RICKY DLS 英会話 blog

I had lunch at Picante today and the incredible thing is that after all these years people are still lining up for lunch! Well we were lucky actually because we got a table immediately even though we had to park the car in the parking lot that’s next to Picante (not free of charge). As soon as we sat down people started lining up in the restaurant, in the little waiting lounge and even outside. Like I said, we were lucky. My friend had seafood soup curry spicy level 4 and complained that it wasn’t hot enough. I ordered chicken-vegetable level 5 and even that was not very hot - which means the folks at Picante do not live up to their name: “Picante” is Spanish for “spicy” and I am still always surprised at the popularity of Spanish names for brands, shops, cars etc. in a land as far as Japan! Then again, Spanish is the most beautiful language in the world, no doubt about that. Anyway, today’s soup curry base was “38 long years of wind”, a powerful name for a light and salty but good soup. The fun thing about Picante is that depending on the weekday they serve a specific soup base. So let’s say if you like the “summer in NY” taste you will know when you should go there (Monday). The service today was fast, friendly and efficient and I even got a free apron, so past flaws in their service are forgiven and forgotten, lol. N13, W3

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

This has been the best day in a long time. I took Zafiro to the vet this morning and we did an ultrasound scan on his chest. What we saw did not only make my day, it made my entire year: The lymphoma tumor appeared to be only half of the size it was a week ago, and the heart, previously pushed out of place by the tumor, was back where it belongs. We then looked at the X-rays and Zafiro’s lungs, last week deficient of oxygen, had sufficient oxygen, comparable to a healthy cat. The outlook has changed quite a bit from the initial diagnosis of 4 to 5 days to live, to 8 to 10 weeks to live (last week). This week it’s a completely different story, a new life for Zafiro, and this is his third one.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Zafirito is responding well to chemotherapy. Zafiro has been on chemotherapy for ten days now and he’s responding very well to it. Once a week we visit the vet for a shot of oncovin (anti-cancer drug), a blood test, ultrasound and an X-ray when necessary. At home I give him steroids and antibiotics in powder form mixed with his food, every morning and evening, and an anti-cancer pill every other day. That’s quite a procedure: I put on plastic gloves, hold Zafiro’s head with one hand, pull down his jaw with the other hand, drop the pill into his throat and flush it down with water using a syringe. Needs some practice but I’m getting better, lol. That’s some severe medicine that might cause a reaction and hence the gloves. You should see me …! After starting the therapy Zafiro’s condition improved right away, from having difficulty breathing and moving to being a able to lead a normal life. His appetite is big as ever and then last Sunday he started jumping again: He loves climbing up the cat tower all the way to the top and landing softly on my bed, and last Sunday he jumped seven times in a row, he had to make up for lost time. Then two nights ago he woke me up because he was playing “lion and tiger” with Atomo, first time since he fell ill. They playfully attack each other, wild face, ears folded back and roaring like a lion and a tiger, respectively. Very fun to watch even in the middle of the night, lol.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Today Japanese people observe the Doll Festival, also called Girls’ Day. Families with young daughters arrange a set of traditional Japanese dolls on a table. The dolls represent the ancient royal family and are not for the girls to play with. So - don’t touch, just look! Neat tradition.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

In figure skating, seeing all those glamorous outfits is half the fun. These were my personal favorites. I loved both of Akiko Suzuki’s dresses. They were playful without being tacky. The other skaters & their outfits are from Georgia, Australia, Uzbekistan, USA and Korea - that’s the dress Yu-Na wore in her short program and it was absolutely stunning. The winning blue dress was classy but a bit too low-key for my taste. My favorite dress is Cheltzie Lee’s (Australia, 3rd from top). Let me know what YOU think OK.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

A bodybuilder on ice: Joannie Rochette. Beautiful and inspiring. These Olympics must have been some of the most dramatic in history. Two deaths cast a dark shadow over the Vancouver Games: Only hours before the inauguration Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili crashed and died in a training session. Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette lost her mother due to a heart attack two days before the competition. In true champion fashion, Joannie didn’t let the tragedy get to her until the games were over. She turned the nightmare into a dream come true and took home the bronze medal. Personally I really like Joannie’s skating style, dynamic and forceful, and even though she didn’t land smooth after some jumps, I enjoyed her program the most. She also has an amazing body, a bodybuilder on ice. Truly inspiring. Here in Japan the Olympic talk is almost entirely centered on Mao Asada and Queen Yu-Na. Most of my students are not very fond of Yu-Na due to her haughty attitude: Yu-Na openly declares “I love myself” and “I am the best, noone can beat me”. This kind of statement and attitude is an absolute no-no in Japan, and while I agree that it doesn’t necessarily make her more likeable it depends on the culture whether this is acceptable or not. Many Americans are very much into themselves as well and yet they are popular in Japan … hmmmm ….. In any case, the battle between Mao and Yu-Na was exciting, both of them only one thing on their mind: getting gold. Male figure skating was not less thrilling, with Plushenko doing a quad, but Lysacek delivering the better show and taking the gold. Plushenko’s outburst of anger after the competition added to the Olympic drama.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

The judges have ruled, and Korea won her first gold in Olympic figure skating ever. Yu-Na Kim skated an almost perfect program and won with a record score of 228.56 points. Mao Asada scored 205.50 points and took silver. Bronze went to Canada’s Joannie Rochette, so there was no change compared to the short program. I saw the Olympic ice show in the car on my way back from the vet, and again Yu-Na’s program was flawless yet playful, whereas Mao skated with technical perfection although she messed up one spin, and that cost her a lot of points. Again, Yu-Na acted and expressed herself, whereas Mao went through the motion without much drama and that’s why, even though she pulled off two triple axels, she didn’t win. Mao certainly thought that was not fair. The tears rolling down her cheeks during the following interviews were not tears of joy, and she couldn’t seem to manage to smile when making the rounds on the ice with the Japanese flag wrapped around her. While Yu-Na and Joannie were cheering to the crowds, Mao looked really sad, and I think that kind of attitude is what might keep her from winning gold. I know she trained hard and did her best and she badly wanted that gold, but a silver medal in the Olympic Games at the age of 19 is still outstanding, and she has every reason to be happy! She has several Olympics and her whole life ahead of her, and I hope she realizes that and cheers up. Mao Asada is a technically perfect figure skater, but when it comes to attitude and confidence, she has a long way to go. Then again in the Japanese education system children are not taught to express themselves or to believe in themselves, and to learn that as an adult is a lot tougher. Not impossible though. So, I really hope Mao wakes up and becomes a well-rounded adult and athlete to complement her already well-developed skating skills.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Here are some pictures from Raf’s birthday party at Latin bar Caribe. The drinks and food were awesome - oysters Rockefeller, steamed mussels, Parmesan chicken, Mexican salad etc. - but the most exciting thing was dancing all night. Thanks everybody for being so fun and see you soon!

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Breathtaking: Today’s performances in the Olympic figure skating short program. I’m talking about Mao Asada and Yu-Na Kim who took silver and gold, respectively. I watched Mao’s much anticipated show today and I was amazed. She delivered a flawless program, graceful, beautiful and with perfect technique. I didn’t think this could be beaten - but I was wrong. Yu-Na Kim of South Korea, only 20 days older than Mao and her arch rival ever since they started skating, was not only graceful and her technique perfect, but she was also sassy, and sexy, and that blew the judges away. I think that Mao Asada is adorable and I badly want her to win. The thing is that glamour and sensuality can’t be learned, and if that’s what it takes to get those few extra points that will decide between winning and losing, then Yu-Na has an edge. Bronze went to Canada’s Joannie Rochette who fought a battle of a different kind: Her mother passed away three days ago.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Today is 2/22, cat day in Japn - nyan nyan nyan. In English that would be meow meow meow. It’s not a happy day for me though: Zafiro was diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of cancer. He’s on chemotherapy and I am trying to prolong his life as much as possible.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。