My kids love climbing on things - the sofa, the furniture, me when I`m trying to read a book... So we were happy to find this free kids climbing wall on the first floor of Kirio shopping centre in Kisogawa. My kids could enjoy climbing while I could read my book in peace.
Vocabulary:
- The FIRST floor in Japan & America is called the GROUND floor in Australia, Britain, & some of Europe. The SECOND floor in Japan is called the FIRST floor in Australia, & so on.
I`ve got a lot of old wood at home. I got a lot of it from the beach. This week I used some of it to make a set of small wooden boxes. I got the design for the numbers from the internet.
What will I put in them? Maybe coins; I`ve got a lot of low-value coins that I can`t be bothered (can`t be bothered = 面倒臭い) using in shops.
Grammar:
- I got... = ...を 在りついた
- I`ve got... = ...が あります
- Be careful: In spoken English, they often sound the same
Do you know the TV commercial where George Clooney cooks popcorn? If not; George Clooney is in a big garden. It`s sunny & he looks relaxed & happy. He`s cooking popcorn on a bbq & drinking beer.
When I saw this ad, I thought, "That looks fun. BBQ`ed popcorn & beer must taste good together." For a few weeks I looked for uncooked popcorn at various supermarkets & shops but couldn`t find it. Finally I found a cheap, large bag at a shop called Amika, in Ichinomya: http://www.oomitsu.com/amica/ten_ichi.html
Finally, I could cook popcorn on a bbq & drink beer in my garden. I felt like George Clooney. Unfortunately I don`t look like George Clooney. Nevermind.
Grammar:
- look/taste/smell/sound/feel/seem + 形容詞
- look/taste/smell/sound/feel/seem + LIKE + 名詞
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9hJd7RNVWc
This song is kind of halloween-related: "She`s Got a New Spell (spell = 呪り)" by English singer Billy Bragg. I`ve got a few of his CDs.
He has written a lot of songs. These are two more that I like:
"A New England" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kn552ae3CI
"Greetings to the New Brunette" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfKcG3gn3F8
Anyway, halloween is actually over (= finished) now. I`ve got to clean up the halloween decorations in my classroom.
Grammar:
- has/have got + 名刺 = has/have
- has/have got to + 動詞 = must
- Be careful: If you hear "I godda + 名刺," it means HAVE, but if you hear "I godda 動詞," it means MUST
In the first week of November, I will join other foreigners (外国人) for the 29th FAE. The first time I joined this exhibition was about 12 years ago. I entered it about 4 times, but I haven`t entered it for several years. I`m looking forward to joining again.
If you want to go, it`s on the fourth floor of Nagoya International Centre. You can walk there from Nagoya Station. If you want to meet me - and other artists - I`ll be there on the 9th, in the afternoon.
For more information:
http://www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/en/e/archives/7646
Vocabulary:
- first/second/third/fourth floor = 1階, 2階 , 3階, 4階
- first/second/third/fourth time = 初めて/最初, 2回目, 3回目, 4回目
- first/second/third/fourth of November = 11月の 1日 2日 3日 4日
- once, twice, three times, four times... = 1回 2回 3回
Teragoya had its Adults Halloween Party last Saturday. As you can see, a lot of people went, & it was a lot of fun. As usual, the costumes were great - there were several witches, a bunch of Wallys (from `Where`s Wally?`), a couple of princesses, various other characters, & even a flying remote-controlled shark - Wow!
If you went, I hope you had a good time. If you didn`t, please join us next year!
More pics here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/111005345077168312950/albums/6075180433843827409
Vocabulary:
- "I`m having a party/bbq" = My party/bbq; I`m the planner
- "I`m going to a party/bbq" = Not my party/bbq; I`m not the planner
Teragoya`s Kids Halloween Party was last week. Over 100 kids went.
This year my costume was a pirate. I think it looked good, but it was not good enough to win the `Best Teacher`s Costume` prize. And my costume wasn`t scary enough to make any kids cry this year. So I was doubly disappointed. Next year, if I have enough time, I will make a really strange & scary costume.
You can see my costume, & my giant `Pirate Puzzle` in the photo above.
You can see more pictures of the party here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/111005345077168312950/albums/6073725664711183009
Grammar:
- `形容詞 + enough` e.g. `My son`s not old enough to drive yet`
- `enough + 名詞` e.g. `I don`t have enough money`
- Be careful: `名詞 + enough` e.g. `money enough` is WRONG
My kids are so clever & skillful. They are good at (とくい) lots of things e.g. making a mess, getting dirty, & breaking things. They broke this thing, so I fixed it with a pair of small screws.
What is it? Can you guess?
I`ll put the answer in comments in a week.
Vocabulary:
`Broke` usually means こわれた (過去形動詞) but it can also mean 金のない (形容詞), so: "Can you lend me some money?" "Sorry, my kids broke all their toys, so I had to buy new ones. Now I`m broke"
On the way (途中に) to Ichinomiya Teragoya today I saw this old Porsche. Of course I didn`t take this photo while I was actually driving; I was stopped at a red light. I`m a safe driver.
By the way, you know that a big typhoon is on the way, don`t you? Are you ready?
Vocabulary:
- `ON the way` = 途中, but `IN the way` = 邪魔, so:
"Hey, you`re in the way - I can`t see the whiteboard!"
When I was out riding my bike, I found this place: The Hashima Folk History & Movie Museum.
It was closed, but the poster outside caught my attention - an old movie starring Ken Takakura. After seeing this poster, I really wanted to watch this movie, so later I went to a DVD rental store & rented it.
It`s great. First, gangsters hassle Ken`s family. Then they mistreat his sister. Next they blackmail (脅し取る) his brother, & after that they kill his father. Finally... it`s KEN REVENGE TIME! Ken Takakura goes to the gangsters` HQ & kills them all (making sure to expose his chest & show off his muscles & fancy tattoos in the process).
Actually, all early Ken Takakura movies feature this same plot.
Vocabulary:
First... Then... Next... After that.... Finally/Lastly...
Be careful: `After that` is OK, `After then` is WRONG
Also: `Lastly` = 最後に `At last` = やっと
- If you are a bloguru member, please login.
Login
- If you are not a bloguru member, you may request a free account here:
Request Account
エメラルド 
yukio 
PSPINC JP 
birdy 
田仲なお美 
内倉憲一 
mokomoko 
KUMA 
bokushi