a moment of silence

the tragedy that happened exactly a year ago in the Northern coast of Japan...

I really can't believe it's been a year...
and although I still can not get over how horrifying this massive earthquake and tsunami was,
all I can say is the people of Japan have CONTINUED to be resilient, caring and positive.

Today I want to look back. But look back at what we've DONE to spring back from this event.
Many people volunteered to help clear up towns affected by the tsunami..I know several people who actually went. I wish I could as well... Lots of charity events, concerts happened.
I myself, put together a benefit event last May here in Los Angeles.
I was grateful to be organizing this event and be part of the entertainment as well.
I was so glad to have done it. We were able to raise $1001 which went directly to the Japanese Red Cross. You can read more about it here.

We LOST a lot. But let's also think about what we've GAINED from it.
Our people have learned to appreciate LIFE and PEOPLE more.
Through charity work, people (victims as well as the volunteers) have connected, shared love, and gained HOPE.
And we've come to love our country more, and be proud of who we are.
At least all the above apply to me.


There's not a whole lot I can do from here, but today I took part in a run hosted by NIKE, where anyone in the world could participate, as long as you had the Nike+ GPS app.
For every 1km (0.6 miles) ran (the app would track your distance), NIKE will donate 500 yen (about $6) to Architecture for Humanity for the relief effort. So I ran and walked 6 miles.. donating about $50.
Not a lot, but I believe that any amount can make a difference.

It makes me sad that hardly anyone over here in the States ever talk about this disaster any more, including the media. People may have forgotten, or it's tucked away, way in the back of their brains...
 or perhaps they are being considerate and don't want to bring it up in front of me.
It's not considered a big issue any more.. yet there are still many issues involved.

So please, don't ever forget about this event and please join me in a moment of silence.. to think of the victims and those people still affected by radiation, and still without homes.. on this day, March 11th (Japan time) for one short moment.

a dress from Japan

I love this dress<3 

Some reasons why it is extra special:

1. My mom bought it for me me when I visited home (Japan) this summer

2. It was originally 80 bucks but was on sale for 40..or maybe 30...(what happened to my memory?)

3. Last but not least, it's my first yellow dress :)

What I'm sad about is, summer has gone so I don't know how much I can pull it off in the fall..

I guess I could wear a sweater over it... 

But since I'm living in California, I could wear it for another couple weeks right? ;)

Anyway, what are y'all's must haves for Fall? Or what don't you wear in the Fall? besides the obvious tank tops and such ;) I'm sadly going to be putting away this top soon...

Anyway... I had a good rehearsal today with my acoustic duo buddy.

We hadn't performed together in a while but I can't tell you how excited I am that we will be performing next week at a singer songwriter showcase! Please come by if you're in the L.A. area :) Sunday, September 25th at the Tribal Cafe :)

More happy things are ahead of us!

Back from Japan & Bed in Breakfast!

Just got back last night from a relaxing and amazing two weeks in Japan.
It's always nice to visit home and spend time with my family.
I got to visit Hokkaido, Kyoto, Nara while mostly staying in Osaka and so as you can tell
I was a lucky girl...and had so much fun.
There are still so many places I'd love to visit in Japan though!

Anyway, I ate tons of good food because that's the only kind I eat lol,
went to two different stone spas--which btw are awesome and I'm going to be on the look out for one over here, visited the Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido, saw the best fireworks in Osaka, saw a bunch of deers in Nara, and swam in a big river for the first time ever, in the countryside of Kyoto. Those were the highlights of this trip...

Not as jet-lagged as I usually would be..I surprisingly slept for more than 12 hours today. Something I hadn't done in a while.. And I was woken up by my hubby to something like this:

except i had pancakes and eggs. But I thought this picture was lovely. And I thought my hubby was even more lovely. He remembered that I'd said d I'd never had breakfast in bed! How sweet of him..
What a great way to start the day :)

Will be posting some photos from Japan hopefully soon... and some outfit posts again soon.
Definitely had some happy times.. and they definitely keep me going! Motivation.

More happy things are ahead of us!

Earthquake/Tsunami in Japan

Hello world... I've been such a bad blogger.
It's been ages since my last post but please forgive me.
For it has been a very emotional and tough two weeks.


My whole family lives in Japan.
They live far from Miyagi, the area that was affected the most.
So when I heard about the earthquake,
I didn't know for sure, but wanted to assume they were okay.
But I couldn't get a hold of any of them for a whole day.
I could NOT sleep that night.
I finally heard back from them the next day, letting me know that they were okay.
But I still couldn't sleep very well for the entire week.
Everything (still) has been so uncertain, especially during that first week.
I had never been so scared in my life... not knowing if my family was going to be 100% safe
with the continuos aftershocks...the radiation..


And although (apparently) the news over here in America are saying less
about Japan now, we can't ignore the unbelievable death toll of over 10,000..
and 17,000 that are still missing...

250,000 are still without homes, living in evacuation centers

where of course, food/water and everything is scarce.

(Figures from: UK Telegraph)


Yet there is still this POSTIVE energy all around Japan.


People are looking up now and moving forward...
We are realizing that we have to be especially kind to one another.
That we have to help each other out.


I've been trying to do everything I can from over here to help out.
Making donations...constantly posting things on Facebook to spread awareness and
inform others of news.
I also had the privilege to sing on a benefit song written/recorded by a singer friend.


I know there's more I can do and will continue to help in every way I can.
I'm trying to put together a benefit gig (live performance) featuring my self with
my amazing musician friends where
all of the proceeds will go towards the relief of this tragic event.
And hopefully soon they will be accepting clothes and other needed items
from overseas...


If you are reading this, I kindly ask you if you could make a donation
no matter how small...
Because every little help matters right now.
Click HERE for the Red Cross donation page. There are of course, many other organizations that you can choose to donate to. This is just one of them. Just be careful of scams though.


It was so great to see last week that Red Cross contributed an "initial 10 million dollars"..
which I'm sure will happen again. Hence the "initial"! 


Each one of us can help out in some way or another.
And like I said, they need every help they can get.


I know it won't be long before everything is restored and
we get back on our feet again.


Let me share something with you...


A child was in line at a store buying snacks. As he/she got closer to the
front of the line, he/she decided to put the money she had in a donation box
and put the snacks back on the shelf.


A lady at a bakery in Tokyo was giving out bread for free..in the wee small hours of the night..


A group of reporters/tv crew heard a girl yelling at them.
They rushed over, thinking she was crying for help. 
She was in fact one of the evacuees, trying to flag them down.
 "You guys are working so hard. Please have some coffee" 
And so the media crew was offered coffee.


At Disneyland in Japan, they were giving out snacks for free.
There was a group of high school students that seemed to be taking way too many snacks.
Later, they were seen giving out those snacks to children at an evacuation center.






I'm crying again as I read and type up parts of some #prayforJapan Twitter posts I have read
a million times already.
What an amazing country... 
I'm sure that many stores are also doing what the lady at the bakery was doing..and that 
many children and teenagers are learning to be caring and giving..
People are trying to help in any way they can.
The people in Miyagi are the ones that are suffering the most and yet, 
they are still strong, resilient and CARING..


If there's one thing I can say about how I feel and how I have been feeling, it is that




I am SO PROUD to be Japanese.






Thank you for reading.
Please continue to pray for my people and help out in any way you can.




At times like these, we really need to focus on the smallest happiest things.


Happy things are ahead of us. 


大丈夫。Everything will be alright.