pekoさんの おぼえた日記 - 2012年12月30日(日)

My 5 consecutive holidays have just begun.
I'm usually busy doing stacks of house chores during the year end holidays every year, which I don't like. So I had been struggling little by little in order to do what I want to do during the holidays.

First thing in the morning I went shopping at the supermarket nearby and bought a lot of groceries for special New Year's food. I make it a rule to cook only a small portion because we don't need to eat them throughout the holidays. I've already simmered black soybeans on the stove. And I've just finished to cook 栗きんとん, mashed sweet potatoes with sweetened chestnuts. It was as easy as pie and it took me less than 20 minutes. I tasted a bit. It was cooked to perfection. I share my 黒豆 and 栗きんとん with my friend who lives on the 7th floor in the same apartment house every year. I'm afraid that Special New Year's food is on the endangered list these days. In fact, my children don't like those kind of food very much except my 伊達巻. But if I stop preparing such kind of food, one of the Japanese tradition will disappear from our home. I want to hand down such tradition to my children. I'll make wonderful 伊達巻 and some お煮しめ, 紅白なます and 昆布巻き.

I took my math lesson in the day. This is the last lesson this year. As I want to concentrate on solid figure, I reviewed vector space with my math teacher. It was difficult but very interesting. After 3 hours' lesson, we read a new book, "I wish I knew when I was 20". I gave him this book for his 20th birthday present the other day. If he had not met me, he wouldn't read such kind of book, much more in English. I'm sure he'll learn not only English but also something important through this book.

５連休が始まった。
毎年年末のお休みは、家事に明け暮れる。　そんなのヤダ。　だから今年は少しづつ取り組んできた。　休暇中やりたいことをするためにね。　

朝一でスーパーに買い出しに行って、おせち料理の材料を買った。　ほんのちょっとだけ作ることにしている。　だって、正月休みの間中、それを食べ続ける必要はないんだもん。　もう黒豆はストーブで煮た。　栗きんとんも作ったとこ。　すっごく簡単。　しかも、栗きんとん作るのに２０分もかからない。
ちょっと味見してみた。　美味しいわ。　完璧よ。　毎年同じマンションの７階の友達に、黒豆ときんとんをお裾分けしてるんだ。　最近では、おせち料理は消滅の危機にあるんじゃないかと思う。　確かに、子供たちはそんなにおせちは好きじゃない、私の伊達巻以外はね。　でもだからと言って私が作るのやめたら、日本の伝統がウチから消えてしまう。　こういう伝統を子供達に伝えたい。
明日は、伊達巻とお煮しめと紅白なますと昆布巻きを作るつもり。

日中は、数学の授業。　今年最後の授業だ。　空間図形を集中してやりたいので、空間ベクトルを復習した。 難しいけどとても面白かった。　数学を３時間やったあと、　数学の先生といっしょに英語の本を読んだ。　「私が２０歳のとき知りたかったこと」　こないだ、２０歳のお誕生日プレゼントに、この本あげたんだ。　もしあの子が私と出会っていなかったら、こんな本、しかも英語で読むことなんてなかっただろうなあ。　あの子はね、英語だけじゃなく何か大切なことを、きっとこの本から学ぶと思う。

Today's expressions

5 consecutive holidays ：　５連休

first thing in the morning ：　朝一で

as easy as pie ：　朝飯前
= a piece of cake

be cooked to perfection　：　完璧に調理された

be on endangered list ：　消滅の危機にある、「消滅する恐れのあるもののリスト」にのっている
実践ビジネス英語　１０月号

hand down ~ to ....：　～を・・・に伝える
= pass on

much more ：　まして～


☆Reading

The Japan Times Dec.30

"Visit your aged parents, China orders its people"

"Hometown-bound travel rush peaks"
hometown-bound travel rush 帰省ラッシュ