An English idiom that I learned today: out of kilter The following is a short definition of "out of kilter" and its example sentence from a textbook for the TOEIC test. Meaning: positioned incorrectly EN: The lamp on the desk had an out of kilter lampshade. JP: 机の上のスタンドはかさが傾いている。 JP: つくえ の うえ の すたんど は かさ が かたむいている。 This idiom is new to me. Hmm, I wonder if this idiom is commonly used in daily conversation...

Started Learning JSL (日本手話の学習をスタート) I just started to learn Japanese Sign Language (JSL), starting with the signs for the Japanese Kana syllabary. I've finished learning the signs for the vowels あ (a), い (i), う (u), え (e), and お (o). The set of vowels are called あ行（あぎょう = agyoo) in the Japanese syllabary. *I would greatly appreciate it if you could point out any grammatical errors or unnatural parts you may find in this entry.

My First Entry (初めての投稿) This is my first entry, and I'm a little in the state of "dokidoki (ドキドキ)" and "wakuwaku (ワクワク)." Dokidoki and wakuwaku are Japanese onomatopoeia. Dokidoki expresses the sound of your heart pounding and can be used when you're excited or nervous. I'm a little nervous now because I'm pretty new here and not sure whether I could find a nice language exchange partner. I'm "dokidoki shite imasu (ドキドキしています。)." Wakuwaku is used when you're excited with joy or high expectation. I'm a little excited because I may be able to improve my English skills with the help of nice people here. I'm a little "wakuwaku shite imasu (ワクワクしています。)." People say I'm very gentle, friendly and easy-going in my real life. But here, I'm a little too shy to actively say hi to people somehow, which means I'm a little passive. Hmm... maybe I should try to be more active... I'll just wait and see how things will turn out. *I would greatly appreciate it if you could point out any grammatical errors or unnatural parts you may find in this entry.