I left my apartment at 8:00 this morning to find the streets of Kumagaya swarmed with school girls. I live near an all-girls school, but I always thought it was just a small school, but apparently it holds about 1000 students there... I felt like I was in an anime since they were all wearing the Japanese style school girl outfits! kawaii~~ Anyways, after running my errands, I got a ticket on my bike AND I was double parked! I was SO pissed off. It was so much trouble moving the person's bike out of the way so I can leave. I should have put that person's bike elsewhere so he/she cant find the bike afterward! But of course, I didnt :P
I didn't really do much this weekend since I've been lacking sleep. My 20 minute nap turned into a 5 hour sleep :P
Anyways, I had a pretty uneventful weekend since I was so tired and have a crazy Halloween week ahead of me ^_^
Happy Early Halloween!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
My beautiful cake and random
Sometimes I wonder if I'm in Japan to learn to become a baker or to be a good teacher...
I made this today! ^_^
I made this today! ^_^
Cream cake with white peaches, kiwis and blueberries ^_^
OH! So here's the random part... I finally tried that shrimp filet burger at McDonalds! But I think my heart is still with the filet-o-fish. <3
Sunday, October 19, 2008
A delayed weekend story
I should've written this last weekend, but I've been procrastinating and busy preping for my Halloween lessons. So before this weekend begins, I'll write about the interesting events that happened last weekend! ^_^
I skipped out on attending the Japanese conversational class because there's this creepy guy there I met from the first lesson who keeps emailing me to tell me "I miss you" (and that's the only thing he'd write in the email). I'd like to hope it's simply a language barrier since he doesn't speak English, but I still feel uncomfortable talking to him so I'll just avoid the situation by going only once a month and hope I'm lucky and I won't see him there. Plus, the conversational class isn't helping at all, my students teach me more Japanese than they do~!
Instead of attending the class, I went around to 3 book stores to look for Japanese grammar books to learn on my own. And just like every other weekend, I'd randomly ask someone for help even though I know they're not staff. So I met this girl who happened used to take classes at my school when she was younger! What a small world! So we stood around talking for about 20 minutes and then I got her number and going out with her next weekend. ^_^
Since it was a Sunday, I didn't want to go home to cook but I didn't bring my little traveller hand book to help me order in Japanese, so I didn't know what to do. I zoned out at the intersection to think what I should do, and suddenly this man starts talking to me. I told him I don't speak Japanese and so he switched channels and spoke broken up English. Still not knowing what he said, I just ignored him totally and asked him where I can find a good restaurant to eat. And he recommends... karaoke? I told him no, so he ends up bringin
g me to an Izakaya (居酒屋). I thought I was eating alone, but when I got off my bike, he walked into the restaurant first. I asked him if he was eating with me... and he's like.. OF COURSE! :S But when we started ordering, he didn't even order anything because he said he wasn't hungry. I started feeling even more weird, but as the conversation started rolling, I started feeling more comfortable because he was a really nice guy. He taught me a lot of Japanese and it felt really good. So basically, my night ended with a stranger taking me out to dinner. We exchanged numbers and probably going out for coffee sometime this week. I believe the random stranger pickup count is at 5 now. :P
Saturday, October 18, 2008
No. 18 Good Fortune
Here's my GOOD fortune from Asakusa:
The cloudy sky will get more and more clear and the moon will appear. The linen robe turns into a green on. What you've been troubled for a long time will soon begin to fade away. your virtue and happiness will reveal themselves.
*Your wishes will be realized. *A sick person will recover. *The lost article will be found. *The person you are waiting for will come. *Building a new house and removal are good. *Making a trip is good. *Marriage and employment are all good.
Looks like I'll be having a good year! :D YAY!!!
The cloudy sky will get more and more clear and the moon will appear. The linen robe turns into a green on. What you've been troubled for a long time will soon begin to fade away. your virtue and happiness will reveal themselves.
*Your wishes will be realized. *A sick person will recover. *The lost article will be found. *The person you are waiting for will come. *Building a new house and removal are good. *Making a trip is good. *Marriage and employment are all good.
Looks like I'll be having a good year! :D YAY!!!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
My Halloween lesson
I have so much fun teaching Halloween lessons because they're just so much fun!!!
I teach them basic vocabulary: Dracula, a witch, pumpkin (for the younger ones, and jack-o-lantern for the older ones), Frankenstein and a ghost! And then I put it in a sentence: he's (a) ....
And then I'll ask the question... WHO IS HE?
He's Dracula
He's a witch
He's a pumpkin
He's a ghost
He's Frankenstein
The little one on the right was my student. Look at her big eyes!!!
She was so fun to teach! She's only 3 years old
My angel... hehe...
The big brother, spider, and the little brother, cat! Both so cute to teach!!!
Since these are not my regular students, they all call me Halloween sensei. It's so cute!
I teach them basic vocabulary: Dracula, a witch, pumpkin (for the younger ones, and jack-o-lantern for the older ones), Frankenstein and a ghost! And then I put it in a sentence: he's (a) ....
And then I'll ask the question... WHO IS HE?
He's Dracula
He's a witch
He's a pumpkin
He's a ghost
He's FrankensteinIf you got them all correct, you get a HIGH 5! hehehe... here are some students who took my class. They are so adorable!!!!
The little one on the right was my student. Look at her big eyes!!!
She was so fun to teach! She's only 3 years old
My angel... hehe...
The big brother, spider, and the little brother, cat! Both so cute to teach!!!Since these are not my regular students, they all call me Halloween sensei. It's so cute!
My wonderful weekend: cookies and SUMO
Another weekend has passed, and this update should've been written on Monday and not Friday morning :P But here it is anyways:
Sunday:
I went to another baking class and made some yummy cookies and this dessert. I can't remember what it's called in Japanese, but it was DELICIOUS!!! The apricot puree with rum was soooooooooo yummy!
After cooking class, I went out to Tokyo (Ueno) to do a little more shopping. I didn't buy too much because I got there late and I wanted to shop around. But I did find this interesting little cafe... Space cafe... what do you think they sell here? Space cake... what do you think is in it? lol...
Well, according to their menu, they have hemp beer.. whatever that means... but for those who are interested... it's in UENO! lol
Monday:
I went to watch my first and probably only SUMO fight! But before I go into details about Sumo, let me say again... JAPANESE PEOPLE ARE SO NICE!!!! So, like most weekends, I got lost or couldn't find my way to my destination. The Sumo fight was held at Kumagaya Dome, which apparently is right behind my apartment, but I rode my bike the opposite direction. And once again, I stopped a random stranger to ask for directions in English, knowing very well, he probably doesn't speak English. I showed him the map, and said something to me, but I had no idea what he was saying. He gestured to follow him, and like always, without thinking, I followed him. haha... He took me to the bus stop and tried to explain to me my bus will arrive in half an hour. I said thank you and tried to explain that I'm okay now, I'll just wait there by myself. I saw him leave and I wandered around the bus station for 1/2 hour. The bus came right at 2:00 and i got on the bus and guess what? That boy came BACK to make sure I was on the bus!!! Absolutely sweet!
I got to Kumagaya Dome just in time to watch a couple of fights. It was interesting because the sumo wrestlers smell like baby powder! It was actually really cute. I didn't understand the fight so much because it really looked like a wedgy fight. I couldn't see how big the ring was, so I couldn't tell if one wrestler stepped out or not; I just assumed when the fight stopped.
I'll try to upload the video, but I'm still trying to figure it out... so don't expect it. But here's a picture of me and a sumo wrestler! mmmMmmMm baby powder! ^_^
After sumo wrestling, as much as I didn't want to shop anymore, I just couldn't resist. :P
I ended up with 2 new pairs of shoes, a cute mini skirt, a nice sweater and a belt. I promised myself I won't go shopping this weekend, but there's these skinny jeans that are adorable. *sigh* I'll let you know if I give in after this weekend.
Sunday:
I went to another baking class and made some yummy cookies and this dessert. I can't remember what it's called in Japanese, but it was DELICIOUS!!! The apricot puree with rum was soooooooooo yummy!
After cooking class, I went out to Tokyo (Ueno) to do a little more shopping. I didn't buy too much because I got there late and I wanted to shop around. But I did find this interesting little cafe... Space cafe... what do you think they sell here? Space cake... what do you think is in it? lol...
Well, according to their menu, they have hemp beer.. whatever that means... but for those who are interested... it's in UENO! lol
Monday:
I went to watch my first and probably only SUMO fight! But before I go into details about Sumo, let me say again... JAPANESE PEOPLE ARE SO NICE!!!! So, like most weekends, I got lost or couldn't find my way to my destination. The Sumo fight was held at Kumagaya Dome, which apparently is right behind my apartment, but I rode my bike the opposite direction. And once again, I stopped a random stranger to ask for directions in English, knowing very well, he probably doesn't speak English. I showed him the map, and said something to me, but I had no idea what he was saying. He gestured to follow him, and like always, without thinking, I followed him. haha... He took me to the bus stop and tried to explain to me my bus will arrive in half an hour. I said thank you and tried to explain that I'm okay now, I'll just wait there by myself. I saw him leave and I wandered around the bus station for 1/2 hour. The bus came right at 2:00 and i got on the bus and guess what? That boy came BACK to make sure I was on the bus!!! Absolutely sweet!
I got to Kumagaya Dome just in time to watch a couple of fights. It was interesting because the sumo wrestlers smell like baby powder! It was actually really cute. I didn't understand the fight so much because it really looked like a wedgy fight. I couldn't see how big the ring was, so I couldn't tell if one wrestler stepped out or not; I just assumed when the fight stopped.
I'll try to upload the video, but I'm still trying to figure it out... so don't expect it. But here's a picture of me and a sumo wrestler! mmmMmmMm baby powder! ^_^
After sumo wrestling, as much as I didn't want to shop anymore, I just couldn't resist. :P
I ended up with 2 new pairs of shoes, a cute mini skirt, a nice sweater and a belt. I promised myself I won't go shopping this weekend, but there's these skinny jeans that are adorable. *sigh* I'll let you know if I give in after this weekend.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Internet problem solved... for now
YAY!!! I got the internet back... but I'm still stealing :P So who knows when it's going down again.
5 new entries coming this week...
5 new entries coming this week...
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Tokyo adventures continue....DAY2
I’m extremely sorry for the delay of this blog entry. For those who tried to contact me on MSN would know that “my” internet has been a major pain in the bum for the past week. I’m currently at a cafe making the best of my time here to write this blog.
Day 2 of Tokyo.
So after a fun night of being liquored up, waking up at 7 in the morning when the rain still hasn’t stopped isn’t exactly what I would consider fun.
The day starts at 7 in the morning to visit the Asakusa temple. However, since no one was really up for walking around the temple in the rain, we decided to catch some breakfast at Denny’s! At Denny’s we ordered... well of course... an American breakfast. The Japanese seem to have a HUGE appetite in the morning it we all simply needed coffee. It was interesting because the Japanese never fail to amuse me with their terrible English translations. Here are some examples:
After breakfast, although still raining, we needed to make the most of our trip so we walked around the Asakusa Temple. I wasn’t overly impressed with it just because it didn’t feel spiritual at all. There were simply too many tourists walking around and little shops selling little Japanese goods. Nonetheless, how can I go to a Japanese temple and not get my fortune told? So here’s my fortune:
[insert fortune]
Before you head into a temple in Japan, you have to do a cleansing ceremony. First you cleanse your left hand, by holding the scoop with your right hand at the end of the stick, and then you switch and cleanse your right hand, and then your mouth; all this with ONE scoop of water. And then you pour out the water by vertically holding the scoop with your left hand, letting the water run down. After this little cleansing ceremony, you can enter the temple.
After the temple, we went to Ueno to catch a yummy lunch. It wasn’t a Japanese lunch; I believe it was a Lebanese sandwich! Haha.. yes.. I’m in Japan, and you haven’t heard me eat Frog Sashimi yet... I’m sorry... but I promise I will try something like that soon :D I’ll have to admit, I haven’t tried much Lebanese food before, but this was a good sandwich and worth the stop. MmmMmm.. I love good food.
After lunch, we headed over to Shibuya! SHOPPPPPPPPPPPPPING and GORGEOUS people! I have never been in a district where I felt so dressed down. I wasn’t dressing to impress anyone, but I didn’t think my outfit looked terrible, but when walking in that area, you just can’t help but feel like you’re homeless or something. It’s not so much of the brands they were wearing, but simply how the outfit was put together. It felt like, the district was their catwalk, and everyone walking there are models! Both men and women looked absolutely beautiful! But, I can’t say it’s natural. Most of them look like they’ve definitely had some major plastic surgery done, but that doesn’t counter how well they dress! Yes... you’re all sensing jealousy from me! lol...
The shopping was amazing!!! SHIBUYA 109 = 9 floors of women’s fashion! I was in HEAVEN!!! I didn’t buy TOO much because I tight with time, but I did promise myself a return there for a shopping spreeeeee!!! I also so Hachiko, the loyal dog. Please wiki “Hachiko” and read the touching story of this dog.
After my wonderful experience in Shibuya, we headed to Shinjuku. My trip there was short because we were there for one purpose only, to find a MAID cafe! To our disappointment, they don’t exist in Shinjuku anymore. But please be aware to NOT ask a local where these cafes are because they’ll give you the most shocking reaction ever! Lol
Odaiba would be our next stop! (Yes, this is still only day 2.. there’s day 3 after this.) The train ride there was long and confusing, but we found our way there. Odaiba is this wonderful little man-made island. It’s absolutely beautiful! A 3 thumbs up (since I’m an alien now) to visit Odaiba for whoever plans to go to Tokyo. There’s this GIGANTIC ferris wheel which is SUPER romantic and many wonderful things. I’ll just show pictures to describe my wonderful experience from this part of Tokyo.
I made my own tiara! :D
Infront of the BIG Ferris Wheel in Odaiba
After a long day of travelling everywhere, how do we wrap up this amazing day 2? With a little clubbing in Roppongi. Since subways in Tokyo close at midnight, we were stranded on the streets of Roppongi until 5 a.m. when the subway opens again. But staying up and out for that long wasn’t hard at all. We went to Gas Panic Bar, which was TINY. But the music was pretty good... the crowd wasn’t bad... and the price of drinks was reasonable... and I ended up dancing on a bar top... so let’s just say I had a pretty good night! :D We ended up at the hostel at 7:30 in the morning to catch 3 hours of sleep before we have to check out and I had the most brutal hang-over ever.
Well... Day 3 in Tokyo really doesn’t get anymore brief than what I wrote in my summary. If you’re really interested in what happened in Harajuku, Meiji temple and my train ride home (and yes, I was talking to strangers again on my ride home... I’m bored! Give me a break)... you can MSN me, or email me!
Look out for my next entries:
- My awesome Halloween lessons
- How to make friends with strangers 101
- Will I last a year with an annoying co-worker? [this one is just me ranting]
I’ll insert those pictures later when my internet is more stable. Writing this blog was already a challenge... took 34823943 refresh on my browser for the page to load... to get to “create new post” I had to refresh the page 34209832 times. But I do promise pictures will be posted.
[I finished this long blog at home because I ended up making friends with the waitress at the cafe!]
Day 2 of Tokyo.
So after a fun night of being liquored up, waking up at 7 in the morning when the rain still hasn’t stopped isn’t exactly what I would consider fun.
The day starts at 7 in the morning to visit the Asakusa temple. However, since no one was really up for walking around the temple in the rain, we decided to catch some breakfast at Denny’s! At Denny’s we ordered... well of course... an American breakfast. The Japanese seem to have a HUGE appetite in the morning it we all simply needed coffee. It was interesting because the Japanese never fail to amuse me with their terrible English translations. Here are some examples:
After breakfast, although still raining, we needed to make the most of our trip so we walked around the Asakusa Temple. I wasn’t overly impressed with it just because it didn’t feel spiritual at all. There were simply too many tourists walking around and little shops selling little Japanese goods. Nonetheless, how can I go to a Japanese temple and not get my fortune told? So here’s my fortune:
[insert fortune]
Before you head into a temple in Japan, you have to do a cleansing ceremony. First you cleanse your left hand, by holding the scoop with your right hand at the end of the stick, and then you switch and cleanse your right hand, and then your mouth; all this with ONE scoop of water. And then you pour out the water by vertically holding the scoop with your left hand, letting the water run down. After this little cleansing ceremony, you can enter the temple.
After the temple, we went to Ueno to catch a yummy lunch. It wasn’t a Japanese lunch; I believe it was a Lebanese sandwich! Haha.. yes.. I’m in Japan, and you haven’t heard me eat Frog Sashimi yet... I’m sorry... but I promise I will try something like that soon :D I’ll have to admit, I haven’t tried much Lebanese food before, but this was a good sandwich and worth the stop. MmmMmm.. I love good food.
After lunch, we headed over to Shibuya! SHOPPPPPPPPPPPPPING and GORGEOUS people! I have never been in a district where I felt so dressed down. I wasn’t dressing to impress anyone, but I didn’t think my outfit looked terrible, but when walking in that area, you just can’t help but feel like you’re homeless or something. It’s not so much of the brands they were wearing, but simply how the outfit was put together. It felt like, the district was their catwalk, and everyone walking there are models! Both men and women looked absolutely beautiful! But, I can’t say it’s natural. Most of them look like they’ve definitely had some major plastic surgery done, but that doesn’t counter how well they dress! Yes... you’re all sensing jealousy from me! lol...
The shopping was amazing!!! SHIBUYA 109 = 9 floors of women’s fashion! I was in HEAVEN!!! I didn’t buy TOO much because I tight with time, but I did promise myself a return there for a shopping spreeeeee!!! I also so Hachiko, the loyal dog. Please wiki “Hachiko” and read the touching story of this dog.
After my wonderful experience in Shibuya, we headed to Shinjuku. My trip there was short because we were there for one purpose only, to find a MAID cafe! To our disappointment, they don’t exist in Shinjuku anymore. But please be aware to NOT ask a local where these cafes are because they’ll give you the most shocking reaction ever! Lol
Odaiba would be our next stop! (Yes, this is still only day 2.. there’s day 3 after this.) The train ride there was long and confusing, but we found our way there. Odaiba is this wonderful little man-made island. It’s absolutely beautiful! A 3 thumbs up (since I’m an alien now) to visit Odaiba for whoever plans to go to Tokyo. There’s this GIGANTIC ferris wheel which is SUPER romantic and many wonderful things. I’ll just show pictures to describe my wonderful experience from this part of Tokyo.
I made my own tiara! :D
Infront of the BIG Ferris Wheel in OdaibaAfter a long day of travelling everywhere, how do we wrap up this amazing day 2? With a little clubbing in Roppongi. Since subways in Tokyo close at midnight, we were stranded on the streets of Roppongi until 5 a.m. when the subway opens again. But staying up and out for that long wasn’t hard at all. We went to Gas Panic Bar, which was TINY. But the music was pretty good... the crowd wasn’t bad... and the price of drinks was reasonable... and I ended up dancing on a bar top... so let’s just say I had a pretty good night! :D We ended up at the hostel at 7:30 in the morning to catch 3 hours of sleep before we have to check out and I had the most brutal hang-over ever.
Well... Day 3 in Tokyo really doesn’t get anymore brief than what I wrote in my summary. If you’re really interested in what happened in Harajuku, Meiji temple and my train ride home (and yes, I was talking to strangers again on my ride home... I’m bored! Give me a break)... you can MSN me, or email me!
Look out for my next entries:
- My awesome Halloween lessons
- How to make friends with strangers 101
- Will I last a year with an annoying co-worker? [this one is just me ranting]
I’ll insert those pictures later when my internet is more stable. Writing this blog was already a challenge... took 34823943 refresh on my browser for the page to load... to get to “create new post” I had to refresh the page 34209832 times. But I do promise pictures will be posted.
[I finished this long blog at home because I ended up making friends with the waitress at the cafe!]
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