地震 [Jishin]

Oh Japan.

I was not born in this country, and yet it has given me so much.

When I was a kid and felt like I had no friend in the world, watching anime kept me going. It was because for a while I could escape in my own imaginings and feel - and believe with every fibre of my being - that my sadness was but a passing feeling.

I learned a lot of things while watching your anime. Dragonball taught me that no matter how strong the forces of evil are, good will always prevail in the end. Rurouni Kenshin taught me that atonement for the most unforgivable sins is possible. Yakitate! Japan showed another side (albeit extreme) of baking bread, and in the process taught me that if you love what you're doing, you never have to work for the rest of your life.

When I was told that I couldn't carry a note well, I listened and sang (secretly) to J-pop songs. At least, when I sang in Nihongo, no one around me will understand what I was singing and if ever my singing was that bad, they'll leave me alone. And when I did decide to show my skill (or lack thereof) in public due to desperate need of funds, I sang a Japanese song. I got not only the money, but my confidence back. That will never be forgotten.

I would have went on and finished Japanese Studies if weren't for my fear of job security after I graduated; but even if I didn't go the distance, my admiration for you never went away.


You have your considerable share of eureka and whack moments, which is fine. At the end of the day, you remain The Land of the Rising Sun. But now, the sun has yet to rise on your land.

Oh Japan. I send you all my love, gratitude and prayers.

[Note:  地震 (jishin) = earthquake]

(BTW, how can we help Japan from here? I'm serious about this and it's been bugging me that I can't find a reliable facility that accepts donations from the Philippines. I don't have a credit card...)