Ordinary

I feel ordinary day is the happiest because it will be easily lost. Sometimes I forget about it and feeling irritate about something little. It is also included an ordinary day. I hope the ordinary day will last long. That will be a happy memory of my life.

task

I have done my task and I will only check it tomorrow. Now I don't have a paid job, something with expire is like my work. I was glad and I went outside in the evening. It is still hot today, yet almost the end of August. I have an important thing in September, about my mother. I hope I can choose the best solution for her. I should be true to myself and accept her will. I believe my hope will come true.

Ballet

I saw a ballet concert with my uncle this afternoon. It was a classical ballet "Swan Lake." It was really classical, I predicted technique such as a toe dance, a lifting, a high jump, and the like. There was one thing I wouldn't expect, and that was an importance of facial expression. The more true expression to the role, the more attractive. Although the technique of dancer is evaluated high, the facial expression is essential for the performing arts like a ballet. I felt tired after seeing for 3 and a half hours though.

Priority

I tried my best but I couldn't finish translation. I did a lot and I can use time for translation tomorrow morning instead of listening to a radio English program. I have to change my habit sometimes when I have a thing which has a limit to submit. It's OK. I should be flexible to accept a priority.

Priority

I am glad to use my time for translation about an hour in the morning and 4 hours in the afternoon. I followed what I read in the book the other day. It goes "Do first what you want to do." I usually read a newspaper in the morning first then translate in the afternoon. But when I started translating in the morning, I would use more time for translation. I use less time for reading a newspaper though.

Decision

I decided to live here alone because I want my mother cook. While I lived with my parents, I cooked almost every morning and evening. I feel sorry to her because she also wanted to cook. We have different taste even we are a mother and a child. I can cook for myself here and it will be the best choice I can imagine now.

Subtitle

It is still hot even after mid August. I feel my constitution has changed a little. I noticed by having melons. I always had a stomach trouble after having melons, but there were no problem after having a quarter of melon today. I used to have less drinks and hot teas even in summer but I can take cold teas this summer. The climate effected my body.

I practiced translation on subtitle. It was difficult and also interesting because the number of letters are limited each line. I felt it was like Japanese haiku or tanka since they are limited in letters like 5, 7, 5 and 5, 7, 5, 7, 7 respectively. It was more creative than technical translation which must be accurate to original text. It might be more difficult because subtitle needs different way of speaking from original one. It requires understanding the meaning and create different line with same meaning, often in a short line. It took about 5 hours and I just translated one third of whole. It will take more 2 days in my plan.

Zazen

I experienced zazen for 4 days learning from the chief priest in early August. It was a ritual as every movement has a form. I can tell how to form zazen: first put the right foot on the left thigh, then put the left foot on the right thigh. Next, put both palms at the center of the formed legs about on the left ankle, with all fingers except thumbs touched, left hand fingers on the right hand fingers, and touch tips of each thumb making circle. This is zazen form. We kept it for about 10 to 15 minutes at rest. It came various images in my mind and the priest told us not to stop the feeling from each of our heart. I experienced some feelings while doing zazen. I think doing zazen makes person alone and get people being themselves among others. I didn't feel pain of my legs during zazen, but I felt pain after unbending zazen. I don't try to do zazen in my usual life because of that. I think zazen limits the body and that makes mind free. I always feel something cry for my usual mind during zazen. Zazen is a good way to consider our minds in usual lives.

Humanity

Since I have lived alone for 2 months, I felt it was nice to live with others. When I get up, there are people around me and we exchange greeting. When I have a meal, there are people around me and we can speak such as "Please pass me a tea pot" or "It tastes good" and the like. When I ask questions, someone replies spontaneously. That is different from my usual life: when I have a question, I ask someone via the Internet, then someone replies by writing. I can see only letters, never able to see a facial expression nor hear a tone of voice. I feel human being needs others to be humanity. I think comparing the Internet and the human, we can get much information through the human, not the Internet. We can get various kind of information via the Internet, but it is just letters. It is very convenient for those businesslike. There is no emotion at all. It is no problem. I just felt that living among people makes human rich in heart. We will like others or hate. We can learn from others' behaviours.

I will try to be careful not to be selfish nor lose humanity by living alone because I don't have to care about others in my usual life. I appreciate the great opportunity to live with younger people; they were students and senior people; they showed me how to live happily for a week.