Let's Catch Up

Happy New Year, everyone! As always, it has been a while but I've been super busy during December. The good kind of busy, for sure, but it was nice to have a few chilled out days this week. I have been off week for most of this week because New Year's is a big deal here and pretty much the only time of the year when some shops and most businesses are closed.

The biggest news is probably that I have finally moved apartments and I love my new place! It is so much nicer, brighter, bigger and overall awesome than my last one. It is still not massive or anything but it is most definitely big enough for only me and it has been so much fun furnishing it! I got really lucky with most of my furniture and found a great deal online. I also went to Ikea this week to get some smaller things like plates, cutlery etc. Now that I have a kitchen again I have no excuse not to cook!

The other day I made nabe (Japanese hot pot) because one of my colleagues from work kindly gave me her old nabe pot and I was really feeling something warm, comforting and on top of that easy to make. I pretty much threw everything I had in my fridge in the pot and it turned out soooo good! The stock I used was kimchi based which made it even heartier and a bit spicy, and then I just added lots of greens (Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, onions etc) and some udon as well as small sausages hahaha. It was honestly awesome and lasted me 3 meals.

Other than this, I have been having lots of Korean food especially Korean BBQs. Shinokubo definitely is the place to go for those. Following is a random selection of food I have been having over the past week. The second one is my to-go-to when I miss my dad´s Schnitzel: roast katsu, or deepfried breaded pork with cabbage and rice. So damn good!

Speaking of home, it's also been my birthday (and of course, Christmas!) not too long ago and I have been really spoiled from friends and family at home. Thank you, thank you, thank you! ;-; It was hard being away from my family over the holidays but at the same time, it is so nice to know that there are so many people thinking about you even if they are thousands of miles away. I feel really lucky and blessed to have so many special people in my life.

I also sent out quite a lot of Christmas/NY's cards myself and it's definitely a habit I want to keep doing. Sending and receiving mail is so much fun and Japan has so many cute post cards, I imagine most of you will find some more mail by me in your letter boxes over the next year. :)

As for 2014 in general, it's been great. Honestly speaking, the past year has been really good for me- there were many highlights such as graduating from university and my family coming to Liverpool to visit, going through a crazy interview process to eventually get the job offer and then of course, moving to Tokyo. Of course it's been really stressful and challenging too; finishing off those final reports for university, waiting for feedback from my company, starting my first full-time job. It's not been easy. But, so far it has been worth it for me.

I have learnt so much, I have changed and grown as a person. I feel more certain about what is important to me in life, which things matter and which don't, who I want to surround myself with and who I can wish well and simply move on without. For 2015, I want to keep this pace up, do well at work, enjoy living here to the fullest, make many more friends and also not neglect my old hobbies! I really miss sitting down with a book, watching a film, or even play games. To be honest, I have already caught up on some movie releases this week as I finally own a TV again! It has been incredibly nice to just chill on the couch for an hour or two, as silly as it may sound.

I really sincerely hope 2015 will be a great year for everyone reading this as well and let me know if you have any resolutions <3