２月２８日の誕生花

【花言葉】誕生花アクリル画イラスト]からお借りしています。

病院の職員専用自販機で
こんなジュース見つけてしもた。

「オレンジのまろやかレアチーズ風味」
……（＠□＠；）

デザートやったらおいしいカモやけど ジュース？？
おもしろーーいけど、買う勇気なかった。飲んだ人いないかな。

昨年、初めてキルトなるものを製作した際は全くの行き当たりばったり、わからない所は参考書を読み読み作り、結局は貴重な時間を無駄使いしたのではと、反省しました。

前回はすべて手縫いで済ませたキルトもアップリケも今回はミシンを使う事にし、それではと参考書を読み始めましたら、かなりの種類のステッチは手元にあるミシンでは出来ないことが判明しました。わずか3年半前に買ったミシンで、まだまだ使えるのにと、ケチな私は残念至極、「安物買いの銭失い」の言葉が頭をかすめました。

それを知ったノーマン、勤務先のクリニックの人達（特に女性群）から、私の誕生祝いは何と訊かれて答えにつまったとの事で、ちょうど良かった、それじゃ、新しいミシンを買おうという次第になりました。ミシン専門店に行くと、これ裁縫用？と驚くようなでかいミシンから小型のものまでずらり並んでいます。その内から、わたしの狭い裁縫机にも収まるミシンを買いましたが、それでも40種類のステッチが出来、しばらくは試し縫いしてみるのに時間がかかりそうです。

ステッチの数も勿論ですが、古い型のミシンとの一番の違いは、お馴染みの足踏みのペダルを踏まなくても、いわばボタンひとつ押してモーターを動かすことが出来ることでしょう。

Throughout my childhood I’ve always been one of the smaller girls. People would say, “wow, how do you stay so skinny,” or “you eat like a bird!” I’ve never took pride or in being on the smaller size, but all of that changed when I first went to Japan. The women of Japan have beautiful skin and are extremely skinny! Keeping in mind that depending on the style and the brand I can wear a size 0 or a 2, but Japanese women must be a negative 2 to negative 4.

At Narita’s airport I noticed the Japanese women and how skinny they were and but it did not bother me. My husband and I stayed within walking distance of Shibuya’s famous 109. 109 is a young women’s shoppers paradise because the whole building is full of only young women’s clothing and accessories. As I walked through building I found reasonably priced hair clips and handbags that looked nothing like the items available in Hawaii. When I did find a beautiful top I decided to try it on and took the size small to try on. Off to the dressing room I went to try on my first Japanese top. I placed my arms through the sleeve with no problem. Next got my head through the top. Then started pulling the top down and had a difficult time. What a surprise!!! How could this be?

There are times when I go shopping and find the extra small to be too big and now I can’t even fit a small? What a culture shock. Ashamed of this fact I asked for a size medium. When I put the size medium top on I held my breath and put it over my head. The whole time thinking, please fit me please fit me. Victory, it fit!

But wait… I’m just medium by Japan’s standards. Must be time to go on a diet. Maybe later on in my life because I enjoy eating.

遅いけど、面と向かって4月からどうしたいのか伝えた。
今決まってることは伝えた。
けど、実家を再び出ることには

当然だけど
反応が良くない。
私の決意があいまいだからか。

２月２６日の誕生花

【花言葉】誕生花アクリル画イラスト]からお借りしています。

あんなに朝から眠たくて
体疲れてたくせに、

深夜０時半から長電話の始まり。
2時間14分。
あーまだ話せる(笑)

When I was in elementary school I loved playing video games. Across the street from my school was an arcade. Everyday after school I would stop in there to play games on my way home. My favorite game was called “Shinobi”, naturally, it was about ninjas. I used to spend all of my coins on that game! If I didn’t have any money then I would watch others play. At the arcade they sold snacks and soft drinks. There were also pool tables. There was another arcade within walking distance of my house which was inside of a department store building. During the summer I’d often play video games there. In that store the arcade is in a room that’s seperate from the rest of the store. When I went to leave the store was locked! They must have closed the store early that day. I stood at the front door until somebody walked by and I yelled “help! I’m locked in!” that person told a policeman I was locked in. The police called somebody to open the door and I was set free. I was propably in 3rd grade at that time. I’ve included below, the opening screen of Shinobi for your consideration.

来年度の教育計画を検討です。
辞める側でこんなことを言うのも何ですが、春から大変です。
お馴染みの顔が何人も出て行き、新人7、8人が入るという…。
毎年毎年やばいまずいと言うてたけど、今度が一番ピンチなのでは…(汗)

ピンチはチャンス！
ピンチャンやっピンチャン！

教育計画を細かく修正。今までの新人の特性を考えて「これは早すぎる」「それはもっと先にっ(じゃないと仕事が回らん)」と修正をかけて、今年度の評価して…気づけばこんな時間。21時か…残務があんまなくて助かった(泣)先輩に誘われラーメン食べて帰ろ帰ろ。眠い…。

I recall, when I was little, going on a tour of the WARD estate, a big 2 story house with a large swamp land around it, off of King Street.  This area was filled in with coral and built up to what is called Ala Moana area.  There were a lot of catfish in the swamp and tall overgrown grass.  You couldn’t walk in that area, Ala Moana was all water and mud.

Back then people would shop at Downtown and it was very much like Ala Moana Center except it was all flat, 2 story wooden structures.  Sears, Hackfeild’s(formerly Liberty House, now Macy’s) were the popular store to go to.  Kress’s was the popular discount store, right across from what is now Long’s Dugs Downtown.  The highest building back then was the Aloha Tower, which stands a midget in comparison to the very tall buildings in Downtown now.

The roads were often dirt and there were trolley cars attached to electrical wires above and ran on rails that transported people instead of buses.

Wherever the main stops were, Kaimuki, McCully, Moiliili, little towns sprung up with little stores(like ABC or 7-11), and good eating restaurants or okazuya’s.

Moiliili had Diamond Bakery, Kapahulu had Love’s Bakery and Leonard’s Bakery (home of the Malasadas), and McCully had King’s Bakery, Liliha has Liliha Bakery( still very popular for Coco Puffs).

Remembering these places, brings back many fun and enjoyable memories of good eats and shopping.