You know your Japanese skills must be doing okay if you can speak well enough to assert yourself at the bank to avoid paying that 525 yen fee for a deposit transfer that you were told last year you wouldn't need to pay after six months. After double and triple checking, she checked with her supervisor and I was asked to fill in some forms to fix things so the fee wouldn't be required! Yay!
I am a huge fan of nature, and like to go out and enjoy it when I get the chance, so today that's what I did.
And then it's times like this that I'm reminded why I live in a house, outside of nature. Because when I do go out, I usually end up with ants crawling on me, a spider claims my bag as their personal hunting territory, and/or my blood gets sucked by hundreds of parasites (mosquitoes...). And yes, I was wearing insect repellant this time - apparently not enough.
Note to self: Next time I notice the presence of mosquitoes, I should move away no matter how well my drawing is going. And bring that bottle of insect repellant with me!
Needless to say, my trip to Shakujiikoen park today was quite an eventful one.
Still, it was a rather educational trip - I learnt a lot about the mysterious (yet oh-so-loud) cicada, as I was able to observe several, some even while they were buzzing, and saw many of the larvae's previously shedded skins. Those good old Zoology skills from Uni come in handy sometimes!
On Monday night at home there was an accident. I was using my laptop on the table, near a cup of barley tea (mugicha). But I knocked over the cup with my hand. There was a lot of barley tea on the keyboard! I tried to dry it immediately, but it was already making a crackling noise. I turned off the laptop power and am leaving it like that for 3 days to dry out. After that I will turn it on and see if it is okay!
One of my favourite things to do is ask my many married friends about their love story. How did they meet? When did they "hit it off"? How long did they date for? When did they know they wanted to spend the rest of their life with that person? How did he propose?
I think the reason I like asking about these love stories is because they're real! It's not just a movie someone wrote with unreal characters. This actually happened in someone's life, and they are happy! Sure, it's not a constant bed of roses, but I love being around two people that I can see love and serve each other as a married couple.
It inspires me and gives me hope that one day I'll have my own love story to tell.
And I can possibly get some cool dating tips from those who have been successful ;)
So I would like to feature some true Love Stories on my blog! If you have a real-life love story you would like to share, please let me know :D Even if you have already told your story to me, if you would now like to share it on my blog for others to read that would be great! Or perhaps you'd like to share your parents love story, or your grandparents love story! Or your best-friend's cousin's uncle's love story! Just as long as they are real. (I can change names to keep anonymity if you like).
Because I believe in love, and want to inspire others too.
For the time-being, see my previous post featuring some YouTube videos of true love stories.
I had a very entertaining game of Hide And Seek with a praying mantis today! First time I've seen a praying mantis, so I was pretty excited. I recognised it by its front legs and triangular head. When I first saw it low on a wooden pole I thought it was a little green shoot coming out of a tree trunk, until I noticed how insect-shaped it was and stopped to take a look. I took out my trusty little Lumix and took this digital photo:
I wanted to take a better photo, so I stepped a little closer and that's when it noticed me and did some pretty sweet (and quick!) side-stepping around to the other side of the pole. So I walked around to the other side, but...he was gone! I walked back to where I first was, but still no sign of him! Well he must be somewhere, I decided, and went around to look again. This time as I got around I noticed some legs disappear around the side. Aha! So I moved around further, slowly this time, and saw a head poking out from the side of the pole. The mantis cocked his head a little then spotted me, and we held eye-contact for a split second before his head popped out of sight, like something from a cartoon! Then I knew the game was on.
It got harder after that, as he's pretty quick with those side steps, swinging effortlessly around the trunk. I kept walking around the truck back and forth, trying to catch him, and I'm pretty sure the other people at the park thought I was a little weird. But I didn't care, I was having too much fun. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I finally stepped back and looked up - and there he was, very high up above me, doing his careful back-and-forth walk in an attempt to fool any more potential predators. And thus ended our game.
Here's a few memes created recently from events in my life. Because it's just fun to express things this way.
I had this problem recently when I was applying for university and realised I had to make that choice here and now! I do really like chemistry,but...truth be told, it wasn't my best subject. But science just seemed so....general. I wasn't all that thrilled with science in grade 7 when we were just learning general stuff. Well, I ended up choosing chemistry because I'd studied that for 2 years at university (well, technically 3 if you count the year I repeated it...:S), and was told by someone in the know that I could still teach science anyhow with that qualification if I chose. But it was quite a dilemma at the time!
It hasn't happened for a few weeks, but when I hear strange and faint screaming noises from outside I'm often faced with this question. Are there children screaming? (Admittedly I'm sure they're playing, not being tortured). Or is that actually just the sound of a cat fight?
This has happened to me a lot lately. I live in Tokyo and I don't have a car. Which means a lot of walking to and from the train stations, and just around in general. Fashion is rather a big thing here, and you often see women wearing the most uncomfortable shoes! I'm not so into fashion that I'm willing to sacrifice all comfort. So lately I've been looking for shoes that are a little more fashionable, but still comfortable. And I thought I found them! They felt so comfortable when I tried them on at the shoe shop. But alas, once put to the real test, I have often discovered they are still uncomfortable. Needless to say I have a lot of blisters right now. I'm hoping things will improve once they are "broken in" a little more.
Sometimes I feel like the reason for being in Japan is for me to go through a whole lot of embarrassing and stressful situations...
...and somehow come out of them having found a bit of enjoyment in there! I am beginning to learn that I can survive embarrassing situations. And maybe even turn them into something good. Maybe!
One year ago today my little nephew, Michael, peacefully passed away, under the loving watch of his father. He was born very early and very frail, and fought for as long as he could. He is sorely missed by his family.
Today as I was thinking about Michael, I thought of a lullaby which I first heard a few days ago, having had the privilege of hearing Hayley Westenra sing it live.
It now has special meaning for me, as I realised that Michael does indeed "Sleep On", as the song is entitled, and his path has been made clear, from further pain and suffering.
I know that his spirit lives on, that through Christ he will be reunited with his body to live again, as we all will, and that I will get to meet him one day. I imagine him now enveloped with peace, and waiting patiently for the reunion with his father as he watches lovingly over him.
Until that day, little Michael, "Sleep on, sleep on, sleep deep and sleep strong."
