O "Chaaa" !

A month or so ago, I was taken to a local Acupuncturist in Kurashiki and had my first taste of Eastern Medicine. Mostly, I was intrigued by the prospects of a new experience; a Chinese acupuncturist practicing  his craft in Japan. I would never trust an acupuncturist outside of Asia for some reason as it seems to be a craft the requires instinct, experience, and precision. A Chinese guy in Asia...my thinking was that it probably fits the bill.

I felt that I was a little by fatigued from work but overall, I felt fine. I was taken to the clinic, filled out some paperwork, and was promptly examined by Ken-Sensei who happens to be quite an amicable man. After feeling the pulse on my wrist for a few seconds, I was told that my liver was chopped, my stomach had no mac, my kidneys had grown tired of processing intoxicating liquids, and worst of all, that my body was cold! GULP...what in the world did that mean? My temperature hadn't even been taken. I could have a cold. I could have cancer. I could have a lack of vitamin C. I could have the Bubonic plague...endless possibilities. It's such a vague, feng shui-sun-Tzu-Jackie Chan-Master Splinter sort of diagnosis.

Before long, I was asked to lay on a medical bed and told to say "Ittai!" if I felt any amount of pain. Needles were placed along my stomach, my arms, my hands, and my feet. Once or twice, the previously mentioned word was used but otherwise there wasn't a slither of pain. Oh, and then he burned some strange smelling candles on my stomach...you know, to warm up my body temperature. Shortly thereafter, I was told to go home and avoid cold liquids as much as I could. Why I followed the Chinese man's advice I'll never know...but here I am drinking a nice cup of Green Tea.

Something I've never really liked is now something I'm totally addicted to. Refreshing, tasty, and wonderfully healthy are all things I'd use to describe green tea, or better known as Ocha in this part of the world. It also has a nice color, which is always a plus in my book. It's going to be a staple of my diet for the rest of my life.

More important than green tea, money, health, travel, shelter, air conditioning and anything else I can think of is Natalie. She is the greatest ever and I love her more than anything...Happy 4 year anniversary my love!