I finished my first pilates class that I signed up for in the end of August. The place was newly open last month so the whole building and equipment was brand new. Securing the front seat near the instructor is the best since you can observe the movements clearly. There were five of us in this class and the first three who came early had secured spots at the back of the room instead. Lucky me. I think most of the participants were older than me, perhaps in their 40s. I felt a bit out of place, but I decided not to think about it anyway.
During the middle of the session, I realized that I had probably slept weirdly last night because my neck couldn’t turn properly (which happens a lot, so maybe there’s something wrong with my pillow). Luckily, not a lot of the movements today involve turning my neck sideways extremely. A lot of the movements used stomach muscle, which almost always induces slight stomach cramps for me after each session.
The class was located near a shopping mall so I obviously dropped by after I was done with the session. I noticed a yummy looking lemon butter steak poster at the entrance of the mall, but went straight to Loft to windowshop for stationeries instead of going straight to the restaurant floor. Yes, it’s September and that means it’s the season of new planners for Japan.
Fresh planners from Hobonichi were being displayed right at the entrance. I almost gave in to the temptation of buying a planner that I know for sure I won’t be using, just because the cover design was really up my alley. I think I hovered around that section for a good thirty minutes before my stomach started protesting and decided it’s time for lunch.
I dragged myself to the top floor of the building where restaurant corners were located, then proceeded to pace back and forth in front of this particular hamburg restaurant, contemplating whether I should go inside. There wasn’t a single customer inside. So I pretended to think for another minute before giving up and asked the waiter for a table. I guess my brain had unwittingly decided that I’d pick that particular restaurant the moment I saw the lemon butter steak poster at the entrance of the mall. But I placed an order for the cheapest and most standard hamburg meal they have in the menu instead because I’m being cheap. It’s yummy, so I have nothing to complain about.
I stopped by a coffee shop on the way back home because I had been wanting to visit but never got the perfect timing to. And today happened to be that timing for there was not a single customer inside. I once again pretended to think whether I should really go in by checking the menu displayed outside the store, before eventually going in. Why am I deliberately delaying my decision making, I don’t know.
So I was actually writing this whole entry in my journal (this post is just a digitized version of it) while sipping the original blend coffee that the master had prepared in an elegant white porcelain cup. The cup handle was rather unique, I guess. It’s located to the top instead in the middle like most cups are, which made me struggle to hold it properly. My brain stopped complaining after I took a sip, because the coffee is just that good. I got distracted from writing midway because another customer had entered and started to chat with the master and another person whom I assume is the assistant. I immediately noticed that this new customer was not Japanese because she spoke several words in fluent english while mixing in Japanese (which was also decently pronounced). Their conversation just naturally entered my ears and I learned that she was probably more “native”– more blended into the community — that I’ve ever been all my 10 years living here. A lot of random people’s names popped up, which I assume are other regulars who frequent this cafe. They were talking about the weather, about her work, about her students (I’m not sure what she’s teaching). Listening to it had given me a weird sense of isolation and loneliness, which I’m guessing derived from the feeling of wanting to belong somewhere. This lady sounded like she belonged somewhere, or maybe created a place where she belonged. It made me feel a bit envious for some reason.
I couldn’t focus on writing due to their conversation, so I decided to sketch the interior of the cafe instead. I was almost done with the drawing when another hoard of customers entered the already cramped cafe (it was small in the first place), making it even more stuffy. I decided to stop journalling and focus on my now-cold-coffee and picked up to read a novel that I had impulsively purchased after lunch because I happen to pass through a bookstore.
I finished a chapter, then decided to pack up my stuff and leave. A couple tried to enter the cafe as I left. I guess I know what time I should visit next time to avoid the crowds.
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