五年了, 却不像五年

I remember when I was a child, commercials back then were flatly cliche and barely sensational. Nuances were redundant and it was needless to guess what the commercial was trying to market across.


One of them however, was different.


A couple held hands of their child, was strolling by the beach in a gorgeous sunset. It was a scene of happiness, closed with a line ' 五年了, 却不像五年' . If you don't read Chinese, it means, ' it doesn't feel like 5 years have passed '.


Little I understood what a diamond ring has to do with 5 years of marriage bliss, but the picture of happiness etched on my mind for a very long time.

Come 1st May, Bear and I will be married for 5 years. =)

We're thankful to God for blessing of much good times, and helping us weather the not so good ones too. By His amazing grace, 5 wonderful years have passed.

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There will be a simple celebration. We're not spending it by the beach, and we have yet held hands of our little one.

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We may have little, but we have so much.

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五年了, 却不像五年. =)

And we're praying for many many more beautiful years to come. Amen.

P/S : Japan is having Golden Week holiday starting tomorrow! Yippee!

A dose of Spring

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An inviting blue stretched over the weekend's skies, mocking sleepyheads and lazy feet.

It's Spring! There's no better time to sniff the flowers and feel the breeze. =)









Bear has been working hard lately, his brows creased even when asleep. A restorative dose of Spring is what we need. Crisp air, melodies of cheery larks, joyful scent that lingers everywhere.




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These days, much has taken an unforeseen turn, but we're grateful that God is in control. The Sunday message was especially dear to my heart, and I'm all empowered to support the Bear as we move on.




Since when I wonder, Bear is into bees, ladybugs and singing larks, stuff I center on much. He spotted the darling above, but I let him down with the sloppy captures.


C'mon, the fella was fast! A sheepish grin was all I atoned with. Heheh! Let's hope he's not picking this up from me. =P.

Sakura has bloomed

Yes! Sakura ( Cherry Blossom ) has finally bloomed in Nagano over the weekend, thus declared the official arrival of Spring. =)




We were absolutely busy, actually. Tons of agendas to attend to, hardly any chance to slip off for a decent breather. Just some shots in between car rides.
















Gosh, we so want all the stuff to be done, so that we can relax and enjoy Spring better. A short walk under the blossom shelter was all we could afford.

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We weren't too grouchy anyway. These days Spring is good at topping dessert with my favourite fruit.

Yum... we feel all better. =P

Let it be a good Spring

Anybody read the news?

First, we had missile whoosed over our heads from North Korea during the weekend. GULP. Schedule of second launch is yet known, but hopefully, it'll be a success like the first one.

Just what am I talking about?? What am I supposed to hope for then?

Then, we've just learnt yesterday about the sad earthquake in Italy. I'm worried sick to stomach as a blogger friend who stays in the vicinity may probably be affected!! Let's hope that Silvia and her loved ones are ok...

This isn't a good time for rosy talks and stuff, but we all need some anti-depressants admist not too happy times. Here's sending a piece of Spring your way...

I love watching buds. I mean, they imply the start of promising blooms, huge joy bursting from puny buds! Aren't they amazing? =D

Here goes my favourite below, delicate darlings.

Let's hope that it'll be a good Spring for all. World peace, and God bless.

Spring's here

Love the frilly layers.

Super Heroine

Sometimes, don't we just need a super hero in real life to look up to?

Someone who is less than deity, and makes dreams believable again. Someone who dances drama of fall and success in flesh like yours and mine.

Someone who isn't influential enough to spin the world, pounce like Spiderman, or dress like Batman. Or maybe, this someone does. My super heroine spins on ice, flips in midair and dresses in outrageously dazzling outfits while revealing matching undies!!

18 year-old South Korean, Yuna Kim may not be the most formidable athlete I've known for the past 15 years of figure skating sports history.

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The self-claimed untalented, is ballet-non-trained, has no particularly unique feat under her belt, but she conquers the ice with a down-to earth personality and earned my deep admiration since 3 years ago.

Young Yuna understands that everyone is worthy of being her rival, but the worst rival is in herself. Her goal is to perfect her powerful jumps and beautiful executions, to be remembered as a good skater by many, rather than bagging medals home.

Yet, the perfectionist contradicted herself, by fetching numerous golds while ascending the throne as Queen in her peoples' hearts. Superstar Yuna not only skates. She struts on runways, appears in commercials, sings on tv shows, displays politician potential by propelling organisations, and boldly chided unethical media sources at pony-tailed-16!

However, she didn't astound me with the mentioned above.

Yuna still donates a huge fraction of her earnings to organisations and needy sportsmen, as she didn't forget how she was almost forced to give up skating because of fund shortage. She offers coaching to young skaters whenever she finds a breather from tight training schedule. Shows no contempt of other good skaters while dilligently correcting her faulty footwork.

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A noble athlete, steadfast worker, humble acheiver, and philanthropist.

Last weekend, my super heroine stepped up the podium as the World Champion for the first time in her skating career. It was the first time I saw Yuna shed uncontrollable tears.

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So, super heros cry too. Super heros pick themselves up several times too. Super heros put in time and constant effort though they may not always win without fail. And aren't super heros a lot like us in a way? And maybe, there's this little hero concealed in everyone of us?

Since the demise of Princess of Wales, Diana, Mother Teresa and Audrey Hepburn, I've been looking for an inspiring icon that represents feminine strength and internal beauty. Someone who's a fighter, generous and modest. I'm delighted at this young super heroine who's going to wow me for years to come. It thrills me just to know that she'sb constantly renewing herself as a dignified accomplisher, but not just another contender to win the prize.

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It's nice to have a super heroine to look up to. I hope that you have one too, or maybe, your super heroine lies in you. =)

Saffron rice with crab flesh topping

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For unexplainable reasons, I crave for 'X', 'Y'/'Z' occassionally. Dontcha? Sometimes, it gets so severe that I even dream about it.

For instance, I dreamt about catching 7 massive crabs with bare hands the other day! Haha! =D

And it's only instinctual, that I succumb to my craving whenever possible. Like a week ago when Japan was having a long weekend, Bear took me to a fancy Italian/Western restaurant in a neighbouring prefecture.

I was totally elated to find a crab dish on the menu! The description read : A platter of rice with topping of extravagant crab flesh and mushroom.





Duh... but my anticipation nosedived. I obviously forgot that most restaurants here provide moderate or miserable ingredients. I squinted hard... The platter was nothing like a crab galore (~~), it was more like a plate of crap, and a rather pricey one. As Bear footed the bill ungrudgingly, he explained the tyranny of economy depression, and that we ought to give thanks for food at bad times like such.

He's beary right, but my disappointment wasn't soothed right there. Suddenly, it dawned on me that Japan has fresh crab flesh for sashimi almost around the year! So I was all ready to roll my sleeves to gratify my gluttony nature. ;P





And believe me, the preparation is dead easy! Pleasantly satisfying and almost instant to prepare. =P



No concrete measurements here. I prepared saffron rice for two. A handful of Bunashimeji mushroom, and Enoki mushroom cut in short strips, saute with olive oil, finish with soy sauce and little white wine to make a truly wet mass. Chop spring onions, cut Perilla leaves in strips and put aside.



Scoop saffron rice on plate, sprinkle chopped spring onions. Spread the crab flesh, then mushroom mixture over. Generous portion of seaweed strips, with stripped Perilla leaves topped above. To finish, half a slice of 10gram butter and place on both sides. Serve while rice is hot!





And TALA, the effort paid off, almost effortlessly. Almost like the real deal if not for the absence of a sizzling hot plate. But who needs a hot plate, when I can have all the crab flesh I want? =P Bear has already demanded repetition, while I contemplated on buttered prawn or scallop to go along the next time. =)

Inhaling Spring

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At last... kissed by the breeze of Spring.





I wish you could hear how the birds sing. =) We're having skies bluer than usual these days. With occasional showers that must have delighted what's lying deep beneath.

And a climate that colors me happy. Time to don my new spring coat, I'm all revived!

Spring definitely excites me. For starters, we're greeted by the scent of plum blossoms. =)











The endearing charm of this season can't be defined solely by blossoms. Spring promises some most delicious fruits, vegetables and Japanese snacks. Experiencing spring feels like undoing a huge basket of goodies, with its wrapping all too pretty to upset!






Joy of all joys, my best pal here has given birth during this beautiful season, yesterday!! I simply can't wait to visit her and her first newborn that moved me to happy tears. =))







There must be more joy on the way! =D Yeah, and I'll be taking time to relish my favourite season. =)