Slow boats and fast flights

Suddenly I feel as though my post-Japan travel plans are once again a blank canvas. Due to the craziness of the holiday season, Brooke (my oneesan) and I have decided to forgo the trip to Hong Kong we had planned for a couple days. Also Christine isn't going to be able to meet me after all. She was awarded a big research scholarship for the spring that she couldn't turn down and in the mean time she busy finishing her own thesis.
So once Brooke and I part ways in Tokyo, she will return to NY and I will go it alone to mainland Asia.
The last few days have been a fury of trying to get organized. I found out Christine wouldn't be coming to see me for sure, I attempted numerous times to find flights out of Japan before my 90 day visitor visa runs out and I'm trying to plan where the hell I'm going to go! (I know I have a tough life: Hmmm... where in Asia should I go today?)
Flight finding has proved to be the biggest pain in the glutes. It seems like everyone in Japan is trying to fly somewhere else on the very day I am and it's a race against the clock to scramble for flights. I was finding airfare to Hong Kong from Tokyo (a 4 hour flight) for more than it would cost to fly from Vancouver. I talked to a travel agent who put me on numerous waiting lists for flights leaving on the day I wanted to, but didn't hear a word for days.
Yesterday I got fed up and started looking at taking a boat to China! It is much cheaper (and slower -around 2 days), but it seems that every ferry leaves Japan on a Friday. With Brooke here until January 3rd (a Tuesday) I don't want to be leaving 4 days before her, and I can't wait until the one after she leaves because my 90 day pass is expired by then.
So I'm back to finding flights...
I found one online at work the other evening to go from Tokyo to Hong Kong after New years and then return from Singapore to Tokyo in a couple months. That night I ended up having to run off to Japanese class before I book it. Then next morning when I searched it again, the best it could find was 150% of the original price (and therefore back in the same range as a flight from Vancouver!).
But today, thanks to some assistance from my lovely oneesan (big sis), I have a flight booked!!!
I cannot describe how great it feels. After weeks of uncertainty with my travel plans, I finally have something stable to hold on to.
I have airfare that will take me to Singapore on January 2nd and will return be to Japan in mid February from Hong Kong.
So basically the only thing left to do is figure out my travel between Singapore and Hong Kong - after my adventures trying to find flights, it feels like that part will be easy!