snobee

Serre - Yeh I don't like big groups either. The problem this time was the group size suddenly expanded within 20mins. Everyone except our original friends were too busy or working at new year to come, hence meeting up on the 4th day. But it seems only 3 of the adults were unavailable at that time. So when all the free mums & dads heard we were going early (our kinda private pre-big group trip) they thought great, now we CAN all be together. Telling them to find different accomodation coz the groups become too big would be pretty much impossible. The house size is perfect for them - they

Always manage to fit in a pre new year/new year ski trip with the wife & kid, usually with a couple of close friends or a family. My daughter finished kindergarten this year and a group of "kindergarten families" have been trying to get a group trip organized for years. This year it's happening. Cept a few BIG probs have evolved - for me. Originally we and a nice family (2kids) were going for 3 days, and later met on the 4th day by 3 more families for 2 days. We found a nice 3br house to rent for the first 3 days and then move to 5 individual cabins for the latter 5 famil

Mr Wiggs you're spot on. So much bally-hoo about pronunciation as if it was the sacred cow of language learning. Sure I teach phonics to kids and encourage clear mouthing (not off), but the focus should be on clarity, coherence and confidence in communication. As Mr W stated many of the world's political and business leaders - and lesser mortals - function perfectly in accented English. No sniggers observed. Ret's rub each ahzza.

Bob woke up starvin', nothin in the fridj, ran up to the conbini and bought 2 eggs and some tomato sauce (ketchup). Rounding the corner on the way home hit a guy " Smack". All and sundry bowled over. The guy helped Bob to his feet and said, "Don't worry mate, it wouldn't have lived anyway, it's eyes are too far apart."

Safe. 30 ~ 40cm's to go. I'm going to bed.

Hey OC - your super must have been in slo-mode I got those links a year or so ago in el quicko time. I was being constantly asked by students why "western" hurricanes, cyclones have names and I said so do Japanese typhoons, but they wouldn't believe me. So... What I love about that site is how it infers that the number system is so popular in Japan - as if there was a public referendum and the masses chose numbers over names. Smacks more of bureaucratic officiousness than anything. I asked 31 students last week what was the number of the big one that caused havoc and flooding here in

My daughter's (just turned 7) English has been slowly but surely developing over the years. Esp. comprehension & speach has taken off this year. What do we do? Most of the things mentioned and.. - Try to balance Japanese / English use in the home. Simple is OK. eg. brush your teeth, where's your school bag?, switch off the light, get the phone please etc, etc . - Greets our friends, adult students in English. - Listen to English music. eg She can sing at least 15 + Beatles songs. - Joins in in kids English class - Goes to Australia at least once a year and attends local sc

Heat - loathe it these days. In the past (distant) in South Oz I've worked by hand - shovels & picks - burying pipelines in mid 40's and hitch-hiked thru the centre in temps over 50. Now 25 is hot enough. I can't wait for the cold, so gotta get a fix in Oz in a week or so.

OC'y - with all that rain in Matsuyama did you get to see any white water action on the local streets? You know - Paddle down to the local?

Took a group from here along the Great Ocean Road last year and dropped in to see the apostles. One couple had done a bit of research at the local library and were keen to see "London Bridge". They were pretty disapponited when I said, "See that space there, that's where it was." Seemed to cheer up though when I told them the dramatic story of how people were actually walking on it when it crumbled and became stranded. So they were happy to see the space where it all happened.

Brit-gob - just a bit of gentle ribbing there. Hell, I've even been known to watch a game or 3 myself and thoroughly enjoy them. I guess though all pro-sports have inherent elements of frustration - probably because they are such competetive activities in a win at all costs situation. No one seriously enjoys losing at that level. In the case of soccer, frustration appears to be compounded by the simple fact of "It's so difficult to score". Time and time and time again a team can display superior skills, attack the goal often, have many near misses only to lose the game from

With such a primed population of young males on the verge, ready to pop their corks at any given moment, it's easy to see why the worlds most frustrating game - soccer - pushes these said boyz into eruptive furies. Is soccer (the only game where long ago in Britland a coaches words "use your head boy" was taken literally) now serving as foreplay for this excited lot? Perhaps the ancient games of croquet or petanque would offer a more calming effect. Or further remedial action to salve such exuberance could be for the British Govt. to introduce a "Comfort Women" plan, where, for smal

Indo - it's a homestay group of kids this time. I'm not so sure about making a killing (everyone says that-why?) but a comfortable return. However once you wire in the 100+ hours to organize/set up, phone calls, loss of income while there etc and coupled with the enormous responsibility - I deserve (and the wife)every lil' yen. The extra "fuel" money takes away from my indulgence funds - restaurants, wine, CD's, books.......!

Yep - taking a group to Oz soon and after all members paid up we had to ask them for a few 1,000 more because of fuel increases. Last week we got hit again for 4,000 each. My wife says we can't ask them for extra again so and just gotta wear it. That's 4,000 x 15 = 60,000 from my pocket. Geez.

OC'y - deception saturates our lives. Sometimes with great tragic consequences - at other times just bringing a wry smile. All Trends / fashion dally in deception. In fact the snow fashion industry is blatant in it's aggressive deception. How many of the boarding community ( I use the example of boarding only because it has been at the forefront of the commercial push) think their shyte don't stink because of their garb & gear. In our world of ubiquitous deception, the preference for non-conforming attire, mode, mannerisms etc as displayed by the annointed 'androgynous set'

14 - not up on saints.

Why does it make you so sick? How about the the loads of western women who look like men? And as I alluded to before, so many western men (& women) looking like hippos. Any of these or other configurations of human presentation, real, superficial or otherwise make you sick?

Tool? Ah such knowledgeable critics. Tell us how he should be - you know,..er..what should he look like and wear and....?

Understood. There no doubt are a myriad of permutations available in the formation of a judging panel. And any technical expertise on such panels would surely be welcomed by many. Just who nominates the experts? Are experts infallible? Seems a great many of the daily strifes of life have had an expert or three involved - think medicine & hospitals for starters. But digressing. Actually I agree with the intent of your comments, just I've had this discussion of late with some local people who shrink at the idea of being called up for the newly to be tried jury system.

Miteyak - thoughtful comments. However no jury can ever be expected to attain professional knowing (esp to your partners level) in any field. Their job is to listen, think, sift, analyse, discuss, discard and decide. Informed Nous is one of the critical qualities that they must rely on. Such is the case for all juries. Our uninformed subjective judgements/profiling on the capacities of the jurors (relying in the main on fleeting media bytes) has no clear meaning. We do not know what when on in their discussions for 1 week. Sometimes in life the Educated Guess presents greater dangers

Shame on Who??? Beyond reasonable doubt is all that's required and there appeared to be truck loads of that. The prosecutions case was primarily based on the inconsistent cries of a proven liar and perjuror, the mother. NOT a good start.

How come so many western men look like hippos?

Just more meatheads masquerading as coolness. I'm not qualified to comment on recent years, but the aggro, arrogant, pumped up surfer who thinks his shyte doesn't stink was not a rare breed. And the droids that cheered on and whooped - well........? Seems like the only guy with real fortitude was the beaten one who never ran away.

With you Sakitumi - First time I read it a while back I thought "now that's a clever little play on.." Never entered my mind that it was Janglish.

My poles are bent coz I can't afford new ones. I don't think I'm going faster???