English Diary Futile Daydream

• 2008/01/31 Amazake
• 2008/01/30 ing's shoes
• 2008/01/29 Taking time to smell the roses
• 2008/01/28 Leafy plant
• 2008/01/27 Hashed beef
• 2008/01/26 Thai restaurant
• 2008/01/25 Trying to take every opportunity
• 2008/01/24 Red bean soup with pieces of rice cake
• 2008/01/23 Flower seeds
• 2008/01/21 Life is sweet.
• 2008/01/18 Small meal
• 2008/01/17 Gift
• 2008/01/16 Waffle with hot sweet potato&apple sauce
• 2008/01/14 At San-no-miya
• 2008/01/13 Chimonanthus praecox
• 2008/01/11 Cut steak
• 2008/01/09 The roast beef
• 2008/01/08 Himeji Koko-en
• 2008/01/07 Year's end & Beginning
• 2008/01/06 Okiku-Well
• 2008/01/05 Himeji-Jo
• 2008/01/04 Show off
• 2008/01/02 Buckwheat noodles
• 2008/01/01 Happy New Year!

Long time ago, my mother made amazake in winter or in autumn. Now I enjoy making it once in a great while like my mom.

I must sterilize all the appliances to eliminate contamination, and let rice malt ferment. After I cover it with clean furosiki(Japanese wrapping cloth) or fukin(Japanese dish cloth), put it under the kotastu (Japanese table with heater) for warmth.

But this time, I tried to use a rice cooker. Because I thought if I use the cooker, I may make it earlier than usual. And also, I thought that I could let malted rice ferment earlier than coliform(大腸菌） or grass bacillus（枯草菌）. So I kept it warm for several hours.

During fenmentation, my house was filled with fermentation odor. I become increasingly worried, because the color of rice changed. But there was not foul odor, I left it that way.

Finally, it came along.   It is so nice! I don't like commercialized product amazake. After all, homemade is No.1, and my home cooking is No.1, too.

I went out with red shoes the other day, and I bought a new pair of red shoes produced by ing Co.,.

By the way, when I watched Diet proceedings on TV, I saw a minister speaking out as a politician in flashy clothes. "Wow, look! how flashy!" I said to my husband.

I know female ministers are rare, but I think it's not good idea to wear so flashy clothes on the Hill. 

Eventually, " I have always felt the same way as you, but you have some pair of red shoes or pink, red clothes, yellow jacket, too, right?  that's same," my hubby said.

That's for damn sure. When I go out I always dress up, but I'm neither a minister nor a public servant, I'm just a housewife. If both a female minister and I have in common , like " I want people think that I am beautiful.", I don't appreciate her more............Just kidding (nan-chatte). ...... Anyway, I like red. So, do you like a woman with red shoes?

Wednesday
My weight : 57.95kg
Body fat percentage : 26.7%
The distance I ran : 5.9km / 20min
Sit-ups : 140times
Stretch training : 20min

That day, I was tired from walking.

I already had a plan to meet my friend and had to wait for a while. Then I came into a cafe and ordered ice cream. I occupied a seat in front of a big mirror.

Looking into a mirror, I fixed my makeup and checked contact lens. My eyes didn't get bloodshot yet, but I put some eye drops in my eyes just in case.

Eventually, I took out a camera to take a picture of ice cream, on the day I could take it before eating. How nice of me!

And then, I noticed someone had a gander at me. Maybe the man was wondering me looking into a mirror, in addition, the mysterious woman who takes a picture of the ice cream.

True, if I were him, I would see the narcissist woman.

Yesterday, I saw a small flower in my garden when I took care of the bulbs. It was a leafy plant which came from a neighboring garden.

The garden of the neighbor is a well-kept Japanese garden. Lava is arranged for the entrance like "path of lava", and the flower is planted. 

At the same time, I do almost nothing for my garden. So I enjoy floweres of each season from a window. For your information, the trees in my yard facing the neighbors do not die in the summertime either.

One day, I cooked hashed beef with sliced onion, sliced meat and Grifola frondosa(Mai-take).

As cod roe was left in the fridge, I boiled macaroni and dressed it with cod roe & mayonnaise. The salad was done.

This is easy cooking as usual, but it is enough for weeknight dinner. I had supper between work as always, and went to work again.

By the way, I am free for dinner tonight. What shall I eat for dinner tonight?

Recently my family and I enjoyed an excellent meal at a Thai restaurant. I don't think I love spycy foods like that, but I love going to new restaurant.

Though I have ever been to some ethnic foods restaurants, I am not sure which is Thai food. But I thought I had to order well known tom yam kung with a unipue smell and taste.

And I also ordered fried Thai noodle. I didn't know.....There were so many kind of dishes written in japanese kata-kana on the menu, but I couldn't get the meaning right. Thus I ordered the recommended dishes of a shop stuff.

Yes! That's natural, after arrived home, we got thirsty.

 My passport will expire in next month. Though I had no plan to go anywhere, I renewed my passport.

I must do all by myself. And I think this end of the fiscal year is particularly busy. There is the money, but is running out of time.

I am thinking to go to Asia. If I went to Asia, I could come back in 4 or 5 days. If I had enough time, I could go some European country.

Every botheration keeps me close to home. I don't have beef in my life, but I wanna say, "Let me go off". 

So I'm watching for an opportunity to go on a trip.

Friday
My weight : 58.65kg
Body fat percentage : 24.7%
The distance I ran : 5.5km / 20min
Sit-ups : 160times
Stretch training : 20min

以下は翻訳ソフトを使った関西弁翻訳です。　うぷぷっｗ

わいのパスポートは、来月に期限切れになるんや。わいにはどこにも行く計画がなかったけれども、わいはわいのパスポートを一新したんやちうわけや。

わいは、一人きりでせななりまへん。ほんで、わいは会計年度のこの終わりが特に忙しいと思いまんねん。予定時間を過ぎて進行しておらんお金が、あるんや。

わいは、アジア人へ行こうと思っていまんねん。わいがアジアに行くならば、わいは4または5日で戻って来ることができまんねん。わいには十分な時間があるならば、わいはヨーロッパの若干のカ国行くことができまんねん。

あらゆる難儀なことは、家の近くにわいを保ちまんねん。わいはわいの人生で牛肉をとりまへん、せやけど、わいは言おったくて、「出発させまんねん」。

それで、わいは旅行に行く機会に気をつけていまんねん。

I made zenzai from red beans for my tea time.

As there are many round rice cakes in the refrigerator, sometimes I want to make it.

When I make it, I use large store of sugar and add pinch of salt. It is really delicious in cold days.

Wednesday
My weight : 57.90kg
Body fat percentage : 27.2%
The distance I ran : 5.0km / 20min
Sit-ups : 160times
Stretch training : 20min

I am going to seed and raise them by a window. 

At first I looked for flower seeds of variouse kinds. But I changed my mined soon. Don't you think vegetable seed is nice and cute?

I chose a vegetable named mulukhiya which did not become so tall. My hubby said it looked so yummy, and he pleased that he would be able to eat freshly picked vegetable.

But I am still leaving them on a table. So it still takes time.

Monday
My weight : 58.65kg
Body fat percentage : 27.1%
The distance I ran : 5.7km / 20min
Sit-ups : 160times
Stretch training : 20min

 Because I always check my body weight and % of body fat, I am sometimes asked my body condition or my weight by some elderly acquaintances when I go to the gym.

"How much did you tone up your body?"

"Did you lose your weight?"

"How many days do you come here in a week?"

"Did you come right now?"

"How flexible your body is!"

"How long have you belonged to this clab? Running style is good."

But I am hard put to reply. Today I made a reply "I am getting big a little...." But I cannot stop eating, especially okonomi-yaki and akasi-yaki are very delicious

Friday
My weight : 58.60kg
Body fat percentage : 27.3%
The distance I ran : 5.3km / 20min
Sit-ups : 160times
Stretch training : 20min

On Wednesday, when I went to a big town I had lunch. I roamed the town in seach of nice restaurant for a while. Some of the italian and French restaurants were there.

But I didn't want to spend the time by having lunch alone. In addition, I had a plan to go to the gym that I belong on my way home. After thinking, I desided to eat Ramen. But unfortunately, I had to stand in line up to eat. I don't want to do that. Poor me!

I had no alternative but to have Wa-lunch. Geez! It was not enough. There were no foods except for Tenpura. However, both my weight and body fat percentage have not decreased. Why

Thank you for the nice present. Is it a reward of passing STEP(=Society for Testing English Proficientcy)? I'm sure it must be!

Yesterday, I was dressed up and got off with the earrings. I had somthing to do, and I had left for over six hours. It was cold yesterday, but was warm-heartedly.

Tuesday
My weight : 58.40kg
Body fat percentage : 27.2%
The distance I ran : 5.4km / 20min
Sit-ups : 170times
Stretch training : 20min

I was kind of hungry. Though I wanted to have early lunch then, I couldn't find any restaurants at the station, only a tea room was there.

So, anyway, I had had waffle with hot sweet potato&apple sauce as lunch. I hoped to keep my body by the lunch. 

I was sequestered in an university on a hill about for 2~3hours. The weather was very cold and  the room was too big, and not only I got hungry but wanted to go to toilet! 

Now I made-up my mind, I will not to go to any assembly, except for my job, in the winter days.... toooooo cold!

Wednesday
My weight : 58.40kg
Body fat percentage : 27.3%
The distance I ran : 4.1km / 14min
Sit-ups : 170times
Stretch training : 20min

On New Year's Day, I met a friend of mine.

When I went out to get some books for my work, I called up her to meet at San-no-miya and had luch. It was like a New Year's party without alcohol.

I am able to go the restaurants that I have never been. So I followed her to a restaurant.

The restaurant will be a drinking place at the night time. It has nice view and good lacation. We ordered lunch menu set All-we-can eat of Osou-zai (japanese style side dishes).

She and I love to have gabfest, We chatted up a lot and fulled up. And it is natural for us to walk around to hunt out some jewelery shops. It is just way to work off a meal.

Price, color, quality......etc, I don't like studying English but like studying jewels.

It was rainy. I noticed that Chimonanthus praecox (ro-bai) bloomed in my garden.

Though it is a small garden, my husband plants a lot of trees. So I have to cut it, and it's still small.

The tree does not have pomp. But I like the flower such as the waxwork.

I went to a restaurant named BIG BOY near my house for a holiday.

I had a lie-in, and went shopping with my husband. Getting up late in the morning, I got hungry at strange time. Shortly after 2 o'clock in the afternoon, I had been thinking of going to a ramen-restaurant that had Kujo-negi ramen.

Then I found a sign of the restaurant. I had an empty belly, so I turned a steering wheel.

It was an all-you-can-eat restaurant where I went for the first time. A plate full of salad and soup show my appetite.

Friday
My weight : 59.10kg
Body fat percentage : 26.3%
The distance I ran : 5.6km / 20min
Sit-ups : 150times
Stretch training : 20min 

I ate the roast beef which had been given as a year-end present. 

Oseti had been eaten for two or three days. Not going shopping, ran out of foods. Then I took out frozen roast beef from freezer, and opened bottled crab.

There were left a Japanese radish and carrots for Zouni. I put crab and julienne omelet on the sushi rice.

Also, I set the pickles named kinkon-duke which I bought in Morioka on the table. 

One of my families said "Looks so delicious!". At that time, he was watching roast beef. But I thought I just cut it and was not cooking.

Wednesday
My weight : 58.10kg
Body fat percentage : 26.7%
The distance I ran : 6.3km / 20min
Sit-ups : 150times
Stretch training : 20min 

This garden, Himeji Koko-en, is next to Himeji-jo. I like this garden, it's so beautiful. But I have a sore foot  because I always walk there after Himeji-jo Castle.

The Japanese-style garden changes the view every season. So I am enchanted by the beauty of the scenery. Therefore I want to see it even if I have a pain on my foot. 

I praised me for my effort, and gave me a rest. To have sweet cake and tea makes me feel better. But...... I can't take a picture before eating as usual.

Tuesday
My weight : 58.80kg
Body fat percentage : 28.10%
The distance I ran : 6.6km / 20min
Sit-ups : 160times
Stretch training : 20min 

I was busy with work, and there was a photograph of the end of the year that I was not able to use for my blog.

I stopped at a convenience store on my way home and bought a box dinner then. Though I did not intend to cook, I fried frozen food, because so poor.

I will return to the usual life from today. At first I begin cleaning.

I left the castle tower and wolked the way to a exit. After a time, I saw " Okiku well ". It is the well which is famous for scary movies.

When I visited the castle for the first time, it was not covered. But now, we cannot look inside.

As I turned the corner, a big gate, which I payed admission fee, came in sight.

Passing the gate, I will be out. I had already tired, but had had a plan to go to a japanese park named Kouko-en, next to the castle. 

I had a sore foot in pumps. I pattered pumps like clogs, Japanese wooedn footgear, and walked.

A woman put on a hat, worn a mink coat, and walked as having put on clogs................

I went to Himeji-jo Castle. It is the first time that I come there for New Year holidays. And  also it was the first time that I saw a large number of people there.

The castle is so excellent. When I come there, I always go up to the castle tower. But I did not do it on the day. Because there were a lot of people and I heard the sound that a ceiling creaks.

I got hungry because I walked. So I had lunch in a department store nearby. There were many people, too. I was waited for a while and was able to finally eat lunch.

I don't like fatty meat, and left the duck's. One of my family ate it. Waste is not good.

I  went for a walk with my family in a fur coat. I haven't worn it for two years. I seldom have the oppertunity to wear it except for new year.

It is rare to meet the woman who wear a fur coat recently. But I went out with courage. 

The fur, necklace and earrings were a little heavy.  Besides, the pumps let my foot be tired. Wearing them shows that I want to be cool for one year. 

Yeah. It's too funny when I see my picture. So I made a composite picture of it with a well-known actress. How do you feel about the picture? 

Did you eat Toshikoshi Soba?  I heard the Buckwheat noodles must be eaten on before midnight.

Having several drinks, I cooked soba for my family. I boiled fresh soba and made the soup. Sliced naruto and Japanese honeword (mituba) were put on.

Because I got drunk, I did it randomly. But it is an event. To eat sobe give suggesting that we may live up longer like thin soba. We can't stop eat it anyway. All of us get hungry in midnight. We family is hang up about eating.

Wednesday
My weight : 59.95kg
Body fat percentage : 26.80%
The distance I ran : 5.9km / 20min
Sit-ups : 160times
Stretch training : 20min 

Happy New Year!

It is the beginning of a new year.

I'd like to take this occasion to wish you a Happy New Year.

***********************

I made New Year dishes this year. It took time a lots.

I put on cooked walnut and chestnut which I got as the year-end present.

I want to put the black soybeans and the herring roe. But I did not put shrimp this time, because there are few families, and we cannot eat all.

By the way, this picture is Well-cooked black beans. It is light-seasoned. I eat them and will work diligently (mame ni hataraku) this year.