The Modern English Alphabet

Most of us, if not all, started our journey with the English language learning our ABCs. Do you still remember the song?



Once we have mastered the song, our relatives would always ask us to sing it and after we have finished, they would clap like crazy… as if we achieved something excellent. My friend’s daughter would sing that song every chance she got in her cute little voice.

Before the standard was “A is for apple… B is for boy…” However, some people now might disagree. It is no longer relevant in this day and age. So there’s a new way to study the English alphabet…

Note: This is just for fun. I am sure the nursery schools are not teaching this to the kids… yet!


Source:
http://youtu.be/eOb9Bs86dMU

Enjoying "Gakuensai"

Do you have fond memories of your school festivals? It’s that time of the year again when students have fun playing games and setting up booths to entertain other people.

Last Saturday (Oct. 8), I visited my alma mater to take part in its annual “gakuensai” or school festival. I visited the booth of our association and was able to watch some performances by the students. At the same time, I sampled the various dishes being sold by the different association of the international community at the university.

I love going to these festivals because the air is always charged with a lot of energy. You can smell, feel and taste the energy that the students are emanating. I have the fondest memories of my own “gakuensai”. How about you?

Thar She Blows!

Sc: Scott N: Nicole S: Shima Em: Emery F: Felicity
U: Umi

It's Wednesday afternoon, and in the background the news
can be heard updating on the impending typhoon.
Shima and the receptionists are frantically calling the
learners to notify them that the school will be closing
for the day. The wind grows stronger with every passing
minute.

Sc: Wow, it’s really coming down out there.
N: Yeah, and we’re about to be in it.
S: (Coming out of the office) I’ll bring the car around.
N: When should we go down? ten minutes?
S: You can come down in five or six minutes.
N: Ok.
(After four minutes Emery comes out of the office and closes
the door behind her)
Em: (Locking the office door) Ok everybody, are you ready
to go?
U: Give me a second, I need to finish sending this email
to a learner. This is the last one.
Em: Hurry up!
U: (Clicking wildly) Ok, I’m done!
(All the DCEC staff pile into the elevator)
F: Are you sure the elevator will be ok with all of us in
here?
Sc: (laughs) Maybe I should take the stairs. I’m the
heaviest.
F: Do you mean the weight of your ego?
(Everyone laughs)

(Outside, Shima is waiting in his car. The GV’s open their
umbrellas and get into the car. Scott stays behind under
the shelter of the building)
N: You’re not coming?
Sc: I’m waiting for you all to get into the car. I don’t
want to bother taking out my umbrella, so I’ll just
make a run for it.
N: Suit yourself.


●Vocabulary

★updating （情報などの）更新
★impending　差し迫った、切迫している、迫り来る
★frantically　必死に
★closing for the day　閉店する
★grows stronger with every passing minute　刻一刻と強くなる
★coming down　本降りになる
★bring the car around　車をまわす、駐車場からここまで持ってくる
★give me a second　ちょっと（しばらく）待って
★wildly　乱暴に、荒々しく
★pile into　～に一斉に乗り込む
★the weight of your ego　独りよがり（エゴ）の重み
★shelter（風雨や危険を避ける）避難所
★bother　苦にする、てこずる
★make a run for it　～に向かって駆け出す
★suit yourself　好きにしなさい、勝手にしなさい




「やってくる！」


Sc: スコット N: ニコル S: 島 Em: エメリー
F: フェリシティー U: ウミ


水曜日の午後、差し迫る台風の最新情報が流れている。
島とレセプショニストたちは今日のスクールを閉校することを
知らせるため、生徒たちに必死に電話している。
風は刻一刻と強くなっている。


Sc: ワオ、本降りになってきたよ。
N: ええ、間もなく突入するわね。
S: （オフィスから出てきて）車を取ってくるよ。
N: いつ降りればいい？10分？
S: 5、6分後に来てもらえればいいよ。
N: わかったわ。
（4分後、エメリーがオフィスから出てきて後ろのドアを閉める）
Em:（オフィスのドアの鍵を閉め）それじゃみんな、帰る準備は
できた？
U: ちょっと待って、生徒さんにこのEメールを送っちゃわないと。
これが最後なの。
Em: 早く、早く！
U: （乱暴にクリックし）はい、終わった！
（DCECスタッフ全員がエレベーターに乗り込む）
F: このエレベーター私たち全員乗っても大丈夫だと思う？
Sc:（笑って）僕は階段を使う方がいいかもね。いちばん重い
から。
F: うぬぼれの重さがってこと？
（全員笑う）

（外では、島が車で待っている。ガヴァネスたちは傘を開いて車に
乗り込む。スコットはその後ろで建物の下にいる。）
N: 乗らないの？
Sc: 君たちが全員乗るのを待ってるんだ。傘を出すのがめんどう
だから、駆け込むことにするよ。
N: お好きにどうぞ。