Forced break to rest

I haven't had a chance to really practise taiji for a while. Not because I am lazy, but because the work schedule lately has been so tight. When you sleep only 3 hours a day, after 5 days when the weekend finally comes, even if I want to go for taiji practice, the body tells me "no" and I end up sleeping the weekend away, just to catch up on lost sleep.

Hopefully, the work schedule lightens up a bit, and I get to catch up on lost taiji practice soon.

Japan and the Wider World

This is a book by Akira Iriye, about Japan's foreign policy. It offers a good insight on the development of Japan's foreign policy since the Meiji Restoration, and how it is based on pragmatism rather than idealism. Japan's foreign policy is not guided by an ideology; instead, it seeks to protect Japanese interests in a changing world. Living in Japan and interacting with the Japanese, I kind of feel that this is very true. The Japanese are quick to bring in foreign ideas if they are useful, because they are practical people. This practicality probably reflects in her foreign policy as pragmatism.

Passion drives the poet's pen

Passion drives the poet's pen,
The ink runs dry when love goes out;
Sorrow drives the writer's hand,
Ideas stop flowing when joy is about.