MUSIC FESTIVAL~~~

My student Mrs. N went to an outdoor music festival last weekend. It rained ,but she and her husband didn`t care because they are big fans of the bands that perfromed, such as Santanna, The Doobie Brothers, and more...I really like Sanatana. I think that Sanatana is the best guitarist in the world!!! Also, I like The Doobie Brothers. But I have never been to their concerts so I am envious of Mrs. N.
Mrs. N gave me this great tee-shirt as a souvenir!! I am going to wear it all the time!! THANK YOU!!!
Can you see some of the people in the pic are wearing rain coats! Rain or shine, sometimes the show must go on!!!

Lunch Boxes

In Japan, lunch boxes are very common. Some people buy them at a convenience store or outside vendor for 500 yen or so, and other people make them every day. Or people`s mother`s make them! I think lunch boxes are delicious. These pics are of my student`s Ms. O`s lunch boxes for last week. She makes a lucnh box every day. They all look so delicious that I can`t decide which one I want to try! Can you name each of these lunches? What do you usually eat for lunch?

Sister Act!!!

These pics are sideways...Sorry! In the pic is one of my students. Her name is Ms. A. She goes to an international high school. In her school they have many interesting events, for examples debates and plays. This time her and her friends did a skit imitating Whoppie Goldberg in the movie, "The Sister Act." They are dressed as nuns. Don`t they look so cute!

My student Ms. O took these pictures. She went on a day-trip to Kyoto. She visited some Temples and shrines and also spent some time in the bamboo forrest. She said that she had a very good time. Sometimes I think that traditional Japanese sightseeing is really fun and interesting.

Ichiro, Matsui, and KOBAYASHI!!

Now this guy is one of the most known Japanese names in America. Right up there with Ichiro and Matsui. More Americans probably know this guy`s name than Ken Watanabe. Do you know why?

Check out this eating phenomenon!!! He is the Fastest Easter Champion in America. I think he ate about 54 hot dogs in this competition! Check out this article for the exact details if you want! :http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/5758088

What do you think about fast eating competitions? They used to be very popular in Japan and sometimes I still see them on t.v.

Kona Coffee and Philadelphia Cups

Ms. N took this photo for me. She is a freind of mine for a long time. I gave her some souvenirs from my trips; coffee mugs from Philadelphia and Kona coffee from Hawaii. Now she has a set! She uses the cups every morning with her husband. When friends can use the souvenirs that I give them, I always feel happy. I like "useful" souvenirs! How about you? What are some "useful" souvenirs that you have gotten or given?

Asuka! Welcome to the World!!

First I would like to welcome this new cute little healthy girl to the world. Her name is Asuka. She was born on Saturday July 8th, a few days before the due date. I forget how long the labor was, but it lasted about 6 or so hours I think. She was a little above average weight for a new-born, and very healthy. She looks adorable! She is my student Mr. T`s, daughter.

Over the past few months Mr. T told me about many of the things needed to do when a baby is born. For example, picking a name, shopping for clothes, deciding to know or not know the baby`s sex before birth, his wife`s physical condition, and various different thoughts, feelings and emotions...It was very interesting for me to listen.

Asuka`s name means "Tomorrow`s Fragrance" in English. Sort of a hope for a beautifully smelling future like the smell in a summer garden...Good Luck Asuka! And Congrats to Mr. T and his wife (who is a little tired I assume...Get some rest!)

Part ten: The last part..
I am sure that you are all sick of all the pics from Hawaii by now. I wanted to post the above pic, because, well...just because I like it. And the below pic is of my father and I having our big night out on the town!! We went to the bar at the Princeville hotel at 10pm maybe. The bar was closing up but the bartender was nice and gave us a beer and took our pic. We were the only two people in the entire first floor of the hotel! What a crazy town! ;)

Part nine: my parents...
My mother is an elementary school 3rd grade teacher. She has every summer off. Her summer vacation is about 2 months long. She `s wearing a gorgeous necklace that my aunt made for her for her birthday. It`s an expensive necklace!! (If you want to buy a gorgeous and expensive necklace please tell me and I will get you one! ;)

The final day at sunset: This trip was for my parents. It was my father`s 60th birthday party and my mother`s 58th birthday party.

Part 8: Golf!!!

My first time even on a golf course. At the Princeville Course. It was pretty nice! That`s me with my BIG BERTHA CALLOWAY!!! (Thanks to my friend Gan who gave it to me as a present!) I heard it`s a pretty expensive club!
My dad played one round of golf that day. I just walked with him. Well actually I played just one hole. It was the first hole of my life. It was fun. My dad shot a 101. I think he could have done better, but then again, he could have done worse too. For a big guy, he has a soft swing. But he drives the golf cart too fast!!! I like to drive slowwwwwwww!
Ed and Glenn Gross: First Golf Two-Shot (The caretaker took the pic for us...It`s a pretty dark pic so I guess he isn`t such a good photographer!)

My father putting on the green. NICE SHOT!!!

My father driving from the tee...GOOD SHOT!!!

"The Big Man", my dad`s nickname ;)

Part 7: Aloha style shirts...

My brother and I in separate pics with our folks. My father and I are wearing Aloha style shirts. I really like Aloha shirts and think they are cool. Sometimes I even wear one when I go out in Osaka or even when I am teaching. What do you think about Aloha style shirts?

Also, did you know that aloha=hello, and mahalo=thank you. That`s the only Hawaiin language that I know. Do you knw any more?

Part six: Random pics

Sunset on the balcony before the big BBQ dinner. We ate fresh fish and steak and a seafood pasta dish, and salad and drank some wine. It was delcious.
We rented a convertible car. (A car is necessary on this Island I think!) A Mustang. Most of the time, we drove with the top down, do the view was great and we could feel the wind and sun directly. It was nice!
On the Island, there are also many caves. I saw this cave from a boat. I saw many people also exploring inside the caves. It looked scary...

Part 5: "Grand Canyon" continued...

The photos really don`t do the place justice, but it really is a very impressive site!

The Gross Family doing the "tourist thing" and getting a group shot!

Part 4: Kauai`s "Grand Canyon"

One day we went for a long (I don`t like being in a car for a long time...) drive around the Island. The main spot was the "Grand Canyon"..Sorry I forget the real name of the place, but it was like the "Grand Canyon", just a little smaller. These pics really don`t do justice to the place. It was very grand and beautiful. We also stopped at many other good spots and finished with a little swim in the ocean of small town. The current of the ocean was very strong and I almost got pulled out to sea...DANGEROUS!

Can you see the waterfalls in the middle of this pic? It was pretty cool!

My Dad is a Big guy. Look at that tank-top and those pipes (=arms). He must have been tired because he drove a lot that day. The roads on the Island and long and narrow and have great scenery. At this spot, many tourists, I saw one large Japanese group too, took pictures of the scene and themselves.

Part three: My mother having a drink on the boat as everyone gets ready for snorkling and scuba diving. She was a pass...
Back to the Cataraman: My father and I snorkling outside the boat.
My brother swimming like a shark...
My father taking a rest before he goes in again. He doesn`t have a lot of stamina these days so he needs to pace himself...
My brother swimming like a ???

The boat again...

July 4th

Today is July 4th, Independence Day, in America. I was born and raised in Philadelhia, which used to be the capital of the United States before Washington D.C. Did you know that? There are many historical places in Philadelphia, for example, The Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and much more... Every year in Philadelphia there are huge fireworks on the 4th. I like fireworks and I am looking forward to the summer fireworks in Japan soon. Where do you recommend to see the fireworks in Japan? If you know any good places, please tell me!

Part two...

Hiking: One day my brother and I went for a 6 hour hike. We saw a 1000 foot tall waterfall. And we swam under it. It was the tallest waterfall I have ever seen. It was great and the water was really warm.

Also on the hike there was a rest spot on the beach. We swam in the ocean. The waves were high and strong. But the ocean was peaceful...
















My brother and I on a cliff-like spot. What a view!!!

Kauai Part One

My brother contemplating and watching the sunset from the balcony. We watched the sunset from the balcony almost every night...
A wonderful mixture of clouds, sky, sun, water, air, and color...
One day we went on a boat ride. We road a catamaran. This is one of the views from the catamaran. It was gorgeous!
The catamaran. On the tour, we snorkled, ate some lunch, drank, relaxed and watched the sites which included cliffs, mountains, waterfalls, caves and on and on, saw a dolphin, saw the sunset (at least some of us did...me, i wasnt feeling so well at that time ;( I get sea sick easily...)
Another sunset pic...I like the clouds in this one...
The Gross family on the boat...

to be continued...