Japan, Boys, Wall Climbing & Fashion
I've been going through all the setup steps to going to Japan next month. It's making the whole thing seem more real, where previously it's just been plans. It always makes it so exciting when things start coming together. I only hope that the Sakura-House lives up to it's reputation. ^_^;
My primary focus and concern for the rest of this month is on proving my value at my new job. It's a really awesome telecommuting job, so I'm really counting on being able to continue working while I'm in Japan. This income will be the thing I need to be able to continue to pay rent for the 3 planned months. ^_^; So I have to convince them that they're willing to keep me on even though I can only be on during "weird" hours. (Silly 17 hour time difference.)
My best Nihonjin no tomodachi was really sweet when I told him how long I'm staying in Tokyo. He immediately went and found information about the sakura festival in Asakusa and has asked me if he can show me around that day. ^_^ I really adore sakura, they're so beautiful and meaningful in Japanese samurai culture. I don't really have a lot of plans so I agreed. Hah ^_^
The news years party was pretty loud and everyone there was smoking and so on. The hosts were really sweet and intelligent people and I very much enjoyed talking with them. For the most part though I just found myself drinking and people watching. I didn't feel comfortable trying to be heard in such a loud environment. In short- I preferred the Japanese Giving Thanks Party. But I still appreciate the hospitality of the hosts.
I still feel a little awkward having new people flirt with me sometimes. Usually I'm just not interested. It takes a special kind of personality to catch my attention and nobody there had it. I did a lot of smiling and nodding and generally trying to be polite while still not being too encouraging of the people who I felt were being too flirty... I'd say the hardest part of all of the anti-flirting attempts was keeping the hands of my exboyfriend off of me. Really sweet guy, very attractive, but soooo not going to happen (again)... I like pushy guys though, so that should give you an idea of his persistence. ^_^;
He's also the same person who's been inviting me to go out wall climbing. So far that's been delightfully uneventful. It's a pretty fun activity. Ever since I was a child I've always climbed everything around me. Although since trying to become a big more feminine I've softened up a bit and I can't abuse my hands quite the way I used to... The grit is super important for grip, but it's also abrasive to my soft hands and I <3 having soft hands. I also <3 trying to have long nails and I've been told that's not an option in wall climbing. Might explain why I could never keep long nails as a little girl...
My climbing partner has started making fun of me because I'm the only person in the entire gym that insists on dressing stylishly while we're there. Most everyone is wearing the standard workout suit:
And I walk in wearing this:
It's a perfectly suitable outfit! Everything is snug enough that it doesn't get in the way, the skirt doesn't get in the way of the harness cause it's short and the leggings not only keep anything under the skirt from being visible, but they also keep me warm since it's winter and they don't heat the place very well. I do seem to get quite a bit of attention though.
Every now and again I start feeling like this whole romance thing actually makes sense. Like I can figure out what someone means to say when they can't figure out how to say what they mean. I've had a few moments like that lately. I've been experimenting with using men's reactions to what I don't say in a conversation to gauge their inner feelings and it's been scarily accurate, I think.
For example- my exboyfriend. Pretty much the top numero uno reason that I'll never date him again is because he's far too indiscriminate with his affections. He's snuggly with any woman he's even remotely attracted to. So I said something the other day that left him an opportunity to try to make me feel unique and special in a series of interactions and his response reflected his attitude perfectly. He de-emphasized my individual contribution and pretty clearly suggested that any willing person would do just as well. He didn't mean it to be a negative thing, it's just the way he feels. Not that I could've ever gotten him to admit to such a thing if I'd asked him directly. ^_~
I've had this same approach reveal positive things too. I've come to find that I can let go of my concerns about whether or not a particular someone is still interested in me, just by giving them the opportunity to be proactively interested. It's incredibly comforting and eerily effective.
But in the end, it's a handy skill to have. One I'm quite happy to be learning how to use effectively.
See ya!