mardi, mai 31, 2011

Here I go again

Belatedly, my next six months plan became more or less clear, and I think everybody knows what this means by now. Yes, I got the job and going back in three weeks. Frankly I am exhausted from all waiting, thinking, choosing, and negotiating. It is great to have options in life and I think it is all "trial and error" process. It is exciting but tiring. Comparing pros and cons, finally I needed to follow my heart and take chances and risks that the life presents.

I told my current supervisor today that I will not be continuing with them. I felt extremely bad as if I am abandoning them. I know I can't make everyone happy and I need to put myself as a priority, but it is still hard. Already another round of farewells is planned (didn't I have farewells just a few months ago!?) I have a big task to complete before I leave. I feel a bit relieved that now may date is fixed, but no time to relax!

Coming here was my new year's resolution, and I now know how it is to work at the HQ. I will write more reflections on this experience when I am done with the assignment. One thing for sure is that I am really grateful for the experience.

I am excited to go back. My friends are all waiting, and as much as I complained about my previous work, well everyone complains right? ;) I enjoy working there in the field. It is crazy for me to leave the nice life in NYC and go back to traffic, eternal dog barking and power outages, but after all I do feel at home there.

Anyway, my extended shopping trip (this is how my friends called my 3 month consultancy before leaving for NY) is coming to an end.

dimanche, mai 29, 2011

Joy of laundry

When I tried to convey how expensive everything is in NY, I always quote the price of single washing in a laundromat. It is 4$ for a use of a laundry machine and 25 cents every six minutes of a dryer (last a few minutes of drying cycle is cool-down, so I feel like I get ripped off for this!). Despite the complaint, I actually like going there. Yes, what a difference between having someone wash my stuff, iron and even put into my closet (few months ago, I had a such bourgeois life shamefully) and dragging a huge bag of clothes with a bottle of detergent like a student.

There is some kind of comforting feeling about it. I usually bring a book and my i-pod, but sometimes I just stand there and admire all laundry machines and dryers turning and turning, looking at bubbles and my clothes flying around in a huge dryer. I watch the laundry and feel a sense of “awe” because of many machines working at a same time like a factory, but also I feel like I can see people’s life in clothes that people are washing. I watch others and what they are washing, guessing and wondering what they do for a living etc. There is something more than that, which makes me feel happy, and I can’t explain what it is. Maybe, it is also joy of simple work.

The other day, I was helping my colleague to prepare for a meeting by photocopying and stapling documents. I told her I enjoy the mechanical work using my hands taking a break from our "intellectual work". We just think, analyze, strategize, write, negotiate, coordinate and organize things all day for 8 hours! And at the end of a day, we don’t really see a “result” as such (we would like to believe that we do!).

lundi, mai 23, 2011

Just in case you are wondering...

I still have no news whatsoever about my plan for the next little while, still no news about that job, still no 100% assurance about the extension of my current contract, had another job interview since then, and another possibility on a horizon.... I say every day to everyone who asks me "yes, I should be finding out in the next few days" for the past few weeks. How do I stay sane in this uncertainty?

My current job is finishing in two weeks!

dimanche, mai 22, 2011

盛りだくさんの週末

Pedicure- Shopping in Soho- Museum of Modern Art- Broadway play- walk in Central Park- Venezuelan dinner- coffee and pain au chocolat in a French cafe- Sushi- Spanish wine bar- pizza- grocery shopping in an organic food supermarket- chatting until late at night

All in two and a half days! Isn't it amazing??


I bought a beautiful skirt (very dramatic one- quarter of an original price) and a cute mug cup.

We went to a same brunch restaurant as two years ago, and food was as great!

あー楽しかった!

jeudi, mai 19, 2011

ゆうじんきたる

今晩、トロントからヘレンがやってくる。1年前に赴任国で会って以来。ガーリーウィーケンドに期待!

My friend Helen is arriving from Toronto tonight. I haven't seen her since when she came to visit me a year ago. Can't wait to see her!!


dimanche, mai 15, 2011

How do I get to Carnegie Hall? Practice. Practice. Practice.

の話でおなじみ(?)のカーネギーホールでベートーベンの交響曲第五番を聞いてきた。モントリオール交響楽団の指揮者のKento Naganoさんはどこまでも渋くて、生の運命は最高で感動だった。やっぱり、オーケストラはいいなあ。本当にベートーベンて天才だな。アンコールで演奏のハープのシシリアーニもとても美して、涙が出てきそうだった。

大学生の頃はよくクラシックのコンサートに行っていたけど、カナダでは滅多に行かなかったし(お金がなかったから、多分)。NYでは簡単に行けるのがすごく嬉しい。

とてもプロダクティブな週末。小説2冊読みと映画も2本DVDで見た。(お洗濯とついでにサンダルも購入!)

途上国にいた2年間を取り戻すために頑張って映画を見ている。最近見たのは

Precious
I love you, Philip Morris
Makioka sisters (細雪)
Boudras
Cave of forgotten dreams
Ricky
Let it Rain
148 hours
Last train home
Fish Tank
Parking Lot
Conviction
City Island
Milk of Sorrow
Tokyo Sonata 東京ソナタ
Grizzly man

mardi, mai 10, 2011

追伸 Dream Therapy

Post script to the memory lane entry

Last night I had a dream where my ex-boyfriend called me to say happy birthday (in french...?). I was very calm and told him that there was no need to call me and he can now forget the whole thing and go. I was rather nice to him but still did not say "I forgive you now".

Quite an improvement compared to routine nightmares, though interesting that I still did not bring myself to say the "f" word.

Anyway, my birthday is not until September.

More photos from the botanical garden



I actually like these ones better than just regular pretty flower shots.

lundi, mai 09, 2011

dimanche, mai 08, 2011

Cherry Blossom at Brooklyn Botanical Garden

今週末はお天気も良かったの橋の向こうのブルックリン植物園まで地下鉄に乗って、桜を見に行ってきた。散り始めだったけど、とても綺麗でした。

日本の桜の季節にはなかなか帰れないので、満足でした。スケールが違うけどね。

桜以外にも、チューリップ、藤などが見頃。

誘った友達が体調が悪くて一人で行ったので、もっぱら写真撮影でした。今度はお弁当を持ってきてピクニックしたら気持ち良さそう。


この後、お隣の美術館も見学して帰りました。

vendredi, mai 06, 2011

New summer dress!!

NYでブルックリンインダストリーズというお店を、友達に教えてもらって、見に行ってみました。あまりにも可愛くて衝動買いしてしまったワンピース。他にも良い物があったけど我慢。NYってすべての物が高いから、普通の値段(私の低いスタンダードでは)の洋服をみると、お手頃と感じちゃう。危ない危ない。普段、職場ではオフィス服なので、週末は週末にしか着れないお洋服がなぜだか欲しくなる。黄色いTシャツとかね。


dani-colorblock-dress.jpg http://www.brooklynindustries.com/women_dresses-and-skirts/


Trip Down to Memory Lane and much much more


On the Easter weekend, I went to Montreal after almost two and a half years. My main objective of course was to see my friends that I have missed! It was only one hour by plane.

It was absolutely great to see my very close friends, some that I closely kept in touch with (meaning talk to each other every two weeks) or others hardly. But, it doesn't matter, as I know that they are always there for me, and hopefully they know that I am always there for them too. We had so much catching up to do and I talked almost non stop. On Saturday, I spent 5 hours, not consecutively, in Starbucks (yes very original isn't it?) just talking talking and talking and still not enough talking!!

It was such a strange feeling to be back in Montreal. This is a city where I lived for over three years in three different times. It is a city full of better sweet memories. It kind of evokes some sense of insecurity and confusion, as I spent some of the most difficult and challenging time of my life so far. First, I was totally lost, being fresh out of Japan, keeping up with the school, languages etc, then struggling to raise my grades to be accepted to a graduate program while living on $500 a month. When I came back to work there in the language school, I dealt with the immigration problem and finding a job in my field. Then it was finally a place where I said good-bye to the boyfriend that I spent long seven years with. These are some (almost all) of my darkest times so far. Every street, every corner and every metro station has a story, and the central theme of course is my ex.

Something really strange happened. Well, this is not kind of thing I should write publicly but I will anyway. One of my closest friend told me the following: in summary

My ex-boy friend one day showed up at a day care where she works, with his child and wife (!). As she being such a loyal friend to me, she was unhappy and upset to see him. She never wanted to see him or talk to him. He requested to have a chat with her privately. They spoke for about one hour and he told her "his version" of what has happened. He was basically breaking down with tears (!!!) explaining what he was thinking, why he broke up, how he ended up marrying a woman that he was seeing while he was with me (!) etc etc.

Not sure whether he was justifying what he did or did not do, but I do not really care at this point, whose fault it was etc etc. I was completely completely shocked to hear that he was crying. Dude, it had been four years (since then at that time). Why are you crying in front of my friend?! I suddenly felt so pitiful. This guy is so hopeless. No wonder he sent me a message on my last birthday, if he is still like this.

What are odds of him coming to my friend's day care centre among so many in the city? I am just amazed. Is it some kind of a sign or message for me?? Am I ready to say "I forgive you"? I still have occasional nightmares about him finally infrequently now. I didn't think I harbor that much negativity about this, but I have never thought that I will ever say I forgive you. It was always more like "I really don't care about you. Yo don't exist in my world as you are so insignificant in my life." (wow, this sounds quite angry!!) Would I free myself, if I say "I forgive you" from the trauma? Shouldn't I be compassionate towards this individual, who quite frankly speaking, is pitiful and pathetic?

I don't have answers, but I am thinking. I don't know what that means to forgive him.

I think, at this point, and especially after I heard this story, I want to forgive him. Because I do not gain anything by not forgiving him and it seems there is a better prospect of forgiving him. He should also be freed from his sense of "guilt". He must have already suffered enough, and he can walk away now. This is just too sad. I can't describe it. What happened was now so distant, yet the wound can be so deep for both of us. It is really sad.

................. so, what do you think?