Real English Fifty-Two: lucky to have (someone/somethings)

Earlier this year, Ms. M said to me, "Every night before I go to sleep, I say 5 things out loud which I am grateful for, or which I am lucky to have."

I thought, "That is a great idea, and a great way to end the day!"

So, after I tried it a few times, I thought, "I should do that more."

In 2014, I want to do it more. And that means I have to make effort to do it more.

And, even though it is not 2014 yet, I will start now!

Here are my five!

I am lucky to have my health.

I am lucky to have a job.

I am lucky to have good parents and a good brother, and good friends. (Is this only one?)

I am lucky to have a good wife.

I am lucky to have Taiga.

Thank you all for 2013!

 And, I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2014!!

Happy New Year!!!

Real English Fifty-One: by/until

Today is the last day of 2013.
Tonight, before the clock strikes 12, I will take some time to reflect on this year.
Needless to say, it has been a big year for me...

And I decided my New Year's resolution for 2014.
I have a few.

My first resolution is to continue to write 52 Real English segments in the year.
There are 52 weeks in a year, so basically this means that my aim is two write one Real English segment a week. 

My second resolution is to read one book a month.
So that means that I hope to read 12 books in the year.

My third resolution is to do 80 pull-ups in 30 minutes by the end of the year.
Not 80 pull-ups in a row! 80 pull-ups within 30 minutes!  So that means doing 10 pull-ups, then taking a break, then doing 10 more pull-ups is OK!

What is your New Year's resolution?

And tonight is New Year's eve.
I want to stay up until midnight and watch the apple drop, but maybe I can't.

Do you know how to use both "by" and "until" correctly?
Most learners of the English language don't know the difference between "by" and "until" and find it difficult to them.
Many people say, "It is confusing!" or "I am confused!"
In 2014, let's make sure we get it right!

Real English Fifty: shame

I got a Christmas card from Ms. N the other day.

She wrote,

"Merry Christmas! 

I hope everything is going well!

Please send us Taiga's shame!"

I thought, "'Shame', what is she talking about!!'"

Then I showed my wife the card and she said "Ms. N meant 'sha-me' which is an abbreviation for 'sha-meru,' which means 'cell phone photo.'"

I said, "There is a big difference between 'cell phone photo' and 'Shame'!!!" 

Here are some sentences using "shame," "ashamed," and "embarrassed."

1. It is a shame.

2. He is the shame of the company.

3.  I am ashamed. I made a terrible mistake...

4.  When I was teaching the other day, my fly was down. I was VERY embarrassed!!!

Real English Forty-Nine: hospitality

 So, we showed up at Mr. S's house for the party at on the 23rd at 12pm sharp.

Punctuality is important in Japan.

Mr. S's house is really cool!

He has a fireplace, a hammock, some goldfish, and many many toys!!

I really like it.

When we arrived there was quite a feast waiting for us!!

Homemade pizza cooked in the fireplace, pasta, rice balls, chicken, salad, beef...

We had a feast!

In Japan, you say H ・O・S・P・I・T・A・L・I・T・Y.

But in America, we say that is "southern hospitality."

I am from Philadelphia, so I was "Philadelphia hospitality."

If you ask any tourist in Japan, or any non-Japanese living in Japan, "What is the best thing about Japan?", the reply is always he same: "Japanese Hospitality is the best in the world!  The service is so good, so clean, amazing!

Real English Forty-Eight: RSVP

After we moved,  I visited my neighbor's house a few times. 
(Btw, his name is Mr. S.)  
In November, when I went to his house one time with Taiga, his wife invited my family to their house for a Christmas Party.
The following is our conversation:

Mrs. S:  Why don't we have a Christmas party? 
Me: That's sounds great.  But we're not Christian.
Mrs. S: Neither are we.  So, when is good for you?
Me: We are usually free on Sundays and national holidays.  But I have to check with my wife...
Mrs. S:  I understand, no problem. We will also check our schedule.

Two weeks later, Mr. S and his two daughters knocked on my door.
I was VERY embarrassed because I had just gotten out of the bath with Taiga, and I was wearing my wife's robe! It is purple and very short!!  When I opened the door, Mr. S must have thought I was a lunatic! His two daughters looked shocked and couldn't hold in their laughter.
After they all stopped giggling, the below is what we said:

Mr. S:  Is this a bad time?
Me: Not really.  But I just got out of the bath with Taiga, and I am alone, so my hands are kinda tied.
Mr. S:  Gotcha! Then I will make it quick.  
Me: Thanks!
Mr. S:  Here is an invitation to the Christmas Party we talked about the other day.  Please RSVP by next Sunday, the 7th.
Me:  Thank you very much!  You didn't have to come over here, in the dark, in the cold, just to give me the invitation...you could have just called!
Mr. S: Not a problem.  We wanted to get some fresh air anyway. 
(Then with a smirk on his face)
Mr. S:  Do you always wear this purple robe around the house?!?
Me: No!!! Get outta here! I'll contact you soon!  Later!

Real English Forty-Seven: to be safe

One day when I was contemplating buying my house, 

I thought to myself, 

"I trust my realtor, but just to be safe, I should ask some of the neighbors a few questions...

For example:  

'What do you think of the area?' 

'Is it safe at night?' 

'Have the irrigation ducts ever overflowed?'  

'How are the schools?'

etc."

So later that day, I went for a walk with Taiga in the neighborhood of the house on purpose.

Asking the neighbors questions was my sole objective!  I walked in circles, up and down the same streets, for about thirty minutes...I was nervous, plus I couldn't find anyone.  

Plus, I didn't want to knock on the doors, and say, 

"Hi, I am Glenn. I am thinking about buying that house over there. What do you think?"  

That would've been too unnatural, and creepy!

Finally, I seized the opportunity and went up to a guy who parked his car in the parking lot next to the house.  After he got out of his car, I approached him and said something similar to the above (I only thought it was unnatural if I knocked on doors...am I strange?).  

He politely answered my questions and I was satisfied. Right after that, I saw another guy playing with a child who I thought must be his daughter.  

She looked like she was learning to ride a bicycle.  I thought, 

"I don't want to disturb them...ah---this is difficult, plus I am shy, so maybe I should just give up..."  

But then I remembered, "I am thinking about buying a house!!! This is a big purchase!!!"  

So I overcame my shyness and got up the courage to go up to the guy and his daughter. 

It was one of the top 10 best decisions I have made this year. 

He was unbelievably nice and helpful, and he invited me into his house immediately and introduced his family to Taiga and I.  

And after that, we became "good neighbors." (I think.)

We have some things in common, for instance, we both like beer. 

And by coincidence, he also works in Osaka, actually very close to Honmachi.  

to be continued...

Real English Forty-Six:  to be/get lost

Fortunately, the flight my parents took arrived at KIX on time.  Unfortunately, the taxi which picked them up at the airport got lost on the way to my house, so instead of taking 1 hour, it took one hour and forty minutes.  The below is the dialogue according to my mom:

Taxi Driver: I am so sorry. I am lost, so it is going to take a little longer than I expected.

My Dad: Stop the meter!

Taxi Driver: OK, no problem.  

Mom: Why don't you call my daughter-in-law? Maybe she can give you directions...here's her number. 

Taxi Driver: Can she speak Japanese?

Mom:  Of course! Her name is Kyoko.

Taxi Driver: Thank god!!

Then, the driver called Kyoko.

Ring ring...

Kyoko:  Hello.

Taxi Driver:  Hello. This is Tanaka from ABC Taxi. I can't find your place. Can you help me?

Kyoko:  Where are you? Can you give me a landmark or something?  What do you see around you?

Taxi Driver:  I am right next to Mukogawa River, in front of a vending machine. I can see XYZ building and a big green driving range net behind that.

Kyoko: Oh! You are right around the corner.  Go to the entrance of the driving range. Then go straight, north, on that street, until you see a bread shop. Go past the bread shop one block and you should see a rice field on your left. At that intersection, turn right, and our house is about 200 meters straight ahead.  You can't miss it!

Taxi Driver:  Thanks a lot. I'll give it a try.

Kyoko: Good. If you can't find it, just call me and we will try again. Bye.

Real English Forty-Five: ETA

This morning, a student and I had the following conversation:

Me:  My parents are coming to Japan today?

Student:  Really?!  What time?

Me: Their ETA is 4:25pm at KIX.

Student:  Glenn, I don't understand the meaning of ETA.  What does it mean?

Me:  ETA stands for "estimated time of arrival."

Student:  I see.  Are you gong to pick them up at the airport?

Me: No, I'm not because I have to work. Instead, I arranged for a taxi to pick them up at the airport and take them to my house.

Student:  How much does it cost?

Me: It depends on the route and traffic, but I think about 12,000 yen.

Student:  Plus tip?

Me:  No, including gratuity.

Student:  How long are they staying?

Me: About a month.

Student: A month!?!?

Me:  Yeah. You sound just like my wife!!

Student:  Do you have any plans over New Year's Vacation? Are you going to go anywhere, like a hot springs or something?

Me: As of now, we don't have any big plans. We are just going to take it easy and enjoy the time together.

Student:  Sounds good.  I hope they have a good time!

Me:  Thanks! I hope so too!

Below are beautiful photos of the foliage taken by miss e.  

It's a shame my parents missed the fall leaves because I am sure they would've loved to see these brilliant colors!

Real English Forty-Four: know one's stuff

As many of you know, I bought a house this year.

After talking to the realtor when he showed us the house for the first time, 

I thought  two things, "He really knows his stuff" and "If I buy a house, I'd could buy one from him."

Tomorrow will be two months since I moved.

I want to use this space to write a thank you note to our realtor.

Dear Mr. Suzuki,

Thank you very much for being patient with us!

Thank you for answering all of our (many, many) questions!

Thank you for negotiating, and finally coming down on the price!

And most of all, thank you for helping us purchase the house!

Thanks to you, the three of us are now living there happily!

In addition to the house itself, we really love the area!

I don't know how to express myself accurately, 

but I want to say that I really appreciate everything you did for us!

Hope you enjoy the Holiday Season!

Regards, 

Glenn

Real English Forty-three: special of the day

Last week was Thanksgiving in America.

On the same day, I went to an American restaurant for dinner.

After looking at the menu, 

I asked the waitress,  "What is the special of the day?"

She said, "You are American, right?"

I said, "Yes."

Then she said, "Well then, today is your lucky day!  The special of the day is turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie for dessert."

I said, "I'll take it."

Speaking of food, recently Taiga began to eat a little.  

You can see his brunch the other day below.

It is all home-made, nothing frozen, and it takes my wife a long time and a lot of energy and thoughts and planning to make.

Taiga shows his appreciation of all of her hard work by never leaving even a morsel of food.

Even if he falls asleep in the middle of the meal, which he sometimes does, he always finishes everything.

As some people recently tell me, he resembles his grandfather more and more every day.

From the left, then top to bottom:

 tomato, rice, carrots, turnip, and last but not least pumpkin.

FYI, Taiga doesn't like tomato so much but likes pumpkin a lot! (just like his father!)  Actually, in my case, I didn't like pumpkin when I was a child, 

but after I became an adult, I changed. 

Now, I love it!!!)