ChanomiTalk

Sometimes I come to Japanese class a little sleepy. For some reason, it has been especially hard to stay awake today in class. The reasons for my sleepiness vary but usually it is because I stayed out late the night before. And that was the case last night. I went to a bar with my girlfriend and her friends and ended up staying till 1 in the morning. The next day is usually hard if I stay out late because I have work from 8 am to 1 pm Monday through Friday and then sometimes Japanese class at 2 pm. So if I stay out late one night, I don’t get that much sleep before work and then once I’m done with work, I feel mentally exhausted trying to speak Japanese… haha I think that was the case today. So I guess the lesson to learn is that the mind & body needs sleep to function throughout the day.

Tanabata is the Japanese star festival, celebrated annually on the 7th day of the 7th month of the year. People celebrate this festival by writing their wishes on small pieces of colorful paper and hanging them on bamboo. This celebration originated from the famous legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi. Orihime was the daughter of Tentei, the Sky King. Everyday, Orihime wove beautiful clothing for her father on the banks of the Milky Way. Although this pleased Tentei, he was concerned that her hard work would interfere with her chances of falling in love. Because of this, he introduced her to Hikoboshi. Hikoboshi lived and worked on the other side of the Milky Way. When the two met, they immediately fell in love and married. However, once married, Orihime stopped weaving clothing for her father. This angered Tentei and as a result, he separated the two lovers and forbade them to meet. Upon being separated, Orihime pleaded with her father to let her see Hikoboshi again. Tentei responded by saying that he would let the couple meet once a year on the 7th day of the 7th month only if Orihime worked hard and finished her weaving. So every year, on July 7th, we celebrate the reunion of Orihime and Hikoboshi with the festival of Tanabata.

My  Opinion
After hearing the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi, I feel that Tanabata is both a sad and happy event. It is sad in the sense that this couple is only reunited once a year. If I saw my loved ones for only one day out of the year, I would be extremely sad and would not know what to do with myself. But on the other hand, this festival can also be a happy event because the day that you are reunited with a loved one is great day and should be celebrated.

Recently, I began reading the book, “Rich Dad Poor Dad.” It’s been out for a while and I’m sure that many people have heard of it. My brother read it first and told me its was pretty good. Usually I’m skeptical of books that claim to have “revolutionary ideas” and “can change your life” but as I read more and more of this book, I’m becoming more of a believer. It has a big emphasis on shifting our thinking about traditional academic practices and gaining knowledge about subjects that are more applicable in our modern world. I just started the book but am excited for whats to come.

I went to a movie with my Aunty Sueko at the Dole Cannery Complex.  It was about an Artist that had died and his father went to Japan to retrieve his art work.  In the process the father found out how famous his son’s paintings were in a museum in Japan and that he had a grandson and a daughter-in-law.

The movie was in English with Japanese sub-titles.  It seemed like only myself and another lady in the audience could read Japanese cause certain parts were funny and we were the only ones laughing.  The English translated version had lost the humour.  I enjoyed the movie even more cause I could understand what I read.  Lucky I’m learning Japanese.  I wish the movie was speaking Japanese cause it would have been more enjoyable.  Sometimes my reading was too slow before they changed the sub-titles.