I have been reading a lot recently, now that I have more time stuck at home… I have been wanting to be a better person and make good use of the time I have now. I am sure my old self would have been stuck in front of the TV watching Netflix or locked on the computer screen, stuck on the latest YouTube videos. A book that is changing my life is “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. I recommend you pick it up, it is an easy read, but it can change your life.  Here are a few of the many good ideas in the first chapter, but that is just the beginning… 

Everyone has habits, and did you know that the habits that you have now, whether they are getting up early, or turning off the lights when you leave a room came to you without effort? Of course, your bad habits, like procrastinating or eating an unhealthy meal come very easy too, but did you know that those little decisions make up who we are? These little decisions, good or bad add up. These “1% decisions” are not noticeable but are very meaningful. As you repeat and do small things, day by day, those habits will have an impact on the way your life will be heading. If you stay up late and finish up work you were putting off, sure you can survive on three or four hours of sleep that next day, but one day in the future, you will wake up late and miss something important or make a mistake because you were sleepy. The author says, “Success is the product of daily habits – not once-in-a-life-time transformations.” 

You might be thinking that you need to change every little thing in your life… no… start with one thing that will make your actions successful. Just like when you chop a tree down, you pick up your axe, and start swinging, you cannot cut down a tree with one blow, it takes many strikes at the tree to bring it down. Just like starting a new habit, it takes many times of doing something to start a new habit, or stop a bad one. At first, it is exciting to start something new and you can see wood chips flying, but after a while you get tired and you hit and hit but you do not see change. When you finally fell that tree, the whole world will look at you and say how great your achievement was, but you know it was the work that you did when you did not see any results was the work that made things possible. Fighting on through hard times will make future success. “All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision.” 

It is a new year now and people talk about “New Year’s Resolutions” (新年の抱負) . More than making a goal this year, plan on making a “system” that will make your goals, reality. Just like every Olympic athlete has the goal to win the gold medal, if you improve the way you train and make the environment easy for you to get better, improve your training system… you will have a better outcome. Also, achieving that goal will be good but the result of meeting that goal is nothing if your life is not changed. If you diet and lose those kilograms you wanted to lose but go back to eating as you did before the diet, you will just rebound back. You need to change your eating and exercise system so you will have those great results (lost weight and fitting into those jeans) for the rest of your life. These are just some of the great ideas waiting for you in the book. Please read it and come to the BBP and let’s talk about it. Everything counts. 

Reference: Clear, J. (2018) Atomic Habits. Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

Go to jamesclear.com

Photo Credit: Andrea Piacquadio@pixels.com

Blog Quiz

1. What did the author do this past year?

a- watch a lot of TV and YouTube videos

b-sleep a lot

c- read books

2. What is the book "Atomic Habits" about?

a-making good habits

b-studying atoms

c-a boy named "Tom"

3. The book's author said, "All big things come from ___________"

a-big things

b-small beginnings

c-once in a lifetime events

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. c

Q2. a

Q3. b

Where are you from? For me, where I was born is very much a part of who I am. Some people view their hometown as just the place they grew up. I think it is more than that. It is the place that helped make you the person you are today. I was born and raised in the New Orleans area of Louisiana in the United States. It is a city with a rich history, beautiful architecture, and some of the best and most unique food in the world.

Food is one of the most important parts of the New Orleans culture. The food often takes hours to cook. Influenced by French and African cuisine, the food is a mix of local ingredients and traditional cooking methods. New Orleans is often called “the melting pot” of the U.S. This means that cultures and people all come together here to create something different and new. This is the same for the food. It is a place where rice and bread are equals. A place where people love meat as much as seafood. In New Orleans, you learn the history of food, not just how to cook. Every time you cook, you can remember the stories and background of the food you are cooking.

New Orleans is a musical city. You can hear music everywhere you go. The history of jazz began in New Orleans. It has evolved over the years in New Orleans, and it is where some of the best musicians perform. Jazz holds an important position in the culture of New Orleans. Slow smooth jazz to upbeat fun jazz, jazz music shows off the charm of the city. A place to relax, but also a place you can have fun, dance, and party.

However, it is not the perfect place, but the people have learned to adapt and adopt its flaws. Some of its history’s worst parts are remembered and used to make it and even better place. The people are some of the kindest and most patient you will meet. Being from such a place, adopting the bad and creating good, is one reason some people might label me as an optimistic person. I like to see the good in things.

Your hometown follows you everywhere. It is important to learn as much as you can about where you are from and carry respect and love for your hometown, even if you think it is not the most exciting place. Maybe you will be surprised by how much more interesting it is than you think. Take a look at the people and history one more time. You never know what beautiful stories you will find.

Photo Credit: Oliver_Weidmann@Pixabay

nicolebauer3004@Pixabay

Blog Quiz

Q1. What city is the blog about?

Q2. What places influence New Orleans’s food?

Q3. New Orleans is the hometown of what kind of music?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. It is about New Orleans.

Q2. It is influenced by Africa and France.

Q3. It is the hometown of jazz music.

You may have discovered that reading about one topic will get you interested in others. Recently I read the novel The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins (1975). The style is what some call ‘historical fiction’ meaning places, people and events used in the book may have really existed, but the drama is a fictional story.

This particular story relates an account of a secret plan of Nazi Germany to send soldiers to England in order to kidnap the Prime Minister of Britain, Winston Churchill.

While reading, I first became curious of the location of some scenes in the book. This led me to research more about Norfolk and Norwich, England by looking at maps and pictures. I also wanted to see pictures of war time Berlin and England.

I became interested in the historical characters including Adolf Hitler, Churchill, and Benito Mussolini, the former Prime Minister of Italy. These are names I grew up hearing, but I never learned the details about what kind of people they were, or what they did during the time of World War II. I also become interested in the political problems between Ireland and Britain which have a long history and are one component of the story’s background.

The internet is a great resource for following up on topics. We can see pictures, videos and find other materials related to what we are reading. 

After finishing the book, I learned about a movie that was made based on the novel. I read about the actors featured in the movie and how it was reviewed by movie critics. From now, I would like to read more ‘historical fiction’ novels to see how the authors combine real and imaginary events or people. In fact, there have been many historical dramas produced for TV in Japan. They are often based on historical characters and events, but they can show us a human side to the events we read about in history textbooks. I recommend reading some historical novels and checking out some historical dramas as well. It is an interesting way to encounter people and events from the past. Maybe you will also be inspired to expand your interests and views about various related topics.

Photo Credit: Caio @pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Q1. Which book did the author read?

Q2. Who were two famous people in the novel?

Q3. Why does the author recommend reading historical fiction?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. The Eagle Has Landed

Q2. Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill

Q3. It can give you a new perspective on history.

I’m writing this blog right now after losing about one hour of my day by watching YouTube.  

Life is hard, right? We need to find a time and place to relax. Especially in the past year with all these crazy things happening. With so much of our lives now revolving around PC’s and doing our work in a digital environment, a lot of people need to find different ways to relax. That’s where the problem of YouTube comes in.

I’m sure you have experienced this: you finish some work and as a way to relax, you decide to watch a YouTube video. After finding a video you like, you watch it. After you finish, you look to the bar on the right and find another video that interests you. It’s only 5 minutes. So, you watch the next one. That turns into another video. After a while, you’ve spent an hour, two hours, maybe even more just watching YouTube.

Is this a healthy relationship with technology?

Websites such as The Guardian have reported on several studies and stories related to mental health and YouTube: 

(https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/03/youtube-addiction-mental-health)

In recent times (especially this past year) more and more people are using YouTube as a way to distract themselves from life. For some people, they need to watch YouTube as a way to stay emotionally balanced. They click on the YouTube icon without even thinking about it.

Research has said that YouTube can have the same effect that drugs have on the human brain. Especially with people who watch a lot of videos. 

It’s natural to like watching funny cat videos, a strange incident caught on video tape, a vlogger with an interesting story, music videos, interviews with celebrities, and many other videos. I know I’ve lost hours to YouTube. I try every day to find ways to be productive and finish my work. However, I always find myself clicking on that red play button. It has gone to the point where if I don’t watch videos, I feel a little “off”.

I understand that everyone wants to escape the real world. Especially in the past year. I also know that we spend a lot more time inside. But when does our need for amusement and fun start to impact other parts of our mental wellbeing?

Also, with the state of things, what can we do about it? Well first we can rethink our relationship with technology. Do we really NEED to constantly look at a screen? We can also try to mentally take life a little slower. Take walks and get fresh air. Modern media has driven us to want the next video, the next game, the next comic. Let’s work to take it a little slower.

Maybe then we will lose a little less time to that big, red play button.

Photo Credit: freestocks.org @pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Q1. Why are people watching more YouTube videos? 

Q2. YouTube can have the same effect as what on people who are addicted to YouTube?

Q3. What should we do to stop from becoming addicted to YouTube?

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. People want to relax and escape life stresses.

Q2. Drugs.

Q3. Take walks and get fresh air.

Many students travel overseas. Traveling overseas is what I recommend for all my students to do. There is only so much you can learn by staying in one place and reading books. As a university student, you’re finally old enough to be able to get on an airplane and travel to another country by yourself. This is the time to see what the real world is like. There are so many different languages and foods and cultures and perspectives and museums and animals and the list goes on. It is time to take all that you have learned from the textbooks and go out and see it firsthand. Indeed, the reason that I live in Japan today and teach English is because of the time in college when I went overseas and was so moved by that experience. I feel it is my duty to give my language to others and empower them to explore their world. 

When the brain stays in one place for a long time, everything becomes easy and automatic and the brain can work on auto-pilot. By placing yourself in a new situation, the brain has to return to its original state that it was as a newborn baby—when you didn’t know how to do anything. In a different country, you often don’t know how to speak, don’t know how to eat, where to go, how to get there, even how to properly function in the society. So your brain goes into overdrive and uses all that you have learned to figure out how to live. This wakes up the brain and it feels happy. It is finally being stimulated and used again. This is how the brain is supposed to function. With the brain in this state, there is more circulation flowing through the different quadrants of the brain and new, expansive thoughts more easily come to mind. This is an opportunity to think deeply about those pivotal questions such as, “Who am I? Where am I going in life? What do I really want to do in this lifetime?” Those types of questions rarely surface in our everyday routine lives, and when they do surface, they are difficult to answer because the brain is sleeping. But now is the time to ask those questions and to come up with the answers. 

During this time of COVID-19, it is more challenging to travel or do some of the things that I mentioned. But it is not impossible. Understand the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you have with these extended sessions of free time. Commit yourself to designing your method of enrichment. It is no longer the school’s responsibility to decide how to navigate your education. Only you know yourself best. Look inside and figure out how you can put yourself in a new and challenging environment so that you can wake up your brain and grow. Your life may move in a completely different direction because of the decisions that you make during these precious university years.

Photo Credit: author

Blog Quiz

Q1. Why does the author live in Japan today? 

Q2. How is the brain supposed to function? 

Q3. What is the challenge that the author gives to the reader at the end of the article? 

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. Because when he was in college, he traveled overseas and was moved by that experience.

Q2. In a new environment where it has to work hard to figure out many things.

Q3. To find a way to put oneself in a new and challenging environment during the school break in order to wake up the brain and think about life's important questions.

Why do we have such long vacations as university students? It is not customary for Japanese to have a lot of time off from work. Even mothers are often asked to do many things by the PTA. So, why does a culture which takes pride in working hard give so much free time to university students? The Ministry of Education discusses the school calendar in Tokyo and they have made a conscious decision to keep this time open and available for university students. There is a reason. 

In the time of life as a university student, you are neither an adult nor a child. You are leaving childhood and getting ready to embark on adulthood. It is your final chance to live with your primary responsibility, almost your duty, to educate yourself as much as possible. Before college, you could say that teachers knew what was best to teach you. There are basic things in life that all people should know. Things like reading, writing, math, science, art & music, and other core subjects. Granted, the standard curriculum could use some “updating” to include subjects like homemaking, personal finance, sustainable living, civic engagement, etc. But students still get the basics. The reason that you have time off in college is so that you can decide what you would like to do to educate yourself. You are free to explore anything and you have the knowledge and self-awareness to be able to direct your efforts responsibly. 

Some students do an internship. This gives you a chance to experience what it is like to go to work and to put your efforts towards a company or a project. This is an invaluable experience as you think about entering the professional world after college. 

Some students volunteer. There are numerous volunteer projects available through JICA to help Japanese students go around Japan or the world and put their efforts towards helping the common good. This is also a profound experience as it may motivate you as to how you would like to direct your efforts as a working adult. The world needs its people to follow their passion and contribute towards a better world. Gone are the days of getting a desk job at Panasonic and working idly for 30 years to collect a paycheck. 

Photo Credit: author

Blog Quiz

Q1. According to the article, what is one thing that the Japanese culture takes pride in?

Q2. Why do students have a lot of time off during college? 

Q3. What are two examples of things that students do during their time off? 

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers 

Q1. Working hard.

Q2. So that students can decide what they would like to do to educate themselves.

Q3. Do an internship and volunteer. 

There are a number of good ways to develop your English language skills. Reading a lot of books, listening to news programs or interviews, watching movies, talking with native speakers, studying for the standard exams such as TOEIC and TOEFL, etc. are among the most common ways that are often recommended to the students who are studying English. I am sure that you are habitually doing at least one or more of these in your language training, and I hope that you will continue doing so. However, it is sometimes difficult to stick to routinized practices like these because it is easy for us to get bored with the same types of exercises.

Therefore, I would like to recommend something that helps to refresh your routinized approach. That is collecting good quotes in English as you encounter them in the course of your study. Quotes mean a group of words or a short piece of writing taken from a book, speech, movie, etc. and good quotes provide us with wonderful discoveries and new insights. When you are lucky enough to encounter a good one, I highly recommend that you save it and add it to your personal list of good quotes. I believe that good quotes provide 3 major benefits to your learning.

The first one is giving you good lessons on English vocabulary and grammar. In order to fully appreciate the meaning of a quote, you must accurately grasp the exact meaning of vocabulary as used in the quote, as well as comprehend its grammatical structure. Without accurate understanding of both, quotes would mean nothing to you, or even misguide you into a wrong direction. In other words, your English ability is tested by a quote. The second major benefit goes far beyond assisting linguistic training. Good quotes will give you profound wisdom about your life and may assist you in your struggle to overcome problems you may encounter in your personal life. They have the power of cheering us up in the midst of difficulties and hardships. These two benefits will inevitably lead to another benefit, that is, to motivate you to continue learning English. If your acquired knowledge on English vocabulary and grammar gives you the power of overcoming your life problems, you will naturally feel like learning more and more of English, which will put you on the steady path toward becoming an expert on the English language. Good quotes, in this way, will take you into the virtuous cycle of learning.

Here are some of my favorite quotes that I have collected in the last 30 years. Some are taken from books, others are from movies, and still others are from the professors of an American university I had attended in my youth. They still give me a great deal of encouragement to continue learning not only English but also how I should live my life. Please try to see how accurately you can understand the messages conveyed by these quotes and how much you can appreciate them as I do.

“Try not to become a man of success but rather a man of value.” (Albert Einstein)

“Asking right questions is far more important than finding right answers.” (President of University of Minnesota)

“Study for its own sake.” (Professor of University of Minnesota)

“To whom much is given, much is expected.” (The New Testament)

“Evil is ‘live’ spelled backward.” (Book “People of the Lie” by Scot Peck)

“There are no mistakes in life, only lessons.” (Book “Women Who Love Too Much” by Robin Norwood)

“Things you own end up owning you.” (Movie “Fight Club”)

“Love is like a language. It has to be taught and learned.” (Movie “Beautiful”)

“There is no remedy for love but to love more.” (Henry David Thoreau)

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” (Nelson Mandela)

Photo Credit: Binti Malu @pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Q1 Which of the following language learning methods does the author not mention in the blog?

A Watching movies

B Talking with native speakers

C Using a language learning app 

Q2 The word ‘profound’ in paragraph 3 is closes in meaning to which of the following: 

A Distant or remote

B Very great or intense

C Useful 

Q3 What do you think the following phrase from Fight Club means: "Things you own end up owning you.” 

A We spend our life in soulless jobs working to buy things we think we need

B If you work hard and you can be rich and successful 

C Rich people are more attractive

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. C

Q2. B

Q3. A

Every time I pass by a café near my house, I see, through the glass-wall, many students studying over a cup of coffee. I used not to be that type of student who can concentrate on studying in a public place like them, but I can relate to them as a coffee lover. While many of them probably drink coffee simply because they like it, some of them (like me in the past) might do so to get the effect of caffeine stimulation.

Caffeine is widely known as a substance that is contained in particular foods and drinks including chocolate, tea and coffee. It may also be added to soda and energy drinks. It acts as a stimulant for the central nervous system, thereby keeping us awake. Studies have shown that an appropriate intake of caffeine promotes learning and memory performance.

People often choose coffee as a beverage to aid concentration due to the effects of caffeine. In fact, according to Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, 100ml of coffee contains 60mg of caffeine, which is the second highest proportion of caffeine among familiar drinks next to refined green tea, or gyokuro in Japanese. You may be surprised to learn that in terms of caffeine intake, just drinking a small-sized canned coffee is sometimes much more efficient than drinking an energy drink.

If you want to gain the full benefit of caffeine, be careful about the timing of drinking coffee. Some people mistakenly believe that they can get the stimulating influence of caffeine immediately after drinking coffee. Actually, it is about 30 minutes after consumption that caffeine takes effect, and some more time is needed before this effect reaches its peak levels. This means that you should start drinking coffee 30 minutes before you begin studying, or you have to overcome sleepiness without the help of caffeine for at least 30 minutes. It would also be beneficial to keep in mind that the effect of caffeine lasts for longer than 5 hours. Unless you have to finish your homework staying up late, you should not drink coffee before going to bed.

Last but not least, remember that drinking too much coffee can be harmful. Typical symptoms caused by immoderate consumption of caffeine include an increased heartrate, chilly feeling, and numbness in limbs. There is also a fatal risk due to acute caffeine poisoning in the worst case. To prevent these, it is recommended by Health Canada that healthy adults limit their caffeine intake to 400mg per day, which means they should not drink more than three mugs of coffee. 

As long as moderately consumed, coffee can be a great study companion. Keep up your good work over a cup of coffee!

References:

{Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology [https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/syokuhinseibun/1365420.htm]}

{Health Canada [https://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2010/13484a-eng.php]}

Photo Credit: Chevanon Photography @pexels.com

Blog Quiz

True or False

Q1. Coffee contains the most caffeine out of all drinks.

Q2. The effect of caffeine usually lasts for no longer than 30 minutes.

Q3. Even a healthy adult should be careful not to drink too much coffee.

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Quiz Answers

Q1. False

Q2. False

Q3. True

I remember when I learned to read the Dick and Jane books back in the 1960s. The illustrations showed never-changing white skies and two kids who always happily got along and played politely with each other. Neither child was ever sad, and the parents were always cheerful and attentive. Many stories included eating ice-cream cones and riding shiny red bicycles. I found the short stories enjoyable and I felt like I was achieving something because my mom praised me after reading each one out loud. As I got a little older, I found that the stories were more interesting than my real life. Before I met my best friend in 5th grade, I spent most of my time reading alone, escaping the dreariness of my neighborhood and the dull kids around. Reading was a form of companionship for me. 

Then in the upper grades of elementary school, I got "too good" at reading. The teachers told my mother that I shouldn't take the books home from school because I was getting ahead of my classmates. My mother was told to encourage me to abandon books and play more outside, even during the icy winters in Wisconsin. 

The turning point came in sixth grade when Mr. Dean, our handsome Language Arts teacher, took 12 students out for a special class to increase our reading rather than decrease it. He challenged us to read as many books as possible, keep detailed vocabulary lists and share with the class what we were reading. And, he taught us how to read and write poetry and published our poems in a newsletter. He stretched us. He made us competitive, voracious readers. He praised us when we used our new words in conversation. And because we were reading so many books, we became aware of how many worlds of adventure were available on the printed page. This teacher had us entering different worlds joyfully, and he was excited for us, as though he was sending each of us off on a trip when we had time to read silently in class. 

My advice to students is to read to escape your reality. Read in a foreign language to escape Japan further. It is important to alternate reading and nonreading throughout the day, to maintain the architecture of the mind. When you read, you pull another reality around you like a blanket. While you're *not* reading, you inhabit "actual" reality. Too much reading weakens your relationship to the world; too little saps your imagination. You need both to inhabit reality and to flee from it.

Have you ever felt that what is common sense to you is not the same for everyone? If you’ve ever been abroad, I’m sure you’ve thought about it. Today I’d like to share some stories from my own experiences.

Taking photos at museums

In Japan, we are not allowed to take pictures at a museum. Anyone who gets too close to a painting will receive a warning from museum staff. In America, taking photos at a museum, or even during a show like Cirque Du Soleil, is allowed. The video I took at the show enabled me to not only preserve the memory but to share it with my friends when I returned home.

No ticket gate at train stations

Japan’s train system is highly sophisticated. The ticket machines never make mistakes. When I visited Vancouver, Canada in 2004, there were no ticket gates at any of the Skytrain stations. You buy a ticket, but no one ever checks it. I thought, “Canadians are very trusting people.”

Egg whites

Like many Japanese, I love TKG (raw egg over rice). Eating raw eggs is part of Japanese culture but not in every country. Some Canadians don’t eat egg yolks. Believing the egg white is a healthier choice, some people make scrambled eggs using only the egg whites. You can even buy just “egg whites” at the supermarket.

Garage sales

A garage sale is similar to a flea market with one exception. Flea markets are held in public places. Garage sales are advertised in newspapers or on flyers hung on utility poles by families who hold the sale in their driveway or on their front lawn. 

Traveling exposes us to cultural differences and is a great way to expand our horizons.

Photo Credit: Tim Sevage @pexels.com

Blog Quiz

Quiz 

Q1. Do you think the author has a positive or negative view of taking photos in a museum or at a show in Canada?

A. Good because you can preserve memories.

B. Bad because you will receive a warning.

Q2. Why does the author think ‘Canadians are trusting people’?

A. They don’t eat egg yolk.

B. There are often no ticket barriers at stations.

C. They like maple syrup. 

Q3. How are garage sales different from flea markets? 

A. They usually take place on private property

B. They sell car parts.

C. You can buy egg whites.

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

Q1 A

Q2 B

Q3 A