The Big Day

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Eu: Euneece N: Nicole E: Emery F: Felicity S: Scott　　

After Emery’s vacation.　

All: Welcome back, Emery! (They exchange hugs and kisses). 　
　　 We missed you!
Eu: Guys, give way to Emery. Let her sit down.　
(Euneece directs Emery to the nearest chair).
N: We are all ears to your stories. 　
E: Oh Nicole, how was your vacation? 　
Too bad we did not have a chance to see each 　
other there.
N: It is understandable. We were both minding our 　
own business.
F: So, share us how you felt while walking down 　
the aisle.
E: I had mixed emotions like any other bride I think. 　
F: Did you cry a bucket of tears? 　
E: Not a bucket though, I am afraid my makeup would 　
smear so I held back my tears. 　
F: Well, I also did that when I got married. 　
S: Women, women. 　
Eu: Sorry Scott, I know you cannot relate to us. 　
Ha ha.
S: Yeah, so I’ll skip the ceremony and go ask about 　
the reception. How many guests came?
E: I don’t know the exact number but maybe one hundred. 　
Unfortunately, not all of the invited guests came. 　
But we are very, very happy that our families, 　　　
relatives and friends celebrated with us. Some even 　　
flew to the country to witness our big day.
Eu: We are glad that you enjoyed your day to the fullest. 　
And you did not become a bridezilla.　　　　　　　　　
E: As they say no wedding is perfect. 　　　　　　　　　　
N: We can see in your eyes that you are very, very happy. 　
Congratulations again. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

The three ladies hugged Emery. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　



●Vocabulary

★the Big Day - 人生の記念すべき日、結婚式の日
★be all ears - 一心に耳を傾ける
★mind our own business - 私たち自信の関心事を気にかける
★mixed emotions - 入り混じった感情
★a bucket of tears - 止めどもなく流れる涙
★smear - 〈油などを〉塗りつける、よごす
★held back - 〈…を〉抑止する;、引き止める、控える
★relate - 〈…を〉〔…と〕関係[関連]させる、関連がある、
　　　　　　 関係をもつ
★go ask - 聞く、尋ねる、聞きに行く
★witness - 立ち会う、〈…を〉目撃する
★bridezilla - ブライドジラ。自分の結婚式を完璧なものにしよう
　　　　　　　 とするあまり自分勝手で感じが悪くなっている女性。
brideとGodzillaを合わせた造語。



「結婚式の日」


Eu : ユニース N: ニコル E: エメリー F : フェリシティー　
S: スコット　　

エメリーの休暇の後

All: おかえりなさい、エメリー！(抱き合ったり、キスを取り交わす)　
あなたがいなくて寂しかったわ！
Eu: みんな、どいて。彼女を座らせて。
(ユニースがエメリーを一番近い椅子へと導く)
N: みんな一心にあなたの話を聞きたいのよ。
E: あら、ニコル、あなたの休暇はどうだったの？
向こうで会うチャンスがなくて残念だったわね。
N: それはそうよ。私たち二人とも自分のことで忙しかったか
ら。
F: それで、バージンロードを歩いている間、どう感じたか聞
かせてよ。
E: 他の花嫁もそうだと思うけど入り混じった感情を持ったわ。
F: 止めどもなく流れる涙を流したの？
E: 止めどなくじゃあないわ、化粧がくずれるのを心配して、涙
　　 を止めたの。　
F: ええ、私も結婚した時にそうしたわ。
S: 女性だなあ。　
Eu: ごめん、スコット、私たちと結びつかないのはわかって
いるわ。ハハ。
S: そうだね、僕は結婚式はスキップして、披露宴について尋ね
　　 よう。ゲストは何人来たの？
E: 正確に何人かはわからないけど、百人ぐらいかな。
あいにく、招待されたすべてのゲストは来なかったの。
でも、家族、親戚、友だちが私たちを祝福してくれて、とても
とても幸せだった。
何人かはこの結婚式の日に立ち会うために国外から飛んで
きてくれたのよ。
Eu: 私たちはあなたがその日を最高に楽しんだことがうれしいの。
そして、あなたはブライドジラにならなかった。
E: よく言われるように、完璧な結婚式はないわ。
N: あなたはとてもとても幸せだとあなたの目を見るとわかる。
もう一度、おめでとう。　　　

その3人の女性たちがエメリーを抱きしめた。　　　　



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Solar Eclipse in Japanese Mythology

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I chanced upon this post from a fellow blogger from Tsukuba, Ibaraki. Her post, “Some Thoughts on Eclipses, Japanese Mythology, Princess Himiko and the Location of the Ancient Land of Yamatai” is an interesting read. Below is an excerpt from her blog.



______

Though there are many references to possible eclipses to be found in the oral and written literatures of the world , the only national mythology or religion that I know of which has an eclipse-like episode as its MOST CENTRAL and well-known narrative, is that of Japan. Here is how the story of AMA NO IWATO (天岩戸), goes as found in the ancient (7th cenury) text- the KOJIKI.

Amaterasu no Omikami (the Sun Goddess, still worshiped by the Imperial Family as their direct ancestor), distraught by her brother Susanoo no Mikoto`s (The God of the Storm) outrageous behaviour (damaging rice fields and irrigation canals, throwing excrement about, and finally hurling a flayed horse at her attendants who were weaving at the time, killing some of them) withdrew into a cave , sealed herself up with a boulder and subsequently threw the world into darkness ( a very eclipse-like episode indeed!)

The myriad Gods were thrown into consternation and at a loss as to what to do. They finally decided to lure her out with entertainments (lewd dancing, singing and raucous laughter), and a MIRROR in which the Godess saw herself reflected when she peered out to see what all the fun was about. Seizing the chance, as she started to come forward, they grabbed her and blocked the cave so that she couldnt slip back in. Light was returned to the world and all was well again. For a slightly more detailed account read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaterasu .

The impact of this short but very influential story can be seen in several unique aspects of Japanese life (two of which I will mention here). First, at festivals and certain other religious events (Cherry Blossom viewing, for example) the Japanese often become , under the influence of liquor, quite animated and excited, often to the point of lewdness ( as if in imitation of the dancing which Amaterasu was so interested in, and appropriately entertaining for the Gods manifest in the blossoms). Then you have the religious importance of mirrors (which can often be be found inside shrines or in the form of the New Year’s mirror rice cakes -kagami-mochi, 鏡餅, which are also intended to ATTRACT the Gods) which is most probably connected to the mirror used in the story to attract the Goddess.
For me, and many other readers of the text, this episode from the Kojiki suggests that sometime in Japan’s prehistory, there had been a total eclipse which left a deep impression on the people . Now compared with other great civilizations, Japanese HISTORY (written records), does not go very far back at all ( though Japanese archaeological finds are among the most ancient in the world). In fact, the oldest extant text is the 7th century Kojiki itself. Thus, the eclipse which is referred to in the Ama no Iwato story, must surely have taken place sometime in the centuries preceding the writing down of the myth, back when the original Japanese state (ruled by the ancestors of today’s Imperial Family was starting to take shape.

Since there are no records written by the Japanese themselves from that time (though the oral histories were passed down and later written down as the founding myths of the Kojiki), it is to Chinese texts that we must turn to for any documentation regarding the embryonic Japanese State.

“Some Thoughts on Eclipses, Japanese Mythology, Princess Himiko and the Location of the Ancient Land of Yamatai” by Avi Landau http://blog.alientimes.org/2012/05/some-thoughts-on-eclipses-japanese-mythology-princess-himiko-and-the-location-of-the-ancient-land-of-yamatai/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Tsukublog+%28TsukuBlog%29



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Fragile

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今週は、音声付ダイアログの週です。
下記のリンクから、まず、ダイアログの音声を聞いて質問に答えて
下さい。


In Dela Cruz English Club, we pride ourselves on exceptional
service and outstanding value.
And since our learners' needs always come first, we are hereby
launching a series of videos to improve English listening skill.
The topics are from our own Mail Magazine which you have grown
to love.

In business, the way we communicate to our colleagues is crucial.
However, we should also remember that non-verbal gestures
also play an important part.
In today's video,"Fragile", Julita teaches her learners
one important aspect of business, the handshake.


　




1. What will they talk about in class?
a. They will talk about they normally do during their leisure time.
b. The topic for the lesson is Japanese business etiquette.
c. The class will discuss Western business conversation etiquettes.

2. What did Julita get from the fridge?
a. She retrieved a bottle of beer.
b. Julita got wine.
c. Julita couldn't find what she was looking for.

3. What did they do with the bottle of wine?
a. They used it demonstrate how to give a good handshake.
b. It's Julita's treat to the learners.
c. The bottle was used for decoration in the room.


Characters: Julita - J; M - Marie; I - Isao


~right after the "Free Chat" in a business lesson.

J - Thank you for sharing with me your business and
leisure week. We now formally begin our lesson,
where we are going to talk about some Western
business conversation etiquettes. Kindly read the
first paragraph, then I'll read the second.

(both read)

J - Thank you for reading with me Nobu. Before we
proceed to discussion, let me get something
from the office.

(in the office)

M - Are you having a review?
J - No. I just need to get something from the fridge.
Oh, there you are!
M - Wine? What for?
J - I'm going to utilize this in my business class.
M - (surprised) ?!


(Julita returns to the classroom)

J - I'm back. (places the wine on the table, to the learner's
disbelief) As to what the first paragraph says, what is
an effective handshake?
I - We should extend our elbow away from our body and imagine
holding the base of a heavy bottle of expensive wine with
our fingers closed. Ah, that's what this bottle is for.

(holds the bottle)

J - Precisely. When you give a handshake, you should imagine
the hand of the other person as fragile, just like an
expensive wine.




●Useful & Humorous expression



★fragile

「こわれやすい」。グラスや瀬戸物などの箱に”FRAGILE”とよく書いて
ありますよね。気がついた人いますか。
「こわれやすい」から、繊細な美しいものを形容する時にも使います。
私ももう少しスリムになったら "fragile beauty"　と言われるかしら？

Ex. Be careful with this glass doll - it's very fragile.
このガラスの人形、気をつけてね。本当に壊れやすいから。


★share with me

shareは「分配する」とか「分担する」、あるいは「市場占有率」などの
意味で使われますが、ここでは「何かをだれかに話す」という意味で使わ
れております。

Ex. Marie shared a very funny story about her Japanese studies
with readers.
マリーが日本語の勉強についてとてもおかしい話を読者に話した。



★Kindly read

kindlyは通常「親切に」とか「優しく」という意味ですが、ここでのよう
に口頭で "Kindly do～"のように使うと、丁寧に "please" の意味で使わ
れます。

Ex. Would you kindly speak more slowly?
　　もう少しゆっくり話していただけますか？
　　

★proceed to

proceed to do something　で何かを行った後に引き続き次の事を行う事を
表す表現です。

Ex. Wilibee outlined the activity and then proceeded to explain to
the governesses in detail.
　　ウィリビーはアクティビティの概要を決めてからガヴァネス達へのもっ
　　と詳細な説明に移った。
　





◆「こわれやすい」

登場人物：J－ジュリータ、Mーマリー、I－イサオ

～ビジネスレッスンの「フリーチャット」の後

J:あなたのビジネスとレジャーの週についてお話いただき、ありが
とうございます。では、これから正式なレッスンを始めます。
そこで、西洋でのビジネス会話の作法について話してまいります。
では、恐れ入りますが、最初の文節を読んでいただけますか。
そのあと、２番目の文節を私が読みます。

（二人とも読む）

J:ディスカッションに進む前に、ちょっとオフィスから物を取って
きます。

（オフィスで）

M:レビューをやっているの？
J:違うの。ちょっと冷蔵庫のものが必要なの。あー、あったわ。
M:ワイン？どうするの？
J:これを私のビジネスクラスで使うのよ。
M:（驚く）?!

（ジュリータがクラスルームに戻って）

J:戻りました。
（ワインを戸惑っている生徒さんの目の前のテーブルに置く）
　最初の文節で言っていたように、印象的な握手とは何でしょうか？
I:体から離してひじを伸ばし、指を閉じて高級ワインの重たいワイ
ンのビンの底を持っているイメージをする。あー、このボトルは
そのためなのか。（ボトルを持つ）
J:そうです。握手をするとき、相手の方の手を高級ワインのような
壊れ物のように考えたほうが良いですね。


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