December 31, 2018　=========

☆  favorite   お気に入りの

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Happy New Year’s Eve! Can you believe that 2018 has already come to an end? It’s so surprising to me, that it made me remember the saying, “The days are long, but the years are short.” So true, don’t you think? Sometimes just one day can seem to take forever, but then suddenly, it’s the end of another year!

So, let’s end the year by talking about our favorite things!

What is your favorite moment from 2018?
Out of the places you visited in 2018, what was your favorite?
Who was your favorite person to spend time with in 2018?
What was your favorite thing about your job/study in 2018?
Out ofRead more about December 31 – favorite[…]

December 30, 2018　=========

☆  value   尊重する

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If you value something or someone, you think that it is important and you appreciate that person or thing. This week’s quote is interesting I think by Walter Winchell, an American newspaper and radio commentator from the 1920’s. He said, “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” In other words, a real friend values you and respects you and will support you even when the rest of the world doesn’t want to help you.

Do you have this kind of “real” friend, someone that values you for exactly who you are? Do you value them back in theRead more about December 30 – value[…]

December 29, 2018　=========

☆  share   共有する

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Today, all my family – brother, sisters, and their kids will be gathering at my sister’s house for a belated Christmas lunch. On Christmas day we would usually meet up at our mom’s place for lunch or dinner, but of course, not this year. And since we were all quite busy it was hard to find a time to catch up, so instead my sister organized this event for us.

So, today is Christmas for me! We’ll share our food and we’ll share our stories of mom and dad, and how Christmas was when we were kids. And hopefully, we’ll make some new memories that would makeRead more about December 29 – share[…]

December 28, 2018　=========

☆  get a grip  落ち着く

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To get a grip means to calm down, and control your behavior. To chill out, to relax and cool down and recover your self-control. When would you use this word? You could say it to someone who is acting out of control after they had their heart broken for example!

A: I can’t believe she broke up with me!
B: Get a grip! You guys only went on one date!
In other words, calm down, the relationship was not even really a relationship yet, after just one date.

Or, when a friend is overreacting.

A: My boss told me they were restructuring! What am I going to do? I’llRead more about December 28 – get a grip[…]

December 27, 2018　=========

☆  waste   すり減らす

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If you waste something such as time, money, or energy, you use too much of it doing something that is not important or necessary. As we’re talking about family and friends this month, what ways could you use the word, waste? Here are some examples I thought of:

I waste too much time on social media instead of catching up with friends in person.
I wasted a lot of energy on that relationship, even though I know it wasn’t good for me.
I can’t believe how much money I wasted on dinner with that rude guy!
I called you because I didn’t want to waste time sending lots of textRead more about December 27 – waste[…]

December 26, 2018　=========

☆  break one’s heart  ～の心を傷つける

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If someone breaks your heart, they make you very sad and unhappy, usually because they end a love affair or close relationship with you. Apparently, yesterday, Santa broke my son’s heart… what does that mean? It means that Santa didn’t get him the hoverboard that he asked for! I tried to tell him that hoverboards don’t actually exist, so that’s why Santa couldn’t find him one… but it was no use! He’s very disappointed and unhappy with Santa right now. I guess it’s lucky for me, he’s upset with Santa, not me! Ha ha!

In order to recover from having his heart broken, I suggestedRead more about December 26 – break one’s heart[…]

December 25, 2018　=========

☆  ignore  無視する

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Merry Christmas!

This Christmas is a little bitter sweet for me. If you’ve been reading these emails for a while, you will know that my mom died suddenly in July this. But you’ll also know that my little baby girl was born in January. So, while this is a very happy Christmas, as it is the first one with our baby girl / little sister. It’s also a very sad Christmas as it’s the first one without my mom.

Today’s word is “ignore” meaning to pay no attention to someone or something. So, I guess if I wanted to make sure that today was just a happy day,Read more about December 25 – ignore[…]

December 24, 2018　=========

☆  put off  後回しにする

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If you put off doing something, you delay doing it. Today, it’s Christmas Eve, and everyone that put off doing their Christmas shopping is running around the shops crazily trying to get everything done! Amazingly, Christmas Eve, some shops are even open until midnight – to cater for everyone who did put off their Christmas shopping…

Luckily for our family, “Santa” already finished our Christmas shopping a few weeks ago… but tonight once everyone is in bed, “Santa” will be wrapping all the presents to put under the tree because I have been… wait, because “he has been” very busy this month, so I kept puttingRead more about December 24 – put off[…]

December 23, 2018　=========

☆  obstacle  障害

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An obstacle is something that makes it difficult for you to do something. It can be a physical thing, such as a gate that is locked, so you cannot enter the area you need to go in to. However, it can also be something in your mind or something less concrete or specific.

For example, in terms of relationships, have you ever thought of your smartphone as being an obstacle? I recently read a book about the impact of smartphones on our relationships. In particular it talked about teenagers having more “connection” with people, but less interaction face to face. In other words, for teenagers, smartphones areRead more about December 23 – obstacle[…]

December 22, 2018　=========

☆  impact   影響

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The impact that something has on a situation, process, or person, is the effect it has on that thing or person. Other words with similar meanings are: effect, consequences, impression, and influence.

Thinking back to the three types of friendship earlier in the week, the friendships of goodness are probably the friendships that will have the most positive impact on your life. In fact, the impact doesn’t need to be positive, it could be negative. For example, when a friendship ends or changes, the impact can be hard to deal with, especially if you weren’t ready or prepared for the end or change. 

Can you think of aRead more about December 22 – impact[…]

December 21, 2018　=========

☆  accomplishment   成果

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An accomplishment is something remarkable that you have done or achieved. For example, “That is such a great accomplishment!” (from this week’s useful phrases.) For people looking for jobs these days, a common question to be asked is, “What is your greatest accomplishment?”

How would you reply if you were asked this question? Would you be able to answer it or would it feel like bragging to you? If you’re a modest person, this might be a tough question to answer. However, at a job interview, it’s a perfectly natural question to be asked, so it’s worth thinking about it if you’re looking for a new job…Read more about December 21 – accomplishment[…]

December 20, 2018　=========

☆  message  メッセージ

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How often do you speak or send messages to your friends on the phone? Do you send messages more often than calling or do you usually send a text message? To be honest, my job is mainly involves talking with clients on the phone, so when I’m not working, I prefer to send a message rather than talk on the phone! How about you?

I know that it’s much quicker to talk than to keep sending messages back and forth, but for me, a message is just easier! It also means that the person can reply whenever they want to. I tend to get a lot ofRead more about December 20 – message[…]

December 19, 2018　=========

☆  crowd  集団

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A crowd is a large group of people who have gathered together for some reason, for example, to watch or listen to something. For example, “A huge crowd gathered in Yoyogi park to listen to the free concert.”

However, another way to use “crowd” is to refer to a group of friends, or a group of people who have the same interests. For example, you might “catch up with the old crowd” meaning that you are meeting up with a group of friends that you used to see often, such as in high school or university, but don’t see much anymore.

Or you might ask, “Why do youRead more about December 19 – crowd[…]

December 18, 2018　=========

☆  friendship  友情関係

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Have you ever heard of Aristotle’s “three kinds of friendships”? The Greek philosopher believed there were three kinds of friendships:

Friendships of utility: a friendship between two people who each benefit in some way. For example, maybe your neighbor looks after your cat while you are on vacation, and you might water their plants when they are away.

Friendships of pleasure: these are friendships where you have something fun in common, for example, you go to the same gym class, or you always see them at the same coffee shop and chat with them.

Friendships of goodness: this is a friendship where you have similar values and you admireRead more about December 18 – friendship[…]

December 17, 2018　=========

☆  romance  恋愛

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In English, the word “romance” is used to mean a relationship between two people who are in love with each other but who are not married to each other! I had no idea!! So, you might say for example, “It was just a holiday romance.” Or, “We had a whirlwind romance that ended quickly.”

I checked my dictionary this morning, and it is true: “romance” is not used when talking about married people!! That could be the reason why divorce is becoming common! Everyone needs romance in their lives! But I suppose it’s important that the romance is with their partner and not a stranger!

How about theRead more about December 17 – romance[…]

December 16, 2018　=========

☆  jealous  うらやんで

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This week’s useful phrase is: “Don’t be jealous!”

When do you think you would you use this phrase? Perhaps you got a new job, but your friend is still looking for work, or hates their current job. Or maybe, your boyfriend saw you having coffee with another guy and was angry at you.

An interesting thing about feeling jealous of others is that we often forget that someone might feel jealous of us. So, instead of saying this phrase to someone else, it might be a good one to say to ourselves! If you see someone with the car or job or partner that you want, feel happyRead more about December 16 – jealous[…]

December 15, 2018　=========

☆  charming  魅力的な

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Did you notice yesterday that all my sentence examples were of females? “Lovely” is more commonly used to describe kind women, but it can be used for men, too. However, it’s more usual to describe a man as charming. It is quite similar in meaning: they are friendly and pleasant, and behave in a way that makes people like them.

Naturally, you can also use charming to describe a woman, but it’s more common to use charming for men, and lovely for women. One thing to remember though, is that charming can sometimes be used in a negative way. In other words, if you say that someone’sRead more about December 15 – charming[…]

December 14, 2018　=========

☆  lovely  素敵な

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You probably know this word in terms of describing someone or something that is beautiful or charming. However, you can also use it to describe a person as lovely, meaning that they are friendly, kind, or generous. For example:

Sarah is a lovely young woman.
She’s a lovely child.
Your mother is such a lovely lady.
My girlfriend is so lovely, I’m very lucky to have her.

Remember, this is stronger than just being a “nice” person. A lovely person has a good heart, and is able to empathize with other people easily. So, who do you know that you would describe as a lovely person?

Bye,

Chris

December 13, 2018　=========

☆  inconvenient   不都合な

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If something is inconvenient, it is troublesome, bothersome, untimely, awkward, and of course, “not convenient.” How could you use this word in a sentence when talking about family and friends? Here are some examples:

Sad: I really wanted to see her before she left Japan, but the timing was so inconvenient that we couldn’t catch up.
Mad: It was very inconvenient of you to make me wait so long!
Hopeful: I know that 10:30 is inconvenient for you, but I really want to see you, so I hope you can come.
Parent: I don’t care if it is inconvenient, you must come to dinner with your grandparents.
Shock: I can’t believeRead more about December 13: inconvenient[…]

December 12, 2018　=========

☆  friendly   優しい

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This week’s useful phrase is, “She was so friendly.” In other words, she was pleasant and kind, and nice to be with. This is the kind of sentence that could be fun to practice different intonation with. Have you ever looked at a sentence with different emphasis or intonation on certain words, to see how it changes the meaning? Let’s try…

SHE was so friendly. (But the other people weren’t.)
She WAS so friendly. (But she isn’t friendly anymore, maybe you had a friend and are not friends anymore.)
She was SO friendly. (Maybe she seemed a little too friendly, like she wasn’t sincere. Or maybe she was reallyRead more about December 12: friendly[…]

December 11, 2018　=========

☆  superb  最高の

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Something that is superb, is very good. Have you ever used this word? You could use it to thank a friend who made you dinner: Thank you for dinner, it was superb! Or to recommend something: You really should see the Tokyo orchestra concert, it is superb.

Or if you want to write a review about a restaurant or a hotel or location:
The food was superb!
The surprised by the service, it was really superb!
The water at hotel’s private beach is crystal clear and is superb for swimming and snorkeling.
Do you play golf? There is a superb 18-hole golf course not far from here.

When was the last timeRead more about December 11: superb[…]

December 10, 2018   　=========

☆  obvious   明らかな

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If something is obvious, it is easy to see or understand. For example, in relationships you might say some of the following things:

It’s obvious he likes you!
It’s obvious you are angry at me, but I don’t know why.
It’s obvious you don’t want to go to the party, so why not just say you are busy?
If you want a raise at work, it’s obvious you are going to have to talk to your boss, rather than wait for him to talk to you.

And one that many people might say, or at least think, “If you want something done properly, it’s obvious you have to do itRead more about December 10: obvious[…]

December 9, 2018   =========

☆  complication  複雑さ

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A complication is a problem or difficult that makes a situation harder to deal with. I suppose Serena Williams might consider playing against her sister in an important tennis competition, a small complication! Tennis cannot be a draw, so one of them has to lose! Just a “minor complication” to their friendship!

Other complications that you might experience with family and friends could be working hours or the distance between you. For example, “He job is so busy, so that’s a complication for when we are trying to go out on a weeknight. Or even the age difference between you and your partner might be aRead more about December 9: complication[…]

December 8, 2018      =========

☆  perspective 全体像

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Perspective is the big picture, and when you keep something in perspective, it means that you judge its real importance by considering it in relation to everything else. If something is out of perspective for you, it means that you have failed to judge its real importance in relation to everything else. For example, as a parent, if I feel that I need to read an article on Facebook rather than listen to my child talk about their day at school, then obviously I have gotten things out of perspective.

The quote for this week is by Serena Williams, and she says, “Tennis is just aRead more about December 8: perspective[…]

December 7, 2018 =========

☆  lifetime   一生涯

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A lifetime is the length of time that someone is alive. For example, “Dr. Kurata had an extraordinary lifetime of achievement.” Or, “I’ve lived in a lot of places during my lifetime.” And, of course, talking about family and friends, and relationships, you might meet your true love and say that your love will last a lifetime.

One other way to use this word is in a phrase, “the chance of a lifetime” or “the experience of a lifetime” meaning that the chance or experience is the best or most important chance that you are likely to have. For me, doing the short homestay in OkayamaRead more about December 7: lifetime[…]

December 6, 2018　=========

☆  true love  真実の愛

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You can use “true love” to refer to the person that you love, for example, “He is my true love.” However, today’s word, true love, means the feeling created when two people are drawn together in life and the feeling between them is so strong and beautiful that it cannot be broken, and other people envy it.

One of my favorite movie’s is The Princess Bride (1987) and it is the story of true love, and there are a few good quotes about it:

“Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.”
“This is true love. Do you think this happensRead more about December 6: true love[…]

December 5, 2018　=========

☆  agony  激しい苦痛

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Agony is great physical or mental pain. For example, if a relationship ends you might feel agony, which would be mental or emotional pain. In other words, it doesn’t have to be actual physical pain, it might be the agony of heartache that you feel.

In Japanese magazines or newspapers (or even the internet) do you have “Advice columns” where you write in about your problem and ask for advice? What is the person who writes the replies called? In England and Australia, the person who writes the response is called an “Agony Aunt.” An agony aunt is like an aunt or old friend who cares aboutRead more about December 5: agony[…]

December 4, 2018　=========

☆  relationship 関係

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The word relationship can have a few meanings. Here are the most common two:

A relationship is a close friendship between two people, and is used to describe a romantic situation, too. For example, “We have been in a relationship for three years now, but neither of us wants to get married.”

It can also mean the relationship between people or groups and the way they feel or behave toward each other. For example, “America is trying to maintain a friendly relationship with China.” Or, “Money can be a cause of stress in close family relationships.”

Can you use relationship in a sentence?

Bye,

Chris

December 3, 2018      =========

☆  agenda  予定

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An agenda is usually a list of items to be discussed at a meeting. It’s most often used in business situations, but you can use it in personal situations too. For example, if you were catching up with friends for a day or a weekend you might ask, “So, what’s on the agenda?” This would basically mean, what are we planning to do when we catch up.

You can also simply ask a friend, “What’s on your agenda for the weekend?” meaning, what are your plans for the weekend? Or “What’s on the agenda for tonight?” When you ask this kind of question, it generally meansRead more about December 3: agenda[…]

December 2, 2018      =========

☆  turn down 断る

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If you turn down something or someone, you refuse that thing or the person’s request or offer. For example, “I thanked him for the offer, but turned it down.” Or like the useful phrase this week: I had to turn the job down.

Why do you think someone would need to turn a job down? If we’re talking about family and friends it might be because the job was in a location far from family, and so they had to say no. Or they might have to turn down the job because the hours they would have to work might be too long or clashRead more about December 2: turn down[…]

December 1, 2018　    =========

☆  realize  気づく

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This month, we are talking about family and friends. A great topic to end the year on!

So, then today’s word, when you realize something is true, you become aware of that fact, or you understand it. For example, you might say that you realized who your true friends were when you had some trouble and needed help. Your true friends helped you out in your time of need.

Many older people say that when they are close to death, they realize how important friends and family are. The famous phrase of course is that “Nobody on their deathbed has ever said “I wish I had spentRead more about December 1: realize[…]