Specially for 4I

Well-done!!!!!!! I am so proud of all of you for having done so well for EOA. I am really very happy here for the class though I am in Japan. Yeay!!!!!! 77% distinction!!!!!

Dear Ms Amy and Mrs Chan, thank you very very much too!

At home on a Wednesday night

Been at home rather early yesterday and today. It's been getting colder and the warm kotatsu seems the best option for me now. The TV is on right now and guess what... There is a programme on Singapore, its streets and the Singapore Zoo.

Haiz... watching it makes me feel so urayamashi... (jealous). Haha.. I saw the bright clear weather, n people swimming at Goodwood Park Hotel.. n really, really.. for a moment, wished I could be back in the sunny island.

Anyway, it's really strange. Watching a programme on Singapore being introduced to the Japanese here in Japan and feeling so much for my lovely red dot. Yeah, it was mainly a programme on the zoo and I must say that our zoo is really one of a kind! And then, they showed the Night Safari and introduced it as one of the most popular spots in Singapore. Actually, I haven't even been to the Night Safari! Haha... watching the Japanese artistes is always a fascinating experience. The Japanese are so full of emotions... all their 'hehhhhh's, 'ne....'s, 'oooooooo's... 'souuuuuuuuu's, etc... haha... their verbal expressions to indicate surprise and pleasure (especially when they are doing a food show) are always elongated. Simply listening to them makes you long for their experiences.

Ok... Su Yin n Co. arrived last Saturday and I was really happy to meet them. Just so nice to see them, n besides Grace (another ALT based in Miki, also in Hyogo), they are the first Singaporeans I have met in Kobe. :D


At the Izakaya with Yasu on Monday night




Kobe Luminarie




This is the yearly December light-up in Kobe to commemorate the Hanshin Earthquake in 1995. It is a symbol of recovery and a revival of the city's dreams and hopes. And it is really fascinating. It's not only the lights; it gets you thinking about the amazing recovery. Just a mere ten years and Kobe stands with skyscrapers, bustling with life and excitement. There are so many visitors and roads are closed to allow us to enjoy the lights. Also, as you approach the grand centre, you see many stalls and booths, selling the luminarie souvenirs and food.



Ah-Yin and Ah-Cen

Well, and we went up to the 43rd storey of the condominium in which Yasu stays and from there, you can get a good view of Kobe at night.

My mum

Just talked to my mum on the phone, and I thank God for my wonderful mum. It's been a long time and I know she misses me very much. I miss her very much too.

Filled with gratitude and love to think of her, her face and her sacrifice for us. It must have been difficult at times, yet her love for me and my sisters knows no bounds and here, as I write this post, I just want to tell her that she is definitely the best mother I can ever have in my life. Thank you Mummy. :)

Kyoto

Went to Kyoto last Saturday to catch its famous 紅葉 (Kouyou)　and see its beautiful shrines and temples. There are countless of them there, preserved to retain its ancient architecture and at the same time, modernised and teeming with activity and business to cope with the never-ending visitors, from Japan and other parts of the world.

Everyone keeps telling me that I have to visit Kyoto if I am in Japan and it was truly an educational and flavourful trip last weekend. I went with Yasu, and man... the place was so so so crowded, like our Chinatown during Chinese New Year.



The super-crowded streets of Higashiyama district as we walked to 清水寺.
I enjoyed the congestion and the life in the area. The atmosphere was so good! And the shops were packed too. Went into several shops to taste the different Kyoto products (sweets and pickles mainly) and some shops even serve the tired travellers tea for free.



Had lunch at one traditional, cosy restaurant. Apparently, reservations must be made first but thankfully, there were just 2 more seats left so we could eat a good meal. Very healthy food... toufu, fish, miso soup, vegetables... One thing about the Japanese is that they really take pride in presenting their food. The dishes are served beautifully arranged and asthetically pleasing to the eye. Haha, but of course I took this picture halway into the meal.. so that explains why they don't look so pretty anymore. And yup, another thing is that the portions are extremely small, and each side dish is served in a separate bowl or dish. Washing the dishes must be quite a chore...



Getting ready for sightseeing in Kyoto



And here is the famous Kiyomizudera temple 清水寺! It's one of the UNESCO world heritage sites. Look at the wooden structure that holds the temple together. It was really quite a site to behold, cos can u imagine how strong the structure must be? And imagine too how the architects and craftsmen of old build a steadfast structure in their time that stands till today.



One ryokan tucked away for travellers and visitors in the Kiyomizudera vicinity



A view of Kyoto from the top. Unfortunately, my camera is not so good. It doesn't really capture effectively the whole panoramic feeling.



Couples visit this temple to seek the deities' approval of their marriage.



Hmmm... I can't remember where I was when I took this picture.. Could be in Maruyama Koen.





And these two pictures are taken in Maruyama Koen. Koen means garden and the place, with its different shades of green, yellow, red is really beautiful. There were also some street artists and I saw an excellent performance of a juggler who tossed knives and fire batons around like it's second nature to him. It was really really good.

Yasaka Shrine is next to Maruyama Koen and that was our last shrine visit before going for dinner.

The many lanterns are lit after dark and make a beautiful picture. Yasaka Shrine is also known as Gion Shrine, and it is famous for its Gion Matsuri (Gion Festival). And Gion is Kyoto's most famous Geisha district.


I managed to catch a picture of 2 Maiko-sans. Maikos are geisha apprentices and they have to go through a rigid period of training where they learn various traditional arts such as playing instruments, singing and dancing.

Well, dinner was a good Okonomiyaki at Pontocho and a Starbucks coffee afterward.
Pontocho is a narrow street with many restaurants and teahouses. It is one of Kyoto's traditional nightlife districts.




And the last picture is Kyoto at about 830pm... The night has just begun.. :D

Blogging Day
Chapter 3 (Church here)

It's been about 3 months already and I have grown fond of the people here in KBC. There have been a few events that I have taken part in and I can see God's faithfulness in Japan.

Here are some shots that I have taken of the cell group recently.



Cell group last friday was very good. The presence of God was very strong, especially during the last part.


Vivid girls (Yoriko, Chiho and Chisato) leading the people into a time of PnW. Quite a number of them went to Singapore in September, to CHC. Ahha, and they simply love the song 'First'. :)


A celebration for Chiho for passing her interview test!


Beth and Nozo, all smiles before going to America to visit their family and friends.


Keshi and Jun
This lovely couple is very kind and helpful. Keshi is a great encourager and Jun is one of the worship leaders here. She has great dreams. She wants to be the Darlene Zschech of Japan.


END OF CHAPTER 3

Blogging Day
Chapter 2 (HIKINGU = Japlish for Hiking)

しんどいけど　満足感がいっぱいある！
I went hiking again 2 weeks ago. Think Yasu had a lot of faith in me, and we attempted one tough terrain up Maya Mountain, which was so tough that I wanted to give up halfway...　

Haha, n this morning, I was reading Xiaowei's email. Here is the excerpt and immediately, I identified with the author.


Living Forward, Understanding Backward
by Os Hillman, December 1, 2006

The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it. - 1 Thessalonians
5:24

When I was in my 20's, I participated in a wilderness-training course in a desert and mountain area. For our "final exam," we were blindfolded, placed in the back of a pickup truck, and taken to a remote area. We were dropped off and told to meet back at the camp in three days. We did not know where we were. We had to determine our location with our compasses. It was a frightening experience for four young people who had learned to navigate through the use of a compass only a few days earlier. With our food and water on our backs, we began our trek. It had just snowed that morning, so the way was difficult. We walked through valleys, canyons, snow-covered hills, and forests. In all, we walked more than 60 miles in three days. There were times when we did not think we could go another foot. Exhaustion and frostbitten feet were taking their toll. However, we finally made it to our base camp successfully, and to our surprise, we were the first ones among the other patrols to make it back.

At the conclusion of our journey, we were able to stand on top of a ridge, look behind us and see the beautiful terrain that we had just scaled. The pain of what we had just endured seemed to subside. We could not believe we had actually walked through those valleys and snowcapped hills. There was a sense of accomplishment.

Life is very much like this. It is often lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road a bit that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale and the spiritual deposits He has made in our life as a result.

When you begin to realize some of this, you sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because you know that God was in control all along. It didn't seem like it at the time, but He was.

Are you in the midst of a difficult journey that seems almost impossible to continue? Be assured that God is providing grace even now to equip you for that journey. There will be a time when you can say, "Wow, look at what God has done because of what I gained through that valley." Trust Him with the outcome of where you find yourself today.


Mount Maya and Its Magnificence

I have almost reached the peak... just a little bit more...


A favourite picture... How did I end up among the trees?


Mt Maya and all of its 690m


Mt Maya is also known for its 10 million dollar night view.


Oh yeah, and I saw this.
Evidence of how Coca Cola has evangelised the world.

And when I reached the top successfully, Yasu was really kind enough to have considered my hungry stomach. He had reserved seats in the restaurant right on top of the mountain for a sumptous lunch. :D


END OF CHAPTER 2

Blogging Day
Chapter 1

Today is blogging day. So many things to write about, so little time. In 2 days' time, I would have spent 4 full months in Japan! SO FAST so fast.. this time last year, I was checking Big Daikon like almost daily to find out more about JET, now i am in the midst of living it, and then this time next year, it will be another different experience and where and what will i be doing then?

Ok, I had a pretty fruitful 3 weeks since my last entry. Wham, here goes.


Topic 1: My Bolster

I had such a hard time trying to buy a bolster, something which I thought would be so common. Actually, most departmental stores do carry some kinds of bolster, in all sorts of shapes and designs... like a bolster sausage dog, or a bolster bear, but they are all very very expensive, about $60.00!!! And all I wanted was just the normal pink bolster that you can get anywhere in Singapore, n couldn't find any. Finally I found one which cost me about $38.00. VERY X RIGHT.


Topic 2: Yellow leaves

Everyday, I need to walk along this street to get to school or to the station... n leaves are turning yellow, and falling. Such a pretty sight. :) It feels very comfortable and nice, if there is no strong wind, to walk along this street, stepping on the massive amounts of fallen yellow leaves.


Topic 3: Some scenes in school

This is Ms Anchalee, an English teacher from Thailand and she was here last week on an exchange programme to visit Kouhokou. I had the honour of showing her around and she attended some of my lessons. This is one of my Current Affairs EL classes and there are only 4 students in the class. She shared about her school in Thailand, n the educational system there.

I also attended flower arrangement classes with her and the flower arrangement teacher said i did an excellent arrangement. haha. so funny...




Students in the classroom having a role play on making a restaurant reservation. Quite a good lesson I thought!

Oh yes, and talking about school, students here have to がまん (gaman = endure) through the very cold winter in just their school uniform. They are not allowed to put on the thick, warm coats, n seriously, the uniform doesn't look very warm to me... I think i will just become a popsicle if i wear what they wear. N so, nowadays, the most common phrase you will hear in school is めっちゃさむい！(meccha samui = very very very cold!) I already feel めっちゃさむい when decked in dunno-how-many-layers, let alone them. Kudos to them really.


Topic 4: Delicious Nabe

Nabe is simply the Japanese word for “pot” and nabe dishes are all one-pot stews served at the table. Gathering round a nabe is one of the most social ways to eat you could possibly imagine. Friends, workmates or family all gather round a large, deep ceramic dish filled with stock as it bubbles away over a gas burner in the centre of the table. It is just like our 'huo guo', but it is so much more satisfying here in this cold weather to have Nabe... so much more MU!!
Haha, and so, the CG girls decided to have a Nabe party... yummy yummy yummy!



END OF CHAPTER 1

Specially for AiRin

Looking at the wedding photos of you and Vincent together really fills my heart with joy. I thank God for a friend in you. You are the one who first shared God's love with me, n I still remember how I would retort and challenge you and once, even made u cry.

How time flies.. It's been how many long years since DHS 1L? Really, looking at the photos that Tianxiang posted, I can't help but remember 1L and 2L and all our silliness and innocence. 25 people in half a basketball court... getting chased and reprimanded by qiu-shen... playing in the rain, copying homework... going to each other's house... so beautiful. :D

N college life, all the joy and of course, the pain. Quarrels and misunderstandings, then the resolving and restoring.. n uni life, working life.. the independence, the learning to stand, the making of decisions and accepting of responsibilities. Through it all, I thank God for the friend in you, cos I know I can always count on you.

Thoughts while washing my socks

Down with a terrible cough and have been so tired this week. Felt like sleeping all the time.. n was really looking forward to TODAY.. cos i dun have to wake up early.. n sleep did I... I slept like a log and woke up only at 12...

Been thankful too. Dear Beth n Nozo.. n the church here.. I have been blessed with 2 heaters. From one small orange heater to 3 heaters. How good God is. N thankful to Keshi n Jun... For sending me back so willingly.















Despite being such a high-tech country, most people in Japan still use the kerosene heater during winter because it is effective and the most cost-saving. Actually, I was apprehensive at first.. cos I really din fancy kerosene, n errr... it sounds dangerous. But when Nozo taught me how to use it last night... wham! It was really quite easy. :)


Now I am washing my socks.. Never thought I would need socks at all, till now. :D

Good Old Telephone

I am in school this morning, and just had a nice glass of fresh milk. Today is our school's open house and Junior High students will visit the school, so Tom and I have to prepare an English lesson with games. :)

Well, last night, I had one of the best conversations with Steve since I arrived here. We talked for really long over the phone and I think both of us felt really happy, cos it's been a looooooooong time since we talked and communicated. Pastor Kong preached about communication during the Marriage seminar series and last night, we really communicated and this morning, when I woke up, I really felt so happy!

Anyway, I talked over the phone... using Brastel (an international phone card calling service) and yes, it is definitely more expensive than Skype, cos Skype is free. And I have used Skype so many times too and thank God for great technology and innovations but when we were talking over the phone, each lying on our beds, for me, warmly tucked in under the covers with the rain n wind outside, it was such a warm and familiar closeness to Steve that I felt. Skype is great cos i can see Steve's face if i want to... but lying there on the bed, talking about everything and nothing, I felt like I was transported back to the dating days, Sec Sch, JC days, where there was not yet Skype and where we used pagers and the Good Old Telephone. :)

I dunno if u feel the same way, but Tom did too. We were musing about this a few days ago on our way to 7-11 and we felt the same way!!! Nothing beats a good conversation over the phone and he told me he would rush home on his bike during lunch break in his uni days when he was in England, just to spend some precious minutes with his girlfriend who was in Tokyo then.

Ok, so here, I am gonna spend some hours in school and this afternoon, I will be off to either Osaka or Umeda with Holly! :D

5D, hang in there!

Seed - Time - Harvest

Beth posted this on her blog...
It is so apt, a great reminder especially in this season - Seed, Time, then Harvest.

http://theumetanis.blogspot.com/2006/10/cutting-rice-fields.html

A new pastime

Last Saturday, Yasu, my language exchange partner invited me for a hiking expedition with him up one of the mountains in Kobe... n of cos, i was excited n game! Well, I really really enjoyed myself tremendously. I love a good challenge and he told me that this was one of the easiest treks and well... it was absolutely fantastic, so good that I have decided that I'd invest in a good pair of hiking shoes and start exploring the area a bit more.

I walked from my house to Suzurandai station to meet him and then we were on our way after purchasing our bentos at Daiei. We went up Futatabi-san (再度山), and I was so surprised, cos upon reaching, I saw so many families and couples there. When we were trekking up the slopes, we met no one u see. Later I found out that these people could have driven up to the top.

It was sooooooooo nice. The air was fresh and crisp and there was a nice breeze... not too cold, just right for me. And the scenery was beautiful too. Leaves are turning red and fall colours.. beautiful autumn colours...

And I enjoyed my bento there, taking in everything around me. It was such a waste that I din bring along my camera, cos I thought probably there'll be nothing much for me to capture anyway. How wrong I was. Anyway, I took pics with my hp... and went snapping away like crazy.





That's Yasu! He is 55 years old this year, and works as a trader. I am really glad to know him. :)



After reaching Sannomiya, which took us about 3 hours, we went on to one of the famous tourist attractions, the Foreign Settlement Area. A long time ago, many foreigners came and settled in Kobe in this area and the architecture has been preserved. The buildings are so quaint and pretty, and there were many many tourists and Japanese visitors and... Akube (Haha.. a kansai slang to mean couples) This is a must-visit place if you drop by Kobe.





Kuma-san and I
At one temple near Tokyu Hands, I saw Panda and took a picture with him. Haha, I really felt quite happy and child-like. Anyway dearie, if u r reading this, this picture is dedicated to u!



At the end of the entire hike, still very very genki!



We left Sannomiya at about 4pm and on my way home, I chanced upon this underground bookstore, arcade and table-tennis recreational centre. They looked really old and I thought it was really cool. I felt like I had just stepped into another time zone. The bookstore, arcade and table-tennis centre were just outside the underground train station at Kobe Kousoku and above the train station, you get the bustling metropolitan area.


Some ladies gathered together for a time of fun


The books are really old and there is this musty smell and feel about the place. Yet there is quite a number of people standing there just browsing thru the books.



I really felt very happy after the day. Though I was tired and suffered from slightly sore muscles, it was invigorating and rejuvenating. Walking alone through this foreign land without my loved ones by my side has taught me many things and I am continuing to learn daily. Thank God for the beautiful Saturday and for many more beautiful days to come. :)