Clafoutis

In the UK, we can see the various fresh fruits as black berry, red currant, pear and other fruits at the market, so I wanted to cook a clafoutis with using American cherry since I came here.  A clafoutis is a traditional french sweets and a type of flan made of fruit, typically cherries, baked in a sweet batter.  That is one of my favorite sweets because it is so simple to cook and delicious.  Although I learned from my cooking teacher, I did not have any recipe.  Therefore, I picked up the recipe from the IE, and cooked without propriety since I did not have enough cooking tool, but that taste is quite good.

Ingredients (Round pan: 22cm)
1) Cherry (you can change the fruits like a grape and orange)    400g (at least 1 pack)
2) Flour     80g
3) Egg       3
4) Sugar    50g (changeable by sugar concentration of fruits)
5) Vanilla essence         if any
6) Kirsch (Cherry Liquor)       if any(otherwise, other liquor)
7) Combined Milk and Cream          250g

8) Butter ( hydrogenated fat is also good)    a little
9) Sugar      a little

At first, paste butter on round pan, and put sugar a little, and pre-heating oven at 200c .  Next,  remove seed of cherry, and put cherry in the pan.  And then, Mixed ingredients 2) to 7), and run into pan.  At last, baked all ingredients in the oven about 20 min.  If you have powder sugar, you should drizzle crafty with it.  By doing this, it looks so lovely and delicious.  Please have a try for your significant other.  Bon appetit!

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The City Center

Leicester where I live is located in Leicestershire state ( http://www.goleicestershire.com/ ), the East Midland region, and have a Unitary Authority, a historical place where are established by Celt in ancient Roman times.  According to the city council ( http://www.leicester.gov.uk/homepage.aspx ), the population is increasing gradually, estimated 304,800 people in 2009.  There is the city center where it takes about 15 min from our Univ. on foot.  There is the Clock Tower in the center of the city, and a large shopping center in name of Highcross, Market, Movie theater, and lovely cafe & shop around the tower ( http://www.leicester.co.uk/ ).

Today, I visited a tea and coffee shop, St. MARTIN'S ( http://www.stmartinscoffee.co.uk/index.asp ) as my friend gave me a information.  They had many types of coffee beans such as India, Brazil, Columbia and other countries.  He explained each beans and I had a aroma of each beans.  I selected Indian beans, that is strong bitter and a little nutty.  Of course, we can have a coffee at the terrace in front of the shop, and the black-sounding plays saxophone snappily besides.  Afterward, we went to Movie Theater and watched Harry Potter and the deathly hallows part 2.  That theater was quite new and a seat was wide and comfortable, maybe western people size.  Ticket price for students was 5.9 pound.  I have never seen and read Harry Potter series, but I enjoyed listening English.  I became taking a fancy for this town, so I would like to find favorite wine shops here at the next visitation.

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Ramadan

According to Macmillan, Ramadan means that the ninth month of the Muslim year, when Muslims do not eat or drink anything between sunrise and sunset. I have never had experiences of Ramadan, of course there is no person around me. I do not understand essential significance and reality of Ramadan, but if it includes the meaning of thanks for food, and break free from the lust, understanding of poor level, it is extreme meaningful. In fact, Japanese tend to be able to obtain various countries' dishes anytime and anywhere, so the food satiation rate is high. In my opinion, it is necessary to reconsider it.     

In my class, there are some Muslim students in my class. They have always full smile, and then it is impressive for me that one of them said. We discussed about a perfect day. After discussing, she said at last that we all including family have a healthy, peaceful, having food and other good things, so we have perfect days every day. That was a perfect answer. I intend to understand in my mind though, but those things sometimes escape my minds.  In 2011, Ramadan will be started 1st of Aug, and ended 29th of Aug. Perhaps the place where has long time from sun to sun such as the UK in summer and other northern countries be considered the sunset time.  Thus, it is difficult for me to do that, but we should have them in mind. This trip is also a good opportunity for me to know that.

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The British Style

A British people tend to behavior own style and pace, so they are likely to be abhorrent of being hurried by someone.  Otherwise, they do own responsibility politely.  We say that is a "British Style" when we faced such situations: For example, we ask someone to do in a hurry, their performance will be quite slow down!!  The other one, when they attended many students to the school tour, the room was already fulled by other students and bring us to standstill.  And then, they change the class room without any announcement.  These are not encouraged efficient, but they do not necessary to improve them because of the British Style.  I am sure that we have a habit in a hurry, but we should understand their identity.  We can often see after the class that some families have chats with each other in the terrace of a pub.  That time is passing slowly, and they looks so happy.  They have a proud their own style, so I respect and keep their pace.

Since yesterday, I could not access to the Internet, so I phoned to the service center for three times.  At the first time, he checked my user name and password and my IE ver., and he tried to change my set up, but it has been failed.  Therefore, he said to me to change the cable line.  The next time, the other staff checked only ID and said the PC error, but I could find any error, so I tried to call again and said "Although I try to connect...., Could you please support for me?", she changed  PW immediately and I could access the IE again soon.  I understand we have to clarify issues and request modesty, and never give up.

Actually, I came to study management, but I wondered if I could learn management here?? Of course, I intend to understand that only time management and motivation is not the management.    I found the interesting site: http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/British-Management-Style.html .  Of course, our Japanese business custom is also too specific such as relation with companies, owners, financial institutions, and other relations.  From now on, I look forward to listening their thinking way and policy.  Those knowledge will be useful to communicate with some British people on business in the future...I hope..?

Thank you for your reading to the end.

The class

We have three types of English class at the course D.  1) Speaking and Listening 2) Reading and Writing 3) Project for management.  For 1) & 2), it is scheduled every weekday in the morning.  For 3), there are three times per week.  We have a personal tutor each morning class, her name is Ms.Yasmin DAR ( http://yasmindar1.wordpress.com/ ), she always has a bright and feminine smile.  Although students in my class are combined nationalities as I mentioned before, they are all  friendly and kind. (Here, I do not use the cautious language!) .  I am sure that her smile and personality lead students to have each good characters.  Her smile may come from religion or other personality.  That is a good case study for me.  I would like to build trust gradually, and have deep relationship with associates here.  I suppose that this consideration come from the spirits of Japanese traditional tea and my business style, because human relationship tend to be easy to break down and proportional terms at heart.

In the morning class, we have learned signposting language such as firstly, secondly...is also absolutely imperative on writing academic articles.  At first, we think about structure, however we should mention our argument clearly.   Furthermore, we are indicated concretely, for main ideas: I would like to emphasise that.. , for Example: To illustrate this points..., for Digression: We may note in passing that....   
Gradually, my brain has confused structure, cohesion and grammar...

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Changing their mind

On the last Friday, we wrote up the study development plan to improve our English ability.  I am sure that the plan should be considered actively by self, because nobody knows another ability and character.  If Japanese school do the similar assessment, their learning style may be changed.  In my working days, there was an assessment for self development, but we including boss and HR are likely to shrug off as a formal...That's a waste.  In my opinion, members of society should control such a thing by self..

In the meantime, some Chinese students start changing their mind.  They thought about own development and try to change the current situations and communicate with foreigners actively.  For me, this was a good opportunity to understand them each other.  If they want to talk with us to improve their English ability, it's my pleasure.  After talking with them one by one, they are so humility and having considerable insight.

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Londoner

I went to London this weekend again.  At this time, I walked through Knights Bridge where is in place of the central London, and the traditional department stores namely Harrods get lined up.  Those streets and department are crowded by Londoners, Western and Arab, but few Asian.  I wonder if some Asian go to where??  Although I went to British facilities, those situations were the same.  At the Harvey Nichols ( http://www.harveynichols.com/ ), I purchased British sparkling in name of NYETIMBER BRUT 2006 ( http://www.nyetimber.com/ ) in the place of Sussex, which assemblage is Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.  This is Champagne Methode.  According to a shop clerk, the previous vintage which he had was a good taste, but he does not have 2006 yet... that cost was 30 pound, actually not cheap.  I am thinking when I should try this one..       

At night, we went to the restaurant, Bar Boulud ( http://www.mandarinoriental.com/london/dining/bar_boulud/ ) at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London.  That restaurant has a lovely atmosphere and service.  We ordered Pre-fixed Menu which costs was 22 pounds.  I choose pate, lasagna and gateau Basque.  The taste was so delicious based on French Cuisine.

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Essay Plan

We were given an article as a subject for the academic writing.  The article which was written by Dr. Linn in 2008 was focused native speakers, non-naive speakers in English and other speakers about the different way of thinking and writing.  According to him (or her?), there are five features of English style in academic writing: 1) Explicit Discourse 2) Introduction-Body-Conclusion 3) Non-Metaphorical Usage 4) Liner Structure 5) Deductive style.   For 3), the usage of high levels of metaphor are limited in the UK media and American business communications (Linn cited Trujillo Saez,2003).  Until then, I thought that the highly usage of metaphor looks academic as if well-educated person.  For 4), Oriental such Chinese, Japanese and Thai tend to avoid from clear judgement and conclusion.  I completely agree with it.  On the other hand, Anglo Saxon argues directly and quite simple.  There is no correct answer which style is the best, but it is necessary for international students in the UK to obtain the thinking way on basic.  For 5), Japanese tend to be mentioned that we wrote the theme in the conclusion, because we have been taught to do that in school days if my memories were correct...but English academic writing are mentioned at the beginning of the essay.

This blog has been a summary of essay........ sorry.

Thank you for your reading to the end.

The first London in a while

The last time when I went to London was fifteen years ago.  At that time, I did not so much familiar with foreign countries, so I still had a tension and fear about foreigners.  Apparent condition does not have been changed, but shops, people, underground path and food is changed obviously.

It takes about 70 min from Leicester to St. Pancras of London by The National Railway (  http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ ) . On the first day, I visited The British Museum ( http://www.britishmuseum.org/ ) which collections are huge amount such as mummies, Rosetta stones and other sculptures,  and The National Gallery  ( http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/ ) which drawing collections are mainly from 13th to 20th century.  Both of their entrance fees are free, because those facilities are supported by sponsorships and patrons.  On the web-sites, their finances are mentioned as annual reports and future plan, so I would like to check in details someday.

At the dinner, I went to The Princess of Shoreditch ( http://www.theprincessofshoreditch.com/ ) which are selected as a New Gastro Pub of the Year 2010.  The pub has a traditional atmosphere, and a essence of French.  Staff also has a friendly smile and confidence.  After enjoying British Beer, we had a champagne; Pol Rodger BRUT Reserve NV ( http://www.polroger.com/english/  ) which assemblage is Pinot Noir 33%, Chardonnay 33%, and Pinot Meunier 33%.  This Maison champagne was selected for the wedding party of Prince William & Catherine Middleton.  After a long interval(? may be..), I could have a delicious champagne.

Thank you for your reading to the end.
                   

Botanic Garden

The Britain is famous for the Garden.  There are many parks hither and thither.  The university of Leicester also have a botanic garden where we walk 10 min from our house ( http://www2.le.ac.uk/institution/botanic-garden ).  They have also traditional houses, cafe and sculptures.  On a clear day, The British tend to spend their time there on the green with a picnic.  We can lost track of time with feeling herbal beauty and floral color.  We had a English cream tea: English Tea + Scorn w jam & clotted cream.  Clotted cream contains amount of milk fat over 50%, so we have to care for weight..

Thank you for your reading to the end.

 

Cautious Language

At the beginning of the class, we were taught the usage of cautious languages, i.e. generally speaking, tend to, be likely to..., when we argue to someone about nationalities, in common conversation, and other opinions.  Although I thought that is a form at first, now I consider that the essence is the basic way to think, in other words, that is not only English but also humanity.  When we often say some opinion about politics, hobbies, and other topics, as if that is every thing and/or everyone.  That is egocentricity and unfledged thinking ways.  We should have a intention about it and have a high regard for individuals.

Thank you for your reading to the end.

English Language Teaching Unit

ELTU ( http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/eltu?searchterm=ELTU ) accredited by The British Council  is a pre-sessional course of English to prepare for international students to go to postgraduate and undergraduate of the Leicester University.  There are five courses from A to E which is separated by terms and student's English ability.  My course is D which term is from 11 Jul to 16 Sep.  The number of students is approximately 500??, and a majority of nationality is Chinese, maybe over 80%.

We had grammar and writing tests for placement yesterday, and we have been separated into small classes.  The number of students in my class is twelve which consists of six Chinese, two Japanese, two Saudi Arabian, one Iraqi and one Taiwanese.  All international students are going to go postgraduates.  They have religions and custom each other, but Chinese students tend to create own communities and talk in Chinese.  I suppose that their generation is younger than me.  Actually, when I went to the USA in my college days, we often spoke with teh Japanese in Japanese.  That was a waste of money.  There is a similar situation here...

Thank you for your reading to the end.

Start on a voyage

In spring of 2010, I started thinking to study abroad.  At that time, I had distressed myself about job, family, future, client...(I do not mention here in details.) Now, I am in the UK to study MBA.  Nobody knows what I am going to be in the near future, but I am sure to gain many experiences in this year.  Therefore, I decided to write here as much as possible.

At the beginning of my journey, my flight BA8 from Haneda had been canceled due to faulty maintenance...so I stayed one night in Urayasu, Tokyo, and I hardly came to Leicester by ANA from Narita.  It was a first time for me to have such as an experience.  A handling company's staffs, limousine bus drivers, and hotel staffs, and passengers are all  confused, because BA had not hardly informed us at all, even phone number.  I supposed that was the typical way of a foreign airline company.  Actually, if they had many inquiries, they would not control them.  Whereas, I would like to say thanks to front companies staffs.  As a result, I barely arrived in Leicester at night of 11 July 2011 when was the previous day of school start.  All store had already been closed because of Sunday...It was a tough journey.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for supporters, husband, family, friends, teachers and associates in order to go to the UK, and then I intend to keep writing this Blog for them and me as much as possible.

Thank you for your reading to the end.