本州旅行

And now.... the long awaited video for the Honshuu trip some of us took during spring break. A little late I know, but better late than never. ^_^

Struggling not to be a bum...

Here I will write some of my thoughts, fresh and unadulterated from the not so early morning. My first is that there is great evidence that I am aging. Why? I can't seem to function very well without a good 8 hours of sleep anymore and staying up all night just doesn't work for me. T_T

My second is that I realize I have a lot of things i need to do in a short period of time. Ive been forgetting again how lucky I am to be in Japan, even if its only for a few months. I want to make the most out of my time left... In fact I want to make alot of things. New Video for the semester, new pictures, memories, foods....but I don't have time. Maybe I don't have the mental stamina to finish all the assignments for my eight classes early.

I will finish off two textbooks this weekend. Being here I do have to admit that my reading comprehension has gotten a little better. Still as illiterate as a 12 year old maybe... I can read some kanjis but sure as hell don't remember how to write them. Aside from finishing these books so early and prewriting all of the compositions, I still have to write two book reports in Japanese. So i guess my objective in finishing early is so I have enough time to enjoy my time here...otherwise ill be doing nothing but study... no thanks.

My last thought for now.... Getting in shape is difficult in this country. From the moment I first came here, everything I ate, no matter what quantity was different. The food here, is great, its healthy compared to food back home,, but it sure doesn't supply you with the same amount of energy. My one regret in Japan so far is that ive pretty much shrunk. Everyone I meet says "oh, you got thinner!".. "are you dieting?" Noooooo!!! Im trying to gain weight, not get skinnier than I already am.

Within the next few weeks there will be alot of partying... after 8 theres not much to do in Oita except... drink.

ホタル！！(hotaru)aka Firefly!!

Its that time of year in Japan... If you can find the right place, most likely a river or some sort of stream of water, you can see fireflies!! The words I have cant describe the beauty of seeing these amazing bugs. Unfortunately i didn't have to means to take any decent pictures. The only time I really remember anything about fireflies is from stories I would read when I was a kid. The first thought I had was to collect some of these things in a jar... But many years later, here I am. When I finally came to see the beauty of hundreds of fireflies with my own eyes, I remembered something... with each tiny light flickering on and off in mid air I began to feel like I was in some sort of dream.. As if only Totoro was real and we were all in some Miyazaki film. I realized that my year here in Japan is almost up... these bugs are slow, clumsy, and easy to catch, but the light they give out though for a brief moment of their short lifespan can inspire dreams into existence for children and grown ups. The firefly's light is fleeting and so is my time here. Our very existence is fleeting so we have to remember to make to most of it.

I wish I had the means to take pictures of these amazing creatures... but instead I stole one online...