Tennoji Zoo

The weather forecast says that it's 2 degrees outside now. Whether forecast says that it'd be -2 tomorrow...

Although my room is set at 20 degrees, it's still very very cold to me. I don't know why. I'm wearing my wool shirt and the jacket I usually wear when I'm outside. I think the kitchen is the only place which is actually warm in this house, even though its temperature is set to only 17.

Today, Daryn and I went to Tennoji Zoo. I actually mixed up the itinerary for today and tomorrow. So, I thought we were going to Osaka-jo & Peaace Museum instead of Tennoji Zoo. The initial plan was Tennoji Park and then Tennoji Zoo. But, we skipped the park cos it's ending autumn and the leaves are starting to fall out. Even though it was freezing cold today, we still had a great time together.

When I mean freezing cold, I mean, 5 degrees with cold, strong wind blowing directly at you, that kinda cold. Not the normal, 16 degrees kinda cold which I usually complain about. It can only get worse, the weather.

We first visited the Savannah, and tried climbing onto the hippopotamus statue they had. And then, the rhino statue. It was so funny cos in the beginning, we could see no animals in the area. So, we're like, "We came to a zoo that has no animals except metal ones!" [the statues were metal] But later, we found giraffes, hyenas, leopards, tigers, lions, red pandas etc that got daryn all excited.

I made lunch in the morning [have a photo of them! My bentos were kinda cute. haha]. So, we found a spot at the zoo to sit down and eat. But because both of our hands were numb from the wind, we couldn't hold the chopsticks properly. Food kept slipping off. Hahahahaha. It didn't help that the wind kept blowing at us while we were trying to eat. Nor did it help that there were no enclosed areas [except for the restaurant] where we could eat in peace, without the wind bothering us.

Then, we went and looked at chimpanzees and other monkeys, elephants, camels etc. We kept encountering animals peeing and pooing while we took their pictures. it was so funny. haha. I had just pressed the shutter when Daryn said, "Look, the camel is pooing". And then, we caught the elephant, monkeys and Goodness knows what else peeing. Maybe cos it's cold...

We didn't exactly finished the entire zoo actually. By that time (3pm), we were both freezing like hell. Even with the gloves that Oscar got me in Tokyo, I couldn't feel my finger tips. And Daryn was quite stupid. She came out with a light jacket and a long sleeve shirt. -____-||| Without gloves. In her defense, she proclaimed, "But it was sunny when I left the house!" It was sunny, but it was also freezing cold... And she couldn't find her gloves...

Then, we headed for America Mura (America Village) where Daryn got some omiyage (AGAIN??!!!) for her friends and I just wandered around, feeling cold. Ended up at Mos Burger for our dinner cos Daryn likes Mos Burger. We seldom eat out, so when we do, it's quite amazing. I told Daryn that I'd accompany her for lunch/dinner, because she'd never come back to Japan again. Whenever she goes out with me, she feels compelled to do what I do; not eat, or eat bread. So, given that we're only left with 3 weeks, I decided that she should go ahead and eat lah. And what better way to make sure she eats what she likes than to eat with her? Haha. [Excuses only, actually, it's cos I wanna eat :P]

So, yes, if anyone is wondering if I'm eating well, I am finally eating well... Too much actually... I had two dinners today because I forgot to let Okaasan know I'd not be back for dinner. So she cooked my share and I ate it.

How strange it'd be, she said, to go back to America and think, "What am I... Oh, I'm not doing anything with Huey this weekend."

How strange it'd be, I thought (but did not say), to go back to Singapore and think, "I wonder how Daryn is doing..." and "Should I send her a present? It's her birthday after all..." and worse of all, "I miss her." She's not my only friend here, but she's my best friend here. I seldom call people my best friends, cos it accords them a certain status in my life... She's attained a certain permanency in a temporary situation in my life.

Maybe, I should take up her offer and drop by America next year. Instead of Europe or Japan. Haha, free lodging, she promised me. :P What an idea...