I thought I would be able to write more tonight, and complete this blog entry just before the clock strikes midnight, but things do not always go to plan.
Therefore, I am writing a summarized version of my 2008 here. As usual, like the years before, this year has also been an unforgettable one. It will take an eternity to write down all the things that happened, and I will probably fall asleep before that, so if I had to summarize 2008 in one sentence, it would be "All's well that ends well".
Why? You might ask. Well, I guess you can say that things turned out well in the end, although this is not the end, but merely the beginning of a new era (hopefully).
Sometimes things happen when you least expect them to, and 2008 was a year when many things happened. In terms of travel, I went to Taiwan, Belgium and Thailand, and within Japan, I visited Chichibu, Hiroshima, Okayama, Kurashiki, Miyajima, Hakone, Mt. Fuji, Mt. Takao, Kobe, Yokohama, Hakodate, Otaru, Sapporo, Lake Toya, Aomori, Hirosaki, Shirakami Sanchi, Lake Towada, Mt. Takao, Chiba, Disneyland, Enoshima, Mother's Farm, and a few other places. In terms of meeting new people, I have had the pleasure of making many new friends, and I am happy to say that I am quite blessed to have found more than a few friends who I get along very well with.
Of course, there were some farewells too, but hellos and goodbyes are part and parcel of Life, and sometimes we have to learn to let go. Let go of the past, and move on, looking forward to the future, but always living in the present, because this moment in the here and now is a priceless instant of ephemeral eternity.
On the last day of 2008, I want to say that Winter has never been my favorite season, but somehow, winter this year does not seem so cold. Is it because I have amassed enough fats, or is it because I have entered hibernation mode? Actually, the answer is neither of the above. A more plausible explanation would be that finally, the Iceman is on Fire again.
One thing I realized at the end of 2008 is that you can run, but no matter how fast or how far you run, you can never run away from your destiny.
At the end of the day, you can only be what you were meant to be.
Iceman on Fire, that's yours truly.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The Last Day of 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Man U vs Gamba Osaka
Today, I went to watch a Toyota Cup match between Pachuca and Liga de Quito, and the South American champion won 2-0. Liga de Quito deserved to win, because they were quick to exploit gaps in the Pachuca defence, and defended sublimely. Within 25 minutes, they were 2-0 up. As expected, watching soccer live is totally different from viewing it on television. The second goal was very impressive, but the first goal was due more to luck than anything else.
Still, even though Liga de Quito were undoubtedly the better side in the first half, you could not help but feel that Pachuca deserved to score at least a goal. They kept pressing, but somehow could not find a way past the South Americans. The lack of goals in the second half was disappointing, and the incessant rain was a literal damper. But being able to watch football live at the stadium is a treat, and this is especially so when it is free (thanks to my lab senior).
After the match, I bought a Man U towel in preparation for tomorrow, for the match I have been waiting for : Toyota Cup Semi-final, Man U vs Gamba Osaka!
Some stats for Man U
The World Club Cup squad
Prediction : Man U 3 Gamba 1
Man U Starting Line-up
GK:Edwin van der Sar
LB:Patrice Evra
CB:Rio Ferdinand
CB:Nemanja Vidic
RB:Gary Neville
LM:Ryan Giggs
CM:Paul Scholes
CM:Park Ji Sung
RM:Cristiano Ronaldo
CF:Wayne Rooney
CF:Carlos Tevez
Monday, December 01, 2008
Around 40...
Around 40 was one of the new phrases that gained widespread popularity following the release of a drama with a lady who is around 40 as the protagonist. While I am still in my 20s, a different kind of around 40 happened to me recently.
I went 40 hours without sleep. First, I went to my junior's photography exhibition and then visited my old dormitory in which my junior was now staying in. He baked cheesecake and cooked for me and a few others. Needless to say, it was fun, and we ended up chatting till 4 in the morning. As I had something on later in the day, I took my leave first. However, the first bus from the dormitory to the station only came around 6am, while the first train from the station departed around 4:40am. Therefore, I woke around 40 minutes to the station. Boarding the first train with time to spare, I reached home, showered, freshened up and left my place again, this time heading for Mt. Takao. I was going there to see the autumn leaves. As it was a fine day, many people probably had the same thoughts as me, and the train was unbelieveably crowded. It was such a fine day that I could see the snow-capped peak of Mt. Fuji from the train.
Upon reaching Mt. Takao, an awesome sight greeted me. It was so crowded that maybe the number of people outnumbered the number of red leaves. Still, the red leaves were very, very pretty. Here is a sample of how they looked.
This was my 4th time climbing Mt. Takao, and I realized that all 4 times, I visited in autumn.
Despite coming from a tropical country where it is almost always summer, my favorite season is autumn. lol
This is one of my favorite B'z songs. The title means "Someday, (let's meet) here again", and it started playing in my head when I reached the summit of Mt. Takao. Why? Maybe it means that I'll climb Mt. Takao again (in autumn?)
『いつかまたここで』
作詩：稲葉浩志 作曲：松本孝弘
知らず知らず 遠くまで
来てしまったよ 旅立った日から
めぐり逢えた 数知れぬ人々の顔
消えない景色
何ひとつ欠けても 駄目なんだよ
今きみと ともにいる この場所が好き
生きてれば 会えるだろう いつかまたここで
いつかまたここで
今日一日を精いっぱい やり遂げるなら
悔いはないだろう
今日の自分を 思い出す時
きれいな涙 流せるように
うまくいかなくても やめない
今きみと ともにいる この場所が好き
思いきり 抱きあいたい いつかまたここで
太陽の下でも 凍える雨でも 強くかたくなった絆
愛すべきは仲間 たとえ去っていっても(忘れない)
情熱を なくさずに 歩き続けて
傷ついて つかれ果て 愛を知らされて(たどり着いた)
今きみと ともにいる この場所が好き
生きてれば 会えるだろう いつかまたここで
いつかまたここで
