New year resolutions

Happy new year 2012, everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful new year's eve and new year holidays with lots of nice food, drinks and smiles.

Mine was very quiet like the one with my parents in Japan, but without watching TV, especially the music show on the national channel.

We were just at home and heard of fireworks outside.

In fact, we planned to go to the centre of the town to join the party atmosphere of other people but it was very windy and raining.

Although it was not cold, Ben was exhausted by working on his assignment whole day and the tiredness took over me, too...

Last year very early morning of 2nd January, I remember...

I had to, well Ben took me to the emergency hospital because of my very very bad stomachache.

Contrary to that, this new year's quiet holiday was not bad ;)

Do not worry, please. It was just because I had been eating too well (very rich or sweet) and drinking around that time (from Christmas in Paris and NY in Oxford).

Anyway, people often make their resolutions at the beginning of the year.

Personally, I do not do such things so much but this year, a little bit in a passive way, I did some...

1. Make friends in Brighton!

Since last August, I basically live in Brighton (I know this is an excuse) but I was stuck in the house for my dissertation then I traveled a lot.

So to be honest, I do not have any friends on my own, apart from Ben's friends!

At the same time, I am not brave or open enough to ask people on the street "Can you become my friend?" like Burkinabés (people from Burkina) do so :D

I have wanted to start yoga for keep myself in good shape physically and mentally. Luckily, Ben got me a yoga mat as one of Christmas presents.

So I decided to start making friends from Yoga class.

Last week, for the first yoga class, there was only one another girl in the class...

I was too shy to talk to her a lot.

Oh well, from the next week, I will try harder and also there will be more people hopefully!

2. Kitchen gardening

I have been regenerating salad onion that I buy at a supermarket with roots. (They regrow about 3-4 times after cutting and using for cooking)

Such my attitude gave Ben an idea!

As the second surprise gift, he gave me Herb kitchen garden.

He repeatedly asked me "when are you going to start the garden?"

So today, finally I did.

The herbs are basil, chives, coriander and parsley.

I can't wait to see them growing up♪

This much is the ultimate goal of my garden.

We live on the second floor without balcony or garden. But this mini-garden can be made inside the house as well as outside (from March).

Very handy!

This encourages me to cook more, too :)

3. Find a work

I should put this as the first or prior resolution probably...

In the current difficult economic situation, it is not at all easy to find a job in my interests with my preference of the geographical places and of the tasks.

Certain friends tell me that the life is very long (well, particularly for Japanese about 80 years...), I should take time to think what I really want to do and decide.

But how long?

How can I know what exactly I want to do???

I am not someone who can just stay at home all the time and do only housework as housewife...

So I feel sometimes or often I want to find a job of whatever the conditions are.

However, the compromise can be made only at a certain limit.

So until this spring, I will still stick to the area of my interests and preference for job hunting.

If nothing comes out by then, I have to make another move, maybe look for volunteering work to develop further my capacities and/or find a job of whatever I can get...

The pass of my near future is so unclear yet.

But I will not give up and step forward with positive thinking (in Japanese, we often say "let's walk by looking up") !!!