Tokyo became a bidding city for the 2016 Olympics.

Bidding city in Japan for the 2016 Olympics was decided. Fukuoka vs. my city Tokyo. Tokyo won.

Then Tokyo bids to host the 2016 Olympics and competition for about 3 years, till the IOC General Assembly in October 2009, has started.

My prediction is negative...
The 2008 Olympics will be held in Beijing, where is in Asia, same Tokyo.
The 2012 Olympics will be held in London, where is one of the biggest cities in the world, same Tokyo.
Olympics will be held in cities that are similar Tokyo for the second time in a row. So I don't think Tokyo can be selected.

But if Tokyo wins the right to host, I'd be happy. I want to work for the Olympics as a volunteer. So I must improve my English by then.

I can't sing Carpenters well?!

Like I wrote on previous article, I try to sing "Yesterday once more" hearing CD. Hmm... Karen's key is lower than mine so I can't sing with her singing well. I wish key were higher, or lower. It's half-key for me.

But I'm singing, I'm never able to sing for someone though.

I'm a singer??

As I wrote on this blog before, now I'm studying English using the textbook "Eigo-mimi" (English ear) to improve my listening skill. I'm in the phase that is singing English songs. Singing English songs!? Actually I usually don't hear English music at all. A writer of the book recommends songs of Carpenters because Karen's pronunciation is a sort of bible of English learners, I don't know well though.

So I'm hearing "Yesterday once more" now... everyday. According to the book, I must hear it more than 300 times. Step 1: hearing it 100 times without seeing lyrics, step 2: hearing 100 times seeing lyrics with phonetic symbol, step 3: singing together 100 times. I move to step 3 from now. Whew... It's a bit boring. But I intend to choose "Top of the world" for next song.



By the way, it's said that the reason Japanese can't hear English well is difference of passband. Left graph shows passband of each language. Hmm... According to this graph, I wonder French isn't difficult for Japanese? No, no! It's more difficult!!

Pluto

In the last few days, it became a hot topic whether Pluto remains as planet or not. Then it was decided that Pluto was excluded from planets in the solar system.
I felt fuss that was made about it was strange. Being Planet or not is decided just by humans who live in the earth that is small planet in the solar system.
Even if humans change definition of the universe or appellation, nothing changes in the universe.
By the way, textbooks makers and astronomic observatories become get busy with changing explanations about planets. Pluto, you won't be excluded from Disney characters, right?

Meeting my friend after a long time

My friend who lives in Australia came back to Japan and stays for a short time. I met her today after a lo---ng time. It was our first meeting in a long time so we had quite a chat. I was also complaining that my English didn't improve at all. Haha...

A year ago, actually I felt that we would meet in the near future, and then that's really what's happened.

I wonder when we will meet again. I hope I could visit her in Australia sometime.

Movie: the White Planet

I have mentioned this movie on this blog before.

http://sandfriend.blogspot.com/2006/06/oh-polar-bears-i-love-are.html












Surprising and valuable images!! I wonder how they catch those images?? It's hard to believe.

At the opening of the movie, following sentence appeared on the screen.
"The scene you see from now, you may not be able to those after 10 years."

And a narrator said in the movie.
"It is human's fault."

I saw an actor Ren Osugi.

On my way to the library by bicycle, I past Ren Osugi, who is a Japanese actor, on the road today. I've heard that he lives in my neighborhood but I saw him for the first time.

He is famous in Japan. But I think there are some people who know him overseas, because he often appears in the movies of director Takeshi Kitano.

He looked tall in the movies or TV dramas but he doesn't actually tall. He was just a man in the street. Haha.

Elizabeth Sanders Home

Today is the anniversary of the end of WW2. Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi visited Yasukuni shrine and it is becoming a big hot topic now. Of course China and Korea are making a big deal of it. By the way, I agree with his visiting Yasukuni shrine, better to say I don't think he need to avoid doing.

I watched a TV drama based on the true story about the founder of Elizabeth Sanders Home, the late Mrs. Miki Sawada.

She founded Elizabeth Sanders Home for half-blooded orphan children after WW2, the Allied Occupation forces came to Japan. Japan was very very poor at that time so many women sold sex to American servicemen for survival. And many American servicemen raped Japanese women. So there were many half-blooded children. At that time, half-blood were discriminated terribly so many women despaired their half-blooded children's future. Many of them repudiated their children and those children died.

So Mrs. Sawada founded the orphan home for such children. She grew up in a very rich family but managing the home required much money so she relinquished her all property and rushed around trying to raise funds. Many Japanese looked at them coldly, and the Allied Occupation forces also do so calling those children "American's embarrassment ".

During watching the drama, I couldn't stop crying.

I always think I want to do activities to help poor children in the world. Mrs. Sawada had very strong mind. I need to be more like her.

Lazy Sand as usual

I'm off this week so I decided that this week was "movie week". I intend to watch movies a lot. But I slept till 4pm today. 4pm!! I love sleeping but I think I waste my time.

I will go to Roppongi to watch a movie I have wanted to watch.

Unfortunately, it's bad weather during my holiday week...

My bad listening comprehension #5

Theme of today's English dialogue I study was "wedding ceremony". There was explanation about one custom. I've heard about that before.

A Japanese girl asked.
Can you tell me what the famous phrase, "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blomins?

?? Bloomins? I wonder it's bloomings and I couldn't hear "g". Yeah, "blooming" is suitable for wedding! But why is there "s"?

Correct is "blue means?". Oh, yes. I've heard that a bride wears something blue in the U.S. (not only in the U.S.?)


My hearing wrong of the past
http://sandfriend.blogspot.com/2006/07/my-bad-listening-comprehension-4.html

Joke in English

I talked with my friend who is a foreigner in English on the phone yesterday. My English is poor as usual, and talking on the phone in English is more difficult for me.

When he told a joke, I couldn't understand. It is not uncommon for me. I always don't understand jokes in English conversation. So I sometimes ask back repeatedly... I end up having my friends tell a joke again and again. Repeating a joke sucks, doesn't it? I can understand if I hear the same joke in Japanese.

I think problem is my rhythm of conversation. I guess I don't get into the rhythm of English conversation due to my poor English. Jokes appear in rhythmic conversation, right?

Probably, I continue to have many friends repeat jokes in the future. Forgive me, my foreigner friends!

The 61st anniversary of the atomic bomb day of Nagasaki

Americans made a big deal of September 11th, even now. Of course I was very shocked to see the live TV news at that time, and think it was a devastating tragedy. But I make a point to say that Americans made a big deal of such a small thing. They don't know that the U.S. is the country that did much more terrible things?

The number of death from 9.11 was about 3,000.
About 210,000 (140,000 in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki) were killed by the history's worst conduct; dropping atomic bombs by the U.S. It took 61 years after it but even now many many people died from that atomic bombs. All deaths are about 340,000.
By the way, about 100,000 were killed by the Great Tokyo Air Raids by the U.S. at March 10th 1945, and in the Battle of Okinawa, about 200,000 civilians were killed.
Americans often say about Pearl Harbor, but how many CIVILIANs were killed at that time?

Two buildings disappeared by 9.11 terrorist attack.
Two cities disappeard by the U.S. atomic bombs.

Japan also did terrible things and made big mistakes in the wars. Other many countries too. But the U.S. doesn't acknowledge its past mistakes, and they repeat those mistakes now. Most Americans are persuaded to believe that dropping atomic bombs to Japan was necessary to finish the war, and don't know those horrible damages at all. The number of wars isn't decline, in fact it has increased. As long as the U.S. is leader of the world, there can be no peace on earth.

One European told me that Americans don't think with their head. Recently I think his opinion might be correct. Even now, 40% of Americans think that a war with Iraq is right.

Is there a RIGHT WAR?

Japanese English isn't even equal to native babies' English skills

I found a SHOCKING(?) article on one blog. That blog is written by an American woman who has two boys. A younger boy (very cute!!) is maybe 21 months old and he speaks some words, according to her blog, he says "meeyanyo" (piano), "nunnel" (tunnel) and so on. And I found the article that he had a new word. He can say McDonald's. Some people put comments on the article and they said their kids too. Really???

Actually McDonald's is one of the most difficult English pronunciations for Japanese. If I write the pronunciation of McDonald's Japanese speak forcibly, it's... maybe "mukoodonarudo"? Even if Japanese say McDonald's repeatedly, native speakers can't understand.

I have often heard that Japanese get a coke when ordering a cup of coffee from a flight attendant in the flight. Haha. Japanese pronunciation of "coffee" is... cauhe. Does it sound like cola or coke?

My first elementary school in a long while

I went to an elementary school to teach computer to schoolteachers today.
Hot! Very hot! There were air conditioners but it was not enough unlike offices. Especially corridor and toilet were like sauna!! And there was no vanity in bathroom unlike in office's one. It was terrible environment. Haha. Yes, school is not office.

Usually, participants in my training call me "sensei". Sensei is "teacher" in Japanese. But today, I also call them senei because they were schoolteachers. Haha.

In spite of summer holiday, many students came to school, most of them came to take pool class. Although it is very hot, kids are very powerful. When I was an elementary student, I also didn't think it was too hot even if there was no air conditioner. Kids are really lusty and powerful. I thought schoolteachers also must be powerful because they are always with those many powerful kids. It's a tough job, they have long holidays and don't work overtime at all though.

School doesn't change at all compared with one when I was a kid. Form of classrooms, student's desks and chairs, shelves for students' baggage, blackboards, school yards... every things are same. Many things change so rapidly in the world, but it seems that time stops in school.

Congratulation my first anniversary!

It's been one year since I started this bolg. I wrote my first article on the blog a year ago today.

Unfortunately, my English doesn't improve after a year. Whew...

The 61st anniversary of the atomic bomb day of Hiroshima

Today, 6th August, is the day that America did the worst thing in history. In spite of the worst thing, America did it not once but twice. The second is 9th in Nagasaki. I will write about it on 9th.

Three young German soccer players

FC Bayern came to Japan to have a game with Japanese team Urawa Reds the other day. They stayed in Japan just 44 hours! Haha. It was very tough schedule!!

In spite of during that tight schedule, young players, Podolski, Schweinsteiger and Lahm appeared one Japanese TV soccer program. All of three performed brilliantly in the World Cup as players of the Germany national team. The TV program was aired last night.

They are 21 -22 years old. They looked like naughty boys, especially Podolski and Schweinsteiger. Haha. I hope they show us wonderful plays in the future.

Talking with my friend after a long time

My friend lives in Australia with her Australian husband. She moved to there about 4 or 5 years ago.

She came back to Tokyo because her grandmother is sick and stays for a while. I called her and talk after a long time today. She has a cold due to difference in the temperature, (yes, it's winter in Australia now.) but she seemed to be good.

We talked about many kind of things, the World Cup, English, job and so on, for about 90 minutes! At last, we finished talking as running out of my cell phone's battery. Haha.

The nation that like war, America

The situation in Lebanon is getting worse and worse. Every country, European and Arab countries argue immediate cease-fire, expect for the U.S. that is pro-Israel. It seems that human life is very slight for the U.S. Many rich arms traders that include politicians must be making many profits.

Israel attacked a building in a village in South of Lebanon where many civilians evacuate to, and 54 civilians including 37 children were killed on 30th Jun. In spite of those Israel's shocking outrage, the U.S. president Bush avoided accusing against Israel in his statement.

I know well Bush is very foolish person. But I think Rice was very clever. Unfortunately she has become a person like Bush. I guess it is necessary for her to stay the present position and even make her rise.

As long as the nation that dominates the world is the U.S., there can be no peace on earth.