so my last post was my rough draft of a speech i gave last week at a speech contest. i didn't win. but the participation prize was ¥5000 so i'm not complaining. :P
here's the final version of my speech (thanks to the friendly editors on lang-8 and friends here in japan!) and a sentence by sentence strict translation:
皆さん、こんにちは。
子供の頃のことをよく覚えていますか。嫌いな食べ物がいっぱいありましたね。納豆はどうでしたか？食べられましたか。それとも、大人になってから食べられるようになったのですか。まあ、今でも食べられない方もいると思いますが、一度成人したら、嫌いな食べ物は少なくなるでしょう。
私の場合、ライス、サラダ、キノコ、野菜などが大嫌いでした。生の人参以外はね。１４歳の頃、ニューヨーク市に引っ越すことになりました。新しい経験がたくさんありました。そして、両親と中華料理や韓国料理の店に月に何回も行きました。それをとおして、少しずつ以前に嫌いな物になれてきて、ついに「うぁ、うまい！これ」というところまでいったのです。
今は、野菜もご飯も大好きになって、嫌いな食べ物はほとんどありません。ウニだけですかね。しかし、私の友人の一人は完全に逆です。魚や脂が付いている肉はだめなので、日本に住んでいても和食を避けて、毎日マックで食事するらしいです。そんな彼と外食するのは大変です。それを考えたら、何でも食べられるようになった自分は、ラッキーですよね。誰とでも食事できるし、どこに行っても平気ですからね。しかも、選択肢があります。
飲み物もそうです。初めてコーヒーを飲んだ時はまずいと思ったのです。ミルクや砂糖を入れていなかったせいかもしれません。でもあきらめずに、飲み続けました。それは、二年前のことです。２４歳までコーヒーをずっと飲まなかった私が、どうしてこんなまずいものを好きになるまで飲み続けていたのでしょうか。それは、飲まないのは私だけじゃ寂しいし、「よかったらコーヒーでも飲みに行かない？」と言えずに、うまくデートに誘う事ができないんじゃないかというような事を思っていたからです。それで、だんだんどんな種類にもブラック・コーヒーにも慣れただけではなく、好きになりました。
確かに、新しい食べ物と飲み物を試して、味わう事が好きですけど、飲食関係ではない新しい経験も求めて、味わうのが好きだという事に最近気がつきました。今までの人生を振り返ってみると、それがはっきり分かりました。
高校を卒業した後、ニューヨークを出て、アメリカ西部のユタ州にある大学に入りました。一年後、学校を二年間休んで、自分の所属していた教会でボランティアをして、カリフォルニアに引っ越して、そこにある中国人の教会に入り、いろんな活動に参加しました。当然中国語も勉強していました。それが終わって、大学に戻って日本語を勉強しはじめたのです。日本語を専攻していて、卒業の一年前に時間があったので演劇の授業を受けることにしました。次の学期にクラスメートの劇に出て、その後、大学の夏芝居にも出演しました。それで、大学卒業して、今年四月に日本に引っ越してきたのです。
このように、新しい経験が次から次へとやってきます。これからも、未知の世界に挑みたいと思います。例えば、皆さんにかっこわるいと思われるかもしれませんけれども、コンビニか吉野家のようなバイトもしたいと思います。こういうのを体験すれば、同じような仕事をしている人の事をもっと分かるようになると思います。バイトの事だけではなく、他人の暮らし方、考え方、話し方などを試せば、いろんな人と関係ができるでしょう。コミュニケーションがとれるでしょう。
皆さん、いかがですか。未知の世界に行きませんか。向こうにはごちそうが私たちを待っています。さあ、行きましょう。
ありがとうございました。
hello everyone,
remember when you were a child? there were a lot of foods you hated, right? how about natto? did you eat that? or were you not able to eat until you were an adult? well, there are probably some people who still don't like it, but in general when we become adults we start to like many of the things we once hated.
in my case, i absolutely hated rice, salad, mushrooms, and all sorts of vegetables (raw carrots aside). when i was 14, my family moved to new york. i had many new experiences there. from around that time i started going out to eat a few times a month with my parents, often to chinese and korean restaurants. through that practice, i slowly became accustomed to eating those foods i previously hated, and even got to the point of feeling, "wow, this is GOOD."
now, i love vegetables and rice, and i feel like i no longer have any foods i genuinely dislike. except maybe sea-urchin. but i have a friend who's the complete opposite. he doesn't like fish and doesn't like meat that has any fat on it, so even though he lives in japan, he avoids japanese food, and basically eats at mcdonald's everyday. it's quite difficult to go out to eat with him. when i thought about that i realized that i'm very lucky that i can now eat anything. you see, i can go out to eat with anyone—it doesn't matter where we go because i'll be fine with whatever. and i have options.
it's the same with drinks. when i first tried coffee i thought it was disgusting. that might have been because there was no milk or sugar in it. but i didn't give up, and i kept drinking. so why exactly was i so determined to keep drinking coffee until i liked it, despite it being so gross? well, i felt a bit lonely being the only one who didn't drink coffee, and i wasn't sure if i could date properly or effectively without being able to say the words, "how about coffee sometime?". well eventually i not only came to tolerate all types/styles of coffee—even black—but i now legitimately like them.
clearly, i like trying and savoring new foods and drinks, but recently i realized that actually just like seeking out and enjoying new experiences, even ones unrelated to eating and drinking. looking back on my life, this is easy to see.
after i graduated high school, i left new york and went to a university in utah (a state in the western part of america). a year later, i took two years off to do volunteer work for the church i was in, and went to california to participate in the activities of a chinese congregation there. while i was there i studied chinese, naturally. after that, i returned to school and started studying japanese. i majored in japanese, and about 1 year before graduating i had some extra time, so i started taking acting classes. the next semester i appeared in some plays that my friends directed, and then i starred in my university's summer play. then i graduated and moved to japan this last april.
new experiences just come after the other. i want to continue exploring new worlds. for example, though i know you may not think much of me for this, i want to get a part time job at a convenience store or fast food joint. i feel that having this kind of experience would allow me to better understand the people who serve me at these establishments now. but not just part-time jobs—if we try out other people's ways of living, thinking, and talking we'll be ale to relate to them so much better. and we'll be able to communicate better.
well, what do you think? why don't you take a step or two into the unknown? there's a whole feast of new experiences waiting for us. so, shall we go?
thank you very much.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
未知の世界
まだ校正されてない、今週発表するスピーチです：
皆さん、こんにちは。
子供の頃よく覚えていますか。嫌いな食べ物はいっぱいありましたね。納豆はどうでしたか？食べられましたか。それとも、大人になってから食べるようになったのですか。まあ、今でも食べられない方もいると思いますが、一般成人したら、嫌いな食べ物は少なくなるでしょう。
私の場合、ライス、サラダ、キノコ、野菜などが大嫌いでした。生の人参以外がね。１４歳の頃、ニューヨーク市に引っ越すことになりました。新しい経験がたくさんありました。それに、両親と中華や韓国料理の店に月に何回も行く事をとおして、少しずつ以前に嫌いな物になれてきて、ついに「うぁ、うまい！これ」っていうことまでいったのです。
今、野菜もご飯も大好きになって、嫌いな食べ物はほとんどありません。だいたいウニだけですかね。しかし、私の友人の中で、一人は完全に逆です。魚や脂が付いている肉はだめなので、日本に住んでも和食を避けて、毎日マックで食べるらしいです。そんな彼と外食するのは大変です。それを考えたら、何でも食べられるようになった自分が、ラッキーですね。誰とも食事できるし、どこに行っても平気ですからね。しかも、選択肢があります。
飲み物もそうです。初めてコーヒーを飲んだ時にまずいと思ったのです。ミルクや砂糖を入れていないせいかもしれません。でもあきらめずに、飲み続きました。それは、二年前のことです。２４歳までコーヒーをずっと飲まなかった私は、どうしてこんなまずいものを好きになるまで飲んでいたのでしょうか。飲まないのは私だけじゃ寂しいし、よかったらコーヒーでも飲みに行かないって言えなくて、デートに誘う事がうまくできないっていうような事を思っていました。それで、だんだんどんな種類にもブラック・コーヒーにも慣れただけではなく、好きになりました。
確かに、新しい食べ物と飲み物を試して、味わう事が好きですけど、飲食関係ではない新しい経験も求めて、味わうのが好きだという事に最近気がつきました。今までの人生を振り返れば、それがはっきり分かりました。
高校を卒業した後で、ニューヨークを出て、アメリカ西部のユタ州にある大学に入りました。一年後、学校を二年間休んで、自分の所属していた教会のボランティアになって、カリフォルニアに引っ越して、そこにある中国人の教会に入り、いろんな活動に参加しました。当然中国語も勉強していました。それが終わって、大学に戻って日本語を勉強しはじめたのです。日本語を専攻していて、卒業の一年前に時間があったので演劇の授業を受けることにしました。次の学期にクラスメートの劇に出て、その後、大学の夏芝居にも出演しました。それで、大学卒業して、今年四月に日本に引っ越してきたのです。
このように、新しい経験が次から次にやってきます。これからも、未知の世界によく挑みたいと思います。例えば、皆さんにださいと思われるかもしれませんけれども、コンビニか吉野家のようなバイトもしたいと思います。こういうのを体験すれば、同じような仕事をしている人の事をもっと分かるようになると思います。バイトの事だけではなく、他人の暮らし方、考え方、話し方などを試せば、あの人と関係ができるでしょう。コミュニケーションができるでしょう。
皆さん、いかがですか。未知の世界に行きませんか。向こうにはごちそうが私たちを待っています。さあ、行きましょう。
ありがとうございました。
Sunday, November 6, 2011
just because i eat ramen doesn't mean i can't cook! (sort of...)
now is really not the time to be doing this. i should be writing my speech for a competition i'm in next week. or i should be writing my novel. or i should be taking a nap.
but i'm not one to exercise self-control.
so let's talk about how to take ordinary instant ramen and make it awesome!
1) buy the right ramen. try out different varieties until you find which one you like the best. buying bad noodles just to save 50 cents is silly. but you shouldn't have to pay more than $1.00 for a decent noodle/soup combo.
note: packages with two or more flavor packets are usually a sign of good ramen.
2) buy some extra goodies. this time around i used the following:
豆腐 (tofu). firmness depends on personal preference. just remember that soft/silken tofu won't be easy to pick up with chopsticks.
椎茸 (shiitake). most types of mushrooms will work in ramen. fresh are the tastiest, but frozen or dried will also work.
わかめ (wakame). this a type of seaweed. very healthy, very delicious, and very inexpensive.
キムチ (kimchi). this adds a kick and a contrasting texture. the best stuff is homemade, so i'd recommend making some korean friends.
油揚げ (aburaage). i think the english term for this is "fried tofu skin". it's often used in miso soup. i absolutely love this stuff!
other good fixins: eggs (hard-boiled, soft-boiled, or egg-drop-style), green onions, spinach, strips of meat (chicken, pork, beef), shrimp, soybean sprouts, corn, cabbage, and whatever else tickles your fancy.
note: some of these items can be hard to find outside of japan. your best bet is to find a nearby japanese or korean market.
3) preparation. know what you're doing. some things do well in boiling water for long periods of time, but most things don't. try to time when you add the ingredients, so that everything will taste it's best. DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT overcook the noodles! here's, let's look at how i did it:
add a large bowl's worth of water to the pot. throw in the dehydrated goods (wakame and mushrooms) and turn on the heat. cut the aburaage:
throw it into the pot. the water should be close to boiling.
while waiting for a rolling boil, cut the tofu and put in the bowl (the one used for measuring water earlier):
once the water is boiling, throw in the noodles. with a pot full of the goodies, the noodles might not submerge. don't worry—we'll flip 'em. extra points if you can do it with cooking chopsticks. flip those noodles:
different noodles have different cooking times. generally the best taste/texture is achieved by cooking just to the point when the curls have all become nearly straight. if you're unsure, it's better to undershoot the cooking time than overshoot it. the noodles will continue to soften even after removed from the heat.
pour everything over the tofu in the bowl. tofu is safe to eat as is—and it helps cool down the ramen to perfect eating temperature. as does the kimchi. finally, add the soup base and mix well. add extra water from the faucet if too much boiled out. if you've done it all right, the ramen will be delicious and just cool enough to eat really fast without burning yourself. it may look something like this:
ok, so my food has never been much on the presentation front. :-/ but it was super tasty! and really cheap. taking into account the ingredients and amounts, the whole meal cost under ¥225 (about $3.00).
have ramen ideas of your own? i'd love to hear 'em! happy bargain cooking and leave a comment!
but i'm not one to exercise self-control.
so let's talk about how to take ordinary instant ramen and make it awesome!
1) buy the right ramen. try out different varieties until you find which one you like the best. buying bad noodles just to save 50 cents is silly. but you shouldn't have to pay more than $1.00 for a decent noodle/soup combo.
note: packages with two or more flavor packets are usually a sign of good ramen.
2) buy some extra goodies. this time around i used the following:
豆腐 (tofu). firmness depends on personal preference. just remember that soft/silken tofu won't be easy to pick up with chopsticks.
椎茸 (shiitake). most types of mushrooms will work in ramen. fresh are the tastiest, but frozen or dried will also work.
わかめ (wakame). this a type of seaweed. very healthy, very delicious, and very inexpensive.
キムチ (kimchi). this adds a kick and a contrasting texture. the best stuff is homemade, so i'd recommend making some korean friends.
油揚げ (aburaage). i think the english term for this is "fried tofu skin". it's often used in miso soup. i absolutely love this stuff!
other good fixins: eggs (hard-boiled, soft-boiled, or egg-drop-style), green onions, spinach, strips of meat (chicken, pork, beef), shrimp, soybean sprouts, corn, cabbage, and whatever else tickles your fancy.
note: some of these items can be hard to find outside of japan. your best bet is to find a nearby japanese or korean market.
3) preparation. know what you're doing. some things do well in boiling water for long periods of time, but most things don't. try to time when you add the ingredients, so that everything will taste it's best. DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT overcook the noodles! here's, let's look at how i did it:
add a large bowl's worth of water to the pot. throw in the dehydrated goods (wakame and mushrooms) and turn on the heat. cut the aburaage:
throw it into the pot. the water should be close to boiling.
while waiting for a rolling boil, cut the tofu and put in the bowl (the one used for measuring water earlier):
once the water is boiling, throw in the noodles. with a pot full of the goodies, the noodles might not submerge. don't worry—we'll flip 'em. extra points if you can do it with cooking chopsticks. flip those noodles:
different noodles have different cooking times. generally the best taste/texture is achieved by cooking just to the point when the curls have all become nearly straight. if you're unsure, it's better to undershoot the cooking time than overshoot it. the noodles will continue to soften even after removed from the heat.
pour everything over the tofu in the bowl. tofu is safe to eat as is—and it helps cool down the ramen to perfect eating temperature. as does the kimchi. finally, add the soup base and mix well. add extra water from the faucet if too much boiled out. if you've done it all right, the ramen will be delicious and just cool enough to eat really fast without burning yourself. it may look something like this:
ok, so my food has never been much on the presentation front. :-/ but it was super tasty! and really cheap. taking into account the ingredients and amounts, the whole meal cost under ¥225 (about $3.00).
have ramen ideas of your own? i'd love to hear 'em! happy bargain cooking and leave a comment!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
NaNoWriMo! + dancing by the ocean
so NaNoWriMo has officially begun! i'm sitting pretty on day 3 with 251 words. only 49749 words to go!
251 words doesn't really reflect how much time i've spent on this so far. i've put in about 4 hours already. i think my problem is that i'm trying to make it perfect—funny, deep, readable, and one-of-a-kind. that's not really the point. so, i just need to accept it's imperfections and plow through.
i keep getting distracted. i think i need a computer that can only do one thing at a time. to the point of having a web browser with only one tab. i started this post an hour and a half ago. (-_-)
in hopes of actually being productive today (day off! wooooo!), i'm going to end this short post with this:
my friend SweetFeetKoshka busting out an awesome dance cover of SNSD's new single, the boys.
251 words doesn't really reflect how much time i've spent on this so far. i've put in about 4 hours already. i think my problem is that i'm trying to make it perfect—funny, deep, readable, and one-of-a-kind. that's not really the point. so, i just need to accept it's imperfections and plow through.
i keep getting distracted. i think i need a computer that can only do one thing at a time. to the point of having a web browser with only one tab. i started this post an hour and a half ago. (-_-)
in hopes of actually being productive today (day off! wooooo!), i'm going to end this short post with this:
my friend SweetFeetKoshka busting out an awesome dance cover of SNSD's new single, the boys.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
お待たせしました〜
日本語の投稿を再開します〜
読者には、日本語が分かる人はほとんどいないと思いますけど……
今週の土曜に東京で性同一性障害の協会が交流会を開いて、その情報を聞いて、行くことにしました。実は、怖いです。
もちろん、行きたいです。でも、日本に来てからずっと、女装したり、女声を練習したり、一度もしなかったんです。進歩がなくて、むしろ退歩している気がする。
だから、行かなければならないと思います。
ところで、最近「電車男」というドラマを見ています。今終わったところです。話もいいけど、見てから私も「2ch」に悩みを投稿しようかなと考えてきました。
トクに、性同一性障害に関する質問が解答されるはずです。２ちゃんも今週の交流会も、楽しみにしています。
好奇心のせいか、以上の文をgoogleで訳したら……と思って、爆笑しちゃった！
どうぞ、読んでみてください (^o^)
good luck with that one!
読者には、日本語が分かる人はほとんどいないと思いますけど……
今週の土曜に東京で性同一性障害の協会が交流会を開いて、その情報を聞いて、行くことにしました。実は、怖いです。
もちろん、行きたいです。でも、日本に来てからずっと、女装したり、女声を練習したり、一度もしなかったんです。進歩がなくて、むしろ退歩している気がする。
だから、行かなければならないと思います。
ところで、最近「電車男」というドラマを見ています。今終わったところです。話もいいけど、見てから私も「2ch」に悩みを投稿しようかなと考えてきました。
トクに、性同一性障害に関する質問が解答されるはずです。２ちゃんも今週の交流会も、楽しみにしています。
好奇心のせいか、以上の文をgoogleで訳したら……と思って、爆笑しちゃった！
どうぞ、読んでみてください (^o^)
Japanese ~ Post Resumes-from google translate
The reader will understand that I think very few Japanese are ...
Open Exchange Meeting Association of GLBT in Tokyo on Saturday this week, hearing that information, I decided to go. This is in fact scary.
Of course, you go. But ever since coming to Japan, and transvestites, and women exercise, I did not even once. Without progress, and feel that rather backward.
So I must go.
Meanwhile, recent "Train Man" is a look at the drama. I just finished. I can talk better, I look at the "2ch" I think that you try to submit a trouble to.
In particular, questions should be answered by GLBT. Chan AC 2 times this week, we look forward to.
good luck with that one!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
fall cleaning
today is going to be a day of cleaning.
that means, of course, i'll be cleaning my room. but more than that, i'm going to do some cleaning of my whole life.
and i'm going to drink a lot of water.
(just so you don't get the wrong idea: cleaning my life doesn't mean i'll be doing some sort of moral reevaluation. it means getting rid of baggage—cleaning out the problems of my heart. i no have major qualms with my sense of morality.)
and since i'm writing this post at the start of my cleaning, that means i'll be doing some heart cleaning first. feel free to skip this section because chances are you won't understand it.
==heart cleaning==
i can't do it anymore. it's done. i'm not going to keep loving you—and in the process re-break my own heart every week. and that means i'm going to have to keep some distance.
it may seem weird to save a friendship by pulling away, but i don't know what else to do. i have to detach.
i've wondered if i just need to find someone else to be interested in. i don't think my heart works that way though. and i don't feel like i even have the energy to try.
i'm not going to slip. i need to be firm. i'm not going to let myself fall into my old habits of "what if..." and "if only...".
再见.
==house cleaning==
first the clutter. and dishes (only a cup, a plate, and a few knives—not that bad, eh?). and.............done
well that only took a few hours (distractions included). (>_<)
there'll be some re-cleaning to do after dinner, but the main job is done. the last main thing i need to do is sweeping. it's been a while, so i'm expecting a few kilos of dust/debris.
i'll conclude there. "i'm about to eat dinner and sweep my floor" isn't much of a cliff-hanger, so i don't feel in the least bit bad about cutting this one off.
until next time (^-^)\
that means, of course, i'll be cleaning my room. but more than that, i'm going to do some cleaning of my whole life.
and i'm going to drink a lot of water.
(just so you don't get the wrong idea: cleaning my life doesn't mean i'll be doing some sort of moral reevaluation. it means getting rid of baggage—cleaning out the problems of my heart. i no have major qualms with my sense of morality.)
and since i'm writing this post at the start of my cleaning, that means i'll be doing some heart cleaning first. feel free to skip this section because chances are you won't understand it.
==heart cleaning==
i can't do it anymore. it's done. i'm not going to keep loving you—and in the process re-break my own heart every week. and that means i'm going to have to keep some distance.
it may seem weird to save a friendship by pulling away, but i don't know what else to do. i have to detach.
i've wondered if i just need to find someone else to be interested in. i don't think my heart works that way though. and i don't feel like i even have the energy to try.
i'm not going to slip. i need to be firm. i'm not going to let myself fall into my old habits of "what if..." and "if only...".
再见.
==house cleaning==
first the clutter. and dishes (only a cup, a plate, and a few knives—not that bad, eh?). and.............done
well that only took a few hours (distractions included). (>_<)
there'll be some re-cleaning to do after dinner, but the main job is done. the last main thing i need to do is sweeping. it's been a while, so i'm expecting a few kilos of dust/debris.
i'll conclude there. "i'm about to eat dinner and sweep my floor" isn't much of a cliff-hanger, so i don't feel in the least bit bad about cutting this one off.
until next time (^-^)\
Sunday, October 2, 2011
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