Monday, October 13, 2008

One of my favorites of these days

For these months, precisely since April, I've been just absorbed with this English learning application on the web called "iKnow!" run by a group of young IT professionals consisted of various nationalities.
They have many different learning applications of all kinds and levels.
What I like best about "iKnow" is that I can read, listen and typing many phrases and sentences and I only finish one application by marking 100%for each vocabulary.
In other words, a certain vocabulary is showing up over and over until I am supposed to tell that I've made myself understood a new vocabulary.
What's more I can make friends beyond sexes and ages with the same concern of learning English by requesting as "Friends" so that we exchange comments, sending some greetings and writing diary.
For those being interested in learning Japanese, they have a Japanese learning application as well. Would you like to try just to know what Japanese language is like.

Monday, October 06, 2008

It's October.

right
(image from the previous year)
(things we need for putting new screen paper)




Well, it's kind of threatening for a housewife to know that we have only three months to go before the new year. There are more or less household chores for a typical Japanese housewife to meet the first day of the new year.
Here are my top three annual chores to do:
1) changing the old paper screens to the new ones
2) wiping out all the windows
3) cleaning up shelves and closets in the house.

Chore 1) is quite a task for me. Since there are quite a number of shouji( paper sliding doors) in our house, I can't finish all in one day nor I'm not going to change all every year. I take two years to finish all paper screens to new ones. When every October arrives, I start to make a plan how I start with this job, making plan on how many sliding doors I should work on this year, getting rolls of screen paper,special glue for door frames and a good small blade.
I also check the weather report to know the days must be fine and warm. This is true for Chore 2) as well. Chore 3) is, I believe,just easy for a good housewife who is good at putting things in the house in order, but this is not for me and I prone to leave this chore undone at the end of the year making a excuse to myself saying "Well, let's try to get things in order in my daily life next year. With every day efforts, I don't have to struggle at the end of the year like this."
I've been saying this for these years. what an experienced housewife!