Kill the Noise

I have always been a heavy metal girl, but around the time I was in college, I really started to get into EDM music, too. I have always been a huge concert-goer, 5 or 6 times a year. That hasn’t changed much since I moved to Japan. It wasn’t until I moved to here that I actually started going to EDM concerts, though. My first one was Skrillex in Kyoto. That concert was really special to me because not only was it my first EDM concert, Skrillex is my favorite DJ, and the concert was held at Kyoto World, a very small, personal venue. I was feet away from Skrillex! Usually he plays enormous festivals.

Throwback picture to when I saw him in Kyoto.

I’ve also had the privilege of seeing DJs at large festivals here, too, like when I went to Music Circus festival to see Steve Aoki and Showtek or when I saw Krewella live at Summer Sonic. Seeing a DJ live is different than just going to a club and hearing their music playing because rather than just dancing, you are actually watching them perform, too.

One thing I am beginning to realize, however, is that I’m very lucky to be seeing so many concerts in Japan. Going to a festival is one thing, but when a DJ (or a heavy metal band for that matter) comes to Japan to perform and is not part of a festival, the venues are usually quite small. It makes sense since Japan is so crowded. Yes, less people can go and tickets sell out fast and are more expensive, but you get a really amazing experience in return. I mean, how many people can say they were in a tiny room, 5 feet away from Skrillex with like only 300 other people?!

So, I want to tell you about an interesting experience I had not too long ago. A pretty famous DJ called Kill the Noise came to Osaka on a Friday night. He performed at one of my favorite clubs, Joule, which is decently big for a dance club, but small for a concert venue. I decided to go check him out despite having to wake up at 8:30 in the morning (needless to say I got like two hours of sleep lol). Since he’s not really a big name in Japan, I didn’t need to buy tickets in advance, and it wasn’t crowded at all. I think the ticket at the door was 3000 yen including a drink. Surprisingly, a lot of people I know ended up coming besides the one friend I went with. It was a totally awesome and unusual experience. Let me tell you why.

My EDM concert buddy.

Well first, the music was awesome, of course. The excitement of having a DJ in person play his/her music is overwhelming. The thing that was different from my Skillex experience, though, was that since he’s not as famous, the atmosphere was less like a concert and more like a club vibe. Let me just say, it was probably the best “club” experience I’ve ever had. The drinks were flowing, the lasers and lights were on point, the live music was electrifying, and all I could do is dance and in live in the moment. Yes, a lot of people stood and watched, but it wasn’t jammed packed to where you couldn’t move like all the other concerts I’ve ever been to. There were plenty of people who were just going all out and dancing freely in the middle of the floor. It was my first time to go to a live concert where I wasn’t focused solely on the artist. I hope to have this type of experience again because it was one of the most fun times I’ve ever had.

View from the DJ booth (image from Cub Joule's Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Club-joule/1451190148453869?fref=ts).

Lasers on point  (image from Cub Joule's Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Club-joule/1451190148453869?fref=ts).

Just an awesome experience (image from Cub Joule's Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Club-joule/1451190148453869?fref=ts).

Kill the Noise playing "Saturn" live at Club Joule

in Osaka.

Kushikatsu – Food of the Gods

Yes, I am American. Yes, I like to eat deep-fried, fattening things that are terrible for you but taste oh-so-good. It’s my life. I do try to make it a once in a while thing though. When people imagine Japanese food, they usually think of sushi, miso soup, some rice or noodles…not heavy, greasy, fattening stuff. The truth is though, Japanese people love fried stuff just as much as Americans do, and they have a whole cuisine dedicated to deep-fried stuff on sticks called kushikastsu which literally means fried, breaded meat on sticks. However, there are many other things besides meat. Kushikatsu ranges from meat to seafood to veggies and even cheese, eggs, and desserts, and it is my all time favorite Japanese food. It’s also served with a distinct dipping sauce. Beware not to double dip because the sauce is communal and shared among all the customers!

Kushikatsu.

Shinsekai, an area in Osaka, is where kushikatsu originated, and I often go there to eat it. Sometimes I make a special trip to a place in Namba where you bread it and deep fry it yourself when I’m feeling like interacting with my food. Recently, however, I was introduced to a new kushikatsu place just a 20 minute train ride from my town in an area called Kyobashi where I often go to drink and hang out. I actually think there are a couple branches of this place in Osaka, the original one in Shinsekai, but let me tell you why I like this place/branch so much…

Here's the store front.

When you go to Shinsekai, it’s very touristy, and the streets are lined with kushikatsu places since everyone wants to try where it originally came from. Yes it’s tasty, but there is something about it that seems a little unauthentic. It’s just really targeted towards tourists. This place in Kyobashi called 串かつどて焼 (Kushikatsu Doteyaki) is the opposite of that. It’s rundown and has tiny bar seating for about 10 people. The two heavyset workers are standing behind the bar sweating over fryers while waiting to make whatever you order right in plain sight. When they have a free moment, they start calling out to people passing by on the street from the open window to come in and try their food. They have all the staple drinks ready to satisfy thirsty businessmen, beer, chu-hi, highballs, and plum wine. They even have a few original flavors of chu-hi like 初恋(first love). There are a few different sides you can order like small rice dishes, soy beans, and so on. Also all the free raw cabbage you can eat. BUT, kushikastu is what it’s all about. And this stuff is legit! It’s all hand made in front of you, and they don’t skimp you on the size. You can get all your basics, but this place has so many things and daily specials you wouldn’t find at a tourist place. Some of my favorites include tomato cheese, katsuo, and the plump shrimp. Try the kushikatsu takoyaki or cream cheese with blueberry sauce if you are feeling like something fun.

From the left: tomato, Camembert cheese, shiitake
mushrooms, shrimp, salmon, and asparagus on the top. 

Katsuo.

Cream cheese with blueberry sauce.

Seriously though, I’ve been to this place twice and am planning on taking my boyfriend this weekend. I literally want to go every week, but I have done well to restrain myself. This place is so authentic, and I will no longer be taking my guests to Shinsekai to experience kushikatsu. Sitting at this small, dingy, hole-in-the-wall counter surrounded by drunken businessmen and smoke eating the best food I have ever tasted while gulping from a large pomegranate chu-hi makes me feel more Japanese than most other things ever could.

This is what real Japan is like.

Onsen (and Tattoos)

I’ve probably talked about or explained Japanese onsen somewhere in one of my posts before, but I don’t recall ever writing a post dedicated to them. For those of you who don’t know, onsen are Japanese hot springs. There are other places called sentou which are public bath-houses. Sometimes it’s confusing as to which is which, but from what I’ve been able to gather, onsen can either be out in nature (basically like a naturally occurring hole in the ground with hot spring water in it) or they can be in the form of like a sentou, but the water used is actually natural hot spring water pumped from the ground. I think sentou just uses regular water or water they’ve added minerals to. Sometimes plain old sentou are not as aesthetically appealing because they are seen as more of just a place to hurry up and get clean.

Bathing is a Japanese custom unlike other counties. Except for in the really hot sweaty months of summer, Japanese people take a bath every night before going to bed (showering in the morning is not a thing really). The bath is filled up in the evening, and each family member uses the same bathwater. Sounds gross right? Actually it’s ok because before getting into the water, you must take a shower outside the bath first. Japanese bathrooms are set up where the entire room is able to get wet, and there is a drain the middle of the floor. The bathtub itself has a cover to keep the water warm. Shower heads are handheld, and Japanese traditionally sit on a small plastic bench while lathering themselves and showering of in the middle of the bathroom. Some Japanese baths are even electronically controlled so you can press buttons to set the temperature and volume of the water that will pour into your tub.

Typical Japanese bathroom (image from Google images
http://imgbuddy.com/traditional-japanese-bathroom-layout.asp).

From this traditional style of bathing, plus the fact that Japan is so volcanically active, onsen (and sentou) have become a popular way to relax and get clean. Sometimes families go to their town’s onsen together on the weekend. There is usually at least one if not many more onsen and/or sentou in every town. Some people make trips to visit very nice resort-like onsen. Did I mention that massage services, saunas, haircuts, dining, lounging areas and other services are also typically offered? If you pay good money to stay in a traditional Japanese hotel called ryokan, there is typically an onsen.

Just to elaborate a little more. Sentou are more useful, for example, when you are traveling and need to get cleaned up. I use them for when I take road trip and am not staying in a hotel, just in the car or in an internet café. I also used one before when I was camping. They are so convenient and extremely cheap!

The first time I ever went to an onsen was with my Japanese friend in Tokyo when I was traveling around the country for three weeks before actually moving here. Of course I was nervous because you have to be naked in front of strangers (it’s a lot more awkward as a foreigner because I get starred at often when I’m wearing clothes let alone in the nude).  Also, I didn’t know the proper way of taking a bath. Luckily my friend explained everything. I could take the time to explain the etiquette of Japanese onsen, but that’s a whole different post in itself and something you could easily Google.

Now I love onsen! Usually every time I go it’s just full of old ladies haha, so I don’t get that embarrassed. Onsen just feel so good! I love leisurely soaking in all the different types of baths provided. I’ve been in all sorts of baths from ice cold to unbearably hot, flower petal to electrified, jet stream to stone bottomed ones. My favorite are the outdoor ones in winter.

Outdoor onsen (image from Google images
http://www.holisticvanity.ca/japanese-onsen-tour-bathingbeauty/).

Indoor onsen (image from Google images
https://thehealthjunction.wordpress.com/tag/japan).

Recently I found out that there is a huge and very nice onsen like a 10 minute bike ride from my house! Actually I had known about it for a while, but during my spring vacation I decided to go for the first time. I’m definitely looking forward to going again, but the only downside is that many of my students go there too… talk about REALLLLLY awkward. Luckily I didn’t see anyone when I went, but if I do go, I will try to go on a weeknight or something.

Changing topics a bit, one of the most common things I hear when people talk about onsen or see my tattoo is, “Oh, what a shame! You have a tattoo, so you can never go to onsen.” To an extent, that’s true. Onsen that allow people with tattoos to enter are not common. If you have any somewhat large or very visible tattoo on your back or chest, for example, you will probably be asked to leave. However, I know plenty of people with smaller tattoos that get in with no problem, me included. Mine is big, but it’s on my foot where many people aren’t looking. My Japanese friend has a smaller one on his leg, and he goes to onsen and sentou often, too. Here are two tips on how to go to an onsen if you have a tattoo that’s not too obvious. 1) Cover it with a bandage. Mine’s a little too big for a bandage, so I sometimes use gauze and tape and pretend I have an injury or something. 2) Just try to be discreet. Usually about halfway though my time, my bandage gets too soggy and I end up abandoning it. Most people don’t look down at your feet or legs anyway. If you think you can get away with having it uncovered, then you probably can. A trick my friend and I use is to try to walk along the walls so your tattoo isn’t showing as much to the open. When you are in the water, no one is going to see it unless it’s high up on your body.

Hopefully that helps some of you with tattoos, and for those of you without any, just enjoy carefree! Whether you are living here or just visiting for a weekend or a long trip, onsen are something I highly recommend because they’re unique to Japanese culture, feel amazing, and really put out of your comfort zone which I think is a really important aspect of traveling. Any friend I’ve forced to try them has loved it. Just make sure to read up a little on the etiquette before going so you don’t look like an idiot. 

Nipponbashi Cosplay Street Festival

Throughout my childhood, I have been fortunate enough to visit Disney World with my family many times. It’s my happy place where everything is perfect, and I feel nothing but pure joy. Disney is the child inside me. Once I became a college student, my opportunities to go became fewer. Now it has been years since I’ve gone. I long to go back, but I just try to remember how lucky I was to have been able to go so many times. Perhaps once I have my own kid, I can go again.

Maybe you are wondering why the heck I’m talking about Disney World. Well last weekend, I felt the closest I have ever felt to being in Disney World without actually being there. The child in me was alive, I felt elated, and there was no other place in the world I would’ve rather been than there in that moment. This feeling took place at the Nipponbashi district of Osaka during the Cosplay Street Festival.

If you already read my post about maid cafes, then you know about Nipponbashi, but basically it’s the Akihabara of Osaka, in other words, the anime/game/electronic district of the city. This event takes place every year. I didn’t know about it really my first two years in Japan, although my second year I think I heard of it, but I was busy or something and didn’t really know what it was all about. 

This year my friend told me about it weeks in advance, and I learned what it was. Basically, many people gather in one place at one time dressed in costumes from their favorite games, anime, movies, etc. Since it is Japan, the cosplay culture is very strong, and people put a lot of effort into their costumes. Thousands of spectators come to see the people dressed up and take pictures. It’s free to watch, but if you want to participate by dressing up and taking part in the parade, you must pay 1,500 yen. The really serious people usually pay the fee.

I have loved anime since I was a junior high school student, so I was super excited to see what characters people would be dressed as. There were so many people, it was hard to move. As you got deeper and deeper into the Nipponbashi district, cosplay clad people were everywhere. Bubbles of people taking pictures would form around the most impressive cosplayers (or really scantily clad girls).

There was one thing that was kind of disturbing and is one aspect of Japanese culture that I don’t like. This was the girls wearing basically nothing with their tiny panties on and their boobs hanging out. There were some girls who had on sexy cosplay outfits which didn’t bother me because that’s what the characters really look like, or they did it in a tasteful way, but when it was a girl wearing a tiny school uniform or basically dressed as a Japanese porn star, it made me feel upset; not so much because of her outfit, but because of the massive crowd of old men who literally sat down on the street just to stare at her like creeps and take countless pictures as she did her poses. It was so pervy. The way women are objectified here and the whole weird sex culture (and when these girls condone it) is still something that upsets me about Japan. Having a Japanese boyfriend, it makes me uneasy to think that he could look at women like this, and think it’s sexy, normal, and not wrong in any way. Porn stars in Japan are proud of what they do, enjoy publicity, and are seen as idols whereas in America, porn stars are seen as slutty, trashy, and should feel ashamed of their job. I’m not sure really which is right, but I can’t help but feel agitated because women are often seen as sexual objects in Japan and aren't always treated as equals. Them spreading their legs open on the street for people to watch and take pictures doesn’t help the issue.

Tasteful, sexy Pilachu.

Sorry, I got off track a bit (a lot)… Ignoring that last bit, I was in anime paradise! I quickly sought out all my favorite characters. I was with 4 other friends, so I had them take pictures of me with some of my favorites. One thing kind of surprised me though. When I saw my childhood favorite anime character, Inuyasha, a strange squeal came out of me, and I started freaking out like a fan girl. It was so weird! I couldn’t even control myself! My eyes started watering, and I’m pretty sure a tear fell out.

 

Inuyasha!!!!! <3

Between the perfect warm sunny weather, the exciting atmosphere, seeing all the cool costumes, being with my friends, and getting delicious level-up kaiten-zushi for lunch after the event, I felt on top of the world! Now that I know about this event, I am going to try to actually participate in it next year and dress up as Misa Amane from Death Note. Seriously though, this day rejuvenated my love for Japan, and I am so happy to be living here. There is never a dull moment.

Now, enjoy some pictures!

Me and Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul.

Hatsune Miku.

Sephiroth from Final Fantasy.

Me and the Titan from Attack on Titan.

Harry Potter!

Jigen from Lupin the III.

Kurapika from Hunter x Hunter.

Kenshin and Shishio from Rurouni Kenshin.

Brock and Nurse Joy from Pokemon.

Characters from Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.

Winry and Edward from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Seto Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh!

The Avengers.

My Sweet Valentine

Well I am pleased to say that I spent a lovely Valentine’s Day with my boyfriend this year. I’m feeling like nothing can get me down. Before I tell you about my day, let me tell you a little bit about Valentine’s Day in Japan.

When you picture a typical American style Valentine’s Day, it usually consists of a couple dressing up, going on a nice dinner date to a fine restaurant, exchanging gifts like chocolate and flowers, and ending with a romantic and possibly sexy night together in bed. *wink wink*Actually, that’s basically what Christmas Eve is in Japan. Valentine’s Day in Japan is a bit different. It’s a day where girls confess their love to boys via chocolate. Boys don’t do anything on this day, and there are no dates or gifts exchanged.

 There are three kinds of chocolate, honmei-choco, tomo-choco, and ­giri-choco. Honmei-choco ­is what girls give to the boy who they love. Girlfriends give it to their boyfriends, wives give it to their husbands, and girls will give it to their crush as a way to confess their love. Tomo-choco is what girls give to their girl friends. It’s basically a way for girls to give and receive chocolate if they don’t have a lover to give it to. Lastly, giri-choco (or obligation chocolate) is what girls give to the boys they are indebted to such as their boss, coworkers, or anyone who has helped them recently in some way. Sometimes women make jokes about giving their husbands or boyfriends giri-choco instead of honmei-choco. I made the same joke to my boyfriend when I handed him chocolate this year. He asked, “Is this honmei-choco­?” to which I laughed and replied, “No, it’s giri-choco­.” He was just like, “OH, I see how it is…” Haha! Of course I said, “Just kidding! Just kidding! It’s honmei-choco!!”

Perhaps you are thinking, “Dang, Valentine’s Day in Japan sucks for girls. They have to do everything and the boys do nothing.” Well, that’s true, but exactly one month later on March 14^th, there is White Day. It’s a day for boys to give chocolate to girls. It’s slightly different though. Although I’m sure some boys may use this day to confess their love to girls via chocolate, it’s more so a day where boys return the favor of chocolate to girls. So basically, any boy who received chocolate on Valentine’s Day must give chocolate back to the girl they received it from. I always give a lot of giri-choco­ to my coworkers because I want to get a lot of chocolate back on White Day haha!

One thing that is big here in Japan is “making” your own chocolate. When I say “make,” I don’t actually mean to make chocolate from scratch with like cocoa beans. What Japanese people do is buy chocolate, melt it down, and pour it into small tins and such and then decorate it with sprinkles and other little decorations. Making other bite-size chocolate desserts is common too such as truffles, baby chocolate-filled pie crusts, chocolate rice crispies, and so on. This year I decided to make chocolate for the first time since I have a boyfriend and wanted to show him I care. Honmei-choco can be homemade or store bought, but obviously it means more if you make it yourself. I had a lot of fun doing it, and made it not only for my boyfriend, but for my coworkers, bosses, tea ceremony classmates, etc. It’s not hard to do at all! Just be careful not to let the boiling water get into your chocolate, or it will be ruined. Learned that the hard way.

Lining ups all the little tins and tras and getting ready to
melt the chocolate.

Sprinkles!

Here's a finished batch of some white chocolate ones.

This was my box full of chocolate for Shinya.

So now for my Valentine’s Day date. We kind of mixed Japanese and American Valentine’s Day traditions. We went on a date, but instead of exchanging gifts, I have him chocolate. Unfortunately, Shinya had to work late that day even though it was a Saturday. Since we didn’t know what time he would get off, we couldn’t make a dinner reservation. However, we picked out a nice looking Italian restaurant to try. He got off at about 7pm (he usually only has to work until 3:30pm on Saturdays…poor guy), so I went to meet him downtown instead of having him come home first and then going together. I had spent like two to three hours getting beautiful. I shaved, trimmed my eyebrows and nails, did my hair and makeup nicely, and wore a black lace dress (and my new black lace bra hehe! ;) I was so excited to find that I can actually find bras in my size in Japan recently, but that’s a whole other story). Shinya made me feel really happy and showed me he cares by preparing in advance by bringing his new watch I got him for his birthday, the sweater I got him as a souvenir in Taiwan, and his pair ring to work. That way, if he had to work late, which he did, he could still wear everything on the date. It meant a lot to me. *Sorry I didn’t take any pictures of us on Valentine’s Day. I wish I did!

Coincidentally, while riding the train downtown, he happened to enter the same train car as me and surprised me by sitting down next to me! I thought that was funny. When we got to the Italian restaurant, we found out that it was booked for the night which was a little disappointing, but I was prepared for that to happen since we didn’t have a reservation. We decided we would try going back a different time. So we walked a little bit and came across this really nice looking izakaya called わたしん家 (Watashinchi, My House). It doesn’t seem to have its own webpage, but if you simply Google the name in Japanese, it will show up on lots of websites like gnavi, hotpepper, and tabelog. I don’t think it’s a chain izakaya. When you walk in, at first you must walk down a long, dimly lit, hall which seemed kind of eerie, but actually the whole place was dimly lit and had a fancy feel to it. We were guided up narrow steps to our table which was our own private little room! It turns out that all the tables are in private little rooms. I was so surprised and happy! We even had a door we could close, so we could feel completely alone together. It was perfect and romantic! You could order everything on a screen and just press a button when you needed the staff. It turned out to be even better than going to the Italian restaurant. They even had pizza and pasta on the menu, which we ordered along with a lot of other stuff like sashimi, kimchi fried rice, fish, and spicy cucumbers. We were sooo full! They had a lot of fun, different alcoholic drinks too. I got this one drink that was basically like apple champagne but like jellified. I had no idea that it was going to be kind of jelly-ish when I ordered it, but it was a fun surprise. We leisurely spent two hours in our private little room enjoying time together.

I got this picture from the internet, but this is what
our room looked like.

After dinner, we decided to go to a bar we hadn’t been to in a long time. It’s a very special bar to us because it’s the bar we went to together on the night Shinya and I started dating. It was the first time for both of us to go there, so it’s kind of like our special bar. It’s a place called Shotbar Den, and it’s very small and classy. I think there are just six chairs at the bar, and that’s it. There is always jazz music playing and the décor is jazz themed. It’s a little pricier because the alcohol is good quality, and you get the most deliciously homemade seasoned peanuts as part of the service charge. We both drank two kinds of rum on the rocks that the bar master had specifically stocked for us because it’s our favorite. We spent time there quietly reminiscing about all the past dates and fun times we’ve had together. It was perfect.

Shinya began to get sleepy since it was getting late, and he had worked all day, so we decided to head home around 11pm. He slept with his head on my shoulder the whole train ride home. When we got back to our town, Shinya came to my apartment and slept over for the first time in like a month. It was so nice to sleep in his arms again. I made him breakfast in the morning: eggs, toast, strawberries, and coffee. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect Valentine’s Day. When it came time for him to head home, I made him come with me to a nearby flower shop, so I could pick out some Valentine’s Day flowers for his mother and send them home with him. I still haven’t met her yet, but I’m trying to win brownie points. Apparently she was very happy and said she had never received flowers before!  Who rocks? I rock! Haha! Anyway, I hope you all had a nice holiday as well and enjoyed reading!

Ikebana

This is a short but sweet little post. I just want to tell you that I tried ikebana the other day. Ikebana is the Japanese are of flower arranging. I’ve practiced sadou (Japanese Tea Ceremony) for around 6 years, but have never tried ikebana despite being interested in it. Living in Japan, it’s nice when I can experience new things and keep myself from getting too used to culture.

My coworker practices ikebana in town every week, so she invited me to try. I was instructed by a ninety-something year old woman! I literally had no idea what I was doing, but I had fun trimming the flowers, bending them, and arranging them. Ikebana is an expensive hobby, and since I already practice sadou, I don’t really have the time or money to participate regularly. However, I enjoyed the experience and would like to try again if the opportunity presents itself.

My first ikebana.

Pair Rings

Shinya did something very nice for me recently. He bought us pair rings! Actually, I’m going to help pay for about half of the cost, just not all at once because I’m poor haha. He said I don’t have to, but I feel like it’s something we should buy together. It’s just my belief.

I had never even thought of pair rings before, but buying them was something he mentioned doing in the beginning of our relationship. I thought it was a nice idea. However it didn’t come up for a while after he mentioned it. I thought he forgot about buying them, but it turns out that he was just waiting until it felt more appropriate. He said he wanted to get them before I go home to America in May I think as a way to feel more connected when we are apart. We went to look at them the other day with no plan to buy them on that day, but we got too excited and ended up buying them right away haha.

We have both had past relationships, but this was the first time for both of us to have pair rings. They aren’t the same as in America where you have “promise rings” which mean you are going to get married. My friend told me that Japan took that idea and changed it a little to basically mean that if you wear rings on your right hand, it simply means you are with someone and not available.

There are all sort of different pair rings. Some you can get engraved with your names, some are just simply matching, some have sayings or stones on them, etc. We liked the ones where if you put them next to each other, they form a shape, in our case, a heart. Since mine is the girl one, it has two white stones and one pink inside the half of the heart while Shinya’s is just plain silver with and engraving of half a heart. Since he can’t wear a ring on his finger at work because he works with machines, he got a chain to go with his ring so he can wear it around his neck. It wasn’t until after we got the rings that my coworker mentioned that a lot of couples will get rings with the birthstone color of the month they started dating which I think is such a cute idea. Oh well, I’m still happy with mine.

Our rings. :)

They make a heart! <3

Wearing the ring on my finger every day feels so nice. I look at it and think of him. It makes me feel connected to him, and I’m proud to wear it. Maybe the excitement of the ring will wear off, but I hope the feelings I feel towards him when I look at it don’t change. J