He is blind NOT gay..

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA....
So funny.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6669263253849061154&q=gay%2Bblind

FaMiLy

I came back from my family trip to Europe. My family ( dad, mom, younger brother–one year younger, and I) used to travel together a lot. We have visited many countries and have so many memories from each trip.

But during the past three years, we haven’t had a chance to go on a trip, all of us together. I mean, as we have gotten older, we have been busy with work. So, my dad decided to plan a family trip again before my brother and I start working in July.

The trip was great. I was really happy to know that all of us still get along well and that we are able to have a great time together.

In my family, my mom and I are the quiet ones, compared to my brother and dad. Can you imagine me being the quiet one? haha. I usually talk a lot when I am with my friends :)

It is not that my mom and I don't talk at all. It is just that my brother and dad talk more than my mom and I do. lol

My brother went to the States when he was 15. I was 17. I think my parents were brave enough to respect their kids' decision to study abroad and let us follow our gut, allowing us to decide where we wanted to study.

Some people may think that distance makes people's relationships fall apart.

But I believe that, sometimes, distance results in the relationship being stronger than before.

In the current society, we have Internet, phone, and letters to communicate with people. My family used these tools fully in order to keep our relationship strong, even though we have lived in different countries for 7 years.

Now, my family are all together in Japan. Our noisy living room is back! :)

I don't know how long my brother and I will stay in Japan. But for now, I want to appreciate the fact that I can stay with my family in the same country and see them anytime I want.

FaMiLy. What does it mean to you?

Commercial

I saw this comnercial so many times in Europe haha . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bkclcvSmh8&search=peugeot

Trip

I am on a two-week trip to Milan (Italy), Heidelberg (Germany), and Zurich (Switerland) with my family.
I will post some beautiful pictures here on the blog when I go back to Japan on 22nd. :)

For those of u who just had convocation in Guelph, Congratulations !

Picture

Smile Smile

Mariko and Yuko in Shinjyuku

Crazy

Today, I went to talk to my boss about my job.
He decided that I could start working in Shinjyuku in Tokyo, so I was happy about that. BUUUUUT listen to this.
People in my company work from 9:20 in the morning to 10 or 11 at night, which means I will be working for more than 12 hours a day. This is crazy. People in Japan work like crazy.
My work seems fun and exciting. However, I seriously don't know whether I can take these long working hours or not. I guess I will find out when I start working in July.
I don't think I mind working hard. But I still want to keep my private time to spend for other things. If I am too busy with work, I know it will be tough to make time to keep in touch with my friends, as well.
If I become tired working in this society, I will go back to Canada. But for now, I want to try working these crazy hours. The reason is simply that I am Japanese and want to get experience in working in Japan and because I like this company and the people I am going to work with.
WISH me LUCK.

Leaving Canada

I have been hesitant to talk about my personal life in a blog, simply because I could talk to my friends about my personal concerns anytime while I was in Canada. But now, I am going back to Japan for at least a year. Perfect time to make my blog!

In my blog, I will share my personal stories, so all of my friends can keep up with what is going on in my life. :)

Today’s topic My satisfaction

Recently, I have discovered that my personality wants to be all-encompassing. More so, I have realized that I have always had what I wanted in my life. I have always tried my best to get whatever I wanted or needed, and my endeavours have been successful.

But now, I am about to lose someone who is important and special to me. Losing him may not be the right word for it. It’s more like that I will be living on the other side of the world from him. I don’t know whether I can feel complete or satisfied about my life without him. I am currently dealing with the frustration and coping with the feeling that sometimes you can’t get what you want in your life.

When we fall in love with someone, we often feel like we want to stay together. To be honest, I even feel like I want to follow wherever he goes and stay with him. But here, my sense of self and my belief about who I am comes in, telling me, "You gotta live your life." Yes, Yuko! That is RIGHT.

This might be such a romantic idea, but here is what I believe about love.

If our special one and we, ourselves, are meant to be together, when the time is right for both of us, we will eventually work something out to stay together for the rest of our lives. When neither of us is ready to share our lives in this way, we shouldn’t compromise too much in our lives, just because of our special one. It always comes back to the truth that IT IS YOUR LIFE.

So, I am going back to Japan for now, even though I know that I will miss my great friends and my special one here in Canada.

My goal for this year is:

To spend time with my family

To get a higher position in the company

To see the current culture in Japan

To get to know about the situation relating to social welfare in Japan

To take a picture every day and share it in the blog

To write some thoughts in the blog once a week

To work with kids when I have days off from work

To find vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Japan (and maybe create a website).

My last goal is to make time to keep in touch with of my friends in Canada and the States and anywhere else in the world. Without my family and friends, my life is not complete!

After a year, I will make new lists of my goals.

I will always be sensitive to how I feel living in each current situation and trust my gut to make decisions to do what I want to do and choose a place where I want to live.

This is my life. Think and plan something for one year ahead. Don’t plan anything that is far in the future. Live every day. Be appreciative of what I have and be responsible for seeking my happiness and satisfaction in my life.

Feel free to leave your comments! I want to hear from all of you how you are doing as well :)