Still praying for Japan

The devastating earthquake that occurred last Friday, March 11, and the tsunamis that followed have affected millions.  What has gotten to me the most though, is how the foreign media has blown this nuclear crisis out of proportion.  The U.S., France and Great Britain are strongly advising their citizens to leave the country.  Even those who live and work in Tokyo are fleeing to countries that their governments deem 'safer' for the time being.  I don't want this to be a negative rant...but it irks me to see that the attention on the nuclear crisis has taken focus away from the woeful plight of those in the Tohoku region.  It worries me when the foreign media can't differentiate the Tohoku and Kanto regions.  It aggravates me to see people begging their friends in Tokyo to come back to wherever they're originally from.  If you didn't know this, understand this now: TOKYO IS SAFE.

Please let me take this opportunity to share a little story.

My grandmother lives in a small town in Miyagi prefecture named Shiogama.  As you all know, Miyagi prefecture was hit the hardest by the earthquake and tsunami.  When the earthquake hit, my dear obaachan was outside, on her way to the local clinic.  The ground began to shake violently, yet she thought she was just feeling dizzy.  Then she heard people on the street shouting at her "Run, run home, run now!".  So she ran.  Ran past swerving cars, ran down her gravel walkway, ran to her beautiful house.  My 84 year-old obaachan ran two blocks in the 9.0 magnitude eartquake, unscathed.  Then came the rushing ocean water.  It swept away much of her town, her neighborhood.  The supermarket she likes to frequent is under water.  The hospital where I was born is destroyed.

My grandmother lost many things over the last 60 years.  She lived through WWII, but saw many of her loved ones leave this earth.  She lost her husband, my grandfather to lung cancer.  She lost many of her belongings in this earthquake.  But she did not lose her spirit, nor her strong faith that the Japanese have the wisdom and power to rebuild the country.  She finds joy in little things everyday, even at a time like this, even when she has no running water, electricity or gas.  She was happy that a young Japanese Self-Defense Force officer helped her carry home her daily ration of three bottles of water.  Her 74-year old friend who owns an electric appliance store in her neigborhood lost his store.  All the brand-new TV's he was planning to sell were washed away in the tsunami.  Yet they hold on to hope, and faith that he will re-open his store, and sell the same TV's someday.

I would do ANYTHING to go back to Shiogama now.  But the roads to her town are under water or demolished.  So until I can reach her, I can only call my obaachan and cheer her up.  Not that she needs it...before I hung up last time I called, she said happily, "Aya-chan, tsuyoku ikiru no yo!"  It means, simply, "Live strong!"

That's what we can do.  Be strong, continue praying for the people in Tohoku.  If you have a little bit of money to spare, please donate to any of the following charities (all links from National Geographic News Watch http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2011/03/japan-needs-our-help.html) :

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
http://www.ifrc.org/
According to the IFRC: "Your gift will support the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) disaster relief efforts to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. Funds will be utilised for the on-going provision of immediate relief and for eventual recovery support to the affected population."

Save the Children: Emergency Relief for Japan Quake

www.savethechildren.org/japanquake
Toll free: 800-728-3843
Text JAPAN or 20222 to donate.
The American Red Cross: Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief
http://www.redcross.org/
Text REDCROSS or 90999 to make $10 donation by text message.

Salvation Army

donate.salvationarmyusa.org
Toll free: 800-SAL-ARMY
Text QUAKE or 80888 to donate $10

International Medical Corps
http://www.internationalmedicalcorps.org/
Text MED or 80888 to donate $10
Doctors Without Borders
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
World Vision
http://www.worldvision.org/
Toll Free: 888-56-CHILD Text 4JAPAN to 20222 to donate $10

Congratulations Hana!!!

My youngest sister Hana graduated high school on June 6th. All three of us Takada sisters graduated from The American School in Japan....reppin' MUSTANGS to the fullest! *slaps self for even attempting to have corny school pride* Unlike her rebellious eldest sister (me), Hana is a very very very gifted girl. She will be attending Colgate University come fall....on a full scholarship!!!

華ちゃん、卒業おめでとう！よくここまで頑張った！中には辛い日もあったけと、楽しい思いでもいっぱいつくったね。I'm going to miss you beyond words when you leave for college....LAAAABBB YOUUUUUU!!!

Pics from my L.A. and San Antonio trip coming soon....but some of them are up on my facebook page, in case any of y'all want a sneak peak.....

Anyway, here are some pics from the grad...vid to come soon.
Enjoy :]

Rei and I waiting for the ceremony to begin
Hana in her cap and gown....*wipes tears*All the kids had glowsticks
I have the same diploma tooooo.

高田一家 The Takada Family

Some people think Rei and I look alike. We're actually not blood sisters. I came home from school one day, and she was sitting at my seat at the dining table eating all my food. She was a hungry baby. My mom and dad felt bad for her so they decided to keep her.

JUST F*CKING KIDDING. Of course she's my (kinda cool) sister. She cracks me up!!! Here we are waiting for my mom and Hana to show up at the Thai restaurant where we had the graduation dinner.

New Year's Eve FOTN

How's everyone's New Year's Eve going? I'm chillaxin' at home with my mother. We're drinking beer and watching Japanese owarai (comedy)...Ten minutes to go until 2009!

I wanted to share a very special FOTN with everyone...

Let me introduce my cute youngest sister! I did her makeup before she left for a party at her friend's downtown. Her tunic was a satin, eggplant number so I did a gold and purple look for her eyes. Hope you like!

Face:

Olay Oil-Free Moisturizer

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

Christian Dior Hydraction Tinted Moisturizer in 02

M.A.C Studio Perfect Powder Foundation

Eyes:

Ulta Eye shadow base

M.A.C e/s in Naked Lunch (from lash line to brow bone)

M.A.C e/s in All That Glitters (all over lid and crease)

Milani e/s in Golden Bronze (from lash line to crease)

M.A.C e/s in Goldmine (on inner third)

NYX e/s in Eggplant (on lash line and outer third)

M.A.C Fluidline in Black

Katie B. Faux Lash Mascara

Cheeks:

M.A.C blush in Well Dressed

Lips:

Smith's Rosebud Salve

Birthday Bash Pt. 1

Here are pics from my birthday weekend. My boyfriend had to work the whole weekend, so we celebrated it on Friday. Here's the yummy cake he got me this year:On the 23rd, my actual birthday, I celebrated it with my Mom and two sisters. We went to a Mexican restaurant downtown where everything was SUPER expensive...I mean, a Tecate was $10!!! Everything was SOOOOOOOOOO good, I had Carne Asada. My family was hilarious, as usual.There was a Mariachi band. When they came to our table, we had them sing 'La Camisa Negra' by Juanes...I love Juanes!!!!!!!!!!!!Pork rinds with salsa...mmmmmm

Fin.

Time to heal...and move on!

I wish I had more time to blog. I have tons of pictures to edit and post...my man even got me Photoshop for MAC (for 20 bucks and showing a little leg/titty, good deal!). I've been trying to get out and spend more time with friends...not stay all cooped up in the comfort of my house...Blogging has been a great escape, from stress I accumulate at work, from my relationship, and from general day-to-day woes. I sound like a damsel in distress now, but DAMN if you work over 12 hours a day, those bags under your eyes start lookin' like meteor craters, forreal! But right now I need to get out there, and laugh and drink with my friends...so I will have to deal with less blogger updates for now...and catch up later!

Recently I spent time with my mother. Just me and her...one on one...we hadn't had a meal together where we didn't end up arguing, not for about three years. Yeah. It's been a while. Shit hit the fan after I came home from San Diego, broke, broken, and pissed at God and the world. Without my Dad as the buffer, my mom and I went head-to-head with issues we've left unresolved for years. I couldn't take the fights, I even TRIED reasoning with her. But she was not in a state of mind or situation that was in her favor...she had to rebuild a life for herself and my younger sisters. I was nowhere in that equation, and she made it clear that I was not welcome...so I LEFT. I moved out, and stopped talking to my own mother. I didn't even give her my address or phone number. I didn't call her on her birthday or Christmas for two years. I left, never wanting to speak to her again. I felt almost betrayed by my own kin. In a sense she wasn't there for me when I needed her...but nor was I. Death can really tear a family apart, and it almost did mine. But slowly, our wounds are healing.

My mother announced that she finally started throwing my Dad's things away. His rider boots, his history and art books. She even let my youngest sister give my Dad's old sweaters and down jackets to the homeless men that camp out by the river behind their house. She's sorting through everything he left behind. She's even auctioning off his old knick-knacks. She recently sold a fold-up chair set for 50 bucks on Yahoo! Auctions. This, my friends may seem mundane to you, but it is a huge step in my mother's life. No one touched my father's things, not since February of '06.

My mother and I sat down last week, and ate and talked for a good three hours. It was strange and brand-new...yet natural. Like we've been doing that for years. I think we've both healed and forgiven each other. I don't know where this is going, but I think I can have a good relationship with her. I NEED her in my life. I NEED her to stay healthy. I NEED her to be there for me. I NEED her to see me succeed. I NEED her to be there for me when I hit another bump in the road. I don't know if she knows this...but I think she wants to be there for me too.

It feels strange, to have my mother back. It feels strange to actually feel BETTER in general about my family. I'd gotten so used to having a tumultous relationship with her, used to the sadness brought on from the aftermath of my father's death. It is a great thing to heal, and to finally be able to foresee LIGHT in my future.

For once in a long time, I am in a happy place. :)

Too sad to blog...

Lately I've been in a strange mood. Not unhappy, but everything unnerves me. I go through these bouts of mood dips every now and then. It could be PMS, but lately I can't seem to stop thinking about my father. I think he's the reason why I've been feeling down.

My father passed away without warning two years ago, while I lived in California. A few days before I was due home to Japan, I get a life-changing call from one of my younger sisters. I was at a taco joint near my house. She sobs, 'Dad died' and begs me to come home immediately. I haven't been able to eat fish tacos since.

I cried at first, but became numb towards his death for a good year after that. I was dealing with my remaining family, a declining relationship with my mother, a messy breakup and job-hunting all at once...so I had no time to grieve, and gave myself no time to grieve either. In turn, for a few months I did turn into an erratic, tempermental person. I lost interest and patience with the little things that used to matter to me...like listening to my friends whine about boring jobs and no-good boyfriends, and eating and sleeping well.

My life has settled considerably since that fateful day. I speak to my mother now. I have a wonderful, caring, kind boyfriend with whom I live with. He picked me off the ground when everyone else was tired of my emotional roaller coaster. I have a good job in a promising field.
I've made supportive, innovating, inspirational friends.

But I don't have my father. He was the buffer between my mother and I. He was my shoulder to cry on. He belived in me although all I did was make shameful mistakes. He was my giving tree, and my creative mentor. But he is gone forever, and sometimes I don't know where to look to feel brighter, to feel like he's still with me. Sometimes I squeeze my eyes shut tight to remind myself what he looked and sounded like. I am afraid that I might forget his warm voice.

You think it gets easier, after losing a loved one...but it doesn't. You may think that you're going to be alright, that your life will go on, but it's not that easy. It's like I've been awake for two years, without a chance to blink and put my mind at ease. He is always in the back of my mind, a constant reminder of something missing, something unfinished, something unsaid.

I thank anyone who read this. It's just jumbled thoughts that needed a way out.

6 Random Facts

I wasn't tagged, but everyone's been posting random tidbits about themselves recently. Thought I'd share some of mine so we can all get to know each other better!

6. I have two younger sisters (Rei is 19 and Hana is 16). I am the shortest of all three.
Hahahaha! This picture was taken at Rei's HS graduation. I had to wear that ugly button-down shirt to hide my tats...I went straight from my BF's house, and I didn't have anything nicer to wear, LOL.

Hana, Rei, Aya

5. My hair is naturally wavy. But not a nice wavy. No smooth ringlets, ripples, but course, uneven S-shaped waves starting at the crown...ugh. I've been getting the Japanese thermal straightening process done for the last year and a half. Here's what my natural hair looked like on a GOOD day.

Good Hair Day at Rei and Hana's Homecoming Game '05

4. I LOVE tattoos. I love pin-up, evangelical stuff, and anything with detailed WINGS. I have four right now, but getting another one soon. I got the swallow and fairy done by Jacek at Avalon Tattoo in Pacific Beach, San Diego. His work is quick, precise, and just AMAZING.

Don't mind my posin'

3. I was a real Daddy's girl. Always admired him and his work. When I was little, I made him draw portraits of me whenever he picked up his sketchbook. We spent hours together making silly things like shoulder bags from old jeans...he introduced me to the beauty of Henri Matisse paintings. Too bad I didn't inherit any of his artistic genes. At least my sisters inherited his brains! RIP Papa, itsumo mimamottete ne.

The Takada Family (minus Hana), circa 1988

2. Because I spoke mostly English at home, I couldn't speak Japanese fluently until AFTER I graduated high school. I consider 'fluent' as being able to hold a business-level conversation. I learned keigo, honorific terms and phrases, or 'polite' Japanese, at my first retail job when I was 18. My older co-workers made me stand beside the cash register and practice basic Japanese business manners like bowing, returning change, and repeat greetings in that high-pitched voice Japanese women use. Oh, the horror. Now I am grateful because I can speak to Japanese clients at work without feeling flustered.

1. I like Texas Pete hot sauce on everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. Pizza, Mac 'n Cheese, rice, sandwiches, pasta, etc. It must be Texas Pete though. I don't do Tabasco.

So anyone who hasn't been tagged, please do share your 6 facts!

Weekend haul

I hung out with my middle sister last Saturday. I hadn't seen her in months!!! I need to start hanging out with her more...she's going to school in Toronto for a year from August. So we met up at the Zara in Omotesando, stopped by the M.A.C Pro store where we both picked up some stuff and walked to Shibuya. We had lots of fun catching up and goofing off. We ate dinner with one of her friends at a Hawaiian restaurant. It was more Japanese-y than Hawaiian though. The restaurant itself was cute but the food was NASTY.

We also went to the Uniqlo UT Store. It's not a regular Uniqlo store. They only sell T-shirts and select denim. The store is really cool! The floors are covered in manga, and all the T-shirts are sold in plastic containers with red screw-top lids. I will take pics of the T-shirt I bought later. What's even cooler is that all the T-shirts are 1500 yen (about $13). All the T-shirts are designed by upcoming AND famous designers alike.

So onto my M.A.C Haul...I bought eye shadow refills in Humid (green) and Parfait Amour (purple). I think everyone has these colors so I didn't swatch them. I also bought a lipstick in Lovelorn. It's a blue-pink. I wanted a mod, cool-tone pink to match my Spring looks. I think I'm beginning to like pink a lot more. I used to only wear nude or peach lip colors.


The Uniqlo UT store. See all the screens on the wall? And the manga-printed floor? And my cheesin' dorko sister?


Here's a look I've been rockin' at work lately. It's subtle, but still contoured...me likey! Plus it's really easy. I use M.A.C e/s in Cork (a midtone matte brown) from the outer corner of my eye and bring it into my contour.

With flash:

Can't wait to try out new looks this Spring!