Minimalism - Online Income - ESL - Japan
Personal news about my family.
A few weeks ago I talked about children’s bedtime stories, and then later said that a baby approaching three months old has very acute hearing and if you read to him everyday, he’ll become familiar with the rhythm and intonation of your language. This week, I started reading the first Harry Potter book to Rikuto. Of course, he’s not going to understand it, but it’s an opportunity to immerse him […]
Next week, our son Rikuto will be three months old. I previously posted the video Is That My Hand? in which he realized that the hands flapping about his head were actually his own, and he could contol them! Now that he can control them, he does what every baby does - he tries to eat them. Thank goodness he doesn’t have teeth yet! If you like, you can find me on […]
October 14th marks my 32nd birthday, and that just makes me want to dance! You last saw me dancing with little Rikuto, but today it’s time to strut my stuff on the dancefloor with my wife. Enjoy the video! Thank you to those of you who sent me cards and emails. Much appreciated! If you like, you can find me on Twitter at @nick_ramsay. I’d love to hear from you!
After a long absence from ballroom dancing, Mami joined me this week and brought Rikuto with her. Although, I previously described him as a “cry bug“, he actually slept through most of our lesson. I wasn’t going to let him go home without a dance though, so here I am dancing with my son in glorious technicolor, minus any music or style. If you like, you can find me on Twitter […]
Lately, my wife has been referring to Rikuto as a nakimushi because he keeps crying. Sure enough, if he’s not being held or given a tour of the house, he’s crying. The word nakimushi comes from the words naku, which means to cry, and mushi, which means bug or insect. In English, we commonly refer to someone who cries a lot as a cry baby, because that’s what babies do. […]
With the all the negative publicity sumo is getting, and the lack of native Japanese newcomers to the sport, Mami and I felt this would be a great opportunity to let Rikuto keep this great Japanese tradition alive. Sure, he may not be “100% pure“, but none of the top sumo wrestlers are. Apparently, at the time of writing, the top two wrestlers are Mongolian. Arudou Debito has some interesting […]
It’s nearly two and a half months since Rikuto was born and both Mami and I are relieved to see his neck is getting stronger – strong enough to support his head… for a moment or two. Until now, we’ve had to hold Riku in the cradle position because babies tend to have whopping big heads which their bodies can’t support. Riku is no different, although I think his sumo-sized […]
Rikuto is still a long way off speaking yet, but that doesn’t stop him trying to communicate. In this video, he gets quite vocal on a number of important issues. I don’t know what he’s trying to say, but it’s fun imagining. Maybe he’s giving his thoughts on Japan’s new prime minister, or perhaps he’s surprised at the fall of the U.S dollar! At the end of the video, I’m […]