Great Harvest in Summer

I totally understand when Carol says that her hair and nails grows faster in summer....

I last had my hair cut somewhere in early April and thought I should go soon...
Actually I didn't have the intention to. But each time I turn my head, I feel like I am swinging a mop behind me, ( looks like a mop, feels as heavy as a mop)
I am also super disgusted by the endless split ends...
so well I decided to make the visit to the hair dresser.

And he took 1.5 hours just to cut my hair without changing the style or length much.

Nope... fortunately ( or unfortunately) it is not because he is a novice or too slow. It is because of the huge amount, vast volume of hair that I have!
He had to pin them up layer by layer and trim each layer with care so as not to create more spilt ends.
And throughout the cut, he asked me at least 10 times, " It must be difficult when you blow your hair..." or " How long do you exactly take to dry your hair each time?"

It was just 2 months ( nearly 3) since the last hair cut!

I have made up my mind to go at least every 2 months now... sitting in the chair can be such a pain and tiring process...

But... at least my load is now half relieved! I am pleasantly surprised at how fast my hair dries now or how light my head feels. Yah... i hope i don't get too light-headed tho^^^

Stock UP~~

I went to the this Thai Provision shop near my house after dinner with my friend yesterday....

**Thanks for the treat!!**

Needed to stock up on my green beans! Chilled Green bean soup is really one of the best dessert to have after a whole days' work.

Thinking back... I realised I never had cold green bean soup before I came to Japan.
Green bean soup in my house was always served warm and I first had it at my Taiwanese friend's place.
It was so good and so refreshing that I think after that I never had warm green bean soup again in summer.
Btw, the Taiwanese apparently put barley in too!

This Thai provision shop carries most products in from China and Thailand so their stuff is closer to home and at a much reasonable price. However though... since it is from that C country... I am very careful with what I buy though. I usually avoid meat or processed food...
But anyway, chanced upon the below and I quickly snap them up!
My friend bought Mountain Dew though!
I think more than wanting to drink it, she was more amazed that there is Mountain dew in Japan, Tokyo.

I am just so happy to find green beans ♪♪

*Biyin: I found glutinous black rice in the same shop too!!!

Summer in Disneyland

I love!!!! Absolutely Love to go Disneyland.

Having said that, I don't think I can go there everyday though. Maybe once every 2-3 months is good enough.

But I really love Tokyo Disneyland ( which is actually not in Tokyo but Maihama, in Chiba Prefecture)

So this trip with ML is my 4th ( or 5th) I can remember going there 4 times but I can't recall if I went with another of my friend or not....

The fun stuff about disney land....

1. A different theme for every season!

Which you will find the decorations ( different flowers), different food, different parades, even different packaging for mechandise for every different season.

The seasons are not limited to Spring, summer, autumn, winter, also includes festivals like halloween, Christmas. New Year.

2. It is super duper clean in Disneyland.

We use to joke about cleaners hiding in bushes, waiting to "ambush" any piece of trash dropped. It is true. You don't see even a single piece of trash on the floor yet you don't see a single cleaner around.

On my most recent trip though, I came to the realisation as to why we don't notice cleaners around.They are in fact everywhere! But they are dressed so comically or brightly ( unlike the usual one color jumper) that you won't even realised they are actually cleaners.

My friend once told me about an incident how someone lost a tiny little brooch in disneyland. She later managed to recover it at the Lost and Found.

3. Every detail is very well taken care of.

You will notice every tile and brick, every corner, even the benches you sit on has something to do with disneyland. There is absolutely nothing out of place. Even the ducks and ducklings there are so cute!

4. Everyone is in a disney mood.

Not sure about other disneylands but it is almost a norm for people to wear minnie ears, mickey ears, tiggers' tail... and it is not limited just to young people. And yes, I mean male and female of all age groups! We saw a few little princesses and princes walking around as well.

Check out the below!

A lady in tigger's and tail

A guy wearing Mickey ears.

A uncle wearing pooh's ears and carrying a pink popcorn bucket

Last but not least....

The rides! I personally love Peter Pan and Pooh's huny Hunt best. They never fail to amaze me with their spectacular visuals.

Our cute and lovely lunch at Queen of Heart's Banquet....

Where we bumped into Alice outside!

We had a rather interesting experience that day too. I was there with ML initially but we ended up touring the whole disney with another 5 guys...

haaa not intentionally but we were together lining up from the first ride till the last, so we were playing together from the start till the end!

It was such a coincidence that our plans were so similar~~~

Brought to you by Minnie and Marie taken in Minnie's kitchen!

Arashi 10th Anniversary Concert

Finally announced!

But then it means the start of a bloodshed again.

I am more rational nowadays tho not to take part in the ticket war. or at least, not to end up as a blood-drained victim.

Still... I am excited! Need to make sure my schedule run well with it!

Continuing ML's trip to Japan...

I brought her to a Showa era themed resturant ( showa era = 1926/12/25~1989/1/7/). To be more exact, it should be the golden era in era, after WW2 somewhere 1960s?

This drinking place actually was discovered by Carol, me and some other friends on our hunt to some other restaurant early in the year. We were initially pretty disappointed to find the original shop we wanted to go close.

However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise to chance upon this shop instead! ( Btw, the other shop we wanted to go initially is the cutie place in the earlier post!)

Btw, this shop's menu is also totally in Japanese without a single picture. Another place almost impossible for non-japanese speaking pple~~

Here's the front!

The old alley leading down to the restaurant.

The walls pasted with old advertisments from the past~~

Menu and counter seats..

The food is well pretty interesting though not as interesting as the restaurant itself tho~~ But will definitely recommend it to people who wants to taste a different kind of experience in Japan! Ask me!!

Handmade Bak Chor Mee~

When you are overseas with no direct access to your home country's delicacies, either you choose not to eat them, look for near replacements or replicate them with your own hands!

Of course... you can also look for people who have good cooking skills.

My years away from Singapore has not really trained me to cook like a chef but I think I am at least capable of whipping up edible dishes!

So last night, when my tastebud was wailing away to eat bak chor mee, I did the most natural thing to.

And here's my creation!

But before that, I must give most of the credit to this big bottle of black vinegar! Bak Chor Mee is really not Bak Chor Mee without it!

So...

I gave it the best position in the house other than my bed.

The position right in front of my beloved Oh-chan~~♪♪　

Seriously speaking I can't recall how Bak Chor Mee looks like except it has lots of vinegar and of course minced meat... But anyway, it tasted great!

Hot hot hot....

I wonder what the 20 over years in Singapore has gotten me to...
Where has that endurance for heat gone?

I went out with ML on saturday morning to a park, under the hot hot sun and I ended up with a headache after that!

It isn't the first time though unfortunately... I recall other incidents where I ended up with terrible headaches after being in the sun for too long.
And I always make sure I have a cap or a hat on!

So... I sat through work the whole day yesterday with a terrible headache. Even popping 2 panadols didn't work.

Then I went home... managed to whipped up bak chor mee ( thanks for all the contributions!)
with an headache.
Even managed to boil some green bean soup so that I can have them today when I go home.

But I came to the conclusion I really had heat stroke.

I made some cooling tea with the tea bags Carol left behind for me. ( thanks! cus they worked wonders!)
I drink up 2 big cups of it and guess what? I didn't even had to go to the toilet after that and even throughout the night.
My body was definitely calling out for me to replenish the fluids.

Anyway I slept at 9pm after that and I felt much better today!

Must remember my fluids...

In my almost drunken stupor... ( feels the same as a headache!) I managed to take pictures of my bak chor mee..
hee. will up it later!

Great Japan Sales

For those who are enjoying the GSS in singapore...

This is also the sales period in Japan.

Sidetrack... but I wonder how many years have I not been in Singapore to enjoy GSS...

but anyway, like I said in the earlier post, if not for ML who is here... I don't think I would get my butt off the couch to squeeze with the sales-crazy crowd in downtown Tokyo.

According to ML and my another reliable source. It is a mayhem out there now. People queuing just to GET INTO shops...

Queuing to get to the clothes rack.

Queuing to get into the fitting rooms.

Queuing to get to the cashiers.

but well... sometimes it is good just to get out once in a while because you might just discover some bargains!

ML got herself so many things that she had problems packing them all into her luggage. She had to get an extra huge "dumping tote" just to contain all her trophies.

As for me....

Got the below at the closing of a shop... the last few minutes of business for less than $15 sing!

The length is approximately that of a 2L mineral water bottle. (i.e A4?) an absolute favourite size of mine.The design is simple and clean cut.

The original price was at a hefty price of $50 sgd.... Really not something I would buy at that price. But for less than $15, it becomes a good companion for weekends or even girly workdays!

The other bag.. (opps..) was discovered by ML when we went to the outlet to shop. The original intention was actually to help her colleague find an coach bag from the last series.
However, we came across Agnes B and found this treasure below! Since it is already at the outlet, it was already way below its original price. However, on top of that we got it for another 30% off! So all in all, we paid only about $80 for it!

This bag is slightly bigger than the one above. But with its compartments and broad base, you can carry lots of stuff inside!

I like the colour combi a lot and also the size because it is hard sometimes to find a nice size for bags! ( I am not really an handbag kinda person...)

Besides, it can look really casual ( goes well with jeans) because the bag is made of cloth and yet formal as yet because of the leather straps and gentle colour.

It was such a pity that this was the last piece and so we couldn't buy one for each of us. So ML bought it.

However, when she was packing her stuff yesterday.. ( actually till this morning when she is about to leave for the airport) She came to the conclusion that she has shopped too much, bought too many things that she decided to let me have the bag instead. But then I know deep inside me, it is more of her generosity rather than the reason above. Thanks gal! Will take good care and put the bag to good use!

In return, I gave her another bag that she borrowed from me over the few days she was in Japan seeing that she liked the bag a lot too!

Am really satisfied with the above 2 buys!

Oh yes.... and of course Tokyu hands must thank me for bringing them sales cus ML bought up all the apple cutters from the Ginza branch to give as souvenirs to her colleagues! (see previous post)

MeiLing's trip to Tokyo~~

MeiLing's a friend who is in many of my social circles...

We first met in JC during orientation in the first 3 months. (JC friend)

Then we were in the same orientation group again after for the 2nd time during the 2nd intake.

We then met again in NUS with her being in Arts as well. During the 3 yrs there, we were also module cum project mates. ( NUS friend)

Then I brought her to cell so we started attending the same cell since NUS till now! (Church friend cum fellow cell member!)

A long 10 years since I first met her!

So anyway, she came last week and it was such a good timing for me to brush up my guiding skills as well as to re-visit the places that I like but hardly ever go alone.

I totally agree with Serene who talks in her blog about touristy places. You can check up on the internet or ask as many people who had visited a certain place before for travelling tips. But you can NEVER beat local information which offers much more interesting, delicious, authentic thrills and food at the minimum price. Shopping is altogether on another planet of information on its own. Most of all, ways and means to enjoy to the max without falling into the typical tourist traps. ( check out ML's review of Japan!)

The first shop I brought ML to is a place safely tucked away in a small town some distance away from central Tokyo. ( no names and addresses! Only for the priviledge few) What I love most about it is its quietness, serenity and most of all the interesting, colorful interior!

However for this place... it is ( not impossible) but difficult to go if you don't speak Japanese because the menu offers no pictures and the staff take orders from the intercom.

It is absolutely small and tiny too... but super comfy and homely.

The little entrance and door

Seats by the windows in which you can people watch at your own pace...

It has a loft too offering a choice to people who wants more privacy.

Colorful painted walls. While it does looked like a nursery... it reminds of the purity and innocence of little children which I equate to freedom.

Our star of the day at the table!

And finally.... Our food. Eggplant, spinach risoto and Tacos rice.

Splendid..

Guys try this!!

This is both hilarious and useful to some extent!

A clip teaching you how to get change into your shirt and tie, eat breakfast all in 5 mins!

Look out for the technique on tying your tie!!

Guys try it out!!

My first attempt~~~

At making jewellery!

To be more accurate, it involves choosing the charms, adjusting the chain and putting everything together....

The below alone took me an hour with broken nails~~

But well... my nails are not manicured anyway.

And, it is for a very important friend.

So.... ( not sure if she is reading this, though she probably wouldn't know it is for her yet) do look out in your postboxes!

Should be sending it out very soon!

On another note... it is actually fun and I do quite like how it turned out to be. So hopefully this will be the beginning to a new hobby!!

And yes...Just in case if you are wondering about the choice of the charms, each charm is choosen very carefully with its own unique meaning which conveys what I want to say to that person.

New Toy!!

Had dinner with Lina yesterday at a nice little Spanish restaurant after work. The Tapas was just ok but the paella was pretty good! Got to go try out more spanish food soon!


Then we ended up ( or actually as planned), at Tokyu hands to look for new gadgets and toys!


Tokyu hands ( for those who ain't familar with Tokyo) is a place that people like SBP, Meiling or even my brother will go crazy because it is filled with everything other thing you need for your hobby. Art supplies, cooking and kitchen equipment, stationery to sum it all up, a one stop for all sorts of gadgets to make your life easier!

We spent all of our time at the kitchen section and I must say we haven't had enough! It was amazing and sometimes almost redundant to the point that they had every small and big thing for everything single chore. Eg, a different container to cook eggs at different hardness, cheese shedder... and even something to scrap your leftovers off your plates!

So... the below was my trophy for the day.

An Apple Cutter!!

This is really an life saver for someone like me who don't eat apples simply because I am too lazy to cut it. Besides that, it really saves the effort for people who like to drink fruit juices or serving a big group of people. This cutter ( as you can see) cuts the apple into 8 equal pieces, including removing the core in a second! Yup literally a second as you decide where you want to place the cutter. The cutting process is smooth and absolutely a easy feat for ladies as well.

Just to add, the cutting edges ain't sharp at all so it will not be dangerous for children as well.

So.. the start of a life with an apple a day!

Off for a Holiday~~

Welcoming Japan's golden week with eager arms.

Today will be the first day of my holiday till next weds!!

And I wil be jetting off to HK~~~

The Joy of the Lord is my strength.

"Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is my strength."

This was what my friend said to me.

On a perfectly normal Wednesday afternoon, I received an email from a friend telling me that her father has passed away suddenly.

In a complete shock state ( because she has never mentioned that her father was ill in anyway) we made arrangements to meet that night for dinner.

In reality, her situation mirrored a very real secret fear in me actually. And that is to be away from my family and not be able to be there for them immediately in an emergency situation. To make things worst, my parents is always hidding things from me and only telling me when it is over and settled. While I appreciate their effort in not wanting me to be worried, it is actually making me more worried at times! So people who know my parents, please look out for them.

Back to my friend... I was thinking hard.. How should I comfort her? God please put words into my mouth that will make her feel better and not pass off as just casual remarks.

Yet, contrary to my (not a complete surprise actually) expectation, I was greeted by a smilling friend who was half running to me and apologising for being late. We sat down at our seats in our usual hangout, ( the sushi bar) whenever we have chats. At that point in time, I wasn't sure if it was very KY ( a japanese abbreviation to mean if you are sensitive to what is happening) to ask her about her father. So I started with the, " how are things"? question.

And my friend said this to me. ""Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is my strength."

As she started speaking, my heart really leaped with joy with the amazing things God has done and shown her during the period of time.
I didn't have to comfort her at all because God has already done so and He was even showing her one miracle after another miracle in this difficult period of time. Her conversation with me was not about how sad and lost she is at the loss of her father, whom she is very close to, ( always speaking on the phone with him for hours) but How God has answered their prayers one after another.

I really thank God for this friend.. whom has always been a pillar of support for me all this while in Japan. Someone whom I can be open to 100%, whom I can share with just about anything.

Thanks for reminding me and encouraging me despite your own situation that when everything seems to go the wrong way, the joy of the Lord is OUR strength.

Great weekend!!

With the Yoshimuras~~their friends, family and Cuixian!

Thanks to Mr and Mrs Yoshimura ( heeee) who put me up at their house for a night. And baby Yoshimura who was my playmate most of the time!

From light, to clock to aeroplanes and flowers...

Oh yes... and tugging at my hair and hp strap.

In fact I played so much with him that I ended up dreaming of him the whole night!

Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Yoshimura who showed so much hospitality and kindness to me! Really enjoyed spending morning outdoors with you all just picnicking under the sakura trees...

I don't have photos of the others yet but let me share Baby and grandma first!

The place we went for Sakura Festival and picnic.

Baby Yoshimura: Humph... taking photos of me without permission again...

More to come soon!!

Found it!

The 8th and last letter left behind by CGS.

In fact it is not a "found it". It is a "discovered it by chance"...

It is amazing how this last letter answers my question as to how many letters CGS left behind for me.

It was almost as if she had read my mind when she wrote this.

It was even more amazing how I actually come to discover this last as from the content of the letter, it seems like she wants me to read this last.

Amazingly...

But it also reminds me how we tend to ignore little things in our life and when we discover them by chance one day, it brings us great joy.

This very last postcard was placed in a place which I have access to almost everyday.....

Where? Let it be a secret kept between CGS and myself. heee

7 love letters....

From Carol. G.

Fooling around and trying to serenade me while your hubby is away on his round Japan tour????

Found the first letter on my table when I woke up in the morning...
The second in the toilet.
Third in the fridge??( hmmm that's original!)
...

ANd actually only discover the last one just 5 minutes ago!

In fact I am not too sure if I have already found all. But my intuition tells me somehow there are 7 letters all together left by Carol. Erm.. please leave a hint if there are more left undiscovered.

Must really say that 1.5 years flew past just like that.

In retrospect, I must say I really enjoyed these 1.5 years together with her very much!
There were times I was really dead beat after work, going home with a face blacker than coal.
But can't remember anytime Carol ever showed a black face to me.

Thank you for putting up and tolerating me. お疲れ様です！本当に感謝していますよ.
I think you have been putting up with me too much that you had to relieve that stress through grinding your teeth at night... haa

Thanks for sharing your life with me too.
It was a once in a life time experience to know you through staying together too.

So.. save a room for me in US and also in your future apartment!

I will be bringing with me, Kumo chan, xiao tou tou, sachi chan ( will ganbaru to take care of her!) , last but not least, oh-chan and his maguro and katsuo!!

Then we will together gobble a whole cake down together with just 2 forks.

Anato To

A song I have been listening to... must be more than a hundredth time this weekend.

It is not an new release but I wonder why I have nothing paid much attention to it.. and the first time I actually put my mind to listen to it, I teared at the female singer's part.
Not that it is reminding me of anything but just found the song and lyrics really touching.
Give it a try!


Lyrics:

さっきまで泣いてた君が　今隣で笑ってる
少し先に待ってたこの未来に　辿り着けてよかった
君を傷付けたくない　この言葉に逃げていた
本当は誰より自分が一番傷付くのが怖くて

今夜孤独と自由を羽にして　あなたに逢いに行く
壊れそうな心の隣には　あなたとかけた願い

出逢ったあの日の夢を見た　手も繋げないまま二人
笑い声がただ時を繋いだ　未来なんてまだ見えなかった
目が覚めて君想えば　手のひらに零れ落ちた
あの日のぬくもりそっと握り返して　溢れた涙に目を閉じた

どんな些細な痛みも分け合って　あなたと歩けたら
途切れそうな心を抱きしめて　あなたの側に居たい

どんな孤独も自由も羽にして　あなたに会いに行く
壊れそうな心の隣には　あなたと描く未来
どんな些細な痛みも分け合って　あなたと歩けたら
途切れそうな心を抱きしめて　あなたの側に居たい
明日も側に居たい

Meeting Rihito Sama tomorrow~~~

All thanks to my friend!

She has an extra ticket to the movie premiere " Drop", where Rihito sama ( Mizushima hiro) is the lead and she invited me along!

This same friend also brought me to an hand-shaking session before with Hiro!!

**excited**

P/s: Yilin, if you are reading this, thanks for inviting me to "that"event!! Looking forward to see you soon! ( Took leave le!)

Mei chan's Butler....

Just finished this drama adapted from a popular Japanese comic series.

As the title suggests, Mei is a absolutely normal, kind-hearted girl with loving parents, with a humble background. Her parents own a udon store and life was all peaceful and almost boring until the sudden death of parents in an accident which revealed her true background. The only heir to the biggest and most powerful family in Japan.

So, as Mei was enrolled into the most prestigious girls School in Japan. Fees is at 100million yen per month. And along with that, a butler to be attached to her, to cater to her EVERY need. The only condition?

They must not fall in Love.

And anyway, the butler, Rihito is an S rank butler, ( the highest of all, with A, B, C ranks) He is handsome, tall, smart, skilled in martial arts, culinary, languages, etc.. you get the point uh?

Ｔhe story goes on to how Mei was intially look down upon and bullied in school to how she eventually stood up for herself, goes on to become the successor of the empire.

Sounds boring??

Kinda....

But.. somehow as every other prince-charming-comes-saving-the-damsel-in distress-plot, this drama was highly popular in Japan, enjoying high viewerships every week.

I did a little calculations for dramas along the same story line, we have Hanayori Dango ( Japanese version of Meteor Garden), Hanakimi ( Japanese version of Hua yang shao nan shao nun). Seriously speaking, I can't really pinpoint so much of a difference between them.

Still.... somehow ( speaking from my point of view) it is still nice and enjoyable to induldge in such fantasy at times~~

[私以外の誰かを見ているのが、辛いので・・・

ですから・・・目をそらさないで下さい・・・]

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　柴田理人

"It is unbearable to me when your eyes are on someone else.

So.. Please don't ever let your sight leave me"

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Shibata Rihito

♥♥Faints♥♥