New Beginning--Matariki

This semester I started a new coures in Unitec, which is Graduate Diploma in Computing. It is a one year full-time course, and 7 paper totally (4 papers at level 7, and 3 papers at level 6). Study hard, but I will try my best.

How about your guys? Some of us changed the course, like Kent, Asis, including me, and so on, and some kept studying in Diploma in English (advanced) such as Buchao, Cindy, Anita, Helen, and so on. So I hope every one stays at the right track, and study harder and harder in this semester. Good luck for everyone!

Keep in touch with me and keep your blog alive.

An article about my country in the international press//week 10//Text Based Skills

China changes rules on market bubble fears

I read that article from "The Telegraph UK". If you were an economist or a businessman, you would notice the Asia stocks market is a bit of overheating, especially in China. Along with economy increasing in China, a lot of investment trusts are putting their money into stocks exchange market from overseas. As a result, Hong Kong stocks market (H-shares) reached the record highs again on 14^th May 2007, up 5.36pc. At the same time, Shanghai stocks exchange index has hit the 4,000 marks—the highest record in the past of 24 months, just three weeks after passing 3,000 marks. Dr. Frank Gong, head of China research and strategy, and chief economist at JPMorgan, said:" With excess liquidity on such a massive scale, there is the risk of an asset bubble in China arising eventually…" and so far, more than 10 million Chinese small investors have open their broking accounts. The government warns that it is a bubble waiting to burst. So, Chinese government change rules to cool off the overheated market.

I have chosen this article because the economy of New Zealand is the similar situation with China. The pressure of inflation is going up, and the NZ dollar is near 20pc overvalued, and the property market is overheated as well. So, I really want to know what our government will do besides increase interest of OCR(official cash rate)?

Summary of lecture 2 //week 10 oral skills

It is so important to know first aid. Whether someone you know or not were to suffer a medical emergency or have an accident at home or at workplace, do you know how to help them? Your first action is not DIAL 111, but STOPS and THINKS that you are safety now. Pay attention to fallings, electrical cord, and moving vehicles and use barriers when touch blood clothes or other secretion. Because you should keep your safe before you rescue or help someone else. If you see someone lying on the ground, you just touch his shoulder and talk in soft tone to communicate. If the casualty breathes after airway open, place in the recovery position. If the patient still doesn't breathe, begin CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) immediately. Then, you can DAIL 111. According to patient's age, we have to use different CPR related to adults (over 14 years old), children (2~13 years old), and infants (under 2). As a result, you may help someone else in any place, so learning first aid is a quite importance in your life.

My break –week 7//text based skills

What do you think about library? Boring or interesting? I will tell you that I found something interesting in the public library. I went to Remurea Public Library to stay a whole day. I hardly use public library before, so I didn't know there were some new facilities set. For example, upgraded computers and wireless access point (Hotspot). If you have a laptop with Wi-Fi technology and you are a custom of Telecom, you can use free internet there until end of this year. I am going to do some landscapes in my garden. So I read some books relating garden design. I did learn some tips about planting bulbs, ferns, grasses and succeedent. Many people were reading book in the library, and that is the good tradition in New Zealand.

Diploma Trip // Week Nine//Text base skill2

Cornwallis Beach one day trip

That was a marvellous trip, and we had a lot of fun together on 1st of May. In the morning, a group pepole (including Flint, Bu Chao with his daughter, Cindy, Helen, Tarik, Anita) assembed at the building 48 around 8:40 am. Unfortunatly, Jeniffer got sick on that day, so she missed the trip.

About 9:30am, we drove to the first plase -- Cafe La Vinci, where is on the Titirangi Road. We met Jan at the same time by chance. When we came into the shop, Emma and James had already been chatting over there. I ordered a cup of cappuccino and a piece of apriot pai. It's delicious. Most of our classmates came there, we were very happy to have a talk during the morning tea. After an hour later, we would go to Cornwallis Beach for our shared picnic lunch.

That is a beautiful beach, and we enjoyed it with breeze and warm sun shine. Lunch was quite good. I got some chichen from Anita, some baked chichen wings from Cindy and veg salad from Hellen. Oh! It's yummy! My wife helped me to make a cake with dates, apricots and raisins covering, and taste so good.

About 2 o'clock, we finished the share lunch. Some of us will go to Huia Piont to go fishing. It's my first time to go fishing. However, some classmates have that experienced. They taught me how to bait on the hook, and how to feel the fish is biting, and how to row back the string. Fishing is an interesting sport, I think. When you pull the fish out of the water, you are so exciting. Unfortunately, we totally caught nine pippers during the 4 hours, and 2 snapes were too small, we had to release them.

That is a wonderful trip, and I really enjoyed it.

Picture comparison 2—Oral Skill

There are two pictures both relating to classroom rule. The first one is of a freedom and leisure classroom environment and the second is of order-well classroom environment.

According to the decoration of the first one, the classroom could be a primary school, and the pupils may be under 10 years old. The teacher doesn't require them sitting in the class at all the time. So some kids walk around to get something and some kids turn around for team work. The second picture, the classroom could be a class of intermediate or secondary school. Their students' ages should range from 10 to 13. That class is an order-well one. Teacher requires all students sitting during the class. If students want to do something, please raise your hand first. After the student gets the permission, he/she can do it.

In my opinion, regarding as different students' age, we need to use different ways to educate, so I agree with both. Because kids are quite energy, and are not good self-controls. They cannot keep one position still for a long time. They always focus on something interested. So teachers can teach them with freedom environment, children will enjoy learning. However in the intermediate or secondary school, students should learn how to follow the order and control themselves well. Teachers require them to respect somebody else. As a result, an order-well classroom environment is suit for teenage students.

Drug trial brings hope after multiple miscarriages—text base skills

Summary of News "Drug trial brings hope after multiple miscarriages"

In New Zealand, England and Scotland, the doctor is trying a new medicine consisted of aspirin and heparin, can be as a treatment for women with two or more consecutive pregnancy losses. The scientists are studying that compare whether women taking the new drug combination have a more successful pregnancy than those just receiving intensive medical monitoring. So far, five New Zealand women have taken the drug, and two of them have successfully given birth and the other three are well past the "danger period". Dr Claire Mclintock, of Auckland University's faculty of medical and health sciences, said "We hope to have definitive results within a year."

In that article, there are 61 verb forms in the active voice and 11 verb forms in the passive voice.

In the passive voice, there are three verb forms used as present passive forms; there are three simple past passive forms; there is one modal or future passive form; there is one passive infinitive form and there are three reduced passive forms.

Review of the Movies—Whale Rider //oral skills

Director: Niki Caro

Cast: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis, Grant Roa, Mana Taumaunu, Rachel HouseRunning

Time: 101 minutes

The film introduces us to a Maori family. Koro (Rawiri Paratene) is the current leader of the tribe, and his eldest son Porourangi (Cliff Curtis) has just become the father. Tragically, after the boy and mother died in childbirth, Porourangi left his family because of sadness. His daughter was cared by her grandparents. Years later, Paikea (Keisha Castle-Hughes) has grown up She is now called Pai. When Pai’s father returned, he took with his pregnant girl friend, who is a German. His father was very angry because he wanted him to be married with another one, who came from the tribe. So he wanted to take his daughter away from his fathet. However, Pai felt whales wanted her to stay and she did not follow his father. Koro began to teach the sons of the next generation in the tribe. He wanted to find a new leader who can take over him. Pai very much wants to be a part of these lessons, and Koro did not accept her, because of her gender. However she learned those skills and knowledge from her uncle-- Rawiri (Grant Roa). At last, Pai beats all of the first-born sons of the tribe; even she took keepsake back from deep sea, which is belonging to his grandfather.

The climax of the story is that all the people of the tribe try to push the whale back to sea from beach. At the same time, Pai talked to one of whales and rides on it. She persuades whales to come back sea by her spirit. She is the real leader of the tribe in the future. At the end of the film, Pai becomes a leader of the tribe sitting aside her grandfather.

This story happened in a male-dominated society. Koro loves his granddaughter, she wanted to be treated as the same as male. Her grandfather was a very traditional leader. He believed that only man could be a leader, however Pai dear to break the tradition. At last, he found he was wrong and he accepted Pai who can lead the tribe. From the ending, we can get that idea from the story: the society is in need of reform; the old ways are dying out.

That film is so excellent I have never seen it before.

Effects of globalisation on my life--Taxt Base skill

Longman dictionary (2^nd ED) defines globalisation as the "the increase of trade around the world, especially by large companies producing and trading goods in many different countries". In this stage, I would like show some effects of globalisation on my life, especially the economy.

Firstly, more and more global companies shift their factory to the developing countries to gain the cheaper labour cost and much higher profit. For example, Fisher & Paykel Appliances is moving part of its laundry manufacturing to Thailand in the end of this year. The move, which will take about 12 months, is expected to produce benefits of between $10 million and $15 million a year. Secondly, "trade around world" is the most important effect of globalization. In China, I can purchase kiwi fruit, pacific rose apple or milk powder, which is imported from in New Zealand. However in New Zealand, I can buy anything in any department, which is made in China, Thailand, Malaysia, and so on. In general, globalization increases my life standard, and I can get the same products made in different country. I am enjoying the effects of globalization on my life.

Comparison of two pictures---Oral Skills

There are two pictures both related to market. The first one is of a supermarket and the second one is of a local market where people are doing the trade. In my opinion, the supermarket is under a big business company, and they are supplied by various food chains, as the same time, they provide a big room to storage and make goods well-ordered. However, the local market provides a chance to talk and bargain each other.

I think that more and more young people would rather do shopping in the supermarket than in the local market. Because now a day young people probably get more pressure than before, they like shopping in the supermarket easy and quickly, where can supply fresh and various goods. On the other hand, maybe old could buy cheaper goods, in additional, they can communicate with others.

I like shopping in the supermarket because I can buy everything I want just in one place, saving my time. They put goods on the shelf well-ordered and more clean environment than local market. Sometime, they will put prices down on such goods as promotion. That's the reason why I like shopping in the supermarket.

Oral Skill 2// Three pronunciation features

There are six front page stories on the radio - two from the NZ Herald, two from the Dominion Post, one from the Press, and one from the Otago Daily Times.

I was listening to the “Monday National Radio’s News Headlines”
Six stories mentioned from National Radio’s News Headlines. I am interested in the first headline from New Zealand Herald, and its transcription is “The new drug trial offering hope to women with the history of miscarriages”. I identified pronunciation features as follow:

1) Consonant to vowel linking: with/ð//ð/ the/∂/

2) Extra linking sounds: /r/eg.thehistory/ri/ /∂/of miscarriages

3) Weak forms of prepositions, articles, modal verbs, auxiliary verbs:

The/∂/ new drug trail offering hope to/∂/ women with the/∂/ history /∂/of miscarriages.

serious motorway accident

This news is about an accident which happened on an Auckland motoway on 11 April at 2:40pm. The Waitemata police district serious crash unit said the family had been driving their white Toyota corona on the Northwestern Motorway when they crashed with a bridge barrier near the Lincoln Rd off-ramp. An 8-year-old boy was seriously injured and his parents were in severe shock. That boy had surgery on 12 April for life-threatening head injuries and his father is stable condition in the Auckland hospital. The police is appealing for a witness to serious accident.

Most of the verb forms used in the past simple form, present simple form and present continuous form. There is one present perfect sentence used in the article, suck as "he might have witnessed the crash ", to mean that possibly happened. There are four present continuous are used in the article, just like"An 8-year-old boy is fighting for his life","the family were approaching the city ","Police are seeking the man" and "Waitemata police are also seeking witnesses ", to mean something is happening over a period of time.And past simple, like"said","had","told", is used in the article to mean something happened in the past.

Summary of Lecture: Student Finance/Funding

Students Funding Centre is a student service in Unitec. It can help students with anything to do with money, and can provide some advice to how to save money.

Firstly, students can make a budget sheet and list all income and expenses. Students can adjust the budget accordingly. Secondly, how student can increase their income? Students can apply for study awards, scholarships or student allowance, they can even apply for loan to pay tuition fees and cover living costs. Also students can search for a part time job at Student Job Search office or Career and Employment Centre. Last, how students can reduce their expenses. Students can use student ID card to get discount on public transport fares, movies tickets, or can apply for student banking packages and reduce unnecessary cost such as transaction fee.

Therefore, the funding service shows students how to manage the money. If any further information is needed, please connect them at building 48.

About Me // Week three// Text Base Skill2-- Final Draft

My name is Flint Liu. I was born in Shanghai. In China, my major was a textile design, so I like travelling and taking photos.

However my first job in Shanghai was logistics in a Japanese company. Although it was a very busy job there, I still liked travelling and taking photos.

Another interest thing is computing. I had passed seven papers of computing courses, and certificated by Microsoft as a Microsoft Certified System Engineer in 2003, before I came to New Zealand.



Two and half years ago, I came to New Zealand. I was working at RIS (Remuera Intermediate School) as a caretaker for two years. I notice that there is a different education system between China and here. Also I found New Zealand is a beautiful and green country. I have been to Bay of Islands and Rotorua, however, there are some places I would like to go there some time later, such as Queenstown, Christchurch and so on.


Now I am a student, and I am studying at Unitec.In my class, we come from different countries, so I hope we can share our experiences in our study. On the other hand, I want to improve my English level to match the requirement of the Graduate Diploma in Computing. That could be my first computing degree in my life. At the same time, I learnt Linux system by myself, which is another computer operation system. If you have any experience , we can share something with each other.

Happy study at Unitec, and let's make things better!