My name is Becki and I am going to be working with you starting today. I'm very excited about working together to improve your English.

First, let me introduce myself a little bit. I am an American living in Japan and my number one passion is languages and language learning. My native language is English but I also speak Japanese and I'm currently studying French, Spanish and Korean. I have been teaching English for nearly 25 years, and there is nothing else I would rather do.

Outside of languages I really love books and reading and my favorite genres are fantasy, science fiction and mystery. I especially like Golden Age detective fiction and locked room mysteries. I am also a mom, and I have two kids a boy and a girl aged 14 and 12!

Now I'd love to hear about you. Tell me a little bit about yourself, your passions and your interests!

How are you sleeping in hot weather? So I have trouble sleeping during summer because of the heat and humidity. They are the bane of my existence. When it's not too hot, I just have a fan on, but when it's really humid and hot, I need to turn on the dehumidifier and the air conditioner on. And I usually have them set up, so that they turn off automatically after a few hours to save some electricity, but as soon as the room gets hot again, I just wake up in the middle of the night. And keeping the AC all night isn't good for me either because it makes my sinuses too dry and I get the sore throat in the morning. So I have trouble sleeping in the summer. Anyway, so how are you dealing with the heat and humidity at night these days?

As for me, I’m a terrible cook. I’ve tried making different dishes before, but they never come out the way I imagine. I even bought some cookbooks, but I’ve given up. If I’m eating alone, I just boil some chicken breasts and vegetables. I can make scrambled eggs, but I don’t know if you can call that a dish. I will not cook for others. If I ever need to provide a meal for guests, I would either order delivery or take them to a restaurant.

What about you? Are you a good cook?

Good morning! Summer is almost over and fall is nearly here. What are you looking forward to doing this autumn?

Every year in September my kids and I pick up chestnuts. It's a fun seasonal activity and the kids love finding the spiky chestnuts and using long tongs to put them in a bucket and bring them home so we can have chestnut rice.

Tell me about some thing you look forward to doing in the autumn!

Question of the day, which household appliance can you not live without?

Aside from the obvious answers like my refrigerator and stove, I'd have to choose my coffee machine. It's an espresso machine that allows me to make espresso coffee in a few seconds from a capsule. I'm addicted to coffee and this way I can drink it fresh at home.

Question of the day, who is your favorite athlete and why?

I'm not much of an athletic person, but there are some sports that I enjoy watching on TV. As a child growing up in Canada, I used to love watching hockey, and I idolized certain hockey players like Doug Gilmore and Wayne Gretzky. I was, and still am, also a big fan of curling.

These days, though, I'm less into winter sports and more into martial arts. I like to watch boxing, and one of my favorite pro boxers is Manny Pacquiao. Although he recently retired from the sport to pursue a political career back home in the Philippines, I love watching replays of his fights and marveling at his speed and agility.

We are getting to the end of the year. Tell me about your highlights of this year!

Tell me about the best things you have watched, listened to, or read this year. I have a student who makes a list of the best things that happened to her at the end of each year, which I think is a nice way to reflect on the year. For example, it could be a book, a song, a movie, a new restaurant you visited, or a YouTube video liked. It could be about something that happened to you, something you bought, or someone you met that made you happy or had a profound positive impact. Tell me about your best experiences of this year!

How often do you go to Costco?

I go to Costco about once every other month. I usually get some meat, vegetables, and dairy products there. I try to avoid the aisle with snacks because they are so tempting, and if you’re not careful, it’s easy to end up spending a lot of money there. So I try to stick to only the necessary groceries and avoid buying what’s not essential.

What about you? How often do you go to Costco?

Today's question is going to be easy. What did you have for lunch or dinner today?

Tell me about a food that you are craving. I’m currently on a diet, so that means I’m always hungry. I’m not eating as much as I used to, and I’m craving mint chocolate chip ice cream from Baskin Robbins. Ice cream is my vice; it’s something that tempts me. But I have not had ice cream for more than two months. So I’m sticking to my diet, and as a result, I’m losing weight every day, so it’s going well. Anyway, what about you? What food are you craving?

Hi there, how are things? Today's question of the day is this. Tell me about what's on your mind these days? What news story or event in your country or abroad has grabbed your interest recently?

Have you ever heard of the term "bucket list"?

It means a list of things that you absolutely want to try before you die. What thing or things are on your bucket list?

For me I would really really love to go to France and travel in cheese country, trying different kinds of cheeses. That would be a dream come true!

What about you? What is something on your bucket list?

What do you do to express yourself creatively? Tell us about something creative that you do for fun.

Well, I don't have much of an ear for music, nor can I carry a tune whenever I sing. And honestly, whenever I dance, I have no sense of rhythm. My dance teacher used to tell me that it looked like I had two left feet whenever I tried to dance. But still, I consider music in all of its forms to be one of my creative hobbies.

Now, as I said, I'm not really good at anything musical, but I still enjoy the process. When I was an elementary school student, I used to sing in a school choir. But the problem was I didn't actually sing. I just mouthed the words pretending to sing so that I could spend time with my friends who were good at singing.

And I remember that my parents had me take years of piano and violin lessons. I think that they were secretly hoping that I could have been some kind of child prodigy, but to their disappointment, I didn't amount to anything musically speaking. I got into jazz a little bit in high school, so I learned how to play the flute and alto saxophone.

But "learned" here is a strong word. I could technically hold on to the instruments and make sounds with them. And I could read music, but I wasn't actually making anything that people wanted to listen to. The quality of my music wasn't really up to par. And thinking back on it, I must have annoyed my parents whenever I practiced those loud instruments alone in the basement.

But it was something that was special to me. So I enjoyed the process and to this day, I still enjoy listening to jazz or singing along to songs on the radio with my friends for fun. I have an alto saxophone that I sometimes play from time to time, much to the dismay of my neighbors.

Do you think aliens are real? Some people believe that aliens are real. There are people who say that they met aliens. There are also people who claim that they were abducted by aliens. Some people say that aliens were the gods that created human beings. Some people say that aliens exist but they don’t care about us. What do you think? Are aliens real?

Yesterday we talked about the idea of a bucket list.

Today I'd like to ask you about your anti-bucket list. What is something that you tried and it turned out to be so awful that you never wanted to do it again? For me it might be sea urchin. I know a lot of people really like them and they are considered a delicacy but I tried one once and it was not for me. To this day I think it's the worst tasting thing I've ever eaten.

So, tell me about your anti-bucket list.

Question of the day. In the spirit of Mother's Day here in Canada, here is your question of the day. Tell me about one of your favorite or funniest moments with your mother.

While I have too many good memories to count, some of my fondest memories are from my childhood. My mother loved to play with us as kids and once I remember she allowed my sister and I, along with some of our girlfriends who were visiting our house, to give my mom a makeover. We were all young, all probably under the age of eight and my mom was such a good sport, letting a bunch of children draw all over her face with makeup products and design her hair the way that we wanted. We have pictures that we took on that day and we still laugh about it. Mothers are such a joy.

Question of the day. What are your thoughts on new AI technologies like chat GPT-3? T

his is a bit of a tech question, but I wanted to see what people are saying about chat GPT-3 because over here in Canada it is all over the news. From what I understand, chat GPT-3 is an AI that uses statistics, reinforcement learning, and supervised learning to categorize words and sentences and put tons of information together to answer questions, write articles, summarize information, and more. And it has lots of other capabilities. It can answer historic questions, it can write code, and it can write news articles, information summaries, and more.

So what are your thoughts on this new technology?

Today's question is a bit of a callback to a question from March about ChatGPT.

It's become much more popular over the last few months and I know many people use it for many different things. Do you have any personal experience with using ChatGPT, and if so, what did you use it for and how did you feel about the results?

One thing I like to use it for is suggesting new recipes. I tell it what ingredients I have at my house, and then I ask it to plan a menu.
It often comes up with interesting ideas that I never would've thought of myself.

How about you, what has been your experience with ChatGPT?

Question of the day. How's your week going? Tell me about something interesting or exciting from your week so far.

This is a kind of standard week for me, but I did do something out of the ordinary today. I got a fake tan. I bought a cream that darkens my skin in just 6 hours and I applied that earlier in the day. I will tell you that this product seriously works. I do not know how it can change my skin color so quickly and I do not want to think about how bad and full of chemicals it is. I just want to sit back, relax and enjoy my new and very artificial tan.

What have you done this week that's fun to hear about?

Question of the day, what is something about you that surprises other people?

For example, in my case, when I tell people that I really enjoy watching gangster films, I sometimes get met with strange looks. I guess my appearance as a tiny, non-aggressive-looking woman does not suggest that I am the kind of person who enjoys watching gangster movies. But seriously, I just love them. So that's a piece of information about me that might be a bit surprising to others.

What about you? What is it about you that tends to surprise other people?

Today's Question of the Day is about friends and friendship. There are many qualities that people consider important in a friend such as loyalty, empathy, honesty, reliability, sense of humor, shared values and many more.

What about you? What do you consider the most important quality that a friend needs to have?

For me, I think it is shared values. It's much easier and more comfortable to be friends with someone if you know that you both share the same core values about important subjects.

I'm look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Last time, we talked about what qualities you think are important in a friend. Today, I'd like to talk about what qualities are important in a boss or supervisor.

Some qualities that people often say are important are leadership skills, being an effective communicator, fairness, being approachable, having respect for work life balance, transparency or adaptability.

What do you think? What qualities do you think are most desirable in a supervisor and why?

This is going to be the final question in this series about personal qualities, and today I'd like to ask you what you think is your best quality and what is one personal quality that you would like to develop or improve?

For me I think my best quality is my curiosity. I always want to learn and find out and know more about the world and I think that's a good thing. I would like to improve my organizational skills, because I am a very cluttered and disorganized person and I'm always searching for something that I've la lost.

How about you? Tell me one quality you love about yourself and one thing you would like to improve.

Some people joke that after a long holiday, they need a vacation from the vacation. So, do you experience "vacation fatigue" or are you the type of person who can recover quickly from a long trip or vacation? So once again, this is the question of the day -- Do you experience any fatigue from a long break?

Good morning! We'll start off with a simple question to ease into this week. So how was your weekend?

I'll tell you a little bit about my weekend. So, the weather was really great on Friday evening. So, I went out cycling for three hours, alongside the canal in my local area, and I almost never get any cramps after exercising but on that day, I felt acute pain in my quads. And so I was reminded that I've gotten older. But thankfully, the cramps went away the next day.

So how about you? How did you spend your weekend?

So, the other day, I was watching a documentary about alien abduction. Some people claim that they were once abducted by aliens. Do you believe their stories? If not, what do you think actually happened?

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

I think that I have always been an introvert, meaning that I enjoy spending time alone, or just with one or two other people. Being an introvert doesn't necessarily mean that you're a shy person. it just means that unlike extroverts who gain energy from social interaction, introverts spend their energy in social situations, and then they have to recover that energy alone by themselves later.

These days, a lot of people that I know are discussing the MBTI test, also known as the Myers-Briggs type indicator. If you haven't heard of it, it's this in-depth questionnaire that can suggest whether or not you might be an introvert or an extrovert, and it can tell you other things about your personality too, like your decision-making style. I took this test a while ago back in Canada, but I really want to retake this test now to see if my results have stayed the same.

Whether or not you believe in the MBTI, it's still an interesting conversation topic with others. What's your type?

I came across a YouTube video where a psychologist/dating coach was responding to the meme circulating on the internet that, "nice guys finish last," which is a popular notion suggesting that if a guy is too nice, he will not be successful with women. So, this psychologist argues that in fact, being nice is great as long as the guy is also masculine. It's when a guy is nice, but lacks any display of masculinity, that turns women off. So, what do you think? Do you agree with this psychologist? Do nice guys finish last?

Hello! Could you give me some advice today?

I've made a goal of losing 3 kilograms in approximately the next 30 days. Does my goal seem realistic to you? And do you have any weight loss strategies to share?

Good morning and here is your Question of the Day! Do you suffer from seasonal allergies?

This question comes with a little bit of an apology/explanation. I suffer terribly from seasonal pollen allergies throughout March and April and you may notice that my voice is quite a bit different than usual, because my nose is very stuffed up from all of the cedar pollen that is floating around in the air at this time of year. I am constantly sneezing and blowing my nose and scratching my itchy eyes.

How about you? Are you affected by seasonal allergies? If so do you have any advice? I have yet to find a medicine that doesn't make me too sleepy to work.

Good Morning! I hope you had a nice holiday weekend. And here is your Question of the Day!

What is the best advice you've ever been given on a topic? It could be something big like life advice, or something small like a better way to clean something.

Here is mine: About 10 years ago a student of mine gave me the perfect advice to stop the hiccups. You have to drink from the opposite side of the cup. Put your mouth on the side of the cup that is farther away from you, bend your head over and pour the water into your mouth. If you drink that way your hiccups will be cured in no time.

Now, I would love to hear your best advice!

Here is your Question of the Day. In this season there are a lot of birthdays in my family. My husband’s birthday is in April, my birthday is this week and my son’s birthday is in June. So I’ve been thinking a lot about birthdays and birthday presents.

What is the best birthday present that you have ever gotten?

For me it was definitely the Nintendo game system that I got for my birthday when I was in elementary school. That started a lifelong love of video games for me. How about you?

Today's Question of the Day: Who was your best friend in high school or college? Why did you like them? What did you do together and are you still in touch now?

My best friend in college was a guy called Trés. We were in Japanese class together and went on our study abroad together and we worked together on the school festival committee. We came from pretty different backgrounds but we had very similar personalities and we hit it off right away. I haven't seen him in person in many years, because he lives in America but we are still in touch on Facebook.

I'd love to hear about your best friend!

Here's your Question of the Day. Let's talk about bicycles. Do you enjoy cycling as a hobby or use a bicycle to get around?

Bicycles are an extremely popular form of transportation here in Japan and many people use electric-assist bicycles, myself included. I never actually got a drivers license, so my main form of transportation is my electric-assist bicycle. It's quite convenient to ride and it has big baskets in the front and back for shopping. I ride it almost every day wherever I go.

How about you? Do you use a bicycle either for leisure or for transportation? How about when you were a kid, lol who taught you to ride a bicycle? Tell me about it!

Here is today's Question of the Day.

What is your breakfast routine? Do you like to start your day with a full breakfast or do you just grab a cup of coffee and go? For me, I definitely need my morning caffeine so I have either a cup of coffee or a cup of cocoa. But I don't always eat breakfast and even when I do it's usually just a piece of toast.

How about you? Tell me about your breakfast routine.

What was your dream job as a kid? Did you end up going into that profession or choose something completely different?

I had a lot of different dream jobs as a kid. When I was really small I wanted to be a marine biologist and study sea creatures. After that I wanted to be an actress, and then a writer. I actually ended up being an English teacher and a part-time translator.

How about you? Do your childhood dreams line up with what you do now?

What is something you were really into as a kid?

Right now it seems like a lot of kids are really into TikTok dances and that includes my kids. They love watching the dance videos and singing and dancing along.

When I was a kid I loved Construx, which was a construction toy, kind of like Legos. I had so many of them and I used to build giant elaborate houses and farms and robots with them. They were so much fun.

How about you? What is something you really loved to do as a kid?

Hello again! I hope you had a nice and relaxing Christmas weekend. Today's Question of the Day is: How did you spend your Christmas Day and who did you spend it with? Did you do anything special? Did you eat anything special? Did you give or get a special gift?

At our house we had a quiet Christmas this year. We all opened our stockings. I got some very cute socks with cats on them! Then the kids got their presents. My son wanted the new Pokémon game and my daughter, who is a fashionista, wanted lots of clothes. Finally in the evening we had Christmas dinner. It's a little bit unusual, but our family tradition is to eat curry and naan on Christmas Day.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your Christmas Day!

Question of the day: Do you have a collection?

I know it sounds like a kind of a silly childish hobby but recently I've been building a collection of Amiibo cards, which are special cards that you can use for the popular game, "Animal Crossing." I already have quite a lot, so it's fun going to secondhand shops and trying to find the ones I don't have yet.

What about you? Do you have anything that you like to collect?

Good afternoon and here is your Question of the Day! What is your favorite color and why? What color do you instinctively gravitate towards ? What color makes you feel happy when you see it?

For me, it's definitely the secondary colors of purple, orange and green. it I don't know why but I really love them and I think they look good in combination with each other. Purple and green is probably my favorite color combination.

How about you, what color or colors do you like?

Here's your Question of the Day: What is your comfort food?

Comfort food means of food that brings you comfort. It makes you feel happy or nostalgic it brings back happy memories of your childhood and makes you feel good.

For me, I think it's macaroni and cheese. It's a nothing fancy, just a very simple dish but it reminds me of the good times when I was a kid and it's like a little taste of home. How about you?

Do you prefer to cook, eat out, or order delivery?

There are lots of ways to prepare meals these days, whether we do it ourselves or have someone do it for us. Personally, before the pandemic I loved to go out to eat and I really enjoyed finding new restaurants to try. However, these days I usually cook at home or get delivery.

How about you?

Today's question of the Day is a repeat of one we had last year, but I think you probably have a new answer by now.

What is something new or interesting that you have learned recently?

Recently I learned the surprising etymology of the word, "helicopter." I thought it was made up of "heli" and "copter," but it's actually "helico" and "pter." "Helico" means helix or spiral, like the double helix of DNA, and "pter" means wing, like in the dinosaurs, pterodactyl or pteranodon. I thought that was very interesting.

Tell me something cool and interesting that you learned recently.

Today's Question of the Day is a classic icebreaker. What would you bring with you to a deserted island if you could only bring one thing? Food? A tool of some kind? Something to kill the time?

To be honest I don't know a heck of lot about survival or living off the land, so I think I would bring a survival guidebook that could teach me tips and tricks for surviving on my own.

How about you? What would you bring?

Good morning I have a little bit lighter question for you today: what is your favorite dessert?

Yesterday I visited a New York food festival that was being held at a big department store in Osaka. I had some carrot cake and a real American cupcake with buttercream frosting. They were both delicious and I bought some extra cupcakes to bring home for my husband and my kids, but they all said they were too sweet. Oh well. I think my actual favorite of all time though is bumbleberry pie with vanilla ice cream. The tartness of the berries and the sweetness of the ice cream is the perfect match.

How about you? Tell me about your favorite dessert.

Good morning and here is your Question of the Day! Tell me about your dream house.

If money were no object and you could have any kind of house anywhere in the world that you wanted, what kind of house would you have and why?

I would love to have a house with a big garden, a huge library and an indoor pool so I could swim in any kind of weather. I'd also definitely hire someone to clean up because I hate cleaning, especially doing the dishes.

That would be my dream house, how about you?

Today's Question of the Day is about dreams.

They say everyone dreams between three and five dreams a night, but many people forget them before they wake up. How about you? Do you tend to remember your dreams or forget them? Have you ever had a dream in English?

I think I tend to remember my dreams a little more often than the average person and I usually dream in English, but occasionally, I dream in Japanese as well and very rarely in French.

What about you?

Are you an early bird or a night owl? Do you prefer to get up and go early in the morning or stay up late?

For myself, I’m definitely a night owl. I hate to get up early in the morning and I have to set two or three alarms or I can’t wake up at all. On the other hand I can easily stay up quite late at night and I enjoy being awake late and listening to the noises of the night.

What about you? Would you say you are “an early bird” or “a night owl”? And do you think that is?

Hello and here is today's Question of the Day. Have you ever met anyone famous?

It could be anyone: a famous actor, musician, politician, professional athlete, author, or anyone famous and recognizable. If so, how was it meeting them? And if not, who would you like to meet?

I used to be very interested in sumo wrestling, and I went to matches all the time. I was a huge fan and I knew all of the wrestlers.

About two weeks ago, when I was taking my kids to an amusement park, who should we see at the restaurant where we were eating lunch, but Musashimaru, a famous retired sumo wrestler!

I was so excited, and after we finished eating I went up and talked to him, and told him I was a fan, and he was very nice and friendly. So it was a very great experience.

How about you? Have you ever met someone famous?

Here is today's question. Do you have a favorite animal? If so what is it and why?

My favorite animal is definitely frogs. I love frogs. they're so small and cute and green and they make such a cute sound. I just love them.

Tell me about your favorite animal.

Today's question is about technology. Have you discovered any cool new apps recently? Do you have any old favorites that you would like to recommend? Please tell me about them.

Recently I've been hearing a lot of hype from a lot of my friends about the new Pokémon Sleep app, so I've decided to try it. Apparently it tracks your sleep and you can catch cute Pokémon while you are asleep. So I'm going to give it a try.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your favorite apps.

Good morning and here's your question of the day! What is your favorite piece of clothing that you own and why? Is it beautiful, stylish, classic or just comfortable? Let me know.

My favorite piece of clothing is probably a maxi tank dress that I bought a few years ago. It has a bold geometric pattern and it's cool enough for summer, but it can be layered with other things to wear in the spring and fall as well.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your favorite piece of clothing!

Good morning and here is the Question of the Day. Which is your favorite month and why?

My favorite month is May. The first reason is because it's my birthday and it's also Mother's Day, so I get to have two fun celebrations in one month. The other reason is the weather, it's not cold, it's not hot, it's just right and it's perfect for going out to the park or taking a walk or just doing anything outside.

What about you? Which is your favorite month and why?

What is your favorite type of weather and what do you like to do in it?

I may be a little strange but I actually love rainy days. On a rainy day I like to sit inside with a nice cup of coffee or hot chocolate and a nice book and read my book and drink my drink while I listen to the sound of the rain outside. Do you like rainy days too or do you prefer sunshine?

What do you like to do in your favorite kind of weather?

Here's your Question of the Day: Tell me about something you tried for the first time recently.

I have never been a very crafty person, but when my daughter entered kindergarten, I had to make a lot of her school supplies by hand. I had never tried sewing before but I went out and bought a small sewing machine, and I learned how to sew, and I found it was actually very satisfying and very fun, and I gained a new hobby.

So now, I’d like to hear about something that you tried for the first time.

Today's Question of the Day is about flu shots. Do you make sure to get your flu shot every winter?

I certainly wish I had gotten my flu shot this winter because I came down with influenza last week and unfortunately passed it on to my son who is now out from school. Luckily it wasn't a bad flu and the new medicine they have works very quickly but still. I hope you had a better weekend than I did, feel free to tell me about what you did on the weekend as well!

Good morning and here is your question of the Day! Do you wear glasses? If so are you nearsighted, farsighted or do you have an astigmatism? Have you ever worn contacts? Or are you one of those lucky people who has perfect 20/20 vision? Have you ever worn glasses as a fashion statement?

I've noticed recently my glasses were not strong enough anymore and I went to the optometrist the other day to get a new pair. My right eye is great but my left eye has an astigmatism and it's difficult to see things both near and far so I needed a new prescription. I've thought about getting contacts, but I don't think I could handle putting something on my eye.

How about you? Do you wear glasses or contacts? Let me know!

These days, the news can be quite depressing, and we need to find little things to keep our spirits up, so I'd like to hear about a piece of good news you have heard recently.

For me, I just found out that a new favorite author of mine has just released the fourth book in the series I've been waiting for and I'm very excited to read it so that's some good news that I l've heard recently.

Tell me about some good news that you have heard recently. I'm looking forward to hearing your answer.

Today is Halloween so let's talk about Halloween traditions. One Halloween tradition in the US is watching scary movies. What movie or show really scared you as a kid? It doesn't necessarily have to be a horror movie but just some thing that you found scary or creepy.

For me, it has to be "Watership Down." A substitute teacher showed it to us in third grade, because it was "a movie about bunnies" but there were a lot of really scary scenes, especially those with "General Woundwort" and I think it ended up traumatizing about half the class.

Tell me about what movie really scared you stiff when you were a kid.

For today's question of the day, let's talk about hats! Do you like to wear hats, either in the summer or the winter or any other time of year? What kind of hat do you like to wear?

I am a big fan of hats, especially in the winter. I like to wear the Russian style hats with the ear flaps that keep your ears nice and warm. I also like to wear big floppy sun hats in the summer to keep the sun off my face--the more colorful and flamboyant the design, the better. I have a collection of quite a few hats. How about you?

Hello, good morning and happy Monday! I have a new Question of the Day for you today. What is the most interesting historical site you have ever visited?

Yesterday some friends from America visited me here in Japan, and we did some sightseeing. We visited the Sky Building in Umeda, a famous shrine and finally Osaka castle. I will attach a picture so you can see what I'm talking about, but one of my favorite parts of Osaka castle is the stonework.

All of the stones are perfectly fitted together without using any mortar and it's really a miracle of engineering, I always spend a lot of time looking at the stonework any time I visit Osaka castle.

I'd love to hear about your favorite historical spot!

What was your favorite holiday as a child? What sort of special things did you do on that day?

My very favorite holiday as a child was Christmas, mostly because of the amazing decorated cookies I used to make with my mother. We used to roll out cookie dough and cut it into different shapes of animals and Christmas objects and then we would decorate each individual cookie with colored frostings and gel and sprinkles and the whole process was just so much fun and the cookies were so beautiful--almost too beautiful to eat.

Please tell me about a holiday tradition that you enjoyed when you were a kid. What was it and why was it so special to you?

Today's Question of the Day is about homework.

I recently read an article about the president of Ireland calling on schools to ban homework for young students. He says that banning homework would allow students more time to pursue creative activities outside of their school hours, and I have to say I agree with him. As a child I found that homework was often just busy work and didn't involve any real thought and didn't advance my knowledge of my school subjects, and as a teacher I try to only give my own students homework that is relevant to their own development of their language skills.

I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts on the issue.

Do you consider yourself an indoor person or an outdoor person or a little of both?

I consider myself to be 100% an inside person. I can stay in the house all day no problem. I love reading and playing games and chatting with my friends online and studying, and all of those things I can do in the comfort of my own home. The one outdoor thing I like to do is cycling. I do feel better if I get a little cycling in every day.

What about you? Inside? Outside? Or a little bit of both?

Hello! Long time, no see... or I guess I should say long time, no hear! This is Becki and I hope you have been doing well. Today's question of the day is to tell me one interesting thing that happened to you or that you did last month.

For me I was recently chosen to be the MC of our local international festival. We had an international food, culture and entertainment festival in my small town and we had some traditional music from Korea, some dancers from the Philippines, and a light performance from America. It was a lot of fun and I got to have a chance to meet people from all over the world.

I'm looking forward to hearing something interesting that you did!

Today's question is about Internet scams.

Recently an older woman friend of mine almost fell victim to an Instagram romance scammer. Luckily she mentioned it to me before she ended up getting in too deep, but I think it's very easy for older people to be taken in by these types of scams.

What do you know about Internet scams and do you know anyone who has fallen victim to one? Let me know!

Good morning and here is today‘s musical question of the day. Are you a good singer? Do you like to go to karaoke and sing with friends? What is your go-to song?

Until the pandemic hit I used to love to go to karaoke with my friends. I'm not a great singer, but I'm not bad either. My go-to song was always "Zoo" by the Japanese band, "Echoes." It was the theme song to a popular drama when I was in college, and it's fun and easy to sing.

How about you? What song do you like to sing? And feel free to drop the link in the comments so I can listen to it too!

Good morning! Your Question of the Day today is about cleaning up! Have you ever heard of the Konmari method?

Kondo Marie Is a Japanese cleaning expert who became famous all around the world for her intense clean up methods. She recommends only keeping items that "spark joy" and tossing everything else.

I've been trying to follow this method to get my house cleaned up. Have you ever tried this method or something similar? What is your experience with deep cleaning?

Today's question is about life hacks. Have you ever heard the term life hack before? It means a simple but clever trick to make your life easier.

They've become quite popular since the advent of social media and although a lot of them are not very useful there are some hidden gems. For example, after I saw this life hack I never made a sandwich any other way.

Tell me about a life hack you love!

Today's Question of the Day is: What is something you always lose and how do you keep yourself from losing it?

For me it's my cell phone. I'm always putting it down somewhere and then forgetting where I put it down and searching all over the house for it only to find it in a very strange place. I never lose my keys because I have a key rack to hang them on but since I don't have a cell phone rack my cell phone is always getting lost.

How about you?

Today's Question of the Day is about work. What are your most and least favorite things about your job?

For me, when teaching, my favorite thing is seeing students progress. Especially that "aha!" moment when something that they didn't understand finally clicks. That really makes it all worthwhile.

There isn't really anything I dislike about teaching, but for my translating work, computer error and software bugs are the bane of my life. I really wish these software companies would develop word processing, annotating, and spreadsheet programs that aren't so buggy and prone to error.

I'd love to hear what you have to say about the topic!

Today's question is about movies. How do you feel about the recent trend of movie remakes?

For myself, I'm getting a little tired of this trend. I understand the nostalgic value of reimagining beloved characters for the modern age, but it feels like a bit of a cop-out to use existing stories and characters rather than imagining new ones. It seems as though more than half of movies these days are remakes or sequels and there isn't as much original content as there used to be. But maybe I'm just turning into an old grump as I age.

How about you? What do you think?

Hello! Here is your Question of the Day. Did you learn to play a musical instrument as a kid? If so which instrument and did you enjoy it? If not, did you take any other lessons?

I was just reading an article about the Suzuki method and teaching young children to play musical instruments. Many of the kids in my children’s school are taking music lessons especially piano lessons, and I even know one or two children taking other lessons like guitar or drums. How about you? Did you take music lessons as a kid? What instrument did you play?

Today's question is about English. What is a new word or phrase that you have learned recently that really stuck with you and why?

Even as a native speaker of English, I still learn new words. A new word that I have learned recently is "pareidolia." It means the human tendency to find patterns in randomness such as seeing shapes in the clouds or seeing faces in every day objects.

Tell me about a new word or phrase that you have learned!

Here is your Question of the Day! Do you have a nickname? What is it? What does it mean? Who calls you by that nickname? Do you like it or no?

My legal name is Rebecca but I have gone by the nickname Becki since I was very young- that's what everyone calls me. I have another nickname just for my family. When my Niece and nephew were little they called me Bibi, so now my family all call me Bibi, but everyone else calls me Becki. To tell the truth I don't like being called Rebecca, it feels too formal.

How about you? Tell me about your nickname!

Here is today's Question of the Day! What is your idea of a perfect birthday celebration?

Yesterday was my 45th birthday and I celebrated with my family by getting dinner from my favorite Nepalese restaurant and having cake from my favorite cake shop. Also my husband did the dishes and the wash so I could relax. Nothing fancy, but it really made me happy.

How about you, what would be your ideal way to spend your birthday?

Yesterday I was organizing the house a little bit and going through some drawers and boxes and I found a small bottle of my old favorite perfume. I hadn't worn it in years but I put on a little spray just to try it and the smell was so nostalgic. That made me think of today's question.

Do you ever use perfume, cologne or scent? If so what is your favorite kind and why? Do you only wear it for special occasions or do you wear it every day?

For myself I enjoy light fruity scents that smell pleasant and refreshing without being too overwhelming. How about you?

Good morning! Here is your question of the day!

We have an interesting phrase in English: pet peeve. Have you heard this phrase before? It means something small that annoys you much more than it should.

For example, here in Japan during election season there are cars that drive around town saying the political slogans of their candidates very loudly. These cars are one of my huge pet peeves because they are so loud and sometimes they come around my neighborhood when I’m trying to work or listen to music and they really just annoy me so much!

How about you? Do you have a pet peeve? Let me know!

Today's Question of the Day is about texting versus phone calls. Which do you prefer?

Preferences about texting versus phone calls are often split by age, with younger people preferring text and the older generation seeming to prefer phone calls, but that isn't necessarily always the case.

Perhaps because I'm Gen X, I'm equally comfortable with both and don't have a clear preference.

How about you — do you prefer to communicate by phone call or by text and why?

What is the most interesting place in the town where you live?

I live in a small and rather unexciting town in the west of Japan and we don't have many things for tourists to do. But I recently had a friend visit from another country and had to think of some places to bring them. And one really fascinating place I found in my town was a glass art workshop. It is located up in the mountains of the town and they have a real furnace where you can try your hand at glassblowing, which is I think something that most people will never get to experience. So it's a great place to take visitors and it's a really enjoyable and memorable experience. I've done it twice so far and made a really lovely handmade glass cup.

So, please tell me about an interesting spot in the town where you live.

Today's Question of the Day is about podcasts. Do you like to listen to podcasts? If so, what is your favorite and what topics do they discuss? How did you find out about it and what do you like about it?

If not, what subject would tempt you to begin listening? I'm looking forward to hearing your answer!

Here is today's Question of the Day. Let's talk about procrastination. Many people have a tendency to put off things that they think will be difficult, expensive, annoying, or troublesome.

For example, I have had an old broken office chair in my classroom that I have been meaning to throw out for a few months, but I was always worried that it was going to be expensive and bothersome to get rid of.

However, I called our town's Clean Center yesterday and I found that they will come to the house and pick it up and take it away for only about three dollars. So, I felt very proud and happy for having finally stopped procrastinating and finished that task.

How about you? Tell me about a task you are procrastinating on or something that you stopped procrastinating on and finally got finished.

Here is your question of the day. Tell me something you are proud of. It could be a story you've written, a piece of art you've made, a certification you've gotten, a business you've started, a project you've worked on. Anything that makes you feel proud of yourself.

Good morning and here is your Question of the Day! Today is a cold and rainy day in Japan. It almost doesn't feel like spring is here anymore. I think I'm going to spend the day inside with a nice book, a blanket and a cup of hot coffee. That's my favorite way to spend a rainy day.

How about you, what do you like to do on a rainy day? I'm looking forward to hearing your response!

Here's your Question of the Day. How do you like to relax?

When you feel stressed out and you want to relax what do you do? For me I like to sit down in a chair in a quiet place and listen to ASMR videos on YouTube. Hearing the soothing voices and the pleasant sounds almost instantly makes me feel calm. How about you how do you like to relax and destress?

I have a nostalgic Question of the Day for you today. What analog, old-fashioned or retro toys did you love playing with as a kid? I was talking with a friend this morning and she mentioned how as a child, she loved playing the traditional Japanese game called "ohajiki."

That got me thinking about the old-fashioned games I used to play as a kid, like jacks. How about you? What old-fashioned or retro games did you like to play when you were a kid? Bonus points if you can explain how to play!

Tomorrow is my son's school trip, and he is very much looking forward to it. They are going to go to Kyoto and they have to go around by themselves and manage their own money and decide what they're going to eat for lunch and how they're going to spend their money on souvenirs and so forth, and it seems like it's going to be a really good learning experience for the kids.

So today's Question of the Day is: What type of school events do you remember from your school days? What was an event that you really enjoyed and that you have special memories of?

Hello! Today's Question of the Day is about screen-names. I am online a lot and I use different screen-names in different forums that I participate in. How about you? Are you active online? Do you have a favorite screen-name? If so, what is it and why did you choose it?

No matter what forum I participate in, I usually use a name related to cats, because I love cats. Maybe it's not very creative but, I don't know what to say, I just love cats! I can't wait to hear your response!

The seasons are changing and that means new seasonal dishes! What special seasonal dishes are you looking forward to in the coming months?

For me, in Japan, we are coming into fall, and that means lots of soups and stews including my favorite "oden," which is vegetables stewed in a sweet and savory broth.

How about you? What seasonal dishes are you looking forward to?

Good morning! Here is your Question of the Day. Would you try a self-driving car?

I've been reading a lot of articles recently about the advances in technology for self driving cars, and they sound very interesting to me, although I admit I'm a little nervous to actually try one.

What about you? Would you be interested in trying a self-driving car? Why or why not?

Good morning and here is your question of the day. What are your sleep tips?

Sometimes after a long and busy day I find it hard to get to sleep at night. I've tried a lot of different things but what do you recommend? What helps you fall sleep when you can't seem to sleep even though you are tired?

So far what has worked best for me is listening to relaxing massage videos while I try to get to sleep. How about you?

Here is your Question of the Day! When is the last time that someone did something nice for you that made you smile? It could be something big or something small, but just something thoughtful that made you feel happy!

A few weeks ago one of my students did a cute little drawing of an alligator for me. It was just a small gesture, but it really brightened my day and made me happy and I liked it so much that now I use it for my profile picture.

Tell me about a time when someone made you smile with a small kindness.

Good afternoon! Here's your question of the day. What is your favorite or least favorite smell?

We've talked a lot about different foods and tastes, but we haven't talked about smell. Scientists say that smell is the sense that is the most closely linked with memory and smelling a familiar smell again after many years can often be a very nostalgic experience.

Is there a smell that you really enjoy or to the contrary, is there a smell that you can't stand? Tell me what it is and why.
My favorite smell in the world is the smell of wisteria blossoms in the spring. It's just such a heavy, rich, beautiful smell. I also love the smell of rain on a hot pavement after a summer shower. It reminds me of all of the childhood summers I spent playing outside.

I can't wait to hear your answer to today's question!

Here is your question of the Day: It is autumn and the weather is getting cooler and cooler weather means lots of delicious hot foods--especially soup. What is your favorite soup to warm up on a cold fall or winter day? What ingredients and spices does it have in it? For me, I think it's definitely pumpkin soup I love how rich and creamy it is and it really makes me feel that fall has arrived!

Good morning and here's your question of the day. Are you a sports fan? Are there any teams or athletes that you follow? Do you enjoy going to sporting matches?

For me, I'm not a big fan of most team sports but I really enjoy Japanese sumo wrestling and this weekend I had a chance to go to a match and watch them wrestle live. It was very exciting.

How about you? What sports are you into? If you're not into sports at all, feel free to talk about something else that you're interested in.

The days are starting to get longer and the weather is starting to get a little warmer. Spring will be here soon. What are you looking forward to doing this spring?

The neighborhood that I live in is actually called Flowertown and I'm looking forward to seeing all of the beautiful spring flowers: daffodils and tulips and of course the famous Japanese cherry blossoms.

Today's question is about some thing near and dear to my heart – stationery. Ever since I was a kid I have loved going to stationery shops to look at the array of pens, pencils, highlighters, notebooks, erasers and assorted items for sale.

What about you? Do you have a favorite pen or highlighter or planner? Something that you just love to use and you recommend to all of your friends?

For me, it is absolutely crayon-style highlighters. Whether I'm studying language on my own or teaching I use a lot of highlighters and these crayon-style highlighters are amazing – they glide so smoothly over the paper and the colors are clear and vibrant. I always recommend them to all of my students.

How about you? Tell me about your favorite stationery item.

What were your favorite and least favorite subjects when you were in school?

When I was in school, I loved studying languages. I studied French Spanish and Japanese but I hated math. I actually had to repeat math one year because I was such a bad math student.

Good morning! Summer is here and summer vacation is fast upon us. What are your favorite summer memories from your childhood and what did you enjoy doing during your summer vacation?

My favorite part of summer vacation was going to summer camp. They always had lots of fun activities for us to do including games, sports and crafts. One year, I even went to sleep-away camp where we got to go horseback riding every day. That was a lot of fun.

Tell me about your favorite summer memories from your childhood!

Hello! Here is your question of the day. It’s almost time for summer vacation and that means summer memories! What is your favorite summer memory from when you were a kid?

When I was a kid I used to go to the beach with my mother and my grandfather and dig for clams. It was very simple but it was a lot of fun. Please tell me about your favorite summer memory.

Good afternoon! And here is your question of the Day. This Question of the Day actually comes from my daughter. I thought it was a great idea so I'm going to ask you too.

If you could have any superpower, such as flying, mind reading, teleportation, etc. what would you choose and why?
I think I would definitely choose teleportation because it would be great to be able to travel anywhere in the world instantly without having to go through the hassle and the expense of flying. Also I'm very bad with airplanes to tell the truth, so if I could just snap my fingers instantly and be in another place that would be wonderful.

How about you? What superpower would you like to have?

Are you superstitious or do you consider yourself more rational? Are there things that you do because they are lucky or avoid doing because they are unlucky? Or, do you consider yourself more rational? For me I don't think I'm very superstitious at all but there is one superstition I always follow I will never kill a spider.

How about you?

Good morning and here is today’s Question of the Day!

Summer has begun and it is hot, hot, hot. One of my favorite ways to cool off is to take a dip in a nice cool pool. How about you? Do you like to swim? Are you a good swimmer?

I’m not a very fast swimmer, but ever since I was a kid I've loved swimming and going in the water, whether it be a pool, a pond, or even the ocean. I just love the water and I’m really looking forward to going to the local pool for the first time since the pandemic.


How about you?

Today's Question of the Day comes from my daughter. She asks: What is some food that you hated when you were a kid but you can eat or even like now?

My daughter says that when she was smaller she couldn't eat shrimp dumplings or squid, but now she doesn't really like them but she can eat them. For me it has to be mushrooms. When I was a little kid, I hated mushrooms and I couldn't eat them at all but now I love them and mushrooms are one of my favorite foods.

How about you? What is a taste that you have grown into as an adult?

Here is your Question of the Day. What is your texting style? When you text with a friend, do you tend to write one long message or lots of short messages? Do you use a lot of emoji, a few or none at all? Which emoji do you like to use the most? Tell me about your texting style.

For myself, I tend to send lots of short messages rather than one long message because I always think of some extra thing that I want to add, so I end up sending four or five messages that probably could have been one message. I also am not a big user of emoji. I will sometimes use a smiling face just to make it clear that I am joking but usually I let my words speak for themselves.

How about you?

Here is your question of the day. Do you like theme parks and rides? What is the best or worst ride you have ever gone on?

It's almost time for spring vacation here in Japan and I'm planning to take my kids to Universal Studios Japan. Personally I'm okay with roller coasters but I don't like to ride on the ferris wheel. Something about being inside of a slow-moving tiny box high in the air makes me feel very nervous. I also hate going on the tea cups. They always make me feel nauseous.

I enjoy rides that are more of an experience with 3-D effects and cool visuals. The Spider-Man ride at USJ is a really fun one that has fire effects and wind effects with really awesome video. It feels like you are inside the movie!

How about you? Do you like theme park rides and attractions?

Good morning and here is your Question of the Day. If you had a time machine, would you use it to go into the future, or back into the past and why? What time period in the past would you like to see, or how far into the future would you like to go?

I think I would want to go into the past and see what things were really like at different periods in history. But whenever I think about time travel, I always worry about the paradox that might be created if someone from the future were to go the past and change something. Would they create a new timeline, or even cease to exist at all? I guess it’s kind of a philosophical thought experiment.

Anyway those are my thoughts, how about you?

Time for your question of the day! Let’s talk about trends and fads. What is one trend that you remember from your youth, and how did you feel about it? Did you love it or hate it? Would you like to see it make it a comeback, or should it stay in the past?

When I was a junior high school student, color changing T-shirts were a huge fad, and all of the kids at my school wore them. I think I had about 3 or 4 myself. But, thinking about it now, they are so embarrassing. How did we ever think that was cool? I don’t think I would like to see them make a comeback.

Hello! Here is your Question of the Day. What is an interesting fact or piece of trivia that you know? Please tell us.

And here is my trivia for you: the largest living thing in the world is not, as you might think, the blue whale, but actually a kind of fungus, called honey fungus that lives in Oregon in the US, and covers more than 9 km² . I'm looking forward to hearing your interesting fact.

What is your most favorite genre of TV program? Do you like sitcoms? Reality shows? Competitions? Documentaries? News programs? Romances or dramas? Which kind is your favorite and why?

For myself, I am a big fan of mystery shows and police procedurals, I love trying to figure out who the culprit is, before the detectives do. I also like the recent reality competition shows where contestants compete to see who can make the best cake or sew the best dress. How about you?

Today's question of the Day is about vegetables. I'm a vegetarian so I eat a lot of vegetables and I love almost every vegetable I've ever tried except for bitter melon. I'm a particularly big fan of potatoes, especially in a light potato salad in the summertime, but they really are very versatile and you can do almost anything with them. Although, probably my favorite way to eat any vegetable is in a curry. I love a nice summer vegetable curry with okra, eggplant, tomatoes, squash and mushrooms.

How about you? What are your favorite and least favorite vegetables and how do you like to eat them?

Question of the Day. What is your favorite work of visual art? What painting, sculpture, etc. speaks to you? Who created it and what does it mean to you?

I think one of my favorite paintings of all time is "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose"" by John Singer Sargent. I saw it at the Tate gallery while I was visiting a friend in London over Christmas vacation. It's a painting of two young girls in a garden surrounded by white flowers. The painting is set in the early evening just after sunset, and the girls are lighting Chinese lanterns. There's just something about the quality of the light in the lanterns that absolutely fascinates me. I could look at it forever.

How about you? What piece of visual art speaks to you?

Here is your question of the day. Are you involved in any charity or community volunteer work? If so, please tell me about it if not, what is something you think you might like to do if you had the time or opportunity?

I am part of a very small neighborhood organization that catches feral cats, spays or neuters them and then returns them to the wild to become community cats. There are a lot of feral cats in Japan, and in our neighborhood alone there are nearly 20 cats that we have identified and we have managed to trap, neuter and release more than half of them so far.

So that's what I am involved in. How about you? Tell me about some community or volunteer activities you are or would like to be involved in.

Good morning and here's your Question of the Day! Show me your wallpaper! Not the wallpaper of your house, the wallpaper of your phone. What is it and why did you choose it? Is there a story behind it?

My wallpaper is pink and purple frogs, because I love the color purple and I love frogs!

Good morning and here is your new question of the day. Do you wear a watch? If so, what kind is it? Is it a simple watch that just tells the time or do you have an Apple watch or something similar that has a lot of functions?

I don't usually wear a watch and I just use my cell phone when I need to know what time it is, but sometimes when I go out I like to wear a watch as an accessory. This is my favorite watch: I would love to see yours!

Good morning and here is your Question of the Day! This one is a little different than usual. I thought we might try a little description.

What do you see in front of you right now? What is in front of you on the desk or table where you are sitting or in your car or wherever you usually record your voice messages?

I am recording this message at my desk at home and I can see in front of me my computer, which is a brand new rose-gold MacBook Air that I just bought last week. I can also see my new USB port which has a cute little face on it and I can see a paper throwing star that one of my kids made and left on my desk for some reason. How about you?

Today's question of the day is rather philosophical. What is one thing you think the world needs more of?

I originally saw this question on social media and people had many answers such as peace, love, understanding, science, technology. But I'd love to hear your answer.

For me, I think the world needs more empathy. A lot of the problems that we have in the world are caused by people not thinking about how their actions affect others, both on a personal scale and on a global scale. If everyone was able to empathize more and see things from the point of view of people in different situations than themselves, I think we could solve a lot of our problems more easily.

So, tell me what do *you* think the world needs more of?

Good morning and here's your question of the Day! It's starting to really get chilly. What are your tips and tricks for staying warm in this cold weather? What is your "can't-live-without" winter item?

For me it's definitely stick on heat packs. I put one on my stomach and sometimes another one on my back if I'm feeling extra chilly. They really do wonders to warm you up on a cold day. Tell me about your must have winter item!

Good morning! Here is your question of the Day! We've talked about foods that you like a few times, but today I'd like to ask you about a food that you *don't* like.
What is the worst food you've ever had? Something that maybe you tried once and then instantly regretted. Something that was just absolutely disgusting to you, for whatever reason.For me it's definitely sea urchin. It's quite an expensive and popular delicacy here in Japan, but I can't stand it. Some friends of mine made me eat it once on a dare and I was nearly sick. I really couldn't bear the taste of it at all, and I hope I never have to eat it again.

How about you? What is the worst food you've ever tried?

Good afternoon and here is your Question of the Day! I know we are a little bit past the lunar new year but my daughter and I were talking about the animals that represent each year and I was wondering - what is your zodiac animal and do you feel that it represents you well or not?

For example, I was born in the year of the horse and people born in the year of the horse are said to be active and energetic. I think that definitely fits my personality, because am very high energy and cheerful, usually.
How about you? Does your zodiac animal suit you?

Question of the day, what's the biggest waste of time for you?

Well, I'm torn between two answers here. On one hand, I want to say commuting, because I detest along commute to work or school. But on the other hand, I want to choose simply, Instagram as my biggest time waster. And the reasons are self-evident, because I check my Instagram every day, especially in the mornings when I wake up, nad in the evenings too before I fall asleep. And whenever I use that app, I just know that I'm wasting my time looking at brand advertisements or the carefully curated pictures from my friends' lives. What do you think?

Here's a casual question of the day. Are you a coffee drinker? Why or why not?

I love coffee, but that was not always the case. I remember when I was young, maybe in my teenage years or early 20s, I couldn't drink coffee. I thought the taste was strong and bitter. It was so unappealing. However, as I grew older, my taste started to change, my preferences matured, and I slowly started drinking coffee. Now I drink black coffee almost every day, and I just love its taste and aroma.

How about you?

Are you a dog person or a cat person?

I consider myself to be an animal lover and even though I enjoy spending time with cats, I much prefer dogs. So I'm a dog person and it's probably because I grew up with a dog and I think that dogs are more social. Although cats are easier to take care of, I think dogs are more rewarding, loyal and playful.

I heard a funny comparison once about owning a cat versus owning a dog and it goes like this. Being a cat owner is like having a low energy roommate. While having a dog is like having a toddler.

What do you think?

Question of the day. Do you have a driver's license? Are you good at driving?

Like most Canadians, I've had a driver's license since the age of 16. I started with a learner's permit and I eventually obtained my full license. To get it, I had to pass three tests. One written test and two driving tests. I remember failing my second test on my first try because I drove a few kilometers over the speed limit in a construction zone. That was a big mistake to make, but I learned to be a safer driver from that experience. I like to drive, but I'm not sure if I'm good at it. Driving in the city scares me, so I prefer driving in the countryside.

What about you?

Question of the day. When was the last time you exercised? What did you do?

Today I went for a run around my neighborhood. I tried to run early in the morning or late at night to avoid people as best I can. It felt good to run but it had been a long time for me. I felt a little bit out of shape but I'm happy that I restarted this hobby.

When was the last time you exercised?

Here's your question of the day or question of the night or question of the weekend.

I'll tell you my story first. So I was recently asked to design a course about musicals at the University where I work. Even though I'm a fan of musicals, I'm not that knowledgeable about them. I've never been to Broadway in New York and I've only seen a handful of popular musicals in Canada. Classics like The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Mamma Mia, but those were years ago. I remember enjoying The Phantom of the Opera because it had so many famous songs and I remember liking the choreography of the dancers in The Lion King. Otherwise, I don't have much to say about musicals.

What about you? Do you like musicals? Do you happen to have a favorite musical?

It's almost Thanksgiving in America. Tell me about something that you are grateful for.

Well, it's not a really unique answer, but I'm definitely grateful for my family. I'm thankful that the members of my family are all healthy and happy, knock on wood. I was really fortunate to grow up in a close knit family in a great community back in Canada. Although most of my loved ones now have moved away from my hometown, we stay connected with each other no matter where we are in the world. And I'm thankful for that as well.

Question of the day. What's your guilty pleasure?

"Guilty pleasures" are activities that are enjoyable, but not generally held in high regard, or just thought of as unusual or a bit weird. Some common examples are eating Nutella out of the jar, watching cartoons, or playing childish video games as an adult, or ordering delivery food because you are too lazy to cook.

But my guilty pleasure is Netflix. If I find a series that I instantly like, I tend to binge watch several episodes in a row, even if it means that I stay up late on a weeknight. It's fun to binge watch a few episodes on the weekend, but not when I have something important to do the next day at work.

What's it like to get your haircut at your favorite hair shop?

And do you have any stories to share about a hair disaster? I usually get a haircut every two months at a local hair salon. It's just down the street from my apartment and I try to make my appointments in advance, but sometimes when I'm too busy I can still go there and have a walk-in appointment. My stylist always has time for me. She fits me into her schedule no matter what and I really appreciate that.

I don't do anything fancy with my hair, just a trim to get rid of any splint ends, and also if I have bangs, I'll have the stylist shorten them as well. I've been fortunate to have mostly good experiences with hair salons while living abroad, but one time I did have a hair disaster. It happened about two years ago.

I went to a highly recommended hair shop, and I asked the stylist to dye my hair blonder, so just a little lighter than what I naturally have right now. Nothing too drastic. But somehow there was a miscommunication or maybe the wrong products were used. Honestly, till this day I still don't really understand what went wrong. All I know is that the stylist dyed my hair black, pitch black, with a little bit of a navy blue shine to it. Needless to say, I was horrified because it didn't suit me.

But I did try to make the most out of the situation. I tried to enjoy having black hair. It was a new opportunity, but I only survived three days that way. I really missed my natural hair color. So what I did was I googled what to do and I mixed some vitamin C and baking soda with a strong shampoo, and I washed my hair 10 times. That really dried out my hair, but I was able to wash out most of the black hair dye. And after a few months, the color faded completely and I had my natural color back. So I learned a valuable lesson. As they say in my hometown, it's better to leave well enough alone.

Question of the day. How do you celebrate Halloween?

Halloween is an annual holiday observed on October 31st in a lot of countries around the world. In Canada, my home country, popular activities on Halloween include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, carving pumpkins, visiting haunted houses, playing pranks on your friends or family, telling spooky stories, watching horror movies, and the list goes on.

When I was a child, I remember that I used to wear a costume and go door-to-door trick-or-treating. I would usually dress up as something scary, like a zombie or a witch. But after the age of about 14 or so, I stopped getting dressed up for Halloween and I would just spend time with my friends or family watching horror movies.

Good morning! Today's question of the day asks about travel and tourism.

Could you recommend a hidden or underrated vacation spot in your country?

Question of the day, how do you feel today?

Well, I feel pretty good today. You could say that I feel ready to take on the world because I rested well over the weekend and I was able to catch up on sleep and get my affairs in order so that I could start this week off on the right foot. Anyway, I hope that we both make the most out of this week. Good luck to you and happy Monday!

Question of the day. How was your weekend? Did you do anything special?

Overall, my weekend was relaxing. On Saturday I cleaned my house and spent some time clothes shopping at a nearby department store. After shopping, I had Korean barbecue for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, followed by ice cream for dessert. Then on Sunday I did some more household chores and ran a few errands. Honestly, the older I become, the more I enjoy being a homebody. The best part of my weekend was just staying at home, doing not much of anything special.

How about you?

Here's today's question. Is there an uncommon or even strange food that you love?

For me, I enjoy something called kombucha, which is a fermented tea and it has a lot of health benefits. However, because it is fermented, it is quite smelly. So I feel shy whenever I drink it in front of others or I drink it in public. Some of my friends have teased me because of this drink, but I'll never give it up because I actually like its taste.

How about you?

Behind schedule, unpunctual, tardy, and simply being late. Lateness is something we've all experienced. When was the last time that you were late for something?

If you don't have any recent examples from your own life to share, that's fine. In fact, you sound like the kind of person who takes punctuality seriously. Then, how would you explain yourself if you happened to be late? Let's say for a meeting.

For example, I would use expressions like, "I apologize for being late," "I apologize for arriving behind schedule," and "sorry for being late," or "sorry for not being on time."

Send me your story about being late, and or send me some expressions that you would use in a situation like this.

So this weekend I was doing my laundry and I made a big mistake. I had bought a new Mohair sweater And I decided to wash it with the rest of my load of laundry. I had never washed that sweater before, but I assumed that it would be okay in the wash. I didn't think it needed any special care, but boy, I was wrong. It turned out that the sweater shed everywhere lots of fluff from the sweater got stuck all over my other clothes, and it was a disaster. Has this sort of thing ever happened to you before? Or, what mistake have you made accidentally?

Hello! I hope you're having a good day. I wanted to share something from my weekend.

On Saturday night, I met up with a friend who I haven't seen in a long time. So we caught up over dinner and then decided to go to a jazz lounge to listen to some live music. The performance consisted of a jazz vocalist backed up by a double bassist, keyboardist, and drummer. They were good. They played a mix of old and new jazz hits, including some Christmas carols. I enjoyed the evening, but I felt a bit sad because it had been almost two years since I last heard live music due to the pandemic. Anyway, that experience was just a good reminder of how much I like jazz.

So what about you? What kind of music do you like to listen to? And by any chance, have you been to any concerts recently?

So this morning I listened to a recently recorded interview with Mark Zuckerberg, one of the creators of Facebook, which is now famously called Meta. He talked a lot about virtual and augmented reality, as well as the metaverse, which he is building. Can you imagine yourself as an avatar hanging out in a virtual 3D space? Does this idea excite or scare you? What are your thoughts on technology like the metaverse?

Question of the day, identify one thing you could have done better this week, and tell me about your plan to do better in the future.

I think that I had a productive week overall, but I definitely engaged in a bad habit. I did a lot of stress eating. Well, honestly, I didn't overindulge too much, but I ended up eating some greasy food that I shouldn't have had. So, one night I ate fried chicken, and then the following day, I ate some pizza. I feel bad about that, but I'm going to forgive myself, and simply try to make healthier choices next week. Ideally, I would like to eat a totally clean diet, but in practice, it's really hard to do.

Question of the day. What is something that you could do by yourself, but you don't mind paying someone else to do it for you?

Some situations that immediately come to mind are home renovations, taxes, cleaning, driving, and meal prep. But for me, it would have to be my nails. I wish that I could be the kind of woman who paints her own nails, but I just don't have the patience nor the skill for that. So I pay someone else to give me a manicure. Otherwise, the job that I would do by myself would look too sloppy.

What about you? What is something that you could do by yourself, but you just know that it's better to pay someone else to do it for you?

Question of the day. What's your personal or professional goal for this week?

My personal goal this week is to devote more time to exercise. I've recently started jogging at night and I love exercising then, because the running path near my house is not as crowded at night. I enjoy exercising in private. Although I'm not the best at running, I enjoy it and I'm trying to build up my stamina. I aspire to be the kind of person who jogs every day, rain or shine.

Question of the day, what's your favorite kind of pizza?

Mine's Hawaiian. I was surprised to learn that a lot of people do not enjoy putting pineapple on their pizza, but it's really the best. I just love it. A Hawaiian pizza with a thick crust, to me, is perfection.

What about you?

Question of the day, do you like taking risks? When was the last time that you took a risk and what was the result?

In my case, I'm generally a risk adverse type of person. I like to stick to tried and true methods and I dislike any type of risky behavior that could hurt my health, career or my finances. For example, while I've been tempted to invest in some volatile stocks, I've held back sometimes to my own loss. But my attitude towards such matters is better, safe than sorry.

What about you? Do you like taking risks? When was the last time you took a risk? What was the result?

Question of the day, is there a song stuck in your head? And if so, what is it?

My answer is that I've had Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You stuck in my head ever since the beginning of the Christmas season. The reason is simple. It plays everywhere. Department stores, pharmacies, coffee shops. I feel like I can't escape that song during the Christmas season. It's certainly overplayed but not overrated. It's a good song and arguably the most quintessential modern Christmas song of the last couple of decades. So while it bothers me, while it annoys me to hear on repeat, every place I go, I don't mind the song. As a song, it's not too bad. And anyway, that's what I have stuck in my head these days.

How about you?

What do you do when you feel stressed out? How do you relieve feelings of stress?

Like most people, I can get stressed out from time to time. Whenever I end up suffering from too much stress in my daily life, I usually find myself reaching for something spicy to eat. To be honest with you, I'll eat anything that is spicy. So hot peppers, fire chicken flavored ramen, that's one of my favorites. Kimchi jjigae, hot chicken wings, the spiciest tteokbokki I can find, and the list goes on. I don't know what it is exactly about spicy food, but whenever I consume it, it seems to alleviate my feelings of stress and I immediately feel much more relaxed.

Actually, I can usually eat the hottest foods without any trouble, but every now and then my eyes could water or I might even sweat a little bit. I read somewhere about the science behind spicy food. Apparently, we feel good after eating it because it tricks our brains into thinking that our tongue is being burned. So our tongue is literally on fire according to our brain. So our brain activates the pain receptors that are located in our tongue and that tells our body to release endorphins.

And endorphins, you've probably heard of them before, they're nicknamed the happy hormone because they are these natural pain killing and feel good chemicals that our body makes. So eating something spicy could make you feel energized right afterward as if you had gone for a long run. Anyway, so that's how I relieve my stress. I love to eat spicy food.

* kimchi jjigae: a spicy Korean soup
* tteokbokki: spicy Korean rice cake

Question of the day, what's it like taking a language course?

I'm talking about your traditional English class. I recently participated in a Zoom French class for upper intermediate learners like myself, and I just felt so strange. There were like 10 students in the class, and the teacher made us talk in turn one by one. It felt so artificial, and it made me wonder about how it feels to take an English class. Are they boring?

Anyway, tell me about your experience taking traditional English language classes.

Question of the day. Where is the most uncomfortable place you have ever slept?

Without a doubt my answer would have to be sleeping on a moving train while traveling abroad. In my younger days, I once took a 20-hour train journey while I was visiting some friends in Kazakhstan. I thought that taking the train across the desert would be relaxing and a beautiful sightseeing experience but my expectation turned out to be different from reality. As the train pulled in at the station I remember thinking what am I doing? Because the train looked honestly ancient.

Upon boarding I quickly found out that my private cabin was smaller than advertised and everything in that room including the bed looked rather unpleasant. I tried to accept the situation and lower my standards but as soon as the train started to move I knew I was in even deeper trouble because everything started to shake and that shaking did not stop. It's a funny memory now but at that time I was feeling pretty discouraged and exhausted because I couldn't get much sleep on that bumpy train ride. It's a memory I'll never forget.

Question of the day. Have you ever faced an interviewer who was unprofessional?

In my case, almost all of my past interviews have gone very well. The interviewers that I've encountered before, for the most part, have all been professional, and I could tell that they did their best to make me feel comfortable without ever crossing the line.

However, a few years ago, I did have an interviewer who made me a little bit uncomfortable. She asked some questions that I felt were inappropriate. For instance, she asked me for my age, my marital status, and whether or not I liked to drink alcohol, because she informed me that the CEO of the company enjoyed drinking with his employees. I thought that some of those questions were a little bit uncomfortable, so that was my strange interview story.

How about you?

Question of the day. When was the last time you voted in an election?

What's the voting process like in your country? In Canada, my country, for example, to vote in the federal election, you need to be at least 18 years old and registered on the government's voters list. On election day, you visit a polling station and fill out your ballot. It's a simple enough process, even for overseas residents such as myself. I simply mail an overseas ballot with a photocopy of my IDs to the elections office in Canada.

What's the process to vote like in your country?

Question of the day, did you watch anything on TV over the weekend?

Even though I try not to spend my time on the weekends watching too much television, cozying up in front of the TV is a really great way to relax because it takes my mind off of my own life for a while and lets me concentrate on something else. So on Sunday, I rented a movie from Google Play Videos. I decided to go with the newest Dune movie, which is a remake of the 1980s classic sci-fi adventure film. The film was entertaining enough but a bit confusing at times. Overall though, I thought the director, Villeneuve, a French-Canadian filmmaker, did a great job with this remake.

What about you? Did you watch anything on TV over the weekend?

Question of the day. When was the last time you attended a wedding?

In my case, the last wedding I attended was three years ago in Canada. The wedding ceremony took place outside in a beautiful garden next to a pond. Then the reception was held inside of a resort. I'd gotten used to Korean weddings, which are famously fast-paced. So I wasn't prepared for the length of this wedding in Canada. It just seemed to go on and on. I wanted to go home after four hours, but I had to stay because I was a friend of the couple getting married. It was a fun but exhausting experience. All of the guests danced and played games long into the night.

What about you? When was the last time you attended a wedding?

What are your weekend plans?

Fortunately, I don't have any special outings planned for this weekend and I'm really happy because of it. Honestly, I've been too busy these days and I'm in dire need of a weekend just for myself. So, I'm going to use my time this weekend to catch up on rest, household chores, and I'm going to work on a personal project that I've been neglecting for far too long. To be honest, I have no social commitments this weekend and I couldn't be happier. I'm really looking forward to so much needed alone time.

Let's start the week off with an easy question of the day. How was your weekend? I enjoyed some warm spring weather, at least by Canadian standards. Sixteen degrees (celsius). This weekend was gorgeous. How was yours?

What do you like most about where you live?

I live in northern Seoul, in a neighborhood with lots of different things to do. For example, we have a mountain, a national park, lots of temples, museums, a hanok village, many universities, embassies, plus tons of options in terms of shopping and going out to eat.

But my absolute favorite thing about where I live is a stream that flows beside my house. And I visit this stream often for exercise or just to take a walk and calm my mind. At this stream, there's a pedestrian walking path, as well as a separate bike path, and it follows the stream for several kilometers. During the daytime, the stream is quite pretty. It's lined with flowers and other plants. And sometimes you can see some fish or ducks in the stream, as well as some cats or perhaps some birds in the small gardens surrounding the stream. And in the night, it's well-lit and quite safe, quite populated with people. So I usually try to take a walk at this stream either before I go to bed at night or when I first wake up in the morning.

Question of the day. What do you love most about autumn?

Well, I'd have to say that autumn is my favorite season. I think that any country with four seasons looks the best in autumn. In Canada and Korea, the fall colors are breathtaking and the weather is comfortable, neither too warm nor too cool. I also enjoy fall fashion. It's fun to wear light boots with a light jacket and scarf. What do you think?

Is there something that you feel excited to buy? What will you buy soon?

In my case, I look forward to buying some new exercise clothes in some brighter colors. That's because most of my exercise clothes are either black or navy and they've started to feel a little bit boring.

I also have to replace a pair of exercise pants. I really love them because I bought them from Lululemon back in Canada and whenever I wear them, it just reminds me of home.

But unfortunately, these days those pants are too loose. Either I've lost weight or those pants just became too stretched out. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but at any rate, I look forward to replacing them and shopping for more exercise clothes soon.

Question of the day, what's the best thing that happened to you this week?

For me, the best thing that happened this week was the completion of something. This week, my students finished writing their final exams. The end of the semester is a happy milestone for teachers and students alike. Frankly speaking, I'm glad that the semester is winding down, so that I can focus less on writing and marking tests and more on other administrative tasks which take up less mental energy. I feel such a sense of relief.

How about you? What's something good that happened to you this week?

Is there something you do compulsively?

When you do something repeatedly because you can't control your urge, we say it's a "compulsive behavior." For example, some people wash their hands many times a day, even when it's not necessary, and you could say, "they have a compulsive habit of handwashing." In my case, it annoys me when a shared space, like the kitchen or living room, is messy. I often wipe the kitchen table and vacuum the living room floor multiple times a day when I'm at home.

But I'm more forgiving when it comes to a more private space, like a bedroom, and I don't mind if it's a bit messy. Why am I like this? I think I've been taught, or even indoctrinated from an early age that we need to keep public spaces clean. By the way, the word "indoctrinate" is a strong word. Maybe I've been taught that way, and it's become deeply ingrained in my subconscious.

What about you? Is there something you do compulsively?

Which exotic place would you love to visit?

I would love to go to Mars and I'm talking about the planet. I am very excited about the prospect of human civilization being built there. I know there will be many challenges, but I'm excited about what Elon Musk and other businesses are doing with space exploration. I don't know if I want to make Mars a permanent home. I don't know if we're going to be able to build the technology during our lifetime, but I'm very excited about the idea of it, and if it's possible to travel there just for fun, I will take the chance.

Is there any exotic place you would like to visit someday?

Who is your favorite fictional character from a movie or book?

I was talking to a student about the show "Suits," which is available on Netflix. It's a drama about New York lawyers, how they handle legal cases, and their love and family lives. And my favorite character from that show is Harvey Spector. He has a bold, cocky attitude, and he thinks he is the best. And people can't argue with him because he is good at what he does and gets the job done. He also makes clever and witty remarks too.

So what about you? Who is your favorite fictional character from a movie or book?

What was the first social media post you saw today?

So, as soon as I woke up this morning, I went through YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Scientists say you shouldn't do social media first thing in the morning because it's too stimulating and you will lose focus. You should do something important first thing in the morning, like studying or reading. It's better for your brain. But as soon as I woke up this morning, I scrolled through social media. As I was going through my social media feed, one post got my attention. It was a short video of a cat trying to open the door. She was trying to move the door handle while standing on her two feet, but she couldn't open the door. She got frustrated. I thought it was cute, and I chuckled. At least, I started my day with a smile.

So, that was the first social media post I saw today. What about you?

If you could pick a Halloween costume to dress up on Halloween, what would it be?

I know, you're probably not gonna do it, since both you and I are too old for that. Just as a fun thought, what would you dress up as, and why?

And to tell you a bit about what I did when I was five years old back in the States, my parents didn't want to spend any money on a Halloween costume for our school Halloween party. So my parents made me wear the karate gi that my older brother wore for his class. So I just wore that and went to the school Halloween party.

You know, everyone else had a proper Halloween costume like, a witch, skeleton, and ghost. I was the only person who was wearing a martial arts uniform.

What happy thought or memory crossed your mind today?

Today, I just remembered the time I got a raise at my previous job. Six months after joining the company, I got a raise because my supervisor was happy with my performance. And with the extra money I got, I was thinking, "Should I invest that in Bitcoin or stocks?" But I told myself, "Nah. I'll just spend all that money on sushi because that's what makes me happy!" And I just realized that I'm not eating sushi as much as I would like. So, I will mark it on my calendar so that I remember to eat sushi. Am I actually going to spend a lot of money on sushi every month? I don't know. We'll see. But that thought made me happy.

What about you? What happy thought or memory crossed your mind today?

In Korean and Japanese, there are two styles of speaking. One is the honorific form, and the other is the casual form. If someone is older than you, a stranger, or someone who is at a higher social status than you, you would usually use the honorific form.

Even in Italian, you have two words for 'you': 'tu' and 'lei.' 'Lei' is the formal expression. If you're talking to someone older than you, or if you're talking to a VIP, you would say, 'lei' instead of 'tu.' What's interesting about Italian is that, in Catholic prayers, the 'tu' grammar is often used, instead of "lei," when addressing Jesus or Mary.

In your first language, with whom do you use the casual form, when you should be using the honorific form (or the formal expression)?

When you meet someone for the first time, do you trust your first feelings about them, or do you prefer to take your time to get to know someone before deciding what kind of person they are? Is your initial hunch usually right?

What did you have for lunch today?

Today, I had a chicken breast and some vegetables for lunch. This is my first lunch, and for my second lunch, which I'm going to have in a few hours, I'm going to eat the same thing. I'm kind of on a diet right now. But on the weekends, I relax and give myself permission to eat other things.

So what about you? What did you have for lunch today?

What is the meaning of your name in English?

Some people love to talk about the meaning of their names and where they came from. It's a great conversation starter. It's a good topic for small talk when you're talking to people from different parts of the world. I'm Japanese. In the Japanese language, people use Chinese characters. So, you can kind of figure out what their names mean when you look at the Chinese characters.

Do you know the meaning of your name? If you do, what is it?

Does your company do any New Year's get-together or New Year Kickoff Workshop?

In the company that I used to work for, their headquarters were in the US, and I worked for the APAC office. We did have a New Year's Kickoff Workshop over Zoom. I don't remember what we did, so we probably didn't do anything important.

But what about you? Does your company do any New Year's get-together or New Year Kickoff Workshop? What does your company do?

It's Thanksgiving Day in America. Have you ever experienced an American Thanksgiving Day dinner, or celebration while living in another country? What was it like?

If you don't have any experience with it, are you curious to try it? Do you think you would enjoy eating turkey and mashed potatoes with gravy?

It's Thanksgiving Day in America. Have you ever experienced an American Thanksgiving Day dinner or celebration while living in another country? What was it like? If you don't have any experience with it, are you curious to try it? Do you think you would enjoy eating turkey and mashed potatoes with gravy?

This weekend is my town's annual summer festival. It's being held for the first time since the pandemic. At a Japanese summer festival, people dress in traditional clothes and enjoy fireworks displays.

There are carnival games for children, such as balloon catch and lots of yummy foods, including my favorite, shaved ice. What kind of summer festivals are there in Korea? And do you have any plans to visit one this year?

Good morning and here is your Question of the Day.

What are your favorite or least favorite memories from the first day of school when you were a kid? Tell me about your school days.

In the US, it used to be a tradition or a custom to wear something a little bit fancy on the first day of school to make a good impression on the teachers, and on one's fellow students.

I remember on my first day of first grade, thinking so much about my clothes and planning out the perfect stylish outfit to make an impression on everyone. However, looking back on it now, because that was in the 1980s, it looks very dated and like a real fashion tragedy! But at the time, I thought I looked as cool as anything!

Tell me about your memories of the first day of school.

Hello! I have another food question for you today. Which country's food is your favorite?

For me it's definitely either Mexico or India because they have such an interesting blend of flavors. That said, I really just love trying new foods from new cultures, especially if they are spicy. The spicier the better is what I say.

Recently, I ate at a Sri Lankan restaurant for the first time and I really enjoyed the blend of spices that they used. It was quite different from anything I had ever had before but very delicious.

How about you? Tell me about your favorite foreign food.

Today's Question of the Day is all fun and games. I'm a big fan of games: board games, card games, word games, you name it! I especially like board games and card games that include a lot of strategy.

How about you? Tell me about a game that you like now or one you liked as a kid. I can't wait to hear your message.

Does your country have a harvest festival? I’m in Korea right now, and they are preparing for the harvest festival, called Chuseok, next week. Interestingly, Halloween also has its origins in the harvest festivals of ancient Europe. Does your country have a harvest festival? When is it held, and what do you do to celebrate?

Good morning. We are stuck in the house because it's too windy to go outside. I have a mystery book that I picked up last time I went to the bookshop, so I think I'm going to read that.

What about you? What do you like to do when you are stuck inside on a rainy day? Do you clean the house or play card games or read a book? What is your go-to way to kill the time?

Here is your Question of the Day. If you've lived in another country, what did you like the best about living there, and how is it different?

For me, my favorite thing about living in Japan is how clean and safe everything is. You never have to worry about your things being stolen and the crime rate is really low.

But I definitely miss how friendly and open people are in America. It's quite common to strike up a conversation with a stranger, even standing in line at a shop for example, and I miss that kind of casual friendliness sometimes.

I'm looking forward to hearing your answer.

Do you believe in luck? Do you have a special lucky item or a good luck charm?

I have to admit that while I don't really believe in luck I still always make sure to buy a good luck charm every time I go to a temple. One, because they are beautiful and two, because you never know. Tell me about your lucky item.

What are your goals this year? Is there anything that you really want to do or accomplish? Are there any lifestyle changes that you'd like to make or any new qualifications that you'd like to get?

For me I want to start eating healthier. I know that I eat a lot of junk food and I want to cut down on junk and start eating more fresh vegetables and tofu! I think it will be hard, but I want to try. Please tell me about your goals for the new year!

Here is your Question of the Day for today.

Do you have any phobias? A phobia is an irrational fear of something that may not actually be dangerous. Some people have claustrophobia, which is a fear of small spaces and other people have acrophobia which is a fear of heights and still other people have arachnophobia, which is a fear of spiders.

How about you? Is there anything you are irrationally afraid of?

I definitely have a little bit of entomophobia or insectophobia, which is fear of insects. I absolutely cannot stand any kind of small crawling insect. They make me feel gross and if I see them I often will scream or run away.

Strangely enough though, I'm not afraid of spiders or large beetles. In Japan it is popular for children to keep stag beetles as pets and I don't mind stag beetles at all. I can even pick them up but smaller bugs or flying bugs freak me right out, even though I know they aren't actually dangerous.

How about you, do you have any phobias?

Good morning! Today's question of the Day is about proverbs, but it is inspired by some unlucky events in my life.

We have a proverb in English “Bad things come in threes”. That means, if two unlucky things happen, a third unlucky thing will also happen soon after. In my case recently our toilet broke, and then only a few days later our water heater broke as well. Now, I'm waiting to see what else will happen.

Do you know any proverbs in English? I'd love to hear about an English proverb that you find interesting!

Good morning and here is your Question of the Day!

Let's talk about skin care. Recently I was working on a translation project for a big skin care company and I realized that I really need to step up my skin care game. So I invested in some new products and have been trying a new under eye cream and a spot cream in addition to my usual face wash, toner and lotion.

Tell me a little bit about your skin care routine!

Today, I'm going to give you something light. So, tell me a joke! Do you know any jokes in English? By the way here is my favorite joke: What do you call someone else's cheese? Nacho cheese!

So here is a travel question for you. Which foreign city that you have visited would you like to visit again, and which foreign city that you haven’t visited would you like to visit for the first time?

For myself, I’d really love to visit Amsterdam, especially to see the Rijksmuseum because I am a big fan of Vermeer. I saw his “Girl with a Pearl Earring” when it came to Japan but I’d like to see more of his paintings up close.

The place I’d like to visit again is Bali. I went there with my husband for our honeymoon and we loved it. The food was amazing, the people were very friendly and I loved swimming in the ocean and exploring temples in the jungle with lots of cute little monkeys.

What's your favorite idiom or slang word in English?

For me, it's hard to choose only one because I use a lot of idioms and slang words whenever I engage in casual conversation with my friends and family. Idioms are those widely used common sayings that are an essential part of daily life English and some examples are saying, "break a leg" to wish somebody good luck, remarking that it's "raining cats and dogs" when there is heavy rain. I actually use those two a lot and others like saying, "it's a piece of cake," if a task is easy and requires little effort on my part.

These idioms and slang can help make your English sound more natural, so it's good to use them sometimes especially when you're making small talk with native speakers.

A slang expression that I use a lot is, "oh my god." But I say that whenever I'm surprised or shocked by something. But I was recently told by one of my more religious friends that saying, "oh my god" could be a little bit offensive and they preferred that I didn't use God's name so directly, and instead they suggested that I say, "oh my gosh" or "oh my goodness" instead.

So those are two alternatives that are a little more professional and polite and sensitive. So I was happy to learn about that from my friend. So since that day I've been trying to say, "oh my gosh" or "oh my goodness: instead to speak in a more polite manner.

Question of the day. Tell me about a food that you are craving.

We had a large snowfall a few days ago and the snow hasn't even melted yet. It's really beautiful to see the city coated in white snow. I think it changes the whole atmosphere of the city. But with cold weather comes a lot of food cravings. Every day I find myself craving something warm and at the same time spicy. I feel really out of control.

How about you? Is there a food that you're craving these days? What is it?

Hi there, I hope you had a very lovely weekend. Today's question of the day is this. Tell me about a good conversation that you've recently had.

For example, this morning I spoke with my mother over the telephone in Canada, and not only did we catch up on each other's lives, but we ended up getting lost in conversation, and we spoke for a lot longer than initially planned. We covered many topics, shared lots of laughs, and that whole conversation reminded me of how quick-witted my mom can be. It was a great time.

How about you? Tell me about a good conversation that you had recently in English.

Question of the day. What's your opinion on physical activity?

For me, I believe that physical activity is an essential element of a healthy life. Exercise can benefit us in a variety of ways. It can help with weight loss, the maintenance of healthy weight, it can fight off disease, increase our energy levels, and slow down the aging process. Physical activity is also crucial for mental health as it helps us combat the stress that we experience in our daily lives. Whenever I go for a run or I visit the gym, I'm given the opportunity to de-stress and concentrate only on the present moment.

A few months ago, I decided to join a boxing gym because I heard from a friend that it would help me lose weight while also teaching me about self-defense. While I found boxing to be a lot of fun, it can be challenging at times and I'm nowhere near ready to enter the ring and actually box with another person. But I'm okay with that. It was never my intention to hit other people. I only wanted a chance to learn some basic techniques and movements.

Overall, boxing makes me feel great. I would encourage anybody to do at least 30 minutes of physical exercise every day in order to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. So, whether you take a walk, lift heavy weights, skip rope, swim, box, or stretch, as long as you do something to move your body each day, then you can profit from all of the health benefits of physical activity.

An expression that I've heard a lot these days is self-care. It's a really trendy expression, but the concept isn't exactly new.

Self-care means taking care of yourself so that you can be the healthiest, best possible version of you. Anything that you do for yourself that makes you feel better or cared for can be considered self-care.

For example, remembering to floss your teeth before going to bed at night, having a relaxing bath, taking a walk in nature, going on a shopping spree, or going to the gym can all be regarded as self-care practices. So my question of the day is this. What have you done recently for your own self-care?

Did you get anything for the Black Friday sale this year? How much did you spend?

Last year, I spent a lot on electronics and computer gadgets during Black Friday but ended up not using many of them. It’s very tempting to buy many things when everything is on sale, but I didn’t want to buy something and then not use it.

So this year, I’m watching my spending and being mindful about what I buy. I ended up getting a new webcam that can record in 4K resolution, which is an upgrade from my old 1080p resolution webcam. I think this was a practical purchase.

How about you? Did you get anything for Black Friday?

Is it better to focus on a few things at a time, or follow your curiosity and explore as many interests as possible?

Is it better to focus on a few things and become a master at a craft? Or, is it better to explore many things and become more well-rounded?

What do you think?

Imagine you’re talking to your very old, future self. Your future self is successful, and has already accomplished everything you wanted to do. What life advice, career advice, or language learning advice do you think your successful, future self would give to your current self?

There's a reason why I'm framing this question this way. If you said, your future self would tell you to exercise more, then you can think, "Why am I not excercising now?" Thinking this way can get you to take action right now and it can give you an opportunity to change your life. Thinking this way helped me get out of the rut quickly. I call this, "grandpa frame."

What advice do you think your future self would give to your current self?

What red flags do you look for when making new friends or entering a romantic or business relationship?

"Red flag" means a warning sign. What would make you lose trust in a person? For me, it's important that the other person's words and deeds are consistent with their intentions. Are they honest? If they make a mistake, can they talk about it honestly and openly? I can be friends with people with different hobbies, interests, and beliefs. But if they're not being congruent or genuine, then it's hard for me to build a long-term friendship with them. What about you? What red flags or green flags—you could also use that metaphor, "green flag", which means a positive sign—what red flags or green flags do you look for when making new friends or entering a romantic or business relationship?

There is a famous English saying: ‘You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.’ It means that someone’s first impression of you is usually the strongest, so it’s important to make a good impression when meeting someone for the first time, whether in business or in private life. Do you agree with this?

Has there ever been a time when your first impression of someone was off and how you felt about them changed significantly after getting to know them?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this old saying.

Today, I'm going to have you do a role-play in a business situation. Imagine you are working for a software company, and you are telling your developer to fix a bug in the software. Try to convince him. Try to use a friendly but professional tone when speaking to him and keep it short. Here's my demonstration.

Hey [name], our clients noticed there's a bug in the latest release, and it's impacting the user experience. I understand you have a lot on your plate, but could we possibly consider bumping up its priority and get this sorted? I'd really appreciate your help. If there's anything I can do to speed up the process, please let me know.

Now, it's your turn to do the role-play. Tell your developer to fix the software bug. Give it a go.

Good morning! Today's Question of the Day is about your brain. Do you have an internal monologue? Some people do and some people don't. Which are you?

An internal monologue is a voice in your head — usually your own — that narrates your thoughts like a narrator. Some people hear this voice in their head quite often, some less frequently, and some never — instead thinking in images or feelings.

I am definitely one of the people who has a strong internal monologue, and I was actually shocked to discover that other people don't have one. How about you?

Today, I'm assigning you a role -playing task in a business English context and here's the scenario. Your client appears to be dissatisfied with your company's software, which is currently not working as expected. You're the point of contact, but you don't have any decision -making authority within the company. All the decisions regarding the software are made by the product team and there are timelines for completing tasks or addressing requests are unpredictable. It's a mystery even for you. In this situation, how would you address your client's concerns without making any commitments or promises? Okay, so pretend that I'm your client who is a bit upset about the software and try to reassure me while maintaining transparency, but also not making any promises. Give it a go.

In Japanese, there’s a term called “paper driver.” A “paper driver” is someone who has a driver’s license but does not or cannot drive well. This word does not exist in English, but you can say “a driver on paper only” instead. If you live in a big city, you can take public transportation, but if you live in the suburbs or rural areas, you might need to drive. Do you drive often? Or, are you a drier on paper only?

Do you remember what it was like during your first years in the workforce after college or graduate school? What struggles did you face? What did you have to learn quickly to catch up with peers who are a few years ahead of you? What was difficult? Was it the corporate communication skills, the industry knowledge or business English? What challenges were overwhelming or difficult and how did you overcome them? Tell me what your experience was like in the early years of your professional career.

What funny, interesting, or insightful thing did you hear this week? If you are a parent, maybe you can share something your child said or did recently that was funny or cute. If you don’t have a child, you could talk about something funny your friend, coworker, or family member said or did. I’d love to hear about an interesting interaction you had this week.

How many different cities have you lived in? Some people live in one city their whole lives. In my case, my family moved a lot when I was little, and even as an adult, I continued to move around whenever there was a job opportunity or major life change. Ok, so let me count. I’ve lived in six different cities in the US, five cities in Japan, three cities in Korea, and one city in Malta. So in total, I have lived in 15 cities. I only counted the cities where I lived for school or work. This does not include the places I have stayed short-term or long-term for business trips or personal travels. If I include those, it would be way too many. What about you? How many different cities have you lived in?

Question of the day, what's your go-to meal?

A go-to is something that you can choose easily and usually access right away without giving it much thought. For example, whenever I needed to buy a regular t-shirt, my go-to store in Korea was Uniqlo. I would just automatically shop there for basic t-shirts. In terms of meals, when I lived in Seoul, I would usually opt for a tuna kimbap from the restaurant on the ground floor of my apartment building. Now that I'm back in Canada, my go-to meal is usually a sandwich. What about you? What's your go-to meal? It's something that's reliable and never lets you down.

*kimbap: a Korean rice roll or rice ball.

I don’t know very much about Korean cuisine. What dish would you recommend to me and why?

So, I am a vegetarian and the only time I visited Korea I had a hard time because all of my friends wanted to eat a lot of barbecued meat and I ended up eating white rice and kimchi almost every time.

What are some good Korean foods that vegetarian could also enjoy?

Do you speak any other languages besides Korean and English? If so, which language and why did you learn it?

If not, what other language do you think you might be interested in learning and why?

Good morning and here is your Question of the Day! The Korean lunar new year is coming up very soon and I'd love to hear your feelings about it. What is your favorite part? What kind of game, activity, tradition or food makes you think fondly of the lunar new year festivities? I'm looking forward to hearing your answer!

What was the last item that you bought? Why did you buy it?

My last item was a food item. Yesterday, I purchased a spicy "samgyupsal doppap", which in English translates to probably a spicy pork belly on rice. I usually try to pack my own healthy lunches anytime I go to work, but yesterday morning I was just too busy so I forgot all about that.

The "doppap" from yesterday was delicious enough, but to be honest it could have used a little more meat and a lot more spice. For me the spicier the better.

Anyway, I remember that I still felt a little hungry after eating my lunch, so I took out a square of chocolate from my desk and I enjoyed it with some black coffee as I made my way through my afternoon work. It's a funny answer I think because the last item that I bought was food and I predict that my next purchase will also be food.

Imagine you are the CEO of a successful startup that has just received a $5 million investment. What would you spend it on, and how would you manage the risks and potential rewards of your decision? Would you spend it on marketing to get more customers? Would you expand globally for branding and positioning? Or would you invest in R&D (research and development) to develop new technology? Feel free to choose the industry, service, or product you're familiar with, and walk through your thought process.