the year that was 2010 (..more of what happened on the 2nd half)

Half of 2010 was spent working in Japan.

The other half was spent elsewhere. And this is all about the 2nd half.

After my contract ended in June, I packed my bags and flew to Korea. I decided against going home to Cebu because I feel the need to do something, and be with hubby.

There, it was Summer, I spent the three (3) months getting lost, gaining weight, watching cable TV, and studying Nihongo -- that went nowhere. As promised to myself, I didn't read any fiction to avoid diverting my focus away from Nihongo. Unfortunately, after doing all what was required for the JLPT exams in Seoul, certain circumstance prevented me from taking part.

While in Cebu, I was set to be back as a tourist in Korea before the exams date (ticket ready and all) but my agent called that my working visa has arrived; consequently, required me to fly for Manila for my appearance at KR embassy.

And just my luck, I arrived in Seoul two (2) days after the exams date. I don't know if I should take next year, though T encouraged me to do so.

After my Summer in Ulsan, I went home via Japan. I checked-in at Nikko hotel near Narita airport. I stayed there for a night since I had twelve (12) hours of transit before the next day's 2pm flight for Cebu. Days prior to that, I well planned on hopping a train for Tokyo proper to take pictures and its lively streets, for the last time. It didn't happen in spite of the nice weather because for no apparent reason, I caught myself staring at the ceiling the whole afternoon until I decided to go down at the lobby and bought souvenirs.

I arrived in Cebu in the evening of Oct.03. As a bum, my days were long. I barely had anything to write on my planner of to-dos for each day because there really was none. There were days that I enjoyed it; most days despised it because I was unproductive. I went to malls to kill time and when dusk came, looked forward to watching primetime news on TV. It was not at all boring since after a week, I temporarily assumed the role of 'babysitter' for my three (3) year old nephew, River, because his then-nanny left and no replacement was available.

Eventually, we bonded. He's adorable, talkative, smart, worships Barney; never gets tired of watching 'Ratatouille; and sometimes unbearable (especially in the mornings). He has this vocabulary of words which took me days to familiarize. Like 'dandan' means 'sleep'; 'timtim' means 'jump'; 'weewee' means 'pee', and more. He calls me Mommy-Auntie. It was a role I cannot refuse since I am also his godmother. Funny is that whenever I think of those two (2) months in Cebu, River instantly pops to mind.

After two (2) months in Cebu, other than I lost 2kgs (yehey!), I formally started working again.

I'm 30 and will be a year a older in less than five (5) months .I don't know what lies ahead. One thing I'm sure is that I just want to enjoy life and what it has to offer,

I think at that time I was unprepared to leave work, and so I find ways to go back. During my bum days, I did try to find ways to keep me occupied but nothing came to mind. All i could think was to go back in the field because it is way more fun. It goes without saying that I'm not yet prepared to stay in the sidelines.