Ahh days keep on passing by

My head and heart are too full of what I'm doing right now and things in the near future to write about the live concert in February! Yaaay! Aw, no. I can't do it now, forgive me please.

By the way, when I was reading a music dictionary the other day I saw this word ""(kenban-gakki) and thought at first "what the heck is that?"

""(key)? Huh? What shape does this musical instrument have?? - I imagined something strange . . .

Then I translated the kanji literally and found it meant "Keyboard"! That really was the moment that struck me like "Aha! I see!"! I was even almost slapping my knee like "Oh yeah, got it!"


What led me to talk about things like this!? Well it's just, I just remembered it . . . hey I should remember the live concert things first! (lol)


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(NOTE by Nuuk)
"" means "board." "" stands for "musical instruments."

Reading your replies I found . . .

. . . quite a few questions asking me "Is it true that you are pregnant?" though I had thought nobody would take their words for it!

Ninshin nante shite nailon. (I'm not pregnant at all)

Gyahahhh! I don't know why it makes me laugh this much! Guys who laughed your heads off reading my message yesterday, you're at the top of my "add-friends" list!! (lol)

Now, about the current state of me who's finished the last day of the concerts . . . I got the flu virus at the closing party of the concerts and brought it home, then 48 hours after that I was sick running a fever of 39.4C(102.9F).

Having nightmares like "my voice doesn't get well while the recording schedule is to be resumed soon with no delay" I concentrated on getting well as soon as possible, even just 12 hours sooner(I believe it's a matter of spiritual things!!); then I got on the plane and dived back into the a-little-hard recording right away after I recovered to the level that I wouldn't infect anyone.

Seems like, the high fever blew my memory of the concerts away! (lol)

A little while ago I tried to start writing and found myself completely at a loss for what to say . . . I really wanna write some for both the people who couldn't come to see me and who could . . . give me some days for it, please!

(It's somewhat irritating that I can't use smileys once I get used to the Ke-Tai(Cell Phone) Mail)

Sorry for you guys waiting---!

At first I planned to write about the live concert right after it was over, but actually I've been up to my ears in the next work. I think I can have time for my mind and brain to go blank in a short while!!

By the way . . . I've done a good number of works for magazines commuting to the Toshiba EMI Building in Tameike after school and weekends since before I debuted, and the other day, for the first time, I was interviewed for a magazine not as Utada Hikaru but as Utada! That was done in early January, when the rehearsal of Hikaru no 5 was not yet started.

It wasn't until I finished the photo-shooting, changed into the plain clothes while still putting make-up on and sat down at the table facing the interviewer that I noticed this important difference(lol): Murakami-san of my office(NOTE: A female staff. Well if male I wouldn't ask help for cloth changes in the first place(lol). I guess Murakami-san is the one who sees me in underwear only more often than any of my family or boyfriends or anyone), who always stays close to me basically when doing promotional work and helps me to change clothes, was with me as always, so I finished the photo-shooting as always . . . I moved on to the interview, and then for the first time had an incongruous feeling!! I felt lonely cause Kaji-san of Toshiba EMI wasn't running his tape recorder next to me, taking notes with a worried look! (lol)

It was quite a big deal for me! Very big! Cause the person, who'd always been next or diagonally opposite to me, was completely not in the place called "interviewing place" where I'd experienced hundreds of times before! It's like someone who's been sitting around the table together for five years suddenly disappears. Okay I'm sorta exaggerating. I didn't feel lonely that much. I remember I missed Okita-san the director not being with me, not sitting on the wastebasket and fiddling at it with his toes when I started the recording of Utada's album last year.

I think I went off-topic! I didn't mean to write it this long! I've got only one! thing to tell you and started to write about it, actually.

So the magazine()

What the heck is this conversion! How come it happens that every time I enter "" and "" comes up at the head of words list! Is it kidding me? Besides I was using this word many times as usual till some time ago! Well I suppose it's OK.

So the magazine() - dang, how come . . . the magazine() is called "NYLON JAPAN(nailon-japan)."

And you know, some time ago I was roaring with laughter imagining it would be great if a customer asked the clerk "Do you have NYLON magazine?" at the bookstore and got a reply like,

"Nailon"(we don't have it here)!

And actually they had it in stock!! Gyaahahahah! I'm laughing my head off!

It's taken me this long to tell you this little. Maybe I could've written this thinking of the live concert. (lol) Yes I will! I swear I'll write about it! I wanna write about it when I have time to sit down and relax. Ah gotta go now, see ya then!


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(NOTE by Nuuk)
"nai()" ... means nothing/none. She made a pun with "nai" since "NY" part of NYLON is pronounced "nai."

5!

It's the morning of the last day!

The weather is really nice in Tokyo!

I've got tons to write after it's all over.

Well, see ya later!!

I'm 21

I turned 21 with these words from the record company staff and band members: "Say we've been with you on your birthday almost every year, huh? (lol)"

I can't be in a happy mood myself right now by any means cause all the big things I'm working on are exactly in the middle of their hardest parts! But looking back over the past years I've come to realize it's rather rare to observe my birthday in a happy mood going like "*YAY*" as it's exactly in the middle of the end-of-term exam season since I was in elementary school. It's the season I seldom get excited about anything, basically. (lol) Oh yes speaking of exams, you guys just had Center Shiken or something like that, didn't you? Wonder if those things are all over now . . . Guys taking entrance exams, hope you all make it!!!!

Lately I've been working everyday relatively at the same pace, but I can really hardly find a chance to write a message during each whole day. *Weeps.* Well somehow I feel that's better actually, cause I guess I'll remain in this little gloomy mood for the time being. Oh, did I just say "~jaga"?! It just came out of my mouth with no intention. Wow, it may be sort of a proof of being grown up a little more. (lol)

Oh no, doh, I just can't write anything funny! Well I know actually what I write is always just some silly stuff though! (lol)

So anywayz thanks to all of you who remembered my birthday -----***


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(NOTES by Nuuk)
"Center Shiken" ... "the Center Test," the exam by the National Center for University Entrance Exam. Most Japanese universities require examinees to submit its score.
"~jaga" ... the ending of the words (in Japanese) just before "Oh, did I...". Generally aged people use this sort of ending but it seems she's quite fond of talking/writing in an aged people's tone sometimes.

First post of the new year

A Happy New Year!

I passed the year with just a feeling like "Ah, here comes a new day," but now I'm sort of getting excited! Seems like so many things are gonna happen this year . . . by the way, today is 2nd of January, the Beginning-of-Work day for me. All right, may this year be the best for you too!

Happy New Year, everybody! Here in New York, we're all relieved that nothing horrible happened in the city, and that we were able to enter the new year peacefully... but a lot of places in the world are in fact at war. We'll continue praying for everyone, ourselves, and for this planet Earth!

Love, Hikaru


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(NOTE by Nuuk)
The last paragraph(Italic) is quoted from the original message and not the translation.

When someone says "time flies . . .

. . . so fast" I always wonder what they compare time to. You see, they compare time to something that is not time, wonder what it is . . . is it sensory time? Or interval between events? Funny that so many people are in the habit of saying this strange expression.

Just one song can sound both slow when we are excited and very fast when in a daze after waking up . . . various kinds of things will pass through my body like that, again in 2004! All right, bring it on, year 2004!

Well before that . . . there's still one thing I left out this year . . . that's "some about Mr. Kazuo Matsui"!

Back a while ago, Kiriya-kun and I were watching TV in Tokyo and saw Mr. Matsui having an interview in a news program. Then hearing the announcer said like "Matsui Kazuo so-and-so . . ." I was surprised and said "Eh? Isn't he called Idaten san?".

As I got a strange reaction from him, I again asked him: "Huh? What? Isn't he supposed to be called Matsui Idaten san?" And . . .

. . . then Kiriya-kun stared at me with a look I've never seen before, saying "Ehhhhhhhhhhhh?????? What did you say??? What??? What the heck does Matsui Idaten mean???". He told me so with a look like he saw an alien.

I was ashamed enough to wish I were an alien from Mars when explained that the full name of Mr. Matui was not "Matsui Idaten" but "Matsui Kazuo" . . .

Errrrr I really had no idea about that---! I'd been thinking "Matsui Idaten" san was an interesting name from long ago---! What's wrong---! Wonder if I remembered it so under the impression of written words by inputting the word "" I glanced at in a telop some years ago and the word "Idaten" I heard at that time into my brain at the same time . . . it's like, Idaten is written as "" by kanji characters and stands for the person who is swift of foot . . . thanks to my misunderstanding I learned a new word this time!!!

That's all of my silly short story.

Am I supposed to complete year 2003 this way!? (lol)
Ciao - ! (*gets desperate*)




Oh well, I should complete it in a little better manner!

It was good I could again live through this year!
Thank you for all your support during this past year.

Lately it's been on my mind that nobody can tell what will happen in one's life. No one knows what's gonna happen . . . it means, not that we are powerless but we are free, I believe!

See you!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas, or Happy Hanukah, or just a Happy End-of-the-year-2003! I'd also like to say Happy Birthday to people whose birthdays happen to get all mixed up with this busy holiday season.

(repeat of the words above, in Japanese)

How are you getting along during these year-end days? I've been in the studio, as ever. Even the studio was closed on the 25th of December . . . Aaaargh, gosh they closed it while I desperately wanted as much time for work as possible, even just one more day! Lemme do my work please!! - I begged for it yelling like that at the gate in the snow - No, I didn't do that (it wasn't snowing either, by the way) and actually I held a small party at my friend's new house.

Most of the people outside on this day are tourists cause it's the day basically everyone wants to spend with family, no matter if Christian or not. Those who gathered had various backgrounds like: Christian with no family living nearby, Hebrew, person who doesn't believe in any religion and such; so anyway the party went like "Happy 25th December" and we enjoyed it very much. It was good that I could spend one whole day without work. It's been a long time since I last contacted human beings other than my place of work-!

I don't know why but I've been listening to Prince as my background music for these couple of days! (Yeah I know I'm getting deep!) The Greatest Hits one! What a surprise, I noticed that I didn't have even one original album of his, so I'll drop into the CD store open past midnight on my way home as I'm getting to feel like I desperately want one. Ciao. Ops, I usually never say words like Ciao! Somehow I wrote it and it's just OK for me, I'll leave it as it is. (lol)


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(NOTE by Nuuk)
The first paragraph(Italic) is quoted from the original message and not the translation. "Hanukah" is a Hebrew word and in English it is spelled as "Hanukkah." There are more Hebrew words to express this holiday.

What's goin' on in here!

How come the NEWS section here has been updated like this in a row, I wonder if I'm dreaming! (lol)

For the last couple of days I hadn't been able to grasp the timing to do the Internet thing, and I was surprised myself to see this flood of announcements when I checked this site after a long time! I was taken aback for a moment . . . then I consider it calmly and was relieved to notice that the magazines thing and postscript for "Project X" were just waiting for coming public releases and I'd already finished those works. Come on Hikaru, don't get confused by the information you yourself provided!

Over the past two months I've worked on various things, like flying to Mure Town in Shikoku region for the article of Casa BRUTUS and having a talk session with Sakurai Kazutoshi san. I was very lucky that I could participate in the wonderful works like these, when I thought it was about time for a change in the midst of the long-lasting album production. It was more like a spiritual support and stimulation than work. Mure, I'd like to visit there again . . . I saw so many white things there! Cars, stones, many kinds of thing looked white. At first I wondered why there were so many white things which looked so remarkable, and by the time I left there I saw the reason why . . . It's because the air was amazingly clean! Cities like Tokyo and NY are no match for there. "The whiteness" was truly outstanding! (Do I sound like a detergent Ad?!) If only I could once sing in the open-air, where the air is that clean. Oh, I missed a chance to chow Udon noodles there. Oops, my wording was a little vulgar. Pardon me

This is not only applicable to the album thing: I think to complete a long-term project is something like "this is not a race but I'll promise someone to swim 1,500 meters and carry it out!" Pacing is still important though you don't go into a time trial thing, cause without it you may be dog-tired or meet with troubles, or just become lazy even if you swim very very slowly, right? Working on my 5th album (including Cubic U one) now I'm getting to know what pace I cannot maintain myself rather than what pace I can, and I find it very good. That is, you've got to ride big waves to catch the big game, man! Heh.

Andwhat'sgreataboutthisisthatIcanmanageit! ( If a book like "Japanese words that don't sound Japanese" were to be published I'd definitely like to get these words on it(lol)) I guess the reason why I can manage it is because I can see something over it. It's something like, if I swim 1,500 meters then I'll tell it to that person; I'll eat my fill of delicious rice; or I'll take part in the swimming competition next month! - for me right now, "Hikaru no 5" and making my next piece of work are exactly something like that.

That will be one's last, unknown motive power I suppose. Hm, is that what's called "to live"?!

Usually I add one more twist before finishing the message, but argh, I'm starving! I'm gonna go get something to eat! That's all.


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(NOTES by Nuuk)
"postscript for 'Project X'" ... she wrote the postscript for the volume 2 of "Project X Challengers - Backstage to Resurrection," the book version of the famous Japanese TV documentary series "Project X."
"Casa BRUTUS" ... a Japanese magazine: she went Mure Town to visit the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum Japan for this magazine's interview article.
"Sakurai Kazutoshi san" ... vocalist/guitarist of "Mr. Children," a Japanese band.

Eep

Oooops, it was 4 months ago I approached Zanecchi with the live things! Not in April! I read Dad's message wrong and wrote it as it was. Oh shucks.