A lantern in the dark

The precious things you discover in life, are like stars in the night sky.

There are countless numbers of stars, and all of them may seem far away. They glitter and twinkle, reminding you of old memories, precious friends, delicious encounters, and the beautiful things in the world.

Sometimes you may forget about them, as you deal with one crisis or another, a meteor shower or a solar eclipse.

But when the night sky is the darkest, and there seems to be no lights on earth, you can always look to the sky and be amazed at how bright it shines for you.

Heartwarming gifts

I love presents. I'm not sure if there's anyone who doesn't.

I really enjoy getting adorable things, treats, candies, things that aren't intended to last very long.

Just the thought that someone cares for you enough that they wanted to make your day a little bit more special is enough to continue fighting. ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ

The easy way out

I once comforted a friend who had a deep friendship broken off by text message. At the time I thought that was the most cowardly way to end something.

But I think now that silently running from problems is probably the biggest disservice you can do to your self and others.

Because life is filled with things that are hard, and people who won't make everything easier for you.
And you can sit and fume and feel jealous of people who seem to be better off than you, but giving up before you do anything isn't going to solve anything.

And you can easily make excuses for why nothing seems to go your way, but in the end but I think it comes down to this.

Happy Breakfast

There are many things one needs to survive, food, shelter, a sense of safety.

In modern life, most of us clear these hurdles in ways that don't seem very perfect or ideal.

And while it's enough for us to physically survive, something inside still searches for the calories that our soul craves, that make our day sparkle with unscientific feelings.

I'm not very fond of beer...

But a lot of stylish or funny beer cans make me wish I did. ヾ(*´ー`)ノ

Hidden Side Streets

The side paths to adventure are sometimes in the most hum-drum of places, and it's easy to forget that even the most normal of streets are filled with brooding history.

This side street leads away and from Waseda University. The main street is filled with college students, heading towards the main gate.

The street itself is very muted. There are some trees, and some pedestrians. In the distance you can see a row of apartment buildings, planting their roots among the twisty streets.

But this street contains a house that has some surprising history.

This road leads to Edogawa Rampo's house.

Mocha ☆ Adventures

I recently went to Canadia, as Vancouver was having their 3rd Annual Hot Chocolate Festival. ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

I'm a really big fan of Shirokuma Cafe, so I was really interested in #15 – SHIROKUMA.

The set was a collaboration between Blenz + Cocolico. A mug of white hot chocolate and green tea came with three piece set of chocos. o((*^▽^*))o

The choco trio was a bar of White Chocolate with Caramelized Cocoa Nib Praline, a Milk Chocolate with Salted Toffee Hazelnut, and Dark Chocolate with Almond, Apricot & Violet.

The dark chocolate was probably my favorite, as I'm more fond of bitter-sweet things. Ψ(´▽｀)Ψ

I think the concept of the drink was adorable, as Shirokuma-san is a Canadian polar bear who runs an organic cafe in Japan. I happen to be a big fan of the series!
It was unfortunate that the drink was not especially delicious. It wasn't a bad drink, but I think the macha flavor was fairly weak, and it tasted more like sweet milk than anything.

I did have a lot of fun with my Canadian friends, and I'm looking forward to visiting again soon! ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ