Happy New Year

　
　
Happy New Year
　
　

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Kato, Happy New Year!


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Same to you, Diane!



Did you take a dip in the ice-cold water on English Bay?

Are you talking about the 94th Polar Bear Swim in Vancouver?

Yes, of course, I am.


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Polar bear swim 2014

@ English Bay in Vancouver



From 175 feet in the air




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Gee ... Kato, you seem to have enjoyed the swim to the hilt, don't you?



Well ... as a matter of fact, I was too scared of dipping myself in the water.


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My heart was frightened by the ice-cold water.



No kidding!

But June was brave enough to take a dip.


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I was scared to death when I saw her walking toward to the polar bear.



You're joking, aren't you?

Well ... in any cae, I enjoyed watching girls on the beach.


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So, Kato, tell me... What was the most wonderful occasion for you last year?



Good question! ... Come to think of it ... I remember the letter received from my aunt.

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December 7, 2013

Hi, Kato.

Listen to this.
Miracle! ... that's the most appropriate word, I believe.
Yesterday, I went to Gyoda General Hospital to visit your mother.
When I opened the door, Yoshie's bed was gone.
At the moment I was frozen to death.


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Gyoda General Hospital


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Oh, my God! ... Yoshie's gone as well!?
That was the first thought that came to my mind and my blood stopped flowing.
My brain stood still and became completely white.

Although my feet seemed to glued to the floor, I managed to walk myself to the hallway, and then move toward the nurse-station.
I asked one of the nurses if your mother was transferred to the morgue.
I was pretty sure that my face looked ash-white.
She smiled as if she understood my inner thought and answered, "Don't be silly. Your older sister is in the cafeteria."

I rushed to the cafeteria and saw your mother eating at one of the tables while sitting in a wheelchair.
"What happened to you, Yoshie-san?"
Your mother smiled like a playful girl and said, "Takako-san, I'm as new and healthy as you are. So I was moved to a room for the recovered."

As you know, your mother had been bed-ridden with many tubes attached to her body.
To tell you the truth, I would've never imagined that she would sit up again by herself and eat alone by herself.

I could hardly believe this and cried with joy.
I hold her hand involuntarily and said, "What a miracle! It seems to be too good to be true!"
As your mother returned strong grip, both of us cried with joy.

It is obvious that your mother has returned safe from the brink of death.
It is indeed a miracle.
Don't you think?

As the oldest son, you had arranged a funeral for your mother before you returned to Vancouver.
I'm pretty sure that you'd also decided to face the worst case.
Now that your morther is new and health, I'm as happy as you are.

Your mother and I talked and talked and talked ... as if we had been in the carefree old days.
When the time to say goodbye came, I said to your mother, "I'll write to Kato."
Yoshie-san answered, "Tell him that I'm skipping and dancing with joy like a teenager."
She raised both hands with a big smile.


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Well ... let's apologize to Yoshie that you and I were too pessimistic.
She was strong enough to recover.
Yoshie-san has indeed come back from the brink of death.

I remained in the hospital room until 19:00.
When I returned home, I still couldn't believe that Yoshie-san had recovered.
It keeps on stimulating my mind that your mother's strong will to live through hard times indeed makes her dream come true.


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Merry X'mas and Happy New Year!

Takako
With a great deal of love

I see... So this letter is the best X'mas present, huh?



Yes, you're telling me, Diane. 　As a matter of fact, I was preparing for the worst case.

How?

Well ... I watched the following DVD.


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■"Actual Catalogue Page"



So you were expecting that your mother would say, "Let me die," weren't you?



Yes, I was. 　Actually, she wrote a living will, in which she chose to die instead of living like a vegitable being. 　And I was prepared for that moment.

Do you think, Kato, you could watch her taking a lethal dose of sleeping pill?

Yes, I think I can, even though I wouldn't like to encourage her to do that. 　You see... when living comes to mean wasting away, losing all autonomy, seeing one's very identity eroded, death may be a welcome deliverance. 　Don't you think, Diane?

Yes, I understand what you mean, but I don't believe in euthanasia.

I know.. I know ... you're a devoted Christian who doesn't support euthanasia---let alone assisted suicide, but for some people euthanasia seems to be the last resort.

Why is that?

Well ... critically ill people courageously speak about quality of life and their wish to die with dignity. 　Some doctors advocate a more humane, less controlling approach to illness and death. Each person has an intimate relationship with life. Why isn't it the same with death? Shouldn't we be allowed a freely chosen, dignified end when the time is right?

So, Kato, if you became incurably ill, you would go for euthanasia, huh?

Yes, I would.

Aren't you afraid of death?

I don't think so 'cause some people actually doing it as shown in the following clip.


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■"Actual Catalogue Page"

"Suicide Tourist" Trailer





Oh, my God! ... I don't think I could take a fatal dose by myself.



I don't think you would. 　In any case, Diane, we don't have to talk about death at the moment 'cause you and I know that it is a wonderful life.


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It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Frank Capra - Trailer



(full movie)





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【Himiko's Monologue】


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Yes, indeed!
What a wonderful life it is!

"It's a Wonderful Life" is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy comedy-drama produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story "The Greatest Gift", which Philip Van Doren Stern wrote in 1939.

The film is considered one of the most loved films in American cinema and has become traditional viewing during the Christmas season.

It stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has given up his dreams in order to help others and whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers).

Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched and how different life in his community of Bedford Falls would be had he never been born.

The film has come to be regarded as a classic and is a staple of Christmas television around the world.


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In any case, I'd like to meet my "Romeo"---a decent man in my future life.
How come I'm always a loner?
I wish I could meet a nice gentleman at the library in my town as Diane met Kato.
Well, they say, there is a way where there is a will.

I hope Kato will write another interesting article.
So please come back to see me.

Have a nice day!
Bye bye ...


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If you've got some time,

Please read one of the following artciles:



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■"Easter Bloopers"

■"Beauty is Heart-deep"

■"Romance@South Pacific"

■"Art Gallery"

■"Diane Hypatia"

■"Cherry and Silk"

■"Price of Your Life"

■"Elephant Cries"

■"Banana @ Eden"


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■"Go Bananas"

■"Manwatching"

■"Stanley Boardwalk"

■"With Your Tiger"

■"A Second World"

■"Asexual Thought"


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■"Stanley 125 Years"

■"Sushi @ the Globe"

■"Peace@Syria & Pentagon"

■"Sweet Memory"

■"Unforgettable Movies"

■"Typhoon 26"

■"Great Luck"

■"Diane@World"

■"Diane@Spam"

■"Sabina"



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Hi, I'm June Adames.

The original story "The Greatest Gift" was written by Philip Van Doren Stern in November 1939.

After being unsuccessful in getting the story published, he decided to make it into a Christmas card, and mailed 200 copies to family and friends in December 1943.

The story came to the attention of RKO producer David Hempstead, who showed it to Cary Grant's Hollywood agent.

In April 1944, RKO Pictures bought the rights to the story for $10,000, hoping to turn the story into a vehicle for Grant.

RKO created three unsatisfactory scripts before shelving the planned movie, and Grant went on to make another Christmas movie staple, "The Bishop's Wife."

At the suggestion of RKO studio chief Charles Koerner, Frank Capra read "The Greatest Gift" and immediately saw its potential.

In 1945, RKO sold the rights to Capra's production company, Liberty Films.

Capra, along with writers Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, with Jo Swerling, Michael Wilson, and Dorothy Parker brought in to "polish" the script.


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Capra renamed it as "It's a Wonderful Life."

Seneca Falls, New York claims that when Frank Capra visited their town in 1945, he was inspired to model Bedford Falls after it.

The town has an annual "It's a Wonderful Life festival" in December.

In mid-2009, The Hotel Clarence opened in Seneca Falls, named for George Bailey's guardian angel.

On December 10, 2010, the "It's a Wonderful Life" Museum opened in Seneca Falls, with Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu in the movie, cutting the ribbon.


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ところで、愛とロマンに満ちた

レンゲさんのお話をまとめて

『レンゲ物語』を作りました。

もし、レンゲさんの記事をまとめて読みたいならば、

次のリンクをクリックしてくださいね。

■『愛とロマンのレンゲ物語』


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■『軽井沢タリアセン夫人 - 小百合物語』

とにかく、今日も一日楽しく愉快に

ネットサーフィンしましょうね。

じゃあね。



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