Cherry Blossom Adventures

In recent weeks I have been tagged with a couple of meme`s which I am now, finally getting around to doing.

First, Illahee tagged me for this meme (and then someone else did also I think and I can not for the life of me remember who, sorry!)- and I need to respond in one word. Any of you who know me know that using a one word answer is extremely difficult for me as I prefer to use lots of words to answer even the simplest of questions.

1. Where is your cell phone?bed

2. Where is your significant other? living

3. Your hair colo? brownyred

4. Your mother? generous

5. Your father? unwell

6. Your favorite thing? Shun

7. Your dream last night? oboetenai

8. Your dream/goal? happiness

9. The room you’re in? bedroom

10. Your hobby? reading

11. Your fear? spiders

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? mum

13. Where were you last night? out

14. What you’re not? rich

15. One of your wish-list items? DSLR

16. Where you grew up? Brisbane

17. The last thing you did? shower

18. What are you wearing? PJ`s

19. Your TV? Crap

20. Your pet? Outside

21. Your computer? mac

22. Your mood?sleepy

23. Missing someone? Cat

24. Your car? crap

25. Something you’re not wearing? shoes

26. Favorite store? borders

27. Your summer? starting

28. Love someone? yes

29. Your favorite color? pink

30. When is the last time you laughed? today

31. Last time you cried? Wednesday

The other meme I was tagged for was the following (which I have done before I think!?) by Ami from Writing: My Life . The five things meme…

Five Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago:

1. Starting highschool
2. Running
3. Dreaming of my future.
4. Living with my parents in Capalaba
5. Making new friends, only several of whom I am still in contact with.

Five Things On My To Do List:

1. Sew a bag
2. Finish my christmas shopping
3. Update my “books read” list
4. Finalize everything for the wedding which is now less than six months away
5. Return the DVDs we took out today so that we can avoid the late fees we ALWAYS get

Five Things I Like To Snack On:

1. Cheesy rice crisp thingies
2. Green apples
3. Chocolate
4. Allen`s pineapple lollies
5. cheese

Five Things I Would Do If I Was A Millionaire:

1. Give money to my parents, brother & friends
2. Buy a house in Japan & Australia (am I several million dollar millionaire?)
3. Put money in a high interest savings account for our future kids
4. Travel to Egypt, Vietnam, New York & somewhere in South America
5. Open a bookstore in Japan & write a lot more…

Five Places I Have Lived:

1. Capalaba
2. Lota
3. Manly
4. Kichijoji
5. Nakano

Five Jobs I Have Had:

1. Check-out chick at K-mart
2. Tour liason officer for Japanese students
3. Preschool teacher
4. Assistant manager for a company helping foreign women in Japan
5. P.A/Administrator

Five People I Am Tagging:

 you, you, you, you & you -Anybody feel free to do thi!

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I have been tagged by Kim from City on the River & Jess from In the Burrow to do this meme!

Outside my window… a storm is rolling in and I can see Abbey running around the house because she knows it is coming (outside Kitchen window) but outside my bedroom window I can see the park & the wet mudflats as the tide has been in and is on its way out again…

I am thinking… how nice it is that my father and fiance get on so well despite their communication issues. As Shun`s english gets better and the more time they spend together it is so lovely to see. They have jsut finished preparing dinner and it is in the oven and now they have sat down to play a game of chess. I love seeing my two favourite men spend time together and enjoying each others company.

I am thankful for… the fact this week is almost over. I am also thankful for the fact I am now on the books at work meaning that even though I am sick today and will have to take dad to an appointment on Monday I can use flex time and sick days to cover for it even though it will mean working longer hours Tues-Fri of next week. I also very thankful for the fact I am able to spend time with my family this year and that Shun came with me and that he is enjoying his time here so much.

From the kitchen… well I can smell the chicken stew the boys have prepared for dinner but the last thing I made was Thai Beef Salad on Tuesday night when mum came for dinner. I have been inspired by Nay to create a recipe book and have got the book and hope to get started this weekend- might even inspire me to do some baking although the oven here is kind of a little bit old and dodgy!!

I am wearing… my pajamas. Grey 3/4 pants and a burnt orange/red singlet. Also glasses, watch, bracelet, engagement ring & jade bangle.

I am creating…. plans for the future and a life for Shun & I. I am also creating a recipe book as mentioned and also doing some sewing when I get the chance. I am also creating ideas for a Christmas to show Shun what Christmas in Australia is all about!

I am going… spend at least half an hour writing after dinner, completing some of my homework for the writing workshop I am participating in. I need to stop procrastinating and worrying so much about whether or not what I write is any good and just let it all out.

I am reading…“The Salaryman`s wife”  by Sujata Massey and am loving it. Thank you so much to Sara for recommending it and I can not wait to get started on the next one. I am also reading and flicking through “The Pocket Muse” and looking for good christmas recipes in a recent Donna Hay magazine.

I am hoping… that my father lives until 80 at the least. Also, hoping I feel better tomorrow and that Shun can manage to give up smoking.

I am hearing… the rain come down and the thunder booming.

Around the house… are books, magazines, journals, clothes and windows that I should probably close.

One of my favourite things… is having late night chats with Shun and giggling together. Another favourite thing…to wander around bookshops and breathe in the smell of the books and touch them!!! I could live in a bookstore (if I had a pillow, blanket, fridge, computer & Shun)

A few plans for the rest of the week… Supposed to have dinner tomorrow night with a friend of Shun`s frm language school if I am feeling better. For the rest of the weekend? Might catch a movie otherwise just some sewing, writing, playing with Abbey and a walk!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing…

BRIGHT

I am tagging… Jen, Nooh, Suzy, Mandy & Katie.

I think this is getting published JUST before the power goes out. The storm is big!

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I have seen this little “meme” on a couple of the blogs I have been reading of late and it seems like an easy Sunday post so while I wasn`t tagged for it I am jumping on the bandwagon and giving it ago.

The rules are to post the sixth photo in the sixth folder on your computer. Some have done this and others have taken their sixth photo on flickr or in the 6th folder on flickr, or the sixth photo on their phones.

I have decided, first to post the sixth photo in the sixth folder on my computer- This computer only holds the photos from the last year so they are all fairly recent.

The photo was taken soon after I came back to Australia, before Shun arrived. It is from a dinner I had out with my friend Clarie (who is one of my bridesmaids) and some girls I went to highschool with who I no longer have much to do with for various reasons. The girl with the blond hair in this photo, Anna & I used to be very close.

Anna & Hayley

And this sixth photo in my sixth folder on flickr- Well it is from Disney Sea! I just liked the name of the building and I took the photo when we were on a boat ride.

Even though I wasn`t tagged I am going to tag six people just for fun- they can do it if they want to but certainly don`t have to!

Guera, Enny (Because I love to see yellow smiley faces), Sara, Benay, CoffeeGrl, and Phil.

Nablopomo is not complete with out at least one meme!

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Ages ago Nay tagged me for this meme and I am only just getting around to passing it on!

I thought about this a lot and I want to pass it onto two people whose blogs I love to read because I wanted to choose one blogger based in Japan and another based in Australia because while I started my blog in Japan I am now back in Australia for awhile and I want this link lovin` to cross over onto both countries!

Firstly, a Japan based blogger who I love to read is TJ in Japan - I am pretty sure I found T`s blog linked off perhaps Sara or Nay`s blog or perhaps in the comments of another blog I read. I am a fairly new reader to this blog since she only started blogging earlier this year. I started reading this blog around the same time as Gaijin Wife`s blog. T is a fellow Aussie who blog about her family and life in Japan. Recently she was so kind and sent me translations of her wedding ceremony as she knew I was worried about what to do with our ceremony because there will be people there that do not speak or understand English very well! I do read a lot of Japan based blogs especially blogs belonging to other females with Japanese partners and this is, like I said, one of my favourites! T is coming back to Australia at Christmas time and I hope I get a chance to meet her then as she is from Brisbane too!

And now I am supposed to choose someone from her blogroll who I have never read except she doesn`t have a blog roll and all her recent comments are by people whose blogs I already read! So T if you are reading please link to someone in the comments section whose blog would be on your blogroll if you had one who I might not be reading!

Now, the Aussie blog I choose was also a tough choice! But in the end I decided to pass it over to Enny who I got to see last weekend when she was in town for Jen`s goodbye party! Enny came to Tokyo last year and that is when I got to meet her for the first time! It was awesome and she was very much like her blog! If that makes sense.

I found Enny`s blog through Jen`s blog which was one of my first non-Japan blogs that I read! hehe! Enny, who has recently just gotten engaged to her beau, writes about her everyday life and her family and what I love most about is that her obvious love for her family! She will be celebrating 600 posts soon so you should definitely pop over and give her some ideas for it and also congratulate her on her engagement! I was lucky enough to congratulate her in person last weekend!!!

Enny`s blogroll is quite long and contains a lot of blogs I don`t read so I did inni mini miny mo to choose one and I came up with Oh! How Lovely! ! I have never stumbled onto this blog before during my internet travels but it was a lovely find! Firstly her design is pink! I LOVE PINK so I am now in love! And the best thing about her is she is American which means this little meme will be going across three countries now (It may have already but I am not sure!)- So there you go! Australia, Japan & America. Perhaps she will pass it onto someone in another country! I am all for blogging in the name of international relations! I stumbled onto the about page and it says Jaime (blog owner`s name!) “Just a 20-something in Chicago trying to keep my head above water. Neurotic, over-thinking, shameless celebrity gossip addict, bad tv watching girl with expensive taste and no money but completely adorable, if I do say so myself.” - I will need to take the time to read more of this blog but her most recent post is about how your blog got it`s name so why don`t you head over and let her know how your blog name came about!!!

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Update: Only a couple of people participated! And they all got the answers right-now I will fill in the ones that nobody got in green!

I am sure this has been done before somewhere but ages ago I did a movie quote meme and it was a lot of fun so I introduce Lulu`s music lyric meme! Rules are below.

• List 10 lots of lyrics from 10 different songs (original singer is the answer that will count!)
•  No googling/searching
•  2 guesses max until others have had a turn to play
•  If you want to do this yourself, go ahead- I won`t be tagging anyone but anybody can  do it!

1. You must have known that I was lonely,
   Because you came to my rescue,
   And I know that this must be heaven,
   How could so much love be inside of you?-Stevie Wonder “You are the Sunshine of My Life”-There will definitely be Stevie Wonder at our wedding!
   
2. No matter how hard I try
   She has a reason just to pass me by
   She makes me cold in the summertime
   Doesn’t she now- “Katie Q” by Thirsty Merc-Another great Aussie band
   
3. We’ve compromised our pride
   And sacrificed out health
   We have to demand more
   Not of each other
   But more from ourselves- “Deep Water” by Jewel
   
4. Tomorrow’s getting harder make no mistake
   Luck ain’t even lucky
   Got to make your own breaks- Bon Jovi with “It`s my Life”- I put that in for you Mandy!
5. It’s coming round again
   The slowly creeping hand
   Of time and its demands- Paul got this with one of my fav songs of all time “These days” by Powderfinger
   
6. I want you to know, that I’m happy for you
   I wish nothing but the best for you both- Jen got it with Alanis Morrisette “You ought to know”
   
7. He’ll show you where the danger lies
   But he can’t help it if you capsize
   He’ll light your way but that is all- Jen again, The Waifs, “Lighthouse”
8. But now there’s nowhere to hide,
   since you pushed my love aside I’m not in my head- Sara got it with “Hopelessly Devoted To You” from Grease
9. Now Watergate does not bother me
   Does your conscience bother you?
   Tell the truth-Lynard Skynard with “Sweet Home Alabama”
10. But will you draw the line?
    Turn a blind eye to all the faces that you know- ” Katie” by Missy Higgins!

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Julia from Pink Moonz tagged me for the random facts meme….

Here are the rules:
1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment on their blog and tell them they’ve been tagged, and to come back and read your blog for the whole story.

I have actually done this meme before….which you can find here and also I have 100 facts about myself here but in the spirit of passing on a meme I will be happy to do it again.

1. My blood type is A+ and I only found this out recently. In Japan everybody knows their bloodtype and I had been asked so many times (Questions when you meet somebody new are usually where are you from? How old are you? When will you get married? and What is your blood type?) and a lot of people had said they thought I would be A (Yes Japanese people believe that bloodtype is like starsigns and that each bloodtype reveals a little bit about who your are!)….So there you have it I am A!
2. I have ridden in an ambulance three times…..and had one called for me one other time. All three times were because of something that had happened to me.
3. I have had three dogs, 2 birds and two fish in my lifetime! The dogs were Kelly, Abby and Sophie (Yes all female and yes they all had human sounding names), the bird were budge and bluie (Budge`s real name was seasle (sp?) be the budge) and the fish were Jo and Tilly! I have Jo to the preschool where I used to work cos I can`t take him home with me!
4. I once one a competition when I was about five for coloring in a pair of shoes in a magazine….I won canvas shoes with puffpaint designs on them (My memory is a little hazy on this? This could have been a dream…my mum would know)
5. My favourite flowers are gerberas and cherry blossoms. I can`t really have real cherry blossoms in my wedding (Even though that is the theme!) but am contemplating having gerberas!
6. When I was little I was scared of the dark (and I also thought a Native American Indian lady lived in my closet) and I slept with the light on until sometime in highschool! I still must always have the wardrobe closes when I sleep at night and prefer to have a little light coming in from somewhere!!!
7. I am not ticklish.
8. One of the most embarrasing things that ever happened to me was when I was about nine and in year four and we were having a fashion parade and I was parading togs (swimmers!) and one of the straps come down revealing one of my breasts and I didn`t notice…..Everyone in the whole class saw!

Now onto the tagging….eight people huh?! Ok here goes!

I tag Mandy, Sara, Nay, Illahee (It can be in letter form Illahee!), Guera, Paul , Amy (When you get back from Italy!) and Jo! Have fun with it guys!

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I originally say this at Enny`s blog but have seen it doing the rounds on a lot of blogs I read in the last couple of weeks and it sounds and looks like fun so here goes!

Here are the rules:
~Pick fifteen of your favourite movies.
~Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
~Post them here for everyone to guess.
~Strike it out when someone guesses correctly in the comments, and put who guessed it and the movie.
~NO Googling or using IMDb search functions.

1. “I better have my lawyer take a look at these. I’m just a simple country boy. There’s all kinds of big words in here I can’t even pronounce. Hell, you might be takin’ me to the cleaners for all I know.” Nat got it with Sweet Home Alabama, Jake is such a cutie in this film!
2. “No I mean, do you really know where Harvard is? It’s another planet man- another universe. Totally unlike the one we know. Filled with big blond guys who eat ivy and row boats. What I’m trying to say is, you and Corey just aren’t made for each other. She’s different from you.” Amanda is correct with Empire Records, my favourite movie of all time with out a doubt!
3. “marriage is like a tense, unfunny version of Everybody Loves Raymond, only it doesn’t last 22 minutes. It lasts forever.” Jen got it with Knocked Up, a movie I saw when I was in Australia over Christmas!
4. ” Crème brûlée can never be Jell-O. YOU could never be Jell-O.” Jo was correct, it was My Best Friends Wedding starring Julia Robert!
5. “: You know, if we fix up this car, it could be make-out city, you know that.” Amanda again with Grease!
6. “This is smores stuff. First you take the graham. You stick the chocolate on the graham. Then, you roast the mallow. When the mallows flaming, you stick it on the chocolate and cover it with the other end. Then, you scarf.”Natalie got it with The Sandalot Kids, my favourite childhood movie and one of my fathers favourites still!!!
7. “Dolphins, yeah! They think they’re so cute. Oh, look at me, I’m a flippy little dolphin, let me flip for you. Ain’t I something?” I had thought it would be someone with kids that got this! Finding Nemo, thanks Illahee
8. “You were outside, I was inside. You were supposed to keep in touch with the band. I kept asking you if we were gonna play again.”
9. “This is a sin, it’s a wicked indulgence. Didn’t they have any butter pecan?” Illahee again!
10. “That’s a tough one. I would have to say April 25th. Because it’s not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket.” Natalie got this one too!!! It is Miss Congeniality!
11. “Besides, that whole see-through blouse, colored-bra thing… reads a little, you know, desperate, older gal, trying to hard. Don’t you think? Yeah, you want to make him work for it.”Jo agin with Maid in Manhattan!
12. “You know Graham, I just broke up with someone and considering you just showed up and you’re insanely good-looking and probably won’t remember me anyway… I’m thinking we should have sex… If you want.” Tokenwoman got this with The Holiday, I am surprised it didn`t go sooner. When I saw this film last year I loved it, I thought it was one of the best romantic comedies to come out in awhile!
13. “Do you know the most surprising thing about divorce? It doesn’t actually kill you. Like a bullet to the heart or a head-on car wreck. It should. When someone you’ve promised to cherish till death do you part says “I never loved you,” it should kill you instantly. You shouldn’t have to wake up day after day after that, trying to understand how in the world you didn’t know. The light just never went on, you know. I must have known, of course, but I was too scared to see the truth. Then fear just makes you so stupid.” Madison got it with Under The Tuscan Sun, I am a huge fan of this movie because I would love to just pack up and move to Tuscany! Off to check out Madisons blog since she is new here! Thanks for participating Madison!
14. “Christ! what are you? 15? My God man! You gotta be gettin’ that young stuff! The young stuff is the best stuff in the world. Your jail bait, their jail bait. You turn sixteen and your looking at three to five. Jac got this, It is Little Miss Sunshine, one of the best movies I watched last year!
15. The difference between you and I is that you can leave anytime you choose. But this is my home.

If you know, have a guess! Try not to guess more than two at a time right away so that others can have a chance to play!!!

I promise to do a real post tomorrow! I have one in my drafts for J is for… but haven`t finished it yet!

ps: Well so far eight have gone, any suggestions on the others? Anyone can have a go!! If you have already had a guess, then have another! Thanks to those who have played so far!

Update: Only three left! Lets see who can get the last three. Some hints. No 8 was from a pretty old movie, I think it come out early 80`s and it features some awesome music and musician appearances! No. 12 is from a really new movie that I only saw last year and it stars some pretty famous actors! And no.15, well, a hint, Nicole Kidman is in it!

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In an effort to improve on my writing I have decided to sign up for Encyclopedia of me which started over at Bella Dia (and which I found out about by reading Laura`s blog here...)

C is for… will not be posted for a couple of weeks although it has already been written…Technically this is the forth post in the Encyclopedia of me…

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I have suffered from depression since my early teens although I wasn`t diagnosed until I was 16 and that is also when I started on medication. It runs in my family and it is one of my greatest fears that I will pass whatever it is that causes it on to my children….because there is nothing worse than the feeling of knowing that to feel happy (notice I didn`t say be happy) you need to take a couple of little pills everyday to accomplish it.

When I take my medication I am fine. Sure I may have sad times but they are normal…..it is not like I cry every 10 minutes, can`t get out of bed, can`t make decisions and can`t function. However, that is what happens when I don`t take my medication. As much as I would love to go off the medication, I have tried to go off it and I don`t mean to be morbid but I imagined running my car off the road into a tree just so that I could stop my mind from spinning around and around in circles….It was not so much that I wanted to die as much that I just wanted my mind to stop. Not to mention the dreams….It is funny I don`t really remember what I dreamed about when I was younger and before I was on medication, but now if I don`t take the medication I have the strangest and most horrible dreams and nightmares. Which impacts on my sleep which leaves me lying awake thinking too much…Everyone has nights where they can`t shut their minds off…..I still have them….but imagine if you could never do it…..That is what it is like (for me anyway)…and decision making? Well my decision making skills go out the window…it is hard for me to even decide simple things like what I want to eat or do…

When I was diagnosed it was hoped that because I was still young that perhaps it was something I would grow out of. I now know that it is something I will more than likely always suffer from. While I still have days where I think`This sucks, if I don`t take those pills I am sure I will be fine` I do….but the feeling of dread that overwhelms me when I am off medication is enough to make me never want to stop taking them again.

This post is not only about my dealings with depression but it also has a lot to do with people` s reactions and comments to those who suffer from depression or an anxiety disorder….As much as people want to help those that suffer from depression…to help them `snap out of it` it isn`t as easy as that. It is not something that you can just snap out of…mild depression that lasts a week then goes away, then maybe, trying to help someone snap out of it will work, but if they are depressed all the time…..happy one minute then crying the next then nothing you say is going to make them feel better….especially if you say things like `What do you have to be depressed about?`…..it is not something that you can just control by yourself. The amount of times I have been told that I `seem so happy`, and `why would you need drugs?` is amazing…I don`t get asked why I take ventolin when I have an asthma attack so it kind of gets on my nerves when I hear the same thing all the time.

I don`t go around broadcasting that fact that I have depression to everyone….I am more open about it in Australia than I am here in Japan although my closest (foreign) friends know and of course Shun does too. Shun really doesn`t understand a lot about it, and has a very Japanese mentality about it….considering that at the moment there are only 3 SSRI`s (anti depressants/anti anxiety drugs) on the market here give you a bit of an idea about how the Japanese government and health system view depression. It is not that I am trying to hide it, more that I just get sick of people asking me `why?`…as in why am i depressed….the truth is I am not…well I am not if I take my medication. Shun calls them my `ureshii kusuri` happy medicine….and the way I see it…I suffer from asthma and migraines and I take medication for them. The medication for my depression is exactly the same…..I take them to help fix the chemical imbalance in my brain….Sure, I wish I didn`t have that chemical imbalance but hey that`s life.

I also want to say I have looked into herbal options before…St John`s Wort etc….I spoke to my doctor in Australia about it and she said to combat the kind of depression I have I would need to take a bottle of them a day….and even then It probably wouldn`t help. It was a little disheartening. I was also very concerned about what I would do once I wanted to start a family…..I have been on the same medication since I was 16, I have been very lucky that I found something that suited me right off the bat. The dose has gone up and down over the years but I have never had any severe side affects and it has worked well for me. When I was in Australia recently I spoke my doctor about my medication and pregnancy and was informed that I could try and go off it and see how I go (Since pregnancy changes your hormones and chemicals I might be able to handle been off medication for the period of pregnancy) although she didn`t recommend it. Instead we decided that when I am in Australia later this year for a longer period that I will change to another medication that is seen as safer to take while pregnant (Even though babies are far off in the horizon at the moment) and get used to it while I am in Australia where I can be monitored by my doctor as to whether it works for me or not.

If you think you may suffer from depression or an anxiety disorder you should speak to your doctor….they may not even advise medication, they may advise counselling (This is why I journal….my own form of counselling) or therapy. If you think you know someone that suffers from depression then all you can do is be there for them….keep your opinions about `trying to snap out of it` to yourself and give them a hug. Listen to them, and don`t judge.

Some people might not agree with me on my opinions about helping those with depression. Others may think my ideas about medication are silly…but these are my thoughts and I am not trying to pass myself off as someone that knows what can help those with depression…I don`t….I know what helps me and if you know someone that has depression , or suffer from it yourself, then maybe, just maybe, my thoughts on it may help you with your own battle or with helping someone close to you.

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I stole enny`s title…she tagged me for this meme! It was actually really difficult because I kind of tend to write about a lot of day to day stuff not always stuff that can be filed into categories. I am not even sure if you would say these are my favourite posts or not. Anyway here goes…

Archive Meme Instructions: Go back through your archives and post the links to your five favorite blog posts that you’ve written… but there is a catch:

Link 1 must be about family.
Link 2 must be about friends.
Link 3 must be about yourself, who you are, what you’re all about.
Link 4 must be about something you love.
Link 5 can be anything you choose.

Link 1: Family: This post is about my music influences that came from my dad and stuff, titled Ray Charles Over Coffee and the other post that came to mind was one that I wrote about my Grandmother last year titled Kiwi-nana. I think it about time I wrote a post about my amazing mum!

Link 2: Friends: There are a lot of posts on this blog that are about my friends so it wasn`t hard to fine a post however it was hard to choose a post that would be considered my favourite but I decided to pick two that are over a year old…One titled Good Times is about some of my friends I met while on exchange in Japan four years ago and the other post was of my last skiing adventures last year which was with a similar group of friends and it was titled Not Surprised because it was no surprise when I realized I hated skiing!!!!

Link 3: Me: This whole blog is about me most of the time so I won`t go into to much details but have listed my Life List (This list is very important to me!), a meme about when I was a kid and also my 100 things list (Which needs to be updated because the number 1 says I have only had stitches once although I had some more last year)

Link 4: Love: Decided to go with the recent post about our three year anniversary…Although any of my travel posts would of gone down ok too since I love that too! Almost as much as Shun
Link 5: Choice: This was hardest because I don`t have a favourite post, although I like most of my travel posts because they are good memories for me like our trip to Okinawa in 2006 and my trip to Kamakura also in 2006. Not to mention my posts about China here, here and here…

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In an effort to improve on my writing I have decided to sign up for Encyclopedia of me which started over at Bella Dia (and which I found out about by reading Laura`s blog here...) Most people completed it last year but I have decided to start it now…..I won`t post everyday A-Z but I will do it over the next couple of months (possibly with some other posts thrown in for good measure!)

This is post number 2…post number 1 is here

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B is for beliefs

I think what we each believe is a very important people of who we are…and not just our religious beliefs but also our customs and thoughts on life tie us to our own identity.

I was baptised as a Catholic when I was a baby…I grew up going to Catholic schools, going to church occasionally, midnight mass a couple of times and giving up candy for lent. Both my parents grew up Catholic (My dad is one of nine!!!)…They never tried to force religion on either myself or my brother….we were able to make our own decisions.

Each night we had prayer time with my dad, who almost always put us to bed (This continued until I was at least 9 or 10, and started staying up later than my dad so he could no longer put us to bed)… We would recite the following two prayers

“I see the moon, the moon sees me. god bless the moon and god bless me”

“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take”

Except my father changed the words `die` to `get sick` ….Prayer time, to me, was a lot more about the songs we sang and music we learnt. I could sing songs from the 60`s before I could recite nursery rhymes! If I have kids I would like to continue something like this with them…obviously I would encourage them to learn Japanese songs as well, although Shumpei would have to take care of that because my singing in Japanese is atrocious!

Heaven is also something I believe in…and while I am not exactly sure what it is but I do believe it would be just like care bears. Growing up I was told heaven could be anything I wanted it to be and I thought it would be like care bears…playing in the clouds. I am pretty sure that anybody that I know who has died will also be there. I think even if you are not practising in the religion your were raised that certain things always stay with you…..like for example, if I had children I think I would like to baptize them and have discussed this with Shumpei before. I have a god-son, and he is eight now, and I still remember holding him at his baptism when I was 14. It was such an honour.

Like I said though, I don`t think beliefs are all about religion. One thing I truly believe in is that you should treat people the way you wish to be treated. I do not have time for people that are liars, selfish or hypocritical, even though I know I have shown signs of these traits at least once or twice!

Due to my relationship with someone that is Japanese, there are certain things I have incorporated into my own life. One of those things is `aisatsu` or Japanese greetings or things that are said often. For example before we eat we always say itadakimasu and gochisousamadesu at the end of the meal. We say Ittekimasu when we are leaving and tadaima when we come home and ittarashai to those leaving and okaeri to those coming back. All the kids at school do this also, even though it is an international school and there are also foreign students. It is the only Japanese we use often inside the classroom….It would feel too strange not to say `aisastsu`.

We always take our shoes off when we go inside the apartment ( I haven`t gone as far that I have separate slippers in the bathroom although I think eventually I will need to do this)

One other thing that I have noticed that I do is when Shumpei and I go to a shrine and throw our 10yen coins into the osaisenbako and pray/ say what we want I always repeat in my head my wish/prayer in English the in Japanese…because I want to make sure I cover all bases. Would hate to find out after I die that who ever had been listening hadn`t understood English (and or Japanese).

I am sure once we are married and have children that the beliefs we have will evolve and combine to be a mix of what is important to both of us. Christmas for example, while not celebrated here in the same way it is back home, will be an important part of our beliefs and I have already spoken to Shumpei about always taking Christmas morning off work because it is not a public holiday here. New Years, I am sure would be come a very family orientated holiday, similar to how it is here in Japan. There are a lot of Japanese customs that I want to make sure our children know about because I would hate for them to ignore their cultural background. Just as I would teach them that Australia day is for a BBQ and knocking back a few beers….

This post has not turned out how I wanted it to. I had a completely different idea of how this would sound in my head and it hasn`t come out right but it will have to do for now…

What do you believe in? What would you teach your children?

Stay tuned for C is for…..

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