Mind map study session

One of my goals this year is to see as many people as possible outside my workplace.

To my delight, I had a chance to attend a MindMap study session in Osaka today.  

I was glad to see some of my friends after a long interval.  

Furthermore, it was really nice to get to know all the participants in the session.

Today's lecturer was one of my friends in the community which I belong to.  

She taught us how to draw a mind map.

"A mind map is a graphical way to represent ideas and concepts. It is a visual thinking tool that helps structuring information, helping you to better analyze, comprehend, synthesize, recall and generate new ideas."

http://litemind.com/what-is-mind-mapping/

Tony Buzan is the inventor of Mind Maps.  When he was studying on scientists or thinkers who were called as geniuses, he found that the notes they took had something in common.  

That is, they associated images and words with lines.

We drew mind maps of happiness, an analysis of our names, and the goal for 2012.  They were a lot of fun!

Her lecture was so interesting that I could enjoy thinking a lot, drawing pictures, and sharing my ideas with other participants.   

The very organized three-hour session stimulated my creative mind!

I am grateful that she held such a wonderful meeting for us.

Summer Holidays Stress Workers Out

Today I read the following article: Summer Holidays Stress Workers Out.

Source: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1007/100723-stress.html

When I read this article, I was surprised to know that not a few managers in the UK work during the vacation.  They feel more stressful when going on summer holiday than when working!

What has caused this sort of problem?  

There are two reasons.  

One reason is information technology such as cellphones and computers.  

They work while they are on vacation: they answer work-related e-mails or take business-related phone calls.

The other reason is slump on the world economy.  They have to worry about their job all the time.

As for me, I rarely check my mobile phone except when I charge its battery.  

Furthermore, I don't give co-workers my number but my land-line phone number.

Then what happens in a state of emergency?  

Sometimes I miss an urgent message.  When my brother called me to let me know my father's death last summer, I was taking a bath and didn't check my mobile phone on that day.  When I happened to check it out on the following morning, which was very rare for me, I finally noticed the message!

Well, a mobile phone may be quite useful in our daily lives, but I can't stand being restricted from freedom because of it.  

I am a person with a LOVE for freedom!

Happiness

These days I often think about what happiness is, so I watched the following video today.

When you're down, what makes you happy?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/expressenglish/2011/12/111212_ee_44_happiness_page.shtml

3 things that were mentioned that can make people happy in this video were: shopping, a nice view, and having a laugh with friends.

What is happiness for you?

For me, having a quiet life, meeting someone special [important], and traveling abroad are happiness.

Do you think that happiness lies within you? Or does it depend upon other people and external things?

I think that happiness lies within me, which I have finally realized.  

I used to think that I would have been happy if I had been brought up in a favorable environment.

The important thing is to change our negative mindset to a positive one.  It is our choice whether you are optimistic or pessimistic about things.

Can money buy happiness?

Money can buy materials which give you temporal happiness, but it cannot buy happiness directly.  The point is how you spend the money.

I used to waste money buying luxury items so that I could fill my inner emptiness with them.  To my amazement, I don't feel I want to buy an unnecessary thing any more.

When was the happiest time of your childhood?

It was when I sat around a table with my family.  Looking back on my childhood, living a fairly ordinary life was happiness.

How can you become happy again when you are sad?

I can become happy again by reading my favorite books, going window shopping, and traveling abroad.  

What affects your levels of happiness?

People do.  I feel happier especially when I can foster a trusting relationship with my students.

Education is like planting a seed.  It may not bloom soon, but it will do someday.

What is the happiest time of your life?

It is when I contribute to society especially in the field of education.

Well, tomorrow is the first day of my work in 2012.  

I can hardly wait to see my students again!

A Skype English lesson

I took a Skype English lesson from a new teacher yesterday.
She is from Canada, and was easy to speak to.
As she asked me a lot of questions about myself, I carried on talking for 50 minutes.  It was a really good practice for learning English.


She asked me why I became an English teacher.  It all started from an encounter with Mr. Wakabayashi Shunsuke, who was a tycoon of English education in Japan.  I was impressed with his teaching style.  His motto was "Do not teach as you were taught."  


Although I have learned English for more than ten years, I don't have confidence in having a good command of English yet.


Communicative approach is the one I have been trying for more than a decade, but I'm afraid there is still a strong focus on grammar at a Japanese high school.


After introducing ourselves, we discussed "sleep."
What time do you go to bed every night?  
I usually hit the sack at 11:30pm.
I used to stay up and work at home.  After work, I was beat.  So I suffered from disorders from bad living habits for a long time.
Two years ago I  started improving my lifestyle.  I decided to go to bed before midnight.  That was a step in the right direction.  I lost weight.  I have more energy now.


I have realized how valuable sleep is from my own experience.


Also, I have been trying to reduce sweets which are addictive; otherwise I would become diabetic.  So scary!


I had a particular fondness of the material my teacher sent me.
It was made by the following tool.
http://www.dabbleboard.com/


★Today's choice:
  •I chose to take a lesson from a new teacher.
  •How successful was this choice?   10 out of 10.
  •I had a great time with my new teacher.

My Mission Statement

My purpose is to express my desire to learn, intellection and focus by having a great deal of curiosity, by being eager to get to the heart of the matter and by setting a goal for what I do to apply the concept of Choice Theory both in a real-world classroom situation and in my personal life, create a classroom where students can convey their ideas in basic English., and cherish each encounter with a person.


★Today's choice:
   •This is my first time to write my mission statement.  I decided to write one today because I felt now is the perfect time to write one.
     •How successful was this choice?   7 out of 10.
   •I will change my mission statement when I feel the need to change it.

Family connections

I stayed on own on New Year's day for many years, but I went to lunch with my older sister and her children today.

She has a son and a daughter.

I didn't see them for a decade by circumstance, so I was sometimes concerned about how they were doing.

To my delight, I see my nephew every once in a while since my father passed away last summer.  My father's funeral brought me to reuniting my nephew for the first time in 14 years!

I was so happy to see my niece today.  She really grew up!

I gave them otoshidama, New Year's money.

We had a good time having sukiyaki, thin slices of beef and pork cooked with vegetables at the table in soy sauce, sake and sugar.

Today I realized the importance of maintaining family connections.

I am thankful for restoring ties with my family.

★Today's choice:
  I decided to see my sister and her children today instead of tomorrow.
  How successful was this choice?   10 out of 10.
  It is really nice to see someone important to me on New Year's day.