Learn English, or else...!

According to the following article, in Amercia, the LPGA(=Ladies Professional Golf association) is tepping up the requirements for English ability! Bascially, "If you can`t speak English, go home." There are many foreign players in the LPGA tour, and recently communicating in English during play and in interviews has been a problem. Momoko, and Ai, Sakura and Fudo all better watch out and start improving their English fast! The following is a link ot that article: http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/8490440/LPGA-requiring-players-to-learn-English#

On another topic, did you see the news about the new baby panda that was born in the zoo in Hyogo. It was soooooooooooo small!! Very cute!

Below are some more pictures from Ms. M`s India trip. I wonder if the fella leading the goat herd and the guys on the truck can speak English...

Shoes or sneakers?

Which do you prefer to wear when you go out?
I prefer sneakers or beach/sports sandals every day. But for work, or for going out for a nice dinner, I like to get dressed up and wear some stylish shoes. But for me, buying sneaks/shoes on Japan is not so easy. It is really difficult to find my size, and 29 centimeters, a size 11 in Amercia. In Japan, 27.5 centimeters is usually the max. So, I usually buy my footwear when go back to the States for a vacation. I almost always buy New Balance sneaks, because I have a wide foot, and New Balance specializes in wide sizes.
What size sneak do you wear?
What kind of shoes do you like to wear? When you go out? At work?

Olympics and India

Yesterday the curtain closed on the Olympics. The new fastest man in the world is from Jamaica, and his last name is Bolt. Do you know the meaning of the following sentences:

1. I have to bolt.
=I have to get out of here(leave) now/right away.

2. The boss bolted out of the office.
=The boss suddenly/quickly left(ran out of) the office.

3. Did you just see that lightnening bolt?

Anyway summer feels like it has passed, it is a little cooler every morning and night, and the cicadas have stopped crying/singing every morning!

Enjoy the week!

Below are photos from Ms. M`s trip to India. In the bottom picture, they look like Royalty!! Like a king and queen!!

The High Temperature in my place!!! 42 Degrees Celcius!!

Just before I left for Kyushu last week, that was the temp in my place in the morning with no airconditioning! 42 Degrees Celcius! It was like a sauna! There were puddles on the floor from my sweat!! (Is that a nice image? ;)) Thankfully, when i returned from Kyushu, it seemed like it cooled off a little in Osaka. At least the mornings and nights feel cooler. Probably after a few more weeks, and a few more rain storms, the temp will cool off in the afternoons too.

My Obon vacation was really nice and simple. I ate good food, slept a lot, drank a little too much but to counter the negative effects of the alcohol, I walked in the rice fields for about two hours every day and also went to a local hot spring for about 2 hours a day. The rice fields were everywhere I looked, all a beautiful green. Unexpectedly, it rained almost every day while I was in Kyushu. The rain is good for the rice fields and other vegtables and fruit in the farms, and good to cool off the temperature, but it wasn`t good for my barbecue!! But somehow, the barbecue managed to be a success!

Other than that, I watched a lot of the Olympics and high school baseball. It was fun and exciting, but to be honest I am a little sick of the Olympics now...It is the ONLY thing on tv...So please forgive me, but no Olympics talk today.

Also, I watched some good DVDs, but I will tell you about them next time, so look forward to it!

The Land of Ramen!

That`s where I am going for my Obon vacation. I love ramen! And Kyushu ramen is really the best! It isn`t the best/most healthy food in the world, but it is the best tasting!! Heavy and oily pork-broth soup, fatty pork, and some scallions on top! That pretty much describes Kyushu ramen!

Actually, I plan to eat very healthy and do a lot of walking in nature, and just take it easy. Also, I will watch a lot of the Olympics and the last couple of games of the Japanese High School Baseball tournament. Maybe also visit a couple of bath houses or hot springs if I am lucky.



Other than that, I want to stay out of trouble...watch some of the Olympics... Speaking of the Olympics, it`s a shame that the reigning Olympic gold medalist, Noguchi, had to withdraw from this year`s race. Many people, including me, were really looking forward to watching her run...But she injured herself, so there is nothing she can do about it. Hopefully she can recover and run again sometime in the future. But I was disappointed that there will be no "alternate runner." The Japanese Marathon assosciation should have done a better job of preparing for this situation.



But I don`t want to complain now, because from now I will depart! :) If everything goes as planned, it should be a relaxing and good time over the vacation. Talk to you when I get back!

I also love fried rice!!
And fried dumplings aren`t so bad either!!!

Stress---Rasberry Tart Cake


Yesterday I read on the net an article about stress. The survey targeted Japanese females, and asked a few questions. Question number 1, "Are you stressed now?==Do you feel stress now?"

46.2% of the women said "They are pretty stressed." 36.7% of the women said "I am very stressed." 15.3% said "Not really." And 1.8% said "Not at all...zero!"

And some of the reasons for feeling stressed were the following:



27.7% said "Human relations at the office/job/workplace.=The relationships with my peers/colleagues"

18.5% said "My job itself."

12.6% said "Romance/love"

5.9% said "Family-relative relationships"

5.5% said "Money."


How about you? What do you do to releive/release stress?
For me, exercise and going outside, spending time in Nature, always does it!


However, my image is that many women like to eat sweets or chocolate or cake when they are stressed?

Personally I like to exercise, HARD exercise!!

If you are a cake person, how about the delicious looking tart below!?

Real men cry

Just moments ago, Japanese Olympian swimmer Kitajima won the gold metal in the 100meter breast stroke, and he also broke the world record!!! He was awesome!! His swimming was so impressive!! He blew away all of the other competitors! It wasn`t even close!!
AND I WAS LUCKY because I could watch it LIVE!
And then, in his after-race interview, Kitajima was so emotional that he really could only barely manage to say a few words...He was very choked^up...He was crying. He has been under a lot of pressure over the past few months, from the Speedo swim suit-Mizuno controversey to the many comparisons to Hansen, the strong American swimmer. But he overcame it all, and today he could achieve one of his goals! It was great to watch! Thanks!

So, here`s to Kitajima!! Cheers!!!

Let the Games begin!!

Yesterday was the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics! I watched a little of it, and I was surprised~~Because there were many countries which I had never heard of before! (I was never very good at geography, and I have a terrible sense of direction too...) Actually, some of thew events already started a day or two before the opening ceremony. For example, both the men`s and women`s Japanese Soccer teams already played. The women`s team came back from 2 goals behind to get a draw versus New Zealand. The men`s team were not so fortunate, and lost a crucial match versus America 1-0. America is strong :)
I will be glued to the tv every night watching the highlights of these Olympics! For about 2 weeks, there is a lot to watch on tv...I am busy!!!

After the Olympics, when I have more free time, I want to cool off and go white water rafting! It looks fun!!!

How about some vanilla ice cream with that Shortcake!!

Most Japanese people can NOT pronounce "Vanilla" correctly. Most people say "Ba-nilla," but this is incorrect!!! Can you pronounce "vanilla" correctly?

Please check out the "comments" for Ms. e`s answer to the shortcake question.

Shortcake?

"Why is shortcake called short?" Ms. Mai asked me. She added, "I don`t think that shortcake is very short at all..."
Mai`s question is brilliant! I don`t know why or when or how she thought of such a thing, but she is correct! Why do we call short cake "short"? I tried to find the answer by looking up the word on Wikipedia, a very useful English Internet dictionary, but in the definition, no where idd it mention why it is called "short." Does anyone know the answer? If you do, please let me know, because Mai is dieing to know the answer!!!
In Japan, people say "Fried Potatos." But this is one of the many Japanese-English words. In America, we say "French Fries." After 911, some people referred to the below dish as "American fries," because of some trouble between the French and America, but that was only a phase. After a little while, everyone began calling the below dish "French Fries." But why do we use the word "French"? Was this dish invented in France? Did it originate in France?

The above is today`s food for thought. Enjoy the evening!

Korean Food is good for stamina in the summer!!!

Last night I ate Korean food. I went to a new restaurant which my friend just opened! I ate grilled pork wrapped in a variety of really fresh vegetables! It was my first time to try such Korean food, and I liked it! And today, I feel POWERFUL! :)

I am happy because I like high school baseball and the National High School Baseball tournament, held right around the corner from me at Koshien Stadium, began on Saturday. I am psyched to watch the highlights every night when I get home!

Speaking of Koshien, a high school and pro baseball legend of Japan, Kiyohara, from PL Gakuen High school, a baseball powerhouse which cranks out superstars every year, announced his retirement at the end of this season yesterday. He injured his knee and has been doing rehabilitation for a while now. Tonight he will play in his first game in a very long time...I hope he hits a home run!!

To change the topic, the other day when I was hiking, I saw two snakes!!! Some Japanese people say that to see a snake is good luck...In America, we do NOT say that, BUT...I hope so!!

Let`s celebrate again...this time with Strawberry chort cake!!



More happy news. A horse named Elizabeth Queen, who races in the Kansai area, just won her first race in 166 tries! She had lost 165 races in a row! That`s a lot of losing, a lot of disappoinment and misery!! But she didn`t give up, and finally, she came in first place!

And, last night the boxer Naito, defended his title and won with a knockout in the 10th round. But after his interview, he yelled into the microphone, "Sunday Japon!!", which is a tv show on Sundays which he appears on sometimes. I think he shouldn`t have said that, and I thought it was inappropriate. If he wants to advertise for the show, he should wear a tee-shirt or a baseball cap with the name "Sunday Japon" on it...Just my opinion, and NOT an important topic, so whatever!

And last but definitely not least, tomorrow Mr F will go night squid fishing with his friend in Fukui prefecture. He is very confident that he will catch over 100 squid, because recently fisherman don`t go out into the ocean as much as before because of the high fuel prices...And, he promised to give me some of the squid which he cathes, so on Saturday night I am looking forward to having some squid for dinner! Thanks Mr. F!!

Let`s Celebrate! with...ice cream!!

Today is definitely a day for ice cream! Today is a day for celebration. First, I got some good news from The Doctor today. He told me that yesterday his wife had a little baby boy! Congrats!

Second and much less important news, Ichiro reached a milestone today in America. He has now hit over 3000 hits in his career, a combined total of his hits while playing in Japan and in America. I read an article on the net which said that last year James Moyer, an older guy who used to be Ichiro`s teamate in Seattle and now picthes for my team the great Philadelphia Phillies, asked Ichiro "How long are you gonna play for kid?" Ichiro replied, "My goal is 45 years old, and my dream is 50."

I am gonna order a big vanilla (NOT Ba-nilla) ice cream with hot fudge and wet nuts and whip cream with a red cherry on top to celebrate today`s happy news.

New friends, Part 2

So, when I was hiking the other day, besides the father and son combo I met, I also met two other new friends. Two cats. One was brown and appeared gentle, and the other was grey and showed it`s teeth many times...like a tiger! I was honestly a little scared,and I thought "maybe it has rabis", because it was a wild cat. But fortunately, it didn`t bite me and I was OK and we became friends. Seriously, I was really surprised because I found them at a very high point on the mountain(Check out the photo below) Soemtimes I see wild boar in this mountains and at this point, but I have never seen any cats or dogs...How these two cats got so high, I can not imagine.!!

I wanted to take them home with me, but in my aprartment, cats a prohibitted, so I had to give up...It was frustrating and depressing, but I thought that I had no other choice. We spent about 20 minutes together, and eventually the grey cat warmed up to me. When I go back there, I want to bring them some delicious cat food!

Yesterday there was a fierce storm and some flooding in Western Japan. Today also, it is already raining, and the weather forecast for this afternoon, is for a storm again.

Don`t froget your umbrellas and be careful out there!!

"Good Luck" to My New Friends!
I met this father and son while I was hiking. They were already sitting at my favorite resting spot, and when I sat down and put my feet into the river, we began talking. The boy is ten years old, and I was a little surprised that he hiked so far in such hot weather. But he was playing with the stones in the river and didn`t seem to have a worry in the world. He said he is good at tennis, but isn`t good at studying. I said "That is enough." The father was a really nice guy! He is a driving instructor in a driving school in Tsukamoto. If I get a driver`s license one day in Japan, I want him to be my teacher! Anyway, it was great to meet them. The boy really liked the expression "Good Luck."

EEL DAY!

The below photo is of me Struggling with Udon-Gyoza...It is from a while back...

But today, I want to talk about today. It is EEl Day! This is one of my favorite days of the year! Because I love eel!!! Usually I eat eel every year on this day. I always order "eel over rice", one of my favorite dishes! And in the summer, to beat this unbeleivable heat, eel is great for stamina! And I NEED stamina. But I haven`t eaten if yet today, so I better hurry up if I want to eat it for lunch...Or maybe I will save this treat for dinner! Now I am thinking...

"Ponyo on the cliff by the sea"

This movie just started playing in Japan recently. Have you ever heard the theme song of this movie? It is great and I listen to it on the radio almost every morning! I haven`t seen this movie yet, and usually I do not see animation movies, but this movie is an exception! On the next "Movie Day," when the price drops from a whopping 1800 yen to 1000yen, I am definitely gonna go! I expect it to be a great "feel good movie!! I hope...

If you have seen the movie, please let me know what you thought of it and whether or not you recommend it or not!

To change the subject, below is an update from Indonesia and Mr. I! He has been enduring the heat and he told me that he got used to the spicey food in addition to many other things in Indonesai.

The pictures below, especially of Mr. I in that carriage? buggie?, whatever you call that, I have no idea. And check out the toilet and bath photo...Pass!! It looks like Mr. I is roughing it a little...Hang in there!!

3-day weekend...and Home-made Pizza

What are your plans for the 3-day weekend?
I hope to go for a long walk to my favorite waterfall, (clean it up again), maybe have a BBQ, watch a DVD, and just chill out.
Also, I am in the mood for pizza, so one of the three days I definitely want to order a pie or at least get myself a slice.

Have you all a good one!

What time is it?

It`s time for a beer! :) Just joking! It`s only 9:55am in the morning, too early for a beer!!

Well, according to the weatehr forecast, the temp will soar to 35 degress celsius today! That`s hot! A boiler! A scorcher!

I am very stobborn and refuse to use the air con in my house (that might be unfortunate for some people...) but in the classroom I always keep the air con on on full blast! However, the preferences of different people are quite interesting. Some people order strongly "Make it colder!!! 22 degrees!!!" Other people politely request "Could you make it a little cooler please." Others say "Please use the dry function", and until a few weeks ago, some people even said "Please turn off the air con and just open the windows." All interesting...How do you like the air con in your house? office?

(The time below: It is ten forty three and 34 seconds)

Hong Kong at Night

These night shot of Hong Kong are really spectacular! The contrast of the neon lights with the black sky...and the lights of the city...Truly Great!

As many of you already know, I like neon lights of the city, like Minami or Kita-shinchi of Osaka, very much. But recently I have not gone out so much, after work, I go straight home...

A few weeks ago, Ms. Y went to Hong Kong with her boyfriend. She said that they really had a good time, and only had one problem...On the way back to Japan, the taxi driver forgot to pick them up at the hotel to take them to the airport! Unbelievable! That would never happen in Japan!! In America, maybe :)

But all in all, she said the people were friendly, and the best part was the food! According to her, ALL of the food was delicious! So delicious that even since she came back to Japan, many time she has already gone to Chinese or Hong Kong restaurants around the Osaka area.

Hope everyone has a good week!
Thank you Ms. Y for the great pics!