Say New Message

Refer to this Message

Cancel this message

Hi everyone,

I was sitting here tonight and found it a little hard to believe that five years
have passed since I first heard Seiko. On one hand, it seems like just yesterday.

On the other, it seems like...Forever (couldn't resist)...:-)

I remember when I first posted here, in Taka-san's forum. My first messages were
about Seiko's success in America. Through these posts I began to meet Seiko's
dedicated fans. 

In 1998, I worked for a company in a contract job that I really hated. The money
was good, and I had a private office with a door. It was in this office that I
first started forming plans for my own Seiko Web Site. I was inspired not only by Seiko's music but also by the feelings expressed by her fans here in Taka-san's forum. 

I didn't own a computer at the time, I'd never used Photoshop, and I knew absolutely nothing about HTML. But I had a strong desire, I had a goal, and I took sure steps to reach it.

I recall trading e-mails with a Seiko fan as the plans developed. I explained my
concept for the site, and she commented "Make sure you pick a memorable name."

Almost immediately I thought of "Seiko Matsuda Forever." It was her current
album at the time, and even though I had not heard much of her previous music
I knew it was a powerful album that would become one of the most memorable in
her career. I also thought about Seiko's fans and the message I wanted to bring
them on my site. I thought about the people who had followed her career from the
beginning, and others just like me who had only recently discovered it. I
realized that the "forever phenomenon" of Seiko Matsuda is not just her music,
but the lasting friendships of her thousands of fans around the world.

So, I wrote back to my friend and said "I have a name for the site. Seiko
Matsuda Forever." I think she was stunned by what seemed like such an obvious
choice, but after some thought comented "It's simple, but it really does say it
all, doesn't it?"

From its very simple and very primitive beginnings to the present, SMF for me
has been a reminder that if we have a talent, desire or passion, we MUST
follow it, even if no one else believes in us. I was lucky...I had the friendship, support and encouragement of some wonderful friends. A good friend
once told me that when you involve yourself in any artistic endeavor...be it
writing, photography, art, music...you are never "there." You never get to a 
point where you relax and say "I've done it all." You keep fighting, keep 
believing, keep learning and developing your talents. The process never ends.

To this day, I believe in the "impossible." I've had situations in which I've
said "this is not going to happen." Eventually, I change the words to "what is
meant to happen WILL happen." 

Takane No Hana. "Flower On A High Peak, Out Of Reach."
Well...when we tell ourselves that anything in life is out of reach, 
it certainly is. When we give up, we spare ourselves the pain of battle and
rob ourselves of any victory we might have experienced. We may fight and 
believe and STILL live out our lives without reaching all of our goals and
fulfilling our desires, but we will never look into our hearts and know that
we didn't try. We can fill our hearts with many things, but anything that you
can TAKE OUT of your heart was never really there in the first place...it was
just "passing through." What is real is real, and it lasts...here I go again...
"Forever." Never be afraid of the climb up the hill, no matter how high or
hopeless it may seem.

Just a long and rambling thank you note to Seiko's fans for their friendship
over the last five years, and the support I've received through all of the
phases of Seiko Matsuda Forever. 

I hate to end with a cliche, but the best is yet to come...really.

Best regards,

Mike