There's a way.

The previous story is here..."Where am I?"



The man immediately noticed the envelope I was holding in my arm. Not waiting for my reply, he smiled at me and said, "Thank you for coming all the way. Please follow me." I made sure quickly where I was. Well, it was not a mistake anyway. The sign in the entrance hall said I was in the hospital. Feeling odd, I looked around without a word. The hall surely looked like the one of a hotel. The interior was quite chic, and everything in the massive hall caught my eyes.
I followed the man's lead and took the elevator to the 6th floor. There was another man waiting for me.
"Would you please be seated until everything is ready?"
He pointed at a sofa at the corner of the waiting room. The room was quite comfortable, not to mention the sofa I sat on. Although visitors and staff were coming in continuously, I didn't feel annoyed or bothered at all. Until the time my name was finally called, I was sitting on the cozy sofa reading my English books.


To be continued...

Yesterday, I went to a hospital for a medical check-up. I left home at 7:30 in order to avoid the busy streets in the morning. The road had been packed with many cars, but my driving was much more comfortable than I had expected. All I did was just to follow what the car navigation system said, though. It took only 30 minutes. A piece of cake. I looked up, and I was astounded to see the building.
"Is this .....a hospital? It cannot be."
As soon as I entered the hotel-like building, a man in a black suit accosted me in the lobby and said "What can I do for you?"


To be continued...

I went to a hospital today for a medical check-up. I had to skip breakfast due to a stomach check-up, so I was quite starving by the time I got to the hospital. I was a bit nervous to be examined because it had been over 10 years since my last check-up. Well, in any event, everything is over now. There are many things I'd like to write about, but I've got to go now. Let me try writing about today's check-up next time.

Downy Ultra Liquid Fabric Softener, April Fresh Scent, 40-Load Bottle (Pack of 6) (2006/08/09) Downy View detail of this item

I went to a COSTOCO in the next town with my neighbors yesterday. I'm not allowed to enter the shop alone because I don't have the membership card. I'm lucky to have a regular next door; she kindly invited me as her company.
I enjoyed spending time there. The atmosphere differed from the Japanese one was quite interesting to me. Having said that, I'm not particular about food and clothes. I was just happy to browse around with an almost-empty cart.
I bought my daughter's favorite fabric conditioner, an English magazine, a pack of seaweed and a box of oranges. That was all. Compared to others with their shopping carts full of stuff, I must have looked like a penny-pinching shopper.

Luckily, I've been meeting two English native speakers twice a week. One of them comes from Australia, and the other one from England. I spend 2 hours chatting away in English every Wednesday, and on the next day I visit a British English school to take part in a free-talking session. Because both of the occasions are quite reasonable, I manage to join them on a regular basis.
I'd like to make use of these blessings as much as I can. I can study English myself, but when it comes to spoken English, I'm glad to have company. Since I'd like to correct my pronunciation, what I need is, first and foremost, someone who can speak English by nature.


★ネイティブの添削★
who is a native speaker

My friends and I spent 2 hours in the morning practicing speaking English. In this English workshop, we rarely use Japanese. I'm lucky to have such a nice opportunity to improve my English skills. After having a wonderful time, I headed for a library by bicycle; however, it turned out that the place was closed. Just my luck! I had intended to borrow a book which I had been very interested in... Although I was disappointed, from another point of view, which means I managed to spend extra hour for my exercise.


★ネイティブの添削★
it means I managed to spend an extra hour exercising.

I've been recording my spoken English in order to check it. I didn't feel any hesitation to open up my not-so-excellent English because I really wanted to know what was wrong with my pronunciation. I recorded myself, and I posted each recording on my public English journal. When it comes to studying English, I'd say I'm a person of gumption.
There is one thing I happened to know about my speech after recording it. Some visitors on my blog left comments saying my voice sounds good. My voice, not my pronunciation. One of them even flattered me by saying that I could be a narrator! I know I shouldn't lose my senses, but I was quite happy to hear it.
Actually, I hated my voice for a long time. I have some off-putting experiences about my voice. When I was a child, one of my classmates scoffed me and said that my voice sounded really weird. Someone said my voice didn't match my appearance. The other one said my voice was too low. With those nasty remarks, I didn't like my own voice at all.
I just wanted to check my spoken English at first, but now I'm quite happy with some compliments that succeeded in curing my trauma.



[VOON] I hated my voice

My family went to a theme park last weekend, and my children took part in a cooking event. My daughter enjoyed measuring the ingredients such as sugar, butter, milk, fresh cream, honey and starch syrup. She stirred them and put the pan on the fire. She did almost everything without my help; on the other hand, my son seemed to be happy to take a back seat the whole time. Can you guess what sweet I am talking about? It is soft caramels. I've never tasted anything like these, which melt the moment I put them in my mouth.








[VOON] Sweet things!

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE: CHILDREN'S EDITION (HARRY POTTER 6) (2005/07/16) J.K. ROWLING View detail of this item

"Merlin's beard!"
This expression appeared in one of the Harry Potter books called "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." When I saw the expression for the first time, I was completely confused and couldn't figure out what it meant. Was that because I was not familiar with the name Merlin? Well, there was more to it than that. I was puzzled because I didn't try reading between the lines.
I'd say "Merlin's beard!" could be translated into こりゃ驚いた or とんでもない in Japanese. As you probably know, "Merlin's beard" isn't a fixed English expression; this was made by the author, J.K.Rowling. It means "Oh, my!" or "No way," which is used when you are surprised.
Not only Japanese people but also native English speakers (Muggles only, of course) may be confused with the expression. It won't be the case, though. I'd say many native English speakers don't have any problems while reading. Why is that? I guess they can picture the scene other than the expression. I was puzzled because I focused on it too much. I might have been able to comprehend the meaning if I hadn't been a hairsplitter...


★ネイティブの添削★
This wouldn't be the case, though.



[VOON] Merlin's beard 2

Half Dozen (2004/04/13) Evan & Jaron View detail of this item

I like the duo called Evan and Jaron very much. I've been looking for their albums ever since I fell in love with their song, "Crazy for This Girl." Despite my efforts, however, there seems to be only two albums created by them. Only two? It cannot be. I've been surfing on the net in order to get their information; but to my dismay, there is few.
I know how the world works. Not all talented people can make a success. Have they already stop singing? If they haven't, why can't I get their new albums? I'm dying to listen to their music...




[VOON] Looking for their songs

My family went to a theme park called "Donguri mura" in Saga. I like this place very much because we can take part in many attractive outside activities while seeing, feeling and touching nature. Look up at the sky! There is always the Sun, no matter how busy you are. I've just received a nasty post on my other website, but I don't care! I'd rather look up than look down.


★ネイティブの添削★
The sun is always there,

I woke up early in the morning today. It was too early: at 3 am. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I got up and opened some English textbooks. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm. Since I had plenty of time, I studied English not only to read my textbooks but also to watch my favorite English movie.

Anne of Green Gables: The Collection (2008/02/05) Megan FollowsColleen Dewhurst View detail of this item

Three-Legged Table Lamp from Destination Lighting () Design View detail of this item

Last Sunday was a perfect day for an athletic meet, and my family took part in our school district's sports day. My husband and I were supposed to be in the three-legged race. We had to run as the first runners among five pairs, so I felt very nervous; on the other hand, my husband seemed to be extremely confident. He must have forgotten that I'm not much of a runner..
Ready? Set! Go!
My husband started running, and I started flying in the air!
"Oh, my goodness. he is having a field day as if I wasn't here!"
We came in first and we were very proud of having admiration, but I was breathless after running not enough to reply them.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007/07/21) J.K. Rowling View detail of this item

I finished reading all of the Harry books two years ago, and I know what just happened to Harry in the end. Having said that, I find rereading the books is quite interesting, so I've been reading the Harry Potter books. I'm not a native English speaker, so I still come across some unfamiliar phrases or expressions. They cause me some trouble and make me spend extra time and energy.
One day, I bought the Harry's audio books: it was a good decision! You can read (listen to, exactly) the Harry books even when you're cooking! The audio books not only let me to save my precious time but also bring me an imaginative world! If you haven't tried it yet, this is the time. You'll see a new world of Harry Potter!