Minimalism ミニマリズム　映画

/0 Comments/in /by

Yesterday I finished watching an interesting documentary called Minimalism.

Here’s a link to the movie on IMDB (Internet Movie DataBase):

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3810760/

The guys that made the movie have a website:

http://www.theminimalists.com/

Here’s how they describe minimalism:

Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from overwhelm. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom.

That doesn’t mean there’s anything inherently wrong with owning material possessions. Today’s problem seems to be the meaning we assign to our stuff: we tend to give too much meaning to our things, often forsaking our health, our relationships, our passions, our personal growth, and our desire to contribute beyond ourselves. Want to own a car or a house? Great, have at it! Want to raise a family and have a career? If these things are important to you, then that’s wonderful. Minimalism simply allows you to make these decisions more consciously, more deliberately.

Well I thought it was pretty interesting. Check it out if you have a chance. If any of you have Netflix, you can watch it (with Japanese subtitles) there.

Nailed It!

/0 Comments/in /by
Read more

TOEIC Vocabulary practice

/0 Comments/in /by

Part 4

Story

Kathy and her friend opened ‘La Maison de Chocolat’ in a pretty trendy neighborhood. They became popular quickly. Their customers were typically women in their 30’s and 40’s who were looking to buy something special for their parties.

Vocabulary

Trendy (adjective); very fashionable or up to date.

Examples

  1. Crocs were very trendy sandals a few years ago.
  2. People say that Naka Meguro is a trendy area in Tokyo.
  3. Do you remember when Tamagotchi was popular ?

 

Customer (noun) a person who buys goods or services from a shop or business.

Examples

  1. A line of customers were waiting to get into the ramen shop for lunch.
  2. A few customers commented on how good our cakes were.
  3. Do you know how many customers came in yesterday? A. We served around 220.

P.S. A customer is defined as ’someone who buys goods or services from a store or business.’ A client is also a type of customer. In business, the two terms are often used differently based on the types of relationships built. Customers are generally people who come to you mainly to buy products or services you supply. Clients buy your advice and solutions personalized to their particular needs.

Nik

 

TOEIC Vocabulary practice

/2 Comments/in /by

Part 3

Story

Kathy checked the list and put down the clip board. She picked up the phone and dialed the number to the supply company. She had a contract with a local supplier. Since a small café had opened down the street she had to be smarter with her orders. The competition was putting pressure on her shop.

Vocabulary

Contract (Noun); a written or spoken agreement, especially one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy, that is intended to be enforceable by law.

I have a new contract with Softbank. I can use 20 GB of internet.

My current work contract is finished this spring. We will have to talk about an extension.

Q. Did you see Masahiro Tanaka’s contract? It’s a seven year, and 155 million dollar contract.

 

Competition (Noun); the activity or condition of striving to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others.

The competition for dentists in Kanto is pretty strong. I’ve heard there are more dentists than convenience stores in Japan.

I have a swim competition next weekend. I have to train a lot.

Q. Have you seen the competition for the science fair?

Nik