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West Side Story

2017年5月6日 (土)

This weeks film was made back in 1961 and is a musical based on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Originally intending to have Elvis Presley in the lead role (his manager turned the role down) it starred Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence. Both leads could not sing and lip sync all the musical numbers which is annoying in places, but the music of Bernstein and lyrics of Sondheim make this into a fantastic musical with very memorable songs supported by great choreography. It was filmed in New york which always looks great on film, with some parts of the movie being shot on shabby sets which does detract from the feel a little. However, it is a stage musical and so its not a big concern and overall the classic story supported by great music makes this one of the all time great musicals on the big screen. If you like musicals, or theatre, or even Shakespeare, then its a must see.

Review score 10/10

Bucket List

2017年5月5日 (金)

bucket list: noun

~ a list one things that one has not done before but wants to do before dying

Origin: from the phrase kick the bucket (to die)

First use: 2006

Example – Jonathan’s bucket list gets longer every year.

It’s true! My bucket list does get longer every year. It’s gotten so long, there’s no way I’ll be able to do everything I’d like to do unless, a) I become fabulously wealthy this year, or b) I live to be 1,000 years old. Neither is likely. Nonetheless, I’ve got to keep trying to do all that I’d like to before I kick the bucket. And this Golden Week that’s precisely what I intend to do. I’m making plans for a big solo adventure, something that I haven’t done in a long time. I won’t say what it is just yet. Only that I’m getting excited for it. I’ll share my experience with you after the GW holiday.

Enjoy this great warm weather we’re having!

Jon

Rhyme

2017年5月2日 (火)

I often tell my students that English speakers like rhymes. Most poems and songs written in English use rhyme, and we study rhyme as children. I can remember doing work sheets in elementary school that asked us to choose the correct word to form a rhyme. For example, a student might have to answer a question like this:

Choose the word that best rhymes with “cat”.

a) market

b) flute

c) flat

d) caught

In high school, we learned that other languages have rhymes, too, but it is mostly European languages that are interested in rhyme. Japanese songs and poetry mostly ignore rhyme, and this is probably because there are only a few ending sounds used in Japanese – so few that most words rhyme. English, on the other hand, has hundreds of possible endings, making rhymes sound interesting.

Rhymes are like fun coincidences in pronunciation, and they make people happy. They also make it easy to guess the next word in a poem. Here are some common rhyming phrases used in English.

Haste makes waste.

A stitch in time saves nine.

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds.

See if you can find your own rhyming English sentences.

Renting DVDs

2017年4月28日 (金)

I love watching movies and TV dramas at home.  I used to rent a lot of DVDs from the video store.  Recently, however, I rarely go to the video store.  The reason is video streaming! Nowadays there are a lot of video streaming sites that offer a variety of TV shows and movies for a monthly rate. I use NETFLIX.  Actually, in Canada people don’t go to the video store anymore.  There are almost no video stores.  So people mostly use NETFLIX or other kinds of streaming services.  These services are cheap and convenient. Sign up for NETFLIX for a one-month free trial!  Maybe you will like it, too!

The best way to relax is....?

2017年4月27日 (木)

Hey everyone! Today I want to talk about relaxation.  For me, finding a way to relax is a little difficult because I always like to be moving. Something that I would class as relaxing is swimming or taking a long walk but recently I have been wondering if there is a way to relax without moving. According to the internet, mediation is a good way to relax, so I decided to bridge the gap and do some yoga. My teacher said “clear your mind of thoughts” and I tried really hard to do that but somehow I kept thinking of the most random of things. During my yoga class I thought about what I would eat for dinner, how to remember kanji, and lots of other random topics. I actually think it is impossible for me to be still and not thinking. I must practice this skill. Can any of you guys do it? I will just have to accept that I am an active type and moving is my form of relaxation!!!