I am a man of many friends, but today I'm talking about only two of the best of them in the year 2012. To those who came to check if they made the list, sorry I have to break it to you, you didn't. You wonder, who did then? Read on and find out.

Before we get to my friends, I want to talk a little about myself. I call myself a self-styled psychologist, always watching people and trying to understand them, to figure out what makes them who they are. Once in a while I go to the mall just for people watching.

I am also a thinker, and I write a lot of what I think. I think about life, identity, belief and a lot more. I guess that would make me a philosopher and writer. Or since I'm not published yet, let me call myself a self-styled philosopher/writer.

Recently a friend commented that life in Japan is mundane. I can say I agree. If my journal were only about what happened in the course of my day, many pages would be the same, or I would have to leave them blank to avoid repetition. So most of what I write is what I thought, not what happened during the course of the day.

You're still wondering, who the friends are. I think it's time I told you. My best friends were my journal and my phone. They have been with me all through 2012, been everywhere I have been, seen and heard everything, and they know my deepest thoughts, even those that only God and I know. They have spoken to me in many ways, the music, the podcasts, the online reading, let alone the obvious functions of a phone, pen and paper.

At times I think deep, to a level that wouldn't constitute casual conversations. Then even if I had someone to listen to the products of my ever active mind, my Japanese is not good enough to express such depth. You want a friend who will listen, my journal has been perfect at that. 

2012 has been a year of learning. Among other things I have learned, I have learned a lot about myself that I didn't know. Some I knew but didn't realize how it affected my present and future. My best friends have been with me through this experience and been by my side all the way.

This year I have been one of the subjects of my own analysis, looking into my past to see how I ended here. That means a lot of what I thought and wrote is about the person, JJ. I know you're curious about my findings, but that will be for another day.

Thank God for technology. These days I don't need a tv to watch tv. Sometimes all it takes is a phone. I watch Dr. Charles Stanley's video podcast, especially the times I don't make it to church on Sunday. I usually watch it on the small phone screen in the quiet, under my warm duvet.

Though I may be a product of my past, I don't have to be its captive. God, through Dr. Stanley has been teaching me many things. A number of episodes, it sounded like they were tailor-made just for me. God spoke to me in remarkable ways, about me, and my life. I'm working on perfectionism and overcoming rejection in my past among other things.

With my best friends, we are looking forward to a bright future, and the best of 2013.