Love, Laugh, Live

Today I finally decided to get seriously started on a project that I have been thinking of for a long time: a public journal…a place to share the everyday lessons that people and circumstances around provide me with…

So here goes my first one:

I was talking to Valentina- a good friend of mine, and we were sharing different experiences that have shaped our lives.

One thing led to another, and Vali told me about how difficult a recent event was to her… her father had passed away just one year ago…

And as she was speaking, with her voice shivering, I could feel her intense pain…but at the same time, there was a lot of peace in her words, as she later told me: “I am at peace because, even if it hurts me so much that he is away now, I was there to tell him how much I love him! And it was the first time in my life that I actually articulated the words: I love you, father!”…

That was when it suddenly dawned on me: I have two most wonderful parents…that have raised me the best possible way and have always did their utmost to make sure that I and my brother didn’t lack anything…an they are both ALIVE!

…and all of the sudden I realized how lucky I am!!..and I felt totally grateful…

And one of the next thoughts that came to my mind was that I had not told them how much I loved them…and how much I was thankful for all the sacrifices they had done for me…

I had taken it for granted that they would be here for ever…and that I had more important problems (like what place should I travel next, etc)…so why should I even think of giving them a call show my appreciation?!?…

Funny thing how the sudden awareness that I could be very well be in Valentina’s shoes…and that one of them could not be here any more…made me think of reaching for the phone right there and then to call them!!

It was pretty much like that story :

There was a kid who was crying and shouting that his parents had bought him a normal pair of Nike. NOT the newest pair of Nike.

And as they were coming out of the store, with tears running down his cheek, the child saw a man, sitting at the corner of the road. The man had NO LEGS!

Then he stopped crying.

The lesson that I took from this event: to be grateful for the wonderful parents that I have. And even more generally speaking, to be grateful for the great friends and family I have…and show and tell them how much they mean to me much more often…and if possible, with every occasion!!

I have just found a quite unique piece of history about the rivalry between Japan and Korea (both North and South).

It seems that when the Japanese conquered Korea (which was not yet separate back then), at the beginning of the 19th century…and they did quite a number of bad things to its inhabitants…culminating with the change of the countries name!!!

Korea was initially spelt Corea. But because the Japanese wanted to show their superiority even in the NAME!!…they changed it to Korea, so that in alphabetical order Japan would be in front.

And just to add a little bit of “American Presidents making an ass of themselves”, when Clinton came to South Korea a couple of years ago, he was quated of saying:”Japan is more developed than your country”.

Quite an conversation ice-breaker, don’t you think?

History lesson for tonight: Over and out! Thank you Tristan! (Tristan is the one who told me these things)

Just another mundane thing- you may say…but well, NOT quite!

I went to Japanese Barber Shop- a franchise one - first time I heard they even have franchises for Barber Shops!! And the thing they used as main marketing material: 10 minute haircut!! (it was added a bit smaller :More or less! )

Anyway…what struck me from the moment I got inside was how clean they are: all the scissors are put in a machine that sterilizes them, they wear some sort of mask on the face…they weren’t wearing gloves, but they had all the rest for a surgeon!

I even had a TV to look at!

And the coolest thing of all was in the end…when she finished…of course they had something to remove the hair that had fallen on my neck and cheek…a Vacuum cleaner!! I have never seen such a thing.

damn effective…I left without any drop of hair…no need to take a shower!

And on my way back home i was thinking how this would have gone in Romania: a barber with the same scissors that he used one year ago…sneezing on my head…etc, etc.

Oh well, let the HAIR GROW back! And us grow wiser!