I should like to say two things, one intellectual and one moral. The intellectual thing I should want to say is this: When you are studying any matter, or considering any philosophy, ask yourself only what are the facts and what is the truth that the facts bear out. Never let yourself be diverted either by what you wish to believe, or by what you think would have beneficent social effects if it were believed. But look only, and solely, at what are the facts. That is the intellectual thing that I should wish to say.
The moral thing I should wish to say to them is very simple. I should say love is wise, hatred is foolish. In this world which is getting more closely and closely interconnected we have to learn to tolerate each other, we have to learn to put up with the fact that some people say things that we don’t like.
We can only live together in that way and if we are to live together and not die together, we must learn a kind of charity and a kind of tolerance which is absolutely vital to the continuation of human life on this planet.
About three or so weeks ago, James and I got bitten by the adventure bug one Sunday afternoon. He felt it would be best to show me the route to their office building so I could join them for early morning departure to Quezon. After a long ride from Cainta to Makati, walking down blocks, taking the underpass, and huffing and puffing up stairs, we soon found ourselves in front of his building. Hurrah!
(Come to think of it, he did mention he would walk from the MRT station to his building everyday -- which meant he walked an uneven kilometer, popping over and under the street surface everyday. Now think of how he must've managed carrying all the weapons we constructed back then. Oh dear.)
Hurrah! What now?
We were on this adventure anyway, so we decided, in for a penny, out for a pound! We hailed a cab, and asked the driver to takes to Little Tokyo, just behind Makati Cinema Square and along Chino Roces avenue, whichever route he felt more familiar with, thank you kindly. Luckily, the driver was quite familiar with the place, as he told us he'd delivered many Japanese nationals, food trippers, and couples like us to its torii.
And here we were. Couldn't wait to get inside.
The long walk along a quiet, right-angled Japanese open-air corridor soon opened up to a courtyard of tables, seats, the low buzz of cooking, Japanese television, and restaurant staff chatting away as they prepared for the evening rush of eager diners.
James and I have been on vacation two times(!) in the span of a week, in two equally distant locations within the country.
We had fun, took a ton of pictures. Boy, are we tired.
Just a heads-up for all you lovely people. Nope, haven't fallen off the planet, gravity's made sure of that.
There's another looming over the horizon in a few weeks(!!!), So it's best I start posting about our adventures pronto. Human long-tern memory, don't fail me now.
It's been a couple of weeks since you were first hit by the earthquake and tsunami. We saw the pictures, heard it and watched it on the news, kept abreast of it on live translated newsfeeds. We gasped in horror and cried in pure sadness for you, and prayed and hoped, hoped, hoped everyone within your shores would be fine.
And to our surprise and utter amazement, they were. We saw your kids calm and collected, and making sure everyone else was alright -- both for people and animals. High school kids and fashion deviants helped in their own way; truly, there is generosity and a sincere desire to help even in places where you least expect it. Artists have lent their craft to help refugees stay cheerful throughout the calamity. Shops and offices constantly shouted "Please help yourself to our bread; it's free! Please use our toilets, sit in our lounges! Rest a while, we're all in this together."
And so we are.
A few days ago, a fifteen-second earthquake shook my office building, and I thought of you, Nippon. I believe we here in the Philippines could learn a thing or two from you on peace in the face of panic. After the disaster, time to get on with life.
It's been a few weeks since the earthquake, since the tsunami, and now, kamusta na? Dou deska, Daijoubu? I'm sincerely hoping you and your kids are alright. I do know for a fact that as long as you keep on keeping on and everyone looks out for each other, you'll be fine. Ganbatte!
I just hope we can measure up to that too someday.
On the other hand, it seems James' work has opened an opportunity for me to flex my time management and crafting muscles.
His work holds a dress-up theme every Monday, and he sometimes asks me for advice on what to wear, how to do it, and so on. Last weekend was something of a crash course for him on making props and headgear. they had an Angels Vs. Devils theme, and he was assigned to look for weapons. He was quite set on the devil tridents that sold so well on Halloween. Alas, Toy Kingdom was fresh out of them, since there were no stocks.
Some imagination and resourcefulness was needed, stat.
