Thursday, May 29, 2008

coming Father's Day

Now I'm stay home. This week is the fifth week in May, so I have no plans to go out in the morning. I'm preparing for next week's lesson. They (my students) are going to celebrate for Father's day making crafts.


I've kept some things for my kids' presents to their fahter. The wooden doll, the wooden tie tack were made when they were in kindergarten. The one-day free tickets for playing tennis was made when they were elementary school students. At that time their father (my husband) was into playing tennis.

Now he is into playing golf. So I have to make some one-day free tickets for playing golf.

Anyway Father's Day is coming. I let my students make such wooden dolls and cards.

I usualy read this book. It's funny, and the thinking way is really American.
He can eat like a horse. -- Probably we say "he can eat like a pig".
He can swim like a fish. --I agree with it.
He's as strong as a gorilla. --I agree with it.
He's as happy as a hippo.-- That's really an American thinking way. Probably we say "he's as serious as a ?????".
He's as big as a house. -- Probably we say "He's as big as a tree."
He's as soft as my deddy. -- Interesting.

and he's as wise as an owl. -- I know owls are descrubed as smart animals in America, but in Japan owls are not so typical. What are smart animals in Japan????

Reading picture books is fun.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is probably a slight difference in terms..."eat like a horse" usually means a large appetite...can eat large amounts of food. "eat like a pig" could mean either eating with terrible table manners (sloppy eating) or possibly eating in a greedy manner such as taking too much food... for example, a small boy taking most of the candy and not leaving any for his friends. "Built like a house" usually means a man is solid, strong, muscular and has a "square" look about him in his build...not thin, small or graceful. Jan

Kharina said...

Also to add what Jan said, if someone was described to "eat like a bird", this would usually mean they have a small appetite and ate in a very delicate manner.

It's Father's Day here too soon. It is very commercialised, so people are encouraged to buy cards and gifts to their fathers.

Anonymous said...

About pigs we all seem to have the same image. And probably everyboday "used to "have a "strong " image about their fathers. Now--- it seems to be changed in Japan. "kind" or"gentle " and "understanding" seems to be favorite words among kids instead of "strong" that words used to be the best word to discribe our fathers, I think.

And yes, also in Japan "Father's day" is commercialised, but, every father seems to look forward to the day, because they will be a prince or king at home on the day.

Anyway my husband looks forward to the day, saying "I will be able to eat what I would like to have".

Anonymous said...

There is also the expression, "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse." It doesn't mean one likes horsemeat, necessarily, but that one could eat something as big as a horse.

Owls are considered wise animals because the owl was the symbol of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom (aka, Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom). So, it's not really an American thing but it is part of our Western heritage.