Part 2 of One Week Later

I am now seated comfortably underneath my kotatsu... n it's still really cold. Just checked the temperature and it's about 0 degrees now. I really wonder when this place will start getting warmer. I really can't wait for the warmer weather to arrive... heez, i think when i return home, my tolerance level for cold will be really "there".

I really wanna write about the Vivid Girls who came over to my place last week... but at this time, this present moment, I am really feeling all sorts of different emotions. I have been here already for more than half a year... time really flies. This Nagano Ski Camp is like the halfway mid-point, and very soon I will be leaving for home.

It's strange.. there's still six more months, but I am already feeling a little sad. I have grown to love this place more and more... 2 weeks ago, on a Sunday morning, as i took my usual bus ride to Kobe station, and as the bus winds itself through the mountains, I was so filled with thanksgiving and marvelled at God's beautiful creation as well. You know, sometimes I feel so in awe simply just looking at this place, the people, the nature, the culture. Japan is truly a place that has captured my heart.

Also, I had bade farewell to my 2nd-year students. Exams will begin in March, and I had my last lesson with most classes already. Sometimes, I really wonder and think if I had made a difference in the lives of the kids here. Teaching in Japan is very very very different from teaching in Singapore. I remember in the JET application where I had to write an essay stating my purpose, I wrote that I wanted to make a difference in the students' lives. I really hoped I did.


Saying good-bye to another favourite class

Ok, let me get down to the Vivid girls. They are really a wonderful group, and last week, they were at my place for cell group. I cooked chicken curry for them, and they brought lots of food along too. They didn't know it... but it was like a reunion dinner for me. I didn't know it initially too, till I realised that it was the CNY reunion dinner the following day. :) It was really wonderful to have them over, and we had devotions, we talked, we shared... n broke a record. I don't think 7 people had ever slept in this apartment of mine before.


A sumptuous spread - Japan-meet-Sing-style
I really enjoyed the chicken curry that I whipped up. 懐かしいなああああ。I put in pieces of chicken thigh meet, chicken liver, diced potatoes as well as brocoli and baby carrots. I really so enjoyed it. :) For the sake of the Japanese palette, I added so much more water to make the curry less spicy... n the result? They still found it too からい！(karai=hot)
And of course, the Japanese food the girls brought along were great too. We were so extremely full after the feast. :)


A closer look at the food


I prepared gift bags for everyone of them. It is really true that there is so much more joy to give than to receive. I want to be able to freely bless others in time to come. :)
























We laid futons all over the place; the futons and blankets filled the entire living room and one bedroom. It was quite an experience and we all woke up to Beth's shrill and chirpy 'Good morning!' I am really not kidding, but I think hotels should use her 'Good morning' cry as their morning call!

And if you look carefully at the above picture, you could see the balcony and the forest beyond that. The weather was clear that morning, so I took a pict of the forest as well. Here goes.


皆と一緒に本当にありがとう。いろいろな教えてくれて感謝しています。皆がんばりますね。成長するために　友達のために　イエス様の愛を　皆通して　あふれられる。:)

One week later!

Part 1 (Ski Camp)
I am back from my ski trip and I have so much to share and write about... I still haven't gotten over the excitement yet and it was really such a fun and fruitful experience. I enjoyed myself so much so much so much and i think this post will be a super long one! :)

Ok, left for Nagoya and Nagano on Sunday and met up with Pamela. It's been almost 2 years since I last saw her and she's grown prettier! N more genki and radiant! Attended her church service and got to know a few people.

Before I went to this ski camp, I had no idea what kind of trip it would be or what to expect. All I really wanted to do was to meet up with Pamela and catch up, as well as try skiing. And so, when Pamela asked me if I would like to join her for skiing, it was a 'YES' without hesitation and this camp has turned out to be such a great blessing to me.























Pamela and I

This ski camp is organised by Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) and there were many university students, missionaries as well as stinters from different countries with CCC. For me, it's the first time I interacted with the Koreans and made friends with them. I became close to 3 of the Korean girls... and they are staying in Osaka now.

Ahha.. thoughts running all over the place again...

Ok, so let me start with the skiing part.

First time I saw so much snow.... First time I tried skiing... First time I felt so afraid and so limited... First time I fell so many times (much more than learning roller-blading)... First time I felt I really couldn't do it and wanted to give up as fear gripped me.

What happened on the first day was that in the morning, as we learnt how to ski, I was able to get the hang of it quite fast and could go down the slopes. The only problem was that I couldn't stop... simply couldn't!!!! N then I would fall or crash into people because of the speed. So after lunch, during our 自由練習時間　(self-practice time), I went up on the beginner slope with my beginner class and then.... well, I got stuck there on the top... Everyone in my group went down the slopes but I just got stumped and din dare to try to go down myself without the instructors even though in the morning, i did succeed in getting down that particular slope.

Up on top at the slope watching everyone ski or snowboard down with ease was difficult for me. I really just stood there... I stood there for about an hour, many times taking small steps forward, but stopping and staring at the 'what-seemed-impossible' downslope. It's funny because people who knew me would know that I am quite adept at picking up new sports, and would go for the challenge. I know that that's me too, but i really couldn't do it then... Faith and fear... fear and faith... both went through my mind. Faith to do it, yet fear stopped me in my tracks. Faith told me to go ahead, then fear gripped me again... I was really so afraid of falling and injuring my knee again, and flashbacks of falling last year at ECP just kept me from moving forward... It was a feeling that I had never experienced before.

So as I was up there contemplating on what I should do, and many people passed me by. There was no way to get down except down the slope, so in the end, I took off my skis... and slowly trudged down the slope. I felt so defeated, so feeble, so lousy and so discouraged that I decided I wouldn't try again on the second day...

But I did. I actually went to tell the person-in-charge not to buy my lift ticket cos I din want to continue with my lessons, but she told me she had already bought it, and then I decided. I MADE UP MY MIND AND DECIDED THAT I MUST NOT GIVE UP. With faith, I will be able to say to the mountain of fear in me to be removed and cast into the sea and it will move.

And my instructor, Jody, knew what my problem and he really really really was patient with me, and even brought along chocolates to encourage us as we went on with the lesson. I fell once more... n then found myself learning how to stop properly... and then went down that particular slope again... n then confidence arose... n then learnt how to do the turns... n then I realised it really wasn't as scary and as intimidating anymore.

This is such an important lesson for me. It really is and I am very very happy because I really felt I have grown in faith through this. What seemed like a giant really was not. It was all in the mind. The Korean girls encouraged me so much in this because as I looked at them, they too were afraid and yet, they were bolder and more courageous than me! Ahha, I am so glad I stuck it out... so glad that I din give up. To be able to ski down the slopes was so exciting and liberating!


A pict of the 3 Korean girls (Yung Gyung, Hyung Jung, Okkyung) and I who went skiing together the second day. They are my first Korean friends and they are so funny! Hahah... They are only in their very early-2os!
今度のcampは三人と仲良くなったことは　めっちゃうれしいです。いろんな励まして　ありがとうね。また神戸ね！


My instructor - Jody! Thank you so much! It wouldn't have been possible without you, and I will remember not to step on the rope.

Ahha, anyway, what you see behind us is the rock climbing wall. That was our activity on the 2nd night. Skiing was only just part of the camp. We rock-climbed, and some others went for a night hike too.

Rock climbing was also difficult! It requires tenacity and perseverance and in the beginning, it seemed easy but halfway, when my hands lost all strength, man... it was tough to heave myself up to the next level. We had to touch the ceiling before we could come down. It was really tough but great fun!



















More pictures of the ski trip


The Beginners Class for Skiing


A picture of the snowy landscape


Me in Beth's ski gear


Snow is soft and comfy... n not as cold as I thought it would be!


Playing with snow. I tried to make a 鼠 (nezumi = mouse) and it turned out looking like an 猪 (inoshishi=pig), so I decided to use this 兔 (usagi=rabbit) to pose a picture with. This usagi is made by a Japanese friend!
























I have to post this pict... cos I have such looooooooong legs here. Haha...




















A view taken from the bus... The water was an unusual shade of green. 本当にいい天気だね。
























The last day at Nagoya Takashimaya before I departed for Kobe again

Countdown

Another 1 hour till I leave school.

Another 5 hours before the girls come over to my house to 'torn' for the night.

Another 1 day before reunion dinner in Singapore for CNY.

Another 2 days before CNY!

Another 2 days before I go to Nagoya, then to Nagano to ski!!!!

Whahahha. Sigh, I can hardly contain my excitement now... I need to calm down. Well, calm down and cool down Olenju! And a great 'Thank You' to 教頭先生、藤池先生 and my colleagues for granting me this leave! :D

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
Ok, anyway, last night, the weather took a drastic turn and from a very nice, bright, breezy day, about 9pm, suddenly I was really really cold, and shivering. I really wondered if it was just me, but when I checked with Tom just now, he said he felt the same way too.

Chills... chills and more chills...

And last night, I also prepared my house for the 6 beautiful ladies who will be staying overnight. I vacuumed the house, got ready the futons, laid my kotatsu blankets out properly and cleaned the toilet as well! Ahha.. I was so pleased with myself.

And in school today, I finished all the exam papers I had to set, and then cleared up whatever work's left so that I can really enjoy myself skiing!

And I have to show you this pict. I saw this along the corridor.... It makes such a loud rumbling noise. It radiates heat and light, and you will love it in the very cold winter. No prizes for guessing it right... it is a Jumbo heater! Well, this isn't the biggest one I have seen... but it is certainly scary. The 'voooom-vooooming' sound can be heard from afar!

That's the school nurse beside me, and she stays just one floor below me in my apartment block too. The heat must have been too strong... she has to close her eyes! And yeap, that's the nearest we could get to it... It is strong man.

And Tom beside the small heater in our staff room. Each 2 rows share one of these heaters. Certainly much more miniature in size and less noisy. :)

Some picts of my classes

Keisuke with his guitar for Show-N-Tell

The lovely class I had great fun teaching yesterday

All sorts of cutesy stuff on the girls' bags. Well, many of them are hand-made and stitched. :-) Girls being girls! I remember a time long ago when I made my own Winnie-the-Pooh bag too.

One last picture! Cos the weather was great yesterday, I decided to try a new route home... and came to this park. This is on the other side of the train tracks, and it was quite a bit of a detour before I reached my station - Suzurandai. Nevertheless, the fine weather makes the mini expedition so enjoyable!

A quick post just after lunch

Had a great class just now with Soma sensei with my Year 2 students... so happie! Ahha... this class has really warmed up to me and they are much more responsive than when I met them last August. We are on the theme of 'Inviting friends to your house', so I got them into groups, and they had to draw their dream house and then invite their classmates to their dream house. It was really fun! I don't have the finished products with me yet, cos they have not completed their houses, but I am definitely looking forward to touring their dream houses.

And.... Keisuke brought along his electric guitar for Show-N-Tell, and Chie made cookies... whahhaha... another round of yummy treat. Anyway, I took lotsa pictures using my old and trusty Konica Minolta, but cos I can't wait to write this entry, you won't get to see picts of my class just yet. However, here are some picts using my Sharp phone... keke... n also, today, two of the girls in my class gave me chocolates! They are Aya and Takako and they are from the Basketball team too. They made the chocolates and sweets themselves, and I was really so happy!!! A nice belated Valentine's Day gift...hahahha... some of my kids are really lovely and sweet.


Yummy Chocolato Treats ありがとう！

And then Tom and I headed for an early lunch. We went to 7-11 and here's a picture specially for Tom's parents!

Say Cheezu, Tom-kun!

And today, the weather's bright and beautiful. Decided to just take snap shots of 7-11 and the area. :)


Haha, I think this is my 2nd picture of the different types of drinks. I can't help it. They look so colourful and pretty!


So beautifully and meticulously arranged, aesthetically pleasing to the eye!
Well, recently, I have developed a taste for the different types of tea here. Oolong-cha 烏龍茶, kenbi-cha 健美茶, mugi-cha 麦茶, gogonokoucha 午後の紅茶, jasmine-cha　ジャスミン茶, ooji-cha 宇治茶, milk tea ミルク茶, lemon-tea レモン茶, ocha お茶... It's an inexhaustible list!


It's cold and windy, yet bright here.


神戸甲北高校学校
Another view of my school taken from the back


Beautiful Day!

Part 1 - Walking to school

This morning, I did the unthinkable; I actually walked to school from home. It's been something that I told myself I would do at least once during my stay here, and it was quite unexpected, but I decided to walk this morning.

Sometimes, I think I am crazy. I do things so impromptu. Walking to school really isn't so hard, for I have walked home from school numerous times before. It is the morning, when it is cold and my muscles aren't ready for the slopes that make the walk hard, but haha, crazy me decided to 'just do it'.

So I probably looked like an alien to the many Japanese who walked past me. I had a white windbreaker on, my backpack, a big Christmas paperbag filled with chocolates to give to some of my male colleagues (Friendship Day Choco), black gloves, my Nike shades, and my MP3 player.

Along the way, I huffed and puffed, but it gradually got better. Listening to Delirious certainly made everything seemed brighter, and I could appreciate the beauty of the morning. Saw some kindergarten girls and they greeted me with a very genki 'Ohayo gozaimasu'! I walked beside the railway tracks, and many trains passed me by. Saw many elderly out with the dogs or taking an early morning walk. And as I continued walking, with my muscles slowly getting in synch with my brain, I felt better! And then I passed by the パン屋 (Pan-ya=Confectionary shop / Bakery)... and wow... the fragrance of freshly-baked bread... so tantalizing and so inviting. :) Resisted the urge to buy, cos I already had some biscuits for breakfast with me!

And then, I reached Kita-Suzurandai station, and that marks the last lap to the school. I take this same route everyday from Kita-Suzu to Kouhoku and the hardest part about this is the very very last part, where you have to climb up a long flight of stairs, followed by a final upslope... Every morning, when I walk this route with Amasaki-san (She's the school admin officer and I usually see her on the same train daily), I always think that the Japanese are so fit and I always tell her I am so 疲れた (tsukareta=tired)!

Anyway, I reached school about 8.20am, and was perspiring and really 疲れた! I felt happy though. :) What a different way to start my week... (Well, yesterday was another public holiday here, so no school for me! keke.)


Part 2 - Akashi Outing

昨日　休みだから　のんびり過ごした。　朝ごはんを自分で作って　ピッザパンとバナナとコーヒーとMeiji チョコのおやつと烏龍茶を食べた。おおいしいいいい。

その後Ziweiと話した。Ziwei-さん　卒業のために　がんばってね！いっぱい話して　とてもうれしかった。

予定はないから　昼は安保先生と一緒に明石のｇｙｍへ初めて行った。このｇｙｍは埋立地に建設されるから　海も見える。走るながら　海も見える感じは　とても懐かしいね。シンガポールのEast Coast ParkでE151と一緒に過ごした時間が思い出した。Ｇｙｍから明石橋もよく見える　眺めはきれいです。
運動が終わったら　本当に爽快感がある！

Ok, so I went to the gym yesterday with Anpo sensei because it was a public holiday and there was no school. This is the Akashi Axtos gym and it's just beside the sea, built on reclaimed land. From the treadmill, I could see Akashi bridge, and couples and families on the beach. Well, it was a very different view for me, and I enjoyed the session very much. Also, Akashi wasn't cold at all. For a moment, how I wished I lived at Akashi instead of Suzurandai! :) Yeah, anyway, after exercising, I felt really refreshed! Thank you for inviting me Anpo sensei.















This is the view from the front of the gym. I thought it looked quite pretty. There are many family restaurants along the road, as well as newly-built residences.





















Taken at dusk, a picture of yours truly. :)
















That is Akashi Bridge behind me. This bridge links Awaji Island to the main land and Awaji Island is about the same size as Singapore. I must go there one day.
















安保先生！

Love is in the air
Just came back from church not too long ago, n tonight, we have a special V-Day cell group. The message was about love and marriage, and though some of the kids were really still very young, it is never too early to teach them the right things, n u will be really amazed at what they think marriage is. One boy went.. "It is the union of a man and woman into one being!" Such a good answer!

Ok, so today, 2 young couples, 1 married (Keshi n Jun) and 1 engaged (Washi n A-chan), came and shared about their marriage and love life, and the atmosphere was just kinda different. Lotsa laughter and great fellowship. They asked me about Steve too... n seriously, with so much talk going on about V-day, I can't help but feel a little 寂しい (sabishi ) and really wished for Steve to be around. :)

I think Valentine's Day is a great day to express our thanksgiving, appreciation and love to the special person in our lives as well as loved ones and friends. Of course we should be thankful for them every single day; it's just that V-Day, with all its hype, makes everything perhaps more romantic and memorable.

Dear Steve-san,
Here, I just want to say how blessed I am to have you in my life... Thank you for being a pillar of strength and support in my life, for encouraging me and believing in me through the tough times, for the assurance given and the trust you have in me, for being understanding and patient, for being the gentleman, for caring for my mum, for the laughter and joy, for the futomomo powerpoint you just sent me, for being a wonderful friend and soul-mate... You light up my life. Thank you dearie...

Ok, and here are some pictures taken today!

Beth and Nozo


Jun and Keshi


Design your own Valentine pancake!























The pancakes were made by Vivid girls and each person will then design his pancake. The most creative design wins a prize.


She's so happy...























Ok, this was actually my pancake, but when she saw it, she fell in love with it and really wanted it, and so, I decided to give mine to her... I made her day, and she was really really on cloud nine.....

Dinner in church

Arigato Nozo-san... thanks for the generosity and delicious dinners. I gave away a pancake, but got blessed with a wonderful dinner! Miso soup, fish fillet, salmon steak, salad, rice, egg dressing... It's really really ooiiishiiiiiiiiii.


A close-up on the salmon

I LOVE SALMON.

Musings on a quiet Thursday afternoon

The staff room is unearthly quiet now... I am the only person at my desk and Tom is away at the lounge reading a book. The rest of my colleagues are in a meeting, and what a sharp contradiction it is from this morning. This morning, and yesterday, there was a great flurry of activity going on. People were running helter-skelter, rushing to get everything ready for this morning's big day. It is Kouhoku's Speech Day, and this is unlike the Speech Days I have attended back home. There is no giving out of any awards and this Speech Day is as literal as the word 'speech' means. This morning, so many so many students took their turns to give speeches to the whole school, and the whole school just sat quietly to listen to all the speeches. I did too, trying to understand, cos they were mostly in Japanese and there was only a 5-minute break in the 3-hour long event.

Yup, and Valentine's Day is round the corner and this day is celebrated in quite a different fashion here because instead of the guys showering the girls with gifts, it is the opposite! On Feb 14, the fairer sex gives chocolates to the men, and there are basically 2 types of chocolates they give - the 義理 (giri=obligatory) chocolate and the 本命 chocolate. The honmei chocolates are given to that special someone the woman is serious about.

Well, one interesting thing I have read about is that if I give giri chocolates to my superiors or bosses, they are expected to return another giri gift to me exactly one month later on Mar 14, and this day is known as the 'White Day'. Haha, what is interesting is that this returned giri gift (need not be chocolates) should be twice the value of my original gift. Haha!

And again, this is an example of how the Japanese make everything very unique. White Day! I mean, I have never heard of White Day till recently and when I did some reading on White Day, I learnt that it's for the guys to reciprocate and to return chocolates or a gift to the ladies who blessed them in the first place. At the end of the day, or should I say the month, not only is everyone happy, the departmental stores and chocolate manufacturers would be beaming from ear to ear because of a sharp rise in profit!

And do you know how White Day came about? It was believed that a certain confectionary, a marshmellow-manufacturing company, took advantage of the Japanese feelings of obligation and created this day in the 1960s. The name came about because marshmellows were white and fluffy back then. This day gives the men an opportunity to return a gift to their female friends. What sharp business acumen yah? Though White Day is still not as popular as V-Day, it is yet another money-making prospect!

Haha... ok, I have almost finished this entry. Tomorrow, the O-Level results will be released and I will be very excited to hear about how 5D has done for this exam. I pray they will all do very well and that all of them will go on to enter the college or polytechnic of their choice. :)

Uplifting morning

I checked my email this morning as usual and felt really happy when I read an email that Samantha sent... filled my heart with warmth. What a great way to start my day this February morning!

And... it's about the BNSS Basketball girls back home in Singapore, and as I type this post, I can really recall very very vividly how they have grown, especially the tears and the hard work. I know that in life, nothing comes easy and if we have a passion, a dream, a vision, we have to work hard, train hard, do whatever we can and then trust God to do what we cannot, and so this is the beginning of the story of how the team began back in 2002.

Personally, at that time, though I was filled with fire and passion, I didn't really know if I could handle the committment and manage everything well. I really was quite unsure, because I was a green horn, I had just started teaching and I was totally inexperienced. Many times, I felt like I had failed too. Thank God for good friends and colleagues like Mr Yee! He was a strong pillar and guided me through. It is so important to have like-minded people working together, encouraging each other along the way. :) Well, all I felt was that I could do something for the girls and for the school, and see the team to its best potential.. I simply wanted to try my best.

The reason why I am writing this post is because I felt really lifted in my spirits this morning reading the email that Samantha sent. She said there's so much laughter during training now, but that when it is time to be serious and to train hard, they are disciplined and focused. That is absolutely wonderful to hear. When I was in Uni, I remember our coach saying that 'A happy team is a winning team'. That doesn't mean we would win all matches all the time... there are other aspects in which we win as a whole.. building better friendships and ties that last past beyond playing basketball.

And I saw the picture that Sam sent me too. I really believe and feel that everyone has grown and matured... into beautiful young ladies (like what Mrs Yap always says!) :D I look at everyone and think about what's going on in their minds. What dreams and aspirations do each and everyone of them have? What will they be doing 10 years down the road? hahahaha... seems like a weird thought right... but 10 years ago, I had just graduated from DHS, and was in VJ playing basketball too. (Hmmm... maybe one of them will be in Japan working too! Ahha!)

Yeah, so here is what I want to say finally... Keep on keeping on girls. Be disciplined and focused and try your best! Encourage each other and always think for the team first. Believe that all of you are already champions in your own heart and lastly, always be appreciative and thankful for your teachers-in-charge, your team-mates... n the HANDSOME MAO JIAO LIAN!!!! :D