November

I can't believe today is the last day of November. Time is flying by, which is nice because soon I'll be able to surf and play Futsal again! I can't wait!! 

Physio Update: 

I'm almost 4 months post-op and that means I can jog and jump and things like that. Actually, I've been jogging since I was given the okay at 12 weeks or 3 months. I'm getting my speed back and I can comfortably run about 6.5 km. I think I could run more, but I don't want to push too hard. I've also started lightly break dancing again and it feels great :) I missed dancing so much. As for my progress in physio, my extension is fine, but my knee flexion is not quite there yet. I think the problem is my patellar tendon. The area is numb and it also feels tight. I think the tightness is preventing me from bending farther. My leg muscle is coming back, but it's still skinnier than the other one. Hahaha. I think running has helped bring it back. Now that I can skip rope, I hope it will improve even more.

I returned these babies too. Good bye crutches! May I never need you again!

I also got new running shoes! So far so good!

Halloween:

I didn't really celebrate Halloween, but I am proud of my costume, which was a slice of pizza :)

Miscellaneous:

I went to Asakusa to have dinner with my soccer coach. We went to a restaurant on the Sumida River. It was beautiful and you could see the poop building, which was all lit up.

We also went to Sensōji, where I got a fortune. Recently I've had a slew of bad fortunes, and this one was no exception...

Surprises in the mail:

Over the past month or so, I have received lots of surprises. I got a package from a friend, another from a former student, and one from my aunt! I even received a letter from my Granma! I love receiving mail, so this was soooo exciting for me :)

Package from my aunt :)

Baking:

I have been baking and cooking a lot. Here are some of my recent projects:

Roasted pumpkin seeds in cinnamon and shichimi flavours.

Soy flour and pumpkin pie muffins... These were sooooo good!

Pumpkin spice and okara cookies. These were also tasty :)

Gateau au chocolat

My first ever roll cake - Matcha and cream roll cake.

I have been cooking with Japanese melon, called uri (瓜).

Tokyo's first November snow in 54 years!!

On November 24 it snowed! It was the first November snowfall in a long time and it was beautiful!

I couldn't believe my eyes! Good bye November, you were fun!

November 11 - Depends on where you are

November 11 is a somber day. It's a day that should be blustery, rainy, and cold. It certainly was that in Japan. However, the mood was distinctly different.

In Canada, we know the span of time after Halloween until November 11 is a time to get your poppy, reflect on wars, reflect on the people that have sacrificed themselves for the sake of not only our country, but the free world. In that sense, no one is thinking about Christmas (I hope) until at least after November 11. 

I think it's the same in countries like the U.K., France, New Zealand, and Australia. However, in other countries, November 11 has no meaning, or if you're in Asia, it has quite a different meaning...

In Asia, or at least China, Korea, and Japan, November 11 means "singles' day" or "pocky day." The reason is because of how the date looks when written out- 11/11. People think the ones represent pocky, a popular stick bread snack from Japan. On this day, pocky is offered on special or emphasized and people buy them for their friends. In Korea, on pocky day, it has become tradition to buy your significant other pocky. If you don't, you might end up single. 

The other meaning of November 11 is singles' day. Of course this is because of the date as well; 11/11 is full of ones, which represent people who are single. On this day a lot of singles go shopping to pamper themselves. I guess it's kind of a day to celebrate it or to find other singles and get a partner. I think this way of observing November 11 is more popular in China and Korea.

As you can probably guess, the mood of people is nothing special on this day. Coming from a country where this day is a holiday and a somber one at that, it is quite an empty feeling. I still pay my respects in my own way to our soldiers, but it is hard to feel so somber when no one else does. This year, like every other year, I made a poppy, had a minute of silence, and I reflected on the sacrifice of Canadians. It seems cheap to make such an important historical day about something as silly as pocky, shopping or finding a girlfriend or boyfriend. I can't change it though. 

In Japan, people don't pay respects to their fallen soldiers. I suppose the reason is that they are ashamed or in denial about their eager aggressive military past. However, I think it's important to honour those that did fight for their country, even though they were on the losing side. The individual soldier is not to blame for the horrendous acts done by the Japanese imperial army.

Today is November 12, so now I can start thinking about the holidays. It's still a little early, but they can't be ignored since Japan has been ready since closing hours on October 31.