Green fingers
Thanks Rosi, I know what it is to be busy at the moment, as you can imagine with setting and grading the exams, plus I have many end of term essays to mark. However, I don’t want to grumble too much because actually I enjoy what I do.
As for green fingers I’m afraid that in Japan we seem to have none! We have bought many different kinds of plants and kept them in many different parts of the house but they always seem to die! On her last visit my mother bought us a lavender plant and we thought it was dead. The last chance was to put it outside our house. We don’t have a garden but just to the side of our front door is a small tree so we thought it might survive there. Luckily for the lavender the landlady started to take care of it and I am happy to say it is doing really well now.
If I understand you it is better to eat more often than less often in the day. So I would imagine smaller snack like meals would be good, is that right?
I thought that Paulraj made an interesting comment about the traditional post service. There is a lot of competition for communication now and the sight of a postman with a smaller sack of letters should be something to worry about. What happens when there aren’t enough letters for the postal workers to keep their jobs and small local post offices close? Not every one uses email.
Thanks to Leila I hope I can keep you reading and commenting.
Delphine it does take time to go through the tests and essays and the teachers I know always take a lot of care with their grading. As for abbreviations do you mean things like this ‘SP’, ‘G’ and ‘WW’? These ones you might know ‘Spelling’, ‘Grammar’ and ‘Wrong Word’. So these are written down at the appropriate places so that the student can think about correcting what they have put. Have you any abbreviations in mind?
Marianna “I take my hat off to you” too! Actually I cannot claim to be able to speak &/or think well in Japanese, but it IS very useful to know how the language the students use (in this case Japanese) works (the grammar) and how this might effect their use of English. Also useful is an understanding of the way that English is taught, and the reasons for the way it is taught, in Japanese high schools. Thank you for your kind comments about my blog, I hope you’ll carry on reading and commenting.
I'd like to finish by showing you some of the many signs that you can see in the streets in Kyoto. Do you have any signs like this where you live?
The first one is the central part of the city with the shops. It means that people cannot smoke outside in that area, though most cafes and restaurants have a smoking area. So it is easier to smoke inside than out in Japan!
The second on is in the central area and near and train or underground station. It means that you should not park your bicycle (or motorbike,scooter etc)near there or it might be taken away!
Any comments?
Grumble To complain.
Green fingers To be good with making plants grow.
Abbreviations BBC=British Broadcasting Corporation. To remove all the letter but the first of each word.
I take my hat off to you When you want to congratulate somebody on their ability to do something especially difficult.
Taken away Removed.
Comments
Dear Simon, thank you for your nice bloq. It’s very interesting and I hope I can change for the better. It is really astonishing, that it is easier to smoke inside in Japan. Since 1st July the law about ban on smoking is valid in complete germany. But here it is inverse. When in Rome… Have a nice day! Dani
hi Simon When I was a teacher I didnt like marking exams and essays. But I liked teaching in class and communicating with the students.We used to learn many things from eachother. I think marking exams or essays take my time. I know they are the part of the teaching process and It is must to be completed student's learning process.Well, come to green finger. I love flowers. I think I am not green finger too. Looking after the flowers are big deal for me. You have to be careful about many things so that The flowers can be healthy. Sometimes I think I do What I should do but I can't get the result I want to take. At that point I want to ask. Is it born with the feature which is green finger or is it gained with experiences, by planting so much. bye. take care. :))
Oh yes, Simon, there are lots of signs in Argentina. Fortunately now it is forbiden to smoke inside any restaurant, cafe, public places, shopping malls, etc. So it's very common to see many people smoking while they walk. I want to tell you that I had a "Dracaena" (very similar to a palm tree) in the living room. Poor thing started to grow yellow leaves instead of green ones. Some months ago I put it on the balcony and now its leaves are dark green and it seems to be growing well. I also have a jazmin plant, a ficus and a "hapiness of the home" (this is the translation into English). Have a good week. See you, Cris
Hello Simon, I'm a teacher myself so I have an experience of correcting and marking exercises and tests. I have to say that this is one part of the job that I don't like. But, I teach math. I guess it must be more interesting to read the students procutions in the language area. There must be more creativity involved. Is the problem you have with the plants a local problem or did you use to have the same trouble back home? I have seen some amazing japanese gardens in films. Do houses there really have those kinds of garden, or is it just something of the films? Thank you Simon for the nice time you give us reading your blog. See you. Good bye.
Hi Simon I agree with you that not many people use e-mail to communicate in my country. Only educated and affluent society uses this mode of communication. But most of the people use cell phone to communicate in their daily life. It uses lot to send and receive messages. One of my friends asked me about the location of the telegraph office. I visited the office long back. I came to know that the office has been closed down few years ago. If no one was there to send a telegram what was the use of it existing. I have seen many symbols not to use cell phone in the restricted areas. But still people are least bother about these warnings. Especially I was very much irritated by the people who use mobile phone inside the churches or libraries ignoring the warning signals.
Hi Simon, About the second photo, it means that this is the most restricted parking area, it is the most busy traffic zone.The sign implied that the police will patrol this spot all the time, and they would be very please to take every vehicles away no matter how long it has been parked. To take them away so often is because of preventing from blocking the traffic. We have many sighs like that in Taiwan, They always lie at the busy traffic spot. See you, James.
Hi,Simon.Would you do me a favour?I'm looking for some information about testing English on the civil servant exams around the world .Do you know which countries ,especially the non-English speaking ones,test English in their civil servant exams?I would be most grateful if you would find the related government's information.
Dear Simon, thanks for taking all my comments in such a relaxed way! Actually, I could´n t look at this page since I placed my last comment here frightening I might blow out too away. Unfortunately, the feeling comes when it is late to think for I write in comments freely here now not as it was befor working some days on a piece of a sheet to manage a few sentences. Only as I have read lovely post from Rosi I got a courage to look what happened on your side. Even, I made the decission it would be better to start with my French at least. However, in a very bad weather last night some boys on a car crashed in to my car which stayed on my payed parking place and I´ll be busy to do works around only two weaks I managed all sorts of repairs on the thing. I am absolutelly tired of thinking on what an unpleasant work for a working woman it all would wait on me again. Take care!
Hi Simon, thank you very much for your stories,I think that is very important to compare ourself with another people and this blog is fantastic for it..In Japan there are a lot of prohibitions but I think that, in some cases, are right. Pollution atmosferic is a big trouble..See you soon..have nice day fabio
Hello Sir, I'm a learner of English and I do visit this site occasionally. I came across to a mistake you've made in your recent blog which I felt like pointing out. It is where you say: "....the language the students use (in this case Japanese) works (the grammar) and how this might effect their use of English." I think it's: ...and how this might "affect" and not effect, since it's a noun whereas you meant to use a verb, unless you meant to us it in the sense "to achieve", which I don't is the case here. Please do correct me if I'm wrong.
Hello Simon :) I noticed that we have something in common: I haven't got green fingers either. When my daughter lived with me all the plants I have in my flat were very nice, but now, when I'm on my own the plants have got cross with me and they seem to be dying. By for now.
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