After looking at the food and enjoying the view of the river, we went to look for %Arabica Coffee which was on my to-try list hehe.

 

                               Entrance to Nishiki Market and matcha icecream from Sawawa
                           


Tsujiri was located inside the departmental store and it was closed at 8pm! The entire departmental store also closes pretty early, surprisingly. So after having our parfait, we slowly made our way back to our Airbnb to rest in preparation for the next day- Nara Park and Osaka!

Read about Day 1 here.

Day 0, 10 Nov 2016

The day that I have been waiting for had finally arrived!! Hahaha booked the air tickets since end 2015/start of 2016 so kiasu right. I had always wanted to visit Japan (for the food, cherry blossom and the food) so I was pretty excited about the trip.

The only sad thing is how the exchange rate wasn't that favourable. 1 SGD to 73/74 Yen vs 1 SGD to 90+ yen during 2015...

Took a night flight and SQ really fed us pretty well.

When we boarded the train at the airport, the station was enclosed so we had no idea how cold the weather is until we transferred trains. It was around 8 degrees which was VERY cold given how I was in t-shirt and a thin long sleeve shirt HAHA.

Badly want to write something but feeling so uninspired lately. Wonder if this is linked to work hmm. Not trying to say work sucks but maybe it's stifling whatever creativity I have.

CONVERSATIONS 

"Most people want to save the entire world. It's a lovely thought, and I'm not saying it's not a noble pursuit- but it's impossible to save everyone. You just have to pick your little corner of the world and focus your energy there. That's the only way you will ever make a difference."

"But I don't know if I can make a difference. It feels like I am screaming at the top of lungs, but no one can hear me. No one cares. How can I change anything if I'm completely powerless?" 

"You may be powerless now, but there will be a time when you won't be. Don't you see? And that's the time for you to be loud, to tell the world about the changes you want to see, to set them in motion."

What a neglected space. To think that one of my new year resolutions is to write more haha. I can't deny the fact that I still enjoy writing, especially when it comes to writing about food. Perhaps I am afraid to find out how much I like writing. Because if I realise all I wanted to do in my career is to write, then it means I have made another mistake in my career choice.

Not saying I am unhappy at work. I am definitely happier than previously but I won't and can't say I am really satisfied. And I can't help but wonder what will happen if I choose the alternative. Will I be happy writing press releases? Scanning media every day. Perhaps editing and choosing photos to communicate news. Having to OT/work faster since speed is everything when it comes to media release.

“There are two types of waiting. There’s the the waiting you do for something you know is coming, sooner or later—like waiting for the 6:28 train, or the school bus, or a party where a certain handsome boy might be. And then there’s the waiting for something you don’t know is coming. You don’t even know what it is exactly, but you’re hoping for it. You’re imagining it and living your life for it. That’s the kind of waiting that makes a fist in your heart.”

The latter kind of waiting. Will it happen in 2016?

Achievements in 2015: Following fitness routines, graduating, learning how to plan my finances, understanding human nature/relationships, finding what I do NOT want in terms of a career...

Hmm, so here are some of my resolutions I guess:

1. Getting into shape: eat more healthily, sign up for a pilates class/yoga class/ gym membership/ (once I get a new job with better working hours)
2. Make (more) food haha (overnight oats?)
3. Only keep friends who deserve to be kept: no point feeling upset and going the extra mile for people who can't be bothered and start making cards and time for people who matter.
4. Stay updated with the world's happenings instead of spending so much time on social media.
5. Compare less (in line with spending less time on social media)
6. Be more proactive in job search: send at least three applications per week
7. Continue reading.
8. Save up more at least 50% every month: "Spend what's left after saving"
9. Travel to at least one country (Japan/Australia) in 2016 (not contradictory to above point because travel experiences cannot be replaced with anything)
10. Think of a business idea? Start writing?