Life is good

I guess waking up at 7am is a good habit that I should cultivate. Today, I woke up before 7am without setting my alarm, and it felt good to be up early, despite my sleepiness.

If I am to do that, I will have to stop staying up till the wee hours of the morning. Perhaps the time difference of 2 hours made a difference. After all, having just come back from Bangkok only a few days ago, where bedtime for me was around 4am Japan time, I found myself awake till 2,3am when I returned to Tokyo.

Achieving a balance between sleeping too little and sleeping too much is not that difficult me; it is only a matter of how much you want it. Life is good, and at this moment, what I want is what I have got, mas o menos, so I am happy. The only thing I wish I had more of, other than money, is time. Of course, that is what all of us desire.

Life is good, because I am here, and I am happy to be here. In the now, in the present.

The trip to Bangkok was a fitting finale to the culmination of the various phases of that journey that I had been on since... say last autumn? Quizas...

I love to travel, and although that accident during the futsal competition last June put my plans on hold for a while, in the end I managed to visit Karuizawa, followed by the Kansai region (Himeji, Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto), Yamanashi, Kyoto & Nara, Niigata, Taiwan, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Okayama & Kurashiki, followed by the Hokkaido trio of Sapporo, Hakodate & Otaru, and then Yamagata, Mt Fuji, Aomori & Hakodate, and most recently, Bangkok, Thailand.

Karuizawa was the beginning of the end for a phase of my life, even though I didn't realize it at that time. I will not say that I will always remember, but I know that I will never forget that trip, because it was a special trip. Nothing out of the ordinary, yet extraordinary in its own way.

The Kansai region was a Brotherhood trip, with my brother, and it made me realize that blood is really thicker than water, if you know what I mean.

Yamanashi was a BSUR trip, and I was touched that after so many years, the old (and core) members still care enough to meet up.

I visited Kyoto & Nara in autumn for the first time, and it was memorable, although I should have seen that life is not a drama like PRIDE.

Niigata was a trip to visit my host family and at the same time a pilgrimage to exorcise the ghosts of that freak night in winter so many years ago. There were quite a few changes - one of the Huskies had passed away, for example. On the other hand, some things never change, as exemplified by the kindness and warmth demonstrated by my host family. They made the wintry cold vanish, and warmed that crimson chamber.

Taiwan was a trip to celebrate the reunion with my godsisters, and also to celebrate one of my godsisters' wedding. At the same time, it was a trip for me to remember and pay my respects to the dead.

Hiroshima, Miyajima, Okayama and Kurashiki was a pleasure trip, although my foolish antics on Miyajima induced much pain. >_<>

Yet, barely a few months later, I found myself doing jump shots in Hokkaido, albeit with more caution. My second visit to Hakodate seemed colder than the first, although it was no less beautiful. Otaru was pretty too, and my musical box is one of the best presents that I have given myself.

Yamagata was a M2 trip, and despite the 4/5 attendance, we had a great time. Despite my aloofness and nonchalance at times, my M2 comrades accept me for who I am, and I feel very blessed indeed.

Mt Fuji was a strange trip because it turned out to be better than expected although I was a little disappointed that we were unable to climb a little higher.

Aomori & Hakodate was a long, tiring trip, and I wished the weather could have been better at times, i.e. the sky a deeper shade of blue, the temperature a little lower, etc. Other than that, it was a good recharger, and we managed to get in touch with Mother Nature and witness her in her stunning splendor. The fireworks seen from Mt. Hakodate were a surprise bonus.

Bangkok was hot in every sense of the word, and I liked what I saw. My favorite was the Floating Market and the Chatuchak Market. It was good to have Thai friends who showed us around. Meeting up with Pam after so long also invoked much nostalgia. I think it is quite cool that you can be friends with an ex-lover; of course, not everyone can do that, because some people are not strong enough, some are still immature while others are simply unable to forgive. There is also the "I haved moved on, so I cannot meet my ex anymore." case, which sounds contradictory, because if one has moved on already, then meeting one's ex should not pose any problems, right? In any case, I don't really have time to talk about ex-lovers, because I am here to experience and enjoy life.

Life is good, simply because it is.
I am happy, happy to be here, simply because I am.

『The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.』
~Allan K. Chalmers