"A Beautiful Mess" - Jason Mraz

This post is not for one person in particular, does not apply to one event solely and does not need to be taken in any one particular way. The words hit me like a pain in my chest every time I listen to this beautiful song and I know there are some very special people in my life who, at this particular moment in time, can relate to some or all of what these lyrics have to say.

You've got the best of both worlds
You're the kind of girl who can take down a man,
And lift him back up again
You are strong but you're needy,
Humble but you're greedy
And based on your body language,
And shoddy cursive I've been reading
Your style is quite selective,
though your mind is rather reckless
Well I guess it just suggests that this is just what happiness is

Hey, what a beautiful mess this is
It's like picking up trash in dresses

Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you write
Kind of turn themselves into knives
And don't mind my nerve you could call it fiction
But I like being submerged in your contradictions dear
'Cause here we are, here we are

Although you were biased I love your advice
Your comebacks they're quick
And probably have to do with your insecurities
There's no shame in being crazy,
Depending on how you take these
Words I'm paraphrasing this relationship we're staging

And what a beautiful mess,
yes it isIt's like picking up trash in dresses

Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you say
Kind of turn themselves into blades
And the kind and courteous is a life I've heard
But it's nice to say that we played in the dirt
Cause here, here we are, Here we are, Here we are
We're still here

What a beautiful mess, this is
It's like taking a guess when the only answer is "Yes"

Through, timeless words and priceless pictures
We'll fly like birds not of this earth
And tides they turn and hearts disfigure
But that's no concern when we're wounded together
And we, tore our dresses and stained our shirts
But its nice today.
Oh the way it was so worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD9iDZHrQjw

...don't forget your raincoat. you know who you all are and i love you xx

I am sitting in bed with bronchitis...forced to stay here until my lungs choose to rid themselves of viral infection :( BUT! This time has caused me to finally nut out those contradictions I've been pondering for so long; the puzzling dichotomies that make Japanese culture so very intriguing to me...

1. You may hurk mucas and phlegm up noisily from the back of your throat and nose in company, but blowing your nose with a tissue or handkerchief in public is seen as extremely rude.

2. It is common practise to push and push copious amounts of people onto an already full train so that you are pushed up against strangers in their personal space, but the whole carriage will stare you down dissapprovingly if you're drinking take-away starbucks.

3. Showing cleavage is immodest, yet 12-year-olds wearing thigh-high socks and mini-shorts is normal.

4. I cannot wear only a leotard and bloomers in my breaks in my dressing room (I have to cover up), yet if I bathed naked in public baths nobody would blink an eyelid.

5. Rushing business-men will get angry at you if you don't move the LEFT of any escalator for them to get past (it is a strict written and unwritten rule), yet there are no rules when it comes to bicycle and pedestrian traffic; it's a game of chicken every time you find yourself riding towards one of the hundreds of daily bicycle commuters!

6. I find it so very difficult to know how to dress for the weather; I am either too hot, too cold or unprepared for a sudden downpour - The Japanese seem always to be wearing the same thing but are never hot and sweaty, never shivering from cold, and ALWAYS seem to know to have an umbrella when it's going to rain!

7. As I understand, in Japanese culture respect and care for older people is very important...so why do really old people have to work being cleaners, weed pullers and bike babysitters?!

8. AND FINALLY...I have never come across more bakeries full of sugary cream buns and garlic breads, ice-cream shops selling cream and custard-filled crepes, sellers of orange-looking deep-fried suprises, fatty meats, gelatonous sauces and sugary snacks...SO WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE ALL SO TINY???????!!!!!!!!!!!

These are the things that I think about when I'm in bed trying to heal my bronchial tubes.

Don't forget your raincoat...the Japanese never do!

xx

Goodmorning. I woke up today to a rain-spattered window and cold feet! The first time since being here that I have actually been cold inside my little room...a significant milestone for me! It is apparently currently 16 degrees and the forecast is for rain all day, although I won't even notice for the most part. Sitting in a my cave in a shell with a heater on I only know from the soggy raincoats and "aren't you cold?" questions that perhaps it's not the most pleasant of days! My secret hideaway is cosy, but I've been hidden away there a lot this week and am getting a touch of cabin fever I think. The sound of my own voice is getting old and walking is seeming increasingly like a rare luxury! However, I shall soldier on and brave the wet raincoats, crowded trains, umbrella pokes and frizzy hair until I reach my cocoon of familiar, albeit repititious, comfort from which I will dutifully produce magical moments to warm the hearts of those rainsoaked souls who venture into the water.

Don't forget your raincoat...and your umbrella, rainboots and scarf! xx

"The magic is as wide as a smile and as narrow as a wink, loud as laughter and quiet as a tear, tall as a tale and deep as emotion. So strong, it can lift the spirit. So gentle, it can touch the heart. It is the magic that begins the happily ever after."

...don't forget your raincoat...

Eating cornflakes in bed at 10:44pm I find myself oddly happy on my own and resigned to the fact that tomorrow is another day just like the last. This thought, however, is not a pessimistic one, and hasn't come about due to any lack of inspiration or change...no, it's just a feeling that's nice to have sometimes when you're eating cereal in bed at 10:44pm; happiness.

I am, meanwhile, finding myself falling back in love with the phenomenon that can only be understood after one spends time living everyday life in this profoundly perplexing place. It is found in moments when you will hear me say "only in Japan!" Nowhere else have I witnnessed the dichotomy that presents itself to me daily here - a fascinating intertwining of innocence and experience; seriousness and childishness; ignorance and knowledge; sense and nonsense!

There is so much more to be said, but I'll leave it there so as not to spoil my calm sense of cornflake-fuelled contentment with tiredness.

Goodnight, speak soon, take your coat xx

"I still believe in paradise, but now I know it’s not some place you can look for. It’s not where you go, it’s how you feel for a moment in your life when you’re a part of something. And if you find that moment, it lasts forever."

Don't forget your raincoat xx

"Have you ever seen anything so wonderful in your life?" - Ariel, Walt Disney's The Little Mermaid

You can never get that true feeling of pure childhood joy back once you know its exists; the truth is that once you recognise it exists, it's already gone. You can, however, catch a glimpse of it in something, something that reminds you of that innocent time when magic was real and fairies flew.

I got it back the other day. It crept up the back of my neck as I sat in a flying pirate ship with London 'passing by' beneath me. The moment passed; my somewhat 'jaded' 21-year-old mind refused to suspend the feeling longer than a few seconds. I bought a coffee and complained about my sore feet.

I still remember that tingle though, even the most cynical person couldn't really admit to themselves that they hadn't felt it. So i promise myself that I'll keep it as a reminder of the power of wonder and the magic of innocence - getting it is a joy, but being able to give it is truly a gift.

Don't forget your raincoat when you go swimming (unless you're a mermaid!) xx

"Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant."

...so it sounds pretty harmless right? One would assume that a beverage derived from a bean would be an inconsequential, natural concoction...no?

"It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil."

...herein lies our first clue. Why is the world spending almost as much on these little beans as they are on oil? Coffee isn't an energy-sustaining fuel...??

"Due to its caffeine content, coffee can have a stimulating effect in humans..."

...ah but it DOES fuel us. An 'oil' for the body, the 'rocket fuel' of the weary, the saviour of the sleep-deprived, the kick-starter of our engines...But is that all? Surely not...

"Coffee has played an important role in many societies throughout history. In Africa and Yemen, it was used in religious ceremonies."

...ok so it was once part of religious ritual, even banned in some denominations...But is that why I ritualistically crawl out of bed every day to brew my morning cup before all else? I don't think religious sentiment is on my mind as I stumble for my Lavazza...

"The Harvard School of Public Health state that "the overall balance of risks and benefits [of coffee consumption] are on the side of benefits." Various other studies have shown apparent reductions in the risks of Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Heart Disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, cirrhosis of the liver Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease and gout."

...so is the reason we have 16,120 Starbucks stores in 49 countries across the world? Do i spend almost half my grocery money on Italian imported coffee at the international supermarket in Japan in an attempt to ward of gout?...I think not!

...humans have fallen in love with this 'drink of the gods.' There is something inexplicable about the pleasure found in the 'wine of the bean' that makes it rich with an almost mystical air. It is the aroma, taste, medicinal properties, physical effects and ritualistic consumption traditions of coffee that have turned this humble beverage into the global phenomenon it is today...

...and for those who are not yet citizens of the coffee world, I pity thee!

"No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee's frothy goodness."

~Sheik Abd-al-Kadir

Don't forget your raincoat if you go swimming (after your morning coffee that is!) xx

Sources: http://www.wikepedia.com/, www.google.com/images, http://www.quotegarden.com/

Th sky's bigger than you ever thought it was and the lights can shine even bright if you ask them to. Hours can last longer than their minutes and all the things you thought were barriers can dissipate if you only dare to imagine they can.

Don't forget your raincoat xx

Drift (verb): to be carried along by currents of water or air, or by the force of circumstances.

I'm not drifting, but I feel right now that perhaps life around me is, and that I'm merely being pulled along. The city lives, works, plays and sleeps all around me just the same as if I wasn't here. I've been scooped up my the ever- moving tide and it's taking me along for the ride, I feel a bit like a passenger rather than the driver. I think a certain lifestyle can do that to you, and it's not necessarily something negative or deliberately entered into. I think maybe sometimes you need to sit back and enjoy the ride, but at the same time you can't stay permanently passive in your own life. Passivity makes for dull souls yet speed and tunnel-vision makes for a half-lived life.

That's enough to dwell on for tonight...

Don't forget your raincoat if you go swimming xx