カナダからの手紙.
When I first came here a decade ago, every teacher over the age of 50 would sing the first few lines of this song to me. Thanks to the miracle of YouTube, now you, too, can enjoy the magic. (Sing along...it's Karaoke style!)
ラブレター フロム カナダ
もしもあなたが 一緒にいたら
どんなに楽しい 旅でしょう
ラブレター フロム カナダ
色づく街を 歩いていると
涙がほほに こぼれてきます
あなたの声を 思いだして
カナダの夕陽 みつめています
息がとまるような くちづけを
どうぞ私に 投げてください
ラブレター フロム カナダ
あなたのいない ひとり旅です
ラブレター フロム カナダ
あなたの愛を たしかめたくて
わがままばかり いいました
ラブレター フロム カナダ
ふたりの恋が 真実ならば
はなれていても さみしくないと
ふたりの夜を 思いだして
街の灯りを みつめています
息がとまるような くちづけを
どうぞ私に 投げてください
ラブレター フロム カナダ
あなたのいない ひとり旅です
息がとまるような くちづけを
どうぞ私に 投げてください
ラブレター フロム カナダ
あなたのいない ひとり旅です
Canada Day
7月1日 カナダの建国を祝う日 花火大会や記念式典が行われる。 125回目の誕生日だったときには、オタワの式典会場にカナダ君主である 英国女王エリザベス二世 も訪れたと聞きました。
Or in other words...I AM CANADIAN!
and finally...
2010-06-30
Very Blue Samurai.
Though Japan failed to score in last night's match against Paraguay, I am quite proud of how far Japan managed to get in the Cup race. I feel really sorry for the kicker who hit the post for now he has to commit 切腹/腹切り (Seppuku/Hara-Kiri or Hari-Kari as Gaijin know it) in true Samurai fashion!
Here are some picks of our Boys in Blue in some of their prouder moments as gleaned from their Calbee Potato Chip Cards! (Sorry for the blurry, shadowy pics, I'll be happy once I get my scanner fixed!)
Here are some picks of our Boys in Blue in some of their prouder moments as gleaned from their Calbee Potato Chip Cards! (Sorry for the blurry, shadowy pics, I'll be happy once I get my scanner fixed!)
2010-06-29
Cyclops and Skeletons and Snakes, Oh My!
While following a few of my Followers (in particular, John Rozen), I discovered that it was Ray Harryhausen's 90th birthday. I've linked to his website before and here is an interactive list of nearly every creature ever done!
What follows are a few pics of my Ray goodies, including an Allosaurus that came with Valley of the Gwangi!
These are the ten cards that came with my Furuta Ray Harryhausen collection back in 2002.
I can only find two of my figurines, the others must be stored away in a box somewhere in the inner recesses of my closet.
Here's to the next 90 years!
What follows are a few pics of my Ray goodies, including an Allosaurus that came with Valley of the Gwangi! These are the ten cards that came with my Furuta Ray Harryhausen collection back in 2002.
I can only find two of my figurines, the others must be stored away in a box somewhere in the inner recesses of my closet.Here's to the next 90 years!
2010-06-27
Yankii Go Home!
First, check out this list of Japanese subcultures and then you can follow my observations.
The Decatora are kind of cool, I don't see them often since I rarely make it onto a highway, but it certainly harkens back to the painted vans of my youth with the Frazetta-esque murals on their sides. I must say though, that the painted trains are awesome!
I don't see them in Sendai all that often, though the tanning salons are prevalent, the tannees aren't. Go to Harajuku or Shibuya and it's a whole wacky world full of them! Didja know that the name
ヤマンバ or Yamamba is derived from the 山姥 or Yama-Uba? The ones I've met consider themselves to be the epitome of beauty...not quite the hags of mythology! Here are some examples of modern day Yamamba...
Here are some slightly older versions...
What I do see an awful lot of in the city are #3, the Little Lolitas. They are all shapes and sizes and I'm a little too embarrassed about asking them for a photo without coming off all pervy.
There are Hostess Bars all over The 'Buncho in Sendai's entertainment district yet there are also several Host Bars. I'll have to take some pics tomorrow and maybe I'll apply for a job while I'm at it! (I'm going to have to get one of those fem-poodle haircuts though!)
This morning from 4-6, I watched the Americans get beaten by the Ghana team. (I am currently watching England get royally blitzed by the Germans right now!) Here are some of the puns I used on FB...That's Ghana hurt!...They're Ghanas! ...Who ya Ghana call? Yank-busters! If you look at #2 on this list, you'll see a different kind of Yankee...the Yankii. They are the most annoying thing on the list. I don't encounter them often, pretty much a waste of my time but they are noisy and nasty nogoodniks. Back in my Soma days, we had a couple of their progenitors, the Bosozoku motorcyclists who like to make lots of noise but were for the most part nice guys. Most of them are not!!
The last subculture on this list is the one that I have the least amount of contact with, ヴィジュアル系 or Visual Kei. (From Wiki, "Some sources state that Visual Kei refers to a music genre, or to a sub-genre of J-rock with its own particular sound, related to glam-rock, punk and metal." I just think it sounds like noise and it is no wonder that Japanese women are seeking out foreign boyfriends (except me!) since it's hard to distinguish the gender these days! Be forewarned, you should turn down the volume on this YouTuber!
The Football Match is done now and I can go to bed. Quite the pummelling the Brits took! Now, there's only Samurai Blue left to cheer for!
The Decatora are kind of cool, I don't see them often since I rarely make it onto a highway, but it certainly harkens back to the painted vans of my youth with the Frazetta-esque murals on their sides. I must say though, that the painted trains are awesome!
I don't see them in Sendai all that often, though the tanning salons are prevalent, the tannees aren't. Go to Harajuku or Shibuya and it's a whole wacky world full of them! Didja know that the name
ヤマンバ or Yamamba is derived from the 山姥 or Yama-Uba? The ones I've met consider themselves to be the epitome of beauty...not quite the hags of mythology! Here are some examples of modern day Yamamba...
Here are some slightly older versions...
What I do see an awful lot of in the city are #3, the Little Lolitas. They are all shapes and sizes and I'm a little too embarrassed about asking them for a photo without coming off all pervy.
There are Hostess Bars all over The 'Buncho in Sendai's entertainment district yet there are also several Host Bars. I'll have to take some pics tomorrow and maybe I'll apply for a job while I'm at it! (I'm going to have to get one of those fem-poodle haircuts though!)
This morning from 4-6, I watched the Americans get beaten by the Ghana team. (I am currently watching England get royally blitzed by the Germans right now!) Here are some of the puns I used on FB...That's Ghana hurt!...They're Ghanas! ...Who ya Ghana call? Yank-busters! If you look at #2 on this list, you'll see a different kind of Yankee...the Yankii. They are the most annoying thing on the list. I don't encounter them often, pretty much a waste of my time but they are noisy and nasty nogoodniks. Back in my Soma days, we had a couple of their progenitors, the Bosozoku motorcyclists who like to make lots of noise but were for the most part nice guys. Most of them are not!!
The last subculture on this list is the one that I have the least amount of contact with, ヴィジュアル系 or Visual Kei. (From Wiki, "Some sources state that Visual Kei refers to a music genre, or to a sub-genre of J-rock with its own particular sound, related to glam-rock, punk and metal." I just think it sounds like noise and it is no wonder that Japanese women are seeking out foreign boyfriends (except me!) since it's hard to distinguish the gender these days! Be forewarned, you should turn down the volume on this YouTuber!
The Football Match is done now and I can go to bed. Quite the pummelling the Brits took! Now, there's only Samurai Blue left to cheer for!
From A Watari Grave.
I finally found my recently misplaced camera with several pics of the town in which I find myself twice a week. What follows are some pics of flowers within one of the countryside schools, some random floral photos en route to and from my school by bike and the castle-like train station. (Also a very cheesy YouTube that may not be safe for work...DUH!)
This one is for follower FrogQueen who is about the only one who comments on this little bloggy thing of mine.
This one is for follower FrogQueen who is about the only one who comments on this little bloggy thing of mine.
2010-06-24
Oh Kanada!
Hey, ya know it's the 120th Anniversary of the tune, Oh Canada? It's undergone a few changes in lyrics over the years and these days it's only sung at sporting events and Summit meetings, but I remember the days when it used to be broadcast in Public School and prior to watching a flick at the Odeon in downtown Brampton. We'd get our Anthem, a few ads for lobby snacks, a great NFB short such as The Big Snit some previews and the movie.
These days the Anthem gets booed at hockey games, but I'd like to see anyone boo this cool rendition sung in Cree! (It's okay if you boo the Calgary Flames, just not the singer.)
I've sung the tune as part of a lesson, at Rakuten Eagles games (they won again tonight!) and in various stages of drunkenness in innumerable locales.
I would wager though that you have never heard it quite like this with trilingual (English, French and Japanese) lyrics...
You may now sit down again and go back to your daily lives.
These days the Anthem gets booed at hockey games, but I'd like to see anyone boo this cool rendition sung in Cree! (It's okay if you boo the Calgary Flames, just not the singer.)
I've sung the tune as part of a lesson, at Rakuten Eagles games (they won again tonight!) and in various stages of drunkenness in innumerable locales.
I would wager though that you have never heard it quite like this with trilingual (English, French and Japanese) lyrics...
You may now sit down again and go back to your daily lives.
2010-06-23
Mind Your Ps And Qs.
I would love to print this out for use amongst my students, but 97% of them have no idea who Wolverine is. The other 3% already know the alphabet. (Kudos to Nigel for the link.)
Btw, I highly recommend a peek at buddy Mark's Flickr page for some cool photos of Tim Burton's exhibition at the ACMI, Melbourne.
Btw, I highly recommend a peek at buddy Mark's Flickr page for some cool photos of Tim Burton's exhibition at the ACMI, Melbourne.
2010-06-22
Mickey-Trooper.
My scanner is still down and now I can't find my camera so I can't even take pics of all the goodies I have scattered on my desk. So here are a few pics from my ケイタイ (keitai = cell phone).
I've missed out on a few birthdays lately. My mom (83 or 84), buddy Adam (40), pal Kanako (30) and a few more I'm sure. These balloon cakes & flowers are courtesy of an NHK course you can take on バルン・アルト (balloon art)...it's more than just funny animals, ya know. (I'm really good at making a snake.)
Speaking of NHK, I am yet again stuck with a 3-hour walkabout every Monday (yet another p/t job falls through!) so I spend it window shopping and trying not to do any actual shopping. I did though eat at the premier of this restaurant down the street. It's called Sasebo Burger and is one of several franchises in Japan, the original being Sasebo, a small town with a big American Navy base on the western coast of Kyushu. They even have Sasebo Angels, though I didn't think the waitresses were that much of a knock out. The burger was pretty yummy though!
What I really like about the premiere of stores and restaurants are the buckets of bouquets that adorn it both inside and out. I only caught the name of the white ones, and they are known as 胡蝶蘭（chou-ran) or moth orchids (Phalaenopsis)...purty.
Another new restaurant had this wo-mannequin outside. I didn't go inside but I like the cut of its jib.
Finally, I saw this t-shirt on a rack outside one of the innumerable clothing shops; if it weren't over 40 bucks, I might have picked it up!
I've missed out on a few birthdays lately. My mom (83 or 84), buddy Adam (40), pal Kanako (30) and a few more I'm sure. These balloon cakes & flowers are courtesy of an NHK course you can take on バルン・アルト (balloon art)...it's more than just funny animals, ya know. (I'm really good at making a snake.)
Speaking of NHK, I am yet again stuck with a 3-hour walkabout every Monday (yet another p/t job falls through!) so I spend it window shopping and trying not to do any actual shopping. I did though eat at the premier of this restaurant down the street. It's called Sasebo Burger and is one of several franchises in Japan, the original being Sasebo, a small town with a big American Navy base on the western coast of Kyushu. They even have Sasebo Angels, though I didn't think the waitresses were that much of a knock out. The burger was pretty yummy though!
What I really like about the premiere of stores and restaurants are the buckets of bouquets that adorn it both inside and out. I only caught the name of the white ones, and they are known as 胡蝶蘭（chou-ran) or moth orchids (Phalaenopsis)...purty.
Another new restaurant had this wo-mannequin outside. I didn't go inside but I like the cut of its jib.
Finally, I saw this t-shirt on a rack outside one of the innumerable clothing shops; if it weren't over 40 bucks, I might have picked it up!
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