あれもこれも

I've read 151 out of 326 pages of The Subtle Knife, the second part of the trilogy His Dark Materials, which I've started reading since June 27th.
It seems to me to be much easier to read than The Golden Compass, the first part of the trilogy, at least so far.
In spite of such impression, I've not been able to devote enough time to reading, especially since I got a copy of the Nonstop English Wave magazine on July 2nd.
Maybe I should determine the priority of things I need to do, and my rough schedule in accordance with it, or else I'll no doubt be in a mess in both physical and mental senses.
Hmm..., could somedody tell me about when, which and how much time I should do? (^^;
I think I've got to spare more time to improve my listening skills than to do any other things, though.

What makes it difficut for me to do so is that the story of The Subtle Knife has become much more exciting and larger in scale than both the first volume and what I had expected, some characters coming and going from one world to others, soul-eating Specters roaming around in one world and attacking only grown-ups, and you can see Angels (they're naked!) flying across the sky purposefully.
And now, Lyra, the heroine of this series, is running away from the police of our own world, after making me laugh some times with her weird but hard-to-dislike pride of being a great(?) liar!
Lyra, is it what to be proud of? (^^;
Well, I like her all the more because she is different from other children who behave themselves. (^^)

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・It was certain that they were in a world none of them had known before, with strange winds, strange scents in the air, great unknown birds that attacked them on sight and had to driven off with volleys of arrows; and when they found land to rest on, the very plants were strange.
on sight : 見るとすぐに

・"If angels were mustering, that's where they'd go, and if they were going to make an assault on heaven, I daresay that's where they'd build their fortress and sally out from."
make an assault on ～ : ～を攻撃する

・Each angel-being was distinctly an individual, and yet they had more in common with one another than with any human she had seen.
in common with ～ : ～と同様に、共通して

・"You've been in the wars, haven't you, Lyra?" said the inspector.
be in the wars : （事故や喧嘩などで）傷を負っている

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Subtle Knife (US) -

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Nonstop English Wave

Having been devastated by my listening score on the 138th TOEIC which is too low compared to my reading one, I decided to make a six-month subscription of Nonstop English Wave magazine to improve my listening skills if only a little.
This magazine seems to be aimed at English beginners who want to make progress mainly in listening skills, so it comes with a CD recorded in English from start to end each issue.
I, of course, know there are many kinds of magazines like it.
What makes me choose it is, needless to say, the best price of all.
Almost all of other magazines cost you more than 1,000 yen a month, mostly more than 1,400 yen a month, even if you order a one-year subscription.
However, you now need to pay only 6,000 yen per seven months (six months plus another free month) to subscribe to it.
It means the price for a month is only about 857 yen!
As far as I'm concerned, it was natural there was no need to bother myself about which magazine I should order.

I got the first issue for me yesterday.
Trying browsing and hearing it, I can't stop myself from wondering if I can really get it through in only a month, because I have a lot of other things to do.
Its English seems to me a little easier to take in than that of English Journal I bought last month, though,
Well, all I have to do is just give it my best shot without grumbling now that I've ordered it.

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・The idea that she had come all this way in order to help him took her breath away.
take one's breath away : ～をあ然とさせる、ハッとさせる

・For her part, Lyra was a little surprised to find that the Scholar she sought was female, but the alethiometer hadn't said a man, and this was a strange world, after all.
for one's (own) part : ～としては、～に関する限り

・Mindful of what the alethiometer had told her, she tried hard not to do what she normally would have done, and she told the truth.
mindful of ～ : ～を心にかけて忘れない、～を念頭において、～に気を配る

・"'...Capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.'"
reach after : ～を追求する、～に向かって努力する

・He'd kept it away till now, but it was closing in,
keep away : ～を寄せ付けない、くい止める
close in : （敵などが）近づく、～を取り囲む、迫ってくる

・Her account of a voyage in a balloon, of armored bears and witches, of a vengeful arm of the Church, seemed all of a piece with his own fantastic dream of a beautiful city on the sea, empty and silent and safe: it couldn't be true, it was as simple as that.
all of a piece (with ～) : (～と）同種の、調和した

・And I pretend to be bluff Major Parry, stout fellow in a crisis but not too much between the ears, what.
between the ears : 頭の中

・But it's not easy to find because that part of the other world looks just like this―rocks and moss and so forth.
and so fort : ～など

・So Will must be on the right track.
on the right track : （考え・行為が）正しく

・The conversation turned to the topic on everyone's lips: the catastrophic changes taking place around them, which no one could see.
on everyone's lips : 誰もが話題にして、誰もが関心を持って

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Subtle Knife (US) -

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小岩井のミルクとはちみつ♪

I've started reading The Subtle Knife since June 27th.
When first opening the book, being excited by the expectation of what would happen to Lyra and Pantalaimon, I was surprised by only a few sentences written in almost the first page preceding the first chapter: The Cat and the Hornbeam Trees, in a different way from what I could have thought of.
That is this:

The Subtle Knife is the second part of the trilogy that began with The Golden Compass. That first book was set in a world like ours, but different. This book begins in our own world.

Begins in our own world!
Besides, the second volume begins with the story of the boy, Will, who has never appeared in the first volume.
Is the second book set in this our world from beginning to end then?
I don't know yet because I've just reached page 35, chapter two, but suppose it's not.
However, I can recognize for now at least three different worlds depicted in this novel ― Lyra's world, our world, and another "seemingly empty" world.
Once picking up the book, I almost lose track of time with its dazzlingly grand-scale story.

By the way, do you know a soft drink called Milk and Honey manufactured by Koiwai?
(Or, it might be better to write it as Milk and Honey of Koiwai shortly.)
I was looking for a youghurt drink or something at a convenience store a few days ago, but to my surprise, I couldn't find it.
So I instead bought a bottle of Milk and Honey of Koiwai to try, and it turned out to be a really right choice for me.
Milk, honey and a bit of lemon juice.
I never even dreamed such a combination can taste that good!
Give it a shot if you'd like to, though whether or not it suits you seems to vary from person to person.

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Out of competition for two months because of knee surgery, Woods won the toughest test in golf, though it came at a price ― he will miss the remainder of the season, and major tournaments for the first time, to have more knee surgery.
come at a price : 犠牲を強いられる

・He struggled early in the first round, double bogeying his first hole of the competition, but roared back into contention with a back nine 30 in the second round, making five-straight birdies to move only one shot off the lead.
roar back into ～ : ～に復活する
with a back nine 30 : 後半９ホールを30で
move only one shot off the lead ; 首位から一打差に詰め寄る

・Biting is what you do with your front teeth. After you take a bite of food, you chew the food with your back teeth.
cf. So when you want to say something is "歯ごたえがある," it's better to say something is "hard to chew," not "hard to bite."

・He was born upstate and comes from a time when everyone farmed for a living.
come from a time when ～ : ～の時代の子孫である

・They were grass fed, free range and organic.
free range : 放し飼いの

・Be brave as you blast out of your comfort zone and take on the world!
take on the world : 何でもやってみる

・This weekend you can charm the pants off those around you, without even trying.
charm the pants off : 人に取り入る

・Loved ones have been telling you a few home truths but have you been listening?
home truths : 耳の痛い真実

・A little regular attention now could save you from big problems further down the track.
further down the track : ずっと後で

・Don't let a clique squeeze the personality out of you.
clique : 仲良し
squeeze A out of B : BのAを潰す

・Live and learn. Besides, I don't want to wear "the emperor's new clothes."
live and learn : 人生、常に勉強だ
the emperor's new clothes : 裸の王様

・I wish all the smart alecks in your section were like you, Mr Smart.
smart aleck : 知ったふりをする人、知ったかぶりをする人

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・The close where Will and his mother lived was a loop of road in a modern estate with a dozen identical houses, of which theirs was by far the shabbiest.
by far : ずっと、はるかに

・Will braced himself as he heard the quiet creak of the top step.
brace oneself : 不愉快なことや困難に備える

・She drank so quickly that the bubbles got up her nose, and she snorted and belched loudly, and scowled when he looked at her.
get up one's nose : ～を大いに困らせる、イライラさせる

・"Stands to reason there's other things the same."
stand to reason (that ～) : （～は）もっともである、道理に合う

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Subtle Knife (US) -

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The Golden Compass 終了！

From June 4th to 26th, after struggling with numerous words I'd never seen over about 23 days, I finally got through The Golden Compass yesterday!
At first, when I started reading it, I thought this book was easy to read with almost no need for me to look up in the dictionary.
However, as you might imagine, soon after I got to chapter three, Lyra's Jordan, I had to scribble a lot of notes in the margin of almost all of the pages in red ink.
It got easy again after part two, though. (^^;

I'm going to read The Subtle Knife, the second volume of His Dark Materials series, starting today!
It seems to me that nothing was solved in the first volume ― the Dust, the Magisterium and the Oblation Board, Lyra's parents, Lyra and Pantalaimon's future, and the another mysterious parallel world beyond the Aurora, for instance.
Besides, nobody is with Lyra, of course, except Pantalaimon.
She has to set foot in the another unfathomable world by herself.
So exciting that I can't wait to take off for the world with her!  (^^)

My impression, having just finished the first volume, is that the story is full of wonder and surprise.
I'm sure you can't tell who is on Lyra's side and who, or which group, is not, until you read through the first volume.
You, and I also, might not know it until finishing the last volume of it.
Anyway, as for what the journey to the world beyond the Aurora holds for Lyra (and me), nobody knows at this moment.

う～ん・・・、ハリ・ポタの（最初の数巻の）ように、１巻ずつ大きな区切りがあって、読者も一息つけるような構成になっているのかと（勝手に）思っていましたが、これは先に進むより仕方ない！
２巻からはオーロラの向こうの（Lyra達の住む世界とはまた違う）パラレル・ワールドが舞台になるのかな？
いずれにせよ、何一つ解決してないようにしか見えない今の状態で、「His Dark Materialsシリーズは一旦休憩♪」とはできそうもありません・・・
感想としては、結局１巻を読み終えるまで（もしかしたら１巻を読み終えた今でも）、誰がLyra側で、誰が敵なのかよくわかりませんでした。
意外だったと言えないことも・・・ない。
最初に「この人が悪者か！」と目を付けた人はどうやらいい人っぽいし、あの父親と母親に関しては何を考えているのかサッパリわからない。
Roger君がどうなるのか（or 「どうなったのか」？　それは辛すぎる・・・）も気になるし、せっかく３巻セットで買っちゃったことだし、今日から第２巻 "The Subtle Knife" を読み始めようと思います。=＾-＾=

あ、あと毎日ウィークリー掲載の村上春樹氏のインタビューとか、Listening力向上のために「NONSTOP ENGLISH WAVE」なる雑誌の定期購読を申し込んじゃったとか（前回のTOEICが、ほぼ予想通りとはいえ、結構ショックだの(/_<。)ﾋﾞｪｪﾝ）、いろいろ書きたいことはありますが、とてもそんなに一度に書ける英語力はないし、せっかくのネタを日本語で書いてしまうのも勿体ないので、それはまた今度、機会があればということで・・・。(^m^*)

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・"Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm and has no place in our country." he said, as 11 aboriginal leaders looked on just feet away.
have no place in ～ : ～にふさわしくない

・Throughout the first half Thailand was kept on its heels by Japan's relentless attacks.
keep on one's heels : 苦戦する

・The eco-friendly "M9R" engine can deliver powerful acceleration along with emission levels low enough to meet tougher Japanese regulations slated for October 2009, Nissan said.
deliver powerful acceleration : 力強い加速をする
(be) slated for ～ : ～に予定されている

・According to the Department of Defense, the U.S. military is currently deployed to more locations than it has ever been in history.
deploy A to B : AをBに配置する

・Today, activists in Hokkaido are joining forces with citizens from other parts of the world to protest the continued presence and expansion of the U.S. military.
join forces with ～ : ～と力を合わせる

・At that moment, an idea came into Miss Martha's head which she acted upon at once.
act upon ～ : ～に従って行動する

・Acclaimed author Murakami Haruki took time out from writing his first full-length novel since 2002's Kafka On The Shore to talk exclusively to the Mainichi. Murakami spoke on a broad spectrum of topics ranging from recent Japanese translation trends ― including his own work on contemporary classics ― to awareness in the post-Spt. 11 world.
take time out from ～ : ～から時間を割く
a broad spectrum of ～ : 広範囲で多種多様な～
comtemporary classic : 同時代の名作

・"They're skillful, beautiful, rhythmical, flowing. That's what it all comes down to," he says.
that's what it all comes down to : その事に尽きる

・It's because I use Fitzgerald as the standard I'd like to be at myself," he says.
to be at myself : 自分らしい文章を書くこと

・"We're not going to let you screw up your life."
screw up : 台無しにする

・Travelers probably need at least two to three weeks to do Sikkim any justice.
do ～ justice : ～を堪能する

・If trekking is your thing, there are some stunning possibilities.
one's thing : 好きなこと

・Covering only 0.22% of India's total landmass, Sikkim punches above its weight, ecologically speaking. The Sikkimese government is very keen to promote the state's ecological credentials. Forest cover per capita is 0.61 hectares as against 0.08 for India as a whole, and there are over 4,000 flowering plants, 144 mammals, 500 bird species and 650 kinds of butterflies!
punch above its weight : かなりの務めを果たす
as against ～ : ～に対して

・Of course, everyone needs electricity, but on the flip side, some locals say that the damming of rivers not only damages the ecosystem, it may also be weakening mountainsides.
on the flip side : 一方で

・Most of the Sikkimese people are nothing if not welcoming, and it is generally safe to wander around villages and meet the locals, who may well invite you in for tea and biscuits.
nothing if not ～ : とりわけ～だ

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・However, Iorek was worse off.
worse off : 状況が一層悪い、暮らし向きが一層悪い（反対 : "better off"）

・But he leaped at Iofur before the king could disentangle himself from the clinging chain mail, and knocked him head over heels, following up with a lunge at the bare part of Iofur's neck, where the edge of the helmet was bent.
head over heels : まっさかさまに

・They can play them off against one another; if one succeeds, they can pretend to have been supporting it all along, and if it fails, they can pretend it was a renegade outfit which had never been properly licensed.
play someone off (against) another : 人と人を対決させて、漁夫の利を得ようとする

・"Don't flatter yourself that I'd give you a second's thought. Now stay and work your mischef in this world, or come with me."
flatter oneself : うぬぼれる、得意がって～だと思う
cf. work great mischief : 大変な悪影響を与える

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Golden Compass (US) -

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まだ死にそう・・・

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・They twirled batons rapidly and with great dexterity, and about a dozen performers were propelled into the air.
with dexterity : 器用に

・GDP per capita in 2007 was a mere $2100, only 50 percent of the population has access to plumbing, and many parts of the country remain without electricity.
GDP per capita : 一人あたりの国内総生産
have access to ～ : ～が利用できる
plumbing : 水道設備

・For example, there are towering monasteries ― some internationally recognized cultural landmarks ― while nearby the poor strive to sell a mishmash of wares to tourists.
mishmash of wares : 寄せ集めの品々

・If you're smart, you'll do all you can to avoid power struggles and ego trips.
ego trip : 利己的な過ち

・The iron fist in the velvet glove approach will work best, especially on the weekend.
the iron fist in the velvet glove : 優しさに包まれた厳しさ

・Don't even try to second-guess the behavior of others this week.
second-guess : 後でとやかく言う

・A fresh approach will work wonders.
work wonders : 効果てきめんである

・So don't let loved ones push you around or attempt to persuade you do something you don't believe in.
push ～ around : ～をこき使う

・We had to make do.
make do : 間に合わせる

・"You eat more than Nic and I put together."
more than A and B put together : AとBを足したよりもっと

・I have to know what the day holds for me.
what the day holds for ～ : ～に何が起こるか

・I wouldn't be caught dead doing that.
wouldn't be caught dead ～ : ～するのは死んでも嫌だ

・You're a straight-down-the-line person of science, and you abhor wishy-washy superstitious types.
straight-down-the-line : 正当派

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・She had to move on hands and knees, because the space was too low to crouch in, and every so often she had to squeeze under a square duct or lift herself over some heating pipes.
on hands on knees : 四つんばいになって

・"With respect, they did, Mrs, Coulter."
with respect : ご意見はもっともですが、はばかりながら

・"No; on second thought, don't tell me."
on second thought : よく考え直してみると

・"With the first model we could never entirely overcome the risk of the patient dying of shock, but we've improved that no end."
no end : とても（= very much)、非常に、絶え間なく

・She remembered hurling a handful of clay in the broad face of a brickburner boy bearing down on her.
bear down on ～ : ～にずかずかと歩み寄る、～を圧迫する、押さえつける

・The Tartars, in a tight group now around the sledge, were able to blaze at will into the snow, but the gyptians dared not shoot back for fear of hitting Lyra.
at will : 思うままに、好きなように、自由自在に

・Somewhere outside, the flap and swish of air through cloud-pine needles and witch garments told that the witches were keeping them company into the upper airs.
keep one's company : ～のお供をする

・He was growing old; he was an old broken man, and she would be young for generations.
for generations : 数代にわたって

・"We feel cold, but we don't mind it, because we will not come to harm."
come to ahrm : 酷い目に遭う

・It felt as if the had torn loose from the balloon, and were dropping unchecked by anything; and then came another series of jerks and crashes, the basket being tossed rapidly from side to side as if they were bouncing between rock walls.
tear loose from ～ : （物が）～から外れる　cf. tear loose : 自由になる、逃げる、（物が強く引っ張られて）外れる

・Then she had the fright of her life.
have the fright of one's life : 非常にビックリする

・"I don't know," she said, and then, making it up out of pure habit, "no," she went on.
out of pure habit : 単なる癖・習性で

・"I bet you know more about the bears than he does, for a start."
for a start : まず第一に

・"I have it on good authority."
have on good authority : 確かな筋から聞く　cf.on good authority : 確かな筋から

・Everything she'd heard about the bear-king added up: the mighty Iofur Raknison wanted nothing more than to be a human being, with a daemon of his own.
add up : つじつまが合う、意味を成す

・Some of the highest-ranking, she saw, carried little manikins like Iofur's rag-doll daemon, trying to curry favor, perhaps, by imitating the fashion he'd begun.
curry fovor (with someone) : （～の）機嫌をとる、へつらう

・The fog had lifted by this time, and the air was clear; and as chance would have it, the brief lifting of darkness toward noon coincided with the time Lyra thought Iorek was going to arrive.
as chance would(/ will) have it : 偶然に、たまたま

・"Belaqua? No. You're Lyra Silvertongue," he said.
silver tongue : 雄弁、説得力

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Golden Compass (US) -

I'm still struggling with nausea sometimes.
Knowing it's all my fault because I was aware enough to be able to prevent this from happening to me that my stomach had become vulnerable due to my medicines, I can't take it out on somebody else.
Wooops, I'm going to throw up, seriously. (T_T)

What with suffering from retching stomach and being pressed by daily routine, I, off course, could read neither The Golden Compass nor the Mainichi Weekly as much as I had expected.
I don't know if I can manage it today.
Well, I should think it's enough for me to be only able to update this blog, shouldn't I?

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TOEIC結果発表

I have something to write here.
I'm, however, going to make it short because of my hangover from the last two days' drinking parties for celebrate my birthday,
Each drinking party was so fantastic that I forgot all about the time, though. (^^;

As writing in this blog on May 27th, I took the 138th TOEIC test to know how many points I could get now that it had been more than a year since I started English learning.
And I got the result today, though I thought it should be sent after June 24th since I saw the TOEIC officials having written on their HP that they were to do so.
Can you imagine my shock of the moment I found it in my post this morning when I didn't expect it at all? (^^;

Anyway, my score is as follows:

Listening : 370 (mean score : 313.9)
Reading   : 425 (mean score : 272.2)
Total       : 795 (mean score : 586.1)

(total number of examinees : 88,983)

Oh, to be honest, I thought I could get, or at least aimed to get, a score of a little more than 800.
One more correct answer, and I could have reached my goal!!
Never mind.
With the complimentary application form valid for a year, I'm going to take the TOEIC test once more at any cost.
Maybe, this autumn or next spring.
I have to improve my listening skills by then!!

う～ん・・・。
二日酔いで本気で死にそうなところに、予想以上に早いTOEICの結果発送＆目標点数に１問足りずという結果はちょっとキツイかも。
本気で800点以上を狙ってたんだけどな～。orz
まぁ、せっかくTOEICから無料の申込用紙をゲットしたので、次回はもう少し頑張りましょうってことで。
（無料申込用紙ゲットの事情はこちらをどうぞ）

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かっぱエビせん状態

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・He could tell her when they woke, and it was probably a marten, or a dream, or some kind of harmless local spirit; but something was following the train of sledges, swinging lightly from branch to branch of the close-clustering pine trees, and it put him uneasily in mind of a monkey.
put someone in mind of ～ : （人）に～を思い出させる

・She heard a mighty roar, and the clang and scrape of Iorek Byrnison's armor as he leaped fully clad over the sledges and into the fog, and that was followed by screams, snarling, crunching and tearing sounds, great smashing blows, cries of terror and roars of bearish fury as he laid them waste.
lay waste : （～を）叩きのめす、荒廃させる

・Pantalaimon was agitated and fearful, but he didn't want the witch's daemon to see his fear, so he had flown to Lyra's breast and taken sanctuary inside her furs.
take sanctuary : （保護を求めて）逃げ込む、聖域に逃げ込む

・When it was time for bed, she knew she had to let the other girls into her confidence.
let someone into one's confidence (= "take someone into (one's) confidence"?) : （人）に秘密を打ち明ける、を信用する

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Golden Compass (US) -

After I've reached part two, The Golden Compass seems to have suddenly become much easier to read, with almost no difficult words for English beginners.
Besides the story is becoming more and more exciting and thrilling, so making short work of writing this blog, I want to read the rest of it as soon as possible.
I'm also going to read as many pages as possible today and tomorrow, considering my prospect of not being able to spare enough time to read it this weekend due to my women-only birthday party.
I hereby pledge never to drink too much! Never!!

あはっ♪　とぉ～ってもテキトーな日記（？）ですね。~(=^‥^A
"The Golden Compass"は、Part.2に入るとほぼ同時にかなり読むのが楽になりました。
しかも話も急激に展開し始めるので、ちょっとした『やめられない 止まらない～♪ かっぱエビせん♪』状態です。
今週末は読書に時間を割けそうにないので、今日・明日のうちにできるだけ読み進めたいのですが、今日も今日とて眠いです。
しかも暑くも寒くもない、カラッとした昼寝にはもってこいの天気・・・
『寝なさい』ってことかしらね～？(^m^*)

余談ですが、『かっぱエビせん』の表記を確認するためにCalbeeのHPをのぞいて、『かっぱエビせん えびリッチ』が無性に食べたくなりました。
『リッチ』という響きにそそられるわ～♪

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煙草1000円なんて生ぬるい！

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・A team of astronauts working inside and out anchored a giant billion-dollar Japanese lab to the international space station on June 3, making it the biggest room there.
anchor A to B : AをBに固定する

・Considering U.S. President George W. Bush has record-low approval ratings, the Democrats should be in a strong position for November, but most polls show Obama only inching ahead of McCain, and Newsweek even has them locked together with each receiving support from 46 percent of voters.
lock together : 互角にする

・Its main task is to excavate trenches in the permafrost in search of evidence of past water and organic compounds considered the chemical building blocks of life.
organic compound : 有機化合物
chemical building block : 化学的成分

・Wearing Speedo's LZR Racer, Kitajima clocked a time of 2 minutes, 07.51 secnds at the Japan Open, taking almost a second off the previous mark set by American Brendan Hansen in 2006.
clock a time of ～ : ～のタイムを記録する
take a second off ～ : ～を１秒短縮する

・Like lightning out of nowhere, Usain Bold is now the world's fastest man.
lightning out of nowhere = bolt out of the blue : 青天のへきれき

・Even with that, he said he wasn't sure if he would switch out the 400 for the 100 at the Beijing Olympics.
switch out A for B : AをBに替える

・When Koizumi Junichiro was prime minister, he wanted to explore the possibilities for a breakthrough in diplomatic ties with North Korea.
explore the possibilities for ～ : ～の可能性を探る

・As a result, on the U.S. side, there is somewhat of a diplomatic dance over control of policy.
diplomatic dance : 外交における駆け引き

・To "look over your shoulder" means to be worried that something bad is going to happen to you. It is also used when someone is afraid of being caught.

・If you "cover your back (or butt)," you do something to avoid failure or problems in the future.

・"To cover our backs, we made sure that we got everything in writing."
get ～ in writing : ～を書面にする

・I didn't think he had it in him.
has it in (one) : 能力を持っている

・However, if after a long dive you want to relax on a sandy beach, you'll be out of luck: Hachijojima is a volcanic island, so there are no sandy beaches.
(be) out of luck : あいにくで

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・Secondly, Lord Asriel's bridge will have a bearing on a war being waged at the present between some witches and various other forces, some in the sprit world.
have a bearing on ～ : ～に関係がある

・They watched the bear turn away from his victim at the bidding of the girl with the cat daemon, and then they shuffled aside to make room as Iorek Byrnison padded heavily through the midst of them at Lyra's side and made for the harbor.
at the bidding of ～ : ～の言いつけに従って

・They had been itching to get under way ever since they had disembarked; the sledges were packed, the dog teams were in their traces.
in one's traces (= in the traces) : 引き革につながれて、（業務に服して）

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Golden Compass (US) -

To tell the truth, my birthday is coming up soon.
(As for my age, I'm old enough to know that I shouldn't write it on the Net. (^^;)
I don't know if it's the reason, though, one of my friends gave me two 500-milliliter cans of beer, an assortment of sweets, and, somehow, a pack of sashimi yesterday.
I think now I shouldn't have done so, I drank all the beer after my bath.
Needless to say, I couldn't read The Golden Campass much yesterday, and I have a slight headache today.
I can't complain about suffering this intolerable twinge because I know well it's not his fault but my fault. (T_T)

何で飲んじゃうかな～？
何も頑張って一日で飲む必要なんてないのに～！！(/_<。)ﾋﾞｪｪﾝ
ま、仕方ない。今日一日は諦めて、頭痛に堪えましょうか・・・。

あ、煙草１箱1000円にっていう話が出てますよね。
実現しないかな～・・・（ボソッ）
決して、ヒステリックかつ下品に騒いでいる一部の過激な非喫煙者的意見ではありません。
（ま、何を言われても仕方ないような喫煙マナーの悪い人っているからね。
携帯灰皿を持ってれば、歩きタバコもOKだと思っているような人とか・・・）
今年２月から禁煙に踏み切ったものの、お酒を飲む時だけわざわざ１箱購入して吸ってしまう意志薄弱な私としては、１箱10,000円にでもして欲しいくらい。
１箱買ったからといって、その後も続けて吸いたいということはないのですが、たまに（１ヶ月で１箱ぐらいかな？）１箱吸っただけで肌の荒れること！
頭も本気でクラクラして、脳細胞が破壊されているのをヒシヒシと感じるというのに、どうして完全に絶てないのかな～？
『そんだけ何回も、煙草を断つ苦しみを自ら繰り返しているのは、ある意味Ｍだろ』等と言う友人もいますが、その苦しみはもうあまり感じないのよね。σ(o^_^o)
だから、ついつい機会があると買ってしまう＞煙草
（これは私の場合であって、普通に禁煙しようと思っている人は決してマネをしないように）
１箱1,000円なんて生ぬるいわ。
いっそ１箱10,000円、せめて2,000円ぐらいにしてくれれば、煙草と完全に縁を切れるかもしれないのにぃ～。
そして増えた税収を年金や国保なんかにまわしてもらえれば言うことナシ。

・・・こういう禁煙すら人任せな姿勢が問題なのかもしれない。orz
あ、一応、昨日は煙草ナシでの酒盛りでした。
（taspoはさすがに作ってないし、煙草のためだけにコンビニまで行くマメさは私にはありません）

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なが～～い！

The weather report said it was going to rain yesterday, but in fact it was nice weather without rain and strong sunshine for me having to go by bicycle.
Today the sky is also clear and the air is both cool and comfortably dry, so I feel as if it were not a day in the rainy season.
Hmm..., is my English right?  Can you understand what I want to say?
To be honest, when visiting the official website of TOEIC Speaking & Writing Tests, (yes, I did despite knowing it's far beyond my English skills,) I was so mentally-devastated as to think I wanted to stop my fruitless attempt to master English immediately.
Well, it may be not too bad that I have still long, long way to go, compared to having no goal in mind to head to.
Don't you think so? (^^)

And one more thing I want to confess here.
I bought a copy of a magazine for English learners titled English Journal, not the latest but the May edition because the latter features the interview with my favorite Johnny Depp about his musical film Sweeney Todd, along with a set of His Dark Materials in order to improve my listening skills.
It's so difficult and has so many articles to listen to (and to read, as for me) that I don't dare to think I can get it through within a month.
Yes, the way ahead of me is long enough to make me feel dizzy. (^^;

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The Golden Compass 進捗状況♪

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・The company announced it was going out of business at a news conference in Osaka, with 71-year-old proprietress and company president Yuki Sachiko offering a tearful apology.
廃業する

・African leaders and international aid agencies implored developed nations on May 29 to do more to help countries reeling from soaring food prices.
reel from ～ : ～で揺らぐ
soaring : 高騰する

・Money-losing train company Wakayama Electric Railway Co. has found the purr-fect pet mascot to draw crowds and bring back business ― Tama.
purr-fect : purr（猫がならすゴロゴロという音）と"perfect"をかけている
bring back business : 経営を回復させる

・All she does is sit by the entrance of the station, wearing the black cap and posing for photos for tourists, who are now flocking in droves from across the nation.
flock in droves : 大勢が群がる（drove:群衆、群れ）

・Tusks were sold in place of elephants' ivory to raise money for weapons and food.
in place of ～ : ～の代わりに
raise money : 資金を調達する

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・This little lady knows all about it, I'll be bound.
請け合うよ、約束する

・She had one hand clutched to her shoulder, holding the swooning daemon in place.
clutch ～ to ... : ～を...にしがみつける、抱きかかえる
hold ～ in place : ～を適切な位置で支える、～を適所に保つ

・And as if in answer to that last wish, she heard his name mentioned, and wandered closer to the group talking nearby with the pretext of helping herself to a canape from the plate on the table.
～に答えて、応じて

・"They feel their way about at night and if you're a sleeping out in the forest they get ahold of you and won't nothing make 'em let go."
get ahold of ～ : ～を見つける、～を手に入れる

・She would have been nervous but for Pantalaimon, and the fact that John Faa's stony expression had warmed a little.
but for ～ : ～がなかったら

・Lyra couldn't hold it in.
hold in : ～を抑える、我慢する

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Golden Compass (US) -

How do you determine what to do first when you have too many things to do to complete them all?
To write like this may be a little exaggerated, because I think I can manage such a situation if I can only make better use of my time.
And yet why do I feel as if it were impossible for me?
Everyone around me looks not only powerful and energetic but much more efficient and a better time manager than me.
What is it that they have and I don't?
Maybe there's not only one but more things missing in me, and maybe I have something they don't.
Yes, maybe... (^^;

Oh, and as for my reading of The Golden Compass, the fact about lyra's parents, that is to say, about who her parents are, has just become clear.
The gyptians' English is a little difficult for me to precisely understand, though I feel like I can somehow grasp the meanings from the context.
I can't tell if the above sentence, "they get ahold of you and won't nothing make 'em let go," is grammatically correct or not, for instance.
I guess it means "there is nothing to make them let go," or am I wrong?
Anyway, the story is getting more and more interesting and exciting! (^^)

As an aside, I have to go to the hospital to have monthly consultations with my doctor, and it's going to rain tomorrow according to the weather report.
I don't want to go anywhere!

う～ん・・・、辞書にも英辞郎君にも載っていない不可解な単語が多いんですが、何とか大筋は掴めていると・・・思います。
ジプシー達の言葉は訛りのようなものもあると思うのですが、作者の造語なのか、訛りなのか、単に辞書に載ってないだけのネイティブには周知の言葉なのか、考え始めると不安になるので考えません。~(=^‥^A
とりあえず、思わず「え～！！！」と叫びたくなるような事実が判明したところで、昨日は睡魔に負けてしまいました。
明日は病院だぜ～。
しかも雨だぜ～～。

・・・・・・・・・・・いやん。(/_<。)ﾋﾞｪｪﾝ

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The Golden Compass - His Dark Materials 1-

I finishing reading The Remains of the Day on Monday, the next book I've got from Amazon to read is, needless to say, The Golden Compass, which I repeatedly wrote on this blog that I wanted to read as soon as possible.
Even if you can't imagine well what kind of book The Golden Compass is by just hearing its English title, I suppose you can immediately recognize it as the fantasy novel on which the popular movie having released in March 2008 is based by hearing only once its Japanese title, Lyra no Bouken ― Ogon no Rashinban.
I've read only 20 or so pages yet, but the heroine Lyra seems to get involved in trouble of some sort at almost the same time as the story begins, and I've already gotten into it. (^^)

Though I know the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, the series of Lyra no Boken, is originally written in UK, I bought a set of US edition of it because I thought it was the cheapest way (I don't know my thought is right, though.)
I always think every time I get foreign paperbacks that the quality of the paper is inferior to that of Japanese paperbacks, and I think it holds true for this trilogy too.
But at the same time, the design of the cover, and cute but seemingly meaningful signs, or I might as well describe those as symbols, written in on one side of the all pages, I feel, make the books more mysterious.
Yes, I think the design is not too bad for a US edition, and as for the story, there's still nothing able to write because it has only begun.

Oh, and do you know you can check on the Net what kind of daemon yours is?
According to the site, my daemon is an osprey, or a fish hawk, a kind of hawk, I guess.
Hmm..., should I be pleased with the result?  (^^;
Anyway, please check your daemon, if you'd like!
The movie of The Golden Compass : http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/

「読んでみたいな～♪」とブログに書いてから何カ月経ちましたっけ？
やっと「ライラの冒険-黄金の羅針盤」のUS版をゲットいたしました♪　(^^)v
かねてから目を付けていた、ライラの冒険シリーズ全３巻のボックスセット。
（ところで「ライラの冒険シリーズ」を英語で書こうとした場合、"The series of His Dark Materials" or "'His Dark Materials' trilogy" でいいのかしら？
US版と本家UK版では、タイトルからして若干違いがあったような気が・・・~(=^‥^A）
まださっぱり「ワケわからん」状態ではありますが、物語が始まるとほぼ同時にライラがトラブルに巻き込まれてしまうのだから、夢中にならないワケがない。(^m^*)

ちなみに↑の映画版「ライラの冒険-黄金の羅針盤」の公式サイトで、私のdaemonを調べたところ、

daemonの名前：Elleron
daemonの種類：ミサゴ（鷹の一種で魚を食べるらしい・・・）

私は：気まぐれ、孤独、はきはきした、謙虚な、受身的
私のダイモンElleronは、ダイモンの全人口1,222,288中のミサゴ45,934の１つ
人間とダイモンのペアの性別は反対なので、Elleronは雄のダイモンである

なんだとか。
インコを飼っているので私のdaemonが鳥類なのは良しとして、何故に猛禽類？
ちなみに姓と名前の間にブランクを入れて試したところ、トラでした。
（若干、アンケートの答え方も違ったかも・・・）
映画公開から随分時が経ってしまいましたが、良ければあなたのdaemonもチェックしてみてくださいね。=＾-＾=

「ライラの冒険-黄金の羅針盤」の公式サイト：http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/

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今日のメモ-TOEIC終了～♪-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・The World Health Organization warned that shortages of clean water and warmer, humid weather in Sichuan Province made the region ripe for epidemics.
make ～ ripe for ... : ～が...の温床となる（この場合での訳し方。ripe : 熟した、化膿した、腐った）

・In a society where lip service and family background are emphasized, the success of businessmen and politicians often hinge on two things: what they get from their parents and how well they suck up to their superiors.
hinge on : ～で決める
suck up to : ～におべっかを使う

・Unless government, business, media, and education make a concerted effort to become more liberal in their operations and goals, and unless they enlighten the public about Japan's place in the world, the Japanese people will never come into their own as a body unified by civic and national duty.
真価を認められる

・You love good old gossip, but the next three weeks is a time when tactless talk could get you into hot water.
～を酷い目に遭わせる

・Capricorns love to be in control, but your daily routine is set to be turned upside down (until June 20).
～をめちゃくちゃにする

・You're pretty much on top of things and can usually keep your head in a crisis.
on top of things : 全て把握して、事情にすっかり通じて
keep one's head in a crisis : ピンチでも落ち着いている

・You have a bad hair day every now and then, but you're only human after all.
ついてない日

・I'm glad you guys hit it off.
馬が合う

・I have an upset stomach.
胃がむかつく

・The Ecuadorian government therefore introduced measures to protect the environment, creating zones that were off limits to tourists and requiring them to travel with a nature guide.
～には立ち入り禁止の

・To "clean up" usually means to physically clean oneself, but it can also mean to make a lot of money or profit.

・If you "clean up your act," it means you improve your behavior or stop doing something illegal.

・To "clean out" something means to empty out or take everything from someone.

・To "come clean" means to admit or confess to doing something wrong.

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

・For instance, I have of late taken to listening to the wireless in my room whenever I find myself with a few spare moments ― on those occasions, say, when Mr Farraday is out for the evening.
of late : 最近
take to : ～に専心する、～をするようになる

・There is no reason to suppose this is not an area in which I will become proficient given time and practice, but, such are the dangers, I have decided it best, for the time being at least, not to attempt to discharge this duty in respect of Mr Farraday until I have practised further.
当分は、今のところ

・All in all, this is an excellent place to partake of morning tea, but surprisingly few of the inhabitants of Taunton seem to wish to avail themselves of it.
all in all : 大体、概して
avail oneself of : ～を利用する（= make use of）（cf. avail : 役に立つ、～の役に立つ）

・As things turned out, that particular visit was simply the first of a whole series of such 'unofficial' meetings between Lord Halifax and the German Ambassador of that time, Herr Ribbentrop.
後でわかったことであるが

・However, as I went about my business, all I could hear for some time was Lord Halifax, in various parts of the building, continuing to express his doubts about the evening ahead, and Lord Darlington trying in vain to reassure him.
虚しく、甲斐なく

・But then again, it seems hardly worthwhile to speculate greatly on such matters now when one knows one will, in all likelihood, be talking face to face with Miss Kenton within forty-eight hours.
多分、十中八九

・And then on another occasion around that time, I remember his instructing me to cease giving donations to a particular local charity which regularly came to the door on the grounds that the management committee was 'more or less homogeneously Jewish'.
～との理由で

・I did, I suppose, hope that she might finally relent a little and make some conciliatory response or other, allowing us once and for all to put the whole episode behind us.
今度だけ、一度だけ、これを最後として、きっぱりと

・'She will be directly under my supervision and I will see to it she proves good.'
～するよう気を配る、きっと～させる

・'If I thought there was one modicum of sense in what you are saying I might bother to engage with you in this discussion.'
a modicum of : （望ましい物、良質な物が）わずかな量（額）の

・'I was at fault, Mr Stevens.'
間違っている、当惑している

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Remains of the Day (UK) -

At last, I finished one of what had tortured me for a long time on last Sunday, but I still have a few things to do in a rush.
So I write this diary in Japanese instead of English. (^^;

日曜日は○年ぶりのTOEICを受けてきました。
（前に受験したのはTOEICの試験がリニューアルされるずーーーっと前です）
朝から微妙な雨が降り続き、「一部、雷を伴う大雨が・・・」という天気予報を信じて相方に車で試験場まで送ってもらい、１時間前には到着。
長～い待ち時間の後、いよいよ試験の開始時刻になりスピーカが鳴り始めると、「あの入念な音チェックは何だったんだ？」と言いたくなるような小さな声がスピーカーからもれ聞こえるばかり・・・
大慌ての試験官達が「テスト問題を閉じてください！」と叫び、しばしの混乱の後、「スピーカーのトラブルにより試験開始を少し遅らせます。少しお待ち下さい」と一言。
さらに待たされた後、「トラブルの原因がわかりませんので、前の席の方はこの“大型”ラジカセで試験を行います！後ろの席の方は予備室にお移りいただきます！」と叫び、「さぁ、どうだ！」と言わんばかりの勢いで教壇の上に置かれた“大型”ラジカセ君は、どこからどう見てもごく普通のラジカセ君・・・。
（むしろ、その“やや”大きめのサイズに「古さ」を感じてしまったのは私だけはあるまい）

その後、予備室に移動する人達の問題と解答用紙が一旦回収され、諸々の準備の間にトイレ休憩も与えられ、さらに「予備室の準備ができないので、全員この教室で受験していただきます！」の一言で、集められた問題と解答用紙が返却され、その間、文句を言うこともできずにジッと耐えて待つ私達。
それからもう何度も繰り返した音チェックを繰り返すのですが、自称“大型”ラジカセ君のスピーカーが悲鳴をあげているんじゃないかと思うような音量で、真ん中あたりに座っていた私でも音が割れて聞こえたのに、後ろの方から「聞こえません！」と抗議をする勇敢な女子一人。
・・・耳、悪いんじゃないの？
失礼ですが、本当にそう思ってしまいました。~(=^‥^A
（決してそれほど大きな教室ではなかったので）
ラジカセの音量が既に限界に達していたのか、試験官もこれ以上音量を上げると、今度は前の席から苦情が出ると思ったのかはわかりませんが、「聞こえにくい」と訴える人を前の席に移動させて無事解決。
結局、試験開始まで40分も待たされました。 orz

でも何が苛ついたって、試験が終わった後、試験官全員前に並んで、「本日は私どもの不手際で皆様の大事なお時間を・・・」という趣旨の大変ご丁寧なお詫びを始めたことかもしれない。
なんのお詫びがないのもムッとするけど、それは責任者が言えばいいことじゃないの？
全員整列してまで言わなきゃダメ？
長々とお詫びを述べた後で、「問題と解答用紙の回収が終わるまで、席をお立ちにならないよう・・・」って、だったらさっさと回収してよ～！

・・・疲れた。
帰りも相方が迎えにきているはずだったんですが、当然、待合い場所にいるわけもなく・・・
一応、連絡はしてみるものの、散々待たされた挙げ句に、また相方の登場を待つ気にもなれず、トボトボと駅に向かって歩き始める私・・・
ホントに疲れた！
試験云々ではなく、とにかく精神的にも肉体的にも疲れた！！

ちなみに試験はどうだったかというと、ヒアリングは思ってた以上によく聞き取れませんでしたが、それがスピーカーの音割れのせいなのか、私の低すぎる英語レベルのせいなのかは不明。
音割れのせいだと思っていれば、個人的には幸せです。(^^;
あのトラブルの唯一の救いは、ヒアリングの成績の悪さを責任転嫁できる口実ができたことですね。(^^;(^^;
リーディングは初めて時間内に問題をやり終えることができたので満足です。
もちろん、正解しているかどうかは別問題・・・　(^^;(^^;(^^;

※その後、TOEICから謝罪の手紙と、１年間有効の無料受験申込用紙が送られてきました。
え～・・・、もう一度受けるのかと思うと果てしなく脱力してしまいますが、予想以上に丁寧な対応、ありがとうございました。m(__)m
悪口を書いてしまったので、一応フォローしてるつもり。~(=^‥^A

長くなりましたが、最後に今日のお気に入りの台詞を毎日ウィークリーから・・・

・It's no big deal in comparison to what's going on in the world.
世の中で起きてることと比べたら大したことじゃないわよ

　　　　　　　　　　- from the Mainichi Weekly -

はい、仰るとおり。こんなちっぽけな事でカリカリしてちゃダメよね～♪　=＾-＾=

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ポップアップ・カード♪

Any news about Southern All Stars' 30th anniversary event or new single CD haven't come out yet!
All I was able to confirm is that Keisuke Kuwata was recording a song or two, or three(?), according to what he said on his previous radio program.
There is a fact that makes me feel worried about the possibility of no special events to come.
It's that Hiroshi Matsuda and Kazuyuki Sekiguchi, the drummer and the bassist of the band, are still continuing their solo work, though I don't care at all about Takashi Omori, the former guitarist, having announced on his blog and a porno magazine his will to make a comeback as a member of the band.
An announcement of his ambition or dream, whatsoever, for the comeback on a porno magazine without showing sign of remorse...
So absurd that I'd like to tell him in person not to make me laugh, if possible.
Anyway, another fact that Keisuke Kuwata doesn't always put what he said, yes, he certainly said on TV last year they would show their appreciation for the fans, into action makes me more worried.

By the way, though Mother's day is coming soon, have you already decided what you're going to present?
If you'd like to make a pop-up card for your mother and have confidence in your hand dexterity, please check this site out.
When you'd like to learn from the basics, this site may help you.
Needless to say, no sooner did I browse the site than I gave up making such a complicated card. (^^;

前々回の日記にもちょっとだけ書きましたが、ポップアップカード作りにチャレンジしました♪

・・・え～、ネットで作り方を書いたサイトを見つけた時点で断念しましたが・・・。~(=^‥^A
『こんな複雑なもの、私に作れるわけがないだろ！』と、ほとんど逆ギレ状態でしたが、その後、ネットでポップアップカード作りの基本を書いてあるサイトを見てみると、案外簡単かもしれないという気になってきました。
母の日に間に合わせる自信はないので、暇を見つけて練習して、クリスマス頃までにまともなカードを作れるようになる！
なんて妄想に耽ってみる今日この頃。
もし興味があれば、母の日に手作りポップアップカードなんていかがですか？
まずこちらで基本を確認。　http://www15.ocn.ne.jp/~r-piece/try/top/try.html
そしてこちらでステップアップ♪　http://dyn.c-ij.com/japan/greetings/home.page?lang=jp
ちなみに、プレゼント本体はゲランの美容液と口紅にしました。
そしてチャッカリ自分用にも美容液をゲットする私。(^m^*)

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権利と義務、自由と責任

How are you spending these scattered holidays?
I enjoyed a delicious lunch with a friend of mine chatting about this and that ― about nothing in particular as usual. :)
She, however, was furious about the government's handling of the gasoline tax and her husband, saying there was nothing she could depend on.
So I told her about what Toru Hashimoto, governor of Osaka Prefecture, had said on TV.
That is, he said it was voters who was to blame for this financial blunder by Osaka Prefectural Government because it was a result of their long-term neglect of the right to vote.
What do you think about this?
I think he is right, at least about this point.
Most of us, sometimes more than half of us, give up voting, our living prefecture and our Japan, that is to say, our future, always saying it can't be helped, and that even if s/he votes, nothing will be changed, but maybe it's wrong.
I felt as though we were big children who think it's natural for adults around them to do anything they want adults to do, just by their throwing tantrums or complaining.
Don't we forget freedom or rights come with duties and responsibilities?
Isn't it us who let politicians freely do whatever they'd like to?
Honestly, I didn't like Hashimoto before he became governor.
Maybe I still don't like him, but I sometimes feel like his words are right and true, and have something strong enough to make me believe them.

Er..., as for her husband, I think, or hope (laugh), I have no right to say something about him. :P

テレビで弁護士、あるいはタレントとして登場していた時は、まるで注目を浴びたくて過激な発言を繰り返すだけのいい加減な人かと思っていた橋本氏ですが、大阪府知事になられてからは、寝ぼけた大阪府民を叩き起こさんばかりに熱の入った言葉の数々に、うっかり感動してしまうこともしばし。
・・・感動してる場合じゃないんですけどね。（大阪府民です。σ(^_^；）
まさか大阪がここまで、これ程までにお金がないとは思ってなかったし、特に先日、テレビで述べていた『府政や国政の堕落は、最終的には全て選挙権の行使さえもサボリがちだった府民・国民の責任。だから今の有権者にも我慢をしてもらいます。でも子供達に今の問題を押しつけてはいけない。子供達に選挙権はないのだから』というような趣旨の意見には殴られたかのような衝撃を受けてしまいました。
そうなのよね。
彼のしていることが全て正しいとは思わないけど、この点に関しては大賛成。
（親が生きていけなきゃ子供も生きていけないと思うけど・・・。まぁ、これは揚げ足取り）
選挙権すら行使せず文句ばかり言っているのは、『あれして、これして』と駄々をこねていれば周りの大人達が何でもしてくれると思っている子供と同じ。
『投票したところで何も変わらない』というのは、言い訳にすらならない。
権利や自由ばかりを声高に求めて、それに伴う義務や責任は放棄するようなことしてちゃだめよね。
できるだけ投票するようにはしてるけど、何度となくサボってきたこともある私としては反省するばかりです。

・・・って、テレビばっかり見てない？＞私　~(=^‥^A
英語の勉強開始から１年経過。
そのうえ頭に花が咲きそうなお天気続きときては、勉強どころではないのですよ。
今日はちょっとぐらいは（ちょっと？）勉強して、お休みはたっぷり休んじゃおうっと♪

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今日のメモ-I have a dream!-

☆　今日のメモ　☆

・Of the more than 34,000 runners who finished the Flora London Marathon, six stood out ― they were warriors of the Massai tribe of Africa.
"Six of the more than 34,000 runners who finished the Flora London Marathon stood out ～" の倒置（？）

・It's time to speak your truth and then walk your talk.
有言実行する

・Americans say, "Nice guys finish last."
お人好しは損をする

・A little birdie told me.
風の噂で聞きました
e.g. "Who told you such a thing?" "Just a little birdie told me.（ただの風の噂ですよ）"

・Actions speak louder than words.
行動は言葉より雄弁

・If I use a big word, you are very eloquent.
大袈裟な言葉、難解な言葉、大言壮語、意味不明な語、もったいぶった言葉
if I uses a big word : 「言い換えれば」とここでは訳されていました。

・All of us are working against the clock.
時間と勝負している

・in chronological order : 時代の順番に

・out of order : 主に公共物が故障した際に使われる
not work : 一般家庭の家電等が故障した際に使われる

・You need good hand-eye coordination to play video games.
視覚と手の協調関係（ここでは「目と手の動きを上手く調整することが必要」の意味）

・The audience was made up of people who love documentary films.
～が占める

・Scuba divers have long headed to Rota because its water visibility is amongst the best in the world.
～の１つ、（３つ以上の）～のうちで　（＝among）

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Mainichi Weekly -

The Mainichi Weekly runs a column called "A New York Minute", which is written by Sean Sakamoto, who lives with his Japanese wife in New York City, every four weeks.
I love his column, where he usually introduces various kinds of interesting people and his daily life in plain English even I can understand.
And I found the address of his(?) blog was on the paper, and checked the site out yesterday.
The blog hadn't had so many articles yet when I visited it, though, it was full of intriguing videos probably having been shot by him and his fellows.
I was able to hear his voice for the first time there!
His English was also clear enough for me to take in what he said in his video titled "Nerdnyc, Thanksnerding!" though I could hardly make out what the other people appearing in it said.
Please check his blog out, if you'd like to.  (^^)
http://www.idratherbe.tv./

And one more thing.
The Mainichi Weekly has started running an article about American history since this week.
The article of this week's issue features Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, both of whom were the slain black civil rights leaders living in the same period.
Let me write down very famous King's speech in today's diary just for remembrance' sake.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.
It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.
With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true.
So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

And the Barack Obama's speech is this:

There is no white America. There is no black America. There is no Latino America. There is no Asian America. There is only the United States of America.

　　　　　　　　　　- from The Mainichi Weekly -

キング牧師のスピーチは、むか～し昔の中学生時代に暗記させられた記憶があります。
・・・こんなに長くはなかったけどね。~(=^‥^A
引用したキング牧師のスピーチは、え～、申し訳ない。
他人様のHPに記載してあったのをそのまま頂戴いたしました。m(__)m
いろいろな "I have a dream" がYouTubeで聴けますが、↑の演説が聴ける動画をペタッとな。

開始から３分20秒たったぐらいから、↑と同じ演説が始まります。
これを探すにあたり、いろんなバージョンの演説を見てみましたが、どれも熱狂的！
聞いてるだけで熱くなります。

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複雑怪奇なり

As the day goes on, it seems to have become more and more comfortable and pleasant for us to do anything, like walking, driving, washing, and airing out futons.
The things disturbing my English learning and luring me out are everywhere.
Who can blame me for neglecting my English learning under this circumstances?
I'm a genius in finding excuses.  (--;

Oh, and have the Golden Week holidays already started?
I can't believe it!
Almost all of my friends, some of whom often enjoyed their Golden Week holidays traveling abroad or somewhere in Japan, seem to have no special plan for this year's scattered holidays as well as me.
Do you have anything special to do in these holidays?
Whether or not you have, please enjoy your holidays with someone very special to you.  (^^)

By the way, I'm writing this diary watching the torch relay for the Beijing Olympics running through Nagano right now on TV.
I hear it was Nazi Germany that began the Olympics torch relay at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, and that they took over Pohland in only a week soon after that, in 1939, which was the beginning of World War II.
Why could they occupy Pohland that quickly?
It was thanks to the torch relay they began.
They checked all the roads running through Europe before the Berlin Olympics, saying it was for the sake of the Olympics.
I regret to say the Olympics torch relay seems to have been exploited for political purposes since the start of it.

聖火のリレーなんだか、警備のリレーなんだか、はたまた抗議のリレーなんだか、すっかり何がなんだかわからなくなってきた感のある聖火リレーが長野で行われている真っ最中ではありますが、皆さんはゴールデンウィーク第１日目をいかがお過ごしでしょうか。
私は英語の勉強に勤しむ予定ではありましたが、言い訳を見つける天才と化しております。 ~(=^‥^A
数日前の雨空が嘘のように晴れ渡り、暑くも寒くもない爽やかな風が吹き抜けるこの休日を、どうしたら家にこもってすごせるというの？
う～～ん、飛べるものなら空を飛び回ってみたいぐらいの快晴だわ・・・♡

で、再び聖火リレー。
聖火リレーって、ナチスドイツがベルリンオリンピックの際に始めたのが最初なんだそうです。
聖火リレーを行うに当たって、ヨーロッパ全土の道路事情を調べ尽くし、その数年後にはポーランドをわずか１週間で占領し、第２次世界大戦が始まったわけですね・・・。
聖火リレーが政治に利用されているのは、今に限ったことではないようですね。
なんか情けないというか、悲しいというか、虚しいというか・・・。
複雑怪奇なり。＞オリンピック
もっとシンプルなのがいいわ。

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ルー君の受難

To tell the truth, Ruu the budgerigar, one of my irreplaceable family members, was born with a problem with his left leg, though he is very, very healthy except it, eating and playing a lot, flying in my room very well, and disturbing my working and learning.
He, however, seems to have something wrong with his left leg these days ― seems unable to clutch such things as the perches, my fingers and his most favorite swing, where he sleeps every night.
The day before yesterday, he slipped off the swing twice soon after getting into his cage at night.
And yesterday, he repeated the same blunder no less than three times!!
I thought every bird could perch securely even on something as thin as electric wires while sleeping!!

I let him out of the cage and waited until he calmed down, watching his preening on my hand, because he panicked every time he slipped off the swing.
I can't help being worried that he might be suffering from the pain of his leg so terrible as to be unable to grasp firmly.
I have no idea what to do for him.
It, however, is a great comfort to me to see him eating as much as usual.

ルー君は生まれつき左足が心持ち小さめで、常に軽くグー 気味な子ではありますが、２日前ぐらいから物をしっかり掴めてないようです。
私の指にとまっている時も、しょっちゅう足を滑らせています。
カゴの中では鏡付きのブランコがルー君の指定席なのですが、如何せん、プラスチック製品なので木製の止まり木よりも滑りやすい。
カゴに入れてやるたびに、ブランコから滑り落ちることを繰り返しています。
日曜日には、彼が『滑らないように』と、ブランコの止まる部分にザラザラとしたループのない布地を巻き付けてみましたが（☆ループのある布地は爪に絡まるので危険なの☆）、ブランコの変わり果てた姿を見るや否や、私の腕を手のひらから肘に向かって一気に逆走し、その勢いのまま私の部屋へと飛び立つ始末。
見慣れない物は恐がるって言ってるでしょー！　なんて事するのよ！！
（彼の行為を止めることなく見ていたのは私ですが・・・）

ブランコの上での就寝前の羽づくろいを一通り終え、寝入ってしまえば、滑り落ちることもなくグッスリ寝ているようですが、見慣れない物に全く近寄れないルー君に、一体何をしてやればいいのかもわからないのが申し訳ない。
足が痛いんじゃないかと気が気でないのですが、食欲もいつも通り旺盛だし、排泄物もいつも通り。
もう少し様子をみてみましょうか・・・。

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Mid-Summer Blossoms

Do you favor the songs of Southern All Stars or of Keisuke Kuwata?
Do you really value their songs more than any other artists'?
If so, maybe you should try to listening to All of Mid-Summer Blossoms, which feture their popular songs covered by such foreign artists as Philip Bailey, Bill Champlin and Leon Russell. 
Those albums, to tell the truth, had been discontinued for a long time until they were re-released bundled in 2005.
I bought them for several hundred yen per CD before that, having a lot of trouble with finding them, running from store to store.
I think they are worth buying, and that the first album of it is especially great; however I must say that whether you like them or not depends on individual taste.　(^^;

An interesting thing is the fact that as you listen to them from the first to the third, the songs are getting more and more arranged.
So it may be difficult for you to say which song is which when you listen to the third album.
And a disappointing, or sad, ... whatsoever, thing to me is that the original English lyrics Keisuke Kuwata wrote are also changed.
Um, is this because there are mistakes in the original?
Let's try to compare the original lyrics to changed one.

The original lyrics extracted from Just A Little Bit:

No other love will do
No-one like you
For you're the one who makes my life complete
My mind keeps telling me what a fool I had to be
Just a little bit for you
Just a little bit to me

And the changed one:

No other love will do
No one's like you
It's plain to see you make my life complete
Sometimes good love can fool you
There's always more to learn
Just a little bit for you
Just a little bit for me

I wonder if I should say this is interesting...

何故に春に『Mid-Summer Blossoms』？　というツッコミはさておき、昨日、Mid-Summer Blossom シリーズのアルバムを久しぶりにCDラックから取り出してみました。
私が買ったのは、このシリーズが製造中止になっていて、おまけにまだネットオークションもさして広まっていない時期だったので、中古CD店を半泣きになりながら駆け回らざるをえませんでしたが、まさかその数年後に再リリースされるとは。
まぁ、３枚合わせても1000円以下だったはずなので、良しとしましょうか。

で、肝心のアルバムの出来はどうかというと、人によって相当好みが別れるかと思われます。
許せないのは『スキップビート』というソロの曲。
この曲は "skip beat, skip beat, skip beat, skip beat" と連呼するのが 『スケベー、スケベー・・・』と聞こえてこそ意味があるのに、完璧に綺麗な発音で "skip beat, skip beat,..." と歌われてしまった日には・・・。~(=^‥^A
元々英語で書かれている歌詞も変更されてしまっている点については、あまり深く考えないようにしようっと。

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時制の壁、あるいは感覚の壁

There are a lot of things which are always bothering me about how to write in English ― about which tense to use or about whether a noun should be used as a countable or not, for instance.
The book titled 151 Common Mistakes of Japanese Students of English says like this:

1. We usually use the simple past tense to talk about completed past actions, even when we are talking about the duration of an action.

e.g., not "I was living in America for five years when I was a child," but "I lived in America for five years when I was a child."
Not "We were waiting for an hour, and the we left," but "We waited for an hour, and the we left."

2. We usually use the simple past tense for completed past actions, even when we are talking about the duration of an action.

e.g., not "Last year I had gone to China and had stayed in Beijing for ten days," or "Last year I had gone to China and had been staying in Beijing for ten days," but "Last year I went to China and stayed in Beijing for ten days."

3. We use the present perfect tense ('has become') to talk about actions and situations which started in the past and have continued up to the present time.

Thus, one should say not "Japan became rich since the war," or "I made many new friends this year," but "Japan has become rich since the war, (Japan is rich now.)," or "I have made many new friends this year, (This year has not ended yet, and presumably the speaker still has his/her new friends.)"

　　　　　　　　　　- from 151 Common Mistakes of Japanese Students of English -

Can't you understand?
When reading this book, I feel like I was able to do, but when trying to write English, I very often feel as if I'd gotten stuck in a labyrinth without an exit.

By the way, I'm now listening to the audio book of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban again.
Er..., just for a change.
Reading it after the fifth volume, I can't help feeling sorry for Sirius and how cruel the fate all of his fellows and he, who all had spent their boyhood at the same place and in the same period, followed was.