Child Time Life

This time last year uni had just finished, the last exam was May 29th, the Ball was June 4th and we all made our way back home. Can you believe it? 4 years just like that!! And 5 since school-when we used to wear uniforms and suits.

Sumeet is coming here exactly a month today!! I can still remember when he was just a baby! Now he's winding up Mum and Dad with 'having a designer suit collection' for 6th Form! Goodness! Does he know how you even earn enough money for a suit!! Oops, I'm sounding like a grownup!!

Still a little monkey though! Like all of us! Keep the kid alive I say!!

I still remember my Blubird A La Carte Kitchen! Red and Yellow. When Ajay used to come, our mums would talk and Ajay and I used to spend hours setting up our 'restaurant' and then it would be time to go!!

And, oh yeh! The cars!! Rajesh [my cousin in Kent] and I used to play with our Matchbox cars and had one of those garages!! Do you remember, some had windy lifts to get the car up to the top level!

One of my favourites was the Sweet Shop! It came with real jars [tiny] filled with Hundreds & Thousands!

I always wanted toys that I didn't have of course like any forever dissatisfied child! Like Roller Skates [when they first were out], and a Skate Board. But Mum always said 'you're too young, let's wait until your next birthday..' and now I'm going to be twenty-four-I'm not so bothered!

I have always wanted to play the piano..I would defo like one for my dream house when I'm 'older'. Do you remember what we used to say: 'bla bla bla when I grow up I bla bla bla'. When do we 'grow up'? And when are we 'older'?

I still feel young, but old and a little more focused than before. I think it is partly due to removing myself from everyday lifecycles that I was a part of in UK, and looking at life and people as an observer. Living alone, and the adventures and challenges that we embrace here in Japan, also make us a little stronger, wiser and at the same time impulsive. If I was the way I am here, I think I would have seen and done a huge amount of crazy travelling or just pushed myself beyond my 'old' boundaries, in the UK. I don't mean boundaries such as bad things or such. Boundaries that hold us back or rather keep us glued to our comfy spots. I mean, how often do we say, 'okay this weekend, I'm going to bla bla bla' without letting time & distance be the main priority and constraint? And money actually.

Looking at it all from afar makes you see who you are and what you want in life and how you want it to be. Not in terms of jobs though! Like that's a whole big bridge to cross next year! AAAAAAh!

Time really does fly. The only 2 facts we know are birth and death. When you're born, you're definitely going to die. It's nothing to be scared of, because life is eternal. Just the physical and materials, are of temporary states.

So what you do in between these 2 sides of taking your first breath and your last, is totally up to you. We as individuals are responsible for only our own karmas. Time is unknown and so is destiny. So it's up to you to go, live, enjoy and love. With that come all that I have spoken about before: the laws of truth, balance and your relationship with yourself. Who are you?

That is what you find out in life.

Baby Monkeys!

Yesterday I had one of the best days here in Japan and probably the most enjoyable in my whole life even. I think it was the most 'in touch with nature' experiences ever.
I spent the day amongst the company of monkeys living in the mountains of Nagano.

It is one of the most natural habitats I have had the freedom to be at one with the animals...no bars, cages, feeding or glass boxes and zoo keepers interefering with the monkeys daily life.

It was a long drive-and the first for me here in Japan. Uni mate Sal and I left from　Kanazawa　around 8am and we arrived in the tiny village-hidden in the tall trees at about 12pm. The driving was fun-listening to lots of music and singing along the way. The car was automatic [again, my first tiime with one of them] - Toyota Vitz, and had a Navigator-so directions were easy.

The actual monkey residence was up a wind cliff camouflaged in a forest in a place called Jigokudani in Shiga Heights. We had a good 20 minutes of wild woods to get through before we saw the cutest species on this planet.

It was so hard not to scream 'oh my gosh look at them' out loud. Instead we had to contain the excitement in honour of the residents of the natural habitat. The were hardly any people and hundreds of monkeys just chilling, having an onsen and relaxing in the 40 degree celcius water. There were babies too...like little new born cheeky monkeys being carried around by their mummy and daddys, there were some little brother and sister types chasing and fighting, there were some baby monkeys swimming under the water!

Sal and I were in our element, as monkeys are our favourite animals. We both agreed that really, there are no words to describe what we felt to sit and stroll amongst them. They didn't even act as if we were there.

Well, only pictures can do their cuteness justice.....

My Theory Of God..We are all students and teachers of wisdom..

My personal beliefs backed by theories of Sanatam Dharma [also known as Hinduism]and various other teachings from many 'faiths'

I like to see God as a strong beautiful flame burning blissfully in a coloured glass lantern. God is the flame of consciousness and the one who lights the flame. God is complete. All.

Whichever piece of coloured glass you look through, depends on what you see, because it is God that is already full of different personalities and able to show perfect messages, fit for those who receive them.

May be you see God as Jesus, or Allah or Krsna. However, it is not that you see it like that, because God actually is Jesus, Allah, and Krsna.

But we are all moulded with the same clay by the same hand

The teachings of the Vedas are not something to convert to...anyone can follow these philosophies..and most probably do whatever faith they 'belong' to or follow.

........I believe we are taught to see the light in all souls. As opposed to discriminating against them using material branding, religions and class.

.....to be compassionate and non-ignorant - not narrow minded to let labels dictate life [teachings of Krishna/Hinduism/vedas etc guide me to be like this]
Krsna taught Arjun that a good person has these virtues [from the Rig Vedas]: and again many of these overlap with scriptures of many faiths
Fearlessness, purity of heart, perseverance in the yoga of knowledge, charity, sense restraint, sacrifice, study of the scriptures, austerity, honesty; (16.01)

Non-violence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, equanimity, abstaining from malicious talk, compassion for all creatures, freedom from greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of fickleness; (16.02)

Splendour, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, absence of malice, and absence of pride; these are the qualities of those endowed with divine virtues, O Arjun. (16.03)

It is these virtues by which we balance our karma. And God is Truth.

...also, to not discriminate against others using their beliefs as a benchmark to measure them by. But to see God - Not as a power that exists ONLY in one name, because otherwise this will lead you to think that others who believe in God of a different form are wrong.

Sanatam Dharam is a philosophy of life, not meant to bind, oppress or restrict, but guide. It is important to not go to the excess that doing everything we want and thinking everything we want is still sanatana dharma

One builds their karma through ones actions. And most importantly God is loving and compassionate. He doesn't see good in killing. Ahimsa is one of the highest virtues God has told us to live by.

The Dharma sastras and related texts support my thinking and theory:
1-The Law of Divine Unity
The whole universe is permeated with divine presence. Therefore one should deal with every object in it as if one is dealing with oneself or with God.

God is omnipresent and omniscient. Everything in this universe is thus very sacred and very divine. Because it is filled with the presence of God, every thing here deserves respect and consideration.

Those who seek harmony and peace in life understand this principle very well and treat every thing in the world with due respect and a sense of sacredness.


The Law of Inherent Balance

There is an inherent balance in all created things. If you want peace and happiness all around you and within you, you have to respect this law and keep this balance in your life as well as your environment.

Everything in this world is balanced. For every force here there is an opposite and balancing force. Pairs of opposites hold the world. You destroy one and you will destroy the other soon.
According to this law, happiness and peace are possible only when you do not disturb the harmony and the order that exists in yourself and in the whole creation around you.

This law demands that you have to treat every one as how you want to be treated by others.

He, who is aware of this truth, treats every object in the universe with unconditional respect, love and consideration.
He treats everything and everyone here the way he treats himself or the way he expects others to treat him.
He treats everyone and every thing as if it is a part of him or an aspect of God.


The Law of Individual Reality

You are the creator of your life and your reality. Your thoughts become your actions and your actions create the circumstances in your life. You are responsible for everything that happens to you in your life.

This is the simple law of as you sow so you reap.
It can also be called the law of motion and emotion.
Every thought that we send out into the universe comes back to us with accumulated energy of its own kind.
When negative thoughts go out of our minds, they will come back to us with redoubled negative energy and give us lot of pain and unhappiness.

Positive thoughts on the other hand bring in positive energy and energize us, establishing in the process peace and harmony in our consciousness.

Our actions too yield the same results. Our positive actions bring in positive rewards and our negative actions bring negative rewards.

The energy that we unleash, either in the form of a thought or action always comes back to us with increased force.
Thus through our actions and thoughts we are constantly creating our own realities.
Whatever we give comes back to us.


The Fifth Law: The Law of Harmony

Truth is Harmony; Truth is 'Rta', order.
The ancient believed in 'rta' (pronounced ritha) meaning the universal order or harmony. 'Rta' is an ancient word to which we can trace at least few important words that are known to us today. One is the Sanskrit world 'ritu', which means season. The others are the Latin word 'rhythmus', the French word 'rhythme', the Greek word 'rhuthmos' and the English word 'rhythm', all meaning, beat, pulse, metre, pattern, order, flowing, and harmony.
Let us understand why the concept of harmony and rhythm was considered so important by our ancient generations and why they elevated it to the level of highest divinity.

They did so because they considered Truth, harmony and order to be the Ultimate Reality lying beyond all realities, the hidden secret behind all manifest creation, or the Absolute Truth above all relative truths.

What is truth?

Truth does not necessarily mean only verbal truths.
Truth is the fundamental reality where there are no conflicts and confusion, no divisions and separation, but only unity and harmony. Truth is where there is movement without obstruction and where there is order without confusion.
Where there is conflict, separation and feeling of alienation, there is no truth.Where there is division and alignment of divisions into opposing parts there is no truth.

There is no truth in ones life and ones being unless there is total harmony in ones whole being, which include ones activities, thoughts and environment.

Truth resolves all conflicts, divisions and differences and establishes permanent peace, order and harmony in ones life.
There is conflict when you consider the world outside is different and separate from you.
There is conflict when you consider others are different and separate from you.

There is conflict when you consider that some one is good, or some one is bad; that some thing is this or some thing is that. There is conflict as long as you pass petty judgements about yourself or about the world around you.

Unless you learn to resolve these differences, by expanding your consciousness, and learn to appreciate them in their own light, you cannot have real harmony and peace in your life.
The ordinary mind cannot understand this truth because it is still steeped in ignorance.

But at the highest level of consciousness, all conflicts and confusion resolve themselves into one beautiful, harmonious whole. You may call it divine. You may call it God, This or That. The fact is, it is one, it is whole, it is harmony and order, without any divisions and without any conflicts.

At that level even in the seemingly chaotic conditions of life one can perceive harmony and certain order. That which we understand as good or that we understand as bad, become but the facets of the same Truth.

He lives in harmony with himself and with others, with the world within himself and with the world external to him. He suffers not from fear or insecurity, or from worries and anxieties about himself or his life.

This is the truth.

If you want to live in peace, stop categorizing and grouping things and people, and it includes you also.

Stop judging things from the relative state of your mind, against the partial truths you know and believe in.

Understand that harmony comes when you live in peace with the world around you, and when you accept it whole heatedly and unconditionally without measuring it against your limited knowledge.

It happens when you become an embodiment of 'Rta', the rhythm of life and creation, in which the ancients believed so much.

Rundown of the latest.......New Years in Tokyo!

Sorry it has been a LONG time and YES I have been neglecting the Blog!

WINTER & NEW YEARS IN JAPAN:

December 26th - Spent night on coach to Kyoto and met with Sal!!

December 27th
Big hugs after we finally found eachother. That station is huge!
Slowly waking up we made our way to Kobe. Reminds me of San Fran-the sea breeze, modern buildings, lots of boats by the piers. We act like 5 year olds running around playing with the huge moving animals that you can sit on and control. After a FANTASTIC big meal at Hard Rock Cafe we toddle off to Osaka...

December 28th - Okay we thought we would be random and leave the trip full of surprises.
This actually translates to "we didn't book any accomodaton". Well it resulted in us sharing a sickly pink room at a Love Hotel. 5K each for the night! Very non dodgy and actually very nice. There was even a karaoke machine and a glass cabinet of things that Sal and wouldn't be interested in-but thanks anyway!
So we toddle around, seeing the sights and chilling!
In the evening we walk around the beautifully lit, moon white Osaka Castle. A nice lady helped us find our way in the park with her dog. Sal also decided to make me scream at the top of my lungs by scaring me in the pitch black empty park! Thanks love!
Apres ca, we go to the Floating Garden Observatory...It's amazing...the view is cool and the lights gleam, the wind is very forceful indeed all the way up there. We can see a few planes taking off too. A bit disheveled we go to the highly expensive hotel below and freshen up...wouldn't it be cool if we were actually staying. Oh anyway, feeling hungry [it's winter and cold] we search Dotombori for places, although it's already 10pm now. Ah but there is hope - St James Jazz bar.....WOW what a gold mine! There are some wicked musicians 'jamming' and a couple of singers just join in. My favourite is an older middle aged lady who sings a song 'Day by Day'....and then the whole ensemble takes off in to an unplanned jam...with solos from each of the instruments. We are defo going to buy the CD.....but then the bill comes and its aaahh sixty quid. But we still think it was worth every minute.
Err another problem. The new place we are at 'Capsule Inn -Namba 31' is a mystery to the 5 taxi drivers we ask to take us there. But we finally get there after a few fonecalls.

December 29th
Yay its big fun at Universal Studios!! Woohoo...do you remember Back to the Future....Honey I Shrunk the Kids, E.T. Jurassic Park and Jaws? Hee!!
The Jaws ride is funny..."ARE!!!Sukoshi omachi kudasai"..said the boatman..."Abunai desu kara"...!!!heheeh

Night 2 at the Capsule...very cheap-for a reason..but its all good!

December 30th
Last day-Tuesday we head to Nara and enjoy the parks of Daibutsuen..there are lots of dears so Sal is happy. I think I have lost count the number of times we stopped randomly in the street to pet a stray animal. But it keeps her happy!
In the evening we dash around to find a decent place to eat...DJ Ban san helps us in Gap...he's a cool drum n base dude who DJs in Osaka! Still keeps in touch too!
After some scrummy Italian..it's time for the overnight coach to Yamanashi!

December 31st New Years Eve!!
Feeling ruff and looking worse..we sluggishly make our way back to Little Otsuki at 7am after arriving in Kofu all tired...
Back to mine...we do laundry, sleep, wake up, panic about the ATM, shower, pack and glam up for tonights all niter in Tokyo!

We get to Harajuku around 8pm and eat some Thai at the crossing after which we mett up with Gayatri, Phillip and Heather-Sal's neighbours in Kanazawa! We celebrate the New Year Nihongo stylee with go-yen coin throwing at Meiji Jingu Mae [shrine]...it's a fantastic night!!..people by the masses, stalls by the hundreds...music, voices celebration!! How cool is that! New Years in Tokyo!!

Two Thousand and Four

January 1st
Partying in Tokyo includes a coolio bar-all white with flat screen Internet ports..and a wicked DJ playing old school RnB -do you remember Jagged Edge, 112....wicked. The Media Cafe [MDA-Roppongi]
After that we hop around a few places including some dives that are full of these guys immitating P Diddy and his Bad Boy crew. Big guys with little Japanese women surrounding them-as if they were actually playas or something. It's amusing and we leave.
The last place is where we stay until it closes at 8am!
Now we are knackered and counting down the hours to check-in! Sal gets told off a few times by the Shinjuku Starbucks staff for sleeping. I'm bored and want to write but can't find any paper.

At 2pm we fall in to a DEEP sleep after showers. At night we wake up and hunt for a restaurant. Grr the Indian is closed and after ageeeees we come accross a Pub. Finally-at least something is open! It all goes well until we find meat at the bottom of our meal..eugh grosss! Does there ahve to be flesh in everything!!

Back to hotel. Back to sleep.

January 2nd

Day of the Emperor! We go to Imperial Palace to see the Emperor and his family at their home in Tokyo. This plus his birthday [Dec. 23rd] are the only two days the public is allowed to enjoy the royalty! Laurie meets us and we wave away with our red and white flags.

After that we head back to Harajuku for some shop shop shoppping!! How cool!! We both buy 2 pairs of shoes at Zara [including funky boxer boots-retro chique] and tops at Gap. Topped off with cheese at Pizza Express. Yummmmy!

And then....its not over yet!!
We head to hyper hyper Shibuya...manic or what! Sal wants these shoes so we go to Zara but then impulsively decide to go and see old Tom in the Lasto Samurai!! Last train back to Otsuki for some sleep!

Boxing Day

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful..As Is The Cold Inside.

How was Christmas? What did you get? Lots of good food, sleep and TV? A comfortale mix for sure! I watched 'Santa Who?' and 'Miracle on 34th Street' in a row one evening, whilst assembling a TV cabinet and clothes rail!

I'm in the Art Room- I have some 1st Year friends who 'hangout' there-and it's a twist different from being in the 'shokuinsu' all day. The girls are very cute..they did pencil drawings of me on my first visit and straightened my hair the last!

Yesterday-Christmas Day, I had no lessons but the day was busy, filled with speeches, the closing ceremony and sessions of cleaning. Mundane-yet more tanoshi than aujourd' hui.

Today, school is officially closed, but only technically. There are tons of students and teachers cramming as many brain cells as there are fish eggs in Japanese intestines- with the extra atoms of information. Talking of those little orange balls that would house baby Nemos-if left to nature-I had some in my Obento Sushibox! It's still here waiting for me-to dispose of it. There are somethings I will not eat, forget trying to 'fit in!'

Still, only approaching two thirty.

A while to go before I can begin my 'adventure!' I will go to Kofu-the main city of Yamanashi, where I will board the ten o'clock coach for an eight hour ride to Kyoto. Sal will also travel overnight from cold snowy Kanazawaa and we will rendez-vous a six heures le soir. We anticipate a hectic week of site-seeing teeth-chattering fun! Full circle, we shall spend New Years in Tokyo.

We plan to laugh, photograph and knit our way around Kinki, Chubu an Kanto!

However Christmas is far from the traditional festivities I have been brought up to enjoy. The tree decorating Sunday, the heaving shopping trolleys of scrumptious delights, the sneaky swapping of the Christmas cracker toy at the oval dining table where we overeat close to combustion, then watch the 'Only Fools and Horses' Christmas specials! Thank scientists for technology! And thank God for Mr Bell. The Invention makes me feel close to home, near my family -almost as if I were with them-even if for only whilst the conversation lasts. Last night I fell asleep to their voices, excitedly describing their day.

Christmas evening was lots of fun. My Japanese 'gang'...or family, came round and we had a mini fiesta. Each of us made food and bought a gift that we simultaneoulsy passed around our 'circle' until Senior Sinatra Jingled his Bells to an end- leaving us with a different present from when the music began. Etsuko, Akhira, Junko, Setsuko and I - we all had lots of fun.

I feel very sleepy and am presently craving chocolate [I blame it on the weather]. May be the vending machines will have some........

October Already

Today is already Thursday, cant believe its October so soon. This time last year we had just started our final year and moved in to our place off Park St, Bristol going to Iia Mas with 'EhEh'Catherine and 'IDontKnow'Mariani-oh, it was so much fun and I really do miss uni life. 'Naughty'Nicola...'Gansta'Anna....'NeveronTime'Sal....'Spikey'Ed....Kate'Hayhed'.....'Trenchcoat'Phil..'Streetboy'Tom.....All the UWE BA Marketing posse.....what have you been up to??!!!!

Yesterday morning was fantastic-Reena or RINNNNNNA surprised me at 6 am-it was so nice to catch up with her. It's over 11 years ago since she first asked me if she could borrow a pencil in our first class on our first day of secondary school!!

Hopefully next weekend-A Bank Holiday! A group of us will go to Tokyo Disney for my birthday!! Yay! I wsh Aladdin was real....

Sports Festival at Tsuru High School =FUN

Sports Festival at Tsuru High School =FUN
I wish my school sports Days were LESS BORING, SERIOUS and MUNDANE because at this school they actually make P.E. FUN!!! I wasn't a fan of P.E. at my school-lessons were far too competitive and you never really counted if you weren't in the rara hockey, netball or rugby team. There is more to life you know...like enjoyment !

Crazy Races
OH MY GOSH...We had Sports Day this week.... The crazy races are awesome. Sooo funny!

Race 1- An obstacle course where they:
a) Rub faces in bowl of flour
b) Crawl under a net
c) Blow up a balloon and sit on it so it pops
d) Spin round a baseball bat-to the point of collapse
e) Drink a Yakult
f) Find piece of paper from a tombola and run back

Race 2 - A three-legged Race to a box containing a forfeit...then they run to the microphone in the middle of the field and read it out to the school. The forfeits are to fetch certain objects such as a chair, a person over 100kg...etc...Quite funny!!

Race 3 - A boy wears a padded hat with a balloon attached to it and sits on the shoulders of 2 other lads. About 5 groups line up on the two ends of the field and when the pistol fires they run in and battle it out - whacking each others heads in an almighty attempt to burst the balloon using newspaper truncheons!! You will understand when you see the pictures as to how funny the events are!!