work, work, work

i was a hero at work yesterday...kind of...i spotted a leak in the lab that turned out to be really serious and took all day and half the lab group to clean up including building some temporary new shelves and transferring all these chemicals... there was even a small chemical fire a few minutes after i reported the little puddle on the floor.

::::::::::::::::::::

this week at work there`s a calligraphy contest and so at the end of the day i took a little break to play around with paint and `compete` against people who have been mastering the art since kindergarden. i dont like competitions whether my chances of winning are good or not, (in this case i was just happy i got the stroke order correct... in fact on my second, and last, try my kanjii looked really good but then i wrote my name wrong :), but ive actually been having a lot of fun participating, sometimes just cheering on my colleagues, in all the company competitions and lab group events. it`s enjoyable because for the most part people arent perfectionists nor poor sports, and no one`s sucking the fun out of the event by being so serious all the time.

*************
our december department meeting was also today...mostly about safety in the labs, and during the holiday season (including a 15 min. video on car accidents) and dealing with stress. when grandpa suzuki asked me if i was stressed, i almost surprised myself by saying no. i actually had to think hard about the last time i was stressed. i definitely remember feeling a huge relief around mid-september. before that, mit and my family had been stressing me all year especially in may....whew...and now that i`m more confident about my future, it almost feels unnatural to be so stress-free. i`m sure in the spring there will be a little anxiety waiting to hear back from schools but i`m trying to enjoy this stress-free state for as long as possible. i wasnt so sure when i first got here but now i`m really really glad i decided to return to japan instead of just jumping into grad school or a real world 9-5.