Jan 20, 2017

Thanks Obama.

I had planned for my next posts to be catch-up posts, with lovely photos of nice things from my years in Kyoto and surround areas, but with this being the trending topic of the moment and my feelings about it all on a huge roller coaster I thought it best to get it all out on here while it's still fresh in my mind.

President Obama, First Lady Michelle, and their two daughters made a lovely First Family. Say what you want about Obama's agenda, his decisions or his short-comings, but as a representative of the American people and the most powerful nation on this planet, he and his family did it all with the sort of grace and decency not seen in the White House for many a term.


I've read through debate after debate on Obama's policies and what he could've done, should've done better, on why he absolutely ruined The United States and was the worst president ever. And while I get that everyone is entitled to their opinions, I have to say that most of those arguments have little going for them - the ones they really should be upset with are their congressmen and elected officials, but I'm not here to teach civics.

I'm also not here to tell everyone he was The Perfect President either. He was not, and no one ever will be. But for one man whose job it was to represent and protect the rights of hundreds of millions of people, each coming from a different background with differing viewpoints on social issues across the board, he did a pretty damn good job, without even overlooking the oft-forgotten minorities.




He was respectful, he was articulate, but still knew how to have fun. And oh, how I will miss that.




I have tried very, very hard to be optimistic about the incoming president, but going from a man who has shown such love and respect for his partner and gone about his daily life with utmost greatness and honor, to someone who has un-apologetically objectified women, mocked the handicapped, and has made calls for racist and bigoted policies, well... the transition will be rough.

To be clear, I have no political affiliation. My voter's registration card has been "Independent" from the beginning. On social issues I will almost always take the progressive stance, but after what the DNC pulled this past election I have no desire to associate with that party. The extremism that divides parties and ideas is only going to drive the nation further and further apart, which is why, as much as I do not want to see someone like Trump as the leader of The United States, I also cannot condone the extremely negative backlash that his election has stirred. What I see is no different than the extremists who proclaimed The End of Days and protested against Obama's presidency. That is no way to bring about the positive change that the US so desperately needs.

Perhaps we can all learn a little lesson on how to stand up to adversity with as much poise and dignity as the Obamas, to carry on a bit of their legacy. Former Always POTUS and FLOTUS - Oh, how you will be missed!

Jan 1, 2017

Guess who's back, back again

Well hello. Fancy seeing you here.

After nearly three years of silence, I've finally felt compelled to dust off the old blog and try breathing some life into it again. The past few years have seen a lot of ups and downs, and with everything getting in the way it was difficult to find the heart or motivation (or most pressingly, the time) to blog regularly as I used to.

But I have missed it. I always enjoyed chronicling my adventures to share with friends and family, and for myself to go back and look at later on down the road. And so, with this new year comes new hopes and ambitions, and for one I hope to revive this old journal. I will try to keep up with occasional updates whenever time allows. To start, I will probably do a couple of catch-up posts, just to get people up to speed with where I'm at now in life, so keep a look out for those!

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year, and wishing you all the best in 2017!

EDIT: I originally posted this saying it had been almost two years since I last posted, when in reality it has been almost three! Seriously where has the time gone??
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