☆ All-over body care

Almond lotion, honeynut lotion, apricot oil lotion,
olive oil lotion are all fantastic for your legs and arms
- all over your body!

The Body Shop is an excellent place
to buy many of these products,
but you can also buy them from other exclusive skin stores.
During the winter, these should be applied both day and night,
at least 5 times a week for better skin care.
Make sure you use them on your hands and feet too!

By Christina:)

☆ Facial skin care for winter

Is your skin beginning to feel dry and lifeless?
If it is, then here are some helpful tips to care for
your skin during the cold winter months.

First, use a skin lotion for daytime.
Macadaemia oil lotion or Emu oil lotion is
very good for this time of year.
It not only helps repair dry skin, but also helps
to circulate the blood in your face, keeping it warmer.
It will also take away skin blemishes,
caused by severe morning cold.
Emu oil lotion can be expensive, but it is very beneficial.
At night, use olive oil (not in lotion form).
The olive oil will soak into your skin over night
while you are asleep and when you wake up,
your skin will be silky and smooth - not dry!
These are simple methods to help your dry winter skin,
but they are very effective.
Don't forget to apply both daytime
and nighttime skin products to your neck.
You should use lotions and oils everyday and night, consistently.

By Christina:)

☆ Hot food

Are you feeling cold?
Now is the ideal time to start making some hot food
on the weekend or whenever you have spare time.

Here are some suggestions:
Carrot Soup, Pumpkin Soup, Vegetable Soup,
Chicken and Corn Soup, and Tomotoe Soup.
These recipes are available on the Internet, or in cook books.
They will definitely make you feel warmer
and they will also nourish your body during this cold weather.

*Ideal time = perfect time
*Spare time = free time
*Nourish = healthy
*Definitely = 100% happen

By Christina

☆ Lipstick colors

Often women throw away their lipstick
when they can no longer apply it .
But if you use a lipstick brush
you will be able to use all of the lipstick,
which means you won't be wasting it.

Experimenting with different shades of lipstick can be fun.
Try applying a dark pink lipstick first
and then apply a light pink lipstick over the top.
You will see the color contrasts
will make a lovely new shade of color,
creating a fresh, beautiful look to your lips.
You can also add a shiny, gloss coating to go over
the top of the lipsticks to make your lips more outstanding.
Gloss coatings can create younger looking lips.
Lighter colors can also create a younger look or cute look.
Pinks and purple shades go well together.
Various brown shades are also good to experiment with too.
Even some red shades can look very vibrant and beautiful.
Lips stand out as an important facial feature.
Everyone looks at lips while talking with one another!

By Christina:)

！ 日本文化発信コース第３期スタート！

日本文化コース第３期がスタートしました！

海外から外国の友人が来た時や海外に行く時。
日本の文化を英語でうまく説明できますか？
日本文化コースでは、そんな状況になっても
安心して日本の文化を説明できるよう、
全１２回、テーマ別のレッスンを提供しています。

詳しくはこちら↓

＞＞日本文化コースは、日本の文化を「英語で説明できる」ことを
目標にしています。全１２回のテーマ毎に、どうやって説明するか、
外国の方に質問されたらどう答えるかなど、
テーマに関しての知識を得るだけでなく、
きちんと説明できる英語力を身に付けます。

レッスンは毎週水曜日１３時からの５０分間。
オーストラリア出身のChristina先生が優しく教えますので、
和やかな雰囲気の中、楽しみながら勉強できます。
現在の生徒数は３人なので、
レッスン中は気軽に先生に質問してください。

１月２５日現在の第２回目のテーマは生け花。
今後は台風、日本家屋、相撲など、テーマも多彩。

全１２回で￥３６，０００。
１講座での受講も可能です。
その際は１講座￥３，０００いただいております。

詳しくはベラＨＰをご覧下さい。
>>日本文化発信コース

☆ Seeing is believing

The expression, "seeing is believing" is a popular one.
It means that you won't believe anything
unless you see it with your own eyes,
not just hear about it.

But sometimes this is not possible.
Sometimes you have to believe what someone says,
even if you can't see it is the truth.
The deeper meaning is "faith" and faith means
having a belief in something unseen.

Conversation Example:
A. Do you still believe in Santa Clause?
B. No, not really. I'd only believe in Santa Clause if i saw him with my own eyes.
A. You won't receive any presents if you don't start having some faith in him.
B. Well, unless i see Santa, i will never believe in him!

By Christina:)

☆ The ideal place to live

Can you imagine what it would be like to live
in the Year 2030? Will the world be the same as
it is today, or will it be worse or better?
Will you always live in Japan or will you live in
another country? If you lived in another country,
which country would you like to live in?

When I was a child I used to try to imagine
what the world looked like.
I dreamed of travelling to far away countries
and meeting new and different people.
The first time I saw Japan I was mesmerized by
how huge the sun was rising and
how busy everyone was at the airport.
It was one of the most exciting times of
my life coming here. I never imagined
living here for so long, especially for more than
two years, but the experience has been wonderful
and adventurous. Reading books about Japan is great,
but seeing the country with my own eyes is even better.
It's interesting to try to imagine what Japan will
look like in the Year 2030.
It would be good to return in that year, I will be quite old by then!

By Christina:)

☆ Expressive words

Warped=weird
For example,
"It is a warped painting".

Wired=energetic, enthusiastic
For example,
"I'm wired for the concert".

Clash=uncompatible, not a good match
For example,
"There was a clash between his
friend and brother".

By Christina:)

☆ Good movie

Recently, it has been growing more difficult
to hire a good dvd. However, there is a good
movie now available on dvd.

The title is called: "The forgotten" starring
Julieanne Moore. It is a suspense thriller
about a mother's son who is captured by
aliens, wanting to conduct an experiment
on children and parents. The movie is well
produced and the story line is excellently
written.

The story is based on the screen
writer's dream. If you have some free time,
it's a movie well worth watching. You will
be kept in suspense until the very end.

By Christina:)

☆ Powerful thinking

We all know that how we think can affect our
lives and actions, but if we continue to think
in a certain way about ourselves we become
those thoughts.

If you are continuously thinking negative thoughts about your body or your personality, you will eventually become those thoughts. The mind is a powerful tool, and we have the power to steer our mind in a positive direction or a negative direction. Be kind to yourself and begin to think good thoughts about your body and your personality. This type of positive thinking will help give you confidence and self-assurance about your decision making. It will empower you to become more purposeful in your life. You are what you think!

By Christina:)

☆ Becoming more knowledgeable

If you want to become more knowledgeable,
then reading books will help you reach your
goal. Encyclopedias, science magazines,
history books and general knowledge books
can enhance your mind's ability to learn and
retain interesting information, making you
more intelligent and fascinating to communicate with.

Reading some novels by popular authors are
good too, but they don't usually increase
knowledge as much as true information does.

I like to read biographies and autobiographies - books about famous people and their life (they are my favorite, because learning about other people is exciting). I also enjoy reading books based on world events and issues. Sometimes to relax, I read novels. Occassionally I will read a science magazine or parts of an encyclopedia.

Newspapers and even Internet articles can be helpful for your brain too. The more you read, the more knowledgeable you will become. My mother reads everything! She is so knowledgeable about so many subjects, I wish to be like her. Educators now recommend that babies and children should be read to, even if they can't talk or read properly. It is now recommended that parents and grandparents should read at least one story per day to their children/grandchildren.

By Christina:)

☆ Being polite

Have you ever wondered how to be polite to
someone without hurting their feelings?
There are ways to remain polite without
having to speak to them.

Body language is powerful. A smile says more than words.
handshake or a slight nod with your head can say you are being friendly. How we use our gestures and body language can say so much more to a person than having a conversation. To create a positive atmosphere, try sitting with your arms relaxed by your side and your face toward the person you are with, this shows you are being friendly and open, not hiding any secrets. Body language in different cultures is so interesting. Crossing your legs in some cultures can mean you are being extra polite, but in Japan this can be thought of as rude. Speaking English is not just about words, it's also about using gestures and body language, and it's very useful for you to use this when conversing in English.

By Christina:)

☆ Recipe3: Carrot & Chicken Noodle Soup

MMMMMMMM...Are you feeling hungry for something so tasty and warm? How about trying a very healthy and delicious recipe, Carrot & Chicken Noodle soup. It doesn't take long to prepare or cook, but it's excellent for visitors or family members on cold, chilly nights. All you need is the following:

1 Big Saucepan
1 Wooden spoon
1 Vegetable peeler
1 Sharp knife
Blender

6-7 medium or large sized carrots
1 can of Chicken Noodle Soup
1-2 medium sized onions

First of all peel all the carrots and chop them up, then put them into the saucepan.
Next, peel and chop the onions finely, then put them into the saucepan with the carrots.
Lastly, pour the Chicken Noodle Soup on top of the carrots and onions, followed by 1 litre or less of water, just make sure the food is at least half covered with fresh water.

Slowly simmer the soup to produce a beautiful flavor and fragrance. Cook for at least 30 minutes on a gas stove. Once the soup has cooled, blend it to make it smooth and rich in texture.

Plain crackers are nice to eat with this particular soup or thinly sliced bread, which can be toasted.

by Christina

☆ Sense of humor

Many countries around the world have
a different sense of humor. Every country
is unique in the way it laughs about jokes
and things in general.

In Australia, the sense of humor is rather
funny because people often laugh about
anything that may seem ordinary or not
strange. It could be the way someone acts
or what they say, it could be the way they
think, it could be anything. We often laugh
in movies or when we go to parties or
other special ocassions.

In my family, my parents laugh frequently
at many things. I would have to describe
my family as a "happy" family. Have you
heard of the expression, "Happy go lucky"?

It means that the person or people are
very bright and happy, and don't let
things get them down much. So, I think
my parents are "happy go lucky" people,
because they are can always see the
positive side of something, even if it is
a tragedy.

I am very much the same as my parents,
I try to think of a positive thing in any
situation. Laughter is good for your health
and happiness.

by Blake

CONVERSATION with selected IDIOMS - "Happy go lucky, blue, misery loves company"

Dan: "I don't know why some people are constantly blue?"

Kelly: "May be it's because misery loves company!"

Dan: "I'm not sure what you mean by that?"

Kelly: "I mean some people like to make other people unhappy. I am the opposite, I like making people laugh and feel positive about their life."

Dan: "Me too. I'm usually a happy-go-lucky kind of person. I see the good in any situation and try to keep a positive outlook and attitude everyday."

Kelly: "That's great Dan! That's probably why people like you so much, as I like you too."

By Christina

☆ English game

Do you know the game "Scrabble"? It is a famous word game, where as many as 5 players or more have to make words on a board and the winner is the player who can come up with the most letters in a word, scoring the highest points. It's a fun game and well worth learning, because it can help build up your vocabulary and understanding of English words. You either play it with your family or your friends. Kids from the age of 10 up and adults of any age can play this game. You may be able to buy it in Japan.

When I was a child, Scrabble was a popular game with many of my relatives. My grandfather was the champion at the game, and everyone tried to win, but it was almost impossible. Playing the game or even watching it can be exciting.

by Christina

☆ New hobby

Some hobbies can be very expensive and time consuming. But trying to find a new hobby that doesn't cost much money or take up too much time, can be challenging. In Japan, it is not always easy to do the hobbies I used to do in my own country. However, over the past 2-3 years nail and beauty care has become one of my favorite hobbies. I like to buy pretty nail polish and nail care files to shape my nails. Sometimes I even apply a special apricot nail oil, mixed with other oils to strengthen my nails and make them healthier.

This hobby is useful because it shows respect to my co-workers, students and the people I meet when I go out shopping or for dinner, etc. It also makes me feel happy. Nail care is now a big industry in Japan, with so many designs and colors to choose from. I admire and respect Japanese women here, because they look after their nails well.

☆ Happy New Year 2006!

Happy New Year for 2006 to everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful new year's celebration with your family. And I hope all your plans and dreams for the new year come true for you. The new year is already going very quickly. Let's make the most of everyday!

By Christina

☆ Jewelery secrets

If you want to look smaller, taller or thinner try using some different styled necklaces.

Long necklaces that almost touch your stomach are excellent for making you look taller and thinner. A necklace that clings to your neck (called a "choker"), is excellent for making your neck look more elegant and longer. Some hollywood stars, such as Nicole Kidman are very clever at being able to use jewelery to compliment their height and their looks. Nicole Kidman often wears long necklaces, which accentuates her height even more. Earrings are also useful in making your face look thinner, the longer the earrings, the more your face will look thinner. Sometimes big earrings make the face look fat, so try to avoid wearing them. The smaller the earring, the more sweet and dainty you will look. Remember, if you have big fingers, big rings don't look good, because they will make your fingers look even bigger! The more dainty the ring, the longer your fingers will look. Experimenting with jewelery can be fun and rewarding. It can help create different looks, depending on what you wear and where you're going.

by Christina

☆　New Year's Resolutions for 2006

Have you ever heard of the term "New Year's Resolution"? It is a very popular expression used in western countries, such as America, Australia, Canada and some parts of Europe, meaning: "making a special plan for the new year".

Some people in other countries have personal New Year's resolutions, such as go on a diet (lose weight), get a new hair style, become healthier. But other people like to challenge themselves by planning to get a better a job, make more money or study harder. Sometimes these New Year's resolutions don't succeed. Sometimes people give up on their special plan.
It's a tradition in my Australian family to share our New Year's resolutions with one another before January 1st. We also enjoy talking about the past year's events and comparing our past plans too.

The best way to make a New Year's resolution come true is to be prepared to work hard. Hard work will help you succeed at what you want. Some people give up because they don't want to work hard for their plan to come true. Being patient for your plan to come true also helps.

I hope your New Year's resolution comes true for you!

By Christina:)

！　賀正

新年明けましておめでとうございます。
今年も宜しくお願い申し上げます。

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