Bucket List

At the beginning of this summer, I came up with a list of things I wanted to accomplish. Challenges that I dared myself to complete. In other words, I made a bucket list.

Summer 2015:
__ Go to a country I have never been to
__ Fall asleep on the beach
__ Snorkel/Scuba
__ Spend time with family
__ Cycle over 70km
__ Hug a dog
__ Make new friends
__ Go to a place I have never been to in Japan
__ Make a good beer and get praise from someone experienced in making the stuff
__ Laugh outloud
__ ....

10.. really. 11 items.



As summer draws to a close, I am proud to share some of the goals I actually did accomplish.


1)Family Time --
With my last day of work for the season ending late July, it signaled the beginning of my mini retirement lifestyle. Picking my dad up from the airport that night meant getting to spend time with family and finally having someone from out of town to show around town. It also checked one adventure off the list.

2) Cycling--
With summer pumping through my veins, I knew that staying at home even to "study" would accomplish less for me than if I just got my butt out the door.  My next cycling challenge took me and my one speed steel frame street bike from Yokohama to Chigasaki, Shonan and back. In addition to some attempted surfing, spending time with great friends, and accomplishing a nearly 70km round trip ride with some stops, i was feeling like a champ!

 

3, 4, 5) Getting intentionally lost --
With a free weekend right at of the end of July and the start of August, I was already feeling restless about what might happen if I didnt leave Yokohama. Since im not so good at planning, I just prayed, flipped open my laptop, googled and booked a place in Shimoda. I booked the right place at the right time.  Under $35 a night for a location where ryokans or inns usually cost $200 avg/night.  Staying in a hostel environment is convenient for meeting people as well.

In addition to having one of the greatest weekends so far this year, I got to experience a little bit of tropical style paradise in the warmest, most beautiful beaches in the country. Got some snorkeling checked off my list while making a few friends along the way.

6)Good friends, close friends, new friends--
While preparing and just being excited for my upcoming trip out of the country, I had a good two weeks at home in Yokohama.  Going to summer festivals, having water fights, hitting the pool and the beach almost every day, i made some new friends and had some great laughs.

7,8,9)
Adventures in Indonesia:
The highlight of my summer was planning and accomplishing on of the greatest trips of my life. I couldn't have done it without my good friend Josh and some others we met along the way.


I knew I wanted to go somewhere, but the idea never crossed me till just before summer.  While looking at Alaskan cruises, Hawaiian Islands, and Greek getaway options, my friend mentioned something about going back home to Indonesia for a month. I asked "how much can 1000 yen buy me in Indonesia?" "3 days worth of food. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner."  I googled some images. Had the epiphany that maybe Bali is popular for a reason.. a place I never had thought of going before... Suddenly one question turned into two, then three... then a week later I had my tickets.


Thanks to google flights I was able to navigate some options and got round trip tickets for about $400 US. In 8 days I hit 5 city/towns. West Indonesia: Jakarta, Purwakarta. Bali: Kuta, Ubud, Denpasar, Lembongan (Island only accessible by ferry)

First Stop: Jakarta

I must admit, Jakarta has crazier traffic than LA. Visiting my friends hometown was great. Meeting his family, hugging the dog, checking out all the food. Street food, restaurant food, fast food, convenience stores... all of it.  I got the runs for about a day.. but after that it was all good.

 

Flying out to Bali, I immediately noticed the stark contrasts from Jakarta/Purwakarta.  Due to the area being mainly dominated by Islam, not many people wear shorts, tank tops n flip flops despite the humid heat. Prayer calls happen 5 times a day starting at 3:30 am.  The sounds of scooters at all hours are nonstop. I felt like I was truly in a different world.

Baller in Bali

However, coming to Bali is like taking a walk through Ocean Beach, San Diego. Everyone is wearing boardshorts, tanks, flipflps and shades.  Of course the traffic was just as crazy and the scooters were insane. If you can drive in Indonesia, you can drive ANYWHERE.

Most of the Indonesians I met in Bali felt more at home than they did in their home towns. Because the area is shared among Muslims, Hindus, Christians and other beliefs, there seems to be less dominance from any specific culture I noticed. The Balinese have their own culture and they are a laid back, friendly people.

Aside from enjoying my hotel by the beach, the best surf ive seen in years, and making more friends... one of the most memorable experiences was Lembongan. It's an island you can only get to by ferry. There aren't many cars so the only mode of transportation is by scooter.

I was a bit nervous with my limited experience, but I soon found myself wanting more and more. Maybe Ill buy a scooter in Japan.

The snorkeling here is the best I've ever had! Our boat guy dropped us off in the best spot. It was like diving right into an aquarium. Soon I realized that it was the fish who were coming to watch us.

The place was a dream. 3 hours for a boat and guide = $20, Scooter for 24hrs and full tank of gas = $7, Staying the night in a hut right on the beach = Priceless...  Actually no, $30, but seriously!

 I was pretty satisfied with my trip. But to top it off, one of most beautiful places I have ever experienced was on the ricefields of Ubud.  They say Bali is the cultural center of Indonesia. Well, Ubud is the cultural center of Bali.

 

With all of that I just shared, I hope it can be an inspiration to someone out there. Start with simple goals and accomplish them. In no time you will be craving bigger adventures and challenges to take on and overcome..

I am proud to say that I accomplished over 90% of my bucket list.  I learned to set some realistic expectations on myself. Testing my limits, I found that I was capable of much more than I knew. The challenges I wanted to accomplish, I simply wrote on paper. With that, I got to experience so many things I wanted to do.  Cycling, snorkeling, ..eating delicious food...  Everything from swimming with tropical fish in the Indian Ocean to riding scooters on the beach. Surfing Bali to swing dancing with that girl at cafe Havana. Blessed, I was blessed to experience much more than I planned. This summer has been one of the most adventurous seasons yet!

About the thing I didn't accomplish.  Yeah, I originally wanted to brew a beer to give to one of Yokohama's local brewers to try. Instead I got carried away with experimenting with a new Apple-Grape Wine.  I just bottled it today! It will be ready for consumption next week!

And the last item... it was a mystery. But its simple, I let go. When you leave all the stuff behind you are comfortable with, you remember how much more there is out there. I completely forgot about all the stuff I thought was weighing me down. The past is in the past, its time to start planning for your next adventure!

 

Adventures in Bali: Part 1 McDonalds

Jon Pritikin

A couple of months ago, Strong Man Jon Pritikin paid a visit to our church in Yokohama.
数ヶ月前、ジョンプリティンと言う強い男がライフハウス横浜に来てメセージをシェアした。

He often travels around the world speaking at schools and other events as an Anti-Bullying speaker. He shares his experiences in hopes of inspiring any person struggling with low self esteem or past failures to see themselves in a positive light.　世界中各地の学校を回っていじめに対して自分の経験をシェアしています。


When I filmed this, it actually wasn't the first time I heard his story.  I listened to his message and saw his performances a few times before about a year or so ago. In all honesty I wasn't planning on listening to something I already heard before. In my mind I felt that I already knew what was going to happen. I ended up staying because of some friends who had come to see him for the first time.　
実は、このビデオを撮った時、彼の話はもう何回も聞きました。一年前のパーフォマンスも見たから、同じメセージを聞くつもりはなかった。頭の中に何の話かはもう知っているような気がしました。プリティキンさんの話を始めて聞きに来た友達がいましたから彼の話をまた聞くことになりました。

However, even thought the message was familiar, something was different that night.  I don't quite know if it was the way he delivered his words or a different story he shared from before, but something quite unexpectedly hit me.　だけど、あの夜の話には何かを感じました。もちろん、前回のメセージの内容と似ていたが、メセージの伝え方か、彼の言葉が僕の心に響いた。「何これ、彼話していることをもう知っているのに、なぜ僕が泣きそう．．」という感じをしました。

One set of words that I remember from that night, "just because you may have failed at something, it doesn't make you a failure.."　「失敗を何回起こしても、あなたは失敗作わけではない、．．」と言う言葉を覚えています。

About a few weeks before that message, I had actually been struggling with some feelings of depression and disillusionment. Because of some unfortunate recent events that lead to some tough decisions I had to make and dreams that I had to give up, I was feeling pretty low for the first time in years. At a time when I felt helpless and that whatever I tried ended in failure, i was feeling like throwing my arms up and giving in to anger, negativity and so many unhealthy feelings about myself.
実は、あの時、もう何週間鬱病と欠望の感覚で辛い思いをしていました。色んなことを失敗したり、難しい決断をしたり、楽しみにしていた夢も諦めることになった。あまり良くない思いをしていた。その影響で自信をだんだん失っていた僕が怒りや色んなネガティブ考えに負けかけました。

Its quite relieving though. Even though I thought I knew what would be said and what would happen, somehow I felt that message was for me.  Yes, I had failed quite badly and wasn't doing much to make things better. But just like when God speaks. Sometimes its something we already know, but there are times we just need that push, that word of encouragement to speak life into a situation that feels like death. Because of a simple story and set of words, I realized that I didn't have to live like a failure just because I had failed before.  Having made mistakes in your past does not make you a failure. With God you always get a new start.　でも、ジョン・プリティキンの言葉を聞いてよかった。彼が言ってたことは頭の中にもう知っていたのに僕の心は初めてそのメセージを聞いたようでした。もう失敗していたからちゃんと反省して改善対策のやる気はなかった。でも、神様の言葉みたいに彼の言ったことは自分のため用意出来たことを感じていた。「神様の言葉はもう知っている．．」という考えは時々あるかもしれませんが、予想外のことで僕たちの心は神様に響かれる。簡単の言葉、シンプルのストリーで励まされた。失敗をしたことあるから失敗作として生きるわけには行かない。神様に頼るなら新しいチャンスはいつもくれる。

While sorting through all the pictures and videos on my phone through the last two years, I found this video of Jon Pritikin and it reminded me of how I was feeling in that season of my life. I hope that if anyone reading this is remembering some past failures in their own life... I just want to encourage you by saying that your failures do not define who you are. Just because you may have made some mistakes, it doesn't make you a mistake. 携帯で取った写真とビデオの整理をしていた時このビデオを見つけた。あのときのシーズンのを思い出した。もし、誰かがこのブログをよんで、自分の辛くて苦しんでいた時を思い出すかもしれない。あなたに言いたい、過去の間違い、失敗したこと、あまり良くない決断をしたことがあってもあなたは失敗作ではない。

Thanks for reading,
読んでくれてありがとう。
-Michael