My new year

It has been already three months past since this year started.

Then my 27th year has also arrived.

This year's birthday was very different from usual ones.

That is because I had never been so stressed out by study for my birthday...I had two essays to submit on 5th and 7th, the two days between my birthday...

But it was not only me who was suffering from the stress, but also all my course mates.

Nevertheless, some friends sacrificed their precious time to celebrate my birthday on the day at lunch time at university restaurant!

I felt so lucky to have such nice friends here.

As it was a surprise, I did not have my camera so there is no photo of that touching moment, sorry...

But at least, here one of their presents, German hippo chocolate.

Very cute and also delicious ;)

A part from the lunch, I spent most of my day of 6th in the library with my partner, mac.

But the day was the warmest day of the year with clear nice blue sky.

It cheered me up and also made my day more special.

Finally on 7th, I submitted my last ever essay in my life, well in this extraordinary intensive master course.

I finished the whole course apart from final exams in May and a dissertation by December.

In the afternoon, a huge cake arrived then I cerebrated my birthday as well as the end of my courseworks.

Carrot cake is my favorite cake in UK.

This one was especially special because it was made by Ben's mum!

Sooooo delicious :p

Normally, I would not enjoy my birthday so much anymore because of the age.

However, because of the disaster happened in Japan, I now appreciate the fact that I can get older under the environment that allows me to do what I want to do with my family and friends who support me all the time.

I will never forget the attitude of learning even if I get older and older.

Nature

Since March has started, I find signs of spring more and more often.

Flowers started to bloom and many young students sit on stairs on the university campus square to enjoy the sun as much as possible.

I like so much feeling the change of seasons but the arrival of spring is very special.

And I admire the strong living power and beauty of the nature.

However, the nature has not only its beautiful side but also very powerful threatening side.

March 11th, North West of Japan was destroyed by the extraordinary earthquake and tsunami.

Everyday, I feel so sorry and devastated by watching BBC news about the disaster.

It was so sudden and took over all of normal life, culture and even the protection that people had established for long time.

Now, I am looking at the issue of sustainable forest management associated with improvement of life of people dependent to forests.

Industrialised countries have been trying to stop deforestation dramatically happening in many developing countries in order to reduce GHG (Green House Gas) emissions as the highest priority of the world.

In such international tendency, REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) has been in preparation in many countries (Indonesia, Tanzania, Ghana, Costa Ria, etc).

The purpose of such worldwide programme is to make people stop cutting trees and remain the existing trees or expand the forest areas by paying them for the amount of carbon sequestration that each forest does.

In brief, the capacity of carbon sequestration of a forest is calculated in monetary term and people who used to cut the forest are compensated by protecting it.

There are already anticipated numbers of problems to implement this programme.

To succeed, it is essential that donors, central governments, local governments and local people all have to collaborate, coordinate and reconcile their economic and political interests and social powers.

I wonder what would be the result of valuing forests solely on carbon sequestration capacity...

There are so many people, culture, history and lives within and surrounding of forests.

If we undermine the power of nature, it will probably manifest its presence and hidden destructive power to anyone.

Humans have been developing their life by manipulating nature.

But, now once, need to stop and think of the relations between us and nature...

My partner

I spend most of my student life with him...

Without you, my daily life can never work...

Of course, to read journal articles, work on assignments,

but also to communicate with my family and friends in distance, it is indispensable !

However, a couple of days ago, an accident happened!

a crack on the shift key !!!

Next day, I brought him to applestore quickly.

A female shop assistant received me and told me easily

"Oh, ok. It can be fixed in short time!"

Then she went to back office with him...

After 10-20mins of waiting

She came back with him and said...

"I'm sorry, I tried to take the key out then it broken..."

Oh no... :(

How miserable it looks !

Furthermore, she told me that as he is Japanese version, there is no stock of the same size shift key at store so she has to make an order then he can be fixed.

While waiting the replacement coming, she offered me a wireless keyboard...

Just in case, I accepted her offer but finally I didn't use it because it is an American keyboard and the  structure was different from him...

I has spent yet only 6 months... but I have never spent so much time with a computer  as I do with him.

Hopefully by this weekend, he will get his full body back...

Happy New Year !

Happy New year 2011 !!! (pic: reunion with my Burkinabe compost partner in Paris)

Well, apology for this late message of the year...

From the beginning of the month, I was already taken by academic article reading and submission of my last essay of last semester...
 

On 17th, the second and last semester started.

I decided to better organise myself this semester to avoid chaotic situation with so much work at then end like last semester.

But I feel already that it is too late...

Well, maybe partially because I had 100% off of study until January 3rd for 2 weeks...

But I really needed it !

After the new year eve party near Oxford, we went to Stratford-upon-Avon where Shakespeare is believed to be born on 1st.

 His probable house

Small and cute village

Next day, we went to Oxford.

The "English-speaking" oldest university in the world was very much integrated in the city (Radcliff Camera: the university library lecture room now)

It was very historical and elegant town.

Town-center church

It was great holiday and time flied so fast.

I had hard time going back to my study-based life style rhythm but it is already second week of the semester so I am getting used to it.

Despite the intensive scary course, I was very happy to see my course mates again.

We all know that we won't have much free, easy time later in the semester so we organised a pot luck party for which each brought one's own country dish.

Oh... it was soooo good and I ate toooo much (well, as usual)... lol

Italian style rice, Spanish omelet, British beef stew, British cottage pie, oriental stir chicken (by German), hot chili (by another German), Korean bbq, German apple pie, sushi, teriyaki chicken...

I hope we can have more such occasion before we finish the course!

Year 2010

Already the end of the year.

It was super busy, time-flying year:

After 2 years in Burkina as volunteer, I went back once to Japan in March but after one month short vacation, I went back to Burkina again to continue a job in the same place. 

However, a huge devil in my stomach made me go back home "again" in May.

Then in September, I came over to England.

In December, despite all assignments and an exam at the end of the semester, I went back to Japan for a week because my sincere grandma was severely ill.

I study environment but I did pollute a lot our mother Earth this year... ;(

The destination chosen to finish such unique year was Paris.

Without particular reason, just because it seemed quite difficult to spend Christmas at Ben's house (boat), we decided to go to the city of culture and love!

I was first too ambitious. We bought tickets of departure on December 17th because I had thought I would finish all essays and exam by December 16 and also it was the latest and cheapest day of Eurostar.

But, unfortunately I had to bring two essays with me to Paris...

In a small suitcase, I packed 4,5 big books for the essays.

The ticket was the cheapest because it was the first train of the day at 5 am... 

From Norwich, we drove to near Oxford at Ben's friend house to park his car and took a train to London at 11pm.

The time when we arrived in London.

After walking for an hour to get to Eurostar station with heavy bags at freezing night with at least -5 degrees, we headed to Paris.

Finally we arrived at my friend's place in Paris at about 11am.

We were exhausted and no way to have enough energy to study...

Next morning, I started attacking my assignments and they were done 3 days after...

(Of course, without Ben's help, it would not be possible to finish in 3 days !)

During the period, we did nothing but study in front of books and computer apart from grocery shopping although we were in the center of Paris...

Anyway, we were so so so lucky!

Because from the night of 17th when we arrived in Paris, a huge snow storm hit UK and France (well, all their neighbour countries as well). All transport was shut. Many many people who wanted to travel for their Xmas holiday from the Friday were blocked at the airport, Eurostar station, on highway, etc...

Many of my university friends who had planned to go back to their country for Xmas could not make it and had to pass Xmas in UK due to the snow...

After the three hard days, I removed "study" from my mind and enjoyed Paris with Ben who came there for the first time, by doing sightseeing, having coffee and dinner with my Parisian friends, etc...

The whole city was in Xmas mood, especially with snow☆

Inside of a department store

Xmas market in Champs-Elysées street

On Xmas day, although we were in Paris, we "tried to" prepare British Xmas dinner.

It was delicious ! more than I expected :D

But to finish the dinner, we had Bouche de Noël as traditional French style.

Paris has too many different types of delicious food and dessert! 

I am quite sure during my stay in Paris I gained back the weight I had lost since September due to the intensive and stressful course :D

I could totally forget the study and enjoy fully fun time for a week☆

On 27th, we took again the eurostar which just restarted working normally after the huge snow storm and now staying at the friend's house near Oxford until New year.

I will go back to Norwich by January 4th to start writing another last essay for this semester of which the deadline is January 10th...

Ahh, I am always with essays... whether the end or beginning of a year...

Only 9 months left, I can make it !(I try to cheer myself up by saying this...)

"All's Well That Ends Well" (By Shakespeare)

Although some of the events of the year were tough, I can say that in the end I am happy and in good health with no other problem. I learned many new things in life.

Also I felt the most that so many people supported me in my life.

I hope I can support them or others next year in return!

I wish you all a wonderful new year 2011 !

With such a big smile on our face as often as possible :D

First Snow of the year

What a happy moment !!!

Recently sun goes to bed at 3pm, and it has been very often gray weather...

But yesterday, the first snow fell in Norwich, well all over in UK.

I have been quite stressed and busy busy due to several assignments to hand out before the Christmas vacation.

Snow gave me a moment to take a peaceful break and breath deeply.

In fact, this is the first time to see snow falling since 3 years ;)

Je love it !

Halloween

I went to attend at a charity Halloween party organized by Ben's sister on the Eve of Halloween (Oct 30).

It is "charity" because her son has Cystic Fibrosis since his birth.

The purpose of the party was to contribute to the disease treatment for kids like him.

Unfortunately he had chest infection a couple of days before the day of the party and had to stay in hospital for 2 weeks.

Of course, this 3-year-old little cute boy was not going to attend at the party but we worried about him.

Fortunately, 2 days go, he could go back home.

He looks like other kids when nothing is wrong but once he gets a spasm, it can become very serious problem.

Anyway, for the first time, I had to disguise in a ghost.

I did not have time at all to prepare because of all university work.

Friends told me to disguise in the ghost lady coming out from TV screen in a the famous Japanese horror film.

I know I don't look like her so much...

I was so impressed by other people very seriously disguised !

Also I had heard that the party would be for friends and relatives.

But, when I got there, I was so surprised of its scale...

Not at all family party but huge, very well organized gorgeous one！

There were over 240 people!

Live band music and DJ as well.

There was a bar and a section to get professional photography, too.

The meal was very nice☆

It was a very nice party and I was happy to get to know about the disease although it is very rare disease among Asians and to contribute to it a little bit.