Author: damionferrell

Overused English Phrases My Chinese Students Can’t Quit

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Daily writing prompt
What is a word you feel that too many people use?
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I don’t really know what words most people overuse—mainly because the “people” in my life are mostly students. As a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) teacher at a university in China, I’ve learned that my students have a handful of go-to phrases they rely on for speaking and writing exams:

  • “Nowadays…”
  • “With the development of [something]…”
  • “Double-edged sword”
  • “In a word…” (usually followed by many, many words)

Let’s take an example. If students are assigned an essay on the pros and cons of giving children smartphones, I can guarantee that at least a third will start with: “With the development of modern technology…”

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Alternate Universes and the Reality We Live With

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Daily writing prompt
Describe your life in an alternate universe.
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Most of my dreams are stupid.

Once, I had a dream where the camera panned out to a third-person view, and I watched myself swing over a creek on a long vine, as if I were watching a movie about me. In another dream, I got into a car accident and was left upside down, staring blankly at the asphalt, shattered glass all around. That one stuck with me. It didn’t feel like my mind was inventing something. It felt like I was living something.

It’s hard to explain how dreams can feel different. Sometimes, I can sense my brain actively constructing a world — like Inception. Other times, I feel like a passenger, just experiencing whatever’s in front of me. I can’t explain the mechanics, but I know the difference when it happens. I’ve convinced myself that those “passenger” dreams are glimpses into alternate universes. I don’t know when or why I started believing that, but it helps me make sense of the strange, vivid places I go when I sleep.

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What Jamie Did: Adolescence, Masculinity, and the Quiet Collapse

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“Adolescence” caught me off guard in a good way. I read the summary and knew the program was a show about a kid being accused of murder. I assumed we would spend four episodes figuring out whether the kid actually did it. It took all of an hour to flip that on its head.

By the end of the first episode, our thinking on 13-year-old Jamie Miller is subverted: Jamie did murder his classmate Katie Leonard. It’s caught on film. The what of the story is already answered. Even with CCTV footage, the viewer is encouraged to question if the evidence could somehow be wrong. We see a young and innocent-looking Jamie ripped from his bedroom by police as his parents watch in horror. We want to believe there’s more to this story.

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In China, I’m a tourist attraction for non-tourists

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I have shown enough patterns of introvertedness that people I generally like being around know me as someone who doesn’t like being around people. Admittedly, I don’t enjoy parties, large gatherings, small talk, or extended conversations with unfamiliar people, and I often feel drained after socializing with others. Still, I don’t like having the word “introverted” so closely associated with me, even if it is true.

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What is the point of mosquitoes?

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My girlfriend and I were staying in Guizhou province for a wedding. Our hotel left an electric mosquito repeller plug-in near the bed. I don’t know if having this in a hotel room is the norm, but the only other time I saw a room with this was in Phuket, and the room did indeed have mosquitoes. So, needless to say, this was not a good sign.

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Yup, I check Instagram for updates on the latest snacks

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I miss only three things about America: my family and friends, bigger apartments, and food. The food in China is wonderful. I’m simple, so I love dàndànmiàn (dandan noodles), non-spicy huǒguō (hot pot), wontons in chili oil (but not too much oil), and barbecue on a stick. But sometimes, on the most random Thursdays, I want a smokehouse combo from IHOP.

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The Stockdale family murders and raising kids

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I was listening to the Small Town Murder podcast because I need a bit of comedy with my true crime. I have roughly five episodes of Small Town Murder that I haven’t listened to yet. I landed on an episode about the Stockdale Family. The Stockdale family was featured on an episode of Wife Swap. Wife Swap, not to be confused with Bradley Cooper’s “Sex With Your Wife” on SNL, shows how the lives of two families can change by simply swapping their wives and instituting new rules for the household to follow. I assume. I’ve never actually seen the show.

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Why did I create this blog?

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Writing mostly helps me to manage my mental health. That’s the answer.

For me, depression tends to work in waves and stretches. I don’t know if that’s the case for others, as I don’t have many people I talk with about this stuff. Anyway, I’ll go a few months with no issues emotionally or mentally. Something happens here or there that puts my mind in a bad place for a few minutes. Maybe a night. But I’m ultimately good.

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