Urm...

I feel like crying. Feel like, not that I will, of course not. What kind of weakling do you think I am?

No, not homesickness. I love Japan too much to be homesick.

It's probably the result of listening to 等一个人, by 黃奕 on the computer at least 50 times because that's the only song (other than Full Metal Alchemist soundtrack that I brought along to Japan with me) in the account that can actually access to MSN. And also listening to other sad tracks on my ipod that's making me feel so upset.

There's a lot of things I wanna say, but I don't know how to start, or what to say, and I don't wanna say it here. All I can say is:

だらんは元気ですか。 心配だよ。=( (probably ungrammatical, but who cares?)

Just cannot stop worrying, just cannot....

I think too much.

I have a lot of time to think everyday.

Everyday, I commute about 100minutes. The walk from Gotenyama Station to KGU and back takes up maybe 20minutes one way (since I walk very slowly). Everyday I do the dishes. And the dishes take up maybe about 45 minutes (there are THAT MANY dishes to wash sometimes. I once took 1 hour to wash the dishes, including the pots and pans). It's during these periods in time that I start thinking and thinking and thinking non-stop :(

I have to stop thinking so much! Have to stop worrying so much... But it's so difficult, ne? :(

***

I've settled on the piece that I will be performing for my farewell party: Tchaikovsky's Barcarolle (Les Saisons).

Ive included the youtube video for it:



The sound is actually lagging (expected) behind the hand movements. But, if u don't look at the hand movements, just the music, it's beautiful. it's really really really beautiful <3...

Okaasan keeps telling me that this song is difficult (難しい) but I tried it and it was okay for me. Though I need to go a bit faster. of course, the chords are killing me. There are so many chords I'm going cross-eyed from looking at them! Okaasan's favourite part and mine, is around 2min15seconds of this video... But the beginning is nice too. The tune that is repeated. Sighs, have to start practising the slurs, the staccato, and everything. So long since I actually worked hard at a piece... I have 3 months to get it in shape. *crosses fingers that I won't slip up during the party, else it'd be embarrassing*

In these 3 months, I will be trying to play (once again) Chopin's Nocturne in Eb Major. Haha, I hope to be able to finally play it. Mrs Chua had a very tough time teaching me cos I refused to learn the chords and played it any oh how... haha, I think she just treated it as my sight-reading lah... But here's the song (since not all of u are Gerald who will probably know this song cos it's so bloody famous), in case u're interested.



We have an electronic piano right at the basement. It's got about 51 songs from the score book Okaasan is lending me to copy. :) haha. is that cool or what?!!!

Keihan Railway Announcement

I stole this from a facebook wall on a discussion board about Keihan Railway...

次は、京橋。京橋です。忘れ物ないよ。左側と平が開きます。ご注意下さい。

haha, this is so... I don't know. If I read this after my stint here, I think I'd just cry. It reminds me so much of the Keihan Line and KGU. Everyday, I'd hear this. Haha. And the sentence that keeps playing in my mind everyday after I'm on Keihan Line is: ご注意下さい (pronounced: go chu i ku da sai). Haha. It just means what it means in Chinese.

Oh noes, 1 month isn't up and I'm already thinking of having left it.

I think this will seem like a total dream to me once SMU's last term (for me, yay) starts :(

***

My hair is so much longer now.. I wonder what Adrian will say when I go back to him next year. "So much hair, again?! I have to thin it again?!" haha.

Small updates

Okaasan took me shopping today. Went to a fresh market to buy fresh vegetables for the week. HUGE sweet potatoes. When I saw them, I was pointing to it, and gesticulating in a manner that was rather unbecoming. haha. Okaasan then asked, "You like?" I nodded vigorously. "I'd like to steam them and eat them." Back in Singapore, Mommy often steamed sweet potatoes and we'd just eat them like that. Haha, the sweet potatoes here are HUGE, not like the skinny ones we have at home. Okaasan is going to cook tempura today with them (and with other ingredients lah, but I can only remember the sweet potatoes.

I had a minor accident with the bicycle this morning (yep, what a klutz). Japanese roads are dangerous for cyclists. Especially one who hasn't been on a bicycle for a year or so. On our way from the grocery stall to the supermarket, I lost control of the bicycle and fell onto the roads. Fortunately, a) there wasn't a car beside me, or else I'll have to pay for the damages to the car. b) I escaped with nary a scratch (the tarmac wasn't all that rough I think). But, two cars had to wait for me to pick myself (AND the huge amount of grocery) from the road. HOW EMBARRASSING.

Anyways, was actually planning to study today lah (well, I still have less than 1 day before I enter Prof Steven's class!) but then, got distracted. Firstly, Otoosan came home and asked me if I wanted to attend an SGI block meeting. I said yes, and we set off for the meeting at 5 to 1p.m. Well, I couldn't even understand 1% of the meeting, except for the part where I was introduced. Plus, Hikari was distracting me with her demands to be carried... But, I did get this beautiful gift from them! :) It's made of a milk carton, with cloth stuck onto it. Sweet container. VERY KIREI right? <3


Today was especially isogashii = busy day. After meeting, went for a small piano gathering (of 4 people) at Child Space with Okaasan. They were practising piano. Apparently, Okaasan wants me to perform on my farewell party. Haha, I picked this beautiful jpop song. Hope to be able to play it beautifully on the day of my farewell, without crying. It's a very sad song, I tell you... But just so beautiful!

I'm doing things I won't do in Singapore. Haha... Like, picking up piano again. And like KNITTING. Tadah! This is 1/10th finished scarf. Yes, many many mistakes. Don't remind me I dislike looking at the holes which remind me that I made a mistake.... *sighs* Don't know why I started knitting, but it's good, because... I can use the scarves for winter. hehe.

I am going to give the finished product to a very very special person in my life. :) = Daryn! haha. Since she's the one who taught me how to knit, she ought to have my first complete product. This is entire knitted by me (and obviously, if u enlarge it, u'll see plenty of mistakes). Including the beginning. Daryn started one before this for me, but then I screwed it up between knitting and pearling. So, this is entirely pearling. So I don't get confused which is which. We went to get the knitting supplies on Friday. Actually it was pretty funny, cos we went to the bookstore to look for paper, and found knitting supplies!!! [till now, we still don't have sketch paper... at least I got knitting supplies! :) ] The amount of money I spent on Friday was tremendous. And the reason was because of...

My new phone! =) They didn't have pink, so I had to attach my love-wagashi-handphone-strap onto my phone to add a little pinkness to the phone. Even the screen isn't pink, it's blue :( NEON BLUE. Daryn was like, "Eh, you and your pink!" but, it'd be so kawaii if it were pink. I wanted to take pictures of the screen, but it didn't come out very clearly. My phone is fantastic. It's got a jap-english dictionary (and vice-versa) and, and, and!!! It has a moving screen, a rotatable camera lens, mail with a lot alot of pictures. I can send mail and attach pictures (of my bug bites) to Daryn without it costing more than 300 yen per month. It's 300 yen per month for unlimited mail! is that cool or what!

I forgot to update pictures of my Welcome Party. Here it is!!!





















Haha, first picture: Yuko spreading the dough to make the pizza. The pizzas were surprisingly good, you know! We had (look at the 2nd picture): Pepperoni, onions, mushrooms (yuck), corn, chicken ham, sausage, potatoes, LOADS OF CHEESE (yummmmmmmm), cooked chicken, pineapples, etcetcetc. Daryn and I helped to make the pizza (both of us avoided adding mushrooms. haha. so the first few pizzas had a lot of onions cos I love onions, and no mushrooms at all). The fourth picture shows Daryn spreading the tomato sauce. We had to add ALOT of tomato sauce cos the ingredients wouldn't stick otherwise. But then, we also added a lot of cheese (not for the same reason, but just because we love cheese, as does Okaasan! :)) The oven is pretty small, but it worked just fine :) Haha, at some point, some of my pizzas got a little burnt. but still delicious! :) And obviously, the 3rd picture is of Masayuki eating... He never takes proper pictures. Also does something stupid the second before I press the shutter... The 6th picture was included to show u the variety of pizzas we had. Seaweed/ham/potato pizza which was just a little spicy. That kinda pizza I think only the Japanese can come up with. but it was delicious anyways.

I didn't take pictures of the 3 other adults who came for the party, and 6 other children cos they were in another room at the time I was in the mood to take pictures. Difficult for me to talk to the adults, cos of the language barrier. But Daryn managed just fine :) All in all, it was a great party (though it left me very very tired the next day)... *dreams about the pizza* It really was good. haha.

Hope today's tempura is equally delicious! hehe. can't wait for the food today! yay!!!

Hmm, Okaasan was telling me yesterday about two ex-homestay students. Apparently, the one from Vietnam was so homesick she cried every single day for the 1st month and the 4th month. I think it's silly. Her parents borrowed a huge amount of money to send her here, and she spent all that time crying?!!!! I'd spend the same amount of time crying, but for a different reason, because I have to LEAVE here... what the heck... Haha, because of this Vietnamese girl, Okaasan decided that she'd only take boys in instead. -__-|| [and no, I didn't edit the application to say I'm a guy lah. She just had a string of boys and I think she got tired of guys.]

So, the next was a Canadian called Mary. Mary had a nose-ring, and Okaasan disliked that because the nose ring was equivalent to a tattoo. It's "bad". So, Okaasan didn't like her either.

I hope not to do some stupid thing that would make Okaasan dislike me. And knowing her, she won't show that she's displeased. She'd just keep it to herself. Such people are scary cos u never know what they're thinking. *shrugs* I've become a little lax in manners (familiarity breeds contempt you know). Should start bucking up again!!!

So, now, to the 60-page reading that I keep talking about but never ever got round to reading...

P.S. The trip to Nara this Tuesday has been replaced by a trip to Kobe with the entire host family (and hopefully, with Daryn. but Daryn's not replying my mail :() because they want to want the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. YES, u did not read that wrongly. 三国演义! I came all the way to Japan to watch 三国演义 in Japanese. -___-||| It's going to be a play... Haha, 三国演义 and I have some fate. I studied it in SNGS, watched Red Cliff, and now watching 三国演义 in Japanese. -_________-||| Oh wells, it will be very interesting then. Okaasan said not to worry about the cost of the play because she insisted on paying.

I feel so fortunate to be in this host family.

I asked Alex some time ago, "Do you miss being at the Seminar House?" He said, "a little." And asked me the same question. My reply was an resounding "No". Why would I miss the Seminar House when I get all these exciting things to do, and interesting things that happen to me?

Haha, I THINK Okaasan will teach me to make mochi. Not sure, but I THINK she will. We got an ko (red bean) paste, soy bean powder. Okaasan has flour at home. But even if we don't make mochi, we can always eat the an ko with bread for our breakfast, and pour the soy bean powder into milk. It apparently is delicious :)

Kyoto Trip (15 Sept)

This is an entry that I wrote in my physical journal. Making some modifications to the journal entry, but it's more of less the same thing :) Here goes!

***

15 September 2008

Met Daryn. Spent 1/2 hour figuring out where exactly to go, and eventually decided to go and get lost of Kyoto. So, with a map in hand, we exited from Sanjo. Kanji is indeed very useful! Prevents us from getting lost :P At least, it prevents ME from getting lost, cos I recognise the kanji.

First, went to the hyaku-en store at Sanjo Keihan Station. Haha, tried on stuff and acted hiao =P It's in preparation for Halloween (which is a month away.. -_-||) But it's still fun to play around with these stuff. haha.



There are at least 7 exits at Sanjo Keihan Station. We couldn't figure out which to get out of, so decided to just select one. The weather today is very beautiful. Cloudy and windy and a bit drizzling. Just a little bit samui, but it's nothing that we cannot handle :)

Though we had the map, it wasn't a comprehensive map (in that it doesnt show the streets etc) so, we ended up sort of wandering towards Nijo street. Saw plenty of artists drawing on our wandering adventure, and I took a peek at some of them (daryn actually has one picture of the artist with her painting!) and they're so lifelike that it's incredible! *envies* I have no artistic ability at all.. *sobs*

Stopped by a florist because Daryn said, "Florists are nice and friendly" [stereotype!!!!] and was given the directions to Nijo (where we wanted to go to start the philosopher's walk)... The florist pointed us in a certain direction and off we went!










As the river was along the route the florist pointed us, we decided to walk along the river. It's very pretty. Very jdorama. Reminds me of Gokusen I where Shin would be lying down on the matted grass beside the river looking up into the sky thinking about his future. It gives a sense of... serenity, calmness and above all, it helps u appreciate nature just a little bit more. Artists, musicians, picnickers sit under huge trees like the one depicted in my picture. I think, the next time I go to Kyoto, I'll pack a bento and sit there to eat it. [no, no mosquitoes I think!] It's just so atmospheric!

We walked further down and passed by a shrine (I think is a shrine and not a temple).











My philosophy (albeit an unethical one sometimes) is: If it's open, you're free to go in. This shrine was open, though there were no visitors. Two priests sat opposite each other (medidating I think). We cannot take pictures inside the shrine so, we don't have pictures of what it is like inside. To me, it was very very bare. And rather dim, so I didn't notice a lot of details about the shrine... Plus, I had the feeling that we shouldn't be going in there [bad philosophy!] and so we left in quite a hurry....

Well, on our way hunting for Heian Jingu, we saw the Kyoto University. I still cannot believe that this old building is Kyoto University! Neither could Daryn, even though we observed students coming in on bicycle. Hmm, coming from a school which is just 8 years old, to see this old building be named as a university... well, quite difficult for me to accept lah... How can students do well in a university like this? How can the professors do good academic research???! Maybe I'm saying this from an etic point of view, so I shall shut up.

As we were lost, we asked for directions. At the place where we asked for directions, we found these:

Of course, seeing how cute they were, we bought them. Better still,
they kiss!!! There are magnets in their "lips" for them to kiss. Haha. Daryn's is for good health. Mine is for good luck in love. I hasten to correct you. u're probably thinking, "So desperate". But no! It's just because it was pink! If it were another colour, I'd prob have gotten something else! Trust me!!!! =P

Since we finally had accurate directions, we went to the Kyoto Handicrafts Centre. Expensive stuff, but I got my omiyage for my parents! =)

=) I love these presents. they are so cool!!!







Both of us were hungry by the time we left the Handicrafts Centre. So, we went to a Japanese restaurant.It was very funny, cos the two of us stood outside by the menu deciding what to eat. When we eventually stepped into the shop, the shop keeper said, "sorry, we're closed!" :( Sighs, so this is where the two of us went to get a taiyaki for lunch!

it's got either cream or red bean paste in it, depending on what u want. :) It's nice, just like Mr Bean's pancakes :)









Finally, after the taiyaki, we eventually reached the Heian Shrine! :)










The third picture is not of a tree. It's just that people tie their wishes to the tree. What happens is that after they finished chou qian, they will take this and tie it to this "tree". The 4th picture is of the wishes people have and hope to have it come true by writing it down on a small tablet. :)

The last picture if of a random procession. Dnt know what it is, but it's super cool!!! =) the music they were playing from the flute ws great too =)

I'm falling asleep, typing this out. So if you see rubbish comments, it's cos I was falling asleep while writing it. This is more of less what I need to say... Good night. Will update better tomorrow =)

Kyoto Trip (20 Sept)

I figured it's easier to name the trips by dates instead of by numbers. It's confusing to follow Kyoto Trip 1, Kyoto Trip 2 etc.

I'll start updating regarding my day today, then go backwards. Haha. So, yep. here goes.

I wasn't going anywhere today actually. Decided that I needed to read the 60 pages of readings Prof Steven set us. But, the soreness of missing the Full Moon Matsuri weighed heavily on my mind. So, I researched a few days ago on the forth-coming Matsuris in Kyoto area and came across one that I can actually attend (which is not on a schoolday). It was the Hagi Matsuri (Bush Clovers Festival) at 梨木神社 (Nashinoki Shrine).

Actually, the reason why I decided to stay home was because of the stupid typhoon. But, this morning, I was informed that it missed us and was on the way to the Honshu area So, on the spur of the moment, I decided that I was going to Kyoto today (again!) Put on my sports shoes (alot of walking expected. don't wanna be cinder-huey again today!), nice yellow sundress that I just bought yesterday (and since today I expect the weather to be atsui, sundress suited me just fine) and set off for Kyoto!

I walked from Sanjo Station to Marutamachi Station because I didn't want to pay the additional amount (I don't remember how much it was) and because I enjoy walking very much :) The route from Sanjo Station to Marutamachi is just along the river. Just straight. No way I could get lost (I only got lost from Marutamachi to Nashinoki Shrine). This is a rather beautiful walk, full of trees to shelter me from the glaring sunlight (with the typhoon gone, the sun is back out again).


So, yes, after reaching Marutamachi station, I wandered around randomly looking for Nashinoki. Nashinoki Shrine was not on my map, so, eventually, I ended up at Kyoto Gyoen National Garden (where the Kyoto Imperial Palace is). It is another beautiful garden. Huge. Sprawling grounds. It's amazing!!!






















Well, as u can see, it's really really huge. And I've only visited a part of it. Planning to send a request to the Imperial Household Agency to request for a tour into the Imperial Palace. In October/November, when the leaves turn red, it will be a beautiful place to be in.

I chanced upon this group of people playing Japanese baseball (the people here are absolutely wild about Hanshin Tigers, the local baseball team). Apparently it's for some tournament, cos there was a trophy on the table. But then, there was a very small turnout of spectators. Maybe only ten? Haha. I didn't stay long though. While the garden is a really nice place, I was bitten quite a number of times by some mosquitoes. Don't know why they don't bite other people, why bite me?!!!! =(

Anyways, backtracking, while waiting for the Limited Express train at Hirakatashi, Alex called me (yay, the great thing about having a phone. can keep in contact easily =)) to ask me what I was doing today. I sort of tried to persuade him to come to Kyoto with me. haha. but he told me he'd think about it after lunch. So anyways, while at the National Garden, he called me and I told him I was lost, cos I cldnt figure out where the Nashinoki Shrine was. In fact, I didn't even know the name of the shrine and he had to check it out for me (as usual, blur me). So anyways, he was trying to teach me how to ask for directions to the jinja over the phone. "Nashinoki Jinja wa dochira desu ka." I know this sentence structure though and told him so. "It's not the question that is the problem. It's the answer that's the problem!"

Well, anyways, that problem was resolved. I asked a guy who pointed me to go straight. But later, he realised he was wrong and rode his bike (I'd already walked some distance) to come tell me. I thought that was very nice of him. He could have just ignored the mistake and let me continue walking, but no! He rushed all the way to tell me that he made a mistake. Such good hospitality, the Japanese have! =)

While wandering around looking for the jinja, I chanced upon this tree. Very strange tree right? The others are all green, but this tree has red leaves! :) Imagine the entire row of trees with red/yellow leaves. How pretty it would be! :) Haha, sorry, I'm so suaku. But never been in autumn/winter before. So, am a little bit excited :)







Eventually, found the Nashinoki Jinja :) It was just outside one of the exits from the National Garden.


And of course, as it is the Hagi Festival, the entire place was full of bush clovers... Enthusiastic photographers were taking close up pictures of these bush clovers. I'm a bad photographer, so no. Sorry, no close up pictures :P

Fortunately, I arrived just in time to watch a bow-and-arrow performance at 1.30p.m.

The priests(?) are dressed in the ancient costumes. During this bow-and-arrow performance, the girl (in red) places a wooden plank on a stand. There were 8 archers, who were supposed to shoot the plank into smithereens.


Several archers missed. This archer didn't! :) I didn't manage to take an actual picture of the plank being shot, but here's the girl (in red) picking up the smithereens. I left during the second set cos it was a little bit boring after seeing it once.


There was, of course, some elaborate ceremony. Here, one of the archers takes some.. erm, sharp object and pushes it into a mould of sand (?). I didn't really understand the significance of it all, cos I don't understand Japanese. But it was quite interesting all the same! =)





Haha. I must complain about this Jinja. I acquired the MOST NUMBER OF MOSQUITO BITES in this jinja!!!! And the most ferocious one was this! It was really really bad. Now, the swelling has gone down. In its place is rash. :( And I was hanging around the Jinja for sometime, cos I was waiting for Alex to come from Hirakatashi, and walk down to the Jinja. So, yeah, I got bitten quite a bit. I can count more than 5 serious bites on my legs (and I was wearing ankle tights today) Very itchy, very itchy. You always feel mosquitoes here, but never see them. It's annoying like hell, cos u wanna slap them and kill them, but they're never around for u to slap! :(


Well, okay, enough about my miserable scars. So Alex appeared, we walked around the Jinja one more time, before going into the National Garden for a while. I have one last picture to show of the National Garden. This picture has the beautiful mountains in the background. I absolutely love the National Garden. Masayuki was right. It really is a beautiful place. haha. I only wish I can bring my kor here to see it. :( Sighs.





Anyways, we decided to walk back to Sanjo. Apparently, today, Ann and Yui were out shopping for girly Japanese clothing (haha, cannot ask me along, because I'll spend like crazy!) at Kyoto (don't know where, but my suspicion is Shijo). So, we wanted to meet them at the station and then go for dinner. These are scenes from the walk back to Sanjo station...










The first picture is of the river from the bridge. It's really beautiful isn't it? The second picture is of three men walking in the river. Later on, Alex and I observed that they washed their faces with the river water. This means that the river water is considered clean. Better yet, Alex saw (but I didn't!) small black fishes in the river. So that means the water is clean enough for life. That's amazing isn't it? Well, at least I thought so! Haha. Alex is in the last picture. We were sitting on the steps observing the three men when I took this. It looks a bit mountainy doesn't it? Haha, cos u cant really see the water. All u see is grass!










The sun sets maybe around 6pm. It was 5pm when I took these pictures. I found the reflection of the buildings in the river very beautiful. Haha, Alex was commenting about how creative the two japanese in the 2nd picture are. They used their bikes as nets, and then started playing badminton. Haha, necessity is the mother of all inventions, I presume? :P The last picture isn't focused so much on the man, but rather his shirt. According to Alex, the shirt says, "Don't kill. Don't get killed. Don't force others to kill." it ends with "No war, no more." Very impressive shirt. Possibly an anti-war activist. =)

Reached Sanjo. Kyoto is an amazing city/old town. Look at how the buildings look amidst the backdrop of the beautiful multicoloured sky! How gorgeous, isn't it? I'm sure you can find this in Singapore (or anywhere else in the world) too, but, maybe I'm just biased. I think it's more kirei (pretty) here than elsewhere! We found a shop selling very very very old CDs for 500 yen or 250 yen (depending on condition of CD and also on the recency). Saw Larc-en-ciel's CD/DVD for maybe about 2900 yen. Haha, was strongly reminded of SJ, but I think SJ will prob already have that lah. I even found Spice Girls CDs. Goes to show how old these CDs are, doesnt it? :) But of course, there are newer CDs. I don't really listen to music other than those my friends recommend, so I didn't know what to buy. But 500 yen sounds like a good deal to me :P

We called Ann and found out that the two ladies were already on their way to Makino. *shrugs* So, Alex and I went for dinner together instead. This shop (I don't remember what the name is, except that it starts with an O), had reasonably priced food! =)

What Alex had is still a mystery to me! It was fried vegetables with a certain kind of sauce. When I ate it, I was almost certain it was caramel! It was so bloody sweet! Haha, he was so funny. he said, "I'm sure by the time I return to America, I'll be a vegetarian! Everyday, I'm eating less and less meat."




Mine was katsu-don. Trust me, it WAS delicious. Although it looks normal, the chicken chop was fried to crispiness that I cannot describe. And the sauce they added over it was some fruit vegetable sauce. Oishii desu yo!! [delicious] I mailed Daryn and told her about it. She was like, "heee, with me, you seem to keep trying to avoid going to a restaurant." So I promised to bring her there next week, when we go to Kiyomizudera again for hiking. :)


Both of us were tired out from lack of sleep [I slept only at 3am last night, cos I was talking to Masayuki] so after dinner, it was straight back home.

I enjoyed myself. =)

The reason I enjoyed myself today was because... well, I felt like I had a lot of time on my hands to slowly explore. Even if I got lost, it was still okay, because I have a phone to inform okaasan if that happened. Just another lazy, exploring afternoon. <3 haha, I love days like this, when you feel like you don't have any troubles at all.

It's good to be alive! =)