goodbye for a while, my friend

This is Thursday. It means I have a sign language lesson.

My friend who came Kumamoto this Monday is also a member of this lesson. She came it and mostly we asked about her life in Korea, of course with a sign language. Also it was a surprise for our teacher that she was coming. As we expected, she got surprised and pleased of her back.

After we talked as a lesson, we went to a 24 hours restaurant to talk more! We stayed there for a couple hours. It was a last chance to talk with her because she goes home on this weekend. Time has gone so fast.
We had a good time!

my friend came back from Korea

Finally! My good friend came Kumamoto!

She went to Korea to study Korean and came back to Japan a week ago, but her home town is Fukuoka and stayed there. At this time she visited Kumamoto for a week to get some works done.

Actually I met her in Korea last October so it's only for two months we were separate. Although in these two months, many things were happened to her and it was fun to listen to her talks.

She was very busy to meet many her friends. It wasn't enough time to talk but she will come back to school in April so I'm looking forward it from now.

chatty night

To talk about ourselves, I went to a 24 hours restaurant with my friend.
Finally it's time to know about yourself. It's a season of job hunting and I have some companies I have to send "entree sheets" already.

I've never thought about myself before and I didn't know how I was thought by my friends. She told me some points I didn't realize and these were very helpful.
It was a good chance to know each other better. I have to write some entree sheets now. It will be tough, however, I want to finish them up to pass!

I love Kotatsu

This is a last day of winter break. It has gone so fast.

Its beginning was seven days of my part-time job! I couldn't do anything alse during this week. But I could get used to it and earned more money so it was okay.

After that I went out every day and did shopping, met my friends, visted my grandma and so on. Also I'm done my house cleaning and I got a Kotatsu in my room! It was exciting! It's one of the greatest heaters in the world. I can stay in Kotatsu for many hours. I stayed in Kotatsu in the living room too long, my parents annoyed it and gave me own Kotatsu in my room. Now it is very comfortable to stay in my own Kotatsu. It's my place.

Naomi

She is my old friend. We've known each other since we were in elementary school.
She now goes to university in Oita but when she comes back to Kumamoto, we make time to meet and have some shopping together.

She is a really funny girl but is also smart. To be a doctor, she learns about medical at her school. She talks about what she did in classes to me, but almost all are so gross, like about dissections. It's interesting to listen to, but I don't like to see these gross sights so I try not to imagine them.

She bought some tops and I got some shirts for my job hunting. Also we spent long time in a cafe to talk so the time had gone so fast. It was a very good time.

High School Reunion

I had a reunion of my high school today.

It was at a Hotel Castle and about a hundred of my schoolmates came.
I went there with my friend. It was the first time to join a reunion for me so I was afraid of meeting my classmates who I usually don't keep in touch. They are not so different from four years ago. But most of them will start new life in spring. We talked about own situation and so on each other. We had nice Chinese foods and talked a lot.

At the end, we said aloud our school outlines and sang our school song as we did in high school. I felt that made us together. It was a good time to know each other again.

My high school HP:

http://www.higo.ed.jp/sh/seiseiko/index.htm

grandma

I visited my grandma today with my parents.
Last year my grandpa has past away so this is the first time to have a new year without him.

My grandma has suffered the consequences of a stroke she had about 10 years ago. My grandpa took care of her but he also suffered from cancer. Now she goes to a day-care and my uncle stays with her at night.

She misses grandpa so much but except it, she is doing fine. That's enough for now. I hope she lives longer than my grand-grandma who lived for 99 years!

A Happy New Year!!!

Another year, 2007, has began! I hope you'll have a good year.

Today I have no plan to go out. Usually I go to my grandparents' place with my family but not this year. I'll go to a store to check a bargain tomorrow!! I want to get a coat...!

Do you like "grab bags"? I don't. It's very attractive that we can get more worth stuff than the price. But I want to know its inside before I get. I know many people like surprise and have fun. That's nice, too. But not for me. I like bargains better!

an one-piece

I went to shop with my sister today. She came home last night from Fukuoka. She won't be able to stay at home on a new year's day because she has to work. I asked her to go shopping.

I'll have a class reunion in a week so I wanted to get clothes for it. I tried some clothes on but couldn't find any I liked.
After we looked at several shops finally I found a black one-piece made from wool. Also it was on sale so I was lucky! I bought it and I was happy. My sister helped me to choose and decide. This shopping was a success.

the end of this year

Finally I'm done all my part-time this year!!!
I worked every day through this week! I got tired but I think it was a good chance for me to know more about the job.

I started this job at the beginning of this December and I wasn't sure about it yet. Especially taking on a phone was very difficult because I had to understand what a person on the phone wanted to know, ask, talk with staff or so on. Even if he/she asked me something about the system of the school I couldn't answer it. I was afraid of taking phone. Through this week, however, gradually I got used to it and got some confidence.

Also I think I made closer to the other staff. One of the staff was not full-time and she did jobs like mine. She was very kind so I could ask her many things. She worked at some different companies before and knew well about computer and worked much faster than me. I liked her very much.

Although today was the last day for her to work there. She quit this job and will get married in spring. I'm very happy I could meet her. I know her only for a month but she taught me a lot. Now I can continue the job because of her.

We don't know when and where you meet an important person for you. I strongly felt that today.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is over. How was yours?
I worked my part-time all day! After that, I went to my friend's house to have a party.
I work at the office which is very close to a department store. I got some salad, chicken, sushi and a cake from there. It was crazy there! So many people were buying Christmas dinners and it was so crowded. One Sushi store had a line up! I was so surprised at this sight.
Usually I avoid to go out when an event goes on like a festival and of course Chistmas. I don't like crowded places. I get tired by energy of people. But this time I had no idea where I could get any kinds of foods at the same place. Anyway I could get what I wanted so it was good.
At my friend's, we had the dinner and talked a couple hours. She bought some new kinds of drinks so we tried them. That's all about my Christmas but it was good enough.

a Christmas Party

Tonight we had a Christmas party at a sign language lesson.
I brought a cake and many different Christmas goods from last year. One of them, I brought some hair clasps with horns of reindeer and moose. I just had four of them and we had four members so that was perfect. We all put them and had a big piece of cake, a glass of fake champagne and cups of black currant tea. We took pictures each other and had a very good time.

Almost all this 2006 is over and next 2007 is coming. I had so many new experiences and so much fun this year. I hope next year will also be a good year and I can find a good job.

I'd like to do my blog check today.


How many total posts? 25
How many words? (Calculate this last.) 4,782

How many posts
in October: 6
in November: 9
in December: 10
in January:

(use labels for the following)
How many posts
about books: 8
with links: 4
with pictures/photos: 11

Sidebar: Do you have:
a labels section: YES
a Kumamoto links section: YES
other blogs: YES
(including at least 2 blogs from other classes in the WinK community: YES )

Comments (look in your dashboard):
How many comments are there on your blog? 16


That's all now. I have to write more about books and put more links with them.
It's very big I couldn't write anything in Korea... I have to catch up!!

a Christmas Present

I got a Christmas present from Jansi in Canada! She and I are very good friends. Her mother was my host family and she often helped me. To me, she is a friend, but at the same time, she is my mother in Canada.

She made a calender for me. It has many pictures and comments in it. I can easily image she spent many hours for it. I was so happy about it.

With a parcel from her, I also got some Christmas cards from the school staff I worked with. They told me about something new after I came back. Hopefully they'll have a nice Christmas and a happy new year...!!

Shakespeare Forum in PUK

I went to my school today to attend the Shakespeare forum. A lady came from Kyoto gave us a presentation about Shakespeare, especially how Japanese accepted his works. It was very interesting because I've never noticed that his works gave such big inflence to Japanese writers. After that, professors of our school also gave presentations. That was interesting, too. I don't usually see their faces as scholars so it was something new for me.
As I had to leave before the forum was over I couldn't see all presentations. However, I had a good time there.

sign language

As you know every Thursdays is a sign language lesson day. We usually do the words for a test but today was different. We talked about many things all the time.

When we speak a learning language, of course we have words or expressions which we don't know how to say. In that case, we use finger letters. They are signs to show from あ to ん of Japanese sounds. They are very useful. We show the word or expression with them to our teacher and she tells us its sign language. After we learned them, I think our communication got much smoother and faster than writing down the words on a board.

Next week will be our last lesson of this year. We're planning to have a Christmas party! It will be fun!!

old friends

Today I met my old friends who have known each other since high school. One of them is in Nagoya now and this weekend she came home. I hadn't met her for more than one year. I forgot the last time we met before. I think the spring of 2005. We talked a lot, for about three hours.

After we left the restaurant, my another friend's husband came to pick my friends up. Then, she asked me to give me a ride so I did. We talked more in a car and I enjoyed driving home. Actually she just had her birthday last week and I had a present for her. But I forgot to bring it with me today. I could give it to her so it was nice, too.

We have another chance to meet each other soon. Our high school friends will have a reunion this coming new year at a hotel. I'm looking forward to this reunion from now even I don't know what I should wear for it.

Last night I had a sign language lesson. These days we've started to study some words which are included in a test. The licensing examination of sign language is what we are trying to pass.

There are 1st grade~7th grade in it, and I have passed 3rd grade last year. Next chance to receive it is in March. So, I was going to challenge 2nd grade and printed out its extent of words. Then, I found a big thing. The extent of grade2 is so wide!! Even when I received grade3, it was hard to remember all its extent of words. Also I have an year blank and I forgot many of them. My friends who are in the lesson have 4th grade now and next March they're going to challenge 3rd grade. So I decided not to have the test next March and to study 3rd grade's words with them again. That would be better.

My goal by my guraduation is... to pass the 2nd grade!!

Check this link more about the licensing examination of sign language!

http://www.shuwaken.org/

new job

I started to work part-time this December. It has a lot of different works and needs computer skills. But I'm not good at computer.

Yesterday I had to print out some information on postcards. I changed the info using the last time's one and kept it in the computer. Then a member told me to open it with another computer to print out so I did. I found it in a folder and opened. ...Oops! Its design became dim! I didn't know what to do. I think it's because of the computer. Members were busy and couldn't find out the way to correct so that was it. I have to do it next time, I guess.

Still I can't get used to the job but I just started it. Let's see what happens from now on.

red leaves, yellow leaves

These pictures are ginkgoes from our university. They are very troublesome in fall because of its nuts. But now, it has turned yellow and is very pretty. It makes me feel comfortable and calm me down. One big moment I really feel nice be a Japanese.

Talking about the colours of leaves, I wanted to see red leaves of maple trees in Canada. It's very famous and of course I expected to see them when I went there last year. It was still September. Although, it almost finished and I missed it!! I didn't expect Canada's winter came so fast...

Before I left Canada this September, I decided to see red leaves and pick some! I waited and waited for turning colours till just a few days before I left. But!! Leaves were just getting yellow at that time and finally I gave up. I picked some up and brought to the school. I laminated them and they are my treasures now.

Also I learned a trivia about leaves from my hostfamily. She is an artist and likes batik. When I did batik with her, I drew maple leaves and coloured with red without thinking. Then she found it and told me, "we don't get that red here. It gets cold so quick. Leaves fall off before turning red so ours are usually yellow." I imagined only red maple trees like on travel brochures. But now I know, it depends on the area what colour leaves get. It was North Alberta I went. If I would go to the east coast, I could see red leaves then. It's very interesting and the difference makes originality of the area.

What is "batik"? Check this website, the world of batik by Yuko Nakata.

http://www.batik-yuko.com/