Girl's Day and Turning 30

Today is Girl's Day in Japan. What does that mean?

It is an annual festival held to pray for the health and maturity of girls. It's also the annual festival of my birth.

Today, I turn 30 (though technically not until 10:56 PM Eastern Standard Time). It's a great day so far! Unlike the assumed image of people turning 30, I have been looking forward to this day. Why?

Why not?

There's nothing wrong with getting older. I hear a lot of people say the body slows down, it shrinks, it starts to die. Well, that's fine with me. I'm not going to live forever, so what's the point of worrying? Instead, I focus on everything I've come to learn so far and all the things I continue to learn (maybe I'll call these possibilities). There are so many possibilities - who knows where I'll be in a few years.

Today, I'm working at my middle-sized school for the morning. We'll have a group lunch (all students and teachers - it's a coincidence, not for me). This afternoon, I'll head to my large school for elementary class. Tonight I'll do karate as normal. And after that, I'll meet up with some friends for a good curry dinner at a small restaurant in Nago. If I get the time, I'll make some Skype calls to family and friends in the US, but I won't make any promises.

This weekend, I'm heading to Taiwan with my friend from Osaka. We met last year in Taiwan and hit it off. I stayed with him in Osaka for a few days when I had visa issues getting into Palau last year. His birthday is tomorrow (March 4th), so it should be a fun birthday weekend (my friend Shan, from Taiwan, and I share birthdays. Shan, if you're reading this, Happy Birthday, too!).

Now, to steal an idea from my friend Dave, here are some basic facts about me on this day:

Height: 181.6 cm (5'11.5")
Weight: 75.80 kg (167 lbs., clothed)
Wake up time: 5:30 a.m.
Second wake up time: 6:57 a.m.
Time in Japan: 2 years, 8 months, 5 days

Lastly, I asked one of my teachers to take a picture of me. So here I am, 30 years old and smiling like an idiot. Peace!

I showered and shaved today.