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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2003/12/28 Sun, 10:42 am |
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It was a fine day today.
I thought that it was good to do a general house cleaning.
I dusted, swept and vacuumed floors. I scrubbed the floor and handrails of porch and veranda. It was very good exercise.
I'll wipe shade of lights tomorrow. Maybe I'll have muscle pain in Osyogatu  |
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| Sebastian | 
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Site Admin

Joined: 04 Dec 2003
Posts: 747

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Posted:
2003/12/28 Sun, 6:04 pm |
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So it was the ordinary end of the year house cleaining? Wow, I'm afraid I haven't done anithing of the kind. I still have some days left. Do you have a big family, Lily? |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2003/12/30 Tue, 8:16 am |
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Sebastian, thanks for your reply.
I have small family and we live small apartment in the center of Osaka city.
We are cleaning a gas range in our kitchen today.
Ummmmm. I'm sure it'll be tough job.
To tell the truth, I don't want to touch it because it's really oil-stained.
I know I should do clean it when I cook every time though.
I'm very lazy and my all fingers are thumbs. So dirt accumlate little by little. The ordinary end of the year house cleaining is very good chance to inspire me.It's one of the Japanese custom.Almost all the Japanese do the end of the year house cleaining.
Well, we really did good job. Our gas range can mirrors us. I'm satisfied.  |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2003/12/31 Wed, 10:23 am |
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It's the New Year's Eve today .I'm happy because all of my family are fine and I could enjoy being myself this year. We'll eat Toshikosi-soba(buckwheat noodles) and watch TV program, NHK Kouhaku-song contest. It's my routine.  |
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| Sebastian | 
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Site Admin

Joined: 04 Dec 2003
Posts: 747

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Posted:
2003/12/31 Wed, 1:41 pm |
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Cool, you have a clean kitchen now. I'm sure you did a good job.
So you live downtown? Isn't it too crowded or noisy? I went to Osaka this year and I found that the people there are really friendly.  |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2004/01/01 Thu, 3:11 pm |
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Hello, Sebastian.
Yes. Almost all the people who have visited Osaka say that people who live in Osaka are friendly. But it sometimes means rude I think. It means also that people aren't afraid of strangers I think. Yes, i live in downtown. It's a little bit crowded and noisy and it takes only 30 minutes to go to around Osaka station where the busiest place in Osaka. http://gojapan.about.com/library/graphics/osaka_umeda2.
Happy New Year! Best wishes in the New Year.
I cooked Oseti last night so I only cooked Zouni this morning. I used to be to cook many kind of Oseti before. For instance, nisiki-tamago( egg dish), namasu(white radish and carrot in sweetened vinegar),kuwai( simmered arrowhead) and so on. But my kids donft like them so now I only cook a few dishes.Still we have something special feeling in New Year's day .My kids were a little happy because of otosidama(special allowance which kids get during O-syougatu) and we hope we are happy and healthy this year. |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2004/01/02 Fri, 3:29 am |
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Our today's plans.
1) We are going to a shrine near our apartment by walk.
2) I have to record a Mannzai (a two-man comedy talking) program because my mother asked me. She is sending it my aunt (my father's sister) who lives in U.S.
3) I'm going to cook sea food curry at the request of my kid.
We went to a shrine in the Osaka castle park. http://gojapan.about.com/library/graphics/osakacastle12.jpg@We prayed and bought amulets formed ransel( a satchel which schoolchildren carry their back) http://proxy.ymdb.yahoofs.jp/users/388095b4/bc/Yahoo!%a5%d5%a5%a9%a5%c8%a5%a2%a5%eb%a5%d0%a5%e0/1.2-6.jpg?bcFrw8uBjmFF6LOY |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2004/01/03 Sat, 2:18 pm |
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I cooked sea food curry last night. It was tasty. I went out to buy a pan for a hot-pot because we are holding a hot-pot party tomorrow.A hot-pot party means tyanko-nabe party at my house. My friends are coming and we are chatting a lot. It's our usual event during the New Year's season. Almost all my friends are housewives so we can't gather easily. My kids say that our meeting looks like Mannzai-party. Speaking of Mannzai, I hope my aunt likes Manzai program that I recorded yesterday. I think it might be called conte ( short stories) rather than Manzai. I afraid that it might disappoint her.  |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2004/01/04 Sun, 12:55 pm |
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We held a hot-pot party today.
We ate a lot and drink a lot except me.
I hardly drink alcohol. If I drink alcohol, my face turns pink immediately.
Our refrigerator is almost empty.
Now, it's the end of excessive eating.
I'll have to be on a diet and stat to do a little bit work-out from tomorrow.
I'm sure I can't wear my clothes for spring without reducing my weight.
Ummm  |
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| Sebastian | 
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Site Admin

Joined: 04 Dec 2003
Posts: 747

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Posted:
2004/01/05 Mon, 3:23 pm |
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Sounds like you had a really good Oshogatsu. Could you explain though what Zouni is? I haven't heard the word before. Osechi is not my favorite I must admit but it's good to see living traditions. Yeah, happy new year to you too! You must be just like my wife if you can't drink much alkohol. I've heard it has something to do with the genes?  |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2004/01/05 Mon, 4:54 pm |
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Hello, Sebastin.
Oh. You don't know "Zouni"?! Zouni means a soup include Moti( rice cake).
There are a lot of type of Zouni in Japan. It depends a region where you live. We live in Osaka so our typical Zouni is a white miso soup include Moti shaped circle. If you have a chace to know about Zouni in your town, please let me know. oh! your wife can't drink alcohol, either. So she and I belong to same group.My father and one of my brother can't drink alcohol so much but my mother and other brother can drink it much. Yes.
I think it has something to do with a genetic factor.
I tried to make my nenngazyou( New Year's card) with my P.C.
It was my first experience. I'm really low-tech so I'd never tried before.
I'm a born bungler. My friends develop their ability day by day so it makes me hasty.
How was my first trial? I think it not bad.  |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2004/01/06 Tue, 4:14 pm |
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It was the first day to go to work in this year. Ummmmm. I wanted to be my home. I want to know how I can live without labor, if there is a good way.  |
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| Sebastian | 
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Site Admin

Joined: 04 Dec 2003
Posts: 747

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Posted:
2004/01/06 Tue, 4:18 pm |
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So you are not a computer freak? But I'm sure you did well. Thanks for axplaining that mochi soup. We have something similar, but the mochi isn't round, and it is in some kind of vegetable soup.
The genes determining how much you can drink is quite funny. I didn't know it was that way. It was one of the surprises I have had in Japan. |
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| Sebastian | 
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Site Admin

Joined: 04 Dec 2003
Posts: 747

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Posted:
2004/01/06 Tue, 4:20 pm |
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| Lily wrote: |
I want to know how I can live without labor, if there is a good way.  |
You could be a housewife. Or you can marry a millionaire. Or you can win the jackpot. There are many ways.  |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2004/01/07 Wed, 3:33 pm |
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Yes!! I' d like to marry a millionaire. Yes!!  |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2004/01/09 Fri, 8:58 am |
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I made a lunch box for my first son this morning.
It had been long time since I made it last time.
After he finished his examinations at the end of the second term, I didn't have to make his lunch box.
I got somefresh feeling this morning.
I heard that some boys are ashamed to bring their lunch box which their mother make.
They don't want to be cosidered as to their mother's pet I guess.
My first son asks me to make his lunch box.
It makes me a little bit happy and annoyed.  |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2004/01/12 Mon, 1:05 am |
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Good morning, all
It's very clear day in Osaka. It's very cold though.
My second son and I hung out our washing to dry at our veranda.
I went to a Yakitori-ya with my friend last night.
She is a nurse. She is a heavy drinker so she drank 4 large mugs of beer. Wow!!
You know I don't drink alcohol so much but I love an atmosphere of Yakitori-ya and chatting a lot. I love deep-fried gristle of chicken and Tukune ( meatball by chicken). I drank two cups of plum wine diluted with hot water. Needless to say I turned red immediately. Ha,ha,ha.
Please have a nice day.  |
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| Sebastian | 
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Site Admin

Joined: 04 Dec 2003
Posts: 747

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Posted:
2004/01/12 Mon, 7:34 am |
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Hi Lily,
It's good to hear your son wants you to make his lunch. Children must have a difficult time at school when it comes to being accepted by the other students. But a community is not only about supporting only one person's idea or efforts in my oppinion. It has to repect every single individual in general as well. In my school (JHS) students always have school lunch, so it's never a problem.
Yakitoriya surely has a good atmosphere. I like to go there, too. It looks like this friend of yours is stronger than I. I only can drink two beers.  |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2004/01/14 Wed, 4:52 am |
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Hello, sebastian.
Yes, I think I'm happy mother.
I went to a museum last Mondy.There was The three Great Civilizations in Turkey The Hittite Empire, Byzantine Empire and Ottoman Empire .
I could watch many beautiful and gorgeous things.
You might get dizzy when you watch them. Here you are. http://www.mus-his.city.osaka.jp/english_iso-8859-1/special/index.html |
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| Sebastian | 
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Site Admin

Joined: 04 Dec 2003
Posts: 747

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Posted:
2004/01/15 Thu, 4:33 pm |
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It's good to see that there are people, who are interested in culture. Did you take your kids, too? |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2004/01/17 Sat, 5:32 pm |
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Hello, Sebastian.
Yes, I went to the museum with my second son because he likes beautiful things, too. We could watch very interesting things.
It was snowing this morning in Osaka city. How was the weather in your town? Was it snowing, too? It looked very beautiful through a glass of our living room. We looked at snow for a while. |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2004/01/18 Sun, 11:00 am |
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We went a shrine today because my friend who lives in Kumamoto prefecture asked me to buy an amulet.
Her nephew will have an enter examination for university so she wants to send him some lucky things.
I hope that everybody can enter the school which they want to enter.
We went to a shrine where is in Osaka Castle Park. There is a plum trees park in it.
A few plum trees have already bloomed and they were fragrant.  |
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| Sebastian | 
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Site Admin

Joined: 04 Dec 2003
Posts: 747

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Posted:
2004/01/18 Sun, 12:14 pm |
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Do you belive in amulets, Lily? They are nice things, but without studying they won't work, I guess. It's cold here, too, but twe don't have any kind of blossom yet.  |
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| Lily | 
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Joined: 27 Dec 2003
Posts: 423

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Posted:
2004/01/20 Tue, 3:57 am |
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speaking of an amulet, It's said " kurusii toki no kami damomi"
When we are in difficulties and we can find the way to solve problem, we pray God.Ummm.Do you have similar sentence in English??
Speaking of plum trees, have you ever made plum wine?
It's very easy to make and tasty .  |
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| Sebastian | 
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Site Admin

Joined: 04 Dec 2003
Posts: 747

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Posted:
2004/01/20 Tue, 12:37 pm |
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I don't know what damomi means.
Oh, yeah, I'd love to try plum wine. How do you make it? |
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