Loving yourself is the Best Gift to Others

Today's title in "A Year of Living Consciously"

"On the surface it might sound like loving yourself is a selfish act, but it is actually the ultimate act of selfless giving....One moment of genuine self-love can result in a lifetime of compassionate contribution to others.

One of my friends, a yoga teacher and single parent with several children, told me, "If I take a few minutes in meditation each day to resonate with myself, I can do things all day with and for my kids. But if I don't take a little time for me each day, I end up feeling resentful about all the demands they make."

-Conscious Living Practice for today-

Take five or ten minutes to yourself today. Don't do anything, just sit and be. Appreciate yourself for simply being you. Realize: If I don't take wonderful care of myself, who will?

(Excerpt from A Year of Living Consciously by Gay Hendricks)

I am blessed with Merlyn to take care of my kids and my household chores. The house is cleaned, the kids are fed when I wake up. I could smell the coffee brewing when I get out of bed. This is heaven.

A week into her 3 weeks holiday back home in May last year, I almost went crazy with the things I had to do before I could enjoy my morning coffee. First, feeding the kids with their appropriate food, dog with dog food, cat with cat's, bird with bird's. Then comes the cleaning of their you-know-what. The point is, it totally broke my most important morning ritual of enjoying 2 cups of hot coffee first thing in the morning.

I was moody and I was impatient with the kids. I felt that I had no space and they were "asking" for too much, as if they could "talk". As I re-read this entry again with the calmness of Merlyn here taking care of everything, I could totally relate to the importance of having some time to yourself.

I guess the quote from Lucille Ball sums it all up, "I have an everyday religion that works for me. Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line."

Freedom Moon

I have been an avid supporter of the Animals Asia Foundation for a couple of years now. I was so excited to get this book in the mail. The proceeds of the book will go directly to the moon bear funds.

It is thrilling and heart warming to see the bears thrive after so many years of being abused. Some more fortunate bears get to live out in the sanctuary, finally free, feeling the sun and grass, playing and getting proper nourishment and medical attention.

Some unfortunate bears never get to set foot on the grass, and have died after arrving briefly at the sanctuary. I was outraged to see the tortured images and it made me want to do more for them besides supporting the foundation. I want to spread the word, my righteous indignation at the humans who would torture animals for profit. I hope that more bears will be saved and this horrendous practice of bear farming will end once and for all.

Hooray to the team at Animals Asia for their tireless efforts in freeing the bears!!

Noka Chocolates

One piece of Noka Chocolate, price tag US$10....


The Gift Box....

The chocolate ice cream/sorbet is 3000yen....

The jewel-like display of Noka Chocolates.....

I am not a big chocolate fan, but an occasional chocolate mousse cake or a creamy hot chocolate is nice. Sometimes, I would splurge on my sweet tooth, and a Godiva or a Cova truffle would nicely satisfy me. I consider them luxury items coz one piece of truffle is pretty pricey.

Well, imagine my surprise when I walked into the Noka Chocolate Store in MidTown. The chocolates were framed by a backlight, so they somehow looked mysterious. There weren't a lot of choices, only 4 flavors to choose from, but the price tag was what made me go "whoa!!"

One tiny piece of chocolate costs US$10 and it's the size of a piece you break from a Cadbury bar!! I got so curious that I actually bought the one piece. The lady explained the reason behind the exotic price was that there's an initial taste, and an after taste that would linger in your mouth. Ok...

I tried it on my train ride from the onsen in Hakone back to Shinjuku. Maybe I was expecting too much. Indeed there were flavors described by the lady, but the taste certainly didn't linger long. 2 minutes of indulgence came with a US$10 price tag!! Luckily I wasn't sold to buy the 3000 yen ice cream!!

Takashimaya

This is the florist in Takashimaya, Shinjuku. I have very fond memories of the Takashimaya in New York. It is one of my favorite stores on Fifth Avenue. I was told that the store in Japan was not the same elegant one in New York, more like Daimaru.

Well, after visiting the store in Shinjuku, I must admit that the Takashimaya in New York is much more chic. However, one aspect is similar, that of the spectacular florist. The fragrance travels and the scents of the flowers are just heavenly.

Tokyo MidTown

Tokyo MidTown.....


Aoki Parisienne Cafe Entrance.....

The interior of the cafe.....

The Dessert Display with Calla Lilies is a nice touch....

My order of cappuccino....

The Tea Set Display at the cafe, they are models....

Tea Set Display, again, they are models....

My favorite place in my Japan trip is visiting Tokyo MidTown. The subway exit goes directly into MidTown, so you don't have to get out into the cold to get there. Aside from brand name shops and specialty stores, there is this nice cafe that I went.

The entrance looked more like a jewelry store than a cafe. Tall vases of white calla lilies sat atop tall displays of all kinds of sweets imaginable, from cookies, chocolates to cakes and pastries. The display is certainly a feast for the eyes. When my order of cappuccino arrived, the foam came as a heart shaped design. It looked so nice I didn't want to dip my spoon into it and stir.

The whole ambience and presentation gave the impression that the food and drinks were to be appreciated as gems in their own right. I guess this is the best representation of appreciation with all your senses, visual, smell and taste.

Meeting Leigh

The trip to Japan has been a whirlwind. I have never walked so much in my entire life, and it's non-stop walking for 4 days!!

I am so happy to be able to meet up with Leigh and Pascale on the day before I left. We had drinks at the Bulgari Cafe and Pascale treated us. :)

Leigh is adorable and with her ponytails and pink boots she is just too cute in person. Here is a picture of us.

I am still sleeping round the clock and napping between my readings to catch up on my zzz. Boy, am I tired!! All the same, I am happy to have experienced so many things on this trip. When I had my fill of zzz, I will write about it!! Ciao!!!

Japan

I am off to Japan for a week. Porky is not pleased at all to see me packing. Usually, when I take a shower at night, he would go to sleep in my room. Not last night though!! He was at the door guarding the exit!! He has had experience of me going on trips and he knows what a luggage means!! Awe.....I miss my snoring P already!!

Can't wait to see Pascale and Leigh Leigh!! Here comes auntie Bonnie!!