uses the information for. It also depends on how secure the database is that keeps our information. A lot of people think ID cards are too much. They think the government is trying to control us too much. I’m not sure that’s true, but it is something to think about. In this day and age, when immigration is a problem, I think ID cards might be useful. Some countries are using ID cards as a one-stop card for everything. The card is your driving license, medical card and ID all rolled into one. That’s a great idea. All we need now is to make it a passport and credit card.

What was life like before Google? This might look like a silly and strange question, but it is a good one. Google has changed our lives. In an amazingly short space of time, the verb ‘google’ has entered our language. I think everything about Google is amazing. It helps us so much. We can find any information we want just by typing in what we want in the search box. I even like the Google home page. It’s so simple. You know, I can’t remember the last time a day went by when I didn’t use Google for something. I wonder what Google will be like in the future. Only those at Google know. The strange thing about the Internet is that something we don’t even know about yet might come along and totally replace Google overnight.

Golden Week is such a lovely time to be in Japan. The weather is great and everyone is relaxed. There’s a real holiday feeling all over the country. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. The only down side is that the roads are full of traffic. You can spend hours stuck in traffic jams. So I usually stay at home and do things near my house. I love going on picnics in local parks. I’m English so I find it really interesting to see how Japanese people have picnics. Very different from picnics in England. Many people have the whole week off work to celebrate the different holidays. The Emperor’s birthday and Constitution Day are important and so is Greenery Day, but I like Children’s Day. This is when Japanese parents do special things for their kids.

All houses are unique. Even if they look the same from the outside, they are very different on the inside. I think houses are very interesting. I like looking at the way they are built and the style they are built in. In London there are many houses that are hundreds of years old. These are beautiful. You can still see much of the original wood and stone structure. Modern houses are also interesting. It’s funny how they copy many of the features of older houses. I love looking at houses when I travel. Every country has its own special designs, from Japan to Arabia to Greece. Nowadays people are building eco-friendly houses. They want houses that save energy and help protect the planet.

I don’t really like hospitals. I have many bad memories of them. I’ve stayed in hospital seven times in my life. I guess I must be unlucky. My friends all say I’m accident prone. My longest stay in hospital was for three months. That was boring. I had lots of visitors but staying in bed for that length of time isn’t much fun. The worst thing was hospital food. I couldn’t wait to get out and have some real food. The strange thing is that I really like watching TV dramas and movies about hospitals. It feels like I know everything that’s going on. I wouldn’t like to work in a hospital though. I hate the smell and the sight of blood. I’ll do my best from now on to stay away from hospitals, unless I’m visiting someone else.

I wonder if there is anyone in the world who never lies. Not even a small white lie. It seems everyone lies at some point in their life, or their day. Some people are better liars than others. In fact, I often read lying is an art. Children are pretty good at lying. Or perhaps they’re pretty bad, because it’s easy to tell when a child is lying. I read that the more lies children tell, the more intelligent they are. You need to be creative and imaginative to lie. There comes a stage in our lives when most of us stop lying. We are all told that it’s always better to tell the truth. Not all of us do this though. There are many very intelligent people who lie. We even trust them to run our country. I’ve lost count of the number of politicians who have been caught lying.

Life is for living. That’s what I believe. It sounds very simple, but actually, it’s quite difficult. You only have one life, so you really have to live it. Don’t waste time doing boring things. Live life for today. Is living working in an office all your life? No. Take some risks in life. Invest in your life and do the things you really want to do. If you don’t try and live your dreams, you don’t really live. I often hear people saying to other, “get a life”. I agree with them. Don’t wait and let life pass you by. Life is too short and you can’t go back. I have a full life. I don’t live life in the fast lane, but I do make sure I do things so that when I look back on my life, I won’t have any regrets.

I often wonder how important luck is in my life. I’m not sure if there is a thing called luck. Some people say they are lucky and others say they are unlucky. I think everyone in life has good luck and bad luck. Just because someone loses something or has an accident doesn’t mean it’s bad luck. An accident is an accident. People who always say they have bad luck are negative. If they wait, something good will happen in their lives. I do like to wish people good luck though. I think it’s a nice thing to say if someone has an interview or an exam. But, people pass exams and interviews because they studied hard or spoke well, not because of luck. In England people think they’ll have seven years of bad luck if they break a mirror. That’s strange.

Where would we be without language? We’d all be in our own worlds and we’d never really have a life. Can you imagine never talking to anyone? Of course if there was no language, we wouldn’t be able to use body language or sign language. The fact that we do have languages means we have gone to the moon and built things like the Internet – which also needs a special computer language to work properly. I think language is amazing. It means we can tell anyone anything. I often think it’s a shame there are so many languages in the world. If there was only one language, we could all communicate better. Perhaps that way, we’d all understand one another better. What would the world language be? At the moment, English.

Love is a wonderful thing, but is it possible to fall in love with someone at first sight? Many people say they have done this. How can it be possible? Surely it takes a time to get to know someone and then fall in love. I think falling in love at first sight is dangerous. You don’t really know the person. Maybe after you’ve built your life around them you’ll find lots of faults in them and suddenly be disappointed. Then you’ll have to fall out of love. Anyway, is it really love at first sight or is it love at first conversation? And what if the other person doesn’t fall in love with you at first sight? This could be a bit painful. It could also be embarrassing. I think I like the traditional way of falling in love after 257 dates.

There are magazines on just about anything you can think of. Just walk into a big bookstore and see the hundreds of different kinds of magazines. There are magazines for men, magazines for women, for children, for bankers, stamp collectors and even English students. They’re quite amazing when you think about it. There’s so much information in them. It must take a long time to make one magazine. And they are such great value for money. I like reading magazines that I would never usually buy. This happens when I’m in a waiting room. I like flicking through the magazine rack and looking through the magazine. I don’t care if it’s in another language. The pictures are interesting.

Laughter is what makes the world go round. If you can’t laugh, life would be very boring and depressing. The sound of laughter is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. Just hearing it makes me smile and want to laugh too. I have to find out what’s funny so I can share the joke, or share the fun. I particularly love the sound of small children laughing. Their laughter is infectious. It’s amazing the things they find to laugh about. I think I heard somewhere that laughter is the best medicine. That’s so true. I also think a good laugh keeps you healthy. A few people I know belong to a laughter club. They stand around in circles and laugh. Yes, laughter really is one of the best things we do.

When I was younger I wanted to be a journalist. I used to watch the news and think how amazing it would be to report from places around the world. I think journalism is a pretty tough profession. You really need a special character to survive. I think journalism is one of the most important professions in the world. Without it, we wouldn't know anything about what's going on in the world. It can also be a dangerous profession. Of course, reporting in war zones is dangerous, but even reporting in the street carries risk. I'm sure many journalists have many experiences of angry people they try to interview, or even of other journalists who get angry. When I watch journalism award shows, I still feel a desire to become a journalist.

I love jokes. I could listen to people telling jokes all day. I laugh at even the silliest of jokes. In fact, I love silly jokes. I still laugh at the jokes I laughed at when I was a child. I’m not so good at telling jokes. I have just a few of my favourite ones that I tell. They’re pretty funny. I think telling jokes is a real skill. You need confidence, timing and you need to know when to deliver the punch line. Some of my jokes don’t work with people from other countries. They don’t get them. It’s also interesting to see how American and British jokes are different. I listen to American comedians but can’t see what’s funny. I also love practical jokes. Playing jokes on other people is very funny – as long as they see the funny side.

Some people love insects and others absolutely hate them. I can’t count how many of my friends are terrified of insects. I have one friend who jumps and screams at the sight of the tiniest bug. He’s over forty years old! My son loves insects. He has many books on them and knows everything about them. He loves going to insect museums and watching nature documentaries on insects. I also love them. I think insects are fascinating. I can watch them for hours. I also love looking at them in zoos and museums. It’s like looking at a tiny miniature world. I think if I was insect-sized, life would be pretty scary. Or even worse, what if one day there were giant insects roaming the streets. That’s the stuff of horror movies.

My favourite subject at school was history. I don’t know why. I loved reading the stories about famous people and famous events. When I was little, history was just stories. As I got older, I realized history is the study of how we got here today. It’s a long journey that describes all the wars, great people, inventions, disasters, etc that have brought us to this point in time. I now love any kind of history. It’s fascinating to visit a new country and learn about its history. Watching the news today is like seeing history unfold. Lots of the things I learnt at school now make the news more interesting. History provides us with the perfect background information to a news story.

I really don’t understand why genocide happens. Every five or ten years we hear about the latest genocide. Every time we hear about it, governments say it will never happen again. After the genocide in Rwanda, the USA and other world powers promised to stop any future killing. Then Darfur came along and all they do is talk. If a crazy government wants to kill thousands of innocent civilians, no one can stop them. Genocide is the biggest shame in our history. Countries go to war because of oil, but not to stop innocent people being murdered. Only recently has the international community started chasing those who organize genocide. The International Criminal Court prosecutes those who commit crimes against humanity.

People say intelligence is a lot more attractive than beauty. I often ask people if they would prefer a partner who is intelligent or good looking. They almost always say they want someone who is intelligent. I wonder why it is some of us are so intelligent and others aren’t. Surely we are all born with a similar level of intelligence. I’m not really sure how intelligent I am. Sometimes I think I’m intelligent, but then I do something really dumb. Or I meet someone who is super-brainy who makes me feel unintelligent. One day, I’m going to take one of those intelligence tests to measure my IQ. Another thing I don’t get about intelligence is how people think our leaders are so intelligent, but then the leaders do such stupid things. Do intelligent people start wars?

Love makes the world go round, not money. I agree with the centuries-old quote that says, ‘Love conquers all’. It’s true when you think about it. So much has been written about love. It must be one of the most written and talked about topics ever. How many songs and poems are there about love? Millions. Billions, perhaps. Love is everywhere. You can’t pass a single day without hearing someone say ‘love’. It is one of the most beautiful words in any language. Your heart can melt when someone says, ‘I love you’. It’s also very important to tell people you love them. You should do it every day. There are many different kinds of love and they are all important. Except perhaps when you love pizza or burgers. That’s not healthy.

I love holidays. They are the best thing in the world. The only problem is they are always too short. Even summer holidays at school aren’t long enough. I recently had an eight-week holiday and it flew by. It seems as though time goes quickly when we are on holiday, and slowly when we are at school or work. I always really look forward to holidays – even one-day holidays are great. I live in a country that has many national holidays, so there’s always a break around the corner. I feel sorry for some workers who only get two or three weeks holiday a year. They can’t do anything or go anywhere. I love holidays even if I don’t go away. Staying at home is just as good as going on holiday somewhere. Sometimes going on holiday is stressful.

One of the busiest times of our life must be our wedding day. Getting married can be a very stressful time. But, it is also one of the happiest days in our life. It all begins with the proposal. After that comes setting the date. Once the couple know the wedding day, it’s planning, planning and planning. They have to decide where to get married, who to invite, what kind of flowers, where to have the reception, and a million and one other things. Getting married can be a very expensive occasion. Some parents save all their lives to pay for their son’s or daughter’s wedding. Getting married seems to be similar all over the world. The happy couple make some vows in front of their guests and then there is a big party after.

Heart attacks kill millions of people each year. I think it’s one of the world’s biggest killers. A lot of people have a heart attack because of their lifestyle. I’m sure if people ate healthy food and exercised, the number of heart attacks would drop. The thing I worry about is stress. For me, it’s difficult to avoid. Research shows that stress is one of the biggest causes of heart attacks. The problem with this is that you get stressed, and then you worry about your heart, which makes it beat faster and gives you more stress, which then makes your heart beat even faster. Best not to get stressed. There are so many things you can do in life to reduce your chances of a heart attack. I think we need more information.

Gangs are becoming a big problem in many countries around the world. We’ve always had gangs, and they’ve always created problems. Recently, things seem to be getting out of control. Gangs are taking over our streets. In many parts of South America, gangs kill because of drugs. In many parts of Europe, gangs hang around on street corners and hassle anyone who walks by. There’s a lot of pressure for young people to join a gang. If a young person doesn’t join a gang, they might be bullied at school. The government always says gangs are a problem, but they never do anything about it. I was in a gang when I was younger. It’s scary when I look back on it. We used to have lots of fights and do many bad things. I never had a knife.

I think I have the greatest friends in the world. They are just as important to me as family. In fact, they are my family, really. My best friends and I all grew up together and shared so many experiences together. We know everything about each other. I would do anything for my friends and I’m sure they’d do anything for me. I’m sure there’s nothing in the world that could stop us from being friends. I’ve also made lots of other good friends from university and the different places I’ve worked. They are also important to me. We are now all over the world and it’s sometimes difficult to meet each other, but we stay in touch. One day I’d like to get all of my friends together for a big party. That’d be great fun.

The heart is one organ we really have to look after. Most of us, I think, don’t really know how to look after it. Or perhaps we know, but don’t do enough to keep our heart in a healthy condition. Our heart is an amazing thing, when you think about it. It beats so fast for years and years and years, pumping millions of litres of blood around our body. It keeps working, even though we do so many bad things to it. It really is the source of our life. We need to promise our heart every day that we’ll look after it properly. I think kids born today are lucky. Modern medicine and science will soon have all the answers to keep our heart strong. Even today we’re lucky. Doctors can replace your heart via a heart transplant.

Gambling is a very dangerous thing. At least that’s what I think. I don’t think much good comes of it. People lose their money and then get angry. Sometimes people lose everything they have. The only people who win are the companies, casinos, etc. that organize gambling. I don’t really understand why people would want to risk their money. Most of the time they lose it. The odds are always against you. Gambling causes so many social problems I’m surprised governments allow it. In some countries it is illegal to gamble. This is good. I never understand why people gamble again and again. They must get fed up with throwing their money away. I suppose they always think the next one will be the one they make a lot of money.

A hangover is one of the worst feelings you can have. There’s nothing you can do to make it go away. You just have to wait for it to wear off. It usually takes a whole day and can even take two days to disappear. The most stupid thing about a hangover is that you never learn. A hangover is your body’s warning that too much alcohol is bad for you. When something is painful, you never do it again. Not so with a hangover. When people have a hangover, they often drink again the next day. This makes your original hangover much worse. Many people have their own hangover “cure”. None of them work for me. All I can do is suffer. I suppose the best thing for a hangover is not to drink at all, or at least not drink too much.

Someone once told me that French fries are not French. There must be some connection between fries and France, otherwise they wouldn’t be called French Fries. Wherever they are from, I love them. I guess they’re the most popular food in the world. Everyone eats French fries. They are very versatile – you can eat them with so many things. You can even have a French Fries sandwich. People put all sorts of things on top of French fries. I love ketchup and mayonnaise on my fries – both together. You have to have salt. The only time I don’t like fries is when they are cold. I get angry if I get fries that aren’t hot in a fast food restaurant. I take them back immediately. All of this talk of French fries has made me want to eat some.

I think humour is one of the best things in life. Without it, nothing in life would be funny. It’s strange how we start laughing from such a young age. I wonder what makes tiny babies laugh. What do they find funny. Babies laugh and smile all the time. This means we are born to laugh and make other people laugh. Our sense of humour develops as we grow up. Some people become very good at telling jokes. I always find it difficult to remember jokes. I don’t understand jokes from other countries. I love comedy shows from England, but I can’t see what’s funny when I watch American comedies. I guess humour is different, even with people who speak the same language. Anyway, I think I have a good sense of humour and I like a good laugh.

Gun control should be a really serious issue. In my country, politicians rarely talk about it. They only discuss it if someone goes nuts and shoots lots of people in a school or shopping mall. Gun crime is on the increase everywhere but the government never talks about gun control. I really think there should be huge fines for anyone caught with a gun. Too many innocent people are dying. The situation will only get worse. I think if a politician stands up and argues for any kind of gun control, he or she will win the next election. I’m sure most people think controlling or banning guns in societies is very important. Unless you live in America. I’m not sure if gun control exists there. It seems everyone has a gun.

“Home is where the heart is.” That’s so true. I’ve lived in many different houses during my life but not all of them have been home. When you are growing up, home is where your family lives. I left home when I was 18 and slowly my childhood home was no longer. Now it’s my parents’ house and not my home. I moved around a lot and only spent a year or so in most places I lived. They never really felt like home. A home is somewhere you feel totally relaxed and want to come home to. The expression “Home Sweet Home” is also true. You have to have nice feelings about it to call it home. Home doesn’t have to be in your home country. I’ve lived in several countries and have had a home in all of them.

Some people love hiking and some people hate it. Personally, I don’t really like it. I don’t see the point of walking for miles and miles up and down mountains. You get all sweaty and out of breath. The worst thing is that the next day all your muscles ache. Of course it’ll rain, so you’ll get soaking wet. If it’s sunny, you’ll get sunburn. To make things really bad, you might fall over and twist your ankle or get stung by a bee. I have terrible memories of hiking when I was a child. My parents always wanted to get to the top of the mountain, and then the next mountain top, and then the next. No matter how much we complained, they always said: “It’s not far.” Never believe anyone who says that, especially someone who loves hiking.

God created us all. God created life. God created everything around us. I often try to think what was before God. But God has always been there, so there was nothing before God. I wonder why God always appears as a man with a beard in books. He’s also usually a white man. No one knows if God is a man or a woman. God is also different to different religions. Most people in the world pray to God. They ask for forgiveness when they do something wrong; they thank God for bringing good things and ask for God’s help when things go wrong. People who believe in God get strength from their belief. They know that God is looking down on them. One thing I don’t understand is why there is so much killing and bad things in the world.

Isn’t food one of life’s greatest pleasures? Do you know anyone who doesn’t like food? I don’t. There is so much delicious food in the world. You could spend a whole lifetime eating a different dish every day. What’s the tastiest food in the world? This is a very difficult question to answer. My taste in food keeps changing. Sometimes my favourite is a dessert, but then I change my mind and go for a spicy curry. It’s great that countries have so many different dishes. Do you think your national dish is best? Nowadays we have to be careful about what we eat. Fast food is not good for us. We need to focus more on healthy food. Maybe we have to be more careful in the future. Make sure the food you eat is good for you.

Some people like their feet and other people don’t. I quite like mine. They’re not too big and not too small. Some people I know have huge feet. They even have problems trying to buy shoes that fit them. My feet are pretty normal. They’ve been very useful down the years. I’ve done a lot of running, loads of hiking and played thousands of hours of football. I’ve never injured my feet or my ankles. I sometimes get sore feet when I go shopping. That seems to be the only thing my feet don’t like. That and new shoes. New shoes usually give me blistered feet. Oh yes… and the cold. My feet hate the cold. My toes go numb. Especially my big toe. One thing I’m happy about is that I don’t have smelly feet.

I never used to worry about my health until recently. When I was a kid, I did loads of exercise. Even in my twenties and thirties I was very fit and never ill. I have been lucky all my life – always in the best of health. I rarely get even a cold. I suppose time catches up with you. Now I seem to be getting lots of little aches and pains. I should go to the doctor for a health check, but I’m too busy. The older you get, the more you worry about your health. One good thing is that I’m eating more healthily now than ever before. I no longer have fast food and midnight snacks. I also sleep a lot more. I’ve read that getting seven or eight hours sleep every night is one of the best things you can do for your health.

I totally do not believe in horoscopes. I can’t think of anything more ridiculous. Perhaps the only thing more ridiculous is the number of people who read their horoscopes and believe what they say. I mean, just how can a horoscope be true? How is it that the same things are true for half-a-billion people born between January 23 and February 22. It makes no sense. Not all of those people will be lucky in love and have a nice financial surprise at the beginning of the month. Horoscopes are a part of many cultures. Every time I go to another country I see the horoscope in magazines. I have a friend who has the same star sign as me. Our lives and fortunes are very different. That proves to me that horoscopes are rubbish.

Every country must provide free healthcare to its citizens. I can’t understand why the richest countries in the world don’t do this. It’s shocking that a country can be so rich and let its people die because they cannot pay the hospital. I saw a great movie once on America’s healthcare system. It’s called “Sicko,” directed by Michael Moore. He went to England and France and was amazed that people in those countries didn’t have to pay when they went to hospital. He then went to Cuba. He went with lots of Americans who couldn’t afford healthcare in America. Amazingly, the Cuban hospitals treated them all for free and gave them medicine. They were so happy. I’m sure there’s enough money in the world to provide everyone with free healthcare.

Guns are bad. Full stop. I’m fed up hearing about people who think they have a right to carry a gun. A gun is a deadly weapon. People who are for guns say people are the deadly ones. That’s stupid. The truth is, that if there were no guns in the world, there’d be more people alive. Students with guns kill other students at school. No guns, no deaths. Guns are used in millions of crimes around the world. Gun crime is out of control in many countries. The societies in which guns are illegal have very little gun crime. The problem is that guns aren’t going away. They are getting easier to buy. Now that many international borders are open, smuggling guns to other countries is easy. Maybe the whole world will return to the Wild West.

I don’t understand the fascination with gold. It’s just a soft metal. It isn’t even the most valuable metal. It’s interesting how almost every culture in the world loves gold. Indians spend a fortune on it. When their children get married they give gold bracelets and rings as gifts. Most of the world’s wedding rings are gold. I know different countries prefer different types of gold. In Thailand, only 24 carat is good enough, but in England, people buy a lot of 9-carat gold. It seems like we have always loved gold. Think how many stories there are from hundreds of years ago about gold treasure. In fact, if you go back further, Egyptian kings and queens had lots of gold. I’ll never forget Tutankhamen’s mask. The gold in that was really golden.

Happiness is sitting on a beach with a good book and no more work and studying for a year. Ahhhh… if only. What’s your idea of happiness? It’s such an important thing. I like Bhutan’s idea (Bhutan is the small country next to Nepal). There, they prefer to measure happiness instead of money. The most important thing for Bhutan’s government is how happy the people are. What a fantastic idea this is. Imagine if governments focused on making us all happy. They could spend money on beaches and free ice cream instead of fighting wars. I looked at everyone on the train this morning. No one looked happy. Maybe the news should be full of happy stories instead of the usual doom and gloom

Food safety seems to be a big issue nowadays. I can’t remember it being such a big problem years ago. With today’s technology, it shouldn’t be a problem. But it is. In fact, there are many problems. In my country, GM food is a big issue. People do not want to eat food that is genetically modified. They say it is unsafe. I know in America GM food is everywhere. Another issue with food safety is food imports. A lot of imported food has made people ill. Our government bans a lot of food from certain countries. This is a good idea. A concern in my country is with chickens and cows. We have bird flu and mad cow disease. It might be better to be vegetarian.

I really like walking around gardens. Every garden is different. Even two gardens that are next to each other are different. I loved the garden our family had when I was small. I also loved starting my own garden when I bought my house. The best gardens in the world are in England. English country gardens are famous all over the world. The gardeners are like artists. It’s amazing how they make everything so perfect and so colourful. I can sit in or walk through an English garden all day. I also like Japanese gardens. They also have a very special feel about them. Everything is so perfect and you feel really peaceful. I’d like to spend my life visiting different gardens.

I have a strange hobby. It’s visiting factories. I’m really interested to see how things work and how they are made. I’ve learnt so many things on my factory visits. Factories are amazing. They are like mini cities. The thing that surprises me most is how everything works together. Everyone knows exactly what to do and when to do it. Even the robots. Car factories are cool, but very noisy. A car assembly line is like a giant ballet dance with everything moving perfectly together. It’s quite easy to visit factories. All you have to do is go to their home page and see if they have visiting times, or write to them. The best factories to visit are ones that produce food and drinks. You always get free stuff. Unfortunately you don’t get a free car at car factories.

I wonder how many times we have our hair cut in our life. Hundreds. It would also be interesting to know how many different hairstyles we have. I know the styles I had when I was younger would look silly today. I really like haircuts. It’s interesting sitting in the hairdresser’s chair and watching the stylist do things. I often think a good haircut is like art and the hairdresser is the artist. I have had a few disastrous haircuts – usually when they cut too much off. I need a long fringe because my face is a strange shape. The best thing I like about haircuts is having a chat to the hairdresser. He or she can usually talk about anything and everything. I also like the smell of everything when I’m sitting in the chair.

Hands are interesting things. They can do so many things. We’d be lost without them. I think hands are one of the most useful parts of they body. They are so clever. We can do so many different things with our hands. We can hold things, squeeze things, feel things. We can swing on jungle gyms, write and type letters; the list is endless. I think hands are a very beautiful part of the body, if they are well looked after. It’s interesting to see how many different parts there are to our hands. We have a palm, fingers, knuckles, life lines, fingertips and the back of our hand. There are lots of good things you can do with your hands. I like holding hands – of course with my wife and children.

I think the idea of genetic engineering is fascinating. It’s also quite dangerous. Fiddling around with what makes us human might make us less human. We could end up creating a Frankenstein’s monster. The idea of genetic engineering has been around for centuries. Scientists have always wanted to change us. The real breakthrough came in the latter half of last century. Geneticists cracked the genetic code and found ways of altering our genes. Now they can clone animals and reproduce human tissue and organs. I don’t think it’ll be too long before scientists clone a person. Once all the fuss has died down, younger generations will be more accepting of genetic engineering. We might even live to be two hundred years old.

I have a passion for furniture. I love it. I particularly love antique furniture. I love going round old houses and looking at all the beautiful sofas and chests and cabinets from hundreds of years ago. Making furniture used to be a real art. They don’t make furniture like they used to. Nowadays a lot of furniture is rubbish. A lot of it you have to make yourself! Actually, I quite like that. I like wandering around IKEA and seeing what they have. You can pay extra to have the guys assemble your furniture for you, but I like doing it myself. I’m studying interior design and would like to start my own furniture workshop one day. I’ll mix modern ideas with traditional ones. I’d like to start a trend for green furniture that helps the environment.

I hate gossip. It really gets on my nerves. I really don’t understand why people gossip about other people. My office is full of gossips. They have nothing better to do. Surely there are more important things to talk about. Gossip isn’t true. That’s why it’s gossip. OK, it might be true, but who cares? Gossiping is dangerous. It can make perfectly nice people look bad. I’m not sure if I’ve been the subject of gossip. I’m sure I wouldn’t like it if I was. I have some friends who buy gossip magazines. They love celebrity gossip. That’s even worse than office gossip. At least with office gossip you know the people. Any time someone comes to me to tell me the latest piece of “juicy gossip” or “hot gossip,” I tell them I’m not interested.

People say first impressions count. What do you think? Can you understand a lot about someone from the very first time you see them or meet them? I think I’m good at judging someone’s character from the first time I set eyes on them. It’s easy to understand if the person is my kind of person. First impressions count most when you meet someone important. If you have a job interview, it’s very important to give a good first impression. The interviewer can decide if they like you as soon as you walk through the door. Are you well-dressed? Do you look happy? Do you greet the interviewer? All these things are important. I also think first impressions count when you meet your future in-laws.

What does family mean to you? In a perfect world, all families should be happy and everyone should get on well together. I know a lot of families that have many problems. Brothers and sisters who don’t like each other, parents who never talk to each other. I wonder why this is. How can you live so close to your family members and feel apart from them? There is a lot of talk in the news about the breakdown of family life. Divorce is rising everywhere in the world. This means single parents have less time to spend with their children, which creates problems. Maybe the stress of modern life puts too much pressure on families. It seems as though family life was better a generation or two ago. Is this true for families in your country?

If I could, I’d never go to another funeral again. No one likes funerals, of course, but for me, they make me so sad. I can’t stop crying. Quite often I’m the only person crying. Everything about a funeral makes me cry. When I open the invitation, tears well up in my eyes. When I see the funeral procession drive by, I start. The actual ceremony is almost unbearable. I have never learnt to control my sobs. If you hear someone sniffing non –stop, that’s me. The music at funerals is unnecessarily sad. I’ve told my friends I want salsa music at my funeral. And I don’t want people to wear black. I also hope the party after the funeral isn’t a sad occasion. People should laugh and remember the funny times.

Electricity is one of the most important inventions ever. It is the thing that powers the Earth. If there was no electricity, we’d be back in the dark ages. Few people stop and think just how amazing electricity is. With the flick of a switch, you can power almost anything. Think about what would happen if there was no electricity. We’d have no TV, no computers, no traffic signals. It would be like going back to living in caves. There are a few negative points about electricity, of course. Number one, it’s dangerous. Thousands of people die each year from electrocuting themselves or in electrical fires. And number two, it isn’t good for the environment. Most electricity comes from burning coal and that creates greenhouse gasses.

I’m not sure how many people ever stop to think how wonderful four seasons are. I think people who live in cities don’t care about the seasons. City people spend half their lives indoors or underground. I live in the country and I love watching the seasons come and go. Every day is different in the countryside. I love watching the crops grow in the fields. I watch them push their way up from the ground in the spring and then grow tall in the summer sun. Just before autumn arrives, the farmer harvests them and then winter comes. Seasons means it’s like living in a new place every four months. Everything changes. One wonderful thing about seasons is the seasonal food you get. There’s always something tasty that’s just come in season.

Driving is one of life’s greatest pleasures. There’s nothing better than getting behind the wheel and going for a drive. I live in the countryside, so it’s easy to get out onto an open road. I open the windows and turn the music up and then just drive and drive. I like driving to new areas and finding new roads. I find it very relaxing and great fun. I like the speed and the freedom. I even like driving in towns and cities, although not when traffic is really heavy. It’s not much fun being stuck in a traffic jam half the day. Driving in different countries is great fun. I’m a little nervous at first, but I soon get to know the roads. People have different ways of driving in different countries. I don’t like countries that have aggressive drivers.

Are you a good person to have around in an emergency? I am, I think. I have a very cool head and I don’t panic easily. The most important thing to do in an emergency is stay calm. If you do this, you can think straight and decide what’s best to do. Also, if you stay calm, other people might stay calm too. The worst thing to do is panic. Once you panic, things become worse. Of course, it depends on the kind of emergency. For really serious emergencies, you should call the emergency services. That’s 999 in the UK or 911 in other parts of the world. My biggest emergency recently was a big one. I pressed the delete button and lost my 3,000 songs in iTunes. Luckily, I had a back-up.

Freedom is a funny thing. It seems to mean different things in different countries. People in my country say they have freedom, but I don’t think so. We have to go to school, we have to pay tax, we have to work, we have to do lots of things. That’s not freedom. I’d say we have more freedom than people in other countries. There are many countries in the world where people are like slaves. They can’t leave the country, can’t get a passport, and have to work 16 hours a day. I wonder what a society would be like if everyone was totally free to do anything they wanted. It would probably be a total mess. No one would work. I suppose freedom means having some rules to follow.

Drugs are becoming a big problem in many societies. When I was growing up, you rarely heard about drugs. Now, they’re everywhere. Children in schools are smoking marijuana and taking harder drugs. There were many kids at my school who smoked. Nicotine was the most serious drug they used. Today’s kids seem to have access to all kinds of drugs. I don’t know what the government should do about it. Some countries have legalized drugs like marijuana, but others have made it a crime to possess even the smallest amount. You can even go to prison for having a tiny, tiny bit. Governments need to do something before society ends up in a real mess. I’m not sure what the solution is.

Grammar! Why is English grammar so confusing? I studied grammar for many years at school and I still don’t understand when to use a tense. Is it the simple present or the present perfect? What’s the difference? My teacher tells me to keep visiting grammar websites and doing the practice activities. She told me to look for patterns, but I’m not really sure what she means. She also told me one of the best ways to learn grammar is to read for pleasure. She said that way I’ll keep seeing good grammar and it will slowly come to me. I think the best way to learn grammar is to write and let my teacher point out my mistakes. Do you have any good tips on how to learn grammar?

What does globalization mean? We always hear this word on TV and read about it in newspapers. It means the world is now a village – the global village. The world has become smaller. Of course, the world did not shrink and it isn’t a village. Because of better transport, the Internet and more trading between countries, it is easier to do business. Japanese car makers have factories in Thailand; American computer companies employ thousands of people in China. That’s globalization. And don’t forget the millions of call centre jobs in India that workers in America and Europe used to do. Globalization also means it is easier to work in another country. Is globalization a good or bad thing? That’s a difficult question to answer.

When I was a kid, I thought gangsters were really cool. I loved watching gangster movies. Al Capone was almost like a hero to me. I always wanted the gangster in the movie to escape from the police. The movies made gangsters look like heroes. Now I’m older, I think that’s shocking. How can they glamorize the life of gangsters. Of course, we all know gangsters are dangerous. They are involved in many crimes. They sell drugs, traffic children and run prostitution rings. Many gangsters control politicians and policemen. In fact, in many countries around the world, gangsters become politicians. The funny thing is, even now, when I look at gangster movies, I still think the gangster is the good guy. That’s a little worrying.

Everybody should take up gardening as a hobby. We can all get back to nature. Thousands of years ago we all did a bit of gardening. It’s one of the most relaxing hobbies I can think of. It’s also very satisfying. I get very excited about gardening. I love planting seeds and then letting nature take over. It’s amazing how quickly things grow. Before you know it, your seeds are beautiful flowers. You also learn a lot about flowers, vegetables, shrubs and trees. Of course, gardening is also very practical. If you grow vegetables, you can eat what you grow. Vegetables picked fresh from your garden really do taste better than the ones in the shops. Gardening is good for you. It makes you feel part of the Earth.

Global warming is the biggest problem in the world today. Everyone know about it but not everyone is trying to stop it. Many world leaders are more interested in blaming other countries for the crisis. Countries like China, India and Russia say they will not act unless America takes more action. America says it will not act until other countries take more action. It seems a little childish that leaders are acting in this way. The future of our world is at risk and governments can only argue with each other. Many presidents and prime ministers tell us that technology is the answer. They say future scientists will find solutions to save the planet. This is a big gamble. I hope they are right. I don’t believe them, so I’ll continue switching off lights and recycling.

Everybody wants to have fun. Life would be so boring if fun was taken away. There are so many things you can do for fun. The best thing, I think, is simply to be with your friends. You’ll always have a fun time with them. I can’t remember the most fun I’ve ever had. I had loads of fun times when I was a kid. It seemed as though life was all fun, except for homework. But university was also a lot of fun. I’d love to do all that again. I’m not sure if I’d call working fun. There’s not much fun in sitting at a desk and trying to please your boss. Weekends are fun though. I always try to have as much fun as I can at the weekend. Having fun is the best way to relieve the stress that builds up during the week.

Frustration is a terrible thing. In fact, it’s a frustrating thing. Getting frustrated is one of life’s biggest frustrations. I wish I didn’t get frustrated, but there are so many things in life that are frustrating. I think the biggest thing recently is computers. Getting a new computer out of the box can be frustrating. Understanding how everything works is doubly frustrating. And then there are all the frustrations with programmes that freeze, web pages that don’t open, and things you lose. I wonder why we get so frustrated. I think we could do things better if we relaxed and did everything slowly. I wonder if animals and birds get frustrated. I’m sure a lot of the things we humans do causes them a lot of frustration.

Football, that’s soccer to Americans, is the biggest and best sport in the world. There are millions of reasons why it is the world sport. For a start, it is played all over the world. The football World Cup is the biggest event on Earth. It’s bigger than the Olympics. More people watch the Final on TV than any other event. Football also brings nations together. The greatest of enemies put aside their differences for 90 minutes to play a football match. Then there are the teams, like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool. These names are more well known across the world than the top basketball or baseball teams. A famous coach once said: “Football isn’t a matter of life and death; it’s more important.”

I think fish are the most interesting creatures on the planet. They are absolutely fascinating. I love their different shapes, colours, social behaviour, everything. I can watch tropical fish in my aquarium for hours. Even the tiny little fish are so beautiful. When I go to the city aquarium, I can spend the whole morning or afternoon looking at the fish. I don’t have a favourite fish. I must confess that after watching the movie ‘Finding Nemo’ I do now like clownfish. As well as looking at fish, I also love eating them. Tuna is my favourite, especially raw tuna. When I visit Japan, the first thing I do is go to a sushi restaurant. Raw fish is so much tastier than cooked fish. And probably a lot healthier.

I absolutely love flying. I love everything about it, from buying my air ticket to getting off the plane and collecting my baggage. There’s something very special about getting on an airplane. It’s always a real adventure. I like short flights and long-haul flights. Many people say economy class is terrible, but I like it. There isn’t enough legroom but I don’t mind that. Many people also say they hate airplane food. I love it. The only thing I don’t like about flying is turbulence. I think that’s really scary. I always worry the plane will crash. Another thing I don’t like is waiting to get off when the plane stops. It takes ages before the flight attendants open the doors. One day I want to fly business class and first class.

What are you afraid of? I’m not really afraid of anything. When I was a child I was afraid of the dark. I used to hear strange noises at night when I was in bed. I couldn’t move. I was frozen with fear until it got light outside. I’m no longer afraid of the dark, thankfully. I also used to fear speaking in public. My face would go red and I’d get very hot. I overcame this fear because I had to make many speeches at school. The more I did this, the more my public speaking fear disappeared. People are afraid of many strange things. Did you there is a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth? There is even a medical name for it. I don’t think fear is a bad thing. It probably stops us from doing really dangerous things.

One day, all diseases on Earth will be gone. I wonder. In fact, if all diseases die out or doctors find vaccines and cures for them, that will really change our planet. Think about the amount of overpopulation if no one died from diseases. There’d be a population explosion. I don’t think the Earth would be able to feed so many people. It’s a really difficult question. Some diseases in the world are really horrible and cause a lot of suffering. It would be great if scientists found cures for those. Scientists have already found a cure for many diseases. It’s amazing how far science and medicine have come. I think more cures for diseases could be found if governments spent more money. They seem to spend so little on controlling disease.

People say that death is the only thing in life that is certain. That’s true. I’m not afraid of dying, but I do think it’s a sad thing. I’d like to live forever. I like life. I want to see my children’s children’s children grow up. People have different views on death in different cultures. In some countries, you die and go to heaven. In other countries you die and come back to Earth as something else. Some people celebrate people’s death because they had a good life. In other countries, death is a sad and dark affair. I know of many countries where death is a taboo subject. People just don’t talk about it. I have no problems talking about death. Especially to my family. I think it’s useful to tell everyone what I want to happen when I die.

I don’t understand discrimination. To me, it’s evil. How can you not think that all people are the same? It doesn’t matter what kind of discrimination it is, it’s all terrible. People who discriminate because of other people’s race, sex or age should be named and shamed. I think there should be really strong laws against all forms of discrimination. Racism is horrible. What difference does it make what colour your skin is? The thing that surprises me is that even in the most cosmopolitan cities, racism is everywhere. Sexual discrimination is also stupid. Sexist people have sisters, mothers, wives, daughters; but they still treat women as being less able. I wonder if we'll ever live in a world where we’re all equal.

Danger is everywhere. It’s all around us. That what I’ve decided. I thought about danger the other day and decided we live in a dangerous world. Even our house is full of danger. There are many chemicals in our cosmetics, cleaners, fridges, computers that are not good for us. The electric wiring could go wrong and electrocute us. We could fall down the stairs or slip on the kitchen floor. And then when we leave our house, we enter a dangerous world. Cars travelling at speed, people holding cigarettes, construction workers with heavy objects above our heads… all of these things present danger. Just turn on the news or open a local paper to see how much danger there is. I think I’ll stay in bed today.

Do you like fast food? Lots of people complain about it but I think a lot of it’s quite tasty – as long as you go to one of the international chains like McDonalds or Kentucky. I think in today’s world, it’s difficult to avoid eating in fast food restaurants. They are so convenient and seem to be everywhere. Of course they’re not the same as real restaurants. I wonder if they are restaurants. There aren’t any waiters. Anyway, the most important thing to remember about fast food is that it isn’t so healthy. People who eat it every day develop health problems. I don’t understand why schools serve fast food during lunch time. Schools should encourage students to eat healthily. If you have time, look at a website on slow food.

Many years ago I read that credit cards were the thing of the future. Credit card companies were telling us that plastic would replace cash. Well, this hasn’t happened. People are still using notes and coins. The Internet has increased the use of credit cards, but many people worry about putting their card details online. Lots of personal info gets stolen by fake sites pretending to be famous banks or online stores. Personally, I love credit cards. I always prefer to pay by card than by cash. When you use your card, you get air miles and every six months you can cash them in for presents. I do worry about credit card security. I keep waiting to see a huge purchase on my statement that I didn’t make.

I learnt all about evolution when I was about ten years old. I remember it clearly. I thought it was amazing. My mind was full of images of strange creatures crawling out of a green, soupy lake. Fish that had somehow developed legs and the ability to breathe air. Then these creatures turned into all kinds of animals. All the books I read said we came from apes. Scientists are still not sure how. There’s a missing link. When I think about it now, the theory of evolution is a clever concept. The man who thought of it, Charles Darwin, said nature is all about the survival of the fittest. Only the strongest species survive. We are still evolving. Scientists believe we will look quite different a million years from now. I wonder what we’ll look like.

I’m really into motor racing. Especially Formula One. It really is one of the most glamorous and exciting sports. Of course, it’s one of the fastest. I’m amazed by the speed of the cars and how skillful the drivers are. I’d love to drive a Formula One car to see how fast they go. People say Formula One is a man’s sport. It isn’t. I know lots of women who love it. One day, there’ll be a female world champion. You wait. I got into Formula One years ago. I loved the names of all the drivers. I watched a few Grands Prix on TV and then I was hooked. I never miss a race on TV. One day, I’d really like to go to a circuit and watch a Grand Prix live. I guess Monaco would be best – they drive through the streets there.

I really don’t know why fishing is so popular. It’s one of the best-loved hobbies all over the world. Anywhere there’s a pond, a river a lake or sea, you see people fishing. I’ve only been fishing twice and I thought it was boring. I didn’t catch any fish. Even if I had caught a fish, I don’t think I would have been excited. To me, sitting next to a river waiting for something to happen is strange. I know lots of people who love fishing. They even get up at four o’clock in the morning in the winter to sit in the freezing cold. They say the best time to fish is before the sun comes up. I say they’re crazy. Big game fishing looks good. I like the idea of cruising on a boat near Hawaii looking for giant fish.

Have you ever thought how strange fashion is? People tell us what clothes to wear. That’s weird. Fashion stores tell us what is “in” this summer or this winter. People then buy the same clothes and look like everyone else because they want to feel trendy. The thing is, fashion is about being an individual, but then we all wear clothes that are the same as everyone else’s! Keeping up with fashion is expensive these days. Everyone is into brand fashion. Have you seen how much the most fashionable sneakers are? How can kids afford those? The craziest fashion is the luxury brands. People spend a month’s salary, or more, on a handbag or watch. That’s crazy. I’m happy with an unknown brand at half the price. I don’t mind being unfashionable.

Eggs are great. Where would we be without them? They are so useful. I can’t imagine life or cooking without them. There are many ways of cooking eggs for breakfast – fried eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, etc. There are even many ways of “cooking” these. You can have a runny or hard fried egg or even have it sunny side up. You can have soft or hard-boiled eggs and fluffy scrambled eggs. There are also many things to put on top of eggs – mayonnaise, ketchup, salt, soy sauce. Each country has something different. I like cooking with eggs. I particularly like breaking them. I can now do it with one hand, without breaking the yolk. Sometimes it gets messy and the egg white starts dripping down your arm.

Why do we have crime? When will it all stop? It’s sad that there is so much crime in our society. It hurts so many people. Most people in the world just want to live happily and be good neighbours. Why do some people turn to crime? Money is a big reason. Many criminals pickpocket, steal, kidnap, or even kill people to get money. There are many terrible crimes in the world. Perhaps the worst is ethnic cleansing. This is a crime against humanity. Many people are killed because of their colour or religion. People who commit this crime rarely go to prison. Have you ever been a victim of crime? What do you think we need to do to reduce crime rates? Perhaps you should write to your government. Tell your leaders enough is enough.

I have too many clothes. I have many clothes I’ve only worn once. Sometimes I even find something at the back of a drawer that I never even wore. I bought it, put it away, and then forgot about it. I’m sure I don’t need so many clothes. I don’t think anyone really needs 11 pairs of jeans and 32 sweaters. I won’t tell you how many pairs of shoes I’ve got. That’s way too embarrassing. The simple truth is I love clothes and I love shopping. Maybe I have a problem. I’m sure I’d be a lot richer if I didn’t buy so many clothes. I like brands, so the clothes I buy are quite expensive. One day I’m going to have a big clearout. I’ll take all the clothes I no longer wear and give them to charity.

I dream almost every night. I have a lot of dreams and I remember most of them. I’m not sure what they mean. Some of them are quite strange. One day I’ll have to buy a book on dreams and see if I can interpret them. When I was a little kid, I had really bad dreams. Real scary ones. They were probably nightmares rather than dreams. Usually it was some big, bad stranger chasing me. My dreams today are all very different. Sometimes I’m speaking in another language in my dream. The ones I don’t like are the ones where I’m falling. But I my dreams where I’m flying. I sometimes have really nice dreams, but then my alarm clock goes off. I press snooze and try and get back into my dream for another ten minutes.

I’m hopeless at giving directions. I get very confused. I’m sure I send people in totally the wrong direction. For some reason, I always get stopped for directions in the street. I can usually direct someone if it’s just a block or two, but that’s it. If it’s half way across town, I’ll send you in the opposite direction, guaranteed. The funniest thing is asking for directions in another language. I’m pretty good at saying where I want to go, but when I receive the directions, I understand nothing. I nod my head and smile and say “thank you very much”. The person walks away thinking I understood the directions. I’m impressed by people who can give directions from one town to another. They must have a map inside their head!

Exercise is something most of us love to hate. A lot of us avoid it altogether. I do a lot of exercise, but not because I like it. I do it because it helps me stay slim and healthy. I always feel great after exercising, so there are good parts to it. The thing I hate most is getting ready. It’s really difficult after a hard day’s work to come home and then prepare for your exercises. I really don’t want to do it when I’m getting changed. I hate the warm-up stretching. I also hate the first

Are you into cars? My brother is. He’s car crazy. He buys car magazines, watches car programmes on TV and spends hours looking at car websites. He knows the name, maker, engine size and top speed of every car on the planet. Every time we go out, he talks non-stop about the cars he sees. I like cars. They are interesting. If I had a lot of money, I’d like to buy a sports car. I’m saving up for a small car at the moment. I’ll probably buy a hybrid car that is good for the environment. My brother thinks these are boring. He says a car should be powerful and fast. I don’t agree. I think cars should get you from A to B and be big enough for me and my friends. I also prefer smaller cars because they are easier to park.

Don’t you think books are the best thing in the world? I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t reading a book. I still have memories of being in my school library when I was about five years old. I have been a bit of a bookworm since then. You’ll usually see me with my head buried in a book. I love all kinds of books. Novels are great for getting to know other worlds and cultures. A good book is one where you never want the story to end. I also like autobiographies because I think it’s interesting to read about people’s lives. Encyclopedias are cool too – you can learn everything about everything in these. I still prefer books to the Internet. Books need to be in your hand and made of paper.

Climate change is one of the most worrying things for our planet. Many politicians and scientists say it is the biggest danger we face. I read almost every day that climate change is changing the Earth forever. Many species of animal, fish, insect, frog, etc. are dying. The ice caps in the Arctic and Antarctica are melting. Our weather is changing so places are getting warmer, or colder, or are having more and stronger hurricanes. We all need to do our bit so that climate change does not destroy us. It’s important to cut down on things that produce greenhouse gasses. These warm the planet and change the climate. Doing simple things like turning off lights and recycling paper all help.

Education is one of the most important things in our lives. Don’t you agree? It can make the difference between success and failure. An education can bring us knowledge and make us rich. In rich countries, people are lucky to have good schools. Children start learning from a very young age. They can further their education and go to higher education or university. In Japan, there are even private schools for babies to learn English. It’s a shame that in many rich countries, many children don’t want to learn. Perhaps schools need to find better ways to teach so children want to learn. It’s sad that in many parts of the world, children want to learn but can’t. Make sure you never stop learning. Education is the key to a better future.

There’s an old English saying that says, “A dog is a man’s best friend”. This is true for many people – men and women. Most people I know love dogs. They are pretty cool animals. They are intelligent and very helpful. Dogs are a real member of the family if you have one as a pet. I think dogs are very useful. They keep you company, they bark if a stranger comes near your house, and they fetch your slippers. Not all dogs are nice, though. Some are dangerous. I get sad when I read in the paper about children being attacked by a dog. Owners need to train them better. I also get sad when I read about abandoned dogs. People who want a dog as a pet should get an abandoned one.

Choosing a career is one of the biggest decisions we make in life. It used to be that we chose only one career. People would start a job when they were 18, 19 or 20 and stay in that same career for life. Their career path was quite straightforward. Nowadays, it is normal for people to change careers, five, six, seven times. New technology and globalization means things change quickly. We need to study and keep up with all the changes. I’ve had four different careers now. I like moving from one job to another. It means life never gets boring. It’s much better to keep learning different things in different careers. I have no idea what career I’ll choose next. Perhaps one that doesn’t even exists today.

I hate the sight of blood. Looking at it makes me go all weak at the knees. I can’t even look at my own blood. I don’t know why. The thing I hate most is giving blood for a medical check. I fainted once after I saw my blood in a small bottle. If I have a nose bleed, I have to sit down for 30 minutes before I feel better. It’s impossible for me to watch operations on TV. I wish I could donate blood to others. I can’t. I know giving blood is really important, but I’m not brave enough. One thing about blood I do find interesting is blood types. I think your blood type can affect your personality. I know that in some countries, people with blood type A would not be a good romantic match for someone with blood type O.

One of my favourite times of the day is bath time. I absolutely love taking a bath. Baths are so much better than showers. Having a bath is the most relaxing thing. There’s nothing better in life than sinking into a hot bath and letting the water take away my troubles. A bath really makes you feel great. I especially like taking a bath before going to bed. Bath time is pretty much the only time of the day when you can really pamper yourself. It also means a lot of quality time to yourself. It’s perfect for listening to music and reading a good book. The only thing I don’t like about bath time is when I fall asleep and the water goes cold. Or even worse – when you want a bath and there’s no hot water.

I’m a great art lover. I look at beautiful paintings and sculptures and wish I could be artistic. I can’t draw or paint to save my life. I wonder why some people are so talented and can create amazing pictures, when other people, like me, can’t even draw good matchstick figures. I would like to fill my house with art from all over the world. It’s interesting to see how different cultures have different kinds of art. There’s nothing better than visiting art galleries when you go to another country. I prefer more traditional art. I don’t really understand a lot of modern art. I look at an exhibit of a pile of bricks in a museum but can’t see how it’s art. I always laugh when my children say, “Daddy, I can do better than that!” I often think they can.

People say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That means if someone thinks someone else is beautiful, then they are beautiful. I think the idea of beauty is interesting. Why do we think some things or some people are beautiful and others aren’t? Some people think a building is beautiful, while others think the opposite. People nowadays spend too much time and money on beauty. I agree with the expression, “beauty is only skin deep”. This means that what’s really important is someone’s heart and character, not what they look like on the outside. It’s a little strange, and unfair, that you have to be beautiful to be a top actress or even a news reader on TV. I think there should be equal rights for most of us “non-beautiful” people.

Autumn is such a cool time of the year. Of course it is cool because the temperatures drop after summer. But it is also cool because it’s such a great time of the year. I love the changing of the leaves. The different autumn colours are one of nature’s most beautiful scenes. Sometimes I can’t stop looking at the mountains near my house. They are like an artist’s palette of golds, reds, yellows, browns and other autumnal colours. In America they call autumn ‘fall’ because that is when the leaves fall from the trees. I like the coolness of autumn. Summer is over but you can still wear a T-shirt – just about. You can also spend hours outdoors without sweating. Autumn is the best time of the year to go hiking and go for long walks.

Aren’t airports strange places? There’s so much happening in them. People coming, people going; people crying with sadness because they’re going away, people crying with joy because they’ve arrived. Big airports are almost like small towns. It seems like you walk across a town by the time you check in and get to your departure gate. The thing I like most about airports is people watching. There are people from all over the world. I also like how everything fits and works together. You check your luggage in and then it disappears, before you see it again at the next airport. I still think airports need improving. There’s not a lot to do there. Airports really need to have an entertainment area so people can kill time.

There is no way that famine should be a problem in today’s world. We are so rich. Companies have billions of dollars. Countries have trillions. It’s a real shame that people do not give enough to help famine victims. It’s a sin. There is more than enough food in this world to feed everyone. Government leaders need to tell the world why they let people die of hunger. Even the United Nations can’t persuade governments to give enough money to help the starving. Of course, there are good governments and bad ones. The bad ones often let their own people starve. The leaders steal the country’s money. Some countries have a famine but their state TV tells people there are bumper crops. That’s shocking.

Digital cameras are so useful. I love my digital camera. I take it everywhere with me. My friends think I’m mad, but I’ve got thousands of really good photos. Digital cameras are so much better than the old cameras with film. They’re also much better than mobile phone cameras. My digital camera fits in my pocket and takes great photos. I usually take a few photos every day and then put them online for my friends to see. The best thing about digital cameras is that they are so easy to use. It’s child’s play. The good thing is that digital cameras today give the same quality photos as you could only get on really expensive cameras. All you need is 10 to 12 megapixels. That’s more than enough.

Airplanes are amazing. How does something so big and heavy get off the ground? I’m always amazed at how the millions of different parts work together. Travelling by airplane is always a wonderful experience. I don’t care whether economy class is cramped and has no space. I like playing with the in-flight entertainment system, especially now they have all the latest movies. I also love airplane food. Many of my friends say it’s disgusting, but I love it. I often ask the passenger next to me if I can have the dessert or roll they don’t want. The only thing I don’t like about planes is turbulence. When the airplane hits those air pockets, I always worry we’ll crash. But I once read that turbulence has never caused an airplane to crash.

I don’t think people understand cyber-crime. It’s only just started. In the future, it’s going to be a huge problem. There have already been a few amazing examples. A few years ago the whole Internet in Latvia was attacked by another country. Cyberspace has become a new battleground. Countries spy on each other. If there’s a war, it’s possible one country could attack the other country’s Internet. This would mean all communication, transport, etc would stop. It would cause huge damage to hospitals and other important buildings. But cyber-crime is happening today to ordinary people. Have you ever heard of phishing? That’s with a ‘ph’ not ‘f’. You really need to be very careful about what information you put online.

I have loved dancing ever since I can remember. It was a part of my life when I was growing up and it is still important to me now. It has to be the best way to exercise. What can be better than dancing to your favourite songs? I love going to clubs and discos. I can dance all night long. I never get tired of it. When I was small, I used to go to school discos. I’d also dance at the parties my parents, friends and neighbours had. I don’t think I’ll ever stop dancing. I also love looking at dancing. Ballet is beautiful. Dances from all over the world are beautiful. I think the life of a professional dancer must be a good one. One thing that always amazes me is how much children love dancing. I think dancing must be in their blood.

I wish we didn’t need cosmetics. We spend so much time and money on them. And for what? We take them off at night, only to put them all on again in the morning. If you think about it. they’re amazingly expensive. Why does a lipstick or a small tube of cream cost so much? The really expensive cosmetics don’t actually make you look that different than really cheap ones. A lot depends too on your skill – choosing the right colours to match your face, and how you put your make-up on. I sometimes laugh at the ladies selling cosmetics in department stores. They’re meant to be experts but they look like clowns. I mean, do they really need to paint their faces? One thing I worry about is whether the chemicals damage your skin.

I’m a bit shy when I have to speak in English. I’m a little worried about making mistakes. I also still lack confidence. Many of my friends don’t worry about mistakes. They just talk and talk. They always get their message across, even if their grammar is wrong. I think this is the best thing to do. My teacher always says it’s best to learn by doing. If I don’t try to speak English, I’ll never be able to use it when I need it. One thing I started doing recently was talking to myself. I have short conversations with myself. I think it works. I also make short stories about people and say them aloud. I do this in my room, of course. People would think I’m crazy if I did it in class or on the train.

My energy levels go up and down. Sometimes I’m full of energy, and sometimes I’m drained of energy. Mornings are when my energy levels are high. I wake up ready to go. I don’t need 30 minutes to wake up, like some people I know. For some reason the food I eat doesn’t affect how energetic I am. Some people feel tired after lunch, while others complain they need to eat something for an energy boost. I seem to have the same level of energy even if I eat nothing all day. The one thing that does affect my energy is the weather. A bright, sunny day gives me lots of energy. A dull, rainy day makes me feel less energetic. I also have a lot of energy if I’m doing something exciting – even if it’s study or work.

E-mail certainly keeps me busy. I never used to write as many letters as I do now. In the good old days before computers, we wrote real letters, with paper and envelopes. I wrote one or two letters a week. But now, with e-mail, my in-box is never empty. There’s always someone mailing me. I would like just one day where I’m free of e-mail. The sad thing is, very few mails I get are interesting. I get loads of spam – junk mail trying to sell me things I don’t want. I also get lots of mail from people asking me to do stuff. Do this, do that, reply ASAP. It’s too much sometimes. The one good thing about e-mail is that you can get things done quickly. I can e-mail a company in another country and they can mail me back in two minutes.

Eating is the best thing ever. I love eating. Any time of the day or night I can eat…. and eat and eat and eat. I have a very big appetite. I always have. My mother used to complain about how much I ate. She used to ask me if I had a hole in my stomach. Eating is very, very satisfying. There are many different aspects of eating. It fills us up and stops us feeling hungry. Food tastes so good and eating it makes us feel very happy. Sometimes I feel like I’m in heaven when I’m eating – especially chocolate fudge cheesecake. Yum. Eating is also a great social activity. I love eating with my family, with my friends or even at work. Eating can also be an international experience. Eating is great just about anywhere you eat.

Divorce is on the increase around the world. It seems divorce rates are rising in pretty much every country you read about. I know in my country, divorce is now not unusual. More than thirty per cent of marriages end in divorce. I suppose it’s easier nowadays to get a divorce, and it’s more socially acceptable. I know it was more difficult to get divorced 50 years ago. People thought that there was something wrong with you if you were a divorcee. Today, it’s common to get through two, three, even more marriages. Perhaps people should think a bit more before they get married. Divorce is pretty hard on children. When a divorce gets ugly, the kids really suffer. Sorting out divorce settlements can be a messy business.

Would you like to change your face and body? Would you like movie star looks? A lot of people want to do this. They pay lots of money to go to a cosmetic surgeon and change their appearance. The most common operation we call a nose job. People who are unhappy with their nose have it reshaped. Other people want their wrinkles to disappear to make themselves look younger. People also go under the knife and have things made bigger or smaller. I think this is a waste of money. I'm not the best-looking person in the world but I would never consider plastic surgery - even if it was free. Some people have so many operations they end up looking like they’re made of plastic. I'd rather stay looking human.

Anyone who does not absolutely love chocolate is mad. I don’t think I know anyone who dislikes it. Some of my friends say they hate white chocolate or dark chocolate, but then they like some other kind. I think chocolate is one of the best inventions ever. It is also one of life’s true pleasures. There’s nothing better than having your whole mouth full of chocolate and letting it melt. I love pushing the chocolate up against the roof of my mouth and then moving it all around. Yum. I eat chocolate every day. I know it’s bad for our teeth and makes us fat, but I don’t care. I prefer to think about the health benefits of chocolate. I’ve read many articles that say chocolate is good for us.

I’m afraid of the dentist. Always have been, for as long as I can remember. Even if the dentist is really, really kind and gentle, I’m still afraid. Even if the dental surgery is colourful and there’s relaxing music, I’m still afraid. Dentists for me haven’t changed a bit. When I was a child, I hated the sound of the drill. That sound is still there today. When I was young, I hated the smell. Same smell today. I can’t wait for the day scientists invent something so we never need dentists. The strange thing is, when I was younger, I wanted to be a dentist. I thought it would be good to treat people just like me. I felt I would understand others who have the same fear. I think I would have been a good dentist.

Do you ever think about or worry about the number of calories you eat and drink every day. It’s not really something I thought about when I was younger. But now I have to think about my calorie intake. I’m putting on weight and so need to be more careful with what I eat. This is difficult because all of the yummiest food has the most calories. I’ve found an answer to this problem. If I do lots of exercise, I can eat what I want and not have to worry about calories. I burn off 500 calories when I jog for an hour. This means I can have a pizza and dessert and not feel guilty. I wish there was more information about calories in restaurants. It would make it easier for me to know what to eat and what to avoid.

Doctors are cool. They spend all their day helping people and saving lives. There can’t be many better jobs in the world. I wanted to be a doctor when I was a kid but I was no good at science. I think doctors are among the most important people in society. They should get paid lots and lots of money. It’s not right that bankers get paid more. Doctors are really clever and very kind. They never seem to panic or get angry. Every time I’ve seen a doctor, he or she has always made me feel better – not just because of their treatment, but also because of their kindness. It must be amazing being a doctor and knowing all kinds of stuff about the human body. It would be pretty useful being a doctor because then you’d know what was wrong with your own body.

Being single has its advantages and disadvantages. I think it’s better to stay single when you’re young. You need to live and have fun. You also need the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Being single in your twenties gives you lots of time to go travelling, see the world and experience different things. Most people like being single in their twenties and then want to settle down in their thirties. I think being single later in life can be sad. All of your friends are married or attached and people tend to go out and party less. I think being single when you’re old would be very lonely. The longer you stay single, the harder it becomes to settle down. In some countries, people think you’re strange if you’re single later on in life.

I think Christmas is one of the happiest times of the year. Everyone has a smile on their face, especially children. It’s such an exciting time for kids. They can’t wait to open their presents and play with all of their new games and toys. It’s a nice time for adults too. They can catch up with their families and relax. Traditionally, the mother of the family is busiest at Christmas. She does most of the Christmas shopping and wraps the presents. Of course, she also spends hours cooking Christmas dinner. Let’s not forget the true meaning of Christmas, though. It is not about shopping and Christmas trees and ‘Frosty the Snowman’. It’s all about love for each other and peace around the world. Let’s hope this message stays alive.

We have to do something about pollution. Even though there are warnings about global warming, companies don’t do anything to reduce pollution. Our sky, air, rivers, beaches and countryside are becoming rubbish dumps. The air is so polluted it is giving children breathing problems. Polluted rivers have no fish left in them and beaches are too dangerous to walk on because of the garbage everywhere. It seems a lot of people don’t care. I think there should be big fines for polluters. I don’t mind paying more for things if they can be made with less pollution. The problem is that companies are more interested in profits than pollution. We have only just started looking at our carbon footprint.

Birthdays are brilliant. I’m 62 years old and I still love them. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad birthday. In fact, I think birthdays get better and better the older you become. Sure, kids love birthdays because they get presents and get to eat cake. But when you get older, birthdays make you feel special. It’s your special day. Even if no one wishes you a happy birthday, it’s still your special day. A lot of my friends think I’m mad. They hate their birthdays because it means they’re another year older. I hope I get to celebrate my hundredth birthday. I’m not sure if I can blow out 100 candles though. When I look back at all my birthdays, it’s difficult to choose the best. I’ll just say my last birthday is always the best one.

I’m not the world’s biggest fan of banks. I’ve had too many bad experiences of them. I really don’t know how they can advertise and say they look after you. They don’t. Bank charges are way too high; you spend ages waiting to be served; and then they say no if you want a loan. The bank I bank with makes dozens of mistakes with my account. The thing they’re best at is making excuses. I’m not at all surprised so many banks did badly in the credit crisis. I hope they change. Bankers get far too much money. All they do is desk work. Banks need to focus a lot more on real customer service. At the moment banks only offer an excuse for customer service. They don’t even offer you a drink when you sit down and open an account.

In the USA, they’re called apartments; in the UK they’re called flats. They are a modern invention. I don’t particularly like them. I don’t think it’s good for so many people to live so close together. It’s not good for people to live on top of each other. I don’t understand how people can live above the second floor. It’s not natural to live in the sky. The thing I hate most about apartments are the lifts (Americans say elevator) and the fact there’s no garden. More and more people are moving into apartments. This creates problems with overcrowding. There aren’t enough spaces to park your car, there’s nowhere to throw your rubbish and you have to wait ages to reach your floor. Give me a little house with a little garden any day.

There’s a famous song that says “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. Is that true? Do all women like diamonds? They are certainly very beautiful, especially when you see them sparkling. But really, only rich people can afford diamonds. When I bought my wife’s wedding ring, we could only afford a smallish diamond. There were lots of beautiful rings in the store with huge diamonds but they all cost an arm and a leg. One day I’ll buy her a big diamond as a surprise. Nowadays you have to worry where diamonds come from. Many countries sell diamonds to buy guns and tanks. These are called blood diamonds. If you buy a diamond, make sure it has a certificate so you know which country it came from.

I love the news and current events. I’m addicted to what’s happening in the world. It doesn’t matter what kind of news it is, I love watching it. Even if it’s from countries I’ve never heard of. I’ll even watch the same news programme three or four times and not get bored. I guess it’s so fascinating because it’s real. I get really interested in a story when it breaks, then like to follow it as it unfolds. Following current events makes you quite knowledgeable. I know most of the world’s capitals and most of the world’s leaders. Watching the news is really looking at history happening now. But you never know what’s going to happen next. Every time you turn on the news or read a news story, you’ll find something unexpected.

It’s hard to believe that no one had computers a few years ago. I wonder how people lived. There must have been a lot of paperwork. I can’t imagine writing everything by hand. I also wonder how everything worked without computers. We need computers today for everything. Hospitals, airports, the police… nothing can work without computers. I’m sure I’d be ten times busier than now if I didn’t have a computer. Imagine having to find a piece of paper and an envelope and then walking down the street to mail a letter! I love my computer. It makes everything in my life so convenient. Sure, it freezes and crashes sometimes. Sure I lose some data. But that’s not often. Most of the time my computer is like my best friend.

I don’t know what I would do without my friends’ advice. They’ve all given me so much good advice over the years. It’s sometimes very difficult to make decisions on your own. Listening to advice can be great for helping you make the right decision. The greatest piece of advice I’ve received was from my father. He told me I can do anything in life if I try hard. He was right. I am now passing on his advice to my own children. Right now I need some advice on money. My financial advisors are telling me to be very careful. That’s very sound advice. I would advise anyone to do the same. Someone asked me the other day about the worst piece of advice I’ve ever had. I couldn’t answer. I don’t think I’ve had any really bad advice.

Children are angels. Most of the time this is true. I’m very lucky because my two children really are the greatest angels. I think I won the children lottery with my kids. I could not have asked for lovelier, happier, sweeter little children. They have brought me endless amounts of joy since the second they were born. Everything they do fascinates me. Everything they say makes me smile. Watching them grow up is my greatest pleasure. In a way, it’s a little sad. I always want them to stay the age they’re at now. When they were 18 months old, I thought that was the cutest age. I thought the same when they were two, and then three and then four. I guess however old they are, they’re perfect. I wish all the children in the world were as happy as mine.

What are your bad habits? I think everyone has bad habits. Not everyone agrees on what bad habits are. Some smokers don’t think smoking is a bad habit. Young people don’t think listening to loud music on the train is a bad habit. In Japan, slurping your noodles is a sign that you enjoy your food, but making a noise while eating in England is not good. Have you ever tried to break your bad habits? I have quit smoking and have stopped leaving things laying around the house. I wish other people would stop their bad habits. I get annoyed when people are late for meetings or talk loudly on their phones in public. I also think many motorists need to think about their driving habits. Perhaps I should point out their bad habits.

I’m a real animal lover. I’m fascinated by the whole animal kingdom. I loved animals when I was a kid. I used to read every book I could find on animals. I knew all the different animal species. The most exciting thing for me was going to the zoo. I would spend hours just watching the animals walk around, sit, or even sleep. When I was older, I went on a safari to Tanzania. I saw real wild animals in the wild. Everyone should do this once in their lives. Looking at animals in their natural habitat is a real honour. Now I’m worried about the future of many animals. Some of my favourite animals are in danger of dying out. We really need to change our lifestyle so our children can have the chance of seeing animals in the wild.

What is advertising? Is it telling the truth or is it making things look better than they really are? Or is it lying? Companies pay a lot of money for adverts. Some of the ads you see in glossy magazines look like art. The commercials on TV look like mini movies. Do they really change our behaviour? Do adverts make you buy things? I think some advertising is a form of lying. Is BMW really “The ultimate driving machine” like they say in their ads? British Airways used to say they were “The world’s favourite airline,” but had to stop saying it because it wasn’t true. Personally, I get tired of watching ads on television. They always interrupt a good programme. I like ads in magazines. They’re usually quite interesting.

I’m really interested in the culture of other countries. I don’t know why, but I always think other cultures are more interesting than my own culture. Every time I travel, I learn wonderful, strange, amazing and interesting things about other cultures. One of the biggest surprises I had was when I went to the USA as a child. I’m English so I thought Americans had the same culture as me. When I went to America I understood Americans and Brits are very different people. Understanding the culture of other people is very important. It helps us all to get along. If everyone really tried to learn about other cultures, the world would be a more peaceful place. The world is becoming smaller, so I think this is happening.

Scientists and doctors can’t make their minds up about coffee. One study says it’s really bad for us and the next report says it’s good for us. I’ve even read that 10 cups a day is good for our brain. I like a cup of coffee at certain times of the day. I must have a coffee first thing in the morning. I can’t survive without my morning coffee. I have another cup or two when I get to work. And that’s it. I never drink coffee after lunchtime. If I do, I can’t sleep at night. The only time I drink coffee in the evening is if I go to a nice restaurant. Coffee seems a lot more complicated these days. When I was younger it was just coffee. Now it’s latte, frappucino and all kinds of other strange words.

Chickens are so important to many of us because they are a major part of our diet. Every country has so many chicken dishes, and eggs are one of the most common foods around. Chickens are also cute. Well, chickens aren’t, but chicks are - cute, fluffy chicks that make everyone go ‘aaahh’. It’s strange though that the word ‘chicken’ is used in so many English idioms. When I was at high school, you couldn’t ‘chicken out’ – to not do something because of being scared. Things are different today - I’m no spring chicken (that means I’m no longer young) so no one calls me a chicken any more. I work now - as a teacher. I get chicken feed (low wages) but I like my job. I plan to retire before I’m 50, but I’m not going to count my chickens before they’re hatched. This means I won’t quit working until I have enough money.

Business isn’t so good at the moment. In fact, it’s the worst time for businesses for decades. Many businesses are going bust because of the global financial crisis. Even sound businesses like the car industry and electronics are going through a really bad time. Many small businesses have gone out of business. It’s a real shame because so many lives are being ruined. With a lot of businesses it’s a real fight for survival. I really respect people for trying to make a go of their business. I don’t have much business sense. I wouldn’t know where to start in opening my own business. I suppose the best thing would be to look at business startups on the Internet. An online business might be good. There seems to be less risk.

Are you busy? Do you lead a busy life? It seems we get busier and busier in our lives. I hate being busy. I’d much rather have nothing to do. Being busy makes me stressed and I end up making mistakes or forgetting something. Who’s the busiest person you know? I bet he or she is really stressed. The busy people I know are always looking ahead to their next holiday… and then in their holiday they are busy doing other things. I think we busy ourselves with too many things. We need to learn to relax and take things slowly. Even at work we have to look busy, even if we’re not. When the boss comes, we tell our friends, “Look busy!” That’s silly. It would be great if the word ‘busy’ disappeared from the English language.

An American president once said the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. Can’t remember which President, but never mind. I think that’s an interesting quote. It’s so true, most of the time. We all spend a lot of time worried or afraid that something bad will happen, and then nothing happens. It is the fear that frightens us, not the thing that might or might not happen. And then there are phobias. Millions of people are afraid of something that the rest of the world thinks is quite normal. How can you be afraid of things like peanut butter? There’s actually a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Amazing. Fear is sometimes good. It makes us alert and can keep us safe in a dangerous situation.

Most people know the word 'avatar'. Perhaps we all saw the movie with the same name. Avatars are becoming a normal part of our life. Well... I should say our online life. Almost everywhere you go on the Internet you see avatars. Sometimes it's a website asking you to make an avatar, and other times it's people's real avatars. Do you have one? Or two, or three? I see a lot of avatars that are kind of cute and look like Japanese anime. One of the most popular things is to choose an animal as an avatar. I always take a long time to choose my avatar. It's important to make one I really like. It has to be funny. I also like avatars that move. All of the best avatars I've seen move. They are usually very funny, and clever.

Getting married is one of the happiest days of anyone’s life. Being married is also full of happiness, but there are also many difficulties. It isn’t always easy to be married. You have to put up with your spouse’s bad habits and moods forever. You have to negotiate and compromise on many things from who’s first in the bathroom in the mornings to where you go on vacation. Of course, being married also has many wonderful sides to it. You have a lifelong friend who will love you forever. You share many wonderful times together and support each other through good and bad times. And you grow old together and look back on years of happy memories. I think being married is great for your soul.

I loved babysitting when I was younger. It was a really easy way to make money. All I had to do was sit in my neighbour’s house and look after the kids. That was the easy bit, because the kids were usually asleep in bed. The parents would give me a lot of money for watching DVDs and eating snacks. When I was even younger, I liked it when my babysitter came round. She would always play games with us and let us stay up late. She would send us to bed just before my parents came home. I know in some countries, babysitting isn’t so common. It isn’t part of the culture. I suppose that’s not such a bad thing. I read a lot in the papers nowadays about babysitters hitting the children because they don’t sleep. That’s really bad.

I hate alcohol. I really don’t understand how or why people drink it. The smell of alcohol on people’s breath is disgusting. It’s expensive and it gives you a bad headache. I drank when I was much younger, but I haven’t touched a drop for years. I hated hangovers so I decided to stop drinking altogether. I have a much better time without alcohol. People say they need to drink to relax. They drink and just act and look stupid. Their face goes red and they can’t walk in a straight line. Alcohol is also the most damaging drug in society. That’s what I think, anyway. Alcohol causes many illnesses, traffic accidents, fights and domestic violence. If you banned alcohol, people would be healthier, richer and have a better family life.

There are aliens out there, somewhere. I strongly believe this. Not sure what they look like, though. I really doubt they are green, like they are in science fiction movies. I also don’t think they look like us. But I’m sure they exist. I just don’t think we’ll ever see any or find any. They live too far away. If you think about it logically, there has to be aliens out there. All a planet needs is to be warm and have water and life will exist. There are billions and billions of planets in the universe, so there are probably millions and millions that have life. Alien life. It’s also likely that some of the aliens are much more intelligent than we are. I wonder what we’d do if really intelligent aliens visited Earth. What would we ask them?

Being an actor must be great. I really wish I could act. I’d love to have the confidence to act in front of people. Being a member of the audience at the theatre is great, but acting on stage is better. I wonder what it’s like to be a movie actor. I think you need to be beautiful or handsome to be a successful Hollywood or Bollywood actor. They all look great. Actors are very lucky. They get paid huge amounts of money to do what they love doing. My favourite actors are all dead now. I really like the actors in the old black and white movies. They all looked so cool. Actors in the old days seemed to be more glamorous than today’s actors. The best thing about being an actor is that all of your friends are famous too.

I wonder how many accidents I’ve had in my life. I’ve had a few serious ones where I’ve ended up in hospital. Traffic accidents are the worst. They’re always painful. I haven’t had too many work-related accidents. I suppose that’s because I do office work and that’s not so dangerous. Most of my accidents are those around the house. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve hit my thumb with a hammer. I’m also really good at standing up and hitting my head on something. I’m not as bad as my friend though. He’s a real accident looking for somewhere to happen. Almost every time we meet, he has some story to tell about his latest accident. He’s quite unbelievable. I think I’d be very worried if I were his mother.

Uruguay won the first World Cup in 1930 and we’re going to win the next one too. There are only three million people in Uruguay but we have a great footballing history. We really think it’s our turn to shine again on the world stage. We have the players to do that. Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez are among the best strikers in the world. I love watching them play. They really are top class goalscorers. I’m so looking forward to seeing my team play in South Africa. I know I will get a lump in my throat. Every time I see their blue and white striped shirts, I get excited. I think we have the best soccer kit in the world. As our coach Oscar Tabarez says, “we have a lot of strong points and we hope to be able to show them.” I hope his words come true in South Africa.

FIFA deciding to give the 2010 World Cup to South Africa was a proud moment for us. We South Africans have been preparing years for this event – the first on African soil. We will win the trophy. History is on our side. If you look back at previous tournaments, the host nation has won many times. That will happen this time too. We will show the world our Bafana Bafana spirit. We aren’t afraid of anyone and will even beat France to reach the next round. We can do it. Last year we only just lost to Brazil in the Confederations Cup. We will go a stage further in June. We have some of the world’s top players. They play in the English Premier League. I’m sure Steven Pienaar will shine and become one of the stars of the World Cup. Please enjoy our African football.

I think the Vancouver Winter Olympics will be really special. It’s such a great place to have the event. I’m not sure if I like the winter or summer Olympics better. I’d rather be a competitor in the summer games – it’s warmer. The winter Olympics are definitely the most beautiful. Looking at skiers come down a snowy slope against a blue sky is a wonderful sight. I also love the winter Olympics because of the skating. It’s amazing watching the speeds the speed skaters reach – they’re so fast. I also think the figure skaters put on a fantastic show. Another winter Olympic event I like is the luge – I think people have to be crazy to sit on almost nothing and shoot down an ice tunnel at high speeds. I wonder who will win the most gold medals. Maybe it’ll be Norway, or Russia.

The question of organ transplants is a difficult one. Not for me though. I’m quite happy to donate all of my organs for transplants. I don’t mind my body being donated to science after I die. I think it’s much better to be useful even after I die. I would be so happy to know that my heart was used to save someone else’s life. I don’t need my eyes after I die, so it’d be great if someone else could use them to see. Even though I want my body to be used for medical science, it feels a little strange to think that medical students will be cutting me up. I know in other parts of the world there are many people who don’t like the idea of organ transplants. They believe the body should stay in one piece. I hope that changes because doctors really need the organs.

I first heard about the ozone layer about twenty years ago. I was still in school. I thought it was interesting, but I didn’t take it seriously. It was a bit like science fiction, I mean, how could there be a giant hole in the atmosphere? Over the years, more and more scientists spoke about the ozone layer. Global warming became a serious issue. Important people like Al Gore made movies about it. We all know today that the thinning ozone layer is perhaps the most serious crisis we face today. Even though many people have changed their lifestyles, we are still damaging the ozone layer. We need to do something really drastic to stop this. We all need to stop driving cars and stop using coal. That would be a start.

I so can’t wait for the Super Bowl. It’s gonna be the best ever. Every year I always look forward to it. It’s quite simply the greatest show on Earth. You can’t compare the Super Bowl to any other sporting event. It’s even better than the Olympics. It’s one hundred times more exciting than the soccer World Cup. This year is extra special. My favorite team’s playing – the New Orleans Saints. The Indianapolis Colts are the favorites. We’re the underdogs, but I don’t care. I have this feeling we’re gonna win big. I also just found out the British rock group The Who are performing during the halftime show. I love those guys – they really rock. All in all I think Super Bowl 44 will be totally awesome.

Overpopulation is a real problem. It could kill the Earth. Very soon, there will be too many people and not enough land. There won’t be enough farms to grow food for everyone. We’ll eat all of the fish in the sea. And our pollution will cause more global warming. I think we are in a very serious situation. I don’t know what the answer is. Our leaders don’t seem too worried. They never see the bigger picture. The world’s population is exploding, and explosions cause great damage. More and more people are living longer and longer. We have better medicines. Our scientists have found cures to many diseases. There are many reasons. What we really need to do is think about how overpopulation is damaging the Earth.

We all have opinions on everything. Some of us have very strong opinions. Others have not-so-strong opinions. And then there are those who say they have no opinion, which I suppose is some kind of opinion. It’s interesting how our opinions can be so different. Even on the smallest of things. It’s also interesting to see how your opinions change as you get older. My opinions of other people change a lot. You have first impressions of someone – that’s your initial opinion. Then, as you get to know them, your opinions of them can change – for better or worse. Whose opinion is right? I suppose it’s the person who is strongest. They try to force their opinions on others. It’s important to listen to and consider the opinions of other people.

The number one is a good number. Maybe it’s the best number. Why? Because everyone wants to be number one. It’s actually a very useful word in English. There are so many different expressions with ‘one’. Of course it’s a number and useful in maths, but there’s so much more. Try a little experiment, Write down all the common word partners of ‘one’. I can think of loads right now. ‘One way’, ‘one world’, one chance’, one time’, etc. There are also lots of expressions, such as ‘one in a million’ or ‘one at a time’. I’m sure if you looked in any dictionary, you’ll find hundreds of useful things on ‘one’. If you want some really detailed info on the word or number one, go to Wikipedia.com. ‘One’ really is one useful word.

Operations are amazing things – unless, that is, you’re having one. I always think it is incredible how doctors can cut people open and repair their body. It must take great skill. I can’t believe some operations can take over 12 hours. I’ve had a few operations in my life. I have very mixed feelings about them. My worst fear is that I’ll die. My biggest hope is that the operation will be successful and I’ll make a full recovery. I also think about how interesting it is. I like watching all the things the doctors and nurses do before the operation. I’m really nervous, but it’s like being in the middle of a TV documentary. I once had an operation and I was awake for the whole thing. I could see lots, but I won’t go any further.

Oil is good and bad. It’s good because it helps our energy needs. It’s bad because it causes pollution. Oil is a fossil fuel. Burning it produces carbon dioxide (CO2). This is one of the biggest causes of global warming. There isn’t much oil left in the ground. Some people say it will all be gone this century. I suppose that means we won’t make as much pollution. But what will we do when the oil runs out? Scientists are working on that right now. We need to do something because we use oil to power our cars, homes and factories. Whatever we replace oil with must be better for the environment. I don’t think oil-producing countries are happy their oil will run out. They need to start thinking about how to make money after the oil has gone.

I like the expression ‘OK’. I don’t know why. It’s so useful. Everyone in the world understands what it means. It must be the only word that everyone knows. Is it a word or is at an abbreviation? We spell it ‘okay’ but abbreviate it as ‘OK’. I wonder how many meanings it has. You can ask if someone is OK, if they are ill; you can ask if someone understands a question or instructions using OK; you can even let someone know ‘enough is enough’ by saying OK. If you say something is OK, it means you don’t really like or dislike it. In fact, sometimes, if you say, “He’s OK” or “She’s OK, it means you don’t really like them. I think okay is also a verb. I have heard people say, “It’s OK, John okayed it”.

I’m a bit worried about my old age. I don’t really want to get old. I like being young. On the other hand, if I do get old, I want to live to be over 100. I’m hoping old age will be nice. It seems a time when you can relax and slow down. If course, you have to slow down because you’re body wears out. There are two things I’m worried about. One is money. I think if you are old and poor, you’ll be miserable. No money to enjoy yourself. Maybe not even enough money to eat, pay bills or go to the hospital. That’s scary. The other thing I worry about is being in good health. Especially my mental health. I imagine I’ll be happy in my old age. I have so many hobbies and I know I’ll enjoy doing them all every day.

Obesity is a problem that is getting bigger and bigger around the world. It really hits rich countries. When people have money, they buy a lot of the wrong food. They become lazy and eat fast food. They also forget about exercise and sit in front of the TV instead. The worrying thing is that more and more children are suffering from obesity. This is a big problem. The number of overweight kids I see today is amazing. I think the reason is quite simple – junk food, video games and the Internet. When I was growing up, I had a balanced diet. I also spent most of my free time outdoors. I spent hours every day on my bike or playing football. Kids today hardly go outside. They are glued to one kind of screen or another – TV, computer or games console.

I really worry about our oceans. Not many people understand how important the oceans are. Every day we hear stories about the rainforests and the ice caps, but we rarely hear about the oceans. They form most of the Earth’s surface and most of the world’s species live in them. They are responsible for weather patterns and a lot of the world’s foods. The problem is, they are becoming very polluted. Many fish species are in danger of dying. The coral reefs in our oceans are also in danger. We really need to think more about our oceans. We have to protect the life in them, or we might die. I love the ocean. I love the sound, the smell, the colour. I feel so happy and relaxed just looking at the ocean.

Nuclear weapons are the worst thing invented by man. The day we invented them was a black day in our history. Fortunately, they have only been used a few times. We only need to read the history of what happened in Japan to understand why nuclear weapons must never be used again. The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed in an instant. Hundreds of thousands died. Today, nuclear weapons are a hundred times more powerful. It’s scary to think how much harm one nuclear bomb could cause. Even scarier, is what happens if terrorists get hold of nuclear weapons. I fear for our future. One day, all countries will have nuclear weapons and then we’ll be in real trouble.

Nursing is one of the greatest professions in the world. It’s so much more important than most jobs. The sad thing is that nurses get paid so little. They do such a valuable job but get paid less than politicians. This is not right. Politicians do whatever they can to take our money. They even vote to stop nurses getting increases in pay. This is wrong. Governments need to do more to help nurses. There should be a bigger focus on the profession. I would much rather have more nurses than more weapons. A few years ago I wanted to get into nursing. I met some nurses who told me not to. They said the job involved too many hours, too much paperwork and not enough pay. That’s sad. We can’t afford to treat nurses so badly.

Many scientists say nuclear energy is our future. Many normal people aren’t so sure. I think most of us worry about nuclear energy. We hear on the news about the dangers of nuclear power. Many years ago there was a big accident in Chernobyl, Russia. A nuclear reactor caught fire and melted. Because of this, deadly radiation spread across the whole of Europe. There were reports that sheep in England caught radiation sickness. I think things are safer now. Many countries trust nuclear energy. France and Japan each has dozens of nuclear power stations. I think it’s probably a good idea. We really need to stop using fossil fuels. Nuclear power is a lot less harmful to the environment. Perhaps we need to spend more money on making it safer.

A Just stop and think how important numbers are to our lives. Numbers control us. In fact, we are numbers. We have passport numbers, social security numbers, ID numbers, and more. We live in a house and a street that has a number. We communicate with each other using telephone numbers. We worry about how small or big the numbers are on our bank statements. We can’t survive without numbers. Most of the world cannot function without the numbers zero and one. These are the two numbers computers use to run their programmes. I don’t think numbers were always so important. Maybe 500 years ago, we only had to remember the number of sheep, goats or children we had. I wonder how many numbers we need today!

Our nose is the strangest of all body parts. It’s such a funny thing. And where is it? Right on the front of our face. Right in the middle. It would be OK if everyone had exactly the same nose. But we all have a different nose. Some of us have a big nose, some a small nose. Some of us have a crooked nose with big nostrils. My nose is one part of my body I’d really like to change. It’s too big for the size of my face. When people talk about why other people are beautiful or handsome, no one says, “because he or she has a nice nose,” or “oooh, his (or her) nose is just soooo sexy”. I suppose if you really don’t like your nose, you can have a nose job. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford cosmetic surgery.

Noise is everywhere. I bet there isn’t a place on Earth where you can’t hear anything. I live in the city, so noise is everywhere. Sometimes it gets to me. I really want to have a button to turn it off. It’s amazing how much noise there is around us. We usually never even think about it. Listen now to the noise around you. Cars, computers, music, people talking. It’s strange to think that in the past few decades, people have been talking about noise pollution. That’s a really good description. Noise is quite often pollution. It’s stuff that makes our surroundings unpleasant. I wonder if there is any kind of noise that is good noise. The very word ‘noise’ has a negative meaning. But if you say sound, it has a different meaning. I love the sound of babies laughing.

I love the Olympics. It really is a unique and special world occasion. There’s only one event in the world better than the Olympics, and that’s the Football World Cup. Anyway, the Olympics really is a celebration of humanity. The whole world watches and gets excited. We love watching our heroes trying to win gold. I don’t usually get excited about seeing my country’s flag, but at the Olympics, I love it. I think the Olympics were better many years ago. Then, they had traditional Olympic sports. Nowadays we have professional tennis and baseball stars playing in sports that aren’t really Olympic sports. I would love to see an Olympic games. Maybe I’ll be lucky and get a chance to see the London games in 2012.

I like the night. It’s an interesting time of the day. The city changes at night. I like all the bright lights. People seem to be more active. Everyone is rushing home or going out. All the action starts at night. Restaurants, bars and clubs open. Everyone is happy. Night means we can stop working or studying and enjoy ourselves. It’s cooler at night so you feel more relaxed. Of course, the city at night is very different from the country. All you can do in the country is look at the night sky or sit around a fire. Everything stops at night in the country and people sleep very early. Except for insects. Night time can be very noisy because of the insects that come out at night. I’m a night person. I’m nocturnal, like an owl or bat.

I wonder why the Nobel Prize is so famous. Sure, the people who win it are very clever, but they’re not really superstars. I’ve usually heard of the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize because they’re always in the news. But have you ever heard of the Nobel Laureates for Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, etc? Even though I read a lot, I only sometimes know the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. I like reading about who won the Nobel Prize. It makes me want to be like them. Of course, I can never win such a prize, but I can study more. Some of the Nobel Prize winners of the past are really famous. Einstein and Mother Theresa are perhaps the most famous. I was shocked to learn Gandhi never won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Neighbours are very hit and miss. Sometimes you hit the jackpot and get neighbours who become great friends. Other times you get the short straw and have nightmare neighbours. I’ve had good and bad neighbours. I’m not sure why some neighbours are so bad. It’s really not that difficult to be a good neighbour. All you have to do is be polite, don’t play loud music late at night, and don’t park in front of their house. It sounds easier than it is. I think a long time ago there was a lot of neighbourliness. Families lived near each other for generations. It’s different today. New families come and go. They never get to know each other. Everyone keeps their distance. This is not always a good thing.

I don’t know about you, but I think there are more natural disasters now than before. Every time I turn on the news there’s some kind of disaster. There are bushfires in Australia and California, earthquakes in China, hurricanes in Mexico and droughts in Africa. I’m sure global warming is creating more natural disasters. I’m lucky. Where I live, we don’t really have natural disasters. I’ve never experienced anything like the things on TV. Japan has many natural disasters. They have earthquakes, typhoons, flooding, volcanoes, all kinds of things. They are lucky they have the money to deal with them. There are countries in Africa that aren’t rich. When a natural disaster hits them, everyone suffers terribly.

I like my names. I have four names – my family name, my given name and two middle names. I’m not sure why I have two middle names. I guess my parents wanted to name me after two of my uncles. Names are different all over the world. In some countries, family name comes before the given name. In the Muslim world, a girl’s name includes her father and grandfathers’ names. In Japan and China, there is no middle name. I think it’s interesting how people choose a name. I really don’t understand naming a baby after a famous actor or sports star. That’s silly. I think names should have a meaning. In the West, people don’t really know what their name means. In many countries, each name has a special meaning.

Nationality is a strange thing. I don’t think it used to be. Nowadays, with globalization, people want to change their nationality. Many people from poor countries want to go to rich countries and become citizens. It’s strange because I don’t understand how your nationality can change. Even if I live in Peru for 50 years, I’m still English, even though I might have a Peruvian passport. I think people have confused feelings when they change nationalities. Their heart is still in their real country and not in the country of their new nationality. Nationality unfairly decides how successful you’ll be in life. If you’re born in a rich country, you’ll get a good education. If you’re born in a poor country, you might not even get basic human rights.

Nails are funny things. Why do we have them? I actually find them quite annoying. We have to keep cutting them, they get dirty, and sometimes they break and become painful. I’d rather we didn’t have nails. I’m sure it wouldn’t change our lives. I guess women would say no to that idea. My female friends spend a lot of money on their nails. I don’t know why. Nail polish stinks, and so does nail polish remover. I really don’t know why they waste their time going for manicures. It must be really boring sitting there, watching someone paint your nails. Nail art is now big business. People have become millionaires opening nail art salons. The best thing for me would be to have really short nails that never grow.

Some national anthems are really good and some aren’t. I like my country’s anthem. It makes me feel proud of my country every time I hear it. I’m a little embarrassed to say I don’t know the words to it. In some countries, they play the national anthem every day in school. I remember being in Thailand. They play the national anthem in the streets every morning. Everyone stops and stands still. When the anthem finishes, people start walking again. In other countries I’ve been to, they play the national anthem in cinemas before a movie starts. I really like hearing my national anthem played at the Olympics. That means my country won a gold medal. I have to hold back the tears when I hear it then.

Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

I really wish I could play a musical instrument. I can’t. I had a few music lessons when I was a kid, but I didn’t keep them up. I really regret that now. I get quite jealous of people who can play a musical instrument. It’s a wonderful ability. I hope they know how lucky they are to be able to play an instrument. Of all the musical instruments, I’d like to play the piano. I think this is the king of musical instruments. It sounds so beautiful. Pianos also look beautiful. I imagine it’s very relaxing playing it. Another instrument I’d like to play is the guitar. I still want to be a rock star, although I’m a bit old now. I suppose it’s never too old though to learn to play something. I haven’t given up hope.

What would life be like without music? I wonder how music started. It is an important part of every culture on Earth. I wonder when we first became interested in music. I also wonder when we first become interested in music. Is it when we are a baby? Some people think our interest in music starts before we are born. Music is an essential part of my day. It changes my feeling and puts me in a good mood. There’s nothing better to do on a train or bus than put on my headphones. I like all kinds of music, from classical and opera to jazz, rock and world music. I’m always looking for something new. Sometimes I hear a song or piece of music on the TV or radio. I have to find out who it is. Do you do that? I’m sure I’ll keep collecting CDs or mp3s until I’m a hundred. Perhaps I won’t be able to hear it then!

I totally love museums. They really are one of the most important parts of our culture. Museums are important for so many things. They educate us, they preserve our history, they show us how we have developed. There are museums on so many different things. In fact, I’m sure there isn’t a topic there isn’t a museum for. I’ve loved museums since I was little. We used to go to different museums on school trips. I loved them. I saw so many amazing things. I will never forget seeing the bones of a T-Rex in the natural history museum. I also remember staring at Tutankhamen’s gold mask for ages. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. The best museum I’ve ever been to is the National Museum in Cairo. It’s unbeatable.

Multiculturalism is everywhere today. As the world gets smaller, multiculturalism becomes bigger. Few of us today live in towns in which there is only one culture. Today, we live in towns where we are surrounded by many other cultures. If we live in a city, we will see people from all over the world. Of course, some cities are more multicultural than others. New York is a real melting pot. It is called the most multicultural city on Earth. A city like Tokyo isn’t so multicultural. I think multiculturalism is a great thing. It’s fantastic walking out of your door and seeing other cultures. This didn’t happen when I was young. People didn’t understand other cultures. They didn’t even want to understand. I’m glad things are changing today.

Aren’t mp3s amazing? Maybe young people today don’t think so. They are part of the “digital generation” and think mp3s are normal. But I was born long before digital music started. When I was a teenager, I had a record collection. You had to go to a store and buy your music. I had hundreds of records. The first time I came across mp3s I laughed. I was totally amazed. I still find it hard to believe I can keep 10,000 songs in my pocket and take them anywhere in the world. I also love the idea of mp3 downloads. It’s much easier than going to a record store. I’m wondering what happens after mp3s. What’s next? I’m sure one day people will laugh at how “old technology” mp3s are.

Mothers are the people dearest to us. We all have a special relationship with our mother. We are naturally bonded to our mother. We spend nine months growing inside her and she is the person who looks after us when we are babies. Our mother does everything for us. She feeds us, cleans us, wipes away our tears, treats our cuts and bruises, supports us and loves us. And all of this never stops. Mothers still do motherly things even when we are old and she is really old. It is very sad to hear that someone’s mother has died. I remember this happening to some children in my class at school. I can’t imagine how children grow up without a mother. I hope my mother lives forever. She deserves to.

I love watching movies. At the cinema, on TV or on my computer. I'm a big movie fan and love all the news of my favourite movie stars. I like all kinds of movies - Hollywood blockbusters, black and white movies from the 50s, independent movies... They're all good. Recently I've got into watching foreign movies. I like the films that come out of Bollywood - they're very different. The first film I saw at the movie theatre was Star Wars. I was amazed at the special effects. Nowadays, so many movies have such good computer graphics that we forget how special the effects are. One of my favourite ways of relaxing is to rent the latest DVD and sit on the sofa with a big bag of potato chips. The sound has to be up to the max and the lights have to be off.

I love mountains. I much prefer them to every other kind of natural feature. They are much better than the sea, beaches, deserts, etc. Mountains are so cool. They rise up so high into the sky. I can’t stop looking at mountains, wherever I am in the world. I also love being in the mountains. The landscape is just spectacular. You really feel part of God’s wonderful creation when you are surrounded by mountains. There are so many things you can do in the mountains. Some people like climbing them or jumping off them with a parachute. This is not for me. I just like going for a walk and having a picnic. There’s nothing better than sitting down and admiring the mountain view and feeling the cool mountain breeze. This is paradise.

The Moon is a very mysterious thing. It has fascinated us for thousands of years. It is mentioned everywhere in science and literature almost from the time humans started writing. And today, it still fills us with wonder. The most amazing thing about the Moon is that humans have been there. Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon’s surface must be the greatest human achievement ever. Even though man has walked on the Moon, not everyone agrees on its colour. In Japan, and perhaps in other countries too, they think it’s yellow. Of course, the Moon is white. One day, we’ll probably have holidays on the Moon. I’d totally love that. Imagine staying in a Moon hotel and waking up in the morning to look at the Earth.

“Money makes the world go round.” I wonder if this famous English expression is very true. If you have money, the world goes round very gently and you are happy. If you don’t have money, the world might not go round so smoothly. They also say that “money is the root of all evil”. I think this is so true. Money makes people kill and steal. Greed means there are things in the world like blackmail, corruption, slave labour and a lot more terrible things. Another common saying in English is “money can’t buy happiness”. I’m not so sure about this one. I know if I had loads of money I’d be pretty happy. I think if all the world’s money was shared out, the world would go round more happily, and there would be less evil and more happiness.

Sometimes I like the word ‘no’, and sometimes I hate it. It is a very powerful word, even though it has just two letters. I don’t like the word ‘no’ when I have been for a job interview and didn’t get the job. I also hate this word when I ask someone on a date. Then, hearing ‘no’ is like a kick in the teeth. I think I probably say ‘yes’ more than ‘no’. I love going out. I never say ‘no’  if anyone asks me to go to a club or go on a trip. I wonder how many ways there are of saying ‘no’. Sometimes you can say ‘no’ when you really mean ‘yes’. Other times, ‘no’ means ‘no’. I also like this small word because it fits into some interesting phrases, like ‘no-can-do,’ a ‘no-go area’ and ‘no way Jose’. My favourite is ‘that’s a real no-no’ – for things you must never do.

Murder is the most evil thing in the world. I don’t know how it is possible for one person to murder another. Why do they think they can take someone else’s life? Even worse are people who commit multi-murder. Mass killing seems to be more and more common today. Shootings at schools are especially bad. How can we prevent murder? Every time we look at the news, there’s another murder. I hope it is not something that will stay with the human race forever.  What is the correct punishment for murder? In some societies it is just a few years in prison. In others it is the death penalty. But there are some countries that don’t punish people for murder. If you are in power and are rich, you can literally get away with murder.

How important to you is your mobile phone? Do you really need it? In the 1980s there were no mobile phones. People still managed to phone their family and friends and do business. Of course, there were more public telephones then. There was a telephone box pretty much on every street corner. I wonder whether mobile phones are a good or bad thing. For sure, they are very convenient, but they can also be a nuisance. There’s nothing worse than talking to someone and then they ignore you for ten minutes while they answer their phone. I have even seen people on a date and one person chats on the phone for 30 minutes. How would life change for you if you didn’t have a mobile? Would you miss listening to other people’s conversations on the train?

Are you happy with your lifestyle? What kind of lifestyle do you lead? It seems that we think about our lifestyle more and more these days. Every time we turn on the TV or open a magazine, there is an ad, programme or article about this lifestyle or that lifestyle. We are told about healthy lifestyles, modern lifestyles, alternative lifestyles. Magazines use pages and pages and pages to describe the lifestyles of the rich and famous. I get the impression that few people are happy with their lifestyle. Most people are jealous of other people who have a “better” lifestyle. Those people should stop for a minute and think about the poor people in the world, or those caught up in wars. Those people don’t worry about lifestyles; they just worry about life.

Models are strange people. It’s almost as though they live in a totally different world to the rest of us. Every day they are told how beautiful they are. I’m sure this affects them in some way. They constantly think about their beauty and their figure. Male models too. A lot of female models also have to be very strict with what they eat so they don’t put on weight. Today, a model has to be size zero to be successful. This is unhealthy. The sad thing is that many normal girls want to look like a model so they end up having health problems. I suppose the life of a model is glamorous. The supermodels fly all over the world. They walk the catwalks at fashion shows and visit exotic locations for photo shoots. And get paid big money.

Milk is one of the best things we can eat or drink for our body. It’s so full of goodness and it tastes pretty good too. Milk is rich in calcium, which makes our bones and teeth strong. This makes milk essential for babies and growing children. It makes them grow up stronger. Milk is also full of many important vitamins and minerals. When I was little, I didn’t really like milk. I think I had a bad experience with sour milk, which turned me off of it. I remember drinking it again when I was a teenager and liking it. Now I think it’s one of the most refreshing drinks you can drink. Just looking at its whiteness makes me feel healthy. I like all kinds of milk, including goat’s milk and even camel’s milk. It’s all good for us.

What would life be like without Microsoft? Impossible? Perhaps not impossible, but definitely difficult. Microsoft seems to be a big part of our lives today. Most of us use Microsoft products every day. We need MS Word to create documents and Excel to make spreadsheets. At school we have to make PowerPoint presentations. Perhaps the biggest thing we use Microsoft for is getting on the Internet. Most of the world’s computers use the Explorer browser to connect to the Web. Millions of us use Hotmail to send e-mails. Millions more play games using Microsoft’s X-Box. In the future, there’ll probably be a lot more Microsoft stuff that helps us in our life. And to think, Microsoft didn’t even exist a few decades ago.

I sometimes worry about my mental health. There are times when I think I’m going crazy. I think it’s because of this world we live in. Everything is so fast. Everyone is in a hurry. Everything has to be done yesterday. I’m sure life wasn’t so stressful a hundred years ago. Then, people’s mental health was probably better. The only good thing nowadays is that there are mental health specialists who can help us when we are in trouble. But, there is a problem with these experts. They keep on thinking up new mental health problems we suffer from. What we all need is to take a step back and slow down. That will be good for our mental health. We need to laugh more and care more. If we don’t do this, we’ll all have mental health problems.

Meditation is one thing I’d really like to be able to do. I can’t do it. I have tried many times but nothing seems to happen. I have read a lot about meditation and it sounds really good. You can relax anytime you want. Twenty minutes of meditation is the same as three hours’ sleep. I love the idea of meditating for twenty minutes in my lunch time and then feeling totally refreshed. Meditation is also a good way of relieving stress. The thing I most like about meditation is that it makes you calm. All the people I know who meditate are always relaxed and easygoing. They never worry about anything. I think we should learn how to meditate at school. That would probably solve a lot of problems in society.

Literature is one thing that makes me very happy. I have loved books of all kinds since I was very small. I don’t know what I would do in life without novels, poems and plays. It’s amazing how literature can change your life. It educates you, makes you happy, makes you sad, inspires you and so much more. I think I’d be a completely different person without it. Literature has been a big influence on my life – perhaps as much as my friends. I think literature is really powerful. It can help us understand other cultures. Recently, I have read a lot of Indian literature, in English, of course. The books I read have totally changed my image of India and Indians. My experience has really made me want to read more books from other countries.

Love is the most important thing in the world. We all need to love and be loved. Love is the glue that makes us one big happy family. It is perhaps the most powerful emotion we feel. It is certainly the one that makes us happiest. Falling in love has to be the greatest feeling ever. It is also the one that makes us saddest. When we lose someone we love it can take forever to get over. Sometimes we never get over it. You can fall in love in an instant. We use the expression “fall in love at first sight” for this. We can also be “head over heels in love,” which is a strange expression. We don’t just love each other. We can love cars, chocolate, holidays, singing in the rain… anything. And, of course, you can also love studying English.

Are men really from another planet? A lot of women think so. There are a lot of books about how strange men are. This is rubbish. Men are men, the same as women are women. Of course men are not perfect, no one is. Men actually have done a lot of bad things in the world. All of the wars in history were started and fought by men. They seem to be naturally aggressive and wanting to fight rather than talk. Things are changing though. There was the “1980s man”. Suddenly, men were more human. They helped with the shopping, cooked and did the washing up, and they even cried. We do need men. They are better at reading maps than women and men’s sports are more exciting than women’s sports.

If you’re lucky, you have more good memories than bad ones. I’m very lucky. I have lots of good memories. I don’t have many painful memories. I don’t know why. Lots of bad things happened to me when I was younger but I don’t really have strong memories of them. I do have very clear memories of happy times. My earliest memory is of my first day in kindergarten. I guess I was three. I remember playing in the sand and eating it. I don’t remember my mother getting angry though. My most wonderful memory is a holiday to Mexico when I was ten. I remember every sound and smell so clearly. When I look at our family photos, the memories of what we did come flooding back. I’d like to relive those memories one day.

Where would we be without the media? How would we get information about the world? All of us are interested in the news. We all want to know what’s happening around the world. We switch the TV on just to watch the news. It seems as though every train passenger has a newspaper. The journalists who bring us the news do a very important job. Many risk their lives to bring us the news from the world’s danger zones. Unfortunately, many reporters are killed while they are covering a war. The media make us feel we are part of the world. We become experts on other countries and on the big news stories. The media also bring us many unforgettable images, such as a man walking on the moon. Really, the media show us history as it happens.

I really want to have more knowledge. My general knowledge is pretty good but I want it to be better. When I was a kid, I loved quiz programmes on the television. I used to read lots of encyclopedias to build up my knowledge. I now know most of the world’s capitals and which animals and birds are the fastest, and how many bones there are in the human body, etc. I love watching the news and this helps me get more knowledge. Even though I think I know quite a lot, I always meet people who are really knowledgeable. It seems some people know everything about everything. They are just like walking encyclopedias. I wonder if they’re happy with the amount of knowledge they have inside their brain.

I don’t understand how anyone can like medicine. I’ve never liked it. I used to refuse to take it as a kid because the taste was so disgusting. I’m not sure whether or not medicine is a good thing. I’m sure that most of the time our body will recover naturally, without medicine. I actually think medicine can be bad for us. It makes the body weaker because we rely on medicines too much. I also worry about the safety of medicines. I read too many times about side effects. How can doctors be sure that the medicines we take one day won’t make us ill later in life. A lot of what goes into medicine isn’t natural. I’m a big believer in natural medicine. That seems to make much more sense. The Chinese seem to have it right.

Learning is one of the most important things we do in life. It starts pretty much when we’re born. In fact, many scientists say learning begins earlier. We listen to the outside sounds. This is when we first start learning a language. Our ears get used to the different patterns of intonation. Learning is a lifelong process. We spend our childhood years doing nothing but learning. We learn a language before we are two. We learn how to play and do all the everyday things people do. Most people think learning only begins at school. I’m not sure about this. Are we really learning, or are we just memorizing things? I think a lot of learning happens outside school. We learn more from our hobbies and interests than what we learn from school books.

If you think about it, kissing is strange. I mean, here we are in the twenty-first century and we still like kissing. I think we’re the only species on Earth that does this. Of course, there are different kinds of kissing. Kissing your parents or friends as a greeting is normal enough. That’s just like a friendly handshake. Passionate kissing is different. I’m not complaining though. I think kissing is great. I remember my first kiss. It was very exciting. I was nervous though because I kept thinking if I was doing it right. Some people say there is an art to kissing. I’m not so sure. If you love someone enough, you’ll be artistic enough. One thing I don’t like about kissing is people who do it next to you on the train or bus. Yuck!

Job interviews are always hit and miss for me. Sometimes I have a great interview and get the job. Other times, my interview bombs and I don’t get the job. It’s really important to prepare. You must also be confident and make sure the interviewer knows you really want the job. The trick is to make the interviewer think you are the best person for the job. I always wear my best suit and arrive early. I always smile when I walk into the interview room. First impressions are very important. It’s also a good idea to talk about your experiences - sell yourself. Make sure you have a few good questions to ask at the end of the interview. Interview technique is something we learn over time – you get to relax more the more interviews you have.

I think jewelry is stupid. What’s the point? I can understand it was popular a couple of thousand years ago, but not today. It all belongs to when we lived in caves. Why do people feel the need to wear necklaces and bracelets? It seems that jewelry is becoming more and more popular. Nowadays people are wearing rings on their toes and piercing their tongues and bodies. I’ve never really understood why men wear jewelry, especially thick gold chains. A lot of jewelry is dangerous. I often think if ear-rings catch on something, they’ll rip your ears. Some rings that women wear are also dangerous. They could cause serious damage to someone’s face. The only jewelry I wear is a wedding ring. Just a simple one.

We are living in an age of information. That’s what I keep hearing on TV and reading in newspapers. We are surrounded by information technology that puts information at our fingertips. To get ahead, you need the latest information. I’m not really sure how much information we need. Our brains can only handle a certain amount of information at a time. I reckon a lot of us have information overload. I’m sure before computers came along this didn’t happen. One problem with computers is the amount of personal information online. I worry about putting confidential info on different websites. Of course the great thing about computers is that we have so much information at our disposal. That’s pretty useful.

Inflation seems to be a big issue at the moment. Every time I turn on the news there is a story about inflation. Many countries around the world are fighting to keep inflation under control. Sometimes you read about countries that lose the battle against inflation. Zimbabwe once had an inflation rate of trillions of percent. I can’t imagine trying to add up my shopping bill with so many zeroes. I have no idea how they brought it under control. Inflation in my country is OK at the moment. The government is worried about prices going up. Me too. Inflation seems to be the thing economists worry about most. They do everything they can to keep the rate of inflation low. It has been pretty stable for years now.

Do we really need a monarchy in the 21st Century? It’s such a strange idea. It certainly is not a democratic idea. No one votes for someone to be king or queen. When a prince or princess is born, he or she automatically has a wonderful life. This is not fair. I had to study and work very hard just to get an average job, with not much money. Those in a monarchy are born into wealth. They never really have to lift a finger. The strange thing is that most people who live in a monarchy like their king and queen. Take the United Kingdom, for example. Around 80 per cent of British people support their monarchy. I suppose it’s good for tourism. I wouldn’t say no to being part of a royal family.

Libraries are wonderful places. Every library I’ve been to in the world is the same. They all have a special atmosphere. A room with a large collection of books does things to people. We become very quiet and want to know what’s on the shelves. This happens even to children as young as three, although perhaps not the being quiet. It’s amazing to watch a small child in a library looking at all the books. They can sit there for hours pulling the books off the shelves. I really spent a lot of time in the library at university. It was where I spent most of my time.  This is where I really learnt how useful libraries are. I spent hours every day looking at journals, newspapers and text books. I felt quite happy sitting in the quiet of the library, reading my books.

When I was a kid I was top of the class in maths. I was really good at mental arithmetic and doing sums. Things were easy back then, It was all addition and subtraction, multiplication and division. I knew my times tables like the back of my hand. Then, things got difficult when I was about 14. We had to learn stuff like algebra and geometry and lots of other stuff I can’t remember the names of. Suddenly. I wasn’t so good at maths any more. I think there were a few reasons for this. One was my maths teacher, another was because I sat at the back of the class, and another was I talked a lot. I still like maths and know I would be good at it again if I studied. I did statistics when I was at university and loved that.

Marketing is a funny thing. Sometimes I like it, other times I hate it. There is definitely an art to marketing. Some of the advertising campaigns you see are the work of a genius. Someone has thought of a great idea, slogan and advertising campaign to sell us or tell us something. I like it when I can see the creativity. There are other kinds of marketing that make me angry. Ads and campaigns that are directed at children make my blood boil – especially the McDonalds ads that do not mention food, but show lots of free, cheap toys. I also hate viral marketing – that’s when you receive spam mail trying to sell you something. I also get annoyed with marketing campaigns that have slogans that are just untrue, like smoking is cool.

Listening is the easiest English skill for me. I can understand about half of what people say to me. This means I can guess the things I don’t understand. Listening to the English of my American friends is not so difficult. I have problems when I try and understand the news on television. I also find movies hard to follow. I need the subtitles at the bottom of the screen. I think listening to songs in English made my listening better. It’s a lot more interesting than my listening CDs. I have one piece of advice for students who want to improve their listening. That is to listen to the same thing again and again. You understand more every time you listen. What’s your advice?

Leadership is a word we here a lot nowadays. Every time we turn on the news we hear about how important leadership is. Especially strong leadership. American presidents often talk about the importance of leadership. I suppose they’re right. It’s important that someone takes responsibility and shows leadership. With the right leaders, we can achieve success. But not every leader shows leadership. In many countries around the world, there are corrupt leaders. They do not have good leadership skills, they simply control people by fear. Good leadership is being respected by everyone and getting the job done. It’s important to have good leadership in companies too, except many of the banks’ leaders have not shown such good leadership.

I’m a big meat-eater. I love meat of all kinds. I have eaten all sorts of meat. Even though I love meat, I could easily stop eating it, and I don’t think I’d miss it. A long time ago I heard the vegetarian slogan “Meat is Murder”. If you think about it, that’s true. I don’t think animals are here today for us to eat, especially when we don’t need to eat meat. And then there’s the threat of global warming today. Raising animals needs land. Many forests are cut down to raise cows for meat. This really has to stop. Instead of meat, there are other things we could have. Dairy products would give us the protein we need. I know a lot of people who could never give up meat. They always say it would be impossible to go without a big, juicy steak.

Everyone wants a good lifestyle. I do too. I want a good job that is quite near my house – I don’t want to spend a long time on trains and buses. I also want a nice house where I can relax. I like decorating and shopping for furniture. I also want lots of friends so I can do stuff with them. My idea of a good lifestyle is being happy at work, going to the gym or going out for a meal after work, and spending the weekends with friends doing things or going places. Of course I have to have a holiday every year in another country. I haven’t got that lifestyle yet because I haven’t got enough money. I’m a little jealous of my friend’s lifestyle. She has everything and is always going out and having fun.

Marriage seems to be a dying institution. Everywhere we look, there are more and more statistics saying marriage is on its way out, divorce is on the increase, or people are leaving it later and later to tie the knot. A worrying trend over the past few decades is the number of people who live together without making the commitment of marriage. I’m not really sure what the difference is. If you love someone and want to stay together forever, why not get married? I think marriage adds a lot to a couple’s life, from the wedding day itself, right through to all of the anniversaries. Unmarried people miss out on these special occasions. Marriage is also important if you want to start a family. Perhaps I’m just old-fashioned.

I think human rights only became an issue after World War II. That’s when the United Nations issued their Universal Declaration on human rights. This is kind of the rulebook, the do’s and don’ts of human rights. When I look at the world today, it seems not many people have read this. I doubt if most people know it exists. I think government leaders should know about this. A lot of them don’t care much about human rights. I can’t believe it’s the twenty-first century and human rights is still an issue in pretty much all of the world’s countries. The most powerful countries even attack each other for abusing human rights. I hope one day that all human rights are respected. That will be paradise.

I hate junk mail. I’m sick and tired of it filling up my InBox. I mean, who believes the stuff written in it? I love the ones that start with “Dearest” and then tell you how their uncle died during some war and they need your help to transfer $18 million. I wonder how many people fall for those. My spam mail filters do a pretty good job at keeping junk mail away from my InBox. But, I occasionally get a mail trying to sell me medicine. The most dangerous kind of junk mail is called phishing. That’s when a criminal fakes an e-mail to make it look like it’s sent from a bank. It looks exactly the same as a bank’s mail. The mail asks you to reset your password. The criminal then takes your money.

Homelessness is a terrible thing. It really shouldn’t exist today. A country should be ashamed if anyone is homeless. Governments are so rich today, yet they have no money to provide basic needs for their citizens. This is rubbish. Think how much money governments waste on fancy cars and other unnecessary things. It’s a crime. Even in rich countries, there are thousands of homeless. The government tries to sweep them under the carpet. They want to pretend the problem doesn’t exist. The world’s richest countries spend billions of dollars on weapons, but can’t make sure people have a roof over their head. This is disgusting. All world leaders should be ashamed of themselves. I feel so sorry for the homeless.

I think being a housewife is a very demanding job. Most housewives have a lot to do, especially if they have children. Of course, some have an easy time because they have a maid or a tiny house. Most housewives though are working pretty much from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. They have to get up the earliest to cook everyone’s breakfast. Then they have to do the dishes, start the washing, iron and then go shopping to buy the food. Before their children go to school, the housewife has to make their packed lunches. I reckon cooking three meals a day every single day can be pretty tiring. Afternoons are just as busy, and then it all starts again when everyone comes home from school and work!

I’m full of admiration for people who run marathons. I couldn’t do it. I love running and have done a few half-marathons, but I always found a full marathon to be too much. Marathon runners are special. I don’t think I have the stamina to do it. Not properly, anyway. I could “run” one of the big marathons in the world, like the Boston or London marathon, but it would really be pretty much as a fun run. Most people who take part in these well-known international marathons only do so for fun. I think to be a marathon runner, you need to train and run a hundred kilometres a week. I wonder what it’s like to be in the lead in the Olympic marathon. That must be an amazing feeling. I think the marathon is the most important Olympic event.

Without laws the world would end. OK, maybe the actual Earth might not end, but life as we know it would end. We’d all end up fighting and killing each other. It would become the survival of the strongest, or perhaps the survival of the nastiest. If there were no laws, people could do anything. There’d be no police or courts to keep control. Law is very important. It keeps order in our society. Our laws started thousands of years ago. Many of today’s laws were made centuries ago. New laws need to be made every day. Especially in today’s world, where the Internet is so important. It’s very difficult to keep laws up to date with new developments. The latest area of law is intellectual property. It’s important that people’s ideas are protected.

Everybody loves juice. It’s the yummiest thing in the world. I can’t think of anything tastier than a cold glass of any kind of juice. I have to have a glass of orange juice every morning. I like to spend a little extra to make sure it’s 100 per cent juice. I don’t really like the stuff that says it’s juice on the box, but is really 70 per cent water and sugar. Of course freshly squeezed juice is the best - you can really taste the fruit. One thing I love about going to another country is trying different kinds of juice. Tropical countries have all kinds of really delicious juice. One time I remember trying sugar cane juice. I was in heaven. It’s a shame I can’t buy it where I live. I also love coconut juice, or is that coconut milk?

I think home schooling is great. I wish my parents had done this. The idea of never going to school sounds too good to be true. I hated school. I wanted to stay at home every day. I really wouldn’t have minded staying at home and studying. Of course, you need to be careful not to forget studying. One thing about home schooling I like is visiting museums or watching documentaries to learn more. This is so much better than learning in school. I think my learning at school suffered because there were many kids who didn’t want to learn. I could have got better marks if I had stayed at home. Perhaps there’ll be more home schooling in the future because of the Internet.

I don’t really have a hero. There are many people I respect, but they are not really my hero. Some people choose very strange heroes. My friends have rock stars and football players as heroes. Of course, these people are very good at what they do, but they’re not really heroes. They get lots of money for doing what they love. When they’re not singing or playing football, I wonder what they’re doing. I think most of the world’s heroes are unsung heroes. People who work to help others every day. We generally don’t notice these heroes. Then there are those who put their lives on the line for others. Fire fighters, police officers and soldiers are heroes. Without them, the world would be less safe.

Hate crime is becoming a big problem in many societies. You’d think that in the twenty-first century we’d all respect each other. With all the communications we have and with globalization, we should know enough about each other to understand we are all the same. We should at least be able to respect our differences. I blame the media for a lot of hate crime. They are very good at highlighting particular groups of people and casting them in a negative light. Just look at what’s happened since the 9/11 attacks in New York. Hate has increased in the world and the media seems to fuel this. I’m glad I live in a country that has laws against hate crime. They don’t always work, but at least it’s better than in most countries.

I’m totally hopeless with money. I’ve never really understood things like investments. I should be more interested in investments because I know I’ll get more money. I find everything very confusing. I never know what to invest in. Some of my friends invest in stocks and shares. I never did this. I’m happy because I didn’t lose money in the financial crash. I think it would be interesting to invest in things like wine. I saw a TV programme once. Wine goes up and up and up in price. You really can make a lot of money. I think investing in property nowadays is risky. I also know a lot of people who now owe lots of money on the house they bought because the prices crashed. Perhaps it’s better to keep my money under the bed.

I wonder if heaven exists. I guess if heaven is real, then hell must be real too. I think heaven must be a great place if it’s better than Earth. It’s difficult to believe that heaven is a place that looks like paradise. Pretty much every religion in the world believes that heaven is real. I don’t think it’s full of angels with wings though. I think there are lots of heavenly places on Earth. Anywhere in the countryside is heaven to me. Sitting on a beach with blue skies is also heaven. You can even be in heaven in the city. Walking into a cool, air-conditioned building from a hot, sweaty street is heaven. I also find heaven in food. A double chocolate fudge and nut ice cream with maple syrup and extra whipped cream is simply heaven.

Harry Potter is a boy wizard who has taken over the world. He is everywhere. No one had heard of Harry Potter before 1997. That’s when J.K. Rowling published her first book. She’s the creator of Harry Potter. The first novel was called ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’ and it became an amazing success. Everyone was talking about it and Harry became an overnight phenomenon. Six more Harry Potter books followed and they all became best sellers. People went crazy over every new book. My friends waited overnight outside a bookstore to make sure they got their copy of the latest book. My friends are 40 years old! Harry Potter is now a global industry, with movies and merchandise of all kinds. It’s amazing how big he is.

I think the Internet is the greatest invention ever. Think how it has changed the world. So much information is out there. It has totally changed my life. I can chat with friends, download music, buy books and get all the info I need for my homework. It took days or weeks to do any of these things before the Internet. I spend hours every day online. I think I spend a little too long. I’m sure staring at a computer screen all day isn’t good for my eyes. I think it’s also making me fat. I need to exercise a little more. The only thing I don’t like about the Internet is that it can be dangerous. I don’t really like putting my personal information online, especially on social networking sites like Facebook.

Management is a funny thing. Most of the people I know who are in management are not actually managers. I mean, they don’t have any qualifications to say they are managers. I think most managers are like that. They spend a year or two in a job and then become managers once the old manager moves on. I’m not sure whether or not you can learn management. Of course there are things like MBAs that teach you this, but in the end, management is all about how you deal with people. If you have a personality that can’t respect people and treat them fairly, you can’t be a good manager.  I have worked for some terrible managers. They have no idea what they’re doing and only create lots of work for others.

The 2010 South Africa World Cup is nearly here and I’m so excited. I love the World Cup. Every four years I can’t wait to watch this brilliant event. I heard more people watch the Finals than the Olympics. All over the world, people go soccer crazy. Even people who don’t like football. I was in Tokyo for the Korea-Japan Finals in 2002 – the atmosphere was amazing for a whole month. The 2010 Finals are extra special because it’s the first time for them to be in Africa. I’m sure it will be a great success. And who will win? I think Argentina will lift the trophy. Lionel Messi will show why he’s world player of the year. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if England won. They have a strong team and Rooney is on fire at the moment.

I never know what to do with my hair. Sometimes I want it long, sometimes I want to cut it all off. My hair is a little unmanageable. It never does what I want it to. It’s very thick. When it’s long and I have lots of split ends so I have to go to the hairdresser’s for a trim. I also have dandruff, which is a little embarrassing when I wear dark sweaters. I don’t often have a bad hair day. This usually only happens when I have to meet someone important. My hair sticks out all over the place. I hate it. I always think everyone is looking at me, or looking at my misbehaving hair. I often wonder what it would be like if we had no hair - if we were all bald. We could save lots of money on shampoos and conditioners.

Immigration wasn’t really a problem a long time ago. Many countries welcomed immigrants because they needed workers. The USA, Australia and Canada encouraged millions of people to come and live in their countries. Today, however, immigration is becoming a problem. Many countries are trying to control immigration. At election time, it is a major issue. Immigration today is big business. More and more people from poor countries want to live in rich countries. It is easier to travel nowadays because of cheap transport and more open borders. People risk their lives to get the chance of starting a new life in a rich country. This can cause anger in the countries immigrants go to. It is an issue that will be with us forever, I think.

I’m not sure what to think about identity cards. There are good and bad things about them. I think on the whole they are a good thing. It depends on what the government uses the information for. It also depends on how secure the database is that keeps our information. A lot of people think ID cards are too much. They think the government is trying to control us too much. I’m not sure that’s true, but it is something to think about. In this day and age, when immigration is a problem, I think ID cards might be useful. Some countries are using ID cards as a one-stop card for everything. The card is your driving license, medical card and ID all rolled into one. That’s a great idea. All we need now is to make it a passport and credit card.

What was life like before Google? This might look like a silly and strange question, but it is a good one. Google has changed our lives. In an amazingly short space of time, the verb ‘google’ has entered our language. I think everything about Google is amazing. It helps us so much. We can find any information we want just by typing in what we want in the search box. I even like the Google home page. It’s so simple. You know, I can’t remember the last time a day went by when I didn’t use Google for something. I wonder what Google will be like in the future. Only those at Google know. The strange thing about the Internet is that something we don’t even know about yet might come along and totally replace Google overnight.

Golden Week is such a lovely time to be in Japan. The weather is great and everyone is relaxed. There’s a real holiday feeling all over the country. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. The only down side is that the roads are full of traffic. You can spend hours stuck in traffic jams. So I usually stay at home and do things near my house. I love going on picnics in local parks. I’m English so I find it really interesting to see how Japanese people have picnics. Very different from picnics in England. Many people have the whole week off work to celebrate the different holidays. The Emperor’s birthday and Constitution Day are important and so is Greenery Day, but I like Children’s Day. This is when Japanese parents do special things for their kids.

All houses are unique. Even if they look the same from the outside, they are very different on the inside. I think houses are very interesting. I like looking at the way they are built and the style they are built in. In London there are many houses that are hundreds of years old. These are beautiful. You can still see much of the original wood and stone structure. Modern houses are also interesting. It’s funny how they copy many of the features of older houses. I love looking at houses when I travel. Every country has its own special designs, from Japan to Arabia to Greece. Nowadays people are building eco-friendly houses. They want houses that save energy and help protect the planet.

I don’t really like hospitals. I have many bad memories of them. I’ve stayed in hospital seven times in my life. I guess I must be unlucky. My friends all say I’m accident prone. My longest stay in hospital was for three months. That was boring. I had lots of visitors but staying in bed for that length of time isn’t much fun. The worst thing was hospital food. I couldn’t wait to get out and have some real food. The strange thing is that I really like watching TV dramas and movies about hospitals. It feels like I know everything that’s going on. I wouldn’t like to work in a hospital though. I hate the smell and the sight of blood. I’ll do my best from now on to stay away from hospitals, unless I’m visiting someone else.

I wonder if there is anyone in the world who never lies. Not even a small white lie. It seems everyone lies at some point in their life, or their day. Some people are better liars than others. In fact, I often read lying is an art. Children are pretty good at lying. Or perhaps they’re pretty bad, because it’s easy to tell when a child is lying. I read that the more lies children tell, the more intelligent they are. You need to be creative and imaginative to lie. There comes a stage in our lives when most of us stop lying. We are all told that it’s always better to tell the truth. Not all of us do this though. There are many very intelligent people who lie. We even trust them to run our country. I’ve lost count of the number of politicians who have been caught lying.

Life is for living. That’s what I believe. It sounds very simple, but actually, it’s quite difficult. You only have one life, so you really have to live it. Don’t waste time doing boring things. Live life for today. Is living working in an office all your life? No. Take some risks in life. Invest in your life and do the things you really want to do. If you don’t try and live your dreams, you don’t really live. I often hear people saying to other, “get a life”. I agree with them. Don’t wait and let life pass you by. Life is too short and you can’t go back. I have a full life. I don’t live life in the fast lane, but I do make sure I do things so that when I look back on my life, I won’t have any regrets.

I often wonder how important luck is in my life. I’m not sure if there is a thing called luck. Some people say they are lucky and others say they are unlucky. I think everyone in life has good luck and bad luck. Just because someone loses something or has an accident doesn’t mean it’s bad luck. An accident is an accident. People who always say they have bad luck are negative. If they wait, something good will happen in their lives. I do like to wish people good luck though. I think it’s a nice thing to say if someone has an interview or an exam. But, people pass exams and interviews because they studied hard or spoke well, not because of luck. In England people think they’ll have seven years of bad luck if they break a mirror. That’s strange.

Where would we be without language? We’d all be in our own worlds and we’d never really have a life. Can you imagine never talking to anyone? Of course if there was no language, we wouldn’t be able to use body language or sign language. The fact that we do have languages means we have gone to the moon and built things like the Internet – which also needs a special computer language to work properly. I think language is amazing. It means we can tell anyone anything. I often think it’s a shame there are so many languages in the world. If there was only one language, we could all communicate better. Perhaps that way, we’d all understand one another better. What would the world language be? At the moment, English.

Love is a wonderful thing, but is it possible to fall in love with someone at first sight? Many people say they have done this. How can it be possible? Surely it takes a time to get to know someone and then fall in love. I think falling in love at first sight is dangerous. You don’t really know the person. Maybe after you’ve built your life around them you’ll find lots of faults in them and suddenly be disappointed. Then you’ll have to fall out of love. Anyway, is it really love at first sight or is it love at first conversation? And what if the other person doesn’t fall in love with you at first sight? This could be a bit painful. It could also be embarrassing. I think I like the traditional way of falling in love after 257 dates.

There are magazines on just about anything you can think of. Just walk into a big bookstore and see the hundreds of different kinds of magazines. There are magazines for men, magazines for women, for children, for bankers, stamp collectors and even English students. They’re quite amazing when you think about it. There’s so much information in them. It must take a long time to make one magazine. And they are such great value for money. I like reading magazines that I would never usually buy. This happens when I’m in a waiting room. I like flicking through the magazine rack and looking through the magazine. I don’t care if it’s in another language. The pictures are interesting.

Laughter is what makes the world go round. If you can’t laugh, life would be very boring and depressing. The sound of laughter is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. Just hearing it makes me smile and want to laugh too. I have to find out what’s funny so I can share the joke, or share the fun. I particularly love the sound of small children laughing. Their laughter is infectious. It’s amazing the things they find to laugh about. I think I heard somewhere that laughter is the best medicine. That’s so true. I also think a good laugh keeps you healthy. A few people I know belong to a laughter club. They stand around in circles and laugh. Yes, laughter really is one of the best things we do.

When I was younger I wanted to be a journalist. I used to watch the news and think how amazing it would be to report from places around the world. I think journalism is a pretty tough profession. You really need a special character to survive. I think journalism is one of the most important professions in the world. Without it, we wouldn't know anything about what's going on in the world. It can also be a dangerous profession. Of course, reporting in war zones is dangerous, but even reporting in the street carries risk. I'm sure many journalists have many experiences of angry people they try to interview, or even of other journalists who get angry. When I watch journalism award shows, I still feel a desire to become a journalist.

I love jokes. I could listen to people telling jokes all day. I laugh at even the silliest of jokes. In fact, I love silly jokes. I still laugh at the jokes I laughed at when I was a child. I’m not so good at telling jokes. I have just a few of my favourite ones that I tell. They’re pretty funny. I think telling jokes is a real skill. You need confidence, timing and you need to know when to deliver the punch line. Some of my jokes don’t work with people from other countries. They don’t get them. It’s also interesting to see how American and British jokes are different. I listen to American comedians but can’t see what’s funny. I also love practical jokes. Playing jokes on other people is very funny – as long as they see the funny side.

Some people love insects and others absolutely hate them. I can’t count how many of my friends are terrified of insects. I have one friend who jumps and screams at the sight of the tiniest bug. He’s over forty years old! My son loves insects. He has many books on them and knows everything about them. He loves going to insect museums and watching nature documentaries on insects. I also love them. I think insects are fascinating. I can watch them for hours. I also love looking at them in zoos and museums. It’s like looking at a tiny miniature world. I think if I was insect-sized, life would be pretty scary. Or even worse, what if one day there were giant insects roaming the streets. That’s the stuff of horror movies.

My favourite subject at school was history. I don’t know why. I loved reading the stories about famous people and famous events. When I was little, history was just stories. As I got older, I realized history is the study of how we got here today. It’s a long journey that describes all the wars, great people, inventions, disasters, etc that have brought us to this point in time. I now love any kind of history. It’s fascinating to visit a new country and learn about its history. Watching the news today is like seeing history unfold. Lots of the things I learnt at school now make the news more interesting. History provides us with the perfect background information to a news story.

I really don’t understand why genocide happens. Every five or ten years we hear about the latest genocide. Every time we hear about it, governments say it will never happen again. After the genocide in Rwanda, the USA and other world powers promised to stop any future killing. Then Darfur came along and all they do is talk. If a crazy government wants to kill thousands of innocent civilians, no one can stop them. Genocide is the biggest shame in our history. Countries go to war because of oil, but not to stop innocent people being murdered. Only recently has the international community started chasing those who organize genocide. The International Criminal Court prosecutes those who commit crimes against humanity.

People say intelligence is a lot more attractive than beauty. I often ask people if they would prefer a partner who is intelligent or good looking. They almost always say they want someone who is intelligent. I wonder why it is some of us are so intelligent and others aren’t. Surely we are all born with a similar level of intelligence. I’m not really sure how intelligent I am. Sometimes I think I’m intelligent, but then I do something really dumb. Or I meet someone who is super-brainy who makes me feel unintelligent. One day, I’m going to take one of those intelligence tests to measure my IQ. Another thing I don’t get about intelligence is how people think our leaders are so intelligent, but then the leaders do such stupid things. Do intelligent people start wars?

Love makes the world go round, not money. I agree with the centuries-old quote that says, ‘Love conquers all’. It’s true when you think about it. So much has been written about love. It must be one of the most written and talked about topics ever. How many songs and poems are there about love? Millions. Billions, perhaps. Love is everywhere. You can’t pass a single day without hearing someone say ‘love’. It is one of the most beautiful words in any language. Your heart can melt when someone says, ‘I love you’. It’s also very important to tell people you love them. You should do it every day. There are many different kinds of love and they are all important. Except perhaps when you love pizza or burgers. That’s not healthy.

I love holidays. They are the best thing in the world. The only problem is they are always too short. Even summer holidays at school aren’t long enough. I recently had an eight-week holiday and it flew by. It seems as though time goes quickly when we are on holiday, and slowly when we are at school or work. I always really look forward to holidays – even one-day holidays are great. I live in a country that has many national holidays, so there’s always a break around the corner. I feel sorry for some workers who only get two or three weeks holiday a year. They can’t do anything or go anywhere. I love holidays even if I don’t go away. Staying at home is just as good as going on holiday somewhere. Sometimes going on holiday is stressful.

One of the busiest times of our life must be our wedding day. Getting married can be a very stressful time. But, it is also one of the happiest days in our life. It all begins with the proposal. After that comes setting the date. Once the couple know the wedding day, it’s planning, planning and planning. They have to decide where to get married, who to invite, what kind of flowers, where to have the reception, and a million and one other things. Getting married can be a very expensive occasion. Some parents save all their lives to pay for their son’s or daughter’s wedding. Getting married seems to be similar all over the world. The happy couple make some vows in front of their guests and then there is a big party after.

Heart attacks kill millions of people each year. I think it’s one of the world’s biggest killers. A lot of people have a heart attack because of their lifestyle. I’m sure if people ate healthy food and exercised, the number of heart attacks would drop. The thing I worry about is stress. For me, it’s difficult to avoid. Research shows that stress is one of the biggest causes of heart attacks. The problem with this is that you get stressed, and then you worry about your heart, which makes it beat faster and gives you more stress, which then makes your heart beat even faster. Best not to get stressed. There are so many things you can do in life to reduce your chances of a heart attack. I think we need more information.

Gangs are becoming a big problem in many countries around the world. We’ve always had gangs, and they’ve always created problems. Recently, things seem to be getting out of control. Gangs are taking over our streets. In many parts of South America, gangs kill because of drugs. In many parts of Europe, gangs hang around on street corners and hassle anyone who walks by. There’s a lot of pressure for young people to join a gang. If a young person doesn’t join a gang, they might be bullied at school. The government always says gangs are a problem, but they never do anything about it. I was in a gang when I was younger. It’s scary when I look back on it. We used to have lots of fights and do many bad things. I never had a knife.

I think I have the greatest friends in the world. They are just as important to me as family. In fact, they are my family, really. My best friends and I all grew up together and shared so many experiences together. We know everything about each other. I would do anything for my friends and I’m sure they’d do anything for me. I’m sure there’s nothing in the world that could stop us from being friends. I’ve also made lots of other good friends from university and the different places I’ve worked. They are also important to me. We are now all over the world and it’s sometimes difficult to meet each other, but we stay in touch. One day I’d like to get all of my friends together for a big party. That’d be great fun.

The heart is one organ we really have to look after. Most of us, I think, don’t really know how to look after it. Or perhaps we know, but don’t do enough to keep our heart in a healthy condition. Our heart is an amazing thing, when you think about it. It beats so fast for years and years and years, pumping millions of litres of blood around our body. It keeps working, even though we do so many bad things to it. It really is the source of our life. We need to promise our heart every day that we’ll look after it properly. I think kids born today are lucky. Modern medicine and science will soon have all the answers to keep our heart strong. Even today we’re lucky. Doctors can replace your heart via a heart transplant.

Gambling is a very dangerous thing. At least that’s what I think. I don’t think much good comes of it. People lose their money and then get angry. Sometimes people lose everything they have. The only people who win are the companies, casinos, etc. that organize gambling. I don’t really understand why people would want to risk their money. Most of the time they lose it. The odds are always against you. Gambling causes so many social problems I’m surprised governments allow it. In some countries it is illegal to gamble. This is good. I never understand why people gamble again and again. They must get fed up with throwing their money away. I suppose they always think the next one will be the one they make a lot of money.

A hangover is one of the worst feelings you can have. There’s nothing you can do to make it go away. You just have to wait for it to wear off. It usually takes a whole day and can even take two days to disappear. The most stupid thing about a hangover is that you never learn. A hangover is your body’s warning that too much alcohol is bad for you. When something is painful, you never do it again. Not so with a hangover. When people have a hangover, they often drink again the next day. This makes your original hangover much worse. Many people have their own hangover “cure”. None of them work for me. All I can do is suffer. I suppose the best thing for a hangover is not to drink at all, or at least not drink too much.

Someone once told me that French fries are not French. There must be some connection between fries and France, otherwise they wouldn’t be called French Fries. Wherever they are from, I love them. I guess they’re the most popular food in the world. Everyone eats French fries. They are very versatile – you can eat them with so many things. You can even have a French Fries sandwich. People put all sorts of things on top of French fries. I love ketchup and mayonnaise on my fries – both together. You have to have salt. The only time I don’t like fries is when they are cold. I get angry if I get fries that aren’t hot in a fast food restaurant. I take them back immediately. All of this talk of French fries has made me want to eat some.

I think humour is one of the best things in life. Without it, nothing in life would be funny. It’s strange how we start laughing from such a young age. I wonder what makes tiny babies laugh. What do they find funny. Babies laugh and smile all the time. This means we are born to laugh and make other people laugh. Our sense of humour develops as we grow up. Some people become very good at telling jokes. I always find it difficult to remember jokes. I don’t understand jokes from other countries. I love comedy shows from England, but I can’t see what’s funny when I watch American comedies. I guess humour is different, even with people who speak the same language. Anyway, I think I have a good sense of humour and I like a good laugh.

Gun control should be a really serious issue. In my country, politicians rarely talk about it. They only discuss it if someone goes nuts and shoots lots of people in a school or shopping mall. Gun crime is on the increase everywhere but the government never talks about gun control. I really think there should be huge fines for anyone caught with a gun. Too many innocent people are dying. The situation will only get worse. I think if a politician stands up and argues for any kind of gun control, he or she will win the next election. I’m sure most people think controlling or banning guns in societies is very important. Unless you live in America. I’m not sure if gun control exists there. It seems everyone has a gun.

“Home is where the heart is.” That’s so true. I’ve lived in many different houses during my life but not all of them have been home. When you are growing up, home is where your family lives. I left home when I was 18 and slowly my childhood home was no longer. Now it’s my parents’ house and not my home. I moved around a lot and only spent a year or so in most places I lived. They never really felt like home. A home is somewhere you feel totally relaxed and want to come home to. The expression “Home Sweet Home” is also true. You have to have nice feelings about it to call it home. Home doesn’t have to be in your home country. I’ve lived in several countries and have had a home in all of them.

Some people love hiking and some people hate it. Personally, I don’t really like it. I don’t see the point of walking for miles and miles up and down mountains. You get all sweaty and out of breath. The worst thing is that the next day all your muscles ache. Of course it’ll rain, so you’ll get soaking wet. If it’s sunny, you’ll get sunburn. To make things really bad, you might fall over and twist your ankle or get stung by a bee. I have terrible memories of hiking when I was a child. My parents always wanted to get to the top of the mountain, and then the next mountain top, and then the next. No matter how much we complained, they always said: “It’s not far.” Never believe anyone who says that, especially someone who loves hiking.

God created us all. God created life. God created everything around us. I often try to think what was before God. But God has always been there, so there was nothing before God. I wonder why God always appears as a man with a beard in books. He’s also usually a white man. No one knows if God is a man or a woman. God is also different to different religions. Most people in the world pray to God. They ask for forgiveness when they do something wrong; they thank God for bringing good things and ask for God’s help when things go wrong. People who believe in God get strength from their belief. They know that God is looking down on them. One thing I don’t understand is why there is so much killing and bad things in the world.

Isn’t food one of life’s greatest pleasures? Do you know anyone who doesn’t like food? I don’t. There is so much delicious food in the world. You could spend a whole lifetime eating a different dish every day. What’s the tastiest food in the world? This is a very difficult question to answer. My taste in food keeps changing. Sometimes my favourite is a dessert, but then I change my mind and go for a spicy curry. It’s great that countries have so many different dishes. Do you think your national dish is best? Nowadays we have to be careful about what we eat. Fast food is not good for us. We need to focus more on healthy food. Maybe we have to be more careful in the future. Make sure the food you eat is good for you.

Some people like their feet and other people don’t. I quite like mine. They’re not too big and not too small. Some people I know have huge feet. They even have problems trying to buy shoes that fit them. My feet are pretty normal. They’ve been very useful down the years. I’ve done a lot of running, loads of hiking and played thousands of hours of football. I’ve never injured my feet or my ankles. I sometimes get sore feet when I go shopping. That seems to be the only thing my feet don’t like. That and new shoes. New shoes usually give me blistered feet. Oh yes… and the cold. My feet hate the cold. My toes go numb. Especially my big toe. One thing I’m happy about is that I don’t have smelly feet.

I never used to worry about my health until recently. When I was a kid, I did loads of exercise. Even in my twenties and thirties I was very fit and never ill. I have been lucky all my life – always in the best of health. I rarely get even a cold. I suppose time catches up with you. Now I seem to be getting lots of little aches and pains. I should go to the doctor for a health check, but I’m too busy. The older you get, the more you worry about your health. One good thing is that I’m eating more healthily now than ever before. I no longer have fast food and midnight snacks. I also sleep a lot more. I’ve read that getting seven or eight hours sleep every night is one of the best things you can do for your health.

I totally do not believe in horoscopes. I can’t think of anything more ridiculous. Perhaps the only thing more ridiculous is the number of people who read their horoscopes and believe what they say. I mean, just how can a horoscope be true? How is it that the same things are true for half-a-billion people born between January 23 and February 22. It makes no sense. Not all of those people will be lucky in love and have a nice financial surprise at the beginning of the month. Horoscopes are a part of many cultures. Every time I go to another country I see the horoscope in magazines. I have a friend who has the same star sign as me. Our lives and fortunes are very different. That proves to me that horoscopes are rubbish.

Every country must provide free healthcare to its citizens. I can’t understand why the richest countries in the world don’t do this. It’s shocking that a country can be so rich and let its people die because they cannot pay the hospital. I saw a great movie once on America’s healthcare system. It’s called “Sicko,” directed by Michael Moore. He went to England and France and was amazed that people in those countries didn’t have to pay when they went to hospital. He then went to Cuba. He went with lots of Americans who couldn’t afford healthcare in America. Amazingly, the Cuban hospitals treated them all for free and gave them medicine. They were so happy. I’m sure there’s enough money in the world to provide everyone with free healthcare.

Guns are bad. Full stop. I’m fed up hearing about people who think they have a right to carry a gun. A gun is a deadly weapon. People who are for guns say people are the deadly ones. That’s stupid. The truth is, that if there were no guns in the world, there’d be more people alive. Students with guns kill other students at school. No guns, no deaths. Guns are used in millions of crimes around the world. Gun crime is out of control in many countries. The societies in which guns are illegal have very little gun crime. The problem is that guns aren’t going away. They are getting easier to buy. Now that many international borders are open, smuggling guns to other countries is easy. Maybe the whole world will return to the Wild West.

I don’t understand the fascination with gold. It’s just a soft metal. It isn’t even the most valuable metal. It’s interesting how almost every culture in the world loves gold. Indians spend a fortune on it. When their children get married they give gold bracelets and rings as gifts. Most of the world’s wedding rings are gold. I know different countries prefer different types of gold. In Thailand, only 24 carat is good enough, but in England, people buy a lot of 9-carat gold. It seems like we have always loved gold. Think how many stories there are from hundreds of years ago about gold treasure. In fact, if you go back further, Egyptian kings and queens had lots of gold. I’ll never forget Tutankhamen’s mask. The gold in that was really golden.

Happiness is sitting on a beach with a good book and no more work and studying for a year. Ahhhh… if only. What’s your idea of happiness? It’s such an important thing. I like Bhutan’s idea (Bhutan is the small country next to Nepal). There, they prefer to measure happiness instead of money. The most important thing for Bhutan’s government is how happy the people are. What a fantastic idea this is. Imagine if governments focused on making us all happy. They could spend money on beaches and free ice cream instead of fighting wars. I looked at everyone on the train this morning. No one looked happy. Maybe the news should be full of happy stories instead of the usual doom and gloom

Food safety seems to be a big issue nowadays. I can’t remember it being such a big problem years ago. With today’s technology, it shouldn’t be a problem. But it is. In fact, there are many problems. In my country, GM food is a big issue. People do not want to eat food that is genetically modified. They say it is unsafe. I know in America GM food is everywhere. Another issue with food safety is food imports. A lot of imported food has made people ill. Our government bans a lot of food from certain countries. This is a good idea. A concern in my country is with chickens and cows. We have bird flu and mad cow disease. It might be better to be vegetarian.

I really like walking around gardens. Every garden is different. Even two gardens that are next to each other are different. I loved the garden our family had when I was small. I also loved starting my own garden when I bought my house. The best gardens in the world are in England. English country gardens are famous all over the world. The gardeners are like artists. It’s amazing how they make everything so perfect and so colourful. I can sit in or walk through an English garden all day. I also like Japanese gardens. They also have a very special feel about them. Everything is so perfect and you feel really peaceful. I’d like to spend my life visiting different gardens.

I have a strange hobby. It’s visiting factories. I’m really interested to see how things work and how they are made. I’ve learnt so many things on my factory visits. Factories are amazing. They are like mini cities. The thing that surprises me most is how everything works together. Everyone knows exactly what to do and when to do it. Even the robots. Car factories are cool, but very noisy. A car assembly line is like a giant ballet dance with everything moving perfectly together. It’s quite easy to visit factories. All you have to do is go to their home page and see if they have visiting times, or write to them. The best factories to visit are ones that produce food and drinks. You always get free stuff. Unfortunately you don’t get a free car at car factories.

I wonder how many times we have our hair cut in our life. Hundreds. It would also be interesting to know how many different hairstyles we have. I know the styles I had when I was younger would look silly today. I really like haircuts. It’s interesting sitting in the hairdresser’s chair and watching the stylist do things. I often think a good haircut is like art and the hairdresser is the artist. I have had a few disastrous haircuts – usually when they cut too much off. I need a long fringe because my face is a strange shape. The best thing I like about haircuts is having a chat to the hairdresser. He or she can usually talk about anything and everything. I also like the smell of everything when I’m sitting in the chair.

Hands are interesting things. They can do so many things. We’d be lost without them. I think hands are one of the most useful parts of they body. They are so clever. We can do so many different things with our hands. We can hold things, squeeze things, feel things. We can swing on jungle gyms, write and type letters; the list is endless. I think hands are a very beautiful part of the body, if they are well looked after. It’s interesting to see how many different parts there are to our hands. We have a palm, fingers, knuckles, life lines, fingertips and the back of our hand. There are lots of good things you can do with your hands. I like holding hands – of course with my wife and children.

I think the idea of genetic engineering is fascinating. It’s also quite dangerous. Fiddling around with what makes us human might make us less human. We could end up creating a Frankenstein’s monster. The idea of genetic engineering has been around for centuries. Scientists have always wanted to change us. The real breakthrough came in the latter half of last century. Geneticists cracked the genetic code and found ways of altering our genes. Now they can clone animals and reproduce human tissue and organs. I don’t think it’ll be too long before scientists clone a person. Once all the fuss has died down, younger generations will be more accepting of genetic engineering. We might even live to be two hundred years old.

I have a passion for furniture. I love it. I particularly love antique furniture. I love going round old houses and looking at all the beautiful sofas and chests and cabinets from hundreds of years ago. Making furniture used to be a real art. They don’t make furniture like they used to. Nowadays a lot of furniture is rubbish. A lot of it you have to make yourself! Actually, I quite like that. I like wandering around IKEA and seeing what they have. You can pay extra to have the guys assemble your furniture for you, but I like doing it myself. I’m studying interior design and would like to start my own furniture workshop one day. I’ll mix modern ideas with traditional ones. I’d like to start a trend for green furniture that helps the environment.

I hate gossip. It really gets on my nerves. I really don’t understand why people gossip about other people. My office is full of gossips. They have nothing better to do. Surely there are more important things to talk about. Gossip isn’t true. That’s why it’s gossip. OK, it might be true, but who cares? Gossiping is dangerous. It can make perfectly nice people look bad. I’m not sure if I’ve been the subject of gossip. I’m sure I wouldn’t like it if I was. I have some friends who buy gossip magazines. They love celebrity gossip. That’s even worse than office gossip. At least with office gossip you know the people. Any time someone comes to me to tell me the latest piece of “juicy gossip” or “hot gossip,” I tell them I’m not interested.

People say first impressions count. What do you think? Can you understand a lot about someone from the very first time you see them or meet them? I think I’m good at judging someone’s character from the first time I set eyes on them. It’s easy to understand if the person is my kind of person. First impressions count most when you meet someone important. If you have a job interview, it’s very important to give a good first impression. The interviewer can decide if they like you as soon as you walk through the door. Are you well-dressed? Do you look happy? Do you greet the interviewer? All these things are important. I also think first impressions count when you meet your future in-laws.

What does family mean to you? In a perfect world, all families should be happy and everyone should get on well together. I know a lot of families that have many problems. Brothers and sisters who don’t like each other, parents who never talk to each other. I wonder why this is. How can you live so close to your family members and feel apart from them? There is a lot of talk in the news about the breakdown of family life. Divorce is rising everywhere in the world. This means single parents have less time to spend with their children, which creates problems. Maybe the stress of modern life puts too much pressure on families. It seems as though family life was better a generation or two ago. Is this true for families in your country?

If I could, I’d never go to another funeral again. No one likes funerals, of course, but for me, they make me so sad. I can’t stop crying. Quite often I’m the only person crying. Everything about a funeral makes me cry. When I open the invitation, tears well up in my eyes. When I see the funeral procession drive by, I start. The actual ceremony is almost unbearable. I have never learnt to control my sobs. If you hear someone sniffing non –stop, that’s me. The music at funerals is unnecessarily sad. I’ve told my friends I want salsa music at my funeral. And I don’t want people to wear black. I also hope the party after the funeral isn’t a sad occasion. People should laugh and remember the funny times.

Electricity is one of the most important inventions ever. It is the thing that powers the Earth. If there was no electricity, we’d be back in the dark ages. Few people stop and think just how amazing electricity is. With the flick of a switch, you can power almost anything. Think about what would happen if there was no electricity. We’d have no TV, no computers, no traffic signals. It would be like going back to living in caves. There are a few negative points about electricity, of course. Number one, it’s dangerous. Thousands of people die each year from electrocuting themselves or in electrical fires. And number two, it isn’t good for the environment. Most electricity comes from burning coal and that creates greenhouse gasses.

I’m not sure how many people ever stop to think how wonderful four seasons are. I think people who live in cities don’t care about the seasons. City people spend half their lives indoors or underground. I live in the country and I love watching the seasons come and go. Every day is different in the countryside. I love watching the crops grow in the fields. I watch them push their way up from the ground in the spring and then grow tall in the summer sun. Just before autumn arrives, the farmer harvests them and then winter comes. Seasons means it’s like living in a new place every four months. Everything changes. One wonderful thing about seasons is the seasonal food you get. There’s always something tasty that’s just come in season.

Driving is one of life’s greatest pleasures. There’s nothing better than getting behind the wheel and going for a drive. I live in the countryside, so it’s easy to get out onto an open road. I open the windows and turn the music up and then just drive and drive. I like driving to new areas and finding new roads. I find it very relaxing and great fun. I like the speed and the freedom. I even like driving in towns and cities, although not when traffic is really heavy. It’s not much fun being stuck in a traffic jam half the day. Driving in different countries is great fun. I’m a little nervous at first, but I soon get to know the roads. People have different ways of driving in different countries. I don’t like countries that have aggressive drivers.

Are you a good person to have around in an emergency? I am, I think. I have a very cool head and I don’t panic easily. The most important thing to do in an emergency is stay calm. If you do this, you can think straight and decide what’s best to do. Also, if you stay calm, other people might stay calm too. The worst thing to do is panic. Once you panic, things become worse. Of course, it depends on the kind of emergency. For really serious emergencies, you should call the emergency services. That’s 999 in the UK or 911 in other parts of the world. My biggest emergency recently was a big one. I pressed the delete button and lost my 3,000 songs in iTunes. Luckily, I had a back-up.

Freedom is a funny thing. It seems to mean different things in different countries. People in my country say they have freedom, but I don’t think so. We have to go to school, we have to pay tax, we have to work, we have to do lots of things. That’s not freedom. I’d say we have more freedom than people in other countries. There are many countries in the world where people are like slaves. They can’t leave the country, can’t get a passport, and have to work 16 hours a day. I wonder what a society would be like if everyone was totally free to do anything they wanted. It would probably be a total mess. No one would work. I suppose freedom means having some rules to follow.

Drugs are becoming a big problem in many societies. When I was growing up, you rarely heard about drugs. Now, they’re everywhere. Children in schools are smoking marijuana and taking harder drugs. There were many kids at my school who smoked. Nicotine was the most serious drug they used. Today’s kids seem to have access to all kinds of drugs. I don’t know what the government should do about it. Some countries have legalized drugs like marijuana, but others have made it a crime to possess even the smallest amount. You can even go to prison for having a tiny, tiny bit. Governments need to do something before society ends up in a real mess. I’m not sure what the solution is.

Grammar! Why is English grammar so confusing? I studied grammar for many years at school and I still don’t understand when to use a tense. Is it the simple present or the present perfect? What’s the difference? My teacher tells me to keep visiting grammar websites and doing the practice activities. She told me to look for patterns, but I’m not really sure what she means. She also told me one of the best ways to learn grammar is to read for pleasure. She said that way I’ll keep seeing good grammar and it will slowly come to me. I think the best way to learn grammar is to write and let my teacher point out my mistakes. Do you have any good tips on how to learn grammar?

What does globalization mean? We always hear this word on TV and read about it in newspapers. It means the world is now a village – the global village. The world has become smaller. Of course, the world did not shrink and it isn’t a village. Because of better transport, the Internet and more trading between countries, it is easier to do business. Japanese car makers have factories in Thailand; American computer companies employ thousands of people in China. That’s globalization. And don’t forget the millions of call centre jobs in India that workers in America and Europe used to do. Globalization also means it is easier to work in another country. Is globalization a good or bad thing? That’s a difficult question to answer.

When I was a kid, I thought gangsters were really cool. I loved watching gangster movies. Al Capone was almost like a hero to me. I always wanted the gangster in the movie to escape from the police. The movies made gangsters look like heroes. Now I’m older, I think that’s shocking. How can they glamorize the life of gangsters. Of course, we all know gangsters are dangerous. They are involved in many crimes. They sell drugs, traffic children and run prostitution rings. Many gangsters control politicians and policemen. In fact, in many countries around the world, gangsters become politicians. The funny thing is, even now, when I look at gangster movies, I still think the gangster is the good guy. That’s a little worrying.

Everybody should take up gardening as a hobby. We can all get back to nature. Thousands of years ago we all did a bit of gardening. It’s one of the most relaxing hobbies I can think of. It’s also very satisfying. I get very excited about gardening. I love planting seeds and then letting nature take over. It’s amazing how quickly things grow. Before you know it, your seeds are beautiful flowers. You also learn a lot about flowers, vegetables, shrubs and trees. Of course, gardening is also very practical. If you grow vegetables, you can eat what you grow. Vegetables picked fresh from your garden really do taste better than the ones in the shops. Gardening is good for you. It makes you feel part of the Earth.

Global warming is the biggest problem in the world today. Everyone know about it but not everyone is trying to stop it. Many world leaders are more interested in blaming other countries for the crisis. Countries like China, India and Russia say they will not act unless America takes more action. America says it will not act until other countries take more action. It seems a little childish that leaders are acting in this way. The future of our world is at risk and governments can only argue with each other. Many presidents and prime ministers tell us that technology is the answer. They say future scientists will find solutions to save the planet. This is a big gamble. I hope they are right. I don’t believe them, so I’ll continue switching off lights and recycling.

Everybody wants to have fun. Life would be so boring if fun was taken away. There are so many things you can do for fun. The best thing, I think, is simply to be with your friends. You’ll always have a fun time with them. I can’t remember the most fun I’ve ever had. I had loads of fun times when I was a kid. It seemed as though life was all fun, except for homework. But university was also a lot of fun. I’d love to do all that again. I’m not sure if I’d call working fun. There’s not much fun in sitting at a desk and trying to please your boss. Weekends are fun though. I always try to have as much fun as I can at the weekend. Having fun is the best way to relieve the stress that builds up during the week.

Frustration is a terrible thing. In fact, it’s a frustrating thing. Getting frustrated is one of life’s biggest frustrations. I wish I didn’t get frustrated, but there are so many things in life that are frustrating. I think the biggest thing recently is computers. Getting a new computer out of the box can be frustrating. Understanding how everything works is doubly frustrating. And then there are all the frustrations with programmes that freeze, web pages that don’t open, and things you lose. I wonder why we get so frustrated. I think we could do things better if we relaxed and did everything slowly. I wonder if animals and birds get frustrated. I’m sure a lot of the things we humans do causes them a lot of frustration.

Football, that’s soccer to Americans, is the biggest and best sport in the world. There are millions of reasons why it is the world sport. For a start, it is played all over the world. The football World Cup is the biggest event on Earth. It’s bigger than the Olympics. More people watch the Final on TV than any other event. Football also brings nations together. The greatest of enemies put aside their differences for 90 minutes to play a football match. Then there are the teams, like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool. These names are more well known across the world than the top basketball or baseball teams. A famous coach once said: “Football isn’t a matter of life and death; it’s more important.”

I think fish are the most interesting creatures on the planet. They are absolutely fascinating. I love their different shapes, colours, social behaviour, everything. I can watch tropical fish in my aquarium for hours. Even the tiny little fish are so beautiful. When I go to the city aquarium, I can spend the whole morning or afternoon looking at the fish. I don’t have a favourite fish. I must confess that after watching the movie ‘Finding Nemo’ I do now like clownfish. As well as looking at fish, I also love eating them. Tuna is my favourite, especially raw tuna. When I visit Japan, the first thing I do is go to a sushi restaurant. Raw fish is so much tastier than cooked fish. And probably a lot healthier.

I absolutely love flying. I love everything about it, from buying my air ticket to getting off the plane and collecting my baggage. There’s something very special about getting on an airplane. It’s always a real adventure. I like short flights and long-haul flights. Many people say economy class is terrible, but I like it. There isn’t enough legroom but I don’t mind that. Many people also say they hate airplane food. I love it. The only thing I don’t like about flying is turbulence. I think that’s really scary. I always worry the plane will crash. Another thing I don’t like is waiting to get off when the plane stops. It takes ages before the flight attendants open the doors. One day I want to fly business class and first class.

What are you afraid of? I’m not really afraid of anything. When I was a child I was afraid of the dark. I used to hear strange noises at night when I was in bed. I couldn’t move. I was frozen with fear until it got light outside. I’m no longer afraid of the dark, thankfully. I also used to fear speaking in public. My face would go red and I’d get very hot. I overcame this fear because I had to make many speeches at school. The more I did this, the more my public speaking fear disappeared. People are afraid of many strange things. Did you there is a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth? There is even a medical name for it. I don’t think fear is a bad thing. It probably stops us from doing really dangerous things.

One day, all diseases on Earth will be gone. I wonder. In fact, if all diseases die out or doctors find vaccines and cures for them, that will really change our planet. Think about the amount of overpopulation if no one died from diseases. There’d be a population explosion. I don’t think the Earth would be able to feed so many people. It’s a really difficult question. Some diseases in the world are really horrible and cause a lot of suffering. It would be great if scientists found cures for those. Scientists have already found a cure for many diseases. It’s amazing how far science and medicine have come. I think more cures for diseases could be found if governments spent more money. They seem to spend so little on controlling disease.

People say that death is the only thing in life that is certain. That’s true. I’m not afraid of dying, but I do think it’s a sad thing. I’d like to live forever. I like life. I want to see my children’s children’s children grow up. People have different views on death in different cultures. In some countries, you die and go to heaven. In other countries you die and come back to Earth as something else. Some people celebrate people’s death because they had a good life. In other countries, death is a sad and dark affair. I know of many countries where death is a taboo subject. People just don’t talk about it. I have no problems talking about death. Especially to my family. I think it’s useful to tell everyone what I want to happen when I die.

I don’t understand discrimination. To me, it’s evil. How can you not think that all people are the same? It doesn’t matter what kind of discrimination it is, it’s all terrible. People who discriminate because of other people’s race, sex or age should be named and shamed. I think there should be really strong laws against all forms of discrimination. Racism is horrible. What difference does it make what colour your skin is? The thing that surprises me is that even in the most cosmopolitan cities, racism is everywhere. Sexual discrimination is also stupid. Sexist people have sisters, mothers, wives, daughters; but they still treat women as being less able. I wonder if we'll ever live in a world where we’re all equal.

Danger is everywhere. It’s all around us. That what I’ve decided. I thought about danger the other day and decided we live in a dangerous world. Even our house is full of danger. There are many chemicals in our cosmetics, cleaners, fridges, computers that are not good for us. The electric wiring could go wrong and electrocute us. We could fall down the stairs or slip on the kitchen floor. And then when we leave our house, we enter a dangerous world. Cars travelling at speed, people holding cigarettes, construction workers with heavy objects above our heads… all of these things present danger. Just turn on the news or open a local paper to see how much danger there is. I think I’ll stay in bed today.

Do you like fast food? Lots of people complain about it but I think a lot of it’s quite tasty – as long as you go to one of the international chains like McDonalds or Kentucky. I think in today’s world, it’s difficult to avoid eating in fast food restaurants. They are so convenient and seem to be everywhere. Of course they’re not the same as real restaurants. I wonder if they are restaurants. There aren’t any waiters. Anyway, the most important thing to remember about fast food is that it isn’t so healthy. People who eat it every day develop health problems. I don’t understand why schools serve fast food during lunch time. Schools should encourage students to eat healthily. If you have time, look at a website on slow food.

Many years ago I read that credit cards were the thing of the future. Credit card companies were telling us that plastic would replace cash. Well, this hasn’t happened. People are still using notes and coins. The Internet has increased the use of credit cards, but many people worry about putting their card details online. Lots of personal info gets stolen by fake sites pretending to be famous banks or online stores. Personally, I love credit cards. I always prefer to pay by card than by cash. When you use your card, you get air miles and every six months you can cash them in for presents. I do worry about credit card security. I keep waiting to see a huge purchase on my statement that I didn’t make.

I learnt all about evolution when I was about ten years old. I remember it clearly. I thought it was amazing. My mind was full of images of strange creatures crawling out of a green, soupy lake. Fish that had somehow developed legs and the ability to breathe air. Then these creatures turned into all kinds of animals. All the books I read said we came from apes. Scientists are still not sure how. There’s a missing link. When I think about it now, the theory of evolution is a clever concept. The man who thought of it, Charles Darwin, said nature is all about the survival of the fittest. Only the strongest species survive. We are still evolving. Scientists believe we will look quite different a million years from now. I wonder what we’ll look like.

I’m really into motor racing. Especially Formula One. It really is one of the most glamorous and exciting sports. Of course, it’s one of the fastest. I’m amazed by the speed of the cars and how skillful the drivers are. I’d love to drive a Formula One car to see how fast they go. People say Formula One is a man’s sport. It isn’t. I know lots of women who love it. One day, there’ll be a female world champion. You wait. I got into Formula One years ago. I loved the names of all the drivers. I watched a few Grands Prix on TV and then I was hooked. I never miss a race on TV. One day, I’d really like to go to a circuit and watch a Grand Prix live. I guess Monaco would be best – they drive through the streets there.

I really don’t know why fishing is so popular. It’s one of the best-loved hobbies all over the world. Anywhere there’s a pond, a river a lake or sea, you see people fishing. I’ve only been fishing twice and I thought it was boring. I didn’t catch any fish. Even if I had caught a fish, I don’t think I would have been excited. To me, sitting next to a river waiting for something to happen is strange. I know lots of people who love fishing. They even get up at four o’clock in the morning in the winter to sit in the freezing cold. They say the best time to fish is before the sun comes up. I say they’re crazy. Big game fishing looks good. I like the idea of cruising on a boat near Hawaii looking for giant fish.

Have you ever thought how strange fashion is? People tell us what clothes to wear. That’s weird. Fashion stores tell us what is “in” this summer or this winter. People then buy the same clothes and look like everyone else because they want to feel trendy. The thing is, fashion is about being an individual, but then we all wear clothes that are the same as everyone else’s! Keeping up with fashion is expensive these days. Everyone is into brand fashion. Have you seen how much the most fashionable sneakers are? How can kids afford those? The craziest fashion is the luxury brands. People spend a month’s salary, or more, on a handbag or watch. That’s crazy. I’m happy with an unknown brand at half the price. I don’t mind being unfashionable.

Eggs are great. Where would we be without them? They are so useful. I can’t imagine life or cooking without them. There are many ways of cooking eggs for breakfast – fried eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, etc. There are even many ways of “cooking” these. You can have a runny or hard fried egg or even have it sunny side up. You can have soft or hard-boiled eggs and fluffy scrambled eggs. There are also many things to put on top of eggs – mayonnaise, ketchup, salt, soy sauce. Each country has something different. I like cooking with eggs. I particularly like breaking them. I can now do it with one hand, without breaking the yolk. Sometimes it gets messy and the egg white starts dripping down your arm.

Why do we have crime? When will it all stop? It’s sad that there is so much crime in our society. It hurts so many people. Most people in the world just want to live happily and be good neighbours. Why do some people turn to crime? Money is a big reason. Many criminals pickpocket, steal, kidnap, or even kill people to get money. There are many terrible crimes in the world. Perhaps the worst is ethnic cleansing. This is a crime against humanity. Many people are killed because of their colour or religion. People who commit this crime rarely go to prison. Have you ever been a victim of crime? What do you think we need to do to reduce crime rates? Perhaps you should write to your government. Tell your leaders enough is enough.

I have too many clothes. I have many clothes I’ve only worn once. Sometimes I even find something at the back of a drawer that I never even wore. I bought it, put it away, and then forgot about it. I’m sure I don’t need so many clothes. I don’t think anyone really needs 11 pairs of jeans and 32 sweaters. I won’t tell you how many pairs of shoes I’ve got. That’s way too embarrassing. The simple truth is I love clothes and I love shopping. Maybe I have a problem. I’m sure I’d be a lot richer if I didn’t buy so many clothes. I like brands, so the clothes I buy are quite expensive. One day I’m going to have a big clearout. I’ll take all the clothes I no longer wear and give them to charity.

I dream almost every night. I have a lot of dreams and I remember most of them. I’m not sure what they mean. Some of them are quite strange. One day I’ll have to buy a book on dreams and see if I can interpret them. When I was a little kid, I had really bad dreams. Real scary ones. They were probably nightmares rather than dreams. Usually it was some big, bad stranger chasing me. My dreams today are all very different. Sometimes I’m speaking in another language in my dream. The ones I don’t like are the ones where I’m falling. But I my dreams where I’m flying. I sometimes have really nice dreams, but then my alarm clock goes off. I press snooze and try and get back into my dream for another ten minutes.

I’m hopeless at giving directions. I get very confused. I’m sure I send people in totally the wrong direction. For some reason, I always get stopped for directions in the street. I can usually direct someone if it’s just a block or two, but that’s it. If it’s half way across town, I’ll send you in the opposite direction, guaranteed. The funniest thing is asking for directions in another language. I’m pretty good at saying where I want to go, but when I receive the directions, I understand nothing. I nod my head and smile and say “thank you very much”. The person walks away thinking I understood the directions. I’m impressed by people who can give directions from one town to another. They must have a map inside their head!

Exercise is something most of us love to hate. A lot of us avoid it altogether. I do a lot of exercise, but not because I like it. I do it because it helps me stay slim and healthy. I always feel great after exercising, so there are good parts to it. The thing I hate most is getting ready. It’s really difficult after a hard day’s work to come home and then prepare for your exercises. I really don’t want to do it when I’m getting changed. I hate the warm-up stretching. I also hate the first

Are you into cars? My brother is. He’s car crazy. He buys car magazines, watches car programmes on TV and spends hours looking at car websites. He knows the name, maker, engine size and top speed of every car on the planet. Every time we go out, he talks non-stop about the cars he sees. I like cars. They are interesting. If I had a lot of money, I’d like to buy a sports car. I’m saving up for a small car at the moment. I’ll probably buy a hybrid car that is good for the environment. My brother thinks these are boring. He says a car should be powerful and fast. I don’t agree. I think cars should get you from A to B and be big enough for me and my friends. I also prefer smaller cars because they are easier to park.

Don’t you think books are the best thing in the world? I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t reading a book. I still have memories of being in my school library when I was about five years old. I have been a bit of a bookworm since then. You’ll usually see me with my head buried in a book. I love all kinds of books. Novels are great for getting to know other worlds and cultures. A good book is one where you never want the story to end. I also like autobiographies because I think it’s interesting to read about people’s lives. Encyclopedias are cool too – you can learn everything about everything in these. I still prefer books to the Internet. Books need to be in your hand and made of paper.

Climate change is one of the most worrying things for our planet. Many politicians and scientists say it is the biggest danger we face. I read almost every day that climate change is changing the Earth forever. Many species of animal, fish, insect, frog, etc. are dying. The ice caps in the Arctic and Antarctica are melting. Our weather is changing so places are getting warmer, or colder, or are having more and stronger hurricanes. We all need to do our bit so that climate change does not destroy us. It’s important to cut down on things that produce greenhouse gasses. These warm the planet and change the climate. Doing simple things like turning off lights and recycling paper all help.

Education is one of the most important things in our lives. Don’t you agree? It can make the difference between success and failure. An education can bring us knowledge and make us rich. In rich countries, people are lucky to have good schools. Children start learning from a very young age. They can further their education and go to higher education or university. In Japan, there are even private schools for babies to learn English. It’s a shame that in many rich countries, many children don’t want to learn. Perhaps schools need to find better ways to teach so children want to learn. It’s sad that in many parts of the world, children want to learn but can’t. Make sure you never stop learning. Education is the key to a better future.

There’s an old English saying that says, “A dog is a man’s best friend”. This is true for many people – men and women. Most people I know love dogs. They are pretty cool animals. They are intelligent and very helpful. Dogs are a real member of the family if you have one as a pet. I think dogs are very useful. They keep you company, they bark if a stranger comes near your house, and they fetch your slippers. Not all dogs are nice, though. Some are dangerous. I get sad when I read in the paper about children being attacked by a dog. Owners need to train them better. I also get sad when I read about abandoned dogs. People who want a dog as a pet should get an abandoned one.

Choosing a career is one of the biggest decisions we make in life. It used to be that we chose only one career. People would start a job when they were 18, 19 or 20 and stay in that same career for life. Their career path was quite straightforward. Nowadays, it is normal for people to change careers, five, six, seven times. New technology and globalization means things change quickly. We need to study and keep up with all the changes. I’ve had four different careers now. I like moving from one job to another. It means life never gets boring. It’s much better to keep learning different things in different careers. I have no idea what career I’ll choose next. Perhaps one that doesn’t even exists today.

I hate the sight of blood. Looking at it makes me go all weak at the knees. I can’t even look at my own blood. I don’t know why. The thing I hate most is giving blood for a medical check. I fainted once after I saw my blood in a small bottle. If I have a nose bleed, I have to sit down for 30 minutes before I feel better. It’s impossible for me to watch operations on TV. I wish I could donate blood to others. I can’t. I know giving blood is really important, but I’m not brave enough. One thing about blood I do find interesting is blood types. I think your blood type can affect your personality. I know that in some countries, people with blood type A would not be a good romantic match for someone with blood type O.

One of my favourite times of the day is bath time. I absolutely love taking a bath. Baths are so much better than showers. Having a bath is the most relaxing thing. There’s nothing better in life than sinking into a hot bath and letting the water take away my troubles. A bath really makes you feel great. I especially like taking a bath before going to bed. Bath time is pretty much the only time of the day when you can really pamper yourself. It also means a lot of quality time to yourself. It’s perfect for listening to music and reading a good book. The only thing I don’t like about bath time is when I fall asleep and the water goes cold. Or even worse – when you want a bath and there’s no hot water.

I’m a great art lover. I look at beautiful paintings and sculptures and wish I could be artistic. I can’t draw or paint to save my life. I wonder why some people are so talented and can create amazing pictures, when other people, like me, can’t even draw good matchstick figures. I would like to fill my house with art from all over the world. It’s interesting to see how different cultures have different kinds of art. There’s nothing better than visiting art galleries when you go to another country. I prefer more traditional art. I don’t really understand a lot of modern art. I look at an exhibit of a pile of bricks in a museum but can’t see how it’s art. I always laugh when my children say, “Daddy, I can do better than that!” I often think they can.

People say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That means if someone thinks someone else is beautiful, then they are beautiful. I think the idea of beauty is interesting. Why do we think some things or some people are beautiful and others aren’t? Some people think a building is beautiful, while others think the opposite. People nowadays spend too much time and money on beauty. I agree with the expression, “beauty is only skin deep”. This means that what’s really important is someone’s heart and character, not what they look like on the outside. It’s a little strange, and unfair, that you have to be beautiful to be a top actress or even a news reader on TV. I think there should be equal rights for most of us “non-beautiful” people.

Autumn is such a cool time of the year. Of course it is cool because the temperatures drop after summer. But it is also cool because it’s such a great time of the year. I love the changing of the leaves. The different autumn colours are one of nature’s most beautiful scenes. Sometimes I can’t stop looking at the mountains near my house. They are like an artist’s palette of golds, reds, yellows, browns and other autumnal colours. In America they call autumn ‘fall’ because that is when the leaves fall from the trees. I like the coolness of autumn. Summer is over but you can still wear a T-shirt – just about. You can also spend hours outdoors without sweating. Autumn is the best time of the year to go hiking and go for long walks.

Aren’t airports strange places? There’s so much happening in them. People coming, people going; people crying with sadness because they’re going away, people crying with joy because they’ve arrived. Big airports are almost like small towns. It seems like you walk across a town by the time you check in and get to your departure gate. The thing I like most about airports is people watching. There are people from all over the world. I also like how everything fits and works together. You check your luggage in and then it disappears, before you see it again at the next airport. I still think airports need improving. There’s not a lot to do there. Airports really need to have an entertainment area so people can kill time.

There is no way that famine should be a problem in today’s world. We are so rich. Companies have billions of dollars. Countries have trillions. It’s a real shame that people do not give enough to help famine victims. It’s a sin. There is more than enough food in this world to feed everyone. Government leaders need to tell the world why they let people die of hunger. Even the United Nations can’t persuade governments to give enough money to help the starving. Of course, there are good governments and bad ones. The bad ones often let their own people starve. The leaders steal the country’s money. Some countries have a famine but their state TV tells people there are bumper crops. That’s shocking.

Digital cameras are so useful. I love my digital camera. I take it everywhere with me. My friends think I’m mad, but I’ve got thousands of really good photos. Digital cameras are so much better than the old cameras with film. They’re also much better than mobile phone cameras. My digital camera fits in my pocket and takes great photos. I usually take a few photos every day and then put them online for my friends to see. The best thing about digital cameras is that they are so easy to use. It’s child’s play. The good thing is that digital cameras today give the same quality photos as you could only get on really expensive cameras. All you need is 10 to 12 megapixels. That’s more than enough.

Airplanes are amazing. How does something so big and heavy get off the ground? I’m always amazed at how the millions of different parts work together. Travelling by airplane is always a wonderful experience. I don’t care whether economy class is cramped and has no space. I like playing with the in-flight entertainment system, especially now they have all the latest movies. I also love airplane food. Many of my friends say it’s disgusting, but I love it. I often ask the passenger next to me if I can have the dessert or roll they don’t want. The only thing I don’t like about planes is turbulence. When the airplane hits those air pockets, I always worry we’ll crash. But I once read that turbulence has never caused an airplane to crash.

I don’t think people understand cyber-crime. It’s only just started. In the future, it’s going to be a huge problem. There have already been a few amazing examples. A few years ago the whole Internet in Latvia was attacked by another country. Cyberspace has become a new battleground. Countries spy on each other. If there’s a war, it’s possible one country could attack the other country’s Internet. This would mean all communication, transport, etc would stop. It would cause huge damage to hospitals and other important buildings. But cyber-crime is happening today to ordinary people. Have you ever heard of phishing? That’s with a ‘ph’ not ‘f’. You really need to be very careful about what information you put online.

I have loved dancing ever since I can remember. It was a part of my life when I was growing up and it is still important to me now. It has to be the best way to exercise. What can be better than dancing to your favourite songs? I love going to clubs and discos. I can dance all night long. I never get tired of it. When I was small, I used to go to school discos. I’d also dance at the parties my parents, friends and neighbours had. I don’t think I’ll ever stop dancing. I also love looking at dancing. Ballet is beautiful. Dances from all over the world are beautiful. I think the life of a professional dancer must be a good one. One thing that always amazes me is how much children love dancing. I think dancing must be in their blood.

I wish we didn’t need cosmetics. We spend so much time and money on them. And for what? We take them off at night, only to put them all on again in the morning. If you think about it. they’re amazingly expensive. Why does a lipstick or a small tube of cream cost so much? The really expensive cosmetics don’t actually make you look that different than really cheap ones. A lot depends too on your skill – choosing the right colours to match your face, and how you put your make-up on. I sometimes laugh at the ladies selling cosmetics in department stores. They’re meant to be experts but they look like clowns. I mean, do they really need to paint their faces? One thing I worry about is whether the chemicals damage your skin.

I’m a bit shy when I have to speak in English. I’m a little worried about making mistakes. I also still lack confidence. Many of my friends don’t worry about mistakes. They just talk and talk. They always get their message across, even if their grammar is wrong. I think this is the best thing to do. My teacher always says it’s best to learn by doing. If I don’t try to speak English, I’ll never be able to use it when I need it. One thing I started doing recently was talking to myself. I have short conversations with myself. I think it works. I also make short stories about people and say them aloud. I do this in my room, of course. People would think I’m crazy if I did it in class or on the train.

My energy levels go up and down. Sometimes I’m full of energy, and sometimes I’m drained of energy. Mornings are when my energy levels are high. I wake up ready to go. I don’t need 30 minutes to wake up, like some people I know. For some reason the food I eat doesn’t affect how energetic I am. Some people feel tired after lunch, while others complain they need to eat something for an energy boost. I seem to have the same level of energy even if I eat nothing all day. The one thing that does affect my energy is the weather. A bright, sunny day gives me lots of energy. A dull, rainy day makes me feel less energetic. I also have a lot of energy if I’m doing something exciting – even if it’s study or work.

E-mail certainly keeps me busy. I never used to write as many letters as I do now. In the good old days before computers, we wrote real letters, with paper and envelopes. I wrote one or two letters a week. But now, with e-mail, my in-box is never empty. There’s always someone mailing me. I would like just one day where I’m free of e-mail. The sad thing is, very few mails I get are interesting. I get loads of spam – junk mail trying to sell me things I don’t want. I also get lots of mail from people asking me to do stuff. Do this, do that, reply ASAP. It’s too much sometimes. The one good thing about e-mail is that you can get things done quickly. I can e-mail a company in another country and they can mail me back in two minutes.

Eating is the best thing ever. I love eating. Any time of the day or night I can eat…. and eat and eat and eat. I have a very big appetite. I always have. My mother used to complain about how much I ate. She used to ask me if I had a hole in my stomach. Eating is very, very satisfying. There are many different aspects of eating. It fills us up and stops us feeling hungry. Food tastes so good and eating it makes us feel very happy. Sometimes I feel like I’m in heaven when I’m eating – especially chocolate fudge cheesecake. Yum. Eating is also a great social activity. I love eating with my family, with my friends or even at work. Eating can also be an international experience. Eating is great just about anywhere you eat.

Divorce is on the increase around the world. It seems divorce rates are rising in pretty much every country you read about. I know in my country, divorce is now not unusual. More than thirty per cent of marriages end in divorce. I suppose it’s easier nowadays to get a divorce, and it’s more socially acceptable. I know it was more difficult to get divorced 50 years ago. People thought that there was something wrong with you if you were a divorcee. Today, it’s common to get through two, three, even more marriages. Perhaps people should think a bit more before they get married. Divorce is pretty hard on children. When a divorce gets ugly, the kids really suffer. Sorting out divorce settlements can be a messy business.

Would you like to change your face and body? Would you like movie star looks? A lot of people want to do this. They pay lots of money to go to a cosmetic surgeon and change their appearance. The most common operation we call a nose job. People who are unhappy with their nose have it reshaped. Other people want their wrinkles to disappear to make themselves look younger. People also go under the knife and have things made bigger or smaller. I think this is a waste of money. I'm not the best-looking person in the world but I would never consider plastic surgery - even if it was free. Some people have so many operations they end up looking like they’re made of plastic. I'd rather stay looking human.

Anyone who does not absolutely love chocolate is mad. I don’t think I know anyone who dislikes it. Some of my friends say they hate white chocolate or dark chocolate, but then they like some other kind. I think chocolate is one of the best inventions ever. It is also one of life’s true pleasures. There’s nothing better than having your whole mouth full of chocolate and letting it melt. I love pushing the chocolate up against the roof of my mouth and then moving it all around. Yum. I eat chocolate every day. I know it’s bad for our teeth and makes us fat, but I don’t care. I prefer to think about the health benefits of chocolate. I’ve read many articles that say chocolate is good for us.

I’m afraid of the dentist. Always have been, for as long as I can remember. Even if the dentist is really, really kind and gentle, I’m still afraid. Even if the dental surgery is colourful and there’s relaxing music, I’m still afraid. Dentists for me haven’t changed a bit. When I was a child, I hated the sound of the drill. That sound is still there today. When I was young, I hated the smell. Same smell today. I can’t wait for the day scientists invent something so we never need dentists. The strange thing is, when I was younger, I wanted to be a dentist. I thought it would be good to treat people just like me. I felt I would understand others who have the same fear. I think I would have been a good dentist.

Do you ever think about or worry about the number of calories you eat and drink every day. It’s not really something I thought about when I was younger. But now I have to think about my calorie intake. I’m putting on weight and so need to be more careful with what I eat. This is difficult because all of the yummiest food has the most calories. I’ve found an answer to this problem. If I do lots of exercise, I can eat what I want and not have to worry about calories. I burn off 500 calories when I jog for an hour. This means I can have a pizza and dessert and not feel guilty. I wish there was more information about calories in restaurants. It would make it easier for me to know what to eat and what to avoid.

Doctors are cool. They spend all their day helping people and saving lives. There can’t be many better jobs in the world. I wanted to be a doctor when I was a kid but I was no good at science. I think doctors are among the most important people in society. They should get paid lots and lots of money. It’s not right that bankers get paid more. Doctors are really clever and very kind. They never seem to panic or get angry. Every time I’ve seen a doctor, he or she has always made me feel better – not just because of their treatment, but also because of their kindness. It must be amazing being a doctor and knowing all kinds of stuff about the human body. It would be pretty useful being a doctor because then you’d know what was wrong with your own body.

Being single has its advantages and disadvantages. I think it’s better to stay single when you’re young. You need to live and have fun. You also need the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Being single in your twenties gives you lots of time to go travelling, see the world and experience different things. Most people like being single in their twenties and then want to settle down in their thirties. I think being single later in life can be sad. All of your friends are married or attached and people tend to go out and party less. I think being single when you’re old would be very lonely. The longer you stay single, the harder it becomes to settle down. In some countries, people think you’re strange if you’re single later on in life.

I think Christmas is one of the happiest times of the year. Everyone has a smile on their face, especially children. It’s such an exciting time for kids. They can’t wait to open their presents and play with all of their new games and toys. It’s a nice time for adults too. They can catch up with their families and relax. Traditionally, the mother of the family is busiest at Christmas. She does most of the Christmas shopping and wraps the presents. Of course, she also spends hours cooking Christmas dinner. Let’s not forget the true meaning of Christmas, though. It is not about shopping and Christmas trees and ‘Frosty the Snowman’. It’s all about love for each other and peace around the world. Let’s hope this message stays alive.

We have to do something about pollution. Even though there are warnings about global warming, companies don’t do anything to reduce pollution. Our sky, air, rivers, beaches and countryside are becoming rubbish dumps. The air is so polluted it is giving children breathing problems. Polluted rivers have no fish left in them and beaches are too dangerous to walk on because of the garbage everywhere. It seems a lot of people don’t care. I think there should be big fines for polluters. I don’t mind paying more for things if they can be made with less pollution. The problem is that companies are more interested in profits than pollution. We have only just started looking at our carbon footprint.

Birthdays are brilliant. I’m 62 years old and I still love them. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad birthday. In fact, I think birthdays get better and better the older you become. Sure, kids love birthdays because they get presents and get to eat cake. But when you get older, birthdays make you feel special. It’s your special day. Even if no one wishes you a happy birthday, it’s still your special day. A lot of my friends think I’m mad. They hate their birthdays because it means they’re another year older. I hope I get to celebrate my hundredth birthday. I’m not sure if I can blow out 100 candles though. When I look back at all my birthdays, it’s difficult to choose the best. I’ll just say my last birthday is always the best one.

I’m not the world’s biggest fan of banks. I’ve had too many bad experiences of them. I really don’t know how they can advertise and say they look after you. They don’t. Bank charges are way too high; you spend ages waiting to be served; and then they say no if you want a loan. The bank I bank with makes dozens of mistakes with my account. The thing they’re best at is making excuses. I’m not at all surprised so many banks did badly in the credit crisis. I hope they change. Bankers get far too much money. All they do is desk work. Banks need to focus a lot more on real customer service. At the moment banks only offer an excuse for customer service. They don’t even offer you a drink when you sit down and open an account.

In the USA, they’re called apartments; in the UK they’re called flats. They are a modern invention. I don’t particularly like them. I don’t think it’s good for so many people to live so close together. It’s not good for people to live on top of each other. I don’t understand how people can live above the second floor. It’s not natural to live in the sky. The thing I hate most about apartments are the lifts (Americans say elevator) and the fact there’s no garden. More and more people are moving into apartments. This creates problems with overcrowding. There aren’t enough spaces to park your car, there’s nowhere to throw your rubbish and you have to wait ages to reach your floor. Give me a little house with a little garden any day.

There’s a famous song that says “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. Is that true? Do all women like diamonds? They are certainly very beautiful, especially when you see them sparkling. But really, only rich people can afford diamonds. When I bought my wife’s wedding ring, we could only afford a smallish diamond. There were lots of beautiful rings in the store with huge diamonds but they all cost an arm and a leg. One day I’ll buy her a big diamond as a surprise. Nowadays you have to worry where diamonds come from. Many countries sell diamonds to buy guns and tanks. These are called blood diamonds. If you buy a diamond, make sure it has a certificate so you know which country it came from.

I love the news and current events. I’m addicted to what’s happening in the world. It doesn’t matter what kind of news it is, I love watching it. Even if it’s from countries I’ve never heard of. I’ll even watch the same news programme three or four times and not get bored. I guess it’s so fascinating because it’s real. I get really interested in a story when it breaks, then like to follow it as it unfolds. Following current events makes you quite knowledgeable. I know most of the world’s capitals and most of the world’s leaders. Watching the news is really looking at history happening now. But you never know what’s going to happen next. Every time you turn on the news or read a news story, you’ll find something unexpected.

It’s hard to believe that no one had computers a few years ago. I wonder how people lived. There must have been a lot of paperwork. I can’t imagine writing everything by hand. I also wonder how everything worked without computers. We need computers today for everything. Hospitals, airports, the police… nothing can work without computers. I’m sure I’d be ten times busier than now if I didn’t have a computer. Imagine having to find a piece of paper and an envelope and then walking down the street to mail a letter! I love my computer. It makes everything in my life so convenient. Sure, it freezes and crashes sometimes. Sure I lose some data. But that’s not often. Most of the time my computer is like my best friend.

I don’t know what I would do without my friends’ advice. They’ve all given me so much good advice over the years. It’s sometimes very difficult to make decisions on your own. Listening to advice can be great for helping you make the right decision. The greatest piece of advice I’ve received was from my father. He told me I can do anything in life if I try hard. He was right. I am now passing on his advice to my own children. Right now I need some advice on money. My financial advisors are telling me to be very careful. That’s very sound advice. I would advise anyone to do the same. Someone asked me the other day about the worst piece of advice I’ve ever had. I couldn’t answer. I don’t think I’ve had any really bad advice.

Children are angels. Most of the time this is true. I’m very lucky because my two children really are the greatest angels. I think I won the children lottery with my kids. I could not have asked for lovelier, happier, sweeter little children. They have brought me endless amounts of joy since the second they were born. Everything they do fascinates me. Everything they say makes me smile. Watching them grow up is my greatest pleasure. In a way, it’s a little sad. I always want them to stay the age they’re at now. When they were 18 months old, I thought that was the cutest age. I thought the same when they were two, and then three and then four. I guess however old they are, they’re perfect. I wish all the children in the world were as happy as mine.

What are your bad habits? I think everyone has bad habits. Not everyone agrees on what bad habits are. Some smokers don’t think smoking is a bad habit. Young people don’t think listening to loud music on the train is a bad habit. In Japan, slurping your noodles is a sign that you enjoy your food, but making a noise while eating in England is not good. Have you ever tried to break your bad habits? I have quit smoking and have stopped leaving things laying around the house. I wish other people would stop their bad habits. I get annoyed when people are late for meetings or talk loudly on their phones in public. I also think many motorists need to think about their driving habits. Perhaps I should point out their bad habits.

I’m a real animal lover. I’m fascinated by the whole animal kingdom. I loved animals when I was a kid. I used to read every book I could find on animals. I knew all the different animal species. The most exciting thing for me was going to the zoo. I would spend hours just watching the animals walk around, sit, or even sleep. When I was older, I went on a safari to Tanzania. I saw real wild animals in the wild. Everyone should do this once in their lives. Looking at animals in their natural habitat is a real honour. Now I’m worried about the future of many animals. Some of my favourite animals are in danger of dying out. We really need to change our lifestyle so our children can have the chance of seeing animals in the wild.

What is advertising? Is it telling the truth or is it making things look better than they really are? Or is it lying? Companies pay a lot of money for adverts. Some of the ads you see in glossy magazines look like art. The commercials on TV look like mini movies. Do they really change our behaviour? Do adverts make you buy things? I think some advertising is a form of lying. Is BMW really “The ultimate driving machine” like they say in their ads? British Airways used to say they were “The world’s favourite airline,” but had to stop saying it because it wasn’t true. Personally, I get tired of watching ads on television. They always interrupt a good programme. I like ads in magazines. They’re usually quite interesting.

I’m really interested in the culture of other countries. I don’t know why, but I always think other cultures are more interesting than my own culture. Every time I travel, I learn wonderful, strange, amazing and interesting things about other cultures. One of the biggest surprises I had was when I went to the USA as a child. I’m English so I thought Americans had the same culture as me. When I went to America I understood Americans and Brits are very different people. Understanding the culture of other people is very important. It helps us all to get along. If everyone really tried to learn about other cultures, the world would be a more peaceful place. The world is becoming smaller, so I think this is happening.

Scientists and doctors can’t make their minds up about coffee. One study says it’s really bad for us and the next report says it’s good for us. I’ve even read that 10 cups a day is good for our brain. I like a cup of coffee at certain times of the day. I must have a coffee first thing in the morning. I can’t survive without my morning coffee. I have another cup or two when I get to work. And that’s it. I never drink coffee after lunchtime. If I do, I can’t sleep at night. The only time I drink coffee in the evening is if I go to a nice restaurant. Coffee seems a lot more complicated these days. When I was younger it was just coffee. Now it’s latte, frappucino and all kinds of other strange words.

Chickens are so important to many of us because they are a major part of our diet. Every country has so many chicken dishes, and eggs are one of the most common foods around. Chickens are also cute. Well, chickens aren’t, but chicks are - cute, fluffy chicks that make everyone go ‘aaahh’. It’s strange though that the word ‘chicken’ is used in so many English idioms. When I was at high school, you couldn’t ‘chicken out’ – to not do something because of being scared. Things are different today - I’m no spring chicken (that means I’m no longer young) so no one calls me a chicken any more. I work now - as a teacher. I get chicken feed (low wages) but I like my job. I plan to retire before I’m 50, but I’m not going to count my chickens before they’re hatched. This means I won’t quit working until I have enough money.

Business isn’t so good at the moment. In fact, it’s the worst time for businesses for decades. Many businesses are going bust because of the global financial crisis. Even sound businesses like the car industry and electronics are going through a really bad time. Many small businesses have gone out of business. It’s a real shame because so many lives are being ruined. With a lot of businesses it’s a real fight for survival. I really respect people for trying to make a go of their business. I don’t have much business sense. I wouldn’t know where to start in opening my own business. I suppose the best thing would be to look at business startups on the Internet. An online business might be good. There seems to be less risk.

Are you busy? Do you lead a busy life? It seems we get busier and busier in our lives. I hate being busy. I’d much rather have nothing to do. Being busy makes me stressed and I end up making mistakes or forgetting something. Who’s the busiest person you know? I bet he or she is really stressed. The busy people I know are always looking ahead to their next holiday… and then in their holiday they are busy doing other things. I think we busy ourselves with too many things. We need to learn to relax and take things slowly. Even at work we have to look busy, even if we’re not. When the boss comes, we tell our friends, “Look busy!” That’s silly. It would be great if the word ‘busy’ disappeared from the English language.

An American president once said the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. Can’t remember which President, but never mind. I think that’s an interesting quote. It’s so true, most of the time. We all spend a lot of time worried or afraid that something bad will happen, and then nothing happens. It is the fear that frightens us, not the thing that might or might not happen. And then there are phobias. Millions of people are afraid of something that the rest of the world thinks is quite normal. How can you be afraid of things like peanut butter? There’s actually a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Amazing. Fear is sometimes good. It makes us alert and can keep us safe in a dangerous situation.

Most people know the word 'avatar'. Perhaps we all saw the movie with the same name. Avatars are becoming a normal part of our life. Well... I should say our online life. Almost everywhere you go on the Internet you see avatars. Sometimes it's a website asking you to make an avatar, and other times it's people's real avatars. Do you have one? Or two, or three? I see a lot of avatars that are kind of cute and look like Japanese anime. One of the most popular things is to choose an animal as an avatar. I always take a long time to choose my avatar. It's important to make one I really like. It has to be funny. I also like avatars that move. All of the best avatars I've seen move. They are usually very funny, and clever.

Getting married is one of the happiest days of anyone’s life. Being married is also full of happiness, but there are also many difficulties. It isn’t always easy to be married. You have to put up with your spouse’s bad habits and moods forever. You have to negotiate and compromise on many things from who’s first in the bathroom in the mornings to where you go on vacation. Of course, being married also has many wonderful sides to it. You have a lifelong friend who will love you forever. You share many wonderful times together and support each other through good and bad times. And you grow old together and look back on years of happy memories. I think being married is great for your soul.

I loved babysitting when I was younger. It was a really easy way to make money. All I had to do was sit in my neighbour’s house and look after the kids. That was the easy bit, because the kids were usually asleep in bed. The parents would give me a lot of money for watching DVDs and eating snacks. When I was even younger, I liked it when my babysitter came round. She would always play games with us and let us stay up late. She would send us to bed just before my parents came home. I know in some countries, babysitting isn’t so common. It isn’t part of the culture. I suppose that’s not such a bad thing. I read a lot in the papers nowadays about babysitters hitting the children because they don’t sleep. That’s really bad.

I hate alcohol. I really don’t understand how or why people drink it. The smell of alcohol on people’s breath is disgusting. It’s expensive and it gives you a bad headache. I drank when I was much younger, but I haven’t touched a drop for years. I hated hangovers so I decided to stop drinking altogether. I have a much better time without alcohol. People say they need to drink to relax. They drink and just act and look stupid. Their face goes red and they can’t walk in a straight line. Alcohol is also the most damaging drug in society. That’s what I think, anyway. Alcohol causes many illnesses, traffic accidents, fights and domestic violence. If you banned alcohol, people would be healthier, richer and have a better family life.

There are aliens out there, somewhere. I strongly believe this. Not sure what they look like, though. I really doubt they are green, like they are in science fiction movies. I also don’t think they look like us. But I’m sure they exist. I just don’t think we’ll ever see any or find any. They live too far away. If you think about it logically, there has to be aliens out there. All a planet needs is to be warm and have water and life will exist. There are billions and billions of planets in the universe, so there are probably millions and millions that have life. Alien life. It’s also likely that some of the aliens are much more intelligent than we are. I wonder what we’d do if really intelligent aliens visited Earth. What would we ask them?

Being an actor must be great. I really wish I could act. I’d love to have the confidence to act in front of people. Being a member of the audience at the theatre is great, but acting on stage is better. I wonder what it’s like to be a movie actor. I think you need to be beautiful or handsome to be a successful Hollywood or Bollywood actor. They all look great. Actors are very lucky. They get paid huge amounts of money to do what they love doing. My favourite actors are all dead now. I really like the actors in the old black and white movies. They all looked so cool. Actors in the old days seemed to be more glamorous than today’s actors. The best thing about being an actor is that all of your friends are famous too.

I wonder how many accidents I’ve had in my life. I’ve had a few serious ones where I’ve ended up in hospital. Traffic accidents are the worst. They’re always painful. I haven’t had too many work-related accidents. I suppose that’s because I do office work and that’s not so dangerous. Most of my accidents are those around the house. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve hit my thumb with a hammer. I’m also really good at standing up and hitting my head on something. I’m not as bad as my friend though. He’s a real accident looking for somewhere to happen. Almost every time we meet, he has some story to tell about his latest accident. He’s quite unbelievable. I think I’d be very worried if I were his mother.

Uruguay won the first World Cup in 1930 and we’re going to win the next one too. There are only three million people in Uruguay but we have a great footballing history. We really think it’s our turn to shine again on the world stage. We have the players to do that. Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez are among the best strikers in the world. I love watching them play. They really are top class goalscorers. I’m so looking forward to seeing my team play in South Africa. I know I will get a lump in my throat. Every time I see their blue and white striped shirts, I get excited. I think we have the best soccer kit in the world. As our coach Oscar Tabarez says, “we have a lot of strong points and we hope to be able to show them.” I hope his words come true in South Africa.

FIFA deciding to give the 2010 World Cup to South Africa was a proud moment for us. We South Africans have been preparing years for this event – the first on African soil. We will win the trophy. History is on our side. If you look back at previous tournaments, the host nation has won many times. That will happen this time too. We will show the world our Bafana Bafana spirit. We aren’t afraid of anyone and will even beat France to reach the next round. We can do it. Last year we only just lost to Brazil in the Confederations Cup. We will go a stage further in June. We have some of the world’s top players. They play in the English Premier League. I’m sure Steven Pienaar will shine and become one of the stars of the World Cup. Please enjoy our African football.

I think the Vancouver Winter Olympics will be really special. It’s such a great place to have the event. I’m not sure if I like the winter or summer Olympics better. I’d rather be a competitor in the summer games – it’s warmer. The winter Olympics are definitely the most beautiful. Looking at skiers come down a snowy slope against a blue sky is a wonderful sight. I also love the winter Olympics because of the skating. It’s amazing watching the speeds the speed skaters reach – they’re so fast. I also think the figure skaters put on a fantastic show. Another winter Olympic event I like is the luge – I think people have to be crazy to sit on almost nothing and shoot down an ice tunnel at high speeds. I wonder who will win the most gold medals. Maybe it’ll be Norway, or Russia.

The question of organ transplants is a difficult one. Not for me though. I’m quite happy to donate all of my organs for transplants. I don’t mind my body being donated to science after I die. I think it’s much better to be useful even after I die. I would be so happy to know that my heart was used to save someone else’s life. I don’t need my eyes after I die, so it’d be great if someone else could use them to see. Even though I want my body to be used for medical science, it feels a little strange to think that medical students will be cutting me up. I know in other parts of the world there are many people who don’t like the idea of organ transplants. They believe the body should stay in one piece. I hope that changes because doctors really need the organs.

I first heard about the ozone layer about twenty years ago. I was still in school. I thought it was interesting, but I didn’t take it seriously. It was a bit like science fiction, I mean, how could there be a giant hole in the atmosphere? Over the years, more and more scientists spoke about the ozone layer. Global warming became a serious issue. Important people like Al Gore made movies about it. We all know today that the thinning ozone layer is perhaps the most serious crisis we face today. Even though many people have changed their lifestyles, we are still damaging the ozone layer. We need to do something really drastic to stop this. We all need to stop driving cars and stop using coal. That would be a start.

I so can’t wait for the Super Bowl. It’s gonna be the best ever. Every year I always look forward to it. It’s quite simply the greatest show on Earth. You can’t compare the Super Bowl to any other sporting event. It’s even better than the Olympics. It’s one hundred times more exciting than the soccer World Cup. This year is extra special. My favorite team’s playing – the New Orleans Saints. The Indianapolis Colts are the favorites. We’re the underdogs, but I don’t care. I have this feeling we’re gonna win big. I also just found out the British rock group The Who are performing during the halftime show. I love those guys – they really rock. All in all I think Super Bowl 44 will be totally awesome.

Overpopulation is a real problem. It could kill the Earth. Very soon, there will be too many people and not enough land. There won’t be enough farms to grow food for everyone. We’ll eat all of the fish in the sea. And our pollution will cause more global warming. I think we are in a very serious situation. I don’t know what the answer is. Our leaders don’t seem too worried. They never see the bigger picture. The world’s population is exploding, and explosions cause great damage. More and more people are living longer and longer. We have better medicines. Our scientists have found cures to many diseases. There are many reasons. What we really need to do is think about how overpopulation is damaging the Earth.

We all have opinions on everything. Some of us have very strong opinions. Others have not-so-strong opinions. And then there are those who say they have no opinion, which I suppose is some kind of opinion. It’s interesting how our opinions can be so different. Even on the smallest of things. It’s also interesting to see how your opinions change as you get older. My opinions of other people change a lot. You have first impressions of someone – that’s your initial opinion. Then, as you get to know them, your opinions of them can change – for better or worse. Whose opinion is right? I suppose it’s the person who is strongest. They try to force their opinions on others. It’s important to listen to and consider the opinions of other people.

The number one is a good number. Maybe it’s the best number. Why? Because everyone wants to be number one. It’s actually a very useful word in English. There are so many different expressions with ‘one’. Of course it’s a number and useful in maths, but there’s so much more. Try a little experiment, Write down all the common word partners of ‘one’. I can think of loads right now. ‘One way’, ‘one world’, one chance’, one time’, etc. There are also lots of expressions, such as ‘one in a million’ or ‘one at a time’. I’m sure if you looked in any dictionary, you’ll find hundreds of useful things on ‘one’. If you want some really detailed info on the word or number one, go to Wikipedia.com. ‘One’ really is one useful word.

Operations are amazing things – unless, that is, you’re having one. I always think it is incredible how doctors can cut people open and repair their body. It must take great skill. I can’t believe some operations can take over 12 hours. I’ve had a few operations in my life. I have very mixed feelings about them. My worst fear is that I’ll die. My biggest hope is that the operation will be successful and I’ll make a full recovery. I also think about how interesting it is. I like watching all the things the doctors and nurses do before the operation. I’m really nervous, but it’s like being in the middle of a TV documentary. I once had an operation and I was awake for the whole thing. I could see lots, but I won’t go any further.

Oil is good and bad. It’s good because it helps our energy needs. It’s bad because it causes pollution. Oil is a fossil fuel. Burning it produces carbon dioxide (CO2). This is one of the biggest causes of global warming. There isn’t much oil left in the ground. Some people say it will all be gone this century. I suppose that means we won’t make as much pollution. But what will we do when the oil runs out? Scientists are working on that right now. We need to do something because we use oil to power our cars, homes and factories. Whatever we replace oil with must be better for the environment. I don’t think oil-producing countries are happy their oil will run out. They need to start thinking about how to make money after the oil has gone.

I like the expression ‘OK’. I don’t know why. It’s so useful. Everyone in the world understands what it means. It must be the only word that everyone knows. Is it a word or is at an abbreviation? We spell it ‘okay’ but abbreviate it as ‘OK’. I wonder how many meanings it has. You can ask if someone is OK, if they are ill; you can ask if someone understands a question or instructions using OK; you can even let someone know ‘enough is enough’ by saying OK. If you say something is OK, it means you don’t really like or dislike it. In fact, sometimes, if you say, “He’s OK” or “She’s OK, it means you don’t really like them. I think okay is also a verb. I have heard people say, “It’s OK, John okayed it”.

I’m a bit worried about my old age. I don’t really want to get old. I like being young. On the other hand, if I do get old, I want to live to be over 100. I’m hoping old age will be nice. It seems a time when you can relax and slow down. If course, you have to slow down because you’re body wears out. There are two things I’m worried about. One is money. I think if you are old and poor, you’ll be miserable. No money to enjoy yourself. Maybe not even enough money to eat, pay bills or go to the hospital. That’s scary. The other thing I worry about is being in good health. Especially my mental health. I imagine I’ll be happy in my old age. I have so many hobbies and I know I’ll enjoy doing them all every day.

Obesity is a problem that is getting bigger and bigger around the world. It really hits rich countries. When people have money, they buy a lot of the wrong food. They become lazy and eat fast food. They also forget about exercise and sit in front of the TV instead. The worrying thing is that more and more children are suffering from obesity. This is a big problem. The number of overweight kids I see today is amazing. I think the reason is quite simple – junk food, video games and the Internet. When I was growing up, I had a balanced diet. I also spent most of my free time outdoors. I spent hours every day on my bike or playing football. Kids today hardly go outside. They are glued to one kind of screen or another – TV, computer or games console.

I really worry about our oceans. Not many people understand how important the oceans are. Every day we hear stories about the rainforests and the ice caps, but we rarely hear about the oceans. They form most of the Earth’s surface and most of the world’s species live in them. They are responsible for weather patterns and a lot of the world’s foods. The problem is, they are becoming very polluted. Many fish species are in danger of dying. The coral reefs in our oceans are also in danger. We really need to think more about our oceans. We have to protect the life in them, or we might die. I love the ocean. I love the sound, the smell, the colour. I feel so happy and relaxed just looking at the ocean.

Nuclear weapons are the worst thing invented by man. The day we invented them was a black day in our history. Fortunately, they have only been used a few times. We only need to read the history of what happened in Japan to understand why nuclear weapons must never be used again. The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed in an instant. Hundreds of thousands died. Today, nuclear weapons are a hundred times more powerful. It’s scary to think how much harm one nuclear bomb could cause. Even scarier, is what happens if terrorists get hold of nuclear weapons. I fear for our future. One day, all countries will have nuclear weapons and then we’ll be in real trouble.

Nursing is one of the greatest professions in the world. It’s so much more important than most jobs. The sad thing is that nurses get paid so little. They do such a valuable job but get paid less than politicians. This is not right. Politicians do whatever they can to take our money. They even vote to stop nurses getting increases in pay. This is wrong. Governments need to do more to help nurses. There should be a bigger focus on the profession. I would much rather have more nurses than more weapons. A few years ago I wanted to get into nursing. I met some nurses who told me not to. They said the job involved too many hours, too much paperwork and not enough pay. That’s sad. We can’t afford to treat nurses so badly.

Many scientists say nuclear energy is our future. Many normal people aren’t so sure. I think most of us worry about nuclear energy. We hear on the news about the dangers of nuclear power. Many years ago there was a big accident in Chernobyl, Russia. A nuclear reactor caught fire and melted. Because of this, deadly radiation spread across the whole of Europe. There were reports that sheep in England caught radiation sickness. I think things are safer now. Many countries trust nuclear energy. France and Japan each has dozens of nuclear power stations. I think it’s probably a good idea. We really need to stop using fossil fuels. Nuclear power is a lot less harmful to the environment. Perhaps we need to spend more money on making it safer.

A Just stop and think how important numbers are to our lives. Numbers control us. In fact, we are numbers. We have passport numbers, social security numbers, ID numbers, and more. We live in a house and a street that has a number. We communicate with each other using telephone numbers. We worry about how small or big the numbers are on our bank statements. We can’t survive without numbers. Most of the world cannot function without the numbers zero and one. These are the two numbers computers use to run their programmes. I don’t think numbers were always so important. Maybe 500 years ago, we only had to remember the number of sheep, goats or children we had. I wonder how many numbers we need today!

Our nose is the strangest of all body parts. It’s such a funny thing. And where is it? Right on the front of our face. Right in the middle. It would be OK if everyone had exactly the same nose. But we all have a different nose. Some of us have a big nose, some a small nose. Some of us have a crooked nose with big nostrils. My nose is one part of my body I’d really like to change. It’s too big for the size of my face. When people talk about why other people are beautiful or handsome, no one says, “because he or she has a nice nose,” or “oooh, his (or her) nose is just soooo sexy”. I suppose if you really don’t like your nose, you can have a nose job. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford cosmetic surgery.

Noise is everywhere. I bet there isn’t a place on Earth where you can’t hear anything. I live in the city, so noise is everywhere. Sometimes it gets to me. I really want to have a button to turn it off. It’s amazing how much noise there is around us. We usually never even think about it. Listen now to the noise around you. Cars, computers, music, people talking. It’s strange to think that in the past few decades, people have been talking about noise pollution. That’s a really good description. Noise is quite often pollution. It’s stuff that makes our surroundings unpleasant. I wonder if there is any kind of noise that is good noise. The very word ‘noise’ has a negative meaning. But if you say sound, it has a different meaning. I love the sound of babies laughing.

I love the Olympics. It really is a unique and special world occasion. There’s only one event in the world better than the Olympics, and that’s the Football World Cup. Anyway, the Olympics really is a celebration of humanity. The whole world watches and gets excited. We love watching our heroes trying to win gold. I don’t usually get excited about seeing my country’s flag, but at the Olympics, I love it. I think the Olympics were better many years ago. Then, they had traditional Olympic sports. Nowadays we have professional tennis and baseball stars playing in sports that aren’t really Olympic sports. I would love to see an Olympic games. Maybe I’ll be lucky and get a chance to see the London games in 2012.

I like the night. It’s an interesting time of the day. The city changes at night. I like all the bright lights. People seem to be more active. Everyone is rushing home or going out. All the action starts at night. Restaurants, bars and clubs open. Everyone is happy. Night means we can stop working or studying and enjoy ourselves. It’s cooler at night so you feel more relaxed. Of course, the city at night is very different from the country. All you can do in the country is look at the night sky or sit around a fire. Everything stops at night in the country and people sleep very early. Except for insects. Night time can be very noisy because of the insects that come out at night. I’m a night person. I’m nocturnal, like an owl or bat.

I wonder why the Nobel Prize is so famous. Sure, the people who win it are very clever, but they’re not really superstars. I’ve usually heard of the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize because they’re always in the news. But have you ever heard of the Nobel Laureates for Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, etc? Even though I read a lot, I only sometimes know the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. I like reading about who won the Nobel Prize. It makes me want to be like them. Of course, I can never win such a prize, but I can study more. Some of the Nobel Prize winners of the past are really famous. Einstein and Mother Theresa are perhaps the most famous. I was shocked to learn Gandhi never won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Neighbours are very hit and miss. Sometimes you hit the jackpot and get neighbours who become great friends. Other times you get the short straw and have nightmare neighbours. I’ve had good and bad neighbours. I’m not sure why some neighbours are so bad. It’s really not that difficult to be a good neighbour. All you have to do is be polite, don’t play loud music late at night, and don’t park in front of their house. It sounds easier than it is. I think a long time ago there was a lot of neighbourliness. Families lived near each other for generations. It’s different today. New families come and go. They never get to know each other. Everyone keeps their distance. This is not always a good thing.

I don’t know about you, but I think there are more natural disasters now than before. Every time I turn on the news there’s some kind of disaster. There are bushfires in Australia and California, earthquakes in China, hurricanes in Mexico and droughts in Africa. I’m sure global warming is creating more natural disasters. I’m lucky. Where I live, we don’t really have natural disasters. I’ve never experienced anything like the things on TV. Japan has many natural disasters. They have earthquakes, typhoons, flooding, volcanoes, all kinds of things. They are lucky they have the money to deal with them. There are countries in Africa that aren’t rich. When a natural disaster hits them, everyone suffers terribly.

I like my names. I have four names – my family name, my given name and two middle names. I’m not sure why I have two middle names. I guess my parents wanted to name me after two of my uncles. Names are different all over the world. In some countries, family name comes before the given name. In the Muslim world, a girl’s name includes her father and grandfathers’ names. In Japan and China, there is no middle name. I think it’s interesting how people choose a name. I really don’t understand naming a baby after a famous actor or sports star. That’s silly. I think names should have a meaning. In the West, people don’t really know what their name means. In many countries, each name has a special meaning.

Nationality is a strange thing. I don’t think it used to be. Nowadays, with globalization, people want to change their nationality. Many people from poor countries want to go to rich countries and become citizens. It’s strange because I don’t understand how your nationality can change. Even if I live in Peru for 50 years, I’m still English, even though I might have a Peruvian passport. I think people have confused feelings when they change nationalities. Their heart is still in their real country and not in the country of their new nationality. Nationality unfairly decides how successful you’ll be in life. If you’re born in a rich country, you’ll get a good education. If you’re born in a poor country, you might not even get basic human rights.

Nails are funny things. Why do we have them? I actually find them quite annoying. We have to keep cutting them, they get dirty, and sometimes they break and become painful. I’d rather we didn’t have nails. I’m sure it wouldn’t change our lives. I guess women would say no to that idea. My female friends spend a lot of money on their nails. I don’t know why. Nail polish stinks, and so does nail polish remover. I really don’t know why they waste their time going for manicures. It must be really boring sitting there, watching someone paint your nails. Nail art is now big business. People have become millionaires opening nail art salons. The best thing for me would be to have really short nails that never grow.

Some national anthems are really good and some aren’t. I like my country’s anthem. It makes me feel proud of my country every time I hear it. I’m a little embarrassed to say I don’t know the words to it. In some countries, they play the national anthem every day in school. I remember being in Thailand. They play the national anthem in the streets every morning. Everyone stops and stands still. When the anthem finishes, people start walking again. In other countries I’ve been to, they play the national anthem in cinemas before a movie starts. I really like hearing my national anthem played at the Olympics. That means my country won a gold medal. I have to hold back the tears when I hear it then.

Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

I really wish I could play a musical instrument. I can’t. I had a few music lessons when I was a kid, but I didn’t keep them up. I really regret that now. I get quite jealous of people who can play a musical instrument. It’s a wonderful ability. I hope they know how lucky they are to be able to play an instrument. Of all the musical instruments, I’d like to play the piano. I think this is the king of musical instruments. It sounds so beautiful. Pianos also look beautiful. I imagine it’s very relaxing playing it. Another instrument I’d like to play is the guitar. I still want to be a rock star, although I’m a bit old now. I suppose it’s never too old though to learn to play something. I haven’t given up hope.

What would life be like without music? I wonder how music started. It is an important part of every culture on Earth. I wonder when we first became interested in music. I also wonder when we first become interested in music. Is it when we are a baby? Some people think our interest in music starts before we are born. Music is an essential part of my day. It changes my feeling and puts me in a good mood. There’s nothing better to do on a train or bus than put on my headphones. I like all kinds of music, from classical and opera to jazz, rock and world music. I’m always looking for something new. Sometimes I hear a song or piece of music on the TV or radio. I have to find out who it is. Do you do that? I’m sure I’ll keep collecting CDs or mp3s until I’m a hundred. Perhaps I won’t be able to hear it then!

I totally love museums. They really are one of the most important parts of our culture. Museums are important for so many things. They educate us, they preserve our history, they show us how we have developed. There are museums on so many different things. In fact, I’m sure there isn’t a topic there isn’t a museum for. I’ve loved museums since I was little. We used to go to different museums on school trips. I loved them. I saw so many amazing things. I will never forget seeing the bones of a T-Rex in the natural history museum. I also remember staring at Tutankhamen’s gold mask for ages. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. The best museum I’ve ever been to is the National Museum in Cairo. It’s unbeatable.

Multiculturalism is everywhere today. As the world gets smaller, multiculturalism becomes bigger. Few of us today live in towns in which there is only one culture. Today, we live in towns where we are surrounded by many other cultures. If we live in a city, we will see people from all over the world. Of course, some cities are more multicultural than others. New York is a real melting pot. It is called the most multicultural city on Earth. A city like Tokyo isn’t so multicultural. I think multiculturalism is a great thing. It’s fantastic walking out of your door and seeing other cultures. This didn’t happen when I was young. People didn’t understand other cultures. They didn’t even want to understand. I’m glad things are changing today.

Aren’t mp3s amazing? Maybe young people today don’t think so. They are part of the “digital generation” and think mp3s are normal. But I was born long before digital music started. When I was a teenager, I had a record collection. You had to go to a store and buy your music. I had hundreds of records. The first time I came across mp3s I laughed. I was totally amazed. I still find it hard to believe I can keep 10,000 songs in my pocket and take them anywhere in the world. I also love the idea of mp3 downloads. It’s much easier than going to a record store. I’m wondering what happens after mp3s. What’s next? I’m sure one day people will laugh at how “old technology” mp3s are.

Mothers are the people dearest to us. We all have a special relationship with our mother. We are naturally bonded to our mother. We spend nine months growing inside her and she is the person who looks after us when we are babies. Our mother does everything for us. She feeds us, cleans us, wipes away our tears, treats our cuts and bruises, supports us and loves us. And all of this never stops. Mothers still do motherly things even when we are old and she is really old. It is very sad to hear that someone’s mother has died. I remember this happening to some children in my class at school. I can’t imagine how children grow up without a mother. I hope my mother lives forever. She deserves to.

I love watching movies. At the cinema, on TV or on my computer. I'm a big movie fan and love all the news of my favourite movie stars. I like all kinds of movies - Hollywood blockbusters, black and white movies from the 50s, independent movies... They're all good. Recently I've got into watching foreign movies. I like the films that come out of Bollywood - they're very different. The first film I saw at the movie theatre was Star Wars. I was amazed at the special effects. Nowadays, so many movies have such good computer graphics that we forget how special the effects are. One of my favourite ways of relaxing is to rent the latest DVD and sit on the sofa with a big bag of potato chips. The sound has to be up to the max and the lights have to be off.

I love mountains. I much prefer them to every other kind of natural feature. They are much better than the sea, beaches, deserts, etc. Mountains are so cool. They rise up so high into the sky. I can’t stop looking at mountains, wherever I am in the world. I also love being in the mountains. The landscape is just spectacular. You really feel part of God’s wonderful creation when you are surrounded by mountains. There are so many things you can do in the mountains. Some people like climbing them or jumping off them with a parachute. This is not for me. I just like going for a walk and having a picnic. There’s nothing better than sitting down and admiring the mountain view and feeling the cool mountain breeze. This is paradise.

The Moon is a very mysterious thing. It has fascinated us for thousands of years. It is mentioned everywhere in science and literature almost from the time humans started writing. And today, it still fills us with wonder. The most amazing thing about the Moon is that humans have been there. Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon’s surface must be the greatest human achievement ever. Even though man has walked on the Moon, not everyone agrees on its colour. In Japan, and perhaps in other countries too, they think it’s yellow. Of course, the Moon is white. One day, we’ll probably have holidays on the Moon. I’d totally love that. Imagine staying in a Moon hotel and waking up in the morning to look at the Earth.

“Money makes the world go round.” I wonder if this famous English expression is very true. If you have money, the world goes round very gently and you are happy. If you don’t have money, the world might not go round so smoothly. They also say that “money is the root of all evil”. I think this is so true. Money makes people kill and steal. Greed means there are things in the world like blackmail, corruption, slave labour and a lot more terrible things. Another common saying in English is “money can’t buy happiness”. I’m not so sure about this one. I know if I had loads of money I’d be pretty happy. I think if all the world’s money was shared out, the world would go round more happily, and there would be less evil and more happiness.

Sometimes I like the word ‘no’, and sometimes I hate it. It is a very powerful word, even though it has just two letters. I don’t like the word ‘no’ when I have been for a job interview and didn’t get the job. I also hate this word when I ask someone on a date. Then, hearing ‘no’ is like a kick in the teeth. I think I probably say ‘yes’ more than ‘no’. I love going out. I never say ‘no’  if anyone asks me to go to a club or go on a trip. I wonder how many ways there are of saying ‘no’. Sometimes you can say ‘no’ when you really mean ‘yes’. Other times, ‘no’ means ‘no’. I also like this small word because it fits into some interesting phrases, like ‘no-can-do,’ a ‘no-go area’ and ‘no way Jose’. My favourite is ‘that’s a real no-no’ – for things you must never do.

Murder is the most evil thing in the world. I don’t know how it is possible for one person to murder another. Why do they think they can take someone else’s life? Even worse are people who commit multi-murder. Mass killing seems to be more and more common today. Shootings at schools are especially bad. How can we prevent murder? Every time we look at the news, there’s another murder. I hope it is not something that will stay with the human race forever.  What is the correct punishment for murder? In some societies it is just a few years in prison. In others it is the death penalty. But there are some countries that don’t punish people for murder. If you are in power and are rich, you can literally get away with murder.

How important to you is your mobile phone? Do you really need it? In the 1980s there were no mobile phones. People still managed to phone their family and friends and do business. Of course, there were more public telephones then. There was a telephone box pretty much on every street corner. I wonder whether mobile phones are a good or bad thing. For sure, they are very convenient, but they can also be a nuisance. There’s nothing worse than talking to someone and then they ignore you for ten minutes while they answer their phone. I have even seen people on a date and one person chats on the phone for 30 minutes. How would life change for you if you didn’t have a mobile? Would you miss listening to other people’s conversations on the train?

Are you happy with your lifestyle? What kind of lifestyle do you lead? It seems that we think about our lifestyle more and more these days. Every time we turn on the TV or open a magazine, there is an ad, programme or article about this lifestyle or that lifestyle. We are told about healthy lifestyles, modern lifestyles, alternative lifestyles. Magazines use pages and pages and pages to describe the lifestyles of the rich and famous. I get the impression that few people are happy with their lifestyle. Most people are jealous of other people who have a “better” lifestyle. Those people should stop for a minute and think about the poor people in the world, or those caught up in wars. Those people don’t worry about lifestyles; they just worry about life.

Models are strange people. It’s almost as though they live in a totally different world to the rest of us. Every day they are told how beautiful they are. I’m sure this affects them in some way. They constantly think about their beauty and their figure. Male models too. A lot of female models also have to be very strict with what they eat so they don’t put on weight. Today, a model has to be size zero to be successful. This is unhealthy. The sad thing is that many normal girls want to look like a model so they end up having health problems. I suppose the life of a model is glamorous. The supermodels fly all over the world. They walk the catwalks at fashion shows and visit exotic locations for photo shoots. And get paid big money.

Milk is one of the best things we can eat or drink for our body. It’s so full of goodness and it tastes pretty good too. Milk is rich in calcium, which makes our bones and teeth strong. This makes milk essential for babies and growing children. It makes them grow up stronger. Milk is also full of many important vitamins and minerals. When I was little, I didn’t really like milk. I think I had a bad experience with sour milk, which turned me off of it. I remember drinking it again when I was a teenager and liking it. Now I think it’s one of the most refreshing drinks you can drink. Just looking at its whiteness makes me feel healthy. I like all kinds of milk, including goat’s milk and even camel’s milk. It’s all good for us.

What would life be like without Microsoft? Impossible? Perhaps not impossible, but definitely difficult. Microsoft seems to be a big part of our lives today. Most of us use Microsoft products every day. We need MS Word to create documents and Excel to make spreadsheets. At school we have to make PowerPoint presentations. Perhaps the biggest thing we use Microsoft for is getting on the Internet. Most of the world’s computers use the Explorer browser to connect to the Web. Millions of us use Hotmail to send e-mails. Millions more play games using Microsoft’s X-Box. In the future, there’ll probably be a lot more Microsoft stuff that helps us in our life. And to think, Microsoft didn’t even exist a few decades ago.

I sometimes worry about my mental health. There are times when I think I’m going crazy. I think it’s because of this world we live in. Everything is so fast. Everyone is in a hurry. Everything has to be done yesterday. I’m sure life wasn’t so stressful a hundred years ago. Then, people’s mental health was probably better. The only good thing nowadays is that there are mental health specialists who can help us when we are in trouble. But, there is a problem with these experts. They keep on thinking up new mental health problems we suffer from. What we all need is to take a step back and slow down. That will be good for our mental health. We need to laugh more and care more. If we don’t do this, we’ll all have mental health problems.

Meditation is one thing I’d really like to be able to do. I can’t do it. I have tried many times but nothing seems to happen. I have read a lot about meditation and it sounds really good. You can relax anytime you want. Twenty minutes of meditation is the same as three hours’ sleep. I love the idea of meditating for twenty minutes in my lunch time and then feeling totally refreshed. Meditation is also a good way of relieving stress. The thing I most like about meditation is that it makes you calm. All the people I know who meditate are always relaxed and easygoing. They never worry about anything. I think we should learn how to meditate at school. That would probably solve a lot of problems in society.

Literature is one thing that makes me very happy. I have loved books of all kinds since I was very small. I don’t know what I would do in life without novels, poems and plays. It’s amazing how literature can change your life. It educates you, makes you happy, makes you sad, inspires you and so much more. I think I’d be a completely different person without it. Literature has been a big influence on my life – perhaps as much as my friends. I think literature is really powerful. It can help us understand other cultures. Recently, I have read a lot of Indian literature, in English, of course. The books I read have totally changed my image of India and Indians. My experience has really made me want to read more books from other countries.

Love is the most important thing in the world. We all need to love and be loved. Love is the glue that makes us one big happy family. It is perhaps the most powerful emotion we feel. It is certainly the one that makes us happiest. Falling in love has to be the greatest feeling ever. It is also the one that makes us saddest. When we lose someone we love it can take forever to get over. Sometimes we never get over it. You can fall in love in an instant. We use the expression “fall in love at first sight” for this. We can also be “head over heels in love,” which is a strange expression. We don’t just love each other. We can love cars, chocolate, holidays, singing in the rain… anything. And, of course, you can also love studying English.

Are men really from another planet? A lot of women think so. There are a lot of books about how strange men are. This is rubbish. Men are men, the same as women are women. Of course men are not perfect, no one is. Men actually have done a lot of bad things in the world. All of the wars in history were started and fought by men. They seem to be naturally aggressive and wanting to fight rather than talk. Things are changing though. There was the “1980s man”. Suddenly, men were more human. They helped with the shopping, cooked and did the washing up, and they even cried. We do need men. They are better at reading maps than women and men’s sports are more exciting than women’s sports.

If you’re lucky, you have more good memories than bad ones. I’m very lucky. I have lots of good memories. I don’t have many painful memories. I don’t know why. Lots of bad things happened to me when I was younger but I don’t really have strong memories of them. I do have very clear memories of happy times. My earliest memory is of my first day in kindergarten. I guess I was three. I remember playing in the sand and eating it. I don’t remember my mother getting angry though. My most wonderful memory is a holiday to Mexico when I was ten. I remember every sound and smell so clearly. When I look at our family photos, the memories of what we did come flooding back. I’d like to relive those memories one day.

Where would we be without the media? How would we get information about the world? All of us are interested in the news. We all want to know what’s happening around the world. We switch the TV on just to watch the news. It seems as though every train passenger has a newspaper. The journalists who bring us the news do a very important job. Many risk their lives to bring us the news from the world’s danger zones. Unfortunately, many reporters are killed while they are covering a war. The media make us feel we are part of the world. We become experts on other countries and on the big news stories. The media also bring us many unforgettable images, such as a man walking on the moon. Really, the media show us history as it happens.

I really want to have more knowledge. My general knowledge is pretty good but I want it to be better. When I was a kid, I loved quiz programmes on the television. I used to read lots of encyclopedias to build up my knowledge. I now know most of the world’s capitals and which animals and birds are the fastest, and how many bones there are in the human body, etc. I love watching the news and this helps me get more knowledge. Even though I think I know quite a lot, I always meet people who are really knowledgeable. It seems some people know everything about everything. They are just like walking encyclopedias. I wonder if they’re happy with the amount of knowledge they have inside their brain.

I don’t understand how anyone can like medicine. I’ve never liked it. I used to refuse to take it as a kid because the taste was so disgusting. I’m not sure whether or not medicine is a good thing. I’m sure that most of the time our body will recover naturally, without medicine. I actually think medicine can be bad for us. It makes the body weaker because we rely on medicines too much. I also worry about the safety of medicines. I read too many times about side effects. How can doctors be sure that the medicines we take one day won’t make us ill later in life. A lot of what goes into medicine isn’t natural. I’m a big believer in natural medicine. That seems to make much more sense. The Chinese seem to have it right.

Learning is one of the most important things we do in life. It starts pretty much when we’re born. In fact, many scientists say learning begins earlier. We listen to the outside sounds. This is when we first start learning a language. Our ears get used to the different patterns of intonation. Learning is a lifelong process. We spend our childhood years doing nothing but learning. We learn a language before we are two. We learn how to play and do all the everyday things people do. Most people think learning only begins at school. I’m not sure about this. Are we really learning, or are we just memorizing things? I think a lot of learning happens outside school. We learn more from our hobbies and interests than what we learn from school books.

If you think about it, kissing is strange. I mean, here we are in the twenty-first century and we still like kissing. I think we’re the only species on Earth that does this. Of course, there are different kinds of kissing. Kissing your parents or friends as a greeting is normal enough. That’s just like a friendly handshake. Passionate kissing is different. I’m not complaining though. I think kissing is great. I remember my first kiss. It was very exciting. I was nervous though because I kept thinking if I was doing it right. Some people say there is an art to kissing. I’m not so sure. If you love someone enough, you’ll be artistic enough. One thing I don’t like about kissing is people who do it next to you on the train or bus. Yuck!

Job interviews are always hit and miss for me. Sometimes I have a great interview and get the job. Other times, my interview bombs and I don’t get the job. It’s really important to prepare. You must also be confident and make sure the interviewer knows you really want the job. The trick is to make the interviewer think you are the best person for the job. I always wear my best suit and arrive early. I always smile when I walk into the interview room. First impressions are very important. It’s also a good idea to talk about your experiences - sell yourself. Make sure you have a few good questions to ask at the end of the interview. Interview technique is something we learn over time – you get to relax more the more interviews you have.

I think jewelry is stupid. What’s the point? I can understand it was popular a couple of thousand years ago, but not today. It all belongs to when we lived in caves. Why do people feel the need to wear necklaces and bracelets? It seems that jewelry is becoming more and more popular. Nowadays people are wearing rings on their toes and piercing their tongues and bodies. I’ve never really understood why men wear jewelry, especially thick gold chains. A lot of jewelry is dangerous. I often think if ear-rings catch on something, they’ll rip your ears. Some rings that women wear are also dangerous. They could cause serious damage to someone’s face. The only jewelry I wear is a wedding ring. Just a simple one.

We are living in an age of information. That’s what I keep hearing on TV and reading in newspapers. We are surrounded by information technology that puts information at our fingertips. To get ahead, you need the latest information. I’m not really sure how much information we need. Our brains can only handle a certain amount of information at a time. I reckon a lot of us have information overload. I’m sure before computers came along this didn’t happen. One problem with computers is the amount of personal information online. I worry about putting confidential info on different websites. Of course the great thing about computers is that we have so much information at our disposal. That’s pretty useful.

Inflation seems to be a big issue at the moment. Every time I turn on the news there is a story about inflation. Many countries around the world are fighting to keep inflation under control. Sometimes you read about countries that lose the battle against inflation. Zimbabwe once had an inflation rate of trillions of percent. I can’t imagine trying to add up my shopping bill with so many zeroes. I have no idea how they brought it under control. Inflation in my country is OK at the moment. The government is worried about prices going up. Me too. Inflation seems to be the thing economists worry about most. They do everything they can to keep the rate of inflation low. It has been pretty stable for years now.

Do we really need a monarchy in the 21st Century? It’s such a strange idea. It certainly is not a democratic idea. No one votes for someone to be king or queen. When a prince or princess is born, he or she automatically has a wonderful life. This is not fair. I had to study and work very hard just to get an average job, with not much money. Those in a monarchy are born into wealth. They never really have to lift a finger. The strange thing is that most people who live in a monarchy like their king and queen. Take the United Kingdom, for example. Around 80 per cent of British people support their monarchy. I suppose it’s good for tourism. I wouldn’t say no to being part of a royal family.

Libraries are wonderful places. Every library I’ve been to in the world is the same. They all have a special atmosphere. A room with a large collection of books does things to people. We become very quiet and want to know what’s on the shelves. This happens even to children as young as three, although perhaps not the being quiet. It’s amazing to watch a small child in a library looking at all the books. They can sit there for hours pulling the books off the shelves. I really spent a lot of time in the library at university. It was where I spent most of my time.  This is where I really learnt how useful libraries are. I spent hours every day looking at journals, newspapers and text books. I felt quite happy sitting in the quiet of the library, reading my books.

When I was a kid I was top of the class in maths. I was really good at mental arithmetic and doing sums. Things were easy back then, It was all addition and subtraction, multiplication and division. I knew my times tables like the back of my hand. Then, things got difficult when I was about 14. We had to learn stuff like algebra and geometry and lots of other stuff I can’t remember the names of. Suddenly. I wasn’t so good at maths any more. I think there were a few reasons for this. One was my maths teacher, another was because I sat at the back of the class, and another was I talked a lot. I still like maths and know I would be good at it again if I studied. I did statistics when I was at university and loved that.

Marketing is a funny thing. Sometimes I like it, other times I hate it. There is definitely an art to marketing. Some of the advertising campaigns you see are the work of a genius. Someone has thought of a great idea, slogan and advertising campaign to sell us or tell us something. I like it when I can see the creativity. There are other kinds of marketing that make me angry. Ads and campaigns that are directed at children make my blood boil – especially the McDonalds ads that do not mention food, but show lots of free, cheap toys. I also hate viral marketing – that’s when you receive spam mail trying to sell you something. I also get annoyed with marketing campaigns that have slogans that are just untrue, like smoking is cool.

Listening is the easiest English skill for me. I can understand about half of what people say to me. This means I can guess the things I don’t understand. Listening to the English of my American friends is not so difficult. I have problems when I try and understand the news on television. I also find movies hard to follow. I need the subtitles at the bottom of the screen. I think listening to songs in English made my listening better. It’s a lot more interesting than my listening CDs. I have one piece of advice for students who want to improve their listening. That is to listen to the same thing again and again. You understand more every time you listen. What’s your advice?

Leadership is a word we here a lot nowadays. Every time we turn on the news we hear about how important leadership is. Especially strong leadership. American presidents often talk about the importance of leadership. I suppose they’re right. It’s important that someone takes responsibility and shows leadership. With the right leaders, we can achieve success. But not every leader shows leadership. In many countries around the world, there are corrupt leaders. They do not have good leadership skills, they simply control people by fear. Good leadership is being respected by everyone and getting the job done. It’s important to have good leadership in companies too, except many of the banks’ leaders have not shown such good leadership.

I’m a big meat-eater. I love meat of all kinds. I have eaten all sorts of meat. Even though I love meat, I could easily stop eating it, and I don’t think I’d miss it. A long time ago I heard the vegetarian slogan “Meat is Murder”. If you think about it, that’s true. I don’t think animals are here today for us to eat, especially when we don’t need to eat meat. And then there’s the threat of global warming today. Raising animals needs land. Many forests are cut down to raise cows for meat. This really has to stop. Instead of meat, there are other things we could have. Dairy products would give us the protein we need. I know a lot of people who could never give up meat. They always say it would be impossible to go without a big, juicy steak.

Everyone wants a good lifestyle. I do too. I want a good job that is quite near my house – I don’t want to spend a long time on trains and buses. I also want a nice house where I can relax. I like decorating and shopping for furniture. I also want lots of friends so I can do stuff with them. My idea of a good lifestyle is being happy at work, going to the gym or going out for a meal after work, and spending the weekends with friends doing things or going places. Of course I have to have a holiday every year in another country. I haven’t got that lifestyle yet because I haven’t got enough money. I’m a little jealous of my friend’s lifestyle. She has everything and is always going out and having fun.

Marriage seems to be a dying institution. Everywhere we look, there are more and more statistics saying marriage is on its way out, divorce is on the increase, or people are leaving it later and later to tie the knot. A worrying trend over the past few decades is the number of people who live together without making the commitment of marriage. I’m not really sure what the difference is. If you love someone and want to stay together forever, why not get married? I think marriage adds a lot to a couple’s life, from the wedding day itself, right through to all of the anniversaries. Unmarried people miss out on these special occasions. Marriage is also important if you want to start a family. Perhaps I’m just old-fashioned.

I think human rights only became an issue after World War II. That’s when the United Nations issued their Universal Declaration on human rights. This is kind of the rulebook, the do’s and don’ts of human rights. When I look at the world today, it seems not many people have read this. I doubt if most people know it exists. I think government leaders should know about this. A lot of them don’t care much about human rights. I can’t believe it’s the twenty-first century and human rights is still an issue in pretty much all of the world’s countries. The most powerful countries even attack each other for abusing human rights. I hope one day that all human rights are respected. That will be paradise.

I hate junk mail. I’m sick and tired of it filling up my InBox. I mean, who believes the stuff written in it? I love the ones that start with “Dearest” and then tell you how their uncle died during some war and they need your help to transfer $18 million. I wonder how many people fall for those. My spam mail filters do a pretty good job at keeping junk mail away from my InBox. But, I occasionally get a mail trying to sell me medicine. The most dangerous kind of junk mail is called phishing. That’s when a criminal fakes an e-mail to make it look like it’s sent from a bank. It looks exactly the same as a bank’s mail. The mail asks you to reset your password. The criminal then takes your money.

Homelessness is a terrible thing. It really shouldn’t exist today. A country should be ashamed if anyone is homeless. Governments are so rich today, yet they have no money to provide basic needs for their citizens. This is rubbish. Think how much money governments waste on fancy cars and other unnecessary things. It’s a crime. Even in rich countries, there are thousands of homeless. The government tries to sweep them under the carpet. They want to pretend the problem doesn’t exist. The world’s richest countries spend billions of dollars on weapons, but can’t make sure people have a roof over their head. This is disgusting. All world leaders should be ashamed of themselves. I feel so sorry for the homeless.

I think being a housewife is a very demanding job. Most housewives have a lot to do, especially if they have children. Of course, some have an easy time because they have a maid or a tiny house. Most housewives though are working pretty much from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. They have to get up the earliest to cook everyone’s breakfast. Then they have to do the dishes, start the washing, iron and then go shopping to buy the food. Before their children go to school, the housewife has to make their packed lunches. I reckon cooking three meals a day every single day can be pretty tiring. Afternoons are just as busy, and then it all starts again when everyone comes home from school and work!

I’m full of admiration for people who run marathons. I couldn’t do it. I love running and have done a few half-marathons, but I always found a full marathon to be too much. Marathon runners are special. I don’t think I have the stamina to do it. Not properly, anyway. I could “run” one of the big marathons in the world, like the Boston or London marathon, but it would really be pretty much as a fun run. Most people who take part in these well-known international marathons only do so for fun. I think to be a marathon runner, you need to train and run a hundred kilometres a week. I wonder what it’s like to be in the lead in the Olympic marathon. That must be an amazing feeling. I think the marathon is the most important Olympic event.

Without laws the world would end. OK, maybe the actual Earth might not end, but life as we know it would end. We’d all end up fighting and killing each other. It would become the survival of the strongest, or perhaps the survival of the nastiest. If there were no laws, people could do anything. There’d be no police or courts to keep control. Law is very important. It keeps order in our society. Our laws started thousands of years ago. Many of today’s laws were made centuries ago. New laws need to be made every day. Especially in today’s world, where the Internet is so important. It’s very difficult to keep laws up to date with new developments. The latest area of law is intellectual property. It’s important that people’s ideas are protected.

Everybody loves juice. It’s the yummiest thing in the world. I can’t think of anything tastier than a cold glass of any kind of juice. I have to have a glass of orange juice every morning. I like to spend a little extra to make sure it’s 100 per cent juice. I don’t really like the stuff that says it’s juice on the box, but is really 70 per cent water and sugar. Of course freshly squeezed juice is the best - you can really taste the fruit. One thing I love about going to another country is trying different kinds of juice. Tropical countries have all kinds of really delicious juice. One time I remember trying sugar cane juice. I was in heaven. It’s a shame I can’t buy it where I live. I also love coconut juice, or is that coconut milk?

I think home schooling is great. I wish my parents had done this. The idea of never going to school sounds too good to be true. I hated school. I wanted to stay at home every day. I really wouldn’t have minded staying at home and studying. Of course, you need to be careful not to forget studying. One thing about home schooling I like is visiting museums or watching documentaries to learn more. This is so much better than learning in school. I think my learning at school suffered because there were many kids who didn’t want to learn. I could have got better marks if I had stayed at home. Perhaps there’ll be more home schooling in the future because of the Internet.

I don’t really have a hero. There are many people I respect, but they are not really my hero. Some people choose very strange heroes. My friends have rock stars and football players as heroes. Of course, these people are very good at what they do, but they’re not really heroes. They get lots of money for doing what they love. When they’re not singing or playing football, I wonder what they’re doing. I think most of the world’s heroes are unsung heroes. People who work to help others every day. We generally don’t notice these heroes. Then there are those who put their lives on the line for others. Fire fighters, police officers and soldiers are heroes. Without them, the world would be less safe.

Hate crime is becoming a big problem in many societies. You’d think that in the twenty-first century we’d all respect each other. With all the communications we have and with globalization, we should know enough about each other to understand we are all the same. We should at least be able to respect our differences. I blame the media for a lot of hate crime. They are very good at highlighting particular groups of people and casting them in a negative light. Just look at what’s happened since the 9/11 attacks in New York. Hate has increased in the world and the media seems to fuel this. I’m glad I live in a country that has laws against hate crime. They don’t always work, but at least it’s better than in most countries.

I’m totally hopeless with money. I’ve never really understood things like investments. I should be more interested in investments because I know I’ll get more money. I find everything very confusing. I never know what to invest in. Some of my friends invest in stocks and shares. I never did this. I’m happy because I didn’t lose money in the financial crash. I think it would be interesting to invest in things like wine. I saw a TV programme once. Wine goes up and up and up in price. You really can make a lot of money. I think investing in property nowadays is risky. I also know a lot of people who now owe lots of money on the house they bought because the prices crashed. Perhaps it’s better to keep my money under the bed.

I wonder if heaven exists. I guess if heaven is real, then hell must be real too. I think heaven must be a great place if it’s better than Earth. It’s difficult to believe that heaven is a place that looks like paradise. Pretty much every religion in the world believes that heaven is real. I don’t think it’s full of angels with wings though. I think there are lots of heavenly places on Earth. Anywhere in the countryside is heaven to me. Sitting on a beach with blue skies is also heaven. You can even be in heaven in the city. Walking into a cool, air-conditioned building from a hot, sweaty street is heaven. I also find heaven in food. A double chocolate fudge and nut ice cream with maple syrup and extra whipped cream is simply heaven.

Harry Potter is a boy wizard who has taken over the world. He is everywhere. No one had heard of Harry Potter before 1997. That’s when J.K. Rowling published her first book. She’s the creator of Harry Potter. The first novel was called ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’ and it became an amazing success. Everyone was talking about it and Harry became an overnight phenomenon. Six more Harry Potter books followed and they all became best sellers. People went crazy over every new book. My friends waited overnight outside a bookstore to make sure they got their copy of the latest book. My friends are 40 years old! Harry Potter is now a global industry, with movies and merchandise of all kinds. It’s amazing how big he is.

I think the Internet is the greatest invention ever. Think how it has changed the world. So much information is out there. It has totally changed my life. I can chat with friends, download music, buy books and get all the info I need for my homework. It took days or weeks to do any of these things before the Internet. I spend hours every day online. I think I spend a little too long. I’m sure staring at a computer screen all day isn’t good for my eyes. I think it’s also making me fat. I need to exercise a little more. The only thing I don’t like about the Internet is that it can be dangerous. I don’t really like putting my personal information online, especially on social networking sites like Facebook.

Management is a funny thing. Most of the people I know who are in management are not actually managers. I mean, they don’t have any qualifications to say they are managers. I think most managers are like that. They spend a year or two in a job and then become managers once the old manager moves on. I’m not sure whether or not you can learn management. Of course there are things like MBAs that teach you this, but in the end, management is all about how you deal with people. If you have a personality that can’t respect people and treat them fairly, you can’t be a good manager.  I have worked for some terrible managers. They have no idea what they’re doing and only create lots of work for others.

The 2010 South Africa World Cup is nearly here and I’m so excited. I love the World Cup. Every four years I can’t wait to watch this brilliant event. I heard more people watch the Finals than the Olympics. All over the world, people go soccer crazy. Even people who don’t like football. I was in Tokyo for the Korea-Japan Finals in 2002 – the atmosphere was amazing for a whole month. The 2010 Finals are extra special because it’s the first time for them to be in Africa. I’m sure it will be a great success. And who will win? I think Argentina will lift the trophy. Lionel Messi will show why he’s world player of the year. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if England won. They have a strong team and Rooney is on fire at the moment.

I never know what to do with my hair. Sometimes I want it long, sometimes I want to cut it all off. My hair is a little unmanageable. It never does what I want it to. It’s very thick. When it’s long and I have lots of split ends so I have to go to the hairdresser’s for a trim. I also have dandruff, which is a little embarrassing when I wear dark sweaters. I don’t often have a bad hair day. This usually only happens when I have to meet someone important. My hair sticks out all over the place. I hate it. I always think everyone is looking at me, or looking at my misbehaving hair. I often wonder what it would be like if we had no hair - if we were all bald. We could save lots of money on shampoos and conditioners.

Immigration wasn’t really a problem a long time ago. Many countries welcomed immigrants because they needed workers. The USA, Australia and Canada encouraged millions of people to come and live in their countries. Today, however, immigration is becoming a problem. Many countries are trying to control immigration. At election time, it is a major issue. Immigration today is big business. More and more people from poor countries want to live in rich countries. It is easier to travel nowadays because of cheap transport and more open borders. People risk their lives to get the chance of starting a new life in a rich country. This can cause anger in the countries immigrants go to. It is an issue that will be with us forever, I think.

I’m not sure what to think about identity cards. There are good and bad things about them. I think on the whole they are a good thing. It depends on what the government uses the information for. It also depends on how secure the database is that keeps our information. A lot of people think ID cards are too much. They think the government is trying to control us too much. I’m not sure that’s true, but it is something to think about. In this day and age, when immigration is a problem, I think ID cards might be useful. Some countries are using ID cards as a one-stop card for everything. The card is your driving license, medical card and ID all rolled into one. That’s a great idea. All we need now is to make it a passport and credit card.

What was life like before Google? This might look like a silly and strange question, but it is a good one. Google has changed our lives. In an amazingly short space of time, the verb ‘google’ has entered our language. I think everything about Google is amazing. It helps us so much. We can find any information we want just by typing in what we want in the search box. I even like the Google home page. It’s so simple. You know, I can’t remember the last time a day went by when I didn’t use Google for something. I wonder what Google will be like in the future. Only those at Google know. The strange thing about the Internet is that something we don’t even know about yet might come along and totally replace Google overnight.

Golden Week is such a lovely time to be in Japan. The weather is great and everyone is relaxed. There’s a real holiday feeling all over the country. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. The only down side is that the roads are full of traffic. You can spend hours stuck in traffic jams. So I usually stay at home and do things near my house. I love going on picnics in local parks. I’m English so I find it really interesting to see how Japanese people have picnics. Very different from picnics in England. Many people have the whole week off work to celebrate the different holidays. The Emperor’s birthday and Constitution Day are important and so is Greenery Day, but I like Children’s Day. This is when Japanese parents do special things for their kids.

All houses are unique. Even if they look the same from the outside, they are very different on the inside. I think houses are very interesting. I like looking at the way they are built and the style they are built in. In London there are many houses that are hundreds of years old. These are beautiful. You can still see much of the original wood and stone structure. Modern houses are also interesting. It’s funny how they copy many of the features of older houses. I love looking at houses when I travel. Every country has its own special designs, from Japan to Arabia to Greece. Nowadays people are building eco-friendly houses. They want houses that save energy and help protect the planet.

I don’t really like hospitals. I have many bad memories of them. I’ve stayed in hospital seven times in my life. I guess I must be unlucky. My friends all say I’m accident prone. My longest stay in hospital was for three months. That was boring. I had lots of visitors but staying in bed for that length of time isn’t much fun. The worst thing was hospital food. I couldn’t wait to get out and have some real food. The strange thing is that I really like watching TV dramas and movies about hospitals. It feels like I know everything that’s going on. I wouldn’t like to work in a hospital though. I hate the smell and the sight of blood. I’ll do my best from now on to stay away from hospitals, unless I’m visiting someone else.

I wonder if there is anyone in the world who never lies. Not even a small white lie. It seems everyone lies at some point in their life, or their day. Some people are better liars than others. In fact, I often read lying is an art. Children are pretty good at lying. Or perhaps they’re pretty bad, because it’s easy to tell when a child is lying. I read that the more lies children tell, the more intelligent they are. You need to be creative and imaginative to lie. There comes a stage in our lives when most of us stop lying. We are all told that it’s always better to tell the truth. Not all of us do this though. There are many very intelligent people who lie. We even trust them to run our country. I’ve lost count of the number of politicians who have been caught lying.

Life is for living. That’s what I believe. It sounds very simple, but actually, it’s quite difficult. You only have one life, so you really have to live it. Don’t waste time doing boring things. Live life for today. Is living working in an office all your life? No. Take some risks in life. Invest in your life and do the things you really want to do. If you don’t try and live your dreams, you don’t really live. I often hear people saying to other, “get a life”. I agree with them. Don’t wait and let life pass you by. Life is too short and you can’t go back. I have a full life. I don’t live life in the fast lane, but I do make sure I do things so that when I look back on my life, I won’t have any regrets.

I often wonder how important luck is in my life. I’m not sure if there is a thing called luck. Some people say they are lucky and others say they are unlucky. I think everyone in life has good luck and bad luck. Just because someone loses something or has an accident doesn’t mean it’s bad luck. An accident is an accident. People who always say they have bad luck are negative. If they wait, something good will happen in their lives. I do like to wish people good luck though. I think it’s a nice thing to say if someone has an interview or an exam. But, people pass exams and interviews because they studied hard or spoke well, not because of luck. In England people think they’ll have seven years of bad luck if they break a mirror. That’s strange.

Where would we be without language? We’d all be in our own worlds and we’d never really have a life. Can you imagine never talking to anyone? Of course if there was no language, we wouldn’t be able to use body language or sign language. The fact that we do have languages means we have gone to the moon and built things like the Internet – which also needs a special computer language to work properly. I think language is amazing. It means we can tell anyone anything. I often think it’s a shame there are so many languages in the world. If there was only one language, we could all communicate better. Perhaps that way, we’d all understand one another better. What would the world language be? At the moment, English.

Love is a wonderful thing, but is it possible to fall in love with someone at first sight? Many people say they have done this. How can it be possible? Surely it takes a time to get to know someone and then fall in love. I think falling in love at first sight is dangerous. You don’t really know the person. Maybe after you’ve built your life around them you’ll find lots of faults in them and suddenly be disappointed. Then you’ll have to fall out of love. Anyway, is it really love at first sight or is it love at first conversation? And what if the other person doesn’t fall in love with you at first sight? This could be a bit painful. It could also be embarrassing. I think I like the traditional way of falling in love after 257 dates.

There are magazines on just about anything you can think of. Just walk into a big bookstore and see the hundreds of different kinds of magazines. There are magazines for men, magazines for women, for children, for bankers, stamp collectors and even English students. They’re quite amazing when you think about it. There’s so much information in them. It must take a long time to make one magazine. And they are such great value for money. I like reading magazines that I would never usually buy. This happens when I’m in a waiting room. I like flicking through the magazine rack and looking through the magazine. I don’t care if it’s in another language. The pictures are interesting.

Laughter is what makes the world go round. If you can’t laugh, life would be very boring and depressing. The sound of laughter is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. Just hearing it makes me smile and want to laugh too. I have to find out what’s funny so I can share the joke, or share the fun. I particularly love the sound of small children laughing. Their laughter is infectious. It’s amazing the things they find to laugh about. I think I heard somewhere that laughter is the best medicine. That’s so true. I also think a good laugh keeps you healthy. A few people I know belong to a laughter club. They stand around in circles and laugh. Yes, laughter really is one of the best things we do.

When I was younger I wanted to be a journalist. I used to watch the news and think how amazing it would be to report from places around the world. I think journalism is a pretty tough profession. You really need a special character to survive. I think journalism is one of the most important professions in the world. Without it, we wouldn't know anything about what's going on in the world. It can also be a dangerous profession. Of course, reporting in war zones is dangerous, but even reporting in the street carries risk. I'm sure many journalists have many experiences of angry people they try to interview, or even of other journalists who get angry. When I watch journalism award shows, I still feel a desire to become a journalist.

I love jokes. I could listen to people telling jokes all day. I laugh at even the silliest of jokes. In fact, I love silly jokes. I still laugh at the jokes I laughed at when I was a child. I’m not so good at telling jokes. I have just a few of my favourite ones that I tell. They’re pretty funny. I think telling jokes is a real skill. You need confidence, timing and you need to know when to deliver the punch line. Some of my jokes don’t work with people from other countries. They don’t get them. It’s also interesting to see how American and British jokes are different. I listen to American comedians but can’t see what’s funny. I also love practical jokes. Playing jokes on other people is very funny – as long as they see the funny side.

Some people love insects and others absolutely hate them. I can’t count how many of my friends are terrified of insects. I have one friend who jumps and screams at the sight of the tiniest bug. He’s over forty years old! My son loves insects. He has many books on them and knows everything about them. He loves going to insect museums and watching nature documentaries on insects. I also love them. I think insects are fascinating. I can watch them for hours. I also love looking at them in zoos and museums. It’s like looking at a tiny miniature world. I think if I was insect-sized, life would be pretty scary. Or even worse, what if one day there were giant insects roaming the streets. That’s the stuff of horror movies.

My favourite subject at school was history. I don’t know why. I loved reading the stories about famous people and famous events. When I was little, history was just stories. As I got older, I realized history is the study of how we got here today. It’s a long journey that describes all the wars, great people, inventions, disasters, etc that have brought us to this point in time. I now love any kind of history. It’s fascinating to visit a new country and learn about its history. Watching the news today is like seeing history unfold. Lots of the things I learnt at school now make the news more interesting. History provides us with the perfect background information to a news story.

I really don’t understand why genocide happens. Every five or ten years we hear about the latest genocide. Every time we hear about it, governments say it will never happen again. After the genocide in Rwanda, the USA and other world powers promised to stop any future killing. Then Darfur came along and all they do is talk. If a crazy government wants to kill thousands of innocent civilians, no one can stop them. Genocide is the biggest shame in our history. Countries go to war because of oil, but not to stop innocent people being murdered. Only recently has the international community started chasing those who organize genocide. The International Criminal Court prosecutes those who commit crimes against humanity.

People say intelligence is a lot more attractive than beauty. I often ask people if they would prefer a partner who is intelligent or good looking. They almost always say they want someone who is intelligent. I wonder why it is some of us are so intelligent and others aren’t. Surely we are all born with a similar level of intelligence. I’m not really sure how intelligent I am. Sometimes I think I’m intelligent, but then I do something really dumb. Or I meet someone who is super-brainy who makes me feel unintelligent. One day, I’m going to take one of those intelligence tests to measure my IQ. Another thing I don’t get about intelligence is how people think our leaders are so intelligent, but then the leaders do such stupid things. Do intelligent people start wars?

Love makes the world go round, not money. I agree with the centuries-old quote that says, ‘Love conquers all’. It’s true when you think about it. So much has been written about love. It must be one of the most written and talked about topics ever. How many songs and poems are there about love? Millions. Billions, perhaps. Love is everywhere. You can’t pass a single day without hearing someone say ‘love’. It is one of the most beautiful words in any language. Your heart can melt when someone says, ‘I love you’. It’s also very important to tell people you love them. You should do it every day. There are many different kinds of love and they are all important. Except perhaps when you love pizza or burgers. That’s not healthy.

I love holidays. They are the best thing in the world. The only problem is they are always too short. Even summer holidays at school aren’t long enough. I recently had an eight-week holiday and it flew by. It seems as though time goes quickly when we are on holiday, and slowly when we are at school or work. I always really look forward to holidays – even one-day holidays are great. I live in a country that has many national holidays, so there’s always a break around the corner. I feel sorry for some workers who only get two or three weeks holiday a year. They can’t do anything or go anywhere. I love holidays even if I don’t go away. Staying at home is just as good as going on holiday somewhere. Sometimes going on holiday is stressful.

One of the busiest times of our life must be our wedding day. Getting married can be a very stressful time. But, it is also one of the happiest days in our life. It all begins with the proposal. After that comes setting the date. Once the couple know the wedding day, it’s planning, planning and planning. They have to decide where to get married, who to invite, what kind of flowers, where to have the reception, and a million and one other things. Getting married can be a very expensive occasion. Some parents save all their lives to pay for their son’s or daughter’s wedding. Getting married seems to be similar all over the world. The happy couple make some vows in front of their guests and then there is a big party after.

Heart attacks kill millions of people each year. I think it’s one of the world’s biggest killers. A lot of people have a heart attack because of their lifestyle. I’m sure if people ate healthy food and exercised, the number of heart attacks would drop. The thing I worry about is stress. For me, it’s difficult to avoid. Research shows that stress is one of the biggest causes of heart attacks. The problem with this is that you get stressed, and then you worry about your heart, which makes it beat faster and gives you more stress, which then makes your heart beat even faster. Best not to get stressed. There are so many things you can do in life to reduce your chances of a heart attack. I think we need more information.

Gangs are becoming a big problem in many countries around the world. We’ve always had gangs, and they’ve always created problems. Recently, things seem to be getting out of control. Gangs are taking over our streets. In many parts of South America, gangs kill because of drugs. In many parts of Europe, gangs hang around on street corners and hassle anyone who walks by. There’s a lot of pressure for young people to join a gang. If a young person doesn’t join a gang, they might be bullied at school. The government always says gangs are a problem, but they never do anything about it. I was in a gang when I was younger. It’s scary when I look back on it. We used to have lots of fights and do many bad things. I never had a knife.

I think I have the greatest friends in the world. They are just as important to me as family. In fact, they are my family, really. My best friends and I all grew up together and shared so many experiences together. We know everything about each other. I would do anything for my friends and I’m sure they’d do anything for me. I’m sure there’s nothing in the world that could stop us from being friends. I’ve also made lots of other good friends from university and the different places I’ve worked. They are also important to me. We are now all over the world and it’s sometimes difficult to meet each other, but we stay in touch. One day I’d like to get all of my friends together for a big party. That’d be great fun.

The heart is one organ we really have to look after. Most of us, I think, don’t really know how to look after it. Or perhaps we know, but don’t do enough to keep our heart in a healthy condition. Our heart is an amazing thing, when you think about it. It beats so fast for years and years and years, pumping millions of litres of blood around our body. It keeps working, even though we do so many bad things to it. It really is the source of our life. We need to promise our heart every day that we’ll look after it properly. I think kids born today are lucky. Modern medicine and science will soon have all the answers to keep our heart strong. Even today we’re lucky. Doctors can replace your heart via a heart transplant.

Gambling is a very dangerous thing. At least that’s what I think. I don’t think much good comes of it. People lose their money and then get angry. Sometimes people lose everything they have. The only people who win are the companies, casinos, etc. that organize gambling. I don’t really understand why people would want to risk their money. Most of the time they lose it. The odds are always against you. Gambling causes so many social problems I’m surprised governments allow it. In some countries it is illegal to gamble. This is good. I never understand why people gamble again and again. They must get fed up with throwing their money away. I suppose they always think the next one will be the one they make a lot of money.

A hangover is one of the worst feelings you can have. There’s nothing you can do to make it go away. You just have to wait for it to wear off. It usually takes a whole day and can even take two days to disappear. The most stupid thing about a hangover is that you never learn. A hangover is your body’s warning that too much alcohol is bad for you. When something is painful, you never do it again. Not so with a hangover. When people have a hangover, they often drink again the next day. This makes your original hangover much worse. Many people have their own hangover “cure”. None of them work for me. All I can do is suffer. I suppose the best thing for a hangover is not to drink at all, or at least not drink too much.

Someone once told me that French fries are not French. There must be some connection between fries and France, otherwise they wouldn’t be called French Fries. Wherever they are from, I love them. I guess they’re the most popular food in the world. Everyone eats French fries. They are very versatile – you can eat them with so many things. You can even have a French Fries sandwich. People put all sorts of things on top of French fries. I love ketchup and mayonnaise on my fries – both together. You have to have salt. The only time I don’t like fries is when they are cold. I get angry if I get fries that aren’t hot in a fast food restaurant. I take them back immediately. All of this talk of French fries has made me want to eat some.

I think humour is one of the best things in life. Without it, nothing in life would be funny. It’s strange how we start laughing from such a young age. I wonder what makes tiny babies laugh. What do they find funny. Babies laugh and smile all the time. This means we are born to laugh and make other people laugh. Our sense of humour develops as we grow up. Some people become very good at telling jokes. I always find it difficult to remember jokes. I don’t understand jokes from other countries. I love comedy shows from England, but I can’t see what’s funny when I watch American comedies. I guess humour is different, even with people who speak the same language. Anyway, I think I have a good sense of humour and I like a good laugh.

Gun control should be a really serious issue. In my country, politicians rarely talk about it. They only discuss it if someone goes nuts and shoots lots of people in a school or shopping mall. Gun crime is on the increase everywhere but the government never talks about gun control. I really think there should be huge fines for anyone caught with a gun. Too many innocent people are dying. The situation will only get worse. I think if a politician stands up and argues for any kind of gun control, he or she will win the next election. I’m sure most people think controlling or banning guns in societies is very important. Unless you live in America. I’m not sure if gun control exists there. It seems everyone has a gun.

“Home is where the heart is.” That’s so true. I’ve lived in many different houses during my life but not all of them have been home. When you are growing up, home is where your family lives. I left home when I was 18 and slowly my childhood home was no longer. Now it’s my parents’ house and not my home. I moved around a lot and only spent a year or so in most places I lived. They never really felt like home. A home is somewhere you feel totally relaxed and want to come home to. The expression “Home Sweet Home” is also true. You have to have nice feelings about it to call it home. Home doesn’t have to be in your home country. I’ve lived in several countries and have had a home in all of them.

Some people love hiking and some people hate it. Personally, I don’t really like it. I don’t see the point of walking for miles and miles up and down mountains. You get all sweaty and out of breath. The worst thing is that the next day all your muscles ache. Of course it’ll rain, so you’ll get soaking wet. If it’s sunny, you’ll get sunburn. To make things really bad, you might fall over and twist your ankle or get stung by a bee. I have terrible memories of hiking when I was a child. My parents always wanted to get to the top of the mountain, and then the next mountain top, and then the next. No matter how much we complained, they always said: “It’s not far.” Never believe anyone who says that, especially someone who loves hiking.

God created us all. God created life. God created everything around us. I often try to think what was before God. But God has always been there, so there was nothing before God. I wonder why God always appears as a man with a beard in books. He’s also usually a white man. No one knows if God is a man or a woman. God is also different to different religions. Most people in the world pray to God. They ask for forgiveness when they do something wrong; they thank God for bringing good things and ask for God’s help when things go wrong. People who believe in God get strength from their belief. They know that God is looking down on them. One thing I don’t understand is why there is so much killing and bad things in the world.

Isn’t food one of life’s greatest pleasures? Do you know anyone who doesn’t like food? I don’t. There is so much delicious food in the world. You could spend a whole lifetime eating a different dish every day. What’s the tastiest food in the world? This is a very difficult question to answer. My taste in food keeps changing. Sometimes my favourite is a dessert, but then I change my mind and go for a spicy curry. It’s great that countries have so many different dishes. Do you think your national dish is best? Nowadays we have to be careful about what we eat. Fast food is not good for us. We need to focus more on healthy food. Maybe we have to be more careful in the future. Make sure the food you eat is good for you.

Some people like their feet and other people don’t. I quite like mine. They’re not too big and not too small. Some people I know have huge feet. They even have problems trying to buy shoes that fit them. My feet are pretty normal. They’ve been very useful down the years. I’ve done a lot of running, loads of hiking and played thousands of hours of football. I’ve never injured my feet or my ankles. I sometimes get sore feet when I go shopping. That seems to be the only thing my feet don’t like. That and new shoes. New shoes usually give me blistered feet. Oh yes… and the cold. My feet hate the cold. My toes go numb. Especially my big toe. One thing I’m happy about is that I don’t have smelly feet.

I never used to worry about my health until recently. When I was a kid, I did loads of exercise. Even in my twenties and thirties I was very fit and never ill. I have been lucky all my life – always in the best of health. I rarely get even a cold. I suppose time catches up with you. Now I seem to be getting lots of little aches and pains. I should go to the doctor for a health check, but I’m too busy. The older you get, the more you worry about your health. One good thing is that I’m eating more healthily now than ever before. I no longer have fast food and midnight snacks. I also sleep a lot more. I’ve read that getting seven or eight hours sleep every night is one of the best things you can do for your health.

I totally do not believe in horoscopes. I can’t think of anything more ridiculous. Perhaps the only thing more ridiculous is the number of people who read their horoscopes and believe what they say. I mean, just how can a horoscope be true? How is it that the same things are true for half-a-billion people born between January 23 and February 22. It makes no sense. Not all of those people will be lucky in love and have a nice financial surprise at the beginning of the month. Horoscopes are a part of many cultures. Every time I go to another country I see the horoscope in magazines. I have a friend who has the same star sign as me. Our lives and fortunes are very different. That proves to me that horoscopes are rubbish.

Every country must provide free healthcare to its citizens. I can’t understand why the richest countries in the world don’t do this. It’s shocking that a country can be so rich and let its people die because they cannot pay the hospital. I saw a great movie once on America’s healthcare system. It’s called “Sicko,” directed by Michael Moore. He went to England and France and was amazed that people in those countries didn’t have to pay when they went to hospital. He then went to Cuba. He went with lots of Americans who couldn’t afford healthcare in America. Amazingly, the Cuban hospitals treated them all for free and gave them medicine. They were so happy. I’m sure there’s enough money in the world to provide everyone with free healthcare.

Guns are bad. Full stop. I’m fed up hearing about people who think they have a right to carry a gun. A gun is a deadly weapon. People who are for guns say people are the deadly ones. That’s stupid. The truth is, that if there were no guns in the world, there’d be more people alive. Students with guns kill other students at school. No guns, no deaths. Guns are used in millions of crimes around the world. Gun crime is out of control in many countries. The societies in which guns are illegal have very little gun crime. The problem is that guns aren’t going away. They are getting easier to buy. Now that many international borders are open, smuggling guns to other countries is easy. Maybe the whole world will return to the Wild West.

I don’t understand the fascination with gold. It’s just a soft metal. It isn’t even the most valuable metal. It’s interesting how almost every culture in the world loves gold. Indians spend a fortune on it. When their children get married they give gold bracelets and rings as gifts. Most of the world’s wedding rings are gold. I know different countries prefer different types of gold. In Thailand, only 24 carat is good enough, but in England, people buy a lot of 9-carat gold. It seems like we have always loved gold. Think how many stories there are from hundreds of years ago about gold treasure. In fact, if you go back further, Egyptian kings and queens had lots of gold. I’ll never forget Tutankhamen’s mask. The gold in that was really golden.

Happiness is sitting on a beach with a good book and no more work and studying for a year. Ahhhh… if only. What’s your idea of happiness? It’s such an important thing. I like Bhutan’s idea (Bhutan is the small country next to Nepal). There, they prefer to measure happiness instead of money. The most important thing for Bhutan’s government is how happy the people are. What a fantastic idea this is. Imagine if governments focused on making us all happy. They could spend money on beaches and free ice cream instead of fighting wars. I looked at everyone on the train this morning. No one looked happy. Maybe the news should be full of happy stories instead of the usual doom and gloom

Food safety seems to be a big issue nowadays. I can’t remember it being such a big problem years ago. With today’s technology, it shouldn’t be a problem. But it is. In fact, there are many problems. In my country, GM food is a big issue. People do not want to eat food that is genetically modified. They say it is unsafe. I know in America GM food is everywhere. Another issue with food safety is food imports. A lot of imported food has made people ill. Our government bans a lot of food from certain countries. This is a good idea. A concern in my country is with chickens and cows. We have bird flu and mad cow disease. It might be better to be vegetarian.

I really like walking around gardens. Every garden is different. Even two gardens that are next to each other are different. I loved the garden our family had when I was small. I also loved starting my own garden when I bought my house. The best gardens in the world are in England. English country gardens are famous all over the world. The gardeners are like artists. It’s amazing how they make everything so perfect and so colourful. I can sit in or walk through an English garden all day. I also like Japanese gardens. They also have a very special feel about them. Everything is so perfect and you feel really peaceful. I’d like to spend my life visiting different gardens.

I have a strange hobby. It’s visiting factories. I’m really interested to see how things work and how they are made. I’ve learnt so many things on my factory visits. Factories are amazing. They are like mini cities. The thing that surprises me most is how everything works together. Everyone knows exactly what to do and when to do it. Even the robots. Car factories are cool, but very noisy. A car assembly line is like a giant ballet dance with everything moving perfectly together. It’s quite easy to visit factories. All you have to do is go to their home page and see if they have visiting times, or write to them. The best factories to visit are ones that produce food and drinks. You always get free stuff. Unfortunately you don’t get a free car at car factories.

I wonder how many times we have our hair cut in our life. Hundreds. It would also be interesting to know how many different hairstyles we have. I know the styles I had when I was younger would look silly today. I really like haircuts. It’s interesting sitting in the hairdresser’s chair and watching the stylist do things. I often think a good haircut is like art and the hairdresser is the artist. I have had a few disastrous haircuts – usually when they cut too much off. I need a long fringe because my face is a strange shape. The best thing I like about haircuts is having a chat to the hairdresser. He or she can usually talk about anything and everything. I also like the smell of everything when I’m sitting in the chair.

Hands are interesting things. They can do so many things. We’d be lost without them. I think hands are one of the most useful parts of they body. They are so clever. We can do so many different things with our hands. We can hold things, squeeze things, feel things. We can swing on jungle gyms, write and type letters; the list is endless. I think hands are a very beautiful part of the body, if they are well looked after. It’s interesting to see how many different parts there are to our hands. We have a palm, fingers, knuckles, life lines, fingertips and the back of our hand. There are lots of good things you can do with your hands. I like holding hands – of course with my wife and children.

I think the idea of genetic engineering is fascinating. It’s also quite dangerous. Fiddling around with what makes us human might make us less human. We could end up creating a Frankenstein’s monster. The idea of genetic engineering has been around for centuries. Scientists have always wanted to change us. The real breakthrough came in the latter half of last century. Geneticists cracked the genetic code and found ways of altering our genes. Now they can clone animals and reproduce human tissue and organs. I don’t think it’ll be too long before scientists clone a person. Once all the fuss has died down, younger generations will be more accepting of genetic engineering. We might even live to be two hundred years old.

I have a passion for furniture. I love it. I particularly love antique furniture. I love going round old houses and looking at all the beautiful sofas and chests and cabinets from hundreds of years ago. Making furniture used to be a real art. They don’t make furniture like they used to. Nowadays a lot of furniture is rubbish. A lot of it you have to make yourself! Actually, I quite like that. I like wandering around IKEA and seeing what they have. You can pay extra to have the guys assemble your furniture for you, but I like doing it myself. I’m studying interior design and would like to start my own furniture workshop one day. I’ll mix modern ideas with traditional ones. I’d like to start a trend for green furniture that helps the environment.

I hate gossip. It really gets on my nerves. I really don’t understand why people gossip about other people. My office is full of gossips. They have nothing better to do. Surely there are more important things to talk about. Gossip isn’t true. That’s why it’s gossip. OK, it might be true, but who cares? Gossiping is dangerous. It can make perfectly nice people look bad. I’m not sure if I’ve been the subject of gossip. I’m sure I wouldn’t like it if I was. I have some friends who buy gossip magazines. They love celebrity gossip. That’s even worse than office gossip. At least with office gossip you know the people. Any time someone comes to me to tell me the latest piece of “juicy gossip” or “hot gossip,” I tell them I’m not interested.

People say first impressions count. What do you think? Can you understand a lot about someone from the very first time you see them or meet them? I think I’m good at judging someone’s character from the first time I set eyes on them. It’s easy to understand if the person is my kind of person. First impressions count most when you meet someone important. If you have a job interview, it’s very important to give a good first impression. The interviewer can decide if they like you as soon as you walk through the door. Are you well-dressed? Do you look happy? Do you greet the interviewer? All these things are important. I also think first impressions count when you meet your future in-laws.

What does family mean to you? In a perfect world, all families should be happy and everyone should get on well together. I know a lot of families that have many problems. Brothers and sisters who don’t like each other, parents who never talk to each other. I wonder why this is. How can you live so close to your family members and feel apart from them? There is a lot of talk in the news about the breakdown of family life. Divorce is rising everywhere in the world. This means single parents have less time to spend with their children, which creates problems. Maybe the stress of modern life puts too much pressure on families. It seems as though family life was better a generation or two ago. Is this true for families in your country?

If I could, I’d never go to another funeral again. No one likes funerals, of course, but for me, they make me so sad. I can’t stop crying. Quite often I’m the only person crying. Everything about a funeral makes me cry. When I open the invitation, tears well up in my eyes. When I see the funeral procession drive by, I start. The actual ceremony is almost unbearable. I have never learnt to control my sobs. If you hear someone sniffing non –stop, that’s me. The music at funerals is unnecessarily sad. I’ve told my friends I want salsa music at my funeral. And I don’t want people to wear black. I also hope the party after the funeral isn’t a sad occasion. People should laugh and remember the funny times.

Electricity is one of the most important inventions ever. It is the thing that powers the Earth. If there was no electricity, we’d be back in the dark ages. Few people stop and think just how amazing electricity is. With the flick of a switch, you can power almost anything. Think about what would happen if there was no electricity. We’d have no TV, no computers, no traffic signals. It would be like going back to living in caves. There are a few negative points about electricity, of course. Number one, it’s dangerous. Thousands of people die each year from electrocuting themselves or in electrical fires. And number two, it isn’t good for the environment. Most electricity comes from burning coal and that creates greenhouse gasses.

I’m not sure how many people ever stop to think how wonderful four seasons are. I think people who live in cities don’t care about the seasons. City people spend half their lives indoors or underground. I live in the country and I love watching the seasons come and go. Every day is different in the countryside. I love watching the crops grow in the fields. I watch them push their way up from the ground in the spring and then grow tall in the summer sun. Just before autumn arrives, the farmer harvests them and then winter comes. Seasons means it’s like living in a new place every four months. Everything changes. One wonderful thing about seasons is the seasonal food you get. There’s always something tasty that’s just come in season.

Driving is one of life’s greatest pleasures. There’s nothing better than getting behind the wheel and going for a drive. I live in the countryside, so it’s easy to get out onto an open road. I open the windows and turn the music up and then just drive and drive. I like driving to new areas and finding new roads. I find it very relaxing and great fun. I like the speed and the freedom. I even like driving in towns and cities, although not when traffic is really heavy. It’s not much fun being stuck in a traffic jam half the day. Driving in different countries is great fun. I’m a little nervous at first, but I soon get to know the roads. People have different ways of driving in different countries. I don’t like countries that have aggressive drivers.

Are you a good person to have around in an emergency? I am, I think. I have a very cool head and I don’t panic easily. The most important thing to do in an emergency is stay calm. If you do this, you can think straight and decide what’s best to do. Also, if you stay calm, other people might stay calm too. The worst thing to do is panic. Once you panic, things become worse. Of course, it depends on the kind of emergency. For really serious emergencies, you should call the emergency services. That’s 999 in the UK or 911 in other parts of the world. My biggest emergency recently was a big one. I pressed the delete button and lost my 3,000 songs in iTunes. Luckily, I had a back-up.

Freedom is a funny thing. It seems to mean different things in different countries. People in my country say they have freedom, but I don’t think so. We have to go to school, we have to pay tax, we have to work, we have to do lots of things. That’s not freedom. I’d say we have more freedom than people in other countries. There are many countries in the world where people are like slaves. They can’t leave the country, can’t get a passport, and have to work 16 hours a day. I wonder what a society would be like if everyone was totally free to do anything they wanted. It would probably be a total mess. No one would work. I suppose freedom means having some rules to follow.

Drugs are becoming a big problem in many societies. When I was growing up, you rarely heard about drugs. Now, they’re everywhere. Children in schools are smoking marijuana and taking harder drugs. There were many kids at my school who smoked. Nicotine was the most serious drug they used. Today’s kids seem to have access to all kinds of drugs. I don’t know what the government should do about it. Some countries have legalized drugs like marijuana, but others have made it a crime to possess even the smallest amount. You can even go to prison for having a tiny, tiny bit. Governments need to do something before society ends up in a real mess. I’m not sure what the solution is.

Grammar! Why is English grammar so confusing? I studied grammar for many years at school and I still don’t understand when to use a tense. Is it the simple present or the present perfect? What’s the difference? My teacher tells me to keep visiting grammar websites and doing the practice activities. She told me to look for patterns, but I’m not really sure what she means. She also told me one of the best ways to learn grammar is to read for pleasure. She said that way I’ll keep seeing good grammar and it will slowly come to me. I think the best way to learn grammar is to write and let my teacher point out my mistakes. Do you have any good tips on how to learn grammar?

What does globalization mean? We always hear this word on TV and read about it in newspapers. It means the world is now a village – the global village. The world has become smaller. Of course, the world did not shrink and it isn’t a village. Because of better transport, the Internet and more trading between countries, it is easier to do business. Japanese car makers have factories in Thailand; American computer companies employ thousands of people in China. That’s globalization. And don’t forget the millions of call centre jobs in India that workers in America and Europe used to do. Globalization also means it is easier to work in another country. Is globalization a good or bad thing? That’s a difficult question to answer.

When I was a kid, I thought gangsters were really cool. I loved watching gangster movies. Al Capone was almost like a hero to me. I always wanted the gangster in the movie to escape from the police. The movies made gangsters look like heroes. Now I’m older, I think that’s shocking. How can they glamorize the life of gangsters. Of course, we all know gangsters are dangerous. They are involved in many crimes. They sell drugs, traffic children and run prostitution rings. Many gangsters control politicians and policemen. In fact, in many countries around the world, gangsters become politicians. The funny thing is, even now, when I look at gangster movies, I still think the gangster is the good guy. That’s a little worrying.

Everybody should take up gardening as a hobby. We can all get back to nature. Thousands of years ago we all did a bit of gardening. It’s one of the most relaxing hobbies I can think of. It’s also very satisfying. I get very excited about gardening. I love planting seeds and then letting nature take over. It’s amazing how quickly things grow. Before you know it, your seeds are beautiful flowers. You also learn a lot about flowers, vegetables, shrubs and trees. Of course, gardening is also very practical. If you grow vegetables, you can eat what you grow. Vegetables picked fresh from your garden really do taste better than the ones in the shops. Gardening is good for you. It makes you feel part of the Earth.

Global warming is the biggest problem in the world today. Everyone know about it but not everyone is trying to stop it. Many world leaders are more interested in blaming other countries for the crisis. Countries like China, India and Russia say they will not act unless America takes more action. America says it will not act until other countries take more action. It seems a little childish that leaders are acting in this way. The future of our world is at risk and governments can only argue with each other. Many presidents and prime ministers tell us that technology is the answer. They say future scientists will find solutions to save the planet. This is a big gamble. I hope they are right. I don’t believe them, so I’ll continue switching off lights and recycling.

Everybody wants to have fun. Life would be so boring if fun was taken away. There are so many things you can do for fun. The best thing, I think, is simply to be with your friends. You’ll always have a fun time with them. I can’t remember the most fun I’ve ever had. I had loads of fun times when I was a kid. It seemed as though life was all fun, except for homework. But university was also a lot of fun. I’d love to do all that again. I’m not sure if I’d call working fun. There’s not much fun in sitting at a desk and trying to please your boss. Weekends are fun though. I always try to have as much fun as I can at the weekend. Having fun is the best way to relieve the stress that builds up during the week.

Frustration is a terrible thing. In fact, it’s a frustrating thing. Getting frustrated is one of life’s biggest frustrations. I wish I didn’t get frustrated, but there are so many things in life that are frustrating. I think the biggest thing recently is computers. Getting a new computer out of the box can be frustrating. Understanding how everything works is doubly frustrating. And then there are all the frustrations with programmes that freeze, web pages that don’t open, and things you lose. I wonder why we get so frustrated. I think we could do things better if we relaxed and did everything slowly. I wonder if animals and birds get frustrated. I’m sure a lot of the things we humans do causes them a lot of frustration.

Football, that’s soccer to Americans, is the biggest and best sport in the world. There are millions of reasons why it is the world sport. For a start, it is played all over the world. The football World Cup is the biggest event on Earth. It’s bigger than the Olympics. More people watch the Final on TV than any other event. Football also brings nations together. The greatest of enemies put aside their differences for 90 minutes to play a football match. Then there are the teams, like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool. These names are more well known across the world than the top basketball or baseball teams. A famous coach once said: “Football isn’t a matter of life and death; it’s more important.”

I think fish are the most interesting creatures on the planet. They are absolutely fascinating. I love their different shapes, colours, social behaviour, everything. I can watch tropical fish in my aquarium for hours. Even the tiny little fish are so beautiful. When I go to the city aquarium, I can spend the whole morning or afternoon looking at the fish. I don’t have a favourite fish. I must confess that after watching the movie ‘Finding Nemo’ I do now like clownfish. As well as looking at fish, I also love eating them. Tuna is my favourite, especially raw tuna. When I visit Japan, the first thing I do is go to a sushi restaurant. Raw fish is so much tastier than cooked fish. And probably a lot healthier.

I absolutely love flying. I love everything about it, from buying my air ticket to getting off the plane and collecting my baggage. There’s something very special about getting on an airplane. It’s always a real adventure. I like short flights and long-haul flights. Many people say economy class is terrible, but I like it. There isn’t enough legroom but I don’t mind that. Many people also say they hate airplane food. I love it. The only thing I don’t like about flying is turbulence. I think that’s really scary. I always worry the plane will crash. Another thing I don’t like is waiting to get off when the plane stops. It takes ages before the flight attendants open the doors. One day I want to fly business class and first class.

What are you afraid of? I’m not really afraid of anything. When I was a child I was afraid of the dark. I used to hear strange noises at night when I was in bed. I couldn’t move. I was frozen with fear until it got light outside. I’m no longer afraid of the dark, thankfully. I also used to fear speaking in public. My face would go red and I’d get very hot. I overcame this fear because I had to make many speeches at school. The more I did this, the more my public speaking fear disappeared. People are afraid of many strange things. Did you there is a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth? There is even a medical name for it. I don’t think fear is a bad thing. It probably stops us from doing really dangerous things.

One day, all diseases on Earth will be gone. I wonder. In fact, if all diseases die out or doctors find vaccines and cures for them, that will really change our planet. Think about the amount of overpopulation if no one died from diseases. There’d be a population explosion. I don’t think the Earth would be able to feed so many people. It’s a really difficult question. Some diseases in the world are really horrible and cause a lot of suffering. It would be great if scientists found cures for those. Scientists have already found a cure for many diseases. It’s amazing how far science and medicine have come. I think more cures for diseases could be found if governments spent more money. They seem to spend so little on controlling disease.

People say that death is the only thing in life that is certain. That’s true. I’m not afraid of dying, but I do think it’s a sad thing. I’d like to live forever. I like life. I want to see my children’s children’s children grow up. People have different views on death in different cultures. In some countries, you die and go to heaven. In other countries you die and come back to Earth as something else. Some people celebrate people’s death because they had a good life. In other countries, death is a sad and dark affair. I know of many countries where death is a taboo subject. People just don’t talk about it. I have no problems talking about death. Especially to my family. I think it’s useful to tell everyone what I want to happen when I die.

I don’t understand discrimination. To me, it’s evil. How can you not think that all people are the same? It doesn’t matter what kind of discrimination it is, it’s all terrible. People who discriminate because of other people’s race, sex or age should be named and shamed. I think there should be really strong laws against all forms of discrimination. Racism is horrible. What difference does it make what colour your skin is? The thing that surprises me is that even in the most cosmopolitan cities, racism is everywhere. Sexual discrimination is also stupid. Sexist people have sisters, mothers, wives, daughters; but they still treat women as being less able. I wonder if we'll ever live in a world where we’re all equal.

Danger is everywhere. It’s all around us. That what I’ve decided. I thought about danger the other day and decided we live in a dangerous world. Even our house is full of danger. There are many chemicals in our cosmetics, cleaners, fridges, computers that are not good for us. The electric wiring could go wrong and electrocute us. We could fall down the stairs or slip on the kitchen floor. And then when we leave our house, we enter a dangerous world. Cars travelling at speed, people holding cigarettes, construction workers with heavy objects above our heads… all of these things present danger. Just turn on the news or open a local paper to see how much danger there is. I think I’ll stay in bed today.

Do you like fast food? Lots of people complain about it but I think a lot of it’s quite tasty – as long as you go to one of the international chains like McDonalds or Kentucky. I think in today’s world, it’s difficult to avoid eating in fast food restaurants. They are so convenient and seem to be everywhere. Of course they’re not the same as real restaurants. I wonder if they are restaurants. There aren’t any waiters. Anyway, the most important thing to remember about fast food is that it isn’t so healthy. People who eat it every day develop health problems. I don’t understand why schools serve fast food during lunch time. Schools should encourage students to eat healthily. If you have time, look at a website on slow food.

Many years ago I read that credit cards were the thing of the future. Credit card companies were telling us that plastic would replace cash. Well, this hasn’t happened. People are still using notes and coins. The Internet has increased the use of credit cards, but many people worry about putting their card details online. Lots of personal info gets stolen by fake sites pretending to be famous banks or online stores. Personally, I love credit cards. I always prefer to pay by card than by cash. When you use your card, you get air miles and every six months you can cash them in for presents. I do worry about credit card security. I keep waiting to see a huge purchase on my statement that I didn’t make.

I learnt all about evolution when I was about ten years old. I remember it clearly. I thought it was amazing. My mind was full of images of strange creatures crawling out of a green, soupy lake. Fish that had somehow developed legs and the ability to breathe air. Then these creatures turned into all kinds of animals. All the books I read said we came from apes. Scientists are still not sure how. There’s a missing link. When I think about it now, the theory of evolution is a clever concept. The man who thought of it, Charles Darwin, said nature is all about the survival of the fittest. Only the strongest species survive. We are still evolving. Scientists believe we will look quite different a million years from now. I wonder what we’ll look like.

I’m really into motor racing. Especially Formula One. It really is one of the most glamorous and exciting sports. Of course, it’s one of the fastest. I’m amazed by the speed of the cars and how skillful the drivers are. I’d love to drive a Formula One car to see how fast they go. People say Formula One is a man’s sport. It isn’t. I know lots of women who love it. One day, there’ll be a female world champion. You wait. I got into Formula One years ago. I loved the names of all the drivers. I watched a few Grands Prix on TV and then I was hooked. I never miss a race on TV. One day, I’d really like to go to a circuit and watch a Grand Prix live. I guess Monaco would be best – they drive through the streets there.

I really don’t know why fishing is so popular. It’s one of the best-loved hobbies all over the world. Anywhere there’s a pond, a river a lake or sea, you see people fishing. I’ve only been fishing twice and I thought it was boring. I didn’t catch any fish. Even if I had caught a fish, I don’t think I would have been excited. To me, sitting next to a river waiting for something to happen is strange. I know lots of people who love fishing. They even get up at four o’clock in the morning in the winter to sit in the freezing cold. They say the best time to fish is before the sun comes up. I say they’re crazy. Big game fishing looks good. I like the idea of cruising on a boat near Hawaii looking for giant fish.

Have you ever thought how strange fashion is? People tell us what clothes to wear. That’s weird. Fashion stores tell us what is “in” this summer or this winter. People then buy the same clothes and look like everyone else because they want to feel trendy. The thing is, fashion is about being an individual, but then we all wear clothes that are the same as everyone else’s! Keeping up with fashion is expensive these days. Everyone is into brand fashion. Have you seen how much the most fashionable sneakers are? How can kids afford those? The craziest fashion is the luxury brands. People spend a month’s salary, or more, on a handbag or watch. That’s crazy. I’m happy with an unknown brand at half the price. I don’t mind being unfashionable.

Eggs are great. Where would we be without them? They are so useful. I can’t imagine life or cooking without them. There are many ways of cooking eggs for breakfast – fried eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, etc. There are even many ways of “cooking” these. You can have a runny or hard fried egg or even have it sunny side up. You can have soft or hard-boiled eggs and fluffy scrambled eggs. There are also many things to put on top of eggs – mayonnaise, ketchup, salt, soy sauce. Each country has something different. I like cooking with eggs. I particularly like breaking them. I can now do it with one hand, without breaking the yolk. Sometimes it gets messy and the egg white starts dripping down your arm.

Why do we have crime? When will it all stop? It’s sad that there is so much crime in our society. It hurts so many people. Most people in the world just want to live happily and be good neighbours. Why do some people turn to crime? Money is a big reason. Many criminals pickpocket, steal, kidnap, or even kill people to get money. There are many terrible crimes in the world. Perhaps the worst is ethnic cleansing. This is a crime against humanity. Many people are killed because of their colour or religion. People who commit this crime rarely go to prison. Have you ever been a victim of crime? What do you think we need to do to reduce crime rates? Perhaps you should write to your government. Tell your leaders enough is enough.

I have too many clothes. I have many clothes I’ve only worn once. Sometimes I even find something at the back of a drawer that I never even wore. I bought it, put it away, and then forgot about it. I’m sure I don’t need so many clothes. I don’t think anyone really needs 11 pairs of jeans and 32 sweaters. I won’t tell you how many pairs of shoes I’ve got. That’s way too embarrassing. The simple truth is I love clothes and I love shopping. Maybe I have a problem. I’m sure I’d be a lot richer if I didn’t buy so many clothes. I like brands, so the clothes I buy are quite expensive. One day I’m going to have a big clearout. I’ll take all the clothes I no longer wear and give them to charity.

I dream almost every night. I have a lot of dreams and I remember most of them. I’m not sure what they mean. Some of them are quite strange. One day I’ll have to buy a book on dreams and see if I can interpret them. When I was a little kid, I had really bad dreams. Real scary ones. They were probably nightmares rather than dreams. Usually it was some big, bad stranger chasing me. My dreams today are all very different. Sometimes I’m speaking in another language in my dream. The ones I don’t like are the ones where I’m falling. But I my dreams where I’m flying. I sometimes have really nice dreams, but then my alarm clock goes off. I press snooze and try and get back into my dream for another ten minutes.

I’m hopeless at giving directions. I get very confused. I’m sure I send people in totally the wrong direction. For some reason, I always get stopped for directions in the street. I can usually direct someone if it’s just a block or two, but that’s it. If it’s half way across town, I’ll send you in the opposite direction, guaranteed. The funniest thing is asking for directions in another language. I’m pretty good at saying where I want to go, but when I receive the directions, I understand nothing. I nod my head and smile and say “thank you very much”. The person walks away thinking I understood the directions. I’m impressed by people who can give directions from one town to another. They must have a map inside their head!

Exercise is something most of us love to hate. A lot of us avoid it altogether. I do a lot of exercise, but not because I like it. I do it because it helps me stay slim and healthy. I always feel great after exercising, so there are good parts to it. The thing I hate most is getting ready. It’s really difficult after a hard day’s work to come home and then prepare for your exercises. I really don’t want to do it when I’m getting changed. I hate the warm-up stretching. I also hate the first few minutes of a run, swim or cycle. But then once my lungs stop burning, I settle into a rhythm and things aren’t so bad. Recently I bought an exercise bike. Sitting in my house cycling to loud music or watching TV is a great way to get

Are you into cars? My brother is. He’s car crazy. He buys car magazines, watches car programmes on TV and spends hours looking at car websites. He knows the name, maker, engine size and top speed of every car on the planet. Every time we go out, he talks non-stop about the cars he sees. I like cars. They are interesting. If I had a lot of money, I’d like to buy a sports car. I’m saving up for a small car at the moment. I’ll probably buy a hybrid car that is good for the environment. My brother thinks these are boring. He says a car should be powerful and fast. I don’t agree. I think cars should get you from A to B and be big enough for me and my friends. I also prefer smaller cars because they are easier to park.

Don’t you think books are the best thing in the world? I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t reading a book. I still have memories of being in my school library when I was about five years old. I have been a bit of a bookworm since then. You’ll usually see me with my head buried in a book. I love all kinds of books. Novels are great for getting to know other worlds and cultures. A good book is one where you never want the story to end. I also like autobiographies because I think it’s interesting to read about people’s lives. Encyclopedias are cool too – you can learn everything about everything in these. I still prefer books to the Internet. Books need to be in your hand and made of paper.

Climate change is one of the most worrying things for our planet. Many politicians and scientists say it is the biggest danger we face. I read almost every day that climate change is changing the Earth forever. Many species of animal, fish, insect, frog, etc. are dying. The ice caps in the Arctic and Antarctica are melting. Our weather is changing so places are getting warmer, or colder, or are having more and stronger hurricanes. We all need to do our bit so that climate change does not destroy us. It’s important to cut down on things that produce greenhouse gasses. These warm the planet and change the climate. Doing simple things like turning off lights and recycling paper all help.

Education is one of the most important things in our lives. Don’t you agree? It can make the difference between success and failure. An education can bring us knowledge and make us rich. In rich countries, people are lucky to have good schools. Children start learning from a very young age. They can further their education and go to higher education or university. In Japan, there are even private schools for babies to learn English. It’s a shame that in many rich countries, many children don’t want to learn. Perhaps schools need to find better ways to teach so children want to learn. It’s sad that in many parts of the world, children want to learn but can’t. Make sure you never stop learning. Education is the key to a better future.

There’s an old English saying that says, “A dog is a man’s best friend”. This is true for many people – men and women. Most people I know love dogs. They are pretty cool animals. They are intelligent and very helpful. Dogs are a real member of the family if you have one as a pet. I think dogs are very useful. They keep you company, they bark if a stranger comes near your house, and they fetch your slippers. Not all dogs are nice, though. Some are dangerous. I get sad when I read in the paper about children being attacked by a dog. Owners need to train them better. I also get sad when I read about abandoned dogs. People who want a dog as a pet should get an abandoned one.

Choosing a career is one of the biggest decisions we make in life. It used to be that we chose only one career. People would start a job when they were 18, 19 or 20 and stay in that same career for life. Their career path was quite straightforward. Nowadays, it is normal for people to change careers, five, six, seven times. New technology and globalization means things change quickly. We need to study and keep up with all the changes. I’ve had four different careers now. I like moving from one job to another. It means life never gets boring. It’s much better to keep learning different things in different careers. I have no idea what career I’ll choose next. Perhaps one that doesn’t even exists today.

I hate the sight of blood. Looking at it makes me go all weak at the knees. I can’t even look at my own blood. I don’t know why. The thing I hate most is giving blood for a medical check. I fainted once after I saw my blood in a small bottle. If I have a nose bleed, I have to sit down for 30 minutes before I feel better. It’s impossible for me to watch operations on TV. I wish I could donate blood to others. I can’t. I know giving blood is really important, but I’m not brave enough. One thing about blood I do find interesting is blood types. I think your blood type can affect your personality. I know that in some countries, people with blood type A would not be a good romantic match for someone with blood type O.

One of my favourite times of the day is bath time. I absolutely love taking a bath. Baths are so much better than showers. Having a bath is the most relaxing thing. There’s nothing better in life than sinking into a hot bath and letting the water take away my troubles. A bath really makes you feel great. I especially like taking a bath before going to bed. Bath time is pretty much the only time of the day when you can really pamper yourself. It also means a lot of quality time to yourself. It’s perfect for listening to music and reading a good book. The only thing I don’t like about bath time is when I fall asleep and the water goes cold. Or even worse – when you want a bath and there’s no hot water.

I’m a great art lover. I look at beautiful paintings and sculptures and wish I could be artistic. I can’t draw or paint to save my life. I wonder why some people are so talented and can create amazing pictures, when other people, like me, can’t even draw good matchstick figures. I would like to fill my house with art from all over the world. It’s interesting to see how different cultures have different kinds of art. There’s nothing better than visiting art galleries when you go to another country. I prefer more traditional art. I don’t really understand a lot of modern art. I look at an exhibit of a pile of bricks in a museum but can’t see how it’s art. I always laugh when my children say, “Daddy, I can do better than that!” I often think they can.

People say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That means if someone thinks someone else is beautiful, then they are beautiful. I think the idea of beauty is interesting. Why do we think some things or some people are beautiful and others aren’t? Some people think a building is beautiful, while others think the opposite. People nowadays spend too much time and money on beauty. I agree with the expression, “beauty is only skin deep”. This means that what’s really important is someone’s heart and character, not what they look like on the outside. It’s a little strange, and unfair, that you have to be beautiful to be a top actress or even a news reader on TV. I think there should be equal rights for most of us “non-beautiful” people.

Autumn is such a cool time of the year. Of course it is cool because the temperatures drop after summer. But it is also cool because it’s such a great time of the year. I love the changing of the leaves. The different autumn colours are one of nature’s most beautiful scenes. Sometimes I can’t stop looking at the mountains near my house. They are like an artist’s palette of golds, reds, yellows, browns and other autumnal colours. In America they call autumn ‘fall’ because that is when the leaves fall from the trees. I like the coolness of autumn. Summer is over but you can still wear a T-shirt – just about. You can also spend hours outdoors without sweating. Autumn is the best time of the year to go hiking and go for long walks.

Aren’t airports strange places? There’s so much happening in them. People coming, people going; people crying with sadness because they’re going away, people crying with joy because they’ve arrived. Big airports are almost like small towns. It seems like you walk across a town by the time you check in and get to your departure gate. The thing I like most about airports is people watching. There are people from all over the world. I also like how everything fits and works together. You check your luggage in and then it disappears, before you see it again at the next airport. I still think airports need improving. There’s not a lot to do there. Airports really need to have an entertainment area so people can kill time.

There is no way that famine should be a problem in today’s world. We are so rich. Companies have billions of dollars. Countries have trillions. It’s a real shame that people do not give enough to help famine victims. It’s a sin. There is more than enough food in this world to feed everyone. Government leaders need to tell the world why they let people die of hunger. Even the United Nations can’t persuade governments to give enough money to help the starving. Of course, there are good governments and bad ones. The bad ones often let their own people starve. The leaders steal the country’s money. Some countries have a famine but their state TV tells people there are bumper crops. That’s shocking.

Digital cameras are so useful. I love my digital camera. I take it everywhere with me. My friends think I’m mad, but I’ve got thousands of really good photos. Digital cameras are so much better than the old cameras with film. They’re also much better than mobile phone cameras. My digital camera fits in my pocket and takes great photos. I usually take a few photos every day and then put them online for my friends to see. The best thing about digital cameras is that they are so easy to use. It’s child’s play. The good thing is that digital cameras today give the same quality photos as you could only get on really expensive cameras. All you need is 10 to 12 megapixels. That’s more than enough.

Airplanes are amazing. How does something so big and heavy get off the ground? I’m always amazed at how the millions of different parts work together. Travelling by airplane is always a wonderful experience. I don’t care whether economy class is cramped and has no space. I like playing with the in-flight entertainment system, especially now they have all the latest movies. I also love airplane food. Many of my friends say it’s disgusting, but I love it. I often ask the passenger next to me if I can have the dessert or roll they don’t want. The only thing I don’t like about planes is turbulence. When the airplane hits those air pockets, I always worry we’ll crash. But I once read that turbulence has never caused an airplane to crash.

I don’t think people understand cyber-crime. It’s only just started. In the future, it’s going to be a huge problem. There have already been a few amazing examples. A few years ago the whole Internet in Latvia was attacked by another country. Cyberspace has become a new battleground. Countries spy on each other. If there’s a war, it’s possible one country could attack the other country’s Internet. This would mean all communication, transport, etc would stop. It would cause huge damage to hospitals and other important buildings. But cyber-crime is happening today to ordinary people. Have you ever heard of phishing? That’s with a ‘ph’ not ‘f’. You really need to be very careful about what information you put online.

I have loved dancing ever since I can remember. It was a part of my life when I was growing up and it is still important to me now. It has to be the best way to exercise. What can be better than dancing to your favourite songs? I love going to clubs and discos. I can dance all night long. I never get tired of it. When I was small, I used to go to school discos. I’d also dance at the parties my parents, friends and neighbours had. I don’t think I’ll ever stop dancing. I also love looking at dancing. Ballet is beautiful. Dances from all over the world are beautiful. I think the life of a professional dancer must be a good one. One thing that always amazes me is how much children love dancing. I think dancing must be in their blood.

I wish we didn’t need cosmetics. We spend so much time and money on them. And for what? We take them off at night, only to put them all on again in the morning. If you think about it. they’re amazingly expensive. Why does a lipstick or a small tube of cream cost so much? The really expensive cosmetics don’t actually make you look that different than really cheap ones. A lot depends too on your skill – choosing the right colours to match your face, and how you put your make-up on. I sometimes laugh at the ladies selling cosmetics in department stores. They’re meant to be experts but they look like clowns. I mean, do they really need to paint their faces? One thing I worry about is whether the chemicals damage your skin.

I’m a bit shy when I have to speak in English. I’m a little worried about making mistakes. I also still lack confidence. Many of my friends don’t worry about mistakes. They just talk and talk. They always get their message across, even if their grammar is wrong. I think this is the best thing to do. My teacher always says it’s best to learn by doing. If I don’t try to speak English, I’ll never be able to use it when I need it. One thing I started doing recently was talking to myself. I have short conversations with myself. I think it works. I also make short stories about people and say them aloud. I do this in my room, of course. People would think I’m crazy if I did it in class or on the train.

My energy levels go up and down. Sometimes I’m full of energy, and sometimes I’m drained of energy. Mornings are when my energy levels are high. I wake up ready to go. I don’t need 30 minutes to wake up, like some people I know. For some reason the food I eat doesn’t affect how energetic I am. Some people feel tired after lunch, while others complain they need to eat something for an energy boost. I seem to have the same level of energy even if I eat nothing all day. The one thing that does affect my energy is the weather. A bright, sunny day gives me lots of energy. A dull, rainy day makes me feel less energetic. I also have a lot of energy if I’m doing something exciting – even if it’s study or work.

E-mail certainly keeps me busy. I never used to write as many letters as I do now. In the good old days before computers, we wrote real letters, with paper and envelopes. I wrote one or two letters a week. But now, with e-mail, my in-box is never empty. There’s always someone mailing me. I would like just one day where I’m free of e-mail. The sad thing is, very few mails I get are interesting. I get loads of spam – junk mail trying to sell me things I don’t want. I also get lots of mail from people asking me to do stuff. Do this, do that, reply ASAP. It’s too much sometimes. The one good thing about e-mail is that you can get things done quickly. I can e-mail a company in another country and they can mail me back in two minutes.

Eating is the best thing ever. I love eating. Any time of the day or night I can eat…. and eat and eat and eat. I have a very big appetite. I always have. My mother used to complain about how much I ate. She used to ask me if I had a hole in my stomach. Eating is very, very satisfying. There are many different aspects of eating. It fills us up and stops us feeling hungry. Food tastes so good and eating it makes us feel very happy. Sometimes I feel like I’m in heaven when I’m eating – especially chocolate fudge cheesecake. Yum. Eating is also a great social activity. I love eating with my family, with my friends or even at work. Eating can also be an international experience. Eating is great just about anywhere you eat.

Divorce is on the increase around the world. It seems divorce rates are rising in pretty much every country you read about. I know in my country, divorce is now not unusual. More than thirty per cent of marriages end in divorce. I suppose it’s easier nowadays to get a divorce, and it’s more socially acceptable. I know it was more difficult to get divorced 50 years ago. People thought that there was something wrong with you if you were a divorcee. Today, it’s common to get through two, three, even more marriages. Perhaps people should think a bit more before they get married. Divorce is pretty hard on children. When a divorce gets ugly, the kids really suffer. Sorting out divorce settlements can be a messy business.

Would you like to change your face and body? Would you like movie star looks? A lot of people want to do this. They pay lots of money to go to a cosmetic surgeon and change their appearance. The most common operation we call a nose job. People who are unhappy with their nose have it reshaped. Other people want their wrinkles to disappear to make themselves look younger. People also go under the knife and have things made bigger or smaller. I think this is a waste of money. I'm not the best-looking person in the world but I would never consider plastic surgery - even if it was free. Some people have so many operations they end up looking like they’re made of plastic. I'd rather stay looking human.

Anyone who does not absolutely love chocolate is mad. I don’t think I know anyone who dislikes it. Some of my friends say they hate white chocolate or dark chocolate, but then they like some other kind. I think chocolate is one of the best inventions ever. It is also one of life’s true pleasures. There’s nothing better than having your whole mouth full of chocolate and letting it melt. I love pushing the chocolate up against the roof of my mouth and then moving it all around. Yum. I eat chocolate every day. I know it’s bad for our teeth and makes us fat, but I don’t care. I prefer to think about the health benefits of chocolate. I’ve read many articles that say chocolate is good for us.

I’m afraid of the dentist. Always have been, for as long as I can remember. Even if the dentist is really, really kind and gentle, I’m still afraid. Even if the dental surgery is colourful and there’s relaxing music, I’m still afraid. Dentists for me haven’t changed a bit. When I was a child, I hated the sound of the drill. That sound is still there today. When I was young, I hated the smell. Same smell today. I can’t wait for the day scientists invent something so we never need dentists. The strange thing is, when I was younger, I wanted to be a dentist. I thought it would be good to treat people just like me. I felt I would understand others who have the same fear. I think I would have been a good dentist.

Do you ever think about or worry about the number of calories you eat and drink every day. It’s not really something I thought about when I was younger. But now I have to think about my calorie intake. I’m putting on weight and so need to be more careful with what I eat. This is difficult because all of the yummiest food has the most calories. I’ve found an answer to this problem. If I do lots of exercise, I can eat what I want and not have to worry about calories. I burn off 500 calories when I jog for an hour. This means I can have a pizza and dessert and not feel guilty. I wish there was more information about calories in restaurants. It would make it easier for me to know what to eat and what to avoid.

Doctors are cool. They spend all their day helping people and saving lives. There can’t be many better jobs in the world. I wanted to be a doctor when I was a kid but I was no good at science. I think doctors are among the most important people in society. They should get paid lots and lots of money. It’s not right that bankers get paid more. Doctors are really clever and very kind. They never seem to panic or get angry. Every time I’ve seen a doctor, he or she has always made me feel better – not just because of their treatment, but also because of their kindness. It must be amazing being a doctor and knowing all kinds of stuff about the human body. It would be pretty useful being a doctor because then you’d know what was wrong with your own body.

Being single has its advantages and disadvantages. I think it’s better to stay single when you’re young. You need to live and have fun. You also need the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Being single in your twenties gives you lots of time to go travelling, see the world and experience different things. Most people like being single in their twenties and then want to settle down in their thirties. I think being single later in life can be sad. All of your friends are married or attached and people tend to go out and party less. I think being single when you’re old would be very lonely. The longer you stay single, the harder it becomes to settle down. In some countries, people think you’re strange if you’re single later on in life.

I think Christmas is one of the happiest times of the year. Everyone has a smile on their face, especially children. It’s such an exciting time for kids. They can’t wait to open their presents and play with all of their new games and toys. It’s a nice time for adults too. They can catch up with their families and relax. Traditionally, the mother of the family is busiest at Christmas. She does most of the Christmas shopping and wraps the presents. Of course, she also spends hours cooking Christmas dinner. Let’s not forget the true meaning of Christmas, though. It is not about shopping and Christmas trees and ‘Frosty the Snowman’. It’s all about love for each other and peace around the world. Let’s hope this message stays alive.

We have to do something about pollution. Even though there are warnings about global warming, companies don’t do anything to reduce pollution. Our sky, air, rivers, beaches and countryside are becoming rubbish dumps. The air is so polluted it is giving children breathing problems. Polluted rivers have no fish left in them and beaches are too dangerous to walk on because of the garbage everywhere. It seems a lot of people don’t care. I think there should be big fines for polluters. I don’t mind paying more for things if they can be made with less pollution. The problem is that companies are more interested in profits than pollution. We have only just started looking at our carbon footprint.

Birthdays are brilliant. I’m 62 years old and I still love them. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad birthday. In fact, I think birthdays get better and better the older you become. Sure, kids love birthdays because they get presents and get to eat cake. But when you get older, birthdays make you feel special. It’s your special day. Even if no one wishes you a happy birthday, it’s still your special day. A lot of my friends think I’m mad. They hate their birthdays because it means they’re another year older. I hope I get to celebrate my hundredth birthday. I’m not sure if I can blow out 100 candles though. When I look back at all my birthdays, it’s difficult to choose the best. I’ll just say my last birthday is always the best one.

I’m not the world’s biggest fan of banks. I’ve had too many bad experiences of them. I really don’t know how they can advertise and say they look after you. They don’t. Bank charges are way too high; you spend ages waiting to be served; and then they say no if you want a loan. The bank I bank with makes dozens of mistakes with my account. The thing they’re best at is making excuses. I’m not at all surprised so many banks did badly in the credit crisis. I hope they change. Bankers get far too much money. All they do is desk work. Banks need to focus a lot more on real customer service. At the moment banks only offer an excuse for customer service. They don’t even offer you a drink when you sit down and open an account.

In the USA, they’re called apartments; in the UK they’re called flats. They are a modern invention. I don’t particularly like them. I don’t think it’s good for so many people to live so close together. It’s not good for people to live on top of each other. I don’t understand how people can live above the second floor. It’s not natural to live in the sky. The thing I hate most about apartments are the lifts (Americans say elevator) and the fact there’s no garden. More and more people are moving into apartments. This creates problems with overcrowding. There aren’t enough spaces to park your car, there’s nowhere to throw your rubbish and you have to wait ages to reach your floor. Give me a little house with a little garden any day.

There’s a famous song that says “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. Is that true? Do all women like diamonds? They are certainly very beautiful, especially when you see them sparkling. But really, only rich people can afford diamonds. When I bought my wife’s wedding ring, we could only afford a smallish diamond. There were lots of beautiful rings in the store with huge diamonds but they all cost an arm and a leg. One day I’ll buy her a big diamond as a surprise. Nowadays you have to worry where diamonds come from. Many countries sell diamonds to buy guns and tanks. These are called blood diamonds. If you buy a diamond, make sure it has a certificate so you know which country it came from.

I love the news and current events. I’m addicted to what’s happening in the world. It doesn’t matter what kind of news it is, I love watching it. Even if it’s from countries I’ve never heard of. I’ll even watch the same news programme three or four times and not get bored. I guess it’s so fascinating because it’s real. I get really interested in a story when it breaks, then like to follow it as it unfolds. Following current events makes you quite knowledgeable. I know most of the world’s capitals and most of the world’s leaders. Watching the news is really looking at history happening now. But you never know what’s going to happen next. Every time you turn on the news or read a news story, you’ll find something unexpected.

It’s hard to believe that no one had computers a few years ago. I wonder how people lived. There must have been a lot of paperwork. I can’t imagine writing everything by hand. I also wonder how everything worked without computers. We need computers today for everything. Hospitals, airports, the police… nothing can work without computers. I’m sure I’d be ten times busier than now if I didn’t have a computer. Imagine having to find a piece of paper and an envelope and then walking down the street to mail a letter! I love my computer. It makes everything in my life so convenient. Sure, it freezes and crashes sometimes. Sure I lose some data. But that’s not often. Most of the time my computer is like my best friend.

I don’t know what I would do without my friends’ advice. They’ve all given me so much good advice over the years. It’s sometimes very difficult to make decisions on your own. Listening to advice can be great for helping you make the right decision. The greatest piece of advice I’ve received was from my father. He told me I can do anything in life if I try hard. He was right. I am now passing on his advice to my own children. Right now I need some advice on money. My financial advisors are telling me to be very careful. That’s very sound advice. I would advise anyone to do the same. Someone asked me the other day about the worst piece of advice I’ve ever had. I couldn’t answer. I don’t think I’ve had any really bad advice.

Children are angels. Most of the time this is true. I’m very lucky because my two children really are the greatest angels. I think I won the children lottery with my kids. I could not have asked for lovelier, happier, sweeter little children. They have brought me endless amounts of joy since the second they were born. Everything they do fascinates me. Everything they say makes me smile. Watching them grow up is my greatest pleasure. In a way, it’s a little sad. I always want them to stay the age they’re at now. When they were 18 months old, I thought that was the cutest age. I thought the same when they were two, and then three and then four. I guess however old they are, they’re perfect. I wish all the children in the world were as happy as mine.

What are your bad habits? I think everyone has bad habits. Not everyone agrees on what bad habits are. Some smokers don’t think smoking is a bad habit. Young people don’t think listening to loud music on the train is a bad habit. In Japan, slurping your noodles is a sign that you enjoy your food, but making a noise while eating in England is not good. Have you ever tried to break your bad habits? I have quit smoking and have stopped leaving things laying around the house. I wish other people would stop their bad habits. I get annoyed when people are late for meetings or talk loudly on their phones in public. I also think many motorists need to think about their driving habits. Perhaps I should point out their bad habits.

I’m a real animal lover. I’m fascinated by the whole animal kingdom. I loved animals when I was a kid. I used to read every book I could find on animals. I knew all the different animal species. The most exciting thing for me was going to the zoo. I would spend hours just watching the animals walk around, sit, or even sleep. When I was older, I went on a safari to Tanzania. I saw real wild animals in the wild. Everyone should do this once in their lives. Looking at animals in their natural habitat is a real honour. Now I’m worried about the future of many animals. Some of my favourite animals are in danger of dying out. We really need to change our lifestyle so our children can have the chance of seeing animals in the wild.

What is advertising? Is it telling the truth or is it making things look better than they really are? Or is it lying? Companies pay a lot of money for adverts. Some of the ads you see in glossy magazines look like art. The commercials on TV look like mini movies. Do they really change our behaviour? Do adverts make you buy things? I think some advertising is a form of lying. Is BMW really “The ultimate driving machine” like they say in their ads? British Airways used to say they were “The world’s favourite airline,” but had to stop saying it because it wasn’t true. Personally, I get tired of watching ads on television. They always interrupt a good programme. I like ads in magazines. They’re usually quite interesting.

I’m really interested in the culture of other countries. I don’t know why, but I always think other cultures are more interesting than my own culture. Every time I travel, I learn wonderful, strange, amazing and interesting things about other cultures. One of the biggest surprises I had was when I went to the USA as a child. I’m English so I thought Americans had the same culture as me. When I went to America I understood Americans and Brits are very different people. Understanding the culture of other people is very important. It helps us all to get along. If everyone really tried to learn about other cultures, the world would be a more peaceful place. The world is becoming smaller, so I think this is happening.

Scientists and doctors can’t make their minds up about coffee. One study says it’s really bad for us and the next report says it’s good for us. I’ve even read that 10 cups a day is good for our brain. I like a cup of coffee at certain times of the day. I must have a coffee first thing in the morning. I can’t survive without my morning coffee. I have another cup or two when I get to work. And that’s it. I never drink coffee after lunchtime. If I do, I can’t sleep at night. The only time I drink coffee in the evening is if I go to a nice restaurant. Coffee seems a lot more complicated these days. When I was younger it was just coffee. Now it’s latte, frappucino and all kinds of other strange words.

Chickens are so important to many of us because they are a major part of our diet. Every country has so many chicken dishes, and eggs are one of the most common foods around. Chickens are also cute. Well, chickens aren’t, but chicks are - cute, fluffy chicks that make everyone go ‘aaahh’. It’s strange though that the word ‘chicken’ is used in so many English idioms. When I was at high school, you couldn’t ‘chicken out’ – to not do something because of being scared. Things are different today - I’m no spring chicken (that means I’m no longer young) so no one calls me a chicken any more. I work now - as a teacher. I get chicken feed (low wages) but I like my job. I plan to retire before I’m 50, but I’m not going to count my chickens before they’re hatched. This means I won’t quit working until I have enough money.

Business isn’t so good at the moment. In fact, it’s the worst time for businesses for decades. Many businesses are going bust because of the global financial crisis. Even sound businesses like the car industry and electronics are going through a really bad time. Many small businesses have gone out of business. It’s a real shame because so many lives are being ruined. With a lot of businesses it’s a real fight for survival. I really respect people for trying to make a go of their business. I don’t have much business sense. I wouldn’t know where to start in opening my own business. I suppose the best thing would be to look at business startups on the Internet. An online business might be good. There seems to be less risk.

Are you busy? Do you lead a busy life? It seems we get busier and busier in our lives. I hate being busy. I’d much rather have nothing to do. Being busy makes me stressed and I end up making mistakes or forgetting something. Who’s the busiest person you know? I bet he or she is really stressed. The busy people I know are always looking ahead to their next holiday… and then in their holiday they are busy doing other things. I think we busy ourselves with too many things. We need to learn to relax and take things slowly. Even at work we have to look busy, even if we’re not. When the boss comes, we tell our friends, “Look busy!” That’s silly. It would be great if the word ‘busy’ disappeared from the English language.

An American president once said the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. Can’t remember which President, but never mind. I think that’s an interesting quote. It’s so true, most of the time. We all spend a lot of time worried or afraid that something bad will happen, and then nothing happens. It is the fear that frightens us, not the thing that might or might not happen. And then there are phobias. Millions of people are afraid of something that the rest of the world thinks is quite normal. How can you be afraid of things like peanut butter? There’s actually a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Amazing. Fear is sometimes good. It makes us alert and can keep us safe in a dangerous situation.

Most people know the word 'avatar'. Perhaps we all saw the movie with the same name. Avatars are becoming a normal part of our life. Well... I should say our online life. Almost everywhere you go on the Internet you see avatars. Sometimes it's a website asking you to make an avatar, and other times it's people's real avatars. Do you have one? Or two, or three? I see a lot of avatars that are kind of cute and look like Japanese anime. One of the most popular things is to choose an animal as an avatar. I always take a long time to choose my avatar. It's important to make one I really like. It has to be funny. I also like avatars that move. All of the best avatars I've seen move. They are usually very funny, and clever.

Getting married is one of the happiest days of anyone’s life. Being married is also full of happiness, but there are also many difficulties. It isn’t always easy to be married. You have to put up with your spouse’s bad habits and moods forever. You have to negotiate and compromise on many things from who’s first in the bathroom in the mornings to where you go on vacation. Of course, being married also has many wonderful sides to it. You have a lifelong friend who will love you forever. You share many wonderful times together and support each other through good and bad times. And you grow old together and look back on years of happy memories. I think being married is great for your soul.

I loved babysitting when I was younger. It was a really easy way to make money. All I had to do was sit in my neighbour’s house and look after the kids. That was the easy bit, because the kids were usually asleep in bed. The parents would give me a lot of money for watching DVDs and eating snacks. When I was even younger, I liked it when my babysitter came round. She would always play games with us and let us stay up late. She would send us to bed just before my parents came home. I know in some countries, babysitting isn’t so common. It isn’t part of the culture. I suppose that’s not such a bad thing. I read a lot in the papers nowadays about babysitters hitting the children because they don’t sleep. That’s really bad.

I hate alcohol. I really don’t understand how or why people drink it. The smell of alcohol on people’s breath is disgusting. It’s expensive and it gives you a bad headache. I drank when I was much younger, but I haven’t touched a drop for years. I hated hangovers so I decided to stop drinking altogether. I have a much better time without alcohol. People say they need to drink to relax. They drink and just act and look stupid. Their face goes red and they can’t walk in a straight line. Alcohol is also the most damaging drug in society. That’s what I think, anyway. Alcohol causes many illnesses, traffic accidents, fights and domestic violence. If you banned alcohol, people would be healthier, richer and have a better family life.

There are aliens out there, somewhere. I strongly believe this. Not sure what they look like, though. I really doubt they are green, like they are in science fiction movies. I also don’t think they look like us. But I’m sure they exist. I just don’t think we’ll ever see any or find any. They live too far away. If you think about it logically, there has to be aliens out there. All a planet needs is to be warm and have water and life will exist. There are billions and billions of planets in the universe, so there are probably millions and millions that have life. Alien life. It’s also likely that some of the aliens are much more intelligent than we are. I wonder what we’d do if really intelligent aliens visited Earth. What would we ask them?

Being an actor must be great. I really wish I could act. I’d love to have the confidence to act in front of people. Being a member of the audience at the theatre is great, but acting on stage is better. I wonder what it’s like to be a movie actor. I think you need to be beautiful or handsome to be a successful Hollywood or Bollywood actor. They all look great. Actors are very lucky. They get paid huge amounts of money to do what they love doing. My favourite actors are all dead now. I really like the actors in the old black and white movies. They all looked so cool. Actors in the old days seemed to be more glamorous than today’s actors. The best thing about being an actor is that all of your friends are famous too.

I wonder how many accidents I’ve had in my life. I’ve had a few serious ones where I’ve ended up in hospital. Traffic accidents are the worst. They’re always painful. I haven’t had too many work-related accidents. I suppose that’s because I do office work and that’s not so dangerous. Most of my accidents are those around the house. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve hit my thumb with a hammer. I’m also really good at standing up and hitting my head on something. I’m not as bad as my friend though. He’s a real accident looking for somewhere to happen. Almost every time we meet, he has some story to tell about his latest accident. He’s quite unbelievable. I think I’d be very worried if I were his mother.

Uruguay won the first World Cup in 1930 and we’re going to win the next one too. There are only three million people in Uruguay but we have a great footballing history. We really think it’s our turn to shine again on the world stage. We have the players to do that. Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez are among the best strikers in the world. I love watching them play. They really are top class goalscorers. I’m so looking forward to seeing my team play in South Africa. I know I will get a lump in my throat. Every time I see their blue and white striped shirts, I get excited. I think we have the best soccer kit in the world. As our coach Oscar Tabarez says, “we have a lot of strong points and we hope to be able to show them.” I hope his words come true in South Africa.

FIFA deciding to give the 2010 World Cup to South Africa was a proud moment for us. We South Africans have been preparing years for this event – the first on African soil. We will win the trophy. History is on our side. If you look back at previous tournaments, the host nation has won many times. That will happen this time too. We will show the world our Bafana Bafana spirit. We aren’t afraid of anyone and will even beat France to reach the next round. We can do it. Last year we only just lost to Brazil in the Confederations Cup. We will go a stage further in June. We have some of the world’s top players. They play in the English Premier League. I’m sure Steven Pienaar will shine and become one of the stars of the World Cup. Please enjoy our African football.

I think the Vancouver Winter Olympics will be really special. It’s such a great place to have the event. I’m not sure if I like the winter or summer Olympics better. I’d rather be a competitor in the summer games – it’s warmer. The winter Olympics are definitely the most beautiful. Looking at skiers come down a snowy slope against a blue sky is a wonderful sight. I also love the winter Olympics because of the skating. It’s amazing watching the speeds the speed skaters reach – they’re so fast. I also think the figure skaters put on a fantastic show. Another winter Olympic event I like is the luge – I think people have to be crazy to sit on almost nothing and shoot down an ice tunnel at high speeds. I wonder who will win the most gold medals. Maybe it’ll be Norway, or Russia.

The question of organ transplants is a difficult one. Not for me though. I’m quite happy to donate all of my organs for transplants. I don’t mind my body being donated to science after I die. I think it’s much better to be useful even after I die. I would be so happy to know that my heart was used to save someone else’s life. I don’t need my eyes after I die, so it’d be great if someone else could use them to see. Even though I want my body to be used for medical science, it feels a little strange to think that medical students will be cutting me up. I know in other parts of the world there are many people who don’t like the idea of organ transplants. They believe the body should stay in one piece. I hope that changes because doctors really need the organs.

I first heard about the ozone layer about twenty years ago. I was still in school. I thought it was interesting, but I didn’t take it seriously. It was a bit like science fiction, I mean, how could there be a giant hole in the atmosphere? Over the years, more and more scientists spoke about the ozone layer. Global warming became a serious issue. Important people like Al Gore made movies about it. We all know today that the thinning ozone layer is perhaps the most serious crisis we face today. Even though many people have changed their lifestyles, we are still damaging the ozone layer. We need to do something really drastic to stop this. We all need to stop driving cars and stop using coal. That would be a start.

I so can’t wait for the Super Bowl. It’s gonna be the best ever. Every year I always look forward to it. It’s quite simply the greatest show on Earth. You can’t compare the Super Bowl to any other sporting event. It’s even better than the Olympics. It’s one hundred times more exciting than the soccer World Cup. This year is extra special. My favorite team’s playing – the New Orleans Saints. The Indianapolis Colts are the favorites. We’re the underdogs, but I don’t care. I have this feeling we’re gonna win big. I also just found out the British rock group The Who are performing during the halftime show. I love those guys – they really rock. All in all I think Super Bowl 44 will be totally awesome.

Overpopulation is a real problem. It could kill the Earth. Very soon, there will be too many people and not enough land. There won’t be enough farms to grow food for everyone. We’ll eat all of the fish in the sea. And our pollution will cause more global warming. I think we are in a very serious situation. I don’t know what the answer is. Our leaders don’t seem too worried. They never see the bigger picture. The world’s population is exploding, and explosions cause great damage. More and more people are living longer and longer. We have better medicines. Our scientists have found cures to many diseases. There are many reasons. What we really need to do is think about how overpopulation is damaging the Earth.

We all have opinions on everything. Some of us have very strong opinions. Others have not-so-strong opinions. And then there are those who say they have no opinion, which I suppose is some kind of opinion. It’s interesting how our opinions can be so different. Even on the smallest of things. It’s also interesting to see how your opinions change as you get older. My opinions of other people change a lot. You have first impressions of someone – that’s your initial opinion. Then, as you get to know them, your opinions of them can change – for better or worse. Whose opinion is right? I suppose it’s the person who is strongest. They try to force their opinions on others. It’s important to listen to and consider the opinions of other people.

The number one is a good number. Maybe it’s the best number. Why? Because everyone wants to be number one. It’s actually a very useful word in English. There are so many different expressions with ‘one’. Of course it’s a number and useful in maths, but there’s so much more. Try a little experiment, Write down all the common word partners of ‘one’. I can think of loads right now. ‘One way’, ‘one world’, one chance’, one time’, etc. There are also lots of expressions, such as ‘one in a million’ or ‘one at a time’. I’m sure if you looked in any dictionary, you’ll find hundreds of useful things on ‘one’. If you want some really detailed info on the word or number one, go to Wikipedia.com. ‘One’ really is one useful word.

Operations are amazing things – unless, that is, you’re having one. I always think it is incredible how doctors can cut people open and repair their body. It must take great skill. I can’t believe some operations can take over 12 hours. I’ve had a few operations in my life. I have very mixed feelings about them. My worst fear is that I’ll die. My biggest hope is that the operation will be successful and I’ll make a full recovery. I also think about how interesting it is. I like watching all the things the doctors and nurses do before the operation. I’m really nervous, but it’s like being in the middle of a TV documentary. I once had an operation and I was awake for the whole thing. I could see lots, but I won’t go any further.

Oil is good and bad. It’s good because it helps our energy needs. It’s bad because it causes pollution. Oil is a fossil fuel. Burning it produces carbon dioxide (CO2). This is one of the biggest causes of global warming. There isn’t much oil left in the ground. Some people say it will all be gone this century. I suppose that means we won’t make as much pollution. But what will we do when the oil runs out? Scientists are working on that right now. We need to do something because we use oil to power our cars, homes and factories. Whatever we replace oil with must be better for the environment. I don’t think oil-producing countries are happy their oil will run out. They need to start thinking about how to make money after the oil has gone.

I like the expression ‘OK’. I don’t know why. It’s so useful. Everyone in the world understands what it means. It must be the only word that everyone knows. Is it a word or is at an abbreviation? We spell it ‘okay’ but abbreviate it as ‘OK’. I wonder how many meanings it has. You can ask if someone is OK, if they are ill; you can ask if someone understands a question or instructions using OK; you can even let someone know ‘enough is enough’ by saying OK. If you say something is OK, it means you don’t really like or dislike it. In fact, sometimes, if you say, “He’s OK” or “She’s OK, it means you don’t really like them. I think okay is also a verb. I have heard people say, “It’s OK, John okayed it”.

I’m a bit worried about my old age. I don’t really want to get old. I like being young. On the other hand, if I do get old, I want to live to be over 100. I’m hoping old age will be nice. It seems a time when you can relax and slow down. If course, you have to slow down because you’re body wears out. There are two things I’m worried about. One is money. I think if you are old and poor, you’ll be miserable. No money to enjoy yourself. Maybe not even enough money to eat, pay bills or go to the hospital. That’s scary. The other thing I worry about is being in good health. Especially my mental health. I imagine I’ll be happy in my old age. I have so many hobbies and I know I’ll enjoy doing them all every day.

Obesity is a problem that is getting bigger and bigger around the world. It really hits rich countries. When people have money, they buy a lot of the wrong food. They become lazy and eat fast food. They also forget about exercise and sit in front of the TV instead. The worrying thing is that more and more children are suffering from obesity. This is a big problem. The number of overweight kids I see today is amazing. I think the reason is quite simple – junk food, video games and the Internet. When I was growing up, I had a balanced diet. I also spent most of my free time outdoors. I spent hours every day on my bike or playing football. Kids today hardly go outside. They are glued to one kind of screen or another – TV, computer or games console.

I really worry about our oceans. Not many people understand how important the oceans are. Every day we hear stories about the rainforests and the ice caps, but we rarely hear about the oceans. They form most of the Earth’s surface and most of the world’s species live in them. They are responsible for weather patterns and a lot of the world’s foods. The problem is, they are becoming very polluted. Many fish species are in danger of dying. The coral reefs in our oceans are also in danger. We really need to think more about our oceans. We have to protect the life in them, or we might die. I love the ocean. I love the sound, the smell, the colour. I feel so happy and relaxed just looking at the ocean.

Nuclear weapons are the worst thing invented by man. The day we invented them was a black day in our history. Fortunately, they have only been used a few times. We only need to read the history of what happened in Japan to understand why nuclear weapons must never be used again. The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed in an instant. Hundreds of thousands died. Today, nuclear weapons are a hundred times more powerful. It’s scary to think how much harm one nuclear bomb could cause. Even scarier, is what happens if terrorists get hold of nuclear weapons. I fear for our future. One day, all countries will have nuclear weapons and then we’ll be in real trouble.

Nursing is one of the greatest professions in the world. It’s so much more important than most jobs. The sad thing is that nurses get paid so little. They do such a valuable job but get paid less than politicians. This is not right. Politicians do whatever they can to take our money. They even vote to stop nurses getting increases in pay. This is wrong. Governments need to do more to help nurses. There should be a bigger focus on the profession. I would much rather have more nurses than more weapons. A few years ago I wanted to get into nursing. I met some nurses who told me not to. They said the job involved too many hours, too much paperwork and not enough pay. That’s sad. We can’t afford to treat nurses so badly.

Many scientists say nuclear energy is our future. Many normal people aren’t so sure. I think most of us worry about nuclear energy. We hear on the news about the dangers of nuclear power. Many years ago there was a big accident in Chernobyl, Russia. A nuclear reactor caught fire and melted. Because of this, deadly radiation spread across the whole of Europe. There were reports that sheep in England caught radiation sickness. I think things are safer now. Many countries trust nuclear energy. France and Japan each has dozens of nuclear power stations. I think it’s probably a good idea. We really need to stop using fossil fuels. Nuclear power is a lot less harmful to the environment. Perhaps we need to spend more money on making it safer.

A Just stop and think how important numbers are to our lives. Numbers control us. In fact, we are numbers. We have passport numbers, social security numbers, ID numbers, and more. We live in a house and a street that has a number. We communicate with each other using telephone numbers. We worry about how small or big the numbers are on our bank statements. We can’t survive without numbers. Most of the world cannot function without the numbers zero and one. These are the two numbers computers use to run their programmes. I don’t think numbers were always so important. Maybe 500 years ago, we only had to remember the number of sheep, goats or children we had. I wonder how many numbers we need today!

Our nose is the strangest of all body parts. It’s such a funny thing. And where is it? Right on the front of our face. Right in the middle. It would be OK if everyone had exactly the same nose. But we all have a different nose. Some of us have a big nose, some a small nose. Some of us have a crooked nose with big nostrils. My nose is one part of my body I’d really like to change. It’s too big for the size of my face. When people talk about why other people are beautiful or handsome, no one says, “because he or she has a nice nose,” or “oooh, his (or her) nose is just soooo sexy”. I suppose if you really don’t like your nose, you can have a nose job. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford cosmetic surgery.

Noise is everywhere. I bet there isn’t a place on Earth where you can’t hear anything. I live in the city, so noise is everywhere. Sometimes it gets to me. I really want to have a button to turn it off. It’s amazing how much noise there is around us. We usually never even think about it. Listen now to the noise around you. Cars, computers, music, people talking. It’s strange to think that in the past few decades, people have been talking about noise pollution. That’s a really good description. Noise is quite often pollution. It’s stuff that makes our surroundings unpleasant. I wonder if there is any kind of noise that is good noise. The very word ‘noise’ has a negative meaning. But if you say sound, it has a different meaning. I love the sound of babies laughing.

I love the Olympics. It really is a unique and special world occasion. There’s only one event in the world better than the Olympics, and that’s the Football World Cup. Anyway, the Olympics really is a celebration of humanity. The whole world watches and gets excited. We love watching our heroes trying to win gold. I don’t usually get excited about seeing my country’s flag, but at the Olympics, I love it. I think the Olympics were better many years ago. Then, they had traditional Olympic sports. Nowadays we have professional tennis and baseball stars playing in sports that aren’t really Olympic sports. I would love to see an Olympic games. Maybe I’ll be lucky and get a chance to see the London games in 2012.

I like the night. It’s an interesting time of the day. The city changes at night. I like all the bright lights. People seem to be more active. Everyone is rushing home or going out. All the action starts at night. Restaurants, bars and clubs open. Everyone is happy. Night means we can stop working or studying and enjoy ourselves. It’s cooler at night so you feel more relaxed. Of course, the city at night is very different from the country. All you can do in the country is look at the night sky or sit around a fire. Everything stops at night in the country and people sleep very early. Except for insects. Night time can be very noisy because of the insects that come out at night. I’m a night person. I’m nocturnal, like an owl or bat.

I wonder why the Nobel Prize is so famous. Sure, the people who win it are very clever, but they’re not really superstars. I’ve usually heard of the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize because they’re always in the news. But have you ever heard of the Nobel Laureates for Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, etc? Even though I read a lot, I only sometimes know the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. I like reading about who won the Nobel Prize. It makes me want to be like them. Of course, I can never win such a prize, but I can study more. Some of the Nobel Prize winners of the past are really famous. Einstein and Mother Theresa are perhaps the most famous. I was shocked to learn Gandhi never won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Neighbours are very hit and miss. Sometimes you hit the jackpot and get neighbours who become great friends. Other times you get the short straw and have nightmare neighbours. I’ve had good and bad neighbours. I’m not sure why some neighbours are so bad. It’s really not that difficult to be a good neighbour. All you have to do is be polite, don’t play loud music late at night, and don’t park in front of their house. It sounds easier than it is. I think a long time ago there was a lot of neighbourliness. Families lived near each other for generations. It’s different today. New families come and go. They never get to know each other. Everyone keeps their distance. This is not always a good thing.

I don’t know about you, but I think there are more natural disasters now than before. Every time I turn on the news there’s some kind of disaster. There are bushfires in Australia and California, earthquakes in China, hurricanes in Mexico and droughts in Africa. I’m sure global warming is creating more natural disasters. I’m lucky. Where I live, we don’t really have natural disasters. I’ve never experienced anything like the things on TV. Japan has many natural disasters. They have earthquakes, typhoons, flooding, volcanoes, all kinds of things. They are lucky they have the money to deal with them. There are countries in Africa that aren’t rich. When a natural disaster hits them, everyone suffers terribly.

I like my names. I have four names – my family name, my given name and two middle names. I’m not sure why I have two middle names. I guess my parents wanted to name me after two of my uncles. Names are different all over the world. In some countries, family name comes before the given name. In the Muslim world, a girl’s name includes her father and grandfathers’ names. In Japan and China, there is no middle name. I think it’s interesting how people choose a name. I really don’t understand naming a baby after a famous actor or sports star. That’s silly. I think names should have a meaning. In the West, people don’t really know what their name means. In many countries, each name has a special meaning.

Nationality is a strange thing. I don’t think it used to be. Nowadays, with globalization, people want to change their nationality. Many people from poor countries want to go to rich countries and become citizens. It’s strange because I don’t understand how your nationality can change. Even if I live in Peru for 50 years, I’m still English, even though I might have a Peruvian passport. I think people have confused feelings when they change nationalities. Their heart is still in their real country and not in the country of their new nationality. Nationality unfairly decides how successful you’ll be in life. If you’re born in a rich country, you’ll get a good education. If you’re born in a poor country, you might not even get basic human rights.

Nails are funny things. Why do we have them? I actually find them quite annoying. We have to keep cutting them, they get dirty, and sometimes they break and become painful. I’d rather we didn’t have nails. I’m sure it wouldn’t change our lives. I guess women would say no to that idea. My female friends spend a lot of money on their nails. I don’t know why. Nail polish stinks, and so does nail polish remover. I really don’t know why they waste their time going for manicures. It must be really boring sitting there, watching someone paint your nails. Nail art is now big business. People have become millionaires opening nail art salons. The best thing for me would be to have really short nails that never grow.

Some national anthems are really good and some aren’t. I like my country’s anthem. It makes me feel proud of my country every time I hear it. I’m a little embarrassed to say I don’t know the words to it. In some countries, they play the national anthem every day in school. I remember being in Thailand. They play the national anthem in the streets every morning. Everyone stops and stands still. When the anthem finishes, people start walking again. In other countries I’ve been to, they play the national anthem in cinemas before a movie starts. I really like hearing my national anthem played at the Olympics. That means my country won a gold medal. I have to hold back the tears when I hear it then.

Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

I really wish I could play a musical instrument. I can’t. I had a few music lessons when I was a kid, but I didn’t keep them up. I really regret that now. I get quite jealous of people who can play a musical instrument. It’s a wonderful ability. I hope they know how lucky they are to be able to play an instrument. Of all the musical instruments, I’d like to play the piano. I think this is the king of musical instruments. It sounds so beautiful. Pianos also look beautiful. I imagine it’s very relaxing playing it. Another instrument I’d like to play is the guitar. I still want to be a rock star, although I’m a bit old now. I suppose it’s never too old though to learn to play something. I haven’t given up hope.

What would life be like without music? I wonder how music started. It is an important part of every culture on Earth. I wonder when we first became interested in music. I also wonder when we first become interested in music. Is it when we are a baby? Some people think our interest in music starts before we are born. Music is an essential part of my day. It changes my feeling and puts me in a good mood. There’s nothing better to do on a train or bus than put on my headphones. I like all kinds of music, from classical and opera to jazz, rock and world music. I’m always looking for something new. Sometimes I hear a song or piece of music on the TV or radio. I have to find out who it is. Do you do that? I’m sure I’ll keep collecting CDs or mp3s until I’m a hundred. Perhaps I won’t be able to hear it then!

I totally love museums. They really are one of the most important parts of our culture. Museums are important for so many things. They educate us, they preserve our history, they show us how we have developed. There are museums on so many different things. In fact, I’m sure there isn’t a topic there isn’t a museum for. I’ve loved museums since I was little. We used to go to different museums on school trips. I loved them. I saw so many amazing things. I will never forget seeing the bones of a T-Rex in the natural history museum. I also remember staring at Tutankhamen’s gold mask for ages. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. The best museum I’ve ever been to is the National Museum in Cairo. It’s unbeatable.

Multiculturalism is everywhere today. As the world gets smaller, multiculturalism becomes bigger. Few of us today live in towns in which there is only one culture. Today, we live in towns where we are surrounded by many other cultures. If we live in a city, we will see people from all over the world. Of course, some cities are more multicultural than others. New York is a real melting pot. It is called the most multicultural city on Earth. A city like Tokyo isn’t so multicultural. I think multiculturalism is a great thing. It’s fantastic walking out of your door and seeing other cultures. This didn’t happen when I was young. People didn’t understand other cultures. They didn’t even want to understand. I’m glad things are changing today.

Aren’t mp3s amazing? Maybe young people today don’t think so. They are part of the “digital generation” and think mp3s are normal. But I was born long before digital music started. When I was a teenager, I had a record collection. You had to go to a store and buy your music. I had hundreds of records. The first time I came across mp3s I laughed. I was totally amazed. I still find it hard to believe I can keep 10,000 songs in my pocket and take them anywhere in the world. I also love the idea of mp3 downloads. It’s much easier than going to a record store. I’m wondering what happens after mp3s. What’s next? I’m sure one day people will laugh at how “old technology” mp3s are.

Mothers are the people dearest to us. We all have a special relationship with our mother. We are naturally bonded to our mother. We spend nine months growing inside her and she is the person who looks after us when we are babies. Our mother does everything for us. She feeds us, cleans us, wipes away our tears, treats our cuts and bruises, supports us and loves us. And all of this never stops. Mothers still do motherly things even when we are old and she is really old. It is very sad to hear that someone’s mother has died. I remember this happening to some children in my class at school. I can’t imagine how children grow up without a mother. I hope my mother lives forever. She deserves to.

I love watching movies. At the cinema, on TV or on my computer. I'm a big movie fan and love all the news of my favourite movie stars. I like all kinds of movies - Hollywood blockbusters, black and white movies from the 50s, independent movies... They're all good. Recently I've got into watching foreign movies. I like the films that come out of Bollywood - they're very different. The first film I saw at the movie theatre was Star Wars. I was amazed at the special effects. Nowadays, so many movies have such good computer graphics that we forget how special the effects are. One of my favourite ways of relaxing is to rent the latest DVD and sit on the sofa with a big bag of potato chips. The sound has to be up to the max and the lights have to be off.

I love mountains. I much prefer them to every other kind of natural feature. They are much better than the sea, beaches, deserts, etc. Mountains are so cool. They rise up so high into the sky. I can’t stop looking at mountains, wherever I am in the world. I also love being in the mountains. The landscape is just spectacular. You really feel part of God’s wonderful creation when you are surrounded by mountains. There are so many things you can do in the mountains. Some people like climbing them or jumping off them with a parachute. This is not for me. I just like going for a walk and having a picnic. There’s nothing better than sitting down and admiring the mountain view and feeling the cool mountain breeze. This is paradise.

The Moon is a very mysterious thing. It has fascinated us for thousands of years. It is mentioned everywhere in science and literature almost from the time humans started writing. And today, it still fills us with wonder. The most amazing thing about the Moon is that humans have been there. Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon’s surface must be the greatest human achievement ever. Even though man has walked on the Moon, not everyone agrees on its colour. In Japan, and perhaps in other countries too, they think it’s yellow. Of course, the Moon is white. One day, we’ll probably have holidays on the Moon. I’d totally love that. Imagine staying in a Moon hotel and waking up in the morning to look at the Earth.

“Money makes the world go round.” I wonder if this famous English expression is very true. If you have money, the world goes round very gently and you are happy. If you don’t have money, the world might not go round so smoothly. They also say that “money is the root of all evil”. I think this is so true. Money makes people kill and steal. Greed means there are things in the world like blackmail, corruption, slave labour and a lot more terrible things. Another common saying in English is “money can’t buy happiness”. I’m not so sure about this one. I know if I had loads of money I’d be pretty happy. I think if all the world’s money was shared out, the world would go round more happily, and there would be less evil and more happiness.

Sometimes I like the word ‘no’, and sometimes I hate it. It is a very powerful word, even though it has just two letters. I don’t like the word ‘no’ when I have been for a job interview and didn’t get the job. I also hate this word when I ask someone on a date. Then, hearing ‘no’ is like a kick in the teeth. I think I probably say ‘yes’ more than ‘no’. I love going out. I never say ‘no’  if anyone asks me to go to a club or go on a trip. I wonder how many ways there are of saying ‘no’. Sometimes you can say ‘no’ when you really mean ‘yes’. Other times, ‘no’ means ‘no’. I also like this small word because it fits into some interesting phrases, like ‘no-can-do,’ a ‘no-go area’ and ‘no way Jose’. My favourite is ‘that’s a real no-no’ – for things you must never do.

Murder is the most evil thing in the world. I don’t know how it is possible for one person to murder another. Why do they think they can take someone else’s life? Even worse are people who commit multi-murder. Mass killing seems to be more and more common today. Shootings at schools are especially bad. How can we prevent murder? Every time we look at the news, there’s another murder. I hope it is not something that will stay with the human race forever.  What is the correct punishment for murder? In some societies it is just a few years in prison. In others it is the death penalty. But there are some countries that don’t punish people for murder. If you are in power and are rich, you can literally get away with murder.

How important to you is your mobile phone? Do you really need it? In the 1980s there were no mobile phones. People still managed to phone their family and friends and do business. Of course, there were more public telephones then. There was a telephone box pretty much on every street corner. I wonder whether mobile phones are a good or bad thing. For sure, they are very convenient, but they can also be a nuisance. There’s nothing worse than talking to someone and then they ignore you for ten minutes while they answer their phone. I have even seen people on a date and one person chats on the phone for 30 minutes. How would life change for you if you didn’t have a mobile? Would you miss listening to other people’s conversations on the train?

Are you happy with your lifestyle? What kind of lifestyle do you lead? It seems that we think about our lifestyle more and more these days. Every time we turn on the TV or open a magazine, there is an ad, programme or article about this lifestyle or that lifestyle. We are told about healthy lifestyles, modern lifestyles, alternative lifestyles. Magazines use pages and pages and pages to describe the lifestyles of the rich and famous. I get the impression that few people are happy with their lifestyle. Most people are jealous of other people who have a “better” lifestyle. Those people should stop for a minute and think about the poor people in the world, or those caught up in wars. Those people don’t worry about lifestyles; they just worry about life.

Models are strange people. It’s almost as though they live in a totally different world to the rest of us. Every day they are told how beautiful they are. I’m sure this affects them in some way. They constantly think about their beauty and their figure. Male models too. A lot of female models also have to be very strict with what they eat so they don’t put on weight. Today, a model has to be size zero to be successful. This is unhealthy. The sad thing is that many normal girls want to look like a model so they end up having health problems. I suppose the life of a model is glamorous. The supermodels fly all over the world. They walk the catwalks at fashion shows and visit exotic locations for photo shoots. And get paid big money.

Milk is one of the best things we can eat or drink for our body. It’s so full of goodness and it tastes pretty good too. Milk is rich in calcium, which makes our bones and teeth strong. This makes milk essential for babies and growing children. It makes them grow up stronger. Milk is also full of many important vitamins and minerals. When I was little, I didn’t really like milk. I think I had a bad experience with sour milk, which turned me off of it. I remember drinking it again when I was a teenager and liking it. Now I think it’s one of the most refreshing drinks you can drink. Just looking at its whiteness makes me feel healthy. I like all kinds of milk, including goat’s milk and even camel’s milk. It’s all good for us.

What would life be like without Microsoft? Impossible? Perhaps not impossible, but definitely difficult. Microsoft seems to be a big part of our lives today. Most of us use Microsoft products every day. We need MS Word to create documents and Excel to make spreadsheets. At school we have to make PowerPoint presentations. Perhaps the biggest thing we use Microsoft for is getting on the Internet. Most of the world’s computers use the Explorer browser to connect to the Web. Millions of us use Hotmail to send e-mails. Millions more play games using Microsoft’s X-Box. In the future, there’ll probably be a lot more Microsoft stuff that helps us in our life. And to think, Microsoft didn’t even exist a few decades ago.

I sometimes worry about my mental health. There are times when I think I’m going crazy. I think it’s because of this world we live in. Everything is so fast. Everyone is in a hurry. Everything has to be done yesterday. I’m sure life wasn’t so stressful a hundred years ago. Then, people’s mental health was probably better. The only good thing nowadays is that there are mental health specialists who can help us when we are in trouble. But, there is a problem with these experts. They keep on thinking up new mental health problems we suffer from. What we all need is to take a step back and slow down. That will be good for our mental health. We need to laugh more and care more. If we don’t do this, we’ll all have mental health problems.

Meditation is one thing I’d really like to be able to do. I can’t do it. I have tried many times but nothing seems to happen. I have read a lot about meditation and it sounds really good. You can relax anytime you want. Twenty minutes of meditation is the same as three hours’ sleep. I love the idea of meditating for twenty minutes in my lunch time and then feeling totally refreshed. Meditation is also a good way of relieving stress. The thing I most like about meditation is that it makes you calm. All the people I know who meditate are always relaxed and easygoing. They never worry about anything. I think we should learn how to meditate at school. That would probably solve a lot of problems in society.

Literature is one thing that makes me very happy. I have loved books of all kinds since I was very small. I don’t know what I would do in life without novels, poems and plays. It’s amazing how literature can change your life. It educates you, makes you happy, makes you sad, inspires you and so much more. I think I’d be a completely different person without it. Literature has been a big influence on my life – perhaps as much as my friends. I think literature is really powerful. It can help us understand other cultures. Recently, I have read a lot of Indian literature, in English, of course. The books I read have totally changed my image of India and Indians. My experience has really made me want to read more books from other countries.

Love is the most important thing in the world. We all need to love and be loved. Love is the glue that makes us one big happy family. It is perhaps the most powerful emotion we feel. It is certainly the one that makes us happiest. Falling in love has to be the greatest feeling ever. It is also the one that makes us saddest. When we lose someone we love it can take forever to get over. Sometimes we never get over it. You can fall in love in an instant. We use the expression “fall in love at first sight” for this. We can also be “head over heels in love,” which is a strange expression. We don’t just love each other. We can love cars, chocolate, holidays, singing in the rain… anything. And, of course, you can also love studying English.

Are men really from another planet? A lot of women think so. There are a lot of books about how strange men are. This is rubbish. Men are men, the same as women are women. Of course men are not perfect, no one is. Men actually have done a lot of bad things in the world. All of the wars in history were started and fought by men. They seem to be naturally aggressive and wanting to fight rather than talk. Things are changing though. There was the “1980s man”. Suddenly, men were more human. They helped with the shopping, cooked and did the washing up, and they even cried. We do need men. They are better at reading maps than women and men’s sports are more exciting than women’s sports.

If you’re lucky, you have more good memories than bad ones. I’m very lucky. I have lots of good memories. I don’t have many painful memories. I don’t know why. Lots of bad things happened to me when I was younger but I don’t really have strong memories of them. I do have very clear memories of happy times. My earliest memory is of my first day in kindergarten. I guess I was three. I remember playing in the sand and eating it. I don’t remember my mother getting angry though. My most wonderful memory is a holiday to Mexico when I was ten. I remember every sound and smell so clearly. When I look at our family photos, the memories of what we did come flooding back. I’d like to relive those memories one day.

Where would we be without the media? How would we get information about the world? All of us are interested in the news. We all want to know what’s happening around the world. We switch the TV on just to watch the news. It seems as though every train passenger has a newspaper. The journalists who bring us the news do a very important job. Many risk their lives to bring us the news from the world’s danger zones. Unfortunately, many reporters are killed while they are covering a war. The media make us feel we are part of the world. We become experts on other countries and on the big news stories. The media also bring us many unforgettable images, such as a man walking on the moon. Really, the media show us history as it happens.

I really want to have more knowledge. My general knowledge is pretty good but I want it to be better. When I was a kid, I loved quiz programmes on the television. I used to read lots of encyclopedias to build up my knowledge. I now know most of the world’s capitals and which animals and birds are the fastest, and how many bones there are in the human body, etc. I love watching the news and this helps me get more knowledge. Even though I think I know quite a lot, I always meet people who are really knowledgeable. It seems some people know everything about everything. They are just like walking encyclopedias. I wonder if they’re happy with the amount of knowledge they have inside their brain.

I don’t understand how anyone can like medicine. I’ve never liked it. I used to refuse to take it as a kid because the taste was so disgusting. I’m not sure whether or not medicine is a good thing. I’m sure that most of the time our body will recover naturally, without medicine. I actually think medicine can be bad for us. It makes the body weaker because we rely on medicines too much. I also worry about the safety of medicines. I read too many times about side effects. How can doctors be sure that the medicines we take one day won’t make us ill later in life. A lot of what goes into medicine isn’t natural. I’m a big believer in natural medicine. That seems to make much more sense. The Chinese seem to have it right.

Learning is one of the most important things we do in life. It starts pretty much when we’re born. In fact, many scientists say learning begins earlier. We listen to the outside sounds. This is when we first start learning a language. Our ears get used to the different patterns of intonation. Learning is a lifelong process. We spend our childhood years doing nothing but learning. We learn a language before we are two. We learn how to play and do all the everyday things people do. Most people think learning only begins at school. I’m not sure about this. Are we really learning, or are we just memorizing things? I think a lot of learning happens outside school. We learn more from our hobbies and interests than what we learn from school books.

If you think about it, kissing is strange. I mean, here we are in the twenty-first century and we still like kissing. I think we’re the only species on Earth that does this. Of course, there are different kinds of kissing. Kissing your parents or friends as a greeting is normal enough. That’s just like a friendly handshake. Passionate kissing is different. I’m not complaining though. I think kissing is great. I remember my first kiss. It was very exciting. I was nervous though because I kept thinking if I was doing it right. Some people say there is an art to kissing. I’m not so sure. If you love someone enough, you’ll be artistic enough. One thing I don’t like about kissing is people who do it next to you on the train or bus. Yuck!

Job interviews are always hit and miss for me. Sometimes I have a great interview and get the job. Other times, my interview bombs and I don’t get the job. It’s really important to prepare. You must also be confident and make sure the interviewer knows you really want the job. The trick is to make the interviewer think you are the best person for the job. I always wear my best suit and arrive early. I always smile when I walk into the interview room. First impressions are very important. It’s also a good idea to talk about your experiences - sell yourself. Make sure you have a few good questions to ask at the end of the interview. Interview technique is something we learn over time – you get to relax more the more interviews you have.

I think jewelry is stupid. What’s the point? I can understand it was popular a couple of thousand years ago, but not today. It all belongs to when we lived in caves. Why do people feel the need to wear necklaces and bracelets? It seems that jewelry is becoming more and more popular. Nowadays people are wearing rings on their toes and piercing their tongues and bodies. I’ve never really understood why men wear jewelry, especially thick gold chains. A lot of jewelry is dangerous. I often think if ear-rings catch on something, they’ll rip your ears. Some rings that women wear are also dangerous. They could cause serious damage to someone’s face. The only jewelry I wear is a wedding ring. Just a simple one.

We are living in an age of information. That’s what I keep hearing on TV and reading in newspapers. We are surrounded by information technology that puts information at our fingertips. To get ahead, you need the latest information. I’m not really sure how much information we need. Our brains can only handle a certain amount of information at a time. I reckon a lot of us have information overload. I’m sure before computers came along this didn’t happen. One problem with computers is the amount of personal information online. I worry about putting confidential info on different websites. Of course the great thing about computers is that we have so much information at our disposal. That’s pretty useful.

Inflation seems to be a big issue at the moment. Every time I turn on the news there is a story about inflation. Many countries around the world are fighting to keep inflation under control. Sometimes you read about countries that lose the battle against inflation. Zimbabwe once had an inflation rate of trillions of percent. I can’t imagine trying to add up my shopping bill with so many zeroes. I have no idea how they brought it under control. Inflation in my country is OK at the moment. The government is worried about prices going up. Me too. Inflation seems to be the thing economists worry about most. They do everything they can to keep the rate of inflation low. It has been pretty stable for years now.

Do we really need a monarchy in the 21st Century? It’s such a strange idea. It certainly is not a democratic idea. No one votes for someone to be king or queen. When a prince or princess is born, he or she automatically has a wonderful life. This is not fair. I had to study and work very hard just to get an average job, with not much money. Those in a monarchy are born into wealth. They never really have to lift a finger. The strange thing is that most people who live in a monarchy like their king and queen. Take the United Kingdom, for example. Around 80 per cent of British people support their monarchy. I suppose it’s good for tourism. I wouldn’t say no to being part of a royal family.

Libraries are wonderful places. Every library I’ve been to in the world is the same. They all have a special atmosphere. A room with a large collection of books does things to people. We become very quiet and want to know what’s on the shelves. This happens even to children as young as three, although perhaps not the being quiet. It’s amazing to watch a small child in a library looking at all the books. They can sit there for hours pulling the books off the shelves. I really spent a lot of time in the library at university. It was where I spent most of my time.  This is where I really learnt how useful libraries are. I spent hours every day looking at journals, newspapers and text books. I felt quite happy sitting in the quiet of the library, reading my books.

When I was a kid I was top of the class in maths. I was really good at mental arithmetic and doing sums. Things were easy back then, It was all addition and subtraction, multiplication and division. I knew my times tables like the back of my hand. Then, things got difficult when I was about 14. We had to learn stuff like algebra and geometry and lots of other stuff I can’t remember the names of. Suddenly. I wasn’t so good at maths any more. I think there were a few reasons for this. One was my maths teacher, another was because I sat at the back of the class, and another was I talked a lot. I still like maths and know I would be good at it again if I studied. I did statistics when I was at university and loved that.

Marketing is a funny thing. Sometimes I like it, other times I hate it. There is definitely an art to marketing. Some of the advertising campaigns you see are the work of a genius. Someone has thought of a great idea, slogan and advertising campaign to sell us or tell us something. I like it when I can see the creativity. There are other kinds of marketing that make me angry. Ads and campaigns that are directed at children make my blood boil – especially the McDonalds ads that do not mention food, but show lots of free, cheap toys. I also hate viral marketing – that’s when you receive spam mail trying to sell you something. I also get annoyed with marketing campaigns that have slogans that are just untrue, like smoking is cool.

Listening is the easiest English skill for me. I can understand about half of what people say to me. This means I can guess the things I don’t understand. Listening to the English of my American friends is not so difficult. I have problems when I try and understand the news on television. I also find movies hard to follow. I need the subtitles at the bottom of the screen. I think listening to songs in English made my listening better. It’s a lot more interesting than my listening CDs. I have one piece of advice for students who want to improve their listening. That is to listen to the same thing again and again. You understand more every time you listen. What’s your advice?

Leadership is a word we here a lot nowadays. Every time we turn on the news we hear about how important leadership is. Especially strong leadership. American presidents often talk about the importance of leadership. I suppose they’re right. It’s important that someone takes responsibility and shows leadership. With the right leaders, we can achieve success. But not every leader shows leadership. In many countries around the world, there are corrupt leaders. They do not have good leadership skills, they simply control people by fear. Good leadership is being respected by everyone and getting the job done. It’s important to have good leadership in companies too, except many of the banks’ leaders have not shown such good leadership.

I’m a big meat-eater. I love meat of all kinds. I have eaten all sorts of meat. Even though I love meat, I could easily stop eating it, and I don’t think I’d miss it. A long time ago I heard the vegetarian slogan “Meat is Murder”. If you think about it, that’s true. I don’t think animals are here today for us to eat, especially when we don’t need to eat meat. And then there’s the threat of global warming today. Raising animals needs land. Many forests are cut down to raise cows for meat. This really has to stop. Instead of meat, there are other things we could have. Dairy products would give us the protein we need. I know a lot of people who could never give up meat. They always say it would be impossible to go without a big, juicy steak.

Everyone wants a good lifestyle. I do too. I want a good job that is quite near my house – I don’t want to spend a long time on trains and buses. I also want a nice house where I can relax. I like decorating and shopping for furniture. I also want lots of friends so I can do stuff with them. My idea of a good lifestyle is being happy at work, going to the gym or going out for a meal after work, and spending the weekends with friends doing things or going places. Of course I have to have a holiday every year in another country. I haven’t got that lifestyle yet because I haven’t got enough money. I’m a little jealous of my friend’s lifestyle. She has everything and is always going out and having fun.

Marriage seems to be a dying institution. Everywhere we look, there are more and more statistics saying marriage is on its way out, divorce is on the increase, or people are leaving it later and later to tie the knot. A worrying trend over the past few decades is the number of people who live together without making the commitment of marriage. I’m not really sure what the difference is. If you love someone and want to stay together forever, why not get married? I think marriage adds a lot to a couple’s life, from the wedding day itself, right through to all of the anniversaries. Unmarried people miss out on these special occasions. Marriage is also important if you want to start a family. Perhaps I’m just old-fashioned.

I think human rights only became an issue after World War II. That’s when the United Nations issued their Universal Declaration on human rights. This is kind of the rulebook, the do’s and don’ts of human rights. When I look at the world today, it seems not many people have read this. I doubt if most people know it exists. I think government leaders should know about this. A lot of them don’t care much about human rights. I can’t believe it’s the twenty-first century and human rights is still an issue in pretty much all of the world’s countries. The most powerful countries even attack each other for abusing human rights. I hope one day that all human rights are respected. That will be paradise.

I hate junk mail. I’m sick and tired of it filling up my InBox. I mean, who believes the stuff written in it? I love the ones that start with “Dearest” and then tell you how their uncle died during some war and they need your help to transfer $18 million. I wonder how many people fall for those. My spam mail filters do a pretty good job at keeping junk mail away from my InBox. But, I occasionally get a mail trying to sell me medicine. The most dangerous kind of junk mail is called phishing. That’s when a criminal fakes an e-mail to make it look like it’s sent from a bank. It looks exactly the same as a bank’s mail. The mail asks you to reset your password. The criminal then takes your money.

Homelessness is a terrible thing. It really shouldn’t exist today. A country should be ashamed if anyone is homeless. Governments are so rich today, yet they have no money to provide basic needs for their citizens. This is rubbish. Think how much money governments waste on fancy cars and other unnecessary things. It’s a crime. Even in rich countries, there are thousands of homeless. The government tries to sweep them under the carpet. They want to pretend the problem doesn’t exist. The world’s richest countries spend billions of dollars on weapons, but can’t make sure people have a roof over their head. This is disgusting. All world leaders should be ashamed of themselves. I feel so sorry for the homeless.

I think being a housewife is a very demanding job. Most housewives have a lot to do, especially if they have children. Of course, some have an easy time because they have a maid or a tiny house. Most housewives though are working pretty much from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. They have to get up the earliest to cook everyone’s breakfast. Then they have to do the dishes, start the washing, iron and then go shopping to buy the food. Before their children go to school, the housewife has to make their packed lunches. I reckon cooking three meals a day every single day can be pretty tiring. Afternoons are just as busy, and then it all starts again when everyone comes home from school and work!

I’m full of admiration for people who run marathons. I couldn’t do it. I love running and have done a few half-marathons, but I always found a full marathon to be too much. Marathon runners are special. I don’t think I have the stamina to do it. Not properly, anyway. I could “run” one of the big marathons in the world, like the Boston or London marathon, but it would really be pretty much as a fun run. Most people who take part in these well-known international marathons only do so for fun. I think to be a marathon runner, you need to train and run a hundred kilometres a week. I wonder what it’s like to be in the lead in the Olympic marathon. That must be an amazing feeling. I think the marathon is the most important Olympic event.

Without laws the world would end. OK, maybe the actual Earth might not end, but life as we know it would end. We’d all end up fighting and killing each other. It would become the survival of the strongest, or perhaps the survival of the nastiest. If there were no laws, people could do anything. There’d be no police or courts to keep control. Law is very important. It keeps order in our society. Our laws started thousands of years ago. Many of today’s laws were made centuries ago. New laws need to be made every day. Especially in today’s world, where the Internet is so important. It’s very difficult to keep laws up to date with new developments. The latest area of law is intellectual property. It’s important that people’s ideas are protected.

Everybody loves juice. It’s the yummiest thing in the world. I can’t think of anything tastier than a cold glass of any kind of juice. I have to have a glass of orange juice every morning. I like to spend a little extra to make sure it’s 100 per cent juice. I don’t really like the stuff that says it’s juice on the box, but is really 70 per cent water and sugar. Of course freshly squeezed juice is the best - you can really taste the fruit. One thing I love about going to another country is trying different kinds of juice. Tropical countries have all kinds of really delicious juice. One time I remember trying sugar cane juice. I was in heaven. It’s a shame I can’t buy it where I live. I also love coconut juice, or is that coconut milk?

I think home schooling is great. I wish my parents had done this. The idea of never going to school sounds too good to be true. I hated school. I wanted to stay at home every day. I really wouldn’t have minded staying at home and studying. Of course, you need to be careful not to forget studying. One thing about home schooling I like is visiting museums or watching documentaries to learn more. This is so much better than learning in school. I think my learning at school suffered because there were many kids who didn’t want to learn. I could have got better marks if I had stayed at home. Perhaps there’ll be more home schooling in the future because of the Internet.

I don’t really have a hero. There are many people I respect, but they are not really my hero. Some people choose very strange heroes. My friends have rock stars and football players as heroes. Of course, these people are very good at what they do, but they’re not really heroes. They get lots of money for doing what they love. When they’re not singing or playing football, I wonder what they’re doing. I think most of the world’s heroes are unsung heroes. People who work to help others every day. We generally don’t notice these heroes. Then there are those who put their lives on the line for others. Fire fighters, police officers and soldiers are heroes. Without them, the world would be less safe.

Hate crime is becoming a big problem in many societies. You’d think that in the twenty-first century we’d all respect each other. With all the communications we have and with globalization, we should know enough about each other to understand we are all the same. We should at least be able to respect our differences. I blame the media for a lot of hate crime. They are very good at highlighting particular groups of people and casting them in a negative light. Just look at what’s happened since the 9/11 attacks in New York. Hate has increased in the world and the media seems to fuel this. I’m glad I live in a country that has laws against hate crime. They don’t always work, but at least it’s better than in most countries.

I’m totally hopeless with money. I’ve never really understood things like investments. I should be more interested in investments because I know I’ll get more money. I find everything very confusing. I never know what to invest in. Some of my friends invest in stocks and shares. I never did this. I’m happy because I didn’t lose money in the financial crash. I think it would be interesting to invest in things like wine. I saw a TV programme once. Wine goes up and up and up in price. You really can make a lot of money. I think investing in property nowadays is risky. I also know a lot of people who now owe lots of money on the house they bought because the prices crashed. Perhaps it’s better to keep my money under the bed.

I wonder if heaven exists. I guess if heaven is real, then hell must be real too. I think heaven must be a great place if it’s better than Earth. It’s difficult to believe that heaven is a place that looks like paradise. Pretty much every religion in the world believes that heaven is real. I don’t think it’s full of angels with wings though. I think there are lots of heavenly places on Earth. Anywhere in the countryside is heaven to me. Sitting on a beach with blue skies is also heaven. You can even be in heaven in the city. Walking into a cool, air-conditioned building from a hot, sweaty street is heaven. I also find heaven in food. A double chocolate fudge and nut ice cream with maple syrup and extra whipped cream is simply heaven.

Harry Potter is a boy wizard who has taken over the world. He is everywhere. No one had heard of Harry Potter before 1997. That’s when J.K. Rowling published her first book. She’s the creator of Harry Potter. The first novel was called ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’ and it became an amazing success. Everyone was talking about it and Harry became an overnight phenomenon. Six more Harry Potter books followed and they all became best sellers. People went crazy over every new book. My friends waited overnight outside a bookstore to make sure they got their copy of the latest book. My friends are 40 years old! Harry Potter is now a global industry, with movies and merchandise of all kinds. It’s amazing how big he is.

I think the Internet is the greatest invention ever. Think how it has changed the world. So much information is out there. It has totally changed my life. I can chat with friends, download music, buy books and get all the info I need for my homework. It took days or weeks to do any of these things before the Internet. I spend hours every day online. I think I spend a little too long. I’m sure staring at a computer screen all day isn’t good for my eyes. I think it’s also making me fat. I need to exercise a little more. The only thing I don’t like about the Internet is that it can be dangerous. I don’t really like putting my personal information online, especially on social networking sites like Facebook.

Management is a funny thing. Most of the people I know who are in management are not actually managers. I mean, they don’t have any qualifications to say they are managers. I think most managers are like that. They spend a year or two in a job and then become managers once the old manager moves on. I’m not sure whether or not you can learn management. Of course there are things like MBAs that teach you this, but in the end, management is all about how you deal with people. If you have a personality that can’t respect people and treat them fairly, you can’t be a good manager.  I have worked for some terrible managers. They have no idea what they’re doing and only create lots of work for others.

The 2010 South Africa World Cup is nearly here and I’m so excited. I love the World Cup. Every four years I can’t wait to watch this brilliant event. I heard more people watch the Finals than the Olympics. All over the world, people go soccer crazy. Even people who don’t like football. I was in Tokyo for the Korea-Japan Finals in 2002 – the atmosphere was amazing for a whole month. The 2010 Finals are extra special because it’s the first time for them to be in Africa. I’m sure it will be a great success. And who will win? I think Argentina will lift the trophy. Lionel Messi will show why he’s world player of the year. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if England won. They have a strong team and Rooney is on fire at the moment.

I never know what to do with my hair. Sometimes I want it long, sometimes I want to cut it all off. My hair is a little unmanageable. It never does what I want it to. It’s very thick. When it’s long and I have lots of split ends so I have to go to the hairdresser’s for a trim. I also have dandruff, which is a little embarrassing when I wear dark sweaters. I don’t often have a bad hair day. This usually only happens when I have to meet someone important. My hair sticks out all over the place. I hate it. I always think everyone is looking at me, or looking at my misbehaving hair. I often wonder what it would be like if we had no hair - if we were all bald. We could save lots of money on shampoos and conditioners.

Immigration wasn’t really a problem a long time ago. Many countries welcomed immigrants because they needed workers. The USA, Australia and Canada encouraged millions of people to come and live in their countries. Today, however, immigration is becoming a problem. Many countries are trying to control immigration. At election time, it is a major issue. Immigration today is big business. More and more people from poor countries want to live in rich countries. It is easier to travel nowadays because of cheap transport and more open borders. People risk their lives to get the chance of starting a new life in a rich country. This can cause anger in the countries immigrants go to. It is an issue that will be with us forever, I think.

I’m not sure what to think about identity cards. There are good and bad things about them. I think on the whole they are a good thing. It depends on what the government uses the information for. It also depends on how secure the database is that keeps our information. A lot of people think ID cards are too much. They think the government is trying to control us too much. I’m not sure that’s true, but it is something to think about. In this day and age, when immigration is a problem, I think ID cards might be useful. Some countries are using ID cards as a one-stop card for everything. The card is your driving license, medical card and ID all rolled into one. That’s a great idea. All we need now is to make it a passport and credit card.

What was life like before Google? This might look like a silly and strange question, but it is a good one. Google has changed our lives. In an amazingly short space of time, the verb ‘google’ has entered our language. I think everything about Google is amazing. It helps us so much. We can find any information we want just by typing in what we want in the search box. I even like the Google home page. It’s so simple. You know, I can’t remember the last time a day went by when I didn’t use Google for something. I wonder what Google will be like in the future. Only those at Google know. The strange thing about the Internet is that something we don’t even know about yet might come along and totally replace Google overnight.

Golden Week is such a lovely time to be in Japan. The weather is great and everyone is relaxed. There’s a real holiday feeling all over the country. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. The only down side is that the roads are full of traffic. You can spend hours stuck in traffic jams. So I usually stay at home and do things near my house. I love going on picnics in local parks. I’m English so I find it really interesting to see how Japanese people have picnics. Very different from picnics in England. Many people have the whole week off work to celebrate the different holidays. The Emperor’s birthday and Constitution Day are important and so is Greenery Day, but I like Children’s Day. This is when Japanese parents do special things for their kids.

All houses are unique. Even if they look the same from the outside, they are very different on the inside. I think houses are very interesting. I like looking at the way they are built and the style they are built in. In London there are many houses that are hundreds of years old. These are beautiful. You can still see much of the original wood and stone structure. Modern houses are also interesting. It’s funny how they copy many of the features of older houses. I love looking at houses when I travel. Every country has its own special designs, from Japan to Arabia to Greece. Nowadays people are building eco-friendly houses. They want houses that save energy and help protect the planet.

I don’t really like hospitals. I have many bad memories of them. I’ve stayed in hospital seven times in my life. I guess I must be unlucky. My friends all say I’m accident prone. My longest stay in hospital was for three months. That was boring. I had lots of visitors but staying in bed for that length of time isn’t much fun. The worst thing was hospital food. I couldn’t wait to get out and have some real food. The strange thing is that I really like watching TV dramas and movies about hospitals. It feels like I know everything that’s going on. I wouldn’t like to work in a hospital though. I hate the smell and the sight of blood. I’ll do my best from now on to stay away from hospitals, unless I’m visiting someone else.

I wonder if there is anyone in the world who never lies. Not even a small white lie. It seems everyone lies at some point in their life, or their day. Some people are better liars than others. In fact, I often read lying is an art. Children are pretty good at lying. Or perhaps they’re pretty bad, because it’s easy to tell when a child is lying. I read that the more lies children tell, the more intelligent they are. You need to be creative and imaginative to lie. There comes a stage in our lives when most of us stop lying. We are all told that it’s always better to tell the truth. Not all of us do this though. There are many very intelligent people who lie. We even trust them to run our country. I’ve lost count of the number of politicians who have been caught lying.

Life is for living. That’s what I believe. It sounds very simple, but actually, it’s quite difficult. You only have one life, so you really have to live it. Don’t waste time doing boring things. Live life for today. Is living working in an office all your life? No. Take some risks in life. Invest in your life and do the things you really want to do. If you don’t try and live your dreams, you don’t really live. I often hear people saying to other, “get a life”. I agree with them. Don’t wait and let life pass you by. Life is too short and you can’t go back. I have a full life. I don’t live life in the fast lane, but I do make sure I do things so that when I look back on my life, I won’t have any regrets.

I often wonder how important luck is in my life. I’m not sure if there is a thing called luck. Some people say they are lucky and others say they are unlucky. I think everyone in life has good luck and bad luck. Just because someone loses something or has an accident doesn’t mean it’s bad luck. An accident is an accident. People who always say they have bad luck are negative. If they wait, something good will happen in their lives. I do like to wish people good luck though. I think it’s a nice thing to say if someone has an interview or an exam. But, people pass exams and interviews because they studied hard or spoke well, not because of luck. In England people think they’ll have seven years of bad luck if they break a mirror. That’s strange.

Where would we be without language? We’d all be in our own worlds and we’d never really have a life. Can you imagine never talking to anyone? Of course if there was no language, we wouldn’t be able to use body language or sign language. The fact that we do have languages means we have gone to the moon and built things like the Internet – which also needs a special computer language to work properly. I think language is amazing. It means we can tell anyone anything. I often think it’s a shame there are so many languages in the world. If there was only one language, we could all communicate better. Perhaps that way, we’d all understand one another better. What would the world language be? At the moment, English.

Love is a wonderful thing, but is it possible to fall in love with someone at first sight? Many people say they have done this. How can it be possible? Surely it takes a time to get to know someone and then fall in love. I think falling in love at first sight is dangerous. You don’t really know the person. Maybe after you’ve built your life around them you’ll find lots of faults in them and suddenly be disappointed. Then you’ll have to fall out of love. Anyway, is it really love at first sight or is it love at first conversation? And what if the other person doesn’t fall in love with you at first sight? This could be a bit painful. It could also be embarrassing. I think I like the traditional way of falling in love after 257 dates.

There are magazines on just about anything you can think of. Just walk into a big bookstore and see the hundreds of different kinds of magazines. There are magazines for men, magazines for women, for children, for bankers, stamp collectors and even English students. They’re quite amazing when you think about it. There’s so much information in them. It must take a long time to make one magazine. And they are such great value for money. I like reading magazines that I would never usually buy. This happens when I’m in a waiting room. I like flicking through the magazine rack and looking through the magazine. I don’t care if it’s in another language. The pictures are interesting.

Laughter is what makes the world go round. If you can’t laugh, life would be very boring and depressing. The sound of laughter is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. Just hearing it makes me smile and want to laugh too. I have to find out what’s funny so I can share the joke, or share the fun. I particularly love the sound of small children laughing. Their laughter is infectious. It’s amazing the things they find to laugh about. I think I heard somewhere that laughter is the best medicine. That’s so true. I also think a good laugh keeps you healthy. A few people I know belong to a laughter club. They stand around in circles and laugh. Yes, laughter really is one of the best things we do.

When I was younger I wanted to be a journalist. I used to watch the news and think how amazing it would be to report from places around the world. I think journalism is a pretty tough profession. You really need a special character to survive. I think journalism is one of the most important professions in the world. Without it, we wouldn't know anything about what's going on in the world. It can also be a dangerous profession. Of course, reporting in war zones is dangerous, but even reporting in the street carries risk. I'm sure many journalists have many experiences of angry people they try to interview, or even of other journalists who get angry. When I watch journalism award shows, I still feel a desire to become a journalist.

I love jokes. I could listen to people telling jokes all day. I laugh at even the silliest of jokes. In fact, I love silly jokes. I still laugh at the jokes I laughed at when I was a child. I’m not so good at telling jokes. I have just a few of my favourite ones that I tell. They’re pretty funny. I think telling jokes is a real skill. You need confidence, timing and you need to know when to deliver the punch line. Some of my jokes don’t work with people from other countries. They don’t get them. It’s also interesting to see how American and British jokes are different. I listen to American comedians but can’t see what’s funny. I also love practical jokes. Playing jokes on other people is very funny – as long as they see the funny side.

Some people love insects and others absolutely hate them. I can’t count how many of my friends are terrified of insects. I have one friend who jumps and screams at the sight of the tiniest bug. He’s over forty years old! My son loves insects. He has many books on them and knows everything about them. He loves going to insect museums and watching nature documentaries on insects. I also love them. I think insects are fascinating. I can watch them for hours. I also love looking at them in zoos and museums. It’s like looking at a tiny miniature world. I think if I was insect-sized, life would be pretty scary. Or even worse, what if one day there were giant insects roaming the streets. That’s the stuff of horror movies.

My favourite subject at school was history. I don’t know why. I loved reading the stories about famous people and famous events. When I was little, history was just stories. As I got older, I realized history is the study of how we got here today. It’s a long journey that describes all the wars, great people, inventions, disasters, etc that have brought us to this point in time. I now love any kind of history. It’s fascinating to visit a new country and learn about its history. Watching the news today is like seeing history unfold. Lots of the things I learnt at school now make the news more interesting. History provides us with the perfect background information to a news story.

I really don’t understand why genocide happens. Every five or ten years we hear about the latest genocide. Every time we hear about it, governments say it will never happen again. After the genocide in Rwanda, the USA and other world powers promised to stop any future killing. Then Darfur came along and all they do is talk. If a crazy government wants to kill thousands of innocent civilians, no one can stop them. Genocide is the biggest shame in our history. Countries go to war because of oil, but not to stop innocent people being murdered. Only recently has the international community started chasing those who organize genocide. The International Criminal Court prosecutes those who commit crimes against humanity.

People say intelligence is a lot more attractive than beauty. I often ask people if they would prefer a partner who is intelligent or good looking. They almost always say they want someone who is intelligent. I wonder why it is some of us are so intelligent and others aren’t. Surely we are all born with a similar level of intelligence. I’m not really sure how intelligent I am. Sometimes I think I’m intelligent, but then I do something really dumb. Or I meet someone who is super-brainy who makes me feel unintelligent. One day, I’m going to take one of those intelligence tests to measure my IQ. Another thing I don’t get about intelligence is how people think our leaders are so intelligent, but then the leaders do such stupid things. Do intelligent people start wars?

Love makes the world go round, not money. I agree with the centuries-old quote that says, ‘Love conquers all’. It’s true when you think about it. So much has been written about love. It must be one of the most written and talked about topics ever. How many songs and poems are there about love? Millions. Billions, perhaps. Love is everywhere. You can’t pass a single day without hearing someone say ‘love’. It is one of the most beautiful words in any language. Your heart can melt when someone says, ‘I love you’. It’s also very important to tell people you love them. You should do it every day. There are many different kinds of love and they are all important. Except perhaps when you love pizza or burgers. That’s not healthy.

I love holidays. They are the best thing in the world. The only problem is they are always too short. Even summer holidays at school aren’t long enough. I recently had an eight-week holiday and it flew by. It seems as though time goes quickly when we are on holiday, and slowly when we are at school or work. I always really look forward to holidays – even one-day holidays are great. I live in a country that has many national holidays, so there’s always a break around the corner. I feel sorry for some workers who only get two or three weeks holiday a year. They can’t do anything or go anywhere. I love holidays even if I don’t go away. Staying at home is just as good as going on holiday somewhere. Sometimes going on holiday is stressful.

One of the busiest times of our life must be our wedding day. Getting married can be a very stressful time. But, it is also one of the happiest days in our life. It all begins with the proposal. After that comes setting the date. Once the couple know the wedding day, it’s planning, planning and planning. They have to decide where to get married, who to invite, what kind of flowers, where to have the reception, and a million and one other things. Getting married can be a very expensive occasion. Some parents save all their lives to pay for their son’s or daughter’s wedding. Getting married seems to be similar all over the world. The happy couple make some vows in front of their guests and then there is a big party after.

Heart attacks kill millions of people each year. I think it’s one of the world’s biggest killers. A lot of people have a heart attack because of their lifestyle. I’m sure if people ate healthy food and exercised, the number of heart attacks would drop. The thing I worry about is stress. For me, it’s difficult to avoid. Research shows that stress is one of the biggest causes of heart attacks. The problem with this is that you get stressed, and then you worry about your heart, which makes it beat faster and gives you more stress, which then makes your heart beat even faster. Best not to get stressed. There are so many things you can do in life to reduce your chances of a heart attack. I think we need more information.

Gangs are becoming a big problem in many countries around the world. We’ve always had gangs, and they’ve always created problems. Recently, things seem to be getting out of control. Gangs are taking over our streets. In many parts of South America, gangs kill because of drugs. In many parts of Europe, gangs hang around on street corners and hassle anyone who walks by. There’s a lot of pressure for young people to join a gang. If a young person doesn’t join a gang, they might be bullied at school. The government always says gangs are a problem, but they never do anything about it. I was in a gang when I was younger. It’s scary when I look back on it. We used to have lots of fights and do many bad things. I never had a knife.

I think I have the greatest friends in the world. They are just as important to me as family. In fact, they are my family, really. My best friends and I all grew up together and shared so many experiences together. We know everything about each other. I would do anything for my friends and I’m sure they’d do anything for me. I’m sure there’s nothing in the world that could stop us from being friends. I’ve also made lots of other good friends from university and the different places I’ve worked. They are also important to me. We are now all over the world and it’s sometimes difficult to meet each other, but we stay in touch. One day I’d like to get all of my friends together for a big party. That’d be great fun.

The heart is one organ we really have to look after. Most of us, I think, don’t really know how to look after it. Or perhaps we know, but don’t do enough to keep our heart in a healthy condition. Our heart is an amazing thing, when you think about it. It beats so fast for years and years and years, pumping millions of litres of blood around our body. It keeps working, even though we do so many bad things to it. It really is the source of our life. We need to promise our heart every day that we’ll look after it properly. I think kids born today are lucky. Modern medicine and science will soon have all the answers to keep our heart strong. Even today we’re lucky. Doctors can replace your heart via a heart transplant.

Gambling is a very dangerous thing. At least that’s what I think. I don’t think much good comes of it. People lose their money and then get angry. Sometimes people lose everything they have. The only people who win are the companies, casinos, etc. that organize gambling. I don’t really understand why people would want to risk their money. Most of the time they lose it. The odds are always against you. Gambling causes so many social problems I’m surprised governments allow it. In some countries it is illegal to gamble. This is good. I never understand why people gamble again and again. They must get fed up with throwing their money away. I suppose they always think the next one will be the one they make a lot of money.

A hangover is one of the worst feelings you can have. There’s nothing you can do to make it go away. You just have to wait for it to wear off. It usually takes a whole day and can even take two days to disappear. The most stupid thing about a hangover is that you never learn. A hangover is your body’s warning that too much alcohol is bad for you. When something is painful, you never do it again. Not so with a hangover. When people have a hangover, they often drink again the next day. This makes your original hangover much worse. Many people have their own hangover “cure”. None of them work for me. All I can do is suffer. I suppose the best thing for a hangover is not to drink at all, or at least not drink too much.

Someone once told me that French fries are not French. There must be some connection between fries and France, otherwise they wouldn’t be called French Fries. Wherever they are from, I love them. I guess they’re the most popular food in the world. Everyone eats French fries. They are very versatile – you can eat them with so many things. You can even have a French Fries sandwich. People put all sorts of things on top of French fries. I love ketchup and mayonnaise on my fries – both together. You have to have salt. The only time I don’t like fries is when they are cold. I get angry if I get fries that aren’t hot in a fast food restaurant. I take them back immediately. All of this talk of French fries has made me want to eat some.

I think humour is one of the best things in life. Without it, nothing in life would be funny. It’s strange how we start laughing from such a young age. I wonder what makes tiny babies laugh. What do they find funny. Babies laugh and smile all the time. This means we are born to laugh and make other people laugh. Our sense of humour develops as we grow up. Some people become very good at telling jokes. I always find it difficult to remember jokes. I don’t understand jokes from other countries. I love comedy shows from England, but I can’t see what’s funny when I watch American comedies. I guess humour is different, even with people who speak the same language. Anyway, I think I have a good sense of humour and I like a good laugh.

Gun control should be a really serious issue. In my country, politicians rarely talk about it. They only discuss it if someone goes nuts and shoots lots of people in a school or shopping mall. Gun crime is on the increase everywhere but the government never talks about gun control. I really think there should be huge fines for anyone caught with a gun. Too many innocent people are dying. The situation will only get worse. I think if a politician stands up and argues for any kind of gun control, he or she will win the next election. I’m sure most people think controlling or banning guns in societies is very important. Unless you live in America. I’m not sure if gun control exists there. It seems everyone has a gun.

“Home is where the heart is.” That’s so true. I’ve lived in many different houses during my life but not all of them have been home. When you are growing up, home is where your family lives. I left home when I was 18 and slowly my childhood home was no longer. Now it’s my parents’ house and not my home. I moved around a lot and only spent a year or so in most places I lived. They never really felt like home. A home is somewhere you feel totally relaxed and want to come home to. The expression “Home Sweet Home” is also true. You have to have nice feelings about it to call it home. Home doesn’t have to be in your home country. I’ve lived in several countries and have had a home in all of them.

Some people love hiking and some people hate it. Personally, I don’t really like it. I don’t see the point of walking for miles and miles up and down mountains. You get all sweaty and out of breath. The worst thing is that the next day all your muscles ache. Of course it’ll rain, so you’ll get soaking wet. If it’s sunny, you’ll get sunburn. To make things really bad, you might fall over and twist your ankle or get stung by a bee. I have terrible memories of hiking when I was a child. My parents always wanted to get to the top of the mountain, and then the next mountain top, and then the next. No matter how much we complained, they always said: “It’s not far.” Never believe anyone who says that, especially someone who loves hiking.

God created us all. God created life. God created everything around us. I often try to think what was before God. But God has always been there, so there was nothing before God. I wonder why God always appears as a man with a beard in books. He’s also usually a white man. No one knows if God is a man or a woman. God is also different to different religions. Most people in the world pray to God. They ask for forgiveness when they do something wrong; they thank God for bringing good things and ask for God’s help when things go wrong. People who believe in God get strength from their belief. They know that God is looking down on them. One thing I don’t understand is why there is so much killing and bad things in the world.

Isn’t food one of life’s greatest pleasures? Do you know anyone who doesn’t like food? I don’t. There is so much delicious food in the world. You could spend a whole lifetime eating a different dish every day. What’s the tastiest food in the world? This is a very difficult question to answer. My taste in food keeps changing. Sometimes my favourite is a dessert, but then I change my mind and go for a spicy curry. It’s great that countries have so many different dishes. Do you think your national dish is best? Nowadays we have to be careful about what we eat. Fast food is not good for us. We need to focus more on healthy food. Maybe we have to be more careful in the future. Make sure the food you eat is good for you.

Some people like their feet and other people don’t. I quite like mine. They’re not too big and not too small. Some people I know have huge feet. They even have problems trying to buy shoes that fit them. My feet are pretty normal. They’ve been very useful down the years. I’ve done a lot of running, loads of hiking and played thousands of hours of football. I’ve never injured my feet or my ankles. I sometimes get sore feet when I go shopping. That seems to be the only thing my feet don’t like. That and new shoes. New shoes usually give me blistered feet. Oh yes… and the cold. My feet hate the cold. My toes go numb. Especially my big toe. One thing I’m happy about is that I don’t have smelly feet.

I never used to worry about my health until recently. When I was a kid, I did loads of exercise. Even in my twenties and thirties I was very fit and never ill. I have been lucky all my life – always in the best of health. I rarely get even a cold. I suppose time catches up with you. Now I seem to be getting lots of little aches and pains. I should go to the doctor for a health check, but I’m too busy. The older you get, the more you worry about your health. One good thing is that I’m eating more healthily now than ever before. I no longer have fast food and midnight snacks. I also sleep a lot more. I’ve read that getting seven or eight hours sleep every night is one of the best things you can do for your health.

I totally do not believe in horoscopes. I can’t think of anything more ridiculous. Perhaps the only thing more ridiculous is the number of people who read their horoscopes and believe what they say. I mean, just how can a horoscope be true? How is it that the same things are true for half-a-billion people born between January 23 and February 22. It makes no sense. Not all of those people will be lucky in love and have a nice financial surprise at the beginning of the month. Horoscopes are a part of many cultures. Every time I go to another country I see the horoscope in magazines. I have a friend who has the same star sign as me. Our lives and fortunes are very different. That proves to me that horoscopes are rubbish.

Every country must provide free healthcare to its citizens. I can’t understand why the richest countries in the world don’t do this. It’s shocking that a country can be so rich and let its people die because they cannot pay the hospital. I saw a great movie once on America’s healthcare system. It’s called “Sicko,” directed by Michael Moore. He went to England and France and was amazed that people in those countries didn’t have to pay when they went to hospital. He then went to Cuba. He went with lots of Americans who couldn’t afford healthcare in America. Amazingly, the Cuban hospitals treated them all for free and gave them medicine. They were so happy. I’m sure there’s enough money in the world to provide everyone with free healthcare.

Guns are bad. Full stop. I’m fed up hearing about people who think they have a right to carry a gun. A gun is a deadly weapon. People who are for guns say people are the deadly ones. That’s stupid. The truth is, that if there were no guns in the world, there’d be more people alive. Students with guns kill other students at school. No guns, no deaths. Guns are used in millions of crimes around the world. Gun crime is out of control in many countries. The societies in which guns are illegal have very little gun crime. The problem is that guns aren’t going away. They are getting easier to buy. Now that many international borders are open, smuggling guns to other countries is easy. Maybe the whole world will return to the Wild West.

I don’t understand the fascination with gold. It’s just a soft metal. It isn’t even the most valuable metal. It’s interesting how almost every culture in the world loves gold. Indians spend a fortune on it. When their children get married they give gold bracelets and rings as gifts. Most of the world’s wedding rings are gold. I know different countries prefer different types of gold. In Thailand, only 24 carat is good enough, but in England, people buy a lot of 9-carat gold. It seems like we have always loved gold. Think how many stories there are from hundreds of years ago about gold treasure. In fact, if you go back further, Egyptian kings and queens had lots of gold. I’ll never forget Tutankhamen’s mask. The gold in that was really golden.

Happiness is sitting on a beach with a good book and no more work and studying for a year. Ahhhh… if only. What’s your idea of happiness? It’s such an important thing. I like Bhutan’s idea (Bhutan is the small country next to Nepal). There, they prefer to measure happiness instead of money. The most important thing for Bhutan’s government is how happy the people are. What a fantastic idea this is. Imagine if governments focused on making us all happy. They could spend money on beaches and free ice cream instead of fighting wars. I looked at everyone on the train this morning. No one looked happy. Maybe the news should be full of happy stories instead of the usual doom and gloom

Food safety seems to be a big issue nowadays. I can’t remember it being such a big problem years ago. With today’s technology, it shouldn’t be a problem. But it is. In fact, there are many problems. In my country, GM food is a big issue. People do not want to eat food that is genetically modified. They say it is unsafe. I know in America GM food is everywhere. Another issue with food safety is food imports. A lot of imported food has made people ill. Our government bans a lot of food from certain countries. This is a good idea. A concern in my country is with chickens and cows. We have bird flu and mad cow disease. It might be better to be vegetarian.

I really like walking around gardens. Every garden is different. Even two gardens that are next to each other are different. I loved the garden our family had when I was small. I also loved starting my own garden when I bought my house. The best gardens in the world are in England. English country gardens are famous all over the world. The gardeners are like artists. It’s amazing how they make everything so perfect and so colourful. I can sit in or walk through an English garden all day. I also like Japanese gardens. They also have a very special feel about them. Everything is so perfect and you feel really peaceful. I’d like to spend my life visiting different gardens.

I have a strange hobby. It’s visiting factories. I’m really interested to see how things work and how they are made. I’ve learnt so many things on my factory visits. Factories are amazing. They are like mini cities. The thing that surprises me most is how everything works together. Everyone knows exactly what to do and when to do it. Even the robots. Car factories are cool, but very noisy. A car assembly line is like a giant ballet dance with everything moving perfectly together. It’s quite easy to visit factories. All you have to do is go to their home page and see if they have visiting times, or write to them. The best factories to visit are ones that produce food and drinks. You always get free stuff. Unfortunately you don’t get a free car at car factories.

I wonder how many times we have our hair cut in our life. Hundreds. It would also be interesting to know how many different hairstyles we have. I know the styles I had when I was younger would look silly today. I really like haircuts. It’s interesting sitting in the hairdresser’s chair and watching the stylist do things. I often think a good haircut is like art and the hairdresser is the artist. I have had a few disastrous haircuts – usually when they cut too much off. I need a long fringe because my face is a strange shape. The best thing I like about haircuts is having a chat to the hairdresser. He or she can usually talk about anything and everything. I also like the smell of everything when I’m sitting in the chair.

Hands are interesting things. They can do so many things. We’d be lost without them. I think hands are one of the most useful parts of they body. They are so clever. We can do so many different things with our hands. We can hold things, squeeze things, feel things. We can swing on jungle gyms, write and type letters; the list is endless. I think hands are a very beautiful part of the body, if they are well looked after. It’s interesting to see how many different parts there are to our hands. We have a palm, fingers, knuckles, life lines, fingertips and the back of our hand. There are lots of good things you can do with your hands. I like holding hands – of course with my wife and children.

I think the idea of genetic engineering is fascinating. It’s also quite dangerous. Fiddling around with what makes us human might make us less human. We could end up creating a Frankenstein’s monster. The idea of genetic engineering has been around for centuries. Scientists have always wanted to change us. The real breakthrough came in the latter half of last century. Geneticists cracked the genetic code and found ways of altering our genes. Now they can clone animals and reproduce human tissue and organs. I don’t think it’ll be too long before scientists clone a person. Once all the fuss has died down, younger generations will be more accepting of genetic engineering. We might even live to be two hundred years old.

I have a passion for furniture. I love it. I particularly love antique furniture. I love going round old houses and looking at all the beautiful sofas and chests and cabinets from hundreds of years ago. Making furniture used to be a real art. They don’t make furniture like they used to. Nowadays a lot of furniture is rubbish. A lot of it you have to make yourself! Actually, I quite like that. I like wandering around IKEA and seeing what they have. You can pay extra to have the guys assemble your furniture for you, but I like doing it myself. I’m studying interior design and would like to start my own furniture workshop one day. I’ll mix modern ideas with traditional ones. I’d like to start a trend for green furniture that helps the environment.

I hate gossip. It really gets on my nerves. I really don’t understand why people gossip about other people. My office is full of gossips. They have nothing better to do. Surely there are more important things to talk about. Gossip isn’t true. That’s why it’s gossip. OK, it might be true, but who cares? Gossiping is dangerous. It can make perfectly nice people look bad. I’m not sure if I’ve been the subject of gossip. I’m sure I wouldn’t like it if I was. I have some friends who buy gossip magazines. They love celebrity gossip. That’s even worse than office gossip. At least with office gossip you know the people. Any time someone comes to me to tell me the latest piece of “juicy gossip” or “hot gossip,” I tell them I’m not interested.

People say first impressions count. What do you think? Can you understand a lot about someone from the very first time you see them or meet them? I think I’m good at judging someone’s character from the first time I set eyes on them. It’s easy to understand if the person is my kind of person. First impressions count most when you meet someone important. If you have a job interview, it’s very important to give a good first impression. The interviewer can decide if they like you as soon as you walk through the door. Are you well-dressed? Do you look happy? Do you greet the interviewer? All these things are important. I also think first impressions count when you meet your future in-laws.

What does family mean to you? In a perfect world, all families should be happy and everyone should get on well together. I know a lot of families that have many problems. Brothers and sisters who don’t like each other, parents who never talk to each other. I wonder why this is. How can you live so close to your family members and feel apart from them? There is a lot of talk in the news about the breakdown of family life. Divorce is rising everywhere in the world. This means single parents have less time to spend with their children, which creates problems. Maybe the stress of modern life puts too much pressure on families. It seems as though family life was better a generation or two ago. Is this true for families in your country?

If I could, I’d never go to another funeral again. No one likes funerals, of course, but for me, they make me so sad. I can’t stop crying. Quite often I’m the only person crying. Everything about a funeral makes me cry. When I open the invitation, tears well up in my eyes. When I see the funeral procession drive by, I start. The actual ceremony is almost unbearable. I have never learnt to control my sobs. If you hear someone sniffing non –stop, that’s me. The music at funerals is unnecessarily sad. I’ve told my friends I want salsa music at my funeral. And I don’t want people to wear black. I also hope the party after the funeral isn’t a sad occasion. People should laugh and remember the funny times.

Electricity is one of the most important inventions ever. It is the thing that powers the Earth. If there was no electricity, we’d be back in the dark ages. Few people stop and think just how amazing electricity is. With the flick of a switch, you can power almost anything. Think about what would happen if there was no electricity. We’d have no TV, no computers, no traffic signals. It would be like going back to living in caves. There are a few negative points about electricity, of course. Number one, it’s dangerous. Thousands of people die each year from electrocuting themselves or in electrical fires. And number two, it isn’t good for the environment. Most electricity comes from burning coal and that creates greenhouse gasses.

I’m not sure how many people ever stop to think how wonderful four seasons are. I think people who live in cities don’t care about the seasons. City people spend half their lives indoors or underground. I live in the country and I love watching the seasons come and go. Every day is different in the countryside. I love watching the crops grow in the fields. I watch them push their way up from the ground in the spring and then grow tall in the summer sun. Just before autumn arrives, the farmer harvests them and then winter comes. Seasons means it’s like living in a new place every four months. Everything changes. One wonderful thing about seasons is the seasonal food you get. There’s always something tasty that’s just come in season.

Driving is one of life’s greatest pleasures. There’s nothing better than getting behind the wheel and going for a drive. I live in the countryside, so it’s easy to get out onto an open road. I open the windows and turn the music up and then just drive and drive. I like driving to new areas and finding new roads. I find it very relaxing and great fun. I like the speed and the freedom. I even like driving in towns and cities, although not when traffic is really heavy. It’s not much fun being stuck in a traffic jam half the day. Driving in different countries is great fun. I’m a little nervous at first, but I soon get to know the roads. People have different ways of driving in different countries. I don’t like countries that have aggressive drivers.

Are you a good person to have around in an emergency? I am, I think. I have a very cool head and I don’t panic easily. The most important thing to do in an emergency is stay calm. If you do this, you can think straight and decide what’s best to do. Also, if you stay calm, other people might stay calm too. The worst thing to do is panic. Once you panic, things become worse. Of course, it depends on the kind of emergency. For really serious emergencies, you should call the emergency services. That’s 999 in the UK or 911 in other parts of the world. My biggest emergency recently was a big one. I pressed the delete button and lost my 3,000 songs in iTunes. Luckily, I had a back-up.

Freedom is a funny thing. It seems to mean different things in different countries. People in my country say they have freedom, but I don’t think so. We have to go to school, we have to pay tax, we have to work, we have to do lots of things. That’s not freedom. I’d say we have more freedom than people in other countries. There are many countries in the world where people are like slaves. They can’t leave the country, can’t get a passport, and have to work 16 hours a day. I wonder what a society would be like if everyone was totally free to do anything they wanted. It would probably be a total mess. No one would work. I suppose freedom means having some rules to follow.

Drugs are becoming a big problem in many societies. When I was growing up, you rarely heard about drugs. Now, they’re everywhere. Children in schools are smoking marijuana and taking harder drugs. There were many kids at my school who smoked. Nicotine was the most serious drug they used. Today’s kids seem to have access to all kinds of drugs. I don’t know what the government should do about it. Some countries have legalized drugs like marijuana, but others have made it a crime to possess even the smallest amount. You can even go to prison for having a tiny, tiny bit. Governments need to do something before society ends up in a real mess. I’m not sure what the solution is.

Grammar! Why is English grammar so confusing? I studied grammar for many years at school and I still don’t understand when to use a tense. Is it the simple present or the present perfect? What’s the difference? My teacher tells me to keep visiting grammar websites and doing the practice activities. She told me to look for patterns, but I’m not really sure what she means. She also told me one of the best ways to learn grammar is to read for pleasure. She said that way I’ll keep seeing good grammar and it will slowly come to me. I think the best way to learn grammar is to write and let my teacher point out my mistakes. Do you have any good tips on how to learn grammar?

What does globalization mean? We always hear this word on TV and read about it in newspapers. It means the world is now a village – the global village. The world has become smaller. Of course, the world did not shrink and it isn’t a village. Because of better transport, the Internet and more trading between countries, it is easier to do business. Japanese car makers have factories in Thailand; American computer companies employ thousands of people in China. That’s globalization. And don’t forget the millions of call centre jobs in India that workers in America and Europe used to do. Globalization also means it is easier to work in another country. Is globalization a good or bad thing? That’s a difficult question to answer.

When I was a kid, I thought gangsters were really cool. I loved watching gangster movies. Al Capone was almost like a hero to me. I always wanted the gangster in the movie to escape from the police. The movies made gangsters look like heroes. Now I’m older, I think that’s shocking. How can they glamorize the life of gangsters. Of course, we all know gangsters are dangerous. They are involved in many crimes. They sell drugs, traffic children and run prostitution rings. Many gangsters control politicians and policemen. In fact, in many countries around the world, gangsters become politicians. The funny thing is, even now, when I look at gangster movies, I still think the gangster is the good guy. That’s a little worrying.

Everybody should take up gardening as a hobby. We can all get back to nature. Thousands of years ago we all did a bit of gardening. It’s one of the most relaxing hobbies I can think of. It’s also very satisfying. I get very excited about gardening. I love planting seeds and then letting nature take over. It’s amazing how quickly things grow. Before you know it, your seeds are beautiful flowers. You also learn a lot about flowers, vegetables, shrubs and trees. Of course, gardening is also very practical. If you grow vegetables, you can eat what you grow. Vegetables picked fresh from your garden really do taste better than the ones in the shops. Gardening is good for you. It makes you feel part of the Earth.

Global warming is the biggest problem in the world today. Everyone know about it but not everyone is trying to stop it. Many world leaders are more interested in blaming other countries for the crisis. Countries like China, India and Russia say they will not act unless America takes more action. America says it will not act until other countries take more action. It seems a little childish that leaders are acting in this way. The future of our world is at risk and governments can only argue with each other. Many presidents and prime ministers tell us that technology is the answer. They say future scientists will find solutions to save the planet. This is a big gamble. I hope they are right. I don’t believe them, so I’ll continue switching off lights and recycling.

Everybody wants to have fun. Life would be so boring if fun was taken away. There are so many things you can do for fun. The best thing, I think, is simply to be with your friends. You’ll always have a fun time with them. I can’t remember the most fun I’ve ever had. I had loads of fun times when I was a kid. It seemed as though life was all fun, except for homework. But university was also a lot of fun. I’d love to do all that again. I’m not sure if I’d call working fun. There’s not much fun in sitting at a desk and trying to please your boss. Weekends are fun though. I always try to have as much fun as I can at the weekend. Having fun is the best way to relieve the stress that builds up during the week.

Frustration is a terrible thing. In fact, it’s a frustrating thing. Getting frustrated is one of life’s biggest frustrations. I wish I didn’t get frustrated, but there are so many things in life that are frustrating. I think the biggest thing recently is computers. Getting a new computer out of the box can be frustrating. Understanding how everything works is doubly frustrating. And then there are all the frustrations with programmes that freeze, web pages that don’t open, and things you lose. I wonder why we get so frustrated. I think we could do things better if we relaxed and did everything slowly. I wonder if animals and birds get frustrated. I’m sure a lot of the things we humans do causes them a lot of frustration.

Football, that’s soccer to Americans, is the biggest and best sport in the world. There are millions of reasons why it is the world sport. For a start, it is played all over the world. The football World Cup is the biggest event on Earth. It’s bigger than the Olympics. More people watch the Final on TV than any other event. Football also brings nations together. The greatest of enemies put aside their differences for 90 minutes to play a football match. Then there are the teams, like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool. These names are more well known across the world than the top basketball or baseball teams. A famous coach once said: “Football isn’t a matter of life and death; it’s more important.”

I think fish are the most interesting creatures on the planet. They are absolutely fascinating. I love their different shapes, colours, social behaviour, everything. I can watch tropical fish in my aquarium for hours. Even the tiny little fish are so beautiful. When I go to the city aquarium, I can spend the whole morning or afternoon looking at the fish. I don’t have a favourite fish. I must confess that after watching the movie ‘Finding Nemo’ I do now like clownfish. As well as looking at fish, I also love eating them. Tuna is my favourite, especially raw tuna. When I visit Japan, the first thing I do is go to a sushi restaurant. Raw fish is so much tastier than cooked fish. And probably a lot healthier.

I absolutely love flying. I love everything about it, from buying my air ticket to getting off the plane and collecting my baggage. There’s something very special about getting on an airplane. It’s always a real adventure. I like short flights and long-haul flights. Many people say economy class is terrible, but I like it. There isn’t enough legroom but I don’t mind that. Many people also say they hate airplane food. I love it. The only thing I don’t like about flying is turbulence. I think that’s really scary. I always worry the plane will crash. Another thing I don’t like is waiting to get off when the plane stops. It takes ages before the flight attendants open the doors. One day I want to fly business class and first class.

What are you afraid of? I’m not really afraid of anything. When I was a child I was afraid of the dark. I used to hear strange noises at night when I was in bed. I couldn’t move. I was frozen with fear until it got light outside. I’m no longer afraid of the dark, thankfully. I also used to fear speaking in public. My face would go red and I’d get very hot. I overcame this fear because I had to make many speeches at school. The more I did this, the more my public speaking fear disappeared. People are afraid of many strange things. Did you there is a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth? There is even a medical name for it. I don’t think fear is a bad thing. It probably stops us from doing really dangerous things.

One day, all diseases on Earth will be gone. I wonder. In fact, if all diseases die out or doctors find vaccines and cures for them, that will really change our planet. Think about the amount of overpopulation if no one died from diseases. There’d be a population explosion. I don’t think the Earth would be able to feed so many people. It’s a really difficult question. Some diseases in the world are really horrible and cause a lot of suffering. It would be great if scientists found cures for those. Scientists have already found a cure for many diseases. It’s amazing how far science and medicine have come. I think more cures for diseases could be found if governments spent more money. They seem to spend so little on controlling disease.

People say that death is the only thing in life that is certain. That’s true. I’m not afraid of dying, but I do think it’s a sad thing. I’d like to live forever. I like life. I want to see my children’s children’s children grow up. People have different views on death in different cultures. In some countries, you die and go to heaven. In other countries you die and come back to Earth as something else. Some people celebrate people’s death because they had a good life. In other countries, death is a sad and dark affair. I know of many countries where death is a taboo subject. People just don’t talk about it. I have no problems talking about death. Especially to my family. I think it’s useful to tell everyone what I want to happen when I die.

I don’t understand discrimination. To me, it’s evil. How can you not think that all people are the same? It doesn’t matter what kind of discrimination it is, it’s all terrible. People who discriminate because of other people’s race, sex or age should be named and shamed. I think there should be really strong laws against all forms of discrimination. Racism is horrible. What difference does it make what colour your skin is? The thing that surprises me is that even in the most cosmopolitan cities, racism is everywhere. Sexual discrimination is also stupid. Sexist people have sisters, mothers, wives, daughters; but they still treat women as being less able. I wonder if we'll ever live in a world where we’re all equal.

Danger is everywhere. It’s all around us. That what I’ve decided. I thought about danger the other day and decided we live in a dangerous world. Even our house is full of danger. There are many chemicals in our cosmetics, cleaners, fridges, computers that are not good for us. The electric wiring could go wrong and electrocute us. We could fall down the stairs or slip on the kitchen floor. And then when we leave our house, we enter a dangerous world. Cars travelling at speed, people holding cigarettes, construction workers with heavy objects above our heads… all of these things present danger. Just turn on the news or open a local paper to see how much danger there is. I think I’ll stay in bed today.

Do you like fast food? Lots of people complain about it but I think a lot of it’s quite tasty – as long as you go to one of the international chains like McDonalds or Kentucky. I think in today’s world, it’s difficult to avoid eating in fast food restaurants. They are so convenient and seem to be everywhere. Of course they’re not the same as real restaurants. I wonder if they are restaurants. There aren’t any waiters. Anyway, the most important thing to remember about fast food is that it isn’t so healthy. People who eat it every day develop health problems. I don’t understand why schools serve fast food during lunch time. Schools should encourage students to eat healthily. If you have time, look at a website on slow food.

Many years ago I read that credit cards were the thing of the future. Credit card companies were telling us that plastic would replace cash. Well, this hasn’t happened. People are still using notes and coins. The Internet has increased the use of credit cards, but many people worry about putting their card details online. Lots of personal info gets stolen by fake sites pretending to be famous banks or online stores. Personally, I love credit cards. I always prefer to pay by card than by cash. When you use your card, you get air miles and every six months you can cash them in for presents. I do worry about credit card security. I keep waiting to see a huge purchase on my statement that I didn’t make.

I learnt all about evolution when I was about ten years old. I remember it clearly. I thought it was amazing. My mind was full of images of strange creatures crawling out of a green, soupy lake. Fish that had somehow developed legs and the ability to breathe air. Then these creatures turned into all kinds of animals. All the books I read said we came from apes. Scientists are still not sure how. There’s a missing link. When I think about it now, the theory of evolution is a clever concept. The man who thought of it, Charles Darwin, said nature is all about the survival of the fittest. Only the strongest species survive. We are still evolving. Scientists believe we will look quite different a million years from now. I wonder what we’ll look like.

I’m really into motor racing. Especially Formula One. It really is one of the most glamorous and exciting sports. Of course, it’s one of the fastest. I’m amazed by the speed of the cars and how skillful the drivers are. I’d love to drive a Formula One car to see how fast they go. People say Formula One is a man’s sport. It isn’t. I know lots of women who love it. One day, there’ll be a female world champion. You wait. I got into Formula One years ago. I loved the names of all the drivers. I watched a few Grands Prix on TV and then I was hooked. I never miss a race on TV. One day, I’d really like to go to a circuit and watch a Grand Prix live. I guess Monaco would be best – they drive through the streets there.

I really don’t know why fishing is so popular. It’s one of the best-loved hobbies all over the world. Anywhere there’s a pond, a river a lake or sea, you see people fishing. I’ve only been fishing twice and I thought it was boring. I didn’t catch any fish. Even if I had caught a fish, I don’t think I would have been excited. To me, sitting next to a river waiting for something to happen is strange. I know lots of people who love fishing. They even get up at four o’clock in the morning in the winter to sit in the freezing cold. They say the best time to fish is before the sun comes up. I say they’re crazy. Big game fishing looks good. I like the idea of cruising on a boat near Hawaii looking for giant fish.

Have you ever thought how strange fashion is? People tell us what clothes to wear. That’s weird. Fashion stores tell us what is “in” this summer or this winter. People then buy the same clothes and look like everyone else because they want to feel trendy. The thing is, fashion is about being an individual, but then we all wear clothes that are the same as everyone else’s! Keeping up with fashion is expensive these days. Everyone is into brand fashion. Have you seen how much the most fashionable sneakers are? How can kids afford those? The craziest fashion is the luxury brands. People spend a month’s salary, or more, on a handbag or watch. That’s crazy. I’m happy with an unknown brand at half the price. I don’t mind being unfashionable.

Eggs are great. Where would we be without them? They are so useful. I can’t imagine life or cooking without them. There are many ways of cooking eggs for breakfast – fried eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, etc. There are even many ways of “cooking” these. You can have a runny or hard fried egg or even have it sunny side up. You can have soft or hard-boiled eggs and fluffy scrambled eggs. There are also many things to put on top of eggs – mayonnaise, ketchup, salt, soy sauce. Each country has something different. I like cooking with eggs. I particularly like breaking them. I can now do it with one hand, without breaking the yolk. Sometimes it gets messy and the egg white starts dripping down your arm.

Why do we have crime? When will it all stop? It’s sad that there is so much crime in our society. It hurts so many people. Most people in the world just want to live happily and be good neighbours. Why do some people turn to crime? Money is a big reason. Many criminals pickpocket, steal, kidnap, or even kill people to get money. There are many terrible crimes in the world. Perhaps the worst is ethnic cleansing. This is a crime against humanity. Many people are killed because of their colour or religion. People who commit this crime rarely go to prison. Have you ever been a victim of crime? What do you think we need to do to reduce crime rates? Perhaps you should write to your government. Tell your leaders enough is enough.

I have too many clothes. I have many clothes I’ve only worn once. Sometimes I even find something at the back of a drawer that I never even wore. I bought it, put it away, and then forgot about it. I’m sure I don’t need so many clothes. I don’t think anyone really needs 11 pairs of jeans and 32 sweaters. I won’t tell you how many pairs of shoes I’ve got. That’s way too embarrassing. The simple truth is I love clothes and I love shopping. Maybe I have a problem. I’m sure I’d be a lot richer if I didn’t buy so many clothes. I like brands, so the clothes I buy are quite expensive. One day I’m going to have a big clearout. I’ll take all the clothes I no longer wear and give them to charity.

I dream almost every night. I have a lot of dreams and I remember most of them. I’m not sure what they mean. Some of them are quite strange. One day I’ll have to buy a book on dreams and see if I can interpret them. When I was a little kid, I had really bad dreams. Real scary ones. They were probably nightmares rather than dreams. Usually it was some big, bad stranger chasing me. My dreams today are all very different. Sometimes I’m speaking in another language in my dream. The ones I don’t like are the ones where I’m falling. But I my dreams where I’m flying. I sometimes have really nice dreams, but then my alarm clock goes off. I press snooze and try and get back into my dream for another ten minutes.

I’m hopeless at giving directions. I get very confused. I’m sure I send people in totally the wrong direction. For some reason, I always get stopped for directions in the street. I can usually direct someone if it’s just a block or two, but that’s it. If it’s half way across town, I’ll send you in the opposite direction, guaranteed. The funniest thing is asking for directions in another language. I’m pretty good at saying where I want to go, but when I receive the directions, I understand nothing. I nod my head and smile and say “thank you very much”. The person walks away thinking I understood the directions. I’m impressed by people who can give directions from one town to another. They must have a map inside their head!

few minutes of a run, swim or cycle. But then once my lungs stop burning, I settle into a rhythm and things aren’t so bad. Recently I bought an exercise bike. Sitting in my house cycling to loud music or watching TV is a great way to get

Are you into cars? My brother is. He’s car crazy. He buys car magazines, watches car programmes on TV and spends hours looking at car websites. He knows the name, maker, engine size and top speed of every car on the planet. Every time we go out, he talks non-stop about the cars he sees. I like cars. They are interesting. If I had a lot of money, I’d like to buy a sports car. I’m saving up for a small car at the moment. I’ll probably buy a hybrid car that is good for the environment. My brother thinks these are boring. He says a car should be powerful and fast. I don’t agree. I think cars should get you from A to B and be big enough for me and my friends. I also prefer smaller cars because they are easier to park.

Don’t you think books are the best thing in the world? I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t reading a book. I still have memories of being in my school library when I was about five years old. I have been a bit of a bookworm since then. You’ll usually see me with my head buried in a book. I love all kinds of books. Novels are great for getting to know other worlds and cultures. A good book is one where you never want the story to end. I also like autobiographies because I think it’s interesting to read about people’s lives. Encyclopedias are cool too – you can learn everything about everything in these. I still prefer books to the Internet. Books need to be in your hand and made of paper.

Climate change is one of the most worrying things for our planet. Many politicians and scientists say it is the biggest danger we face. I read almost every day that climate change is changing the Earth forever. Many species of animal, fish, insect, frog, etc. are dying. The ice caps in the Arctic and Antarctica are melting. Our weather is changing so places are getting warmer, or colder, or are having more and stronger hurricanes. We all need to do our bit so that climate change does not destroy us. It’s important to cut down on things that produce greenhouse gasses. These warm the planet and change the climate. Doing simple things like turning off lights and recycling paper all help.

Education is one of the most important things in our lives. Don’t you agree? It can make the difference between success and failure. An education can bring us knowledge and make us rich. In rich countries, people are lucky to have good schools. Children start learning from a very young age. They can further their education and go to higher education or university. In Japan, there are even private schools for babies to learn English. It’s a shame that in many rich countries, many children don’t want to learn. Perhaps schools need to find better ways to teach so children want to learn. It’s sad that in many parts of the world, children want to learn but can’t. Make sure you never stop learning. Education is the key to a better future.

There’s an old English saying that says, “A dog is a man’s best friend”. This is true for many people – men and women. Most people I know love dogs. They are pretty cool animals. They are intelligent and very helpful. Dogs are a real member of the family if you have one as a pet. I think dogs are very useful. They keep you company, they bark if a stranger comes near your house, and they fetch your slippers. Not all dogs are nice, though. Some are dangerous. I get sad when I read in the paper about children being attacked by a dog. Owners need to train them better. I also get sad when I read about abandoned dogs. People who want a dog as a pet should get an abandoned one.

Choosing a career is one of the biggest decisions we make in life. It used to be that we chose only one career. People would start a job when they were 18, 19 or 20 and stay in that same career for life. Their career path was quite straightforward. Nowadays, it is normal for people to change careers, five, six, seven times. New technology and globalization means things change quickly. We need to study and keep up with all the changes. I’ve had four different careers now. I like moving from one job to another. It means life never gets boring. It’s much better to keep learning different things in different careers. I have no idea what career I’ll choose next. Perhaps one that doesn’t even exists today.

I hate the sight of blood. Looking at it makes me go all weak at the knees. I can’t even look at my own blood. I don’t know why. The thing I hate most is giving blood for a medical check. I fainted once after I saw my blood in a small bottle. If I have a nose bleed, I have to sit down for 30 minutes before I feel better. It’s impossible for me to watch operations on TV. I wish I could donate blood to others. I can’t. I know giving blood is really important, but I’m not brave enough. One thing about blood I do find interesting is blood types. I think your blood type can affect your personality. I know that in some countries, people with blood type A would not be a good romantic match for someone with blood type O.

One of my favourite times of the day is bath time. I absolutely love taking a bath. Baths are so much better than showers. Having a bath is the most relaxing thing. There’s nothing better in life than sinking into a hot bath and letting the water take away my troubles. A bath really makes you feel great. I especially like taking a bath before going to bed. Bath time is pretty much the only time of the day when you can really pamper yourself. It also means a lot of quality time to yourself. It’s perfect for listening to music and reading a good book. The only thing I don’t like about bath time is when I fall asleep and the water goes cold. Or even worse – when you want a bath and there’s no hot water.

I’m a great art lover. I look at beautiful paintings and sculptures and wish I could be artistic. I can’t draw or paint to save my life. I wonder why some people are so talented and can create amazing pictures, when other people, like me, can’t even draw good matchstick figures. I would like to fill my house with art from all over the world. It’s interesting to see how different cultures have different kinds of art. There’s nothing better than visiting art galleries when you go to another country. I prefer more traditional art. I don’t really understand a lot of modern art. I look at an exhibit of a pile of bricks in a museum but can’t see how it’s art. I always laugh when my children say, “Daddy, I can do better than that!” I often think they can.

People say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That means if someone thinks someone else is beautiful, then they are beautiful. I think the idea of beauty is interesting. Why do we think some things or some people are beautiful and others aren’t? Some people think a building is beautiful, while others think the opposite. People nowadays spend too much time and money on beauty. I agree with the expression, “beauty is only skin deep”. This means that what’s really important is someone’s heart and character, not what they look like on the outside. It’s a little strange, and unfair, that you have to be beautiful to be a top actress or even a news reader on TV. I think there should be equal rights for most of us “non-beautiful” people.

Autumn is such a cool time of the year. Of course it is cool because the temperatures drop after summer. But it is also cool because it’s such a great time of the year. I love the changing of the leaves. The different autumn colours are one of nature’s most beautiful scenes. Sometimes I can’t stop looking at the mountains near my house. They are like an artist’s palette of golds, reds, yellows, browns and other autumnal colours. In America they call autumn ‘fall’ because that is when the leaves fall from the trees. I like the coolness of autumn. Summer is over but you can still wear a T-shirt – just about. You can also spend hours outdoors without sweating. Autumn is the best time of the year to go hiking and go for long walks.

Aren’t airports strange places? There’s so much happening in them. People coming, people going; people crying with sadness because they’re going away, people crying with joy because they’ve arrived. Big airports are almost like small towns. It seems like you walk across a town by the time you check in and get to your departure gate. The thing I like most about airports is people watching. There are people from all over the world. I also like how everything fits and works together. You check your luggage in and then it disappears, before you see it again at the next airport. I still think airports need improving. There’s not a lot to do there. Airports really need to have an entertainment area so people can kill time.

There is no way that famine should be a problem in today’s world. We are so rich. Companies have billions of dollars. Countries have trillions. It’s a real shame that people do not give enough to help famine victims. It’s a sin. There is more than enough food in this world to feed everyone. Government leaders need to tell the world why they let people die of hunger. Even the United Nations can’t persuade governments to give enough money to help the starving. Of course, there are good governments and bad ones. The bad ones often let their own people starve. The leaders steal the country’s money. Some countries have a famine but their state TV tells people there are bumper crops. That’s shocking.

Digital cameras are so useful. I love my digital camera. I take it everywhere with me. My friends think I’m mad, but I’ve got thousands of really good photos. Digital cameras are so much better than the old cameras with film. They’re also much better than mobile phone cameras. My digital camera fits in my pocket and takes great photos. I usually take a few photos every day and then put them online for my friends to see. The best thing about digital cameras is that they are so easy to use. It’s child’s play. The good thing is that digital cameras today give the same quality photos as you could only get on really expensive cameras. All you need is 10 to 12 megapixels. That’s more than enough.

Airplanes are amazing. How does something so big and heavy get off the ground? I’m always amazed at how the millions of different parts work together. Travelling by airplane is always a wonderful experience. I don’t care whether economy class is cramped and has no space. I like playing with the in-flight entertainment system, especially now they have all the latest movies. I also love airplane food. Many of my friends say it’s disgusting, but I love it. I often ask the passenger next to me if I can have the dessert or roll they don’t want. The only thing I don’t like about planes is turbulence. When the airplane hits those air pockets, I always worry we’ll crash. But I once read that turbulence has never caused an airplane to crash.

I don’t think people understand cyber-crime. It’s only just started. In the future, it’s going to be a huge problem. There have already been a few amazing examples. A few years ago the whole Internet in Latvia was attacked by another country. Cyberspace has become a new battleground. Countries spy on each other. If there’s a war, it’s possible one country could attack the other country’s Internet. This would mean all communication, transport, etc would stop. It would cause huge damage to hospitals and other important buildings. But cyber-crime is happening today to ordinary people. Have you ever heard of phishing? That’s with a ‘ph’ not ‘f’. You really need to be very careful about what information you put online.

I have loved dancing ever since I can remember. It was a part of my life when I was growing up and it is still important to me now. It has to be the best way to exercise. What can be better than dancing to your favourite songs? I love going to clubs and discos. I can dance all night long. I never get tired of it. When I was small, I used to go to school discos. I’d also dance at the parties my parents, friends and neighbours had. I don’t think I’ll ever stop dancing. I also love looking at dancing. Ballet is beautiful. Dances from all over the world are beautiful. I think the life of a professional dancer must be a good one. One thing that always amazes me is how much children love dancing. I think dancing must be in their blood.

I wish we didn’t need cosmetics. We spend so much time and money on them. And for what? We take them off at night, only to put them all on again in the morning. If you think about it. they’re amazingly expensive. Why does a lipstick or a small tube of cream cost so much? The really expensive cosmetics don’t actually make you look that different than really cheap ones. A lot depends too on your skill – choosing the right colours to match your face, and how you put your make-up on. I sometimes laugh at the ladies selling cosmetics in department stores. They’re meant to be experts but they look like clowns. I mean, do they really need to paint their faces? One thing I worry about is whether the chemicals damage your skin.

I’m a bit shy when I have to speak in English. I’m a little worried about making mistakes. I also still lack confidence. Many of my friends don’t worry about mistakes. They just talk and talk. They always get their message across, even if their grammar is wrong. I think this is the best thing to do. My teacher always says it’s best to learn by doing. If I don’t try to speak English, I’ll never be able to use it when I need it. One thing I started doing recently was talking to myself. I have short conversations with myself. I think it works. I also make short stories about people and say them aloud. I do this in my room, of course. People would think I’m crazy if I did it in class or on the train.

My energy levels go up and down. Sometimes I’m full of energy, and sometimes I’m drained of energy. Mornings are when my energy levels are high. I wake up ready to go. I don’t need 30 minutes to wake up, like some people I know. For some reason the food I eat doesn’t affect how energetic I am. Some people feel tired after lunch, while others complain they need to eat something for an energy boost. I seem to have the same level of energy even if I eat nothing all day. The one thing that does affect my energy is the weather. A bright, sunny day gives me lots of energy. A dull, rainy day makes me feel less energetic. I also have a lot of energy if I’m doing something exciting – even if it’s study or work.

E-mail certainly keeps me busy. I never used to write as many letters as I do now. In the good old days before computers, we wrote real letters, with paper and envelopes. I wrote one or two letters a week. But now, with e-mail, my in-box is never empty. There’s always someone mailing me. I would like just one day where I’m free of e-mail. The sad thing is, very few mails I get are interesting. I get loads of spam – junk mail trying to sell me things I don’t want. I also get lots of mail from people asking me to do stuff. Do this, do that, reply ASAP. It’s too much sometimes. The one good thing about e-mail is that you can get things done quickly. I can e-mail a company in another country and they can mail me back in two minutes.

Eating is the best thing ever. I love eating. Any time of the day or night I can eat…. and eat and eat and eat. I have a very big appetite. I always have. My mother used to complain about how much I ate. She used to ask me if I had a hole in my stomach. Eating is very, very satisfying. There are many different aspects of eating. It fills us up and stops us feeling hungry. Food tastes so good and eating it makes us feel very happy. Sometimes I feel like I’m in heaven when I’m eating – especially chocolate fudge cheesecake. Yum. Eating is also a great social activity. I love eating with my family, with my friends or even at work. Eating can also be an international experience. Eating is great just about anywhere you eat.

Divorce is on the increase around the world. It seems divorce rates are rising in pretty much every country you read about. I know in my country, divorce is now not unusual. More than thirty per cent of marriages end in divorce. I suppose it’s easier nowadays to get a divorce, and it’s more socially acceptable. I know it was more difficult to get divorced 50 years ago. People thought that there was something wrong with you if you were a divorcee. Today, it’s common to get through two, three, even more marriages. Perhaps people should think a bit more before they get married. Divorce is pretty hard on children. When a divorce gets ugly, the kids really suffer. Sorting out divorce settlements can be a messy business.

Would you like to change your face and body? Would you like movie star looks? A lot of people want to do this. They pay lots of money to go to a cosmetic surgeon and change their appearance. The most common operation we call a nose job. People who are unhappy with their nose have it reshaped. Other people want their wrinkles to disappear to make themselves look younger. People also go under the knife and have things made bigger or smaller. I think this is a waste of money. I'm not the best-looking person in the world but I would never consider plastic surgery - even if it was free. Some people have so many operations they end up looking like they’re made of plastic. I'd rather stay looking human.

Anyone who does not absolutely love chocolate is mad. I don’t think I know anyone who dislikes it. Some of my friends say they hate white chocolate or dark chocolate, but then they like some other kind. I think chocolate is one of the best inventions ever. It is also one of life’s true pleasures. There’s nothing better than having your whole mouth full of chocolate and letting it melt. I love pushing the chocolate up against the roof of my mouth and then moving it all around. Yum. I eat chocolate every day. I know it’s bad for our teeth and makes us fat, but I don’t care. I prefer to think about the health benefits of chocolate. I’ve read many articles that say chocolate is good for us.

I’m afraid of the dentist. Always have been, for as long as I can remember. Even if the dentist is really, really kind and gentle, I’m still afraid. Even if the dental surgery is colourful and there’s relaxing music, I’m still afraid. Dentists for me haven’t changed a bit. When I was a child, I hated the sound of the drill. That sound is still there today. When I was young, I hated the smell. Same smell today. I can’t wait for the day scientists invent something so we never need dentists. The strange thing is, when I was younger, I wanted to be a dentist. I thought it would be good to treat people just like me. I felt I would understand others who have the same fear. I think I would have been a good dentist.

Do you ever think about or worry about the number of calories you eat and drink every day. It’s not really something I thought about when I was younger. But now I have to think about my calorie intake. I’m putting on weight and so need to be more careful with what I eat. This is difficult because all of the yummiest food has the most calories. I’ve found an answer to this problem. If I do lots of exercise, I can eat what I want and not have to worry about calories. I burn off 500 calories when I jog for an hour. This means I can have a pizza and dessert and not feel guilty. I wish there was more information about calories in restaurants. It would make it easier for me to know what to eat and what to avoid.

Doctors are cool. They spend all their day helping people and saving lives. There can’t be many better jobs in the world. I wanted to be a doctor when I was a kid but I was no good at science. I think doctors are among the most important people in society. They should get paid lots and lots of money. It’s not right that bankers get paid more. Doctors are really clever and very kind. They never seem to panic or get angry. Every time I’ve seen a doctor, he or she has always made me feel better – not just because of their treatment, but also because of their kindness. It must be amazing being a doctor and knowing all kinds of stuff about the human body. It would be pretty useful being a doctor because then you’d know what was wrong with your own body.

Being single has its advantages and disadvantages. I think it’s better to stay single when you’re young. You need to live and have fun. You also need the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Being single in your twenties gives you lots of time to go travelling, see the world and experience different things. Most people like being single in their twenties and then want to settle down in their thirties. I think being single later in life can be sad. All of your friends are married or attached and people tend to go out and party less. I think being single when you’re old would be very lonely. The longer you stay single, the harder it becomes to settle down. In some countries, people think you’re strange if you’re single later on in life.

I think Christmas is one of the happiest times of the year. Everyone has a smile on their face, especially children. It’s such an exciting time for kids. They can’t wait to open their presents and play with all of their new games and toys. It’s a nice time for adults too. They can catch up with their families and relax. Traditionally, the mother of the family is busiest at Christmas. She does most of the Christmas shopping and wraps the presents. Of course, she also spends hours cooking Christmas dinner. Let’s not forget the true meaning of Christmas, though. It is not about shopping and Christmas trees and ‘Frosty the Snowman’. It’s all about love for each other and peace around the world. Let’s hope this message stays alive.

We have to do something about pollution. Even though there are warnings about global warming, companies don’t do anything to reduce pollution. Our sky, air, rivers, beaches and countryside are becoming rubbish dumps. The air is so polluted it is giving children breathing problems. Polluted rivers have no fish left in them and beaches are too dangerous to walk on because of the garbage everywhere. It seems a lot of people don’t care. I think there should be big fines for polluters. I don’t mind paying more for things if they can be made with less pollution. The problem is that companies are more interested in profits than pollution. We have only just started looking at our carbon footprint.

Birthdays are brilliant. I’m 62 years old and I still love them. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad birthday. In fact, I think birthdays get better and better the older you become. Sure, kids love birthdays because they get presents and get to eat cake. But when you get older, birthdays make you feel special. It’s your special day. Even if no one wishes you a happy birthday, it’s still your special day. A lot of my friends think I’m mad. They hate their birthdays because it means they’re another year older. I hope I get to celebrate my hundredth birthday. I’m not sure if I can blow out 100 candles though. When I look back at all my birthdays, it’s difficult to choose the best. I’ll just say my last birthday is always the best one.

I’m not the world’s biggest fan of banks. I’ve had too many bad experiences of them. I really don’t know how they can advertise and say they look after you. They don’t. Bank charges are way too high; you spend ages waiting to be served; and then they say no if you want a loan. The bank I bank with makes dozens of mistakes with my account. The thing they’re best at is making excuses. I’m not at all surprised so many banks did badly in the credit crisis. I hope they change. Bankers get far too much money. All they do is desk work. Banks need to focus a lot more on real customer service. At the moment banks only offer an excuse for customer service. They don’t even offer you a drink when you sit down and open an account.

In the USA, they’re called apartments; in the UK they’re called flats. They are a modern invention. I don’t particularly like them. I don’t think it’s good for so many people to live so close together. It’s not good for people to live on top of each other. I don’t understand how people can live above the second floor. It’s not natural to live in the sky. The thing I hate most about apartments are the lifts (Americans say elevator) and the fact there’s no garden. More and more people are moving into apartments. This creates problems with overcrowding. There aren’t enough spaces to park your car, there’s nowhere to throw your rubbish and you have to wait ages to reach your floor. Give me a little house with a little garden any day.

There’s a famous song that says “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. Is that true? Do all women like diamonds? They are certainly very beautiful, especially when you see them sparkling. But really, only rich people can afford diamonds. When I bought my wife’s wedding ring, we could only afford a smallish diamond. There were lots of beautiful rings in the store with huge diamonds but they all cost an arm and a leg. One day I’ll buy her a big diamond as a surprise. Nowadays you have to worry where diamonds come from. Many countries sell diamonds to buy guns and tanks. These are called blood diamonds. If you buy a diamond, make sure it has a certificate so you know which country it came from.

I love the news and current events. I’m addicted to what’s happening in the world. It doesn’t matter what kind of news it is, I love watching it. Even if it’s from countries I’ve never heard of. I’ll even watch the same news programme three or four times and not get bored. I guess it’s so fascinating because it’s real. I get really interested in a story when it breaks, then like to follow it as it unfolds. Following current events makes you quite knowledgeable. I know most of the world’s capitals and most of the world’s leaders. Watching the news is really looking at history happening now. But you never know what’s going to happen next. Every time you turn on the news or read a news story, you’ll find something unexpected.

It’s hard to believe that no one had computers a few years ago. I wonder how people lived. There must have been a lot of paperwork. I can’t imagine writing everything by hand. I also wonder how everything worked without computers. We need computers today for everything. Hospitals, airports, the police… nothing can work without computers. I’m sure I’d be ten times busier than now if I didn’t have a computer. Imagine having to find a piece of paper and an envelope and then walking down the street to mail a letter! I love my computer. It makes everything in my life so convenient. Sure, it freezes and crashes sometimes. Sure I lose some data. But that’s not often. Most of the time my computer is like my best friend.

I don’t know what I would do without my friends’ advice. They’ve all given me so much good advice over the years. It’s sometimes very difficult to make decisions on your own. Listening to advice can be great for helping you make the right decision. The greatest piece of advice I’ve received was from my father. He told me I can do anything in life if I try hard. He was right. I am now passing on his advice to my own children. Right now I need some advice on money. My financial advisors are telling me to be very careful. That’s very sound advice. I would advise anyone to do the same. Someone asked me the other day about the worst piece of advice I’ve ever had. I couldn’t answer. I don’t think I’ve had any really bad advice.

Children are angels. Most of the time this is true. I’m very lucky because my two children really are the greatest angels. I think I won the children lottery with my kids. I could not have asked for lovelier, happier, sweeter little children. They have brought me endless amounts of joy since the second they were born. Everything they do fascinates me. Everything they say makes me smile. Watching them grow up is my greatest pleasure. In a way, it’s a little sad. I always want them to stay the age they’re at now. When they were 18 months old, I thought that was the cutest age. I thought the same when they were two, and then three and then four. I guess however old they are, they’re perfect. I wish all the children in the world were as happy as mine.

What are your bad habits? I think everyone has bad habits. Not everyone agrees on what bad habits are. Some smokers don’t think smoking is a bad habit. Young people don’t think listening to loud music on the train is a bad habit. In Japan, slurping your noodles is a sign that you enjoy your food, but making a noise while eating in England is not good. Have you ever tried to break your bad habits? I have quit smoking and have stopped leaving things laying around the house. I wish other people would stop their bad habits. I get annoyed when people are late for meetings or talk loudly on their phones in public. I also think many motorists need to think about their driving habits. Perhaps I should point out their bad habits.

I’m a real animal lover. I’m fascinated by the whole animal kingdom. I loved animals when I was a kid. I used to read every book I could find on animals. I knew all the different animal species. The most exciting thing for me was going to the zoo. I would spend hours just watching the animals walk around, sit, or even sleep. When I was older, I went on a safari to Tanzania. I saw real wild animals in the wild. Everyone should do this once in their lives. Looking at animals in their natural habitat is a real honour. Now I’m worried about the future of many animals. Some of my favourite animals are in danger of dying out. We really need to change our lifestyle so our children can have the chance of seeing animals in the wild.

What is advertising? Is it telling the truth or is it making things look better than they really are? Or is it lying? Companies pay a lot of money for adverts. Some of the ads you see in glossy magazines look like art. The commercials on TV look like mini movies. Do they really change our behaviour? Do adverts make you buy things? I think some advertising is a form of lying. Is BMW really “The ultimate driving machine” like they say in their ads? British Airways used to say they were “The world’s favourite airline,” but had to stop saying it because it wasn’t true. Personally, I get tired of watching ads on television. They always interrupt a good programme. I like ads in magazines. They’re usually quite interesting.

I’m really interested in the culture of other countries. I don’t know why, but I always think other cultures are more interesting than my own culture. Every time I travel, I learn wonderful, strange, amazing and interesting things about other cultures. One of the biggest surprises I had was when I went to the USA as a child. I’m English so I thought Americans had the same culture as me. When I went to America I understood Americans and Brits are very different people. Understanding the culture of other people is very important. It helps us all to get along. If everyone really tried to learn about other cultures, the world would be a more peaceful place. The world is becoming smaller, so I think this is happening.

Scientists and doctors can’t make their minds up about coffee. One study says it’s really bad for us and the next report says it’s good for us. I’ve even read that 10 cups a day is good for our brain. I like a cup of coffee at certain times of the day. I must have a coffee first thing in the morning. I can’t survive without my morning coffee. I have another cup or two when I get to work. And that’s it. I never drink coffee after lunchtime. If I do, I can’t sleep at night. The only time I drink coffee in the evening is if I go to a nice restaurant. Coffee seems a lot more complicated these days. When I was younger it was just coffee. Now it’s latte, frappucino and all kinds of other strange words.

Chickens are so important to many of us because they are a major part of our diet. Every country has so many chicken dishes, and eggs are one of the most common foods around. Chickens are also cute. Well, chickens aren’t, but chicks are - cute, fluffy chicks that make everyone go ‘aaahh’. It’s strange though that the word ‘chicken’ is used in so many English idioms. When I was at high school, you couldn’t ‘chicken out’ – to not do something because of being scared. Things are different today - I’m no spring chicken (that means I’m no longer young) so no one calls me a chicken any more. I work now - as a teacher. I get chicken feed (low wages) but I like my job. I plan to retire before I’m 50, but I’m not going to count my chickens before they’re hatched. This means I won’t quit working until I have enough money.

Business isn’t so good at the moment. In fact, it’s the worst time for businesses for decades. Many businesses are going bust because of the global financial crisis. Even sound businesses like the car industry and electronics are going through a really bad time. Many small businesses have gone out of business. It’s a real shame because so many lives are being ruined. With a lot of businesses it’s a real fight for survival. I really respect people for trying to make a go of their business. I don’t have much business sense. I wouldn’t know where to start in opening my own business. I suppose the best thing would be to look at business startups on the Internet. An online business might be good. There seems to be less risk.

Are you busy? Do you lead a busy life? It seems we get busier and busier in our lives. I hate being busy. I’d much rather have nothing to do. Being busy makes me stressed and I end up making mistakes or forgetting something. Who’s the busiest person you know? I bet he or she is really stressed. The busy people I know are always looking ahead to their next holiday… and then in their holiday they are busy doing other things. I think we busy ourselves with too many things. We need to learn to relax and take things slowly. Even at work we have to look busy, even if we’re not. When the boss comes, we tell our friends, “Look busy!” That’s silly. It would be great if the word ‘busy’ disappeared from the English language.

An American president once said the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. Can’t remember which President, but never mind. I think that’s an interesting quote. It’s so true, most of the time. We all spend a lot of time worried or afraid that something bad will happen, and then nothing happens. It is the fear that frightens us, not the thing that might or might not happen. And then there are phobias. Millions of people are afraid of something that the rest of the world thinks is quite normal. How can you be afraid of things like peanut butter? There’s actually a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Amazing. Fear is sometimes good. It makes us alert and can keep us safe in a dangerous situation.

Most people know the word 'avatar'. Perhaps we all saw the movie with the same name. Avatars are becoming a normal part of our life. Well... I should say our online life. Almost everywhere you go on the Internet you see avatars. Sometimes it's a website asking you to make an avatar, and other times it's people's real avatars. Do you have one? Or two, or three? I see a lot of avatars that are kind of cute and look like Japanese anime. One of the most popular things is to choose an animal as an avatar. I always take a long time to choose my avatar. It's important to make one I really like. It has to be funny. I also like avatars that move. All of the best avatars I've seen move. They are usually very funny, and clever.

Getting married is one of the happiest days of anyone’s life. Being married is also full of happiness, but there are also many difficulties. It isn’t always easy to be married. You have to put up with your spouse’s bad habits and moods forever. You have to negotiate and compromise on many things from who’s first in the bathroom in the mornings to where you go on vacation. Of course, being married also has many wonderful sides to it. You have a lifelong friend who will love you forever. You share many wonderful times together and support each other through good and bad times. And you grow old together and look back on years of happy memories. I think being married is great for your soul.

I loved babysitting when I was younger. It was a really easy way to make money. All I had to do was sit in my neighbour’s house and look after the kids. That was the easy bit, because the kids were usually asleep in bed. The parents would give me a lot of money for watching DVDs and eating snacks. When I was even younger, I liked it when my babysitter came round. She would always play games with us and let us stay up late. She would send us to bed just before my parents came home. I know in some countries, babysitting isn’t so common. It isn’t part of the culture. I suppose that’s not such a bad thing. I read a lot in the papers nowadays about babysitters hitting the children because they don’t sleep. That’s really bad.

I hate alcohol. I really don’t understand how or why people drink it. The smell of alcohol on people’s breath is disgusting. It’s expensive and it gives you a bad headache. I drank when I was much younger, but I haven’t touched a drop for years. I hated hangovers so I decided to stop drinking altogether. I have a much better time without alcohol. People say they need to drink to relax. They drink and just act and look stupid. Their face goes red and they can’t walk in a straight line. Alcohol is also the most damaging drug in society. That’s what I think, anyway. Alcohol causes many illnesses, traffic accidents, fights and domestic violence. If you banned alcohol, people would be healthier, richer and have a better family life.

There are aliens out there, somewhere. I strongly believe this. Not sure what they look like, though. I really doubt they are green, like they are in science fiction movies. I also don’t think they look like us. But I’m sure they exist. I just don’t think we’ll ever see any or find any. They live too far away. If you think about it logically, there has to be aliens out there. All a planet needs is to be warm and have water and life will exist. There are billions and billions of planets in the universe, so there are probably millions and millions that have life. Alien life. It’s also likely that some of the aliens are much more intelligent than we are. I wonder what we’d do if really intelligent aliens visited Earth. What would we ask them?

Being an actor must be great. I really wish I could act. I’d love to have the confidence to act in front of people. Being a member of the audience at the theatre is great, but acting on stage is better. I wonder what it’s like to be a movie actor. I think you need to be beautiful or handsome to be a successful Hollywood or Bollywood actor. They all look great. Actors are very lucky. They get paid huge amounts of money to do what they love doing. My favourite actors are all dead now. I really like the actors in the old black and white movies. They all looked so cool. Actors in the old days seemed to be more glamorous than today’s actors. The best thing about being an actor is that all of your friends are famous too.

I wonder how many accidents I’ve had in my life. I’ve had a few serious ones where I’ve ended up in hospital. Traffic accidents are the worst. They’re always painful. I haven’t had too many work-related accidents. I suppose that’s because I do office work and that’s not so dangerous. Most of my accidents are those around the house. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve hit my thumb with a hammer. I’m also really good at standing up and hitting my head on something. I’m not as bad as my friend though. He’s a real accident looking for somewhere to happen. Almost every time we meet, he has some story to tell about his latest accident. He’s quite unbelievable. I think I’d be very worried if I were his mother.

Uruguay won the first World Cup in 1930 and we’re going to win the next one too. There are only three million people in Uruguay but we have a great footballing history. We really think it’s our turn to shine again on the world stage. We have the players to do that. Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez are among the best strikers in the world. I love watching them play. They really are top class goalscorers. I’m so looking forward to seeing my team play in South Africa. I know I will get a lump in my throat. Every time I see their blue and white striped shirts, I get excited. I think we have the best soccer kit in the world. As our coach Oscar Tabarez says, “we have a lot of strong points and we hope to be able to show them.” I hope his words come true in South Africa.

FIFA deciding to give the 2010 World Cup to South Africa was a proud moment for us. We South Africans have been preparing years for this event – the first on African soil. We will win the trophy. History is on our side. If you look back at previous tournaments, the host nation has won many times. That will happen this time too. We will show the world our Bafana Bafana spirit. We aren’t afraid of anyone and will even beat France to reach the next round. We can do it. Last year we only just lost to Brazil in the Confederations Cup. We will go a stage further in June. We have some of the world’s top players. They play in the English Premier League. I’m sure Steven Pienaar will shine and become one of the stars of the World Cup. Please enjoy our African football.

I think the Vancouver Winter Olympics will be really special. It’s such a great place to have the event. I’m not sure if I like the winter or summer Olympics better. I’d rather be a competitor in the summer games – it’s warmer. The winter Olympics are definitely the most beautiful. Looking at skiers come down a snowy slope against a blue sky is a wonderful sight. I also love the winter Olympics because of the skating. It’s amazing watching the speeds the speed skaters reach – they’re so fast. I also think the figure skaters put on a fantastic show. Another winter Olympic event I like is the luge – I think people have to be crazy to sit on almost nothing and shoot down an ice tunnel at high speeds. I wonder who will win the most gold medals. Maybe it’ll be Norway, or Russia.

The question of organ transplants is a difficult one. Not for me though. I’m quite happy to donate all of my organs for transplants. I don’t mind my body being donated to science after I die. I think it’s much better to be useful even after I die. I would be so happy to know that my heart was used to save someone else’s life. I don’t need my eyes after I die, so it’d be great if someone else could use them to see. Even though I want my body to be used for medical science, it feels a little strange to think that medical students will be cutting me up. I know in other parts of the world there are many people who don’t like the idea of organ transplants. They believe the body should stay in one piece. I hope that changes because doctors really need the organs.

Overpopulation is a real problem. It could kill the Earth. Very soon, there will be too many people and not enough land. There won’t be enough farms to grow food for everyone. We’ll eat all of the fish in the sea. And our pollution will cause more global warming. I think we are in a very serious situation. I don’t know what the answer is. Our leaders don’t seem too worried. They never see the bigger picture. The world’s population is exploding, and explosions cause great damage. More and more people are living longer and longer. We have better medicines. Our scientists have found cures to many diseases. There are many reasons. What we really need to do is think about how overpopulation is damaging the Earth.

We all have opinions on everything. Some of us have very strong opinions. Others have not-so-strong opinions. And then there are those who say they have no opinion, which I suppose is some kind of opinion. It’s interesting how our opinions can be so different. Even on the smallest of things. It’s also interesting to see how your opinions change as you get older. My opinions of other people change a lot. You have first impressions of someone – that’s your initial opinion. Then, as you get to know them, your opinions of them can change – for better or worse. Whose opinion is right? I suppose it’s the person who is strongest. They try to force their opinions on others. It’s important to listen to and consider the opinions of other people.

Operations are amazing things – unless, that is, you’re having one. I always think it is incredible how doctors can cut people open and repair their body. It must take great skill. I can’t believe some operations can take over 12 hours. I’ve had a few operations in my life. I have very mixed feelings about them. My worst fear is that I’ll die. My biggest hope is that the operation will be successful and I’ll make a full recovery. I also think about how interesting it is. I like watching all the things the doctors and nurses do before the operation. I’m really nervous, but it’s like being in the middle of a TV documentary. I once had an operation and I was awake for the whole thing. I could see lots, but I won’t go any further.

Oil is good and bad. It’s good because it helps our energy needs. It’s bad because it causes pollution. Oil is a fossil fuel. Burning it produces carbon dioxide (CO2). This is one of the biggest causes of global warming. There isn’t much oil left in the ground. Some people say it will all be gone this century. I suppose that means we won’t make as much pollution. But what will we do when the oil runs out? Scientists are working on that right now. We need to do something because we use oil to power our cars, homes and factories. Whatever we replace oil with must be better for the environment. I don’t think oil-producing countries are happy their oil will run out. They need to start thinking about how to make money after the oil has gone.

I like the expression ‘OK’. I don’t know why. It’s so useful. Everyone in the world understands what it means. It must be the only word that everyone knows. Is it a word or is at an abbreviation? We spell it ‘okay’ but abbreviate it as ‘OK’. I wonder how many meanings it has. You can ask if someone is OK, if they are ill; you can ask if someone understands a question or instructions using OK; you can even let someone know ‘enough is enough’ by saying OK. If you say something is OK, it means you don’t really like or dislike it. In fact, sometimes, if you say, “He’s OK” or “She’s OK, it means you don’t really like them. I think okay is also a verb. I have heard people say, “It’s OK, John okayed it”.

I’m a bit worried about my old age. I don’t really want to get old. I like being young. On the other hand, if I do get old, I want to live to be over 100. I’m hoping old age will be nice. It seems a time when you can relax and slow down. If course, you have to slow down because you’re body wears out. There are two things I’m worried about. One is money. I think if you are old and poor, you’ll be miserable. No money to enjoy yourself. Maybe not even enough money to eat, pay bills or go to the hospital. That’s scary. The other thing I worry about is being in good health. Especially my mental health. I imagine I’ll be happy in my old age. I have so many hobbies and I know I’ll enjoy doing them all every day.

I really worry about our oceans. Not many people understand how important the oceans are. Every day we hear stories about the rainforests and the ice caps, but we rarely hear about the oceans. They form most of the Earth’s surface and most of the world’s species live in them. They are responsible for weather patterns and a lot of the world’s foods. The problem is, they are becoming very polluted. Many fish species are in danger of dying. The coral reefs in our oceans are also in danger. We really need to think more about our oceans. We have to protect the life in them, or we might die. I love the ocean. I love the sound, the smell, the colour. I feel so happy and relaxed just looking at the ocean.

Nuclear weapons are the worst thing invented by man. The day we invented them was a black day in our history. Fortunately, they have only been used a few times. We only need to read the history of what happened in Japan to understand why nuclear weapons must never be used again. The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed in an instant. Hundreds of thousands died. Today, nuclear weapons are a hundred times more powerful. It’s scary to think how much harm one nuclear bomb could cause. Even scarier, is what happens if terrorists get hold of nuclear weapons. I fear for our future. One day, all countries will have nuclear weapons and then we’ll be in real trouble.

Many scientists say nuclear energy is our future. Many normal people aren’t so sure. I think most of us worry about nuclear energy. We hear on the news about the dangers of nuclear power. Many years ago there was a big accident in Chernobyl, Russia. A nuclear reactor caught fire and melted. Because of this, deadly radiation spread across the whole of Europe. There were reports that sheep in England caught radiation sickness. I think things are safer now. Many countries trust nuclear energy. France and Japan each has dozens of nuclear power stations. I think it’s probably a good idea. We really need to stop using fossil fuels. Nuclear power is a lot less harmful to the environment. Perhaps we need to spend more money on making it safer.

A Just stop and think how important numbers are to our lives. Numbers control us. In fact, we are numbers. We have passport numbers, social security numbers, ID numbers, and more. We live in a house and a street that has a number. We communicate with each other using telephone numbers. We worry about how small or big the numbers are on our bank statements. We can’t survive without numbers. Most of the world cannot function without the numbers zero and one. These are the two numbers computers use to run their programmes. I don’t think numbers were always so important. Maybe 500 years ago, we only had to remember the number of sheep, goats or children we had. I wonder how many numbers we need today!

Our nose is the strangest of all body parts. It’s such a funny thing. And where is it? Right on the front of our face. Right in the middle. It would be OK if everyone had exactly the same nose. But we all have a different nose. Some of us have a big nose, some a small nose. Some of us have a crooked nose with big nostrils. My nose is one part of my body I’d really like to change. It’s too big for the size of my face. When people talk about why other people are beautiful or handsome, no one says, “because he or she has a nice nose,” or “oooh, his (or her) nose is just soooo sexy”. I suppose if you really don’t like your nose, you can have a nose job. Unfortunately, not all of us can afford cosmetic surgery.

I like the night. It’s an interesting time of the day. The city changes at night. I like all the bright lights. People seem to be more active. Everyone is rushing home or going out. All the action starts at night. Restaurants, bars and clubs open. Everyone is happy. Night means we can stop working or studying and enjoy ourselves. It’s cooler at night so you feel more relaxed. Of course, the city at night is very different from the country. All you can do in the country is look at the night sky or sit around a fire. Everything stops at night in the country and people sleep very early. Except for insects. Night time can be very noisy because of the insects that come out at night. I’m a night person. I’m nocturnal, like an owl or bat.

Neighbours are very hit and miss. Sometimes you hit the jackpot and get neighbours who become great friends. Other times you get the short straw and have nightmare neighbours. I’ve had good and bad neighbours. I’m not sure why some neighbours are so bad. It’s really not that difficult to be a good neighbour. All you have to do is be polite, don’t play loud music late at night, and don’t park in front of their house. It sounds easier than it is. I think a long time ago there was a lot of neighbourliness. Families lived near each other for generations. It’s different today. New families come and go. They never get to know each other. Everyone keeps their distance. This is not always a good thing.

I like my names. I have four names – my family name, my given name and two middle names. I’m not sure why I have two middle names. I guess my parents wanted to name me after two of my uncles. Names are different all over the world. In some countries, family name comes before the given name. In the Muslim world, a girl’s name includes her father and grandfathers’ names. In Japan and China, there is no middle name. I think it’s interesting how people choose a name. I really don’t understand naming a baby after a famous actor or sports star. That’s silly. I think names should have a meaning. In the West, people don’t really know what their name means. In many countries, each name has a special meaning.

Nails are funny things. Why do we have them? I actually find them quite annoying. We have to keep cutting them, they get dirty, and sometimes they break and become painful. I’d rather we didn’t have nails. I’m sure it wouldn’t change our lives. I guess women would say no to that idea. My female friends spend a lot of money on their nails. I don’t know why. Nail polish stinks, and so does nail polish remover. I really don’t know why they waste their time going for manicures. It must be really boring sitting there, watching someone paint your nails. Nail art is now big business. People have become millionaires opening nail art salons. The best thing for me would be to have really short nails that never grow.

Some national anthems are really good and some aren’t. I like my country’s anthem. It makes me feel proud of my country every time I hear it. I’m a little embarrassed to say I don’t know the words to it. In some countries, they play the national anthem every day in school. I remember being in Thailand. They play the national anthem in the streets every morning. Everyone stops and stands still. When the anthem finishes, people start walking again. In other countries I’ve been to, they play the national anthem in cinemas before a movie starts. I really like hearing my national anthem played at the Olympics. That means my country won a gold medal. I have to hold back the tears when I hear it then.

Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

Life is full of mysteries. The world is full of mystery. In fact, both life and the world are mysteries. How exactly did we get here? The natural world is full of mystery. We have unlocked many of nature’s secrets, but there are many things we still don’t know. There are some mysteries that people don’t believe in. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster or a Yeti? Do ghosts and the supernatural really exist? Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is whether aliens exist. Scientists have spent billions of dollars working on this. I find people here on Earth to be a mystery. I can never understand why people behave the way they do. Even the people close to me can be the biggest mysteries. That’s strange, isn’t it?

What would life be like without music? I wonder how music started. It is an important part of every culture on Earth. I wonder when we first became interested in music. I also wonder when we first become interested in music. Is it when we are a baby? Some people think our interest in music starts before we are born. Music is an essential part of my day. It changes my feeling and puts me in a good mood. There’s nothing better to do on a train or bus than put on my headphones. I like all kinds of music, from classical and opera to jazz, rock and world music. I’m always looking for something new. Sometimes I hear a song or piece of music on the TV or radio. I have to find out who it is. Do you do that? I’m sure I’ll keep collecting CDs or mp3s until I’m a hundred. Perhaps I won’t be able to hear it then!

I totally love museums. They really are one of the most important parts of our culture. Museums are important for so many things. They educate us, they preserve our history, they show us how we have developed. There are museums on so many different things. In fact, I’m sure there isn’t a topic there isn’t a museum for. I’ve loved museums since I was little. We used to go to different museums on school trips. I loved them. I saw so many amazing things. I will never forget seeing the bones of a T-Rex in the natural history museum. I also remember staring at Tutankhamen’s gold mask for ages. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. The best museum I’ve ever been to is the National Museum in Cairo. It’s unbeatable.

Multiculturalism is everywhere today. As the world gets smaller, multiculturalism becomes bigger. Few of us today live in towns in which there is only one culture. Today, we live in towns where we are surrounded by many other cultures. If we live in a city, we will see people from all over the world. Of course, some cities are more multicultural than others. New York is a real melting pot. It is called the most multicultural city on Earth. A city like Tokyo isn’t so multicultural. I think multiculturalism is a great thing. It’s fantastic walking out of your door and seeing other cultures. This didn’t happen when I was young. People didn’t understand other cultures. They didn’t even want to understand. I’m glad things are changing today.

Mothers are the people dearest to us. We all have a special relationship with our mother. We are naturally bonded to our mother. We spend nine months growing inside her and she is the person who looks after us when we are babies. Our mother does everything for us. She feeds us, cleans us, wipes away our tears, treats our cuts and bruises, supports us and loves us. And all of this never stops. Mothers still do motherly things even when we are old and she is really old. It is very sad to hear that someone’s mother has died. I remember this happening to some children in my class at school. I can’t imagine how children grow up without a mother. I hope my mother lives forever. She deserves to.

I love mountains. I much prefer them to every other kind of natural feature. They are much better than the sea, beaches, deserts, etc. Mountains are so cool. They rise up so high into the sky. I can’t stop looking at mountains, wherever I am in the world. I also love being in the mountains. The landscape is just spectacular. You really feel part of God’s wonderful creation when you are surrounded by mountains. There are so many things you can do in the mountains. Some people like climbing them or jumping off them with a parachute. This is not for me. I just like going for a walk and having a picnic. There’s nothing better than sitting down and admiring the mountain view and feeling the cool mountain breeze. This is paradise.

The Moon is a very mysterious thing. It has fascinated us for thousands of years. It is mentioned everywhere in science and literature almost from the time humans started writing. And today, it still fills us with wonder. The most amazing thing about the Moon is that humans have been there. Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon’s surface must be the greatest human achievement ever. Even though man has walked on the Moon, not everyone agrees on its colour. In Japan, and perhaps in other countries too, they think it’s yellow. Of course, the Moon is white. One day, we’ll probably have holidays on the Moon. I’d totally love that. Imagine staying in a Moon hotel and waking up in the morning to look at the Earth.

“Money makes the world go round.” I wonder if this famous English expression is very true. If you have money, the world goes round very gently and you are happy. If you don’t have money, the world might not go round so smoothly. They also say that “money is the root of all evil”. I think this is so true. Money makes people kill and steal. Greed means there are things in the world like blackmail, corruption, slave labour and a lot more terrible things. Another common saying in English is “money can’t buy happiness”. I’m not so sure about this one. I know if I had loads of money I’d be pretty happy. I think if all the world’s money was shared out, the world would go round more happily, and there would be less evil and more happiness.

Sometimes I like the word ‘no’, and sometimes I hate it. It is a very powerful word, even though it has just two letters. I don’t like the word ‘no’ when I have been for a job interview and didn’t get the job. I also hate this word when I ask someone on a date. Then, hearing ‘no’ is like a kick in the teeth. I think I probably say ‘yes’ more than ‘no’. I love going out. I never say ‘no’  if anyone asks me to go to a club or go on a trip. I wonder how many ways there are of saying ‘no’. Sometimes you can say ‘no’ when you really mean ‘yes’. Other times, ‘no’ means ‘no’. I also like this small word because it fits into some interesting phrases, like ‘no-can-do,’ a ‘no-go area’ and ‘no way Jose’. My favourite is ‘that’s a real no-no’ – for things you must never do.

Murder is the most evil thing in the world. I don’t know how it is possible for one person to murder another. Why do they think they can take someone else’s life? Even worse are people who commit multi-murder. Mass killing seems to be more and more common today. Shootings at schools are especially bad. How can we prevent murder? Every time we look at the news, there’s another murder. I hope it is not something that will stay with the human race forever.  What is the correct punishment for murder? In some societies it is just a few years in prison. In others it is the death penalty. But there are some countries that don’t punish people for murder. If you are in power and are rich, you can literally get away with murder.

How important to you is your mobile phone? Do you really need it? In the 1980s there were no mobile phones. People still managed to phone their family and friends and do business. Of course, there were more public telephones then. There was a telephone box pretty much on every street corner. I wonder whether mobile phones are a good or bad thing. For sure, they are very convenient, but they can also be a nuisance. There’s nothing worse than talking to someone and then they ignore you for ten minutes while they answer their phone. I have even seen people on a date and one person chats on the phone for 30 minutes. How would life change for you if you didn’t have a mobile? Would you miss listening to other people’s conversations on the train?

Models are strange people. It’s almost as though they live in a totally different world to the rest of us. Every day they are told how beautiful they are. I’m sure this affects them in some way. They constantly think about their beauty and their figure. Male models too. A lot of female models also have to be very strict with what they eat so they don’t put on weight. Today, a model has to be size zero to be successful. This is unhealthy. The sad thing is that many normal girls want to look like a model so they end up having health problems. I suppose the life of a model is glamorous. The supermodels fly all over the world. They walk the catwalks at fashion shows and visit exotic locations for photo shoots. And get paid big money.

Milk is one of the best things we can eat or drink for our body. It’s so full of goodness and it tastes pretty good too. Milk is rich in calcium, which makes our bones and teeth strong. This makes milk essential for babies and growing children. It makes them grow up stronger. Milk is also full of many important vitamins and minerals. When I was little, I didn’t really like milk. I think I had a bad experience with sour milk, which turned me off of it. I remember drinking it again when I was a teenager and liking it. Now I think it’s one of the most refreshing drinks you can drink. Just looking at its whiteness makes me feel healthy. I like all kinds of milk, including goat’s milk and even camel’s milk. It’s all good for us.

What would life be like without Microsoft? Impossible? Perhaps not impossible, but definitely difficult. Microsoft seems to be a big part of our lives today. Most of us use Microsoft products every day. We need MS Word to create documents and Excel to make spreadsheets. At school we have to make PowerPoint presentations. Perhaps the biggest thing we use Microsoft for is getting on the Internet. Most of the world’s computers use the Explorer browser to connect to the Web. Millions of us use Hotmail to send e-mails. Millions more play games using Microsoft’s X-Box. In the future, there’ll probably be a lot more Microsoft stuff that helps us in our life. And to think, Microsoft didn’t even exist a few decades ago.

Meditation is one thing I’d really like to be able to do. I can’t do it. I have tried many times but nothing seems to happen. I have read a lot about meditation and it sounds really good. You can relax anytime you want. Twenty minutes of meditation is the same as three hours’ sleep. I love the idea of meditating for twenty minutes in my lunch time and then feeling totally refreshed. Meditation is also a good way of relieving stress. The thing I most like about meditation is that it makes you calm. All the people I know who meditate are always relaxed and easygoing. They never worry about anything. I think we should learn how to meditate at school. That would probably solve a lot of problems in society.

Literature is one thing that makes me very happy. I have loved books of all kinds since I was very small. I don’t know what I would do in life without novels, poems and plays. It’s amazing how literature can change your life. It educates you, makes you happy, makes you sad, inspires you and so much more. I think I’d be a completely different person without it. Literature has been a big influence on my life – perhaps as much as my friends. I think literature is really powerful. It can help us understand other cultures. Recently, I have read a lot of Indian literature, in English, of course. The books I read have totally changed my image of India and Indians. My experience has really made me want to read more books from other countries.

Love is the most important thing in the world. We all need to love and be loved. Love is the glue that makes us one big happy family. It is perhaps the most powerful emotion we feel. It is certainly the one that makes us happiest. Falling in love has to be the greatest feeling ever. It is also the one that makes us saddest. When we lose someone we love it can take forever to get over. Sometimes we never get over it. You can fall in love in an instant. We use the expression “fall in love at first sight” for this. We can also be “head over heels in love,” which is a strange expression. We don’t just love each other. We can love cars, chocolate, holidays, singing in the rain… anything. And, of course, you can also love studying English.

If you’re lucky, you have more good memories than bad ones. I’m very lucky. I have lots of good memories. I don’t have many painful memories. I don’t know why. Lots of bad things happened to me when I was younger but I don’t really have strong memories of them. I do have very clear memories of happy times. My earliest memory is of my first day in kindergarten. I guess I was three. I remember playing in the sand and eating it. I don’t remember my mother getting angry though. My most wonderful memory is a holiday to Mexico when I was ten. I remember every sound and smell so clearly. When I look at our family photos, the memories of what we did come flooding back. I’d like to relive those memories one day.

Where would we be without the media? How would we get information about the world? All of us are interested in the news. We all want to know what’s happening around the world. We switch the TV on just to watch the news. It seems as though every train passenger has a newspaper. The journalists who bring us the news do a very important job. Many risk their lives to bring us the news from the world’s danger zones. Unfortunately, many reporters are killed while they are covering a war. The media make us feel we are part of the world. We become experts on other countries and on the big news stories. The media also bring us many unforgettable images, such as a man walking on the moon. Really, the media show us history as it happens.

I really want to have more knowledge. My general knowledge is pretty good but I want it to be better. When I was a kid, I loved quiz programmes on the television. I used to read lots of encyclopedias to build up my knowledge. I now know most of the world’s capitals and which animals and birds are the fastest, and how many bones there are in the human body, etc. I love watching the news and this helps me get more knowledge. Even though I think I know quite a lot, I always meet people who are really knowledgeable. It seems some people know everything about everything. They are just like walking encyclopedias. I wonder if they’re happy with the amount of knowledge they have inside their brain.

I don’t understand how anyone can like medicine. I’ve never liked it. I used to refuse to take it as a kid because the taste was so disgusting. I’m not sure whether or not medicine is a good thing. I’m sure that most of the time our body will recover naturally, without medicine. I actually think medicine can be bad for us. It makes the body weaker because we rely on medicines too much. I also worry about the safety of medicines. I read too many times about side effects. How can doctors be sure that the medicines we take one day won’t make us ill later in life. A lot of what goes into medicine isn’t natural. I’m a big believer in natural medicine. That seems to make much more sense. The Chinese seem to have it right.

Learning is one of the most important things we do in life. It starts pretty much when we’re born. In fact, many scientists say learning begins earlier. We listen to the outside sounds. This is when we first start learning a language. Our ears get used to the different patterns of intonation. Learning is a lifelong process. We spend our childhood years doing nothing but learning. We learn a language before we are two. We learn how to play and do all the everyday things people do. Most people think learning only begins at school. I’m not sure about this. Are we really learning, or are we just memorizing things? I think a lot of learning happens outside school. We learn more from our hobbies and interests than what we learn from school books.

If you think about it, kissing is strange. I mean, here we are in the twenty-first century and we still like kissing. I think we’re the only species on Earth that does this. Of course, there are different kinds of kissing. Kissing your parents or friends as a greeting is normal enough. That’s just like a friendly handshake. Passionate kissing is different. I’m not complaining though. I think kissing is great. I remember my first kiss. It was very exciting. I was nervous though because I kept thinking if I was doing it right. Some people say there is an art to kissing. I’m not so sure. If you love someone enough, you’ll be artistic enough. One thing I don’t like about kissing is people who do it next to you on the train or bus. Yuck!

Job interviews are always hit and miss for me. Sometimes I have a great interview and get the job. Other times, my interview bombs and I don’t get the job. It’s really important to prepare. You must also be confident and make sure the interviewer knows you really want the job. The trick is to make the interviewer think you are the best person for the job. I always wear my best suit and arrive early. I always smile when I walk into the interview room. First impressions are very important. It’s also a good idea to talk about your experiences - sell yourself. Make sure you have a few good questions to ask at the end of the interview. Interview technique is something we learn over time – you get to relax more the more interviews you have.

I think jewelry is stupid. What’s the point? I can understand it was popular a couple of thousand years ago, but not today. It all belongs to when we lived in caves. Why do people feel the need to wear necklaces and bracelets? It seems that jewelry is becoming more and more popular. Nowadays people are wearing rings on their toes and piercing their tongues and bodies. I’ve never really understood why men wear jewelry, especially thick gold chains. A lot of jewelry is dangerous. I often think if ear-rings catch on something, they’ll rip your ears. Some rings that women wear are also dangerous. They could cause serious damage to someone’s face. The only jewelry I wear is a wedding ring. Just a simple one.

We are living in an age of information. That’s what I keep hearing on TV and reading in newspapers. We are surrounded by information technology that puts information at our fingertips. To get ahead, you need the latest information. I’m not really sure how much information we need. Our brains can only handle a certain amount of information at a time. I reckon a lot of us have information overload. I’m sure before computers came along this didn’t happen. One problem with computers is the amount of personal information online. I worry about putting confidential info on different websites. Of course the great thing about computers is that we have so much information at our disposal. That’s pretty useful.

Inflation seems to be a big issue at the moment. Every time I turn on the news there is a story about inflation. Many countries around the world are fighting to keep inflation under control. Sometimes you read about countries that lose the battle against inflation. Zimbabwe once had an inflation rate of trillions of percent. I can’t imagine trying to add up my shopping bill with so many zeroes. I have no idea how they brought it under control. Inflation in my country is OK at the moment. The government is worried about prices going up. Me too. Inflation seems to be the thing economists worry about most. They do everything they can to keep the rate of inflation low. It has been pretty stable for years now.

Libraries are wonderful places. Every library I’ve been to in the world is the same. They all have a special atmosphere. A room with a large collection of books does things to people. We become very quiet and want to know what’s on the shelves. This happens even to children as young as three, although perhaps not the being quiet. It’s amazing to watch a small child in a library looking at all the books. They can sit there for hours pulling the books off the shelves. I really spent a lot of time in the library at university. It was where I spent most of my time.  This is where I really learnt how useful libraries are. I spent hours every day looking at journals, newspapers and text books. I felt quite happy sitting in the quiet of the library, reading my books.

Marketing is a funny thing. Sometimes I like it, other times I hate it. There is definitely an art to marketing. Some of the advertising campaigns you see are the work of a genius. Someone has thought of a great idea, slogan and advertising campaign to sell us or tell us something. I like it when I can see the creativity. There are other kinds of marketing that make me angry. Ads and campaigns that are directed at children make my blood boil – especially the McDonalds ads that do not mention food, but show lots of free, cheap toys. I also hate viral marketing – that’s when you receive spam mail trying to sell you something. I also get annoyed with marketing campaigns that have slogans that are just untrue, like smoking is cool.

Listening is the easiest English skill for me. I can understand about half of what people say to me. This means I can guess the things I don’t understand. Listening to the English of my American friends is not so difficult. I have problems when I try and understand the news on television. I also find movies hard to follow. I need the subtitles at the bottom of the screen. I think listening to songs in English made my listening better. It’s a lot more interesting than my listening CDs. I have one piece of advice for students who want to improve their listening. That is to listen to the same thing again and again. You understand more every time you listen. What’s your advice?

Leadership is a word we here a lot nowadays. Every time we turn on the news we hear about how important leadership is. Especially strong leadership. American presidents often talk about the importance of leadership. I suppose they’re right. It’s important that someone takes responsibility and shows leadership. With the right leaders, we can achieve success. But not every leader shows leadership. In many countries around the world, there are corrupt leaders. They do not have good leadership skills, they simply control people by fear. Good leadership is being respected by everyone and getting the job done. It’s important to have good leadership in companies too, except many of the banks’ leaders have not shown such good leadership.

Marriage seems to be a dying institution. Everywhere we look, there are more and more statistics saying marriage is on its way out, divorce is on the increase, or people are leaving it later and later to tie the knot. A worrying trend over the past few decades is the number of people who live together without making the commitment of marriage. I’m not really sure what the difference is. If you love someone and want to stay together forever, why not get married? I think marriage adds a lot to a couple’s life, from the wedding day itself, right through to all of the anniversaries. Unmarried people miss out on these special occasions. Marriage is also important if you want to start a family. Perhaps I’m just old-fashioned.

I think human rights only became an issue after World War II. That’s when the United Nations issued their Universal Declaration on human rights. This is kind of the rulebook, the do’s and don’ts of human rights. When I look at the world today, it seems not many people have read this. I doubt if most people know it exists. I think government leaders should know about this. A lot of them don’t care much about human rights. I can’t believe it’s the twenty-first century and human rights is still an issue in pretty much all of the world’s countries. The most powerful countries even attack each other for abusing human rights. I hope one day that all human rights are respected. That will be paradise.

I hate junk mail. I’m sick and tired of it filling up my InBox. I mean, who believes the stuff written in it? I love the ones that start with “Dearest” and then tell you how their uncle died during some war and they need your help to transfer $18 million. I wonder how many people fall for those. My spam mail filters do a pretty good job at keeping junk mail away from my InBox. But, I occasionally get a mail trying to sell me medicine. The most dangerous kind of junk mail is called phishing. That’s when a criminal fakes an e-mail to make it look like it’s sent from a bank. It looks exactly the same as a bank’s mail. The mail asks you to reset your password. The criminal then takes your money.

Homelessness is a terrible thing. It really shouldn’t exist today. A country should be ashamed if anyone is homeless. Governments are so rich today, yet they have no money to provide basic needs for their citizens. This is rubbish. Think how much money governments waste on fancy cars and other unnecessary things. It’s a crime. Even in rich countries, there are thousands of homeless. The government tries to sweep them under the carpet. They want to pretend the problem doesn’t exist. The world’s richest countries spend billions of dollars on weapons, but can’t make sure people have a roof over their head. This is disgusting. All world leaders should be ashamed of themselves. I feel so sorry for the homeless.

I think being a housewife is a very demanding job. Most housewives have a lot to do, especially if they have children. Of course, some have an easy time because they have a maid or a tiny house. Most housewives though are working pretty much from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. They have to get up the earliest to cook everyone’s breakfast. Then they have to do the dishes, start the washing, iron and then go shopping to buy the food. Before their children go to school, the housewife has to make their packed lunches. I reckon cooking three meals a day every single day can be pretty tiring. Afternoons are just as busy, and then it all starts again when everyone comes home from school and work!

I’m full of admiration for people who run marathons. I couldn’t do it. I love running and have done a few half-marathons, but I always found a full marathon to be too much. Marathon runners are special. I don’t think I have the stamina to do it. Not properly, anyway. I could “run” one of the big marathons in the world, like the Boston or London marathon, but it would really be pretty much as a fun run. Most people who take part in these well-known international marathons only do so for fun. I think to be a marathon runner, you need to train and run a hundred kilometres a week. I wonder what it’s like to be in the lead in the Olympic marathon. That must be an amazing feeling. I think the marathon is the most important Olympic event.

Without laws the world would end. OK, maybe the actual Earth might not end, but life as we know it would end. We’d all end up fighting and killing each other. It would become the survival of the strongest, or perhaps the survival of the nastiest. If there were no laws, people could do anything. There’d be no police or courts to keep control. Law is very important. It keeps order in our society. Our laws started thousands of years ago. Many of today’s laws were made centuries ago. New laws need to be made every day. Especially in today’s world, where the Internet is so important. It’s very difficult to keep laws up to date with new developments. The latest area of law is intellectual property. It’s important that people’s ideas are protected.

Everybody loves juice. It’s the yummiest thing in the world. I can’t think of anything tastier than a cold glass of any kind of juice. I have to have a glass of orange juice every morning. I like to spend a little extra to make sure it’s 100 per cent juice. I don’t really like the stuff that says it’s juice on the box, but is really 70 per cent water and sugar. Of course freshly squeezed juice is the best - you can really taste the fruit. One thing I love about going to another country is trying different kinds of juice. Tropical countries have all kinds of really delicious juice. One time I remember trying sugar cane juice. I was in heaven. It’s a shame I can’t buy it where I live. I also love coconut juice, or is that coconut milk?

I think home schooling is great. I wish my parents had done this. The idea of never going to school sounds too good to be true. I hated school. I wanted to stay at home every day. I really wouldn’t have minded staying at home and studying. Of course, you need to be careful not to forget studying. One thing about home schooling I like is visiting museums or watching documentaries to learn more. This is so much better than learning in school. I think my learning at school suffered because there were many kids who didn’t want to learn. I could have got better marks if I had stayed at home. Perhaps there’ll be more home schooling in the future because of the Internet.

I don’t really have a hero. There are many people I respect, but they are not really my hero. Some people choose very strange heroes. My friends have rock stars and football players as heroes. Of course, these people are very good at what they do, but they’re not really heroes. They get lots of money for doing what they love. When they’re not singing or playing football, I wonder what they’re doing. I think most of the world’s heroes are unsung heroes. People who work to help others every day. We generally don’t notice these heroes. Then there are those who put their lives on the line for others. Fire fighters, police officers and soldiers are heroes. Without them, the world would be less safe.

Hate crime is becoming a big problem in many societies. You’d think that in the twenty-first century we’d all respect each other. With all the communications we have and with globalization, we should know enough about each other to understand we are all the same. We should at least be able to respect our differences. I blame the media for a lot of hate crime. They are very good at highlighting particular groups of people and casting them in a negative light. Just look at what’s happened since the 9/11 attacks in New York. Hate has increased in the world and the media seems to fuel this. I’m glad I live in a country that has laws against hate crime. They don’t always work, but at least it’s better than in most countries.

I’m totally hopeless with money. I’ve never really understood things like investments. I should be more interested in investments because I know I’ll get more money. I find everything very confusing. I never know what to invest in. Some of my friends invest in stocks and shares. I never did this. I’m happy because I didn’t lose money in the financial crash. I think it would be interesting to invest in things like wine. I saw a TV programme once. Wine goes up and up and up in price. You really can make a lot of money. I think investing in property nowadays is risky. I also know a lot of people who now owe lots of money on the house they bought because the prices crashed. Perhaps it’s better to keep my money under the bed.

I wonder if heaven exists. I guess if heaven is real, then hell must be real too. I think heaven must be a great place if it’s better than Earth. It’s difficult to believe that heaven is a place that looks like paradise. Pretty much every religion in the world believes that heaven is real. I don’t think it’s full of angels with wings though. I think there are lots of heavenly places on Earth. Anywhere in the countryside is heaven to me. Sitting on a beach with blue skies is also heaven. You can even be in heaven in the city. Walking into a cool, air-conditioned building from a hot, sweaty street is heaven. I also find heaven in food. A double chocolate fudge and nut ice cream with maple syrup and extra whipped cream is simply heaven.

Harry Potter is a boy wizard who has taken over the world. He is everywhere. No one had heard of Harry Potter before 1997. That’s when J.K. Rowling published her first book. She’s the creator of Harry Potter. The first novel was called ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’ and it became an amazing success. Everyone was talking about it and Harry became an overnight phenomenon. Six more Harry Potter books followed and they all became best sellers. People went crazy over every new book. My friends waited overnight outside a bookstore to make sure they got their copy of the latest book. My friends are 40 years old! Harry Potter is now a global industry, with movies and merchandise of all kinds. It’s amazing how big he is.

I think the Internet is the greatest invention ever. Think how it has changed the world. So much information is out there. It has totally changed my life. I can chat with friends, download music, buy books and get all the info I need for my homework. It took days or weeks to do any of these things before the Internet. I spend hours every day online. I think I spend a little too long. I’m sure staring at a computer screen all day isn’t good for my eyes. I think it’s also making me fat. I need to exercise a little more. The only thing I don’t like about the Internet is that it can be dangerous. I don’t really like putting my personal information online, especially on social networking sites like Facebook.

Management is a funny thing. Most of the people I know who are in management are not actually managers. I mean, they don’t have any qualifications to say they are managers. I think most managers are like that. They spend a year or two in a job and then become managers once the old manager moves on. I’m not sure whether or not you can learn management. Of course there are things like MBAs that teach you this, but in the end, management is all about how you deal with people. If you have a personality that can’t respect people and treat them fairly, you can’t be a good manager.  I have worked for some terrible managers. They have no idea what they’re doing and only create lots of work for others.

The 2010 South Africa World Cup is nearly here and I’m so excited. I love the World Cup. Every four years I can’t wait to watch this brilliant event. I heard more people watch the Finals than the Olympics. All over the world, people go soccer crazy. Even people who don’t like football. I was in Tokyo for the Korea-Japan Finals in 2002 – the atmosphere was amazing for a whole month. The 2010 Finals are extra special because it’s the first time for them to be in Africa. I’m sure it will be a great success. And who will win? I think Argentina will lift the trophy. Lionel Messi will show why he’s world player of the year. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if England won. They have a strong team and Rooney is on fire at the moment.

I never know what to do with my hair. Sometimes I want it long, sometimes I want to cut it all off. My hair is a little unmanageable. It never does what I want it to. It’s very thick. When it’s long and I have lots of split ends so I have to go to the hairdresser’s for a trim. I also have dandruff, which is a little embarrassing when I wear dark sweaters. I don’t often have a bad hair day. This usually only happens when I have to meet someone important. My hair sticks out all over the place. I hate it. I always think everyone is looking at me, or looking at my misbehaving hair. I often wonder what it would be like if we had no hair - if we were all bald. We could save lots of money on shampoos and conditioners.

Immigration wasn’t really a problem a long time ago. Many countries welcomed immigrants because they needed workers. The USA, Australia and Canada encouraged millions of people to come and live in their countries. Today, however, immigration is becoming a problem. Many countries are trying to control immigration. At election time, it is a major issue. Immigration today is big business. More and more people from poor countries want to live in rich countries. It is easier to travel nowadays because of cheap transport and more open borders. People risk their lives to get the chance of starting a new life in a rich country. This can cause anger in the countries immigrants go to. It is an issue that will be with us forever, I think.

I’m not sure what to think about identity cards. There are good and bad things about them. I think on the whole they are a good thing. It depends on what the government uses the information for. It also depends on how secure the database is that keeps our information. A lot of people think ID cards are too much. They think the government is trying to control us too much. I’m not sure that’s true, but it is something to think about. In this day and age, when immigration is a problem, I think ID cards might be useful. Some countries are using ID cards as a one-stop card for everything. The card is your driving license, medical card and ID all rolled into one. That’s a great idea. All we need now is to make it a passport and credit card.

What was life like before Google? This might look like a silly and strange question, but it is a good one. Google has changed our lives. In an amazingly short space of time, the verb ‘google’ has entered our language. I think everything about Google is amazing. It helps us so much. We can find any information we want just by typing in what we want in the search box. I even like the Google home page. It’s so simple. You know, I can’t remember the last time a day went by when I didn’t use Google for something. I wonder what Google will be like in the future. Only those at Google know. The strange thing about the Internet is that something we don’t even know about yet might come along and totally replace Google overnight.

Golden Week is such a lovely time to be in Japan. The weather is great and everyone is relaxed. There’s a real holiday feeling all over the country. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. The only down side is that the roads are full of traffic. You can spend hours stuck in traffic jams. So I usually stay at home and do things near my house. I love going on picnics in local parks. I’m English so I find it really interesting to see how Japanese people have picnics. Very different from picnics in England. Many people have the whole week off work to celebrate the different holidays. The Emperor’s birthday and Constitution Day are important and so is Greenery Day, but I like Children’s Day. This is when Japanese parents do special things for their kids.

All houses are unique. Even if they look the same from the outside, they are very different on the inside. I think houses are very interesting. I like looking at the way they are built and the style they are built in. In London there are many houses that are hundreds of years old. These are beautiful. You can still see much of the original wood and stone structure. Modern houses are also interesting. It’s funny how they copy many of the features of older houses. I love looking at houses when I travel. Every country has its own special designs, from Japan to Arabia to Greece. Nowadays people are building eco-friendly houses. They want houses that save energy and help protect the planet.

I don’t really like hospitals. I have many bad memories of them. I’ve stayed in hospital seven times in my life. I guess I must be unlucky. My friends all say I’m accident prone. My longest stay in hospital was for three months. That was boring. I had lots of visitors but staying in bed for that length of time isn’t much fun. The worst thing was hospital food. I couldn’t wait to get out and have some real food. The strange thing is that I really like watching TV dramas and movies about hospitals. It feels like I know everything that’s going on. I wouldn’t like to work in a hospital though. I hate the smell and the sight of blood. I’ll do my best from now on to stay away from hospitals, unless I’m visiting someone else.

Love is a wonderful thing, but is it possible to fall in love with someone at first sight? Many people say they have done this. How can it be possible? Surely it takes a time to get to know someone and then fall in love. I think falling in love at first sight is dangerous. You don’t really know the person. Maybe after you’ve built your life around them you’ll find lots of faults in them and suddenly be disappointed. Then you’ll have to fall out of love. Anyway, is it really love at first sight or is it love at first conversation? And what if the other person doesn’t fall in love with you at first sight? This could be a bit painful. It could also be embarrassing. I think I like the traditional way of falling in love after 257 dates.

My favourite subject at school was history. I don’t know why. I loved reading the stories about famous people and famous events. When I was little, history was just stories. As I got older, I realized history is the study of how we got here today. It’s a long journey that describes all the wars, great people, inventions, disasters, etc that have brought us to this point in time. I now love any kind of history. It’s fascinating to visit a new country and learn about its history. Watching the news today is like seeing history unfold. Lots of the things I learnt at school now make the news more interesting. History provides us with the perfect background information to a news story.

I really don’t understand why genocide happens. Every five or ten years we hear about the latest genocide. Every time we hear about it, governments say it will never happen again. After the genocide in Rwanda, the USA and other world powers promised to stop any future killing. Then Darfur came along and all they do is talk. If a crazy government wants to kill thousands of innocent civilians, no one can stop them. Genocide is the biggest shame in our history. Countries go to war because of oil, but not to stop innocent people being murdered. Only recently has the international community started chasing those who organize genocide. The International Criminal Court prosecutes those who commit crimes against humanity.

I love holidays. They are the best thing in the world. The only problem is they are always too short. Even summer holidays at school aren’t long enough. I recently had an eight-week holiday and it flew by. It seems as though time goes quickly when we are on holiday, and slowly when we are at school or work. I always really look forward to holidays – even one-day holidays are great. I live in a country that has many national holidays, so there’s always a break around the corner. I feel sorry for some workers who only get two or three weeks holiday a year. They can’t do anything or go anywhere. I love holidays even if I don’t go away. Staying at home is just as good as going on holiday somewhere. Sometimes going on holiday is stressful.

One of the busiest times of our life must be our wedding day. Getting married can be a very stressful time. But, it is also one of the happiest days in our life. It all begins with the proposal. After that comes setting the date. Once the couple know the wedding day, it’s planning, planning and planning. They have to decide where to get married, who to invite, what kind of flowers, where to have the reception, and a million and one other things. Getting married can be a very expensive occasion. Some parents save all their lives to pay for their son’s or daughter’s wedding. Getting married seems to be similar all over the world. The happy couple make some vows in front of their guests and then there is a big party after.

Heart attacks kill millions of people each year. I think it’s one of the world’s biggest killers. A lot of people have a heart attack because of their lifestyle. I’m sure if people ate healthy food and exercised, the number of heart attacks would drop. The thing I worry about is stress. For me, it’s difficult to avoid. Research shows that stress is one of the biggest causes of heart attacks. The problem with this is that you get stressed, and then you worry about your heart, which makes it beat faster and gives you more stress, which then makes your heart beat even faster. Best not to get stressed. There are so many things you can do in life to reduce your chances of a heart attack. I think we need more information.

Gangs are becoming a big problem in many countries around the world. We’ve always had gangs, and they’ve always created problems. Recently, things seem to be getting out of control. Gangs are taking over our streets. In many parts of South America, gangs kill because of drugs. In many parts of Europe, gangs hang around on street corners and hassle anyone who walks by. There’s a lot of pressure for young people to join a gang. If a young person doesn’t join a gang, they might be bullied at school. The government always says gangs are a problem, but they never do anything about it. I was in a gang when I was younger. It’s scary when I look back on it. We used to have lots of fights and do many bad things. I never had a knife.

I think I have the greatest friends in the world. They are just as important to me as family. In fact, they are my family, really. My best friends and I all grew up together and shared so many experiences together. We know everything about each other. I would do anything for my friends and I’m sure they’d do anything for me. I’m sure there’s nothing in the world that could stop us from being friends. I’ve also made lots of other good friends from university and the different places I’ve worked. They are also important to me. We are now all over the world and it’s sometimes difficult to meet each other, but we stay in touch. One day I’d like to get all of my friends together for a big party. That’d be great fun.

The heart is one organ we really have to look after. Most of us, I think, don’t really know how to look after it. Or perhaps we know, but don’t do enough to keep our heart in a healthy condition. Our heart is an amazing thing, when you think about it. It beats so fast for years and years and years, pumping millions of litres of blood around our body. It keeps working, even though we do so many bad things to it. It really is the source of our life. We need to promise our heart every day that we’ll look after it properly. I think kids born today are lucky. Modern medicine and science will soon have all the answers to keep our heart strong. Even today we’re lucky. Doctors can replace your heart via a heart transplant.

Gambling is a very dangerous thing. At least that’s what I think. I don’t think much good comes of it. People lose their money and then get angry. Sometimes people lose everything they have. The only people who win are the companies, casinos, etc. that organize gambling. I don’t really understand why people would want to risk their money. Most of the time they lose it. The odds are always against you. Gambling causes so many social problems I’m surprised governments allow it. In some countries it is illegal to gamble. This is good. I never understand why people gamble again and again. They must get fed up with throwing their money away. I suppose they always think the next one will be the one they make a lot of money.

A hangover is one of the worst feelings you can have. There’s nothing you can do to make it go away. You just have to wait for it to wear off. It usually takes a whole day and can even take two days to disappear. The most stupid thing about a hangover is that you never learn. A hangover is your body’s warning that too much alcohol is bad for you. When something is painful, you never do it again. Not so with a hangover. When people have a hangover, they often drink again the next day. This makes your original hangover much worse. Many people have their own hangover “cure”. None of them work for me. All I can do is suffer. I suppose the best thing for a hangover is not to drink at all, or at least not drink too much.

Someone once told me that French fries are not French. There must be some connection between fries and France, otherwise they wouldn’t be called French Fries. Wherever they are from, I love them. I guess they’re the most popular food in the world. Everyone eats French fries. They are very versatile – you can eat them with so many things. You can even have a French Fries sandwich. People put all sorts of things on top of French fries. I love ketchup and mayonnaise on my fries – both together. You have to have salt. The only time I don’t like fries is when they are cold. I get angry if I get fries that aren’t hot in a fast food restaurant. I take them back immediately. All of this talk of French fries has made me want to eat some.

Gun control should be a really serious issue. In my country, politicians rarely talk about it. They only discuss it if someone goes nuts and shoots lots of people in a school or shopping mall. Gun crime is on the increase everywhere but the government never talks about gun control. I really think there should be huge fines for anyone caught with a gun. Too many innocent people are dying. The situation will only get worse. I think if a politician stands up and argues for any kind of gun control, he or she will win the next election. I’m sure most people think controlling or banning guns in societies is very important. Unless you live in America. I’m not sure if gun control exists there. It seems everyone has a gun.

God created us all. God created life. God created everything around us. I often try to think what was before God. But God has always been there, so there was nothing before God. I wonder why God always appears as a man with a beard in books. He’s also usually a white man. No one knows if God is a man or a woman. God is also different to different religions. Most people in the world pray to God. They ask for forgiveness when they do something wrong; they thank God for bringing good things and ask for God’s help when things go wrong. People who believe in God get strength from their belief. They know that God is looking down on them. One thing I don’t understand is why there is so much killing and bad things in the world.

Isn’t food one of life’s greatest pleasures? Do you know anyone who doesn’t like food? I don’t. There is so much delicious food in the world. You could spend a whole lifetime eating a different dish every day. What’s the tastiest food in the world? This is a very difficult question to answer. My taste in food keeps changing. Sometimes my favourite is a dessert, but then I change my mind and go for a spicy curry. It’s great that countries have so many different dishes. Do you think your national dish is best? Nowadays we have to be careful about what we eat. Fast food is not good for us. We need to focus more on healthy food. Maybe we have to be more careful in the future. Make sure the food you eat is good for you.

Some people like their feet and other people don’t. I quite like mine. They’re not too big and not too small. Some people I know have huge feet. They even have problems trying to buy shoes that fit them. My feet are pretty normal. They’ve been very useful down the years. I’ve done a lot of running, loads of hiking and played thousands of hours of football. I’ve never injured my feet or my ankles. I sometimes get sore feet when I go shopping. That seems to be the only thing my feet don’t like. That and new shoes. New shoes usually give me blistered feet. Oh yes… and the cold. My feet hate the cold. My toes go numb. Especially my big toe. One thing I’m happy about is that I don’t have smelly feet.

Guns are bad. Full stop. I’m fed up hearing about people who think they have a right to carry a gun. A gun is a deadly weapon. People who are for guns say people are the deadly ones. That’s stupid. The truth is, that if there were no guns in the world, there’d be more people alive. Students with guns kill other students at school. No guns, no deaths. Guns are used in millions of crimes around the world. Gun crime is out of control in many countries. The societies in which guns are illegal have very little gun crime. The problem is that guns aren’t going away. They are getting easier to buy. Now that many international borders are open, smuggling guns to other countries is easy. Maybe the whole world will return to the Wild West.

I don’t understand the fascination with gold. It’s just a soft metal. It isn’t even the most valuable metal. It’s interesting how almost every culture in the world loves gold. Indians spend a fortune on it. When their children get married they give gold bracelets and rings as gifts. Most of the world’s wedding rings are gold. I know different countries prefer different types of gold. In Thailand, only 24 carat is good enough, but in England, people buy a lot of 9-carat gold. It seems like we have always loved gold. Think how many stories there are from hundreds of years ago about gold treasure. In fact, if you go back further, Egyptian kings and queens had lots of gold. I’ll never forget Tutankhamen’s mask. The gold in that was really golden.

Happiness is sitting on a beach with a good book and no more work and studying for a year. Ahhhh… if only. What’s your idea of happiness? It’s such an important thing. I like Bhutan’s idea (Bhutan is the small country next to Nepal). There, they prefer to measure happiness instead of money. The most important thing for Bhutan’s government is how happy the people are. What a fantastic idea this is. Imagine if governments focused on making us all happy. They could spend money on beaches and free ice cream instead of fighting wars. I looked at everyone on the train this morning. No one looked happy. Maybe the news should be full of happy stories instead of the usual doom and gloom.

Food safety seems to be a big issue nowadays. I can’t remember it being such a big problem years ago. With today’s technology, it shouldn’t be a problem. But it is. In fact, there are many problems. In my country, GM food is a big issue. People do not want to eat food that is genetically modified. They say it is unsafe. I know in America GM food is everywhere. Another issue with food safety is food imports. A lot of imported food has made people ill. Our government bans a lot of food from certain countries. This is a good idea. A concern in my country is with chickens and cows. We have bird flu and mad cow disease. It might be better to be vegetarian.

I really like walking around gardens. Every garden is different. Even two gardens that are next to each other are different. I loved the garden our family had when I was small. I also loved starting my own garden when I bought my house. The best gardens in the world are in England. English country gardens are famous all over the world. The gardeners are like artists. It’s amazing how they make everything so perfect and so colourful. I can sit in or walk through an English garden all day. I also like Japanese gardens. They also have a very special feel about them. Everything is so perfect and you feel really peaceful. I’d like to spend my life visiting different gardens.

I have a strange hobby. It’s visiting factories. I’m really interested to see how things work and how they are made. I’ve learnt so many things on my factory visits. Factories are amazing. They are like mini cities. The thing that surprises me most is how everything works together. Everyone knows exactly what to do and when to do it. Even the robots. Car factories are cool, but very noisy. A car assembly line is like a giant ballet dance with everything moving perfectly together. It’s quite easy to visit factories. All you have to do is go to their home page and see if they have visiting times, or write to them. The best factories to visit are ones that produce food and drinks. You always get free stuff. Unfortunately you don’t get a free car at car factories.

I think the idea of genetic engineering is fascinating. It’s also quite dangerous. Fiddling around with what makes us human might make us less human. We could end up creating a Frankenstein’s monster. The idea of genetic engineering has been around for centuries. Scientists have always wanted to change us. The real breakthrough came in the latter half of last century. Geneticists cracked the genetic code and found ways of altering our genes. Now they can clone animals and reproduce human tissue and organs. I don’t think it’ll be too long before scientists clone a person. Once all the fuss has died down, younger generations will be more accepting of genetic engineering. We might even live to be two hundred years old.

I have a passion for furniture. I love it. I particularly love antique furniture. I love going round old houses and looking at all the beautiful sofas and chests and cabinets from hundreds of years ago. Making furniture used to be a real art. They don’t make furniture like they used to. Nowadays a lot of furniture is rubbish. A lot of it you have to make yourself! Actually, I quite like that. I like wandering around IKEA and seeing what they have. You can pay extra to have the guys assemble your furniture for you, but I like doing it myself. I’m studying interior design and would like to start my own furniture workshop one day. I’ll mix modern ideas with traditional ones. I’d like to start a trend for green furniture that helps the environment.

People say first impressions count. What do you think? Can you understand a lot about someone from the very first time you see them or meet them? I think I’m good at judging someone’s character from the first time I set eyes on them. It’s easy to understand if the person is my kind of person. First impressions count most when you meet someone important. If you have a job interview, it’s very important to give a good first impression. The interviewer can decide if they like you as soon as you walk through the door. Are you well-dressed? Do you look happy? Do you greet the interviewer? All these things are important. I also think first impressions count when you meet your future in-laws.

What does family mean to you? In a perfect world, all families should be happy and everyone should get on well together. I know a lot of families that have many problems. Brothers and sisters who don’t like each other, parents who never talk to each other. I wonder why this is. How can you live so close to your family members and feel apart from them? There is a lot of talk in the news about the breakdown of family life. Divorce is rising everywhere in the world. This means single parents have less time to spend with their children, which creates problems. Maybe the stress of modern life puts too much pressure on families. It seems as though family life was better a generation or two ago. Is this true for families in your country?

If I could, I’d never go to another funeral again. No one likes funerals, of course, but for me, they make me so sad. I can’t stop crying. Quite often I’m the only person crying. Everything about a funeral makes me cry. When I open the invitation, tears well up in my eyes. When I see the funeral procession drive by, I start. The actual ceremony is almost unbearable. I have never learnt to control my sobs. If you hear someone sniffing non –stop, that’s me. The music at funerals is unnecessarily sad. I’ve told my friends I want salsa music at my funeral. And I don’t want people to wear black. I also hope the party after the funeral isn’t a sad occasion. People should laugh and remember the funny times.

Electricity is one of the most important inventions ever. It is the thing that powers the Earth. If there was no electricity, we’d be back in the dark ages. Few people stop and think just how amazing electricity is. With the flick of a switch, you can power almost anything. Think about what would happen if there was no electricity. We’d have no TV, no computers, no traffic signals. It would be like going back to living in caves. There are a few negative points about electricity, of course. Number one, it’s dangerous. Thousands of people die each year from electrocuting themselves or in electrical fires. And number two, it isn’t good for the environment. Most electricity comes from burning coal and that creates greenhouse gasses.

I’m not sure how many people ever stop to think how wonderful four seasons are. I think people who live in cities don’t care about the seasons. City people spend half their lives indoors or underground. I live in the country and I love watching the seasons come and go. Every day is different in the countryside. I love watching the crops grow in the fields. I watch them push their way up from the ground in the spring and then grow tall in the summer sun. Just before autumn arrives, the farmer harvests them and then winter comes. Seasons means it’s like living in a new place every four months. Everything changes. One wonderful thing about seasons is the seasonal food you get. There’s always something tasty that’s just come in season.

Driving is one of life’s greatest pleasures. There’s nothing better than getting behind the wheel and going for a drive. I live in the countryside, so it’s easy to get out onto an open road. I open the windows and turn the music up and then just drive and drive. I like driving to new areas and finding new roads. I find it very relaxing and great fun. I like the speed and the freedom. I even like driving in towns and cities, although not when traffic is really heavy. It’s not much fun being stuck in a traffic jam half the day. Driving in different countries is great fun. I’m a little nervous at first, but I soon get to know the roads. People have different ways of driving in different countries. I don’t like countries that have aggressive drivers.

Are you a good person to have around in an emergency? I am, I think. I have a very cool head and I don’t panic easily. The most important thing to do in an emergency is stay calm. If you do this, you can think straight and decide what’s best to do. Also, if you stay calm, other people might stay calm too. The worst thing to do is panic. Once you panic, things become worse. Of course, it depends on the kind of emergency. For really serious emergencies, you should call the emergency services. That’s 999 in the UK or 911 in other parts of the world. My biggest emergency recently was a big one. I pressed the delete button and lost my 3,000 songs in iTunes. Luckily, I had a back-up.

Freedom is a funny thing. It seems to mean different things in different countries. People in my country say they have freedom, but I don’t think so. We have to go to school, we have to pay tax, we have to work, we have to do lots of things. That’s not freedom. I’d say we have more freedom than people in other countries. There are many countries in the world where people are like slaves. They can’t leave the country, can’t get a passport, and have to work 16 hours a day. I wonder what a society would be like if everyone was totally free to do anything they wanted. It would probably be a total mess. No one would work. I suppose freedom means having some rules to follow.

Drugs are becoming a big problem in many societies. When I was growing up, you rarely heard about drugs. Now, they’re everywhere. Children in schools are smoking marijuana and taking harder drugs. There were many kids at my school who smoked. Nicotine was the most serious drug they used. Today’s kids seem to have access to all kinds of drugs. I don’t know what the government should do about it. Some countries have legalized drugs like marijuana, but others have made it a crime to possess even the smallest amount. You can even go to prison for having a tiny, tiny bit. Governments need to do something before society ends up in a real mess. I’m not sure what the solution is.

I absolutely love flying. I love everything about it, from buying my air ticket to getting off the plane and collecting my baggage. There’s something very special about getting on an airplane. It’s always a real adventure. I like short flights and long-haul flights. Many people say economy class is terrible, but I like it. There isn’t enough legroom but I don’t mind that. Many people also say they hate airplane food. I love it. The only thing I don’t like about flying is turbulence. I think that’s really scary. I always worry the plane will crash. Another thing I don’t like is waiting to get off when the plane stops. It takes ages before the flight attendants open the doors. One day I want to fly business class and first class.

What are you afraid of? I’m not really afraid of anything. When I was a child I was afraid of the dark. I used to hear strange noises at night when I was in bed. I couldn’t move. I was frozen with fear until it got light outside. I’m no longer afraid of the dark, thankfully. I also used to fear speaking in public. My face would go red and I’d get very hot. I overcame this fear because I had to make many speeches at school. The more I did this, the more my public speaking fear disappeared. People are afraid of many strange things. Did you there is a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth? There is even a medical name for it. I don’t think fear is a bad thing. It probably stops us from doing really dangerous things.

One day, all diseases on Earth will be gone. I wonder. In fact, if all diseases die out or doctors find vaccines and cures for them, that will really change our planet. Think about the amount of overpopulation if no one died from diseases. There’d be a population explosion. I don’t think the Earth would be able to feed so many people. It’s a really difficult question. Some diseases in the world are really horrible and cause a lot of suffering. It would be great if scientists found cures for those. Scientists have already found a cure for many diseases. It’s amazing how far science and medicine have come. I think more cures for diseases could be found if governments spent more money. They seem to spend so little on controlling disease.

People say that death is the only thing in life that is certain. That’s true. I’m not afraid of dying, but I do think it’s a sad thing. I’d like to live forever. I like life. I want to see my children’s children’s children grow up. People have different views on death in different cultures. In some countries, you die and go to heaven. In other countries you die and come back to Earth as something else. Some people celebrate people’s death because they had a good life. In other countries, death is a sad and dark affair. I know of many countries where death is a taboo subject. People just don’t talk about it. I have no problems talking about death. Especially to my family. I think it’s useful to tell everyone what I want to happen when I die.

I don’t understand discrimination. To me, it’s evil. How can you not think that all people are the same? It doesn’t matter what kind of discrimination it is, it’s all terrible. People who discriminate because of other people’s race, sex or age should be named and shamed. I think there should be really strong laws against all forms of discrimination. Racism is horrible. What difference does it make what colour your skin is? The thing that surprises me is that even in the most cosmopolitan cities, racism is everywhere. Sexual discrimination is also stupid. Sexist people have sisters, mothers, wives, daughters; but they still treat women as being less able. I wonder if we'll ever live in a world where we’re all equal.

Danger is everywhere. It’s all around us. That what I’ve decided. I thought about danger the other day and decided we live in a dangerous world. Even our house is full of danger. There are many chemicals in our cosmetics, cleaners, fridges, computers that are not good for us. The electric wiring could go wrong and electrocute us. We could fall down the stairs or slip on the kitchen floor. And then when we leave our house, we enter a dangerous world. Cars travelling at speed, people holding cigarettes, construction workers with heavy objects above our heads… all of these things present danger. Just turn on the news or open a local paper to see how much danger there is. I think I’ll stay in bed today.

Do you like fast food? Lots of people complain about it but I think a lot of it’s quite tasty – as long as you go to one of the international chains like McDonalds or Kentucky. I think in today’s world, it’s difficult to avoid eating in fast food restaurants. They are so convenient and seem to be everywhere. Of course they’re not the same as real restaurants. I wonder if they are restaurants. There aren’t any waiters. Anyway, the most important thing to remember about fast food is that it isn’t so healthy. People who eat it every day develop health problems. I don’t understand why schools serve fast food during lunch time. Schools should encourage students to eat healthily. If you have time, look at a website on slow food.

Many years ago I read that credit cards were the thing of the future. Credit card companies were telling us that plastic would replace cash. Well, this hasn’t happened. People are still using notes and coins. The Internet has increased the use of credit cards, but many people worry about putting their card details online. Lots of personal info gets stolen by fake sites pretending to be famous banks or online stores. Personally, I love credit cards. I always prefer to pay by card than by cash. When you use your card, you get air miles and every six months you can cash them in for presents. I do worry about credit card security. I keep waiting to see a huge purchase on my statement that I didn’t make.

I learnt all about evolution when I was about ten years old. I remember it clearly. I thought it was amazing. My mind was full of images of strange creatures crawling out of a green, soupy lake. Fish that had somehow developed legs and the ability to breathe air. Then these creatures turned into all kinds of animals. All the books I read said we came from apes. Scientists are still not sure how. There’s a missing link. When I think about it now, the theory of evolution is a clever concept. The man who thought of it, Charles Darwin, said nature is all about the survival of the fittest. Only the strongest species survive. We are still evolving. Scientists believe we will look quite different a million years from now. I wonder what we’ll look like.

Eggs are great. Where would we be without them? They are so useful. I can’t imagine life or cooking without them. There are many ways of cooking eggs for breakfast – fried eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, etc. There are even many ways of “cooking” these. You can have a runny or hard fried egg or even have it sunny side up. You can have soft or hard-boiled eggs and fluffy scrambled eggs. There are also many things to put on top of eggs – mayonnaise, ketchup, salt, soy sauce. Each country has something different. I like cooking with eggs. I particularly like breaking them. I can now do it with one hand, without breaking the yolk. Sometimes it gets messy and the egg white starts dripping down your arm.

Why do we have crime? When will it all stop? It’s sad that there is so much crime in our society. It hurts so many people. Most people in the world just want to live happily and be good neighbours. Why do some people turn to crime? Money is a big reason. Many criminals pickpocket, steal, kidnap, or even kill people to get money. There are many terrible crimes in the world. Perhaps the worst is ethnic cleansing. This is a crime against humanity. Many people are killed because of their colour or religion. People who commit this crime rarely go to prison. Have you ever been a victim of crime? What do you think we need to do to reduce crime rates? Perhaps you should write to your government. Tell your leaders enough is enough.

I dream almost every night. I have a lot of dreams and I remember most of them. I’m not sure what they mean. Some of them are quite strange. One day I’ll have to buy a book on dreams and see if I can interpret them. When I was a little kid, I had really bad dreams. Real scary ones. They were probably nightmares rather than dreams. Usually it was some big, bad stranger chasing me. My dreams today are all very different. Sometimes I’m speaking in another language in my dream. The ones I don’t like are the ones where I’m falling. But I my dreams where I’m flying. I sometimes have really nice dreams, but then my alarm clock goes off. I press snooze and try and get back into my dream for another ten minutes.

I’m hopeless at giving directions. I get very confused. I’m sure I send people in totally the wrong direction. For some reason, I always get stopped for directions in the street. I can usually direct someone if it’s just a block or two, but that’s it. If it’s half way across town, I’ll send you in the opposite direction, guaranteed. The funniest thing is asking for directions in another language. I’m pretty good at saying where I want to go, but when I receive the directions, I understand nothing. I nod my head and smile and say “thank you very much”. The person walks away thinking I understood the directions. I’m impressed by people who can give directions from one town to another. They must have a map inside their head!

few minutes of a run, swim or cycle. But then once my lungs stop burning, I settle into a rhythm and things aren’t so bad. Recently I bought an exercise bike. Sitting in my house cycling to loud music or watching TV is a great way to get some exercise.

Education is one of the most important things in our lives. Don’t you agree? It can make the difference between success and failure. An education can bring us knowledge and make us rich. In rich countries, people are lucky to have good schools. Children start learning from a very young age. They can further their education and go to higher education or university. In Japan, there are even private schools for babies to learn English. It’s a shame that in many rich countries, many children don’t want to learn. Perhaps schools need to find better ways to teach so children want to learn. It’s sad that in many parts of the world, children want to learn but can’t. Make sure you never stop learning. Education is the key to a better future.

There’s an old English saying that says, “A dog is a man’s best friend”. This is true for many people – men and women. Most people I know love dogs. They are pretty cool animals. They are intelligent and very helpful. Dogs are a real member of the family if you have one as a pet. I think dogs are very useful. They keep you company, they bark if a stranger comes near your house, and they fetch your slippers. Not all dogs are nice, though. Some are dangerous. I get sad when I read in the paper about children being attacked by a dog. Owners need to train them better. I also get sad when I read about abandoned dogs. People who want a dog as a pet should get an abandoned one.

Digital cameras are so useful. I love my digital camera. I take it everywhere with me. My friends think I’m mad, but I’ve got thousands of really good photos. Digital cameras are so much better than the old cameras with film. They’re also much better than mobile phone cameras. My digital camera fits in my pocket and takes great photos. I usually take a few photos every day and then put them online for my friends to see. The best thing about digital cameras is that they are so easy to use. It’s child’s play. The good thing is that digital cameras today give the same quality photos as you could only get on really expensive cameras. All you need is 10 to 12 megapixels. That’s more than enough.

I don’t think people understand cyber-crime. It’s only just started. In the future, it’s going to be a huge problem. There have already been a few amazing examples. A few years ago the whole Internet in Latvia was attacked by another country. Cyberspace has become a new battleground. Countries spy on each other. If there’s a war, it’s possible one country could attack the other country’s Internet. This would mean all communication, transport, etc would stop. It would cause huge damage to hospitals and other important buildings. But cyber-crime is happening today to ordinary people. Have you ever heard of phishing? That’s with a ‘ph’ not ‘f’. You really need to be very careful about what information you put online.

I have loved dancing ever since I can remember. It was a part of my life when I was growing up and it is still important to me now. It has to be the best way to exercise. What can be better than dancing to your favourite songs? I love going to clubs and discos. I can dance all night long. I never get tired of it. When I was small, I used to go to school discos. I’d also dance at the parties my parents, friends and neighbours had. I don’t think I’ll ever stop dancing. I also love looking at dancing. Ballet is beautiful. Dances from all over the world are beautiful. I think the life of a professional dancer must be a good one. One thing that always amazes me is how much children love dancing. I think dancing must be in their blood.

I wish we didn’t need cosmetics. We spend so much time and money on them. And for what? We take them off at night, only to put them all on again in the morning. If you think about it. they’re amazingly expensive. Why does a lipstick or a small tube of cream cost so much? The really expensive cosmetics don’t actually make you look that different than really cheap ones. A lot depends too on your skill – choosing the right colours to match your face, and how you put your make-up on. I sometimes laugh at the ladies selling cosmetics in department stores. They’re meant to be experts but they look like clowns. I mean, do they really need to paint their faces? One thing I worry about is whether the chemicals damage your skin.

Would you like to change your face and body? Would you like movie star looks? A lot of people want to do this. They pay lots of money to go to a cosmetic surgeon and change their appearance. The most common operation we call a nose job. People who are unhappy with their nose have it reshaped. Other people want their wrinkles to disappear to make themselves look younger. People also go under the knife and have things made bigger or smaller. I think this is a waste of money. I'm not the best-looking person in the world but I would never consider plastic surgery - even if it was free. Some people have so many operations they end up looking like they’re made of plastic. I'd rather stay looking human.

Chickens are so important to many of us because they are a major part of our diet. Every country has so many chicken dishes, and eggs are one of the most common foods around. Chickens are also cute. Well, chickens aren’t, but chicks are - cute, fluffy chicks that make everyone go ‘aaahh’. It’s strange though that the word ‘chicken’ is used in so many English idioms. When I was at high school, you couldn’t ‘chicken out’ – to not do something because of being scared. Things are different today - I’m no spring chicken (that means I’m no longer young) so no one calls me a chicken any more. I work now - as a teacher. I get chicken feed (low wages) but I like my job. I plan to retire before I’m 50, but I’m not going to count my chickens before they’re hatched. This means I won’t quit working until I have enough money.

Uruguay won the first World Cup in 1930 and we’re going to win the next one too. There are only three million people in Uruguay but we have a great footballing history. We really think it’s our turn to shine again on the world stage. We have the players to do that. Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez are among the best strikers in the world. I love watching them play. They really are top class goalscorers. I’m so looking forward to seeing my team play in South Africa. I know I will get a lump in my throat. Every time I see their blue and white striped shirts, I get excited. I think we have the best soccer kit in the world. As our coach Oscar Tabarez says, “we have a lot of strong points and we hope to be able to show them.” I hope his words come true in South Africa.

FIFA deciding to give the 2010 World Cup to South Africa was a proud moment for us. We South Africans have been preparing years for this event – the first on African soil. We will win the trophy. History is on our side. If you look back at previous tournaments, the host nation has won many times. That will happen this time too. We will show the world our Bafana Bafana spirit. We aren’t afraid of anyone and will even beat France to reach the next round. We can do it. Last year we only just lost to Brazil in the Confederations Cup. We will go a stage further in June. We have some of the world’s top players. They play in the English Premier League. I’m sure Steven Pienaar will shine and become one of the stars of the World Cup. Please enjoy our African football.

I think the Vancouver Winter Olympics will be really special. It’s such a great place to have the event. I’m not sure if I like the winter or summer Olympics better. I’d rather be a competitor in the summer games – it’s warmer. The winter Olympics are definitely the most beautiful. Looking at skiers come down a snowy slope against a blue sky is a wonderful sight. I also love the winter Olympics because of the skating. It’s amazing watching the speeds the speed skaters reach – they’re so fast. I also think the figure skaters put on a fantastic show. Another winter Olympic event I like is the luge – I think people have to be crazy to sit on almost nothing and shoot down an ice tunnel at high speeds. I wonder who will win the most gold medals. Maybe it’ll be Norway, or Russia.

The question of organ transplants is a difficult one. Not for me though. I’m quite happy to donate all of my organs for transplants. I don’t mind my body being donated to science after I die. I think it’s much better to be useful even after I die. I would be so happy to know that my heart was used to save someone else’s life. I don’t need my eyes after I die, so it’d be great if someone else could use them to see. Even though I want my body to be used for medical science, it feels a little strange to think that medical students will be cutting me up. I know in other parts of the world there are many people who don’t like the idea of organ transplants. They believe the body should stay in one piece. I hope that changes because doctors really need the organs.

Many scientists say nuclear energy is our future. Many normal people aren’t so sure. I think most of us worry about nuclear energy. We hear on the news about the dangers of nuclear power. Many years ago there was a big accident in Chernobyl, Russia. A nuclear reactor caught fire and melted. Because of this, deadly radiation spread across the whole of Europe. There were reports that sheep in England caught radiation sickness. I think things are safer now. Many countries trust nuclear energy. France and Japan each has dozens of nuclear power stations. I think it’s probably a good idea. We really need to stop using fossil fuels. Nuclear power is a lot less harmful to the environment. Perhaps we need to spend more money on making it safer.

Sometimes I like the word ‘no’, and sometimes I hate it. It is a very powerful word, even though it has just two letters. I don’t like the word ‘no’ when I have been for a job interview and didn’t get the job. I also hate this word when I ask someone on a date. Then, hearing ‘no’ is like a kick in the teeth. I think I probably say ‘yes’ more than ‘no’. I love going out. I never say ‘no’  if anyone asks me to go to a club or go on a trip. I wonder how many ways there are of saying ‘no’. Sometimes you can say ‘no’ when you really mean ‘yes’. Other times, ‘no’ means ‘no’. I also like this small word because it fits into some interesting phrases, like ‘no-can-do,’ a ‘no-go area’ and ‘no way Jose’. My favourite is ‘that’s a real no-no’ – for things you must never do.

How important to you is your mobile phone? Do you really need it? In the 1980s there were no mobile phones. People still managed to phone their family and friends and do business. Of course, there were more public telephones then. There was a telephone box pretty much on every street corner. I wonder whether mobile phones are a good or bad thing. For sure, they are very convenient, but they can also be a nuisance. There’s nothing worse than talking to someone and then they ignore you for ten minutes while they answer their phone. I have even seen people on a date and one person chats on the phone for 30 minutes. How would life change for you if you didn’t have a mobile? Would you miss listening to other people’s conversations on the train?

Where would we be without the media? How would we get information about the world? All of us are interested in the news. We all want to know what’s happening around the world. We switch the TV on just to watch the news. It seems as though every train passenger has a newspaper. The journalists who bring us the news do a very important job. Many risk their lives to bring us the news from the world’s danger zones. Unfortunately, many reporters are killed while they are covering a war. The media make us feel we are part of the world. We become experts on other countries and on the big news stories. The media also bring us many unforgettable images, such as a man walking on the moon. Really, the media show us history as it happens.

Learning is one of the most important things we do in life. It starts pretty much when we’re born. In fact, many scientists say learning begins earlier. We listen to the outside sounds. This is when we first start learning a language. Our ears get used to the different patterns of intonation. Learning is a lifelong process. We spend our childhood years doing nothing but learning. We learn a language before we are two. We learn how to play and do all the everyday things people do. Most people think learning only begins at school. I’m not sure about this. Are we really learning, or are we just memorizing things? I think a lot of learning happens outside school. We learn more from our hobbies and interests than what we learn from school books.

Libraries are wonderful places. Every library I’ve been to in the world is the same. They all have a special atmosphere. A room with a large collection of books does things to people. We become very quiet and want to know what’s on the shelves. This happens even to children as young as three, although perhaps not the being quiet. It’s amazing to watch a small child in a library looking at all the books. They can sit there for hours pulling the books off the shelves. I really spent a lot of time in the library at university. It was where I spent most of my time.  This is where I really learnt how useful libraries are. I spent hours every day looking at journals, newspapers and text books. I felt quite happy sitting in the quiet of the library, reading my books.

Leadership is a word we here a lot nowadays. Every time we turn on the news we hear about how important leadership is. Especially strong leadership. American presidents often talk about the importance of leadership. I suppose they’re right. It’s important that someone takes responsibility and shows leadership. With the right leaders, we can achieve success. But not every leader shows leadership. In many countries around the world, there are corrupt leaders. They do not have good leadership skills, they simply control people by fear. Good leadership is being respected by everyone and getting the job done. It’s important to have good leadership in companies too, except many of the banks’ leaders have not shown such good leadership.

Without laws the world would end. OK, maybe the actual Earth might not end, but life as we know it would end. We’d all end up fighting and killing each other. It would become the survival of the strongest, or perhaps the survival of the nastiest. If there were no laws, people could do anything. There’d be no police or courts to keep control. Law is very important. It keeps order in our society. Our laws started thousands of years ago. Many of today’s laws were made centuries ago. New laws need to be made every day. Especially in today’s world, where the Internet is so important. It’s very difficult to keep laws up to date with new developments. The latest area of law is intellectual property. It’s important that people’s ideas are protected.

Golden Week is such a lovely time to be in Japan. The weather is great and everyone is relaxed. There’s a real holiday feeling all over the country. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. The only down side is that the roads are full of traffic. You can spend hours stuck in traffic jams. So I usually stay at home and do things near my house. I love going on picnics in local parks. I’m English so I find it really interesting to see how Japanese people have picnics. Very different from picnics in England. Many people have the whole week off work to celebrate the different holidays. The Emperor’s birthday and Constitution Day are important and so is Greenery Day, but I like Children’s Day. This is when Japanese parents do special things for their kids.

I love holidays. They are the best thing in the world. The only problem is they are always too short. Even summer holidays at school aren’t long enough. I recently had an eight-week holiday and it flew by. It seems as though time goes quickly when we are on holiday, and slowly when we are at school or work. I always really look forward to holidays – even one-day holidays are great. I live in a country that has many national holidays, so there’s always a break around the corner. I feel sorry for some workers who only get two or three weeks holiday a year. They can’t do anything or go anywhere. I love holidays even if I don’t go away. Staying at home is just as good as going on holiday somewhere. Sometimes going on holiday is stressful.

I have a strange hobby. It’s visiting factories. I’m really interested to see how things work and how they are made. I’ve learnt so many things on my factory visits. Factories are amazing. They are like mini cities. The thing that surprises me most is how everything works together. Everyone knows exactly what to do and when to do it. Even the robots. Car factories are cool, but very noisy. A car assembly line is like a giant ballet dance with everything moving perfectly together. It’s quite easy to visit factories. All you have to do is go to their home page and see if they have visiting times, or write to them. The best factories to visit are ones that produce food and drinks. You always get free stuff. Unfortunately you don’t get a free car at car factories.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS

HEAVEN

CHICKENS

Nuclear weapons are the worst thing invented by man. The day we invented them was a black day in our history. Fortunately, they have only been used a few times. We only need to read the history of what happened in Japan to understand why nuclear weapons must never be used again. The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed in an instant. Hundreds of thousands died. Today, nuclear weapons are a hundred times more powerful. It’s scary to think how much harm one nuclear bomb could cause. Even scarier, is what happens if terrorists get hold of nuclear weapons. I fear for our future. One day, all countries will have nuclear weapons and then we’ll be in real trouble.

I wonder if heaven exists. I guess if heaven is real, then hell must be real too. I think heaven must be a great place if it’s better than Earth. It’s difficult to believe that heaven is a place that looks like paradise. Pretty much every religion in the world believes that heaven is real. I don’t think it’s full of angels with wings though. I think there are lots of heavenly places on Earth. Anywhere in the countryside is heaven to me. Sitting on a beach with blue skies is also heaven. You can even be in heaven in the city. Walking into a cool, air-conditioned building from a hot, sweaty street is heaven. I also find heaven in food. A double chocolate fudge and nut ice cream with maple syrup and extra whipped cream is simply heaven.

Chickens are so important to many of us because they are a major part of our diet. Every country has so many chicken dishes, and eggs are one of the most common foods around. Chickens are also cute. Well, chickens aren’t, but chicks are - cute, fluffy chicks that make everyone go ‘aaahh’. It’s strange though that the word ‘chicken’ is used in so many English idioms. When I was at high school, you couldn’t ‘chicken out’ – to not do something because of being scared. Things are different today - I’m no spring chicken (that means I’m no longer young) so no one calls me a chicken any more. I work now - as a teacher. I get chicken feed (low wages) but I like my job. I plan to retire before I’m 50, but I’m not going to count my chickens before they’re hatched. This means I won’t quit working until I have enough money.

MONEY

LIFESTYLE

MOUNTAINS

“Money makes the world go round.” I wonder if this famous English expression is very true. If you have money, the world goes round very gently and you are happy. If you don’t have money, the world might not go round so smoothly. They also say that “money is the root of all evil”. I think this is so true. Money makes people kill and steal. Greed means there are things in the world like blackmail, corruption, slave labour and a lot more terrible things. Another common saying in English is “money can’t buy happiness”. I’m not so sure about this one. I know if I had loads of money I’d be pretty happy. I think if all the world’s money was shared out, the world would go round more happily, and there would be less evil and more happiness.

Everyone wants a good lifestyle. I do too. I want a good job that is quite near my house – I don’t want to spend a long time on trains and buses. I also want a nice house where I can relax. I like decorating and shopping for furniture. I also want lots of friends so I can do stuff with them. My idea of a good lifestyle is being happy at work, going to the gym or going out for a meal after work, and spending the weekends with friends doing things or going places. Of course I have to have a holiday every year in another country. I haven’t got that lifestyle yet because I haven’t got enough money. I’m a little jealous of my friend’s lifestyle. She has everything and is always going out and having fun.

I love mountains. I much prefer them to every other kind of natural feature. They are much better than the sea, beaches, deserts, etc. Mountains are so cool. They rise up so high into the sky. I can’t stop looking at mountains, wherever I am in the world. I also love being in the mountains. The landscape is just spectacular. You really feel part of God’s wonderful creation when you are surrounded by mountains. There are so many things you can do in the mountains. Some people like climbing them or jumping off them with a parachute. This is not for me. I just like going for a walk and having a picnic. There’s nothing better than sitting down and admiring the mountain view and feeling the cool mountain breeze. This is paradise.

BOOKS

Don’t you think books are the best thing in the world? I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t reading a book. I still have memories of being in my school library when I was about five years old. I have been a bit of a bookworm since then. You’ll usually see me with my head buried in a book. I love all kinds of books. Novels are great for getting to know other worlds and cultures. A good book is one where you never want the story to end. I also like autobiographies because I think it’s interesting to read about people’s lives. Encyclopedias are cool too – you can learn everything about everything in these. I still prefer books to the Internet. Books need to be in your hand and made of paper.