Story time!

I would love to tell you a story:

Once upon a time there was a person called Tom, not very special, not particularly beautiful or talented but with a good heart. This person had the misfortune of getting ill with a nasty disease which might bring him to his death.

The doctor, a brave middle aged man well known in the whole kingdom, despite the threat of an unknown disease, went to visit Tom and told him: “Remember you must stay in your house, and not leave for any reason at all, until I say so. If you do, all the people you’ll meet might get sick and die”

So, although Tom was missing his friends and family and also, a bit, his rivals and enemies, he stayed at home.

After two whole months of isolation and medicines, Tom was fully cured and left his house to visit his friends.

THE END (of a potential pandemic)

Now, what does this story teach us? Let do their job to the people who studied for it and listen to whom who know better then us: stay in your place and be brave!

It’s easier than you think! Really!

If you do what you’re supposed to do, you’ll save lives and you’ll end this uncomfortable situation sooner.

I’m sick and tired to stay trapped in my house since last December.

Do I miss my family in Italy and would like to visit them? Yes!

Do I miss my friends? Yes!

Would I love to get back to the dojo? Yes!

Would I love to go here and there as I please? Yes!

Do I do all these things? No!

And why? Because I’m a responsible person, I studied languages and I do know bloody nothing about medicine!

Going around protesting against a virus, it’s like going to therapy because you’ve broken up with your imaginary friend!

The more you go around, the more the virus spread, the more people like me has to stay in the house.

I’m sick of it but I’m holding the fort as it’s the right thing to do.

Please, stop believing you know better and stay in the freaking house! You’ll end up this quicker!

Thank you!

Happy Easter!

I want to wish a Happy Easter and happy holiday to all my readers!

Although being forced far from my family of origin from March of last year, I celebrated with my own family here in the house…still in lockdown!

Despite not being in an ideal situation, I realize that I’m also very lucky. I have a loving partner and daughter, I have food on the table and roof over my head!

And that makes me happy!

I also have some news for you people! Looking forward to share them with you!

I’ll try to increase my presence on these pages, so stay tuned!

Have a great day!

Karate – 2nd part!

This was supposed to be the following post about karate I meant to write after my introduction!

Since time has passed you might want to go and have a quick read of the old blog!

This post might not be needed, but considering that Karate is the only thing keeping me sane in this mad year/ long lockdown period, I really wanted to.

As mentioned at the end of last post, I’ve recently decided to go back to my adored sport. 

Many things have contributed to the decision. 

First and foremost: when I was still working, since my shift changed and we didn’t have our mummy and Maya’s Mondays afternoon anymore, I wanted to find something new to do with my daughter. 

Second: Maya started struggling with some bullies in her class and I believed that some kind of burst to her self confidence, to begin with, was needed. 

Third: remembering my childhood and how good it felt having a safe spot where to be yourself, I thought I could check whether a similar situation might suit to Maya too.

I admit I played a tad dirty this time, as I was convinced this was the right solution. 

I usually give Maya decisional power on whatever she can already decide for herself. The first time I suggested Karate she said it was just a boy’s sport and didn’t want to try it. 

So, last time she went to Italy on holiday, I asked my mum to bring her to my old dojo and my old sensei. It was love at first sight, with the teacher and with the sport, but I was sure of this! 

When she came back to Ireland she asked me to continue and I started looking for a dojo. 

Unfortunately, all the dojo around my house, for a reason I still cannot understand, wouldn’t accept kids below 10 or 12 years of age.
But I didn’t give up. I kept looking for one and eventually found the Hombu Dojo!

I still cannot believe the luck I had and I am very grateful to the universe I was put on this path! I soon realised I ended up in a very nice, professional and welcoming dojo! But the best surprise was that the good vibes coming from this place were very similar to those I left in my old one. The nostalgia I felt! 

In the Hombu Dojo there are four main sensei and they are all very nice and unique.

The sensei who founded the dojo, guess what? studied karate in Japan for a long time.

You all well know my obsession with Japan, so you can easily understand how thrilled I was when I realised this dojo’s atmosphere was also hugely Japan-like!

The way we behave there, the acceptance, the kindness, the ability to listen and to communicate are fantastic.

I am in the right place and I love it! I promised to myself that this time I’ll never leave the sport again!

Also, in order to encourage Maya, I decided to start once more from the white belt, the very beginning.

All considered, I believe that was the right choice for myself as my body is still messed up and in pain due to the past 25 years of inactivity and the many kilos overweight.

I am, however, proud of myself for being so much consistent, for a solid year.

At the moment my body doesn’t shake anymore after classes for exhaustion and we’ve just turned yellow belt! Yeah!

Stay tuned as you’ll hear more of this in the future!

Are there other karate lovers out there?

If so, let me know in the comments below.

Update—Work

Days are brighter lately, and may this be of good luck!

Believe it or not, my dear readers, but I’ve finally managed to tidy up my files! Hence, I’ll be able to write a word or two on these pages! About time, I missed you so much!

Now, since this blog is a little camera on my anti-perfect person life, it’s better I update you on my situation. Work-wise I think I’ll talk a lot in the following weeks, so it’s better to clear any doubt!

Until mid-February 2020 my partner and me were working from our offices, Maya was going to school and I had the tiring but manageable chore of preparing dinner every evening.

After that, the nightmare began: we both had to work from home and then the school closed so the homeschooling was added to the workload. This situation also meant I had to prepare three meals and two snacks for the whole week for all of us.

Apart from being deprived of my hour of commute, which was free time and fresh air breathing space, I became accessible all the time, 24 hour a day, and 7 days a week.

A common situation was the one where I was cooking while working and also minding Maya and her homework!

But then, in July I was laid off and so I lost one of the three jobs I was carrying on.

Since the past months had been so heavy, I’d then decided to decompress and calm down, and not looking immediately for a new position.

I felt the most important thing for me at that moment was to connect with myself once again and, as consequence, be a better mom and human being.

It was evidently a poor hope, as how could I know that this problem would extend for so long: stuck abroad for Christmas and festivities (of which you had a glimpse) and then second and third lockdown…I actually lost the count.

Despite being locked up and going slightly bananas, I reached a point where I needed to find a new job, so the search has begun. This time I’m asking support to an agency I found thanks to my old employer, who kindly enough included it in the redundancy package.

I will keep you posted about it. Now you know the situation and it will be easier to understand what I’m talking about.

Anyone else out there in the same situation?

Let me know in the comments below!

Franny’s loading…

I haven’t written much lately, I know, but I keep thinking of my dear blog!

Little by little I’m building a routine that I hope would suit my messy life so I’ll be able to write more other than studying Japanese, managing the house and so on.

Also, from the beginning of the year many things happened and the majority of them are sad and/or problematic. Give me time and I’ll explain this too, along to the other news I still haven’t talked about from last year!

Meanwhile, I’ll tell you I’m still working on tidying up my files, folders and drives. This way, it will be easier and faster to write my WIP or my next blog posts.

As you might see from the picture, I also recovered my sketch book. I’m not that good at doodling but I like it. I hope I’ll be able to draw some more in the future!

So, here I am, full of ideas, short of free time, as usual, but fighting to come back!

Wait for me!

End of the year!

Hello my dear readers!

Life tried once again to lock me in the hold and dance on deck, but I managed to get free! This means I’ve managed to write this last post before the end of the year!

What happened was that my files went messed up on my google drives and were deleted in good part. The positive side was my books and short stories were safe, but the rest was gone.

Honestly, I created the problem in first place as I have two drives and I didn’t remember where the original file were; I tried to tidy them up and then I made a mess! Then I created a copy of my blog draft and couldn’t find the more updated version!

But now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and my first worry was to write a few words. In the next few days my partner should manage to tidy up my drives so my writing could speed up.

Because of this inconvenience I didn’t even manage to wish you happy holidays and I’m doing now: Belated Happy Christmas!

Since the first festivity is gone, let me tell you something else!

2020 hasn’t been an easy year for loads of us and many things happened, the latest being the impossibility of going back home for the Christmas period. Since I move to Ireland, I had spent these days with my family and this was the first year I was forced not to do so.

I was and, actually, I still am very sad I couldn’t go, mostly because I didn’t want to risk to pass on the virus to my mum and my family.

However, the Christmas Eve and day and the 26^th were very pleasant. A dear family friend came over and spent the Eve and the 26^th with us. We ate a lot and then played some card games. It was just the four of us and we didn’t do anything weird, just a calm, Italian style festivity day but it felt like home.

Also, I’d love to thank her publicly as she managed last minute to bake one of my ever favourite Christmas sweets, which is ‘pandoro’ (you can see it right in the middle of the photo collage up here!). For some reason, it was impossible to find it in Dublin this year but she managed to make my holiday sweeter.

Since I still have a couple of days, I’ll wish you happy new year in advance, so my ability to mess up the holiday wishes will stay intact!

Here we are then, happy 2020 ending and happy 2021 beginning!

How did you spend your holidays?

Were you stuck anywhere in the world?

Let me know in the comments below!

Karate - 空手

 

Last Saturday, I faced karate grading with Maya and we both passed!

Now we’re yellow belt!

But let’s start from the beginning, as I’m aware that talking about karate out of the blue can be a tad confusing.
This is probably the post I was looking forward to writing the most since I got back to my pages.
I’m not entirely sure I’ve ever told you anything about my karate history. Possibly I mentioned it in the past but never explained the whole thing.

So, to quote the mad hatter, I’ll start from the beginning and, once I’m at the end, I’ll stop. Now that I think about that, it might take more than one post! Well, along with pirates, ships and writing, karate will be one of the recurring topics from now on, so I hope you’ll like it!

Last year, mid September I joined a dojo here in Ireland with my daughter and we’re still going on, as you could read in the very first sentence!
But let’s step twenty five years back!

When I was in middle high school I joined a Karate dojo for three years. They’d been the best years of my life! I loved the sport itself, so much I’m still obsessed with it, I loved the friends I enjoyed the time with and I admired and respected my old sensei as well, so much we’re still in touch.
During those years I went up to the brown belt and I also won several competitions and had my self confidence at its highest.
Then, when I started high school I took the worst decision ever: I sacrificed the hours dedicated to karate and spent at the dojo to my studies. I know that from an outsider this might sound like a reasonable decision but, believe me, it wasn’t.
There is only one reply I give to those who ask me “if you could go back on time what would you change?”. I always say that I’d go back to the time I was 14 and would strongly advise to stay in the dojo and stay strong.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned more than enough times what happened next, the problems I had in school with teachers, bullies and low marks. Consequence of this was the loss of self confidence and life long problems I’m still trying to sort out.
Considering the amount of hours I’d spent crying because I missed the dojo too much and I skipped my karate session, I could have attended the lessons. That for sure would have made me good!
Anyhow, life and university and moving to another city to go to University got in the way and I never resumed my karateka’s life.

This was until my daughter was a suitable age!

To be continued…

Getting inspired!

 

 

The second and last thing I have to do before I move on is to express some gratitude!

From time to time I’m greatly inspired by someone and then I start doing something I love. 

For example, over ten years ago, I started blogging following the lead of a dear friend who owned a very nice blog. 

Two years later, I started writing novels and short stories after being inspired by my best friend who’s a very good drummer. 

And now, the final push to go back blogging was given by a few profiles I’ve been following for a while on Instagram.

I realised, reading the previous lines, that I might give the impressions of someone who cannot do anything alone or someone who needs the push to follow her dreams. 

I’m not entirely sure whether this is the truth but I believe I couldn’t bring ahead something for so many years if I didn’t love it.  

I’m sure the lack of self confidence I’ve always suffered of it’s playing a great part in this behaviour and I’m working hard to sort out the issue. 

On the other hand, the best artists have been inspired by someone or something or an event in their lives, so why shouldn’t I!

But who are the people behind these inspiring profiles I mentioned before?

As you know, I’m Japan-addicted so I’m following many profiles of people living there to have a glimpse on the local life. 

Their enthusiasm and commitment urged my creativity to put words on paper again and I won’t be able to thank them enough! 

This doesn’t mean, by all means, that I feel like I’ll ever reach their level, not in a million years. What I want to say is that I feel grateful to the universe, or to whatever force you might believe in, to make me stumble on their profiles. 

Let me tell you why I find them fantastic!

Dafne is a young lady who won a scholarship in Kyoto university. She’s been living in Japan for the past two years, she studies classical Japanese literature while working for sustaining the extra expenses, she has a huge knowledge on literature and history of Japan, she makes wonderful and meaningful videos about daily life and local travels and she’s translating a classical novel in Italian by herself….and this is not even the half of all she does! I cannot believe you’re not curious yet to have a look at her profile! 

Veronica lives in Tokyo with her husband, she’s an expert in social media and she’s so very nice. I’m sure that at least in a previous lifetime she was a comedian or something like that. If you need a different, ironic perspective on daily life in Japan, please have a look at her profile. 

Dario is a lovely guy with no filter. I find his stories and posts very true all the time, no matter what he thinks, he’ll say it, something I highly appreciate! It makes you hope for a better future. If everybody would speak their mind like this and with a very ‘gentleman- like’ attitude as he does, probably the world would be a better place. Also, have a look at his wonderful videos!!! 

Loris…I don’t even know where to start with him! He works as translator of books and manga, he wrote a breathtaking book, he is amazing in editing and making videos and he’s resourceful with thousands of ideas. He could explain quantum physics and you would understand, so much clearly and simply he puts everything in words. If I were you, I’d follow him! 

Francesca is a very sweet girl, her voice is very calming and relaxing, despite what she thinks and claims. She teaches English in Tokyo and I love to see her stories, never boring and very well thought. Very often she also gives useful advice. Have a look!

Guenda’s profile is where all my daily dose of Japanese life started! She is a nice girl living in Osaka with her partner. She tells stories about her everyday life with a sweetness and simplicity that is a pleasure to follow. When she goes on holiday, you go with her and it’s just a pleasure.  Why don’t you try to have a look!?

Giada is the teacher you would like to have in every subject you’ve ever studied in your life. Thanks to her, this summer I got back to the kanji, in the attempt to put in motion again my very rusty Japanese and I couldn’t be happier. I would follow her if I were you, in particular if you’re studying Japanese and/or Italian! 

If you want you can have a look at them and let me know what you think in the comments below!

I love them all! 

I’m seriously surprised at how much I got attached to them although I’ve never met them in real life. I hope I will manage one day! And when the whole situation will let me, I’ll give them a very tight bear hug!

Need to change!

 

Hello my dear readers!

Before I could move on with my news and fresher material I feel the need of doing two last things!

The first one is related to the changes I’ve decided for my future writing. 

Lately I realised that this blog was born with a goal but now it fits tight! 

At the very beginning, when I was living alone with my partner with an easier job to attend to and a smaller house to take care of (and to be honest, with 10 year less under my belt), the idea of creating a writing blog sounded cool and doable. 

Now, instead, I have a daughter, who’s not that small anymore but is still a hell of work for me! I have a bigger house and I used to have a very heavy and stressy job. (Uh, wow a spoiler!) Also, I’m 10 years older and I’m not as energetic as before! 

On the top of that, I also become aware of the fact I cannot do everything I want, and that nothing is easily achievable. I’d dare to say, the fact I’ve always known it, is finally sinking in!

The truth is that what I want and what I have/need to do are incompatible. However, since I don’t want to give my dreams up, I’ll keep fighting!

…I’m sure this comes as a shock for everybody!

Hence, I need to change the title of this blog and a change of purpose. 

If at the beginning these pages were aimed to show my writing efforts and my development, now it will be more a window on the constant struggle of balancing all my hobbies, duties and dreams. 

There are far too many perfect people out there, far too many influencers and celebrities or even ‘normal’ people who show how easy it is to do everything every day. 

Tell me you’ve never met someone like that: growing three kids, keeping the house tidy and shiny, having a fit body, a perfect lover and loyal friends, having a social life, a brilliant job, and having the time also to write a bestseller. 

Well, I’m not like that! 

I struggle. I do really struggle at all times. And I want to write for the sake of all the struggling people like me! I don’t intend to complain or cry on my misfortunes; I just want to report what the majority of people struggle with every day!

Sometimes I’m so overwhelmed that I would rather sit in a corner and rock back and forward. Past that phase, I roll my sleeves and I’ll fight on!

So this is why the name of the blog has slightly changed. 

If before was “Dr. Franny and Mrs Myself – When the Mrs. doesn’t hide but wants just to find her space!” now it’s gonna be “Dr. Franny and Mrs Myself – The Dr. has her plate full and the Mrs. is going bananas!”

I’d still like to keep the hint to the two halves of my personality: the one who has to cope with everyday duties and the other one who’s going crazy for not being able to squeeze in some ‘me time’!

I hope you like it! I think it gives more the ‘anti-hero mum/woman of success’ idea I want to convey. 

I promise you I’ll still do my best and will try to give my 100%. With this change of image, I don’t mean to slack or be lazy, still I’ll be truer to myself. 

Life is a struggle, in particular if you want to achieve something you care about!

I’ll see you next time with the second thing left to do!

Never give up!

I’ll keep writing from where I left my last post. 

The format of my blogs won’t change, at least for the moment. I’ll put a picture and then will write a few sentences, not much. 

As I haven’t been writing for long, I’ll have to stretch my writing muscles in order to make sure that what I put on the page makes sense. I’m sure you’ve noticed how rusty my writing is at the minute! 

Everybody knows, and science supports the theory that writing is therapeutic. 

The main reason why I started to write again was because I needed to. 

It’s weird and also a bit sad, that every time my schedule becomes too tight, the first thing to be cut off from my routine is the blog. I lost the count, also, of how many times I stopped with my novels as well. 

It’s something I haven’t really explained to myself just yet. I love writing, it makes me feel better, but, for some reason, it’s the first thing I drop when I have too much on my plate. 

Probably it shouldn’t be like this. 

Until I’ll find a solution or a way to be fairer to myself this will probably be the coping method, but I hope I will find an alternative one that would suit me better. 

One of the good news is that I’ve got back to my world building and drafts as well. Hopefully this will last longer than the last time, and I want to be optimistic! 

If I’ll manage, I’ll give you an update on that too in the near future. 

The original goal of this blog was to create a window on my writing experience, but I think it will be a personal journal from now on. I have an idea and I’ll tell you about it in my next post.

First baby step will be to learn how to take off the pressure and expectation I decided to build on my shoulders.

Good luck to me!