New Year's Resolutions (Part 1)

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Team Tiger

Most people start the year by making some really strong promises. We call them New Year’s resolutions. A resolution is a really strong promise you make to yourself to do something difficult that is good for you. Some common examples of New Year’s Resolutions are “I will lose weight” or “I will study English more.” Good resolutions include some kind of number and time frame so that the achievement of the resolution can be measured. Instead of “I will lose weight,” you should say, “I will lose one kilogram a month” or “I will go to the gym 3 times a week.”

A couple of years back, my wife's resolution was to take up running. Unlike me, she kept her resolution. Last spring, she took part in a 10-kilometre fun run in Ashia. Last Sunday, she renewed her resolution by taking part in a fun run at Tsurumi Ryokuchi park. (The 5 tigers in the photo above were taking part in the same fun run.) Good on her!

The Eastern Beauties

In my next entry, I hope to share one of my New Year's resolutions with you.

How about you? Did you make a resolution for 2010? Are you keeping it?

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Happy New Year!

Here's wishing all our students & friends a happy & healthy 2010!

Go get 'em, Tiger!

スクールカレンダー & イベント

みなさん、こんにちは！オンライン”スクールカレンダー＆お知らせ”のページをアップデイトしました！当月のサービスレッスン日やキッズクラスの日程、祝日やイベント案内が日本語で確認できます。

当校のホームページ（http://www.be-and-me.com/）の“スクールカレンダー”または "生徒のみなさんへ" をクリックして下さい！または直接下記のアドレスへリンクして下さい！（携帯電話からも可能です）

スクールカレンダー :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-3.html

生徒のみなさんへ :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-5.html

よろしくお願いします！

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus!

Recently, our 5-year-old son has been asking if Santa is real. For centuries, children all over the world have been asking that exact same question. The most famous time it happened was in New York, in 1897. A little 8-year-old girl called Virginia asked her father if Santa was real. Her father suggested she write a letter to the Sun, a respected newspaper in New York at that time...

The newspaper's reply has become one of the most famous pieces of writing in the world.

You can read the reply at Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

You can read a Japanese translation at Illustrator Tomomi Nakamura's HomePage
(The above illustration was stolen from Tomomi Nakamura's HomePage)

Also, don't forget the milk & cookies tonight!

Have a merry Xmas!

スクールカレンダー & イベント

みなさん、こんにちは！オンライン”スクールカレンダー＆お知らせ”のページをアップデイトしました！当月のサービスレッスン日やキッズクラスの日程、祝日やイベント案内が日本語で確認できます。

当校のホームページ（http://www.be-and-me.com/）の“スクールカレンダー”または "生徒のみなさんへ" をクリックして下さい！または直接下記のアドレスへリンクして下さい！（携帯電話からも可能です）

スクールカレンダー :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-3.html

生徒のみなさんへ :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-5.html

よろしくお願いします！

Be & Me Student Saves the World!

It seems that everything we do in our daily lives damages nature. If we don’t change our lifestyles soon, we’re likely to destroy the very world we live on. There’s no one simple way to protect nature. Saving the Earth will rely on many different ideas, all being used at once.

Recently, one of our students, a fashion designer, had a great idea to help save the world; an eco-bag that you can carry on your cell phone. It’s not always convenient to carry a reusable shopping bag with you. Often, you don’t even think about a shopping bag until you are in the shops. But these days, almost no one leaves home without their cell phone! That’s why our student Kyoko’s idea is so good!

Kyoko showing her cell-phone eco-bag

The eco-bag when it’s folded up

Kyoko with the unfolded eco-bag

You can help eco-warrior Kyoko save the world by always remembering to carry a reusable shopping bag with you. Don’t leave home without one!

By the way, “Eco” is short for “ecology.” Ecology is the study of living things and their relation to each other and their environment. “Environment” in this case means the physical surroundings of the living things being studied. However, “the environment” refers to all of the natural world. When we use “eco” with another word, like “eco-friendly,” we really mean “environmentally friendly,” that is, friendly to all of the natural world.

こ のブログの日本語訳はこちらをクリックしてください！

わがＢｅ & Me の生徒さんが世界を救う！

私たちが日々行うすべての活動は自然にダメージを与えているようです。私たちが現在の生活スタイルを早急に変えなければ、私たちが住んでいるこの世界を破 壊してしまうでしょう。自然を守る唯一の方法などありません。地球を救うのにはたくさんのいろんな方法に取り組まなくてはならないでしょう。

先 日、ファッションデザイナーである当校の生徒さんが、ひとつの素晴らしいアイディアを思いつきました！携帯電話に携帯するエコバッグです。エコバッグを 持って出かけるのに都合が悪い場合もありますよね。お店に入ってから、エコバッグのことを思い出すこともよくあります。でも昨今、携帯電話を持たずにでか ける人はいません！だからこそ、この生徒さん（京子さん）のアイディアはすごいのです！

京子さんの携帯電話と携帯エコバッグ


エコバッグがたたまれている状態


エコバッグを広げた時

携帯エコバッグを携帯して、われらがエコ戦士、京子さんを応援しましょう！

『出かけるときは忘れずに！』

と ころで、”ｅｃｏ”とは”ｅｃｏｌｏｇｙ”の略です。エコロジーとは生態学。人間を含めた生物とその環境（ｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔ）との相互関係を研究す る学問です。ここでいう”ｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔ”とは自然環境。”ｅｃｏ”と他の言葉をくっつけて使う場合、例えば”ｅｃｏ－ｆｒｉｅｎｄｌｙ”の意味 は”ｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔａｌｌｙ　ｆｒｉｅｎｄｌｙ”となるわけです。これは「自然環境にやさしい」ということです。

2009 Halloween Party at Ola - The Photos!

Our Hosts Yakuza-Woman Shino & Day-of-the-Dead Hiroki

The Frighteningly Friendly Ola Bar Staff

Nachos Nightmare

Blues Brother Rigby & Blues Sister Mayumi with Wally/Waldo
Yes, We Found Him!!!

You can see many, many more photos at 2009 Halloween Party at Ola Enjoy!

Note: If your photo is in our photo album and you'd rather it wasn't, please send us an e-mail - we"ll happily remove it!

If your name is in one of the captions and you'd rather it wasn't, please send us an e-mail - we'll happily change it!

If you'd like a bigger photo file so you can print it, please send us a mail - we'll happily send it!

Recommended Photo Exhibition

最優秀賞　「田植えを終えて」　芝崎静雄（愛媛）
See all the photos at 第7回 「美しい日本を撮ろう」フォトコンテスト

As many of you know, I love photos! I'm always on the look out for good photo exhibitions. Yesterday, I noticed there was a photo exhibition in the Crysta Nagahori Gallery. The exhibition is a collection of photos entered in a Beautiful Photos of Japan contest. It's very good!

Unfortunately, today (Friday, November 13th) is the last day of the exhibition. If you're in Shinsaibashi today, make sure you check it out!

If you can't make it to the exhibition, you can check out the photos at 第7回 「美しい日本を撮ろう」フォトコンテスト (Scroll down to see all the photos).

スクールカレンダー & イベント

みなさん、こんにちは！オンライン”スクールカレンダー＆お知らせ”のページをアップデイトしました！当月のサービスレッスン日やキッズクラスの日程、祝日やイベント案内が日本語で確認できます。

当校のホームページ（http://www.be-and-me.com/）の“スクールカレンダー”または "生徒のみなさんへ" をクリックして下さい！または直接下記のアドレスへリンクして下さい！（携帯電話からも可能です）

スクールカレンダー :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-3.html

生徒のみなさんへ :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-5.html

よろしくお願いします！

Halloween Party at Ola

Tomorrow night, Saturday October 31st, is Halloween! If you’re looking for a place to party in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, You should check out Ola Tacos Bar!

You can check out photos from last year’s party at Halloween at Ola (2008)

Find out more about the origins and customs of Halloween at Happy Halloween!

Whatever you do tomorrow night, have fun!

こ のブログの日本語訳はこちらをクリックしてください！

Happy Halloween!

October 31st is Halloween! This Saturday 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.

(For some reason, Blogspot won't let me put a paragraph break here. It's very frustrating!)

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. 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.)

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ハッピー★ハロウィン

１０月３１日はハロウィンです！今週土曜日の夜はアメリカやカナダ、また世界の様々な場所で、子供たちがお化け、魔女、ガイコツ、また面白い人物や物に仮装することでしょう。

仮 装した子供たちはご近所さんの玄関から玄関へ「お菓子をくれないと、いたずらするよ！」と叫んでまわります。そしてご近所さんたちはハロウィン用のキャン ディやクッキー、果物を子供たちにあげます。もしお菓子をあげないとしたら、子供たちはそのご近所さんにいたずらをするかもしれないからです。よくあるい たずらとしては、その人の家をトイレットペーパーでぐるぐる巻きにしてしまいます！

ハ ロウィンは古代ケルト民族のサウィン祭りにその起源をもっています。ケルト民族は数千年前にアイルランドやスコットランドに住んでいました。－－キリスト の誕生よりもずっと昔です！サウィン祭りとは収穫期の終わりを祝う祭りでした。祭りは収穫物がより分けられ、貯蔵されたあとに祝われました。そしてケルト の暦では１年の終わりをも意味しました。

古代ケルト人はたいへん迷信深い民族でした。彼らは１年の最後の日（ケルト暦では１０月３１日） に死人たちの魂が蘇ると信じていました。彼らはその亡霊たちをたいへん怖がりました。そこで彼らはお化けの格好をしたり、お面をつけるようになりました。 本物の亡霊たちに自分たちも亡霊であると信じ込ませ、悪さをされないようにと願ったのです。ハロウィンで最も有名なシンボルといえば、ジャコランタンで す。怖い顔が彫られたカボチャです。最初はカブで作られていました。

アイルランドの昔話に、悪魔を騙して何があっても地獄には落ちない約 束をさせたジャックという悪人の話があります。しかしこの約束は結局裏目に出てしまいます。ジャックが死んだとき、彼は地獄にも天国にもいけなくなってし まったのです。ジャックは夜な夜な、カブでできたランタンに石炭の火を燃やして（悪魔からの贈り物）この世をさまよい歩くしかなかったそうです。

この物語は沼地や湿地帯で見られた不思議な炎を説明しようとするために作られました。（日本ではよく墓地にこのような炎が現れます。腐った人体や木材から発せられるメタンガスが原因なのですが、日本では「火の玉」として知られています。）

Congratulations, Mieko!

Way back in July, I wrote about one of our students sitting for the STEP Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency Level 1 interview exam (Click here to read that post). Well, she passed!

Congratulations, Mieko! All your hard work paid off!

The next written test is this Sunday, October 18th. If you pass that test, you can practice for the interview by visiting http://www.eiken.or.jp/eikentimes/virtual/index.html (a site recommended by Mieko). Also, Be & Me Eikaiwa Club has STEP Eiken interview-practice classes, as well as preparation classes for the STEP Eiken written exam. Now is the best time to start preparing for the next written exam which will be held on Sunday, January 24th. For more information about these classes (in Japanese), call us on 06-6915-2613.

Good luck if you’re sitting the exam this Sunday!

こ のブログの日本語訳はこちらをクリックしてください！

おめでとう！　美恵子さん！

今年７月に、僕は英検テスト１級を受験する僕の生徒さんのことをブログに書きました。彼女はみごと合格しました！

おめでとう！　美恵子さん！　あなたの努力が報われましたね！

１０月１８日（日）は英検の筆記試験があります。
みなさん、筆記試験に合格したら、次の面接試験に向けて下記のサイトで模擬練習ができますよ。

http://www.eiken.or.jp/eikentimes/virtual/index.html

このサイトは美恵子さんお薦めです！

またＢｅ ＆ Ｍｅ 英会話 Ｃｌｕｂ　でも、英検の筆記試験対策と面接試験対策のクラスを設けています。来年１月２４日（日）の筆記試験に向けて、準備を始めるのに今が最適な時期だと思います。

質問があればこちらに連絡してください。
もちろん日本語スタッフが説明させて頂きます。

０６－６９１５－２６１３

この日曜日に試験にのぞまれるみなさん、幸運を祈ります！

Good Morning, Melor!

Last night, Typhoon No. 18 passed right over the top of Osaka. The howling of the wind kept me awake half the night. How about you?

In Japan, typhoons are numbered. In other countries, they are given names. (You probably all remember that New Orleans was devastated [badly damaged] by hurricane Katrina some years back.) Traditionally, tropical storms – hurricanes, cyclones & typhoons – were all given ladies’ names. These days, they alternate [take turns] between men’s & ladies’ names when naming tropical storms.

Typhoon No. 18 is called Melor. Melor is a man’s name from Russia. It’s a modern name meaning “Communist Creation.” It was made by combining the first letters of Marx, Engles, Lenin (3 famous communist philosophers), and October Revolution (the revolution that brought the Communists to power in Russia).

Anyway, it seems that the worst of Melor has passed. We can look forward to clear skies this weekend!

こ のブログの日本語訳はこちらをクリックしてください！

スクールカレンダー & イベント

みなさん、こんにちは！オンライン”スクールカレンダー＆お知らせ”のページをアップデイトしました！当月のサービスレッスン日やキッズクラスの日程、祝日やイベント案内が日本語で確認できます。

当校のホームページ（http://www.be-and-me.com/）の“スクールカレンダー”または "生徒のみなさんへ" をクリックして下さい！または直接下記のアドレスへリンクして下さい！（携帯電話からも可能です）

スクールカレンダー :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-3.html

生徒のみなさんへ :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-5.html

よろしくお願いします！

Lame Duck

Last Sunday, there was a national election [ 選挙 ] in Japan. Did you vote [ 投票する ]? Are you happy with the results? Recently, Mayumi learned a new, very interesting expression that is often used when talking about politics; Lame Duck. To find out what lame duck means (in Japanese) Click here!

The above illustration was stolen from http://www.hwupdate.org/

スクールカレンダー & イベント

みなさん、こんにちは！オンライン”スクールカレンダー＆お知らせ”のページをアップデイトしました！当月のサービスレッスン日やキッズクラスの日程、祝日やイベント案内が日本語で確認できます。

当校のホームページ（http://www.be-and-me.com/）の“スクールカレンダー”または "生徒のみなさんへ" をクリックして下さい！または直接下記のアドレスへリンクして下さい！（携帯電話からも可能です）

スクールカレンダー :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-3.html

生徒のみなさんへ :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-5.html

よろしくお願いします！

Summer-Holiday Food

Wow! The Obon holidays finished nearly a week ago! Doesn’t time fly? [Click here to find out what that means]

We had a great holiday. We visited the Osaka Science Museum, played in the park, went to the beach, and watched a few movies on DVD. We also ate a lot of easy-to-make summer-holiday food! My favorite easy-to-make lunch is the sausage sandwich.

Yummy!

In Australia, we call sausages “snags’ or “sangas.” We call sandwiches “sambos” or “sangas.” (That’s a bit confusing, isn’t it?!) Therefore, a sandwich like the one in the picture is called a “snag sanga” or a “sanga sambo.”

Speaking of yummy food! One of our students works in a chocolate shop in Matsuyamachi called Ek Chuah. We went there last Saturday for brownies. Yummy!!!! I recommend the bitter iced-chocolate drink.

The brownie at Ek Chuah.

Time Flies!

Wow! What happened to August?! It just seemed to fly by!

In English, we often say that “time flies when we’re having fun.” This means that when we are having fun, time passes quickly. I guess that means I had a lot of fun over the Obon holidays. I hope you did, too!

By the way, if for some reason you want to buy the clock in the photo, click here! However, be warned that it’s not a real clock – just a toy!

スクールカレンダー & イベント

みなさん、こんにちは！オンライン”スクールカレンダー＆お知らせ”のページをアップデイトしました！当月のサービスレッスン日やキッズクラスの日程、祝日やイベント案内が日本語で確認できます。

当校のホームページ（http://www.be-and-me.com/）の“スクールカレンダー”または "生徒のみなさんへ" をクリックして下さい！または直接下記のアドレスへリンクして下さい！（携帯電話からも可能です）

スクールカレンダー :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-3.html

生徒のみなさんへ :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-5.html

よろしくお願いします！

Countdown to the Tenjin Matsuri #1...

このブログの日本語訳はこちら をクリックしてください！

Today, the Tenjin Matsuri, one of the biggest and most popular summer festivals in Osaka, is being held. We’ve been counting down to the festival by teaching you how to say a different festival-related word in English every day. The final word is…

1) Hanabi = Fireworks

The Tenjin Festival fireworks viewed from a friend’s balcony

The literal translation of “hanabi” is “flower fire,” which is a great name! Unfortunately, it means nothing in English.

Fireworks are an important part of celebrations all over the world. Enjoy the fireworks tonight! And enjoy the festival!

このブログの日本語訳はこちらをクリックしてください！

Countdown to the Tenjin Matsuri #2...

このブログの日本語訳はこちら をクリックしてください！

Tomorrow, July 25th, is the Tenjin Matsuri, one of the biggest and most popular summer festivals in Osaka. We’ve decided to help you countdown to the festival by teaching you how to say a different festival-related word in English every day. Today’s word is…

2) Takoyaki = Fried Octopus Dumplings

A “plate” of fried octopus dumplings

Generally speaking, a dumpling is any small lump or ball of dough, pastry or batter. Often dumplings contain small pieces of other food, either sweet or savory. Takoyaki are pan-fried balls of batter filled with pieces of cooked octopus, ginger, and shrimp. If you tell your English-speaking friends that they are “fried octopus dumplings,” they will quickly be able to imagine what you mean.

Many people call takoyaki “octopus balls.” This is a big mistake! In English, “balls” is a common nick name for testicles [kintama]. About a year after I came to Japan, my good friend Peter visited me. While showing him around Osaka, I asked if he’d like to try some “octopus balls.” He looked very surprised and disgusted. “I didn’t know they had any!” was his reply.

このブログの日本語訳はこちらをクリックしてください！

Countdown to the Tenjin Matsuri #3...

このブログの日本語訳はこちら をクリックしてください！

Next Saturday, July 25th, is the Tenjin Matsuri, one of the biggest and most popular summer festivals in Osaka. We’ve decided to help you countdown to the festival by teaching you how to say a different festival-related word in English every day. Today’s word is…

3) Kakigori = Snow Cone

A snow cone versus a kakigori

Most dictionaries translate kakigori as “shaved ice.” While this is basically correct, it isn’t a term often used by native speakers of English. However, if a native speaker of English hears “snow cone,” they imagine something very similar to Japanese kakigori.

In North America, there is a famous product called Slurpee. Slurpees are more like drinks, and are usually based on soda flavors. If you’re talking to North Americans, and they don’t understand snow cone, try saying, “It’s like a Slurpee.” I’m sure they’ll understand exactly what you mean!

このブログの日本語訳はこちらをクリックしてください！

Countdown to the Tenjin Matsuri #4...

このブログの日本語訳はこちら をクリックしてください！

Next Saturday, July 25th, is the Tenjin Matsuri, one of the biggest and most popular summer festivals in Osaka. We’ve decided to help you countdown to the festival by teaching you how to say a different festival-related word in English every day. Today’s word is…

4) Yatai = (Food) Stall

Customers wait to buy fried noodles at a stall

Just like yukata, summer festivals in Japan wouldn’t be the same without yatai. In English, any small portable shop is called a “stall.” We usually put the name of the product being sold in front of the word “stall” to explain what type. However, we usually don’t put “s” at the end of the product word. For example, the customers in the picture above are at a fried-noodle stall.

このブログの日本語訳はこちらをクリックしてください！

Countdown to the Tenjin Matsuri #5...

このブログの日本語訳はこちら をクリックしてください！

Next Saturday, July 25th, is the Tenjin Matsuri, one of the biggest and most popular summer festivals in Osaka. We’ve decided to help you countdown to the festival by teaching you how to say a different festival-related word in English every day. Let’s start with…

5) Yukata = Summer Kimono

A couple of girls in summer kimonos row a boat past a river-side summer festival

Summer festivals in Japan wouldn’t be the same without yukata. In English, we don’t have a special word for yukata. However, everybody knows kimono. If you call a yukata a “summer kimono,” all English speakers will know exactly what you’re talking about.

このブログの日本語訳はこちらをクリックしてください！

That's One Small Step for (a) Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind

40 year’s ago today, mankind landed on the moon.

Click here to find out all about the Apollo 11 mission in Japanese.

Click hereto see video of the first moon walk.

You are "Go" for the Moon

40 years ago today, mankind started an amazing journey. Watch the Apollo 11 launch here.

In English, if we say we are “over the moon," it means we are very, very happy and/or excited. For example, “I was over the moon when I passed the EIKEN Test!”

Eiken Interview Test this Sunday, July 12th

The interviews for the Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency are being held this Sunday, July 12th. One of our students has been working hard to pass the first grade test. She’s already passed the written test and will be doing the interview on Sunday. She recommended a great site where you can watch virtual interviews. If you are doing the interview this weekend, you should check out http://www.eiken.or.jp/eikentimes/virtual/index.html as part of your final preparation.

Good luck, Mieko! And good luck to everyone who’s taking the test!

スクールカレンダー& イベント

みなさん、こんにちは！オンライン”スクールカレンダー＆お知らせ”のページをアップデイトしました！当月のサービスレッスン日やキッズクラスの日程、祝日やイベント案内が日本語で確認できます。

当校のホームページ（http://www.be-and-me.com/）の“スクールカレンダー”または "生徒のみなさんへ" をクリックして下さい！または直接下記のアドレスへリンクして下さい！（携帯電話からも可能です）

スクールカレンダー :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-3.html

生徒のみなさんへ :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-5.html

よろしくお願いします！

It's as Clean as a Whistle!

A whistle is just a sound – it can’t get dirty. In English, if we say something is “as clean as a whistle,” we mean it is very, very clean.

Here’s an example sentence: “I spent all morning cleaning up my room. Now, it’s as clean as a whistle!”

Recently, Mayumi wrote a very interesting story about whistles on her Blog. You can check it out at: Mのつぶやき・その２

スクールカレンダー& イベント

みなさん、こんにちは！オンライン”スクールカレンダー＆お知らせ”のページをアップデイトしました！当月のサービスレッスン日やキッズクラスの日程、祝日やイベント案内が日本語で確認できます。

当校のホームページ（http://www.be-and-me.com/）の“スクールカレンダー”または "生徒のみなさんへ" をクリックして下さい！または直接下記のアドレスへリンクして下さい！（携帯電話からも可能です）

スクールカレンダー :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-3.html

生徒のみなさんへ :

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-5.html

よろしくお願いします！

The Star Trek Adventure Continues

On September 8^th, 1966, the very first episode of Star Trek was aired on American TV. I was nearly 3 years old. American TV shows were usually broadcast 3 or 4 years later in Australia. I was 6 or 7 when Star Trek had its first run in Australia. It was groundbreaking [trying new things] TV, addressing such taboo [not usually talked about] subjects for the time as sexual equality & liberation, racial descrimination and integration, the futility of war, and even the explotation of the working class – dangerous topics for the establishment [government & big businesses] to allow in the middle of the Cold and Vietnam Wars. (As I was only 6 or 7, these topics were not the main attraction – I was mostly interested in the monsters!) For this reason, the program ran very late – around 11:00pm (just before the TV stations used to turn off for the night!). I used to beg my parents to let me stay up and watch it. Sometimes they did!

The original series only ran for 3 years. However, apparentlty I wasn't the only 6 or 7-year-old begging his parents to let him stay up late. After the show was cancelled, it just became more and more popular. Eventually, it was the basis of 5 new TV series and 10 movies! (Click here for more info in English or Click here for more info in Japanese)

And it's not over yet! Today the newest movie starts in Japan. Whether you're a big fan or totally new to the series, I recommend you “boldly go” to the movies this weekend to check it out.

Captain Kirk & Mr Spock – then and now!

For photos of the 35th anniversary of Star Trek party we held in 2001 (Click here!)

Live long and prosper!

Click here for Japanese translation!

Happy Birthday, Batman!

I was talking to a student recently about the new Star Trek movie (more about that soon!). I mentioned to her that we held a party to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Star Trek way back in 2001 (Click here for photos!). It suddenly occurred to me that this year is the 70th anniversary of Batman. That’s right! The first Batman comic was published in May, 1939 – which means Batman is 70! Happy birthday, Batman!

The cover of the first ever Batman comic (Copyright DC Comics)

If you don’t know the story of how Bruce Wayne became the Batman, I recommend you check out Batman Begins , starring Christian Bale.

Click here for Japanese translation!

Photos from the Star Trek 35th Anniversary Party in 2001

The Winners of the costume contest

The Borg Queen behind the bar with Mayumi

Rigby with the Borg Collective

The Pig Flew!

In Japanese, the new flu that’s been spreading around the world is called buta influenza (“pig influenza”). In English, it is most commonly called swine flu. Swine is a general word for pigs. Flu is the commonly-used short form of influenza.

In English, we have many different expressions using the word “pig.” One common expression is “when pigs fly!” It’s impossible for pigs to fly. Therefore, when someone asks you when you’re going to do something, if the answer is never, you can say, “When pigs fly!”

If Mayumi asks me, “When are you going to start eating natto?”

I can answer, “When pigs fly!”

After that, if she ever caught me eating natto, I guess she could say, “The pig flew!”

Click Here For Japanese Translation

お知らせ

大阪府内での新型インフルエンザウイルス検出に伴い、当校でもより一層の除菌に努めていくことにしました。

レッスンに来られたら、まず除菌用ハンドジェルにて手指の消毒をお願い致します。レッスン毎に机やイスも除菌クロスでふきとりをしていきます。 "Better safe than sorry"（用心に越したことはない）の精神です！

ご協力に感謝します。

Be & Me 英会話 Club

Harry Potter's Japan Connection

Mayumi & one of our students dressed as Harry & Ron one Halloween

Mayumi's reading the 5^th Harry Potter book at the moment. She was surprised to find the Japanese word “satsuma” in a description of a room. Do you know what a satsuma is in English? To find out, visit Mayumi's Blog （Click here!).

Online Calendar & Announcements Pages Updated in Japanese!

We'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 – all in Japanese!

To check them out, go to http://www.be-and-me.com/ Then click on the “スクールカレンダー” or "生徒のみなさんへ" buttons. Or click on the links below;

スクールカレンダー [The School Calendar]:

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-3.html

生徒のみなさんへ [Be & Me Announcements]:

http://beandme.blog6.fc2.com/blog-category-5.html