Good things and happy moments you are sure to find if you change your perspective and focus: September 2023 Edition - Tips for Finding Happiness

Recently, good things have been happening one after another, so I will write about them this time. This is a memorandum for myself.

Furthermore, this is by no means a boast. No one would boast about something of this level. Also, I dislike hearing other people's boasts.

If you change your focus, even the most trivial things can become good or happy moments for you, and I hope you can feel that through this article.

Also, I had planned to keep this under 2,000 characters today as well, but due to various circumstances, it has become a very long piece.

I added a table of contents along the way, so if you are busy, I would be happy if you could read at least the parts that interest you. In particular, 'Finally: The Secret to Human Happiness' might be the most important part.

Before getting into the main topic, two people introduced my articles from last night to this morning. Come to think of it, this is also a good and happy thing. It has been a while since I was introduced, so I am very grateful.

To those two people, thank you.
I followed you back during the day.

A sudden increase in access to my articles

My previous articles were usually between 6,000 and 8,000 characters long. However, since writing that much every day for my daily posts is a huge burden, I have recently reduced the length to about 2,000 to 4,000 characters.

Normally, when you reduce the character count, the number of short-term visitors to the article after posting seems to decrease. However, the number of visits to my recent articles has surged. In terms of numbers, it is 1.3 to 1.4 times what it used to be.

The reason is unknown, but in any case, I am grateful.

An article that is about to reach 300 'likes'

There are few of my free articles that have reached 300 'likes'. However, the article below has been gradually gaining 'likes' recently, so it might definitely exceed 300 'likes' in half a year. By the way, there is only one article that has exceeded 400 'likes'. If an unknown amateur like me could mass-produce articles with over 300 'likes', that might be a great success. It is extremely difficult to receive a rating of 300 'likes' with daily posts. If it is around 250 'likes', it might not be that difficult if you use a certain method. That is not a straightforward method, so I will not do it. Absolutely not.

The article below has also grown. 230 'likes' is coming soon. I am grateful. I cannot predict 300 'likes' at this point in time.

The number of recommendations for a certain article has increased before I knew it

The number of recommendations for the paid article below has reached nine. I am grateful. In my mind, I consider three recommendations to be a passing grade. Since the actual number of purchasers is higher than that, I am thankful.

To everyone who recommended it, thank you. By the way, the recommendation rate for my articles ranges from 20% to 80%, so the range is quite wide. If those nine people above represented 20% of the total, that would be amazing (laughs).

Past paid articles have started selling again

For us note creators, the greatest humiliation is a decrease in access to past articles. This is something that concerns everyone, including myself, but it seems few people are conscious of it.

My past articles are being read little by little, and some still receive thousands of hits every month. This is the greatest reward for a note creator.

Along with that, past paid articles have also started selling again. I am grateful.

Two types of bread I love are on sale

Recent price hikes are difficult for the average person, but some products have stable prices, are coming down in price, or go on sale periodically.

If you use those wisely, you might be able to survive the rough waves of rising prices unexpectedly well.

I have been using an online supermarket for several years and have memorized the approximate prices of daily necessities, and since the price of eggs has also come down a little, I might be able to have some expectations for next year perhaps.

As mentioned in the main heading, my favorite savory bread and sweet bread have remained cheap. They are big hits for me, so I would be grateful if these low prices continue. By the way, the sweet bread is a bean-filled bread and is by no means sweet.

Discovering delicious ice cream

It is out of season, but I have started eating ice cream occasionally since September began. I think it has been about 17 years since I last ate ice cream.

When I saw the ice cream I happened to discover at the online supermarket, I suddenly wanted to eat it as if I were possessed by something.

And when I actually ate it, it was truly delicious. Perhaps the taste has improved compared to the past.

I will eat it again soon. It is good that another small pleasure has been added (laughs). By the way, the price is around 120 yen including tax.

Being able to purchase a large quantity of fruit at a special sale price

Autumn is the season for fruit. Every year at this time, I buy these fruits to replenish my vitamins and minerals, and I was able to make a great purchase right away.

Despite being incredibly cheap, they were very delicious. When I told the seller that, they were happy too.

Being able to buy several DVDs at an auction

As those who are wise have likely noticed, inflation, stagflation, and deflation are actually occurring simultaneously when viewed individually.

In other words, depending on the product or service, there are some that are experiencing sharp price drops.

A few years ago, I couldn't buy a rare and high-value DVD, but now that the time has come, new copies of that product have arrived in stock, and I was able to buy it cheaper than before.

I was able to buy several DVDs that cost 6,000 yen each for about 300 yen, so I think it was quite a bargain.

English conversation skills that might have surpassed my mentor

The term 'mentor' is half-joking, but I used to watch videos uploaded by Mr. Seike below on YouTube from time to time.

This person used to post YouTube videos with a female partner (a woman who lived in the West and was fluent in English), but it seems they have recently gone their separate ways.

Coincidentally, Mr. Seike started learning English around the same time I did. He has experience studying abroad and is in an environment surrounded by Westerners.

However, when I watched the video below, I was surprised that it wasn't really that impressive ({lol lol lol).

To be honest, his pronunciation is quite poor. Besides, as you can see in the second half, he is speaking English while desperately thinking of English sentences in his head. Also, he doesn't make eye contact with the other person at all while talking, so he lacks composure. {<Note: No native speaker cares about whether your pronunciation itself is good or bad, so everyone currently learning English conversation, please rest assured. Intonation and the emphasis of the sentences you speak may be much more important than pronunciation.>

English sentences come out of my mouth with almost no thought. I can also speak English all day long. I would never do that because it's a hassle, but you can become fluent in English without going to an English conversation school or doing some suspicious online learning. Note that these two points are learning methods for intermediate and advanced learners. If beginners or novices start with these two points, they will fail 100%.

Watching this person's videos, I can see that my self-taught English conversation learning method wasn't that wrong either.

In the past, many NHK radio instructors (English-related, of course) had no experience studying abroad in the West. Their very existence proves that you can acquire English conversation skills just by studying within the country. Now that the internet environment and AI have improved, I think more people will be able to speak English from now on.

This is my prediction, but it's probably correct. Mr. Seike's biggest mistake is that he hasn't done enough extensive and intensive reading of easy English sentences. You will understand that if you watch the entire video to the end.

【Can Mr. Seike really speak English?】 I interviewed him entirely in English! '{@StudyIn Native English Conversation & Listening'

【Caution!】 That English you usually use was actually wrong... [#60]

The woman who appears in this video was Mr. Seike's former partner.

Discovering fun English-related anime

I watch anime almost every day, and they are all in English. By 'in English,' I mean the audio is in Japanese with English text appearing at the bottom of the screen.

What I am doing with this is supplementing my lack of extensive reading. Extensive reading is essential for language acquisition. By seeing English words and expressions thousands or tens of thousands of times, I am increasing my experience level within myself.

Extensive reading of books is also indispensable when acquiring Japanese. People who have done this thoroughly do not struggle with self-expression as adults.

Recently, I was able to discover a series of anime. There are dozens of videos, so it looks like I will be able to enjoy them for a while.

On choosing a second foreign language

Since I can now see a path toward mastering English conversation, I have been thinking about starting a second foreign language.

I was hesitant about the choice, but a few days ago, I watched a surprising video that helped me decide on my second foreign language.

That video was an advertisement for another video. It mentioned the Emperor, stating that he has been learning Spanish for 17 years. Although he could use an interpreter, he has a belief that language is meaningless unless you convey it in your own words. Therefore, he has hired a private tutor and has been working on it for a long time.

His belief is the same as mine. I want to convey things in my own words without relying on smartphones or AI. And I want to understand what others are saying through my own language skills.

This has been a strong driving force for my acquisition of English conversation.

Because of this, Spanish is now my top candidate for a second foreign language. The problem is the learning materials. If I choose the wrong materials, the waste of time and money is immense.

Discovering someone who gets a perfect score on the Center Test (Common Test) mathematics in about 10 minutes

I used to be good at mathematics. Back then, I would get a perfect score on the Center Test, whether it was Math IA or Math IIB, in less than 10 minutes. Even including the time to fill in the mark sheet, I would finish in about 12 minutes.

When I wrote about this on a blog over a decade ago, it seemed that my readers did not really believe me. However, a YouTuber recently demonstrated it.

My guess is that there are at least several hundred people every year who can do something similar. Sometimes, there are people who fall asleep halfway through the test time; some of those people might actually be the ones who have truly finished all the problems.

The fact that the computer noise problem is likely to be solved

My laptop makes terrible noise when the temperature drops.

The noise started again in late September, but it stopped due to a certain event.

The method is to switch the power source from the wall outlet to the battery. By doing so, the noise disappeared completely. The cause is unknown, but it seems that when the power is from an outlet, the fan sometimes runs too intensely, making the noise bothersome.

Note that this is a phenomenon that happens occasionally. I will keep an eye on it in the future and cover it in an article again if I notice anything. However, it seems the number of PC users has been decreasing lately. We have fully entered the smartphone era since a few years ago.

Being cool and comfortable

This summer was comfortable as usual. After all, there were only a few days when the temperature reached 33°C or higher.

During the three years from 2010 to 2012, high temperatures of 37°C to 39°C were normal, so it doesn't even feel like the same summer.

And this year, late September is unusually cool. It seems there are days when the temperature drops to around 15°C at dawn.

At this rate, there might be days when it drops below 10°C after entering October.

By the way, in my area, days below 10°C usually occur in December.

Perhaps global cooling is progressing (laughs).

The effect of pickled plums was immense

As I wrote in a previous article about stiff shoulders, pickled plums seem to be an excellent food for improving stiff shoulders.

In the YouTube video I featured in that article, I was able to recover from stiff shoulders in a short time with a certain exercise.

However, I sometimes carelessly forget to do that exercise and end up going to sleep without doing the stretch.

Yet, I have no symptoms of stiff shoulders. Thinking there might be something to it, I searched for "pickled plums stiff shoulders" and was surprised by the search results like the one mentioned above.

It seems the citric acid contained in pickled plums is good for fatigue recovery. That in itself was known information, but I had completely forgotten about it.

Also, you should never underestimate stiff shoulders. I had:

Stiff shoulders
Lower back pain
A situation where I couldn't turn over in bed
Acute myocardial infarction
Transported by ambulance
Emergency hospitalization
Emergency surgery

And I went through a miserable experience.

The only good thing was that I was able to become friends with several young female nurses. Please do not pry too deeply into our relationship (laughs).

It seems nurses have a hard time finding partners, too.

https://www.ishigamimura.co.jp/articles/column/umeboshi-merit/

Just to be sure, I searched for "stiff shoulders myocardial infarction" and got over 680,000 hits. It seems that stiff shoulders may indeed be a contributing factor to myocardial infarction. Stiff shoulders are caused by poor blood circulation in the first place. Myocardial infarction is also a condition where blood vessels become clogged, leading to poor blood flow. Even from a layman's perspective, it is easy to imagine the relationship between these two.

Getting better at a certain game than I was 20 years ago

The game in question is a card game that requires quick reflexes and mental agility, and I recently managed to easily surpass a barrier I couldn't overcome back then.

Moreover, my time is 25% better than it was 20 years ago.

Age-wise, this should be impossible, but it seems my brain is getting sharper as well.

By the way, there is not a single person in my family with dementia. No matter how old they get, their minds remain clear.

Regarding the stalking behavior of a certain woman

The stalking behavior of a certain woman toward me remains as persistent as ever. Of course, this is not about the internet, but about my private life.

I have deleted the following few lines for convenience. This is because, as I was writing, the content became something I could not possibly publish in a free article. I will write about it in a paid article if I feel like it later.

Finally, tips for human happiness

People tend to focus on their shortcomings and flaws, or their life mistakes and failures. However, if you force yourself (laughs) to look for things that were good or happy for you, as I do, you will find them surprisingly often.

Perhaps such a perspective and focus are the keys to human happiness.

By the way, as I was writing this article, I started to feel brighter myself. And strangely enough, my past paid articles suddenly started selling.

Life might just depend on one's own "consciousness."

<Today's 3-line diary>

There were 30 posts in total this morning from people I follow mutually. Usually there are 40, so it seems that the number of active users definitely decreases at the end of the month. There is no doubt that this is affecting many areas.

<Google English translation of Today's 3-line diary>

This morning, there were a total of 30 articles posted by people I mutually follow. Usually there are 40, so it seems like the number of active participants will definitely decrease at the end of the month. There is no doubt that this is having an impact in many ways.

<ChatGPT Japanese-to-English translation of today's 3-line diary>

In the morning today, the number of posts from people I follow reciprocally amounted to 30. It's usually around 40, so it seems that activity does indeed decrease towards the end of the month. There's no doubt that this is having an impact in various ways.

Illustration material: Enthusiastic Panda

The illustration below is also cute, but the problem is that it is biased to the left. What on earth is this illustrator thinking (lol).

Sad news. This article has exceeded 7,000 characters. I didn't have much time today either, so I wanted to keep it as short as possible, but I couldn't. Since I would regret it later if I left things unwritten, I wrote down as many good and fun things as I could remember.

That's all for today's article.
Thank you for reading until the end.