Maybe this is a harbinger that something else [<em>you could also say,</em> "something more," "something further," "something bad," "something evil"] will happen.

Maybe this is a harbinger that something else will happen.
This morning, I found that someone had broken the mudguard over the rear tire of my bicycle.
I don't know whether this was accidental or deliberate.
I want to believe, however, that it wasn't malicious. [<em>Formally, one should not begin a sentence with a conjunction such as </em>but<em> or </em>and<em>; casually, it's okay.</em>]

何かよからぬ事が起きる前兆かもしれません。
今朝、自転車の後ろのタイヤの泥よけが壊されているのを発見しました。
わざとなのか、うっかりなのかはわかりません。
でも、悪意がないと信じたいです。

<em>[残念です。気を付けて。]</em>

Summer holidays!

My summer break began yesterday.
I've really been looking forward to this break.
Today, I read a book and did my nails.
Now I will go out for a drink.
So, my summer holiday has just started.


昨日から私の夏休みが始まりました。
休みをとても楽しみにしていました。
今日は、本を一冊読んで、ネイルもしました。
そして今から飲みにいきます。
私の夏休みは始まったばかりです。

[Nicely done, Yattsu. Enjoy your break!]

A flower delivery dog (Somebody help me with my English, please!)

My dog has a huge crush on our next-door neighbor.
It was her birthday the other day so he delivered a birthday basket to her at night. She said, "Oh Wow!" when she opened the door and saw him with flowers, standing there. [When she opened the door and saw him standing there with flowers, she said, "Oh WOW!" <em>-maybe a little better</em>] The surprise ended up being perfect. He was happy and just ran and ran, back and forth in front of her and excitedly peeing! Ooops.. She always gives him lots of love. Of course she is really nice to me.
The people in the city tend not to know even their neighbors' last names. I have heard that sometimes they have been having issues with their neighbors about pets for some reason. Fortunately, these things have never happened to me before, so far.
I think we should not forget to show good manners and respect to others whether they have a pet or not,anytime and anywhere, for keeping man's best friends comfortable and safe.

I feel very lucky to have a nice, good next-door neighbor.Sometimes my other one keeps barking at her when she is feeding our stray cat visitors,though... I know how much I am going to miss this wonderful neighbor when we move to another city,anyways...

[あいさん、エッセイと写真が素敵です。]

I made a mistake.

Today, I made a mistake at my part-time job but a fellow worker ["fellow worker" is not incorrect but "coworker" is more common] helped me.
I apologized to him.
I want get used to my job.

ただいまー♥

３ヶ月間アメリカで過ごしたー！
とっても勉強になった！
あっとゆーまだったー！
ホームシックにもなったけど、やっぱりアメリカに行きたいなって思いました！

通じたら嬉しいし自信もつくし、行ってよかった！
あとかっこいい人もいっぱい♥←
小学生にも、おじいさんにも、きゅんきゅんしたー！
みんな笑顔で答えてくれるからすごい嬉しかった！

来年も行くから、それまでにもっともっと会話できるように頑張ります！

I came back from America yesterday! I had a lot of fun! I wanna go there again!
I wanna talk more with American people!:)

[Thank you for the Japanese reading practice, Rina♪. I enjoyed your notebook entry.)

A Decline in American High School Students' Writing Abilities

So many American high school students are lacking good writing skills today simply because they do not write that much anymore. The recent surveys show that high school students write less frequently and receive fewer writing assignments in class. This is a dangerous trend, but there are ways to combat this. One way is to write more. Whether they have writing assignments or not, students could write personal journals, letters, or blog posts to practice writing. Another way is to read more "good" writings. Many high school students today only read updates on Facebook and gossip magazine articles. Reading articles or books that are well written will improve their writing skills.

HCastさん、私もそう思います。作文が素晴らしいです。

This term, I am watching a certain cartoon.

Dear friends learning Japanese on italki.
italkiで日本語を勉強している皆さんへ

This term, I am watching a certain cartoon. [辞書によると、英語で「どおる」が"a certain"です。正しいですか。]
今期はとあるアニメを見てます。

"Kiniro Mosaic" is a story about the school life of a student from the UK studying abroad in Japan.
「きんいろモザイク」は、イギリスからやってきた留学生が日本で学生生活を送るお話です。

One heroine of the story is an Englishwoman. Thanks to an event in her childhood, she has loved Japan.
ヒロインの一人はイギリス人女性です。小さい頃の出来事のおかげで、彼女は日本が大好きになりました。

Another heroine is a Japanese woman. Thanks to an event in her childhood, she has loved the United Kingdom.
ヒロインの一人は日本人女性です。小さい頃の出来事のおかげで、彼女はイギリスが大好きになりました。

Because of this, they become best friends.
彼女達は親友になるのです。

If you are interested in this cartoon, click on the link below.
もしこのアニメに興味があったらリンクをクリックしてみてください。

It's free for anyone to watch.
いくつかは無料で試聴することができます。

http://ch.nicovideo.jp/kinmosa