Happy New Year to all Shukan ST readers! I know that some of you had to work through New Year's, but I hope most of you had a happy holiday with your family and friends.
As for me, as I mentioned before, my activities were a bit limited because of my sickness. So what I ended up doing was watching hundreds of DVDs. I watched all the Nicole Kidman movies I could find at the rental shop, three animated kids movies, three movies directed by Wes Anderson and much more. I even saw all three parts of "Pirates of the Caribbean." I really connected with those last three because, not leaving the house for such a long time, my hair looked like Captain Jack Sparrow's.
I'm going to assume that of all the movies that I saw, the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, "The Curse of the Black Pearl," is probably the movie that most ST readers have seen. For those who haven't, it tells the story of the pirate Captain Jack Sparrow and blacksmith Will Turner trying to rescue Elizabeth Swann from the cursed crew of the pirate ship called the Black Pearl.
Over the course of the movie, and through its two sequels, "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End," the characters go on a lot of adventures together and the plot gets so complicated that even reading the Japanese subtitles doesn't help very much.
I mention these movies because this week's quote has a maritime theme: "One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore." Here, "the shore" represents something you're comfortable with, something you feel secure with, but it's also saying that you have to leave that haven and try something new. That way you can open yourself up to a whole range offulfilling experiences.
This is a pretty intimidating thing to do, and sometimes you may wish you had Captain Jack Sparrow's special compass, the one that points you in the direction of what you most desire.
In truth, though, I think we all have that compass within us if you are willing to accept that it's there. But you have to be honest with yourself, you have to keep asking yourself what makes you happy. You may not be able to put the answer into words but the answer will be there, like the compass that points in the direction of what you want.
Finally, it's good to keep this quote in mind when you're thinking of your New Year's resolutions. Try and challenge new things, things that might make you feel uncomfortable at first. You may get lost on the way to what you really want, but at least you'll find something new and exciting, something that will help you grow.
今回は最後回です。長い間ご愛読ありがとうございました。石黒加奈さんの次回のコラムをお楽しみに。
Q1 Kana spent her New Year's:
A1) Cleaning the house.
A2) Reading books.
A3) Watching DVDs.
正解： A3) Watching DVDs.
Q2 In this proverb, "new lands" stands for:
A1) The Carribean.
A2) A long and relaxing weekend eating popcorn and watching DVDs.
A3) New and exciting challenges and experiences.
正解： A3) New and exciting challenges and experiences.
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