I'm aware that a lot of Japanese English-learners don't like grammar. They seem to hate dealing with confusing technical terms such as relative pronoun （関係代名詞） or the present perfect progressive form （現在完了進行形）...
However, I really love studying grammar. I don't know why and I can't explain the reason well. I JUST love it.
I don't care how much time I spend on grammar. Or rather, I should say that I am so involed in grammar work that I am unaware of the passage of time.
Why am I so drawn to grammar?

What's the most important thing when you use English? I think it is the most important to state your opinion to others. In order others to understand your English, you have to put the words in order according to grammatical rules. You cannnot ignore the existence of grammar. Native English speakers share the rules, thus they can communicate with each other.

Maybe you might think I'm playing the devil's advocate here. But I've never thought that grammar is EVERYTHING. I'd just like to say to you that I've learned a lot from grammar books.

One piece of advice; You don't have to be bound hand and foot by strict & complex grammatical rules. Just write English spontaneously. But, I don't think you should forget about grammar. Grammatical knowledge is very useful. The more you learn English, the more you understand what I mean.

Anyway, keep writing English more & more often. And if you run into some problems, you should reach for your grammar books. I believe those grammar books will give you a lot of valuable information.




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Continued from the previous article.

I was talking about the song 'home' by Yusaku Kiyama last week. I said I love both the melody and the lyrics.

I think it is so hard to translate Japanese lyrics into English. I feel it's so difficult to convey the intended nuance in another language... but I'd like to try it.

I like this part;

You've given overflowing happiness & straightforward love to me,
I wonder how much happiness & love I can give you in return within a given period of time

The more I love you, the more I'd like to say 'thank you' to your Dad's Dad and Dad's Mom.


Firstly, 愛しく思う is hard to translate, I think. If you look up the word in the Japanese-English dictionary, you can find the following explanation;
"いとしく思う one’s heart goes out to （a child）"

So I should've written 'The more my heart goes out to you'... But I thought 'The more I love you' is simpler and more impressive.
I'm aware that 愛しく思う is not equal to 愛してる, of course. It's just that I couldn't find the appropriate expression. I think the Japanese expression 愛しく思う is really beautiful.

Secondly, パパのパパやパパのママに… is also hard to be translated.
In Japanese, the word Papa can be used as a first personal noun （一人称名詞？）. So Papa means both I and your Dad.
パパのパパ means your grandfather, of course. But in the Japanese lyrics, the word おじいちゃん or じいじ is not used. So I tried not to use the word grandfather or grandmother.


After having children, I realized this;
'To be a parent' is to relive my life in my childhood, and to know how my parents feel while raising us. Now I understand how my parents felt when I failed the entrance exam and when I introduced my boyfriend to them for the first time...

I'd like many people to listen to the song 'home'. The singer Kiyama-san & the composer Tago-san filled the song with parental love. I'm sure the song reminds every parent of their own children. At the same time, the song reminds everyone of their own parents. I think the song makes you feel like saying 'thank you' to your parents.




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Do you guys know the song 'home' by Yusaku Kiyama? I really love this song. Every time I hear his clear voice, I feel something in my heart. That 'something' makes me cry.

There is a TV program named Uta-Sta （歌スタ!!）. The program carries out some auditions in order to discover good singers. My husband & I like this program and watch it every week.

Several months ago, Kiyama-san got to the audition. One of composers listening to his song asked him to sing another song. The composer was Kunio Tago.

For the second audition, Kiyama-san sang the song 'Piano Man'. After listening to his song, Tago-san (The host Higashino-san calls him 'Tago-chan', though) said, "I also love Billy Joel. I'd like to cherish this kind of coincidence. I'd like to write a song for you."

Tago-san made a beautiful song for him. The title of the song was 'home'. Kiyama-san sang the song in front of a representative of a record company. Unfortunately, the rep refused to release his CD. Kiyama-san's dream seemed to be shattered. But, the composer Tago-san didn't give up easily. He made up a long-version of 'home'. Kiyama-san sang the song again, and the rep of the record firm finally decided to release his CD.

Tago-san wrote the lyrics as well as the melody. I love both of them.
I might possibly talk about those lyrics next week.

Anyway, if you have a chance to hear the song, I'd like you to feel deeply those lyrics.




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When I was about to start writing a piece for my blog this morning, the door bell rang. That was my father. He brougnt some food to me. He said, "How have you been?" "Same as usual." I replied.
Since my voice was a little husky, he asked, "Do you have a cold? Are you okay?" I said with a smile, "I have a touch of cold, indeed. But that's not serious. You don't have to worry about it. Thank you."

He said, "Your mother attends a meeting in the neigborhood. So I thought that I would visit your place for a little talk. And I have to deliver these items." He showed some packed curry & soup to me. "Someone sent them to us yesterday. Those looked delicious. We thought your family should have them."

We talked a few hours. He talked about my mother, brother, sister, and my niece & nephew. I talked about my family, like, "My husband is too busy to sleep well." or "My son & daughter is always fighting over little things."...

He listened to me with a big smile on his face. He might remember some events in my childhood. Although I am already late 30s, I am still a girl for him. Now that I am a mother of two children, I understand his feelings. Even if my son & daughter become fine adults, probably I will see them as tiny little cute children. I will remember his crying face or her angry face in their childhood.

After talking, he stood up and said, "Take care. You'd better get rid of your cold ASAP. You are a mother. If you are laid up with a cold, your children won't be able to eat anything."
"I know. I will be careful not to make my cold worse. I promise."
"Okay, good." He left my house contentedly. I waved good-bye to my father outside the front door. I thought we should talk like this once in a while. He is my father and I am his daughter. We cannot change the truth now and for the rest of our lives. Thank you for visiting my place, Dad. Take care!




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It was a parents' visiting day this Sunday. My husband, daughter & I went to the elementary school and watched my son sing songs & play the Pianica (keyboard harmonica). Their performances are really excellent. I was very prond of my son.

My son was given a compensatory day off (Dai-kyu) the next day. He seemed so happy ever since morning. "You don't have to go to school today. Is that why you are that happy?", I asked him. He replied, "I don't have to go to school. That's one of the reasons I am happy. But the best thing for me is the fact that we, I mean, Mom & I, are all alone after my sister goes to kindergarten."

He continued.
"We are all alone, two alone, Mom! If we go out for shopping, it's like a date! Sounds so fun! I'm so happy to have a date with you."

Then we drove to the shopping center in the neighborhood. While we were shopping, my son wanted to hold hands with me. I said, "Your classmates might see us walking hand in hand. Is that all rigth with you? Don't you feel ashamed?" He said, "I don't care. Because I'm so sure EVERYONE loves their mom. I'm not ashamed or embarrassed at all if someone sees us holding hands happily."
Walking along the aisles between the shops, he was singing, like, ♪ Two alone, it's so fun! Two alone, it's so fun! ♪

Every day, he can't keep his mom to himself, since his sister is always beside his mom. I realized how lonely he feels when he have to share his mom's love with his own sister.

I put my arm around his shoulder and said, "I love you the best, my dear." He smiled happily and said, "I love you the best, Mom, of course!"

Our first date was so fabulous. I thought it's a good thing to have a date like this once in a while. I decided to try to find such oppotunities in the future. I know he won't walk side by side with me if he becomes a junior high school student. How many more dates can we have until then? We don't have much time, we're running out of time.



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Continued from the previous article.

My son was eating some Tamago-yaki at the table. I urged him, like, "You'd better leave now. Your friends must be waiting for you."

There is a little park near my house. Some students gather there and the leader (Hancho-san) is supposed to take other students to the school every morning.

I don't know why, but I have to go to the park to see off my son every morning. I thought he was grown up enough to go there by himself. So I tried many times to persuade him to go alone. But he always replied, "I want you to come with me, Mom. I feel so lonely among senior students." "You're 8. You're not a baby anymore." "I'm not a baby, indeed, But I am a child, you know. I'm not that grown up yet. Please!"

Most of students of the squad gathered together already. He ran to the group and I followed after him. Once he joined the team, he didn't look back to me. Then they started to walk to school. "Be careful!" I called to him, still he didn't turn around at all. He was just marching forward with others. Apparently, he felt ashamed of being seen off by his mom. If he thinks so, he should stop asking me to come with him. But he don't... why?

He belongs to two groups. He belongs to my family, at the same time, he belongs to his school. He has two faces and he uses each of them in different ways depending on the situation.

Staring at his back, I thought he had grown up 'a little bit'.



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My daugether wakes in a good mood. Yes, she is a good riser. So am I. Maybe she inherited the nature from her mother, me.
On the other hand, my husband & son are really poor risers. They always wake in a bad temper. They are dull-eyed and move so slowly in the morning. Probably my son inherited the nature from..., you know.

This morning, my daughter tried to put her clothes on by herself as usual. I thought it was so hard for her to button her blouse, but she wouldn't let me help it. When I tried to help her, she said, "Leave me alone! I'll do it myself. BECAUSE I'm already a kindergartener!"

In the meantime, my son sat on the sofa and gazed blankly at TV. "First of all, you'd better go to the bathroom. The clock is ticking," I said.
"Yeah, I have to pee." He stood up from the sofa in a leisurely manner and walked to the bathroom with drowsy eyes.

My daughter kept trying to dress herself. Suddenly I heard a voice shouting, "I can't get dressed! I can't go to kindergarten in this condition!"
When I looked at her, she was struggling with her blouse, whose sleeve was turned inside out, so she couldn't put her arm into the sleeve well.
"Calm down, okay? I can handle this." said I, and I put things right for her.

After returning from the bathroom, my son sat again on the sofa. He woudln't try to get dressed by himself. He waited for me to dress him. I said, "I am your mother, indeed. But does that mean I'm supposed to dress you up every morning? You're already a second grader. You are 8 now. Why don't you get dressed all by youself, dear?"
"Because I am too lazy to do it myself. You can help me, Mom, It's your job, isn't it? I'm sure you really love me, so I don't think it's so hard for you."

"You love me." Is this a telling phrase or something?
What followed must be left to the imagination of readers...



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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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I hate to hear someone say to me something like, "How do you know?  You haven't even tried it!"  So, one day we were talking about vegetarian, and I said something negative about it.  One vegetarian guy just shot me with the exact words above.  So I said, "Ok, I am a vegetarian from now on, and I'll tell you a year from today what's so great about being a vegetarian! OK?"  By the way, I'm very spontaneous & proactive, willing to try anything, but also I am very STUPID.  OK?

So, from that day, I started eating only fruits, vegetables, cereals and soybean products.  That was long time ago, and back then I didn't know anything about & I didn't care anything about calories and stuff.  Not to mention, I didn't know the fact that the most important carbohydrate, a simple sugar called glucose, which is so much easier to metabolize than fats or proteins.  There was no concept of low insulin diet available to us back then, y'know.

I ate tons of pasta, tofu, and tons & tons of bananas!  I drunk gallons of soy-milk & banana shake each day.  Within a year, I gained about 20 pounds.  Eventually I gained about 30 pounds in two years.

I told my friend that I didn't understand why I'd gained so much since I hadn't eaten any meat!  She looked at me and said matter-of-factly, "Do you know the biggest living primates called 'gorillas' that inhabit the forest of Africa?  And do you know what they eat?"

Lightening crashed, and I was totally stunned.  "I've been eating too much bananas, haven't I?" said I so miserably.

She just nodded slowly & deeply, and said "Yeah, you've eaten more bananas than a 500-pound silverback!"

I was full of shame.  I didn't know why, but all out of blue I thought of my grandma.  I though if she had seen me like this, she would've killed me.  She would've said "I don't have a grandson who is barely as intelligent as a giant monkey!"

◆  JOE  ◆        

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If you read the same book over and over until you memorize every single word in it, wouldn't that be more effective & productive than reading 1000 books only once?

I've said it many times for many years, but I haven't achieved anything even barely close to it.  I read same books repeatedly.  Some of them have been re-read over dozen times.  But I still wonder if I had picked one book twenty years ago and read it 2000 times, it might have done so much better to my English.  Well, it's not really too late, and I think I can start it right away; Pick one book for the rest of my life.

For the rest of my life, reading one book only!  The idea is fascinating, but it's practically impossible for this reason: There are too many candidates to pick just one novel.

From time to time I have said to myself, "I have enough, and now I can pick 10 books to read for the rest of my life."  But then I heard or read about the books that I haven't touched for years, and I just can't help reading them.  With different perspectives to the themes of the books, which have been accumulated over those deserted years, I usually find or see something different in them.

The book that I read 15 years ago and I didn't think of as 'thoughts provocative' turned out to be the one that I consider as 'the book for the rest of my life' when I re-read recently.  (Tours of the Black Clock is one of them.)

Also, I'm not so sure that the book I love today will be the same tomorrow, or next week, or a year from now.

Once I was a big fan of Auster.  However, after having read several of his novels two, three times each, things that had once attracted & fascinated me just disappeared, and I gave all of his novels away.

Well, maybe I'm too intensive.  (Certainly, my grandma would have killed me if she'd found me being so disrespectful to novelists.)

◆  JOE  ◆        

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