Painting is fun

It's been long since I got this new painting and drawing soft. When was it that I got this? If I remember correctly it was way back in the winter of 2003. Then I just didn't have enough time to study paintings and almost forget about it. Then, all of a sudden, did you ever run into a situation that you can't resist trying it out. That exactly happened to me a few days ago. I just got in a mood to paint so I took out the tablet and started drawing with the pen-shaped mouse.
Once I start painting, my clock will stop ticking. I really enjoy drawing on the tablet and enjoy watching it on the desktop. There I don't have to make a mess all over with watercolors on the desk. All the works are to be handled on the computer desk top. I can mix the colors with some water on the computer palete and "click" on my favorite tool out of painting brushes from small to large, pencils, pens, sprays, chalks, charcoals, crayons whatever. Everything is installed in the computer. Well, I'm not a gogod painter but thanks to this drawing soft, I enjoy the world of painters.
Oh, there is one remarkable difference from the acutual paintings. That is, the computer painting provides us with the functions of "layers". One picture consists of many layers so that you really don't get into trouble when you want to erase a part you don't like anymore. All I have to do is just "delete" the layer I don't like and re-paint. That's really something!

Bean Throwing

We have many cultural ceremonies in our country. Maybe it is that we have four distinct seasons. This gives us varieties chances to appreciate the changes of the nature.
I love the bean throwing ceremony held either on February 3 or 4 depending on the year.
We call this day "Setubun". "Setu" means "the season" and "bun" means "divide". So it literally means the day marking the change from winter to spring. So today the third of February is the last day of the winter and tomorrow is the beginning of the spring which every one is longing for its arrival. Well talking of the bean throwing ceremony, not only at many shrines but also at every home family enjoys this throwing ceremony called "Mame maki". We throw the roasted soy beans in the house shouting "Out with the eveil and in with the fortune!" Then we open the windows and throw beans again outside in the garden shouting the same phrase. This way we believe we drive away misfortune and invite only good luck and health for the family. My two children used to love this ceremony so much and they used to throw the beans all over the rooms in the house shouting the phrase. Cleaning up the rooms was my job first thing in the next morning. But now the children are old enough to be reluctant to throw beans, which little kids are crazy about. So I take a part of this bean-throwing. Without this, the good fortune takes a glance at our house and might be just walking away. Oops, it's going to be a problem.
(Click on the picture to get a large view.)

Snowfall

I woke up and sensed that the air was chilly and dead silent. I walked to the windows and open the curtain. Wow, it's snow all over! The sasanqua flowers in the garden looked so beautiful against white snow. Such my excitement has been disturbed on the spot.
Ah, today is the day my daughter takes an entrance exam for the university. Ah, my husband takes a train early in the morning on business. Oh dear, I can't use my car for work on such a snowy day.
So we had a hectic morning to begin our days.
Her exam was pushed back on the timetable and my husband had to walk to the nearest station with his luggage. As for me, I gave up driving and got to the station only to wait long with patience till a train finally pulled in to the platform.
Oh, that's enough. But the weather forcast warns us we will have this turmoil tommorow morning as well.
Oh what a beginning of the spring.
(Click on the second picture to get a large view.)

Funny face

Is this a new character model or a toy robot? No, it's my new iron! Well, I was quite surprised to see the varieties of irons from side to side sitting on the shelves at the shop. Too many! How come do we need so many kinds of irons. And how am I supposed to pick up one from them. They are small, large, stylish, colorful, corded, cordless, steam, extra-shot steam, vertical steam, mist spray and more---more than I can tell you at heart.
After examining and checking irons one after another walking along the aisles in between the shelves, I made up my mind to pick up this one as shown in the pictures. It's a large sized iron corded only but with 17 steam holes on the soleplate, which I believe it must bring out good results of ironing. I am quite happy about my decision and really enjoying ironing now. There is one thing I didn't check, though. It's an image especially an image from the top view. Wow, it has a funny face but cute. Who should ever complain about it? I don't care about whether or not it has a good looking face.
Necessity comes first.

Enjoy yourself

Oh, I love this calendar so much. I've found it at a sort of very private spot at computer school I go to. I love to take a look at this every time I visit this spot.
Speaking of a book of a one day calendar, it must be thrilling to tare it off every day when the date is turned to the next. There on a calendar you will see some other interesting information besides the date, such as famous proverbs, the birthday of the well-known people, historical incidents of the day, the date by the lunatic calendar and the like.
As for the one here at this school, every page has a quiz of an English expressions from Japanese sentences on each day at the bottom. You won't know the right answer until you see it on the following page next day. Well, actually there will no one I suppose to wait until tomorrow to get a right answer. You will surely have a quick glance at the answer by lifting up the edge of the page halfway. To tell you the truth, this is so tempting that I find myself just keep on going and going to the next pages to get Q&A until I know it's time to go.
This spot I've been talking about is -----guess where?
The answer is "a bathroom" where you are never bothered by others.
Some people especially those who are not Japanese may think this is something beyond their imagination. Why the calendar in the bathroom? Simply because we like to spend the moment of being in there besides the primary reason. Well a calendar is general but it doesn"t have to be a calendar. If you happen to visit a friend of yours at home whose son or daughter is studying for the entrance exams of universities, this might be a chart of world history or chemical signs or a list of difficult Kanji(Chinese characters), whatever so. You will never fail to take a look at these words and letters every time you get in the bathroom. That way you will learn them by heart. Good idea! Huh?