The Bumblebee Page - A Christian's Walk in Gunma

Ignorance Expert Level

2008-09-25T20:21:00.004+09:00

This post continues from the post at the bottom =)

Alright, so, finally, we have the second culture shock's Final Boss.

Multiracial Malaysia

Picture adapted from http://scorpiocupoftea.blogspot.com/

Now, if you look in Wikipedia, it describes multiracial as "people whose ancestries come from different races". However, in Malaysia, the word 'multiracial' has a different meaning altogether. (Of course, we also have people whose ancestries come from different races. We call them mixed.) For Malaysia, when we say multiracial country, we refer to at least 100 ethnic and sub-ethnic groups which make up the country. Especially in my hometown Sarawak, there are about 40 sub-ethnic groups, mainly the Iban community which make up 30% of the population, not mentioning the various sub-communities/ethnics of the Chinese population.

For a Japanese, this is something absolutely unimaginable. Although there have been an increase in the number of immigrants, creating cities like Oota in Gunma where there are big communities of Brazilians, Koreans... However, most of them cluster in their own groups and do not mix with the Japanese.

Now, this was so in Malaysia too. However, now, the situation has changed so much. Of course, we have our share of conflicts, misunderstandings and prejudices. But at least we are more willing to communicate and share our differences and more free to express our individual thoughts than ever.

In Sarawak, there are more Muslim women who do not cover their heads in public than in Semenanjung. This included one of my friends. When my Japanese friends met with her, they didn't know she was Malay. Until I told them of course.. And they were like "oh, really? hmmm" with a big frown on their face. I think they were thinking, 'well, everybody is malaysian.. what about malay, or chinese?' In a Japanese' mindset, nationality is race. But for a Malaysian, nationality and race are totally different things.

Oh, one more thing. Malay = Muslim. I also forgot to explain this fact to them, which is something everyone knows and doesn't need to be explained in Malaysia. I only found out I forgot to explain it to them (because it's so normal to me I didn't even notice they didn't know) after talking to a Japanese cameraman in Sarawak.

What's worse, in their minds, they had an image that Muslims equal terrorists. Yes, we have our share of Jemaah Islamiah troubles and Muslim cults, but Malaysian Muslims, and many other country's Muslims, including Malaysian Muslims, American Muslims are moderate and irradical.

I think this is one cultural difference that a Japanese will have the hardest time understanding about Malaysia. This is also one of the things I love most about Malaysia. I believe this diversity has changed and made our food culture, language, and mindset so much more different and special than any other nation in the world.

Ignorance

2008-09-24T21:15:00.009+09:00

I know I'm kiasu, but more comments please! The world works like this : more demand <-> more production. =) but I guess I'm not in demand.. sighs.. >.<

Sorry.. One paragraph gone somewhere.. ^^;
Now, 2nd Japan-Malaysia Culture Shock : Ignorance. Now, I'm not generalising. Not all Japanese are ignorant. In fact, Japanese people are one of the most literate and learned people in the world, and read the most books and newspapers on average. So what do I mean by ignorance?

Let's start with Level 1: Beginner Yes, coconutWah, this is the first time i see Coconut Milk!

Malaysian: What? Coconut Milk?? HAR? What did you say?
Japanese: Coconut Milk lar.. You donno meh?? the one you put in dessert and it become very sweet 1 lor!
Malaysian: HAR? I know lar Coconut Milk. Where? I don't see any.
Japanese: Neh, Inside lar! You blind arH?
Malaysian: Walau. That is Coconut Juice lar. Adui!

This is how you make Coconut Milk (Santan)

And that's what Coconut Milk (Santan) looks like

Japanese: Walau.. You don't cheat me lar.. Coconut Milk come out from Coconut 1 ler.. and is Liquid 1. I know 1. Don't play play! ^^

Level 2 : Intermediate

Chilli

辛い.."Karai" What does this word mean? In my dictionary, it's translated as 'hot', 'spicy', 'peppery'.. But what does it really mean to a Japanese? Well, i imagine if you asked them, they would say 'curry?' or 'wasabi?'.. But for us, Hot and Spicy means so much more. Why do I prefer Malaysian food over Japanese food? One word : Spice. Give me one example of a Japanese food cooked with more than 5 spices and I'll admit defeat. But it's a fact : Japanese people just don't cook Spicy food.

Okay, that's all for tonight.. almost midnight.. will add Expert tmrw.. hehe

Made In Malaysia

2008-09-22T21:46:00.001+09:00

Yes, I'm stealing Super Blogger's Post Title.. So wat?? XD
well, unfortunately, the Japanese students in my college aren't as rich as Nagaoka College of Technology's students XD so only two of my friends followed me back to Malaysia for the summer holidays.
And I hope more would follow... with their Baito-dai lolz.. but the next time I'm not offering free accomodation ^^

Let's start with a little dessert..

That's us posing behind a feast of Bak Kut Teh if u don't notice =)
"Dessert?" u must be wondering.. well, u must first understand that there are NO, i repeat NO kopitiams or mamaks in Japan. If you ever got home-sick over something like that, u'll have to get by with Yoshinoya and Ramen-Ya's.

Culture Shock No.1 Food Culture
What is Japanese food? Ramen, Chinese noodles in miso soup, salted soup, soya sauce soup. well, in short, Chinese noodles in MSG soup XD wat else? tempura, fried.. err.. everything? try deep frying a capsicum soaked in flour.. that's tempura.. no, i'm not joking. ^^ sushi, i have nothing against sushi, thank you. i dont mind 3 meals all sushi.. no, i dont even mind the wasabi. hmm let's move to the south islands of japan.. takoyaki, baby octopuses inside this ball of flour.. yes, this is special, i admit.. and wat else? teppanyaki.. to be honest, i've never even seen that in Kantou.. and i really admire ppl who can still eat it after observing the amount of oil poured on the teppan and the vegetable being molested by all that oil on the teppan.. yes, it's that gross. then we have the monja-yaki and okonomiyaki.. oiiiiiiiii wat the heck is with all that yaki yaki?? FYI, yaki means fry in japanese.. u call that HEALTHY japanese food?? ^^; hmm i forgot.. there's also Japanese curry, first came in as English(UK) curry, which is sweet and fruity.. uhuh.. now i know why they have such weird tastebuds for curry ^^

Let me tell you a secret about why Japanese are so 'healthy' and slim compared to foreigners. It's not because their food is healthier, as the international Japanese food business claims, but because they eat one of the smallest portions of food compared to most countries..
Now, let's compare Malaysia and Japan.. Before I mention meal portions, first of all is the 'amount of meals', which I have added as a poll on my blog. In Malaysia, a lot of ppl have breakfast, coffee break, lunch, tea break, dinner, and supper. that's a total of 6 meals a day.. While in Japan, they dont even have a proper translation for supper or tea break, altho there is coffee break (a gairaigo however, which means foreign assimilated words).

Here's a little Malaysian supper.. This is a Roti Tisu.. no, i'm not kidding.. it's just too big to shape into a cone tower.. For those who do not know what a Roti Tisu is, let me give you a hint.. it's an indian dish.. but it's not available in India XD Please visit Malaysia for more info! lol

Now there are so many other differences in the food culture of Malaysia and Japan. Another of these examples is PIZZA. In Japan, the pizza crust is around 0.2 cms thick.. in Malaysia it's at least 1 cm thick. 1.5 to 2 cms for stuff-crusted, not to mention.

My Mum's Handmade Pizza (The Crust is bought at the Supermarket) =)

For those of you Malaysians who actually like Japanese Pizza or Japanese Italian food, just let me say this : What kind of pizza has more topping than flour?!?!? and more oil than pasta ^^;

One more thing I really can't accept about Japanese food is this:

This is Kangkung Fried Chinese Style.. now, if anyone, ANYONE has ever seen a japanese dish like this, please tell me. We eat this much vegetable at least every day (unless you don't eat at home) compared to Japanese, who maybe have a small bowl of cabbage salad (i love it actually) everyday, and some tsukemono (pickled vegetables) a day.. so tell me, which is healthier?

okay, I'll leave this much for you guys to think about for today.. Well, after the trip back to Malaysia with my friends, I've realized a lot of differences in Japanese and Malaysian cultures that I've not taken the time to notice before.. and I've also realized I'm MADE IN MALAYSIA XD

P.S. KFC Malaysia Ltd. RoCkS!!!

Sheesh!

2008-09-21T23:28:00.003+09:00

Darn I can't find the picture I wanted to upload on my new post.. sheesh the post is going to have to wait for tomorrow.. after i get the pics from my friend. but not many ppl will read my blog anyways.. haha.. just want to write it for no reason anyways ^^

oh ya, i would like to announce a very very very HAPPY news for the alumni of St Thom Form 5sc1 class of 2004
If you have not read this post , please do!
Congratulations to our dear ex-classmate, Gabriel for his relationship, and now a renewed single life! For more info, please contact him on your own. And Gab, an early thank you for the future treat XD

俺風焼きそば Fried Mee My Style

2008-09-21T15:38:00.002+09:00

Sorry for the longgggggggg blog holiday.. hehe.. to be honest, it's just not that fun blogging anymore.. maybe coz i dont get comments >.< Well, anyways, here's the appetizer for today! haha.. might update more later tonight.. anyways, let's see how good u are at guessing my recipe/diet XD the ingredients are at the bottom! ^^

1. Ibumi Mee Goreng

2. Chicken Floss (Bak Hu in Hokkien)

3. Sweet Corn (Jagung)

Hooked on it~

2008-05-27T18:13:00.004+09:00

I'm tottally hooked on this song now.. Love Chronicle from the anime Full Moon wo Sagashite (it's on my Jukebox if u didn't notice)

Original / Romaji Lyrics
naze darou koi no shikata sae sukkari wasureteta deai wa itsuka kuru wakare no hajimari to itsu no manika kimetsukete ita
yogoreta SUNIIKAA no hodoketa himo musunde kureta hanikamu anata no egao asahi o abite TOKIMEIta kyuu ni
aisareta ikara aishiti wake jyanai massugu aisuru yuuki o kureta ne
kore kara no tabi ni futari ima chikau yo nani ga atte mo kono te hanasanai zutto
fushigi da ne itsumo no keshiki mo tokubetsu ni miete kuru hana ya tori ya umikaze yama amai taiyou subete kagayaki yorisou naka
tokenai JIGUSOU no saigo no PIISU mitsuketa yo ooki na anata no senaka watashi mamorare tsuite yuku eien ni
ima made konna ni mawarimichi shita kedo massugu aisuru jishin o moteta ne
asu kara no yume ni futari ima mukau yo nani ga atte mo hitomi sorasanai
aisareta ikara aishitai wake jyanai massugu aisuru yuuki o kureta ne
asu kara no yume ni futari ima yukau yo nani ga atte mo hitomi sorasanai
aisareta ikara aishitai wake jyanai massugu aisuru yuuki o kureta ne
kore kara no tabi ni futari ima chikau yo nani ga atte mo kono te hanasanai zutto

English Translation

why? I've completely forgotten how to love
meetings will come someday with the beginning of parting
somehow, I have decided upon that idea

you tied my loose shoe laces of my dirty sneakers
your shy smile suddenly shone in the sunlight

it's not that I love for want of love
you gave me the courage to love straight-forward

the two swear to the journey from now
that no matter what occurs, the two hands will never part

it's weird, the everyday landscape begin to seem special
the flowers, birds, and sea the wind, mountains, sweet sun
when everything shines and cuddles together

I found the last piece to the unsolvable jigsaw puzzle
your broad back protects me and I'll continue to follow you
for eternity

until now, I've took the longer way around but
I'm finally able to love straight-forward

the two will head to the dream of tomorrow
no matter what occurs, the gaze won't be shifted

it's not that I love for want of love
you gave me the courage to love straight-forward

the two will head to the dream of tomorrow
no matter what occurs, the gaze won't be shifted

it's not that I love for want of love
you gave me the courage to love straight-forward

the two swear to the journey from now
that no matter what occurs, the two hands will never part

Source: Anime Lyrics dot Com

The music is nice and soothing, and the lyric is just lovely ^^
Well, my exam starts tmrw, and I'm sure a lot of others have their exams starting tmrw too, so, ganbarimashou! ^^

でたらめな春話　Random Spring Tales

2008-04-22T20:13:00.005+09:00

はい、はい、いつもブログ放置で（特にカルビちゃんに向けて）すみませんでした。。。
Yes, Yes, I'm sorry (especially to Calbi-chan) for leaving my blog unupdated...

Well, from now on, it will be a rare thing for me to update my blog.. unlike our Super Blogman (you-know-who)

Anyways, for today, we have the Random Strawberry Tale (でたらめなイチゴ話）
Yes, this is me with a (strawberry) vampire fang.. grrrr
Here's my detachable (strawberry) vampire fang.. Yes, i see u noticed those holes on the fangs.. those are actually pores that can suck in the blood on it and use it to immediately generate energy and vampire lore.. yes, it's that crazy =)

hmm.. i'm lazy to reveal any more of my vampire secrets now.. see u maybe during the next full moon

When The Cicadas Cry

2008-04-11T22:56:00.002+09:00

You think Ju-On was the scariest?
You think Death Note was the smartest?
Think again. Take the challenge, watch this when it premiers on May 10th.. and make ur best guess about what really happened XD

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (translated When the Cicadas Cry/When They Cry) is originally a doujin soft visual novel that was adapted into an anime and released in 2006. In addition to the original series, new arcs have been added and published in manga form and also adapted in the anime.With the announcement of the live-action movie adaptation of the first arc, onikakushi-hen, came the news that over 500,000 copies of the games have been sold.

and if u're interested, watch the anime too.. there are two seasons, each with 26 episodes.. it's really nice.. unlike any other anime u've ever seen.. You might have thought that animes are just like cartoons, but you'll have to think again after u watch this. There are ratings for Japanese animes, ranging from all ages to 12+, to 18+ animes.. higurashi is rated as 17+

Proficiency? 能力？

2008-02-12T23:12:00.000+09:00

Proficiency Test? What is that? Can eat ar?
能力試験？なにそれ？おいしいの？

Please start your ramblings. I have passed the Test with a score of 315/400.
さあ、騒いでおくれ！俺様は試験に　315点　で合格した。

I'm great ain't I? Ohohohoho~
すごいでしょう？（ぎりぎりだけど）すごいでしょう？おっほほほほ～

Lol.. Thanks for those who have been ~~cursing~~ praying for me.. ^^ Well, anyways, it's just a test anyways.. not a big deal.. to those who are taking the test this year, ganbatte~

ええええ～

2008-02-09T16:16:00.000+09:00

またみぞれだ。。俺、勉強しなきゃ。。なのに。。バンブーベレードの誘惑が。。たまちゃんたまらないす～
It's falling sleet again. And I have to study, but.. The temptation of Bamboo Blade... Just can't have enough of Tama-chan!

雪ですけど、何か？ Yes, it's snowing!

2008-02-03T15:51:00.000+09:00

朝3時にカーテンを閉めたまま寝ました。そして、朝9時ごろに先輩のメールに起こされました。雪が降ってるんだって。カーテンのため外はぜんぜん見えなくて、目もまだ重かった。カーテンをそっと開けて、「うそ！」とおもっちゃいました。
I slept with the curtain pulled over at 3 in the morning, and at 9, I was woken by the sms my senior sent me. He said it was snowing. I couldn't see anything outside because of the curtain, and my eyes were still heavy. I slowly drawed open the curtain and thought "No way!".

この前はあまり積もらなかったけど、今度はこんなに。。。。。　The last time it snowed, it didn't pile up much, but this time........
やっぱり雪は結構素敵ですね。特に最初に積もったときの感触。ふわふわした感触。＾＾　I guess snow is really quite cool. Especially when it just starts to pile up. The snow feels so soft and nice..
久しぶりにこの辺で雪が降っているからと思って、日本人の学生も子供のように外に出て雪合戦とやったりすると思ったけど、驚いたことに誰一人も出なかった。
I was thinking that because it has been quite a while since it snowed in this area (Maebashi n Takasaki), some of the Japanese students would come out like kids throwing snowballs at each other, but surprisingly, nobody came out.
こんなきれいな風景に囲まれているのに。。。まあ、試験もそろそろだから仕方ないか。多分僕ら中国系の留学生にとってはそろそろ旧正月だから、雪が降って嬉しかったのかもしれない。国に帰って祝えないから。何と寂しいお正月だ。しかも、今年試験の一日目が旧正月の一日目だ。
It's such a beautiful scenery, and yet.. Well, I guess I can't blame them because the exam is also coming up soon. Probably for us Chinese foreign students, we were happy it snowed because the Chinese New Year is coming soon too. It's going to be a lonely and homesickly new year.. Not to mention the first day exam will be the first day of CNY too..
留学生と一緒に高専の正門の近くで雪だるまを作った。ちょっと汚かったけど、ないよりはましだ。
Some of the foreign students made a snowman near the big gate of the college. A bit dirty, but better than nothing, huh?
群馬、上毛言われ、
馬見れず、洋服ばかり、
かかあ天下、つよき女、
雷など馬來に勝てず、
空っ風も雪も、
赤城じいは冷たい
田舎の風、都会の発展、
この地、気に入った。

A little poem for Gunma.. I doubt many people would understand though.. hehe.. If you can understand everything, I'll chia u KFC in Malaysia.. haha

テンプレート変更

2008-01-30T18:44:00.000+09:00

えっと、リサイズしましたが、今度は小さすぎ。。まあ、とりあえずこれでひと我慢ね。。試験が先だ。　＾＾

I've resized the picture for the top header, but this time it looks too small. Well anyways, just be patient with this for a while. I have to face my exams first. hehe..

To the Schoolchildren of Japan

2008-01-30T14:36:00.000+09:00

Einstein visited Japan in 1922. This message published in Mein Weltbild (My view of the world), Amsterdam: Querido Verlag, 1934.

In sending this greeting to you Japanese schoolchildren, I can lay claim to a special right to do so. For I have myself visited your beautiful country, seen its cities and houses, its mountains and woods, and the Japanese boys who had learned to love their country for its beauty. A big fat book full of colored drawings by Japanese children lies always on my table.

If you get my message of greeting from all this distance, remember that ours is the first age in history to bring about friendly and understanding intercourse between people of different nationalities; in former times nations passed their lives in mutual ignorance, and in fact in hatred and fear of one another. May the spirit of brotherly understanding gain more and more ground among them. With this in mind I, an old man, greet you Japanese schoolchildren from afar and hope that your generation may some day put mine to shame.

Adapted from Ideas and Opinions published by Three Rivers Press, New York

読めますか？要するに、これはアインシュタインの当時の日本の学生たちに対するメッセージでした。

ここで和訳しましょう。アインシュタインは1922年に日本を訪れました。このメッセージは「私の世界に対する観念」に出版されました。

　　日本の学生のあなた達にこの挨拶を送るには、私はその特権を持っている。なぜかといえば、私自身があなた達の美しい国を訪れて、その都市と住宅や山々と森林、そしてその美しい国を愛する日本の少年達を見てきたからである。私の机の上には日本の子供達が書いた色のついた絵で満ちた大きくて厚い本がいつも置いてある。
　　こんな離れた距離から私の挨拶が届いたら、覚えなさい、我々の時代は史上で最初にいろいろな国の人々の間に友情と合意の交流をもたらしたことを；　昔は国々は相互的な無知を過ごしてきた、実にお互いに憎しみかあるいは恐怖を抱えてきた。兄弟にふさわしい合意の魂が国々の間にもっともっと強くなるように。これを考えて、年をとった私は日本の学生達のあなたをこの離れた地から挨拶を申し上げ、あなた達の世代がいつか我々のに恥をかかせるのを期待する。

今更だけど、ちゃんと届きましたね？まあ、対象がちょっと外れてるけど、とても意味深い言葉だと思う。友達の Ah Yuan の最近の記事を読んだら、ちょっと切ないね。確かに日本は今日いろんな分野においてヨーロッパより優れているといえるのだが、若者の間ではその知性や技術に対する情熱はだんだんなくなっているように思える。僕は日本の若者達にその情熱を再び見つけてほしいと思う。知識と教育は政治や経済のようなつまらないものに拘束されてはならない。

ちょっと話題が変わりますが、原子爆弾を発明したのがアインシュタインだと思って恨んでいる人もいるかもしれないが、アインシュタインは戦争をとても憎んで、当時軍縮交渉にも活躍した平和な方だと言われている。当時のナチのドイツを圧迫するためアメリカにナチより早く原子爆弾を開発するように勧めたが、戦争には強く反対した。

How Sweet?　甘さの程度

2008-01-28T06:14:00.000+09:00

Last night on msn, I conducted an experiment/survey which was quite successful. I have found out that it is possible to find out the type of person we like/are keen to fall in love to through a very small piece of information.
昨夜たまたま友達とチャットしたら、ちょっとした実験・調査を実行してある程度成功しました。僕は人の好きなタイプや恋に落ちやすいタイプを知るにはひとつのちっちゃい情報だけで十分だということに気づきました。

And what could that information be?
その情報というのは何でしょう？
It is the type of sweet stuff that you like best (for example, chocolates or fruits)
それは一番好きな甘い食べ物です　（たとえば、チョコレートとか果物）

Let me give you some examples. 例を告げよう。
Let's say you like papaya, パパイヤが好きだとする、
What type of person would you probably like?
Most probably a girl who is not that talkative and open to ppl, but at the core, she is very bright and energetic.
あなたはどんな人が好きだろう？
たぶんあんまり話さないで、人の前には素直になれないが、実はとても明るくて、元気いっぱいの女性。

Okay, what if I like strawberries?
じゃあ、イチゴが好きだったら？
Then you might prefer girls who are sweet and romantic and popular. However, as they say, a woman's heart changes as easy as the seasons, so always be careful when the fruit turns sour.
じゃあ、あなたはおそらく甘くて、ロマンチックで、人気のある女性を好むだろう。でも、イチゴも旬があるように、女心は秋の空と言われているから、くれぐれも気をつけなさい。

Then, what about chocolates?
それでは、チョコレートは？
Well, I like dark chocolates, and it can be deduced that I prefer girls who are bittersweet and mysterious.
まあ、僕はダークチョコレートが好きだから、苦くて甘い謎のある女性が好みだと推定できます。

What about milk chocolates?
ミルクチョコレートは？
You might like girls who are very sweet or cute and love to be pampered.
あなたはとても甘いかとてもかわいくて甘えがちの女性が好きだろう。

For the last example is our great Master's (PPKTJ 05/06 batch sifu) answer to the question "What type of sweet stuff do you like?"
最後には私の大師匠の「君はどんな甘いものが好き？」という質問に対する答えです。
Yes, his answer was DURIAN! ^^
そう、あの方の答えは正にドリアンでした！
And the first thing that came to my mind was......"u like girls who might not have a good appearance but are sweet.. and u might also like girls who are hard to approach or hard to get"
そして、僕の頭に最初に思い浮かべたのは　「君はおそらく外面はあまりきれいではないが、甘い性格を持っていて、ちょっと近づけにくいとか相手にされにくい女が好きだろう。」

These are only my own guesses, so please don't mind if it hurt your feelings. If it did, I apologize in advance here. And you might have noticed that it was all "the girl you like". It is usually hard for girls to decide the type of sweet stuff they like the best, so the results are not as accurate. Well, this also proves that a girl's heart is really like the seasons. If you would like to know your own "Sweetness Level", please do leave a comment and I will answer you as soon as possible.

これらはあくまでも僕自身の推測だから、傷つけたりするつもりはありません。気に障ったのなら、ここで先にお謝りします。それと、すべての調査では「好きな女性」ばかり書いてありましたが、気づいてもらいましたか？そうですね、女性には一番好きな甘いものが何かと問われたら、なかなか決められないから、結果は割りと当てになりません。まあ、これも「女心は秋の空」ってやつでしょうね。自分の「甘さの程度」を知りたかったら、ぜひ遠慮なくコメントを残してください。早いうちにお問いしますので。

炒飯物語 Fried Rice Story

2008-01-26T13:59:00.000+09:00

昨日の晩御飯でした。炒飯です。なぜか橙色ばかり。This was last night's dinner. Fried Rice. Somehow it was very orange. ^^

今からジョー特性炒飯の作り方を教えます。I am going to teach you how to make the Jo Special Fried Rice now.

まずは色んな材料を用意します。お米はもちろん、たまごちゃん一個、炒飯の素、コショウが基本。そして、おかずとしては三つぐらいの肉類や野菜。僕の場合はにんじん、きのこ、と鶏肉。基本的には自分が好きなものをいっぱい入れてください。
First of all, prepare all kinds of ingredients.. Of course you'll need rice, an egg, essence of fried rice (^^;), and pepper. And for the side ingredients, have about 3 types of vegetable and meat. For me, I got carrots, mushrooms and chicken meat. Basically, just put in lots of anything it is that you like.
[質問：炒飯の素がなかったらどうする？　自分の素を作る。基本はコショウたっぷり、塩を少し、と砂糖少し水で薄めたしょうゆにいれて、素の代わりに入れます。ふりかけでもいいけど。。
おかずがなかったら？　たまごちゃんの数を増やします。
Question: If I don't have any fried rice essence? Make your own. The basic is lots of pepper, a bit of salt, a titbit of sugar melted in some soy sauce lightened with water.
If I don't have side ingredients? Add more eggs.]

次はご飯を炊きます。（ご飯の炊き方分からないとか言うな）　ご飯が出来上がるまでにおかずを軽く炒めます。油はできるだけ控えめにしてください（僕の場合は油を入れすぎて、それが大失敗）。調味料は特に要りません。おかずのそのままの味でいいです。
Next, cook the rice (Don't tell me you can't cook rice). While waiting for the rice to be done, stir-fry the side ingredients. Try to use as little oil as possible (I put too much oil, and that was my big failure). It is not a must to add any seasonings. It is okay to go with the natural taste of the side ingredients.
[質問：ご飯の炊き方本当に分からなかったら？　冷凍のご飯でも買ってください。
油を入れすぎたり、おかずを炒めすぎたりしたら？　捨てます。大事なおなかを壊すな。
Question: What if I really don't know how to cook rice? Buy some frozen ready-made rice.
If I put too much oil, or overcook the side ingredients? Throw it away. Don't destroy your stomach.]

出来上がったおかずは別のお皿に置いといて、ちょっと多めの油（ご飯がフライパンにくつかないように）をフライパンの上で温めて、中火で溶きたまごを炒める。たまごがちょっと出来上がったら、ご飯を入れて、どんどんかき混ぜる。それから、おかずを入れて、ちょっとかき混ぜたら、炒飯の素とコショウをふりかけます。ご飯に焼き目がついたら、炒めすぎ。うすい茶色の炒飯でいい。
When the side ingredients are done, put it in another plate and pour quite a big size of oil onto the frypan (so that your rice does not stick), heat it up and fry the stirred egg under medium fire. When the egg is half done, put in your rice and stir it hard. After that, put in your side ingredients and after stirring it a bit, pour in the fried rice essence and pepper. If your rice turns dark brown, you have burnt it. A light brown fried rice is good enough.
[質問：　ご飯を置きっぱなしにして、悪くなっちゃたりしたら？　まだ食べれる状態なら、そのまま炒めます。熱を加えると菌はだいたい死にますから。
コショウが嫌だったら？　唐辛子でも何か辛い調味料でいい。
わさびでいいの？　あほか？
辛いものが嫌だったら？　じゃあ、コショウと一緒に塩をいっぱ～い入れてください。塩で味覚が乱れたら辛くなくなります。
Questions: If I left the rice and it turned bad? If it is still edible, fry it as it is. The bacterias will die when you add heat.
If I hate pepper? Red pepper (tongarashi) or anything spicy would be okay.
Will wasabi do? Arse..
If I don't like spicy? Then, along with the pepper, add lo~ts of salt. When your taste buds are spoiled, it won't be spicy anymore. ^^]

さて、召し上がり！いただきます！Let's eat!

White Rain

2008-01-23T15:34:00.000+09:00

What do ya know? It has been raining snow since this morning till now. But it's not piling up that much. Not as much as in Nagaoka at least. heh. I didn't look at the weather forecast for today, so when I saw that it was falling white rain, I was a bit surprised.. and it's sooo cold today.. >.<

Mixi Tag (Calbi, Chan, Sim, Ming Rong, 生方)

2008-01-21T21:39:00.000+09:00

Sigh... lazy to translate.. ^^;

【ルール】
タイトルに次にこのバトンを回す、恋愛観を知りたい5人の名前を書いてびっくりさせましよう。
[Rule]
Pass this baton on the title. Write down the name of 5 people whose views on love you would like to know and surprise them.

1.外見でタイプを教えて下さい。 Tell us the type you like in matters of outer appearance.
一般に言えばかわいいのが好きだね。服装はあまりにもセクシなのは嫌。そう、淑やかな女がいいね。
Generally, I like cute girls.. I don't like girls who like to wear very sexy clothes. A modest girl is best, I guess.

2.内面でタイプを教えて下さい。　Tell us the type you like in matters of character and personality
えっと、やっぱりかわいいのが。。＾＾　うん、しっかりしている人もいいんだけど、自分でいられる人がいいかな。恋愛には誠実が基本だから。そうだね、内面についてもあまり厳密に考えられないなあ。やはり人は時の流れとともに変わるもんだから、重要なのは自分でいられて、自分自身をしっかり分かっていて認識し、そしてそれをいつでも放さない人。
Umm, I guess I just love cute girls.. hehe.. Well, I do like girls who've got their act together, but I guess I like girls who can be themselves. Honesty is the basic of love anyways. Actually I can't really think of the character or personality I like in depth because people change with time, it's a given. So, the most important thing, I guess is a girl who can be herself, understands and acknowledges herself and doesn't let go of it no matter what happens.

3.恋愛対象はいくつから?? Within what age range do you search for a lover?
+-3歳ぐらいかな。まあ、一般には年下がいい。
3 years older or younger. But generally younger ones.

4.無口な人と喋る人どっちがィィ?? Do you like a silent or talkative lover?
自分は無口だから喋るひとがいいけど、喋りすぎだとついていけないし、喋れても無口でもいられる人が理想。
I'm a silent person, so a talkative person would be good, but if she talks too much, I won't be able to follow up. I guess a girl who can be talkative but can also stay silent at times would be ideal.

5.異性のどんなところに弱い?? Which part of the opposite sex are you weak(most attracted) to?
僕は髪がきれいな女性に弱いね。そして、かわいいのもすぐ好きになっちゃう。もうだめだ。＾＾；
I'm weak to girls with pretty hair.. And I tend to like cute girls immediately.. hehe.. I'm so dead..

6.異性にされて、もしくは言われて嫌なコトは?? What do you dislike being done upon you, or said to you by the opposite sex?
うん、実は自分はしっかりしてないから、悪く言われても仕方ない気がするけど。。まあ、自分が無視されるのが一番嫌なのかもしれない。
Hmm, well, honestly speaking, I'm not a person who's got his act together, so I feel that there's not much I can do even if someone says something bad about me. But I suppose I hate being ignored the most.

7.好きな人が出来るとどんな行動にでる?? When you like someone, what type of action or behaviour do you take upon?
まず、仲良くします。相手のことを友達や相手自身から調べる。それから、普通は目が相手から離れなくなったりする。
First of all, be good to her. Then, find out about her from her friends and she herself. And usually I just can't get my eyes of the girl I like. heh..

8.積極的ですか??消極的ですか?? Are you an active or passive lover?
ある程度は積極ですが、前の彼女には告られちゃったね。僕は積極的になると、断られちゃうことが多い。＞。＜でも、恋人になると恥ずかしいがりで消極的になっちゃう。それは直さなきゃだね。
I'm quite active, but I was confessed to by both my ex-girlfriends. When I become active and confess, I'm usually refused. hehe. But after becoming couples, I kinda turn passive. I'll have to fix that..

9.告白はしたい方??されたい方?? Are you the type who prefers to confess or to be confessed?
うん、8番を見ると、したいしされたい方なのかもしれない。でも、最近女性にはあまり気づかれないようだから、どんどん告白しちゃうのよね。
Hmm.. judging from the answer for q. 8, I guess I like to confess as well as be confessed. But nowadays I'm not really noticed by girls so I confess a lot.

10.このバトンを回す恋愛観を知りたい5人の恋愛におけるイメージは?? What image do you have of the five person whose views on love you would like to know, whom you will pass this baton?
Calbi-chan : Lover Boy =)
Chan : Gay.. gay.. bi.. gay.. heh.. interesting person.
Sim : うん、体はちさいけど活発で元気な人。A person with a small body but very active.
Ming Rong : Lover Boy number 2. Sometimes brave but most of the times not. But I think he's gotten mature after a year in Japan. Congrats, man!
生方: If anyone(excluding Japanese) can read this name, I chia u eat sushi at Ueno(or yakiniku at shinjuku). hehe. A bit quiet and mysterious, but very kind girl. ちょっと無口で謎だが、やさしい女子。

俺色スカイ (Me-coloured sky)

2008-01-17T23:42:00.000+09:00

(It is recommended to play the 6th song on the jukebox on the right when reading this)

Most contemporary songs nowadays are usually about love or life. How many times have you heard songs dedicated to the stars? FYI, "twinkle, twinkle little star" is not considered a contemporary song.

This is another of Radwimps' song. I just love the lyrics written by the lead singer! This time, I will type the Roman characters under the Japanese characters, and the English translation will be at the bottom.

こんなに晴れた空もいつか必ず　この世界の悲しさにもう耐えられず
Konna ni hareta sora mo itsuka kanarazu Kono sekai no kanashisa ni mou taerarezu
身を焦がし　夕焼けと化し　それ見上げ涙流し
Mi wo kogashi Yuuyake to kashi Sore miage namida nagashi
俺は思い出す　あの人思い出す
Ore wa omoidasu Ano hito omoidasu

この空は今日も俺を見つめてた　言葉よりデカイ何かで俺を慰めてた
Kono sora wa kyou mo ore wo mitsumeteta Kotoba yori dekai nani ka de ore wo nagusameteta
悲しい人が多ければ多いほど　その日は美しい夕焼けが燃えていた
Kanashii hito ga ookereba ooi hodo Sono hi wa utsukushii yuuyake ga moeteita

だからね　一人夕焼けにね
Dakarane hitori yuuyake ni ne
「お前キレイだなぁ」って　言ってみたりすると
"Omae kirei da naa" tte itte mitari suru to
どこかで胸がぎゅっとなって泣けたりするの
Dokokade mune ga gyuu tto natte naketari suru no

PLEASE,PLEASE BE WITH ME FOREVER
俺が明日なんか来るなよと願っても　嫌がっても
Ore ga ashita nanka kuruna yo to negattemo iyagattemo
SHINE,SHINE FOR ME PLEASE WILL YOU?
あいも変わらずに朝日を照らしてよ　明日を呼んでよ
Ai mo kawarazu ni asahi wo terashiteyo ashita wo yondeyo

夜空を見ると　なぜなんだろう　寂しくも嬉しくも思えたりするの
Yozora wo miru to naze nan darou sabishiku mo ureshikumo omoetari suru no
きっとあれかなぁ　人ってやつはさ
Kitto are kanaa hitotte yatsu wa sa
無限の空の中　自分の心を見るのかなぁ
Mugen no sora no naka jibun no kokoro wo miru no kanaa

人はいつか消える一瞬の光　だから闇を怖れ　光を生み　
Hito wa itsuka kieru isshun no hikari dakara yami wo osore hikari wo umi
星を消したの　だけどさ
Hoshi wo keshita no dakedo sa
なぜだか　星よどこに行った?って
Naze da ka hoshi yo doko ni itta?tte
夜になればその足跡探してみたりした
Yoru ni nareba sono ashiato sagashite mitari shita

だからね　俺はいつもね　消えた星たちの居場所　天国が
Dakara ne ore wa itsumo ne kieta hoshitachi no ibasho tengoku ga
あの空の上にあると信じてるの
Ano sora no ue ni aru to shinjiteru no

PLEASE,PLEASE BE WITH ME FOREVER
俺が寂しい時ばかりさ　甘えちゃって　ごめんな
Ore ga sabishii toki bakari sa amaechatte gomen na
SHINE,SHINE FOR ME PLEASE WILL YOU?
俺が嬉しい時もお前見てくれてるの　知ってるよ
Ore ga ureshii toki mo omae mite kureteruno shitteru yo

ダチと飲んで帰るそんな朝は　ロマンチストなんだ空は
Dachi to nonde kaeru sonna asa wa romanchisto nanda sora wa
俺らのための朝焼けをプレゼントしてくれる
Orera no tame no asayake wo purezento shite kureru
「ずっと友達でいようね」なんて照れくさい言葉でさえ言えちゃうの
"Zutto tomodachi de iyou ne"nante terekusai kotoba de sae iechau no
すると　もっと空は笑うの
Suru to motto sora wa warau no

PLEASE PLEASE
BE WITH ME
笑ってたいね
Warattetai neeee

いつか　時が流れ星が　いなくなった時は
Itsuka toki ga nagareboshi ga inakunatta toki wa
人は”when you wish upon a star”
Hito wa "when you wish upon a star"
そんな言葉もみんな忘れてしまうの?そうなの?
Sonna kotoba mo minna wasurete shimau no? Sou nano?

PLEASE,PLEASE BE WITH ME FOREVER
SHINE,SHINE FOR ME PLEASE WILL YOU?

振られて帰るそんな夜は　センチメンタリスト空は
Furarete kaeru sonna yoru wa senchimentaristo Sora wa
俺に満天の星空をプレゼントしてくれる
Ore ni manten no hoshizora wo purezento shite kureru

まるで俺にドンマイ　星の数ほどいるんだい
Maru de ore ni don mai Hoshi no kazu hodo irun dai
女なんてさ　って言ってるみたいでさ
Onna nante sa tte itteru mitai de sa

手つないで見た朧月も　全て流してくれた雨も
Te tsunaide mita oborozuki mo subete nagashite kureta ame mo
今思えば俺見ていてくれたんだな
Ima omoeba ore miteite kuretan da na
俺を見ててくれよな　ずっと見ててくれよな
Ore wo mitete kure yo na zutto mitete kure yo na
いつか　俺にお前が見えなくなっても
Itsuka ore ni omae ga mienakunatte mo

PLEASE,PLEASE BE WITH ME FOREVER

English translation

Such a clear sky would surely one day Lose patience with this world's sadness
Burning itself up, turning into an evening glow, and looking at that, crying.
I remember, that person remembers.

This sky stared at me again today Comforting me with something larger than words
The more sad people there are, on that day a beautiful sunset burns in the sky

So, alone, facing the sunset
saying "You are so pretty"
You feel your heart squeezing, and you could cry

Please, please be with me forever
Even if I wished that tomorrow never comes, hating it
Shine, shine for me please will you?
Please make the morning sun shine as always. Call the morning sun

Whenever I look at the night sky, I don't know why but I would feel lonely and happy at the same time
It must be that, people..
In the infinite sky, they see their own hearts.

People are instances of light which would die out some day. So, they fear the dark and gave birth to light
They have shut out the stars. But,
Somehow we ask the stars where they have gone
When the night comes, I searched for those tracks

That is why, I always (believe that on top of those skies,) Heaven is the place where the vanished stars are.

Please, please be with me forever
Sorry for always depending on you only when I am lonely
I know that even when I am happy, you look at me.

On mornings going back after drinking with friends, The sky is romantic
Giving the morning glow for us as a present.
It makes you say even embarrasing things like "Let's always be friends"
And when you do that, the sky smiles wider

Please please
Be with me
It makes you want to laugh

Someday when time and shooting stars pass away,
Will people (forget even words like) "when you wish upon a star"
Would they really?

Please, please be with me forever
Shine, shine for me please will you?

On nights going back after being rejected, the sentimental sky
gives me a star-filled sky as a present

As if (telling me) Don't mind, there are as many as the stars
Girls are.

The hazy moon we saw while holding hands, and all the rain poured too
When I think of it now, I realize you were always looking at me
Do look at me all the time, Do look at me forever
Even when I can't see you anymore someday

Please, please be with me forever

Blood Donation

2008-01-16T16:48:00.000+09:00

I think I joined a blood donation once in Malaysia, but somehow I can't really remember the details.. Probably it just didn't leave any impression on me. Today, I donated my blood for the first time in Japan.

Well, after a long time filling forms (imagine medical terms in Japanese) and checking if Malaysia has any dangerous contagious diseases(such as malaria) and 2 ant bites(on the left for a blood test, and on the right for the donation, 400ml), I came back with these :

On the upper left corner is a red and gold card. I'm sure you recognize the red cross. The Japanese words translate to "Blood Donation Card" and "Japan Red Cross Society". When you get this card, your data will be input into the card and the next time you wish to donate blood, all you have to do is show the card to them. Cool right? And to prevent people with HIV from simply using your card to donate blood, you are also asked to lock it with a 4-number pin. hehe..

On the right is a mechanical pencil with a Hello Kitty Nurse on it. ^^; The Japanese words translate to "Blood donation is a gift of love" and "Gunma Prefecture Red Cross Blood Centre". On the middle left is a Calorie Mate Block, which is commonly sold in Japan. This is the first time I ate this thing. It's supposed to be an easy source of energy and nutrition at any time.

I'm very sure I will never forget this Blood Donation experience in Japan. The people handling the donation were nice and you get some souvenirs and most of all, you get the feeling that your blood will be put to good use. I'll be looking forward to this again next year!

Oh ya, the Japanese words on the plastic file translates to "Let's start the 20 years old(Adult) Blood Donation". Here's a piece of news about it: Daily Sports Online And for those who are interested, the model's name is Eikura Nana （榮倉奈々）.

Massive Cloud to Strike Milky Way, Scientists Say

2008-01-15T23:24:00.000+09:00

An incoming cloud of hydrogen gas will likely trigger a huge burst of star formation—and then numerous violent supernovae—when it collides with the Milky Way in less than 40 million years, scientists say.

National Geographic

We always say we have to look forward to the future and plan for the future. However, don't you think scientists nowadays are looking a bit too far? 40 million years. You've got to be kidding me. By that time, we might have evolved right back into dinosaurs.. lol.. Unless The End of the world and The Judgement comes first lar.

Fried Chicken

2008-01-15T20:35:00.001+09:00

Here's my dinner today.. Fried chicken.. first time fry chicken.. hehe.. looks good right? but actually half success half failure lar. don't have a proper frying pan for deep frying, so the chicken wasn't cooked evenly.. some still have raw flesh.. >.< and blood coming out.. imagine that! heh.. Well, anyways, it was quite nice nevertheless.

And a fried egg as a side dish.. well, actually, it's the egg left over from the fried chicken lar.. hehe.. my first perfectly round fried egg.. but very oily.. lolz..

Ichigo Kiss!

2008-01-14T13:41:00.000+09:00

Yes yes! One of the few lovely things you get during winter is...........

As written on the wrapping(for those who can read Japanese), this type of strawberries is called Tochi Otome.

とちおとめ [3]
「とよのか」と「女峰」を交配し、さらに「栃の峰」を掛け合わせ、栃木県農業試験場によって育成された品種。品種登録は1996年。女峰より粒が大きく甘さも強い、日持ちが良い品種。従来の二大勢力であった「とよのか」や「女峰」に代わり、本記事の執筆版現在、日本一の生産量を誇る。

Wikipedia Japan
Tochi Otome
A Strawberry breed raised at the Tochigi Prefecture Agriculture Test Centre by crossbreeding the Toyonoka breed and Nyohou breed, and interbreeding with the Tochi No Mine breed. The breed was first recorded in the year 1996. This good breed has fruits bigger and sweeter than the Nyoho and lasts longer. In place of the two monopolizing breed, Toyonoka and Nyoho in the past, as of this article's writing now, it is now famous as Japan's number one strawberry produce.

The one I bought isn't that sweet, but still quite nice. Well, it isn't the peak season yet anyways. It should be really tasty towards the end of winter and beginning of spring.

And did you know?

甘みがあるため果物として位置づけられることが多いが、草本性の植物であるので正確には野菜に分類される。

Because the strawberry is sweet, it is usually placed as a fruit. However, as a plant having herbal properties, in accurate terms, it is classified as a vegetable.

Google Search [click]　Google　検索　｛クリック｝

2008-01-13T21:22:00.000+09:00

Google receives daily search requests from all over the world, including Antarctica. The average number is 200 million searches a day.
Googleは毎日世界中から検索の依頼を受けとっている、南極帯を含める。検索の数は一日に2億だと言われています。

So, what am I getting at? For those who use blog statistic trackers which track visitor traffic on their blogs, I think you know. Most of these trackers are also able to track the search keywords used to find your blog. And this is one of my favourite columns whenever I open the blog tracker page.

There were quite a few very interesting searches today. Well, there are interesting searches everyday anyways.. hehe

Last 10 Keywords:

怨み晴らします (Google) (must be someone who wanted to curse a friend/enemy.. lol..) Jigoku Shoujo

sakura kiss song sounds avril (Google) (Wah got other people find out also? haha.. the world is small indeed.. or maybe just someone who forgot my web address? ^^)Japanese Avril?

Poem legend of the Bumble Bee (Google) (there are too little pages about bumblebees so somehow they always get to my page)

japan child idol (Google) (One of the most popular searches my blog gets.. lol.. What a small, perverted world we live in..) Child Idol Scene in Japan

japanese schoolgirl adult (Google) (Since when my page become ADULT??????????)

christian walk (Google)

schoolgirl blog (Google) (I'm not a schoolgirl...^^;)

Mizuki Yoshii (Google) (Not many pages have this name on them. The Japanese are doing a good job hiding their child idol scene from the rest of the world. You'll be surprised.)

idolm@ster (Google) (hohoho... So glad got other ppl have the same hobby as me.. ^^) Idolm@ster Xenoglossia

modeling agency in sapporo (Google) (Err?? This one have to ask our good friend CTR in Hokkaido, right?? hehehehe)

So, you see how fun and interesting blog stats trackers are?? haha. Although my average visitors number is only 10+ per day, it's good to know that some of my posts at least give some info to some people. ^^

Japanese Avril?

2008-01-09T15:28:00.000+09:00

Have you ever listened to your music player on shuffle mode and suddenly the next song sounds exactly like the last one and yet totally different? These two songs are absolutely different songs with different lyrics and different Languages! But you will notice immediately that the music and tune is strikingly similar. Of course there are a lot of Chinese-dubbed English songs and English-dubbed Chinese songs, but this is different! The titles and lyrics have so much difference.

5th single
「桜キッス」"Sakura Kiss"
Kawabe Chieco
2006.04.26 OUT
JPop News

Girlfriend (2007/3/21) Avril Lavigne Wiki Japan
From this fact, it is a high probability that Avril somehow listened to the Jap song and thought of a song with the same tune. But Avril listening to a JPop song?? How ridiculous is that?

On May 25, 2007, Lavigne, her co-songwriter Lukasz Gottwald, and her record label were sued by songwriters James Gangwer and Tommy Dunbar over claims that her song "Girlfriend" infringes on their 1979 song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", originally performed by The Rubinoos.[30]
Wikipedia
And here, if Avril actually did listen to Sakura Kiss, her claim that she had "never heard the song in her life" would be irrefutable. Well, that would mean trespass of Kawabe Chieco's copyright however.

If it is true that Avril never heard both songs, then it would be very astonishing that 3 people could come to the exact same music and tune with different lyrics.

Is the world small or what?

In June 2007, Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, with whom Lavigne wrote the majority of her second album, Under My Skin, spoke to Performing Songwriter magazine about Lavigne's songwriting, saying, "I mean, Avril, songwriter? Avril doesn't really sit and write songs by herself or anything. Avril will also cross the ethical line and no one says anything. That's why I'll never work with her again. I sent her a song two years ago called 'Contagious', and I just saw the tracklisting to this album and there's a song called 'Contagious' on it – and my name's not on it. What do you do with that? See, I won't [call the lawyers], I'll just tell you. Art should not be subject to that kind of controversy."
Wikipedia

Or is the world just full of desperate people? ^^;
Truthfully, Avril's third album "The Best Damn Thing" didn't have as many good songs as her last two. It was a bit disappointing.

Chap Cheap!?

2008-01-08T22:14:00.000+09:00

This is the "Ali Baba" telephone card I bought from Shinokubo. As you can see, it says "chap cheap". The price written is 3000 yen, but it was sold at 1500 yen.

So, exactly how "chap cheap" is this card? My friend from "Long Hill", Calbi-chan who now has a girlfriend in Malacca told me that Free-Dial from Japan to house phone in Malaysia can call up to 300 minutes. 300 minutes! RM45 for 300 minutes~. That is so cheap, right? However, when I tried yesterday, the operator said "You have.... 110 minutes." Heyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!! That is soooooo much difference. What "chap cheap" lar??

Well, at least it is a bit cheaper than Brastel, I guess.. And for guys wooing gals in Malaysia, it should be quite a bargain. XD

Red Zone

2008-01-07T20:42:00.000+09:00

My room has unofficially become the red zone of Gunma. For influenza, that is. ^^ I live between two other foreigners who have contracted the influenza virus during the winter holiday. One guy has gotten better, but another has just been told by the doctor to stay in his room and not have any contact with anybody for 5 days.

It seems that some people do not know the difference between influenza(abbreviated as flu) and a simple cold(風邪) and how dangerous it is. Well, in a simple sentence, in the worst case, influenza might cause pneumonia and the person contracted would eventually cease breathing. The worst case lar.. hehe.. A healthy teenager wouldn't die so easily though. The highest death rate is among the elderly. However, it is absolutely not fun to contract the virus at any costs!

Anyways, to check if you are in the red, please visit Influenza Info. For Japan lar.. Malaysia don't have yet kua...... For those who have checked the map, you would notice that Hokkaido is in the red. Well, commonly, the virus has a long life where it is cold, and Hokkaido also has many forest reserves which allow a lot of bird emmigration. So, to our friends in Hokkaido, please be careful! Remember to wash your hands properly! (no matter how cold the water is.. hehe)

祈跡(Kiseki) A Prayer

2008-01-05T14:40:00.000+09:00

This is Radwimp's single which was released in 2004 and used in the Houtai Club(which Satomi Ishihara starred in..^^) movie trailer last year.

オリコン調べのインディーズシングルトップ20のチャートで、2007年現在でもトップ20入りしている。

Wiki
On the Oricon Indies Singles Top 20s Chart, in 2007 it was still in the top 20s.

And here's the lyric in full Roman Characters

Today six billions of people are breathing, feeling, and living
Today fifty hundreds of children are starving, fearing, and dying
Would you tell me why? What could I do with this?
Tell me why.. How could I remember this?

Life is yours because your imagination is all there for you
My love is for you because my inspiration is all here for me

Look upon the brightest stars You never know you have your own In your body
That's the reason you ask yourself why? What's the message that's written in the sky?
Would you tell me why?

Boku wa nandaka totemo kanashii yo datte boku ga waratteiru tonari de dareka ga shindeku
Boku wa nandaka totemo kuyashii yo datte soredemo ikitai to omotteiru boku ga koko ni iru

*Ikitakutemo ikirenee yatsu ga irun datte
Sonnan mo kangaenaide ikiteru ki ni nannatte
Soudarou? datte soudarou?
Oretachitte tada no ningentte iwarete owari kamoshirennai kedo
Ningen toshite ikiteru inochi toshite ikishiteru
"Kore ijyou subarashii koto wa nai"tte wakatteiru
Kokoro de wakatteiru omoi de wakatteiru

Ima demo koko ni aru wasuregatami
Itsuka boku ga kitto kimi ni todokeru kara
Naiteiru kono hoshi mo boku mo
Boku wa kimi wo kimi wa boku wo aiseru hazu dakara

Sorezore no inochi ga unda
Hitori no inori ga unda, uta ga koko ni aru*

Ima mo

Shinda ato no sekaitte no wo boku wa hontouni shinjitaiyo
Datte kyou made shiawase wo shiru koto naku shinda ano hito
Itsuka dokoka de aeru no? Tengoku de mukuwareru no?
Bokura wa doko ni iku no? Doko ni ikeba ii no?

Warau koto naku yorokobiau koto naku kieta tomo to futatabi deau
Tengokutte toko de meguriau sono toki munehatte kou hanasu
"Ureshikatta Utsukushikatta 'Shiawase'tte yatsu ga afureteita
Itsuka mata ittemiyou, 'Ai'tte yatsu wo oshieyou"

*repeat chorus*

Itsumo

Mawatteiru no wa kono chikyuu de
Katsute daichi wa hitotsu datte
Ano hoshi wa nan okunenmae no hikari de
Uchuu wa dandan fukurandeite

Demo sonna koto jyanakute motto motto hoka ni atte
"Kono hoshi ni ikiteita watashitachi wa"tte iu tame no akashitachi ga

Nagareboshi ga mietara nee yume yo kanae to inorun da
Mune ga sakesou ni nattara sore wo kimi wa koi to yobun da
Ikari ga boku tachi wo tsutsumu, saigo no hikari ni naru sono hi made
Boku wa kimi wo wasure wa shinai darou, ichido mo deau koto wa nakutomo

Kimi wo kitto oboeteiru, boku wa kitto oboeteiru
Torimo, morimo, hoshimo, tsukimo, anokomo, yasashii chikyuu wa oboeteiru

imademo kokoro ni wa wasuregatami
itsumo koko ni zutto mune ni afuretendayo

Waratte dakiatteiru kimi to boku to de
Itsuka kanarazu kuru sonna toki wo machinagara ikiteikou
Afuredasanuyou wasurezaranuyou
Boku ga kiete nakunaru hi ga kuru made
zutto zutto zuttoooooooooo

If you want the Japanese version, get it here Yahoo Music Finder

And here's the translation of the lyrics.. The language might be a bit weird coz I'm not used to translating Japanese to English, especially lyrics..

Translation (Japanese-English) (English-Japanese)

今日は60億人が息して、感じて、生きている
今日は5000人の子供が飢えて、怯えて、亡くなっている
僕にこの理由を教えないか？僕はこれで何ができるか？
なぜだ。。こんなの覚えられるか？

命は君のもの、だって君の想像が全部君のためにここにある
僕の愛は君に、だって僕の霊感は全部僕のためにここにある

一番明るい星を見上げて
君は自分の体に自分のを持っているのが分からなかった
それが君が自分に訳を求めている理由か？空に書かれているメッセージはなんだ？
僕に理由を教えないか？

Somehow I feel sad, because when I am laughing, beside me someone is dying
Somehow I feel mortified, because I who still think of living am here

*There are people who want to live but can't
Don't think about living if you don't think about that
It's like that, right?
We might be accused as just humans and that's all
Living as humans, breathing as lives
Understanding that "There's nothing more wonderful than this"
Knowing it in our hearts, Knowing it in our thoughts

A memento still on Earth now
Someday I will get it to you
Crying, this star(planet) and myself
I should be able to love you and you should be able to love me

Each respective life is born
A person's prayer is born, The song is here*

Even now

I really want to believe in the life after death
Because, that person who died without even knowing happiness till this day
Could we meet someday somewhere? Would he be repayed in Heaven?
Where are we going? Where should we go?

Meeting again with friends who have gone without laughing together and being happy together
Reuniting in Heaven and proudly saying
"I was happy, it was beautiful, 'happiness' was overflowing
I want to go again someday and teach about 'love'"

*repeat chorus*

Always

The one spinning around is this Earth
The earth was once one
That light is from a star a few billion years in the past
The universe is slowly swelling up

But that's not the only thing, there is so much more
The proofs to say that "We who once lived on this star(planet) were..."

If you see shooting stars, pray that the dreams would be granted.
When your heart feels like it is tearing apart, you call it love
Anger wraps around us, until the day when the last light comes
I would not forget you, even if we never met

I will surely remember you, I will surely remember
The birds, and the forest, and the moon, and that kid too, the kind Earth remembers

Even now the memento is in my heart
All the time, it is here overflowing in my bosom

Laughing and hugging, you and me,
Someday that time will surely come, let's live waiting
So that it doesnt overflow, so that we do not forget
Until the day I die and go away comes
Zutto zutto zuttooooooooooooo~~~~~~~

明けおめです！Merry New Year!

2008-01-03T12:05:00.000+09:00

Sorry for being 3 days late.. haha.. So lazy to update. heh.. Anyways,....

Another year has passed and the dawn of a new year falls upon us. But exactly what is New Year?
もう一年がたった。そして、新しい年が訪れた。でも、お正月ってそもそもなんだろう？

The New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next year. Cultures that measure yearly calendars all have New Year celebrations.

from Wiki

Well, in Malaysia, our country of diverse cultures, everyone gets to celebrate at least 3 new years in a year. Oh, wait, that sounds weird. How can you have 3 new years in only 1 year? lol. It's really quite astonishing, you get ang pau and super illegal fireworks during Chinese New Year, then tuak and a feast during Gawai, and Rendang and Satay during Hari Raya. Name any country you can think of, but I am sure there is no other country that celebrates as many New Years as Malaysia does.
我々の他民族のマレーシアでは、みんな一年にせいぜい3回ぐらいお正月が楽しめるのだ。ちょっと待って、それじゃおかしいわね。一年に3回お正月？（笑）そう、不思議に思うかもしれないが、旧正月にはお年玉と不法な花火（マレーシアで一番楽しみにしている花火と言っていいだろう）、イバン民族のガワイにツアッ（米で作ったお酒）とごちそう、イスラム教のハリラヤにはレンダン（牛肉）とサテー（焼き鳥）。考えられる国を全部言ってみてください。でも、マレーシア程お正月を祝っている国はないと思う。

Anyways, nowadays, most people go by the Gregorian calendar and accept that the New Year is on the 1st of January.And usually you have countdowns and fireworks on December 31, the New Year's Eve. It has also become a custom to make New Year Resolutions and look back upon the year that has passed..
今日は、多くの人々は西暦に従い1月一日をお正月と認めている。そして、12月31日の夜中にはカウントダウンや花火が行われる。それから、新しい年のための目標を作ったり去った年の反省したりするのが流行している。

For me, I don't really like making resolutions because I usually forget about it after a week. heh.. But just for the record, I would like to be more hardworking, learn more deeply about my majors, and throw away my bad habits, and also visit Kansai and Disneyland/DisneySea and visit East Hokkaido.
僕はあまり目標を作るの好みじゃないな。。すぐ忘れちゃうから。まあ、一応、もっと真面目になりたい、専門をもっと深く学びたい、悪い癖を捨てたい、そして関西やディズニーランド・ディズニーシーや東北海道に行きたい。

As for reflections, I don't really have much to reflect on. Just that really living independently in Japan made me realize how sloppy I really am. So I really gotta change that attitude.. heh.. But anyways, travelling was really fun. And I am happy to say that I've seen the most beautiful sceneries I have ever seen in my life last year.
反省と言えば、僕はあまりたいした反省できる思い出はないけど。ただ独りで日本で暮らすことは自分がどれだけだらしないかが分かってきた。だから、その癖を変えなきゃならない。でも、日本で旅行したことは楽しかった。そして、僕は去年一生一番きれいな風景を見られるととても喜んでる。
And what are those? それがなんだろうか？
1. Lavender Farm (Numata,Gunma) ラベンダー畑（沼田、群馬）
2. Asahiyama Zoo's Animals (Asahikawa, Hokkaido) 旭山動物園の動物達（旭川、北海道）
3. Otaru Canal (Otaru, Hokkaido) 小樽運河（小樽、北海道）
4. Oonuma Sunset (Oonuma, Hokkaido) 大沼の夕焼け（大沼、北海道）
5. The Night View of Hakodate City from Mount Hakodate (Hakodate, Hokkaido) 函館山から眺めた函館の夜景（函館、北海道）
6. Noboribetsu Bear Park (Noboribetsu, Hokkaido) 登別熊牧場（登別、北海道）
7. Hell Valley (Noboribetsu, Hokkaido) 地獄谷（登別、北海道）
8. Fukuroda Waterfall (Daigo City,Ibaraki) 袋田の滝（大子町、茨城）
9. Snow fall while snowboarding (Togari, Nagano) スノーボード中に雪降り（戸狩、長野）
10. Shibuya's busiest intersection. 渋谷の一番混んでる交差点

Okay, that`s all for now. Have a great 2008!

Ski Trip Break

2007-12-27T14:00:00.000+09:00

I'm going to the Ski Trip in Nagano today, so I won't be updating this blog for a while. Sorry! and Chiao~

Christmas,Santa Claus,Jesus Christ

2007-12-25T09:51:00.000+09:00

Happy Christmas everyone! Late 1 day coz my friend ask me to 'party' a bit with him last night.. haha.. （こんなに長くなっちゃってごめんよ。頑張って！　＾ー＾）

Hmm, so we all must have said "Merry Christmas" countless times to our friends and family and people we don't even know.. but what is the real significance of Christmas? Have you actually thought about that before you say "Merry Christmas" to someone? The other day I went to church, the pastor was saying something about "merry" coming from "Mary", the virgin mother of Jesus. Hmm.. don't really understand what significance that has.. hehe.. In English, "Merry" generally means being happy and cheerful. And Christmas could probably mean the birth of Jesus Christ.

So, now, what has all that have to do with Santa Claus? Is Santa Jesus' uncle or something? heh. of course not. The legend of Santa Claus told in modern times is that he lives in the North Pole and is assisted by his green elfs and reindeer to give presents to children during Christmas. However, this legend, which has been told for a long time to children all over the world, Christian or not, is of course only a legend. And the tradition of passing on the story is also slowly becoming irrelevant because kids find out about it easily nowadays and refuse to believe.

And as shocking as it may sound, I think one of the most Santa-believing kids are actually in Japan. When asked by my teacher in class, most of my classmates say they only found out that the presents were not from Santa at around age 8 or 9, and some even believed until they were 11! Do you notice that the way I'm saying this implies that every one of my classmates believed in Santa? ^^ If you were to say that you believed in Santa in Malaysia, you would be laughed at like an idiot by the other kids for sure.

Well, the reason for this might be that we were not ~~lied~~ taught by out parents about Santa that way. In Japan, parents buy presents and put it beside their bed or Christmas tree to make it look as if Santa came and dropped them the present. This is how strong-going the Christmas legend/tradition is in Japan. Many times, when kids find out that Santa do not really exist, they become distrustful for being cheated and some even come to hate Santa and legends they were told when they were young. Well, I believe that every legend told comes from a true story some way or the other. It might have been someone great and admired, so the people write about them, adding a bit "zest" to the stories and making everything ideal.

As for Santa Claus, it was a Christian bishop who lived in the 4th century by the name of Saint Nicholas.

Saint Nicholas of Myra is the primary inspiration for the Christian figure of Santa Claus. He was a 4th century Christian bishop of Myra in Lycia, a province of the Byzantine Anatolia, now in Turkey. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. He was very religious from an early age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity.

Source : Wikipedia

Another version of this story is that Saint Nicholas dropped 3 gold coins through the chimney into the house of the daughters mentioned, and coincidentally they were drying up their socks at the fireplace, so the coins fell straight into the socks. This is where the tradition of giving presents in a sock come from. So, you're asking how a Christian saint became our great magical uncle in the North Pole? Well, all I can say is, humans have really great imaginations. ^^

So, what about Jesus Christ? Well, to start with it, in the Bible, Jesus is said to have been born of the Virgin Mary. The night Jesus was born is said to have been a very holy night, bringing joy to the hearts of people. Jesus himself was said to have not cried when born, despite of being born in a stable and laid in a manger. I believe that it is undeniable that Jesus' birth fulfilled the prophecies made by Jewish prophets long before His birth of a Messiah who would be a Saviour. This day is what is now officially called Christmas Day, generally accepted to be on the 25th December.

However, the real date is actually unknown. The date was actually decided by the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine.

There are numerous reasons why Constantine may have chosen the date of December 25th to celebrate Christmas. On that date also was celebrated the birth of Mithras, the Persian god of light.

Source: Wiki
You might ask why Constantine had this wild idea of replacing a pagan holiday with Christ's birthday. However, during that time, it might have been the wisest thing to do, because the nations he ruled all believed in the pagan Gods, and by replacing the pagan holiday, people would thus be celebrating Christ and not pagans. It was also easier for the people to celebrate a holiday on the day they were familiar with.

However, in conclusion, December 25th needs only to be seen as the day of celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and not the birthdate of Jesus Christ. Many churches seem to forget this fact (or uninformed) and proclaim that the birth of Jesus Christ is on this day. You might ask what does that matter? Well, when you think of it in a spiritual way, the day Christ was born is a Holy Day and a day full of joy and power. It is the day that the Son of God was born in flesh and blood to the world. Now you see how significant it is?

During the Reformation, some Protestants condemned Christmas celebration as "trappings of popery" and the "rags of the Beast". The Roman Catholic Church responded by promoting the festival in an even more religiously oriented form. Following the Parliamentary victory over King Charles I during the English Civil War, England's Puritan rulers banned Christmas, in 1647.

Source: Wikipedia
To think that the Protestants actually banned Christmas, and are now celebrating it vigorously is kind of weird. Well, either ways, Christmas is a happy day on which we should all celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ, Son of God who saved our souls with His own innocent blood. And it is also a day to remind ourselves that He is coming again. We do not know when, but it is imminent that we prepare ourselves for it.

Christmas Eve!

2007-12-24T11:10:00.000+09:00

Still quite early, but a very Happy Christmas to everyone! And A Super Merry Birthday to Satomi Ishihara! haha. Yup, Satomi's birthday is on Boxing Day.

Hmm, just now I found out that Satomi has an Internet Log too! Satomi Nikki! However, it's not updated that much. But it's quite nice to be able to see her personal pics. =) Actually, I thought she was absolutely Internet-illiterate before this. Haha. But then again, it's a high probability someone else is helping her to update the Diary. ^^

Okay, I should stop talking about Satomi and putting up more of her pics.. lol.. Anyways, I bought a KFC party bucket kind of thing today and ate it with 2 foreign students from Sri Lanka and Mongolia here. Got about 12 pieces of chicken and salad and a Choco Cake.. Ho ho ho.. A small Christmas party, but quite fun! heh.. Would've been more fun if got more ppl, but.. nvm.. (To tell the truth, I'm a bit disappointed with the thin layer of friendship between us foreign students here..so thin and could break any time.. sighs)

Well, anyways, I was actually planning to send a postcard to the family whose house I went for the homestay in Saitama, but unfortunately the post office was closed.. I think should be open on Boxing Day, but maybe not open because it was the Birthday of the Emperor yesterday(Sunday). sighs.. nvm lar.. a bit late also nvm kua.. heh.

Hmm.. some people must be curious about how Christmas feels and looks like in Japan.. I don't really know coz I'm not going anywhere for countdown tonight.. But this picture up here is a picture of the decorations in Ueno Park which I took 2 weeks ago. Quite pretty..

And these penguins were really cute! heh.. =) Okaylar, that's all tonight..

HAPPY CHRISTMAS everyoneeeee.. and a Merry New Year very soon!

お出かけ

2007-12-22T19:16:00.000+09:00

I went out to ka-la-o-kay today with my classmates. Yea, the first time I go ka-la-o-kay with my classmates. The first time I went ka-la-o-kay was with Calvin far off in Aomori. Haha.. so out of place, right? ^^
今日クラスメート達とカラオケ行ってきました。そう、初めてのクラスメートとのカラオケの打ち上げ。初めてカラオケに行ったのはかるびちゃんと一緒で、青森にいたときでした。まあ、それは泊まるとこなかったから。。。

Well, to tell the truth, I'm not good at ka-la-o-kay at all, not o-kay at all. Messed up all the keys and lyrics.. lol. Well, that's mainly because most of the English songs are quite old.. no new ones for me to sing.. sighs.. and the Japanese songs that I know are all a tempo too fast or more.. ^^;;
正直言って、僕カラオケむいてないっすね。。歌詞も音声も全部間違えまくりだった。（笑）　まあ、注文できる英語の歌あんまり新しいのなかったのもあるけど。で、僕が知ってる日本語のうたはほとんどテンポがはやいアニソンだから。。一番よく歌えるの「太陽の歌」かな。。＾＾

Hmm, but it was quite fun, and cheap.. Sang 7 hours for 810 yen. and it's usually 1000 yen per hour in Tokyo. well, just to be prepared for the next time, I'll try to listen to more Japanese songs and practice a bit.. haha..
でも、結構楽しくて、なによりも安かった。7時間で810円。本当はフリータイムで9時間だけど、途中帰った。東京だったら、一時間でも1000円ぐらい。。フリータイムもそんなに長くないと思う。うん、今度のカラオケに備えて、もうちょっと日本語の歌聴いて練習しようかな。（勉強の方もしっかりしてないくせに。。笑）

I left early coz the free time course is actually for 9 hours, and I couldn't possible sing that long. I was looking for somewhere to eat nearby the Karaoke when I saw a book/dvd shop.
僕には9時間はさすがに無理だったんで、先に帰った。その前に、近くに食いもん探して夕飯済まそうと思って。。そして、このつたやのような店を見た。

From the outside, it looked like every other book/dvd shop, something like tsutaya.. So, thinking of burning some time, I went in to see.. And what did I get? A whole archive of... those things that I would rather not announce publicly. ^^; So, those guys who are prepared to make reservations, you're in luck. haha.. kidding.
外からは普通の本屋さん・DVD屋さんみたい（見分けとかあるかもしれないが、僕なんか分からないから）。。時間の余裕もたっぷりあるからと思って、入ったんだけれども、なんとなかにはアレばっかりだった。アレの大きなアーカイブらしく、本当にびっくりした。日本の本屋さんって、ちょっと危険だね。。気をつけないと。。（笑）

Well, after making a round in the shop and getting sick of the air inside, I went back to finding my dinner.. I found a TonKatsu(fried pork) shop nearby and decided to try one of the popular food here. Yes, TonKatsu is Maebashi's specialty.
まあ、そのまま出ちゃうのも変だから、店内一週して、中の空気に苦しまれて（8歳とか9歳のに何する気？こんなのだけは勘弁してくれ）、出ていってまた食いもんを探し改めた。そして、とんかつ屋さんを見かけた。一応前橋の名物で、食べてみようかなって思った。そう、不思議に思う方もいると思うけど、本当です、前橋はとんかつ！（間違いでしたら、せめてくるといい）

It might sound very common, but it's true.. It's the specialty here. Anyways, this was my dinner today, which cost me 990 yen (around RM30) >.< The fried pork was succulent, juicy and sweet. And I'm always amazed how Japanese can fry their food and yet it's unoily. Quite worth it lar.. ^^
とんかつって、一般過ぎると思われるくらいだな。。さすがに名物とは思われないイメージだね。ちなみにこれが僕の夕飯セットだった。990円で日本ではこんな感じかな。まあ、マレーシアのスタンダードと著しい段差があるけど。＞。＜　このとんかつは食感がとってもやわらかく、ジュウシーで、ちょっと甘いかんじ。とにかくうまいっす！それと、日本人がどうやってものを揚げながらも、絶対油濃くならないのが不思議なんだ。

That was all for today.. and this last picture is a picture of the sky which I took yesterday.. notice the cloud which looks like a bird in the blue sky? I love the winter sky in Japan.. heh
今日はこれで終わり。そして、この最後の写真は昨日撮った日本の冬の夕暮れの写真。鳥みたいな雲おっきいの一匹ちっちゃいの一匹見える？日本の冬空って、本当最高！大好き！

Bowling

2007-12-21T22:13:00.000+09:00

Today after school, I went bowling with 4 of my classmates. It must have been 5 years since the last time I played bowl. That was the time we went to war with our solar pasturizer in KL(err.. I only went to receive the cert tho, i think..) lol.. and had some fun at Sunway Pyramid. heh.. the good old times, eh..

Well, anyways, my first time playing ball in five years, everyone were just beginners, so it was a bit silly and funny, but still quite fun. heh. I had two strikes(I think I had more at Sunway.. heh) today. After that, we went to eat ramen.. All in all, it was kind of fun. Just that they have been classmates for 3 years, so there are memories and stories that I don't know about.

Tomorrow is Karaoke. Err, I have no confidence at all in singing, but I guess it should be okay, coz there will be so many people there too.. heh. Just sing a few off-tunes and laugh it off. ^^

今日放課後クラスメート4人とボーリング行ってきました。僕ボーリングやったのは5年ぶりだろう。皆初心者みたいで、ちょっとばかばかしところもあったが、楽しかった。僕はストライクが二つ。ほかの3人は五つくらいだったかな。。その後はらめん食べに行った。みんなもう3年間クラスメートだから、当然僕には知らない思い出や話があるが、今日いっぱい話し聴けて皆のこと少し分かってきて良かったと思う。

明日はカラオケか。。うん、僕は歌うのに自身ないけど、人数も多いから、なんとかなるかな。

Merry Christmas

2007-12-20T23:38:00.000+09:00

It's still early, but I've received my first Christmas greeting card. ^.^ It's from the homestay's host family. I actually wanted to surprise them with a Christmas card first, but now they surprised me by sending an early card. >.< Well, either way, it's still nice to receive greeting cards. heh

Itadakimasu!

2007-12-19T17:50:00.000+09:00

今日某氏からケーキをいただきました！前に約束されたものですが、忘れたかとおもったら、本当に作ってくれて、ちょっと驚きました。ごちそうさまでした！おいしかったです。僕手作りのケーキもらうの初めてです。本当にありがとう。

I received a cake from someone today. ^^ Hmm, how to explain ler? Err, basically, she said she'll make some cakes during december after the exam, and asked if anyone wanted to try.. But I thought she already forgot, so when I received it today, I was a bit surprised. heh. It was a chocolate cake and it tasted great! =) This is the first time I received a handmade cake. ^^ Thank you so much!

Mega Egg!!

2007-12-18T18:04:00.000+09:00

The Japanese McDonald has introduced two more new products! This is one of it, the Mega Egg! Before this, I tried the Mega Mac which is a two-pounder version of the Big Mac. And now, they've changed it to an egg and a piece of bacon on top! Tasted great! The McWraps are also quite nice.. Soft succulent flour baked to perfection and the sweet aroma of chicken/shrimp.. Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas!! lol.. Oh yea, the Mega Mac is 380 yen, and is guaranteed to fill your stomach up and turn you into Santa Claus by Christmas next year. haha..
これはマックの新品メガたまごです！写真では一口噛まれたってわかる？なんちゅうことだ。。食べる前に写真撮れっつの。。まあ、おいしそうでたまらなかったってわけだ。（笑）これはまさにメガマックをはるかに越えてますね。肉の代わりにたまごとベーコンとはすばらしい発想だな！しかも、単品で380円だぞ。こんな低価格でおいしくて「栄養満々」の食事ができて幸せだな。。＾＾

Your Life Tag

2007-12-16T20:56:00.000+09:00

Rules: Do this tag and answer all the questions into your own blog. Delete one question from all the questions and add one of your own questions, make sure it is 20 question. Tag 8 persons.

Questions:
1. What was your dream when you were a small kid?
.: To be a lawyer? lol

2. What is the happiest thing in your whole life?
.: Hmm.. May I say that I forgot? lol.. Well, don't have a thing that I can say is happiEST, but God and friends and family and Scholarship is very happy indeed. ^^

3. What do you wish to have now?
.: A video cam and a super shinkansen ticket to travel the whole Japan. ho ho..

4. How should the world be seen?
.: It's actually Hell on Earth if you really look at it. =P But other than that, it's just a physical world you need to get over with until you meet God.

5. What have you realized recently?
.: I didn't realize but some people are saying I've slimmed down. haha..And also that I'm really crazy.. >.<

6. Do you think a day which consist of 24 hours is enough for you?
.: Oh, you'd rather live on Mars? right.. I waste too much time so 24 hours might be too much for me.. lol

7. When you have something which you are unhappy about, what will you do?
.: I might kill someone
.: Can I cry? lol
.: Just walk past it as if nothing happened? That's usually what I do.

8. Are you afraid of losing?
.: Not really.. But nobody likes losing, right?

9. Do you think that you feel helpless, or useless sometimes?
.: Err.. most of the time.. haha..

10. When you meet someone that you like, will you profess or hide your feeling?
.: Err, usually I tell when I feel the time is right. But most of the 'feelings' are just feelings, not love, so who cares? heh

11. List out 3 kind of people you hate the most.
.: backstabbers
.: liars & playboys & playgals
.: people with strong prejudice

12. What is loneliness?
.: When you forget that there are still people who actually know your name.

13. Are you satisfied with your life now?
.: I waste too much time.. >.<

14. When was the most recent time you felt touched?
.: At church?

15. Where is the place that you visited and you felt the most beautiful?
.: Errr.. Lavender farm.. beautiful and smells good too.. heh.. and Oonuma in Hokkaido.. nice place..Well, actually Oonuma is one of the Japan New Top 3 Scenery, so yea.. ^^

16. Use 5 words to describe who you are.
.: Mata Juling? haha
.: Kid?
.: Son, Brother, and stuff..
.: Dull? er.. heh
.: Student.. very bad student.. >.<

17. If you have one wish that’ll come true, what is it?
.: err.. I would love to die and meet in Heaven now.. heh

18. Do you have anything to worry or to be scared about recently?
.: Future.. right.. well, more like if my name's on the Book of Life or not.. lol

19. If the World is going to end, what will you do?
Oh, I would most probably not be taken up during the Rapture, so I'd be running for my life from the anti-Christ.. hahaha..

20. Your biggest fear now?
.: My presence in the Book of Life.. (hmm, since there are so many people with the same name in the world, how does God keep record? I could be Jonathan Number 2,352,972. lolz..)

8 Persons that i’ll tag..
If you've already done it, it's fine
- Fabian Moa
- Keith Kueh
- Calvin Ong
- Cedric Chin
- Ming Rong
- Kelly
- Chern Lyan
- May I tag a Japanese? OBATA lol..

本当に頭に来た！

2007-12-16T09:57:00.001+09:00

Damn i'm really angry and disappointed now.with someone of course.i don't know if it's because of stress but always having that type of attitude towards me.i know i'm not good at talking,but at least i try.now i don't even know if that person really treats me as a friend.that person most probably would not read my blog but i just can't stand it la.just have to write..sighs.

本当に頭に来た!マジないわあいつ!いつも僕に対してそんな冷たい態度取ってさ。。自分は話すの下手なの分かってる。でもそれでも頑張ったんだから。。なにもそんなに冷たくなくてもいいんじゃないか?あいつ,本当にそれでも友達か?某氏はこのブログ読まないと思うけど書かないと心が癒されないから。

もう本当に嫌になっちゃった。。

Of a poem

2007-12-14T18:05:00.000+09:00

君は誰？
俺は君の事を知りたい
知りたくてたまらない
そして、いつの間にか
君の瞳が恋しかった
でも愛じゃない
俺はそれを知ってる
なのに止められない
放したいの
でもずっと
見つめていたい
その瞳を
ずっと

Hmm, haven't written poems in ages.... This is just a random thought, so don't take it too seriously.. heh
詩書くの久しぶりだ。。まあ、ただ漠然的な発想だから、あんま気にしないでくれ。

A Japanese Weekend

2007-12-12T15:33:00.000+09:00

You must be confused by the title.. I'm in Japan, so everyday is Japanese right? Well, not really.. Since I stay in a single room, I can shut out the whole of Japan if I wanted to. But when you stay at a Japanese house, what can you do but spend a VERY Japanese time?

Well, actually, I went for a Homestay to a Japanese house last weekend in Saitama. The home I went to was the house of one of the students in my college, in a city in Saitama called Hiki（比企郡）.Actually, I've never even met the guy before.. haha.. Thanks to the college's Homestay Program, I was able to go.

So, what type of house was it? well, obviously a Japanese house.. No, I'm not going to post a photo of it.. I don't even have a photo of it. Well, generally, Japanese houses are small and cute.. and the first time I went into the house and looked around, my first impression was that they are very good at using 'space'. For those who have played the sims, you would understand this basic in house building. A Japanese house may be small, but the way they use 'space' makes all the difference. Actually, the house felt quite wide to me.

Okay, so what about the family? Well, obviously a Japanese family, but mixed with Taiwanese blood. The father is from Taiwan, probably migrated to Japan with his own family. On the other hand, the mother is Japanese, which makes the family a Taiwan-Japanese mix. Ho hO Ho. They are a family of 6. The one studying in my college is the eldest son. And 3 younger sisters at home. Err, right, I know what you guys are going to think after reading that short sentence. Please do not draw to your own conclusions. ^-^

Well, honestly, it was kinda fun, suddenly having 3 little sisters for a weekend.. hehe.. Watching Kitarou, playing weird Japanese card games, making an incomplete origami, and "Ka!" and "Hei!" and "Yahhoo" and all that.. Heh.. I don`t expect you to understand that, but anyways, it was not too bad at all.. Just that I`m not really good at talking to girls and don`t really know what to say, especially in Japanese.

And about the place I went to, Hiki, it is called the town of Washi(Japanese paper) 「和紙の里」 hmm.. so, what did I do in the town of pulp? I made postcards with the Washi.. will upload later when I get back to my own computer.. Other than that, I also bought a sake to bring back to Malaysia. And I also went free-sliding down a slide.. My first free-sliding! I`ll explain later after I upload the picture.

And I also ate lots of nice food made by the girls and their mother.. Shiawase... Heh.. Well, in a nuts shell, a normal Japanese meal consists of miso soup, Rice, and any style of cooking you can think of.. Italian, Chinese, anything! well, except Malaysian, of course.. heh..

Well, all in all, it was a nice trip.. the line`s going to be cut in a few minutes so until next time.......

This are the postcards I made at the paper factory. A bit hard to see, but there are flowers embedded into the postcards..

This is the free-slide.. Why do I call it a free-slide? Well, I think by the picture you would expect something like a roller-coaster, right? But notice that the poles are very thin, which are only built to support the riders. Yes, it's a super tall slide on top of a hill. You slide down with a box cutting as a sled.. Well, actually just so that you don't burn your pants. It gets hot when you slide down because of the friction.

Earth-Set and Earth-Rise

2007-12-10T17:22:00.000+09:00

Have you seen the photograph of Earth taken from space? If you have, you would know how beautiful it is.. but nothing until now could beat the photos taken by Japanese lunar satelite Kaguya (SELENE, Selonogical and Engineering Explorer).

Picture Source: JAXA

This picture was captured by the satellite from the moon. The earth here is seen setting into the horizon of the moon's surface.The sky-blue colour of the sea and white of the clouds and green earth are such a good contrast against the horizon. What a beautiful planet we live on.. なんと美しい星ですね、我等の地球よ。

The full video of both the earth-set and earth-rise can be watched on Youtube. Please do watch it if you have the time. Afterall, it is our beautiful planet.

Just Great.....

2007-12-06T20:05:00.000+09:00

Sorry for the long drought of posts on my page.. I'm not really that busy(although I'm busier than usual), just don't feel like blogging much, and waste too much time on other things.. heh..

Well, anyways, this morning, I had a very weird dream(which is very rare) which caused me to skip the morning call at the grounds..

Usually, everytime I have a dream, I immediately forget what it was about when I wake up.. But this morning's dream felt so real and yet so weird and irritating that I couldn't get it off my mind..

So what was that weird dream? Like I said, it felt so real.. I really felt myself walking out of my room, heading to the ground after hearing the announcement of the morning call.. And along with the morning exercise music, everyone ~~danced~~ moved their body vigorously..

And remember I said it was weird?? Oh, yes... suddenly, there was a scene of us practicing the "Rasengan"*.. It was like, everyone had a blue wave of energy in the palms of their hands.. That was kinda cool.. like Wushu or something like that.. ^^;;

But when the music ended, I woke up to find myself in my room, still under my futon(blanket).. I was like.. "What the heck?? I'm supposed to be at the morning call?!?!" By that time, I knew it was too late to head to the grounds already....

Must be some dream demon's fault.. >.<"

Rasengan- a ball of energy produced from chakra which appears in the "Naruto" anime..

Who am I? I am Me. Who is me?

2007-11-30T18:27:00.000+09:00

「私はだれ？あなたはだれ？」「私は私。私はあなたの心の中にいる私。」「あなたはあなた。あなたは私の心の中にいるあなた。」"Who am I? Who are you?" "I am I.I am the I who is inside your heart." "You are you.You are the you who is inside my heart."

「ここはどこ？ここは私の心の中にいるあなたの心。そして、あなたの心の中にいる私の心。」"Where is this?This is my heart which is inside your heart. And your heart which is inside my heart."

「あなたは何が怖い？」「自分が嫌われること？そうだ、捨てられたんだ。嫌われたんだ。嫌われたらどうしよう。どうしたらいいんだろう。」"What are you scared of?" "Of myself being hated? Yes, I was thrown away. I was hated. What should I do if I'm hated? What do I have to do??"

「なぜそんなことをやるの？」「みんながやれっていうんだから。みんなのためだ。みんなのためだからいいんじゃないか？そうすればみんなにほめてくれる。大事にしてくれるんだ。」「それは結局自分のためじゃないか？みんなに認められるためにやってるんじゃないの？幸せになるために、偽りの幸せを得るためじゃないの？」　　「あなたも同じでしょう？」"Why do you do these things?" "Because everyone asks me to do them. It's for them. It's okay because it's for them right? If I do them, everyone would praise me. Everyone would be good to me." "In the end, isn't that for your own sake? Just to be recognized by everyone? To be happy, to gain a false happiness?"　"Aren't you the same?"

「他人の中に自分を求めているのね？一人になるのはこわいんでしょう？他人と一緒に自分もいなくなるから、怖いんでしょう？」"So you're trying to find yourself in other people? Because you're afraid of being alone? Because you are afraid that when they disappear, you would disappear too?"

「私はだれ？私は私。私は今までの時間とほかの人たちの繋がりによって今の私になったの。人とのふれあいと時間の流れが私を変えていく。」「いいえ、それは本当のあなたじゃない。あなたはほかにもいるの。ただ見たくないだけ。いなくなるかもしれないから。ほかの人の心から消えてしまうかもしれないから。消えてしまうのが怖いんだろう？」"Who am I? I am me. I have become me through the time spent and the relationship I have build up with other people. I am changed by the flow of time and the communication I have with other people." "No, that is not the real you. There is more than one you. You just don't want to see it. Because they might disappear. Because you might disappear from the hearts of other people. You are afraid of disappearing, right?"

「そう、私が必要だからここにいる。ほかの人が望んでいるからここにいる。でも、私は死にたい。欲しいものは絶望。無へと帰りたい。でも、みんな返してくれない。みんなは必要だから返してくれない。私、みんなに捨てられるの？いなくなるの？今は怖い。」"Yes, I am here because I am needed. I am here because people want me to be here. But, I want to die. I wish for despair. I want to go back to nothingness. But, they don't let me. They don't let me because they need me. Would I be thrown away? Would I disappear? I am afraid now."

「認められようと演じている自分は本当の自分ではないのよ。私はこうして幸せなの？幸せなの。幸せなの？いや、幸せなんかじゃない。本当の自分じゃない。そう思い込んでるだけなの。」「そうしなきゃ、私たちは生きていけないのか？一緒にいないと怖いんだ。不安なの。」"The me that is always acting to earn recognition is not the real me. Am I happy like this? I am happy. Am I happy? No, this is no happiness. It is not the real me. I'm just under the impression that I'm happy." "We can't live on if we don't do that? We are afraid when we are not together with someone else. We become uneasy."

「現実って何だ？」「あなたの世界よ。時間と空間と他人とともにある君自身の世界のことだ。」「君がどう受け止め、どう認めるかは君自身が決める世界だ。」「今ただ与えられるあなたの世界よ。」「どうしようもないあなたの世界。」「いや、もう全て決まりきっている世界だろう？」「違うわ、あなたが決めた世界なのよ。君の心がそうと決めている世界なのだ。」"What is reality?" "It is your world. It is your own world where time and space and other people exist mutually." "It is a world in which the way you accept and respond to things decide the way things are." "It is your world which is simply given now" "It is your world that no one can do anything about." "No, it's a world where everything is already decided, isn't it?" "No, it's not. It is a world that you have decided. It is a world that your heart decides."

「生きることも、死ぬこともあなた自身が決めることなのよ。自分の弱い心を守るために。自分の快楽を守るために。閉塞された空間では、あなた一人の世界では他の人は生きていけないもの。でも、あなたは世界の、自分を取り巻く世界の閉塞を願った。嫌いなものは排除し、より孤独な世界を願った、あなた自身の心。それが導き出された小さな心の安らぎの世界。」"Living and dying is your own decision. To protect your weak heart. To protect your own pleasure. In a closed space, your own world, other people can't live. But you wished for the closure of the world surrounding you. You remove the things that you don't like, and wished for a more lonely world, which is your own heart. That is the peaceful world of a small heart that has been guided by yourself."

This is some of the "interviews" in the 2nd last episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion which makes you think a lot about yourself. I'm sure everyone can find themselves in one of these passages. If you can't, that means you are free of the chains of modern civilization. If you don't understand it, you should watch the anime for yourself. But I don't really recommend it lar.. not that nice an anime.. Overall, I give Eva a 7/10. The best part is only the part where it makes you think a lot about yourself at the end. Well, I haven't watched the movie, End of Evangelion though. There should be more answers in that movie..
これらはエヴァンゲリオンのアニメの２５話にあった「面談会」の一部。自分によく考えさせた、自分のことをね。皆は必ずこれらの言葉の中で自分が見つけられるはず。見つけられなかったら、それはあなたが近代文明の考え方から抜かれているということを意味するだろう。分からなかったら、自分でこのアニメを見るべきだと思う。でも、お勧めというほどではない。そんなによいアニメではないと思う。全般的には、エヴァには７/１０しか点をあげられないね。まあ、自分に考えさせたことはとてもよかったと思いますが。でも、映画の End of Evangelion はまだ見てない。多分それには答えがもっとある。

アイドルマスター無敵

2007-11-27T14:23:00.000+09:00

アイドルマスター超はまりました。どうしよう。。うん、機会があったら、是非アイドルマスターのアニメ見てください。超お勧めですよ。僕なんかもう何回も何回も再生しちゃった。好きなシーンを見るたびに元気になっちゃう。僕、もうだめです。。だれか助けて！天海春香から助けてください！

うん、また日本語でアイドルマスターのレビュー書こうか。まずは、アイドルマスターってなんだろう？ふん、XBoxでは確かにアイドル育てのようなゲームですよね。グラビアとかデビューとかやって。。でも、僕が話してるのはそのアニメ、アイドルマスターゼノグロシアのことだよ。このアニメではアイドルという重力を操れるロボットが登場する。そして、これに乗ってるパイロットというのがアイドルマスター。ただ、アイドルは女性だけを乗らせる、それにきちょうめん。。

ここで、ちょっとアイドルという外来語の使い方を話させてもらう。元々アイドルという言葉は崇拝された神以外のものをいうのですが、最近、芸能人のことを示すようになった。まあ、人気の芸能人は崇拝されるとも言えるか。。でも、とにかく意味が外れてます。別にそんなに気にしなくてもいいけど、本当の意味を知っておくべきだと思うね。

はい、アイドルマスターの話に戻る。アイドルマスターが好きだと言ったら、多分なぜと聞かれるだろう。インターネットでもあまり画像ないし、プラモデルなんかも売ってない。全然人気アニメじゃない。。まあ、僕なりには一番好きなところはゼノグロシアの歌。始めの歌とAMVを見るともうわくわくする。そして、最後の歌もぴったりのタイミングに入って、緊張感が上がる。

二つ目はゼノグロシアの全人物のそれぞれの成長と暖かい関係。主人公のセリフ「必要なの
はほんのちょっとの勇気と強い気持ち」はもう僕の心に刻まれてる。他にセリフはいくらでもある。。まあ、春香ちゃんはともかく、他の人物も面白くて、性格が強い。それに、アイドルもそれぞれの性格と心を持ってる。ポイ捨てのガンダムよりは何倍も強い印象をもたらす。

感動的なところもギャグのところもすごく自然で、心に直接伝わる。前にも言ったように、日曜日にアイドルマスターの最終回を見た。エンディングはとても満足だった。そして、この26話を2回も見終わって、いまだに文句なし。確かに戦闘シーンとかはあまり激しくないが、ゼノグロシアはそれを面白くて、思いがけないプロットで補う。空から始まったわりにはこんな豊かなプロットってちょっとがっかりだった。サブの供給者もこのことに驚嘆した。

今まで見てきたアニメは15個ほどありますが、このアニメが僕に一番強い印象を残した。単な
る言葉ではとても伝えられない。多分他の人にはあまり面白くないかもしれない。でも、僕にとってはとてもよいアニメだと思う。

Idolm@ster Xenoglossia

2007-11-26T22:08:00.001+09:00

Idolm@ster Xenoglossia.. This anime has officially entered my best animes list(Eh, I had a list?)! It's not a very popular anime actually. It's more popular as an Xbox game, in which you guide the girls to become top idols.. Right.. But in the anime, it is a whole different story. It's about girls piloting robots! What's so special about that, you ask? Well, first of all, the name of the robot is Idol(shows how ignorant Japanese are of native usage of English words), an armored mecha which is built around a Core capable of controlling gravity. Ah, I revealed too much..heh..Secondly, the robots only let girls pilot them(eh, cheeky robots? lol). But not just any girl, too.(Picky robots) The pilots are called Idolmasters(as the title suggests) So yeah, girl power! ^^;
Well, to be truly honest, the main attraction is of course the girls.. The girls are fun and cute, and their pure friendship is just plain beautiful. However, somehow I feel that in this anime, this very special anime, the robots are not left out(unlike in Gundam Series). You feel like you know them very well and understand them. In Gundam, I feel like they're scrap metal.. once defeated, they're just thrown away and replaced.
My personal favourite (Idol) robot, Prometheus 4, codename Tempestas, who only managed to show off his mecha body in 1 episode and got his whole armor fried trying to protect two girls. It is true that the battle scenes are not as cool as in Gundam and other mecha animes. The best battle scenes I have seen yet is in Eureka Seven. However, Idolm@ster covers it well with many unexpected twists and makes you want to see more. Everytime I watch the next episode, just the opening prologue and Opening Song(which is the first one on the player on the right) is enough to get you high with tension and ecstasy.I personally like the Ending Song and First Opening Song, but overall, all 3 songs are very nice and encouraging.
And the main Idol and Idolmaster, Prometheus 1(first Idol found), Imber, and Haruka Amami(the one on the right). Haruka's character is interesting and delightful. A very true and honest role model of an imperfect person who strives to do her best. The other girls are also very fun and cute too.. and the very few guys also do very good jobs supporting the anime. The anime also features lots of laughs and some tears, which is very good for mental health. heh

The last episode was just released on Anime-Eden yesterday. I was sooooooo happy when I saw it.. and after watching it, I have so far no complaints for this anime whatsoever.

The fansub community left this message at the end of the anime, "And life goes on in the most unique game spin-off for the past years. We were all amazed at this wonderful series that created a strong story out of nothing."-Serin Staff(subtitle providers)
You might not understand the last sentence.. Usually, anime series are made according to a manga series, which means it follows the storyline and drawings in the manga. But in this series, there is no manga, no storyline, no art. And yet it was an excellent production nevertheless. I have seen a lot of animes which are based on mangas and yet fail to impress me. But Idolm@ster receives a full, honest 10/10 from me.

Note : I am now watching Evangelion in the Japanese version. It's worst than I expected. The opening song just doesn't get you expecting anything, and the main character is just dull..The only saviour might be Misato.. Well, we'll see how it turns out..

あぁあぁ

2007-11-25T13:32:00.001+09:00

木曜に聞いた友の言葉を思い出す。「これでもうテスト終わったんじゃないか」って。あぁあぁ。ぜんぜんそんなどころじゃないぞ。むしろ、今週からが本番じゃないか？しかも、レポート二つ完成しなきゃだ。それに、日曜に一級の日本語能力試験の決戦が。。マジ困った。。金曜と土曜に遊びばっかしてた俺はまさに馬鹿だな。。

っていうか、日本語で悩み事？「まあ、いいっか。。」このセリフなんか魅力的。。アイドルマスターの天美春香と弥生ちゃんのセリフですが。。今日アイドルマスターの英語サブ付の最終回ついに公開されました！もちろんインターネットよりダウンロードしてます。そうですね、海賊版かな？でも、そのウェブサイトは合法だと思うね。。まあ、せめてアメリカではね。。サブされたアニメはほとんどサブ供給が許可もらっているし。大丈夫じゃないかな？

「ジョも日本人の彼女作ろうよ」また某氏の言葉の思い出。ふん。。クラスの九人、どうかな？。。なんて。冗談は止そう。確かに日本語を勉強し始めたころには作文で日本で何をしたいかって問題に彼女作りたいって書いた覚えがある。。でもそれはあくまでも他の事が思いつかないからそう書いたんだろうな。

あぁあぁ。。こんな雑談になっちゃてごめんね。。最後にアイドルマスター最終回を見る前に。。「好きな人と一緒になるってそういうことじゃないよ。好きな人と一緒になるって、その人と同じになるんじゃない。。きっとちがうところをお互い見つけていくことなんだよ。だから、わかんないことも、嫌いと思うこともいっぱいあるかもしれない。だけど、きっとそれでいい。」そう、それでいいんだ。

日本語お上手ですね！（Wow, you speak very good Japanese!)

2007-11-15T07:04:00.000+09:00

初めてこういう表現を聞いたのはおそらくクラスメートの一人か先生（アベちゃんかMr.やまもと）からだろう。それは4月の初めて群馬高専に踏み始めたころだった。それから、デパートで服を見たりしようとしたら、店員が声をかけてきて、ちょっと返事しただけで、「日本語お上手ですね」とほめてきた。「僕の日本語からすぐ外国人だとわかったのに、日本語が上手って本当？」。僕はまだまだ日本語に自信がなかった。だから、それを日本人の建前ということにしておいた。それで、「いいえ、そんなことないですよ。」といったら、「いや、むしろ日本人より上手だと思いますよ」と。。

それだけではない。夏休みのあいだ、北海道へ行ってきた。いく手はたぶん馬鹿に思われるかもしれないが、青森まで電車でいって、青森からフェリーで函館まで。。本当は新潟から函館までいった方が安くて、ましだったんだけど、新潟がどこか実は知らなかった。でも、そのおかげ、普通電車の乗り換えの長い時間を東北でちょっと散歩ですごせて、よかった。そんな旅で、青森でりんごを買ったんですが、八百屋のばあちゃんと話し合って、友達も自分も「日本語上手だね」ってまたほめられた。でも、それは青森の方言にも関係するのだろう。関東の日本人の日本語たぶんわからないから。。北海道に行っても何回かほめられた。全部建前としてしておいたんですが。。

今はまたるうさんにほめられて、考え改めた。1回目は建前だと思ってたんだ。。本当ごめん。でも今回はうれしかった。この7ヶ月間で確かに日本語が成長してきたと初めて思った。うん、日本語の勉強を始めたころからずっとアニメを見て日本語を覚えたと思っていた。しかし、実際に人と話して、一人一人の話し方に慣れなきゃ、日本語を覚えたとしても意味はない。だから、クラスメート達や、先生方のおかげさまで、日本語がだんだんよくなってきたと思う。

ところが、ときどきクラスのみなと話しているとき、とまどうことがある。それはちょっと悔しい。でも、自分はもともと話すことが苦手な方だから、自分の母語でも。。だから、これからもがんばる。みなさんとよく話せるように。。最後に、るうにちゃんと礼を言いたい。ありがとう！これからもよろしくね！

るうへ。。そうですね。。日本のブログはだいたい次の公開であいとうするよね。。るうの英語上手って言いたいものの、言えなくてごめんね。でも、実は他の高専の学生よりは上手だと思うよ。他の高専の英語の授業の話聞いたら、びっくりするよ！まるで幼稚園みたい！飯野先生の授業まだましだ。マレーシアでは女は英語が直されたら、嫌がるらしいんですけど、るうはどうだろう？ "I am glad that I heard your opinion" か　"I am glad that I could hear your opinion"が正しいと思うね。。でも頑張ったからとりあえずほめます。　＾。＾　宗教は難しいよね。。今は正直宗教に自信がなくなってきたの。宗教はいつも戦争とか争いのため利用されて、とても悲しいものだ。結婚はずっと先だから、いいっか。はい、あいとう終わり。。

Okay, so I won't be translating the whole thing.. I'll just rewrite the post in English..
The first time I heard a Japanese tell me "Wow, you speak very good Japanese!" was probably from one of my classmates, or one of my teachers.. Other than that, there was once when I went to a departmental store and was window-shopping when the shopkeeper came and talked to me. I answered with a few words of Japanese, and then came the words..*rolls eyes* Although he knew that I'm a foreigner just from the way I speak Japanese, he still spilled those words.. I mean, if my Japanese were that good, he wouldn't notice that I'm a foreigner, right? That's why I remembered my teacher's saying that Japanese like to put on a show and praise people even though they don't really mean it.Everytime I try to humble myself, they say "Nah, I think your Japanese is better than most Japanese". What kind of irony is that?

That's not all.. During the summer holiday, I went to Hokkaido, and it was the same..We took the long route, and when we stopped at Aomori to buy apples, the auntie selling the apples praised our Japanese too..Well, they do have dialects up there, so maybe she just didn't know the way the Japanese near Tokyo speak.. When we were travelling in Hokkaido, it was the same.. A lot of Japanese praised our Japanese.. The irony..

And now, again, my Japanese friend praised my Japanese. The first time, I put it off as their habit of praising again.. I'm sorry about that.. But this time, I felt happy to be praised..For the first time, I thought, my Japanese has indeed improved ever since I came in April. Since I started studying Japanese, I have thought that watching animes has been the one thing that made my Japanese better. But then again, I realized, if you don't speak to anyone and get used to their way of speech, in the end, it doesn't mean a thing.. So, thank God that I have my classmates and teachers who always patiently listen and talk to me..

But still, sometimes when I talk to them, I become lost and can't find the words.. That hurts me a bit.. Well, actually, I'm not really good at talking anyways, even in my own language.. That is why, I will continue to fight on to improve my Japanese and speaking skills to be able to talk to them smoothly. Finally, I would like to thank little Miss Ruu who kindly praised my Japanese.

恋って？愛って？

2007-11-13T23:30:00.000+09:00

友達のブログでコメントを書こうとしたら、こんな長い文章になっちゃった。恋って話ですが、やっぱり僕は理想の恋なんてちょっと無理だと思う。一生ずっと一人をすきでいるというのは難しい。

それから、恋ってなんなんだろうってこともある。僕はそれについて考えて、キリスト教の中で探って見た。恋は三種類に分けられているそうです。一つ目は両親や家族への愛、2つ目は恋人同士や夫婦の愛、3つ目は一番純粋で、永遠の神の愛（英語では agape という）。この中では永遠に続く愛は一つしかない、いわゆる神の愛。そして、変なキリスト教らしい本を読んで、その神の愛を得たという人たちがいるそうだ。それに、その愛が世の中全てを見通す力を持ってるそうだ。しかしこの愛を得るため、自分を見捨ててただ全世界を愛するようにならなきゃならない。これが理想の恋かしら。でも、その本にはちょっと違和感を感じた。キリスト教と全く違うものを教えている。でも仏教か道教の瞑想にも似てるかな。全は個、個は全、という。ごめんね、わけのわかんない話しちゃって。。

まあ、そういうわけで、僕はもう愛か恋が何なんだろうということもよくわからないの。でも、僕はこう考える。好きというのは自分が決めること。心も体も自分のものだから。恋もそうだ。気持ちだけで何もうまない。行動して、ちゃんと「好きだ」って気持ちが伝わらなきゃ意味はない。でも、気持ちももちろん重要。難しいですね。。

結婚するんだったら、条件は自分がずっと彼女のそばにいられることに自信があるのが前提。結婚後はどきどきとかラブラブの気持ちが衰えるのは当然。だから、好きでなくても一緒に死まで歩いていける、ラブラブでなくても互いのぬくもりで心が安心できる、そういう関係が欲しい。

僕には永遠の愛とか理想の恋なんて要らない。僕の手には届けそうもないのだから。ただ、一人ぼっちで寂しいのは嫌。だから、いつか、そんな僕がずっとそばにいてあげられる相手を探したい。

秋ですか？Is it autumn?

2007-11-11T07:58:00.000+09:00

Yes, it's autumn..The temperature is around 12 to 15 degrees celsius and the maple leaves and watever leaves are all turning red and yellow and orange and falling down like crazy..
Unlike Calvin who had to steal a picture from Ming Rong, I post my own picture.. This is a picture of the small road beside my hostel.. Like the red? heh..

Like I said, I would be updating.. this is a picture of the road going out of my school through the main gate.. I think you notice the yellow-leaved trees.. I think those are 唐松, larch trees. My senior said the yellow leaves are Gunma's specialty.. not that sure about that, but usually ppl see red leaves nia.. heh.. yellow is nice too.. =)

Oh, and because it rained a bit yesterday, the sky is sooooo blue today.. heh.. Never saw such a blue sky in Malaysia, as much as I remember..

Conclusion: You don't have to go to a park to feel autumn!

A Crazy-Long tag

2007-11-10T20:55:00.000+09:00

LIST OUT THE TOP 5 PRESENTS YOU WISH FOR
1. The new Ipod Touch
2. A Mitsuoka Orochi
3. A free return ticket to Europe
4. A free return ticket to Australia
5. Lots and lots of Kyoho grapes!! >.<

THE PERSON WHO TAGG-ED YOU IS
Sharon Chong, etto.. chotto uzai shoujo... ^^ soreni, cosplay zuki de, a, mou hatachi da ne.... hehhe

YOUR 5 IMPRESSIONS OF HIM/HER
1. yappa uzai
2. a bit hyper for a girl (which is nice)
3. easy to like (nobody wouldn't want to be her friend)
4. lovesick (like most girls are)
5. cute/pretty (really? dono.. depends on ppl..)

MOST MEMORABLE THINGS HE/SHE HAS DONE FOR YOU
err.. umm.. etto.... I think we played "chat" with pieces of paper in maths tuition, like, 5 years ago?? heh.. that was funny.. ^^;

THE MOST MEMORABLE WORDS HE/SHE HAS SAID TO YOU
hmmm.. i have bad memory.. >.<

IF HE/SHE BECOMES YOUR LOVER , YOU WILL
err.. dowan.. i might run to Hokkaido and never go back.. ^^

IF HE/SHE BECOMES YOUR LOVER , THEY HAVE TO IMPROVE ON WILL BE
er.. that's her choice, but like i said, DOWAN.

IF HE/SHE BECOME YOUR ENEMY , YOU WILL
try to be friends with her again. Cause i think we do not deserve to be enermies.(same as her answer) but if she had a gun pointed at me, I think I won't hesitate pulling out my own Desert Eagle.. heh..

IF HE/SHE BECOME YOUR ENEMY , THE REASON WILL BE
hmm.. I'm a jerk, so the reason could be anything.. hehe

PASS THIS QUIZ TO 1O PEOPLE THAT YOU WISH TO KNOW HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT YOU
1. Fabian Moa(no need to write twice tho)
2. Keith Kueh
3. Elissa Ing
4. Chern Lyan
5. Aricka
6. Calvin Ong
7. Lim Ming Rong
8. Chang Yuan
9. Cedric Chin
10. Tang Yii

1. WHO IS NO.7 HAVING RELATIONSHIP WITH ?
wahhhhhhhh so chun i put his name..... haha.. bikkuri shita.. I no need to say everyone also know lar.. hehe.. Jong Kai Ning .. wooohoooo

2. WHO IS NO.9 HAVING RELATIONSHIP WITH ?
Aiya should have put Calvin there.. haha.. Cedric ar.. i think he said he broke up with his m'sian gf.. so now i donno lar he got or not..

3. IF NO.9 and NO.10 ARE TOGETHER , WILL IT BE A GOOD THING ?
HAHHAHAHA... I don't have anything to say.... lol...

4. WHAT ABOUT NO.1 and NO.5 ?
Err.. I wouldn't forgive Fabby if he did the same thing again.. ^^

5. WHAT IS NO.3 STUDYING ?
Etto.. Unimas? arghhh sorry if it's wrong.... wahhhhh.. lol..

6. WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOUS CHATT-ED WITH NO.6 ?
last week i think.. he visits my blog quite often i think.. anyways, he's too lovey dovey to care about me lar.. heheh

7. DOES NO.4 WORK ?
err.. she likes to work parttime to get money for shopping and stuff.. hehhe..

8. DOES NO.8 HAVE ANY COUSIN IN HIS/HER OWN SCHOOL ?
Haha.. this tag is too personal.. u think I stalker ar??

9. WILL YOU WOO NO.8 ?
I'm not gay

10. HOW ABOUT NO.5 ?
Err.. maybe? haha.. kindergarten friend.. so long din see her lor..

11. DOES NO2 HAVE ANY SIBLINGS ?
Like I said, too personal.. he has a little brother.. I think that's all.. err.. that's all I've met anyways..

12. HOW DID YOU GET TO KNOW NO.3 AND NO.4 ?
No 3 was friendly at high school, so got to know her through badminton and internet..No 4 was my classmate at primary school.. actually didnt remember her.. lol..

13. WHERE DOES NO.1 LIVE AT ?
Kuching! Cat City!

14. HOW YOUS GET TO KNOW NO.2 ?
High school classmate.. Why are we jumping? ^^;

15. IS NO.5 SEXIEST PERSON IN THE WORLD ?
er.. no.. but she's quite sexy.. heh

3 Year Old Solves Rubik's Cube in 114 seconds

2007-10-21T15:28:00.001+09:00

This one is sooo cool..

あなたの怨み晴らします。　She will take revenge on your behalf

2007-10-10T22:30:00.000+09:00

Do you hate someone now? Do you wish for he/her to be gone from this world forever? Send him/her to hell. Just type his/her name in, and the Jigoku Shoujo, Enma Ai will help you take your revenge.

いっぺん死んでみる？ Would you like to know what it's like to die?

Okay, so you must be thinking I lost my mind. Hehe. Nah, I'm just too addicted to anime and manga nowadays.. not a good habit, but it's quite fun.. haha..

Like I mentioned, I watched this anime, Jigoku Shoujo a while ago. Finished watching the two seasons last last week in fact.

Basically, it's a very simple anime, which talks about Enma Ai, the Hell Girl who has the power to send people to hell, and she does this at the request of the people who access her website, the Hell Hotline.

Please look at her carefully.. Her eyes, her face expression. What do you see? I see pain and loneliness, and an insecurity.

As the story develops, we see more character in Enma Ai. What would you feel if you had to send people to hell for all your life? Well, without aging that is..

It is interesting to know that the beginning of the Hell Girl history as an urban legend in Japan can be traced to the end of the Azuchimomoyama Age (1568 to 1598) till the Edo Period (1603 to 1867). Before the internet was used, it was said that there was a blank white space in the newspapers' missing person corner. A person with a strong grudge will be able to see on that blank space a pre-addressed letter, and write the hated person's name and send it by post. In this way, the person is able to make contact with the Hell Girl.There were several other ways to make contact with the Hell Girl too.

Whether she really exists or not, I don't really care. I just like the anime. Enma Ai is cute and attractive in a way.. Probably it's the insecurity and mystery that wraps around her.

I particularly liked the first season of the anime, because in the second season, she doesn't feel that mysterious anymore.. haha.. the drawing was nicer in the second season though.. And the second season also has more variation in the storyline, which actually made me laugh. haha..

Her appearance with her long silky hair in a kimono is also quite refreshing. Usually, a Japanese woman wears a kimono with her hair tied up, in order to flash off her white skin on the back of her neck.

And I love the soundtracks too! They sound kind of sad, and yet full of hope.
I end my review with a 9/10 rating for Jigoku Shoujo.

Blog Addiction

2007-10-05T18:55:00.000+09:00

54%

100% Free Personals from JustSayHi

I took this test today, and I'm happy to say that I'm not that much of a blog freak. I expect Calvin to get 90% though.. haha.. Well, maybe coz he's on a different level.. Since I'm so unpopular, so I don't have the mood to blog.. right? hehe.. probably.. but thanks to everyone for reading my blog.

A Romantic Story

2007-10-01T22:15:00.000+09:00

So, most of you know I have been trying to form a group of people to force Calvin to talk about his girlfriend, whom he has denied existence uncountable times..

I am here very sad to say that our mission has ended.. First of all, Calvin himself wrote this message in her chatbox.

michelleg: calvin:

29 Sep 07, 22:46
michelleg: ben: haha. well busy ppl arent we?

29 Sep 07, 22:46
michelleg: mrbherng: wow, so FAST?

29 Sep 07, 11:03
calvin: i miss you

Source: copied directly from her page

Second of all, she herself put up an image which would prove a lot about their relationship.

Source: her page

Okay, so you're asking, "what the heck does that have anything to do with Calvin?". Well, let me tell you. Some of the presents in the box are souvenirs from Aomori,Furano and Hakodate, which Calvin and I covered during our trip. Pay close attention to the red and white packet on the right side corner of the box and also the half transparent packet on the left side corner. Now let me show u this..

Please compare with the white packet on the left side.. this is a cheese biscuit from Furano, which we both bought for souvenir.
And this is an apple pie from Aomori which we both also bought as souvenirs.
And we actually bought 25 packets of this Ika Meshi for souvenirs too.(this is the back part of the plastic). My hand there shows that it's mine.. not some prank.

And in case you thought I just took her picture and zoomed and cropped and blurred it, I also took these pictures to prove that they are my own.

Ok, so what if Calvin DID send those souvenirs to her. No problem with sending present to a friend right? Well, what I heard from Calvin is that they are only friends on the internet, or blogger pals. It's hard to understand that you could be so friendly to a person on the net to actually send her so many things! Including a snoopy plushie in that case.. Like Cedric said, there's something fishy.. The rest is for you all to decide. For me, I have proved Calvin GUILTY of this affair!

Sorry Calvin, since I didn't really force you into telling although I promised I would. Instead, you gave yourself in on her website.. sighs.. kuyashii.. heh..

3rd Quarter of trip Part 2

2007-09-30T06:58:00.000+09:00

Couldn't take any more space on the first post...
So, after that, we went up by train again to Naka-furano, the place we wanted to go for the lavenders..It's supposed to be quite a small city.. But this overhead bridge looks rather classy, eh?
This is a small lavender farm(or park).. Still some flowers in bloom.. But the whole area on top was green(or barren?), without any more lavenders.

After that, we walked further up to the lavender farm we were supposed to visit, Tomita Farm. And I quickly bought the lavender soft (I realized that the Japanese don't call it ice cream.. they call it soft.. well, it is true it's not ice and it's soft.. heh).

Darn, this lavender soft is really nice!! I want more >.< But compared to the last time I had my lavender soft, this time wasn't that nice coz there was no smell of lavender around.. This is an ice cream you've got to try if you haven't! Nothing beats this one(not even durian soft!).
There were different lavenders here.. white and purple mix.. quite nice.. like the lavender and vanilla mix soft.. arghhhh I can't get my mind of the lavender soft.. NOOOO!!
Here's a part of the farm which was in bloom.. The other parts were mostly green(or barren?)..

After that, we took a train up again to Asahikawa.. and found a sushi shop around 30 to 40 minutes walk from the station..
Notice the difference in the plate designs? some had white lines on the outer part and some don't.. We didn't realize that until we were almost finished.. For me, I usually only eat around 5 plates.. This time I had around 7 or 8, coz the sushi in Hokkaido tastes great.. But the real victim of this little trick was Calvin, who ate around 11 plates I think.. his bill was over 2000 yen! haha.. serves him right! wakkakaka.. But worth it lar, can eat such delicious sushi.. sigh.. I hungry d.. >.< The next day, we went to the Asahiyama Zoo around 40 minutes from Asahikawa Station by bus..
First of all were flamingoes..
And swans and ducks..
And monkeys..
Penguins..
Reminds me of Happy Feet.. haha..
Seal..
Proud Tiger..
The Mighty Lion with an attitude.. (cute attitude in this case)
The Sun Bear of Hokkaido.. Does he look dead or what?
Polar Bears.. Doesn't look white to me.. Lack of snow?
Reindeer.. I think..
Giraffe.. Okay, at least he's taller than Calvin, right?

Actually, most of the animals were not that active when we were there.. And we didn't see most of the feeding too(they call it mogu mogu time..don't ask me why).. I took videos of the penguin feeding, but they're gone.. maybe on Calvin's computer..

After that, for dinner, Calvin and I ate Shouyu Ramen (Soy Sauce Ramen).

Nice! Quite nice!

Okay, so that's all for this time.. will update later on Hakodate.. Actually, I planned to post on some of the visits in more detail, but I don't think I want to anymore.. haha.. sorry, but if you want to see the photos, just tell me.. I'll try to make it interesting..

Third Quarter of Hokkaido Trip

2007-09-24T14:26:00.000+09:00

Sorry for the long wait, guys. Was busy watching Jigoku Shoujo, an anime which is quite interesting. Will talk a bit about that later. For now, let's continue with Hokkaido..

Actually, this is going to be quite a boring post.. That's one of the reasons I didn't really want to update on this. But if I don't update, that Calvin bising bising pula.

So, where were we? Sapporo right? We stayed at Hokudai(Hokkaido University) for 3 nights. I've posted up the pictures for the first day. Where did we go the second day? Going by our friend's suggestion, we planned to go to the Hokkaido Historical Village. The place is about 30 to 40 minutes(bad memory) from Sapporo by train.

When we reached there and got the map, we realized that it was not just the historical village there. There were lots of museums and 触れ合い(touching,as translated from my dictionary) centres. And the paths were mostly through the jungle, with distances of over 2 kms.. First stop was this tower.

Sapporo's 100 year commemorative tower. 百年記念塔.

Second stop was the Historical Museum of Hokkaido.

In front of it was this little statue.. cute? no, I don't think so.. but it's interesting coz when you clap your hands near it, you'll be able to hear a bird's cry. I tried, and there was a subtle sound like a bird's cry.. but sorry, no video..

The first thing in the museum was this little attempt to bring back the stone ages.
Not to mention, mammoths too..
Which bear is more likely to bite? *wink*
Japanese version of the voodoo doll.
Ancient Ainu(the natives of Hokkaido) clothing.
The general interior of an Ainu hut(house?)
If you're interested in hunting seals... they have as many spearheads as you have fishing hooks..
Some old rusted swords
Does this remind you of the Vikings? Be grateful these Ainu were not as vile!
Anyone for Bear worship? "Oh, Mighty Bear, lend me your ClAwS!"
These photos show how Hokkaido was stained by the foolishness that is called Civilization over the decades.
After that, a long walk around the place for the whole afternoon before reaching the Historical Village. I will not be posting the pictures of those boring adventures, except this..
Notice the leaves turning orange and red? That's the sign of autumn! Tanoshimi!

So, we reached the Historical Village.. Lots of buildings.. Including Western buildings.. From a conversation with an old lady in one of the houses, we got the information that the village was rebuilt from the ruins of the flood in Asahikawa a long time ago. Geographically, Asahikawa is actually very far from Sapporo. The flood actually carried off the whole town down somewhere far from Asahikawa, and they used the materials from the ruins to rebuilt the Historical Village.

There were a lot of old building including a Post Office and a barber shop and grocery stores.. But I won't be putting them up coz they're just not interesting to put up. There was also a railroad in the middle of the path, like tram tracks.. Actually, a horse pulled the car and brought the tourists around. We didn't try this (costs money of course). And I'm not putting up the picture of the horse either, coz it looked so pitiful.. sighs..

This is a sort of farmhouse or some kind of structure that Calvin mentioned looked something like those Dutch(Holland) farmhouses. Since the weather was cloudy until then, Calvin began fussing on getting a good picture of the building and the blue sky background. Okay, I admit I was trying to get a good shot too, but I'm not a camwhore, at least. =P

And a bit further up was a farm, and there was also this apple farm.. (Did I mention Calvin seems to be an apple fan freak?)

Hmm..... who's that?? Seems like they're stealing some apples..
Uh Oh! Caught red handed(literally)! Too bad couldn't get Calvin's face.. If not can blackmail him and make him confess about his girlfriend.. >.< And a fishing village..The place wasn't near the sea, although the real village was near the sea.. So, they built a lake beside the model so that it "felt" like the sea.
Here's a preview of the Historical Urinal. That's all for the Historical Village.

For dinner, we went to an Indian Restaurant, Taj Mahal.
First dish, Tandoori Chicken! Nyum Nyum..
And Naan! There are no Roti Canais in Japan, btw. Only Naans.. Boring~
And Nasi Briyani with curry! woohooo!

Okay that's all for Sapporo. The next morning, we took the train up to Furano.. The plan was to see the lavenders of course.. But when we reached there and went to ask at the Tourist Information counter, we were told that the lavender season was almost, if not already, over..But of course we still had lots of time, so we went around the city on this rental bicycle.
I like the keychain. ^^
With the bicycle, we went up some hills and reached this cheese factory(or park).
Got Milk?
Yes, we got milk, and a small cheese cake too.The milk was fresh and thick, unlike the ones sold at supermarkets.. And the cheese cake was very nice too!
And this is supposed to be Cheese Ice Cream.. right.. just the flavor, anyways..
This is the bridge we crossed to get to the place.. The statue's cute.. One of the reasons I stopped to take the picture.. heh..
After that, we went to a Wine Factory on the other side of the city..
100 years capsule.. these wine will be kept for 100 years.. high quality.. >.< Wine with a touch of lavender taste.. I drank a small cup of sample, but didn't taste much like lavender.. too bad.. If it did, I would've bought it straight away.. heh..

After that, we went to a nearby Grape Factory. Nothing much there, but there was a pony and a donkey there..
Calvin said they were both male (I'm gender blind when it comes to animals). Gay? ^^;

Another Train Incident!

2007-09-22T23:44:00.000+09:00

No, it's not another girl stripping in the train.. But I consider it as one of the more fun train rides I've gone through..

It was on the way back down to my friend's kampung, Nagaoka, which took around 10 hours.. had to change 5 times.. and on the last train(i think it was the last train?), there was this schoolgirl sitting just opposite me..

Before talking about this girl, I would like to complain about Japanese schoolgirls. It's a common knowledge that Japanese schoolgirls love to wear short skirts, and if it's not short enough, they would go to the extend of pulling it up or tucking in the extra bit up their waist. I have to say that it's just too much to take in for a 19 year old guy like me( hypocrite). And not enough with that, they're like, so unforgiving and inconsiderate of males with high hormone activity.. >.< One thing is, when they sit down, they don't put their legs together like a normal girl would do, instead, they spread their legs (although not that wide).Darn, can't they keep their legs together for goodness sake? period ar?? ^^;;

But the girl I'm going to talk about is a bit more considerate.. she at least push down her skirt to cover up her thighs.. Okay, so I'm H for always looking at that part, eh? Hey, I'm a guy! still 19! still high on hormones(not drugs)! ^^

Okay, so this girl was holding up her hand against her face (er, more accurately, to her nose..) as if she was having a serious flu situation.. I was thinking, "just wipe of with ur shirt or something lar.." but then again, she's a girl, so that's a bit dirty.. I remember I had a tissue pack, but put it somewhere in my jeans, which was in my bag, in the plastic of dirty clothes.. So, I passed to that thought..

After typing a message on her phone, she started looking around in her bag for a tissue (i suspect).. but when she couldnt find one, she looked so desperate.. so kolien.. but cute at the same time.. haha.. at that time there was another girl sitting beside her.. didn't seem like her friend at all.. But after looking around (as if asking for help), she nudged the girl beside her.. (this was so damn cute.. the way she nudged.. ^^)

So the girl beside her looked at her with a weird gaze and after a split second smiled cheekily and found a tissue packet in her bag and gave the girl some. So the girl held the tissues to her nose.. After a while, the girl beside her got off at a station. I thought she was her friend.. guess not.. "but why did she smile cheekily to her?" I thought.. so weird.. Then, after a while, the girl used her right hand(she was using her left) to hold up the tissue..

"Darn long ar her mucus.." I thought. But when she put down her left hand, I noticed a colour I've always seen after scratching my skin.. the dark red colour of dried blood.. WhA?!? That was a nosebleed?! At that time, I was so shocked that I couldn't help but just stare at her.. After that, when the bleeding seemed to have stopped, she put down her hand and the tissue.. and held her face up a bit.. and I saw tears all over her cute face.. her nose so little.. typical asian..

A bit scary, but felt sorry for that girl too.. must be so terrifying for her.. riding the train alone with no friends and suddenly having a nosebleed.. I don't remember having a nosebleed before, but I know what excessive blood smells like.. to have that in your nose.. that's gotta be scary for a girl.. wish I had the tissue on me the other day.. sighs.. ^^

Note: In protest to Joann who have 'privated' her blog, I have deleted her link from my site. what's a blog if you don't let everyone read it? duh~

Note 2: Anyone who has interest in finding out who Calvin's girlfriend is and forcing him to confess it, please contact me.. ^^

The Japanese Grape

2007-09-22T20:11:00.000+09:00

巨峰

　ブドウの王様と呼ばれ人気が高い品種です。外観は紫黒色で美しく、食味も優れ日本人に広く好まれています。ぶどう王国山梨の中で生産量がもっとも多い品種です。8月中旬～9月頃まで味わうことができます。
Source: 巨峰

I bought this for 300 yen(RM9) at the supermarket yesterday.. It's a type of grape called Kyoho in Japanese. Translating from above,it is called the King of Grapes and is a very popular type of grape in Japan. It is of a beautiful deep purple colour and also has a good taste, making it a hit among Japanese. It is mainly produced in Yamagata Prefecture and the Kyoho season is from middle of August to September.

The one I bought was produced in Niigata Prefecture. Probably the same one Joann and Pik Yee picked the other day? damn, it tasted great. Sasuga budou no ousama da!(As expected from the king of grapes!) can't understand why those two girls couldn't eat more than one bunch..

From the outside, it looked like any other grape.. but when you bite into it, the shokkan (er.. eating feeling? haha.. no direct translation) is just so heavenly.. the fruit is so soft and juicy and yet it is still hard enough to not melt straight away in your mouth. tastes soooooooo goood..

It was so good I couldn't help finishing the whole 400 grams up.. I hope I can still buy it next week at the supermarket. >.< Believe me, you've got to try it!

Note: I might take some time to upload on Hokkaido.. Please be patient..

Shokotan 　しょこたん

2007-09-21T17:51:00.000+09:00

Shōko Nakagawa (中川翔子, Nakagawa Shōko?, born May 5, 1985, in Tokyo) is a female Japanese idol and multi-talented celebrity (an actress, seiyū (voice actor), illustrator, singer and blogger). She is the daughter of Katsuhiko Nakagawa, a famous celebrity in Japan in the 1980s. Her blood type is A.

She is represented by the Watanabe Entertainment talent agency. Her nickname is Shokotan. (In the blog by Mika Kaneda, who appeared with her on "Ōsama no Brunch", she is called Shokotasu). She is left-handed.

She has listed Bruce Lee, the idol Seiko Matsuda, the anime characters Vegeta and Trunks of Dragon Ball Z/GT, and Sephiroth of Final Fantasy VII as people she respects.

She is famous for liking manga and anime, and also enjoys watching professional boxing.

Blog

Her official blog, Shokotan * Blog, opened in 2004, and by April 2006 it had received a total of 100 million hits.(From Japanese Wikipedia:アクセス数は日に200万[1]（2006年10月16日当時）、2007年2月14日には累計で5億を突破 Translation: The highest number of access per day, recorded on 16th October 2006 was 2 million and on the 14th February 2007, total of number of access reached 500 million hits)

As one might expect from her personality, there are very many otaku-style entries, and she updates it extremely regularly, perhaps because of a compulsive streak in her personality, or perhaps, as she admitted in an interview, because she uses it as a kind of notepad. In the month of April 2005, there were 600 updates, and on January 28, 2006, there were 70 updates, a record number for a single day. It is likely that she holds the record for the greatest number of blog updates by an idol. She has become known as the "New Queen of the Blog", after the original "Queen of the Blog", Kaori Manabe. Due to her blog's popularity, in September 2005, Koma Books released a compilation of her blog entries, also entitled Shokotan * Blog.

From September 2004, posters on the News Sokuhō (VIP) Ita bulletin board on 2 Channel, which had just been set up, took note of her otaku-style interests and her drawings, which were very different from what one might expect from an idol, and she came to be treated as the idol of that board, and fêted like a goddess. Because of this, she started to use the slang dialect of the board in her blog, and write ASCII art imitating Raizon Naitō, (for example, ⊂二二二（　＾ω＾）二⊃) in her photographs.

From September 2006 onwards, there were many media reports about her blog and writing style, but some gave the impression that she had invented VIP slang herself, angering some citizens of 2 Channel. However, since many people do not know what a blog is, editors may have decided to leave out details, and she is not necessarily to blame for this misattribution. In fact, when she appeared on the talk show Odoru Sanma Gyoden (踊るさんま御殿, Odoru Sanma Gyoden?), "Dancing Sanma Palace", and had to explain what a blog was together with the other guests, the editing became noticeably unnatural. From this, and from the long recording time for that show, it can be concluded that it took a fair amount of effort to get the host, Sanma Akashiya, to understand what a blog was.

After her appearance on a telethon, the number of accesses to her blog increased, leading to continual trackback spamming by pornography sites, businesses and showbusiness news sites, making it difficult for her even to update the blog. Sometimes "non title" was displayed instead of the title, or entries she posted were not displayed. As a result, the trackback function was suspended, and the page became a published diary, rather than a blog. At present, fans can only send her messages in real time via her mobile phone guestbook, for which there is a fee.

Source: Wikipedia

Overview of First Half of Trip

2007-09-12T01:46:00.000+09:00

The Sun setting over Akita Prefecture. Such a long coastline! A bit sad that I couldnt go to Akita Kousen..

Akita JR Train Station Building. Pretty station, with an airport-like interior.

Don't have a nice picture of Aomori, but this is the ferry we were on.Took it from Aomori.

Ah, finally, after 4 hours, the city of Hakodate, our first stop in Hokkaido! The wind smells different up here. ;)

Hakodate Train Station

The Water Canal of Otaru.

Sushi Buffet in Otaru. Uni uni uni! tamaranai! (if u don't understand me, go to a sushi shop and ask what an uni is..lol).. the uni in Hokkaido is superb..... tiada tandingan.. mou tak teng.. haha

Otaru's water.. Does Hokkaido water taste different? don't know.. my tounge ain't that sensitive..

Sapporo, Hokkaido's main city, Japan's 3rd largest city.. The words below this statue at the Oodori Park reads Kibou(Hope). The city of hope? well, it's a lot more hopeful than Tokyo, that's what I can say! haha

Sapporo University Museum

The Clock Tower in Sapporo. Honestly, I don't know what it's for.. haha.. Just pretty?lol

Eh?? Tokyo Tower in Sapporo? haha.. Actually, it's the TV tower, standing at about 120 metres above the ground. Tell u a secret lar, actually the 332.6 metres tall Tokyo Tower is also a TV and radio broadcasting tower(not a secret? haha).. But I guess they wanted to make it their very own, so they called it TOKYO Tower. they should do it with SAPPORO Tower too.. ^^

The Oodori Park. Goodness, it's long.. 12 blocks, for goodness sakes! >.< (picture taken from TV Tower)

Susukino, the main hub of Sapporo city. Also a Very hot red light district. you'd be surprised.. *wink*

Next, Genghis Khan buffet! supposed to be ram/lamb/sheep meat. so nice! The best yakiniku in Japan, I can say!

Let's start frying~! ^^

Tastes even better with Japanese Sake! Actually, I'm illegal(miseinensha). LOL

There will be more coming, but not sure when we will get internet access again.. probably not until we get back.. I'll post on some of the things and places I think are interesting after I get back.. so, please look forward to it!See ya!

blog holiday & satomi ishihara

2007-09-06T14:32:00.000+09:00

I will be off to my Hokkaido trip tomorrow, so my blog will be dead for around 2 weeks.. heh.. sorry, guys! hmm..For my last post before my trip..

Satomi Ishihara (石原さとみ, Ishihara Satomi?) is a Japanese actress and radio variety show host.

Popular all over Asia, but mostly in Japan, she has gained recognition for her acting talents. At the moment, she is considered one of the hottest idols on the scene and is in high demand. She has acted in Japanese television dramas since 2003. She also has appeared in various commercials, has released photobooks, DVD photo collections and calendars.

* Stage Name: Ishihara Satomi
* Birth Name: Ishigami Kuniko
* Date of Birth: December 24, 1986
* Place of Birth: Tokyo, Japan
* Height: 157cm (short! lol)
* Profession: Actress/Radio Variety Show Host
* Agency: Horipro
* Vital Statistics(ambiguous >.<):
o Bust: 82cm
o Waist: 58cm
o Hips: 82cm
* Hobbies: piano, koto, classical ballet, hip-hop dancing
* Favorite Sports: Basketball and Tennis
* Favorite Food: Natto(what??nOoOoO) Spaghetti

Awards

* Japanese U-20 Scholar Idol Ranking 2007: Placed #5 (2007)
* 8th Nikkan Sports Drama Award: Best Supporting Actress (Water Boys 2) (2004)
* 41st Golden Arrow: Newcomer Prize (Teru Teru Kazoku) (2003)
* 16th Nikkan Sports Movie Grand-Prix: Newcomer Prize (My Grandpa) (2003)
* 27th Talent Scout Caravan "Pure Girl 2002": Grand Prix prize winner (2002) (pure gal.. ^^)

Trivia

* She wears glasses part of the time.
* Her names convey important meanings. Ishihara means stone field, and Satomi can be translated as beautiful or wise. As for her true names, Ishigami means stone god and Kuniko means country child.
* She says she would like to get better at English and make her mark on the international entertainment scene.
* Besides filming commercials abroad, her only real exposure overseas has been two home stays in Sydney and Saipan.(too modest.. >.<) * To prepare for her role in Nurse Aoi(my fav!), she exposed her self to what nurses and medical facility staff people do in the hospital: taking blood pressure, operating the X-ray machines and such.

Source: Wikipedia

Well, I actually have 1000+ pictures of her, which I got from another blog.. I'll post some nice ones here.. ^^

hmm.. the summer feeling.. wonder where she went this summer holiday.. or was she working the whole time? poor thing.. >.<

Pure as White!

She might not be the sexiest(coz she rarely do sexy poses?), but she's cute and pretty enough for me!

nice pose? ^^

she looks good in traditional dress too!

hehe!

love that smile, princess!

Some ppl said she doesnt look like a girl after seeing her pics on my display picture.. Maybe because of her short hair?

Oh, don't make her cry..

Beware of her weapon, the pillow! She can be really painful when she's angry! XD

Let's go! 北海道目指せ！ (Hokkaido mezase!) wanted to bring her along.. but she said she's too busy.. too bad.. sigh.. haha.. ^.^ cya~

aiko 愛子

2007-09-04T22:21:00.000+09:00

aiko, born Aiko Yanai (柳井愛子, Yanai Aiko, born November 22, 1975 in Suita, Osaka) is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter. She is known for her cheerful disposition. Her music primarily consists of love songs and is particularly popular among young girls all over East Asia. Oricon published the results of a survey of 20,000 subscribers' favourite singers, and aiko topped the list in both 2005 and 2006.
Source: Wikipedia

As you can see above and on the right column, I've added a video of her song and a playlist. Okay, so, honestly I had no idea she's 31! haha.. she looks so little and cheerful all the time.. Well, her songs are not bad lar.. BTW, shiawase means happy.. umm.. more like 'happily everafter' type of feeling? hehe.. dono..

Here's a lyric of the Music Clip, Shiawase 幸せ

隣で眠ってるあなたの口が開く　そして笑った
どんな夢見てるの?気になる...
出来ればあたしが出てきたらいいのに
隣で手を繋いだあなたの左手少し汗をかいてた
だけど　同じくらいあたしの右手暖かかった

見上げたら喉が愛しかったので　甘いキャンディーの事も忘れて
小さいあたしの唯一の特権　思わずキスをしたの

二人周り流れるストーリー　生きていく為に泣くこともある
それがあたしを強くするならば　これも一番の幸せなんです
二人何処かで廻るストーリー　生涯離れてしまっても
あなたの一歩になるならば　幸せに思える日が来るのです

いつから知ってたの?あたしの強い所　弱い所
黙って見ててくれたあなたと同じ青空に出よう

愛し愛されて過ぎる大切な時　そして香った
あなたの呼吸の唄に走る小さな星に涙が出た
あたしのこの言葉が唇をまたいでいった後
意味を持ったままあなたの胸に残ってます様に

この指で弾いた息と気持ちを重ね　あなたに飛ばすの　響いて
新しい明日に繋がる想い「今日も大好きでした」

二人周り流れるストーリー　あなたがここに居てくれるなら
後悔せずに前を向いたまま　立ち止まる事も怖くないのです
二人何処かで廻るストーリー　静かに終わりが来たとしても
最後にあなたが浮かんだら　それが幸せに思える日なのです

隣で眠ってるあなたの口が開く　そして笑った
これが幸せ　今の幸せ　ついて行くわ　眠ろう
Source: Goo Music

Roman Characters:

tonari de nemutteru anata no kuchi ga hiraku soshite waratta
donna yume miteruno? ki ni naru...
dekireba atashi ga detekitara ii no ni
tonari de te wo tsunaida anata no hidari te sukoshi ase wo kaiteta
dakedo onaji kurai atashi no migi te atatakakatta

miagetara　nodo ga itoshikatta no de amai kyandi no koto mo wasurete
chisai atashi no yuuitsu no tokken omowazu kisu wo shita no

futari mawari nagareru sutori ikiteiku tame ni naku koto mo aru
sorega atashi wo tsuyoku suru naraba kore mo ichiban no shiawase nan desu
futari dokoka de meguru sutori shougai hanarete shimatte mo
anata no ippo ni naru naraba shiawase ni omoeru hi ga kuru no desu

itsu kara shitteta no? atashi no tsuyoi tokoro yowai tokoro
damatte mitete kureta anata to onaji aozora ni deyou

aishi aisarete sugiru taisetsuna toki soshite kaotta
anata no kokyuu no uta ni hashiru chiisana hoshi ni namida ga deta
atashi no kono kotoba ga kuchibiru wo mata ideitta ato
imi wo motta mama anata no mune ni nokottemasu you ni

kono yubi de hiita iki to kimochi wo kasane anata ni tobasu no hibiite
atarashii asu ni tsunagaru omoi kyou mo daisuki deshita

futari mawari nagareru sutori anata ga koko ni ite kureru nara
koukai sezu ni mae wo muita mama tachidomaru koto mo kowakunai no desu
futari doko ka de meguru sutori shizuka ni owari ga kita to shite mo
saigo ni anata ga ukandara sore ga shiawase ni omoeru hi na no desu

tonari de nemutteru anata no kuchi ga hiraku soshite waratta
kore ga shiawase ima no shiawase tsuite iku wa nemurou

If anyone wants a translation tell me.. but it would take some time.. >.<

Chicken Soup

2007-09-04T21:44:00.000+09:00

My dinner ( and most probably supper too) today! Chicken Soup and vege with enoki(mushroom).

But my topic today is this! Chicken Soup.. My sister's masterpiece!haha.. Well, the spices are made ready and you just put it in the soup lar actually so not that hard.Btw, it's A1 brand Chicken Soup(available in Malaysia).

Main Ingredients:
Chicken
Onion
Sweet Potato
Lotus Roots(my sister likes to put this.. The Japs don't seem to eat lotus roots though.. hmm..)
Chicken Soup Spices(like I said, you can buy the A1 brand 1)
Oyster Sauce
Soy Sauce
Pepper

Hmm.. how to make it? umm.. just prepare everything, marinate the chicken with pepper and oyster and soy sauce and then throw everything into boiling water..? haha.. and I guess u wait for 20 minutes or so.. (make sure the chicken is cooked of course) That's all.. tasted quite good.. ^^

McJap

2007-09-03T19:53:00.001+09:00

Foreword: Sorry gaby for the long wait.. heh.. lazy want to take pics.. always eat first before remember want to take pic.. hahah

So, what's up with Japan's McDonalds? Why is it worth posting on my blog? Well, first of all, it's not halal. ^_^ okay, second reason is coz I promised someone to post on McD.

First fact about McJap.. The Japs call it "Makku". Sounds like "my mum", doesn't it? haha.. Unfortunately it's still not as delicious as mum's cooking.. ;)
Second fact.. Makku can be considered the cheapest food (breakfast, lunch, dinner) you can eat in Japan besides Cup Ramen(their common name for Maggi Mee..heh).
Third fact.. It is also one of the BeSt fast food stalls in Japan (like it is in most countries).. KFC here tastes like they dont use any spices.. darn..

Okay, let's get on with it.. My favourite menu (incomplete)

The (Super Duper) Mega Mac..This was during the promotion.. around 2 weeks nia I think. Too bad eh? sigh.. As you can probably see, this burger is almost the same as it's smaller counterpart, Big Mac. But there are 4 pieces of beef sandwhiched between those soft succulent buns.. >.< Shish.. I typing post also hungry d.. lol.. I think it cost around 300++ yen.. not a bad price for such a delicious treat.

Now, for our main character today, McPork! This one will definitely not appear on McMsia!!(btw, this was my lunch today. haha)

He looks like a small fry, but he can do wonders to your stomach! *wink*

Sexy inside too! haha.. Best of all, it's only 100 yen! (Note:A normal lunch in Japan would cost you around 500 yen at the least)

ps. Sorry if the pic qualities are not that good.. took them with my hp.. :)

Tokyo Third Trip

2007-08-30T13:49:00.000+09:00

Okay, so, I gotta admit that Tokyo is a very BIG city.. There are still so many places I haven't visited there. Tokyo Tower, Harajuku, all not yet been there.

Anyways, two days ago, I went to Tokyo again. Mingrong said he wanted to watch Rush Hour 3, so join him lo.

On the way to Shinjuku, Tokyo, in the train. Nothing to do, so randomly take pics of jap feet. haha.. If can take pic of face I wan't also.. But by blog ethics, simply posting ppl's photos can get you in big trouble, so better not.

Shinjuku's big hole.. Heh.. I suspect it's a phenomenon caused by the movement of the land when earthquakes happen.More on that later.

Well, plainly speaking, Shinjuku is not a place to take pictures, but I guess this is what a big city looks like around 11 oclock.. when everyone's at work..

Guess what this is..

It's Kabuki-cho.. The street full of ~~prostitutes~~ sex stores. I took a picture of a closed store coz I was afraid the Yakuza would chase me if I took pic of an open one. hehe.

Want some? heh..

After walking a while, we went into a Tsutaya (video and cd rental) shop, coz that ecchi guy want to see some ecchi stuff.. hehe..

This is the signboard on the first floor.. Notice the 6th floor.. It means Japanese Movies..

Then, when we got to the top, the signboard suddenly change. It reads Adult.. lol

This is the Durian sold in Shinjuku. 1 biji is 4000 yen, which is roughly RM120.haha..argh, i miss 3 biji 10 ringgit.

This is the rectangle watermelon my brother mentioned to me.. How much is it? 20000 yen!!! that's rm600. haha.. What the heck do you need such an expensive rectangle watermelon for? sigh..

Roppongi.. You can see the Tokyo Tower from the (Something) Towers.. We watched Rush Hour 3 at the Toho Cinemas there.

Mingrong said this apartment is for the wealthy.. Donno how many thousands ringgit per month lar..

This is the (something) towers. sorry lar forgot the name.. hehe..

There was a big park there.. There was this big spider and flowers(which werent blooming at the time).. and this waterfall like glass wall or something like that.. donno how to describe..

Then, we went down to Ueno to eat sushi buffet. Our first plate.. testing testing.. scared not nice, cant eat.. hehe

Second round.. wah, nice nice.. call more.. call more!!

Rarrggg.. nyum nyum~

Not last round.. I think we ate around 30 pieces plus each.. all for only 1050 yen! heh..

That's all.. I dont think there'll be much posts after this.. not using my own computer now even..

p.s. Happy Merdeka.. and sorry, gaby, no time to take pics for McD post.. sorry sorry.. I'll post as soon as I can. heh

Ibaraki Trip (2nd day)

2007-08-28T14:42:00.000+09:00

On the first night, I was in Calvin's room chatting till 3 in the morning.. so long didn't chat after midnight liaw mar.. haha.. and then woke up at 8 oclock..missed breakfast at 7 and we were supposed to meet up with everyone at 730.. my roommate also couldnt wake up.. haha..Yabai!

Well, let's not talk about that.. haha.. Anyways, we went to Tsukuba Mountain(one of the famous mountains in Japan).. We took a Tour bus to the mountain, and then took a cable car up the mountain.. Before going up, there was this temple and a place to wash ur hands (water from the mountains usually)

but the water here wasn`t that clean.. one of the basins were filled with mossy water.. >.<

And before we went up, we had this performance by this guy.. He was promoting Gama no Abura.. er.. frog ointment.. lol.. he crapped a lot and gave us this performance of him cutting himself and putting the ointment on his wound, only that his sword was fake.. hehe.. I have a video, but i need to rotate it but i dont have a software to do that, so i wont put it up..

Okay, so we went up.. and all we could see was clouds covering the scenery.. but I think if we could see the scenery also nothing much.. not that pretty.. Well, that wasn`t the end of it though.. We had to walk some more to reach the highest point..

The path up was made of dirt and stones.. creative.. but because it rained the night before, it was slippery and a bit muddy.. >.<

On the way there was this stone shaped like a frog..They love frogs don`t they? ^^

Okay we reached the top.. sort of.. Well, the stone marking says that we are on top of one of the 100 popular mountains in Japan..

Suicide! On the edge of the mountain.. heh..

The hiking team camwhoring.. after this we went down the mountain by the cable car again.

And this was our free lunch on that day.. nice ler?? hehe..

After Tsukuba Mountain, we went to a Scientific Research Laboratory (something like that). We actually only entered one of the many exhibitions there. The first thing we got to see was a silicon ball and a box made of metal used as Japan’s basic measurement (1 kg).They have to send it somewhere(America?) every 2 years to make sure that the weight doesn’t change.

I don’t remember the second and third exhibition that clearly. Didn’t take any pictures. Don’t think it was interesting. But there was this cute thing there. A baby seal (plush toy??).

It’s not just a plush toy actually. It is used for some medical treatments and rehabilitations. Why? It’s just a plush toy, right? Well, it happens that this baby seal has sensors on every part of its body, even on its whiskers. And when you pat it, it will respond with a light purr. Cute eh? Sorry, didn’t take a video of it. Just pictures.

Then, there was this robot. Well, I guess there are cooler robots than this, but today, especially for us, the onee-chan (cute sister(lol)) gave us a special preview of one of Japan’s most advanced technologies.(sorry, the video was too big to upload..sigh.my cam resolution too big)

At night, we went for dinner at a restaurant near the beach in Ibaraki (a port actually.. didn’t see any beach). This was our dinner.

Wow! Sashimi! Crab Miso Soup! Tempura Prawns! I know you guys who didn’t go are regretting now.. Wahahahahha.. I’m so evil. *wink*

And near the beach(port), there was this Marine Tower (that’s what they call it).

On the third day, we visited the first atomic energy research centre in Japan. Good thing I didn’t wake up late again. Hehe.

This device is used to test the effects of radioactive waves on blocks. You control the “hands” from outside the glass enclosure. Note: Sorry, Wye Marn, muriyari use you as model. hehe

And this is a model of the Uranium combustion unit used in the reactors. It contains around 1 kg of 20% purified uranium, and 100 grams of uranium-265 (is that right?) which can be used for atom splitting (in short, energy generation).

After that, we went into one of the reactors, which has a maximum capacity of 3500 Megawatts. The reactor is 10 meters underwater.

Our tour guide told us that the rectangular block that turns greenish-blue is the reactor’s centre, but at that time it was only producing 350 Megawatts, so the color wasn’t that clear.

This is the forbidden area. Hehe. Well, actually in this reactor, they use the radiation for a medical process which can destroy cancer cells located near the skeleton effectively. It’s not widely used yet because very few countries have nuclear reactors, so it’s in experimental stage and is totally free. It’s good to know there’s something like that.

That’s all for this trip. Overall, the trip was quite nice. Except that, like every tour you follow on a trip, we have very little time to see what we want to see. Always trying to chase time. But then again, the fact that everything was free makes up for all. Haha.

Mito(Ibaraki)

2007-08-26T16:40:00.000+09:00

Last week, I went to Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture for the Technical Colleges International Exchange Programme.The main reason I went was because the whole programme was free.I went there with only 2000 yen in my pocket.lol.. We didn't even have to take 1 yen out.The train ticket there and back, the Holiday Inn Hotel, the food, the trip fees..Everything.I don't understand why some people don't want to go..

Well, anyways, after the incident in the train, which seemed to have attracted a lot of interest, my teacher(sensei) and I reached and checked in last..hehe.. that was fun..after that we heard a lecture on Semiconductors by a guy from Hitachi.. kinda boring, but not bad.. hehe..

So, after the little lecture from Hitachi, we walked to this park called Kairakuen, which the organizers said is the third most popular park in Japan. Wow, you can imagine how excited we were when we heard that right? The third most popular park in Japan wor.!!!

But actually we ended up seeing ducks. And this blog freak loves to take pictures of ducks so much. Haha..

The Duck

The Couples

The Breakup

The Contrast of the Ducks

The Battle of the Ducks and Kois

The Headless Duck

The "hidung tinggi" Duck

The sick Duck..kolien

Along the whole wide park(we walked a whole round around the lake full of ducks), there was this old steam train for photograph freaks.. Not exactly cool, but nothing else to take picture of.

The Monkeys trying to break Japan Guinness Record...

And there was this too. I think Disneyland’s would be better. But again, nothing else to take picture of. And with so many camwhores around you, you just can’t help it.. haha..

Not much for the THIRD most popular park in Japan, right? Along the way back to the hotel, my teacher told me that we didn’t actually go to Kairakuen. We needed to go further to reach Kairakuen, he said(in Jap, of course). He said we only went to Kairaku Kouen, the park beside Kairakuen. You can imagine how angry and disappointed my friends and I were to hear that. ^^;

Anyways, after that we had this making soba(Japanese noodle made with corn flour, I think) experience. My group had this Mongolian guy who has experience making something of the sort before, so the first stages were cleared easily with his help.

This is the last part of the process, cutting the thingy up into small strands. It’s not that easy to cut it the same size, so in the end we ended up with crazy sizes. Heh.

Itadakimasu! It turned out to be not as bad as we thought.

The Soba Making Team

Math Trivia

2007-08-25T23:16:00.000+09:00

What is the integral of "one over cabin" with respect to "cabin"?
Natural log cabin + c = houseboat.

What are ten things you can always count on?
Your fingers.

How does a cow add?
With a cow-culator.

What happens when you cross a friend and a calculator?(i like this)
You get a friend you can count on.

What happened to the plant in the math class?
It grew square roots.

What kind of insect is good at math?
The account-ant

If one's not enough, two's company and three's a crowd,
what's four and five?
Nine.

For the Coffee addict

2007-08-23T02:58:00.000+09:00

Coffee is a widely consumed beverage prepared from the roasted seeds—commonly called "beans"—of the coffee plant. Coffee was first consumed as early as the 9th century, when it appeared in the highlands of Ethiopia.[1] From Ethiopia, it spread to Egypt and Yemen, and by the 15th century had reached Persia, Turkey, and northern Africa. From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy, then to the rest of Europe and the Americas.[2] Today, coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide.[3]

Random facts on coffee:
1.As can be concluded from the statement above, the Muslims were the pioneer of the coffee trade business.(Coffee beans were first exported from Ethiopia to Yemen.Reference from other text)
2.The two most commonly grown species of the coffee plant are Coffea canephora and C. arabica, which are cultivated in Latin America, South East Asia, Asia, and Africa.
3.The first coffee house was Kiva Han, which opened in Constantinople in 1457.
4.Coffee was at first not well received. In 1511, it was forbidden for its stimulating effect by conservative, orthodox imams at a theological court in Mecca.
5.Similarly, coffee was banned by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church some time before the 17th century, along with smoking tobacco and chewing the mild stimulant khat, as it was seen as a Muslim and pagan practice.
6.In Europe, Coffee became more widely accepted after it was "baptized" by Pope Clement VIII in 1600 despite appeals to ban the Muslim drink.
7."We are indebted to these great [Arab] physicians for introducing coffee to the modern world through their writings, as well as sugar, tea, and chocolate." Antoine Galland
8.Coffee may be brewed by several methods: by boiling, gravity, steeping, or pressure.
9.In ancient times, coffee was initially used for spiritual reasons.In Arab,coffee became the substitute beverage in spiritual practice in place of wine where wine was forbidden.
10.Research suggests that drinking caffeinated coffee can cause a temporary increase in the stiffening of arterial walls. Excess coffee consumption may lead to a magnesium deficiency or hypomagnesemia.
11.Coffee appears to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, cirrhosis of the liver, and gout.
12.Coffee ingestion on average is about a third that of tap water in most of North America and Europe. In total, 6.7 million metric tons of coffee were produced annually in 1998–2000, and the forecast is a rise to 7 million metric tons annually by 2010.

Source: Wiki

The Japanese Schoolgirl

2007-08-22T12:33:00.001+09:00

I am in the train to mito(ibaraki) now.Just a few minutes ago,a schoolgal wearing the usual school shirt and skirt got on the train.She was wearing a long skirt.

Then,she took out a shorter skirt from her bag and started wearing it up her waist(with her long skirt still on).When she was done clipping up the (sailorfuku type) skirt,she took off her longer skirt,unbuttoned the top button of her shirt and sat down.She did all that in front of everyone in the train.lol.
I read once on the internet or from the newspaper that last time,the japanese did not have uniforms in high school and middle high.However,since a lot ofgals wore the so called sailor uniforms,they were generally accepted as the school uniform.

It is easy to see that Japanese gals love to be sexy,bt for wat,exactly?to be picked up?I'll nvr know..and I personally don't like their sense of fashion that much.
ijyou!

ps..posted from hp

Japanese Cinema

2007-08-20T21:03:00.000+09:00

Went to watch Transformers today with 2 of my Jap classmates.. Actually, I went once with my Mongolian senior before.. and we noticed some things about the Japanese cinema..

First of all, is that the seats are higher, and more comfortable.. Most ppl have the image of short ppl when they think of Japanese, right? Well, from this point of view, I think GSC and TGV have the image that Malaysians are more "chibi" than Japanese.. hehe..

Secondly, we all know how polite the Japanese are, don't we? In the cinema, however, they are ~~very inconsiderate and loud~~ even more polite than usual until the point that it's actually quite scary.. Imagine you're at the cinema.. sitting there watching a movie....except the screen, everywhere else is pitch black.. and except for the blasting Dolby Sound System, everywhere else is quiet..Can imagine how scary and lonely that is? For a Malaysian, it's a norm to talk/discuss about the movie or the ads while in the cinema, but not for a Japanese.. They just sit there like a patung..

Another thing is that they don't leave straight away after the movie ends.. They wait till all the credits end.. It could be because the lights are only turned on after the credits, or they love the credits and the soundtracks.. heh.. Again, a Malaysian would just walk out once the movie finishes and enters the credits (this could be because the lights are turned on once it finishes).. There's also the thing with copyright in Japan though... perhaps they feel it worth their 1000yen(RM30), 1800yen without discount, if they watch everything..but in Malaysia you can watch a movie for Rm8, or even download it from the net, or buy a high quality DVD at RM8 and then download the soundtracks on net, or buy the OST CD at pasar malam for RM5..

Another thing about Japanese cinemas is that they only release blockbuster movies(for hollywood).. the small time movies only come out later.. but some blockbusters also dont come out that fast.. well, since it's so expensive anyways, nvm lor..

Have fun at the movies!! if u ever go..

Up A Hill

2007-08-19T18:09:00.000+09:00

Two days ago I went to visit the big Guanyin statue up a hill called Kannon yama.観音山。Kannon means Goddess of Mercy.. Same as Guanyin lar actually.. just diff pronounciation..

To be honest, on the way to the mountain,I got lost.. well, I was going up the mountain, but I didn't exactly know which part of it I was on..Luckily I had faith and went up and up and when I almost wanted to give up, I saw this view from the hill of Takasaki City.. I thought, wow.. At least it wasnt a total waste..

Well, on the way(before I went up), there was this river...
Usui means thin..I was looking for the river.. but couldnt find it.. i thought, maybe too thin until cant see.. coz the grass were growing wild over the place.. then, I cycled some more and found the river.. it's not worth my uploading.. haha.. too ugly..

Oh.... Guanyin is shining! you see that?? wow!! lolz.. actually that's the "lighting syndrome".. my pics 50% affected with this syndrome.. still havent mastered the way of fotoglaphy..heh..Ok, after around an hour and a half(dont really remember) on my bicycle and up the hill on foot, I found this thing.. then, what?
Notice the holes on the Guanyin's side? those are actually windows.. we're supposed to climb in through that and there are lots of Gods and stuff inside the Guanyin.. cool ya? heh.. ok, fine, the entrance fee is 300 yen.. and they have perfectly nice stairs for u to climb.. heh..

After that, I didn't know where to go, so I looked at the map near the Guanyin patung.. and walked to some dye plantation near there.. well, actually around 700metres from there.. Not that nice, not worth my uploading also.. but had a nice rest there.. there was this resthouse..it didnt use sensors, so the aircond was on the whole morning.. walau.. nobody visit also.. waste electricity..Then, on the way back, there was this 'park'.. well, there was a pipe for ppl to drink from, at least.. and surprise surprise....
Meowww.. cute cat.. dont think anyone owns it.. but very beautiful fur.. unfortunately I didnt have any food to lure it.. water didn't do.. picky kitty..
"No way I'm following you!" heh..

And there was this bridge called the "Tsuribashi" in Japanese connecting the two places.. not much diff from the last one I visited in Ueno..
There were a few other places I visited, but this time with my new battery, it took only half a day to finish.. sighs.. besides, the other places werent that interesting, so that's all for this time.. Signing out.. ^^

The Child Idol Scene in Japan

2007-08-16T15:46:00.000+09:00

Remember the picture I uploaded for my post, Summer Holiday? I got her name.. Saaya Irie..

Born November 15, 1993 (1993-11-15) (age 13)
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan
Other name(s) Saaya
Occupation Actress, seiyū, junior idol, singer
Measurements: 78F-56-78 (cm)
Height: 4 ft 9 in (1.45 m)

In May 2005, during the anti-Japanese demonstrations in China and Korea, pictures of Saaya taken by Japanese photographer Garo Aida captioned (loosely translated) "Please listen carefully to what I say my lovely Chinese brothers, please stop the riot!"[3] were posted on a Chinese forum by a third party, along with a message pleading for better bilateral relations between China and Japan.[2] Tabloid stories soon followed with raunchy headlines like "Busty 11-Year-Old Girl with F Cup Eases Cross-Strait Relations".[2] The claim that her pictures and words of peace led to a reduction in anti-Japanese attitude among the Chinese people is reputable, due to it first appearing in the pages of Shunkan Bunshun (週刊文春), a serious news weekly.

Source:Wikipedia

Well, this girl is 14.. and she`s a hot-shot model..Honestly, i thought she was 16 or 17 at least.. haha.. Guess that`s because she`s got abnormally huge breasts for a little girl..
A part of the western world notices this child modelling trend in Japan and express their thoughts about how phaedophilic it is.. but of course most guys would close one eye and even adore these lil girls themselves..

This is Mizuki Yoshii, age 9.. also a japanese child idol.. age 9.. >.<

Suzu Nishiyama, 11 years old..

Well, okay, enough with the pics.. I`m sure they`d make nice little sisters.. but it`s just too much.. Saaya Irie`s pictures appeared right beside full-scale porn pics in an adult magazine during 2005.. It`s obvious what that means..
I suppose some ppl will say, so what? she`s got a great body and she should share it.. But you see, guys, young or old would start fantasizing when looking at such a tantalizing body(in an adult magazine, remember)..

Okay, fine, that`s how the world is, right? But I was thinking, wat do the girls think about when they shot those photos of them.. I`m sure they`re old enough to know what their pictures are shot for.. and what guys would think of them when they see the pictures.. What about their fathers? If I was one of the girls` father, I would never EVER let her model for such a thing.. no way..

Still Satomi Ishihara nicer.. haha.. Well, it`s true that she debuted at the age of 14.. But there are absolutely no bikini pics of her.. and sexy pics also 1 in 100.. So I don`t think she modelled for an adult magazine.. hehe.. so pretty~~

Summer Weather

2007-08-16T15:28:00.000+09:00

This week is supposed to be the hottest week in the summer.. so no wonder I'm sweating in bed even at night.. sot.. Today's highest temperature in my area is 39 degrees celsius..
However, it amazingly drops to 35 degrees celsius tomorrow.. according to the weather forecast.. wow.. what a relief...
Now, let's check how high it goes in Tokyo..Today is 37 degrees celsius.. and tomorrow 33 degrees celsius..
Alright, I'll admit I'm an idiot for wanting to stay in Gunma.. >.<
But, but, but, ok, I can't justify myself.. osaka also not until 39 degrees.. haha.. crazyyyyyyy.. but it'll be hot in the south for the whole week more.. in gunma, the temperature will be slowly dropping starting tmrw.. ^^ sighs.. I didnt know it would be this hot, really.. now i know.. haiz~

Tokyo (no. 2)

2007-08-16T14:29:00.000+09:00

Another night scenery of Yokohama, the port city..

So many night scenery.. the observation tower has 360 degree view.. so u can imagine how many pics i took.. >.<

The next day, I went to Akihabara.. electronic and electric city.. it's like a whole city full of lowyats.. but again, without cds.. heh

What did I do in Akihabara? I bought this.... no complete scanlations on the internet.... so I bought the raw thing.. haha.. well, these are used comics of Samurai Deeper Kyo.. around 100++ yen per book.. some 200 yen.. not really cheap lor.. but not bad lar.. can sell back also if in good condition..

This is sunshine city in Ikebukuro.. er.. ok, no sunshine, i know.. haha.. Ikebukuro has the biggest Bic Camera(electric and electronics) store in Japan, I guess.. 8 floors.. but nothing much lar.. almost the same nia.. so din take pic.. And in Sunshine City, there are lots of pachinkos and gaming centres.. well, didnt attract my attention that much though..

And along the way in Ikebukuro, I found this place with lots of cars.. including this F1.. It turned out to be a Toyota showcase building or something like that.. It was very sad that my camera battery went flat after taking around 20 pics that day..

now this one is cool.. it's a device for u to sit on and to travel.. like a car.. haha.. and the advertisement is that u can just sit and travel and still get healthier.. lol.. so weird..

There were alot of cool toyota cars.. including the hybrid Prius and Toyota Majestic Crown.. damn nice.. but like i said, my battery went flat.. lalala.. that's all I guess.. heh.. hope u liked the pics

Tokyo

2007-08-15T22:09:00.000+09:00

2 days in Tokyo.. Well, honestly, I thought Tokyo is just a place for shopping, not really a place to see and take pictures.. but I guess every place has something interesting to see..

Well, this one has nothing to do with where though.. haha.. it was just cute so i put it up..

This is Chuukagai.. er.. basically means Chinatown.. It reads from right to left.. dont get confused.. I did.. haha..This place actually looked a lot like petaling street.. except it was quite wide, not that jam, and got no vcd or dvd.. hehhe..this is in yokohama..

Can imagine how much it`s like petaling street? I almost lost myself.. thought I was back in KL for a while there.. haha.. so freaked out..

There was also this Chinese temple there.. hmm..

We had lunch at a chinese buffet restaurant.. First plates.. heh.. can guess which one mine was? I was super hungry that time.. *wink*

camwhoring... lol.. remember shimizu sensei?(for those who know the jap teacher)

mabushiii.. so brightttt.. nextt

at a park near the port in yokohama

a bridge.. haha.. taken from the park.. dont ask me wat bridge that is..

The girls.. (yan kuang if you`re reading this, u just shut the hell up) heh..

Donno wat hotel in yokohama(something pacific hotel).. tallest hotel I guess.. looks cool too..

The Maritime Museum boat and the Ferris Wheel in the Background

This is a sort of a roundabout overhead bridge.. for pedestrians.. very nice architecture.. although it actually shakes a bit when the wind blows.. haha.. it`s reinforced with strong concrete and i think steel supports..

Pik Yee and I bullied.. sigh.. nvm lor.. this time I give u a break, Joann.. next time u see lar.. kekeke..

The Red Brick Building..Don`t ask me why it`s there.. sells exotic western stuff.. and got this place where a person drew caricatures...lalala..

Some structure for decoration.. Mingrong said it looked like sperms fighting over an ovum.. haha..

The night scenery from an observatory.. It`s said to be the tallest observatory in Japan.. donno if that`s true or not.. but quite nice scenery lar.. heh.. still got so many shots..... can`t finish tonight..... maybe tomorrow i add somemore.. gniteeee

2 days in Tokyo

2007-08-14T23:41:00.000+09:00

I was in Tokyo yesterday and the day before.. quite fun.. a bit tired.. will update tmrw.. with photos and all.. the night scenery in yokohama was nice.. =)

The Grass Is Greener on the Other Side

2007-08-10T17:40:00.000+09:00

Today I went to Numata to see the lavender farm.. I was reading my Gunma guidebook last night around 12, and noticed the way to get to the lavender farm and thought that it was worth a try.. So I made up my mind that I would go this morning.. Woke up at 9 something, fried an egg for breakfast, and checked the schedule for the train to numata.. then, cycled straight to the train station.. unfortunately i missed the train i wanted to ride on.. so i waited for the next train.. It was boring, so...
Doves in the station
Translation:Do not feed the doves(sorry forgot to rotate..lazy d)
Lol.. remember some of those places where there are so many crows flying around in Malaysia(where u park ur car and they sh*t on it?)? I'm positive I've never seen a sign saying "Jangan beri makan burung gagak".. heh..
This is the train station in Numata.. I couldn't use my Suica card here.. What is a SuicA CarD?
We call it Touch and Go in Malaysia.. Looks like the Jap are more creative.. "Sui ca"(sui card) =) I had my lunch at a ramen shop near the station while waiting for my bus to arrive..it was quite nice really, a lot better than the ramen they sold in the cities here..
This is the bus that goes up to the lavender park.. Costed a bundle.. 1000 yen per ride.. sighs..It was actually 700 yen before.. they raised the price..

On the way, we went up a winding road up a mountain.. something like the road to genting highlands.. I didn't think we would go so far into the woods.. A bit freaked out d now.. and on the flat lands on the mountain, there were these farms... so many farms.. everything was green.. oh, and u might have notice the signboard on the left in the pic.. it reads ringo(apple).. Numata produces apples, blueberries, grapes and plums.. but not in season now.. Ok, so after 50 mins, I reached the lavender park.. Coming out of the bus, it was refreshing.. the wind was cool even though the afternoon sun was shining brightly..but not as cold as genting lar..So, I went in and..

..started my "kechak kechak" session..not that nice huh? let me show u some purple..
Eh? u call that lavender? That's barren land! This is the first area I visited.. I think I walked around 20 mins here like a dumb guy..

Now we're talking,eh?No, no, no.. this is just the second swarm..After this, I had to walk up a hill..

These are some of the photos I took while going up the hill..

And along the way there was this stream..

"tsumeta!(cold!)"*I didn't have anyone to take my pic, so I used this girl as my model.. wahhaha..The water was cold and very nice.. it tasted good, even.. It's the water from the mountains..
And when I finally reached the top,..
These are Marygolds.. nice contrast ya?
Now we begin our purple blast..

phew~
The Loner
The Loners..
The Contrast
You want purple?
Standing amongst the lavender, the sweet smell and aroma of it just blew me away.. darn, that was good..still can remember the smell now.. so sweet..
The BEE
Last Area..I think.. they're replanting the lavenders.. I think some of it died..
This is how high we could go for the lavender park..
The lavender soft ice cream.. wahhh.. the aroma of the lavender in my mouth! will never forget that taste..it's not as sweet as choc or vanilla.. it's mild and has a captivating aroma..^^
The Finale
I think this should be the best purple pic I took.. The whole trip around the park took around 2 hours,or a bit less i think..And I didn't even realize I took 200++ pics.. wow...scary.. haha.. They say the grass is greener on the other side.. For me, it was actually quite purple.. *wink*

For the whole trip I spent:
Train:1160 yen
Bus:2000 yen
Park Entrance fee:1000 yen
Lunch:600 yen
Lavender Soft:350 yen
Total:5110yen (RM150++)
This does not include the souvenirs I bought.. >.<
But as you can see, transport is the one thing that costs the most among the rest.. japan is like that.. food is of course expensive, but transportation is even more expensive.. but that's a reasonable price to pay when they provide good service, right? This was a fun trip.. If a kouhai comes next year, that's the place I'll bring him/her during summer!
Oh, I forgot to add the general info for the lavender park.it`s beside the numazu ski park actually.. the lavender is taken straight from Furano,Hokkaido..The lavenders amount to about 50,000..The area of the lavender park is about 200,000 meters square.. huge yeah?

My Masterpiece

2007-08-09T20:42:00.001+09:00

Since it's the summer holiday already, I'll have to cook on my own.. the canteen won't be open.. Well, this has to be the best thing I've cooked up so far.. heh.. It's called Hiyashi Soba (Cold Soba).Today I'll add a recipe..
What do you need:
Hiyashi Soba from the supermarket 66 yen
One stick(??) of Cucumber 29 yen
A few pieces of roast ham, or just ham.. around 100 yen
An egg 7 yen
A few streaks of cheese(optional)
Budget: around 210 yen

How do you make it:
now u might have noticed cheese in the ingredients.. must be wondering why.. *wink* well, first of all, boil up some water and then put the soba inside the boiling water for about 3 minutes or so.. Then, take it out of the water with a sieve and then rinse it with cold water.. After that, (you can do this beforehand) cut up the cucumber and ham into small pieces(depends on u).. Then, crack the egg and scramble it.. put some streaks of cheese into the egg and scramble them up*, then fry it..then, cut up the egg..There should be sauce and furikake(seasoning) for the hiyashi soba that u bought,so pour it on the soba and the other ingredients.. if not, you can use tsuyu(a type of jap soy sauce)..that's it! itadakimasu!

*this is a new recipe i tried since i had leftover cheese from the failed spaghetti soup..last time i tried to mix with milk, but it wasnt that nice.. but with cheese... goodness, it tastes good.. if u want more taste, put a bit more cheese.. but calvin is on strict diet.. so kolien.. haha..

and for desert... jeng jeng jeng...

It's fuji apple.. quite nice.. but I somehow miss the fuji apples they sold at the pasar malam in kl..although i think they taste almost the same..

Now for my chocolate post.. another desert, really.. heh.. this is the Meiji Chocolate Noir.. Ecuador Blend.. it is made up of 70% cocoa.. so it has quite a dark taste and quite bitter.. I loveee bitter choc.. heh

Price: 187 yen

Another Earthquake(not japan)

2007-08-09T16:07:00.000+09:00

Powerful earthquake shakes buildings violently in Indonesian capital

JAKARTA (AP): A powerful undersea earthquake rattled Indonesia's capital early Thursday, violently shaking tall buildings and sending panicked residents fleeing into the streets, officials and witnesses said.

There were no immediate reports of damage, and geophysicists said there was little risk of a tsunami.

The temblor, which struck just after midnight, had a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and was centered 110 kilometers east of Jakarta at a depth of around 290 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Residents said tall buildings and single-story homes shook violently in the city of 9 million, and water sloshed from swimming pools. Many people were woken up by the power of the quake, and screamed "Allah Akbar" or "God is great" as they ran outside.

The jolt could be felt from Indonesia's westernmost island of Sumatra to Bali in the east, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, most likely because of its depth, local officials said.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Summer Holiday!

2007-08-08T14:19:00.000+09:00

Yeah! Summer Holiday has started in my college! Yes yes yes! 7 weeks! haha.. but wat am I going to do for 7 weeks anyways? lol.. well, first of all is of course the trip to ibaraki kousen in the last quarter of the month....

then.. what? heh.. well, you know about my plan for Hokkaido.. said it was going to be end of this month or early next month.. well, we're going next month.. booked the tickets already.. well, at least we can get as far as hakodate..

but after that? and before ibaraki? hmm.. I wonder.. well, after I plan my trip to hokkaido, i'll go walk walk maybe around tokyo and touhoku..and when u say natsu, of course...

AND

Right?? haha.. unfortunately, Gunma doest not have a coastline.. it's surrounded by mountains.. so I think I really should go to a beach here one of these days..

and find this girl and make her my girlfriend.. haha.. dont even know wat's her name..

if can find satomi ishihara nice lor.. but she doesn't seem to like swimsuits...

See? she'd rather get her white shirt wet than wear a swimsuit.. baaaaaka.. haha.. but that's wat i like about her anyways.. >.<

ahh.. so refreshing, ya, satomi chan....heh..

Takasaki Matsuri..

2007-08-05T20:09:00.000+09:00

Went to church today on my bicycle.. it's about 8 or 9 km from here.. a bit less than an hour.. morning was really hot..think i got rid of a ton of sweat.. >.< A friend from church told me there's Takasaki Matsuri(Takasaki Festival) today.. I thought it's next week.. And the weather forecast showed that it would rain in the evening, so I thought I'd take shelter at Takasaki and maybe take a look at the Matsuri..

This is one of the dances they were doing when the rain started to fall..
eh... butt pic? lol.. nah.. I didn't bring my camera.. so took with my phone.. other pic so blur.. this is one of the best pics.. but unfortunately can't see the cute girl dancers.. lol.. >.< actually took a video with my phone, but can't send to pc.. sigh

This is the parade.. i guess that thing they're carrying is a hotoke sama(japanese god/guardian) or something like that..

Well, actually the festival was not that lively.. not that many ppl.. maybe it was because I was walking around in the rain.. lolz.. everyone hide in the shopping centres.. >.< But then again, most of the stalls sold the same thing(super bowl saving, koi saving.. all saving lar..and banana chocolate.. looked nice, but maybe next time.., takoyaki,ikayaki,okonimiyaki..) , and the parade of the hotoke sama was almost the same thing.. no diff.. a bit boring..

Yakimanjyuu

2007-08-05T16:40:00.001+09:00

this is gunma's delicacy.first time i ate.it's actualy just bread with bean sauce or something like tat,grilled golden.bt it's surprisingly delicious.the bread is vr spongy and the sauce makes it sweet and salty

yum...oiishiiii..

BrIdGe CollApSe!!

2007-08-03T22:37:00.000+09:00

I guess some of you have read this news.. An interstate bridge in USA has collapsed, resulting in loss of lives and properties..

Some more pics..

By Eliott C. McLaughlin
CNN

(CNN) -- Nearly a quarter of the nation's roughly 600,000 major bridges carry more traffic than they were designed to bear, according to reports based on federal government data.
Experts said Thursday that the problem stems from a lack of money and leadership.

Federal Highway Administration data from 2006 shows that 24.5 percent of the nation's bridges longer than 20 feet were categorized as "structurally deficient" or "functionally obsolete" (data from Utah and New Mexico was from 2005).

"Our bridges are not in very good condition in this country," said Ruth Stidger, editor in chief of the trade publication Better Roads, which compiled the data.

Source: CNN
heh.. hope Japan wont follow their footsteps.. >.<