a time for goodbyes.....

well.. i finally finished it... graduated from Waseda University on the day before... which is a Saturday.. nothing big but still.. it was a ceremony.. went up there and collect my cert etc etc... well... as much as the cert is precious (i think...-_-) to me.. the more precious things which i had gotten is the experience i had staying in Japan... and even more precious.. is the friends that i had made here.... as we took pictures on saturday.. the song 'leaving on a jet plane' kept playing in my head... i see happy faces taking pictures... groups of people gathering and chatting.. i also see friends leaving one by one to their home countries... all of us have been here together for a year... despite our different backgrounds.. we came for a common purpose... to learn japanese and to know japan....this we did, albiet to each individual a different extent... but we also came and met people from everywhere... now... after a year.. it's finally time to leave.. sigh.....carol, tristan, andrew, lars, ryo, matthew, vannessa, irene, jamie, tang, ramon, jamie, lisa, kusano sensei and okuhara sensei... thank you all so much for the memorable time i have in japan... everytime i think of my time here, i will remember each of u all so fondly....

yesterday.. i said goodbye to the church i was attending here... really felt happy here in this country worshipping God.. i might not know exactly what i am singing.. but i felt that i was in unison in spirit with the people here.. thank you tanaka san for ur warm reception and ready friendship... it wont have been possible without u... and thank you sensei for ur messages.. i might not understand 100% of what u are saying... but... i felt ur message in my heart..:) lastly.. thank God for this church and this chance for me to come into the midst of His people....

today.. i said goodbye to one of the most important people in my stay here.. naoki... no matter what is ur real name, u will always remain naoki to me..:) thank you for those times we sat together chatting, sat together with our macs looking like a bunch of nerds, for those times we had lessons together, go to akihabara together, play samurai spirits together... u are really a God-send to me in this country..:) my experience here has been so enhanced with ur presence..:) thank you so much... i am never one who can express myself well but... here's a truly deep felt thank you, and 神様が祝福をしてくださいように....

another wonderful outing with Boon...

met up with Boon yesterday... she gave me a treat which was.. err. not cheap... still.. really wanna say thank you boon!! for the treat, for the dinner and for the time spent together. not often i can say i have a very good day in Japan.. and thanks for the birthday present!!! hee.. first birthday present i have recieved this year.. i wonder if there are anymore (HINT!) hee...

well... we went to Ebisu and had dinner at this western food restuarant.. drank some beer, ate some Barbarian Plate which has meat meat potato meat rib meat meat meat meat.... ahhhhH!! heee.. it was nice though... we had a 4 cheese pizza which was also very nice! but.. just a kind reminder to those who might be in a mood to eat a 4 cheese pizza.. try to eat it while it's hot.. because when it turns cold, cheese will stick to each other.. still nice but.. not as nice.. hee... to balance our barbaric appetite for meat.. we order a rabbit salad.. err.. i meant a Caesar salad (which seems to be prepared for rabbits... big leafy vegetables.. *nibble nibble) we had some beer too!! wheee... i think.. i am more beeeeeerr tolerant now... hee... come to think of it.. i might actually like the taste... *hick.

as in every meeting with boon.. we talk about a variety of issues.. heee.. our dreams, nightmares, past, present, rabbits, life blah blah blah.. basically non-essential stuff we get all worried about..*p hee..:P still... one thing which we were talking about was about how we are so afraid to try.. being brought up in a place and a system in which failure is not accepted.. it was difficult for us to give anything a go without having in place a safety net... still.. i guess comin to japan made us want to try stuff while ignoring all the 'what if' part... really hope each of us will get out of our conditioned mindset... gogo power ranger!!