has a long way to go

2. Example of expression in a sentence: 

My son still has a long way to go before reaching your state.

Meaning of "has a long way to go" : need to make a lot of progress before you can achieve something.

Feb 22: Standings

I'd like to check NBA standings before I go to see the match.

National Basketball Association

Standings

Eastern Conference

Southeast	W	L	PCT	GB	CONF	DIV	HOME	ROAD	L10	STRK
Heat	39	14	.736	0.0	22-10	9-2	20-4	19-10	8-2	W4
Wizards	26	28	.481	13.5	18-14	5-2	13-14	13-14	4-6	W1
Bobcats	26	30	.464	14.5	17-17	1-7	14-14	12-16	7-3	W3
Hawks	25	29	.463	14.5	17-17	6-6	16-10	9-19	2-8	L8
Magic	17	40	.298	24.0	13-23	3-7	14-15	3-25	5-5	W1

Jan 29th: top half of figure

The top half of (the) figure shows something something.

Good expression for the presentation.

Jan 25th. flying colors, bite off more than you can chew

1. You always pass the tests with "flying colors", but I'm the one whose going to "bomb" it.

flying colors : complete success
bomb : fail or do poorly on


2. She thought she could handle five difficult classes, but she now realizes she probably "bite off more than she could chew".

bite off more than you can chew : take on more work or responsibilities than you can accomplish emotionally or physically

Jan. 23th. Pull an all-nighters

Some students pull an all-nighters so (that) they can cram the night before an exam.

meaning of "pull an all-nighters" : do not sleep for studying.

Jan 19th: icing on the cake

Oh, wow! A tank full of gas in my new car. That's icing on the cake! 

icing on the cake: an extra enhancement

Jan. 14th. take somebody/something for granted

Take somebody/something for granted.

1. Examples from naver dictionary
ex) Her husband was always there and she just took him for granted.

ex) We take having an endless supply of clean water for granted


2. Last time I wanted to talk during sunday dinner.

ex) The professor in states takes submitting papers to good conferences like usenix atc, NSDI, etc. for granted.


3. Definition of "take somebody/something for granted"
- not value somebody/something just because they are/it is always there.

Jan 10th: I'll keep you posted

I got an e-mail from american guy.

"I did something something what you told, and I could not do something something because of something.

I'll keep you posted."

Jan 8th: ponder

To live is to experience things, not sit around pondering the meaning of life.

Jan 3rd: cut to the chase

A: blah blah,, vacation, blah, blah,,
B: Can we cut to the chase?

Cut to the chase is a saying that means to get to the point without wasting time.

After a few introductory comments, we cut to the chase and began negotiating.

Dec 25th: pinpoint

When did you decide that?
I can't really pinpoint the time.

From when did you love to play soccer?
I can't really pinpoint the time.

When did you decide to study abroad?
I can't really pinpoint the time.

Dec 13th: polish

I've completed my first draft of SOP.
Even though it contains what I want to say, sentences are not polished.

Dec 10th: on cloud nine

I have finished my final exam, so I'm on cloud nine.

on cloud nine: very happy!

Dec 7th: come out ahead

Listen attentively. You will come out ahead in the coming week.

come out ahead: to end up with a profit, benefit, or advantage.

It was a tricky deal, and no one came out ahead of anyone else. 

Nov 27th: patch things up

A: I thought he kick you guys out.
B: Yes he did.
A: When did you patch things up?
B: We didn't.

patch things up: agree to stop fighting, become friends again


고아라 and 정우 fights a lot, but they patch things up and go on.

off the top of one's head

I can't recall her name off the top of my head.

The idea off the top of my head is to change the policy dynamically.

Off the top of my head: without giving it too much thought or without precise knowledge.

go round in circles

Go round in circles : keep making the same points without making progress in a discussion, an argument, etc.

ex) My english goes round in circles. I will spend more time improving english after getting RA position.
ex) This discussion is going round and round in circles. Let's make a decision.

This is from naver dictionary. However, I think it is different from an expression we learned.
I will ask her next class.

Nov 19: Apple might cease to exist as the company that it was

Apple might cease to exist as the company that it was.

I cease to exist as the man that I was.

From today, I'll practice one sentence from the Steve Jobs video.

It'll be mostly simple sentence. 

Nov 15th: take a toll

Six months ago, I was pretty happy with my life,
and then my marriage fell apart and my life fell apart,
I think it took its toll on me.

Take a toll: have a bad effect on somebody/something; cause a lot of damage, deaths, suffering, etc

Nov 11th: Comfort is overrated

Com­fort is often over­rated.  In my com­fort zone, noth­ing hap­pens.