Winning

I am a winner.

Not long ago, I entered a contest on the YouTube channel Numis Canada with Bruce. The channel features lots of interesting information for the novice and seasoned collector. Please check it out by clicking on the link if you have a chance. He has a little over 500 subscribers at this point and I would like to see him get enough that he can participate in the revenue that he is generation through YouTube. He needs 1000 subscribers to get the monetization benefit.

Truth be told, I am more of a stamp collector than a coin collector, but I still have fondness for coins and would probably be more of a coin collector if had more time and money. Much like stamps, coins are fascinating things. So, when Bruce announced his contest, I quickly entered. It was easy to do, and I thought my odds might be good. Lots of people could enter, but only subscribers could win.

When he published the video of the prize draw, I wasn’t expecting to win. In fact, I didn’t. However, the person whose name he drew was disqualified for not having a profile accessible to everyone and another name had to be drawn. That name was mine.

The package arrived in my mailbox and I will put a picture on my Instagram page. Of course if you are looking at the blog, there is a widget containing all my Instagram pictures at the lower right of this page. It is a beautiful set from 2005. I would explain more, but if you are curious go listen to the expert.

Being lucky feels good. Being lucky feels contagious. I definitely want it to continue. Thank you Bruce.

The Coin That Brought Nostalgia

I’ve got a random collection of coins from all over the world. They are poorly organized and not displayed in any fashion.  These mostly came from students who proudly wanted to show off their country, or at the very least, wanted to show off their money.  I gladly accepted these tokens, but most of them reside in my bedside table.

Of all these coins, the one that resonates the most with me was one I basically bought from a student. It is a one hundred yen Japanese coin.  Having spent a considerable amount of time in Japan, I have dropped thousands of these coins into vending machines of one sort or another.  I always had them on hand in case I needed a cold drink of Dekkavita C or maybe an Yebisu beer.  These days, I use the coin when I buy the occasional scratch lottery ticket.

Today, when I entered class, the students were all looking at a bunch of change on the desk in front of them. I listened in on there conversation while I prepared my board.  They were talking about currency and what the coins could buy.  Since they were speaking English in a topic of their own choosing, I tried my best to stay out of the way and think about how I could use this later in the class.

When the conversation died down, I approached the desk and one of the students presented me with a 50 yen Japanese coin. I didn’t let the oddness of the situation get to me.  He is Korean and lives in Korea.  What he was doing with a 50 yen Japanese coin I have no idea.

As for me, I really like this token. There is something about the feel of Japanese money in my hand that takes me back to those days in my twenties.  I was living an adventure on the other side of the world, and despite the obstacles, I was really enjoying myself.

Nostalgia can be oppressive at times, but not today. In this case, receiving such a comforting gift and getting swept up in nostalgia is Today’s Perfect Moment.