To space

I watched a short film by Erik Wernquist “WANDERERS”. Today, I wrote the impression of it.




   First, I marveled at the various, beautiful and mystic pictures included in the film. A picture above is one of them. These pictures were built from real photos of the locations. They grabbed me by the throat, and I was drawn into mysterious world in the film.
   And in the film, a narrator read about “Wanderers”, which refers to not only planets going around but also ourselves, the human race on the earth. It says we humans wandered on the earth to find long summers, mild winters, rich harvests, and other profit in order to survive in natural selection. And now we go to another new world, space.
   But I had a question to hear that. Why should we go to space, out of our planet? In the film, it says we wander in order to survive and appease the indefinable craving for the unknown world. 
   Should we have to go to space to survive? The answer is no. Maybe our planet will die in the remote future by expanding of the sun, but it’s too far future. We humans can’t make plans with the future in mind and we think only of the present. If we have time to try to escape from the earth, we had better spend the time to make environmental improvements of the earth. It is a better way to live a long life on the earth.
   So, do we go to space to appease the craving? Maybe it’s not true either. To avoid misunderstandings, I have to say that I think the craving is one of the reasons to go to space, but not the main reason. We humankind have to have a logical mind. If we conduct ourselves by only desire, it is the time when we resign from mankind, and become just animals.
   Why should we go to space? The answer, I think, is because we have to learn and find out the unknown. We humans can’t bear something being unknown. You may say it is the craving, but it’s not true. I said we have to learn, not we want to. There is the big difference between them. If we stop learning and exploration, we will stop thinking, and resign from mankind. We have to wander to keep ourselves humankind by going on thinking. This is the answer to the question.
   Whatever reason for the exploration, now we human beings can go to space. We can take pride in this achievement. I wonder whether it will come the time we leave our galaxy…

http://www.erikwernquist.com/wanderers/what.html

How to prevent...

How to prevent “baldness”
The baldness is terrible. If we grow bald once, there is no way to improve the situation.
So, today I wrote how to prevent baldness.
You should read this writing before you regret.

1. Sleep enough
   The cells which grow hairs are activated by growth hormone, and the growth hormones are secreted in 22:00 ~ 2:00. If you stay up this time zone, the growth hormones are not secreted.
And the growth hormones are secreted 0.5 ~ 3 hours after getting a sleep. So the shortness of sleeping also cause baldness.

2. Eat a balanced diet
   If you always eat an unbalanced diet, you can’t get enough nutrition you need to grow hairs. To grow hairs, you must take in protein, which is the main component of hair, vitamin A, vitamin E, which improve the circulation of the scalp blood. The lack of these nutrition cause baldness.
   If you take in too much fat, it cause bad blood circulation and pores are stopped up, which also damage hairs. You should eat vegetables.

3. Give up smoking
   Nicotine which is included in cigarettes activates the central nerves, and then your blood vessels shrink. It cause bad blood circulation, and necessary nutrition doesn’t get to hairs. And carbon monoxide which is included in cigarettes also cause bad blood circulation. Smoking is harmful not only for your health but also for your hairs.

4. Get rid of stress
   Much stress upset the balance between the sympathetic nerve system and the parasympathetic nervous system. If the former works too much, the blood pressure goes up and the blood vessels shrink. And badly-balanced nervous system weaken the function of the internal organs and you can’t take in enough nutrition for hairs. It is difficult to eliminate all stress, but you had better do what you want to do and get rid of stress.

5. Change your hairstyle
   If you always have the same hairstyle, it may cause baldness because the same part of your scalp is exposed. Ultraviolet rays dry the scalp, and then hairs can’t get enough water to grow. Ultraviolet rays also damage hairs themselves. Ultraviolet rays destroy hair cuticles, and hairs come to be sensitive to any stimulation. You should change your hairstyle to prevent only one spot on the scalp from being exposed to ultraviolet rays. But tying hairs like a ponytail can damage hairs and scalp, so you should have a natural hairstyle.

6. Don’t use a hat for a long time
   Using a hat is a good way to protect hairs from ultraviolet rays, but too long use can cause baldness. If you use a hat, your scalp gets sweaty and various germs multiply in the hat. It causes an inflammation on the scalp and damages hairs. If you want to use a hat, you should use the one that breathes well.

7. Dry your hairs after taking a bath
   As mentioned above, sweaty scalp causes baldness. So, you should not leave your hair wet after taking a bath. And when hairs are wet, hair cuticles are apt to be broken. If you go to bed with your hair wet, cuticles can be broken because of pressure and friction among hairs. You should dry your hair with a hair dryer soon after taking a bath.

8. Don’t wash your hair too much
   The scalp secretes sebum, and it protect scalp from the stimulation like ultraviolet rays. But if you wash your hair too much, the scalp secretes too much sebum, and it makes pores stopped up. It is important to keep you hair clean, but one washing a day is enough.Too much washing do more harm than good.



The baldness is terrible, but you can prevent it! Let’s enjoy the life with plenty of hairs! 

Pure love story?

I wrote a sketch with my friend. I wrote the first half, and my friend wrote the latter half.
He has great talent as a novelist. Please enjoy!

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A dialogue between a married couple

 
“I’m home…,” said Arnold.

“Welcome back, Arnold. You are too late coming home these days, aren’t you?” said Maria.

“Oh…, I’m sorry, Maria. I had to work overtime.”

“You must be tired. Have you had dinner yet?”

“Already, I have.”

“Hey, Arnold. I told you many times to call me if you eat out.”

“Sorry… I was invited unexpectedly by a coworker.”

“Hmm…, OK. Next time call me ahead.”

“OK. I’ll be more careful from next time.”

“It’s already late. The bath is ready. Why don’t you take a bath?”

“Thank you, Maria. I love you.”

“I love you too, Arnold.”

Zzz. Zzz. Zzz-zzz-zzz-zzz!!

“Oh, I have a phone call… Maria, you can go to bed ahead,” said Arnold, and he tried to leave the room immediately.

“…WAIT!! …Arnold, who is calling?” said Maria.

“Well…, the c,c,coworker I told you about!”

“What’s his name?”

“…T,Tom!”

“…Are you cheating on me?”

“No!! You are misunderstanding! Please believe me, Patty!”

“…Hey, Arnold. WHO IS PATTY?”

 
“S… sh… she is… my coworker, too! What’s wrong with…”

“Stop, Arnold!! Show me your phone and tell me the truth!! Don’t hide anything!” said Maria so angrily.

“Ok…” said Arnold weakly.



“Well… So who has just called you was not Tom but Patty. And according to the data in your phone, you’ve talked to her on a phone almost every day recently.” said Maria with anger.

“Ok. I’m really sorry that I told you a lie. But trust me! I’ve never dated with Patty and she and I are not in love. Seriously, I love you and I never cheat on you!!” said Arnold.

“Never mention it again!! It’s now obvious that you don’t love me most. You are cheating on me. There’s no escape because ironically, not you but your phone has told me the truth.”

“No! Absolutely no! For evidence, you haven’t found any photo or video which she and I are in!”

“Shut up!! If you don’t stop lying right now, I’ll get ready to divorce you!”

“…….. ok….. I’ll tell you everything…”

“Come on!!” Maria shouted to Arnold.

“I’ve known Patty for a long time. And her full name is Patty Rebecca O’brien.”

“What…? O’brien is our family name!!”

“Yes. Now I’m sorry that I haven’t told you that I’d divorced once before I married you. And Patty is my daughter with my previous wife.”

“Why have you made such a thing secret?”

“I do apologize, but it’s my sad memory and I even don’t want to remember…”

“Hmm… Then why do you talk with your daughter so much even though you don’t take care of her now? Do you still worry her?”

“That may be one reason. But recently, I got a call that my previous wife, who’d taken care of Patty, was killed in a traffic accident. Patty is still 10. She needs a guardian. And I thought if I can be her father again. So recently, I’ve talked with Patty about it and she now agreed with it.”

“Arnold…”

“But I’m sorry. You know I’m a shy person. So I couldn’t talk about it with you because I thought you may feel bad with it…”

“Arnold… Apparently, your shyness caused my misunderstanding. But I recognized your hard life in past and your kindness. And I sincerely want to accept Patty to my home. I’m sorry for doubting you. But from next time, feel free to consult anything with me.”

“Maria… I love you!!”

“Me too. Arnold!” said Maria and she hugged Arnold.

Zzz. Zzz. Zzz-zzz-zzz-zzz!!

“Oh… now I have a phone call… Goodnight, Arnold.” said Maria.

“Hey… Excuse me, but your screen accidentally caught my attention… Your phone says `John❤’ called you! WHO IS JOHN?”

Thesis about artificial bone

   I major in engineering sciences in college. Today, I read a thesis about artificial bone, which I was interested in. It was very difficult for me, but I have finished reading it! So, I wrote a summary of the thesis.

Summery
   Our body is supported by the bones from head to foot. But if once a bone is broken or does not engage smoothly ,because of a traffic accident or illness or aging, it will be difficult for us to live a daily life. So, we need “artificial bone” to make up for the fracture. And we also need “metallic material”, which display a small coefficient of friction and fuse itself with bones directly.
   For example, titanium and titanium alloys are capable metals. They don’t react easily on a water solution because their surfaces are covered by titanium oxide (TiO2). But titanium oxide reacts on sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and form hydration gel of sodium titanate. This hydration gel change into the amorphous layer of sodium titanate, which displays the high strength to the loading, with heated at 600℃ for 1 hour. The amorphous layer of this metal elutes sodium ions and draw oxonium ions in the body, and forms a lot of Ti-OH groups on its surface. These groups are combined to calcium ions and phosphate ions, and they form “apatite”, which is the crystal of hexagonal system. The layer of apatite fuse itself with the surrounding bones, and then work as an artificial bone. 

   The metallic materials,which display the high strength to the loading and fuse themselves into bones automatically like sodium titanate, are called “bioactive metal”. These bioactive metals expected to use as the artificial bones which locate in high loaded place in the body, like human knee, elbow, hip joint, wrist and other joints, or the root of a tooth. They will be a help for a lot of people, who suffer from physical injuries, to live a healthy and cultural life.




I will find a new and high-performance metallic material in the future!!

Reference
化成処理,高温処理/人工骨,人工関節
小久保正,金鉉敏(2000)

The last time, Saint Lucia. This time, Afghanistan.

I am interested in Afghanistan, and studied about Afghan food.
Afghan foods are all appetizing. After studying, I came to want to cook them at once. So, today, I wrote about “korma”, a popular stewed cooking in Afghanistan. I will be grad if you make this dish.
 

Ingredients(for four) 
・cumin 　　　　　　1 tsp
・coriander 　　　　1 tsp
・cinnamon 　　　　0.5 tsp
・turmeric 　　　　　1 tsp
・cardamom 　　　6 grains
・red pepper 　　　　1 
・garam masala 　　1 tsp
・salt and pepper 　a suitable amount
・garlic(paste) 　　　1 tsp
・ginger(paste) 　　1 tsp
・yogurt 　　　　　　4 tsps
・onion 　　　　　　　2
・chick pea 　　　　　1 cup
・potato　　　　　　　 1
・green bean 　　　　1 cup

Recipe
1. Measure cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, red pepper, and mix them. 

2. Fry sliced onions in a pan for 5 minutes.

3. Add garlic and ginger to the pan, and fry for 2 minutes.

4. Add measured spices to the pan, and fry for 1 minute to make them give off the good smell.

5. Add cut potatoes, chick peas, and water to the pan. Once the water boils, cover the pan with a lid and stew on low heat for 15 minutes.

6. Add green beans, and stew for 5 minutes with the lid off.

7. Add yogurt and garam masala to the pan.

8. Season with salt and pepper, and stew for 5 minutes.

9. Place on the plate. done!

About korma
    Afghanistan is on the Silk Road, and is a multiracial nation bordered by six countries, Iran, Pakistan, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. So, Afghan food is very various.
    “korma” is one of the cooking which is from foreign countries around Afghanistan. And the word “korma” is derived from Urdo “kormah” which means “Braising”. The cuisine korma dates back to the sixteenth century, originated in Mughal Empire in North India. They ate korma as a palace cuisine, and very few people could eat it. When Babur, who was the originator of Mughal Empire, invaded what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh, korma spread over India and neighboring countries. And how to cook korma was greatly influenced by each countries’ culture, climate, landform, and so on. So, there are numberless recipes of korma around the world. 
    In particularly, in Afghanistan, they use some fruits, chick peas, or yogurt in addition to the ordinary ingredients like onions or spices or meat. Afghanistan is famous for its production of chick peas, and chick peas are often used in Afghan food. Yogurt is also used in Afghan food to make taste mild. When meat is used in korma, chicken and mutton are mostly used because Afghan people are followers of Islam. As there are quite a few vegetarians in Afghanistan, meatless korma is often cooked for them. Korma is eaten with nan bread or palaw (a kind of pilaf) by both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
    Even in Afghanistan, there are also differences of the recipe. As Afghanistan is a mountain country, and tribes living in have weak ties to each other, their cultures (including how to cook) developed uniquely. there are various "korma"
    In the countless of recipes of korma, I chose this recipe because one of my English teacher, who certainly reads this blog, is a vegetarian. He must read other students’ blogs, and when he read other articles about cooking, he can’t make the dish on the blog if its main ingredient is meat. It’s a pity he can’t enjoy cooking. So, I chose this meatless recipe so that he can cook this.


    I want to cook korma, but I can’t, because of the number of spices. For a student, many spices cost too much. If you like cooking, try it!


References
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B3%E3%83%AB%E3%83%9E

http://jp.ndish.com/world/afghanistan/ 

http://e-food.jp/country/afghan/1/afgan.korma.htm 

http://cookpad.com/recipe/310436 

Trip to the Caribbean ~Saint lucia~

   I’m going to go to Saint Lucia in the West Indies. Saint Lucia is in the wet season from June to November, and sometimes hurricanes come. So, I’ll go to Saint Lucia in March.
   Today, I made the itinerary.

N.B.
・To go to Saint Lucia, we Japanese don’t have to possess visa, if we have an airline ticket to return to our homeland. So, I have to carry just a passport and the ticket.
 
・Reserve an airline seat and the hotels and change money into EC＄in Japan in advance.(1 dollar =2.7EC＄)
 
・Do not expose skin too much to avoid infectious diseases that are carried by mosquitoes.
 
・Do not drink tap water, drink mineral water.
 
・When taking taxis, ask a fare before getting into the car in case there is not a taximeter.(about 10 dollars per kilometer)
 
・Make arrangements for a taxi at hotels.
 
・When leaving Saint Lucia, it is necessary to pay a departure tax, 55.00 EC dollars. 

Schedule
3/6
Boarding the 19:15 flight at Narita Airport. Via Los Angeles International Airport and Miami Airport, arriving Hewanorra International Airport on 3/8

3/7
In the sky.

3/8
At 13:24, arriving Hewanorra International Airport. As I will be tired, I stay in the hotel near the airport.
Hotel: Villa Caribbean Dream (2km from the airport)

 3/9
Going to Maria Islands, the biggest solitary island in Saint Lucia. Seeing the animals and plants of the island with guides. I want to go there by all means because this area is famous for its marine clarity and its seascape.

Before getting dark, going to today’s hotel, tomorrow’s sightseeing spot.

3/10
Hotel: Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa
Taking a rest for my health here. There are restaurant, swimming pool, Water slide, sauna, hot spring, beach, tennis court and so on. And here, I can have a massage, play some sports, enjoy marine sports like sailboat, kayak, surfing. Exactly, “Resort”. I want to go to a resort area like this in my life. Spending a whole day here and feel relaxed.

3/11
In the afternoon, leaving the hotel. Going to Mamiku garden, the biggest garden in Saint Lucia. I want to go there because there are some plants which are endangered species or endemic species in the garden, and I want to see them. As a guide will accompany in the garden, I will get much information about the plants.

 
Before getting dark, going to today's hotel.
Hotel: Lodge Colibri

3/12
Going to Dennery beach. Enjoying sunbathing, snorkeling and other marine sports. And here, only Friday night, the event “Fri Fish” is held. Many fish dish are sold in the fishing village. Maybe, I can eat uncommon fish in Japan.

 

3/13
Going to Gros Islet, an area in north Saint Lucia because I want to ride horse. “Island Riders” gives us wonderful experience that we can go everywhere with horse, even in the sea! It must be very fun. I can enjoy beautiful sea and spots of this country by strange way in here.

Before getting dark, going to today’s hotel.

3/14
Hotel: Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort
Because of my inexperience in horse riding, maybe I am very tired and I can’t go sightseeing this day. So, I should stay in this hotel all day. It has a lot of things refresh and entertain me. I chose this hotel due to the view and great room.
 

3/15
Going to Castries, the capital city of Saint Lucia. Today’s biggest destination of mine is “Derek Walcott Square”. It was named after a Nobel Prize in Literature winner, Derek Walcott who was born in this country. There are his statue, big trees, a fountain, and so on. After visiting the square, I will go shopping if I am not so tired. Today’s hotel is near the square.
Hotel: Poinsettia Villa Apartments

 3/16
Moving into south area of Saint Lucia. I have two destinations today.
First, going to “Diamond Botanical Gardens”, which has many beautiful tropical flowers, mineral baths and Diamond waterfall. Although this country has many small waterfalls, most of them are in the mountains and difficult to go. But this one is easier to go, so I want to go there.

 
Second, I want to go where I can do something good for my skin. The place is called “Sulphur Springs”. It is a mud spring including sulphur, iron, deposits of copper, carbon and so on. People say “This spring makes your skin five years younger!” There are places where we can wash the mud away, but because of its component, my body must smell of sulphur after bathing. And we have to pay attention to its very hot water.

Hotel: Anse Chastanet

3/17
I want to see world heritage, so I go to “Tet Paul Nature Trail”. Although it is a short hiking trail, I can see “Pitons” during my hiking. “Pitons” are two mountains that is a world natural heritage in Saint Lucia. I can enjoy beautiful nature. And I think short trail is good for me because I may be tired from exercise until yesterday.

Before getting dark, going to today's hotel.

3/18 
Hotel: QR Quality Rooms Cedar Palm Villa
This hotel is the nearest to the airport I use. If I am very tired, I stay in this hotel.
 

 

But if I’m not tired, I can go to some colleges near here. There are International American University College of Medicine and Spartan Health Sciences University.
Boarding the 14:19 flight at Hewanorra International Airport. Via Miami Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, arriving Narita Airport on 3/20

3/19
In the sky.

3/20
At 12:35, arriving Narita Airport. Going home.
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This is my plan for my travel of Saint Lucia.
 
This plan costs me a lot.
Airline tickets: 580000 yen (for two)
Hotels, shopping, eating, and others: 380000 yen

I'm looking forward to visiting Saint Lucia!

"If I knew what I know now"

     I have lived my life with much regret. I have a lot of things that I want to change or erase. So, today I write some examples of my regret.

     First, when I was a junior high school student, my table tennis club left good results at a regional tournament, and we went out to play to celebrate our victory. My parents gave me some money to hear that we won the game, so I went out with satisfaction. We had lunch at a restaurant, and went to a game center nearby, and the incident happened. As you know, in a game center, there are “UFO Catchers”. At that time, I had never played “UFO Catcher”, and my friends played it easily, at least it looked easily. So I decided to play it. But it was not easy for a beginner, of course. A premium seemed to fall, but only seemed to fall. The premium didn't fall, and the money my parents gave me was lost in vain. If I had known that UFO Catcher was not an easy game, if anything, it was a difficult game, I would have stopped my play within bounds. Ah, my money doesn't return.

     Second, when I was a high school student, I was a studious pupil. My academic record in the high school became better than that in the junior high school. I studied harder because I was glad that as I studied more, my academic record improved. I spent the first grade and second grade of my high school student life only studying. But unexpectedly, in the third grade, I had exhausted my enthusiasm for the study. At that time, I couldn't study hard as I did previously. But if I stopped studying, my friends didn't stop because it was the time period for entrance exam. So I had nothing to do but studying. As a result, I wasted my school life. I didn't know that my school life was only once. I didn't know that there were important things as well as studying. I didn't know that nothing would change in the college if I studied. If I had known these things at that time, my life would have changed dramatically.

 

     Third, after I graduated the high school, I went to a phone shop because my cell phone was old. I had used it for three years. A shop assistant recommended “Smart Phone”. I planned to buy a feature phone as I used previously, but I wanted smart phone. So I asked the price of smart phone. The answer was “it costs more than six thousand yen a month.” I was surprised to hear that. The price was three times higher than the price of my feature phone. I was worried which one I should buy. At last, I decided to buy a feature phone. Cheapness was justice. But I regret my decision now. In the university, my classmates make contact with each other by using the application “LINE”. And in some lectures of the university, they call the roll on the Internet, but I can’t attend with my feature phone. If I had known that smart phone is indispensable for a university student, I would have bought it.

     I have lived my life with much regret. I have a lot of things that I want to change or erase. But I live my life pleasantly. I will continue to do my best.