What a beautiful breezy night in the patch of rice fields interrupted by cold concrete buildings, also known as Arao.
As I frequently do, I frequented the grocery store 'Mammy's' tonight. That's pronouced 'Mommy's' in English, something that I've always gotten a kick out of. I like of telling my friends, "Hey, I'm going to Mommy's." It bring back memories of boogey-board 'slip-n-slide' in the mud at the Murphy's house next door back in Pennsylvania. As dinner time approached, weary from the fun of it all, someone would eventually mumble, "Hey, I'm tired. I'm going to Mommy's."

It took me and my brothers a long time to break the 'Mommy' habit. I think my brother wanted to switch to calling our mother 'Mom' before he turned 30, a noble aspiration indeed. Having made the switch has assuredly saved us years of counseling. And yet, these days, I still recall the comfort of the old days when after a long day at school I can say to my friends, "Hey, I'm tired. I'm going to Mammy's."

At Mammy's, I bought a chilled, sweetened late coffee drink, 'Snow Brand Coffee.' The slogan of this drink is, "Please enjoy a traditional taste." Instantly, I pictured armor-clad samurai in heated debate, discussing the fate of Japan, maps sprawled about on a table. As the intensity of the debates increased, one of the men would look about sheepishly and remove a carton of 'Snow Brand Coffee' from his knapsack. Slicing it open with his sword, the others would slowly become silent, watching him gulp down the contents. He would look at them, realizing the akwardness he had creating and would exclaim, "What are you looking at? My family's been drinking this Snow Brand Coffee' for years!"
Japan's so great, ain't it?