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Showing posts from June 11, 2006

Honshu and Okinawa

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I am back. I spent 10 days in Japan, 5 days for work on the main island of Honshu and 5 days of solo adventure in Okinawa. Travel is so invigorating dispite the uncomfortableness. Jetlag, anxiety, crowds, and other discomforts aside, it is mind-expanding and rewarding. Work went well. I flew a new airline (Skymark) from Tokyo to Naha. I am always wary of strange discount airlines and all the traps they set. However, I had a great expereince with "Sky". I was actually shocked. Super easy checkin at the airport, no extra fees even with extra luggage. The primary mission in Okinawa was to visit the Peace Park and the suicide cliffs of Okinawa. From what I understand, at the end of WW2 the inhabitants were encouraged to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Americans and get tortured and eaten. Besides other types of suicide, they jumped off the cliffs at the Southern end of the main island. If you have seen the original color footage taken at the time, I am sure you ...
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The sun sure came up this morning. It is brilliant out. I will be in Syracuse all day. The following photo is of my orange tree. It is one of my most valued possessions. I was having a few bad days in early 1999. In my lunch I had an orange with just a overwhelming amount of seeds in it. I decided at that point I was going to make something positive and I germinated the seeds taken from my mouth in a foam cup lined with moistened paper towels. The seeds sprouted and I transplanted the select seedlings in progressively larger and larger pots. I am working these days on trimming and shaping the tree which is an even greater thing to do than germination. I enjoy looking at the tree during times of stress. It is a symbol for me of growth, rejuvination, solace and action-based hope. "Tradition holds that three basic virtues are necessary to create a bonsai: shin-zen-bi standing for truth, goodness and beauty." http://bonsaisite.com/intro1.html
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