My favorite singer

For the past few years I haven't listened to much music. I don't really have any reason for not listening, just not in a music phase :)

But this is a video of my favorite singer. I bought 3 of her CDs when I lived in Tokyo 11 years ago. Her name is Sissel.

WHO??? is what most people ask me. But even if you don't know her name, I'm positive you've heard her voice. This video is of the song I like the most - but at the beginning and at the end, you'll hear the music she is most famous for. The producer of that music first heard her singing this folk song and wanted her to sing for the movie. The Norwegian folk song is called "I know in heaven there is a castle".

She sings a very wide range of songs - from this folk song which is a prayer, to pop music. Please search on Youtube and listen to some more of her music.





And this next video is the full length of the Titanic Overture. Many people think Celine Dion also did this, but Celine only sang the main song.




I think that if angels do exist, then this is the type of voice they surely have :)



Finally, please listen to this really interesting song that is called a wedding march, but is just "dum de dah" :)

Battle?

In Japan, the world "battle" is often used for some kind of disagreement with someone.

E.g. My sister and I had a battle.

But in English, "battle" isn't used in that way so often. Here are the common uses:

MAIN USE: one fight in a war 戦い
a bloody battle  血戦
a decisive battle　 決戦
the battle field  戦場


ANOTHER USE: struggle against = fight
a battle of wits　 知恵くらべ


a battle of words　 論戦, 舌戦


fight a losing battle 勝ち目のない戦いをする


a battle/fight for justice  正義のために戦う.
a battle/fight for first place　 首位をめざして戦う.


battle/fight against poverty　 貧困と戦う
a battle/fight for existence　 生存競争
die after a long battle/fight with cancer (sickness)　 がんとの長い闘いののち死ぬ



So how about a "battle" with your sister???
My sister and I had a disagreement.
My sister and I quarreled.
My sister and I had a fight.
My sister and I don't see eye to eye about ......

Dusty having fun!

I told you Dusty is smart, but he is also strange. He likes to roll around on the chair, putting his head through the arm, and go around and around :)

He'll keep doing this until I get tired of pushing the chair, and I give up.

Hey, look a spider!

.

Dusty: Hey, look a spider! Let's get it.

Kuro: No, look at ME!
             Take a picture of ME!

Special guest - Wednesday May 4th

On May 4th, Real English will have a special 90 minute class with a special guest from Uganda (which is in East Africa). Josephine will speak about herself, her country, her job, etc.

I hope to have this type of class sometimes. It is a great chance to meet people from different cultures and learn about their life.

Talking with a Guest Special Class                          

When:   May 4th, Wednesday（in Golden Week）

Where:  Lala Garden, Lala Club room

Time:     1:15 – 2:45pm

Cost:      500yen (pay on the day when you enter the room)

Guest:   Josephine from Uganda (East Africa)

She is an experienced social worker with who has worked in international organizations like The European Union and the United Nations. She is currently studying at the University of Tsukuba.

Guest’s Topics:

- home country, what it was like growing up there

- culture and language

- job - why did you decide that job, the kind of work you have done

- why you came to Japan and what you think about Japan

- what you hope to do in the future

- hobbies

- family

- pets

- etc

You can ask her any questions you want to, and maybe she will ask you about Japanese culture, etc. {But please don’t ask her very sensitive topics.}

You can come on the day, but if possible, please send me an email to tell me you are coming, or tell me directly. 

外国人のゲストを迎え、特別クラスを開きます   

日時:      5月4日（ゴールデンウィーク）水曜日

場所:      Lala Garden, Lala Club room

時間:      午後1:15 – 2:45

費用:      500円 (同じ日の部屋に入る際にお支払い下さい)

ゲスト: Josephine　（ウガンダ[東アフリカ]から）

EU、国連のような国際組織で働いたことのある、経験豊かなソーシャルワーカーです。現在は筑波大学で勉強しています。

トピックス:

- 母国について、どのように育ったのか

- 文化と言語

- 仕事、なぜその仕事を選んだのか

- なぜ日本に来たのか、日本のことをどう思うか

- 将来は何をしたいか

- 趣味、 家族、 ペット、 他

彼女に聞きたいことを何でも質問して下さい。彼女もあなたに日本の文化について尋ねるかもしれません。ただし、あまりデリケートな質問はしないで下さい。

できれば出席される方は、事前にメールで知らせるか、直接口頭で私に言ってください。

Dusty is too smart

What is the smartest animal you know? A monkey, dog, dolphin?

Well, maybe it is a cat - to be specific, Dusty!

He can open almost all the doors in my house. He started with the door of the cats' room ...

 Then he progressed to the bathroom door, and next the living room door. 

This weekend he learned to open the living room door INWARDS! That means first he opens the lock by pulling on the handle, and next he pulls the door toward him.

And after that he sleeps in the window in the sun.

ate vs. have eaten

What is the difference between these two sentences?

I ate lunch.
I have eaten lunch.

Please don't think about the grammar terms (names) for the sentences. Just think about TIME. For a lot of grammar patterns, WHEN is the important nuance. I think it is best to draw a picture. It is better not to think of grammar words or translations into Japanese because then you will just think about study and you might not get the FEELING of the communication.

Here is my picture for the two sentences:

Click on the picture to make it bigger.

So let's look at the questions again ...
First of all, let's think that usual lunchtime begins about 11am and ends about 2pm.
Now it is 4pm. Lunchtime is finished. It would be a little strange to eat lunch at 4pm. So our question is simple past:
"Did you eat lunch?" Answer: "Yes, I ate a sandwich." 

Much grammar is like this because often native speakers use the simplest and easiest way. I think it is the same in Japanese.

But in Question 2, lunchtime hasn't finished. It is 1:30pm so it is possible that you have already eaten and it is possible that you haven't eaten yet. We often use grammar to show this longer period of time.

So my nuance in this question is that I understand maybe you have already eaten, but because it is still lunchtime, maybe you haven't eaten yet. In Japanese you use words like "mo/mada".

There is no correct and incorrect. It is case by case depending on the situation and the time now and the usual time for doing something.


Did you eat lunch? (I think you already ate it and I am just checking.)

Have you eaten lunch? (Maybe you ate it, maybe you haven't eaten it yet.)

What will you eat for lunch? (I think you haven't eaten it and you haven't decided what to eat.)
What are you going to eat for lunch?  (I think you haven't eaten it and you have decided what to eat.)

Your answer can be different to the question:
What did you eat for lunch?   I haven't eaten lunch yet.
Have you eaten lunch?   Yes, I ate something at 11am.


If we are talking about experiences, the start time is the time when we were born:

Have you been to Hawaii? 
(From the time you were born, up to now, have you had the experience of going to Hawaii?)

But if that thing is not possible any longer because there is no future (it is not possible in the future), then time is cut so please use simple past:

Did you meet Princess Diana? 
(She passed away so you cannot use any nuance of future.)


Often there are two choices, and your choice shows the nuance:

I studied that book. (I finished it and I won't study it again.)
I have studied that book. (I recently studied it/I will study it again.)