11 March 2011 - The Day the Earth Shook

I woke up this morning, wondering if yesterday was a dream. Just then, the building trembles as if to remind me it wasn't. Okay, point taken!

So there I was, pushing the trolley back to the lab after sending my stuff to the post office. As I walked into the university compound, staff were coming out of the administration building on my left. The terrified looks on their face showed that something was amiss. They turned back to look at the building they'd evacuated. Oh god, the building was swaying. So were the trees that lined the road. They seemed to be shaken by some invisible force.

Then I felt it. The ground was moving.

First Anniversary (Part III) - Resolutions

I hate to be apart from you. Some nights, after putting down the phone, it's hard to fall asleep even though I've just talked to you. The deafening silence of the room reminds me how much I miss you. A girl who's willing to wait for his return - what else can a guy wish for? Remember the hesitance we had before we got together? How we worried if things would work out even though we're apart? I thought it would be irresponsible of me to keep you waiting. But at the same time, there is this selfish desire of wanting you for myself. That is why when you eventually promised to be with me, I fell in love with you even more.

First Anniversary (Part II) - Watershed

The sound of the closing door reverberated through the room. Every thing was familiar but it now felt emptier than when I left a month ago. All by myself now, I no longer had to hold them back. The welled up tears broke loose.

I was missing her already. What's left with me now was the memories of the things we did together in the previous month. Those memories that I had diligently etched to my mind so that I could relive them at times like this. But instead of relieving me of my longingness for her, I grew even more dispirited. Despite the feelings that we had for each other, there was this psychological watershed we were not ready to cross. The fact that I was still going to be in Japan for the next few years shut the door on any prospects we could have.

First Anniversary (Part I) - Shared Memories

Long ago, men went to sea, and women waited for them, standing on the edge of the water, scanning the horizon for the tiny ship.

It has been almost a year since we last saw each other. A phone call every night, frequent exchange of short messages, and an occasional love letter - these are what have been keeping our love strong. Yet at the same time, they can never appease my yearning for her physical presence.

That's why they say long-distance relationships are never easy. But the irony is, if I hadn't left to study in Japan, we wouldn't have been together. I would have forever remained that awkward teenager whom she had once rejected during high school (18 was a dreadful age). It is these five years of life overseas that made me shed my former self. Appearance-wise, I'll never star in a J-drama, and my fashion sense is still no better than a garden slug's. But at least I can now cook, handle household chores and settle the bills by myself. I keep a couple of part-time jobs to fund my retirement savings. So I guess that makes up for my other shortcomings.

Our mutual friends think it's a surprise how we got together despite the distance. That's pretty understandable - we surprised ourselves too. Instead of attributing it to pure coincidence, I prefer to read it as nothing other than a sign of romantic destiny. But even if our destinies were woven by some higher power in the heavens (10,000m up there), I believe it still takes some form of initiative from both sides to ignite a relationship. For us, it was my asking her out, and her willingness to open herself to me.

Rocky Waters

Took this long exposure shot in Odaiba. In the background is Odaiba's famous landmark, Rainbow Bridge. The problem with landmarks is, they're always "shot" to death, by tourists. For travel snaps, it'd be fine but if you're looking for something of a different touch, sometimes you'll have to go the extra mile.

The spot where I took this photo was pitch dark. Even the rocks couldn't be seen. Luckily, I stopped by at the place hours earlier in the evening so I had a rough idea of how the composition of my photo should look like. And with the help of a tripod plus long exposure, voila!

I used to call it the day when the sun goes down. But it seems that night time has plenty to offer too! Even if it means you've to take the trouble to carry your tripod with you.