Wow, my second post this month. That’s rare.

As I wrote in my previous post this month, I’ve been starting a few new projects, as well as getting a new girlfriend, and now I feel like there isn’t enough time to accomplish everything that’s flying through my head.

I’m loving writing. I still don’t think that I could claim that my writing is good, but it feels absolutely amazing to be creating something original. I think too few people try to explore their creativity. It’s really liberating to be a creator. It’s been too long since I’ve done something like this. I’ve decided that whether it’s good or bad, I will, in some way, make it available for anyone to read once I’m satisfied with it. Again, it will be a while, but keep asking me about it if you’re interested (throw something in the comments, send emails, FaceBook messages, texts, ya know, whatever). That will help me keep my mind on it.

I’ve also been snowboarding like a crazy man this season. I’m going almost every week (only missed one week since I went snowboard shopping with my girlfriend in Tokyo). 2014 was my year of lethargy, and I was extremely depressed. I forgot how rewarding it was to come home physically tired after a day of exercise. It’s an amazing feeling, and I can’t wait for the spring to roll around so I don’t have to freeze to death to do outdoor exercises.

Speaking of outdoor exercises, I have planned a week in Bali with Misa in May, so I now have a deadline to get my body into beach shape. Now I’m not talking muscle man beach bum, but I would like to at least look like I take care of myself. I’m starting slow now, but I’ve been doing a morning exercise routine to help tone my muscles. I’ll lose some of the excess fat once the spring gets here. I’ve also changed to a low carb diet. We’ll see how that works out. I think the main thing to note is that I decided to cut beer out of my diet altogether. I think that will play a pretty huge factor.

Finally, things between Misa and I are amazing. This is the first time I’ve really felt happy in a long time. When I’m with her, I actually feel like I want to do better. I feel like I want to be a better man (I know, it’s a cliche, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s true), a better worker, more active, and more involved. Last week, I had the chance to meet her family, and while I was nervous a hell, I think it went well. Despite her, and her family, not being able to speak English, and my infantile grasp of Japanese we were able to effectively communicate with each other. It was like working together on a big puzzle, and sharing the happiness of success when it was completed. Okay, maybe I’m getting all sentimental, but for most of last year, I thought I was never going to feel real feelings again. Needless to say, I was quite depressed. It’s amazing to know that it was just in my head.

Before I met Misa, I had all but decided that I wanted to get out of Koriyama after this contract year. I think five years is enough for this small city. I hadn’t decided if I was going to come home, or if I wanted to go somewhere else, but now, I’m 100% sure that I don’t want to stay in Koriyama for another year. If things are still going well between Misa and I in August, I will move to the Tokyo area (not Tokyo proper) for at least a year. I’m going to try to get involved in some projects until then to busy myself. Hopefully, as long as I can keep this motivation going, I’ll be able to post more to keep you updated.

On a final note, I saw this video about living past the age of 25, and it really resonated with me. I’m not really into motivational speeches, but this was a pretty good one. Check it out.