Learning language not mean learning only one thing

Monday, October thirtieth, two thousands and six

According to a newspaper, leaning another language helps you acquire benefits - such as improved mental agility and problem solving skills, as well as a deeper understanding of your own and other cultures.

I 100% agree with the newspaper article! Wouldn't you say? In fact, I've got a lot of knowledge and information I hadn't known. I sometimes have chances to talk with native English speakers on private business. Whenever I have such opportunities, I have to introduce Japanese custom and culture, you name it. Of course I can acquire their own ones as well. To be honest, talking with them in English is no bed of roses for me. And also, I'm such a honest person that I cannot make a wild guess. In addition, I'm so particular about English grammar as to often use my noodle much harder.
Besides, I was able to make friends with some nice Japanese people at the English school to which I belong and I could quit smoking as well. :)

Studying English has brought me lots of effective stuff. Therefore I cannot help studying English and cannot study English too hard.(^_^;


I'm so particular about English grammar as to often use my noodle much harder.
= I'm so particular about English grammar that I often use my noodle much harder. (?)

I cannot help studying English.
= I cannot help but study English. (?)

Reason I like IRON MAIDEN

Sunday, October twenty ninth, two thousands and six

Yesterday I went to the English school to which I usually go Saturday. I was supposed to write down this article yesterday before I visited there. After I told an English teacher of mine that I'm going to see IRON MAIDEN's concert tomorrow, he asked me why they are my favorite rock band. I thought at that time that I should have written this post yesterday morning. Because if I wrote it up, I could have been able to explain adequately the reason I love IRON MAIDEN so much. :(

Let me note down the points I like them below.

First of all, I respect Steve Harris, who is the leader of IRON MAIDEN and a member of the founders. Most of their songs was written by him. From my point of view, he likes reading novels [which are] hard to undestand very much. Therefore almost all of his lyrics have a lot of difficult and hard-to-understand information and messages - such as contemporary serious themes and social problems.
And next, all of their songs never fade out. I mean, the songs end properly to play good performances on live shows, although many rock'n'roll songs tend to fade out when they are recorded, just in my opinion. Besides, the rhythm of their music changes abruptly and dramatically by means of drastic methods.

Anyway, I'm going to Osaka-Jo hall(Jo means "castle" in Japanese) very close to Osaka castle tomorrow, in order to see their great play. It must be exciting! According to some web sites, Lauren Harris, who is the eldest daughter of Steve Harris, is going to support her father's great rock group as the opening act. And apparently, the greatest heavy metal band on the planet is going to play all songs of their new album, which was released last month and ranked in the top ten of the Billboard album chart for their first time. I've never heard of such a big try, playing all songs of an album in a concert. As far as I know, it's the maiden attempt in recent rock music scene.

To tell the truth, I was longing for seeing them. I can have a reunion with them tomorrow! I'll have a hard time falling asleep tonight. :) Anyway, I intend to upload my impression of their Osaka Live this week! (^_-)-☆


Besides, ....
= In addition, .... (?)

I was longing for seeing them.
= I was looking forward to seeing them. (?)
= I was being eager to see them. (?)
= I was being keen to see them. (?)

Sleep on Hallway

I expected to go to the English school yesterday at which I usually take some free conversation classes on Saturday, but I wasn't able to go there because of a big hangover. Let me introduce the reason I had the terrible one yesterday to you. Maybe funny. :)

The day before yesterday I asked my wife to do me a favor but she refused my request without thinking. I got furious(raised the roof) at her! After I quit smoking, I tend to get angry soon, actually. I might have become a short-tempered(impatient) person.

What? Do you ask me what the favor is? Sorry, I can't tell you the details because it's sort of our personal information. :)

Anyway, I went get a drink alone after the fight. Actually, I tend to drink alcohol too much whenever I go for a drink alone because nobody can't stop me. So I drank a little too much as usual. hehe. But not so much, I suppose. When I got home, the entrance of my house was locked! "I'm locked out! Holy cow!" Usually my wife put the key on the secret place outside my house, but she didn't do that on the day! However, I finally got into my house somehow.
And then.... when I was about to go to bed, there wasn't my futon(布団) in the bedroom! "Darn it! Where in the world(on earth, the f**k) is my futon!" I found it out on a hallway(corridor, passageway?) close to the bedroom. So I had to sleep in the futon on a hallway through the night, thereby I wasn't able to have a good sleep. That's one of the reasons I had an awful hangover yesterday even though I didn't drink so much. If I slept well, I probably wouldn't have the bad one, I think.

Phonics

I came across an interesting web site(found an interesting web site by chance), "Genki English", when I was checking out what "phonics" means on the Internet the other day. Especially this web page, http://genkienglish.net/phonics.htm, is so useful in that it can pronounce words you select with a mouse, I think. I was able to know this marvelous site thanks to google, which is the most powerful search engine on the planet. Since I used to be a computer system engineer, I'm curious about interesting web applications like this site.

Anyway, I wanted to know what "phonics" is at that time. Apparently, most native English speakers have learned it at school as children. It appears to be useful to master correct pronunciation in English as a good method. However, the method doesn't necessarily support all of how to pronounce, it seems.... According to some web sites, it supports about eighty percent of English words. I think it's adequate ratio. What do you think about the method?

Illegal? Yaguras in Intersection

I forgot to upload a picture I took at the intersection in front of an entrance of Hanwa highway last Monday. The police here tend not to be so strict during this Yagura festival. In fact, we went around and around with our yaguras for about 15 minutes in the intersection in front of some police officer's eyes. Of course all cars around the intersection had to wait for going around to end, though. :)

PE festival at Kindergarten

This morning I visited the nearest elementary school from the kindergarten to which my daughter belongs, in order to see her and her classmates' PE festival.
Actually, the playground of their kindergarten is too small(narrow) to hold such a big event because of the large number of kindergartners. As I've posted an article on this blog space before, their kindergarten merged with two others due to the budget deficit of my city and decreasing number of children. That's why the field is very small even though there're so many kids in the preschool.

Yagura fetival

The Yagura festival was held in my city over the last weekend. It's one of the most dangerous festivals in Japan, I suppose. As far as I know, this festival derives from wish for a good harvest as well as the Kishiwada Danjiri festival.

It had been fine for all days of the festival, so we was able to have such a wonderful time. On the last evening of the festival I invited an Australian friend and an American friend to my place for seeing the festival together. Let me upload the picture of the three of us my wife took on the day. But I reduced the image not to be recognized who they are because it's kind of their personal information.

Anyway.... I'm so busy these days, due to the recent festivals - such as PE festivals and the Yagura festival, that I have few time to study English. Those events are killing me! I'm really worried that my English skills have dropped down drastically. Because I couldn't speak English so well with the native English speakers I spent the last evening of the Yagura festival together. :(

PE festival at Junior High & My Wife Got a ....

Last Saturday I went to the junior high school to which my eldest son belongs, in order to see the PE festival, which was held in good weather. I got suntanned thanks to the good sunshine. :)

Now that my eldest son is a junior high school boy, he didn't want us to come there. Because most parents who have junior high school students tend not to come to school events - such as PE festival and cultural festival. However, my wife was eager to go see his PE festival, so I had no choice but to obey her order, because she is what is called my master. :)
Anyway, he won the first prize on the footrace(running a race) which he competed with 5 other students.
He seems to succeed his mother's fast footwork since I'm a slow runner.

I was surprised to see my study buddy's car at an intersection in front of the junior high school when I returned to the school after dropping my third son and my daughter off at the swimming school to which they belong. What a coincidence!

To change the subject, my wife has just got a part-time job! She had been keen to work outside for a long time because she had been bored with housework(chores) and wanted to keep her youth by working with many people. Now that all our kids basically require less care, I'm all for her working.
Anyway, she has just started to work as a part-time cook in the cafeteria of a company near Kansai international airport. Her job is great in that her co-workers and she can bring home the cooking ingredient left. Now that our children eat us out of house and home, it's efficient for us. Actually, she was very lucky because there were 20 applicants for the job even though the company had recruited 2 employees. How lucky she was!

Rock ON!

Since it was raining cats and dogs yesterday, I wasn't able to take my kids to the Yagura parade held in front of the nearest station from my house.
Here is the related article which I posted last year.

Therefore we decided to stay home, but it's so boring for me to stay home that I went to the English school to which I belong this afternoon in order to take some free conversation classes. There are some nice ladies in the room. How lucky I am! Only me is male! hehe....Needless to say, I rocked on the situation. :)

"rock on" means "have fun so much", according to my dictionary.

By the way, now that I'm a level-4 student in NOVA and have already taken almost all lessons for level-4 students, but I haven't gotten the recommendation to become a level-3 student. However, I don't care about that. I know my weakness so well - such as vocabulary and the speed of speaking.

Anyway.... I've just set up an immediate goal. Let me introduce it to you. I'm eager to become a high level student after taking some VOICE classes today, actually. I can't explain exactly why I hope so. Frankly speaking.... I'll become a level-3 student within half year, and then get at least 800 points on the TOEIC test I'm going to take for my second time next Summer, of course without special preparation.

The above isn't joke. I'm serious. Ummm I'm sooooo cooooool. :)

Lose a tooth

I've lost a tooth the day before yesterday when I was having supper! Holy cow! Damn it!



Sorry, I've just pulled your leg. :)

As a matter of fact, my implant(false tooth, artificial tooth) just came out. I had felt the tooth would drop off for a week, actually. When I was eating dinner last Friday night, it came off out of blue. :) It had been in my gum for only 3 years... My gum might become weaker than before because I'm already on the wrong side of 40. :( I asked the dentist who has cured the tooth before on the phone if the retreatment is easy or not. According to him, it's a piece of cake and will finish before you know it. Needless to say, I was relieved to hear that. I intend to go see him tomorrow after work.

I wanted to post an article about this incident at once but I wasn't able to do that, due to the trouble of Internet connection. In fact, the connection gave up the ghost out of a clear sky when I tried to post this article on my blog space. Of course I made a call on the customer service as soon as I noticed the problem. He responded me that they would find out the cause and try to fix it. Now I can use the Internet comfortably as usual.