thought of the WeEk (2)

"All the darkness of the world cannot put out the light of one small candle."

Today in Japan, they are eliminating "dementia"

by Peter Whitehouse

Japan is a country full of welcoming people, deep spirit, advanced technology, and many older people and relatively few children. For twenty years I have visited regularly to seek “Eastern” perspectives on aging.

My most recent trip just before Christmas, was undertaken as a visiting professor at St. Luke’s College of Nursing, the premier nursing educational and research institution in Japan and the home of our intergenerational sister program developed by Tomoko Kamei and her colleagues.

I met their almost centenarian leader, Shigeaki Hinohara, who is still trying to reform medical and nursing education while also being a bestselling author on the subject of living well.

In addition to being in Tokyo, I visited Omuta City in the south, one of the cities with the largest proportion of persons over 65 years, where I was hosted by Rumiko Otani, a most wonderful social entrepreneur who has developed some of the best intergenerational education and community care programs to “normalize” the lives of persons with dementia.

As a country-wide project, Japan eliminated the word for dementia, “chihou,” and replaced it will a gentler word “ninchisyo.” This apparently simple word change has led to new ways of responding to the changes of brain aging.

People with “dementia” are thought of more positively as individuals and as members of community, not outcasts. Japan may also be primed to reinvent so-called Alzheimer’s Disease as well.

となりのトトロ, Tonari no Totoro

i loveeeeeeeeeeee totoro !

hehhehe stufftoys.bags.clocks.watches. totorooooooooooo ^__^

tokyo : Ghibli Museum

The Ghibli Museum is the animation and art museum of Miyazaki Hayao's Studio Ghibli, one of Japan's most famous animation studios. They have produced many feature length films with worldwide distribution such as My Neighbor Totoro, Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.

Located in Mitaka, just outside of central Tokyo, the museum is a must-see for fans of the films. The museum itself is whimsically designed in the distinct style of the studio's films, and many of their famous characters are there, including a life-sized robot from Castle in the Sky on the rooftop garden.

The first floor of the museum has a permanent exhibit on the history and techniques of animation as well as a small theater which shows Studio Ghibli shorts that are exclusive to the museum. The films are rotated monthly, and your entrance ticket gets you admission to one viewing.

The second floor houses special exhibits that change yearly. Previous exhibits include Laputa: Castle in the Sky; Pixar Animation Studios (Toy Story, Finding Nemo); and Aardman Studios (Wallace and Gromit). The museum also has a The Straw Hat Cafe, a Catbus children's play area, a rooftop garden and gift shop.

The museum can be reached from Mitaka Station on the JR Chuo Line (15 minutes, 210 yen from Shinjuku Station).

There are shuttle buses from the station to the museum (200 yen one way/300 yen roundtrip, children are half price). A taxi ride costs about 700 yen. Alternatively you can walk in about 20 minutes.

You can also reach the museum from Kichijoji Station, by walking through Inokashira Park for about 20 minutes.

Admission: 1000 yen for adults with discounted prices for children. Hours: Daily 10-18, closed Tuesdays and over the New Year's holidays

Tickets are not sold at the museum and must be purchased in advance; however, they can be bought from either inside or outside of Japan.

Purchasing online:
JTB offers the Ghibli Museum Afternoon guided tour for 6000 yen per person. Online reservation and purchase is possible.

Purchasing from outside of Japan:
Tickets can be bought from overseas offices of JTB. Tickets for a given month go on sale three months in advance on the 1st of the month. You will be given a voucher with a specified entry date printed on it. You can exchange the voucher at the museum for your ticket (passport required) at anytime during your entry day.

Purchasing from within Japan:
Tickets can be bought from Lawson convenience stores within Japan using their Loppi automatic ticket machines. Tickets for a given month go on sale on the 10th of the preceding month. A specific entry date and time slot must be selected when purchasing your ticket. While weekends and school holidays are extremely popular and are often sold out, weekday tickets are easier to get.

ThOugHt of the WeEk

"Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth." —Benjamin Disraeli, British statesman and novelist

Anata ni totte, shin no koufuku towa nan desu ka?

What is true happiness for you?

Polaroids Fun

bday bday wish !

lets wish this 2009 brings us :

Kinokuniya vouchers

Steamboat dinner

Merlinite

Nuummite

Blessings and Abundance from angels and guides

Love and Goodlucks from faeries & elves

Protections and Guidance from totem animals

Cool Yummy Cute Cake !

CoolCOolcOol ^__^

CoOl site !!

stumbled upon this cool site where u can transform your normal photos into a polaroid ! hehehehe its fun and cool indeed ^__^

http://www.poladroid.net/

Spring Cleaning

Something made me go for spring cleanings today and i've change the living room curtains to a brighter color as well, so that the sun's rays could penetrate into the space even when the curtains are drawn, this way it brings forth warmth and hopes into the new year .

I've also got a new bedspread/comforter for the coming new year and its in cool light gold and mint colors so that it brightens up the bedroom and to bring forth refreshing energies for everyday's rest and its also on special so its not ex ! heheheh ^__^

As for the actual cleanings, i'll have to robe in Tom's help to clean the floors and the windows !

A Happy New Year CoolcOoLCoOl !!!

Going Deep

There are times when life urges us to seek more. Small changes to our comfort zone may fail to alleviate any sense of stagnancy or frustration, and we may need to examine our lives and ourselves more deeply to find the right place to start.

Everything we need for success and joy lies within. But so often, life’s debris accumulates, building layers around our core that makes it difficult to access the truth that resides within.

To reach the depth we wish to access, we must dive below these layers to the deepest parts of ourselves.The first layer can be found in our minds.

Our to-do lists and busy work are usually less important than we think, so we must look past them to examine the thoughts that matter most to us.

The next layer can be found in our hearts, where past hurts and disappointments can sometimes cover up our vulnerabilities, as well as the truth of who and what really stirs the love within us.

We can choose to go even deeper – to our center. If we can go beyond anything has affected us to the point that it blocks us at the gut level, we can reconnect with our power, our raw instincts, our organic yeses. Here, at the core, lies our truth.

Our core is our foundation that supports us and what we’d like to build our authentic life upon. When we examine ourselves to these depths, we are able to find what we wish to bring to the surface and what we wish to let go.

When we remember what lies beneath our layers, we can look at what was floating on the surface, causing blocks and pains, and understand the purpose that they served.

Oftentimes, it is the built up debris that causes us to go deeper, so we can search for the truth.

Go deep, live life from your truth within, and watch your innate beauty manifest outward.

Star Quest

This year I have a challenge, a quest: Only you can decide if you’re up to the Test.

When you open your eyes and look all Around,Some things going on might be getting you Down.

What I ask of you is to look deep inside And ask yourself how you’d change the Tide.

How would you like the world to appear? Get really still, and get really clear.

Once you can see how you want it to be Then you my friends change that reality!!!

Reality starts deep in our souls To construct it is merely one of our goals.

Once we have built it, it must be Maintained,

That’s part of the challenge, an ongoing Game.

If we all do contribute to all that we see, We must make a choice how we want Things to be.

So start with yourself and love who you are The next thing you know you’ll be building A star.

The more stars we have, shining their light The more everything will be more than All right.

That is my challenge, my humble request

That we all make a choice to give only our Best.

Whether or not you answer my call, May this beautiful season bring blessings To all.

This was sent to me from Lori Manella a Friend in NC via email It was so beautiful I Wanted to share it with you.

3 quotes for myself

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I've got three quotes for you. I hope you'll
write them out and keep them in a prominent place for the duration of
2009. They'll set the right tone for everything you do. The first is from
psychologist Abraham Maslow: "A musician must make music, an artist
must paint, a poet must write if he is to be ultimately at peace with
himself. What one can be, one must be." The second quote comes from
choreographer Agnes DeMille: "Dance in the body you have." The third is
from historian Gerald Sorin: "When Reb Zusye went to heaven, God didn't
ask him why, in his life on earth, Zusye wasn't Moses, but why he wasn't
even Zusye."

Happy New Year !

In Japan "shogatsu (New Year's holidays)" is a time when everybody takes a few days off to celebrate the arrival of the new year. It is often called "oshogatsu" with the prefix "o" to make it sound polite. Many people who are away from home, return to spend time with their family. Just like Christmas in West, the Japanese are looking forward to "oshogatsu."

Here is the song titled "Oshogatsu."

Mou ikutsu neru to oshogatsu Oshogatsu ni wa tako agete Koma o mawashite asobimashou Hayaku koi koi oshogatsu

もういくつ寝るとお正月

お正月には凧あげて

こまをまわして遊びましょう

早く来い来いお正月
How many more nights to sleep until New Year's Day

In the New Year's holidays, let's fly a kite

Let's play with a spinning top

Come, come quickly, New Year's Day

To prepare for "oshogatsu," everybody gets busy doing a big year-end cleaning (oosouji), setting New Year's decorations (kadomatsu or shimekazari) and preparing New Year's dishes (osechi-ryori).

On New Year's Eve (oomisoka), it is customary to eat "toshikoshi-soba" and wait up to hear the watch-night bell (joya no kane) rung at the temples.
It starts ringing at just before midnight on New Year's Eve and continues into the early hours of New Year's Day, 108 times in all.

According to Buddhism, a human being has 108 troublesome desires. The ringing of the bells is to expel these troublesome desires.

During New year's holidays, most people visit a shrine or a temple (hatsumoude) to pray for health and happiness. The famous shrines or temples get very crowded. Although kimono are not worn in daily life any more, many people wear them on "oshogatsu."

Flying kites (takoage), spinning tops (koma-mawashi) or playing Japanese battledore (hanetsuki) are traditional games for children, though it is now less popular. Children are given "otoshidama" from parents and relatives.

In most cases, it is money placed in special little envelopes (otoshidama-bukuro).
"Kakizome (the first calligraphic writing)" is a traditional event held on January 2nd. People write auspicious words or phrases with a brush.

Elementary schools and junior high schools have "kakizome" competitions annually.

"Hatsuyume" is the first dream of the New Year.

It is said that good dreams are "Ichi-fuji, ni-taka, san-nasubi (Mt. Fuji at the first, hawk at the second, eggplant at the third)."

It is believed that if you have these auspicious dreams, you will have a good year.