two grandmas

Just came back from a trip. We (dad, mom, grandma (on my mom's side - Kazuko) and I) went to my dad's hometown to meet my grandma (on my dad's side - Michiko). The two grandmas get along really well and this was their second recent trip together, but the last time Kazuko visited Michiko's place was when my parents got married which was 30 years ago, so this trip was kind of special. Everything was my dad's idea and I thought it was a very thoughtful present for the grandmas.

We stayed at a nearby hotel with a great view of the ocean and we even got to see a short firework. I always enjoy watching the two grandmas together because they're the complete opposite though they're the same age - 83.

 

Kazuko usually tries her best to avoid every risk she can think of - especially all the health risks. She loves to visit doctors and is a hardcore perfectionist - one of the reasons why it's sometimes difficult to please her. She used to work at a makeup company until she was 75, made a lot of money, and brought up three daughters.

 

Michiko on the other hand never thinks about risks, acts before thinking, and is really laid-back - she's pretty much happy with what she has. She rarely visits doctors and still works at the cycling shop her husband used to run. She never made more than enough money, but raised two sons.  Last time we traveled together (she was over eighty by then) she gave us a dance lesson.  Her rumba steps were amazing!

 

Of course I like both grandmas but I've noticed that Michiko is more happiness-prone (if that English makes sense).  It was kind of funny, because during the trip, Kazuko would occasionally comment on Michiko's remarks and say "I see, I *must* learn to think like Michiko" but the whole point of Michiko's way of thinking is that she doesn't have all those "musts" in her life, and she doesn't compare herself with anyone.  Well, she might, but she doesn't dwell on things she can't do anything about.  Kazuko on the other hand ends up comparing what she doesn't have and what Michiko does, and links her "unhappiness" to "the lack" of things she thinks she lacks.  It's really ironic because materialistically, Kazuko is much richer.

 

Either way, the grandmas are really good friends but they never would've met if my parents hadn't.  I thought it was nice how marriage could bring people together.

 

first love?

So I had this neighbor friend I used to hang out with a lot when I was in New Zealand.

We were around five or six.  We went to the same school and went to each other's places almost every day until one day when he suggested we draw pictures of a video game character he was really into.  We both enjoyed drawing so I said okay let's do it, but the problem was, I didn't know this video game, and although I thought I would develop some kind of interest in the characters, that just didn't happen.

Plus, Michael was being somewhat picky about my drawings and I finally told him I wanted to go home. He had no clue what was wrong and asked if I was hungry.  I said I just wanted to go home. We went to the living room where his parents were watching TV and they said, "Sweetie, if you're hungry we have chocolate chip cookies." But I just smiled and said I wanted to go home. And since that day, I stopped going over to his place.

There's an epilogue to this story though.  Michael's mom told me to come play with him again every time we met at school, and a month later on Halloween's Day, Michael came over in his dracula costume. It was really awkward (at least on my part), and to make things worse, my dad made us hold hands for a picture. We'd probably held hands like a million times but I felt so shy.

I don't remember what happened after that but a couple months later, I was bored and finally decided to go over to his place again. I remember being really nervous but his mom welcomed me with a warm smile, and Michael and I were friends again like nothing ever happened.

When I left NZ, we never wrote to each other, but he was one of the few people I searched for when I joined Facebook. He doesn't look all that innocent now but it was kind of nice to know that he remembered me too after more than a decade.

pain

 

 

「辛」は「幸」になる途中

 

If you add one line to 辛(pain) it becomes 幸(happiness).

You just have to add one more line.

Take it easy.

サクラ サク

Got a call saying I got in.  Still not believing it.
Glad it never became a never-ending race -- though it felt like it for a couple of weeks.
The fear of not knowing what your future will be like.
The worrying, the stress, the pressure.
Current feeling: nothing is impossible.