well...

I just found out that Russell in UP is actually modeled after Korean American boy. No wonder he looks like Greg. haha. He is voiced by Japanese American boy though.

Up

James said "Did you see UP yet?" and we were like "...no. what's that??" "what!? you guys haven't seen it yet!? oh my GOD. You've got to see it..."

So, we started to watch it. James is very famous among movie/computer games critics, so I was pretty sure it was a great movie, and there. I like it the best so far in Pixar works. The married life scene was so touching that we even went back to that chapter to watch it again after finished whole movie. A Wilderness Explorer, Russell, was so adorable. I later heard that he was modeled after an American born Japanese boy. Funnily, he looks so much like the manager I used to work for, and he was a Korean American guy. Some of you might know, yes, that's Greg. Russell reminded me of Greg so much, which brought me extra laughs.

Baby girl Musette was crying big time as BGM, we felt sorry for her. But I'm sure, she would enjoy that movie when she grows up!

Christmas Illuminations

I went see the Christmas illuminations for the first time (and possibly the last too) in this year. Since it was in suburb area in Tokyo, Tachikawa, I didn't expect much, but it turned out to be the best I've ever seen before! Their biggest decoration was the Champagne glass tower which was like 4 or 5 meters height and water coming down from its top. Besides that, huge area of the park was decorated so beautiful that I forgot that it went down below zero Celsius that night.

Sigunature? Right.

Here's pretty awkward Japanese thing.
The other day, a banker came in and asked me to sign on the paper which does do with my account changes or something. So I did. And he looked at it and was like "Oh, I meant your FULL NAME in KANJI." I was like What the hell? You said and even paper says "signature here." Why don't you just say so in the first place then?

Supernatural

I at some point of my life begun to believe in supernatural things, or in other words, I realized that those things are not like what I thought before. For example, in the situation that everything around you starts giving you a clue of something, you tend to think it's coincident and almost like miracle or some kind of grater force is affecting you; however, I believe that YOU are the cause of everything. In that kind of situation, YOU care about something and that is always in your mind no matter if you realize it, so that your mind picks up things related to what's in your mind around you unconsciously and that makes you think that they somehow happen to come into your life which could be called by some people supernatural or miracle or coincident. This can apply to most of the things called supernatural such as "ki", cancer which was healed miraculously, charms and so forth. This is totally part of holism. I am so interested in that now.

Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final

She was like a real last living Cleopatra on the ice rink. It's ashamed as a Japanese, but it was the first time for me to watch Miki Ando actually skating on the ice. I didn't expect much from the performance for that reason, and she just completely took away that idea from me last night.

Not only her but all the skaters (or should I say performers/entertainers/professionals?) and their performances were so moving. Their total expression was speechless. And Mikity. Oh my god. She even gave me goose bumps. Her Cleopatra made me feel like somehow I was time-tripped to B.C.. I re-recognized that human and art could make people feel that way. What a beautiful thing. 

MoMo by Michael Ende

This book has been in my book shelf since I was little. I remember it as a good story but not any details. So I re-read it after more than a decade.

And it turned out to be a really great story with lots of wisdom and knowledge. This book is originally published in 1970's in Germany for young ages, but I believe it's more for ages of mine. Because when I was a kid, it was still a good story with some exciting adventures, but what the author truly want to tell you could be understood only by the ones who started to lose their time just like the ones in the story. I mean I want more adults to read this great book, not just kids.

Michael must have had great insight and excellent foresight just like Hayao Miyazaki. He must have been trying to warn children who will build the world in the future about the danger they would face sooner or later. 

Once a year...

Instead of Thanksgiving Day, Ginkgo festival is held at the end of November in my hometown. This is the biggest festival in a year in this area, and my house is right in front of the main square. All the stores around here close for weekend and have different kinds of booths. My mom is always in charge of the booths in front of our house. I was selling hot drinks like coffee and tea. And there was a guy from Morocco selling Moroccan hand crafts like house shoes made with goat leather which mom loves. And next to the Moroccan guy, a Korean man was selling several different kinds of Kimchee. And the other side of my booth, there was a whole family members selling "ama-sake" which is made of sake lees but not alcohol and very sweet taste. There are some kids too.

Normally there are not many things to see around this area but only this time of the year, lots of people come to see this festival. From very early morning to after sunset, I play with kids, talk to customers, have some friends visit me, and go out to get special foods for festivals like takoyaki, yakisoba, and oden. I just talk so much all day non-stop. At the end of the day, I get really tired and my throat hurts, but I feel very satisfied. Maybe because talking is good for ones, maybe the festival makes me get high. 

food self-sufficiency

Japan's food self-sufficiency ratio is one of the lowest in the world. This is almost the worst in the top developed countries. It was 73% in 1965 and since then getting only lower and now it came down to about 40%. The main factor I think is the bad condition for farmers.
After the high-growth period of the 1970s, a huge number of farmers moved to cities, and vast area of fields for farming transformed into housing and industrial land. Young manpower is in short and only older workers left. Cheaper food from Asian countries come into Japan, so that safer but expensive domestic products are not welcome really. Young people don't want to be farmers because it's not stylish. Farmers' population keep getting small.

Though Japanese people are now crazy about ECO and organic/natural products, Japan's food mileage is the world highest, adding a large amount of CO2 into the global atmosphere. People in Japan are tend to look at things only you can actually see. But some people start realizing what's underneath it. I want people to get it little deeper and think about it. Why they like organic products. Why ECO is so big now. Not only complain about the U.S. military bases in Japan, but how the food self-sufficiency affect the bases. 

A lazy sunday morning...

What I love is a lazy sunday morning.

Waking up with beautiful sunshine through the big window. Make sure it's sunday in my half-awake head. Realizing I can go back to sleep, smile on my face. Check out my buddy still sleeping next to me peacefully. Replace my head to his shoulder. Pressing myself against his arm. Now he is slowly awaken. Looks at me and smile, then kiss on my forehead.

Spending all morning in bed, snuggling, cuddling, and laughing out loud eventually, happiness is all around us.

When we realize how hungry we are, we finally get out of the bed with agreeable lassitude and go grab some burritos.

What a lovely lazy sunday.

the fact

When I started my high school, I was surprised at the world I didn't know until then.
Since all the kids had grown up in more or less the same environment until junior high, no surprise bigger than whose dad had passed away.
Then I for the first time in my life knew that my normal is not normal to others. There were many forms of family, relationships, personality, and then the ways people think.

And now I am facing, for the second time of my life, how differently people think. How people is getting formed to one being. I don't judge any form of life, or how they were formed. I am just amazed that every single person is formed very uniquely and those who formed very differently get along with well and build this world. Well, its cliche already but I just re-recognized the fact.

...and then a lovely sunny day!

After the storm's gone, it was bright blue sky up there. In Japan, you don't see as much clear sky as in Western Countries due to the humidity. Even when there is the sun out, everything seems to be covered by kind of mist or something. Or in other words, the sunlight come down to the earth through the some kind of filter, so that the whole world looks like in a polaroid picture. I didn't like it when I came back from other countries, but now I see other aspects of this world. As I thought back in NY, the weather has big impact on the people living there. Spain and Italy in brightly sunny and warm days all year round. Serious weather in both summer and winter in NY. High humidity in Japan and Korea. Cold and shorter day-time in winter in Germany. Looooong night in winter in Northern European countires such as Norway and Finland. It's very interesting the interaction between weather and people. And when it comes to me, I have to think about it. How I want to live. How I wanna spend time with soon-to-be my family.

Raining...

A heavy rainy day. I read books in the cold pale room all day. Laying between the warm blankets. Holding a hottie covered by fluffy bear.
I love heavy rainy days. If it's light rain, you would have to be torn between staying home or going out because you know that there's always fun out there. However, if it's heavy, you have no choice but staying home gracefully. With no regrets. Also light rain doesn't make much noise but heavy one has a sense of nostalgia, and I love it.

By the way, when it's light rain, I would go out, personally. Because there is another taste of nostalgia in the steaming world.

oh boy...

It's been only a couple of days since Kanta left here. And I got a first email from India this morning. He seems like got cheated and lost a couple of hundreds dollar already at the Air port. What a eventful start... I know how it's like when you have bad things right after you get to new cities. Sucks. Depressing. You start suspecting everyone around you. I know it's really bad. Good thing about this time is he knows someone in the city and will meet up with him tonight. His friend sure will make him feel better about people there. I mean that's the life there, right? If he will travel around India for more than a month, he has to get used to it. He can't breakdown everytime he is deceived because they are not offended about it, it's a part of life there. It must be hard especially for people like him, nice and never suspicious about anyone, but I want him to be strong enough to deal with it, and I know he knows.

beautifu autumn day isn't necessary a happy day

He has left to India this morning. It will be at least 3 months until he gets back here from this dream trip. We've been talking about this for quite a long time, and I thought I was ready for this, but I wasn't. Some part of me is really hoping that he will enjoy and experience a lot, but some part of me is desperate for coming with him, which was actually the original plan. We have traveled many countries and places together. Those memories are precious treasure to me. Days we spent together in freezing NY. El camino we walked for whole days in Spain. His birthday in Paris. I desperately wish I could come with him this time again and make another special memory together.

Last night, I had bad hyperventilation while I was sleeping next to him. It might be due to unconscious anxiety by him leaving. He covered half of my mouth so that I won't inhale too much, and it did work. It made me breath surprisingly easier. And once my breath was in control, I burst into tears. It all happened in dark and we were both half asleep, so I can't remember exactly what happened in what order, but the feeling I had is still now vividly going around in my mind.

Though I am excited for him and it's a beautiful autumn day, my mind is somewhere not here.

happy memory and her

After long time apart each other, I met up with her for dinner last night. It turned out to be so natural to talk with her even after long time apart. It never seemed like we haven't see each other for almost 5 years. Though we are not students anymore like we met last time, no update for a while, no friends or places to hangout in common anymore, still we feel really close in somewhere core in us.

Fumiko and I went to LA, Las Vegas, and Vancouver together few years ago. That was one of my most favorite trips. It wasn't about where we went or what we did. All I remember is on a huge ferry, feeling strong sunshine and northern wind, we were listening Michael Jackson on one CD player. At the huge museum, getting sleepy, we actually slept on the couch for like an hour. When we realized, it was at sunset and we rush out to the back yard, and watched the beautiful purple sky getting dark between mountains. In the hostel, we met a lovely Swedish girl. We talked. And the next day, she was gone when we woke up, but on the bed, she left us a sweetest letter I have ever read. Fumiko still has that letter. All that memory we made was something not material. Not about where we went or what we did, but something I felt with her. Something so strong feeling that I would never forget. She is always the one who can make people feel that way.

Autumn Sky

I used to love San Francisco in orange color in autumn. I was away from Tokyo too long to remember how it was like in Tokyo at the same time of the year. Here I am. After six years, now I know why all my friends say Tokyo in autumn is so beautiful.

I was on the way back from the flower shop for my mom's half century birthday yesterday. I took the different street from I always take. The street was more like a riverbank path by the small stream. It was about time of sunset. 4:30pm. Clear sky in blue-green/turquoise color. The orange sun light made everything on the earth golden brown. Cosmos flower. Half-turned-red leaves on the half bared trees. Old couples holding their hands. Young man walking a dog. Everything, just everything was perfect. I was riding a bicycle as slow as I could balance, holding a flower bouquet, looking up the beautiful autumn sky as long as I could be blind of people and utility poles coming toward me. When I got back home, sun had just set. What a wonderful day.

always and forever

25th birthday

Quarter of a Century. Sounds like forever, but that's how long I've been living. God, I just can't believe it.
Many thanks for my mom and dad for giving me a birth. Many thanks for my boyfriend for being with me. And many thanks for my lovely friends who congratulate my 25th birthday from all over the world.
My life had never been so unexpected and not-planned before. Now, I only have my body and few clothes and literally that's it. I am very excited about this simple life and about unexpected mind status and spiritual awakening I might get out of this life. More than ever before, this 25th year sure will be eventful and joyful.
I thank the past 25 years and I will enjoy this year ever before. Whatever happens, I have my family, my boyfriend, and wonderful friends who would support me without asking.
Love you all!!

Dekasegi

I was away from home for a month, working at the pension by the Nojiri Lake.
Things there are pretty different from where I grew up.
Perfect ratio of human being and nature.
Reflection of blue sky on the lake.
Vegetables and fruits from Granma's garden.
Kids who know how to "play".
There are of course many problems for country-side such as depopulation, shortage of medical practitioners, strained relationships....
Knowing pros and cons, I hope many will realize this wonderful life in rural area.

One of my dreams is building a town in forest.
Where each family has special ability such as carpentry, farming, poultry farming、sawing, teaching...
Where every parents has great sense of child education, manner and such.
Things in this town is slow and natural.
Weight is always on healthier side in physically and mentally.

I do hope that people will go back to the life closer to the mother earth.