Sorry-ology

Furnishing up the house Last week, we welcomed a new fridge to the house and sold the small one to a secondhand shop. It had been our long-term wish to get a fridge of bigger capacity and higher efficiency. However, the moment of selling away the old one was full of struggles. This small kitchen helper was made in 2007 and had been with K since he started living alone. It had assisted me in carrying out housewiferies for more than 2 years. Although it was small, it fulfilled its duties. We called a secondhand shop for an estimate and reached a deal. When the shop assistant was checking on the fridge and finally produced a number that showed its value, I was emotionally disturbed. It had nothing to do with the job of the lad, but more to do with the act of evaluation itself. My life in Japan had been connected to this little companion in many aspects, and it had been, in a very anti-feminist way, a marker of a new identity that I assumed in this country. And the evaluation itself ...

(image from todoebook.com) A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro It is a story about several women of different ages in Nagazaki after the second world war and long after. The narrative is unmistakably Ishiguro leaving a lot hidden and unsaid. However, these uncovered secrets do not spoil the story at all but only make it more intriguing. I really want to know what have happened to Etsuko , Sachiko and Mariko after all of them left Nagazaki !

The Garden It has been almost a year till now, a long process, since I started cultivating a garden. A house should come with a garden, I believe, as it is a living sigh of how the house owners are connected to that piece of land. It also embodies the owners' views on their lives in relation to the environment. I cannot recall since when I started to brew the desire for owning a garden, or, a simple green space. I am sure that I have hated cement since the early stages of my life: it is a sign of lifelessness and despair. Insects and worms have never been my thing either! During those years in York, a profound interest in greens and flowers has taken root in my mind, I guess. The city and the university campus are surrounded by great nature. A close friend of mine showed me how to enjoy herbs in every aspect of life: she used lemon balm in sweets, basil in pasta, sage for tea, and lavender and rose to scent rooms. Perhaps since then I have been dreaming of a garden of ...