Shadowing Practice: Can you understand this British English Conversation? - Learn English Speaking with Video

Hello everybody

and welcome back to another British English chit chat with a

mate of mine who I haven't caught up with for like a year.

So, Jay, how are you?

Welcome back!

Thank you, Lewis.

It's a pleasure to be here.

Yeah, it's been about a year.

I'm excited to have a little chit chat again to have a natter with some British English and yeah,

let's get stuck in let's get stuck in let's have a natter a couple of lovely phrases to kick off

and by the way i might be taking some notes throughout this conversation

because at the end we'll go over some of these words

and phrases so um shall we cut to the chase

and get stuck in let's do it let's do it

so we're gonna take it in turns to answer some questions that I have prepared.

And I think they're quite fun questions.

They're quite interesting questions that people don't usually ask each other.

So we can begin with the first question.

So I'm just going to share my screen so everybody can see it for 10 seconds, 20 seconds, tops as a maximum.

So Jay, should you wear shoes inside the house?

What do you think about this question?

Hmm, well, if you live in Asia, like I do, I live in Vietnam,

then you shouldn't wear shoes inside the house because it's disrespectful.

It's not respecting the owner of the house.

However, in the UK, where we are both from, then it depends, really.

It depends if the house, the homeowner is bothered or not.

Do they care?

For me, I don't mind if I wear shoes in the house.

I don't mind if other people wear shoes in the house, as long as those shoes are not dirty.

As long as they don't have soil, mud, or dog on them.

I mean, I know what you mean.

It's a little bit strange because I'm not that used to Asian cultures in general.

So I haven't traveled around Asia that much.

I've never been to Japan, never been to China, never been to Vietnam either.

I have been to Thailand and Indonesia and Malaysia.

And one thing that is quite characteristic is that you'll notice people's shoes will be left on the doorstep, on like a doormat or something like that

and I kind of like it to be honest because it's true that in the UK everybody's a little bit different.

Growing up I used to go to some friends houses

and my friends would walk straight through the door after playing football outside

and I'd be looking like whoa aren't you supposed to take your shoes off before you go inside

and my friend would tell me like it's fine no problem it's all eye

so his family were quite chilled laid black and happy -go -lucky

but then in my house my mom would always say to

me like lewis don't forget to take your shoes off

because she would love to have a spotless kitchen she wanted her kitchen to be immaculate

so for that reason she couldn't stand seeing muddy shoes wandering around the kitchen.

So, yeah, I think you should take them off before you enter a house, for sure.

Okay, so you think you should take your shoes off before entering a house because your mum wanted a spotless kitchen, a very clean kitchen.

Yeah, I agree with you.

I think you should take your shoes off it's a sign of showing respect to the host 100

and i say before entering the house i also count as soon as you walk in

so as soon as you walk through the door that's where you take off your shoes

and just leave them next to the door the main door

if you've got a doormat you can leave it there

if you've got some kind of utility room then perfect

but i don't think you should cross the threshold of entering the kitchen

or the hall or the living room and

if it's carpet then make sure you don't get your carpet filthy

because if it is you know wooden tiles or something like

that it's quite easy to mop up and clean so you can't notice these dirty marks but with a carpet

You're going to ruin the carpet.

That's a dangerous game.

It is.

So no, I'm glad we are on the same page.

We're on the same page.

You've got a little notebook there.

By the way, guys, at the very end of this video, we are going to recap all of the words and vocabulary that we're discussing.

So remember to stick around until the end of the video to hear all those words

and understand more deeply i do i actually um

so i i bound this notebook to bind is to connect something together to tie something together

so this is bound by me my partner

and i chang like to do creative things together so she got into she got into binding books.

I mean, she got interested in binding books.

And initially, I wasn't that bothered.

I thought it was cool.

But we sat down on a Saturday with a nice matcher.

And I learned how to do it.

She taught me how to bind the books.

And yeah, it was a really pleasurable experience because I love to write in notebooks.

I have so many of these notebooks and I fill them up every day

so to not only do the creative act of making something

that didn't exist before but then to have a practical use for

that thing afterwards which now it's just filled with my questions

and writings and ramblings little doodles as well maybe loads of doodles yeah yeah all sorts of nonsense

and sense in here so yeah it's my happy place when i'm writing

i've actually written some questions for you lewis today

so i thought we could go back and forth

and switch it up change it up sounds like a plan to me it sounds great

that way we can you know mix it up switch it up

and uh yeah ask me whatever you want feel free to ask me anything

and maybe you can show us some of these doodles as well

and just so everybody knows if you are doodling it means

that you are drawing things in like a random way you know

if you're daydreaming taking notes you might just draw a mountain

you might just draw a bouncy castle you name it

so doodling is just informally and randomly drawing little drawings

but hey go ahead jay ask me whatever you want absolutely i'll quickly show you my doodles now

and this is very strange by the way i was eating bread

and and i was looking at the bread as i was eating it

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and it was taking on different shapes

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and different forms i i don't know what possessed me to start drawing them

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but one of them looked like albert einstein

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so i started going i going mad

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and i mean it's like it is i can i swear it's weird

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but this one is albert einstein okay yeah in the in

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the shape of bread basically all these drawings are very almost like subconscious they look kind of kind of bizarre

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but they were just what i saw in the shapes of bread the leonardo da vinci um the polymath

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which is somebody who studies many different subjects from the renaissance period

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used to apparently he would throw a paint soaked sponge at a canvas

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or a wall and the paint would splatter and in that paint he would try to

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he would give each paint shape he would assign it like an object essentially

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that looks like this this looks like a wheel of cheese

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that looks like a slice of pizza that looks like a ghost

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and we do the same with clouds

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when you look at clouds in the sky we can be creative with what we see in the clouds

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so i was doing

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that with bread don't ask me why i'm slightly weird why

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not yeah yeah i like i like to explore uh

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and yeah do creative things a slice of bread a loaf

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of bread a baguette ciabatta i mean there are already

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so many types of bread and they can take on other shapes and forms as well such as albert einstein

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I was trying to think of a pun there, but I'm not quick enough.

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okay lewis a question for you what did you dream of becoming

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when you were a kid and how different is your reality now compared to little lewis's dream

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little lewis he had so many dreams so many dreams that never came true unfortunately

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well of course i always dreamt of being a superhero

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and i'd look at spider -man batman superman

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and i think oh i want to be just like them

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and i remember thinking spider -man was maybe the coolest one

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because i've always been a little bit afraid of spiders at the same time

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so i was thinking wait

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if i become spider -man i could become like the boss of all of the spiders

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and then i wouldn't be afraid of them

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because i would be superior to them something like that anyway

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but i quickly realized that being a superhero probably wasn't going to happen

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and yeah well i mean i might develop superpowers at some point in the future

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but so far nothing's happened i can't do anything like that

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and start shooting out spider webs

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and cobwebs to be able to fly from skyscraper to skyscraper related to skyscrapers

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and buildings my mom often reminds me of the fact

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that i told her when i was two three four years old mom

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when i'm older i want to become I'm a builder

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because I want to build you a big house with a swimming pool, which is very sweet.

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It's very endearing.

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Imagine if you are a mom in that moment and you think, oh, I'm so touched.

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I'm so moved.

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I've raised him right because he wants to provide for me in the future.

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But there was another problem.

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And that problem is the fact that I'm not very handy.

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I'm not very good with my hands.

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I'm terrible when it comes to DIY.

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So I was starting to come to terms with the fact that,

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all right, maybe I don't have the necessary skill set to become a builder in the future.

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So from there, during my teenage years and up until maybe five years ago, I didn't know what I wanted to do in life.

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I was a little bit lost trying to find something that I wanted to do.

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But I knew that I loved discovering new cultures, learning new languages, because I liked the theatrical point of view,

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where you can pretend to be someone else.

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And of course, it's fascinating to imagine speaking to so many different people from all over the world.

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And I remember my first work experience was in a school.

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So I was always kind of open to the idea of

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being a teacher possibly thinking about how many weeks of holidays they have in summer maybe

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that had something to do with it

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but yeah i didn't become a superhero i didn't become a

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builder to build my mom a big house with a swimming pool

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but i am very happy with how my life has turned out up until this point

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because i haven't been looking for a job based on job security

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or having a high salary it's been trying to work my preferences

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and hobbies around finding a source of income to be able to do what i enjoy doing

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and what i like doing in my day -to -day

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and make it a job because there's a great phrase

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which is if you love your job or

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if you like your job you don't work a day in your life

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and of course there are days

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when i feel like oof i'm a bit tired i don't really feel like recording a video

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or teaching a class but nine times out of ten i actually look forward to working

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and i enjoy working so yeah to sum up i might not have achieved my dream

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but i've worked out a dream along the way

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and my reality is quite similar to that dream

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and what i was looking for thumbs up yeah very well put

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so from spider -man to builder to english teacher and content creator.

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I mean, it's been a rocky road, a windy road, but we got there in the end.

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And in a way, you are a modern -day superhero, Lewis, to so many of your supporters and subscribers.

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You're helping people learn English just like superheroes help people live better lives.

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Exactly.

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And yeah, if I could shoot some cobwebs, then I would celebrate by doing that.

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Yeah, not on me, please.

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I'm going to turn the question back around at you, and we can simplify it.

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But Jay, for you, what was your dream job when you were a child

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and is what you do at the moment anywhere similar to what you had dreamt of as a child?

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So I, again, there's two.

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So the first one was when I was about four years old in reception, which is like the first year of school in the UK.

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And I remember drawing a poster.

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what is your dream job?

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And all the other kids, my dream job is to be an astronaut.

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My dream job is to be a policeman.

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I want to be a firefighter.

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But I'd written, when I grow up, I want to be a burglar.

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And I drew a man with a black mask, a swag bag, and a stripy black and white shirt, a thief, someone who takes things.

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And I remember my parents kind of being mortified, but also

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laughing when we displayed those posters on the edge of our classroom

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when we had assembly in school which is where all the parents

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and kids gather around to perform uh talk about what you've been doing in the classes

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so the first one was a burglar that didn't happen i'm above board

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and i'm a good citizen if you were spider -man

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and i was the burglar then you would be taking me down but that's not the case.

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Our paths could have crossed in such a different way.

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Exactly.

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I could be tangled up in webs right now in a prison cell somewhere.

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My second dream was to be a conservationist.

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A conservationist is someone who helps protect species, whether that's plants or animals.

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So I always had an obsession and obsession is

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when you love something very much with monkeys i was obsessed with monkeys

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and apes in particular orangutans which are those orange apes

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and i always wanted to work with monkeys in some way

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or with animals or nature so while that hasn't materialized

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that hasn't come true i am now making youtube videos

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and i've built a business called sprouts where we teach english online through videos

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and speaking practice

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and in the future i would like to grow sprout to

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a place where we can have conservation projects where we can

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give back to communities where we can uh reforest areas to

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reforest is to plant new trees i care about the environment

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i care about doing good things making a positive impact on this earth beyond helping people helping future generations

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so maybe our reforestation projects the future reforestation projects on sprouts will help to save orangutans

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and maybe i'll spend some time with those big orange apes who knows

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and you can rope them into helping you to burgle some houses as well no it's all mine i want it all

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a disphrase over there

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if you rope someone into doing something it means you convince them to do something for you usually something

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that they're a bit hesitant to do they don't really want to do it

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but you rope them into it you talk them into it

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and you could say i keep mentioning my mom

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but i roped her in to joining my channel and recording videos

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because at first she was like i'm not sure i might

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be a bit embarrassed my cheeks might go a bit red

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but i said well you know i love you

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and i wanted to build a house for you it didn't work out

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but we could do this instead so i roped her into it excellent

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but now it's lovely to hear that you are very into

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reforesting and helping the environment because it's something

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that I think sometimes we forget about because there are so many things happening in the world.

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People are changing their priorities when the only thing

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that really matters is planet earth

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because there is no planet b as much as we would like to think

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that maybe we'll be able to live on multiple planets in

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the galaxy i think it's a bit of a pipe dream it's a bit of an unrealistic dream

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and every year i mean there are many forest fires there are many natural disasters

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so i think everybody should be on board with trying to make our planet as beautiful

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and natural as possible so yeah i agree with you with this

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and if we were in a position to be able to help preserve different species

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and preserve different natural habitats then

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that would be a dream come true as well for sure absolutely yeah these it really is precious planet earth and

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we were so concerned with our own perspectives all the time like

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and this goes for the majority of people we wake up

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we're in our heads we have we tell ourselves our own stories and

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we rarely zoom out and

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when we zoom out you zoom out even further you see

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the earth as a pale blue dot there's a famous photo of the earth from from far in space

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and when you see it in like the enormity

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that of space you it puts things into perspective it makes your problems seem just like a tiny little ant

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and it kind of allows you to yeah to see things with a whole new lens

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and appreciate your own life appreciate the people around you and appreciate the planet we live on

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100 so yeah everybody let's take care of our planet remember yeah to throw things in the correct bin recycle

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and where we can reduce our carbon footprint then it's probably going to be positive change

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so let's keep going with a different question and it's one

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that me and my fiance we don't really agree on because she will always say this typical phrase in spanish which is,

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me ustaid limpita la cama, which in English, I like to go to bed nice and clean.

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I mean, I like to be clean as well when I go to bed.

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But the question is, is it better to shower in the morning or at night?

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And right now, Jay and I are in different parts of the world.

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It's the morning where I am.

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It's the late afternoon, evening where he is.

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I had a shower about an hour ago

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and i always religiously have a shower as soon as i wake up first in the morning

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because it does wake me up

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and it kind of gives me a little bit of an energy boost as well and

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if i haven't had a shower in the morning i feel

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a bit lazy dirty grimy filthy my hair's all over the place as well

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so i am definitely team have a shower in the morning then maybe in the evening too

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but that depends it depends on the day and what you've done and so many other variables

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jay how about you are you team shower in the morning or shower at night

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i get where you're coming from with the shower waking you up making you feel good getting you energized for the day.

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I like to take a walk on the morning and I live right by the beach.

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So I'll take a walk and do a bit of exercise on the beach.

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Then sometimes I'll shower and other times I'll shower in a few hours.

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I'll eat my breakfast.

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I'll do some writing.

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I'm not

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so religious with it i don't have a set shower schedule

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sometimes i'll shower twice a day sometimes once um yeah depending

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on how i feel really i'm not i'm not very rigid

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with this habit um i like to yeah at least one shower a day i'm fine whether it's morning

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or night doesn't matter so you're quite easy you're easy i'm easy

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when you will shower and you know

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if you fancy a shower go for a shower

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if you don't fancy a shower don't bother and i guess

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if you do live next to the beach as well you

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could have a bit of a replacement for a shower because

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if you go for a dip in the sea then it's a nice way of waking you up anyway

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and energizing you anyway so that kind of removes the importance of having a shower in the morning Thank you.

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Because you can be woken up and energized by just going for a quick dip in the sea, which, to be honest, sounds like a dream.

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I'm a bit jealous of you right now.

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Yeah, I'm a lucky boy.

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I'm very lucky to live where I do.

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Okay, now, have you got another question on your little trusty notebook?

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All right, in my beautifully bound book, let's see.

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This is a question that I like to ask myself each day.

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And one that I'm going to ask you.

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So what's one insight that you've gained recently?

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By the way, guys, an insight is something that you've learned, something that you perhaps didn't know before.

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Okay, one insight that I've gained recently is something

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that I think I've always known and something

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that we are always reminded of especially our parents grandparents will remind you of this

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but it is the importance of family and maybe now i'm realizing

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that more as i'm getting a little bit older as i'm

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getting married it's always amazing to meet up with your friends

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to catch up with them to go out with them and

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when you're growing up in particular most people at least speaking for myself i have more fun

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when i go out with my friends i have a better laugh

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so i'd look forward to these days more

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so there'd be times in the past

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when maybe i would choose my friends over my family

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because i think like oh come on we're all going out

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for a drink i'm sorry i i can't have dinner with you mom dad sister

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and i think I think as I've reached my thirties, I'm starting to think, all right,

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it's true what my parents always told me, that your friends might not be there forever, but your family will be.

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Or at least that's the hope.

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So now I've got a nephew.

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Whenever I go home, I try to prioritize time with my family nice i want to maintain

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that bond that union that link

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and of course stay really good friends with my friends

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but something that i do think about nowadays is all right family should always come first

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and then friends is always an advantage but the insight i'd say

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that i've gained is the importance of family

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and family should always come first beautiful yeah um how about you jay have you had a similar realization

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or another completely different insight

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that you've gained relatively recently i i would say very similar yes i've gained quite a few insights but But one,

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it relates also to my family and something my granddad told me a lot when I was growing up,

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which was, if you have your health and your happiness, then you have everything.

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So at that time, I'm young, you know, I was healthy and happy.

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And I'm like, yeah, yeah, granddad, okay.

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Yeah, I'm healthy.

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I'm happy.

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But those words recently have come up in my mind again they've resurfaced

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because i've not been 100 health i've been sick i was in the hospital a few months ago

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and yeah my health's not been great it's been challenging physically and mentally

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to deal with all of this

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and now i'm getting better i'm grateful to be better and i really realize the importance of health and happiness.

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Like when our bodies are healthy and our minds are healthy and we are happy with not having,

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you know, all like fame and wealth, but rather just simple things.

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The, yeah, finding beauty in the mundane, finding happiness in simple things.

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Then we have everything, really.

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If you have those two things, as well as family, people who love you.

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So I think, yeah, these are all fundamental truths and very basic needs for human beings,

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family, health, happiness, that it's easy to overlook.

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It's easy to not appreciate these things because we're probably worried about this, that and the other.

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But I guess, yeah, on top of that, the insight I've learned is that my happy thoughts help create my healthy body.

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So I was very anxious and fearful in my thoughts when my body is not working properly.

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But that stress creates more stress and then that creates more ill health, both mentally and physically, in the mind and the body.

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So, yeah, for anyone watching, it's like focusing on cultivating joyful thoughts,

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cultivating happy thoughts can bring you health and happiness in your life, just like it has to be.

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And I think it's a very important thing to remind ourselves of this, that family comes first.

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And then if you don't have health, you don't have anything, really.

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So it is something that you're right, we overlook and we also take for granted.

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So if you see that, oh, no, I've got a bad leg and I'm limping all of the time,

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then you don't realize how much this little change can influence your freedom and your happiness.

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And as soon as anybody gets a little bit sick, then that's when you stop thinking about all these other things,

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about your salary, about your plans for the weekend, because you're only zeroing in on your health

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and trying to get better as quickly as possible

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so as soon as you don't have health your life just goes all over the place again

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and it gets turned upside down so here's to

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if i have a drink or something like

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that we should cheers to good health cheers to good health yeah cheers to good health

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and happiness and family and friends and family and friends a classic toast

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and a toast by the way is a bit confusing

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because toast is of course what you might have for breakfast toast

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and jam but a toast is also this mini speech

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that you will give before cheersing a dinner an event or whatever it might be cool absolutely whilst you were speaking,

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I was thinking of something else that I was going to add.

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I was going to say something and now I can't quite remember.

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So if it comes back to me, I will say it for sure.

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Okay.

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In the meantime, we can keep going.

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We can keep going with the next question.

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And this one is about something very British.

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It's something very British that, well, I personally drink more coffee than tea

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but whenever I'm back in the UK I have more tea than coffee

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which I guess

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when in Rome do as the Romans do whenever you visit a place you should follow their traditions

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so the question is this one should tea be made with the milk first

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or last so it's a bit of a funny way of creating this question

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but essentially jay tell us yeah how would you make a

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proper cup of yorkshire tea okay a proper cup of yorkshire

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tea i have yorkshire tea downstairs actually i would boil the kettle put my tea bag in my mug

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I would pour the boiling water over the teabag, let it brew, which is to rest for two minutes.

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Then I would add a splash of milk, take out my teabag, et voila.

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That's it.

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Bob's your uncle.

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Bob's your uncle.

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How about you?

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I mean, I would do exactly the same.

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Sometimes I'm in a bit of a hurry.

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Sometimes I'm in a bit of a rush, and in that case, maybe I'll let it brew for only about a minute.

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And my lazy hack is then that I will,

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like, kind of press the tea bag against the edges of the mug just to get out some more,

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like, tea goodness in case I haven't got the time to wait for it to brew properly.

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That's my little shortcut, my little hack.

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But of course, we shouldn't rush these things.

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It is a work of art.

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So everything needs its time.

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So I'm glad we agree that the milk goes in last.

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And if you want a bit of sugar, of course, add a bit of sugar.

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But a classic pun, a classic play on words is no sugar.

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I'm sweet enough.

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Excellent.

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Now, we can do one or two more questions, but I've remembered what I was going to say.

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Awesome.

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Yes.

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And of course, we were talking about how health is really, really important.

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And at the same time, your mind and your mental health is related to your physical health.

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And this is a really, really simple anecdote related to this, but I think it proves the point.

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And it is the fact that last week I was back in the UK

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and I hadn't seen my fiance in like three weeks.

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So I was really looking forward to being reunited with her and hugging her and kissing her.

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And sometimes when we're apart for a while and I'm maybe not sleeping

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that much or I'm a bit stressed or I'm thinking, oh, I'm really excited to see her.

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I hope I don't get a cold sore and a cold sore is a little bit of like herpes around your mouth.

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and what happened well you might be able to see I got a cold sore so I developed a cold sore

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just before being reunited with my fiance so I haven't kissed her yet

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because I don't want her to get a cold sore and

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that I think I provoked it myself

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because psychologically I was telling myself like just calm down relax

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you don't want to get a cold sore just before seeing her again

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that would be such bad luck and because

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that was probably overthinking it I brought it into happening so

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that is a simple kind of funny example of how your mental health

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and your mind can affect your physical health

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and in this case well I guess I'll just have to wait another week before I give my fiancé a kiss?

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C 'est la vie.

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That's a wonderful story.

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It explains it perfectly.

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Please, Lord, don't give me a coleslaw.

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Coleslaw?

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Coleslaw.

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And you got a coleslaw.

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Damn.

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It happens.

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But hey, I mean, other than that, we're in good health.

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So that's the important thing.

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Yeah.

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Does anybody else in the comments overthink?

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let us know in the comments are you an overthinker do

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you think too much do you worry too much i know a lot of uh english learners on sprout

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and people in the comments are always doubting themselves

454

and saying am i doing the right thing uh am i

455

getting better at english i'm still making mistakes i'm worried about grammar uh pronunciation

456

and i i think again that there's so much focus on that small thing, worry.

457

I'm doubting myself.

458

I'm fearful about making mistakes. That is one narrative.

459

That's one story you can tell yourself.

460

Another story is that I'm getting better.

461

I'm improving my English.

462

I make mistakes, yes, but I learn from those mistakes.

463

And I'm someone who learns more each day i'm someone who gets better each day

464

so i think this physical and mental link

465

that we're creating here is like it's all just it's mind created

466

and and the mind can take us down here

467

or it can take us up here

468

and you being the owner of your own mind you have

469

to as i said before cultivate like positive seeds just like a farmer cultivates seeds

470

and grows plants we have the responsibility to feed our minds with healthy thoughts with happy thoughts

471

and not thoughts of course no no absolutely i think

472

if we all look on the bright side of life

473

if we all think of the glass being half full rather than half empty then it's more likely

474

that you will feel good about yourself you will have a good time as a result

475

so you will reap the rewards of having a positive mindset

476

so everybody remember glass half full

477

and always look on the bright side of life nice relating to

478

that go on um i just i just want to share lewis just said

479

if your glass is half full

480

or your glass is half empty that's an idiom in english that basically means if your glass is half full, then you look at things in a positive way.

481

If your glass is half empty, you look at them in a negative way.

482

We have two different words as well that relate to that.

483

So one is optimistic.

484

If you're an optimistic person, you look on the bright side of life.

485

You look for the good in people.

486

You look for the good in things.

487

The opposite of optimistic is pessimistic.

488

A pessimistic person is somebody who is probably quite miserable, complains all the time, everything's shit.

489

I'm not gonna get this job.

490

I'm probably gonna fail.

491

It's pointless me doing this thing.

492

I'm no good.

493

It's looking at things with a glass half empty.

494

Absolutely.

495

And just a final recap of that is pessimistic and optimistic.

496

They are the adjectives and a pessimist and an optimist are the nouns.

497

So personally, I'm an optimist.

498

I'm an optimistic person, but I have a friend who is a pessimist.

499

He is a pessimistic person.

500

awesome now we're going to do a recap of these words

501

but jay should we do one final question before we get round to

502

that because i'm curious i want to know what other doodles

503

and questions are in your trusty notebook good question who knows who knows what we're going to That's a mystery.

504

My subconscious.

505

Yeah.

506

I like to write poetry as well.

507

Yeah, so here I wrote a little poem called...

508

I was in a place called...

509

In Vietnamese, it's called catch you on space, which I'm not sure what it means, catch you on space.

510

But I interpreted that as the words catch you in space.

511

Okay.

512

As in catching somebody in space.

513

So I wrote the poem here.

514

about a boy who's sitting on a moon and he sees a girl floating through space and he casts his fishing rod,

515

reels her in and catches her in space.

516

So he goes, you were dressed in white, floating in black.

517

I thought you looked lost.

518

So I cast my rod and you chased the hook

519

and you ate the bait and I reeled you in

520

and you flopped on me and we lay on the moon laughing just laughing

521

laughing about the time I caught you in space

522

it's beautiful it's beautiful thank you you're a great word sniff you have a way with words

523

so a word sniff somebody who has a way with words they're good at using words

524

I'm a I think the word is logophile someone who loves words as well a logophile I believe it's a logophile

525

a phial is like a suffix that means somebody who loves something yeah I've got all kinds of various poems in here

526

I like to ask what if questions so I asked here what if cats owned humans

527

I mean that one's an interesting one we could discuss to finish off what do you think would happen

528

or what would the world look like

529

if cats did own humans i think it sounds like a pretty good world but maybe i'm wrong

530

yeah what

531

if cats owned humans i mean i've got some ideas here more about like flipping the roles of cats

532

and humans so i said we would bring in dead birds and cats would slap our nose

533

we would get high on human nip

534

and run around causing terror we would hiss at dogs and piss on the carpet

535

yeah those are more like lyrical stuff rhyming stuff but if cats owned humans would it be a better world

536

I mean

537

yeah I feel like cats are very chilled aren't they they're a very laid back animal

538

and it's very independent like they do their own thing they don't meddle in other people's businesses as well

539

so maybe everyone would just have their own personal space

540

and we'd stick to our personal space of course the world wouldn't be better for us human beings

541

because we would i don't know we'd be stuck we wouldn't be able to go out a lot

542

or we'd only be able to go out for a few hours per day by jumping through a cat flap

543

so maybe a flap in this case

544

and then we'd have to go back at some point later to be fed to get some water

545

or some milk

546

and then of course we would jump on top of the laps of cats to be stroked a little bit

547

so then we'd be blurring as well So it wouldn't be better for us, maybe.

548

But I think the world as a whole, maybe it'd be a better place. Who knows?

549

I mean, the way you just described that, Lewis, getting fed and jumping on the laps and getting stroked, it sounds quite pleasant to me.

550

Sounds like a good life.

551

So, Katz, if you're listening to us, take over the world.

552

Yeah, please.

553

It'll be less hassle for us, less stress.

554

Fantastic.

555

Okay, well, let me go over some of these words and phrases.

556

So, Jay, you can chill for a minute whilst I recap some of these.

557

And of course, we'll be doing a part two of these questions.

558

So all of the questions that we didn't get round to asking and answering, we're going to discuss them in a few weeks

559

so let's begin the first phrase is get stuck in

560

if you get stuck in you get started in an enthusiastic way we can also use it in football

561

if a team is being more aggressive tackling then

562

that team is getting stuck in getting started can i go on uh to interject yeah we use

563

that in the context a lot with food

564

so let's get stuck in let's like begin enthusiastically we might

565

also say let's dig in with food also very common let's dig in

566

and we could also say let's tuck in let's tuck in let's get stuck in let's dig in

567

and i also used crack on at the beginning let's crack on let's get started

568

and we started to have a natter a natter is a chit chat or a chin wag as well

569

these are all very slang terms like natter

570

and chin wag are fantastic words very playful you won't hear them very often

571

so you know a chat is more common but they're good to know

572

and that's a chinwag and if you use them then people will think you're very british

573

exactly they'll be like wow their jaw might drop as they're like impressive

574

then when speaking about entering a house with shoes on

575

or not i mentioned two opposites so a very clean place is spotless

576

or immaculate and a very dirty place is filthy

577

so you'd get the carpet filthy

578

if you walked inside with muddy shoes to add to

579

that uh you can say it's a mess

580

or it's a tip a mess and a tip

581

if your room is a tip then it means it's like

582

a bomb site there is there are clothes on the floor

583

balls of food is very messy it's a mess it's a tip

584

salute tip wow looks like a bomb's just gone off yeah then next a couple of phrases

585

that jay used to speak about his notebook um so he said

586

that his girlfriend got into it she got into binding notebooks

587

so she became interested in it and at first jay said

588

that he wasn't bothered and this is really really common to use the phrase i'm not bothered

589

or i wasn't bothered and it means

590

that at first he wasn't interested he didn't really care but he also got into it

591

yeah very common very common and inside this notebook he has lots of doodles

592

so doodles are these informal little scribbles doodles where you're drawing things

593

that don't really make any sense absolutely can i add can i add one word as well yeah

594

so lewis said i wasn't bothered about it.

595

I wasn't interested in it.

596

We have a very, very, very common phrase in English, which is can't be bothered.

597

I can't be bothered to do something.

598

It means I don't really want to do that thing.

599

I've not got the energy.

600

I just don't fancy it.

601

I don't want to do it.

602

We can say the ruder version, I can't be arsed.

603

Arsed like you're a bottom.

604

I can't be arsed in, you know, in our northern speak.

605

But everyone in the UK says, I can't be bothered or I can't be asked.

606

It means you don't want to do something.

607

Very common.

608

So make sure you're memorised for difference because it's only a slight difference.

609

I'm not bothered.

610

So with the verb to be, it means you're not interested.

611

But when you put can't be, It changes the meaning.

612

I can't be bothered means I feel lazy about it.

613

I don't want to do it.

614

Or I can't be asked.

615

I can't be asked ironing my shirts, which is why I don't do it.

616

Then speaking about, what was it we went on to after that, to paint.

617

I think Jay was talking about Leonardo da Vinci

618

or someone else who would have paint splatter so

619

when it goes in lots of different directions the verb

620

that we would use is to splatter so the paint splattered all over the wall

621

and after that we spoke a little bit about our dream jobs

622

when we were children so jay dreamt of becoming a burglar you know a thief of houses

623

and i dreamt of becoming spider -man but

624

if i became spider -man maybe i'd get tangled up in webs

625

or maybe j would get tangled up in webs if we were facing off against each other

626

lovely and continuing from there positivity so a few expressions

627

if you see the glass half full you are an optimist

628

if you see the glass half empty you are a pessimist

629

and a lovely expression is to always look on the bright

630

side of life always look on the bright side of life bottle bottle bottle

631

and then two more words uh jay you can explain them i've written down the word wordsmith and also brew.

632

What do these two words mean?

633

Okay, a wordsmith is somebody who is good with words.

634

Just like back in the day, a blacksmith would be good.

635

Someone who shapes metal.

636

So a wordsmith is someone who shapes words in a way.

637

A brew, as a noun, is a cup of tea.

638

We can call it a brew or a cuppa.

639

And also we can call it a cup of char.

640

Very, very colloquial, very informal.

641

But to brew something is when you, like, to brew a teabag,

642

you leave the teabag in water for the tea to infuse in the water.

643

That is to brew.

644

Right.

645

See, now I fancy a brew.

646

I fancy a cuppa.

647

Yeah, me too.

648

I would like it.

649

A cup of tea.

650

I'd like a brew.

651

We should get that arranged.

652

I'll come to Brussels and we'll have a cuppa and a chat.

653

Sounds like a plan to me.

654

Okay.

655

Right now, I reckon we should call it a day.

656

We should finish off because there's been a couple of minor internet issues because, well, there's some roadworks going on outside,

657

so I have to move around to different places for this recording

658

so apologies if anything was affected

659

and i hope you guys really loved this podcast chit chat this natter

660

and the final recap of these words

661

and of course we will be doing a part two very very soon

662

so jay thanks again it's been an absolute pleasure thank you lewis yeah it's been the pleasure is mine

663

and yeah thank you for having me on thank you to you guys i hope

664

if you're still watching in this

665

and please let us know with a comment what would you

666

like to see us talk about next do you have any questions

667

or any topics that you want us to cover

668

and discuss we'd love to hear your thoughts on this

669

so let us know in the comments guys and thank you again and see you next time bye peace

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Ready to level up your english speaking practice? This lively British English conversation is perfect for mastering everyday chit-chat. The goal? To sound natural when discussing cultural norms—like whether to wear shoes indoors—while using casual, native-like phrases. It’s a great milestone for anyone aiming to move beyond scripted dialogues and into real, flowing conversations.

Phrase Bank: Reusable Expressions to Sound Like a Local

Chit chat / Natter: Friendly, casual conversation ("Let’s have a natter about weekend plans").
Get stuck in: Start something enthusiastically ("Let’s get stuck in to the lesson").
Cut to the chase: Get to the point ("Let’s cut to the chase—what’s your plan?").
Laid back / Happy-go-lucky: Relaxed, easygoing ("Her family is so laid back—no rules!").
Spotless / Immaculate: Extremely clean ("My mom keeps the kitchen immaculate").
Couldn’t stand: Hated ("She couldn’t stand muddy shoes in the house").

Fix Your Weak Spots: Mastering Casual Rhythm & Pronunciation

This clip is a goldmine for practicing shadowspeak—the art of mimicking native speakers to nail rhythm and intonation. Notice how "I haven’t caught up with for like a year" flows smoothly, with reduced "for like" (sounding like "fer like"). Also, listen to how "it’s fine, no problem" is said quickly, with a relaxed tone. These small details make you sound more natural. Use a shadowing app or shadowing site to repeat the dialogue: pause, mimic, and focus on matching the speed and stress. You’ll be surprised how quickly your speech sounds more fluent!

Whether you’re prepping for travel or just want to chat with British friends, this conversation gives you the tools to speak confidently. Remember: every phrase you master is a step closer to sounding like a pro. So grab your shadowing app, hit play, and start english speaking practice today—you’ve got this!

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if cats owned humans would it · if you use them then people will think · if i became spider -man maybe i'd get
“Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true	used to Asian · used to go · used to apparently
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	haven't been looking · you've been doing
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	haven't caught · have prepared · haven't traveled

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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