This past trip I made was my first trip to Japan and I was overwhelmed by the level of service rendered by Japanese, be it in the hotel, in the malls, or even the little ramen restaurant in the streets. The efforts which went into everything is simply unparalleled. Everyone is so approachable and it works wonders on your moods each day. The effect was so strong that when I returned to Singapore, I became more conscious of the people walking around me because I had so much trust in the Japanese that I don't think Singaporeans come close. Many people have told me about the negativity of the Japanese society but from what I have seen so far, there is little I can complain. I had jokingly told my friends that had I stayed in Japan for a longer period of time, I wouldn't have wanted to come back!! 

15 July 9:45PM

I have embarked on my journey and I know some things will just be unforgettable. I've found the first two:

The night sky of Singapore is simply breathtaking. It really takes a rare opportunity as such for one to see it in its grandeur. And sometimes, being its occupant does rob one of an objective perspective. As Singaporeans, we seem to occasionally be blinded to what it may offer. Believe me when I say the view during take-off from Changi Airport was indescribably gorgeous…

I just read the in-flight magazine of Malaysian Airlines, Going Places, and was deeply attracted to a particular photo feature. Put the endearing black and white photos aside, and you'll get some truly thought provoking quotations: 

"It is our seeing the here and now that returns this world from the once forever to an eternal now." -- Going Places 

"Because being here amounts to so much, because all this Here and Now, so fleeting, seems to require us and strangely concern us. Us the most fleeting of all. Just once, everything, only for once. Once and no more. And we, too, once. And never again. But this having been once, through only once, having been once on earth -- can it ever be cancelled? " 
-- Austro-German poet, Rainer Maria Rilke 

I can't say enough how much these quotes reflect my thoughts right now. I'm constantly having flashbacks of my persistent fight to gain approval to meet Bon Jovi, the endless nights of tears and disbelief and the hesitation which existed even in my victory. It still is a victory to me, a personal conquest over some of the most powerful forces in my life. I've lived the past 2 weeks the exact way Bon Jovi would have wanted me to… Keeping The Faith and chasing my dream… It's on its way to coming true.

Trip to Japan -  continued