At Victoria Airport with my brother Norm. Photo credit to Kellie Hudson.
Words, of course, are the most powerful drug used by mankind.
- Rudyard Kipling
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After he returned from his International Space Station mission, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield told Zoomer magazine (May 2017), “It’s an intoxicating and completely engrossing environment. It was how I imagined, but better. It was richer, more profound and more stimulating.” Continue reading
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture
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Nine Steps to Organizing 90 Days in Tokyo
Tokyo SkyTree
Organizing a 3-month private stay to study Ikebana (flower arranging) in Tokyo is not unlike other major event planning. Continue reading
Five Weeks to Lift Off for Tokyo
I shared with a friend that from time to time the idea of going to Tokyo alone for three months was daunting. That said, over the years I’m almost inured to being a jigsaw piece in the wrong box. In so many areas of my life I’ve never quite click-fit. In response she sent “Where do Mermaids Stand?” an essay by Robert Fulghum. (If you don’t know it, please click the link. It will help you make sense of this post.) Continue reading
New Mug Shots
It’s been a year and a bit now of sloughing off the skin of the past and undertaking the new on many fronts. On account of getting new eye glasses, into that mix was an update of my business head shots. Continue reading
AdrenaLINE (aka High-speed Forest Bathing)
It’s way faster than it looks…
Shinrin-yoku (Forest Bathing) in Mt. Douglas Park
In addition to practicing pick-up lines for potential nameless encounters during my next visit to Japan, I have begun a walking regimen. I won’t be able to hop in the car to get where I’m going during my three-month stay. Instead, there will be many treks to and from railway stations and subway lines all of which have numerous stairs to navigate. Continue reading
Happy Thoughts on Father’s Day
For decades I faithfully created a special and memorable celebration for Father’s Day. Now six years after his death, it’s an empty spot on the calendar—like a tooth you’ve lost. It doesn’t ache as it did in the beginning; still, you keep running your tongue over it. Continue reading
Learning to Speak Japanese: Frustration 101
Image source: http://www.levanatech.com/learn_japanese_language
One of the things we know is that a positive attitude toward a subject we wish to learn contributes greatly to our success in that endeavor. Successful language acquisition depends on two main factors: the motivation of the student and the opportunity to use the language in in a real situation. Continue reading
PWAC BC Regional Volunteer Award 2016-17
From mid-April last year much of my life revolved around my mother’s hospitalization, death, memorial, selling her condo, settling her estate, selling my home and moving from Abbotsford to Victoria within a period of five months. After that I focused on physical, mental and emotional recovery, adjusted to my new home and began to build a new life. What a whirl. Continue reading