(( The Next Stage For Mr Steve ))

This has been quite a memorable week in many ways, not least of all because of Mr Steve finally getting his chance to shine on the big stage. All this week he has been appearing in Bilston Operatic Society's production of 'The King And I'. He played the part of the Kralahome, the prime minister and personal assistant to to King. The part was not big but it gave Steve quite a good opportunity to shine with some very dramatic moments, such as his anger at Anna for breaking the king's spirit and the King's death scene, which gave Steve a chance to express his devastation upon the King's demise.

This is a very exciting time for Steve because after 3 years of amateur performing he has made his next step up the ladder by treading the boards at a legitimate theatre (The Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton). Despite Bilston Operatic Society being an amateur company, they are highly respected for their professional approach and polished productions. Last year I was lucky enough to see their production of 'Me and my girl', which completely blew me away, with its overall production quality and the professional performances from the actors. Steve joined the company earlier this year and was lucky enough to be offered a role in their latest production.

There were seven performances over this week, including two matinees (Afternoon Shows). I attended three of the shows and was at the final performance last night. The local newspapers had given the show some good publicity, with Steve's half-naked body being shown in the local newspaper. The reviews were very favourable and one critic wrote that the show 'blurred the line between amateur and professional theatre, which is quite a compliment indeed.

I was able to go along to the after performance party and gush my praise to the various cast members, which I'm sure was quite embarrassing for them, but gush I did! I believe that credit and praise should be given where it is due and in the case of this production, the compliments were certainly valid and well deserved.

I admire anyone who can do this type of art form. The mere thought of going onto a stage and having to remember lots of lines and dialogue fills me with horror. Needless to say I have never acted on stage in my life. I can perform well, if I have the control, but it would be impossible for me to stick to a tight format or lines written by another person. This is probably why I insist on having full control of my English lesson videos. The thing I imagine is the same thing that is created. This control is important to me.

It has been a week of sadness and joy and for Mr Steve it marked another step up the ladder of dreams. Where this will take him next...only fate can tell.

(Misterduncan) ...........................................................

((( 25th June 2009 )))

I have to write something, just as a record of how I feel right now. How can this affect me so deeply? Watching the TV last night and witnessing the whole shocking event unfold before me on my screen made me feel sad and sick to my stomach. Now it all seems so unreal, as if I'm living some sort of nightmare. It is strange how some people appear so permanent and unmovable. They have an almost invincible quality about them, even in their most desperate hour.

Of course I'm talking about Michael Jackson, who died last night...My goodness!..Even writing that sentence seems unreal. I'm an old person and I grew up in the 70's and 80's, which from my personal perspective was a great time to be alive, despite what the young and cynical trendsetters of today may try and make us believe. During this period music played a big role in my life. It was literally the soundtrack of my early years. When I think back to those days, it is hard to avoid a song or two from that era popping into my head. The songs of Michael Jackson make up a large part of those melodic memory flashes. His music always sounded fresh and vibrant. His music videos were (and still are) some of the most outstanding creations of that time, the sounds and the images went together so well. The album 'Off The Wall' contains some of the greatest dance tracks ever produced and now he has gone, they are sure to return in one guise or another.

It is hard to explain why his death has affected me so much. The feeling is similar to how I felt when I heard about the death of John Lennon in 1980, or Elvis Presley in 1977 and of course more recently, Princess Diana in 1997. These people seemed to have an aura of permanence surrounding them. The realisation that they too can pass away seems totally bewildering and hard to accept. Deep down I think that these events bring us face to face with our own mortality. It is a vivid reminder of the preciousness of life and just how fine that gossamer thread from which we all dangle really is.

Of course the sad part of this is that now he is gone, there will be many more stories and half truth rumours flying around and over time it will become even more difficult to tell fact from fiction. The only ones who will really benefit now are the tabloid newspapers and any human being who came within 10 feet of him for more than a day. Each one taking their pound of flesh from his memory.

For me it would be great to get to the bottom of all the allegations and trials that he had faced in the past, instead of new ones being constantly pulled from thin air. This highlights the vulnerability of those who live in the public eye. I suppose at this point I should say that I do not in any way condone the allegations or the acts that Jackson was supposed to have carried out, but an unbiased open investigation should have been carried out, instead of the media frenzy that happened instead. Already people are speculating about his death, some saying it was suicide and others saying that he took painkillers. It only adds to the feeling of sadness that his fans will be feeling over the next few weeks and months....and he still has many fans, as the recent sell-out of his intended fifty concert run in London clearly demonstrated.

I was hoping that writing this would make me feel better...

It has not.

The grey sky outside my window really reflects my mood so well. However I can take comfort in knowing that the shock will wear off and the sun will once again shine...just as it always does... Just as it always will.

(Misterduncan).......................................................................

The future >>>>>>>>

Time flies when you are having fun, so the proverb goes and this month has flown by so fast. It is hard to believe that we have just had the longest day of the year. There is something comforting about seeing a light sky at 11pm. But already we are heading down hill towards Winter, albeit slowly.

Now lets talk about the future of my lesson videos.

Lesson 50 has been on my Channel for about 10 days and the reaction to it has been quite enthusiastic, which was quite a relief to me, as I really thought nobody would watch it. I think the format of this lesson is quite different from my previous ones, with the documentary style and straight faced presentation. I was aware of not making the lesson too funny because the story of Samuel Johnson was one that I wanted to convey in a serious way. Even though I did do a couple of silly bits...talking to the statue, writing a letter to Mr Lomax and my exhaustion after climbing the many stairs in the museum.

So what now? Well as I mentioned in previous blog posts, I want to go back to my very early lessons and remake them, so that they look more in line with my later ones. This will take a few weeks to do of course, so there will not be a lesson 51 for a while.

My next production will be Lesson 2, which I will begin filming at the end of this week. At the moment I'm waiting for some new sound equipment to be delivered to me. As you may know, one of the most difficult parts of filming is getting the sound right. So I have gone ahead and ordered some professional equipment which will allow me to do more filming outdoors and generally improve the sound quality of my lessons overall.

So there will be little time for me to rest, although I'm planning to take a short break next week and will be travelling down to the south-west of the UK for some sightseeing and to catch up with some friends I have not seen for a long time. So that should be nice. I will of course be taking my camera. It seems I have become some sort of mythical beast...half man-half video camera.

Last week I took a ride in a Morgan sports car with Mr Steve. It was actually a birthday treat given to him by a friend. (Just a day in the car) I had never ridden in a low seated open topped car before and I must say it was quite an exhilarating experience. Oh yes I did some filming on that day and the result will appear at the start of a forthcoming lesson.

Back to the present and I have just prepared the new Lesson 2 script which I will begin shooting towards the end of this week. (I already metioned that, right?) Just one more piece of news...As of now I'm working on the early stages of a brand new English Channel, which will be appearing on YouTube later this year. Keep watching for more details !!

Ok...must go!

Ta-ta for now 8-))

(Misterduncan) .................................................................

(( LESSON 50 !! ))

It was a lonely evening for me...Way back in November 2006...when I was sitting in my big apartment in Baotou-China, trying to think of something to do.. Then it came to me....an idea! Why not make a short video English lesson? I had created a Youtube channel a few days before and had only posted a couple of videos on to it. For this video, I could imagine that I was the front of a classroom full of students, talking to them about learning English. It seemed like a good idea...and the perfect way to pass away a quiet evening.

So I went ahead and filmed it. My first attempt was not very good. I felt nervous doing it and certainly looked it. I had done no preparation for it and in the video I talked about some simple ways of improving speaking skills and English in general. I did a quick edit and posted it onto my Youtube Channel.

The following day I checked my YouTube channel. I was surprised to find that my little lesson had received quite a few views. So I went ahead and made another one. This time I talked about ways of saying hello. This video also attracted many viewers and I got the feeling that there was a large potential audience out there searching for material they could use for practicing their spoken English with. I made seven videos in total, before returning to the UK in February 2007.

In April 2007, I made Lesson one of what would slowly become my vast catalogue of English teaching videos. Move on 26 months and here I am, having just completed Lesson 50 !

During this time I have gradually refined and taught myself the methods of video production and editing techniques, as well as my presenting skills. My aim is to constantly improve my abilities and strive for perfection. Of course due to the fact that I do everything by myself, mistakes sometimes happen. But I always try to learn from these errors.

In lesson 50, I visit the City of Lichfield to take a look around its beautiful Cathedral and to visit the birthplace of a man who became famous for creating the first definitive version of a Dictionary of English. He was also a man whose wit and words of wisdom, made him a national celebrity. Which was quite amazing, when you consider that it was around 300 years ago. The man in question is Samuel Johnson. This lesson is a little different from my other ones and the documentary style may not be to everyones liking.

After this lesson has been posted, I will begin to remake some of my earlier lessons, which now look a little amateur in production quality, not to mention my terrible presentation. These new lessons will be in HD and will have subtitles. The lessons I will be remaking are...

Lesson-2.

Lesson-3.

Lesson-4.

Lesson-5.

Lesson-6.

Lesson-7

and Lesson-8.

I will be taking a short holiday soon, here in the UK, at the end of this month, so that should give me some good filming opportunities. Hopefully the weather will be OK.

You may have noticed that I have stopped using the Twitter service. Sadly I do not have enough time to keep updating it, so it has had to go. I must get into the habit of updating this blog more often instead, although I'm still uncertain as to exactly how many people actually read my ramblings.

OK lesson 50 is now officially available 8-))

Ta-ta for now.

(Misterduncan) .........................................................................................