Project 3162: Asia: Day 3: six hours

today was a travel day.
left all of what is happening in the Tohoku region to visit my sister (soon to be a mother!) and her lovely husband in Ishikawa.

when spending time with someone 24/7, you're bound to find faults within your partner, and sometimes the smallest things start to annoy you. no matter what though, i decided to constantly take pictures of my travel partner, dad.
there's something about the action of taking pictures that refreshes your mindset. for me, i try to find things that i don't usually see, try to look for deeper meaning in things, and simply try to take what is beautiful.

today, i was able to see two wonderful things within my dad.
1. he's always been good with kids and babies. they just somehow gravitate towards him (sorta like how i draw in the ladies...j/k) it's so lovely to see him interact with them.
2. we went into a dirty, cute little bar with tons of dvds and anime figures. the owner seemed a bit cold...and weird. other than my dad, we were all probably worried about the outcome of the night. but soon after my dad found a limited edition Pink Floyd album sitting on the corner of the counter, he wouldn't stop bragging about all of their concerts that he was able to attend. the owner then quietly pulls out a dvd from his shelf and turns on a Pink Floyd live concert on his big flat-screen tv, full blast. from then on, the album and drinks kept coming and coming...
although probably rare, i was able to catch the owner smirk two times while we were there. i'm pretty sure he was smiling a huge smile within his heart.
without dad, i don't think any of this would have happened.

so, within 24 hours, i'm at a bar, in a city full of lights, homes, tall buildings, with tons of food and drinks. six hours of a train ride and the situation is flipped. i feel bad for leaving the volunteers behind to do so much grunt work in a seemingly hopeless setting, but life goes on for everyone else. we have to worry about our own family, food, and happiness. i'm sure there will be more of such times to come. the experiences felt in the Tohoku region were real, there's no doubt about it, and i have pictures to prove it. tomorrow, i'll leave Ishikawa behind to see Tetsu in Kyoto. we'll probably chat over drinks again, and talk about his new grandchild and mother whom he's currently visiting. i feel a bit sad but life goes on for me too, and hopefully sometime in the future, some of my experiences will be revisited, reflected upon, and it will serve some sort of meaning. until that day comes, good bye Tohoku...