Mr. Hig sang many songs. He was much better than I expected him to be. In fact, he was pretty good. He sang an Elvis Presley song too! "Love me Tender..." happy... ;)
serious...
like a movie star...

ICHIBA-ZUSHI (in namba)

Hands down the best sushi restaurant I have ever been to. The sushi is great, the price is not expensive, the atmosphere is very "osaka"=a little noisy, simple, etc..., and the people are good. Above are my two favorite sushi guys! Watching them work is interesting and talking with them is funny.
Mr. Y! My idol! :) The best sushi guy ever! He has taken care of me and many of my friends for over 7 years now...He`s the man!

Last night I gave my friend Mr. HIG. a "Farewell/Goodbye Party" and "Thank You" because he was transferred to Hong Kong. He studied with me for 3 years. Last year he also took me out for my birthday, so I owed him. We went to my favorite sushi restaurant, and after that my favorite snack. We talked a lot and had a good time. Also, we were lucky because my friend Ms. har. also joined us by surprise. And she introduced us to her friend, who was a nice woman. It was the first time I went out with with Ms. har. in a long time so I was happy.
The other guy in the pic is my friend Mr. M. He works near my classroom and sometimes we meet and talk. He is the president of a small design company and works with one of his two daughters. He is also very good at golf and ma-jan!

Ms. M`s trip to Beijing!

(Click on the COMMENTS below to read her great and honest report!)

TANTANMEN

Last night I went to a great chinese restaurant. Here`s the home page: http://www.tantanmen.com My student Ms. Y recommended the restaurant to me. Her nephew works there as an apprentice to the chef! I think the chef is famous. Honestly the food is very unique and different than the chinese food I have seen in the past. The tantanmen was fabulous!!!It`s a little expensive, but I think you can get real, authentic, chinese food there. Also, the restaurant was packed so I think many people agree with me.

Independence Day

In America, July 4th is Independence Day. I am from Philadelphia and there are always big fireworks every July 4th because Philadelphia has a lot of history and used to be the capital of the United States. However, for me, today, April 1st 2006, is Independence Day. From today I am independent will run my own English school, EZENGLISH. (This is NOT and April Fools joke!!!) Since my "I am going independent" announcement, I have already received many emails and words of "Congratulations" and "Good luck" from many friends and students. They have been a great support to me. Although I am heading down unchartered waters, I will do my best to keep my ship steady and on course and make a great school for my students.

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!

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!

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/

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!!

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.

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!!!

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!

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...

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 ;(...

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!

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.

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?

Think first!

Two of my students told me an interesting story yesterday. I will leave out there names because they might be a little embarassed! But their initials are Mr. O and Ms. Y. They are both very intelligent and Mr. O is actaully a professional writer! Ms. Y used to be a member of a movie club and is now a member of an elite book club with Mr. O twice a month. Well anyway, last Saturday they had a book club gathering. They were studying and discussing the book very hard so of course they got hungry. Someone went to order take-out sushi at "Kurazushi", a 100 yen sushi shop. Later someone went to pick up the take-out sushi order. It was 3000 yen. When they opened the container there were 60 sushi! "WOW! 60 sushi for only 3000 yen. What a great deal! The clerk must have made a mistake because we only ordered 30 sushi! We are lucky!!!"...For 3 days the BELIEVED the clerk made a mistake! Until I informed them, at 100 yen sushi, one sushi is not 100 yen, 1 PLATE (=2 sushi) is 1oo yen. So the clerk didn`t make a mistake! You got just what you ordered! And in case you were wondering, yes, the 5 members of the book club ate ALL the sushi ;) Have a good day! and remember, THINK FIRST!

Useful English: 16. ALWAYS 17. SOMETIMES

always:*all the time
sometimes: *on some occassions but not all the time

I always brush my teeth before I go to sleep.
I always take a shower in the morning.

I sometimes go to a yakiniku shop.
I sometimes eat sweets.

The Olympics are officially over. Japan got just one medal, Arakawa`s gold! I am very happy for her, but disappointed that Japan didn`t get any other medals. The next big international sporting event is the World Cup this summer. I can`t wait! Now, next topic...

Arakawa gets the GOLD

Suguri: The agony of defeat

Arakawa did it! She skated beautifully! She said many times in interviews before the Olympics, "I can win." And she did! Good for her! And Japan finally got a medal. A Gold medal. Arakawa is the first asian woman to ever win the figure skating gold medal! She deserves it!

My prediction was off. But Suguri really did an unbelievable job! You can`t praise her emotion and effort enough! I think that she should have beaten the American girl and Russian girl for at least the bronze medal, but I`m not a judge. Sometimes, life doesn`t go as we want it to...Look at the pictures, and you can see in their faces the difference. But Suguri should hold her head high and be proud of herself!!!

Congrats to both of them for making all of Japan smile!

Useful English: 15 FLIGHT

*a journey in a plane or space shuttle

It`s about a 3 hours flight from Japan to Hawaii.
Have a safe flight!
The flight was realy bumpy and rough. We ran into some turbulence.

AWAZA GOLF SHOP

One of my students, Mr. I, owns a golf shop in Awaza. I know that many people are interested in Golf so I wanted to post the shop`s website! http://www.awazagolf.co.jp/
It`s close to Honmachi and I hope to go there soon to get some pointers for my (terrible) golf swing! Mr. I`s handicap is very low, maybe a 12. I bet he can give me some good advice!

Useful English: 14. VOYAGE

*a long journey in a ship or airplane

Bon voyage! (This is French for "Have a good trip!", but sometimes we use this expression in English too)

It all comes down to this...Japan`s last hopes for a medal

Miki had some trouble but still managed to finish in 8th place after the short program! She`s still got an outside chance at a medal if she can hit her "4-turn" Jump tonight!
Suguri, always emotional, is seen reflecting after her 4th place finish in the short program! On a side note, her family owns an Sake shop that has been in business for 18 generations! If she wins a medal, that sake is gonna taste even better!

Arakawa is presently in 3rd. She controls her own destiny. If she doesn`t make any mistakes, at least the bronze medal is hers! She skated wonderfully in the short program!

Do you think Japan will finally get a medal in these Olympics? If yes, who do you predict will get it? Tomorrow morning Japan time, we will know the final results. I wish they all could get a medal, but unfortunately life just isn`t that fair. I know you want to hear so I will give you my prediction...Suguri. Just a feeling. BUT, Good luck to all!!!

Useful English: 13 JOURNEY

*a long trip from one place to another

It was a journey to get back to Philly from Osaka. My plane was delayed at Kansai airport because of fog, I missed my connection in Detriot and had to stay over night, and all in all, it took 48 hours.

Useful English: 12 TRIP

*a journey to a place and back again

How was your trip to India?
Kenji is on a business trip to Tokyo now.
Last weekend, I went on a day trip to Nara.
We had a lot of baggage, and had to make three trips to carry all the bags from the car to the house.

Useful English: 11. TRAVEL

*to go from one place to another, especially to distant places.

I`m really tired of traveling back and forth between my home and office everday.
I have traveled all the to Hokkaido by train before.
I love to travel to stange and exotic places.

Asahi Brewery

My friend went to the Asahi Brewery in Suita yesterday. Have you ever been there? I haven`t. There is a free tour of the brewery and after the tour there is a 20 minute "All-you-can-drink" session. You have to make a reservation for the tour. I know many people who have gone to this beer factory and participated in the tour. Everyone says that it`s a good time. I want to go some day because I like beer. But my favorite beer is Kirin Lager, not Asashi Super Dry.

Newborn Baby !

Ms. Hitomi just became an aunt!!! In the pic above is her brother and new nephew! Hitomi is a good friend and also made my home page for me! She helps me time and time again! I am very grateful for her help! I met Ms. Hit. about 5 years ago. The story of how I met her is interesting...but a little long. So I will save it for another time! I just wanted to congratulate her and her family!!!

Welcome board

Ring Pillow case

Bouquet

Look at the beautiful photos and ring pillow right above! My friend Ms. A has an internet bridal shop! She hand makes many of the bridal goods, like ring pillows and welcome boards, and bouquets! I think she imports some of the materials from Hawaii! Her work is really artistic and beautiful! If you want more info about her shop just click on this! http://www.b-crescendo.com/

COVENT GARDEN

This is my favorite bar in Horie! It is run by two self-proclaimed "beautiful" twins, Risa and Yuka. Judge for yourself! They are indentical twins. This pic was taken last year on their birthday! Guess how old they are!?! Looks can be deceiving, so be careful! ;) The bar has many events and live concerts. Food is pretty good and I especially recommend the cheese burger, chicken fingers, and nachos! Beer and drinks are all reasonable. They also have a vegetarian menu. And, they have table soccer! Have you ever played table soccer? In America, we call it "Foose Ball." Risa is the table soccer champion of the bar! I bet you can`t beat her! She`s good!! Anyway, if you are interested, here is their home page and blog: http://www.coventgarden-jp.com/ Check it out!

Look at that tongue!!! That`s a loooonnnnngggggggg tongue! ;) These are the best looking Toy Poodles I have ever seen! These are 3 members of "Sakura Family!" They are my student Ms. A`s pride and joy! They are so cute! If you want to see more of these cute pics and read about them check out Ms. A`s BLOG http://sakurafamily.cocolog-nifty.com/ It`s really cool!
Stretching before snack time!
Watch out! Here we come!!!! "Why am I the only one wearing a one piece?"
" That was a long walk. And it was cold!!! Getting ready for my nap..."

Useful English: 10. BOTHER

*to annoy, interrupt, sidetrack someone when they are trying to do something.

I`m sorry to interrupt/disturb/bother you.
I`m sorry for interrupting/disturbing/bothering you.

Sales telephone calls really bother me!
Don`t bother me now! I`m busy!

Useful English: 9. BUTT IN

*to interrupt a conversation rudely, abruptly, suddenly.

Stop butting in! This is none of your business.
I hate that neighbor. She always butts in when I am talking.