Hina-matsuri

Girl's Day or Japanese Doll Festival is celebrated every year in Japan. An old culture. Read more about it in the Wikipedia.

At the end of Februari, Tokunaga sensei took me to a place near Katsuura town . I can just say, iko!

It is a set of dolls as a gift for the first daughter in the family. After the daughter is all grown-up, the set shall be given away. There is a believe that say as long as the dolls are keep by the family, the daughter will find it difficult to get hitched. I don't know how true it is, but somebody is worried about it at the moment. *wink*

In Tokushima, the dolls can be given to the shrines or selected houses for them to be kept and display.

The shrine that I visited was full with the dolls that were arranged in the open space in the garden, lovely. I love the feeling walking amongst the miniatures.

To promote tourism in Tokushima, a few old houses in Katsuura had been selected to keep and exhibite them, the dolls, during Hina-matsuri.

And in Katsuura, there was a big place to keep all these dolls. Some of the dolls were very old, as old as Meiji period. And in each era, the designs were slighty differed.

Party with many hats

One of the lecturers in the lab - hailed from China - who have been here for 10 years went to a university in San Franscisco for her postdoctoral course. We have a party for that, celebrating her new life in USA.

A new lecturer coming in temporarily to fill the vacate-post, it was a welcoming party for her.

And we also celebrating the end of ISES, an international conference that the lab organized last summer. They've just closed the account successfully. The undergrad students who have been helping were invited.

Three reasons to have a big party. (^_~)

Orchids

One of the lecturers in the lab is very fond of orchids, he grows them well and have a vast number of variety in his collections. Once awhile, he will bring-in the one with flowers for display. The latest orchid he brought to the lab, which I think looked a little strange but beautiful, paphiopedilum or also known as lady slipper orchid.  

Negative me...

Another 5 months to go before I pack-up, off to the Kansai airport and fly home.

However nice that may sound, it does not reflected in my daily life at the moment. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but have to deal with many bumpy rides before reaching the end itself is a touchier. These bumpy rides can turn me into a person that I hate with all the negatives characters emerged.

I can now see negatives vibes floating around me…..(~_~)!

Need to get a positive vibes spray soon….(^_~)

The love for rainbow

Rainbow has many colors. It is always referred as a symbol of beauty or happiness, for its many colors against the plain blue sky.

But in life, human thinks otherwise. If you don’t follow the flocks, you are weird. If you don’t wear things as the majority does, that makes you - different.

But then again, I love being labeled different. I am not a good follower. If I do, I will never major in science, it should be history, literature or business; or maybe housewife, just like my mother.

Now, here in Japan with my chocolate skin color plus head scarf, I guess I am different.

At this age, I am still single. Oh! Yes, different. Ultimately!

With my coat, the same one for autumn or spring; a thing to be discusses? My love for tableware?

The list will never end.

I just don’t care. As long as I am alive, happy with myself, doing all the chores as a Muslim and fulfiled the responsibility of me towards my family, real friends, people in need and God. Other than that, I can’t control people’s mind or whatever things that they want to do.

I guess being too optimistic with oneself can drive other people crazy. *wink*

Stand by me

Not unlike every other day I woke up today’s morning with a feeling of serenity before the reality sipped-in and rocked the mind; works and life is tough to let go. Took a look at the table clock, then I realized that the room temperature of the usually 10degress was at 18degrees Celsius; which made me a bit happier, thinking about a warm day onward. After doing the morning routines, I cycled to school. Nothing seemed out of ordinary.

Only when I stepped into the entrance of the dental hospital to get to the lab, another life experiences come into the picture.

I saw an elderly couple, their ages probably 70 going 80. They were about 1.5m from me; at the automatic entrance glass door that was wide opened. Nothing seemed wrong with them except the husband was in a quite awkward position; nor standing or sitting. He placed his two hands on the floor while still in a standing position, making a downward V position. Something likes doing an exercise.

Many patients come and go and I have seen enough that I just wanted to dismiss them as another before I saw his wife quickly placed her handbag on the nearby table and came back assisting him to stand straight. The whole time, his leg and back was not moving an inch, like the whole body was in a frozen state; it was like trying to stand a fallen chair.

It was then it crossed my mind that the wife might probably need my help after all to help him standing. I help, but with a wired idea coming into my mind; hopefully they would not mind me touching him as I am a foreigner and a Muslim. We never know what other persons has in their mind because the wife gave a glance, a significant one; either approval or afraid or asking for a help or shame. But then again, my intention was what counted for me, never mind them.

The wife seemed glad that I gave her a hand and she said arigatou before going to get the walking stick and led him to a table. He stood there using the table as a support while she rushed somewhere, most likely to get a wheelchair.

He was using his two hands to actually hold himself from falling onto the floor. Probably he had lost his balance while walking into the clinic’s hall because I saw his walking stick lying on the floor nearby.

Hopefully, somebody will stand by me when I am too old to stand still.

Under the Bizan

My apartment is located under the famous mountain in Tokushima called Bizan. Early in the morning, before the sunrise, the serounding is quiet and cold, especially in winter. But, the blooming sakura in spring change the perspective and compensate it all.

I have not yet make my way to the nearby koen (garden) to enjoy the season. Just about 15 minutes walking up the Bizan. The place is known as Seibu Koen. Very nice view up there. Hopefully I can do that this coming Saturday before going to the laboratory.

Oh! Talking about the laboratory, I am thinking about how much I will miss being in the laboratory during sakura season next year. My lab is on top of the Dental School building, facing Bizan. So I will be able to see a full view of Bizan trough the glass pane. Heaven!