Fate is picking on me...

...
...
...

Great... just great...

All forms of misfortune crashed down on me today: I'm speaking a HERD of black cats, a flock of crows and a corridor of ladders.

How unlucky? I got up thinking it was 8. It took me time to realize that I was holding the clock sidewards, that it was actually 9:30 already. It's NeoCon today, the anime-manga convention I've been so psyched about since last month, (yea, I'm otaku, now sue me) and it starts at 10. So, what's the rush? Lines... the excruciating queue... I'm expecting it to be a mile long now...

CRAP!

I'll be late for cosplay registration! So yeah, basically, it's rush time; I put random clothes on, took my stuff, and ran, having no time to even shower or look in the mirror.

I rushed towards the train station, not knowing how much time has passed since I left my apartment. I checked my left wrist for a watch, only to find no watch. Pffft... All my rushing got me forgetting the essentials. But yea, at least I have my costume. I'd go seppuku a thousand times over if I ever forget this.

And finally, I got there... In the convention? No, in the train station... Only to meet the mob... The daily mob you often encounter in train stations... the scorching atmosphere... and the noise... only, 10 times that...

And then, there's that sudden anxiety... For no apparent reason, I became cautious... Tension filled the air... Like I'm being stalked... Like my life is at stake...

I get that feeling that fate indeed is picking on me...

~Shinji Masato