Happy New Year and I hope everyone has a great vacation!!

Merry Christmas!!

The other day I was very lucky! Because 3 lovely ladies treated me to a wonderful night of good food and good drinks, and nice talk, and stupid games, and a lot of laughs!! I was very happy that they invited me out, but it was difficult to arrange a good day and time for everyone to meet...but they were very considerate and after their class, they started the dinner with just the three of them and waited for my arrival 2 hours later. When I arrived, they were already a little tipsy (maybe drunk?). So, I had a lot of catchin up to do... After a few hours of drinking, I caught up :)

The restaurant, Deligo, is in the neighborhood, only a few minutes away on foot, and therefore I thought it was a good choice! The food was OK, the drinks were OK, and I liked the atmoshphere. The only negative points were the menu and wine selection was a little limited (many things were sold out...) and the service was a tad bit slow (because it was busy and there was only one waitress i think). But overall, it was good, and most importantly everyone had a good time!

And, the ladies all talked a lot! This was great! They talked much more than they do in class. In class they are usually a little nervous maybe. But there nervousness disappeared. This is because of alcohol!! Sometimes alcohol helps people relax and not think too much...this is very helpful when speaking a foreign language!

Thanks Ladies!!! And next time it is my treat!!

A winter get-away, and illumination

After my discussion with Mr. F the other day over whiskey with perfectly round rock ice, from now on, only GOOD, HAPPY NEWS will come from this blog. If you want to read about unhappy, dark news, check out the top stories of yahoo or google. Unfortunately, I am sure you can find plenty there!!

I think it is time to take a winter get-away. A little trip! When I was a child, my parents used to take my brother and I to Florida. The weather is great, sunny, warm! It is the perfect spot!Below is a travel article about Miami. Personally, I recommend South beach!
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/12/03/miami.stay/index.html?iref=intlOnlyonCNN

Now, since I am in Japan, I aim to go to Okinawa or Hawaii when I need to get away.

Where do you want to go on a get-away? Do you have any great get-away places where you recommend others to go?

A night out

The other day Mr. F took me out for dinner and a late night of drinking. The festivities began at a Spanish restaurant. I had headr about the restaurant before, but I had never been there. We sat at the counter and ate a variety of tapos dishes. And, Mr. F ordered "g wine" for me. It was really good!

Next, we went to some club on the 32nd floor! What a great view of Osaka! I was impressed!! Then, we strolled on over to a classy lounge and talked and drank some very old whiskey while singing karaoke. Unfortunately, I am totally tone deaf, and was terrible!!! But Mr. F was superb! (I was surprised because Mr. F was much better than I expected! )

I don't remember exactly what time we finished, but i do remember having a great time!! Thanks Mr. F!!!

A great chef!!!

This is Mr. Y. He is a great chef! He works at USJ and is in charge of the burger grill in one of the restaurants there. He makes one hell of a burger! It is juicy and topped with a fried egg and sauce. And the bun is soft and tasty! And it is a "make-your-own burger" style shop, so you can add the lettuce and other vegeatbles from the sald bar as you like. If you ever go to USJ, I recommend that you try his burger shop! It's a winner! And I am sure he will do his best to make you a delicious burger with a SMILE :)

Change and Sweet Potatos

It was decided that this year's word was "Change." Look at the article below for more details:
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200812130069.html
Basically the article says that "Change" two meaning. The first reason is there was a lot of (negative) change in 2008, for example, the financila crisis. The second reason is that in 2009 there will hopefully be a lot of POSITIVE change! I sure hope so!

And, to move on to another topic, did you see President Bush dodge that 10-inch shoe thrown at his himin Iraq? I was surprised that Bush is so athletic!! He was really on his toes! Not bad for a man in his 60's. If that was Prime Minister Aso, maybe the shoe would have hit him in the head!!! (=i don't think Aso is so athletic)

And another topic...It is winter, so the Sweet Potato trucks are out in force. 100 yen for a BIG sweet potato! That's a deal! And, to be honest, they are pretty delicious! BUT, i can't eat them because many years ago when I ate one, I got heart burn...It was terrible...so now I am afraid to eat another whole one again! But only a bite or two is OK. Do you like sweet potatos?

Australia and "feet photos"

Good morning. It is half way through December already. After two more weeks, it will be the New Year. Do you have any plans for the New Year's vacation? Did you do the BIG CLEANING of your house yet?

My friend Mr. Hyo is working and studying in Sydney now so he will spend this year's winter holidays in the Outback! He said it is strange for him because it is so hot and sunny in Australia, not a "White Christmas."

And he sent me the photos below. But, the "feet photo"...what is that? I have seen other photos similar to this one before, photos of feet. My impression is that Japanese people like to take photos of their feet...Why is this? Please tell me the answer.

It's Friday....

and almost the weekend, so I am not in the mood to write a lot about such depressing and realistic things as the following article. The economy is bad, in a recession, many companies will lay off many workers and company downsizing will begin all over the world...Everybody knows this...
"Sony to shed 16,000 job worldwide, reduce assembly sites."
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20081210a1.html

So I want to talk about the beautiful sunset in Okinawa! It is truly magnificent!!!!! The red, yellow, orange...You have to see it with your own eyes!!!

Christmas and New Year's vacation is coming soon. Do you have any plans? Two of my friends are escaping the cold and going to head to Sydney, Australia. It has always been there dream, and finally there dream will come true. And now, because the yen is so strong, they can get a lot for their money. They plan to go to the beach, walk around the city, and of course, do some major shopping. I really hope they have a good time. And, since I am staying put in Japan(=not going anywhere) this year, I will be dreaming of the beach and sunset in Okinawa during that time...

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Algeria

My buddy was tranferred to Alegeria. We became friends when he lived in Osaka. Then he was transferred to Shiga-prefecture, then to Tokyo, and now...all the way to Algeria. For two years! That's right, the duration of his trip this time is 2 years!! In Algeria!! Do you know where that is?

He said it is unbelievably cheap to live there...listen to this: algerian coffee is only 20 yen, and very strong. and the people there spend 2 hours to drink one (small) cup. bread is 13 yen. fresh fruit is 10 yen. everything included, you can live there for about 10,000 yen a month.

Wow!! Does anyone want to move to Algeria any time soon? If you do, I will give you Mr. M's email address, so just ask!

And for more about Algeria, look at this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algeria

"I can not speak English..."

That's what Toshide Maskawa, of Kyoto University, told the audience at Nobel Lectures in Stockholm yesterday before he gave his speech in Japanese. This is the first time a speech has been given there in Japanese since 1968. Speeches are rarely given in any language except for English. Maskawa was an exception. But, he is an interesting man, and I read in the newspaper that he also said "I hope my I can't speak English fad doesn't rub off on the younger kids all over Japan. In fact, there is nothing more valuable than being able to speak English..."

This is an article about the events in Stockholm:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20081209a2.html

Now, I want to change the subject and talk about calendars. Do you have a calendar in your house? work-place? Do you write on the calendar? And one more thing...in America we say that the week begins on Sunday. But I feel(believe) that the week begins on Monday!! In my mind, Monday is the beginning of every week, and Sunday is the end of every week. What do you think?

Below is a picture from Mr. A's school campus in Australia.

Retirement

Do you want to move to the country when you retire? Or do you want to move to a big city, like Tokyo or New York? Or, do you just want to stay put?
Personally, I want to move to the country or to the beach...It is my dream!

Recently, because of the financial crisis all over the world, many companies are laying off many workers. In addition, the companies are offering many employees the option of early retirement.
The below article gives some facts about this trend.
"More employees retiring early"
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20081208a3.html

p.s. It is pretty cold today...winter is here! and I don't like winter.................................

How to beat Jet Lag and the Beach in Australia

Have you ever been to Bondi beach in Sydney? It's right outside of the city and a pretty cool beach. Right now two of my friends are there studying and working. From the email and the photos that they send me, and fromreading their blogs, it sounds like they are having a great time!! I am really jealous!! It reminds me of the great times that I had when Lived in Australia!!

Since I am on the topic of travel today, I wanted to mention that I saw a good article (below) which explained some tips on how to beat jet lag. I have gotten jet lag many times in my life. Have you? If yes, do you get jet lag easily? If no, what do you do to NOT get jet lag? Some of the tips they say below are; get a good night's rest/sleep the night before you travel, avoid late meals and alchohol, go for walks in the daylight and get plenty of sunlight...for more please read this article.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/12/02/jet.lag.drug/index.html

Hiroshima and Miyajima

Recently I wrote that Hiroshima and Miyajima are two of the most popular places for foreigners to visit in Japan. Last weekend, Ms. M went there. She said that she had 3 purposes. The first was to see the Peace (Atomic) Dome. The second was to see Miyajima. And the third was to eat delicious Hiroshima food. After hearing all about her trip, I thought "Ah, it would be nice to visit Hiroshima again some time." Hiroshima is a place that all Japanese and Americans should visit and see with their own eyes.

Have you ever been to Hiroshima or Miyajima? If yes, what did you think? If no, well then, you should make some plans to go soon. That's my advice for the day.

Have a good one.

Wanna live to 100!?

If your answer to the above question is YES, then I recommend that you move to Okinawa. I went there a little over a month ago, and I also felt, "Ah~, if I lived here, then I would be healthier, and probably be able to live longer..." To 100 years old, I doubt it, but maybe a few extra years could be added to my life if I lived in Okinawa.

The below photo article of Okinawa lists 9 reasons why the people in Okinawa live so long. Okinawa boats the highest percentage of over-100 year old people than anywhere else in the world. A few of the reasons are; okinawan people eat healthy food, remain active into their 80's or 90's, and...please look at the photo-article for the rest. It is short and easy to understand I think.

Okinawa centenarians defy odds of aging
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/02/okinawa.aging/index.html

It`s your turn to clean!



This is Ms. K's desk. When this thing is placed on her computer, it means that it is her turn to clean the office. In her office, everyone takes turns cleaning the office. Do you have to take turns cleaning your office too?
Me? I clean the classroom every day by myself. I like it Spic-and-Span!

Other news, it is already December...Time really flies...

And yesterday I read the the "Popular word/expression" of the year was "Gu---", short for "good." The female comedian who uses that expression, Ms. Edo, has been in show business for a long time...I am glad that she finally got her break. But, to be honest, I don't like her gig so much.

Enjoy the day everyone.

Kyoto Foliage

and below the photos I wrote about the new jury system which will begin in Japan next year...so, scroll down to read.

On the news and in the newspapers recently, I have seen a lot of stories about new lay judge, or jury, system that will begin in Japan next May. There are many issues surrounding this topic. Do you want to be a juror? If you are selected for juror duty, will it be easy for you to take off work? Do you want to be responsible and decide the fate of another human being?

In America there is a jury system. It is a little different than the system which will be introduced next May in Japan, but there are some similarities. I have never been on a jury in America. Also, because I am not a Japanese citizen, I can not be selected for juror duty in Japan. So, if you are selected, please tell me all about your experience!! I am really interested to hear about it!

The below article is about this topic. Read it if you are interested and have time.

50% of eligible citizens will be called as potential lay judges"http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20081201a2.html