dropping in to see Neo-chan

Neo. What an interesting name for a baby, isn't it? These days I have lots of kids with interesting names, for example Moe...a 13-year old male student I have was named after the champagne, Moet and Chandon. Yu is a name for a 12-year old little girl... Names like Lina, Rina, Ruka, Hannah and so on are sprouting everywhere, apparently in a bid to find names that sound more appealing and 'Western.'

I saw Neo and his mommy Petra on Friday. Petra had caught a cold and I decided to drop off a few things for her. A power drink for those with a cold, some mags, and more. I figure going to visit someone with a cold is good for developing immunity to new bacteria. Is that masochistic or what? Hee hee.

Petra is a gorgeous lady from Czech who recently came to Japan after having married Yutaka, a Japanese researcher who now works in Tsukuba, too. Her English is excellent and I just know she has a knack for languages because her Japanese pronunciation is immaculate. I am impressed by how quickly she is adapting to Japanese life and laughs while rolling with the punches in this new environment of hers. In that sense, she is a great teacher for me, reminding me to keep the light humor in everyday quirky Japan.