I have to admit that having a pet around sometimes brings a lot of fun. They could be naughty sometimes, but to them, we are their whole world. They know how to make us laugh when things don't work out. They know how to bring relaxation to a busy, stressful day.
-Jane-
I thought it is Spring now. But today it snows! It's so cold. Sakura is blooming but when will the spring start? I hope tomorrow it would be warmer.
-Jane-
Graffiti is an art of drawing on a wall. It is not an easy thing, I believe. I saw 2 graffiti artists last weekend, at a festival near Yoyogi park. They were drawing in front of people, on the stage. They have not finished their wall before I left but I guess they drew a cat.
-Jane-
As I wrote in one of my previous blogs, I'm a coffee lover. I learned to make different styles of coffee. My favourite one is Vietnamese egg coffee. Instead of milk, we use eggs. The flavour is delicious and unique.
-Jane-
I saw a little girl at Tokyo Outside Festival. She had a balloon. It was blue. To make sure it would not fly away, she tied it to her bag. What a cute image!
-Jane-
It's so convenient nowadays. We can order almost everything online. They will be shipped to our house. We don't have to go anywhere or carry heavy boxes.
-Jane-
Cycling is good for your health. It's an easy exercise to do every day. Cycling is also very relaxing. You could enjoy the sun and the wind while you are riding your bike. It's also very cheap since you don't have to pay for any service like at the gym.
-Jane-
Each little stone represents for a place that I have been to. Every person I have met and every meaningful work that we've done together makes who I am today. All of them are nothing but precious to me. I named this The Jar of Adventures and Happiness since to me, adventures are all about learning and creating values, what is my truly biggest happiness.
-Jane-
Winter is cold. It will be even colder with snow. However, as a person who grew up in a tropical country, I had never seen snow before I went to Japan. That's why I really like seeing it. However, this year 2019, it snowed only once or twice in Tokyo. I want to see more snow.
-Jane-
I like having plants in the house. They keep the house lively. Taking care of plants makes me more patient and considerate. They also bring peace to the house's atmosphere.
-Jane-
I usually have breakfast at 7:30 every morning. Because I don't have a lot of time, I usually eat noodles, eggs, sausages and a cup of chocolate. My favourite instant noodles brand is Indomie from Indonesia. It is very delicious. I recommend you to give it a try!
-Jane-
Because of school, I am often busy. In my free time there are many things I like to do. The first thing I like to do in my free time is play video games. They are really fun! The second thing I like to do in my free time is sing karaoke. I really love to sing. The third thing I like to do is cook. My favorite thing to make are desserts. I love to make cakes! There are many things I can do in my free time, but playing video games, singing karaoke, and cooking are my favorite.
Image from: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/why-do-japanese-people-wear-surgical-masks/
One interesting thing I discovered when I first came to Tokyo is the number of people wearing surgical masks. They wear all sorts of colors and they are everywhere; masks can range from the plane white to the ones with funny pictures, and you see them walking around busy stations and sitting right beside you on the metro. First I thought that besides health reasons, is a form of expression, the idea that you want to show other people about your unique personalities or traits. But then after talking to some of my Japanese friends and reading through an article on this behavior I slowly came to understand that masks are tools, used to isolate yourself from the surrounding.
This phenomenon only appears in big cities around Japan but not the countryside. In big cities you have more complicated mix of people and noises, and not everyone can sustain this environment. Thus some choose to create a personal space, a warning sign that let the others know that you don’t want to interact but just want to enjoy the sole quietness.
I think such behavior has highlighted two points about the modern young generation in Japan; the desire for no dealing with people, and the preference of communicating through indirect ways such as social media.
Whether this is a good or bad trend different people will have all sorts of opinions, as for me, I would prefer a more interactive society. Sometimes I do think city is a strange mix of our collective lives, so many people living so close to each other, yet so little conversations and interactions.
The article I referred at the start can be accessed through here:
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/why-do-japanese-people-wear-surgical-masks/
It is now 2 AM, I have been lying on my bed for nearly 4 hours now and 4 hours ago I promised myself that I would sleep early and be healthy. But that promise seems impossible now. I do not know whether the reason I cannot sleep is because I am not a deep sleeper or the fact that I always keep my brain running; thinking about almost everything when my eyes are closed.
What I am certain is that some of the common reasons we cannot sleep are because Tokyo is too fun to not enjoy and we are living in a busy time.
Tokyo never sleeps, in this giant city where nearly 39 million people live in, there are always things to do. Izakaya is always open and the streets always have people to walk on. Game Centers have amazing UFO Catchers with cute dolls, cafes always have comfortable lights and atmospheres to rest and read books.
Also, we are living in a busy time, laptops and cell phones are like our skins and hair, and they are with us all the time. Our eyes fixed on the screens to plan funny events and replying serious emails.
In the end I think we can ask ourselves an interesting question, as a citizen of this great and huge city, are we the ones controlling it or is it controlling us.
And my sleepless night continues as I think about this question.
Picture Taken from https://www.wlwt.com/article/life-size-monopoly-game-to-take-over-loveland/3613116
What do I mean by being simple. For many people the biggest difficulty and fear when it comes to learning English is the vast use of words. For many students like me, to write a good paper is to use difficult and complicated words. But personally I think that is not the case. The reason why we have language is to allow us to communicate, to speak to each other so that we can understand each other, this idea is about being free, to make all information and ideas as understandable as possible to all. But recently after reading through books that have great ideas and great knowledge, I starting to feel that words are getting more and more complicated and it doesn’t have to always be this way.
Some people believe that the beauty of books comes from beautiful and complicated words, but using simple words are not, I believe that is wrong or at least not entirely correct.
Some people agree to this idea and call this “The Monopoly of Knowledge”. It is like the game monopoly, the idea is to get as many things as possible, and to make others lost money or knowledge. Some books or writings were written so that a few can understand even though the ideas inside the books are actually simple.
So during my time studying English I always remember that the ability to explain something in the simplest term is true beauty. To make knowledge open and understandable for all is something that should be done.
If you’re anything like me, you may find it difficult to study (or work) when you’re at home. Being productive in general is considerably more of a challenge when you have a couch to spread out on, a loud TV in the background and a fridge full of tasty treats. Going to a café is a possible solution to this problem: personally, I find it easier to concentrate on a specific task when I’m surrounded by other people doing their best to get things done… Or at least that’s how most people sitting in cafés look like to me. If there’s nice background music that’s a plus, as it helps focus and discover new music at the same time. If it only was a little bit less expensive I’d surely go study in cafés more often.
Do you find it easier to concentrate at home or in a café?
Photography is one of my interest. I took it from an old friend of mine, who really loves taking photos. He taught me how to use a digital camera and inspired me with fascinating pictures that he had taken. Now I usually enjoy taking street photos during solo-travels. I prefer traveling alone if I bring a camera with me. Therefore, any time I want to stop to take a picture, I wouldn’t interrupt anyone. When I walk on the street with my camera, I walk slowly. I’m scared that I would miss something if I walk too fast. Moreover, I don’t always have my camera on. I usually look for interesting things and capture them by my own eyes first. Thus, it requires me to be really observative.
“Dear diary,” I’m sure that most people started (or at least thought of) writing a journal when they were young. I certainly did when I was in elementary school. My “secret diary” was a safe place to store my deepest feelings and weirdest stories. After a while, however, I completely stopped writing new entries ― just like everybody else I know who’s tried keeping a journal. A few years ago I found that very journal in an old cardboard box forgotten in the garage. I dusted it off and started reading the first pages. As soon as I finished reading it, I rushed upstairs and got ready to burn it (which I eventually did) but I can’t hide I was deeply moved by what was written in those pages: feelings and words and how you express yourself are part of your identity, and being able to see how that changes with time is priceless. Honestly, I wish I kept updating my journal for longer back then.
What are your thoughts on keeping a journal?
I recently rediscovered the pleasure of reading. When I was in elementary school, I used to devour dozens of books and I wasn’t afraid of trying out new genres. Now I’m living in another country and I don’t have enough time to read as much, nor do I have enough physical space to store and carry around paperback copies of my favorite books. When I experienced my first long-term stay in Japan a few years ago, I realized that I could read on the go by buying digital books and have them available on all of my devices. I can’t say that I am a full-time reader now, but I buy myself at least a new book a month. Whenever I start reading I end up being caught in another world, and that’s exactly how I used to feel when I was a kid.
Do you read e-books?
If you’re not a coffee addict yourself, I bet you know at least one person who loves coffee like crazy. Coffee’s popularity around the world is due in part to the addictiveness of caffeine, but also to its health benefits, such as lowering the risk of mental and physical diseases, enhancing brain functions and boosting metabolism. To maximize its beneficial health effects, it’s important to drink it when the body produces less cortisol (which is about three to four hours after waking up) and to avoid adding too much sugar. Since drinking non-decaffeinated coffee too often can cause anxiety and disrupt sleep, I decided to limit my coffee intake to one cup a day, which I religiously drink every morning to start my day.
When do you usually drink coffee?
