英語学習にも役立つ、札幌の外国人英語教師の英語日記 札幌 英会話 [ステップアップ]

Hail Caesar!

2017年4月25日 (火)

With the Coen Brothers movies you are always guaranteed a certain standard, in that they are all watchable, but some more than others. This is a classic Coen Brothers film with humour and madness, mixed with great acting and direction. It is set in 1950s Hollywood and follows the trials and tribulations of a rather overworked producer who loses one of his star actors to a communist plot. George Clooney is on fine form as the slightly simple lead actor who gets kidnapped, and Josh Brolin delivers a brusk and commanding performance as the producer who has to battle with the press, dumb actors and the studios demands, while remaining calm and in control.

I really enjoyed this film and would happily watch it again as it has some great lines and the acting is top notch. It doesn’t replace my favourite Coen Brothers movie The Big Lebowski to the number one spot, but it did give it a run for its money.

Review Score 9/10

Get out there

2017年4月22日 (土)

I was reminded of Hokkaido’s beauty (yet again) last weekend when some friends and I snowshoed up Mt. Sapporo (札幌岳). The sky was a brilliant blue and the mountain was covered in a deep blanket of snow. The trees have yet to bud, but the birds were singing nonetheless. Our hard work was rewarded when we reached the cabin. We let ourselves in and started a fire in the stove to warm up. An hour later, after a snack and a beverage, we went back outside with our snowboards for some backcountry fun. That night, we cooked a four-course meal on the stove, enjoyed various spirits and listened to music while we played cards.

The next morning we were up early and hiked to the top of mountain for a dazzling 360* view of the Hokkaido wilderness. It was gorgeous. The best part of the trip was riding all the way down the mountain on our snowboards. I arrived home that afternoon tired but infinitely grateful to live in such a beautiful part of the world.

Hokkaido was voted the number one destination in Asia for a reason (Lonely Planet, 2016). So get out there and enjoy it!

Elementary School Lunch

2017年4月18日 (火)

I was surprised recently by a topic that came up in one of my classes. I learned that almost all elementary school children in Sapporo eat school lunches. My students told me that only children with allergies bring lunch boxes to school.

In Los Angeles, where I grew up, the quality of school lunches was terrible. They often are just canned fruits and vegetables, with some processed meat or potatoes or rice. The food is made in a factory, and delivered to schools, and usually includes chocolate milk or orange juice. The food tastes bad, and is not nutritionally balanced. During my 6 years of elementary school, I only ate a school lunch one time. I can still remember it, because it was such a shock.

At my school, most children brought lunch boxes every day. Basically only poor kids ate school food because they could get it for free. I read a recent article from LA Weekly about this problem. You can find it here: http://www.laweekly.com/news/why-los-angeles-schoolkids-get-lousy-meals-2171048

In Sapporo, it seems like the quality of lunch food is good, and the taste is not bad either. I think Sapporo children are very lucky. How about you?

How was your experience in elementary school? Are school lunches delicious all over Japan?

Movie Theaters

2017年4月15日 (土)

Many people really enjoy going to the movie theater.  The big screen, big sound and the special atmosphere give us an enjoyable experience.  However, I prefer to watch movies at home!  At home I can pause the movie whenever I like and I can eat and drink anything I like.  I probably go to the movie theater once every three years or so!

When there is a movie that I’m really interested in, I often think about going to the movie theater but I rarely go.  During the spring break, I really wanted to go and see the movie called “La La Land”.  I went all the way to the movie theater, but when I got there I found out the movie was sold out!  I was so sad.  So once again, I will watch the movie someday at home!

A long weekend

2017年4月13日 (木)

Hello everyone.

Today I want to talk about mini breaks. A mini break or a long weekend is like a short trip, I mean 1-4 nights. Usually in England we get things called “bank holidays” which are basically the same thing as a public holiday in Japan however they usually fall on a Friday or Monday. This means that for most people they get a long weekend.  I was wondering where a good place to visit on a long weekend is. Some of my students said that they would go to Cambodia or somewhere international if they had 3 nights. I am not sure that I could stay in such a beautiful place for only a short time; I might have to accidentally on purpose miss my flight home!!! (Only joking)

I wonder if Hokkaido has some hot spots for visiting for a few days. I have already been to Shiretoko (very beautiful but too far in winter) and I have cycled most of the North West. I wonder where to go?? If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know.