A Question Of Nebchadnezzar

A Question Of Nebchadnezzar
2007.02.01 2:09

'Tell me what I dreamt at night and interpret it.'- That was King Nebchadnezzar's question. Many wise people asked the king to tell what he dreamt, then they all insist they can interpret what suggested his dream was. But because the king said tell him his dream, no one dared to tell what he dreamt lest it shouldn't be his dream.
Only wise man Daniel was able to tell him what his dream was and interpret it, although king didn't tell his dream. Why he was able to do so? Because King Nebchadnezzar wanted to hear only good interpretation from whatever his dream was. Suppose he told them his dream, there might be interpretted in many ways. In his mind one dream must be interpretted in one way, and that must have been a good sign. Daniel looked through his real intention, he told him what his dream was and interpretted as the king wanted, the dream the king saw was only known to the king, there was no reason for the king to deny what his dream was if he were able to be satisfied with the interpretation someone made.
Normally it's impossible for ordinary people to answer his question, only a voyant can answer it. Daniel was a voyant as such.

Beta

Finally I moved to Blogger beta, without knowing what 'beta' is. But it was much better in performance. Mixi -Japan's most popular blog is held in beta, MySpace Japan is operated in beta, it must be good, though it doesn't explain what beta is.

Emergence

Emergence
2007.01.26 3:46

Recently I resumed reading Old Testament and now I am about to complete reading a Book of Ezekiel. I will enter the Book of Daniel soon.
I clearly memorise the contents of a book I read usually now since I read them taking enough time to digest. There was an exception in some period in my life, that was at age 14.
I recall some episode in a Book of Daniel before the very moment I enter this book. I cannot believe this is a coincidence.

Voyant

Voyant
2007.01.26 2:57

I found this term for the first time in Rimbaud's letter of voyant. This term is not English. The meaning is a person who see, but at the same time it connotes a person who see things and events that are not in presence in front of him, so it might be an event occurred in the past or in future or events in somewhere else.
This is totally inexplicable in our current science, though, there seems to certainly exist. This is a very strange ability for humans. There are many descriptions of prediction in prophet's books. I will re read them from another perspective.

Search Box

Search Box
2007.01.26 2:18

In many comercial messages now they have 'search' scene, of course it's not a real search, but just encouraging us to try putting the keyword in a search box. To be continue.

Resurrection

I read many books in minor so sometimes I only recall the phrase but am unable to recall what it was meant.

Several years ago I encounterred the phrase 'Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego' one time while I was reading 'The Whale' in English. I noticed once I read the phrase in Old Testament that I read a part of it at age 14 in Japanese, but I was unable to recall who those people were.

After I finished reading 'The Whale', I started reading 'The Old Testament' in English, hoping I would encounter the same phrase in it. After 4 months I completed reading it till Jeremiah 14, but I was unable to find the similar names. Several years ago the search engine was not familiar to us Japanese. I could have look it up in encyclopaedia, but soon I forgot and left it away.

Tonight while I thought about Tolstoy's novel 'Resurrection', abruptly I felt like looking into the phrase, I only recall the name 'Abednego'. I put the word and now I recall who all people were from the article in Wikipedia.

Certainly they were immortal. The article made my memory resurrected.

Moratorium

Moratorium
2007.01.23 6:07

In food world there's a strange double standard, that is 'best before' and 'bad after'.
Best before indicates our optimal consumption date but that does not necessarily indicate the limit of permissable consumption date we can consume as long as possible. That means we can consume the products after the date of best before if we don't care the taste or freshness of the products as much as possible.
In general consumers tend to use the products after the date of best before. Producers ought not to use their products after the date of best before, however they sometimes do. It's not a good idea, since producers ought not to be a consumer, they are a mediater of products. It's important to define the role of producers and consumers, but when they failed to do so, the collapse starts.
The moratorium between the period of best before and bad after is the cause of confusion in food industry, but at the same time the gap between these two dates bears nothing but the profit.

Impact Of 'Google Revolution'

Impact Of 'Google Revolution'
2007.01.23 5:32

We had a special television programme called 'The Impact Of "Google Revolution"' last night.
Since we had had a short prologue of this programme many times, I wanted to watch, but for unknown reason I completely forgot to watch the programme last night.
The programme will be aired tomorrow night again - so I think I must watch, but I'm afraid I will miss watching it again.
I feel 'Google Revolution' very close to me everyday, so as if I were watching the special programme everyday. That might have been the real reason I tend to forget what I was wanting to watch.

His Sin & Purgatory

He was born to be genius -that was his sin and he had to live among ordinary people -that was the purgatory for him.

Beggars

Beggars
2007.01.20 1:07

In 1991, in Hannover Station I was asked from a young guy to help him. He just told me that I could help him. I said OK, and asked him what you want me to help. He said it's one coin -one dollar equivalent. I was willing to help him.
The same year in downtown Dublin, I was asked from a guy when I was taking a breakfast that I could give him a pound. We could buy today's soup in one pound and that might be what he wanted. I remember I gave him 50 shillings, knowing he can't buy a soup.
At the edge of the small bridge over the river Liffee, a woman was raising the board that reads 'I need to build a house, please help.' Of course I ignored, thinking who cares whether she can build a house by donations on the street. It's her responsibility, please work and earn money.
In the Philippines in Baguio on the each side of the pass from the church down to the downtown, many beggars were begging. They were just sitting. They seemed to have no energy left to ask one of us to help. Just before leaving the Philippines, in central Manila Cubao, one woman asked me to give her money. I gave her all coins. Coins will not be in use outside the country. She might have noticed that I would leave the country soon since I carried a big bag with my love.
In Millan a middle age guy was wandering before the ticket vendor for subway. The vendor was a bit different from the machine I used in other cities - we can't use banknote, therefore no change can be done. A guy usually have his coins for those vendors and he willingly put his coins into the vendor. He demands the traffic fee plus tips to him. I was about to give him 50000 lira - 50 bucks. He was amazed and gazed at me with groaning voice and declined to accept it. I gave him 1000 lira instead. He said 'gracie, gracie' This was the first Italian word fo me to hear, which was not bad at all.
In Los Angeles, 1986, one young woman asked me to exchange her 1 dollar banknote before the coin locker, explaing she needs 25 cents. I happened to have 4 quaters, so I just showed her 4 coins. She took one from my palm and used it without saying anything.

Cosmetic Surgery

Cosmetic Surgery
2007.01.19 3:05

Some very pretty Japanese women underwent cosmetic surgery in an attempt to gain more attractive looks. They were already very pretty, so unfortunately they looked meaner than before. They abruptly disappeared from the public scene. I suspect three people at least.
One woman underwent cosmetic surgery in some television project. Her looks changed completely. She was reborn. The cost was 30 thousand dollars and all were paid by television sponsers.
Cosmetic surgery ought to be done only in such very limited cases.

2:1 -Ratio of Right & Left

2:1 -Ratio of Right & Left
2007.01.19 2:43

There's an interesting comercial message made by Japan's Democratic Party, which has been aring lately for the coming election of the Senate.
Japan Democratic Party is made up with combination of conservatives and liberals. Two conservatives -former member of Liberal Democratic Party - made a fist in the right hand. One liberal -former Social Democrats made a fist in his left hand.
Few might notice that.

Paying A Visit To Shrines

We usually pay a visit to shrines at the beginning of the year. Three shrines actually. I have already done it on the first of this month. I will do it the rest of two times later today. With her, but I must take a rest first.

Temperatures

I am watching weather report for 4:40 am today. The coldest temperature was - 10.3 in some part of Hokkaido. The warmest temperature was 7.9. It was here.

After Hibernation

After Hibernation
2007.01.16 4:39

My girlfriend is visiting my room for the first time in 3 weeks. Apart from the dispute which to choose my girlfriend or literature, life is splendid, especially for me as a guy who easily keeps abstinent to having fun with a woman for a relatively long term.
This month she will be visiting every week and she will spend two nights in each week for she has some business here. Her kid will be 18 soon in February. The time I have to decide is nigh.

A Woman Or Literature?

What Was My Objective Of Life?
2007.01.15 1:11

Happily enough, recently I succeeded in keeping a happy mating with a woman. It was a lucky thing to have had such a happy relation. But I have been about to lose my first intention to be a writer.
You see in order to be a writer, I have to keep myself as individual as possible, this might sound strange to others, but at every turning point in my life, I had chosen to do so.
A woman, or literature. That is a question especially for me.

Palpitations

It's been almost 3 weeks since last time we met. For these four or five days I have completely lost palpitations in my daily life.

She will stay in my room from 15th for two nights. I want to palpitate with her. No palpitations, no creation.

Benjamin

Benjamin
2007.01.13 3:07

German literary critic Benjamin once wrote that he can bring both a philosophy book and a prostitute in his bed.
I can do neither, but only one laptop in a futon, not bed.
As if I were able to be a Walter Benjamin (1892 -1940) - one of the respected writers in prewar era.
At age 30 for the first time in my life I started going out with a Filipina woman.

Creeping Inflation

Creeping Inflation
2007.01.13 2:10

The price of sugar has been rising, since we knew some ethanol has been come up with sugarcane. The price of canola oil and wheat are also rising for unknown reasons. The surge of those producees causes the overall inflation of prices of goods.

In Bed & Dance

In bed, we can do everything that we can't do in dance.

In dance, we can do everything that we can't do in bed.

Only One Truth

Only One Truth
2007.01.13 0:07

In a television comercial, a wife asked her husband why he came home late at night. He replied 'It's work, work.'
A boy asked his girlfriend whether she really likes him. Her reply was 'I like you, like you.'
Then there appeared a telop, which says ' A human never says truth twice. '

Fermentation & Distillation

Fermentation & Distillation
2007.01.12 2:18

Fermentation is necessary to write journals after one reads some reading stuff, which takes two or three days.
It took full two years to write a poem. The process was too complicated to call it just a fermentation. Distillation was necessary to write a poem. I don't try it any more though.

Cm Or Mm

Cm Or Mm
2007.01.08 0:19

Expected height of snowfall was 30 to 40 cm.
Soon after I wrote the last journal I fell asleep, thinking I must have made a mistake as to the name of unit in the height of snowfall. Now I confirmed it was cm.
We hadn't had any snowfall, luckily. In norther Japan expected height of snow on the ground reaches 50 or 60 cm.
Northern Japan was covered with a very low pressure system again.

Storm

Storm
2007.01.07 4:05

It's 4 o'clock A.M. Outside is so windy tonight. Now I check outside. Very windy, cloudy not yet snowy. Expecting snowfall will reach 30 to 40 cm here according to the weather forecast. I'm looking forward to seeing snow on the ground. After the day break.

Wish For Transformation

Wish For Transformation
2007.01.07 3:30

In many television dramas viewers are always hoping to see the appearance of hero at the end of the drama. Usually heroes played a very mean role throughout the drama but only in the end they turned to be a hero. Watchers are always waiting for this moment of truth.
In reality many people themselves have this wish including me. Someone who lives quite normally in ordinary circumstances suddenly changes their figure in special situation with much more power, not to say supernatural. This is a dream for everyone. I wish I can change myself in case of emergency, of course I can't in reality though.
Therefore I'm watching television dramas tonight too.

The Only One Truth

The Only One Truth
2007.01.07 3:04

The only one truth in love affairs is a child. I hope I won't have left a kid in a relationship with her. Since our relations won't last any more.
But if I had, I would accept the fate.

Metamorphosis

There's a scene in movie 'Eyes' and 'Being John Malkovich' that someone sees through someone else's eyes. Indeed we all human beings share the similar consciousness and we found someone who hold the different view, we tend to exclude from our common consciousness. We named as conscience for this common consciouness. This conscience decides how we are. The desire of metamorphosis is not what we want, but the desire you want to change into what I want.

Cold Wave

Cold Wave
2007.01.06 1:56

952hPa very low pressure system covers just all over Japan, we are expecting to have a very cold wave from tomorrow evening. There will be snowy in our region too. Owing partly to that weather I will have a lonely holiday. I was unable to ask her to come. The climate of islands is very volatile. We are subject to having a thunderstorm with blizzard.

The True Meaning Of Eternal Life

The True Meaning Of Eternal Life
2007.01.06 1:09

A woman in my office was talikng to her colleague that she is able to acquire an eternal life. She is a Christian in some sect. Jesus certainly said that we acquire an eternal life, but it is not a real eternal life in individual body. Unless we show the spirit of love and sacrifice, our species can't survive and last forever, in other words, there's no prosperity of human beings in future. That's the real meaning of 'eternal life'

Smoke At Night

Smoke At Night
2007.01.06 0:54

I smelled the scent of smoke -somethig burnt after the sunset. Someone is violating civil code, we can't burn dusts because it come up with dioxine, but if they did at night, no one knows.
To tell the truth, the plastic bag for dust is expensive, usually costs 30 cents to 1 dollar 20 cents for just one plastic bag. So one dozen costs from $3.60 to $14.44. (The cost of it was decided depending on each city or town, in our city it costs 30 cents for one plastic bag). Some people violate this code to save spending money for it.
Back in ancient times the ruler knew people were well fed if he could see the smoke from each household. If there's no smoke in town, that means there's no food in each household. Now situation changed just opposite. Smoke at night is a sign of poverty.

Grilled Eel

2007.01.06 0:30

Grilled eel is a very hot dish, but people always eat it at midsummer. They eat it to prevent from accumulating summer fatigue. People don't eat it in winter, as if they forgot the dish is hot. For many years people usually had eatn it in winter because it is a very hot dish, naturally.
One day one eel trader complained about it and asked Hiraga Gennai(Japan's invention king 1729-1779), 'Eel can't sell in summer at all, could you tell me how to sell it in summer?' When Gennai started telling that the grilled eel is effective to prevent summer fatigue to the general public, people believed and enthusiastically started eating grilled eels. Now almost all people have the grilled eel in one particular day which correspond to the midsummer day.
But instead people stopped eating grilled eels in winter. Gennai did his job. He successfully replaced eel's consumption from winter to summer.
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Universal Sound

Universal Sound
2007.01.05 23:26

I use several domestic products as well as import goods. In many electric appliances some come up with unique sound when we turn on. The sound of electric appliances from abroad is very good, so every time I hear the sound, I feel very well, as if I were in heaven. The sound makes me very irritated in the case of domestic ones, I always keep it on lest I should hear the sound when I turned on.
The reason is clear. Domestic companies decided their sound at random just made without spending expensive money for basic research and development. Foreign companies spend tens of thousands of pounds to decide just one sound to be in harmony with human physiology. There's no future if basis is fragile.

China Boom

China Boom
2007.01.05 20:19

Geographically speaking, China is very close to Japan. One time in history Japan experienced a Mongolian Invasion twice in 1274 and 1281. At that time China was under Mongolian control. This was the first for Japan to be invaded by a foreign country. Sino-Japan War took place in 1895, after that lots of Japanese people including army went to China, and in 1937 Japan started a lengthy war with China. So we must admit the relationship between China and Japan in modern times is far from a friendly one.
I've never been there except for visiting Hong-Kong three times, Hong-Kong under British sovereign. Part of the reasons I've never visited there was definitely a difference in political system. But I guess those unhappy relations in the recent hisory also definetely relates to the situation we get rid of China from our lists of destination.
It was two or three years ago abruptly China gathered the interests of Japanese people because of its miraculous economic growth +10% up every year. But because of the outbreak of bird flu and new type pneumonia then we had to forget our interest for a moment.
Now many reporters started visiting China and introduced a lot of things there. Many times the scene of Bund -Shanghai has been introduced. As far as I saw it the prosperity in Shanghai already surpassed that in Tokyo. Tokyo has been already obsolete.

Amen

Amen
2007.01.03 2:56

Through the email she asked me whether I know the meaning of 'amen'. Of course I knew it, but it was through the email, if I were asked in our presence, I would answer it on the spot. She said she knew the meaning in a quiz ahow 'millionare' so instead of answering I tried asking her the meaning of it doubting the show showed a really reliable answer. She sent me the meaning in which it means 'it is so, we confirm '. Ummm...the answer was as I expected. A little bit short of the answer I was expecting.
Amen means 'it is so and may it be so.' 'May it be so' forms an important part. I am not supposed to reply to these questions, because she would consider me as too analytical person. This type of man is not what an ordinary woman feels fond of. I knew better than to reply to her quiz.
(For Japanese readers, amen was traditionally translated as 'shikari, shika arekashi' which means ' sore wa sou de ari, mata sou de atte hoshii'. Just for reference.)
Reading her reply email, I sent an email just writing 'Amen -smile'.

Time &Space

When I came of age, as if I lived my entire life -from our birth to the coming of age was thus we feel it's very long. In comparison to the first twenty years of our life, the next twenty years from 20 to 40 seems like time is as arrow -time flies. You see the older we are, the shorter the time we feel. The concept of time is just relative, I mean there's no absolute time in our universe.

Likewise is there any fixed space? Space is also a relative concept. Because we have certain size, we feel just big and small from our measures. But there's no width and length in space originally as no length of time exists in space.

Because we exist, we have time and space. Those concepts exist just relatively. There's no absolute time and space in our universe.

Paying A Visit To Shrine

Paying A Visit To Shrine
2007.01.02 2:27

Japanese people usually pay a visit to local shrine at the beginning of the year. There are hundreds of small shrines in a city. Majority of Japanese practice this custom. Buddhism came to Japan in 538. Christianity was brought to Japan in 1549 by Francisco Xavier. Since then both religions met a strong opposition and severe persecution until 1945. Probably Christians and Buddhists went to church, temples respectively. Every shrine, indefferent to small or big, has an emblem of chrysanthemum at the front of the shrine. Zipangu(ancient name of Japan) had been called the land of gold from Europeans. This might not be unrelated to the name of this flower.
Japan started as a country in around 50. It's natural for us to think the history of Shintoism is as old as the origin of this country.

The Collision Of Civilisations

The Collision Of Civilisations
2007.01.01 21:45

When I saw The Last Samurai, there was a scene American army advisor Nathan Algren told Japanese last samurai about the Battle of Thermopylae, August 480 BC, in which King Leonidas fought with Persian counterpart Xerxes only by 300 well trained Spartans. The number of Persian army was over 100 thousand. Probably this battle was familiar to Americans, though, I had no idea what the Battle of Thermopylae was like.
Thereafter the Battle of Salamis was fought in September 480 BC. This battle is famous, many people know that. Greeks made strong navy and won the battle dramatically. The number of ships Greeks prepared was one-thirds of that of Persians.
Greeks were unable to win the Battle of Thermopylae, but won the Battle of Salamis. In comparison with the size of soldiers, equipment, the area of country itself, Persia ought to be superior to Greeks in every respect, yet they were unable to win.
Later Alexander the Great crossed the border with Persia and conquered it in the end. In cultural perspective Greeks not only defended their cultures -Western civilisation but started prevailing their value to the rest of the world. War is not only just the battle between two countries but the collision of two different civilisations.