Year 2016 was a presidential election year. One morning, I turned my car radio on while driving my daughter to school. A lady on radio said, “If Trump becomes a president, Miley Cyrus will vomit and then move to Canada. But first, she vomits!” She emphasized that point. My daughter chuckled in the back. The … More Geography and mindset
When I was in high school in Japan, I had a music teacher who once asked me, “What color do you like?” I thought about it for a few seconds, and responded, “White.” “You’re lying.” What? She continued, “That is not the color you like. I like the kids who give me honest answers.” She … More Can I be vague about this?
My family and I were on the train platform, sending off my husband’s aunt to New York. I was watching her through the train window as she settled into her seat when I heard, “Wait!” I turned to the staircase, but didn’t see anything. I looked up and found a tall beautiful young woman running … More Moving forward
I was surprised when my daughter told me that AP U.S. history in high school is a two-year course. I asked jokingly, “Why do you need two years? American history is less than two hundred fifty years.” But of course, Americans become Americans through education as not everyone was born in the U.S. and not … More A word can change history
I believe in science. But I question the concept of evolution when I look at my cats. The law of natural selection doesn’t seem to apply to them. One of them is a hunter. She crawls very slowly and low on the floor whenever she sees a bird on the porch railing, only to be … More Cats are masters
I once read that there isn’t a good translation for the Japanese word “mottainai.” Mottainai has some elegant uses, however, it’s commonly used to express the desire for no waste. Time is precious; time is mottainai. Don’t waste paper; paper is mottainai. According to Japanese dictionaries, mottainai is seeing that the value of something or … More Eat it to save it
When I worked in Japan a long time ago, everyone in the office who came back from trips to the U.S. said unequivocally, “American food is awful. They put salt and pepper on everything.” And I thought, “but I use soy sauce and mirin all the time. My cooking isn’t any better than American cooking.” … More Crossing the emotional border
I played tennis in college. Everybody else in the club was more serious about it; I only played for pleasure. I was also not that good at it. Much later, I learned that my poor eyesight meant that I couldn’t measure a distance well: my right eye was near-sighted, and the left far-sighted, both with … More An alternative to a passionate life
I sometimes work late evenings, training clients in Japan via video conference. I like one-on-one sessions, as I get to know the client on a personal level. However, these sessions come with an occupational hazard. Afterwards, I often need time to decompress. So, with a cup of tea in one hand and a TV remote … More Usual, but normal?
I was fresh off the boat when someone first asked me, “How are you?” I translated my Japanese response into English and said, “I’m a bit tired.” That was the truth. I worked and also studied at a graduate school until my wedding, and the day after we said “I do”, my husband and I … More How are you?