This morning, I woke up, and my body still hurt, and I had about ten minutes before a lesson started, but after dithering I still dragged myself out of bed. I kept wondering to myself, hobbling around on legs that felt like they could shatter at any minute, whether to just give up and go back to bed, especially every time I realized I couldn’t find something like a t-shirt or socks, but every time I thought such a thing, I would find what I needed. Class had already started by the time I was putting on my shoes, with which I had incredible difficulty putting on my feet as I couldn’t completely bend down and my arms were weak, but as soon as the thought crossed my mind, the shoe slipped on. Usually when I wake up and I realize even if I got up at that moment and rushed around getting ready I would be ten minutes late, I tend not to bother, as it’s embarrassing coming in late, but today I decided better late than never. I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t go. I think I’m finally starting to develop this strange thing called “willpower”. Am I finally becoming an adult?
It was the right decision. Being productive over being lazy is almost always the right decision. When I arrived, I just had to nod my head in apology and life continued on, forgetting about me within 5 seconds.
I was the one who ended up doing the tea ceremony today. It was my first time. When I realized it was going to me I did feel a tinge of regret for coming, as my arms were so weak, and I also later realized I’d forgotten those wipes that Fukuoka-sensei had lent us to wipe down the cups, but whatever, I did it.
It had been a while since I’d done tea ceremony. I think I was the slowest in the room out of all the groups that day, as 1) my arms were weak and I had to try doubly hard to not drop anything or set anything down too hard, 2) I kept doubting myself every time I went to do something. Do I put hot water in the cups next? Do I put the tea leaves in the pot first, or do I wipe down the cups first? The process is very complicated.
It turned out okay, though. And we had little pink mochi as our okashi (snack) to go with it, and they looked like little pink flowers.
In the next couple of weeks we have to do speeches in front of the class, 3-5 minutes long, about the culture of tea in our own country, as well as comparing it to tea in Japan. Using PowerPoint, and images, and so on. I’m actually really looking forward to this. As I’m British, and a tea-lover (often considered synonymous), this is like a dream come true, hahaha. Can I really fit all I want to say into 3-5 minutes?
We were let go early, so I decided to go to the supermarket. I got ingredients to make spaghetti bolognaise tonight (my cooking habits don’t really vary that much… I need to get more creative), as well as sandwich ingredients, because I’d been craving a sandwich really really badly yesterday and it was too painful to even get out of bed, let alone walk.
The supermarket’s like a whole new world in the middle of the day. I usually go between 7pm and 8:30pm, when meat and ready meals (e.g. soba dishes, take-away bento) would be reduced by 50% or more. But in the middle of the day, there are a lot more options. I noticed products I’d never seen before, and ended up buying more than I thought I would. I got something along the lines of a baguette (but anyone French reading this would slay me if they saw the thing I called a “baguette”). Speaking of the French, they don’t really have a tea culture. Coffee-drinkers. If they were assigned a wine speech, or a bread speech, or a cheese speech, they’d probably ace it. I like British bread and cheese, but I suppose they also come up short against the French. Oh, and pastries, cakes, and so on. Even though I also love British dessert creations.
Oh yeah, and Charlie Hebdo published another picture of Mohammad. I wonder how that’s gonna go down. I hope from now on no-one’s going to get in a hissy fit about this, now that this event has shaken up the world. Or are people just going to get MORE pissed, now that so much rage went on in Paris and now people may become encouraged to take action to defend their prophet? Not just radical Muslims trying to avenge Allah, but anyone who gets pissed off at satirical cartoons of any kind?
By the way, the word “neutralized”, which I kept hearing in the news, makes me feel ill.
I think South Park’s two-parter episode Cartoon Wars will forever be relevant. And the two-parter 200 and 201. It’s a pity the new season ended a few weeks ago. They’d be having a field day with this. But I suppose they’ve said a lot already. I always feel happy when a topical subject I care about is incorporated somehow into South Park. Makes all the depressing, scary stuff a little more light-hearted. Like their mention of ISIS in the first episode of Season 18. It was such a small mention, but it made me laugh aloud as it felt like such a stress reliever.
Anyway, I ate my sandwich (a glorious ham-salad-tomato-mayo one), but I had to put it on hold halfway through to go to the compulsory lecture in the CJLC Hall. When I got there, the lecturer was on crutches, but still manage to talk about urushi (lacquer). We’re going on another field trip next week, to the Wakayama prefecture. Not entirely sure what we’re doing, but I look forward to it.
Then I came back, finished my sandwich, did my laundry, got the mince out the freezer and napped for 3 hours. I didn’t know whether it was the aching muscles giving me the illusion I was tired, but I needed it.
Then I woke up and made a delicious spaghetti bolognaise. May be my best one yet. I chopped the vegetables a lot more diligently.
When I went to make the pasta though, one of my flatmates was cooking on the other hob. I hate only having two hobs to share between eight people. To combat this I boiled water in my kettle then put the pasta in, hoping it would somewhat soften it, but then my flatmate finished up and I was able to commence.
I’m not sure if anything else happened today… but anyway, time for bed. One minute until midnight.
Oyasumi!
naiveinnippon 