easy english

[Easy English Blog] Getting up earlier

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man sitting on edge facing sunset

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What time do you get up? What do you do when you get up?

About two weeks ago, I started getting up 30 minutes earlier than usual. I usually get up at 7:00am, but now, I get up at 6:30am.

I use the time to exercise. Last month, I decided to exercise at work. Every hour or so, I stretch or lift some weights. This is fine, but I want to do more. So, in the mornings, I go on my exercise bike for 15 minutes, and then do strength-training exercises and stretching for 15 minutes.

This has two effects. One, it makes me healthier, and two, it makes me feel more awake. When I start working after exercising, I feel like I have more energy. When I used to go running in the mornings, I felt the same way. I should start it again, but it is easier for me to exercise at home. (It is warmer too!)

After exercising, I have a shower, and start work with a cup of coffee. The coffee seems to taste better after exercising.

I keep this schedule from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays and Sundays, I get up at 7:00am. I exercise during the daytime and in the evenings on Saturdays and Sundays, so I skip my morning routine and sleep for an extra 30 minutes.

I hope I can keep up this routine even on cold winter days. It’s getting colder in the mornings now, so I’ll soon find out!

Heather @ I Talk You Talk Press

 

[Easy English Blog]To do list

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pen calendar to do checklist

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Do you make to do lists? I make one every evening. I write down everything I have to do, or want to achieve the next day. This is good for me, because it helps me to remember what I have to do. It also motivates me. It feels great to finish each item on the to do list and cross it out!

I don’t always finish all the items on my to do list, but having the list makes me work harder. If I didn’t have a list, I would do less work. I started writing daily to do lists a few years ago. At first, I wrote them in the mornings. Now, I write them in the evenings, so when I wake up, I can start working through the list right away.

Some people write to do lists, or schedules, on their computers or smartphones. They use apps or websites. I prefer paper and pen. The list is on my desk next to me, so I can see it all the time. If I forget what I have to do, I can look at the list easily.

This is my to do list for tomorrow.

  • Send files
  • Write blog posts
  • Update website
  • Go running
  • Go shopping
  • Write

My list is not so long. Tomorrow won’t be such a busy day!

[Easy English Blog]Getting outside

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I don’t spend much time outside. I work indoors, so I spend most of time time in a room, sitting at my desk. I like getting out into the fresh air though, especially in this season. I think fresh air and nature are good for the mind. They refresh us, and help us to think more clearly.

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My favourite time of the day to go outside is early morning. However, I often feel sleepy in the mornings, so I don’t go out so often. In the mornings, I open the window in my living room and exercise there. I really should go out running. I used to go out early in the mornings. I used to go for a walk or a run around Matsue Castle. I used to go around 6:00am. There were very few people around. It was nice and peaceful, and the air was so fresh and cool!

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These are some photos I took a while ago. I got up at 5:30am and went for a walk around Matsue Castle. It was a beautiful morning. I must get up early and go there again!

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[Easy English Blog]Neighbours

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apartment architecture balcony building

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How often do you see your neighbours? I hardly ever see mine. I live in an apartment. There are many apartments in the building, but I don’t know who lives here. I sometimes see the lady next door. She is friendly. But I have never seen my neighbour on the other side of my apartment. Does a man live there? A woman? A family? I don’t know. I have never seen most of my neigbours on my floor. I see one man go to work every morning around 7:55am, and I see a high school boy go to school around 8:00am, but that is all. I walk past the other apartments and wonder “who lives there?”

When I lived in a house, I saw my neighbours regularly. I was a member of the resident’s association, so my neighbours often came to my house to collect money, or to bring information and leaflets about events in the local area. Everyone knew everyone else.

I’m not sure which I prefer. Sometimes, it was nice to see my neighbours, but other times, I felt like I had no privacy. Now, it is nice to have privacy, but I think it would be nice to know who is living in the same building as me.

[Easy English Blog]Halloween

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children holding firecrackers outdoors

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It is nearly Halloween. Do you do anything for Halloween? It has become popular in Japan in recent years. There are some Halloween parties in the city where I live, and many children I know are going to events.

It has become a popular event in the UK too. When I was a child, it was not so popular. There were some Halloween parties, but not many. I remember one year, I went to a Halloween party at a local community centre. My friends and I dressed up as ghosts and witches. I was a witch. I had a tall, pointed hat, and a costume made from plastic garbage bags. I took the broom from my house. One of my friends wore a white bedsheet. She was a ghost. Unfortunately, she didn’t put eye holes in the sheet, so she couldn’t see! Nowadays, there are many costumes available, especially online.

Also, trick or treating has become popular. When I was a child, no one went trick or treating. Maybe it is an American tradition. At the Halloween party I went to, we played Apple Bobbing. In this game, apples are put into a bowl of water. People have to catch an apple with their teeth. They cannot use their hands. I didn’t enjoy the game, because my face got wet! But the apple was tasty!

I wonder what games children play at Halloween parties nowadays?

[Easy English Blog]What do you want to be when you grow up?

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woman stands behind green concrete wall

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“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

The other day, I asked some children this question. One wants to be a doctor. Another wants to be a teacher. I was impressed with their answers. When I was a child, I wanted to be a Formula 1 driver.

I loved watching Formula 1 racing on TV. I bought many magazines and books about Formula 1 and the drivers. I wanted to be like them. All of the drivers were men, but still, I thought I could become a racing driver. Of course, it was impossible. I didn’t have any money or experience. I didn’t live near any racing circuits or teams. I was just a small girl with a dream.

My dream changed when I got older. I wanted to be a musician. So, I went to music college and studied to become a musician. Unfortunately, I wasn’t good enough. Then, I decided I wanted to become a Japanese translator. So, I studied Japanese hard, and at last, I succeeded. This dream was more realistic than my earlier dreams. Now, when I think about my earlier dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver, I laugh.

I wonder if the children I spoke to will grow up to become a doctor and a teacher. I hope their dreams come true.

[Easy English Blog]Leaving the prefecture

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architecture bay bridge buildings

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How often do you visit other areas of your country? This year, I have left the prefecture where I live only three times. I went to Tokyo in March, Okayama in April, and Hiroshima earlier this month.

Every year, I say to myself “I’m going to travel to other places in Japan more often this year.” But time passes so quickly! Last year, I only left the prefecture once – when I went to Osaka to fly back to the UK. The year before, I left the prefecture twice – I went to Tokyo and Osaka.

The area of Japan where I live is far from major cities. It is a rural area. It is quite expensive and time-consuming (time-consuming = takes a lot of time) to travel to other parts of Japan. The nearest major cities are Okayama and Hiroshima. It takes around 2 and a half hours to 3 hours to reach those cities by train or by car.

I love the place where I live, but sometimes, I wish I lived a little nearer to a big city. When I travel to big cities like Tokyo, I feel energized. There are a lot of people in the cities, so there is a lot of energy. I like that. However, I wouldn’t like to live in a big city.

A long time ago, I moved to Osaka for work. It was convenient, but it was tiring (tiring = makes me tired). It was also lonely. There were many people there, but I had few close friends. So, I quit my job and moved back to a rural area. I think I made a good decision, but sometimes, I miss the city.

Next year, I’m going to try to visit other places in Japan more often.

[Easy English Blog]Shopping

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adult beautiful elegant eyewear

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Where do you do most of your shopping? I do most of my shopping online. It is convenient and easy, and I can shop any time of the day or night. The only shops I use are the drugstore and supermarkets.

In my hometown in the UK, many shops are closing. The main street used to be bustling (bustling = lively and busy), but now, it is quiet. Not many people go into town anymore because there aren’t many shops. There aren’t many shops because more and more people are shopping on the Internet.

The streets of my city in Japan are quiet too. The larger shopping centres are busy on weekends, and supermarkets are busy in the late afternoon, but mostly, the city is quiet. There are some very old, small shops. I wonder how they manage to stay in business. Maybe they have regular customers who they know well.

As more and more people shop online, I wonder what will happen to our towns and cities in the future. Will our town centres disappear? I feel sad when I go home and see so many empty shops in the town centre. But really, I am part of the problem. I prefer to shop online, and I don’t go to the shops. So, I can’t complain when they go out of business (go out of business = stop trading). Maybe I should make more effort to shop local and support local business owners.

[Easy English Blog] Yomegashima

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Yomegashima is a small island in Lake Shinji in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. Lake Shinji is the seventh largest lake in Japan. In the mornings, there are many fishing boats on the lake. The owners of the boats go into the water and collect shijimi clams. In the evening, the sun sets over Lake Shinji. It sets behind Yomegashima island. Many people gather to watch the sunset and take photographs.

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Yomegashima is a sacred island. It has a torii shrine gate, and many pine trees. Normally, people cannot visit the island, but once a year, there is a walking event. People walk through the water to the island. A few years ago, there was a tea ceremony event on the island. Boats took visitors to the island for a tea ceremony. I went with my friend. The scenery was beautiful.

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The name “Yomegashima” means “bride’s island”. It has a sad story. According to a local legend, a young bride was homesick. She wanted to leave her husband’s house and go to her own family. So, she walked across the lake when it was frozen. Unfortunatley, she fell through the ice into the water and drowned.

The gods made an island in the spot where the young bride drowned.

If you visit Matsue, make sure you visit Lake Shinji and see Yomegashima. I recommend you go at sunset time. It is really beautiful.

[Easy English Blog]Pen pals

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abstract black and white blur book

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When I was a teenager, I had pen pals. I registered with a pen pal company, and they connected me with other young people in other countries. At that time, there was no Internet or social media, so we wrote letters to each other.

I had pen pals in Morocco, The Philippines, Estonia, Germany, Japan, Canada, Australia, the USA, China and Hong Kong. I wrote to my penpals for many years. Sometimes we sent each other presents. I was always happy to recieve traditional items from the different countries.

My pen pal from Japan was called Megumi. She used to send me pictures of cherry blossoms. She also sent me a jigsaw puzzle of a traditional Japanese painting. We wrote to each other for a few years, but then we lost touch. (lose touch = lose contact)

I often wonder how she is. I have lived in Japan for 18 years, but she doesn’t know that. I still have her old address. Sometimes, I think, “Should I write to her old address?” But I’m sure she is not there anymore. She has probably moved away. Maybe she is married with children. Maybe she doesn’t remember me. I would like to contact her again to say thank you. Thanks to her, I could learn about Japan and Japanese life when I was living in the UK.

Now we have social media, so it is very easy to become friends with people around the world. Teenagers can meet people and learn about other countries easily. However, I’m glad there was no social media when I was a teenager. I remember how excited I was when I got home from school and found a letter from a pen pal! It made me very happy.