5S

Yesterday, a cousultant from JIPM held an explanation meeting about 5S. I was so busy with my ordinary work as well, but I had to attend it. I almost slept at the eplanation...

What's 5S?

Maybe 5S is Japanese word (Seiri, Seiton, Seisou, Seiketsu, Shituke), but I checked the web dictionary of production control terms, and there seems to be equivalent English 5S (Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) . Mmm, who worked out these English words, Good job!

A man next to me is so bad at Seiri-Seiton (put things in order). He always looks for something on his desk, and there are lots of icons on his PC desktop. When I said "It's difficult to find the file you want. You should decrease the icon and make short cuts", he said "But I'm familiar with this style and it's easy for me". Well, I'll change it somehow in the near future.

Feel so refreshed!

It has been 50 years since Gotemba started its goverment. This year, there are many events to celebrate the 50th anniversary. One of them is the radio physical exercise on the air. I joined the radio exercise yesterday morning.

There were about 3,000 people in the city ground. It was great! I felt so refreshed by excercising under the blue sky in the morning.
And I got small box to refrigerate drinks!

I had to work 7 a.m. to 10 p.m yesterday, but this event cheered me up all day.

Fireworks and radio exercise

On Saturday, on my way to Gotemba, I happened to see fireworks at Matsuda where I change trains to Gotemba Line. Luckily, that day was Ashigara fireworks festival. This summer I didn't go to any fireworks festival, so I felt so happy.

Last night, our family planed to do fireworks in front of our house, but it started raining so we gave up. I wanted to do it within August. Summer season is almost over...

Today, I go to the city athletic field before going to the office. There helds the radio physical exercise on the air. I often do the TV exercise from 6:30 a.m., but it's been long time since I did this exercise outside last.

Whittington

Can I write something about CATS again?

My second favorite song in CATS is "Jullicle Songs for Jullicle Cats". Just now I checked the meaning of the lyrics, and found "Whittington", the name of somebody.
Who is Whittington?

Dick Whittington was a real person, and also a person in the legend "Dick Whittington and his Cat". I don't know how the real Dick was, but the old tale goes like this;

When Dick was a child, he was very poor, and decided to go to London. Luckily he had his room at someone's house and had his own cat. But the real life in London was very severe, so he tried to go back his hometown. Then he heard the bell ringing like,

'Turn again, Whittington, thrice lord mayor of London.'

So he returned to London, and in the end he became a mayor of London three times, as the bell had predicted.

I think that London in U.K. is like Tokyo in Japan because many people go to the big city (London, Tokyo) to make their dream come true. I believe that's why this tale has remained up to now. There is a Japanese word "Jo-kyo" which means going up to Tokyo (to make a success). I wonder there is a such kind of word in English.

Well, it seems that we can see the bronze statue of the cat in London. If I have a chance to go to London, I want to check it!

The best place

The company I work for has two plants in Japan. One is here in Gotemba and the other is in Kansai. And the plant in Kansai will be closed on this December. So many employees in Kansai move to here now.

As the number of the people are increasing in Production room (I'm in Production division), we are going to change all member's desk next week. This reminds me the time when I was in the junior high school. I liked the place backwards where I can see everyone.

I hope I could get the nice place the wall behind, because I can search something with Internet easily...

Skimbleshanks

Now I'm "in" Skimbleshanks. What's Skimbleshanks?
Skimbleshanks is the railway cat in CATS.
His song is very cheerful and happy song, the most musical-like song!

I was surprised when I read the lyrics of this song.
It is written in wonderful rhyme!
For example,

There's a whisper down the line
At eleven thirty-nine
When the night mail's ready to depart
Saying, 'Skimble, where is Skimble'
'Has he gone to hunt the timble'
'We must find him or the train can't start!'

I start to feel that I want to know T.S. Eliot more.
Now I only know that he wrote "The Waste Land".

And I found that this song is on the list of karaoke (DAM).
Maybe this is Japanese version, but I want to sing it next time!

Awa folk dance

On Saturday, after enjoying CATS and coming back from Tokyo,
we went to Susono city (next to Gotemba) to see Awa Odori (folk dance)
It was my first time to see Awa Odori.

I liked it because I can feel the air of summer hearing Hayashi music
(accompanied music consisting of Japanese flute, drum, etc).
Women's dance was so elegant and men's dance was energetic and cool!

Next time, if possible, I want to join their dance because...
"You're a fool to dance and a fool to watch, so you may as well dance, ha ha!!"

I'm so sleepy...

I write this at my father's PC.
I can't use my PC.
I have to set up LAN again.
But I want to sleep...

Finally!

Now I connected my PC to the Internet again!
I almost could keep my blog for 1 week...
Well, that doesn't matter.
I try to start it again.
Yesterday, Mr.T (assistant manager of TB line) cared my condition
because I work overtime so long.
I worked 5:30 to 21:00 yesterday!
I hope something will change.

Why?

I don't know why, but I can't access the Internet at home.
I write this in the office.
I have to work from early this morning!!
Well, I want to write my diary after I solve the problem of my PC at home.

TOEIC

Today, I went to Tokyo again because I had to take TOEIC at the Enlish school.
On January, I took TOEIC IP test as my company's education program, and I got the highest score before that. I doubt I can get good score this time, because I was so tired.

After I finished TOEIC test, I bought CATS CD (Original London Cast) and went home.

CATS

It's been almost ten years since I went to see the musical last time. So I was looking forward to coming this day with great anticipation. I reserved the seats last December!

And how was it?
Mmm...did I expect too much? I couldn't enjoyed it more than I had expected. Now I am making English drama, so maybe I can't enjoy the performance just for fun.

CATS is the musical based on the poet "Old Possum's Books of Practical Cats" by T.S. Eliot. The music is, needless to say, Andrew Lloyd Webber.
I think this musical has almost no story. If there is the story, it is difficult to understand for the people at large. At first, what's the Jellicle cats? Why does one cat have to be chosen as a special cat to the heaven? Who is Macavity? He is an enemy of other cats? etc...
If there isn't Glizabella who sings "Memory", this musical is just a patchwork.

But these things can't explain the fact that it recorded the highest long run. And on July 2005, CATS recorded 6,000 performances in Japan! Why?
Perhaps this musical has been supported by repeaters and cat lovers like me.
As a matter of fact, after I saw CATS and read the articles to understand its backgrounds, I start to feel that I want to see CATS again! If I knew the characters of each cat, I could enjoy it more. Personally, I liked the scene of Skimbleshanks (the Railway Cat). I wanted to liten his songs again, so I bought CATS CD (original London cast version, though).

Well, did I write that CAT was boring??? I don't know why I like it now. Maybe this is the power of CATS which leads to the long run.

tough job

Today I worked 9 am to 10 pm. It's so tough job for me.
And finally, I finished Access training!
It's the education program in the company, so
this isn't included as working time, but it's free.
I'm lucky I can study new PC skill on the job.

I'm looking forward to coming tomorrow, because
my mother and I go to see the musical "CATS" in Gotanda.
We love cats and we have a cat as a pet called "Pyonta".
I can get the first class seats and I heard that the stage or
seats are moving in the middle of the musical.
I can hardly wait for it!

BBC radio

Yesterday, I worked 9 am to 9 pm.
My boss was going to give me another new job again!
"Please be a waste calculation specialist!"
"..."
You know, I'm already full of new tasks!
Easier said than done...


Well, now I'm in the internet radio, especially BBC radio.
(Japanese info about UK radio is here.)
BBC has a special page for English learners. It also seems so fun.
When I used dial-up access, I couldn't enjoy listening through the internet so much.
Viva, ADSL and LAN!

white band

White bands I ordered last month have arrived yesterday.
Do you know the campaign of white bands?
See the sites below:
*Japanese site
http://www.hottokenai.jp/
*world wide site
http://www.whiteband.org/

I ordered 5 sets (1,500yen) to give out them to my friends,
and 10 rings have arreived! Why?
It seems that 1 set means 2 rings. I didn't know that...
Well, now I have 10 rings including mine.
So I want to present them to you.

If you want to wear a white band, please tell me!
(It is only for someone who knows me in person)
(First come, first served!)

Super! ADSL and LAN

Finally, I can use the Internet as much as I want!

My family moved to the present house about 2 years ago.
Before moving, my dad told us confidently that he could set up a wireless LAN to use PC easily.

Two years passed...

He doesn't do anything about LAN and I'm fed up with my dial-up access. It's slow and expensive!
(I ashamed to say I have used the dial-up access for a long time...)
Yesterday, I made up my mind.
I would set up ADSL and LAN for my family!

So I studied ADSL and LAN on the spot,
checked 3 stores to buy an accespoint, a card and USB,
spend 6 hours to set up LAN (it was too complicated!),
and now, I can use Internet without care of the time!

And my summer holidays were over.

Welcome to my weblog!

Hi there! My name is Naho Minowa. Please call me Nabo. I started this weblog to exersise my English every day. I hope I could keep writing at least one week...

Well, I named my weblog "silver lining".
This is from the saying "every cloud has a silver lining." which means that every sad or difficult situation has a positive or hopeful side.

I like this saying because it is easy for me to remember the view that I saw from the window of the plane for the first time.
There was nothing but the blue sky and the white cloud shining under the whole blue sky.
I like the image and sound of this saying, and I want to write my happy daily life on this weblog as much as possible.