25 posts tagged “daily life”
When I drive to the office, almost always I start to listen to some of Monkey Majik's songs, such as "Around The World", "all by myself", "turn" and "another day" on my iPod nano.
(NPR music picked up this band the last year in Febrary, ckeck it!)
Then later as always switch to some of podcast programs I've been subscribing for English learning.
When I'm too tire and I feel like don't want to move a finger even, I listen "I was made for dancing" by Leif Garret, who is my idol when I was a kid, several times repeatedly, then fill up some energy.
Do you have any those songs? The songs cheer you up when you feel depressed or tired?
The end of last month, my husband and I went to a new curry restaurant in Koriyama. Their menu is so called Indian style curry - though I don't know it's truly Indian style or not because I've never been to India - mostly come with nan bread.
Daihannya-sai was quite sublime ceremony, so I couldn't take pictures or videos while I attended there. Instead, I took some pictures of Fukujuji. If you go there during a cherry blossoms season, you may enjoy beautiful willow cherry trees by the temple as well as so many lovely someiyoshino.
These are pictures I took last year at Fukujuji.
It's been a long time since last time I updated this blog. I've been doing okay. I just had a slight winter depression which is a kind of annual ritual to me past several years.
I almost made it through this gloomy feeling somehow. Not tried to dwell on (at least less than usual) things that I wanted to do or go but didn't or couldn't. Instead, I put myself into the situations to go out and meet people more often than usual years. I canceled one out of three events, usually, however, this year, one out of five or six events I let go. Not bad, huh.
Thanks to my wonderful friends, they keep me to go out.
I'm going to re-start to learn English more firmly and thoroughly from today. Go for it! I'll catch up with you all my fellow learners on LingQ!
Today is the last day of a three days holiday for many people in Japan, though it's only two days holiday to me. Yesterday was one of national holidays called "shuubun no hi" or "the Autumnal equinox day" in English, and we had a Monday make-up holiday today.
It's getting cooler here in Fukushima day by day. Until just a couple of days ago, we had have hot and humid days, but like people in old times said, "Atsusa samusa mo higan made" means "summer heat or winter cold doesn't last after the equinox", it's surely getting cooling down around higan season, means right now.
Higan is one of the Buddhist festivals or events. We have two higan, one is in Spring, three days around the Vernal equinox day (shunbun no hi), called "haru higan". Haru is Spring. The other is also three days around the Autumnal equinox day, called "aki higan". Aki means Autumn.
On ohigan (with a prefix "o" in front of nouns becomes polite expression), many people visit to their family graveyard to offer a bouquet of flowers and senko (incense sticks, you can also say "osenko" to be polite) to pray respect to their ancestors.
My husband and I visited to his family graveyard and then my family's one which was only my father is sleeping.
According to "Hiragana lesson through Japanese culture",
"The word "higan" means "the other shore." In Buddhism it refers to nirvana. During higan, people visit family graves (ohaka-mairi) to comfort the spirits of ancestors."
今日はお彼岸の終日で、三連休の最終日でもありました。
わたしの会社は土曜日がおやすみではなかったので、日月の二連休でしたが、土曜から三連休だったという方達も多かったのではないでしょうか。
2～3日前まではあんなに蒸し暑かった福島も、「暑さ寒さも彼岸まで」という慣用句にもあるように、すっかり涼しく秋らしい季節になってきました。
「彼岸」とは仏教行事の一つで、春と秋の二回あります。
春彼岸は春分の日の前後三日間、秋彼岸は秋分の日の前後三日間です。
お彼岸（名詞の前に「お」をつけると丁寧な表現になります）には、多くの日本人が、家族や親戚のお墓（墓）に彼岸用の花束とお線香（線香）を持って墓参りに行きます。
"Hiragana lesson through Japanese culture"によると、
「彼岸」とは「向こう岸」という意味で、仏教で涅槃（ねはん）のことを指す。
・・・とのことです。
上記文章をLang-8に書き込んでみました。
果たして反応はあるかなぁ～？
It's been a while. I haven't written anything here for, how long? Anyway, it's Saturday today, and as always on the weekend mornings, I spent several hours siting in front of my PC, to visited some blogs I like, and post some comments here and there.
Then, after my hubby came back from tennis, we went out for lunch. This time it was a curry restraint called 'ラグパティ' (I don't know how to spell it, so sorry it's written in Japanese).
This is our first time, however, as you can see the Google link I put above, this place seems very popular among people around Koriyama I guess.
There's another curry restraint in the center of Koriyama near the station, called 'New Tajmahal'. We went there several times. You can enjoy quite tasty foods, especially their naan )nan bread) is so great.
After I came back home, I started to read aloud 'The Ultimate Gift' chapter five. Our Saturday group on LingQ is using this book as our reading material for past several weeks. Each chapter hasn't so much volume, but we can learn pretty lively expressions along with some teachings every time. I use this book as one of my vocabulary building guidbook. Every week, when I encounter words and expressions I have not known, I input them into PSS (P-Study System) software, and reviewing them when I have time. I haven't done any asiginements on LingQ these days, but instead I use PSS.
While I'm writing above, I've been feeling of guilt to LingQ where I always enjoy learning with, so, I've checked their store, and imported an interesting subject from there. It's one of ELLO's materials. Have a look.
ELLO
http://www.elllo.org/english/home.htm
I have never listened their contents, but it seems very interesting. They provide not only audio files but also transcripts. I've listened a couple of them, but I guess most of their contents are short, but it's pretty enough length if you'd like to listen over and over.
It's been toooooooooooooo hooooooooooooooooot every day, here in Fukushima. In the daytime, temperatures are around 35 Celsius or more. According to the weather forecast, it was 37 Celsius yesterday. Probably humidity was around 70%.
[MSN Weather] Local Weather Forecast >>> Motomiya, JPN
http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx?&wealocations=wc%3A9762726&setunit=C
Even so, we had been having comfortable night sleeps, feeling a cool but gentle breeze through the opened windows, until three days ago.
The day before yesterday, and yesterday night were quite hot, so I tossed and turned in bed almost all night long. Maybe that's why when I woke up, I had a pretty awful backache. Or it's highly possible that lack of excise is a factor of a dull pain in my back.
Since last Saturday (Aug 11th), I'm having a nine days holiday. Because of this high temperature, I don't want to anything but just goofing off. Most of time, I have spending my leisure??? time to lay down and enjoy reading. I have already finished three novels since Sunday, and start a new one last night.
Anyhow, it's enough a rambling introduction.
Here is the article I read this morning at WebMD.
A Little Walking Cuts Blood Pressure
Study Shows Even Short Walks Can Improve Your Health
http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20070815/a-little-walking-cuts-blood-pressure?src=RSS_PUBLIC
"Thirty minutes of walking three times a week may be enough to help lower blood pressure and start you on the path to better health."
Okay, only thirty minutes brisk walking three times a week might be enough to keep you healthy. Sounds not so tough to start... maybe from tomorrow? :->
+++++ new words +++++
optimum : n. maximum; most efficient
citing lack of time / cite: 引き合いに出す
Epidemiology : 疫学, branch of medical science dealing with epidemics and their treatments
sedentary : adj. 座りっきりの performed while sitting, not involving physical activity
systolic : adj. 心臓収縮(期) pertaining to systole, of a regular contraction of the heart
significantly : adv. 著しい in an important manner, with significance; meaningfully
systolic blood pressure : 最高血圧
+++++++++++++++++++
I have checked a word "significantly" millions of times, but the word's definition hasn't sticked in my brain. :-<
It's been an election week since last Saturday. When I come back home from work, every single day during the evening, so many noisy cars are wondering around my neighbor shouting candidate's name repeatedly. It's so annoying more than anything.
I doubt that those disgusting election campaign would ever effect. I'm crossing out their names from the candidate list in my mind, every time I hear or see those irritating election campaign activities.
I'm not alone. Many people around me are always complaining about these bothering noises.
I wonder why they spend so much money for nothing but to be hated by everyone.
Today, I'm back home a little bit earlier than usual. It's 6:30 pm, and it isn't getting dark yet.
Now I'm enjoy listning a variety of cicadas charping.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada
Higurashi in Haiku
http://haikuguy.com/issa/search.php?sort=CODE&lowcode=540.23a&highcode=541.07a&seasonword=evening%20cicada
{Haiku] is one of Japanese poetry styles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku
About [Higurashi] in Japanese
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%92%E3%82%B0%E3%83%A9%E3%82%B7
You can hear several kinds of cicada's sounds here. (in Japanese)
http://www.nat-museum.sanda.hyogo.jp/wave/s_semi.html
The sound of Higurashi
http://www.nat-museum.sanda.hyogo.jp/wave/docs/higurasi.html
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