ITIL Version 3 Foundation - Service Design

Definition
The design of appropriate & innovative IT services..
including their architecture, process,policies & documentation..
to meet current and future agree business requirements'
Goals
-- To create a realistic service outline with:
    . Policy regarding service quality
    . Architecture design
    . Models for delivery
    . Appropriate Technology
    . Process & Measurement design
-- Provide guidance on development of Services, Models & processed
-- The main deliverable is the SERVICE DESIGN PACKAGE(SDP)
    . A SDP details all aspects of the service and its requirements during the design stage through all of the subsequent stages of its lifecycle.
    . Produced for each new IT service, major change or IT Service Retirement
Processed
 -- Service Level Management
 -- Service Catalogue Management
 -- Availability Management
 -- Information Security Management
 -- Supplier Management
 -- Capacity Management
 -- IT Service Continuity Management

Service Design - Objectives
-- Guidance on the design and development of:
    . Services and Service management processes
-- No limited to new services
-- "Holistic' approach
    . To ensure service consistency & integration
    . Must consider all activities & processes & IT technology

Service Design - Business Value
-- Deliver reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
-- Improve overall quality of services
-- Improve consistency of services
-- Make implementation of owner changed services easier
-- Increased Service management & IT processes effectiveness

Service Design - Key Principles & Models
. Importance of the 4P's
  -- People
  -- Processes
  -- Prodcuts
  -- Partners
  If we agree that PEOPLE is the greatest challenge; what could we attribute this to?

. 5 elements of Service Design   
    1. Service Portfolio Design
    2. Business Requirements & Service Design
    3. Technology Design
    4. Process Design
    5. Measurement Design

Service Portfolio Design
 -- Service Portfolio
    . Assists with clarifying question like:
      - Why should a customer buy these services?
      - Why should they buy these services from you?
      - What are they pricing or chargeback models?
      - what are my strenght & weakness, priorities & risks?
      - How should my resources & capabilities be  allocated?

-- Service Portfolio
    . Part of Sevice Knowledge Management System (SKMS)
    . Registered in Configuration Management System (CMS)

1.Service Portfolio Design
Design factors for the Service Portfolio
     . Service name
     . Service description
     . Service status
     . Service classification and criticality
     . Applications used
     . Business processes supported
     . Busness owners & Businss users
     . Service warranty level, SLA and SLR references
     . Supporting services
     . Supportng OLAs, cnracts and agreements
     . Service costs
     . Service charges
     . Service revenue
     . Service metrics
     More..

2.Busness Requirements & Service design
A. Analyse agreed business requirements
B. Review existing capability
C. incorporate Service Acceptance Criteria (SAC) requirements
D. Evaluate & cost alternative designs
E. Agree expenditure & budget
F. Re-evaluate & confirm business benefits (ROI & TCO)
G. Agree preferred solution against Service Level Requirement (SLR)
H. Check consistency with corporate & IT strategies
I. Confirm inclusion - Corporate, IT governance & security controls
J. Complete IT readiness assessment - ensure effective operability
K. Establish supplier & supporting agreements
L. Assemble Service Design Package (SDP) for subsequent stages

3. Technology Design:
-- Provide overall strategic development & deployment blueprints for architectures & management systems
   Architecture design = development and maintenance of IT policies, strategies, designs, documents, plans and processes
-- Guidelines for Technology Design
    . Re-use existing assets where possible
    . Look to use standard technology models

4. Process Design
-- Create or follow existing process model
    . Process model = structured set of activities to accomplish a specific objective.
       - Takes one or more inputs and turns them into defined outputs.
       - Includes roles, responsibilities, tools and management controls.
       - A process may also define or revise policies, standards, guidelines, activities, processes, procedures, and work instructions if they are needed.
-- Process control
     . Planning and regulating a process, with the objective of being effective, efficient and consistent.

5. Measurement Design
-- Cross over with Continual Service Improvement (CSI)
    . If you can't tmeasure it then you can't manage it.
-- Measurement asks : Is the design
    . Fit for purpose
    . at the appropriate level of quality
    . Right first time
    . minimize "rework" & "add-ones"

Service Provider Types
 -- Type I   - Internal Service Provider
 -- Type II  - Shared Service Provider
 -- Type III - External Service Provider

Service Design Packge
 -- Developed for new IT services, Major changes, or IT retirements.
 -- Defines all aspects of an IT service and its requirements for each stage of its lifecycle.

Contents of the Service Design package
 -- Requirements
    . Busness requirements
    . Service applicability
    . Service contacts
 -- Service Design
    . Service functional requirements
    . Service level requirements
    . Service operational management requirements
    . Service design and topology
 -- Organizational readiness assessment
 -- Service lifecycle plan
    . Service program
    . Service transition plan
    . Service operational acceptance plan

Service Design - Processes
. Service Level Management
. Service Catalogue Management
. Capacity Management
. Availability Management
. Service Continuity Management
. Information Security Management
. Supplier Management

Service Level Management

. Objectives   - Ensure clear understanding between customer & IT
   - Proactive enhance level of services
   - Drive customer "satisfaction"

. Scope   - negotiate & agree
      -- Current requirements (SLA)
      -- Future requirements (SLR)
   - Develop & manage
      -- SLA (aligned to targets)
      -- OLAs to support SLAs
   - Review contracts with Suppliers
   - Oversee Service Improvement Plan (SIP)

. Basic concepts
   - Service Level Management (SLM)
     . A communication channel & relationship with appropriate customers & business representatives.
   - Service Level Requirement (SLR)
     . A set of targets and responsibilities documented and agreed prior to a new serice or change
   - Service Level Agreement (SLA)    
     . Written agreement between an IT service provider & the IT customers, defining the key service targets and responsibilities of both parties.
   - Operational Level Agreement (OLA)
     . Agreement between an IT service provider & another part of the same organisation that assists with the provision of services.
   - Underpinning Contract (UC)
     . Formal contract between an IT Service Provider & a Third Party.

   - Service Review
     . Held periodically with customer
     . Review Service Achievement for the last period
     . To discuss issues for the coming period

   - Service Improvement Plan (SIP)    
     . Plan of prioritising improvement actions
     . Covers all sevices and processes
     . Includes Impacts and risks

   - Contract
     . A legally binding agreement between two or more parties.

   - Service Level Agreement Monitoring (SLAM) Chart 
     . Used to give a quick view of SLA's performance at a glance
     . Uses RAG (Red, Amber, Green) colour codes
     . Red: Breached; Orange: Threatened; Gree: Within Target

   - Types of SLA Frameworks    
     . Service-based SLA
       -- SLA covers one services for all customers of that service
     . Customer based SLA
       -- Cover one customer group for all the services they use.
     . Muti-level SLA
       -- Can cover several layers of the organisation
       -- Corporate level
       -- Customer level
       -- Sevice Level

. Key Metrics 
  - Percentage reduction in:
     -- SLA targets threatened
     -- SLA targets missed (minor)
     -- SLA breaches (major)
  - Percentage increase in:
     -- Customer perception & satisfaction of SLA achievements
         . Services reviews
         . Customer Satisfaction Survey responses

. Roles : Service Level Manager
  - Be aware of changing business needs
  - Identify & understand current and future service requirements
  - Responsible for:
    . Service Portfolio
    . Service Catalogue
    . Application Portfolio
  - Enur UC's align with SLA & SLR targets
  - manage relationships with stakeholders, customers, users
  - Measure, record, analyze & improve customer satisfaction.

.Challenges
  -- IT perception to business can be low
  -- Identifying planned services (service portfolio)
  -- Defining the Service Catalogue
  -- Defining IT department relationships (for OLAs)
  -- Identifying contractual relationships (for UCs)

Service Catalogue Management

. Objective
  -- To manage the inforamtion within the Service Catalogue

. Roles:Service Catalogue manager
-- Record existing & new services in Service Catalogue
-- Verify Service Catalogue information is accurate
-- Ensure consistency of Service Catalogue & Service Portfolio information
-- Backup Service Catalogue information & ensure integrity.

Capacity Management

. Objective
-- Produce (and maintain) Capacity Plan
-- Give advice on capacity & performance issues
-- Deliver against performance targets
-- resolve performance & capacity related incidents & problems
-- Assess changes on capacity & performance
-- Implement service improvement measures

. Three sub-processes
-- Business Capacity Management
-- Service Capacity Management
-- Component Capacity Management
. Role : Capacity Manager
-- Ensure adequate IT Capacity
   . Understand capacity requirements, usage and capacity
   . sizing new services & systems (future requirements)
   . Production, review & revision of the Capacity Plan
-- Aligning capacity & demand correctly
-- Optimise existing capacity
-- Set appropriate monitoring levels
   . Performance analysis & reporting
   . Performance & resource optimisation
   . Impact & cost assessment
-- Focal point for capacity & performance issues

Availability Management
.Availability is at the core of user satisfaction.
.Objectives
  -- Produce (and maintain) the Availability Plan
  -- Provide advice & guidance on Availability issues
  -- Ensure service availability targets are met/exceeded
  -- Diagnosis & resolution of availability related incidents & problems
  -- Assess impact of changes on Availability Plan
  -- Ensure proactive measures to improve availability of services

.Basic concepts
  -- Key elements:
      . Reactive activities
      . Proactive activities

  -- Aspects of Availability 
      . Component availability
      . Service availability

  -- Four aspects
      . Availability
      . Reliability
      . Maintainability
      . Serviceability

. Role : Availability Manager
-- Participate in IT infrastructure design
   . Design of new services
   . Availability & recovery design criteria

-- Monitor actual IT availability achieved
   . Check and report availability levels against SLAs

-- Assess and manage risk
-- Review impact of changes on Availability Plan
-- Ensure cost justified levels of IT availability

Service Continuity Management
.Objectives
-- Maintain IT Service Continuity & IT recovery plans
-- Complete Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
-- Consider risks & how to minimize
-- Establish recovery mechanisms
-- Investigate and implement improvement measures.

.Basic concepts
-- Business Continuity Management (BCM)
    . Manages risks that could seriously affect the business
    . Plans for the recovery of Business process should disruption occur
    . Sets the scope and requirement for ITSCM

-- Business Continuity Plan (BCP)
    . plan defining steps required to restore business process after disruption
    . Identifies triggers for invocation, people to be involved, communication, etc
    . ITSCM forms significant patr of Business Continuity plans

-- Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
   . Assesses what impact the business will have should a particular service, process, component, etc, fail.
-- Risk Analysis
   . Assesses what the chances of disaster are.

.Role: ITSCM Manager
-- Connect ITSCM to the BCM process
    . Plans, risks & activities
    . Communication & awareness

-- Develop & maintain continuity awareness
    . Look for danger
    . maintain service continuity plan
    . Ensure IT "preparedness"
    . review third party cintracts

-- establish and manage testing schedule
    . Check conformance to plan & improve

-- Assess change impact on recovery solutions

Inforamtion Security Management
. Objectives
   -- Manage Confidentiality
   -- Maintain Integrity
   -- Ensure Availability
   -- Also focus on  third party exchanges
      . Authenticity & non-repudiation

. Basic concepts
   -- Establish an Information Security Policy
   -- Create a Security framework
   -- manage the Information Security management System (ISMS)

  .ITIL v3 approach to Security
    -- 5 step approach
           1. Control
           2. plan
           3. Implement
           4. Evaluate
           5. Maintain

. Role :  Security manager
-- Information Security Policy & supporting policies
    . Communicate & publish
    . Enforcement
    . Promote

-- Security control & plans
    . Procedures - security controls
    . maintain, review & audit, test

-- review breaches & incidents
    . Impact & volumes

-- Check adherence to Policy

Supplier Management
. Objectives

-- Deliver "value for mony"
-- Align underpinning contracts & customer agreements
-- Mange supplier relationships & performance
-- Negotiate, agree & manage contracts through their lifecycle
-- Maintain supplier policy and Supplier & Contract Database (SCD)

. Supplier
  -- Third Party Responsible for supplying goods or services required to deliver IT services.

. Role : Supplier Manager

-- Work with SLM on SLAs, contracts, agreements,etc.
    . Business alignment
    . Roles & relationships
-- Manage the Supplier & Contracts Database (SCD)
    . Changes to SCD via Change Manage process
    . Impact assessment of supplier changes - CAB
-- Perform supplier review & risk assessment
    . Beware of supplier sub-contractors
    . Ensure value (ROI)
-- Manage Disputes
    .Termination / transfer
    . Reporting & improvement

ITIL Version 3 Foundation - Service Strategy

Value Creation through Services
-- What defines Vlaue?
    @ Business outcomes & customer perception

-- Business outcomes
    @ Can be measured
    @ Typically economic value

-- Perception
    @ What attributes of a service
    @ Customer's self image
    @ Expectations

* Remember customers don't buy services, they buy fulfillment of particular needs!!

The Value of Service Management
-- Transforming Service assets into Strategic assets
    @ Service assets(source of value); customer assets(recipients)
    @ Services have potential to increase performance of customer assets (value)

Goal
-- To improve strategic impact through design, development, implementation and practice of service management:
    @ As an organisational capability
    @ As a strategic asset
--  To ensure the provider can deal with the risks and costs of managing their service offerings.

Generic concepts & definitions
Value of a service : Utility & Warranty
From the customer's perspective, value has two aspects:
-- Utility - fitness for purpose
    . What the customer gets
-- Warranty - fitness for use
    . How the service is delivered

Resources(soft assets) & Capacities(tangible assets)
- Importance of developing distinctive capabilities to retain customers
   . Same resources with different capabilities give competitive advantage.
   Resources : Management, Organization, Processed, Knowledge
       . Direct inputs for production
       . Easier to acquire than capabilities
            -- Finance, Infrastructure, Application, Information
   Capacities : Financial capital, Infrastructure, Applications, Information
       . Coordinate resource
       . Control resources
       . Deploy resource - to create value
       . Capabilities cannot produce value without adequate and appropriate resources

Service Portfolio
-- Describles providers services in term of business value

    . 3 components:
         -- Service Pipeline
         -- Service Catalogue
         -- Retired Services
    . Includes service status
    . Changes to the portfolio are governed by policies
    . Includes third-party services
    . Includes Business Cases

Business Case
- A Decision support and Planning tool
  . Should present
       -- Cost
       -- Expected benefits
  . Likely consequence of action
       -- Positive and negative perspective
  . Consequence can be:
       -- Qualitative (feeling or emotion)
       -- Quantitative (financial analysis)

Business Service Catalogue
-- The customer view of Service Catalogue
    . Includes relationships to business units & business process that rely on IT services.
    . Facilitates development of a more proactive relationship with the customer.

Technical Service Catalogue
-- Underpin Business Service Catalogue - not part of customer view.
    . Relationships to supporting services, shared services, component & Cls necessary to support provision of service to the business.
    . Facilitates development of SLAs, OLAs & underpining agreements"
         -- Identify technology required to support a service
         -- Identify support froups that support componnents.

Service provision always has associated risks..

Service Catalogue
     -- Subset of Service Portfolio
     -- Menu of presently active & approved services
     -- Represents a statement of actual & present capabilities
         . Can be used to develop a solution from one or more services
     -- Acquisition portal for customers
         . Actual pricing, service-level commitment & term of service provision
     -- We see Service Catalogs every day!!

Risk
-- Uncertainty of outcome:
    . Positive opportunity or negative thread
    . Referenced with Probability
-- Risk Management should
    . Be visible, repeatable & consistent
    . Follow a framework
    . Support decision making
-- Risk applies to
    . Security
    . Project Management
    . Business Continuity

Financial Management
  .Quantifies the value of IT Services and Assets underlying the provision of services, and qualifications of operational forecasting, in financial term.
    What would be three distinct activities for Financial Management?
     1. Charging
     2. Accounting
     3. Forecasting

Financial Management - Basic Concepts
-- Service Valuation
    . Assignment of monetary value for services delivered; based on the agreed value of the services
-- Service Portfolio Management
    . Used to make decision if service should be provisioned internally or sourced
-- Service Provisioning optimization (SOP)
    . Analysis provisioning options(e.g. analyse the ROI)
-- Demand Modeling
    . Helping to establish financial mechanisms for managing demand.

Demand Management
 .  Activity Based Demand Management
    -- Business Processed create demand
    -- Patterns of  Business Activity (PBA) influence demand patterns
    -- Each Pattern of Business Activity can be coded
        . Activity level can be determined so capacity can be planned for
        . Each coded PBA is put under Change Control
    --  PBA analysis can occur at a variety of areas
        . Service Design - optimisation of design to suit (predicted) demand
        . Service Catalogue - ability to map demand to appropriate services
        . Service Portfolio - approval of investment/sell-off as pappropriate
        . Service Operation - correct level of support
        . Flnancial Management - incentives/penalties to influence demand
 .  User Profiles(UP)
    -- UP can be people, functions, processed, and applications
        . Based on roles and responsibilities in organization
    -- Associated to several coded Patterns of Business Activities
    -- Capacity usage can be easily determined per User Profile
 .  Challenges
    -- Uncertainty in demand
       . Prevents planning for capacity devivery
    -- Over excess in capacity
       . Costs Service Provider
       . Costs cannot be recovered as there is no value in excess
   -- Insufficient Capacity
       . Result in unavailability and poor performance
   -- Synchronous production and consumption
       . Just-In-Time (JIT) delivery

 .  Demand Manager Role
   -- Create and Manage incentive and penalty schemes
   -- Participate in creation of Service Level Agreements
   -- Monitor overall demand and capacity
   -- Manage capacity potential of individual resources
   -- Respond to changing Patterns of Business Activity (PBA)

A Document from MySkylines, Express Yourself - Issue 07

Friends
How many friends do you have ?  Which do you think is better, having many friends or just a few very close ones? Do you think your friends would stay with you if you were in trouble? you know people say, "A friend can't be known in prosperity." A lot of those who say this claim that their conclusion is based on personal experience of losing a supposed friend when they were in a difficult situation. If so, it seems friendship is more a matter of social convenience than character or shared interest. However, others can point to unexpected support during a serious crisis from someone whom they did not expect to be a good friend. So I guess the question of friendship can cut both ways: in some cases it is mere lip service and in others it is genuine commitment.

cust both ways : have or result in advantages as well as disadvantages
lip service : insincere claims of friendship, admiration, support, etc.
commitment : a strong or firm belief shown by one's actions; loyalty

Comprehension
1. Why do you suppose "a friend can't be known in prosperity"?
2. Who is most likely to say that?
3. Are any counter-examples given? If so, what?

Express Yourself
1. Why do people need to make friends?
2. Is it okay for your spouse to have friends of the opposite sex?
3. How did you meet your best friend?
4. What usually causes trouble between friends?
5. What is the most important thing in maintaining a harmonious friendship?
6. Do you believe the saying, "Out of sight, out of mind"?
7. What's the difference having male and female friends?
8. What's the difference between the friends you made in elementary, middle and high school, and college?
9. Do you tell your friends everything about your private life?

Opinion Samples
1. Friendship often turns soure because of money problems. People think it's okay to lend money to a friend, but when they try to get the money back they become estranged. My point is this:"Lend money to your friend if you want to lose them both."
2. As in marriage, understanding is the most important thing in friendship. Having a friend means that you may often be angry, hurt, even disappointed by your friend. Whenever you are in such a situation, you must be "ready" to understand your friend, however. If not, the friendship will break up sooner than later. Without understanding, you can't overcome the ups and downs of any relationship.

ITIL Version 3 Foundation

WHAT IS ITIL?

• ITIL - Information Technology Infrastructure Library
• A set of books
• Guidance, advice, suggestions....

           -- For IT Service Providers, on how to manage the delivery of IT services to our customers and end users.

• Based on PROCESSS and FUNCTIONS that are necessary
• DESCRIPTIVE FRAMWORK  
• ITIL 核心所談是"服務"並不是技術; ITIL談的是方向,概念, 屬於描述性質並沒有強制性質, 例如ISO20000是強制性質, 實施ISO20000則必需符合並達到規範的標準即要求.

WHAT IS ITIL?

• ITIL v3 is "Good Practice"

               -- Wildspread use
               -- Widely Available

ITIL Qualification Scheme
-- ITIL Foundation
    -- IT Service Management & Service Lifecycle (Understanding)

• Intruducing the Service Lifecycle
• Overview of Core Process Areas 

-- Service Lifecycle
    -- Focus on Core Process Areas  (Implementing)

• Service Strategy
• Service Design
• Service Transition
• Service Operation
• Continual Service Improvement

-- Service Capability                         (Doing)
    -- Logical grouping experties

• Service Offerings and Agreements
• Planning, Protection and Optimisation
• Operational Support and Analysis
• Release, Control and Validation

-- Managing Across the Lifecycle     (Leading)
    -- Senior programme for lesders and those seeking highest certification

Services and the Services Lifecycle
ITIL v3 Library

• Service Strategy (SS)

          1..Focuses on service management as a strategic asset.
          2..Defines standards & policies that will be used to design IT services

• Service Design   (SD)

          1..Creating or modifying services & infrastructure architecture that are aligned to the business needs.

• Service Transition (ST)

          1..Manages the transition of new or changed services into the production environment.

• Service Operation

          1..Effectiveness & Efficinecy in delivery & support.
          2..Advice & guidance on all aspects of managing the day-to-day operation of IT services.

• Continual Service Improvement

          1..Create & maintain value for customers
          2..plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA)

Services Lifecycle - Process
       Service Strategy

• Strategy Generation
• Service Portfolio Management
• Denamd Management
• IT Financial Management

       Service Design

• Service Catalogue Management
• Service Level Management
• Capacity Management
• Availability Management
• Service Continuity Management
• Information Security Management
• Supplier Management

       Service Transition

• Transition Planning & Support 
• Change Management
• Service Asset & Configguration Management
• Release & Deployment Management
• Service Validation & Testing
• Evaluation
• Knowledge Management

       Service Operation

• Event Management  
• Incident Management
• Request Management
• Problem Management
• Access Management

       Continual Service Improvement

• Service Measurement
• Service Reporting
• Service Improvement

Services Lifecycle - Function

• Service Desk
• Application Management
• Technical Management
• IT Operations

• The process and function represent our Service Management capabilities
• The level of maturity of these processes and functions can affect the credibility of the IT service provider
• Maturity can be measured and improved
• What is a Function? A team or group of people and the tools they use to carry out one or more Processes or Activities. (Example : Service Desk) 一群人以及他們所使用工具執行實現一個或多個流程或活動.---有專業的一群人
• Self-contained, specialised organisation unit with required capabilities & resources, responsible for specific outcomes

          -- Own body of knowledge(experience) & work methods
          -- Beware of functional silos --小心陷入IT 技術的思維

What is Service?
    A means of delivering VALUE to CUSTOMER by facilitating outcomes that they want to achive without the ownership of specific costs and risks

• Service

          -- Improve performance(e.g. ability to process more orders)
          -- Reduce constrains (e.g. lower cost per unit)

• Which leads to -- An increased probability of desired outcomes

What is Service Management
    A set of specialised organisational capabilities for providing value to customers in the form of services.

• Capabilities represented in FUNCTIONS and PROCESSES
• Processes made uo of ACTIVITIES
• Procedures can be explained by WORK INSTRUCTIONS

What is Process
    A set of coordinated activities combining & implementing resources and capabilities in order to produce an outcome, which directly or indirectly, creates value for external customer or stakeholder.
      -- Business processes lead to busness outcomes
      -- Business manager need IT systems that support the business process

     A set of interrelatived activities for the purpose of achieving a pre-defineed goal.

Process Characteristics
      -- Measurable .. Performance driven
      -- Specific Results .. Identifiable outputs
      -- Customer focus .. Delivermpromary output to customer or stakeholder .. internal or external
      -- Respond to specific events .. Traceable to a specific trigger

Process Owner
      -- Responsible to ensure that process is performed according to agreed & documented process and mets the aims  of the process definition.
     
     More tactical
     @ Document & pulish process
     @ Process design
     @ Improving the process
     @ Review enhancement
     @ Define KPIs

     More operational
     @ Reviw KPIs
     @ Address process issues
     @ Training & roles
     @ Review & audit
     @ Ensure staff resources

Service Owner
      -- Responsible to the customer for initiation, transition & ongoing maintenance & support of a particular service.
      @ Primary contract
      @ Ensure that delivery & support meet requirements
      @ Indentify Service Improvement opportunities
      @ Liaise with Process Owner
      @ Accountable to IT Director

       The Service Owner is a primary stakeholder for each process that enables or supports their service

RACI or ARCI

• Accountable
• Responsible
• Consulted
• Informed

A Document from MySkylines, Express Yourself - Issue 06

Special Days
      Which day is the most important to you each year? Is it your birthday? Perhaps the birthday of someone you love? Or an anniversary? Many people have the own special days and want to celebrate them in some distinctive way. The celebration may be a special meal or dinner out, or a gift, perhaps a trip. Maybe even a greeting card is enough to mark occasion. But the point is that the day symbolizes some important event, and that its importance is recognized by other significant people as well.
      Traditional holidays are also important, but they have a group significance instead of personal meaning. Usually some religious or national figure is commemorated. These occasions may be marked by community celebrations, or especially by family get-togethers. As families become more fragmented and scattered, these holidays may be ever-more important, since they provide a chance for people to share their lives with each other again.

--> commemorate = honor the memory of a person,group, or event.
--> fragment = break or become broken into small parts.

Comprehension
1. Does the celebration of special occasions always have to be expensive?
2. How many ways to celebrate them are mentioned? What are they?
3. Do public holidays have the same purpose as private ones?

Express Yourself
1. How do you celebrate New Year's Days?
2. Did you make any New Year's resolutions this year? What were they? Were you able to keep them?
3. How do you celebrate your birthday?
4. How do you celebrate your wedding anniversary?
5. What do you think would be the perfect gift for a wedding anniversary?
6. What do you want to do for your next  birthday?
7. What do you like to receive on your special days?
8. Do you think cash is an appropriate gift?
9. Do you think it's okay a luxurious party in an expensive restaurant for your child's birthday?
10. What do you usually prepare for your child's birthday?
11. How do you celebrate your parents' birthdays? And what do you prepare for their gifts?
12. What if your spouse forgot your birthday or wedding anniversary?
--> New Year's resolution : a promise made on January 1st,usually for self-improvement.
--> anniversary : the yearly return of the date on which an earlier event happened.

Opinion Samples
      1. I've decided to take a week off and travel for my next birthday. I want to free myself from my nine-to-five job, my friends and my relatives in order to spend some time to discover myself. I have a good job with an adequate income, I have an active social life. But is that my purpose on earth? Am I being too selfish? So I want to get away by myself and relax and think about my future. but I wonder if I have the courage actually to change my life.
      2. These days a lot of parents throw a party in an expensive restaurant for their children's birthdays. They do this to show off their wealth, and because they are too lazy to prepare food and drinks at home. This might send the wrong signal to their children, who would naturally enough think that celebrating a special day requires money, and who might be disappointed if their birthday party is not more luxurious than their friends. This is the worst thing parents can do in raising their children.

--> purpose on earth = ultimate meaning in life.
--> throw a party = give a party.
--> raise = take care of ; bring up.

Usefule Expressions
1. A woman bakes a child's birthday cake big enough to hold all the handles-and her own small enough not to.
2. The best way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once!
3. When a man has a birthday he may take a day off. When a woman has a birthday she may take as much as five years off.
4. A diplomatic husband said to his wife, "How do you expext me to remember your birthday when you never look any older?"
5. It's what guests say after leave the aprty that counts.
6. The success of a big party is usually measured by the money that is wasted.

--> a day off = a holiday.
--> count = have improtance or value.

A Document from MySkylines, Express Yourself - Issue 05

Vocation
As people make more money, often they think that now is the time to enjoy themself more. Leisure becomes more important in their lives. As their psychological horizons expand beyond just earning an income, they also want to find out more about the world. So they want to travel. One problem, however, is that they don't really know where they want to go or what they want to do when they get there. So they blindly go somewhere, just brcause they think it is fashionable to do so. Often they take some package tour that offers them "10 countries in 7 days." That way, thay collect a lot of stamps in their passports and a lot of predictable photographs, but they don't have much fun or relaxation, and they don't really know very much about where they've been. A much better approach would be to decide where they really want to go, and why, and then plan far enough in advance in order to accomplish those goals. That way the vacation in both more enjoyable and more affordable. 

--> psychological horizons = limites of consciousness or attitude.
--> blindly = without duidance or relevant information.
--> package = a plan or an offer made up of several items, each of which must be accepted.
--> affordable = not expensive.

Comprehension
1. Why has travel become more popular?
2. What mistake do people sometimes make?
3. What should they do to make the most of their vacation?

Express Yourself
1. How much paid vacation do you get each year?
2. Where do you most want to go?
3. In the summer, which place do you prefer-the mountains or the sea?
4. What do you think about visiting the seaside in winter?
5. Which do you think is the best season for a vacation?
6. For your vacation trip, will you drive or use public transportation such as trains or buses?
7. Would you say "yes" if your boss asked you to sacrifice your vacation? "Work comes first," doesn't it?
8. Name the countries you want to visit.
9. Are you willing to lose vacation time for better pay?
10. Describe your usual weekend.

--> make the most of = use to greatest advantage.

Opinion Samples
1. It seems to me that most people I know only think about taking a vacation in the summer. But that's a terrible season, since everyone else is rushing to all the same spots at the same time. So instead of a relaxing vacation, they spend their time stuck in traffic or on an overcrowded beach; service is stretched to the limit, and prices are inflated. So they go back home more tired than when they began, glad their time in hell is over and looking forward to going back to work! So I take my sabbatical in the winter. Even the seashore is very pleasant then, although it is too cold to swim or get a tan, because it is very quite. I can calmly reflect on my life, take my time doing what I really enjoy, and charge my batteries back up. So when I return to my job I'm able to work more effectively.
2. The ideal vacation for me is to make a trip alone. I think vacations should be a chance to reflect on myself and think about what I am doing and what I should do with my life. Only traveling alone makes this possible.
--> service is stretched to the limit = the ability to provide accommodation has reached the maximum capacity.
--> sabbatical = a year of release from normal teaching duties granted to a professor for research; a period of leave from one's work.
--> change one's batteries back up = reset or release in order to get back his or her energy.

Useful Expressions
1. My vacations are easy to plan - my boss tells me when, and my wife tells me where.
2. Most people could live with their income if they were as economical all year round as they are right after their vacations.
3. Nothing makes time pass faster than vacation and short-term loan.
4. Vacation is a system whereby people who are merely tired become exhausted.
5. Vacations are a little like love affairs - anticipated with relish, experienced with inconvenience, and remembered with nostalgia.
6. Summer vacations get kids tanned, mothers in pink, and fathers in red.
7. Don't tell the tired-looking person he needs a vacation - the chances are he just had one.
8. One of the common disruptions of marital bliss is the choice of where to spend a vacation. What this country needs is an ocean in the mountains.
9. You are getting old when you're on vacation and your energy runs out before your money does.
10. A vacation makes you feel good enough to return to work - and so poor you have to.
--> relish = great enjoyment; pleasure;zest
--> nostalgia = a desire for past; homesickness
--> in the pink = feeling fit
--> in the red = in debt

A Document from MySkylines, Express Yourself - Issue 04

Sleep
It is commonly believed that everybody should get at least eight hours of sleep a day. But a lot of people get by on less, thinking that sleeping is just a waste of thire time. Event some experts claim that it is the quality of sleep that counts rather than the quantity, and that we could live healthy lives with only three or four hours of good sleep. To them , "good sleep" is characterized by REM (Rapid-Eye Movement). It is during this phase of sleep that we dream.

Dream and their interpretation are other interesting phenomena associated with sleeping. Throughout history,seers have tried to use them as a guid to the future. Today, psychologists are apt to see them as the acting out of anxieties and fantasies we cannot express during our wakign hours. For Sigmund Freud, they were symbolic expressions of our sexual desires.
--> seers = a person who can force or foretell events.
--> acting out = performing , behaving as though in a real situation but not actually doing the action..
--> get by = I can't get by on such a small income.

Comprehension
1. How many hours of sleep do we need every day?
2. When do we dream?
3. What purposes do dreams serve in human culture?

Express Yourself
1. How many hours do you sleep?
2. Do you feel okay with three or four hours' sleep?
3. If your spouse were snoring, what would you do?
4. Do you need a alarm clock to get up in the morning?
5. Do you like to sleep in a bed or on the floor?
6. Do you think your dreams  have any significant to tell you?
7. How often, and when, do you dream?
8. Do you try to interpret what your dream means?
9. Do you believe that you would be lucky if you saw a pig in your dream? If so, would you buy a lottery ticket?
10. Do you enjoy a nap during the day time?
11. Do you think sleep helps relieve your stress?
12. Do you think it's okay to work at night?

Opinion Samples
1. Whenever I have a dream I try to interpret it in a Freudian manners. Most of my dreams relate to my everyday life, so understanding them helps me know more about myself. Since Freud was a pioneering genius in the field of psychology, any interpretation based on his ideal must be accurate.
2. Three or four hours' sleep! Doing that might save time, but I don't think most people could operate very effectively that way. I have try to get by with less sleep, many times, but I always felt tired and irritable, and would have to take a nap at work just to get me through the day. So now I make it a rule to get at least six hours of sleep, no matter what, and most nights I get seven or eight. So these days I feel refreshed and energetic, and I get a lot more done.

--> in a Freudian manners = by Sigmund Freud's doctrines.
--> pionnering = being the earliest in a field or study, activity,etc.
--> make it a rule = always try.
Useful Expressions
1. When the alarm clock rings, the best part of the day is over.
2. If you want your dream to come true, don't oversleep.
3. Do you realize how many mistakes you'd make if you didn't sleep away a third of your day?
4. The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep.
5. If you sleep in a chair you have nothing to lose, but a nap at the wheel is often a permanent snooze.
6. Most of us spend a lifetime going to sleep when we're not sleepy, and getting up when we are.
7. If you want your life to listen to what you say, talk in your sleep.
8. A real surprise is when the college voy comes home and discovers people sleep at night rather than in the daytime.
9. It's extremely difficult for a babysitter to wake up five or ten minutes before the parents return home.
10. Boasting  and sleeping are the forerunners of failure.
--> snooze = a light nap.
--> forerunner = a person or thing that comes or goes before as in time.