Nothing much just some personal updates.

- Never Stop Dreaming -

So after welcoming 2009 in a not so traditional partying way, after buying expensive toys, after meeting up with cousin Denis and Li Fern, after meeting old friends in Tokyo and adding new faces on Facebook, I am left wondering what's next. Because exactly 10 days after the New Year comes a day where nearly a decade and a half back, I taste Oxygen for the very first time. Now it's more like reminding myself that I am racing against Time to do everything necessary in those given constraints. Some really kind friends even reminded me that with each year celebrated, I am 1 step closer to my own grave...how sweet. Then of course I did receive a rather sweet long distance phone call conveying me the well wishes and the numerous other 2 dimensional ones I got on Facebook. Not forgetting the one and only special email well wishes coming for a small bear...Miss ya and my really awesome brother, Law who sent in a sms from Seoul.

Prior to this, I had already expected 10 and 11 Jan to be a rather hectic because of the schedule I planned for myself. On 10 Jan there is a 成人式 (Seijin Shiki), "Coming of Age Day" held in 軽井沢(Karuizawa) and on 11, in 上田(Ueda). Once a year this special event is held in January on different dates in different cities where youth who are of 20 years of age will be invited to attend some sort of ceremony. The main attraction of this event is that all the young ladies will don the 振袖（Furisode) which is equivalent to the 着物(Kimono) except that the Furisode have really long sleeves and is probably only worn to mark this event. Usually the long sleeves of this particular type of Japanese garments denotes an unmarried lady while a Kimono with short sleeves denotes a married woman. The assortment of colors and designs, the faux fur collar trimmings, etc makes it a great photographic journey to embark on. I had wanted to witness this event first hand and also to capture some frames for upkeeing sake so after waiting for almost 27 to 28 years, now was my chance. It's really an eye opener to see how these young girls who will take this right of passage to enter adulthood FORMALLY (because you can choose to not attend the event). Some of the really touching moments were lost due to my slow reflexes in preserving them in frames. Moments like how the parents open the car doors, put the zori slippers for their daughters who will then emerge from the car in their most delicate and gracious manner to slip their feet into the slippers. The scene kinda reminded me of ladies getting married off.

Alrite that aside, after 2 days of the event which usually spans like 2 hours or less, I had fired almost 290 shots in RAW. Much to my surprise, most shots on the second event in Ueda were horendously plagued with bad focusing. I was totally distraught by this set back because I failed to utilise the amazing lens in my hand. Begin still new and adapting to the sheer capabilities of this power lens was no excuse for me to commit such errors. I am unforgiving to myself because I have to work extra hard the next time round. So next will come the post processing which might take a little while.

As for my birthday on 11 Jan, there wasn't really anyone in particular I had wanted to celebrate my birthday with because the usual partying and booze intoxicating scenarios were long left behind in Singapore. In the end, it was just Haruka and her boyfriend, Miguel whom both I met for the first time a day prior in Karuizawa at the Seijin Shiki that graced my little birthday party. So much for living the lonely photographer's life...tsk tsk tsk.

Monday was a public holiday to commemorate the actual Seijin Shiki but I was too tired to do anything so I stayed home and looked thru the photos. Emi, Robin and Andrew who were with me on the Seijin event in Ueda on 11 Jan went ice skating on Monday and from the pictures uploaded on their facebook, it really brings back memories of those ice skating years in Singapore when I was like 14 and 15...geez I have to really stop reminding myself how age had caught up with me. Then on Tuesday, I took leave to go take my driving test to convert my Singapore 10 year licence to the Japanese one. It was snowing and really beautiful but in the end I failed the 10 minute practical test. I had already expected it because it was quite unlikely that anyone could have made it on the first attempt because going back to the basic was one thing but driving RIDICULOUSLY was the main reason I failed. The Japanese made the test to NOT test one's driving capabilities but rather to test how well one follow rules. Well, I didn't really take it to heart because the next schedule date was set on Jan 28 which hopefully I will make this time round.

With almost every single ￥ of my Dec salary gone thanks to the new toy, Tokyo trips, etc. I am forced to eat into my reserves for the snowboarding trip this weekend because I had promised a friend that we would go boarding together. Then before the Jan's salary is being released, I am going down to Osaka for the Singaporean CNY getogether which will whisk of another chunk of my reserves. Dang...must save must save must save but each day I am still looking for camera parts, lens, flashes, tripods, diffusers, reflectors, second cars, toys, etc.

All I need is a little more love in my life so hopefully I can control my expenses because more time is needed to appease a particular someone so less time is spent on shopping spree but where in the hell is that someone I am asking. Hope that God would be shining some light on the love aspect of my life because quite simply, THAT is the one thing that I am missing out now and I need it bad.