liyan

This is a public journal (at the moment).  I will make a notice if I've decided to make any private entries.

Comments are welcome.  If you are not an LJ user, please use the anonymous option BUT DO REMEMBER TO LEAVE YOUR NAME at the end of the comment so that I know who it is.  

Thank you!  

Having made many new ‘ang moh’ friends who are unfamiliar with television pop culture on this other side of the world, I’ve decided it is my duty as a TV connoisseur to enlighten the uninformed masses and introduce them to a whole new exciting world of vicarious living.  (In other words, I’m bored.)

( SHOWDOWN! )

Okay, I know I'm supposed to be posting up my Gackt concert review (which is actually 90% done already; it's the last 10% that's giving me problems...)

And yes, I've said one of my resolution this year will be to update more often, but we know resolutions are meant to be broken anyway.

***

( I just have to tell everybody about this! )

Saw this on winteress 's LJ 


Don't be shy, ladies, fill it out Survey from Quizopolis.com

Do you sleep in your bra? - Nope.
Do you enjoy drama? - I enjoy WATCHING tv dramas.
Are you a girly girl? - Sometimes.
Last person you hugged? - That would be Andrew at dinner last night.
Small or big handbags? - Medium to big.
Do you think you’re conceited? - Nope.
Do you dress up on Halloween? - So far, nope.
Are you double jointed? - I don\'t think so...
Where is the weirdest place you have slept? - On a small remote beach on a small remote island (Pulau Ubin)
Has anyone touched/smacked your butt ? - Yup.
Last person you hung out with? - The ALT gang after the Mid Year Seminar.
Do you call anybody by their last name? - Yup, my teachers.
How many guys will read this just because it says Lady Survey? - How would I know?
Do you wear makeup? - Yup. I think it\'s common courtesy.
Ever cried at a movie theater? - Oh yes!
Can you put on mascara without opening your mouth? - Er,,, I rarely use mascara...
Do you think Ryan Sheckler is cute? - Who?
Eyeliner or Mascara? - Eyeliner.
Louis Vuitton or Dooney? - Dooney.
Heels or sneakers? - Heels.
Straight or curly hair? - Straight.
Hoops or dangling earings? - Both.
Do you prefer light or dark haired guys? - I prefer Asians.
Are you currently frustrated with a guy? - Not really.
Do you have a best friend? - Can I have a few?
Have you ever had your heart broken? - Nope.
Have you ever thought of having plastic surgery? - Nope. I\'m happy with myself.
Do you like your life? - Yes.
Has your ex boyfriend ever gone out with one of your friends? - No ex-s.
Ever walked into the guys bathroom? - haha Yes (almost).
Have you ever jumped in the pool with your clothes on? - Nope.
Would you ever tell someone you loved them even though you didn't mean it? - Nope.
Have you ever slapped a boy in the face? - Nope.
Have you ever cried yourself to sleep? - Nope.
Have you ever not been able to get someone off of your mind? - Er. yes. haha
Do you believe in the saying once a cheater, always a cheater? - Mostly yes. But I\'m willing to believe there are exceptions.
Have you ever had a good feeling about something? - Yup.
Do you ever wish you were famous? - Only if it comes with MONEY and POWER.
Are you currently missing someone? - My dogs.
Contacts or Glasses? - Glasses. Contacts are a hassle. I\'m not vain enough.
Funny or Serious? - I think I\'m too serious sometimes.
Romantic or Daredevil? - Depends on my mood.
Cute or Hot? - Cute?
Long Hair or Short Hair? - I\'m trying to grow it out.
Good Dancer or Good Singer? - I think I\'m quite a good dancer. Singing wise, I\'m not great but I can hold a tune.
Basketball Player or Football Player? - Sportsman are hot.
Why isn't ice hockey ever a choice? - Don\'t follow it.
Smoker or Non-smoker? - I think smoking is a turn-off.
Has a Motorcycle or Has a Sports Car? - I prefer cars to motorcycles.
Summer, Winter, Spring or Fall? - Fall. Not too cold, not too hot.

Take This Survey at Quizopolis.com
http://www.quizopolis.com/survey/4033/Don't-be-shy,-ladies,-fill-it-out-Survey/

[Writer's note: Written when I had lots of time but didn't want to plan lessons... 181008]

Today is Ryu2 day. Again, there’s no lesson because of exams. Though I had to go to school because I had to read the listening section with my teacher for the exam. Yup, it was broadcast live to 2 classes for the exam. Haha

 

I went out for lunch with my sensei because the bread shop was closed. Again, I almost fell asleep at the table. But I made use of the time to plan the next lesson (Telephone Conversation II) and almost finished it!

 

Since I was in Ryugasaki, and I had been craving either MOS or okonomiyaki, I was asking who in the area wanted to meet for dinner. Then I had a stomachache so I *had* to go home. (Anyway, I was bored.) 

 

Later, Yohei responded. I was already back at home but hey, I don’t get to meet up with him very often and he agreed to do the cooking so we met up for okonomiyaki. Before that, I quickly sent the futon cover and blanket to the laundermat for cleaning. 

 

Okonomiyaki was good. ^_^ Yohei is going to the States come November so he was supposed to be practicing his English, but he kept talking to me in Japanese (because he knows I understand). He showed me the English textbook he used and it’s worthy of a mention because there were some really interesting sentences (‘He was hugging her passionately.’ ‘You should ask her out!’ or something like that.) haha

[Writer's note: Wrote this while I had no lessons... 181008]

Today is Ryu1 day. I won’t be having any lessons due to exam but I’ll be discussing the next lesson plan with the teachers. Basically, this is me telling them what lesson plans I have already (tailored to Ryu1) and them choosing which ones they want to do. They seem to be very happy with my lessons plans. They seem impressed that I have everything typed out in details and supported on Powerpoint.

 

I also helped to correct a student’s essay on his summer homestay in America. (Wow… one month!) It was man3 jiang1 hong2 with my corrections (I felt a bit bad…). 

 

One teacher gave me a copy of the 2^nd years’ Maths paper. The exam duration is 100mins, with a total of 200 marks. Oh boy. I had thrown everything back to Ms Goh (my Maths C teacher). I mean, c’mon on, can you still remember how to solve partial equations (x3) equations?! In my defense, had I still been in JC, I should be able to complete the paper (I had ‘A’ for Maths lor!).

 

There were many times I almost fell asleep at the table – there was nothing to do! There wasn’t even English club. And that was why I went home pretty much on the dot.

 

Went to the skin doctor again. (Yay, I don’t have to go back anymore…) And met up with Daryle for dinner at Saizeriya. And that ends another day in Japan.

[Writer's note: Yes, a very belated birthday entry from me.  181008]

Happy Belated Birthday to me!

 

I pretty much spent a very quiet birthday but that was because I knew I would have a very eventful next 2 weeks.

 

So, October 4 is the National Fireworks Competition in Japan. And where should they hold it but right here in Ibaraki! (For once, we get something!) I met up with Yohei and Kriss on the train to Tsuchiura at about 1.00pm to beat the crowds. Already, it was starting to get busy when we got there. By coincidence, we met Kevin and the 4 of us went to grab lunch. The mall beside the station was doing very brisk business (not to mention the curry stall in the food court we ate from – and it was pretty good curry at that).

 

We met Yu, Kevin’s friend, and together, we drove to her house so he can park his car there. And the 4 of us (minus Yu) walked back to the station to walk to Kat’s house. We all thought her place was close to the station. Well, sure, her place was within walking distance. To quote Kevin, ‘Anything is walkable.’ Hell, I would walk from one end of Singapore to the other if I wanted to. But it wasn’t a short distance.

 

Kat’s place was just beside Kasumi’s. Literally. And the queue to the toilets was looooooong. And Kasumi itself was packed with people. Kat’s place was packed with people too. In the end, it wasn’t so much a party as it was a meeting place because there were people who came and went out to walk about and soak in the festivities. 

 

Honestly, I preferred the fireworks I saw at Toride. But maybe that was because I was sitting down and actually watching the show. This was a competition and featured entries from all over Japan (you could hear the mc announcing the name of the prefecture). There were some pretty short ones (blink and you miss it) and there were some pretty long ones, and there was a pretty spectacular one which I missed most of because I was in the toilet. There was even one that had Mickey Mouse fireworks (or so said Kevin). Unfortunately, this meant the last one wasn’t a grand big finale like it should have been. 

 

Yohei, Kriss, Hong Ee and I took our time to walk back to the station and caught the last train home. All in all, it was an interesting day. It’s something you would never get to see in Singapore (I kept thinking how expensive it must be when the fireworks started… ‘Ooo… there goes a few thousand dollars…. Ooo… there goes another few thousand dollars…’). In Singapore, the most you get is a half hour show (remember when they invited 2 fireworks specialist to stage a million dollar show just after National Day last year?). In Japan, they last for at least an hour and a half!

 

So there you have it! And now for the pictures (which I will post just as soon as I can figure out how to do that...)

[Writer's note: It's Birthday week! 181008]

 

It’s Wednesday and Wednesday is happy day because I’m at Ryu1. I love Ryu1, have I mentioned that already? Plus, today is EAC week with Yamaguchi sensei (though E was cancelled today). He has fun classes. ^___^

 

After lessons, I stayed a bit late to help another teacher with some of her student’s questions on their English test. We also had a nice little chat about the difference in school systems in Japan and Singapore.

 

Then it was a rush back home to get to the doctor for the results of my skin test. It was negative for virus/bacteria (no surprise there). So he confirmed it was eczema. *rolls eyes* I tried to ask if I could be allergic to my washing detergent but he said ‘it came from within my body’ so there wasn’t it. HEH? And later, he mentioned ‘hokori’ – which I think is dust mites – but I’m not sure if he was trying to say if that was a possible cause (which contradicts the previous statement) or if it wasn’t. Obviously, my Japanese ain’t great.   

 

And then it was back home to wait for Daryle to pick me up after he picked Adam, Cat, Kriss up from the station. After which, we all went to an All-You-Can-Eat Sushi and Yakiniku buffet somewhere in Moriya with the rest of the Southerners. Steve had a friend from Hong Kong in town and it was his friend’s birthday. The food was okay (I’m not a fan of food that you have to cook yourself. I’m not a fan of cooking. Period. Haha). Wish I had known about the time limit though (1.5 hours), I would have made more crepes (now that was good).

 

We went to a Billiard place after that. Daryle, Kriss and I played darts though. And guess what? I have lousy aim! I couldn’t even hit the board on my first few tries! Seriously. And come to think of it, I’ve been pretty off when I was throwing sweets to my students in class. Since when did I get such lousy aim?! Daryle and Kriss were highly entertained though.

 

And so starts my birthday week and 2 weeks of almost no work.   ^_____^

[Writer's note: Yes, I'm finally posting this up! 181008]

 

‘Who wants to climb Mt Fuji?’ 

 

I signed up for it because hey, it should be fun! 

 

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the reason that came to mind during the actual climbing itself. It was more along the lines of ‘because I’m stupid, or crazy or possibly both’.

 

So the day started out with laundry (yes, I’m actually waking up early to do it) and then we (Ibaraki) Southerners met up at Morita for the bus to Fuji.

 

If you like me, were thinking that ‘hey, how hard can it be? Tons of people climb it every year. Daryle’s doing it for the third time!’: THINK AGAIN. Dear people, please be reminded that this is a MOUNTAIN (well, technically, it’s a volcano) and it stands at 3776m.

 

The mountain is open for climbing from around July to August (this was the last weekend of climbing season) and there are 10 stations. The highest accessible station by public transportation is the 5^th station (of which they are 4). So we arrive one of the 5^th stations and we start climbing at around 6.30pm. This gives us more than 10 hours to reach the top to catch the sunrise at 5.17am. My brain must not have been working because I didn’t quite register the fact that I’ll be walking for more than 10 hours. And that’s just the way up; don’t forget you still have to go back down.

 

The ascent starts out deceptively simple. It’s like a walk on a wide road, albeit in pitch black (remember, mountain – no streetlamps!). And then when you’ve adjusted to the pace, wham! Say hello to Mt Fuji. 

 

This is a mountain, make no mistake about it. For all the thousands of people who make the climb, the huts along the way, it can be pretty dangerous. For the most part, you are climbing/scaling rocks and because it is at night, your field of vision is limited to what your torchlight shines on and you can only concentrate on what is immediately in front of you. It’s a pity I couldn’t get pictures of the path I climbed. I think my mother will freak out.

 

I was so worried about the cold at first. I’m a tropics person and I’m fine with summer. Put me in winter and I’ll freeze. The first things to get cold are my extremities (ears, then hand and feet). Some of them got altitude sickness (they got it so bad they threw up); I think I was pretty fine. I was huffing and puffing and my heart was beating very hard and fast but that could just be me being unfit. My ears were so cold though that my head was POUNDING!!! And it started when I was at the 5^th station.

 

We were travelling in smaller groups which started out as 8, then 4, then 3. And then I threw in the towel, and there were 2. But it was fun all in all. At first, as a method of counting heads, we would take turns to shout out our numbers and the last person (Daryle) would shout ‘Kiai’ and the rest would respond with ‘Oosh’. Okay, so that was just at the start.

 

I really wanted to get to the top but I didn’t. =( To be honest, I was terribly unfit or unprepared. And to make things worse, it was that time of the month. I didn’t drink or eat much because I just had no appetite. And it took too much effort to reach into my pack. haha Yeah, I was too lazy. 

 

One major complaint: They should ban smoking on the mountain. When you are at a hut, and trying to breathe and just catch your breath, the last thing you want to breathe in is cigarette smoke. Hello, some people are actually using oxygen tanks! It got to the point where it made me feel sick and I would rather move on then stay and rest longer. 

 

 I guessed I could have made it to the top (and I really wanted to because I’m only trying this ONCE) but when I saw Kriss at the 9^th station (he was sleeping at the hut) and I thought it was only the 8^th station, and the next hut was about 30minutes away andit  looked soo far away, and the hut only cost 3000yen for a night, I just thought, ‘you know what, I don’t have to go all the way up there’. And so I slept for about 45mins until sunrise. When I woke up, I’ve never felt better in my life because my headache was gone (though of course it promptly came back when I went out into the cold to see the sunrise).

 

I went back to sleep some more and then made my way back down with Kriss, Keila and Zac (I thought he would have made it to the top because he comes from Canada). While going down is a lot faster than going up, arrgh, it’s still another 4 hours at least. But I took a short cut back and paid a ridiculous price to ride a horse to the 5th station from somewhere between the 7^th and 6^th station. (I rode with Keila because her knee was giving her trouble.)

 

A notable mention: We met this American (?) who was in his late 50s who started from the FIRST station. He had come with his brother and 2 nephews and his brother went ‘you don’t want to cheat the mountain’. They took 8.5 hours just to make it to the 5^th station. And he was the only one to make it to the top. Sugoi. 

 

So, of the 17 that went and 14 who attempted the mountain, only 8 made it all the way to the top. I am so NEVER trying that again. There’s an old Japanese saying, ‘You are wise to climb Fuji once and a fool to climb it twice’. .   

 

(Though I didn’t make it to the top, so maybe after enough time has passed, I might be stupid enough to try it again.)

Okay, I know I haven't done much updating... but be patient, my internet is coming tomorrow! 

I hereby solemnly promise to try my utmost to update more often and upload more photos (keyword: try). 

I might go back to update previous entries with photos so that will be post-dated.  This means you might have to go back and look through them again - in that case, I'll probably post an entry about the updates and link it back (provided I learn how to do that).

But that's not the point of this post.  I just HAVE to tell everyone this:  I AM GOING TO WATCH GACKT LIVE IN CONCERT ON 6 JAN 2009!

*bows at the feet of  gacktisgod  *

Now I have to figure out how to get tickets to Johnny's New Year Countdown concert!  Daryle says he (and probably Andrew) would be interested (now that would be REALLY fun) and of course, not forgetting, dear Diana. 

YAY!!!

[Writer’s note: This has been post-dated.  120808]

 

Woke up and was unsure if I should go to Shisui first or head off to Daryle’s (where Emma is staying) since I’m going to send her off at the airport.  A quick call to Aoki-sensei cleared things up. 

 

At the airport, we met Brandon (leaving ALT from Ushiku) and Yohei (Emma and Brandon’s friend).  Interestingly, Yohei said he was in Singapore for a training camp with Albirex Niigata (cool!) a few years back. 

 

A few other teachers joined us later and we went to a food court to have some drinks.  Since time was running out, Emma went to Softbank to settle some payment first and Yohei went with her (just in case some translation was needed).  When they left, IMMEDIATELY, one of the teachers turned to Aoki-sensei and said something.  Lol  You could just guess what she was asking!  There are some things that are just international.  Haha

 

Emma went in at about 12.50pm  and her flight was 1.10pm.  Yeah, that was cutting it close.  There were some red eyes; I can’t imagine how I would feel when it’s my time to go back as well…

 

Aoki-sensei gave Brandon, Yohei and me a lift back to Fujishiro and we had lunch together.  I was asked to choose a place and so I said Saizerya.  It was either that or MacDonald’s or Hanaya Yohei.  But I don’t think that the rest liked it all that much.  (Sorry!  But you did ask me to choose, so…)  I actually like Saizerya.  Haha  Aoki-sensei met some of her homeroom students there and in the smoking section no less…  I guess the place is cheap so a lot of students eat there.

 

Aoki-sensei sent me back to my apartment and she called the gas company.  She had already left when he came so I had to figure it out by myself.  And I did!  Yay!

 

Aoki-sensei had actually invited me to her place for dinner but I had to turn her down again!  Brandon had already mentioned about going to dinner together with Daryle (who just came back from US) and Brandon’s successor, Christopher from UK.  Gomen!

 

And so we had dinner at Hanaya Yohei.  To be honest, I don’t mind the food but I want to try something else…

 

I went home and ironed my laundry.  Gosh, I’m starting to miss the comforts of home sorely…

 

Slept pretty early at 11.30am.

Woke up and rolled in bed until 11am.  Decided to stone in front of the TV watching some Olympics (swimming!  I saw Kitajima-san win the 100m freestyle.).  Also finished reading the rest of the Ibaraki Orientation Handbook 2008.

 

Decided to get around to the washing my laundry at 12pm.  Now that wasn’t so bad!  Haha  And the clothes dried pretty fast too, despite there not being much sun.

 

Bathed and decided to cancel my little adventure of cycling to Shisui and back in favour of a tame walk because it looked like it was going to rain.  I went around to 7-11 and then to Kasumi to buy some food (I think most of my money will go there). 

 

Had lunch while watching Heroes Season 2 Episode 5.  And then the highlight of my day: I went cycling!

 

Now, I’m not very good at cycling.  The last time I did any cycling was almost a decade back.  But I guess what they say about cycling is true: once you learn it, you never forget it.  I’m a little shaky but the roads were pretty empty.  I decided to cycle along the river bank where Emma and I walked the other day.  Beautiful.  And there were a few people (most the elderly) jogging or walking their dogs.  I even saw 2 men in a small boat fishing!

 

I used to think Mira was crazy for going jogging from International Plaza all the way to Clarke Quay but I think I can understand it now.  (And also why her social calendar is always packed.)  When you are living alone, you have so much more time on your hands.  Haha 

 

I’m thinking I need to get an exercise plan together.  I better lose some weight and get toned while I’m here.

 

I need to get to get my keitai and internet set up SOON.  I so need to get connected with the world. 

 

Random comment: I’m now watching this random Japanese programme and they are currently featuring a big ugly mutant looking fish…

 

[Writer’s note:  This has been post-dated.  I’m watching Judo on Olmpics now…  100808]

 

Happy Birthday Singapore!  Had planned to do laundry today received an sms from Emma asking if I wanted to meet for lunch at 1pm. 

 

We went to Hanaya Yohei again and had a 2 hour lunch.  She pointed out the neighbourhood on the maps she prepared for me.  Wow.  I wonder how long she took to explore the area.  I think I’m really lucky to have such a good predecessor.  Her pred didn’t leave anything for her.  I know for a fact that his pred left quite a lot of information for him and he didn’t pass on the favour.  What a jerk.

 

(Side note:  Wai!  Just watched a commercial that had your Yutaka in it.  It was for MSIG – Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group.)

 

Next, she showed me around Ryugasaki and where my 2 schools were.  The town/city also had a man-made hill and we climbed up to it.  It was a pretty nice view from the top and you could see the big Buddha statue in Ushiku.

 

There was this pyramid-like wooden structure where we saw a few kids playing there.  So we did what any young person with time on their hands would do – join in the fun!  Haha  Emma commented that the structure would never have been approved in UK for safety reasons.  I concur.  In climbing to the top, I kind of got stuck.  Seriously.  It was really kind of dangerous for kids, IMO.  There were 4 girls holding some secret meeting at the top and they were kind of amused at the 2 oversized clumpsy gaijins attempting to join them. 

 

Then she sent me back and arranged to meet about 30 mins later.  And I decided to try the bike out for a while in preparation for my planned adventure the next day.

 

So, my supervisor had invited Emma and me to her place to watch fireworks (there was some summer festival going on at Toride).  Emma turned her down because it was the last chance for her to meet Brita, a CIR from Moriya, before she went back.  They were going to watch the fireworks at the festival itself and she invited me along.  After much deliberation, I decided to join her; I felt so bad turning Aoki-sensei down…

 

Along the way to Fujishiro station, we saw a lot of people who had the same plan as us.  We met 2 Ryugaski 1 students.  And they immediately rushed off somewhere after answering a call.  Questions of what they were doing in this town were answered when one of them reappeared with a girl.  Haha  Though he vehemently claimed ‘deeto jya nai’ and that they were meeting up with other friends later.  Yeah, right.

 

And we saw a really hot guy at the station wearing a yukata.  Emma joked that his yukata (white with small black prints) seemed transparent and if it should rain… lol  He was really dark (must be an outdoors person because his feet were white), and had a strong jawbone.  I was wondering if he had a bit of Brazilian blood in him. 

 

Emma and I both thought this was just some small local festival.  And we were beginning to realize that perhaps it wasn’t so small after all because the train was packed!  And all the guys were taking advantage to hold their girlfriends really close to them.  Haha  Emma said she never saw so many young people in Toride before.  They were all coming out of the woodwork! 

 

It was SO crowded at the river bank!  We worked our way through the throng of people and spotted an empty patch though the area had already been ‘chopped’ by somebody.  But we just decided to ask and the neighbouring family offered half of their space to us.  And before we knew it, they also gave us 3 onigiri and some kaarage.  In turn, we gave them a box of edamame.  Another family gave us some cucumbers soaked in sake.  All in all, we had a good meal and we only spent 100 yen each!

 

The fireworks were really great!  Trust the Japanese to take everything to an artform.  It was really impressive.  The colours were amazing!  And they had all kinds: heart-shaped ones, elliptical ones, wiggly ones etc.    Though we all commented it was funny they were playing J-pop in the background.  Aren’t fireworks shows normally synchronized to classical music?

 

(Wai!  I just saw a dorama preview that has Yutaka in it!  ‘Andonatsu’ – I think it’s a hospital drama…)

 

After the show, as it was a Saturday night and we didn’t want to squeeze on the trains with everybody else, we decided to go to an isakaya first where we just talked for around 2 hours before heading home.

 

It really was a typical Japanese festival and I never thought I would get to experience one so fast.  People were dressed up in colourful yukatas and it seemed everybody from the neighbouring towns all turned up for it.  And the weather was just nice, not scorching hot like the day before.  It was even on the slightly chilly side, which was why I decided not to bathe that night.  Haha

 

Instead of bathing, I ended up watching Olmpics (volleyball) while going through the keitai brochures and slept at 2.30am.

 

 

 

[Writer’s note: This has been post-dated.  I’m still watching the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony – 080808]

I got to the airport at around 7.30am.  Went to check in and take attendance with Yui from the travel agency.  Then the Taiwan gang plus Gin arrived.  We headed to Macdonald’s for breakfast (after a short detour which involved us taking the lift to the wrong floor where we met Akemi and Rie who just came).  Ah Gu (my aunt) joined us later.

 

And then I got chased into the departure hall by my family.  Aud and Gin gave me something and now I was really worried about space.  As it is, I had to stretch my carry-on to the limits to fit the present, how about the extra materials I would get at the orientation?

 

I opened the present before I got on to the plane.  The present must have been Aud’s idea, that’s all I will say.  That woman ah…  And I was busy sms-ing everybody all the way up until I got on the plane.

 

Food selection on the plane was International or Japanese.  I chose Japanese because the other was beef.  Once again, there was just too much food.  And sadly, it wasn’t fantastic.  Entertainment wise, I watched Vantage Point (interesting), Cool Runnings (yes, again) and What Happens in Vegas (not bad). 

 

And then it hit me.  I was going to be in a foreign country, all by myself, for ONE ENTIRE YEAR.  In the run up to my departure, I was so busy meeting friends and settling stuff, I didn’t have time to be worried or sad or homesick.  Since my last day at work (exactly one month ago), other than the first week during which I just rested at home and slept from 4am to 1pm, I literally went out EVERY SINGLE DAY.  For just about the whole day.  And now, just when I’m about to reach Japan, I go ‘shit.  NOW I miss home’. 

 

----------------------------

 

Japan – the land of the rising sun which makes for a very hot and humid summer.  No amount of warning by everybody can prepare you for it.  IT IS HOT.  (By the way, their luggage trolleys are SUGOI.  Do you know you can use it on the escalators – up AND down?)

 

It’s 7 plus by the time we get on the bus.  And turns out I didn’t have to worry about riding with my heavy carry-on on my lap; there was enough that I had 2 seats to myself.

 

I bought my first can drink: Lemonea by Yakult!  It has catnip in it!  Seriously.  Only in Japan.  I was so stoned (from tiredness; I don’t think there was that much catnip in the drink) on the bus that I was looking at the Tokyo Tower for like 10 seconds before I realised what I was looking at.  Then subsequently, I whipped out my digicam.  Haha

 

Finally, we arrived at the hotel and I lugged my stuff up to the room at Keio Plaza Hotel – 2714.  ‘Wow’ was my first reaction.  Hands down the nicest hotel room I’ve seen.  I think they must have given us a suite because it was HUGE. 

 

I went down shortly after to meet with some of the Singaporeans to get dinner.  We popped by Yodobashi first because somebody wanted to buy a digital camera; and I had to get a SD card reader (forgot to pack it).  The range in Japan is just ridiculously mind-boggling.  Pink, blue, green, silver, black, white, bronze etc.  You name it, they have it.  My digicam is 4 mega pixels; the average is now 10 mega pixels.  The wonders of technology.  (Though the person was complaining it was MIC – Made in China.)

 

We had dinner at this place called Beef Bawl (seriously) and I had oyako-don.  A guy walked in who was totally butch.  He looked like a girl who looked like a guy.  Average height, slim build, wearing a purple shirt, with short, blond curls (as in a perm), and finely plucked eyebrows. 

 

I made an observation that the young men in Shibuya ranged between 2 extremes.  On one end, you had the otakus – the bespectacled nerdy looking geek in a white checkered shirt; and on the other end, you had the bishonens – the metrosexual who knows how to dress up in white shirt, black vest, jeans with a dandy hat.

 

I got back to the room just a few minutes after my room-mate, Kathy.  We had to take turns to use the internet because there was only 1 outlet and cable.  I went to ask the concierge and they offered to send up a hub but it wouldn’t work.  Listening to Kathy and her boyfriend talk to each other on Skype… the two of them are so sweet.  Slept at about 1 plus that night.

 

Just want to say thanks to Aud, Wai, Steven, Beng, Gin, Akemi + Rie, Ah Gu and my family for sending me off.  Thanks Aud and Gin for the present.  Haha

 

[Writer’s note: This has been post-dated.  I’m watching the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony as I write this.  Trust China and Zhang Yimou to put up an impressive show.  – 080808]

 

Woke up in the late morning/early afternoon.  Took my time reading the newspapers and then FINALLY got around to packing.

 

You have no idea how much of a headache that was.  I honestly thought I could squeeze everything into my big luggage. Obviously, I thought wrong.  Either I underestimated the amount of clothes and omiyage or overestimated my luggage space.  In my defense, my big luggage wasn’t really very big.  It was about the same size as the one I brought to my 6D5N trip to Taiwan.  Mind you, I’m packing for 1 year!

 

My father asked me if I wanted to bring his carry-on luggage which he just bought when he came back from India.  I guess that with a carry-on, I would probably have had enough space for everything but the GIH (General Information Handbook) and the people from Japanese Embassy made it very clear that we could only bring 1 piece of luggage on the bus to Keio Plaza Hotel.  Anything else either gets sent to your CO (Contracting Organisation) or it goes on your lap in the bus.  Since I don’t fancy putting a carry-on luggage on my lap for 2 hours, and I didn’t want to have to repack my clothes and separate my stuff, I was in a fix.

 

Okay, fine.  I’m lazy. 

 

Anyway, my mother got out a carry-on bag instead and I managed to stuff everything in.  More or less.

 

Then it was time to change to go out.  We went to Dai Gu Por’s (my first grandaunt on my paternal grandfather’s side) new condominium for house-warming cum birthday celebration. 

 

And then back home to walk the dogs for one last time.  And more packing.  Haha  Just needed to squeeze in all those miscellaneous small stuff.

 

Oh, and I just want to thank Angelin and Meiyu for calling up to say ‘bye’.  ^__^

 

I think I got to sleep at about 12 plus.

 

Li Yan, Liyan, liyan ...
Li Yan is my first name as stated on my birth certificate.  Yes, that's 2 words, with a capital L and Y.  That's what I usually go by, and what I like.  And no, I don't need an 'English' name.  Unfortunately, somebody commented that when I sign off as Li Yan, it gives the impression that I'm from PRC.  *grrr*  So.  Liyan is fine by me too.   

LY
I started using this very often from my time at the House of Coco.  They used 2-letter initials for everybody.  It made things a lot simpler and it has since become a habit.  Better than being mistaken for a PRC...

Velvet
Margravine Liselle of Drasnia, The Huntress.
If you know who I'm referring to, do leave a comment.  ^__^  I love Silk.
Remember ICQ?  I was looking for a nickname but my sister beat me to Liselle.  I let her have it since that was quite close to her real name.  So I went with Velvet.

van_ashke
Vanyel Ashkevron, The Last Herald-Mage, Demonsbane, Shadowstalker.
Again, if you know who I'm referring to, please leave a comment.  ^___^
I was signing up for a hotmail account and after countless permutations,  van_ashke35 was the only one I could come up with that wasn't already taken!!  And mind you, this was eons ago!

35
All through Primary and Secondary school (and if I recall correctly, Junior College too!), my class register number was No. 3.  Except for Primary 1 and 2, when I was No. 5 because they were using names in hanyu pinyin.  What are the odds?!  

... That which we call a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet ...

Yes, I've finally succumbed.  After years of steadfast (or stubborn as  

winteresswould say) refusal to join the blogging bandwagon, I have admitted defeat.  


Why have I till now, refused to share with everybody in the whole wide world (or at least anybody with internet access) intimate and private details of my life?  (Not that I presume that I would have a large audience awaiting my entries with baited breath.)  It is because I WOULD be tempted to share intimate and private details of my life.  And me being the perfectionist I am when it comes to writing, I would take forever to pen an entry.  Which would discourage me from attempting to write an entry.  And then, cue the guilt for not updating.


And so why have I decided to start an LJ?  I've been no stranger to LJ.  I've been a major lurker at a few and I've been using a ghost LJ to view a few Friends Only LJ (thanks winteress).  However, I will be starting an exciting adventure.  

*sidetrack* I think practically everybody knows already, but just for the record:  I will be going to Japan fas an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) under the JET Programme (http://www.jetprogramme.org/).  

And to circumvent the flood of questions like 'How are you doing?' 'How's Japan?' etc. I have been advised to create a blog.  So my answer can simply be 'Please refer to my LJ.'


I've always wondered if I did have a blog, how would my writing style be like.  Would it be very informal?  (I have a physical journal and that's in a VERY casual manner.)  Would it be very local (i.e. Singlish everywhere) - but that may be a problem for non Singaporean readers?  Well, it seems I've decided on the 'Proper English' style.  


At any rate, it's been ages since I've written anything remotely resembling a composition/essay, so pardon me if this entry is not witty/dry/captivating/interesting/amusing (circle where applicable).  I shall endeavour to bring as much reading pleasure to those who take the time to read this.  (If only to repay those whose blogs I have received much reading pleasure from or to follow the example of those who set such high literary standards.)