Better Than TV

Originally uploaded by DanielKHC

Several years ago, my wife and daughter and I took a summer vacation to the Indonesian Island of Bali. It was one of the most wonderful times in our lives. The natural environment was beautiful, the cultural arts and crafts were fascinating, and the food was delicious. After that experience, I decided that Bali is a great place to go on vacation.

First of all, the natural environment in Bali is gorgeous. Because of the many volcanoes on the island, there are several black sand beaches, which are amazing to look at and very soft to walk on. Also, there are waterfalls and rivers running through the Balinesian jungle that you can visit. In addition, Bali is traditionally a rice farming society, so you can see many terraced rice fields on the sides of the mountains. Finally you can pick delicious tropical fruit growing on trees, and see exotic animals, like monkeys and dolphins. Being in Bali is like being surrounded by nature all the time.

Also, the culture of Bali is unique and interesting, especially the arts, music, dance, and crafts. Bali is the home of the famous gamelan gong music, which is often played during colorful dance performances. It is a trance-like music which takes the listener into another world. In addition, many Balinese people are artists and craftsman, so you can kind many beautiful paintings, masks, furniture, and instuments for sale on the island. You’ll never be bored in Bali!

Finally, the food in Bali shouldn’t be missed, especially if you like colorful, spicy, and tropical foods. One of the most well known and popular dishes in Bali is nasi goreng, which is a fried, spicy rice dish served with shrimp chips. Another wonderful dish is satay, which is a grilled meat served with a spicy peanut sauce. It reminds me a little of yakitori in the way it looks. And if you like eating fruit, Bali is a fruit heaven. All kinds of tropical fruit dishes and juices can be found all over the island – great for staying cool and healthy in the hot sun.

As you can see, with such a beautiful natural environment, a rich and interesting culture, and lots of great food to eat, Bali is a great place to take a vacation. One of these days, I would like to return to Bali with my family and spend more time exploring the island and swimming in the ocean. I would also like to buy more art from Bali, since the art is unique and the artists could use the money! I hope that one day you can make it to Bali, too. Don’t miss it.  To see more photos of Bali, please watch this video:

In my opinion, learning to be a good listener of English is important for communication. Listening is a difficult skill, so it takes lots of practice to become good.  In this video a German man, who works for the coast guard, has difficulty understanding what people on the radio are saying.  Actually, those people are in trouble because their ship is sinking.  However, the German man thinks that they are saying “thinking,” so he asks, “What are you thinking about?”  If you study English and you like to laugh, I recommend that you watch this video.  Perhaps you might make a similar mistake?

If you want to practice your English listening, here are some useful and interesting sites:

• Ello
• The Bob and Rob Show
• English Conversations
• Randall’s Listening Lab
• ESL Pod

One of my favorite bands is Thievery Corporation. They formed in 1995 in Washington D.C. Their members are two: Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. Their music style is electronic, mostly dub, acid jazz, and DJ underground. They first became famous in 1997 with the song, Shaolin Satellite. Since then, they have made many more excellent songs. Their music has been played in many movies and TV shows. Some of their lyrics are influenced by current political events, such as the war in Iraq. If you like to relax and hear some good electronic music, you should listen to Thievery Corporation.

Although many people around the world know of both Tokyo and Kyoto, not many of them realize just how different these two cities are. Tokyo is known as the business and fashion capital of Japan. It is one of the largest and most expensive cities in the world. People in Tokyo live a very modern, fast paced lifestyle there. Kyoto, on the other hand, is much smaller than Tokyo, as is considered to be Japan’s center of traditional culture and art. Kyoto is cheaper and more traditional than Tokyo, and has more temples and gardens. You are more likely to see a geisha in Kyoto than you are in Tokyo, while in Tokyo you are more likely to experience pop-culture, music and fashion than you are in Kyoto. So even though these two cities are both in Japan, they are actually quite different.

Originally uploaded by Marser

Some people say that Tokyo is too crowded or too expensive. However, I believe that Tokyo is a very exciting place to be. For one, the shopping is incredible, especially in places like Harajuku and Shibuya, or even in Akihabara if you are into electronics. You can also experience a wild nightlife in areas around Shinjuku or Roppongi and there are a wealth of places to eat, especially if you like eating food from around the world. Finally, there are many gardens and parks around town, where you can relax and see different flowers in bloom. So, before you decide not to visit Tokyo because you think it is too crowded or too expensive, think again, because I feel that Tokyo is exciting.

Originally uploaded by /\ltus

Originally uploaded by noxipoo

Ramen is a great food and it is one of my favorite things to eat. First, ramen is really, really delicious. I especially like miso ramen. Second, ramen is very cheap. Usually you can get a bowl of ramen for 800 yen or less. Also, ramen is the perfect late night food. You can find ramen shops open very late. As you can see, ramen is a great food. Please try it sometime.

Hiking is Fun!

One of my interests is hiking.  I often go hiking with my friends on the weekends.  This past weekend I went on a hike with my friends in the north of Kyoto.  We started out at 5:30 a.m. in Kurama, which is a village at the end of the Eizan Densha line, and hiked all the way up to the top of a mountain called Ama-ga-take.  It was a little bit of a difficult hike because the path went up and down many times.  After we reached the top, which looked like a little campsite, we came down the mountain using a narrow road.  At the end of the hike we bought some manju, which my wife and children really love, and ate it.  It was an excellent Saturday morning.

I like cooking very much.  I would love to cook everyday, but I am too busy on weekdays, so I cannot cook on those days.  I am not very busy on the weekends, so I usually cook.  I like to cook pizza, curry, and steak.  Sometimes my wife and children help me cook.  I wish I had more time to cook and a better kitchen.  I hope everyone can try to cook because it is lots of fun.

Hello everyone.  It’s nice to meet you.  My name is Aaron and I live in Kyoto with my wife and two daughters.  One of the things I love to do is go hiking.  This weekend I went hiking with two friends in the north of Kyoto in the mountains.  We hiked on a very famous mountain in Japan called Mt. Hiei.  There are many beautiful temples and trees on this mountain.  Also, there are many wild animals.  For example, this weekend I saw many deer and I caught a snake with my hands.  I had a great time.