Japan 2013 Day 1

I love JAPAN!
That basically sums up my growing devotion to that country and by saying that Japan is great is an understatement. To start with, it doesn’t fail to offer traveler’s a unique experience of their culture, tradition and how they go with the changing times. They grow in terms of preserving the old but at the same time, advancing themselves with creations found only in their country. It is indeed a unique experience that juxtaposes old with the new. And because I miss the land of the rising sun, I decided to share photos during our trip last 2013.
Upon stepping out of Narita Airport, we were greeted by a 14 degree c temperature, putting a big smile on our face, as saying “Welcome to Japan!”.
For the day’s agenda, we were booked on a half-day tour around Tokyo to familiarize ourselves with the area.
1. Tokyo Tower

The Tokyo Tower used to be the tallest building in Tokyo but since the Tokyo Skytree was constructed, it comes only in second.
View from the tower..
Stepping on clear glass, giving a clear view below the tower.
The Tokyo Tower

2. Meiji Shrine

It was a chilly and rainy morning. We were forced to buy umbrellas from a souvenir shop, of course we got the clear one. XD

Before going to the actual shrine, you have to take a long walk passing by one of the many tori gates in the 175 acre garden. Meiji shrine is located in Shibuya, Tokyo and is dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and his wife. According to the guide, the area is covered by an evergreen forest that consists of 120,000 trees of 365 different species, donated by the Japanese people.

Entrance to the main memorial hall..

One of the structures that lead to the other parts of the forest..

Meal Prep: Roasted Chicken and Veggies

Decided to prepare my meal in advance so I can have controlled portions of what I eat. Lately been binge-eating a lot and it was difficult to watch my food intake because I was having so much fun or I was really hungry. 

I need a grab and go lunch so I prepared this recipe, roasted chicken and veggies. A quick and easy, healthy, no- fuss meal.

What you need:

  • Breast chicken
  • Brocolli
  • Cauliflower
  • Marble potatoes
  • White onions
  • Garlic
  • Tomatoes
  • Lemon
  • Pink salt
  • Garlic powder
  • Chili flakes
  • Olive oil
  • Parsley
  • Italian seasoning

What to do:

  • Preheat oven
  • Line oven pan with foil
  • Slice chicken breast into cubes
  • Slice all veggies and lay on the pan
  • Pour olive oil and dry ingredients
  • Mix on the pan
  • Roast for 15 to 20 minutes until veggies are charred and potatoes are soft.
  • Ready to serve

Regrets

Do you ever wonder what life could have been if you have done things differently? Honestly, yes. I imagine the outcome of the could have beens and the what ifs that constantly linger in my mind.

Before my mother got sick, I was young then, everything was blurry. Of course I can remember fun, happy memories and bad ones too but there wasn’t any purpose to why you live life the way it was. All you ever cared about was yourself, school, exams, deadlines, gigs, never questioning your purpose and existence in this world.

After my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer everything changed. She was given a time frame of only six months but miraculously get to have two meaningful years more.

You know when something serious like cancer happen in your life you question a lot of things. Tons of questions why this had to happen in your own family, your own mother who was a very strong woman, still young at forty. Then there’s that untouched topic of death. I haven’t in my life experienced such dreadful thing until that moment came. All those questions of how it will happen have finally been answered.

Grief came knocking and it sucks the life out of you. Anger, denial, frustration it was the easiest to feel because it was the most shallow ground that lets you continue everyday without really ‘feeling’. When you feel, all emotions cloud your mind and heart.

One realization led to another. What hurts the most were the could haves and the should haves. “I should’ve followed my mother when she said this.. I could’ve taken care of her more..”. That’s the irony of life, we only realize the importance of someone/something until that someone is gone. We can only sulk in our misery of regrets and that is only how far we can reach to remember the past. There’s nothing we can do about it.

Living with regrets is a road to self- destruction. One way of overcoming that is acceptance. Accepting the truth that you cannot change the events of the past and though it hurts, you have to face and deal with it. There must also be forgiveness. Forgiving yourself for the mistakes, for not giving too much of yourself in a situation. They say it’s easier to forgive others than yourself.

We are only human; we are not perfect. We have to focus on resiliency and what we have learned through that difficult experience. Focus on healing, in self-improvement, expression.

It was a hard road for me then but there is the NOW that we have to live. As much as possible, I try to do things that will not make me regret tomorrow. If I made a mistake, learn from it and never do it again. It is always never too late while we are still here.

My Mom My Hero

DOLOSEILE

These words are pieces to a puzzle I have collected over the years. This time, I picked out random pieces to create something for the Mother’s Day 2016 contest by Wooden Canvas.

Here it is:

img001

The day after his mother’s death in October 1977, Roland Barthes began a diary of mourning. In one of his entries, he wrote “How maman is present in all I have written: in that there is everywhere a notion of the Sovereign God.” He took notes on index cards, reflected on the ebb and flow of sadness; and the discourse of loss and recovery; on the slow pace of mourning, and modern society’s quick dismissal of it.

I only came upon this book last year when a good friend told me she found a book she thinks I would like to have. So, she had it reserved under my name and said…

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