Do It Yourself

It is quite sad how I've become a bit cynical about Christmas in the past years. Well, not Christmas itself but the traditions that accompany it. All the mandatory gift giving and dinners and parties have made the malls and roads unbelievably chaotic. So instead of experiencing the season, we just mindlessly whiz through it. Consumerism reaches its peak and when I succumb to it, I walk away bereft of the actual peace and love Christmas is supposed to bring. 

Thankfully, I have more time in my hands this season. When I was drawing up the gift list, I just couldn't imagine shopping in the malls alongside everyone else. The thought of it alone stressed me out. And then I came up with a brilliant beyond brilliant idea (plus points for anyone who knows where I got that line from)... 

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I Surrender

We're all used to hearing stories about the bigwigs, the trailblazers, the who's who. But what about the extraordinary stories of the ordinary people? Most of the time, they get lost in the muddle of all the glitz and glam which is a sad thing because these need to be heard and written about. After all, the everyday people - people like you and me - are the ones who make up majority of humanity's web. So with this blog, I've decided to seek these stories. The ones we can all learn from. The ones that show the rawness, the beauty of human life. Here's my first story:

Life is easier when you have a friend going through the exact same thing, they say. In my case, she’s a thousand miles away. Roseanne is a childhood friend of mine. If someone from the future came up to us while we were playing in the village park and told us of our current situations, we would have laughed it off.

But then after we had that long distance, 2-hour phone call a few weeks ago, I think I’ve found a kindred spirit.  The entire conversation left me feeling amazed, to say the least. Not because of the drama and the excitement but because I realized that there is a light in her that is true, and pure, and good. You need to hear her story, listen to her musings. Go, read on...

 

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Happy Thanksgiving, You

I was scrubbing the mirrors when I locked eyes with myself, catching a glimpse of the woman in the mirror. I had a cleaning spray in one hand, a dirty rag in the other; my hair was up in an unattractive ponytail and I was wearing household clothes. The glimpse was fleeting but powerful. Powerful because it broke my heart, for awhile. I couldn't believe it, that I was spending my mornings this way. While others get to work, power through meetings, and act all... professional. 

And then you came out of the bathroom, looking all shaven and clean, and said, 'Here. Let me take out the trash.' I didn't smile, but my heart did... 

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Tokyo: City of the Future

It was a moment of hushed voices and drawn-out activity. We stepped into the Tsukiji Market at around 10 that morning, eager to see the flurry of bargaining and buying and catching. I looked into the containers of one stall and there was a lonesome group of eel. I looked into another and there was just a mere crab tied up. 'I think we missed it,' my husband pointed out. I caught sight of an owner counting his earnings for the morning. 'Yeah, we did,' I replied. An iconic 3-wheel motorized cart passed by us, transporting what was left of the market. Although it was quite interesting witnessing the remnants of what must have been a teeming and lively interaction, we should have gone earlier... 

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The Four-Month Checkpoint

We celebrated four months of wedding bliss last week. Four months sounds insignificant compared to the forever we have left but wow, have I learned so much. It's all beyond what I thought could ever happen in this brief a time. 

There is silence, so much of it. When I was single, I would imagine laughs and conversations and reel-worthy moments between me and my future husband. When I got engaged, I couldn't wait to be with him every day so we can talk every single moment. And then we got married and then silence became our best friend. I thought it was a sign of something wrong. Apparently, it was just a sign of something real... 

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