I recently digged through the archives – and I found some pictures from 11 years ago. So much has changed – but some things have remained the same. I can’t believe the range of clothes I wore back then.

December is hard. Gloomy. The last two years have been quite hard. I am waiting for brighter days. My last two birthdays I spent alone, and I can’t wait to turn a new page. I am sick of December already. Bring on 2015 already!

My apartment itself is nothing to call home about, but Tokyo is absolutely wonderful. This picture is from April this year, and you can see all the cherry blossom trees in the park in Shinjuku. I will always love this place.

I don’t have a favorite picture from this year, but I felt this picture represented the type of pictures I would like to take in the future.

I will be alone in Japan this year as well during christmas, but last year my “extra family” invited me to hang out with them on the iPad when they eat their christmas dinner. They even prepared a plate of food for me they put in front of the iPad. So I might “spend” christmas with them this year as well.

Last year I was alone in my apartment and ordered pizza. When the delivery guy came, he was wearing a full santa-suit, and he asked “Ah… Gaijin-san desu ka?” (Oh, hello Ms. Foreigner!). I said yes. Then he pulled up a can of coke from his pocket, and handed it over to me with both hands in a quite official way, while he proclaimed “MERRI KURISUMASU!”. Not the worst christmas.

I went to NYC for the first time! I haven’t had time to edit all the pictures yet, because I am constantly 2 – 3 months behind, but it felt amazing walking down Fifth Avenue or pass by Central Park. It is a funny feeling, places you have seen on TV and heard about your entire life – all of a sudden right they are right before your eyes and available to you.

From Okinawa, Japan. Just look at that water… Ahhh!

Taken on my friend’s birthday, back in April. We went to an amazing 1 Michelin star restaurant, Chez Matsuo, and here are some of the courses. Normally I can not spend that much on a single meal anymore, so being able to go to a place like this was a wonderful treat.

This is actually one of my favorite pictures I took this year. I don’t like the spick-span-polished look anymore. There is something interesting in grit and grain.