Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Back and In Action! What Have I Been Up To?







Finally, after two whole months, my life has gotten back on track and I do so swear that when I say those two months were "hectic" I'm making quite the understatement. I desperately needed the time I spent away to get everything both in my head and on my plate cleared away before I could come back to blogging, lest I spend most of my time on here crying and complaining about how life is so unfair and so on and so forth.

But, as I said, I'm back and ready to start hitting the keys with all the details of my latest adventures and escapades! And believe me, they're big in my books. For now, I think I'll just list them and go into detail later one post at a time. Let's count in Japanese, shall we? Such fun!~



Ichi:

I've confronted a few of my biggest comfort zone issues!

          - Opening up to others, which includes: Talking about my problems, relying on close friends and relatives for help and support, and trusting them with some of my deeper thoughts.

          - My fear of the dark. Okay, okay, I know how silly that sounds and in my defense I live out in the middle of nowhere. Still, it was a terrific victory upon which I have much to say-- later.

          -  Stepping out into the world and trying new things. Now, I won't go into too much detail here, because this one is really a major tie-in for later. It does involve lots of driving, perhaps moving and meeting new people.



Ni:

I'm reading and writing more than I have in years. Not just manga or articles online, but actual sit down and hold in your hands books! I've been scouring Goodwill, local bookstores and the library in town to find whatever takes my interest. I read over half of two books just this weekend! It was outstanding! My library is getting bigger by the day. So, what have I been reading?

          - "Steampunk!: An Anthology of Rich and Strange Stories". A grand book filled with short stories which were all placed together and edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant. Each piece has its own almost leisurely pace about how the plot line rolls along, but just as the reader is placed into a false sense of security they are whisked up in epic climaxes, for the good or bad of the characters within.

          - "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden. Many know this book from the movie that came out in 2005. It is a remarkable telling of a fictional Geisha's life who was sold to an Okiya (where Geisha live) at a very young age and who, through the toughest of odds, becomes a beautiful young woman and symbol of the Geisha arts in her own right. From what I've researched not all Golden's information is accurate, but for an art so well protected Golden does a terrific job in storytelling.

           - "The Secret Garden" by France Hodgson Burnett. A classic about a young and spoiled orphan aristocrat who must leave behind one life for another far from her desert home. Now living in an old manor along a moor belonging to her uncle she learns of a secret garden locked away and the stories it carries within it. Throughout her time in the manor she changes not only the new people in her life, but herself most of all.



San:

This one is a secret. A well kept, much guarded secret known only to the few in my life privy to the information because, quite frankly, it would be mean if I didn't tell them about it. The reason I don't yet tell the blogging realms? Because that's just how superstitious I am about making this secret, a certain dream of mine I've not yet shared, into a reality I will in fact be living in a few more months if everything goes as planned.

I know, I know, it has been terribly hard to not shout it out from the rooftops, yet my better judgement shouts a little louder every time I get the hankering to do so. I must be patient and keep this secret under wraps, at least until I know whether or not it will work in my favor. If it doesn't...well, this is going to be one lame secret.



Okay, so this has gone on a little longer than I thought it would. And I haven't nearly covered as much as I wanted to. Expect to see a part II perhaps, until then have a great day!