One of the things that I look forward to most when a day starts early.
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Prayer in the Morning Since last month, the world has gone out of control. The quake and its unfolding aftermath in northern Japan, the outbreak of warfare in the Middle East and the prolonged recession in global economy all have made the rest of 2011 difficult to look forward to. It has been almost a month that every morning the relay of news on BBC has inevitably resulted in anxiety, emotional upheavals and wrath. The uncertainty in the air has made concentration on work almost impossible. Despite all the turmoil, there is one’s individual track of like to carry on. Here I pray that I would calm down, For only when the self is sober Can a better understanding of the world be achieved. I pray for positive thoughts, For negative imagination will only shadow the future. I pray that I feel contented Because I have more than enough of everything From my family and friends to live on. I pray that I am more loving To return the care and affection that I have received. ...
Writing I do like the end-of-year custom in Japan according to which people exchange postcards with friends, colleagues, and family members to inform each other of the year past and celebrate the year to come. Many of the young generation in Japan, however, find it tiresome, environmentally unfriendly, and unnecessary. Messages through mobiles, or social networks, are believed to be more up-t0-date and convenient. I have been a big fan of handwriting, a practitioner of letter-writing, and a faithful supporter of postal system. Therefore, there is no single sign of cultural shock for me when I was initiated to this. Due to the late closure of the term in December, my scribal activity finally started with hand-making postcards in January 2011. At first, I came up with a design that was supposed to facilitate easy reproduction making use of Japanese colored papers and a rubber stamp of a backward-looking bunny (for the year of rabbit). There were several variations of the same pa...