永遠の仔 ” Eternal child” ｂｙ Arata Tendou

When I read "告白confession", I remenbered " 永遠の仔eternal child".

It was written by Arata Tendou in 1993, and has sold around 1.3 million copies and was featured in TV drama in 2000.

The story set in Ehime, and revolves around 3 characters raised in an orphanage, who try to live as suffering total trauma from childhood abuse. The sentence is very sophisticated and detail and well worth reading. And they end in disaster. Two die tragically, and the last person has to live alone with more deeply trauma. I got deeply depressed.

In fact, I know this orphanage, an actual hospital. When I was in a graduate school, I often visited there to meet a girl having a mental problem like them. She was a very beautiful and fragile person, so then she had been suffering from her backgraund. At that time, I was just a student studying psychology, so I couldn't do special, just listen and be near her. After graduating, I had been concerned about how she was. Very recently, I was delighted to hear from a psychiatrist that she was well.

I know, there are people who grow up in unpropitious environment, as hating to do it, but go in for crime. It's not only their faults. I want to believe that everyone can start over any number of times and any time. It is necessary that he has an strong and unshaken heart.

According to psycology, it is made up by a kind of love, selfless love, usually we give it from our mother. Though you couldn't give it, you should give it from someone who love you without seeking return.

When I read a book, I find out something from it. Sometimes it was a new point of view, sometimes it was a new experience. I would hope book was a hope. If I try to find a hope in this book, it would be the strengh from the last person has to live alone.

告白”confession” ｂｙ Kanae Minato

This book was elected the best recomended book by bookstores, and will be made into a film in 2010.

The beginning of the story starts off with a woman teacher at a high school confessing a crime which her daughter was killed.

She says to her students, "There is a murder(murders) in you ", and she trys to hunt down them.

The story is described in people involved of the crime, very clearly and lively. It is not only simple, but also polished style, even junior hight schoolstudent can enjoy it. Besides, there are a lot of ideas, elements of mystery, a dramatic development and ingenuity and unlooked-for last scence. I 'd much fun the first.

But, after reading, I have something on my mind.

It was the last scence, I'm wondering why criminal is never helped, no chance to reform. Especially, about the main killer. He had been also suffering from a mental problem, from his background, abondoned by his mother. I believe that everyone has everyon's existence value. I wanted to see a hope even for the cruel criminal.

Gift

Today I had a lot of meetings with co-workers for the third term.

So, yesterday I made festive cookies and candies for celebrating the new term with co-workers. Cookie is "PORUBORONE", it's eaten on holiday in Spain. They were very crumbly. I couldn't wrap, so I served them just on a plane dish. But I got very nice comments than I expected.

Candy tastes honey and ginger. It became a soft than I expected. It isn't for children, but for adult, because I put good meaning ingredients, honey and ginger, in it. it's good for topic.

http://cookpad.com/recipe/1006121

I also brought sweets to English class, I wish that they would enjoy it.

Ｄuring cooking, my mother was watching me beyond criticism. Sometimes she says to me, "You tend to go to express for others".

I know that.

I just like to share happiness with loving people.

Gift is not sending goods, but expressing my thanks, so good heart is the most important.

It's true that I have some very sad memory about money. Of course, I know, I need money for living, but I don't need a lot of money.

And I want to do something that's doing for other people.

Any way, it's doing it because I think it's going to be fun. I'm sure!

Historian by Elizabeth Kostove

Finally, I've finished reading "Histrian". It took so long time, because it was very long long story for me. But, I really enjoyed it.
This book was written by Elizabeth Kostove, American, she won the 2003 Hopwood Award for this novel, and this will be made into a movie in 2010.
The Historian deals with a young woman searching for her father who is in turn searching for the grave of Vlad the Impaler (the inspiration for Dracula).
Vlad Ⅲmade famous in the Bram Stoker's fictional Dracula(1958), was a real person. the supposed connections between Vlad Ⅲand Bram's Dracula attracted popular attention. During his main reign (1456–1462), he is said to have killed from 40,000 to 100,000 European civilians and 100,000 Ottoman, mainly by using his favourite method of impaling them on a sharp pole.He was a hero scared Ottoman, but on other front he was a bloody dictator. The fear from the inhumanity of the matter was long remembered by the people and would pass into legend.Later, every time when plague was striken people, they would remember it.
The story span three generation. All is the historian. It was narrative and lyrical poetry text, especially, the old and histrical cities in Eastern Europe were described very detail and beautiful.
Most characters were scholars. You will give a grimpse into the academic circles.
And in my opinion, the most exciting part was the scene of chacing the true monestery be burried Dracula.
I bemoan the scences of meeting with Dracula and the cause of floosing Rosshi's memory. Even by these long story, it was too short to discribe the Dracula's mystery.
When make a movie of it, I hope that they tell the story of that's part in detail.
Well, why now, at the end of a century of scientific advance, Dracula is becoming popular in America?
I'm convince that comes from the financial cricis in 2009. Well, how about 1958( which Dracula's movie became a hit. )? 1958 was in the middle of not only the high economic growth, but also the Cold War era and before the Berlin Blockade. People would be perturebed about the world affairs, in between two extremes, and they might feel some indefinable anxieties.
I've realized, now is the one of these eras.
In fact, I read the Japanese translation of this novel, because of winter vacation. I prefer the original to the translation. It became too feel tight, caused by the correct trabslation.
Well, next I'll try to read "twilight", it is also a vampire story and become so popular in America.
I'd like enjoy reading!

New year greeting card

One of the pleasures of this New Years holiday will be receiving greeting cards with friend's photo on them.

They might change little by little, but pictures brought me back the scene of old days.

In this year, I post my e-mail and blog address on my card, and then some friends send mails to me and promised to coming to Ehime. It was a good thing that I post it.

Well, today I visited my friend's new house, I knew it from her new years card.

There was a home theater in their living. It was made to order. What a gorgeous!

Building a house or picking up household goods seems to be having fun!

And she cooked lunch for me, until now, it was my role.

Besides, her cooking skill improved, beautiful kitchen would motivate her to cook.

It may be important to start from the form.

If you keep doing anything long enouh, you can experience almost before you realize it.

Shopping

Today I went to Matsuyama to go shopping with my sister. Many stores already started winter sales. From Jan.2 or more early, it's getting to be early year and year.
We went around the city for the two hours or the three hours.
My sister is particular about her appearances.
She picked out very quickly and a lot of clouthes, besides as thinking total-coordinate with them she has. It's an astonishing ability.
I am diametric opposite. Basically, I like simple and natural style.
And I don't like to buy a lot of things.
Usually, I buy something what I really want.
After deep contemplation, I bought a pair of black boots with some advice from my sister. It was 2,2500yen. It was not cheap, but I'm OK, that is exactly what I needed it. If I bought a fake leather or at the shopping center, I could be less money. I buy not only in high-priced shops, but also mail order or UNICLO. I decide if it is right for my needs, price and quality and purpose.
I think this is the value judgment.
In the end, though I was supposed to buy some clothes, that was all. Perhaps I got satisfied with it.
On my way back, we dropped at a nice italian restrant, and take lunch.
My sister made an unique toy made from straw's paper. She is unexpectedly skillful with her fingers.
Well, I had a good time at Mid Matsuyama in a while.

New Year's holiday's

During New year holiday's, many people retun home from the city. And my sibling's families came back to my home.
I was really looking forward to seeing them, but I had to stick to cook traditional New Year's food's dishes for them. Recently, it became easier than before, because many modern wives can't take such an enough time for cook. It is called "osechi." I'm a good cook, but it was not easy work.
The foods that make up osechi each have a special meaning associated with good luck.
For example, black beans wish for hard work, herring roe are for being gifted with children, lobsters are for long life, etc.
And we eat a zouni which rice cakes boiled in vegetable soup.
A wide variety of ingredients used for zoni are particular to the region where it's made. In the Kansai area, people enjoy a zoni miso soup, while a plain zoni soup is popular in Kanto.
The ingredients of zouni depend on the region, farm harvest is different by location. So, traditional foods will be opened to each region's life and culture and history.
And, I gave a New Year's monetary gift to my loved niece. we call it Otoshidama. It is one of the happy events for children during the New Year holidays. I can't betray the expectation of her.
Finally, I got a gift from my brother. It was a lucky charm. I've realized Japanese is very superstitious. But I'm OK as long as everyone's happy. I just wish my loved people's happiness in 2010.