The blogger behind this blog

In response to the blog tag challenge

By Masachi Mochida via Flickr

[CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

I’ve been tagged. Twice. In a blog challenge the idea of which is to post 11 random facts about oneself, answer 11 questions posted by the blogger who tagged you and then pass the baton by posting 11 questions and tagging 11 other bloggers. Why 11 - I have no idea. If it had been up to me I’d have gone for 13 (since it’s 2013) like last year’s Adam Simpson’s 12 of 2012 blog challenge (see HERE).

Anyhow, I’ve been tagged this week by both Rachael Roberts who named me as one of her 11 favourite bloggers (by the way, it’s mutual) and KathyFagan, whose blog I am less familiar with (but it’s going to change!) and who, unlike Rachael, I haven’t met. Thank you both.  So here we go…

11 Random facts about me

My latest creations:
White Lady and Fuzzy Navel

1. I like making salads.
2. I’ve recently taken up cocktail-making as a hobby. I think it’s a hobby that provides a lot of health benefits in the form of Vitamin C - I normally use one freshly squeezed lemon per cocktail. 
3. At the moment I am addicted to TripAdvisor
4. Contrary to what many people believe, I go to TESOL France every year at my own expense. Last year it fell on my birthday, and I threw a pre-conference birthday party where I met for the first time lots of fellow ELT bloggers / tweeters.
5. I don’t like okra but otherwise I eat just about everything.
6. Every Thursday night I go to art openings and then complain about how bad the wine/free food was.
7. I refused to join Facebook for a few years until my friends had signed a “petition” and collected more than 30 signatures. I joined it on my birthday a few years ago and immediately had 30+ Facebook friends.
8. I’ve flown by plane 165 times –50 or so times out of which in the last 3 years.
9. As a child I used to think Alfred Hitchcock was Alfred Hedgehog.
10. I don't like Skype
11. Before my career in TEFL I used to work in tourism in various roles: Rep, tour guide, travel agent and incentive travel consultant

At an art opening in pyjamas (because it was across the road)

11 questions asked by Rachael and Kathy

Since both Rachael and Kathy tagged me I am taking the liberty here and answering a mix of both their questions. The first five questions were posted by Kathy and questions 6 to 11 are Rachael’s (the numbers of the questions are as they appeared in their lists)

1. What is one book, blog post, article, presentation, or research paper that really changed how you think about teaching?  How?

This one is a no-brainer. The Lexical Approach (1993) by Michael Lewis without any doubt. I was thrilled to finally meet Michael Lewis in person at the Lexical conference in London earlier this year and honoured to edit two publications dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the book: ETAI Forum and Pilgrim's online magazine Humanising Language Teaching. If you still haven’t seen it: you can find it HERE.

2. Which season of the year do you like the best?  Why?

Another easy one: summer. In my case it starts about mid-July and lasts till about mid-October. Three months of doing (almost) nothing, lying on the beach and travelling.

3. How many languages (other than English) can you use at high beginning or higher?  If any, what are they?

French, Greek, Hebrew, Russian. Readers of this blog may have figured that out already as I use a lot of examples from these languages. It has to be noted that my interlanguage in most of these fluctuates a lot since I am a fast learner and fast forgetter. I also used to speak some Spanish but currently it as regressed to a beginner level.

4. The bartender says "What'll it be?"  What is it?

Don’t trust bartenders anymore (see Random Fact #2). So it would be just a pint of lager or Long Island Iced Tea – because you can’t really go wrong with it.

5. What is the most recent musical performance you have attended?

I think it was Pet Shop Boys' recent tour Electric.It is also the only artist I have seen live twice in my life – in different countries. 

6 What was your first paid job?

I was conducting phone interviews and collecting preliminary data about job applicants for a project at Ernst & Young.

7 What five famous people would you invite to a dinner party, and why?

A tough one, this one. I’d really have to think hard. Am I allowed to include dead people? Then perhaps Alfred Hitchcock (for his wit), Helen Mirren (she’s fantastic and if she declines Dame Judy Dench). Musicians: George Michael or Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys) - again depending on the availability. Is it five already? Oh and the former director of advertising at Benetton responsible for some of the most powerful and controversial ad campaigns in the past 20 years.

Definitely no politicians – past or present!

8 What’s the first website you check/go on each day? Why?

Facebook. For the fear of missing out  (FOMO). But then again, I don’t watch the news / read the papers so I get my news updates through the Facebook feed.

9 What can you remember about the first class you ever taught?

There were 16 people, sitting in 4 groups of 4.The class was very mixed ranging from Intermediate to Pre-Advanced and I still remember some of their names. I was using an OHP and after the usual introductions and get to know activities we did a unit from True Colors. It went well, I think.

10 Flowers or chocolates?

Neither. Wine please!

11 How do you feel about reality TV shows?

I generally don’t watch TV – but like a good TVseries every now and then

11 bloggers

I tried not to tag the same people my taggers (nor their taggers!) have included in their lists. The ones below haven't been tagged, as far as I'm aware, and I highly recommend checking out their blogs:

             Blogger  -  Link to their blog

1. Henrick Oprea – Doing Some Thinking
2. Luiz Otavio Barros – Think ELT
3. Willy Cardoso – Authentic Teaching
4. Vicky Loras – Vicky Loras Blog
5. Jonathan Sayers - ELT + Technology
6. Ian James - TEFLTecher
7. Mura Nava – EFL Notes
8. Chia Suan Chong – Chia Suan Chong
9. Steve Muir – allatc
10. Divya Madhavan – Divya Madhavan
11. Christina Rebuffet-Broadus - iLOVEtefl

11 questions for other bloggers

1. What is your favourite level to teach?
2. If you had the time to blog about something other than education / ELT what would it be?
3. What takes you longer: writing a blog post or inserting hyperlinks into it?
4. What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
5. A phone call or text message? Why?
6. Cats or dogs? (No need to explain why)
7. If you were a fruit what would you be?
8. What kind of jokes do you like?
9. What’s your favourite computer font?
10. What present would you like to receive for your next birthday? (that is if you celebrate birthdays)
11. Why do you think almost every blogger in this chain challenge has asked a question about reality TV shows?

Thanks. It was fun.

UPDATE: As I was writing this, Vicky Loras, who I included in my list of 11 bloggers, tagged me too. What a coincidence!