things that should not exist

(thanks to Greg for letting me use his iPhone camera)

look at this picture, taken at Crate and Barrel (CB2) at North and Clyborn. This, my friends, is a giant green clothespin...

Wait, no, that's a pair of chopsticks. Cheaters style. As in, let's bring the host from the Cheaters show and spy on these chopsticks 'cuz they be cheatin'. If you should find yourself wanting this pair of cheaters, ask yourself this: (WWAD) what would Asians do?

me: at optimum levels

I'll be back to optimum fun levels soon. But first, the LSAT. Just you wait...

what tomorrow brings

A year ago, I couldn't fathom what Tokyo looked like; A year ago, I couldn't fathom what spontaneous adventures I would undergo; A year ago, I couldn't even begin to fathom the wonderful friends I would soon meet. I made the most wonderful of friends while at Ontakesan and TUJ. A year has now passed, and I still can't fathom how amazingly talented and unique you all are.

It's amazing how we reflect on the past. Memories sometimes flow like a quiet stream, or rush and mesh together like anxious waves battering the coast. Most importantly, when we reflect on the past, we realize that our flaws, our imperfections, make us perfect. Our memories of each other and of Tokyo, including the difficult memories, make our experience in Japan perfect.

For those of you who studied abroad, try to recall your earliest memories of Tokyo. I can close my eyes right now and relive the taxi ride to Ontakesan dorm, staring in awe, dreaming of what was to come next in my journey. Recall the food you ate, the simmering heat of the yakiniku charcoal, steam rising from a fresh bowl of ramen, cuts of shabu shabu meat, the textures of fresh sushi. Recall the drinks, the surprisingly warm can of vending machine coffee, Asahi and Sapporo beer, pre-gaming with chu-hi outside 7/11. Recall the sites you saw, the walk across Shibuya, the drunk walk across Shibuya, the stops of the Yamanote line, the myriad of characters in Harajuku, the cherry blossoms in spring. Recall your friends, the ones who were there to experience everything you just remembered; Recall your friends who were right there with you until your last day in Japan...These are memories that are exclusively yours, yet memories that also belong to the friends you hold dear. My best memories of Japan are because of the friends I made there. I have a feeling you feel the same way too :)

At this point, a wave of Japan nostalgia should have already set in. You will now realize that a flood of memories is flashing before your very eyes. Random moments of joy, tranquility, bouts of laughter, bouts of sadness sink in and out of memory. Soak it in, let your waves of memories crash into the coast. Let the waves dissipate, form again, and knock you off your feet as you wade in the surf.

So, what does tomorrow bring for you, for me, for all of us? As we reflect upon the past, don't let your memories drag you down to the bottom, for we are creatures bound for the future. We all have to keep moving on, no matter how dull or how stressful life can get. Tomorrow may bring sorrow, pain, frustration, happiness, or joy, but tomorrow will always bring the future along with it. The past, we cannot change. The future, tomorrow, is up to us to shape. To all my friends and acquaintances I met in Japan: ganbatte! see you all soon in Tokyo!