My teacher told me her friend recommended a programme called 「クロエマ」so I started watching it. My teacher hasn’t watched it yet, so was asking me about it. I was saying, 「クロエさん」but my teacher got it into her head that I was saying 「苦労さ」。 She kept saying, you can’t say that in Japanese and I kept saying, but it’s her name. This back and forth went on for about two minutes. Anyway, I’ve only watched the first episode so far. It’s no 「きのう何食べた」but it’s all right for Japanese listening practice.

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• 有終の美を飾る　物事を最後までやり通し，立派になしとげること。
• ビザが通る　申請が許可されたこと
• 汚点・おてん　stain/blot
• 暗躍　人に知られぬように，ひそかに策動すること。
• 公正・こうせい　fair/just
• 依拠する・いきょする basis/be based on
• 結託する・けったく　to collude
• 語り継がれる・かたりつがれる　次の世代の人に次々と語って，伝える。(+ve and -ve)

This week I wrote about the World Cup and FIFA.

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I got my postcard from immigration yesterday, so I spent this afternoon in that wonderful place. It’s my own fault, I just couldn’t justify paying a company ¥70,000 to do it when it’s only ¥6,000 for the visa! If I’d have had to have been in there all day I would have over paying that! Maybe even multiple days. I don’t know what my limit would be. I was too tight to get the bus from Shinagawa Station as well, so I was melting by the time I got there after marching over. I feel like I’m a visa specialist ...

I ended up having to get a new watch. The man at the shop said a new band would be 30,000 and a new face would be 15,000 so it wasn’t worth it. I think I’d had the old one for about 15 years so I guess I can’t complain but I’d become attached. I like my new one, it’s pretty much the same as my old one but can do a few different things. The explanation was too long though and I zoned out. The strap is lightweight and it feels comfortable to wear. I’m going to have to ...

Rightly or wrongly, I can’t stop thinking about that show the other night. I was outraged at first but now I just feel a profound sadness about it which I know seems extreme but that’s how it is.

• I feel really let down by the judgement behind the decision.
• More than anything, I feel as though the time, money and experience of the fans got treated as secondary.
  • People will have taken time off work to attend.
  • People will have travelled.
  • People will have saved up to buy tickets.
  • People will have received tickets as presents.
  • People will have paid

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