1000 years...

"mom, you are not a 1000 years old,

but you have been in this world a thousand years."

... j j f

t.g.i.f.

Lock ‘n load…coruscation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irykjLjuKo8

"When ever you don't feel like working hard,

someone,

somewhere else is,

and when you meet them,

they will have the edge."

author unknown

PPP

are you afraid???

::know your phobias::
Body odors- Osmophobia
Anything new - Neophobia
Bathing- Ablutophobia
School- Scolionophobia
Cooking- Mageirocophobia
Dancing- Chorophobia.
Flowers- Anthrophobia
Ghosts- Phasmophobia
Lightning and thunder- Brontophobia
Relatives- Syngenesophobia
Vegetables- Lachanophobia
Teenagers- Ephebiphobia
Stars- Siderophobia
Ocean or sea- Thalassophobia

PP

we once took a long hot road trip with Mom & Dad. when Dad stopped the car, we all got out, & I saw only this::

Dad stood quietly at the fence, looking to the mountains in silence. I think, in his mind, he saw this::MANZANAR

b.q.

tired tuesday

ohhhh, soooo sleeeepy...

b.q.

new sparkles in my mind…

~ recent happy moments..

• DD being accepted into a great RN program. I’ll never understand why it’s so hard to get into a nursing program. Excellent; a new chapter in her life. Congrats with love. Dream big! You can do it!
  
• KK officially becoming a Certified Personal Trainer at age 19 – Extraordinary!, & as her Uncle Dr B said, “ She‘s our Million Dollar Bebe!” ( just a lucrative part time job as she zips through college)
  
• BB enthusiastically pursuing both of her passions: art & animals. Who says you can’t do both? Exciting great things to come…gifted genius!
  
• C.F. getting down to business, seeking new ways to make a quantum leap in the worst economy of our lifetime; turning this depressing recession into a chance of a lifetime. WOW!
  
• M.A.N. being told by Mrs Puck, that she refuses to have any other contractor work on her home. Cool job, yummy Puck pizza for lunch – lucky! Also working on Mario’s new Mozza-To-Go. Yum again. Never mind that they are 2 of my favorite chefs.
  
• Enjoying the once a week little “date” that M.A.N. finds time for; usually a leisurely dinner, & an adventure. Treasured time together.
  
• Realizing how much I’ve learned in depth about real estate, stocks, & business in the past 5 years. Never too late to learn more! So different from nursing though; no level of conscience or ethics.
  
• Finding bliss, listening to MY music now, throughout the day, taking breaks at will, playing with my doggie-buddy, Bandit, planning a moss faerie garden under my young Jacaranda. Perks of working at home, with the Girls out & about; busy with college & work. Solitude can be golden!
  
• Enjoying every chance to soak up the love & youth from my 2 precious Grandkids. It's all about the circle of life.
  
• Beautiful orchids blooming on the little plant I bought 2 years ago at Thanksgiving, when we dedicated the celebration to Mom & Dad.

::love eternal::

• Life is good.
  b.q.

Monday Musings

~ Listening to ~

Kyu Sakamoto :: John Denver

Annie Lennox :: Thee Midnighters

Hiroshima :: John Corbett

The Doors :: James Taylor

Grand Funk Railroad :: Yoyo Ma…

soapstone hearts in my office...
3 year old Little Man + tired Mom

Spirits set free…2006

Dad + Judo Team Award ~ Martial Arts in our lifetime:: In the past, I enjoyed seeing young C.F. take Aikido with Dad. We were so proud of Dad, getting his black belt in Aikido, at age 70. He also had a black belt in Judo. He was a Sensei for both Judo & Aikido. With his insistence, I was in the first Girls’ Judo class at the SFV Japanese American Community Center, back in the ‘60’s. I’ve beamed watching all 4 of my Girls excel in Karate + Kickboxing. I’ve seen my youngest daughter break boards in a Karate exhibition. Back in the day, I helped my brother, Dr B, when he came home with a broken collar bone from Judo (twice!). Last year, he was awarded his black belt in Karate. My Grandfather was taken away by the F.B.I. on Dec.7, right after Pearl Harbor was attacked. They thought he, & my sweet 5 ft. Grandmother, were subversive, because he had a successful Kendo Dojo in Huntington Beach, & was a community leader. They were so wrong. He had the honorable strong blood of a Samurai running through his veins… not the filthy weak blood of a subversive.

b.q.

Whole Living

As life in this grand U.S.A. reaches

a very tough and chaotic climate,

be careful who you point the

finger at for your woes.

This is a bi-partisan fiasco,

and we are all complicit.

Time to nut-up, & stop being

a nation of ‘whingers’

Yes, everyone is feeling worried and confused

about how everything became so appalling.

It’s at a point where we need to step back,

& find our strength. The strength within.

Mom used to say,

"The more you do, the more you can do."

We can reclaim the our lives.

About 1 month after Mom passed away,

I came across a list of basic thoughts
which helped me gently re-focus.
Time to share…

10 Thoughts on Whole Living
(from body & soul ~ September 2005)
1. Imagination is a sense, not a gift.

We all have the inner genius to create.

2. Touch is a powerful healing tool;

use it lovingly & often.
3. Think of money as energy; use it to empower,

not control, your life.
4. A simple cup of tea can teach us

the importance of ritual.
5. Give deeply – whether it is noticed or not.
6. Find something sacred in your day, every day.
7. A daily walk can reengage your body & mind.
8. Before summer’s end, connect your soul to the earth

with a healthy, bountiful feast.
9. Allow your body to unwind every evening.
10. Passion does not get lost – just abandoned.
It’s never too late to find it again.

b.q.

growing up green

I can hear Dad’s voice every time

I discard something,
“IT’S PERFECTLY GOOD!”

We were raised living a life of recycling,

long before the ecology-conservation-green

idea was popular. Mom even

collected the white plastic strings that

were tied around the L.A. Times each

morning, & carefully crocheted cute purses.I remember my Grandma, Aunties, & Mom

braiding all their old nylon stockings,

& then stitching them together into

comfortable circular rugs. I still can’t

throw away any old tees that can be

cut into useful rags. C.F. walks her daughter

to & from school, even in the rain.

She frequently has neighbors remarking

about it; as if walking is the most unusual

form of transportation ever invented.

When Mom passed away, the one piece

of memory C.F. asked for, was to keep

her ‘Bachan’s jars, which were full of

assorted old buttons. Dad’s old work shop

is lined in old coffee cans & mason jars,

packed with old screws, washers,

and other odds & ends. We don’t dare

throw any of them away…

you’ll have a need for it,

as soon as it goes into the trash.

When we were young, an old orange tree

fell in the yard. Dad swiftly cut up the branches,

& built a magnificent tree house for us.

Even the ladder was made of sturdy limbs.

We spent hours with our friends

up in that tree house. I wish I had pictures

of that secret hideaway. To this day, my Dad’s

big compost pod stands weathered & splintered

in the back yard. My Brother lives in the

old Family Home now, & faithfully dumps

his organic scraps into the compost heap.

He also scatters his used coffee grounds

around the garden. Nothing seems to leave us

until it self destructs on its own.

So, for our Family, Green is just another name

for the way we’ve always lived.

Now the 4G ~ our 4th Generation of being Green.

b.q.

Monday Musings

~ As the suspense & thrills of the 2008 Olympics quickly fade into a memory, we shift gears back to our own reality routines. Summer is also beginning to retreat; school has started for many.

Fall will be emerging... I love this season.

5ive Things To Do ….Sometime Soon:
51. Buy new sheet music, & play beautiful music

with my cello & piano.
52. Make a killing in the Stock Market. HA!
53. Organize my Mom & Dad’s old fotos, so my Girls

will always have the important Family history.
54. Make time, with my M.A.N., for a fishing trip

to our secret cove. puhleeeez!
55. Take my Family to the shores of the beautiful Santa Barbara beach, where Dr. B. & I set free our Parents ashes. We can toss more rose petals into the sea with love, & have a quiet moment of great memories.

Quotes to ponder...

“Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances.”

Benjamin Franklin

A favorite of my brother, Dr B:
"Nothing is ever what it seems,
but everything is exactly what it is."
~BBanzai

My quote to start the week:
"If you have built castles in the air,

your work need not be lost;

there is where they should be.

Now put foundations under them."

Henry David Thoreau

Observation of a Genious
I have noticed recently, that my brother, Dr B, & many of his brainiac buddies, have one common thread. They all keep an active & content child within. Their collective brilliant minds truly know how to find their Happy Place; no doubt. Whether it is a relaxing trip to the beach, a fun-packed day at Disneyland, or a risky exploration of a cave ~ they know the benefits of laughter & play, & do it often. Could this be a confirmation of their years of intense brain research?
I wonder.

Health tips
+ I check the mercola.com health site regularly. There is always an interesting article, a beautiful or funny video, or even a challenging mind game. This article will make you smile.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/23/hilarious-signs.aspx

b.q.

Dis & Dat

Dad loved watching SUMO. Here's one match he missed.

A taste of why I choose happiness

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SANSEI MOMS, where are you?

I have noticed a little controversy over the use of the name HAPA lately. Maybe this issue has cycles, because I remember the same dispute around 25 years ago. Our kids have always been proud & happy HAPA Girls, & they'd like to remain that way. Hopefully, the academic & emotional drama won't take that away from us. That being said, I've also become aware that there isn't a large presence of 3rd Generation Japanese MOMS blogging ~ at least not together in any widely used Sansei Moms blog group. Hmmmmm. HEY - any of you Sansei Moms interested in getting a blog together? If so, please e-mail me: machi30@aol.com.
Arigato!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LIFE of 5IVE

The Spirits pass on.
My Grandmother was born on May 5th (5-5).
I come from a Family of 5.
Our Mom had 5 brothers & sisters.
Dad had 5 brothers & sisters. Our 1st daughter was born 5 days after our Mom's birthday.
My Granddaughter was born 5 months
before Dad passed away.
Coincidentally, my Grandson was born 5 months
before Mom passed away.
Yes, many Spirits are passed on.
5IVE is now my lucky number.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

QUOTE:

"...I wish that I may never think the smiles of the great and powerful a sufficient inducement to turn aside from the straight path of honesty and the convictions of my own mind. "
--David Ricardo

b.q.