Ukulele for Peace

Last Thursday while channel surfing, I landed on MTV and they were showcasing the wild ones in the music industry.
If my memory serves me right, below is the list of the Top 10 wild ones:

1. Pink
2. Marilyn Manson
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers
4. Britney Spears
5. Oasis
6. Eminem
7. Paris Hilton
8. Amy Winehouse
9. Kanye West
10. Lady Gaga

These celebrities were chosen for their wild antics and aggressive persona.
Some of them even had the lethal combination of fame, money, alcohol and drugs.
However, music stardom doesn't always lead to destructive behavior.

Meet Jake Shimabukuro.
He is a young artist trying to make the world a better place to live in through his music.
His light-speed finger strumming skills on his ukulele has earned him opportunities to travel and do collaborative work with famous artists.
Check out how he creates very powerful music through his small ukulele.




Amazing, right?
Now, here's the original version of that song, "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen.





Which version would help create peace?
Peace is what we need right now.





Sources:
http://jakeshimabukuro.com/bio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qadUoaWkRW8
http://www.ted.com/speakers/jake_shimabukuro.html





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New Year, New Things

E: Emery N: Nicole S: Shima Eu: Euneece

Emery bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet
upon entering the room.

E: Hi Nicole and Shima! I am back!
S: Welcome back! How was your vacation?
E: It was perfect Shima! I had the chance to savor
the last day of the year two thousand ten and to
welcome and spend the first two weeks of the year
two thousand eleven!
N: You seem happy as a clam!
S: I did not notice it at first; you had your hair
cut. New Year, new hairstyle!
E: As you know, everything here in Japan is expensive
so I grabbed the chance to pamper myself with a
hair treatment.

Nicole also noticed Emery's nail colors.

N: She has not only new hair style, Shima, but also
　　her fingernails colored.

　Emery blushed and was a bit too shy to show her
fingernails to Shima.

S: I bet it was something new to you.
E: Uh huh.

　Suddenly, Euneece enters the room after finishing
her class.

Eu: I was wondering what all the commotion was about.
　　And look who's here?

Euneece and Emery greeted each other with
a cheek-to-cheek kiss.

N: We were teasing Emery about her new hairstyle and
　　new nail color.

　Euneece flashes a look at Emery.

Eu: How could you not notice her new sling bag?

Euneece looked down.

Eu: And her new pair of slingbacks? Nicole, how many
　　new things have you counted so far?
N: For the record, four!
Eu: And this is just her first day after her vacation.
　　Let's wait for the coming days.

　The two ladies giggled at each other. Emery could not
help but laugh at them.

E: Ha-ha. I miss this kind of banter!




●Vocabulary

★bounced excitedly‐嬉しそうに、興奮気味に飛び跳ねる
★balls of her feet‐足の裏
★savor‐楽しむ、味わう
★happy as a clam‐(ハマグリのように)幸せ、満足している
　　 ≪豆知識≫
　　（clam＝ハマグリ)；もともとはas happy as a clam at
　　 high water「高潮の時のハマグリのように嬉しそうだ」
と言っていました。なぜ「ハマグリ」なのでしょう？
　　 それは高潮の時ハマグリは外敵から身を守るために警戒
　　 しなくてよいのです。つまりハマグリはその時ばかりは
自由な日々を楽しめるということからこの言葉が出来ま
　　 した。
★grab the chance‐チャンスを見つける、チャンスをつかむ
★pamper‐叶える、甘やかす
★blush‐顔が赤くなる
★commotion‐事態
★cheek-to-cheek kiss‐頬と頬をくっつけてする挨拶
★tease‐からかう
★flash‐ちらりと
★sling bag‐スリングバッグ、ハンドバッグ
★slingbacks‐バックベルトの靴
★for the record‐参考のために
★giggle‐くすくす笑う
★could not help but‐仕方なく、どうすることもできず
★banter‐冗談を言い合う会話




■“新しい年、新しい物”

登場人物：E: エメリー N: ニコル S: シマ Eu: ユニース

　エメリーが嬉しそうに跳ねながら部屋に入ってきた。

E: こんにちは、ニコルとシマ！私、戻ったわよ！
S: おかえり! バケーションはどうだった？
E: 最高だったわ、シマ。充実した2010年最後の日を送れて、
　　2011年最初の２週間を楽しく迎えることができたわ！
N: すごく嬉しそうね！
S: 最初は気づかなかったんだけど；髪切ったのね。新年に
　　向けて新しいヘアスタイルね！
E: 知っていると思うけど、この日本では何でも高いでしょ、
　　いいチャンスだからヘアケアしてきたわ。

　ニコルはエメリーのネイルにも気づく。

N: ヘアスタイルを変えただけじゃないわよ、シマ、彼女は
　　ネイルもしてきたみたい。

　エメリーは赤くなり、少し恥ずかしそうにシマに爪を見せた。

S: きっと初めてだったんじゃない。
E: まあね。

　突然、クラスを終えたユニースが部屋に入ってきた。

Eu: いったい何が起きたのかと考えてたの。ほら、誰かさんが
　　来たわ。

ユニースとエメリーは頬と頬を合わせて挨拶した。

N: 今エメリーの新しいヘアスタイルとネイルについてからか
　　ってたの。

　ユニースはエメリーをちらりと見る。

Eu: 彼女のハンドバッグになぜ気づかないの？

　ユニースが下を見る。

Eu: それから彼女のバックベルトの靴もね？ニコル、ここまでで
　　いくつ新しい物をカウントしたの？
N: 参考のために、４つよ！
Eu: で、今日はバケーションから帰ってきてまだ１日目よ。これ
　　からを期待しましょう。

　２人がくすくすと笑う。それをエメリーは笑うしかなかった。

E: ハハ、こんな気楽な会話がしたかったわ！




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What Makes a Great Company

In our elementary days, we were told that we have to study hard to get into a good high school.
After high school, the routine of studying hard to get good grades continued.
Having excellent grades made our chances of making it into a prestigious university bigger.
However, it didn't end there.



We had to pull all-nighters to finish reports, do thesis and the numerous presentations that were asked of us by our professors.
Why did we have to do that? The answer is we had to!
If we didn't, we might not be able find work with a respectable great company and earn a good life.
But I have one question, "What makes a company good/ great?"

The answer may vary.
Each one of us has different priorities that may affect how we define a good or great company.
Some might say that a company with a huge name is great.
Yes... they are big names in the industry.
People's jaw drop when they learn you work for such company.



Another answer could be that the compensation package is great.
In our current economic slump, companies offering good salaries are so hard to find.



It could also be that the working conditions are very appealing for employees.
The management makes sure that the employees are satisfied while the employees do everything to make their customers happy.
In this win-win situation, everyone is happy!



Now, the next question is... "Does this company exist in reality?"
According to CCN, it does.

Meet the staff of the "happiest company in Japan."



EC Studio is an IT consulting business. They don’t meet with their clients and they even don't talk to them on the phone.
Crazy, right?
Yes, it is a concept that doesn't makes sense to most people but it works wonders for this 33-staffed company.

Adding to that bewilderment, the article mentioned that the CEO Toshiyuki Yamamoto is "just looking out for his employees."
You heard it right.
In EC Studio, the customer is NOT always right but the employee is!
This is one great way of showing the importance of personnel.
Read the whole CNN article to find out more about the company.


So, what makes a good company great for you?




Sources:
http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/life/happiest-company-japan-247780#ixzz1Bg0YAyXl
http://www.ecstudioinc.com/
http://pocketofgreen.livejournal.com/1396.html
http://ledgerlink.monster.com/benefits/articles/43-step-by-step-guide-to-negotiating-a-great-salary
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/02/03/k.state.researcher.says.happy.employees.are.critical.organizations.success




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