E-MAIL

 

 

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

 

 

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.

 

 

EDUCATION

 

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.

 

 

EGGS

 

 

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.

 

 

ELECTRICITY

 

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.

 

EMERGENCIES

 

 

 

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.

 

 

ENERGY

 

 

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.

 

ENGLISH

 

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.

 

 

EVOLUTION

 

 

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.

 

EXERCISE

 

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 some exercise.