Soba noodles + yam = yum!

Had a Japanese dinner with friends.  We made matcha soba noodles, mountain yam (?), natto, and green onion.  Yam seasoned with dashi stock and soy sauce goes really well with rice and soba noodles. It's rare to find this dish in the US, so we were all amazed by how precious this opportunity is.  It was yummy... 

We planned our trip to the UP, too!!  I'm so glad I get to go there before I graduate.  We are excited to see the Tahquamenon falls, Pictured rocks, some other falls, and local breweries.  It will be a 5-hour drive; hopefully we can take turns. 

Remote work, going back to office, and seeing people in person again

 Witnessed a bit of a drama for the first time in a long while.  After being working from home , being alone all day every day, I'm aware that my interpersonal skills have gotten rusty.  It feels wierdly comforting to see other people's emotions in person, both positive and negative. It makes me realize "Oh, there they are.  They exist in this real world, not in a computer screen, and they have emotions just like I do."  We humans are social animals, indeed, and while it makes me anxious to be directly exposed to other people's feelings, it also makes me feel like I exist in this moment with others, for real.

Being by myself is easy, comfortable, and stress-free.  There is nobody that uses my kitchenware without asking, forgets cleaning the bathroom after use, or plays loud music when I want to focus on work.  But with no interaction with humans, that easiness can actually be toxic because loneliness builds up and yet your needs for social interaction is masked by the comfort and zero stress of not being around with people.  It's like muscle.  You need to keep training your muscle to move or to perform daily activities, but not training it is easy.  But if you don't train it for too long, your muscle will decline and eventually you will have difficulty in moving.  

At the end of the day, I need some interaction with humans some time in person.  Whether it's for work or leisure.  It will take some getting back used to, but I am kind of looking forward to it.  For now. 

Time goes by and morning habits established

 Morning walk has become my routine.  I like to do some things for myself in the morning like meditation, planning, listening to inspirational videos, and journaling.  It increases my productivity a lot!

Time is so precious, and everyone has exactly the same amount of time. Whether we use it fully or not is up to ourselves!!   

A hydrangea season

Beautiful!  It's forecasted to be a dry season, but we've seen some storms and heavy rain the past few weeks.  It's great that crops in the field are getting some good rain in the beginning of the field season.

It seems that the front wheel of my bike has been stolen... I can't believe it!  It's my only means of transportation, and it's such a hassle to have to bring up my bike to my apartment.  Hmmm...   

 

House window shopping in my neighbourhood

Enjoying house window shopping during my morning walks....

It's so cool and refreshing to take walks in the morning.  It's become one of my morning routines.

 

Twisted Wonderland project トレケイ漫画描いてみた

For the first time in a long while I took drafting very serious and drew a short story.. for a collaborative project.  I will get to draw another story based on someone else's draft!  It will be fun!

久しぶりにガチのネームを描いた...。人に提出するだけあって、ネームのためのネーム、下書きのための下書きをしなければならなかった。。。でもすごく楽しかったしこれが誰かに清書してもらえるなんて考えただけでもワクワクだな！  

English version!  It's hard to translate the onomatopoeia.

 

Lion's mane mushroom and stir-fried tofu noodles

Tried a type of mushroom called lion's mane for the first time. It does look like lion's mane, and it is supposed to be good for your nervous system. It's also supposed to taste like lobster meat.  Interesting enough to try, and I got a chance to do so thanks to a friend of mine.

We sautéed the mushroom with olive oil, garlic powder, and soy sauce.  We kept the seasoning simple to savor the taste of the mushroom. I had never had mushroom like that before.  I must admit that it was not like lobster meat, very much mushroom-y, but it was different and unique.  I liked it, and the way it was cooked.  It was like mushroom steak!

Then we made another tofu noodle dish with grilled chicken, tofu noodles, and shredded carrots, with oyster sauce and chicken soup stock.  This one was yummy, too!  I like the gummy texture of the tofu noodles.  I got to get a lot of protein! 

Sautéed lion's mane

 

耳が詰まって聞こえにくくなった、ear wax built up

One morning I got up and I couldn't hear very well with my right ear.  I was trying to pop it but I couldn't, and after a week, I went to a doctor, and it turned out that ear wax built up in my ear was making it hard to hear. The doctor said it's very common, but I've never heard of it or had it before.  I can hear very well now after cleaning. Omg..  there's always something new to learn.  But difficulty of hearing may be due to other causes like infection, and early treatment is key to recover hearing.  So, it's no joke..  a life lesson learned!

耳垢性難聴なるものに初めてなって、そんなものがあるともしらず。綿棒での耳掃除は耳垢を奥に押し込むからだめなんだって。耳垢を溶かす目薬みたいなのをたらすか、シャワー浴びてるときに耳に温水を入れて溶かすと良いらしい。知らなかった……なんで綿棒売ってるんだじゃあ……。

でも難聴は他にも原因がある可能性があって、突発性のは早く治療するほど治る可能性が高いから即病院に行ったほうがいいらしい！知らなかった！放置せず行こう！！

A secret piano practice

Played the piano after a looooong while... I suddenly had an urge to play it today, and it felt great when it was satisfied.  It's always nice to follow my heart. 

 

Make anything a party!!

Work party when her dad had to go to the office at night to meet the deadline - the whole family went and had a party there (had dinner etc.) while he was working.

Now she and her hasband would throw parties in their daily life - cooking party, clearning party, gardening party, you name it.  That way everything will be fun and enjoyable!

Being proactive instead of passive.  Then you have more control over your life, your emotion, and therefore your well-being. 

https://youtu.be/nGv4HXCpxw0

MindValley Talks video - How to learn fast

By Jim Kwik - a memory coach.  He had hard time fit in at school, struggled with learning, and he heard one of his teachers said to another one referring him as 'a boy with broken brain'.  But now he is a memory coach, teaching people how to learn. 

There are subjects to learn, math, arithmatics, language, history, ... but they are all WHAT to learn, not HOW to learn.  Retention, memory, read, output, organize, those skills should be taught as well.

"Learning won't be done without memorizing". --Socrates 

What you can do is brief-driven.

What Roger Bannister do? -- 4 min mile.  At that time, it was believed to be impossible, and it was said that your heart would explode if you run at such a high speed.  Then Roger did, by imagining himself doing it, crossing the finish line and seeing it say 3'59.  He broke his mental limit!  After that, several people did 4 min mile.  

"If you believe you can or if you believe you can't, either way you are right."  -- Henry Ford.

"Your brain is a superhero, and your self-talk is the program that runs it."  -- So, if you say 'Oh I have a bad memory, I cannot remember people's names.', you are telling your brain not to!

"Ditch the belief that you have creativity or you don't.  Creativity is not what you have, it's what you do. Energy is not what you have; it's what you do.  Focus is not what you have; it's what you do.  Memory is not what you have, but what you do."  By changing the "have" to "do", you will have control over it. 

"If you fight for something, you get to keep it." 

How to be a fast learner.. BE FAST

B = Belief ... break your mental limit.
E = Exercise ... when your body is moving, your brain is grooving.
F = Forget ... Forget unnecessary information and be in a beginners mind.  A parachute only flies when it's open.
A = Active.  You learn when you actively participate.  Ask questions, take notes, think what you can use the information you are learning for.
S = State.  Bring yourself to focused state. Not bored state. 
T = Teach.  You master the information when you can teach it to someone.

State ... If you are focused and so engaged in doing something (e.g. watching your favorite show), you are in the focus mind and you won't hear it if someone talks to you during that time.  -- Perfect time to absorb information. 

2 villains - digital overload and digital distraction.

• Looking at your phone when you wake up is the worst thing you could do to your brain.
• Make the best use of your most creative time!  

Digital dimentia = We are so reliant on technology and so addicted to our smart phone that they are making us stupid.

• 3 out of 10 people took out their phones to divide the bill by 10!

You need to remember to use your brain.  Don't rely too much on technology.

SOOOOO IMSPIRING!!  I was just making myself believe that I can't do it and that I had terrible memory.  From now, I will believe in myself and do focus, memorize, be creative, be energetic, and be productive! 

https://youtu.be/uT_GcOGEFsk

For Crepe Sake

Had an early dinner with a friend at For Crepe Sake in downtown East Lansing!  I ordered the Tuscan crepe with cheese, spinach, chicken, and basil pesto in it.  It was delicious!! It's nice that it comes with a bowl of salad or fruits.  I love the atmosphere of the place, too.  Looks quite French.  Happy to be able to dine out again.

 

Workshop: Including LGBTQIA+ in communities

17% of collage students identified themselves as LGBTQIA+

1.7% as transgender or questioning.

Whether LGBTQIA+ are accepted by the public varies greatly between countries. 20% in Indonesia, Ukraine, Russia, Nigeria, all the way to >80% in Canada, US, Australia, and EU countries.

But 20% in the US says no to 'same sex relationships should be accepted by society'

69 countries criminalize same sex relationships.

Sex - Biological sex, physiological attributes, governed by genetics

Sexual orientation - how a person is attracted to another person (or the lack thereof)

Gender expression - how a person presents themselves in terms of how they dress, style their hair, how they speak, etc.

Gender identity - a person's internal sense of their own gender.  Everyone has a gender identity.

Glossary: https://lbgtrc.msu.edu/education/glossary.html

Mistakes happen! ... respond with ACT method 

A ... Apologize

C ... Correct

T ... Try again

Cocktail-like sake drink

Found some cocktail-like sake drinks at Fresh International Market, 5% alc., mixed with juice and carbonated.  Interesting!  The company that sells those is rather small, but it's inspiring that they export their products and they got all the way to Michigan!  

 

ASN conference

American Society of Nutrition 2021 taking place!  Having heard that it's going to be in person next year, which means so much more expensive registration fees + travel cost, I want to maximize the opportunity that online conference gives me this year.  It's so much easier when I can meet with people without needing to leave home. 

I like the networking sessions I am learning a lot of new information and new contacts.  Some of the keywords that I've learned and will be useful are:

Food informatics

Nutrition data mining

Nutri genomics

Precision nutrition

I hope I'll be able to find an opportunity to work on diet, nutrition, and people's health through data analyses.

Conference hype lasts long after today's sessions ended.

 

Happy pride month!!

It makes me happy to see companies and organizations change their logos into rainbow themed one.

We still have a long way to go, but we are getting there.  There is hope.

Even a game offers rainbow colored items available in June only! 🌈

Takoyaki party

I cannot believe it's already a week ago, but I had a takoyaki party with a group of friends.  One of them got a takoyaki hot plate (pictured) and it was high time that he used it.  Hot takoyaki was delicious, of course... exactly the taste of home.  As always, we brought unusual ingredients to put in our takoyaki, and see who gets what, just like Russian roulette.  Takoyaki with various ingredients like cheese, tomato, beans, dried fruits, corn chips, white chocolate, were all good, surprisingly.  

 

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Pink flowers on a bushy tree

I don' t know its name, but it's stunningly beautiful. 

 

Window shopping for houses?

The residential area near my apartment has a lot of cute houses of various sizes and designs.  It's like a live museum of houses.. Some remind me of buildings build in the 1500s I saw in France.