I’ve been telling everyone about this movie which was recommended to me by Aps, called Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
It’s a beautifully-shot documentary about Jiro, a man in his 80s who has been perfecting the art of making sushi for decades and has the first sushi restaurant in Japan to be awarded 3 Michelin stars. I’ll try to explain what i can here, but it won’t compare to watching the actual movie yourself which you must must do.
What first pulled me to watch it was the food. Watching the art of sourcing for the best ingredients, painstaking preparation and the mouthwatering end product is a spectacular process. What sinks in next is that it’s not just about the sushi, but about the spirit behind its creation.
Jiro is a shokunin.
“The Japanese word shokunin is defined by both Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries as ‘craftsman’ or ‘artisan,’ but such a literal description does not fully express the deeper meaning. The Japanese apprentice is taught that shokunin means not only having technical skills, but also implies an attitude and social consciousness. … The shokunin has a social obligation to work his/her best for the general welfare of the people. This obligation is both spiritual and material, in that no matter what it is, the shokunin’s responsibility is to fulfill the requirement.”
– Tasio Odate
Jiro talks about how he lives to perfect his work, and how you must be in love with your work to push your boundaries. Like you can see in the trailer, he says, “I’ll continue to climb, trying to reach the top… but noone knows where the top is!”
After watching his movie, i felt a bit lost, thinking about how i don’t have a job that i love to death like how Jiro does. I’ve always changed jobs every two years… true, they may be in the same industry or close, but… i am nothing like Jiro!
Then someone reminded me about my blog, “How long have you been blogging?”
“… Almost nine years!”
“You were one of the first batch to start blogging, and you still are.”
“That’s true…”
I guess i can say blogging is my passion.
No. I can’t say i ‘guess’. It IS.
Blogging is the one thing i never get tired of.
Even if i’m really tired from the day, being in front of the laptop to write and edit pictures make me really AWAKE all of a sudden. There are so many things in life that are exciting and i can’t NOT share.
Like travel. Fashion. Food. Love.
Blogging is a reflection of my life… so perhaps, my life is my art? Eckhart Tolle’s quote then comes to mind: “Life is the dancer, and you are the dance.”
I am just like you, trying to live my life as best as i can. The only difference is that i record it down and this blog has brought me many wonderful opportunities.
I’ve got other jobs through this blog.
I’ve got flown to as far as NYC, and Brisbane.
I’ve met some of the most inspiring people on the planet.
I’ve managed to push creative projects i enjoy doing – fashion, music, art.
Yet, what happens after that?
What is my bigger purpose in having this blog?
I think a handful of my friends and i are going thru this existential phase.
Why are we doing what we’re doing?
Are we even doing the right thing in the first place?
Then i realised, what i have is a platform.
A space where people come to read and be inspired.
I’m not being proud and saying ‘i inspire’ people, till strangers wrote me emails and told me in person.
I remember this girl Zura, who came up to me at ChurpOut. She told me that her friends and her went to Bali this year, after reading all my posts about Bali, and how they had a magnificent time; and how they were planning to go to Laos soon, after reading my post on Laos. I was truly elated! To think that people would take the trouble to go where i go because of the blog? That is GREAT. That is AWESOME.
The Universe has given me this gift of pushing word out to people.
It is a powerful gift and i realise it.
I can write about things that i feel strongly about –
recycling,
smiling at people,
keeping out the negativity,
finding my way to be more spiritual,
loving nature,
loving the people around me,
realizing how everyone is your brother or sister,
knowing that every thought i have has an impact on everyone around me (deep stuff, i know. We’ll take baby steps together.)
This is my own realization of how i will go forth.
What about you?
What is that bigger thing in life you were made for?
How are you going to do it?
I’m inspired by people around me everyday.
You can be inspired too by reading more stories *here*
