My wife starts a part-time job.

My wife, Junko, started working for the first time in more than two decades.

She had taught students how to play the piano but quit the job after she married me. I am not sure if I asked her to stop working but my wife has been a housewife. It is true that she has been busy taking care of our three kids.

All of a sudden, my wife told me that she had decided to start a part-time job. I agree with her decision because she has a right to do so regardless of my preference.

Now she works three times a week (i.e., Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays), when I am ready to support my family while she is at work. However, what surprises me is that she never neglects her diary chores no matter how busy she is. I am really proud of you, Junko.

Go for it and enjoy your life, Junko! I'll be there for you.

2021 F1: Final lap in Abu Dhabi

What a race! What a lap! What an ending!

I have been a big fan of F1 for more than three decades, but I have never seen a lap like this. It is more dramatic than a movie. The best script would not be better than what happened in the final lap in Abu Dhabi this year.

To tell the truth, on the lap before the final, I thought that Hamilton would win the race and be a champion. I thus go to the restroom, and, after coming back, I am surprised to notice that the race is about to resume from the last lap. The miracle then happens. I almost missed the most memorable moment.

I am also proud of Honda because the Japanese carmaker never gives up no matter how tough the challenge was. Thanks, everyone in F1, and I look forward to seeing the next season.

Long time no see

My daughter, Aya, and I visited my parents for the first time in more than one and half a year.

We used to visit them every month and enjoy chatting with them and having fantastic meals that my mother served for us.

However, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, everything has dramatically changed. Durling the lift of the state of an emergency, it would be possible to go back to my hometown, but Mon did not allow us to come back for fear of being sick. She seemed to think that I would carry the pathogen since I am a physician.

As shown in the pictures, I was happy to see my parents being the same as before the pandemic. What a relief.

Nobody knows when the disaster will come to the end, but I would like to visit them as many as possible, not only for them but also for me.

Oblige noblesse

Recently, I made four lectures and chaired one conference within one week.

What a tough but satisfying week. Needless to say, being requested is worth more than the money that woud be paid to me. I have to appreciate the current condition.

 

I do not think that it is the title that counts, but it is also true that some jobs are asked due to my title, which is the vice president of the hospital or the chief of the cardiology department.

No wonder, everyone has the day of thier retirement in the future and loses their title regardless of career position. The ideal is that you are still needed without your title.

I am not sure if I can make it in the absence of the name of the hospital that I have worked for more than two decades, but I will do my best for my hospital as well as my patients as a cardiologist.

Aya to get into University.

My daughter was given the right of admission on recommendation to Yamato university. Way to go, Aya.

I know that she has gotten great grades at high school, which was 4.7, on average for two and half a years, on a scale of 0 to 5 with 5 indicating the best score. She deserves it.

To my surprise, she is going to major in nursing. I had recommended she become a physical therapist, but Aya has decided to take a course of a nurse on her own. What a fantastic moment. I am proud of my daughter. No wonder she will be a good nurse who will be able to feel patient's worries as her ones.

Congrats, Aya. It is a long and tough way to be a good nurse, but I bet that you can make it.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021

I enjoyed the exciting games, so did my family members. I guess that a majority of Japanese people got excited about the competitions.

No wonder that concerns raised regarding its effect on the COVID-19 before the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Consensus had not been obtained even among experts.

I am still not sure whether the games caused the fifth wave of the pandemic, as of the end of the summer here in Japan. However, it is true that the games gave us tons of energy. Thanks, all the athletes as well as staff.

Thanks Elysion, Welcome Prius

We really appreciate the Honda Elysion that was 14 years old. This wonderful car has carried us over 170,000 km, which is four times longer than the distance around the earth, without any major trouble. What a nice guy. I cherish the precious memories of you.

Let me introduce a new member of our family, the Toyota Prius. The red color is my wife's favorite although you may think that it would be too flashy given the color of our house and garage which is both red as well.

Anyway, it's nice to meet you, a modern hybrid car. Let's have a fun time together for more than a decade to come.

Get promoted

I am pleased to announce that I got a new room in the hospital because of my promotion to vice president. This would not be expected when I was transferred to this sophisticated hospital in 2000.

Since I know that I owe a lot to everyone around me, I will have to do my best to make the hospital better, not to mention treating patients well.

Also, I thank my family including my wife, sons, daughter, and parents. Without their heartfelt support, my carrier as a doctor would have fallen through.

P.S. I found a rest room in this special area; the inside is gorgeous but the sign of the front door says "executive use only."

A trip to Shirahama with Kosuke

Koba and I made a two-day trip to Shirahama in Wakayama Prefecture. I usually have a short trip with Aya, but it was my first time with Koba. We had a wonderful time together.

I understood that his interest was not going sightseeing but selecting souvenirs for the family. I saw him happily hanging around gift shops. What a nice and generous son, although I paid for all the presents that he chose.

One memorable moment I would not forget was the dinner, a full course of French, at the hotel Marriott, in which all he ate was bread and desserts because he is a picky eater. It would be interesting if Kosuke became a gourmet in the future.

A hula hoop

I was disappointed to know that I was only a member who could not hula hoop among my family.  What an embarrassment. Everyone except me was a great hula hooper without practice.

I practiced it for several days but had no success in performing a hula hoop. Watching teaching videos on YouTube was not useful to improve my poor skills, either, when Aya, who is the best hula hooper among us, told me that it was late for my waist to start moving after releasing the plastic tube.

I have to admit that her advice was really vital! I finally made the first hula hooping in my life.

I have had three things that I would like to master. The first was a rock-scissors-paper using the feet and I have mastered it. The second was to hula hoop; now I am one of the hula hoopers. The final is to ride a unicycle, which I have never tried yet.

Of note, my 17-year-old daughter is really good at these three dreams of mine.