三寒四温

Spring is reluctantly leaving but not before making a great announcement of its departure. The Japanese give an appropriate name for this kind of weather.

三寒四温　or sankanshion that means a cycle of 3 cold days followed by 4 warm ones. So the island is going throught this sankanshion. A few days it will be like 24 c and then it dipped down till 17c.
I'm always caught in between these changes, actually my nose. Sometimes the sneezes get on longer but most times its just a short bout.

Anyway, here I am. Resting under the table heater. Maybe a couple of days would do me some good.

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Under the tatami...

Many people see tatami flooring, sleep on it, sit on it. But have you ever wonder what's under the straw mat?

The recent typhoon was so strong and the gusty wind seeped in the drainage pipe of our air conditioning. The rain water got trapped and dripped on the tatami flooring. Two or three of the block mat was drenched and if we don't take it to shine, the musty smell remains for long.

So, dear handy man at home, took it off the floor and put those mats under the sun. I took those picture to show what's happening under the plank.
You can see the straw mat is sewn onto a thick board and lay on a wooded plank.
By the way, when calculating the size of houses in Japan, they count it by the amount of the tatami block.
Example: My house is 40 tatami. Or my room is 6 tatami.
Even when making a house, the size of the house is counted by how many tatami.
Example again.
If one tatami block cost JY25,000.
If the house is 40 tatami, you can do the counting here.

So if you have a double-storey house, you count the tatami up there as well.

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Hanging on thin life...

This year, the 9th typhoon is called the Noro-noro kaze because of its slowness. It took 48 hours to cross this island going towards mainland China. Normal typhoon moves at speed 40km/hr takes, takes about 12 hours to cross but this noro-noro kaze is at 10km/hr with the strength of 130-150 km/hr gust of wind.
We lost our power line for 15.5 hours but we have water and cooking gas for the kitchen. So, its not so much as a panic for us.
But the winds were very disturbingly strong. My fruit garden is gone and look at the picture. After the storm what's left are some bitter gourd hanging for life on it thin branches.

The strange thing is, the bitter gourd are surprisingly strong in such wind at 150km/hr lashing for 48 hours. Look how it hang on the tree.
But also after the storm, the leaves turned brown and dry. Like somebody has burnt them when all the time the rain was pouring like elephant's pee for 48 hours with the gust.


Here are some bitter gourd that we collected after the storm. We managed to pick those orchid flower before the storm.

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...and the trees are empty.

Yamamomo
Our yamamomo tree has been growing for 13 years and has no fruits yet. But early this May, I saw some tiny fruit buds. That very day, I saw the fruit buds was also the same day I received an email for the editor in Spore about the publication of my short story in Spore mainstream Malay-language newspaper. So on the very day I have two very good news. Between the publication of my first short story and the fruiting of my yamamomo plant, I was more overjoyed with the success of my plants. It took 13 years to at last told me that it would not disappoint me.
Alas, last week strong typhoon storm took all the fruits down. I was so looking forward to have a taste of my own yamamomo.
(The yamamomo in this photo is taken from a nearby park about 10 years ago. See how I craved for yamamomo that my husband was willing to climb a tree in the park to steal some).
Last week's typhoon was this year second typhoon. It surely took us by surprise. It was slow and weak almost 2 days, when it travel from the South China Sea. Then when it reached the island, it lashed so strong suddenly for the night.
All the fruits are gone. Nothing is left on the trees. We have plentiful lychee but those too are gone now.

Lychee
This is the first time ever a typhoon brought damage to our property (not only the fruits). As I said, we were taken by surprise with such strength. We were not prepared. This gave us a few lessons to be learnt. The next time, we will surely bear in mind to keep updates on local weather.

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Asam bol & kobis

ume tree
The tree is just 2 meters away from my writing room on the second floor. Second to my laptop, this is another thing I stare at every few moments of the day. The greenness from this tree, clears the tension from my eyes. If you look closely, the fruits are ripening. This is ume tree. The ume fruit is pickled with salt and the Malay people called in "asam bol" or "asam asin".
This land belongs to a neighbour and the tree has been there even before we build this house. This neighbour stays on this rental house but they make the house like their very own. They built a store room in a corner of the land and they extend the roof of the house to the wall, making some space outside. During summer, I hear them having beer party on this expended space but other times, I see fat cats wondering all over the place. I do wonder where these cats come from and who are their owners. These cats are not lost or stray. They are well-fed and all are very fat. But the strange thing is, this neighbour feeds them everyday. Feed those fat cats that don't belong to them. How kind can anybody get! Considering cat biscuits are not cheap to come by.
Last year, the ume fruits rotten on the trees. Now is the time to pick those still green fruits to make pickles like "umeboshi". But it is not my tree and it's not me to go around asking.

Okinawa vegetable
This morning hubby came back from the green grocer, calling me like he is so excited. I was doing my work on the top floor and thought there was some emergency. He was smiling and held high this bag of cabbage.
He said, "3 heads of cabbage for just 40 yen (that is about RM 1-)!
Whoah! for that price...it is like giving away.
He explains the weather is cool lately and cabbage grows good in the cool. There is over-supply of cabbage everywhere. That was the excitement. I think my hubby is more house-husband than I a house-wife. SMILE & Peace!

Don't assume living in Japan is hard or cost of living in Japan is high. That is not true. Not so on this island!

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Langit Luruh

Ada pepatah Jepun yang bermaksud "hati perempuan bagaikan langit luruh".
Luruh adalah musim perantaraan.
Baru habis musim panas yang berluwapan dan memijak ke pintu musim sejuk.
Musim luruh awannya berkumpulan seperti ikan berlari-lari dalam laut, berderet-deret dan panjang di lata langit.
Ini lain dengan awan musim panas, di mana awannya berkepul-kepul naik meninggi, bertingkat-tingkat.
Bayu musim luruh sungguh nyaman.
Senang dilenakan dan boleh mengkhayalkan.
Hati perempuan sama seperti awan, bayu dan langit musim luruh.
Tidak menentu.
Sekejap ke belakang, sekejap ke depan.
Adakala tenang, adakala ribut, berkilat, berpanah.
Selalunya awannya menari-nari tapi tidak lama.
Bila hujan, dibuatnya lama berhari-hari.
Memang musim luruh sama seperti hati perempuan.
Sesiapa yang belum kenal musim luruh tak perlu risau.
Duduk saja serumah dengan seorang perempuan, sudah cukup mengalami luruh semusim!

Bertadabburlah dan hayatilah ciptaan-Nya di alam ini.


Kumpulan sadin
berkejaran di langit
egonya tinggi.

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Tanabata

Image:Wikipedia

Today Japan celebrate Tanabata, 7th July or 7-7. Its a cultural tradition.
On this summer night, in this atmosphere, two brightest stars will cross the bridge on The Milky Way (Bimasakti). They cross only once a year.
The Japanese believe one star is a male named Hikoboshi (Altair) and the other is a female star called Orihime (Vega). These two stars are lovers. They meet for one night a year (on 7th July) and make love till the sun comes out in the morning.
Romantic dont you think!
But unfortunately, if it rains, the sky is not clear and they might not find each other in the whole galaxy of stars.
And in Okinawa today, it is raining. Poor Hikoboshi and Orihime. Maybe this year they don't see each other.

So, even the stars have hard time perpetuating their love, what do you think of lowly people like us!

Traditionally, people in Japan will gather outdoors for picnic but tomorrow is a school day, I doubt they do it tonight.

Every shopping complexes will put up bamboo trees and children write their wishes and tie it on the branches. (Orang Islam tak boleh buat ini, sama dengan buat doa bila tiup lilin atas kek hari lahir. Kita hanya minta doa kepada Allah dan hanya Allah akan makbulkan doa kita...mana pula buluh, tiup lilin boleh makbulkan doa kita...kuat sangat ke power benda Allah itu...chish).

There is one haiku by Basho about this Tanabata thing. People who study this haiku, will feel the rain in the middle of the sky when the two star lovers make love. This haiku has sexual connotation.

The word Basho used is Uchuten or rain in the heaven.

Tanabata no
awanu kokoro ya
uchuten

Now my version of Tanabata

Tanabata sky
my husband sleeps on the couch
with the teevee on.

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Searching for the same rainbow's end tyme.

Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.

© 1961 Paramount Music Corporation, ASCAP

Its going into four days, the typhoon rain is pouring over this island non-stop. I wanted to leave this house, to do my things out of the house but is discouraged.

"Alright, then. If I'm not allowed to drive, you drive me to the bath-house. I need to get rid of this bloating body from all the accumulated toxic food!" telling that to my beautiful person here.

Anyhow, I love the rain. I can see from where I sit now, the winds bending and twisting the yamamomo branches. I feel excited with the weather. I feel I'm with the trees, bended and twisted, letting go my inner self wild with not a care in this world. What freedom if that is not freedom!

I was watching Audrey Hepburn in her classic "Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)" while the winds went through yesterday.

I saw this movie many, many times over. Its not like I sit and wait for it. But the channel people must like it as well to make it run many times over. The story tells of this glamour girl going around with so many men and not minding a thing about it. But, the best part is, this movie is very, very clean. Not a single breast come poping up, not the heavy breathing in bed scenario, if you get what I mean.

Actually, other than the dashing hero and the beautiful Audrey Hepburn, there is another main player that my eyes are fixed on.
The Cat!
His name is the Cat. They just called him The Cat.
This cat is the American short-hair breed. This cat just play his natural part in this movie. He moved around as naturally as he liked.

How can you teach a cat to act! But in this movie this cat did a superb act. Tell you the truth, after a few rounds of watching this movie, I just look at the cat all the time.

See the lyric of the songs, "we're after the same rainbow's end."
Aren't we all searching and reaching for the same rainbow's end?

The thing with reaching for this same rainbow's end is when we reach and get what we strive for at the rainbow's end, the reward should be clean. The reward should belong to us. We should not steal this reward from someone else. We should not take the fortune and claim it to be ours and to grap it when it belongs to someone else.

How long can someone sleep peacefully, without having the guilty flashes in the head every night, night after night while holding on to the pot of gold that is not rightly his.

I don't know about other people but I would not trade anything for a good, clean sleep everynight.

Enjoy the song.


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In Tyfoon 18, 2009: Death or alive

As I'm sitting comfortably now watching the news, tyfoon 18 is roaring over in Aichi, Kochi towards Osaka and northwards.
I see the Japanese government has grouped everybody in the path of this torrential rain and fierce winds in emergency centers. I wonder how my friends up there are doing.

I need to renew my National Health Insurance which will expire soon. Otto said he needs to write the application for me. There is something new. He said I can choose to be an organ donor and it will show on the card.

That is good, I said.
I don't mind donating my organs except that my pair of eyes and my heart is not so good.
So leave those out, I said.
Put on the application form that they can have the rest of my body, I remind Otto.

The rest of the body without the mouth, otto rolled his eyes as he said this.

Otto said it's very dangerous to donate my organs.

I don't understand what dangers can there be after I died!

Muslims can donate there organs, that's what MUIS (Masjlis Ugama Islam Spore) announced a couple of years back, so go ahead. Make my day (in Afterlife)!

Otto said that is not what he meant. I still don't know where his mind is going.

You might be the target of organ-robbers just so they can get their hands on your liver, pancrease and the rest of your body parts.

To donate or not to donate. To live or not to live. Death or alive,nobody is safe now.


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Tatkala bimasakti mengalir...

Bimasakti-Amanogawa (kata musim luruh)

1. 荒海や　佐渡に横たふ　天の河

Araumi ya/ Sado ni yakotau/ amanogawa

Sang Bimasakti/ merentas Pulau Sado/laut gelora

(Sado: Sadogashima= Sado Island)

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Sungai bimasakti di cekerawala mengalirkan taburan bintang-kemintang.

Saya pernah menyoalkan darihal haiku ini. Mungkinkah Bashou hanya berkhayal apabila menghasilkan karya ini?

Haiku (sejenis puisi Jepun) berasal dari Bashou Matsuo. Dialah orang pertama (guru) yang memperkenalkan haiku di Jepun.

Saya mempersoalkan kewujudan sungai bimasakti. Mana ada sungai bintang-bintang yang mengalir setiap tahun di cekerawala? Mana ada?

Tapi Bashou kata ada. Siap dengan haiku di atas.

Bashou kata setiap tahun lewat musim panas atau musim luruh, sungai bintang-kemintang ini mengalir di angkasa.

Selama ini saya tak yakin...

Tapi...

Terbukti sudah! (Lihat laporan di bawah)

Memang ada sungai bimasakti. Bashou bukan berkhayal.

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AFP - Wednesday, August 12PARIS (AFP)

Perseid meteor showers heading your way

The night sky will sparkle with "falling stars" on Tuesday and Wednesday as Earth passes through a trail of dusty debris from the Swift-Tuttle Comet, say scientists.
The light show, called the Perseid meteor shower, kicks off each year in late-July and increases in intensity, peaking a couple of weeks later.
The Perseids occur when Earth runs into a trail of dust and pebbles deposited by the comet Swift-Tuttle in its 130-year orbit around the Sun.

This debris strikes the upper atmosphere at around 60 kilometers (37 miles) per second, a speed that causes it to burn up into a white-hot streaks. Bigger chunks can be seen as fireballs.

Meteor showers vary from year to year, depending on the amount of debris.

In the early 1990s, there were several spectacular Perseid shows, with bursts of several hundred meteors per hour.

Meteors are named after the constellation from which they seem to appear -- in this case, Perseus, a northern constellation lying east of Cassiopeia and north of Taurus.

The light show, called the Perseid meteor shower, kicks off each year in late-July and increases in intensity, peaking a couple of weeks later.

On a clear night in a dark sky "you should see dozens of meteors per hour," notes Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office.

East Asia is best placed to see the shower at its most intense moment, which is predicted for 1800 GMT on August 12, according to the US publication Sky and Telescope (skyandtelescope.com).

The meteors are also active for many days before and after this date, though the light reflected by a waning quarter moon may obstruct the view somewhat.

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Solar eclipse-tyme

The sun is covered about 30% as I am writing this. The whole sun will be covered in about 50 mins time. It will pass through Kikai island south of Japan, north of Okinawa island chains. The last solar eclipse was 46 years ago. After calculations, the next solar eclipse might pass over Tokyo in 26 year's time.

The sky up my head is dark suddenly. I thought it might rain but it's the side-effect of the moon slowly covering the sun.

If you guys in Malaysia get this message now, go out and check the sun immediately.
Maybe make solat dhuha or solat sunat matahari gerhana.

Time: 11.30 am- The moon cover the sun completely. NHK is making a live view of the whole event. Kikai island is covered in darkness. The temperature drops 4c. All the star admirers coming in from around world are gathered and all pointing their giants scope towards the sky. The people on Kikai islands are outside their houses. The people in my neigbourhood are hanging out on the street. We just want to be a part of this great phenomena. The sun is covered for 6 minutes only. The whole sky is dark.
Tomo said all teachers stopped the classes in campus and they went to the ground outside to witness the show of the universe.

Nota kaki: Dilaporkan cengkerik di bumi dan unggas di langit tidak berlagu dan bersuara selama 7-10 minit tatkala buana ini dalam kegelapan. Subhana-Allah!


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