Harajuku

I want to introduce Harajuku, where is a town of Tokyo. Young people especially go to the town to go out with friends, to go shopping, and to see different kind of people, so there are quite a lot of people like a festival every day. Harajuku has been giving birth to the newest fashion and culture which catches on young people for a long time. Thus, you can find the trend of Japan when you go there, but at the same time it is really difficult for you to recognize the culture clearly. Because lots of strange people stay in Harajuku and you can see people who wear weird clothes or are piercing all of their body: If you take pictures, they must be colorful. Now Japanese "Manga" which is comic are quite popular in Japan that some people imitate the character of Manga. It is also one of the big industry in Japan.

I can't understand why Harajuku people want to wear strange costumes. It's disgusting, but it's true that they are one of the aspect of Tokyo and Harajuku is composed of weird people. Anyway, you'll be able to enjoy a lot if you visit Harajuku. You can take a picture with Harajuku people if you want. They look strange but they are gentle as far as I know.

In the end, I was searching on Google to introduce the town and to put some pictures. But, I realized it's quite different between Harajuku and 原宿 in Google Images although the meanings are exactly same. In Japanese letter, you can see landscape or some snaps. On the other hand, you can see a kind of Harajuku style in English. Both of them are true, but the difference is interesting, I think.

Alcalá de Henares

Hi again!

I´m going to introduce you my city: Alcalá de Henares. It is 20-25km from Madrid, 35 minutes train ride.
It´s  the second biggest city of  the "Comunidad de Madrid" and World Heritage.
Alcalá is full of very beautiful places, museums, traditional events, bars, libraries...but I only told you about 4 things:
The University of Alcalá de Henares (or Cisneriana). Built in 1499 by the Cardinal Cisneros, it was one of the most important universities in Spain in the Golden Age.

The Cervantes Square (La Plaza de Cervantes) is in the centre of Alcalá. It has the Cervantes´sculture, called informaly as "El Monigote" by the young inhabitants of Alcalá where the most of people usually meet.
It is a very beautiful place to go for a stroll.

All the days, but specially during the weekend, to lunch and dinner the bars are full of people going to have a beer, vermouth or wine with a "tapa" free with each drink. The tapas used to be a piece of bread with spanish ham or chorizo, but now they are small typical spanish dishes or typical sandwith. It´s supposed to be an aperitif before lunch but it has become the lunch or the dinner.

The week around the 9th October, there is a famous event. Alcalá become a Medieval City, the people wear medieval costumes and sell handmade things, food...everything! there are gigs everywhere, in the streets, in sceneries...

The Don Juan Tenorio in the streets of Alcalá is a very famous event in my city.

I hope you have enjoyed with this small description of my city!

My first week in the course

Hi!!

I´m Laura, I´m investigating how to use the blog and, at the same time, I am taking this oportunity to tell us how has been my first week! I like that the class is full of people of a lot of countries and, when we are making the exercises and we have to speak with other partners, it became more interesting because you can learn things about another lifestyles, cultures, foods...
In my first day of the course, one teacher made me one test and after that, another one interviewed me with another girl just to know our level...the girl that came with me spoke perfectly, then, for a moment, I thought that my level was awful!!! but the teacher tell her that she had a very high level to go to our course...I breath after to listen this!!
I´m very happy because I can undestand more or less all that the teachers say and, of course, to my partners. But I can not undestand yet to all the british people in the street...I think I will need much more time!

Greets to all us...see you tomorrow!!!

Kaiseki

This is traditional Japanese cuisine, Kaiseki. You could see many kind of foods, but these are served as course food little by little, which is mainly composed of starter, boiled food, grilled food, soup, and sweets although it depends on the course menu. Kaiseki doesn't only have great taste, but also shows you how it looks and traditional Japanese style. For the sake of it, Kaiseki looks really beautiful and is basically reflected on season. Vegetables, fish, and even plates are different in four seasons. In addition, only sophisticated cooker can cook Kaiseki with fresh foods and traditional style. They have to train for a long time, probably until they give up having knives. It's especially difficult to make lovely flavour with fish, seaweed, good balance of ingredients, etc.

I've had Kaiseki with my family for only a few times, because great one is quite expensive and it's hard for only young people to go to eat in atmosphere. The last time that I had it was just before I came to London. Fresh foods with superb tastes really great. It's the one of the reason that is impossible for me to forget Japanese. In my city, I can eat a variety of foods of the world, but I think Japanese people became not to have Japanese food like Kaiseki: compare to other food, it's expensive, so it makes me happy whenever I have Kaiseki and have any opportunities.

HongKong steamed fish 香港清蒸魚

Raw oysters , Chinese steam fish and sashimi

Dear all ,

My favourite dishes are raw oysters , Chinese steamed fish and sashimi .

Raw oysters don't have to cook , when you enjoy raw oysters with lemon juice , tomato juice and Germany white wine .

You can taste tasty raw oysters juicy from the sea , you can feel a bit fresh salty from the sea .

Me and my husband always eat raw oysters in a restaurant or buy it in a supermarket then enjoyed raw oysters at home.

Chinese steamed fish cook with spring onion , ginger , good soya sauce , chilli and corianders , put a fish and seasonings on a big dish then prepared a wok and poured some water into the wok , then put the dish with fish into the wok , recovered a lid then steamed eighteen minutes , it is done.

I am a dab hand at Chinese steamed fish , hahaha , I mean that I can cook Chinese steamed fish very delicious and I felt pride , but before cook , a fish have to still live , sorry .

Because from 1895 until 1945 Japan dominion Taiwan fifty years , Taiwanese love sashimi as well .

Sashimi don't have to cook , it is raw fish , when you eat sashimi with soya sauce , wasabi and sake ( Japanese wine ) .

Every time when I eat out , I tend to choose Japanese restaurant , I really enjoyed sashimi and sake.

One of photo which I enjoyed sashimi and sake in a famous Japanese restaurant , CHEERS .

with love

Chen Chen

The Secondary and High-school

Dear all ,

I studied in a state maixed secondary and studied in a state single-sex high school. I remember the high school students cannot wear trousers in the winter .

My favourite subjects was Chinese literature , because the Chinese literature teacher was handsome and I really like Chinese poem as Tang dynasty ( 618-907 ) poem and poets and the Song dynasty ( 960- 1279 ) poem and poets . But I didn't like physics and chemical , because I didn't know what were they discuss about ? I felt bored .

In my high school , my English teacher always asked me to sing a pop English song at lesson , I really loved the song so I like my high school English teacher .

In my secondary school , I like the Chinese literature teacher because he was a gorgeous and tall man , I love him at the moment and he taught me a lot of Chinese poem , but I didn't like the English teacher because he felt all the students were stupid and he didn't interested to teach us .

In my secondary and high school , I was in serious trouble because a lot of teenage boy wrote me the love letters to school for me , they didn't know where I live in and I had to see the headmaster . They made me in a big trouble so I didn't like them . Study here is better because nobody sent me a love letter .

Taiwan education system is the best in the world , because 97% young students can into the university , the government provided low interest ( 1.2% ) to young students , the students graduated and get a job then they pay back money to the government.

I was a good student at secondary and high school , until now , I am a good student in Hugh eyes.

with love

chen chen

Japanese work

You wouldn't believe me. Two years ago, I started to work a part-time job for the first time. I used to work as a teacher of sub-school , where is a school that some students go after secondary school , and was teaching English in man-to-man for secondary school students mainly. In Japan, we study only grammar in school, so I didn't have to speak English at all in the sub-school and haven't done any preparation. Because I was catching a glimpse of student's textbooks they brought when I had forgotten any grammar. the job was also well-paid , so I felt easy and lucky although I think actual teacher is hard job and different. But I couldn't work for a long time: three hours at best. In those days, I wanted to earn more and more to rent a room of an apartment by myself, so I worked in a kitchen of a restaurant for six months. I didn't know why I was adopted, because I hadn't been used knives until then and I couldn't distinguish from any vegetables or meats. But my senior colleagues taught me very very kindly. Maybe they must've been quite stressed, though, thanks to them, I could learn useful skill in the kitchen. This job was well-paid as well. However, it was really busy and hard job. I had to work eighteen hours a day, including two hours brake although I was working the job three times a week in a row, so I was dying every half a week in that days. As a result of it, I felt happy whenever I checked my bank account and could rent a room immediately. I no longer want to work that kind of job, but I was blessed my colleagues and had a good experience.

A shoes sales.

Dear all ,

Long long time ago , I had a job which was a shoes sales in Taiwan .

That is my first job , I didn't like it because it was boring .

While I was a shoes sales , I never smiled all day . I felt like a bird in the birdcage , the bird cannot fly.

My every day works was : a customer came into the shop and asked me to try shoes then the customer will say the shoes too small or too large then I went to warehouse to take the shoes for the customer , day by day , never ending .

Because it was long time ago , I cannot remember the salary but I think that it was not good salaries . One day I sold a lot of shoes , I earned big commission but I still upset . also I cannot remember the time , I just remember the shoes shop closed at 22:00 or 23:00.

The shoes boss is my father best friends , maybe he knew I was unhappy , so one day my father came to the shoes shop and took me home.

I just worked there for a few months .

After the job , I changed to a buyer and met my husband .

with love

Chen Chen

My worst job (for the moment... hihihihihihi)

I said "for the moment" because I haven't got a permanent job yet. So my worst job was when I worked as teleseller at Bordeaux in France, three years ago. It was very stressful and I can't work under the pressure. First of all, I should sell a insurance death and second of all I was in customer service of insurance's Carrefour. So for the both, I should persuade people to buy or to keep the insurance because 'they need it'. And we had target to meet. We were cramped and we can't really speak with your colleagues because you had to do just one thing : calling. When a call was finished, a other one began and  so on... The money was the legal minimum, and could be better if you sold many insurances. So I had never had more like the minimum, I was a very seller of insurance death on phone! Anyway, I stayed one year in this company...

This song is my favorite song at the moment!!! I can't stop listening to it right now!!!

My favorite travel is when I went to United States. It was in december 2009. I was with my sister and some friends. I visited several countries like Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston and New-York. It was amazing. A lot high building, everything is big... You have a lot choices about clothes, shoes, food, something like that. Moreover, I'm french, and with euros I had an advantage against dollar, so I bought all I wanted!
I stayed three weeks, and when I'm thinking about that, I'd like to go back more time. Maybe one day!!!

The worst job I've ever done in my life!

In 1991, I graduated from Goldsmith's College, part of the University of London, with a First Class Degree in English Literature. I was very well qualified, but had no idea what I wanted to do. I was still singing in a band and really just wanted to play music. About three months later, though, my band split up and I was left needing money! I applied for loads of jobs as a journalist, but had no experience and no connections, so didn't even get a single interview! In the end, I ran out of money and had to go back and live with my dad for a few months to try and get back on my feet. My dad lives on the south coast, and I hadn't lived with him since I was 1q7, so it felt like a terrible step backwards, but what could I do. Once I'd moved back, I got a job working on a building site. It was awful - the worst job I've ever done in my life! I had to cycle about ten miles to get to the site where I was working - and then ten miles back home again in the evening!! I got really fit, but I was just exhausted all the time. The work itself was hard, physically demanding, boring work - carrying things, knocking things down, making walls, that kind of thing. The other guys working there knew I had a degree and hated me for it, so they all made fun of me and called me Professor! The work was dirty as well; I always came home covered in dirt and dust! The money was pretty bad as well, but I wasn't spending anything, so I managed to save up quite a bit during the time I worked there. After that, I did a course and became a teacher and even now, when I have a bad day at work or when I get stressed sometimes, I just stop and remember the building site - and feel very grateful I'm here, not there!!! Anyway, look forward to haring about jobs you've done - or people you know have done.

Crazy songs

I bought an album in Amazon recently: The stooges-Raw Power and this song is Search and Destroy. It's a really uplifting song and makes me crazy, although I hadn't listened this kind of music until I bought it, so I listen to this album more than twice at least every day. I'm even about to learn lyrics by heart. They've mainly played from 1967 to 1974, but it seems that they've been doing since 2003 as well. I'll probably remember London if I listen to their songs after a few years.

This song is While My Guitar Gently Weeps included in The Beatles-White album and one of the most famous songs of George Harrison's, but Eric Clapton sings it on Video. Having been thinking of putting original, I happened to find this Video.

I started to listen to music with songs of The Beatles and Eric Clapton when I was in secondary school. At first, I wasn't interested in music at all, but my father recommended their songs to me. Listening to this music, I remember the day which I started to listen, but at the same time it makes me remember my father singing with playing guitar loudly, over and over. It annoys my family any other than him enjoying. In actual, Beatles and Clapton are great artist. I like them, but I wish I could avoid remembering my father's voice when the introduction starts.

喜多郎 Kitaro - Silk Road from Best Of Kitaro DVD 2001

喜多郎 祭り

Dear all ,

Kitaro is a Japanese composer / musician , in my eyes he is really great .

If my remembrance is correct.

I had listened four time of Live , one in Taipei , three time in Hong Kong .

It's a very uplifting music .

Every time in the Live that he plays this music .

Kitaro always wears white clothes , black trousers , and wears his long hair

with love

Chen Chen

The Animals - House of the Rising Sun (1964) High Definition [HD]

I cannot stop the wonderful music night.

The Eagles - Hotel California-True HD Audio-320 KBPS

Many thanks , the wonderful music night.

Tony Orlando & Dawn KNOCK THREE TIMES

Dear Hugh , thank you so much , you make me remember my teen-age time .

Christie: Yellow River

When I listen it again , I remember my teen-age time .

Roberta Flack - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face [totp2]

I want to show you how young I am .

Romeo and Juliet 1968 "What Is A Youth"

I like this song , when I was teen-age , I can sing the song .The melody is great .

My current favourites playlist

Here are three songs I've been listening to a lot recently. Robert Wyatt - Solar Flares (Song for Che) Robert Wyatt was the drummer in a 1960s band from Canterbury called Soft Machine, but when he was 23 or 24 he fell out of a window when he was drunk and broke his back. This left him paralysed and he has spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair, but he's continued to make strange and lovely music. This song is from his 1975 LP called Ruth is stranger than Richard. I like listening to this record in the winter as it has a strange atmosphere and reminds me of long cold winter nights. It's quite repetitive and influenced a bit by jazz as well. I find it very relaxing. Maybe you will too!! Gene & Eddie - You've got to love me sometimes I LOVE 60s soul and this is one of recent discoveries. It's from 1967 or 1968 and I bought the single online for $30. It's by a duo - two guys called Gene and Eddie - and I find it really really powerful, moving music. The chorus is incredible and makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end!!!! The Jook - Aggravation Place I grew up listening to post-punk and power pop music and this reminds me of the kind of stuff I left when I was 13 or 14. Loud guitars, harmonies, great choruses that you want to sing along with, tough drumming - and all played with aggression and attitude. Great stuff. The Jook were around in the mid-to-late 1970s. Looking forward to reading about the music you love.

My great holiday in South Africa

I was in South Africa for one week. I had never seen summer in January. It was strange for me. I stayed in a four stars hotel near ocean. When I arrived at the hotel, the room wasn't available for us, so we had to wait for 2 hours.We decided to go to the hotel's restaurant. We had lunch, the food was delicious, but the services was slow. The hotel is located near ocean, so I could see amazing view on it. By the way the ocean was chilly. You can't swim too long. This is because two oceans meet there. During the week in the first half of the day, I visited the most popular places in Cape town. I like Camps Bay, if you go to Cape Town you should go to the Camps Bay beaches because they're spectacular. I heard about the wine tour at the city, so I decided with my sister take excursion to a wine farm. Excursion was interesting. I pick up how make wine. Than, we took bus around the city. It's was interesting. I remember most the townships. Where poor people live, so I could compare two countries and I could see big difference. The main reason was for my cousin's wedding. Wedding was in an amazing place near wine farm. The ceremony started at 4 o'clock pm, only close friend's attended. We were drinking, eating and chatting about everything, so I thing we had a good time. What I can say about Cape Town? It's happy place for life. Maybe I go back in SA this summer. Who know? Alexander

Okinawa

A few years ago, I spent about a week of summer holiday with my friends in Okinawa. It's the most southern region of Japan. Okinawa consists of some islands, so you have to use ships to go to others after you came to centre of Okinawa, but I think they worth visiting. The islands I have ever visited were really fantastic, although I have been to Okinawa twice. And also, all of islands are so small that you can drive everywhere if you rent a car.

Okinawa is quite different place from others of Japan. First of all, you can forget time especially if you are city guys. All of Okinawa are slow pace and I have heard that you could get delayed time even if you have meeting, So I love Okinawa. The place, however, has other aspects as well. For all of Japanese are taught in school or school trip that Okinawa has been occupied in America when The World War 2 had. When we go to Okinawa in school trip, we have to visit the places to escape from bomb and musium of history of Japan.

We did nothing special in Okinawa. We did only driving somewhere, jumping into really beautiful sea, and drinking Okinawa alcohol. The alcohol is called "Awamori". It's so strong and taste is quite strange that it's not my kind of thing, but we drunk too much. In Okinawa, you don't have to think of anything. You can use time in vain and in luxury.

( Part 1 ) The London Trip

Part 1

Dear all ,

Me and my husband and my son went to see The Lion King on Friday last week.

I took some pictures in the theater .

The theater is really beautiful and graceful.

I was so exhausted at that day.

I slept while the music of The Lion King in the beginning .

When I had just woken from a deep sleep then the music was the end of The Lion King .

' What was it like ? ' I asked my husband .

If you cannot sleep at night , I recommend you buy a ticket of The Lion King , the price is 70 pounds , and go into theater , then you can easy into your sweet dreams , but if you buy a ticket which is 20 pounds , I am not sure you can sleep in the beautiful theater as well.

with love

Chen Chen

My favourite holiday

My favourite holiday is a skiing holiday week in the north of Italy with my parents and their friends. When I was thirteen year old we went on holiday in a nice small town called Ortisei, in the Trentino-Alto Adige region, during Christmas time. I really enjoyed it because everyday we woke-up early in the morning and we had a nutritious breakfast with ham, cheese, cereal, yoghurt and afterwards we went skiing. We always had lunch in the typical alpine building, in italian it’s called baita, at the side of the ski run. In the afternoon when we didn’t go skiing we went for a walk in the snowy wood, where we could see beautiful landscapes or sometimes went ice-skating. At the end of the day we went back to the hotel which was really good and provided with some facilities like a swimming pool, a table tennis, a sauna. After dinner we usually went for a walk in the downtown where there were a lot of shops and cafés. The holiday was perfect.

My Xmas holiday

Back in December, I spent five wonderful days staying in a rented villa in Bali, an island in Indonesia. I've been to Bali lots of times - maybe ten or twelve. When I used to live in Jakarta, I went there quite a lot and have travelled around quite a lot. The southern part of the island is the most touristy - it's where all the package tours go and lots of people stay there and just drink and surf and eat for a week or two. Further north, Ubud is the cultural heart of the island, and lots of artists and sculptors are based there. It's very relaxed and chilled-out. On the north coast is Lovina. I haven't been there for maybe fifteen years, but when I was 25 or 26, I stayed there for a few days and went swimming with dolphins one morning, which was an experience I'll never forget. Anyway, this time around, I went with all my in-laws (my wife's family), so it was me, my wife and my daughter; my wife's mum and dad; her older brother and his wife and their two kids and her older sister, her husband and their two kids. We rented a huge big place, done in the traditional style. It has lovely. Very open plan and spacious. There was a swimming pool and you could hear the waves breaking on the beach maybe half a mile away. We also had our own cooks, which was a real luxury. The food was great, and it was lovely to eat all together as a family. It was also lovely wtahcing my daughter play with all her cousins. Bali is just a very special place: quite spiritual (it's manly Hindhu and there are lots of temples all over the place), and with a very slow pace of life compared to London. I could happily go there every year! Anyway, here are some photos of the island. I hope it encourages you to maybe think about going there sometime.

Looking forward to reading all about YOUR holidays. Best, Hugh

Hi everyone

Hello everyone - Welcome to your new class blog. I've set this blog up so that you have a space online to practise writing, to learn about each other and to tell your own stories in English. Hopefully, if you post a lot, you'll be able to see your English getting better, and in a few months' time, you'll be able to look back and laugh at how bad your English used to be - and feel pleased about how god is has become! I'm really looking forward to seeing what you all have to write. best, Hugh