JoHo

Thursday, September 9. 2010

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today you would have been 63 years old; I hope you're chillin' wherever you are. Your two grandchildren are driving me nuts sometimes, but I guess this is payback :-)

Thursday, April 8. 2010

The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi

According to the chronicles of our past (i.e. "history"), Miyamoto Musashi was without a doubt a very successful Samurai warrior with a distinct style.

Whether or not he considered himself successful in the sense that he didn't die a warrior's death is up for discussion, but his book, The Book of Five Rings, and his teachings in the swordsmanship style The Art of War, many aspects of the Book of Five Rings can be applied in everyday life, in business, in your personal life, etc. Some of the writings aren't entirely clear in their meaning, in fact they sometimes sound like a fortune cookie (this may be a translation issue), but if you go back to them once or twice, it's somewhat easier to get a grasp of the meaning.

The thin red line throughout the entire book (my own interpretation) is "Stay focused and dedicated and you will develop and evolve, and possibly reach your goals, if they are true goals". The book is, however, much broader in the subjects covered than those in my personal reflection.

Read it!

Some other links:
musashi.altervista.org/pages_eng/
samuraiconsulting.ca/5rings/
feedbooks.com/book/3953.pdf (PDF)

Wednesday, February 10. 2010

Happy Birthday Alexander!

Happy 10th Birhtday!

It's hard to believe, but 10 years ago on this day, a little rascal named Alexander was born! Now he's not so small anymore; but a rascal all the same :-)

Thursday, December 24. 2009

To all those ..

To all the people I've disappointed,
To all the people I've hurt,
To all the people I didn't stop to say "Thank you" to,
To all the people I've taken for granted,

I'm sorry, and I hope I can make it up to you somehow.

To all the people that have shared my tears,
To all the people who need me to share theirs,

I'm honored, thank you.

To all my friends who cannot be here,
To those who have helped me in the past,
To those who are helping me now,
To my Mom whom I miss beyond explanation,
To my Sister and my Brother,

I miss you, and I wish you the very best for Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

I am, I'm me.

Sunday, November 8. 2009

In my shadows

I cannot tell you what awaits in the
shadows of my mind, because you would
not understand.

Few people have been in my shadows.

But you have reached so far into my
soul that I am certain that you will
see what lies beyond.

I'm not asking you to comprehend what
you see, nor am I asking you to listen
to me when I describe what you see.

You have to feel it, because if you're
not feeling it, then you're not seeing
it.

I am grateful, without shame or debt.

My pain is without end, but it is not
all dark because my happiness is also
without end. Some people call it
bipolar, I call it life; because I do
not know another life.

But then again, those people have never
lived my life.

I cannot say it in a less complicated way:

I love you.
I love you.
I love you.


"In my shadows", joho 2009-11-08