What do I want my obituary to say?

Natsuki Shimizu, resident of Honolulu, Hawaii, passed away on November 1, at the age of 100, at her house in Honolulu.

Natsuki Shimizu was born on October 5, 1991, in Hitachi, Ibaraki. She was an active child. She played basketball, soccer and tennis. She loved her parents, older sister and her family very much and her happiest time was to be with them. She graduated ICU in 2014, and when she was 25 years old, she moved to Honolulu, Hawaii with her parents. The main theme of her life was ‘’slow life.’’ She felt relaxed in seeing the ocean view and lovely sunset from her condominium. She got married at the age of 28. She had two daughters and had a wonderful time with them.
The funeral will be held at Ala Moana Beach Park with her favorite healing songs. Please come to see her.

Thank you.

What did I learn/discover during this course?

I was not so interested in writing before taking this course. I had imagined that writing was a more academic thing. But actually, it was not. I found that there were so many writing styles and genres. Through this course, I thought that we need to think about several important things when we start to write something. For example, the important thing is that every word has a ‘’spirit’’, that is they are all meaningfulness, and we need to create writings which make people think or feel something. I also think that it is really significant to be understandable and attract readers.
In this course, I wrote a letter for first publishing, poem for second publishing, and haiku for third publishing. I wanted to write more unique and creative pieces if I have an enough time. But I could not. I thought I should have managed time for writing more efficiently during this term. And now, I feel like creating more and more stories, letters, poems, haiku, or other writings personally even after finishing this course. Therefore, I want to try creating pieces and blush up my writing skill.

Thank you:)

What’s my view about religion?

Religion is a really special existence for me. I am a Christian. I went to a Christian kindergarten, junior high and high school. I learned Christianity and Bible there and gradually I felt that I need the teachings of Bible and the existence of God. Then, I was baptized when I was 16 years old.

I pray for God at every night before going to bed. I pray for my family and relatives to keep healthy, for people who were suffered from the terrible earthquake and tsunami. Actually, my home got damaged by the tremendous disaster so I always prayed for God to make my family and neighborhood get relief from it.

I am a Christian and often go to church but still, I cannot see the real existence of God with my eyes. However, I can believe the existence of God because I believe in God and decided to live my life beside him with the teaching of Bible.

Thank you:)

My Tennis Circle

I have been playing tennis for 7 years and I belong to a school tennis circle, ICU Footloose. And now it is time to take over the leadership of it from older members.
Footloose is not a club but a circle so not all members like to play tennis and participate every practice. Some play tennis in earnest, and others participate mainly in drinking party. As for me, I really like to play tennis so I join the practice most of the time, but I rarely join a drinking party or other events like a barbecue or a flower viewing. We are considering what we should do in order to make every members enjoy being in Footloose. I think that if we leaders (14 members) enjoy the management of Footloose, others come to think they want to take part in practices or various events frequently because our pleasant feelings affect them. Therefore, I want to try to take part in many events besides practice, and make both myself and others feel happy to be in Footloose.

Thank you:)

What does ‘’love’’ mean to me?

When I see the word ‘’love’’, I imagine my family, friends, grandma, cousins, and other people around me. They are really close to me. I think that the subject of the word ‘’love’’ is not only the opposite sex but also the same sex, things I really like, animals, etc. When people have a stronger and special emotion or affection to something than others, it is called ‘’love.’’

It seems that few Japanese people say the word ‘’love’’ to others compared to American people. Me too!! I write ‘’love you’’ in a letter or comment on facebook, but I do not say the word ‘’love’’ even if I have a feelings of it. Is it a tacit understanding? I think we need to express and say what we really think in our hearts to others. I still hesitate to say the word but when I tell my feelings of love to others, they will understand how deeply I like them. It leads closer relationship each other. Therefore, I want to try to say the word ‘’love’’ without feeling hesitant.

Thank you:)

I became an adult?!

I really like to eat sweets like cakes, ice cream, puddings and so on. I think I have a sweet tooth. When I was a high school student, I was always eating sweets. I ate two or three cakes per week because my dad bought them for me after his work and I enjoyed eating ice cream every night after taking a bath.
However, I feel it is a little bit difficult for me to eat such amount of sweets as before. I came to not be able to eat a piece of cake at a time recently. I also cannot eat a whole cream puff. Instead of such things, I came to prefer eating pickled Chinese cabbage, kimchi, or other salty foods when I get hungry. Then I thought, ‘’Did I become an adult??’’ haha
Now, I still eat a cake, a jelly, a doughnut once in a while. But I feel I must look my eating style over again. Too much sweets or too much salty foods are not good for my health. I want to be intent on balanced healthy life from now on.

Thank you:)

My favorite poem

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/christina_rossetti/poems/16452.html

A Birthday

By Christina Rossetti

A Birthday by Christina Rossetti

My heart is like a singing bird

Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;

My heart is like an apple-tree

Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;

My heart is like a rainbow shell

That paddles in a halcyon sea;

My heart is gladder than all these

Because my love is come to me.

Raise me a dais of silk and down;

Hang it with vair and purple dyes;

Carve it in doves and pomegranates,

And peacocks with a hundred eyes;

Work it in gold and silver grapes,

In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;

Because the birthday of my life

Is come, my love is come to me.

I like this poem about birthday made by Christina Rossetti. I became 20 last week and I remember the really happy and delighted feelings I had that day.

This poem expresses the feelings of birthday person by colorful things in the natural world. When I read this poem, suddenly a lot of animals, scenery, colors, seeds and berries came to my mind and my heart came to throb with the greatest happiness as I had on my birthday.

I think it is really difficult to express and show our real feelings or what we are thinking to others. But this poem made me imagine the birthday person’s feelings clearly and interestingly. So I want try describing what I am thinking and feeling by writing poem, too!!

Thank you:)

What is ''happiness'' to me?

I think I have so much happiness in my life. If I pick up only one thing, that is ‘’I was born of my father and mother.’’ I love them very very much and I send emails to both of them every day. If I do not send an email in the morning or lunch time, I get an email from them. I call them every week even if I have no new things to tell. My mom and I always chat about the nonsense. She is so funny and she always set me laughing with her jokes and many interesting words.

My older sister lives in Saitama and I also live in Tokyo alone apart from my parents. I know that I have troubled them so much all the time because I am not independent from them. Therefore, what I only have to do for them is to make them feel relieved by sending emails and chatting about everyday life. Now I am 20 years old so I want to be more steady and independence. I think it is one of the filial piety.

Thank you:)

What is suitable CD?

I went to TSUTAYA the other day and rented some interesting CDs, a CD for morning, afternoon and evening. They have different types of tune and they are really suited for each time.
My favorite CD is for morning. I rented 2 CDs for morning. One is for a day when I wake up as usual and the other is for a day when I oversleep or wake up late. The former makes me feel refreshed and have a pleasant awakening. The tune is really comfortable and birds’ singings, a sound of waves or whispers of people are included. The latter is more active and rhythmical than the former. It seems that the CD makes listeners hurry up and make up quickly. My favorite song is ‘’She Loves You’’ by The Beatles.
The CD for afternoon is the one that I want to listen to with a cup tea and a pleasant cool breeze. My favorite song is ‘’Kiss Me’’ by Sixpence Non the Richer.
Finally, the CD for evening is calm and makes me be in a quiet mood. When I listen to that music before going to bed, I can have a sound sleep.

Besides these CDs, I often listen to a healing CD, orgel CD in order to feel relaxed or calm down. I recommend you to use these kinds of CDs when you get tired or feel like relaxing!!

Thank you:)

My aspiration

I will be 20 tomorrow!! Yes, my birthday is October 5th. On an every birthday, my parents asked me what my aspiration for the coming year is. Now that I live in Tokyo apart from my parents, I will ask myself what it is. This birthday is very special in that I have to be an ‘’ADULT’’ in a sense. I think it means that I have to take any responsibility for what I do in a society. As I wrote in my blog, I am the indecisive. Although I should ask someone if I have something I really do not know how to deal with and should take responsibility of my behavior, I want to try anything at first by myself without other helping hands. In addition, I want to be independent and to achieve emotional autonomy. This is because I have a bad habit of depending on others deeply.
But still, it does not mean that today is still child and I will be an adult from tomorrow, and nothing has change in my life. Therefore, I want to consciously behave with my confidence and responsibility from now on.

Thank you:)

What are my greatest strengths and weaknesses?

At first, I will tell my greatest strengths. I think the remarkable thing is…
1. Healthy body
I rarely catch a cold, run a fever, and have a headache or stomachache. When my sister got mumps, chicken pox or fifth disease, I did not catch them at all. It is the most important thing to live that we have a healthy and strong body against any illness.

2. Like to do any sport
I like to do sport!! Basketball, tennis, skiing, soccer, jumping rope and so on. In particular, I prefer to do sport with others. It means that I like team sport. I have been playing tennis for 7years and been playing doubles so far. I think cooperating with other team player makes me take courage and ease my tension when we have a game.
In addition, doing exercise makes healthy body!!

Next is my weakness. It seems that there are so many weaknesses…
1. No concentration
I have no concentration. When I am studying, I begin to eat candy, read fashion magazine and listen to music in a minute. Therefore, I use library to study in order to concentrate only on it.

2. Indecisive
I cannot make up my mind. When I choose menu at a restaurant, I always make my friends and waitress wait until I decide what to eat. When I have something bad to say to my friend, I am at a loss whether to tell it or not.


Besides these strengths and weaknesses, I think I have many other strengths and weaknesses. I sometimes get fed up with my weak points. However, both strengths and weaknesses may be my personality. The point is that I should live a life happily without causing others trouble.

Thank you:)

My recent hobby

I bought a small teapot the other day. This is because my recent hobby is to collect many kinds of tea. I have several oolong teas I bought in Taiwan, jasmine tea, apple tea, wild grape tea, and so forth. Why I began to collect them is that I want to relax by drinking many teas and feeling the aroma. When I get tired or cannot sleep well at night, I choose what I want to drink at that time and then I feel relaxed. In addition to it, I like to burn aroma and use good-scent body cream or body mist. I think it is a really good way for us to relax by using our favorite smell.

Thank you:)

My part-time job

I have begun to have a part-time job since this summer break. It was an entirely new experience for me. I work at a fast-food restaurant. Because it is the first part-time job, I could not do any task efficiently and I was always scolded by other members. It is really hard for me to deal with those who get angry with others or who are quick to take offense. Therefore, I always got depressed when I made a mistake at a job. I felt I wanted to quit the job many times, but I still work there. Why? This is because having a part-time job is one of the steps for getting a future job. If I start to work in a society without any experience of part-time job, I think I will be overwhelmed by the amount of work, how hard the work is, and the difficulty of being with superior or colleagues. Therefore, I will try to continue having a part-time job and want to enjoy it!!

Thank you:)

What is my precious thing?

I have many precious things. As Mark wrote down in his blog, I think my family, grandmother, friends, church, and many other things are the precious. However, not people but memory, experience or feelings are also precious things for me. Today, I will write about one of my precious memories.

When I was 5^th grade in elementary school, I went to Australia as a homestay program. It was about 2 weeks. As I wrote in my blog, I took part in the long camp in the previous year. Through this camp, I came to think that I want to challenge anything without hesitation. Therefore, I decided to visit Australia in the next summer break.

The experiences there were so fantastic and precious!! I had been only to Hawaii before visiting Australia, so I could not imagine the atmosphere of outside Japan. Life styles, language, foods, school… all things I experienced were quite different from life in Japan. First of all, I had to speak English!! Although I went to English school in Japan, I had never talked with native speakers before. It was even hard for me to tell my host mother what I want to do. However, I gradually realized that even if I cannot speak English, I can communicate with others and enjoy my life there if I make an effort to achieve them. Though my English skill did not make progress well after the homestay, I got a precious thing; that is, to communicate with others from my heart. I think it is important to have an enthusiasm to tell something to others in order to make them understand what I really want to say.