Birth and Growth.

Several days ago, on March 14th, I became an uncle.
Yes, my sister, who I had written about before, finally had a baby! Yeah!

A few days before that day, I heard that around 14th was the expected date, and I was being worried. The night before 14th, I had a dream of my sister's bearing. It was a caesarean section. I was scared...

On 14th, I and my mother were restless waiting for the call from the hospital reporting the birth. But I had an activity of art club, so I went out at 2:00. Unfortunately, that day, my cell phone was cut out of service for the delay of the payment, so I couldn't get a call.
Around 10, I got home. On my way home, I bought a shortcake.
My mother, who saw me, suddenly did an applause, and said with a smile "She did it! It was a natural birth, and both she and her baby are well!"
I was so relieved!
We celebrated the birthday of my niece and her granddaughter with shortcakes.

Today, my mother left home for Bangkok, where my sister lives. She will be there for about a month.
For me, I have club activity and some other plans, so I cannot go to see my niece now.
I will live with my father, but he often works out, so I will have to take care of myself.
I think I will do fine. Now I 'm an uncle. I will be a grown-up, and go to see my niece as soon as possible!

IE Questionare.

Good Points: Blog. I liked it much better than all-member discussion on one board or exchanging journal between two people.

Bad Points: I think Core class shouldn't be done in computer room. Computers prevent smooth communication.

Thank you very much for the term, Mr.Richardson!

Thanks!

We finally finished all IE program. Good job, guys!
I'm half relieaved and half missing the class.
I enjoyed the class very much, thanks to you guys!
I thank all of you who were nice to me in the class.

Writing journal in English is a hardwork and takes me a lot of time (even in Japanese, though), and I couldn't keep my journal very well. There are many things I couldn't write about me here. I will try to keep writing journal once in a while, so please keep in touch!
But anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing and talking with you guys at Class Kai !
Bye, then!

Shougatsu and aikido.

For shougatsu, my grandma who is usually at an old age home came back home, and we had a moderate shougatsu. We had osechi, zouni, and zenzai. I loved them!

Today, I had the first training of the year of aikido club.
As the club's custom, which is the first time for me, we, in aikido wear, ran to Meijijingu from Aoyama campus. It was a kind of weird view that guys in aikido wear are running Omotesando which is the most fashionable place in Tokyo, and I was a little ashamed, but anyway it was fan!
It was not too cold, and I felt nice.
However, it was at the entrance of Meijijingu that a real main event started.
Surprisingly, our seniors said we would take off our shoes, and walk on bear foot to the shrine!
The jingu area is covered with gravels, and in three minutes after I started walking, I couln't walk as usual with pain and cold! It was quite a therapeutic point massage! Some strangers encouraged us, that was pleasing.
At shrine, I threw 10 yen, and made a prayer for my dream will come true. I bought omikuji, and it told me to follow my conscience and what I believe,and be careful not to be confused by what people say. I want to do so. The words gave me courage.
After we returned to the campus, we did some traing of aikido. It was long time since we did last year, and I was looking forward to it over the vacation! I enjoyed the training vary much, and I thought again that I like aikido.

CHANGE.

Kouhaku utagassen just finished, and only 10 minutes is left this year.
Fortunately, nothing very bad happened to me and people around me this year.
I met many new people, that was a good thing.
And I thank you for having read this journal.

This year, the world experienced many big changes.
The U.S. president changed, probably for better.
The world economy changed, for seriously worse...

I changed, too.
I newly joined Aikido Club this year.
Doing aikido made me stronger both in body and mind.

.........

Hi.
Year 2009 began.
I hope this year will be a good one for me, you, and the world.
And that I will still be able to be your friend.

I will change this year too.
I will challenge many new things, know new world, and grow as a person.

Then, see you later.

Friends and Motivations.

Yesterday, I was talking with one of my friends who belongs to the same volunteer club with me. He is a very serious and passionate guy with high consciousness of world poverty. He does part-time job, and spends most of his earning on traveling alone in countries such as India, Vietnam, Turkey, Egypt, and so on during Spring and Summer vacations. Even though he is younger than me, I really respect him.
He said he wanted to work for JICA, JETRO or that kind of organization supporting developing countries economiclly. I had heard their names, but didn't know in detail. I asked him how they get earnings, and he said it was from ODA. I knew ODA only by the name, and didn't know what actually it is.
I became ashamed.
I don't even know how they are working, let alone take some actions.

The same thing happened several weeks ago. During our media discussion, Miho and Aoi gave us presentations on current political issues. However, I could hardly follow the discussion, for I didn't know very much of the news. Aoi asked us for which party we would be, The Liberal Democratic Party, or The Democratic Party, but I didn't know their policies.
It must be a thing I should know, because I'm already an adult. I thought I lacked the consciousness as a member of this society of Japan. I have to commit myself more.

Today after school, I went to Aoi Shoten in Machida, and searched the shelves of sociology. I browsed through many books, and after about 6 hours, I bought four books: a reference of highschool subject,Gendaishakai, an economic book by Heizo Takenaka, a book by Masaru Sato, a famous diplomat and a writer, and Nihon no Ronten, a standard item.
Maybe I bought too many.
It 's my habit that I buy more books I can read. There are tens of books I'm not finished with in my room. It's not that I'm a diligent student. What is bad about me, I lack concentration, and easily burn out give up!

Anyway I'm now motivated, and I thank you very much for giving me the incentive, my frirends. I'm always brought up by you!

Atsuhime.

Today, there was the final of my favorite TV drama, Atsuhime.

I was sad and I already miss Atsuhime.

What I like most of this drama is the opening title.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KKfv31fcDg

Atsuhime in golden peices (1:00) is so beautiful, and the emotional music fills my heart with warmth. I actually came near crying every week.

The scene reminds me of Klimt's The Kiss.

The difference is that Atsuhime is alone and looks firm.

Atsuhime loses her hasband and becomes alone. But after that, she never gives in to the sorrow, and decides to live firmly to succeed her hasband's will, to keep Tokugawa family. And as the episode of several weeks ago shows, her hasband's spirit is still keeping his eyes on her.

Atsuhime held in the golden pieces makes me think that even though she looks alone in the scene, she is held by him.