There's a way.

After sending my children to their calligraphy class, I dropped at a neaby coffee shop with an English textbook. I needed to wait for them for almost two hours, but I didn't mind at all: it meant I could enjoyed myself studying English over some coffee. I thought, however, I couldn't spend two hours there with just a cup of coffee. so I ordered a piece of bread and took a seat. I might have gained something useful from my textbook, but I must admit I surely gained weight by eating extra breakfast...

【Ingrediants】
・pork
・eggplants
・Japanese radish

I didn't know we call 「大根おろし」 "grated radish." If you go easy on fatty food, I can't recommend this dish because we need to fry both pork and eggplants before dressing them in sauce including some grated radish.


★ Looks better!　★
...because we need to fry both the pork and eggplants before dressing them in a sauce that includes some grated radish.

Today, my children took a swimming test which was held every other month. Both of them have never failed to pass the test since they took the swimming classes, and that was the reason, I guess, why they were getting quite nervous.
"I won't pass," my daughter had kept saying since this morning.
She needed to crawl 50 meter whithin 59 seconds!
"Because I'm the smallest among the students in my level. I have short arms and legs, you see, I don't even have enough strength!"
After whining out, however, she passed the test. It took her 57 seconds to touch the goal. She looked very worn out after swimming, but she seemed happy as well. My son made it and got the certification. Atta girl! Atta boy! I hate to admit, but I couldn't swim at all at your ages! We're having a dinner party at home; it should be Yakiniku （焼肉） party.

Chatting with my friends who visited me yesterday, I threw a glance at the facing apartment because there was something moving on the top of the building. I couldn't believe my eyes; it was my son! He was running! There was a four-story building with no fences! I jumped to my feet, ran out of my room, left my friends behind without explaining what was happening.
"What are you doing THERE!? Come down here at once!!"
My son immediately obeyed me. looking very seriously. I was lost for words when I heard my son's confession. He said this was not the first time he played there. He even played catch with his friends standing on the ground. Oh, my, I didn't know anything about it.

When my children were very little, I always kept eye on them. Time has passed, and now my both children are pupils. I must admit that I don't know much about how they are playing outside. I thought I understood them, but it seems to have been a dangerous notion. No matter how old they are, unless they are adults, parents need to be sharp and ready to take the responsibility...

My friends visited me with their children today, and we had a wonderful time. While the mothers were studying English at my home, our children were playing outside. We had a kind of potluck party for lunch as planned. I'm not much of a cook, so I made pizza again.

I went to see a movie titled "Changeling" with my friend today. I had heard of its story a bit, but I didn't have a clue what happened to the mother in the end. This was a horrible true story. What if I miss my children while I'm away? I would be beside myself. I couldn't do anything but regret. I can't imagine how it can be after losing my children...for good.
I was touched by a line in a scene: "He's all I have." Yes, that's the way mothers feel! I can perfectly relate to it as a mother of two.

I must admit that I'm lack of reading comprehension ability in order to aim at the 1st grade STEP test. I want to mend my problem, but I don't know how to do it. I've been reading "Harry Potter" books for over eight years, and once in a while I've read English newspapers to be familiar with current English; however, I still have trouble reading English writings. How can I make a great improvement? What is the most effective way for me to get a certain reading comprehension ability? Am I in a rut? Maybe...

　行きつ戻りつ .... back and forth

I visited Alison this morning, and we spent about an hour speaking English. It was a very rewarding time as usual, but actually I couldn't enjoy myself because of my poor English. I couldn't come up with some appropriate words and expressions, so it took a while to express myself. I'd say I felt like I was in a slump.
Sometimes I feel my improvement, but most of the time I end up losing my confidence in my English. Do I have to admit that that's the way it goes? They say our language abilities go back and forth. That is, if we give up struggling with something we aim at, our trip will be over without any satisfaction. All right, then, I don't have a choice. I hate giving up trying before facing the consequences.

My husband was supposed to work a night shift today, so my children and I had a dinner earlier than usual. It goes without saying that good nutrition is vital for our children's growth. What else do we need other than this chicken dish? ...Right, vegetables!





Well, then, help yourself!

I've been heading up an English workshop for about 4 years in Fukuoka. Luckily, we manage to invite a native English speaker who comes from Australia, so we always spend time speaking English with him to our hearts' content. This month, an American guy joined us. Although he lived in a city far from Fukuoka, he was willing to take part in our workshop; I really appreciated his kindness.
He inspired me in many ways. I almost gave up taking the 1st grade STEP Test called Eiken because I thought it was too hard for me to get a passing score, but after hearing that he had been studying to pass the 1st grade Japanese language test, I felt ashamed of being passive. I must admit this: I've been wanting to pass the 1st grade STEP Test. The result might have nothing to do with our English abilities, but I'd like to see whether I can fulfill my ambitions...or not.

Around 7 years ago, a young American guy, who was an exchange student and stayed at his university's dormitory, told me an interesting story. While being in the U.S., he didn't think he was popular among girls. However, as soon as he moved into Japan, he was treated as one of Hollywood movie stars! Many girls asked him whether he had been seeing someone or not. He couldn't help but started behaving as if he were somebody.

"A girl asked me to kiss the other day, and I didn't know what to do."
One day, he said.
"Do you love her or not?" I asked him.
"I don't know, I like her as a friend."
"Well, then, you should have said so."
"But she doesn't seem to give up on me."
"That's not the point. If you want to be with her, just say it. If you are looking for other girls, for example, a girl who can be Ms. Right for you, don't you think you can't go in the wrong way with that girl?"

He was a determined and very good-looking guy, so I understood there were many girls around him. I liked him, of course, so I gave him a piece of advice.
If we are desperate for seeing a bosom friend or soul mates or destined love, we need to be ready for them. Of course, we don't have to be strict, but I believe we can't see the right one as long as we don't pay attention to it. I must say, before seeing the right one, we need to know who we are and what we want in our lives... Sounds weird? Well, that's the way I've been thinking.

The weather was fine today, so my family and I decided to go for a picnic. I whipped up a lunch box, and we spent a lovely afternoon in the fresh air. In the park, I saw some signs that spring had just come.







What a wonderful sight it was! I wouldn't have realized that these pretty flowers had come alive if I had been stuck at home all day. I love spending time outside. Especially during the spring season because I feel the nature by my side. Under the sun, I was able to forget some petty things in my life, and it was refreshing.

セレンディピティ~恋人たちのニューヨーク~ [DVD] (2006/06/23) ジョン・キューザックケイト・ベッキンセール 商品詳細を見る

I saw this movie many years ago, and I completely lost the detail of its story line. This is a story about "destined love" that has never been forgotten. One day, an American guy met an attractive British woman in a gift shop. They immediately felt something special each other, but unfortunately they had already someone special. He wanted to know her name, but she insisted on waiting and seeing how the wind blew. He did as she asked, but ironically they missed a chance to get together. Time went by and he was about to marry a new girlfriend, and his "destined love" was showing up again...

I'm a bit skeptical about "destiny," but actually I'd like to believe in "destined love." How do you feel about the idea that we are born to see someone? Wonderful, don't you think? Every single event has a meaning in our lives, and all of encounters are necessities to us. Making a complaint, dwelling on our past, envying someone's luck, what a waste energy they are when it comes to our limited lives.

I once tried to be a vegetarian, but I gave up because I like pork dishes very much. My pressure cooker helps me a lot prepare for quick dinner. We had 豚の角煮 for dinner yesterday.

I have been taking English writing lesson for half a year. Before the class, I had a tendency to focus on grammartical errors and I didn't care much about what my writings looked like to readers. During the lesson, my teacher says to me, "Forget about asking whether a sentence is grammartically correct or not. You need to ask yourself: Is this the best way to describe?"
His words were an eye-opener to me, and I finally realized that writing was one of means of communication. We can use big words and complicated terms, but when it comes to communication, it doesn't mean that such writings always work well as we expect. To make it simple is needed when we're writing. To make it clear is crucial when we give our expressions.
The lesson for this term will be over next week. If it's possible, I'd like to take this class again because I've learned a lot from each lesson.

While watching my children swim in the pool last Saturday, I felt the smoke in the air around me, and it made me very sick. I looked around, wondering whether this room must have been a smoke-free area. Nobody was both smoking and firing up a cigarette in the room; however, there was a middle-aged man sitting down next to me and he was the one giving off the evil smell. He was just sitting there, but I couldn't even breathe. I needed to move to a more comfortable place.
Does he realize that he gets an offensive odor by smoking? Maybe he doesn't. I think he manages to follow a rule not to make people annoyed by smoke, but it seems to me that his effor isn't enough after his long habit of smoking...

I couldn't leave the bookstore without getting it because she was staring me in the eye, "Time" magazine has a beautiful picture of my favorite actress, Kate Winslet, on its cover. Even though I had to pay over 800 yen for this magazine, I just wanted to keep it close. Some of my friends often ask me why I like her so much, but actually I don't know the reason. What I can say is I always find something special in her personality.

いつか眠りにつく前に [DVD] (2008/07/25) クレア・デインズヴァネッサ・レッドグレイヴ 商品詳細を見る

Who do you think you'll remember when facing death?
Have you ever experienced "memorable love"?

This movie is about an old lady's hidden life. She suffered from a serious disease and was about to pass away. While her two daughters were beside her bed, they kept hearing their mother calling an unfamiliar name. "Who is Harris?" They didn't have a clue. This was, actually, the name of a guy whom their mother had fell in love with in her younger days.
Their mother, Anne, met him at her friend's home, and they were both attracted to each other. However, a particular event torn them apart completely and then each of them got married with others. From the bottom of their hearts, they kept loving each other.
"What if I had never let him go?" Anne had been thinking that way. Although she had been unhappy and regretful for a long time, facing death, something got changing in her mind.
"Try to be strong," Anne said to one of her daughters.
With her solid advice, the struggling daughter finally realized the meanings of life and love.

We understand this: loving somone is always beautiful.
Having said that, there are many types of love in this world, and we sometimes feel happy, tired, angry, empty because of its ambiguious. This is a line from the story, "In fact, there is no mistake in our lives." That is, every love we experience must have a meaning of our beings.

I studied English with my friends this morning. There were eight members including me, and we spent two hours writing, speaking, and chatting. After having lunch, I saw a movie. This film was extraordinary! I was so moved that I almost cried! I'd like to write about this movie soon.

I sent my children to a cram school this morning for an academic ability test. Actually, I make it a rule to give them a chance to set their own sense of purpose for study. I don't mean to put a premium on entrance exams which my children will have to deal with; however, I think I need to let them know they live in a competitive world. We study just for ourselves, of course, but it wouldn't hurt to realize that they always have rivals.
During the test, I studied English over coffee at a nearby coffee shop as usual. There was nothing better than spending time immersing myself in study.