Ahh! Today's been so busy! I'm sorry I don't have time for a proper entry ( Read more... )

Inspector: "Next time, we'll be friends."
Kei: "Next time?"
Inspector: "If you're reborn."
- from the movie 'Moon Child'Certainly reincarnation is not a new concept, but I have learned to see it in a new way. Or rather, find a new appreciation for it that I didn't have before ( Read more... )

I wanted to expand a little on yesterday's topic; death and the samurai.

I don't know when I became aware of death, possibly around the age of 6 when my great-grandfather passed away. From then on, I would often think; "Maybe tomorrow I will die." "Maybe I won't live to be 8 or 9 or 10..." I don't know why I thought that ( Read more... )

The way of the warrior is death.Although philosophies varied little from century to century, the statement still stands; "The way of the warrior is death ( Read more... )

We interrupt this samurai related discussion to bring you this important message:

Ok, so it's not that important, but I needed to update. I am so bad at updating this every day. >_< Fail ( Read more... )

More and more when I look at the people who inspire me and my journey in life, I think;
"I have such a long way to go... Why did I wait so long to take the first steps? How long will it be until I reach my final destination?"

Unfortunately I do not have time for much of an entry today, but I do want to leave you with a passage from the Hagakure that exemplifies the essence of a samurai;

"If one were to say in a word what the condition of being a samurai is, its basis lies first in seriously devoting one's body and soul to his master. And if one is asked what to do ( Read more... )

The subject of samurai and their code of honor is one that will require a lot of work to explain. It is a deeply intricate world, spanning hundreds of years. There are so many people who shaped how we view samurai and their world. Their culture in ancient Japan is extensive and detailed and so will require much reading on my part to better ( Read more... )

I've decided to start katakana after all. I want to learn everything as fast as possible. I am beginning to think that maybe I can really master Japanese in a year and a half. Maybe not completely, but I just know with a lot of hard work I'll do really well. All the progress I've made so far has bolstered my confidence... Although, I'm still really ( Read more... )

Even though I say "I'm trying really hard," sometimes I feel like I'm not actually trying at all. Even though my brain can move in many directions at once, I myself can only do one thing at a time. This makes me very frustrated sometimes because looking at it now, a year and a half seems such a short time, but also a very long time ( Read more... )