eeeks... i fell into 1 big trap today..

sigh... i was 'ambushed' on my way home today... for some obscure reason which i will never figure, a shop near my station was selling CUTE stationaries!!! arghh.... so i tot 'ok.. i will just go in and take a look' well... the look turned out to be 15 dollars worth of stationaries.. somewhich i dun think i will use but i bought them cos it is so cute.. .argh... well.. there were stickers, books, files and such.. quite a few of pooh, 1 nemo file, 1 pooh notepad, japanese stickers... argh... oh well.. i am happy though.. hee...^^

met Tsukasa after like err... 3 months? haa... really glad to meet her after such a long time... so we chatted and stuff lor... introduced our classmates ( since carol was wih me..:D) to her.. had a fine time at lunch..... ureshikatta...^^ heee...

argh.... i dun like this.... i tear too easily...

bleh... was watchin an anime series... bout a doctor i think... this doctor and his cute daughter (not too sure if really daugther or wat but..) this doctor looks really familiar sia.. as if from some other anime one... anyway... this story is bout a sushi maker, who after learning, was returning back to his hometown to fulfill his promise to his aging mother that he will make the best sushi in the world for her.. along the way, he was knocked down by a truck driver and lost both his hands. den u have the remorseful truck driver and his wife who felt really sad and disraught over the whole incident. well... the sushi maker den had an idea, he will 'borrow' the hands of the truck driver, teaching him how to make sushi and fufill his promise to his mom. so begins a tough understudying of a sushi maker... eventually they succeed after much hardship... well... one day, the truck driver was leaving the house and saw a fire, he went in, saved the kid but lost his life. at his dying breath in the hospital... he ask the wife to give this pair of arms to the sushi maker... that's where doctor ( who likes the sushi maker's sushi) came in and fixed the arms.... the story ended with the wife seeing the image of her husband as the sushi maker uses her husband's arms to make sushi... oh well... normal storyline but.... think i teared like a few times....-.-" sometimes i really think i am a crybaby...:S

sunday.... so fast.... it's over....

well.... it's sunday nite.. again.... weeks go past very fast here... wish time will slow down a bit... oh well... anyway... was watching yet again 'fuufu'. well... it made me think... in 20 years time... when i look back at my life wat do i want out of it? the mother found that 25 years have passed since she got married... and... she sort of feel lost... looking around at people around her, the young have their youth, some of the older ones were working unlike her, a full-time house wife.. think she felt really disappointed and sad that 25 years have gone past and she was somehow stuck in where she was then and is now... well... how bout us? 25 years from now, we consider the life we are living and the life we had led... what do we wanna see come out of it?

i watch a japanese movie in a japanese theatre today!

well... i caught Miyazaki Hayao's latest film 'Hauru no ogoku shiro' today! with mit-chan... hee... well.. it is damn good.. not tat i understand half of the conversations in the movie though.. haa.. but i understand the storyline ar... hee.... well.... just go watch it... it's really beautiful.. the drawings and animation is so overwhelming... think i might go buy the art book.. hmm.. hee... anyway... really happy that i caught it...^^

well... as with all other meetings with mit-chan.. it is really fun... well... like said.. she is one of the biggest reason why i come Tokyo.. if she not here.. i wont have come to Tokyo.. most prob chose Kyushuu.. well... other reason is of course Xiaowen.... hee... anyway... we walked around and caught the movie today lor... wanted to have dinner with her but she was to meet her father and sister for dinner cos their mum is off to visit her friend in Aomori ( i think... ^^)

today is a holiday! and i blew it away....

think today is some sort of labor day... but in Japan... i wonder if labor day is a day for the workers to work more... hmm.... anywayz... me had a project meeting today.. which effectively last for like half an hour.... well.. we separate the work and viola! it is done.. all we have to do is to meet up tomorrow to consolidate and present.. ^^ short, simple and sweet.. 3 S... ^^ hee... well.. the rest of the day is spent on my computer... and doing some (really really little some) work... haaa.. yupps... tat's it... my holiday...:S

after another episode of 'Fuufu' (The Couple)

sigh.... i still say the same thing.. i love this show.... haa.... human relations are really soooo incredible... it can be like so powerful yet at the same time so fragile.... the trust and love between people is perhaps the most important elements... between friends, couples, everyone... for something which take years and years to cultivate... it could all be gone in a matter of seconds, a matter of words... yet... does it have to be so? of course it hurts when people say something or do something to damage that relationship... but... do u think it is worth to like throw it away just in those matter of seconds? do u think those people really did those things and said those stuff to hurt u purposely? well... we are all humans... we make mistakes... the more important thing is perhaps how we deal with those mistakes... do we allow it to be a bigger mistake... or start afresh? oh well.... this is of course not to say tat we have no rite to be angry and stuff lar.... but... be angry and like blow up or something.. but after tat... reflect and think... try to be rational bout it ar.... hee...^^

why are weekends so short?

will be working during weekends and resting during weekdays i supposed.... well.. make it 3 and 4 den... hee... ^^

well... din really accomplished much school work this weekend.. even though i do have lotsa work to do.. argh.. lotsa readings ar.... must really start piaing liao... but... haaa... lalalala.. dun care.... hee.... wanted to blog yesterday but i somehow couldn't get into blogger..so i slept instead.. heee....

yesterday must be the day i spent the most money liao sia... i spent like 3800 yen... cos i went over my friend Xiaowen's place an Odaiba... really expensive to go there sia... transport alone cost me like 1140 yen lor... but.. was worth it.. really enjoyed myself... me and her friends, Seigo, Yuichi and Ango (got this feeling i mite have mispelled them..:P) had like dinner cooked by our dearest xiaowen.. and it was good... haa.. we had kimchi steamboat... super nice ar... and xiaowen made sushi!! heee... i like... haa... den den... we went to do some bowling near her place.... after which we went to Shimbashi to do some karaoke... haa... now u can see where the money go to ar.. hee.. but was really fun... wished could have stayed longer but i had to rush back to catch the last train... oh well.... hee... hmm... i noe i am not doing justice in describing a fun day that i had but oh well... refer to complaints earlier... haa... my english not 'powderful' enuf... haaa...

well.... need to finish this fast anyway.. goin out with the host family to eat sushi... kaiten sushi.... yummy... hopefully we can come back before 9 though... i wanna watch my show... haa.... gosh... i suddenly get reminded of weiling when i say that sia.. haaa... ^^

a weekend! yippee!!

well... a week has passed again.. and it really is with mixed feelings that i go yippee... yippee cos the week is ending, the weekends are here, no school for 2 days.... not yippee becos it means i have 1 less week in japan..(T_T) well.... guess that's life.....

this week is like a so normal week... presentations, tests, school.... nothing interesting actually happened... except tat once again i noticed my inability in languages... well.. i noe i complain quite a bit bout this but this time is different.... this time is LANGUAGES.. think i totally suck at languages... english, chinese, japanese... u name it i suck at it.. wonder wat went wrong sia.. i read a lot, both english and chinese but.. err.. somehow... oh well... coupled with the fact tat the accents we used in singapore is weird.. and talkin to foreigners somehow make me use a different type of accent which i find it difficult cos i need to pronounce my words betta.... oh well... haaa.... hmm... wait... this is not to be my complaints board.. oopsie... haa....

well... i called Kiat yesterday... hee... surprise call.. cos he is in the midst of his exams.. haa... well... last paper today and he will be celebrating now i supposed... or perhaps sleeping... hmm.... watever... haa... but really happy to hear his voice though.. he is really one great guy... one great friend... someone totally dependable... den again.. my group of choir frens are all that too... but.. well... only thing different is that he is KIAT! he's different..^^ heee.......

on my way home tonite... i managed to grab this Okinawan food... wah piangz.... super good... it's deepfried but the taste... gosh.... reminds me of some chinese cake but different... inside it is like made of yam and dunno wat sia... hmm... it's hard on the outside, soft on the inside... it's sweet but not too sweet... and have a tinge of yam ( i love yam...^^) wished i bought more though... one cost like 90yen.... only! haa... lalalalala..^^

busy week again....

this whole week was a blurr.... handed in an essay on monday, prepared for like 2 presentations (in Japanese..) and... hmm.. tat's it.... but somehow.. i was like super bz this week.... maybe it is becos i play too much... haa.... i hope not man... i dun remember playing much until this weekend sia... oh well... now tat this week end is coming to an end... a new week ahead... more work.. argh.. got a test this friday.. argh.....

well... i finally start the studying thing with Mitsue... well... not really studying lar.. more like meeting to chat and stuff... still chatting in english now.. hopefully will proceed to japanese... argh... ohoh... btw... just an interesting note.. in Japan, they really take sunday as the beginning of the week.. err... the following is for people who knows japanese...:P if u say 'konshuu no nichiyoubi' in means the sunday in this week... while 'kondo no nichiyoubi' is the sunday which is coming.. err... there are differences.. trust me... haaa... at least to them...^^

i love reading and hate reading....

i love reading and hate it at the same time... i love it for the possibility of transporting me to other worlds, to other lives and hate it for transporting me to those other worlds and life... for this same reason.. i love and hate good books at the same time.... maybe... that's the reason why i love fantasy... cos while i am being transported there, i somehow noe that it is not that real and the emotional aspects of the the characters are somehow more muted to me.. i think.. however, once i start reading books which are more 'real'... the emotions of the characters will hit me smack in the face... oh well.... still.... i would continue to read i supposed....

i am currently reading this book Naoko, by this Japanese author... well... it is in English.... haa... anyway... it's a rather peculiar story i supposed... at least... i had never read a story with such a story line.... basically.... Heisuke, a husband lost his wife, Naoko, and 6th grade daughter, Monami, in a ski bus accident.... Naoko died while protecting Monami but for some obscure reason... Monami started acting as if she is Naoko, even to the extent of knowing things Naoko, her mother, knows... welll.... this type of story i supposed is so emotionally charged... oh welll.. stupid me for reading such a book? hee...

i was in the train when i was reading this scene... basically, the wife of the driver who is involved in the accident came into a meeting with the victims to apologised to them... she herself has lost her husband but at the same time, becos her husband is seen as the cause of the accident, is obviously not taken as part of the victims... as much as one might think why in the world did she do tat... we have to note that perhaps there is the cultural context of the story which is in Japan... the sincerity of the wife is genuine.. she really felt guilty that her dead husband is the cause of the accident... i dun think she went there so much as to seek sympathy but more of a heartfelt apology... but at the same time, the victims were of course unable to see her hurts.... one even shout back that her husband is the murderer... but... her husband is dead, there is really nothing anyone can do about it... dunno lar.. basically... messy issue...

well.. i read this scene and had to stop reading... cos i really felt like tearing... i was being transported into the book.. however... i was still more of a bystander lookin at things from both sides... and for this reason.. felt the pains of both sides... oh well.... guess i am weak in that area... m(_ _)m

busy and wonderful weekend.... ^^

well... i noe this is not the weekend but dun care... me backlogging... heee... anyway... the past weekend is fantastic... on sat, i saw Kabuki... well... part of it at least... i left halfway cos i promised to go down Soka University for the Soka-sai ( or the Soka-festival)... well... i took it that i had the best of both worlds... hee.... both were wonderful... that Kabuki was nice, only wished i had translation.. Soka-sai is fun... i like the atmosphere at her school.. then again... it might just be becos i like the people there betta... heee....

sunday was another sai-day.. this time is the Waseda-sai.... I met Marriane and we went to the festival... it was err.... more woah den the Soka-sai in terms of turn out.. it was super scary... the whole place is packed... according to Marriane... it was even advertised on radio apparently... well... in anycase.. it was big... they had like some singers to perform i think... well.. the other highlight of the day was that Caroline was in a kimono fashion show... well... she looks good lor... haa... imagine lucy liu den u have carolyn... power hor... i am serious de.... she really gives me the lucy liu type of chio-ness.. haaa.... well.. there were man other performances, including an acapella concert which was like 'gosh... i wanna sing!!' the groups were very good... i wanna sing i wanna sing!! bleh... haa... at the end of the festival, togther with some of the exchange students, i went up on stage to err... 'sing' 'we are the world'.... but... it is really crappy.. we din actually sing but rather went up to mouth words... it got really funny for me when a girl's voice is playing and a guy is lip-singing.. haa... well... the whole day was fun ar... heee... but.. all good things have to come to an end... i had to go back to rush my homework... which i did... haa....

well... today was a erhmm.. not so nice day... becos of that homework... i din have time to study for the test today and din do as well as i want to... sigh... i really need to put in more effort for my work...

ohoh! i saw an interesting advertisement today on tv! there was this advert with the merlion!! SINGAPORE!! haaa... well... they were introducing a Merlion brand air freshener... haa.... SINGAPORE!! RAWWWRRR!! hee....

mountain climbing day....

well... today... carolyn, her 'da jie' and me hiked takaosan (takao mountain)...it was a great day for mountain climbing since the weather report said that it will be sunny... the mountain was like 559 m high on the submit i think... anyway.... it's soooo not easy... haa... the begining league of the journey we were debating bout taking which routes to take and by carolyn's theory, we have more energy at the beginning so we should take the longest route... oh well.. we did tat...

route 1, the one we took, is about 3.8 km to the submit... it is SUPPOSED to take 90 mins.. well... with much phototaking, stopping for rest and lunching... we arrived there at around errr...2 plus i think.. we started at like 10 plus... but like said.. we did alot of phototaking alot of resting while only one lunching.. hee... the route worst part is the beginning with those crazily steep slopes... everytime we tranverse a slope... we almost have to take a break.... well... it really din make us feel better when u see grandpas and grandmas 'zooming' past us with their walking sticks... no way am i gonna challenge anyone of them for speed man... haaa....

we reached one of the midway points and had lunch there... the lunch is vegetarian and we suspect that the restuarants in the mountains are all vegetarians.. think it is becos this mountain used to be like a pilgrimage for monks, with its temples and such... anyway... the food really refreshing and u can taste the taste of summer in those dishes... really nice...

we finally reached the submit at around 2 plus.. some of the trees have changed into their autumn dress so it was really pretty... the air is fresh and cooling too sia.. realy felt a sense of accomplishment when we reached there.. haa... the only sad thing is that it was rather foggy in the surrounding areas so we couldn't really see the cities and such.. oh well... but.. it was a good trip up...

what goes up must come down and we too finally went down around 3.30pm.. we took route 6 down.. route 6 is a more reguarly mountainhiking track with no roads or concrete paths, unlike route 1... since it was getting late, the sun was like setting and such, we had to make our way down fast... well.... the beginning part of route 6 is the difficult part with the millions of steps... it was really steep and going down it was really errr.. exciting... the rest of route 6 were across mountain terrains with its mud path.. there was actually this portion where we had to walk in the creek... the water is not too deep but still.. it make the road slippery.... highlights of route 6 is mainly this waterfall... small one though.... haa.. but 'mai hiam bei pai' so we took pictures... but like said, it was getting dark so we decided to like rush through route 6.... we finally reached the bottom at around 5 and left for home...

route 6 is one nice route to take up we think since it has the more natural environment... the trees are such were really pretty and u are in contact with nature... route 1 is the normal route up we suppose since the midway point has the cable car system from the bottom... the worst part of route 1 is the beginning part till the midway point and the cable car effectively skipped those areas....

well.. all in all... Takaosan is a nice mountain to climb.. not easy but the scenery and air is really good... on a good day, i supposed we can see much more from the mountain... it is said that we can see Shinjuku and Yokohama from certain parts of the mountains... i suppose on a good day without the fog we should be able to see Fuji-san too.... well..the close contact with nature is a total opposite with the urban jungle of Tokyo... Takaosan is one of the many mountains in that area so mountainhiking enthusiasts would love it there.. like Carolyn... ^^

today's a holiday! and i went to Mitsue's place! ^^

well...today is a national holiday in Japan... dunno wat holiday though but to me, as long as it is a holiday, i am happy... haaa.. feel like skipping that language development class tomorrow.. hmm... will see how i supposed... haa.... anyway, highlight for today is going to Mitsue's place! that was really fun.. before we went there however, we went to see the Prof Arthur J Toynbee and Ikeda Daisaku Sensei's exhibition... apparently, Prof Toynbee was the one who , in my opinion, allowed Ikeda sensei to internationalize the Soka association.. well... Soka mite have internationalized without him too but he certainly brought Ikeda sensei into the international arena.... anyway.... Prof Arthur J Toynbee was a English Historian... one of the greatest of his time... ^^ the whole exhibition is in japanese though... 'heng' i got Mit-chan there to like translate.. haa....

welll..after the exhibition, we walked to Mit-chan's place and had dinner there.. we had Kimchi nabe, which is basically Kimchi steamboat..well... it was GOOD!! haaa..really nice.... UMAIIIIII!! hee... dunno wat to say sia.. reminds me sort of like 'ma la huo guo' but not as spicy but still as nice... it was Mit-chan's grandmother's 86 birthday on 1 Nov so we had a sort of birthday celebration too.. had like strawberry cake.... heee..

Mit-chan's family is rather young... the grandfather is like 70 plus and still look vigorous.. the parents are like 50 plus yet look in their forties..... and Mit-chan and her sis are young too... quite different from my present host family where the parents are like 70s, the kids in their 30s... oh well.... anyway... Mit-chan's Obaasan (grandma) is really cute!! haa.. think all the females of her family all the same de... nice nice, blur blur, cute cute... haaa......

bleh... really lookin forward to goin to her place again... really felt a warmth i haven felt in a long time... ^^

hopefully getting betta....

well... still sick... been eating the medicine which my host family gives me... skipped lessons today for like 2 reasons.. one... wasn't feeling great in the morning so decided to sleep in more.... and the second.. going for the waseda keio baseball game which has been postponed to today... went with Hikaru, Yae and her friends.. really quite interesting... Japanese guys cheerleaders are reallllly cute! haa... as in their dance... not the cute cute.. their dance is like sooooo defferent... dun think u can find it anywhere else in the world... welll... imagine the slam dunk character dancing.. something like tat.. haa...

the soukeisen (aka the Waseda-Keio Battle) was really interesting... the team started with 4-3, waseda 3 from yesterday's game.. then it was still a close fight... but.. oh well.. got trashed this game sia... the score was like 8-1, 1 to us.. still... it was interesting to cheer and stuff... for example, when our team is pitching, there are various signals the cheerleaders make us to... hand signals like 3 strike, strike, change etc etc.. was quite interesting to see everyone do it though... when it's our turn to bat... everyone stands up and cheer non stop till we change over... and if we score.. we dance... haa... that's the simple explanation.. u have to see it to understand it... but but.. was really fun cheering even though i dunno the songs.... some were pretty simple though... and the cheerleaders were like woah.... the guys got 'sei' the gals can dance.. the gals even did one of those 'bring it on' cheerleading... sugoi ne....

the one thing that caught my attention is when the final batter (us) missed the ball...and thus game over.. up to that very point, the cheerleaders continuing to hope that they can pick up from the 8-1 lost.. they cheered and cheered.. u will never have guessed that we were the losing one... they continue to put in their fullest into the cheering, the cheerleaders, the bandm and the audience... but at the exact moment we lost... there was a marked silence... while Keio erupted with estasy... u were suddenly hit by the fact that we lost... it was hard and bitter... yet... the students took it with pride... silent defeat yet standing tall... was really woah... something u wont get to see elsewhere i feel... i stood there and immersed myself into the atmosphere... i felt the loss.. i felt the winner's joy... it was really amazing....