Imagine: A past life

In Buddhist countries the idea of having past lives is not considered unusual.  In Tibet, for example, people believe that the Dalai Lama is reincarnated each time he dies.  So the current Dalai Lama was chosen when he was a child because he had certain characteristics or mannerisms which were similar to the former Dalai Lama or former Dalai Lamas. 

In some ways Japan is a Buddhist country but people do not seem to take the religion as seriously as in Tibet.  There are many Buddhist temples, and people go there for funerals or to celebrate New Year or other festivals.  But they also get married in a Christian church.  And they ask for the help of local Shinto gods when they go to shrines for the worship of the spirits of mountains, an oddly shaped rock etc. 

Do Japanese people believe in reincarnation, or past lives?  I would be interested to hear my students’ opinions or stories. 

The reason I have been thinking about past lives today is because in a Haruki Murakami short story I have been reading, one of the characters claimed to remember her past life as an eel.  This is good timing since on Tuesday this week, it is traditional to eat eel in Japan.  I think any country which seriously believed in Buddhism couldn’t have a special day to eat eel since the eel may have once been a human or may one day become a human. 

But anyway, it reminded me of a belief I had when I was younger.  When I was in elementary school (we call it primary school in the UK), I decided that in my past life I had been John Lennon.  I had no evidence for this; it was just a feeling that rose up in me. 

A few years later I found out that John Lennon died on 8^th December 1980 (or 9^th December, UK time), several days before I was born.  I liked the idea that John Lennon’s spirit floated around the world for several days before finding a newborn baby to inhabit.  Perhaps he was flying from New York to the UK, looking for Liverpool and got a little bit lost and ended up in Glasgow? 

I can’t say that I truly believe that I was John Lennon in a past life.  It is just a feeling that I remember.  And if I was possessed by his spirit, he unfortunately did not bring much of his musical genius with him.  I can play the guitar and have written a few songs.  But they haven’t sold 100 million copies yet.  They haven’t sold even 1 copy yet. 

But, like him, I am a bit of a dreamer.  Like him, I married an older Japanese woman.  I think I will carry on imagining that there is a little of John Lennon inside of me.  It must be better than having a little eel inside of you... especially on July 29^th.

 

Vocabulary:

To be reincarnated – To be reborn as another person or creature.

A characteristic – A property which sets something or someone apart or makes it unique.  For example, a characteristic of mammals is their warm blood.

a mannerism – A habit or way of behaving  that  somebody has but is not aware of.  A good actor can imitate the voice and mannerisms of another person.

A funeral – A ceremony held when someone dies.

Oddly – Strangely; unusually.

An eel – A kind of fish which is long and thin and looks a little like a snake.

Evidence – If you try to prove something, you look for evidence.  For example, after a murder, the police collect blood, ask witnesses what they saw etc.  They are collecting evidence.

To inhabit something or somewhere – To live in something or somewhere.  For example, this island is inhabited by cats.

To be possessed – To be taken over by a spirit or ghost or demon etc.  For example, in the film “The Exorcist”, a little girl is possessed by a demon.

 

 

 

Cooking with your nose and ears

Question: How do blind people cook?

Answer: Carefully.

 

 That sounds like a joke.  But basically it is true.
 

If you can see normally, can you imagine cooking dinner without being able to see what you are doing?  I had to learn how to do that when I lost my eyesight.  I’d like to share some of my experiences.
 

I am married and my wife, thankfully, is a good cook.  But I like to help with the cooking so I cook twice a week, on Thursdays and Fridays.
 

Some blind people cook using the gas flame, frying pans etc. But I am not so brave.  I am a little bit scared that I will forget to turn the gas off or accidentally touch the flame and so I do all my cooking using the microwave or other electrical devices such as a rice cooker.

You might think that it would be impossible to cook a nice meal using only a microwave.  That is because the microwave is often used to defrost frozen meals or to heat up pre-prepared meals which are of a poor quality.  But the microwave can be used to steam food, which is healthier than frying it.  And with practice it can be used to do most things, like making pasta.
 

All you need to do is learn how long you should put each food in the microwave for, find the right container to put them in and learn where all the buttons are on the microwave.
 

I have attached some stickers on the buttons of my microwave.  So I know that this one is one minute, this one is ten seconds, this one is start etc.  I also regularly use a silicone steamer.  If you put meat, fish or vegetables in the steamer and then inside the microwave, you can cook them without the need to add oil.  This is not only healthy, but also very convenient.  It is quick to use and easy to clean.  My wife has also started using the silicone steamer that I bought instead of frying many foods.
 

Washing, cutting and chopping vegetables can all be done quite easily if you are careful.  I have been cooking this way for about three years and have only cut myself once.  That was while trying to grate daikon and I tried to grate a piece which was too small.  Basically, I forgot the first question I asked at the start of this blog.  How do blind people cook?
 

The biggest problem I have with cooking is deciding if the food is old or rotten and cannot be eaten.  Of course, if my wife is home I can ask her.  Otherwise, my last defence is my nose.  Unless it is expensive cheese, if it smells bad then you probably shouldn’t eat it.
 

I would like to post a simple recipe for something that I cook but my blog has become long already so maybe I will do that next week or soon.

 

Vocabulary:

A flame - A small fire

To be brave - A brave person has courage.  They do not run away from difficult or dangerous situations.

An electrical device - A machine which uses electricity to operate.  A tv is another electrical device.

To defrost something – If something is as cold as ice, you defrost it by heating it up.

A container – A container is something which holds something else inside it.

To grate something – To peel or cut food into many small pieces.  Daikon and cheese are examples of food which is often grated.

To be rotten – To become old and smelly; to be bad.

 

Are you a dumb-walker?

This post was inspired by an article on the BBC’s web-site recently.  That article looked at people crossing the famous intersection in Shibuya, and how more people are apparently crashing into each other because of increasing use of smart-phones.

But let me go back a little and look at the title of this blog post.  Do you know what the word “dumb” means?  One meaning describes the condition of not being able to speak.  Someone who cannot hear is deaf.  Someone who cannot see is blind.  Someone who cannot talk is dumb.  But more often the word “dumb” is used as a slang expression.  In that sense, it means someone stupid, someone without much brain-power.

So in this sense, it is easy to imagine what a dumb-walker is.  It is somebody who walks without using their brain to pay attention to what is around them.  The problem has become particularly big recently since so many people walk around while looking at a mobile phone or smart-phone screen.

I think that the use of the word dumb is appropriate to describe this behaviour because it not only describes their inability to focus their brain power on their surroundings, but the stupidity of choosing to do this.  If it is so important for someone to read an e-mail or check their location on a map or whatever, why can’t they just stop walking and move to a safe place first?

People who are dumb-walking do not generally cause a problem if their numbers are very low.  If there are twenty people crossing at an intersection and one of them is dumb-walking, then the other nineteen people will walk around the person who is not paying attention.  However if there are twenty people crossing at an intersection and four of them are dumb-walking, then there is obviously a high chance of them bumping into one another. 

Some people can be really careless when using their mobile phones and smart-phones.  I remember my wife and I being passed by a woman cycling.  She had a young child strapped into the bicycle and the mother was looking at her mobile phone while cycling.  She was risking her own life, making things difficult for all other road-users, and even endangering her young child just because she was addicted to her mobile phone.  That’s definitely dumb. 

There are some stupid people in the world.  In general, I don’t mind that because it makes me feel smarter.  But I would rather that stupid people were not driving cars near me, cycling bikes while reading their smart-phones near me, or running on train platforms near me.

I wonder if my students have any similar stories of stupid behaviour they have seen in public.  Or maybe you have some confession you would like to make about your own behaviour?  You are not walking along the street as you read this, are you?

 

Vocabulary:

To be inspired by something – If B is inspired by A, it means that A gave the idea to B.  For example, this novel is inspired by my time living in Japan.

Apparently – According to what I have heard or read.  For example, you might read a newspaper article that says that parasols are becoming popular.  You might then tell your friend, “Apparently parasols are becoming popular.”

To crash into something – If you crash into something then you contact it accidentally with force.  For example,, “My car crashed into the back of another car waiting at the traffic lights.”

To bump into something – To crash into something, but “bump” sounds less violent than “crash.”  Cars crash into other cars.  People walking slowly bump into other people.

To be addicted to something – If you are addicted to something, then you cannot stop doing or using it.  Many people are addicted to drugs or alcohol.

To make a confession – If you make a confession, then you admit to doing something wrong.  For example, “The criminal made a confession to the police.”

 

 

Streets of London

Streets of London is the name of a song written by Ralph McTell.  Maybe you know it?  It was released in 1969 and was a big hit.  It has been covered by hundreds of different singers. 

I heard the song again recently and was struck by how beautiful the lyrics are.  It is a song which contrasts the life of someone who is complaining about how hard their life is and a number of different homeless characters, whose problems are obviously greater than most listeners’ are. 

I’ll post the lyrics below along with some notes on the vocabulary.  I’ll also post a link to a version of the song on Youtube.  The Ralph McTell version is very good but I’ll post a version by Mary Hopkin because her pronunciation is very clear and it is easy to catch the lyrics. 

Please listen and feel guilty for a moment about the complaints you make about your life (like getting caught in the rain and getting a little wet!)  

 

Have you seen the old man
In the closed-down market
Kicking up the paper,
with his worn out shoes?
In his eyes you see no pride
Hand held loosely at his side
Yesterday's paper telling yesterday's news

So how can you tell me you're lonely,
And say for you that the sun don't shine?
Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
I'll show you something to make you change your mind

Have you seen the old girl
Who walks the streets of London
Dirt in her hair and her clothes in rags?
She's no time for talking,
She just keeps right on walking
Carrying her home in two carrier bags.

Chorus

In the all night cafe
At a quarter past eleven,
Same old man is sitting there on his own
Looking at the world
Over the rim of his tea-cup,
Each tea last an hour
Then he wanders home alone

Chorus

And have you seen the old man
Outside the seaman's mission
Memory fading with
The medal ribbons that he wears.
In our winter city,
The rain cries a little pity
For one more forgotten hero
And a world that doesn't care

Chorus

 

Vocabulary from my introduction:

To be struck by something – For something to make an impression on you, to stick in your mind.

To contrast A with B – If you contrast A with B, then you compare the two and show how different they are.  For example, the painter contrasts the quiet of night with the noise and movement of a big city.

To feel guilty – To think about your actions and feel that they are/were wrong.  For example, after lying to my wife I felt guilty. 

Vocabulary from the song lyrics:

Closed-down – A business which has closed down is no longer open.  It has closed permanently.

Worn out – If something is worn out then the quality has declined because of overuse.  For example, I had better buy a new hat. This old one is worn out.

“and say for you that the sun don’t shine” – This is not grammatically correct.  It should be, “And say for you that the sun doesn’t shine.”

Rags – Completely worn out clothes or cloth. 

A carrier bag – A plastic bag, as used in supermarkets.

The rim of something – The rim of something is the edge, especially of a cup or mug.

Seaman’s mission – A mission means a charitable organisation.  So the seaman’s mission is a charity for sailors or seamen.

 

British slang expressions, 01

Recently I discovered that there was a band from my hometown called Beerjacket.  I hadn’t heard the expression before but someone explained what it meant and I thought it was quite interesting.

If you have a beer jacket on then you are not wearing a jacket because you have been drinking alcohol and you have over-estimated your ability to stand the cold.

 It gave me the idea to write down some other interesting expressions used in British English. Here goes.

Beer goggles – Similar to a beer jacket, if you are wearing beer goggles then you over-estimate how attractive something is because you have drunk too much alcohol.  After kissing a beautiful girl in the pub or nightclub, if she doesn’t look so beautiful the next morning then maybe you were wearing beer goggles.

To bite someone’s hand off – This means you are desperate to accept someone’s offer.  This is often used in sport.  For example, “If you offered him a draw now, he would bite your hand off.”

To chat someone up – To try to attract a boyfriend or girlfriend by talking to them.  For example, “I was chatted up by a pretty girl in the pub last night.”

A fag – In Britain this means a cigarette.  For example, “I am going to buy a packet of fags.”  In America this is a rude way to refer to someone who is gay.

Not my cup of tea – I don’t really like that kind of thing.  If someone invites you to play tennis you could answer, “To be honest, tennis isn’t really my cup of tea.”

It has gone (a bit) pear-shaped – It has gone badly or there has been some major problem.  For example, if you had made plans to go on holiday but the flight was cancelled you could say, “My plans have gone a bit pear-shaped.”

Someone’s round – If you drink in a pub with your friends in Britain then people generally take turns to buy drinks for the whole group.  For example, “Hey, Will!  Stop hiding in the corner.  It’s your turn to buy a round of drinks.”  There is a great skill in finding the right time to go to the toilet.

Ta – This is a very casual way to say thank you.  For example, in a shop, the clerk might say “Here’s your change,” and you can reply, “Ta,” as you receive the money.

To wind someone up – To make fun of someone, to play a joke on someone.  For example, on April Fool’s Day you might tell a lie to someone as a joke.  Then you might explain the truth, saying, “I’m sorry.  I was just winding you up.”

Sympathy for a drowned rat －溺れたネズミに同情を－

I have written my blog articles in recent weeks about British culture and politics.  I am afraid that I have to abandon that trend this week and write for your sympathy instead.

I am writing this on the afternoon of Wednesday 25^th June.  If you live in or near Tokyo then you may recall the thunder and lightning and terrible downpour of rain we had this afternoon.  I certainly have not forgotten it.

On Wednesdays I take a train to a library and meet my friend there, who reads a book to me in Japanese.  If there are words or phrases I don’t understand then I ask her to check the meanings in a dictionary and I record them so that I can review them later.  She is now helping me read a collection of short stories by Haruki Murakami.  At times he seems to deliberately use the most difficult or obscure Japanese he can find just to confuse and annoy me.  I used to love his stories but little by little I am turning against him.  Today I learned words and phrases such as:

“kussetsu shita kanjou” (I still don’t fully get that; does it mean warped or abnormal feelings?)

"Tsuyoi hankan wo motsu" (to feel strong antipathy)

 “saikoro ga saiku sarete ita” (the dice had been loaded)

... and so on.

 Anyway, I said goodbye to my friend and went home feeling low.  I felt like Japanese was an endless sea stretching before me in my little boat.  And Haruki Murakami was a sea demon, putting rocks in my path.

I heard the sound of thunder before I got on the train and I hoped I could get home before it started raining.  Unfortunately, by the time my train arrived and I got out, it had already started raining cats and dogs.  It takes me about fifteen minutes to walk home from the station and of course I can’t run because I am blind and have to check the road carefully.  I decided to go anyway, thinking I could dry myself off when I got home.

However, even though it is a road I know very well and I never get lost when I walk there, somehow I got lost.  I was trying to hurry because, although I had an umbrella, I got soaked in seconds from the downpour.  But more importantly, all the sounds that I usually use to guide myself home were changed in the driving rain.  There is a snack bar from which I can usually hear someone singing.  There is a busy road I can usually hear long before I reach.  But the snack bar was empty and so was the road.

I couldn’t find the turning to my apartment and I was getting wetter all the time.  My kangaroo leather shoes were completely soaked and my feet and legs were as wet as if I had stepped into a swimming pool.  Normally, there would be some other people about whom I could ask for help but they had all taken shelter from the rain.  So I walked backwards and forwards, trying to find the street I live on and not sure if I had gone too far or not far enough.

After about ten minutes of searching, I eventually found it and got home.  I was outside in the heavy downpour for nearly half an hour and felt completely like the drowned rat in the title of this article.

Please take a moment to offer me some sympathy as I review Haruki Sea-demon Murakami and decide if the effort I went to was worth it.

 Vocabulary:

Drowned – Killed by breathing in too much water.

A rat – A kind of animal, like a big mouse that often lives in cities.

Sympathy – Understanding another person’s feelings or feeling sorry for someone.

To Recall – To remember or bring to mind

Obscure – Not well known.  For example, this song is an obscure b-side, you probably don’t know it.

To annoy someone – To make them feel angry or irritated.

To turn against someone – For your feelings about someone to change from being positive to being negative

To rain cats and dogs – To rain very heavily

To be soaked – To be very wet

To take shelter – To go somewhere where you will be protected.

Shall we say goodbye to the United Kingdom? (Warning: This article has a lot of difficult vocabulary)

Do you know what the full name of the U.K. is?  It is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.  Great Britain is the main island of the British Isles, and contains England, Scotland and Wales.  Northern Ireland is a small country which is the northern part of the island of Ireland.  Only that northern part is a member of the U.K.  The southern part of Ireland, called the Republic of Ireland, is a separate country.  This is already complicated enough to confuse most of my Japanese students.

But it gets more complicated.  My home country, Scotland is thinking about becoming independent from the U.K.  There is a referendum in September, 2014, to decide if we will become an independent country or remain as part of the U.K.

It’s a very complicated issue and if I try to explain in detail then this will become a very long article, but let me explain three of the main reasons why some people want Scotland to be independent.

First of all, Scotland had a long history as an independent country.  The first king of Scotland ruled from some time in the 9^th century and Scotland was independent until 1707, nearly 900 years later.  Even after the United Kingdom was formed in 1707, many laws and customs remained different in Scotland.

Secondly, the economic situations and political beliefs common in Scotland and England tend to be different.  Scotland became more dependent on heavy industry than England and after the Second World War, when heavy industry declined, Scotland had more problems with unemployment, poverty and poor health than most of England.  The years when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the U.K. were particularly difficult times for Scotland when many industries collapsed.  Margaret Thatcher’s party, the Conservative Party, are not very popular in Scotland.  The Labour Party and the Scottish National Party get many more votes in Scotland.  The Conservative Party remains the most popular party in England and they are the largest party in the U.K. parliament at the moment.

Thirdly, there is a lot of oil and gas in the sea around Scotland.  If Scotland becomes independent, the country will be able to make money from this oil and gas.

If Scotland votes ‘Yes’ in the referendum, many things will change.  And Scotland will say goodbye to the rest of the U.K.  We will have to wait until September to find out what will happen.
 

Vocabulary:

To be separate – to be different, not connected.

Independent – If a country is independent, then it is not a part of another country and is not controlled by another country.  For example, Japan is an independent country but Tibet and the state of California are not.

A referendum – A referendum is a vote which takes place across a whole country.  The government asks the voters of a country to decide on an issue.

To be dependent – If you are dependent on something then you rely on it; you cannot survive without it.

Unemployment – Not having a job.

Poverty – This is the noun form of the word ‘poor’.  Not having much money.

To collapse – If something collapses, then it suddenly falls down.  If an industry collapses, then it may suddenly become bankrupt or disappear.