Minimalism - Online Income - ESL - Japan
I was aware of it during my childhood, but as I got older less people mentioned it. Generally, in the U.K, people don’t run around pointing out how big your nose is. “Crikey! Your nose is huge!” is something I hadn’t heard since I was a kid. That was until I came to Japan, a country full of small nosed people who apparently think a big nose makes one more distinguished. Maybe […]
Over a year ago, in my post Computer Translation, I wrote about how some of my students use translation software when writing letters or reports. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the results, and urged my students not to trust such software. So, one year on, I was playing with Google Translate and tried a little experiment. First, I copied some text from a Japan Today article, and used the site to translate […]
Our son Rikuto, at nearly three months old, is amazing at staring contests. I’m not sure he realizes he has eyelids yet, or perhaps he’s just fascinated by the funny-looking people he says each day, i.e. his mum and I. Either way, this is a great picture of him staring down the barrel of his bottle. I’ve added a caption below, but would love to hear one of your own! “What’s […]
I must have done something worthy of attention because Mike from BlogsOnJapan.com pulled me aside for an interview. Mike is putting together a collection of interviews with bloggers in Japan, and LongCountdown.com made the list. Find out what my favorite place in Japan is, who my favorite celebrity is, and what I think of Japanese food by reading the Interview with Long Countdown. On top of that, I was surprised to find myself the subject of […]
I’ve been teaching English in Japan for over ten years, but I haven’t ventured into online English teaching. However, the internet is now part of our everyday lives, and email is no longer the only common means of communication. People everywhere, young and old, are using webcams, headsets, and software such as Skype to communicate with friends and family. The demand for English teachers is as strong as ever, but students are looking […]
I was looking through some old photos and found this picture of Mami and I dancing at a Christmas party in 2004. Although we met earlier that year, I think this is the oldest picture of us together and for that reason it deserves a place here on my blog. I think she thought I was quite a catch! 😛 If you like, you can find me on Twitter at @nick_ramsay. I’d love to hear from […]
Some of you know that all I need a fridge for is beer, cheese and chocolate. At least, that was until I married Mami and we moved into together. It wasn’t long before her mum bought us a new fridge for our wedding present, and Mami filled it up with everything I should eat. As well as the lovely orangey colour, this fridge is extra special becuase its door opens in […]
A few weeks ago I talked about children’s bedtime stories, and then later said that a baby approaching three months old has very acute hearing and if you read to him everyday, he’ll become familiar with the rhythm and intonation of your language. This week, I started reading the first Harry Potter book to Rikuto. Of course, he’s not going to understand it, but it’s an opportunity to immerse him […]