2008年11月30日日曜日

No Title

I had a class.
As soon as I came back home, I ate lunch and took a nap...

In the evening, I went to my cousin's house to teach her study.
It takes about 20 minutes to her house from mine by car.

She is a junior high school student and is going to have a term examination from next Wednesday.
She belongs to the track and field club, but she likes dancing better than running.

We completely forgot to study and enjoyed talking ...
We really get along with each other!

Anyway, I hope she can get a good score at the test.

2008年11月28日金曜日

I'm sleepy;-(

I don't like Fridays because I have to get up earlier than usual for the first period.
It's so hard for me to get up early.

To make matters worse, it was raining when I left home.
It made me feel depressed.

I don't like rain too, but like some songs related to rain.
One of them is "rainy day" by Ayumi Hamasaki.




How beautiful her voice and herself are!!!
...I don't know why its lyrics is written in Spanish.

"rain" and "saigo no ame (The Last Rain)" by Kumi Koda are also good.
I recommend you to listen to them!
(I'm sorry I couldn't find both of them at You Tube.)

By the way, it has been cold recently.
I am sensitive to the cold, but I'm looking forward to snowing much!!
If it snows heavily on this winter, I wanna make a pretty snowman and have a snowball fight!!
I hope I can enjoy doing them this winter.

2008年11月27日木曜日

★Go! IMPISH★

The 7th, 17th and 27th in every month, I eat lunch and chat with the members of IMPISH.

"IMPISH" is the cheer dance team which I belonged in Atsugi high school.

This is the picture of IMPISH!! (one year ago)
Can you find me? I think it's too difficult to find me because it's too small and my hair style was a little different (longer and darker).
If you find me, I'll give something for you!! HaHa

Anyway, don't you think there are too many people?!
Actually, there were 34 girls in our team!!! (Seven of us, including me, are AGU students now.)

But we never made substitues.
All of us always danced together as IMPISH.
We practiced dancing so hard all day. I left home early morning and got home at night. It was the hardest, but the greatest time since I was born.

We took part in the cheer dance contest three times a year and won the first prize and grandprix.

Though there are too many girls, we all are best friends!!
Since we graduated from high school, we get together at least once a month.
We usually eat dinner and sometimes dance together!
We all still love dancing!!
Most of us (including me) continue dancing now.

I'm really proud of IMPISH and its members!!

2008年11月26日水曜日

A Working Day

I had nothing special today...

I don't have classes on Wednesday, so I planned to go shopping today.

This morning, I woke up without the alarm and turned on the TV, finding "iitomo" had already started.
That is, I woke up over 12:00 p.m.
......TOO late!

I gave up going shopping (because I need so much time to makeup, change my clothes, etc......) and spent time watching TV.

I went to work at 17:00.
I worked for five hours today!!
It was so hard...

Book Report 01


1) MLA CITATION
Author: Bennett, Arnold.
Book Title: Anna of the Five Towns.
City of Publication: London, England.
Publisher: Macmillan. Date: 1902. Number of Pages: 107.
2) RESPONDING TO THE PLOT:
If I were Anna, I would not marry Henry even if I really wanted to escape from misery and dictatorial father. So, if I were the author, I would change the story that Anna married not Henry but Willy. I want the heroine to marry the man whom she really loves and get true happiness.
There are many phrases which I can see how stern Anna’s father is. One day, Anna had forgotten to buy bacon for breakfast and their breakfast was late a little. She and her sister Agnes cooked them as soon as possible, but his anger was never settled and they ate breakfast in a heavy silence (page 28). I chose it because it describes his characteristic, which had greatly influenced Anna’s life the best.
3) ANALYZING 7 LITERARY TERMS
1. Setting: The location of the story is the Potteries area of Staffordshire, England. And the time is the end of the seventeenth century.
2. Point of View: This story is told through the minds and emotions of all the characters. Therefore, the point of view is omniscient.
3. Conflict: There are many conflicts in this story. For example, Anna versus Mr. Price, and Anna versus herself. The main conflict, however, is Anna versus her father because she decided to marry Henry because of him.
4. Climax: Anna realized that she loves Willy after marrying Henry but it was too late. I think it is the climax in this story.
5. Symbol: The symbol in this story is the Methodist church. It stands for Anna’s strictly controlled activities and life.
6. Irony: One of the ironies in this story is that Anna married Henry, but actually loved Willy. Another irony is that Anna’s family was rich enough, but they all weren’t so happy.
7. Theme: This story makes us think what true happiness is. I thought that not all riches are happy after reading this story.
4) REFLECTING ON THE STORY
I was surprised that daughters did all the housework like cooking and doing washing for their father since they were children. Anna does housework every day and goes to the Methodist church every Sunday. I don’t do housework every day and go to the church. At that time, there was strong class consciousness. However, we hardly mind it in my country. If the book has been made into a film, I would compare the film with the book by using many beautiful items to represent Tellwright family’s rich life.
The author himself was born in a solicitor’s house and was rich. He was impressed by Zola’s enthusiasm for ‘realism’ and was much moved by George Moore’s realistic novel. So I think his life and experience themselves might have inspired him to write the book. I disagree with the author’s view of people and life. In my opinion, we shouldn’t have some class consciousness and male chauvinism. What I learned from this story is that money is not all for people’s lives. Of course I already knew that, but after reading this book, that idea became stronger for me. I expect the happy ending would come to Anna, but actually, she looked not so happy for me.

Writing 04

Should Television Become “Commercial Free”?

Yuma Nishimoto

Recently, TV commercials have become more variously. Each company uses popular TV stars or songs and makes impressive commercials to sell as many of their products as possible. Today, most TV stations broadcast commercials, so people can watch them almost every day and are greatly influenced by them. If there were no commercials on TV, what would happen to them? Television should not become “commercial free”.
Actually, some people think that television should become “commercial free”. The IT media news says that about 23 percent of the HDD recorder users skip all the commercials when they watch recordings and the majority skip more than 80 percent of the commercials. Only 23 percent of them don’t skip any commercials. People might enjoy watching television more and more if TV commercials are abolished.
Furthermore, people could concentrate on the program to the end. TV commercials sometimes make them feel bored and irritated. When TV commercials are too long, they may get sleepy even if they wanted to watch the next program. When a TV drama reaches its climax and they are enthusiastic about it, suddenly, the story is suspended and TV commercials start. Then, they want to watch the continuation soon and can’t help feeling irritated.
However, TV commercials are playing some important parts in television. The most important thing is that if people could not watch TV commercials, they could get little information about new products. Today, most of the information they get is by television because the people who read newspapers or listen to the radio have been decreasing. According to Wikipedia, TV commercials have produced many vogue words every year. For example, “Jikochu”, “Nensho-kei”, and “Yosou GUY”.
While TV commercials are broadcast, people can take a rest. They can do anything they want to do until the continuation of the program starts if they don’t want to watch commercials. They can go to the washroom, take snacks or drinks, and so on. If they continue watching television for a long time without taking a rest, not only their eyes but also their brains would be tired. Their eyesight easily fails and a headache may happen. They need to take a rest when they watch television.
TV commercials are sometimes nuisances for some people, but they can also enjoy watching them. They can not only make trends, but also become the center of their topics. Moreover, they can relax between programs by them. These days, there is no denying the fact that TV commercials are very important for their lives.

Works Cited:
IT media news “HDDレコーダーによるCMスキップで損失540億円” 31 Mar. 2005

Wikipedia “commercial message” 5 Nov. 2008

Writing 03




The United States

Yuma Nishimoto

The United States has had a great influence on many countries in economy, politics, and so on. Many people go there from different countries, so it is called “a melting pot of races.” The United States is so large that we need to divide it and look at each of regions to understand the country much better.
The United States can be divided by many ways. Some divide it between North and South, others divide it between East and West. Here I divide it into four regions ―― Northeastern United States, Southern United States, Western United States, and Midwestern United States. Then, I will talk about each of these regions.
First, Northeastern United States includes New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and many other states. Its culture is influenced by that of other countries, especially Canada, and Southern United States. There, many people are Protestants or Catholics, but other religions such as Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism are believed. They mainly eat meat. It is said that hamburgers are first made and eaten there.
Next, Southern United States includes Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and so on. Both whites and blacks made the development of music and influenced each other. For example, R&B, soul music, and jazz have been developed there. The popular sports are football and baseball. One of the features of southern food is using much fat and lard. Coke had its origin in this region.
Western United States includes California, New Mexico, Idaho, Oregon, and so on. Many things such as beef, wheat, soybeans, raw cotton, potatoes, apples, and oranges are produced. Many Mexican-Americans, African-Americans, and Native- Americans live there. Mormonism is believed in a part of this region.
Finally, Midwestern United States includes Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, and many other states. Its climate is usually cool. In winter, blizzards blow hard. Tornadoes and foods often occur. The coal industry, the iron industry, and the car industry have developed. Most people believe Catholicism, but a few people believe Judaism or Islam. There are some people who have no religions. Rock ’n ’roll, techno music, and house music are famous. Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson were born there.

Of course, Alaska, Hawaii, and many other islands are included in the United States. Each region has different characteristics and all of them are so attractive! It is useful to understand them. The history of the United States is not so long as many other countries, but the characteristics of these regions make it up now and have influenced economics, politics, and cultures all over the world.


Writing 02




Seas and Mountains

Yuma Nishimoto

Seas and mountains are two famous places where many people often go to enjoy their summer vacations. Japan is encircled by the sea and has many beautiful mountains.

Both seas and mountains are popular leisure spots. Seas are popular among young people or the families which have little children. They enjoy surfing, swimming. There are so many things to enjoy not only in the sea but also on the beach. For example, playing beach volleyball, tanning, making a castle of the sand. Mountains are loved by old people. They go there to get edible wild plants and mushrooms, and walk for keeping their health.

Both places have abundant nature. In seas, there are many fish, shell fish, seaweeds and many other sea animals. In mountains, there are many trees, insects, and animals. Both of them are very important for people to live.

However, both places are dangerous for us, too. Many accidents often happen there. For example, some are drowned, strung by jellyfish, or injured by sharks in the sea. Others are lost, meet with bears, or eat toadstools in the mountain. When we enjoy ourselves there, we have to pay attention to these dangers.

Finally, when we go to these two places, we usually wear special clothes. In seas, we wear swimsuits to swim. Nowadays, there are so many kinds of swimsuits. They are colorful and have various shapes. In mountains, we wear hats, shirts with long sleeves and long bottoms to protect our skin by insects or sharp weeds.

Both places have different characteristics. If you visit there, both will make you so happy and excited. You should go to the place where you will be able to enjoy more. Which place do you want to go now? If you are fascinated by both places, I think it will be good for you to visit both two places in this summer!

Writing 01



Japanese Famous, Charming and Brilliant Singer


Ayumi Hamasaki is one of the most famous Japanese singers. She was born in Fukuoka in 1978. She loves dogs and has five Chihuahuas, a Dachshund and a Yorkshire terrier. Not only her singing voice but also her appearance and personality attract many people.

During her early teens, she belonged to the model agency in Fukuoka and was active as “Kurumi Hamasaki”. In 1993, she was scouted in Tokyo and came out as an actress. In 1994, she changed her stage name to “Ayumi Hamasaki” and appeared in TV dramas and movies until the end of 1996. The following year, she decided to be a singer and went over to New York for voice training.

In April, 1998, she came out as a singer. This was the start of “Ayumi Hamasaki” as a singer. On January 1st, 1999, her first album got the first place in charts for the first time, and in April, a single CD got the first place in charts for the first time, too. In addition, she appeared in an annual music show, broadcasted on NHK in every New Year’s Eve for the first time in that year and continues appearing in it every year . Because of her distinguished singing ability, she won many bright prizes and got splendid records. For instance, she won the record grand prix of Japan in 2001-2003, all Japan cable broadcasting grand prix in 2000-2003, and so on. In 2006, she became the first woman and solo singer who sells the single CDs exceeded 20,000,000 pieces. In addition, she writes words of all her songs by herself and sometimes composes some of them.

Unfortunately, she found she had a problem with her left ear in 2000 and completely lost her hearing ability of left ear last year. However, she said that she would continue singing for her fans and herself until she loses her hearing ability of right ear because she really likes singing.

Not only her songs but also her unique fashion and action give us big influence. She was called “the leader of the school girls” and she became the social phenomenon to produce the various fashions as a fashion leader. She won the best dresser award in 2000, the best jeanist award in 2000, 2001, 2003-2005, and the nail queen award in 2001-2003. Not only her looking but also her way of thinking about everything is respected by many people and it influences their ways of thinking.

This year, 2008, is the 10th anniversary since her debut as a singer. Fighting against her left ear’s problem, she will continue being active in many fields as a singer, fashion leader and so on, and attract us from now on.

Newspaper Article Discussion 02

“Chinese couple asks govt for compensation over son's death”
The Yomiuri Shimbun Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008


Written Summary:
According to this article, a Chinese student, Shi Xiaoning, 26, was attacked by a man at a restaurant in Osaka's Minami entertainment district in March and died later at his home. The man was sentenced to six years in prison for injury resulting in death, but he has appealed his sentence to a higher court. His parents are seeking compensation from the central government that is only available to residents of Japan or Japanese nationals. They still owe 1.8 million yen for Shi's education. Although their supporters have consulted the Osaka prefectural police over the possibility of the parents receiving the benefit, they were told it would be impossible. The benefit, which varies from about 3.2 million yen to 29.64 million yen, is calculated based on the income of the victim and the financial situation of the bereaved family.

Opinion Statement:
I think the benefit should be paid for Shi’s family. The sorrow of losing a son is no different for Chinese or Japanese.

Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think about studying at a university in other countries?
2. Do you have any countries where you want or don’t want to study as a university student?
3. If you were the bereaved family, what would you do?

New Words:
・compensation: 賠償金
・district: 地域,街
・resident: 居住者,在住者
・consult: 意見を求める
・bereaved: 先立たれた

MY 24h

08:30 Wake up (still sleepy...)
08:50 Breakfast (only toast and coffee)
09:10 Wash my face and brush my teeth
09:30 Makeup (I can't go outside without doing my face...) and set my hairstyle (I had my hair cut and changed my haircolor last Friday!! Some of my friends noticed today, so I felt happy♪)
10:00 Change my clothes
10:30 Go to school (by bicycle---!!!)

10:55 Arrive at school
11:00- Study hard!(?)
12:30 Lunch (only strawberry-flavored flakes)
13:10- Study hard!! (??)
16:20 Leave school

16:45 Come back home (tired...)
16:55 Go to work (ばいばいせこー)

17:00- Teach English

21:00 Come back home (exhausted...)
21:10 Dinner (Nabe again)
21:30- Watch TV (at a kotatsu)

23:00 Take a bath♪
24:00 Dry my hair and wash my teeth
25:00 My sister talked in her sleep.. (I couldn't understand what she said.)

27:00 (maybe) Go to bed...zzz

2008年11月24日月曜日

Labor Thanksgiving Day


We had no classes!!! YEAH↑↑↑

At noon, I went to Okonomiyaki Honpo at Yabe (next to Fuchinobe) with my bf to eat Okonomiyaki and Monja.
It was first visit for us.
There were many kinds of Okonomiyaki, so we couldn't decide what to eat.
After all, we ate Mentaiko and cheese Okonomi, and Rice cake and cheese Monja.
They both were sooooooooooooo good!!
I wanna go there again.

In the evening, I ate Nabe (a hot pot cooked at the table) made by my mom.
It was also good.

I ate too much today...
I have to go on a diet!!


See u tomorrow. ★

Yesterday

I tried to do my blogging, but I was so busy and tired that I couldn't do...
I don't care if Mr. Richardson has already finished my blog check!!:-(

Yesterday, my friend and I went to Mita festival at Keio University.
Did anyone go there?
There were sooooooooooo many people!!

We ate a lot of things, talked with many people and met our friends.
We were looking for cool "Keio Boys" all the time, but unfortunately......

Anyway, I had a good time there.

2008年11月17日月曜日

Happy Sunday

Today, I went shopping.
Shopping is one of my hobbies. I love shopping!!
I found many lovely clothes, shoes and accesorries and bought some of them at my favorite shop in Machida.
I felt soooooooooo happy!!

After that, my boyfriend and our common friend came to my house and talked a lot.
It was fun.
At night, we went to Starbucks coffee.
I drank the Java-chip flappechino, one of my favorite flavors.
It was really good!!

It was a happy day for me.
I love Sunday!!

GOOD NIGHT.★