RICKY DLS 英会話 blog

Keisuke Honda, Japan’s strongest player. Hi Folks, I’ve been busy and haven’t had the time to blog but I just want to say CONGRATULATIONS TO THE JAPANESE TEAM, you beat Denmark 3:1, that’s fabulous!!! Way to go.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

The US soccer team beat Algeria 1:0 last night and advanced to the round of 16, fantastic! I’ve been watching a lot of soccer and drinking just as much beer, lol, but soccer needs beer don’t you think so, lol. A good alternative are the new light versions and zero-alcohol beers. Non-alcoholic beers have been around for several years now but the ones that were launched early this summer have improved significantly as far as taste is concerned. I recommend Kirin Free and Kirin 0.00, yeah, funny that one company launched two similar products at almost the same time. They of course do not come close to the fantastic Kirin Ichibanshibori but if you want to stay 100 % sober and still enjoy a somewhat decent beer flavor, that’s what I recommend. Actually what I do in the summer is mixing the beer with fresh lemon juice, tabasco sauce, a drop of worcester sauce and a dash of salt - this is a Mexican beer cocktail called Michelada. I swear on it and non-alcoholic beer fits the purpose perfectly! Btw, did you know that there are beer vending machines in Japan? Yeah, that’s one of these things that only happen in Japan. Very convenient, especially if you don’t have a convenience store anywhere near.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

This week two soccer games are aired parallelly every night at 11 PM JT and only one is shown on TV - not always the one I want to see, like last night when Mexico played Uruguay. So, I had to go to a sports bar and watch it there, lol. I support the Mexican team and therefore the result was disappointing (1:0). The good news is that the team moves on to the round of 16 anyway Most monitors at the sports bar were not tuned into the Latin game, however, but they aired the match France vs South Africa. The outcome (1:2) would have been forgiveable, but not what followed. The French players left the stadium heads bowed going straight home by coach-class flight, and the coach refused to shake hands with the South African coach, instead pointing and waving a finger at him in a gesture that was possibly meant to lecture him! OMG, after everything that happened in the French team, this is the icing on the cake of disgrace. This is simply unbelievable. Watch the video.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Soccer is a game that millions of people all over the world enjoy. In North Korea, it can be a game for life or death. In last night’s World Cup match North Korea lost 7:0 against Portugal, a complete knockout. The Asians stood their ground during the first half and finished 0:1, but as soon as the second half started there was nothing but chaos. Portugal scored three goals within five minutes, and the North Koreans - who can blame them - panicked, running around frantically on the field with no strategy or defense whatsoever. They panicked because they know that, very possibly, severe punishment awaits them back home: spending the rest of their lives in coal mines or even execution. It was a David vs Goliath game and it was unpleasant and ugly to watch. What may have been the beginning of a halfway decent life for the North Korean players ended in complete disaster. The following match, Chile vs Switzerland was dominated by fouls: 25 committed by Switzerland, 19 by Chile, 1 red card for the Swiss and six yellow cards for the Chileans. The Latin team won 1:0 and that was well deserved because all the Europeans did was standing around and blocking Chile’s 20 shots on the goal. The Swiss are making me sick with their boring, defensive play.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Diego Maradona celebrates Argentina’s victory over Nigeria

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Me and a bunch of friends watched the soccer game USA vs Slovenia last night at Mexican bar Simba, and after a 2:2 draw Maurice Edu scored a third goal for the US, the goal that would have given the US the lead - if it had been allowed. Because the Malinese referee decided there had been a foul, even though video replays showed no infringement. Generally it seemed like the referee was lenient on the Slovenians and harsh on the Americans, and one could almost get the feeling he was trying at all cost to prevent the US from winning a soccer game. Well that bias may have cost him his job as a World Cup referee because FIFA is currently looking into the issue, scrutinizing this decision of his as well as previous ones. It’s a bit sad because the US players delivered a decent game and deserved to win. Then again, this has been the World Cup of upsets, shocks and sensations. We enjoyed the fantastic food & drinks at Simba but we would have enjoyed more if the US had won. Nakagin Building, Susukino, 1 F (next to Cyber City).

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Mexico beat France 2:0 thanks to Cuauhtemoc and El Chicharito. This is the World Cup of suprises: 1998 champion France went into the game as the clear favorite last night. They ended up being beaten 0:2 by Mexico. Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez scored in the 64th minute, and the charismatic Cuauhtemoc Blanco put in a penalty kick in the 79th minute, leaving France goalless. Cuauhtemoc Blanco was already a legend during my time in Mexico, and it is so good to see him in such fantastic shape at age 37! “Chicharito” Hernandez is one of Mexico’s most promising young players and will join Manchester United directly after the World Cup. His nickname means “little grean pea” and was given to him because he is the son of another great Mexican soccer player who was dubbed “Chicharo” (grean pea) due to his green eyes. The father, Javier Hernandez (same name, quite confusing for outsiders), made headlines of his own when he resigned from his job as a manager of Chivas, one of Mexico’s biggest soccer teams so that he could see his son play in the World Cup. He asked for a month off and when his request was denied, he quit, in true Mexican family spirit! Well I bet a million dollars he will never ever regret his decision. I have traveled the world and met thousands of people from all over the globe, and the Mexicans are by far the most family oriented. Another family drama was orchestrated by Gio Dos Santos during the weeks leading up to the World Cup: Mexico’s youngest soccer star threatened to boycott the Cup after he learned that his younger brother would not be on the team in South Africa. He ended up going (thank God!). I can only imagine the parties and celebrations right now in Mexico and I suppose few people showed up at work today, Friday. This is going to be a 3-day fiesta. Mexicans are not only the most family oriented, they are also the most notorious party animals. Huh, seems like I’m getting nostalgic. Truth is that after all these years I am still hopelessly in love with Mexico.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Last night the impossible happened in South Africa: European champion and top World Cup favorite Spain played against Switzerland - and lost. The Swiss had a strong defensive tactic that somehow managed to ruin the offensive Spanish strategy. I watched the game at Jersey Cafe & Sports Bar with a bunch of Spanish people who went from extreme confidence to complete frustration. Their disappointment was more than justified: The Spanish team played better and had the ball most of the time but in the end what counts is the result. That’s soccer.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Complimenting is a great way to practice your English! Each year a list of English proficiency around the world is published and it is quite shocking to learn that Japan ranks worst in Asia after Laos and Cambodia. Why, one asks, why are there not more people in Japan that speak English? If you ask me, many Japanese UNDERSTAND English but they hesitate to use it because they do not want to speak flawed English. Japanese people are perfectionists, and that can be a huge learning barrier. When I traveled to Thailand and China, everybody, and I mean everybody from the taxi driver to the waiters to random people on the street, spoke to me in English. Their English was far from being perfect but they didn’t care. Advice to my students: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. We, the teachers, are here to guide you and correct your mistakes so that you can learn from them. If you feel uncomfortable speaking in front of others, take 1-to-1 lessons first and switch to interactive group lessons when you become more confident.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。

Keisuke Honda scored the defining goal. Soccer has been a fixture every night at 11 PM as of recently, and yesterday was a big day for Japan when their team won 1:0 over Cameroon. The Japanese players are in great shape and very well organized, strong at defense as expected. Keisuke Honda scored in the 39th minute and even though there were various attempts on the goal by Cameroon, goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima didn’t let the ball enter the net. If you ask me the new coach, Takeshi Okada is doing his job and it was about time that the Japanese team got a coach that speaks their language, knows how to motivate them and understands the way their mind works. Japan has had its share of coaches who may have been good in their own countries but knew nothing about the culture, or language here. Soccer legend Zico coached Japan Brazilian style and, unsurprisingly, the results were desastrous. Then Bosnian coach Ivica Osim came in only to resign a year later due to a heart attack. Takeshi Okada has been in charge of the J-Team ever since and the rest is history: Yesterday’s victory was Japan’s first win in a World Cup on foreign territory ever.

私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。