100 Days of Calligraphy: Day 3

Day 3 of what I intend to be more diligent and intentional about this new year! :)  It's the first variation of the pressure-and-release stroke.  I began practicing the smaller version of the stroke.  After that, I worked on the upside-down variation which I found to be easier to do.

I think I'm getting better with the control I have over my calligraphy pen (read: no more splattered ink due to intense nib pressure) as seen on the thin and practically uniform downstrokes.  I still have a long way to go, though.  This year, I swear I will be more disciplined and committed to getting better at this. :)

The One About Grace

And just like that, a new year has begun.

The year 2015 was a year of hustling hard.  I ran two side-hustles (Joujoux and Quaintrelle) with production being a largely one-man department – me.  On top of sourcing materials, designing, producing, and marketing, I had my day job (art teacher) and another full-time job (a wife) too so you can just imagine how my cup is filled to the brim each day of that year.  At first, I did not complain.  I was never one to be idle, even on weekends.  I used to get high on filled-up day planners and loved the satisfaction of crossing out each accomplished item on my to-do list.  I loved being busy; I enjoyed being productive. 

But then you can only enjoy being busy up to a certain point.  In my case, that was when a surprisingly – and overwhelming – delightful response greeted The Quietly Cool Book that we launched during the 15th Global Pinoy Bazaar during the holiday season.  Sure, I loved the people’s enthusiasm.  When my three-week holiday vacation started, I enjoyed waking up and beginning the day in front of Miss Gertie – my trusty sewing machine.  Together, we’d sew our way through all the orders until sundown.  I thought to myself, “So this is what it feels like to work from home!”

Still, being a busy person all my adult life, it was difficult for me to see the line that divides work time at home and, well, just being at home.  My fingers would go numb in the middle of the day from all the crafting and I’d get the sense that I should rest.  I’d take a coffee break and some Instagram time and suddenly, a guilty feeling would creep up on me as if scolding me, “Why are you resting?  Are you actually enjoying doing nothing?  You should be working on those orders.  You have a deadline!”

Don’t get me wrong.  You know that I loooove what I do.  I love it to pieces.  But I love it enough to know when it consumes me too much and loving it does not become healthy anymore.  Because I have become too busy to appreciate it.

When 2015 started, I decided my Word of the Year was HUSTLE.  And I am mighty proud of what I have accomplished last year by being true to my theme.  This year, I initially set out to PURSUE a lot more of my goals but, at the last minute, I thought of being nice to myself.

So for the year 2016, my Word of the Year is GRACE.

Give myself grace.

Give myself grace as I pursue my dreams.  Know that hustle is good but if my body is exhausted, I should give myself grace to rest.

Give myself grace and know that success is not a race.  Success will happen even if I stop for a coffee break.

Allow God’s grace to fill me and to listen to Him.  To follow His instruction so I may be enlightened on His direction.

Give others grace.

Give myself grace and let God take charge.  Allow Him to let things fall into place – in His own good time.

Give grace to enjoy quiet moments like this and not feel guilty about it.

Yesterday, I began filling up my new planner and began setting goals for the year.  I couldn’t believe how changing my mindset from being busy to giving grace reflected my plans and goals.  Suddenly, it was no longer about finishing up all the tasks that had to be done.  Suddenly, it is now all about wisely choosing which tasks are aligned with my purpose and intention.  Because being busy does not necessarily mean being productive.  Because if I give myself grace, I can be productive and still have the chance to enjoy dolce far niente and not feel guilty about it.

So, give grace.

Bring it on, 2016. 

The One About The Quietly Cool Book

After months of planning, designing, sourcing, and producing, look what our small toyshop has made…

It’s Joujoux’s newest plaything & teachable product; our version of the commonly known quiet/cloth book.  We thought we’d add “Cool” to it because ours is interactive and, like any cool buddy, it can be relied upon to teach and entertain your little one all on its own!  So it’s like having a cool teacher and a best buddy in one tome!

The Quietly Cool Book has 5 pages of teachable concepts and skills.  Page One has a paint palette for learning numerous skills:  color identification, color matching, and buttoning skills.

Page Two is the robot page for teaching shapes.  Kids simply refer to the basic black shapes at the bottom of the page and locate the corresponding shapes on the friendly Joujoux-bot!

Page Three is all about numbers…and pizza!  Kids will have ooey gooey fun identifying the numbers and matching the pizza slices with the corresponding number of pepperoni slices!

Page Four is for little ones to learn all about the parts of the face.

Page Five is Mr. Jellyfish introducing youngsters to various textures:  smooth, soft, rough, fluffy, etc.

Isn’t it super cool and kid-friendly?  What’s even cooler is that we will be launching this product at the 15^th Global Pinoy Bazaar happening this weekend at Glorietta.  

We’ll be selling a limited number of this book along with our felt food sets and lacing beads (at special bazaar rates!).  Our products make the perfect holiday presents so make sure to come by…and buy!

#LMPCEscapes to Osaka (2015)

Osaka, Japan 2015

The first time my feet stepped on Japanese soil was twenty-seven years ago.  I was 6 and my family and I visited Tokyo.  I cannot remember every single detail of that trip but I do recall colored tights, kiwi, and Tokyo Disneyland. 

The lure of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was what really pushed me to book a trip to the Land of Rising Sun again – in Osaka to be specific and with my family in tow once again.  Well, that and the Dalai Lama’s wise words:

I’m glad I gave in to the Dalai Lama – and to Harry Potter – because this trip has turned out to be nothing short of mesmerizing, authentic, and enjoyable.  It seemed that every nook and cranny of Japan’s second largest city screamed of a culture that is entirely different from mine and there was nothing I could do but marvel at its sights and sounds (or lack of; the Japanese are very quiet people).

We stayed at Daiwa Roynet Hotel in the Kitahama area.  It is a business hotel and is relatively affordable.  The rooms are clean and well-equipped (I miss the warm toilet!).  One can practically not bring a toiletries kit because everything one can need is provided by the hotel:  hair dryer, shaver and shaving cream, tall bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, facial foam, ponytail holder, butterfly clip, hair brush, and towels, towels, towels!  The breakfast buffet isn’t bad, either.  They provide a mix of Japanese and continental selections – and unlimited curry sauce!  Which you can drown your rice in!

 I can get used to this.

My attitude toward dining in a particular country is to devour its local cuisine.  I can never get my head around going to, say, Hong Kong and dining in an Italian restaurant no matter how good the reviews are.  But that’s just me.  In Osaka, I followed the travel advice I perpetually read about in travel books and blogs:  Go where the locals go.  Eat where the locals eat.  I approached the friendly hotel staff one night and asked for a good ramen place (because there was no way I was leaving Japan without diving into a steaming bowl of authentic ramen) and she directed me to small ramen place in the neighborhood which she said was popular among the locals.  Turned out following her recommendation led me to the best tsukemen ramen I still have dreams about.

Dotonbori is still, of course, a must-visit in Osaka.  Osaka isn’t the “kitchen capital” of Japan for nothing and in Dotonbori, one can have his/her fill of the famed okonomiyaki and takoyaki (which Osaka is known for) along with rows of eateries offering everything from sushi, ramen, to yakitori.  It seems to have more tourists than locals, though, but if you follow where the locals line up, your tummy will thank you for life, I’m sure.

If all else fails, the neighborhood convenience stores offer filling gastronomic options too.  The first night we arrived in Osaka was close to midnight.  We were famished and trooped to the nearest 7-11 because it was the only place still open.  There, we helped ourselves to cartons of soup, donburi, noodles, and maki – and they were surprisingly good!

 Food trucks parked inside the Osaka Castle Park

 Don Shop in Shinsaibashi

Ramen dinner at this place.  Nothing can get more authentic. There was a sake place next door.

Because we were first-timers, we did the tourist-y thing of visiting the Osaka Castle, Dotonbori, and Shinsaibashi.  And Universal Studios.  Of. Course.

 A wall full of wands

A fun thing to do in Osaka is to people-watch.  One can spend time in a local coffee shop (Japanese coffee – yum!) and watch professionals smartly-dressed as they rode their bikes to work (Osaka had me at its bike-riding culture), little Japanese children with their boxy backpacks independently walking their way home from school, and Japanese women who can pull off wearing sneakers and an electric-pleated skirt.

 Yup.  These things still exist! :)

We visited the Grand Front Osaka and only got to check out Kinokuniya Bookstore.  If you know me well enough, you’d know I hardly leave a country without checking out the local magazines they have – so I really did not mind that Kinokuniya had no English books at all.  An invisible string pulled us to the roof deck, though, where we were welcomed by a calming sight – a small rooftop park.  And you know me and open spaces.

 

Do walk around the neighborhood where your hotel is situated at.  Because Kitahama is at the heart of the business district, the neighborhood can be very quiet and serene during off-duty hours and it was nice to engage with the neighborhood – even at midnight when we came across a fellow who clearly had too much sake.  Cannot get more authentic than that!

 Taking cues from the Japanese

While it was fun doing the tourist-y stuff (I totally geeked out in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter), I admit the most fun I had was allowing myself to be engaged with authentic experiences – the stuff one only reads about in books or manages to get glimpses of in movies:  Japanese schoolchildren being all independent at 6 years old, neighborhood eateries, rows of parked bikes, slurping my soup, the muted colors of a Japanese wardrobe, fellows who roll their sleeves to enjoy dinner with friends after work, straight Japanese men with handbags (which they carry off soooo well), locals who read books whilst on a train ride, among other things.  And if only for these (which do not cost a single yen), I am raring to go back.