The day today...

*Yikes* Oh noes. I think I've kind of annoyed Otoosan. Cos I didn't get a keitai. So, I couldn't contact Daryn wrt our meeting tomorrow. :( I asked Okaasan if I could use the house phone, and she was agreeable. But then, when I asked Otoosan, he looked very displeased. Said, "Long time?" I hastened to assure him, "No, only one minute." Still, he looked very very displeased. Had that :( look. Yikes! I better get the keitai ASAP!

This morning was spent catching up on my 30 pages of reading *sighs* Only managed to get through 15. You cannot imagine how boring it is to read about entrepreneurship. I swear, it's the boring-est thing ever. Thank God I don't have to do this over again in SMU. I'd just die from boredom I tell you. Between Strategy, Ethics and another OBHR major, I'd just faint on the floor. I think I enjoyed my 4 non-business modules too much last term, and my non-countable modules this term. To get back into shape for studying business modules will be really tough :(

Everyone was out today by the time I woke up. Which was 10am. haha. I'm getting lazy... Otoosan was working, Okaasan and Hikari visiting Obaasan (grandmother) , Wataru was with Ojiisan (grandfather) at a Matsuri (festival), Masayuki at a Soka High School meeting (no, he's not in high school lah. he's on some committee or something.) Yuko was at tennis (as usual). So I was home alone, eating my sandwich. haha.

Okaasan came back to cook lunch. And lunch was... TADAH. OKONOMIYAKI! =) I watched Okaasan make Okonomiyaki and it seemed simple enough. I wrote down the "recipe". haha. Not a recipe exactly, cos I don't know exactly how much, but it just depends on you, doesn't it? Okay, here goes:

Cabbage: A whole BIG bowl of cabbage (that'd satisfy 3 people).
Flour + water --> beaten to a smooth consistency (half of a medium sized bowl)
Crack two eggs into the mixture, beating them in.
add shrimp and squid into the cabbage
fry noodles (soba) till it is crispy (sort of)
Pour the mixture of flour and water into the cabbage and mix everything.
Heat the non-stick frying pan
Without adding oil, place the cabbage onto the pan (making them circular in shape)
Add the fried noodles on top of the cabbage mixture
Place the bacon strips on top of the cabbage + fried noodles mixture.
Fry both sides and judge when it'd be done (I don't know how to judge, but I'm sure with practice, it'd be easier to judge. haha).
Put the okonomiyaki on a plate, spread okonomiyaki sauce (sweet, black sauce) and mayonnaise. =) Add a little bit of garnish and tadah! It's ready! =)

So anyways, after lunch, wore the new clothes. By the way, I never did say how much all of them cost. All of them (the 2 skirts and 3 shirts) cost me 2000 yen (about 26 bucks). haha. I love the skirts!!! =) Maybe not so much the shirts, but I can always discard them later. But definitely the skirts. Won't discard THEM since Nat wants them :P

Actually didn't wanna go out lah. But then, Okaasan looked a little perturbed that I was at home with nowhere to go and no one to go out with. Haha, maybe she thinks I'm the kind of person who doesn't have friends? :P So, I got out of the house in my new get-up (the stripped, black sleeveless top with the white translucent shirt tied so that I look like I have a waist, the starry skirt, long black socks and court shoes) haha. looked rather jappish I thought :P Told Okaasan I'll be going to Osaka next Saturday. Sunday, there's a piano recital at Child Space, so I'll be going there for the recital :) Hope this assures her I'm not a loner. Though I like to wander around by myself sometimes. It's annoying when you're out and u want to see something, but someone else wants to see something else, and u guys have to compromise. :( I dislike compromising when I've got limited time :( Transport to Osaka is expensive, as is Kyoto.So, I wanna make most of my time there.

Went to Neyagawashi's Izumiya. I saw this pink heart cushion for 780yen. So tempting! But no way can I bring it back, unless I give it to someone else when I leave. :( sighs. Went to the home fashion floor and was sooooooooooo tempted to buy ALL the home fashion stuff. If I stayed here for a year, maybe it'd make sense to buy that. but, I'm not. So, *sighs* Had to refrain from buying anything. Also wanted to get a new PINK comforter (5000yen). I can't stand the orange comforter in my room after seeing Yuko's pink room. haha. It was a glimpse only, I wasn't spying! Just walked past her room and it was pink!!!! Made me yearn for my own pink bedsheets. haha. and pink curtains. :P

Don't know why, but suddenly was struck by a need to eat icecream. So... Went to the bottom of Izumiya and found... a 58 yen cup of cookies and cream icecream!!!! And I also don't know why the picture is slanted. :( oh wells. The second picture is of me eating my icecream (like duh, do I need to spell it out. haha) Thought I needed more pictures of myself. I keep taking pictures without me in it. How do people know that I've been there and not me just stealing pictures off the net right? =P


Decided that I needed to orientate myself around Neyagawashi. Cos I need to go to Neyagawashi City Hall (without Masayuki) to get my alien registration card. Was staring at the map when I read this: Local Viginity. I think, it was supposed to be Local Vicinity? Haha. I read it as Local Virginity at first, and I was like, what the hell?! I'm entitled to be amused at their English, cos yesterday I watched the variety show and they were making fun of one of the Japanese signs in one of the Singapore hotel. =P

On my exploration to the Neyagawashi City Hall, I chanced upon (again) a tobacco vending machine. On closer examination, you'll find a sign which states that u must have an ID card, tap it, before the cigarette will drop into the collection erm, box(?). Same for the liquor dispensing machine. Kinda neat, isnt it? =) So, only ppl above 20 can buy. But, if I'm under 20, can always ask someone else to buy on my behalf from this machine...


Found the City Hall with ease. =) Spatial memory =P HAHAHAHAHAHA. just kidding. Had the maggot in my head to go to Hirakatashi. And of course, going to Hirakatashi means spending more money... Sighs. I went to a different hyaku-en store today. This hyaku-en store had tax included in the hyaku-en. Means instead of paying 105yen, I pay only 100yen. Haha, suits me just fine! =) Here're my purchases:

The top is toothpaste (98 yen). I kinda regret buying it you know. Yes, I needed toothpaste cos my Darlie's running out (already!!!) But *shudders* You know how the Japanese have salt in a lot of things? Well, this toothpaste tastes salty too! *gargles* yucks. I had to try my best not to "taste" any of the toothpaste just now when I was using it.*shudders*
Anyways, from left to right, top to bottom. It's: lunchboxes for lunch (sandwich, etc), white chocolate, greentea/black sugar lozenges (I didn't even know they were lozenges till Okaasan told me), chocolate with liquer, long socks, black sugar biscuits. All for 600yen. :) [conversion rate is: 100yen to SGD1.307). Eating the chocolate with liquer makes my teeth ache though :( But, my dentist said my teeth are okay!!! So, what gives? :( Anyways, all the tabemono (food) are nice! =) haha. Esp the black sugar biscuit. Very amai (sweet), according to Otoosan :P

I shared my black sugar sweets and biscuits with the family. Yuko laughed and said, "You really like black sugar!" [in japanese, of course]. So I said, "yes, I do!" And she laughed and laughed and laughed. So I had this puzzled look on my face. Eventually, Okaasan told me, "In Japan, people who like black sugar are old people." HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Yuko added, "Young people like cream and chocolate." HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I'm really really old in my taste preference! :P

Okay, that aside, let me show u an interesting picture!
We don't have this in Singapore! It's for mothers with young infants. Isn't it cool? Click on it to enlarge to see the instructions =) It's really good for mothers, I feel.









Just before dinner today, Okaasan was clearing out the cupboard below the kitchen sink. She found a tea ceremonial bowl, with the whisk. Seeing my interest in the tea ceremony, she taught me the simplest tea ceremony possible. She said, "I like tea ceremony because there are Japanese sweets (wagashi, that kor is bringing me for in Tokyo <3). After Japanese sweets, you drink matcha."

So, the simple tea ceremony described here:

Pour matcha powder into the ceremonial bowl. Add hot water. Whisk it to a smooth consistency. End with a の at the end of the whisking. Hold the bowl with the right hand, and with the left hand supporting the bowl. The left hand's four fingers must be at the bottom of the bowl, with the thumb at the side of the bowl. Hold the bowl with the picture (i.e. front of the bowl) facing you. Turn the bowl clockwise twice, so that the picture faces out. Drink from the bowl and slurp loudly. Wipe the edge from which u slurped from with ur index finger and ur thumb. Then, wipe the thumb and the finger on the edge of ur kimono/shirt. Turn the bowl anti-clockwise twice, till the front of the bowl faces you. Put the bowl down with your right hand. At this time, your left hand should be placed gently on ur left thigh. All this is down kneeling down on a tatami mat. :)

Is that cool or what. Haha, that she was willing to show me, and correct me at the same time.

I'm glad I live in an easy-going family setting. Haha. At least, I dont get scolded for doing wrong things. =P Easy going is very important!!!! I try to be on my best behaviour, like I mentioned before, but still! =( sometimes, I may be mistaken, or I'd do something wrongly, like not in accordance to the expected behaviour or something.

*sighs* I really hope Otoosan is getting over the phone issue. I knew I should have gone to the public phones just now. *sighs*

Oh wells. We'll see how it goes. haha. I'll try to make up for that tiny mistake by loads of washing? :P Does that help? hahahahahaha. We'll see how it goes.............. :) Meanwhile, oyasuminasai (i'm well aware that people reading this may not be sleeping, but it's 11.49p.m. now. I take FOREVER to update. hahahahaha). Nights.

P.S. You know ur expenses are way overboard when you see: 450.22 spent for 2 weeks... Ah, well. Consoling myself that 251.95 was spent for the concession ticket and the textbooks. :( to borrow one of Masayuki's fave phrases: doushokana, doushokana...