Christmas Lights in Osaka

 

Last Sunday, we went to see the Christmas illuminations at Nakanoshima.  It wasn't as good as last year, however, it's still worth a look!  The full illuminations will be lit up tonight and tomorrow night (Christmas day).  There will still be some lights on display from Boxing Day (Dec. 26th) to the end of the year.  Above is an interesting video I took last Sunday.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

 

Christmas is coming! (That's me doing "The Full Santa" at a recent kids' Xmas party. The hardest thing about wearing a Sant costume is keeping the beard out of your mouth!)

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！

Good Job, Mayumi!

Thanks for all of happy thoughts & do-your-best wishes! Mayumi really appreciated them!! Unfortunately, they stopped her running at the 38-km mark. She was 300 meters from the barrier! She's really regretting the 15 minutes she spent waiting in line for a toilet at the 10-km mark. Luckily, our son & I spotted her at the 33-km mark. As you can see from the photo, she was still "genki" enough to smile at the good-looking guys.  The longest run she'd ever done before was 10 kms so we are very proud of her!

Here's a short video...

The Osaka Marathon

Here's a photo I took of Mayumi just before she left home this morning (the background is from a photo she took at her check-in yesterday).  She was a little nervous!

Run, Mayumi! Run!

Mayumi (the "Me" in Be & Me) is running in the Osaka Marathon today.  Good luck, Mayumi!  Do your best!!

Good luck to all our other friends & students taking part in marathons today!

The picture above is Mayumi Running in the Katano Fun Run earlier this year.  It was taken by my friend, David Graves.

Inside Our School

View Larger Map

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！

Happy Halloween!

Do you believe in ghosts? The Ancient Celts believed that ghosts came back to this world on Halloween. They wore scary costumes to hide from the ghosts.

Recently, this car ad was pulled off the air in Europe. Viewers said they could see a ghostly face reflected in the car’s window.

Look carefully! Can you see it?

Photos from Last Night's Halloween Party at Ola Tacos Bar, in Shinsaibashi, Osaka

Click on the link for more photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/beandme.be/HalloweenAtOla

Halloween Party in Ola Tacos Bar, in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, this Saturday, October 27th

Every year, we celebrate Halloween at Ola Tacos Bar (a really cool Mexican bar in Shinsaibashi, Osaka).  Ola Tacos Bar is holding its 2012 Halloween Party this Saturday, October 27th.  Hope to see you there!  And don't forget; It's more fun if you wear a costume!
 
Click here for more information

Click here for a map to Ola

You can check out photos from Ola's previous Halloween parties by clicking on the following links...

Ola's Halloween Party 2011
   
Ola's Halloween Party 2010

Ola's Halloween Party 2009

Ola's Halloween Party 2008

It's Nearly Halloween!

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！

Recently, my family & I went sightseeing in Kyoto.  I spotted something orange on the bank of a river...

 

Once we got closer, I realized it was a Jack-o-lantern...

  It's nearly Halloween ( ハロウィン )!

Here are some ways you can enjoy Halloween this year...

Sunday, October 21st: Bilingual Halloween Comedy Show

Saturday, October 27th: Halloween Party at Ola Tacos Bar

Sunday, October 28th: Halloween Picnic for Kids

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！

Be & Me Halloween Picnic for Kids on Sunday, October 28th

Every year, Be ＆ Me 英会話 Club holds a Halloween picnic for our young students and their families & friends.  This year, we'll be holding the picnic from 1:00 pm t0 4:00 pm on Sunday, October 28th.  If you'd like to join this picnic, please call us on 06 - 6915 -2613.

Halloween Party at Ola Tacos Bar in Shinsaibashi on Saturday, October 27th

Every year, we celebrate Halloween at Ola Tacos Bar (a really cool Mexican bar in Shinsaibashi, Osaka).  This year, Ola Tacos Bar is holding its Halloween Party on Saturday, October 27th.  Hope to see you there!  And don't forget; It's more fun if you wear a costume!
 
Click here for more information

Click here for a map to Ola

You can check out photos from Ola's previous Halloween parties by clicking on the following links...

Ola's Halloween Party 2011
   
Ola's Halloween Party 2010

Ola's Halloween Party 2009

Ola's Halloween Party 2008

Bilingual Halloween Comedy Show on Sunday, October 21st

This Sunday, October 21st, The Pirates of the Dotombori (a very, very funny group of Japanese & foreign comedians) are performing a Halloween show at Balabushka, a bar in the American Village near Shinsaibashi, in Osaka.  The show costs ¥1, 000, which includes one drink.  I am definitely going.  If you want to join me, meet at the school at 6:30 pm (don't be late!) or come straight to the bar any time after that.  The show starts at 7:30 pm.

Here's some information in Japanese...

リビングルームでホワイト婦人が蝋燭を手に…。
ちょっと、ちがう？

それじゃ、ある異国人が畳の敷かれた部屋でお箸を手に…。
そう、そう、こんな感じ！

毎年恒例のハロウィーン即興生コント！
今年は、１０月２１日（日曜日)、心斎橋にある「Balabushka」で開催です。
今回のテーマは、イケてる殺人ミステリー。
見に来て頂いた皆さんに、犯人を見つけて頂きます！

毎度おなじみの、予測不可能即興キャラクター、ワクワクなゲーム、何気にミュージカル入れちゃってる感じ… に加えて推理小説混ぜちゃいます！

みんな大好き！「パイレーツ・オブ・道頓堀」
是非見に来てください！ｍ(_ _)ｍ

日時：１０月２１日（日曜日）
場所：「BALABUSHKA」（心斎橋のアメ村）
時間：午後７時３０分からスタート
値段：１０００円（１ドリンク付き！）

パイレーツより

More information here:  The Pirates of the Dotombori's Halloween Show

And don't forget to check out the videos...

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！

"Best" vs "Favorite" (Part 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！

Mie's Best Photo

I wrote about the different meanings of "best" & "favorite" in my last post ( "Best" vs "Favorite" ).  Recently, another one of our students (Hi, Mie!) showed me her best & favorite photos.  Her best photo is posted above.  It's a great photo.  I LOVE this photo!

Her favorite photo is a snapshot (a quick photo) of a beach at the Gold Coast, in Australia.

 Mie's Favorite Photo

Mie said, "It's my favorite photo because I love the Gold Coast.  I want to go there again.  I want to live in the Gold Coast.  Australian people are so kind."

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！ 

"Best" vs "Favorite"

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！

Wanda's Best Photo

Recently, I was talking to a student about photography (Hello, Wanda!).  We were talking about her "best photo" and her "favorite photo."

Best means "most skillful" -- the thing you do well.

Favorite means "most liked."

For example, I like food and cooking.  My best dish is short pasta in cream and bacon sauce.  I'm very, very good at making it!  My favorite dish is enchiladas.  I love enchiladas, but I can't make them!
 
Wanda's best photo is the one above of autumn leaves reflected on a car.  Her favorite photo is the one below of her husband taking a photo of her taking a photo of him...

 Wanda's Favorite Photo

By the way, the best enchiladas in Osaka are at Ola Tacos Bar, in Shinsaibashi, Osaka.  It's my favorite bar!

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！

Blue Moon

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！

Usually, there is one full moon in every month.  However, occasionally there can be 2 full moons in a month.  This only happens very rarely.  In English, we call the second full moon of the month a Blue Moon*.  Because Blue Moons happen so rarely, we can use the expression "once in a Blue Moon" to mean "only rarely" or "not often."  For example...

I study Japanese once in a Blue Moon.  (It's sad but true!)

*****

John: How often do you go to the movies?

Yoko: Once in a Blue Moon.

 *****

This month, there was a full moon on the 2nd.  There will be another full moon tomorrow, August 31st.  Therefore, tomorrow will be a Blue Moon.  Try to do something you don't often do tomorrow.  Once you've done it, you can say, "I only do that once in a Blue Moon!"

*This is a modern definition of Blue Moon dating from 1946.  The traditional definition, which is thousands of years old, is the 3rd full moon of a season with 4 full moons.  Farmers would measure the seasons by counting the full moons.  Usually, it was time to change seasons after 3 full moons.  However, the extra full moon that sometimes happens would confuse them.  They called the 3rd full moon a Belewe Moon.  Belewe is Old English for "liar," that 3rd full moon was a "Liar Moon!"  Somehow, "belewe" was replaced with "blue" in modern English and the original meaning was forgotten.

By the way, Blue Moons are not really blue!  I changed the color of the moon in the above photo using an image-editing program. 

 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！