Singapore

Today, I feel so patriotic... because I am doing lessons based on the theme of travelling.. and what better way to teach internationalisation than to bring in Singapore? Well, I really got quite excited about our sunny island and went online to source for a number of music videos and promotional videos of Singapore. I also checked out some facts about our sunny island.

Well, all along, I know I am a true blue Singaporean, but feelings of being proud of our country... I mean, really grateful that I was born there, live there... proud of our uniqueness, of our people, the different races living in harmony, of our food... our 'fine' country, Singlish... and of course, I can go on and on again. Well, such feelings seldom surface, hmmm, only maybe during National Day, but now that I am in Japan, I am really becoming more aware of our country. I feel like I am getting to know Singapore again looking at the videos and listening to the songs. :)

I guess sometimes all of us take for granted the country we live in... the peace, the security and the blessings that God has given, and in this time of uncertainty that we live in where wars abound and disasters shake the world, I am extremely grateful and thankful for Singapore.

Racial Harmony with 5D

Snippets of the weekend just passed

I love weekends and last weekend's been great, busy, but one where I met up with friends, cooked for my neighbours... did many things. :) Well, in a nutshell, usually, my weekends fly by! Well, in this post, I am going to write in both English and Japanese! たぶん長い時間がかかるかも知れないけど　がんばります！

Sat morning. Woke up really early at about 7 though I slept around 2.30am. Did 2 loads of laundry, sunned them and then went to Takarada's house to cook chicken curry, Singapore style. It's really easy to cook that, (Heez, cos it is instant and pre-packed) and then Holly came up and we had lunch together with Chisato and the kids.

Salad, Chicken Curry, Japanese Curry

For the kids, they had the Japanese curry because they would probably find the chicken curry too hot for their tastebuds.. n they did.
Look at Kosei. He wanted to drink the chicken curry (Initially, he wanted to put the whole bowl to his mouth and gulp it down. So garang!!) and well, attempted one tablespoon before saying 辛い辛い (karai=spicy) and washing it down with a huge glass of water.


料理を作り方は簡単です。シンガポールにあまり料理をしないから上手じゃないけど　SuyinとSokは十二月に訪問する時持ってきたインスタントシンガポールカーリを使うとすぐできた。辛いやつから　子供たちはあまり食べなかったので　日本カーレを食べた。私にとってこの前作ったlaksa はもっとおいしかった。

夕方時私はちょっとびっくりされた。その時は体育館へ行った。帰るとき受付の一人は私に五千￥の商品券を渡した。なぜかと言うと　安保先生は私の進めでこの体育館に参加した。私は本とにびっくりした！この五千￥の祝福はすごいじゃない？
安保先生も今年から　決心してタバコを吸うことが辞めるつもりです。今から健康のために一緒にがんばりましょう！
Ok... so here's something else that I want to share which happened on Saturday. It was such a nice surprise for me and I thank God for this blessing! Anpo sensei signed up for the same gym too and on Saturday, when I finished my swim and was about to leave, I was presented with a　5000￥ voucher. I was truly quite shocked and then, they told me it was because Anpo sensei told them that I had recommended the gym to him. Well, they have this reward gift system and yay yay, it is really just very nice to know I have this 5000￥ in my hands to spend!

Sat night. Was out with Holly and Joe, and Joe comes from one inaka west of Himeji and the whole night was spent chatting, laughing ourselves silly and trying to find ourselves a cafe after dinner. It was really difficult cos Sannomiya was so crowded then. There were queues everywhere and when we finally found a place, bought our drinks and settled ourselves comfortably, the waiter came to us and told us they would be closing at 11pm and the time on my watch was 5 mins from 11! Nevertheless, it was enjoyable catching up with them.

日曜日の教会礼拝はすごかった。Vividの皆は先週から聖書クイズがあるので皆はよく詳しく読んでいたと思う。私もクイズの準備中で神様からいっぱい受け取った。一緒に成長しよう！礼拝が終わったら　べーズチャンとChiとChihoとYorikoと一緒にしゃべる時は（冗談ばかりですけど)楽しかった。ふふふ。そんな感じはシンガーポルの教会の友達と一緒の気持ちのよい感じです。ありがとう！

最後に昨日の夕方やすと会った。食事しながら日本語と英語でいっぱい話していた。何で私はイエスに信じることを教えた。：）

And so, I'm almost done for this entry. As I re-read it, it sounds pretty much like I am reporting what I have done for the weekend, especially those parts in Japanese! Oh yes, and during lunch just now, I was reading CNA Singapore news and realised that mid-Feb is Chinese New Year! I am going to miss it so much cos I always look forward to visiting Chinatown, squeezing with the crowd, soaking in the atmosphere, loving the noise and the liveliness in the place, stopping by at various stores, snacking on traditional food, getting ang-pows while I still can, talking over the steamboat and the reunion dinner, visiting friends and relatives, going to Steve's grandma's house, staying at home watching CNY variety shows, having a long, good break... and I can just go on and on...

Well, Kobe has its own Chinatown too :) Happen to have one in my hp, so here it is. However, I don't think I am doing the place much justice; this picture doesn't seem to be very well-taken!


That's all for the few snippets.　オレーンの週末の短い情報が終わります。:-D

What a nice surprise!

This morning, Soma 先生 handed to me some letters that the 3rd-year students from one EL class wrote last week. I went.. Wow... What a nice surprise and seriously, I was quite touched. My morning suddenly became so much brighter. :)


Last August when I first got introduced to the class, the students were all really unearthly silent and when you ask them a question, everyone looks down at their table! However, as the months passed, classes became really more enjoyable and I started to have fun too. :) Doing Show-n-Tell with them was memorable, and almost all the girls of this class baked cookies or cakes and brought them for Show-n-Tell! haha, can u imagine that? Every week, I have free cookies or cakes. Teaching here has been a great experience. I think teaching EL here has caused me to become more patient and understanding, and I do empathise with the Japanese students who are trying to learn English. I know it's hard for them, cos I am going through the embarrassment and the difficulties in learning Japanese too.





Haha, next, presenting to you the random doodling of another student. Well, most kids here can express themselves very well through drawing. This is really cool to me, cos I am just not used to the idea of picking up a pencil, and drawing my thoughts out.


Ok, here's wishing all the 3rd-year students success in their examinations! :D

Sports Club Axtos

Feeling so happy and relaxed this morning... yay yay.. you know why? Last night, I went to the gym and had a really good workout.

Yesterday, for the first time in a loooooooooong looooooooong time, I exercised. I really worked out and ran and swam, and the feeling was simply exhilarating. To many, they may think I am crazy, but seriously, I am deprived of that kind of give-it-all feeling and work-till-you-drop feeling, and I have been feeling lousy with myself too. Excess energy left unspent.. There have been several days and occasions where I desperately wish for some good exercise and yay, yesterday, I had my wish fulfilled.

God, it was so good! I just ran and ran and din want to stop. Exerted myself slightly, and at the same time, reminded myself that after a long hiatus, I shouldn’t really tire myself out, but I was just so spirited. When I was running, I imagined I was at East Coast Park, running with Kelvin, Wanz and Bubu! To keep myself focused, I told myself 'Oh, I just passed by the seafood restaurant... Oh! That's the bicycle shop coming up.. Go on, go on.. Jia you Jia you!' Haha... you think I am crazy? Maybe I am! Well, on the way home, though I had to walk along the dimly-lit streets, and it was drizzling, I felt very happy.

This gym is Axtos Sports Club and it’s newly built. Built last year, it wasn't even on the map! So when I first arrived, I couldn’t find any gym near my area. Thanks to Anpo sensei, last week, as we were driving back from the post office and convenience store, I saw the sparkling, brand-new facility! So happy and immediately the next day, I went in and checked the place out and tada, signed up for membership.

Lotsa facilities there and different pieces of equipment. You have the usual stuff there like the treadmills, the bikes, the weight-training corner, a studio, oh yes, and equipment to test your body fat, BMI, blood pressure... etc. They did a preliminary test on me before i began so that i could chart my progress. Flexibility test, balance test, stretching test, etc. Good! Very pro! Also, the trainers are friendly and helpful. And and... there is also a swimming pool, a jacuzzi, suana, etc... and and... an aromatherapy room where you can go in, settle yourself into a massage chair, close your eyes, take in the fragrance and go to lala-land.

Haiya... nothing can describe the relaxed ecstasy now.. and more so because I know my body is the temple of God. This year, 2 of my goals are to eat more healthily (less instant food... I shall cook more! And dear Holly, if you read this.. I am inspired by you. ありがとう！) and to exercise regularly (Need I even go into the benefits of exercising?). Really thank God for answering my prayers.

Oh yes, and I can take a decent shower at the gym too. Ahha, it’s not that my bathroom is no good, but I have to work the cranky bath tub, and hmmm, nothing beats a really nice, clean shower, right? :D

Here are some picts, taken off their website. :)

The Gym


Sweat it out!


So inviting... Make a splash!


Relaxing Aromatherapy Room


Ahha, and this is my card, with this blog entry in the background.


Ok, it's time to work now!

A little about food

Today's cell group was great! We gathered as usual and wrote down our goals. In fact, we drew them out as well. One outstanding quality about the Japanese is their creativity and while I was trying very hard to draw out my goals, well, the rest of the girls did it with such ease! :D

So we shared about our goals and prayed for each other and then went down to attacking our おやつ(oyatsu=snacks) after that. Ahha... n we talked and laughed alot today. It was good. Yoriko just came back from New York and got for us some souvenirs.　ありがとう　よりこ！


And last week, we had mochi... we not only ate mochi, we made the mochi too. Mochi is the sticky glutinous rice u can eat with practically everything. You can eat it salty with shoyu or sweet with red bean paste or soup. Well, it was the first time I devoured so much mochi ever. :D

My attempt - Coming down hard at the poor rice grains!

Ok.. and here's a bit more about food. Had Okinawan food last Sunday with Yasu. Well, Okinawa is well-known for its longevity and there are about 525 centurians in this prefecture now in Japan! Besides living a balanced lifestyle, the Japanese here have a healthy diet. Here's an example of one dish - the Okinawa salad. I dun remember the names of all the various vegetables, but the green, stringy stuff at the top is most interesting. I think it's some kind of seaweed... and well, it tastes like salmon eggs. hahaha... n there's also goya (bitter gourd), which i like very much, and tau gei and yam with yogurt. That's the purplish stuff. Then you also get the usual toss of lettuce, tomatoes, etc. Hahaha, i am not sure if you will find the dish palatable, but i kinda liked it. :)


Ok... and tomorrow, i will be at my neighbour's house to teach them how to make laksa!

Rush Hour

This morning, I woke up and it was OK. These days, I seldom wake up really feeling like waking up and I need to change this. Maybe it’s the cold.. maybe it’s a lack of expectancy for the day… maybe I am procrastinating. Whatever it is, I need to resolve to change that. To decide that I have to get out of bed the instant my alarm goes off and get ready for the day and give thanks to God.

Because of my reluctance to get out of bed, a whole series of other problems arose… I was panicky.. I wondered if I could make it in time for the usual bus.. It’s not that I would be late for school just by lazing in bed for another 10 minutes.. It’s really that there would be too many commuters.. and I really dun like to squeeze with the students at all. Well, that got me kinda kan jiong. And as I walked down the slope for the bus, I saw it coming and ran… n missed it. The next bus came soon after, and usually, even then, I would still be able to catch my usual train on that bus, just that today, there was an unusual no. of passengers, and so many pple at the station that the bus was somewhat delayed.. and as I got down, I could still have made the earlier train… except for the fact that so many pple were teeming out of the station, and walking like snails… n I would have made it if I rushed past everyone… sometimes I really can’t stand the girls talking loudly in their school uniform, not giving a heck to the world around them. If they think it is cool, I certainly dun think so. Well, anyway, I was at the platform when the train doors closed. Hai, what a way to start my day I thought.... and so, there I was at the platform, wondering when my train would arrive, and where exactly I would be if I had got on the earlier train.

Yup, I certainly wasn’t late.. but I just felt so… haiz.. so rushed and so mentally tired..
The disgusting thing was that even as I was in bed, I din really enjoy the extra 10 minutes I had.. I already knew and could see the problems and the unease that would be caused just by being lazy, just because I laid in bed for another 10 minutes. So sick. Tomorrow, tomorrow, I will wake up the instant my alarm goes. Tomorrow, I will. I pray that I will have the strength and resolve to do it. I want to give thanks for a great day ahead and not run around like ants on fire.

Lalala. So, I just had breakfast and coffee. Last night, thank God for a good dinner. I had nabe. It was so delicious! Got the nabe idea from Tom. He was talking about eating nabe.. and nabe is so healthy… lotsa vegetables, and I found some siew mai in my fridge that had been long forgotten and decided to throw it into the soup. Oishi… Next time, I am going to eat more nabe… n it really makes me warm too. The only drawback was the smell of the soup lingering in the kitchen. I sprayed some air freshener but this morning when I woke up, I could still smell the shoyu in the kitchen.

And as an afterthought, Mama will be so proud of me for making such a healthy dinner. I took a picture just for mama to see. Cabbage, bean sprouts, mushroom, carrots, leeks, tomatoes, toufu and siew mai of course. Yay!! Happy happy. Wish I have my camera now to upload the picture.

And tonight, I am gonna meet Nozo, Beth n Co. in Kobe! So wonderful and I am looking forward to it! Ganbatte to myself.

ありがとう

このブーローグはお父さんとお母さんに感謝しているために書いています。
お父さんとお母さん　日本語で書いて多分間違ったところがいっぱいあるので　ごめん。。。

今年の正月　お父さんとお母さん一緒に過ごして　本当に嬉しかった。この機会は　私にとってとても珍しいです。５年ぶりだから。今の私は自分で神戸に住んでいて　時々もさびしいです。この正月は　お父さんとお母さんと一緒　はじめに日本の正月の経験が受け取った。一緒に掃除したり　買い物したり　簡単なことけれども　幸せです。

１２月３１日もお母さんのお誕生日です。その時　こうだ君とChristyも来た。みんなと一緒に食事をしたり　いろいろなことをしゃべたリ　あの日は時間が経ちました。　正月とお母さんのお誕生日のお祝いために　こうだ君はおいしいケーキを買って持ってきた。このケーキは面白いやつがあるので　写真も取った。見てね！

お母さん　お誕生日はおめでとう！

お父さんとお母さんは１匹の犬と２匹の猫がある。犬の名前はChocoという。Choco　はとても元気で　よい食欲がある。私がChocoのことも大好き。将来絶対自分の犬を買うつもり。


最後の日で　私のために　お父さんとお母さんは新幹線のきっぷを買ってくれった。実は　私はハイウェイバースのきっぷを買った。ハイウェイバースは一番安いだから。でもこの通う方法は１０時間ぐらいかかる。その上に　あまり寝られないから　ちょっとしんどい。　
ありがとう　お父さんとお母さん。

今年は　お父さんとお母さんのために祈ります。お父さんとお母さんはいつも私のことを心配して関心して　ありがとうございます。今年神様はお父さんとお母さんをたくさん祝福してください。よい健康をしてくださいて　お父さんのお母さんのことを守ってください。イエス様の平和、喜びと愛はお父さんとお母さんと一緒に滞在してください。

お父さんとお母さんの親切に心から感謝しています。

最後に　も一度 明けましておめでとうございます！

Jan 2, 2007

This 2nd of January 2007, I am sitting in my living room, writing an entry, with music playing, in my little house enshrouded in a fog atop a mountain in Suzurandai in Kobe, with my white lamp to my right and the orange electric heater to my left...

I am happy to be back home after a 5-day visitation in Tokyo. It was nice to meet up with Keiko after a 5-year hiatus and we spent the day chatting and catching up... 5 years ago this day, I was still in NUS, and I had just returned from a month-long exchange programme in Tokyo. 5 years ago, life was about Eusoff Hall, heartaches, friends, dreams and ambitions... and studying, of course.

Last 2 nights, as I was in my host-stay family's house, I was quite overwhelmed by many emotions... especially last night, and I gave thanks to God for my entire life... for all that's taken place in my life in 2006 and for all the loved ones and friends in my life. Maybe it's the new year atmosphere and I guess it's inevitable to reflect and to have new dreams and hopes for the new year.

New year in Japan is huge. This is the most festive time of the year and everyone gears up to usher in the new year. It's just like Chinese New Year in Singapore and households do a massive clean up and decorate their houses. They buy lots of of new year goodies, prepare traditional food, go visiting, etc. A whole host of variety shows is lined up and the countdown begins... 2007 has arrived.

Well, when I was on the night bus to Tokyo 5 nights ago, looking out of the bus window, I could see the housing, lights dotting the entire land. I was on the highway then and as I looked out, I couldnn't help but compare the sizes of Singapore and Japan. I was at Mount Faber once, and well, from where I was, I could see the end of our tiny island in a few directions. As for Japan, it really isn't the case. Though Japan is not the biggest country, to me, it is certainly vast. I could see the land and the mountains in the distance. In the bus, sometimes, I could see into the peoples' houses, though only for that short moment. I always like to imagine the lives and the stories of different people... :)

Anyway, going to the shrines on New Year is a must for the Japanese and they go there to seek peace and pray for the New Year. They pay a token amount and get to pick a fortune lot (おみくじ). That piece of paper foretells their fortune for the new year. I was at the shrine with Otousan and Okaasan yesterday and it was really crowded. There was a bazaar as well and after offering their prayers, families will enjoy themselves at the bazaar.

At the shrine, Otousan and Okaasan were quite surprised when I told them that I would just observe but not take part in all the prayers or fortune lot-picking. I explained to them that to me, Jesus is my protector and with Him in my life, I have the peace and joy. Seriously, the best thing that has happened to me in my life is knowing Jesus. :) Sometimes, I am overwhelmed by emotions too when I think about His goodness in my life and how He never fails.

Ok... this quiet evening, I am going to read a book. This book is called "Novel without a name" and it is written by Duong Thu Huong, a Vietnamese author. :)

Happy New Year.