Yan Yan has always been a favorite snack since I was a little girl. I always put some in our shopping cart when my mom would take me grocery shopping with her. It’s the first thing I enthusiastically reach for as soon as we get home. I think I will never outgrow my love for this snack.

I’m happy that Meiji improved their product by putting pictures and quotes on the sticks. Imagine yourself in the midst of your busy work day and you have a Yan Yan to give you a pleasant sugar break. I love reaching for each stick and reading what it says before I chomp on it. I believe it is important to take some time off every day to appreciate the silly and cute.

It is satisfying as it leaves you with a feeling of lightness- a snack for the soul. How amazing it is to pause and breathe and smile while filling your tummy with something delicious.

I can honestly say that I was distraught when I heard he was gone. It’s not because I was a huge fan of Michael Jackson (although his music is incomparable to say the least). His passing made me think about what it really means to live.

You know he’s bad, he’s bad, he’s badass.

Sometimes, as any human being, I feel as if work is a pause button and my life can only resume once I’m done with my tasks and responsibilities. When really, life is the NOW. I believe we can prolong life and ensure its quality by breathing and focusing on any specific moment that is within what is now. If we did things half-assed, then we are just bound to the consequence of regret and making mistakes, or we do something worse by unconsciously repeating old mistakes. I’ve always thought that peace of mind is kind of like a destination. That once I get there, then that’s when I can say that I am living the life. But I was wrong.

Life is in the awareness of presence. It is in finding the peace and freedom that’s always been in our very core. When we are genuinely peaceful, we are free claim our right to all things extraordinary. When we are fully present, the feeling of aliveness resonates through our veins and flows into what we do. We see and appreciate the little details and the memories we create are more meaningful. This is when we feel thrilled and enthralled and ~hee hee~ happy to be given the gift of life.