Halloween at Ola

On Friday, October 31st – the real Halloween! – we went to Ola Tacos Bar, a really cool Mexican bar in Shinsaibashi, with a small group of students & friends. We all had a great time…

The Gang Outside Ola

The Cave-Couple with Cat-Man

Cat-Men

Colonel Sanders & Mini Mouse

"Sally" & Friends

Costumed Customers

The Bar Staff

The Gang

Day-of-the-Dead Hiroki

Sexy Shino

Sexy Shino Up Close

She-Devil Jenna

The Masked DJ

[Back in Australia, I once played "The Masked Radio Announcer" in an amateur production of the musical "Annie"]

The Bar Getting Crowded

Schoolgirls?

The Child-Friendly Cave-Couple Return

The Caveman Cops a Feel

The Caveman Thumping Woody

Woody Gets (a) Shot

[That's a little joke - an injection is also known as "a shot" in North American English]

Adios, Amigos!

You can check out more photos at Ola's official photo page.

Halloween Revisited

Oops! It's been almost a month since my last post! Where did the time go?

On October 26th, we were going to hold a Halloween picnic for our students and friends. Unfortunately, it rained! Instead, we held a small event in our local community center...

The "Picnic Gang" in the lobby of the local community center

This year, our son wanted to be a carnotaurus, a kind of dinosaur

We decided to be a caveman and cave-girl

The cave-girl playing tricks on some of the kids

By the way, that wasn't the first time for me to dress as a caveman...

My first-ever costume: Fred Flintstone

Check back soon for more (a lot more!) Halloween photos!

Happy Halloween!

It’s Halloween! This evening, all across Ameirica and Canada, as well as other parts of the world, children will be dressing up like ghosts, witches, skeletons, and other interesting people or things.

Some kids in Halloween costumes

The children will go from door to door and yell, “Trick or treat?” Their neighbors will give them special Halloween candies, cookies or fruit. If they are refused a treat, the children might play a trick on that person. A common trick is to cover their house with toilet paper.

A toilet-papered house

Halloween has its origins in an ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. The Celts lived in Ireland and Scotland thousands of years ago – long before the birth of Christ. The festival of Samhain was a celebration of the end of the harvest season. The festival was celebrated after the harvest was sorted and stored away. It is also sometimes regarded as the end of the Celtic year.

The ancient Celts were very superstitious. They believed that on the last day of the year (around October 31st, according to their calendar) the spirits of the dead came back to this world. They were scared of these ghosts. They wore costumes and masks to trick the evil spirits into thinking they were also ghost, hoping that the real ghosts would leave them alone.

The most famous symbol of Halloween is the Jack-o-lantern, a hollowed out pumpkin with a scary face carved in it. Originally, Jack-o-lanterns were made from turnips.

There is an old Irish story about a bad man called Jack who tricked the Devil into never taking him to hell. (Read the full story here.) However, this trick eventually backfired. When he finally died, he could not enter Heaven or Hell. Jack found himself doomed to walk the earth at night, guided only by the light of a burning coal – a gift from the Devil – in a turnip lantern.

This story was the Celts’ attempt to explain the phantom flames they sometimes saw burning over bogs and moors. (In Japan, these flames used to sometimes appear over graveyards. They were caused by methane gas escaping from rotting bodies or wood. In Japanese, these flames are known as hino tama.)

Online Calendar & Announcements Pages Updated

I've just updated our online Calendar & Announcements pages. By visiting them, you can check our Service Lesson time, Kids' Classes Model Lesson dates, holidays, and special events.

To check them out, go to http://www.be-and-me.com/ , click on "生徒のみなさんへ" (the Students' Page), then click on "The School Calendar" or "Be & Me Announcements."Or click on the links below;

The School Calendar:
http://groups.msn.com/BeandMe/calendar.msnw

Be & Me Announcements:
http://groups.msn.com/BeandMe/announcements.msnw

The 5 A's

Ahoy, me hearties! Today be International Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day! (You can read last year’s post to find out exactly what it’s all about. Click on: International Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day)

My friend, Captain “Boston” Dave, sent me some interesting YouTube links to help celebrate this important day.

First, check out The 5 A's

The 5 A’s are…

Ahoy! – "Hello!"
Avast! – "Listen to me!" It can also be used in a sense of surprise, kind of like "Check it out!" ["Look at that!"] or "No way!"
Aye! – "Yes!” or “Yes, I agree!”
Aye, aye! – "Yes, I'll do that straight away!”
Arrr! – (This one is often confused with "Arrrgh!” – the sound you make when you sit on your sword.) "Arrr!" can mean many things: "Yes," "I agree," "I'm happy," "I'm enjoying this beer," "My team is going to win," "I saw that television show, it sucked!" and "That was a clever remark you or I just made." There are many more possible ways to use “Arrr!”

Next, sing along with "I'm a Pirate", the “official” Talk-Like-a-Pirate song.

If you find it hard to talk like a pirate, why don’t you use the The Talk-Like-a-Pirate Translator, another gift from the Captain.

This morning, I typed this message in the translator…

“Here's wishing everybody a happy Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day.

All the best from Be & Me!”

The translator came back with…

“Ahoy, har's wishin' e'erybody a happy Talk-like-a-pirate Day.

Ye'll ne'er get me buried booty!”

Also, don’t forget to check out last year’s Be & Me pirate photos…

Be & Me Pirates (Page 1)

Be & Me Pirates (Page 2)

And speaking of pirates, Osaka’s number one foreign/Japanese-member improvisation comedy troupe, The Pirates of the Dotonbori, are having a show at Balabushkas, in “America Mura,” this Sunday, September 21st. Avast!

Ha! Ha! HArrrrrrrr!

Here there be monsters!

And speaking of monsters, did you know that International Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day is the official holy day of The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster? RAmen!

And finally, Shiver me timbers! The International Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day Homepage!

The Puzzle Project Party

We went to the Puzzle Project party yesterday. (You can read all about the project here!) There were a lot of people there. And the finished puzzle looks good! You still have to this Saturday (September 20th) to check it out in person! It’s worth the trip to Horie!!

Puzzle Project

As I’ve mentioned before (Substance, Hisashiburi!), one of the coolest people I’ve ever met is artist and bar owner Takashi Inaba. One of the coolest ideas he has ever had is the Puzzle Project. Every year, he makes a big jigsaw puzzle. He sends the pieces to artists all over the world. After the artists have all done their thing with the pieces, they send them back to Inaba San. He then puts the puzzle together…

The 2006 Puzzle Project

This year’s Puzzle Project goes on show today, September 8th, at Artist Space CERO. The exhibition will finish on September 20th. There will be an exhibition party on September 16th, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Free wine! All are welcome!

As well as the Puzzle Project, Inaba San will be holding his own exhibition at the same gallery. There will be an exhibition party this evening from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. I hope to see you there!

For more information, click on the following links…

The Puzzle Project

Artist Space CERO

Takashi Inaba's Profile

Uni Pon Pon Kau Kau (Inaba San's Bar & Gallery)

Online Calendar & Announcements Pages Updated

I've just updated our online Calendar & Announcements pages. By visiting them, you can check our Service Lesson time, Kids' Classes Model Lesson dates, holidays, and special events.

To check them out, go to http://www.be-and-me.com/ , click on "生徒のみなさんへ" (the Students' Page), then click on "The School Calendar" or "Be & Me Announcements."

Or click on the links below;

The School Calendar:

http://groups.msn.com/BeandMe/calendar.msnw

Be & Me Announcements:

http://groups.msn.com/BeandMe/announcements.msnw

Hisashiburi, Desu Ne?!

It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?! Sorry! I’ve had my reasons…

Actually, it’s not really that bad! The broken screen is just a joke. If you’d like a broken screen just like mine, click on the picture below. Once the picture opens, right click, and then click on “Set as Background.”

Anyway, I hope to have most of my computer problems fixed up by the end of the week. I promise to tell you about my visit to the aquarium once my “new” computer is online. In the meantime, here are a couple of events you can check out this week…

Erochick

One of the coolest people we know in Osaka (or anywhere else!) is artist and bar owner Takashi Inaba. His bar, the stylish but oddly-named Uni Pon Pon Kau Kau, is hosting an exhibition this week. I’m not sure what kind of art it is, but I’m sure it’s good. You can get more details here.

Rock Fan

Almost every month, our friend Simon hosts a concert called Inner Sky at Covent Garden, in Horie. This month, he’s taken some time off to be the musical director of Rock Fan, a big outdoor music festival co-sponsored by Covent Garden. Rock Fan will be held this Saturday, August 31st, in Ougimachi Park, near Umeda.

We hope to see you at, at least one of these events! Whatever you do this week, have fun!

Quick Fix

When you don't have enough time and/or money to repair something properly, you can try a "quick fix."

Oops!

This morning, I was getting ready to write about my recent visit to the Osaka Aquarium when I dropped an air-conditioner on my computer…
When something like this happens, “Oops!” is a good thing to say. I actually said a few other words. I won’t be teaching you any of them here – they are best left for “Advanced” classes.

Surprisingly, I can still type. But it isn’t easy! It might be a day or two before I can tell you about my trip to the Aquarium. Hopefully, it will be worth the wait!

By the way, we use the letters W, E, R, A, S, Z, & X much more often than you’d think. I guess they are like hair – you don’t miss them until they're gone!

Online Calendar & Announcements Pages Updated

I've just updated our online Calendar & Announcements pages. By visiting them, you can check our Service Lesson time, Kids' Classes Model Lesson dates, holidays, and special events.

To check them out, go to http://www.be-and-me.com/ , click on "生徒のみなさんへ" (the Students' Page), then click on "The School Calendar" or "Be & Me Announcements."

Or click on the links below;

The School Calendar:
http://groups.msn.com/BeandMe/calendar.msnw

Be & Me Announcements:
http://groups.msn.com/BeandMe/announcements.msnw

Inner Sky Concert this Friday, July 25th

Our friend Simon is the music man! I first met him when he was playing for Tripod Jimmy, one of the best bands to ever come out of Osaka…or anywhere! Since then, he has been in so many different bands, I can’t begin to list them.

His latest band is called Goodman Bad. It features Simon on guitar & vocals, Glenn on bass, and Spleen on drums.

Goodman Bad at Last month's Inner Sky

Every month, Simon organises Inner Sky, a concert at Covent Garden, a friendly bar in Kita Horie. This month’s Inner Sky promises to be the loudest ever. Goodman Bad are going to play a fully electric concert. Simon's even going to kick that chair away!

When? Friday, July 25th, from 8:00 till late!

Where? Covent Garden, Kita Horie (06 – 4391 – 3177)

How much? 1000 yen, which includes 1 drink

Mushi Atsu, Na!

Humidity is the amount of water vapor [like a gas] in the air. The humidity is now very high in Osaka. Everywhere I go, I hear people muttering [talking quitely] to themselves, “Mushi atsu, na!”

In English, we have a few different ways we can say "Mushi atsu!":

“It’s humid!” is the phrase you’re most likely to hear on the TV weather report.

“It’s muggy!” is the phrase you’re more likely to hear on the street.

“It’s sticky!” is another commonly used phrase.

When it’s this muggy, you don’t feel like doing anything except lying on the sofa under the air-conditioner and watching DVDs. (I highly recommend Shawn of the Dead: A Romantic Comedy - with Zombies) Or going to the seaside.

If going to the seaside is your choice, you’e in luck! This weekend there are two big seaside events being held near Osaka…

The Seaside Charity Concert at ATC

There will be 16 different performers (bands/singers/dancers) from Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. Last year there were over 1,000 people in the audience. Hopefully, there will be even more this year! Click on the links below to find out more...

Photos from the 2006 Concert

Photos from the 2007 Concert

Absolutely Everything You Want to Know About this Year's Concert! (Information about all the performers, video from last year’s concert, maps, etc.)

The Suma Beach Party

Lots of different performers, food stalls, and lots of dancing on the beach. Last year they had over 4,000 people!

Pictures from Last Year's Suma Beach Party

Everything You Want to Know About the Suma Beach Party

A Map to the Suma Beach Party

Whatever you do, enjoy your long weekend! And stay cool!!!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Rain, rain, go away.

Come again another day.

Little Johnny wants to play,

So rain, rain, go away!

The rainy season is nearly over, however, it seems the heavens decided to give us one last rainy day before it gets really hot.

In English, we have many ways to describe rain…

If it’s only raining a little, just a drop here and there, we say, “It’s spitting.”

If it’s a little heavier, just enough to need an umbrella, we say, “It’s drizzling.”

If it’s just average rain, we say, “It’s raining.”

If it’s much heavier, like it was earlier today, we say, “It’s pouring.”

When it’s raining really, really heavily, we say, "It’s raining cats and dogs!”

That last expression originated in England 3 or 4 hundred years ago. Back then, cities were much dirtier than they are now. Buildings were very close together, and people threw their kitchen scraps out their windows. Dogs & cats would live off the scraps that piled up between the buildings. When they died, their bodies stayed stuck between the buildings until very strong rains washed them out into the streets. When people passing by saw the bodies, they would jokingly say the bodies had fallen from the sky with the rain.

Next time it rains, try to describe what type of rain it is using one of the expressions above.

Online Calendar & Announcements Pages Updated

I've just updated our online Calendar & Announcements pages. By visiting them, you can check our Service Lesson time, Kids' Classes Model Lesson dates, holidays, and special events.

To check them out, go to http://www.be-and-me.com/ , click on "生徒のみなさんへ" (the Students' Page), then click on "The School Calendar" or "Be & Me Announcements."

Or click on the links below;

The School Calendar:
http://groups.msn.com/BeandMe/calendar.msnw

Be & Me Announcements:
http://groups.msn.com/BeandMe/announcements.msnw

Inner Sky - June Edition

Last Friday's "Inner Sky" concert was great! Good music, good hamburgers, good friends! What more could you want?

Here are a couple of photos...

Café Bossa Sae and Koba with Kurisan

Goodman Bad (Glenn on bass & Simon on guitar/vocals) with Spleen on drums

The next "Inner Sky" is on Friday, July 18th. Write it in your schedule books now!

Concert Tomorrow Night

Our friend Simon is the music man! I first met him when he was playing for Tripod Jimmy, one of the best bands to ever come out of Osaka…or anywhere! Since then, he has been in so many different bands, I can’t begin to list them.

Every month, Simon organises Inner Sky, a concert at Covent Garden, a friendly bar in Kita Horie. This month’s Inner Sky promises to be one of the best ever. Goodman Bad (Simon & Glenn) are going to be joined by Spleen, Tripod Jimmy’s old drummer. They will definitely ROCK!

Also, Goodman Bad is going to share the stage with Café Bossa Sae and Koba, a cool bossa nova duo. And Café Bossa Sae and Koba are going to be joined by Kurasan, a really good sax player.

Here’s a rough guide to the night’s schedule:

8:30 pm - Goodman Bad (Simon on guitar & vocals, Glenn on bass)

9:20 pm - Café Bossa Sae and Koba featuring Kurasan on sax

10:10 pm - Goodman Bad with Spleen on drums and Kurasan

11:00 pm - Goodman Bad with Spleen


When? Friday, June 20th, from 8:00 till late!

Where? Covent Garden, Kita Horie (06 – 4391 – 3177)

How much? 1000 yen, which includes 1 drink

Drums, sax, male & female vocals, bass, and 2 guitars – it’s going to be a great night! Why don’t you join us?!

Gaijin Sounds CD Release Party

Every month we get copies of JapanZine, an English-language guide to what’s happening in Japan, delivered to Be & Me for our students.

Earlier this year, JapanZine held a contest for indies rock bands with foreign members. They called the contest Gaijin Sounds 2008. They received nearly 100 demo tapes from all over Japan. They put the best 12 tracks on a CD called Gaijin Sounds Volume 1.

The Cover of Gaijin Sounds Volume 1

Tomorrow night, Saturday June 14th, they are holding a free CD release party at Zerro (06-6211-0439), a bar in Shinsaibashi. (Click here for a map to Zerro) The concert is free, the first 100 customers will be given a free copy of the CD, and there will be live music by Abunai Jones (I love that name!) and DJ Ginzu3.

Abunai Jones (I love this photo, too!)

I will definitely be going to this event! If you want to come, you can meet me at the school at 7:00 pm (don’t be late!) or come straight to Zerro any time after 7:30 pm. Hope to see you there!

Online Calendar & Announcements Pages Updated

I've just updated our online Calendar & Announcements pages. By visiting them, you can check our Service Lesson time, Kids' Classes Model Lesson dates, holidays (including our Golden Week holidays), and special events.

To check them out, go to http://www.be-and-me.com/ , click on "生徒のみなさんへ" (the Students' Page), then click on "The School Calendar" or "Be & Me Announcements."Or click on the links below;

The School Calendar:

http://groups.msn.com/BeandMe/calendar.msnw

Be & Me Announcements:

http://groups.msn.com/BeandMe/announcements.msnw