Shadowing Practice: I Tried the Impossible Art of Building a Ship in a Bottle - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Have you seen a ship in a bottle before?
239 sentences
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Have you seen a ship in a bottle before?
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It's exactly what it sounds like.
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A tiny model ship beautifully displayed inside a glass bottle.
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They're really neat but also kind of mind-boggling
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because I don't understand how the ship fits through the small opening of the bottle.
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It just doesn't make sense.
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I've always wondered how they're actually made.
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Well today I'm gonna find out because I'm gonna try to build this vintage DIY kit from the 1980s.
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This seems a bit daunting right now,
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but you know how they say that you should take inspiration from those who've gone before you?
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Well, from what I've seen,
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the expert crafters are a lot of old dudes.
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I love it.
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Look how proud they are.
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So my challenge is to see if I have what it takes to be like these creative grandpas.
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And it starts with this,
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which I bought from eBay and hopefully isn't a scam.
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The description says it's brand new,
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unused and unopened but definitely seems pretty open to me.
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Not off to a great start but hopefully all the pieces are in here.
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We got a bottle which is great some instructions
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and then a bunch of other parts inside a little baggie so looks like everything is here.
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You know how vintage stuff has that distinct old smell?
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This all has it.
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It's as if it was just stuffed in someone's closet for many years and then posted online for some sucker to buy.
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Well, that sucker is me.
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And we're about to try to build it.
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Let's go.
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Oh, wait.
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Hold up.
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Apparently I need all these other materials first.
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I'm not going to show you each one.
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You get the idea.
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It was a lot of stuff.
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All right, now I'm actually ready to begin.
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What's first?
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Surprisingly, I do know what a hull is
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because of a past video where I turned a kid's sandbox into an epic floating boat.
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So hull means the bottom of the boat part,
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which is this guy right here.
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And it came with the cutest little piece of sanding paper to make it nice and smooth.
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Even though this tiny vessel won't be floating across a lake,
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I'm still determined to make it as cool as possible.
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I cut out these tiny hatch covers,
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and now I got to glue them on somehow.
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Oh, they're so small.
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Okay, here we go.
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Oh, that's a lot of glue.
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Yeah, it's all over my fingers.
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Classic.
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Okay, easy does it.
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Oh, no, dropped it.
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Okay, focus.
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There we go.
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It now makes sense why tweezers were on the list of materials needed,
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so I switched to those to save myself from more gluey fingers.
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Once all the wood pieces were in place,
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I cut this black tubing which is meant to be the cannons,
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which makes this boat way cooler now that it's got heavy artillery.
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Then I did a few other finishing touches before moving on to the next step.
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Dang it.
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I think I'm missing some pieces.
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Maybe it was a scam after all.
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What the heck?
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Yeah, I'm supposed to have six tie-down pins,
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and I got zero of them.
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But I'm just gonna roll with it.
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I think I might have something.
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Yes.
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Staples.
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They seem small, and if I bend an individual one, maybe that'll work.
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I don't know.
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Hopefully.
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and bam i got the other five staples jammed in so hopefully that does the trick
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i think we're moving on to some painting next i'm really excited for this part i enjoy painting
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and i think it's going to transform the chunk of wood into what will actually look like a proper ship.
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Let's do a Connor classic,
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a good old painting time-lapse.
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Music As a kid, I always wondered how these were made.
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I assumed that it was one of these two options.
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Number one, you cut the bottle in half,
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put the ship inside, and then glue it back together.
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Or number two, the ship is fully built inside the bottle using tweezers.
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But there is in fact a third explanation.
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The ship is collapsible, so it fits into the bottle and then is folded up into position.
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And of the three options,
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this is the correct one.
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That's the secret sauce.
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It honestly makes way more sense than cutting a glass bottle in half.
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It still sounds tricky and sort of impossible to like prop up the sails and I don't know.
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But that's how it's done.
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That's the secret.
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Now you know.
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Check it out, it's starting to look like a proper little boat.
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Doo doo doo doo.
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Yes, I love it.
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Okay, I think what's next is we gotta build some sails for it.
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Okay, I actually have to build the masts first,
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which are the wooden beams holding up the sails.
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And now it's time to cut the different parts out of the fabric for the sails.
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I just traced the template that it came with,
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which made it nice and easy.
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And now like a weird tiny puzzle,
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I just glue them all together
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And Just like that my boat is now a sailboat Bam Check that out.
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Let's go And it's officially now too big to enter into the boat.
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So this is where the magic happens.
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Am I confident that I can pull this off?
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I don't know yet, but so far, so good.
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Oh man, I have no idea.
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Look at that, it's gonna be in there eventually.
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That'll be so cool.
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Okay, what's next?
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No way.
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you serious it's happening again brass wire brackets should be included
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and it's definitely not dang it these brackets
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are arguably like the most important piece because it's the whole hinge mechanism
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that goes through the mass and then it'll raise it and lower it so it can go into the bottle.
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Like without them, it's just a ship and a bottle.
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You can't combine them.
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Okay, I gotta come up with a solution here.
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Is the answer to my problem right on the table in plain sight?
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these staples have already kind of worked once before so maybe they'll work again it's worth a try
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okay let's test it please work okay so that's it in the standing position and then it should hinge
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yes oh yeah I think that'll work
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and then once it's in the bottle you pull it back into place I mean it's janky
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but hopefully it works let's go staples for the win and
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so each sale got its very own janky staple as the makeshift bracket.
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It's definitely not ideal but I'm just working with what I got at this point
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and what I got is a big box of staples.
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Guess what material was missing and not actually included.
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I'm not even surprised at this point,
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just disappointed, but I think I know what the solution could be.
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Grandma's sewing kit to the rescue!
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Ta-da-da!
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I mean I'm sure she's got some thread in here somewhere.
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Oh yeah!
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Look at that!
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Thanks Grandma for your contribution here.
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I'm thinking this will work just great for the rigging,
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especially with such easy to follow instructions.
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Oh, it's making my head hurt.
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This is a complex process.
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For such a small little project,
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there is a lot that goes into it.
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It's pretty crazy.
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Let me read you a little section here and tell me what you think.
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So, cut a new length of thread
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and tie a knot around the mizzen mast under the intersection of the latin spar and mizzen mast.
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lead the thread to and around the main mast just above the upper yard arm,
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then to and around the foremast above the upper yard arm,
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then down to and through the hole in the tip of the bowsprit.
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What language is this in?
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Honestly, these maritime boat terms are confusing.
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I'm just going to reference the photo,
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I think, and just make it up.
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And that's what I did for the next two hours.
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I really struggled with it, honestly.
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I felt like my fingers were way too fat
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and big to be tying these super small knots and yeah it was just overall really difficult.
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But thankfully I finally got it all finished and I was proud to be moving on.
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Nooo!
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Oh my goodness.
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It's just, it just all fell apart.
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This project has been so tedious and time consuming.
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In case you can't tell,
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it's dark out, which means I've been working on this all day and I was nearing the end
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and now it's just a tangled mess.
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I had no choice but to undo all of my hard work.
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I guess I just don't have what it takes.
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I'm sorry, I tried my best,
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but unfortunately I think this one, I just gotta quit.
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Psych, there's no giving up here.
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I got up early the next morning,
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made a coffee, and now it's time to redo it.
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I think I'm gonna use a lot more glue this time.
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Oh yeah, that's a good one.
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And so, like a bad case of deja vu,
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I started again the intricate rigging process.
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It definitely would have been easier to just quit,
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but there was one thing that encouraged me.
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This article I read about a specific creative grandpa named Len,
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and he said, The best bit in the painstaking creation of a ship in the bottle is the moment
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when it finally comes to life.
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It feels magical.
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Len looks like an absolute legend,
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so thank you for the inspiration Len.
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That final magical moment when everything comes together,
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that's what's keeping me going here.
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I know it's going to come soon.
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I think I successfully did it this time.
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It's not a falling apart, tangled mess.
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Check it out.
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I also added some tiny red flags to the sails,
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and I really love the overall look of it.
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And now it's finally time for it to go inside the bottle.
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Whew, I am so nervous right now.
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All right, here we go.
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The ship has entered the bottle.
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Oh my goodness.
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Okay, now what?
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I gotta glue it into place.
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Put some resin on the bottom.
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Okay, okay, focus.
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I need tweezers.
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I'm sweating.
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Center it.
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UV resin.
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Hopefully this seals it.
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Sticks it into place.
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Yes.
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Okay, it's in place I think think.
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I would like to say that the rest of the project was just easy-peasy but...
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Unfortunately this is where the chaos started.
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The staples came out.
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Those darn staples
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that saved the day had now come loose causing me to have to somehow maneuver the sails back in a position.
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Working with these tweezers in such a confined space was so tricky.
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Typically this process is done a lot more gracefully by pulling on a thread attached to the sails
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that boom hoists them up but again because of my lack of proper brackets I was forced to do it this way.
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The struggle bus kept on rolling for another 30 minutes,
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but finally, with one final movement, I did it.
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That was one of the hardest things I've ever done.
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What the heck?
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But it's in there.
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We got a ship in a bottle.
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Oh my goodness.
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My heartbeat is still just through the roof.
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I feel like I'm coming down from an adrenaline rush.
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I was a surgeon.
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Oh my goodness.
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There is only one final step left.
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I'm just gonna power through it and do it and then I'll show you the final reveal.
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Here it is, my first ever ship in a bottle.
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Built from a 1980s DIY kit with not all the parts included.
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It's definitely not perfect.
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This was one of the harder challenges I've done so mad respect to Len and all the other pros out there.
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So I don't think this hobby is for me but I did it and I'm proud that I can just...
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No!
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Context & Background
In the YouTube video titled "I Tried the Impossible Art of Building a Ship in a Bottle," the speaker embarks on a fascinating journey into the intricate world of ship in a bottle crafting. With a blend of humor and curiosity, they unravel the mysteries surrounding these tiny models encapsulated within glass. The speaker explores their own feelings of wonderment and challenge, reflecting on the nostalgia of vintage kits from the 1980s. This context serves not only as entertainment but also as an engaging lead-in for English learners who are keen to enhance their speaking skills, particularly through IELTS speaking practice and creative content.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "It just doesn't make sense." - Use this phrase to express confusion or disbelief about a situation.
- "I’ve always wondered how...?" - A great way to start a conversation about your curiosity.
- "I'm determined to make it as cool as possible." - Show commitment in your efforts or projects.
- "Oh wait, hold up." - A casual way to indicate you need a moment to pause or reflect.
- "That's a lot of glue." - Using humor to address situations that might seem overwhelming.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
Improving your speaking skills through shadowing is highly effective, especially when using engaging videos like this one. Here’s how to tackle this specific video using a step-by-step shadow speech approach:
- Watch and Listen: Start by watching the video without any subtitles. Pay close attention to the speaker's intonation, pronunciation, and pacing.
- Repeat After: Pause the video after a few sentences. Try to mimic the speaker immediately—this is the heart of Shadowspeak. Focus on the tone and emotion behind their words.
- Break It Down: If a sentence feels particularly challenging, break it into smaller parts. Practice each part until you feel comfortable, then combine them.
- Use Rewind: Don't hesitate to rewind and listen to the same segment multiple times. This repetition enhances your familiarization with the language and its nuances.
- Reflect and Record: After you’ve practiced, record your attempt. Listening to your own speech can highlight areas for improvement and build confidence.
By using this shadowing method with engaging content, you can significantly enhance your fluency while expanding your vocabulary. Explore learning in a fun way as you learn English with YouTube. Embrace the challenge, just like the speaker did with their ship in a bottle!
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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