Winter

Pictures from this afternoon's long walk at the beach - I love this winter weather: very cold, but blue skies and not too windy. I hope it'll last for another few weeks. I can't wait to go ice skating again!

Traveldreams

#51
Originally uploaded by macchi.

I love maps.

This is in one of our offices - one of many spread out in the rooms on our corridor. I love just standing in front of them, and fantasizing about all those places that are still left to go to. (Although it'll be a while before I can get to this part of the world, I'm sure)

5 years

I had lunch yesterday with two friends and in the course of the conversation we came to talk about what is in my future, work-wise. I'm trying to think back how we got there - apart from the regular 'life is so good' talk - but anyway, apparently I am going to be working on a PhD at some point. Or rather, at some point within five years.

Interesting prediction.

It isn't completely unlikely that I will go back to school/university at some point - as I'm pretty sure that in a few years' time I'll want to be doing some kind of studying again. And the idea of starting work on a PhD did cross my mind when I graduated but I wanted to start working in a regular organisation/company first. That doesn't mean I won't ever still go back to this idea.

I can absolutely think of several ideas to write a PhD on. But then again, it sounds like an insane amount of work - and something I can't handle quite yet, nor in the next few years.

Anyway, check back with me in five years!

Home improvement

After an unexpected surprise from my parents (my parents are strange = fact), I am fantasizing about all the cool stuff I want to furnish my new house (yet to be found).

Such as this table from Habitat (great shop btw, only discovered it last week - we don't have it here)



This lamp from Aba-i


And this for on the wall: no picture possible but go here and have a look at the canvas with title 'O-Kinawa' (second row, third from left).

Well - maybe not all in the same space....
And oh yeah, I first need to find a house....

Changes

I've talked about it for months, if not years, but I don't think I had expected myself to do it.

I got everything I needed earlier this summr, but it's been sitting in a corner in my bedroom since.

I don't know what got into me last week, though, but I actually walked inside and joined up. So now I have a one-year membership to the local gym.

Eek.

Most of my friends are quite surprised, I think, as am I. But I've decided to do it completely my way, take it slow and easy, see how I get on and not pay attention to anyone else. It'll be the only way for me to make it work.

Scary though. I'm not quite sure what's going on with me lately.

Dusseldorf: for your regular Japan-fix

I spent this weekend in Dusseldorf, to visit a Japanese friend who lives there. When I ever get homesick for Japan, I now know where to go!

It was good catching up with my friend - someone who I met by accident a few years ago in Tokyo, but I'm happy that we got back in touch now that she's living in Germany.

Dusseldorf has a big Japanese community so we spent Saturday lunch time browsing the Japanese shops (stocked up on food, and some manga for old times sake) and then queued up (as of course you should) for great ramen. Yummm.






Germany is so close, but it's interesting to see the many small differences. How people act and respond to each other, what's normal behaviour when going out etc. We talked about these differences a lot - comparing it to Japan and the Netherlands. And I actually learned some new things about Japanese customs etc as well. And my Japanese is a bit improved again - now to keep it up!

It was good being away though. It sounds very smug maybe but my weekends seem to be really good the last few months. Great stuff.

(more pictures are here of course)

Balance

I don't write about my work that much here, in contrast to what I used to post about 1,5 years ago and before. That's mostly because it's going annoyingly well so it'd get very boring to write about.

I am still really enjoying what I do, I meet very interesting people, the work is very diverse and an increasingly large part of it is challenging me more and more (because I'm taking on more complex tasks).

It also means that at the moment I have a very heavy workload, but that's okay. Mostly because I can't decide what part of it to cut off. That, of course, means I'm making long days, hectic days, stressful hours behind the computer trying to figure out where to start on my to do lists, and rushing from one meeting to the next. It's not helping that at the moment my colleague who I do part of the work together with is mostly out of the office due to personal reasons.

Despite all the above, I get rewarded for it as well - and it's absolutely starting to pay off. Which is great and makes it worth it as well.

But it's becoming harder to keep a balance between work and personal life. Maybe this is also partly because of the dark days and the dreary weather. But it's difficult being in time to meet a friend after a day of work. I've quit a course I loved because it just became impossible to combine.

My job isn't even as hectic and chaotic as some others I know, and I'm happy that I have the flexibility to be able to focus on it for now. Life is better than ever which is great. But still.

Then again, maybe I just need a holiday - hopefully in January!

[hm, this turned into babbling, sorry!]