I'll Huff and I'll Puff
You may have guessed that my Valentines was not all happy. Hubby and I got into a big row after our Saturday dinner where I kind of went crazy and I am super ashamed that my kids had to witness that. There was some stress build up which I obviously let out. I wrote him a long letter after that because I didn't want to do the ignoring game he likes so much and things have gotten better.
BUT other than that, we had a chocolate fest on Sunday. EVERYONE made chocolates (except for hubby of course). Alex (my 21 yr old son, for new friends) made chocolate macarons, Julian (19) made chocolate rice crispy bars, Audrey(12) made marshmallow-in chocolates and I made chocolate cheese cake. This, I had wanted to eat since several friends suggested I try it when I answered a meme here in 2016 wow... 5 years ago?? But cream cheese is very expensive here and I never had a chance. This Valentines, cream cheese was on sale and I took the opportunity to snag a bunch. Finally LOL
Choir practice on Sunday was good too. I gave everyone chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. The song for the competition on Tuesday is going well I think. I hope we are ready by Tuesday!
I finished the book, All the Light We Cannot See. I was depressed by the ending. A lot of people liked it, it got awards, but ... maybe I'm just not delving deep enough? It was beautiful in it's description and amazing in it's details but I was disappointed by the lack of meaning or hope. One or the other would have been enough. :'(
I joined an FB book club and they are now reading Talking to Strangers which on first reaction really wouldn't be something I was interested in. First of all it isn't fiction. It's I guess about how and why we misunderstand or misjudge people. There are examples of various crimes and trials and famous people. Like how everyone misjudged Hitler, or that guy on Wall Street, pedophiles in prestigious schools and spies way up in the CIA. Also good people judged guilty for crimes they did not commit. It is definitely turning into something I would enjoy discussing/arguing, which is I guess what book clubs are all about. It is also the kind of material that could be used to write fiction, which is as good a reason as any to read it, not to mention I got it for free from the organizer of the group.
This week has been fast. The weather is getting warmer but we are getting really cold winds! Hana loves to sit and bask in the sun and feel the wind when we go to the park. Today we went to the park we used to go to often when we lived in the condo up the hill. The plum blossoms were in bloom and it was beautiful! Also there is a small observatory tower at the park from where we can see Mt. Fuji quite clearly and a bridge next to it where I also took some pictures.
While I was at the park, I had this idea to write a story. I have too many ideas recently and I can't get anything done. But this was based on the fact that I had given an assignment to my somewhat advanced students to write their own story of Little Red Riding Hood. They had learned quite a few things including past tense, feelings, prepositions etc., and I wanted them to look back and and use them somehow. They all did a good job but I noticed that some of them, rather than use the words they had already learned, were looking up new words that fit the Japanese in their mind. In other words, they were not using the words I wanted them to and most importantly they were still translating when I really wanted them to try to think in English. How could I get them to use the words they learned? How about if I wrote up a story with blanks where they could use the words they had learned? Maybe I would provide a list of words and they could find the one that fit or whatever. What about if I wrote the story of the Three Little Pigs for that purpose?
I started writing on my phone right away while I was still at the park. And partly due to the ap on my phone, I realized that it would be difficult to leave blanks from the start. Better to write it all out first, then erase the words I wanted to take out. I got home and on my computer and again wrote and wrote until it was time for class. Came back and started writing again. It is turning into a rather long story because I am trying to fit in lots of prepositions and feelings and all the verb phrases I taught the students, and trying also not to use sentence structures they don't know yet. But I am enjoying it. The three pig brothers are turning into a bit more complex characters than the simple story we all know. I have a problem with the pigs interacting with humans, so I've left humans out of it. All three pigs have dreams and aspirations, and big brother is not just lazy when he builds his straw house. Nor is the second brother. They just have different priorities. And they are also very brave in fighting the wolf to protect their families. I will post it when it's done if you like. The wolf has gotten to the second pig's house but they have gotten away. Now for the showdown at little brother's brick house. :D :D
Anyway, some pictures.
BUT other than that, we had a chocolate fest on Sunday. EVERYONE made chocolates (except for hubby of course). Alex (my 21 yr old son, for new friends) made chocolate macarons, Julian (19) made chocolate rice crispy bars, Audrey(12) made marshmallow-in chocolates and I made chocolate cheese cake. This, I had wanted to eat since several friends suggested I try it when I answered a meme here in 2016 wow... 5 years ago?? But cream cheese is very expensive here and I never had a chance. This Valentines, cream cheese was on sale and I took the opportunity to snag a bunch. Finally LOL
Choir practice on Sunday was good too. I gave everyone chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. The song for the competition on Tuesday is going well I think. I hope we are ready by Tuesday!
I finished the book, All the Light We Cannot See. I was depressed by the ending. A lot of people liked it, it got awards, but ... maybe I'm just not delving deep enough? It was beautiful in it's description and amazing in it's details but I was disappointed by the lack of meaning or hope. One or the other would have been enough. :'(
I joined an FB book club and they are now reading Talking to Strangers which on first reaction really wouldn't be something I was interested in. First of all it isn't fiction. It's I guess about how and why we misunderstand or misjudge people. There are examples of various crimes and trials and famous people. Like how everyone misjudged Hitler, or that guy on Wall Street, pedophiles in prestigious schools and spies way up in the CIA. Also good people judged guilty for crimes they did not commit. It is definitely turning into something I would enjoy discussing/arguing, which is I guess what book clubs are all about. It is also the kind of material that could be used to write fiction, which is as good a reason as any to read it, not to mention I got it for free from the organizer of the group.
This week has been fast. The weather is getting warmer but we are getting really cold winds! Hana loves to sit and bask in the sun and feel the wind when we go to the park. Today we went to the park we used to go to often when we lived in the condo up the hill. The plum blossoms were in bloom and it was beautiful! Also there is a small observatory tower at the park from where we can see Mt. Fuji quite clearly and a bridge next to it where I also took some pictures.
While I was at the park, I had this idea to write a story. I have too many ideas recently and I can't get anything done. But this was based on the fact that I had given an assignment to my somewhat advanced students to write their own story of Little Red Riding Hood. They had learned quite a few things including past tense, feelings, prepositions etc., and I wanted them to look back and and use them somehow. They all did a good job but I noticed that some of them, rather than use the words they had already learned, were looking up new words that fit the Japanese in their mind. In other words, they were not using the words I wanted them to and most importantly they were still translating when I really wanted them to try to think in English. How could I get them to use the words they learned? How about if I wrote up a story with blanks where they could use the words they had learned? Maybe I would provide a list of words and they could find the one that fit or whatever. What about if I wrote the story of the Three Little Pigs for that purpose?
I started writing on my phone right away while I was still at the park. And partly due to the ap on my phone, I realized that it would be difficult to leave blanks from the start. Better to write it all out first, then erase the words I wanted to take out. I got home and on my computer and again wrote and wrote until it was time for class. Came back and started writing again. It is turning into a rather long story because I am trying to fit in lots of prepositions and feelings and all the verb phrases I taught the students, and trying also not to use sentence structures they don't know yet. But I am enjoying it. The three pig brothers are turning into a bit more complex characters than the simple story we all know. I have a problem with the pigs interacting with humans, so I've left humans out of it. All three pigs have dreams and aspirations, and big brother is not just lazy when he builds his straw house. Nor is the second brother. They just have different priorities. And they are also very brave in fighting the wolf to protect their families. I will post it when it's done if you like. The wolf has gotten to the second pig's house but they have gotten away. Now for the showdown at little brother's brick house. :D :D
Anyway, some pictures.