Thursday, December 1, 2011

Freedom from Want


My favorite English magazine is Reader's Digest. It features a variety of topics which are really interesting. I am going to introduce one of the good stories today.

Story:
There was a young girl who was really poor because her mother died from complications of AIDS and her father was housed in a shelter and was in no position to help her.Therefore, she lived in a stairwell.

However, she never lost hope. The happiest moment for her under the circumstances was to envision her bright future of getting into Harvard University. It was so vivid that she decided to take action. First, she managed to find a school that accepted her after years of truancy and studied diligently to get good grades.

At that time, her work appeared in a famous American magazine and people around her start helping by providing food, giving her heart-warming messages and so on. That kind of help encouraged her a lot and finally her vision came true.

Now she is working at an NGO to support homeless children. She says a certain amount of want is healthy since it isn't a hindrance but a catalyst.

My Opinion:
The story reminds me of the proverb "He can who believes he can".If you confront a painful situation, it isn't a good idea just to be patient. Taking action bears changes. That might be a positive impact or create trials but you can learn from it.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

My learning attitude



It has been nearly one year since I came back to Japan from Australia. I think I haven't studied hard enough as I always get tired and don't feel like studying after work.

Time has passed so quickly, I haven't accomplished anything this year compared to last year when I worked really hard to pass the final exam. As you know, you don't have to use English in daily life in Japan and under this circumstance, it's no wonder that my English ability is getting worse because practice is the most important thing for improving foreign language skills.

I am planning to go to an interpreting school next April to learn Medical interpreting. The reason for this is simple. The company I am working for now has so many employees who speak English fluently. Some of them are probably returnees and I have nothing on them as far as English fluency is concerned. Striking out on a different path from others will mean that I have strong expertise, and for me that would be Medical translating and interpreting skills, since I am quite interested in humans, not to mention English.

Hopefully, this new goal will motivate me more than ever. By the time the school starts, in nearly 5 months time, I will be back on course and sticking to the basics about my learning attitude.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

My diet challenge!


As you know I am awfully fond of sweets, especially chocolate. It seems like I am putting on weight lately because I haven’t been able to change my bad diet habit of having a lot of sweets everyday.

In Japan, most young women’s clothes are tightly fitting. Every time I try on some clothes, I always think I am out of shape and wish I were slim like a model.
So, I have decided to go on a diet to lose weight and enjoy dressing up more! Actually I tried a variety of types of diet in the past, but I failed all of them as I am not a strong willed person. But I am very serious this time. I should turn failure into success!

The best way to reduce fat is to control the amount of food you eat and work out regularly. You also need to commit them to paper everyday. In my case, I am going to try to reduce my calorie intake to 1,200 kilocalories per day and do regular aerobic exercise after eating something. Well, lets see how it goes.

There are many people who are sensitive about their appearance in Japan. They seem to believe that slim women are considered beautiful, and fat women are considered unattractive. Maybe it is not true…But I am sure if I am successful with the diet, I will be more confident and positive.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Happy New Year 2011!!


It has been nearly 1 month since I came back to Japan. I haven’t done anything special, but I went to Turuoka Hachimangu, which is a famous Japanese shrine in Kamakura for Hatsumode with my mother during the new year holiday. In fact, this is an annual event in my family.

※Hatsumode is the first visit paid on the New Year holiday to a shrine or temple. People pray for a long life and happiness for the year.

My wish was happiness for all the people who are supporting me! And fortunately, when I picked up Omikuji, I got Daikichi (=excellent luck) for the first time ever! I am sure the year 2011 must be wonderful for me.

※Omikuji are fortunes written on slips of paper. People buy them at shrines and, occasionally, temples. And tie them onto the branches of nearby trees in the hopes that a good fortune will come true or that a bad fortune will be kept away.

I started my job hunting and found it’s pretty hard to find a new job because at this point, I have failed applicant screening and job interviews several times. I am well aware that Japan has been under a recession for a few years, and I read an article that the employment rate of new graduates in 2010 was just 60%...that’s so disappointing. I hope the Japanese sluggish economy will be recovered in the near future!