Just a couple of shots taken at the inter-class ball games tournament.

My third-grade international-stream (arts) students. Shota attending to an injured Takumi while Ryo looks on. Takumi has been in my class since he was in first grade. Shota was in my class when he was in first and second grade. Ryo was in my class only in his second year.

My first-year information-stream (science) boys. (L-R) Yuta, Daisuke and Katsu-don (nickname, dunno his real name).

Based on my observations over the last 2 years across 3 different schools, boys with names ending in -ta, in particular the name Shota, are very talkative and mischievous, not that they're bad kids, just that they can be quite restless. A Japanese teacher concurs with me. Isn't it interesting? A name is not merely a name. Someone once told me that you can't decide on the name for a baby in advance. You've got to look at the baby to see if the name suits the baby. Perhaps people have certain preconceptions on characterisics they associate with the name, so they unknowingly treat the kid in a particular manner, and the kid grows up like that. A simplistic argument. Undoubtedly full of flaws. Nevertheless an interesting thought.