Me and my perks...

I feel like am always lulled here and I am so afraid losing this page for the simple reason of being inactive. I got a friend's blog-site a visit one time only to learn that it was pulled down permanently  from the system due to same reason. What other reason could be sadder than death. Tsssst  ;(  

NOTE... I just hope they change that policy giving some leeway  to bloggers to stay in the loop no matter what reason they have for being in lull  mode as long as they do not break the terms or rules here. Paging...blogger.com... 

And to let you know that there are times when I do post some fillers to keep up, ssshhhh... so if you see some none sense posts I made... just so you know now. I am always lazying due to FB, IG'ing and other things that gets my attention and focus.  Like this one... am sort of say, reminiscing but to get things going,   here is one of the most highlighted moments of my life...ooops, I should not say that...becos every minute of our life should be treated well and highlighted as it is a blessing and always will be no matter what.

 Seven years ago, I was so cheerful when I first set foot in Japanese land...the Land of the Rising Sun. Yes, I love Japan as it is my second home since the moment I got there. And as a tourist preppy then, when I was brought to Akabane, I feel like a child feeling the winter cold of the ocean at Akabane. Brrrrr! I gathered some little things like shells, woods, barks, stones  and I brought them home here in the Philippines.

NOTE... I decided to put the word My to the title of my page here (making it My Cakes and ale )so as to give me reason and explanation why I'm posting too many of my pictures here as this is my sole reason why I blog in the first place. I want to share this specifically to my children and would-be-grandchildren in the near future.

Edited description of my blog title...
For life is not just about how we will live comfortably, or even about the good and or the pleasurable things life may bring us...as we all hope it to be.
But it's how we deal with the rough roads, or the molehills and even the mountains each of us will have to trudge as we go along everyday; with a lot shimmying when edges are sharp, while others are always cherry-picking. lnstead of brooding let us just be armed with great deal of faith and courage, coupled with perseverance and everything will just turn out fine no matter what state we are, LIFE will always be a blessing.

Blooms from heaven...

As Pablo Neruda once wrote..."You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming."

And he is so right...forever spring will be in eternity as God also loves flowers. And this eternal beauty  is only possible if we take extra care of our nature and environment. So this will only be depending on how we care about our mother earth. So let's give our own share... 

 I am so privileged  to be able to travel some and one country that I most enjoy visiting is Japan. Such a beautiful country with a mixture of both high technology and some well preserved old-agri magic where I saw most oldies tender their own little or vast land themselves without hiring too many other hands.  Many of them too are into planting vegetables and fruits like cabbages, eggplants, kiwi, persimmon and others. and mostly all organic procedure...ahhh I could still smell the whiff of animals dang. Such a joyous journey where we can learned about new things about their culture and ways that differ from our own. And I adore each journey I had and so thrilled to see how they come up with themes each time I visit the country.  But it's a different feeling when you see acres of tulips all abloom in different colors. And you'd be in awe to see high ceiling-indoor gardens with different species of plants and other variety of  succulent plants. The people there are really making efforts bringing their best to put up a humongous fairy-tale-like-gardens.I always say a silent prayers to the one up above for giving us these beauty... In all my visit, I never had seen any one of them touching any of the flowers... it's how they are trained, to just look and enjoy without touching it or picking it from the stem...it is a no-no! And I admire this policy being implemented to everyone. In my mind, had I been a super rich person, I will put up a big big garden for all people to visit and see it's beauty and be relaxed... cos seeing this kind of man-made garden is just so heavenly.

Sakura 2013

"Today is God's gift, that's why we call it the present.” 

My bad, I am lazying...

my arrival

Forgive me if I am now lazying. The truth is I still feel so weak. I was rushed to the hospital the early morning of Feb 28, but due to a lot of reason, say the traffic and my doctor's sched...plus we found out that our car was in color coding that prohibit us to use it...so we hailed a taxi and it was already late afternoon when I was finally admited to 11th floor room 3110...The Medical City. So my complaint was the sharp pain coming from my lower spine. The doctors asked my pain rate and I told them it was between 9 and 10. They immediately inserted an IV with pain reliever after allergy skin test. It somehow eased the pain gradually after...but the thing was that I couldn't move much. All the time that I spent inside the hospital, I was crying coz it was only a few days away from my booked flight to Japan. I told my dilemma to my doctors...and they said it could be rebook...I said no please. One of the advised I got from them was to undergo MRI...to which I begged off...simply becoz I was so afraid of the machine itself. But when my daughter said so...I did comply. So I prepared myself...and so it was done and one thing I could say...it felt eerie inside as if I have been buried alive. I was given something to hold on to just in case I did panic one squeeze means terminating the whole procedure...wow, that's wasting a little fortune so I braved myself and so it went smoothly. It's done and I was happy coz I made it at last.

While at the hospital, I was made to do some  physical therapy exercises under Doctor Calma's care. I never walk, they ushered me via the use of hospital bed on the first day and later on with the wheel chair. God is soooo good to me that I still can walk...so grateful for this alone. The pain I had was so excrutiating and debilitating...but still now I can walk using my two feet. And I had to impress them that I was getting well...but the truth is it still hurts til now, a lesser pain though...so I have to take care of myself coz I know this is a serious matter. But sad to say that when I was at the NAIA for my flight last 16th of this month...I was made to carry my big luggage (with wheels) weighing about 23 kls, lifted it to the cart coz no one was with me except myself. O-M-G...it was sooo heavy for my spine...so sorry for myself.

And so now am here now with my daughter in Japan...resting most of the time. It feels like I am still in the hospital coz all I have to do is just rest, sleep and surf. The moment I got home I threw up a lot, oooppsss sorry. The ride up above was so bumpy during the last half of the flight...due to strong winds said the captain (hooray for Capt. Bobby Gonzalez and company, yes I remember the name, I have to coz I am so impress that, that big plane landed so smoothly, as if it wasn't that big a plane)...

I am looking forward to our first Sakura viewing for this year, next Saturday...I love cherry blossoms...it means new hope...and new beginning!

Invading the grape farm!

BUDO-GARI
(or grapes-eat all you can!)

me...

wow!

budo or grapes in English

wow, fresh from the vines!

Iko yo!

"tabesugi"

cold grapes!

Let's go home!

Just a recap...

at the entrance...

it's cold inside of course!

I was totally in awed by merely looking at those precious stalactites and stalagmites and all wonders inside the cave and this trip happened barely a month after the great tsunami in Japan took place (March 11, 2011). And so I was afraid and too paranoid... so anxious to get out cos we were still having too many mild aftershocks that time. I was like...Aya, hurry up...hurry up. Good Lord we hadn't felt any dramatic shake inside...

I WAS LIKE, OH GOD PLEASE... NO TREMOR FOR NOW...PLEASE!!!

drip, drip...i made a wish here...

One has to crawl...for a wish they say...so off i went crawling!

It takes about a hundred years daw for stalactites to grow one centimeter...and we saw columns inside this tunnel (Japan), unadulterated and preserved...so it's been here na many thousands of years already!

Falls inside the cave???

I love the  gushing sound of the waterfalls ...

wheeew, it's too cold!

Real damn cold at 14~17 degree C!
Flowing water from the cave is said to be full of Calcium ions...and the wind gives a lot of anions...a great experience! ;D

I was there, safe and unharmed!

I saw this vid while I was looking for  typhoon Pedring (Nisat) news updates via you tube, backtracking...I was there when it happened but we're pretty one of the luckiest and miraculously unharmed...since we lived just a few-minute-drive from the sea where I used to feed birds...wonder why ours seemed to be so tamed that time...compared to one that had brought havoc to Sendai...am thankful up to this day that we were spared from that catastrophic event.

Prayers for those who weren't that lucky enough....those who perished from that tragic misfortune.

I love Japan!

Got mixed emotions now.  It's now 27th of May...oh boy my flight back is on the 29th...meaning I only have a day to spend here. Really, honestly if not for my other children there, for Mishah and Justin...I wouldn't want to go home. I just love it here. I learn to love Japan as my second home. The people are just so so warm and respectful. I love and appreciate the bowing gesture that for me it's synonymous to giving respect and importance to other people specially that I am not a Nihonjin. I love every place I've seen here and conquered so to say. The love of nature really spells aloud.They adore their country so much. And value every little things God has created. I wish this be an example to all people around the world, to value and give importance to every little things God has given us. The seaside here is fantastic...nothing afloats as garbage...the water is so clear that you would relish to drink it to quell your thirst. The mountains are so fantastic also...and I believe it's almost unadulterated but there are those long tunnels we have passed that really amazes me to no end. One of which we passed 56/56 long consecutive tunnels just so we could reach the Tonami Flower Park. Great innovation indeed. I was shocked to see mountain tops still having enormous sheath of white snow...and it's spring already.

last tunnel...

I have begun to acclimate the cold weather here and I love it tremendously I guess. For about four months since December I wore socks...and I was yearning then to see my pair of Havaianas and stroll sans socks...but couldn't hence it's so cold and it's biting. I did try and I regretted it.

Two days and till now I have been busy fixing the box to be sent home. Have readied my baggage with all the gifts I have for my loved ones out there. And I am a bit sad knowing on the 29th...only a few hours and I'd be on the other side of the map. In the Philippines where I do belong.

the captivating yellow Nanohana

I will miss a lot of things here. The flowers abloom in spring is just so heavenly a sight...something to behold. I just wish I was a multi-millionaire so I could build one like any other park here I've seen...for the people to see all those different kinds of blooms in season. Really I dropped my jaw with all those pretty flowers ...fantastic specially for those people who are somewhat sick with illness or old age or sitting on wheels...it kinda help them uplift their spirits and be blest to see all those wonders.

I love Japanese sakura, the begornias, the tulips and also the strawberries...red, big and sweet, cabbage plantation is great too...mikan or Japanese orange, what else...

The animal zoo is just so great that you will noticed they are kept healthy and clean.

I wish to go back again here...again and again...coz I love Japan and the people just the same. Cheers!

Beyond awed!

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into.  ~Henry Beecher

my first!

Lo and behold!

yellow fever!

atama itai! ;(

Watashi wa shiawase desu!

BFF

ooh la la!

dreamlike!

sugeeeee! 

Am I dreaming?!

Wheeeew!

exhausting....

Add caption

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.


~Edna St. Vincent Millay