Okay, here I am again on a break from blogging. It's a bit of a personal problem and well, I'm kind of out-of-sorts recently.
Let's just say that... Okay, let's just not say anything. Things are going a bit meh and might get worse, so I am a bit anxious and worried about what the future will bring. My friends and family are very supportive though, so I'm not THAT worried. But still, when things don't go your way, you can't help but feel a little bit lost.
I'm not sure how long this break is going to be, and I don't want to imagine any reasons why it should be so. I uhh... I'm just sad that there might be things I may not be able to have a chance to do anymore. And no it's nothing about my health or anything, I'm perfectly healthy and very genki! Not missing any body parts nor will I go to jail... I mean, how unlikely is that? It's just that, something that has been nagging at my mind for months now have been realized. And the repurcussions aren't reassuring.
But I will not give up. Nay, this will be nothing but just a stepping stone to much greater heights. I will overcome this and still be in time for the cherry blossoms to bloom!
Till then, I hope you guys would still stay tuned once I come back.
Megane~kun
宜しくお願い致します！
YUI Fan
If there ever comes a time when you feel like you’re losing to loneliness, listen to the songs that you love
Visitors
Okay, this is not actually related to anything anywhere, but I was just shocked when I found out that there's something out there, in the world, that's completely mind-boggling and that can shatter your perception of everything in but just an instant.
I mean, WTHROFLOLMAOBBQ?! Flying nun?
Okay, to fans of this show, I am entirely sorry. I just can't comprehend it right now. But give me a bit of time to swallow the idea that the scriptwriters actually made realistic dialogues for this show.
I found out that the show finally ended when the writers began to have problems coming up with situations where Sister Bertrille would be suddenly caught up by an unprecedented wind that would allow her to fly off because she weighs only 90 pounds and her headgear provides some fantastic aerodynamics.
And the actress who played the nun had her own problems too. What with the way everyone had typecasted her to the role. There was a time when she was offered another show where she would have to play her previous Bertrille role. Only this time, she'd be older and she's supposed to be the Mother Superior who is jealous of a new nun because the new nun can fly while she can't anymore, because she's put on some weight over the years. They said she vehemently rejected the offer.
Oh, and during the filming of the last few episodes (it went for three seasons), they had a problem covering up her belly because she got pregnant, and nuns really can never be pregnant. That would be against the order of the universe! But so does the flying thing... Anyway, so they just used backdrops and flying body doubles and stuff.
All in all, I think the show is quite intriguing. The stories of both on and off the set has gotten me raving for more of this show, and I'm particularly sad that it didn't happen during my lifetime. The episodes were in technicolor too!
1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?
My brother and I tried to do an acrobatic trick. Almost got my skull fractured
2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?
A lot of things: picture frames, calendars, clocks.. usual house stuff~
3. DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOUR SLEEP?
Only on a tiresome day...
4. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
Mostly anime and Jpop
5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?
Oh wow no... I'll ask later.
6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
To pass the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 2
7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?
My family and my room back home...
8. WHAT ARE YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSIONS?
PSP, iPod, computer and cellphone. Gadgetry stuff, they're expensive!
9. HOW TALL ARE YOU?
5 feet 11 inches
10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?
Haven't yet, I might though
11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?
Only if I was imagining scary things~
12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU ANGRY?
It's hard to make me angry, almost impossible. But I guess nothing's impossible for my brother.
13. WHATS YOUR WORST FEAR?
Not realizing my dream to come true...
14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Dark colors
15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF BEING PROPOSED TO AT?
I see myself doing other things, not this though.
16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK?
I like creamy, milky stuff. Coffee it is.
17. FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?
MUSHROOM! Oh that soft chewy texture~
18.IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Well that last question's about pizza...
19. FAVORITE COLOR OF ALL TIME?
Supposedly it's green. I'm slowly turning blue though.
20. HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH?
Not that I'm aware of
21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST MEANINGFUL GIFT YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED?
A Go-kart my parents got me for Christmas. *teary-eyed*
22. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH?
Now? None.Except the occasional someone on the train~
23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?
What?
24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND?
I don't look at brands. As long as I like it.
25. WHO IS THE HOTTEST MALE CELEBRITY?
Me.
26. DO YOU HAVE A PET RIGHT NOW?
Pets. Lots of it.
27. WHAT KIND IS IT?
A dog, a three-legged cat, a stray cat, her litter, 6 lovebirds, and a dozen fishes.
28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS
LEAVING?
It depends, it really does.
30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:
73
31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES?
Dark haired
34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE COUNTRY?
Currently
35. YOUR WEAKNESSES?
Japan, food, and computers
36. MET ANYONE FAMOUS?
A president, a CEO, and a lot of actors/actresses
37. FIRST JOB?
Associate Software Engineer. Sounds important no?
38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
Nope
39. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOULMATE?
I'd hate to think that there's a chance people might not get the chance to meet theirs.
40. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT?
Breakfast.
41. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY?
The usual guy surgery. *wink*
42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
My smooth, shiny, straight hair~But recently my eyes.
43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES?
Nope
44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
A new iPod Nano!
45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?
Hmmm, two?
46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My dad. I was supposed to be a junior, but they omitted a letter...
47. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST TURN OFF OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Attitude.
48. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU MISS ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL?
Not much, other than the school food~ Mmmm~~~
49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE?
I only use conditioner... always forgot to buy shampoo LOL.
50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Yeah~
51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAL?
Bunch of Lunch from Shakey's (chicken, spaghetti w/ garlic toast, pizza, and mojo potatoes)
52. ANY BAD HABITS?
I bite my nails
53. ARE YOU A JEALOUS PERSON?
Nope
54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Yep! I love me. Yey me!
55. DO YOU AGREE WITH FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS?
What does that mean?
56. DO LOOKS MATTER?
Depends on what kind of relationship I'm going to have with them~
57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?
I will it to be gone, and *poof~*
59. WHATS YOUR MAIN GOAL IN LIFE?
To establish myself in Japan!
60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?
Lego.
61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?
*hands over phone* Count it yourself.
62.WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A LITTLE KID?
I live in a 3rd world country
63. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Only in writing.
64. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE?
If it has gravy, mashed potatoes.
65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
Personality, and she can be pretty too~
66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?
Megane, Meganekodomo, Neko, Meg, Jon, Chenes
68. WHATS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?
I buy them on DVD.
69.WHATS THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH YOUR ENEMIES?
Turn them into a friend
70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Anything vanilla-ish
71. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES?
Ohhh yeah...
72. DO YOU HAVE A COMPUTER IN YOUR ROOM?
YES YES!
73. PLANS FOR TONIGHT?
Watch 'Friends'... then sleep.
74. WHAT'S THE FASTEST YOU'VE EVER GONE IN A CAR?
Haven't looked, but I drive slow.
75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
I wouldn't read all of their answers though.
76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
My head.
77. LAST THING YOU DRANK?
Autumn-freezed water
78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My friend who lived next door.
79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Their candid face.
80. WHAT DO U LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?
Watch anime/TV series on my computer, surf the net, blog stuff.
81. FAVORITE THING TO HATE?
Responsibilities
82. FAVORITE MONTH OF THE YEAR?
December
83. WHATS YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF CANDY?
Lollipops
84. HAVE YOU EVER REALLY AND TRULY HAD A BEST FRIEND?
Yeah
85. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR?
Dark brown.
86. EYE COLOR?
Dark brown.
88. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?
KFC. Overflowing gravy... mmmmm~
89. FAVORITE RESTAURANT?
SBARRO. Uber-thick pizza... mmmmm~
90. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI?
Most of it.
91. LAST THING YOU WATCHED?
An episode of 'Friends'.
92. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?
New Year's Eve!
93. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS?
Piano, flute, and the violin.
94. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT?
...............?
95. KISSES OR HUGS?
Hugs are comfy, kisses are too personal.
96. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS?
Umm, I find kissing personal.
97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT?
DVDs~
98. DO YOU HAVE A LOW SELF ESTEEM OR A HIGH SELF ESTEEM?
Depends on my hair.
99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?
Kanzen Master. A Japanese learning book.
100. DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE:
Very fattening.
I was born in Manila, Philippines on September 13th of 1986.
Now you know, but you'll have to compute for my age hehe. I like the year I was born, in the Chinese Zodiac I am a Metal Tiger~ *rawr* (my brother is a chicken LOL)
My mom says I was born during a troubled age when tanks roam free in the streets and the whole country suffered under a dictator in the capital of Manila. They said that the hospital lost electrical power while she was giving labor to me. Not that I caused it or anything, it was a really troublesome era in my country. =__=;;
I'm a premature, menopausal, blue baby.
I was born a few weeks earlier than my expected delivery date, and my mom gave birth at such an old age. Probably that's why I was so small when I came out... you could fit me in your two hands! And being a blue baby (actually it was yellow, then blue, then violet), I was immediately sent to an incubator. My mom was sent home earlier than I did, and she came to visit everyday making sure I'm still alive.
Well I grew up okay anyway, I'm pretty lucky I guess. I've heard that menopausal babies either becomes really stupid or very smart...
Not to brag or anything~ Gahahaha!
The weekend went by then poof! It's December~
Recently, I realized how being in Japan has affected me. December is slowly becoming just a normal month.
DECEMBER... December... December...
Man, the more I stare at the word, the meaningless it becomes. It used to be one of the most exciting anticipated part of the year; with my family setting up the Christmas tree as early as October, the lights wound around the bushes by November, and finally decorations in every room by December. The air would begin to cool down (just a teeny bit) and the breeze would come in through the windows. Winter in my country means that the temps would go down by a couple of degrees. *shrug*
It was the time when people would have an extra smile, a bouncier step, and wallets flapping in anticipation of year-end bonuses. I remember when we would always plan to go on a trip to Hong Kong for the Christmas vacation, my mom going as far as renewing our passports. But as the -ber months roll by, so does the possibility of ever buying those plane tickets. And then it would finally come down to not mentioning it at all. I guess we're just not yet ready on spending too much cash just for a trip to another city. When we have our own an hour's drive away.
It was quite a surprise when I found out that the Japanese Winter Christmas extravaganza I always see in animes and J-doramas actually is just a commercially consumer-directed fad, celebrated just for the heck of it. That we have to go to work on a Thursday Christmas morning, go to a late-night Nihongo class, and probably buy a slice of strawberry cake to munch on the way home before crashing on the bed then go to work again tomorrow is a bit depressing to actually process right now
Me and my friends have even resorted to postponing thinking about Christmas. But seeing as how it's just 3 weeks till those carolers back home would start ringing doorbells and singing mangled hymns, we should probably get started on planning our plans for the holidays so that we would have something to report back home. Otherwise we would just end up depressed.
This will be our first Christmas here in Japan, we should also make it the best. But not "too best" so that we could still outdo it next year. I wish it would snow... minus the sludge.
"Delishas!" as my friend blurted out. Yep I make a mean, mouth-numbing Mabo Tofu. Actually I've read that Mabo Tofu without meat is called Mala Doufu, but nobody cares about that.
I've been lazy these few days and have been eating microwaved pre-made stuff from the grocer. So I finally kicked myself out of this unhealthiness and decided to cook something wondrous, natural, and spicy. And tadaa! Mabo Tofu! Actually I have to confess that I did cheat and that I just bought the sauce, but at least I compromised by doing a no-meat thing and served it only with mushrooms, onions, and various veggies. And of course, tons of hot peppers.
Mabo Tofu is traditionally made with a special spice, Sichuan pepper. It's not really hot like a regular pepper should be, rather it gives a numbing effect. So since I don't have any, I settled to recreating the said effect with peppers, crushed chilis, and a large dollop of jalapeno hot sauce.
It was so hot and spicy it melted my bowl and turned it into a plate. Okay that was a joke, but it was OH-GOSH-ARRGGHH. I loved it. And I also loved how the tofu squares managed to retain their perfect symmetrical shape even after all those boiling around with the other non-symmetrical veggies. They were so soft, bouncy, and totally tasteless, balancing out the powerful sauce.
"Delishas!" and very cheap to make too. I made gallons of the stuff, enough to feed me through the week. Thankfully, spiciness acts as a preservative and a great substitute for numbing peppers.
I now have something to make for Christmas. Something to make my friends appreciate my choco custard more.
That is not an actual pic of what I ate today at lunch, I wasn't able to take a pic at all of what I ate actually. Anyway, it looks somewhat like that minus the miso soup. It was delicious and very fulfilling! And replace that eel in the pic with chicken.
I would like to explain how to properly eat hitsumabushi first. So I'm going to introduce another kind of Japanese food: okazuke. This may seem confusing at first, and may keep on becoming so, but I assure you, it's fun and delicious, and did I mention fulfilling?
Okay, where were we...? Right, "How to Eat Okazuke". Basically, okazuke is rice in a bowl, then you add some savory toppings (seaweed, pickles, meat, sesame seeds, seafood, etc) and then you pour either green tea or soup stock over it. I prefer the soup stock though, I mean, green tea plus seaweeds and sesame seeds???
Anyway, it's kinda like eating breakfast cereals with milk, only with rice and soup. I wasn't aware of this Jap dish until recently, it sounds so outrageously Japanese though. My coworkers surprised me when we went to a restaurant and they said that the dish is green tea over rice. I was like WHAT??? and they were HAHAHA but the waitress was like BEEF OR FISH STOCK? and I was OOOH!! BEEF!
So now that you know how to eat an okazuke, be rest assured that hitsumabushi is eaten just like that too. Actually, it IS exactly like that. I'm not sure why they made a whole new name for it, and I'm not sure of the difference, now that I think about it. I even asked what the name means and they said it was just a name, so didn't fuss over it too much. The name is actually 日妻武士 which reads hitsumabushi. 日= Sun, 妻 = Wife, 武士 = Warrior.
Soo... yeah. Sun Wife Warrior. Delicious.
Hmm, hitsumabushi is supposed to be okazuke with eel, but what I had was grilled chicken... maybe it wasn't hitsumabushi that I ate. But it said so in the menu...
If you haven't have one yet, you could try the fish stock. My coworker was spouting Jap slangs all over it. Oh and he was smiling, so I assume it was that good.
Didn't think I'd do it but I did it again. I bought something to warm me up... only it doesn't.
Oh sure, the scarf actually does warms me (it even makes my neck sweat) but I'm still "cold". So I consulted my friends and they said that actually the body is the last one to freeze. The first to tingle with the cold are the extremeties.
AHA! So that's why my fingers go numb first, my knees, then all of the sudden, my chest muscles vibrate. And then that's when I'll get really colddd...... I need gloves! Quick! So I dropped off the train at some station somewhere along my route, walked a couple pounds off, then found these pair of black leather gloves for only ¥1000! May sound expensive, but it's not. These are leather gloves we're talking about here.
Anyway, I wore them right away and lo! My fingers froze. I thought that maybe hey, I should give them some time to warm up to me first. But things, or should I say temps, went downhill from then on. There were times I had to look down to make sure my hands are still clutching my bag. Although since they're locked into a closed position, I didn't have to worry anyway... but you can never be too sure...
My friends then suggested that maybe it "traps heat" inside and that I should wear them when my hands are warm before going out to the frigid chillness. So I rubbed up my hands, blew hot breath on them, wore my gloves, got my hand stuck AND cold. So I guess that idea's off.
Then I tried to buy another pair, just for comparison. Maybe mine's defective and has missed a quality assurance inspection somewhere. So I got myself some new cotton gloves (or should I say mittens... with fingers, yes they were that thick, and these are my second pair of cotton cause the first ones didn't work either). Woo! They WERE warm! It got so warm that I rushed to the cashier with glee. But my glee was short lived when I stepped outside and wore them back on. Apparently, when you try something on inside a warm store, it would usually feel warm itself.
The cotton disappointed me too. Bad cotton. Again.
Oh well, sorry for being so cynic in my post here but I am really sad that none met my needs. Though I still wear my leather pair because they look too cool not to. My 2 pairs of cotton ones are somewhere... in the house...somewhere. I'm just wondering though, if they managed to make thermal undergarments as thin as stockings, yet can still leave your valuables in heat, why can't they do the same with gloves?
Or maybe I'm wearing them wrong. You DO put your fingers inside right?
Kinda depressing today, results from the mock JLPT Level 2 exams came by and I absolutely, horribly failed. But of course, they haven't included the points from the listening tests yet, and that's where I usually salvage my scores (I got 89% from the listening exams last time).
Not to be depressed, I immediately sought out the unimaginable and limitless powers of the Internet. And I was not disappointed. To say the least, I bounced back to my normal genki-ness in no time. I probably gained a few more years to my life after laughing this much.
And thus I present to you, Objets d'Laughing Matter:
I don't think they need captions. Do they?
I laughed years off of me and almost threw up! Amazingly, I still am intact, alive and well. I do hope I have managed to bring at least a smile, or a blink if you can manage.
Whew! Okay, I am fine now. And I think that hot bowl of honey hazelnut oatmeal helped a lot too. Yum!
Me and two other friends decided to spend the Sunday by going to Harajuku, and thankfully, the 20% chance of precipitation weather for today cooperated and settled for sunny skies and frozen fingers. Hehe, at last I had the chance to wear my newly-bought leather gloves! A bit of a tight-fit and not warmth-inducing, but very cool-looking as heck.
We set off with runny noses and fashionable clothes and arrived in a station packed full of Japs in their best clothes, as well as foreigners who, like us, are expecting to find a candid view of Japan in its rawness. Going with the flow, we found ourselves standing in front one of the massive torii gates of Meiji Shrine. Not to be outdone by other tourists, as well as locals who came with their kimono-clad kiddies, we strutted our newly bought stuff down the tree-lined road towards the main temple.
The shrine didn't disappoint, and I even managed to get myself one of those lucky charms; I had a hard time picking between a lucky keychain and a Blessed Arrow of Sacred Light. I settled with the keychain even though it costs more just because I don't think I could attach an arrow in my bag/cellphone and not attract stares... @__@;;
After taking tons of photos, praying for fortune and well-being, and witnessing an authentic Shinto Wedding, we got ourselves back to urban Japan to grab some burgers for lunch. Then fought back the mob and went into Yoyogi Park.
We didn't have to crane out our necks that much to see the "fashionable" Harajuku-ers. They were wearing their maid uniforms, gothic outfits, and once we entered the park grounds, there were some hillbillies dancing to some Elvis song.
Autumn hit us full in the face the moment we entered Yoyogi park. The falling leaves were going at it in full power, the trees burning with hues of reds and yellows, and the cold breeze nipping at our exposed extremeties. With lots of sunshine still left, our photoshoot went into full swing. By the time the sun finally went down, our cheeks were tired and poses were getting lame.
We went home tired, sore, and satisfyingly content of our excursion. If chance presents itself again, we wouldn't take a second to consider going back again.
From the Meiji shrine, to the Omotesando shopping district, and through the Yoyogi park, we discovered another slice of Japan that I can safely report as a must-go-to-places for a huge doze of culture-shock. We had so much fun in Harajuku... And did you know that its name meant "Meadow Lodging"?
If you've somehow asked yourself, "What the--?" after visiting my site, then I applaud you for being one of those who've been here before. Please continue to do so. Oh, and I love you.
And if you're my first-time visitor, thank you for being here. Please enjoy yourself, read on, and bask in my new layout. Too bad you haven't seen the previous one... But no matter, it's not much better than this one anyway. Otherwise, I would've kept on using it.
This change is long way past its due, and it's all thanks to my overpowering procrastinative powers. But after a few clicks, hours in Photoshop (darn the new version, I felt like a beginner all over again), and cups of veggie soup, it is finally done.
I may tweak it a bit here and there, every now and then, for some reason or another though. I am a bit of a perfectionist and there are times I am never satisfied ever. Usually I just make a compromise with myself. *shrug*
Leave comments, suggestions, reactions, may it be good or bad. Speak now, or wait till my procrastination ebbs down again... which might be never, considering that it'll be Winter soon...
It was during a freezing morning while I was trying to feel my breakfast. Because I can't really fully enjoy a meal with one of my senses missing, I had to thaw my hands with hot water by the sink. So there I was, enjoying my warm and wrinkly fingers when my cellphone rang. My neighbor/friend was urging me to come out for a bit of a talk, so I did. I opened the door, looked around for the caller, and yelled "What?"
Then *woosh~~* a cloud appeared in front of me.
While I was stunned frozen, I managed to let some of the precious air-conditioned heat to escape. Then I yelled back again to the phone, "hhhWhere hhhhhare hhhhyouhhh? " spewing out some frozen breath. Finding out that no one's there, I closed the door. Then opened it again and blew more clouds.
I did this for a while until I realized I wasn't talking to anyone anymore, so I shut my phone, went back inside, and re-heated my meal. When I went out again on my way to the office, the sun has brought the temps back up a little bit. Although not enough that my gloved hands still went numb, my breath wasn't as misty as before. So by the time I reached the station, it's already gone.
Today was the very first time I saw my breath. It was utterly breathtaking, and yes the pun was deliberate.
Yesterday afternoon, my neighbor-friend suddenly decided to go to a mall to buy something. Actually I'm not the type to go off on unplanned excursions, but since she gave me a slice of pizza last night, I guess I owed her something in return. Well I can't give her a pizza slice back, so I went to the mall with her.
We walked into a store and came out with two gigantic bananas.
Another friend called and asked what we were doing, so I told him our findings and he said that he knew about these bananas. That they're really bitter unless they've fully ripened. I told him mine's brown and he happily told me that I should be rest assured that my banana will be sweet. Then he hung up saying that a convenient store clerk's trying to sell him some plastic bags.
I forgot to tell to him that what we bought were pillows.
Truth is, this was supposed to be our Christmas gift for each other. But we couldn't really wait till next month, so we bought it right away. My friend bought a pink one and both our bananas were the pineapple series. It does resemble a banana with pineapple skin, only it's furrier and it's 4-foot long. It's a real comfort when sleeping, and it warms up after a while of tight embrace.
Lonely nights no more!
Today was the first time I managed to get a seat on the morning trains.
Okay that was a lie, maybe a half-truth, so let me rephrase that: Today was the first time I managed to get a seat on the morning trains after a looong loong time... while having my "buns" toasted.
Usually I just stand at the very end of the last train carriage, with my hair getting blow-dried by the heated air-conditioning, and my back feeling the warmth of the train master's cabin. But today, due to my unrelenting lateness, I've managed to grab a seat!
It was a moment of a bliss, after being subjected to a freezing morning walk to the station. I then began to thaw and was soon taking my scarf off (apparently the scarf really does warm you, I was just too cold to notice).
I realized that my bum was hot. Hello, what's this? Am I on a hot seat? And I dug a hand to check... wow, it really IS hot! And very soft and firm too!
A glance at the row in front of me, and I saw a long grill hidden underneath the seats. I've long wondered what they were for (back when the aircon still blew cold) and thought that they must be exhaust fans of some sort to suck out the dust.
How nice is that! A heater that stretches along the opposite sides of the train, warming Japanese bums and toasting our legs. It was wonderful... at first. Then I began to feel just how hot a heater can be at a VERY close range. There were moments I've even thought about giving up my treasured seat just to cool off my burn-marks (just kidding).
I've known about the Japs and their obsession with scalding things; I've burnt my tongue an innumerable number of times slurping ramen, biting into takoyaki balls, and sipping miso soup. So it wasn't a surprise to find the onsen-loving people firing-up the temps inside the train. But after a few stations, I was welcoming the cool air rushing in at every stop.
I guess it's a delicate balance: not too hot for the passengers inside, while not being too cold for the new arrivals. I sincerely appreciate the energy-consuming conveniences the trains provide, but I do hope the Temperature Coordinating Manager Train Master would take a look at their computations once again.
Either that or I'll just have to resort to standing up again.
Just this morning, I heard that my friend's brother died in a motorcycle accident. I'm not sure of the details, but because of this piece of shattering news, he's going back to his country in the next earliest flight available.
To think he just got accepted for a job finally after going on a job-hunt for more than 4 months. And only last night, we were talking about taking a trip down to Kyoto for the holidays... *sigh*
Life's surprises are too surprising; dreadful, cruel, and unjust. Yet sometimes it can be so beautiful, joyful, and wholly unexpected that it can't be nothing short than a true miracle.
When you thought things have finally settled down and that the road seems to straighten out its curves, a sharp bend suddenly careens you out of control, leaving you grasping frantically on the wheel wondering, "Where the heck did that come from?!"
I am well aware that death is to be expected and that life is but an instant, but to have it taken out of you so abruptly, it's just SO unfair. I seriously can't imagine what I'd do if my own brother would suddenly go away like that. Granted, me and him have fought for so long and reconciled many times more, then went entirely into war and into a truce. But I love my family, and they have always been there for me. I've taken it as a fact that they're always there, just an email or a call away.
And that even with 6 months of notice, my family considered my leaving for a Japan still "a shock" is proof that no matter how many days, months, years, or even a lifetime it would take, nothing could ever mentally and psychologically prepare anyone for the sudden departure of someone they loved...
My thoughts and prayers go to those who have been treated unfair by life and its awful truth. And to my friend's brother:
May you find peace and comfort with such sincere friends and a loving family, and may all those you have asked be answered. Eternal rest I hope have been granted and light lead you into God's arms.
Today has gotten much colder. Painfully so.
I've been waiting for the day to actually use a scarf, or muffler, as they call it here in Japan. I've included one in my luggage, which puzzled my coworkers as to why a tropical country where I came from would sell such things. I'm not sure either, considering that I haven't really seen anyone back home wearing one before, but since we also have sweaters, blankets, and thick fake-fur coats, I' m guessing entrepreneurs have asked themselves at one point, "why not"?
So I donned my suit, twisted that thick knitwork around my neck, and stepped outside. To tell you the truth, I didn't feel any warmer. True, I looked awesome and the wool was comfy, but the fact that my hands are immobile told me that I'd probably need gloves too if ever I expected to be warm on my way to the office. Actually I do have gloves, in the same knitted design as my scarf (or muffler), yet when I tried to wear them inside my own warm house even, my hands went colder than before.
It's probably a lack of research for aero-dynamics on the part of the manufacturer, but I don't really see the point of making something supposed to be warm yet instead, rewards its wearers with the unexpected. Maybe I'm just wearing it the wrong way? Or maybe the color is wrong...
Nevertheless, I still looked cool (or hot, whichever warms your fancy) so I'd probably wear it up till the weather turns deadly and I'm forced to buy authentic warmers. I've been advised to buy thermal undies and a trenchcoat too, so that's absolutely gonna go to my Christmas shopping list... once I start on writing one.
And after going on a month-long silence for reasons unknown even to me, I am here to post an entry! Woo! To think I even promised a new layout... *sigh*
Well the layout's gonna have to wait till the weekends, and that's if I can find time to do it. I have a bunch of Japanese dramas and animes queued up for me to watch, supposing we don't go off again on our "almost weekly" excursions around Japan. Well, mostly around the Tokyo area anyway.
Just have to report that Summer's absolutely over by now. Temperatures are dipping wayyyy below the 15's now (Celsius), and it's not unusual to wake up and see that the window's dripping wet with moisture. They said that the snow's going to be earlier this year... ohhh I just can't wait!
I used to see the sun up and shining even up till 7 PM, while nowadays it would make its dramatic exit as early as 4:30. It's really difficult to get up in the morning with everything looking so dark. I'm used to opening my eyes to the sunshine, but nowadays, it's like getting up at mid-twilight; all dark, gloomy, silent, and cold. Makes you want to ignore the alarm and snooze off till noon. I usually turn the alarm off when it rings and get up 45 minutes later, giving me a boost of adrenaline once I open my eyes and realize that if I don't get up now and put my freezing butt into the shower soon, I'll be late for work.
And it's quite nice to see that the trees here are so festive and burning with passion. Most of the leaves have yet to turn into the Autumny-red though, but some of the smaller trees have gone on and embraced the season whole-heartedly. In my country, they just turn brown, die, then fall into the ground and transform into trash. Not really dramatic, but I guess I can't blame them if they want to escape the sweltering heat of our Winter... if you could even call that a Winter. I guess we only have two seasons back home: Summer and Hotter Summer.
I just wish I could enjoy Autumn long enough before the temps go any lower. With my hands and ears freezing as it is, I can't even imagine just how much colder it would be when Japan's Winter finally comes. I sincerely hope it wouldn't be so cold that it would freeze our eyeballs the moment we step outside. That would be scary and downright horrifying. Can that ever happen...?
--I found that word when I was trying to look up a synonym for hiatus. It's an English word.
Anyway, I guess I need not post something like this for something so obvious; Yep, I'm on a break from blogging for a while. Although writing this bit kind of fired up the passion once again...
Oh, it's not about time constraints, nor is it any personal/work/family/friend/any problem at all. A day just happened to happen in my life and I suddenly had found that I need not write entries... At least, for a while.
So while I'm on a blogging interim indefinitely, let me just leave with an assurance that I'm not quitting nor am I going to abandon this blog. In fact, right as of this moment, I'm scrounging up what's left of my Photoshopping-skills to whip up a spiffy new layout!
I guess once that's done, I'll be back again. But that's still indefinite. Don't let your hopes up, or down neither.
"Waiting is, and will be, the only." something I read on a novel, pretty fancy eh?
Continuing on from my previous post, we still had a lot of remaining daytime that Sunday afternoon, so we set off for an indoor amusement park a handful of train stations away.
I was a kid in front of the TV watching some Japan tourism show when I found out about Ikebukuro's Sunshine 60 building and its Namjatown. It was something that went to my To-Do list and I'm glad to finally have the chance to do so.
Of course, since we were already tired after going around the high school festival, it was a harrowing success getting everyone to even consider the idea of going on another trip on the same day. By the time we were at the train station, we had already made up our minds and compromised to do some napping while on the train... an act which proved to be very risky indeed. We almost missed our stop if not for my friend who woke up just in the nick of time (we got off the train all red-eyed and drowsy).
Clambering out of the labyrinth subway station, we realized we had no map and that no one bothered to memorize the GoogleMap entry I sent off to everyone's e-mails. A couple of seconds later, we found that there was no need; Sunshine 60 was Japan's tallest building up till the 1980's and you could easily see it towering high above the other buildings in the area.
Pretty soon we found Namjatown's entrance inside the mammot structure, but with time and money as our constraints, we had no choice but to buy the Entrance Passes only. But no problem, Namjatown has more than a lot to offer even to those not willing to spend much. At 300円 we were able to tour the whole place and visit each of the simulated towns inside.
First stop: Horror Town. It was designed as a haunted post-war Japan at night with creepy houses, singing tombstones, and cashier ladies screaming upside-down inside their booths. Because we weren't able to buy the Play-All-You-Can ticket, we haven't the chance to try most of the attractions, but we did give the Black Meowing Neko (or whatever it's called) a go.
You're given a black cat doll and instructed to explore the eerie town looking for the monsters that hold the spirit of a poor cat in captivity. Solving riddles and trivia questions along the way, you'll eventually earn the respect of a glowing Buddha sculpture, thus directing you to a final showdown with the big boss. But with none of us able to read Kanji, let alone answer Japanese trivia questions (the heck?), the poor kitty died and our seat fell... literally. Me and my friend were startled and we both shrieked.
We spent hours in that horror town, so we made up for it by running along till the exit and looking for which town to attack next.
I forgot which was which, but I can remember seeing my friends in the opera town (it has a balcony, velvet curtains and spotlights perfect for a Romeo and Juliet play) taking photos of each other, so we posed along with them then ran upstairs to the next floor. There was a military town, an ice cream town, an adventure town, and a China town. But we did most of our exploring in the angel/romance/christmas town. It was such a complete opposite of horror town, which made it comparably awesome as well. You could dub it as the 'How Lovely! Town'.
There were white caverns that has a chapel inside where you and your partner can put your hands on the altar (there are indentions of two right hands so you couldn't cheat with using your own) and then the whole cave would light up. Not sure if there was an accompanying music, it was too noisy to notice. But the dancing angels, as well as the singing Christmas trees and Italian ambiance, was the perfect place for romance that not matter how noisy the place gets, it seems to exclude a private and cozy atmosphere. The dozens of couples sharing cups of ice cream and cuddling under the fake trees were too much for us, and we hurried out of there (actually we panicked a little because we got lost, it seemed to us that the makers of this place made the How Lovely! town the biggest of them all for some kind of profitable reason).
By the time we have gathered in the 'opera place' once again, we were terribly tired and ready to go home. We took a couple more of shots and headed for the exit.
All in all, I think the 300円 was not enough to pay for the fun we had in there. I highly recommend going here if you have a tight-budget and want to have the most fun out of your Yen coins. We're thinking of going back next time, but with thicker wallets and lots of time.
The plan was to leave by 9:30 AM. But with everyone still groggy from the party the night before, we all left at noon right after 12. Outside it was egg-frying hot, but it was perfect for a Summer's Sunday. With the sun way up to melt all the eye bags accumulated with late-night partying.
I have received a pamphlet with an invitation for a high school festival several days ago, and it was with this that I dragged my friends to attend with me. Some were reluctant, but after showing them photos of previous festivals and explaining what it was really about, no one wanted to get left behind. It was just something you shouldn't miss while in Japan.
We did our best to immortalize the map on our heads, but I guess we didn't have to. The moment we got off into the train station, crowds of students wearing different uniforms were massing together and marching out towards a single destination: the Urawa High School Festival. With a laugh of relief, we decided to go with the flow. Actually, even without the students, you wouldn't get lost. From the station to the school, banners were put up leading you to the festival. But walking alongside excited chatterings and giddy-ness only heightened the experience.
The school's gate was exploding with celebration by itself, and beyond it was another gate. Only, this is made by the students and was likened to a Japanese castle with gabled roofs with dark tiles and white walls. It was huge, and passing beneath it gave me the feeling of awe and admiration at how much work these students put on making it.
We were given a booklet with lots of Japanese paragraphs in it. But thankfully, there were pictures splattered all over, so it wasn't that hard to figure out what was being described. Each classroom holds a different activity ranging from coffee shops, pizza parlors, to mini-casinos, daycare centers, and the infamous horror houses. There was a map of the school grounds' floor plan and a legend describing on how to use it, but we didn't understood it that much.
From what we could read though, only 3 buildings and the campus grounds itself were used for the festival: the central wing (where the classrooms are), the east wing (where the school facilities are) and the gymnasium. Other buildings where off limits, probably because the faculty rooms and other administrative offices are located there. We didn't even tried to peek inside, we assumed it'd be boring anyways.
The whole place was packed, with a girl/boy ratio of 5:2. The visitors were mostly girls from other schools, probably because of the fact that this is an all-boys institution. Everyone looked happy, so I guess the guys really did a good job. A lot of people were lining up outside the classrooms so much, that we only managed to go inside a couple of them: an aquarium attraction and a solitary tea house on the top floor.
The aquarium was hot and stuffy, but the tea house was an oasis. We've been walking for a couple of hours now, so having a break at a cozy classroom occupied only by a handful of students was so relaxing, we even considered the thought of spending the whole day inside it. An occassional visit from a customer, the tinkling of a wind chime on a Summer's breeze, and a sip of milk tea gives off such a believable atmosphere you'd think you're inside a cafe on a secluded beach. That is, until their supplies ran out and students began to come in just to 'hang out'.
By that time, we decided we needed our overly-late lunch and set off towards the least crowded place where we can get it: the school cafeteria. Because everyone was eating their lunch inside the food-themed classrooms, the cafeteria was empty save for the cashier and a few ladies cooking noodles and curry at the kitchens. The food available was just that: noodles and curry. And because it was a school, it was fairly cheap; compared to the doubled price of a regular bowl of udon or a plate of curry sold outside.
We watched some dancing guys cosplaying, a robot war, and a cart race afterwards. We were quite tired by that point, so we decided that it's time to leave. It was so much fun and it's too bad we hadn't been able to try the horror houses, next year perhaps?
Besides, the sun hadn't gone down yet and we have another place to go to before it does: Namjatown.
I'll save that for another story.
As it is the first day of my 3-Day Vacation and also my birthday, let's start with Saturday.
Nothing really happened much during the day. In fact, everyone was out and I was left alone at home doing chores. The friend who promised to come didn't, so the plan to go to Omiya was out. I just went out to buy the foodstuff for the dinner later that night and made the preparations for the chocolate pudding.
After a few hours later when the sun went down...
My friends began to come trickling back from whence they came, and the place started to get lively as people wailed that they're hungry and have no energy to help. Well I can't cook a feast by myself, so I told them they could either help me or go to sleep.
I guess they weren't sleepy.
In fact, rolls of chicken sushi began to mound up on plates. There were also roasted and fried chicken, candied fruits, and other bountiful dishes that filled the tables. Someone even went into the trouble of buying a cake. All while I was in the kitchen cooking the carbonara. Actually, they were rushing me with the pasta so much, that I forgot to add cornstarch and made some kind of "carbonara soup" instead. Still quite a fun dish overall.
With the cooking done, we turned up the music, turned down the lights, grabbed some plates, and went into some photo-shooting frenzy. Donning on neckties I wear for work, we dubbed it the Necktie Birthday Party while posing in front of the cam and doing some wacky shots. Good thing someone owned an SLR, I don't think regular cameras would work with such dark lighting and fast movements.
We ate, laughed, danced, and posed some more. Much so that we went past midnight and drained all our calories. It was like our own private disco club, minus the awkward strangers. We were on our own fun little world and it was the best.
The gifts came later and I got some chocolate rice balls, a Tokyo Dome mechanical eraser thingy, a mousepad, and of course the cake. By that time, everyone was already half-asleep, and I was left to clean out the room and put away the dishes.
Tired, content, and overflowing with happiness, I ushered the people back to their homes, closed the door, rolled out my futon, and went into a dreamless sleep. I didn't have to blow a candle to have my wish come true.
Thank you guys, that night was awesome. Happy birthday to meee~!
Tonight, while waiting for midnight, my friend and I watched a dramatic Japanese romance movie. Not having popcorn or any snacks available at home, I decided to prepare some corn soup. I added some flair with a bit of garlic powder, butter, an egg, and melted in a slice of mozzarella cheese.
But right before the movie started, we found the soup a bit too... soupy. It was a delicious yet perfectly ordinary soup. So I grabbed some slices of loaf and broke it to bite size pieces, I let it soak in the soup, and voila, a filling supper you could eat quietly that's not too grand to steal away your attention from the show.
By the time the movie ended, it was nearly 12. But not wanting to waste time, I figured that maybe I should go and try to make some custard following BadAunt's recipe. If all goes well, I'll go and proceed to make a bigger batch by tomorrow.
This is my first time to cook custard, and I'm a bit uncomfortable with the lack of some ingredients. I decided to improvise and use bitter chocolate instead of vanilla extract to give it flavor.
I got worried when I was constantly stirring yet it was still quite watery. Was on the verge of adding a spoonful of cornstarch when I find that stirring began to be difficult. The custard's now a custard.
It worked!
The chocolate melted very nicely and the texture was velvety smooth. The smell was heavenly. I ran out of the kitchen holding my finished product when my friend shouted, "HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAYYY!!!".
12:00 AM
We danced around a bit while I kept on stirring the still hot custard (don't want the eggs to suddenly get lumpy). And then we got tired. Then sleepy. Then they went back to their houses and I was left stirring the warm pan of deliciousness. Actually, I felt warm all over.
Later when the sun's up, another friend will be arriving from another town (with a promise of bringing a cake). We'll start buying food and cooking stuff for the party. And now that I'm feeling confident about my recipe-guided cooking ability, I think I'm going to try making some egg carbonara. Wish me luck!
I've waited for this for so long, ever since my friends started taking their Obon vacations while I was stuck at the office. I've asked my company why on earth ours was the only one not doing so and they replied, "Because we are abnormal company. Very hardworking".
I definitely had to agree. It was so true.
But hey, even abnormal companies have to obey the law, lest they become abnormal law-infringers. And thus resulted in September's 3-Day Weekend! Though I'd have to thank the grandpeople for that, it's their holiday~
Yes, every second Monday of September is 敬老の日 (Keirō no hi) or Respect for the Aged Day as dictated by the Happy Monday System; Japan proposed to move some holidays to Mondays in order to have long weekends. Pretty thoughtful.
I've read that this is the time where they take the opportunity to feature old people and their lives on TV. And with Japan having an overflowing population of people over 70, and a series of Guinness World-Record 'Oldest Person' title holders, I'd guess the media will be "having a picnic" so to speak.
And to top the holiday off with a Japanese Toffee Apple, there's an on-going matsuri just outside my building! I went down to buy some lunch (a measly Sea Chicken onigiri) and while standing in line a foreigner exclaimed, "Oh look! There's a festival! How lovely~" which sent me running out the store and into the plaza.
I wish to thank the heavens for the blessing of a cool early-Autumn temp and bright blue skies, to which I was able to enjoy the matsuri and the stalls it had put out. I'm not sure what the festival was all about, but I'm guessing it's either for Autumn or for the Respect for the Aged Day. Either way, I had fun. While roaming around, I found a friend roaming around also, then we went and gawked at everything; from the water balloon game, to the shooting gallery, the sweet ampan bread pastries, yakisoba, and much more.
When we realized that lunch break was over and it was time to return back to the office, my friend decided to buy a couple of yakitori sticks for me. And off I went munching on grilled chicken. Yum!
I like how today has begun to be so much fun, preempting the 3-day weekend. Tomorrow's my birthday, then the day after that we're planning to go to a local highschool's festival, then by Monday we'll bum around and maybe go off to watch a movie. And to think that next week, there's going to be another holiday coming up.
Japan and its holidays at its best.
This'll be an addendum to my previous entry.
Just this morning, the vending machine got two new drinks again. I'm not sure why they suddenly decided to replace the drinks one by one, but this recent development got us running for our mugs.
Jasmine Tea and Calpis!
I'm not a fan of the tea, unlike all of the people here, but I am of Calpis. And now the whole office smells like Spring. Not sure if you know Calpis, but it's a popular drink here in Japan. Sometimes it's carbonated, sometimes diluted in water; it's a milky, citrus-like drink. Actually you could say it's a yogurt drink. Much as I like Calpis, I still regret the fact that it replaced the Ginger Ale... a drink I never fail to have everyday. =(
Anyway, when the jasmine began to permeate the room, I felt a sense of nostalgia. I looked it up and lo! I found out that my country's national flower (Sampaguita) is none other than a specie of jasmine! I can't believe I haven't associated them before... I've always commented on the fact that whenever my mom would have a cup of jasmine tea, it smelled like sampaguita.
Hmm... I think the vendo will run out of jasmine tea quite soon. Oh well, Calpis FTW~
I think it's high time I formally thanked Japan and its uber-convenient railway system.
I've come from a country where there are currently only 4 major passenger railway lines available, compared to Japan having one of the largest passenger railway company in the world! And that's just JR East, one of Japan Railway's seven companies (I've read Wikipedia's article about JR East, and I can't even begin counting the railway lines it has!).
Of course when I first came here, I was overwhelmed to say the least.
"There are TVs inside the trains! Oh it's a cooking show!"
"Wow, they're really on time... up to the minute! Maybe even to the seconds!"
"Look at those tracks, there must be a dozen beside ours!"
"This is a railway map?! And it doesn't even include subways yet!?!"
"I thought I stepped out to a mall... awesome station!!!"
"Hey, I'm being crushed by a mob! Oof~ Cool!!" and so on...
Then it became routine, and after that well, let's just say I don't shout anymore whenever the train switches tracks. I even fall asleep while riding nowadays. And to think I used to take my camera whenever I ride the train~
Though, I feel so 'cool' whenever I encounter a ticket gate and I pull out my Gucci wallet (gift from Aunt, dunno if it's original), wave it a bit, and swipe it with a flair on the scanner. All with a fluid motion and a stoic face. Though there was a time when I mistook the screen with the blue arrow as the scanner and I kept rubbing my wallet till a staff member came and told me that I'm rubbing it at the wrong place... or when my wallet slipped from my grip and ended up on the 'other side' of the gate... or that time I swiped my card too fast, realizing that it's already expired when red lights came out, and ended up trapping the woman in front of me to get stuck at the gate... among other things.
What I love about commuting here is the fact that you get to live in another prefecture and still be able to come early for work, with half an hour to spare. And for me, who oversleeps everyday, it's a lifesaver! And although the train fare isn't certainly something to joke about, the convenience, the punctuality, and the passionate service they offer is definitely worth every Yen.
Oh, I've just found out an alternative route that will save me fifteen minutes of walking everyday. AND it took me less than a minute to have my train pass updated for me by a train station staff. AND then discover that it's even cheaper than my previous fare!
And would you believe me if I tell you that this cat runs a train station all by herself? Seriously.
She even earned the title Super-Station Master - the 5th highest rank in the company! Making her the only female with a managerial position and thus earning an office of her own too! Probably because when they gave her the job, sales went up 17%. Now if that's not a reason for promotion, go deceive yourself.
Super-Station Master Tama. The 'super' makes all the difference doesn't it?
Click here for details.
For those who didn't know, I have one of the most coveted tables at the office. I sit beside a vending machine that serves drinks for free! (along with the ￥100 snack bar and ice cream fridge). Though it doesn't bode well for my shattered tooth now that potential cavity-makers have direct contact with my molar insides.
Anyway, I am proud to announce that we now have new drinks up for grabs:
Onion Tea and Vitamin C!
Usually I'd go for a mug or two of Royal Milk Tea or some Extra Creamy Cocoa, but I think I just have to try these new ones out. They're weird enough to solicit a double take, but I'm guessing they don't taste as good as Qoo (what I'm drinking right now).
Bad news is, to make way for the radical delights, they removed one of my regular treats: Mango Au Lait. I guess it wasn't as popular as the Iced Expresso or the Ginger Ale... but hey, someone likes it, so don't remove it!
Well it's obvious that I'll take my daily dosage of Vitamin C from a vending machine from now on, but I can't just imagine sipping Onion Tea... I've read reviews and they said it stinks and tastes horrible! But at least it cures congestion and coughs.
Waitaminute. Vitamin C... Onion Tea...
*gasp!*
I think they're trying to make us healthy!
Update: Vitamin C tastes like lemonade and I still don't have the guts (nor any of my officemates) to try the onion drink. Bring back my Mango au Lait~!
Who knew boiled carrots were so dangerous?
One fine evening, I was at my neighbor's to help them with some cooking. Apparently, my white sauce recipe (the only thing I could cook decently here) is quite a hit! And now they're planning to combine my sauce, with their stir-fried veggies (the only thing they could cook properly).
So off I go with my creaminess, threw in the veggies, and came up with a nameless vegetarian delight. Of course, when they weren't looking, I threw in a dash of garlic powder, chili powder, a pinch of salt, and a small puff of pepper.
Somehow they managed to notice the pepper... a budding connoisseur perhaps?
And then to show their gratitude, they've let me have a bowl of the stuff on top of steamed rice. Oh, and they also have leftover noodles, so they gave that to me too. I was terribly hungry, starving even, that night so I mixed them all up and gobbled a dollop.
I was careless. As soon as I sank my teeth, I knew something has gone wrong. Horribly wrong.
Well there was the crisp broccoli, mushy carrots, hard tooth, crunchy onion... wait... tooth...?
A check with my tongue, and I found out that a molar at the lower-right side has shattered. It was now like a C-shaped hollow mess. And then I panicked. I immediately spit out the mush on the kitchen sink and found my tooth (most of it) embedded on the abominable carrot. Staring at it didn't really help my tooth much, but it abated my panic. Never before have I stared down a tooth-embedded carrot mush with such contempt.
*groan* I don't know what to do with my tooth, and I find the thought of going to a Japanese dentist quite daunting (based on the accounts I've read about them). Not like I have any other choice now do I?
Somebody help me find a good, if not normal, dentist!
And here I was looking forward for my payday... Most of it's already considered spent... *sigh*
I somehow made a mistake of underestimating expenses last month. I was confident that even if I buy a new laptop, things could still be afforded and food will always fill the fridge.
Boy, was I wrong. And being wrong in Japan is unacceptable. And armed with the motivational fear of being an unacceptable foreigner in Japan, I decided to ask for help. Where else? From friends of course! And it'd be better if they were next-door neighbors too, that would save you some train fare and much needed energy.
Anyway, I somehow managed to survive August and its laundry-stinker rainy days... But with a cost. A cost that would hunt me till my paycheck arrives.
And to think that my paycheck arrived today. *dun dun dun dunnnn!*
Thanks to these 'accounts payable', I'm having a hard time trying to whip up a plan on what to do (rather, what I could do) for my birthday coming this weekend...
Well I pretty much learned my lesson; it'd be foolish not to. But of course, old habits die hard. Recent ones harder. Which led to me going on another splurgefest last Saturday and ending up with bags of sausages, a pack of Napolitan spaghetti sauce, biscuits, eggs, mozzarella slices, and a carton of milk from Hokkaido. Anyone have any suggestion on a recipe?
Have you ever tripped on nothing, banged your head, said 'sorry' to a lamp post and 'thank you' to sympathizing spectators?
I did. And it was such a humid afternoon too...
My team mates and I were just returning from one of our lunch-outs when it happened. So here I am walking peacefully with a content smile on my face and covered in hard-earned sweat (the restaurant was quite the walking distance away), when suddenly I tripped. I don't know what caused my feet to stumble like that, and it was my curiosity to find out that furthered my embarrassment:
I tripped, so of course I looked back to find out what-the-frap caused me to trip but found nothing. Instead, I found myself suddenly in front of a jumbo lamp post. With no time to react, I squeezed my eyes shut and braced for impact.
Oof~
Inertia caused my arms to swing forward while I became a helpless witness as my arms hugged the post without my consent. Without control, my forehead banged on the said lamp post, and because it was covered in rubber (don't ask) my head re-bounced. I was slowly regaining consciousness and common sense by that point and managed to control my neck to prevent a second banging. It all happened within 2-3 seconds.
After which, I immediately untangled myself from the post and said "Sumimasen" (sorry) to it. I figured it'd be best to say 'sorry' in Japanese since it was a Japan-based lamp post, but that's just my banged head talking.
If that wasn't enough, I found (to my horror) that my boss, and the boss of my boss, and my team mates, and everyone else that happened to witness the show, was staring and you could really feel the strain on their faces as they tried not to laugh. The energy produced was so palpable in the atmosphere, I wouldn't be surprised if steam was produced somewhere...
Someone managed to ask, "Daijobu na no ka?" (are you all right?) to which I replied, "Ah! Arigatou..." (thank you). There was a huge crowd of blank stares involved and everyone began to sweat. Mine was already dry, in fact I was shivering.
Then someone laughed.
And the world was fine once again.
I feel good~ Nana nana nana naa~ *dances* After a long time of being bummed, this has got to be one of the best Fridays yet!
- Results of the JLPT 2 (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) mock exam came back; I didn't pass, yet my sensei said I improved a whopping 130%!
- Last night a representative from my company came by and told me that my pay will be a day late, and to compensate for such inconvenience, gave me a salary advance! Woot.
- After scourging bookstores everywhere in search of a JLPT 2 application form (which were all sold out, they said), I found out that there's a bookstore right inside my office building; one that still has a form available! I bought one a while ago, at last!
- I found a wonderful book (same store) about Japan's monsters and ghastly myths, and it's in English! Wow, it had a bargain price too! Of course, I snatched it right away... can't wait to read it on the train ride home!
- And to top it all off, I'm now munching on some Pocky sticks and gulping down a cup of my fave iced milk tea.
- Oh, and tomorrow's a Saturday. The best of them lot yet!
Ahh.... Absolute and total bliss~
A Thursday cannot be a Thursday without its special luncheons. And so, I present you, Torotoro Omurice!
I've had omurice before and it was so-so (rice mixed with ketchup, wrapped in an omelette, and topped with ketchup), which was why I was surprised when I found out that my order wasn't ketchup-ish! Well, there was ketchup on top of the omelette, but not as much as what I had before~
Anyway, the salad with vinegrette came first; nothing much, just shredded lettuce, carrots, raddish, cucumber, and a huge tomato. Everyone were already eating their steaks and my order was last to arrive. The wait was definitely worth it though...
It was amazing!
My plate probably dominated the table, it was huge and square, and at the middle sat the biggest omurice you've ever seen, surrounded with beef slices in demiglace sauce, and a sprinkle of aesthetic parsley bits. I stared at it till my glasses fogged up. It was a glorious moment. Although it might've been attributed to the fact that I was hungry .
I picked up a spoon, the biggest I could find (there were different kinds of spoons there, pretty fancy place, that), and tore into the perfect omelette shell, thus releasing steam and more heavenly aroma.
First bite in and I can already realize that it was the best ever. Ever been. Ever will be.
The hint of a 'spaghetti sauce' taste in the beef Demiglace with the neutral creamness of the buttered rice and egg omelette was so surprising, I had a heartburn. At last, something to absolutely die for. I haven't felt like this since I've had my first fettucini carbonara as a kid, afterwhich, I became addicted to white sauces and italian food, especially pasta.
Ahhh~~~ Torotoro. Omu. Rice. Dai. Suki.
And the best part is, as usual, it was all FREE.
˙ɯoʇʇoq ʎɹǝʌ ǝɥʇ ʇɐ ʍou sı ɥdɐɹƃɐɹɐd ʇs1 ǝɥʇ ʇɐɥʇ pǝpuıɯǝɹ ǝq ǝsɐǝld
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˙ǝɹǝɥ ʇno ʇı ʎɹʇ
¡uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝloɥʍ ɐ sɐ ɥdɐɹƃɐɹɐd ǝɥʇ ˙˙˙ɥƃnoɥʇ pɹıǝʍ sı sıɥʇ
¡ɔılɹɐƃ ǝɹoɯ pǝʌloʌuı ʇı ǝɯıʇ sıɥʇ ˙ǝdıɔǝɹ sʇǝƃƃnu uǝʞɔıɥɔ ɹǝɥʇouɐ ǝʞɐɯ oʇ pǝƃɐuɐɯ ı ʍoɥ ɹɐǝɥ ɐuuɐʍ noʎ ssǝlun ˙(ʎɐpɹǝʇsǝʎ ǝʞıl ʇsnɾ) ʎɐpoʇ ƃolq ƃuıɥʇʎuɐ ɟo ʞuıɥʇ ʇ,uɐɔ ı 'sǝpısǝq ¿unɟ ʇı ʇ,usı ʇnq 'sıɥʇ ǝʞıl pɐǝɹ oʇ noʎ ƃuıɔɹoɟ ɯ,ı ɟı ʎɹɹos ɯ,ı
˙lǝʌou ʇǝʞɔıus ʎuoɯǝl ʎuɐ uı puıɟ p,noʎ ʇɐɥʍ ǝʞıl ɥɔnɯ ؛ooʇ ʎuunɟ ʎʇʇǝɹd s,ʇuoɟ ǝɥʇ puɐ ¡sıɥʇ ǝʞıl sıɥʇ op ʎllɐnʇɔɐ plnoɔ ɹǝʇndɯoɔ ʎɯ ʇɐɥʇ ǝǝs oʇ ƃuızɐɯɐ ǝʇınb
˙ʇno ʇı ʎɹʇ oʇ pǝpıɔǝp puɐ ƃolq s,ʇunɐpɐq uı sıɥʇ ʍɐs ı
Me and my office mates go out for lunch every week. It's a ritual thing for them, conducted every Thursday. And when I joined the team, they asked me if I want to join. Of course, not wanting to turn down an offer from a Japanese (it's really rude to do that), I said yes.
"Yoshi! Don't bring any packed lunch this Thursday okay?" And thus started my weekly culinary adventures.
Ever since starting work last month, I've been to a whole lot of restaurants here and around Tokyo. Mostly Roppongi and Akasaka. And every time we finished eating, they'll offer to pay my bill. Why not? I said. But lunch after lunch, I've began to worry about their extreme hospitality. I tried to force my way to the cashier to pay, but they strongly insisted on letting them. Now I can't imagine myself paying for my meals on these lunches anymore.
Lunches I had (no particular order... maybe):
- Shabushabu - a smorgasbord of meat slices, mushrooms, vegetables, noodles and other stuff that can be thrown into a boiling pot. Each person is given a huge box filled with raw food, and you throw bits and pieces into the hot water. Wait for it to cook, choose from the variety of sauces, and gulp them down while hot. Absolutely delicious.
- Soba - cold noodles on a bamboo plate with a cup of hot beef soup stock. You pick up the noodles and dip them in the beef soup and slurp it. There were lots of beef slices and veggies. Very yummy and refreshing on a hot, summer noon.
- Okonomiyaki - LOTS and LOTS of veggies that were stir-fried with bacon, octupus, and bean sprouts then mixed with batter. Looks like pancake. Placed on top of stir-fried noodles and garnished with a fried egg. It had tons of sliced leeks, but surprisingly, the leeks were sweet.
- Curry - although it was summer, we went to an Indian curry house for an all-you-can-eat-curry buffet. Good thing the curries had descriptions and levels of spiciness. Lots of foodstuff to dip into the curry; mini-donut thingies, flat and chewy bread, rice, bread sticks, etc.
- Mabo Tofu - extremely spicy and hot. We went to an authentic (and very classy) Chinese restaurant where we were given a huge platter filled with red, super-spicy, tofu dish that was served with soup, rice, and an assortment of side-dishes. Everyone began perspiring immediately and runny noses were rampant.
- Sushi - I've probably had each and every type of sushi available on the menu. Sushi after sushi, the chef kept on dropping on my wooden plate different types of cold and raw delicacies. I loved them all! Even the salmon roe (fish eggs) that was extremely slimy and quite... *shudder*
Thanks guys!
A couple of days ago, I came home to find a note stuck in my front door: "We have attempted to deliver/pick up a shipment today. Please call and let us have your preferred delivery schedule". Everyday they've attempted to deliver the package, but I was always away at work. So I figured that I should probably just tell them when I'm available. I've done this before, rescheduling a delivery date, so I figured it's "no biggie". But the previous attempt had been online through the courier company's site, this time, I'd have to call them myself.
Huwaat?! Call the courier company? Tell them to reschedule? I don't even know what 'reschedule' or 'delivery' is in Japanese! Let alone explaining to them that they should stop going to my house when I'm at work, and just deliver it during the weekends.
Nothing I can do but to do it, I told myself. And so, before I could pause and even consider to hesitate, I picked up the hand set and dialed their number. A couple of rings did the job, and I was greeted by a string of fluent Nihongo.
"Uhh... I would like to schedule a devilery... uhh, redeliver. Delivery."
"Wait. Wait a moment."
DARN IT! First sentence in and I've already messed it up! In English no less! Ugh, this will be very taxing indeed. A little while later he came back and said a couple of English words, then gave up and asked if it's okay to speak in Japanese.
"Oh! Okay, hai hai. Sukoshi dake hanasemasu ga... Hai."
And off he went stating what may be about protocols, procedures, and stuff I might not have any idea about even if I did understand a word he said. Soon, he finished talking and I had an inkling that he ended it in a question. So I took a gamble and told them my preferred schedule: 11 AM, Saturday.
"Anou~ Doyoubi wa?"
"Aa! Doyoubi wa ii desu."
"Ja, doyoubi no ichiji, gozen."
"............ Ichiji? Gozen? AM? PM?" Judging from his voice, he seemed quite bewildered, if not shocked to what I said.
"Hai, ichiji. AM" I assured him.
He seemed to pause here and then resumed talking in Japanese. Of course I didn't understand, so I just repeated what I said:
"Gozen ichiji. 11 o'clock AM"
"Oh! 11 AM! Juuichiji!"
What. The. Frap. No wonder he sounded skeptical. Here I am telling him that I wanted my package to be delivered at "Ichiji, gozen" . He must've had a panic attack; 「Ichi」 means 1 and 「juuichi」 means 11. I've just told the poor, disbelieving guy to deliver a package at 1 o'clock in the morning.
Wah, I'm so embarrassed I could just fart myself out of existence. Huhu.
Be that as it may (and may it never be again for all eternity), the conversation was concluded and I got the sched that I want. But thanks to him and my questionable Japanese, I've just had my first Japan Experience Anecdote!
Wootwoo!
With the month drawing to a close in just a handful of days, I can proudly say that I have survived Japan for two months now. Yey me!
August had been restful in comparison with the previous months. Only twice did we went out on our supposedly 'weekly' excursions, and its because friends from back home, now working in Ibaraki, came to visit us Tokyoites (more of that excursion on a later post). We've planned to go and take a chance of climbing Mt. Fuji this month, but lack of funds suggested otherwise.
August was also incredibly wet. I took a look at some articles as to when Japan's rainy season usually happens, and it said it was July. Well I'm not sure if this a late shower or an early Autumn for it's starting to get really cold recently. And although I haven't had problems with the weather before, the rainy season's quite becoming a hassle. Twice I've sent my pants and shirts for another round in the washing machine, after turning stinky while hanging them dry. And more than twice did I come home to find clothes that were 'nearly dry' in the morning and then got drenched in a sudden afternoon rain.
August is also the month of supreme thriftiness. I bought my laptop immediately after getting our first paycheck, and thus unknowingly spent my supposedly 'budget for the whole month'. I had to borrow some from my friends just to buy a supply of chicken nuggets and veggie sausages (I somehow developed some of scrumptious recipes due to necessity).
All in all, this month's quite an anti-climax after July's exhuberant display of giddy-ness. But of course, the wheel goes round and round; what comes up must go down. And I'm guessing September's gonna be a lot brighter, sunnier, and more optimistic; with the sun finally showing itself this morning.
And of course, it better be. Next month's my birthday~!
Even though I arrived in Japan on the last week of June, the fun never really started till July hit us with its festive Summer.
With my only free time falling only on weekends, me and my friends started going on weekly excursions to the latest happenings near and far. Some were the obvious tourist spots like Akasaka, Yokohama, or Akihabara (not much to see, lots to buy though).
I've yet to go to Shinjuku and Shibuya, but my officemates suggested Ikebukuro. Haven't heard it before I'm sure, me neither. But since budget dictates that we're only to visit areas around the Central Tokyo region, we haven't had the inkling to try and imitate those lucky few who had been to the snowy slopes of Hokkaido, the shores of Okinawa, or the historically-rich Kyoto. On the plus side, we've seen much of the urbs, and confusing railways don't scare me anymore.
You could just imagine all the things that we fed on our craving brain; it's as if we stuffed in a lifetime's worth of experience against the protests of our wallets. Living on our own, spending our own money, we found out how expensive things are here in Japan. And with July being our first month here, it was crucial to experience first hand the prices of each commodity we'd need to survive up till the next paycheck comes.
July 2008: excited, exhausted, suprised, disappointed, unprecedented, unexpected, and one of the most memorable and absolutely unforgettable month of my life.
And then I realized that Japan's newfangled is me.
That's me at the front, 2nd guy from the right, wearing khaki shorts, beaming quite happily. You could never find a happier person in Inage-kaigan that day.
This was yesterday. And what a day it was!
Actually this has been my 2nd time at a BBQ party in Japan, but now with more people, more sizzling beef, more clouds, and more roasted bananas!
Yes! Even though it was drizzling throughout the day, the beach deserted and stinks of rotting fish, and that my lower-right molar tooth shattered the night before, I can still manage to beam that wonderful smile and have an awesome party with my friends and office mates.
The highlight of the day was the overflowing beef; sizzling, soft, tasty and oh-so-juicy! They also grilled lots of veggies, sweet potatoes, buttered potatoes, and of course, bananas. There were also tons of yakisoba; stir-fried noodles with veggies and meat, topped with different sauces and served on paper plates.
After eating non-stop for 2-3 hours, we decided that now's a good time to have an appendicitis and headed down to a nearby open field to play soccer, badminton, volleyball, dodgeball, and we even threw in some frisbee. Well no one had an appendicitis, but everyone had so much fun! Not being sportsy, I settled with playing badminton and frisbee, while taking pics during breaks. It was constantly drizzling, but thankfully it didn't fully rain. That would've dampened everyone's spirits.
The best part was that it was FREE! Yep, the only thing I spent my Yen on was the transpo from my house to the beach. Not much considering I had a train pass. And because of such, I managed to buy a couple of ice cream cones from a vending machine nearby. Talk about convenience; where else can you get choco mint and chocochip cookies ice cream cones from a vending machine but in Japan? Heaven I tell you, heaven!
Although there was a beach, no one was swimming in it. Maybe because the lifeguard stops you from stepping close to the water, or maybe because it smelled like a dead whale. The smell goes away every minute or so, but everytime you're about to enjoy the fresh salty air, it dives back to make your face distort itself to oblivion. It sounds like a cynical exaggeration, but you haven't smelled what we smelled, so there.
All in all, it was an event memorable and everlasting. Roasted bananas FTW!
