Oden The cold weather has set in. Not full blast yet but surely reaching there. We've brought out the room-stove and the kotatsu (low table with a warmer under to make the body warm). Oden goes very well in such cold weather. This morning I had oden for breakfast. Clockwise its boiled egg, taufu, boiled radish, fish cake with gobou(see pic below) root, fish sausage, kombu (lalang laut) or long algae (see pic below) and the center is konnyaku cake from the konnyaku root (ubi konnyaku).
A couple of days ago, I went to a friend's (Uehara at Ozato) orchard and picked all these kedongdong. These are just from one tree and she has 3 others. I managed only one tree. That is enough. Uehara said they grow these kedongdong for fun. Watching the fruits are such joy for them! Actual fact is she has no idea how to eat it! Like all Japanese. I'll pickle those big fruits and the rest I'll make some traditional dishes out of it like sambal belacan kedongdong, yummy and maybe fish curry kedongdong (same like my mom used to add green mangoes) or masak lemak pedas with ikan saba kedongdong. Cooking is invention and I always invent new dishes combining the best of Japanese and Malay dishes.
Kedongdong haiku:
Sambal kedongdong the smell of the belacan is lost when alone.
I don't know whether school children do it these days but during my younger school days, we were made to write the proper way. Not only do we have to follow every curves and bends of the alphabets but we were made to write with a fountain pen. Everyone of us keep at least one fountain pen in the pencil box. Do children these days keep fountain pens? We love to write with fountain pens. Those days (read: year 1963-1967), we still don't see ball-point pens. We only have fountain pens and pencils. With fountain pens, the ink came along. Black and wet ink. When children have black and wet ink, obvious things happened. My skirt was always blotched with black ink, my hands always stained black. This happened to my friends as well. We used to fight with ink. We point the pen nib forcefully towards the intended culprit. Ho,ho you get a polka-dot face that will last till the end of the school hours. The pen above was a gift I received 2 years ago from a loving friend. For 2 years, I went all over the island finding for the ink. Yes, I can't get black ink for a simple reason, because there is no shop selling fountain pen on this island (I don't know about other places in Japan). In the end, after more than 2 years, I settled for calligraphy ink, those that are used in Japan kanji calligraphy. From the tube, I poured the ink into a blueberry-jam bottle. I love writing with fountain pen. Writing with normal pencil would hurt my fingers. Pencils are too slim for my fingers to hold. Writing with ball-point paint is mere boredom, somehow I can't get my inspiration ticking. Of course, I write long manuscript in my Windows Words but there are times when my romantic self urge me to write with a fountain pen. You should hear the sound of the nib scratching the papers, you should feel the ink trickling down the papers and best of all smell the ink on your fingers. Normally, after writing with a fountain pen and after satisfying my romantic needs, I have stained writing hand and need to go to the washroom.
Pagi tadi hidung ambo dikejutkan dengan bau pelik. Bukanlah pagi sangat. Dah masuk jam 9.30 pagi. Masih terlentang dan terkebil-kebil, baru ambo teringat Otto kata semalam dia nak varnis lantai ruang tamu dan dapur. Rumah ini sudah 13 tahun. Varnis lantai papan semakin bercalar dan bertompok-tompok. Sebenarnya hari Ahad nanti ada tetamu penting datang ke rumah kami buat pertama kali. Tapi biarlah ambo cerita tentang varnis sementara menunggu kejadian selanjutnya...
Semenjak ambo menulis draf, rumah ini terabai. Lain-lain tulisan tidaklah begitu menghariahkan tapi menulis draf terasa seperti menghantukan. Pokoknya rumah ambo terabai.
Sebenarnya hati ini terasa tertekan memikirkan sampah yang bertahun-tahun ambo simpan. Pakaian anak-anak masa mereka bayi masih ada dalam almari. Otto suruh buang, ambo kata benda itu tak ganggu kita, jadi kita jangan ganggu dia. Boleh?
Buku-buku lama, buku klasik, buku agama semua saya simpan. Untuk Otto buku tidak perlu kita simpan, bila dah baca berikan orang lain atau buang. Ambo kata mana boleh buang ilmu. Ilmu kita bawa sampai mati. Boleh?
Pakaian lama-lama semasa badan ambo seperti belalang mentadak masih ada lagi. Berbungkus bulat-bulat. Itu pun simpan. Otto kata buat kain buruk. Mana boleh buat kain buruk, kainnya tak buruk pun! Boleh?
Alaun melahirkan anak dinaikkan lagi. Setiap kali melahirkan, diberi sebanyak yen 420,000. Masa saya dulu, 26 tahun lepas, kami dapat alaun bersalin Yen 230,000. Duit ini dari mana? Dari cukai pendapatan. Siapa yang mengeluarkan cukai pendapatan ini? Pekerja swasta dan awam. Cukai dinaikkan untuk membayar lebih. Kasihan orang-orang muda di Jepun.
Kadar orang Jepun bunuh diri naik lagi tahun ini (+-33,000 nyawa). Yang peliknya, pada pertama kali didapati orang-orang muda antara umur 20'an dan 30'an yang ramai bunuh diri (+-8,000 nyawa). Kasihan orang-orang muda di Jepun.
1] Terjaga awal sebelum waktu fajar. Tangan menekan butang loceng dan menunggu, tapi terlelap. Alih-alih bila tersedar waktu sudah masuk setengah jam selepas suruq...mood menjadi liar.
2] Ada sesuatu yang dinantikan tapi belum ada jawapan...mood membara.
3] Ada masalah yang harus diselesaikan tapi menunggu masa dengan sabar...mood bosan.
4] Hati ingin berseronok dengan teman2 tapi kaki tidak mahu melangkah lebih dari pintu depan...mood sedih.
5] Semangat ingin menghabiskan projek terkini tapi jari menulis sudah bengkak, tak dapat pegang pensel...mood menyerit.
Lima cukuplah, tak perlu penuhkan senarai sampai 10.
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.
Bersebelahanpohontsubakiiniterdapatjugasebatangpohon willow yang barumengeluarkan tunas hijaudi ranting-rantingnya. Ranting-ranting pohon willow inimelambai-lambaikanjari-jemarimengikutsiulansemilirmusimbunga yang nyamanpagiitu. Bakatpuitis yang terpendamdidalamsanubariRafiquemenangkapkecantikan yang terbentangdilensanyadanmengilhamkansebaitpuisiJepun.
Etiquette atau etiket (kalau salah sebut terjadi air ticket!). Mengikut kamus Dewan Bahasa etiket bermaksud adat dan peraturan berkenaan kesopanan (terutamanya dalam kehidupan sosial atau dalam profesion tertentu).
Di Jepun, etiket dalam segala hal kehidupan ada dicatatkan dalam buku. Etiket mengunjung/menziarah, etiket tuan rumah menyambut tetamu, etiket perkabungan, etiket majlis minum teh dan banyak lagi.
Adakah etiket-etiket kehidupan orang Melayu sudah dibukukan untuk menjadi contoh/tauladan bagi generasi akan datang? Atau masih dan hanya disebarkan dari mulut ke mulut? (Mungkin saya belum terjumpa buku etiket ini, kalau ada tolong sampaikan.)
Orang muda disayangi, orang tua dihormati.
Saya tidak faham perangai orang-orang muda sekarang. Masa saya muda dan masih lakukan sekarang, saya teruskan hubungan dengan orang-orang yang saya kenal, baik dari dalam negara mahupun di luar negara. Bukannya saya baik sangat tapi itulah saya...
Masa saya muda belum ada kemudahan komputer. Saya sanggup menulis beberapa keping poskad atau surat menanyakan khabar, pergi ke pejabat pos, beratur beli setem dan tunggu balasan mereka. Panjang betul proses tapi kerana hormat kepada mereka dan mengenangkan jasa mereka yang sudi menghulur bantuan kepada saya dan keluarga saya masa bersama mereka, itulah saya sanggup lakukan segalanya. Apatah lagi dengan kemudahan alat penghubung seperti komputer sekarang, lagilah senang untuk menghantar sepatah ayat komunikasi,barang sepatah pun jadilah...
Orang-orang muda sekarang berbeza dari zaman saya. Tak perlulah beri alasan kerjaya dan berbagai. Segala kebaikan datang dari hati suci/murni. Tak perlu beralasan.
Pada saya dengan hanya sepatah ayat..."kak leyla buat apa?" hati ini akan terbuka dan menyayangi mereka.
Jiranku, si emaknya dah lebih setahun tinggal di rumah orang tua. Rumah itu kosong. Sesekali adik beradik mereka berkumpul, makan2 untuk meraikan hari sembah roh atau tahun baru atau entah apa2 lagi.
Yang tinggal tetap di rumah itu, hanya seorang bujang tua. Dia bukan tinggal dalam rumah itu tapi dia bina sebuah pondok simen di tanah lapang depan rumah dia. Tanah lapang itu depan rumah ambo juga.
Si bujang itu dah tua. Lebih tua dari ambo tapi masih bujang. Kerja entah apa. Pondok simen itu bertentang rumah ambo. Saban hari waktu petang, dia duduk depan pondoknya, mengarah pandang ke rumah ambo. Nasib baik, binaan rumah ambo tidak bertentangan.
Sekarang dia membina kepungan di keliling rumahnya. Jiran-jiran di belakang rumah dan saya tidak dapat melihat lagi ke dalam kawasan rumahnya.
Si bujang ini agak pelik. Entahlah saya rasa orang lelaki yang membujang sampai ke tua memang pelik. Orang lelaki mesti kahwin. Kalau tidak mana nak ganti darah. Kaum perempuan lain.
Saya tak kisah dia kepung tanah dan rumah dia tapi saya terfikir kes di Jepun satu hari dulu tentang seorang bujang tua menculik anak gadis. Gadis itu dikurungnya dalam bilik di rumahnya yang berkepung dan mendera gadis itu berbulan-bulan.
Lagi satu saya teringat pula tentang kes Banting sekarang...kan ke tembuk setinggi 1.5 m juga mengepung kawasan itu?
Orang yang mengepung rumah mereka, saya rasa mesti ada sesuatu yang mereka ingin sembunyikan. Ini theori saya yang fobia dengan kelakuan manusia-manusia pelik!
Padaharirayasabantahun, sayamasakrendang, ayammasakmerah, nasiimpitbersamakuah sate tapitahunini mood HariRayamasukdiakhir-akhir Ramadan. Makanyasayatidaklahterasasuasanaharirayasangat. Lagi pun sedangmempercantikkanmanuskrip yang perludilepaskan, sesungguhnyasayatidakterasaharirayalangsung! Jadisayabuatmasakan yang sayakepingin. Kalaubersendirian, sayamemangtakmasak yang sayainginmakansebabtakberseleramakansendiri. Jadiharirayainisayabalasdendamsegala yang sayainginmakanbersamatetamu yang datangberaya.
Every year different groups of people come over to my house to celebrate Eidil Fitri with my family. This year, Eidil Fitri falls on a working day, Friday. Most students have classes or people go to work after the Sunnah morning solat.
Here with my doa we will meet next Ramadan and have many more good Shawal, insyaAllah.
I just finished taking the last morning meal of Ramadan. Tomorrow is Eid. The truth is this, I am not busy at all with Eid. I've done the normal cleaning and the menu is set and I will take my time to cook for my guests. I called my younger sister yesterday, she is at the shopping mall trying like crazy to get the groceries last minute. I've worked on this manuscript since July last year. It was finished 3 months ago but I did a thorough check again. I stopped at 92,000 words but along the way at re-check point and last count now, its gone over 100,000 words. To take the barakah of Ramadan month, I give notice of the hand-over this week. But, more last minute editing takes another couple of days before I finally feel prepared to let it go.
I am so unprepared to celebrate Eid. Most probably on Eid, I will be scanning my manuscript while waiting for some guests to drop in.
I will let you know about this manuscript once it is clear. In the meantime, I have to prepare emotionally for Eid.
To all my blog followers, behind the scene readers from Google reader, Yahoo reader and other feed readers and to all who log in visibly, not forgetting some haiku enthusiast, thank you very much for reading this piece of writing. Along the way, if it has offended you somehow, please accept my forgiveness.
*Many Happy Eidil Fitri with this wish in Arab "Taqabbalullah minna waminka".
*bermaksud: Semoga Allah menerima amalanku dan amalanmu.
Today is the last day of the year for climbers to struggle up Mt. Fuji. The mountain is closed from tomorrow until July next year, when it will be opened again for climbers. Once a year from July till August, everybody can try to climb this mountain. July/August this year, a record 280,000 people tried to climb to the summit. But whether these 280,000 succeed to the summit is not in the record. I've done my share of climbing of Mt. Fuji and successfully reached the summit. But if you ask me, do I want to climb again...my right heart says YES but my left heart says NO (anyway, you figure out the left and right). I can see the path to the top at the beginning of the climb. Its there! All laid out!
I, also have my path laid out at the beginning of my life journey. I wanted to become the most powerful, influential women of a huge, international organization. I want people to jump at the click of my fingers, I want drivers to open and close doors for me, I want different meals serve everyday. I was willing to work hard and climb this path to reach the top. That was my plan, that was my goal.
But no...it did not turn up that way!
Now, I am sitting in my house, thinking my of two girls having successful careers climbing up the mountain path. Now, I am sitting at home, washing dishes everyday. Now, I am sitting in front of this laptop, knocking the keyboard. Now, I write everyday. Somehow, somewhere I must have took a different turning...!!!
But my right heart say YOU'VE DONE IT, GIRL and my left heart says I'M OK!
All-Japan High Sch Baseball: Konan High Okinawa won the spring tournament this year but not only that, two days ago they won the summer tournament as well. This only happened to 5 schools in Japan so far in history. So winning the Spring and Summer Tournament put a permanent mark for Konan High in the history of high school baseball tournament of Japan. Airline companies have to put up extra flights to load parents and supporters to Koshien Stadium from Okinawa. In the summer heat that burnt the air at 35c, those children played and those supporters from Okinawa cheered. At the end of the game, the lost team cried for disappointing their fans but Konan team cried as well. Tears of happiness. This is the only way for the Okinawa people to tell the mainland Japanese folks that with their combined strength and spirit, no obstacles will get in their way. If you looked into the history of Okinawa Islands and its people, bulling, neglecting, undermining, abandoning and mistreating were and still are common practice within the political parties on mainland Japan with Okinawa people.
Thank you Konan Baseball team for making the people on the island proud again.
Google I had a word processor just like this before. Can't remember where I stashed it. Before this, my father lend me an Olivetti. Those typewriters that used two-coloured ribbon. Black on top and red at the bottom. I used to write resume after I left school with Olivetti and you should hear the sound in the middle of the night. My father used to nag about the noise but I have to send the letter out the next day! Anyway, when I have babies, I did not read nor write. Those 15 blissful years, or is it blissful? Anyway, I started to write again but Olivetti was not with me. So I got myself a Brother Word Processor. I used it for about 3 years and then came the Microsoft words. Out goes the Brother WP. Why am I talking about past years junks?
Because right now I need that junk. I need that Brother WP. Tell me how to type a virtual document on the computer. That document is like boxes that you have to fill up. So, I still need that Brother WP.
Why don't your just write?
Nay, my hand gets nervous when writing important documens from the government. I cannot avoid some misspelled words and such.
This is the tapioca plant I found in Uehara farm. I made a dish from it. I fried the fish first with tumeric (fresh from the sea-any fish wil do). Two thinly-sliced lemon grass with slices of tumeric leaves. In a pot of coconut milk, pound some slices of red chillies and throw all the slices herb together with a handful of boiled tapioca shoot (slice as well). Boil all of these, some salt for taste. That's it. This dish is called gulai lemak pucuk ubi (but I add the fish and the lemon grass with tumeric leave),
Mizuki Shigeru came home with only one arm after the war. Japan economy was at its lowest after the war with high unemployment. With only one arm and what with the bad economy, Shigeru used his only talent to live. Drawing cartoon.
A few years when the war ended, he sold his cartoon to a small printing company. But his comic books did not sell well. His family lived a very poor life. The electric to his house was cut off due to unpaid bills. They eat very ripe bananas (almost black), to survive the hard life. NHK is showing this drama now, GEGEGE Nyobou or Gegege's wife. The drama recalls the cartoonist life as recollected by his wife.
Shigeru break came when his talent was found by a friend who owned a printing company. Then, after several issues of his mangga, a well-known comic book company found his work. At first, Shigeru was asked to produce sci-fi cartoons but he rejected this offer because he feels his talent was not in sci-fi. Then, Shigeru was approached again and this time he was given his choice of any comic. He agreed but the printing company gave him one condition. That he must also produce his mangga (comic story) for the TV company. That was the beginning of GEGEGE KITARO on television.
Shigeru already have a theme to his mangga. All the characters in the mangga are ghosts. His comic ghosts are the One-Eye Cup baby, the flying carpet ghost but the heroes among the ghosts is the One-Eye boy named Kitaro.
There was no turning back after his first mangga came on the first comic book followed by series program on television.
To make story short, Shigeru is now a very rich man. Selling his mangga on television, mangga magazine and they even make video games out of it!
*******
The laughter of past comes but once in a lifetime wilting rose petals
These are summer veggies on this island. You can see banana but that is a special banana, sweet. I know some people named it as Monkey banana. Then there is square beans (kacang botor), red chillies, long beans (kacang panjang), ciku (those brown egg-like fruits, pink-bell jambu and of course not in the photo is bitter gourd (peria) and petula (sponge gourd).
Petula or sponge gourd, strange thing is the Japanese on the mainland don't eat it, instead they use it as body scrub! But Okinawa people use it as food!
Anyway, this is the best time to get good red chillies, so I bought 6 packs in one go.
Words from her red mouth sparkle and burn back her face Red chillies and friends.
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.
It was announced that she has 10 million friends in Facebook, not 1 million. Staggering 10 million! Common people like me cannot figure this at all. How to have 10 million friends? Not that I'm aiming for it, far. I am just one common person. But one thing we have in common is that on a humid summer night like right now, we are both sweating!
Deep on summer night even the fast turning fan is dripping in sweat.
These are haiku. Every week, NHK holds 2 or 3 haiku sessions. Of course, the language used is Japanese. Take a little look at the haiku here. They are all in one line which has 17 syllables. So, one misconception of haiku is it should be in 3 lines with 5-7-5 design. Not necessary.
The word of season of above haiku is swing. How come? You may wonder. Why swing becomes a season word. Swing is an outdoor activity. Most outdoor activity is done in spring or summer. In this case swing is a spring season word, maybe because in Japan the weather in summer is too hot/humid to play in the park.
I don't have time to translate those haiku up there. I have to finish some writing right now, so I'm desperate for time.
Here is my own version of swing.
Clouds all around her watering heaven's garden my mom swinging high.
I was doing some editing right into the night. Outside, in the breezy summer night, I can heard the night frog calling. There is some kind of rhythm to the call. Then, I remember another call. A call to sing.
Night frog lullaby Kanashi koto* in blue the moon chorus too.
This is Oleander. This flowery shrubs run all around the military bases in Okinawa together with the barb wires. After every barb wires that protect the people and property on the bases, they put up this shrub.
So, you think the American military intends to make Okinawa scene pretty? Think again. Not that innocent!
The leaves of this angelic flower is poisonous. The white liquid that flows from the leaf contains an allergic substance that irritate the skin.
So, now it is clear why this innocent shrubs with beautiful flowers goes around the military bases.
Stand guard, tall and strong catching breeze running the sky Oleander blockade.
Sayaambilsaja, terimakasihlah...tapidalamhatiberkata, "janganlahpulasabuninimengandungitepuminyakdarimergastua yang menyondolmuncungitu". Jaga-jagadisiniramai yang gunasabunmenyondolmuncung. SayagunaLux, punyalahmurah (3 hanya 100 yen saja-Made in Maresia) tapi yang penting halal. Dah terimasabunitu, seoranglagikawanmakcikkata, kaugunasabunituuntukmukasaja. Apapula? Kalaugunabadantakboleh? Eh!!! Jangangunauntukbadan, Mahal!!!! Mahal? Ye, Mahal...sekeping Yen 3,500!!! Terfikir sendiri. Alamak...taksuka. Kenapaberisaya yang mahalbegitu. Sayataksukatermakanbudi. Biarlahsayapicitsukarela...takberihadiah pun takapa. Takmahutermakanbudi. Sayabuatkerjaharapkanpahala (kalaudapatlah) diakhirahnanti. Engkaumanatahuitusemua. Yang engkauberiitusemuaengkautuntutdidunia. Engkauinginsayapicitkanselalulepasengkauberikansabunmahalitu, betultak? Jadiselepasinikalausayatakmahupicitlagi, macammana? Sabunitu.....???
Bunga Kosmos: Aku merah berkuntum, itu kejayaanku. Bunga Dahlia: Aku kuning mengembang, itu kejayaanku. Bunga Semalu: Aku bak kapas tapi tajam, itu kejayaanku.
Setiap bunga yang mengorak kelopak, kejayaan kuntuman itu hak mereka.
Kecantikan itu hak mereka, kejayaan itu hak mereka.
Kalau ingin sama cantik dan sama berjaya, usahalah memupuk baja di taman diri.
Sashiki no Yu is a big public bath-house facing the Pacific Ocean. You can see this beautiful scene from the new banner I put up. I go to this bath-house every week. Each time taking about 3 hours in the hot water and thereafter relaxing there till dark. This is my escape hide-out. I've made some friends there. These friends do not recognize me with my full clothes on, which is an advantage (like the entry below, taking me as a famous actress, whatever!) Without my glasses, I am half-blind. So I hardly see much "reality" while enjoying myself. Also, inspiration for my writings bubble up from the hot water. For those who visit me, I will pull you along this bath-house as well. So get ready for the open show.
SebenarnyaMikawalelakitulen (setakatmanaketulenan, ambobelumpastihehe), pada awal diamenerokaduniahiburan. Tapisemuanya bertukar apabila kedudukannyadalamcartahiburannaikmelambung setelah dia beraksi dengan pakaian perempuan, dia teruskekalkangayaperempuandanmenampilkan pakaianseksihinggamutakhirini. Tapiorangkata (orang yang kata bukan ambo!), diamasihlelakitulen.
One of my sister-in-laws is obese or over-weight. Recently I saw her and noticed she has greatly reduced her size. I commented on this to her and she said she has to reduce her weight as she is going along with the government. The government, I questioned back, why the government? She said the government is following her progress. Every couple of weeks, health officers called her and take note of her weight. If her weight does not improve, she would have to come for the training, two or three times a week. She doesn't want to be at the training center, so she is doing the dieting seriously.
Another friend's husband was a heavy drinker. The yearly check-up found him to suffer from diabetes. This man is healthy but he was warded for two months. While in hospital for two months, he was fed with calories-counting meals and did a tight training to reduce his weight. After that two months, the diabetes problem disappeared and he's weight went down 12kg. He was given a warning. If the diabetes come back, he would be hospitalized again. Oh no, he will not go into that torture chamber again and watch his weight carefully thereafter and of course the drinking is out.
Last year, my husband waist-line was 98 cm. The hospital grouped him as having the metabolic syndrome. He must reduced it to 85 cm. Now, he is at 90cm and still trying.
One of my haiku friends had blood pressure reading at 145/85. Over 140/80 is a bad warning in Japan. So, this friend now have to do training 3 times a week to bring that pressure down. She is monitored. She is given a health card and writes down everything she eats and the hours she work-out.
Touch life if you are obese, diabetic and suffering from high-blood pressure in Japan.
The video above is my collection (actually for me to practice karaoke). Hubby asked me why I put up such difficult song. Well, this is my blog and I put up the songs that I like/fancy. People out there can put up whatever songs they like on their own blog. Excuse me!
********* 北の街ではう 悲しみを暖炉で kitano machi dewa mou kanashimi o danrode 燃やしはじめてるらしい moyashi hajimeteru rashii 理由のわからないことで 悩んでいるうち wakeno wakaranai kotode nayande iru uchi 老いほれてしまうから oiborete shimau kara 默りとおした 歳月を damari toushita toshi tsuki o ひろい集めて 暖めあおう hiroi atsumete atatame aou 襟裳の春は 何もない春です erimono haru wa nanimo nai haru desu
君は二杯目だよね コーヒーカシプに kimi wa nihai me dayo ne ko-hi (Coffee) kappu (Cup) ni 角砂糖をひとつだったね kakuzatouo hitotsu datta ne 捨てて来てしまった わずらわしさだけを sutete kite shimatta wazurawashisa dake o くるくるかきまわして kurukuru kakimawashite 通りすぎた 夏の匂い toori sugita natsu no nioi 想い出して 懐かしいね omoidashite natsukashi ne 襟裳の春は 何もない春です erimono haruwa nanimo nai haru desu
日々の暮しはいやでも やってくるけど hibi no kurashi wa iya demo yatte kuru kedo 靜かに笑ってしまおう shizukani waratte shimaou いじけることだけが 生きることだと ijikeru koto dake ga ikiru koto dato 飼い馴らしすぎたので kainarashi sugita node 身構えながら 話すなんて migamae nagara hanasu nan te ああおくびょう なんだよね aa okubyou nan dayo ne
襟裳の春は 何もない春です erimono haru wa nanimo nai haru desu 寒い友だちが 訪ねてきたよ samui tomodachi ga tazunete kita yo 遠慮はいらないから 暖まってゆきなよ enryowa iranai kara atatamatte yukina yo
Tenpura, sukiyaki, tendon, udon, sushi, sashimi...I called these food as business food. Those are food you get any any Japanese restaurant all over the world. Those food do not represent the daily menu of any normal Japanese people. You will be surprised normal Japanese only take tenpura and sukiyaki like a year twice! Yes, those are business food served to people in shops only. Even when you do a home stay, the host family served those food listed. Mainly because these food are so familiar to non-Japanese.
Japanese dishes at home mostly make up of rice and soup (mostly vegetable). Then the main dish comes in fish or meat follows by a vegetable dish with an additional salad on the side. Like the photo on my dining table.
We love to have daikon or white radish. I simply grate the radish julienne, mixed some salmon flakes and pour over some shoyu with a squeeze of lime. That's it. Maybe the nearest to Malaysian dish is kerabu lobak. Raw radish.
A humble root vegetable with lots of healthy ingredient in it.
Hatoyama backpedaled on his promises to Okinawa people. His election pledge of closing the Futenma Military Base and reducing the military functions of the American Bases on Okinawa Island is just like a barking dog. You throw stone the dog barks, you don't throw stone, the dog still barks.
Hatoyama is that barking dog.
The magma of Okinawa people is about to overflow. How long can Okinawa people take this barking dog?
Puan Zalila Isa (Peyunting ITBM): "Naskhah yang banyak mengajar saya perkataan-perkataan baharu. Naskhah yang mendebarkan dalam setiap plot. Penuh dengan rasa melalui gaya bahasa yang mudah dihadam. Tebalnya hampir 600 muka surat. Tapi percayalah, pembaca tidak akan terasa ketebalannya kerana setiap helaian muka surat membawa pembaca melalui satu pengalaman yang baharu. Tahniah Puan Leyla Shuri yang budiman. Terima kasih menyajikan kisah yang penuh warna dan rasa." (klik imej ini untuk dapatkan novel ini).
PAGI SEMERAH DAUN MOMIJI
Novel ini mengisahkan pergolakan kehidupan di Jepun yang mengalami letupan bom atom di Hiroshima. Datin Hajijah Jais (Editor dan Penyunting Novel-DBP): "Saya lebih suka melihatnya dari segi dua latar tempat yang berbeza, dua latar suasana yang juga berbeza dalam satu latar masa yang sama. Suka juga melihat fitrah kehidupan manusia: mengapa manusia jadi jahat? Dalam jahat masih ada manusia yang baik dan berhati mulia. Teruskan menulis tentang cinta dua negara ini, Puan Leyla. Ia bukan cinta murahan tetapi lebih kepada pertembungan dua budaya yang berbeza...juga pengisian ruang kasih sayang selepas perkahwinan. Pengalaman peribadi puan amat berguna dan mampu menjadikan garapan cerita lebih berkesan. Ikhlas." Bagaimanakah akhirnya kehidupan seorang askar Jepun, Masatoshi yang ditinggalkan di Kelantan setelah tentera Jepun berundur. Maklm-balas para pembaca, klik dalam gambar [Untuk mendapatkan novel ini online www.dawama.com/store/, www.ujanailmu.com.my atau kedai online ini www.marymartin.com/web/home
PULUT SAKURA SERUNDING KASIH
Komen dari pembaca
SUKMA BASHO DALAM HAIKU
400 haiku dari Basho dalam bahasa Melayu.
PERCIKAN PELANGI
HIMPUNAN HAIKU DAN TANKA
BUKU-BUKU HAIKU
Dapatkan kedua-dua buku ini (Percikan Pelangi + Antologi Haiku 2006), kami hantar melalui Pos ekpres (harga pos percuma) dengan harga RM30.
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Writer's location is in Shuri, Okinawa, Japan. Due to time demand, writer takes longer to reply comment but all comments will not be ignored. Be nice in comment. Rude comment will be ReRoute to a secret dark place. Writer's interest in healthy living, healthy food and incalcate daily physical work-out dominate writings in blog. Feel free to voice your opinion here.
Oden
(google)-Konbu
(google)-Gobou
(google)-konnyaku
kedongdong
My Sheaffer
Belalang Mentadak-18thn
image from google-tsubaki
Jendela Timur Ogos 2010
Eidil Fitri 1341
courtesy of Google-Mt.Fuji
Google
Tapioca Plant
Tapioca shoot dish
Summer Vege
Image:Wikipedia
Image:Yahoo
Paraguay model
Image: NHK: Word of season; Swing
*Pink Oleander
credit google: hanabatake
Credit : google
Parut lobak putih
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