Christmas Present 2009

Eve Eve

Merry Christmas To You!

a sound

I heard the snap of my heart being broken.
Countless tears welled up in my eyes since I've started job-hunting.
I've already taken eleven examinations to get a job.

How many examinations will I take from now on?
How can I get a job?

It's already December.

*celebration*

I passed 総合旅行業務取扱管理者試験!!!







the acceptance




My sister Ayami held a celebration tonight.




sushi and Ayami and curry-nabe








a wonderful variety of cakes

weight of ...

Heavy???
Or not???

*ten thousand-yen commemorative coin*

28NOV2009

I've solved the problem for the time being.
I was busiest in November.
I'm too tired to stay up!!!

Tomorrow...
I have no work and school.
I'm going to sleep until my eyes open.

I just want to rest.









*dinner*
dried fish that I made in Mie
http://asami-no-kimagure.blogspot.com/2009/11/mie-prefecture.html

old capital NARA

I went to Nara the other day to meet a nice guy.
He has three faces and six arms.

simbol of Nara: five-storied pagoda
He lives at the Kofuku Temple where this pagoda stands on.



















Many deer welcome tourists.














They are very friendly!














an old big wooden storehouse (Shoso-In)
The 61th Annual Exhibition of Shoso-in were held and I appreciated precious treasures at a museum.
Unfortunately, the exhibition had already finished!













What a fine view!
You can get a good view of Nara city from Nigatsudo at the Todai Temple.

The real pleasure of travel is traditional dishes to me.

rice porridge with a Japanese tea taste

Mild!!!

lunch packed with specialties of Nara

THE NICE GUY

words

Do you like reading?
I like books, especially novels.
This is a book I finished reading today.












SKY-BLUE HITCHHIKERS
by TSUMUGU HASHIMOTO

"There's nothing wrong with going nowhere, son. It's a privilege of youth."
This is a quotation from the book.
Life is like a long-distance drive.

But...my way has too many snags.

Books never force me anything.
However, they affect my mind gradually as a medicine.
I can forget every things snowballed in myself when reading.

My Favorite Novelists
No1. Rio Shimamoto
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B3%B6%E6%9C%AC%E7%90%86%E7%94%9F
No2. Tsumugu Hashimoto
http://www17.plala.or.jp/bobtail/index.html
No3. Maiko Seo
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%80%AC%E5%B0%BE%E3%81%BE%E3%81%84%E3%81%93

RAIN

Good morning!
It's raining today.
How about where you live?
Is it raining?

I don't like, if anything, rain.
I feel weary to go out on a rain day.

But...
Accept everything as it is!
Enjoy rain when it's raining.
Go out with your favorite umbrella or rain boots.
There may be a rainbow after rain!


My favorite place and second hometown★

Mie Prefecture

I made a trip to Ise&Toba&Shima area in Mie last week.
It was really fun with my classmates, but I was totally exhausted.
We had a drinking party at a hotel and I had to have a terrible hangover next morning.
I feel that I can't drink much year by year.
I regret I drank too much.
The trip itself was very good!

*First Day*










The Ise Shrine (Geku)











Ise Shrine Museum
You can learn about the Ise Shrine at this museum.











Lunch (at FUTAMI SEA PARADISE)
Products from sea and Ise Udon











Charming character at the aquarium











"Akkambe!"











Penguins





















Ago Bay from Yokoyama Observatory
What a clear saw-toothed coastline it was!











The moon from the room at a hotel


*Second Day*









Let's sail Ago Bay in a cabin cruiser!










Mikimoto Pearl Island










Mischievous Boatman











Tekone Zushi and Aosa Miso Soup
These are traditional foods in Mie.
Tekone-zushi is made of soacked bonitos in soy sauce and vinegared rice.
We made and ate it.











Dried Forse Mackerel
I cooked fish by myself, but I felt a little sick.
If you have an interest in these activities, you can experience at Umihouzuki in Hamajima.
http://www.umihozuki.org/











Meoto Iwa





You can go there by bus, train, or a car.
Delicious products from sea, beautiful views, and many power spots surely welcome you!
How about a trip to Mie on your next holiday?

inspiration

I've been planning a tour for a contest.
If I win a prize, I can be invited as a test tourist.
I wish a brilliant idea would flash into my mind!

Do you have any ideas???
I chose Laos and Myanmar for the destination.

What do you want to do in these two countries?

hangover

I ate and drank too much yesterday.
My stomach's ready to burst.
It's rather humiliating, but I've put on five kilos this year.
Immediate diet is needed...

in desperation

Everything is NOT going fine.

PART 1










PART 2










Sometimes a happy mood after a few drinks is needed to me.
All works and no play will damege my health...maybe.

Kyushu

"I'm home!"
My sister Ayami returned from a trip with her classmates to Kyushu.
I'm glad to see her looking well.
She told me stories from her trip happily.
I'm going to take a trip to Ise-Shima area in Mie next week.

souvenirs from Ayami

Saturday Night

Ume liquer goes well with green soybeans!

I'm living every day for drinking on Saturday evening.

My mother made this liquer with her own hands.

Just for your information...I'm crazy about beans.

I don't mind if all meals consist of beans.

Otsukare Reward

I took an employment test yeaterday, without response.
But I don't worry about such a finished thing any more.

I make it a rule to give myself some sweet after a test regardless of any outcome.

My body always wants sugar after tests!

Autumn in 2009

It's been days since I last wrote in this page.
I hope you are doing well.
It's gotten noticeably cooler since the beginning of October.
There's a new type of influenza going around this year.
Please take care of your health!

Excuse me for bringing up a personal subject, but I took a national examination last Monday.
I did my all best and a good news must reach me next month unless I mistook to mark.
I do understand there's not anything absolutely perfect.
Job-hunting let me know that.
I don't feel regret for this exam!

Yesterday my mother came from my hometown.
We visited Arashiyama in Kyoto and did some sightseeing today.
It's still too early to go to view autumn leaves, but there were many tourists in Kyoto.
We made an eating tour: nureokaki, soba, and parfait in the Japanese style.










from TOGETSU BRIDGE









SOGEN GARDEN at TENRYU TEMPLE

A teacher at school gave me this!












Rich and so sweet!









If you have an interest in this custard pudding, please go to http://frantz.jp/.
I love custard pudding best of all the sweets!!!

''Ding-Dong!!''

I've won assorted fruits in season.
It consists of two kiwis, a mango, an apple, two grapefruits and two oranges.
My sister is fond of mangos.
She must be pleased with it.
I'm out of luck these days.
I want to pile up happiness like this even though they are tiny.

the source of power

I visited a friend of mine in the hospital today.
The Halloween pumpkin box was for her.
I put millet dumplings, a specialty of my home town Okayama, into it.

She is very positive though she had a traffic accident.
Her smile always gives me heart.
Thanks, Kiyomi!!!
Let's travel again someday!

Opening the box...

Guess what's put into this box!

silver week

In Japan people have five days off in a row.
Are you planning to go somewhere during this consecutive holidays?
I have no plan yet.
I intend to spend all my time on preparing for a national examination.
It's a gray week rather than silver.

emotional conflict

I hope to do what I want to do.
But then, I know it's not true happiness to have always my way.
Many people support me and keep me alive.
However, the day may come when I will act on instinct alone.

down and up...but, down again

I think I'm too simple.
I even wonder if I'm a unicellular animal.
As most people will get hurt by trifling matters, my heart is enough fragile to be damaged.

"Don't be pressimistic."
"Some gods may let you down, but others will pick you up."
"Deep valleys, high mountains."
"No nights without mornings."
"The sun always rises in the east."

These words are all from my father.
I DO understand what he wants to say.
But...
Any words of comfort or encouragement don't reach my ears.
I hate to admit it, I can't accept his words.

No end of job-hunting is to make me a nervous wreck.
A splitting headache is becoming chronic to me nowadays.
When will what I've done be paid off???

weakness of my mind

It caused anxiety and overeating to me.
I'm impatient about job-hunting and at a standstill.
"It's all over for me! I can't understand how to get employment in my choise company."
I felt so.

I want to be positive and tough morally.

Whenever something doesn't go fine, I surely dig up my past; when in university.
I do know that it's nonsense to think such a thing.
But I can't help being foolish.

"If I had not quit university, would the companies that turned down me have employed me?"

No matter how much I appeal myself of today, my words are not persuasive and may sound like excuses.
I regret my cowardliness.

My spiritual home...it's my mother.
I have derived from the mere fact of her existence, a great sense of inward security.

I have to keep challenging me.
To overcome myself!

vicious circle

Every little thing has annoyed me and I just want to give up on myself lately.
I feel an urge to forget anything and go away.

My close friends often admire.
"You are a hard worker!"
My mother also says.
"Don't worry! You are tough."

I want to escape from reality.
I don't work hard. I'm not tough.

Crossroads

When I'm sad,
When I'm tired,
When I'm painful...

When I'm cool, I feel something.

Will my way be right?
Was my choise a big error?

My job-hunting have reached a complete deadlock.

I did do my all best.
But...

My father said to me.
"All storms blow over eventually."

His word is too cruel!!!
How much must I try and wait???

I have no idea.

Curry, Curry...and Curry

Good evening!
To me this week was "Curry Week".

Curry and Tofu










To my surprise, it's really good!

Curry and Somen










So-so!

Curry and Mochi

Nan bread in the Japanese style!

Curry and Rice

Royal combination!




The more curry is stewed, the more it becomes delicious.
I like curry in third days.