Some random updates

There are no lessons for us today cos it's the last day of the first term, n we have the closing ceremony for the 1st sem. The kids must clean the classroom, get their results, have homeroom meetings, council meetings, etc. In fact, this week, I had no lessons on Tues (preparation for sports day), Thursday (Sports Day) and today! n next monday is a holiday (break for the last day of first semester) and tuesday, no lessons too (opening ceremony for 2nd semester!)

Ok.. have been wanting to blog a bit, n here goes. This is a random post cos u will get to see random bits n pieces of my life here. :D

This is me, on a tracking route up dunno-which-mountain in Kakogawa. This place has lotsa tracking areas, n if you love to walk n hike, it is really nice!


This is dear Beth. She is the wife of Nozo, the American missionary here in Japan. She's been wonderful n God-sent! Well, she's really good in her Japanese language. ぺらぺらしゃべる！


Daiei, my favourite shopping "mall" at the moment. Haha, basically everyone laughs when I say that. Well, this place has all I need, for simple everyday shopping. 5 levels in all, supermarket, groceries, stationery, clothes, shoes, bags, plants, electrical appliances... I always go there after work just to walk walk. keke.
You also see the train station. That's Suzurandai station, n it is on the Kobe Dentetsu line, which is well-known for being super super expensive! I heard that I am on the 2nd most expensive train line. MAN! n yes, it is very very expensive. Going to Sannomiya, the heart of Kobe, costs me 490￥, which is about $6.60, just for a one-way ticket. It is very X lei, considering that there are only a few stops in between. SIGH. Anyway, I try to walk from the school back to the station, and this takes me about 40 minutes. Alternatively, I can take the train for one stop to get to Kita-Suzurandai where my school is located. That's about $2.20 per trip!


This picture was taken on a day where I felt very very happy! I like the place where I stay now. Initially, I was a little homesick because I wasn't used to the mountain, n the forest! Felt really alienated in the beginning. No tall HDB flats, no hustle and bustle of life... Now I love it. It is quiet and nice, n at night, I would go out onto the balcony to just look at the sea and the forest, taking in the vastness. I can see the busy airport, the flicker of lights in the distance at night. Very beautiful. :)



Putting into practice what Pastor Kong preached

I remember how some time back, when he preached about finances, I was inspired and determined to keep a record of my spendings, n failed. Couldn't keep it going. This time, after the marriage seminar where he once again preached about managing your finances, I want to start keeping track of my expenses again! So, I went to buy a cute Cash Book to help myself! Here in Japan, there are lots and lots of different cash books / accounting books / housekeeping books to choose from. I spent a loooooooong time looking at the various books and chose this. My book is very kawaii rite! :D N yay... I have been doing it faithfully since 1st September! It is really true..

A habit needs time and effort to cultivate before it becomes a habit!

And finally.. well, I have been hearing this over and over and over again. "You do not know what you cannot do until you try"

Dr Bernard said this in his 2002 Excellence Conference. Well, this morning, as I was on my way to school, it really dawned on me that yup, I do not know what I cannot do, or what I can do, until I try. And many times, I don't dare to try for fear of failure, or because it requires too much of me. Well, here's how what was preached became so applicable in my life.

In Singapore, whenever I had a problem, especially if it is a technical one, I would turn to Steve. I always feel that I am not very adept at doing certain things, n really, turning to someone else for help straightaway is the easiest thing to do. So here, many times, I have been tempted to ask for help for the simplest things, though I know I could possibly be able to manage it if I try.

I bought a DIY closet to save money and when I took it home to construct it, at first, I really felt very helpless. So many different parts which looked identical, so many screws and hooks... HOW TO PUT THEM TOGETHER? And really, for about twenty minutes, I tried but to no avail. N then, I was frustrated but DETERMINED to make it work, and after looking at the instructions carefully again, I did it... n it was not as difficult as I thought it would be. NOT DIFFICULT AT ALL! N right at the end, I felt so proud of myself. I was so delighted at my small triumph such that I am now even contemplating buying another DIY table, n DIY my apartment. :) It is really fun, and as I think of the DIY-journey, I really feel happy. It is like you have emerged because you tried to do something, n discovered that it ain't so hard after all.

Here are 2 picts of my DIY closet - The Beginning and The End.

So tonight, I am going to DIY my way to Tokyo. Seriously, I would never have done anything like that in Singapore, pondering over maps, figuring out which bus to take, which route to go, thinking thoughts of what would happen if I take the wrong train, walk the wrong way... etc. Here, I have to, because I need to. It is good for me. It makes me feel more confident, though many times, when I was going through it, I felt unsure and wondered if I was on the right track, and I have lost my way and got on the wrong train here. Yet, it's never fatal. Ahha.. I just need to rethink and replan my next course of action and get to my destination.