Japanese for All Occasions

Konnichi wa.

That means "hello" in Japanese, and I learned it from this 1990 book, Japanese for All Occasions by Anne Kaneko:

I don't speak Japanese (nor do I fluently speak Cantonese, even though I'm Chinese), but it's always handy to know new words in new languages.

So here are some practical Japanese-to-English examples (with corresponding page numbers) that are useful for all occasions:

p.71 - Kono chiizu o kinō kattan' desu ga, furukute taberarenain' desu.

"I bought this cheese yesterday but it's so old that we can't eat it."

p.116 - Moshi-moshi. Sanbyaku-san gō-shitsu desu ga, rāmen o motte kite kudasai.

"Hello? This is room 303. Can you bring a bowl of needles." *

* I misread "noodles" as "needles". Please do not eat!

p.146 - Piinattsu ga nodo ni tsumatte iru.

"He's got a peanut stuck in his throat."

p.209 - Honjitsu wa, watashi no tsutanai hanashi o o-kiki itadaki, makoto ni arigatō gozaimashita.

"Thank you for listening to my poorly delivered speech."

p.21 - Dewa mata.

"See you./Bye!"

Woomi's TALES! FROM! SPACE!

Earlier this year, Woomi departed the stratosphere after an incident with bubblegum. After his surprise return last month, I finally asked Woomi about his...

The WooFO UFO

Can-Cans

When I first spoke with MJ in 2001, we talked on the phone for hours and hours. After we became a couple in 2003, we kept on talking.

For our 7th anniversary as boyfriend/girlfriend, I made her these Communication Can-Cans:


Here is MJ can-can-communicating with me:


Honestly, I'm not much of a talker. MJ is good at talking and I'm good at listening. MJ says: "Before you paint yourself as a saint, mention that you're also good at pretending to listen." Ah well, communication doesn't guarantee agreement:




Our years together are filled with chatty goodness, even in a world of electronic distractions. The Can-Cans lack wireless Bluetooth® technology, so I created a wired solution:


For my anniversary gift, MJ painted a portrait of me in green (her favourite colour) and in orange (my favourite colour). I love handmade gifts, and her heartfelt creation was touching beyond words:


A lasting relationship requires good communication, both spoken and unspoken. Can MJ & I keep talking our talk as we walk our walk into the future together?

Yes we can-can!