Hiroshima weekend

Life is moving on as expected. Work is still kicking my butt everyday. The weather has gotten colder and I have gotten sick, again. As my grieving period ended and everyday routines getting established again, I looked towards Hiroshima for a new start.

Moving on

Its been really hard trying to move on and getting myself back to "normal" life. I've been doing things like going out and trying to clear my head and do something fun. Places that I went to in the past 2 weeks that I don't usually go or have not been to were Gunma-ken and Chiba-ken. Every time I return home though, I always expect Dondon to be right there and I end up getting emotional again no matter how much fun I had earlier. I have to realize that from now on my "normal" life will never return to the life I used to know 2.5 weeks before. That aspect right there depresses me whenever I think about it. It serves as a constant reminder to me that life can change in an instant and I should never take each day for granted and be thankful for what I have now.

Going back to distractions, one thing I did do this past weekend that I haven't done in a while was eat sushi. Its honestly been a while since I picked up a piece of raw fish at a restaurant. I think the last time I ate sushi was in the middle of September, at a new kaiten sushi place not to far from where I live. The cool feature that I never saw there was that they had a laser counter to count the dishes after you ate them and transferred the data into a hard ticket that you used to pay with at the front. All the other times I've been to kaiten sushi, the worker would come by and manually count which plates I had eaten and then write everything on a paper ticket. I thought the automatic counter was cool until my sushi experience yesterday. The place yesterday had touch panel LCD screens at each seat where you would order what you wanted. Moments later, the chef would bring out the desired freshly cut up raw fish on top of vinegary rice. It was pretty cool. I felt like I was in a scene of "Back to the future Part 2".

Grieving

Its been about a week since I last saw my best friend asking for belly rubs and lying next to me while I am working or watching TV. The grieving process has been really difficult... too difficult in fact. We had a funeral service for him and he was cremated. It was really hard to see all that, but with a family member regardless of species I would do anything for.

They say its best to remember the happy times I had with him. I did smile and laugh a bit when I looked at his old photos and videos that were taken throughout his life but I eventually broke down when I realized how he isn't here anymore. Even going out and trying to distract myself has not been an easy task. The cafe that he had the accident is located downstairs from my apartment and every part of the apartment complex and its green surroundings were all part of his walking course.

My life after my mom passed away and my new life in Japan always included Dondon. It breaks my heart and soul that he isn't around and that I lost him so early and suddenly. I tried my best to do everything to keep him healthy and happy so we would could share a long life together. I don't think I'll ever get over it, but I know it will take a while before I can adjust to it. My home isn't my home anymore without him in it.

Life is totally unfair... Completely devastated

Just as Dondon was getting better, there was a minor problem when the doctor was trying to feed him and the food got stuck in his throat. He later died today. I am in a complete loss of words. Now I know life is unfair. I had to deal with death 4 years ago, and now I have to deal with it again, and this time with my best friend. His 4th birthday was coming up (Nov 19th) too. God why?!?! Again? Not Dondon... he only gave people happiness... why do you have to take him away???

I found out about the complication when I was at the office. I was called and was told that his heart beat was getting lower. The phone was put next to Dondon's ear and I spent 20 minutes at the office yelling "Don't die.. you can do it .. please survive for us" Actually his heart beat did come up but atlas his body could not hold up anymore. I completely lost it and broke down in tears. Some coworkers tried to comfort me, but I had to pick myself up and quickly take the trains to go see my now dead best friend. It hurts even more after I was told he would get better. Man.. life is unfair. Honestly, Dondon was my everything, I can't believe he was taken away from my family in 3 days. This was just like my mom. I miss you Dondon. You were the best dog.. no... you were the best friend I ever had. Thank you for your happiness. I am completed shocked and stunned that you are gone. I will never forget you.




2005/11/19 - 2009/09/28

ドンドン、がんばって！

What a horrible weekend. On Friday, my dog, who is also my bestest friend in the whole world had an accident. He jumped and missed and landed on his head. I didn't see the whole thing, but I just heard him fall and when I looked at him he didn't move at all. I never seen him like that, because he has made a similar jump hundreds of times and when he falls he always gets right back up. We rushed to the animal hospital and on the way there Dondon became less and less responsive. It was really scary. We kept shouting and trying our hardest to get him conscious again. Luckily the animal hospital wasn't too far away and my illegal driving got us there fairly quickly. The doctor told us that he landed on his head/neck and he experienced atlantoaxial instability/dislocation in his neck. He also said that Dondon was lucky because if we had not brought him in so quick he could have died since the trauma severely slowed Dondon's heartbeat and breathing. The doctor added he has seen worse conditions with other dogs but he can't say if Dondon will make a full recovery. Luckily it seemed he did not fracture his skull or any part of his spine from the x-rays. The worst part of all this was seeing my best friend in pain and in a helpless condition. I honestly had the same feelings of what happened with my mom 4 years ago. It was and is still really difficult to handle. Right now, Dondon is still in the hospital getting 24/7 treatment. The doctor has said he is doing a bit better but it could be at least 5 - 6 weeks before he can even start to walk again. This is such a nightmare but I have faith in my little buddy. I am not religious at all but everyday I have and will continue to pray that he will come back 120% better!!! Dondon Ganbatte!!!

Silver week and autumn festivals

Its another time of the year where holidays coincidentally fall consecutively next to each other forming another holiday period called "Silver Week". This was the first time I heard of such a week and I was later told the next time I would see this happen again is 5 years from now. Unfortunately, my silver week will be spent in front of my work laptop. I am sort of jealous of the rest of my co workers getting to go travel and have a relaxing time but at the same time, traveling now is hell. All over the news they mentioned how backed up the highways were due to traffic jams. I already experienced driving through traffic and it is not fun. I'd actually rather pay extra to ride the shinkansen or fly to a destination. One place I really want to go to that I haven't been before in Japan is Hokkaido. I really want to eat the seafood and relax in the hot springs there. Hopefully I can take my own silver week in the near future.

Finally, with the summer festivals coming to an end, it seems that the autumn ones are coming out in full swing. Going through Shinjuku this weekend, I saw a bunch of people prepping for a festival.





I didn't stick around too long for it to start but I am hoping that an autumn festival will pop up near my neighborhood soon.

Welcome back NFL

I'm so excited that football season has officially started. Dallas Cowboys did well today against Tampa Bay. I was a bit concerned during the first half, but the team pulled together in the second. I hope the Boys will do well this season and not choke at the end like they have been doing for the past few years.

As for active sports, yesterday I was out on the basketball court for over 5 hours. 5 hours?!? Needless to say, my legs are really sore now. I have to go to the office today, and that 1.5 km walk from the station to the office is not going to be pleasant. The executive staff from the U.S. will be at the office today so there will be a beer party at the end of the day. I don't want to stay at work too late as the last episode of Buzzer Beat is on tonight. A Japanese drama about basketball... its perfect for me. :)