Sei Shonagon, the learned daughter of poet Kiyohara Motosuke, lived at court for 10 years in the service of the Empress Teishi. Her "pillow book" relates informal impressions and poetic insights of the sort recorded by some Japanese men and women before they go to sleep.

Observations on life, based on Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book

Annoying Things

• To sew something quickly and unthread the needle, only to learn that one forgot to knot the end, and the stitches are pulling out. It is also very annoying to discover that one has sewn something back to front.

Adorable Things

• A baby that falls asleep with his arms around one's neck.

Things That Make One Impatient

• Waiting for one's teeth to dry after blackening them.
  
• Trying to open a tight seal of rice paste on a letter from a deeply loved person who is far away.
  
• Waiting for an overdue child to be born.