At Last!

I woke up disoriented and feeling queasy... "It's my last day of work today!"

Last Song Syndrome

I'm not sure if this is a real mental disorder, but here in my country, almost everyone has suffered from it everyday. I confess that I did, and still am suffering from it, much so that I keep repeating the chorus of one song over and over, and I'm liking it!

You guys've ever heard of Follow You Down by Gin Blossoms? It's not an uber great song, but it's really catchy in the rock/pop sort of way. It's one of the official soundtracks of the movie, "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" which I've rented a while ago.

I wish I could infect someone with my LSS... The chorus needs two vocal singers~! (TTATT)

My Will Be Done~

I will post only ONCE a day after the week ends.

The reason I was able to make these entries profusely is because I have access to the computer almost the whole day. But since I'll be going to 8AM-4PM Nihongo classes this April, I think I won't be able to do the same again.

It is not really a big deal for me to post this much, I'm actually enjoying it a whole lot! It gives me the chance to write down memorable things that happens everyday, and appreciate even the littlest things that comes my way. And not being restricted to only one entry per day, I was able to write a whole lot!

Plus, I got to practice writing in English so much, that now I cringe whenever I see a typo or sentences that lacks parallelism. Haha, just kidding~

I love my blog and I love writing my life. I wish a lot of people could share my joy with me. *tries to attract more comments*

The Apprentice

Have you had an apprentice? I did. Just a while ago, and she was very attentive.

It's easy to get drunk on power and easier to abuse it. So I restrained myself and made a very great example for my soon-to-be-replacement. In fact, I taught her everything there is to know about my job and how to do it very well.

It's quite impossible to show her all of the things that I've done and what she might be working on next, so I just zipped my whole folder and sent it to her. I figured that if she can sort my files out, then she'd do a great job tying all the loose ends I might leave behind.

That is, if I'm allowed to anyway.

My tasks these days usually is to finish everything left undone, close open activities, and bum around while I wait for more tasks to come. And since I'll be leaving soon, I advised her that she should write down every question she could think of before I leave, or it'll be unanswered forevermore.

So far she doesn't have any questions, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing.

Gave Away My Identity

I gathered all my IDs, cash cards, health insurance cards, and other stuff and sent them away...

I'm finally leaving my corporate identity behind, and it's just now that I realize that the rope has finally been severed and I am now free to leave the company.

My last day of work will be on Friday and everyone's feeling sad about my leaving, but a Japan-o-philiac's gotta do what a Japan-o-philiac's gotta do right?

Daruma

The first eye drawn
and I wait for dawn
to count the coming days
till I leave my place

A wish is born
while some people mourn
they don't want to be
left behind by me

Then it came true
and the skies turned blue
I gave a warm smile
it was all worthwhile

A dream took flight
it was a beautiful sight
with it my heart flew
so now there's two.

A poem I made, dedicated to my inspiration: my friends and my family, whom I'll soon leave behind in pursuit of my dreams~

Thank you, sorry, and goodbye everyone.


Oh wait, my flight is not till 3 months. Hahaha~

Bus Things~

Being on the bus, packed tight with commuters going home, I did another 'deep thinking'. It was the perfect place to ponder about random things, especially with it being a long way home and you have nothing to do but just sit there and bounce with the road.

Most of the buses here were actually from Japan; second-hand and worn down, sold cheaply to bus companies who are more than willing to transform it into a speeding steel mammoth and make tons of profit.

You can still read some of the kanji writings on the doors and windows, and most of the time I try and read the small instructions written on a light bulb (which was actually a button to signal a driver). I don't understand most of it, but I managed to pick up a word or two. I even tried pushing it but nothing happened... or maybe something did and only the driver knew about it (and ignored it).

I've seen on music videos and TV shows just how different the buses on Japan are from my country. They're so clean, so new, so safe, and makes me feel envious that they manage to have those kinds of transportation means to use everyday. I figured all of them have air-conditioners, while I bask in the full glory of smoke, smog, and an occasional rain with my open window.

Makes me feel depressed and super excited... to think that I'd be able to live the comfort of a deluxe state of life in Japan quite soon enough. I can already imagine myself enjoying a convenient bus ride to work or back home everyday, with a soft headrest, a window you can see stuff through, enough room to stretch your legs, and most of all, clean air.

Riding a bus in Japan will definitely make me live longer~

Week of My Last~

Oh wow Monday, my last week starts today.

I've been counting the days ever since we got accepted for the job and now the first milestone looms near... The end of my current job to start with another.

By next week I'll be busy with the remaining documents left to procure before submitting them all to the Japanese company for translation. Then they'll use that to make the Certificate of Eligibility and send that for our visa.

My coworkers haven't been exactly silent about the whole thing; asking questions everytime they meet me: At the pantry, my cubicle, the hallway, at the lobby, in the elevator, and even inside the restrooms. Sometimes they'll ask the same question twice on a different occassion (are my answers that forgettable?).

I plan to hold a small feast to celebrate my farewell this Friday, order it in advance, and worry about the expenses later~

It'd be fun and sad at the same time... I'm not sure I can handle that. *sniff*

Hair Cut!

My family suggested I get myself a haircut; well it really has already gotten very long and became really troublesome lately. I often accidentally eat the tips when I open my mouth, and it's gross to have saliva slobbered on your hair.

So I did what I was told to do and now it's short, light, and a whole lot better to manage.



Nevermind the shades, it's my dad's. I really can't see anything with it, looks good though ne?

Ni Hyaku Yen Shop

I'm sure you've heard of the famous 100 Yen (Hyaku Yen) shops in Japan right? Well we went to the mall and saw another version: a 200 Yen shop~

Japan Home Centre might be expensive (doubled price) in comparison to the Hyaku Yen shops in Japan, but it's actually cheaper than the other shops here.

I dropped off my mom inside and she bought things like crazy, and crazier when she found the 150 Yen aisle. She picked up a new leash for our dog Brownie(awesome name huh), packs of tissue rolls, dozens of nail filers, non-stick pan, batteries, and a whole lot more of common household stuff. I'm proud to say that she didn't bought things randomly, and that the purchases were really thought out and the quantity adequate.

Not sure if I'd be able to do the same once placed inside a real 100 Yen shop. I'm quite a fan of trinkets and nonsense stuff, so I would really need a lot of restraint and a couple of external forces (Rose and Kai) to be able to pull myself away from going on a spending-splurge.

I'll leave myself in the care of these two~

Omiyage~

Of course, no trip will not include a bag or two of locally-made treats for people back home to enjoy. And thus, we bought lots of goodies that's sure to make those cavities strong and proud!

I was not able to take a pic of most of the stuff because we already ate them. Except this: Turones de Casoy. Cashew nougat wrapped in thick edible paper.

Very addicting and so yumful! My absolute favorite of them all! I sort of remember the taste, maybe a memory from my childhood days... It felt familiar on my tongue, but I can't seem to recall eating this before.

Aside from those sticks of deliciousness, we also bought popped rice crispies stuck together by caramelized sugar to form an appetizing bar that'll keep you munching for hours~ I forgot what it's called, but it says, "EDNA'S" on the label (I assume that's the manufacturer's name).

There were a lot more, but the last thing I remember are those small squares of peanut bars that's sticky and dry at the same time. It's difficult to eat it without making everything crumble, but it was so addicting as well.

*sigh* I do not know when I'll be able to eat these again, I really do hope it'd be soon... *hint hint* Can someone send them to me in Japan?

A Couple of Glimpses

I took a couple of shots while I was in Matabungkay on the night before we left.

I was walking back to the resthouse when I glanced up and saw the trees rustling in the wind, with our old watertank in the backdrop. I felt that I should take a photo, so I did. I took a whole lot more but this one's my favorite.

Last night, I took my camphone out with me as I walked through the mango trees and bathed in the moonlight.

Being away from the city, there wasn't a single drop of smog nor was there any bright lights to scare the stars away. If only I had a pricey digicam I could've captured the moment, instead I got this supernova-ish photo of the moon.

With leaving all of these behind in mind, I felt the urgency to take a pic of everything I've ignored before. I know that I'll be back someday, but still... the thought of leaving something for such a long time, brings out the dramatic side of me.

Matabungkay

First of all, I would like to apologize for not having any photos of the beach taken during our nightly swims. It's all due to the fact that whenever we would go and decide to have a dip, we'd leave all our things at the house and march across the sand with only the cotton on our butts and sandals on our feet.

I figured this might be the last time I'll have a swim here before I leave for Japan, so the family agreed to take 2 beach trips in a row. We went yesterday and on another one today. We only went everytime the sun would set because we are concerned about: our skin, the crowd, the sea level, and the water temperature.

By the time the sky would blend red a with purple haze, we'd march out of the resthouse, through the grass, and out to the sand. We would walk along the shore and find a suitable spot where the people are few and the view a-plenty. Then our sandals will be dropped off somewhere, and then the family will roam free.

The water was definitely the best it's ever been. It's very warm when you enter, then the underwater currents would drive freezing cold temps around your legs. It was weird and funny, and we all had a whole lot of laughs while trying to float and run away from the coldness. We tumbled, rolled, sank, and swallowed a whole lot of liquid salt in the process~

By the time we can no longer see each other's faces, we would wade back to land and find our way back to the house through the silent darkness. It was really nice to be away from the busling civilization and spending a nice, relaxing time with your family and with nature.

I really enjoyed this trip, I hope to come back soon and experience everything all over again!

The Girl Who Sang~

Meet Donna, my cousin.

She's a singer and a very good one at that. Mostly influenced by her sisters for they're professional singers of some sort, so maybe it runs in the family.

My brother and I sing a lot whenever we come visit, so I guess we've contributed a bit too.

Yes I guess we could consider ourselves quite an influence because she's a bit inclined to arts like I am, and music like my brother. She would watch hours of animes, read mangas, and draw. Then she would fawn over music CDs, videos, and sing. And then she'll lock herself in her room and sleep.

Her being gullible also makes her a perfect target for my brother, and I get to watch as she sings and dances while I do the same beside her. Haha~ All for fun and the day's complete. We would lounge around the house, sleep through a DVD, or we would go and lie down under the mango trees.

Once she found out about me leaving for Japan, she immediately wanted me to buy a laptop for her. Well I figured since electronics are cheap in Japan, why not? She deserves one, and she'd benefit a lot from it. I'll miss her infectious giddy-ness and her amazing voice, so I plan to help her find a job in Japan someday... Her having fantastic grades would definitely help a lot.

I think she's a budding Japan-o-philiac just waiting for an internet connection and cable TV. Hee hee~ Let's wait and see.

Mushroom Burgers

Who would've thought that you could grow and harvest burgers?

There's this old burger joint (on a mountain ridge along the way to our resthouse) that we've frequented over the years. It has grown quite a bit from its humble beginnings, and you could see where the new parts have been built over the old building; a new dining room, a toy train chugging around the walls, a new patio/veranda, etc.

As kids, my brother and I would play on the small playground/park behind the building, and I would stay away from the parts where the grass has grown too thick because I'm scared some snake would bite my exposed ankle. Even when I was already in highschool, and my bro a college student, we would still play at the swings, climb the stone slide, and scare the chickens.

Memories played a big part for our regular visits there, but of course we came for the food.

Burgers made entirely of mushrooms stacked on top of Hongkong rice, a side dish of assorted mushrooms with a whole hard-boiled egg, lots of gravy, and a mushroom egg-drop soup.

A delicacy to die for; meals fit for a king! (or president). We had an experience of meeting a former president dining here before. Haha~

And since it's Holy Week, there's a custom of abstinence; of staying away from eating meat until Easter Sunday. Fortunately, there are burgers that aren't made from meat. Tastes a whole lot better too~

Guess what the place is called? Yep, Mushroom Burger. That's what they're famous for~!

Happy 1st Birthday Dad!

Today is the first time that we celebrated my dad's official birthday! And all along we thought he was born on the December 30th. >__>;

It all came to be on the day my mom decided to get my dad's official birth certificate at the National Statistics Office. Since our government is quite new (politically speaking), problems with official documents and stuff are the norm.

As my cousin had once remarked, the town halls here have been burned down at least once for some reason or another; the municipal hall where my dad's official records were kept was obviously not an exception. Add that to the fact that it was waaaay out in the province between the rice paddies and mountain ranges, then his birth certificate would be very hard to get indeed~

Although my grandpa insists that he got the birthday correct and that the records were wrong (my grandma's gone... so his word is the only thing we could hold unto). And being registered late, the town hall burned down, documents lost and only pulled out just now does seem to explain a lot why there's a mysterious discrepancy.

I know that it's hard to imagine to grow up knowing that you've been blowing candles on the wrong day every birthday, but I guess it has to happen to someone someday right?

So... HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! You'll really have a lot more birthdays to come (twice a year in fact), don't get too old too fast now okay?

Week of Holiness~

This week is Holy Week, but the vacation won't start till tomorrow; because Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were apparently not holy enough. Nevertheless, I am off to the beach with my family and my cousins! Woo!

We plan to wake up at dawn, eat breakfast at a mountain range restaurant, drive on till noon, and arrive at the resthouse for lunch. My grandpa, my aunt, and my cousin live there, and I'm very excited to meet them again tomorrow. We're going to stay till Saturday and be back home on time for Easter.

Expect a delay on the entries, because I plan to write them all up when I get back.

Ja mata raishu minna~! See you guys next week!

Cookie Cravings

I gave in to my cravings and bought a box of Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies during lunch. At least there's oatmeal, that's healthy right?

It was hard not to, especially if you're standing in front of the food stall, the box in your hand, and your wallet in the other. I don't remember what had brought me to that circumstance, but I certainly am feeling regret.

Here I am a week away from my last day of work, and instead of saving up every cent I could grab hold unto, I spend it on snacks. Sweet snacks. The ones that made my blood sugar level rise up to unemployable heights (I had a problem with my company medical check-up before).

To tell you the truth, it wasn't all that sweet. But the thought of eating a whole box of cookies makes me think otherwise. Or maybe I'm just thinking about it too much...... again.

myPod

This has got to be my worst day ever, and I blame that chain letter I've received a while ago. Ugh.

I was on my way home and was then about to plug my ears with Jpop when my hand came out out of my bag empty, "Darnation, it's gone again."

But I knew that I've brought my iPod to the office today, so I assumed that it was either snatched, lost, stolen, or was warped into a parallel dimension where a version of me was wallowing in the pits of music-less space.

I had a hard time convincing myself that such things may happen (or it may, but not to me) so I backtracked and tried to remember where was the last time I had it and why it got away.

And then POOF! It seems I left it under my monitor when I went out to go to the restrooms one last time before going home. Can't remember why I'd put it there, and I have no time to find out. I've got to call someone in the office fast!

I thank the heavens for my friends' quick response, and I'm glad one of them decided to pull a late-night work marathon so I was able to have someone pick it up from my desk and safely keep it for me till tomorrow. Thank you guys, may your life be fruitful and your work end soon.

I'm DOOMED~!

At first I thought it was insignificant, that it's something I shouldn't worry about. I've placed my mind at ease and told myself that everything is going better than what I've planned. I was happy, content, and satisfied.

But it seems I've counted the eggs before they've hatched (cliche yet true), and now my worst fear has been somewhat confirmed.

BUT!! due to the Non-Disclosure Agreement I've made with my company, I cannot disclose any more information without getting myself sued. So let's end it with an OMGWTHBBQ I'M IN TROUBLE!#%@.


PS: I've inquired the company about "it" and they haven't responded yet... so I'm assuming it's not true. But I'll just prepare myself for the worst and hope for the best.

Meow Mamu Meow~

The Benevolent Three-Colored, Three-Legged, Feline Queen of Meganekko's Abode~

All hail Mamu!!

She was picked up from the corner of my block, the first turn to the right, on the street's gutter beside the sewer. A kitten with a nub for a tail, all covered in grime, dirt, and other who-knows-what.

I'm quite aware just how much cats dislike water, but seeing this wee little thing wailing silently with her eyes shut tight with sticky eye-goo, my heart ached and pounded with mercy. It was decided that she'll take a bath whether she likes it or not. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known how many colors this kitty had (I thought she was white, and the other colors were just stains).

She grew up fast and grew very spoiled; being the only cat in a household full of dogs, Mamu was given somewhat of a special treatment. And try as we might, we just can't touch her. She'll either bite, claw, or glare at you with murderous intent just because you "look" as if you'll ruin her glorious fur. "Hmpf! Fine. Be that way~", we say as we walk away. Yet sometimes she'll rub herself on our legs at her own initiative... felt guilty perhaps? ^__^

Her legacy began one fateful morning when she was doing her 23-hour power nap, and I was getting ready for school. *whine* *rattle* *VROOM!* went my dad's car as he started the engine. Then a heart-stopping screech and a puff of fur sent us running to see what has happened.

Mamu was apparently sleeping inside the car's hood, and she was on top of the engine when my dad started the car. It mangled her hind leg and was thus sent to the vet. I had to pay extra because they wanted to neuter her too. I very much obliged, "Anything for Mamu~".

That was almost more than a year ago, and she's now accustomed to living a three-legged life. Ever since that day, she'd become reclusive and silent; her transformation from being a spoiled, aloof kitty to a traumatized adult was almost tangible.

But through it all, she has become closer to us: always waiting at the front door, guzzling our feet in the kitchen, and we can even touch her now. Mamu may have lost her leg, but she gained a whole lot more than that~

Long live the queen!

i <3 Pod

It was not until today that I've realized just how much my iPod meant so much to me.

Ever since I've bought it from the Apple Store, which was about 2 years ago, I've always carried it with me wherever my two music-tapping shoes took me. It was a bit expensive during that time, and new models may have come out now, but it was ever loyal to me and I am to it.

I took care to safely remove it from my PC instead of just unplugging it carelessly. I never installed malicious software even if my peers insisted on upgrading it. I bought a silicone cover for it, and still hadn't peeled off the screen protector. And every once a month or so, I meticulously cleaned its surface to remove dirt and grime that life has given it.

It only has 1 GB of storage but when I plugged it into my PC and saw the huge amount of space just pleading to be filled with my humongous music collection, I almost cried with joy. It immediately began to fill up with my Jpop and Jrock, the Korean ballads and RnB, a lot of anime songs, and because of my brother's insistent and reasonable demands, some songs with English lyrics~

Day and night it sang, and I listened and rejoiced.

Then this morning, I opened my bag and it was gone. My eyelids peeled back, my fingers crackled with the search, and my mind swirled with unthinkable thoughts... "WHERE IS IT? IT'S GONE!!"

I fearfully texted back home about the news... and got a reply that I left it at my table.

The Big Decision

My brother forced me to choose between an ultimate delicacy and the epitome of deliciousness. An unbearable torture which almost derailed my blood sugar...

Bro: *holds up two Krispy Kreme doughnuts* "Choose: New York Cheesecake or Cookies n' Cream?"

Me: *stares* "I-I'll... umm... maybe t-the... Can I just get both? No? B-But..." *cries*



I shall retaliate! And retaliate I shall!

Happiness Jinxes

It is like a gut feeling that tells me, "For something this good to happen, you're bound to receive an equal amount of bad things in return (and vice-versa)".

What a morbid and scary thought huh?

It is what I've heard long ago from friends or some place I can't remember; because of such, I try to restrain myself from enjoying stuff too much, or suffer the consequences. I don't know... Just something psychological?

I probably shouldn't worry about it, it is too freaky and has no basis whatsoever. But that's not to say I haven't experienced such things before. I've had my share of yin/yang universal balance of luck:

• Depression from failing to find a company to accept me/apply to ~> Got a call that I was accepted for a company (which I don't remember I've applied to) that everyone wanted to get.
• Celebrated the fact that we passed the screening for the Monbukagakusho (Japanese Government-sponsored scholarships) ~> We failed the exams.
• Lost hope when I got sick with Measles and missed my interview date for the Japan job ~> It was postponed and I got accepted.
• Told myself that everything's going smoothly and according to plan ~> found out just how hard it is to leave my company (and don't even get me started about the clearance).

There are others from a long time ago, but I cannot remember. I know I'm just being paranoid and overly superstitious, but you can never be too careful~

Is it karma? A Jinx? Or just plain luck?

A Saturday Anecdote

~~ The convenience Store beside my Nihongo school ~~


Me: *opens freezer* "Oh they're out of milk tea... again." *takes a chocolate drink and chips then heads for the cashier*

Cashier: "Good afternoon sir, this counter please"

Me: *drops some stuff to the counter*

Cashier: *zaps barcode* *presses cashier buttons* "That would be 38.00 please"

Me: *hands over a hundred*

Cashier: *opens cash register* *presses more cashier buttons* "Sir, how much should I give you?"

Me: *puzzled look* "Huh?"

Cashier: "You gave me a hundred right? How much should I give you?"

Me: "I dunno. Wait... 62.00?"

Cashier: "Okay," *hands over change* "thank you. Please come again~"

Me: *goes away confused*

Osewa ni Narimashita~

I had my last Nihongo lesson today.

I won't be able to stay with my classmates after midterms because of the Intensive Nihongo class the Jap company will provide us. So I guess this is it~ *sniff*

I don't know if it's a coincidence, but that day we watched a video that was about saying goodbyes. It was a conversation between a foreigner and his Japanese friends, where they congratulated him for his transfer, and told him to never forget and that he's always welcome to come back.

Even though my class started only January, it feels as though everyone has been my long time friends. It's really hard to imagine that we won't be able to laugh together again, ask each other questions, and squeeze inside the cramped elevator just to buy snacks during break time.

Osewa ni narimashita minna... Thank you for everything you've done for me. Sayonara~

Unexpected + Unbelievable + Greatness

I am most probably at the giddy-est giddy-ness of my giddy-full life!

But I've signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement just moments ago, so I guess I cannot disclose to you one of the most wonderful thing that happened in my life!!

Let's just say it's work related, and that it involves money... lots of it.

..............

Yes I know! Awesome isn't it?! WOOHOO!!

Two Down, Two to Go~

Today marks the 2nd Friday of March! I only have two Fridays left before I leave my current company. Even my coworkers sense my anxiousness each day the end draws near... *dun dun dun* (~__~);;

Actually, I've received the instructions on how to go about completing my clearance with the company only yesterday. So now I'm swamped with tons of paperworks and requirements to process and most of the day is spent sending e-mails to every department... I'm not even achieving 1/4 of what's to be done (I even had to tell some guy from the Stock Exchange just to say that I'm not a shareholder of my company... whew).

But I still have a couple of weeks or so to finish these all up, so I'm not that much pressured. With each task cleared, I can feel the grip the company has on me loosening up. This is just another obstacle to pass before I can rejoice in my inevitable victory. Bwahahaha~

Oh, and my officemates have decided to just have some food delivered rather than going out to eat at some fastfood place. Remember my previous post about February's Feast? That's what we're going to order. My esophagus is vibrating just thinking of all that yumminess...

Food, Togas, and Free Stuff!

There were three dishes laid out, and we only have to choose two:

• Clubhouse Sandwich - Stacks of ham, lettuce, egg, tomatoes, cheese and other yummy stuff.
• Lasagna - A big heap of ground beef between layers of baked pasta topped with thick melted cheese
• Carbonara - A full serving of spaghetti with creamy white sauce, mushrooms, bacon bits, grated cheese and parsley.

Oh the horrors of indecision! But it ended up with me taking the huge sandwich and the plate of carbonara... I heard the lasagna tasted a bit too meaty~

I also got a Free Movie Pass from work today along with the delectable foodies. It was from some sort of company meeting held inside a theatre; they've decided to use a Graduation Theme while every speaker reported project updates wearing togas (it's hard work to keep employees interested in such meetings, so a bribe and/or something outragous is necessary for an absolute attendance). It was fun in a weird and nonsense kind of way~

Now, I wonder which movie I should watch and when....?

Level Up~!

My hard work paid off!

Yesterday, the results have finally arrived. I've passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test - Level 4! (1 is the highest and 4 is the lowest level)

I took the JLPT examinations last December 2, 2007 and have waited up till now for the results. Wow, it really took them a lot of time to actually send them out, must've been a lot of answer sheets to check.

The certificate itself was verrry ornate; Lots of wavy lines, designs, stamps and authorization seals, and there were even a couple of hidden kanjis as well. It's so beautiful and very official that I'm thinking if I should frame it.

Hmmm... maybe I should collect them all and line them up in a wall (woot for rhymes).

I plan to have it photocopied and submitted along with my other documents because I've heard that Japanese companies give a salary raise to people who have accomplishments in JLPT certifications. Which is why a Level 1 certificate is such a tangible victory, the rewards are so juicy~

I'll put up a copy of my certificate when I get the time to scan it at home. Yum yum, Level 3 here I come!

Ohhhh Tokyo!

There's this show during the 1990's that most probably must have been the spark that ignited my interest in Japan for the first time. It was aired on a local channel, and everyone were just captivated by it. It was the host's fault; She was so funny, so awesome, the ultimate epitome of host-ness that she became a common household name.

Her name's Ellen (her full name is Eleanor Nishiumi), and her show was the legendary, WINS Oh Tokyo! And that's her on the pic. The one holding a mic, wearing a fedora hat, white shirt, and a black jumper (sorry for the poor quality~). A woman of smiles, optimism, wide-eyed curiousity, and never-ending hunger (she eats a lot).

I'm not sure if the show's faithful to its title and featured only scenes from Tokyo, but it sure is one heck of a great way to hypnotize kids to come to Japan! From restaurants, to amusement parks, famous landmarks and tourist spots; Ellen saw, came, and conquered every place she's visited.

Hanayashiki, Asakusa, Roppongi, Odaiba, anywhere that there's something to see, she'll be there. Interviewing people, sampling delicacies in nearby restaurants, computing and converting the Yen prices in her head, and enjoying everything.

Here's another pic where she's touching her chest. I don't know which episode this is, but it reminds me when she went out to Tokyo Bay and went fishing. Or maybe that was another show...

She's infectious and very charismatic. If she says that this place/food/thing is great, it will be. Whenever she's having fun and a very great time, it will be included in the top places to visit once in Japan. And she does it with so much gusto.

I miss her. Her show had a second season where the show was entirely hosted by her (there were other hosts back in season 1), and a talk of a season 3 sent us to a crazy frenzy. But years has passed and Ellen never returned. A decade went by and still people talk about her show, that goes to show just how strong her following is.

By writing this entry dedicated to the wonderful hostess and her spectacular show, I hope to leave a trail in the World Wide Web for other fans to follow. Thank you Ellen, for showing me a colorful side of Japan, we hope to see you again sometime soon~

Japan-o-philiac's Food

Around May or June of last year, while we were in the middle of our application to the Monbukagakusho (Japanese Government-sponsored Scholarships), Rose and I came up with these simple recipes to energize that Japan-o-philiac within you~! Giddyness guaranteed!

Fingers of Japan

Soft tortillas
Tomatoes, sliced
Lettuce
Cheese, sliced to sticks
Strips of meat (chicken chunks recommended)
Ceasar dressing
Healthy Fruttanesca (1 bowl)

5 spoons of oats (Quaker Oats)
Hot water
Fresh milk, or powdered
Sliced fruits
Sugar to taste (optional)
Japanese Power Sandwich

Slices of bread
Anything edible, left over food
Cheese/spread
Margarine/butter
Spices to taste



Supreme Flower Bonanza

Iced milk w/o sugar
Bread slices
Strawberry jam



It's not much, nor is it anything fancy. They're just simple Japanese-inspired snacks made by a couple of ultra-hyper people who were optimistically hungry. And even though there's not a hint of Japanese-ness in them except their name, they're quite delicious! Healthy too~

Try it, you'll love eat!

** Drawn in ink, colored in Photoshop

The Hundred Butts

This morning I rubbed a hundred butts, twenty groins, ten dozen shoulders, and a tailbone or two. I got stuck in a mob.

Imagine going up a flight of stairs and then people stopped moving in front of you and then people began to build up from behind, and you can't go forward nor backward. There's no escape (unless you've decided to crawl over their heads). At first there were looks of confusion, thoughts of escape, and eventually, chaos.

People began pushing from all sides; Some trying to go up, some going down, some wants to cross the stairs, and some... Well, they just want to rub with everyone. They began to shout, apprehension and panic was everywhere, and a girl lost her slippers. Even I was getting panicky, "Oh noes, I'm going to be late!".

All you can do is stand there and let the waves of people push you somewhere, hoping that you'll be moved towards your destination. It was getting hot, stinky, and very noisy as panic turned into anger and people were now shouting, "What the heck's going on here?!". @__@;;

I'm thankful for the woman with a mole on her upper lip and was whining in full English. She was so strong ang aggressive, that she somehow threw me inside the gate towards the train station. I'm free!! And I ran away from the craziness, away from the man-made sauna bath, and the glorious event of which we call, Rush Hour.

Sketchings~

Got bored one night, so I took my giant 15-inch red pen, opened a sketchbook and drew a girl. I added the colors afterwards using Photoshop; She's a girl so of course she looks girly.

The Night of Sevens

Sasa no ha sara-sara, nokiba ni yureru.
Ohoshi-sama kira-kira; Kin Gin sunago.

On a lighter note, I've decided to make a jolly entry to balance out my previous dramatic post. Let me introduce to you the 七夕 or the Star Festival. Sounds happy-full already right? It most certainly is!

The Tanabata, which means the "Evening of the Seventh", is exactly that. It is a festival in Japan celebrated on the 7th night of the 7th month, in other words: July 7th. To think that we'd be in Japan by July! Ooohhh.... I'm so looking forward to it!


It is originally Chinese, celebrating the meeting of Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair) who are seperated by the river of stars, the Milky Way. These two lovers are only allowed to meet during the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunisolar calendar. During the festival, people write wishes on small pieces of paper, sometimes in a form of poetry, then tie them to a bamboo, and it is set afloat on a river around midnight. Of course, a festival of stars is done during the night... *sighs* It'd be so wonderful... Star-gazing in Japan, wishes floating on the river, celebrating the reunion of lovers, immersed in the festive atmosphere.

The Tanabata has seven types of decorations (no it's not a coincidence):

1. Paper Strips - a piece made with wishes. Tied to a bamboo.
2. Paper Kimono - for better sewing skills *shrugs*. Also wards off accidents and bad health.
3. Paper Crane - grants safety for your family, good health and longer life.
4. Purse - you could try and guess what this is for.
5. Net - bountiful fishing and for a greater harvest.
6. Trash Bag - cleanliness. We all wish for that right?
7. Streamers - symbolizes the strings that Orihime (Vega) uses to weave.

And much like other festivals, it also includes the much-awaited yatai; Stalls of food, toys, games and whatnots, the symbolic entity that drives throves of people outside of their homes, spending their cash for trinkets that's probably triple their original prices. There are also parades, Miss Tanabata contests (search for a star, hehe), decoration competitions and much more!

No telescopes needed~ ^__^

To Leave, Lose, and Gain

The house has been a bit dramatic lately, it's as if I'm leaving already. Everytime they'd start becoming all sentimental on me, I'd remind them it's not for 4 months yet. But they'd still manage to make me feel somewhat guilty for leaving them. And for such a looong time too~

My mom would go tell me the things I'd have to buy, what I should pack, where to go, when to do stuff, how to do this and that, etcetera. She's even started packing bags of thingies for me; packs of tissue, detergents, laundry stuff, toothpaste/brush, shampoo saches, and other who-knows-what. And I'm not sure if it was intentional, but she placed the suitcases and stroller on top of the staircase so that everytime we go up, we're reminded that there won't be a family of 4 in the house anymore.

Even my dad is doing his share of emotional nudges. He would bring me food and ask me if there will be someone who'll ever do that to me in Japan. Whenever I ride in the car he'd say that there will come a time when he would go to the office alone, without me in the passenger seat anymore. That everytime he'd hear one of the Jap songs I've scattered all over the house (and each of the car), he would be reminded of me. And my mom even told me that my dad would not take me to the airport... he won't be able to see me go. To see me get on that plane and leave everyone; it would be just too much for him. *sob*

Yes, I will miss the hugs, the cold milk, the rare massages, and the constant bickering my parents give me. And I know that I have and will still sacrifice a lot just to achieve my dream. It is still some 100+ odd days from now, but already I can feel the tension of stretching that rope that bounded me to my family. I promised to email everyday, to install a webcam and a mic, to be with them (as much as I can), even if not physically.

But nothing can compare to the real touch, their presence, and the care I've felt during all these 21 years I've spent with my family. When I'd sit in front of the PC and hear the floorboards creak when they enter the room and remind me that I've been on for too long, when I would sleep an extra minute more and my mom would touch my forehead saying that I should probably wake up already, when I'd doze while watching TV and my dad would startle me with a glass of ice cold milk, or when my mom would suddenly request a kiss from me.

Oh all right, my brother deserves to be mentioned here too: I'll miss his jokes (were they?), the nonsense questions he'd ask out of nowhere, the songs he'd forcefully make me listen to, the bodybuilding routines he made me do (and somewhat regret), the absurdly short patience he has, the shirts he'd buy and make me wear (which I kinda liked by the way), the remarks whenever we eat something that's not so healthy, the criticisms he'd make for just about everything everytime, or just the way he ignores me. He's a Master Ignorer, and both my parents agree.

Once I leave for Japan (darnation, I feel like tearing up), I'm sure I'd always look for something to distract me from missing my family. I know it's really impossible to do so, but I don't think I could sleep, eat or walk if I'm in a constant grief of separation. I love them so much, I'll miss them greatly, and will always be a part of the family.

I would still be the younger brother who throws hot chocolate on your head, listen to your nonsense, debate with you and not laugh at your jokes. The son who stays on the PC for hours, refuses to sleep early, and gives you a hug and a kiss. The child who had a monkey stuffed-toy, wore a red jumper, and kept on breaking precious glass things.

I would still be me. Only, I'll be somewhere else where I should've been. I'd be in Japan.

Aa! Megami~sama!

On my way home from school yesterday, I passed by the nearby shopping center to buy another DVD. Lo and behold! I found the entire season 1 and 2 of ああっ女神さまっ! or Aa Megami-sama! or Oh My Goddess! or One of the Greatest Anime Series Evar! \(^o^)/ ~ *woo*

Considering that my brother is still kinda Measles-y and will not exactly go out looking like it, we postponed our family "mall-ing" day and just stayed at home today. I hogged the big TV upstairs, set myself some snacks and drinks, inserted the DVD into the player, and our home entertainment system did the rest (watching anime through surround sound is so delicious).

If there are still people out there not familiar with this series, it's about a goody-good nice guy getting so unlucky and hopeless in his life that he is threatening to unbalance the universe. Karma wasn't supposed to work that way, so a goddess was sent down to him and grant him a wish. Probably to make him happy and restore everything back in order. But he thought it was a prank joke played on him by his dorm-mates and belted out a cataclysmic "I wish you'd stay with me forever..." then POOF! The perfect recipe for a hit anime TV series.

It started off as a typical loser guy with an ultimate babe (she's a goddess for goddesses' sake!) kind of romance/comedy story, then it segued to a magical action/drama series. It was really fun and very gripping, the characters are likable and the story is nowhere near bleh. It even brought me a tear or two (or more), and that's just season 1.

Too bad it's already licensed, so you can't watch it on Crunchyroll... bwahahaha~

Ride All You Can~

While attending my Nihongo class, a classmate of mine, who's planning to go to Japan this April, told me about this pass where you could ride Japan Rail's trains all you can! Woo~

Considering that a single train ticket from one city to another is quite expensive, and with a coverage from Hokkaido (Japan's northern-most island) to Kyushu (southern-most island), a $200 JR pass for 7 days is such an awesome deal! There were some other deals too, from a week to a month!

Actually I've heard about this sometime ago, but decided not to worry about it till I get there. But apparently, they do not sell these passes in Japan (or they do, but they're hella expensive). They only sell these passes outside of Japan to promote their country, and to entice foreigners to take this wonderful chance to go and visit as much prefectures as they possibly could. Also, if this was available to the Japanese themselves, they'd abuse it to heck.

I wish to buy this pass, but alas, even if we do get unlimited train rides for a week, we do not have money to do the touring itself. My classmate and aunt suggested that during our first few weeks there, we should just walk around our own city and take in the local sights; to familiarize ourselves with the area and also to conserve money. Yokohama's known for being an entertainment city, so I guess we won't get bored that easily.

Maybe someday...

Drop Those Pants!

It was fun than what I'd expected. At first I thought the medical check-up would be such a hassle; waking so early in the morning, rushing to the clinic, and waiting in line with other patients and stuff. But when we got there together with other people from my batch, it somehow turned into another bonding moment.

The clinic itself was fun, it was like an obstacle course. Literally. They've tried to conserve space by dividing a single floor into two, and succeeded. We were bending, crouching, ducking, climbing, bumping just to navigate from one room to the next. Or maybe it was just me, because I'm somewhat tall. *ahem*

Anyways, I'll try and list the check-ups we've done since they've numbered each step and all we did was follow them:

1. Cashier/Registration - we weren't told that we had to bring photocopies of IDs and stuff, good thing I have them all with me.
2. X-Ray - the girls were a bit concerned about how they'd have to remove their tops, while I wounded myself when trying to remove my shirt because my hand struck the low ceiling.
3. BP/Weight/Height - I'm glad that I've lost weight when I got sick, and somehow it lowered my blood-pressure a lot too.
4. Urine/Stool/Blood Sample - the girls had a big problem with their urine. We didn't actually give out our stool, we just had to wipe. And the blood sampling (which we dreaded a lot) was actually one of the easiest steps of all.
5. Eye Check - the chart was on a wall behind me and I read it through the mirror in front of me, at the opposite wall. I wasn't able to read some of the lines anymore, because my head was blocking half the chart (See? Told you I was tall).
6. General Check-up - girls' side. They seperated the doctors according to gender, because there were some procedures which were a bit intimate...
7. General Check-up - guys' side. "Drop your jeans and your underwear. Lift up your shirt... hmmm, okay. Turn around. Bend over and spread those cheeks... hmmm, okay. Turn around again. Okay, put them back on."
8. Psychological Test - fortunately, we weren't required to take one. Whew... we were kinda relieved actually.
9. Dental - my pearly whites weren't satisfactory... so I had to get 3 of them fixed.

Out of the 7 of us who took the medical, only two got cleared. And it was all because of that dental check-up's fault. Grr~

Healthy Options

I've been going on a bingefest (as mentioned by Kai) so much this week, and so I gave myself a challange of avoiding unhealthy food today, which I somehow pulled through. Almost.

Well I drank that coconut juice my coworker suggested to me, for those extra electrolytes and to ensure that my urinalysis comes out clean. I stayed away from my office's pantry and its unlimited fountains of lemon iced tea, mango juice, hot cocoa, cappuccino, and the sugar that comes along with it. I had the sterilized milk my mom/dad stored in the fridge. Ate bananas, drank tea, did a lot of exercise dance routines, and slept a healthy 8 hours.

Although I sort of gave in and used some liquid seasoning (barbecue-flavored soy sauce) during lunch today. *sigh*

I don't think I can live this way everyday. If it's so good for my body, why do I feel bad? I get hungry so often, I crave all through-out the day, I pee twice as much, and my wallet's already filing for a vacation leave.

Maybe once I get to Japan and I have no choice but to eat their veggie-filled boiled food pots, steamed thingies, fresh seafood, with lots of rice and green tea, my body would gradually get used to being healthy for a change and forget that it ever had other delicious yet oh so vicious stuff. I actually look forward to that~ (I heard that there's no gravy in Japan, is it true?! NooooooooOOOOOOHHHH!!!!)

My medical exam's scheduled for 8:00 AM tomorrow. We're told not to eat nor drink anything starting midnight so as to not taint the blood tests, so we will not. I really wish to get this over with soon, we need delicious fatty food to survive! Rawr.

One Down, Three to Go~

Today marks the 1st of the four Fridays before my resignation becomes effective. The other Fridays are in the 14th, 21st, and the 28th. I'm thinking of putting a countdown counter in my sidebar... I'll work on that later.

I sort of promised my coworkers that I'll treat them to a despedida/farewell dinner that day. I told them I could probably scrounge up a $30 budget and treat them at a nearby Wendy's joint, but that they'll have to pay to upsize their drinks and fries to 'Biggie'. It doesn't sound much, but it's a place where we can bring our own version of noise and laugh ourselves hoarse.

I still can't decide if I should order a Bacon Mushroom Melt (hot and juicy beef, bacon and mushrooms in a warm cheddar cheese sauce on a bun) or a Spicy Chicken Sandwich (spicy chicken fillet, mayonnaise, tomato and lettuce on a kaiser roll). Add a Biggie size french fries and a gallon of rootbeer and you'll get an unhealthy, penny-less Megane~kun.

They did promise that they'll buy me a gift for remembrance. I guess it'd all be worth it~

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

EDIT: I added 3 countdown timers in my side bar/column!

• March 28 - my resignation gets official
• April 7 - my Intensive Nihongo Course classes starts
• September 13 - my birthday!

Now I'll just to wait for our scheduled flight to Japan to be announced and I'll add it in too! Woo~

Feb's Belated Feast

Just when my medical is now just a couple of days away, all the February birthday celebrants in the office decided to buy tons of food for the whole project to feast on. *cries* We were told of what had happened with the previous batch's medical as they were checked right after the holidays; high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar levels, with chunks of cholesterol and other nasty stuff that's sure to prevent us from entering Japan.

Well I still have a day or so to normalize my body, so I dove in with the crowd and started grabbing anything edible within reach. I wasn't able to try all of the available dish laid out, but I managed to take quite a lot!





Clockwise from top left: Spaghetti, Pancit Malabon, Barbecue, Pichi-pichi, Sansrival Cake, and a Choco Roll in the center.




For those who aren't familiar with Pancit Malabon, here's a definition from Wikipedia: Pancit Malabon is a type of pancit, or stir-fried noodle dish, which originated in Malabon City, Philippines. It has a yellow-orange color due to a sauce that includes fish sauce and shrimp paste. Its toppings draw heavily from the fresh seafood that is available in the area and may include fresh shrimp, squid, oysters, and hard-boiled duck or hen eggs, as well as pork. Trust me, it's delicious~

And pichi-pichi is a sticky ball of sweet gooey stuff covered in coconut shreds. I only took two, hurrah for self-restraint!

It is obviously decided that I have to do a rigorous exercise just to lay off whatever fatty substances that crept into my body. I did a 30-minute crazy dance routine to the sound of the Hairspray movie's OST, but it probably just burned off only the spaghetti...

I wonder if a round-trip up and down the staircase would take care of those pichi-pichies~

Gold Teddy Bear

I was on the train to the office this morning when I saw this small girl get in carrying a golden teddy bear.

It looked as if it was made from those silk gowns of the actresses on a red carpet of an Oscar Awards night. All smooth, shiny, and glittery. It took everyone's attention. Although the fact that a girl got on the train alone without an adult supervision was shocking enough, was that even allowed? (maybe the parents were somewhere nearby, I didn't notice)

The concept was intriguing enough, maybe it would influence that girl to grow up materialistic. Or maybe she'll be fed up with expensive (looking) things and settle for generic items instead. Or maybe I'm thinking too much of a toy... is a teddy bear a toy?

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Anyway, I would like to thank the recent visitors for their comments! You made my day complete and thus, I am now filled with satisfaction. Remember, acknowledgements for an entry well written is very much accepted~! Comment away!

(>^3^)> ~ *smooch squeeze*

In a Single Heartsink

You know that feeling when something super drastic happened and you slowly wait for the feeling to "sink-in" and then WHAM! Your breath leaves your lungs, you forget everything around you, and you get absorbed into the moment, because your brain suddenly started processing what has happened and you realize just how much your life has now changed forever? (a solid "OH MY GOD" + hands clasped over mouth = pretty much sums it up)


Imagine it happening for a single heartbeat, much like a heartburn. And before you can grab hold of it, it's gone. You're left with an aftertaste of excitement, anxiousness, and anticipation of things to come.

I decided to coin that millisecond emotion into a word: heartsink.

Whenever I go home, my bus zooms through the expressway and along the route, we pass by the airport. The wall's pretty high so you can't see anything actually. But there was this one time when I decided to look, and a flash from one of the "airplane-signalling lightpost" made me blink.

The moment I closed my eyes, my heart let out this gargantuan THUMP! and then everything seemed to stand still. The feeling I knew was hiding from me back when I got accepted for the Japan job suddenly got out. The emotion of doubt mixed with relief, the happiness caused by the thought of finally achieving a dream, and the grief of leaving your family, loved ones, and friends behind, all swooped down and probably scared my soul out of my body.

"It's finally happening..."

I opened my eyes, my blink was over. And then it was gone. I was back in the bus with the throng of tired people going home for the day. In a single heartsink, I had a taste of what I was going to feel the day I'm leaving for Japan.

*exhales*

Darnation~

My web counter isn't working. Or rather, it's not showing up!

Well I only have a total of 40+ visitors last time I checked, but still... I just love to scroll down and see how many people dropped by, even if most of the hits were made by me. And now it's gone.

Oh, and I decided to go to their site and into my account and look!

United States = 19 (44.19%)
Philippines = 12 (27.91%)
Australia = 8 (18.60%)
Japan = 1 (2.33%)
New Zealand = 1 (2.33%)
Singapore = 1 (2.33%)
United Kingdom = 1 (2.33%)

Even though this blog is just 5 days old, I already had 31 visitors from other countries~! Woo! And to think someone from Japan even came by... wow. Unlike our previous blog, where we made 50+ entries a month and the only visitor was me, Kai, Rose and maybe my mom.

*sigh*

Goodbyes at a Meeting

I announced my resignation at the team meeting today.

My team leader, whom I gave my resignation letter to, already knew about it since last week. And today's the day I finally announced my decision to everyone (not really everyone, just my team mates).

I guess they were shocked, considering I've been rolled into the project only last November. But they gave me their best wishes and have set me into a teary mood. I was even jokingly restricted from recruiting others into joining my journey to Japan. Because it's quite tempting actually, what with the huge salary and all (current salary x 15 + Japan = pure win).

I got a surprise though; who knew there are a lot of Japan-o-philiacs in the office as well?! Even my team leader studied Nihongo some time ago. People from other teams and from my team as well, all watch anime, read mangas, and try to use Nihongo with each other. I've heard them use some Japanese phrases every now and then. I wish I knew this little fact way before...

Thank you guys, I'll miss you all. For the one month that I have left to spend with everyone, I guess all I can do is to give my best, contribute a lot, and hope that I'll leave a memory that they'll remember long after I've gone away.

The days roll so slow, yet April looks so near...

Nihon no Shigoto

It's time you guys know about that Japan job I've been raving on about, just so you can relate to my entries. But I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post the company's name here nor the recruiter agency, so I won't, just to be sure. I dunno, I just felt that it's better that I'm discreet about things like that... something about a news article where a guy got fired because he blogged about his company makes me nervous.

Okay, I'll start where it all began: when my aunt (from Japan) asked me for my resume because she's going to refer me to a friend of hers for an I.T. job in Japan. At first I felt reluctant, considering the depression I had to go through after failing in my attempts of reaching that country of unimaginable wonders. But with a shrug and a sigh, I sent my resume together with my friends.

That was last January.

February came and I almost forgot about the job offer when my mom messaged me that my aunt was coming to our house with the recruiter! I kinda hyperventilated after that and went into an excessive giddy-ness phase. So I rushed back home, sat down, dropped a hint at how much I loved Japan, and that I am very much qualified for the job. My aunt backed me up and pretty much told the recruiter that the company really needs people like me.

They were impressed, convinced, and decided that we should now consider ourselves hired. Although, I was told that I have 2-3 weeks left to prepare for my 'official' interview with the company president and a representative. It was a "..." moment.

The three of us were scheduled to be interviewed on the same date, but a week before that I got sick. Really sick. I had measles. The moment red spots started invading my face I knew that I'll miss the interview. It was such an absurd idea, something so depressing, that my mind didn't really process it that much. The interview date came and went, and I had an attack of depression so deep that I was seriously considering the idea of giving up on Japan. Sheesh~

Apparently Kai got sick that day too, with fever. And since the recruiter was so benevolent and kind (and they really want to recruit us, hehe), they moved the interview date. There was a problem with me still ridden with marks all over my body left by the measles, but that was remedied with a concealer, long-sleeves, and a winning smile. ^__^

The interview went by so fast, I only managed to utter a sentence or two in Japanese to the company president (I planned to impress them with my minimal Japanese skills). No matter, because my resume spoke for itself. A stare and a double nod, then I got hired. Kai and Rose too!

That same day, we had our orientation where the job description was thoroughly discussed along with the salary breakdown, the contract, Japanese lifestyles, training schedules, and a possibility of going to a Tokyo Disneyland field-trip. You possibly cannot imagine my sheer bliss.

*shiver* I am finally going to Japan. We are going to JAPAN!

By the way, I've read in a horoscope sometime ago that my life will take a dramatic change this year for the good. I very much agree... Don't you?

The Night the Sky Turned Pink

Kinda tired doing errands for my brother; he requested a lot of stuff to be bought (cupcakes, unsweetened pineapple juice, mangoes, herbal tea, and a couple of pills for his fever). Well I did feel a bit responsible for infecting him with measles, so I guess doing a bit of shopping for him is no biggie.

I had a dinner of garden salad with a plate of spaghetti bolognese with Rose after buying the groceries, all for less than just $2.00~ *sigh* I'll miss the cheap thingies here once we're immersed with the expensive stuff in Japan. So we have to depend on Kai to restrain us from reaching inside our pockets so much, I won't be surprised if she suddenly sews our wallets shut.

After getting home, no one was answering the door. So I just sat on our patio's old steel chair, dropped my things on a nearby table, and stared at the sky.

It was already deep into the night yet I can still see the clouds... and they were pink, blanketing everything with the unusual hue. I was sucked into the moment. I didn't even bother to question why it was colored that way.

I don't know when I'll see a pink night sky again. But I'm certain it'll bring me back to this day when I just sat and stared, appreciating the weird beauty of nature after a tiring day at work.


Note: I guess any emotion I might've felt during that time can be expressed through this song. The melody and lyrics somewhat exude the same feelings the pink sky gave me: Melancholic, nostalgic, and weird.

My Tomodachies

Let me introduce you to two of my batchmates for the Japan job, who also happened to be my classmates back in college, co-authors in my previous blog, people who I share my Japan-o-philiac passion, and the ones I've mentioned in my previous entries as the mysterious 'my friends'.

The one on the left is Rose/Jenny/Crazy Woman, and the one on the right with the striped shirt is Julianne/Kai/Youngjinsu. I'm quite sure they'll object that I'm using their picture here without consent, although I've no other ones to use. So there.

The three of us met back in our 1st day of college, fresh from highschool with nothing but dreams and uncertainties on our backs. The 4 years breezed by and we graduated with flying colors. Yes, we were honor students, scholars, and dean's listers. Thus, we have bragging rights~ Hah!

After graduation, we tried applying for the Monbukagakusho or the Japanese Government-sponsored Scholarship. We passed the first screening, but failed on the exams. We speculate it's because of the Integral Calculus, Discrete Mathematics and Nuclear Physics that somehow found its way onto the examiners. Okay I'm kidding about the Nuclear Physics, but it could've been there for all I know. Even my college professor required some crunching time to solve the sample questions from last year's application examinations.

Afterwards we settled into some pretty comfy jobs and left our going-to-Japan dreams to cryogenic giddy chambers to hibernate while we wait for an opportunity come by again.

It did. And what an opportunity it was! My aunt (from Japan) managed to befriend someone from her bank teller years who became a recruiter for an I.T. company in Japan~ So of course when they required some programmers who's willing to relocate to a land filled with cherry blossoms and vending machines, guess who my aunt referred?

More about the job in some later days when I'm in the mood, actually I am now but I plan to post some other entries today. Oh and we got accepted, obviously. Else, I wouldn't be blogging here. I'd still use my previous blog posting nonsense entries about food and stuff. Hehe~

Kai and Rose each have their own blogs now. I'm considering helping them with their layouts... hmm, yes I think I will. It's the very least I can do for them putting up with me all these years.

Rose's blog: My Strawberry Days
Kai's blog: Sweet Anxiousness

Be sure to visit them and leave some messages~! (^_^)-b

Gyoza and Pasta

Remember the Japanese groceries we've bought? There was a cup of chocolate pudding (the katakana label read, "Enjeru Purin" or "Angel Pudding") and the pack of uncooked gyoza. Well the pudding was well taken care of, the perfect snack while watching a movie about an underdog dancer and his ballerina leading lady. So what happened to the gyoza?

We cooked it! Or rather, we attempted to. From what I can remember, you'd line the gyoza on a pan with a 1/3 cup of water and make sure they don't touch each other, because they're quite sticky. Then once the water either evaporates or get sucked by the dumplings, you put in a bit of oil to fry it a bit then "Voila~!". But as you can see we failed quite miserably, that platter of twisted carnage was supposedly 8 pieces of authentic meat dumplings.

My friend said and I quote, "These aren't dumplings, they're just dump". I guess the -lings got stuck to the pan, these looked more gyoza-ish than what we've managed to scoop unto our plate... I can attribute our failure to the fact that none of us could read the cooking instructions. Kanji anyone?

But not to fret! Because we found a pack of instant carbonara at home~ Add a bit of water, a cup of milk, maybe some salt, let it boil, then keep on stirring until the sauce thickens and the pasta gets cooked. It was actually easy now that the package was in English, it looked very good! Very creamy, hot, and the cheesy color just melts my heart (there were times when I thought I was cooking mac n' cheese).

Then came the main event, time to taste the fruit of our sweat and labor! You know, the dumplings weren't bad, they tasted quite delicious actually~ Or was it because of the soy sauce...? The pasta on the other hand, well it did taste like the fruit of our sweat and labor. More of the 'sweat' than the labor; It was sweet n' sour. I'm not sure if carbonara was supposed to look nor taste that way, but we managed to pull through.

If that's not enough, we got our hands on some over-cooked, hollow french fries. Quite crunchy and light, very oily. Yet we ate it all anyway. Don't think that it's over~ We had a cup of cheesy corn kernels to go along with it! Mmmm, Japanese sweet corn kernels with cheese powder and margarine...

And for dessert? Some chocolate pillows! Yes that's right: crunchy, addictive, chocolate crackers with a chocolate filling inside! I wouldn't have my pillows any other way anyday.

Now it's time to exercise again. *sigh* Gluttony really is a sin.

Me, my brother and Measles~

If anyone bothered to read my previous blog (One Eyed Daruma), I had a not-so-mild case of Measles just a couple of weeks ago. Oh you know, the one where you'll have a week-long fever, rashes even at the soles of your foot, dozens of mouth ulcers, severe tonsilitis, raspy dry cough, and never-ending colds.

It was a horrifying experience, especially if you've never been THAT sick before in your life. At some point, I even considered *gasp!* not going to Japan! I guess that's how delusional you'll be if you have a constant 40+ degrees celsius body temp. I was hallucinating most of the time; I had some rather unusual visits from a shadow ghost, a superhero who went inside my body, monster-mom, and a girl who kept on pricking my arm with scary needles! Oh wait, that wasn't a hallucination.

Anyway, I'm better now. All those other things were tolerable in comparison to the scars that the rashes left behind. Oh the horror I felt when I looked in the mirror and realized that the red spots became black spots! Why don't they turn flesh-colored instead? Huhuhu~

Without further ado, may I announce that my brother now has Measles. And he's angry at me because of it. As if I could control where the virus would go anyway! Hmpf. Super bad news though: the doctor warned my parents that I could still get infected with Measles, because a person usually gets hit twice before they can become totally immune!

OH NOOOOESSSS!!!!

And to think I have a medical check-up this Saturday. Wah. Nothing must jeopardize my chance to reach Japan! I shall not tolerate such unfair uncertainties. And thus, I shall isolate myself from my dear "old" brother and prevent the risk of appearing pockmarked AGAIN.

Oh just when I'm regaining my 21 year old skin back, something like this comes along. *hides*

Long Saturday ~Part 2~

Okay, we left off when we finished our glorious lunch with my batchmates. Afterwhich, it was time for my Nihongo class. Well actually I still had an hour to burn, and since I wasn't able to attend a couple of my previous classes I decided to use that time to catch up on my Nihongo. Good thing Kubo~sensei was there to give me the handouts and the kanji lessons I've missed.

The class was really fun (and kinda difficult), so I feel kinda sad that I'll be leaving everyone soon. I announced to the class that I might not be able to be their classmate anymore by midterms. It was a bit surprising that they were all smiles and they were even excited for me when I told them about the Japan job. They gave a lot of tips and other things to watch out for in Japan, and sensei even shared on how to take a bath, Japanese style~ Who knew entering a bathtub required so much rituals?

All the Japan talk and the excitement that tagged along with it kinda gave me a craving for something Japanese. So I suggested to my friend (more about my friends in some other post) that we go and try to eat at a Japanese restaurant I visited with sensei and my classmates before. So after my class, we got out and decided to walk all the way there, which in turn brought us to a Japanese grocery store. It was a bit out of the way but everything were just for $1.50 each, so we went inside and gawked at the weirdo items stocked on the shelves. It was kinda hard to pick between the black chunky stuff and a brown wobbly thing, so we settled on a cup of chocolate pudding and a pack of meat dumplings (uncooked).

Satisfied with our pickings, we went on our way to the Jap restaurant, it was just behind the grocery so we didn't have to walk far. It was a bit hard to locate it, considering that I only visited it once almost a year ago. Good thing the windows were big enough for me to peer inside and recognize the place.

It was so Japanese! Each booth were screened by lacquer-like grills, there were Jap newspapers, magazines and mangas (comics) available for reading if you can read it anyway. Even the girls who served the food were wearing short shorts and aprons~ And the TV was showing Japanese shows! And of course, the menu and anything that was written there were full of kanjis. We had a blast trying to read them for about a couple of minutes or so, then we turned our attention to the food.

We ordered something called the Hanchan Set. It was a meal of vegetable fried rice, gyoza (meat dumplings, cooked), a platter of mixed vegetables with mushrooms, a huge bowl of ramen, and a bottomless glass of tea that tastes like coffee and looks like beer. The tea was revolutionary! Actually I had it before when we ate here last year, but it tasted like smoke back then... hmm.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to digest it all and we got depressed; thinking of all the starving children our leftovers would've fed (it was a really morbid thought, probably caused by a slight indigestion). We were supposed to eat our pudding for dessert, but considering that we can't even sip our coffee tea, we put the pudding off till later. And then we went home.

Hmm, I feel like this entry has gone on for too long. To make it short, I'll just summarize the rest of the day in a paragraph: After the belly-busting feast, we dropped by the local mall to rent a VCD and a DVD ('Step Up' and 'Hairspray' respectively). After getting back home, we watched 'Step Up' and danced along with it, mostly because we want to burn off the fat that the glutton-fest gave us. Although we ate the choco pudding while watching the movie... meh.

Then I went to sleep.

So much for just one day ne? I thought so too~ ^__^

Long Saturday ~Part 1~

Today was a loooong day. It was as if 2 days were cramped in just 24 hours that what happened this morning felt like yesterday. Time really does fly when you're having fun, but this time it flew all over the world and back again.

It started with me opening up this blog and trying to decorate the place. But alas, we have a scheduled pictorial of some sort at 10 AM with my batchmates for the Japan job, so I wasn't able to finish my layout and left it in mid-design to shower up and rush to the meeting place.

Inevitably, I arrived late. Maybe 25 minutes late. No matter, they looked as if they've accomplished a lot without me there so I hope they didn't notice just how late I was... Anyway, we were handed the medical referral forms, a list of certifications we have to take in Japan (they say it's all about the certificates there), and some reading materials for the job. Who knew filling out forms were so much fun? No really, it was!

But the highlight of the meeting was the pictorial. Whatever comes out of this pictorial will be posted on their website and on the recruitment posters distributed nationwide! So we tried to looked our best and I wore my best clothes (kinda). They had a hard time fitting the 10 of us inside a single shot. It was probably because the venue was a bit small and there was no room to back up the camera to fit us all in. Well we got the shot anyway, but I didn't look as good as I had hoped... *sigh* well at least there's still the Tokyo photo shoot to look forward too~ Wootwoo!

We were treated to a glorious feast of pizza, chicken with gravy, and a hefty serving of carbonara at a nearby restaurant. It was meant to be a bonding moment, for us to get acquainted with the other members of the batch. Well it was really fun, we had so much to talk about while waiting for the food (which got mixed up, we ordered spaghetti by the way).

There were talks about the place where we'll live, where we'll be trained and the location of our office (Yokohama, Kanagawa, Kawasaki. I forgot which was which). We were also able to share our experiences on how we became Japan-o-philiacs, about blogs, and other stuff~ All-in-all it was a truly "bonding" moment, but in the end we had to go our separate ways. Besides it looked as if it's gonna rain~

Hmmm... I think I'll cut my story here for now. I'll post what happened for the rest of the day in another entry. Till then, ja ne~!

Two Eyed Daruma

Hajimemashite! Megane~kun tomoushimasu! Douzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu!

Hello, I blog a LOT. I have lot more other blogsites, but they're kinda... meh.

Actually I migrated from a blog I started with three of my friends (more about those peeps in my later posts), which we made just last January. It was a crazy blog full of some... things. In just a month, we made about 50+ entries! Woo~ Boy, were we so hyper. We've decided to disband ourselves from the craziness and make our individual sites instead, so here I am~

If you want to visit our giddy-infested blog, go enjoy yourself: One Eyed Daruma

This blog is old... I created this maybe 4 years ago, but decided to use some other blogsite instead (blogspot wasn't that efficient back then). Then I came back here I think last year, spiced up the place and typed away. That's until the reason for my sudden journal-ing didn't pull through, and this place was left to cyber-rot.

Then I came back again. And I promise not to leave this place ever again. Not after I've read all those fantastic blogs of people who've been to Japan and back... and then to Japan again. No one can really resist the charm of that place, and that's why I'm going to blog.

I'm going to blog starting now about my journey to the land of the rising sun. The flight's scheduled to be on June/July, my Nihongo classes to start by April, and my resignation date to be effective by March. A lot of things to busy myself with, documents to prepare, friends and family to say goodbye to, and entries to write.

But first, I have to redesign this place... it's just begging to be touched by my artistic mouse clicks!

*opens Photoshop*