There's a way.

This Is Us (2009/10/06) backstreet Boys View detail of this item

Finally! I've been wanting their new album for a long time! I like The Backstreet Boys very much, but not just because they are good-looking. Yes, that's true. There's more to it than that. I'd say they perfectly understand what kind of songs women love to listen to. While listening to them, I can feel relaxed. Their songs even remind me of some precious memories in my younger days! How magical!
I think some artists produce songs just to express their own emotions or intentions, but I feel the songs by Backstreet Boys let us have our own world. Their songs have stories. They are storytellers of a sort with beautiful melody and unforgettable voices.
Am I making any sense? Maybe not, Well, I don't care. What I want to say is I like them.


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1)　Their songs even bring to mind precious memories from/of my younger days!
(You can't be reminded of a memory, but something can bring a memory to mind.)

2)　The Backstreet Boys transports us to our own inner worlds.


Thank you for your help, Exis Night!

Kimono Girl Paper Lantern - Red/Pink () sasha View detail of this item

I'm a Japanese, but it doesn't mean that I'm totally familiar with Japanese culture. I have worn a kimono once or twice so far, but there is no kimono in my drawers. I've been to Kyoto several times, but I can't explain any historical place there at all. I don't know much about Japan, but I wouldn't have realized the fact if I hadn't started to study a foreign language. I might have ended up being a person who doesn't know about the world. I'm very glad to be involved in the world, and I'd like to introduce Japanese culture as a citizen of the world.


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I'm very glad that I'm now involved in the world, and I'd like to introduce Japanese culture to others.

Kikkoman Instant Tofu Miso Soup (Soybean Paste Soup with Tofu) () Kikkoman View detail of this item

I never fail to have miso soup for my breakfast. My 11-year-old daughter especially prefers a Japanese style breakfast, so I cook miso soup every morning. I have to admit that I was a terrible cook before being a mother, so cooking miso soup was a big deal to me.
My mother didn't like cooking and always made a complaint about it, but she even used to prepare miso soup for my sister and me. No matter how busy she was, she was in the tiny kitchen every morning before leaving for work. Miso soup reminds me of my mother, and I'm sure it'll always do so.


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she would be in the tiny kitchen

Friends - The Complete First Season () Jennifer AnistonCourteney Cox View detail of this item

Sorry if you like "Friends," but when I watched it for the first time, I thought the TV drama was not my cup of tea AT ALL. I didn't get the reason why it was so popular among Japanese English learners. Without Japaneses subtitles, it was impossible for me to follow each story. Even with Japanese subtitles, I didn't understand why their jokes were hits with the audiences.
I didn't want to rely on "Friends" to improve my listening skills, but I just followed my friends' advice. She said, "You'll see." And now I know she was right. I'm totally into "Friends," and I'm happy to say that I can get what they are saying here and there! I still have trouble understanding English lines and jokes, but I strongly recommend "Friends" if you're an English learner. I can assure you that you can study a second language for fun!

Collection, Vol. 4 (2006/02/13) Miho Nakayama View detail of this item

Although she has lived in Paris since she got married, I'm sure she is still quite popular in Japan. Her name is Miho Nakayama. She showed up as a promising model at the age of 13 or 14, and then she succeed in building her career with the songs and TV dramas. After moving to Paris with her husband, she hasn't rarely involved in any showbiz business; however, her new career seems to launch with the film she played in as a leading lady.
I have been wondering how she can keep her beauty. She is about my age, but I don't see any similarity between us. She looks very young, sophisticated, and gorgeous. Maybe I need to move to Paris...maybe not.



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After moving to Paris with her husband, she has rarely been involved in any showbiz business; however, her new career seems to have launched with the film in which she is the leading lady

My family went to Saga just to have local hamburgers for lunch. There had been two names of shops on my husbands' list, but we saw that one of them seemed to have closed its business. We were hungry by the time we reached another shop. The hamburgers named after a city, Karatsu, were quite delicious. The cook started to make each burger after taking the orders, so we could have piping hot hamburgers.

I like the novels written by Jane Austin because her novels are full of women's lives. They are quite ordinary ones and the readers may not be able to find them exciting, but I think Jane knew how the real world works. I've been into her world since I saw "Sense and Sensibility" around 10 years ago. I'm quite interested in one of her novel titled "Pride and prejudice," and I've been looking for the film; however, I haven't tried it yet.

Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (A&E, 1996) (2001/09/25) Colin FirthJennifer Ehle View detail of this item

Have you ever seen this film?

My family went bowling today for the first time in two years. Our children are old enough to play without our help, so we had a kind of bowling tournament. My husband and I often went to play bowling before getting married, but these days we both rarely play any sports. I didn't mean to compete, but it turned out that I won two games. My highest score was 166 points. Wow. I didn't expect to beat my husband!
After the game, we headed for another destination, the Asian Festival grounds, to have lunch. The venue was packed with people. but we somehow managed to get Vietnamese dishes. I'd never tried Vietnamese dishes before; I was a bit anxious over its spicy taste, but....
How delicious they were! I was astounded at their noodle called pho and spring rolls! I should've ordered more because our children ate huge amounts of them. I'd say I'm into Vietnamese dishes now. They are healthy and tasty, so I think I could eat them a lot.


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I was astounded by this noodle dish called "pho" and the spring rolls!

While I was shopping at a mall today, I heard the announcement asking the shoppers to make a blood donation. I headed for the place in a moment. Some people are quite nervous about giving their blood for some reason, but I've never found it fearful or troublesome. Actually, I've done it 57 times so far. Think of this: we might be able to give not only blood but also hopes to people in need. I'm quite healthy now, and making a blood donation isn't a big deal to me. However, the feeling seems not be mutual because my husband lost words when he saw the number of times on my donation card.


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1)　in an instant
2)　was lost for words

I was in a hurry to be on time to have free-talking class at an English school. Because I left home ten minutes behind schedule, I rode my bicycle at full speed. When I reached a crossroad, I almost hit against a car! It was a close call. I managed to stay alive but, of course, I should be careful while cycling no matter how late I am.


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1)　time for my free-talking class
2)　I had to ride my bicycle at full speed as I had left home ten minutes late.

Today, my friends and I studied English together. In today's workshop, two new members joined us. One of them belonged to our English club once. Around three years ago, she informed us that she had to move away because of her husband's transfer. We missed her very much, but now she has come back to us again! I'm also happy to know that she hasn't lost her interest in English. I'd like to learn from her anything in every way.

Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (1997/10/01) Kevin CostnerMorgan Freeman View detail of this item

I think Kevin Costner is too good-looking and his movies are always Hollywood-like ones, but I can assure you this: you must see his Robin Hood if you like Robin Hood.
This film includes many Robin's story, such as the fight against John Little in the river, the funny encounter with a drunken monk, the life with people running away from their harsh lives. I fell in love with the Robin book when I was a child, and I imagined what life would be like in the wood. Today, there are many films dealing with Robin Hood, but some of them don't have my favorite episodes and it makes me very disappointed. We need to have many people following Robin Hood. We need to see how he fought. Without followers, without his bow, Robin Hood is just a bounder, I think.
I like Robin Hood very much. Robin Hood is one of my heroes. He is a humble, hardy young man; He fights against a man of authority, and he protects not only the poor but a young lady named Marian. Kevin's Robin shows us that the prince of the Sherwood Forest was in distress over his way of life. He was in a maze, he was in conflict with himself, and he fell in love like we do in reality. Kevin Costner's performance of as Robin was perfect to me.

Today, I ate out for lunch with my neighbors. It was a bit big company: 10 mothers and 5 children. The restaurant served quite delicious dishes, and we totally enjoyed having a wonderful lunch. Having some time together with other mothers is a good opportunity for me to understand what is going on in our neighbourhood. Some people may regard it as of little value, but they don't know how many things I've learned from them. If you have something to know, have lunch with someone who is on the ball.



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1)　We were a pretty big party
2)　something you need to know

This is one of my pendant heads that my husband gave me as a birthday present before we got married. It was 20 years ago, and you can say this gets a bit old now. Well, something odd happened to it today. Let me try explaining to you.

Today, I rode my bicycle to go to Alison's English school. It took 40 minutes each way and I was exhausted when I got there, but I enjoyed talking with people who took part in the free conversation class. While I was in the room, I realized that my necklace's chain got tangled with my scarf. Chatting over, I tried loosening them up and I thought I managed to do it. However...

When I got home, I knew that there was no chain around my neck! I must have dropped it on the way home! Oddly, the pendant head was with me, infolded with my scarf. I couldn't believe my eyes for a while. Is it possible for a pendant to cling to a neck...with no chain? I remain a bit skeptical.

My son got the final exam at the hospital today because he went into spasm due to the swine flu last week. The doctor had said that epilepsy might be one of reasons for his seizure, so he needed an exam for his brain waves.




I had to sit in the hallway again, and just waited for the moment the result came out...




Thank goodness!
It turned out that there is nothing to worry about in my son's case! The doctor told me that his symptoms occurred just because he had a high fever. Children's brains are very sensitive, so sometimes they tend to overreact to a high fever. I knew that possibility, but I was quite worried about my son...

Luckily, my son got over with the flu three days afterward. He was told to stay in bed at home by the doctor, but it seemed to be hard for him any more. I was relieved to see him be full of vim and vigor especially after having the moment to think about losing him.
"You don't know what you've got till it's gone." Oh, yes, I know it from my experience.


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my son got over with the flu after three days

I did nothing but watch my son sleep for one hour, and then, the doctor came to us. I was scared stiff... "His brain seems to have no problem with all those examinations," he said. "I guess he had a fit because of a high fever. I must say that the symptom rarely happens to children of grade school age." I didn't care whether it was rare or not! There was no tumor in my son's brain! He would get better soon! I can't recall how I replied to him. I must have been quite excited.
Thirty minutes afterward, my son finally came to. He looked very tired, but he smiled at me and said, "I want to pee." Okey-dokey, coming right up!


To be continued...


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the symptoms rarely occur in

While my son was surrounded by some doctors and nurses, I just waited in the next room. My husband went back home alone to take care of our sick daughter, so I was quite perturbed. I didn't know what to say when I saw my son coming out of the room. He looked pale and ill. The doctor said to me that my son needed to lie down for an hour at the least without getting up. "Once he raises his head, he may end up vomiting," he said. Oh, please, don't scare me!
Luckily, my son didn't wake up for an hour. Sitting on a chair next to the bed, I just watched him. I recalled the moment that he was born, the day he walked by himself, the time we spent together. I was there with my son, but he didn't know it and there was nothing I could do for him. I should have paid attention to him as a mother. What if he never comes to? What if he ends up staying in a bed the rest of his life? I almost cried out.


To be continued...


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paid more attention

When we got to the hospital, my son was still unconscious. My husband carried my son into the hospital, and I hurried myself to make an appointment. We waited and waited for being called in the lobby. At last, our son's turn came. The pediatrician suggested taking an X-ray of our son's brain. He said that our son's fit might have been induced by a brain tumor or something. He also recommended our son's spinal fluid checkup with our letter of acceptance. Why do we need to sign on such a letter? It was obvious that the doctor knew the test would be risky! What was happening to my son, I almost cried out. Why him....?


To be continued...
.

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1)　sat in the lobby and waited and waited to be called.
2)　a spinal tap (or "lumbar puncture") and asked us to sign a letter of consent.

Thank you, Rosily, Jojo! I am happy to have you here. As you have guessed, my children have been down with the swine flu. Oh, yes, not only my daughter, but both of them!


In my daughter's case, there was no trouble except for a high fever. On the other hand, my 8-year-old son went into spasm on the first day. He couldn't breathe at all for around 60 seconds. I managed to stay calm during the terrible moment, because my children suffered the same fit when they were babies. My husband and I took him to a hospital, leaving our sick daughter alone at home. We had no choice other than that. Our son seemed to be in a terribly bad condition.


With some checkups, the doctor suggested that we should go to another hospital in order to have some thorough check-ups. "Is he that bad?" I was at a loss for words. There might be something bad happening in his brain... I was too scared to ask the doctor anything else....


To be continued...



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After an examination, the doctor suggested that we should go to another hospital in order to have more thorough tests done.