ESLTALK

Have you ever been in a car that could go from 0 to 112 km/h in 3 seconds?  For only $15, you can satisfy your need for speed at the Speed Zone.  It is a mid-sized theme park located in the City of Industry.  In addition to the dragster rides, the park has three other race tracks, a state-of-the-art arcade, and two 18-hole miniature golf courses.  If this isn't enough of an adrenaline-pumping experience for you, then I suggest you check out the Hollywood Top Gun located in Van Nuys, Los Angeles.  You will sit in the co-pilot seat of an L-39 fighter jet and climb 1.2k.m.(4000ft.) per minute.  You will be doing loops and rolls over the Mojave dessert just like a professional Air Force pilot.  If you enjoy heart-pumping action, but going fast isn't exactly your cup of tea, then please tell me what turns you on.  You name it and I can find it for you.  Well, this concludes episode #2 of Jason's Hometown Stories. Is Los Angeles wild or what?  In our next episode, I will take you to Catalina, a small island off the coast of Los Angeles.  You can get there by ferry or small planes.  My wife got her first flying lesson in a Cessna on her way to Catalina.  Sounds exciting?  Please check back for the next episode.  

I grew up in southern California, one of the most beautiful places on earth.  Some of my students have asked me to write about stories of my hometown in my blog so that they may see America through my eyes.  Balboa Island is the first installment of my hometown stories.  Balboa is located in Orange County, California.  Personally, I think Orange County has more culture and class than its neighboring L.A. County.  People who reside in this part of the town are considered "old money."  There is a free shuttle that takes you from the LAX airport to Balboa everyday.  Once you are here, you can rent a kayak for $15-$20 per hour or you can rent a boat for $50-$70 per hour.  If you are on a tight budget, you can take a harbor excursion or a dinner ferry.  Tour guides on these excursions will fill you in on the history of the island and the latest gossip news in town.  Many of the yachts in the harbor are owned by Hollywood celebrities.  Once in a while, yacht owners would invite you to board their yacht to have a drink or smoke a fat joint (hey, it happened to me).  From the harbor, you can board a ferry to the Catalina Island, another paradise on earth.  As you are cruising through the harbor, you will feel like you are in Venice.  There are plenty of good bars and restaurants in Balboa.  My favorite is the Ruby's Diner on Balboa Pier.  They serve the best fish tacos in orange county.  You and your date could watch the sunset on the pier and enjoy your Mexican food at the same time.  I can't think of anything more romantic than that.  For more stories on other romantic hangout spots in California, please come back to visit my blog.  I will have periodic photo and video updates for you.

By the way, if you are thinking about traveling abroad during your winter break, please check out

http://www.igoUgo.com  

You can read reviews, check out location photos, and get travel deals on the website.

Teaching large classes makes it hard for me to spend enough time on individual students.  I can definitely understand some of my students' frustrations when they can't keep up in class.  Since I don't have any office hours, my blog is probably the next best thing.  As a teacher, I get discouraged and depressed when students start giving up on English; therefore, I'd like people to utilize this blog to ask as many questions as possible.  If I have failed to explain a vocabulary or a specific sentence structure in my handouts, please feel free to leave a question for me.  I'd encourage my students to use English in this forum, but you may use Chinese when it is necessary.  You are welcomed to ask me any English-related questions.  

There is nothing better than somebody who encompasses both beauty and brains.  Wendy Cheng is a good example of how one can successfully market herself on the internet.  I notice that she is wearing a shirt with her blog logo on it.  What a good way to promote herself while she is on the go!  For those of you who practically live on the internet, I am sure you have come across blogs that feature smart and yet pretty girls.  As an English teacher, I must say this is a good way to encourage students to learn English on the side.  

If you know a hot blogger babe, please share her link with all of us.  Here is her link:  http://xiaxue.blogspot.com/

Knock yourself out:)

The winner of the Jason's Cup Marketing Competition is 朱 英禎  of Huafan University.  She is a hardworking student who has never missed a class.  The ideas she came up with are not only creative, but also feasible.  To those who took the time to participate in this compeition, I want you know that I appreciate your effort.  There will be plenty of other competitions next semester. 

The winner will receive NT$1,000 and one large pizza.