Mii-chan ～ a wild cat ～①

There is an alley cat which often come to our workplace to get some feed from us. I hear that he was very good-looking in his past days, but now he is like a rag as he's had fight with other male cats again and again. His neck was badly gouged and bones were seen on his front legs. Still, he was fine enough to come and get some feed from us almost everyday, and as it was till just a few days ago, but I found today that he didn't come to get his feed and him staggering on walking, easy to get tired and laid himself after a walk of every a few feet. It seemed that his condition turned to be worse, and we thought he would die near the future as we found he couldn't even have a bite at his favorite sweet bread. I slipped out some tears, maybe it's because I have cats in my home and love them. The middle-aged woman who had fed and cherished him the most of us, wept, too. And the frank young man, wearing glasses who is also kind to animals, didn't cry and just told us some funny anecdotes about the cat. After that, I found him watching the cat not saying a word, just  watching his weaken shape in silence. I don't know the reason, but I felt strong sadness for that.

Translation as exercise(1)

A man shouldn't flee from the precious time in trouble easily. If you flee from this precious opportunity, your-true-self will bring a similar assignment to learn again because you don't digest your assignment yet. You won't regret your decision after you consider what to do by yourself and make as many efforts as possible.
[*2012/12/30 Revised]

人間は、悩むべき「貴重な」時間から(簡単に)逃げてはいけません。この貴重な悩みの機会から逃げますと、消化不良のままなので、また悩むべき学びの課題を「本当の自分」が引き寄せてきます。精一杯に自分で悩んで、出来る限りの努力をしたあとならば、選んだ結果に対しても後悔することはありません。(cited from this book written in Japanese)

I harvested lots of white radished in the field!

I'm engaged in agricultural part-time job. It is physically hard, but I like this job. I think I have a bent for(it means I'm cut out for) a job dealing with nature rather than people.
 

the preceding(or left side) picture is a white radish which we got from the field. It has special worth for me. I put my nose close to it and took a sniff at it. It smelled a subtle but fragrant scent. I love it. It is a baby of the earth.


 

〔vocabularies〕
・a white radish/大根 (you can also say "a Japanese/Chinese radish")

・rasish (countable noun)
one of definitions:
The pungent(ピリっとした；辛らつな) root of white radish, usually eaten raw in salads etc

〔the following is some expressions related to "大根".〕
・大根足/thick legs 
this is just 太い足 in Japanese...

・大根役者/a poor [bad] actor；《口語》 a ham（ハム・アマチュア無線家・大根役者、へぼ役者.）

・大根下卸(おろ)し/grated radish
・卸し金/a grater

・grate　/gréɪt/
【他動詞】〈…を〉すり合わせる，きしらせる; こすってキーキー鳴らす.
 grate one's teeth 歯をギリギリきしらせる.
2〈果物・野菜などを〉おろす.

【自動詞】〔人・耳・神経などに〕障る，いやな感じを与える 〔on〕.
 This music grates on my ear(s) [nerves]. この音楽は耳障りだ[神経に障る].
2〈戸などが〉きしる.
 The window was grating in the wind. 窓が風でギーギーきしんでいた.
［語源：古期仏語「こする」の意］

What should we do to stop terrorism?

Photos of US troops with body parts published
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120419_08.html

Taliban vows retaliation
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120419_35.html

As you know, you can't sweep out terrorism just by force. So, what should we do?

To prevent terrible terrorism in the US, I think, each of American citizen must reflect on yourselves about the feelings and deeds which have been cast to the people of the Middle East. And each should pray for them  with apology... it's no use for stopping war only to blame for others. And your prayer has real power, indeed. Of course actual apology to them is better than just thinking or praying, but your heart is transmitted to other's, because our conscience is "the" conscience; I heard that we have it in common, in deeper level.

And you should thank your parents and ancestors and all the people around you that they are letting you live. You can have lived till today, owing to numerous people and nature. You should not forget about it. And your ancestors are always caring about you (like your parents) from heaven. Sometimes you must be helped by your ancestors, even if you don't notice it. And your ancestors are still living with you - as DNA in your body.

Speaking with Korean travellers

Today, I went to visit Meiji-Jingu, big and one of the most famous shrines in Tokyo, while my business schedule, I was asked the way by Korean travellers in English. Then I found myself that I could direct them which to go smoothly in English. I had some more conversations with them as the way we were going to is the same direction part of it. They said that roads were very clean and people were kind in Japan. I was happy to hear that. And one of them appraised me that my English speaking is good. I said "you too!".

At first, I couldn't recognize where they were from. I think Korean's looks are very similar to Japanese's.

The interviews I had today might not be promising, but I felt confidence about my English skill and talking with foreign people. That must be a meaningfull experience.
 

テスト結果キタァーーー

たしかＡランクって８６０以上だよな？くそっ、Ａランクにも至らなかった・・・目標の９００にも届かず。
でも、初受験にしては上出来じゃないかという気もする。まあ、しっかり事前準備してきましたからね・・・あとは、本物の英語力を持った人達の書いた、良質の参考書たちのお蔭でもありますね。最近はそういう本が多く出回っているようなので、今後は日本人のＴＯＥＩＣ平均スコアもあがってくるんじゃないかなと思います。

無題

前回の記事、まだ翻訳できてません。近いうちにするつもりです。

ＴＯＥＩＣ模試のシャドーイングを、現在1.25倍速でやっているのですが、だいぶしゃべりが滑らかになってきた気がします。英語の発音が流暢になってきたのを感じます。最終的には1.5倍速近くまで上げて、それに慣れる頃には読解スピードもあがってるんじゃないかという気がしますね。

The issue of Kimigayo - the national anthem of Japan

〔I will translate the following essay into English later.〕

大阪市の橋本徹市長が学校の教職員に、日本の国歌・君が代の斉唱時に起立と斉唱を義務付けた事が物議をかもし出しています。

君が代の起立・斉唱に反対している教職員は、主に日教組（Japan Teachers' Union（JTU））に所属している教師たちのようです。
彼らの主張は、国歌を歌う事を強制するのは憲法が保障する「思想・良心の自由」に反するし、君が代の歌詞の意味は戦争につながるものがある、といったものです。

ここで、君が代の歌詞を見てみましょう。

君が代は
千代に八千代に
さざれ石の
巌（いわお）となりて
苔のむすまで

〔the following is a translation of Kimigayo by Basil Hall Chamberlain.〕
A thousand years of happy life be thine!
  Live on, my Lord, till what are pebbles now,
  By age united, to great rocks shall grow,
  Whose venerable sides the moss doth line.

この「君」とは誰の事を指すのか、その解釈の仕方が色々あるようです。
一つには「君＝天皇陛下」とする説。つまりこれは軍国主義時代の天皇を崇める思想につながるのではないか、等と一部の人に言われます。

しかし、天皇陛下を敬う事と戦争を好む事には関係がありません。天皇陛下は、戦争を望んではいないからです。

君とは、一般的に「あなた」を指す言葉です。そう考えるとこの歌は、「君たち（つまり私たち日本国民）がいつまでも平和で栄えますように」という意味になります。民主主義とは、少しも矛盾しません。

橋本市長によると、君が代の起立・斉唱を強制するのは、彼個人の思想からではなく、条例で決められている義務を守るのは社会人として当然の事だというものです。

僕個人の考えとしては、教職員がちゃんと歌っているかどうか監視して、もし歌っていなければ処罰するというのはやや厳しすぎるとも思いますが、「思想・良心の自由」があるからといって決められたルールを守らない教師が居たら、校則を破る生徒が「思想・良心の自由」を主張したっていいという事になります。また、もし交通ルールを無視する人が「思想・良心の自由がある！だから僕には赤信号や制限速度なんて関係ないんだ」と主張し始めたら、世の中どうなってしまうのでしょう？

つまり、君が代を歌うのを義務付ける事が個人の自由を奪ったり軍国主義につながるというのはこじつけであり、合理的な考えではないというのが僕の考えです。学校の式典で君が代の起立・斉唱を拒む教師は、ツッパっている不良生徒とダブって見えます。

・the Emperor of Japan　天皇

・The national anthem 国歌

・sing in unison斉唱する

・an unruly student　ツッパっている不良生徒