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.
Monday, April 26, 2010
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
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