Fun things to do during my holiday!!

With my dissertation almost done, I have some time off where I do not have any urgent papers or experiments to do.  It's a precious opportunity to do what I have been wanting to do!

1. Twisted Wonderland - a game that I have been hearing about and reading about.  It's got beautifully drawn characters with rich and complex stories.  I just love viewing the intricate details of the characters with an artistic eye.

2. Writing an article about studying aborad - for collage students who are considering getting a graduate degree in foreign institutions.  I hope to share my first-hand experience.

3. Ukulele.  I feel like taking up a new musical instrument and learn it.  I will enjoy singing along with my ukulele.

4. Improve my drawing skills.  There are many things that I want to draw, and I need to learn and practice.

5. Study World history in Coursera course.

6. Finish Graphic design specialization on Coursera.

7. Study Machine learning in Coursera course.

And I hope to hang out with my friends a little bit.. despite the current situation... or hang out with them online. 

Ruggy and Leona in Twisted Wonderland

Quarantine week in progress

My quarantine ilfe has been very easy and comfortable.  I've got a big room with a desk, a TV that can be used as a second monitor, and a small dining table.  It's much worth the price!!  I value spaciousness more than I used to, it's an American influence.

At fist it was hard to believe that I am in Japan now.  It still feels like as though I could go back to my old apartment that I just moved out, and walk around the lovely neighbourhood with trees and flowers.  It's still hard to believe, and not having talked with anyone much also makes me kinda not fit back in yet, which is fine.  I wonder if I will feel I belong again if I live in a big city of Japan, where there is more diversity in how people live, work, and behave.  But if not, it's OK as well.

Having learnt and experienced Western and Japanese cultures, I really feel like I'm a hybrid, which makes me wonder where on earth I feel I belong.  But maybe belonging is not a big issue.  The important thing to keep in mind is that my feelings are just chemicals in my brain, things can always change, and you don't know what will happen  in the future, which is exciting, and that 90% of worries or concerns will not happen (learned in a hard way after a traffic accident!).

So.... I don't know where I will be and what I will be doing, but I just focus on the present moment, enjoy life.  Future is a contiumation of today, tomorrow, and day after tomorrow.  If I live happily every day, that means I will be happy in the future, too!  I'm thankful that I still have connections with researchers in the US, some more exciting projects waiting ahead!

It's a nice neighbourhood around the hotel near Narita, Chiba pref.  The humid wind and the smell of maturing rice paddies, earlier sunset than Michigan... all those faimilar things make me nostargic, kind of.  The hotel has a vineyard, too!  It reminded me of the vineyard that my grandfather has been growing for a few years now.  I can't wait to see my grandparents!!  

Things to do in the coming week

 - work on final edits to my disseration

 - meet with my labmate for comps prep

 - get ML methods in the M&M --> Revision done!

 - wirte an article about study abroad

ホテル生活は極めて快適だ。広い部屋にしてよかった。。。スーツケース二個を広げても超余裕、28 m2, 301 ft2だそうだ。アパート選びの参考にしよう。

まだ日本にいるとは信じられないけど、、、徐々に慣れている。しかもアメリカの仕事をしているので、どこにいても本当に関係ないんだなあと実感。

在宅でストレスフリーなので一日が早いしやけ食い？明日もあるし食べとかなきゃ、的な食欲もないので極めて安定した毎日を送っている。

論文 revision がなかなか大変だったけどー reviewer １人目は一日でかたついてよかった。

 

Quarantine life day 1

Thankfully I got 3 seats all to myself, the 12-hour flight felt really short.  I was sleeping almost the entire flight, which was great!

Arriving at the hotel, I was pleasantly surprised by the spaciousness and cleanliness of my room.  I got a really good deal because of time sale and booking for two weeks. The room is much larger than a typical Japanese business hotel, where there is a small desk and a bed, nothing else can fit, and if you had a big suitcase, out of luck, you need to open it on your bed cos there is no space on the floor for it.

Anyways, day 1 went by very quickly because I was very lazy.. I worked, checking my emails in the morning, but then I just played a new video game for which I do a lot of drawings and read online cartoons, getting some inspiration for my own artwork.  It's so much fun and time flies when I am doing that.  I had breakfast then nothing for the rest of the day.  Because I don't go out,  I don't get hungry.  That's good... I can save money for food.

Wow, it's Sunday.  It's been less than two weeks since I defended.  So many things happened since then. 

Trying to feel OK... pondering same thoughts again and again that I thought through thousands of times.  Things will get better.  I believe it, while embracing all the feelings that I have without judging or regretting.

The notion that "your feelings are just chemicals in your brain" kinda helps, as it makes me think 'then, I don't want to be overwhelmed or trapped by such small molecules!'

I'll keep myself occupied and wait until time passes...

UP!!! Day 2

I've come back to Japan safely ... that was another story, I have a lot of posts to write about Michigan still!  On my trip to the UP on day 2, we took the Pictured Rocks Ferry, stopped by a quiet, unnamed beach, and went to Presque Rock Park in Marquette.

 

Many kinds of fish live in the lakes..

Artistic cafe with lots of picture on the walls! 

It was a unique space. It's spacious inside, but it was not full of furniture. There was a plenty of space that people can walk (or dance?) around looking at the pictures on the walls.

Pictured Rocks cruise was nice. We were able to see so many different rocks with colorful layers made up of various minerals, hence the name 'pictured'.

We were able to come up to the top floor of the ship when it stopped at a viewpoint. The top floor is the best. No wonder why people form a line an hour before the borading time. 

Lake Superior.  We cannot see the opposite side, ti's that big. It's the same size as the state of Maine. The captain had two daughters working on the same ship working as  crew members.  It was cute. 

Layers of minerals forming the colorful rocks over thousands of years...

There were many that were canoeing. We decided we will try it, too!!  

Then, we stopped by at a beach off the road. 

The beach was so beautiful and quiet with only a few other guests besides us.  You can find many beaches like that along the shoreline, and it was just gorgeous. 

The water was transparent and shining.  Lakewater always amazes me because of their beauty and smoothness.  No sticky feeling afterwards unlike salt water, which is great, too.   

Then we stopped by at the lighthouse on Presque Island Park. The lighthouse was far away, connected with this stone path.  We wanted to go, so we did! But... 

Got somewhat cloudy

From the midpoint, the stone path ended and the rest of the path was rocky!  It was difficult to walk on as it's rough and I needed to jump around. It was an exercise!  I almost gave up, but my travel mates encouraged me and helped me, so I was able to make it with them!!  They carried my bag so that I will be able to use my both hands to 'climb' the rocks.

We were sweating like crazy as it was a hot and humid day, but we did it!!!  It was a great feeling of achievement!  We were drenched with sweat, but yet we were going to dinner afterwards... I felt bad about riding my friends' car with so much sweat, but it was all a very fun experience.  The funniest - "Bugs are drawn on my arm!" cos one of my friends' arm was soaked wet, and bugs were caught in it.. OMG there were so many flies, good thing they were not mosquitos, but there were many that got into my eye and my bag, too!  

Sunset beach on the park. It was getting foggy a little bit, but still it was beautiful. 

A challenger to an extra rocky course.  He's used to it as he played on this kind of rocky shores in his childhood.

Lakewater

Of course, if you came all the way from there, you need to take the same route to go back... But by the time we got to the lighthouse, we were used to jumping and hopping around the rocks to find the best ways, and going back was easier.  I felt like it's great to do something new once in a while to learn.

Then we went around the park.

Sunset beach with geese family

City hall...? Near our restaurant for dinner.

Cheese curds! 

Tacos. It was a fancy restaurant, and the food was all delicious!!  I took the wheel to go back, as my travel mates wanted to drink locally brewed beer.  We tried to go back to the island to look at stars, but the park was closed.  A police car came in front of us at the gate of the park, and turned us away.  It was my first time to be stopped like that, so it was kind of scary.  So glad I had two friends with me!  

We also stopped at a smaller roads just by the woods to look up to see if we could see the stars. But we could not. The sky was not completely dark at 11 pm!  The day is so long in summer in MIchigan, so we would probably need to come back at 3 in the morning or something to see starts on a dark sky. So, we just went back. Maybe stargazing is another activity for fall or spring.  Reminds me of star gazing night trip to some mountainous area of my hometown.  It was cold, but very fun.      

 

An in-person chat that is a blessing

I was able to see a friend before I go.  It's so sad to say goodbye, and it just tears my heart apart.  I did not think about this hard farewell when I made my decision to go back.  

I could have extended my stay in MI for a year, and it wouldn't have hurt, even though I will not have a stable job, the covid situation and some time needed to wrap up my dissertation as well as taking a gap year to figure out what I wanted to do, a year could have been spent that way.. I am typing this to process this feeling.  It was touching that she said 'It's ok to grieve.'  We tend to avoid feeling sad, but sad things sometimes happen outside our control, and we need to embrace it rather than suppress it or hide it.  Easier said than done, but .. it made me feel better.   I am so glad she said that to me.

It is such a hard feeling and I am becoming less tolerant to changes, emotional stimuli after working from home, spending day by day with minimal interaction with others.  So, it will take a while; but it will be gone eventually and I will be ok.  Just like when I broke up with my exes and my grandmother passed away.  These really difficult situations yet make me appreciate what I have had and currently have.  

And also I am so thankful for her prayer and thanks to god for my getting my PhD, bringing me here, and forming me to who I am today.  It was truly touching.  I am so glad I got to know this person, so kind, accepting, and considerate with wonderful listening ears.  I wish I had more time to have deep conversations with her, but I hope to stay in touch with her as our lives go on.  Her prayer for me for peace and joy, will be heard, and nothing is more empowering than this. 

As I will definitely be coming back to visit, we will say 'See you again'.

Taco bell for the first time

Had Taco bell for the first time. It's tasty because it's junk food, lol.  It was an experience... Thankful to my friends who recommended that I must try it to experience true American culture.  

 

UP!!! Day 1

It took place July 17-19.

Stopped by a beach near Mackinaw island ferry port. The lakewater was shining. 

It's nice to relax on the beach...

Hotdog with chili bean.  I was right after fasting for more than 24 hours, so I took it easy and started eaating again with something relatively easy to digest. The chili was good!  I just finished revising my manuscript No. 3 after correcting some seed type classification, and I worked from 6 am to 6 pm!  With a surprising level of focus.  I think I was able to push myself because I really wanted to have fun in this trip after getting done with the manuscript.

The beach.... shiny lake.  I wish it were closer to me, not 3 hours drive away. 

Mackinaw city

Mackinaw bridge!!!  It was our first time to cross the bridge and land UP!!  Right after crossing the bridge, we noticed that the vegetation there was different.  A lot more winter-country like trees with sharp leaves. 

We stopped by at Taquamenon falls.  We expected height of it!  And the water is yellow because of minerals.  

Then we arrived at the biggest city in UP, Marquette.  Upper Michigan University is in this city, too.  It was just near the beach and had a lot of restaurants, bars, and art galleries. It was a fun city to walk around!

We wanted to have some fish...so we went to a pub that serves good food.  We got grilled whitefish. Yumm  My travel mates were enjoying local beer.  There were many local breweries in this city.