少人数制で楽しく身につく英会話教室・英会話スクールなら「アミックインターナショナル」

I’m getting very excited as I make plans for this summer. I’m planning to go to the music festival Fuji Rock in Niigata. I’ve never been to Fuji Rock before, but after having a great time at Summer Sonic in Osaka last year I’m ready to go to another music festival this year. On top of the fun and exciting atmosphere of being outdoors in a sea of people, a few of my favourite artists are going to be playing this year including the headliners Bjork and Aphex Twin. The festival is three days long so I will be exhausted after it is over but it will definitely be worth it!

Joe

It’s springtime and change is in the air. Families have attended graduation ceremonies and will soon be attending entrance ceremonies. The school year ends and begins. College grauduates learn to become more self-suffient as they enter the workforce and for those already working, job transfers are not out of the ordinary.

Change is inevitable. There are good changes and not-so-good changes. It is all part of life’s experiences. We grow older and wiser. We may not always be ready for it, but that’s natural.

Here are some quotes about change to inspire you.

‘If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.’ – Gail Sheehy

‘Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.’ – John F. Kennedy

I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.’ – Jimmy Dean

I had a strange dream last night, but I can’t remember what happened in it! I often remember that I have been dreaming and can remember the sensations and feelings that these dreams invoke – sometimes I can remember snippets of the dreams and I can even remember thinking that “I must remember this dream because it would make a great book or film” but by the time I wake up, I have forgotten the details that would make the dreams such successful blockbusters and I am left with a feeling of dismay – was the dream really that good or was it just my imagination?

Some people dream in black and white, my dreams are usually very colourful though. I am relieved that I rarely have nightmares, although sometimes I can be left with an uneasy feeling if I am woken up part way through a dream. Some people are able to take control of what they are dreaming – the process is called lucid dreaming. I have never experienced that – have you?

Many cultures attribute abstract meanings to dreams, do you believe that dreams are messages from our subconscious self, or a byproduct of our brain processing thoughts and memories?

England’s springtime festivals and events come in all shapes and sizes, from traditional country fetes to world-class sporting events and quiet, intellectual affairs. What’s more, there’s something to suit all tastes and interests. Foodies can sink their teeth into Yorkshire’s best produce at the Malton Food Lovers Festival whilst vintage darlings clamber aboard the East Lancashire Railway’s 1940s festival. Sip a quintessentially English Pimm’s at a garden party in Cumbria, join in with the Morris dancers for an old-fashioned May Day knees-up or click your fingers and tap your toes to the sound of Bristol’s thumping jazz scene.

Ever since I first came to Japan back in 2011 I was always fascinated by the culture of cuteness that is so prevalent in Japanese society. Within the first week I had already done プリクラ (purikura) multiple times, was introduced to countless character mascots and came to understand the significance of posing for a picture in a cute way, especially the ever present peace sign. My understanding was heightened when I learned of アイドル (idols) and how cuteness ruled the entertainment industry here.

Needless to say, the cuteness of Japan has had a large impact on me, to the point where I’ve basically developed an effeminate “alter-ego”. While this “alter-ego” is largely a joke to me, I enjoy that it helps me balance the over-serious aspects of my personality in social situations. It is meant to be humorous, but the funniest part is that my family and friends back in the United States don’t quite understand when I post pictures like this:

(-_^)v

笑(Haha)!

Joe