Saddest scene of today

Saw a turtle standing on its other turtle brothers, trying to clamour through the net frantically with its turtle paws. Neck stretching out, yearning to get out and then withdrawing periodically every few seconds out of exhaustion.

I so wanted to buy it and take it home.

Update: Carlos said there's no way that it could live in the pond downstairs.

On thoughtfulness and Serene beauty

Never had I wanted to visit a cemetary as much as the one he has described here.

Dear......

It is 3000 yen per person for a night, and I would like to inform you
about the location of the guesthouse.


There is something I have to inform you before you make your booking.
It is about a small cemetery which is located at the entrance of the
guesthouse. Because the guesthouse is right in the heart of Gion, there
are a lot of temples as well as cemeteries. And the guesthouse's stood
nearby one of the temples. That's why there is a cemetery for monks over
the fence at the entrance of the guesthouse.


I was worried that poeple from China, perhaps, would not like staying
such a place for the cultural reason. So I thought I must inform you
about it now.

In Japan, people visit temples and shrines as well as cemeteries to pay
their respects to their ancestors and dead. Those places are very
special places where people can find the connection to the past and to
the people they still love after they passed away. I always take those
places as sacred.

However, a different culture has a different point of view to it. So I
understand how other people might feel about it. (If only more people would see it from this perspective. Case in point: Han vs. Tibetan people. To clarify, I wanted to highlight that some Han viewed Tibetans as living off their taxes and being unhygenic due to cultural differences towards bathing. It is just one of the stereotypes that perpetuates through time and causes deep segregation. This is just an example on hand, other cases in China would also involve the treatment of Xinjiang people as well.)


Kind Regards,


Yashi

IchiEnSou guesthouse Kyoto

High or Unfair expectations?

...to give 5 working days to write a report consisting of 10 focus groups

...most likely needing to put in 2 consecutive weekends

...for someone junior, that is still struggling to write a full report

...and she has a child.

High or Unfair expectations?

Blackout of Tibet news

For a moment I thought it was the work of shitty chinese hotels and their shoddy satellites that caused a sudden blackout during the broadcast of Tibetan riot. When CNN drew parallel of China's reactions with Tiananmen situation the blackout happened again! Horrible!

Feeling very disco-ey today wearing silver flats and blue stockings : )

Green yet intuitive

I think these designs are not just about being eco-friendly but about a refreshing and simple way to think about how we use ordinary objects around us.

This notepad-post it idea must have many people declaring "I was thinking about that too! Well, sorta.."

via Yanko design

Actually people are more resourceful than they think they are. In Singapore, I was observing how hawker centres dealt with not having ash trays at dominantly non-smoking areas and by re-using condensed milk/ soda cans. So innovative, yet missed so easily.

She almost became a child prodigy

To think if S was born a day later...

Happy Birthday my friend!

Via indexed

And so it ends here...after two years

I finally told WL that maybe she should move out in July when Dad comes. There are many reasons and considerations and I struggled for a long time. At one point, I almost felt I was abandoning her and being selfish about my decision.

One of the main considerations that started the whole train of thought was just complete exhaustion and lack of time control over my job. In December, it got so bad I wanted to quit at an appropriate time but I could not afford to lose my rental money (paid for by the company). It reminded me about an article a few years ago I had read about tying yourself down financially when downsizing would most likely make you more flexible. You can quit or change jobs without worrying about status quo because there will not be financial repercussions. And I need the flexibility to do that now. After discussing with DL, we may move to a smaller apartment next year.

Other consideration is dad coming over in July, we were just spending so many weekends sourcing 2nd hand furniture (to minimize consumption) which we have to get rid off when we move. Just doesn't make sense to invest so much when we already do have a room. The third room is just nice to have when my dad listens to opera in the living room heh...he says he'll be quiet but it will not be comfortable for him either if he needs to adapt to us too much. I don't want that.

Of course we have an our housemate irritations but all in all has been after all two great years, not an easy decision to make.

We were going to tell her only at the end of the year because our lease expires mid next year. Coincidentally, another friend J was looking for an apartment. J will not live in a shitty place, so I was happy and relieved when recommending her to ask WL; much earlier than anticipated. (Note: personally, I think it is challenging to find a non-shitty place e.g. walls peeling, yellow stained bathroom with good location with 1500RMB budget). Yesterday, J mentioned to me they found a fairly newly decorated place but WL was hesitating. Again, after much to-ing and fro-ing with DL (are we influencing too much, but she has a choice...etc.), he advised me to reveal our intentions to her earlier than planned. After all, what are the chances half a year down the road to find a non-shitty place, in a good location within budget, half a year before expo starts? No idea, not that I'm a negativist, but not so good I think.

Anyway, the most important thing is to explain all this to WL before we leave to Beijing this weekend. Although I don't owe her an explanation, it's just the right thing to do and let her know it's not been an easy decision. Really it hasn't been.