Thursday, December 21, 2017

Jingle Bell Rock in Japanese

A teacher at the school I teach at asked me to teach students an x-mas song. Jingle Bell Rock came to mind, because it's a fun dance song.

However, there wasn't a translation online in Japanese to show my classes, so I made one with the help of a Japanese tutor.

Enjoy.


(click photo for credit)

Jingle Bell Rock

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock        ジングルベル、ジングルベル、ジングルベルロック
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring ジングルベルは踊り回る
Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun 雪が降って楽しくなる
Now the jingle hop has begun 今ジングルダンスが始まった

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock          ジングルベル、ジングルベル、ジングルベルロック
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time ジングルベルの鐘が鳴るジングルベルの時間に
Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square   ダンスして跳ねる
In the frosty air 寒空の下

What a bright time, it's the right time 何て美しい時間、相応しい時間
To rock the night away 夜を楽しもう

Jingle bell time is a swell time ジングルベル時間はいい時間
To go gliding in a one-horse sleigh そりを引く馬に乗ろう
Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet はいはいジングルの馬、足を動かせ
Jingle around the clock いつもダンスのジングル

Mix and a-mingle in the jingling feet 混ざる人々ジングルベルダンスで
That's the jingle bell, それがジングルベル
That's the jingle bell, それがジングルベル
That's the jingle bell rock それがジングルベルロック



Jingle Bell Rock (with hiragana and katakana)


Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock        ジングルベル、ジングルベル、ジングルベルロック
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring ジングルベルはおどりまわる
Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun ゆきがふってたのしくなる
Now the jingle hop has begun いまジングルダンスがはじまった

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock        ジングルベル、ジングルベル、ジングルベルロック
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time             ジングルベルのかねがなるジングルベルのじかんに
Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square ダンスしてはねる
In the frosty air さむぞらのした

What a bright time, it's the right time なんてうつくしいじかん、ふわしいじかん
To rock the night away よるをたのしもう

Jingle bell time is a swell time ジングルベルじかんはいいじかん
To go gliding in a one-horse sleigh そりをひくうまにのろう
Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet はいはいジングルのうま、あしをうごかせ
Jingle around the clock いつもダンスのジングル

Mix and a-mingle in the jingling feet まざるひとびとジングルベルダンスで
That's the jingle bell, それがジングルベル
That's the jingle bell, それがジングルベル
That's the jingle bell rock それがジングルベルロック


















Jingle Bell Rock (with romaji)


Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock            jinguru beru, jinguru beru, jinguru beru rouku
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring jinguru beru wa o dori mawaru
Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun yuki ga futteta no shiku naru
Now the jingle hop has begun ima jinguru beru dannsu ga wa jimatta

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock              jinguru beru, jinguru beru, jinguru beru rouku
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time                 Jinguru beru no kane ga naru jinguru beru no jikann ni
Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square dannsu shite wa neru
In the frosty air samu zora no shita

What a bright time, it's the right time nann te utsukushiiji kann, fuwashii jikann
To rock the night away yoru wo tanoshimou

Jingle bell time is a swell time jinnguru beru jikann wa ii jikann
To go gliding in a one-horse sleigh sori wo hiku umani norou
Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet hai hai jinnguru beru no um, ashi wo ugokase
Jingle around the clock itsumo dannsu no jinnguru

Mix and a-mingle in the jingling feet mazari hito bito jinnguru beru dannsu de
That's the jingle bell, sore ga jinnguru beru
That's the jingle bell, sore ga jinnguru beru
That's the jingle bell rock sore ga jinnguru beru rouku






Friday, September 8, 2017

Storm Clouds Gathering


Gibson Michaels or "Mike" quickly became my friend when at Dawn Ireland's Critique Group in Houston he told me bluntly, "I liked your first chapter. Then the book got boring with all the sitting and chattering. Needs more action." Mike had also taught me the word, "Cunnillingus," but that's a blog for another day.


                                                

His honesty was what hooked me. Mike didn't just say a punchline and the end. He was willing to meet for coffee, talk about ways to improve, and asked for feedback on his work. 

It's strange when you share the same passion with someone, then they die, and you realize you didn't know much about them. No idea how old he was. He claimed to have "Moses on speed-dial." 

"It's surprising someone your age can use speed-dial," was my response. To be fair, someone younger might wonder what speed-dial was.

What I knew was Mike loved history, kept pocket-sized books in his back pocket, and had a reasonable addiction to coffee. Along his Facebook wall you can find memes like this one:


The guy was a troublemaker in the Navy, a father, and was good to his partner, Brenda. 

Yet, I couldn't tell you his favorite song or middle name or if he had ever watched sunrise atop a mountain while holding a loving hand. 

What I know is almost every writer meetup I went to there was Mike taking notes. He gave advice and listened to feedback even when he thought the person talking had a few screws loose . . . especially them.

Mike was working on his first novel of a trilogy, "Storm Clouds Gathering A Military Space Opera," when we met. Kind how he'd always pretend my joke "no one sang in it" was funny. 

                                                        

One of Mike's sons made his book covers and designed his videos on YouTube. Always helpful, Mike had asked the same son to make the logo for my Facebook writer page. 

Thanks to amazon.com, Mike was able to fulfill his dream of being a published novelist. He worked his tail off to push for readers. I probably read every single review on his books to see how many people enjoyed the results of his dedication. 

We didn't have many conversations after I moved to Japan. I managed to let him know a character, last name "Gibson" was named after him in a short story published in an anthology of mine. 

Mike had made it big and got busy with awards and being nominated in The Inaugural Dragon Awards Best Military Science Fiction category for "Wrath of an Angry God" last year. 


Despite his many successes as a novelist, my favorite piece of his is "Tinkling Light" with DM du Jour, because it's short enough to read through in one sitting. 

Will forever miss my friend, Mike.

Guess I should pop on my cowboy hat, snag a paperback book off the shelf, and have a cup of coffee in his honor.




Remember to remember . . .

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Favorite Word

Image result for ヘトヘト (credit)

ヘトヘト
phonetically pronounced: ”heh toe heh toe” (spelled heto heto), quickly became my favorite word in Japanese. 

It's slang for "I'm tired." 

This means not just "tired" but destroyed.


Image result for destroyed after work

ヘトヘト piqued my interest initially because I enjoy onomatopoeia. 


Japan loves their rhyme sounds, too. 


Example: もしもし
Sounds like "moo she moo she," spelled moshi moshi.


Image result for mo shi mo shi (credit)

One time I made the mistake of not responding with もしもしon the phone. 


Caller: もしもし。             (Greeting on the phone.)
Me:      こんにちは            (konichiwa: Good afternoon / hello.)
Caller: もしもし                 (Louder this time to hint repeat me.)
Me:      はい?                    (Hi: Yes? Because I'll say what I want.) 
Caller: もしもし!!            (Say it because this is JAPAN!!)
Me:      なに?!                (Nani: What, dude?)
Caller: もしもし! !  😈        (I can do this all day, Foreigner!)
Me: ちくしょーもしもし。(Kusoo: Dang it! Greeting on the phone.)

Then the conversation started. 

So as you can see Japan is really into their rules and onomatopoeia usage.

Intrigued with how many different ways I could say "I'm tired," I searched by asking my friends and family. Some of these are slang, and some are direct.



American Sign Language: 
Video Here


Australia:                    
Buggered 
A blue field with the Union Flag in the upper hoist quarter, a large white seven-pointed star in the lower hoist quarter, and constellation of five white stars in the fly – one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars.

Brazil (Portuguese):   
Morto na farofa
Flag of Brazil

Canada:                      
Bagged
Vertical triband (red, white, red) with a red maple leaf in the centre

Costa Rica:                
Cansado
Flag of Costa Rica

Colombia:              
  Estoy molido     
Estoy mamado 
Estoy que caigo como un bulto de papa
Flag of Colombia


China:                        
我叹了 and 我三家爱了
(wo tan le / wo san j'ai le)
Flag of the People's Republic of China


Ecuador:                    
Estoy agotado
Flag of Ecuador

France:                      
Fatigué
Flag of France

Germany:                  
Ich bin müde
Flag of Germany

Indonesia:                
Capek banget
and borrowed from Arabic
lelah hayati
Flag of Indonesia

Ireland:                 
Wrecked or bolloxed 
Flag of Ireland

Israel:                     
Gamur
Centered blue star within a horizontal triband

Italy:                         
Stanco morto
Sono stanco
Flag of Italy

Japan:                          
ヘトヘト
Centered deep red circle on a white rectangle [1]

Mexico:                  
Muy cansado 
File:Mexican States Standard.svg

New Zealand:         
Knackered or buggered
Blue field with the Union Flag in the top right corner, and four red stars with white borders to the right.

Québec:                   
J'suis fatigué
Flag of Quebec

Peru:                         
Estoy agotado
Flag of Peru

Philippines:            
Pagod
Flag of the Philippines

Russia:                    
                        подзаибался на работе                      (podzaibalsya na rabote: it's a bit dirty and involves profanity. Use your imagination.)
Flag of Russia

Scotland:               
Knackered
Flag of Scotland

Spain:                     
Estoy sobado / me voy a mimir 
Flag of Spain

South Africa:          
   Ek is moeg 
Flag of South Africa

Thailand:
เหนื่อย (nuei)
Flag of Thailand

Tunisia (Arabic)   
Taaban
Flag of Tunisia

United States:      

Drained (many others)

Flag of the United States

United Kingdom  
Knackered 
A flag featuring both cross and saltire in red, white and blue

Vietnam:               
Bèo nhèo
Flag of Vietnam
Wales:
Knackered
Flag of Wales

And finally, my favorite language . . .

Yiddish:                     
Oysgehorevet  
Image result for yiddish flag

Here's a list of countries where English is the primary language. I don't know slang for "I'm tired" in the unhighlighted countries. Do you?

Anguilla
Ireland, NorthernSingapore
Antigua and BarbudaIreland, Republic ofSolomon Islands
AustraliaJamaicaSouth Africa
BahamasKenyaSwaziland
BarbadosLesothoTanzania
BelizeLiberiaTonga
BermudaMalawiTrinidad and Tobago
BotswanaMaltaTurks and Caicos Islands
British Virgin IslandsMauritiusUganda
CameroonMontserratUnited Kingdom
Canada (except Quebec)NamibiaVanuatu
Cayman IslandsNew ZealandWales
DominicaNigeriaZambia
EnglandPapua New GuineaZimbabwe
FijiSt. Kitts and Nevis
GambiaSt. Lucia
GhanaSt. Vincent and the Grenadines
GibraltarScotland
GrenadaSeychelles
GuyanaSierra Leone


I'm rather spent, beat, and a bit worn out (different ways to say "tired" in America) after compiling this list of ways to say 
ヘトヘト

Thanks for your help: 
Ana, Beryl, Brian, Cody, Darlene, David, Dee, Flo, Gadi, Ga Bri Elle, Han, JP, Keiko, Señorita Maria, Mark, Martin, Max, Megan, Mou, Na Na, Raíssaランギ マコール, Robert B, Rio, Sharon, Stephen, Syarif, and YF. 

Flags are from Wikipedia.

What's your favorite word or phrase and how many different ways can you say it in?

If you enjoyed the read, please check out my other media outlets below:


Remember to remember . . .

Friday, May 12, 2017

How to Write an Author Biography

(Image from flickr)

Author biographies aren’t standardized and you don't have to feel like you're being attacked. They can be fun to write.

This is to aid you. Take from the information what you will.
Within the last few years, I’ve submitted my writing to roughly 1000 magazines, journals, and reviews. On average, short story and poetry journals ask for a brief bio.
This doesn’t mean 100 words or less. Sure, keep it under 100 words unless otherwise noted. I’ve seen guidelines requesting one-sentence bios. My anthology guidelines ask for 42-word bios. It’s very important to read the publisher’s submission guidelines carefully. It gets tiresome, but take my word it’s worth the extra mile because an editor will notice you took the time and cared about their rules.
Creating a bio isn’t difficult if you think of it like a sandwich with layers:
In third person:
· Your name and educational background
· Five or less of your most relevant publications if any
· Where you live and what you do
· Your website or writer page if any
Beforehand in your email, write something personal and include the word count. It’ll act as your cover letter, which you should keep as short and equally friendly and professional as possible:
Dear editor,
My 750-word horror flash, “Killed to Death,” is attached. I love your magazine and recently got a kick out of your publication of Mary Ann Cotton’s “Poisoned 20 Victims.” Thanks for your consideration and dedication to the written word. Bio below as per your guidelines:
Now write your bio in third person (unless it’s your personal one you’ve written somewhere ex: a Facebook group or your website).
First time publication? Make a huge deal about it as your bio.
EX:
Along with a medical degree from Oxford Jack the Ripper has a decade of experience overseeing real life test subjects. This, however, is his first short story about the most sterile way to remove a human heart from a living subject. Prof. Ripper lives in London with his two cats.
Not new to publication bio:
Jack the Ripper has a medical degree from Oxford. He has publications with Hack Lit, Slash Mag, Carved Review, and in Scalpel Journal’s tenth Anthology to name a few. His piece, “The Prostitute That Almost Got Away,” won the Horror of Excellence Award with Bludgeoned to Death Publications and was featured in their first anthology. Professor Ripper lives somewhere in Europe where he kills prostitutes, that is he writesfictional stories about a serial killer. Website: www.scalpelofripper.com
And that’s a bio in under 80 words.
In one sentence:
Jack the Ripper went to Oxford and has publications here and there—check out his website: www.scalpelofripper.com
Now a 6-word bio with the same information: Jack the Ripper’s stories here: www.scalpelofripper.com

Good luck on your journey to publication and~

Remember to remember . . .