Whoa

A more than 10 years hiatus on a blog :) Life has drastically changed since then, for the better hopefully.

Technically not in Tokyo

I just realized that this blog title may be wrong actually. You see, I don't actually live inside Tokyo, but on the outskirt of Tokyo, next to the great city. It is part of Kanagawa prefecture. Nevertheless, I consider it part of living in Tokyo, since the vibe of the city can still be felt in my area, the city vibe I mean.

The scope of this city is amazing actually, 14 million people toiling everyday in and around it. A metropolis in the truest sense indeed.

Go Where True Love Goes

New Year, hope for newly rekindred soul.....
Humbly request Your kindness for istiqamah, keep me going on in this world
Let my Buhul remain strong, extend Your helping hands to this weak soul
Long is my Err
Short is my Deed
Only Mercy saves me from the Unbearable Heat
I know that, I know that.

Detail, Detail and Detail

I suppose I will not make excuses anymore for the lack of update on this blog. Too many thoughts are stored inside my head and I am not inclined to put them in writing for whatever reasons.

For today I would like to mention about my observation living in Japan. If there is one thing that taught me a great deal about Japan and its people, it is the idea of extreme control and detail orientation. Let me elaborate it by giving some clear examples, I hope you, dear readers (wonder if anyone is reading this :P), will be convinced.

The first one is bonsai, an ancient art in plant's (even animals?) miniaturization. People spend years and years ensuring that the plants stay small, not only that, but the direction where the branches to go is also controlled to such a degree, the tree would actually grow in the direction that the artist wishes it to go. The next one is the art of flower arrangement, ikebana. I am not sure if the real meaning of the flower arrangement is lost amongst the arrangers, but there are reams of manuals explaining how the angle of the flowers should stand up, ensuring certain flowers to match with exact type of other flowers. It again demonstrates extreme control and mechanism which to me is a bit mindboggling.

Only two examples above, but I hope it gives a little clear understanding what I am talking about with regard to attentation to details and control in Japan. Why is this important? Well, I really think that these two attitudes are ingrained in most of Japanese and it is very much existing at my work place.

Being Indonesian, this is surely a thing or two that needs to be learned on paying more attention to details. As far as exercising extreme control, I guess it is good to a certain degree, however, I am not too clear yet on how to expand this idea....

Wisdom...Where Art Thou?

It would appear to me that just as truth with capital T, wisdom is one hard thing to come by for me. I don't wish to define what wisdom is, but would rather associate it with a certain behaviour that exhume understanding, calmness, patience, empathy, moral clarity, and all other qualities generally considered "good" to have in a person.

Arrgh, here I go again, talking about weird stuff, heheheheee. Well, I am going to stop continuing about the above..Here it is, a layer in the sky on the horizon, taken from high above....Enjoy the tranquility....

Backward Weather

This has got to be the weirdest weather I have been into since coming to this country, some three years ago. It is as if Winter is just beginning somehow. There was a slight snow falling down this morning, and the wind right now is definitely chilly than usual.

Global warming? Global cooling? Whatever really, but one thing for sure, this year is the weather has been quite unusual, what with warmer than usual temperature and all. Has nature finally decided to hit back at us, for us being so presumptous? Hope we can survive this.....

Excuse for Hiatus

This has been the longest period for me for not updating this blog, I apologize for that. I have another blog, although invite only, for my daughter and it has been that blog that took most of my attention all the past year :P

As for this blog, well, I plan to continue but I have decided to probably be more "down to earth" with my observations, and do my best to avoid going heavy on ethereal topics, mostly mindless talks.

Until then, off to the journey again!