Tsuru Project in NYC : Send Love, Hope, and Support to The People of Japan!

Hello, New Yorker! and Everyone!It’s been a month since Japan’s Earthquake & Tsunami disaster. I’ve seen many people trying to support and help Japan. Yes, lots of fund raising events happened here in NYC as well! I am so grateful to know that… Japan is loved by the people from all over the world. Thank you so much :)

Now, my friend, Mayumi is planning to have a special event to send cheers, love and hope to the people of Japan in this August. Tanabata Festival, that is. In the event, people will write their wishes on a strip of paper and hang them on bamboo branches. The branches will be decorated with tons of  hand crafted origami cranes!! In Japan, it’s commonly said those origami cranes make your wish come true if you make thousand of them. Yes, Yes, Yes!! Sending all the good wishes for everyone’s happiness and Japan’s rebirth!!! Her project right now is to collect origami cranes as much as possible for the event. She needs your help!! If you are in NYC….you can join this origami workshop in Brooklyn tomorrow. If not…you may be able to send some origami cranes by mail? Whatcha think? You may contact with her team through their blog. http://tsuruproject.wordpress.com/

Much love and gratitude,

Hanako


Origami Workshop for TANABATA FESTIVAL(wishing tree) in August & for sending LOVE and HOPE to the people of Japan 
Time : 2pm-5pm
Place : 232 Bedford Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

(Bedford Ave + between North 5th street and  North 4th street. )

You can get off L train at Bedford Ave.

MAP

http://tsuruproject.wordpress.com/

 
In Mayumi's own word...
鶴プロジェクトには、夢があります。叶う夢です。それは、七夕 in NYです。
PROJECT 1: wishing tree : 七夕祭り
東 日本大震災の被災地のひとつである宮城県仙台市では、毎年夏に仙台七夕祭りが催されます。七夕祭りは古く中国から伝わった行事が、日本の伝説と融合して生 まれました。現代においては、紙に願い事をかいて笹に吊るす祭りとして知られています。特に仙台の七夕祭りは東北三大夏祭りの一つとして数えられ、装飾の 大きさもさることながら、その手の込んだ美しい七夕装飾を一目見ようと毎年各地より大勢の人々が押し寄せます。今年は震災の影響もあり、開催されるかどう か未定です。鶴プロジェクトの実現可能な夢は、ワークショップでNYの人々や子供達に鶴を折ってもらい、集まった鶴で大きな七夕飾りを作り、七夕 in NYを開催することです。ひとつひとつの鶴を糸で繋げて大きな七夕飾りを制作します。当日のお祭りのイベント開催場では、それぞれの願いを紙に書いて鶴を 折ってもらい笹の木に吊るすインタラクティブワークショップも同時に行います。このプロジェクト、七夕祭り in NYを実現させるためには何千何万の折り鶴が必要となります。鶴プロジェクエトの夢、七夕祭り in NYに賛同していただけるならば、折り鶴を寄付、または鶴を一緒に折って下さい。私たちの夢が一歩前に進むことができます。
 

A Piece Of Love, A Piece Of Snowflake

I'm at home, chilling. Another snow storm hit Northeast yesterday, and ha....it dumped tons of snow once again. Last night's storm was eerie. It was a thunder snow storm! I never experienced it before. Here's the weather article on The NY Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/nyregion/28snow.html?_r=1&hp I don't know what to say....but this winter reminds me of a severe winter weather back in 1995 or 1996.  NYC was covered with a thick white blanket throughout the winter at the time.

I love snow, their ethereal beauty appeals to me a lot. A tiny snow flake comes and goes as if our life begins and ends. ah, I can't ignore my frustration and hope for my sick auntie. She's about to cross the bridge to the other side of the world. She suffered enough. It's a time for her to be free from everything. I'm praying for her new journey to be a peaceful one. I only wish if she can sip a tiny spoonful of honey and water before she leaves here.

Life is hard. She lives in a beautiful country, Japan, where everything seems so secured and peaceful. She has a plenty of love, friends, families. Her life is filled with abundance. But she suffered a lot with her illness and the horrible medical treatments. I now think about "life" again. There's no "secured life" at all. It's just like an illusion. Just be happy. Pursuit what makes you feel happy as much as you can. At the end of our life, "secured life" may not have any value. Be with someone you love, spread love, and give a piece of thoughtful advice to your loved one if he/she goes on a wrong path. Please do so before it gets too late to fix the path.

That's all for today. I'm gonna get to see a beauty of snowfall in Central Park from now.

Love, gratitude, and PEACE,

Hana

The Frozen Tundra NYC and Life Goes On

This winter has been very nasty. I keep dreaming about the warm weather. Sunbathing in a tropical island would be so sweet :)  It is way too cold to get out today( 1/24 )! When I got up this morning, it was only 6 degrees...I love number 6, but not in the actual temperature! brrr...... no bueno...no, no, no.

Although I'm not a big fan of the winter at all, I love to see the beauty of it. I strolled around my favorite place, Central Park, yesterday and shot some pictures. I usually stay there for 2-3 hours....but man, the frigid weather didn't let me enjoy the scenery for that long. My finger felt numb soon after I arrived at the Ramble. All I can think of was to have a warm cup of cafe latte...Mmm, mmm.... :p There were a few people walking in the area, yes, it's so rare to encounter someone especially in the cold.  Here's some pics to share the wintry beauty with you all.

It's all about snow and ice. I'm longing for a spring warmth... oh, but you know what? A very cute tour guide said hello to me the other day.

Yes, a fierce red color bird, Cardinal! He looks like a little phenix, doesn't he? I also met a woodpecker, and other wild birds in the woods. If you wanna taste a little bit of nature in NYC, this is the place you wanna visit.

BTW, I've been thinking how this cold weather affects on us, humans. My dear friend, " J " lives in San Diego, where he could spend most of his days in 70s-80s. Sweet isn't it? No true winter, it's almost always mild and warm. Now, I have a question to ask...experiencing the cold and the stillness during the winter let us create a different culture or attitude or behavior compared to those people who live in a same weather pattern all year-round??? What do you think?

I only know that experiencing the winter let us observe and learn the cycle of life. You know,  we literally see its beginning in the spring and the end in the winter. We learn the perseverance from the winter, I guess??  Trees are naked, water remains frozen and still, no butterflies in the air, no fireflies to catch. Everything seems quiet and dead in the winter. It is the time for most of living creatures to slow down. It's not a total death though, it's a pause or a break before a new cycle. Underneath the thick ice, there's always life's miracle is happening.

I've never lived in a place without the winter. I'm curious how my perception in life changes if I live in a tropical island...hmm...well, until I plan to taste the tropical life, I shall explore my adventure in the winter then.

Yes, Life goes on.

Toodles!

-Hana

Winter Hibernation

It's too late to greet " Happy New Year"? There were so many events happened while I was hibernated from blogging. Yes, I didn't feel like writing anything at all. No, not a word. I only continue writing my morning pages/journals to track my thought or intention. It is true that I've been busy being a socializing butterfly since Christmas. Of course, being busy on the physical world means...less hours for spending time alone with myself and sitting in front of a computer! No time, no writing.

Writing is hard. It's not as same as commenting on someone's photos or SNS's wall. I need to commit myself to write. Keri Smith posted a fantastic blog while ago related to a writing matter. Here's what she posted:

“I procrastinate worse than anybody.” Writing is so hard. “I need eight hours to get maybe 20 minutes of work done. I had one of those yesterday: seven hours of self-loathing.”
“Writing is a deep-sea dive. You need hours just to get into it: down, down, down. If you’re called back to the surface every couple of minutes by an email, you can’t ever get back down. I have a great friend who became a Twitterer and he says he hasn’t written anything for a year.”
-Dave Eggers (from an interview with the Guardian)

Whatcha think? Do you agree? Writing is like a diving! ah, then...I've been just sunbathing instead of diving. ha ha.

Diving or sunbathing, you must have had a great holiday season. I believe everyone is doing well and following your own blissful path in 2011 already? Some are energetic, some may be experiencing downtime. It's ok, just allow yourself to open to the flow of life. No need to feel that you are not good enough or healthy enough, or not making enough effort to improve your life etc. You are doing your best just as you are. Allow yourself to have some space for a self-worthiness not only judging and criticizing :)

My yoga instructor, Steph and Kevin are great. They often tell us some inspirational stories before they start the class. I attended Kevin's class at Kula yoga project in Tribeca a while ago. He mentioned that yoga practice don't force us to do the perfect job on any poses. ( Cool! ) The practice guides us to learn how we create a space for breathing when we are in a struggle. Most importantly, it won't give you any grades. It teaches us to accept who we are or what we can do now. Everyone is doing the best. Each person's achievement is different and they are all good. No need to compare yourself to others at all. You are enough. Embrace your worthiness. So, here I am, I'm heading to Steph's class tonight. I'm with my beginner's mind. Open to any possibilities, open to any mistakes, open to any surprises! I am worthy of learning all the good and mistakes!

oh, and I watched this vid yesterday. I found it through Miss Joyologist, Tricia Huffman's tweet. It's perfectly related to this post. Enjoy!



Love and gratitude to you all,

Hana

Beth's Postcard Project!

 

This is Elizabeth McClung. ( The photo was borrowed from Superforest ) She is an awesome human being who is spreading positivity and love into the world by sending out a postcard to anyone. Yes, anyone. My favorite blog site, Superforest posted a blog about her a while ago. I was inspired by her random act of kindness. You would love to read the blog post? Here's the link! Thursday's Inspiration Information

Anyways, I wanted to get involved with her project by sending her a postcard as a reciprocity of LOVE.  I worked on the project on Thanksgiving day, which is the perfect day to express my gratitude towards her attitude. Here's some pics of me...

 

 Drawing, drawing, drawing....

I cut out a cardboard into a size of postcard. Yup, recycling!

I decided to draw " Love in a Bottle " for her. 

 There, a finish product! 

I believe any snail mails are so precious, so intimate...! I love what Beth said on her blog : " The postcard is fantasy, it is encouragement, it is a companion against loneliness, it is a smile between friends. It is what you need it to be...that someone knows your name, and a little part of you, and cares about that part can sometimes get you through. " 

So, what do you think? Do you have someone in your mind sending a postcard? or wanna send Beth a LOVE card? You can write her a card to this address. Let's spread Love in to the world together, shall we? 

Beth McClung

PO BOX 2560

Port Angeles, WA 98362

and another interesting "Mysterious Letters Project" is on at ItStartsWithUs.com as well. Check it out! These creative projects are so much fun! Have fun with it. Love, reciprocity, gratitude...our universe is filled with a good energy...It's abundant ;)

Love and gratitude,

Hana

 

The Deliciousness Of Four Seasons

Having a good time in a new season? Yes! It's autumn!! A powerful energy coming from our mother nature, yes? I enjoy seeing the changes in the color of trees here. Central Park is the most amazing park in the world, I mean one of the best for sure. I found these amazingness the other day. Check this out!

See the beauty of the autumn? and you know what, it smells....sweet. Go outside and smell the air. It's sweet! or....am I just daydreaming about devouring a yummy piece of pumpkin pie? Yum!

BTW, how do you feel now? I mean what stage of your mind are you experiencing? Upward or downward? Right way or the other way around? I believe I am not the only one who felt some kinda nostalgia or feeling down at the beginning of fall? Spring and summer are energetic compared to fall and winter which offers us a quiet and contemplative time. The sun comes out early and sets at an early evening hour of a day.  That's already enough to feel loneliness or long for a warmth of something! This seasonal changes have an effect on human habitual patterns or way of thinking? I guess...a little bit??

My experience with the four seasons is so far very interesting. How so? Ok, let's go back to January....The month of January was a new start of 2010. My life remained quiet...no movement at all. I wanted to see a change, but it wasn't a time yet. So I waited. Anyways, winter is a great time for being cozy and contemplative? Then, spring comes...I had to go back to Japan for a few weeks and observed my dad's resurrection. Through the experience, I sensed something was about to happen. You know, seeing him obtaining a new life at the age of 77 was so cool. Yes, a change happened in my life as well. I was able to let myself go from an old comfortable zone as simple as possible. I freed myself. Finally! I felt like I was a new born baby or a new shoot on a tree! But I had no idea what would happen next and, lo and behold,  new exciting events kept happening throughout the summer! Then, my life simply got into a quiet term in September. I reconnected with my inner-self again and figured out which direction I'm gonna steer into. I am taking a tiny baby step towards the direction...what you call it as a " dream ". I look forward to a gift from winter...

ah, Ladies and gents...I'm now in a process of getting my driver's license. Beware New Yorkers! I'm gonna cruise around the city soon! It's a sort of my must-have item for making my dream into a reality. Yup, my baby step, that is! 

So, where are you at your life now? or where are you at your mind? 

Today, it's a New York Marathon Day! I shall give those runners some cheers as I see them across the city. They are so lucky to see these amazingness in Central Park while they participate in the event. I hope everyone is tasting a yummy autumn wherever you are. 

Cheers to you all. Life is happening as it is. Savor it as much as possible :) I have a blessed autumnal life today, so do you. 

Love and gratitude,

Hana

Happy Birthday Superforest!

Yaaaaaaay! Happy Birthday Superforest!! Yes, my favorite blog site, Superforest is celebrating its 3rd birthday today! whoo hoo!! As they explain what Superforest is in their own words : SuperForest is a positivity blog. The members of our team are scattered across several countries, all united in a journey toward exploring how to redefine "environmentalism" and "sustainability" to encompass all aspects of life. Being so, everything you find on this website has been chosen to uplift and inspire one person: you.

If you haven't heard about Superforest yet, then go and visit the site! You'll be amazed and fall in love with it immediately. I promise, the blog site is yummy! and watch the special birthday video. That is their mission,  The Superforest Humanifesto.

Much love and gratitude goes to Team Superforest and every single Superforesters in all over the world!

Love and cyber group hugs ( Thanks Superforester  Sheri, I borrowed the word from you ) ,

Hana