Very amused~

I ask this oji-san who is the supervisor for another team if a guy whom he “kicked” out sometime ago can return to his team or not,He send me this as his reply.
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

*Carol* it is the oji-san you know. LOL

Impressive Service~

Well good customer service is something really taken for granted in Japan and I must say I have been so spoiled by the excellent service here that I get so irritated everytime I am back in Singapore.

But still, this is something I feel that I must still blog about.

I bought the Irobot (automatic vacuum cleaner) about a year ago and just yesterday I received a mail from them stating that I ( my pet robot actually) am eligible for a free-check-up + maintenance. In the same mail there was a postage label which my (return) and the service centre's address was already filled up. There was also a whole list of phone number of the courier service centres which I can call to arrange for home pick-up. However being the blur me.... I accidentally threw the envelope containing the postage label away. And so I called up the service center meaning to ask for the address of the service centre....

But but... guess what I got in return??

The lady on the phone immediately arranged for pick-up for me with the day and time that I specified and I was spared the trouble of having to fill up another postage label + the hassle to call up the courier service centre too!

While the Japanese can really be INFLEXIBLE at times... But I really appreciate that most of the time, they take effort in trying to think from, the customer's point of view and view customer's satisfaction as their pride.

Oppssss

I realised I have been neglecting this blog for a real long time...

But that it how I am... updating fever comes and goes in waves.

But anyway, I wonder really how many people are still reading this since I have not been udpating regularly and also changing addresses from time to time.

So... if you are reading this, drop me a comment below even if you do not usually do so!

Is it too early (or late already) to review what have I been up to this year?

At the beginning of the year when I was thinking of new resolutions. I came to a conclusion and decided that I will make really simple and achievable goals. Seriously speaking, I have stopped making “unrealistic” goals like losing 40kgs this year since I don’t really even lose close to 4Kg at all.
So, I took it really easy to the extend that I didn’t even bother to write it down at all. But I will say it is always going on in my mind.

The first thing I wanted to do was to get my driving license! Yah I have been pondering over it for a year now because of the costs and the time involved. And obviously language too. Well it is one thing to be conversationally-proficient and totally another when it comes to fields which uses quite a bit of technical terms. But I was assured by most people that though it might be tougher, it is still achievable.
And yes thank God! I managed to get my license within 2.5 months! But really it was altogether another story by itself.
Just really thankful for the support I got from my closest peers (since it was a secret to parents and most people!) Really grateful to them ( you know who you are!) who encouraged me ever so often as I "report" to them almost on a daily basis what I do.

But wait... the other close friends and esp family ( extended incld) whom I didn't tell in advance. It is not because you are not close enough, it is because you are the ONE whom I want to surprise!

Linking to the first goal, the reason I wanted to have a license was because I wanted to bring my parents on an all-expenses paid driving trip to Hokkaido. Which I did too! Managed to drive albeit unsteadily at first… but still managed to get to most places in our itinerary. (could have really done more planning tho!) Was really glad my parents really enjoyed themselves especially at shopping and buying all the fresh and dried seafood.
I think my mum really loves shopping in Japan….
Btw, really highly recommend summer in Hokkaido for old folks. The scenery is great, trip is peaceful and easy ( if you can drive will be even better), food is good and reasonable!

And lastly…

I had my hair cut short!

Finally!!!
I have always wanted to do that for a long time and the shortest I ever tried while saying wanting to cut it short was just shoulder length which my friend M often shakes her head say that is not call short. Well.. I figured even if the cut is bad, if u have hair long enough to tie up, all is still not lost.
So… this summer, with courage from an unknown source I finally did it! And of course M finally gave her approval. =)

Here’s it! How is it??

Planetarium

I am going there tonight!!

http://www.sky-planetarium.com/

Planetairum at Roppongi Hills.. Have never been to a planetarium so I am excited!!
There is a 3D sky walk inside...

must be really beautiful.. i love stars =)

Actions Vs Complains

I was watching a drama a few days ago and there was a part of the story in which the lead (who is a medical student) was attending a lecture on medical ethics. They were made to memorize a few famous phrases when he got fed up, quarreled with the lecturer and then stormed out of the class. He was upset because just a few days prior to that, a little girl who was sent to their hospital was rejected and transferred to another hospital due to a lack of beds. As a result of delayed treatment, the little girl died. However in actual fact, there were still available beds but were reserved for the VIPs.

So he was annoyed that they were memorizing a whole load of useless phrases when he thinks that what all the doctors needed was a heart that will overcome all difficulties to save the patients' lives.

 

A few years after that, he had to attend an interview for a very prestigious medical internship. The same lecturer was one of the interviewers and the guy was asked if he regretted his actions then. He answered he did and it was not because he wants to be on the good side of the lecturer. He realized he was wrong because a lot of spotlight was shed onto the little girl's case after that and it pressured the government and hospitals to deal with the problem of inadequate hospital beds and medical supplies. It eventually led to an increased in facilities for the general public. The girl couldn't be brought back to life for sure but at least improvements were made for rest of the people. At that point in time, he realized that when something is wrong, there is no point in just getting angry, there was more value in acting upon the situation and directing his energy to think of solutions.

 

Very good thought of a mature man.

 

Coincidentally, I was introduced to a young, 20-yr gentlemen last week by my church friends in Singapore. He is in Tokyo for a 1-month holiday.

 

He was a polite guy on the whole but sad to say, immature and spoilt. He was telling me that he wants come back to Japan to live after he has "earn big bucks" because he hates Singapore. So I asked him in return, what is that he hates about Singapore and his answer was, "The weather, the rude people, the government, the system…" Once again, I asked him, what about the government do you hate? His answer, "I hate PAP..."

 

If you haven't really got what I am trying to say… Sometimes the word "hate" is just over-used. As I begin to probe further, I realized that he hasn't really got anything substantial to hate about. The answer for hating the government shouldn't have been because you hate PAP, it is almost as what you say 答非所問。I ask you why you hate cheese, you tell me you hate ham. At the end of the day, I still cannot understand the reason for your hatred, but I know now just because of the dislike for your homeland, you want to escape to another place which you actually do not know well at all.

Where is our national pride and what has the comfortable life that our government and parents tried to provide us brought us to? I am sad to say it has bred some ingrates who think that it is their right to lead a good life and when problems crop up, they will think of taking flight instead of thinking of ways to overcome or improve the situation.

 

So anyway I asked him, ok so you are thinking of coming stay in Japan for good… Are you taking Japanese lessons now?

His answer: All the schools are just cheating money! You can learn Japanese just by talking to the locals out there… You can study all the hiragana and Katakana by yourself at home.

 

I didn't really bother refute him I just listened to what he said quietly. I guess for such people they will just have to go through the experiences themselves and learn with their "bodies" how things of the world work. But just a last note, Japanese is not just about Hiragana and Katakana. I wished too.

 

 

Voices over the distance

I realised when I feel lost or have a lot on my mind,
I will have an urge to talk to my mum (or dad)...

It is not because they give me great advice but I guess there must be some magic in our parents' voices.
Just talking about the most mundane things in the world brings me unspeakable peace and comfort.

I so need to practise driving

It has been 2 months since I got my license and I haven't been behind the wheels since then!

I so need to practise if I am going to bring my parents around Hokkaido in July!

The trip is confirmed though with all the flight tickets and hotels booked. Now I just to get going somewhere!

Solo trip Observations~

For the first two times I went to Seoul, I didn't really got to try their traditional breakfast because 1. The hotel provided breakfast. 2. My companions just weren't morning people. Finally on my semi-solo trip on the third time, I got to try out their breakfast (I should think this is just one choice) which is Congee. They have very interesting combinations like mushroom with beef, ginseng chicken with prawn and Abalone being the most mainstream one.

Also, on the last 2 trips, since it was always with 2-3 people, Taxis were our main mode of transport. Taxis are really cheap in Seoul, really a fraction of that of Singapore and especially so when you share out among 3-4 people. And on top of that being in a foreign place where we couldn't and actually didn't want to be bothered with reading maps or figuring out the subway lines, I almost never had a chance to step into the subways.

So on the third trip I decided to take as much subway as I could (have to use the subway card I topped up but never ever got to use). And I did! In fact I walked so much (since I got lost as much too) that my calves were wobbling in pain when I got back to the hotel at the end of the day.
But I really totally enjoyed myself because the weather was great (ard 20-23 deg) with no strong sun and light breeze. I really love to take the subway too because that’s where I can do people observation and also move around slowly at my own pace. My only “regret” or disappointment is the realization that the tall and good-looking guys you see in Korean dramas do not actually exist on the roads. They are found and probably confine to the boundaries of the television.
So I still think Tokyo is a better place to spot good-looking guys~ (seconded by 2 other friends)

So let me share some things I took along the way…

The congee place I went on the first morning. It is abalone and the broth is made from cow's bones apparently. And usually they come with some side dishes like kimchi and spicy octopus which I absolutely love!! Actually I like the spicy Ikan bilis best~ Yumz~~

And Singapore-founded stores seems to do pretty well too! Besides Kaya toast, saw a long queue outside Mei Zhen Xiang and Charles and Keith too.

We have the quirky English.... And even the Japanese is weird grammatical too. But well the Japanese part makes a little more sense though.

And finally a break at O'sulloc, my favourite green-tea based-cafe. Their green-tea leaves are freshly picked from Jeju and they make all kinds of tea related desserts like the green-tea float below, earl-grey moouse cakes etc.. This is a top recommendation! Their cakes are really light and fluffy!

Anyway, thank God I had my cousin for company for 1.5 days! We had a great time at a public bath, eating BBQ meat and just fellowship~ also planning for our trip there again (hopefully this year!)

Shopping Part 2: Accessories Story

Basically, I think I am pretty predictable (or you can I am boring or consistent!) in the things I like. I often receive comments from people saying “I can so imagine you wearing this”, “This is so you…” or “I think you will definitely like this.”
I have never really saw myself as someone who is very lady-like or even remotely close but I think I can at least say I am still pretty “clean” in my speech because of the strict up-bringing of my mum. My parents (especially dad) are very relaxed in other aspects when we were growing up but if there is ONE thing that they are extremely concerned about, it will be the things that come out of our ( me n bro) mouths. Of course, we are probably more tainted by the colors of the world than they will like us to be but I am still thankful it is not a habit to spew vulgarities.

And hey why am I off the topic? I just wanted to purely blog on my trophies from the trip

Ok here goes….I am a sucker for things pearly with ribbons and lace!

2 Months Past 3/11

Exactly 2 months has passed but it seemed like it only happened yesterday...
with 300,000 people still living in shelters,
Tokyo still in the midst of trying to save electricity, doesn't seems at all to me 2 months went past...

time flies even when you are in fear.

Shopping Part 1: Skin care

I became a die-hard fan of this line of cosmetics call Innisfree after I encountered its moisturiser ( or what you might like to equate it to tonner)

"Innisfree cosmetics is the first natural cosmetics brand in South Korea and has now over 200 retail outlets all over the country selling the skin care products. Featuring a wide range of natural skin care products from facial masks to lotions and creams, the price is very affordable too.
Innisfree cosmetics in particular, is a brand that really emphasize in enhancing beauty through natural form. As the ingredient formulations are totally derived from pure extraction of botanical greatness, its products are therefore suitable for all skin types. Through specially selected botanical extractions, Innisfree cosmetics products are not only great for your skin, they are also gentle to the environment."

Cut and paste from their website.

Innisfree has several lines under them, eg the olive line, green tea etc...
They emphasis on using natural botanical extractions and therefore their product is using very gentle to the skin.

In order of application after Make-up remover and cleansing.

1. Green tea Serum ( still in the midst of trying)

This is surprising the best seller in Innisfree. Also highly recommended by the Magazine I bought in Japan on skin care. I was taught to apply this right after cleansing. It is supposed to help the skin to absorb the products after even better.
I don't really know it's effects yet...but well would see the other things are absorbing well so far. But since it being green-tea is definitely gentle to the skin and leaves on a nice fragrance.

2. The Olive real skin
recommendation level: ★★★★★

I have recommended to about a dozen of people and have 4 who are currently using it now. My friends all have various skin types and even one who has sensitive skin but they are all loving it. Olives (on google) are apparently very good and moisturing to the skin. This product is really very moisturing without any tinge of oilness, keeps my skin supple and bouncy and the most amazing thing about it, gives a very relaxed and light fragrance. I have used it for at least 3 seasons now and it doesn't give me any problems.
Best thing about it is, it is really affordable! 180ML at about $14USD. (There are coupons for 10% discounts and VAT refund for tourists, making it even cheaper!) The liquid is pretty thick so you can use it for 2-2.5 months at least. I use it even for my masks at times so I am really a quick user.

3. I use 2 different products for the cream.
In the day because I apply make-up as well, I tend to choose something lighter.
So for the day, I am currently using Laneige's Waterbank essence. Heard really spilt reviews about it. Comments were pretty much the same for negative ones, that is it cause breakout. Positive ones praised it for being moiturising and easily absorbed.
I can't comment on it yet though I must say my face defintely feels moistured and non-oily.

At night I use Innisfree's olive real cream. so far so good... no major problems.

5. Other than that I am using Laneige's makeup primer ( makeup base) and Kose's sunblock.

Will review them after I have used then for a few months months more!

My new ( killer) hobby

I developed a rather “bad” and expensive hobby recently…
I actually travelled to Seoul twice in a short span of 2 weeks.

Actually, I wouldn’t say it was a recent thing. I have always loved Korea (read FOOD) since I came to Japan. (Rather strange to start liking Korea in Japan) But I attribute that to the huge numbers of Korean restaurants and cuisines which is so readily available. Especially in the area I stay in, it is mah jiam a small Korean town and I could so easily have Korean food whenever I feel like it.
Carol could attest to how much I love Korean food when she was staying with me for the 1.5 years. I think out of 10 times I suggested going out for food, 7 was Korean, 1 was onyasai and 2 others.

So anyway, visiting Seoul last year opened my eyes to the great shopping too! I heard from somewhere that Koreans direct their energy into basic skin while the Japanese direct theirs into the cosmetics. I couldn’t agree more. Korea is just flooded with skin care shops with all sorts of things you can imagine applying onto your face. I am definitely in their camp. I love basic skincare and is probably the most disciplined (among the other aspects in my life) when it comes to skincare. In fact my motto is to have such a good regime and healthy skin that I can lay off cosmetics. (Ironically, it becomes increasingly difficult when you age)

Then there is also the cheap shopping which is similar to pasar malam but only in a more organized and enjoyable environment (read indoors with adequate air-conditioning). I have admit they can be aggressive and scary at times but nothing too offensive like some other places I have been to as well.

Ok.. the next thing I have to do is to introduce my buys.. next post!

Bin Laden's dead..

And apparently the headlines says. " People who lost loved ones during 9/11 are rejoicing over his death".

Was he an immortal who is not supposed to die?
Does it bring back any of those who perished in 9/11?
Is terrorism going to stop from now?

I do sympathise with the bereaved, but c'mon... what is the meaning of such a headline.

New fashion~

I notice a new "trend" recently...

I realised there is a substantial increase of ladies who are wearing sneakers to wear. ( Including myself).

Imagine a crisp white blouse, A-line black skirt,
then with sneakers..
sounds weird?

Probably.. but nothing is ever so weird in Japan anyway when it comes to Fashion.

I do that anyway because I try to walk a bit to exercise after work these days. ( these TWO days...LOL)

But I wonder why the other ladies do that, could it be because they think it is easier to run or if a need to walk home when an earthquake strikes again?

Made in Love

My cousins made this for me and they surprised me by turning up the airport!

TouchEd!!! *tears*

Home is not a location but where the Family is .

Kiss cam?

I chanced upon this in yahoo and I really like it somehow!
The couples looked so cute and comfy with each other!
I wonder how people will react in Asia...

Reminded me of a conversation I had with my cousin last week.. hee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PokysnUOo4&feature=player_embedded

Back in Tokyo

For those who didn't know I was back in Singapore the last 2 weeks ( officially for work), really sorry that I didn't contact most people because I really wanted to just spend time with my family and closer friends. For those whom we managed to meet up, I am really thankful and happier than usual! Really grateful for those who took leave to meet up, schedule their time around to accomodate me and especially my uncles, aunties and cousins who planned a trip to batam! Probably because this wasn't a planned trip and after that disaster, I just really wanted to be back in the arms of people at home! So I'm back in Tokyo now... sitting in my usual seat back at the office. But I guess my heart is still lingering about in the tropical island or somewhere around the korean drama my friend introduced me to... The plane was really empty anyway... The economy has 2 sections ( took ANA) and I think the second section should have about 140 seats. But only 7 were taken! * I counted while I was waiting for the toilet... This is really the first time I ever saw such an empty plane. My luggage came out real fast too. My theory of checking-in later + very little passengers probably explained why it did. So anyway... I spent the rest of the day unpacking, cleaning and then just staring into the thin air while tolerating my hunger because I was too tired to go out to get food. Haaa.. if you are shocked, just ask around, I'm sure people who are staying on their own do this once in a while. I am still sleepy now anyway.. for a person who works on a pretty strict and efficient body clock like me, I usually take a while to recover whenever my sleeping patterns are upsetted. But well, I will just have to "dong" till Wednesday cus on Thurs I am jetting off to Seoul again! Till then~~

That fateful 3/11 friday..

The last time I updated was nearly half a year ago?

Many people have been dropping me messages, emails and desperately trying to call me since the disaster striked.
I am really thankful beyond words... really... I got so many encouragement notes even from people who barely knew me...
The power of technology to reach people just blows my mind.... I am going to recycle part of the email I sent to my family ( plus cousins)below...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Live report from Tokyo.

I guess you all must have been really worried about me because of the distressing news that is over the TV everyday.
Well for one thing… TV normally only show the bad news so please believe say only 80% of what is going on.

Today I am at home writing this now because in order to supply electricity to the affected areas, all the trains at my place has been ordered to stop running today.
Which is a good news to me because I was watching some drama till 12md last night… :p

Ok jokes aside, maybe you all would like to know what actually happened from eye-witness Karen’s point of view.

It started around 2 plus in the afternoon on Friday. It begin with a few slight tremors which is not common but nothing to be surprised about too. So, most of us didn’t even utter a single word and continued with our work.
But within a few minutes, the tremors escalated and our tables begin rocking and things hanging on the wall began to drop. Even so ( probably in shock) people were still sitting on their chairs and looking around until the cabinets were also threatening to collapse with things already falling off the shelves.
My colleagues begin to panic with action and some went under the table, some grabbed their coat ready to run while the GA pple were running around asking us to calm down.
I was still sitting on my chair mainly because I was having motion sickness from all the rocking and finding it too troublesome to hide under the small table.

This is probably the closest I have came to death… I mean roller-coasters and cockroaches are scary to me too. But I have never felt once in my life that maybe I will be dead next.. But strangely, I didn’t feel that much fear. Maybe it is because I do not know the full extent of how devastating earthquakes can be. In fact, the first thing that came to my mind was, “Thank God none of my family members are here”.
I looked around and saw how nervous my colleagues were, in fact on the brink of tears when they couldn’t contact their family members. It then occurred to me, most people here are really not that concerned about their own safety but their loved ones. You should have seen how relieved they were ( still in the middle of the crisis) when they received news that their family was safe.
One of my colleagues’ family stay right in the area which was the worst affected. In the 4 years we worked together, I have never ever saw this side of her… She is probably one of the most positive and funniest person around. But her face was white and she couldn’t even say a word when the earthquake hit.

The few hours after that was a blur as most of the people were hurrying around trying to get the latest news or to still try to contact their familes. None of the gadgets worked except Iphone’s whatsapp. Yes.. let’s all get iphone and have a cool thunderous network. I was whatsapping non-stop thru the crisis to people in and outside japan. A few wrong words spelled because of the shaking..

Trains stopped moving completely and so it was up to us how we want to get home. I decided to walk home. Before this, I used to walk half the way then take a train home or take a train halfway then walked home in my feeble attempts to try to excercise. I never knew this knowledge will actually come into use at this point of time. God prepares us even in times when we do not realized. But most of my colleagues lived really far away so they had to stay overnight in the office.
So… I worked till the last minute, helping my colleague finished up a document and embark on my journey home.
Having said that, I walked a total of 2.5 hours… I walked pass bicycle shops and saw long queues… who will ever expect bicycle shops to be earning big bucks at this hour of the day?
I think I nearly cried when I saw the final overhead bridge I had to cross in the last stretch. My legs were really going to give way anytime.. But my friend was rooting for me all the way…. She stays near me and was home early that day. She kept telling me I had done a good and is going to be home soon.
It could also be the day my hair is the messiest from all the cold wind blowed into my face. But, despite being cold and tired, I felt a sense of peace… I plugged my ipod into my ears and was listening to worship songs all the way home. Every step I took, I know I was a step closer to home.
I really never know I could have that much strength even being physically ( not mentally alone). Or actually, I testify that I know God was holding my hand throughout. I felt that for once I had a glimpse of how supernatural courage from God overcomes all physical weakness.

The very night tremors didn’t stopped. But I guess I was already too tired to think further so I “rocked” myself to bed. Very good sleep till 5am in the morning for toilet break and though I better post something on FB..

The rest of sat and sun were very much the same.. tremors going on… food from super-market almost gone. ( check FB for photos again) But thank God I can ( and love to) survive on ice-cream and potato chips. Nah… no worries, I have food stocked up at home and I don’t expect myself to starve to death anytime soon. In fact I just had a good BF at mos burger this morning after discovering the train station was shut. ( first time I ever saw the shutters closed!)

So… right now.. I am living my life by the minute. When it is time to eat, I will. When it is time to bathe I will. As long as I am breathing this minute, I will do the things I can and not wait till the next to regret.
( I say this because we never know when gas and electricity will be cut). Many people say come back to Singapore quick!! But is Singapore really free from all dangers?? No I guess… the point is not to focus on avoiding deaths but to really cherish every min till the moment comes. Our life and death is already written by God even before we are borned. So if the time is already fixed, God help me to make full use of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today.. at 3/15 we are just simply waiting for the instructions for tomorrow. Can we go to the office? Can we go outdoors? Is the train moving.... Many questions fills my otherwise empty mind in the morning now...

Welll, still, tomorrow comes! and Happy Birthday to my dearest Brother!