Knitting & USB memory

[Notice:注意] The English edition doesn't necessarily correspond to the Japanese one. 必ずしも英語版と日本語版は、一致しません。(^^♪

Since yesterday was my birthday, I expected someone got me something nice. But, unfortunately nobody gave me any presents. (ToT) There was just a cute thing when I was having dinner alone after work. My six-year-old daughter was knitting something, so I asked her what she had been knitting. She replied to me that it was a muffler. As soon as she replied, of course I asked her again who she was going to give it. I wanted her to said like, "Of course, I'm giving Dad this!" However... no reply.... (ToT) I wonder when I can get a muffler that she knitted by hand....

To change the subject, I bought a USB flash memory at an Internet shopping site, to use it as a virtual memory. As you know, most operating systems, such as Windows XP and UNIX, support virtual storage access method. A friend recommended the other day that I should install a USB memory to use my PC comfortably, because the speed of accessing USB flash memories is much faster than that of accessing hard disk drives. It doesn't seem to run faster than I expected so far tough. :p


昨日は私の誕生日。誰か、なんかプレゼントくれるかなぁ、と期待してたけど、誰もくれませんでした。(ToT) ただ、夕食を食べていたときに、かわいい出来事がありました。6歳になる娘が、何か編んでいる！『何を編んでるの？』と聞くと、『マフラー』との答え。『誰にあげるの？』とさらに質問。『もちろん、お父さん！』という返事を期待していたけど・・・返事なし。(ToT) いつ、娘が編んだマフラーをもらえるのかなぁ・・・

話題は変わって、ネットショップでUSBメモリを買いました。仮想メモリとして使うために。ご存知のように、ほとんどのOS(例えば、Windows XPとか、UNIX)は、仮想記憶アクセス方式をサポートしています。友人が先日、PCを快適に使うために、USBメモリを使うように薦めてくれたのです。USBメモリのアクセス速度は、ハードディスクよりもはるかに速いから。今のところ、期待したほど速いようには見えませんけどね。(^^♪

Unhappy day

[Notice:注意]
The English edition doesn't necessarily correspond to the Japanese one.
必ずしも英語版と日本語版は、一致しません。(^^♪

I'm so tired that I could sleep for a month... Honestly, I'm really "beat" because of the long holiday. As anyone who took a long vacation for the New Year, it's quite tough for me to work very hard this week. I'm worn out, exhausted, wiped out, super tired, and "dead beat". haha... Actually I just wanted to use the adjective "beat", that I've studied recently on the Internet. According to my dictionary, that's an informal word that has the same meaning as "exhausted."
By the way, do you know what day today is? A super great Japanese guy was born 45 years ago today! So he had been said that he was already on the wrong side of 40, but he will have to say like, "I'm on the right side of 50.", from now on. X(

めっちゃ疲れてます・・・ほんまに、長い休みの後の仕事はキツイわ。まぁ、誰でもそうでしょうけど。しんどい、疲れた、だるい、けだるい、どえらい疲れてる・・・(笑) 実は、ネットで知った新しい単語(形容詞)"beat"を使って日記を書きたかっただけ。(^^♪ 私の辞書によれば、非公式な単語(スラング？)で、"exhausted"と同じ意味らしいです。
ところで、今日って何の日か知ってます？超偉大なる日本人が、45年前の今日に生まれました。(爆) 今まで、彼は『40歳過ぎてます』と言ってましたが、これからは『50歳前です』と言わなくちゃいけませんねぇ。(>_<)

Fixed Charge for i-mode

[Notice:注意]
The English edition doesn't necessarily correspond to the Japanese one.
必ずしも英語版と日本語版は、一致しません。(^^♪

As some of my friends know, I often host private English conversation classes, like NOVA's VOICE, from the end of last year. For that purpose, I have to use my cell phone more often than before, especially i-mode, which is the packet-switching service presented by NTT-Docomo and which allows users to connect the Web.
This month I decided to change my way of payment to fixed charge, that's called "Pake Hodai" and that costs about 4000 yen, in order to surf the Internet anytime anywhere without worrying about the charge. Since I bought the current cell phone about two years ago, it might be about time to get a new one.

Speaking of my cell phone, I saw a new word for me, that didn't look a new word at first, in an email newsletter with the gadget when working in my factory yesterday. The word is "stationary", that's an adjective. I knew a noun similar to it, that's "stationery". Then I emailed my PC's email address about those words to check them out after I get home. Actually, I often send emails to myself with the phone while I'm out, so that I don't forget things to do later. Anyway, I studied them with my dictionary after yesterday's dinner. Holy cow! The pronunciations of those words sound exactly the same, but the meanings are totally different! (ToT)


友人の何人かは、ご承知でしょうけど、昨年末から、英会話喫茶(NOVEのVOICEのようなもの)を開催しております。そのため、以前よりも携帯電話を使うことが多いです、特にiモードを。
今月あら、支払いプランを『パケホーダイ』に変更しました。これで、料金を気にすることなく、いつでもどこでも、ネットに接続することができます。(^^♪ そういや、携帯電話も2年前に買ったのだから、そろそろ変え時かな？最近、調子悪いし・・・・

携帯電話と言えば、昨日仕事している時に、新しい単語(というか、最初は新しい単語とは思えなかった)を携帯電話で読んでいるメールマガジンで見ました。それは、"stationary"という形容詞。それによく似た"stationery"という名詞は知っていたのですが・・・帰宅してから、ゆっくり調べようと思って、それらの単語について、私のパソコンのメールアドレスに、携帯電話からメール送信。実は、後でやらなくちゃいけないことを忘れないように、外出先で自分自身に、しばしばメールを送るんです。とにかく、昨日の夕食の後、それらの単語を辞書で調べてみました。なにぃ！発音は全く同じやんけぇ！！！でも、意味は全く違う。(ToT)

MUST work!

[Notice:注意]
The English edition doesn't necessarily correspond to the Japanese one.
必ずしも英語版と日本語版は、一致しません。(^^♪

I have to work in my factory from today, but unfortunately my wife hasn't woken up yet. She seems to be still in the New Year holiday. I mean, I have to be off to work without having breakfast. Holy shit!
I can't complain because I work for her, I mean, I don't work for my kids and global environment. Since my factory belongs to a kind of recycling industries, I can't work too hard for the earth. I'm proud of my work as a way to fight against global warming.
Umm... today's journal is too short, isn't it? (^^)

今日から、仕事に行きます。でも・・・嫁さんは未だ起きてこない。寝てるし・・・どうやら、まだ新年の休暇中と思ってるみたいやね。つまり、朝ごはん無しで、仕事に出かけなくちゃいけないってこと。なんてこったい・・・(ToT)
まぁ、不平を言うことはできませんね。ヤツのために働いてるんじゃないから。ワシは、子供のため、そして地球環境のために働いているのです。私の工場は、リサイクル産業の一種で、地球のためにどんなに働いても、働きすぎということはないのです。地球温暖化と戦う一つの手段として、私は私の仕事を誇りに思います。
う～む・・・今日の日記は、短すぎるな。(笑)

Party, Karaoke, Busy Cell Phone

[Notice:注意]
The English edition doesn't necessarily correspond to the Japanese one.
必ずしも英語版と日本語版は、一致しません。(^^♪

As I posted an article here, I had a New Year party with my friends, including a couple of foreigners, in my female friend's house yesterday. That was really great, especially the Karaoke! Actually, I hadn't sung songs in karaoke for about two years, but fortunately I guess I did it very well. Everyone laughed loudly as soon as I started singing because of my strange high-tone voice. (^^) I usually speak both English and Japanese in a low key, but on the other hand I tend to sing in a high voice, as some of my friends know. However, most of the friends who I had the party with yesterday didn't know my high-tone singing style. That would be why they burst out laughing at that time. (^^; Anyway, it's my pleasure to be laughed because I'm an Osaka person. Basically, Osaka people tend to like not only cracking people up (making people laugh) but also being laughed because of their nature.
A female friend and I went to the bar that we often visit for a drink after the party. My cell phone was very busy in the bar while we were drinking. The gadget rang one after another because of so many calls from some of my other female friends. :) She looked like feeling jealousy a little, though she and they aren't my girlfriends. Anyway, don't get me wrong! I swear I'm a serious Japanese man! Could be...LOL

昨日、ブログに書いたように、女性の友人宅で、2名の外国人を含む友人達と新年会しておりました。とても面白かったです。特に、カラオケ！実は、カラオケなんて2年くらいやってなかったのですが、たぶんうまく歌えたと思います。皆、俺が歌い出すと大笑い！知っている人は知ってますけど、いつもは、低い声で話す私なのですが、歌うときは高い声を出すんですね。だから、彼らは大笑いしたのでしょう。とにかく、人に笑われるのは私の喜びであります。だって、私、大阪人ですから。大阪人って、笑わせるだけでなく笑ってもらうことが好きな傾向があるんですねぇ。
パーティの後、女性の友人一人と私は、いつも行くバーへ。そのバーで飲んでいるとき、携帯電話がバンバン鳴ってました。他の女性友達からの電話で・・・・(笑) 彼女は、ちょっと焼きもちを焼いているようでした。でも、彼女らは、私の恋人ではありません。とにかく、誤解しないでくださいね。誓って、私は真面目な日本人男性ですっ！..... かもね。(笑)

First Lessons and Party

[Notice:注意]
The English edition doesn't necessarily correspond to the Japanese one.
必ずしも英語版と日本語版は、一致しません。(^^♪


Actually I expected to go out somewhere alone yesterday, but after all I spent most of my free time surfing the Internet at home all the day in order to collect information regarding the places suitable for English cafe. Some public community halls seem like good places as far as I searched on the Net. After that, I emailed one of the management centers some questions-such as whether or not it's OK to hold English conversation classes there.

And now I'm going to NOVA this morning to take some English lessons for the first time this year. And then, I'm going to visit my female friend's house this afternoon to have a new year party together. Don't get me wrong! Some foreign guys and a Japanese lady are also going to come! Not only her and me! Besides she is too nice for me.... haha... It's kind of flattery. :-P
If have time, I'd like to see off my American friend at Kansai international airport, who gets back to the United States this evening. How busy I am! :D


実は、昨日、結局どこにも出かけずに、自宅でインターネットを使って、英会話喫茶開催の場所に関する情報収集をしていました。探し回った範囲では、いくつかの公民館が良さそう・・・。その後、そのうちの一つの管理センターに、質問を電子メールで送信－例えば、公民館で英会話クラスを開催しても良いのかどうか、など。

さて、今朝はNOVAで今年初めてのレッスンを受けます。そして、午後は女友達の家に行って新年会です。誤解しないでください！数名の外国人や、日本人女性がもう一人来ます！彼女と私だけじゃないのです！それに、彼女は私には素敵すぎます・・・なんちゃって・・(笑) ちょっとお世辞っぽいかな？(^^♪
もし、時間があれば、夕方、関西空港に行ってアメリカに帰る友人を見送りたいのだが・・・なんて忙しいのだ、俺って！(^_^;

Lucky or Unlucky?

Last night I had a really great time with the whole gang of my friends, including some foreign guys, in the party held for the American guy I mentioned yesterday. Actually, I know my English skills, especially speaking skills, are still not good enough to do business with foreigners, but I'd like to do that someday. On the other hand, I often have a chat with non-Japanese in English, that's to say, I'm a little good only at casual talking, and so I'd like to master particularly polite and business English this year.

Now, I'm thinking how I should spend my free time today. I wasn't going out today until this morning but my wife recommended that I go away tonight. She seems to want to relax at home without me because she doesn't have to prepare anything to eat for me when I'm out. Could it be that I'm a kind of nuisance for her? X( By the way, "nuisance" means a person or thing is in the way of someone, right? Anyway, I can go out alone tonight and spend my free time doing something nice. However, I wonder if I'm lucky to be able to go out freely or not...LOL

昨夜、数人の外国人を含む大勢の友人達と、昨日述べたアメリカ人のために開かれたパーティで、すごく楽しい時間を過ごせました。実は、私の英語の能力、特に話す能力は、外国人と仕事するレベルには十分ではないのですが、いつかそういう仕事をしてみたいのです。一方で、外国人と英語で、しばしば、おしゃべりをすることがあります。つまり、カジュアルな会話だったら、ちょっとだけ得意ってこと。それで、今年は特に、丁寧な英語と、ビジネス英語を修得したいのです。

さて、今日の自由時間をどう使おうか考えています。今朝までは、今日は外出しないつもりだったのですが、嫁さんが私に今夜出掛けることを薦めるのです。どうやら、私抜きで、家でリラックスしたいみたい。だって、私が外出するときは、何も食べ物を用意する必要ないからね。ひょっとして、私は妻にとって邪魔ものなのでしょうか？(>_<) ところで、"nuisance"というのは、人の行く手を遮る邪魔者という意味ですよね？とにかく、今夜は一人で出掛けて、自由に時間を使うことができる。けれども、自由に出掛けることができるのが、はたしてラッキーなのかどうなのか・・・(笑)

Visit Temple for New Year

My family and I went to Negoro Temple in Wakayama prefecture today as this year's first visit to shrines or temples. The custom is one of famous Japanese traditional events during new year seasons, and so, most Japanese people visit a shrine or temple during the time to make a wish for happy things that they hope will happen this year.
I prayed for good business results and a little more hair on my head. As a matter of fact, I lose my hair year after year. I can no longer allow myself to lose my hair, otherwise I'll go bald completely someday....(ToT)

To change the subject, I have to go to a bar in Izumisano city tonight, in order to attend the party that is held for an American guy, who came back to Japan at the end of last year and goes back to the United States this weekend. The party must be crazy because of many funny guys including me. :-P

今日は、家族を連れて、和歌山にある根来寺に初詣に行って来ました。この習慣は、新年における日本の有名な伝統行事の一つで、ほとんどの日本人がこの時期に神社やお寺を訪れ、今年に期待する願い事をします。
私は、商売繁盛と、もう少し髪の毛が生えてくれるように祈りました。実際のところ、年々私の髪の毛は薄くなっていってます。もはや、これ以上髪の毛が薄くなるわけにはいかない。さもなくば、いつか完璧にハゲてしまう・・・(ToT)

話題は変わって、今夜は泉佐野のバーに行かなくちゃいけません。某アメリカ人(去年の暮れに日本にやってきて、今週末アメリカに帰ってしまうのです)のために開かれるパーティに参加するために。面白い奴ら(俺を含めて)が来るから、クレイジーなパーティになるやろうなぁ・・・

Sink into Drinking

This afternoon I'm going to my wife's hometown to greet my parents-in-law for the new year. That's a kind of tradition that I have to do every new year season. They always prepare nice meal and a large amount of alcohol for us. Besides I have to go to Umeda, a northern part of Osaka city, tonight in order to have a reunion with my old friends, who work for the computer company I used to work for. Of course we are going to drink a lot there. I MUST get fat during the new year season because of tons of nice meal and a huge amount of booze. :)

今日の午後、義父母に新年の挨拶をするために、嫁さんの実家に行きます。毎年新年の恒例みたいなもんです。いつも彼らは、ナイスな食事と沢山の酒を用意してくれます。さらに、今夜、私は梅田(大阪市の北部)で旧友と再会します。彼らは、以前、私が勤めていたコンピュータ会社に勤務しています。もちろん、沢山飲むことになりそう。この正月シーズンで、大量の旨い食事と酒で、太ってしまうに違いない。(笑)

Happy New Year

Happy New Year. Be counting on you this year!
May the new year bring you health, happiness and prosperity.

Let me try to go on writing my diary here in both English and Japanese as long as I can this year!

あけましておめでとうございます！今年もよろしく！
新しい年があなたに健康と幸福と繁栄をもたらしますように。

今年も出来る限り、ここに英語と日本語両方で日記を書き続けるように挑戦します！