Final blog posting!

Sunday 29, June

I went bowling with some freshmen of archery club. Actually the last time that I went bowling was three years ago. I almost forgot how to play bowling. Balls rolled straight to gutters. I was so shocked that I played bowling so terribly. I can’t write the score because it is too low. I think you can’t believe it. Even though we played two games, it was less than 100. After bowling, we went to Jonathan’s and had dinner. I ate spaghetti. We were talking there for about three hours. The members of the archery club are really amusing. I really like them enjoyed with them.


Monday 30, June

It was rainy yesterday but I was glad that it became sunny today. I had four classes. Because I went to bed late yesterday, I was sleepy and tired today. I should go to bed early everyday.


Tuesday 1, July

It was sunny. I had two classes and practiced archery. Though it was not so hot, it was very hot to practice archery in the sunshine. I worked part-time after classes.


Wednesday 2, July

Because the exam is getting closer, we don’t have to practice archery. So I could sleep one more hour than always. I had three classes as usual.


Thursday 3, July

It was hotter than yesterday. I had three classes.


Friday 4, July

It was far hotter than yesterday. I had two classes. On the second period, my friend and I don’t have class. So we studied the second foreign languages. I studied Spanish and my friend studied German. I studied German in high school, so I regret to have chosen Spanish.


Tuesday 29, July

I went to Sophia only to submit the final essay. After that I worked for four hours. Recently I got accustomed to the job.


Wednesday 30, July

July is almost ending. It’s summer vacation!!!Today, I went to see an acquaintance that is the office manager of CIEE with my friends of English literature. She is taking care of overseas students. We want to make friends overseas. She explained what CIEE does. After meeting her, we went to Starbucks. I drank vanilla cream frappetino. It was good. After that, I practiced archery. I had not practiced for more then three weeks because I had to study for the exam. However I should have practiced more. There is a workload that a member should finish by August 3rd. I really practice hard to finish it. So I practiced for about three hours. I was so tired. I went dinner with some members. The food was so-so, but we enjoyed talking. And after dinner, we went to karaoke. I can’t tell what I sang, but it was so fun. Do you know “danjo” by Taro?


Thursday 31, July

It is the end of July. I have to post this right now! Because of the practice yesterday, I have muscular pain. However I practiced archery hard to finish the workload. I practiced for about three hours. My arms are so tired.


About writing

Until learning academic writing, I had no idea about it. I didn’t know how to write a paper, what form it should be, how large the letter should be and what a thesis statement is. I also learned that we couldn’t write even though we know how to write without what to write. Not only reading literature, but also we have to think about them. It was difficult than I thought. Having my own idea is especially important. I think I have to read more to obtain writing skill. And I should read poetry because I rarely read it before entering university. I think the more I read, the more I get better. Even though I was able to do nothing to write academic writing before, but I can at least write it now. To write better, I have to continue working. Finding quotation supporting the thesis statement is always hard. And the work that I chose for the final essay is a little longer than works we all did. Reading it many time took quite a long time. Writing class was also useful to write papers of other classes. I will read a lot this summer!

My diaries 6/15~6/27

Sunday 15, June

As I said before, I was a member of the brass band club in Warabi high school. And today, present member had a rehearsal for the regular concert at June 28. So I went to my alma mater to help them. It was fun to talk with other graduates and the present members.


Monday 16, June

I had four classes today. I had to send a paper of English grammar by 0:00. So I worked hard. I barely managed to finish it at 23:50. I was relieved to finish it.


Tuesday 17, June

It was sunny. I had two classes and practiced archery. It was very hot to practice outside on third period. After school I worked part-time.


Wednesday 18, June

It was a fine day. I practiced archery on the first period, so it was cool. I had three classes. Because I practiced hard, I was so sleepy during the classes.


Thursday 19, June

It was sunny and hotter than yesterday. I had three classes today. I had Speaking, Writing and American Culture. After classes some freshmen and I went to order our own bow with two seniors. There were so many bows it was impossible to decide which to buy immediately. They were very cool! I finally decided to buy blue one named “Ultra” Samic handle. I am really looking forward to use it. It is so cool!


Friday 20, June

It was cloudy today. I had two classes, Wellness and Spanish. After classes I worked part-time. I was so tired but I was grad because it is Saturday tomorrow.


Saturday day 21, June

I practiced archery. Seniors taught us many things to play archery well. It was hot and humid, so we got more tired than usual. In addition, we ran for training. I hate running! I had never imagined that I run in archery club. After practicing with seniors in the morning, I went to KFC that opened recently with some freshmen. I didn’t know that there was KFC near Sophia University until then. I ate teriyaki twister, and it was good. After lunch, we, freshmen, practiced for two hours. My both arms were so tired, that I couldn’t draw the bow well. I practiced really hard.


Sunday 22, June

It was rainy all the day. As I said before, I don't like rainy days. So I stayed at home all day long today. I did some assignment. However there were so many things to do, that I was not able to finish them.


Monday 23, June

I was so sleepy because I stayed up late to do homework last night. By the way, imp reading the devil wears Prada now for speaking class. I have read the translated book, and watched the movie. I like the book better. The main character of this story is Andrea. She graduate university and starts job hunting in publisher, because her dream is to be a writer. She went to an office of fashion magazine, runway, to take an interview, and she gets a job as an assistant of the editor. Andrea’s boss, Miranda priestry, is very selfish and mean. However it is possible to be a writer if Andréa works under Miranda for a year. To realize her dream she try hard. I like this book. If you have time, you should read it.


Tuesday 24, June

It was sunny and hot. I had two classes. On the third period, I practiced archery. It was sunny and hotter outside. I worked part-time after classes. I got so tired.


Wednesday 25, June

I practiced archery on the first period. Because it was morning, it was far cooler than yesterday. I don’t want summer to come. I like winter than summer. I had three classes today.


Thursday 26, June

It was rainy. I usually have three classes, but I had two classes today. Writing was canceled, so I decided to read the textbook of American culture during the third period. However I always get sleepy studying in the library. Today was not the exception, too. Because I slept for a while in the library, I was not sleepy at all in the next class.


Friday 27 June

It was sunny. I had wellness class on the first period. We did some stretches and trainings. I like this class, though, I have only two more classes. on the third period I had Spanish class. I had part-time job from seven. I am very looking forward to tomorrow!

The regular concert of high school brass band

Saturday 28 June
The 33rd regular concert of Warabi high school brass band was held at Warabi Bunka Kaikan. As I said before, I was a member of it. Today we, graduates, helped the present members setting stage and selling tickets. We heard their playing on rehearsal I was so moved that they have grown up. They played far better than I had expected. Mayu’s bassoon solo was very beautiful. I could not have played that well a year ago. When it was one hour until the concert began, there was a long line of people waiting to enter. I was so surprised to see the line because I was not able to see it before. I had to prepare to play back of the stage. Sometimes I still regret that I didn’t choose orchestra but archery. I do like archery, but I have loved the bassoon so much for three years. How can I forget the bassoon? I like music! I can remember all the tunes that I played. These are the list of the tunes and composers.↓
・Prates of the Caribbean (Soundtrack Highlights) by Klaus Badelt
・The Incredibles by Michael Giacchino
・Takarajima (Treasure Island) by Hirotaka Izumi
・Copacabana by B. Manilow, B. Sussman, J. Feldman
・Titanic Medley by James Horner
・Euro Beat Disney Medley by Jimmie Dodd, Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, Ray Gilbert, Allie Wrubel
・Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by B. Crewe, B. Gaudio
・Tarako Tarako Tarako by Kouji Ueno
・“Jeanne d’Arc” ~Lyric Poem for Wind – Orchestra by Takamasa Sakai
・Sennno kazeni natte by Mitsuru Arai
・gakuen tengoku by Tadao Inoue
・To Challenge The Sky And Heavens Above by Robert W. Smith
・We’re All Alone by Boz Scaggs
・Daichi Sansho by Shin Sato
・El Cumbanchero by Rafael Hernandez
・March “Shiokemuri” by Yoichi Kamioka
・Katteni Sindbad by Keisuke Kuwata
・Pink Lady Medley by Shunichi Asakura
・Zenryoku Shonen by Sukimaswitch
・Uchusenkan Yamato by Hiroshi Miyagawa
・ Deep Purple Medly arranged by Toshihiko Sahashi
・ Yumeno Sekaiwo by Shouji Hashimoto
・ Champione by Orange Range
・ Dear Woman by Shoichiro Hirata
・ Jericho Commissioned by “Gemeentebestuur Lanaken”
・ Nada Sousou by BEGIN
・ Celebration for Winds and Percussion by James Swearingen
・ Kimigayo (national anthem of Japan) by Hiromori Hayashi
・ The Thunderer March
・ The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa
・ The Colonel Bogey March by K. Alford
・ Jurassic Park Soundtrack Highlights by John Williams
・ Mononoke Hime Medley by Jo Hisaishi
・ Magellan’s Voyage to Unknown Continent by Masanori Taruya
・ Major Barbara ~ A Shavian Sequence for Orchestra by William Walton
・ Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky
・ Le Cygne by Cmille Saint-Saëns
・ Theme of “Lupin the 3rd” by Juji Ohno
・ Birdland by Josef Zawinul
・ Beauty and the Beast by Alan Menken
・ New World Dances by Martin Ellerby
・ The Magic bell from The Magic Flute by W. A. Mozart
・ Dreamland by BNNIE K, Mine-Chang
・ Ageha Cho by ak homma
・ Natsuiro by Yuji Kitagawa
・ Smily by Ai Ohtsuka
・ Soramo Toberuhazu by Masayoshi Kusano
・ Tomorrow by Ryuichi Sugimoto
・ “Cuty Honey Flash” Opening Theme by Takeo Watanabe
・ One Night Carnival by Sho Ayanokouji
・ Venus by Hitoshi Haba
・ Pecori Night by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter
・ “The Merry Widow “ Selections by Franz Lehár
・ Centuria ~ Overture For Band by James Swearingen
・ And the Multitude with One Voice Spoke by James L. Hosay
・ The Seventh Night of July ~ Tanabata ~ by Itaru Sakai
・ Incantation and Dance by John Barnes Chance
・ Songs of Sailor and Sea by Robert W. Smith
In “Jeanne d’Arc”, Jericho, Jurassic Park, Major Barbara, New World Dances and And the Multitude with One Voice Spoke, I had solo part. I was so nervous to play these tunes. However I love these. In the concert, you may not hear the sound of bassoons unless it is solo, because its sound is not so big and tends to melt into other sounds easily. If I had my own bassoon, I want to play these again. However it is sooooooo expensive. I have to give up.

Brass band club in high school

I was a member of the brass band club. I played the bassoon, though I think most of you don't know what the bassoon is. Actually I didn't know it until I joined the club. It is a long wooden wind instrument. First I decided to be the member because I wanted to play the percussions such as drums, timpani and tambourine. A girl who played the drams was very cool. There were six people who hoped to be in the percussion part, but only four could. Everyone except me played the percussion in junior high school. Of course I couldn't and temporarily ended up playing the oboe. I liked the oboe. The sound of an oboe is very beautiful. One day a senior student showed me a bassoon, and asked me which I wanted to play. I thought the bassoon was beautiful, big and cool. I fell in love at the first sight. It was destiny. I chose bassoon. It can make soft, beautiful and funny sound like a human. And the range of the sound that bassoon can make is more than three octaves. However it is very difficult to play. The passage is not as fast as flute or oboe, but you need to use all ten fingers to play the bassoon. It is the only instrument that requires using all fingers. The left is the busiest finger because there are ten keys for it. It is also very heavy. My arms and shoulders get so tired playing for a long time. The bassoon had been sleeping for a long time until then. When I started to play the bassoon, there was no elder student who can play it. There was nobody who teaches how to play the bassoon! So I had to learn it by myself with books. A senior member who played the oboe taught me some basic things because the oboe and the bassoon are both double-reed instrument. She was a very good oboist. I really liked her solo in "Songs of Sailor and Sea". The sound was very sweet and her vibrato was incredible! Anyway it was so difficult and lonely to practice alone. Moreover the bassoon needed repairing because it had not used for a long time. So I practiced only with a reed. It was actually boring and my lips got very tired. I used to regret to have joined the brass band club. One of the reasons is that I was very busy. We had to practice seven days a week! It means we had no weekend. We practiced from four to five thirty on weekdays. Because of it, I got tired and had no energy to study. When it is one week to the exam, we did not have to practice. I had to study hard in a week. Another reason is everybody was too serious. I just wanted to enjoy playing and use more time to do other things. When the regular concert or a contest got closer, many people had to practice during lunch time and after the normal practice until seven. it was too hard. However I did enjoy. There were a lot of nice people and we are still friends. In addition, all the members had strange nicknames. It was our tradition. Now I'll introduce our nicknames and my friends. First my nickname was Haiji. And Toraji played the oboe. Do you remember Toraji and Haiji in the movie Fantastipo? Toraji was a leader of the double-reed part. She is very reliable. The leader of the flute part was sally (I don't know whether this spelling is right or not). She is so good at playing the flute. She had played the flute since she was a junior high school student. Her vibrato is very sweet. There was one whose nickname was Morizo. Morizo played the flute. we went to the same kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school and high school. we belonged to the same
club in junior high school, too. Bobby also played the flute and had played for six years. She was not only able to play the flute very well, but also kind and cute. Hieta Suika was normally called Suika or Hie-chan. she started flute in high school. Mikey also started flute in high school. Michiru played the French horn. I have heard that horn is the most difficult brass instrument. Sally, Bobby, Suika, Michiru and I were in the same class because
we were in the foreign language course. There is only one class of foreign language course. I liked all the classmates and the members of the brass band club! I really miss them!

My diaries 6/10~6/14

Tuesday 10, June

I had two classes. Because it was very sunny and hot I got more tired to practice archery on the third period. I was very sleepy on the forth period. Moreover I worked part-time.


Wednesday 11, June

It was sunny and hot, but not hotter than yesterday. I enjoyed practicing archery on the first period. I always have three classes on Wednesdays, but I only had two classes. As I said before, Mr. Yamamoto is on the trip to the Great Britain. I was a little bit happy...I'm sorry, Mr. Yamamoto.


Thursday 12, June

It was rainy today. I really don't like rain. However I have to be patient because it is the rainy season. Though I hate the rainy season, I like hydrangea. Hydrangeas blooming on the bank in front of the main gate are very beautiful. They change the color of the flower. We can enjoy the changes, too.


Friday 13, June

Even though it was rainy and cool, it was sunny and hot. I had three classes. After classes I went home immediately and worked hard to finish the paper of English grammar. I am reading Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury. He wrote many science fiction stories, and I read one of them, Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed in American Culture class.

Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian soft science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury. It was first published in 1953. The concept began with the 1947 short story "Bright Phoenix" that was only later published in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1963. The original short story was reworked into the novella, The Fireman, and published in the February 1951 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction. The novel was also serialized in the March, April, and May 1954 issues of Playboy magazine. It is a critique of what Bradbury saw as an increasingly dysfunctional American society, written in the early years of the Cold War.
The novel presents a future American society in which the masses are hedonistic, and critical thought through reading is outlawed. The central character, Guy Montag, is employed as a "fireman" (which, in this future, means "book burner"). The number "451" refers to the temperature (in Fahrenheit) at which a book or paper auto ignites. A movie version of the novel was released in 1966, and it is anticipated that a second version will begin filming in 2008.


Saturday 14, June

I practiced archery today. It was sunny and very hot. It was almost 30 degrees. I was very tired because of the heat, but practicing archery. After the practice, one junior and five freshmen including me played Uno. We like Uno. The rule is simple, but we enjoyed a lot. We played for more than two hours. Actually I’m not good at Uno, though it doesn’t mean that I don’t like Uno. Now, I will introduce what Uno is. The deck consists of cards of 4 colors: red, green, blue, and yellow. The ranks in each color are 0-9. There are 3 "action" cards in each color, labeled "skip", "draw two", and "reverse". There are also special black action cards, "wild" and "wild draw four". There are two copies of each colored regular and action card, except for the zero card, which only have one per suit. There are four "wild" and "wild draw four" cards each, producing a total of 108 cards. In older versions, only the 6 is underlined to distinguish it from the 9, which is not marked; newer versions have both the 6 and the 9 underlined to further distinguish the two ranks.Before playing, a dealer must be selected. This is accomplished by drawing cards. The person with the card of the highest face value is the dealer. Only number cards are used for this purpose. Any other cards are then put back into the deck. After the dealer has been selected, seven cards are dealt to each player, and the top card of the stock is exposed to start the discard pile. If the exposed card has a special ability, it is treated as if the dealer played that card, and the special effect occurs (skip, draw two, reverse, or wild). If the exposed card is a wild draw four, however, it is returned to the deck and the next card is exposed. Play begins with the person to the left of the dealer, clockwise.

My diaries 6/2～6/9

Monday 2, June

I was so tired. We got on the bus and left Nagoya at 23:30. It was of course impossible to sleep in the bus. I tried to make a preparation of lessons for tomorrow, but it was also impossible because I was too tired and sleepy. How could I slept well in the uncomfortable bus?! The bus arrived at Sophia University at six and we washed our faces in the restroom! One of the seniors bought us breakfast. I ate sandwiches and attended four classes. I was sleepy all the day. I wanted to go home without caring about classes. I think Monday is the hardest day for me, because I have four classes. As soon as I got home, I had dinner and went to bed. It was very hard day. However I enjoyed the trip to Nagoya and Jo-Nan Sen. I’m looking forward to next year to meet the members of archery club of Nanzan University.

Tuesday 3, June

It was rainy today. It is very inconvenient because I can’t use bike to go to the station from my house. I had two classes and practiced archery. I was still tired because of the trip. However I worked part-time after school.

Wednesday 4, June

It was sunny. It was very refreshing to practice archery such a pleasant day. Because I practiced hard, I felt sleepy in the next class. I had two more classes after that.

Thursday 5, June

It was raining in the morning, but stopped in the afternoon. I had speaking, writing and American-culture today. After classes some members of the archery club and I went to Shibuya Archery in Shinjuku to order allows. First the length of arms was measured, and decided the color of vanes of allows. I chose blue and light blue. There were many beautiful and cool bows. I will go there again two weeks later to order a bow. I’m really looking forward to have my own bow.

Friday 6, June

It was sunny and very hot today. I had two classes. On the third period, my friend and I were free. So we decided to study in the library. However it was impossible. We were both sleepy. Actually I think everybody gets sleepy being in the library. There are always many students sleeping in the library. Some people lie on the sofa and sleep. I think the student lounge is almost napping room. It is fanny but annoying that someone is snoring. We went to the library to STUDY, but we fall asleep. We did not sleep on purpose. I worked part-time after school

Saturday 7, June

I had a practice of archery. I knew almost nothing about archery, but now I really like archery and the members of the club. The seniors teach us kindly. And it is nice to get along with other freshmen. I want to use my own bow soon!

Sunday 8, June

The members of the archery club and I went to Tamagawa Gakuen for a game.Today’s game was for sophomores. There were three other archery clubs: Tamagawa Gakuen, Nihon Taiiku Daigaku and Gakushuin. We, who don't play but support the game, had to wear suits. It was cool in the morning, but it got hotter and hotter by the noon. Watching the game was useful to learn archery. And there were many people and many kinds of colorful and cool bows. The result of the game was not so good, but it was a good experience for me. I am looking forward to going there as a player next year. After the game we came back to Yotsuya and had dinner. Though I didn't play, I got so tired.

Monday 9, June

I always have four classes on Mondays. But I had only three classes, because Mr. Yamamoto will be in the United Kingdom of Great Britain for a week. I envy him. I want to go abroad, too. I have been to the United States of America and Australia. I went to the United States about three years ago with my mother. The purpose of the trip was to watch Wrestle Mania 21 in Los Angeles, California. It was very exciting. I want to go there again!