2008年11月25日火曜日

nov.18

Today's our captain Akihito's birthday!

we went bowling,had yakiniku,and then went to Tomohito's house.

it was so fun i got first prize in my team and was supposed to get an icecream!

but it went away and couldnt get one...:'( oh well.

i was so disappointed i couldnt take any pics,

'cause my cellphone battery ran out.


today im going to put some of my favorite songs.






2008年11月22日土曜日

kotatsu!!!




Kotatsu has come to my apartment!!! WOOOOOOOOOO!
i love kotatsu.but I tend to sleep in there so its not very good:(
today i got up to find myself in kotatsu with the light and TV on.ahh
Now im into making pizza toasts!!
i love it.and easy to make!
i like corns and mayonnaise!

Games Center




Me and my mom went to a games center in Hashimoto.
I got 30 umaibou for 100 yen!!!!
I love UFO catchers!
and I found a cute pikachu mini car.
but it looked so hard to get it,so i didnt bother to try.

Nov.4













My mom came to visit me from Oct 30 - Nov 6.
We went to the Tokyo Tower on Nov 4th.
It was her first time to go there and she looked so happy.
I thank her for cleaning my room.

my parents







my parents go fishing every weekend.
my dad suddenly got interested in fishing last spring and now he goes fishing whenever he has time.
and he brings my mom every time,and mom doesnt like it so shes always complaining.
dad wokes her up at like 3 in the morning.
im so sorry for mom.

i just wish

i just hope Mr. Richardson hasnt checked my blog yet.
im trying to write as much as possible now.
but i find it sooo hard to remember the past,
i really learned i should keep blogging every day.serious!!!

Nov.7th Gyukaku










I went to Gyukaku in Fuchinobe!
we ate so much and i almost had a puke...JOKES.
i dont know what to wirte cos i dont remember what we did so much!
well anyway i like YAKINIKU and we plan to have a BBQ even its so cold outside...
anyways,we had so much fun this day again!

new toilet cover



I love my new toilet cover.
i love i love...
oh what can i say...
all i have to do is post blogs quicklyyy!!!!!!!!!
blah blah blah
im listening to TABOO by koda kumi now btw.

OH HOW I LOVE!!!DAN!!!










My Dog Dan is turning 10 soon!

SHOULD THE INTERNET BE MORE TIGHTLY CONTROLLED?

Recently, the Internet has become an important part of people’s daily lives. According to a Longman dictionary, “the Internet is a network of computer connections that allows millions of computer users around the world to exchange information”. Wikipedia says that “the internet has its origin in the cold war in 1969. America wanted a way of contact that would not be broken by army attacks”. Today, it is not too much to say that people cannot live without the Internet as they use it at school, work, and home. However, it is also true that the Internet causes some big social problems as well. Therefore, the Internet should be more tightly controlled.
Today, blogs and social networking services have become popular, and many people write diaries on the Internet. It is a good thing that people started writing diaries again thanks to the Internet after a long time when they forgot to keep diaries. Also, through those websites, they can easily communicate with their friends and even new people around the world who they have never seen. Now a lot of people have become able to make new friends easily on the websites.
However, there is also another point about the freedom on websites. Some people just do not understand how much effect they could give by posting information on the Internet. For example, if someone writes slander of a classmate on his blog, what would happen if the victim’s classmates look at it? It might lead to a big problem and bullying in the end. Bad words should be removed from the websites from this point of view.
In America, half of the households with teenagers restrict Internet access by using an Internet filter according to IPmedia news. The number of the households that use an Internet filter or a security system is increasing. It is also said that the more people use the Internet, the more they tend to take some measures. Therefore, even if the Internet is not tightly controlled by the police or computer security companies, each household can take actions by themselves like this.
Lastly, there is the problem of hacking. Hacking is an illegal act using or changing the information in another person’s computer system. Those who hack are called hackers. Some evil hackers even try to hack into national computer systems. Frankly speaking, they could do harm to the whole wide world. It is terrible to let hackers on the loose, and they really have to be stopped.
Taking those reasons into consideration, the Internet should be more tightly controlled. The police and other computer security companies need to make more effort to keep order. As long as there are problems on the Internet, they should always be solved.

Works Cited
Longman Dictionary
Wikipedia: http://wikipedia.org/
IPmedia news: http://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/0503/19/news012.html

listening report2

Describe it…
A server asks a customer whether the order will be for here or to go at a Joe’s hamburger restaurant. The server recommends the customer the one-pound super hot and spicy cheeseburger, which the customer turns down. Then the server tries to get the customer to buy the house special the week which comes with fries, and a large specialty drink called "Everything-but-the-kitchen-sink." However, the customer refuses it, saying it is disgusting, and orders a normal simple hamburger and a glass of water. The sever recommends that the customer should buy cheesy onion rings as well, which the customer turns down again. Then the server says the total is ten ninety, and says their normal hamburgers are all one pound. As the customer says they are too huge, the server recommends the half-pound burgers. The customer says they are still giant burgers, but he buys one reluctantly. The server says their water is all natural spring water from yonder hills and costs ninety cents.
Report what you thought or how you felt about it. Was it easy for you to do? Did you have any frustrations or feelings of satisfaction?
I felt it really annoying. I would probably just go away without ordering if a server behaved as badly as this. When I tried to listen to this and answer the quizzes for the first time, I could not catch most of the important things and could not solve every quiz. However, I could understand everything with the script.

oliver twist

BOOK REPORT Airi Sakai

1) MLA CITATION
Author: Charles Dickens (Retold by Richard Rogers)
Book Title: Oliver Twist
City of Publication: London, England
Publisher: Oxford University Press Date: 1838 Number of Pages: 102

2) RESPONDING TO THE PLOT
If I were Oliver, I would try to tell the police what Fagin told me to do while I was made to be out robbing. I think Oliver was a little too late to escape from Fagin. If I were the author, I would add a story after Oliver succeeds in his business in the future. The man of kindness Oliver would support the workhouse with money even though he was not treated right there.
Sikes’ girl Nancy told Rose everything Oliver was made to do by Fagin and other robbers, and Fagin found out about that and told Sikes what Nancy had done. “ ‘ You know what.’ Sikes took out his gun, but realizing, even in his madness, that a shot might be heard, he beat her twice across the face with it as hard as he could. She fell, with a low cry of pain and terror, almost blind by the blood that flowed from the cut on her forehead. The murderer staggered to a corner, seized a heavy stick and struck her down.”
I chose this part on page 86 because the description was so shocking that I had to read it over and over again. This was the most unforgettable part of the story in a way.

3) ANALYZING 7 LITERARY TERMS
Setting: an unnamed town England in early times.
Point of View: This story is told from the third person.
Conflict: Oliver was always in conflict with evils. He always had justice in his heart even though he was caught in a gang of pickpockets.
Climax: Oliver was charged with a pickpocket as a mistake. However, then the victim Mr. Brownlow found out Oliver was actually a good kind boy, and he hid Oliver in his house from the gang.
Symbol: “Conflict between good and evil” is the symbol of this story. As Oliver struggled against evils through his hardships, I believe the author wants to tell us justice always beats evils, and evils end in being destroyed.
Irony: The irony of this book is when Oliver got kidnapped by the gang again after Mr. Brownlow sent Oliver on an errand. Mr. Brownlow, who believed Oliver to be a really good boy, had to suspect that Oliver had cheated on him.
Theme: “Hardships in poverty” is the theme of this story. As the author had a very hard time working hard in his childhood because of the debt his father made, the author is telling us however hard poverty is, there will be the bright future after struggling hard.

4) REFLECTING ON THE STORY
I found it shocking that a terrible stranger Monks was actually Oliver’s brother born of a different mother. I do not understand how Monks could do so much harm to his own brother Oliver. My life is completely different from Oliver’s. I have never experienced such a hardship like being in a workhouse and made to rob in a gang. This is a story of early times in England. Therefore, the environment is absolutely different from my country. Here orphans do not get into workhouses or work hard. I know this story has been made in to a film, but unfortunately, I have not watched it yet. I would like to watch it sometime since I like this book.
Dickens himself was also sent to work in a factory when he was twenty because of his father’s money problems. Through his own hardships, I think he wanted to tell us how hard life could be. I agree with Dickens’ view of people and life. As Dickens insisted on Oliver’s goodness and tenderness, I believe justice can always destroy evils. I learned that people must not see the bad side of things even if it seems easier. Oliver always fought against evils with justice. I am now changed from before I read this book. I used to think that there must be something I cannot manage at all, but now I believe there is nothing I cannot reach if I deal with it hard. I expected Oliver to stay happy ever after Mr. Brownlow took Oliver in his house, but the happy times did not last long, and Oliver soon got kidnapped into Fagin’s house again.

I know my love

Catherine Gaskin, I KNOW MY LOVE,
Glasgow: Collins English Library, 109 pages, 1977

Summary:
Emma Brown was caught in a hotel called the Diggers’ Arms by the hotel owner, Will Gribbons. One day, as Emma saw a family from a window, she decided that they would take her to Ballarat, where the richest goldfields were. However, in order to escape from Gribbons, she had nothing to do but kill him. It was the Maguires that welcomed Emma as part of the family. There was the most beautiful girl who Emma had ever seen. Her name was Rose Maguire. Rose attracted every man including Tom and Adam, and Rose loved Adam too as Emma loved him. All of a sudden, the whole Ballarat had a fight against the police over the permit money on the goldfields. Adam got badly injured in the fight, and Emma helped him hide from the police by covering him with her own body. He luckily survived thanks to her. A while later, Adam asked Emma to marry him. However, apparently it was because he thought that there was a debt to pay. The Maguires happily celebrated their wedding except for Rose. Rose got so upset about that and decided to marry Tom right after their wedding. Even after she married Tom, she still tried to get Adam back from Emma. The battle of love between Emma and Rose went on and on.

Settings: Australia in the 19th century

Point of view: This story is told from the first person.

Conflict:
Emma was in a conflict with Rose. They kept fighting over Adam.

Climax:
Emma was quiet at first, but eventually everyone got to need her. Emma was a smart woman, and she attracted them in a way Rose could not do. Rose needed her too just like everyone, but now she thought she did not any more. Then Rose called Emma a taker and shouted that Emma took everyone from her. This was the climax of the story.
Symbol:
The symbol of this story is “ugliness of a beautiful woman.” As a love turned good friends into “strangers” in the end, love could change people both in a good way and a bad way. This story showed us that even if you are beautiful, you could look really ugly depending on what you do.

Irony:
Tom ran into a fire to help his father’s horses and ended in death. However, Rose doubted the death of Tom was actually not accidental but intentional, and said that that was at least what people in the town said.

Theme:
“Fierce love” is the theme of this story. Two women who loved each other just like a real family fought over a man. Love could sometimes make people really violent. Besides, love could also make good friends separate. The author tells us how love could be fierce.

Evaluation:
Emma is not really a beautiful or attractive woman, but she has her smart brain to take advantage of, and can use it for people. Rose is a very beautiful and attractive woman, but she did not have abilities to use like Emma. Both of them had different good points, and I thought it really interesting to see how those two women use their own abilities to get a man.

Moreover, I was really shocked to know that good friends could terribly fight over a man. I understand love is the most wonderful thing to have, and cannot lose it. However, I am scared what would happen to me if I loved the same person with my best friend. Even if I loved someone so much like Rose, I would never like to lose my mind or lose my friends.

oh this is a report I wrote in the 1st year of high school!!

What impressed me the most was the part in which Mr. Fujiwara solved something in a very smart way even though he was only about 8 years old. In fact, he could just add the numbers given, but he, a small child, thought it was not a very good way to solve it by. I’d probably just add the given numbers over and over. Now I can see the differences between mathematicians and me. They always doubt if they can solve problems in a smarter way even though they know they can easily figure them out, while I tend to simply solve them somehow.I found it important to think of any better ways I can solve problems by.

japanese seasons

Japan has four seasons which can be divided into spring, summer, fall, and winter. It is said that Japanese seasons are clear and beautiful. Today I am going to write about Japanese seasons from my point of view.
First, spring is said to be a season of farewell and meeting. Both graduation and entrance ceremonies are held in spring. After having a sad farewell, there comes a meeting with new people. Mani kinds of flowers bloom in spring. Especially the cherry blossom typifies Japanese spring and it is the national flower of Japan. As the cherry trees are really beautiful in full bloom, Japanese people traditionally have a picnic under the cherry trees. They enjoy drinking and eating, watching the cherry blossoms. People enjoy spring flowers like this. On the other hand, some people have much trouble with pollen. More and more people get a pollen allergy these days, and spring is becoming an annoying season for those many people.
Next, summer is said to be a season of leisure. There are a lot of fun events in this season. Many people enjoy swimming in the sea or pools and camping in the mountains. Many girls get excited to wear a Japanese traditional dress, “yukata” and go to festivals. Especially you can often see them in “yukata” when you go to fire-work festivals. Do you know another fun thing you can do in summer? It is “cracking watermelons.” It is a traditional game that you crack a watermelon with you eyes closed on the beach. If you have a chance to go swimming in the sea this summer, why don’t you bring a watermelon?
Fall of food, fall of reading, fall of sports, and fall of sleeping ― Fall has a lot of names because of its comfortable temperature. People start to get ready for harvest, and enjoy their own crops. I hear that some people have fun eating chestnuts and sweet-potatoes in open air fire with use of the leaves they gathered. Moreover, most of the schools have their sports festivals in fall and there is even a holiday called “sports day” this season.
Lastly, winter gives me an image of darkness and sadness.

listening report

Describe it…

A daughter asks her father whether he loves her or not, and he soon notices it is a hint that she wants him to do something. She implies that she wants a cell phone that is said free in the newspaper. The father says nothing is ever free and asks her why she needs a cell phone. She tells him that all of her friends have one and she needs it in case her car break down. She tries to tell him as many advantages of the cell phone as possible. However, he does not say yes. Then the father is surprised to know that the cancelation fee is so expensive. She says she needs a new car as well so that it will look all cool with her new cell phone. The father is so amazed by her foolish idea.


Report what you thought or how you felt about it. Was it easy for you to do? Did you have any frustrations or feelings of satisfaction?

It was hard for me to catch all the words at once, but I could understand by looking at the script, and could catch more words than the first time after that. However, I realize that it is still hard for me to catch up this speed of conversations. I feel so frustrated about it, and I would like to improve my listening skills more. This conversation also tells me it is almost the same thing both in English and Japanese how to persuade parents. It was really interesting to know that.

DC-9 crashes in Congo, 21 dead

Summary:
In Congo, an airplane took off and soon burst into flames. It had about 80 passengers aboard, but everyone was safe and survived. However, the crash killed 21 people who were on the ground in a busy market neighborhood at that time. According to The Red Cross, 113 people were wounded and hospitalized.

Opinion:
I think it is a very scary incident. As for passengers, they were so lucky that they all survived, while as many as 21 people on the ground died. It is so terrible that tall he victims had nothing to do with the airplane but were just walking in a market.

Questions:
1. How would you survive the situation where you are going down the street and all of the sudden, a plane crashed towards you?
2. What would you do first if you had a traffic accident alone? Would you stay sane?
3. What would you do to help your friend that is badly wounded in an accident while you are waiting for help?

2008年11月18日火曜日

October 27th

i got my hair dyed to black again!!
it soon went back to light color after i shampooed my hair a few times,
so i got my hair dyed again a week later.
well,it looked nice black at first but then now its all gone and my hairs back brown again...:(
oh well.

October 26th


Oh poor Airi had such a miserable meal tonight...

All I had in my fridge was some cabbages,bacon and rice.
plus,i could not be bothered to go to the supermarket.
im always like that.i dont wanna wear makeup to go out all the time.
so it results in shopping so much stuff at once,
and i always have to carry heavy bags to my apartment by myself.
what a pity!

2008年11月11日火曜日

October 25th







I went shopping in Shibuya on October 25th!
I bought some skirts and short-pants:]
I'm happy I could find cute ones!
After shopping,we went to the starbucks,
and then there came a white guy next to my seat.
When I stood up and would get a cup,
all of the sudden my hand slipped and I dropped the cup and threw the green tea frapeccino on the white guy next to me!!!!
He shouted Fuck! and I hurried to give him as much tissue as I had.
He grabbed it and then left.
It was such a shocking accident:S