My first Japanese Blog Entry

With inputs from Alex, and proof-reading from Sensei, here is my Japanese version of what I did in Nara.

私は先週の日曜日に奈良へ行きました。電車で萱島駅から、奈良駅まで二時間かかりました。奈良はきれいな所です。でも、ちょっと寒いでした。奈良にたくさんお寺があります。とてもきれいでした。奈良でたくさん鹿を見ました。鹿は私の地図を食べました。鹿は本当にばかでした。でも、面白かったです。日曜日はとても楽しかったです。

I'm very much aware, translation is needed. So here goes:

I went to Nara last Sunday. From Kayashima to Nara station, it took me 2 hours. Nara is a beautiful place. But, it was a little cold. Nara has many temples. They were very pretty. At Nara, I saw many deer. A deer ate my map. Really stupid, the deer. But, it was very interesting. I enjoyed myself very much last Sunday.

Sounds like something a little kid would write, right? Haha, not my fault I'm just starting out on my first writing. For someone who hasn't learnt the past tense, the adjectives and the kanji, I'm pretty good already! Haha, gave it to sensei before I asked Alex for help and everything was grammatically right (but that was because I was referring to my book). I sometimes get the feeling that my sensei resents me because I seem to know too much, too fast. And I complete her work in class very very fast. Haha. But who knows, maybe I'm over sensitive lah.

Have uploaded pictures onto facebook. Will update here on Nara sometime this week.

It's getting a little busy. Have formed our groups for my entrepreneurship course. *sighs* Project work again. So SMU-ish :(

Okay, need sleep. tata...

I was facebook stalking people when I came across this sentence that I like quite a bit: If I had a prayer, it would be this: “God, spare me from the desire for love, approval, or appreciation. Amen." It totally is what I feel about life...

Updates and some comments

Fall decided to arrive in a spectacular fashion. It is around 14 - 16 degrees here. Remember, just a few days ago, it was 18 - 24 degrees. Today, it was expected to be 18 degrees, but when I last checked, it was 14 degrees. With light rain, the news said. Well, light rain but they neglected to mention the heavy wind. My ears felt like they were going to drop off. And my nose as well. And my fingers.

The rain is probably because of a nearing typhoon. Typhoon No. 15. Haha, I was telling Robbie this afternoon and he asked a super lame question, "So what happened to Typhoon No. 14?" haha. Cos the last typhoon that was around the area was Typhoon No. 13. When I met Kosuke on my way home, he was telling me how this weather surprised even the Japanese. Oh wells. When the typhoon decides to bypass us, maybe the weather won't be so cold :x

I bundled up today. For the first time since I got here, I wore the boots that Aunty Maggie got for me from China. I also, ehem, wore gloves, my long sleeved short jacket, long socks, and long tights.. When Okaasan saw me this morning, she laughed. "Mada!" she exclaimed. (mada = not yet). "Not time to wear gloves yet." But it was so cold!!!! The strange thing was... those gloves didn't really keep my fingers warm :( They kept me warm in Taiwan during winter leh. How come not today?? :(

Well, anyways, some updates about what happened last week, during those 2 days that I didn't update. Haha, didn't update because I didn't have time lah. And also, because it's pretty sian to write about some things...

Last Wednesday was the Lesson Test for Spoken Japanese. The Listening Comprehension was read really quickly. A little difficult, I thought. BUT BUT BUT!!! I got full marks for the test. Haha. 50/50! I'm so proud of myself. Those days of toiling over Minna no Nihongo did help! except now, we're getting to the part that I've never studied in my life. Like, the te forms, the ru verbs, the u verbs etc. Minna no Nihongo never did teach us that there are different verb forms. Only that there are different adjective forms (those that end with i and those that end with na).

Last Thursday was my presentation. We had to come up with a business idea and sell it to the class in 2 minutes. Then the class had to vote on which one they wanted the rest of the class to do projects on. Amazingly, mine was one of those that was voted in! It almost didn't get voted in though, cos I lost it by 1 vote. 12 to 13. But Prof Tracy was like, "Losing by one vote?! Come on!!! We're going to do it anyway." haha, so I get to do my own project idea! =) *crosses fingers* Hope this project goes well. haha.

Last Friday, Robbie and I went to hunt down the hyaku-en store that had the soft yarn. =) He bought a pair of knitting needles and a ball of yarn. Till now, I still haven't taught him how to cast-on, or how to start purling. Haha, but will do it soon. I bought 3 balls of soft yarn. One in white, one in white and pink, and the last in blue and white. They're all really really pretty. And for hyaku en, its not a bad price! :) The white one is coming along pretty nicely. Because it's furry, the fur actually hides my mistakes :) So it's looking good! When I'm done with it, will take pictures of it. Cos I'm pretty proud of it. Showed Masayuki on Friday night, and he was really impressed with it. Haha. He wasn't very impressed with the previous one (the pink cotton yarn) but this, he liked very much. Cos the yarn is so soft!!!

After shopping for the yarn at the hyaku-en store, met up with Daryn at Kuzuha Mall to go to Uniqlo. I successfully bought Cher's velvet jacket, cotton jacket and one piece dress.　おめでとう! In addition to that, I bought 3 pairs of long socks and one fleece shirt. It says fleece on the sign, but then when I checked the tag, it says acrylic. Whatever, as long as I can wear it and be warm, that's all that matters =)

This past week has been a week of excessive spending. I just did my accounts and the damage to the pocket for around 1 month is 800. Hmm, I separated between one-off and ongoing expenses. On-going expenses are at around SGD431. Okay lah, considering how much stuff I do every weekend.

***

I was reminded of why I like to wander around by myself.

Because. It's on own time, own target, do ur own thing. The best part is, I can bring my own lunch without anyone saying anything about me bringing lunch and not eating at a restaurant. That grated on my nerves a little bit. I like to live my life in the way I see fit. I don't want to go to a restaurant, or feel the pressure to eat at a restaurant just because my friends want to. The last time I went to Kuzuha (not the time with Daryn, but the first time), my friends wanted to eat at some fancy restaurant. The damage was around 1000 (give or take). I skipped dinner that night, and bought bread from one of the supermarket. Instead, I sat in the restaurant watching them eat. Of course, given that it was a fancy restaurant, that's gotta be the price. It's a normal price. In Singapore, I spend like that quite often. But then, that was when I was doing part-time, doing research, or doing internship. Here, I have no income at all. So, it's save or die. Anyways, if my friends wanted to eat at a restaurant, then it's fine by me. I don't really care. So long as I don't have to spend. But if I have to, I'd rather go and wander around by myself.

For some strange reason, I find myself being less thoughtful of others nowadays. Or rather, I'm still respectful of others' wishes, but am very very agitated after a while if I feel that my time is being wasted. I'm sort of tired of giving into other people. I'm on a vacation (Kor won't agree with this sentence, as always. haha.. :P) and I want to make full use of my time now. This time is precious to me. So, to have to compromise with other people, it's like wasting my time. I am entitled to be selfish here. It's not like I'm loaded and can come to Japan every year (well, technically I could, if I worked hard enough lah)!

Ah, well. We'll see how the rest of the months go. Of course, it'd be rather lonely to explore places by myself, but... haha. We'll see how it goes.

=(

I know my alignment sucks and the running commentary doesn't fit in well with the photos. Trying to figure out how to fix that. but, not anytime soon will it be fixed. =( Sorry... Please make do with it...

Kyoto Trip (27 Sept)

Every week, I go to Kyoto. *sighs* So here it is, my 4th Kyoto Trip! =)

***

Woke up early today because we were meeting at 9 at Yawata-shi Station (Daryn's station, which is nearer to Kyoto and Uji. My station is nearer to Osaka and Nara). The last time we went to Kiyomizudera, we stopped at Shijo Station. But, from the map, we found out that Gojo Station was closer than Shijo. Gojo Station was good in that it had signs to the famous places in Kyoto. So we didn't need to (unlike last week) figure out which exit to take... On the way, randomly, Professor Pawle suddenly turned up from an alley, and bumped into us just as we were crossing the alley. Haha, it was so random!!! Professor Pawle is Daryn's Cross-Cultural Psychology Prof. If SMU had allowed me to transfer psychology credits, I'd have taken his class instead. :x

Anyways, it was a very straight forward walk to Kiyomizudera. Compared to exiting from Shijo. Cos all we needed to do was to walk straight ahead to a cross junction, turn left and walk a little bit before crossing the road and just walking up the hill to Kiyomizudera.

Masayuki asked me yesterday, "Why are you going to Kiyomizudera again?" haha, the answer is simple: Because we never did go into the temple. All we did was to stand outside and my friend wanted to leave because she was hungry. Also, it was very hot at that time. Today's weather, I think, is all right. Yuko told me over dinner that the coldest today was 18 degrees, and the highest temperature today was 24 degrees. Hmm, I was a bit cold, despite it being a little sunny and me wearing long sleeves and my favourite pair of jeans. But then, like Daryn always says, "You Singaporean, you!" haha.

Hmm, Kiyomizudera is beautiful. And the view from up there is really really pretty.. <3 [Absolutely stunning. You'll notice my pictures are now bigger, mainly because someone complained that it was difficult to see. Haha. ] Entrance is 300yen (heart hurts just thinking about the cost of entry :().




















We were walking down the stairs to this spring. To drink from this, you have to pay 200yen. Haha, I'm not in need of miracles yet. So, no thanks. It's too touristy... And I saw people drinking right from the steel cup. How unhygenic!






















Hmm, belief is a very powerful thing. If you believe drinking out of that steel cup will lead u to riches, well... It might just work, cos the mind is so powerful. I don't believe in the wish-granting powers of the water though. haha.

The following are random pictures of the temple as well as view (of the Kyoto tower) from Kiyomizudera.







































The last picture is interesting. Is of a rock, dressed in a little girl's clothes. I think Prof Kenney will say that that is Jizo, one of the bodhissatvas featured in Japanese Buddhism. She showed us pictures two weeks ago of statues of Jizo being dressed in little baby's clothes.. I think this might be the case too. It's quite interesting! I see this quite often throughout Japan (maybe only because of Prof Kenney's lessons that is why I'm more alert to such things).

I was very very annoyed with having to pay 300yen though. Haha, for reasons that I shall not disclose here. But, as a result, as we went down to the touristy area below the temple, I swore to eat as much wagashi samples as possible. According to my calculations (and Daryn's), I ate maybe 500yen worth of wagashi from all the different wagashi stalls, plus drank a bowl of (free) green tea. BUT! At one wagashi stall, I bought an omiyage (present/souvenir) for my host family. Hence, it's not really like I ate without buying anything. *bleah* But the wagashi was really nice (very very sweet though, even for me. And I've got one of the sweetest tooth I know.) Unfortunately for everyone, no, there is no picture of the wagashi basically because I was too busy sampling and it'd be stupid and weird to take pictures of things that the stalls are selling, ne?

One thing that I found very interesting was how they made these. I have no idea what kind of Japanese sweets they are, but it's very nice. Fluffy on the outside, and inside there is red bean paste. Usually, they come in prepackaged form (like a biscuit) but this was freshly made. I tried the prepackaged one and the freshly made one. The taste is really different. For one, the freshly made one is more fluffy. And moist. Very very delicious. =) hehe. The right is a picture of the guy who's controlling the machine, and the left is of the stamping machine that stamps the words: 清水焼.




















After eating our fill (or at least, after I ate my fill and daryn got sick of the sweet desserts), we walked down a random street and found a map. So, we decided to walk to this park (which we totally bypassed and didn't even know we bypassed it) and eventually make our way to another two temples. These are pictures from our walk:

I don't know if you will get it, but look at the car plate. It says (in part): "ZEN666". Haha, Daryn was like, "Zen and 666 totally do not go together!" haha. I agree! :P But it's pretty cool, isn't it? And I'm sure the owners don't know the underlying meaning behind their car plate....








Kyoto, at least the places where I've been, is full of greenery. The way the trees frame the sidewalks make the scenery look so beautiful =) Kyoto is full of very very steep stairways. Many steps and very steep. *gasp* A little bit 危ない（abunai = dangerous). And after climbing the many stairs, you really know that you're out of shape, in need of more exercise, but in need of water and a seat first. haha.




















So, like I said, we totally bypassed the park that we were supposed to explore and came upon this. I have to be honest with you. I don't know what jinja this is. It's called Gokoku Jinja. But when I wiki-ed it, there were Gokoku Jinjas around Japan, not only in Kyoto! I know for sure, though, that this is a Shinto... It's a Shinto Shrine, and Buddhist Temples. So, when I talk about temples, it's buddhist. When I talk about jinja/shrine, it's shinto. Prof Steven made sure we didn't make any mistake on that. haha.

Daryn and I looked at the map. It had many many steps. But, it was rather quiet, unlike Kiyomizudera, which was really really crowded and very very touristy. I just wanted to hike up to get a better view of the city. So, *sighs* paid an admission fee of 300yen.

Personally speaking, I liked this better than the temple. Very few people actually go out of the way to come to this jinja. Both of us ended there because we got lost. So, it was just an accident. In the entire time we were there, fewer than 20 people were at the jinja. Compare that with Kiyomizudera. *shrugs* I shan't comment more. Haha. Anyway, there were tombstones of many people (but we still don't know who they are and what role they played in the Japanese history. I'm sure it's gotta be a great role, or else they won't have a place in a Jinja ne?) I also included a picture of the damned steep staircases (again) and several tombstones (will feature more later).




































































Maybe if Daryn wasn't around with me, I'd have felt that this was a little creepy. But then, Daryn was around and there were other people around too.

There was a point in time when the stairs were so steep both of us were walking down side ways. Three guys were sitting behind, laughing at us. It was funny lah, actually, so I don't blame them for laughing. haha. I keep thinking that the Jinja is a great place for a picnic. haha. Picnic amongst tombstones... It was so serene that you feel at peace with the world. It wasn't too cold, though we were rather high up. The weather, the view were just too perfect to describe in words. Haha, this 300yen was well spent! =)






After the Jinja, we continued our walk down (note that the Gokoku Jinja was on some hill that we had to climb up). At the bottom of the slope, we were near Ryozen Kannon Temple and saw this HUGE Kannon statue. Neither of us wanted to spend anymore money on entrance fees... So, pictures of this was enough. It was quite astounding, the size of the Kannon. [Kannon is Guan Yin, Goddess of Mercy]. Ehem, yes, I am very very aware that the tour buses are destroying the image, but what can I do?! I cant ask the buses to all move away, can i? haha.









Daryn was hungry after all that climbing up and down. I wasn't really very hungry because of all the wagashi I'd eaten, and also because of the pizza Okaasan packed for me in the morning, but both of us decided that to keep going, we needed some nutrition. It was only later that I realised that she was right. Because, both of us felt faint, and I was shaking a little bit. Don't know if it was from the cold or from being a little tired. But it was a good thing we went to find a place to rest. Or else, I don't think I'd have been able to endure the next part of the trip.

Anyway, we found the exit from all that confusing alleys by accident. Both of us wandered and wandered and suddenly, when we exited from one alley, we found ourselves on familiar ground. Our first trip to Kyoto was through another Jinja and we were right in front of it. So, haha, it was a happy thing for both of us, cos now we knew where Shijo was, and where to find food! Stopped at a very small restaurant. You enter it, go to the machine, get a ticket for whatever you want to eat (in both of our cases, Udon), pass it to the waitress and wait for ur food. Mine cost 280 (with one fishcake only. haha), and hers cost 390 (with ebi fry). Don't feel sad for me, cos I had a good dinner =) There was free flow matcha too, and our matcha, at least I'd like to think, was freshly made cos our bottle of matcha had the darkest colour amongst all the bottles. Haha. Daryn says it's delicious, but I found mine to be so-so only lah. Okaasan's udon is better :P

With energy and sweet in mouth, we went up again. Timed ourselves. By the time we'd finished, it was 4.30. Daryn had to get home by 7 and me maybe around 730 (I'd told Okaasan I'd be back around 7-8). To walk to Shijo Station, I gave us 1/2 hour (including leaving from whatever place we were at). So, we essentially only had 1 hour. It wasn't enough time for us to climb a temple. So, we walked into this other shrine (which, until now, I still don't know the name of).

That, I swear, was the best part of my trip today. You will see why later.

I think Daryn looks good in this picture, though she doesn't think so. haha. This is the long stretch of road before the shrine. I'm standing in front of the shrine's entrance acting stupid as usual. haha.




















This is the inside of the shrine. There were fewer than 10 people the entire time we were there. We finally figured out why. Cos the shrine closed at ... 5pm!!! But anyways, with the few people there, we were able to explore to our heart's delight.





















































In every temple/shrine, there will be an area for u to cleanse/purify yourself. I think this is kinda cute, the dragon with a red pipe as its tongue :) The second last picture shows what they pray to. This is rather Shinto-ish. Last week, when I went to Nishinoki Jinja, there was such a thing too. So, maybe it's a jinja. I thought it was a temple at first, but then, in a temple, there'd be Buddha, and I didn't see a statue of the Buddha anywhere. So, came to a conclusion it's a shrine.

And now, for the best part of the trip!!!

An exploration of a HUGE cemetary.

Haha. A little stunned by what I said? Well, if you were there, I swear, you would have felt the same way as I did.

The cemetary is huge. Here is a map of it. The picture on the right only shows Zone 3. I actually climbed all the way up to the 24th Zone. It was so high and so cool lah. Haha. Daryn wasn't exactly with me at Zone 24 cos it was too high for her and she has acrophobia. But, it was kinda cool climbing up all the way..




















This is the view of the entire cemetary, the city, the mountains, the trees, and a bit of the sky, plus the kyoto tower. It's amazing the number of tombstones in it. My camera couldn't take the entire scene, but if I could, it'd be a feast for the eye. It was so astounding!!!





























I think there's a pretty view (right picture). The sky made a nice backdrop for my pictures... In the right picture, I was only maybe a third from the bottom...

I must say, though, that there were many crows. Hmm, for a place associated with death, having birds of death around.. well, that's kinda expected, yet a little uncanny.









Well, anyway, when I eventually finished exploring Zone 24, we went down to maybe around the middle of the cemetary and found a guard waiting for us. He asked Daryn something (I couldn't make out what he said) and she answered, "Oh, we're international students." And he's like, "The cemetary is closed" and walked us out of the cemetary and the jinja.

When we entered, we saw him and he, of course, saw us wandering in. Yet, at 5pm, he still didn't see us. So, I think he knew we hadn't exited from the cemetary. He could have locked up everything and left us in there (since it was our own fault for not reading the signs), but no! He waited patiently for us in the middle of the cemetary. We'd disappeared amongst the tombstones, so he probably couldn't even be sure that we were there. [maybe he saw us lah...] He didn't even come up to yell at us for taking up his time and delaying him going home (we were 20minutes beyond the closing time). He just patiently waited for us. And better still, he escorted us all the way out, and when we apologised, he wasn't a single bit grumpy! I think it's difficult to find this kinda service here. Or maybe he thought we were mourning family members (impossible, given that we were laughing and talking in English) and needed time for bereavement and was trying to be sensitive? Who knows... But when he walked us out, the entire place was locked up and chained up already... Luckily he waited. I liked the cemetary, but I don't wanna spend the night out in the cold with no food (well, a half eaten pizza doesn't count) and in the cemetary!!!!!!

So, that was the adventure today. Today was very well spent. *satisfied look* I liked the ending very very much. hehe. It might sound really weird.. *shrugs* Think all you like! I'm not morbid. I just liked the exploring bit, and climbing steps to find where it leads me to. And of course, the majestic view...

Ah, Kyoto, Kyoto...

=) Tomorrow is Nara. Nara has loads of deers (shikas) and temples (teras) as well. It's also where Dai-butsu is. So, I will be going to visit it. =)

Need an early night. hehe, good night!!! =)

=)

I am so proud of myself!

Daryn didn't know how to finish the scarf. Very funny right, she knows how to start, how to knit, but doesn't know binding off. So, I went to this website: http://www.knittinghelp.com/ and got help! =) So, I now have my first completed knitted scarf. Which, by the way, Daryn doesn't want because it's pink. She wants a purple scarf, so I think on Friday, after the test, I'll stop by Hirakata-shi to get the yarn... And then, next week, maybe I'll drag Robbie there for him to get a pair of knitting needles, and a ball of yarn to start playing around with, since he wants to learn how to knit too.

Oh, never mentioned Robbie before. Haha. hajimete, so I must show a picture of him. This is robbie, holding tan-chan (ahhh! Tan-chan! My tan-chan!!! Daryn didn't bring tan-chan out yesterday :'( ) But anyways, yes, Robbie is from UK. He's learning Japanese and Chinese. His Chinese, although he's only learned it for 8 months, is rather decent. He can hold a proper conversation with me, and we're able to talk in Chinese without anyone guessing what we're talking about. Haha, reminds me of the time when Gina/Weili and I were talking in Mandarin in Discovery Cove and no one had any idea what we were saying...

Anyways, I'm very very proud of my finished scarf. As both sets of batteries are dead (charging them now), I cannot take a picture of my finished product. But will do so at a later point in time. :)

I was in the train today and apparently, there was this guy who was interested in a girl. He sat next to the girl, grinning in a rather silly fashion. The girl had a, "Erm, what the hell, get me out of here" kinda look. I was super amused. Hahahahahahahaha... In the end, the guy didn't muster enough courage to talk to the girl. He only mustered enough courage to sit beside her! haha, and to occasionally look in her direction. But otherwise, nothing else. Dang. I was so looking forward to a good show! :(

Hmm the schedule for the week:

Wednesday - Lesson Test. Surprisingly difficult for the Listening Comprehension part. They were speaking slowly, but still a little fast for me to catch. Writing was relatively easier.

Thursday - Presentation on my "entrepreneurial idea", which I'm thinking of presenting: Take-outs in Japan. I don't really see take-outs in japan, so I think maybe it'd be a good idea? Don't think it'd take off though. Have to convince the class in 2 minutes why I think it'd work. haha.

Friday - Katakana quiz. Kuzuha Mall. will finally go and buy Cher's clothes. According to my kor, they only have limited pieces. If I don't buy, it'd all be sold out. :( Don't want Cher to kill me! hahahahaha.

Saturday - Kiyomizudera at Kyoto

Sunday - Nara (and deers)

Next Saturday - Sports Festival with Masayuki and Yuko. Evening: maybe spent at Osaka (see what Robbie, Ashley, Amy and Daryn say)

Next Sunday - Flea Market at Kyoto.

Wanted to see Prof Scott regarding his class outings, but he wasn't in today. I'll go look for him tomorrow...

I have to stop going to Kyoto so much! haha. Transport eats into my expenses like crazy. I totalled my expenses for the past 3 weeks and was horrendously shocked to see about 700 spent already in only 3 weeks! :( Granted that over half of it is tied up in the concession ticket, textbooks and the phone, the fact that I spend more than 100 per week is frightening. :( I have to stop buying clothes, after all, they won't fit in my luggage back. :x

*evil thought* When Kor comes to Japan, I'll get him to bring back stuff for me! :P:P:P [nah, I won't. I'm nice, but it's a thought worth considering if I'm ever desperate enough. MUAHAHAHAHHA.]

Must go Karaoke. Must go Karaoke soon. haha.

Was watching the variety show with Yuko. Yuko knows every single song that's being played lah, even the 1980s songs. I asked her to go with me to Karaoke. haha. She was a bit hesitant, but nevermind lah. Not everyone opens up so easily. Plus we have a big language barrier, bigger than the one between Masayuki and me, so maybe that's why she feels uncomfortable. haha, but nevermind. We shall see how it goes.

I've been charging my batteries and they suddenly died on me. This morning, my (Singapore) phone started acting strangely. It was 100 % yesterday, but then today it heated up and suddenly dropped to 13%. Then it flashed the red danger sign. I wonder what's wrong with it. All the appliances I've brought here are acting really strangely. Maybe I need new rechargeable batteries, and battery charger. Maybe Nipponbashi (Den-den town) has them cheaper? Not sure, but always worth to check it out.

Here's the song that the group who got 95/100 sang. It's not all that great from this video though. The group was more powerful, sang with more emotions, harmonized (obviously, there were 5 of them!) better. The melody is very very soul-stirring though. And it's another beautiful song =)



There was another one by the original singer, Kobayashi Akiko below, but that one doesn't sound as good as the guy's version...

Forgot to tell you the name of the song. Blur me. 恋におちて (koi ni o chi te) - Falling in Love. I don't know what the song is about though, but it sounds like there it's a love triangle. "Three hearts" or something at the end of the song...

P.S. For the first time in many years, I actually sat down, and practised piano for 1.5 hours. It's never happened before, even when I was learning piano. The max no. of hours was 1. haha, I'm not much of a determined person unless I love the song very much. I must love the song then, for me to practise so hard. Got through the 5 pages, except for three bars, which were very difficult. I need to scrutinize it more...

Princess Princess - M

This song is fantastic. I love it so much.

Was watching a variety show this evening during dinner with the host family. It was a competition between groups... The groups had to sing in harmony. There was a group representing Soka University. They performed an excerpt from this song:



They didn't win, unfortunately. They got 92/100. But the last group got 95. Poor lead vocalist. The lead vocalist was damned かっこいい (kakkoii = cool) lah. They were all dressed in black suits and ties. And while awaiting for the results, the five of them sat in a way that I thought looked rather mafia-ish. でも、 めちゃ かっこいい I tell you! I swear! The lead vocalist especially. He had this pair of tinted glasses on... Arhhhhhhhhhhh, I cannot emphasize how かっこいい he was.. haha. Yuko agrees :)

The group was good. I like listening to tenors and bass harmonize. It's very soothing to the ears. I dislike it when sopranos, mezzos and altos are added cos I feel that their pitch is sometimes too high and sharp for my ears. The group that got 95 were all guys too... They were extremely powerful in harmonizing too. <3

I love Japanese variety shows. haha. Love them though I can't understand much of it. Not even 1%, except when they have kanji...

Kobe!

Haha, Otoosan took the day off to drive us to Kobe. So, the entire family (except Yuko who had to study for a test tomorrow), Hikaru, Momo and their mother plus Daryn went on this trip to Kobe.

Last night, Masayuki came and asked me where in Kobe I wanted to go after the "play" (which wasn't a play. It was an exhibition. Haha, what a big difference.). I flipped the guidebook and told him, "Hmm, since Kobe doesn't have many attractions (other than their beef!), I'll settle for the port and for Chinatown." Then I started laughing. I come to Japan to go Chinatown!!! hahahahahaha, Japanese Chinatown!!!

Well, anyways, went to the exhibition this morning. Because it's something like a museum, I didn't take photos except for one. It was possibly one of the most crowded exhibitions I've been in. While I loved all the different exhibits, it got a little annoying halfway. :( Cos it was so crowded, you can't see things you wanna see in greater detail. My favourite though was the tiger head coffin. It was carved exquisitely and looked well preserved (like duh, the exhibits were all in museums!). This exhibit was organized by the SGI (no wonder Otoosan was so excited to bring us there! haha.) Anyways, I noticed something interesting about the Japanese. They queued to see the exhibits! There was actually a line forming along the exhibits. So when I cut in, I got a few "okashii" looks... A QUEUE to see the exhibits. Whoever heard of that?! Haha, daryn really wanted to see this exhibit, so she stood in line. I tried to persuade her to get out of line and just go see it (lah) and she said, "If I get out, I'll lose my place in the line!" haha, important place, the line is.

I swear, this was the most entertaining part of the exhibit. Gundam Three Kingdoms. I'm not kidding. I swear! It's 三国演义 Gundam version. Haha, it was hilarious! I got soooo excited over it. But really, 三国演义 GUNDAM VERSION? Only the Japanese can pull this off!




Actually, we all thought that after the exhibit, we'd go our separate ways. Masayuki, Daryn and I off to explore Kobe, and the rest, back home. But apparently, they decided to come along with us too. haha. So, we ended up wandering to Chinatown.

The first picture is of Okaasan, Wataru and Hikari standing in front of the gateway to Chinatown. The second picture is of me with Hikari (the taller girl) and Momo (the younger girl). They are Okaasan's friend's daughters. Haha, look very much alike, ne? The third is of random pictures of Chinatown. I didn't take too many pictures though. Haha, cos, well, people were walking too fast for me to take good pictures. And how good can my pictures be? I did, however, want to take pictures of the street food they were serving. Haha. For the first time in 3 weeks, I actually miss Chinese food! Cos the street was filled with Chinese food... Like kou rou bao (which I like very very much), rice dumplings, xiao long bao (or as cher will call it, XLB), etc. haha... I also wanted to try their cold dan dan mian. Daryn wanted zha jiang mian. <3

But, we ended up at this buffet restaurant (1050 yen for about 18 dishes). Haha, Masayuki was so funny. He told Otoosan, "It's so cheap it's scary. What's wrong with it?" (Daryn translated it for me lah. that statement was quite funny. haha)

Well, we had sweet and sour pork (overly sweet), spring rolls (sweet potato: I love!), meat bao (sucked big time, I swear. It was horrendously dry), ramen (I don't like ramen in general), salad (which I liked very much), this cold tung hun looking thing (which I also liked very much), roasted duck (which was so good!), coconut milk and sago (which was equally good, and I had seconds, and usually I don't drink coconut milk cos it's so bad for ur health, but it tasted so good!!!), fried chicken (a little dry, and hard to chew, but otherwise fine :)), ma po tofu (okay lah, I'm not a fan of ma po tofu)... and a few more dishes but I didn't try all, so I can't tell u the names. Anyways, Okaasan and Otoosan both had a beer each. Masayuki wanted one too, but they told him firmly no. The reason isn't because he's underaged. But because he had to drive us home. The alcohol limit here is so low, u can go over it with just one beer. haha.

While walking to the harbour or bay or whatever, we came across this turkish icecream guy. I don't have a picture of it, but he was pulling the icecream. It was really cool. In this picture, he's twisting the cone around to show the stickiness of the icecream and how elastic it is. Pretty cool. I wanted one, but Daryn asked Hikaru's mother if it tasted the same. It did.
Around the same stall, two Japanese women asked us where the toilet was (like we'd know). We couldn't tell them where the toilet was, and they were freaking rude lah. I swear. This is the first time I've been so rudely dismissed. They were like, "Oh, chuugoku-jin." [oh, china people.] They turned away without even saying anything else, no, "sumimasen" or "iie" or anything! Neither Daryn nor me is from China. Her parents are from Korea, but she's American. And I am a Singaporean. The way they said it was offensive, and dismissive. So, Daryn was like, "Chuugoku-jin ja nai yo!" [we're not from China, I'm telling you!]

*rolls eyes* You get discrimination everywhere...

Here are some pictures of us walking to the Harbour and at the Harbour. Haha, nonsense pictures lah. :P










I was trying to climb onto the ledge. Very difficult since it was straight and very steep. The Kobe Maritime Museum is in the background (the white structure).

Port of Kobe! :)



















Haha, so, that's the port. Actually, would have liked to stay in Kobe longer, but... Hikaru's mother had to work. So, Masayuki had to drive her back (seeing that both Okaasan and Otoosan cannot drive). Otherwise, he'd have shown us around. We could, of course, have stayed by ourselves. But I didn't want to because: a) there are 2 transfers out of the Keihan Line. From Kobe, we had to take a subway to JR Loop, from JR Loop to Kyobashi (Keihan Line). If today were a Saturday, I would take the risk. After all, the worst (I think lah) is to be stuck at some station to await for the first train from Osaka (5am). Unfortunately, tomorrow I have class. And worse, tomorrow I have a Lesson Test (accounting for 10% of my grade I think...). So, no. No way risking it. We came back by the car. Anyways, Masayuki promised to bring us there (ah!! His classes start next week, better go before his classes start :( Since he's always so 忙しい = isogashi)

On our way walking to the parking area, I chanced upon this bike! Heh, the only reason why I would take a picture of it is because the colour reminds me of my dad's bike. haha...







I took some random pictures in the car. Haha.












All the children and adults (me included!) fell asleep. Only Daryn and Masayuki couldn't. Masayuki (obviously) cos he was driving. Daryn because Hikaru fell asleep on her in an awkward position. And I fell asleep on her on the other side. Haha, so she was stuck in a really uncomfortable position. It was so funny... Of course, not funny for her... =P When I eventually woke up, she said, "My back hurts!" and looked to Hikaru and we moved her in a better position so that Daryn's arm would somewhat be freed.

Haha, what a day it was. めちゃ楽しい！(enjoyed it very much) =)

Otoosan cooked dinner last night. It was delicious! He can really cook! haha, but then, everything to me is delicious :P We had nabe today, with different ingredients. I love udon. Udon is so... filling and chewy. Gives me some satisfaction to chew it. =)

I am able to hold a decent 2 minute conversation about the sea (海 = umi) with Hikaru's mother. very limited conversation, ne? But better than nothing! I somehow think my Japanese has improved quite a bit, but I'm lagging behind in a lot of the understanding. It somehow aggravates me when I cannot understand and i feel angry at myself for not putting in more effort, and keep relying on Daryn/Alex/Ann to explain stuff to me. :( ARG. I have to rely on myself and my Japanese more!!!

Haha, this is going to sound stupid. But I must say it!!! :P I observed something very important today! I find big brother-ly actions very very very adorable in guys! haha. Somehow, the standoffish from the younger sibling, yet caring for the younger sibling in a way is so attractive! hahaahahahahahahahahha. Okay, nevermind =P I've got examples, but then, citing them will make me sound stupid. SO, shan't cite it. =P

Yep, so, shall study hard for the test I keep talking about, but never get around to studying. :(

It's incredible. Where did all my time go?! By the time I'm done showering and with laundry, it'd already be 10pm. Where's the time to study?! *whines* oh wells. Yes, nonetheless, study I must.