My New Year’s resolutions for 2017

I rarely go anywhere on New Year's Day, but this year I saw a friend of mine at Starbucks on that day and shared our New Year’s resolutions.

My new year’s resolutions for 2017 are as follows:

1. I will live my life with the commitment to love: to give and receive love in every interaction.

2. I will keep only the things that spark joy in my life.

3. I will be able to speak English fluently.

Yesterday, I saw my best friend. She is always with me whenever I need some help.

We went to Kobe by car. She drove, and we enjoyed chatting for hours in the car.

We also went to a ramen place at midnight!

I am lucky to have a couple of friends who I can trust.

Keeping only the things spark joy

I have been working on decluttering according to the following app.

KonMari

This morning I began decluttering “paper”, which was  a great challenge for me.
I have kept too much paper including receipts, handouts, instruction manuals, and etc.

I already finished decluttering “clothes” and “books.”
It was a lot of fun, because the app guides me what to do step by step.

My new year's resolution is to to keep only the things spark joy!

108 sun salutation

This morning, I went to yoga class and did 108 sun salutation for the first time in my life.

It was OK until the instructor let us know it was the 100th sun salutation but suddenly I couldn’t brace myself on my arms when I tried the 101st one.

Anyway, I followed the instruction by the instructor until the end.

When I finished the sun salutation I sweat a lot and I felt refreshed!

Christmas party

Yesterday I attended a Christmas party at my favorite cafe.

The food served at the party was just amazing!

The couple who married a couple of months ago cooked the mediterranean dishes for us.

The husband is a Greek-Canadian and his wife is a Japanese.  They are a lovely couple!

I enjoyed the food I rarely eat including turkey, root crop saute, pottage of lentils, quinoa salad, pumpkin tart, rice malt bread.

Stollen she baked was tasty, too.  She said that she loves baking stollen, so she bakes it almost every day.

I had a good time with wonderful people.

Lovely Christmas present

Yesterday I received a lovely Christmas present from one of the staff members at Starbucks I always stop by.

I am always grateful for her warm hospitality ❤️

Banana pancake

This morning I baked "Banana pancake."

I also simmered an apple, a potato, and raisons as topping for the cake.

The texture of the pancake was fluffy and the combination of the pancake and the topping was awesome!

The recipes are as follows:

<Banana pancake>

INGREDIENTS (For four to five servings)

banana : 1
weak flour (cake flour) : 6 tablespoons
baking powder : 2/3 teaspoons
salt : dash
soy milk : 5 tablespoons

coconut oil : 1 tablespoon

1. mash a banana to a pulp with a fork
2. put the flour, baking powder, salt and soy milk into 1 and mix them with a spoon.

3. put the coconut oil in the pan.
4. pour 2 in the pan and cover it with the lid.

<simmered apple, sweet potato & raisons>

INGREDIENTS (For four to five servings)
apple : 1
sweet potato : 1
raisons : adjust to suit your needs
salt : dash
rum : splash

1. cut an apple and a sweet potato into bite-size chunks.
2. put 1 into the pan and simmer for a while.
3. add raisons, salt, rum into 2.

I visited Wakayama.

Yesterday I visited Wakayama with my best friend.

She drove all the time.  I hope to drive again next year!

First we visited "Toretore market," which sells a voluminous number of souvenirs in Wakaya as well as serves seafood meals.

https://en.visitwakayama.jp/venues/venue_75/

The meals were yum and had reasonable price.

I enjoyed eating Toretore set, which includes soba noodle and a bowl of rice topped with deep-fried prawns.

After having the meal, we visited "Senjojiki." 

There were few people there and it was such a quiet spot that I felt comfortable with the sound of the waves.

Then we move to "Engetsuto."

It has a unique shape and I loved staying there for a while because it led to the purification of my mind and body.

Anyway I want to come back to "Toretore market"!

I'm sure you will like the market, too!

Start working at a new workplace from April

I left the previous workplace last March and struck out on my own.

However, I realized how much I loved teaching English and serving my students while I was working by myself for half a year.

I was too sick both physically and mentally to breathe everyday.  I felt so stressful in staying home.  I had no energy to practice yoga, which was one of my favorite exercises.  Furthermore, I had little appetite, so I lost four kilograms in a month.

My best friend was so worried about me, and advised me to go back to an English teacher.

As soon as she said that, I was so relieved because her words prompted me to decide to go back to teaching world.

I was so lucky to find a part time job as an English teacher until next March.  Since I started teaching English again and was thrown in with a group of students, I revived and enjoy working outside.

I am starting working at a new workplace from April as a full-time teacher.

I will serve my future students going back to basics.

I have started QQEnglish online course

I started QQEnglish nine days ago and take 25-minute lesson every day.

http://www.qqeng.com/

I take the course called "topic conversation."

Every instructor is very friendly and I like the way they ask several questions to me.

All of the instructors who gave the lesson to me were the Filippinos.  Some of them speak English like native speakers of English.

I feel faintly sorry that I can't book the lesson from my favorite instructors, because their classes have been already booked by other students.

Anyway today's instructor was very beautiful and her English was perfect.

My goal is to have perfect confidence in speaking English in everyday situation. 

A new encounter at Starbucks

I go to the Starbucks near my house almost every day after I finish my work.

Whenever I order a drip coffee there, the staff serve me a blanket so that I will feel warm during the stay.

Recently I got a special invitation postcard for 25% discount from one of the staff members.

The message she wrote on the card was heartwarming:

"I was so happy and energized when you talked to me and smiled at me."

Just the same feeling goes with me.  She always smiled at me and talked to me so friendly.

She and I have so much in common.

The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health

My mentors in the field of integrative nutrition are Joshua Rosenthal and Andrea Beana. Both of them studied under Kushi Michio.

Kushi Michio is a master of Macrobiotics. He believes that proper diet is the key to the global peace.

He introduces tons of information on macrobiotic ways of eating in this book. Among them I have got interested in the following suggestions:

1. Eat in a calm, peaceful environment.
2. Chew at least 50 times.
3. Eat 80% full.
4. Avoid cooking with a microwave oven.

Today I have started eating in a calm environment without music nor surfing internet. To my surprise, I was able to feel the proper amount of food I need. So I didn't overeat. I was completely satisfied with and grateful for the food I prepared. I will work on the above four methods from now on!

If you suffer from a certain symptom, this is the right book for you. You will get concrete advice about the symptom.

Health is Wealth

I have been into integrative nutrition since six month ago.

One of masters of integrative nutrition is Andrea Beaman. She is quite energetic when she gives an explanation on health issues.

Recently I read one of her books, titled "Health is Wealth."

In this book, Andrea Beaman proposes some ways to wise investment regarding healthy life.

The primary theme in this book is "back to the basics. " That is, buy organic vegetables and fruits in local farmers markets, and reduce the intake of processed food.

The following words opened my eyes to the idea of our health:

"Every body has its own set of food requirements."

My food may be another person's poison.

In order to be healthier, we need to pay more attention to the quantity of food to eat. The rule of thumb is "take less than you want."

Andrea also introduces the essentials for life. Among them, the following two items are what I want to own:

       1. A slow cooker

I already purchased this one a couple of years ago, but I scarecely used it. It is a good idea to put all the ingredient into the cooker and set the timer before going to bed. A savory dish will be ready on the following morning!

2. A wooden cutting board

I have used a plastic cutting board for a long time, because it was easy to care for. Surprisingly, the plastic one seems to be bad for our health.

Well, I will live in harmony with nature!

Hay fever

The hay fever season has started again this year.

I have been sick since I came home from abroad two days ago.

My right hand is severely inflamed, my eyes are itchy, my nose tickles, and I have hives.

I haven't taken any medicine except for eye drops and ointment.

I wonder whether I should see a doctor or just stick to eating healthy food?

Lunch box

What do you eat for lunch at your workplace?  Eating out, buying lunch box, or bringing lunch box?

I have been bringing lunch box since last May.

There are three advantages for bringing lunch box:

1. I can eat healthy food.  My lunch box is  usually filled with brown rice and different side dishes such as seafood, boiled vegetables, and fruits.

2. Bringing homemade meals helps save money.  

3. I have got accustomed to getting up early in the morning to make lunch box, which is good to keep fit.

I cooked nimono (boiled broccoli, carrot, and oage) for today's lunch box.

External motivation vs. Internal motivation

According to the following article, Softbank will start to give 300,000 yen to those who will score 800 or higher on the TOEIC test to boost the employees' motivation.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/technology/view/softbank-offers-employees-y1-mil-incentive-to-master-english?utm_campaign=jt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jt_newsletter_2013-01-14_AM

This approach may increase their "external" motivation and have some positive effects for a short period.  

However, Venom claims that "the rewards can greatly undermine intrinsic motivation."

Choice theory maintains that motivation is intrinsic, and suggests that rewarding to control is considered as "seven deadly habits."

Every leader should consider what kind of reward will boost their employees' "intrinsic" motivation.

I believe that a gift from the heart from employers to employees will be one of the best ways to motivate others intrinsically.

This morning I took a Skype English lesson.

Today's topic was "Random acts of kindness."

The material which my teacher introduced was quite exciting in that it includes both listening and reading activities.  

One of the good points of this material is that it takes only 6 minutes to listen to the story and we can listen to it focusing on the provided question.

Another good point of this material is that it was my favorite topic.  I am grateful that my teacher chose this topic for me beforehand.

In this topic, students were encouraged  to perform small and simple altruistic acts to their classmates such as hugging and sharing their lunch with their classmates.

The results showed the following positive effects:

1. Random acts of kindness boosted the students' happiness.

2. The atmosphere of the classroom has changed.  That is, each student became popular among the classmates.  Furthermore, it helps to discourage social problems like bullying.

It is good idea for me to share this topic with my students and ask them to work on "random acts of kindness" as their projects.

"Happiness" is the fundamental issue for everybody.  

I hope this material will be of great help to you too.

The Icarus Deception

Yesterday I started working on 2013 reading challenge.

As the second book for this challenge, I chose the following book.

The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? (by Seth Godin)

You can see the term "art" many times in this book.

What is "art" then?

Seth Godin defines "art" as follows:

"Art is what we do when we're truly alive."

"Art is who we are and what we do and what we need."

"An artist is someone who uses bravery, insight, creativity and boldness to challenge the status quo."

"Art isn't a result; it's a journey.  The challenge of our time is to find a journey worthy of your heart and your soul."

This book encouraged me to be an "artist" in the field of my workplace as well as my private life.

The industrialized age was over, and now we are in the new age where "connection" is indispensable.

I wonder how much people will miss me if I'm not back here again tomorrow.

A beautiful quote by Hinohara Shigeaki taught me how to lead my life this year:

"Spending your time for others will bring you new encounters." 

（時間をひとのために使うと、新しい出会いが生まれます。）

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!