Morning Coffee

Many mornings when I sit alone in front of my computer with a cup of coffee, my mind wanders to mornings of distant past. I'm often drifted along the sentiment of a song by Phu Quang - Catinat Cafe Sang. The coffee that I drink in the U.S. is not as black or as dense or as bitter as Vietnamese coffee described in the song, but here I am sitting alone, stiring my coffee, diluting my time. I like the beautiful lyrics and melancholy in many of Phu Quang's songs. I like morning coffee and Catinat Cafe Sang. So here it is with my English translation. Enjoy!

You can share your feelings and emotions about songs, morning coffee, evening coffee, fruit juice or smoothie (I know in Vietnam, we, girls, go to coffee shops to drink fruit juice or smoothie instead of coffee) ... I'll share more about coffee sold and drunk here as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsdRHXKrfbE

Những gương mặt lạ quen Những giọt cà phê đen đặc Anh ngồi một mình quấy loãng thời gian Buổi sáng muốn gọi em Nắng vẫn còn mê ngủ Buổi sáng muốn gọi em Gió lạnh lẽo chối từ Sáng nay ngồi một mình Với nỗi buồn xa vắng Từng giọt từng giọt đắng Anh uống cạn lạ quen Sáng nay ngồi một mình Khói thuốc nhòe mi mắt Từng giọt từng giọt đắng Anh uống cạn lạ quen

Among familiar and strange faces With black, dense coffee drops I sit alone, diluting time I want to invite the sunlight in Sunlight is still dreaming in her sleep I want to invite the wind over The wind coldly turns me down Sitting alone this morning With vague melancholy Bitter drop by bitter drop I drink up familiarity and strangeness Sitting alone this morning With eye-tearing cigarette smoke Bitter drop by bitter drop I drink up ­familiarity and strangeness

My name is Linh - My Introduction

My name is Linh. Vietnamese people surely know how to pronounce my name. However, with that spelling, people from other countries often call me “Lin” and spell my name as “Lihn”. Well, I know the “h” there is confusing. “Ling” would be more understandable. Yes, so my name is spelled “Linh” but pronounced as “Ling”.

Here’s a little bit about myself. I used to be a lecturer of English in Vietnam National University. When I was at the Pennsylvania State University, doing my Master in Teaching English, I had experience teaching a number of ESL (English as a Second Language) courses for international students. The courses I taught in both Vietnam and the U.S. include reading, speaking, listening, writing, pronunciation, TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS, GMAT courses, just to name a few. Personal commitment brought me back to the U.S. at the beginning of this year. I’m currently living near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I’ll definitely tell you more about Pittsburgh through my photos.

In an effort to reach out to more students in different countries, I’m now interested in developing and teaching courses online. I like getting to know different people to learn more about their lives, their life stories, and their cultures. Thank you for enrolling in my class and glad to know you all. Now’s your turn to tell me and other class members about yourself. The following questions may help you.

1.      What’s your name?

2.      Where you are from?

3.      What do you do?

4.      What do you want people to know about you?

5.      What are your hobbies and interests?

Sharing something new

When you learn something new and want to share with the whole class, post it here. It can be an interesting article, a new song, a useful website, etc.

Q&A

Feel free to ask me questions related to the course and lessons

English Language Link - ELLink

This blog is created for learners to share their opinions about controversial issues discussed in class.