Monday, January 31, 2011

日本針治療 Japanese Acupuncture

Hehe a joke! From the Nutty Professor 1 Featuring Eddie Murphy
"Still Hungry?"... "Yep" ... " ... Maybe you should try Jenny Craig!"
But really, acupuncture has been awesome for me.

日本針治療

 先学期、日本伝統的な医学について発表しましたが、今日は日本の針治療について発表させていただきます。

 針治療は日本で、一つの伝統的な中国からの医学療法です。針治療で大切な哲学は経線と気と言う生き躍動ということです。「線」との字はヒントになって、経線は電車の線路みたいに体にいくつかあって、経線はその気の線路であって、「気」はその経線に流れて、体の全部の臓器まで流れます。伝統中国医学では、気は流れないようになったら、病気になるとの考え方があります。針治療の医者の所に訪ねたら、医者はその気が経線のどこに流れないようになったかを探すのは目的になります。医者は経線でどこかのつぼ流れなくなったかを分かるようになって、針をその点でさして、気はまたスムーズに流れれて、病状がなくなります。気の動きだけではなく、動く気の本質も大切です。

 次に中国とにほん の針治療を比較しようと思っています。二つの違いがあります。まず、日本の針は中国のより細いです。二つ目の違いは、日本の針治療は中国のより利用する針の数は日本の方でう少ないです。でも、中国でも日本でも針治療の診断方法は同じです。西洋医学と同じように、医者は患者に病状のことを聞きます。それから、舌の様子から体の具合を分かることができます。また、診断の間医者は患者の手首を6点で指して、感じた6点の脈拍から体の臓器での気の様子が分かります。大切な臓器は胃と肝臓と肺臓と腎臓で、血も大切です。

 診断がを終えてから、医者はどのような問題が起こったのかを説明できます。西洋医学しか経験のない人には、中国医学の考え方を分かるのは難しいかもしれません。診断で「胃の陰不足」と「脾臓の気不足」などです。

 診断が終わったら、針治療を楽しめます。西洋医学で針は普通にいやのものですが、針治療のはあまり痛くないです。この針治療を受け始めたら、週に一回行って、医者とわずか相談して、針をさしながら40分静かな温和な音楽を聞いて治療を受けます。誰でもわからないからだの問題が起こった時にでも、ストレスがたまった時にでも、針治療をお勧めします。面白い体験ですから、今度受け手見てください。

 でわ、質問のある方をどうぞ。

Getting Somewhere

So, getting a little restless about wondering what to do after graduation (which is pretty much after this term, since I probably don't have to take any classes in spring term) I've found some more ESL job search sites:

ESL PANDA
http://www.eslpanda.com
world-wide, a lot of Chinese companies but some Japanese, Korean, South America, pretty global

JAPAN JOBS-Japan English Teacher.com
http://www.japanenglishteacher.com/

HOKKAIDO JOBS (information from this one comes at a price... for those whose hearts are set on Hokkaido I suppose)

KYOTO JOBS

HOKKAIDO JOBS

and another one. Will post the link later.

I got a bite from the school in Toyohashi (Dream location!). Unfortunately it sounds like they want someone from March, and I'm not technically graduated until June. I have to follow up with the honors college and see if there's anyway of making my honors college colloquia count for a university social sciences class. Ridiculous that there should even be a question, but what can you do. I don't even know if they could swing me a visa quickly enough, although there are 90 day traveler's visas. Renewable if you leave the country... although there is the problem of working and having a bank account if you don't have a work visa? I'll have to look into this some more. Maybe they can keep my CV in the case that they have an opening at a later date.

At least it shows that I'm capable of landing a job.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

桃山時代と江戸時代焼き物の違い


If anyone has the capacity to offer any suggestions, I'd appreciate it ;) Haha this stuff is darn hard to write about in a foreign language. Anyway, it's all about the differences between Momoyama and Edo period ceramics in Japan and what was coming out of the big kilns of the eras.

江戸的に見れる


桃山的に見れる


  桃山時代と江戸時代の焼き物は本当に違うと見えます。 桃山時代の焼き物だと、日本国内の影響が強いです。江戸時代だと、その一方、中国からの美的感賞と見られます。

 桃山時代での大切な千利休と織部のたしなんだことは窯元に強い影響を与えました。千利休だとそれは侘び茶というでした。それは焼き物でも見ることができる。利休は黒楽茶碗のことが好きでした。その黒楽茶陶具は簡素でしたが、江戸時代の焼き物に対して、そのほど完璧ではありませんでした。利休のことなら、茶碗はそのように端がゆがんでいなかったのが(一方、織部だとゆがんでいるのが好みました)桃山のことは大ぶりで、人々の買った上品は花生、茶道具のことでした。侘びであっても、あまり微妙でわありませんでした。

 江戸時代になったら、中国の影響が強くなりました。唐物はずっと流行っていましたからのではないかと思います。多彩ではなくても、釉ぐすりの色が濃くなってきました。ひびの入っていることもなくなりました。微妙的な、瀟洒的なものが流行になりました。それで、江戸時代の焼き物は食事のためのことでありました。

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Coming Up

Well... this weekend has been fun so far but I'm still having gut woes since taking that probiotic. Then again, seems like a lot of people in my Korean class were complaining of gut things keeping them from doing homework... so there's the chance that I caught something. But my fire drill: magnesium, taurine, 5-htp is in place to cope with the creepy crawlies I get when my digestion isn't absorbing the nutrients I need to mentally function. So far so good. Didn't make it to ballet today :( BUT the rest is good for me :-D

Max made a ballet barre so I can catch up at home

The Hayao Miyazaki Marathon that I was looking forward to this week happened after all. I watched both Ponyo (Gakke no Ue no Ponyo) and Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi)

Coming up:

-Are cows really fed plastic hay?

-How to make an affordable ballet barre at home

-Writings on Japanese acupuncture (in Japanese) 日本針治療について(日本語で)

-Norwegian Wood response (the Haruki Murakami novel... it will become the subject of my research project to be finished by the end of the term... only 6 weeks left until that point! Crap!)

-Pictures of Eugene's Spencer's Butte

-Some belated holiday pictures

Friday, January 28, 2011

On Probiotics

So, the medical world: "conventional" and "alternative" alike is all abuzz about Probiotics... and the idea of replenishing intenstinal flora to combat the assaults on our systems of the mix of yeast, sugar, and refined flours resulting in what is an overgrowth of candida (everyone's favorite YEAST infections) and a lack of friendly bacteria for most people.

Scary, I know. ;) Oh the horror.

Both my primary care MD, naturopaths, and my acupuncturists recommend probiotics but the fact of the matter is that they can be painful for us whose systems are out of whack (and also, the way they are cultured among them are different and people, depending on sensitivities and allergies, will have different reactions to different strains.) There are herxheimer reactions (worsening of symptoms occurring when positive changes are happening), as well as just having general side affects. Looks like probiotics produce side effects for me.

Having a healthy balance of flora in the gut can help with these conditions: (and yet, for most, is not the silver bullet answer)
-allergies (of all kinds)
-fatigue
-IBS
-leaky gut and nutrient absorbtion

So I don't know if the discomfort I'm in is because of some good vs. evil bacteria/fungi in the gut or if probiotics are a no-no for me.

It's gonna be a while until I try taking one again.

Kichwa's House


So my mom got Kichwa a snuggle hut for Christmas. He's been scared of it since then but seems the house is a little chilly today and he decided to take the plunge and SNUGGLE.

Lovebirds tend to like to snuggle in little dark places. He was using a nest box for a while but I moved him back in my room to free up a place in the living room. Cutie Patootie.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

My Year of Meats

My Year of Meats, Ruth L. Ozeki

I'm a big fan of real food and anywhere the sick system is called out for it's dirty deeds. Thus, I quite enjoy muckraking exposes like Fast Food Nation. For me it doesn't really stop at food, but the general lack of concern for safety in consumer goods and new technologies.

Regardless, I wrote a paper about this in Japanese this year and how cool is this that a Japanese-american (in NY? Okay.... ) is writing books like this. I saw it at the Marche cafe today and when this intense term is over and I have time to myself, i would love to read through it and her other stuff.

Until then, at least I get to enjoy reading Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood for the first time.

Acupuncture was a success today. You don't know how wound up you are until suddenly you're un-wound. Although I guess I'm more sensitive than most... but I'm working hard on that.

Peace out and see you soon.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Hum,


Reading about Momoyama period ceramics in Japanese has me missing my Grandpa... and feeling nostalgic all over the place.

Feeling a little blue tonight. For no apparent reason. Just feeling down about a lot of stuff lately, each on its own is ok to deal with but definitely feeling it cropping up on me. Just waves of sadness wash over me.

I took some 5-HTP

Ballet is fun. It's sort of like therapy which I was thinking of going to but I think ballet is more of a release for me... and I heard obamacare was reversed so I don't know how that will affect my health insurance situation if I get married. Dissapointing.

And a little overwhelmed by my Japanese class. This ain't easy stuff. But the improvement in my other class is remarkable. So the work I'm putting in is building muscles somewhere... just having trouble knowing how reliable those muscles are. Haha kind of like ballet. I want to get back onto pointe but my pointe muscles aren't strong enough yet. I don't think I'm pointing my foot properly because I'm feeling it too much in my achilles tendon and that's a very important area to take care of in ballet that can be damaged en pointe. Point with the ankle and the top of the foot... w/o clenching the achilles. Simple concept but easier said than done.

We're studying ceramics in my Japanese Advanced Reading class. It makes me think of my Grandpa. I miss him. I miss my family. Why do I always have to feel so darn nostalgic.

Max's brother went home today. They say he's coming back. We'll see if that will happen.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

One More Girl


Project focusing on the negative effects of Gardasil:

THEY ARE CURRENTLY FUNDRAISING to make a DOCUMENTARY FILM: (yay)

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1995527181/one-more-girl-documentary

They're fundraising and need a certain amount by April in order to get the movie made. I say one less shot of Gardasil and One MORE girl. Thank goodness I'm on the mend. Must be forever grateful because I never know when the horrible feelins will come back. I'll probably try to donate some. Why not donate an hour's pay... maybe it can save another girl all the hours I spent suffering. Compared to some I've hardly had it half bad. But the point is that it's preventable and young girls who did not ask for this are being willingly subjected to the roulette of whether they will be one of the millions who are unaffected, or if they will experience the negative effects.

Respect the Schedule

Haha.

Well got my first rejection today. Il'd like to believe it's not a true rejection... because the page said they had a strict deadline those wanting to work for them have to be diploma-ed by the 10th of June. Unfortunately I won't be "graduated" until the 13th of June... although my last classes are this term and I'll technically be graduated at the end of this one.

Bureaucracy!!!

So... just like America's Next Top Model I'l just apply for other stuff and remember that there is a new cycle coming up and I will be fully and legitimately diploma-ed and still have all my experience by that point. Just have to keep working hard.

There is also a small job in Aichi-prefecture that I would like to apply to. I wrote a cover letter in Japanese today but I'm kind of worried about it. I know it's probably not near perfect. And there are some things I'd like to add. They just relisted the job... which means they haven't found anyone yet ;) And boy would I love to go back to Aichi.

So there are at least three places to apply to right now... they're always really vague about when they want workers to start... but I know Amity and Aeon is usually about 6-12 months after you apply...

We'll see. I'll keep you posted.

Ballet and Yoga is going really well. My strength is coming back quickly. I'd like to do a pre-pointe class and maybe even start to dance on pointe again. I'm such a water person though... always rushing... definitely hate taking things one step at a time. I'm working on it.

Another Recollection



*** We went for a "big sushi" dinner, good times! ***

So this week I have brought you everything from pomeranians to electrosmog... why not do some more walking down memory lane~~~ and get away from wondering how much my mitochondrial DNA is being affected by wi-fi, cell phones, and microwaves.
For the first time in a while, since my schedule has let up and I've been feeling better, I sent letters/Christmas cards to all the people who have been good to me in Japan. ^.^

I got one from my friend Taeko today. My first host family ^.^

Anyway, she has a blog too. It is in Japanese but Google Chrome can translate it.


Anyway, I'm putting a picture on my blog of when we went to sushi with her family.

_____________


I know a lot of people going to see Gants. I think it comes with being in a Japanese major. If you're not that into manga/anime sometimes you can feel like the odd one out in classes. I wouldn't mind seeing it but the tickets were $12.50 each and for Max, I, and his brother to go that would come to 40.00. I want to buy some ballet shoes and might have to buy an expensive book for my research project... so I guess we'll have to entertain ourselves tonight. Which is fine by me, we have yoga!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Electrosmog

http://emf.mercola.com/sites/emf/archive/2009/07/30/4-steps-to-reduce-electrosmog-in-your-bedroom.aspx

Yes... I know it's Mercola.com.

But you can't help but scratch your head when you listen to the points and think about the biology. After all, how can humans be so pompous as to even assume that we know everything about the workings of the universe. I know I feel awful if I sit around a computer all day. It didn't bother me when I was a kid... but thinking about how fast things are changing I remember a book I read in high school called "Future Shock." I think it is plausible that at the pace society is changing and adapting new technologies knowing nothing of long-term effects... is dangerous and unprecedented. But there's your rant for the day. I can't write coherently or in depth, I'm quite tired and classes have got me pretty busy. Luckily I have acupuncture today. Down to one appointment a week and holding my own pretty well in the interim between appointments. Much better than before. I attribute it to being out of the house and away from computers more.

Other crazy, but worthwhile topics include geopathic stress. But I really think that the technology explosion is something that should be looked into. If I were still in science I would look into it but now the only position I can take is journalistic.

Happy pondering.


Tuesday, January 18, 2011

FLUFF POM: SMILE


AN EPIC PICTURE

I wish I had an exact link to hook you guys with but I think the source website is written in the bottom corner of the picture.

日本で宗教の社会に与える影響:アメリカ人からの見地2

It's not good, I still need to edit it, but it's about religion and society again for my humanities class that I am taking in Japanese this term. It's a challenge but I can actually say that I can write a paper much more easily in Japanese now. I'm a little frustrated though when I find myself limited by the expressions I can comfortably use while continuing to make sense. Mostly transition words, which even if I have heard before I don't feel comfortable using yet by myself. I'd think with all the reading this would get easier but I realize I ignore those words completely when I am reading...



日本で宗教の社会に与える影響:アメリカ人からの見地2

 歴史的に話せば、宗教の日本人社会に与える影響で、和風の神道以外に、外国で始まった宗教の吸収しかたで主に2つのパターンが出ると思います。その一つのは、日本でもう存在している宗教、発想、人々の考え方などの新しい宗教を吸収することです。二つ目は、その日本人が吸収された宗教の文化に影響を与えることです。この現象はもちろん、日本だけでの現象ではないが、この話では日本のことに集中します。

 先週仏教の日本での儀式に与えた影響について書いた。七五三や成人の日や結婚やお葬式などが出ました。この儀式は1つ目の宗教吸収パターンになると思います。七五三は平安時代からの貴族が参加された儀式でありました。また、その時代の仏教は「貴族仏教」との名前を得た。儀式は実在には仏教てきではありませんが、歴史的で考えると「あ、その時代に貴族仏教というのがありましたから、貴族がそのような安産、出世、子供のだんだん大きくなるのを拝んで頼みましたから、現代で残っている七五三という儀式は仏教的のはずです」のような考え方になります。

 私には、儀式の残っている理由は昔での宗教的であったことがありますが、現代ではこのことは同じように宗教的ではないと思います。よく若い日本人に「宗教は何ですか」と「宗教はありますか」を聞いたら、「宗教はありません」との返事が普通です。日本での儀式はこの頃宗教的な目標はありませんが、日本人認識で習慣は大切になります。アメリカで、宗教のない人の間でこの現象があって宗教のない人はクリスマスやイースターを祝う人はいます。アメリカと日本の違っている点は儀式と祝日は日本の祝日と祝日の儀式の日本人国民認識で強さであると思います。アメリカは最初から移民の多い国で、宗教と宗派が多くて、アメリカでは国民の祝日と感じる代わりに、祝日と儀式は宗教のあるアメリカ人に宗教的なイメージが強いと思います。

 宗教の影響へ話を変えたいと思っています。この現象は宗教を吸収することと違います。この影響は宗教の社会の前に持たなかった発想や考え方や文化などのことを新しく維持することであると思います。日本ではこれはお寺を建立されたことと新しい哲学の日本に着いたことではないか。日本で、このことはどんどん国の文化と発展での影響の深い根っこであると思います。日本文化の勉強で:文化でも、茶道でも、よく耳にする侘び寂び(仏教の三法印(さんぼういん)の「無常」と似ているのでしょうか?)はこの影響をこのことを勉強してからはっきり分かります。人間は日常生活にそのように深く歴史的に考えませんから、このことも易しく宗教哲学ではなく、日本これは国民認識になったと思います。アメリカの憲法でキリスト教、キリスト教の神様のGODの名前は出ますが、何度もそれを聞くと、キリスト教を信仰しませんから、アメリカは国民認識があったら、わずか憲法の言葉やお金に印刷したの「神様に信じている、イン・ガッド・ウィ・トラスト、In God We Trust」に見れます。

 このように見ると、宗教の社会的な影響は二つあります。最初は、社会の持つ慣習を維持することです。これは時代によって違いますが。日本の奈良時代に出た国家仏教は国の安定のため、平安時代に勢力を持った貴族の貴族仏教。また、現代に慣習を維持するのは国民認識などと、重要な理由は、人々の本心で感じた望みや願いを述べるのは永遠な理由だと思います。ほかに永遠には、社会の宗教を吸収することとその宗教で社会の変わることです。

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

UNANSWERABLE QUESTIONS: KOANS

So two days into the term... so far so good. Just hope it lasts. I have a normal amount of tired and no creepy-crawlies.

I'm no longer signed up for honors college Literature by and about Gay Men. NOW I'm in the Japanese Global Scholars class. It's really hard but I think it should theoretically get easier since my only other class is Japanese speaking and Beginning Korean. Regardless... the lack of a class intense on English should allow them to at least abstractly support one another. Not even out of the honors college yet and things are already getting more relevant. So there will be a research project this term.

We're covering Buddhism and our homework was to get our tails home and research sects of Japanese buddhism. I'm writing on SHINGON and RINZAI. RINZAI is a zen sect and has is about meditation, finding out who you are, and KOANS (unanswerable questions) are often utilized as lessons. Regardless, I like things that make me think.

If the sound of two hands coming together is the sound of a clap, what is the sound of one hand?

Not even a thought has arisen. Is there still sin or not?

I will think about this in acupuncture today. I have to type up paragraphs about it in Japanese today when I get home from acupuncture, ballet, and dinner. But until then, ponder away. It's really interesting, perhaps I found my term research topic?

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy 2011 Blogspot


Courtesy Stumbleupon~~

________________


Not much to report from this front. I'm feeling better pretty consistently. I get a little "wired" at times but magnesium, taurine, and if necessary a little 5-HTP seem to help right away. Or sometimes I just have to go a night with not so great sleep. But I've been able to be reasonably active and have done a lot this week. I went ice skating twice (last night was the best, the local team had a game and there was a free skate afterward, ideally for those that had bought tickets but they allowed us to come in...), on a drive up around Spencer's Butte but never did get off at the park... we passed it... but it was a nice drive.

________________

Some resolutions for 2011:
-graduate in Spring (figure out how to get out of my science major and honors college... mostly because I feel they are not preparing me for the jobs I'm applying to and are just extra money and hassle, forcing me to take grad requirements instead of classes I'm interested in or I think would be helpful for me)
-think positively
-make some friends, reconnect with who's left in Eugene and keep in touch with everyone who has escaped
-have a wonderful time with Tomona when she comes to visit
-start getting stronger with dance and yoga
-apply and get accepted to various companies in Japan
-maybe I'll be in Japan by September? It all depends on the companies' schedules