Yesterday, my Ate and I met up with our newly wed cousin and cousin-in-law at Konbini Store Tokyo Market along Connecticut St. in Greenhills. It was a small grocery store that sells Japanese stuff like chips, seasoning, desserts, drinks, etc. It felt like we were really in a convenience store in Japan. :)

The store was at the same time a restaurant. So you order your food and you do the tricky part - choosing your drink based on their looks. It's an exception of course if you can read Japanese. Lucky I chose a bottled milk tea that tasted good! :) My cousin picked what we thought was green tea, it was very bland though. 

After filling our tummies, we decided to have desserts at Caramia in Amici. We had gelato cakes and gelato ice cream as well. 

Thank you soo much cousins for this experience! We had a great time laughing around and eating good food. :)

Busog,

B.

Sometimes we feel like we have this heavy baggage that we carry around everyday - stress, worries, financial problems, petty problems and all sorts of negative thoughts. We think that we have the worst problem in the world when in fact there are people who have nothing to eat, nowhere to sleep, no one to talk to, bedridden or mentally challenged. 

Before complaining or doing something stupid, try looking at the positive things around you. Appreciate whatever it is that you have and keep in mind that those things might be exactly what others needed during their down times. Do not take things for granted. 

As for myself, I always look at how blessed I am for having a great family. Yes, we don't have a dad and yes, we do have problems to solve. But at the end of the day, we had more than three meals, we have beds and linens, we have a great house that is miraculously safe from floods, we had good laughs, we have electricity to use, cold water to drink and fresh clothes to wear. These are simple things that we use EVERYDAY but are most of the time not appreciated by many. These are the things that help us get by and provide us comfort, but these are also the things that we fail to thank God for. They are so common that their importance is often ignored.

Life is simple, we only make it complicated. Worrying won't take us to the better place. It only makes us paranoid, ugly and inefficient. So before anything else, take a break, sit back, close your eyes, take a breath and fill your mind with positive energy. As you exhale and open your eyes, you'll realize the real meaning of life. :)

B.