Priorities

Priorities and family.

The two you think it doesn't blend in together.

But I find out today that it does....

Borrowing my mother's cell phone to call my father, she tells me


"use the short cut, long press on the 2"


You wonder why it's "2" considering it's someone you call on a relatively frequent basis, you'd think it'll be stored under "1". So I asked


"Who's on number 1?"


She answers

"Your sister".


Heh, priorities aye?

The Land By the Mountain...

My mother always told me,

"when the time is right, things will be ok"

And that was always a magical word for me.

I knew that some times, life can be crap. COMPLETELY crap in fact.

Just last week, I just went for a visit to my home town, where I was born and raised til my family immigrated to NZ at age 9.

The whole time in Japan, I didn't know what I wanted. I just knew i had to go back to NZ at some point, I still call NZ my home, and I wanted to see my friends. But I didn't get that glitter of excitement or that burst in me, telling me

"it's time to go lady!!"

At the same time, I was not even 1% motivated to settle back into Japan or find new work here in Japan. Despite the fact that I did love living with my parents again. So day by day, I just let the days go by.

But then when I went to my home town, I was SUPER excited for being there. Seeing everything that I once knew, and was so familiar with.

I didn't care about the fact that my old friends didn't understand what's so fabulous about that old crusty country side, It was all the beauty that I wanted to see for so long.

Right at that moment, as I looked right across from Yatsugatake ranges, through to southern Alps, and straight at Mt Fuji, I got that feeling again.

I knew I've done everything I needed to do in Japan, and it's time for me to go home.

When I came back to Saitama again, I started looking for a job. And every single time, when I'm looking for a job, there is always at least 1 job that pops into my brain telling me to apply.

And I got something like that again. So the CV's are sent, and now it's just the waiting game.

I don't know when my next chapter will begin, but I'm hoping it will be soon!!

Home Sweet Home.....

Yay! I'm back in Tauranga! my sweet little home!

I really don't come back here often enough I say.  I got off the bus back from Auckland and my friends picked me up, then straight off to the beach..... And I managed to body surf!!! I was more than slightly stoked.  Now I no longer need boogie boards to ride the waves now!!  It was already 5pm by the time we got to the beach, but it was so nice that we could have stayed there til a lot later than we did, but our stomach was grumbling a bit.... meh, what do you know, exercises make you hungry.

On the menu was home made pizza with roasted chicken, bacon, avocado and onions..... and obviously base made from scratch! mmmmm I missed you Wilma!! you're such a mama! Then for dessert, pancakes with boysenberry icecream, apricot compote, shaved chocolate, lemon&sugar, jam, you name it, anything you wish for!! What an evening.... it couldn't have gotten better.

I'm slightly regretting not coming down earlier now.  Tauranga is simply so beautiful, I just love it so much.   There is nowhere else as beautiful as this place.  And it is definitely going to be one of the thing I'm going to miss about NZ.  It's slightly emotional to think that this may be the last time I'd get to see Tauranga for while - maybe even few years. Few years a go, I didn't think there would be a day when my parents wouldn't be in NZ, and having no home to be at.  And now when I leave, there is going to be even a less of a chance of me coming back.  It was hard enough trying to decide whether to go back to Japan for the summer or to spend the summer in Tauranga, but this is even more extreme......

All my friends whom I love, my loving country and my sweet memories, it's time for me to say good bye.

Me and Poet had a talk one day about a "perfect day", and now I think I've got another version of my perfect day.  It will be a day with all of my dearest high school friends, a whole day filled with outdoors, beaches, rivers, campgrounds, anywhere you name it! Bring on the boogie boards, skim boards, mountain boards and kites, just anything and everything! BBQ or classic Fish and Chips on the beach for dinner, and hanging out at the beach until the sun goes down then hit the spa to take the break from the hustle and bustle from the day time.  It seems as though those days don't happen at all anymore, but I wish one day when I come back to NZ, that't the way we will spend the day..... in this sweet home town.

I have a day and a half  left in Tauranga, and I want to make the most of this beautiful city.....
And I will NOT cry when I leave my home behind...