DaveSp1's avatar
DaveSp1

Jan. 24, 2026

33
La barzelletta del giorno: una differenza sutile

Un avvocato passa un segnale di stop e viene fermato da uno sceriffo.
Avvocato di successo di New York, lui si crede più furbo di uno sceriffo di un piccolo paese perduto nella campagna.
Lo sceriffo chiede patente e libretto.
L'avvocato chiede: "Per quale motivo?"
Lo sceriffo risponde: "Lei non s'è fermato completamente allo stop".
L'avvocato dice: "Ho rallentato e non arrivava nessuno dall'altra parte".
"Comunque, non s'è fermato del tutto. "Patente e libretto, per favore", domanda lo sceriffo con impazienza.
L'avvocato propone: "Se può mostrarmi la differenza legale tra rallentare e fermarsi, gli darò la mia patente e lei mi darà la multo. Altrimenti, mi lascerà andare in pace."
Lo sceriffo accetta: "Mi sembra giusto, per favore esca dal veicolo"
L'avvocato esce e lo sceriffo tira fuori il suo manganello e inizia a picchiarlo.
Lo sceriffo chiede: "Vuole che mi fermi o semplicemente rallenti?"

Milano's avatar
Milano

Jan. 24, 2026

1
Is Hadrid more complex then we think?

I have to do a short speech and manage a round table at one interesting and important event.
Below there is a part of my speech :

The "Dark Hagrid"

Rewatching the saga the 100th time I suddenly realised that there are several unanswered questions to the one well-known character, namely Rubius Hagrid.
While he usually viewed and considered by many as kind, supportive and "sweet, if a little weird, uncle", "a gentle giant" in reality there are some clear signs that there is something more here.
For example, he frequently asks Harry, Ron and Hermione (who are minors, by the way ) to cover up his illegal activities, such as smuggling the dragon Norbert.
Also he told Harry and Ron to "follow the spiders" which almost get them killed.
As a teacher, he showed students dangerous Hippogriff, underestimating the real risk.
His frequent "I shouldn't have said that" often provide Harry with exactly the information needed . It is strange, is not it?
Being a member of the Order of the Phoenix, Hagrid has access to high-level important information and powerful persons from different structures (we call it connections) for examle Dumbledore and the Minister of Magic.

So who is Rubius Hagrid- friend, enemy, an agent or a spy?

He is definitely not just a simple Keeper of the Keys.

But who he is? What he hides in the Magic Wood? What are his real intentions?

We all have to think carefully about it.

Randakun's avatar
Randakun

Jan. 24, 2026

39
1月24日

奇特で慈悲深い神様、あなたは完璧である。私たちは罪深くても、あなたは優しくて私たちを許します。感謝します。私が良くて相応しいギターの教師を見つかるのをさせて下さい。イエス様の御名によって御祈り致します。アーメン。

jomay's avatar
jomay

Jan. 24, 2026

3
都会

じつは田舎より都会に住みたいです。
田舎はとてもすてきで穏やか、でもスーパーやお店やびょういんの事なんてがとおい。かんこうにはいいです。都会は田舎よりもっと楽しい。こむけど、面白い。ショッピングをしたり、えいがをみたり、ともだちと一緒にカフェかレストランに行ったりするができる。田舎がちょっとつまらない。

Tammy's avatar
Tammy

Jan. 24, 2026

24
Today' Hike

It was fun to hike with old friends.

The view was beautiful, but I'm really tired today.

I captured some videos and pictures. Maybe I can show you tomorrow.

fanfanaichifan's avatar
fanfanaichifan

Jan. 24, 2026

0
Practice 26/1/24

I got two days off in January 22th.
I was out of money so I went out for a partime job in the next day.
There is a weeding centre named CEREMON, which is not far from my home.
I usually get there by E-bike, but bus this time because of the cold weather.
I remembered the last bus is at 23:30pm and I got the station at 23:17pm after work.
I was still a little bit nervers because I had not never been there in deep night.
I was not sure whether there was a bus' coming or not.
luckly, I took the last bus successfully at 23:40pm and it was moving so fast, it took just tweny minutes to take me home, while fifteen mimutes other times.
I was really tired and got to sleep after taking a quick shower.
what a tough day!

rabbitnz's avatar
rabbitnz

Jan. 24, 2026

0
Anfang

Heute fange ich mit meiner Vorbereitung für eine Prüfung an. Ich weiß es nicht, was ich schreiben sollte, weil ich noch nie so eine Webseite als Vorbereitung benutzt habe. Wenn ich die Prüfung bestehen würde, würde ich danach feiern. Nach ich meine B1-Prüfung geschafft hatte, hätte ich es gefeiert sollen, aber ich habe es leider nicht gemacht. Ich arbeite langsam durch 3 Bücher, mit denen ich für die Prüfungsvorbereitung benutze. Ich weiß es auch nicht, wie alles mit dem Vortrag laufen wird. Ich mache mir Sorgen darüber. Folgendes ist noch zu erwähnen: mein Kurs wurde abgesagt. Deswegen muss ich alles alleine lernen.

Ich lese gerade die Zeitung. Da drin steht, dass die USA aus der NATO zurückziehen könnte. Ich finde es fast unglaublich, wie unsere aktuelle Weltordnung nun aussieht: wir haben Anführer wie Trump, denen alles egal ist, außer dass sie ihre eigene Belohnungen bekommen (z.b. Geld, Öl, usw. aus Venezuela, nur ein Beispiel zu erwähnen). Was sollte man darüber denken? Zusätzlich, was sollte man darüber machen? Wir finden uns ganz und gar ohne Macht, machtlos in einer Welt, die sich so rasant verändert, dass wir kaum merken kann, wie alles vorbei uns geht, geschweige denn etwas darüber selber zu verändern. Wir gucken einfach noch weiter auf unseren Bildschirmen. Jedoch ist es nie zu spät, etwas anderes auszuprobieren: vielleicht sollen wir die Zeit dafür nehmen.

blenak's avatar
blenak

Jan. 24, 2026

4
Un autre cours de français

Ce jeudi, je suis allée au cours de français. C’était la première semaine du cours. J’ai pris un cours de français l’automne dernier avec la même prof. J’aime ma prof, mais son cours est parfois difficile. Je pense qu’elle voudrait que ses élèves parlent le français clairement et avec confiance, mais je suis parfois trop nerveuse. Il y a six élèves dans le cours, alors ma prof peut avoir des conversations avec nous. Quand j’ai fini le cours cette semaine, j’avais mal à la tête, probablement parce que je pensais trop dur !

amber28's avatar
amber28

Jan. 24, 2026

0
欠缺

最近、「欠缺」という言葉を知った。知ってますか?法学用語らしいです。欠如、欠乏、不足に似た意味です。


面白いのはこの言葉の漢字です。日本語において、「缺」って漢字、主に「欠」の旧字体とされ、新字体として殆ど使われていない、この言葉以外には。確かに「欠」の音読みは普通に「ケツ」ですね。欠如、欠乏だってそうです。「欠缺」には「ケン」という稀な音読みが出るだけではなく、「欠欠」なんておかしいから、第二字の「欠」を旧字体の「缺」になります。珍しい言葉ですね。

ところで、中国語には「欠」と「缺」はどれも日本語と同じ意味なのに、別々の文字です、日本語と違って旧字体新字体の相違だけではない。読み方も違う。

gaezer's avatar
gaezer

Jan. 24, 2026

2
休みなしの夜

ここ数日は3,4時間寝る後で二度寝できずに起きています。寝る前にカモミール茶を飲んでメラトニンをとっておいたのに。言うまでもなく疲れています。このまま続くとたまらないな

DaveSp1's avatar
DaveSp1

Jan. 24, 2026

33
El chiste del día: una diferencia sutil

Un abogado pasa una señal de alto y es detenido por un sheriff.
Siendo un gran abogado de Nueva York, él se cree más listo que el pobre sheriff de un pueblecito rural.
El sheriff le pide licencia y registro.
El abogado pregunta: "¿Para qué?"
El sheriff responde: "Usted no se detuvo por completo en la señal de alto".
El abogado protesta: "Bajé la velocidad y no venía nadie del otro sentido".
"Sin embrago, no se detuvo completamente. Licencia y registro por favor", pide el sheriff impaciente.
El abogado propone: "Si puede demostrarme la diferencia legal entre ralentizar y detenerse, le daré mi licencia y Usted puede darme la multa. Si no, déjeme ir en paz".
El sheriff acepta: "Me parece justo, por favor salga de su vehículo."
El abogado sale y el sheriff comienza a golpearlo con su porra.
El sheriff dice: "¿Quiere que me detenga o solo ralentice?"

chicory's avatar
chicory

Jan. 24, 2026

0
Trouble

I've been in trouble from about one year ago. It's an upstairs neighbors noise. Today is party night too. I can hear chatting, noise like knocking on the floor now. They also sometimes shout loud voices, sing along. I will sleep with earplugs tonight. Please give me good sleep.

Kanato's avatar
Kanato

Jan. 24, 2026

2
January 24th

I visited some Kimono rental shops today to prepare for my graduation celebration.
Actually, I graduated from the university about two years ago, but I missed a chance to take a photo wearing a Kimono at the time.
In Japan, especially for females, it is common to wear Kimono for celebrations like the coming-of-age ceremony or graduation.
It's so exciting to choose a favorite.
Unfortunately, I didn't find one I liked today, so I might visit another shop next time. I hope I can make time.

Milano's avatar
Milano

Jan. 24, 2026

1
How I can walk an extra mile when it hurts? Need your advice

What are you doing if you have to use your talking skills in a foreign language but it's a challenging level for you?
For example, you have to present something serious to the management from the UK tomorrow.
Or you have an important telephone call.
Or you have to go to some local office and talk to tired and unpolite person to solve a personal issue.

What technics do you use? How you can use this very short time in an effective way?

And how do not forget all those words when you start talking? And when you hear a clear but such an unpleasant "Hah?! Eh?! What?! You what?"
Or even -"It's all Greek to me. I just don't understand ."

MAy be you have a secret word? May be a gesture? May be a spell?

Please share it.
And you will help all of us to talk to a Government office clerks with their "robotic" answers or bus drivers, who closing doors right as you arrive.
Or be prepared to shine when you have to give unexpectedly an interview in Spanish to BBC or National Geographic.

curious_owl's avatar
curious_owl

Jan. 24, 2026

39
L'hémisphère sud

Il n'y a que 33 pays dans l'hémisphère sud, des quelque 200 pays dans le monde. En outre, seulement 10 % de la population mondiale vivent dans l'hémisphère sud. Cela signifie qu’il y a des choses environnemental qui sont presque universel pour d’humains : que le est froid dans la Nord, que l’hiver est à la fin de l'année, et même des animaux sont similaires (les renards, les ours, les loups, les écureuils, et les oiseaux comme les moineaux sont tous trouvés à travers l'Eurasie et l'Amérique du Nord). Évidemment il y a aussi plein de grandes différences, mais pour moi la comparaison entre les pays du Nord et les pays du Sud est très intéressante. Donc, j’aimerais poser une question : existe-t-il une quelconque solidarité entre les pays du Sud ? Honnêtement, je pense que non. Et quel dommage ! Nous sommes peu nombreux donc nous devons rester ensemble !

Endika's avatar
Endika

Jan. 24, 2026

0
Задание 10: Работать в туристическом бизнесе (уровень Б1)

Задание 3. Представьте, что Вы давно работаете в туристическом бизнесе. Сын Вашего друга, недавно закончивший школу и выбирающий профессию, обратился к Вам с просьбой рассказать о том, какими качествами должен обладать человек, желающий работать в сфере туристического бизнеса:
— характер;
— образование;
— уровень интеллектуального развития;
— организаторские способности;
— профессионализм;
— владение иностранными языками;
— владение смежными профессиями/ специальностями.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Мадрид, 24 января 2026 г


Дорогой Макс:

Спасибо за твоё письмо, мне было приятно его получить.

Недавно ты окончить из университета. Поэтому я приглашаю тебя работать в моей компании

Во-первых, тебе надо радостный характер так как твоя главная задача продавать поездки. Они довольны нашими услугами.

Во-вторых, чтобы стать профессионалом, конечно ты должен поговорить многие языки. Прежде всего, по англиский язык.
Наши работники знают до четырех языков. Самые популярные; немецкий, испанский, китайский и последний японский.

В целом, это работа самый главный как разговорить.
Если ты знаешь многие вещи об иностранных странах, то большинство людей заплатить наши путешествия.

Надеюсь, ты прочтёшь это сообщение и я буду ждать тебя с большой радостью.

Твой друг

Endika

esnow's avatar
esnow

Jan. 24, 2026

0
Sushi

Which do you like a meat or fish? Honestly, I love a fish! Because meats have too many fats in them. And I love sushi! Have you ever been to Japan? Japanese conveyer belt sushi bar, in Japanese "Kaiten Zuzhi" is taste so good! Especially, Hamazushi is my best bar. If you have a chance, I recommend go to it.
This is still a secret, but most Japanese people know that Chawan-mushi is more delicious than sushi, and they order it in Japanese conveyer belt sushi bar.

Monsieur_Elephant's avatar
Monsieur_Elephant

Jan. 24, 2026

362
Was weiß ich über die Schweiz? (2/2)

Die Schweiz ist auch für ihre Uhrmacherkunst ausgezeichneter Qualität, leckere Käse und tolle Schokolade kennzeichnend. Ich könnte auch den Turismus erwähnen, weil viele schweizerische Skiorte bekannt sind.

Ich persönlich bewundere die schweizerische Demokratie. Mit Eisland ist es vielleicht das einzige Land, wo eine echte, effektive Demokratie existiert. Das Land sieht zumindest viel demokratischer aus, als die neue UdSSR der Lobbyisten, d.h. die Europäische Union…

Wenn ich nach der Schweiz fahre, bin ich immer dadurch erstaunt, wie arm die Leute da sind. Sie führen nur Audis und Lamborghinis. Ich natürlich habe ein paar Maseratis! Die prächtigen Häuser in Zug oder am Bodensee beeindrucken mich nicht: Meine Villa in Dubai ist viel schöner! Nee ich scherze natürlich… Obwohl alles teuerer in der Schweiz ist, fahre ich immer gerne dorthin. Genf finde ich ganz angenehm und Zürich ist schön (doch mag ich lieber die Stimmung in Genf). Eines Tages möchte ich auch Bern besichtigen.

TOMO_o's avatar
TOMO_o

Jan. 24, 2026

139
Which part of learning English do you find most difficult?

While living in Japan, I have zero opportunity to speak English unless I actively seek it. So even I write some sentences in English, or watch the foreign news, I can’t practice speaking skills. Maybe I am too shy to express my feeling.

pascal00d's avatar
pascal00d

Jan. 24, 2026

0
The digital black hole

Last September, I moved into a new house, and, as usually when you pack and unpack your own stuffs, the moment brought back a perfume of nostalgia. However, even though moving was far from being a new life experience, this last one was surprisingly emotionally stronger than ever.
Before this new house, I had lived for more than two decades in ridiculously tiny apartments where space management was a daily constraint. Thus, the biggest part of my books, comics and music CDs were forgotten in dark corners of basements during all those years. As many people, I probably neglected them also because of the rise of a new delightful promise — a whole digital world accessible by just one click!
Now, as space is no longer a problem — I can gesticulate like mad without breaking anything, myself included — I had no more excuses to keep full cardboard boxes! So, a few weeks later, I purchased a large bookcase, and spent a long rainy Sunday afternoon to unpack these old dusty boxes.
Oh! My old sci-fi books! My favourite comics! My music CDs that I’ve listened to thousands of times! Huge shots were awakening my past memories and warming my heart. I felt as if I had dug up a treasure after two decades, as if my past self had delivered packages using time travel!
However, after a few hours, a slight bitterness pinched my heart. This rich heritage contrasted a lot with the horrible emptiness of the present world. As I was rediscovering my own heritage, I was listening to music, and I had no damn idea about the songs’ titles or the artists’ names.
What has happened to my artistic curiosity these two decades? The answer is so bloody obvious — I’ve subscribed music and movie streaming services, and bought ebooks.
I’ve happily and readily jumped into the digital black hole!

patient_stork's avatar
patient_stork

Jan. 24, 2026

0
Woycek Aufsatz

In Woyzeck und Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe
spielt Liebe eine zentrale Rolle. In Woyzeck erscheint Liebe
als etwas Fragiles, das leicht zerstört ist.
In Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe ist Liebe auf eine
romantische Weise dargestellt, aber sie ist jedoch durch
gesellschaftliche Regeln unterdrückt. In diesem Aufsatz
diskutiere ich, was passiert, wenn Liebe auf die
gesellschaftliche Realität trifft.
Der erste Punkt ist, dass Liebe in Woyzeck
leicht durch äußere Kräfte zerstört ist. Die Liebesbeziehung
zwischen Woyzeck und Marie zeigt, dass Liebe sofort
gefährdet ist, sobald eine bessere Option erscheint.
Der Tambourmajor tritt als solche Figur auf.
Marie fühlt sich zu ihm hingezogen, weil er mehr
Status, Kraft und Ressourcen hat gegenüber Woyzeck.
Das zeigt, dass In der Realität Liebe nicht wie eine Liebe keine geheimvolle Verbindung
zwischen Leuten assoziiert, sondern ein
Austausch ist, was die Leuten fehlen.

Die Situation zwischen den Hauptfiguren
macht es deutlich, dass Liebe treu
nur ein emotionaler Vertrag ist, der sich
verändern könnte, wenn eine bessere Option gibt.
Der zweite Punkt ist, dass gesellschaftliche Regeln
Liebe beschränken. In Romeo und Julia auf dem
Dorfe wird Liebe als etwas Natürliches beschrieben,
das durch die Gesellschaft unterdrückt wird. Die beiden
empfinden ihre Gefühle füreinander als
selbstverständlich. Das Dorf denkt, dass
eine Liebe zwischen ihnen unmöglich sei, wegen
der Vergangenheit von ihren Familien. Ihre Liebe
ist zwar stark, kann aufgrund gesellschaftlicher
Zwänge nicht realisiert werden. Dies zeigt, dass
Liebe tief erlebt kann, aber soziale Normen und Regeln
stärker sind als persönliche Wünsche.
Zusammenfassend kann man sagen, dass eine
romantische Liebe nur in der Realität zerstört wäre,
weil es leicht von äußeren Kräften beeinflusst
und eingeschränkt ist. Die gesellschaftlichen Normen
und die Bedrohung von anderen wirkt zu
stark, um eine echte romantische Liebe
zu entwickeln.

danielsantos's avatar
danielsantos

Jan. 24, 2026

0
La langue française et moi

J'ai déjà voyagé à France deux fois, toujours pour travail. La première fois c'était dans 2011, et la deuxième, c'était 2015, si ma mémoire n'est pas erronée. J'ai étudié le français pour un année et midi, et je suis capable de reconnaître beaucoup de mots, mais écrire et parler, c'est encore difficile pour moi... j'ai parlé peu français à Paris et Villepinte, mais je veux en améliorer.

Lerner's avatar
Lerner

Jan. 24, 2026

60
My Favorite Websites: Part II

Another useful website I use quite frequently is youglish.com. Its idea is plain simple: Type any word in almost any language and hear it pronounced in a random YouTube video. Depending on the language (there are several dozen available), the website's database can offer you up to millions of real-life usage examples. For English, you can even specify the region you want to get your videos from! When there are no available audio examples on Wiktionary, my dictionary of choice, I always employ Youglish to get the hang of the correct pronunciation. Additionally, you can infer the ubiquity of a given phrase or word by the number of examples available. For instance, there are only 40 videos in this website's database that comprise the idiom ''take a rain check'', while there is almost a thousand for ''a piece of cake''. By analyzing the example senteces, you understand how and in which contexts to use these phrases appropriately.
I think that this is a great tool to impove your pronunciation and sound more natural!

Tien_Huynh's avatar
Tien_Huynh

Jan. 24, 2026

0
Chapter II: A New Beginning

A. My highly sensitive
I got a job offer yesterday. It is a construction company headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, a major city in the south of my country. They have a project through my province. So now I am in a rented room in another town to facilitate the new job. This job means a lot to me. You will know why later. That is not a very happy story. The issue I want to raise in this book has caused me and my people so much trouble, I personally feel it is unnecessary to tell a non-fiction story that is not finished and will probably have a lasting impact starting with sad stories, so I will tell you that story later.
The room is about 20m2, cleaned before I come. The house owner is an old couple. They say they ran a karaoke bar but a few months ago, they started to use the rooms for rent. No wonder I see an A4 piece of paper paste on the wall in the bathroom: "Please do not throw trash in the toilet". And a wash basin and a table placed outside the bathroom must have been added later, for cooking, as they say. I bought a mattress, pillow, blanket, a small table, a small clothes rack for the room, and some essential items for the bathroom.
After arranging those things, I went out to take a look around this place. I live in the center of town, next to the market. As my house owner said, the market was on this side, it was moved to the other side of the street one year ago. A few remaining stores are eating houses and barber shops. They look old but there are more customers coming to those stores than the restaurants and salons newly built. I do not want to eat or cut my hair, so I walk back and cross the street. The market closed. I see only a few fruit stalls and clothing stores still open. I do not want to buy clothes either, so I skip those stores, continue walking. Around the market is more bustling. There are many eateries: coffee bars, snack bars,… Here and there are a few lots under construction.
I stop in front of a bright yellow milk tea cart. Looking at the decoration and the bartender, I think the taste will not be bad. I ordered a cup of traditional milk tea with flan and black sugar boba. While waiting, I see a young couple comes over. Almost everyone turns their attention to them. The girl has a beautiful body and dresses quite coolly, while the boy is holding her hand very proudly.
- What does this young lady want to buy? – An employee asks the girl.
- Yes, a cup of green tea with a full topping.
- Just wait a minute.
- Yes.
A carefully made cup of green tea rapidly is quickly given to the girl.
- Madam, yours is 30,000. – Another employee says.
I stand there, and see the surrounding air changes instantly. The girl receives the milk tea with shame. She awkwardly pays. The boy shyly avoids the gazes of the others, who their jealousy was satisfied and are enjoying the despicable pleasure of bringing down the couple. Some others quickly turn away, as if they are afraid that someone will point out and criticize their ability to evaluate beauty and ugliness. And two employees exchange their glances and smile with each other, I know this has probably happened many times before.
A lot of questions appear in my mind: Why are those two employees so mean? Why is the girl shameful? Why does the boy shyly avoice others? Why does he not hold his girl hand tighter? Why do the others have that despicable pleasure? Why do some others have to turn away? And why do I realize things others cannot realize? Why cannot I just think like them? What good are these thoughts of mine?
But I just keep silent. I say to myself: “I am just a common person, my different thinking is useless” every time I encounter situations like this. I still do not understand why but it seems that in fact, people do not often think rationally nor do they want to think rationally. There was a time when I thought that if I saw something absurd, I would just say it and everything would be fine. But it is not like that. I know there is a high probability that if I say my thoughts now, all those people, will not be able to accept the shame of having their dark sides exposed and will rely on the crowd to laugh at me, including the girl, she will not feel grateful but feels relieved, because the shame is transferred from her to me, and very willing to turn her back on me.
In reality, there are even more extreme cases, when passersby dare not to stop to help people in accidents, because they themselves become the target of being cursed, beaten and forced to compensate the accident victim. Humans are so funny.
The employee gives me the milk tea cup with both hands, big smiles and speaks warmly:
- Thank you for your support. If you find it delicious, please come back and support us next time.
I do not like this. That is really sarcastic when she neglected her role as an employee by behaving so shamefully towards her customer, and then she uses the employee role to enjoy the results of that behavior. She was enthusiastic towards me to pretend not to know what was going on and show to everyone that she is just a very exemplary employee, making her shameful behavior look like she was just casually stating the truth. This also helps those who felt gloating are relieved, thinking that their support on the good side saves them from unpleasant feelings. They actually felt a sense of shame in their hearts for the joy they had, so they have a urge to erase that feeling to rebalance. She gave them a reason for them to think that they are still good people.
I do not want to become indifferent. I do not want to turn a blind eye either. But I also do not want to bring trouble upon myself. I look deep into her eyes, keep it so long and she understands. She feels uneasy, blinks and diffidently looks away. I hope If she knows somebody may see her malice, she will stop doing such behaviors.
I keep walking and in a corner, I see a karaoke bar. I am more interested in it than other shops, so I step inside.
- How many people are going? – The receptionist stands up and asks me.
- I go alone.
- Just you?
- Have you never seen anyone sing karaoke alone?
- Not yet.
- Now you see. Just get me a plate of fruit. And can I bring this milk tea cup?
- Yes. Do you have any other requests?
- No.
He leads me into the first room, right behind the reception desk.
I ask for the light to be as bright as possible, no flashing lights, no air conditioning, just fan and sit down near the song selection board. It is a small room, with a U-shaped sofa running along three walls, a stone table in the middle, and a stereo system on the opposite side. There are no pictures or other decorations.
It has been a few months since I last sang. “Hoping I do not sit here crying” – I say and laugh at myself. I smile at my own foolishness when I realize I am wondering which song to sing first. “You are just singing karaoke alone now” – I remind myself and press “ARTR”, then choose the first line “A Realm to Return” and grab the mic. Thinking back to the past, I am afraid that I will sing heavily. But it turns out that when I sit here and sing to myself, I find myself singing very calmly, without any bitterness or sadness.
I have sung for two hours, singing all kinds of songs: western and eastern, old and new, happy and sad, love and broken hearts… Letting all my emotions rise up, and pour them all out.
If I have been deliberately peeling off layers of my thoughts through posts for so long but still never felt like I was fully myself, then I accidentally found that in my voice. It is not because it is good like people say. Others may not know, but I know my voice has defects. This is okay with me, actually. I am not a singer. So instead of spending time and effort to overcome those defects by others standards, I try to sing as I really want.
The receptionist said with admiration: “You sing so well” when I pay the bill. I smile at him. My voice seems to be the only thing that harmonizes between me and this world. I can be myself and others still like it. Left, I have to hear things like: You need to be like this when you go to school, like that when you go to work, you have to behave like this in this situation, you have to feel like that in that situation... I am so sick of these stereotypes, I do not fit into any of them.

While surfing Facebook, I see a video sharing an office staff’s thoughts in a day, both real and satirical. “Yes, work has its unpleasant situations, but somehow it is fun.” - I say to myself, remembering the happy times at my old company.
For more than two years since I created Lac Lac, Facebook has given me the feeling that it understands me more and more, as if it has followed me everywhere, was happy with me, sad with me, even guided me when I was confused, gave me suggestions when I had problems.
I see another post with the caption “After the darkest night, the sun will rise every morning”, I think it is talking to me, I am almost sure it knows I will have a new start tomorrow.
Scrolling down a bit more, the chorus of the song “A Flowery Path” ring out loudly:
“…I silently pray that youth with many wishes will bloom everywhere
Bringing you under that roof in the storm
Hope that time will erase all lies and vanity…”
“What a great song for today!” I copy the link and open Lac Lac to post it, with the caption above.

gaezer's avatar
gaezer

Jan. 24, 2026

2
泣かせる音楽

「下で這うもの」(What Crawls Underneath)という好きな歌があり、なんとなく時々涙を誘います。実は聞き取りにくいので最近まで歌詞すら知らなかったのに歌手の声は込めた生の感情だけが泣かせます。強くて範囲が広い声なんです。歌詞は不可解ですが、なんか悲しそうな気分です。少し翻訳できるかな。
この道は、人間が踏み入れるように
できたことならぬがゆえに
この花は、人間の目に眺められるように
育てていることならず
ヒュペリオンとミマスは、誰かに楽しまれるように
軌道を回わることならず
苔を引き剥がして、下で這うものを見る者
誰もあらず
これ以上翻訳しないです。これは思ったより難しいです。詩的な気分をほんの少しでも再現できたらいいですけど滑稽に聞こえるかもしれません。