cheap

air conditioner

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I don’t have an air conditioner in my new apartment. Looking at other rooms of the building from the outside, I see quite a few rooms without an air conditioner. Does that mean I can make do without it for the whole summer, I wonder? Surely a cool breeze often comes in from the window as the mountains and the woods surround the building.

But it’s getting hotter day by day and I’ve wavered between whether I should get an air conditioner or not. When I lived in my old apartment near Tokyo, the air conditioner was already constantly on at this time of year. I would have died from a heat attack if the room hadn’t been air-conditioned in high summer there. An air conditioner has been a must-have item for me, but then again the temperature here is generally lower than the one in the Tokyo area. While air conditioning in my old place didn’t cost me a penny since the room originally equipped with it and the rent included the electricity bill, I need to buy it and pay for the bill here.

This building is air-conditioned in the hall and the lobby and there’s a draft when I leave the door slightly open with the bolt on. Because I’m cheap, I’m still seeking the way to use the draft instead of installing an air conditioner…

Episode From Surviving in Japan / Hidemi Woods

Audiobook : Japanese Dream by Hidemi Woods On Sale at online stores or apps. Apple, Audible, Google Play, Nook Audiobooks,  43 available distributors in total

a golden opportunity

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Photo by Taryn Elliott on Pexels.com

Because I’m cheap, I’m always careful about money. So much so, it penetrates into my dreams. I had a dream about visiting NY the other night. I joined a bus tour for sightseeing. The bus stopped for a break and there was a drink vendor. It had freshly squeezed fruit juice along with soft drinks. Everyone from the tour enjoyed the juice. I was thirsty and tired, and the fresh juice seemed perfect. But it cost $3 more than soft drinks. I really wanted the juice, knowing that would be full of vitamins and good for health, but I also needed to save money for my uncertain future. I was torn by a mere $3. Eventually, I gave up the juice and ordered a soft drink, feeling envious of others who were having juice.

I woke up and found that I had missed a golden opportunity to spend money extravagantly. Being in a dream is the only time that I can spend as much money as I want. One of the worst dreams for me is to save money in it. I pounded my bed from regret. I could have had delicious juice…

Episode From Surviving in Japan by Hidemi Woods

Audiobook: The Family in Kyoto: One Japanese Girl Got Freedom by Hidemi Woods On Sale at online stores or apps. Apple Books, Google Play, Audible 43 available distributors in total.

Audiobook:  Japanese Dream by Hidemi Woods On Sale at online stores or apps. 
Apple Books, Google Play, Audible,   43 available distributors in total.

always tinged with disappointment

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The house where I spent my childhood was very old. Half the floor in it was bare earth and my family lived like in the way of the Wild West. With our shoes on, we walked around the house and ate meals. It was all right to throw away the rest of a drink from a cup directly onto the floor.

　My father used to smoke. When he smoked, he would light a cigarette with a match and toss the match to the dirt floor. It burned itself out. That is probably my earliest memory. I remember a thrown match was burning out on the floor and I said “Ah…” According to my parents, I uttered “Ah…” every time my father threw away a match as if I didn’t approve it. And my tone was always tinged with disappointment. I guess I was already cheap as a child and couldn’t bear a thing to be thrown away after just one-time use. I was nagging at my parents about everything all my childhood, and even my earliest memory is something critical about my parents. No wonder we’ve been on bad terms for such a long time…

Episode From An Old Tree in Kyoto / Hodemi Woods

Audiobook : Japanese Dream by Hidemi Woods On Sale at online stores or apps. Apple, Audible, Google Play, Nook Audiobooks,  43 available distributors in total

One of the worst dreams

Hidemi WoodsLeave a comment

Because I’m cheap, I’m always careful about money. So much so, it penetrates into my dreams. I had a dream about visiting NY the other night. I joined a bus tour for sightseeing. The bus stopped for a break and there was a drink vendor. It had freshly squeezed fruit juice along with soft drinks. Everyone from the tour enjoyed the juice. I was thirsty and tired, and the fresh juice seemed perfect. But it cost $3 more than soft drinks. I really wanted the juice, knowing that would be full of vitamins and good for health, but I also needed to save money for my uncertain future. I was torn by a mere $3. Eventually, I gave up the juice and ordered a soft drink, feeling envious of others who were having juice.

I woke up and found that I had missed a golden opportunity to spend money extravagantly. Being in a dream is the only time that I can spend as much money as I want. One of the worst dreams for me is to save money in it. I pounded my bed from regret. I could have had delicious juice…

Episode From Surviving in Japan / Hidemi Woods

careful for money

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I found an auction website where successful bidders get about 90% off on electronics or gift certificates. They were amazing prices and appealed to me so much, as I’m cheap. A bidder needs to buy the bidding coins beforehand. I’d never seen those low prices even after adding the cost of the bidding coins. I started to bid, and the price was going up steeply. It went well past the average price of the site, and yet, I couldn’t stop because I’d already invested too much. When I won the bid, the price soared to an auction record for the item. I didn’t get 90% off but rather lost money. Finally I understood. Yes, it was a scam. I was quite confident to have the discerning eye for it and never thought I would fall for it. The time when I was young and stupid should have long gone. I, who is more careful for money than anybody, lost it by a scam. Am I a fool after all…?