Ramdom 5: Food

On October 22nd, Japanese food became designated as the Intangible Cultural Properties by UNESCO. ( http://www.asahi.com/articles/TKY201310220331.html)

I'm thinking too much about food these days...my essay topic being related to food, and also because I take food science :P

Food has so much impact on us. Without food, we cannot live. Then there are many influences that they have on our bodies - disease risk, physical well being, the usefulness of food chemicals, etc.

I also feel that providing food for someone, is an ultimate display of affection
Aside from the fact that it is life-sustaining, you need to take the time off to create something out of ingredients.

There's the expression "胃袋をつかむ" - literally "to take hold of one's stomach" - which is an idiom of love.
To "take hold of one's stomach" is to charm someone by the meals you make. It is mostly used as a disguise or those typical condescension   If your "stomach gets taken hold of" by someone else, it means that you've fallen in love with that person for his/her cooking skills (or so you say.)

Then came the brownies.

I was depressed on Friday because I had messed up with a client of mine from the ICU Festival Committee. In short, I missed an appointment to hand them the completed pamphlet and collect the advertisement fee.
I bicycled all the way to the place, soaking wet from head to toe, my right hand strained from holding onto the handle for dear life, my left hand strained from holding onto my swaying umbrella...
Then I had to walk my bike back for 40 minutes, in the rain, because I couldn't get its lights to turn on. I didn't know how to ventilate my frustration.

Then I remembered that I had Ken's brownie left uneaten (I had the appointment after 4th period.)

Thank you Ken for the brownies.
It really lifted my spirit up (*lightened up*), and I feel all better now.

The indescribable sweetness also really reminded me of the U.S. :) (in a fantastic way of course.)

Book 5: Chapter 7 Risk

It's really difficult to change the way/method that you've been doing something, especially when it comes to life-and-death situations.
Reading the example of IBM's risk taking made reminded me of the recent changes in the electronics field.

With South Korean companies prevailing and succeeding in the television field, Panasonic made the news with its intention of exiting the plasma television business. The company intends "to focus on higher profit margin products"(ZD Net: Panasonic to end plasma television business.)

I also came about an article by Bloomberg explaining how the decision of exiting the television field decided the future of electronics companies. (Sorry, Japanese article)
 ∟Bloomberg: Hitachi's road to regeneration - The exit from the television field that decided the future of electronics companies


I'm pretty sure that decisions to cut prospective fields and products are excruciating ones, and it can't come without greater risk. You can't know if your decision is going to let live or die the whole company.
Hopefully, Panasonic's "[r]isk tak[ing will] make things" - good things "happen" (151.)

On the other hand, it seems like some companies (McDona...never mind) haven't had so much luck.

Then, there are companies that haven't changed their ways. One example is Yoshinoya.
Yoshinoya is determined to serve U.S.A. beef on their rice for gyuudon.
Even during BSE, their stance has not wavered.

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/jetalone/258128269/)

Actually, the reason that Yoshinoya didn't convert to other beef can be affiliated to past failure; it's profits plummeted when they changed to different beef because the taste of their gyuudon changed.

Another factor contributing to this inertia, I think, is that people around the globe, and not just Japanese people, know much about the scariness of BSE. My memories from when news about BSE was sensational is that everything was vaguely scary. What I am going to say is mostly second-handed information from "The Family That Couldn't Sleep" by D. T. Max which I borrowed from Narumi. As a disclaimer, it is also not aimed to be harmful rumor, but prion-related diseases are scary as hell.

Prions are misformed proteins which somehow becomes the culprit behind many critical diseases. One symptom of FFI, one prion disease, for example is insomnia to the point of death. Once the disease manifests, one will not be able get actual sleep until he/she falls into a comatose leading straight to death. Some prion-related diseases transcend species and some don't. Not everybody who have the misformed proteins get sick and die. But the difference between even the Nuclear Plant rumors and BSE beef, I think, is the fact that we don't know what COULD happen, and that the problem is still ONGOING.

In all, though I think the need to be "comfortable with the discomfort of risk"(153) is a great way of putting things. The thing you need is trust in yourself and your experience.

LINKS:
[Yoshinoya and Meat Safety]
CS Monitor: US is confident beef is safe, experts aren't
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0425/Mad-cow-US-confident-beef-is-safe-food-safety-experts-aren-t-sure
Japan to relax ban on U.S. beef importation (Done this February)
(http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASDF2800Q_Y3A120C1PP8000/)

Random 4: Worth a Thousand Words

Art in terms of paintings is a passion of mine, although I'd have almost nothing deep or knowledgeable to say about them.

Pablo Picasso's Guernica helped me pass the Eiken 1st class, my interview question being "Do you think art is an effective tool for social activity?"

On the other hand, I still find it hard to appreciate abstract art.
I've always liked art with shapes that I'd immediately recognize (and that is probably one reason that I have such a non-flexible mind.)

What I like most about painting is the ability to manually reproduce something in real life - like the subtle differences of color, the exact shapes, and so on, so that might be why. The amazement of people being able to reproduce real-life pictures or beautiful shapes is universal, I believe.

I remember that the replication of Georgia O'Keefe's pansy drawing was my favorite activity during art class in middle school.

(http://www.allposters.co.jp/-sp/%E3%83%91%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B8%E3%83%BC-1926-Posters_i290799_.htm)

I'll upload a picture of my drawing if I can locate it.

Here are some of those other art that really amazed me.

Unicursal dragon Kosyuuya (Nikko) [日光一筆龍　晄秋家]
∟With the exception of decoration and color, these people draw a significant dragon with one "swipe" of the brush!!

(http://www.kousyuuya.com/purchase)

How to Draw a Realistic Bag of Chips
∟Just Watch

 

How to Draw a Realistic Water Drop
∟With this Technique, anyone will be able to draw a realistic water drop!

Then there is this Japanese Gag comic/animation about Renoir and Cezanne by Kosuke Masuda that I am addicted to.

Book 4: Chapter 7 - Conflict

 I think dealing with conflicts is a difficult matter, especially if you're a part of it.
According to Perkins, Shackleton had done a fantastic job in keeping a cool head and resolving conflicts.The tactics are 1. "Dea[ling] with Anger in Small Doses," 2. "Engag[ing] Dissents," and 3. "Avoid[ing] Needless Power Struggles."

So far, chapter 7 has been my favorite chapter of "The Edge." The chapter really got me to think about the different kinds of struggle that I've experienced so far. Here are some of those:
 
This is more connected to the conflict activities we have done in class, but I have been experiencing the importance of withdrawl. In a discussion with my friends from my circle about what we should do during the ICU festival, we came across an impasse concerning a topic and whether or not we should feature it. I made a concession, and things moved on smoothly.

Also, this isn't exactly a "conflict," but I also have experience in avoiding "struggles."
There are times when someone from my part-time job tells me to do something that I had been doing a while ago, but not just at the moment that the person looked in to my actions. Some examples are greeting customers cheerfully and organizing the disheveled piles of clothing (I work in an apparel shop). I don't talk back, or claim that that person wasn't looking (as much as I'd like to do). I know that the person means good to me, is thinking about how I may improve my performance and efficiency in contributing to the store and customers. It is also a waste of time to do so.

Lastly, there is enticement. I've been involved with an English class of children about 5 years old. Some were older than that, and some younger. The children were playing with building blocks during free time, and a  boy who was one of the oldest was trying to take a block away from one of the younger ones. The older boy had already been displaying a tendency of trying to have everything his way, and he seemed to be used to it, too. Now, don't get me wrong, I like all the children; I think they all have their charm. 
But I couldn't look this over. I sort of raised my voice, and talked the boy into giving up the toy for the time being.

He gave up the toy, then proceeded to declare that he hated me. 
I don't think that I did anything wrong, but in this sense, I want to learn better ways of persuading and enticing others.

(image from: http://antialias02.deviantart.com/art/Building-Blocks-315890796)

As a side note, while I agree that Shackleton’s leadership and ability to care for others and conflicts were outstanding, I feel that Perkins might be over-crediting him. I’m pretty sure that other crew members had grown more cooperative through the perils. Of course, this transformation must for some part owing to Shackleton’s aforementioned strategies. On the other hand, I doubt that the risk of leaving them behind weren't the only decisive factors that led to Shackleton's taking McNeish and Vincent with him to South Georgia Island (p.120-122, "Engaging Dissents").

Random 3: Wish Upon the Stars

"I want to become a millionaire/billionaire."

This is probably one of the most typical wishes written on Tanzakus - the reed-shaped paper strips on which one writes his/her wish to be granted by Orihime and Hikoboshi on July 7th.

It is already Mid-October, and some of you might think that talking about Tanabata is a off season, but it doesn't matter: it's 28 degrees Celsius today anyways. 

Anyways, I used to consider this wish to be simplistic, and lacking much thought.
But reconsidered, the wish for affluence might be deeper than I once perceived.

Today, one is basically immobile without money. I've come to increasingly appreciate money through my part time job. Before working, I hadn't had any real idea on how hard it is to earn money. Now I do. I may work 8 hours on Sunday, but that'll only provide me with ¥8,000; matriculation cost ¥300,000. I would've had to work another full day just to enter ICU.

One of my ambitions is to pursue the field of Development. 
Bill Gates, 2nd of the world's top 20 billionaires, is famous for his philanthropy.
Whatever his motivation is, it makes no difference on the fact that his philanthropic actions make a huge difference. Good intentions will not make the difference, money will.

One encounter that signifies this is the poster of Medicines Sans Frontiers (Doctors without Borders)

(image from: http://dohiga.blog137.fc2.com/blog-date-201302.html)

which reminded me of this 

(excuse my inappropriateness.)

For me, the quote above, which roughly translates into "If you're going to sympathize, give me money/ I need your money, not your sympathy," is more of a buzzword. Therefore, I do not know the exact context in which it was used,  but it is from a famous drama: 家なき子/ I think that this poster is counter effective, since it aroused antipathy within me. And not just me, apparently. Just like with negotiations, I think they have a better way of wording their intentions. The poster seems to be unintentionally criminalizing people who do not involve themselves with the efforts of the MSF.

Even though sympathy and empathy may move mountains at times, if no one takes action upon it, nothing will happen. The Arab Spring, for an example, is considered a failure in part because no one took initiative after the successful revolutions. This in turn led to chaos. Bill Gates is saying on his homepage that one motivation to build his own Foundation was a statement by his trusted friend Warren Buffett to not just invest in safe projects but to "[t]ake on the really tough problems." I'm not going to go into what those "safe" or "really tough problems" are, but it's always easier to take these kinds of actions if you already have the money. Student organizations, for an example, must apply to funds in order to financially alleviate themselves. 
And before any of this is the fact that self-made millionaires/billionaires are those who have succeeded in their fields of ambition. They can kill two birds with one stone - success in their interests and contribution to those in need. One can, obviously, monetarily succeed in the Development Studies field too.
 
In addition, "Wealth Creation as an end" is the definition of Economic Development, one of the approaches to Development that I learned in Introduction to Development Studies. With money comes freedom. In this approach, increase of income is regarded as the ultimate goal of humanity.

Of course, Quality of Life isn't determined solely by money. But money is also indispensable for any kind of action today. Without money, many of us wouldn't have been able to attend ICU in the first place. Speaking about myself, I am really grateful for my parents for giving me this opportunity to do so.I don't want to make money-earning as the "end" of my life, but I just felt that the Tanabata wish of becoming a rich person wasn't so ridiculous after all.



Additional Content:
If you're curious about the origination of Tanabata, and why Orihime and Hikoboshi are thought to grant human wishes on their annual date, read this. [J]
There are also other interesting reads that you can do
[J] 七夕と笹の由来 

Random 2: In pursuit of "Ignorance" - the ideal kind of education

 In elementary school, I always used to be ashamed about my ignorance. At that time, I was attending cram school for the middle school entrance exams, but whenever something came up that I didn't know, I'd just feel ashamed and feel stumped. When there was a math question I didn't understand, I'd freeze. No asking teachers, no nothing.

"Ignorance"

"Ignorance" is a word often used to criticize a person for his/her lack of knowledge, it also connotes being intentional in the dark. In any case, being ignorant is unimpressive.

 In his TED video "Pursuit of Ignorance," though, neurologist Mr. Stuart Firestein endeavors on the importance of "ignorance." He mentions "high-quality ignorance," which means "purely not being aware of something just yet." He talks about how most people regard science as fact-finding, a subject whose aim is to find and place the missing pieces of knowledge of humanity, but in fact, it is a subject whose "true objective" lies in finding what is still unknown. Mr. Firestein also notes that the part of "finding out what is still unknown" is what makes science exhilarating.

Later in the video, he connects this to education. He says, with William Butler Yeats' quote "Eduation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire," that the educational system should also function to nurture the ability to question, of being "ignorance-literate." By "the filling of a pail" students are merely being stuffed with facts. But with "the lighting of a fire," the chain reaction of knowledge is set.


What allowed me to change from a educationally stumped girl into a fairly well-fairing person was my middle school experience. Frankly put, I had more opportunity to ask my teachers questions. My teachers taught me their subjects not just by telling me of something directly connected to it, but things such as real-life examples and side notes which set off the light inside me. The more I learned, the more things I knew I still didn't know. This experience made me feel like I just discovered the world.

I believe that the condemnation of ignorance still persists in the educational environment. To me, that is very undermining. Education shouldn't be something that fills pails and makes students believe that they have nothing more to learn. We're all born "ignorant" as babies, and what makes us believe that education has told us all we have to know?
The long term and short term goal was mentioned as one important aspect of leadership, but I think its importance perseveres here too.

The ideal kind of school is a place that nurtures, treasures, and produces quality "ignorance."

Book 3: Chapter 5: The Team Message

Shared/group identity, keeping everyone informed, and having each others' backs were the 3 qualities emphasized in Chapter 5.

 Having a common goal is important for a team. A team is formed for some kind of purpose, and without coordination on those terms, nothing can move forward.

This is something so obvious yet something that is easily forgotten.
This is because, I believe, team formation is often times beyond the power of oneself.

For an example, sports teams are constituted by people who come to the same club, etc. Sports clubs at schools are created by those who enter the same university, then progress to join the same club.
The members don't choose the team: whoever come, whoever the members are.

One memorable event concerning "team identity"is this presentation I did presentations for ethics class in high school. The first problem was that the teacher chose the teams, so there wasn't much chemistry between the members in the first place. The other problem  was that it was a "project" for "ethics class," which meant that motivation was low in the first place.  We chose a topic anyways and designated parts.

Output was bad. Some people didn't do their designated part even though I checked on them a couple of times on their progression, most weren't present for morning practices, etc. Some parts, I thought and still think, are due to the nature of the actual members. On the other hand, there was much deficiency in the way I assumed lead.
I wish I took more time to talk as a whole group, and made sure that everyone knew what they were doing; so sharing information and having each others' back. It's difficult to progress without having some kind of goal, and it was no different in the case of this ethics project case.

Looking at the various ways Shackleton motivated his teammates like voluntarily assuming extra watch, and willingly and smoothly helping poor performers, the leader's ability to emphasize the team identity is of great importance. The more trust and connection on an organic level you can establish, the more effective the team will become. On the other hand, I also think that it is important for each team member to realize that each team is formed for a certain purpose, and that each person has something to contribute to it. In all, the importance of consciously assessing what a "team" is spoke out to me in this chapter.