September BLUE Sky

Oops...I'm dreaming that September has just started...Have you seen TIME? Where did it go? I want to retrieve a piece of TIME that I lost in the month of September. Bummer, the technology is not capable of doing that yet. Ok, then... How've you been? I've been good and lazy, lazy and good. Since the summer has gone, everything around me is in a slow motion or rather there's no movements at all. I think I'm in a break after experiencing so many interesting events this year. Man, time for taking a deep breath then...

Looking up the dark blue September sky, I wonder how easily we/humans are prone to DO something restlessly? We even feel guilty or uncomfortable by resting in stillness, don't we? Well, some of you may be ok in that state, but I felt guilty ( for what? ) and also felt blue ( ha, nice pun with the title of this blog ) without getting involved with " things-to-do " in days. First couple of days were ok, then, I totally got bored and felt insecure afterwards. But I knew that being busy doesn't always means creating a better condition in life. We tend to forget living mindfully by being busy, yes? I needed to get off from a busy- bee treadmill and take time to look into my mind profoundly and mindfully. What's my search? I wanted to find an answer to this question : What do I want? 

The stillness was scary. I thought " the Nothing " of the Neverending Story was coming to get me. Seriously! My only task for a day was writing The Morning Pages. Other than that, I didn't have much plans to go somewhere or do something. I was mostly with me, myself and I at home or just strolling around the city to get a fresh air. The Morning Pages is a writing task for everyday. Three pages of whatever crosses your mind-that's it. Write it, don't look at it. Spit every clutters out of your mind and closed the pages. By doing so, I get clearer than before and it gets easier to deal with the things that really matter to me. and a good news is...I found what I wanna do! I have an answer to the question now. Yay! I'll keep it as a secret for now, if you don't mind?  I don't want the magic of my dream to be faded ;)   By allowing to have a little time to practice stillness and calm unfolds the sense of balance in our minds and lives. Am I living in the present mindfully now? I hope so. 

BTW, tomorrow is the first day of October, everyone. Any colorful wishes for the coming new month? I finally see a seed of my dream is growing. It's still a teeny-weeny sprouts showing the face above the ground in my heart <3  I need to take care of it as it grows big by watering, giving good nutrients and sunlight ( a ray of hope? ). I'll be patient till it gets matured.... I am exciting to see it grow! whoo hoo :D

Have a happy last day of September and enjoy a delightful Autumn taste in October!

Love and gratitude,

Hana

A Voice From The Past

Guten Ohakonbanchiwa! ah, this is my made-up "Germanese" greeting. German + Japanese. Well...." Ohakonbanchiwa" is another made-up word created by one of a Japanese anime character. It's a mixture of these three words : "Ohayo/Good morning", "Konbanwa/Good evening", and "Konnichiwa/Hello". Pretty convenient, yes? Loving it!

I'm finally chilling at home instead of getting outside and digging some fun with friends. Yeah, I'm feeling a bit tired and also it's time to seek for a new adventure now! What do I want to experience next? hmm.....Well...prior to the new adventure, it's nice to clean all the clutters out of my closet and mind. So, I started dividing the clutters into a junk and recyclable item. Guess what? I've got great findings! Yup, found my old scribble notebooks. Especially, two of the drawing books are really old. I did many drawings when I was still a teenager...Here's some of my Japanese manga drawings. Let's peek Hana's teenage era...BTW, I was so passionate to do these drawings everyday instead of studying. I wanted to become a anime illustrator. My career dream completely altered though. 

                                         

Fun? Yes, it is fun to bring back the memories from the past. Looking at a school album would be super fun! I would do that when I get back to Japan next time. Imagine, turning the pages of those albums or notebooks...then you start to hear the voices from the past, the younger version of you. What she/he says to you? Are you happy to tell her/him that you become who you wanted be? or maybe, a little YOU emerges from the past and gives you some bold courage you used to have? 

What I've leaned from the findings is a simple core of where my mind is always set : searching for a meaning of life. Despite of a considerable lapse of time, I haven't changed much on how I think or what I believe in both positive and negative matters. The only difference I can tell is that my current quest is  more profound than the past one. Learning & practicing to kick my negative scarcity out of my system and leading my life to be full and complete with abundance. But boy, surprise, surprise! I used to dig a darker side of ME a lot...reading those thoughts made me feel depressed...so I put the feeling back into " the past "and came back to the present. Smile. 

Anyways, this cleaning project seems very practical and meaningful. I now created more space for a new thing to come in. Hello, Universe. I'm ready to take on a new adventure! What? ah, ok. I need to come up with an idea what's next, because....I am the creator of my life!!! Let me think....

" A man is what he thinks about all day long. " - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have a great summer weekend everyone! Hula hooping? Swimming? Sun bathing? Do whatever brings you  :D    Ok? For now, I'm gonna dig this vid, Jason Mraz's beautiful performance at Hollywood Bowl on YouTube :) Ha! Love his amazing voice and talent!!!!!!!

Love and a sweet summer kiss,

LoveAboundingHana

Girls' Night Out!

" I saw fireworks from the freeway, and behind closed eyes I cannot make them go away..." -Jason Mraz

Me, myself, and I...and 4 of other beautiful japanese girls headed to Breezy Point on this Monday evening. Just to watch the mysterious night ocean. ha ha, girls just wanted have fun :) Nope, no boys, people. We rented out a sexy red Volvo for the night. Everyone left their own clutters ( work, laundry, assignments, emails...etc) at home and soaked up a blissful fun night. 

I had been wanting to see the night ocean so badly...then I asked a friend if she's interested. She immediately called me up and we ended up having our gathering at a beach. Fantastic :) Thank you Universe, thank you Mayumi!! My wish was granted :)  Yay!

Unfortunately, the sky was kinda cloudy. We expected to see the sunset at the beach though.. :( hmm...this is funny. Every time I decide to go to a beach, the sky is covered with thick clouds or fogs. June Gloom was hovering above the city of San Diego while I was there, too. I wonder I am Miss. Misty...? Tell me the truth, Universe? 

The weather cannot beat our girl's power! See? How happy we were???! The ocean breeze was pretty strong. ooops, a bad hair day! ah, are you looking for me? I'm there with a black shrug and a coffee. Ok, ready to hit a beach, girls! 

ahhh....so good to be at the beach...so good to hear the voice of ocean! I kinda liked this cloudy day in the end.  Off-white color of sky brings up the softness of the ocean and sandy beach. Love! The magical power of our lovely ocean helped us feel calm and peaceful.

We had a great supper : tuna sandwich, fruits, cheese, cookies, and red wine. The sky turned into deep dark grey color around 8:30pm or so, then we realized the tide was on the ebb. Seeing the ebb tide, I thought about letting go. Letting go of the things, letting go of my feelings, letting go of the flow of life. My mind became so clearer. I absorbed myself into the peaceful voice from the ocean. Felt so blissful. I wish I could share the happiness with you all...! The ocean was as gentle as a midnight summer breeze. She/the ocean sometimes....gets cranky though... ;) 

Here comes another weekend to create your lovely memory. Soak up with the sun if you want to, pig out your favorite dim sum if you want to, make out with your love if you love to...Carry out the things that make your heart bounce. Love your life :) Love yourself. You are worthy of all the LOVE is. 

Namaste,

Hana

PS. Monday, the 9th of July was a new moon. I've heard that your wish will be granted if you manifest what you want to create in your life on a new moon night. So, we, 5 of us did practiced the manifestation wording. Hopefully, each of us will see the good outcomes in the near future...Keeping our finger crossed!

and all the pictures (except the one with a red Volvo) was taken by Miss. Yumiko Furukawa, a superb Japanese artist. Check out her web site. Her work is beautiful.

Yumiko Furukawa

and my friend, Mayumi owns her petit art gallery in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and artsy web shop as well. You may find some cool arts and goodies out there! Check it out.

Mystudionyc

Being Happy, Being Me Part 2

Hey, hey, hey, what are you up to? Had a great weekend? Had a hot date with someone new?! Life is fresh. Just like those yummy & juicy peaches! Have fun, taste every bit of the flavor. oh, you haven't done anything you plan to do this summer yet? Then what are you waiting for? Get on it NOW! It's not too late to start. Just need to turn off the TV and kick your butt off from the couch ;) 

I'm back here again. Yes, I promised to you writing about what I've learned at Cafe Gratitude workshop with Matthew and Terces in SF.  Do you remember what my purpose is for this trip? Right. I wanted to know how I can leave scarcity in life and get an access to a world of plenty : a quest for an abundance in life. 

First, what is abundance? My idea is to have and experience the infinite supply from the universe in life. It sounds ok, but I guess it has to have more detail in it.  Matthew and Terces says abundance is the assurance and knowingness of being supplied. Meaning to say that abundance is always present and we have an access to it by being what we think, what we say, what we believe, the actions we take and the attitude we have. They explain we would be able to experience abundance if we keep our attentions on all the things we've already been given. 

As they started sharing all the good stories with the participants in the workshop, I was overwhelmed by curiosity and joy. I was so happy to be there listening, learning, sharing the experience with everyone. I deeply nodded when Matthew told us about how human beings easily see the world as something out there. We live as if life is happening to us. But in fact, we are the one sculpting our experience of life and projecting it to the present moment. Yes, there is no OUT THERE. 

It seems mastering of Beingness is the key to access to abundance. Beingness means what we think, what we say, what we believe, how we act, and what our attitude is. So, just look at what circumstances in your life you're in and want to change. I've tried this recently, and I'm making a change in life. I'll talk about it later, maybe next time.  You can experience a different circumstance only if you start shifting your thought to a new one. I love this quote from their book : " The game of life is the game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds, and words return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy. -Florence Shinn " 

Aside from practicing of Being, knowing that we are always being provided is another lesson to master. Otherwise, we'll fall into the swirl of something is missing, something is wrong. Our ego starts to control our life, yes, scarcity begins to show up in life. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, open your eyes and see/think what you have right now. Having a place to sleep, having love that you can share with your family and friends, having an access to internet? wow, that's amazing!! See how lucky we are to be provided? Be grateful for what you have and who you are and be worthy of receiving and giving. Keep your attention on what has already been given, then you start to see a whole new experience of life. One more great quote from their book : " While you fear missing a meal, you aren't fully aware of the meals you do eat. - Dan Millman "

I still continue to learn the teaching by reading the book, " The Abounding River ". I've found some assignments to practice so far. What I wrote here is just a small piece of my learning. I'll talk about more of this issue through my experience from time to time. My quest has a bright future. I am happy, I am happy to have my life as I create. I am being happy, then I am being ME. 

My huge gratitude goes to Matthew and Terces, and Angi, Marta, and everyone at Cafe Gratitude community. Thank you! and special appreciations to my inspirational friends, jon and Marie-Eve :) 

Much love and gratitude to you all,

Hana

A Tiny Feather

Hola! I know, I know...I suppose to write about the second part of "Being Happy, Being Me ". But unfortunately, my mind is now experiencing a mood swing, therefore, today's blog is about my little thought on this tiny feather... ha! Take it.

A tiny feather flew from somewhere and rested on me in a park. I carefully held it with my finger, then tried to put it into my card case. Whoosh! A mischievous breeze swept it away from me! I was disappointed not being able to keep it. I know it's silly, but it looked like a tiny piece of "Happiness". I felt like I lost a gift from it... Oh well, anyways, I wish the feather a happy journey.

Guess what? It came back to me very next day while I was reading a book in the park! Yay, the tiny happiness returned to me!! I kept it safely in my card case this time. Is this a message from the universe? There has to be a time and place to receive things? What do you think, people? The clouds are hanging heavily. Having a slight headache. Let's go home.  I'm a bit tired. See ya tomorrow, my trees ;) 

Kisses from trees and ME,

Hana

Being Happy, Being Me Part 1

Hola, how are you? I've been away from writing for so loooooooooong. The month of July was just filled with fun fun and more fun! Yeah, it's summer!! Hope you guys are having a great summer as well ;) 

What I have been doing this summer....ok, I had a fun 4th of july celebration with my friends. Watched Toy Story III, had a yummy Korean dinner, clapped our hands for Macy's fireworks. Although the weather was extremely sticky and yucky...the celebration was excellent. Then I had a fantastic guest from San Diego, we strolled around Williamsberg, Brooklyn and he had a chance to sing his songs at an open mic at a bar. Later his friend joined us, we had a crazy dancing night...oy! and then...I flew to San Francisco for a spiritual workshop with Matthew & Terces at Cafe Gratitude. wow, that was a super nutritious experience ever!! oh, yes, I am absorbing their teaching now, slowly but surely. Thank you Cafe Gratitude community in SF. My gratitude and love goes out to every single person I met at the workshop. Thank you Angi, thank you Marta, thank you Naomi & her friend who kindly gave me a lift to SFO. Thank you, Matthew & Terces!! I'll definitely try to make another trip to " Sacred Commerce " workshop!! Keeping my finger crossed. Wait and see how the universe wants me to take an action ;)  and lastly...I had an amazing trip to San Diego!!! It was a BLAST :D  My friend & his GF provided me so much fun entire my stay in SD!!!!!!! Hiking, watching the night ocean, walking around a lake under Miss Moon's smile, awesome authentic Mexican food, yummy chinese noodle.....laughter after laughter...Man, my summer just let my heart and body bounce a lot! Thank you all of you, YOU! Yes, YOU=EVERYONE and EVERYTHING I met and experienced!! I've now charged up with tons of love fuel :) 

BTW, what I've learned at Cafe Gratitude workshop was very inspirational. Prior to my trip, I wanted to know how I can come out of a scarcity in life and access to a world of plenty. Their teaching gives me a great tip for that achievement....

I wanna write about Cafe Gratitude workshop, but I'm tired. Today's yoga was pretty good, and my body tells me to sleep now ;p Sorry, I'll write the rest sometime next week, ok? Gotta be a super early bird tomorrow...so I'm gonna crash! 

Namaste....

Hana

Love note

"I love you, love you, love you, love you, love you, love you. Yes, I do..." - Luc and The Lovingtons

Have you had a moment that you felt "love" so profoundly? It could be for someone particular or  someone in your imaginary world, or it could be just about general LOVE in the universe. For some reasons, I suddenly wanted to write a love note to whom/what I'm in love with the other day. Maybe the power from fresh green trees in a park whispered the magical words of love into my ear , maybe the spirit of yoga evoked the feeling in me, or music stirred up my emotion...? 

"Hello my love! Waking up this morning, I just thought about you. Your awesomeness feeds me at anytime, anywhere. I can see your face in my heart every minute, second, and every millisecond. I know you are very good at playing hide and seek, aren't you? Sometimes, you drive me nuts! But you know what? I'll find you wherever you go. Because...I know how you laugh and hum your favorite song, I know your hands are always looking for mine to hold, I know your warm stare tickles my heart. Oh, hear that? Birds are teasing me cuz I blush, blush...and blush when I look into your eyes...I'm a helpless cat in your arms....  <3 " 

Love is crazy, sweet, passionate...What would you do with it? Suppose you find it on your palm as a shape of those cute marbles or candy. Roll it? Crush it? Taste it? Whatever you do, it's your choice. Send a message of love to your special someone today. Talk about LOVE with your friends and family at a dinner table. You know, LOVE may play hide-and-seek with you tomorrow. So we might take an advantage of now to hold it, embrace it, caress it. 

May everyone smile with a shower of LOVE tonight. 

Nite, nite...

Love to you, you, and YOU! 

Hana