Hello Tomeng guests and members:

As my first order of business I want to express my sincere best wishes to you all in the new year, 2012. As always it will take me about a month to realize that I'm really into year 2012. I usually write 2011 (the previous year) on all my bank checks and bills, not really believing that it is indeed 2012. The bank always forgives me. I'm grateful for that.

Secondly, I hope to be able to offer you some new insights to improving your English skills. So, here is my first suggestion for 2012:

It's important to expose yourself to spoken English. You can do this in a variety of ways that you all are familiar with, i.e., TV, movies, radio, music, etc. But one often overlooked medium is yourself. When reading English text, no matter where you find it, read it out-loud. The idea is to hear spoken English. You may not get good feedback on pronunciation but you will hear your own version of the sounds the words make. As an added benefit, reading out-loud will slow you down so that you don't skip over difficult words. Don't worry about the meaning of the words, just try to pronounce each and every one. Also, remember there are slight differences in pronunciation, stress and spelling between American and British English, such as: schedule, controversy, labour (labor).

I'm looking forward to hearing from you in 2012 and beyond. My email address and Skype ID are posted on my website .

Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!