Watch out for motorcyclists!

Fresh fun sent from my mum in NZ. No its not her riding the bike - she's way more lively. I'm not sure which country its in, but they don't speak English. Doesn't matter anyway. I think this is how they stop people writing graffiti on the cemetery wall.

Twitter your time away

As you may see on the side of the blog, I've set up the M.E.C twitter account. Let's follow each other, but try not to go round in circles. Any messages, long or short are more than welcome.

Thanks, also for the comments. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night. We had a good Golden Week. The picture in last night's blog is of Harry (maybe not his real name) the sea turtle at Toba Aquarium. Very cool place and nice to visit Toba again after 21 years. Looking forward to a boat cruise and swim in summer.

What the.....?

Missing in action for almost six months, Mark returns to the blog realm to kick-start things, thanks to motivating students.

There's been lots happening recently, particularly the startup of new independent classes with a great bunch of students.

To keep up with the new burst of life, we're going to start tweeting, so let's keep things moving fast and fresh. Share your photos or long stories here, or follow us with a quick message on Twitter (once we've got it up and running soon).

It's December

Yes, it's December - the last month of the year.

Here in Japan, people are busy in December going to many end of year parties, whereas in New Zealand everyone goes crazy preparing for Christmas. End of year parties in NZ are usually held at the end of the year, that is December 31st. Parties before the 25th will be Xmas parties.

Speaking of Xmas, the busiest guy in the world at this time of year is Mr. Santa Claus. There is still time to be good and write him a letter/e-mail to ask for a present(s).

You post one here in the blog and I'll pass it on, or have a look at this site:

http://www.emailsanta.com/

You can send a letter, track Santa on the radar, or even watch the live webcam of Rudolph.

I hope you get the present you wish for.

138 Xmas

If you are in the Ichinomiya area before Christmas, be sure to stop in at 138 Tower Park and see the Xmas lights.

We went tonight on our way home. It was a little wet, so not many people there, but very pretty. In this photo, the tower seems dark, but it changes into about three different colors.

Top Notch Companion Sites

If you haven't visited the website of the textbooks we are using, here are the links:

Beginner 1 class - http://wps.pearsonlongman.com/topnotchfund/

Beginner 2 class - http://wps.pearsonlongman.com/topnotch1/

Medium 1 class - http://wps.pearsonlongman.com/topnotch2/

Medium 2 class - http://wps.pearsonlongman.com/topnotch3/

Click on the link, then choose the unit you want to practice.

Not so interesting, but useful review of the main points. Feel free to post any questions.

When you are finished, this might be more fun - http://www.toilette-humor.com/games/beach_bobbing_game.shtml (click play and use the arrow keys)

All Whites Qualify for 2010 World Cup

Awesome!!

New Zealand's national soccer team - the All Whites - beat Bahrain last night by 1-0 to qualify for next year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Check out video of last night's match http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/3063562/Video-All-Whites-highlights

This is an awesome achievement for NZ which has only qualified once before in 1982. What makes it such an achievement is that many small countries like NZ not only have to win in their region (in NZ's case - Oceania), but they then have to play-off against teams from other regions which are in a last-chance situation.

In 1982 I was 12 and played for the local soccer club in my hometown. We were so excited then that NZ could make it to the finals in Spain. NZ had tough1st pool opponents - Brazil, the Soviet Union and Scotland. The team didn't do so well, but it did score two goals against Scotland which was remarkable.

I'm hoping the current team does well next year like Australia did in Germany 2006, but can get through to the next rounds. Wouldn't a NZ-Japan final be amazing! Keep your fingers crossed - with the big teams out early in Germany, anything could happen in South Africa. Just watch out for head-butters.

By the way, the name 'All Whites' comes from the fact that the NZ team wears white uniforms as opposed to the All Blacks rugby team which wears black. The NZ basketball team also wears black, but they are called the 'Tall Blacks.' The NZ men's hockey team is know as the 'Black Sticks,' while the cricket team is called the 'Black Caps.' Incidentally, women's sporting teams use the national plant - the silver fern - in their nick-names. The national netball team is known as the 'Silver Ferns,' while the basketballers are the 'Tall Ferns.'