Christmas Party

Wooh... had a great time celebrating Christmas yesterday... really made up for the sadness I felt for the past few days with people leaving me.

The party was held at Mi-chan's (a Korean lady) house which is like twice bigger than any normal rooms every Yamasa's student was staying at. Well.. after all her company pays for everything she is using now and naturally her things are in better shape than ours. And she sleeps on a proper thick mattress! Envy Evny... haa ok lah, I am pretty use to futons by now.

Anyway, I know about only half of the people the party because most of them are from Mi's class. I kinda know them by their face but not personally. But no worries, we did a quick round of introduction. And really, I can't help but be amazed at how each of us from very different countries, cultures and even continents can come together to learn a common language and even just the simple fact to know each other. This is really one of the most fantastic thing about goig overseas, you get to know more people and cultures all over the world.

Ok, as everyone turned up promptly at Mi's house, we started our first activity of the day. Making dumplings! Yeah, Korean style. (though I think it is very similar to chinese style) But anyway in the end, it was "free style" as cindy promptly puts it. Everyone just kinda wrapped them in any shape they fancy. The finish work was really interesting. There were flat ones, triangular ones, round ones.... super big or super small...

After that was pigging out! Ate until I couldn't move... ah.. and the dumplings were super delicious. No doubt about that.

We had gift exchange next. I got this really great present from Kya-na (Mi's Korean friend). There were 2 beautiful clay pots and a dish for aromatherapy. It comes with a candle and lavendar incense! I was pretty pleased with it. On top of that, must thank Cindy, Alyssa and Mi for buying presents for me too! Ahh.. went home with my hands full. Thanks girls! It was very thoughtful of you all.

Last activity of the day, we watched Polar Express together on Mi's laptop. It wasn't a fantastic show but then the mood was really right for christmas. I enjoyed it nevertheless!

Anyway think we had so much fun yesterday that Mi suggested another gathering before we all start school. Looking forward to it!

Kya-na in Action.. the dumpling Sensei!

Our queer looking dumplings...

The gifts!

A Merry Christmas posting...

Merry Christmas to all!

It's a beautiful morning here as I wake up to a sunny day with clear skies. Well, the weather is still a little too cold for me, my throat still itchy from the cold I caught last week but it is a great day nevertheless!

I got up and called home to wish my family Merry Christmas. Great to hear my mum's cheery voice over the phone. She told me they just had a party at one of my relatives place. So fun! Wish I was there too!

But anyway, it will not be a lonely christmas for me here. I will be going to a friend's house for party later. But of course the main reason for Christmas is not just about finding places to party or wondering what to buy as gifts or what to eat.

The real reason for Christmas is to remember again how Jesus came in flesh 2000 years ago. Born in a manger to be with us. He came with love, only to carry our sins on himself to the cross. As I was thinking about this last night, my heart became really warm again. The past few days hasn't been too great for me, as I have sort of mentioned in my blog. But I see there is no reason for me not to rejoice over Christ's triumph over death! Praise Be to Christ!

Ok... after Christmas I will be expecting Carol from Tokyo. From there, we will be going on a little adventure.. Going Hiroshima I think. But probably just on JR trains and no Shinkansen! It is always something I wanna try.... to just sit in trains for hours and travel like nobody's business. I am doing it!!!

WIll update u all on how it goes!

I need to pack my room badly...

I seriously need to pack my room now... it is in a horrid sight. A big mess.

Clothes strewn over one corner of the room, the other food from Singapore with compliments from my family and cousins who came over. The other, some things I brought back from the Osaka-Kyoto trip. Have to plan the trips I will be going after christmas... sigh seems like i got to do quite a few things...

Maybe becus I played and enjoyed so much these last few days that now I feel weird all over again being in Japan all by myself. Esp when Steph has gone on a trip and not here with me. I suddenly have no one to talk to. My classmates were very nice too. They somehow knew I am feeling sad inside me. Some of them somehow guessed it cus, well... so many people left me all of a sudden yesterday. Thanks to Grace who offered to go out with me this afternoon to cheer me up. She even treated me to a cake set meal at a local cafe. Arigatou!! I really appreciate how you guys are ging out of your way to cheer me up =) Feel so blessed all of a sudden again. I guess I will still feel the loss even for a while more, especially the times when I go home. But it will be over soon. Thank God for the convenience of internet and speedy mail services... of cus, web cams!

Ok better get to doing my things.. going Nagoya to buy some books tomorrow!

A day full of departures...

Dec 21 2004 marks a day full of departures...

Firstly, I sent my dad, brother and cousins to the airport first thing in the morning. We had a really fun week romping in Okazaki, Osaka and Kyoto. But all good things come to an end.. I wonder when will the next time we will meet again since I probably won't be back for Chinese New Year. Anyway, I was really pretty sad when they were queueing up to clear the customs... I just stood there beside the customs as I slowly saw their backs disappear...

Ok.. made my way back home and had a sleep... I was so tired from the trip especially when I was having cough and diarrhea for a few days.. ok... slept a while till 1pm. Then got up to do something for my friend who is leaving...

4pm: Suddenly got a phonecall from another to say that Shaggy is leaving Okazaki today! I got a shock cus I thought he was only leaving tomorrow. Turns out he was taking the train to Tokyo tonight so as to catch the early plane home tomorrow. Anyway, my friend said that Shaggy came to look for me but I wasn't in. Oh my god... I only went out for a mere 5 mins to look for someone... I really panic... cus I want to pass him something. I called another friend and told him to call Shaggy while I rush off to school. (heard he went there to say bye to the teachers)
Thank God before I hopped onto my bike, Shaggy called me so we arranged to meet in school. Told him I will be there in 5 mins. I really never cycled so fast in my whole life. I didn't even care if I will get into an accident, just wanted to be in school fast.

Ok side-track... but it was really quite funny when the people from the office was after him with a stack of bills and also he didn't cancel his phoneline. I smiled to myself. This is the Shaggy I always know, he would be stumped for an answer and then laughed out loud at his own silliness.

It wasn't really an emotional farewell but then I could feel the tears surging out. Thought we only knew each other for barely 3 months but he was really a nice friend and also was part of the numerous good memories I have of Okazaki. He is just someone I really like a lot and also treasure so much as a friend. Tears flowed down my cheeks when he gave me a hug. Sigh... really don't want to let go of him. Perhaps it is just the feeling of everyone leaving at one go... it feels really lousy. But of course he had to say good bye to other people so well had to let him go.

Ok... finally all the good byes and all his friends are gone. Only left both of us. Wanted to walk with him to the station but he insists that I go home. Says that he will be alone for the next few days so he will be alright. Another rush of fresh tears coming out. Ok... I bear with it. He promises he will come Singapore for a visit. I stand there in the cold for a few seconds as his back disappears into the dark. At this juncture, I feel really terrible inside me. It is like a very sad feeling to see him going off alone by himself. Regretted it. Should have insist on going to the station with him. I swallowed my tear. hiazz... he is gone.

I was walking slowly home when I got a call from Shaggy again. He wanted to pass his room keys to me. Ok.. I hop on my bike and went down to the station. One last look and last long hug from my dear friend. This is really the very last of him as we say our good byes and then one last photo taken of him till he finally goes to take the train.

I really hate this feeling... the feeling of seeing people leave. It really feels so bad especially when you don't know when is the next time you will see them again. Another friend of mine leaving to go Tokyo soon. Sighz... cannot take it...

To my dear friend Shaggy: Hey you said you will be reading my blog and writing down your comments. Remember to do so! I will surely miss you greatly. You better email me quick before I flood yours! Take good care and till then when I see you again.

Christmas Cookies Making Party

We had a christmas cookies making party yestersday and lots of fun exchanging presents and simply digging into the sumptous potluck. It is this early cus I will leaving for a short holiday with my family who is coming next week. After that Steph will be leaving...

Anyway look at some of my creation! Ok Cindy made half of it too...

Our little Park... Notice everything is in pairs??

Our names! Karen, Stephy and Cindy

The little bears we made!

Ok... obviously I ain't that good at making beautiful cookies. Just weird and funny looking ones. Hee... But anyway, I was beaten up by Alyssa yesterday for eating one of her cookies. Argghh... that hurts!

Ok..11 plus time to go home when Mi (oh... a Korean lady who join us too) Couldn't find her bicycle key. It was so funny when she told Cindy that she needed a knife (to cut the wire) and Cindy held up a jam knife, "This one ok" Both Mi and I was stunned for 3 seconds and we burst out laughing!! Jam knife to cut the chain?? See, that's Cindy, so blur and cute. Ok, fortunately we bumped into Brandon who was outside for a smoke, he lent her his extra bike. But of course, he had to pump it and all.

Ahh.. finally reach home. Was going past Shaggy's room when I saw a mysterious figure peering into his room thru the mailbox hole. Ah, it's Owen again. He is always doing weird things.. haa. He just finished a round of drinks with Jan and thus came to look for Shaggy. So 3 of us starting chatting for a while outside Shaggy's door and they ate some of my weird cookies. Both of them were laughing at how funny it turned out to be...

Was about to reach my door when I saw something sitting in front of it. It was a big soft toy and I got a shock. What is that thing doing there? Pick it up, no note, no name... Strange. Did anyone left it behind? Look around again, no one in sight. ?? I went to look for Shaggy and Owen and they told me it was from Jan. Strange.... but that thing is lying on my table now...

Ok... too tired to do anything... sleepzzz...

Mega Shopping Trip!!

It's friday again and time to go shopping! Just went Nagoya last Sunday for Miyazaki's latest movie, Howl's Moving Castle with Steph, Alyssa and Cindy. It's was really a great despite us only understanding part of it cus it was totally in Japanese without subtitles. But well... animation means the main point is the illustrations and for me, Takuya Kimura's voice and the absolutely breath-taking soundtrack. It is most frequently played on my WMA nowadays...

Anyway, I met up with Cindy to go shopping together (she's the Taiwanese girl in our group) We went down to Sakae, another shopping area in Nagoya. It somehows reminds me a little of Shibuya with a few major shopping stores and then plenty of little stores selling differentiated products.

Our first stop was Uniqlo which prompted Cindy to buy 3 jackets? and I think 2 tops, a few scarves... socks.. Her basket was already spilling over with clothes but her hands still cannot stop. We went over every shelf trying on almost everything. I din buy much tho cus I just went Uniqlo about 2 weeks ago? But Cindy and I bought the same red jacket to wear the Christmas Cookies-making party the next day. Ok... time check. WHAT??!! 1.5 hours in that small shop?? Oh my gawd, terrible time management. Cannot.. must move on soon.

Move a few steps and we were sweeped in this small shop that sells speciality goods. Cute clocks, rugs... any things.. and everything looked so amazing that the whole routine of going thru shelves were repeated... Cindy bought some stuff there. I managed to stop my hands from digging for my wallet.

wah.. time check again. 5+.. the day outside is dark. We were debating whether to go Nagoya or not. Cindy still wanna shop. Me too.. so we continue to walk down the streets when my eyes caught Haagen Daz. I muttered under my breath, "Haagen Daz". The next thing I knew, Ice-cream Fanatic Cindy grabbed my hand, dash across the flashing green-man street and I was ordering a sundae at the counter. Cindy simply love ice-cream and she couldn't resist it. I should have knew that...

Ahh.... satisfy from the heavy dosage of ice-cream and chocolate. We walked past Starbucks and Cindy wanted to buy a latte which she said will be her dinner. Ok... went in and saw this small flask which both us like a lot. I bought it for the gift exchange at the party.

Walked again... Once again. my sharp eye (for food perhaps) caught the small and unassuming sign board that says "Okinawa Cuisine". Wow interesting, Cindy went over to look at the menu and viola! We were in the shop happily tucking into the food. So much about the latte being her dinner...

Ok.. really full and cannot make it le... getting late. We zoomed of to Zara. Was another round of madness trying on clothes and shoes.

Ok, Cindy bought a pair of pants and boots. It was 8.45pm already! Oh my god... Thank God steph had Grace to accompany her home. We wanted to get Hard disk so we had to zoomed to Nagoya next. Couldn't make it to the Computer store in time so dashed across the road to Big Camera. Just in time for closing.. Bought our hard disk at at bargin!

Ahh.... by this time we were really super tired. Especially when we had to lug so many shopping bags home. Mostly Cindy's I must emphasis. I think we are really super "cold" when we are together. As in cold jokes. The whole train was practically quiet cus it was filled with working people home. Only our occassional squeals and shrills created some noise there.

I walked Cindy all the way home cus her basket cannot contain everything. Had a good chat all the way home and was talking about our own stuff, our classmates, people... not gossiping, just plain sharing thoughts.

Looking forward to more before Cindy goes to Tokyo next year!!

Okinawa Food! Yumz Yumz.. Chompz Chompz.. Drooooool....

Matching Jackets

Mega Mega Shopping Bags!

Noise Noise and noise

Didn't have a very good sleep yesterday night. That was because there 2 parties going on where I stayed.
8.45pm: Firstly, I was about to go and do my laundry when Shaggy came knocking on my door. Ok, let him in and we chatted for about an hour plus till nearly 10. When he finally went off, I did the tedious chore of packing my clothes all into 2 bags and then on my bike, ride to the laundry shop some distance away. It was possible to wash clothes at the villa but the dryer wasn't working well. Sigh...

10pm: Ok sat at the laundry shop for an hour waiting for the clothes to be done. Met the care-taker of the student village and he sat down to chat with me for about another 30 mins. He was really a very kind and nice old uncle. He was telling me how to study Japanese and how I could improve my conversation skills. Also told me that I could go look for him any time I have problems in my Japanese. Think he is a pretty well travelled person, was telling me bits and pieces of his experience in US, in companies... And the best thing was he wasn't doing a monologue, he was asking me questions and encouraging me to speak in Japanese more.

11.10am: Back home.... was about to pack the clothes and then sleep. Then saw Owen at the party at my place. Arranged with him to come over to see photos.

11.40pm: But waited for half an hour and he didn't turn up. Ok... want to sleep already. But ok, I dun think i could get to sleep anyway. My neighbour, party queen Anna was making a din in her room as usual. Her friends are all over and screaming and talking at the top of their voices. I am ok with that actually cause she is a pretty nice girl and we get along well. But well at near 12am in the morning... hmm....

The people from the party were also standing around the areas outside our rooms. some obviously pretty drank, some smoking.. sigh.. for a min I thought I will go crazy from the noise. At that, the door bell sounded. Owen. Opened the door and I was greeted by a loud "hello" and a hug. *sigh* this boy. Wanted to tell him off but ok, forgive him. He just went on and on about the party while laughing at the KTV photos.

12.10am: Finished the photos... the people from the party are going KTV. So came to ask me along... Nah.. I am already in my sleeping attire. Owen insists I put on some clothes and go with him. Nope... rejected him and chased him out of the room.

12.30pm: ok... finish with some things I want to do and ready to sleep. off lights. Lay in bed and hear Anna and friends' chatter

1.00am: Still rolling about and flipping. Anna still partying...

1.40pm: Noises begin to die down slowly...

Sigh.... I dread friday at times cus I know everyone is out partying. Can't imagine when the JLPT is over this Sunday. More partying I guess. Next week have another party... till then.

Winter is late but surely creeping here....

This year's winter is apparently going to be a little later than usual. It's December 1st today and yet the autumn leaves are only about 85% red. In any case, autumn is really beautiful. It is so amazing to see the usual green leaves bursting into splashes of red, yellow, orange and even pinkish everywhere. Autumn is great cus it is cooling and strolling on the streets by yourself is such a fantastic experience, provided the weather is not too cold or windy.

Anyway, I went to Koran Kei, (pronounced as xiang1 lan2 xi1 in chinese) last Sunday. It is a roughly 1.5 hours journey from where I stay. It is supposedly very famous for their beautiful lakes, streams and of course maple leaves. Indeed, it was breath-taking. Except that there were so many people around. Not just Japanese but people from all over the world coming together to admire the scenery. Shan't say much about it. Let the pictures do the talking =)

More pictures of KTV

Ok... I was looking through the pictures taken at the KTv and decided this shall just be a blog on pictures! The pictures are just so funny and every time I looked at them, I just find myself laughing all over again. A pity I don't know how to post videos clips yet...

A few of my favourites....

The guys.... they are really bakkas... =)

The girls!! and all not payin much attention to the camera

Each of our stupid... crazy.. funny looks..

Jan and myself. Was freezing outside by then...

The guys putting up a really good performance. They were super high that night.

Now... the girls in action...

Shaggy and his solo debut. He was just singing in his own world...

That's taken by Owen of both of us!

STephy and me!

Shaggy, my all time favourite =)

Jan... he was cursing like mad when he saw this picture. Continue to curse Jan-kun..

It's fabulous, It's fantastic, It's class H at KTV!

WOoh.... I hadn't had such a great time relaxing for a long time. It was wooh....ahhhh, it was just laughing your heart out, it was singing and screaming till your lungs couldn't expand any larger, it was swaying your arms and body till it ached... it was simply going wild!

Ok... we had a test last thursday. We usually have a small celebration after test and so far it has been at someone's house for dinner. So thought it will be great to go for buffet together at the grill opposite my house. That was where we went last week , (with steph and casslyn). The food there is great! Variety... cooked and uncooked, sushi... grill beef!! I love it. The only little drawback was that we could only eat there for 90 mins.

Ok so 7 of us turn up... There is Steph, Reka (the girl from Hungary), Grace (Taiwanese) and the 3 guys, Owen, Jan and Shaggy. Of coure not forgetting yours truly... Dinner was a lot of laughter and taking pictures. Yeah.. it was kinda funny, all the girls had a camera with them and we were all just acting like typical japanese. Snapping pictures in all kinds of poses like there is no tomorrow. Oh well... the guys were also drinking beer like there is no tomorrow like they also do.

Ok.. 90 mins up. And the guys apparently haven't had enough fun. Perhaps just getting high from the beer. So they suggested going to KTV. Actually, we have been thinking about going to KTV together for some time since I always tell them that Steph and I go KTV very often...

Ok KTV... the first 10 mins or so was just settling down and getting our drinks...

And then the guys were mad... for a while I was just so amazed at how guys can get so high from singing. All of three were just jumping to and fro the sofas raving and ranting while the girls sat in a corner with our jaws half dropped from shock and laughter. For a moment, as I told Steph, I felt this was like a hen party. Like someone was getting married the next day and thus engaged some male g*****s to entertain them. Eh... sorry, don't think too far or deep. It was just a fleeting thought.

But of course, being seasoned KTV queens, ( as I discovered everyone is!!) we quickly recovered from our shock and join in the fun. There were moments of just plain laughing till your stomache aches to mass dance when singing the song Y.M.C.A. It was amazing. Everybody stood up, the guys still on the sofa and in unison, chorused the song with actions in perfect timing. Songs somehow I realised, has the ability to merged nations with even very different cultures. I was particularly amused at the song "Tonari No Totoro" (hey mengwei your fave anime!) The guys just mumbled thru the song when they got to the chorus, they were shouting the song like nobody's business.

Yeah... everyone truly had a good time. Even though the girls didn't drink at all, I would say all of us were also feeling high from having a good time just partying putting the books aside.

I think I can't say enough to describe what happened that night. But over all, had a good time. Finally, we left at 2am in the morning. It was sooo cold. My fingers turn purple because I forgot the gloves. But it was a fresh experience strolling in the streets of Japan in the wee hours of the morning. As Jan, Shaggy and I were going up the slop home together, both of them agreed too that they had not relaxed for a long while such like this. Perhaps the stress of taking JLPT soon...

Ok.. pictures speak a thousand words. No offence, it is just for fun =)

That's all of us at the restaurant.

I like this picture! Everyone's doing something different..

Ok... the guys going cranky and holding a live performance in the room.

That's us singing together ..

Ok.. finally a class picture with our "form teacher". Shaggy and Marlene is absent from the photo. It was taken the next day after our KTV

The battle lost...

Yes... I lost the battle against the icy cold empire. It happened in the wee hours in the morning... 2am to be exact. I was flipping in my bed for 2 hours before declaring surrender. Got up, in my half-sleeping mode, half frozen, scanned thru my drawer, got out the controller and...

switched on the heater for the first time....

I lost! Hey it is only autumn. This phrase ran through my mind at least a thousand times. I told myself that I must learn to tolerate or I will suffer in winter. Poor from paying electricity bills. But... when my beauty sleep is threaten, something is very wrong here. Sleeping is my greatest past time... can be a light sleeper at times but never lost sleep becus I was too cold. Except during XA days when we had to sleep on cold floors with a thin sleeping bag underneath.

All said and done. I couldn't figure how to on the heater for a good 5 mins! When I finally did, I carried my pillow and blanket, one by one, still with both eyes close, "toasted" it hot under the heater becus settling back to bed again.

As you can expect, the next day in school was me the walking corpse. I was super sleepy.
After school, I promptly marched to Jusco without delay and bought a electric blanket. Yes, it is pink, matches my bedsheets.

Now... I sleep like a queen again. A queen in the sty that is. hee.. The blanket just works wonders! I put it just under myself and it warms my bed in an instant. No more sleepless, shivering nights. And yes... I decided to use the heater after all. heck winter or autumn. Right now I am bathing under the warm heat from it. Shiawase!

My super electric blanket. ..it's only so thin but it brings me warmth and comfort!

Brr... Brr....

The weather is getting colder and colder... Now I can't even sit on the floor with putting a fleece mat under my butt or walk around the room with my bed room slippers on. Going to the toilet is a torture as I have to sit on a cold toilet bowl. Yes... I shall buy a seat cover very very soon. In fact anytime I can go to the store tomorrow.

I am contemplating wearing my thick coat with my mufflers and gloves.. But each time, I only decide to wear either 1 or 2 out of the 3 things mention. Why? eehh... dun wanna suffer embarassment from the locals. It's only autumn!! and I am freezing already. Dun know how when winter comes. Especially in January when the weather is at its all time low. Suddenly at this junction I recall how one of my friends Alyssa from US will echo..."Poor Singaporeans" followed by her girlish giggles.. haaaa

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Have a conversation test tomorrow. As usual, have to memorise this script. But this time it is a little different, we don't know who our partners and also we can say things that are out of the script. Meaning, though we can memorise a set of information but eventually, our partners will probably ask something that is out of the script. And precisely because we don't know who our partners are, we cannot pre-empt them and tell them exactly what they should ask.

Sigh... I hate doing such exercises... and I am even more sianz at the thought of the compulsory speech competition next year. Yea.. I am already thinking of trying to siam it now.. hee.. any good suggestions?

Politcally Correct, Politically Incorrect and Eligible Candidates

Hmm... perhaps I should start another 2 blogs soon as suggested by the title. Why? Cus my dad reads my blog! "Hi Dad!" *winks innocently...*

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It all happened when I called home one day and I was chatting happily with my dad about my happenings here. Then, just as we are about the round up the call, he went, "By the way, you are still going to Karaoke?? Hey you better study hard and play less!" For a second I stoned there... I was thinking hard in my mind, "how on earth did he know that? I mean it is not like I want to keep it from my dad or what, but news spread so fast meh? I thought I only wrote it on my blog..." Oh yes... that is the answer. My dad replied yeah, I read you blog. He chuckled and was like if you don't want anyone to know, don't publish it. Bikuri shita. (i.e shocked) He actually took time to read my messy diary. Ok... I better watch my words...

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Forgot about that incident. I continue to be as truthful and as PIC as ever. Then I called home again last night... my dad again... same thing... talk talk talk and then he pops a question, "hey where was that you said you went the last weekend? You got out of your city?" Once again, the same situation, the same thoughts rush into my mind. How come he knows I went exploring the town?? This time he offered the answer quick and straight forward. " Oh I read your blog".

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Conclusion: My dad reads this blog pretty often and he takes everything I say so seriously. Better start to watch my words.

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Why eligible candidates? It is a request for many of you out there who are keen on having either Japanese or foreign boyfriends and girlfriends. Heh... the only condition being, I get to choose first. heeeeeeeeeeeeee

Pruning is done

Pruning is done! I got a new hair cut!

I got various comments from different regarding my new look. Some say it is not obvious because I still have my shoulder length hair, some say it is obvious cus my hair is very layered. Some say I look more Japanese now! Well well... I don't know about that myself. At first I thought it just looked about the same as before but then after observing myself in the mirror for a few days, I am beginning to notice some difference. In Okazaki ( I dun dare to claim it for the whole of Japan), the layered look is in the in look. It is not like what you see in Singapore but really very layered style. Usually, the stylist will cut the hair pretty short, leaving a moderate thickness trail of "tail" at the back of your hair. Hard to describe but in a nut shell, from the front, it looks as if my hair was shorter than shoulder length but actually, there is still another trail at the back of the head.

I am pretty surprised too that my hair is not as "qiao" (i.e curling outwards) as it used to be. So while I still have to blow it every morning, it is quite a easy job.

But anyway the visit to the salon was quite a funny one. Firstly, the stylist sat me down and tried to ask me what style I liked. And well, my Japanese is really mediocre so half of the time I don't know what he was saying. Plus... he used some hair terms here and there. Imagine saying layered in Chinese?? You get the point? It is just nothing I would have learnt in the textbooks.
So I told him that my Japanese is at the "cannot make it stage" so show me pictures... but he wasn't satisfied with any of the pictures he could find. Ok so after 10 mins of discussion, I got pretty fed up (with myself) so I told him "dozou, enryo shinai" literally meaning, "go ahead without any reservations". He thought that was a funny comment though cus he was laughing after that. Well, he said that I've got nice soft hair though. Haa.. all thanks to Steph and her recommendation of Ma Cherie super conditioner! (tt's under Shiseido btw)

Anyway, it is just a total different experience you get in Singapore. There are endless greetings they will say, eg, after the shampoo girl washed my hair, she was like "otsukare samadeshita" i.e you have been tired (i think...) and all the workers in the shop chorused after her. It is the same when someone enters or leaves the salon. I also got to try having my hair washed by a machine. Still prefer the human hands though, can get free massage.. haa..

Ok let me try this before and after thingie... Eh... my hair is not well blown cus it is sleeping time le...

Before...

The shorter part of my hair...



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A Busy Weekend

We had a test last wednesday so this weekend my friends and I decided that it is off-day for us. Off books and also perhaps some adventure and exploring...

Ok first we went to the eastern part of the city. We went to uni qlo first cus we decided that we needed some more clothes for the season. Uniqlo is something like Singapore's giordano. Cheap and good! A long sleeve turtle-neck can be as low as $15. It has a large variety of colours and sizes so really, a good place to shop for most people. Ok... did our shopping in a pretty fast pace. I would say we only took 45 mins! It was really a great improvement from the first time I went there.... I think took a hour plus.. or 2... not sure.

By then it was about 3 plus.... so we went to the cafe beside to have some rest and cakes. It was pretty nice place. Not too ex but looks pretty high-class... I ate a chocolate cake kind of cake. Yes.. it tastes chocolate but with other things too. And we decided we shan't go home! Another fren suggested going to the northern part of the city where there is another big departmental store.

We thought of trying to save money as well as to kill time so we walked down the road.( the bus comes at a half hourly interval) Every 1 bus stop can save you about 30-60 yen?! we walked a few stops and we ended up at the main terminal in east Okazaki. Great... tt's where we need to take the bus anyway, so hopped on the one that took us to the Apita store.

The supermarket was pretty big. Like the Jusco we have in our town but... Apita was really cheaper! and lots of food sampling! No wonder people always say if you are hungry and have no money to eat, just go a few rounds in the super market. We ate some "guo tie" thingie and it was Umai! Delicious! so bot 2 packs... (i figured we probably wun go back there so soon) There were so many things to eat, all kinds of timsum.. even the fried food. The next best thing we ate was the salad prawn. Really very tempted to buy. But then... the thought of taking everything home was a little intimidating. So we left it as it is...

Ok By the time we left it was about 5.30pm. Very early I know but it feels very late in Japan especially when the sunset that day was 4.48pm. So we caught a bus back and decided we wanted to go Kaiten Sushi. (i.e sushi on conveyor belt. 105 yen each plate). Ha... I really like that place actually cus I love the Zaru Soba and also the Ebi Fry... We ate till about 8+... chatting about things and we decided it was not enough. So each of us went back to our homes to put our things down and Steph and Casslyn.. (yes the other Singaporean) went to get some drinks and then came to my house...

Was drinking half way then suddenly Casslyn pointed to the direction of my Tv and she was like "hey hey hey!! look!" So Steph and I stared hard at the Tv and the TV's surroundings... Nothing wad.. what's up? Just then, I saw a face just right outside my room peering in. Wah! I got a shocked. Really. Just staring in right from the window.

Ok no worries. It wasn't any Hen Na Hito. (i.e weird person) It was Owen the big kid. Haa.. he came to look for Shaggy and saw our lights on so came over to disturb us. We wanted to get him to come in to join us but he had a marathon race today. Hope it was good!

Ok... so chatting and eating and drinking... all the night. I think we never toked so much about ourselves before... Haa... i think was the atmosphere. But it was great. It has been a long time since I have sat down to talk to someone so much about myself and I'm sure Steph and Cass can say the same thing too. We just talked about childhood...sec school...jc...Uni , our friends, our families, our relationships... and also about current happenings in Japan.

Thanks girls! Great time spent with u all! And also sorry to make u all come all the way to my room and then bear the cold back.. =) Mata Kon do!

Traces of our merry-making session...

First Love...

How does it feel to meet your first love again after many years when you are married and happily settled down. Will you feel nostalgic especially when you realised that this person has never stopped loving you?

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Hmm... I wonder about this too.. What will it be like to meet "him" again after many years. Who is that "him"? I still don't know.. hee

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The tempting heart is one of my all time favourite soundtrack. The songs are all very soothing, nice and most of all. It is really a heart wrenching album. Every note, every tune draws your breath along with it and it is as if you could hear every word and see every scene with your own eyes. I love this last track especially. The last scene where the middle age Hao Jun sends the middle age Xiaorou off to the airport. You could hear the "yi yi bu she" in their conversation. Their dialogues that is though simple but containing much unwillingness to part and perhaps regret. Or maybe it is just simply wishing each other well...

The part where Xiaorou opens the box given by Hao Jun was especially touching cus it contains photos of the sky which was taken during the times he missed her. There were so many of them and each was clearly dated, right up till the recent years. That was when she realised he never forgotten about her.

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Dreamy dreamy dreamy... I love this show. Not for the storyline nor the cast. (yes I adore Takeshi Kaneshiro) but much more for how it just conveys so much emotions with its simple lines and actions. Life is just so funny. No matter how hard or how much you do, there are bound to be some people you try your whole life to forget. Quoting from the article from Serene's page. If you trying hard to forget someone, then sorry, you are at the same time remembering the person hard too.

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Ok... just my thoughts of the day. Listen to the whole song if ya have time ok? And then think of the somebody you are trying hard to forget... =)

Reality Check

Erm... in respond to the emails I got. Hey people I am ok! Fine! No Problems! =) Blogs are just some kind of diary u keep online and sometimes posts are written on the spur of the moment of whatever comes to your mind. It could be because of a sad song you heard, something you read or watched. or simply inspiration by someone? Well life can't be all that smooth and rosy... bound to have some rough patches and yes, a blog should well reflect that too. In fact, this blog, I read it myself most of the time. It reminds me of what I have done

Btw, it is me, Karen you are talking about. If you know me enough, I am someone who (literally translation) take the sky as a blanket when it falls down on me. I am highly boh chup to the things happening around me unless it concerns me big time. Of cus, I can be ba gua at times. That is if the news is juicy. But relax, I have my moods too, take it that I just got stung by a bee when strolling in the garden. It is painful yah, but just a small bee mah, I will get it treated then continue to stroll and enjoy the scenery...

Yeh in fact so far, I think I am considered very fortunate already. I have made quite a lot of friends and they are really nice. I mean it with all my heart. Just that day, I was feeling very tired from class and apparently quite quiet. And one of my classmates came up to me. He was like "hey karen are you alright? Can I do anything for you? Just tell me and I will do it." (Singaporeans guys: learn how gentle europeans guys can be! hee) I was a little surprised.. but anyway ok, I sent him to clear the spider web newly woven just outside my window. Hee... so mr superman went and it was done when I went home later that day. Thanks Jan!!

Same Song?

Ever wondered or think that Faye Wong's "Sky" sounds like Stefanie Sun's "Kite"? Or at least feel that there is a similar emotional thread running through them?

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It's November 7th 2004, 9.12am in Japan now. Oh is it Kit's Bday. Happy Birthday!

Subconciously... perhaps I know it so well at the back of my mind, I have been here for a month. Except for the frequent calls home and several mails from one or 2 friends, I think I have kinda lost touch with Singapore... the happenings, the people I know, the latest hits in town...

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I think I am learning to let go of things and just let them be. Let them happen. It's like that kite... I am going to let you go and if you ever bother to turn back. Tell me if it is beautiful up there in the sky.

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First birthday in Japan...

The first thing went I got to school was to be greeted by 2 staff of the school. They wanted to pass me some X-ray thing. And one of them was like "Ah Karen san! It's your birthday today isn't it? Happy Birthday!" I was not very shocked actually... Cus the staff at our school just seems to have fantastic memories. You can ask Steph. It's not just me and her. But anytime we stepped into the office to either collect our mail or to need some help in our rooms, we never had to say our names, they remember it! They even remember where we are staying... I am truly amazed. So I am not surprised either that they remember our birthdays.

Then first lesson in class, the teacher passed me a card from all the teachers teaching our class. Hmm... ok expected that too cus Steph got one from them on her birthday last week. But... the teachers are really very "ba gua". 2 out of the 4 teachers wrote something like who am I going to spend my birthday with... and of course I know they are specifically referring to someone. But pls lor...sighzz

At night, went for a gathering at my friend's house and some of my classmates came along. It was party night that day cus the next day was a public holiday. Everyone was out partying somewhere and we too! Had a steamboat party. Was pretty fun with all the people around.. Steph, Ying- Jie (another singaporean), Cindy and Alyssa and from my class, Owen, Shaggy and Reka. But then, really feel a little guilty towards Ying -jie cus her electricity kept tripping. It must be becus we were using too much power at one go. (We had 2 pots at first) It was just so relaxing and fun sitting around with Owen entertaining us with his endless antics.

Then came the cake! Well... I kinda knew there was going to be a cake cus well it was a birthday after all. But still, it was pretty a surprise when Steph and some of the girls suddenly came thru the door with the lights off and a lit cake. It was a delicious cake! I love it cus it had so many strawberries on it! And well Mr Owen went a little crazy when he came over to give me a hug. Ahh... I couldn't shrug him off ( and truly I wanted to cus I couldn't breathe le!) Typical American Boy as Alyssa puts it. He tried to plant a kiss on my cheek too, to which I was quick enough to dodge. It was so funny when he was mumbling to himself after that, " I thought it was just the perfect thing to do at that moment.." Haa... sorry Owen, it is a conservative Asian you are talking about. =)

Thanks to all who made the effort for the party! Especially Steph and Cindy who had to cycle on one bicycle only up and down the slope. Hope ya guys had fun too!

Anyway, I walked with Reka back to the student village and yes as expected there was a party going on. The senseis were there too. Apparently this same grp of senseis are also teaching another few classes. They saw me and suddenly I was greeted by a chorus of Happy Birthday by the senseis and the students. Ok this is a bit shocking... I just stood there and was a little dumbfounded. Miki sensei was then asking me who was at my party so I was like ehh... Reka San, Theodoru san... and that sparked the ba gua-ness in her. She was like wahhhh!!! Then I had to explain it wasn't just him, a lot of others was around. But she just kept giving me that "hee, I know something is going on look." See, the senseis are so ba gua. And then met another male sensei or ours and apparently he is a little high from drinking. That's the culture here. In class we are students and teacher relationship. After class, everyone can come together to drink and play.

Party at Ying Jie's Place

The Cute Girls

Owen the Crazy Guy in Action

Birthday Surprises

Wanted to write this on my birthday itself but due to some virus attack, I couldn't post any thing here. But now it's fine, I had just formatted my lappie.

Firstly, I was really really delighted to receive a phone call from one of my best buds in Singapore. Thanks chunz! I was really glad to hear your voice! It's like so refreshing and comforting especially when you are away in a foreign place on your birthday. Though we only spoke for near an hour, I already felt like I was pouring all about my life here to her and the only regret is if only you are here, to let me show you personally my live and the people I have been telling you about. It's really one of the best thing I receive and I am so blessed by it! =)

After that I went online and saw another good friend of mine. I haven't spoke to her in ages. Yes it felt like ages because for the whole month I was here, we didn't get to email or meet online. I was so glad to see you, especially after what you shared with me and reminded me of God's goodness. Thanks Peiling! I will remember that in my heart and seek to pursue a more intimate relationship with God. I know I am not alone here! Thanks for the timely reminder!

Yet another new skin

Seems like I am changing and still changing skins for the past few days... Hmm this one should be the final one till the mood to change comes again. I am rather sick of fanciful skins that doesn't allow space for tag boards or allow one to read my blogs properly. so here's it. simple and easy. But wait a min, this time is my first attempt at editing the whole blog by myself... adding in the songs and stuff. Wooh steph, u better be proud of me. (tho I am really super slow in this stuff)...

Frustrated... Fan ah

Yeh.. I writing this blog now when I should be sitting at my desk studying for tommorrow's lesson or even to revise what has been taught today. I don't know too... Just a unknown source of frustration inside me now. It is strange. I should be feeling happy and anticipating tomorrow to come cus it is my birthday after all. No I am not the least excited...

Maybe cus I am looking to cards many cards! to come from home? But none so far, except one of 2 from a friend. Hiazz... It is so true that once a person is physically out of sight, he/she is also mentally out of sight? Perhaps so... I began to really believe that all that is said about keeping in contact close touch etc is really just words. It is so hard to actually carry it out. I think perhaps even I can't really live up to it too... Of course each of us have and is leading our own lives, is busy with surviving the harsh world. MW told me not to have too much expectations. I hope he doesn't mean I have to interprete it as don't expect anything.

Ok I am better stop before this becomes a complain forum. I think I am a pretty demanding person... I shared this with some people before and I guess I still can't shake that part of me off.

My Blog is Up again

My blog is finally up and running again. Thanks to Steph for her help!! It finally has a new skin that allows others to see pictures clearly... Yet I think cannot leave comments at the side due to the space. I will see what I can do though. But continue to come in and read my latest happenings. But I better go and make more friends... I think I will really get bored very fast when my number one entertainer Shaggy goes home. And yes, of course I got some really funny pictures of him again.

Please kindly ignore the third finger. I am so sorry to post this here but then, just for the funny effect.

The story goes like this. Shaggy came to my room one fine afternoon asking for help with his makeup cus he is going for this party with Owen ( the other funny guy). I was like what? What can I do to help? He want to dress up as a punk. I told him I don't know what I can do but he is to come and let me take a look at him before he goes off. He comes back an hour later with his hair failing to stand up. And I am like, "please you just look yourself..." Disappointed, Shaggy comes into my room and we started surfing the net for more ideas. And then the disaster took place. Haa... I tie up his hair like a TV antena and also some of the eye shadow. I was like laughing like mad all the way. He is also a very good sport. Just let me have my way. So a disaster or successful punk? You decide...

Mini Revamp

My room went thru a min revamp over the weekend. Now I have new sheets, new cushions, a mini table to eat and also a curtain to separate my kitchen from the main room! Yeah spent a small sum of money on it. But then I figured I will be here for the next 1 year or so… and also, treat myself for my birthday from home this year! I am pretty please with the changes so… am still working towards a cosy little nest.Probably might buy more cushions or some little toys here and there.

My new pink bedsheets and Hello Kitty Cushion!

I bot a new bag too. Err… a violet Nike bag. It is big enough for me to bring to school and also waterproof! Especially in this land of rising sun with consistent falling rain.

The Conversation Test that went Bonkers

Our class was supposed to have test for all the 4 periods. It consists of listening, writing and finally conversation. As for the conversation part, it was pretty easy to handle. We had to first do a small excercise to introduce our own country and then finally put it into proper sentences and of course memorise it. Since there were 2 characters in the conversation(one to introduce the country, the other to listen and ask questions), all of us had to go into the test room twice, each time playing a differentcharacter with a different partner. Well... of course, somehow, the teachers chose to put us with our usual partners and needless to say my partners are Owen and Shaggy. Initially I was pretty worried actually cus Shaggy didn’t come to school the day before and yeah, we din have much opportunities to practice together. And he kept giving funny answers. I was warning him again and again that he is NOT supposed to say anything funny to make me laugh. Ok the real thing. The segment with Owen was great! It was so smooth and with so much expression that the teacher stood up and shouted “Great job!” in Japanese. I could feel it was good cus Owen is a really good conversationalist. He led the way through the whole test. Now with Shaggy… It probably ain’t a surprise but yes, I actually burst out laffing at him upon saying the first sentence. And really, believe me, I tried so hard to bear with him but when I saw his face, I couldn’t help it. In my heart I was silently shouting "stop it! It's a test!" And cus the whole test is recorded, the teacher had to stop the tape and wait for me to finish laughing before we got started again. The teacher just stared blankly at both of us trying to stifle our laughter. It is not so good but nevertheless it was great fun and experience!

May I know your Blood Group pls?

I watched a super hilarious Japanese show on TV last week. It features on how people from different blood groups will react when put into the same situations. Well, to a certain extent, I thought this was pretty useless cus besides the blood groups, we have to take a lot of other factors into account, like age, gender etc... But well... it was very entertaining. I happened to be watching it with Steph and 3 other girls, and I think we could have jolly laugh the whole building down with our volume. Fortunately, the girl's (whose room we went to) neighbour wasn't in and the other had her stereo on.
Ok I didn't catch the first segment. But the second was like this. A group of kids were divided into classes of their blood groups. So there were about 10 plus children in each class all about 5-6 years old?! A teacher will walk into class with a tray of cakes which after a while, she suddenly had to go and attend to an urgent matter. Before she goes off, she tells them that the cakes will be shared in class later on; no one is supposed to eat it until she is back. However, just as she goes out, another male teacher comes in and he grabs one cake and pop it straight into his mouth. He realises that he was not supposed to eat it and he promises to buy one to replace it. So this is how the kids reacted! How about u??
AB group: They agreed to keep it a secret. And one kid even shouted 1,2,3 and together, they shouted " We are not going to say anything!" in unison. It was so funny cus nobody prompted them to say that. However, when the first teacher came back, one kid stood up immediately to tell the teacher who ate it.

O group: The most righteous group apparently as the show says. (hee I am a O!) They refuse to comply with the 2nd teacher and they told the teacher immediately that the male teacher took the cake.
B group: The noisest and most violent group! Haaa most of the children. Except 1 or 2 rushed up to the teacher and attempted to stop him by beating him and ranting at him. Of course, it was not serious fighting cus the children were screaming and laughing at the same time. I guess they meant to protect it but ended up laughing and playing more.

A Group: This is the best of all. The also agreed to keep it a secret. So when the teacher came in, they all started shouting “We don't know! We don't know!" Then one kid even told the teacher that he saw the cake walking out of the room by itself which other kids jumped in immediately to agree with him. The teacher played on with them and she was like,"The cake grew legs and walked out on its own?" And the kids all were like "yah! Yah! Yah!"... wah.. I tell you, we were really defeated. By then the few of us watching were already rolling on the floor with tears streaming in our eyes from laughing too hard

Ok there were other tests can't really remember it now but O people apparently can mix with people with the best and have the best visual memory. B people are best in maths.

The last segment was about how soundly each group can sleep. It features 12 men, 3 in each blood group. They have a sensor attached to them which tells if they are asleep or not. So the B group wins hands down with all 3 of them falling asleep in 12+ mins. The O group next by about 39 mins followed by the AB group and lastly the A group which took 2 hours.
Then, was to test how soundly they can sleep. It was done by creating noises of different decibel. The first level being chopping something. A A-group guy woke up. The next was party, sounds of cheering, singing and popping party poppers. A few others woke up too, incl some O people. The funniest part is the B group people are really heavy sleepers! They did not wake up to most of the noises, even drilling of cement floors! The whole group finally woke up to the sound of tractors (those used in construction sites) and really by then, everyone was already up long ago. So if you know someone from blood group B, you will know why they need 10 alarm clocks in the morning

It was really interesting, at least something we don't get to see in Singapore. That's really what most Japanese shows are about, very dumb and silly but then with high entertainment value.

Typhoon 23

Typhoon 23 is definitely more serious than typhoon 22. I was walking to school in the heavy rain this morning and got stopped by one of the staff from school. We got a holiday because of the predicted heavy rainfall and strong winds. oh well.. i was juz thinking they should have already informed us at the student hostels cus i was super wet can??!!

Ok... so I walked home. And pass by Shaggy's room. Yes, i can't help but got to mention him. He actually burst out laughing at me! How unsympathetic can he get. He was like,"what? u went to school? haahhaaaa"... and I stood there like an idiot for a good 15 seconds before regaining my senses to tell him off.. Of course he din stop laughing.

I put down my bag and went to Shaggy's room with another classmate, Jan (pronounced as Yan cus it is a French name). We just wanted to disturb him actually but in the end we just stood there and talked for about 2 hours. Was contemplating going KTV... haaa but in the end we decided to have dinner together instead. Which I did the honour of cooking Singaporean style curry.

The wind is like really strong. All the bikes parked outside the rooms fell and the trees were like really swaying from side to side. For a suaku Singaporean, this is the first time i ever experienced typhoon. So of cus... I went out to take some pictures hee.. But can't really see the full effect.

Anyway, dinner was great, we had a good time chatting and just crapping around. Shaggy brought some sake over but I din like the taste so I din drink much. Thanks to Jan for doing up the dishes! And well... Shaggy. He cleared the trash. So cheers to more dinners ahead!

That's outside my room. See the fallen bikes on the left?

Shaggy the bakka

Shag N Jan in my room

Karaoke Queen still reigns!

For those who are "concerned" over if I can practise Karaoke here, let me tell you now I can and I did!!! Hey I found a KTV opp Seiyu which is like only 5 mins' ride from my house! My... I was super excited can! I think Steph can attest to that she had never seen me cycle so fast before this to rush to the KTV.

Well... the MTVs are a little off cus they are not the authentic ones. Imitation. With the same old few people running about the same old places. But well well it's fine when you have a KTV addiction to satisfy. It was a great time singing! Steph and I sang for about 3.5 hours. And it was only because it was getting late and we had school the next day. It is not too expensive though. On weekdays, you can sing unlimited hours for about $12 Sing dollars? Drinks are unlimited. Just get yourself from the counter. And they use wireless mike! The sound is much better (less interference) and also it is also easier to choose songs.. etc..

Wah.. this is like the big discovery of the week and immediately the next day, we went to tell our KTV comrades. And we are going again this friday! Yippee!!

ANd i got my handphone! finally!! I can be contacted now... I just hope I dun get those hentai (i.e perverted or bian tai) emails at all. I have to pay leh.. irritating. In-coming is free though. YAY!

ICC activated...

My ICC is finally activated after so long... I can now finally use the phone just outside my room to call home. Which I did and spoke to my mum quite a long while on the phone. She is so funny, maybe cus we haven't spoken for weeks, she kept going on and on abt how to cook this and that. Think she is afraid I don't have enough to eat. but.... please lor!! Possible meh? Since when have I let myself gone hungry... if i had then I dun have to cycle so hard now... ahhh...

but anyway she taught me some really easy and good to eat things.. Steph is in luck! haa. and it really dawned me how the phrase "xiang jian hao tong zhu nan" (literally: easy to meet, hard to stay together) We would have conflicts here and there and cus she works long hours, we also hardly chat. But then when I called home, I really didn't want to put down the phone and talk longer. My mum was also more crappy than usual, cracking jokes here and there. Haizz...

ok... I woke up early to study anyway. till now haven't start yet. better get cracking....

p/s: I bumped into Shaggy at the vending machine when I was calling. So qiao... he wake up so early too? and He gave me yet another evil smile....

The happening weekend...

Well... sorry not exactly very happening.. but well went Nagoya city for the first time! It's really different from Okazaki. High rise buildings, departmental stores... Okazaki is far more modest. Small little low shops.. But well, it was great to be in Nagoya cus the weather was good after the Typhoon. Yes... there was Typhoon 22 on saturday and sunday which was why Steph and I had to shelf our plans to Monday instead.

We shopped around Tokyu hands for quite a while cus there are so many storeys! 6 altogther and each selling different kinds of things. Eg, stationery was at a storey and kitchen tools another. It is a kind of store that sells all kinds of thing, DIY stuff, even certain massage tools. It got us quite excited especially with all the cute diaries that is for sale for the year 2005. Will definitely go back there quite soon.

Ok dinner was at steph's house again and I ate BAKKWA! Heard that! Yes! Flown in from Singapore by Steph's family! She was happy to see the 23kg of food and clothes here finally! It contained things like Ya Kun's Kaya! (oh... I miss that too), Floss ( Fish and Pork?), even oyster sauce. Envy.. envy.. but of cus, Steph being the angelic her as always offered me a big slice of bakkwa. Shiawase! (i.e very fortunate). Yumz.. ahh anyone reading this can send me some Singapore delicacies too?? *drools*

Ah... that's about all for the day. I finally got a table to put my toaster. Btw, can also email me or leave me a msg on the blog if ya wanna see my room's pictures. I dun wanna publicise it here tho =)

The Eve of the Typhoon

yeah... we are all stuck at home now because the typhoon is coming and it has been raining cats and dogs the whole day. It is good in a way because finally I have the time to do some cleaning in the house... which happens to be my interest. haa.. ok so prior to this, I have cleaned the kitchen, floors, tables and the dishes...

Class is getting more and more fun day by day and Steph definitely agrees with me! We have a really interesting class with very lively and crappy people. As we progress into the 3rd day of class, I am surprised how each of us have already kinda spoken and open up to each other. Could be because of the many interactive games we have played. And I am really enjoying class!

Well well... today the guy sitting beside me was absent.. wonder what happened to him. But then because of that I had to partner Owen in class for the various activities. It's fine cus he was crappy enough and he entertained me throughly thru the day. Of cus, I didn't let him have his way, I crapped my way through as well.. Haa... It's hard to describe exactly what happened in class but Steph will know how many times I raised my eyebrows or rolled my eyes at him.

Anyway... there is a holiday on Monday! Yeah! cus it supposed to be National Sport's Day. Of cus we are not in the public schools so we get to slack instead on Mon. The weather broadcasts that Monday is sunny so looking forward to more fun! perhaps going down to Nagoya!

p/s: Thanks for the ones who emailed me! I'll try to reply to your mails asap!

Board Game!

Today's last lesson was pretty fun! We had a sort of board game where each square was some Japanese questions we had to answer or if it is a blank square, we can have the liberty to ask someone else a question. Well well... I was put in the same group as the US guy Owen and Icelander, Theodor cus we were sitting next to each other.

At first I was a little apprehensive as I have never spoken to either guys before esp, the Icelander who would always dash out of the room for a smoke during every break. It didn't help when he appeared so aloof in class. Always so laid back etc... Well, that aside, the activity had to go on right?

But I was proved wrong! Both guys were actually pretty friendly. Perhaps it is just that we hardly speak to each other. But they got all excited about the game as well and we started to crap while answering questions. It was pretty funny to a point where everyone was waiting to enter a blank square so as to have the chance to ask someone else a question. And of course it wasn't any normal questions. We were all thinking about the weirdest questions ans also trying to pry into each other's privacy . haaa.. but of cus through it we found out more about each other and also got to know more about each other's history in learning Japanese.

That was really an enjoyable time at the end of the day especially when it was the last lesson after lunch time. By then, everyone is also pretty groggy and sleepy.

Ahh... the weather is turning colder day by then.. tom's temp will be 17- 22 deg. better start bringing a sweater around... It's quite funny how most of us are still in shorts, slippers or sleeveless.

The Few First(s)...

I had my first proper lesson in Japan today. Firstly, let me tok a little about my special class of 11. It's really a myriad of international students. We have 4 Japanese teachers. The class consists of a french guy, (who stays in my block!) 3 Taiwanese ladies, a guy from Iceland, a guy from US, another 3 ladies each from Hungary, Spain and Switzerland. And of cus, not forgetting my dear Singaporean comrade Steph who is also in my class. It is really very different here as compared to Singapore cus you experienced different cultures right in the class itself. For example, the US guy was so casual in his speech. He actually addressed the teacher directly by her name! Her name is Miki and he called her "Mi-chan" (an affectionate term to address girls or ladies) The teacher got a shock at first and of cus we all got a shock cus we would never call our teachers that. It is always the family name followed by Sensei (i.e teacher). But the shock never ended, the Icelander was the next to call the teacher by her name too. haa... many funny things happened in class. We all had a round of introduction and of course proper lessons after that. It wasn't too hard for Steph and myself cus it was all taught before. Take it as a form of revision.

No. 2nd first. I cooked! A proper meal!! I cooked curry first time in my life. And it wasn't the instant curry paste. It was the paste I imported from Singapore, my own home's kitchen. And it tastes great! Heh.. not that I wanna boast but Steph agrees so. Right? Ok lah.. can be improved. More gravy the next time round. But It was great to have some home cook food and also satisfying meal you done up yourself. And of course it includes Steph's special concoction porriage of eggs and salt. It was so soft and smooth! eh.. Supposed to be rice but we din know how to use the rice cooker! Till our Japanese gets better... But of course, no pain no gain. I cut my finger while removing the potato skin. Quite a deep cut and it was bleeding non stop. Ok now... the funny thing is Steph was limping when she arrived at my house. She hurt her toe while cycling here. Accident prone Singaporeans.

Ok.. till then.. and I really can't wait to call home to tell my mum I succeeded in cooking curry!
And yes! The sun was out today! No rain at all. And there was the cue man, everyone came outdoors and for once I could feel the human presence in my block. Some were airing their blankets, some clothes and others just simply allowing the cool breeze to enter. I hope more sunny days will come!

My proud production!

Our sumptous meal =)

We Finished everything!

oh.... my bruise. Not exaggerating right..