O for "Off to the Vacation"

Coming to the airport always makes me feel nervous. Think about it, you are going to fly thousand kilometers to another city or country and stand on the foreign ground within a day. That's exciting and scary. I still remember how bad I felt when I went back to Japan last time. I couldn't get rid of an unreasonable feeling. That was the most tiring trip I've ever had.

This time, I'm flying to London. I still cannot believe this is really happening. I exchanged some Canadian dollars to British pounds (and the lady at the currency exchange was about to give me 80 pounds less by mistake. Good that I was awake enough to notice the mistake!), I have a guidebook of London in hand, and my suitcase has already been dropped at the counter. Whew. finally, I started to feel that I'm really flying to Europe. Last time I went to a European country was in 2005 for my business trip to Italy. England is the one place I've wanted to visit, so I'm very happy that this great opportunity fell on to me.

As usual, I could not help being restless at home, so I decided to leave home much earlier than I needed. Then, at the airport, I found out that my flight is delayed for 1.5 hours. That's why I'm updating this journal to kill time.

My job from January doesn't look too bad. But I'm working less. I have to find some other ways to make my living. But for now, I'll be super optimistic and enjoy my Chrismas vacation to the fullest!

N for "New Moves"

My recent new moves are...

-meet new people
-start volunteering at an elementary school
-have more tutoring students
-change cosmetics
-travel to London!

Yes, this is my Christmas and New Year plan. I've never been to London, except Heathrow Airport where I dropped by for transit. Of course, I cannot do it by myself. L and T are going to housesit for somebody there and they invited me to stay with them. At first, I hesitated to say "yes" right away, but I realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I called my mom to discuss this decision, but my mind had already been set. I love to travel in Europe. London is too big and has too many things to see. I started to do research this city, but I have no idea how to choose where to go. I definetely want to visit the National Museum, the zoo, and St. Paul's Cathedral, but obviously I have a lot work to do before I leave.

M for "Months of Rain"

Finally, this season has come...

Winter is the most horrible season in Vancouver. We don't have much snow as Toronto, and the temperature is much warmer. But it rains. A LOT. I wonder if the sky gets bored to rain. (Apparently not.) At the beginning of winter, I thought I can manage this weather because the scenery looked beautiful under the grey sky. Now, I'm getting fed up with it. Autumn leaves are almost gone, northern mountains are not visible because of the fog and cloud, and it's windy. The wind has even broken one of my collapsible umbrellas. Well, but that's life in Vancouver. I chose it, so I have to deal with it.

Yesterday, I joined a friends' gathering. It was good to see my friends, but the thought came up to my mind that I should not participate in any more gatherings. I like my friends for sure, but, I don't know, things have changed. It used to be a joy to exchange latest stories around each of us, but as we get old, of course, we have different life situations. We are no longer students. I felt like the "friendship"is a bit plastic with some of them. It's hard for me to take it. Does that mean I'm too immature to adapt to adult friendship? I don't want to eliminate people around me for some specific reasons and ended up having none.

Some are gone and some remain.
Friends are precious, but sometimes confusing.

L for "living healthy"

I've been quite lazy to update this journal.....

There are a lot of people around me who are very conscious what they eat. Some people only eat organic food, some people are vegetarian, and one of them is even on raw-food diet, which means she eats only fresh fruit and vegetables. It might sound silly but it made me feel guilty not eating selectively. Well, I care about what I eat, but I simply cannot afford organic food. And I love meat and dairy products. They are my treat and source of energy. On top of that, I love baking. Baked goods are not always the healthiest stuff. They contain a lot of white flour, sugar, eggs, and butter.

Since I can't quite every "unhealthy" habit, may be I should make sure to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and a little less meat, and use as less fat as possible for baking...

K for “Knockout”

It started from a sore throat on Wednesday. Then it became worse. On Friday, I was knocked out by cold. Behind my both ears hurt, so I think there's something wrong with my lymph nodes. Good thing was I didn't have a fever. Thanks to Neo Citron, I feel much better today, but still a little dizzy. Probably because I spend almost whole day lying on the bed yesterday, and my heart is still in "resting mode". This weekend is Thanksgiving weekend, but I ended up spending the whole weekend being sick! Much better than being ill and work, though.

Since I'm ailing, I have stopped getting up early and doing yoga in the morning. I think I should start again tomorrow. I hope my dizziness goes away by then.

The other day, I saw very strange dreams. In the first dream, my junior high friend, who I didn't like at all, showed up and apparently she'd had an unplanned baby. Then next moment, she turned to my sister. There was a note of sadness. In the next dream, I was flying not on a broom but on a short log! I saw the reflection of myself on the glass and it was odd. It looked like I was mounting on a small rocket or something. But it was a log. I needed a lot of concentration to keep myself in the air and control the way I go. I was concerned about the first dream because my sister seemed to be in trouble. But come to think of it, she is married already! If she has a baby, that's not at all a bad thing. I was relieved to realize that fact...