LIFE LATELY : BOOKS + VEGGIES

BOOKS

As we know, the world is in chaos. It’s a stressful and worrisome time and I often find myself filling up with fear and anxiety.

One thing that has helped (besides my morning walks and daily journaling) has been reading. This season of life has given me time to turn to my books- a blessing. It’s interesting because at this point in my life, I still enjoy reading for leisure (Harry Potter) but moreso, I find myself reading for peace. I gravitate towards books that nourish my soul and encourage my faith. There is so much media out there in the world to consume, it is nonstop and utterly overwhelming! So instead of filling my mind with all of that, I have felt so refreshed by filling my mind with the pages of a good book.

The three I am reading now :

Fresh Faith (Cymbal)
No Man Is An Island (Merton)
Absolute Surrender (Murray).

Food for the soul.

speaking of food…

VEGGIES

I have been eating a vegetarian diet for roughly a year now (sounds so pretentious I KNOW) and I have recently been really finding my groove. My mom plans the meals for our house, so what I do is just modify my meal around the one she makes, trying to use as much of the same ingredients as possible. For example, if she is making Teriyaki Beef I just make Teriyaki Tofu…if she is making Chicken katsu curry I just make veggie curry…if she is making pasta with meatballs I just make pasta without meatballs…haha! Simple as that. Basically, I have found being a vegetarian is not that difficult after all and still allows me to enjoy meals with my family without polarizing myself because of food.

So yes, life lately has been weird. But focusing on the blessing and thanking God for His constant presence amidst the chaos has been my saving grace.

A few other bright spots…

*Tuesday Nights Bible Study

*Zoom workouts with friends

*Meals with my parents and my bro

*More time to focus on prayer

*Learning to live a simple life

God is good, all the time.

Praying for peace in this nation <3

WAKE UP AND WALK

The last public outing I recall going to was the Laker game on March 10th when they lost by 2 pts to the Brooklyn Nets (WOW. AD missed a buzzer beater. It happens). I went with my dad and it was awesome. We enjoyed the game in our usual seats and my dad even bought me my favorite snack - a cinnamon sugar wetzels pretzel. The kid sitting next to me was VERY TALL and all by himself which I thought was interesting. “dude, how tall are you?” “6’10”. Little did I know that would be my last stranger interaction in…all of 2020?

Because the next morning, March 11th, the world woke up to a new reality: the pandemic.

Things haven’t been the same since.

April came and was weird. A very unfamiliar situation we all stepped into. So many things changed and I began to feel myself worrying constantly about what could happen… or what wouldn’t happen or …what if that happens? I felt restless at night and restless all day. No fun. Finally April was winding down - somehow I got through the month thanks in large part to my parents and siblings for bringing so much joy to this life- and then God spoke to me.

It was gentle. It was calm. It was quiet.

“wake up and walk.”
What?? Did you say walk?
“yes. wake up early and go on a walk.”

So I did. May 1st rolled around and I woke up at 6AM, laced up my shoes and exited my front door. Where was I going to walk? I wasn’t sure. Around my neighborhood I guess.

About three minutes into my walk I started to feel it…the change. I felt suddenly…me again? Happy to be outside. To appreciate the sunshine. To feel my lungs alive. To see pretty flowers. To have a purpose and a goal- even if that was just a simple walk.

I’ve always been a morning person, enjoying a nice hot (black) coffee and journal sesh. But it has taken this quarantine time to get me to add walking to that routine. After that first walk, I decided to make it a goal of mine to wake up every morning in May and get my feet moving. Not too strict about the distance or time, but all I have to do is just walk. God graciously and kindly instructed me in this new hobby of mine and proved once again that He knows what is best for me. Ever since I started this walking habit, sleep has returned as my best friend and I look forward to waking up each day to get my mind and heart to pump with hope and joy again.

God is good, all the time.

Scenes from my walks, *

*Not surprisingly, at the same time I decided to walk I stumbled upon this writer based in Japan (discovered via the chaotic and endless world of twitter). His name is Craig Mod and he is really cool. I discovered that Mr. Mod enjoys three things in life - Writing, walking and the country of Japan. Would you look at that!??

So I dove right in. Reading all his articles (Eater, Wired) , reading his weekly newsletter (Ridgeline) and basically becoming a HUGE FAN GIRL as I can often do (cough cough BTS). What I love about his writing is that you can tell he has a deep and abiding appreciation for the Japanese countryside (inaka) and the incredible humans that occupy it. He is a rare breed of foreigner blood that is captivated by the beauty and simplicity in the Inaka and not just the big mega cities. I mean, last year the dude spent 40+ days walking an old ancient trail from Tokyo to Kyoto and documenting the process via photography and words…WHAT!!!

How epic is that? Basically, Craig Mod is living my dream life and I am fascinating and inspired by his approach and philosophy behind walking in general. Very cool stuff worth checking out. He has been a great source of inspiration and reflection in my new attempt to walk daily.

hope to continue walking and writing as he has.

** SIDE SIDE NOTE: God is a gracious father because he told me to specifically W A L K not run :) You might think this a cop out for me not to exercise, but it is actually quite hard to slow down enough to actually walk. A run is satisfying in the fact that it pumps your blood and makes you feel really productive which are great things, but I have found a different and yet equally fulfilling challenge in walking. In order to walk, one has to completely fall into a rhythm and be okay with your own thoughts. Why? Well, walking is slow and kind of boring, and you aren’t distracted by the sharp pain in your chest from being absolutely out of shape, so you are really forced to face your own mind and look at the world around you. This turns out to be a very beautiful thing. So, even though people run past me in the mornings, I have made it a conscious (and enjoyable) effort to keep pace with the 6AM crew aka the grandmas and grandpas on the streets along side me and take on that steady, calm, walking pace.

more later! off to bed, so I can wake up and walk :)

CREATE

The Japanese language is fascinating to me and something I will be studying for the rest of my life. Ask any student of Japanese what the most difficult thing about learning the language is and they will most likely say “kanji” aka the Chinese characters. Rumor has it you need to be able to read AT LEAST 2,000 kanji to be able to read the newspaper. YIKES.

This is a daunting thought and although I have the kanji reading capacity of a 5 year old child, I have not given up hope of one day amassing enough kanji knowledge to at least read a portion of the paper with some clarity HAHA.

In an attempt to help myself study and also do something creative, I made a few doodles using some simple and useful kanji….

*p.s…these were originally photos I took back in October in Japan and I used my very amateur knowledge of procreate and my apple pen to turn them into drawings :)

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1. “靴” “shoes” …this is a random word that I dont actually use that often but I liked the photo and memory so I decided to use it as inspo. Back in October, my friend Luise and I were standing waiting for an elevator in Shinjuku. She told me she likes to buy shoes 2 sizes too big for her petite frame. When asked why, she simply said, “i don’t know! I just like the style.”

2. ”眠い” “sleepy” … Japanese people are notorious for being excellent train sleepers. I would see people full on knocked out on the trains and then magically, when we arrived at their station, pop up and run out the door. After about 2 years of living in Japan I slowly began to develop this habit myself and I think it has something to do with memorizing your train line…so as I was dozing off, I would subconsciously hear the announcement of the train line and know that my stop was 2 away…and then when my station came I could easily wake up and run out the door. A talent I am proud to have learned haha!

3. ”乾杯” “cheers!”…”Kanpai” is quite possibly one of the most universal words in the Japanese language, probably for its appearance in almost every Japanese tv show or movie as exhausted salarymen clink their glasses of beer together over a plate of sizzling fried chicken. This is quintessential Japan and a unifying word for all people.

4. “お疲れ” “….” …”otskare” has no real accurate translation in English, which is why I think it is one of the most important words in Japanese. In has the ability to encompass a WHOLE LOT and can make any foreigner immediately seems a lot less, foreign. I said it every day in Japan and heard it in almost every conversation, especially after a long day at work. I guess it can best be translated to…nope, I cant event do it if I try. Hang around Japanese people long enough and you will surely understand its context!

東京、大好き

Tokyo is my favorite city in the entire world.

Of course, LA will always be my home, the place I grew up and the location that holds the most memories for me. But when it comes to the city I feel most alive in, the city I have the deepest creative and cultural connection with - that city is Tokyo.

Here are a few reasons why…

GYRE - The coolest mall in Tokyo. Home of CHANEL, VISVIM, CDG, MAISON MARGIELA, MOMA, HAY…I mean come on. how stacked is that store directory?!???

Morning commute - There is magic in the morning in Tokyo. The world is waking up and everyone is heading to their offices. A million people hustling to catch their train or grab some breakfast before their commute and yet I find such a stillness and peace amidst it all. That is Tokyo.

COFFEE SURPEME - one of the best coffee spots in Tokyo where all the cool kids gather…such as my dear friend Luise! Check out her work HERE…she is incredible.

THE CONVENI - A Japanese concept store in its truest form. Buy a dope t-shirt from a store modeled after a convenience store? sure Tokyo, why not.

The best sweet potato in all the land.

Fancy cars in a fancy city.

GINZA SIX - The newest mall in Ginza and a STUNNER. This place is crazy. I mean, can we just admire these insane whales hanging from the ceiling for a moment? Am I in a museum or a mall?

It’s not a big city unless you got a metro entrance around every corner : )

THAT MAGICAL MYSTICAL CITY LIGHT.

Just me an my camera and this city I love so dearly. Life is good.

The DOTOUR in Ginza - A prime people watching location. Grab yourself a cheap cup of coffee and sit by the window on the 2nd floor. dream!

MIKIMOTO - There are two in Ginza, this one being the older one on the backstreets. It is one of the coolest buildings in Tokyo in my opinion!

Trains trains and more trains.

A tiny patch of peace in the midst of the city.

The backstreets of Omotesando - home to some of the coolest cafes, restaurants and store in the world. I love wandering these streets.

Tokyo architecture- truly something else I tell ya! I have walked across this bridge in Omotesando a thousand times and will never get sick of it.

Random pops of color…yes please.

These city lines <3

“Pedestrian heaven” - On the weekends in Ginza, the streets are closed to cars and people get to roam around “pedestrian heaven” which is possibly my favorite activity in the city.

Stillness- Often times Monks stand or walk slowly around Ginza during these busy times. It’s as if they symbolize the stillness and solitude that can exist even in the midst of a chaotic city.

The iconic HERMES building in Ginza.

Tokyo ladies.

I love this city and could roam these streets forever and never grow tired of them.

That is the magic of Tokyo.

When Great Trees Fall

Photo by the incredible Walter Iioos

When Great Trees Fall

Maya Angelou

When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephant
slumber after safety.

When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.

When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.

Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance,
 fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance
 of
dark, cold
caves.

And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.