momentarily vanished thoughts...

Haven't updated this blog for quite a long while:( Seems like it's already been forever since I have last heartily sat down, spirit-inspired, with all these thoughts on my head, ready to be launch into words and shared here as a blog entry. Truth is, I really am missing it, I miss my old blog:( And miss this new one as well. I know I should be writing more as the past months have endowed way too many wonderful (and not-so wonderful) events and memories to me and likewise my family.

Why I haven't been blogging??? Nope, I didn't break down and fall from another depression. Nor something unexpected happened at home. Neither was I sick (again), preferred to be quiet, and secluded myself away from cyberspace..... Na~ah, nothing of the above (thankfully!). With all that has happened for the past 7 months, the unfortunate tragedy that struck our country's north-eastern part earlier this year (March 11). The tensions and fear from all the numerous and constant aftershocks. Power shortage; nuclear crisis; panic-buying; higher rate of the yen, and multiple life-threatening emergencies you would have thought this country has been already forsaken:(  And that is why charity and voluntarily work in our community occupied most of my April and May months. Helping out in collecting donations around our community and providing free immediate translations for foreign victims of the quake and tsunami. The other 5 months were spent recovering, getting up from the multiple tragedies that had hit us, and the whole of Japan for that matter.

Eiji Kanno (L) and his wife Matsuko (white coat) are grief-stricken as it is officially confirmed that their 18-year-old daughter Mizuki is dead inside the tsunami-destroyed car in Yamamoto, south of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. March 11, 2011 Devastating Earthquake and Tsunami in JAPAN (photo credited to: Kimimasan Mayama / EPA)

While the country and all it's bereaved citizens are starting out anew with good hopes, and bright, positive outlook after all the chaos. My June and July months were spent routinely on our usual everyday life - my son's schooling; chores; errands; and part-time translation jobs. Those months also were spent wonderfully on mostly trips and meeting friends I have made here online over the years.:) Yes, to sum it up shortly, I have been terribly busy. Busy as a bee, hopping prefectures-to-prefectures.

Road trips with the family April 2011.

Our Family's EASTER 2011 Trip in Kujukuri, Boso Beach, Souths of Chiba....
Enjoying very, fresh SEA FOODS in a very nice Seafood Restaurant overlooking the seas and long-beaches of Kujukuri, Onjuku, and Shirako - BOSO, CHIBA...

Who would have thought there's been a huge, devastating Tsunami here only 4 weeks prior to the date when this pic. was taken? :((  The sea was so beautiful on this Easter Sunday noon, and the waves were powerful yet very calm and subtle at the same time, that hubby, the kids and I enjoyed strolling along the beaches of Shirako; Kujukuri; and Boso ....



Father and Son...enjoying the spectacular, warm sun at the beach. April, Easter Sunday 2011.



Mama and Yuuki's afternoon stroll along the beaches of the beautiful Shirako
BOSO HANTO, Chiba
Easter Sunday April, 2011 Family Trip.


my husband 'Hiroki' and only son's "identical-birthdays" , May 2011.



My BOYs blowing together their birthday cake.. Our youngest daughter joined them here.. and was a bit scared of the fire from the birthday candles... At HOME, 3rd of May, 2011. Yuuki's 5th birthday and Hiroki's 42nd Birthday!!! :)




Family Road Trips again and meeting for the very first time, 2 of the loveliest and nicest friends i have ever met here online ~  Lhiz in Osaka May 15 - 17, 2011. And Ate Mahlan in Yamanashi-prefecture June 17, 2011....






First Meet-up with a very good online friend, LHIZ GONORA who is base in the western part of Japan, in Osaka city. This time we posed with hubby Hiroki who just woke up from a nap... Hotel Ichie; Osaka Trip , May 16, 2011.

Me and my munchkins,  behind us is the great, ancient, and historical 'OSAKA CASTLE' .
Family Trip in Osaka May 16 - 17, 2011





"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to Them." __Desmond Tutu
Our Family with the Popular Kuidaure Doll, Doutonbori, Osaka May , 2011



                                

Getting familiar with the city's most-lively district- DOUTONBORI 'by the river' Osaka.
May 16, 2011, OSAKA Trip.

                                                              



The renowned Crab Restaurant "KANI DOURAKU" in Doutonbori, OSAKA. May 16, 2011, Osaka Trip.

Meeting a very good online friend in person for the 1st time,  on my birthday (one of the best BIRTHDAYs  i've  had!) - Ate Mahlan (MARYLEN YAMASHITA), the pic. was taken at the beautiful herbkan garden of Kawaguchiko; Yamanashi-prefecture. With us is my beloved, only son "Yuuki". June 17, 2011 Yamanashi Trip with the Yamashitas. :)

A pic. taken from my cellphone cam., almost at the top of the Great Mount FUJI. 2020 meters high, atop the clouds.

 FUJI Subaru Line, Mount FUJI, Yamanashi-prefecture. Best perk of my birthday celebration this year was being able to climb this magnificent,beautiful mountain with my  dearest family....

My Birthday, June 17, 2011. While enjoying and being serenade by the beautiful, foggy mountains that stand tall south of this glorious LAKE of KAWAGUCHIKO, Yamanashi, prefecture. Pic. taken by my dear husband, Hiroki.




And finally last July 2011, seeing them again, met up with my other 2 long-lost friends whom i hadn't seen in such a very long time, and what i meant by Long~time is----as in "ages" (20 long-years) since we've last seen each other and since we've been with, all three of us together....

Long-time friend--> Sarah Hiraka, posing for souvenirs after 20 long-years of not seeing each other... Muji Cafe/ Kisaten, 2nd of July, Shinjuku, TOKYO

"KAMPAI" - Cheers with our mugs of Sapporo Beers. :) Lunch at Luuk Chang Thai Restaurant, 14th floor of Lumine Mall, Shinjuku, TOKYO - 2nd of July, 2011 ; yours truly with very good long-lost friends ANGIE CHUA-KAKEHI and SARAH DAWAL-HIRAKA .

Forever Friends... S A M = Sarah+ Angie+ Menchu
after our spicy Thai lunch, us having our yummy desserts and cuppas of coffee & tea at MUJI Cafe, West side of Shinjuku, TOKYO ; July 2, 2011

Though amidst all this and that, I cannot deny the fact that I have absolutely missed writing. In all those seven months without scribbling any of my thoughts and all that has happened. Of not being able to write even just a single post. It doesn't matter even if I guess, nobody cares to read my thoughts here (anyway), it didn't matter to me. All I know is that I have to go back and logged in here....... I am not so sure why, but perhaps to be able to go back to all those wonderful, lesson-filled, and worth-living events that have occurred. So that I could go and relive everything, whenever or anytime I feel like I needed to.:) If you are someone whom I haven't met yet or if you are reading this blog for the first time, and just happen to stumble upon my page here, you would probably think and wonder "Why WRITING means so much to her?" . It's a very long story, and probably would take another post or two to explain and answer the word why.;) To　say it simply, it is my means of comfort, writing to me is my source of self-acknowledgement, one of my crux/means of strength, a therapy in itself!!!!

Bursting my emotions out in writing, and when I see and read what I wrote.... I begin to know what I'm feeling and begin to acknowledge it. Putting those positive and negative feelings into words somehow allows me to gain some or even a little control over them.:) So I am here again and hoping to constantly come, be present and blog every now and then from here-on. With hopes and intentions of recalling the past meaningful months. Reflecting on the many consequential and important years of my borrowed life and time here on Earth through this medium called blog.

I will end this post with a very fitting quote from an excerpt from my favorite piece by Max Erhmann's DESIDERATA ~ "With all it's sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."

The devastating Tsunami wiped the town of Sendai in result of the 9.1 magnitude earthquake that had hit Northern Japan on the 11th of March, year of our Lord 2011.

 

Members of BJP yuvamorcha light Diya’s and hold candles in Bangalore on March 12, to pay homage to victims of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. (by: Jagadeesh Nv / EPA)



Our Family atop Mount Tulec, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi-prefecture visit; June 17, 2011







Disarrayed and Mixed-up....

Sunny Saturday, been playing with the kids the whole afternoon. Did the laundry, ate lunch, cleaned the house and now hubby, yuuki and yuuna are napping upstairs. I now have time to sit in front of the PC. :-)

Seen this one so many times in friends’ blogs that I decided to jump into the bandwagon and get one for myself.

Just one question though…

Is it just me, or is the site playing safe with the interpretation of my name??? I’ve seen too many conflicting traits that I hardly understand what kind of person the name stands for.



What My Name (M. R. P. Y.) Means



You Are Powerful and Determined

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated.
You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want.
You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.
You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.
You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily.
You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind.
A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.
Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.
Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way.
And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life.
You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life.
You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you.
At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself.

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.
You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.
You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in.
You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising.
You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life.
You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home.
You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble.

Skepticism aside, I totally loved the very lucky person and the SEXY part. Haaay! Wishful thinking….

What your name means  go have a look. ;-)

Test of true Friendship

In life one meets and makes many friends. Some remain acquaintances with whom we share pleasantries. Childhood friends mature and remain for life or are not traceable. Fair weather friends are the ones with whom we can party, watch a movie, or go shopping with, exactly for the sake of company.

True friendship proves for itself with life’s situations. One can make friends at any age. Marriage too is about friendship and so is rearing kids. Ever felt that sudden desire to call your best friend? Did you felt better after crying over the phone and talking to your friend about some silly problem? Elated feelings and sadness needs to be shared.

A friend corrects you when you wear the wrong make up, compliments you at that writing skill you have, encourages you when you try out a recipe (ignoring the excess salt), cares for you by walking the extra mile, takes you to a movie sensing you are amiss and is strict with you when you go overboard. These are the tests of friendship. As you sit in solitude, look at your fingers and count your friends, you will be amazed to find only a few.

Friendship does not restrict itself to rules of gender, age, class, beauty and even distance. The inclination to communicate is essential. Holding grudges and taking pot shots only spoils a friendship. One also needs to be magnanimous by accepting the short comings of a friend. This is a major adjustment and accept a friend as he/she is. Suggest but do not expect him/her to comply with your standards.

There is only failure when one tries to be a please-all. Compromise but also effectively clarify. When one projects an unfazed exterior and in mind goes through a gamut of negative feelings, that friendship will be short-lived.

Not by money, looks or time, but by truth is what friendship grows. In present times where one is exulted by so many things, there occurs a paucity of time. Excuses stem from this and many a friendship silently die.

Make time for a pet, your child, your spouse, and never forget to make a friend feel special. You may have missed the birthday but be there for a friend when the path is not even. Giving a shoulder to cry on is a temporary support. Be solid like a rock to tide away the storms that test the friendship.

These all I’m learning…

And I guess, I am just missing my true friendship!…….

But still thankful for the presence of my other true friendship(s)!…..

A Love of Life...

Hi, everyone! I'm not so sure how to begin this, but it sure is, nerve - shattering to do this again... I first started blogging almost two years ago. I only got to maintain it for barely a year... What I am feeling right now is not even comparable to the exciting and just light-hearted days back then. I never had a purpose or goal, only just for the Fun of it!... Until, one day people were starting to read and even write comments, i gained friends and a minimal of followers and eventually "it took me".

The events that happened to me for the last 2 years that I'm not in cyberspace, made me decide to blog again and share you all readers, the many wonderful, adventurous, sometimes dark and painful life i have been going through... as a wife, and as a mother.

Life indeed offers us endless opportunities for us to experience the full spectrum of emotion. From the occurrence of a 'new life' or perhaps a spectacular SUNSET, we feel anything from happiness, to wonder, to a sense of fulfillment. Unfortunately, from time to time, we also feel the hold of pain and disappointment. At times the intensity of it can be debilitating.

It is said that time heals all wounds but that is not always the case. Yes, time may allow the initial pain to dissipate. But the effects of it may not completely disappear. It is not uncommon for our difficult experiences to color our perception of how our lives really are. Some of us carry our pain like a cloak and allow it to become our integral part of our characters.

One can claim to be a victim of adversity and operate from that perspective. On the other hand, one can choose to extract something of value from the difficulty. Either way, there is always a lesson to be learned with every experience, good or bad, though it may not provide a reason for misfortune. My recent difficult experience taught me so much.....on life, family, love, respect, humility and most especially acceptance of things i am no control of. These lessons incidentally led me to discovering an attribute i never knew i possessed...Strength, Tenacity, Compassion, Patience and Integrity. It is when we seek the lesson that the pain is lessened.

To those who make my time difficult...THANK YOU for you help me grow. To those who make each of my day a challenge...THANK YOU for you help me build my strength and character.

Test..mic..test..mic