I was reading a book on arthritis (Mom is starting to suffer from it in her hands), written by a nurse in 1985. There's a paragraph lamenting the lack of nutritional education among young mothers and therefore the impossibility of their children being well fed or knowing how to feed themselves. The whole things ends up with the blithe assertion that women are responsible for the working power of the nation. I'm never going to be able to read this kind of thing again after that essay...
Mom and Dad were happy with their gifts, but Dad would have been a lot happier if I hadn't given him my cold. Sorry about that.
And himself sent me this adorable picture of the changeover of Chinese zodiac years.
Friday, 26 December 2008
Sunday, 21 December 2008
Ooooh yes...
Himself managed to find his present. So, I thought I'd get him another one, and kind of took a chance on something that I hope he'll like but not quite sure.
He's got me the latest edition of Rough Guide Japan, which I really wanted. While we were sitting around in Waterstones talking about what to get for his brother, himself suddenly said that what he should have asked for was... what I've got for him! I don't think it will arrive in time - we're both gone as of tomorrow morning for Christmas - but if I'm lucky I'll have a 'we tried to deliver' card that I can pick up from the sorting office before we go to Wales for New Year.
Result.
He's got me the latest edition of Rough Guide Japan, which I really wanted. While we were sitting around in Waterstones talking about what to get for his brother, himself suddenly said that what he should have asked for was... what I've got for him! I don't think it will arrive in time - we're both gone as of tomorrow morning for Christmas - but if I'm lucky I'll have a 'we tried to deliver' card that I can pick up from the sorting office before we go to Wales for New Year.
Result.
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Twinkle twinkle little tree
If anyone reading this might be talking to Mom - I suspect that limits it to Dad and possibly otouto - don't tell her, because this is one of her Chrisse pressies!
This is a kit for a Christmas tree made from star-shaped cushions (with a pompom on top!) that I got in Hobbyra Hobbyre in Nagoya, not this year but last year. I failed to make it in time for last Christmas, so that was one of the impetuses behind me going out and getting a sewing machine. I'm quite happy with how it turned out, especially seen it was my first time using a sewing machine and by far the most ambitious thing I've ever tried to sew.
That was actually quite fun. Now for the fabric bowls.
This is a kit for a Christmas tree made from star-shaped cushions (with a pompom on top!) that I got in Hobbyra Hobbyre in Nagoya, not this year but last year. I failed to make it in time for last Christmas, so that was one of the impetuses behind me going out and getting a sewing machine. I'm quite happy with how it turned out, especially seen it was my first time using a sewing machine and by far the most ambitious thing I've ever tried to sew.
That was actually quite fun. Now for the fabric bowls.
We know you got
I did a favour for a friend a little while ago. It meant a lot to her, it didn't particularly inconvenience me although it did require a fair amount of trust.
We met up for dinner last night, and she brought me a thank-you present, this little psuedo-kokeshi!
She said the little blurb on the box made her think of me - I was unreasonably chuffed by the whole thing. My cheeks still ache from smiling. It's going to live on my desk, and I shall affix the included sticker and badge to something, probably my electronic dictionary and only-me bag.
Mind you, the other side of the box says 'I love Dexy's Midnight Runners' - their "Come on Eileen" was mercilessly redone as "Come on Arline" by boys at my school in France and resulted in an unfortunate incident with one of said boys, a locker door and my temper finally fraying. It takes a lot, but it can happen...
We met up for dinner last night, and she brought me a thank-you present, this little psuedo-kokeshi!
She said the little blurb on the box made her think of me - I was unreasonably chuffed by the whole thing. My cheeks still ache from smiling. It's going to live on my desk, and I shall affix the included sticker and badge to something, probably my electronic dictionary and only-me bag.
Mind you, the other side of the box says 'I love Dexy's Midnight Runners' - their "Come on Eileen" was mercilessly redone as "Come on Arline" by boys at my school in France and resulted in an unfortunate incident with one of said boys, a locker door and my temper finally fraying. It takes a lot, but it can happen...
Friday, 12 December 2008
Loving it...
...as my former manager at a certain large company used to say when things were going down the drain. As usual, my source of work isn't disappearing anywhere soon. This spontaneously appeared while I was writing an email to submit my hours for a translation project.
Mine and only mine
Sorry for the lack of posts - been working away on lots of things, just nothing interesting. Plus I think I've been treating this very much as a travel blog, so not much to report after coming back!
Last essay is safely handed in, now I have to find a thesis topic or annotated translation piece. I have filed my tax return after doing far more research than I felt comfortable with on liability for tax in Germany. Someone at one of the accountancy firms I spoke to asked someone in the expatriate tax department at Deloitte & Touche in Reading to call me and they seem to agree. Phew.
In other news, my favourite bag - a black waist pack that I used as a shoulder bag, bought in Japan back in 2003 or so and just big enough for a Lonely Planet Japan and a camera and a map - went to its eternal rest in the summer after I managed to put a rip in the bottom of it. Probably Lonely Planet Germany on top my keys. I was figuring out it was on its last legs at the craft fair I did with himself's mom in July, and one of the other stands there was a lady selling handmade bags. We got talking. I remembered I had some lovely aizome fabric I bought in Ise last year. And this is the result!
The main body of the bag is blue denim, with a wide stripe fabric for the outer pockets and flap, plus a thin stripe fabric for the lining, and a little of the wide stripe for an inside pocket. It's perfect!
I had a discussion about brand goods with a friend in Japan while I was there. She saw a designer bag as a status symbol - I'm successful, at my age I can afford one of these. Maybe, but I keep getting stuck on buying my lovely Dakine bag in Frankfurt - let me get you another identical one from out the back, Made In China. I'd much rather a handmade one of a kind item than a mass produced one. It's the same as the burst of happiness I felt when someone commented that one of bracelets could never be taken for anything but handmade. I like that.
Last essay is safely handed in, now I have to find a thesis topic or annotated translation piece. I have filed my tax return after doing far more research than I felt comfortable with on liability for tax in Germany. Someone at one of the accountancy firms I spoke to asked someone in the expatriate tax department at Deloitte & Touche in Reading to call me and they seem to agree. Phew.
In other news, my favourite bag - a black waist pack that I used as a shoulder bag, bought in Japan back in 2003 or so and just big enough for a Lonely Planet Japan and a camera and a map - went to its eternal rest in the summer after I managed to put a rip in the bottom of it. Probably Lonely Planet Germany on top my keys. I was figuring out it was on its last legs at the craft fair I did with himself's mom in July, and one of the other stands there was a lady selling handmade bags. We got talking. I remembered I had some lovely aizome fabric I bought in Ise last year. And this is the result!
The main body of the bag is blue denim, with a wide stripe fabric for the outer pockets and flap, plus a thin stripe fabric for the lining, and a little of the wide stripe for an inside pocket. It's perfect!
I had a discussion about brand goods with a friend in Japan while I was there. She saw a designer bag as a status symbol - I'm successful, at my age I can afford one of these. Maybe, but I keep getting stuck on buying my lovely Dakine bag in Frankfurt - let me get you another identical one from out the back, Made In China. I'd much rather a handmade one of a kind item than a mass produced one. It's the same as the burst of happiness I felt when someone commented that one of bracelets could never be taken for anything but handmade. I like that.
Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Pass!
Just got my results from the September exams - I've passed! I thought I did, but it's nice to know for sure.
Happy with my Japanese-English translation mark, and with the one from the presentation in Japanese, seen as it went a little pear-shaped. Wish I could have done more for the Writing in Japanese, but it's a fair mark for what I did do.
Final essay (have an extension from last month) due in on Friday, then I have to make a decision on doing a thesis or an annotated translation. I may be back in Germany in January, which makes the translation much more attractive... but I have to come up with some kind of topic first!
Anyway - one big hurdle passed!
Happy with my Japanese-English translation mark, and with the one from the presentation in Japanese, seen as it went a little pear-shaped. Wish I could have done more for the Writing in Japanese, but it's a fair mark for what I did do.
Final essay (have an extension from last month) due in on Friday, then I have to make a decision on doing a thesis or an annotated translation. I may be back in Germany in January, which makes the translation much more attractive... but I have to come up with some kind of topic first!
Anyway - one big hurdle passed!
Friday, 21 November 2008
Haiku time!
I noticed while posting the last post that I have a tag 'haiku' - we did haiku and also senryuu at the Japan Foundation course last night. Where haiku celebrate the beauty of nature, senryuu are ironic or sarcastic social commentaries in the haiku 5-7-5 syllable format.
隣には
知り合いの人
世界、狭！
Sitting beside me
Someone I already know
This world is so small!
Turns out I'd already sent emails about the MA to the guy sitting beside me, but neither of us realised until the people beside us started talking about JET and we joined in.
Although my favourite one of the evening has to be one where he came up with the idea and I managed to fit it into 5-7-5 syllables - you had to do four seasonal ones, with this one for spring and the last line already there:
二日酔い
誰のせいだろ
桜かな
I'm so hung over...
Who is to blame for this pain?
The cherry blossoms!
The かな doesn't actually mean 'could it be?' but just emphasises the cherry blossoms, but we used it like that anyway. And the apparently official practice of allowing a line to be one syllable over also worked in our favour, as the middle line if spelled correctly is 8 syllables... Lots of fun had by all.
隣には
知り合いの人
世界、狭！
Sitting beside me
Someone I already know
This world is so small!
Turns out I'd already sent emails about the MA to the guy sitting beside me, but neither of us realised until the people beside us started talking about JET and we joined in.
Although my favourite one of the evening has to be one where he came up with the idea and I managed to fit it into 5-7-5 syllables - you had to do four seasonal ones, with this one for spring and the last line already there:
二日酔い
誰のせいだろ
桜かな
I'm so hung over...
Who is to blame for this pain?
The cherry blossoms!
The かな doesn't actually mean 'could it be?' but just emphasises the cherry blossoms, but we used it like that anyway. And the apparently official practice of allowing a line to be one syllable over also worked in our favour, as the middle line if spelled correctly is 8 syllables... Lots of fun had by all.
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Discomfort, horror and thievery
Did two things I haven't done in ages on Monday: cycle and bead. The cycling wasn't too bad, I hadn't forgotten nearly as much as I had feared, but having lent the bike to someone considerably taller than me while in Germany, I neglected to check the seat height and nearly killed myself as soon as I stopped and realised my feet weren't anywhere near the ground. Action Bikes in the town centre kindly lowered the seat for me.
I haven't beaded in about 9 months now, so it was good to get something simple yet very nice indeed - this curved bar and crystal bracelet kit. I'm a big fan of kits, they give you a nice finished product and also teach you a new stitch or technique. I'm never particularly original anyway.
Things have been happening, just not particularly noteworthy ones - the bathroom tiling is now finished, which is a big thing... and I'm now working on my last essay for the MA, which is about the Japanese 'comfort women' in WWII. It really is horror after horror, right down to Imperial accountants working out "how long the women would last". It's due in next Friday and although I will be very glad to see the back of it I do want to do a good job.
Another one on the list of dubious firsts, I saw someone attempting to pickpocket yesterday. He wasn't very subtle, but it made me realise just how vulnerable people are - he took a bag right off the back of a chair while the woman's boyfriend was looking in his direction and rummaged through it, it was hidden behind his coat over his arm, but I was sitting behind him. I just stared while it was happening, I couldn't believe it. After he dropped the bag and went on to another table, I walked up to the woman and asked her if she was missing anything - she wasn't and as the man realised he was being watched he quickly left. Very unpleasant.
Off into London today to work on the essay again in the confines of the SOAS library, and hopefully meet my brother and his girlfriend for dinner. I realise I haven't written much about Japan, partly due to the phone keyboards and partly just from being with people all the time I was there - no time alone to fill with writing. I will put some highlights here, such as The Confusion of the Three Firemen in Kanazawa and other noteworthy incidents.
Back to war crimes...
I haven't beaded in about 9 months now, so it was good to get something simple yet very nice indeed - this curved bar and crystal bracelet kit. I'm a big fan of kits, they give you a nice finished product and also teach you a new stitch or technique. I'm never particularly original anyway.
Things have been happening, just not particularly noteworthy ones - the bathroom tiling is now finished, which is a big thing... and I'm now working on my last essay for the MA, which is about the Japanese 'comfort women' in WWII. It really is horror after horror, right down to Imperial accountants working out "how long the women would last". It's due in next Friday and although I will be very glad to see the back of it I do want to do a good job.
Another one on the list of dubious firsts, I saw someone attempting to pickpocket yesterday. He wasn't very subtle, but it made me realise just how vulnerable people are - he took a bag right off the back of a chair while the woman's boyfriend was looking in his direction and rummaged through it, it was hidden behind his coat over his arm, but I was sitting behind him. I just stared while it was happening, I couldn't believe it. After he dropped the bag and went on to another table, I walked up to the woman and asked her if she was missing anything - she wasn't and as the man realised he was being watched he quickly left. Very unpleasant.
Off into London today to work on the essay again in the confines of the SOAS library, and hopefully meet my brother and his girlfriend for dinner. I realise I haven't written much about Japan, partly due to the phone keyboards and partly just from being with people all the time I was there - no time alone to fill with writing. I will put some highlights here, such as The Confusion of the Three Firemen in Kanazawa and other noteworthy incidents.
Back to war crimes...
Monday, 10 November 2008
Friday, 31 October 2008
Photos!
I haven't quite finished - no captions yet on the second Hakone trip and the Nikko trip - but mostly done. Photos from Japan 2008!
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Sunday, 26 October 2008
But...
On the train to Kanayama to change to the Meitetsu line out to the airport, if I can do it in seven minutes. Overcast and drizzling, so the UK won't be too much of a shock.
That was never three weeks.;_;
Friday, 24 October 2008
手ぬぐい
Rain again today. Dad has gone to see a Vermeer exhibit while I figure out what to do with the rest of my shopping list, case space and money.
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Electric City
In Akihabara, getting maps for visiting my new clients tomorrow. Got some of my comics second hand, but not many. Also got an RPG for the DS and some Asian Kung Fu Generation CDs! Must get back, wake Dad up and get us some food.
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
We're on the Old Tokkaido Road!
Turned back, now having lunch before sailing across Lake Ashi. Third time I've done Hakone, first time I've done it clockwise!
Monday, 20 October 2008
Sunday, 19 October 2008
We're on the way to Nikko!
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