twenty.. thirty..

Travelling back to Philippines had been synonymous to leaving the foreign country where I am based.for good. That was how it was for my past three jobs, from Japan, to USA, to UK and then back to Japan. The vacation that i just recently took was my first official homeleave. Yesterday I arrived at my familiar apartment here in Chiba and tomorrow I will be going to the same workplace. What a change 'no? Though change is not necessarily better. Its just different. As I was boarding my plane yesterday, I was teling myself so that was how to travel to another foreign country without being grippped with the excitement and anxiety of stepping into unknown territory. Different.

Anyway, today as I went out for shopping to catch the last days of january sale, I saw young adults wearing kimono (japanese traditional clothes) outside the train station.

It then hit me, that the holiday today here in Japan is the Coming of Age (Seijin no Hi). Japanese turning twenty usually celebrates the day by wearing kimono in all its finery. Twenty, in japan is considered the beginning of adulthood in japan, as it is the minimum legal age for drinking and voting.
After I finished my shopping, I saw another group of young females in kimonos. I muster the guts to ask if it would be okay to take their pictures. And they gamely posed for one.


On the other hand, two of my good friends are turning 3-0 this month, a decade older than those young delightful adults. But I know they are both smiling and happy now, having both received very promising gifts :) I am glad for them. I wish that I will have something special to celebrate when my turn comes... in 9 months time. Amidst the uncertainty and shadow looming ahead, it does not hurt to hope right? :)

happy new year!

Oompawoompagirl tagged me.. the rule being
The first player of this game starts with the "6 weird things/habits about yourself" and people who get tagged need to write a blog of their 6 weird habits/things, as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read yours.

i decided to dust off the cobwebs on this blog with this entry, though i still dont know if i will be able to come up with 6 eccentricities about moi.

(1) heights.. heights.. im a "little" acrophobic. More so.. if there's no barrier between me and the vast heights!
(2) i usually have dreams during my sleep, some of it i even remember after waking up. It is only when I am bone tired that i get to have a dreamless sleep. also, i was told i speak while sleeping too. busy sleeper!
(3) Dory syndrome, short term memory loss! its the only explanation for my being quite forgetful. Its one habit by the way that i tend to improve on this new year.
(4) boring tastebuds! while i enjoy travelling and the adventure of discovering new places, cultivating my tastebuds for different gourmet in the world has become too much of an effort! Thus, i tend to miss the delights and hazards of experimenting on local foods of places i visit.
(5) i didnt learn how to swim until college days when I enrolled in a PE Class. That may not be quite so unique, as I know of few friends who still can't swim much up to now.. hehehe ;p. But i grew up near the beach. My father used to work in a beach resort and i usually spend half of my summer vacation in that resort when i was young. I love the beach and the sea even then.. pero p float float lang.
(6) Unique handwriting..it takes sometime for most people to decipher.

And for friends to tag.. im tagging yuki, the only other close friend i know that is still actively blogging.