A happy new year!

A Happy New year!

My resolution is…..” To enjoy the moment you have now.”  ” Be laid-back.”  

You know people who make these kind of resolution never be laid-back!!

I will “TRY MY BEST”  to be laid-back.   Yeah,  I am  cursed with “Try your best” spirit.   

 Akemashite Omedeto!

This's from Momo's Shichi-Go-San photos.

You should run by walk.

I heard this news..”The research said that the cars could run only 9 km/hour when people tried to escape from the huge tunami hit Japan in March. It’s caused by the traffic jam. 9km/hour is as slow as you jog.  Also about the distance people drove their car,  40% of the drivers drove for under 1km or so. ”

These kind of research makes me think. How could you run with two or three toddlers? the elders? the disable person? Or should you use a car even though you know it’s a bad idea?  You leave them, run by yourself and then may live with deep regret all of the rest of your life? My thought goes around and around. You never know what happened before it happens.  

So, only I could tell my kids, “Run by walk to the higher place! Think and take an action by yourself! and Survive! Your mom and daddy will do the same thing and we will meet again.”

 

 

Sorry for my missing!

I’m still living! I’m fine! Just no inspiration to write a new post these days. It’s kind of sad, you know? Boring and simple my life.

Tatsu has been getting stiffer and stiffer. I mean, his muscle is changing to the adult male’s one. And his bone has become bigger. He now wears shoes as same as my size. He eats A LOT. I ask him over and over, ” Are you OK? ” while he’s eating because his appetite seems crazy. AND he enjoys talking with girls. Once he went out with two girls who visited our home but that day HE HAD A FEVER so HE SKIPPED HIS SCHOOL!!  I’m not jealous at all. I’m relieved. He’s been so nerd and still IS, but apparently he is interested in real girls not ones in the video games. So I’m happy with it!

Momo becomes to be able to tell difference good-looking boys from less handsome ones.  She is so critic too. She likes boys having this kind of face.

Yes, Johnny’s group!! I’ve never ever liked any boy in Johnny’s so I wonder where that DNA comes from? I love another Johnny (Depp ), though.  

But her favorite boy, a real boy in her school is much shorter than her and tiny and called “chu chu” by her.  ( actually, “chu chu” means sound of mice. ) He is her pet now.

SO,  I have nothing to tell you about me. Just I’ve been amazed to see how my kids are growing every day, and every minutes!!

I need to carry coins with me!

I’ve been searching a new wallet for me on the net these days. I like cute and pop design like Orla Kiely. Japanese Yen is strong now so it’s a big chance for me to buy one cheaper!!

But while I was watching some you tube movies promoting wallets I liked, I found one thing. That is, these wallets made in UK or USA don’t have a big pocket for coins. I know they don’t carry coins. But I do!!! I still pay daily supply and train tickets with coins not a card! I’ve never used a credit card at a convenience store ever. The nearest super market doesn’t accept a credit card! I don’t know if I can use a credit card at doctors. I’ve never seen someone pays with a card. Have you?  I’m always scared at the accounting counter at a doctor when I got a medical inspection wondering if I have enough cash.

My paying style won’t be changed at least one more decade. So I need a  wallet with a big coin purse!

円高だから海外からネットで買ったらお得かな？なんて思いつつ財布を物色するここ数日。。。イギリスの可愛い財布が気に入りましたが

小銭入れがどれも使いにくそうで容量も小さい。

カード社会だからか？？

Kannabe Highland/神鍋高原

It was a so beautiful day today ( today was a national holiday in Japan.) so we went for a drive to Kannabe. The previous typhoon has changed the season from summer to fall suddenly.  I thought we should go hiking to somewhere full with green!! But…. in the Highland area, it was cloudy and raining lightly. We thought it was not a good idea to climb up the hill so we decided to hang around the river side-walk  that had several beautiful spots.
The water was so high because of the typhoon and its heavy rain.
神鍋高原　八反の滝。　水量が台風の後だからかものすごく多い。下の動画と比較してみて。すごい音としぶきだったよ
If you compare this water fall called as ‘Hattann no Taki’ of my picture with the youtube movie I borrowed as below, you can see how it had high volume of water today.

We went down the river by walking. There was a good side-walk along the river. We had a very good time while walking through the woods. It smelled fresh water. It sounds weird for you, but I live by the sea and smell sea wind every day, so I’m really refreshed when I go to the mountain side and smell moistened air.

How will you spend your weekend? Have a good day!

Downpour!!!!

The typhoon has hit west side of Japan and it brings heavy rain. It still keeps raining. This morning when I got to my office, on just about 200ms long way  from the parking lot to the office, I got soaking wet…..

I wonder why the Japanese business men and women wear suits or good outfits even though they know they will be caught by a storm?   As a business man or woman, you should look tidy whenever you are?  We can have a stromy-day dress code, can’t we? But I know you have to  be bothered waht you should wear for it. Me too.   

台風、大雨警報が出たら、ビーサンに短パンTシャツで出勤できたらいいのにな。うちの会社、もっと波風がひどい台風の時には車に波しぶきがかかるって…そんな日は休みたい。(>_<)

台風１２号/Tropical storm Talas hit and still pouring rain.

This video took away from my head that heavy downpour and stormy wind. It’s just beautiful. I should not say so. because it took 12 people’s lives and 55 people are still missing.  I usually forget that we are mere human kind that the nature could kill us anytime, it could destroy everything you have. Every time we face a natural calamity, we remind it again and again.  I could take it this way that human being so stupid that they could rise again and again, rebuild towns again and again. I can’t help but hope people who lost something because of Talas, that great earthquake, tsunami, and nuke trouble could have their lives back as soon as possible.

It’s been controversial, only in my head, but how do you think about to take your children to the disaster area to let them  learn “what is helping others” or “What is charity”  ?  Maybe, kids could learn much about like “how they have been enjoying happy, rich comfortable life” . You could let them find their way to serve others. and its very important and great. But if I were a victim, I don’t want to be an educational material. A teacher said on TV this morning that Tohoku is the best educational spot now for every kids. So, I’ve been thinking about it.

If I make up heavily..

I came across this site, which you can upload your photo of your face, and make that up freely. http://www.glam.jp/beauty/make_over/

自分の顔写真をアップしてメイクしたり髪型かえたりできるサイト。結構リアル。リアルすぎてちょっとオカマにも見える。

 

I usually make up lightly, so I was just curios how I could be if I wore full-make up. Then the face I made was….it’s my aunt!!! OMG! I looked like my aunt attending a wedding party. Please…it showed me you can’t be out from your kindred.

 

Tako( Octopus )

I got a tako from a neighbor fisherman. Have you put a tako onto your cutting board ever? I mean a fresh one, still having yellow glittering eyes as if still living.  It was the first time for me preparing tako. I was raised in Akashi city and I’m still living there,  which is very famous for seafood, especially tako!

I’ve never prepared it before. I’d been lucky to have someone who prepared it for me. But this time, there was no one but me. So, I did it. I could throw it away! But I did, BECAUSE, Momo had to finish her homework of summer break . That was “a picture of seafood and our town” ! No way,, that is too cliche, isn’t it? And I chose a tako, Umm I’m so cliche as an Akashi citizen.

Anyway let me show you how grotesque it was….. 

You rub hard with salt to remove its slimy thing and fishy smell.

 

夏休みの宿題「おさかなのまち明石ポスター」作成のため、私はじめてタコ茹でてみました。

 

 

I was feeling sort of cooking Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean to this moment, BUT after it turned to red colour, I began to feel good!!

It became looking yummy!! Wow! I did it!

Yes! It has become completely A food, not a creepy creature any more! ( Maybe it’s still creepy for some people, though. )

So, I suggested Momo to draw it for her homework.

Viola♪

おいしいたこ means “Yummy Tako”

Packed and vacuumed Futon

Are these plastic bags common in your country? I wonder it might be invented in Japan, no? We use them to compact FUTON to make them shoved into a small closet like mine.  In a hot summer day, I hang all FUTON for winter to make them completely dry. And then pack and vacuum. It is kind of fun. it’s one of a few house chores that I like.

See? It’s easy to pile up many Futons in one place. I know my level of compacting them is low, because there are some tiny holes on bags maybe. I don’t care, but I needed to be hurry to finish it, you know? I had to put all my Futon into that place before they blowed up again.  And I made it!  So, I won, haha!

ようやく冬布団、片付けました。。この世にふとん圧縮袋がなかったら、我が家の押入れはどうなっていたことか？圧縮が甘い？うん、穴空いてるねん。これくらい天井との隙間があっても、そのうち布団が膨らんでちょうといい感じにいっぱいになってるねん。

This is from my today’s dinner “Furai”, it’s named from “Fried food”.  I fried shrimp as named “Ebi-furai”, and some veges. My favorite is kidney beans fry!