silver lining

Thanks for your visit!

2011-11-12T17:40:00.003+09:00

This blog has moved to http://nabocha2.blogspot.com/.

Paris Musette playlist

2009-03-21T20:34:00.003+09:00

Family Album USA playlist

2009-03-21T20:15:00.001+09:00

The Making of a President

2008-11-16T14:45:00.004+09:00

One and half a months have passed since I started my new job. I'm in Research Development and Foreign Affairs division at a university, and what I do mainly is calculating travel expenses and honorarium, announcing grants information for research, and taking care of visiting scholars. Also, the staff in the division has to make preparations for forums and seminars which are held inviting leaders in the field of politics and economics. I rather like my job because I can join there during working time.

I'm looking forward to the forum tomorrow because I might be able to listen to the talk by a person who was a foreign policy advisor for President-elect Barack Obama's campaign. It says that he would be the next U.S. ambassador to Japan.
http://www.grips.ac.jp/docs/forum.html
http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=pol_30&k=2008111300640

President-Elect Barack Obama on Election Night

Full text: Obama's victory speech
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/us_elections_2008/7710038.stm

"It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America."

"She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "we shall overcome". Yes, we can.
A man touched down on the Moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes, we can."

His speech reminds me the ones by J. F. Kennedy. It seems that his speech writers are so young (26-30 years old), and one of them is under the instruction of Mr. Sorensen, the chief speech writer for Kennedy.
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/rkmt/20081106/1225929361

It is certain that Obama's inaugural address will be a historical one, and I couldn't wait for it on January 20th.

http://mixi.jp/view_diary.pl?id=996379822&owner_id=831795

Saint-Ex 44

2008-09-03T07:25:00.004+09:00

......un songe est un miracle.

Saint-Ex 43

2008-09-02T04:53:00.003+09:00

Il te suffisait de fermer les yeux

pour fair la paix dans le monde.

Saint-Ex 42

2008-09-01T04:22:00.003+09:00

......la nuit venue, je lirai mon chemin dans les astres.

Saint-Ex 41

2008-08-31T07:01:00.003+09:00

Tu as beau temps, ta route est pavée d'étoiles.

Saint-Ex 40

2008-08-30T06:33:00.003+09:00

C'est beau de partir la nuit.

Saint-Ex 38

2008-08-29T06:45:00.000+09:00

Les hommes occupent très peu de place sur la Terre.

Saint-Ex 39

2008-08-29T05:20:00.003+09:00

C'est une occupation très jolie.

C'est véritablement utile puisque c'est joli.

Saint-Ex 37

2008-08-28T06:45:00.005+09:00

Les hommes occupent très peu de place sur la Terre.

Saint-Ex 36

2008-08-27T04:56:00.004+09:00

La vérité pour l'homme,

c'est ce qui fait de lui un homme.

Saint-Ex 35

2008-08-26T07:11:00.003+09:00

Ça c'est, pour moi,

le plus beau et le plus triste paysage du monde.

Saint-Ex 34

2008-08-25T07:08:00.004+09:00

Elle est si douce quand elle est dans l'ordre des choses,

Chaque existence craque à son tour comme une cosse et livre ses graines.

Saint-Ex 33

2008-08-24T07:05:00.004+09:00

......songea qu'il pouvait marcher à son gré dans

n'importe quelle direction, qu'il était libre

......mais cette liberté lui parut amère:

Saint-Ex 32

2008-08-23T05:04:00.003+09:00

On fait un travail d'homme et

l'on connaît des soucis d'homme.

Saint-Ex 31

2008-08-22T04:02:00.003+09:00

Et cependant ce qu'ils cherchent pourrait

être trouvé dans une seule rose ou peu d'eau...

Saint-Ex 30

2008-08-21T06:00:00.003+09:00

Quand le mystère est trop impressionnant,

on n'ose pas désobéir.

Saint-Ex 29

2008-08-20T05:58:00.003+09:00

L'événement en marche compte seul.

Saint-Ex 28

2008-08-19T04:51:00.004+09:00

Ce qui se transmettait ainsi de génération en génération,

avec le lent progrès d'une croissance d'arbre,

c'était la vie mais c'était aussi la conscience.

Quelle mystérieuse ascension!

D'une lave en fusion, d'une pâte d'étoile,

d'une cellule vivante germée par miracle nous sommes

issus, et peu à peu, nous nous sommes élevés jusqu'à

écrire des cantates et à peser des voies lactées.

Saint-Ex 27

2008-08-18T05:49:00.004+09:00

Il y a dans toute foule des hommens que l'on ne distingue pas,

et qui sont de prodigieux messagers.

Et sans le savoir eux-mêmes.

Saint-Ex 26

2008-08-17T05:47:00.004+09:00

......dans la vie il n'y a pas de solutions.

Il y a des forces en marche:

il faut les créer et les solutions suivent.

Saint-Ex 25

2008-08-16T04:45:00.003+09:00

Encore un pas.

C'est toujours le même pas que l'on recommence......

Ecore un pas

Saint-Ex 24

2008-08-15T05:04:00.002+09:00

Ce qui sauve, c'est de faire un pas.

Saint-Ex 23

2008-08-14T07:41:00.004+09:00

......ce silence qui empire de minute en minute

Nous espérions.

Saint-Ex 22

2008-08-13T04:39:00.003+09:00

Il était lié d'amour à toute les terres

et à tous les arbres de la terre.

Saint-Ex 21

2008-08-12T06:38:00.003+09:00

L'eau peut aussi être bonne pour le coeur......

Saint-Ex 20

2008-08-11T06:31:00.004+09:00

Je me sentais très maladroit.

Je ne savais comment l'atteindre, où le rejoindre......

C'est tellement mystérieux, le pays des larmes!

Saint-Ex 19

2008-08-10T04:29:00.004+09:00

Aimer, ce n'est point nous regarder l'un l'autre mais regarder

ensemble dans la même direction.

Saint-Ex 18

2008-08-09T06:25:00.005+09:00

Quand nous prendrons conscience de notre rôle,

même le plus effacé, alors seulement nous serons heureux.

Alors seulement nous pourrons vivre en paix et

mourir en paix,

Saint-Ex 17

2008-08-08T07:23:00.003+09:00

On lui parlait, par-dessus tant d'epaules,

un langage qu'il entendait seul.

Saint-Ex 16

2008-08-07T04:12:00.004+09:00

......il découvre que la nuit montre l'homme:

ces appels, ces lumières, cette inquiétude.

Cette simple étoile dans l'ombre: l'isolement d'une maison.

L'une s'éteint: c'est une maison qui se ferme sur son amour.

Saint-Ex 15

2008-08-06T05:38:00.006+09:00

―C'est le temps que tu as perdu pour ta rose

qui fait ta rose si importante.

Saint-Ex 14

2008-08-05T04:35:00.004+09:00

Rien ne vaut le trésor de tant de souvenirs communs,

de tant de mauvaises heures vécues ensemble,

de tant de brouilles,

de réconciliations, de mouvements du coeur.

Saint-Ex 13

2008-08-04T05:33:00.003+09:00

Je m'allonge sur le dos,

je suce mon fruit, je compte les étoiles filantes.

Me voici, pour une minute, infiniment heureux.

Saint-Ex 12

2008-08-03T07:23:00.002+09:00

En travaillant pour les seuls biens matériels,

nous bâtissons nous-mêmes notre prison.

Nous nous enfermons solitaires,

avec notre monnaie de cendre qui ne procure rien qui vaille de vivre.

Saint-Ex 11

2008-08-02T06:25:00.002+09:00

Parmi tant d'étoiles il n'en était qu'une qui composât

pour se mettre à notre portée,

ce bol odorant du repas de l'aube.

Saint-Ex 10

2008-08-01T04:23:00.003+09:00

......quand nous sommes-nous sentis heureux?

Saint-Ex 9

2008-07-31T06:20:00.003+09:00

......il nous faut prendre concience

de nous-mêmes et de l'univers.

Saint-Ex 8

2008-07-30T04:12:00.004+09:00

.......à la recherche de la seule planète véritable,

de la nôtre, de celle qui,

seule, contenait nos paysages familiers,

nos maisons amies, nos tendresses.

De celle qui, seule, contenait......

Saint-Ex 7

2008-07-29T05:10:00.003+09:00

Regarde ma planète. Elle est juste au-dessus de nous……

Saint-Ex 6

2008-07-28T05:07:00.003+09:00

―Les étoiles sont belles,

à cause d'une fleur que l'on ne voit pas…

Saint-Ex 5

2008-07-27T06:05:00.003+09:00

……si les étoiles sont éclairées

afin que chacun puisse un jour retrouver la sienne.

Saint-Ex 4

2008-07-26T04:01:00.004+09:00

Qu'il s'agisse de la maison, des étoiles ou du désert,

ce qui fait leur beauté est invisible!

Saint-Ex 3

2008-07-25T05:55:00.003+09:00

Toutes les richesses du monde logeaient

dans un grain de poussière égaré parmi les constellations.

Saint-Ex 2

2008-07-24T06:51:00.004+09:00

L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.

Saint-Ex 1

2008-07-23T07:57:00.008+09:00

Il est très simple:

on ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur.

My Wish

2008-07-22T07:46:00.010+09:00

At last I talked about my resignation with Mr. N, who is the head of EFL course yesterday. It seemed that he heard it through the grapevine, and he wouldn't like to believe it.

"You're punctual and competent. We can always trust you and all teachers wouldn't like you to quit. Is there any way to keep you here? All teachers can ask the boss about it, for example?"

Now I see that my efforts paid off and I'm so pleased and satisfied just hearing his kind words. But it's late...

I know my boss is old-fashioned, quick-tempered and demanding, but I can manage him because he's so childish. The main cause is a lady who is in charge of personnel. Sometimes she doesn't like me and reports me badly to him. She can tell me directly, but she's never do that.

One day, I happened to leave the office to lunch a bit earlier than usual. Then she told him about me as I didn't follow the rule (actually there had been no strict rule about break time). Immediately he came to me with angry looks. That is to say, he summoned me.

In the principal's office, my boss threatened to fire me shouting hysterically. "You're just depending on the school, sitting just in front of the computer and doing nothing. You trouble all of us because you're a correspondence student. You create so much stress. Your working attitude is too bad and you must be more humble. You should even do other works voluntarily. You idiot!"

It was as if I was a servant or slavery who was against a load in Middle Ages.

And he ordered me three things: Firstly, I had to apologize to everyone because I take classes at a university during summer and change the working shift. Secondly, I had to give out the school timetable for summer term to the students at the entrance everyday at 4 p.m. by myself. Thirdly, I had to eat lunch alone in the school. I couldn’t talk with other colleagues outside of the school.

So silly. Even children never do such an open bullying.

I was so shocked, but I wanted to act as if nothing had happened. So I just followed his orders obediently…But I was not so strong. I smiled outside, but I was crying always inside. I could talk with my colleagues about my worries only after work or via email.

Then, lastly during the meeting of English section, my boss suddenly ordered me, “Don’t consult with other colleagues about your worries. Deal with your mental issues by yourself.” I thought there might be a tap or something onto my bag. I was pushed into suspicious woods and never got out of it. I cried all day long.

Next week, I turned in my resignation to my boss. I cried. I broke into tears and I couldn’t stop it because I liked my job and loved the school. I was so sad that I had to quit my job in this way. In the end, my boss told me, “I'll never be fooled by a woman's tears!” I had nothing to say to him.

Even at this rate, I think I can forgive him someday because I know there's a person who controls him and he is just a fool. Anyway, she always hates someone who works well. She's so jealous and so evil-minded. You know, bullying among ladies is insidious. So many colleagues, especially women who were in charge of French section, left the office because of her. Everyday she just orders others to do something and she's not be able to do her job― she can't speak French enough, always speaks Japanese with French teachers, and she can't even make lesson sheets using spreadsheets. I think she shouldn’t be in charge of personnel. The person who deals with human recourses needs to be of high morals. She is all go against it. She often comes late in the morning and from the break. She always mixes with business and personal affairs. She always brings her feelings into the business.

All I want to say to her is not to ruin this historically good school. That’s it. I love this school, and I’m so proud of having worked there, and I will continue to study French there even after I quit.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

2008-02-09T03:33:00.001+09:00

Right now we need new teachers at work because some of present teachers get full-time job elsewhere and leave the school by coming spring. I've been wondering why so many changes we got these days. It might be a season of changes anyway.

Yesterday, I asked a teacher some replacement lessons concerning things above, he taught me this idiom: Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

It means giving yourself several different possibilities rather than relying on one particular course for success. Indeed he teaches at not only our school but other universities and companies. He is also a writer of the Japan Times and some magazines regarding sumo.

Well, I understand what he wants to say. I need several things to follow in my life because I can be depressed if I rely on just one matter. I learned the importance of the balance in life years ago. But I thought at the same time that it would be hard for me not to belong one working place, I mean free lance job as he does.

What do you want to be in 10 years?

2008-01-14T17:43:00.000+09:00

This is the topic I choose in Round Table class when I joined the year-end special week in PEC last year.

Think of yourself 10 years ago. 10 years seem so long, but time flies! Did you make your dream in 10 years ago come true?

In the class, I talked about accordion which I started learning in September. So I tought my dreams related to playing the accordion.

First, I want to buy an accordion! But it costs almost 500,000 yen! I have to save money more...

Second, I want to move where I can play the accordion! Now I live in a shareflat and I can never play musical instruments.

Third, I want to study accordion in France! This is a good motivation for learning French. But there is a problem. In France, chromatic button accordions are more popular than the one with piano-style keys which I learn. Hmm, I also want to learn playing the button accordion... I know. I DON'T HAVE SUCH MONEY! But in ten years, you never know what happens?

Actually, my second dream will come true soon. I'm going to move in February or March. That is a dormitory style apartment near a university of music. The rent is 36,000 yen and there I can play the accordion from 9 AM to 9 PM! But wait... I don't have my own accordion. Now I remember a story in which a man bought a purse but he spent all his money and there's no money putting in his purse. HOW SILLY, ISN'T IT?! Anyway, this is a great motivation for SAVING MONEY!

The 47th Phoenix English Festival

2007-09-24T17:49:00.000+09:00

Here is the timetable for the 47th Phoenix English Festival. Come and see their fun-loving entertainment!!
http://www.eigozuke.co.jp/festival.pdf

☆Saturday, October 6
12:00-12:30 *We should stop global warming through cutting CO2, recycling, and using ecological products.
12:40-13:10 HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL
13:20-13:50 Connie & Carla
14:00-14:30 PATCH ADAMS
14:40-15:10 Heart and Souls
15:20-15:50 Naniwa Kinyudo
16:00-16:30 *Japan should take stronger action against Chikan-Molesters in trains - Is a Woman Only Car enough?
16:40-17:10 *Surrogacy should be allowed in Japan.
17:20-17:50 Jekyll & Hyde
18:00-18:30 THE STING
18:40-19:10 Laputa: Castle in the Sky
(* mark means Dramatic Debate presentations. The others are Drama presentations.)

☆Sunday, October 8
11:00-11:30 *We should stop global warming through cutting CO2, recycling, and using ecological products.
11:40-12:10 *Surrogacy should be allowed in Japan.
12:20-12:50 PATCH ADAMS
13:00-13:30 *Japan should take stronger action against Chikan-Molesters in trains - Is a Woman Only Car enough?
13:50-14:20 Connie & Carla
14:30-15:00 Heart and Souls
15:10-15:40 Naniwa Kinyudo
16:00-16:30 THE STING
16:40-17:10 Laputa: Castle in the Sky
17:20-17:50 HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL
18:00-18:30 Jekyll & Hyde
19:00-20:30 Awarding ceremony & 1 min. presentations

Here is the map to Phoenix English School.
http://www.eigozuke.co.jp/address.html

Deadline

2007-09-02T20:20:00.000+09:00

"Reports postmarked not later than Monday September 3 will be accepted"... one more day! (One day more~♪）

Frustrating but...

2007-08-29T05:15:00.000+09:00

I wish it had happened next month... I have to finish writing reports by next Monday!
It doesn't make sense for me, but somehow I've got to manage private lessons from last week. The reason is that the man who was in charge caused so many troubles with students and teachers. Firstly he doesn't check each teacher's availability. He doesn't even see the school timetable! And he made so many doublebookings. He often forgets what students asked for the lesson... one of the new colleagues says he is Mr. April fool!Anyway, it's so annoying to take over his job because the way he manages this work is the one which just only he can understand! It's so frustrating, but the job itself is not so demanding, but rather so challenging- I'd like to think it that way.

Free service

2007-08-19T20:24:00.000+09:00

My bicycle was almost getting flat, so I went to Olympic Shopping center by bicycle (I used it to the limit!) to buy a pump. Then I found that there were some pumps in front of the store which anybody could use it. How lucky!

After that I went to Koishikawa library to borrow some books for reports of sociology, western history and physical education. I had reserved some books on the internet before I went there, so I could borrow them as soon as I arrived there. It was the first time for me to reserve books on the net. It's so useful and convenient!
http://www.lib.city.bunkyo.lg.jp/index.html

Still Blistering Day

2007-08-18T05:08:00.000+09:00

I was awoken by the earthquake this morning. Aren't there so many earthquakes these days? Finally the piles of packs in the fridge in which I put Goya Cyanpuru and others I cook at once were out, I have to cook something from now. Yesterday after work, I was so tired but I went to a farmer's cooperative store nearby the station to buy cabbage, fried tofu, boiled and dried baby sardines (Chirimen Jyako), beansprout, pork, egg, cucumber and others. But there were no beansprout and cucumber. Then I went to Hanamasa supermarket near my shareflat to buy them because it opens 24 hours. But I couldn't find them again! I was so exhausted.

Last Day in Hiyoshi

2007-08-16T04:39:00.000+09:00

Yesterday I had a test of literature. In spite of it, I met with my friend to have dinner after work the day before yesterday. So I didn't prepare for it enough, but I could manage it, I guess.
This summer I take 3 classes; psychology, literature and sociology. 2 class are held in Hiyoshi, and 1 class is held in Mita. Yesterday was the last day I had go there. These days my schedule has been so tight. Right away after the class, I rushed to the station to get on the train. And I had only 5 minutes to go to the office from Suidobashi station! It was really hard for me to run in this sweltering hot days.

HAPPY 5TH!

2007-08-15T21:45:00.000+09:00

August 15, 2002- August 15, 2007

Congratulations Hairspray!

Good Luck with many more years to come!!

Let's take a look back!

♪Open Rehearsal Video♪

http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Video.aspx?ci=503865

♪Opening Night Video♪

http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Video.aspx?ci=503065

Hectic Morning

2007-08-14T04:36:00.000+09:00

These days I bring lunch everyday. I don't have a lunch box, so I just use Tupperware. I have to leave home at 7:20 a.m. , so I always cook a meal around 6 a.m. I cook meals of 3 or 4 days at once, but yesterday I made too much. I'm wondering I could eat the whole things I cook yesterday by myself this week.

After so long

2007-08-12T04:20:00.000+09:00

*Shukan ST
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/shukan-st/
*Asahi Weekly
http://www.asahi.com/english/weekly/
*Eikaiwa Nyumon
http://www.kentoyama.com/

I used to read The Japan Times everyday because I got it at work for free. I changed my job and now I can get 3 materials at work for free each month, so I make a rule to read them.

I found the interview of Mr. Azuma on this week's Shukan St. He is a member of Toastmasters Club and I went to hear his speech in May. I remember his speech was so moving and I was deeply impressed. I want to visit a Toastmasters Club somewhere in Tokyo after I finish the summer schooling.

The 46th Phoenix English Festival

2007-07-05T21:18:00.000+09:00

Here is the timetable for the 46th Phoenix English Festival. Come and see their fun-loving entertainment!!
http://www.eigozuke.co.jp/festival.pdf

☆Saturday, July 14
12:00-12:30 *Japan should found a nonreligious memorial place for the war dead 1
12:40-13:10 *Japan should found a nonreligious memorial place for the war dead 2
13:20-13:50 *Japan should found a nonreligious memorial place for the war dead 3
14:00-14:30 Kamata March
14:40-15:10 Candy Candy
15:20-15:50 Evita
16:00-16:30 A League of Their Own
16:40-17:10 Friends
17:20-17:50 It Runs in the Family
(* mark means Logical presentations. The others are Drama presentations.)

☆Sunday, July 15
11:00-11:30 It Runs in the Family
11:40-12:10 Friends
12:20-12:50 A League of Their Own
13:10-13:40 *Japan should found a nonreligious memorial place for the war dead 4
13:50-14:20 *Japan should found a nonreligious memorial place for the war dead 5
14:30-15:00 *Japan should found a nonreligious memorial place for the war dead 6
15:20-15:50 Candy Candy
16:00-16:30 Evita
16:40-17:10 Kamata March
17:40-19:10 Awarding ceremony & 1 min. presentations

Here is the map to Phoenix English School.
http://www.eigozuke.co.jp/address.html

AFI's 100 Greatest Movies

2007-06-27T17:33:00.000+09:00

More than one month has passed since I wrote here last. I feel like I forget English... anyway, I've got to write something.

AFI, American Film Institute, renewed the 100 greatest American films of all time as the 10th anniversary edition.

http://connect.afi.com/site/PageServer?pagename=micro_100landing
http://www1.harenet.ne.jp/~sato2000/movie/afi/afi100movies-10anniversary.html

The top 10 films are:

1 CITIZEN KANE
2 THE GODFATHER
3 CASABLANCA
4 RAGING BULL
5 SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
6 GONE WITH THE WIND
7 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
8 SCHINDLER'S LIST
9 VERTIGO
10 THE WIZARD OF OZ

The other day, I found the site which you can watch good old movies for free!
http://streaming.yahoo.co.jp/p/t/00041/v00056/

I watched Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights last weekend. I prefer the latter. This month I read Greek tragedies, and it's similar to it. There is no man like Heathcliff in the world. It's mysterious but it might be true that the true things about human beings can be written by impossible characters.
http://www.isis.ne.jp/mnn/senya/senya0125.html

Now I'm going to watch the the best film- Citizen Kane!

Kennedy's Speech

2007-05-07T05:47:00.000+09:00

Let me try to write down Kennedy's inaugural speech.
................................................................................................

[Vice] President Johnson, Mr. Speeker, Mr. Chief Justice, [President Eisenhower,] Vice President Nixon, [President Eisenhour,→×] [Vice→×] President Truman, Reverend Clergy, [Fellow→fellow] Citizens[, →:]

We observe today[, →×] not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom[.→--] [Symbolizing →symbolizing] an end, as well as [a] beginning[.→--] [Signigying→signifying] renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you and [All mighty→Almighty] God the same solemn oath[,→×] our [forebear→forebears] prescribed nearly a century and three[-] quarters ago.

The world is very different now. For [men hold→man holds] in his motal hands the power to abolish all forms of human povety[,→×] and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our [forebear→forebears] fought are still at issue around the [world. The→globe -- the] belief that the rights of [men→man] come not from the generosity of state, but from the hand of God.

We dare not forget today[,→×] that we are the [heir→heirs] of that first revolution. Let the word go forth[,→×] from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans[,→--] born in this century, tempered by war, [diciplined→disciplined] by [a] hard and bitter peace, proud of [our] ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing [of] those human rights[,→×] to which this [country→nation] has always been committed, and [to which] we are [commited→committed] today[,→×] at home[,→×] and around the world.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and [the] success of liberty.

This much we pledge [--] and more.

To those old allies[,→×] whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do[,→×] in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do[,→--] for we dare not meet [any→a powerful] challenge at odds and split [assunder→asunder].

To those new states[,→×] whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word[;→×] that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away[,→×] merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. [We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom --] [And→and] to remember that [,] in the past, those who foolishly sought power[,→×] by riding the back of the tiger[,→×] ended up inside.

To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe[,→×] struggling to break the [bond→bonds] of [the→×] mass misery, we pledge our best [effort→efforts] to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required[,→--] not because the [Communist→Communists]may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save [the few] who are rich.

To our sister [republic,→republics] south of our border, we offer a special pledge[.To→: to] convert our good words into good deeds, in a new alliance for progress, to assist free men and free goverments[,→×] in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot [become the prey of] [by→×] hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know[,→×] that we shall join with them to oppose aggression [and→or] subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.

To [the→that] world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope[,→×] in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support[. →-- to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective, to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak, and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.]

Finally[,] to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request[;→: that] both sides begin a new the quest for [freedom→peace], before the dark [power→powers] of destruction[,→×] unleashed by science[,→×] engulf all humanity[,→in planned] or [accidental] self-destruction.

We dare not tempt them with weakness. [For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be emplyed.]

But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our [present] course[. Both→-- both] sides overburdened [by] the cost of modern weapons[. Both→, both] rightly alarmed by the steady spread of [the] deadly [atoms. Yet→atom, yet] both racing to alter [the→that] uncertain balance of terror[,→×] that stays the hand of mankind's final war.

So let us begin a new[,→--]remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.

Let both sides explore [the→what] problems unite us[,→×] instead of belaboring those problems which devide us.

Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals [for the inspection and control of arms, and bring the absolute power] to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.

Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean [deapth→depths], and encourage the arts and commerce.

Let both side unite to heed, in all corners of the earth, the command of [Isaah, "to →Isaiah -- to "] undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free".

And[,] if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, [let both sides join in creating a new endeavor-- not a new balance of power, but a new world of law-- where the strong are just, and the weak secure, and the peace preserved.]

All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days[. Nor→; nor] in the life of this Administration[. Nor→; nor] even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.

In your [hand→hands], my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, [every→each] generation of Americans has [been] summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. [Graves→The graves] of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.

Now the trumpet summons us again[,→--] not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need[,→--] not as a call to battle, though [enbattled→embattled] we are[,→--] but a call bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, ["] rejoicing [in] hope[,→;] pacient in tribulation, ["] a struggle against the common [enemy→enemies] of man[;→:] tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies[,→×] a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility[,→--] I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people[,→×] or any other [generations→generation]. The energy, the faith, the devotion[,→×] which we bring to this endeavor[,→×] will light our country and all who serve it. [And the glow from that fire can truly light the world.]

And so[,] my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you[,→;] ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow [citizen→citizens] of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of [men→man].

Finally, wether you are citizens of America[,→×] or citizens of the world, ask of us here[;→×] the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience[,→×] our only sure reward, with history[,→×] the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth[,→×] God's work must truly be our own.
................................................................................................

Whew!
There are so many mistakes, but it's okay! I tried! Good job!

The problem is how to keep this...

Witty remarks 24

2007-04-27T06:27:00.000+09:00

*Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there,
You've got a friend. (Carole King)

*The shorter way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time. (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

*Who dares to teach must never cease to learn. (John Cotton Dana)

*Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. (Mark Twain)

*The more he cast away the more he had. (John Bunyan)

*Experience is the best of schoolmaster, only the school-fees are heavy. (Thomas Carlyle)

*The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. (Mahatma Gandhi)

*We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves: otherwise, we harden. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

*Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction. (John F. Kennedy)

*Your big opportunity may be right where you are now. (Napoleon Hill)

卒業、そして

2007-04-17T05:16:00.000+09:00

予期してないことが起こってしまった。なななななんとドラマ発表で優勝してしまった！！！！！今でもまだ信じられないのである。これまで一度も優勝をしたことがなく、どういうふうに感じるものなのか全然知らず、最後は仲間と楽しくできればいいと思っていたから・・・やっぱり信じられない。しかも個人賞まで頂いてしまった！あんなに万丈の拍手をもらったのは生まれて初めてである（当たり前！）。絶対に観客をentertainしてやるぞとは思っていたけれど、あんなに反応がよいなんて！！これはやっぱりMaybelleのおかげだ。いい卒業記念になった・・・すべてはやはりHairsprayという難しい作品と、どうにかこうにかして一緒に頑張ってきてくれたみんなのおかげ。ほんとに、ほんとにありがとう！！！

思えばこの半年は人生のturning pointだった。御殿場から東京へ引越しを決行したこと。大学入学を果たして勉学再開したこと。憧れのフランス語学校で働きたくて、１度選考落ちたけれどあきらめきれず、わざわざ近くのshare flatに引っ越して念願の職を得たこと・・・。そして自分にとっては最後のP学院でのproject work。

本当はlogical presentationを取る予定でいたのだ。リーダーをやった昨年のNocturneが本当に本当にいい作品で仲間も最高で、自分もベストを尽くせたから。でもドラマに戻ってきたのは、１回dramatic debateをやって・・・やっぱりドラマが恋しくなってしまったから（笑）。comedyをやりたくて、いろんな映画や劇やオペラ、ミュージカルを調べまくって・・・なぜかHairsprayと出会ってしまいピーンときてしまった。このメンバーならできる、難しいけど・・・。

で案の定難しくて（笑）クラス運営がはちゃめちゃに。自分でも理解するのが大変で、NY行って実際にmusical観てきて、あの華やかで笑いも涙もあってsuperにhappyな雰囲気を出したい！と思ったけれども、テーマは深いし最終的な形が最後の最後まで見えなくて・・・。私は自分でも嫌になるくらいまじめでそれをメンバーに見せたくはなかったのだけれど、難しいということをそのままクラスに持っていってしまったものだからもう大変。年明けぐらいからは欠席も多かったり頼れる人が見つからずひどい風邪もひいてしまって、「何事も進んですることはいけません」とおみくじで言われていたのに（！）仲間を信頼しきれない自分に天罰が下ったのだと本当に落ち込んだ。クラス自体に行くのがつらく、自分が出てしまうと相手が出てこない、でも誰も引っ張る人がいない、とdouble bindで、自業自得なのだけれど鬱の再来かと思えるほどに相当につらい時期もあった。。。待つことができる人は本当に偉大だと思う。まかせて待つ、そしてあたたかく見守ることでしかその人が持ってる能力を引き出すことはできないし、信頼関係も築いていけないんだと思う・・・そして今回私は最後まで待てない人だった（笑）。

dance leaderになったからまずは自分が踊りをマスターしなければ！とYouTube見ながら一晩中ダンスしてたり←でもshare flatだから音立てちゃいけないし、手を伸ばせば壁！という狭い部屋の中で惨めだった・・・(>_<)、水曜が休日だった時、「ここで仕事休まないと絶対間に合わない！」と火曜から演技入れて早退して休んだら相当その演技が効いたらしく（P学院効果？！）週末まで連休をもらってしまったので、実家に戻って大量の衣装を運んできたり、誰もwigを作り始めない！やばい！とどうにかこうにか土台を作ってみたり←母さんは～♪夜なべをして～♪状態(^_^;)、舞台華やかにするにはcolorfulな衣装と背景必要！とひらめいて急きょ布注文して、circular skirtの作り方調べて作ってみたり←部屋が一時洋裁アトリエ状態に(-"-;)・・・最後の１０日間は本当に毎日仕事終わったら即学校行ってprops作成やらdanceにsongにact練習して、毎日終電でふらふらに。。。以前は御殿場から通っていたし週末しか来れなかったから、こんなに切羽詰って毎日できるものと知らなくて、相当早いプラン組んだのが失敗だったなぁ。必要以上にあせっていたもの。でも前日まで背景縫い縫いしてるとは考えてもいなかったわ(#+_+)

でもでもでも！とにもかくにも終わりよければ全てよし！皆のmotivationが低くて苦しくて、でもこれで　終わりになんてしたくない！って挽回しようと努力して、そのかいあって何でも言い合える仲間になったし、歌もダンスも楽しめたし（Good Morning Baltimoreが歌えたのとYou Can't Stop the Beat!が踊れたのはこの上ない幸せ！）、プロの美人メイクのおかげでMaybelleになりきりでperformanceできたし、なんてったって優勝なんて尾ひれまでついてきた！やった～～！！！これで悔いなく卒業できます！ほんとにほんとにありがとう～！！！

「なんでやめちゃうの～」とか「絶対にさびしくなって戻ってくるに違いない」って言われるけれど（笑）、他にやりたいことは盛りだくさんなのだ。本来大学生だし、すっぽかしてきた勉強に精を出さなきゃ。今月末の日曜はキャンパスでの入学式。私は秋入学だけれど、全然学生をしていないからここで気持ちを入れ替えて勉学に励もう。今週から職場で念願の古典語勉強も再開するし。長年勤めてる管理人のおばちゃんに英語劇をやってること話したら、かなり昔だけれどフランス語劇教えてる先生いて、P学院と同じように発表をしていたそうだ。今は先生がいないからやっていないそうだけれど・・・。古き良き伝統を復活させたいわ。仕事ももっと頑張りたい。

いつの間にか桜も散ってしまったけれど、ここからが始まり。少しずつ自分の夢をかなえていこう。

The 45th Phoenix English Festival

2007-04-10T00:51:00.000+09:00

Here is the timetable for the 45th Phoenix English Festival.
Come and see our fun-loving entertainment!!
http://www.eigozuke.co.jp/festival.pdf

☆Saturday, April 14
12:00-12:30 *Japan should found a nonreligious memorial place for the war dead 1
12:40-13:10 *Japan should found a nonreligious memorial place for the war dead 2
13:20-13:50 *Japan should found a nonreligious memorial place for the war dead 3
14:00-14:30 The Lion King
14:40-15:10 Hairspray
15:20-15:50 Satokibibatake no uta
16:00-16:30 Back To The Future
16:40-17:10 Ruthless People
17:20-17:50 Get Up!
18:00-18:30 THE INUGAMI FAMILY
18:40-19:10 Hula Girl
(* mark means Logical presentations. The others are Drama presentations.)

☆Sunday, April 15
11:00-11:30 Ruthless People
11:40-12:10 Back To The Future
12:20-12:50 THE INUGAMI FAMILY
13:00-13:30 Hula Girl
13:50-14:20 *Japan should found a nonreligious memorial place for the war dead 4
14:30-15:00 *Japan should found a nonreligious memorial place for the war dead 5
15:10-15:40 *Japan should found a nonreligious memorial place for the war dead 6
16:00-16:30 Get Up!
16:40-17:10 The Lion King
17:20-17:50 Hairspray
18:00-18:30 Satokibibatake no uta
19:00-20:30 Awarding ceremony & 1 min. presentations

Here is the map to Phoenix English School.
http://www.eigozuke.co.jp/address.html

Witty remarks 23

2007-03-02T05:00:00.000+09:00

*Nothing is life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. (Marie Curie)

*Reality can destroy the dream: why shouldn't the dream destroy reality? (George Moore)

*If I went back to college again, I'd concentrate on two areas: learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively. (Gerald Ford)

*Courage is grace under pressure. (Ernest Hemingway)

*Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it. (Irving Berlin)

*Our knowledge is a little island in a great ocean of non-knowledge. (Isaac Bashevis Singer)

*Time moves slowly, but passes quickly. (Alice Walker)

*There are two ways to slide easily through life; to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking. (Alfred Korzybski)

*Seize the day. (Horace)

*History teaches us the mistakes we are going to make. (Laurence J. Peter)

*I don't know what the secret to success is. But I know the secret to failure: and that is, trying to please everyone. (Bill Cosby)

*The more opinions you have, the less you see. (Wim Wenders)

Witty remarks 22

2007-03-02T04:28:00.000+09:00

*It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitaion. (Herman Melville)

*Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved. (Helen Keller)

*Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal. (T. S. Eliot)

*An American believes more than anything else in the last four letters of that title: I can. (anonymous)

*Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity. (Jackson Browne)

*Happiness lies in the joy of achivement and the thrill of creative effort. (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

*The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for cuiosity. (Dorothy Parker)

*Zeal without knowledge is fire without light. (Thomas Fuller)

*I don't trust him. We're friends. (Bertolt Brecht)

*The great end of life is not knowledge but action. (Thomas Huxley)

*My father gave me these hints on speech-making: Be sincere... be brief... be seated. (James Roosevelt)

*If you rest, you rust. (Helen Hayes)

RIO

2007-02-23T23:41:00.000+09:00

I wanted to watch a stand-up comedy when I made a trip to NY, but I couldn't.
Just now I find a Japanese stand-up comedian while reading articles on All About.
http://allabout.co.jp/travel/nylife/closeup/CU20070224A/?NLV=NL000060-182
You can watch him on YouTube! Have fun!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhV36qJenGI
Here's Rio Koike's official site.
http://riokoike.com/

The 44th Phoenix English Festival

2007-01-16T22:43:00.000+09:00

Here is the timetable for the 44th Phoenix English Festival.
Come and see our fun-loving entertainment!!
http://www.eigozuke.co.jp/

☆Saturday, January 20
12:00-12:30 Miracle on 34th Street
12:40-13:10 In Her Shoes
13:20-13:50 Jersey girl
14:00-14:30 Steel Magnolias
14:40-15:10 *The Japanese government should obligate fathers to take child-care leave.
15:20-15:50 RENT
16:00-16:30 *The Japanese government should open the door more for foreign workers.
16:40-17:10 Rain Man
17:20-17:50 *English education at elementary school must be compulsory subject.
18:00-18:30 Father of the bride
(* mark means Dramatic Debate presentations. The others are Drama presentations.)

☆Sunday, January 21
11:00-11:30 Rain man
11:40-12:10 *English education at elementary school must be compulsory subject.
12:20-12:50 Father of the bride
13:00-13:30 *The Japanese government should open the door more for foreign workers.
13:50-14:20 In Her Shoes
14:30-15:00 *The Japanese government should obligate fathers to take child-care leave.
15:10-15:40 Miracle on 34th Street
16:00-16:30 Steel Magnolias
16:40-17:10 Jersey girl
17:20-17:50 RENT
18:30-20:30 Awarding ceremony & 1 min. presentations

Here is the map to Phoenix English School.
http://www.eigozuke.co.jp/address.html

Witty remarks 21

2007-01-08T20:17:00.000+09:00

*The believer will fight another believer over a shade of difference: the doubter fights only with himself. (Graham Greene)

*In my next life I would like to be a pessimist. And then other people could spend all their time cheering me up. (Katharine Whitehorn)

*Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in it's own way. (Leo Tolstoy)

*When you're relaxed and confident, you get good stuff. (Robert De Niro)

*Words are also actions, and actions are a kind of words. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

*The difficult should be done at once; the impossible takes a little longer. (Royal Navy)

*Risky to change. Riskier no to change. (John Watts Young)

*Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours. (Les Brown)

*It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation. (Herman Melville)

*Two fat people will walk side by side, whether they know each other or not. (Murphy's law)

*The pimples don't appear until the hour before the date. (Murphy's law)

Witty remarks 20

2007-01-08T04:16:00.000+09:00

*A great artist is always before his time or behind it. (George Moore)

*Good people, are good because they've come to wisdom through failure. We get very little wisdom from success, you know. (William Saroyan)

*When someone tells you no, that is just the beginning. The art of overcoming the word no is something you must master. (James Cook)

*The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one. (Mark Twain)

*The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said. (Peter Drucker)

*The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time. (Friedrich Nietzsche)

*One person with courage makes a majority. (Andrew Jackson)

*We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. (Aristotle)

*The greatest wealth is contentment with a little. (a saying)

*Assumption is the mother of screw-up. (Angelo Donghia)

*Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. (Branch Rickey)

*If you're early, it'll be cancelled. If you knock yourself out to be on time, you'll have to wait. If you're late, you'll be too late. (Murphy's law)

New York 旅行記⑧：Hairspray

2006-12-29T15:02:00.000+09:00

さてさてこのためにわざわざNew Yorkまでやって来たのだから・・・でもちょっと時間切れだわ。とりあえず写真をアップ。

Vocal Lesson終わってホテル帰ってから昼寝してたんだけど（私は普段から夜が苦手だし・・・疲れてるからってshowの間に眠くなったら最悪だもん！）、Will Callでちゃんとチケットもらえるか急に不安になって開演１時間前にNeil Simon Theatreへダッシュ。そんなに心配しなくても・・・ちゃんとチケットgetしました。前から３列目の右寄り。こんな間近で演じ物見るのはJeanJean以来かも。。。

ここから先まじめに書こうとするとかなりの長文になっちゃうからお預け。事前にscript読んでいたから話の流れはいいとして、注目したのは舞台の使い方、Tracyの描き方、どこで笑いとってるか(punch line)などなど。いやーこれをすべてやるのは無理よ～comedyって役者に負ってるところ多いしさ～でもでもそんなことはいいとして楽しかった～♪♪♪Timeless to MeとI Know Where I've Beenでは泣いてしまった。主人公の成長を描いた上でこの楽しさを表現できれば最高！最後は皆でactを楽しみたいわ～（その前には苦難の道のりが・・・）。

New York 旅行記⑦：Vocal Lesson!

2006-12-29T13:41:00.000+09:00

１時にホテルに帰ってきて次は観劇の次に楽しみにしてたVocal Lesson! 私は歌がうまいわけじゃなくただ歌うのが好きで、何か習ったことがあるといえばかなーり前に第九合唱団に所属してたのと、１度目の大学生の時にイタリア・スペイン歌曲を趣味で文化センターで習ってたくらい。最近はカラオケは好きで行くけれど普段歌ってるわけじゃないし（というよりshare flatだから発音練習すらできない！）、こんなことしていいんだろうか？と直前になって不安になってしまった。だって譜面見ながら歌う練習をしてないのにプロの先生に習うなんてもったいなさすぎる！でもせっかくNew York来たんだし、ね。

案内の方にホテルまで来ていただき、７番のFlushing Local線に乗ってQueens地区へ。Manhattanしか調べてなかったからどんな地区かさっぱり分からなかったけれど、多国籍住宅街らしい。レッスン場所の近くのアパートメントはSpider-Manの撮影に使われたらしく（写真奥のアパートメントから手前緑のお店に飛び降りるシーンがあったそうだ）、一時期近所の子供たちの間でスパイダーマングッズが大流行したとか。

到着早々Lesson開始。指導はSingerであり教師でもあるというJayon Anthony先生。彼女の息子さんはLion Kingに出ていたり今度はColor Purpleに出るとかで、もちろん彼女が指導してるそうだ。・・・何だかすごいことになってしまった。。。発声練習から始まり、しばらくして持っていった歌２曲に取り掛かった。もちろんHairsprayがらみではるばるNew Yorkまで来てるんだから、その中のナンバー習わないわけにいかないでしょ？と用意したのは"Good Morning Baltimore"と"I Can Hear the Bells"。主人公の歌でコーラスやからみ少ないし、彼女の気持ち分かれば少しはoutlineやcharacterizationの助けになるかなぁと。

しかし！これは難曲である。Jayon先生の友人も何人かHairsprayに参加してるそうだが、毎年毎年メンバー（特に主役のTracy）を替えるのは、60年代風に声を変えて歌うため、喉を痛めてしまうからだそうだ。確かにCDに入ってるJaret Winokurのように歌うのははっきり言って不可能。先生も彼女のように歌うことはできなくても、自分の歌い方ならできるでしょ？と。一回驚くほど声が出たけど最後のｆｆまで続かずそれはpushしすぎだからもっと音楽に乗れと言われ、２曲目はさらに歌詞の言い回し自体難しく・・・先生が"breathe!"というたびに緊張しちゃった。やっぱそれは分かっててもっと楽しくcrazy girlにならなきゃね、ドラマをやるなら演技入ればもっと楽に歌えるね、と励ましてくれました。。。録音したけど聞きたくないなぁ。

うれしかったのは通訳なしでLessonを受けられたこと。英語劇を作るから参考にmusicalナンバー習ってみたかった、英語上達のために英語学校でドラマ作りしてると言ったら"It works!"とほめてくれました。

先生が発声練習のときに使った教科書で勧めてくれたのが"Teach Yourself to Sing: Everything You Need to Know to Start Singing Now "と言う本。http://www.amazon.co.jp/Teach-Yourself-Sing-Everything-Singing/dp/0882846655/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1/250-3621510-9886606
向こうで買ってきたかったけど、余裕なかった。Colony Musicという楽譜やCDを売ってる老舗音楽関連ショップがBroadwayの49th St.にあって、ショーウィンドーにはミュージカルの楽譜がところ狭しと並べてあった。のぞいてみたかったな～。できれば年内に買って実家でちょっと練習してみたいもの。

New York 旅行記⑥：買い物♪

2006-12-29T13:03:00.000+09:00

２日目のんびりしたぶん、３日目は予定がぎっしり！４日目は余裕ないから午前で買い物して、午後はVocal Lesson、そして夜ようやく本番、Hairspray観に行くのだ！！２日目夕方から雨降ったけど３日目は快晴とはいかないまでも雨降らなくてよかった。そういえば去年の今頃はニューヨーク大雪で交通手段ストップしたんじゃなかったっけ？でも今年暖冬なのはこちらでも同じみたい。身構えて寒さ対策してったけど、そこまで底冷えすることはなかった。
まず最初にVisitor Center行ってみる。初日開いててほしかった。。。シアターガイドやミュージカルのリーフレット、日本語のフリーペーパーも置いてありました。
それから向かったのがまたもやRockefeller Center。ここにMetropolitan Museumのショップがあるので家族や友達、自分用にいくつかお買い上げ。ここまで１５分くらいで済んでしまったので朝から満足気分でした♪
それから向かったのがLexington AvenueにあるBloomingdale's。創業１９２７年の老舗デパートでここでチョコレートなど購入。チョコレートと言えばMadison AvenueにあるFifth Avenue Chocolatierがいいとは聞いていたのだけど、何せ生チョコなのであきらめました。いつか食べたい～（お土産でなく・・・）。After Christmas Saleでクリスマスの飾りつけがいっぱい半額で売られていてお客さんでごった返してました。気がつくと５個くらい手に持っていて、これはまずいぞーと買うのをやめました。クリスマスの買い物って幸せな気分にしてくれるけどさ、帰ってからが怖い・・・。

買い物の後はLexington Avenueを下ってEurope Cafeへ。ファーストフードに近いけど、サンドイッチの種類が豊富で手作り感が人気のカフェらしい。pressattaというホットサンド（私が頼んだのはベトナム風チキンサンド）と野菜キッシュを食べたけれど当然食べきれずお持ち帰り。疲れてるからってそんなに食べれるわけじゃないよね～。これ２回目。ベーグルの時もつい２個頼んでしまい持ち帰りしたのでした。。。

New York 旅行記⑤：Christmas Spectacular

2006-12-29T10:47:00.000+09:00

午後最初に向かったのはtkts。今月までTimes Squareのtktsは改装中で、Marriott Marquisに仮ブースがあった。月曜だからほとんどのmusicalないだろうけど何かしら手に入れられるに違いない！で半額で手に入れたのがRadio CityのChristmas Spectacular。実は結構うれしかった。というのは旅行前調べてたらニューヨークの地元住民がこのクリスマスの季節に楽しみにしてるイベントとしてBronx Zoo Holiday LightsとこのRadio City Christmas Spectacularが紹介されてて、せっかくだからどっちか行けたらいいなぁと思ってたのだ。あとやっぱりNew York City BalletのThe Nutcracker。これは最初っからチケット取ってないとだめだよね。
開演まで時間あるので今度はCarnegie Hallの方までぐるっと回ってみる。どこもかしこもクリスマスの飾りつけでただ歩いてるだけでも楽しい。さてさて開演！

Radio City Music Hallは約6000席収容の世界最大のホールで、毎年6月のトニー賞の授賞式もここで行われるそうだ。それでこのChrismas Specraclarは開場翌年の1933年からずーっと続いてる伝統のクリスマスイベントらしい。でも、ま言ってしまえばクリスマスショー。ぬいぐるみがくるみ割り人形踊ったり、サンタがたくさん出てきて踊ったり、スケートショーあったり、アメリカを代表するダンスチームThe Rockettesが出てきておもちゃの兵隊のマーチやラインダンスしたり。最後はキリスト生誕の様子を描いたNativityで締めくくり。全体的に言ってしまえば内容あまりなくて子供向けのエンターテイメントショー。でもこれはこういうものなんだから別の芸術的なものを期待しちゃいけないよね。きっとニューヨーカーは子供の頃何回かこれを観ていて、大人になってクリスマスに帰省するたびに気楽な気持ちで年中行事みたいにして観に来てるんだろうなぁと思ったのでした。

New York 旅行記④：Midtown散策

2006-12-29T08:24:00.000+09:00

１日目の夜年賀状代わりのポストカード書いてから寝て起きたらもう朝の９時！普段超早起きの私としては何たる不覚！朝起きてからどこ行こうか決めようと思ってたのでちょっとショック。結構歩いたし疲れてたのね・・・とりあえず着替えて地下鉄に乗り（最初切符買うのとまどったけど慣れれば簡単。東京の方がよっぽど複雑だし、$2でどこまででも行けてしまうので何だか遠くに行きたくなっちゃう）、American Museum of Natural Historyへ。Museum無理でもMuseum shop巡りをしたかったの。でもそうです本日はクリスマスです。祝日だから閉まってるに決まってるじゃないの～。shopは無休というのを信じた私がバカでした。でもちょっとあきらめきれなくてCentral Park抜けてMetの方にも行ってみたけど当然閉まってます！ここで今日はどこも閉まっていることに腹を立てない（分かってて来たんでしょうあなた・・・）と誓ってまた地下鉄に乗り、グランド・セントラル駅へ。

午前中はMidtown散策でいいや、と国連本部のまでぐるっと回ってきたらおなかがすいてきた。ニューヨーク来たらやっぱりベーグル食べたい！ということでエッサ・ベーグルで昼ごはん。日本人女性に受けるのか壁には日本語のメニュー、レジではKonnichiwa! Kawaii!と言われてしまった。。。さて午後は何をしよう？

New York 旅行記③：クリスマスの夜の街へ

2006-12-29T07:27:00.000+09:00

check inして部屋に荷物置いたらさっそく夜の街へ！St. Patrick's Cathedralでクリスマスイブ礼拝があるとのことで、時間的にはとっくに過ぎてたけどとりあえず大聖堂目指して歩いてみる。初日でかなり緊張してたよな～。夜に１人で地図なんか広げて立ち止まってたら危ないと思って、まずはホテルを出て人の多い方へ歩くと、ちょうど7th AvenueとBroadwayの交差点だった。

到着したらInformation Centerへ行った方がいいとのことなので行ってみたけど閉まってた。また明日でいいか・・・と途中で日曜版The New York Timesや切手、ポストカードを買ったりしながら5th Avenueへ向かう。ニューヨークのクリスマスツリーといったらやっぱりRockefeller Centerの巨大ツリー。Radio City Music Hallと並んでこのあたりはほんと観光客でいっぱい。

でようやくSt. Patrick's Cathedralに着いたけど、クリスチャンでもない私が礼拝に参加してもしょうがないので中をちょっと拝見するにとどめました。お隣Saks Fifth Avenueの壁には雪の結晶のイルミネーションが。付近では白馬に乗った警官が見回りをしていました。夜でもこれだけ賑やかであれば逆に安心して歩けるね。Macy'sのSanta Landも見てみたかったけど閉店時間過ぎてたのであきらめて、劇場街をチェックしつつホテルへ帰ることに。

こういう看板見てるときたきたきたBroadway!!!となるね☆今度来る時は綿密にプラン立ててこよう♪でもまた来ることがあるのだろうか？

New York 旅行記②：出国～ホテル到着

2006-12-29T06:14:00.000+09:00

年末の高い時期にわざわざ行かなくたって・・・しかもクリスマスイブに出国なんて頭がどうかしてるに違いない・・・という声が聞こえてたけど、いいの！だって２・３日ずらしたら飛行機代もホテル代もバカ高くなるし、平日滞在になるからmusical観まくるだろうし、もっと散財してたはず。正月過ぎると安くなるけどね・・・５日仕事開始だからそれはちょっと無理。

全ての手続きをネット上で済ませたので実物がなく（航空券でなくEチケット、ミュージカルのチケットもなくWill Callで受け取り）心配だったけれど特に問題はなくて一安心。アメリカ入国ということで手荷物検査あるから、荷物預ける時にトランクに鍵かけないとかいうのはあったけど、想像してたほどの大げさなsecurity checkはなかった。

行きは席がすいてたので３席使って横になって寝てたら着いてしまったという感じ。だいたい日本からニューヨークに行く場合は日付変更線を越えるので飛び立った時間の１～２時間前になるとのこと。夕方４時ごろ着いて空港をうろうろ。Taxi使えば良かったのだが怪しい客引きに引っかかりたくなかったので、ガイドブックに載ってたシャトルバスを使いたかったのだ。３人ほどに聞いてもどこでバスのチケット買えばいいのか分からず、まさにうろうろしてたところGround Transportation（だったかな？）なるものを発見。ここからいろんなバス＆タクシー会社に電話できるらしい。でSuperShuttleというとこに電話して乗り合いvanに乗っけてもらう。

地理が全く分からないためいつの間にかMidtownに入ってMadison Avenue走ってたりMorgan Library通り過ぎたりしてたらしく、そのうちBroadwayに入ってMilford Plazaに到着。ここが３日間ニューヨーク滞在の拠点でした。って思いっきり劇場地区！でも安全はお金に変えられないし、そもそも今回の旅は贅沢するとこは贅沢！（というより値段の加減が分かってないのね・・・）と気にしないことにしました。

New York 旅行記①：帰国！

2006-12-29T05:33:00.000+09:00

というわけで行ってきましたニューヨーク。年末御殿場帰ったらたぶんネットつながらないし、年明けたらそれはそれで超人的に忙しくなるので今えいやっと旅行記書いちゃおう。写真載せやすいからBloggerの方で・・・ほんとは英語ブログなんだけど・・・今回は英語で書く気力ないので日本語で書いちゃいます。

もともと決断したのが１ヶ月前、ドラマクラスのタイトルがHairsprayに決まってから観に行けたらいいなぁ～とは思ってた。だってBroadway tourが日本に来るのも映画公開も来年の夏、それじゃすっかりドラマクラス終わってるし意味がない～。そんなこと思ってたら新しい仕事先の冬休みがわりと長いことが判明。これは今行かないと後悔する！と即断してしまったのだ。普段旅行するわけでもないし、まして海外は初めてだというのに（しかも単独１人旅！）。。。でもLife is what happens to you while you are making other plansだし、これも何かの縁でしょ。こんな機会なければ一生アメリカ、しかもニューヨークなんて行かないだろうしね。それに英語勉強してるのに１度も現地で実力試したことがないというのはちょっと恥ずかしかったので。

写真は昨日の朝・・・といっても１２時間半時差あるからよく分からず・・・ニューアーク空港で。ドル札足りなくて日本円で受け取ってくれたタクシーの運転手さんに感謝！

Christmas Song List♪

2006-12-14T07:12:00.000+09:00

*Joy To The World
*We Wish You A Merry Christmas
*Frosty The Snowman
*I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
*Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
*Silver Bells
*Sleigh Ride
*Winter Wonderland
*Deck The Halls
*Jingle Bell
*Silent Night
*Twelve Days Of Christmas
*Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
*Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
*Last Christmas
http://www.clubdam.com/karaoke/feature/christmas/2006/index.html
I'm looking forward to singing these songs at the party this weekend!

You Can't Stop the Beat 2

2006-12-07T08:20:00.000+09:00

Yesterday monrning I finished reading almost all of the transcript of the movie "Hairspray". This was the first time for me to read the whole text of a movie. I was very surprised that Penny, Tracy's best friend, reads "Black Like Me" in one scene. I also read it now! in Japanese, though.
It's very fun to know the musicians through reading the text of Hairspray; Annette Funicello, Chubby Checker, Connie Francis, Debbie Reynolds, Shelley Fabares... I wish I could have more time to search and listen their songs!

Colored Leaves

2006-12-03T14:18:00.000+09:00

I can see the colored leaves at Koishikawa botanical garden from the living. I can't believe it's already in December. How time flies!

You Can't Stop the Beat 1

2006-11-30T08:19:00.000+09:00

"Retired, and moved to New York"... oops, no no no.
I decided to go to New York this month!

Witty remarks 19

2006-11-29T23:42:00.000+09:00

*If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas. (George Bernard Shaw)

*Good people are good because they've come to wisdom through failure. (William Saroyan)

*The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision. (Helen Keller)

*The devil temps all, but the idle man temps the devil. (a saying in Western countries)

*Plans are nothing; planning is everything. (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

*You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. (Dr. Seuss)

*It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well. (René Descartes)

*A winner niver quits and a quitter never wins. (a saying)

*The first rule for a good style is to have something to say; in fact, this in itself is almost enough. (Arthur Schopenhauer)

*It takes a great deal of history to produce a little literature. (Henry James)

*There are two kinds of adhesive tape: that which won't stay on and that which won't come off. (Murphy's law)

*Those who live closest arrive latest. (Murphy's law)

We Are the World

2006-11-28T20:19:00.000+09:00

I happened to find a recording video clip of "We Are the World" on Youtube the other day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmxT21uFRwM
It took me back to the days when I learned this song around I was a junior high school student. It made me cry because I think this message is a kind of everlasting one through different periods in history. I really want to know who is who by each singer.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

2006-11-27T05:53:00.000+09:00

I finished reading and exercises earlier than usual, so I tried the third extract. That was "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Frederick Douglass. It was really hard for me to keep reading because this depicts how the author had been treated as a slave. Along with "Uncle Tom's Cabin", this narrative was one of the most influential pieces of literature to fuel the abolitionist movement of the early 19th Century in the United States. The teacher said children in U.S. read this story in a class.
Recently I have to research the history of African American, so it was lucky for me to know it. Perfect timing it was.

Drinking & Karaoke Party!

2006-11-26T08:52:00.000+09:00

After the first day of work on Saturday, I went to the party which I had been looking for for a month. A friend of mine who used to come to Phoenix from Gotemba and I planned it. Last time we did it in September with 8 members, and this time there were 14 members and all of them were friends at Phoenix. It was fun! We tend to meet the same members at school, so this kind of party really refreshed me. I want to have it again next year.

Some of the members went to Karaoke after the drinking party. On that day, I sang these songs, if I remember correctly.

*Mamma Mia
*Dancing Queen
*Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
*La Bamba
*Irresistiblement
*You've Got A Friend
*Hello, Dolly!
*Take Me Home Country Road
*Memory
*Seasons Of Love
*Omatsuri Mambo
*Last Christmas
*Christmas Eve
*I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
*Do Re Mi
*It's My Party

I was surprised that there were opera songs ("La donna è mobile", for example) in foreign songs list. I'd like to know what kinds of ohter opera songs there on the list.

As I did it often before, I missed the last train and stayed at an internet cafe, Aprecio Shinjuku.
http://www.aprecio.co.jp/shinjuku/index.php

The Ugly Duckling

2006-11-25T05:52:00.000+09:00

The second extract was "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen. First I didn't notice this is a well-known story. Soon I realized that it was "Minikui Ahirunoko" in Japanese! It was very easy to read. I found this story in a children's story book at Junkudo. It sounds nice to read those books for chilren in order to do extensive reading, doesn't it? Anderson wrote several stories for children, The Little Match Girl, The Little Marmaid...etc.

The moral concept of the "Ugly Duckling" is that inner beauty will overshadow the physical appearance. I found that the dictionaries say that "a person or thing that at first does not seem attractive or likely to succeed but that later becomes successful or much admired" (Advanced Oxford) and "a person who turns out to be beautiful or talented against all expectations (Concise Oxford).

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

2006-11-24T07:51:00.000+09:00

It was only me again in the Friday reading class. I read 3 extracts on that day. The first story was "The Adventure of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain.

I guess I should read not only Tom Sawyer but also its sequel, "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", because it depicts racism of the time and the drifting journey of Huck and his friend Jim, a runaway slave, down the Mississippi River on their raft may be one of the most enduring images of escape and freedom in all of American literature.
http://www.isis.ne.jp/mnn/senya/senya0611.html

Drama Title Decided: Hairspray

2006-11-22T22:59:00.000+09:00

Finally my drama class decided our title. That is "Hairspray". This is about two weeks earlier than that last year. I can't believe my class could decide it in such an early phase.

This title is my recommendation. In October, I had checked so many movies and searched lots of plays, operas, musicals and so on. When I found the musical Hairspray and its original movie, I felt it did ring a bell, so I bought its DVD soon. Actually I'd never known that this was a famous Broadway musical until that time. After I watched the movie, I had a strong hunch again. So I recommended it in the class.

As I came to know Hairspray bit by bit, I noticed that it is really difficult to make a drama with Hairspray. It has a deep message, but it can be a cheap comedy easily. Nocturne, the last drama of mine was also difficult. In Nocture, there are various chacters appear, and they connect with others complicatedly. And it has many messages by each role and its mixture move the audience deeply. But it's easier to tell a deep message with a serious drama...

I feel I always try some new thing. Nocturne, Otaku..., and Hairspray. It must be challenging, but I'd like to trust members again and make a good drama.

Lunch with Youtube 2

2006-11-20T16:07:00.000+09:00

This is a note just for myself. No need to check every site!

Do you hear the people sing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUCZywEwbvo

Mario brothers - underwater theme - accordion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3Gl5xP3cfo

Jammin on the accordion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbnW6203b2k

La Vie BohemeA-Rent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfmOGhalOcw

Larry Raben "I Wanna Be A Producer" Broadway's THE PRODUCERS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaJx0dJu9Gk

Musical: Springtime For Hitler from movie "The Producers"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psjqi-SqssQ

Takeshi Kitano & Ken Shimura - Tap & Shamisen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPuHYnO5Il8

The Papas The Mamas - California Dreaming (live ver.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFazThBbEao

The Ronettes - Be My Baby (1965)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi6-Eh-_pUA

Lunch with Youtube 1

2006-11-19T18:15:00.000+09:00

These days when I have lunch in my tiny room, I always check Youtube. Here's some clips which I watched this week.

DO RE MI - Andy Williams Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpGvR0qVBrs

Lesley Gore - It's My Party
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5Q-5RK0k3o

Martha & The Vandellas - Heatwave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGBSs6sEIJM

The Best Of Cats The Musical
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI1DMZ6J_RM

Marilyn Monroe - Runnin' Wild (Some Like it Hot)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHNq5Et13EE

At the end of the day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEu-1sTe2ds

Billie Holiday & Louis Armstrong - Do You Know What It Means
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX8OLqHYAgE

Chicago-All that Jazz compilation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS3APkBm9Yk

Witty remarks 18

2006-11-18T03:16:00.001+09:00

*You can never lose anything that really belongs to you, and you can't keep that which belongs to someone else. (Edgar Cayce)

*Opinion is ultimately determined by the feelings, and not by the intellect. (Herbert Spencer)

*There are two mistakes on can make along the road to truth... not going all the way, and not starting. (Buddha)

*Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, and half shut afterward. (Benjamin Franklin)

*A bus is a vehicle that goes on the other side in the opposite directon. (Murphy's law)

*Marriage halves our griefs, doubles our joys, and quadruples our expenses. (a saying)

*Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods. (Aristotle)

*Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. (Carl Sandburg)

*Only constant repetition will finally succeed in imprinting an idea on the memory of the people. (Adolf Hitler)

*You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. (C. S. Lewis)

*A bus is a vehicle that goes on the other side in the opposite direction. (Murphy's law)

*Whenever you need to stop at a light to put on makeup, every light will be green. (Murphy's law)

Project Sugita Genpaku

2006-11-17T20:18:00.000+09:00

When I searched about Stevenson and Bram Stoker, I found a great translation project called "Project Sugita Genpaku".
http://www.genpaku.org/

It seems more useful than Aozora Bunko and Project Gutenberg! Now I'm interested in the promoter of this project, Hiro Yamagata.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiro_Yamagata

Bildungsroman

2006-11-16T19:52:00.000+09:00

This German word "Bildungsroman" had been tip on my tongue for weeks, and the other day I remembered it finally. It seems to be translated as "novel of education" or "novel of formation" in English. In Japanese it is translated as 教養小説, but I think it's wrong. Bildungsroman is a novel which traces the spiritual, moral, psychological, or social development and growth of the main character from (usually) childhood to maturity (from Wikipedia).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bildungsroman

The reason why I has been thinking of this word is that I start to think about what drama is again these days. I think that the main character in a drama should grow mentally and spiritually, I mean, s/he should be changed between before and after the drama with struggle.

I think the drama is, in short, put the hero (heroine) in the last place s/he wants to be, and s/he tried to overcome the difficulties, and audience watch his (her) growth.

So I think drama is a kind of buildungsroman.

Chaplin

2006-11-15T05:11:00.000+09:00

I should have checked this TV program about Chaplin.
http://cgi4.nhk.or.jp/hensei/program/p.cgi?area=509&date=2006-11-13&ch=21&eid=6830

As a matter of fact, I've watched only "Modern Times" once before. When I found his famous speech in "The Great Dictator" on the net, I was really moved and I thought I should watch it, but not yet. Now I really want to know how to put a deep message in comedy.

☆Dictator's speech, "Look up, Hannah"
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/

☆The Chaplin Society of Japan
http://www.chaplinjapan.com/

Haunted House

2006-11-14T05:40:00.000+09:00

In the Advanced Reading class, the teacher told us the story when he went into a haunted house at Daiba with his friend. They went into it just because they wanted to drop in there, laugh off, and go away. But that was wrong.

They got a note in English which said "Don't hit the ghosts". They didn't much care of it, but after all they really felt like hitting the ghosts! They said "Hello!" and "Excuse me!" in a childish but scary tone (in English), and came just aside to them! He said he screamed out loud with dirty words all the time during in the houted house, and he couldn't stop shivering after he went out of the house. I guess it was really scary for them just because they didn't get used to Japanese style haunted house, but it seemed really freightening for them.

☆Daiba Hounted House
http://sunrise-e.net/dkg/

BOOKLOG

2006-11-13T04:33:00.000+09:00

I made my bookshelf on the web with BOOKLOG http://booklog.jp/users/nabocha.
When I first found this service years ago, I didn't like it because it was so heavy. This time I was so absorbed in making it that I forgot about the time. It's fun! This service got the grand prize at Amazon associate program contest.
I want to keep my books left at my parents' home in order with this program someday.

The Rocking-House Winner

2006-11-12T23:50:00.000+09:00

Last Friday in the advanced reading class, I read "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence. I just know the name of this auther with his work "Lady Chatterley's Lover" and its obscenity trial in Britain and Japan. The teacher said that this work was not so obscene and its trial represented the changes of the times.

This is a short story and its extract was really easy for me. I just felt like reading short stories more. There was a middle class English family who were really concerned about their small income, but kept their style. This really stands for typical British characteristic of bluffing. I remember a middle-aged man who pretends to work as a manager but has no job in reality in the movie "Full Monty".

I didn't know from the extract, but this family seems to succeed in winning a horse race, they lose their money in the end, though. The teacher always choose some tragic and desperate stories. I used to read this genre without notice.

☆Classic Short Stories
http://www.classicshorts.com/