My Half-Day Zen Experience in Kamakura

On the next day, Monique and I went to Kamakura to visit a few temples.

I have put together photos that I took, so if you were interested, please click here
We were blessed with such gorgeous weather.

While visiting the first temple, Engakuji in northern part of Kamakura, I heard a bush warbler singing, so I recorded the sound with my dad's digicam. The Engakuji property was quite large, and there were many sub-temples and a lot of statues to see. Towards the end of our visit, we reached to the top of the hill, where the famous bell, the largest in Kamakura measuring 2.6 meters high with 1.42-meter diameter and a National Treasure is hanging. We decided to take a break and enjoy this sweetsake (rich tasting drink) and the great view from the hill.

We then walked to Kenchoji, where we saw the second national treasure bells in Kamakura. It indeed was very peaceful visiting these temples in mid-afternoon, so I video recorded how it was like to walk around all these traditional buildings. Hope the clips help you understand how wonderful it was to be there(you need Window Media Player to view).

	Engakuji: the main temple of the Engakuji school within the Rikai sect of Zen Buddhism. It is the number two of Kamakura's five great Zen temples.
	Kenchoji: the main temple of the Kenchoji school within the Rikai sect of Zen Buddhism. It is the number one of Kamakura's five great Zen temples.

We walked through the Kamakura Dori (shopping street) towards the Kamakura station ad enjoyed looking at some shops. We tried sweet soysauce and green-tea with sweet bean paste flavour odango (sticky dumplings in bumboo stick) and Konbu tea. We then took a local train to Hase to see the Great Buddha at Kotoku-in, which is the second largest Buddha statue in Japan. While walking between temples, we talked about Buddhism, super human power, reiki (feng shui), family and friends etc. It was

very nice having had the day to spend time with her in Kamakura. On the way back from Kotoku-in, we found this shop where they were selling this very yummy sweet potato chips (kinda like Karinto), so we bought some and tried two different flavours. By the time we got back in Shinjuku, it was 7pm, the time for me to catch the bus home, so we went to this udon noodle shop for a quick hunger fix and said good bye to each other. I want to thank both Monique and Doug for theirtime hanging around with me. It was a fun time away from home :)

Night Clubbing @ Yellow: Idjut Boys DJ Mix

Thankfully, the restaurant business here at home has been busy that I have been working lots. However, as my friend Ange's friends were here visiting Tokyo since mid March, I made the plan to meet up with them to show places. So on Saturday evening after working morning & afternoon, I got on the highway bus to Shinjuku, Tokyo, and met up with them at nite. I have seen them before during Toronto Electronic Music Festival, so it was cool seeing familiar faces. We talked about each other's lives (what's going on and such) and chilled at their hotel room for
a bit. I was glad to had this chance to talk to them, as they gave me such warm and great vibes. :) We then took the subway to Roppongi. At this moment, I did not realize that the line and exit that I used to take to go to the club, yellow was different from the one we were taking. So once we got to the Roppongi station, I was like: "Oh shite, I forgot to bring the note that told me which exit to take to go to yellow." So we ended up walking towards different direction, only to be told from the convenient store employee (whom I asked for direction) that I was heading to the wrong side of the city. LOL (sorry Monique and Doug). So we went back towards the station, and were able to head towards the club okay.Whenwe got there, there were not many people, perhaps 40 % of the dance floor was filled and still plenty of space to dance. But the DJ whowas spinning did not please me with his selections of records (energetic house with cheesy latin/afro feel to it-kind of overdone), so at one point I decided to go and get my drink with Monique. I got Rum and Orange Juice, which was not bad at all, but for sure it was a little strong for me. LOL Monique and I sat down near the bar and chatted for a bit. We had a great talk, and I was happy (once again) to had this opportunity to spend time with cool people like her. Then we went back to the dance floor, I practiced using my dad's digi cam taking photos in a club setting until a staff told me not to do so.

So here are three photos that I took:

Then the music was getting better, so we danced a little in the back, and moved towards the DJ deck a little later whenIdjut Boys came. The guy with the long hair started play some recordsthat sounded rather rock'n roll and a little abstract sounding material, and it was cool to listen to, but not to dance for, so I decided tosit at the front of speaker where I could see the DJ deck better.

Then the guy with this shorter hair started play, and it got all better. He played A LOT OF rare old skool music, and it was cool listening to the set. But since I was physically quite tired from working hard, at around 2am, I started yawning occassionally. Then all of a sudden, the DJ did this mixing that totally blew my mind and got my full attention and woke me up as a result. He was playing an old skool record that had a neutral feel to it (not too energetic and not too quiet) and switched to a different record drastically in a way it enhanced the main part of this old skool house track. Then he put one really NICE deep track that made me feel very appreciative of the fact that I was there to attend the party. While watching the DJ, it sort of assured me that it is okay to keep my passion and love for the music industry. "The beauty and art of turntabolism and this urban music culture is something that I can continue appreciating and enjoy live", I felt. It was a good feeling, indeed that I needed. Then we stayed until 15 minutes past 5am and left the club towards the Roppongi station. We stopped at this Ramen noodle shop to eat and then took the subwayback to the hotel.

The Worst Friendster Message Ever

I get tons of clueless messages on Friendster. The way some of the people message me can be quite amusing/shocking/funny, so I decided to share a few with you.

hai Kumi

i,m araeef from malaysia

can we fren,,i like to have fren from Japan

miss ya so much.

I guess what he is saying is just like what Bjork sings in her song: "Haven't met you yet, I miss you"....

The worst message goes to a Nigerian boy, Magnum!!

HI,

HOW'ER YOU DOING TODAY?WELL I SAW YOUR

WONDERFUL PICTURE AND I SAID TO MYSELF THAT

YOU'ER NICE TO GET AS A FRIEND.

I'M MAGNUM BY NAME AND I'M FROM NIGERIA...IF

YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ME PLEASE CHECK OUT

MY PROFILE.

FRIENDSHIP IS ONE THING NOBODY CAN IGNORE IN

THIS THIRD PLANET, IF YOU WANT TO BE MY FRIEND

YOU CAN ADD jiokno@respectingmanum'sprivacy.com
or if you want to chat with me on yahoo..simply

add...jiokno... IN YOUR FRIENDLIST.

REMEMBER THAT, AN IDEA WELL EXPRESSED IS LIKE

A DESIGN OF GOLD,SET IN SILVER....

SOME FRIENDSHIP DON'T HELP BUT A TRUE FRIEND

IS MORE CLOSER THAN YOUR OWN FAMILY.....

IF YOU NEED ME FOR S** LOL,YEAH YOU CAN

INVITE ME OVER THERE,IT'S NOT GONNA COST YOU BUT

ONLY VISA AND TICKET, IF YOU NEVER MIND,THIS IS

MY PHONE NUMBER..+234-01-8057117XXX.I'M LOOKING

FORWARD TO YOUR CALL. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

MAGNUM

Respecting their privacy, some of their info (such as name) have been modified.

Thank you. But really, are these people joking or what?!! LOL

Happy Birthday to my bestest, Ange!!

Yes, today is such a wonderful day. 20-somewhat (for her privacy) years ago, she was born into this world! yay. It is her b-day today, so I want to talk about her. It's been such a great gift getting to

know her, especially after my move back to Japan in 2002. She kindly purchased my boom box when I was returning, so I think that was when we started communicate with each other more (via emails). After I returned to T-dot (Ontario), she has become my important partner in crime, hitting up some clubs occasionally, sipping on our favorite, *SOHO with cranberry juice* and dancing our ass off till down, and hitting up a hot dog stand (for Ange) or getting some bubble tea (forme) afterwords...tee he~

Meeting up with her in Detroit for the movement festival has also been one of the remarkable memories within me, although we did not get to spend too too much time with each other. It still was wonderful having had an opportunity to see what she enjoys alot (working for her school
radio station by interview artists)!! Although she is relatively still young, this girl is a bomb. She definitely is an action taker type, and she has always been my inspiration to me. I also enjoy visiting the St. Laurence market with this girl too. It's such a great FUN getting some yummy bread (or other fresh produce) and checking out some cool/funky jewelry made by the local artists. God, I miss our ritual on Saturday morning. I also miss checking out some gears at
urban outfitters and trying some skirts on in the changing room with her (fun times)..I miss haing around with her big times right now. Why am I not there in T-dot when Ange is finishing her school work and having her Easter weekend right now? LOL But I have a faith that she is enjoying her life out there even I am away from me, cause once again, she is a go-getter :)

Herfamily is VERY thoughtful too. While feeling lonely living in Ontario (far away from T-dot as well as the city she lived for her college), meeting up with her in T-dot on the weekend, crashing at her parent's place, talking about boys on the patio floor of her apt at nite, mistaken a rabbit for a dead cat (that was me, haha), having her mom cooking us meals, and her dad always taking me to the greyhound bus station afterwards, I can not imagine how many times I shed tears on my way back home on the bus. Her parent's generosity as well as their loving and caring hospitality always touched the deepest spot of my heart.

And given all these opportunities to hang around with Ange has brighten up my life sooooo many dark moments in my life that I do not knowwhat I will do without this girl...

Well, Thank you very much, Ange for being who you are. Once again, you have been a great inspiration. You are very HOT inside and out, and I have nothing but my bestest wishes for you! May your new year be fulfilled with great adventure, loads of exciting experiences (I hope you get the internship!!! *crossed fingers*), fine new faces and sweet memories, good health, happiness and peace. Miss you lots! Much Love and Respect...
KUMI

Yesterday before having my parents back home from Nagano, I made a cheese cake, as I was craving citrus and creamy flavour for the past few days (pleased to be woman..lol). So here is how it turned out:

Taste: Perfect. Just right amount of lemon and not too rich, but just right.

Its flavour matched very well with the tint of salty-ness of the biscuit bottom (crashed digestive cookies) and the fresh berries.

Texture: I did not have enough gelatine, so the cheese filling turned out a little soft, so I put it in a cup instead of slicing it on a plate.

Decoration:

I should have sliced the strawberry for better appearance. Oh well. I learn from mistakes :)

In

the evening, my mom asked me if she could give a piece to a little girl who was over as a customer with her family. I had left the cake in the fridge so that the cheese filling would get harder. So I puta slice on a plate and asked my mom to bring it to the guest room.

While cleaning up the guest room after the customers left, I noticed how there was no trace of cake whatsoever on this red plate. Not even the biscuit crumbs. When I saw that, I felt such an immense pleasure. I felt that there is no other happiness than people eating the food that you cook/make by putting your soul into it. Thinking back, this was my first experience having a customer eat my dish here in Japan. I felt this great sensation can get quite addictive, and further realized this trait of craftsmanship that runs in my family tree within me. ;) LOL

Oh, I was going to forget. My friend sent me a video clip (link) of his friend and him practice house dancing. Well, I thought it was kinda fun/interesting to see them practice housing, so here is the link for those who are interested: Click here (needs Internet Explorer or Media Player). My friend is the one on left. I have seen him taken off on the dance floor, so this clip does not really show you how much of a great dancer he can be, when he dances with his passion to the music. But a clip like this makes me appreciate and cherish our youth and urban culture we have in oursociety, so yeah :)

Weekend plans! YES! Finally it's a few more sleeps for me to meet up with friends to enjoy our love for the music. That's right. I am planningon hitting my fav club in Japan to hear deep house music this weekend :) I am also thinking about taking them to Kamakura on the following day, so it will definitely brighten up my spirit (not that it is not quite yet right now, but I always appreciate some exciting opportunities as this for sure!!)

Then I am scheduled to take my upper wisdom tooth (on my right brain side) on 28th (Mon), and start my driver's license school on 30th (Wed), which will take up most of my time for 3-4 weeks. I also need to prepare for the 3 hr lecture (new employee training for an engineering company) that I am asked to give in mid April, so things will be quite busy and I am afraid that time will pass by like a jet coaster in the next few weeks. Well, I hope I adjust well to the upcoming changes, keep my calm attitude and sense of peace at all times, and do my best to
any challenges that may encounter on my way.. :) Well, thanks for reading this long entry today. Peace...

Go Go Power Rangers!

All right. So some of you may already know my parents (mostly my dad) for being quite silly. Well, my folks left the house early in the morning

on Tuesday to Nagano again, this time to get on the helicopter to fly all the way up to a high mountain (donno the name) and then to snowboard from there for 16km. Below is a photo of them while onthe helicopter.

Yes, they (mostly my dad) are getting quite hard core outdoor people. But if you actually
meet them in person, you may instead just mistake them for power rangers, the legendary heroes of our all-time.

Mydad is currently very into *trekking*. Well, just like other Japanese, the first thing that my dad does whenever he wants to challenge a new activity is to purchase all the related goods for it. So in the past few weeks, my dad has purchased a outdoor backpack and hiking boots for himself and my mom, all ready for the spring/summer outdoor sports: hiking, and he always brags about how *cool* it will be to trek in great nature of Canada. He is even talking about crossing Canada thru driving from East to West this early summer too. Considering him for being mid-50s, I guess his *willing to challenge new activities* is inspiring to people of all age, so yeah, you guys better shut up and stop laughing by looking at his photos now, okay? LOL

Anyway, back to the story about my dad though, when I told him how iPod is very popular in N. America, he asked me to bookmark the apple web site in his computer. Then there was an iPod commercial on TV, so I told him that was what iPod was about, and the next thing I knew,

he was asking me to order two iPod shuffles for himself and my mom. After getting this iPod is now a history among my family members. He carries it everywhere he goes, and sings along to some songs all the time. Then a few days after he got his iPod, there was a guest whom my dad invited *to order iPod shuffle online*. So I helped him order one for him, and that was when my mom and I learned how my dad goes to pretty much every friendly friends he has in the city showing off his new *trendy-fashion*. According to my mom, when they went to Nagano for the helicopter experience, there were people around my age, so while they were waiting for the helicopter, my dad all of a sudden took out his iPod from his brand-new backpack and started
listening to music, acting *cool* at front of young kids. LOL So yeah, I am day after another realizing how my dad loves the new urban trends, and instantly include such things into his own. LOL

I have an another funny story of him. A couple days ago, we were watching *the last samurai* on TV. While we were watching all these Japanese actors fighting with the swords/arrows etc during our supper, my dad all of a sudden goes: "Dare ka scout shitekurenaikana? (Wonder
if someone could scout me).. That's right. My dad secretly dreams of becoming a Hollywood movie star. LOL

My story telling can not describe how funny my dad can be. I wish all you guys will have a life time opportunity to interact with him onfriendly level :)

Spring Equinox Day: Ohigan (updating on March 21)

Yesterday was Ohigan, which is a day that marks the changing of seasons (cerebration of spring), but also to pay our respects to our deceased family members. So my family visited the cemetary first thing in the morning. My mom makes this very tasty edamame (soybean) mochi (sticky rice) on ohigan, and although I wanted to help her, I am such a loser, I could not do so, cause I did not wake up early enough to help her, dang-it. LOL Here is the photos for you guys to drool on:

My family and I went to the Gekkoji (moon light temple) where our ancestor's gravestones exist, and gave fresh flowers, burned some incents and prayed for our ancestors. This ohigan has Buddhist origins. It means the "other side of the river of death." This side of the river is the world where we live, and the other side is the realm where the souls of those who have passed away dwell. To pray for therepose of deceased ancestors, visits are made to the family grave....

We then went to visit my grandma (my mom's) cemetary, my grandma's family's cemetary (watanabe family) and came home. Since we were expecting hell a lot of customers on the next day, the rest of my morning was spent cleaning the restaurant rooms and preparing the table as well as setting the dishes etc. By the way, I enjoy cleaning the traditional Japanese house, cause it requires special care to clean, and it is like a meditative act to me. For instance, if you have an uneasy mind (frustration for example), it can be clearly shown in your work. So if I let my negative thought stay within and continued cleaning, I often end up feeling as if I created more troubles in the air. So I personally try to let go all the negative thoughts that I may have, and just let the mind of zen arrive within, and clean the house properly (so that there will be no need to re-do afterwords). This sort of act is seen in other activities we have in Japan. A few of them include Japanese caligraphy and tea ceremony. Speaking of Japanese caligraphy, I used to attend a weekly caligraphy class every Sunday morning from the age 7 until 15 for (9 years). Back then, I did not know much of philosophical aspect of the caligraphy itself, but after years of practice, I had learned how to obtain the perfect mind to write great piece. I also think that I was able to gain self-disciplineness and appreciation towards Japanese art and language. I wish I could give my future offsprings the opportunities to learn Japanese art (like caligraphy, tea ceremony, karate etc).... (LOL).

Back to the story..so once I thought I finished cleaning and preparation for the next day customers, drop in customers came one after another without making any reservations (we highly request our customers to make reservation so that we can provide better service and care), so my dad, my grandma, one employee who were here to help me with the preparation and myself worked our ass off running around the kitchen to the rooms until 4pm (my mom had a flower arrangement lecture to attend). While working, I gave this little boy an opportunity to feed the koi (carp fish) from the ozashiki (customer's private room). He was full of joy and happiness! and I felt so happy seeing him so aswell (I love kid customers, as I get to play with them too..lol).

While the entrance of the restaurant was open, warm and fine breeze came into the house notifying us of the arrived spring weather. At the end of the day, my grandma and I shipped on some green tea and said to each other that our ancestors brought all these customers on this fine day and we have much more reasons to appreciate our ancestors for the history and current lives that we have with much love and peace. I want to thank my ancestors for their lives, because I believe my life won't be here without their past existence. So my deep arigatogozaimasu to my ancestors here. :)