in times like these

My thoughts are with all my friends and family in Japan

 In times like these, I wonder what it would have been like if I didn’t get on that plane for home.

In times like these, I marvel in silence at the timing of my departure from Tokyo, Japan.

In times like these, I am grateful for our current advancement in technology.

50 years ago, I could have only dreamed of finding out if my loved ones are alive and well in a country far away by the click of a button.

In times like these, we are forced to remain brave for our friends and family,
as we are helplessly being thrown into uncontrollable situations
that seem to escalate further into chaos.

We hope that the madness ends, and then there it is again.
Only this time, it’s a 8 times as worse,
and you feel a knot form in your throat,
the tears spilling unwillingly from underneath closed eyelids.

In times like these, remain calm. Breathe deeply. It’s okay.

Panicking isn’t going to help.

I hate those bastards. 

A tsunami wave wipes out homes and neighborhoods in Chiba

I guess the first stage of grief doesn’t tie in here all too well.
Psychologists can generalize to their hearts content however; I’m not in denial but in shock.

 In what way can I actually deny that the earth shook violently from beneath the ocean,
and has managed to rip apart my beloved Tokyo; I don’t know.

 The endless deadly statistics are keeping me awake in this hour of the night.
The media feeds us warnings down our throats every five minutes,
all the while sugar coating the catastrophe with updates and even more terrible news. 

Unfortunately I can’t bargain with an imaginary god for this all to rewind and be gone.

Families and loved ones are torn apart because of this very incident.
The roads are littered with stranded people trying to make their way home.
Not to mention the odd car or thousand floating aimlessly around flooded areas.

I also can’t be all meek and accepting of our current global crisis;
so I guess I’m stuck with stages two, and four for now.
 First Christchurch, now Tokyo. What next?

Hello Anger, meet Depression.

In times like these, I close my eyes and think about the life I’ve led up till this very day.
I give myself lengthy philosophical questions about fulfillment and the meaning of love.

I try not to waste time thinking of “what if”.

Because let’s face it; it’s already too late now, and what's done is done.

In times like these, just breathe in. Breathe out. 

My thoughts are with those in the fire-blazed shores of Tokyo, Japan.

In times like these, I put pen to paper;

last-minute letters to loved ones that I pray never meet a stamp.

Words that I would never have said,

if not a huge tidal wave eat up the very train line 

I used to commute to and from school 6 days a week a month ago.

I write words that apologize, and words that speak from deep down.

In times like these; words aren’t enough.

In times like these; it isn’t really about me. 

In times like these, you realize that instead of choosing what to eat, 

there are people out there wondering if they have food at all. 

In times like these, you fight for sleep, too guilty to give in to your body’s inability to stay awake; I’m too aware that there are millions out there, struggling for warmth tonight.

In times like these, you are helpless to all the chaos and you can’t help but wonder.

When is it going to hit me?

In times like these, I hope you tell the one you love just how much they mean to you.

And mean it.

In times like these; hope. Hope for something bigger than yourself.

Because I know it’s all I can do.  

I wrote this the night I found out about the earthquake in Japan.
I hope this will give encouragement to those whom have family or friends there; I know how worried you must all be.
From what I gather, everyone is safe and have taken refuge in their homes. 

I cannot begin to express how much it hurts to see the town I live in go up in flames all over the news, while I sit here feeling extremely useless.
My host family have not yet updated me with their current situation. 

I wanted to do something; and this is what I can do for now.

The casualties are increasing, and there is reportedly 125 billion dollars in damage.

Please donate to any charities in your respective country to help Japan restore its beautiful country back. 

All my love always Japan, I haven't forgotten about you.

Thinking of you always. 

April