058. Moments

Just taking a brief break... enjoying some sun, a refreshing Mirror Pond, and an early evening baseball game.

I forget how needed these rare moments are... enjoy a break everyone once in a while *cheers*

057. Enlightened Sway

Far too often we loose tend to ourselves in random things.  Be it work, hobbies, drama, etc...  Sometimes it's really hard to find your way back to solid foundation or your own "square one".  I saw this quote on twitter the other day and found it sway worthy... hope you do too.

"He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened."

 - Laozi, founder of Daoism

Take a time out to find yourself again... sometimes it only takes a second.

056. Quoted Sway

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

Maria Robinson

055. Save the Gulf Sway

I know that the Gulf of Mexico tragedy is something so huge that we cannot help but feel helpless.  This blog is something that inspired me today.  A big company like Gene Juarez is taking a step up to do what they can to help out!  Something so simple yet so important in the oil spill crisis... think about it!

054. Mom

Simple and sweet - Happy Birthday Mommy!

053. Writings on the Wall

random street graffiti on Melrose Street in Los Angeles

photograph by Kenji Nishimura
September 2008

052. "Love what you see. See what you love."

I love this commercial!  The <3 made from your hands has always been a simple yet cute way of expressing something.  I think this was a Smart campaign move for LensCrafters; adds a little emotion and makes you smile.

051. Food Sway

I will be the first to admit - I'm surprised it has taken me this long to make a sway post about food.  While you can say I truly love food and I love eating; it takes a lot for me to say that I'm inspired by what I eat... HOWEVER, today I was blown away to the point of doing a triple take upon my first bite. 

Let me introduce you to this amazing little piece of sweet heaven...
say hello to the Honey Toast from Ichiza in Las Vegas.  This chunk of Sweet Bread is filled w/ honey, baked until the outside edges turn a slight crisp light brown, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and served.  OMG amazing! 

Yes I blogged about a desert; it made me smile, it made me happy, and it made me so sad when it was gone.  Inspired me to find a way to get back to Ichiza again - SOON.   *sigh*

050. Happy Birthday Kenji

Special Birthday post to my love Kenji! I don't want to get super mushy - so I'll keep it short...
I am so blessed to have this loving man in my life - I wish him nothing but the best on his special day.  I am grateful to be here in Vegas spending the weekend w/ our close friends; partying like rockstars and living it all up!  *cheers to you my love*

The boys - Chuckie, JJ, Pat, Kenji, Randy, and Derek all spiffied up for JET!

Throwing up the ROCK Indo Style!

049. True Fortune Sway

A few weeks back Kenji and I got these fortunes after dinner; his being the top and mine below.

Last night we flew into Vegas and Kenji was surprised by 2 of his closest friends, Derek and Chuckie, and today Randy was "unveiled".  Reunited with Team Seal JJ, Pat, and Indo... we have many a social event to attend this weekend.  And surprising my love and celebrating his birthday brings much happiness in my heart <3

If only all good fortunes were to come true!  Make it happen!

048. Girl Sway

Good girlfriends are far and few - lucky me I have these 5 silly girls to love :)

047. Quoted Sway

It's never too late to be what you might have been.
George Ernst

046. Photographic Sway

Sometimes you have to make your own path and ignore the rules:

045. Mahatma Gandhi

"Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behaviors. Keep your behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny."

Mahatma Gandhi

044. Quoted Sway

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us." -  Ralph Waldo Emerson

043. Baptized Sway

This special post is dedicated to my dear friend Denise Chong aka Niecey.  Many of you know her through her dancing talent, others through her love of food, many through her love of all things Seattle.  But what many people don't know about Niecey is that she has always tried to intertwine faith in her everyday actions.  Recently she took the steps to open her mind and heart to God and decided to be baptized into the Christian church.  Unfortunately, this church is based in Los Angeles and obviously with the miles in between she and I, I was not able to attend the momentous occasion.  However, via the power of the Internet - I jumped online to watch the service live (along w/ some other friends) :)

Thanks to modern day media and my fast thinking - I was able to snag a print screen of her ceremony.

Congratulations on taking the next step in your journey of faith; may you be blessed every step of the way.  Love you Niecey!

042. Messy Sway

"One person's mess is merely another person's filing system"
Margo Kaufman via Real Simple Magazine June 2010

041. Fortune Sway

I hope so!

040. Running/Walking Sway

Today's sway is a personal/shameless plug.  I recently registered for the Seattle Race for the Cure event on June 6th.  This will be my 3rd year participating and I have set quite the goal for myself this time around.  I will be running in the 5k and then rushing back to the start line to meet the rest of my team to walk the course again.  So I have set out to do 10k total! 

I would love if you would participate with me on June 6th or support in any way that you can.  Every year I have doubled the amount of friends walking with me... year one there were 3, year two there were 6... year three???  

Everyone knows someone that has been effected by Breast Cancer - that's too many people in the world!  I know that I might not be the cure but I sure can try to help find one... Please assist me in my journey.  Click the picture below to link to my personal race page for more details.  Thanks!  

http://pugetsound.info-komen.org/site/TR/RacefortheCure/SEA_PugetSoundAffiliate/1028317653?px=6539310&pg=personal&fr_id=1671&refresh=1

039. Finding Your Sway

Today I was blessed with a "long distance" phone call from a dear friend.  Our conversation waived back and forth between humorous topics, job security, tacos, the future, and many random metaphors.  Recently he has been going through a rough time and has been struggling to find his way back to a sense of normalcy and security.  Mid conversation, while I was giving my motherly shpeel about staying encouraged and moving forward, a visual popped into my head.  I remembered a poster taped to the front of my 3rd grade teachers supply closet - it had the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland and this random quote that read -
"If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there".

To my dear friend who has lost his way - keep moving forward if you want to get anywhere!  You have a strong support team ready and willing to assist... good luck.

038. Lucas

Today is my nephews 2nd birthday.  What a handsome little boy he is!  I especially love this picture because of the reflection in his eyes. Today my sway is dedicated to you my dear Luc Luc - Happy Birthday!

A few words from a book I gave him last year...
"Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss

Kid, you’ll move mountains!

So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So…get on your way!

037. Imagination Sway

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein

036. Happy Mothers Day

My mom is an amazing women; everyone says that about their own moms, I know.  My mom taught me so many life lessons with the least amount of words possible.  That was just something she did in her own way; the silent teacher.  She taught me to be resourceful, to never want but to know what was a need, and to always know that no matter what I was going through - someone else was probably going through the same thing if not worse; never feel sorry for yourself but find your strength to get through it.  For someone that didn't drive - she was still always there for music recitals, dance classes, spelling bees etc.  My mom is a superwoman.  I can only hope to grow up and become a mom like she is to me.



I can't think of enough words to describe my mom and what she means to me so I compiled a few choice quotes for this post.  Lame I know but if I sat here and started going this blog would never end.

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.  - Rudyard Kipling (English poet and novelist, Noble Peace Prize Winner)

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.  - Washington Irving (author of Legend of Sleepy Hollow)

My mom is a neverending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being.  I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune." -  Graycie Harmon

My mom has always been one of the biggest supporters and the wisdom she has given me over the years has helped shaped the person I am today"  - Catherine Pulsifer

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms and moms to be.  Hug your mom - she deserves it! 

035. Kuya Philip

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury,pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

Happy Birthday to my Kuya Philip - May 8

034. Jabbawockeez presents mus.i.c (Muse.I.See)

Tonight, hundreds of dancers and fans will walk the red carpet for the opening of MUS.I.C (muse I see) a show presented by the world famous Jabbawockeez.  Catch their live performance nightly at the MGM Hollywood Theater running thorugh May 26th!

The Jabbawockeez' influence has spanned the globe inspiring minds through music and dance.  Dressing in expressionless white masks and white gloves, the crew guides the audience's attention away from individual identities and towards a unified and synchronized group.  The Jabbawockeez create a canvas for the audience to visualize the music as they paint beautiful and artistic imagery through precise, intricate movements. (from The Street)

A dance troupe that won the dance reality series, "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew", the Jabbawockeez' influence has spanned the globe inspiring minds through music and dance. Dressing in expressionless white masks and white gloves, the crew guides the audience's attention away from individual identities and towards a unified and synchronized group. They create a canvas for the audience to visualize the music as they paint beautiful and artistic imagery through precise, intricate movements. The name is derived from the fictional creature in Lewis Carroll’s poem, “Jabberwocky.” Known for creativity, unique choreography, athleticism and intricate synchronization, the Jabbawockeez are poised to change the way we see dance.

Buy tickets to Mus.I.C via MGM

>Jabbawockeez on TWITTER

Jabbawockeez offical website

033. Quoted Sway

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past"
Thomas Jefferson in a letter to John Adams (August 1, 1816)

***side note***
I like this actual quote.  The rest of the context in the actual letter is beside the point.  Focus on just this line.  Thanks!

032. Spongebob Sway

This is a special sway dedicated to inner child in all of us :)  Happy 5th birthday to Tressan who celebrated his birthday yesterday over a homemade Spongebob cake!

031. SeaBiscuit

Random topic I know... but hear me out.  I wasn't a fan of the movie SeaBiscuit BUT the movie had a good plot and many metaphorical life lessons.  SeaBiscuit, loosely, is a story about many characters overcoming their own vices.  A horse that's too small, a jockey that's too tall, a trainer that's too old and an owner that's too stupid to think he made a poor investment.

One of my favorite lines comes towards the end of the movie via Charles the owner of SeaBiscuit:

"He may have been down,
but he wasn't out.

He may have lost a few,
but he didn't
let it get to him.

We could all learn
a lick or two
from this little guy.

Oh, and by the way,
he doesn't know he's little.
He thinks he's
the biggest out there.

See, sometimes
when the little guy, doesn't know
he's a little guy,
he can do great big things"

030. Friendship Sway

The past year (or so) I've realized that my social circle has transformed drastically.  I'm not a young kid anymore and I don't go out to the clubs or party til dawn and then function properly the next day.  Not that that is an excuse by any measure.  I went from being so down to kick it and do the most random shit with everyone to loving my sweats and tivo and passing out before midnight.  One can only imagine how that has taken much away from my social life.  It's a personal choice anchored by laziness and comfort :)

This weekend we ventured out with Ari (the Lexus) and reunited with a lot of our old friends.  Granted the Honda Tech Meet was not my thing; but the social aspect of it was.  Random moments of chatting and car banter in lumpy field... love it!  The rest of the dat consisted of cruisin, "grubbin on sushi", to grocery shopping, cooking, vegging out for Fight Night, and finishing up with a round of Taboo.  All intertwined with many "I miss you's" and random trips down memory lane.  Moments like this have become far and few.  I miss this!  I miss it all. 

There's something about "reuniting" with close friends and not skipping a beat.  It warms the heart and brings a smile to my face.   Good friends are hard to find - make a random attempt to hang out with an old friend; you'll be glad you did.  I am!  Hoping that it won't be another year or two before this happens again... Thank you to true friends from the past and the new ones that share in the moments :) Ya'll are loved!

029. Successful Sway

“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be” George Sheehan

028. Daddy Cading

Another Special birthday was celebrated this week.

April 30th - Happy birthday to my grandpa aka Daddy Cading

Vancouver Botanical Gardens circa 1983