Good-bye Tiger, hello Rabbit! 2011 resolutions.

Happy New Year!!!!!

2010 was the year of the tiger.

After the Tiger comes the Rabbit!

My brand new Rabbit (Usagi) ornament that will be displayed in our front hallway throughout the year 2011.

(In some countries it is the year of the Cat...but in Japan there is no year of the Cat because as the story goes...god was going to give away a year to each animal that came to him on a certain day. The Mouse told the Cat when that day would be but he lied. The Cat showed up on the next day after all of the years had been assigned to each animal...thus in Japan, there is no year of the Cat. Oooh, but the Mouse became number 1 because he hopped onto the back of the Cow (number 2) and got off at the right moment so that he could be at the very front of the line!

The Rabbit came in 4th place. Since they like to hop around it is said to be a "hoppin' year" whatever that means...

What kind of year did you have? I hope it was a good one!

My 2010 was a year of self exploration!

Now that I know more about who I am and what I want from life, I think 2011 will be filled with exciting experiences. Why? Because I have a clearer focus on what I want to learn from the world.

One of the many things I have started to study is religion and faith especially Japanese Buddhism and Shinto (I was brought up in a Protestant family). I am finding many similarities with western culture and paganism. It is all fascinating and (funnily) Dan Brown-ish... :-)

Recently, I have found someone of similar mind but of amazing talent. Cristy Burne.

I have not read her book yet but it is the first book I will order in the New Year!

Cristy is the author of a story (series) that seems to have a whole lot to do with Japanese ghost stories and mythology. For more information please check out her website here:

http://cristyburne.wordpress.com/

This whole year the universe has been practically throwing people at me. People that I should learn from. It is amazing. I got what I asked for this year but it has been so overwhelming that I am not caught up. I have met a spiritual teacher, a westerner on a Buddhist journey and amazing teachers and colleagues from around the world.

All that has happened to me this year brings a whole new meaning to "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!"

So, for me 2011 will be the year of connecting dots...

...and like a good friend recently advised me...in 2011 I am going to "just do it".

1. Write my book (by the end of December 2011).

2. Visit the UK (this is happening in July, it has been scheduled!)

3. Listen, read and learn as if the world is my grad school.

bit of a rant:

Number 3 comes from what I have seen this past year. So many students pay so much money to universities but they don't do their homework, they sometimes cheat and they often complain. I have been wanting to go back to school but instead of spending the money that goes straight into new buildings and technology that ends up not getting used, I think I will BUY books and LISTEN to people instead. I am sure there are similarities all over the world among college students but in Japan it is tragic... Students study SO HARD to pass their entrance exams only so that they can enter university to start having all night binges and sleep during classes (if attending at all) for 4 years.

ahem...

4. Write, write, write and write some more...

Anywhooo...

I hope that whatever you decide to do in 2011, that you will go out there and do it too!

May your new year be filled with happiness and abundance of the best kind!

My 103rd post!

I started this blog on the 19th of January in 2009.
My first "real post" was on the following day...a post about the new years celebrations here in Japan.
It was the year of the cow... Now it is the year of the tiger...and I didn't even blog about it because I thought I was so busy...too busy to write...

Here is a picture of my tiger that we have had on display in our house since January....this tiger will stay on display till the end of the year...

For a person that has started many "projects"most of which are left to be finished, I never thought that 100 blog posts would be possible. LOL I didn't even notice my 100th post...

With hopes of improving my writing skills AND hopes to take my mind off of a few unhappy moments ...I tried to comb through my life and find interesting bits and pieces that would remind me of why I chose to live in Japan. I used to think it was my mother's "fault" for dragging me back and forth between the US and Japan. However, now I know that once you become an "adult", you really can't blame your parents for anything...it is your life to live and your thoughts only that can control what you do.


I do not know how to express my thanks (yet) for the many people who have taken the time to read my posts, comment, given me advice and support and have been great friends even though we may not have met in person....right now just allow me to say "arigato" (thank YOU).

I will continue to blog because I hope to improve my writing skills, continue friendships, make new ones, learn more about Japan (and of course share what I learn) and most important of all... to be happy.

Although he is not one of my favorite presidents...I do think this quote is rather appropriate to explain how I feel:
"Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement; in the thrill of creative effort." Franklin D. Roosevelt

...here is a bit of happiness that I found the other day while waiting in line with my number in hand...

I look forward to my 777th blog post! Have a happy lucky day!

Happy New Year - 2009 -

Each year has a guardian animal...in Japan there are 12 and they are as follows:

mouse, cow, tiger, rabbit, dragon (I know, I know), snake, horse, sheep, monkey, bird, dog, wild boar.

Many Asian countries have the same kind of idea so it is hard to say where it originated from...although I do not doubt that China will take the credit.

2009 is the year of the cow...so, if you were born 12 years ago or 24 years ago or 36 years ago etc, you are a cow. This may sound kind of lame but it's not. Cows are supposed to be stubborn and that can be a good thing, sometimes...In most Japanese residences you will be able to find a place where they have the year's animal (called "eto") on display. The above picture is my cow.

I don't have all 12 animals yet...I have 6 more to go, but I always buy mine in Hakata because they have great ceramic dolls called Hakata Ningyo. If you are ever in Fukuoka, you should get one. I like my cow.

The thing to my cow's left is called "kagami mochi" (kagami means mirror and mochi is rice cake in Japanese). It is like an offering to God as well as a symbol of good luck.

There are many ways to display your "kagami mochi" and enhance the "luckiness". For example if you place a piece of dried seaweed (kobu) with it, it will represent "yorokobu" which means "to be happy".

It's hard to tell with the picture above but my "kagami mochi" is plastic. However, there are real prepackaged rice cakes inside the plastic mochi. Before these plastic rice cakes came around they used to be real rice cakes...and since you have to leave them out for at least 10 to 12 days, sometimes longer...they tend to get...green...moldy. So although it may not seem environmentally friendly, it is tummy friendly. We eat the rice cakes on a day (this year was the 11th) called "mochi biraki", which literally means "rice cake opening".

Hopefully this year's cow will work a little harder than last year's mouse...It will be a year of change for many countries, so I hope the cow's stubbornness will be an asset and not something that will just get in the way of good change.