A Room of One's Own

I got up at 6:30 this morning. It was the second night I slept in the living room. I felt like a college student full of spirit and freedom. The living room is the main place I spend my day. Like Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own", I want to make my living room a cozy and comfortable place for me to think, to write, to rest, and to connect with the world.

Besides cooking in the kitchen, eating in the dining room, I sit on my huge CEO desk in the living room most of the time, reading, writing, teaching, learning, watching DVDs. I need to get rid of most of the junks in the living room, mainly volumes of old dusty books.

From 8:15 till 9:00, we read the NHK easy Japanese news online about the Dogo Onsen in Eime Prefecture. In early June, Matasu Yama City officials decorated the Dogo Onsen with Sudare woven from reed with simple strings. Sudare are traditional Japanese screens or blinds, can be either rolled or folded up out of the way. Sudare are used in many Japanese homes to shield the verandah and other openings of the building from sunlight, rain, and insects. They are normally put up in spring and taken down again in autumn. The light structure allows breezes to pass through, a benefit in the hot Japanese summers. 

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/ne2025060312172/ne2025060312172.html

I like hot spings. I usually go to Wulai onsen on cold rainy winter days. When in Japan, I usually take the opportunity to visit onsen area. I have been to a many famous onsens all over Japan. 

https://goconnect.jp/2024/08/30/nihonsanmeisen-the-most-prestigious-hot-springs-in-japan/

At 10:15, I received a line call from WuGu Director that Jimmy behaved a little strange, and stayed in bed the whole morning. He seemed to have something on his mind. I told the Director that maybe Jimmy felt depressed because he talked too much of the family matters with me yesterday. I am sure he would be okay soon. Like most people with schizophrenia, Brother Jimmy has drastic ups and downs. When he has hard time controlling his emotions, he tends to hide himself in his fantacy world. Brother Jimmy has low self esteem, and becomes sensitive and denfensive when he is compared with others. 

Brother Jimmy told me that he contacted the young relative in a huge debt in Beijing before the online visual meeting last Saturday afternoon. He received a very condescending message from the young relative graduated from the Department of Computer Science, Beijing University. And Brother Jimmy was so upset that he refused to sign the power of attorney.

From 10:30 till 11:00, the Taipei Medical University 623 classmates had an online English conversation on Health. We shared about how to stay healthy by leading a good life.

After lunch, I took a nap from 12:30 till 13:00. In the rain, I rode my bicycle with my raincoat on to the Wheatland Center at 1:30. I tried the Pomodoro method to divide the two hours class into 4 tomato sessions, including free talk session, hands on art work, karaoke, slow jogging. It was quite successful.

At 4:30, I received an instant photo of Brother Jimmy riding the indoors bicycle. The photo was taken by WuGu Director. It was very nice of her to update me of Brother Jimmy. It would be wonderful if Brother Jimmy could lead an exercise team at WuGu to help himself by helping others.