Greetings, email and our 'frappr' map;'Slopecasting' from the slopes and chairlift in Hakuba, Japan; Using the 'past -ing' tense ('Yesterday afternoon I was reading a book in the park.)

We have some strange weather here in Matsumoto. It's TOO WARM for our annual ICE SCULPTURE FESTIVAL, one of my favorites! There are more New Year's resolutions on the show today, and an interesting interview with two English learners. You're going to like this one!

Today, we learn about a Japanese festival called Ameichi. We also discuss Tricky English 1: using possessives. Let's learn two proverbs: 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder' and 'Out of sight, out of mind.' Hey, send me your mp3 audio files of your New Year's resolutions!

Happy New Year 2006! We'll hear some New Year's resolutions and learn a little about making New Year's resolutions. Also, a challenge for you to make an audio file and send it to us.