Pottery Work: Lesson I

So it’s been a few months since I started to get my hands dirty and be arty.
I was fantasized to make lamp shade out of clay one day.
Since the teacher is so easy going, he let me make one (which he had no clue what it is)

Here it came out as the foto below.

Looks wonderful, I like the pear shape.
The top plate does not fit perfectly but who cares.
But it totally did not function as a lamp shade.

Here are the problems
One: How do I put the candle for the first place from this? The top hole in the center has to be bigger, closed-shape may not be a good idea for the lamp shade.
→It might be good to make a big plate underneath and make the top separately to cover the plate.

Two: the candle needs oxygen to keep the fire lit, so better make more holes for the air circulation.
→In fact, it does look lovely when there are more holes when it reflects against the wall.


Oh my.
Long way to go? Half the battle?!

あ、 ハッピー ニュー イヤー。

日本の風邪の免疫がないのか、久々に風邪を引き、寝正月に。っていうか、クリスマス後、一日しか出勤できず・・・。今年は本当に新年って気がしないけど、まあ、頑張ろう。

出勤初日、すでに嫌な事が。帰りに電車で立ってたら、横に可愛い高校生が。でも、可愛いし、お化粧してるし、スカート短いし、ギャルか（って今そういうのいるのか!?）？とか思ってたら、彼女の前の席が空いて、でも座らないの。私座っちゃうよ、とか思ってたら、遠くのおばさんに「ここどうぞって。」

で、熊谷着いて、また熊谷カップルみたいなのがいたから“ださいな、品もない熊谷”とか思ってたら、お財布からお金が落っこちて・・・。そのカップルが真っ先に拾って、「はいっ！」てくれた。もしや奪う気じゃと思っていた自分に本当に落胆した。私の性格悪すぎ。

Hallelujah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=dvIo2g0wgg0

Now, I've heard there was a secret chord

That David played, and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?

It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth

The minor fall, the major lift

The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you

She tied you to a kitchen chair

She broke your throne and she cut your hair

And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain

I don’t even know the name

But if I did, well really, what’s it to you?

There’s a blaze of light in every word

It doesn’t matter which are heard

The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn’t much

I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch

I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you

And even though it all went wrong

I’ll stand before the lord of song

With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah…

Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen (from Leonard Cohen Live in Concert)

I've heard there was a special code

that David played, and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care about music, Do ya?

It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth

The minor Fall, The major lift,

The baffled king composing, halleujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty in the moonlight over threw you

She tied you to a kitchen chair, she broke your throne

she cut your hair and from your she drew a halleujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Baby I've been here before

I know this room, I walked this floor

I used to live alone here before I knew ya

Yeah and I've seen your flag on the marble arch

But listen love; love is not some kind of victory march

No it's a cold and it's a very broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

There was a time you let me know

What's really going on below

Ah but now you never show it to me, do ya?

Well but I remember, yeah, when I moved in you

And the holy dove; she was moving too

Yes and every single breath that we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Maybe there's a God above

As for me; all I ever seem to learn from love

Is how to shoot at someone who out-drew ya

Yeah, but it's not a complaint that you hear tonight

It's not the laughter of someone who claims to have seen the light

No, it's a cold and it's a very lonely Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much

I couldn't feel, so I learned to touch

I've told the truth; I didn't come all this way to fool ya

Yeah and even though it all went wrong

I'll stand right here before the lord of song

with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah…

Low down

So, I am no happy with my current job.

Fundamental things that I look for my job are just two simple things.
1: The job it self meets my moral
2: The people at the work who gives my some influence

I listed things basically what I sacrifice(from my point of view, hey its my blog I have an authority to write whatever I think)
1:I commute quite a long way, takes two hours to get work, by all mean, fours loss in my life
2: In addition, I dislike saitama people (middle age guys so called oyaji) on the train to be with
3: I think people in my office are very nice but they are too busy to get to know. I hardly know them
4:Sometimes there are tedious job menials jobs makes me fall asleep. I even served tea eventually.
5: when it is like that, I think of my temporally job which I got paied way better, it was the sacrifice, though the job was real shit.

THE Turning point

“Grow up means that you see a real world in front of you.

Not compromise yourself and learn to be patient.”

There will be zillions of compromise required to be with this guy,

If he really knows what he told me,

maybe it’s worth loose what I have than what I get from him…

Or should I follow through….

So many difficult choices in your life.

And more important and real choice I need to make is…..

Kobe beef bawl or hinai chicken bowl for my lunch.

今日のポーラちゃん

☆Polar and her BF, Peace☆

Quote "Before the Sunset"

But the reality of it is that the
true work of improving things


is in the little achievements
of the day.


And that's what you need to enjoy,
just take my field.


What, what do you mean, exactly?



Well, for example, I was working
for this organization that helped


villages in Mexico.


And their concerns was
how to get the pencils



sent to the kid in these
little country schools.


I was not about big
revolutionary ideas,


it was about pencils!


I see the people that do the real work


and what's really said,
in a way, is that...


the people that are
the most giving, hard working


and capable of making this world better,


usually don't have the ego
and ambition to be a leader.


They don't see the interest
in superficial rewards,



they don't care if their name
ever appear in the press,


they actually enjoy the process
of helping others,


they're in the moment!


Yeah, but that's so hard!


You know, to be in the moment,


and I just feel like I'm...


designed to be slightly
dissatisfied with everything...

Politically correct?

　The hip sip in a zip!

I was chatting with my ex co-worker back in college, now the manager of beaners. He told me that they have changed the name since beaners is a slur…There’s a point when being “politically correct” goes too far and I just can not believe this locally owned coffee shop did it so…at the same time, It gave me wistful flush back, I thought my memosy at this coffee shop has been gone. I took my dog several times and chat with friends. When they went on 24 hours, I stayed there all night to see how it is like. Working on last minutes HW at beaners, you meet buddies who have the same problem. Made me feel I am not the only one. That was fun. I miss their apple cider, white bears that you can not find anywhere; it is the sweetest coffee ever that you can feel the adrenalin just rush through your body system right away. Though I am not capable of taking this extreme amount of sugar, but I don’t mind take a risk and try it again….


*****

Beanersというコーヒーショップが私の大学の回りにあちこちありました。Beanersはコーヒーの代名詞のように、というかコーヒーショップなんて言葉はあそこでは存在しない位Beanersという名が幅を利かしていた気がする。

同じ通りにあるスタバが値上げしても私たちビンボウ学生にず～っとリーズナブルでいてくれたり、フェアトレードのコーヒーも取り入れるフレンドリーなBeanersです。私のいたミシガンはとっても寒いので冬はよくここへ通って５．６時間とか平気で居座ってペーパー仕上げたし。中が人でいっぱいで座れない時は白い息を吐きながら外に座って友達と喋っていたときも。私は冬限定のアップルサイダー（りんごジュースを温めてシナモン、オレンジピール等でスパイスアップしたやつ）と、甘党のアメリカ人だからこそ作れるホワイトベアーが大好きでした。　

で、最近このBeanersという名前はヒスパニックの人たちにとっては差別的な表現になってしまうからとBiggbyに改名しました。どうなのだろう。なんか寂しい感じです。

"Quotation"

Today’s quote from Eternal sunshine

How happy is the blameless Vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.y

The second is from Nietsche's Beyond Good and Evil, Part VII: "Blessed are the forgetful: for they shall have done with their stupidities too."

A bear hug

Since I started work, I started to take a train.

It was a culture shock to me since I never be close to somebody I don’t know. Seriously, the station stuff literally squeezes people to pack the train. Somebody’s shoulder is just above my face. When the train shakes, you really don’t have to hold yourself coz you just can’t. There is no space to even step. This morning, it was worth. I made myself getting an empty seat, so I fall asleep right after I sat. Then, a guy in front of me suddenly dropped towards to me, and I’m sure I felt touching “it”. Ew….Even now that I am writing grosses me out.

This is the day I decided to get reserved special seat no matter how much it cost.

What I did not know for a year.

77 cash card…this is only one Japanese card that I have. My financial resource. In order to get cash, I went the bank in Ginza. There are lots of efforts involved with this action. The bank close at 5, need to get done with my work before 4 to get there. I wonder how many times I failed to just get there. Then….My friend just told me that I could use any ATM machine to get cash with the card. How stupid I am. I have always been. Anyway, there are way too many occasion which you need some cash in your hand in Japan.


I lost my dog when I was 12, my grandma passed away 5 years ago, Inabasan passed away 2 years ago. And kenji-san is gone now. Since he was my pare rents good friend, I was not so close. But they were the reason I got to know JICA. They are so open-minded and pursue what they wanna do over the money. So cool. Knowing how they met in Paraguay, I just longed for it maybe I can find somebody who has same dream. I liked Kenji-san’s parenting as well. He seems to try to raise Remo a decent boy, with no bias. I am sure he is a grown up, hiroko-san count on. Men. Good people always die too early.

Grin-grin.

It was awfully crowded in the train this morning. This is beyond the imagination, there is no place to even step. Really bad which made me miffed.

Having free coffee coupon for MacDonald (I go only for that reason), I went there to get a cup of coffee. The girl just smiled so nicely and made me happy. I think it was my first time I appreciate somebody’s smile. Oh my. I am getting old like sarari-man.

Peppy guy

There is a delivery guy coming to my office every Tuesday and Thursday.

Delivery guy always run and seems like they never stop running.

This guy is so charming way to far from the guys I work with.

He came in and goes “ooops wrong room” he just grin widely and it was very cute of him.

Money makes the world go around

I’ve been workin in this office since June, so I am doin quite good….though….
People here is so International, some has degree in the state, some are even from foreign country. Even if he did not go abroad, they never get shrieked with English.. I would say this is what is called higher education…tokyo uni?

But things that stuck in my mind is…..its just sad the work is all about money in the end. Yes, it is environmental Dept here, but the first thing is off-course to make money in order to pay mortgage. They do a project that has potential of benefit. For example, there is a methane factory in Malaysia. We do CDM to reduce methane emission. Yeah, it’s a great project…but when you think about it, if you visit Malaysia as a environmentalist….they would say” let not make palm tree factory its deforestation.” I cant help but wonder…I just don’t get the mechanism of CDM. Why don’t multi-corporation just spend some money on environment. Just by hiring consultants and make CDM, you could save a hell a lot of poor animals in Amazon.

As I work here, I see they work so hard that they do not have a time to involve with environment activities… They don’t know or never hard of fair trade, they don’t care about Stand up and Speak out. Yes they are contributing the mother earth just by working, but why don’t we show some move abit. Last time I went, all we did was bitching about the frigging work, barely talk about anything else. And I realize that guys tend to become oyaji when they get drunk, which I am not comfortable with. On the way home, somebody puked in the train. I dobt know why they drink without knowing his limit and tank up?

Low calorie?

Its awaited lunch time, and I got this cup which has only 30 calories…..after I ate this, I am still hungry, I ended up getting a bread which has like 200 calories. Now I am satisfied.