I have long been fond of airline flight attendants not only because of their charming appearance and graceful behavior on board but also because of their professionalism as security personnel who protect the cabin and passengers during emergencies. Their dignified appearance, backed up by their readiness to risk their lives to fulfill their duties in times of emergency, fascinates me.
(more…)-
An Unhappy New Year
On New Year’s Day, as I do every year, I paid a New Year’s visit to a local shrine to pray to the deities enshrined there for the development and prosperity of the Imperial nation and the happiness of all the people, to buy a shrine calendar to check my good fortune around my star for this year and to draw an omikuji to predict my fortune for this year. Then, I gathered around a festive meal with my relatives to celebrate each other’s health and pray for a safe and peaceful year ahead…until we heard the news of the earthquake and tsunami centered on the Noto Peninsula in the afternoon.
(more…) -
The Words of the Year 2023
It’s time to wrap up the words of this year. As I do every year at the end of the year, I’m looking back at what has happened to me and what I have encountered over the past year, and I’m listing them up in a few short words.
The words of 2023 are flight simulation, fitness, TOEIC, and voice recognition.
(more…) -
Visiting Taipei and the National Palace Museum
I visited Taipei last week. It was the first time I had gone abroad in four years, as the coronavirus pandemic, which began in 2020, had prevented people from crossing borders. Since the border opened this year, I wanted to travel somewhere overseas. I chose Taiwan for this trip because I wanted to see the entire National Palace Museum exhibition in Taipei. I also wanted to enjoy Taiwan before it was too late, given the possible unrest in Taiwan in the near future.
(more…) -
Flying an Airplane
As I wrote in this entry of my blog, I became interested in flying an airplane last year; I had been interested in airplanes and aviation 20 years ago, but at that time, I was more fascinated by the women flight attendants who took care of the passengers in the cabins of airplanes than by flying itself. This time, I was seriously interested in piloting the plane itself.
Of course, I don’t have the time, ability, or financial resources to attend flight school or have a flight instructor train me to get a certificate to fly an actual airplane. What I am trying to do is just a simulated flight using a flight simulator. Nevertheless, the 2020 version of Microsoft Flight Simulator is much closer to flying a real airplane than previous versions, so mastering how to fly in that simulator is enough for me. Most reassuringly, nobody will die or be injured if I make a mistake in the controls.
(more…) -
The Words of the Year 2022
The words of this year are: web3, Ford Focus, gout, and pilotage.
(more…)