Monday, May 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
CNN's news coverage
Oh, The Shock!! Horrors of Horror!!! According to the majority of my Thai friends on Facebook, CNN's news coverage of the protests in Thailand (Bangkok) was biased and Dan Rivers had no *bleeping* clue what he was talking about. My Thai friends are joining facebook groups with titles like "You are clearly only watching the biased coverage from CNN" and "We want more informed reporting from Dan Rivers and CNN" *Yawn* Jeez, my Thai friends. Where have you been hiding all this time? The mainstream media in the US, and I dare say most media in all countries around the world, are biased. They all have their own agenda. Do my Thai friends honestly think that CNN (and other media) have been reporting unbiased and accurate news all this time, but then all of a sudden out of the blue, started reporting biased news?
I did reply in the comments on their statuses to that effect. Oddly (or not), no one has yet to make any kind of replies to my comments.
Of course, we all should be demanding for accuracy and honest reporting from the media. That should already be the news media's job and their number one priority and the people deserve to be better informed. However, CNN is not the only culprit here and this news about the protests in Thailand is not the only biased news the media has ever reported. I hope my friends realize the reality of that.
I say we start demanding CNNNBCABCFOXCBS and other acronyms to start doing their job right. However, I think that in the end, it is us the people who will have to discern for ourselves what is truly going on in the world.
I did reply in the comments on their statuses to that effect. Oddly (or not), no one has yet to make any kind of replies to my comments.
Of course, we all should be demanding for accuracy and honest reporting from the media. That should already be the news media's job and their number one priority and the people deserve to be better informed. However, CNN is not the only culprit here and this news about the protests in Thailand is not the only biased news the media has ever reported. I hope my friends realize the reality of that.
I say we start demanding CNNNBCABCFOXCBS and other acronyms to start doing their job right. However, I think that in the end, it is us the people who will have to discern for ourselves what is truly going on in the world.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Go-gatsu-byo
"Go-gatsu-byo", translated into English, is "May Sickness". In a way, it is kind of similar to "homesickness" because what it is, basically, is when small children who have started preschool in Japan (in April) but didn't cry or seemed to have any kind of seperation anxiety, started to cry and refuse to go to preschool in May (especially at the beginning of May after Golden Week - the name of a week-long holiday in Japan starting from the end of April to beginning of May). I think my daughter might be having this May Sickness.
This little girl of mine, being an only child and having had 3 years of constant attention from both parents (since daddy works at home and mommy only works a few hours a week outside the home), apparently had no problem saying good-bye to me when I dropped her off at school that very first day of school. She seemed to enjoy herself immensely and looked forward to going to school each day. But then, the day after the holidays when I went to pick her up, she told me that she cried at school. I asked her why, but she just said, "I don't know." I asked if she had a fight with her classmates and she said no. Then, I asked if she was lonely and she said, "yes." The next day, which was a Friday, she started kicking her feet and screaming when I took her to school. I had to literally drag her and handed her over to her teacher that day. Poor thing :( She came home that day with a different set of clothes. Apparently, she had wet herself (she's 3.5 years old and have been out of diapers for exactly one year with only a few accidents in between, so that was odd).
Last night, she woke up at 2 AM crying about how she didn't want to go to school. She then told me that the reason was because she didn't want to use the toilet at school. My daughter doesn't really like using the toilet at home either (not sure why .. I think she just doesn't like the process of having to take her pants off and flushing and washing hands, etc, but I don't know for sure). So I promised her I'll talk to her teacher and see what we can do about it. I don't think there's really anything we could do about it, though. She'll just have to get used to it.
But anyway, this morning she was fine. I let her sleep in a little, tried not to rush her too much, gave her a small popsicle after breakfast and took her to school. She didn't cry and just smiled and waved good-bye to me as I took off. We'll see what happens when I go pick her up in an hour or so.
May sickness or just toilet sickness? Hmmm..
This little girl of mine, being an only child and having had 3 years of constant attention from both parents (since daddy works at home and mommy only works a few hours a week outside the home), apparently had no problem saying good-bye to me when I dropped her off at school that very first day of school. She seemed to enjoy herself immensely and looked forward to going to school each day. But then, the day after the holidays when I went to pick her up, she told me that she cried at school. I asked her why, but she just said, "I don't know." I asked if she had a fight with her classmates and she said no. Then, I asked if she was lonely and she said, "yes." The next day, which was a Friday, she started kicking her feet and screaming when I took her to school. I had to literally drag her and handed her over to her teacher that day. Poor thing :( She came home that day with a different set of clothes. Apparently, she had wet herself (she's 3.5 years old and have been out of diapers for exactly one year with only a few accidents in between, so that was odd).
Last night, she woke up at 2 AM crying about how she didn't want to go to school. She then told me that the reason was because she didn't want to use the toilet at school. My daughter doesn't really like using the toilet at home either (not sure why .. I think she just doesn't like the process of having to take her pants off and flushing and washing hands, etc, but I don't know for sure). So I promised her I'll talk to her teacher and see what we can do about it. I don't think there's really anything we could do about it, though. She'll just have to get used to it.
But anyway, this morning she was fine. I let her sleep in a little, tried not to rush her too much, gave her a small popsicle after breakfast and took her to school. She didn't cry and just smiled and waved good-bye to me as I took off. We'll see what happens when I go pick her up in an hour or so.
May sickness or just toilet sickness? Hmmm..
Friday, May 7, 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
The power of money
The power of money .. or the lack thereof. And I'm talking about within the household. Now that I've quit my part-time job and now that my daughter is in preschool, I am trying to devote my time and energy into online writing, and hopefully generate some income within a year. At least, that's the plan. But now that I'm not a financial contributor to the family, I can't help feeling like I'm sometimes being treated with contempt. I'm possibly exaggerating, but I'm beginning to hear hubby making "suggestions" on things I could do around the house (today, it was to wash the windows). Mother-in-law, who lives with us and doesn't really do anything around the house and barely contributes anything, has conveniently begun to not take the trash out on trash days (that used to be her only job around the house). Or she would do laundry and leave the wet clothes in the washer for me to hang them up.
And I won't complain much if hubby actually has a stable and good-paying job. He doesn't. He works as a freelance computer graphic designer and there have been months when he didn't have any work and we have to dip into MY savings to pay the bills. I have always been supportive of him and never asked him to go get a "real" job, but now that we are feeling the pinch (we haven't even been able to pay into our national pension fund since last November), I would assume that any normal man would either go get a stable job or at least try to find some other source of secondary income. I mean, he has already been doing this freelance thing for 10 years .. obviously, it's not getting us anywhere.
It's ture. If you want to get things done, you have to just do it yourself. I've started contemplating just giving up my writing thing and maybe go get an outside job to support us. I don't really know how much longer we can go without money. And then again, we live in rural Japan .. there aren't really very many job opportunities for foreigners.
Not that anybody reads this ... but it helps to get things off my chest. I will just have to work harder and smarter to make this work.
And I won't complain much if hubby actually has a stable and good-paying job. He doesn't. He works as a freelance computer graphic designer and there have been months when he didn't have any work and we have to dip into MY savings to pay the bills. I have always been supportive of him and never asked him to go get a "real" job, but now that we are feeling the pinch (we haven't even been able to pay into our national pension fund since last November), I would assume that any normal man would either go get a stable job or at least try to find some other source of secondary income. I mean, he has already been doing this freelance thing for 10 years .. obviously, it's not getting us anywhere.
It's ture. If you want to get things done, you have to just do it yourself. I've started contemplating just giving up my writing thing and maybe go get an outside job to support us. I don't really know how much longer we can go without money. And then again, we live in rural Japan .. there aren't really very many job opportunities for foreigners.
Not that anybody reads this ... but it helps to get things off my chest. I will just have to work harder and smarter to make this work.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Fire!
Woke up yesterday and went about business as usual until my husband and I stepped out the door - hubby to change the tires on my car and myself to take our daughter to nursery school - when we saw our neighbor (an older couple who live kitty-corner to us) outside. The old man was trying to break the glass to his house and the old woman was calling out, "Fire! Please call the fire department!" I was a little confused at first, then ran to pick up the phone, dialed the emergency number and handed the phone over to hubby. He told me to just take our daughter to school and when I walked down a bit further, I saw huge flames from the back side of the house (kitchen, maybe?) and it was spreading onto the lawn of the neighboring house! By now, huge clouds of black smoke was going up and I saw some people starting to come outside of their houses. About 3/4 way to school (the school is about 4 blocks down the road .. it usually takes us about 7-10 minutes to walk there), we saw the fire engines coming, so at least they were pretty fast.
I sent my daughter off and started walking back. More and more people were rushing down the street to the burning house by this time. By the time I got there, the house was pretty much going down in flames. My husband and several other men were trying to pry the garage adjacent to the house open to get the car out so it doesn't explode should the fire spread to the garage. Several fire fighters were trying to put out the fire, but I thought the water pressure wasn't very strong. The whole neighborhood pitched in and brough out whatever belongings were in the garage to save them from the fire.
I was pretty shaken by this incident. Fortunately, it wasn't our house, but I felt so bad for our neighbor. Just the night before, the old lady brought over some fresh vegetables from her garden. How very sad :( The whole house burned down and they couldn't get any belongings out from the house .. so pretty much everything was lost. Thankfully, nobody was physically injured.
We did learn from this incident that fire consumes quickly and completely. And that we can't really rely on the fire department -- we discovered that the fire hydrant is located in someplace not quite so accessible. We also realized that we really need to go out and buy a couple of fire extinguishers. Every household really should have a couple. Seriously.
I sent my daughter off and started walking back. More and more people were rushing down the street to the burning house by this time. By the time I got there, the house was pretty much going down in flames. My husband and several other men were trying to pry the garage adjacent to the house open to get the car out so it doesn't explode should the fire spread to the garage. Several fire fighters were trying to put out the fire, but I thought the water pressure wasn't very strong. The whole neighborhood pitched in and brough out whatever belongings were in the garage to save them from the fire.
I was pretty shaken by this incident. Fortunately, it wasn't our house, but I felt so bad for our neighbor. Just the night before, the old lady brought over some fresh vegetables from her garden. How very sad :( The whole house burned down and they couldn't get any belongings out from the house .. so pretty much everything was lost. Thankfully, nobody was physically injured.
We did learn from this incident that fire consumes quickly and completely. And that we can't really rely on the fire department -- we discovered that the fire hydrant is located in someplace not quite so accessible. We also realized that we really need to go out and buy a couple of fire extinguishers. Every household really should have a couple. Seriously.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Earthquake!
We just had an earthquake! It felt a little strong (something dropped from the top shelf), but the announcement on TV said it was a magnitude 3. The epicenter looked really closeby, though. Scary! It's especially scary since I just watched the program called "Nostradamus Effect" on History channel about the prophecies in different cultures (Egypt, the Bible, Hopi Indians, etc.) concerning the "Last Days". As some of you might also notice, there has been a series of pretty strong and damaging earthquakes going on recently as well (Haiti, Chile, China). Gyah!!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Bringing my lupines back to life
I have never had a green thumb. I honestly think plants hate me! But recently, I've started planting some flowers in my border because I don't intend for my house to look like it's built in the middle of a big sandbox indefinitely. I am aiming for an English cottage garden look for my garden in the future and I am very sloooowwwly trying to start. I planted some bulbs: snowdrops, whose flowers have faded, hyacinths (in full bloom) and some lupines. However, just 3 days or so after planting my 3 lupines, the pink one's stalk fell over and looked like a knocked out boxer! It was practically laying dead on the ground! I frantically did some research (stupid me for not doing it BEFOREHAND!) and I'm still not sure, but I think it might be because I didn't loosen up the roots when I transferred the young plant from the flower pot it came in with. So I dug it up (another thing about lupines: they don't like being transplanted!), loosened up the roots, and re-planted it. I also added some huge dosage of fertilizer. Just this morning (after a night of rain), my pink stalk actually revived and was trying to stand up tall like a boxer on steroids. Whew!
I am discovering that gardening is hard work (duh!). But like most everything you work hard to achieve, it can be extremely rewarding and satisfying.
My wish list:
I am discovering that gardening is hard work (duh!). But like most everything you work hard to achieve, it can be extremely rewarding and satisfying.
My wish list:
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Life in a Japanese preschool
Today was my daughter's second day at nursery school and allow me to say that I'm very proud of her because she didn't cry at all (and she's always been a crybaby and very attached to me)! My baby girl is growing up! :)
So what are Japanese preschools like? First, there are two main kinds of preschools: yochien (or kindergartens) and hoikuen (or nursery school/daycare - which my daughter belongs to). Yochiens are supervised by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology whereas the hoikuens are supervised by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. That alone should already have given you a hint as to the differences between the two. Namely, the public yochiens are more regulated as to what goes into the curriculum, tuition and fees are the same across the board, the day ends earlier (2 PM), etc. Public hoikuens are geared towards caring for infants and toddlers, the curriculum is centered on "play", school hours vary and they take children early and have extended care into the evening plus a Saturday care should the parents need to work, and tuition and fees depend on each household's previous year's income.
I notice that the nursery schools here are also very strict on a few things. This may or may not be factual, but it is based on my observations of a few local nursery schools in my area.
1) Greetings - Schools here are big on making sure that children greet their teachers and others properly. Bow and say "good morning" (or good afternoon) in a loud, clear voice. Greetings before and after eating are enforced.
2) Hygiene - Schools here are obsessive about hygiene. There is a huge amount of hand washing and mouth rinsing going on at the school. Personally, I don't worry so much about it when my daughter is at home, but I suppose preschools are breeding grounds for germs with all the small children there touching who-knows-what and passing the germs around. I've read somewhere about how the Japanese are developing more and more allergies (and I do think it's true .. I've never met people with more allergies than the Japanese) because they are so darn CLEAN and their bodies never got to develop any resistance for allergens. I don't know if this is true, but it sure made sense to me!
3) Groupism - Children play in groups and chairs and desks are arranged in small groups within the classroom.
I am sure the list will grow as time passes and I get to see what goes on at my daughter's school more, but the above is what I have noticed so far. I do think the schools here are pretty good. The equipments are not as fancy and high-tech as the preschools in the US, but the teachers are well-trained and care deeply for the children and the schools here and up to standards and safe. My daughter seems to be enjoying school so far and that is what matters to me.
For anyone curious about a comparative study of 3 different preschools (US, Japan and China), this excellent book is highly recommended! This book is a follow-up book to the study done 20 years before of the same schools.
So what are Japanese preschools like? First, there are two main kinds of preschools: yochien (or kindergartens) and hoikuen (or nursery school/daycare - which my daughter belongs to). Yochiens are supervised by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology whereas the hoikuens are supervised by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. That alone should already have given you a hint as to the differences between the two. Namely, the public yochiens are more regulated as to what goes into the curriculum, tuition and fees are the same across the board, the day ends earlier (2 PM), etc. Public hoikuens are geared towards caring for infants and toddlers, the curriculum is centered on "play", school hours vary and they take children early and have extended care into the evening plus a Saturday care should the parents need to work, and tuition and fees depend on each household's previous year's income.
I notice that the nursery schools here are also very strict on a few things. This may or may not be factual, but it is based on my observations of a few local nursery schools in my area.
1) Greetings - Schools here are big on making sure that children greet their teachers and others properly. Bow and say "good morning" (or good afternoon) in a loud, clear voice. Greetings before and after eating are enforced.
2) Hygiene - Schools here are obsessive about hygiene. There is a huge amount of hand washing and mouth rinsing going on at the school. Personally, I don't worry so much about it when my daughter is at home, but I suppose preschools are breeding grounds for germs with all the small children there touching who-knows-what and passing the germs around. I've read somewhere about how the Japanese are developing more and more allergies (and I do think it's true .. I've never met people with more allergies than the Japanese) because they are so darn CLEAN and their bodies never got to develop any resistance for allergens. I don't know if this is true, but it sure made sense to me!
3) Groupism - Children play in groups and chairs and desks are arranged in small groups within the classroom.
I am sure the list will grow as time passes and I get to see what goes on at my daughter's school more, but the above is what I have noticed so far. I do think the schools here are pretty good. The equipments are not as fancy and high-tech as the preschools in the US, but the teachers are well-trained and care deeply for the children and the schools here and up to standards and safe. My daughter seems to be enjoying school so far and that is what matters to me.
For anyone curious about a comparative study of 3 different preschools (US, Japan and China), this excellent book is highly recommended! This book is a follow-up book to the study done 20 years before of the same schools.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Hot cross buns! One a penny, two a penny!
It's Good Friday and I made hot cross buns today. What's more, they actually turned out very good! I am so proud of myself since this was my first attempt at making yeast bread.
The recipe was easy to follow and didn't require anything fancy. I did run into trouble at the dough kneading stage because the dough turned out to be uber super sticky. The majority of the dough stuck to my hands and I simply could not get the dough to firm up into any shape or form, despite my efforts to add flour to the dough. Kneading it was totally hopeless. So, I just gave up and proceeded on to the covering the glob up and letting the dough rise, which it did!
Amazingly, the buns came out of the oven great! The bottom of the buns were stuck to the baking sheets because I didn't have any non-stick cooking spray (I did grease it with butter) and the cross didn't really show because I had a hard time cutting the crosses onto the sticky dough. But other than that, they were perfect!
So, what did I do wrong? I *think* these were the reasons:
1) I didn't have a cooking thermometer. The recipe calls for a specific temperature of the milk at the yeast-dissolving stage, but I just warmed the milk up in the microwave with no idea how hot it was. I think in baking (just about anything, really), precision in measurements and temperature is a must. Do not overlook this!
Get this all-in-one timer/themometer for your baking needs!
2) I used plastic wrap to cover up the dough when letting the dough rise. It is recommended that you use a towel.
Great set of tea towels
3) As I said, the bottom of the buns were stuck to the baking sheet. I'm not sure if my baking sheet was bad or because I didn't use cooking spray, but it's probably wise to try the cooking spray next time.
All in all, I immensely enjoyed the baking process. I hope to be baking bread, cake, etc. lots more! It's especially highly satisfying when it comes out right and your daughter eats it all up! :)
Books about baking bread
The recipe was easy to follow and didn't require anything fancy. I did run into trouble at the dough kneading stage because the dough turned out to be uber super sticky. The majority of the dough stuck to my hands and I simply could not get the dough to firm up into any shape or form, despite my efforts to add flour to the dough. Kneading it was totally hopeless. So, I just gave up and proceeded on to the covering the glob up and letting the dough rise, which it did!
Amazingly, the buns came out of the oven great! The bottom of the buns were stuck to the baking sheets because I didn't have any non-stick cooking spray (I did grease it with butter) and the cross didn't really show because I had a hard time cutting the crosses onto the sticky dough. But other than that, they were perfect!
So, what did I do wrong? I *think* these were the reasons:
1) I didn't have a cooking thermometer. The recipe calls for a specific temperature of the milk at the yeast-dissolving stage, but I just warmed the milk up in the microwave with no idea how hot it was. I think in baking (just about anything, really), precision in measurements and temperature is a must. Do not overlook this!
Get this all-in-one timer/themometer for your baking needs!
2) I used plastic wrap to cover up the dough when letting the dough rise. It is recommended that you use a towel.
Great set of tea towels
3) As I said, the bottom of the buns were stuck to the baking sheet. I'm not sure if my baking sheet was bad or because I didn't use cooking spray, but it's probably wise to try the cooking spray next time.
All in all, I immensely enjoyed the baking process. I hope to be baking bread, cake, etc. lots more! It's especially highly satisfying when it comes out right and your daughter eats it all up! :)
Books about baking bread
Friday, March 26, 2010
Many endings ... but are there any new beginnings?
On Wednesday, the language school I was teaching part-time at had a end-of-school-year/goodbye party for me. I had decided to call it quits when the boss pretty much treated me like a used rug and I don't see the point of tolerating it anymore. That was one ending (and boy, it was extremely liberating to say "hell no!" for once!) Yesterday, one of the mommies from the playgroup stopped by and we discussed about discontinuing our playgroup. I had the idea of starting an English playgroup for my daughter when she was 1 year old, and a few Japanese mommies joined. It turned out to be a wreck (in my opinion) with the Japanese mommies trying to get their kids to join in when the kids (2 years older than mine) were very obviously unhappy about being there. The group consists of mainly boys, so there was also a lot of fighting and yelling and most of our "play" time turned into trying to deal with fights, crying and outbursts. So, with a couple of our members moving away, we decided to just discontinue, which was a huge relief for me. That was another ending.
There is one new beginning: my daughter is going off to nursery school in April. My mother-in-law (who lives with us) was asking if I was going to try to get a job. I don't quite know how to explain to her (or to anyone else who asked), but I really would like to try my hand at blogging, online writing and maybe affiliate marketing (which I will have to study up on when I have more time). Whenever I sit in front of the computer, MIL (mother-in-law) assumes I'm just goofing off. Hubby seems a bit more understanding and semi-supportive of my new endeavor, but I have a feeling he'd rather I get a "real" paying job.
I plan to work on this for about a year or so and see how it turns out and if there might be any future in it for me. If not, I suppose I will have to look for employment elsewhere. That, or have another baby ... which is a whole different issue.
Anyway, I tend to believe the saying that "when God closes a door, He opens a window." Somehow, I do feel that these are signs by God telling me to do something else. I guess it's up to me to find what that something else is.
There is one new beginning: my daughter is going off to nursery school in April. My mother-in-law (who lives with us) was asking if I was going to try to get a job. I don't quite know how to explain to her (or to anyone else who asked), but I really would like to try my hand at blogging, online writing and maybe affiliate marketing (which I will have to study up on when I have more time). Whenever I sit in front of the computer, MIL (mother-in-law) assumes I'm just goofing off. Hubby seems a bit more understanding and semi-supportive of my new endeavor, but I have a feeling he'd rather I get a "real" paying job.
I plan to work on this for about a year or so and see how it turns out and if there might be any future in it for me. If not, I suppose I will have to look for employment elsewhere. That, or have another baby ... which is a whole different issue.
Anyway, I tend to believe the saying that "when God closes a door, He opens a window." Somehow, I do feel that these are signs by God telling me to do something else. I guess it's up to me to find what that something else is.
Monday, March 15, 2010
School bag, book bag, lunch bag, bags, bags, bags
Yup. I'm pretty much bagged down at the moment. My daughter will be starting nursery school in April and so I am preparing all sorts of bags (among other things) she will need for school. The thing is, these bags are of very specific sizes and therefore, can't be store-bought. This means that I will actually have to MAKE them!
Here's the list of things needed:
1) Futon for naps
2) Document bag (20cm x 26 cm) with shoulder strap
3) Book bag (30cm x 40cm)
4) Clothes bag (35cm x 40cm) with a pocket in the front
5) School bag (no specific size, but will need to be big enough to fit lunch box, cups, chopstick case, handtowel case, and toothbrush shet)
Typical book bag
Typical school bag
Lunch set:
6) Lunch box (must be aluminum so food can be heated) with lunchbox bag (must make 2-3 bags)
7) Spoon and chopsticks
8) Handtowel
9) 2 cups (1 for drinking and 1 for gargling) and cup bags (2-3 bags)
10) toothbrush
Typical lunchbox (bento) bag
Clothing:
11) 2-3 sets of change of clothes
12) indoor shoes and outdoor shoes and a shoe bag
That's about it!
So, I asked Mother-in-law to teach me how to operate a sewing machine today so I can start making bags for my daughter. It was my first time to even touch a sewing machine, but it actually is pretty amazingly simple to use. I didn't do a very good job with the stitches, but it held, so I'm happy about that. It took a lot of concentrating, but it was pretty fun and it's very satisfying to hold a handmade product (made by yourself!) in your hands. The best part is knowing that I'm making this wih love for my daughter.
Some great school bags
Here's the list of things needed:
1) Futon for naps
2) Document bag (20cm x 26 cm) with shoulder strap
3) Book bag (30cm x 40cm)
4) Clothes bag (35cm x 40cm) with a pocket in the front
5) School bag (no specific size, but will need to be big enough to fit lunch box, cups, chopstick case, handtowel case, and toothbrush shet)
Typical book bag
Typical school bag
Lunch set:
6) Lunch box (must be aluminum so food can be heated) with lunchbox bag (must make 2-3 bags)
7) Spoon and chopsticks
8) Handtowel
9) 2 cups (1 for drinking and 1 for gargling) and cup bags (2-3 bags)
10) toothbrush
Typical lunchbox (bento) bag
Clothing:
11) 2-3 sets of change of clothes
12) indoor shoes and outdoor shoes and a shoe bag
That's about it!
So, I asked Mother-in-law to teach me how to operate a sewing machine today so I can start making bags for my daughter. It was my first time to even touch a sewing machine, but it actually is pretty amazingly simple to use. I didn't do a very good job with the stitches, but it held, so I'm happy about that. It took a lot of concentrating, but it was pretty fun and it's very satisfying to hold a handmade product (made by yourself!) in your hands. The best part is knowing that I'm making this wih love for my daughter.
Some great school bags
Monday, March 8, 2010
Tis the season to be busy
March is the end of the fiscal year in Japan and the tax season. It is also the end of a school year. Students get about 2 weeks off before they return to school in April to start a brand new academic year.
My daughter will (probably) start preschool come April. I put "probably" in parentheses because I applied late and haven't heard back from the Child Department at the City Office yet as to whether or not my daughter will be able to attend preschool. It is extremely annoying considering Japan has such a low birth rate (I've seen a TV program that showed a calculation where if situations don't improve, Japan will end up with only a few thousand people or so within a few centuries -- I actually don't remember the exact figure, but it was that dire). Our local preschool advertises the maximum number of students to be at 70 and they only have about 60, so space is definitely not a problem. I believe it's just a massive amount of red tape. It's also strange because it's not like preschools are free. I will be a paying customer. You would think the school would be begging us to attend their school!
So .. for other parents who have their places for their children assured, this is the season for them (the mothers) to start preparing all the school-related items such as clothing (with names written on tags on all articles of clothing), school supplies (crayons and such, again with names taped to each and every crayon and each and every item), school bags (which I heard that many schools require the mothers to make by hand because they have to be of a precise size and measurement), futons for sleeping (nursery schools have nap times whereas kindergartens do not), and shoes (for use inside the school grounds). Many schools will also have days when there aren't school lunches available and the parents (the mothers) will have to make lunches for their children to take to school.
This is where the mothers aim to excel and impress. Japanese mothers take great pains and, seemingly, joy in preparing ornate, cutesy lunchboxes (o-bento) for their little ones. It is an obsession and I have a feeling, a competition among the mothers to see who can make cuter lunchboxes. If you go to any bookstore here in Japan at around this time, you will find books after books about making school lunches.
I am not artistic or crafty. My husband is. Today, he actually made lunch for our daughter in the shape of a well-known and well-loved character in Japan for the under 5 age group -- Anpanman (bean paste bread man). I don't have a picture of my hubby's artwork, but it was rice with cut-up veggies stir-fried in ketchup, shaped in to a circle (Anpanman's head), 3 round slices of carrots for cheeks and nose, a small, thin slice of cheese for the mouth, and seaweed for eyes and eyebrows. Surrounding Anpanman's head is a leafy bed of lettuce. Wow ..
My next order for hubby is lunch shaped into the face of a Disney's princess. I'll definitely take a picture of that and post it when my husband has the time and desire to employ his culinary and art skills.
Hello Kitty Lunchbox
O-bento recipes
My daughter will (probably) start preschool come April. I put "probably" in parentheses because I applied late and haven't heard back from the Child Department at the City Office yet as to whether or not my daughter will be able to attend preschool. It is extremely annoying considering Japan has such a low birth rate (I've seen a TV program that showed a calculation where if situations don't improve, Japan will end up with only a few thousand people or so within a few centuries -- I actually don't remember the exact figure, but it was that dire). Our local preschool advertises the maximum number of students to be at 70 and they only have about 60, so space is definitely not a problem. I believe it's just a massive amount of red tape. It's also strange because it's not like preschools are free. I will be a paying customer. You would think the school would be begging us to attend their school!
So .. for other parents who have their places for their children assured, this is the season for them (the mothers) to start preparing all the school-related items such as clothing (with names written on tags on all articles of clothing), school supplies (crayons and such, again with names taped to each and every crayon and each and every item), school bags (which I heard that many schools require the mothers to make by hand because they have to be of a precise size and measurement), futons for sleeping (nursery schools have nap times whereas kindergartens do not), and shoes (for use inside the school grounds). Many schools will also have days when there aren't school lunches available and the parents (the mothers) will have to make lunches for their children to take to school.
This is where the mothers aim to excel and impress. Japanese mothers take great pains and, seemingly, joy in preparing ornate, cutesy lunchboxes (o-bento) for their little ones. It is an obsession and I have a feeling, a competition among the mothers to see who can make cuter lunchboxes. If you go to any bookstore here in Japan at around this time, you will find books after books about making school lunches.
I am not artistic or crafty. My husband is. Today, he actually made lunch for our daughter in the shape of a well-known and well-loved character in Japan for the under 5 age group -- Anpanman (bean paste bread man). I don't have a picture of my hubby's artwork, but it was rice with cut-up veggies stir-fried in ketchup, shaped in to a circle (Anpanman's head), 3 round slices of carrots for cheeks and nose, a small, thin slice of cheese for the mouth, and seaweed for eyes and eyebrows. Surrounding Anpanman's head is a leafy bed of lettuce. Wow ..
This is not the one hubby made, but this is how an Anpanman lunch looks.
My next order for hubby is lunch shaped into the face of a Disney's princess. I'll definitely take a picture of that and post it when my husband has the time and desire to employ his culinary and art skills.
Hello Kitty Lunchbox
O-bento recipes
Friday, March 5, 2010
What's this all about?!
Who's yummy mummy? Or more curiously, what's so yummy about this mummy? And what's up with the tea house (or is it teahouse)? This very first post attempts an explanation.
As for the name of the blog, the "mummy" part is obvious enough. I am a proud mommy to a very sweet and smart preschool-aged daughter. She is my life and I am very happy with being mommy, hence, the mummy. I was just thinking about a word that rhymes with mommy, and I had a stroke of inspiration -- yummy mummy! How so very cute, sexy and better yet, it rhymes! Alas, apparently, many others had the same idea .. all yummy mummy's and its variations have been taken. So, I needed to add something to yummy mummy. I know many blogs have the word "cafe" attached to it -- probably to signify that the blog is a comfortable place for kindred spirits to gather, sit down and have a nice, relaxing chit chat. I LOVE coffee, but thought I wanted something more unique. I went to www.thesaurus.com and found tea house as one of the synonyms. Cool! I live in Japan, so tea house sounds pretty appropriate. Voila! I got myself a blog!
So, what's this blog for? I am hoping to use this blog to write about things I care about and have a passionate interest in. These include (but definitely not limited to) parenting, early childhood education, bilingualism, cultures and languages, traveling, and maybe some random posts on my life as a foreign wife married to a Japanese person and living in Japan. I should begin to have some more free time now that my daughter is starting preschool in a few weeks time. I plan to be doing a lot of researching, writing and taking up a new hobby. Not sure yet exactly what ... but I'm thinking of a craft or two such as scrapbooking and/or fabric folding (fabric version of origami). I am terrible at crafts, but will think of it as a challenge. And should I get any better (or maybe if I could get hubby to do it along with me, since he's SO much better with his hands), perhaps I could turn it into a monetizing opportunity!
I've always been a pessimist, but I am oddly quite optimistic about this whole thing. I suppose we shall see what this leads to .. if anything. Here's to a great 2010 (after a terrible 2009)!
Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
As for the name of the blog, the "mummy" part is obvious enough. I am a proud mommy to a very sweet and smart preschool-aged daughter. She is my life and I am very happy with being mommy, hence, the mummy. I was just thinking about a word that rhymes with mommy, and I had a stroke of inspiration -- yummy mummy! How so very cute, sexy and better yet, it rhymes! Alas, apparently, many others had the same idea .. all yummy mummy's and its variations have been taken. So, I needed to add something to yummy mummy. I know many blogs have the word "cafe" attached to it -- probably to signify that the blog is a comfortable place for kindred spirits to gather, sit down and have a nice, relaxing chit chat. I LOVE coffee, but thought I wanted something more unique. I went to www.thesaurus.com and found tea house as one of the synonyms. Cool! I live in Japan, so tea house sounds pretty appropriate. Voila! I got myself a blog!
So, what's this blog for? I am hoping to use this blog to write about things I care about and have a passionate interest in. These include (but definitely not limited to) parenting, early childhood education, bilingualism, cultures and languages, traveling, and maybe some random posts on my life as a foreign wife married to a Japanese person and living in Japan. I should begin to have some more free time now that my daughter is starting preschool in a few weeks time. I plan to be doing a lot of researching, writing and taking up a new hobby. Not sure yet exactly what ... but I'm thinking of a craft or two such as scrapbooking and/or fabric folding (fabric version of origami). I am terrible at crafts, but will think of it as a challenge. And should I get any better (or maybe if I could get hubby to do it along with me, since he's SO much better with his hands), perhaps I could turn it into a monetizing opportunity!
I've always been a pessimist, but I am oddly quite optimistic about this whole thing. I suppose we shall see what this leads to .. if anything. Here's to a great 2010 (after a terrible 2009)!
Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
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