Today's talk about Uganda

Today we listened to Josephine speak about Uganda and herself. It was really interesting to hear about her country, culture and life.

It was amazing to hear that a bride's family is very strong in the negotiations for their daughter to be married!

If you would like to read about Uganda, please go to Wikipedia.

Pleeeeeeease open the door!

Dusty was asking my husband to open the toilet door. I have no idea why he wanted to go in there; no-one was inside!

I told you he was smart. He tries the handle, he even looks at the bottom hinge, and under the door. This time finally he gives up.

BUT he learned how to open it! Again, this door opens outwards, so that means he first must pull down the handle to unlock it, then pull the door from the bottom.

It is very surprising to be in the toilet and suddenly the door handle turns and he comes in! It is like having a small child - there is no privacy in my house any more :(

Special guest - Wednesday (reminder)

Remember, the special guest is coming tomorrow. If you would like to attend, please send me an email tonight or tomorrow morning :)

The royal wedding

Did you watch the British royal wedding last Friday night? It was really good timing with the public holiday in Japan. (There was a special public holiday in the United Kingdom for the wedding, so many people could watch it.)

I thought Catherine looked very lovely and elegant, and her dress was beautiful. The dress reminded me of Princess Grace of Monaco. It seems the couple are truly happy and Catherine's face looked radiant.

Do you remember Diana's wedding 30 years ago? I have some memories of it because my family all sat together in the living room of our house in Australia and watched a live broadcast. One thing I do remember is that Diana looked shy and nervous. I think that made an impression on me because of many fairy tales I had read. Princesses should be happy, not nervous! :)   Well, Catherine looked like a happy princess. (She isn't called a princess - her official title is the Duchess of Cambridge.)

By the way, a newspaper in Australia said that 6,000,000 (six million) Australians watched the wedding on TV. Wow! That is almost one quarter of Australia's whole population. (22,000,000).

Best of luck to the newlyweds and I hope they can live happily ever after!

* newlywed is not used for such a long time in English. I don't know how long is okay, but maybe for 6 months? In Japan the word can be used for several years?!

Farewell to my fish

After 6 years of keeping this tropical tank, I've decided (for several reasons) that I must find my fish a new home. It is very sad and I don't want to think about it, but it is the best thing right now. So this blog post is both and introduction and a "farewell". 

Yamato Numa Ebi x 1 (Caridina japonica)

Three-stripe Corydoras catfish x 3 (Corydoras trilineatus)

Pygmy Corydoras x 4 (Corydoras pygmaeus)

Peppered Corydoras x 3 (Corydoras paleatus)

Golden Angelfish x 3 (Pterophyllum scalare)

Black Neon Tetra x 7 (Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi)

Plants

Anubias Nana  (Anubias barteri var. nana petite) {right side with small leaves)

Dracaena (Dracaena compacta) {left side with long leaves)

The tank (60cm x 45cm x 35cm)

The water level is very low right now because I don't want water to come out again if there is another big earthquake. Usually the water would be about 3cm down from the top. Actually, the tank is not at all beautiful right now. Last year I had more free time and it looked like a lovely garden. Now it is very simple with no design at all. 

Makurokurosuke Cat x 1

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.)

Earthquakes DO happen in Australia

Recently many people have asked me if earthquakes happen in Australia, and my answer has been "Very rarely, and usually imperceptible* to humans." Sorry, maybe that is not true ....

Today a M5.2 hit north Queensland. But it was a rare event - here is what one expert said:

Geoscience Australia seismologist David Jepsen says today's earthquake was a rare event and the state's biggest in more than 70 years.

"There have been quite a few in the early 1900s and the last big one was a 5.5 in 1935 west of Fraser Island. And then there was one near Charters Towers in 1913, about 5.7. Queensland doesn't get too many of this magnitude type event," he said.

You can read the whole story on the ABC website:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/16/3193477.htm?section=justin

Unfortunately, just a few minutes after the Queensland quake, a M5.3 hit Christchurch in NZ again, but there have been no reports of damage.

The Earth really does seem angry lately, doesn't it?


* imperceptible = cannot perceive = do not feel/do not notice

Potato mochi

I tried making my own version of potato mochi. Hmm, they were delicious but they took too long (about 45 minutes in total).

First, I peeled, cut, and boiled potatoes.
Next, mash them with a little butter and milk.
Add potato starch.
Make 'pancakes' with the mixture.
Cook until golden on both sides.
Keep them warm in the toaster oven while you cook more.
Serve with sliced pork.

* For the second half of the cakes, I added fresh, chopped herbs.

Pepper Jack (I call it "Fire Cheese")

A few months ago I was reading a novel in which the character ate a sandwich that contained Pepper Jack cheese. I remembered I saw it at the import shop in Dayztown, so the next time I was near there I dropped by and bought some. Since then I've become addicted to it!

It is a simple kind of cheese but it contains small pieces of hot peppers - maybe jalapeño peppers and it is SPICY! It is great melted on toast or melted over cooked sasami chicken.

I forget how much it costs, but it is expensive so not something I will buy often. Hmm, I wonder if I could buy chilli peppers and put them on top of Japanese cheese? If possible I try not to buy imported food, so in future I'll experiment and tell you how it goes. But I'll have to wait until summer when red and green chilli peppers are in season :)

Mini hanami

I couldn't enjoy a real hanami this year but this is my very mini blossom viewing. I took the picture on the 4th of April, in my garden.

Please guess what kind of blossoms they are and tell me next time we meet :)

Sample email - friends

Here is a sample email you could send to your friends:

Dear Jane,


Thanks so much for your email and for worrying about me. My family and I are all fine.


Yes, we did have a big aftershock yesterday evening and some this morning, too, but everything is okay. 
Last week the children started kindy and school. They were really looking forward to seeing their friends again. They were at home yesterday when the aftershock hit. They were a bit scared but I think I worry more than they do!


Please don't worry about the radiation. Tsukuba is about 170km from the nuclear reactor. The BBC reported that the level of seriousness of the accident increased, but the situation hasn't changed in the past few days. Our daily life is basically normal. Yesterday the phone lines were busy for a while, but our electricity and water were not cut. 


I'm sending some pictures of the cherry blossoms in the park near our house. Having a picnic under the cherry trees is called "hanami". This year it was very quiet but we could enjoy the nice weather.


love,
Hanako

Sample email - business

Here is a sample email you could use to send to a research friend abroad who is worried about you.

Dear Dr. Brown,

Thank you for your email regarding the situation in Tsukuba.

The first earthquake in March did damage some of our equipment but our building is structurally okay. No one was injured at all. Mostly we just had a lot of cleaning up to do.

The aftershocks yesterday didn’t cause any further damage, and we expect work will continue as normal.

Thank you for your concern and I’m looking forward to seeing you at the ABC Symposium in May.

Best regards,

Taro Tanaka

And here are some sample phrases you can use:

Thank you for your email.

Thank you for your kind email.

Thank you for your recent email and I apologize for my late reply.

Everyone is fine. I’ve heard that there no-one was injured in Tsukuba, which is great news.

My laboratory suffered some slight damage, but the building is fine.

Some equipment was broken but we think it can be repaired.

Unfortunately, some equipment was broken and it will take some time to repair or replace it.

It was such a large quake that the utilities were cut for many hours. Unfortunately, our backup generators failed because they had no water to cool the motors and our refrigerators were down. We lost all our samples. I guess it will take several months to recover them.

Our project is still on track and we’ll be able to meet the deadline.

Our project will be delayed by several months.

I’m sorry, but the symposium has been postponed until further notice.

I’m very sorry to have to tell you that our project has been put on hold until further notice.

We’ve decided to move the project to our lab in the west of Japan for the next several months.

Could I ask for an extension on the deadline? I’ll be able to complete the work by May 25th, 2011.

Wednesday and Lala classes okay :)

See everyone tomorrow as usual.

Lala is okay from 1:05pm.

Until then,
A.K.

Tuesday 4/12 lessons cancelled

Lessons cancelled today 4/12

I'm sorry, many members feel upset today and some people must go to work.

Today's lessons are cancelled all day and all evening.

The classroom is fine and I am fine.

If you have any work you need checked, or any questions you need me to answer, please email me and I can work from home.

Take care.
Andrea