I’ve been meaning to write an entry for the past few days but I seem to have been kept away from it either due to generally being busy or just too tired to write one up. A lot has happened in the past week or so.

I’ll talk about today though. This morning we had a football match against the LSE Chinese, although the match ended in our loss it felt so much like a win. The team was down to its bare bones with many of the starting eleven missing, especially in the defensive area. I think we had 1 of the 5, back four + keeper today, which probably points to why we lost. Anyway, I reprised my role at right back for the first half; it was quite strange returning to my roots. Way back in the first year I started off as a right back and although I’ve progressed figuratively, and literally into a more attacking position of late, I hadn’t forgotten. The second half I was taken further down memory lane with myself placed between the sticks as the goalkeeper – that position I hadn’t stood in for 15 years or so. Yes, I’ve played in goal since that time when I loved being keeper, but today felt like more than just filling in. Anyway, the weather was great and I think despite the result I played my best football in some time. Although quality-wise it may have appeared to be at the same level as normal, emotionally and physically I was at my best. It felt good.

Anyway, enough about football. Tonight I went to see a play at the National Theatre with my parents. The play was set in World War I and centred around the horses during the Great War. I did not particularly have high expectations of the play but from the opening to the close, I was totally in awe. The props were exceptionally well made and the narrative was amazing. I was moved. The lyrics to the closing song mentioned how these people would only be remembered for what they had done and all the intricacies and details would be forgotten. The Great War happened over 90 years ago, it is no surprise that many people today would have forgotten about it, but tonight having seen this play, it all flooded back to me, the lessons I learnt in history class back in school. The trench warfare, the visits to Belgium and my vivid imagination of the horrors of war. I’m not sure how long it is running for but I really do recommend that you go see it if you have the chance. I would even go as far as to say that I’d be willing to go see it again.

I really do have so much more to talk about but I’m knackered after this long day. Maybe I’ll be inspired to write some more tomorrow…

So, I finally saw the house I am going to be living in for the coming year. Having heard only good things about the place I had high expectations, which looked as if they were met after I had viewed the ground floor. The expectations were soon dashed as soon as I had seen the room that I had been “assigned”. Being on the other side of the world I had no control over choosing the house nor the rooms in it and therefore I am left wondering whether it was even a good idea to agree to this in the first place. I am now in a situation where I am quite unhappy but I do not really foresee any workable solution. I am also bound by contract and thus have no means of escaping meaning any negotiations  will be tough on my part and maybe fruitless.

I hope this is not how it will end.

In other more cheerful news, I received Fifa 08 today…

I wanted to post this next bit in a separate entry as it does not really relate to what I talked about in my previous entry.

So, my mentor returned from NYC today and I feigned surprised when I saw him sitting at “my desk” when I came into work this morning. He’s very picky about what he has around his desk as I found all my stuff piled up by the side of the desk. Also throughout the day he’d ask if certain things lying around were mine and then proceed to put them on my side – there’s a mini divider between our desks. Anyway, I suppose it’s his desk and he has a right to do so!

Anyway, one major surprise I had was that on the desk next to the keyboard was this object, which I didn’t think was even available yet…

So, I finally realised my wish to visit Matsumoto. It’s been on my mind since I guess the Karuizawa trip when I was in the same prefecture. I suppose it just became a sort of obsession and all other locations faded into the background when I started considering day trips recently. With all the anticipation surrounding the city I wasn’t surprised when I was slightly disappointed by my first impression. I had built it up so much that I was expecting a Kyoto-esque experience. I encountered an average city in the countryside – if that makes sense? It just lacked character in my opinion. Anyway, before I bad-mouth the city too much, the main attraction to the city for me was the black castle. Unlike most castles in Japan, the one in Matsumoto is black instead of the standard white. I’m not entirely sure why this is the case; actually, I’m not sure at all, but it drew me to see it. Being a long weekend, the castle was packed with people, with people crowding at the narrow steep staircases inside. I didn’t actually take any photos of the inside of the castle – it was just a typical wooden multi-floored structured castle but I took multiple pictures of the outside. You can view them here.