how certain sights or sounds can transport you back in time to places locked deep in your memory... Places you've long forgotten or have tucked away for safe keeping???

As I was making homemade Rigatoni Bolognese for my hubby's supper, cooking implements and veggies from the garden scattered all over the kitchen, I had the Jackson 5 playing in the background.

Instantly, the smell of the pasta dish and the voice of a young Michael Jackson brought me back to JAPAN (of all places, eh?)!!! I remembered my Sundays and Mondays off from teaching, cooking in my small apartment, the breeze blowing and my curtains swaying. The CD player set on random, switched from Jackson 5's "I want you back" and "ABC" to Bic Runga's "Sway". Everytime I hear that song, I am reminded of the bittersweet days I spent in Japan. Youth, new found independence, adventure, being in a foreign country without my friends and family. Most of all, Bic Runga's "Sway" reminds me of a certain person and a shared experience.

Hmm..the power of music..or rather the power of sound, sight, taste, smell, touch...amazing, no?

With a faint half-smile, I added the finishing touches to the Rigatoni...