What's This? How Should I Eat It?

When I went to Hong Kong last December, I found a strange food at a street market. It seemed an egg and actually I found it an egg later at the hotel I stayed. 

I didn’t know it was a chicken egg, a duck egg or else. 

It was in a plastic bag written something in Chinese. When buying, I didn’t ask what it was and how to eat it. 

The egg was covered with black clay and ash like powder. It didn’t smell at all. 

At the hotel, I took it out of the plastic bag and washed off the clay and powder carefully. Then a white egg appeared.

I broke the eggshell. … It was a just a normal raw egg.

It still remains in my mind as a question of Hong Kong.

Does anyone know how I should eat it?

A final Flower Brought Its Friend.

I bought a pot of cyclamen in the beginning of December.

The flowers have been blooming and brightening our living room over two months.

Once it had twenty to thirty flowers and as many flowers buds.

But as days go by, especially this month, the number of flowers decreased a lot.

The day before yesterday, only one flower was left.

Surprisingly, at the time of sunset today, the remaining flower brought me her friend, though the color of it was gray.

The final flower has gone, right now.

My Birthday

Birthday cake; The cookie letters mean 'Congrats.'

My birthday Feb. 6th fell on last Monday turned out to be one of the most terrible birthday in my life.
I caught the flu, influenza type B, on the day and fell in bed for full five days.

My body temperature rose up to almost 39 centigrade for two days. Now, it has become normal. But, I'm still suffering from a bad persistent cough.

I haven't worked since last Tuesday. So, I'm sure, I'll find tons of works tomorrow in the office.
I guess, in this case, every work is commented on with a yellow post-it “the most important and urgent.”  ...  Sigh.

Birthday card attached with a present from Emi

Setsubun Festival

A cactus, dolphins and a killer whale at home today

Still it’s freezing cold outside.
Our elder daughter Emi has gone to Tokyo and been living alone since almost one year ago at the time of her entrance to her college.

When the two daughters were living together with us here, we used to have Setsubun ritual in this season, early February.

But, this year our younger daughter Rina was too busy for her club activity and study to celebrate Setsubun. Another reason, of course, is we are just too lazy to do it. lol

Wearing Oni masks in 2009

 Setsubun literally means "seasonal division" or "the day between two seasons."

It's celebrated yearly on February 3 or 4 as a part of the Spring Festival.

Setsubun was accompanied by a special ritual called Mamemaki.

Holding Oni masks and soybeans

Roasted soybeans are thrown at a member of the family wearing an Oni (demon or ogre) mask.

The beans are thought to purify the home by driving away the evil spirits that bring misfortune and bad health with them.

Then, as a part of bringing luck in, we customary eat the same number of soybeans as our age.