Hi David,
Haven't you heard of ‘五月病’? Maybe it's one of the Japanese unique expressions? It's not a actual disease, it's a kind of mental thing. In spring, people sometimes feel depressed for no reason. It often happens in May to people who have got used to their new lives(In Japan, a lot of people start new lives in April, you know), and we call it ‘五月病’. That's why I said, ‘It's too early to get it.’
I've been thinking what I want to do, or where I want to go.(← I'm talking about my English study.) I've been learning English for long time because I like English and want to improve my English, but these days, I was a bit feeling low and thinking, ‘I study English, but for what?’Maybe it's 'the wave'. “You can't stop the waves from coming, but you can learn to surf.”, right? I need to be a good surfer. Maybe I know what I want to do, or where I want to go. I have some ideas.(It's not a big thing, though.) If I say this, you would say, ‘Stop thinking and just do it!’I know that(笑)
Well, as I said before, I will have more free time from this spring, so the time is right to do some new challenge with a clear goal. But don't worry, I can't leave this blog because the blog is a part of my life, and I love it very very much(including you, of course;-)).
Today's topic might be timely for me. The quote ‘He who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.’ is circling around my mind. I think it's so true. I want to be a person who is not afraid to take risks.(which is always difficult for me) I wish I could live like you!(I don't want to have a real chance that I might die, though..)
I'll write about this topic again later.

Hi Alice,
Thanks for your reply! You don't have to be jealous of those who go to a cram school because your English is really good. They might have a bigger vocabulary than you do, but I don't think they make good use of the English they have. Memorizing English words is one thing and learning to speak English is another. You are learning by doing, you are great!
By the way, I have three children, and my oldest sun is a first grade junior high school student. Oh my gosh, I can be friends with your mother! Well, I'm a bit young mother for him because I gave birth to him when I was 22;-)
Anyway, in this blog, we are just learners of English and on the same way, so we can be friends, can't we?＾＾

See you soon,

Tomo

PS David, ‘I had a bit of a disagreement with a tree’, I loved this expression, it's funny and interesting!(笑) Take care!

•  Tomo
• 2008年3月17日 23:45

Sorry, my oldest sun → my oldest son

•  Tomo
• 2008年3月17日 23:55

Last time, somebody mentioned that they liked the google.co.uk logo. Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day - have a look at the Google.co.uk logo today - it's really nice.

•  David
• 2008年3月18日 11:25

Hi David,
I went to the google.co.uk, but I couldn't find the logo. I tried to click some buttons, and the page turned into 'iGoogle' style, then I found the logo. It's a clover, right? Yes, it's really nice. Thanks David.

•  Tomo
• 2008年3月18日 15:47

I think it's a Shamrock - an Irish flower.

•  David
• 2008年3月18日 15:54

Hi David and everyone,
"Taking risks" is always necessary for heighten the quality of our lives? Sometimes, it would be, but I don't think it is always required. While I was raising two sons, there were many many talks about the ways of their education ( I mean everything about their life) between my husband and me. I was always worried about their adventurous behaviours, and my husband was always saying to me,"Let them do it, and don't interfere too much." Just watching them required a lot of patience!( I understand your mother's feeling!) But I understand what they are now comes from those days.
Recently I had a talk about "自己主張”(being oneself ,and seeking the quality of life, but I couldn't figure out proper word to explain it,'assertive ' is a little bit different from what I want to mean, though.) Last Feb., he was felled down by a brain hemorrhage, and got paralyzed right part of his body. Luckily, he recovered so well, and was backed to his work and almost normal life( still on the road to recovery). When we were talking about this past year life, he said "Not doing what I really want to do even though people opposed to his ideas and there are some risks reduces my quality of life with many thanks for me. Because he needed a lot of helps of me and his co-workers. I replied," I understand what you felt, but my understanding of "自己主張” is a little bit different from that of you. For me, even within limited circumstances, I do what I can do, and I make a decision, and it's my"自己主張”. There seems no agreement between with him and me! Anyway, the word "quality of our lives" reminded me talks with my husband. It might be a little away from this week's topic.

Hi Alice,
I was so surprised and impressed to know that you are a junior high school student! Your English is amazing!

Hi Tomo,
I understand what you meant. Honestly, I've been in the same mood these days.(My thought might be different from that of yours.) I like English, but I don't need English in my daily life, and sometimes I asked to myself," What is my goal? Is this situation good? Aren't there any other way to study English?" Anyway, I decided to set a goal(not so difficult ones, though).Follow the rule,"Just do it!"^^
Tome, are you busy now with preparing for your daughter entering kindergarten? This spring is a new start for both your daughter and you,isn't it?

Hi David,
Thanks for letting us know about Google logo. As Tomo said, I also couldn't watch first, but by putting word"st Patrick's day Google logo",I could see a lot of Google with 'a shamrock' including 2008 version, and I love them.
By the way,looking forward to having a look at your book on the Web.

See you soon,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2008年3月18日 17:34

少し訂正；
was felled down→was felled
was backed to→was back
Tomo, ごめんなさい、またしてもしてしまいました、タイプミス＾＾；）もちろん、Tomeではなく、Tomoさんですよ～。
幼稚園入園の準備大変ですか?

Anne

•  Anne
• 2008年3月18日 17:56

Hi David and Everyone,

How are you doing? I can't see the other regulars' posts.. まさか私の５月病(?)が伝染してる、なんてことはないですよね・・？ I hope everyone is doing well.

As for the topic, if I take the meaning as ‘失敗を恐れずに思い切ってやる’, I think that taking risks is necessary for you to make your life better, but if I take it as ‘危険を冒す（おかす）’, I don't think it's always necessary. I know we do need the risk-takers who have given us the knowledge we have today about the world we live in, but I don't want my children to have a real chance that they might die because I want them to live longer than I do. Well, everyone has a chance that they might die in their everyday lives, though.
If you look up the meaning of 'take a risk' in a dictionary, you'll find some translations like 冒険する or リスク・危険を冒す. There is a fine line between ‘冒険する’ and ‘リスク・危険を冒す’, but I think the line might be important. For me, ‘冒険する’ sounds good, but ‘リスク・危険を冒す’ sounds dangerous. If you have something that you really want to protect, you can not take a risk easily, but if you have something that you really want to get, you sometimes need to take a risk. This is my thought.
I agree with the point that children are protected from so many things these days that they grow up with no sense of adventure or curiosity, and I think they grow up with no sense of other's pain. I have children. As a mother, I don't want my children to get hurt and don't want anyone to hurt their feelings, but as a human, I think it's necessary for them because if you don't get hurt, if anyone doesn't hurt your feelings, you'll never know the pain. I tend to help them before they get in trouble, but my husband says to me(like Anne's husband), 'If you always help them before they get hurt(or get in trouble), they never learn to make their own judgments. You should help them only when it is really dangerous.' I guess it is the viewpoint of fathers(or men), and I know it's right, but sometimes it really tough for mothers! I don't want my children to do dangerous things, but at same time, I want them to enjoy themselves.

Hi Anne,
Yes, this spring is a new start for both my daughter and me! 入園準備の作り物は終わっているのですが、でもまだ名前を付けていないので。。　持ち物には全～部必要なので（クレヨンの一本一本まで）、ため息出ちゃいます。。
By the way, you've been in the same mood as me? And you've decided to set a goal already? Well, it seems like I need it too.　まぁ、悩んだり落ち込むこともあるけど、‘それでもやっぱり英語が好き’なので浮上しないとですね。　がんばります＾＾ Thanks for your message!

Speak to you soon,

Tomo

•  匿名
• 2008年3月19日 13:22

Hi everyone,
Again about this week's topic:
The definition of "quality of our lives " would vary according to each person and each generation. As Tomo said, we can catch the meaning of "taking risks" in many ways. The point is how we understand that word. It is true that children are overprotected; once a child gets hurts at a park, play equipments are not permitted to use for fear of a further injury. It would be a barrier for growing with a sense of adventure and curiosity. But if we understand the meaning of it as "doing a dangerous and reckless thing" , I don't think it is required. ( Actually, drawing a line between adventure and dangerous thing is rather difficult, isn't it? I know....) For "Being myself" , if some kind of decision is required, I will do it, and step forward.(It's a kind of challenge, and risk taking in some sense for me.) This is my stance at the moment about ' risk taking' and ' quality of my life'.

By the way, I didn't know the word 'nanny-state', and found an interesting article saying " Pregnant women to get a cash for good diet"(it will start from 2009 in UK.)

Hi Meg,
I've never travel abroad except a tour about 30 years ago, so I don't know the situation well, but I can understand what you meant. Tourists tend to think "Dangerous thing couldn't happen to me(us)", right?

See you soon,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2008年3月19日 22:30

Hi David and Everyone,
"risk-taking", as Tomo said, if it means "失敗を恐れずやってみる" or "冒険する", I think it is necessary for heighten the quality of our lives. But if it means "危険を冒す", I don't think so. My mother and my grandmother are worrywart, so I grew up a bit overprotected. When I was a young, they tried to protect me from every trouble. In those days, whenever they meddled to me, I felt annoyance, but as I grew up, I understood their mind. Of course I have done various challenge or adventure since I was a child, but when I try to do it, I feel like I hear their admonition. Sometimes I take reckless action, so if they had not meddled to me, I would have had a tough time. Actually, I did dangerous act when I was a young. (If my mother knew it, she might fall into faint!)

As Anne said, it is very difficult to draw a line between adventure and dangerous things, and I don't know it.

I like going abroad, and when I do it, I pay very careful attention. Of course, I try to various things (for example, speaking English and eating various local food), but I never do "危険を冒す".

難しい問題ですね。子供を守るのは親の義務だけれども、過保護にし過ぎる親もいるかと思えばネグレクト（育児放棄）をする親もいる。冒険と危険の線引きも難しいです。どう取るかは本人次第だと思うので。

Hi Tomo and Anne,
I have not got "５月病" yet. (I'm suffering from hay fever though.) I'm very busy these days because I have a concert this April, June and August. I must practice much, but I have to work as piano teacher, so I want more time! At the next concert, I'm going to sing some songs in German. When I memorize the words of the song, I write it again and again. When I was twenties, I could memorize the words of a song only singing it again and again, but now, I can't memorize it only doing it... 脳が衰えてるのを感じる今日この頃です--;

Amica

•  Amica
• 2008年3月20日 00:35

Hi David and Everybody!!
Thank you for kindness comments!! I'm sooo happy to hear that.
I have passion a lot, but I don't have a chance to use it and... I should make an effort because I always 自分に言い訳をしてしまう. Hmmm.
でも少し元気になりました！Thank you so much!!!!

Hi White green!!
Now I saw your comment that you said "Hi," to me, so don't worry!! Nice to meet you too!
Um, I'm going to visit there from March 28!! And I still have to go to school for few days. I can't wait to come my vacation!!

Hi Kiyoko!!
It's hard to finish my homeworks. But I know that is the destiny of students. It can't be helped.
I like to "conversation / communicate", "absorb", "learn" and "fun" English but I hate "study" English. So I don't like school English. But I like this blog!! .... wait, is it contradicted??

Hi Tomo!!
Okay, I'll try to do my own way. Thank you very much!
Wow, you are a young mother! I am the youngest in my family. My brother is 24 year-old. So little bit older than you. Oh she can't speak English but easy greetings, so may be you teach my mom English and my mom teach you about kids??? lol.
I am glad to be your friend, you guys!! I deeply appreciate.

•  Alice
• 2008年3月20日 11:02

David & Everyone,Nice to meet you!!!

I have read this blog for some months but I couldn't have the courage to write a comment.

Today,I venture my opinion.
I think there are many kinds of risks.
For example,an invention can improve the quality of our life. But it may have a harmful influence on our environment. When we think about this problem,many people will agree the thougth that we shouldn't use the invention.

It is true that we should'nt be too afraid of risks.
But I think to think well before any actions is very important thing.

There may be many mistakes in my comment.
If you find mistakes, please tell me them.Then I will be very happy.

See you soon,

green★

•  green★
• 2008年3月20日 22:39

Hi green★,

Welcome to the blog, and nice to meet you, too! I'm glad you found the courage to join us. Look forward to hearing from you again soon!

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2008年3月21日 09:54

Hi Green,

Welcome to the blog. It is always nice when new members join us. (But we seem to have a lot of members who have colours as names!)

It seems everyone agrees that it is difficult to find the right balance between leading a boring life and taking too many risks. It must be especially difficult for parents. I do not have any children, but if I did, I would probably be worried about them all the time. When I was young, I was always doing stupid and dangerous things (not much has changed!) Like Amica said, if my mother knew about half the things I did, she would probably faint!

I spent this morning at the printing company going through final corrections of my book. I'm sure there are still some mistakes left somewhere, but I have no more time to make changes. I still have to do one final check next week to make sure that they made the right corrections today, but that will only take an hour or so, and it is not difficult, so I am going to have a nice, relaxing weekend.

By the way, do you remember our discussion about pornography? I read in the newspaper today that Japan is going to change the law to make it illegal for people to possess pornographic pictures of children. Apparently, Japan and Russia are the only countries in the G8 where it is still okay for people to have pictures like this (provided they do not sell them or post them on the internet), and other countries have been putting a lot of pressure on the Japanese government to change the law because Japan has become one of the main sources of child pornography.

Anyway, I hope you all have a nice weekend, and I will be back again next week with a new topic.

Bye for now,

David

•  David
• 2008年3月21日 18:37

Hi green!!
Welcome. I am not good at English but I'm trying to write here! 一緒にがんばろうね☆彡 Nice to meet you.

Hi David!!
I saw your books in a book store. ついつい立ち読み･･･。 and I could agree with you.

•  Alice
• 2008年3月21日 22:40

Hi David and Everyone,

I had a very busy day today. I took my daughter to the dentist(She's got a very first cavity!) and the dermatologist(皮膚科) in the morning, and I took her to see an eye doctor(She's got a monomorai(chalazion).) in the afternoon. I went from hospital to hospital today. Ahhh...

David - The news you read in the newspaper is good one. I think it should be illegal.
I'm glad to hear you'll have a nice, relaxing weekend. You've been working very hard for a long time, so you need a good rest. Enjoy your weekend!

Anne - Are you watching the World Figure Skating Championships?

Amica - Are you going to sing songs in German? It sounds difficult!　がんばって～＾＾

Alice - You found David's books in a book store? I have all his books!(except ‘英語と仲直りできるドリル’) They are all easy to understand and very helpful.
By the way, I thought that there might be a little misunderstanding between us. Did you think that I was younger than your 24 year-old brother? If so, I loved the misunderstanding, but I 'was' 22 when I gave birth to my first baby, and the baby is 13 years old now, so... how old am I?(Don't say it out loud!(笑)) Well, I could say, ‘I'm still 22 at heart’;-)

Maki, how are you doing? Are you busy? I hope you are doing well.

By the way, about my 'gogatsubyou', it's all better now. I've decided to challenge a new thing, and I'm getting ready for it. I'll tell you what it is when it's ready. It's a surprise!

Have a great weekend and see you soon.

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2008年3月22日 00:07

Hi Tomo!
I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I think it's faster to tell you in Japanese but I'll try to write in English. (^^;A
I mean I have a 24 year-old bro and 23 year-brother. Okay? So my mom gave birth my brothers early too. and I am 14 year-old. Then my mom is a little older than my classmate's mothers. And you are a young mother, so it might more older than you. I wanted to say that. Do you get it?

You have all David's books!?!? Wow! I will looking for other his books.lol Which is your favorite?

•  Alice
• 2008年3月22日 08:16

Hi Alice,

Thanks for the explanation! 'I' got your comment wrong, not you, sorry.. Now I understand what you wanted to say. You explained it in English, great!

Yes, I have all David's books. My favorite one? All of them! But the book‘英語で仲直りできる本’ I have is a very special for me because there is his autograph! I got it when I met David last spring. I'm very lucky, aren't I?
All his books are very useful, but if you want to learn natural English(for example, the difference between A word(expression) and B one, and when or how to use them), I recommend ‘英語で仲直りできる本’. If you need something that motivates you to study more, I recommend ‘もしも英語ができたなら・・・’. If you want to improve your speaking skill, I recommend ‘あなたの英語★ビフォー⇒アフター’. This book has 10 speaking tasks, and you have to try each task.

By the way, can I give you some advice? About how to use 'year-old'. You can use it like 'I have a 24 year-old brother.', but not 'I am 14 year-old.' because you need to put 名詞 after 'year-old'. You can use it like this,‘数 or 誰の＋year-old＋名詞’ When you talk about your age, you can say 'I'm 14 years old.' or 'I'm 14.', but I think 'I'm 14.' is more natural＾＾

Hope you are enjoying your weekend,

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2008年3月22日 11:07

Sorry, I made a mistake.

But the book‘英語で仲直りできる本’ I have is a very special for me..　→　But the book‘英語で仲直りできる本’ I have is very special for me..

•  Tomo
• 2008年3月22日 11:12

Hi Tomo!
Thanks your advice!! Now I understand. I'll be careful to use it from right now.

You met David and got his autograph? Wow, that's nice! Does he have a event? Or you happen to met him? If I join his event or something and I meet you, I surely get both autograph.lol. It's jork.
I think I'm going to go to shopping tomorrow. So I'll check your favorites! 立ち読みで。^^;

I have to go to dance lesson today, so this is my today's last posting.

•  Alice
• 2008年3月22日 13:35

Hi Alice,

I met him when I joined the event that some English teachers at Nanzan University held in April 2007. I hope we will have a chance to meet in person someday;-)

•  Tomo
• 2008年3月23日 13:07

Hi David and Everyone,

After coming back from the business trip on Tuesday, I caught a cold and I'd been feeling terribly bad, though I didn't have any fever and I barely went to work. I feel better today, but still my brain doesn't work well. いつものこと？！（・・；）

Tomo,
Thank you so much for your careing about me. I'm glad to hear that you are Genki now and getting ready for something new. I'm looking forward to hearing what it is!

Alice,
I was really surprised and impressed by
your English! I also recommend "英語と仲直りできる本", as Tomo said. You can listen the same programme by Podcast as well. Enjoy it!

Hi green★,
Welcome to this blog! Let's enjoy learning English together.

By for now,

Maki

•  Maki
• 2008年3月23日 14:54

Hi David and everyone,

Did you have a nice weekend?
We often say"暑さ寒さも彼岸まで" in Japan, and it's really true. The sun and the scent of spring made me happy, and when I was taking a walk, I found a lily of the valley(すずらん）by the side of the road. That made me happier! (Amica, sorry, you suffer from hay fever in spring, aren't you?)

About child pornography, it is good to change the law, and I hope it would control the spread of these situations.
By the way, coincidentally, I read the article the day before yesterday related to this law, saying " No child pornography" campaign by UNICEF and other members. According to the article, they have started an urgent appeal to end child pornography.

Hi green★、
Welcome to the blog! Have fun and learn together!

Hi Alice,
About David books, I agree with Tomo, and as Maki said, program is fun and useful.( By the way, the latest topic on podcast is about the usage of "trust" and "believe" ^^)

Hi Tomo,
Of course I did !! I watched their skating with " ハラハラ　ドキドキ　ウルウル　ウットリ".

Hi Maki,
Do you feel better now? Take good rest!

See you soon,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2008年3月23日 21:22

Sorry,
aren't you?→don't you?

Anne

•  Anne
• 2008年3月23日 21:25

Good morning, Everyone!

Did you have a good weekend? On Saturday, my husband took me to a bike shop to get a bike. But, he hasn't got a motorcycle license yet! I said to him, ‘Are you going to buy a bike without a license??’According to him, he'll be able to get it until the end of this month. Unfortunately(or fortunately), he couldn't get a bike because he didn't have a resident card(住民票). I didn't know that you need it when you buy a bike. He asked me, ‘Can you go to the city hall to get a resident card for me?’, then I said, ‘Sure, I'll go get it for you as soon as you get a license.’(笑)

Hi Maki,
I'm glad to find your comment! How are you feeling today? Hope you are all better now.
About my new challenge, I think you'll be surprised!　お楽しみに～(＾＾♪

Hi Anne,
Me, too! I watched their skating with "ハラハラ　ドキドキ　ウルウル　ウットリ", and ‘良かったね、真央ちゃん♪’ & ‘・・高橋く～ん・・・(;_;)’

Hi David,
Did you have a nice, relaxing weekend? How's your bruised leg? Didn't you have another disagreement with a tree?(笑)
Look forward to your new entry.

See you soon,

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2008年3月24日 09:08

ちょっと訂正。。

as soon as you get a license → after you get a license

私が言いたかったニュアンスはこっちでした。

•  Tomo
• 2008年3月24日 20:12

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• 2008年4月13日 14:31

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•  ijnwr onrwxa
• 2008年4月13日 14:32

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• 2008年4月13日 14:33

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•  eynm jdwtnzv
• 2008年9月27日 19:09

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•  eynm jdwtnzv
• 2008年9月27日 19:09