Ramen Blogs: Because It's Sooooo Cold-o!

Ramen!
photo credit: http://www.ramenate.com/2010/12/for-those-of-you-in-new-york.html

The temperature dropped to 2 degrees today. It feels colder in Hamamatsu though because of the crazy, whirling, strong wind. I can't sleep well every time the winds blow. I live on the top floor of a thin-walled Leo Palace apartment. I keep on fearing that the winds will break my roof and windows and hurl me somewhere. This city is not the windiest city for nothing.

I'm just saying that it's really cold. 'Tis the perfect time to try some body-warming and body-fattening ramen!
I like ramen but I try to limit my intake. Yeah, I'm one of those women who look after their weights. (It's not vanity, just for the sake of being healthy.)

Great Teaching Idea for Months of the Year: Let's Play Cards!

Fall: Sweet November in Japan

A big challenge in teaching the months of the year is how students can memorize them. Months of the year in Japanese is so simple. January is 1月. (Read as ichi-gatsu) February is 2月. (Read as ni-gatsu). They just use 1,2, 3 to 12 plus the word "Gatsu" to name the months.

On the contrary, names of the months in English doesn't really make sense unless you know its history. January and February have the same ending. The same with the ber months. Then there are April, May, June, July and August that don't seem to follow a particular sound pattern. It can be confusing, I tell you.

Stress Alert!: I'll Be Home for Christmas...

Blurred; Winter Illumination at Flower Park, Hamamatsu

This is how most Japanese celebrate Christmas: Go to work (if it's a workday), eat fried chicken from KFC, have some pretty Christmas cake and maybe give gifts to immediate family. Then go to work again the following day. Short and simple.

This is how Filipinos celebrate Christmas: Start a 100-day Christmas countdown, play carols from September, put up the Christmas tree in October, have Kris Kringles in November, attend parties from the 1st day of December and feel the Christmas hang-over in January. Around the days before and after Christmas, there's a lot of pigging out and shopping. Philippines has the longest Christmas indeed!