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MY JOURNEY

In this article, in this part of the book, I want to tell you about my interesting, exciting and adventurous journey, the time of my life, when I was an ordinary English teacher. After university, I got a job as an English teacher at a small school. I was very happy. And I said to my self, “Oh, my God, I have a job”. But soon I began to have a feeling that I wanted to become someone bigger that just an ordinary teacher of English in a small local school. I began to feel bored and everything began to look wretched to me. And then came a day that turned my life around. I learned about Oprah Winfrey and about her show with the same name “Oprah Winfrey Show”. This show literally revolutionized my life. It changed my life completely. The show that she had had for 25 years in the heart of America. The show that became a life-changing event for millions of people from more than 150 counties across the globe.

That was the beginning of my journey from being a mediocre, average, typical English teacher to becoming a total master of English. Everything was done. I went back to school. I attended a lot of master classes, seminars and workshops of great, fantastic and enthusiastic teachers. I learned a lot from them. Finally, I got my master degree. I became who I am now – a total master of English. I’ve learned the method that I am going to share with you here. It is a story-telling method. It is one of the best methods in the world for learning foreign languages.

I want to tell you that when you have that point of view, that mindset of a winner – then literally the world of English becomes your library to help you to become a curious learner, an excellent speaker and a fantastic human being.

And your job now is to perfect your craft at speaking English.

And my job now is to help you to do it.

If you read daily from that library book by book. If you learn more and more every single day and you practice consistently. You will certainly become a brilliant, excellent and fantastic English speaker.

I became a teacher of English many years ago. But still I am committed to serving people. Still I am excited and curious about what I am doing. Still I am devoted to my calling – to teach you to speak true, real and excellent English.

I think I should mention just a few words about my other courses. I have to tell you about what I have created, I have done by now. You have to know that, because how else will you know what I have to offer if I don’t tell you about it, right?

My bestselling book is my first book which is Unique English Course. Speak real English. This book has the same structure as the book you are holding now in your hands. It has crazy, funny and stupid stories. It has the vocabulary lessons and it has the mini-story lessons. This is a very good book for those who already can understand English, but still have some difficulty speaking English. Who are still afraid of making mistakes; for those who want to improve.

My second book is Super English Course. Speak like a native. This is a big book. I mean, it is not as easy as the first one, but it has the same structure but the level of English is higher and the vocabulary is more advanced and the stories are even crazier, funnier and it has some lectures and a lot of interesting, instructive and compelling things to learn and to use in every day life to become a fantastic human being.

Number three is the course for beginners with a fantastic and very optimistic name which is “I want to speak English”. One of the reasons I created this course is because I know how difficult it is to find a truly remarkable book to start learning English. After many years of studying, learning, teaching and practicing English, I have learned how to teach beginners English much better, more efficiently and more compelling.

I also have a business English course called “Secrets of Success”. This book is for those who already speak English pretty well, and now want to understand business in general and to speak true, real and excellent business English. But you can go and try it, if you want to. So try these books. You have nothing to loose, but you have a life to win. And I guarantee it will help you to speak English the way you never did before.

So you can go and chose any you like to start with. See you soon.

Story 1 «Harry the Hamster»

Hello, my superstar English student. This is Alex. And I am back with a new course for you, with a new lesson called “Harry the Hamster”. Let’s do it right now!

Harry was a small, smart and significant hamster. Harry the hamster lived in a spacious, gorgeous and very comfortable cage. The reason he was significant was that Harry never slept in his life. He couldn’t sleep. As a result, he never had dreams. No dreams for Harry.

But of course, Harry the hamster wanted to have dreams. Harry often said, «How much I want to have colorful, fantastic and vivid dreams! But I cannot.»

Every day hundreds of people came to see him. Every day many reporters interviewed him. Every day a lot of scientists examined him, but no one could solve his problem. No one could help Harry the hamster to start having dreams.

How did Harry the hamster feel?

Of course, he felt frustrated, depressed and unhappy.

But one day a woman appeared out of nowhere and she said, «You want to have vivid dreams, don’t you?»

«Yes, I do. I really really want to have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams. But I cannot sleep. I can’t fall asleep, so I can’t have dreams. No one can help me.»

«I can» the woman said. «I am here to help you, Harry. I do can solve your problem,» the woman said.

Harry the hamster got extremely happy, very much excited.

«Your problem is that you live in the cage. You must liberate yourself from that cage. Go and live like a free hamster. Smell the flowers. Then and only then you will have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams.» As soon as the woman finished speaking, she disappeared without a trace.

What do you think Harry the hamster did?

He immediately left his spacious, gorgeous and very comfortable cage. He went to the woods. He became a free hamster. The whole day Harry was running and jumping. He met different animals. He smelled the flowers. By the end of the day Harry the hamster felt exhausted and without knowing how he fell asleep. And of course, while he was sleeping, he had vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams. When Harry the hamster woke up, he was in seventh heaven.

This is the end of the story. You know what to do, right? As always listen to this story every day. You can pause after each sentence, if you like, and repeat it after me. What will it do for you? It will certainly make your pronunciation better. It will make your understanding better. And it will certainly help you speak better than you are doing now. See you soon.

Story 1 The vocabulary lesson

Hi, this is Alex and this is the vocabulary lesson for «Harry the Hamster». This is the lesson where I am going to liberate you from the story. The lesson where I am going to give you that confidence and freedom you need in order to become a fantastic, confident and first rate English speaker. Let’s begin!

First let me begin by telling you just a few words about the story. I want you to know how I wrote the story. It was when I was flying from Athens, Greece to Alicante, Spain one summer. Actually, I was visiting my friends in Spain. On board the plane I was admiring the beauty of the sky and fantastic, marvelous and snow-white clouds. And suddenly a neat idea came to my mind. And I thought why not write a story about, say a hamster. Of course, I didn’t know what the story was going to be about exactly, but one thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to write a story for you, my superstar English learners. And I have to be perfectly honest with you it took me an hour to write the story. And today, now I am extremely excited to share my story with you. My hope is that you will like the story and it’ll certainly help you speak English better then you are dong now. And of course, my hope is that this vocabulary lesson will help you a lot.

So let’s jump into the vocabulary lesson.

Our fist word for today is significant. It comes from the sentence: «Harry was a small, smart and significant hamster.» Significant means big, important and remarkable. Here significant means remarkable or unusual. I like the idea of unusual and outstanding, not like other hamsters. Harry the Hamster was not like other hamsters. He was remarkable. He was outstanding. He was unusual. Harry was significant.

Okay, next we have the word vivid. Vivid means strong, clear and bright. Harry the Hamster wants to have beautiful, fantastic and bright dreams. He wants to have vivid dreams. He wants to have very bright, very colorful and very clear dreams. Harry the hamster wants to have vivid dreams. I think you get the idea, right?

Okay, our next we have the word to examine. It’s a verb. You can see this word in the following sentence, «Many scientists examined him». Here to examine means to look at someone or something carefully as doctors do. They look at your body to check if you are healthy, right? In other words, they study you. That’s what many scientists do to Harry. They look at him carefully in order to find out the reason why he cannot fall asleep. Many scientists study him. Many scientists examine him.

Next we have the word to liberate. Actually, it is a verb. To liberate means to give someone freedom to do what they want. In other words, to liberate means to make someone free or to become free. As you remember from the story the woman says to Harry to liberate himself from the cage. In other words, she says to Harry, “Go and become a free hamster” She actually says, “You must liberate yourself from that cage. Go and live like a free hamster.” Be free. Do what you want to do and if you do this, if you become free, if you liberate yourself from that cage, then and only then you will you get what you want. You will have beautiful, fantastic and vivid dreams.

In this vocabulary lesson we also have one of my favourite expressions in English and what is it? It is smell the flowers, of course. What do people mean when they say to you «Smell the flowers»?

It actually means don’t worry about your future, stop it now, wake up. Wake up and look around and enjoy the moment. Smell the flowers. It is when you work really hard, a lot and you are stressed. You have to stop doing it. You have to take a break and enjoy life. Enjoy life as it is or smell the flowers. Don’t worry about the future. The future will take care of itself.

Oaky, our next expression is without a trace. Usually we use this expression with the verb to disappear. We often say, «She disappears without a trace or he disappears without a trace» It is when someone or something is gone completely, and you cannot see him or her or it. So the woman disappears completely and the hamster cannot see her. She’s gone. She disappears without a trace.

This is a very short vocabulary lesson. And that is why our final expression for today is to be in seventh heaven. When you are in seventh heaven it means you feel extremely happy. So Harry the hamster feels extremely happy. He is extremely happy because now he has fantastic, beautiful and vivid dreams. Harry is in seventh heaven.

This is the end of the vocabulary lesson for «Harry the Hamster». The vocabulary gives you a quick little lesson about some of the words and phrases you may not know. And it also liberates you from the story as I like to say. It certainly gives you that freedom you need to express yourself better and to feel more confident every time when you need to speak English. Moreover, it surely helps you to get automatic respect from people every time when you need to speak English.

Okay, I’ll see you in the mini-story lesson. Bye for now!

Story 1 The mini-story lesson

Hi! This is Alex. Welcome to the mini-story for «Harry the Hamster». You know what I am going to do, right? Yes, I’m going to ask the story. I want you to answer the questions fast and automatically. I want you to train your brain, teach your brain to answer very quickly. I don’t want you to translate from your language to English or from English to your language. Of course, you can answer with one or two words. It’s okay. Short answers are fine. Let’s go!

Harry was a small, smart and significant hamster.

What kind of hamster was Harry?

Right! Harry was small, smart and significant.

Where did Harry the hamster live?

Yes, you are absolutely right. He lived in a spacious, gorgeous and very comfortable cage.

Why was Harry significant?

The reason he was significant was that Harry never slept in his life. He couldn’t sleep. He never had dreams. No dreams for Harry.

What? Oh, my Lord! He never slept in his life. He never had dreams. No dreams for Harry. Poor Harry.

Did Harry the hamster want to have dreams?

Of course, he did. Harry the hamster wanted to have dreams.

He often said, «How much I want to have colorful, fantastic and vivid dreams! But I cannot sleep.»

What did he often say?

He often said, «How much I want to have colorful, fantastic and vivid dreams! But I cannot sleep.»

Did Harry the hamster want to have colorful, fantastic and vivid dreams a lot or a little?

A lot, very much. He often said, «How much I want to have colorful, fantastic and vivid dreams!»

Every day hundreds of people came to see him. Every day many reporters interviewed him. And every day a lot of scientists examined him.

Why did hundreds of people come to see him?

They did it, because Harry the hamster was significant. He was not like other, any other hamster in the world. He never ever slept in his life.

What about reporters? Did reporters interview him?

Yes, sure, they did. Many reporters interviewed him.

Why did many reporters interview Harry?

They did it, because they wanted to know more about Harry as an individual.

They wanted to know how it felt not to sleep at all.

Did many reporters study Harry? Did they examine Harry?

No, they didn’t study him. They didn’t examine him. Many reporters talked to him. They interview him.

Who examined Harry the Hamster?

Scientists did. A lot of scientists looked at Harry the Hamster. A lot of scientists examined him.

What did a lot of scientists do with or to Harry the hamster?

Right you are. They examined him. They looked at him carefully. They studied him.

Did a lot of scientists want to know why he couldn’t sleep?

Yes, exactly. A lot of scientists examined Harry the hamster because they wanted to know the reason why he couldn’t sleep.

Did the scientists find out the reason why Harry couldn’t sleep?

No, they didn’t. The scientists didn’t find out the reason why he couldn’t fall asleep. They didn’t find out the reason why Harry still couldn’t sleep. They didn’t find out the reason why Harry still couldn’t have vivid dreams.

And how did Harry the hamster feel?

Of course, he felt frustrated, depressed and unhappy.

Why did Harry the hamster feel that way? I mean frustrated, depressed and unhappy?

It’s obvious. He felt frustrated, depressed and unhappy because no one could help him to fall asleep. Nobody could help him to have vivid fantastic and beautiful dreams.

But one day… you know there is always a day that turns your life around, the day that changes everything.

The day when a woman appeared out of nowhere and she said, «You want to have vivid dreams, don’t you Harry?»

«Yes, I do. I really really want to have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams. But I cannot sleep. I cannot fall asleep, so I cannot have dreams. No one can help me.»

«I can», the woman said. «I am here to help you, Harry. I can help you. I do can solve your problem.»

Harry the hamster got very much excited. He couldn’t believe his ears.

How did Harry the hamster feel?

Of course, he felt very much excited. He felt very happy. He really really wanted to have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams. That is why he got very much excited.

And the woman said, «Your problem is that you live in the cage. You must liberate yourself from that cage. Go and live like a free hamster. Smell the flowers. Then and only then you will have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams.» As soon as the woman finished speaking, she disappeared without a trace.

What was Harry’s problem?

His problem was that he lived in the cage.

What did the woman say Harry to do in order to have vivid dreams?

She said to him that he must liberate himself from the cage.

It means he must leave his spacious, gorgeous and very comfortable cage, right?

Yes, that’s what it means. The woman said to Harry to leave the cage. She said to him that he must liberate himself to become a free hamster.

Why must Harry the hamster liberate himself from the cage?

To start having vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams, of course.

The woman said «Your problem is that you live in the cage. You must liberate yourself from that cage. Go and live like a free hamster. Smell the flowers. Then and only then you will have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams.»

Smell the flowers? What did the woman mean when she said «smell the flowers»?

Well, she actually meant enjoy life and don’t worry about your future.

Oh, I see. And what would Harry have if he went to the woods and if he smelled the flowers?

If Harry went to the woods, if he smelled the flowers he would have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams.

Only when he liberates himself, right?

Yes, that’s right. Only when Harry the hamster liberates himself from the cage he will have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams.

As soon as the woman finished speaking she did what?

Correct. She disappeared without a trace.

Was the woman gone as soon as she finished speaking?

Yes, she was. The woman was gone. She disappeared without a trace.

Could Harry the hamster see the woman?

No, he couldn’t see her. She disappeared without a trace. She was gone.

Why couldn’t he see the woman?

I’ve just said, because she was gone. He couldn’t see her because she disappeared without a trace.

What do you think Harry the hamster did next?

Next of course, he immediately left his spacious, gorgeous and very comfortable cage. He went to the woods. He became a free hamster.

Where did Harry go when he left his cage?

He went to the woods.

He went to the woods why? Yes, why?

He went to the woods to become a free hamster.

What was Harry the hamster doing the whole day in the woods?

The whole day Harry the hamster was running and jumping. He met different animals. He smelled the flowers.

What happened by the end of the day?

By the end of the day Harry the hamster felt exhausted and without knowing how he fell asleep.

Did Harry the hamster realize how he fell asleep?

No, he didn’t realize that. He didn’t realize how he fell asleep. He fell asleep without knowing how.

Why did Harry fall asleep?

He fell asleep because he felt exhausted.

Was Harry the hamster super tired by the end of the day?

Yes, exactly. By the end of the day he was super tired. He felt exhausted. And because of that he fell asleep by the end of the day without knowing how.

What happened while he was sleeping?

And of course, while he was sleeping, he had vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams. When Harry the hamster woke up, he was in seventh heaven.

He was in seventh heaven. What do you mean by saying he was in seventh heaven? What is that?

I mean he was very happy.

Where was Harry when he woke up?

He was in seventh heaven. When Harry the hamster woke up, he was in seventh heaven. He was very happy.

Why was Harry in seventh heaven?

It is obvious. He was very happy. He was in seventh heaven because he fell asleep and he had vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams.

And this is the end of the mini-story for «Harry the Hamster». You know what to do, right? Listen and answer the questions. Feel confident and be in seventh heaven when you speak English. This is the best way to start speaking English the way you never did before. Okay, I’ll see you next time.

Story 1 The POV lesson

Hi, this is Alex again and now it is time for our new kind of lesson which I called Point of view stories. These stories are designed to teach you grammar intuitively. It is very important. I mean not to think about grammar rules. And of course, you remember why? Because the stories are interesting, the stories are compelling that is why, grammar takes care of itself.

So the point of view stories are designed to teach you the way a native speaker learns grammar. And we all learn grammar by listening, by understanding meaning, by understanding the message. So when you listen to these stories, here’s the good news.

Just listen. Feel great. Don’t think about rules, none of that. Just relax and enjoy the story. Notice the patterns. You can notice the changes in vocabulary because in each story what I’m going to do is I’m going to tell this exact same story from the mini-story. But don’t focus on grammar too much. It will take care of itself simply because you understand the message.

So in this story you’re going to hear the same story about Harry wanting to have dreams. But I’m going to tell it from a different point of view. It means from a different time. So, for example, I might tell that story but from the future point of view. I might say that I have an idea for a movie and the movie will happen in ten years, ten years from now. In ten years there will be a hamster by the name of Harry and he’ll have a problem. And his problem will be that Harry the Hamster will never ever sleep in his life.

And I’ll tell the whole story from the point of view of the future. Of course, I’ll change some of the vocabulary, especially the verbs, in order to tell it from the future.

And now all you have to do is just listen to it. Just say «Okay, this is the future» and just notice. All you have to do is just listen, notice some of the words change. I’ll be using will, for example, and you know that that’s the future tense. But forget this idea of the future tense. Forget your grammar books. Just notice the changes in vocabulary. Sometimes I might change the word order. Sometimes the structure might change a little bit. Just notice it. Not because grammar is not important. No, I am not saying that. I am just saying that grammar is difficult, grammar is very difficult.

That’s all you have to do. Listen carefully. Don’t think about it. Don’t analyze grammar. Don’t write down rules, none of that. Listen and notice, listen, listen, listen and listen, that’s all you need to do.

So than in the point of view stories I’m going to use two basic points of view. One is the future, which I’ve just mentioned, and the other I call the present perfect and there is actually a few of them. But don’t think about that, oh my God, oh, my Lord! Grammar, grammar, grammar term. No, forget it! All you need to know is I’ll start most of those stories with something like “Since he was young… or Since 2002…” It means something started in the past and is continuing up until now.

So that’s one of the points of view I’ll use and the other one will be the future. The main story, you may have noticed, most of the regular mini-stories are from the past.

I said, «Harry wanted to have dreams». So I did that by design. I did it on purpose. Because most people need a lot of help, a lot of practice, a lot of listening for the past, the past, the past, the past. So that’s why mini-stories, the main mini-stories are almost usually told from the past point of view. Alright, enough talking, let’s get to it. Are you ready? Let’s start with the first one.

 
* * *
 

Since his childhood Harry the hamster has always been a small, smart and significant hamster. All his life Harry the hamster has lived in a spacious, gorgeous and very comfortable cage. The reason he has been significant is that Harry has never ever slept in his life. He has never been able to sleep. As a result, he has never had dreams. No dreams for Harry.

Has Harry always been a small, smart and significant hamster? Yes, I have a question.

And the answer is yes, he has. Harry has always been a small, smart and significant hamster.

Since what time has Harry been a small, smart and significant hamster?

Since his childhood. Since Harry the hamster was a child, he has always been small, smart and significant.

Where has he lived all his life in a house?

No, he hasn’t. Harry the hamster has never lived in a house.

Where has lived all his life then?

In a cage. All his life Harry the hamster has lived in a cage.

What kind of cage has Harry lived in all his life?

All his life he has lived in a spacious, gorgeous and very comfortable cage.

Why has he been significant since he was born, since his childhood?

Because Harry the hamster has never ever slept in his life.

Has he ever been able to sleep?

No, not Harry. Harry the hamster has never been able to sleep. As a result, he has never had dreams in his life. Unbelievable, right?

Has Harry the hamster ever had any dreams in his life?

No, he hasn’t. Harry the hamster has never ever had dreams in his life. No dreams for Harry.

Harry the hamster has always wanted to have dreams. Harry has often said, «How much I want to have colorful, fantastic and vivid dreams! But I cannot sleep.»

Has Harry the hamster always or sometimes wanted to have dreams?

Of course, always. Harry the hamster has always wanted to have dreams, not sometimes.

He has wanted to have dreams since he was a baby. He has wanted to have dreams since he was a boy. He has always wanted to have dreams since he was a teenager. He has always wanted to have dreams.

What kind of dream has Harry the hamster always wanted to have?

Colorful, fantastic and vivid dreams. And he’s often said, «How much I want to have colorful, fantastic and vivid dreams! But I cannot sleep».

All his life every day hundreds of people has come to see him. All his life every day many reporters have interviewed him. All his life every day a lot of scientists have examined him, but no one has ever been able to solve his problem. No one has been able to help Harry the hamster to start having dreams.

How has Harry the hamster felt all this time?

All this time he has felt frustrated. He has felt depressed. He has felt unhappy.

But one day a woman appeared out of nowhere and she said, «You want to have vivid dreams, don’t you?»

«Yes, I do. I really really want to have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams. But I cannot sleep. I cannot fall asleep, so I can’t have dreams. No one can help me.»

«I can» the woman said. «I am here to help you, Harry. I do can solve your problem,» the woman said.

Harry the hamster couldn’t believe his ears. He got very much excited.

«Your problem is that you live in the cage. You must liberate yourself from that cage. Go and live like a free hamster. Smell the flowers. Then and only then you will have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams», the woman said. As soon as the woman finished speaking, she disappeared without a trace.

What do you think Harry the hamster did?

He immediately left his spacious, gorgeous and very comfortable cage. He went to the woods. He became a free hamster. The whole day Harry was running and jumping. He met different animals. He smelled the flowers. By the end of the day Harry the hamster felt exhausted and without knowing how he fell asleep. And of course, while he was sleeping, he had vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams. When Harry the hamster woke up, he was in seventh heaven.

Okay, so this is the end of the first POV story.

Alright, our next Point of View story, we’re going to the future. Here we go, let’s start.

 
* * *
 

Because I have this idea for a movie. Let’s just imagine this is a movie idea. And it’s going to happen in ten years, ten years from now.

In ten years, ten years from now there will be a hamster and his name will be Harry. Harry the hamster will be small, smart and significant. Harry the hamster will live in a spacious, gorgeous and very comfortable cage. The reason Harry will be significant will be that Harry will never ever sleep in his life. He won’t be able to sleep. As a result, he’ll never have dreams.

Who will be a small, smart and significant hamster in ten years?

Harry the hamster will be. In ten years Harry the hamster will be a small, smart and significant hamster.

Where will Harry the hamster live in ten years?

In ten years or ten years from now he’ll live in a spacious, gorgeous and very comfortable cage.

Why will he be significant?

The reason why he’ll be significant that he’ll be the hamster who will never sleep in his life.

What?

Yes, he will never be able to sleep. He will never sleep in his life. He won’t be able to do it.

Will Harry the hamster ever have dreams?

No, not Harry. He’ll never have dreams. No dreams for Harry.

Will Harry the hamster want to have dreams?

Of course, Harry the hamster will want to have dreams. Harry will often say, «How much I want to have colorful, fantastic and vivid dreams! But I cannot sleep.»

Every day, ten years from now, hundreds of people will come to see him. Every day, ten years from now, many reporters will interview him. Every day, ten years from now, a lot of scientists will examine him, but no one will be able to solve his problem. No one will be able to help Harry to start having dreams.

How will Harry the hamster feel?

Of course, he’ll feel frustrated. He’ll feel depressed. He’ll fell unhappy.

But one day a woman will appear out of nowhere and she’ll say, «You want to have vivid dreams, right?» «Yes, I do. I really really really want to have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams. But I cannot sleep. I can’t fall asleep, so I can’t have dreams. No one can help me.»

«I will help you, Harry. I’ll be able to help you», the woman will say. «I am here to help you, Harry. I will be able to solve your problem,» the woman will say.

Harry the hamster will not believe his ears. Harry the hamster will get extremely excited.

What will the woman say to Harry?

She’ll say, «Your problem is that you live in the cage. You must liberate yourself from that cage. Go and live like a free hamster. Smell the flowers. Then and only then you will have vivid, fantastic and beautiful dreams.» As soon as the woman finishes speaking, she’ll disappear without a trace.