dream job

I just read this article on Japanese news site.

The dream job on the most beautiful island in the world.

I guess this is 6 months contract job, staying at Hamilton Island which is close to Australia.

Your job is enjoy the life on the island, have lots of fun and take pictures, then report your daily life on the website each day. You'll have airplane tickets, place to live, and get paid about$90K!!

Anybody interested in?

http://newslite.tv/2009/01/13/island-reef-job-website-crashe.html

Hanten - Adam's Japanese gown

As all my family or friends know about, my husband's favorite winter gown is this Japanese Hanten.  My very good friend, Todd, who is a return missionary from Osaka, Japan and baptized me and my dad in 1984, he sent me a cool email about this Japanese traditional gown, Hanten.

So I'm not sure you'll agree my alternative is any better, but I think it is. For centuries people in Japan have been wearing something called a "hanten" (pronounced HAWN-ten). There are many kinds of hanten, but the one I'm describing is sometimes called a "wataire" hanten because it's quilted with polyester fiberfill, just like a bed quilt.

The functional perfection of a hanten is that the sleeves are short (so you can wear it while you work, eat, do the dishes, whatever) and it’s really quick and easy to pull on. It ties somewhat open in front, so it’s not as binding as a zip-up vest, and you can slip if off while you sit if you get too warm, then slip it back on. There’s a reason the hanten design survived 2,000 years of culture change in Japan.

Hanten are hard to find in the US. You can order them online but it might be too late in the season. (Sort of like how it's hard to buy a swimsuit in July because all the stores are displaying fall fashions by then.) If you'd rather die than wear a Snuggie, check out these online shops. Because I'll never give up MY hanten.

http://hanten-usa.com/HANTENFORMENWOMEN.htm
http://www.goodsfromjapan.com/product/product-details.php?pID=0&cID=162&pdID=388
http://www.samue-e.com/en/goods1264.php
http://www.shop-japan.co.jp/english-boku/casualwear6.htm

Special bonus points if you noticed in the futon photo that the pillows are "sobakawa" stuffed with buckwheat hulls. Remember when they were a fad in the US? They still have a loyal following--me included. Not because they're Japanese but because it's the single most comfortable pillow you'll ever try. Definitely an acquired taste, but once you've slept on buckwheat hulls, you'll never go back to down or fiberfill or memory foam. And you'll realize you never slept well until you got that pillow.

I also used to had my own Hanten in Japan, I was just thinking if I could try to make one at home(They are kind a expensive. Depends on the quality).  Many missionaries who served Japan love these Japanese stuff and bring them back to USA.  I guess nowadays, you can buy many things here on the internet, it is pretty cool to me.

Looking at the skies

I love looking at the skies. I don't know since when but the first thing I do each day when I go outside is looking at the sky. When I drive here to there, I enjoy different views with different clouds or different color of the sky, I always look for the beautiful sunset around the time sun goes down.

It is amazing how it looks so different each day, even morning and afternoon, day or night.

Today's sky was very pretty, too. It had a very light nice blue and just perfect amount of the clouds. I was driving to kids' school this afternoon to pick them up, I just could not stop looking at this beautiful sky! And I know, it is dangerous! I saw couple air force jets flying by(I think they were F10 or F18?), then started see couple Thunderbirds flying together. I never get tired of watching them flying.

While I was waiting for kids at the playground in their school, I was thinking about my dad how much we enjoy looking at these jets together while he was here from Japan last year. I really miss him and my nephew a lot. I hope rest of my family there will be here some day to visit us, too.

Orange Chicken

After we moved to North Las Vegas, we finally started to have some decent shopping centers in our neighborhood lately.  And one of our favorite fast food restaurant "Panda Express" also joined in our area(only 4~5 miles away) couple month ago.  

I think pretty much everyone loves this Orange Chicken(O.C.) , our kids(especially Kai) also loves this food so much, this is our must order item whenever we go there.  When we visited there last time, I saw them selling this orange chicken sauce in the bottle(with other couple different flavors) at the cashier.  If that sauce really can bring the same taste of O.C., the one from the restaurant, I definitely need to get one and cook it at home.

So anyway, I was talking to kids that I should probably work at Panda Express then I can get some O.C. once a while to bring home for dinner.  They both thought that will be the best idea to do, Maya even believes that I can bring what ever, as much as I want each day from the restaurant after work(She said her classmates dad works at Donuts shop and brings bunch of donuts every night for free.  All you can eat donuts every day!).  Oh well.... what have I joked about.  You might see me at the counter of Panda Express near future ----- or maybe not.

ラスベガス北部地帯も、この４年と少しで随分大きな町となって来ました。引越して来た当初から最初の３年は、近所に店１つない住宅地でしたが、ここ１年ほどであちこちに店もできて、とても便利な町に変わりつつあります。

その中で、最近新しくできたアメリカでも大手の中華のファーストフードレストラン「パンダエキスプレス」が、我が家の近所にオープンしました。ちょっと日本人の口には、しつこく甘すぎるかもしれませんが、しばらく日本を離れている身にとっては、とっても美味しく思えるチャイニーズフードです。中でも、ここのメニューの１つ、オレンジチキンはとても人気で、我が家の子供達の大好物です。

どこのレストランの味もそうですが、このオレンジチキン、家庭でその味を作り上げるのはなかなか難しいんですね。そんな中、先日夕飯にと買いに行ったとき、レジの横でオレンジチキンソースを売ってるのを発見！　台所の強い見方の登場です。

前に一度、子供達に、もし私がパンダで働いたら、たまにオレンジチキンを買って帰れるね。と離した事があったんですが．．．．子供達は、グッドアイデアと大はしゃぎ。とんでもないことを言ってしまいました（苦笑）。もうすぐ８歳になる娘は、あそこで働いたら毎日オレンジチキンを好きなだけ持って帰れるよ、と大興奮。どうやら学校のクラスの友達から、ドーナツ屋さんで働くお父さんが、毎日ドーナツを無料でもらってくると聞いたらしい。。。

パンダエキスプレス．．．私の就職先になるのかな？

A message

I was at my mother-in-law's house later this afternoon. When I was waiting for her getting ready to go out shopping, I saw this message board on the floor laying against the wall in the kitchen. Then I saw this very familiar looking hand writing message.... in Japanese.

さよなら SAYONARA　

またお合いましょう MATA OAI SHIMA SHO

宏悦 HIROYOSHI

It was written by my dad who was here from Japan last November.

Good-bye

See you again.

Hiroyoshi 

I was trying to remember how or when he wrote such a message at my mother-in-law's, at the same time, I was staring at my dad's writing for a while thinking about him.

I hope there will be a day we see each other again soon, too.

先日、すぐ近所に住む義母さんの家を訪ねていた時の事。キッチンの床上に、壁にもたれかかって置かれていたメッセージボードから、普段見慣れないメッージが目に入って来た。

日本語で書かれたメッセージ。

ここに住んでると、まず外で日本語の活字を目にする事なんてない。そして続いて、す〜っと目に入って来た懐かしい筆記体。メッセージの後には、名前がサインされていた。

日本に住む父親が書いたものだった。

去年の１０月末から１１月半ばまで、念願だった父（と甥）の来米が実現し、そのとき義母さん宅を訪ねたときに、どうやら書いたらしい。ただ、それほど長くなく静かに訪問した中で、父がそういうメッセージを書いたなんて記憶が全くない。後で日本へ電話して、父に聞くも、本人も全く記憶がないとの事。「合う」という字が間違ってるよ、と指摘すると、時差ぼけでそういう事も（もし書いたとすれば）あり得たかもしれない、と。ただ、どう考えても、そんなメッセージを書くに至った記憶が、父にも私にも全くない。

どう見ても、父の筆跡なんだけどな。

メッセージに書かれた通り、またすぐ会える日が来ますように。

Here I am!

Happy New Year! The year 2009 has came so quickly before I was even ready, I am trying to finish all the stuff I didn't in 2008, hopefully before I welcome a year 2010.

As many of you know that I am from Japan, each year I miss my country a lot especially around this new years day. The new years holiday is the busiest but also the most excited and funnest season over there, I totally miss being there every year after we are done our big event, Christmas. I want to introduce this Japanese most traditional biggest celebration of the year to my kids someday.

This will be my 12th year living in the United States, since I left my country. Even after 11 years, I still find lots of fun and amazing stuff in this country each day!

I will try to update daily and old stuff as much as I remenber, this will be my memory bank to keep all my sweet(and some bitter ones too)memories of my life.

あけましておめでとうございます！

2009年をあっという間に迎えてしまい、2008年にやり残した事を片付け始める年明けですが、2010年が来る前に、今年は全て終えれるよう願ってます。

さてさて、毎年この時期は、特に日本が恋しくなる季節なんですが、この日本の習慣と文化を代表する日本の年末年始は、一度子供達にも肌で感じて欲しい行事ですね。

日本を離れて今年で１２年目になりますが、まだまだ毎日が新しい発見の連続です。アメリカでの生活は、限りなく興味深く不思議で、時には理解しがたい事も少なくありません。主人の妹から背中を押され、やっとブログを始めましたが、自分なりにアメリカ生活での出来事を綴って行けたらと思います。

今年もよろしくお願い致します。