It’s strange how our dreams — the result of nothing more than brain activity in the unconscious state — can affect us as much as, or possibly even more than, our actual conscious experiences. Recently, I’ve been having lots of dreams in which people I used to know but have lost touch with — old friends, classmates, significant others — make appearances. Although the dreams haven’t been particularly remarkable or perplexing, I usually wake up in a funk and remain that way for the rest of the day.

Lately, there have been two guys in particular who keep showing up in my dreams. One is a guy named Adam, who I knew from about grade 2 through my junior year in high school (grade 11). He was probably one of my closest friends in elementary school, but we started drifting apart once we got to high school. He got involved in drugs and was eventually kicked out of school for getting in too many fights. The last time I saw him, he was drunk and had apparently stolen one of his friend’s parents’ gas cards, and he came by my house and offered me free gas and cigarettes (I declined). I last heard that he had had a few run-ins with the law, but has since cleaned up his act and is now very active in the volunteer community through his church.

The other guy is named Jason and we were friends ever since the day I met him during the first week of kindergarten and later came home and discovered that he lived in the apartment block just across the street from my own. We were tight all the way through elementary school, junior high and even high school, and the childhood experiences we had together are countless. After we graduated from high school, I went off to university and he stayed in California and did some schooling and later started working full time. Even though we weren’t all that great about keeping in touch while I was in university and especially after I moved to Japan, every time I went back to my home town to visit he was always around and up for hanging out.

However, two years ago when I went back to California for a visit, I was mysteriously unable to get a hold of him. None of his phone numbers worked, and I eventually learned through the grapevine that he had moved to the East Bay. I tried to get a hold of him again when I went back at the end of last year, but I failed. No one seems to know where he is now or how to reach him. The last time I saw Jason was in June of 2002, when we hung out at our friend Gilbert’s house for an afternoon. Tossing around a football at a local park, it was like old times: reminiscing about experiences when we were younger, talking about our plans for the future, and just hanging out and having a good time. He was someone I always thought I’d know forever, so it’s strange to think that I might never talk to him again.

Okay. . . before I ramble any further and start quoting lyrics to old Beatles songs or whatever, I’ll STFU already. It’s just that with all of the weird dreams I’ve been having lately, those guys (and a few other people) have been on my mind. I guess I just wonder where they are now and what they’re up to. . . .

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Today I finally had time to put up the first batch of photos from my trip to Asakusa earlier this month. They’re all pretty dull, typical tourist photos and I’m a bit disappointed in myself for taking such drab pictures, but I figured I’d put ‘em up anyway. I have quite a few more, so I’ll probably put some more up when I can make the time (although they’re equally as crappy).

Today’s photos are from Sensoji (also known as the Asakusa Kannon Temple), which is the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo, and is also considered by many to be the most impressive. It was especially crowded on the day I went, so it was tough squeezing between the tourists (both domestic and foreign) to get around and explore. Anyway, here they are: