32 years...
_{３２年．．．}
Some say I've come a long way.
_{歳くったねっていう人もいるし、}
Some say I have yet a long way to go.
_{まだまだこれからっていう人もいる。}
Let me introduce a small friend of mine who has lived the same years as me.
_{同じ年月を生きてきた小さな友人を紹介します。}
He or she was born and grew up under water.
_{性別も分からないけど、水の中で生まれ育った友だち。}
I don't know his or her name even.
_{名前だって知らない。}
He or she lives as much as possible.
_{彼なのか彼女なのかは分からないけど、精一杯生きている。}
So, do I.
_{だから自分もそうあろうと努めている。}
So, will I.
_{これからもそうあろうと思う。}

 

There are more and more information we can get from the Internet.

How much can we trust them anyway?

Let's not go there today.

Yet the amount of information is already flooding all over us.

It's like much sand was dumped in the kitchen from no where.

We know all the stuff in the kitchen is there, but it's just so hard to find any of it.

Shouldn't we abondon the kitchen then?

Not so fast.

If we can remember s rough image of the layout, we can probably find the stuff more easily.

Does anyone know what I mean?

Haha.


 

Making rice cakes is something my family does every year.

This tradition has been continuing for nearly 50 years.

I heard my grandfather on my mother's side started it.

Nobody has ever complained about this though, we just enjoy each process to make rice cakes in the Japanese traditional way.


 

We call a name for someone or something.

That's how we bind each person or object.

Names don't always get along well with who or what they are.

They can't be always changed freely, so whoever or whatever it is must become bigger than their names.

We can beat our names, which often try to bind us, if we challenge them head on.

We can change.


 

In general, salary is higher for jobs which no one wants to do.

So is it for jobs which are physically hard to perform.

In Japan, salary for jobs in the social welfare field which not many people want to do and are physically hard to perform is getting cheaper and cheaper.

On the other hand, the corporate tax is scheduled to be lower, which will make big companies richer.

There are less and less younger generations, yet the government made it legally possible for them to send the youth to war in near future.

What is wrong with my country?




iPadから送信
 

いつも　イングリッシュCafe　をご利用くださいまして、誠にありがとうございます。

１００回目．．．かどうかは数えていないのでわかりませんが、多分超えています（笑）

２０１４年のイングリッシュCafeは明日までです☆

8:00am から 11:30am までです。（時間内ならいつ来て、いつ帰ってもOK♪）

明日もみなさんにお会いできるのを楽しみにしております！


 

The working society in Japan looks awkward in wage-wise.

Let's look at jobs at convenience stores.

Compared with the average wage 20 years ago, there's almost no difference now.

In task-wise, I wonder how many new tasks have been appearing behind the counter since 1994, just too many.

New graduates from college 20 years ago could fit into their work place more easily than recent years, simply because what they had to remember were less than now.

No wonder they steadily acquired what they can do in their office more and more while there are so many drop-outs from the working society in 21st century.

Companies used to train their new recruits for a certain period; it can be a few weeks, a few months or more.

Nowadays, I guess the training period should be at least double because there are too many things to remember in the first place.

However, not many companies provide their new employees with adequate training sessions now.

Where did our society go wrong?


 

いつもイングリッシュCafeをご利用下さいまして、誠にありがとうございます。

今年は、あと金曜日と土曜日のイングリッシュCafeだけです♪

最近ある質問が増えてきたので、あらかじめお答えしておきます。

ダイスは、正しい英語を話すことよりも、英語で会話をできる限り長く続けることに重きをおいています。

なので、質問などがない限りは参加者の方々の英語の間違いの訂正は原則行いません。

参加者の皆さんは、どうぞ存分に英会話を楽しんで下さい♪

ダイスも皆さんとのおしゃべりを楽しみにしています☆ 

It's a small world after all.

Even when you think you are enjoying your day off alone, you could either see or be seen by your acquaintances.

Someone you recently met might know one of your friends or acquaintances.

Unless you go to a foreign country, it's highly possible to see someone you know.

There's no way of avoiding those encounters.

It's just that there's nothing to be afraid of.

As long as you stay being who you are, seeing someone you know isn't a bad thing at all.


 

There's always a discussion about quality over price.

Generally, cheaper goods are prefered to more expensive ones.

Are customers really happy when they get cheaper goods or services?

They are as long as what they receive are in good condition.

 

明日　１２月２２日（月）　は平常どおりです。

１２月２６日（金）
１２月２７日（土）→２０１４年最後のイングリッシュCafe となります。
　　も平常どおりです。 

Everyone is connected.

We just don't realize that.

There's no scientific fact on this though, I feel so as I'm getting older and older. 

明日金曜日はお休みとさせていただきます。

土曜日は平常どおりです♪ 8:00am - 11:30am

来週は平常どおりです♪


 

Maybe I'm getting old.

Recently, I got to become not afraid of asking what I don't know more freely than before.

I know it's because I simply can't know everything.

My knowledge might be useful to some, but not to others.

On the other hand, some knowledge that isn't useful to some might be useful to me.

It's just fun to play with my extra storage for unknown things in my brain.

Now I wish it were bigger...


 

100 yen might be cheap.

1000 yen might be cheap.

10000 yen might be cheap.

Or maybe not.

For me, 100 yen for a sheet of paper is expensive.

So is 1000 yen for a riceball is expensive.

So is 10000 yen for a pair of sandals.

Where would you draw a line between what is cheap and expensive?

This whole thing about value for each of us might lead a nasty debate though, someone could feel offended.

So could I.


 

When you had a bad day, here's what you can do; you can eat well, sleep well and forget what you experienced.

That's what I'm doing tonight.

But here's what I wanna say before I forget it.

Read what you are reading carefully before you reach your conclusion.


 

12月15日（月）は 海外からわざわざダイスに会いに来てくださった友人家族の長野観光に同行するため、イングリッシュCafe をお休みしますm(_ _)m
金曜日と土曜日は、平常どおりです♪ 

Where I have been might decide where I'm going to end up in the future.

I wouldn't have experienced any of what I'm experiencing right now if I hadn't been in where I was, met whom I met or done what I did.

Now we're looking what we will possibly have to experience in the near future.

Brother, I appreciate so much for what you are showing me.




iPadから送信
 

明日 12月13日（土）の イングリッシュCafe は、8時から平常どおりです♫

ストーブも囲炉裏テーブルの炭火も起きていますが、暖かい格好でお越しください☆



iPadから送信
 

明日12月12日（金）、13日（土）は平常どおり イングリッシュCafe 営業しております♫

ストーブと囲炉裏テーブルの炭火のダブルで教室を暖めておきます☆



iPadから送信
 

A result doesn't always come from an effort.

Some efforts bring results.

However, others push us away from them.

Sometimes, I feel efforts might stiffen your shoulders, cloud your judgements and lead to failure.

Our times are limited, so we should define promising efforts and self destroying efforts.

I hope we could... 

ニューヨークはブルックリンのホテルにて、地下一階のゲスト専用バーに入り浸り（笑）

ずーっと盗み聞きをしながらポーカーフェイスを必死に維持しています。

リスニングの練習にもなるし、ネイティヴの表現方法や英文法の実用例に目から何百枚もウロコが…

"I'm gonna keep my mouth shut." 「それに関して俺はノーコメントということで。」っていう使い方をしていました。

"I have no emotion, so I'm not angry." … あぁ、前後の会話が気になる。

盗聴しながらリスニング力をトレーニングしている酔っ払いのダイスでした。




iPadから送信
 

12月5日と6日、8日の金曜日と土曜日、月曜日、ダイス不在のため、イングリッシュCafeをお休みさせていただきます。

また来週の金曜日からお待ちしております♪

ダイス 

去年の今ごろ決めた、英会話レッスンinニューヨーク。

有言実行って、いいなと思います。

多少周りにご迷惑をおかけすることにはなりましたが、見事に実現して、今生徒さんたちとニューヨークにおります♪

本日のミッション

自由の女神 に到達せよ

地下鉄とフェリーで行きます。


 

A vacation is not when you take one, but when you get away with your physically accessible distance from your clients.

Are there going to be any convenience for them?

Yes, of course.

That's, I'm afraid, the part of the cycle to be able to deliver a stable and fine customer experience in the long run.

You do need a vacation.

I do as a matter of fact.