April 28th was my grandma’s 91st birthday. I made sure to plan ahead so I could finish work on time and take the 40-minute train ride from the office to her house.

In my right arm, I carried a bouquet I picked up at a flower shop along the way. In my left hand was a handmade shikishi — a decorated message board with photos I had cut and pasted the night before.

It was all worth it to see the look of surprise and joy on her face when she greeted me at the door. I wanted to celebrate both the 91 years she’s lived so far and the simple but precious fact that she’s still here with us, healthy and well. I’m really glad I was able to be there with her on the day.

1. What I read.

I’m still enjoying Negative Capability: The Power of Embracing Uncertainty (『ネガティブ・ケイパビリティ ─ 答えの出ない事態に耐える力』) by Hosei Hahakigi.

The quote that stuck with me:

“Perhaps it’s the lesson that excessive intellectualization ends up destroying something important.”（行き過ぎた知性化が、何か大切なものを殺してしまうという教えでしょう。）

2. Who I saw.

I met up with a high school classmate I hadn’t seen or spoken to directly in over ten years.

We got together on Friday evening in Shibuya after I finished work. He brought a couple of friends along on his trip, and we enjoyed yakiniku together, picked up some last-minute souvenirs at a gacha-gacha shop, and spent two hours singing at karaoke. At karaoke, we chose songs from our high school days, which brought back memories of the time we spent on campus together.

The little details I observed:

If it weren’t for this friend, I probably would’ve gone home early, like I usually do on Friday nights after a busy week at the office. Quiet time alone has become my routine. But moments like this reunion are worth making time for. It meant a lot that he reached out, and when I saw his message last week, I knew I wanted to see him.

Hearing that he’s been doing well over the past ten years and is now able to do what he enjoys made me genuinely happy.

• I was surprised to see that even though he quit ice hockey, his metabolism is still amazing — he hasn’t gained any of that typical “middle-age” weight at all.
• I also found it interesting that he’s now living in Germany with his family, across the ocean. In some ways, his situation now reminds me of my own experience studying abroad in high school. It felt like we suddenly had more shared feelings and experiences to talk about.

3. What I created.

A FAQ guide on 3D Secure (3DS)

The story behind it:

I work as a technical support engineer. Until recently, my main focus was on alternative payment methods, but since the beginning of this year, I’ve been handling more card-related issues. As a result, 3D Secure (3DS) has become a regular part of my daily work. I created this FAQ guide to help answer common questions and make it easier for both customers and colleagues to understand and troubleshoot 3DS-related topics.

Next Week’s Peek — What I’m looking forward to and why

Golden Week continues through the first half of the week, so I won’t be back at work until Wednesday. I’m hoping to use this time off to do some long-form writing that I’ve been wanting to do.

Next weekend, I’m planning to see my dad again. I’ll be helping him move out of the apartment he used when he had work in the big city. Starting this month, he’s decided to give up that apartment so he can spend more time at home with my mom.

Hope you had a great week.

Catch you next week!