2007 September 29 Saturday.
This afternoon I had the first of a series of 30 lessons, with 4 new students from 13:00 until 14:30.
These four people all work at the same company here in Asahikawa, which does a lot of import and export type of activities.
These 4 new students want to improve their ability in daily conversational English, NOT Business English.
I was relieved to hear this because if you can't talk with people in a normal everyday setting, how do expect to go over and discuss lengthy business contracts?
Anyway, today among outer things, I used a page from a textbook I am writing about word associations.
It goes like this; "What do you think of when you hear the word _________?"
There is a list of 30 words on the page, broken down into 6 sections of 5 words each.
When it came back around to my turn, I asked one of the young ladies; "What do you think of when you hear the word small?"
Her reply both shocked and amused me at the same time.
She said; "My HEART."
I softly laughed for a moment, and then said; "No, that's not true. You really have a big heart. Here, let me show you."
I stood up and walked over to a bookcase where I keep a stack of self-made gifts that I always keep at the ready.
The gifts that I made can be seen in the photo above/left.
It is my brush calligraphy of the Chinese ideograph for the Japanese word KOKORO.
It means HEART, in the spiritual sense of the word.
One time every year, usually just after the winter solstice, as the sun is once again rising up from it's lowest point in the winter sky, I get a big bottle of Japanese Rice Wine, a big brush and plenty of black ink, and I draw about 100 of these pages, all using the same word 心.
Less than half of them survive the final inspections, and the survivors among them are stamped with my katakana name chop ノーマン・ディレーニ, and then I give them a laminated finish.
The only reason I laminate them, is so that it will easy to place them on a bookshelf, a wall, or even on a coffee table.
Even if you spill your drink on it, it won't be ruined.
Besides, I myself enjoying viewing other peoples' brush strokes, and this is the only kanji that I practice writing with a brush so, what the hey!
I can Enjoy myself, and help the other guy have a Happy day.
It's simply from the heart.
No strings attached, except for that one very thin, red line.
絆
********************************
☆人気ブログランキング☆
明日もほんわか~と更新します。
応援のクリックお願いします。励みに頑張ります♪
| 固定リンク



















最近のコメント