Pineapple Peach Pommegranit

I finally have Fruits Basket!
I really love this series. It is so cute, and sweet, and in parts sad, but the sadness doesn’t overwhelm the happiness. I think part of why I like it so much is that it says things that I’ve always thought, which are close to my heart. The heroine, Tohru, is always looking for the good things; she simply enjoys life, focusing more on the blessings and beautifull things rather than letting her troubles keep her from enjoying the good there is to be had. She believes that everyone has good qualities, and she cares so genuinely about everyone she meets. What she wants most is to understand others, and help them to see the good things about themselves and the world around them. She’s always encouraging and helping others.
I’m not as selfless as Tohru, but understanding others and accepting them for who they are has always been one of the most important things to me. Like Tohru, I grew up with a mom who loved me so much, and who encouraged me to just be myself. I want to give others that kind of wonderfull freedom she gave me, to be myself without fear of her ever not loving me because of something I did or said. You can’t love a person just because they act nice or they like the same things as you do, real love earnestly wants the best for someone, cares about them even when it doesn’t make sense, when you don’t understand, or even when they hurt you. Ex: when Kyo says things that hurt Tohru, instead of being mad at him she wants to know why he is really angry and wants the things that trouble him to be resolved. Whenever I sense that someone is hurting, or doesn’t like themself I long to comfort and encourage them. Like Tohru I am so honored when people trust me enough to let me get to know who they really are, it always makes me so happy.
I love the themes of hope and enjoying life in this story. I have always been an optimist. I always try to ‘home in’ on what is happy and beautifull. It really makes me mad when people try to say that life is nothing but pain, that ‘reality’ is depressing or boring or hopeless. Happiness and Beauty and Goodness are not merely illusions, they are real, just as real as any pain, and the more you focus on those things rather than on the sad things, the more they will be a real part of your life. Perhaps the thing that irks me, no actually outrages me, most is when people try to kill hope. They are just defeating themselves before they’ve even given themeselves a chance at happiness, and they have no right to try to kill what hope there is in others just because they can’t see it because they’ve closed their eyes.
So anyway... that’s why Fruit’s Basket is dear to me (aside from just loving all the characters). I’m glad to know someone else has the chance to say those things to a lot of other people too.

The year of the Digital Camera

Yes that's right, there is a new member of the chinese zodiac, the digital camera! Can't you just see it now, 'I wish we could get a picture of this.' 'quick give me a hug' Poof! well that would be one way of never having to be in the picture. Although it could be really bad if they got tired and transformed on the street and then got stolen and stuffed in someone's bag, 'cause once they re-transformed.... (this only makes sense if you've seen Fruits Basket)
Anyway, about half the people I know recieved one for Christmas this year - I forsee many more photoshoots and colorfull blog posts this year.