Returning

More than one year has passed since my last entry. I finished my first year of undergraduate study here, and now I entered the second year. I came back to this deserted blog with no special reason, but if I force me to find a reason, it would be because I am beginning to be conscious about the fact that my days in Canada are actually numbered (I need to go back to my country as my money will run out in the next spring.) As this blog was started as a part of ESL class activity (which means I always had to care about what my professors and classmates would think of me) and has my name on it, I never could feel completely free when I write here, but now I am quite sure that no one I knew in Montreal bothers to look into this blog. I might start another anonymous blog someday, but for a while I will write down my impressions and feelings here until I am sure that I want to keep writing.

This photo was taken on the night before I left Montreal last year. I put two candles in the fireplace of the semi-basement room where I lived for three months. It was a night in June. But when I think of that room, what comes to my mind first is the smell of early spring snow and its reflections which cast white light into the room. And the smile of my landlady, Catherine.

Summery Scenes

When I said that I would return to Japan during this summer, Canadians I met said the same thing, "but you will miss the best season in Canada!" I do not doubt that the summer in Canada is beautiful, but summer is beautiful season anywhere in the world for me because I like summer the best. I am making most of the summer in Japan walking around under a scorching sun with a parasol in hand.

In summer, strong sun light condenses light and shadow on everything giving an effect almost divine especially on green foliages at the hour when the sun culminates in the sky. I always stop and see such shadows because it evokes a kind of strong nostalgia in me. I do not know why. It may be because I was born in summer.

I love the smell of rice crops heated by the sun.

Approaching woods, the chorus of cicadas wraps you up with a noisy silence...

Summer in Japan is notorious for its discomfortness (heat is worse when combined with high humidity). But in the days when air conditioner does not exist, people have thought out and used many devices to bring coolness into the house as much as possible.

Uchi-mizu is one of them. This word means sprinkling a pail of water around the house using a ladle. As the sprinkled water vaporizes, it removes heat from hot air. It is said this can decrease temprature by 2 or 3 Celsius degrees. Also, uchi-mizu is often done at the entrance of shops or houses expecting visitors to express welcome by purifying the place. It was a good old custom in the summer morning&evening.

People grow morning glory to use its vine as a sunshade.

Visual coolness on the table is enjoyable.

Chilled noodles makes a good meal when you lose your appetite due to hotness.

Summer confectionery with foamed tea

Shaved ice with strawberry syrup

Auditory sense can play a big role to feel coolness. People hang a wind chime at eaves, to hear its sound which resembles the sound of ice cubes in a crystal glass. Wind chimes are made of glass, ceramic, or iron. Glass ones are good to eyes, but I think iron ones make the coolest sound.

**************************************

I have written about the summer in my home country, but now I am finishing this writing in Canada. I have come back to Canada, to a city in New Brunswick to take undergraduate course. Morning and evening here is already chilly, and I miss the crazy heat I experienced this summer.

Japan's Upperhouse Election

Left---Abe: Prince in a Plight
Right---Koizumi (former PM): Want to see him in a bathrobe and want to read his love poem? ...well, then buy his photo book...)

There was upperhouse election on the last Sunday.

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)--the ruling party, and has been so for over 50 years except for short periods in which Socialist Party took power in 1994--had a big defeat. (They have the word "liberal" in their name, but they are not at all liberal, but rather conservative & hawkish)

Mr. Abe (pronounced like "abbey". Not like Abraham), current party leader of LDP and prime minister since last September is kind of unfortunate man because he is the successor of Mr. Koizumi who enjoyed unprecedented popularity for his frank (but shallow) speech, which was very unusual for a Japanese politician. (Believe it or not, he even published a photo album for his female fans... ) It was predictable that anyone who succeeded him would be in a predicament to handle problems which had been all covered up by Mr. Koizumi's showy politics dubbed "Koizumi Theatre".

But Mr. Abe's bad luck was a little more than just being the successor of Koizumi. After the magic by Koizumi has gone, those covered-up problems have surfaced at the worst timing. Sloppy management of pension system has come to light, stoking a broad anger among citizen. Ministers in his cabinet repeated inappropreate comments one after another. One has committed suicide for a reason not disclosed, and his successor was found to misuse public money. And it seems that Mr. Abe fumbled all those issues in a wrong manner.

I am relieved at the loss of LDP in this election as they were pushing forward the amendment of Constitution without enough national discussion. Article 9 of Japanese Constitution drafted after the defeat of WWII clearly states that we renounce all wars except for self-defence, but there is a persistent movement to review those parts in order to send more troops (Self-Defence Force) to Iraq to respond the US's request. However, Democratic Party of Japan too, which won in this election is an advocate for the amendment although they are not as hawkish as LDP is. (Japanese Communist Party and Social Democratic Party are opposing the amendment, but they are just too weak to take power.)

Mr. Abe's favorite phrase is "Japan, a beautiful nation". His cabinet passed the bill for a new education law which guides teachers to foster "the love for the country" in pupils. But I do not think that such kind of love can be forced by the government, and I believe that Article 9 is one of the most beautiful part of Japan.

Tomorrow, August 6 is the 62nd anniversary of atomic bombing by US in Hiroshima.

(Photos retrieved from Chugoku Shimbun & Mainichi msn)

Commencement

My six months of study at CELI has reached its end. Since I arrived at Montreal, I have met so many new people from all over the world, and people of different ages.

As a person who was born and has lived in a country of monoculture for over 30 years, those times spent in the classroom sitting around desks exchanging opinions on various topics with people of different ages and nationalities seem a tiny miracle.

School is a somewhat miraculous place where all kinds of embryonic future crisscross each other. I was struck by the same sentiment just 20 years ago, on a day of early summer when I was sitting near the window in the classroom of highschool, but this sentiment seems to be more suitable for the experience I had here.

Well, this entry has become almost a monologue, but what I would like to say as a closing is THANK YOU and GOOD LUCK to all of us, as this is just the end of the beginning.
I was so happy to be able to study in this class with wonderful classmates and two splendid teachers.













St.Catherin Street in March (left) and June (right)

Pre-discussion: Responsibility in the Market

Q2. Should government be responsible for protecting the "common good"? What is the "common good"?

Yes, I think government should be responsible for protection of the common good. I suppose that the common good is equal to the citizen's well-being. As the primary aim for companies is the pursuit of profit, consumers need some organization which safeguards them and speaks for their sake. Government should play that role as they are (or must be) representitives of people.


Q3. Should the business involved be responsible for keeping the consumer safe? What is the goal of business in society?

Yes, I think the consumer safe should be the top priority for a company. Any possible hazard should be studied under simulations. Since pollution has become a social problem, companies have responsiblity not only for consumers but for society too.

The goal of business is supposed to be profit, but ideally the profit should be returned to the society in certain ways.

Visit to Two Islands

On Saturday, I visited the old port and the two islands (former Expo site) for the first time. Even though I did research on Expo 67, I have not yet seen the unique building "Habitat 67" or the former French & Quebec pavilion "Montreal Casino" with my own eyes.

I set my foot in a Casino for the first time (and maybe the last time) in my life. I thought that Casino is a place where only dressed-up rich people would go. But my friend explained me that there was a strict dress code until recently, but now almost anyone can get in (Admission, parking and cloak are all free. Dress cord is very easy). I just enjoyed to look around and watch people playing on slot machines. At the cheapest machines, you can play from 5 cent per game (but extremely boring and hardly win).

Two islands are now called Jean Drapeau park, and an agreeable place just to take a walk, with beautiful walking trails and bike paths. (Just one station away from Berri-Uquam by Yellow line.) Next weekend, there will be Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Research Project Has Finished !

[photo: Mayor Jean Drapeau presenting on Paris-tower in 1964. Retrieved from the website "Expo 67 in Montreal"]

[Paper]
1. Do you think your writing has improved overall by doing this paper? Explain.
I believe the research project helped me a lot to improve writing. Especially, as it was my first experience to do such a volume of writing, it gave me a confidence and helped to remove the fear for being overwhelmed by the volume of writing.


2. What are some of the skills you improved in while doing the paper?
The skills I improved in this project are how to select necessary information and put them together. I also learned the importance of thoroughly being familiar with the topic. First I had a difficulty to get familiar with all the names, places, incidents and concept. I learned that to get familiar with new ideas, speed and intensity are more important than I thought.


3. How do you feel about your paper?
On the whole, I am satisfied. I feel that I could accomplish what I really wanted to do in this project. I have got acquainted and created some ties with Montreal, not just as a passer-by.

[Presentation]
1. Did you enjoy listening to the presentations?
It was an exciting experience to attend the presentations of such a variety of fields. Even though we are not qualified professors, we could teach & learn from each other as our interests vary so much. This was really a big pleasure.


2. What did you learn about presentation techniques while listening to them?
As a listener, sometimes I felt that I am left behind when I cannot follow the ideas presented. So in my presentation I did not want to make feel anyone left behind (because my topic is not a technical one and therefore everyone should follow it if my presentation is clear enough) , but I think I failed in part although I may have succeeded in other part.

3. What did you learn during the process of preparing for your presentations?
I learned that conveying an idea through writing and speaking are two different things, and therefore I cannot rely too much on writing.


4. Were you satisfied with you own presentation?
I enjoyed it a lot, but I am not sure if my words were clear enough to convey what I wanted to say. But anyway this was a great experience which taught me a lot.

Advertisement

Ads I usually see on the bus or metro are of cell phone, real estate, schools, insurance, radio stations, etc. and relatively low-key, not so commercialistic. I also see recruitment ads by Mcdonald, but this ad uses only letters on a white background and does not stand out.

Ads for food or beverage tend to be more showy. On the public transportation here we do not see those kinds of ads (the only ads for food I can think of is the one for a chinese restaurant on the flank of the bus). I suppose there are some regulations for the types of ads. That is good to keep public places from looking noisy.

Academic Skills

The section I was most interested is the last article, "sleeping your way to the top." I have learned other interesting facts about sleep in the last session (level 6).

One article was about how sleep can help memory to be fixed. By sleeping more than 6 hours after studying, memory is boosted. The other article was about a hormone called melatonin which is produced only in darkness. Melatonin is very important as it can prevent many diseases such as cancer. The peak time for melatonin production is 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. To lead a healthy life, it is recommended to be in darkness before that time.

But in order to get a sufficient sleep, I have to organize my schedule in advance. This is the most difficult part for me as I am not so much organized. I should fully use the skills written in this article.

Public Lecture Project

About a month ago, Alex, Alina, Khuloud and I went to the public lecture about Altzheimer disease which held at Jewish General Hospital. It was an interesting experience as it was in a hospital. (Come to think of it, this was the first time for me to enter a hospital outside of my country. This hospital did not smell like hospital at all...)

The speaker was confident and had a good sense of humor. He even prepared a photo of a car damaged by his collegue (?) just to make a joke. It was almost perfect presentation, but for me it was too difficult to follow.

I went to several other lectures, too. I want to go more if I have an opportunity, but it was difficult to find (free) lectures. I could not have attended so many lectures if those lectures were not posted on the classroom wall.

Small coincidences

On Friday night, I saw a movie "Mona Lisa Smile" (2003) on DVD. This is a movie depicting the challenge by a feminist teacher who tried to change the mindset of her students at a conservative women's college in 1950s.

I loved the musics, classical dresses and old commercial films used at the end of the movie.

This movie features many famous beautiful actresses such as Julia Roberts and Kirsten Dunst, but somehow I could not take my eyes off from Maggie Gyllenhaal while she is on the screen. She is not a so-called "beauty", but she has something attractive and reminded me of something or someone I know... (now I remember. She resembles Anne Wiasemsky in "La Chinoise" by J.L.Godard.)

What was interesting to me was that the movie was not my choice. I joined my host family while they were seeing it. A couple of weeks ago, it was "Last Samurai". On that day I was limping as I twisted my ankle on the stairs, and saw a crashed car from the bus window. The bloody Samurai movie strangely overlapped the pain and injury I witnessed and experienced on that day. On the day I saw "Mona Lisa Smile", I had come across a piece of words that made me think about difficulties women have to face in their lives. And this movie was waiting for me at home.


These small coincidences made me think that what we have in our mind may attract some events.

Or my landlady Catherine has an ability to read my mind...

(Images: retrieved from IMdb)

Population (post discussion)

The video and articles we've read within these two days impressed me a lot. I have never had oppotunities to learn about such a global topic in an intensive manner like this. I understood that the situation regarding population quite differs in each part of the world. Especially, the life of women in subSaharan African states looks so helpless, trapped in a vicious cycle. Why do they have to endure such a condition? What are the statesmen in those countries doing?

Population

1. My grandparents had 5 and 3 children. My parents have 3 children. I would have 2 or less, if possible.

2. Japan's population is about 120 millions. Dense population makes it easier to get public services such as public transportation. Japan's population begins to decline, which means not enough workforce to support elderly people, causing concern about feasibility of pension system.

3. Currently, earth's population is estimated about 6.5 billions.

4. Animal species populations are controled by the following factors; food supply, loss of habitat, natural enemies, caught by human (poaching), etc.

5. No. As population explosion often comes from poverity, ignorance about reproductive health, or oppression over women, I think goverment should address those problems first.

Happiness is in the FLOWS

This unit was useful and very interesting as I have never learned such subject in the classroom in my country. The idea of "flow" was not so new for us oriental people, but what I was not familiar with is the way of analyzing abstract subject such as happiness using figures or percentages. I found it very occidental. Objective data is practical, helpful and give a strong impression. It helped me to think happiness from a different point of view. (But I cannot deny that some of them in Myers' article struck me as ridiculous too.)

For my previous post, I was supposed to give the "definition" of happiness. So I used "negation" to distinguish euphoria from happiness by their durations, but I also like the idea that a succession of short happy moments can be called happiness. Walking in a crisp morning air, seeing a pleasant smile, eating sweet cakes, buying favorite items, etc. We know that money "can't buy me love"(McCartney, 1964 lol), but money attracts people maybe because it seems to guarantee us those small euphoric moments (or rather comfortness?) endlessly.

Personally, I think the right way to happiness is to appreciate what we have already, be grateful for everything around us. In other words, accept everything (including imperfect ourselves) as they are. This may sound very passive. But on the other hand, I am attracted to the idea to take one's own way like in the following anecdote. I will "paraphrase", as I do not have the book at hand.

*********************

There was a beautiful river full of clear water. At the bottom of the river, there was a village. Habitants of the village had to cling onto grass or rock to stay where they were. But they did not find it inconvenient, as that was their way of life.

One day, one of those creatures cried out, "I'm fed up with such a life, I want to see somewhere else!" Others called him crazy and stopped him, saying "Don't be silly. If you release your hand, the flow will kill you by banging you on a rock." But he released his hand. First he was hurt badly by being crashed on a rock but soon the flow brought him up from the bottom.

He traveled down the river. Seeing him "flying", habitants of other villages were amazed and wanted to talk to him, but he disappeared from their sight in a second. The flying creature soon became a legend.

(Richard Bach, "Illusions")

The following is a piece of lyrics by Kazuo Zaitsu(1948-), a Japanese composer/singer. (by my poor translation)

Cast away your joy or sadness
Be simply happy just like a flowing river
Stop the search for happiness

Just be a 'happy body'

---An Aborning Star(1982)

What he meant is, I think, that happiness is beyond any emotions and remains just still there, within our body. Since body (the receptacle of our lives) is the biggest gift we've ever received, to be happy we just have to concentrate our mind on our bodily sense. (By the way, in meditation, it is often instructed to set your mind on this moment by concentrating on your breath or on auditory sense by listening to the "sound of silence".)

Asked "what is love to you?" in an interview in 1984, he talked about unexpected tears he sheds when he sees beautiful blue sky. Those tears are of sudden strong feeling of happiness, and with no reason. He answered this power which moves him to shed tears is the "Love" to him. By "Happy body", he meant a body with a pure mind (like a baby) which is sensitive to all kinds of beauty.

No need to understand each other as we are somewhat similar

Your being here is enough for me

No need to understand each other as we are different after all

---An Aborning Star

I enjoyed too much writing about this theme. Thank you if anyone still reading this line. :-)

Images: Album jackets of "A Picnic in 2222 (2222 nen picnic)" (top) & "The 10th oddyssey" (bottom) by Tulip

Definition of Happiness

Happiness is a persistent state of mind in which people are deeply satisfied with themselves and their surroundings. In this state, people find themselves in a total equilibrium, feeling both of themselves and their surroundings (and even the entire world) are pleasurable and under control.

The most important factor of happiness is stability. If the satisfaction lasts only for a short period of time, that state is not called happiness but euphoria. Euphoria is often accompanied by the fear of losing it. It creates negative feelings as byproducts, that is, anxiety, suspicion, or excessive aggressiveness such as greediness or arrogance.

Happiness is also a self-contented feeling which expects nothing or little if any from surroundings. People in this state try to share what they have with others. Or rather they render others happy without any intention to do it.