Work, Life and Dream

"If you are looking for a job you would like to do even without getting paid, you will be searching it forever.

The pressure we feel to find a perfect job is too much, and we are so multifeceted that we can't love only one thing. The meaning of a job is to belong to a group of people, to get involved into a certain task, and to earn for living."

This article was quite interesting though there are some extreme opinions. We should take it for granted that there's no ideal job. And your interests may change as you get older. If so, nonetheless, we can be easily lost wondering what to do, what to choose. Career is important, indeed, in a sense that you are going to spend most of your life on doing it. The time you are in the office is longer than time you are with your family. So it totally makes sense if you wish to make a right decision, but it shouldn't be an obsession. Adjustment will be necessary. You'll be successful if you could get used to a new environment, make the most of it and enjoy whatever you are in charge of. Fulfillment is not something that you wait until it comes, but something is there waiting for YOU to find it. Maybe. At least it releases ourselves from the pressure to have an ideal job.

皆さんの意見が聞きたい

男女雇用機会均等法の記事を読んで、改めて考えさせられる。
女性の側にも、出世したくない、フルタイムで働くのは結婚・出産までと考える人がいるから、意欲の評価がよくないこともあるらしい。
一方で、給料、待遇、出世スピードに明らかな違いがあると会社を訴えた人もいる。判決は、差があることは認められるが差別ではないというグレーなもの。

今も普通に日本では、女性の仕事はこれ、男性はこれ、女の子はこうすべき、というのが強い。見えない鎖としてある。

確かに、結婚したら専業主婦、家庭を一番に考えたいという人もいる。子どもの面倒を誰が見るか、両親が離れていて頼る人がいなかったら、どうしようもない。結局女性がやめざるをえないことが多いし、一方で家庭に入ることを望んでいる人もいる。仕事で活躍したい、という野心が高い私としては、すごくもったいないなあと思う。子どもが手がかかるのはほんの一時期で、それを過ぎて正社員として再就職するのは難しい。せっかく教育を受けているのに。でも「元専業主婦」の受け皿が非正規雇用しかないのも確か…。
でも、仕事を続けたいがために結婚も出産も諦めるなんて辛い。なぜ社会は協力的でないのか。なぜ子育ての大変な一時期を、皆で乗りきろうとしないのだろう。暗に上司から退職を勧められた、なんて読むと腹が立ってくる。結婚するってことは、お手伝いさんになるってことじゃないですよ！と言いたい。お母さんのための子育ての本とかよく見かけるけれど、お父さんは何もしなくて良いわけ？ やっぱり女性は家のことして、男性が働くっていう考え方が根強い。それが男性だけでなく女性にも浸透していることが、問題を複雑にしていると思う。

ヨーロッパとか、アジアとか、両性ともに働くのが極めて普通の国を知ってるから、何でこんなに差があるのか興味深い。

有給の数かな… 有給多くて取りやすければ、緊急時にもなんとかなりそう。有給を取っても、仕事の割り振りや評価に影響しないというのが前提。外国は手続きが極めて遅いけど、労働者の権利を守ればそれが普通なのかも。この間も、海外の人にメールしたら10日間のバカンスに出てます、戻ったら返信しますという自動メールが帰ってきた。別の人は１ヶ月フランスで休暇中、別の人は１ヶ月アメリカ縦断予定…などなど。土日に2日くっつけて4連休を年に一度取るのが精一杯な身にとってみれば、この過密スケジュールは一体なんなのか…と思ってしまう。

ワークライフバランスって大事だ。どちらも大事だから、バランスを取らないといけない。生きるために仕事してるのであって、仕事するために生きているのではない。

Notes and thoughts

It seems to have become one of the comforting place to be, finally. The plight has turned out to be a nice, warm place actually. The more I find it nice, the more I have second thoughts of leaving.

Looking back, the first several months were miserable, every day was filled by remorse, sadness and loneliness, but as time goes by, as having people recognize you, and getting used to do tasks under pressure, having good relationships with others, the place has become much easier to stay.

I think I taught myself how to adjust myself to a difficult situation and foreign environment, to get along with any kind of people in a way that nobody will feel bad, and to find a silver lining in everything I encounter. I now believe that we can learn something new from anything. And I'm interested in so many things, including the topics that I thought I would have no passion for. So I will be able to enjoy doing anything once I got used to it and found the way how to achieve it.

The environment... my desire to be in a different place is very very strong and I am sure it will come true sooner or later, and I'm now contemplating many things.

Nothing is waste of time, at least it is experience, something that will strengthen you, mentally and physically.

Firework/Katy Perry

'Cause baby you're a firework

Come on show'em what you're worth

Make'em go, oh, oh, oh

As you shoot across the sky

This song is splendid! Its lyrics is wonderful, beyond description.

Music video is also nice... worth watching and singing along many times.

It'll make you cry!

Christmas present 2!

I'm so lucky!

Blogging connects

I like reading blogs of other people living abroad.

A university student living in Australia, A woman living in New Zealand with Italian husband, A housewife living in France...

Each one of them has unique lifestyle of their own and seems enjoying it. Although there would be some difficulties they have to handle from time to time, but living outside Japan is simply a fascinating idea, especially with somebody you like.

Every time I read their stories, diaries, sometimes filled with joy, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with gloom, I want to talk to them and tell them that I'm on their side.

It's good and encouraging to know about such people.

I want to watch the movie also...

Finished reading Da Vinci Code today.. It was so exciting that it took only 2 weeks to read it through. Finally I can read paperbacks in English!!!

Once I get how to skip unfamiliar words and go on, it is easy to continue and follow the story. Though a certain degree of vocabulary is essential to guess the meaning of unknown phrases and understand the main stream of the plot.

Learning new words from story books is easier than from news or articles because I can easily picture out the scenes, who is doing what, and where. If it is thrilling, it would not so hard to imagine what the characters would react and what they would say.

I already bought another Dan Brown's book "Angels and Demons"!! This time it's over 600 pages but I will be able to finish...

I have the same excitement I felt when I was a junior high school student and first read Sherlock Holmes series in Japanese. The words were difficult, but the story was exciting, England in 18th century was fascinating. I was totally into it and finished many long books without breaks.

Mystery books are good reading material. It makes the readers want to continue to get the answer for the secret or code that were laid before them. So.. if I do not understand the book fully, it is OK because it is a book intended to confuse and mislead the readers!!!

It's cold!

It is a perfect night to stay up late, writing, drawing, reading and singing!

It was reported it will snow tomorrow. With some food in the fridge, ready to stay home whole day tomorrow!

believe it or not

It is about a month ago.

I happened to get 3000-yen voucher, and I gave it to my mum.

Next day, to my surprise, I got another 3000 yen included in my salary as a reward.

I coincidentally received the same thing that I just gave somebody.

So what you deserve is what you gave to other people.

It was fun!

Adelaide!!!!

I love the city so much!! People are friendly, food is great and the climate is excellent!

The size of the city is the best, not so big, not so small. This is one of the place I would like to visit often even though it takes more than 10 hours.

I didn't know that "Adelaide" could be a girl's name. It's very cute. Those who have this name is so lucky.

It is a bit strange to see Santa and Christmas decorations in summer, but a Santa with the blue sky is also nice.

Kilpatric Oyster is a famous Australian cuisine. I got the sauce and am looking forward to cooking my own kilpatric.

The volume is very big in restaurants there. This was a rare case, but the seafood special is actually for one person, all deep fried. I wish they could make half of it for half of the price.

The stay was too short, but I enjoyed talking with people, eating local food and interpreting at the meeting. When will be the next time???

Happy Christmas!

If only, if only my company sent me to Australia for a long-term project or something.

I would be super devoted to anything coming in to my tasks. I do not care how challenging or difficult it would be.

I would be making every effort to be a good researcher, interpreter, and intermediary.

Suddenly I feel so eager to talk about this with my boss because I have been handling many English documents and discussions lately. There are so many things out there that I will enjoy learning. If I could stay there for a year or two, I would be very good at English, much more helpful to the current projects, and far more satisfied with what I do.

hmmm.. seems like this is my Christmas wish.

Today my colleagues were also somewhat excited about this special night. It's a holy night and very exciting one for their family especially kids. I received some samples today in a carton, and my boss said it looked like a present from Santa. I wish it were.. and when the machine for analysis broke, they said Santa would come and fix it coming down from the chimney... haha although there's no chimney in the lab!!!

Ahh and I was the last one to leave the office this holy night, working till 7:30. I do not mind working overtime. I kind of like staying at the office alone because work becomes much easier, no phone calls, no interruptions and no time pressure. Piles of work still waiting for Monday.

Many projects and experiments going on at the same time. It is hard to keep everything on track and finish it on time.. I sometimes fear that some of them might slip off my mind and I would notice it only when it was too late... It's difficult, but worth doing because difficult things always takes me up to the higher level.

Christmas gift☆☆

Flying to Adelaide

Last time in September, it was the end of winter in Adelaide. It was cloudy and drizzly.
This time summer must have come. It'll be hard to adjust myself to the hot weather, but it's always exciting to go abroad.

Almost!

I forgot to take the change when I just bought a train ticket. I was very shocked and called the station with little hope and found that my 4000 yen was still there!

It's still there.. Nobody took it. I don't know who I should thank, but I'm relieved.
How careless I was! I may sometimes forget to take the ticket but never the bills..

思わぬ再会

中学の時の担任の先生に、科学のイベントで再会！！

10年前担任してくれた先生と、大人どうしとしてもう一度話すのはすごく不思議な感じ。10年前は真っ黒だった髪が、今は白髪たくさんになっていて時間の流れを感じた…。当時ほんっっとに荒れたクラスで、私も仲の良かったクラスメイトも毎日沈み込んでいたくらいの異様な雰囲気だった。そんなクラスをまとめて、指導した先生だった。当時はそんなことに気づく余裕はなかったけど、今考えるとすごい精神力だなと思う。気がおかしくなりそうだった、それは生徒だけではなく先生も同じ、というか、先生の方が責任もあるから大変だっただろう。
そんな話を今になってもちゃんと覚えていてくれて、「あの時は（私が）本当に耐えててくれたなぁ、我慢を強いて申し訳なかったんだよ」と言ってくれた。ああ……自分自身もあんなに大変で、それは全く先生のせいではなかったのに、そんなことを言ってくれるなんて。感動して涙が出そうになった。一人だったら泣いていた。この人は立派な人だ。先生は悪くない、当時からちゃんと怒ってくれる良い先生だったし、お陰で強くなれたとも思っている、あの一年間が人生に与えた影響は良くも悪くも非常に大きかったけれど、それを乗りきれたのは先生のおかげ。あの時の先生の気持ちが、社会人になった今は、10年前よりも理解できる。私は今は、10年前に比べてこんなに成長しました、あんなことがあって、こんなことをして…全部糧になっています、私は大丈夫ですよ、そんなことを伝えたかったけれど、伝わったかしら。言葉はいつも気持ちのあとからついて来て、追い付けずにもどかしい。

小学校、中学校の先生の偉大さに生徒が気が付くのは、何年も経ってからだ。教師というのは聖職だと思う。私はいつも人ではなく物相手の仕事をしているので、なおさらそう思う。そう言ったら、「いやいや、他の皆さんのおかげで何とかやってるんだ。ホント、すいませんねえって感じだよ」と謙虚さを崩さなかったけれど。ますます教育現場は大変になっているだろうと想像するけど、こんな先生がいれば大丈夫だろう、きっと。変わらない先生の親切さと、精神力と、高潔さと、ユーモアに励まされ、癒された……。

久しぶりで、こみ上げてくるものがあった。私には絶対にできないと思った中学校教師、立派に続けていらっしゃる。謙虚で、でも面白くて、考え方のしっかりしている人。目標にしたい人がまた一人。
もっと話がしたかったな。いくらでも話せそう。戦友に会ったときの心境、なんて言うと大袈裟だけど、そういう気持ちだった。今も。お元気でいてほしいな。

Haneda airport

Holiday season is approaching...
This tree is so tall and beautifully decorated.

中国語検定

It went alright I guess.. Test questions were not so tricky, rather straightforward, and wouldn't fool you most of the cases. In other words, if the article says that he plays basketball twice a week, then one of the questions would be "How often does he play basketball?" Oh dear! It sounds quite elementary but if it was in Chinese or any other language you are not familiar with, you might miss it!

So luckily, I was able to answer a few questions using common sense.

The most luckiest thing is that one of the compositions was the exactly the same as the one I studied on the previous night! It's important to practice reading or writing it till you memorize it, because it will be too bad if you remember studying it but cannot remember exactly how to do it.

Anyway it's over and now is the time to fully devote myself to English!!!

Korean dinner

Very healthy ginseng soup with red dates. Super nice! It was my first time to go to Bungotakada city~

Winter sunrise

At 7 am...

It was so warm today!

The temperature reached 25C! It rained a lot and after that it became sunny. It was like the end of summer.. Strange weather.

Veggie

Thinking about becoming a vegetarian..

Now

Should fully be concentrated on the Chinese test next week. Less than two weeks to go and right after that going to Tokyo to attend a seminar then my first experience as an interpreter... Seems piles of work is ahead me.

Interpretation is hard. I now try to put any conversion I hear into English and check up new words, and found it it's a completely new process. Sometimes a long Japanese sentence can be a very short one when said in English, and vice versa mainly because a certain phrase is required to follow the main idea but in another language it is not. It's interesting that those sentences are often closely related to the cultural background of the speakers.

Insertions such as 「〜ということで」are also difficult to paraphrase into English. Often we spoke broken Japanese that lack objective or subject and with a lot of cutting insertions.
「〜を広めたほうがいいということで参加した」-->""We wanted to introduce it"? "...in order to introduce it"? "we agreed to participate it and introduce something"?

Even those easiest things cannot be translated so easily. More study is required for this. Hmm

I've decided.

And I'm not going to regret it.
We can't have everything we want.. We always have to choose what to take and what to give up. I'm sorry I've been too greedy and caused some people an extra work. Won't happen again!

163万人。。。

ひきこもりドクターという動画をチラッと見た。（ひきこもりを英語でなんと言うか分からなかったので英語が出てこない…。。。）

163万人とも言われ、ついに平均年齢は30歳を超えるとか。

親と同居して、親には定年後も働かせて、生活させてもらっているらしい。

就職氷河期とかいろいろ事情はあるのだろうけど、信じがたい………。

社会の助けも必要なんだろうな。信じがたい、と直視するのを避けるのではなくて。

こういうのは長期化すればするほど、ますます復帰が難しくなるに違いない。

重いな…。高卒で立派に働いている人が周りにいるので、その差にびっくりする。

Fake Thai food

An attempt to mimic Thai fried noodle failed.. I think I boiled the dried noodle for too long and it became like starchy gruel. The sticky noodle did not mix well on the frying pan, nor did it cook through. It burned on the bottom, the vegetables were still raw. It was out of control on the pan so I microwaved the porridge-like dish.

This was the worst failure in my cooking history.. Oh no! I was dreaming of eating homemade Thai cuisine tonight.

Should try another kind of noodle. And big bow to the superb Thai chef, and sincere prayers for the flood sufferers out there...

イメージ？

ほとんど話したことない人に、ストレス耐性が強そうと言われた。気分屋だからそこまでないと思うけど、強くありたいとは思ってますけどと返しておきました。
…そんなに楽天的に見えたのだろうか…？

二年前に似たようなことを言われたことを思い出す。何があっても笑顔で乗り越えていけそうだって。あの時も、ようやく新しい人間関係に慣れて、自然体でいられるようになった頃。ん〜、慣れるまではどうしても周りを観察して、演技して、落ち込んで…の試行錯誤だったけど、やっぱり自分らしくいた方がハッピーなのね。

ストレス耐性がものすごくついた、というのはほんとだと思う。Every cloud has a silver lining.、 If it's good, it's fantastic, if it's bad, it's experience.、 Happiness lies in what you already have, not in what you desire to have. とかいう言葉が好きだー。

あーあと２日だ！！！
追い込みましょう〜〜

Relaxing

Taking a nap in private during lunch break is superb!

計画的に

大変だ。仕事にプラスアルファベータガンマくらいでなんかいろいろ起こっている。

月末に中国語検定まで受けようとしてるんだから笑える。。

立て込むときはめちゃくちゃ立て込む！Feast or famine ということわざもあるみたいだから、ちょーどいい時なんてのはそんなにないんだろう。

今日は、次々来る仕事とか締め切りとかにどう対処するかという話題。ある人はぎりぎりになってから一気に仕上げる短期集中型。ある人は前々から取り掛かって特に追い込まずに終わらせるコツコツ型。他業務の兼ね合いもあるから、なかなか難しい。私も以前は短期集中型だったけれど、それでは本当にぎりぎりになり、見直す時間がなくてミスがあとで発覚するというにがーい経験が何度かあった。教訓として、とりあえず早く始めることにしている。何でも。まず、課題は何なのか、何をしなければいけないのか、どれくらいのペースで？　計画を立てるのは早いに越したことはない。完成まで余裕があるから軌道修正もできるし、急ぎの仕事が入っても予定調整しやすいし、見直しもできる。この手法はかなり自分に合っていると感じる。まだ時間があるからしなくていいやーという怠け心にさえ打ち勝てば、納期、品質ともに十分。一度にいくつものことをしようとすると、何かやり残してしまうので…早期に敵を知り、いっぱいいっぱいにならないで済むような対策を練らねばっ。

それでも、けっこういろいろあるけど。あっちをやってるとこっちを忘れたり…同時進行って思った以上に難しい。

余裕のあるうちに、対処しておこっと。

Kara-age festival

This is how popular kara-age is in this town..
:)

Harvest season

Finally weekend

Finally weekend~~

It feels like I have worked for 2 weeks straight without any break. This is the best time to take a good rest and relax!

It's raining hard outside, so it's also good to stay at home, read books and watch DVDs.

Statistics is very difficult, but seems to be an interesting, useful tool. I want to study it practically and analysis a lot of data we have. I'll do my best to improve myself, wherever I am, with what I have.

Studying new things makes me active and assertive. Every time when I learn something new, I feel satisfied and want to know more about it. When my boss told me that he wanted me to study data analysis, I didn't find it interesting because statistics requires very difficult mathematics. But now, I'm started liking it. It gives me a lot of new ideas how to interpret the data and the numbers in a meaningful way. Besides, statistics is necessary for most scientists, so it's worth spending some time on trying to get used to it.

One of my dreams: I search my name on the Internet and find the papers I published!

Good quote found today: Time is not money; time is life. So spend it wisely.

でも

絶望してる暇はない、かな…。これについて誰かと話したい…………

脱力感………
これは、今までに味わったことのない感情。

やばいな〜〜ただでさえ体力ないのに気力まで失ったら立ち上がれなくなってしまう…せめてあと一日、落ち込むのは待たなくちゃ。

何かやり遂げたい、その思いが支えになってたけど、それが重要視されないってなんなの？ 平和だなあといってしまえばそれまでだし、恵まれてるしそれ以上望むのはわがままかもしれないけど、でも、と思う。

じゃ何か行動しろよって話ね。文句言うだけだったり、何かしたいんだけどできない言い訳して満足してる人を見てるともどかしい、今自分に関してそういう状況。虎視眈々と好機を狙っているけど、それが可能性のある賭けなのか分からないし、待てない！ 今すぐ行きたい！！！

Why then why?

I don't see the point of everything. They all knew that I wasn't suitable and pretended to be welcoming?

It's very cruel to tell me that now when it's too late. OK if you say what you are supposed to say, I should take the advantage of it.

Indeed it was my decision but the available information was very limited at that time. I didn't know what it's like..
Did I make a bad decision? It's too hard to ask and it's already so complicated to get it right. But I must try. I must go back to the right track as soon as possible.

So shocked!!!!!!

I really fly to Australia NOW!!!! Say goodbye to everything, and just go. I feel so stupid, empty, and frustrated. Why didn't you all just tell me beforehand!!!??? Why couldn't you kindly encourage me to reconsider??? And why do you tell me that now? It's too late and too nasty! How cruel it is? Did I waste the whole year and a half? And you knew it but didn't tell me?

I might not have lost many things otherwise...

Why why why...!? It's shocking, stunning and stupid. You could have just told me so and you could have saved me.

slow recovery

It's been several months since then.

My friend said that even if you are so down at one moment, the time will come when everything seems alright and back to normal. When it comes is not predictable, but the day will come one day.

So an agony won't last forever, even if it seems like an endless pain, it heals one day. It may leave a scar, but it will make you more sensitive to other people's feelings, I believe.

I would like to thank all of my friends who were very supportive, compassionate, and understanding.

Decision-making

Decision making is really tough, especially when your mind is telling you to do that, and your emotion is telling you to do the opposite.

I have to weigh a lot of conditions and pros and cons and future possibilities that each choice will bring.

This is going to change my life so I need to be as prudent as I can so that I won't regret my decision later like before.

I feel the same way that I did two years ago and this feeling keeps telling me not to make the same mistake again, just learn the lesson from the past, and make the possible best decision. I'm trying to be extra careful because I learned that it takes at least two years to get yourself back to the right pass. hmm.. but the more I think, the more difficult it becomes.

I think I need more information.

This incident has changed my way of seeing things very much. It's necessary to keep being positive and assertive in order to make the most of it and be very productive. As a quote goes; Do what you can with what you have, where you are.

It's your experience, passion, and reputation that lift you up to the higher level. I need to accomplish something before it starts!!

Dinner

I didn't know it feels so good to be able to come home before 7...

Spaghetti for dinner was too much~~ I ate a lot.

I was so tired in the morning and then dozed off after lunch for 20 minutes and I felt much much better. Even though it was short, it gave me my energy back! I need some more rest.

2 more days to go!!

A day passes so quickly, but fatigue accumulates every day. I appreciate working parents who take care of their kids after getting back from work.. It needs so much of commitment. It must be hard, but rewarding, too, at the same time. You are all doing great, so please take good care of yourselves too, every mom and dad around the world.

How long will it last?

It feels like I'm in a sports club that I never wished to join.

Just waiting for the agony to go away but time passes so slowly when you are waiting for something.

I don't even like to talk about it.

I'm trying to think of something more fun but everything can now be related to it.....

And I stopped taking medicine because it's not working. I've already got used to this constant headache probably caused by pressure.

It looks like I'm a big complainer... but I can't help... I know it's natural everybody has something that they worry about, and we receive salary because of that. I know.. but I'd love to give somebody this duty and the overtime pay for it. It's only occupying too much of my time.

They may say that it's lucky to have this duty because you can be absent. But if you have a huge task and close deadline for that, additional work becomes nothing but an obstacle.

oh well.

It's funny, elementary and absurd, but considering pros and cons, it'll probably beneficial to put up with it for a while and grasp a better chance in time. But knowing is different from doing.

I want to say eventually that this 2 years was worth... despite everything. haha. I hope.

近況

ああああっっ…

きつい………

何がきついって、やらなければいけないことなのに次々いろんな雑務が入って後回しになってしまうこと…

解析したい、論文書きたいのに！！！！！！！　いったい何が優先なのか？

不機嫌丸分かりな顔をしていたのが自分でも分かる。むうっ…

英語で気を取り直して。

平和だなあ……

「この姿勢が落ち着くの」

Sick

I'm suffering from headache, dizziness and slight fever for almost 2 weeks..

I took a half day off three times in the past two weeks and I'm not getting better yet..

No idea what is wrong. Today I went to hospital to see a doctor but they said "We are closed in the afternoon". I bought some over-the-counter drug and went back. hmmm

It's the busiest month in the year and I have so many many thing to do piling up but my health is just not good. How can I deal with this?? Stop typing and go to bed? haha.. maybe. but I slept from 1 to 4 pm today and tired of sleeping.

My head is heavy..........

thinking, wondering, contemplating

I really want to do this! I'm excited!

--> But is it worth? It just seems like a luxury.

--> But many of my friends are doing it too.. I envy them.

--> Well, it still seems too much for what you will get and what you will lose

--> But I won't know what I will get until I try.

--> ......... (endless repeat)

BUT this has to stop.

At least this week! I must concentrate on what I have to do. No distractions. Declared!

「手紙」

東野圭吾さん「手紙」。3時間で読み終わってしまった…深い……

「働けるというのは幸せなことよ」

いろいろなことを、とても深く、考えさせられた。

解説者が書いていたように、この小説には、あらゆるところに鏡が仕込まれている。自分の姿が突然映り、自分がこれまで考えてきた事を問い直されるのだ。重い。

「終わりにしよう」、という言葉がある一方で、この苦難は一生続いていくし、過去を消し去ることも、忘れることも、置き去りにすることもできない。それが、最後の場面の意味だと思う。いろんなひとがいろんなものを背負っている。

もっちー

鯖の味噌煮

三種類の味噌を混ぜました。

Reunion!

I was able to meet up with my friend from Singapore for the first time in 5 years.

She came here for vacation and will be leaving tomorrow morning. So it was a perfect timing to meet her.

Time flies. Five years ago we were exploring Fukuoka. It seems like yesterday. We are now both working. But she is like what she was back then, with a cheerful smile, caring attitude. We talked about our future plans, and agreed that we still have much time to think and act. No need to rush.

It's very good to stay in touch with my friends via network. It changed our life a lot.

I hope to see her again soon...

Difficult decisions

So many things in my mind but just not the right time to make it public...

Dr Shuji Nakamura emphasized it is a concern that Japanese students do not wish to go abroad to broaden their mind. He complained they are so introvert. Well it might be true. Living in Japan is so much comfortable that they find no need to lead an inconvenient life in a foreign country. But living somewhere unfamiliar to you as an outsider will give you a great chance to learn a lot of new things.

People simply do not know nor value that.

Some people around the world want to study but cannot afford even elementary education, while others think that college is not interesting at all. The world is absolutely unfair. And being able to study is a very precious thing because you are allowed to dedicate yourself to something that will not produce profit or food to support your life. It was only after I started working that I realized that simple fact. So being a student is a very very lucky thing, and you should make the most of it. There are a lot of people who cannot even imagine going to school.

So.. it makes me think more and more. What should I do..?

Hope

"I am sure, today or tomorrow the day will come when you will reach your dream."

Not always, but sometimes, we need somebody that says "You are on the right track, you are doing well, trying hard, and it will reward you. "

It takes a lot of energy and courage to keep on trying.

And I thought I was always dreaming, wanting something better, failing and regretting, but if somebody calls it efforts, then it seems everything is going to be alright in the end. It was encouraging and very comforting.

"NO efforts are left unsuccessful."

It gave me relief and motivation back to keep it going.

I would love to be such a kind, understanding, and convincing person.

土井駅

It's quiet and peaceful residential area. Not so far from the city center and there are many trees and parks around. It's a nice place to live.

--and I'm back!

It was oh so short!!

Symposium was for 3 days and immediately after that we took a red-eye from Melbourne to Hong Kong. On the 3rd day of the conference, there was a sponsored dinner that delegates can participate for free!! We didn't know that it was included in the fee. Wine dinner... with other scholars and business people... must have been terrific (even though I don't drink wine)!!!

Oh well.

Anyways.. It was too short. And I still feel like the floor is shaking because of the rough air.

The conference itself was great. It gave me a lot of new information and new perspective of market demands, and hottest research topics currently going on. Surprisingly, there was a beer tasting session too.

This time I noticed Australian English is so difficult to hear. A Canadian friend said it is rather "Australian" not English. It's natural that different language evolves in a different place.

I wanted to stay there longer!!

Leaving soon-

I'll be leaving for Adelaide this Saturday. Time flies! Every day is busy, full of things to do, but the entire week passes so fast after all.

I am very looking forward to it.

But I'm wondering if I should remove makeup before the night flight. Overnight flight is not very good fo me. I hope I'll be able to sleep.

I've got a new friend!!!!!

So gooood!
Never did I expect that I would enjoy after-five activity!
Just going to dinner and have a chat with a friend is the only thing I have been longing for.
I have so many places to visit and so many things to do with my friends.

Today's best

"Your life is more important than your job."

It seems obvious, but it was truly an eye-opener.

Shoes

It's very difficult to find walkable shoes! You may say that I should wear sneakers but I want something more fashionable and feminine.

I found a good pair of shoes on sale yesterday. The original price was 15000 yen or something and it is now 5000 yen. I tried them on and thought it fits.. Since the material is very soft, I thought this is good, comfy, walkable and bought it.

Then it turned out that the rounded toe is not good for walking. I walked around with the new shoes on, and got blisters on my feet....... why? When I tried them on in the store, they felt just nice and when I started walking outside, it hurts! I need 30-minute walk to judge if these shoes are really good or not. How I wish I could do that before purchasing! Even "flat" shoes are sometimes painful. I don't know if it's because my feet have a strange shape or I walk too much or the way I walk is wrong... either way, I still have to look for ideal shoes.. because I walk a lot...

again???

Industry minister resigned after 8 days of service...!!! His remarks to the radiation are unbelievable. Why on earth was he chosen to be in this position?? Or, immediately after being assigned to be the industry minister, his character changed? Either way, I'm so disappointed but at the same time, "I knew it".

It seems a lot of Japanese people are quite disappointed at today's government. It's too slow to take measures to help disaster victims. Although millions of dollars have been donated for the quake relief, the government is not trying its best to distribute the money as soon as possible. The quake relief is only the tip of the iceberg.

All the politicians do is to criticize the opposition party in an effort to come to power, and they don't pay much attention to what ordinary people need and what they can do for them. Scandals of former democratic party's leader, Ozawa, is the most controversial issue. Because of his strong leadership, many members of democratic party still respect him even after corruption was reported many times. Others criticize Ozawa and it has divided the party. The new premier are making effort to heal the rift, but it seems tough. Is it really what they are supposed to do? What about tackling nuclear power plant accident? When are they going to deal with recession? What about strong yen? ... So many issues are waiting to be solved but government is just so slow and distracted.

I read the profiles of all the new ministers, and found that they had a noble ambition to help Japan's society and people when they became a politician. Now where has the good intention gone? Being a politician is a very tough job, and it is not something that everybody can do; it is dangerous, tiring and frustrating all the time I would imagine. But that is why we need them. Governing the country is not an easy task at all and we need somebody talented and skillful to do that.

Disenchantment with politics is a serious problem. Less people vote , the rest of electrates just stop thinking about not only politics but also social issues and what we need to do to solve them. That means, people no longer care about the nation's future. It is a warning because democracy is thought to be "the best among the worsts" (even though it is promoted so much as if it was the very best of all). The notion is that there are some other political systems, but democracy is least harmful to the society if the people participate and pay close attention to what the government does. So democracy won't work without people's commitment. If they stop thinking or believe wrong ideas, as the history shows, democracy will have the power to destroy everything and will even lead to autocracy.

Italiana Wednesday

I got a new friend from Singapore living in this town! I've waited for one and a half years and finally found a buddy to talk with over dinner on weekdays!! So nice~ The Italian restaurant was also very good, the best place I've ever visited. I had a great time.

On the way...

On the way to Kitakyushu

It took an hour to reach Yukuhashi and then another 1.5 hours to Kurosaki! I drove for almost 6 hrs today, which means one forth of the day!!!
It was fun and refreshing over all^^

numbers

hmm so, let me make it clear...

Gildas wrote about the arrival of Anglo-Saxons in 540 (=Five hundred forty).

King of Norway invaded the England in 1066 (=one ou sixty-six).

Welsh forces defeated Norman lord in 1136 (=eleven thirty-six).

How to read the years... it's still confusing.

Keep holding on

A turning point is approaching many people.

One of them got a job, one got married, one graduated from school, one is moving out...

Changes are sometimes good, and sometimes sad.

That's how life goes on.

Like 10 years ago, our canvas was solid white, nothing drawn yet, and now many things have been painted in various colors. Bright colors, dark colors, patterns... our life is so different now.

Everyone is drawing their own picture on the canvas, gradually, but certainly. To pick up one color means that you throw away other colors, but that's the only way to clarify what you really want to draw and how you want your own picture of life to be. Every decision you make piles up and illustrates the masterpiece.

You may take the wrong colors, but you can paint it over again. One Inuit man once said, "life is like drawing a picture that never finishes". As long as you live, your drawing continues.

So there's no returning, but there's no completion either.

What is important is to keep thinking, never give up, and try your best to use the best color for your own picture.

My wallpaper picture

Traveling on railway

I'm posting many today because I have to kill time on the train. The train services are far from normal.

I had no choice but to take local train from Hakozaki to Kokura, which took more than an hour. Ithought if there's still no express trains, then I will have to take local train again and it'll take 1.5 hours.. Just a mere thought of it makes me tired. Luckily I caught express train right after arriving at Kokura.. Here goes again, there are some things that you can't do anything about. So this time I was blessed with good luck.

Friends

I really appreciate my friends who just keep listening to me without asking many questions because sometimes it's too painful to talk about but you want to open up and say all the things you have kept inside. Just nodding and sympathizing will be enough because it's a clear sign that you care about that person no matter what.
I think those who overcome very sad things are good at it. It's hard and it's something that you can't find a convincing reason, but it might help to understand somebody's feelings and support them.

Reunion

I met one of my friends who just achieved doctor's degree and is going back to his country soon. He seemed doing good. He published a paper and will attend the graduation ceremony. It's not really like a gown and a hat thing, but still it's a cerebration for his academic achievement. I'm really glad to witness his success.

In the future, he wants to help young students who are very talented but can't continue studying for financial reasons in his country. There are so many students who are smart and likely to contribute to the development of the country.

A lot of scientists are now gaining strengths and getting good results. I know it's highly competitive and stressful sometimes but it is the competition that leads technical innovation. And I want to be a part of it.

Anyways I wish him best of luck!! (And I personally like the expression "Good luck" because there are so many things that are out of your control. So it's a positive, optimistic way of encouraging people. Success doesn't depend solely on your work. It's important to know that many other facters do relate. So just keep it up and some day the fortune will come to you. That's what it means.)

Colors

Some people say English or any other languages are just tools. So they keep wondering why I'm so engaged in sharpening the knife that is already ok to cut things.

But for me, it's more than just a tool. I think it's similar to painting. If you speak only one language, it's like drawing with just one color. With more colors, the picture would be more vibrant and precise. So if you can speak more than one languages, they enables you to express you in different ways, and I like that. So having an ordinary knife is ok, but sharpening it more or even having another one is cool.

On the local train

Hmm it seems I'm stuck. The train is at this station for more than ten minutes now. The train service is delayed so badly like for almost an hour. Even some rapid trains have been cancelled, which have caused further confusion.
I know it's out of control and and so there's no point in worrying, but I can't help especially when someone is waiting for me.

Thanks to mobile phones, it became "easier" to be late, my friend once told me. "But I think it became more important to be on time since it clearly shows that you think the appointment is important." I completely agree with this. If you are always on time, people would trust you and understand when you are late for an unavoidable reason.

So, in summary, please turn the signal to green and let the train start!!!!

お中元☆☆

嬉しい(^.^)
ありがとうございます！！

Thinking things through

Every teardrop makes you generous.
Every pain makes you strong.
Every hardship makes you confident.

All the things you encounter can be a fruit-bearing tree. So there's nothing to be afraid of. Every cloud has its silver lining.

Studying, studying, studying...

Surprised to know that I still have considerable focus and passion for academic writing.

Mochi

We all thought that mochi was a boy, and called him mochi-kun. However, he was she! She laid an egg! So much a surprise...

Super hot day

Engineering

The very important machine broke down and I tried to fix it all day long.

Although I have been using this equipment for almost a year, it was my first time to tear it apart and see what was inside. It was very complicated and took so long to detect the problem. It was intriguing to know how the machine carry out analysis though...and it's important for the users to know the mechanism in order to analyze the data and to repair if necessary.

I'm now waiting for a new part to be delivered soon.

Angel grass

スキンケアの必要性を感じ始めたのでロクシタンのangelgrassシリーズを買ってみました。これも恵比寿で…☆

最初嗅いだときは「草!?」と思ったけど、ハーブのような、爽やかで草原の風みたいな素敵な香り。夏にぴったり！

さすがに、ドラッグストアで売ってるようなものとは違って、ホントに素材の香りがする。おふろあがりが楽しみ。

恵比寿で一目惚れ

一時間で即決！ 良い買い物だった☆

恵比寿のおまつり

滞在六時間の東京出張中、恵比寿駅にて。
今日が金曜日だったらな〜

Beach Animals

The exhibition of "beach animals" made of plastic tubes. When wind blows, it moves its feet and walks. Theo Jansen, a physicist started making these masterpieces and became an artist. He has applied his good background knowledge on physics, and computed the design of his animals. They are huge and intricately made. I'll be really nice if we could see the animals walking towards the wind on the seashore.

内密にお願いします

やっぱり私の直感は間違ってなかったんだ！　

詳しくは書けないけれど、だんだんと、建前と本音を見分けることができるようになっている。

そうして、目の前でオフレコを言ってもらえるようになり、信頼されていると思うから嬉しい。

やっぱりなあ、という感じ。ま、まったく違う人間が何百人もいるわけだから、意見の違いはあって当然だけど、それに他の要因がいろいろと絡んでくるから非常に複雑になっている。気がつけばがんじがらめ、みたいな…。

ああー誰かに何もかも話してしまいたい！

信頼されてるなぁとか思いながら、私も本音は周囲の人に言ってないけど。用心深いし…彼らは自分の本音がうわさとして広がってもかまわないんだろうけど、私はまだそこまでじゃないので。だけど建前も言わないようにしてる。空虚だわ。不毛で、現実離れしていて、砂上の楼閣とでも言うのだろうか。これはある意味貴重な経験ではあるのかも。犠牲は大きいけど…。

ある人々は、守りたいものがあって、そのためなら、多少の我慢はいとわないってことなんだろうか。プラスとマイナスを天秤にかけたとき、得るものの方が大きいんだろう。私はまだそれがないから、また、ない人は、やっぱりいろいろと考えるのかもしれない。

噂は怖いなー。「本人を前にして言えることしか言ってはいけない」というのが暗黙のルールらしい、それを先日聞かされた。要するに、「これ、ここだけの話だけど…」とか、「あなただから話すんだけど…」などという枕詞は意味をなさないのだ。さらに厄介なのは、相手が建前として、「うん、もちろん言わないよ」などと言う場合だ。見極めが難しいから、ここは慎重にならなければ。もちろん、文句も言わない、意見も言わないイエスマンになる危険性はあるのだけど。

だから、本音で意見をぶつけ合えることが大事なんだと思う。ケンカせずに。意見の違いを認めたうえで（"We agree that we don't agree."なんていう言葉がある）、じゃあどうしようか、となるべきだ。そうでなければ、建前の当たり障りのないことばかり言っていて、表向き仲良くやっているように見えるけれど、重要な物事は誰かが勝手に決めていき、そのことに関して不満が蓄積していくような感じだ。よろしくない。

この文化は…日本の人口の50％が移民で占められるくらいになったら変わるかな。。

memorandum

My mom once told me that if I really get involved in serious relationships, I would understand what those love songs and ballads really mean.

When I was a teenager, I thought that the ballads were good music to my ears and sort of relaxing to listen to, but now they had far deeper message and emotion to be expressed.

They say that as you get older you become more prone to crying, probably because you have gained more experience and you can relate yourself to more things than you did when younger.

Trip to Hong Kong

I enjoyed my short stay in Hong Kong. I spoke English only a few times though.. Many people like shop staff, tour guides were able to speak some Japanese. I think many Japanese tourists come to HK, but Chinese from mainland do more than Japanese! They are getting richer and shop everything in everywhere.

Being in foreign country is really nice. It was refreshing and enjoyable.

大阪出張〜

野菜がたっぷりの夕ごはん〜

Perfume

I've been fascinated by Chanel perfume so much that I always put the tester im my bag. It smells lovely, flowery and feminine. Hmm really tempted...

「マドンナ」

奥田英朗さんの小説。ばりっばりの体育会系営業マンたちを主人公にしたオフィスストーリーでとても面白かった。組織の長所、短所とか、旧習に拘束されるのを嫌う一匹狼とか、期待を背負って部長業務をこなす女性とか、オフィスの人間模様が克明に、しかも深刻にならないよう描かれている。

以前会社人間の男性と、専業主婦の女性とで成り立っていた時代があって、その流れが変わろうとしている今、そうやって生きてきた人たちのなかには、潮流の変化に対応し切れていない人も多いだろう。それぞれの価値観をもって、ぶつかっている。印象に残ったのは、「冒険をしなかった人は冒険者が憎い。自由を選択しなかった人は自由が憎い」という妻の一言。それなりの大学にいって会社に滅私奉公するという人生しか知らず、ダンサーになりたいという息子を認めようとしない夫に、彼女が発した言葉だった。そのとおりだと思う。自分の持っていないものに嫉妬する気持ちだ。大人が社会の厳しさを教えていくのは大事だけど、それと頭ごなしに子供の夢を否定するのは違う気がする。夢に挑戦する息子を応援して、だめだったらここに帰ってくれば良い、そこから考えよう、と言ってもらえれば子供は安心するのではないか。そうしたら子供も、結果は全て自分にかかってくる、それでもやりたい、と思って、責任感をもって全力を注ごうと思うのでは。「失敗」しないように、親がすべてお膳立てするのは子供の自律のためにも良くない。子供が何を求めているか、理解するのはきっと難しい。受けた教育も考え方も違うし、違う人間なのだ。

それにしても、権力構造とはあれほどえげつないものなのか。。どちらの部長に気に入られるかとか、ここで抵抗しておかないと面目が…なんて計算をして動く主人公がたくさんいる。そして、自分の権力を誇示したく、既得権益にしがみついていたい人のなんてリアルなこと！　こんな人は見たことないけど、実際いるんだろうなぁ。

ムラ社会で、規則はあくまで基本、暗黙のルールとか、伝統とか、周囲に合わせるとか、そんな見えない行動規範？がたくさんある。それこそが高い生産率と品質を生み出し、日本を高度経済成長に導いたんだ、と外国の人は言うけど。残しておきたい伝統もある。しかし、残さなくていいものも確実にある。こういうのって、実際にいつかはなくなっていくもの？　すごく根深くて、こちらを切ってもあちらからまた芽が生えてくるみたいなことが繰り返されている気がする。……それでも、50年前にはきっと考えられなかったこと（男女の初任給が同等とか）が今は普通になっているから、今から50年くらいたったら、もっとましになっているのかもしれない。その変化のために、今から地道に少しずつ、改革路線のレールを敷いていかねば。一つ一つは小さくても。

Walking

I like to go out and take a walk in the evening. It helps to digest what I had for dinner and also to refresh my mind.

Jogging is too tiring and needs special shoes, but walking is fun and doesn't require anything.

It's challenging to try as far as I can go in a certain period of time.

OK.. One more day to go. Whew.

Need to study politics.

Oh just relieved... It's no good either to dismiss the cabinet or to have a general election!

It's too much a trouble to form a new government and have it take over all the massive tasks relating to the quake relief. It's time for both current government and the opposition parties to be united and tackle the problems. People are waiting!

Lately

Feel so tired and easily distracted..
We don't have to be energetic all the time but if you are sick, it's really hard to be busy.

I know writing "I'm not motivated" won't help at all, so let's just let it pass through and maybe wait for a weekend..

When you get what you want but not what you need

You can't get everything you want, so what's important is to prioritize what you want.
And if you relinquish your greediness, you'll appreciate what you have.

Oh, knowing is different from doing. It's too much of a stupidity to forget.

六月だけど

毎年5月病にかかっている気がする…。

うらやましいと思う気持ち、過去を振り返ってしまう気持ち、どこかに投げ捨ててしまえれば良いのにな。

Test day

It was very stormy today... In strong winds and continuous rain, I dragged myself to Fukuoka to take TOEFL test. The test venue was freezing as always.
I think I did fairly OK in all sections except the speaking test. You have 15 seconds to prepare and 45 seconds to say your answer. Watching the timer that count down, I simply get so pressured that I often end up talking about too much and not reaching the conclusion. With only one try, you will realize how difficult it is to sum up the information that you heard and add your opinion about it in one minute. One more thing, the difficulty lies in the solitary of the test. Test takers are not talking with a person; they are recording their answers through the microphones. Saying your response simply into a microphone without anybody that interacts with you, can make you feel a bit strange. A person who nods while listing is important for a display of a good conversational skill.

I'm not making an excuse for not performing well, though. I still have a looong way to go.

Agriculture

It's been raining since last weekend and the forecast says that the rain will continue this weekend too. I am worried about the quality of barley that are about to be harvested around the area.

Usually barley seeds are sown at the end of November and the germs grow tall throughout the cold winter. When spring comes, barley-ears emerge and mature. Now it's supposed to be the time when the maturation is complete with dry weather, but the growth was slower this year, resulting in delay of harvest. And it's going to be the rainy season too. Barley should be dry before harvest because they must be hard and contain less moisture, for storage, than they usually do. Also the rain will soften and blacken the barley, which, makes it hard to process, and bad-looking respectively.

There's nothing we can do about this though; it's the force of nature. We can't change the weather pattern unlike other industries such as IC tip factories, where they can control temperature, humidity, everything. And the barley fields are so huge that for sure the barley characteristics will vary among the grains that was grown in the same field. There are too many factors that influence the quality of the crop.

Therefore, when we ask farmers for detailed data of each growing stage, or exact estimate of this year's production, it feels nonsense. It's so changeable and not uniform so it's almost impossible to make a general statement. We ask those as a scientist, but calculations and data-analysis are not sufficient to understand agriculture. There is a range of uncertainty because it greatly depends on nature.

The researchers asked the definition of "maturation", about the indicator of that stage or the accurate way of estimating the date. However, the growers said that there was no exact way of defining maturation. It occurs to their crop when the ears slightly tilt due to its own weight, and you would notice it if you watch the barley you are growing every day. It's the only way to tell maturation is going on.

知っていると覚えている

今日ペットボトルのお茶をもらって、鞄の中にしまっていた。夕方、いつも持参している水筒が空になって、のど乾いたなーでもポットまでいくの面倒だ…帰ってから水飲もう、と思って、ちょっと仕事をして帰った。

帰って初めてペットボトルを見つけて、その存在を思い出した！ もらったこと自体を忘れているというか、適切なときに思い出せない。それって、「知っている」と「覚えている」の違い？ 鞄にお茶が入ってると「知っている＝見れば思い出す＝見なければ思い出せない」のと、「覚えている＝情報がいつでもスタンバイで、必要なときに関連付けて思い出せる」のってかなりの違い。

覚えていれば、のど乾いたな、そうだ、お茶をもらったんだ、となるはず。

いつも水筒が空になったらポットまで行くというのが習慣になっていて、思い出す力が働かなかったらしい。

知識を必要に応じて引き出しから出すのは難しい。つねに心がけよう。

Entry requirement

You need to enter a good school to have a record of achievements, however, you need to have a competitive achievement in order to enroll a good school.

It seems there's little chance for entry-level students to be accepted by those schools.

Hope

If it's no, then tell me so. I'm trying not to think about it but am already tired of waiting!

Birthday

I got so many birthday wishes and presents today! You guys made my special day even happier!

メッセージとプレゼント嬉しかった！ 本当に感謝感謝…。24歳…10代の頃思い描いていたような輝く大人になれるよう頑張ります。

謝謝大家。

Merci!

Smartphone

very tempted to buy an iPhone or an iPad just because it would not be boring on trains or airplanes... even though I travel only several times a year...

But I found it's very inconvenient to communicate with my friends when in foreign countries. Bringing a 14-inch laptop is too much a trouble for me especially for a short vacation, so a small device that can connect to the Internet via WiFi will be very convenient and useful.

I checked smartphones that au provides, but they are only in-Japan use. They are not designed for WiFi abroad and even skype is not available... iPhone is international, but communication with my family will be expensive if I terminate the contract with au and start using an iPhone.

Anyways I will just wait until I have to go travelling very often...

Busy....

I have a lot of things to do and other tasks fall me one after another. I barely catch up with all of them. The bad thing is that their deadlines are not very clear. All are "As soon as possible but not like 'by tomorrow!'", so it's hard to decide which one to do first.

And many of them require me to consult my colleagues so I have to adjust my schedule to theirs, which, sometimes, can be an obstacle for me to concentrate! :P

If you look at the bright side of being super busy, your salary will increase because you work overtime, time flies when you are always catching up the schedule, and you will have a good feeling of achievement when everything's done, hopefully.

hmm I need to talk to somebody to refresh my mind!

すっぽん

安心院（あじむ）地区で有名なすっぽんを食べに行ってみた。亀の一種？らしい。

味は魚みたいで、骨は鶏肉みたい…。生血をオレンジジュースでわったものも出てきたけど、においを嗅ぐだけで十分でした………。

いい経験になった、という感想(笑)。

Malay food

It's unusually hot and humid there days! I just cleaned my humidifier a week ago and I already need a dehumidifier this week.

This tropical weather reminds me of everything in Singapore.

General Election in SG

I happened to visit there at the time of general election which will be held for the first time in five years.

Currently Singapore is ruled by one political party; "People's Action Party". Nowadays several opposition parties are geining popularity among young citizens. Many of the older generations like those in their 40s and 50s, are supporters for PAP. The ruling party lead Singapore's development from the scratch after its independence in 1960s, my friend told me. As they saw the fast, progressive development from nothing, they trust PAP.

Young generations, on the other hand, think that PAP's regime is too strong and is not a healthy state of a government. If the only ruling party takes a wrong path, nobody will be able to stop them; that's what they are concerned about. In addition, they argue, there are so many things that need change, a drastic one. Increasing housing prices, shortage of job opportunities, congestion in public transportation, aging society, and military spendings which account for 6% of its GDP.

Although people have different political views, they are all concerned about the future of their country and thinking carefully which party to vote for. Unlike in Japan, everyone is paying close attention to the rallies and manifestos of each party. I'm just wondering what the voter turnout will be.. I suppose it will be higher than it is in Japan.

Talking politics with my Singaporean friends, I thought "oh no I don't know much about politics and Japan's system!" It's time to subscribe a newspaper and discuss current issues with other people!

Tomorrow is the polling day.

"Later go where?"

Typical Singlish (Singaporean English) is characterized by shortened and simplified sentences like Mandarin. They think that "Where are we going later?", the correct full sentence, is too long so they just make it like "Later go where?" probably because they are used to speaking Cantonese, which often lacks subjects and has flexible word orders.

It is sometimes hard for even other English-speaking citizens to understand what Singaporeans are talking about. A bit of knowledge about Mandarin will help. For those whose mother tongue is not English, though, getting used to Singlish too much might not be very good because it could confuse the proper English structure they learned.

I emphasize, however, that there are quite a few Singaporeans who try to speak correct English, to become more neutral. It would be easier for foreigners and at the same time, be beneficial for the Singaporeans too because it makes them competitive.

Chinese funeral

There are so many China-originated people in Singapore so many of the community is like a Chinatown. I saw residents display many kinds of lucky charms on the wall or the door, Chinese Buddhist temples and people practicing yoga thing in the community center.

In Chinese tradition when someone passes away, their family keeps the body for 3-5 days so that the friends and relatives can visit them. their friends and relatives attach many towels and blankets to make a big "banner" and put messages on it saying like "Rest In Peace", "You will never be forgotten". The banner is several meters long and they display it outside their flat. After the funeral, they can use take the towels and blankets apart and use them.

Quite interesting custom, totally different from what Japanese people do.

Trip to Singapore

Talking with fast-speaking Singaporeans, I think I got back some of my English. I was surprised how slowly the newscasters speak!

But I realized that learning a certain language in childhood is an advantage. Kids are so fast and efficient in acquiring a language or even two at the same time! My host daughter, nine years old, speaks excellent English and Chinese and she translated Chinese books for me. Using two different tongues is not a problem to her.

Especially because I stayed at my friend's house, not in a hotel, I can say that living in a foreign country is good. I enjoyed exploring new places. Encountering different customs, unfamiliar systems could be tiring or difficult, but overall I see them as a good experience. They will certainly broaden your mind and way of thinking.

Saganoseki 2

There is a lighthouse on the tip of the cape. Cherry blossom was full in bloom and some people were eating lunch under the trees. The white beacon and blue sky reminded me of the houses in Greece.

Drive for Saganoseki

I went to Saganoseki, southern part of Oita city with my mother. It was such a beautiful day that we were able to see Shikoku island far across the sea.

Cute little parakeet

It seems Mochi got used to living with us. He goes back to his cage by himself after playing outside.

Cherry blossom

I hope tomorrow's rain won't fall the petals... The mountains are pink polka-dot lately, so beautiful.