Tim Minchin

The same friend, who took me to the great French restaurant, which I posted about in the “Lau..haha..gh” section, also told me to watch Tim Minchin on YouTube.

“He is hilarious”, she said. … “You’ll love him”, she said. …

And she was right.  

Tim Minchin (Timothy David Minchin) is a British/Australian Comedian Slash Musician Slash Writer.

I’m just at the beginning of discovering his work but I can tell you that he is indeed very funny (luckily, since he is a comedian), that his jokes are very smart, and that he is quite political.

He does a brilliant job in combining serious topics that concern everyone with provoking well-chosen language and ridiculous seeming topics.

I have no talent for remembering song lyrics and I’m someone who can’t do grocery shopping AND talking on the phone to someone at the same time. Therefore I’m especially amazed by people like Tim Minchin, who is a genius in multitasking and singing really fast and adding lots of humorous moments to his performance with his pauses and mimics. 

Why don’t you check out this YouTube video – Prejudice – below and see for yourself?

I also liked “F%!%§ the Poor“, „The Pope Song “, and “Always the Germans”.  They all cracked me up!!!

Have fun!

John Wick

John Wick is not necessarily a brilliant movie but since I liked the action, the plot, the performances, I can say that it is a pretty good movie.  

Just yesterday I watched Paycheck with Ben Affleck in it. While the plot is not bad it just shows again how much the performance of the protagonist can make or break the movie. I’m not a big fan of Affleck’s acting – it’s distracting and I have trouble staying in the story.

John Wick could have run the same risk. Instead they were wise enough to let Keanu Reeves play the main part.

In general, to me Keanu Reeves is one of those actors who shine in certain roles that seem to be cut out just for him, like in Matrix! In other movies, it feels like he is the wrong piece in a jigsaw puzzle – but never as bad as Ben Affleck. Never!

In John Wick he plays an ex-hitman who comes out of retirement to go after the gangsters, who take the last good thing in his life from him.

The plot is simple and a lot of you might go “Umm! … No, thank you!”, which is fair enough.

A lot of times Keanu Reeves is presented by the media as someone who lost his love in an accident (there are so many stories out there and who knows what’s right and wrong), who lives a simple life, is one of the most decent actors/ people film crews have worked with, and does big gestures (giving money to a film crew staff in need) in a quiet way. It’s easy to like Keanu Reeves for all that. When I watched him on the Graham Norton Show he was this cool, decent guy with a touch of mystery and a sad story in his heart, which made me like him even more. Therefore I might be fond of this movie because John Wick is a bit like Keanu Reeves or Keanu Reeves is a bit like John Wick.

I loooooove movies like Bourne Identity, Matrix, Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee for their smart action and fighting scenes. Now I can add John Wick to that list.

Oh, and one more thing! After the movie I’m sure you will want to get a beagle dog as your new pet. Don’t ask why … Just watch it! :-) 

Keanu Reeves in the Graham Norton Show:

Quarante Quatre

You might remember my post about a wonderful French restaurant in the "My Town" section I put up a while ago. Well, let me recommend you yet another French restaurant in Osaka.

I’m not sure what’s going on here – before last year I’ve never really been into French food, mostly because it made comments pop up in my mind like

“too fancy”,

“you pay a tiny fortune and then you have to check your plate with a magnifying glass to locate your food”,

“the waiter looks down on you for not knowing what wine to order”,

and

“what exactly IS French food anyways?”.

In other words, I was fairly prejudiced, uneducated and ignorant about the French cuisine.

(Then again, there is justice in the world because I pay my fair share when people ask me on a regular basis whether in Germany we eat white sausage every day.)

A friend introduced me to “Quarante Quatre” and we went there with two of her friends for lunch. Although at first paying Yen 2,800 (about EUR 23,00 or US$ 25,00) for lunch felt like a tiny kick in the stomach, I joined the group in taking course B, and couldn’t have been more amazed and satisfied with what was offered.

We were served a salad with a light herbal dressing, warm baguette, an innocent looking tiny starter that took me to heaven with its creamy texture and put me softly back on my chair, a great burdock soup, another breathtaking appetizer, heavenly soft lamb in sauce with seasonal vegetables as the main dish, and an unforgettable apple dessert topped with cream that reminded us of a light version of Nutella.

Overall, it was a delight.

“Quarante Quatre” is located in Kitahama, which due to its business offices is mostly busy during the day. From the outside the place itself is fairly unrecognizable – it’s small and with it’s brown wooden design outside it slightly reminded me of a typical old-style Japanese café.

I loved their yellow napkins and pink/purple small flower arrangements on each table. They felt like spots of spring.

The staff was amazing. They know my friend well and so we might have received special attention but everyone was very kind, welcoming and always had a smile on their face.

Sometimes they have “Petit Concert” there, it seems. I’m assuming it’s French music.

And voilà, here is the link to Quarante Quatre and a few pictures.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show - Amy Schumer

Ellen just puts me in a good mood. So, if there is still anyone out there, who doesn't know her then please check this video out to get a glimpse of her show, so you find yourself in a good mood too. 

I didn't really know who Amy Schumer was but she is hilarious and I want to see more of her. 

The Way You Make Me Feel - different

I like Kawehi's version of Michael Jackosn's The Way You Make Me Feel. She is cute, the video is cute (the dogs are funny, too) and it's simply amazing how she operates that … thing! 

(I'm easily impressed by people who can multitask, as I can not!) 

She's got a sweet voice. You might want to check out her other covers on You Tube. 

Woman Afraid Of Her Own Face Mask

This short but sweet video cracks me up, EVERY   SINGLE   TIME. Don't ask me why. 

Honest Trailers

One very good friend of mine, whose British humour I love, recommended me this web series where all kinds of movies are introduced in a different way - a more "honest" way. 

You'll love the voice. 

I chose Love Actually as one of the Honest Trailers series. 

The Late Late Show With James Cordon

I love the The Late Late Show with James Cordon, especially the car pool karaoke part and how he pulls that off: He manages to create a funny friendly atmosphere, sing pretty well, and remember all lyrics WHILE driving. Is he really driving? Cause that's just amazing multitasking, in my eyes. 

If you are not a fan already, let's see if I get you hooked on with this car pool karaoke video with Adele as a guest. 

Who Am I - Kein System Ist Sicher (No System Is Safe)

My husband's barber recommended us this German thriller about a young, genius hacker, who finds himself drawn into a "dark net" through a subversive hacker group. 

At some point during the movie you will be reminded of another one, which I don't want to name here because it could be a spoiler. That, I thought, was the only real flaw of the movie. Don't forget I told you. (If you really should not guess what movie I am talking about and you start gazing into the distance for minutes as if you can read the answer in the air then don't hesitate to drop me a line and I'll tell you the title of the other movie.)

I liked the cast, I liked the language, and I thought that the movie had a smart storyline and was not disappointing until the very end. 

The style felt more like an American movie that's successfully trying to be a little European, rather than being a German movie that's trying to be American. It's okay if you have lost me there. See what you make of it AFTER you watch the movie given that you like and have seen a couple of German movies.

I'm not a hacker. I don't know much about computers. In fact, I panic over any anomaly that appears on my desktop. Therefore, I'm sure that some geeks might cringe here and there because some details in the plot are not accurate. Blessed are the ignorant, like me. 

What I thought was brilliantly done was the visualisation of the communication in the hacker net world, especially for someone who has a hard time grasping the Internet world. 

Also, as the title says - No System Is Safe - the plot gets you to think about how we need to prepare ourselves for how we will pay for our digital conveniency in the years to come. 

BUNROKU Tea Room

Today, my friend took me to a new cafe around the corner from her place in Moriguchi (on Keihan / Tanimachi Line) in Osaka.

It is called BUNROKU Tea Room. 

The place made quite an impression on me. On the outside it's disguised as a renovated traditional Japanese family home turned into a cafe. 

Then you walk in, and though overall the "package" of the interior stays traditional Japanese your eyes catch beautiful Western antique furniture and charming British looking tableware tastefully arranged around the room.

There is no coffee offered on their menu. They are that dead serious about tea! I'm not even going to attempt impressing tea lovers because I know I'd fail big time but just for the sake of opening up a new world to ignorant coffee drinkers like me, let me use the word brisk to describe the general flavour of what they offer. (Click on the word "brisk" to enter that world!)

I liked that they used classical music in the background although I found Mendelssohn's wedding march Midsummer Night's Dream  a bit distracting. I was expecting a bride walking by our table any second. 

Apparently, this place has it's original huge shop and cafe in Kyushu, where it has it's own tea plantation and which got a prize by the English Great Taste Award for its amazing tea. 

Danielle LaPorte - Day Planner

I wrote a post about this planner in the ideal-l section of my blog but I wanted to connect it with a post in personal development because I think that this planner has potential to also work on your personal growth. 

Enjoy the other post here. 

Danielle LaPorte - Day Planner

Let me say first that I don't owe this day planner yet but I've heard so many good things (from Jacqui and Amanda) about this so called Desire Map Day Planner and watched a very informative and convincing video about how to use it that I'd love to get this for myself for 2017 .

"Danielle LaPorte is a bestselling Canadian author, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and blogger. She is the author of four non-fiction books dealing with topics from style to entrepreneurship, incorporating aspects of personal development." (Wikipedia) 

What is fascinating about her planner is that it asks you to write down 3 to 4 main goals for the year and that it helps you get centred again when you get off track in order to to get you focused back on your goals. It does that on a regular basis.

It helps you to not only be efficient in your daily life but it enables you to ground yourself, become aware of your presence, and see your achievements with little sections you have to fill. 

These sections cover what you are grateful for today, what you have accomplished this week/month, how your body feels and so on.

I think that this planner is special and though I sound like I was paid for this (which is not the case) I believe that it can assist you in personal growth. See and decide for yourself. 

This has so much gift potential. Don't you think? 

The black dog in my life

Millions of people have a depression. In a report from WHO (World Health Organisation) from 2015 it says that more than 350 million people are affected worldwide. 

On average about 1 in 20 people reported having an episode of depression.

Here is how WHO summarises depression:

"Depression is a common mental disorder, characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness, and poor concentration.

Depression can be long-lasting or recurrent, substantially impairing an individual’s ability to function at work or school or cope with daily life. At its most severe, depression can lead to suicide. When mild, people can be treated without medicines but when depression is moderate or severe they may need medication and professional talking treatments."

There are so many different types of depressions, with so many different levels (mild, mediocre, severe), different versions (mothers who have postpartum depression, so called baby blues, seasonal affective disorder or bipolar disorder) that hit you in different waves and portions.  

A lot of people and societies look at depression as a weakness in a person's character, as something the person should snap out of and simply deal with.

If I had cancer, people would be more understanding with my situation and sympathetic because  cancer is considered a terrible disease. Why is it considered a terrible disease? - Because it is disease. And so is depression. It doesn't have one single cause - brain chemistry, hormones, and genetics all play an important role. 

Then again there is so much discussion going on about whether depression is an actual disease or not. I'm not a scientist or doctor. I'm not trying to argue. I want to draw attention to symptoms that are real for so many people. Symptoms that can lead you to suicidal thoughts. 

If your child or husband or girlfriend or mother had these symptoms, would it matter whether depression is a disease or not? All that would matter is that there was a health system that knows  how to deal with it beyond pharmacological treatment, a social net that was informed, understanding, and supportive, a way out of darkness and sadness and away from suicidal thoughts. 

Have a look at this article from Healthline to read a quick summary on depression. 

Here is a great animation that envisions how it is to live with depression. 

Neale Donald Walsch

I had and still have my ups and downs, sometimes within a short time span of a day or even an hour. I can feel good and safe in one moment, and scared about my future, frustrated and then sad about my life situation in the next.

It's called having a depression. It comes in different versions, portions and waves. I'll talk about that in another post. 

Today, I want to introduce Neale Donald Walsch to the ones, who don't know him yet. 

He is a modern day spiritual thinker and became famous with his books Conversations With God. 

Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue Book1

￥ 1,768

By Neale Donald Walsch

He is not an Eckhart Tolle or Byron Katie, who helped me through many mental crisis. 

I know this doesn't help to advertise the guy but there is a tiny voice in my heart that resists him as a person, probably because he and his audience look like harmless next door neighbours with clothes and hairstyles from the 80s, hiding dirty little secrets behind closed curtains. 

Still.

His video discussion about money and abundance and books Conversations With God, as well as When Everything Changes Change Everything, which I'm reading at the moment, hold a profound truth and help me change my perspective on how to deal with life. 

His messages overlap with a lot of core statements from Eckhart Tolle and Byron Katie.  

If (and I know how hippie like that sounds) your heart feels ready for taking all that in, then don't miss out on the books and video I mentioned.

I'll write up my comments in the booksss section about When Everything Changes Change Everything when I'm done reading. 

How to Talk To A Widower

I love my aunt’s taste in books and movies, probably because she has shaped me profoundly in my teenager years with the books she gave me as presents and the movies and TV shows we watched together.

From Arthur Miller, Truman Capote (not necessarily Breakfast at Tiffany’s but more his relationship with murderer Perry Smith in the book In Cold Blood) to Charles Bukowski, and TV series like Al Bundy, and The Golden Girls to Hitchcock movies, Taxi Driver and Angel Heart (when Mickey Rourke was still handsome as hell).

When I was on vacation in Germany, I asked my aunt for some book recommendations for killing time on train rides and she didn’t disappoint me.

She recommended How To Talk To A Widower by Jonathan Tropper.

Doug Parker is a widower at the age of twenty-nine trying to deal with his grief. His egocentric funny family, life in a suburb, and sixteen year-old stepson are part of the story.

People compare him to Nick Hornby who wrote About A Boy and High Fidelity, for example.

What I enjoyed reading this book was little passages of sharp observations of contemporary life situations mixed with a lighthearted wisdom, British humor (in the sense of making you love a loser for not taking himself too serious), well-dosed pinches of sarcasm, and a touch of Hollywood romantic comedy. He is American after all. 

Grief is a topic most people don’t know how to deal with. And for the ones grieving it is a lifetime process to live with the loss of a loved one, even if (or especially because) the relationship was difficult.

It’s a sensitive topic but, if I may say, I think that the book does a fine job in describing grief while constantly telling little stories that make you laugh out loud.

I won’t be surprised when Hollywood turns up with a movie script for Jonathan Tropper’s book.

I’m looking forward to reading more from him. 

How To Talk To A Widower (English Edition)

By Jonathan Tropper

Buy on Amazon

A Little Soul Comes To Earth ...

One of my dearest friends, Stefanie Wackar, has a website called Wolkenwerke (cloud works/factory). She has come a long (spiritual) way to call this her baby.

She creates personalised books for children. The stories are about dreaming, love, discovering your individual skills and characteristics, friendship, and gratitude. 

All you need to do is choose one content from a series of set stories, and add personal information about the child. Personal information varies from book to book  (e.g. from name, age, looks, characteristics to name of birth place, birth day, and name of grandparents and so on).

That's all. Stefanie gets the book ready within ten days and sends it to you. 

The books are great personal gifts for children for birthdays, Christmas, baptism, or just like that and a beautiful memory for life!

When Stefanie started with Wolkenwerke I was lucky to be a presentee. It's a very special feeling to receive something so personal and so touching. I'm still moved when I hold the book in my hands to go over the pages once in a while. 

The only hard to fix obstacle is that the books and website are in German. If you are hooked on the idea though, have a look at the colourful pictures of different characters who appear in her books. My two personal favourites are "Rosalie", the butterfly queen, and a guardian angel. I love the thought of a guardian angel, especially for a child. It makes you feel protected. 

If you have any questions, then please don't hesitate to contact Stefanie. She is fluent in English and Spanish.

Have fun!

It's gift time

When you have run out of ideas for what to get for a friend or a family member and you have something special and fancy in mind for that person then try out a shopping site called ahalife. They sell great gifts. A lot of items are pricey but here and there you can find some great gifts for a decent price. I fell in love with the Herbal Sinus & Migraine Cap for $ 40, for example. (You might be able to get it on amazon for a cheaper price.)

If nothing else, it’s a well put together beautiful website for getting ideas for presents. 

My Life In China

Due to my own Kurdish background, especially nowadays with all the political trouble in East Turkey, I get so caught up in trying to understand the Turkish and Kurdish society in Germany and my family’s story of immigration, that I’m thankful for having stumbled over this beautiful documentary by Chinese-American Kenneth Eng in order to see beyond my owns people’s identity struggle.

In this personal story Eng describes how every immigrant family has someone who leaves their native country behind in search for a better life.

Many times the young Chinese-American has listened to his father’s story about walking for seven days and six nights, before swimming for four hours to Macao to escape communism in 1966. This time he decides to return to China with his father.

I was very moved by Eng’s natural talent of capturing emotions, and moments.

In the documentary he does a splendid job in connecting the audience with his father and himself, even though he is mostly behind the camera, while telling not only his own family story but also the story of immigration as a whole.

Carol

I tell you what my first judgmental thought is when I think of Carol: A lesbian story. Of course, there is much much more I want to say about this movie … So, please hold on.

When my friend and I decided to go see Carol, we had little time before the next show nearby, but just taking one look at the poster with Cate Blanchett, who is great in any movie, we knew for sure the night was going to be free from disappointment.

And we were right.

Until around the very first kiss though, we had not really seen it coming that it was a love story between two women, and the fact that that took us both by surprise (we both looked at each other in the dark with a smiling No-way!-face) was a funny moment I won’t forget and will always associate with Carol.

On that note, it’s maybe not a bad idea to go watch a movie without having read any summaries or reviews. It’s quite refreshing.

The Price of Salt: OR Carol

￥ 1,269

By Patricia Highsmith

Buy on Amazon

Carol is based on Patricia Highsmith’ book The Price of Salt.

Set in the 1950s in New York City, the movie tells the story of a young sales clerk with a soon to blossom talent for photography (Rooney Mara) and her relationship with a wealthy elegant lady (Cate Blanchett), who is going through a difficult divorce.

I hate giving away too much. I usually just want to describe how a movie made me feel.

I enjoyed the beautiful screenplay, the costumes, the décor and the sort of testimonial to 1950s movies with a new touch. It felt like a walk through an art museum on a lazy afternoon – cozy, recharging, and silently occupying one's mind. But I have to say that, despite the great performances of both actresses, the characters didn’t fully touch me.

Then again, I think, characters don’t always have to do that in order for someone to walk out of the cinema with a satisfied feeling. 

Meet up for Entrepreneurs

My friend and business consultant, Jacqui, and another friend, Amanda, who is an interior designer, regularly arrange a get-together for female expats they call Osaka Women Entrepreneur Meetup.

The meet ups are designed to support female expats in Japan (Kansai mostly) in starting their own small business. 

Today was the second time I joined the meeting and I love how motivated I feel after the meet-ups. 

Both Jacqui and Amanda put a lot of effort and love in these meetings.

I like the locations they choose - they are fashionable, they create a cozy atmosphere and they  introduce you to the different faces Osaka has, from business to retro style. 

Everyone gets a chance to talk about their business idea(s) and in most cases most members have a tornado of thoughts they put on the table. With Jacqui's  and Amanda's business experience and with the team's brainstorming you get a sense for the next few steps you want to take for your business idea. Those steps are he hardest. Just like when a baby starts walking for the first time - it's still shaky and takes up all your strengths. 

Especially for one of today's members joining the group was an emotionally important step - she could follow our conversation but speaking in English was difficult for her. Also, all her life she had been there for other family members but a while ago she thought of something that could become a life changing business idea, with which she'd finally have a chance to do something for HERSELF. When she stumbled upon Jacqui's Meetup (check out the App on iTunes) on Facebook she got really excited. You could see how important it was for her to have found a space where she could finally talk about (in Japanese and English) all her thoughts on her business idea, no matter how big that tornado of thoughts was.

It's normal to be all over the place with ideas - the main goal is to know how to take the next few steps.  

Amanda talked about how important it is to create your own inspiring work space and how you can do that. I love how she simplifies approaching this important step for starting your own business. 

At the beginning of the meeting one of the members, Leigh, whose into yoga, did a wonderful breathing exercise with us to get us in the right mindset. It worked.

Last but not least, I liked how Jacqui asked me to describe how things have been going for me since the last time I had attended the meeting. By telling my story I realised for the first time how things had become clearer for me, how I had grown on a personal level, how my ideas had shaped into something I could now grasp. 

I'm not ready to talk about my idea yet but I wanted to let you know that it's on its way, and you'll hear more about it next year. Please stay posted.  

Thanks for all the support.