[Updates] Convocation & work's starting tmr...

No idea how to start but... I MADE IT!

Think I mentioned quite a few times in my previous posts of my thoughts and feelings that I'm finally a graduate!- However, this very day just makes it, the official one!

Although it was just a few seconds of glory, it sure was nerve-wrecking on stage(I was busy trying to wipe my cold sweat before my turn...)

Plus I wasn't used to wearing the formal-type of shoes so the few seconds felt much longer as I tried to walk to the presenter to get my certificate and down the stage...

The professors and guests sitting on stage do not help much with the nervousness even tho it's an honour(and they remind me of harry potter professors, lol- techically the gown my schoolmates and I were wearing were like harry potter's too but heavier...)

Think I look better without the motar board... And got the harry potter feel~

All in all, it was an honourable event to be. It was also refreshing since the last time I got to wear a graduation gown and be on stage to get my certificate was back in my preschool... 

In addition, this was also my parents' first time attending an University convocation and I'm glad I get to be the one whom gave them the opportunity to~

After the ceremony, it was like coming out from the arrival hall of an airport; there were tons of people outside, waiting for their friends and family to come out of the ceremony hall.

I was quite surprised by the appearance of my relatives coming but glad that they came. My best friend also came!

And, the bears and flowers given were many that my hands couldn't hold them all(haha)

Love the bear wearing the glasses a lot~

That said, work's starting tmr... 

I feel conflicted; like I'm supposed to be glad that I found a job and I'm starting work soon but the thought of less freedom... Sux... And for now, 'for the money' is the motivation I will take(until I can get a much clearer image of how my working life will be...)

Maybe cos the idea of working sux, time seems to move fast for me when I'm back from trip- it was like I was just spending my time packing and drawing, and before I knew it, a day passed...(Even now, as I'm blogging now, I'm shocked that it's already late afternoon...)

There are still so many things I want to do before work starts, such as packing my table, blogging about my trip(which I think I will try do during next week's holiday), etc.

It was like time was running out for me(even though it's just another stage of my life starting... Not sure if I felt this strongly when I was starting University:/)

Regardless, just have to see how tomorrow and the days beyond will fare... Btw, I'm the type that tend to worry too much before something new... People tell me to relax which can be both great and bad advice...

Moving on, some art updates:

I've finished ChikaRiko 30 days challenge last week and scanned them. However, the works are quite faint as they are mostly pencil works so I will be doing some light adjustment before uploading them; my twitter moment has a compilation of this series but the artworks aren't the final ones...

Next, the August LL babies... I've already done Honoka's(wips r in my insta) but Chika... Had no idea what to draw; there are so many I can think of drawing, like the recent GBF's or Miracle Wave... Or should I go for manga type(but I doubt I have the time...)

Thinking of getting at least the draft out so that I can try finish tmr(*keyword: try)

And, I pre-ordered Chika's bday set but dk if I can get it tmr- still hoping for the (good)news from the seller/distributer...

Guess this is all from me. Updates may be irregular; it depends really on my work...

This is Yaiji signing off(listening to Thank You Friends by Aqours while blogging~)

Yaiji~

PS: Ending with a selfie taken with Riko(and I've compiled all pic taken so far with Riko in my insta, under Adventure & future pic will also be in that compilation~) 

Tempted to bring her along but glad I didn't^^;

[Updates] Back from trip...

Just came back from my trip and two words to describe it; hot and tiring...

Well, I live in a hot country so the heat to me wasn't exactly hard to adapt(but the sun rays were...)

And so, the inital thinking that it would be raining heavily was a big mistake(lol)

I wouldn't say I didn't enjoy cos I found quite a few more LLSS spots which I had no idea they were so close to each other!

However, due to the collection of stamps and stuff, the trip seemed rushed and was walking like non-stop that my left leg had blisters on the 2nd or 3rd day... The weather wasn't helping as well...

And certain stuff that I planned to do; like celebrating Yoshiko's bday by eating at Grandma cafe was crossed out from the list... But I was able to find this particular awesome place:

It was a nice night stroll along this riverside and was also one of the best time I had in Numazu!

Found it while walking back from The Blue Water(shall try eating there on another trip~)

This is also where Yoshiko's house is(and You's house is just a road down; can see why they go home together~ Jimoai ftw!)

After that, the walk back to hotel while listening to LLSS songs was another great moment I had!- It was like I was finally able to breathe; without any rush or worries and able to enjoy the (night)sceneries of numazu!

And I was able to understand my love for this place(again)

Tbh, I was starting to hate it from all the rush and thinking it was a mistake to even come here... But this stroll helped to rekindle my love for this place and also to recollect my thoughts which I couldn't; with the amount of stuff going on, worrying about where are the stamps, when do the shops open and close, etc.

It was a chore more than an enjoyment, collecting those stamps that I don't feel any accomplishment from completing it... Rather I hated it since it was taking away my time to enjoy my trip...

Tbh, from the start, I had the mindset that if I passed by the stamp areas, then I will stamp; else, I won't... Cos it wasn't worth it sacrificing my time stamping without enjoying the trip...

And. This. Was. A. Freaking. Trip!- Not some assignment or task to accomplish...

If I am to compare the previous and this trip, I actually liked the previous one more, despite the screw-ups...

A little about myself: I like to say I am a laid-back person whom do things at own pace... Rushing me is a big turn-off and it can turn into stress and pressure since I panicked to match others' pace...

What I had in mind for the trip:

1. go to places shown in LLSS anime and take photos of them...
2. eating at cafes like Grandma, Shougetsu and maybe draw a little while taking breaks(which was supposed to be the time for me to work on ChikaRiko challenge...)

Thanks to the stamps, those 2 were hard to do...

In addition, this trip led me to understand that... I should have not bring non-llss fans with me to Numazu...
At least not with me since the places I go wouldn't mean anything to them unless they watched the show and stayed updated with the series... Examples:

These are just any steps and pathway to any ppl.

However, it means something to LLSS fans cos it's where Yoshiko and Riko were talking to each other, regarding Anko in season 2 episode 5...
All these small stuff which seemed normal and nothing to many, were given meanings thanks to the anime. And they would never be anything unless you watched the anime...

And to reach that level, you must have invest enough to recognise or at least have some sort of impression of them...

That is why I came to the conclusion that the next time I do go to Numazu would be by myself or with friends whom have at least watched the anime...

That was a summary of my thoughts and feelings of this trip; will be elaborating more when I write in details of each part of my trip; when I was in Numazu and in Tokyo!

Oh and since I went during her birthday, I did something for her:

Was planning to buy her birthday set(from Grandma) and celebrate but wasn't able to(as explained above...)

That is all for now- currenly, recovering from the horrible trip, packing the stuff bought & preparing for my job as well...

Hopefully, I can finish working on the blog posts of my trip before my work starts(which I didn't for the previous trip, lol)

This is Yaiji signing off~

Yaiji~

PS: ChikaRiko challenge was halted during the trip due to the nature of it but it's back on track:) Currently at day 29 while thinking what will be a good closure for day 30...

[Updates] Trouble sleeping- Excitement? Anxiety?(A day before trip~)

Here's my last update before my trip~

Recently, I had been having bad sleeping 'habits'...

I've always been a night owl so I tend to sleep late and that's normal(at least for me; though I'm trying to sleep early so that I can adjust to working lifestyle...)

And naturally, you would wake up late cos you slept late...

However, lately, I had been sleeping late and waking up early, and resulting in me getting insufficent rest...

I do not know if it's cos of excitment or nervousness for the trip but I feel it's the latter...

Though it's gng be awesome knowing you're gng visit LLSS homeland(again), there's this... Fear(?) that things won't go smooth...

The goal/target of this trip is to collect all stamps. While planning was done to visit which area first and on which day, there is this... Anxiety that what if it don't work out as planned...

Maybe it's also cos of the trauma from last trip(where things were a mess despite reaching the goal...)

In addition, the recent weather in Japan wasn't good and this is one factor to consider as well...

Somehow, it's kinda funny that a trip is supposed to be enjoyable!

But I'm making it like some assignment and putting pressure on myself when I should be having fun there & not worrying here and there^^;

It's as my friend said, "it'll be fine" and yes, if I don't think it'll be fine then it won't... 

I mean if you don't believe in yourself, then you won't believe you can do it(even if others do believe in you...)

Okay, that was just my pathetic low self-esteem talking... 

And I feel that maybe it's not just the trip that I'm worrying about; there's also my first job that I'm starting soon... 

Think I mentioned in previous post, I'm worried I can't meet the expectations... 

Lazing around for the past few days made me feel that I'm being too relaxed and that I should be doing something to prepare for my job!- But what? I'm tempted to go brush up my programming skills again but not sure what languages will my job require...

There's also the fact that this is the last time I can be this relaxed; once start work, it's a 5-days per week routine of waking early for work, go home in the evening to rest before the cycle continues till the weekends for a break and resumes on Monday...

^Just thinking of such a life makes it boring and mundane(which is what I kinda experienced during my internship but minus the boring part for certain days...)

However, the need for $$$ makes this life worth to go for it... I guess?(actually that's a very sad way of looking at life but for now, there's how it is...)

Moving on, small update on my own personal work:

ChikaRiko 30-days challenge is still on-going and yesterday was the 25th day!(YAY) And I made a 2-parts special(due to bad planning and lack of inspiration)

Mentioned before, I will continue it while I'm on my trip- I mean it's kinda of the pt since I'm excited to draw some LLSS places with ChikaRiko~(I just hope I've the energy and time to, tho^^;)

Think I will do a shikishi for Yoshiko/Yohane bday- bought the boards from Daiso(to draw something for my friend's bday) and well, it comes with 3 in one packet^^

And that is all from me! 

See ya in about a week time! 

This is Yaiji signing off!

Yaiji~

[Updates] Job Offer(^^) and N3 Exam(-.-)

Following from my previous post; a day after the post, I actually got the call from the company!

And I'm confirmed for the job!!!(Yay!)

Currently, working on some pre-employment stuff and get them done before my trip so that I can start work in August!

That said, the getting-in/getting-the-job part may be done; the days after that will be the real challenge...

In a way, from getting through the interview to the company wanting you, is a sign that the company sees something in you, thus offered you.

However, despite knowing the job scope, the challenges ahead are blackboxes...

There is always this... Insecurity when starting something new and unfamiliar... And I'm the type that worries a lot of not able to meet expectations...

I don't see myself as anyone smart or capable; I'm just any average person or at least that's what I like to think of myself...Which sometimes isn't true(since I can perform badly while others are able to do the work easily...)
I don't exactly have much confidence or self-esteem in myself- I just tell myself to work hard and do my best so that I don't end up in regrets...

And this brings me to another matter I like to talk about: JLPT N3 Exam...

The exam was held yesterday and I kinda died from it...

I mean I know I'm not going to pass this with flying colours; judging from the questions I did in the assessment book... But I fear that a pass is gonna be hard-.-

I made a lot of mistakes, esp after the end of the vocab section(when I checked with a friend whom was in the same class as me in Jap 4- didn't know she was taking till I saw her walking to the exam venue, lol)

I suppose the sample practice papers I did gave a false image of 'doable'... Tbh, there is a bit of luck at play- Based on my knowledge, the level is in the middle of N3 and N4; when I try N4 questions, they were quite simple! However, N3 wise, it was a half-half thing...

Being able to read chinese characters help a bit but can also lead you astray(^^;)

All in all, I'm not confident of a pass but I tried my best or what I can do with the knowledge I have at hand(haha) Plus, it's over so all I can do is wait for the results and hope for the best~

Moving on... Another week before I fly!(can't wait~)

Will be trying to collect all the stamps in Numazu(let's hope I can find without problems..) and celebrate Yoshiko/Yohane bday! Feel like I should try going on each member's bday; went during Nozomi and Mari bday last year~

It's just too bad that Nico's bday is quite far apart from Yoshiko's...

In addition, will be going to the thanksgiving festival 2018 in Numazu!(RIP $$$)

So many things to do and look forward to- July will be a busy month but that's what make life interesting and fun~

Until next time, this is Yaiji signing off!

Yaiji~

PS: may do one last update before I fly(probably next week?) and the ChikaRiko challenge will continue even when I'm abroad(but I've no idea if I got time to draw-.-)