WANISAN

It’s really already been a crazy start to the new school year and we haven’t even gotten started yet.

I have some new classes with students who don’t know me this semester, so I wanted to post a couple of videos that I hope will help.

Here is a bit more information on my new seminar class:

And here’s another quick video talking about a concept or two I like to cover in classes:

It’s that time again and we’re off to a good start on a new semester.

I’ve had a chance to watch a few movies over the break and it’s always a favorite topic of mine.

I know how hard it is to name one movie as your all time favorite, so let’s try for your most recent movie you really loved.

I watched a fun movie from a few years back, (maybe 2011?)[Update: actually it was 2008! yikes!]. I’m a fan of many types of movies depending on my mood, and I really enjoy a wide variety of films.

This film as a romantic comedy, I guess you would call it though it was a little more serious in places than the usual comedy. The original title is “Definitely Maybe” but in Japan it was called “Love Diaries”. It costars Abigail Bresnan, who shot to popularity in “Little Miss Sunshine” , as the daughter. I kept thinking how perfect she was in this role; sweet, smart, but not too much – just right.

Anyway, I thought it was an interesting way to tell the story, using the flashbacks and having the guessing game about who was actually her mother by his retelling of who they met and the loves and relationships that led to their marriage, the birth of the daughter, and eventually the divorce which is the basis for the story: the need for her to understand what had happened and why her parents were no longer going to be together.

What about you? What movie have you seen recently, old or new that you really enjoyed?

In the comments below, let me know what was the title, who was the main actor and character they played and why you liked it.

Here’s a little something in the category of “you had one job”.

I have often seen spelling, grammar, word choice and other mistakes in signage around Japan (to be fair, I’ve seen it a lot in Korea as well). It’s very common to see silly, non-sensical phrases strung together on paper notebooks, mugs, t-shirts, and bags among other things. You don’t usually see that kind of thing on big name brands, so I sort of get that – though it does amuse me.

Still, someone had one job, get a short phrase in English correct, and they failed.

However, you don’t have to go far to see large companies, companies with resources (even universities and colleges) making silly, embarrassing mistakes. A pamphlet for a former college of mine started with a large photo of the president and the headline, “A Massage from our President”. I never got one, by the way.

This past week while shopping with my wife in one of the upscale department stores here, I spotted an interesting mistake.

Here’s a photo to explain: