Kale for Color Sense
31.07.2012 § Leave a comment
When my children were learning violin during their youth, they got into it pretty competitively. I was a bit worried when they went to sporting events that they would hurt their hands and not be able to practice violin for a long time or that they would hurt themselves in such a way that they would lose their fingers’ sensitivity and would not be able to play as well.
Likewise, I realized that I rely on my eyes to make my living. To keep my eyes healthy and maintain good color sense is an important thing. « Read the rest of this entry »
Manner of Articulation
23.07.2012 § Leave a comment
In linguistics, manner of articulation describes how the tongue, lips, jaw, and other speech organs are involved in making a sound.
This morning I needed to look up a few English words while studying Japanese. I was thrilled to learn these new words because they are so rare to me; that always piques my interest. I had come across these terms in Chinese when I was serving the Chinese language school as a volunteer teacher. Now learning Japanese in English is like killing two birds with one stone: I get to learn both languages. « Read the rest of this entry »
Power of Movies
18.07.2012 § Leave a comment
I was looking up the meaning of “paradigm shift” and came across a website that talks about the history of the phrase. I found it interesting, but it did give a lot of information. In the same search, a YouTube video popped up. Although the content of the movie is a bit different than the scientific definition I was reading about, nonetheless it left an impression on me. The availability of movies like this in digital format is a paradigm shift for how people learn. People who have a sharper visual sense have more options now that movies, instead of only text, are available as learning tools. However, my worry is that the power of language may weaken as a trade-off.
Bathtubs and Robes
12.07.2012 § Leave a comment
A Cultural Difference
| I got into the habit of taking hot baths after experiencing the hot spring bath culture in Japan, and I started to notice the difference between the hotels in Japan and the US. First, the bathtubs in Japan are shorter but deeper so the water covers a person up to her neck. By contrast, the hotel tubs in the US are longer but shallower. If a person wants to warm up her knees and shoulders at the same time it is a bit hard. One has to sit up straight to soak her knees or lie down completely and bend her knees to soak her shoulders in hot water. | 
 Atami Hot Springs |
I also noticed that the hotels in Japan always prepare you with a toothbrush and toothpaste and a pair of disposable slippers. None of these could be found at the Minneapolis Hilton I checked into when I visited our representative in Minnesota. « Read the rest of this entry »
Woven-Words 