Growing

On this edition of... "yuki's minute" the prompt is: Growing Older

• Write a response to the phrase "growing older."

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We grow older every day. Is there really much difference between days, weeks, months and years? If you live every day for what it's worth, then wouldn't that pretty much be the same for every week, month, and year? They say that with age comes wisdom, but the real wisdom is knowing how to use it.

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"Wise beyond his years"...

I get that a lot when people look at me or my picture(s). Why do people always associate one's looks with age? Even knowing that certain races have some age-defying protein or what-not in their bodies to make them look (almost) eternally young. I've had people think that I'm still a teenager, and that's fine by me if they want to think that. It just makes me seem that much smarter when they come to me for advice or help.

For me, growing older isn't much different than everyday life. You age the same sitting up, lying down, or standing. It matters not. What matters is what you do as you grow older. Reading can be the same as watching a movie. Doing a crossword puzzle can be the same as watching and/or participating while watching Jeopardy! The quality of one's life doesn't mean you have to be stressed out all the time. All of these are things you learn as you 'grow older'

I don't mind growing older, but if someone had found a way to grow younger, that would just be... well, I can't describe how great that would be...

Are you dreading growing older? If so, I'd like to hear why.

Mata ne!

Where Do YOU Begin?

On this edition of... "yuki's minute" the prompt is: First Day

• Describe a "first day" in your life (first day of marriage, of school, at a new job, etc.)

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I wasn't as nervous starting on this first day. Actually, I don't really remember if I felt any nervousness at all, which strikes me as quite odd since I hadn't even been in the city for even a week. maybe that's what helped, as well; not having to wait out an entire application process. In any case, that first day was five years ago, when I first started where i still work today...

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Wow... I can't believe I've been were I work for five years... I can't believe I've lasted HERE for five years. Back when I lived in Chicago, the longest job I ever held was a year and a half. Though, I don't know if I would have still been working there today, if it hadn't been for the terrorist attacks in '01. I'd like to think I would have, but if I had, then I wouldn't have been able to know all the amazing people who've come into my life since moving here.

Just this once, I'll stray from topic... I say they are all amazing, yet I don't think I can really call any of them my friends. I wish that I could. But calling them friends would mean that we all hang out someplace other than at work. It seems to be difficult to have friends in this day and age... Well maybe it's more "at my age"... Life seems to be so busy now, and the only time I ever really get to relax is when I get to go home from work. Even on my days off, I have errands and chores.

I don't think it's just me, either. Most of the people I know, nowadays are married and have children, families of their own to take care of. They have a lot more "First Day"s than I'll probably see.

Any "First Day"s any of you want to share? I can't guarantee that it'll open your eyes, like mine did, but sometimes it's good know where you've been in order to find out where you want to go

Mata ne!

Can You Hear Me?

From here on out I'm just going to go ahead and label this segment what I named this blog, "yuki's minute". I don't think anyone should really have a problem with that. Also, I've found that I've been starting to procrastinate as of late... I'll try to get back on track soon with these, but until I do, I'll still be posting these a few at a time; each prompt will still get its own entry.
So, without further adieu...

On this edition of... "yuki's minute" the prompt is: Listen

• Listen. Write about what you hear, right now.

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I close my eyes to let the sounds come to me. My sense of hearing was never my strongest. I often wonder if the old saying of 'talking one's ears off' could really have been true, but I can remember not having the best of hearing even before all the times my mom would scold me for almost everything. Funny thing, though... I could always hear her perfectly when she'd scold me...

Don't get me wrong, I can really hear just fine... but sometimes, I don't hear everything (or everyone) that's around me. I don't know if it's psychological, or just 'faulty equipment'.

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I can actually hear a few things, right now, but I can't really name very many of them without having to get up and walk around to find out what they are. What can I name? Well, of course there's the hum from my laptop, and the rattling from the heater; it's one of those a/c units that can also be used as an air heater... There's only one more sound that I can discern without having to move away from the computer, and that is the sound of the air exhaust above the stove in the kitchen that I forgot to turn off after making myself a small breakfast. It's pretty faint, but I can kinda hear it because I remember not turning it off...

There are some other sounds that are coming from outside that I do not know. one sounds like the sound of an air pump, or maybe a steam valve, somewhere. For all I know it could just be a heater just like mine, only coming from a different apartment. It just sounds different.

Well, time to move onto the next topic. But, of course, before that I leave this entry with my own question:

I've already told you that my sense of hearing was not my best, but it's not my worst, either. You can have guesses on which sense is my worst, (could be a pretty easy guess since there are only four left,) or you can tell me a story about a time when one of your senses didn't "live up to expectation".

Mata ne!

What Happened to Weekends?

On this edition of... "One Minute Writer" the prompt is: Weekend

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So, this time, I'm supposed to write about something that happened this weekend... Sorry to let you guys down, but I work during the weekend. Most of us are "weekend warriors" meaning we work all week so we can relax and have a little fun on the weekend. Unfortunately, in my line of work, weekends are the busiest. Most people relaxing and having fun on the weekends call us when they hunger and need sustenance.
So, I guess I'd talk about something that happens every weekend for me... Whoa, I already did.

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Don't get me wrong. I like the line of work I'm in. What I don't like about it is how ingrateful some of the customers tend to be. You might (or might not) be surprised when you see a customer blow up at one of my employees when a tiny mistake is made. One that could have been avoided if they had actually ordered the item before arrival. Some of these people act like were friggin psychics!

Yuki's Question: If I were actually able to relax on a weekend would you come hang out or what could we do? It's been so long since I've had a weekend off, I'm not sure what to do. I'd end up just sitting around the house. That doesn't really seem like fun at all.

Habitually Speaking

On this edition of... "One Minute Writer" the prompt is: Habit

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Ahhh.. habits... we all have them. When one hears about them one automatically thinks of the bad ones, or at least ones that tend to irritate them. But not all habits are bad. There are good habits, and all of us have those too. Like it's a good habit to brush your teeth before bed, or to wash your hands before eating. I know we may not think of those as habits, but they can be labeled as such.
Even some so-called bad habits can be good. They may irritate others, but they help to calm the user down.

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I think I'll leave this one at that. All of us have many habits, both good and bad ones. They create somewhat of a balance in our everyday lives even though we may not notice that they are even there. My question, this time, is going to be a request; and that would be:

try to find the good habits in people instead of the bad ones. Try making that a habit and notice how much happier we all could be.

You Want Me to Wear WHAAAAT!?

Ugh... getting lazy again! *sigh* write, write, write... must not give up!

On this edition of "One Minute Writer": The prompt is: Vintage...

The question actually being, " What past clothing trend do you think should never come back in style?

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Whaaaaat!!? Do I really have to write about this? Just to let everyone know, this subject is probably one of the last ones anyone would ever (or should ever) think of asking me. I don't know anything about fashion? Okay, I at least have enough sense that some colors don't go well with others, but I had to learn that lesson the hard way. As for styles?? I don't really worry about them. Well, not nowadays, anyway. Since I work so much, most people only see me 'in uniform'...

... one minute is up ....

Writing 'the minute' was pretty easy for that one, but I realize that it's a cop-out.

I really don't know anything about fashion, let alone trying to 'pass judgement' on what style should never come back... Sure I've seen some crazy outfits out there, but hey, if those people got the guts to wear 'em, more power to 'em!

As for me... I'm simple. T-shirt (or a polo) and Jeans. Nothing fancy, nothing to get excited over. Oh okay, during the summer, I'd wear... SHORTS! Wow! What a change, huh!? The only time I get remotely 'fashionable' is if I pull out a chinese silk shirt, but i only wear those for special occasions.

I've ended all the other ones with a question for my readers, and it's usually something that pertains to what was written in the blog. I want to try to keep up with that. So, yuki's question for this post is:

What is your favorite article of clothing? Mine are my Chinese Silk shirts!

See you next blog!

Three Goals

*sighs* Ohhh-kay... back on track (I think...) In any case, on towards the next subject.

Today's "One Minute Writer" prompt: Three Goals

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Today's prompt asks to write about three realistic goals that I'd like to achieve in my lifetime. Right now, this is something that is actually pretty difficult to think of. Of course I have goals, but many of them seem to be unattainable. Especially if we're talking about lifetime goals, not just every day, run-o-the-mill goals.

I guess one of them would be to be able to move back to Chicago, even if just for the simple reason that I miss it. I guess one other goal would be to get married. I would have to believe that such would be a realistic goal. The third goal would be to buy a house, with or without having fulfilling the other two goals.

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I think the hardest one to "live up" to is actually getting married. I'm not that young, and I don't get out much anymore because of a mix of work, medical problems, and just general laziness. I haven't really dated in the past year or two, and haven't really had much (if any) romance in my life for a long time. Of course, I'm still attracted to women, but most of the women I meet already have families, if not married already. I do not wish to ruin anyone's marriage, and subsequently add more problems to my own life.

Regarding buying a house, I would prefer that to happen after I've moved back to Chicago.

Blinded by Science

.... Oh-kay! On to the next one!

Today's "One Minute Writer" prompt: Technology

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Hmm... Technology, eh? This one will probably be kinda short. What could I say about Technology...? It seems to change every day. I like to make myself think that I can keep myself up-to-date with the world of technology, but that's just a ruse. I know I'm pretty oblivious concerning a lot of it.

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Told you that one would be short... Heck, I don't even have much to add afterwards. Technology has left me tongue-tied....

Writing does the mind good

*sighs* only the fifth entry and I'm already lagging behind. Well, looks like I'll have two of them, for today, but I'll still post them as separate entries.

Here goes the on to make up for yesterday.

Today's "One Minute Writer" prompt: Writing

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Hmm... To write about writing, you must first understand why you write. Is it something you're doing for a class? Is it a hobby? For some, writing is serious business because it is what they do to put food on their families table; to keep a roof over their heads. For me, I guess it is more of a hobby. I do wish I were better at it, so I could use it to help keep a roof over my head and food in the fridge. Heck, i just wish I were better at it so my friends reading my writing would enjoy it more.

All things aside, i do still love writing... Here's to wishing I were better at it, and had more time for it!

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Wow! I really don't have much to add to that. This is where I ask whoever is reading this if they'd leave a message. A simple comment would do, but this time, I'd love to get a couple requests. What would you all like me to write about?

Glad to be... free!

Today's "One Minute Writer" prompt: Veteran

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Veteran... What do I think of when I hear that word? The first thing that comes to mind are memories of my father. Even though I never really knew who the man was; never knew much about him. I knew that he was a WWII veteran. I'm not sure if he was in 'Nam, but even if he wasn't, he'd still be more of a veteran than I'll ever be.

I know that you don't have to be in a war to be considered a veteran, but I've never 'served my country'. I'm not sure if I'd really want to, though.

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I'm not sure I'd be able to enlist, even if I wanted to. I have dual-citizenship. I'm both an American and a Japanese citizen. If I were to serve in the military, whose 'army' would I join? I know, I'm in America, and is in need of soldiers. But with the threat of World War always looming... It all scares me a bit.

Also, I'm past drafting age, and I have medical conditions that warn against 'strenuous activity'. At least I'm not at the stage where I'm not supposed to get 'excited'. That part scares me. Anyway, I'm veering off point.

Then again, I think back about my father... He was a veteran... an American veteran... but I don't know when he really moved to the states. Have the policies changed since then? So many unknowns...

If you're a veteran, how do you 'celebrate' Veterans Day?

Where Everybody Knows Your Name...

Today's "One Minute Writer" prompt is: Favorite Place

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When you think of a favorite place, is it automatically a place where you've had "the time of your life" at least once; is this sort of a requirement for anyone's 'favorite place'? Or are you like me, and your favorite place is just some little cafe or restaurant that you've really liked going back to time and again?

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Also, people can change their favorite place. I'm pretty certain that my favorite place, in college, is a lot different from my favorite place, today. I know that for certain, just as certain as I am that I never thought I would be where I am today, back then.

Maybe I'm thinking of this all wrong. Maybe they mean my favorite place as in a location in the world. If that were the case, then most people who know me would already know the answer to that.

I wish I could go to that favorite place, more often.

Livin it up!

Today's One Minute Writer promt is: Party

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I really love going to parties. Unfortunately, the last really memorable one I've really been to hasn't been for quite a long time. New Year's Eve, a couple years ago... My boss' friend's house was packed; even moreso when midnight rolled around and the mugs of beer everyone was holding were switched with glasses of champagne!

Everyone cheering...
Everyone drunk...

Oh yeah, I got pretty hammered that night, and I had to work the next day, too... Heh

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*sighs* It's not like i haven't had the opportunity to party since then... Life has just been really tough these past few years. Not to mention that since the last time I was in the hospital, my energy never really came back. I seem to tire easier, now. They say that if with the condition I have I should avoid strenuous activity. No problem there, if I can't even initiate the activity.

Nowadays, though... there's way too much going on to really party.

Here's a question for everyone...

If you know there's going to be a party somewhere (everyone else seems to know about it, but you,) and you were never invited or even told about. Do you go anyway?

As I've experienced, oft times people don't tell you about some things for a reason...

Introductions

Hi, I'm yuki!

Welcome to my blog! This blog is basically in correspondence to the One Minute Writer blog, where each day a new topic/subject is posted, and you write something concerning that topic/subject for one minute.

Sounds simple enough? Try it for yourself! It can be great fun!

I believe one of the points of One Minute Writer is to help anyone develop ways to think and write at the same time. One minute really isn't much time to write two or three lines, let alone write while thinking of what to write at the same time. If you want to write for more than a minute, I don't see why you shouldn't; I know I will be, on this blog.

Anyway, if anyone feels like commenting or leaving some advice, heck I may even take requests. please feel free to leave them.

Oh... yeah, sorry I changed a lot of the buttons to Japanese. They're still the same, and the English translation is on them.