Surrounded by Sound

Sometimes I can express myself better in Japanese
than in English.
Of course, it's very natural.
In other cases, however, I feel like describing
what I am thinking in English rather than in Japanese.

Today, the latter.

After two weeks' interval, I joined the blues session.

Because my family caught a cold one by one,
as you know through "Stormy Thursday" in my blog here,
I've been forced to stay home.

Today's session is called the "soft sound" version.
Not as usual, everyone sits and plays with low-volume.

The slow and soft tune comforted me.
I closed my eyes, and almost fell asleep.
But I was surrounded by pleasant sound
all the time.

Yeah, I was really enjoying listening to music
more than playing the keyboard myself today.


A happy moment, it was !

City Ville

I've never got interested in such a kind of game
on Web so far, but
this time the situation is different.

These days, I'm pleased with City Ville on Facebook.

A friend of mine invited me to the game.
At first, I was wondering what it was and
whether it would interest me or not.

It suits me!

The best thing is that I can enjoy it for only five minutes
or so while I'm waiting for a student of mine to come to our
lesson, for example.
It's good to kill time.

Second, anyway, it seems that I love anything that I create,
say, make for myself.
I build houses, shops, or community buildings;
decorate streets with several kind of flowers or items;
arranging them as I'd like them to be.
I also plant crops and harvest.
I'm a mayor.

I'm easy to get tired of one thing(^^), so
I don't know how long I can continue playing it.
However, maybe I can enjoy for the time being ! ☆

Does anyone get interested in it?
Join me on Facebook.
ID : YASUYO SAKAI

Stormy Thursday

(by Eric Y. Clap-Your-Hands)

Call it stormy Thursday,
but Friday's just as bad.
Call it stormy Saturday,
but Sunday's just as bad.
Monday's even worse; Tuesday's awful sad.

I caught a cold on Thursday,
Friday I went to see a doctor.
My husband began to cough on Saturday, and
Sunday my son had a high fever.
Monday, my husband and son went to the hospital,
where they found out that one of them had a flu.

And I say, "Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me."

But Lord doesn't have mercy,
'cause my PC got out of order on Tuesday.

Just trying to find the way to fix the PC,
will you please send me a good idea?

Or send me a new PC !

Lord, oh Lord have mercy, yeah,
won't you please, please have mercy on me.

Call it a stormy week !

A Charm for Good Luck

At this time every year
I make it a rule to go shopping and get
several pairs of socks for my students
who are going to take entrance exams
to universities.

It's a charm for good luck!

And it's also a kind of pleasure for me myself
to choose this for him, and that for her,
hoping that they will try their best and play a
good hand.

I don't remember exactly why that should be a
pair of socks, but I've been keeping it as
my rule. (^-^)

Actually, that makes a difference and has good
effect, I believe.

Maybe, at the last minute after making every effort,
what they need is self-confidence,
that is, they should autosuggest themselves,
talking to themselves, "I'm OK."

I wish these socks can encourage them to be
confident.

"Yes, I can make it, wearing this pair of socks !"

Ahaha(^o^)

I'm Frozen

It has been snowing since early this morning.

I really want to hibernate !

My crazy second daughter went out to Nabana-no-Sato
to see its winter illumination with her boy friend.
On such a freezing day! Crazy!
I hope they'll be back alive.

Also,
some of my students are taking the Center Exam.
I always wonder why they give entrance exams
here in Japan
during such a cold period of the year.

I would like them to do their best,
waiting for a warm and happy spring.

Brooklyn Bridge

As you know,
The Brooklyn Bridge is a suspension bridge
over the East River, connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The first thing this morning,
I happened to find this picture in the newspaper.



Surprisingly, it's not a photo, but a hand drawing
by Mr.Yuji Tezuka, with the Japanese traditional style
of painting technique.

I'm fascinated with this picture.
Its title is "Rainy Brooklyn Bridge".

I don't know why, but I love this bridge.
It shows different looks from different angles.





The first time I stayed in New York,
I would always try to catch the sight of it
while walking in the city, but never reached it.

I wished I would really like to walk across the bridge,
and it was my assignment for the next visit.

In 1988, we made it !



Not a few people were walking, jogging and cycling.

We went to the end, and then came back to Manhattan again.
Only walking, but we enjoyed that walking.

When we visited NY two years ago,
we were walking on it again.(^o^)
It may sound funny,
but I love it just as much !

We are saving 500yen coins so that we can go there again.
I don't know when, but some day, definitely ! :-)

Today

When I look up the word, "徒然turedure,"
in a dictionary, I find its translation
as follows:
--- to kill one's boredom ----

But, I don't agree with the conception.

Boredom ?

No, I am not bored.

Today, I have no work.
I've already finished preparing for dinner,
because some of my son's friends will come.
They want me to cook keema curry, so
I made it yesterday so that it would taste
better.

So, I'm perfectly free now.
Never bored.

I don't remember when I had such a free time
last.
I have nothing special to do actually, which
I really enjoy.

With a cup of hot milk and PC beside me,
I'm doing this and that.
Also a few kinds of knitting yarn are
on the table, and I'm wondering which to
choose for today.

And it's my “ture-dure” dairy.☆