• Personal Life

    Life Update: Where Life Ends, and Life Begins

    October 11, 2023 - By 

    The past week has been quite a rollercoaster for me and my husband. Not because of our marriage struggles–as we are thankfully, by God’s grace, learning to be more patient and adjust with each other–but because of events involving other people in our lives. My husband’s dad passed away the eve of October 7 Saturday. We were really hopeful his condition would stabilize to get the operation he needed and recover, but sadly he was not able to make it. I will never forget that moment my husband’s family gathered for a video call with their dad, who was no…

  • Anime/Manga

    My Happy Marriage Reflections: What is Family?

    September 26, 2023 - By 

    My Happy Marriage Season 1 has recently ended, but I still have my backlog of posts to publish, so hopefully this will be a welcome read to reminisce and appreciate the show more ^^ What is family? For someone like Miyo who never experienced how it’s like to have a normal loving family, not even friends you can call family, it’s not surprising how she has a hard time grasping what family means. Her mother who loved her dearly passed away when she was so young to even remember how she was like. Her father did not even treat her…

  • The amazing Honda RoadSync team with Drivemode Team
    Work Life

    Work Diaries: 2023/09/08 Celebrating Honda RoadSync’s Turn-by-Turn Release Milestone

    September 12, 2023 - By 

    嵐は我々を止められぬ！！No storm can stop us  (especially with God on our side!) Capturing this memorable life event related to my work for posterity. This day, we celebrated a HUGE milestone for our team and their product, Honda RoadSync—the release of the Turn-by-Turn feature. A feature that was part of the original product vision, a feature that the Product team and all those involved in the product has worked hard to make a reality. Both by Drivemode team and Honda RoadSync team. This feature was ready for release since three years ago, yet was kept by the upper management from being released.…

  • Anime/Manga

    “My Happy Marriage” Episode 9 Reflections: On Miyo’s Broken Mirror and the Power of Vulnerability

    September 6, 2023 - By 

    Prelude Our thoughts have the power to shape us; from how we think, to how we act, and ultimately to who/what we become. How we think of ourselves–in other words, our sense of identity–the lens through which we view ourselves, shape how we feel and act. The environment we grew up in plays a huge role in shaping our sense of identity, especially our core identity from childhood to adolescence. And depending on our upbringing (and also our parents’ upbringing), we can either be raised in a home filled with love and acceptance, or that of broken one that reminds…

  • Anime/Manga

    Beautiful Eyes upon My Happy Marriage

    August 24, 2023 - By 

    It is often said that the eyes are the window to the soul, that you can understand a person’s emotions and sometimes thoughts by looking into his or her eyes. And on the subject of eyes, one thing I can’t help but notice while watching My Happy Marriage is this particular focus on the characters eyes–and I mean literal zoom-in focus. Probably the first anime I’ve seen with this level of focus. Boy are they beautiful expressive eyes! Such a visual treat and a mesmerizing experience I must say. I mean, from the very start of this anime, we are…

  • Anime/Manga

    Perfect Love Casts out Fear: An Ode to My Happy Marriage

    August 15, 2023 - By 

    After the cliffhanger episode 5, finally we get to see Kiyoka save his beloved Miyo from the hands of the cruel Saimoris in episode 6. Oh what a lovely episode! For the first time in Miyo’s life, she finds that which is worth fighting for with her life, and fights for it with her heart and soul. From the lifeless, close-to-despair-looking Miyo in the first episode, seeing that fierce look in her eyes despite getting slapped by her cruel stepmother is already a clear sign that something in her has changed. Miyo’s resilience is truly admirable. And the way she…

  • Faith Walk

    Revelations from a Juice: making room for God to organize your life

    May 26, 2023 - By 

    Do you often feel like there’s so much to do and so little time in your hands? Or you constantly find yourself in a rat race, endless chasing and chased by deadlines, feeling unable to breathe and rest? Here’s the common-sense unsolicited advice you may not want to hear: you might be taking in too much more than you can handle, and you need to let go of things to recalibrate and be able to do the rest of what you need/want to do.

  • Personal Life

    Mahalo: reminiscing our Hawaii graduation in GLIK program by Fujitsu-JAIMS

    May 25, 2023 - By 

    Met with dear friends/classmates from GLIK (Global Leaders for Innovation and Knowledge) last night, and as always, had a great time hanging out with this bunch of people. They are a treasure in this land of Japan, where such warmth is a rarity (and makes it all the more special!). They give me much hope for the future of this nation—current and future nation builders, as they make impact in their workplace and their respective careers, and more importantly, as they take care of their families with love and joy. Family is where one’s future is first shaped, after all.…

  • Faith Walk - Marriage - Personal Life

    The Tangled Web of Unforgiveness and Pride: A Rollercoaster Journey

    May 21, 2023 - By 

    Do you know the feeling of watching a suspense thriller movie and being surprised by a plot twist that turns things around and makes you go "woooahh-ly!"? That's how I felt when God revealed to me the depth of pride and unforgiveness in my heart. I had another scales-falling-off-from-my-eyes enlightenment moment as I realized that the faults I had been accusing and criticizing my husband of were actually a reflection of the very sins in my heart. Oh, the shock, the humiliation; yet also the overwhelming grace and comfort I felt through this rollercoaster.