Friday, March 31

The WYNN Hotel, Las Vegas
This is the hotel that I stayed in. It was really luxurious!! I really can`t explain how luxurious it was. It has everything; shops, restaurants, bars, pool, spa, work out room, massage rooms, casino, and on and on. (But it is very expensive!!) I recommend it and I liked staying there, but if I ever go to Las Vegas again I want to try another hotel.
THE VIEW FROM THE ROOM: THE POOL AND THE GOLF COURSE

The window overlooked this great pool and golf course! During the day, I relaxed by the pool and got a little color. The pool-side was very crowded. It was difficult to find a seat. But in the pool, there were only a few people just hanging out. NOBODY was exercising!! And the golf course was really something! It costs $500 dollars to play one round there. I don`t play golf so I didn`t hae to pay. But I bet some of my students who play golf would like to play there!
This is my younger brother and I. His name is Keith. He is a web designer and lives in Ann Arbor, MIchigan. We are standing in front of a man-made waterfall. (It looked real to me though...) On this day, we took a walk on the strip (a strip/line of hotels and casinos in a row.) it was a beautiful day and a nice walk!

This is me and Santa Claus on vacation in Vegas. Just joking. It`s my father. This pic was taken just after I arrived in Vegas. We had just finished toasting with our drinks! My father stayed in a suite room and that is where we took the picture. The room was realllllllly nice!

Thursday, March 30

Hey! I`m back! It was a great trip to Las Vegas. The weather and food was great, and I enjoyed spending time with my family. The above is a pic of all of the members of the Las Vegas trip. It was named "65-60" because my uncle turns 65 this spring and my father turns 60 this summer. The party was to celebrate their big birthdays! On this morning, we ate the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. It was pretty good!

Thursday, March 23

Vegas!

From today, I will go on a family trip to Las Vegas. I will go to Las Vegas! $$$ It is my first time there so I don`t know what to expect but I am looking forward to it. I will see my father, brother, cousin, and uncle there. We will eat a lot of good food and hopefully have a great time! I will be staying at the Wynn Hotel so please contact me there if you need me! (Just joking!)

Check out the hotel! It`s gorgeous!!! http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/

Wednesday, March 22

YUU-chan! She`s a cute one!!

Lunch with some friends at YAMATOYA

Yesterday was a National Holiday and I was lucky because my friend Ms. Y invited me to lunch with her family; her sister, neice, neice`s husband, neice`s baby, and nephew. She treated me to a great lunch at one of the famous restaurants in Osaka, Yamatoya. It`s in Sogo Department store on the 13th floor. Each dish was excellent and had unique "delicate" taste. We all talked about many things and really had a good time. THANK YOU "Y" FAMILY!!!


UNBELIEVABLE!! Congrats to the Japanese National Team!!

Monday, March 20

SUMO

On Saturday my friend took me to Sumo. It was my frist time to see a real tournament. It was very impressive and also very interesting! I saw my favorite sumo wrestlers, Tochiazuma and Kyokushuzan, too! Kyokushuzan won, but unfortunately Tochiazuma lost. It doesn`t look like he will become a Grand Champion this tournament, but I hope he does sometime this year.

Saturday, March 18

I LOVE TACOS!!
Even Mr. Oh said, "Thank you Mexico!!!" Mexico beat America 2-1, enabling Japan to advance to the semi-finals of the WBC!! Mr. Oh and Ichiro and the gang get another chance to beat Korea! As a reward for making it to the Best Four, Korea`s members were relieved of their duty to serve in the military. Maybe their motivation level is lower now..??? I predict Japan will beat Korea tomorrow and go on to become the WBC Champions!!!

Thursday, March 16

Useful English: 23 STEAMING
*boiling, angry
The Japanese baseball manager, Mr. Oh, was steaming about the horrendous call by the officials!

Useful English: 24 TO LET OFF STEAM
*to get rid of anger or excitement in a way that does not harm anyone

When I feel stressed, I go to the gym to let off steam.
Useful English 22: BOILING
*very angry
I am boiling about the stupid mistake I made. I am about to explode!
Useful English 21: FURIOUS

*extremely angry

The teacher was furious when the students didn`t do the homework.
The boss was furious about the poor sales results.
Useful English 20: ON AND OFF

* if you do something "on and off" for a period of time , you do it sometimes during that period of time, but not continually/always.

The 20 year old guy played pachinko on and off last year.
They have dated on and off for ten years.
CHINESE and KOREAN Lessons!!
My friend teaches Chinese and Korean in Honamchi. She is from China. Her name is "Cui" in Chinese, and "Sai" in Japanese. She can speak 4 languages; Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and English. Check out her home page and give her a call if you are interested in studying!!http://www.ispot.jp/s/s-sai/ It`s cheap, and I know that she is a great teacher!!! If I study another language, I want to study Chinese with her!

Monday, March 13

WHITE DAY!
Today is White Day! I think White Day is only celebrated in Japan, but I`m not sure. I know that it is not celebrated in America though. White days comes exactly one month after Valentine`s Day. Guys must give a gift or white chocolate or something to the girl(s) who gave them chocolate on Valentine`s Day. For some guys, it`s a very expensive holiday. For others, it`s not. I always procrastinate, so I have to run out and get some White Day gifts now. I always wait to the last minute. Oh well...
WBC: America comes from behind to beat Japan!!

In breaking news, the U.S.A. has beaten Japan in the first game of the second round of the World Baseball Classic! This man, Ichiro, sparked the scoring with a leadoff homerun in the first inning. After a dismal showing in the first round, Ichiro came to play and backed up his mouth with his bat! Uehara`s solid pitching performance also helped set the tone. However it was enough to hold off the loaded American team. America scored the winning run in the bototm of the ninth inning to win the game 4-3. America has now put themselves in a good spot to move on to the next round. On the other hand, Japan is in a tight spot...

Wednesday, March 8

HARD ROCK CAFE and...
A few days ago I took my friend Ms. Hit out for lunch. It was a "Thank you" Lunch, because she always helps me out with my home page! She is in between jobs now so she had some free time. Next week she will begin a new job! She`s a little nervous but I know she will be fine! Anyway, she likes McDonald`s but I didn`t want to go there because I am on a diet. haha... So I suggested Hard Rock. She happily agreed! I got a Cheeseburger (I forgot about my diet quickly) and she got a BLT sandwich. She is the slowest eater in the world so it took 1 and a half hours for her to finish her sandwich! I`m not joking!!! And, of course I offered her a bite of my burger. But she didn`t offer me a bite of her BLT. I was sad ;(...

Tuesday, March 7

Doctors
One of my student`s, Mr. M, sent me this pic. He is a doctor and specializes in heart procedures. He is in the photo. Can you pick him out? Which one is he? He needs to make presentations abroad at medical conferences in English. He also has to translate content of the conferences from English to Japanese and post it on the internet as well as report to his colleagues. He goes abroad on business trips often. Last week he went to Pheonix. He sometimes has to work the night shift too. He is a hard worker. Another one of my students, Ms. Y, works as a secretary in a Cancer Hospital in Osaka. She also works very hard! I have never been to Pheonix, so I am a little jealous of Mr. M!
Sumo
The Sumo wrestler rankings for the Osaka tournament was released. My friend sent me this pic. The Osaka tournament begins this Sunday I think. It is 15 days long. I got tickets to go to see one day of the tournament. It is my first time to go to see Sumo live. I am looking forward to seeing my favorite wrestlers Tochiazuma and Kyokushuzan. I hope they win. I also want to see the fearless Asashoryu! I can`t wait!

Friday, March 3

Useful English: 18. Occassionally 19. Once in a while

occassionally: * sometimes, but not regularly and not often

I occassionally go out to eat Okokomiyaki ("Japanese Pizza").
My father occassionally cooks.

once in a while:* sometimes, although not often

I wish you`d ask me out once in a while.
We should make it a rule to go for a walk together once in a while.

Wednesday, March 1




TOMATO COOKING CLUB! Nara Grand Opening!!!
Today is March 1st. It is a lousy and rainy day, but I have some good news! One of my students is the President of TOMATO COOKING CLUB. It`s a famous cooking school in Honmachi and also has a branch in Uehonmachi. Today, they just opened a new school in Nara! I want to congratulate them and wish them Good Luck!!! They have many different courses and even have a "guy`s only" course for guys who are a little embarrassed to study cooking. Check out their home page if you want to: http://www.tomato-cooking.co.jp/index.html
I think an "English Cooking Class" is a good idea. I think it would be very popular! What do you think?