First Christmas. Alone.

Hi. I'll just start my 2018 conclusion and how I spent the last month of 2018 here. I don't know what to say. But yeah, thanks for the last year. The bad ones, the good ones, the miraculous ones, everything.
So I will just continue from my previous post. Let's skip to the mid-December. On 16th, I went to Arashiyama Monkey Park. The entrance fee was 550yen. I don't usually take it, but this one is an exception because I want to see it. Unlike temples or just gardens, I don't know why but that time I was feel like it. My main reason going to Arashiyama for the second time is because I was paid by joining an experiment to try a new mobile app developed by our lab collaborating with a certain company working on trip-advisor-like project. Since the only interesting place left for me in Arashiyama is the monkey park, I just go there and collect some photos. that's all. Mission completed, money granted. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

I originally planned to for to Rohm Illumination from Arashiyama. I already asked my labmates to join. However, there are 3 reasons why I cancelled this trip. The first one is because I lost my right glove in JR Osaka station. Second reason is it was predicted to be raining. I don't want to risk my friend's experience with rain. Third reason is because I was tired. So, I called it off

Yet another week passed and it was 23rd. I planned to go to Rohm Illumination during either on 24th or 25th after the Christmas mass in Kyoto. I went to the lab on 24th thinking it was 23rd so I stayed until 6 p.m. while I should go for an English mass around 4 p.m. I was shocked when my Chinese friend asked me when the Christmas Eve should be, and I was really fucked up. But luckily (or not), I still have 25th mass, so in the end we were having a hotpot party in the lab. 800yen, gone. Pretty cheap for all-you-can-eat dinner.

On the next day I went to the church. This time I parked my bike at the station. It was only 100yen for students! Damn cheap (but don't convert it to my country's currency). A little while before, my mom called me and asked whether I already attended Christmas mass or not, I told her my plan and she was confused. Since a day in Catholic church ends at 6 p.m. however, in the pamphlet that I got it is written that at 7 p.m. there is a mass. My mom was right. I waited until 7.30 but there was no one coming. No mass at all. I missed my first Christmas mass in Japan.

So I continued my trip to Rohm Illumination. It was 30 mins slow-paced walk from nearby station. That time I just really want to enjoy the night. The first question in my head was how do those people got a great shot. There are a lot of cars and people. It is so hard to get a good moment to take a shot. But putting those things aside, that place is so beautiful. you can google it. LOL

I walked around 15 mins from the entrance to the park, and in the park, I saw a lot of couple embracing each other at the dark corners and sides. Ufufufu. I really want to take a candid, but deep inside I don't like the idea, so I just walked by.

This holiday I am very very hesitant to go outside because of the weather. It was already snowing at several areas including Hyogo, Kobe but not my campus. A week passed and I am thinking how to deal with my research. It seems so unclear and so troublesome. I wish they would told me the ultimate goal of this thing.

So that's how I ended 2018.

This year so many things happened. Thank to God that I am still alive and able to be grateful despite all of the shits happened. From the application to acceptance, to the troubles I had in lab, until this point. Thank you for God almighty, for my parents who always supported me, to my friends who responded to my shitposts, to my cousin who was really really helpful so that I could accepted here, and also thank you for all the problems. I believe I have yet so much to learn.