September 21, 2014

last resort

I think I'm in a sort of depression. Gardening looks a clear way to failure after this summer's disastrous dry episode (an intentional neglect by going out for a 10-day trip). Somehow even knitting has stopped appealing its beauty for me.
But me, being me, can't just spend everyday doing nothing crafty.

Darn. I AM DARNING!

Can I be proud of myself?

September 19, 2014

Radio taiso

Each day, my ToDo list starts like this;
 - do Radio taiso at 6:30
And this will be checked almost every day, without a fail.
I've been doing it for ... almost three months now.

It was my grandmother's daily routine.  She used to go to taiso group at nearby kids' park every morning, have a chat with other members, come home and take breakfast.
It's considered to be elders' activity, or a school children's activity only during their long summer break (to keep their sleep habit regular and healthy). While I as at school, I have joined my neighborhood group only three days over two summers.  I was not an early bird, and most of all, I don't like "group activity" thing.  I am not the person who enjoys "the feeling of unite".  Those "Get together!"  "Do it together, everyone!" thing gives me ... well, unhappiness.  Let's not say more.

This July, it just came to me that I need something to wake up for.  Radio taiso, perhaps?
And realized that I don't need to do it with somebody else.  I don't need to go out to find a group to join.  I can do it in my living room.  Just myself, and a radio (actually a tablet with Internet Radio App).

And it just started so.  I'm completely happy doing it every morning all by myself,  sometimes remembering my grandmother's cheerful voice.
My daughter joined me only for her summer break,  every morning still half-sleeping.  Her school has started, and I'm alone again.  Our living room is too small for two of us, anyway.


I'm getting old.  I welcome that.

September 18, 2014

test

Testing post from my mobile. Hope attaching photo goes well, too. (^o^)

For your information (which you may not care)

I still use the bag I posted on the beginning of this blog.  It's my "school bag" which contains everything I need for the PTA meeting.

Change of strategy

I have an account on Twitter (who doesn't?), and on Facebook (again, who doesn't?).  And constantly am disappointed by them.  Not by my friends posts, but by the COMMERCIALISM I see there.  I know I can't hide away from the world, and I buy things.  But it's too much when they "recommend" English schools and cosmetics made with what-sounds-exotic animal organs (ugh).

So, I quit.  From now on, at least until yet another change of mind comes, I stop posting on Twitter or FB.  I'll keep them only as emergency communication tools with my families and friends, and only to look up others' posts from time to time.  (I have been treating them like that for a while already, but this is official now.)

Instead, when I want to murmur something (like I was doing on Twitter), I'll do so here.  (So I could say something in 141 letters? Yeah, that is a part of reason, too.)
I think I have been trying a little too much to make this blog fancier than my everyday life.  Sometimes it will be OK to dress up, but it's a ha-ha when you can't go out "because I don't have anything to wear other than these 182 dresses!"

I go out in my denim pants I mended twice.  That's me.
I don't sneak out by the backdoor.  I always use the front door (because that's the only door my house has), and I always say hello to my neighbors.
That's what I do here.

Lighter, but more.  Oh, it sounds like the title of another diet recipe book!

September 16, 2014

And the 14-15 season had already started

I knew I have neglected this poor blog for longer than I intend to.
This morning, I was shocked to see my last post was about Superbowl dinner.  What was I doing, not opening blogger in the first half (and plus) of this year?
... USUALS.  Everyday whatnots.

My husband has taken a lot of business trips during the time.  He made his first trip to South America just after the Soccer World Cup, and safely made his way home.  Thank goodness.
My daughter is now a 4th grader and doing some complicated math drill as homeworks (and of course, a lot of Kanjis to memorize).  Now she wears shoes as big as mine.  Honestly, we have switched each others' shoes more than once, like, after going out all day and her feet get tired too much.

My family members has exciting life of their own, I see.

And what about me?

"What about me?" - Is this a common, cheap self question of mid-40 wife/mother's?

Ok, let's see.  I've started something new, yes.  I am learning Italian on the NHK radio program since this April.  At the same time, I am trying to blush up my Spanish also on the radio programs.  It IS confusing learning TWO latin-based languages at the same time.  My Spanish was mucho, mucho mejor than my newcomer, Italian.  While I try to memorize one new word in Italian, it was read in Spanish pronunciation twice (which is not really a problem, they are so alike).  I mis-spelled the word like Spanish.  I asked myself why I don't just stick to Spanish,  which I still can't make proper past-tense sentence and have tons to learn.  Why?  Because Italian is NEW to me.  Close enough to make me want to learn, but new.

Now, after 5 month of doodling and murmuring, my Italian has improved.  A little.  I think I can order a coffee and a sandwich (Vorrei un cafe e un panino con tonno, per favore.)  

Well, listening to 15 minutes programs on the radio is the most exciting thing in my life.  And I think I am completely satisfied by that.

That's me.  And I needed this post to realize that.

Using a foreign language is a time-consuming process.  Take this Blog?  I spent more than 50 minutes just to post this much.  Blog post in Spanish or Italian?  No way.
But it's not about me speaking out loud.  It's about understanding.  It's about understanding myself (like today).  Composing foreign language sentence requires a good amount of analyzing and constructing, re-constructing pieces.  Pieces of thought, that is.

And of course, it's about learning what other people does.  I just want to understand those interviews on the news without Japanese subtitles.  Real words.  Not watered-down version.

Maybe, I learn other languages so I can read Sports News websites without translation.


Go, Texans!  2 - 0 is a nice start.