basically we've been back about a week now from Japan. it's hard to believe that in just about 7 months, we were able to fly back to Japan for the 2nd time. it's not because we have so much money that we don't know what to do with it, it's because God was so gracious and uber generous. we also went back to Kyoto (...... it's a world renowned one of the 1,000 places you have to see before die according to a travel book), this time my dream came true: we got to see the Byodoin Temple and the tunnel of torii at Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyoto> and actually went through it from beginning to end.

when we first talked about Kyoto, my wonderful Kuya Kazu asked the team where they wanted to go and the team replied "take us wherever is the best". so between me, Kuya and Ate collaborated a plan. i got the book: Seven Paths to The Heart of the City: KYOTO. this was originally what Joe and i used as a guide the first time we went last year. and after watching The Memoir of a Geisha, i felt the urge to see those places (and i must now own the movie- might as well) upon arriving Fushimi-ku precinct in Kyoto the rain had gotten worse. i thought it was perfect: i took it as a blessing in diguise. Because you see, if the weather had been better, the Torii tunnel would have been flocked with tourists> gai-jin and locals alike and we couldn't have gotten any wonderful photos.


after seeing the tunnel, we got to witness a Shinto mass~ a service on a stage in a house( don't know how else to describe it), there were Shinto musicians singing their "new songs" to their gods. i was told that while they are singing, the people's prayer on the other building is being conveyed or lifted up to their gods as they were singing to their gods. i witnessed the whole program. they were really praising their gods. they were devoted and there were no kids disrupting the service or adults talking to each other and man, i was convicted by that. i thought it was pathetic because i've seen christian churches do the opposite thing. we serve the Living God, yet we couldn't do better. however, at the same time, i was blessed. i am a non- world renowned person and somehow God was so generous He let me see things and places that have been around thousands of years. how utterly cool and awesome is that? and speaking of ancient stuff, temples, shrines and statues alike, i finally got to see the 1001 images of Juichimen-senju-sengen Kanzeon.... my god, say this 10 times fast or simply Kannon. they weren't pretty to look at and the atmosphere in that temple was definitely not cozy, but i was still amazed knowing that some of the statues, i believe the first 124 have been standing there since the 12th century, and have never been touched by a "Swifer duster or something of the sort". i very much enjoyed my 6 week trip to Japan and i would go back there in a heart beat.

after a few days after i've been home, the most awaited Scrapbook Paper Trends cards came, with some fabulous stuff, papers and ribbons. pretty cool... you see, it was my very first publication with them.

Then as if the Scrapbook trends stuff weren't enough, my start-seeing-polka-dots-prizes by Making Memories also came! it surpassed my expectations~ i was utterly speechless! get it.... utterly speechless? the bag was filled with stuff>>> it was almost ridiculous!


here's a picture straight from MM's blog but the bag i got was lavender and it had more stuff than is pictured here.


and TODAY i turned 2 years old as a Citizen of The United States of America! now fireworks have a different meaning to me. i cried during the first 5 minutes of the fireworks show. i told some of my american friends about it and they asked "why did you cry?!" and i replied:

"i think.... i was TOUCHED!"