Dear Joe;
I kind of feel like saying, "Can we drop this?" I know it's not like Karen to say this. But I'm a little confused...

Maybe 'enjoying it' is not essential when you study English. All I want to say is "Enjoy it, and you'll get more interested in it, and you'll be able to keep on doing it!" That's my policy, that's my belief.

I could end this article with the sentence, "I need love in order to keep doing it." But after I read your piece, I realized one serious problem of mine. Now I understand why I don't try to write English every day. I like writing English, but I don't like do it 'every day'.

Now I feel so comfortable with the pace of my posting. But I feel 'part of me' wants to write more often. It's like Karen is two women. One of Karens whispers to the other Karen, "Do you feel uncomfortable with the idea that you have to post your piece every day? Then just forget it. You don't have to do it against your will. You should just ENJOY your life!" I listen to her and obey her, after all.

I'd like to stay in this room where I feel cozy. I might be like a prisoner who has her own key. I wouldn't like to escape until I find it comfortable to write English every day.

It's not that I'm afraid of making mistakes or showing my 'lousy' English to everyone. I don't care about that kind of embarrasment. What I'm really afraid of is to think "I HAVE TO do something as a routine activity." I awfully hate the words 'I have to.'

Exactly 2 years ago, an extraordinary thing happend to me. Someone praised my English, saying, "Your English is so natural!" His words drastically changed my English-learning life.
I doubt if something extraordinary like that will happen to me AGAIN. I hope so, but it's been 2 years, and look at me! I still hesitate to write English every day. Maybe I'm weak, I'm a wimp. Call me whatever you like.

I'm just waiting, waiting for myself to 'naturally' get to feel like writing English more & more often. I believe the time will come sooner or later if and only if I keep on studying English.

You said, "What if you(Karen) stopped studying English right now?"
I guess you intentionally used the subjunctive mood （仮定法）. However, believe it or not, there sure is a possibility that I might stop studying English. I might hear you saying, "I don't know you, Karen." in the near future. I really hope NOT, of course. If I stop learning English, Karen will disappear from this world. If Karen passes away, I won't be able to 'enjoy' my life like this.




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Dear Joe
On your 1-19 article, you said,

"I don't think 'enjoying English' is the most important aspect of English-learning. The ideal way to study English is, to me, 'study English as I brush my teeth.' "
I know what you mean. Still, I believe 'enjoying English' is the most important aspect of English-learning, at least to me.

Every time I hear someone saying, "I really HATE English. But I HAVE TO study English in order to win the promotion," I feel so sad. I feel the urge to say to them, "If you hate it Sooo much, just forget about it! You won't be able to make English your own after all. You won't be able to better at what you really hate." (Do I sound a little bit harsh? If I hurt someone's feelings, I'm so sorry.)

In order to have a good command of English, you have to expose yourself to English as much as humanly possible. I guess those who hate English will find 'exposing themselves to English' really painful or boring, sooner or later. Once they think so, they won't be able to keep studying English, I think.

I also brush my teeth every day. I do so in order to keep my teeth clean. It's about oral hygiene. If I neglect cleaning my teeth, I will have decayed teeth eventually. I know that, SO I brush my teeth routinely.

On the other hand, what if I stop studying English right now? Nothing wrong will occur to me. Because English is not necessary at all in my daily life in Japan. As I've said many times before, I don't have any native English-speaking friends, and I have no chance to use English since I'm a full-time housewife...
I don't know if it's lucky or unlucky, but most of us, the Japanese, can live without English in Japan. Those 'excellent' translations or interpretations will suffice.

Actually, many people have asked me before, "Why do you study English every day? I don't think you need English so much in your life."
My answer is: "You're right. I don't have to study English at all. I just love English. I study English just for fun."
I have no reason to study English except 'love'. So as soon as I lose interest in English, I'll stop learning English.

I don't need English in my daily life. SO I have need something, like motivation, which gets me going.

I don't intend to offer a counterargument to you, Joe. In the first place, I don't think what I've said above is logical or consistent. I'd just love to give my thoughts to you.

I love myself who loves English so much. I loathe myself who doesn't try to write English every day. I truly wish I could say "I study English as I brush my teeth."

◇ ◇　Truly Karen ◇ ◇        

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This is Karen. I'm talking about my friend.

I started this blog about six months ago. Since then, there has been some phrases under the blog title.

I don't mind not knowing what I'm headed for. You can take me to the skies...

I guess some people might know these sentences. Those are from the lyrics of the song Lost In Your Eyes by Debbie Gibson.
I love this song. I think those lyrics are so girlie, fantastic and way too romantic. But I found another meaning in them.

I really want to have a good command of English. I want to speak English like a native English speaker.
My friend, who knows my dream, just recommended me to start to keep a diary in English six months ago. He didn't say this acutally, but I felt he said, "Anyway, keep going, Karen. You'll see." That's why I've kept this blog until now.

I always feel a little bit ashamed to show my English to everyone, even if they don't know my real name.
But I'm aware that the best way to improve my writing skills effectively is to write English more & more often.
I don't know how long I can keep maintaining this blog. I don't know how many pieces I can write here.

I don't know what my destinaion is, but I don't care. I believe SOMEONE can take me to the skies, even to Heaven.

That's why I put these phrases under the title.
I don't mind not knowing what I'm headed for. You can take me to the skies...

As you notice, I share a blog with some guy. He's been absent for a long, long time, like, no less than 5 months!
Contrary to the proverb "Long absent, soon forgotten," I had never forgotten him, EVER.
I had just been waiting for him to write something in English again.
It's like,

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
--- Right Here Waiting (Richard Marx)

I'm so weak that I've thought of closing this blog so many times. I need someone who can discourage me from shutting this site and can whip my butt, shouting, "Don't stop writing! Keep writing!"
I feel I finally understand what Madonnna been singing about.

What you need is a big strong hand
To lift you to your higher ground
--- Express Yourself (Madonna)

I'm no longer a child. I'm a grown-up woman. So I should become more independent. But sometimes I need...

I'm not talking about when, where & how we met each other.
Anyway, he and I share a blog now. I think it's like that we share an apartment. I feel so honored to have such a cool & lovely 'roommate' like him.
It might be too late, but let me say this, my friend, "Welcome home, Joe."


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I'd really appreciate it if you could vote for this blog, which cheers me up so much!

I don't know so many names of actors or musicians, 'cause I haven't watched many American movies and haven't listened to many American songs.

For example, you say Mic, I remember only Mick Jagger. (Mick is with 'k', though.) You say Vince, I remember only Vince Vaughn, you say Jake, I remember only Jake Gyllenhaal... Wow, how weak my imagination is!

By the way, JOE, if I were asked the same question, I'd say you can be Kurt or Geoff. There's no particular reason, y'know, I just felt it.
I don't know why, but I also have the image that Tom is very tall, say, like Paul Bunyan... Oh, Paul must be very tall, too. Also, I've just realized the fact that 'Paul' rhymes with 'tall'.

I am a super-cool sophisticated Japanese girl. If I were a Japanese-American, what kind of English name could I have had? I guess you might say, "Vanity, thy name is woman." Or, just one word, "Liar!"

P.S.
I'm 100% sure that I won't have much time to write something for this blog during GW. I'll just stay calm like a clam for a while. You can post anything you like during my absence.
Have a nice GW, JOE!

.... is not 'my words'. I mean, that is not the phrase I wrote for this blog. This phrase is a part of this template design.
(FYI: When I wrote this article on April 17 in 2007, I was using a template including the phrase.)

Were you surprised at this phrase, thinking "You are talking about me?" If I can make you laugh or smile by using this romantic phrase, I'd be so happy. However, if you say "Ew!" or "Icky!", I'd be so depressed. I don't want to scare you off, 'my dear'!

I wanted to make my new blog look cool. So I selected this template. I found this cool, stylish & chic. Are you with me?

But I didn't like the default(initial setting) of this template. Like, "I don't like this font! I prefer to Arial! The size of letters are too small! Subjects of comments can't be displayed after posting comments! Why?!"
After all, it took me a long time to modify the stylesheet & HTML. Since I don't know much about HTML thing, I've learned a lot from this experience.