It's good to be back HOME!

There's nowhere like home!!

In total, I think I have five hometowns: Tian Mu (Tapei), Dorval (Montreal), Shinchon (Seoul), Burnaby (BC), and finally Dazaifu (Fukuoka).

All these places I've spent some of my best years, and if home is really where the heart is then there is no doubt that these cities will remain as they are in my memories, my heart!

Just a few days ago, I met up with my co-worker/teacher's brother from Dazaifu.

We spent a few hours chatting in Starbucks, just chatting away about what we had in common: our 地元/hometown!

One day I will stop writing and whining about how much I miss Dazaifu, but I know I will always have somewhere to call 'home' and can gladly shout: 『ただいま！！』

New friend from home: Su-kun! 

The whole afternoon was cloudy and looked as though it'd start pouring down rain like crazy, but on our way to English Bay, the Sun surprised us and made me fall in love with Vancouver all over again.

And one of the good things about being at home is that I can finally brush up on my Chess skills again!

CHECK.......

... out the Self-Taught chess champion and the Chess Camp Geek of the Year!

Mr. Gloop seriously contemplating his next move.

And the result?

CHECK......

...out the TIE.

Our kings met face to face (well, kind of)- and well, Og finally gave in knowing that he can't beat his scary older sister... >=)

Finally, a second good thing about being back home is...

Playing dress-up with Jo, my teenage (when did this happen??) sister.

I wore my mom's Qi-Pao and caused a tear at the side of the dress. 

It was either I was getting fat or she was really tiny.

Soon, you'll get to wear that Qi Pao, too, Jo!

And I'll roll on the ground, laughing, when you crack that dress open!

HAHA.

5 years later.... it won't be that long, nor as slow as we think, eh?

Thoughts on 300

I saw 300 a couple of days ago with my dad and brother, and...

I really liked it.

I have to admit, I never turn down an epic film, and usually enjoyed watching most of them - and this recent one has just made it to the top of my list, alongside with Gladiator (Oh, and of course, the LOR trilogy).

Historical epic for me is a blast - even with all the gory violence - I take it pretty well (with girly gasps and the view blocking with the aid of a pillow), I think.. But when it comes to war movies set in modern times, I'm always mortified by the shooting/fighting scenes, because it's just too close to the present reality. 

But... getting back to the point.... 300! 

What an awesome movie. 

(Another thing worth mentioning is that it was shot in a studio in Montreal..! Yes, I'm a proud Montrealer and changing my residency to B.C. doesn't change a darn thing)

 

One of the most memorable scenes for me was when Xerxes was persuading the deformed 'Hunchback' soldier from Sparta to join the Persian ''dark'' force, luring him in with status and sexual lust, things out of the reach for him as an outcast.

''Unlike the cruel Leonidas, who demanded that you stand, I require only that you kneel.''

This line jumped out at me and I just had to make a personal interpretation out of this, a bit biblically.

My take on this is that Xerxes kind of represents the World and all its power, desire and material goods that it has to offer. It 'only' requires us to kneel - to yield, to give in and eventually crumble to pieces at Its feet as we find ourselves incapable of perceiving anything beyond that, spiritually blinded. But if we choose to 'struggle' and 'stand' (in spite of our 'hunchbacks', caused by burdens that we have to carry), in spite of the pain and suffering we must go through to get to that glorious posture, we will please our King and win the battle in His name. 

Well, I guess movies are like this. The second it's out, projected unto the screen to millions and millions of spectators, it is bound to produce just as many different interpretations. And this is just what I got out of the movie.

Of course, it's just part of the reason why I enjoyed this movie so much... 

My vocabulary is too poor to describe all the spectacular fighting scenes that goes on in 300.

...The next movies I'll be looking forward to are 'Battle at Red Cliff' and 'Tekken'.

Takao Ando 安藤 忠雄

When I was in Taiwan in March, I was eating breakfast while flipping through the morning paper and came across a whole section on a famous Japanese architect---Andou Takao. What kept me reading was a picture of a church that he had built in Osaka, called the Church of Light. And I'm sure no better name could've been chosen for this church. Its main theme is based on shade and light, with concrete taking on the first role, and a window shaped in the form of the cross as the latter. 

... I'm horrible at architectural description.

Here are some visual aids:

(This is his other church in Hokkaido - thx to Hiukei for pointing that out!)

What an amazing sight...! 

To friends who are making traveling plans to Japan.... visit Osaka and go to this church!!

十七ーnow

最近昔のこと思い出すよね。
十七歳ぐらい時かな？
いろいろあって、成長して、コウカイもして、願いことも叶ったり、シッパイしたり．．．

素直にいられない時は、やっぱり一番残念だった。

昔、昔、多分嬉しかった時、感動した時、満足した時も、次の願いことの期待のせいで、ゆっくり感じられなかった。最高の思いは結局最後に分かった。

．．．かな？

今日は、明日のためじゃなくて、今のために笑顔にいたい。
今は、次の瞬間のためじゃなくて、たった一つのイマのために．．．

もっと、
『揮霍』したい。

놀자!

Gym was always my least favourite subject in school - and with Figure Skating as my only favourite sport for the last 20 something years - I'm not the most active person. Walking is probably my only other exercise I persisted on doing, knowing that all the cakes I consume will probably go up to my cheeks... 

...But!!

I think things have changed since Japan. Biking to work has not only been healthy but enjoyable for the past two years, and playing with my kids during lunch break certainly earns me a good pat in the back for being so energetic even in the hottest and most humid weather I have ever experienced. 

So I made an important decision before coming back to Vancouver... 

SPORTY SPICE TRANSFORMATION!!

(Piki, Flanders - remember our Spice Girl phase? I think we sang songs meant for our ears only during dishwashing after Isaiah - and wasn't 'STOP' a popular one [with moves]?)

So I'm going to take up more sports. 

And so far, I've been playing basketball (oftentimes not shown any mercy from Og - defeated most of the times - but getting there) at least 3 times a week, speedwalking every morning, and just recently played golf and tennis with my dad.

Oh, and also BOXING....

我太小看Wii了。

My arms were sore all over the following day.

And ... TENNIS! 

My shoulders are aching as I'm typing now... But I really enjoyed playing it, and will bug my dad to be my personal coach. 

(Og! I challenge you to a duel! [Mr. Burns' style])

My Daddy aka Tennis King of the World

And...

Recently I've been REALLY enjoying my time in Vancouver, taking things slow... and basically being a fresh tourist here, in one of the best cities in Canada. 

EXPLORING JAPANESE FOOD - ASA SUSHI.... 

(we had the hardest time guessing the owner/waitress' ethnicity!!)

Thanks for the great sushi! and I still need to pay you back... >.<

EXPERIMENTING WEIRD FOOD AT HOME.

Haha... This is my dashingly handsome brother, making a wonderful dish of #)($'")('%#0)`@* with a lovely apron on.

ENJOYING THE BEAUTIFUL SCENERIES IN STANLEY PARK!!

The photographer really knows his timing, eh.... 

THAT'S RIGHT!! More biking! 

(I love biking....)

We rented bikes for two hours and it was GREAT.

If you look closely at the rocks, you'll notice some rocks that are piled up, with the tip of the rock on one another. 

I remember us joking about going down there and poke at the 'standing rocks' for fun... I stopped laughing when the weird guy with the funny hat (the ROCK-PILER) passed us by and gave us a long, stern stare.

And guess what dessert we had...... 

..... It reminds me of RED MANGO.

모고십어!!

Let the fun times continue......

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near." (Philippians 4:4-5)

Ephesus

''To the Church in Ephesus:

''Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.'' (Revelations 2:4-5)

''To the Church in Laodicea:　

''Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'' (Revelations 3:19-22)

＊＊＊＊

I think that the ''First Love'' mentioned in the passage to the Church of Ephesus contains such a powerful message, and it's amazing how differently these words appear to me at different stages of my life.  

I remember first highlighting this in my Bible probably at least 7-8 years ago and trying to understand how this passage meant to me and how I could apply it to my life. And I remember thinking back on my spiritual ups and downs, and identifying the spiritual peak as my ''First Love'' encounters with God.

But now as I read it again, I think that the ''First Love'' must mean this. 

Our First Love should have and have always been with God - and since we are sinful from birth, this bond has been broken and find ourselves disconnected with His Love. The sole purpose of our life is to cling unto the search of our ''First Love'', to get back to the ''height we have fallen'' from. 

I guess it must mean this to me at this stage of my life, since I am not exactly at my spiritual peak and have, frankly, forgotten about my goal in this life. 

Ephesus, is a church that I have built in my heart for a while now and I think God is rebuking me in His own special ways...

この時機がぴったりだね。

そろそろ．．．！

ピキ〜このポストを読んだら私のことー祈ってもらってもいい〜？

3Q!

王菲 and nostalgia

Piki! do you remember our FAYE PHASE? ...
一緒に歌いたいよ！！
マジで会いたい〜〜〜〜〜！！
十月は遅いだね。

笑忘書 - 王菲
曲︰C.Y.KONG
詞︰林夕
編︰C.Y.KONG

沒　沒有蠟燭　就不用勉強慶祝
沒　沒想到答案　就不要尋找題目
沒　沒有退路　那我也不要散步
沒　沒人去仰慕　那我就繼續忙碌

＊來　來　思前想後
差一點忘記了怎麼投訴
來　來　從此以後
不要犯同一個錯誤

＃〔讓我親手〕將　這樣的感觸
寫一封情書　送給我自己　感動的要哭
很久沒哭　不失為天大的幸福

＋〔就好好〕將　這一份禮物
這一封情書　給自己祝福　可以不在乎
才能對別人在乎

有　一點幫助　就可以對誰傾訴
有　一個人保護　就不用自我保護
有　一點滿足　就準備如何結束
有　一點點領悟　就可以往後回顧

啦　從開始哭著嫉妒
變成了笑著羨慕
時間是怎麼樣爬過了我皮膚
只有我自己最清楚

Quick update with pix! 夏天的尾聲～

My very own TITLE at the office! ^0* ~

Touring Downtown Vancouver... 

VANCOUVER ART GALLERY

My pretty Japanese friend, Yoko!

Sushi Roll ... and how does it taste in Canada?

My new friends - first off, 小羅志祥！

Kev﹣弟！

山口智子〜〜！

これからのケーキ仲間だ！

Piki, do you like my new hair? :p