Rainy Spring pictures

Sasha

Eating, drinking, working on my paper...repeat.

People come and go

I went to 2 graduation parties over the weekend and I'm feeling a bit sad. I've come to known those guys since October and for me, I wish I had the chance to know them more. There's this guy named Satoshi who loves boxing,  idolizes Manny Pacquiao, and he's been to Davao! Then there's Chiho, a sweet girl that Shoko and I sang the song Just The Way You Are to. But of all the graduates this April, I guess the one that I'll miss most is Yoshihara san. She really is a good friend and I owe a lot to her. I remember sending her messages in the morning, asking her what time she'll be in school. I also will miss going to the Shokudo with her. She made a tremendous impact on my transition to Hiroshima, from getting my own inkan to asking where the best place for Okonomiyaki is. But most of all, it is the Sempai-Kouhai  (senior-junior) relationship that I will miss. It's just so nice to have a senior, one that I can talk to about school and just about anything that concerns Saijo life.

 

Rodeo26

Suikoden 

Yoshihara san

I'm looking forward to meet friends that I've met in the Philippines. Daisuke and Shinya will be here soon and Yoshi is moving here. I'm excited to meet all of them! The cherry blossoms are starting to bloom and there will be lots of Hanami parties (cherry blossom viewing). Maybe I'll meet them at the parties.

My friend Yochan

I'm off to Tokyo to attend my best friend's wedding. Yoshie is my Japanese best friend who I met in the Philippines in 2005. It's pretty funny how the world just connects people. We actually met inside a jeepney. This might sound like a love story but I tell you, everything is just plain friendship and sisterhood. Anyway, here's how we met. When I got on the jeepney, I saw this young Japanese girl and was kind of intrigued of her because she was eating Taho. Taho is a Filipino streetfood that looks something like this 

Photo taken from Wikipedia

But then I had to get off the jeepney because I need to buy some medicine at the drug store and so I didn't think I would see her again. In my head, I was wishing that I really wanted to be her friend. There's this gravitational pull towards her that I don't understand during that time but it's just too strong! 

It was my first day of class in the University of the Philippines and I didn't know anybody. But on the corner, there I saw her, Yoshie! And I mustered up my strength to ask her if she remembers me, that we actually rode the jeepney together... and she said, Yes! My professor then asked if I could be her student tutor so I could guide her and translate the class discussions. Our class is carried out in English and Filipino. And so we got really close and we just became good friends after that. We had so many trips together and every time is just so awesome. I really love Yoshie and I wish her the best in life.

Yoshie in my mom's farm

Yoshie and I in Bontoc (super old pic, gosh! 2005!)

Yoshie and I in Vigan (2005)

Yoshie and I in Davao (2009!)

Yoshie and I in Nikko (2011)

Yoshie and I in Odaiba (2011)

My friends in Tokyo (All of them I've met through Yoshie!)

Yoshie and I in Hiroshima (2012)

I guess the Hiroshima trip would be the last trip that she and I will ever make. But I'm so grateful to have found a wonderful friend like her. I would do my best and hope she will like the song and the speech that I have prepared for her wedding day. It never crossed my mind that I would be able to attend her wedding! Wow, everything feels so surreal. Thank you Japan :)