INSPIRATIONS #3

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their ways out of depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

- Elisabeth Kubler Ros

Automne 2011 #13

Why I like reading Ochibi-san 「オチビサン」 (I've already mentioned it here and here) - Life lessons illustrated in Ochibi-san 「オチビサン」.

**I copied and pasted the English translations over the Japanese coloured version for easy reading.**

Just do it.
当机立断。


"It's the bitter, cold days of winter that bring the joy of spring!"
不经一番寒彻骨，焉得梅花扑鼻香。


Appreciate what you have and not complain what you don't have.
知足常乐。


"As far as the horizon. As near as your eye."
远在天边，近在眼前。


Real friends like you just the way you are.


Sometimes, routine is a blessing in life.
无风无浪是幸福。


That "special someone" who might find you and appreciate you the way you are will keep you.


Enjoying happiness alone is not as happy as sharing it.
独乐乐不如众乐乐。


Ignore people who cast negativity upon us. Focus on the positive.


On why I have a bursting wardrobe. =p

Automne 2011 #10

Reading is a very self-fulfilling and self-healing process.
Don't you love the feel of turning real pages and the smell of them?

This furry dog juggling an assortment of bread rolls is Pankui 「パンくい」. I mentioned it earlier here.

I think I am Pankui 「パンくい」.



I have always admire Japanese for their attention to details - you can see on the left page that they have designed part of their book cover into a cut-out bookmark for its readers. There are 2 cut-out bookmarks in each book, found on the front and back cover.

Pure pleasure just by looking at the drawings and colours.


The original Japanese version on the left, and the English translation on the right. I don't have to refer to my electronic dictionary for any vocabulary that I don't understand. =)


One of the terms in the Japanese calendar.

In the Japanese calendar, every month has a traditional name, still used by some in fields such as poetry; of the twelve, shiwasu is still widely used today. The opening paragraph of a letter or the greeting in a speech might borrow one of these names to convey a sense of the season. Some, such as yayoi and satsuki, do double duty as given names (for women).

The names of the months are as follows:

1st month: mutsuki (睦月 "Month of Affection")

2nd month: kisaragi (如) or kinusaragi (衣更着, "Changing Clothes")

3rd month: yayoi (弥生, "New Life")

4th month: uzuki (卯月, "u-no-hana month") The u-no-hana (卯の花) is a flower, of the genus Deutzia.

5th month: satsuki (皐月) or sanaetsuki (早苗月, "Early-rice-planting Month")

6th month: minatsuki (水無月, "Month of Water")

7th month: fumizuki (文月, "Month of Books")

8th month: hazuki (葉月, "Month of Leaves")

9th month: nagatsuki (長月, "The Long Month")

10th month: 神無月 (kaminazuki or kannazuki, "month of the gods ")

11th month: shimotsuki (霜月, "Month of Frost")

12th month: shiwasu (師走, "Priests Running"). This is in reference to priests being busy at the end of the year for New Year's preparations and blessings.

Extracted from the Wikipedia. 

Automne 2011 #4

Kinokuniya remains my favourite bookshop.




If you have been reading Asahi Shinbun 「朝日新聞」 , Ochibi-san 「オチビサン」 by Moyoko Anno 「安野モヨコ」, will not be foreign to you most probably. Maybe it is just me, but the comic strips section are the first few pages I read when I'm flipping the newspapers, besides the headlines.

I managed to get all 4 books. =)

Ochibisan 「オチビサン」 has a cheerful dog by the name of "Nazeni" 「ナゼニ」, who carries a book in his hand all the time. They admire the blossoming of the flowers in spring, observe the morning glory in summer, pick acorns in autumn and get busy playing a very simple Japanese game, Oshikura Manju 「押し競饅頭」, a game that is played on cold days in order to get warm  in winter.

I love this other dog, Pankui 「パンくい」 who loves to eat (very much like me)!  Especially buns! You can read a few sample pages of Ochibisan 「オチビサン」 by clicking on the following links:
「第1巻 皐月(五月)」
「第1巻 葉月(八月)」
             //
「第2巻 霜月(十一月)」
「第2巻 如月（二月）」
            //
「第3巻 文月（七月）」
「第3巻 葉月（八月）」