Sakura, Blooming!

My friend sent me this picture. Sakura! They are blooming already in Japan. 

There's this weight on my chest, there's this scream that I cannot expel. There's this lump in my throat, threatening to form into a sob. There's this grief that will stay, permanently. Grief might lessen but it's still there.


Last year, my best friend took some pictures of sakura, telling me that year's sakura was the most beautiful. "Because it's my last time seeing sakura," she told me. Her grim words came true, she passed away in July last year. 

God bless your soul, 親友.

A Story About Our Friendship

Her name was Higa Nina. She was only 38 when cancer took her life. She was and is still my best friend. Death couldn't take it away.

We "met" circa 1999 (or was it 1998?) via the internet. That time, I was still a university student and she a newlywed. We exchanged some stories, letters, packages. We didn't now then, that we would become best friends.

Friendship is a gradual process. First, the introduction. You start to see if you really "click". Sometimes you do, sometimes the click would appear later, and many times, it won't come at all. And then, you begin the process I call "weeding". You start to mentally place people into two category: acquaintances or possible friends. Acquaintances are the ones that you aren't that keen in interacting more. Perhaps because you can't really "talk" with them. People who talk about "me, me, me, it's all about me" all the time, in my world, belong to this category. Possible friends are the ones that you find entertaining and fun. The kind of people that you don't mind hanging out with more often. I do this simple test to put people into one of the categories: if they contact me and I squirm or groan, then they're still in acquaintances zone. If my face lights up and I smile whenever they try to contact me, they're probably the ones that I consider friends. 

Nina, or Nyachan, as I call her, was one of the rare people that click with me right away. We excitedly exchanged emails about our daily lives, activities, and we did learn something new everyday. Nyachan got interested in Bahasa Indonesia, and she could speak it really well. I found out more about Japanese culture and habits. 

Then in 2000, she went to Indonesia. Not for the first time. I think Nyachan went to Bali during her university years once, and she went to Bali again with her husband several years later. But she had never been to Bandung then. We went to Tangkuban Prahu. Then we went to Jakarta, to Dufan. One thing that I remembered well, she exclaimed, "Whoa! There are so many babies and children in Indonesia!" In Japan, sadly, population of youngsters is dwindling down.

Life is filled with events, sometimes they are so huge, sometimes they might seem trivial to others. We gave supports to each other during our difficult times. When she got a miscarriage, I cried with her. When my ex cheated on me,  she shared my pain. 

She told me that if my ex cheated on me, it didn't mean that I wasn't good enough for him. It meant that he wasn't good enough for me. 

I always remember this. It kept me strong. She cried again with me, this time in joy, when I found the one, when I married a man worthy of my respect and love. That time, she couldn't attend my wedding because she was pregnant.

We became mothers, busy ones. We still wrote to each other now and then, but not daily like before. We met several times, in Bandung, Osaka, Tokyo, then Bali.

Then in 2012, she was diagnosed with cancer. She was a fighter. She underwent chemotherapy even though she told me, the pain was excruciating, because she wanted to live longer, for her sons. She got better for a while after surgery, but the cancer returned.

She was finally free from her pains. She is in a better place now.

さよなら、親友.

One day, we will meet again.

Double Date in Disneyland

Disneyland Tokyo is magical. It feels that way, to me. I was lucky enough to spend some hours day, one sunny, breezy day, with my partner, my best friend and her husband. You might think that I'm being silly when I said that I felt like a teenager, on a double date. It was exhilarating and fun.

My favorite ride is definitely Pirates of the Caribbean (we took it twice) and Pooh Honey Hunt! The one and only in the world. I could smell the honey around Pooh Honey Hunt. I cried a bit because it was a dream coming true. I first wanted to take this ride when I began writing Kintaholic. Circa 2006-2007. And four-five years later, it came true. Thank you Nyachan and Nonkun! 愛してる.

We went there using subway, and it was neat, once you know how the system works. If you know where you want to go, you can decide how much fare that you should pay by consulting the signboards above the machines. Buy the tickets in the machine, use it to enter the station (don't forget to take the ticket again, if you're not sure how, just take a look around and you'll know) and change trains when necessary. When you have arrived and put the ticket in a special machine, you don't need to take the ticket out again. Unless you buy special tickets that allow you to roam freely in Tokyo.

If you guys want to visit Disneyland in Japan, I advise you to spend at least two or three days to explore every niche. And I recommend Pirates of the Caribbean and Pooh Honey Hunt.

Second Round, a Cafe

Still somewhere in Ginza. They serve teas in fancy cups and mag cakes. And oh, the cakes. My mouth is still watering thinking about it. I'll write about it more later.

It was a cozy spot. Apparently after lunch/dinner some Japanese love to have meet and greet in cafes. So they take the desserts here. The cafe doesn't sell any other food. Just some drinks (coffee, tea, perhaps soft drink) and cakes.

We had some fun and the conversation flowed freely. It's as if we've known each other for years. What an incredible feeling.

We had this awesome cake. The base is meringue, macaroon. Then heaps of cream and other stuff. Then decorated with chestnut paste, designed to look like spaghetti (in fact Isman and I first thought, who on earth put pasta on a cake? Ha ha!). I could almost feel the taste. It's addictive!

First Round, Chinese Restaurant

I think it was in Ginza, but I am not so sure. Ibu Yumiko is an Indonesian translator (she is Japanese) and she is a friend of Nyachan. We exchanged some emails and I found her very polite, charming and nice. In a way I think Ibu Yumiko looks like an Indonesian (she's wearing green, by the way).

It was a nice dinner, and Ibu Yumiko brought along a friend. She doesn't really speak English or Indonesian and I can't speak Japanese, yet somehow we got along fine.

The food was tasty even though I was quite sad because I couldn't taste the huge gyoza (they contained traces of pork). I love the drink. Orange juice in a bottle, yeaah! I love it so much, I had two bottles. I wanted three actually but it was my brain thinking, my stomach couldn't hold some more. :D

When my partner and I said that we were so full, Ibu Yumiko said, "Oh, this is just first round." We thought she was kidding. But actually there was a round two! *gasp*

Mount Fuji!

I guess the pictures speak for themselves. Yeah, we were very juiced up being there. And yeah, it was cold.

I'd love to visit Mount Fuji again, one day.

Japan in June, Sweet Memories Indeed

My partner and I were fortunate enough to be able to go to Japan in June. Spring is still in the air. We got to do tons of stuff (am thinking of writing a book about it and perhaps self-publishing it) and I found Japan very sweet, incredibly romantic, and definitely exciting.

I was happy because we had the chance to stay in a ryokan--Japanese traditional lodging--if only for a night. This is me wearing a yukata, about to try the onsen. The onsen in Fuji Hotel, Isawa, has very clear water and no odor. Perfect!

I also tried pachinko (just for the heck of it), rode Shinkansen (Nozomi 232, the newest train they have) from Osaka to Tokyo, tried vending machines and of course the cute lil' machines that eject gashapon, rode subway like a regular Japanese, wore yukata and haori, went to Mount Fuji up to the 5th station (1 being the lowest, 10 the highest), tried onsen, ate sushi and shabu-shabu and yakiniku and paper nabe till I was so full that I thought I could burst, met my best friend, met Ibu Yumiko--Indonesian translator so her Indonesian is flawless, went to Disneyland and oh so many more.

I love you, Japan! I hope one day I can visit you again.

Sakura, Blooming. Hope, Returning.

These gorgeous pictures were taken by Yumiko-san. Yumiko-san is a friend of Nyachan. She is a teacher and also translator... from Indonesian to Japan. Her Indonesian is superb. She took these a few days ago in Tokyo.

Sakura is gorgeous, and I have a special fondness for sakura flowers because they eventually will turn into cherries! Yes, I love cherries very, very much. Even I chose "cinnamoncherry" as my twitter ID. Cinnamon Cherry is one of my favorite protagonists from my books.

I hope the situation in Japan will be better soon. And I pray that hope continues to linger and support the people, giving them strength and encouragement to move on.
I hope people can derive simple pleasures from watching sakura, blooming, while believing that in time, everything will be all right.