What I did on the weekend...

Had a bit of a lazy day on Sunday.

I went to the new department store near Kyoto station

and was planning to have some dinner in one of the restaurants there.

But they were all so busy that we could not get a seat.

So we walked back to Kyoto station and found a Spanish cafe/bar.

It was quite good.

-Phil

ROBOCAT!!!

Rain rain go away....

Looks like rain again today.

And the forecast says we can look forward to storms all weekend.

(*sigh*)

So here is an idiom about rain for you all to think about.

"WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS"

Please write what you think it means in the comments section below.

Feel free to use your dictionary or research online.

Photo of the Week!

The Poll

Which word best completes the sentence:
I couldn't ____ what she said.

Here
Hare
Hear
Hair

The correct answer is hear.
I couldn't hear what she said.

Here /adverb/ In or to this place. In this position. At this point. At this place.

Place the boxes over here on the table.

Hare is another word meaning rabbit.

The hare hopped around in the grass.

Hear /noun/ perceived with the ear. Listen to.

I can hear you very well.

Hair is on your head!

We had many votes this week!! Woot woot. 3 people got the right answer! 3 people had some good guesses. Nice work :)

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Yoshi!

(And happy birthday tomorrow, Meg,Yoshi's wife)

Best wishes and many happy returns!

What I did on the weekend...

On Saturday night I went to the Metro club

in Kyoto to see a jazz band called J.A.M.

Jazz is not really my kind of music

but my girlfriend wanted to see them so I went with her.

They were not bad (I didn't hate the music)

but I don't remember any of the songs as being really good.

Meh.....

Can you solve this riddle????

"The Fishermen love me.
But doctors hate me.
Kids want to eat me.
I am a 13 letter word,
Who am I?"

World Cup 2010

WORLD CUP 2010 in South Africa

How many of you are watching the games? Which team are you cheering for?

This year's World Cup is just full of surprises! USA and England tie with the US scoring a last minute goal! Also, in last night's match, they made a BIG comeback in the 2nd half! GO USA!!!

Congratulations to Japan on their win against Cameroon. Personally, I think it was a lucky win since they had no offense in the 2nd half. Good luck to them tonight!

Spain and Germany losing, Portugal tieing were just unbelievable matches. I guess this proves that anything can happen in the World Cup.

Let us know your opinions and comments about this year's World Cup.

Don't forget!!

This Sunday is Father' Day!!

In Playschool class this week we will be making special necktie cards to give our fathers as well as a magnetic photo frame.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANAE!!!

Happy Birthday to you...
Happy Birthday to you........
Happy Birthday dear Sanae......
Happy Birthday to you!

Today is our dear friend and co-worker, Sanae's birthday!
Best wishes from all our RLE family :)

Nursery Rhyme of the Week!

This is a cute video of the song The Wheels on the Bus. We are learning this song in preschool classes this month. There are lots of cute actions to go along with it as well. :)

Oil can be rather CRUDE at times

By now I'm sure everyone has heard about the BP "Deepwater Horizon oil disaster" in the Gulf of Mexico, but here is an example of just how big it is. Starting on April 20th with an explosion, the rig has been pumping 35,000 to 60,000 barrels (5,600 to 9,500 cubic metres) of crude oil into the ocean each day. It is now bigger than Kansai and it doesn't look like it is going to stop anytime soon.

What I did on the weekend...

Because of the rainy weather this weekend

I stayed home and watched a DVD with my girlfriend.

We watched "Before Night Falls"

a film about Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas.

It was really good

(my girlfriend LOVED it, she said it was "BEAUTIFUL")

but it is also a little sad.

Color test

Just for fun, try out these color tests. What do you see?

The Poll

Which word best completes the sentence:
Phil is taller _____ Rachel.

then
than
to

The correct choice is than.
Phil is taller than Rachel.

These are two of the most misused words in the written English language!!

Then /adverb/ at that time, next, after that, in that case, used to continue a thought or idea.

You wash the dishes, then I will dry them.

Than /conjunction/ a comparison of another.

English is harder than I expected.

Action!

Check out the new "Real Life Lesson" video on our homepage.

This episodes word is "Courteous"

THE BIG 3

Here is what I think are the

top 3 most common mistakes

people make when speaking English.

#1 "I will go to shopping"

Because shopping has ~ing you don't need the "to".

You go "to" a place (noun).

So "I will go to Daimaru" or

"I will go to the/a department store" is ok.

But not before a gerund (~ing word)

#2 He vs She.

It is very easy to slip up and say "he" when you mean "she"

but it can sound very strange.

"He is my sister" What..???

#3 Clothes.

This one is a pronunciation problem

that starts at junior high school.

In English we pronounce clothes (klōthz)

not klothzez so be careful.

You don't need to add an extra "s" sound

because "clothes" is always more that one thing

(it's a group word).

Well I hope that helped a bit.

See you in class :P

To sleep perchance to ...

The FREE STYLE topic this month is DREAMS.

This means we will be talking about
not only the dreams you have when your asleep
but also your goals for the future and regrets from the past.

I don't dream very much anymore
(when I sleep that is)
but I do still sometimes have
NIGHTMARES!

Have you had a really scary dream?
Tell me about it in the comments below
and I'll tell you about some of mine.
(Let me warn you mine are terrifying!!!)

The Poll

Which word best completes the sentence:
Don't ____ your time day dreaming.

waist
waste

The correct choice is waste.
Don't waste your time day dreaming.

Just like last week, these words are called homophones. Homophones are words that sound the same when spoken (pronunciation) but have different meanings, spelling, and use.

Waist /noun/, a part of the human body below the ribs and above the hips.

The belt fit perfectly around the waist.

Waste /verb/ anything of no purpose, fail to use, to wear gradually away, to use extravagantly.

It was a waste of time reading that paper.

Funny Business :)

Why don't monsters eat clowns?

Because they taste FUNNY!

HA... Do you get it?

Because funny has two meanings...
It can mean "STRANGE"
or
Something that "makes me laugh"

Reading test

Can you pass this reading test?

Linda has a white cat and a black cat.

a.) She has one cat.

b.) Linda's cat is black and white.

c) She has two cats.

d.) Linda likes brown cats.

一番正しいのはどれ？？？

Tongue Twister of the Week

The two-toed tree toad tried to tread where the three-toed tree toad trod.

Last weekend I ...

... went to play "pool" with a friend of mine. Now if you are thinking that I went swimming you are mistaken. In Japan people say "billiards" but that is actually a very different game, the game that most people play (with 15 different colour balls) is called "pool" or sometimes "8 ball". So next time someone invites you to play "pool" don't take your swimsuit and towel!

:Phil

Last weekend I .....

.....went to Mino-o (Minoh) waterfall. It was a beautiful day for a hike in the park so I decided to travel to Mino-o. Many students have recommended seeing the falls so I was happy to finally go there. I didn't see any mokeys but I did get a great photo of me taking a drink from the falls. haha :D Delicious!!



This was the view of Osaka from the top of the Spa Garden and Hotel building.

The Poll

Which word best completes the sentence:
I will arrive ____ by lunchtime?

their
they're
they are
there

The correct choice is there.
I will arrive there by lunchtime.

These words are called homophones. Homophones are words that sound the same when spoken (pronunciation) but have different meanings, spelling, and use.

There /adverb/ In, at, or to that place or position. Used to indicate the fact or existence of something.

We can all go there together.

Their /possessive pronoun/ of or belonging to them. Ownership.

That is their new car.

They're /verb contraction/ They are.

They're (they are) going to the party.

This was a tricky grammar point, wasn't it? We had 5 people vote this week and 3 were correct!! Wonderful :) !!! Give this week's a try!

Nursery Rhyme of the Week

The Ants Go Marching
(Traditional action song)

The ants go marching one by one,
Hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching one by one,
Hurrah, hurrah.
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to such his thumb,
And they all go marching down
Into the ground to get out of the rain,
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Two...tie his shoe...
Three...climb a tree...
Four...shut the door...
Five...take a dive...
Six...pick up sticks...
Seven...pray to heaven...
Eight...shut the gate...
Nine...check the time...
Ten...say "THE END"