A Calendar of My Own

(I kept the normal size when I post the picture above, so if you click it, you can see the actual size...)

Out of the blue my sister asked me on how to make a desk calendar... and that's the start of this calendar project... :-)

I found it is interesting to make a calendar by myself, because basically you can arrange any part of it as you like - and I really like something that's not conventional :-)
(And that's why I chose quote from "The Craft" as the first quote of the month there...).

I think I'm gonna make my own calendar every month, and put the picture that I took in the previous month on it... However, since I'm a 三日坊主 :-) (mikka bouzu - three-day monk, a saying in Japanese that refer to someone that easily give up on what they do), I hope I can keep this thing long enough so that it can be a habit. Anyway, making my own calendar help me planning my schedule for the following month, so I think it's a really good idea...

Name of the Flower

(Picture from: http://www.always3.jp/)

I just knew that "Always：続・三丁目の夕日" is played in the TV today. Really bring me back to those good old days last year... :-) Anyway, I won't talk about it now, I just want to put the lyric of the theme song here. A really touching song with strong lyric - it's also simple, recommended for your karaoke (even if you just started learning Japanese... :-)
You can see the clip here

簡単な事なのに
どうして言えないんだろう
言えない事なのに
どうして伝わるんだろう
一緒に見た空を忘れても
一緒にいた事は忘れない

あなたが花なら
沢山のそれらと変わりないのかも知れない
そこからひとつを
選んだ僕だけに歌える唄がある
あなただけに聴こえる唄がある

僕がここに在る事は
あなたの在った証拠で
僕がここに置く唄は
あなたと置いた証拠で
生きる力を借りたから
生きている内に返さなきゃ

涙や笑顔を
忘れた時だけ思い出して下さい
同じ苦しみに
迷ったあなただけに歌える唄がある
僕だけに聴こえる唄がある

皆会いたい人がいる
皆待っている人がいる
会いたい人がいるのなら
それを待っている人がいる
いつでも

あなたが花なら
沢山のそれらと変わりないのかも知れない
そこからひとつを
選んだ僕だけにあなただけに
いつか

涙や笑顔を
忘れた時だけ思い出して下さい
迷わずひとつを
選んだあなただけに歌える唄がある
僕だけに聴こえる唄がある
僕だけを待っている人がいる
あなただけに会いたい人がいる

(花の名 - Bump of Chickens)

Escalating...

I like to take picture when I'm going in a group in an escalator (those who ever went with me should know this :-) ), and this's one of it...

Sleeping Pooh

Talking about bear, it reminds me to this pillow. I saw it in Inako's place, and when I showed it to my sisters, they hysterically screaming: "I wanted that pillow!" :-)

Inako is collecting Pooh item, and a lot of Poohs are scattered around her place. However, she forgot where she got the pillow when I asked, so I couldn't find it for my sister... :-)

Working Bear

Just when I don't bring my camera, interesting scene popped out right before my eyes... :-)

I just went back from my lab when I saw a bear stuffed-doll being aired in the balcony together with some 布団 (futon - Japanese style mattress) to get some sunshine. From below, it looked like the bear was do the job - hung the futon on the balcony railing...

Anyway, I should not leave my camera home next time...

Fuji Hiking Party

It was party after mount Fuji hiking, and even though I didn't go this year (because it was Ramadan), the team still invited me to the party (they said that I was the part of the team since the beginning... :-) )

They showed me the pictures during the trip, and it was an eventful trip... too bad that I couldn't join...
Anyway, I'd like to go again next year... if I still in Japan by then... :-)

Cake... Cake... Cake...

Going back from Kyoto after a trip with Honjo. I had to leave early because I was asked to be the interpreter for some Filipino students that visiting TITech. Lucky me that Zahra also had to leave early, so I had friend on my way back to Tokyo. There was plenty of time to spend before the departure of our train, so after shopping for some souvenir, we take a stroll around the station. There was this cake store that really inviting, but since it was ramadan, we couldn't enter and get some bite... :-) Well, may be next time when I visit Kyoto, I will go there... :-)

Hero...

Picture from desktop exchange

Well it was one of those great stories
that you can't put down at night
the hero knew what he had to do
and he wasn't afraid to fight
the villain goes to jail, while the hero goes free
I wish it were that simple for me

And the reason that she loved him
was the reason I loved him too
and he never wondered what was right or wrong
he just knew - he just knew

Shadows and shape mixed together at dawn
but by time you catch them simplicity's gone
and so we sort through the pieces
my friends and I
searching through the darkness to find
the breaks in the sky

And the reason that she loved him
was the reason I loved him too
and he never wondered what was right or wrong
he just knew - he just knew

And we wonder, yes we wonder
how do you make sense of this
when the hero kills the maiden
with his kiss - with his kiss

Well it was one of those great stories
that you can't put down at night
the hero knew what he had to do
and he wasn't afraid to fight
the villain goes to jail, while the hero goes free
I wish it were that simple for me
- if it were that simple for me

(Hero - Phil Collins & David Crosby)

Window Incident

It was when I had a factory trip to Ibaraki and Fukushima. As a 'normally' held factory trip, you spend the whole day seeing the factory, and spend the whole night partying :-). Unfortunately, we stayed in a lodging place that has curfew at 10pm, that's why we had to go out shopping for the party stock before the gate was closed.

The party started, and foods and drinks ran out faster that we thought. By the time we realized, it looked like we had to continue the chat without food and drink if we couldn't get additional supply. At that time Shiiba found that the window of the room that we used for the party was not so high from the ground, and it looked possible for us to slip trough it to the ground, go shopping, and return without being noticed.
"Wanna tried?"
"Why not?"
I looked around to make sure that there was no one outside watching while Shiiba mobilized the mass to join the mission impossible :-). Finally, there were 9 members that boldly took the offer, and the mission was commenced... (why all of sudden I sound like a member of a special force who carries out a dangerous mission? :-) )

The plan came together smoothly... with one small problem. Well, it was not hard to accomplished phase 1 and 2 (a.k.a. going out through the window and going shopping :-) ), however, for the phase 3 (a.k.a. going back through the window), it was not as smooth as it was planned. The window was higher when you see it form the ground, and it seems that it would be hard for a girl to climb back through the window by herself. It turned out to be true, since Kitazawa who was the first to try failed to climb even after twice trying.

Well, I often went hiking with friends who bring along small kids and I often helped the kids to climbed rock or very steep steps, that's why I think it should be easy to help her climbing the window. I looked around and wondered why nobody stepped up to help her out, and finally I moved forward and told her that I'd help her.

"On the third count, jump", I told her, and I put my hand on her waist. She did what I told her and I helped pushing her up, and this time she succeeded climbing the window. I turned back to the others to see who would climb next, when I realized everybody was looking at me...

I really wondered what made them look at me like that. I've helped my friends' kids plenty of time before and there was no problem at all... while suddenly I realized what's wrong. Well, there's no problem for me to help my friends' kids, because they're kids - but Kitazawa is not a kid. I should realized that it could be very rude to lay my hands on her waist and push her up like that without asking her permission. And that should also be the reason why's nobody tried to help her climbing the window (everybody should have been thinking of helping her, but they worried that it could be rude to push her up... :-) ).

Anyway, one by one we climbed back, and mission was accomplished. The party continued, and no one mentioned about the window accident, including Kitazawa, so I tried to forget it. However, the next morning, I thought that I should apologize to her about the incident, so I came to her and said sorry about what happened the night before. She just laughed.
"No problem at all. It should have been me who says thanks to you. If you didn't help me out, I'd have to stay outside the whole night."

I was really relieved, and she continued, this time with a low voice, "I think I should apologize to you. I was heavy, wasn't I? It should have been very difficult to push me up to the window..."
This time, I was failed to hold my laughter... :-)

Beauty is in The Eye of the Beholder

Another entry from the Edogawa fireworks. Yuurin gave us all fluorescence bracelet so that it would be easier to identify each other in the crowd. Rie, Yuurin's daughter, connected three bracelet and put it on her head instead. It was cute, however, while Aki said that she looked like an angel, Yoshino said that she looked like 河童 (kappa - Japanese magical creature that looks like the mixture of frog, duck, turtle, and monkey. It's also in the J.K. Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts and How to Find Them" :-) ).

It's not that I think that kappa is ugly, but it is indeed that every person has different opinion on what they see...

Fairground?

I went to see fireworks (花火) in Edogawa with some Hippo members, and after the show I started to wonder why Japanese often stereotyped as shy and not so expressive person. The impression that I got from the show was in contrary with that, specially because the place from where we watched the firework was close to a group of girls that kept on screaming 'kya kya' during the show :-). Well, I'm not complaining at all, since it added to the trill, and when I closed my eyes, I could believe that I was riding a jet-coaster rather than seeing firework... :-)

Cat's Pheromone

Akiko invited me to have 手巻寿司 party (temaki sushi - sushi that you make yourself by putting 酢飯 (sumeshi - vinegared rice), ねた (neta - topping for sushi), and 山葵 (wasabi - Japanese horseradish paste) on 海苔 (nori - dried seaweeds), rolled it with your hand, and dip it into 醤油 (syouyu - Japanese soy-souce) before you eat it). When I came to her place, Kedama - her cat, came to me and started sniffing at me. She's kind of following me around that Akiko gazed at me as if there's something wrong with me.
"You must be secreting cat's pheromone."
"What?"
"Look at Kedama. I never saw her kept on sniffing on someone the way she sniff on you now. Even when my sister came here, she just ignored her."

I was started to think that perhaps the charm also works on cats :-) (if you wondering what's the charm that I mean, I wrote about it in this blog. But of course it's just a joke :-) )
"May be she just smelled the scent of one of my cats. You know, I used to kept cats as pet."
"You kept cats here in Japan?"
"No, it was when I was still in Indonesia..."
Akiko said nothing, but from the look in her eyes it looked like she said, "So you trying to tell me that you didn't take shower all of these years that the smell still there?" :-)

Anyway, the sushi was great, and Kedama kept on coming to me. Well, this time maybe she came because I had fish in my hand... :-)

More on Kedama, Akiko got her from her friend, which found several kittens being dumped by their owner. It's hard (and expensive) to keep pets in Japan, but I don't think that it is civilized to dump kittens (or other animal babies), who basically still don't have the ability to survive on their own. It's good for Kedama that finally there's someone that willing to keep her as a pet. And even though Akiko often complained about her (specially when Kedama started to hone her claw on any object that she finds, or when she's shedding that all of the room seems to be covered by her fur :-) ), Akiko really cares about her, and I think that means a lot more than all of her complains :-).

Since I let Kedama to sit on my lap, it was the first time in 10 years or so that my clothes dusted by cat's fur. Anyway, I don't care at all. She reminded me of all of my cats, and come to think of it, I think I miss them all...

Odaiba Shore

Another picture from Odaiba...

Beginning of A Busy Month?

It's the first of August and still not summer vacation yet, but I've already went home so late that I had to run for the last train that going to my home.

I went bowling with some friends in Odaiba, and it was the first time in two years that I surpassed 100 mark :-) (I got 130 and 138). I'm not claiming that I am a great bowling player, but in the past, it was normal for me to get a score of 150. However, in the past 2 years, I hardly reached 100 mark, which makes me quite worry whether there's something wrong with my hands. Well, I still cannot explain what wrong in these two years, but at least it seems that my hands are back to normal... for the time being :-).

We went around Odaiba after the games, and even thought I've been here several times before, it's always felt different, since every time I went with different peers. By the way, I got a feeling that it's gonna be a busy month for me (both research and fun :-) ) and I think Odaiba was a great place to start with...

One Hand Trick

Picture from hiking at mount Tsukuba...
I was trying to take picture of the whole members of the group, but since it was hard to find a place where I can put my camera for automatic shutter, finally I had to hold it myself... thus my face dominating the scene... :-)

Big Ice Cream

I was staying at Saito family house when I visited Hamamatsu, and I quickly got along with their children (as always, because of the charm... :-) - if you don't know what charm that I meant, read this entry). Particularly I get along well with Minami, because she's a little bit weird, just like me... :-)

She really likes to take strange pictures, that's why when I see a big ice cream model and an idea for a picture, I asked her to pose for me... and the picture is above...

I'll ask her to pose for me again next time when I visit hamamatsu... :-)

Embraced by Kindness

(This is the closing song of "Kiki Delivery Service"... a really good song with a touching verses...)

やさしさに包まれたなら

小さい頃は　神様がいて
不思議に夢を　かなえてくれた
やさしい気持ちで　目覚めた朝は
大人になっても　奇蹟は起こるよ

カーテンを開いて　静かな木漏れ陽の
やさしさに包まれたなら　きっと
目に写る全てのことは　メッセージ

小さい頃は　神様がいて
毎日愛を　届けてくれた
心の奥に　しまい忘れた
大切な箱　開くときは今

雨上がりの庭で　くちなしの香りの
やさしさに包まれたなら　きっと
目に写る全てのことは　メッセージ

カーテンを開いて　静かな木漏れ陽の
やさしさに包まれたなら　きっと
目に写る全てのことは　メッセージ

Cat in The Toilet

Picture in the toilet of Taka-chan's place...

If you don't know it, the cat in the toilet cover and tissue cover is Gigi, a character from "Kiki Delivery Service" - an animation from Ghibli Studio. It's a good movie, you better see it if you have not...

Sakura Again...

Every year, I always taking sakura's picture during spring, and I don't know why I'm not get tired of it (even tough it's pink... :-) ). May be it is for the same reason why Japanese always have 花見 (hanami - cherry blossom viewing) every year... It's really charming...

Beat The Fear

I've been to Tokyo Tower several times, but I never going inside before. That's why I went when Dito said that she wanted to go.

The view was cool (specially at night), and there was a live show on the tower (never heard about it before). There's a glass windows on the floor of the main observatory where you can peek what's below...

Actually I'm a little bit acrophobic, but my curiosity beat my fear :-), so I tried to look down while standing on the glass... well, it's not as scary as I thought before... :-)

Rush Hour Train

It was one game that I had during my trip to Nagano. The name of the game was 満員電車(full loaded train).

The objective is to put as many person as possible on top of one sheet of newspaper. Well, it should be easy you have lots of kids in your team... :-)

International Day

Attending international day again, this time in Michizuka elementary school. It's always fun to go to elementary school again... you can pretend that you're still kids... :-)

First Hiking...

The picture from my 初ハイキング (first hiking) in 2008, with mount Fuji in the background. Think I'll use it for my 年賀状 (new year card) next year...

Ghibli Studio

Matsuda-san gave me 2 free tickets for Ghibli studio and I gave one to Tuti.

The studio was really great. You can learn some animation trick there... unfortunately, it was forbidden to take picture inside...