Japanese Driving... Read on you Initial D wannabe`s!

Japanese drivers are among the best in the world... Believe me... they are...
The mangled streets of George Town or the seemingly complex roads of Kuala Lumpur would not even be a near challenge for these elites...

My host father here in Japan, is one of those people that always in his own nature to be kind, gentle and collected. I mean, this is a guy who I have never seen angry or even lifted the tone of voice since I`ve known him even in situations when he should. I`ve always assumed that he was one of those drivers that were overly cautious and took his time on the road.

Today I was wrong.

Today I went to Awaji Shima, with my host family. Me and their son Koji in the back, and my host parents in the front. Well in case your wondering, Awaji Shima is an Island on the south banks of Kobe which is accessable by one of the longest extended brigdes in the world (a good piece of information there. I guess My blog can have some decent stuff once in awhile.. hahaha). Mainly, the they have highways here but unfortunately most parts of the island are covered by amazingly narrow, intricate maze of roads that can`t barely even fit a car well and suprsingly, damn well 2 way street!

And here he was, my host father, zooming the streets like it was some highway. Taking the narrow, near to zero visibility corners like a pro, fast, tight and close, without beading a sweat (Initial D style). Don`t mind the deathly steep ravine on my right I constantly reminded my self. And don`t even remind me how the he handled incoming traffic. The cars were so close that I swear I could feel the incoming driver`s breathing on my face, and my host father didn`t even flinch. Man... my heart lost a few beats that day. That kinda driving lasted for like 30 minutes. I was SO glad when it was over. The only comment I could give to my host brother was `wow, your father can REALLY drive` and he`s like, `yeah, and not even ONE accident`.... wow...

I keep on reminding myself, when I feel like bragging about my driving skillz in Japan.... DON`T

A Solemn New Year...

I`ve never been the type to appreciate nature... but I do admit that there has been moments that nature can be beautiful and mesmerizing... and unfortunately... in some cases destructive and devastating... The quake and tsunami that shook half of Asia is a grim reminder of such destructive power... 124,000 people estimated dead, many times more injured, millions homeless... Just in a few hours life for so many people changed in so many ways... whole villages gone, family members and relatives dead, government stuctures temporarily powerless, the post effect epidemics threaten more deaths... its unthinkable... truly unthinkable...

What makes this disaster special is that I truly now understand the meaning of empathy... or lack of it... This is not the first time nature displayed its wrath... dozens of disasters have happened before, some even more distructive then this one... Those times I shamefully admit that I felt more awe then sympathy... more engulfed in the startling realization of how powerful nature can be rather then the understanding of the suffering that the people felt during the disasters and years after... blame it on ignorance...

But now it hits Malaysia... Sure, the deaths of 74 Malaysians is not comparable to the ones in Acheh, India and Sri Lanka. But believe me, the impact as big... long have Malaysians been in the dillusion that it was a safe heaven from earths natural disasters... the recent hits in Kedah and Penang, and the shaking of tall buildings around KL is a frightening reminder that Gods hand can indeed reach far... For me, never has life seemed so fragile, so temporary... I can`t even start to imagine how the victim`s close family and friends are feeling right now...

We start the New Year in Malaysia this year not with fireworks and screams of joy, but silence and prayers... It brings a small sense of regret, that only through a disaster of this proportion will the people of the world unite... but it warms my heart to see how many hands are stretched to provide aid... and may you be one of them... find ways to donate... find ways to help... spread the word...
May this year bring less suffering to those who had......

Bloggging off...