LOL Valentine Card!

This was 19th Valentine day for Eric and I together.

Since Eric had to work this year on Valentine day at Seed we decided to celebrate it on Feb. 12, Sat.

Eric made a delicious valentine pancake with berries and maple syrup in the morning.
I made heart shape coasters with an organic cotton and recycled cotton clothe for our teacups.
Later we went the SM beach for our early valentine sunset dinner.
We found out that we both had the same ideas of Valentine's cards this year.
They were both so funny and we laughed so much.
Hahaha…hahaha…hahaha…

Almost 20 years together we are choosing LOL (lots of laugh!!!)over a romance for our valentine day.

Happy Valentine Day for you too!!!

Valentine Pancake!



Look at Eric’s face when he opened the card that I gave him. (It had smooch sounds and it surprised him so much!)



Eric and the card!



The Valentine card form Eric was licking of dog for me.



These are my first heart shape coasters.



The coasters with teacups.

My favorite day..

What is your favorite kind of day?
For me, just an ordinary one...

It was a beautiful morning,
so I decided to go on the rooftop after breakfast and spend time with the sky, wind and sunshine.

There was a beautiful sound of music that the wind was making with the bamboo trees.
The birds were singing joyfully, the hummingbird was so cute as it darted about,
and the bees were busy going from purple basil flowers to flowers.
Even the airplane engine’s sound was like a musical instrument conducted by the sun.

My dogs and cat sleeping soundlessly next me was a relaxing sight and gave me a safe feeling.

So there is nothing special about this day,
but it is my favorite kind, when I am feeling connected inside and outside.
Feeling satisfied and content with the simplest,
most basic things may be the secret to happiness, after all.


Oro loves a ball so much she has to sleep with it:



Sky with Sage and Purple Basil Flowers:



Bubu and Mai-cat of 18 years old:


This red hamming bird is so beautiful and was taking a break:


Kula and Lumi (left to right)


Leo likes to keep one of his eyes open while he is sleeping:


Blueberries flowers are so cute:

New Year Seed Community Celan Up!

A New Year makes one motivated to kick off a fresh beginning,
or at least I had resolved to write about all the classes and events we had,
but January came and went already. Oh, boy…

Now it was just Chinese New Year here,
so here’s a fresh look at a tradition we hold dear to our heart,
as humble and small-scale as it may seem.

Sunday, Jan. 2

The year’s first Seed Community Cleanup (SCC) day met with a rather cold morning. There was a lot of trash for us to be dealt with after the holidays. We felt energized and ready for the task.

The volunteers were Vladcka, a ceramic artist who moved to the U.S. from Czech Republic, and a SCC regular, and there was newcomer Amanda, an actress who just moved to Santa Monica from New York. She is originally from Australia and a big fan of Seed. By the time we finished the entire block we were all warmed up and we felt as though our souls got cleaned up, too. Not too many people know about our little act in the eco-green movement, but we have welcomed volunteers on Sundays since Seed opened two years ago. We looked back and counted 62 times! Still, each time we feel it’s only a beginning. There is so much more we can do to help the earth.

The next SCC is on Sunday, Feb. 13. Hope you can join us (and get 10% off from Seed’s lunch)!

Amanda, Vladka and Eric (from left to right)

Greeting the New Year Sunrise!

Ten years seem like a long time.
It is possible to do something you thought was impossible to do when you have waited patiently for ten years. I used to go to the Santa Monica mountains to see the first sunrise of each new year,
as is the Japanese tradition. For ten years, after my car accident, I was not able to do this.

Last year was a very challenging year for me personally, and I really wanted to make a difference this year. So I decided to go see the New Year sunrise. I woke at 5 am even though we got in late from a new year’s eve party and went to bed at 2 am.
The Santa Monica Mountains were so beautiful, and I saw the moon in the dark blue sky.
Waiting for the sun to come up was so calming and peaceful.

Ten years were worth the wait!!!

3 Funniest and Most Sustainable Best Christmas Gifts of 2010

We are very blessed to receive gifts from family and friends. Even more blessed to be able to give some gifts, as simple as they may be,

to family and friends and staff of Studio mugen and Seed restaurant.

We are a small company. Most of our staff are part timers, but 16 people in all!!!
We are blessed to have them, and happy that they are healthy.

In Japan, we have a tradition of giving "oseibo," a gift to say "thank you" at the end of year.

I did not grow up exchanging Christmas gifts much, but I like this Japanese tradition of “oseibo” a lot.
Eric, of course, having grown up as a Catholic, loves to exchange gifts, so this year we did something different: we picked funny and sustainable gifts and ranked them!

* These are the gifts of 2010:

* Our cat, Mai, want to observe by the fire place:

* All the dogs are getting excited to receive their gifts:

Eric’s best 3 gifts:

1. Pen – from our assistant Kumi

This simple pen was the funniest story maker. Eric was opening this pen while he was talking to his mom in Québec on Skype.

When he opened it he found three batteries so she asked him what are they could be for?

He could not come up with an answer and suddenly said “a vibrator???” and she said “what?" silent... "A pen vibrator???” We all could not stop laughing. Well, we found out that it was a pen with a light, but to us it was a pen that brought us so much laughter. Thanks to Kumi!

2. Roast Beef Knit Hat – from Eric’s mom

We haven't eaten meat for 18 years, but Eric’s mom decided that a knit that said, of all things, “Roast Beef,” would bring us more laughter and jokes, and she was right. Aha, ha, ha...

3. Double Vintage Army Watches – from Sanae

I saw double rainbows a few days before Christmas, so it occurred to me to give Eric two watches (since he likes watches), but he thought he needed two because one was not enough to keep him from not being late.

* Eric and his best 3 gifts:

Sanae’s best 3 gifts:

1. Solar powered plant and bee – from Vladka, friend

When I saw it in the box they were all separated, but once it was put together, how cute it was! And it moves by sunlight!!! I love it.

2. Flying pigs - another gift from Vladka, friend I was telling some people that I am an "ochoushimono," a Japanese word that means someone who gloats maybe a bit too much at the risk of backfiring at her own expense, so when I receive compliments I am like a pig who climbs a tree. The flying pig gifts are (hopefully) a manifestation of my ability to stay a float! What an insightful gift from dear Vladka.

3. Mini-flower base – from Eric I love arranging small wild flowers and herbs so Eric made a wonderful choice. Thanks to Eric!
   

After laughing endlessly and enjoying our holiday meal (Ummm, so good!)

we headed for the couch....zzzzzzzzzz... guess who was snoring???

ahahaha.. LOL!

Love,

Sanae

FOUR YEARS. GO.

I saw this powerful three-minute video on William Spear's blog recently.
http://williamspear.com/

It moved into my heart so vividly. I really want to do more for us, our planet and universe.
I want to share it as many as people I know.
If you want o do something, please join us "Community Clean up" Venice beach area with us on Jan. 2, 2011 at 10am.
http://www.meetup.com/Vegan-Macrobiotic-Community-Meetup-Group/calendar/15738073/

William said on his blog: It is a powerful allying cry to inspire an awareness of the urgency to shift our consciousness before it’s too late. We join with thousands of other individuals and organizations to set and reach goals that will cause a positive global tipping point by 2014, resetting humanity on a new path toward a socially just, environmentally sustainable, and spiritually fulfilling future for everyone.

Let's go, let's do it!!!

Love,
Sanae

While feeling the golden light

Hello!
I am Sanae Suzuki, director of macrobiotic studio mugen in Santa Monica, California.
Thank you for visiting our blog.

This blog was started in May 2008 by some of our staff members in macrobiotics studio mugen.
It occurred to me to conduct a comprehensive review of what has been written since that time. First I categorized them under different labels, and proceeded to read them one at a time. I feel so much gratitude to the people who have managed and contributed to this blog, even if it existed on a relatively small, quiet scale.

Due to our hectic schedule of counseling. teaching, planning and hosting events, publishing cookbooks, managing our office and restaurant Seed, and offering retreats in North Fork, I am just now catching up.


December 21, 2010 was a wonderful day of winter solstice/full moon/lunar eclipse. As we transition toward longer days, this concurrence of events provides a renewed energy powered by the warmth and brightness of, for lack of a better term, a “golden light,” inspiring me to reinvigorate this blog by sharing the good tidings in macrobiotics and other pursuits of health and happiness.


This photo that I took perhaps illustrates the feeling I have of this transitional time.

Through this blog I hope to share with all of you how we live the macrobiotic natural life, as well as to be inspired by your thoughts and experiences. Stay connected!
Thank you!

Love,
Sanae