Eating, Meeting, Mighty, Money

 I recently received an OMRON body composition scale that measures body fat percentage, visceral fat, skeletal muscle percentage, and even body age. Naturally, I had to try it out. My old bathroom scale displayed my weight in pounds, which never really meant much to me. Even after living in the U.S. for years, kilograms still make more sense. But when I switched to kilograms... OMG! When did I get this big?! Apparently, I've been growing without even noticing. And at my age, I'm pretty sure I'm done growing! My body fat percentage was a little higher than I'd like, although my visceral fat level wasn't too bad. But here's the good news. My body age was TWO YEARS younger than my actual age! Of course, it's just an estimate calculated by the scale, but hey, I'll take it! My Very Relaxed Fitness Routine About three months ago, I joined a gym. I try to go twice a week, walking on the treadmill for about 30 minutes, followed by a few strength-training machine...

 The Libra New Moon arrives on October 10 in Los Angeles and October 11 in Japan . Libra is associated with relationships, fairness, balance, partnership, and diplomacy. This makes the New Moon a good time to reflect on how we connect with others and where more balance may be needed. However, this New Moon is not simply about peace and harmony. Saturn brings a strong reality check, while Jupiter offers some support and room for growth. At the same time, tense aspects involving Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Pluto may bring hidden frustrations to the surface. On a personal level, this could mean reviewing relationships, boundaries, communication, and agreements. Some situations may need to be restructured rather than ignored. On a broader level, themes around diplomacy, negotiations, power struggles, finance, and information may also become more noticeable. This New Moon feels less like “everything is resolved” and more like finding a realistic way forward while tension is still present...

 Around Los Angeles, overall prices are about 29% higher than in 2020 , while groceries are up roughly 32% . So if grocery shopping feels noticeably more expensive, you’re not imagining it. Rent, insurance, and gas are hard to control. Food is one of the few major household expenses where we still have some room to adjust. And right now, even a basic sandwich and drink can easily cost around $20. Cooking at home may not be glamorous, but it gives you more control over both cost and ingredients. I grew up in Japan in a household where home cooking was normal, but once I started cooking every day myself, I realized how much work it actually takes. Planning, chopping, cooking, cleaning. Still, after years of practice, it becomes a useful skill. Now I can look at a few ingredients in the refrigerator and usually turn them into a meal. And today, if you’re stuck, you can simply ask: “What can I make with these ingredients?” One thing that still surprises me about American recipes is the...

 The other day, I went to karaoke with two friends who were born in the 1970s (including me) and one friend who was born in the 1980s. Some people outside Japan may not know this, but Japanese-style karaoke is quite different from what you often see in the U.S. In Japan, you rent a small private room where only you and your friends sing together while enjoying drinks and snacks. It's less about performing in front of strangers and more about relaxing, laughing, and having fun together. In the U.S., on the other hand, karaoke is often held at bars, where people take turns singing in front of everyone. I always get a little nervous singing in public, so I definitely prefer the Japanese style! The karaoke place we visited didn't have many recent songs, so our playlist naturally became a trip down memory lane, filled with hits from the 1980s, 1990s, and the early 2000s. Song after song, we kept saying, "Oh, I remember this one!" One thing that made me smile was the genera...

 The city I live in has many Japanese people, as well as other Asian communities, Indian families, and of course, many Americans. People from different backgrounds seem to keep a comfortable distance from one another and live fairly peacefully together. There are also many Japanese people in my neighborhood, and thankfully, many of my mom friends are Japanese as well. In some ways, I could almost get by without using much English at all. But somehow, almost 30 years have passed since I came to the United States. When I first came here, I had this strong determination: “I’m going to master English.” But as life went on, I got busy with work, raising kids, and just surviving everyday life. Studying English gradually became something I kept putting off. Recently, though, even if it may be a little late, I started feeling that I really should put more effort into improving my English again. One thing that has helped a lot is how much AI has evolved. These days, we can actually practice...

 Quite a while ago, I wrote an article about trying a cardboard box composting method. To be honest, after that, I didn’t take care of it as much as I probably should have. So I can’t exactly say it was a success. There were some failures. There were also lots of tiny fruit flies. At one point, I thought, “Okay, this looks simple, but I guess composting does require some attention after all.” Still, I couldn’t quite give up on the idea. Then I started seeing Instagram posts about bucket composting and other easy home composting methods. I thought, “Maybe this version might be a little easier,” and since then, I have been trying composting again here and there in a very casual way. This Time, I’m Using a Plastic Container This time, I bought a plastic container from Home Depot. When I previously tried bucket composting, I used a large laundry mesh bag that fit nicely inside the container. It happened to fit this new container too, so I placed the mesh bag around the whole inside of ...