Hi David,

You started getting a cold? That's too bad.. Yes, you should go to bed early tonight so that your cold will not be getting worse.

Are you going back to the UK on Sunday? You seem to be very busy this week(too!), but please don't overwork yourself. I hope you get better soon, before you leave.

By the way, you have to figure out ways of publicizing your books? How about being on television?:)

Take care,

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2008年12月15日 17:07

Hi David,
Ｐｌｅａｓｅ　ｔake special care of yourself. I hope you will get better soon.

It sounds like that many poeple start going back their countries for Christmas next week. My English
and American friends are leaving Japan next Sunday. She said that it was very cold in England and her mother told her to bring back her thick overcoat.

☆　☆　☆　☆　☆　☆
I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

•  Q chan
• 2008年12月15日 18:06

Hi David,
Please take good rest. I hope you will get well soon, as you are going back to the UK on Sunday.

Don't work so hard!

Take care,

Maki

•  Maki
• 2008年12月15日 22:40

Hi David,

Gargling with hot tea might be good for your sore throat. Please take care of yourself.

Hi everyone,

I'm going to write something strange but it's stuck with me.
If I'm correct, it seems that more women are interested in studying English than men are. For example, some women has been to abroad to study during their high school days or after they start working but I have not seen men with such an good experience. If a man is studying English, it's likely to be forced to do so. I guess mostly it's becasuse of his job requirements. Of course, I know I shouldn't generalize it within a few cases but I was surprized to see my TOEIC result which showed the number of women examinees was over 5 times as big as men's between the ages of 10 to 40. I wonder if there is gender difference regarding English???

Appoh

•  Appoh
• 2008年12月15日 22:46

Hi David,

Do you feel better this morning even a little?
Take good rest, and I hope you get well before leaving for the UK.

Anne

•  Anne
• 2008年12月16日 06:54

Hi Appoh,
Hi. It's nice to have you back here.
I see your point. In addition,I often see a lot of mothers (not fathers) trying to teach their kids English lately.

•  Q chan
• 2008年12月16日 10:01

Hi David,
Are you all right? I hope you will be getting better before you leave for the UK. Take care and good rest.

Amica

•  Amica
• 2008年12月16日 13:20

Hi Q chan,

Thank you for your comment. I'm back here from Kyoto.

When I saw Nobel prize ceremony on TV, I was astonished at Prof. Masukawa who gave his speech in Japanese. He's always said he can't speak English at all. Anyway, I wonder he didn't need to check English papers or articles when he was studying or making the theory but that doesn't matter. He made it.

Appoh

•  Appoh
• 2008年12月16日 23:42

Hi David and Everyone
Things has been hectic every day before the Xmas holiday. I'm going to Japan on Monday. You are staying in England instead me. Did you already finish the shopping? What are you bringing back the presents for your parents?

I went shopping to London with my friend. I just shopping to there, but she went to a dentist to get a filling. She was eating biscuits when we were waiting for the return train. but her filling fell out then. The dentist was mostly closing time. so she had to make an appointment again.

I told that story for my English teacher she said it was irony. I thought that she was unlucky, meant irony in English? (運命のいたずら？）

Everyone have a lovely Christmas!

•  Riko
• 2008年12月17日 02:02

Hi David and Everyone
Things has been hectic every day before the Xmas holiday. I'm going to Japan on Monday. You are staying in England instead me. Did you already finish the shopping? What are you bringing back the presents for your parents?

I went shopping to London with my friend. I just shopping to there, but she went to a dentist to get a filling. She was eating biscuits when we were waiting for the return train. but her filling fell out then. The dentist was mostly closing time. so she had to make an appointment again.

I told that story for my English teacher she said it was irony. I thought that she was unlucky, meant irony in English? (運命のいたずら？）

Everyone have a lovely Christmas!

•  Riko
• 2008年12月17日 02:07

I was at the JALT Toyohashi meeting on Sunday. I enjoyed the presentation and the introduction to the books. I did take a copy of the most common errors book and I am interested in purchasing additional copies to give to the English teachers at the high school where I work.

Excellent presentation, David! You gave me some good insights about teaching English in Japan as well as some motivation in developing some ideas about my own OC1 classes.

Regards

•  匿名
• 2008年12月17日 10:58

Hi team,

It's a dark and rainy day today. How's the weather where you are? It's getting colder and colder these days. Everyone, be careful not to catch a cold!(David, how's your cold? I hope you are feeling better.)

Anyway, here's my translation of the entry.(It's a short entry, so I don't think most of readers need it, though.)

『週末はどうでしたか？　私は先生方に新しい本を紹介するために豊橋まで行ってきました。　これでほぼ全部書き終わったから、次はたくさんの先生達に知ってもらうために、本を広める方法を考えないと。。

昨夜からちょっと風邪気味で、今朝はのどがすごく痛かった。　咳や熱はないから、大したことないと思うけど、今日は早く寝ようかな。

日曜日にイギリスに発つ前にやらなきゃいけない事がたくさんあって、今週はすごく忙しくなりそう。　金曜日にまたブログを更新するつもりだけど、それが今年最後のエントリーになると思います。

じゃあ、また後でね』

Hi Appoh,
Over 5 times?? Those are interesting numbers!
As for studying abroad after starting to work, maybe I'm a bit old-fashioned, but in Japan, I think that it might be more difficult for men to quit(or change) their job than women do. Hmm, I'm not sure about this..

Hi Riko,
I'm sorry to hear the story of your friend.(To tell the truth, it made me laugh, sorry!) I hope she gets a new filling soon. Better luck next time;-)
By the way, I thought that your teacher meant that “皮肉な結果になっちゃったわね” or something like that.
Are you coming back to Japan on Monday? Have a nice flight and a wonderful time in Japan!

TTFN

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2008年12月17日 11:33

Hi David and everyone,
I have a cold, too.... I don't have a fever, but I have a sore throat, so I guess the cold David and I have is same type. I went to a hospital, and the doctor said I should save my voice, but it is impossible because I have to give lessons to my students!

As Tomo said, everyone, be careful not to catch a cold!

Amica

•  Amica
• 2008年12月17日 14:59

How’s it going, everyone? David-san, are you OK now? Amica-san, don’t work too hard!
The flu is going around now again this year. The other day our office bought us a big humidifier. Humidity control is one of the tips to avoid catching the flu, right? Our humidifier has a small window that indicates the percentage of humidity in the room. And it shows the air is very dry in the room; 28 to 32, which is the same as in some deserts! Tokyo Desert!! 　
Well, have yourself a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

•  Jazmin
• 2008年12月17日 15:58

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your kind words. I actually don't mind colds very much. I think they are a useful thing because they force me to rest and take things easy from time to time.

Hello person from Toyohashi! You didn't sign your name, so I don't know who you are, but I'm glad you found the presentation worthwhile. I hope the books will be useful for you and your students.

See you all on Friday for my final entry before I head off for Christmas in the UK.

David

•  David
• 2008年12月17日 21:19

Hi David,

It might be a kind of reward or present for you to rest as you said. Anyway, take a rest ^^)

Hi Appoh,
As you said, women seem to be more enthusiastic with studying language or studying abroad, but I didn't know about the number.
Compared with women, it it true men are difficult to have enough time just to study abroad as Tomo said. The percentage of the students who major in foreign languages shows this tendency clearly, right?
I also listened to Prof. Masukawa's comment on TV, and I guess he wanted to express his feeling in Japanese even though he wrote his theses in English.
Hi Amica,
Are you OK even a little? Drinking tea with honey and lemon would be good for your sore throat.

Hi Riko,
Are you coming back to Japan on Monday? I hope you have a lovely holiday in Japan!

Hi Jazmin,
I don't know well about a humidifier, but does it indicate how dry the room is? That's nice.

Speak to you soon,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2008年12月17日 22:00

Hi David,

I'm relieved to hear that you don't mind your cold. I bought your new book "英語じょうずになる事典" and started reading.

To say my first opinion,
David's Japanese explanation is fun and understandable.
This book is easy to approach.
'落とし穴' is just what Japanese weak point.
All unique hits are really useful for me.

Are you going back to the UK on Sunday, and your final entry on Friday? I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a great New Year with your family.

Hi everyone,
I was really busy to helping my daughter's family. I haven't read member's comments. Now, I'm going to make comment every day at least by David leaves for the UK.

See you tomorrow,

Kiyoko

•  Kiyoko
• 2008年12月17日 23:51

weak point|------points

•  Kiyoko
• 2008年12月17日 23:56

Hi David and everyone,

David - I don't mind colds very much, either. When I get a cold, I don't usually take any medicine and just keep working as usual. Did you know that there is no medicine for colds? Of course, there are some medicines for a fever, a headache, a cough, or a runny nose, but they can't heal a cold itself. I've heard some doctors say that. I think the best way to get over a cold is to drink enough fluid and take a lot of rest.
Anyway, as you say, it's a good chance for you to take some rest now. Take care.

Amica - You have a cold, too? Your throat is much more important than others. I hope you feel better soon.

Kiyoko - Glad to have you back. You got the new book, too? You are right, it's really helpful for Japanese learners of English. Let's be 英語じょうず! ＾＾

I got a Christmas card from my friend who lives in New York yesterday.(which reminded me that I had to make New Year's cards!) There is also a picture of her 3-year-old son and one-year-old daughter. They are so cute! I haven't seen her for about 5 years. I hope we can get together sometime soon.

See you soon,

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2008年12月18日 19:53

Hi everyone,

The Tokyo tower is really beautiful at night now. I think each city has nice spots to see at this time of the year. How about your place?

There must be a big difference between ' be willing to study English' and ' be forced to study English'. Actually, I'm a man who have to study. However, now that I've joined this blog, it seems that I'm feeling like... It's getting... It's not so bad to try to use English every day with your help.

Appoh

•  Appoh
• 2008年12月18日 20:48

Hi everyone,

I've received Christmas card and letter from Canada. Her long story on both sides was written by typing full of A-4 size paper. It was twice volume of last letter.
She says, "This will catch you up on the news of my family and will give you practice reading English. What a wonderful mind! She was a wise lady and
strict but gentle.

I mostly could understand about her family and around her relationship person what they are doing. She made me do something new. I suddenly flashed
one thing.
That was putting photos into letters using PC. I managed to make it and I finally got it. Her trigger led me to challenge new subject.

Hi David,
Your book is here my side, because I as soon as look something, I may forget it. By the way, your book's contents are rich, aren't you?
In go on reading, I 've realized it is hard to read this book. So I decided to use this like a dictionary.

See you tomorrow,

Kiyoko

•  Kiyoko
• 2008年12月18日 22:02

Hi Appoh,

You are a man?? I thought you were a woman, sorry! You are one of those who has to study English because of your job? I agree with you, I also think there is a big difference between ' be willing to study' and ' be forced to study'. I don't like to be forced to study, either.
Is this blog community motivating you to study English? If it is, I'm very happy about that. Anyway, I hope you have a good time with your English studies here. Let's have fun!

By the way, there are some people who love to decorate their houses for Christmas in my neighborhood, so it's a kind of nice spot to see Christmas lights;-)

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2008年12月19日 09:15

Hi David and everyone,

I watched a football game between Manchester United, the European Champion, and Gamba last night. Man Ltd won the game, of course, but Gamba did well. The movement of Rooney and Ronaldo( players) were amazing, and I enjoyed a lot.

Kiyoko,
You got a Christmas card from Canada? That sounds nice.

Appoh,
I also thought you were a woman! Actually,one of the difficult things on the blog is that you just meet on the blog and need to judge from comments .
Anyway, I know a lot of business people are forced to study English, but studying English positively is far more effective than doing it unwillingly,right?
Look forward to hearing from you again.

Tomo,
When I was young(!),I kept working even when I got a cold, but I haven't had much energy recently^^;)

Anne

•  Anne
• 2008年12月19日 10:08