Setsubun Sweet

Setsubun Sweet from a kind student at the school. I hope everyone had a pleasant Setsubun.

Interesting Bird: Kakapo

The Kakapo is indiginous to New Zealand and is quite endangered. This photo is a bunch of young Kakapo from the Kakapo Recovery project website. I remember learning about them from high school biology class in an animals of New Zealand film. I think they're cute.

Tortoise

http://humortrain.com comedy



I used to have a tortoise... it escaped. It would eat anything.

Nillionaire

From http://humortrain.com

Things to do in Chubu #5: Gero Hot Spring Town

Things to do in Chubu (Central Japan) #5: Gero Onsen Hot Spring Village

Acessible via train from Nagoya, or the Japan sea-board city Toyama. Also near Takyama folk village. 

This is a more expensive trip than the others I post on my blog, if you stay overnight and factor in train fare to the destination, as it's tucked in seclusion in the mountains of Gifu. Very scenic and there are lovely spas in a variety of price ranges. But I find many of them expensive as the Japanese hot spring resort experience often involves food service in your room. The food's delicious, but room service is expensive in any country! I stayed at the Miyabitei Grand Hotel. It had great views and a great rooftop bath.

I'm still looking for my perfectly natural and stinky hot spring in Japan but have yet to find one that has notes of sulfur or lithium. But for a free time trip it's a good escape.

1. The area around the station after snowfall, December 2011

More around the station.

The interior of our room, prepared for our arrival sweet snacks and hot green tea. 

The view from the room, town side.

We went with family friends and had a great time! 

Cute wares available in souvenir shops.

Hotel Miyabitei was nicely decorated. The experience may be difficult for someone who doesn't know Japanese, or may be just fine. I did all the exchanges in Japanese. Primarily they want to know what time you want your dinner, and we had complimentary use of a private bath as well for my husband and I, which the time for also had to be reserved.

More of the lovely decorations in the hotel lobby.

In Japanese, Gero is the sound that frogs make, so frog statues can be scene throughout the village. This is an Ashiyu bath where you may soak your feet for free. 

More of the foot bath.

It's a quaint town, and looks lovely in the winter and spring. Make that any season.

And we'll close with a winter view. 

Napoleon Dynamite Kip Create

Sometimes I feel like this in front of my children students...

"I am Kip Create and I am here to dazzle you"--- *blank stares*

Napoleon Dynamite TV Show Address Song

Napoleon Dynamite Address Song (From the television show which was aired on FOX but unfortunately didn't continue for long) It always had me in stitches! Love it!

Things to do in Chubu #2: Ichinomiya Tower

Things to do in Central Japan (Chubu) #2

Ichinomiya 138 Tower Park

Location: Ichinomiya City:

Train/Bus Accessibility: No train access, access via Ichinomiya station and requires a bus, taxi, or ride from a friend to get there. 

Best time to travel: Any season. Escape the heat of the Nagoya 'burbs next to the nearest river. Ichinomiya tower park is right next to one and remember feeling relief there during the oppressive heat of summer. In winter the gardens are lit "winter illumination" with Christmas lights creating a romatic or family fun environment. Flower gardens are tended in late summer and early fall (we saw cosmos) 

Cost: Going to the top of the tower on a clear day will give you a view of Ichinomiya city and likely all the way to Nagoya. But trust most days are overcast and fog and pollution often obscures the view. If you go after a typhoon you can see Nagoya and beyond to the ocean, and lovely view of mountains in neighboring Gifu prefecture. 

   An adult is 500 yen; children, students, and seniors have discounted fare. 

Ichinomiya 138 Tower and Surrounding Grounds Park, Fall Season (Early October) 

Sunset at Ichinomiya 138 Tower Park

Cosmos planted, grown up in the fall season.

Another view of the tower.

View of a Ferris Wheel, Gifu Prefecture mountains. Kinka mountain is visible but Gifu castle is not in this photo.

Kiso-gawa (Kiso-River) is not for swimming. 

Exciting news! My friend Kenston from high school came to the park and liked it! "It was pretty."

With the hubby, can't you see how romatic a place Ichinomiya tower is? Its like our own little Eiffel Tower park, eons away from Paris.

(Untitled 1) Work in Progress

Untitled Work in Progress: Plot Synopsis

Genre: Young - Adult - Fiction - Realistic - Coming of Age 

Samren Trouillefou is living contently in his French town of Lourdes with his withdrawn widower father with the feeling that nothing will ever change when he enters his last year of high school. He soon finds himself jerked out of comfort and complacency with his village life when his brother introduces him to a British-French near his age named Elliott Thomas. Samren is immediately drawn to the stranger's intensity and disregard for the rigid tradition so revered by the town. What's more, due a business decision his father declares that the family will move to Paris. Additionally, his father promises that they will host an American exchange student for the year as a condition of the buisiness promotion.

What results is a story that explores the role of memory, coming-of-age, as well as identity as Samren is wrenched forever from his quiet country life in Lourdes and faced with growing up quickly among new and exciting: but at times challenging and dangerous influences and people.

Using this work without recognition of the author, especially without express permission, or using any part of this plots or character names is stealing and a violation of intellectual property rights. 

____

I'm so excited to be working on this story! Right now in my mind I usually refer to it as "Lourdes, August" but I'm not sure if by the time I finish the work that I'll feel the title is representative of the book. 

E-Published! First Edition of Pity Smacked!

Hello Blogspot World:

I have started a blog exclusively to follow my writings and fiction at http://maliaautiofiction.blogspot.com
It's for short writings, musings, and brainstorming writing exercises as well as for writing about the writing process and announcing any developments in full length completed works and such (if I can get to that point!) I did it in high school, I can't see why I can't do it now.

I have released my first ever full length novel's first edition. I wrote and edited this book during the time between eighth grade and sophomore year of high school. And I've chosen to e-publish this edition for kindle. Perhaps I will do print-on-demand available through Amazon once I've done a complete edit and overhaul. This will require getting back in touch with the characters to the point I feel I can accurately explore them on the written page. You really have to know your characters, even better than you know your friends. Hell, you have to feel and imagine for them. It's hard freaking work when you work a full time job. I can see why there's the stereotype that writers have to be holed up by themselves, and I'm just not that solitary of a person. Although I'm rediscovering passion for my projects.

It is imperfect, but fundamentally I think it's a great story so if you can see past little glitches, have a lot of time on your hands, and just want to see a story written from a young pure heart, this is the story for you. All original characters, and all original story line: 

This is available at Amazon.com kindle store. Kindle is functional on PCs, Kindles, iPads, and Macs once you download the software. http://www.amazon.com/Pity-Smacked-ebook/dp/B008CXL0TC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340989605&sr=8-1&keywords=pity+smacked

Go Ducks Inspired Bracelet

GO DUCKS INSPIRED BRACELET

Available for sale at my ETSY: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mautio

The body of this bracelet includes stars which are started with a combination of circular peyote with petals jutting out. They were then stitched together one by one and larger circular peyote with embellishment star flowers were made with emerald toned Czech firepolish beads. The bracelet is closed with a yellow duck button which was made in Japan. Very cute and shows "Oregon Duck" spirit: perfect for any fan of green and gold or duck and colorful beaded jewelry lover anywhere.

紅茶キノコ：アメリカで「コンブチャ」という

これ、紅茶キノコのキノコだよ！

Kombucha, I miss you. :(

日本に来てからあまり「ホームシック」という気持ちにならないけど、なんか、アメリカで簡単に手に入れたものは時々、日本で、日本で手に入れることが大変難しいだ。それは有機栽培野菜とお肉、と色々なヘルスフードと「健康食べ物」と言うのお菓子だ。今はアメリカでヘルスフォードのお店がなんかブームがありますが、私はそのブームはないの感じがしています。日本で有機栽培か「自然」とパッケージに書いてあっても、材料の書いてあるところを詳しく読んだら、私の視点からあまりそんなに自然に見えないのだ。まだたくさんの科学調味料が入りすぎ感じがする。でもそれは他の話だ。

名古屋の近くに住むから、どうか輸入のお店で何かいいものを見つけれるかな。。と思って、見つけてもがっかりした。チーズは安そう、低い価値のものやアメリカのジャンクフードだけが入っている感じがした。もちろん日本の伝統的な和食はとても健康にいいんですけど、街に出かけたらそのレストランは珍しいと感じる。とてもとてもヘルシーな食事ですが、街では揚げたもの（とんかつ、からあげ）と麺だけ見つけれる。レストランで深い緑の野菜はあまりない。家で料理しないと、ヘルシーな生活はあまりできないと感じる。

多分この点は私の一つだけのホームシックになる点です。とてむ気づく。アメリカで何度も、日本のたべものや日本人の食べ方はとてもヘルシーだと聞いて、今は主人と二人アパートに住んで、オレンジーページの雑誌もインスピレーションのために読んで、まだ日本での材料を使ってどうやっておいしいものを作れるか分からない。でも、頑張っている。

今本当に買いたいのは、紅茶キノコという紅茶です。日本でこのキノコを調べたら、ブログでしか見つけれない。アメリカで好きなブランドは「GTのSYNERGY」と言う。色々な自然なフルーツピューレーを使って作った紅茶キノコだ。とてもとても飲みたくなっています。健康のために飲めばいいと言っていますか、誰でも味に慣れたら、もっと飲みたくなると思う。でもどうしよう。日本ではこの紅茶は前にブームがあったか分からないと思うけど、今は紅茶キノコか紅茶を作るためのキノコを本当に本当にかいたいです。今年韓国に住んだとき変えなかったが、作るための「キノコ」は買えた。それで、韓国でも楽しめた。どうして日本でこの紅茶楽しめないの？これから一生懸命探して行く。

いつか、カリフォルニアで作ったおいしいGT　SYNERGYのコンブチャが日本に輸入になったらうれしいな。。。誰かキノコだけでも買い方教えていただけませんか？

インコとの生活

インコとの生活

インコの世界の紹介：野生インコの生活

　人々が持っているインコのイメージは、大型で、おしゃべりコンゴウみたいのインコなのだろうか。実は、小型のインコもいる。たくさんの人の飼っているセキセイインコも本当のインコの種類である。この小型のインコも上手に話せるようになる可能性がある。インコの世界は興味深くて、この作文ではその世界を紹介したいと思っている。野生生活の説明から始めて、人間のインコを飼っている生活を説明しようと思う。

　インコは種類が多い。しかし、生物学者が分類標準を作った。その分類標準は２つある。１つ目はくちばしの形だ。インコなら、くちばしは鉤の形をしている。２つ目の分類標準は足の構成だ。インコは４つの足指がある。その４つのうち前向きのは２つあり、後ろ向きのが２つある。他には、インコは寿命が長い鳥だ。

　インコについての研究のおかげで、行動パターンも分かっている。野生のインコもペットインコも基本的な行動は同じだ。その行動パターンは人間と同じぐらい多く持っているが、パターンをまとめたいと思う。一般的にインコは遊び好きな鳥である。しかも、遊んでいる時と食べ物を探す時にインコは周囲に合わせて行動がある。すなわち、インコは臨機応変な鳥ということだ。

　例として、アメリカのＰＢＳでのオーストラリアにいるインコについての番組の場面が思い浮かぶ。その番組で、黒いオウム類のインコの交配の行動を見せていた。その黒いオウム類は百年生きることができる。その種類は食べれる物を探す時だけではなく、他の場合にも周囲での棒などのことを利用する。交配行動として、オウムのオスは最初に木の幹で巣を造る。それから、ドラムばちのような棒を見つけて、巣の端に立ちながら、その棒を使って、同じ端を律動的にたたいていく。メスのオウムはその音が好きなら、オスの造った巣に来る。後で、オスは棒を細かく折って、巣の中に落とす。その交配行動はよくインコの基本的な行動パターンを表しているのではないかと思う。なぜなら、インコの寿命は長いか、寿命が人間のように様々な行動が出てくるからと思う。

　このように行動パターンを見ると、インコはどんなペットになるか知ることができる。

ペットとして、インコの生活

　人間は長く鳥を飼っている。古代の中国の皇帝も、イギリスのヘンリー王もインコを飼っていた。今も世界中、インコはペットとして人気がある。それで、インコを飼っている人は普通にインコとの生活を楽しんでいる。とはいえ、どうやって楽しく、健康的なインコを飼えるかは不思議なことだ。人は大体セキセイインコのような小型インコを上手に飼っているが、他の大型インコは本質的に野生に住むことができな野生動物なので動物保護者の声も強い。ということは、人間が鳥を飼っても、その鳥はまだ野生鳥の精神があるということだ。しかし、野生生活のための技術がないので、自然で住めない。それで、インコを飼いたいと思っている人とインコをもう飼っている人に知っていた方がいい事を紹介しようと思う。

　インコを飼う時、大事なものが３つある。それはかごと餌と愛情である。かごのサイズは大切だ。美しさ以上に、インコの嬉しさについて考えることが重要だ。私の経験では箱の形のかごがいい。インコは頭の回転がいいから、毎日かごの外で遊ぶ機会がないと退屈してしまう。退屈したら、問題を起こしかねない。退屈し過ぎたインコはよく自分の毛を抜けるようになる。

　餌もインコさんの安楽な生活のために大切だ。人の普通上げている餌はシードミックスだが、シードミックスの変わりにペレットを勧める専門家が多い。それは、シードはインコの必要な栄養がそろっているわけではなくて、脂肪の多い餌はインコに健康の問題を起こす。悪性と良性の腫瘍や、癌も起こせば、腎臓の問題も起こす可能性がある。インコのためには様々な種類の食べ物の上げるのは重要だ。

　最後に、インコは生活に愛情が必要だ。飼っている鳥の生活で、インコは社交的な動物だから、飼っている人と家族の相互作用が主なことだ。野生では、インコはパーテナーと激しい絆を結ぶので、ずっと一羽で寂しく生きると、感情の問題を起こす。飼っている人が嫌になるうるさい泣くの原因として、その愛情の足りなさがあげられる。さらに、そのパートナーとの絆の結びができないとかごを出たがらなくなって、かごの中でのおもちゃを愛用するようになってしまう。

　インコ達の野生の生活と人間とかごでの生活を批評的にみると、もっとインコの心理を理解できる。インコとの生活は楽しい。インコの世界は興味深くて、インコが生活にいたら、必ず、毎日面白いことを習える。魅力的さについて考えながら、もっとこのかごでの野生動物にの責任について考えるべきだ。

Students of English: The Chaos Poem

Proof the English Language is Just Plain Irregular: Speaker's of English, Students of English, a Challenge!

The Chaos (by G. Nolst Trenit�, a.k.a. "Charivarius"; 1870 - 1946)

Dearest creature in creation
Studying English pronunciation,

I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse

I will keep you, Susy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.

Tear in eye your dress you'll tear,
So shall I! Oh, hear my prayer,

Pray, console your loving poet,
Make my coat look new, dear, sew it!

Just compare heart, beard and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,

Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written).

Made has not the sound of bade,
Say said, pay-paid, laid, but plaid.

Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as vague and ague,

But be careful how you speak,
Say break, steak, but bleak and streak.

Previous, precious, fuchsia, via,
Pipe, snipe, recipe and choir,

Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, shoe, poem, toe.

Hear me say, devoid of trickery:
Daughter, laughter and Terpsichore,

Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles.
Exiles, similes, reviles.

Wholly, holly, signal, signing.
Thames, examining, combining

Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war, and far.

From "desire": desirable--admirable from "admire."
Lumber, plumber, bier, but brier.

Chatham, brougham, renown, but known.
Knowledge, done, but gone and tone,

One, anemone. Balmoral.
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel,

Gertrude, German, wind, and mind.
Scene, Melpomene, mankind,

Tortoise, turquoise, chamois-leather,
Reading, reading, heathen, heather.

This phonetic labyrinth
Gives moss, gross, brook, brooch, ninth, plinth.

Billet does not end like ballet;
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet;

Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.

Banquet is not nearly parquet,
Which is said to rime with "darky."

Viscous, Viscount, load, and broad.
Toward, to forward, to reward.

And your pronunciation's O.K.,
When you say correctly: croquet.

Rounded, wounded, grieve, and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive, and live,

Liberty, library, heave, and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven,

We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.

Mark the difference, moreover,
Between mover, plover, Dover,

Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police, and lice.

Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label,

Petal, penal, and canal,
Wait, surmise, plait, promise, pal.

Suit, suite, ruin, circuit, conduit,
Rime with "shirk it" and "beyond it."

But it is not hard to tell,
Why it's pall, mall, but Pall Mall.

Muscle, muscular, gaol, iron,
Timber, climber, bullion, lion,

Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, and chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor,

Ivy, privy, famous, clamour
And enamour rime with hammer.

Pussy, hussy, and possess,
Desert, but dessert, address.

Golf, wolf, countenance, lieutenants.
Hoist, in lieu of flags, left pennants.

River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.

Stranger does not rime with anger.
Neither does devour with clangour.

Soul, but foul and gaunt but aunt.
Font, front, won't, want, grand, and grant.

Shoes, goes, does. Now first say: finger.
And then: singer, ginger, linger,

Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, age.

Query does not rime with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.

Dost, lost, post; and doth, cloth, loth;
Job, Job; blossom, bosom, oath.

Though the difference seems little,
We say actual, but victual.

Seat, sweat; chaste, caste.; Leigh, eight, height;
Put, nut; granite, and unite.

Reefer does not rime with deafer,
Feoffer does, and zephyr, heifer.

Dull, bull, Geoffrey, George, ate, late,
Hint, pint, Senate, but sedate.

Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific,

Tour, but our and succour, four,
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.

Sea, idea, guinea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria,

Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean,
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.

Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion with battalion.

Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, key, quay.

Say aver, but ever, fever.
Neither, leisure, skein, receiver.

Never guess--it is not safe:
We say calves, valves, half, but Ralph.

Heron, granary, canary,
Crevice and device, and eyrie,

Face but preface, but efface,
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.

Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust, and scour, but scourging,

Ear but earn, and wear and bear
Do not rime with here, but ere.

Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew, Stephen,

Monkey, donkey, clerk, and jerk,
Asp, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.

Pronunciation--think of psyche--!
Is a paling, stout and spikey,

Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing "groats" and saying "grits"?

It's a dark abyss or tunnel,
Strewn with stones, like rowlock, gunwale,

Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict, and indict!

Don't you think so, reader, rather,
Saying lather, bather, father?

Finally: which rimes with "enough"
Though, through, plough, cough, hough, or tough?

Hiccough has the sound of "cup."
My advice is--give it up!

Mindblowing PI

I would love to give credit to whoever deserves it for this mindblowing picture.

Please enjoy the truth about 3.14 (which we lovingly know as PI)

If you know who to give credit/link to, please comment.

Homage to Meaphe~~

One Legendary ALT Vlogger Meaphe

One of the coolest peoples on Youtube to me is MEAPHE.

I think I introduced her vlog before... but anyway, she even inspired me to make my own. And while I am not as dedicated to working on my vlog as she is... she is still pressin on and showing a lot of her life in Japan to the world.

Thumbs up!

Anyway, you can of course find her at http://www.youtube.com/user/meaphe

And today I am doing an homage to her when I am announcing: 3 days until something somewhat epic happens, and 7 days until something REALLY epic happens! and there's another pretty freaking awesome thing going to happen sometime this week.

And through all of this I may have 2 more videos to put on my vlog. Leftovers from Halloween, and my most recent exploits of today.

Already halfway through November (nearly) and I've posted nothing! My views this month don't reflect that at all, so, I would like to thank my viewers.

Thank-you!

Numbers in English: Teen vs. Tens and "TY"

Daily I'm starting to be confronted with just what a confusing language English can be. We have crazy spelling, inconsistent rules... (most languages do), but our spelling is just especially confounding because English borrowed from so many languages and made little changes throughout the ages. Anyway, this discussion is about numbers: there is confusion about there about "Teen" and "TY", especially in the situation of talking about years and dates. This how I have chosen to break it down (in Japanese)

Numbers in English: Teens and Tens

Teen: ティン（最後に聞く・言う音 13-19）　 Tens: 最後の聞く・言う音は「ティ」 TY　　

１３　　thirteen 20 twenty (ty)

１４ fourteen 30 thirty (ty)

１５ fifteen 40 forty (ty)

１６ sixteen 50 fifty (ty)

１７ seventeen 60 sixty (ty)

１８ eighteen 70 seventy (ty)

１９ nineteen 80 eighty (ty)

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　９０ ninety (ty)

年を言いたい場合には：

BEFORE　２０００：　２０００年前の年

例：　１９８９　　（１）年を二つに分ける　　（２）番号を一つ一つと言う

　　　　（１）二つに分けたの：　１９　　　８９

　　　　（２）分けた番号を言う：　じゅうきゅう　　はちじゅうきゅう

　　　　（３）英語で言う： nineteen eighty-nine

1988 1949 1984 1999

(Practice)

AFTER 2000: ２０００年のあと

Two thousand ( OO ) と言う　

例：2011 : two-thousand eleven （この場合にも、二つに分ける人もいます）

2012 2013 2014

Engrish: Fab Candy and Product Names

Engrish: Fabulous Candy and Product Names

Everybody be Gettin "CRUNKY"- EXCELLENT

When you need a compliment of your Crunk~

Macadamia as the King of Nuts. Most Valuable.

By Meiji Foods

When "Creep" is not just for the guy who stole your underwear, Creamy-Powder has now been truly condensed to "CREAP"

By Morinaga Foods

Funny Tiel

Cutie Cockatiel's Ma Name!

From Youtube Video at:

This is what cockatiels do when they want to be misted, get clean, or take a bath :D

Enjoy the random birdie!

Truth in Advertising: McDonalds

Tee Hee