'Adventures in Solitude'

a.k.a
Having To Write About The Past Year Makes You Ten Times As Homesick

[Every year, the magazine I write film reviews for has everyone do up a ‘year that was’ summary. 250 words, including a top five of anything you want. I thought I’d include mine here as well, since it’s sort of relevant.]

Five random things I love about Japan:

1. Fanta Grape: Fake grape flavour is awesome. And when carbonated? Bliss.
2. Odd but endearing Engrish: ‘Result of work is created through passion and acting power for work brightness!’
3. The millions of vending machines: They contain everything your heart could desire, and even things you didn’t know you could desire.
4. Elementary school children’s identical backpacks (and sometimes they have hats, too!): These kiddies are just too cute. And that’s coming from a children-hater.
5. ‘American-style’ diners: Stay for hours, stay all night! Endless coffee! Endless Fanta Grape!

2009 was the year that I was turned by True Blood, wrote three children’s books, became a maid of honour, drank a lot of Mango Green Tea, saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince six times, cooked Coca Cola chicken, hung up my choc top scoop and cinema broom, was over the moon for Moon, became a Tabasco sauce convert, learned the Star Trek spiel off by heart, and drank about a million cups of peppermint tea. It was a year of first tattoos, Toffee Time, nerd marathons, How Stuff Works podcasts, reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time, and moving to Japan.