Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!

Happy New Year! Year of the Ox! Woo hoo :)

"People born in the Year of the Ox are patient, speak little, and inspire confidence in others. They tend, however, to be eccentric, and bigoted, and they anger easily. They have fierce tempers and although they speak little, when they do they are quite eloquent. Ox people are mentally and physically alert. Generally easy-going, they can be remarkably stubborn, and they hate to fail or be opposed. They are most compatible with Snake, Rooster, and Rat people."

The following message was written on the omikuji or written oracle I received at the Shinto Shrine my family and I visited on New Year's day:

"On the field path where I was lost on my way, the moon began to shine quietly."

How poetic. Looking at the moon and stars is always a humbling yet calming activity for me.
Considering I have been feeling rather anxious about my career path, this quotation was rather appropriate and reassuring.

I'll leave you with a picture of the delicious Japanese breakfast my family and I enjoyed on New Year's Day. My favorite dishes included the nishime, kuromame, and ozoni. My grandma always prepares the ozoni, Hiroshima style. She adds clams, bamboo, roasted mochi, and chrysanthemum leaves to the broth. Sugoku oishii!