Japanese Kindergartens

I have been teaching basic English (numbers, colours, names of animals) at many Japanese nurseries. At all of them, visitors have to remvoe their shoes. Slippers are always provided.

It is a great idea. Nurseries need to be hygienic places for children, and having a no-outdoor shoes rule must help a lot. I once worked as an administrative assistent at a nursery and it was not always as clean as might be desired.

Happy Valentine's Day!






What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

CondeNast Art

Condenastart.com is having a wonder display of Vogue covers that are for sale. Vogue covers thru the ages have always been beautiful. Now we have the chance to purchase them. Just beautiful! Here are a few of my favorites. Love these shoes!








What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

A Farewell Speech

My fellow short-term worker, Joy, gave her farewell speech to the church today. In her speech she said:

I have learned many things from being in Japan. I have learned that you can keep your home much cleaner if you always take your shoes off.


Anna Nicole Smith Dead at 39

Reality star Anna Nicole Smith died Thursday after collapsing at a South Florida hotel, one of her lawyers said.

Smith, 39, did not respond to CPR, and her boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, 38, was with her when she passed, her attorney, Ron Rale, told FOX News.

The former Playboy Playmate was found unresponsive Thursday in her Seminole Hard Rock Cafe Hotel and Casino room in Hollywood, Fla.

Emergency responders performed CPR at the scene and a breathing apparatus was inserted in her throat, hotel officials told TMZ.com. Smith was immediately transported to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood just after 2 p.m. EST.

Local streets were closed off to rush Smith to the hospital, three miles away. Paramedics were seen pumping her chest as she was taken from the hotel.

Stern told "Entertainment Tonight" that her temperature was running high Wednesday night and that the couple had been in Florida shopping for a new boat.

"She checked in Monday at 8 p.m. as a guest. She was due to check out tomorrow," said Danielle Giordaano, a spokeswoman for the Hard Rock Hotel.

Look to the Future!

Maybe you're not overjoyed about how things worked out. There's nothing you can do about it now. If the past continues to haunt you, the only ways to change it are through rewriting your memories or blocking them out altogether. Shifting your focus would help a lot, too. Stop looking backward all the time. Turn your gaze to the future. Starting now, this is where you can make a difference. Let your previously learned lessons guide you without forcing your hand. Circumstances will be different every time. Respond to the current conditions and make something completely new.