a goal for the next 21 days

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Marjorie

I’m currently in the midst of drafting my post for the tea ceremony experience we had last Sunday. I actually started drafting it last Sunday, wanting to post it right after we got back home. Alas, it’s Saturday already and yet i’m still having trouble uploading the videos. I tried publishing through my iPhone but at some point the App crashed. Now tried it in iMac but the upload rate is somewhere along 1%/5 minutes. Hence I decided to revisit TED while waiting for the first video to load.

Gosh I miss TED! And i’m so glad the talk I ran into has just the humor i needed. Do watch it!

Back when I had my “count thy blessings” post in December, I said that once you did something for 30 days consecutive, you’ll end up having that deed as a habit. From Achor’s talk above, it seems 21 days is all you need. And it isn’t just about making something a habit. It’s about recording three things daily in 21 days to help your mind focus on the positive side of things. For a happier you. For a hopefully more efficient and successful you.

So here’s to a goal of posting 3 things to be grateful for for the day, for the next 21 days! 🙂

And oh, today’s three things?

– thankful for Hubs who was willing to cook lunch while I sleep my head off

– thankful for friends and family with whom I can share what I’m going through, with whom I can ask to help me pray

– thankful for the Mentors I have met so far. Some of them might be out of reach, some whose genius I can only have a glimpse on, some of them I soooo wish to talk to more often, most of them doesn’t have an inkling I consider them my mentor. But at least at some point in my life they’ve touched me and their influence would always help me along the way. Albeit I still really wish for official mentors. 😛

in-laws

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Marjorie

We’re staying over with Hubs’ family for the new year holidays. The past three days had been really interesting and fun that it’s just but right to have this post for them, which I know is not enough to express how thankful I am to them.

As we go drive around for a road trip, my chest swells with thankfulness. We have received a lot of blessings this 2011. But one of the biggest blessings is that Atsushi’s family warmly welcomed me as a new member of the family that leaves me with a feeling of wanting to be a better daughter-in-law because of all the good things they’ve done to me.

Ojichan, Obachan, Otosan, Okasan, Mayumi, ありがとうございました. I’ll do my best to make your son even happier.

Will feature later on the places we’ve been to the last couple of days once I’ve downloaded the photos. Here are some teasers for now.

Free milk from Shionoe (しおのえ), the dairy farm we went to yesterday. Their milk jam is just so delicious!!

A stopover at Osaki no Hana (おさきのはな) in our road trip earlier for this beautiful view.

By the loooong Seto Bridge (せとおはし).

For most part of this evening, we watched videos of when Atsushi and his sister were still kids, with Atsushi as young as four years old (gee that’s almost 28 years ago!). One thing I learned: like how he is as a grown up, hubs was definitely NOT a boring kid as we had tons of laugh with Atsushi’s antics. As Otosan has said, he sure was a comedian. 😀

on albums and baskin robbins

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Marjorie

First day into our vacation and a long-awaited exciting package has arrived already.

Our main album,the black one, must have weighed more than five kilos! Dino and team are just amazing. Someday soon, I’ll try to post some, especially those that looked like paintings.

Had a mall outing with my family-in-law. Dropped by Baskin and Robbins. Love Potion #31 and chocolate mint. Love.

first Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2011 by Marjorie

I’ve read that it takes 30 days of continuously doing something for it to become a habit. And thanks to Jerico’s post-a-day-counting-blessings-idea, I think I have sort of made blogging daily a habit, even during very busy days (although really there’s the mobile blogging that really made things easier. Otherwise, it would have been really tough). To those who have had read my posts, a lot of my count-thy-blessings posts have a lot to do with my husband. But really, who can blame me? 🙂

This evening though, I couldn’t help but cry from happiness and thankfulness, and at an auditorium at that. We attended the yearly mixed Japanese/English (with Spanish and Korean and Filipino languages for the prayers of the faithful) mass held at the auditorium of a Japanese Catholic school in Yamate. Come Communion, those who weren’t baptized yet were of course not allowed to receive the Holy Communion. They are however encouraged to queue and bow their heads to accept the blessings from the priest. Atsushi queued after me. But I wasn’t at all prepared as to the emotions that washed over me when I saw him solemnly bow his head as the priest put his hand over Atsushi’s head and prayed for him. Even now, I feel emotional. Thankful that I married a man who was not only admirable for a lot of reasons, some of which were mentioned from previous blogs. Thankful because he also respects my faith and my religion. His arms around me as we sang the last few carols before the mass ended, it was to my memory one of the happiest Christmas I’ve ever had. This ain’t technically our first christmas together but as husband and wife after the Church wedding and in our new home at that, it was our first. And I must say, it was a great one.

I was craving for hot chocolate but most of the coffee shops we passed by after church were already closed. And then we passed by Union. Bought champagne and some cheese and nuts/seeds to go with it instead. This then composed our Noche Buena. Funny because it wasn’t until today when the need has arisen that we remembered the purchase we made from Celetná Crystal in Prague back in September – delicate lavender champagne flutes.

Earlier, before going to mass, we passed by a show entitled “The Holy Gospel Night Show”. This made me smile. Because it’s another proof that Christmas in Japan is not just about commerce.

Having had started the night with good music, it’s just fitting I think to cap the night with good music as well. Atsushi’s Christmas cover of Kagemaru. 🙂

A Happy Christmas. 🙂

on dates and muji

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Marjorie

Hubs took me out for a movie date this evening. What else! Mission Impossible of course, which proved to be quite interesting and engaging. Go watch now if you haven’t yet.

We have some three hours to spare before the movie started though hence plenty of time to walk around Colette Mare and shop – for more books LOL. Hubs bought his usual number of book purchases while I bought these for the evening.

I bought these books in a matter of five minutes, too short a time for hubs inside Kinukuniya hence I wandered around Colette Mare looking for a stationery box to house our stationeries which are practically scattered about in the house. Wandered towards Muji, located at the basement of Colette Mare. And it made me smile to see this.

Maternity coats. Truly a big help for pregnant women and moms with newborn babies who has to carry their infants around during these cold months.

Here’s another style but I like the first one better.

Before the movie, there’s dinner of course. To celebrate the evening. A romantic chandelier.

And a platter of freshies arrayed beautifully.

On our way home, hyper from all the action in Mission Impossible, we dropped by Family Mart. Decided to purchase this Muji knickknack.

Seeing it wrapped so simply, as is all Muji food products, I didn’t have high expectations on it. But boy we were in for a surprise. Wonder why it is heart shaped as thus?

Frozen strawberry coated with white chocolate. Simply delicious.

Happy evening. Thankful.

Happenstance

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Marjorie

One thing we are really thankful for today. Hubby could have had gone to his department’s bounenkai. But by happenstance he couldn’t. And so by happenstance, he was available to attend another party. For that particular gathering, we are truly thankful. Everything really happens for a reason.

By happenstance also, hubs saw this One Piece lip balm in Family Mart this morning. So cute!!! And even at only 500yen, the detail is very good.

On Chocolate Hill

A chocolatey journey, with Yui!

Tag Archives: count thy blessings