Weekly Topics/Archive
December 2010
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It's getting close to a deadline for posting New Year's Post Cards to be
delivered on
New Year's Day．
Generally speaking, I don't take action until I'm driven into the corner.
I'm under the strict deadline just now，and so I'm intent on writing and
printing the cards
using my computer.
I have to prepare about 300 New Year's postcards including my wife's ones.
It takes a lot of work and time to prepare so many cards.
It's because I have to perform such operations as checking addresses, designing
the card using comuter software "fude-gurume", printing them by printer and then filling
in my recent news on their cards.
I was getting pretty tired of doing only these operations all the time.
And so I left to go shopping in Kyoto for a change.
I happened to fix my attention on one of advertisements which hung in JR
train.
Its title was "Good-by, Sanoku Clause", to stimulate people's
motivation to buy the year-end
jumbo lottery tickets.
Ah, it says, "Billionaire doubling, 444 people".
And also it says, "It's still not too late. By Christmas Eve, December
24th.
As a present to you".
As I was inflamed so much, I got the urge to buy the tickets.
And so I bought some "Year-End Jumbo" lottery tickets at the
stand at JR Kyoto station.
It's because I got a kind of feeling that I would win the lottery.
Just in case I win the lottery，I erase a lottery number on the ticket in
the photo below.
However，I think the number of winning lottery ticket naturally decrease
if their lottery
tickets have left unsold． Is that right ?
It's because we are now in economical recession.
If they have left unsold, I'm prepared to buy a lottery ticket for 100
yen.
I think the catch-phrase in the ad isn't good.
I'm afraid people might interpret the meaning of "Good-by,Sanoku Clause" as " Good-by,
300 million yen".
Even though I don't win the lottery, I don't regret buying the lottery
tickets.
I think it's OK because part of the profits from sales of lottery will be donated to Local
Government.
At the end of the year, I will have one more treat while drinking at home.
I really hope I will win the grand prize of the Year-End Jumbo lottery.
［Note］ Sanoku Clause ；サンオクロ−ス(サンタクロ−スにひっかけた宝くじの広告の文句)
It's getting close to deadline time. ； 締め切りの時間が迫っている
drive someone into the corner ； 人を(窮地に)追い詰める
be under a strict deadline ； 厳しい締め切りに追われる
be intent on doing 〜 ； 〜に没頭(熱中，専念)している)
it takes a lot of work and time to do 〜 ； 〜するのに多くの労力と時間がかかる
fude-gurume ；筆ぐるめ， fill in 〜；〜を書き込む，記入する
get pretty tired of 〜；〜するのにいいかげんうんざりする，飽き飽きする
for a change ； 気分転換に，息抜きに、 fix one's attention on 〜 ； 〜にくぎづけになる
stimulate someone's motivation to do 〜 ； 〜する意欲をかきたてる
the year-end jumbo lottery ticket ； 年末ジャンボ宝くじ、 doubling ； 倍増
billionaire；億万長者，it's still not too late. ； まだ間に合う、
inflame；を煽る/かきたてる get the urge to do 〜；〜したい衝動にかられる
get a kind of feeling that 〜 ； なんとなく〜のように思う(な予感がする)
just in case 〜；万一〜の場合に備えて、〜するといけないから、 erase ；消す、 leave unsold ； 売れ残る economical recession ； 不景気、 be prepared to do 〜 ； 〜する用意がある
interpret the meaning of A as B ； AをBと解釈する、 treat ； 楽しみ
donate to 〜；〜に寄付する、 Local Government；自治体
Japanese Diary / No.324−2010.12.22 / 「さよならサンオクロ−ス2010」
Today is taisetsu.
Although kanji for taisetsu has a meaning of "heavy snow"，it
doesn't mean that it's
snowing heavily in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, where I live.
It's the 21st solar term in the 24 solar terms of the traditional East
Asian calendars.
According to New's Click on today's Mainichi Newspapers, taisetsu is the
days when
it starts to snow hard and the snow accumulates on the ground.
It's also the days when frost columns form in the ground and a thin layer
of ice forms on
the ponds and rivers in the morning and evening.
In my boyhood, about fifty to sixty years ago, each of the 24 solar terms
expressed
a sense of the season in a timely manner.
Recently, each one comes one solar term earlier, I think.
It might be because of global warming.
Today, each of the 24 solar terms might be better to be displaced by one
solar term.
Be that as it may, a row of ginkgo trees on Biwako Street near my home has been
getting ready steadily for winter.
Here are some pictures on the change of the view on the Street.
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| A row of ginkgo on Biwako Street on Nov.23 |
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| A row of ginkgo on Biwako Street on Nov.27 |
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| A row of ginkgo on Biwako Street on Dec.5 |
All the ginkgo trees have almost fallen their yellow leaves in just 12
days and have
completely got ready for winter.
At this time of year, I always remember a haiku poem, " Busily, a
pendulum swings,
in December", written by Shiki Masaoka, who is another hero of NHK
drama, "Saka-no-ue-no-Kumo", broadcasted on TV these days.
Early winter perfectly enfolds this town.
December has come, and even pensioner like me feels sort of busy this month.
And also it's getting cold day by day.
Everyone ! Please take care not to catch a cold.
[Note] 24 solar terms ； 24 節気、 kanji ； 漢字、 the snow accumulates ； 雪が積もる
frost columns ； 霜柱、 in a timely manner ； タイミング良く、時宜｛じぎ｝に即して
a sense of the season ； 季節感、 global warming ； 地球温暖化
displace ； (通常の位置から〜を)ずらす、 be that as it may ； それはさておき
ginkgo tree ； イチョウ、 a row of ginkgo trees ； イチョウ並木、 get ready ； 準備(用意・支度)する
steadily ； 着々と、 at this time of year ； 1 年のこの時期になると、 haiku poem ； 俳句
Busily, a pendulum swings, in December .； 忙しく 時計の動く 師走哉、 pendulum ； (時計などの) 振子
Saka-no-ue-no-kumo ； 坂の上の雲、 Shiki Masaoka ; 正岡 子規、 hero ；主人公
enfold ； 包む、くるむ、 sort of ; (動詞，形容詞，副詞の前で) 多少、いくらか
Japanese Diary / No.321−2010.12.07 / 「今日は大雪」
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