Kuchikomi continues...

When I first started to blog for this event I knew that with no budget for advertising we'd have to be creative and versatile in our promotion tactics. I couldn't have imagined the kind of support and energy we've received, but in Tokyo there are never ending surprises when you need them the most.

Another example of one thing leading to another is when fellow blogger and Tokyo inhabitant of cityunderredsun.com blogged about Haiti. Not only did he make an emotional appeal to think of Haiti based on his own personal connection to the country, he mentioned the event that this blog is dedicated to. And then when it was posted to japundit.com

http://www.japundit.com/LivinginJapan/And_the_Earth_Moved

Taken from Japundit....

JAPUNDIT is a social bookmarking site that gives you an instant overview of the most popular English language articles about Japan and the other countries of East Asia. Basically, social bookmarking allows members to post links to articles or sites so others can view and evaluate them. In many ways, JAPUNDIT is similar to the popular Digg.com site.

Connect... Link... And keep the chain going...

Let Black Love Below for Haiti be a chain letter message that we do NOT ignore or delete.

Thank you to our sponsor Gye Nyame

Tokyo is a great city filled with lots of wonderful stores, museums, attractions and of course people. One person in particular is not only a sponsor of Black Love Below for Haiti's raffle but also happens to be a wonderful friend, fellow female Tokyoite and female entrepreneur. She is the owner of a company that imports hand-crafted accessories from Ghana. I was of course honored that she'd think to approach BLB for Haiti about being a raffle sponsor. However, it shouldn't have been a surprise as she believes strongly in business with a heart and giving back to the community. A woman of great character and strength below you can find more information about her company and what she does.

http://gyenyamejapan.blogspot.com/2010/02/black-love-below-for-haiti-charity-club.html

http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=gye+naame&init=quick#!/pages/Gye-Nyame/218858212849

Gye Nyame has given generously for the raffle. Expect to see several raffle prizes from them including a t-shirt that says 'Make Fufu Not War', neck ties, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and an iPod case. Female event producers Mariko Lochridge and Daisha Hunter will also be wearing earrings by Gye Nyame as well.

Thank you!

The Tokyo Metpod and Kamasami Kong talk about Black Love Below for Haiti

On Tuesday, February 9th I was invited down to Metropolis magazine's office to join the Metpod crew to talk about Black Love Below for Haiti with host Kamasami Kong.

For those of you who don't know about the Metpod here is a little blurb off of Facebook

Tokyo Metpod Japan's No.1 English Language Magazine Metropolis Podcast

メトロポリスマガジン ポッドキャストのグループです。ハワイからのベテランレ

ジェンド DJ、Kamasami Kong（カマサミ・コング）がお送りする日本最大英雑誌『メトロポリス』presents 東京で一番ホットで旬なインターナショナルポッドキャストです。メトポドレギュラーをはじめ、その他スペシャルゲストが続々登場！メトロポリスの表紙ストーリーやニュースはもちろん、ポッドキャストならではの海外セレブとのスペシャルインタビュー等も満載。東京のインターナショナルコミュニティ#1 のポッドキャスト『...Metpod』です！！

The Tokyo Metpod is filled with English information you can't find on any radio station in Japan. There's just no other source with this much spoken information in English about life in Tokyo. Kamasami Kong brings you the best of Metropolis magazine, plus special celebrity interviews and behind-the-scenes peeks into the movers and shakers of the biggest metropolis in the world.

I had such a blast doing this. Sarah Cortina interviewed me about the charity benefit and was extremely intrigued by the 'Below' part of the title. We chatted about the charity benefit for Yele, And later they even let me stay on to chat about the Glitterball party: Magnetic Kiss with the music report host Kaleb James. I definitely hope that they'll have me back in the future.

Please check it out!

http://metropolis.co.jp/podcast/2010/02/10/the-tokyo-metpod-for-wednesday-february-10th-2010/

With Love from Tokyo

Design by Aquiles Hadjis
aquiles.hadjis@gmail.com

A message from our designer,

"Some lost sleep for a great cause.
My first event flyer since I moved to Tokyo

away from Graphic Design!
Glad to be back to print work."

Developing Compassion

Recently I exchanged emails with a journalist who was interested in the charity benefit for Haiti that I'm working on, in the end her last e-mail ended like this:

I pitched this to my editor and she was not interested. So sorry! But I am so glad to know there is someone like you who contributes much time and effort to things like this. I've been wondering why there are very few benefit events for Haiti in Japan, while in US there are many, whether big or small. I really hope you get many people attend your event. Good luck!

Sometimes I wonder if Mother Teresa got tired of everyone calling her a 'saint'.

Sometimes I wonder if having people tell you how great you are just got a bit old.

Sometimes I wonder if she didn't feel like telling people 'It's work, but anyone can do it. I ain't really all that special of a thing, I just saw a need that I could meet. It's just that simple'.

In the English language Mother Teresa has become a figure of speech; you can criticize God, but you cannot criticize Mother Teresa. Her name implores images of patience, kindness and compassion and yet what she did was simple, she helped people because she was in a position to do so. There should be nothing particularly amazing or spectacular about what she's done, the logistics may be tricky, there may be some obstacles, but it's always, always, ALWAYS worth it. There are people around us are in need everyday that if we think hard enough about where our skills lie, then we can cooperate to help them and in turn help ourselves.

I ran across an article by the Dalai Llama entitled The Medicine of Altruism and a line stuck out in my mind:

When I consider the lack of cooperation in human society, I can only conclude that it stems from ignorance of our interdependent nature. I am often moved by the example of small insects, such as bees. The laws of nature dictate that bees work together in order to survive. As a result, they possess an instinctive sense of social responsibility. They have no constitution, laws, police, religion or moral training, but because of their nature they labour faithfully together. Occasionally they may fight, but in general the whole colony survives on the basis of cooperation.....

While this may seem to be common sense thinking, it also leads to the next question, then why don't we cooperate? Why don't we help? The Dalai Llama continues:

.....If we do not know someone or find another reason for not feeling connected with a particular individual or group, we simply ignore them. But the development of human society is based entirely on people helping each other. Once we have lost the essential humanity that is our foundation, what is the point of pursuing only material improvement.

To me, it is clear: a genuine sense of responsibility can result only if we develop compassion. Only a spontaneous feeling of empathy for others can really motivate us to act on their behalf.

To me these words mean... if it feels right to help, then find a way to help. If you see an image or hear a story that concerns, touches or worries you--- REACH OUT! Charity may have become a loaded word, but compassion is not. In today's society CHARITY is compassion with a better PR agent, but it is still a part of our humanity.