Reading Books

I decided to give up reading the tenth English book, "The Canterville Ghost and Other Stories", and to try another book. The background of the tenth book's seems in the United Kingdom about one hundred years ago. So, I felt out of place with its characters and lines. I was bringing that book for 2 months, but I accepted I couldn't read it any more. Then, I'll start a new book which is novelised of famous movie.

Useful Site

My classmate told me an useful translation site. It's provided by ALC which is famous as an English's correspondence course company. It supports not only words, but also paragraph. So, I could write this blog without dictionary. In addition, I can use it anywhere through the Internet. You will be able to confirm my recommendation from here.

TOEIC and English Skill

I took TOEIC last Sunday. It was my 5th challenge since I started ELS last September. To my joy, my score is increasing more than I have expected. It motivates me. However, I feel my English skill has been decreasing for a few weeks. I thought about the reason and found somethings. This blog is one of them. I restart from today.

February will soon be over !

February will soon be over ! Many things were happen in this month, good things and not good things. Anyway, it is certain that I have to finish several important jobs until March. Wmmmmmmmm.......

Hay Fever

I have had a hay fever from 20 years ago. In the early years, I was extremely careful. I used to go to the hospital and take one medicine three times a day from the middle of January. But recently, including this year, I took care less than before . At last, yesterday, the condition of my hay fever became terrible! I can't do any thing without a mask.

Windy day

Today was the windiest day in my life. In the morning, I found the storm doors were rattling in the gale and I was a bit anxious. A few minutes later, I remembered I had to go to my English school and take the TOEIC IP this afternoon. Then, I wondered about the traffic conditions. In the afternoon, the wind had dropped and I left for the school. When I arrived at the station, the train service was delay yet and I had to wait for 10 minutes. At 10 before 2, I arrived at the school and took the test. Unfortunately, the test was more difficult than the last one for me.

New term started

Long time no see. In ELS, 4 of our classmates were graduated and my 3rd term started. I took 2nd class today and the atmosphere of our class was changed. I miss them.
All teachers are changed and one of them seems really new face in ELS. Certainly, she is a strict and carefully teacher. I was interested in her class, but after that, I was very tired,too.

Relationship

I finished reading an English book, "About a Boy" , it's my eighth English book which I have read. It is a little difficult for me, but is very interesting.
In this book, a boy builds some relationship with others and it makes him, his family, and the others felt better. Yes, the relationship makes me happy, but sometimes I feel that many relationship causes many problems. I think keeping a relationship is more difficult than building it.

KANDA MYOJIN

I visited to the KANDA MYOJIN with my team this evening. My boss brought an old KUMADE which he bought last year and put it into a special box to burn before an altar. Then he tried to buy a new KUMADE and it was a sellout ! He felt a bud luck, so he bought an arrow used in exorcising ceremony. Perhaps, he keeps the arrow on his desk during this year.

Reading books in holiday

I finish reading a book recommended by my colleague. It is about the effectiveness of Information Technology. Usually I like reading novels , but in this holiday I read two business books. These books activated my brain. From now on, I try to read a varitey of book.

My partner's recipe for beef stew

Today, I reported about my partner's recipe for beef stew in the conversation class. Below is rewritten one after the class.

• Prepare a chunk of beef, some vegetables, a cube of beef bouillon, some herbs. The vegetables include some carrots, potatoes, onions, broccoli and garlic.
• Clean these vegetables
• Dice these vegetables and a chunk of meet into big cubes
• Put these cubes into a pod and add 2 cups of water into the pod
• Heat the pod and stew the ingredients for 3 hours
• While stewing, add a beef bouillon cube, garlic and herbs into the pod
• Sprinkle salt and paper
• Serve a bowl of beef stew

Purpose of exhibiting

I read a book borrowed from my boss. The title is "Honesty is rewarded" and the author is a president of an exhibition organiser. I don't have good image about him because when our group exhibited in his company's exhibition his employees were too aggressive and shrewd. But I admit that the organiser is eager to increase the exhibitor's sales in their exhibition. So this book is useful in clearing the purpose of exhibiting.

A Traditional Vaudeville House

My parents and I went to a vaudeville house, Suehiro-Tei, to see some comic storytellers who are my mother' favorite vaudeville program, "Shoten", regularly. There were about 15 variety performances for 3 hours in Suehiro-tei , including Rakugo, Kodan, mandan, magic and the art of cutting paper silhouettes. Before it started I had been afraid of boring them, but it was groundless. I laughed out loud at almost performance, especially Shota-san and Koyuza-san. They both told some short comic tale related current topics or their hometown, and I was interested in that their tales related current topics didn't overlap but tales related hometown called to each other. This is my first time to go a vaudeville house and I like there.

New Year's Scenes

Today, the first day in 2008, I looked some new year's scenes on my way to the post office. Many people was standing in a line to pray to the local Shinto shrine and many shops along the busiest arcade were closed. It seemed a little strange. Well, however, some shops open, including cafes, restaurants, bookstores, toy shops, DVD-rental shops, cellular phone shops and optician's shops. The prayers rest at those cafes and restaurants. Children buy a book or a toy for their New Year's gift and adults who are boring come to the rental shops. But who goes the cellular phone shops or the optician's shops ? It seems more strange.