"Life is rarely as we would like it to be rather it is exactly as it is."

"You are a nation of cheats" according to the Japanese colleague of *doormat who is teaching ENGLISH in Japan. How nice. I didn't realise my-oh-so-dear-homeland has such character or had it in her to be a cheat. Such an achievement. *deadpan*

It is so prosiac and mundane to just declare that I like Japan because it is not true. Perhaps I do like certain parts of it, but not all and certainly, Japan is too complex to be concluded so simply. What I suppose I like is the nuances I sense in the society and culture. Look at it this way, while most Japanese has the habit of giving up their seats to the elderly, they have no qualms in not apologisng or acknowledging when they knock into someone. How strange. Likewise, while there are friendly Japanese who go out of the way to offer help to *confused lost tourists like us, there is a Japanese who offered help and then had the gall to help himself to 200Y from our change when we bought the tixs for the subway as compensation for his help, when we didn't even ask for help. *roll eyes*

In case you didn't know, yours truly went to visit *doormat in Japan with *snappish, *witchy and *private for a glorious 14 days. We stayed at *doormat's place for a few days and travelled to Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Mount Aso, Kyoto and Tokyo. The water festival at Togawa shi was particularly interesting. I managed to catch 2 great art exhibitions (using up a lot of the memory card of *snappish's camera) and of cos, Kyoto's really worth a visit. Their shrines and temples are majestic. Even the trees have character despite being well-pruned and manicured. Perhaps we should admire the gardeners for their diligence and artist abilities? Or is this merely a case of the foreign lands are always better sydrome? I think not.

The temperature was btw a comfortable range of 20 to 24 degrees, so no trouble there. Even though it was rainy for a few days. Interestingly, when we went tea leaves picking with *doormat's school in the mountains, the sun was shinning so bad, yours truly came back with a tan, from Japan, in Spring?! *arched my brows*

Oh yeah, we stayed in a comfortable and CLEAN hostel in Kyoto - K HOUSE. I highly recommend it to all who wants to visit Japan. If there's a K House hostel in the area you are visiting, please, do yourself a favor and stay with them. The hostel I stayed at in Tokyo left a lot to be desired. Truly, it was quite uncomfortable with very thin walls (ceilings that didn't even reach the top between the rooms) and obviously, the owners were not too fastidious about hygience. *grimace*

All in all, yours truly thought the trip was comfortable. It was nice to catch up with *doormat, who in her current state, I like better. This is not to say that she wasn't likeable previously, but age, as you know, or as I hear, add maturity to our characters, and *doormat, i am please to note has very nicely matured. But it's probably just me and me being sensitive or probably over-thinking. No matter. At least it is happy that yours truly find people to appreciate more when its usually the other way. If only age really adds maturity to everyone. But alas, observations tell one that most people just merely age without acquiring the useful grace of maturity. So at least, *doormat was favored by dear evilness. *grin*

On that note, yours truly shld end my crap. If i can find time, i will show off some great pictures from the art exhibtion. but only if the moon is shinning and more importantly, i am in an amendable mood.

Oh yeah, by the way, I have finally typed my resignation letter. Now it remains for me to actually submit the letter. yikes. i hate the prolonged sessions with my bosses to discuss my resignation. Such a dreary thought.

oh well. shrug.

what will come will come.

C'est la Vie