Of Bees and Ants






















:) So joyful and happy, n BUSY but strengthened. (Bees and Ants are Beeezzzzzy, that's why...)

These last few days on JET, I have been packing and tying up loose ends in school, clearing the apartment, cleaning the place, throwing things (You know I am really not so efficient in cleaning... I always mull over what to discard, get nostalgic over cards and such...) Anyway, and also writing the 3 Japanese documents, farewell parties, preparing for the interview, helping Prof Umeda do proofreading, suffering from a very bimyou itch and visiting the hospital for the first time, studying Japanese, moving house, getting ready for my Japanese school starting tomorrow... and yet and yet, finding enough time to still sit down for a cuppa, go to the gym and write blog entries!!!! :D

The other day, one night, i just crashed in front of the comp, super tired, super drained... absolutely no more energy left and i thought well, this must be it... i am so tired now, can't take it anymore and then just 2-3 minutes later, my strength came back... it was indeed amazing. As much as I felt tired in the past, I was usually tired with the mundane routines and you know, just generally sick with the so many things piled up. Yet this time, there is a certain joy and my spirits were really uplifted as I go about my life here in Japan. It's amazing. I have never really felt like this before... I look at Pst Kong.. Truly a man of God and of great strength... I want to emulate him. He can be really tired after preaching so many services, not forgetting the preparations, the long-haul flights and the list is inexhaustible and yet, he is alive in the spirit and his strength in God is obvious. I want to be someone like that too. :)

And I was so filled with thanksgiving again yesterday. It's so important to give thanks daily... I really feel so good now!!!!

I will be starting my Japanese language intensive lessons tomorrow and i am really excited about it. :) Super duper excited. I am enrolled in Kobe Toyo Nihongo Gakuin and will be staying at one of their hostels and I tell you, this place is beautiful. :) I was there yesterday to check things out and deposit a piece of luggage, and when I saw the place, the occupants (mostly Taiwanese), i felt the warmth and togetherness in this place... and Taiwan somemore!!! Spoke in Mandarin here in Japan... n this is such a good feeling. :) Well, the rooms are clean, well-furnished, air-conditioned, spacious, bright... and my room mate, she is really really nice and attentive! So friendly and helpful too.. Took an instant liking to her straightaway and we started chatting non-stop. Ey, it was really good. I felt so thankful... it's almost as if God were telling me... Let this beautiful hostel be a present to you after a year of learning how to survive in the mountains... hahaha... but you know, yet again, I LOVE MY PRESENT KIMIKAGE HOUSE TOO... I really like it now.. it's cosy... it's a calm haven, an oasis... a really different experience for me.

Churn churn churn, grong grong grong, tzsu tzsu tzsu... (The washing machine and all the millions, billions, zillions of insects in the woods just outside)

Never really imagined myself going back to school again, but I now see the possibilities! It's always good to upgrade. In fact, you must!!!! So I am really excited about tomorrow... Studying and taking exams can be thrilling and really enjoyable. :)

Yeah, ENJOY A BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY!

Friday Morning, 1.15am

Another step forward,
Another dream closer.
Another test ahead.
The interview is tomorrow.

A smile can give you genki

Yeap, you have not misread the sentence. Genki is an adjective in Japanese... and it means fine. So for example, "Watashi wa genki desu." translates to "I am fine." and I have seen this Japanese word used as shown in the title above several several times. :) It's really so interesting to observe and see how the Japanese have incorporated EL into their daily life, or vice versa.

I am smiling because I am so genki. Actually I feel very relaxed now and I could have chosen to go to bed early today. Instead, I am eating corn... sweet, lovely, tasty corn on the cob! Sometimes, I just don't want to hit the sack. Tonight is just one such night.

These last few days have been super hectic for me, especially Sunday and Monday. Still, I am glad I chose to go through it regardless of the result. I had to finish 3 important pieces of documents all in Japanese and it's really a tremendous learning experience for me. One of them was an essay of 1500 words and it stretched me!!! Yet staying at home the whole of Sunday just to do it was a super-nice and fruitful experience. This kind of feeling of sitting down, concentrating on studying and writing for an entire day has been long forgotten.... The last time I spent such long hours studying was 5 years ago when I took JLPT 2!!!

Anyway, I am so relieved everything turned out well and the documents were sent out just in time. Many many many thanks to those who helped and encouraged me! ありがとう！

And then there was the "Open High School" event on Tuesday and I must say I am so so so proud of Nishi and Komatsu who did their Show-N-Tell in front of the large audience. It was really brillant and I believe they must have grown quite a bit too through this experience, reason being they had to present everything in English and it's really no simple feat for the students here. Many of them crumble, fumble, stumble... when you try to even get them to stand up in a class to answer a very simple question or make a really short speech. Therefore I know that Nishi n Komatsu must have really practiced very hard, memorizing everything, rehearsing over and over again... n it was so funny and heart-warming to see both of them so nervous and yet eager and excited.

Anyway, here's to these 2 boys! (Photo uploaded!)


And then I had a farewell party from the ESS (English Speaking Society) and man... I was so thrilled. I received a Yukata from them!!!! It's so pretty and it's not cheap too.. Arigatou!! And Koike sensei played his guitar and sang "Imagine" pitch-perfect! And Kurokami sensei baked plum cupcakes and Hiroko's sister baked a lovely chocolate cake... and there were so many different snacks and drinks too... Nice and cosy. :) Thank you ESS!


Koike sensei on his guitar


Pretty Yukata


ESS members... and we have grown from a mere 3 people to this many! Amazing! And there are a couple of missing first-year students in this pict too. Way to go!

And this must be the best gift I have received from the students so far... Maluco painted this for me and even framed it up... Really very very touched. Thank you dear Maluco. I really like the picture. And I will definitely miss her gentleness, her diligence and superb attitude in OC2 class, her thoughtfulness, her joy ... her genki!! Her smile gives me genki too! :) Let's keep in touch ok!!!!!


Can you find "God of Smile" in the painting?


A smile can really make a difference. :)

Ok, that's all for now. I must now decide whether to hit the books or the bed. Wahahhahaha. :)

All for Salmon!

Hmmm, I just made quite an amazing discovery on the net and you can say I am a suaku or what, but salmon makes your skin glow!!! I was wondering if I could eat salmon skin cos I noticed that many Japanese leave the skin aside and I got a little worried cos I just finished all the skin off my salmon fish head and so did a search on google. Found out lots about this nutritious fish!

Anyway, the point is if you wanna have nice skin, eat salmon!!!

All along, I have always known that salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids and they are good cholesterol and very healthy for your heart, but I never knew you could get beauty treatments from this fish… supple skin, wonderful complexion, less fine lines and wrinkles, decreased clogged pores, etc, etc etc... I am so glad I like fish! And salmon most of all…

It’s really nostalgic to think about it. In Singapore, mama would cook salmon for me like 3 times a week and it’s done Chinese-style, steamed, with slices of ginger, sesame oil, soya sauce and a little rice wine. Here in Japan, without her TLC, I just buy salmon fillets, fish heads or the bellies off the supermarkets and microwave them and then add some soya sauce or sprinkle some ajitsuke (pepperish-tasting salt). It takes less than 10 minutes and then I can indulge in my salmon treat! And I have been eating salmon everyday, almost… and I suppose it’s true… Steve commented that the bottom of my feet is now less coarse and this is surprising cos I walk more here. I din even realize this myself and did a check on my feet yesterday. There really is a difference cos it used to be so gross in the past, what with all the ji yens.. and dead flakes.. shan’t gore you out here anymore.

Yeah, and I really enjoy the fishy taste and smell and texture of salmon… any part of salmon is good for me… I love salmon!!!!!

And you should have seen the huge salmon fish head I devoured just now… eyes n bones n jaws n all… wahhahahhaahh... but with my failed attempt at capturing the curry rice this noon, I thought I better put up a more palatable-looking pict of salmon... Doesn't it look absolutely tantalising and mouth-watering? Just imagine the fats oozing out from the salmon flesh, filling your whole mouth, the taste lingering on your tongue and mmmmmmmmm, so so so fishy, heavenly and tasty.


MmmmmmmmmmmmmM......

I am a Salmon Advocate.
Choose salmon. Eat salmon. Live salmon!
Salmon your way to a healthier, younger-looking you!

Break-Time

Decided to take a break while getting my stuff in order. This morning, it's pretty foggy out there and I woke up super early again... wahahha, this time to go relieve myself.

So fast!! It's almost 12 now and I just had a very delicious beef vege curry rice. I told Steve I would make curry rice for him when he was here but we never got down to that cos we were always on the run, or out, or full from eating outside... anyway, look at my creation. Nothing so fabulous but nevertheless I enjoyed it very much.


Upon looking at this picture, i realized it doesn't look even a tad appetizing.. ahhahaha... And I was already eating it before I decided to snap a pict, so it's quite messy. Anyway, cannot eat this kinda stuff everyday. Not very healthy!

And the Japanese have all sorts of instant food, including instant canned ramen... which i hesitate to try though there have been pretty good reviews. Anyway, instant curry or stew usually never go wrong!

And this is an interesting vending machine. What does it sell? Errrrmmmm... some books.... (Pict taken courtesy of Steve)


We were plagued by the rain for most days when he visited but nevertheless, thank God for his protection... at least we weren't caught in the typhoon! It happened in areas all around us but eluded us!























Happily-wet, saying good-bye at Bola Bola, the ryokan we stayed in in Kyoto. It was so clean and cosy, definitely worth the price. Only about 2500 yen per person per night. That's around $33 only! And we were situated in a very convenient location, with 24-hr eateries, places of interest, combinis, public baths, everything. Highly recommended!!!!


Nicer-looking food... Here, especially in Kansai, pple like to eat rice and noodles together. Quite incomprehensible to me initially, but since I am someone who likes variety, I got to like it more n more.

Taken at a Japanese restaurant at Harajuku. Good place and what you see is Katsu-don (Fried pork cutlet with rice) and Soba (Wheat noodle soup). This is meant only for one person. HUGE!


And this is Nihon Teishoku (Standard Japanese Meal). There's a serving of multi-grained rice, salmon, potato salad, Akashi Takoyaki (very delicious), Miso Soup and some tsukemono (like pickles and preserved veges). And of course, a cup of tea.


In church with Beth n Nozo. Wahahahha... I love this couple. They are absolutely fantastic and generous people. Nozo blessed Steve with a brand new pair of Oakleys. Sigh (A happy sigh)... They really try to make a difference in the lives of the people around here and I pray that God sees the desires of their hearts and that they will be blessed beyond their wildest imagination.

ありがとう！


Ok, that's all for now... Mata ne!

Saturday Morning, 21st July 2007

Another Big Decision
Another Step of Faith
Another Level Up
Another Adventure in Him

ありがとうございます

My heart is still thumping as I write this, though I feel slightly calmer now... I just gave my farewell speech to the school and halfway through, I really felt so choked with different emotions...

One year has gone by just like this and I have learnt so much and received so much from Japan. Thank you Lord, for blessing me with this tremendous year. I felt so much suddenly halfway through the speech because I know that really, it's not just about being in Japan, teaching or merely just experiencing the life and culture here. I believe there must be something more to it... something more in store for me, and I was overwhelmed by gratitude and thanksgiving.

感謝しかない気持ち。。。今少しい落ち着いていくけど。。。日本のこと大好きになってくる。さっきスピーチの途中ですごくいろいろな気持ちが溢れてきた。

甲北の皆　ありがとうございます。

My new Denshi Jisho

I am so thrilled to lay my hands on this sleek, shiny and new gadget... What is this thing about gadgets and men, or heez, women? Hmmm... spent quite a number of days carefully considering which new model to get and tada... this is my new toy!!! Got it last Sunday at Akihabara with Steve and today, today, i finally decided to open the package, gingerly taking it out... I suppose this is what the Japanese call こだわり。。。

10 days

Steve's came and gone back to Sing... So fast... was quite sad yesterday but I am so glad I feel much better now. It's been a tremendous time. Thank you Lord, for everything.



昨日彼が帰ってきた。瞬間に本当に寂しかった。。。十日間と一緒に過ごした時間は　喧嘩もあったけど　私は本当に幸せと思う。説明が難しい。。。六時ぐらい時　一人で帰ったつもりなんですけど　ジームに入ってった。その後も兵庫達と一緒に食事した。気持ちも元気になった。：Ｄ　今の私はまた元気になる！

And now, it's on to the last part of JET! Cleaning apartment, getting everything in order for the new ALT... and then it'll soon be over. :) そんなに速い。。。本当にいつの間にか時間が経ってちゃった。。。

そしてこのＪＥＴが終わったら　私も日本語学を勉強する。今の気持ち時々緊張けど　楽しんでいると思う。がんばって　オレンジ！！

のんびりのんびり朝

今日は年休を取って　ステーブの為に　アパートの掃除するつもりです。また二日間　偶然的に七夕で会う！：D　日本語で書きたいけど　多分長い時間がかかるので　今度は英語しよう！でも　少しいだけ日本語で書きたい。。。最近本当に幸せです。いろいろな人に祝福されまして。。私ね本当に日本人の心がとても温かいと思う。これが日本の一番大好きなところです。：D　英語で今スタートです！

I've decided to take a one-day nenkyuu today hmmmm.. cos I have too many off days left! Wahhahaha. And I think that's really good, especially towards the end of the contract. I can then pack the house, get everything in order... and I am so proud to tell you now that I think my house now is really clean, spick n span!

And what's more, today is sunny... so all the laundry is done too. Lalallalala.

Meaning to update this for some time, but I have no time! It's fun to plan the travel itinerary, but my eyes are really criss-crossed now... yet, the process is fun though after staring at the Japanese kanji for long, you can really feel very very tired.

Thank God for Lasik... really never regretted the decision to go for the operation. Yesterday we had a health check-up for the teachers in school, and my eyes are good! It's so important to have a clear vision!

Yup, for the last 2 weeks, I have been so blessed. Everyday, something wonderful happens... Let's see how much I can spew here! Last night, just last night, close to 11pm, a puffing Mr Watanabe knocked at my door... You must remember I live up at the highest level and there are no lifts... and he brought for me one of my all-time faves... MA PUO DOU FU!!!!!!

I was so excited I thanked him profusely. I love MPTF you know... sometimes i buy the instant MPTF sauce and then throw in the toufu and add all sorts of veges.. Well, Watanabe sensei was really funny.. He told me it may not be so delicious, then upon 2nd thoughts, he said it should be quite delicious cos he is actually a good cook! I am 100% sure it is delicious just by looking at it... and when i opened the lid, man... hahaha... i called mummy straightaway to share with her this ooooiiiishiiiiiii dish!!!!


Maybe I can save some for Steve till he arrives... hurhur, but i highly doubt so...
And thank you so much Watanabe sensei!!!!!


And this is DA MAN.

We got to know each other a little better thru the OOUUUUUSOUJI... the compound cleaning. Well, this took place last Sunday and I am so glad I could be a part of it. Once a year, all the residents staying in this compound gather together for a massive cleaning exercise... I call it exercise cos IT IS... It's quite tough! Especially on the knees.. cos you have to weed off all the unruly grassy, shrubby growths! Very tiring! But for me, it provided such a good opportunity to mingle with the neighbours and I did make some friends! I think this clean-up is really good. Promotes togetherness and community civic-mindedness. :D This lasted for abt 3 hours and at the end of it, we were rewarded with snacks and drinks and ... errrr.... even beer.


So here are some picts.

Errr, taken towards the end, so not more grass left. Tells you I worked hard though. ;D



Can you see Takarada sensei? He's a really busy man and shoulders many responsibilities. He was one of those in-charge for the Souji.



The kids getting excited over the snacks and drinks


And Watanabe sensei gave me an EGG... and I made SUAN LA TANG!!!!! Hahahahhahaha.


My Suan La Tang

It's quite tasty and healthy too. Fresh veges, salmon, egg... and whatever I could find in my fridge... (siew mai)


No stamina to write on... so tired now... hahhahaa. It's actually very fun to experiment with food. I am starting to like cooking a little more now!

And at the end of the day, I looked out of my window and peered at the apartments opposite mine. I always like to imagine how different families live their lives... i dunno, just imagining them having dinner, watching tv, doing the everyday-things makes me happy. It leaves me a very sweet and nostalgic feeling... it was about 7pm then, the sun was setting, families were getting ready for dinner... いい感じだね。。



And this last pict was taken yesterday on my way to school. It's tsuyuu here now so it was raining quite a bit yesterday. So sweet right, the little kids trudging along slowly with their colourful umbrellas. :)


And now, it's MPTF time!
Wahhahahahahahaha.

Thank you, Pippi

She drew this picture for me... I love it...
I am so touched... it's beautiful and I love the myraid of colours, the orange in the blue.

ありがとう。。。

日曜日の朝の感じ。。。

六時半に目が覚めた。一年前の私にとっては　朝早く起きるのは　本当にやさしいことではないのに　今日本に住んでいる私は　不思議に　毎日速く起きることができる。：D

昨日、おととい　私はすごく嬉しかった。ほんとうに喜ぶが心から溢れてきた。。説明は難しいなァァァ。イエス様　感謝して　感謝の気持でさえほかにはない。
ありがとう。。。

このポーストは短いです。今勉強の時間だから。九時ごろ　職員住宅の年一回の大掃除があるので　私も参加する。皆と一緒に協力して　初めてです。幸いにいい天気だね！楽しんでいる！その後　自分の家の大掃除するつもり。これが難しい。ふふふ。

頑張ります！

とても良い一日を！