2014年11月7日金曜日

2014年11月7日金曜日 -

Maria:A Concert At Saitama Super Arena

From October 24th to October 25th, a special concert was held at Saitama Super Arena. Eight years after suddenly disbanding, a  famous visual kei band held a two-day “final goodbye” live event for their fans.



I became a fan of this band as a high school student but never had a chance to see them in Japan before they disbanded. Even now they are my favorite band, so a sudden reunion was like a dream come true. I knew I had to go, no matter what.


Being a fan of the band has changed my life in many ways. I have strong friendships that were formed because of our love for this band. In Saitama, four of us reunited to see the music that we loved. Two of us traveled from Osaka, one from Tokyo, and one all the way from America just to see this band!

It was so moving to see all of the fans gathered at Saitama. Thousands of people who suddenly lost their favorite band eight years ago had now come together to see one final show. There were all kinds of people there: younger fans, older fans, and even cosplayers.. The anticipation of so many different people for this one event electrified the air. I knew I would never forget that feeling.

The band’s members all went their separate ways after disbanding, and seeing them all on stage together one last time was surreal. Their excitement and energy was felt throughout the entire stadium. Day one’s set list opened with the band's final single release, aptly titled a word used in greeting. Over the course of two days, they performed songs from all across their discography, from high-energy heavy rock to heart-wrenching ballads.

As the second day came to a close, it was hard not to think about how the dream we waited for so long to come true was about to end. During the final interval, they reminded us that the past is no more, but the future could be anything; we must not forget to love the present. Though it was hard for us to leave Saitama Super Arena and say goodbye, these words ring true and we must not forget them.

I will never forget these two days, the friends who have been with me and the new friends I made, nor what I have gone through to get here now. I could finally live an impossible dream… What other surprises will the future hold?

Thank you to my favorite band.

disbanding:解散
reunion:再結成
no matter what:何が何でも
all the way from:遠路はるばる
anticipation:期待
electrified:帯電している
surreal:非現実的な、夢のような
aptly:いみじくも
high-energy:力強い
heart-wrenching:切ない
present:現在

2014年10月31日金曜日

2014年10月31日金曜日 -

John: Sushi & Jokes

Last time I mentioned that I quit smoking and gained (a lot of) weight. Well I finally discovered a benefit: food now tastes amazing! In the seven years I've been in Japan I have only recently started to enjoy sushi. Previously the texture was too slimy for me to countenance. These days I've been enjoying sushi a lot! I like the basic types such as salmon and tai (that’s red snapper in English) and have been eating it about 3 times a week on average.

However as the weather turns delightfully cooler my cravings for ramen, nabe, cheese tempura and yaki-niku have resurfaced and I fear that my stomach will soon pass a point of no return. Never in my life has gravity been so noticeable.

Joke Time: Puns.

A pun is a joke wherein a word has two different meanings or two words sounding similar. We mostly use them for kids, but if you can work them out then you are doing a fantastic job at English!

Why did 6 hate 7?
Because 7 8 9. (7 ate 9).

What’s the difference between a guitar and a fish?
You can’t tuna fish.

What gets wetter the more it dries?
A towel.

Why did the Mexican man push his wife off the cliff?
Tequila!

Why did the picture go to jail?
Because it was framed.

Why didn’t the skeleton go to the dance?
Because he had no body to go with.

What do you get if you cross an alligator with a vest?
An investigator!

How many times do you have to tickle an octopus to make it laugh?
Tentacles. (10 tickles).

What do you get if you cross a snowman with a vampire?
Frostbite.


What kind of key opens a banana?
A monkey?



Original Joke:
What do you get if you cross a fish with a yo-yo?
A Ponyo!

gained (a lot of) weight:体重が(すごく)増えた
texture:食感
slimy:ぬるぬるした
countenance:好意を示す
on average:平均して
cravings:欲求
resurfaced:再浮上する
gravity:重力
A Pun:ダジャレ
Wherein:その中に
work them out:練習する
Tuna:鮪( tune a fish/魚をチューニングするに音が似ている)
Tequila:テキーラ(to kill herに音が似ている)
Framed:「額に入れた」「濡れ衣を着せられた」の2つの意味がある
skeleton骸骨(no body/肉体がない」と「nobody/誰もいない」にかけている)
investigator:調査員(Vest+ alligator に音が似ている)
tickle:くすぐること
Tentacles:触手
Frostbite:凍傷(Frost/寒さにBite/咬まれる)
Ponyo:日本のアニメのキャラクター