[size=200]A new ESL Forums user from Hong Kong is here. Would like to say hi to everybody here… and wish we all have a great start in learning English ^^
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Hi, welcome to the forum. I’m also a newbie here. Can we know your actual name please, I guess I can see a hint of it in your user-name, Joey. 
Kumara
Kumara2010:
I’m Joey. Where are you from? Do you come to this forum often? Expect to improve your English? What’s your first language?
Joey
May I ask you a question, Joey?
In what way is the picture (a gigantic flower) relevant to your introduction?
Good luck,
Tuan
it’s just a way of greetings; I guess its function is similar to sending a greeting card and I hope people who read this message like this picture.
Cheers,
Joey
Hi Joey,
I’m from Sri Lanka. My mother tongue is Sinhala.
You would have thought I’m a senior member from the way I welcomed u isn’t it? But no, I’m still a newbie to the forum.
I have to work really hard if I want to become a teacher. So, still I’m a student, just like u. My English knowledge is OK in terms of reading and understanding things but I’m pretty ordinary in real-time communication. I hope I can improve it from this forum.
Kumara
Dear Kumara
Oh I see. It’s nice to know you here.
Are you still studying in school? In your daily life, do you use English often? Do you have any plan in terms of using this website to improve your English? Or you are taking English courses in other schools?
Cheers,
Joey
^
Thanks Joey.
I’m a student, but in this forum only. Simply, I’m not a school student. I use English mainly for online communication, specially with my clients.
Currently I’m not interested in taking any courses. So definitely, I hope I can improve my English if I spend enough time in this forum.
BTW, I was just about to ask u whether u are a native Hong Kong citizen or migrated from another country when I saw the location under ur avatar. So the new question is, are u studying in Hong Kong?
Kumara
Dear Joey0y,
Thank you for replying the message! (You didn’t directly address me, though.)
Frankly, I would not be smart enough to come up with an assosication between such a photo and the greeting card if I were you. Suppose you meant to use the photo as a greeting card, whatever your intended message should still have been explicit and, in the case of this forum, it should have been understandable across cultures as well. I am interested in sharing my ideas with you about your photo since it has indeed posed me more than one question. Does such a flower represent friendship? Did you want to let us know that is your favourite flower or the one you have planted? Is the flower typical of Hong Kong and are you helping us know more about the territory?
I am not sure whether persons who visit here understand the message conveyed by your photo. I, however, do not think I can answer the above questions. I consequently doubt if the photo works well as a greeting card as proposed.
I once learned with a teacher in a teaching methodology class. She said that visual aids could be a useful teaching tool but it might turn out to be a disaster if students find it difficult to understand what the aids are intended to get across. I think the lesson, to some extent, is applicable here.
What I hope is a nice website to learn about English, new things, and people around the world rather than a place housing eye-catching objects which unfortunately leave a feeling of confusion.
All the best,
Tuan