After my pastry duty, it was time for some reading. I picked up “The Good Earth” by Pearl S. Buck. This book was recommended by my junior highschool homeroom teacher, Mrs. Kawata. I read it to write a book report, and he suggested I compare it to my grandfather’s farming life. In the end, I mostly copied her draft for my report. Despite all that effort, I didn’t win any significant awards in the book report contest.
Inspired by my newfound love for reading, I thought about working part-time at a bookstore. I called my grandfather to ask for the phone number of Okada Bookstore near his place, hoping to work there during spring vacation. It had been 3 or 4 days since I last heard his voice. He mentioned his eyes weren’t doing well, which worried me a bit.
Around 4:00 PM, I felt sleepy and ended up napping until about 5:20 PM. For dinner, I had tempura, chicken tenderloin, konjac, green onions, and some leafy greens. I didn’t feel completely full, but I finished my meal. Then, I ate four mikans—my appetite was unusually strong.
I had been holding onto some pastries for Fujiwara and Taguchi, and they came to pick them up. They shared some interesting stories. Lately, I’ve felt a bit distant from others (though it might be my own doing), but these two haven’t changed much.
I read until 9:00 PM, then paused to greet the instructor during their rounds. Today’s instructor was Professor Miyata, who was my homeroom teacher in 3rd grade. Those were fun times; he was a friendly teacher. From around 10:00 PM to 11:23 PM, I’ve been writing this diary. I’m not sure what time I’ll go to bed tonight.
Now it’s the next day, 2:49 AM. Since this is the first diary I’ve felt motivated to write, I’m determined to do it seriously. My roommate, Toshihiko, is sleeping behind me. I feel bad for keeping the light on, but I can’t sleep in a bright room. A truly considerate person would think about the other person’s needs too.
From around 11:30 PM, I worked on my Applied Mathematics homework and started translating some German. Ideally, I’d finish it completely, but I’m stuck on some words that aren’t in the dictionary. I’ll have to check the library tomorrow—or rather, today.
(Nowadays, it's easy to look things up with AI or Google Translate. But by the time Soma grows up, these tools will have evolved even further.)
I never expected my first diary entry to be this long. I want to engrave my history in this diary and fill my mind with sensitivity and knowledge. Lifelong learning is essential. Looking back, I regret the time I wasted, but I still have untouched time waiting for me tomorrow.
When will the day come when I can write “It was a fulfilling day” in this diary? I’m not there yet.
My favorite quote lately is:
“If you are not tough, you cannot survive.
But if you are not gentle, you do not deserve to live.”
(Raymond. Chandler)
3:02 AM, goodnight.
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