Thursday

In many ways, going to academic conference is a good way to learn: the program usually runs the gamut from basic science (like zebrafish) to patient care (that we do now and then). The downside is that some lectures aren't attractive and there's a day's worth of activity outside the conference venue.

This week, I'm attending a conference in Tokyo. Thinking of all the Tokyo's top sights mentioned in Lonely Planet, I knew pretty well the reason of some empty chairs in the conference hall. Many of the sights are impossible to miss, I know. But when it comes to the courage that students are traditionally supposed to be born with to skip class, I'm a little lacking.

I hadn't meant to leave the conference hall until the cows come home. That I stayed late led me to feel both irrationally proud and profoundly tired. Unfortunately, most museums in Japan close at five (and with the last entry around half hour before closing). After that, I picked up the program book and handy guide, figuring out the next move. That is when I found out Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography opens till eight on Thursday. And it's Thursday today.

I'd be mad not to call this luck.