Getting to know U

Attended an IT orientation session on thurs, followed by company dinner last night. And all these are before my actual start at work. Gave me a chance to break the ice & know my colleagues and boss better.The IT session was actually a discussion to improve the existing system & introduce a new system. The IT coordinator's a Japanese who came from the Shanghai office. I set through the discussion, testing my listening comprehension as they discussed in Japanese. There was a translator, but it was difficult for her to translate everything to me. But i understood 60-70% anyway.

When they were done, the orientation for the local staff started. I had fun listening to the Jap speaker, then the translator as none of the locals understood Japanese. There was a powerpoint presentation as well ~ totally in Japanese. Feels as if I'm attending Japanese lessons!

Dinner was held at Gyu-kaku (Japanese BBQ restaurant) @CHIJMES last night. The mood was relatively relaxed. It's another session of listening comprehension, "eavesdropping" on the conversations among the Japanese colleagues & boss. After a few drinks, my boss went bonkers, as did some others. My boss & 2 other male associates did a very funny photo shot which they said is like some high-school kids' pose. Imagine 3 guys whose combined age adds up to >100 acting cute? That's what they really did!We ended early & i was home by 11.

Received Evelyn's email on updates at Yamasa. This semester seems more interesting than the past few semesters ~ incl. cooking class, ikebana, tea ceremony... Why didn't they have it for the previous semesters?

Hmm...feeling sleepy now...gona take a nap before afternoon's Japanese lessons....

Looking back on 2004 (Part 2)

Summer in Japan was a miserable period ~ warm & humid. Sometimes my room temperature hit 29deg & above. It’s worse than Spore’s weather. In Spore I could use the air-con but in Japan I often stayed in school till late to escape the heat at home. I didn’t want to burst my utilities budget for the month by using the air-con.

Not sure what came over me, but I wanted very much to return to S’pore for a short break during the summer holidays (end June – early July). Not that I missed anyone in Spore...But I dropped the idea coz it’s not worth the costs. Wanted to go traveling, but didn’t get around to planning anything, and before I knew it, it’s already the holidays which was miserably short ~ 1 week only :(

I had a “summer heartbreak”. I couldn’t take it...almost my whole month of July was spent in misery. But I was lucky that I had friends who were there to pull me out of it. July ended on a happy note. I was in Osaka USJ attending the GLAY EXPO concert. The concert nearly had to be cancelled due to a typhoon. Glad the weather was fine after all. The concert was so happening!! 100,000 people ~ stand-up concert ~ 3 hours of songs & dance. I just went crazy there (luckily I wasn’t with any friends!) My obsession with the group grew after that. Wonder when will be their next concert...

The highlight of summer was the fireworks festival in August at Okazaki Park. We had fun searching for a nice kimono & wearing it. We had no idea how to wear a kimono then ~ just try-&-error. Thanks to Aaron we had a very good spot from which to see the spectacular 2-hours fireworks display. It was very fun ~ a group of about 20 of us having picnic in the evening till the fireworks began...after it ended we went for supper with the teachers.

2 days later it was Spore’s National Day. We had a little Sporean party and played with fireworks as well. I finally had the chance to play with the fireworks. I simply had to try playing it myself coz we’d never be able to play it in Spore. I wanted to buy more to keep till Jaycee/Pris comes to Okazaki & we’d play together but the season/weather wouldn’t be suitable then, so the idea was dropped. I like fireworks...hope to have to chance to attend a fireworks festival again or play with it in Japan.

I started learning how to wear the kimono in August. I had signed up for a kimono wearing contest to be held in November. The weekly 2-hr kimono lessons were quite taxing. My goodness, there’re so many layers to wear before putting on the actual kimono. It was quite a challenge to remember the numerous steps & wearing it well. I didn’t do it well enough to win the contest, but had a very good experience in learning how to wear it. I hope to have the chance to learn the other variations of tying the obi (belt of kimono) in future, but such courses are rare in Spore...coz who’d want to wear a kimono in Spore’s weather?

September was the month where there were 2 earthquakes in a day ~ headline news in Japan. There was no panic over at my apartment block, though I heard those at the other blocks rushed out of their rooms. I was really blur. When the first one came I thought it was vibration caused by my neighbor sliding the door or heavy vehicles driving past. This is not unusual, considering how thin the walls of the apartments are. I only realized it when the shakes went on for a while, but it wasn’t scary enough to make me leave my computer then. The 2nd quake occurred at midnight when I was about to sleep. This round’s tremors were stronger & more sustained than before...I was thinking whether to get out of bed when the tremors stopped. Searched for my passport & wallet and left it by my desk in case a big one hits later & I need to evacuate. It was fine for the rest of the nights & days to come.

There were many typhoons during this period as well. Quite irritating because of the rain it brought. I can’t remember when the first serious one struck, but it was scary, seeing stationary cars shaking, trees almost being uprooted. My friend drove us out for lunch & we waited till the weather cleared in the evening before going home. There were no lessons for the next 2 typhoons so I just stayed at home, wondering when my window’s gonna be blown off, or neighbor’s stuff being blown right thru my windows. Luckily none of those happened, but the partition separating my neighbor's balcony & mine collapsed. It was fixed back immediately the next day, but collapsed again during the next typhoon. Haiz... it’s a matter of time before the whole apartment collapses!

I was busy planning my trip to Hokkaido in September. I had started planning in August, but only finalized the plans just a week before departing. And I ended up not following my plans! But that’s the fun of it :) I fell in love with Hokkaido immediately & plan to revisit the place again, esp. the sunflowers fields...I could just stay there the whole day looking at the vast fields of sunflowers & greenery. I can go on & on about the Hokkaido trip & the friends I’ve made, it’s the highlight of my 1 year in Japan...I wrote about it soon after I returned from it. I plan to make a little scrapbook on it...that’s going to be my project for 2005 :)

I was still in the holiday mood for the first few weeks of October and had difficulties concentrating in class. And because my student visa’s been renewed, I no longer had to worry about attendance & started skipping lessons I deemed a waste of time. It became a habit….after a while I felt guilty about it & tried to attend most lessons & start revision. But I lost interest easily, probably because I’ve already used up all my energy for studies the previous semester where I often stayed in school to study. I had a goal then ~ to finish the whole JLPT 2 grammer book. I achieved it and didn’t set any new goals after that. It’s just revision & practice papers for the exam that mattered to me.

From October I started searching for jobs actively, but the job market wasn’t good for foreigners. I couldn’t teach coz I’m not a native speaker, couldn’t take up other jobs as I neither have the experience or Jap lang ability. Had insomnia over it for weeks...

Jaycee & Pris came to Japan in end October/early November. I met up with them in Kyoto. The reunion nearly didn’t materialize as I was too concerned about it being near the exam, and my financial reserves in Japan were almost dry. But I really wanted to spend some time with them in Japan, so went ahead with it anyway. And I’m glad I did. It was so fun! It’s like being back to those days in Europe where we walked for ages & talk cock along the way, pigged out or had picnics. I went for a hiking trip with my friend as well ~ surprisingly relaxing day of hiking. I could feel my strength slipping away during the past 2 months, but the short weekend break with them recharged me. Their presence never fails to brighten up my days.

From mid-November onwards, I started skipping school & stayed at home the whole day almost every day, unless I had to go to work or buy groceries or run errands. I became disillusioned with my studies. I wasn’t making much progress in the language, I couldn’t find a job, I was very lost. I didn’t know what I was doing. Going to school no longer held any significance to me. Even if I did go to school, my mind was often blank. I was in my own world. I started writing...about anything...sometimes I passed each day in a daze, not remembering what I did the previous days...except that it’s lots of TV & internet. Sometimes I cried, not knowing why...Only on days when I had to go for kimono lessons did I cheer up a little ~ the change in environment, the people, the challenge in wearing the kimono took my mind off negative thoughts temporarily. Teaching in the evenings cheered me up as well, but it saddened me at the same time...knowing that our lessons were coming to end soon. I finally got out of this state the day before the JLPT exam. I was very “high” the night before, and was quite crazy the days after ~ must have been the exam blues.

My sister came 2 days after my exam, and it was holiday all the way with my siblings until my departure for Singapore. It was the first time that the 3 of us + bro's gf had travelled together. I’m glad they came soon after my exam, and together with my sis, i left for Singapore. Their presence & the fun we had together helped take my mind off the farewell & other problems awaiting me in Singapore.

I was very reluctant & sad to leave Japan, to leave the environment I loved, the friends I’ve made. Having to adjust to life back in Spore was a problem, made worse by job hunt blues, future plans etc... The thought of returning to Singapore with little hope of going overseas for a long-term stay was miserable. I’ve waited for years for the chance to be out of Singapore, and I really dread going back. Although I’m back now, I haven’t given up the hope of finding a way out of the country again. Japan’s my first choice, but I don’t rule out other countries although there isn’t any that I’m so obsessed with now.

My farewell was held at my place. Had a feast...it ended late but on a happy note. Most of us are going to meet up in Spore in the future anyway, so not too sad. Returning from my holiday trip, i went to school & McDonalds to bid farewell. Dinner was another mini gathering at my place with just the few of us Sporeans. Departed for Singapore early next morning...Back home, i adjusted back to life in Spore faster than expected. It was quite tiring for me in the beginning, shopping for xmas, searching for jobs, going for interviews. Finally settled most stuff after the New Year & could start meeting up with friends.That's my 2004...in brief! Wonder if 2005 will be just as interesting....

Looking back on 2004 (Part 1)

It’s 2005! While welcoming the New Year, one can’t help but feel nostalgic about the old year. For me, it’s one of the most interesting years I’ve ever had. It was spent entirely (save for the last weeks of Dec) in Japan.

In 2004, I ushered in the New Year at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine with Evelyn. We had taken an overnight bus to Tokyo, reaching there at 5.30am in the morning. Without a place to stay, we just roamed the streets or stoned at fast-food restaurants until it’s almost midnight. We queued for almost 2 hours at the shrine, wondering what the Japanese do...imagine our surprise when we found out that they queue for hours just to throw coins to make their New Year wishes! Boring countdown, or lack of it...decided that i would go to one in Spore in 2005, but ended up too lazy to go out. I don’t remember what wish I made for myself in 2004. It doesn’t matter since it was 1 year ago...hmm... I’ve yet to make my New Year wishes for 2005...

After the shrine we continued on to Disneyland at 3am. Played some silly rides in our half-asleep state, walked around, amazed at the number of Japanese who camped overnight at Disneyland after countdown...left the place at almost 4pm to check in to our hostel. We had survived almost 40hours w/o any sleep...but still had enough energy to go on a shopping spree the next day! That’s when my bought my darling piggy soft-toy.

Back from Tokyo, it’s the start of a new school semester & the start of my work at McDonalds. January was cold. I was down with flu soon after returning from the Tokyo trip. It was my only time falling sick in Japan. The only difference being sick overseas compared to Spore was having no one to fuss over me, no regular checks from parents, no “cooling” chestnut drink, no special meals. The flu medication I brought from Singapore didn’t work & I had to get it from the pharmacy in Japan. There was such a wide range of flu medication that I didn’t know which one to get ~ so randomly picked one! It worked miracles within days tho the irritating cough persisted for some time...

February was very cold. We thought January was bad, February was worse! Sometimes it’s so cold that I’d walk to school rather than cycle coz the freezing breeze would numb my ears. But I liked winter, except when it rained. I was always waiting for it to snow ~ but it only snowed 3 times last year. I still remember jumping for joy when it first snowed. It was on 20 Dec 03. I had stayed over at Evelyn’s place coz it was too cold to go home the previous night. In the morning, the surroundings were all covered with snow & it was snowing pretty heavily. We were so excited ~ started calling our friends and snap pictures & videos.

Celebrating Chinese New Year away from home was a first for me. My family sent me a parcel full of goodies. My sis even included those CNY decorations! Evelyn’s aunt bought her the “Yu-sheng” ingredients. We used salmon sashimi for it. On the eve of CNY, we held a “reunion dinner” at my apartment, our “family” being the 3 of us S’poreans, 2 Jap frds, 1 Indonesian & 1 Korean. It was very fun...I wonder how this year’s CNY will be....

Sometime in late January, after ending a long-term on/off relationship for good, I went to make my wishes on love during the CNY month. One year on, my wish is still not answered. Or rather, it’s answered in a way that I didn’t expect to, probably because I didn’t have a specific person in mind then ~ so I ended up with someone liking me but I didn’t, many guys treating me very well but none ended up as romantic interest. Hmm... if I want to try it again this year, I must have found a specific “target”, or else I’d probably end up like last year again...ok, I’ve 2 months to find that someone...

I started teaching English in February. For safety reasons, the first lesson was held at my neighbor’s place. My student was a 40 year old working adult who’s quite good in English. Preparing for lessons were easy ~ search for articles, discuss them, do dictation, with occasional listening practices as well. We often discussed about the Japanese culture & practices. And he was always eager to help me with my travel plans within Japan. I enjoyed our sessions ~ he’s more of a friend than a student. We still keep in contact via email, and recently his daughter started writing to me as well :)

February 29th was Daniel’s 20th birthday. I was not close to him, but do not know why I was so enthusiastic about organizing a birthday for him. Probably I felt sorry that he gets to celebrate it once every 4 years, and this time round he’s all alone in Japan. I knew most of his classmates, and together we held a party for him. It’s one of those rare moments that I see him so happy. We had fun too...getting him drunk! After that he sort of became part of our Spore clique.

I took up another job in March, speaking English to the customers for 1.5hrs/sesson at the English café. On average I had 2 sessions per month, so it wasn’t too taxing on my daily schedule. It was a good chance to interact with the Japanese, but it was tough having to cater to different customers’ command of English & topic interest. I finally left the job in August. Nothing significant happened in March, except for the planning of my parent’s trip to Japan in April.

It was an emotional period for me ~ the thought of meeting my mum brought back memories I’ve tucked away... I’m glad the April trip went on well. They stayed over at my place for 2 nights, and we went to Kyoto & Gamagori. It was a first for us to experience the hot spring & view the cherry blossoms. Things have been going on fine since I returned, and I hope it stays that way.My parents left just before my birthday, but not before passing me my birthday gift from my brother. Knowing that I’m bored at home, he bought me a DVD/VCD player. I was really very surprised & touched. He always seemed so bo-chup, but sometimes can be so sweet.

On my birthday I took a day’s off from McDonalds & spent the whole day nuahing at home...no celebrations, just a relaxing day at home...or so I thought... At almost 11pm my doorbell rang. What greeted me at the door was Asep with a birthday cake, and the rest of the gang. An unforgettable birthday celebration…I worked almost everyday from April onwards, sometimes holding 2 jobs a day. Sometimes I wondered why I was doing this to myself. I’m not exactly facing a financial crisis. I had enough savings to live comfortably for a year w/o having to work, but yet I’m doing this. I guess the thought of my bank account balance falling rapidly was too much for me to handle! But the more I worked, the more I spent...on travel! I spent so much on traveling that I ended up having to borrow from my dad to pay my rental. Extending my studies for another 3 months also messed up my financial plans...

Sometime in April/May, my Jap friend invited us to a fireworks gathering. We thought it was just a simple meal with a few of her friends followed by fireworks. Imagine how surprised we were to realize that it’s a big social gathering ~ a baseball team of guys & a few of their female friends. Being the only 3 foreigners there we were the “centre of attraction”. It was fun though...most of them spoke to us in Japanese while another tried to translate... Our social circle in Japan was quite limited to the youngsters at McDonalds & Japanese females then, so it was interesting to observe how the older guys interacted among themselves.

After dinner we drove to a park to play with fireworks. It’s not the right season for it, but we played with it anyway. We were like a scene out of a gangster movie ~ 8 cars fetching about 20 persons arriving one after another at the car-park. It was fun & exciting ~ our first encounter with fireworks being so close to us. But the guys kept giving us those harmless, boring little sparklers to play while they took the fireworks. And we noticed that the rest of the gals there all played with the smaller sparklers as well... let’s leave the more dangerous ones to the guys huh?

I've a job & getting "new eyes"!!

My days of nuahing at home is over ~ accepted a job offer yesterday. Will be working as a personnel consultant in a recruitment agency. This being a Japanese company means that I have Japanese colleagues ~ good chance to practise my Jap skills :) I can see that the people working there are very happy ~ they kept telling me it's like a family over there, that despite it being a Japanese company, the office culture is unique. I've yet to commence work, but has been invited to the company's New Year dinner this friday anyway. I'm very excited to meet my colleagues, to take this opportunity to bond with them.Besides my new job, i'm gonna have "new eyes" soon! Went for consultation today....will be going for LASIK next week to correct my eyesight surgically. It's goodbye to days of glasses & contact lens soon :)A boring end to 2004, followed by an exciting start to 2005. New job, eyes, Jap lessons, aerobics....hope this year will continue to be full of excitment & challenges....

Assholes! Stop Bothering Me!

What's my horoscope reading for this week? Does it say i've to settle scores with jerks? Twice in a week i get so pissed off with guys. First was that Jerk whom i thot i've gotten rid of last week, and he had to call again this wk to get badly shot by me... I wonder if he called me coz he has problems with the other gal he was after... i mean, that's what he usually does after he goes missing (over my side) for a period of time & suddenly resurface...Then came that Korean guy's msn message just now. I'm so consumed with frustration & anger that the happiness of receiving Xiaolin's email earlier on couldn't overcome it.

I used to see that Korean guy online often but he never msg me. And i refuse to make the first move to msg him. Just recently i decided that he's considered dead & deleted his contact. Thot i had blocked him as well, but think it didn't work... coz he msg me. At first i was pleasantly surprised... until he made his request. Asshole! Once again, he contacts me just because he needs help. What's his problem? Ever since he returned to Korea, he has msg me 3 times only, and each time it's because he has a favor to ask of me.

His approach is always the same... the usual "how are u?" opening, then just a bit of follow-up on the opening, then tok abt some other stuff.... then he'd just pop the request... insert it into the conversation so seamlessly.... and it just PISSES ME OFF!! If u need help, say so. Don't pretend to be concerned about how i am doing now. Maybe this is the Korean culture...

First he wants my photos taken in Sapporo, saying he lost the webshots link. I guessed that he wants it for some purpose. It turns out that he's doing his own homepage & wants to show the photos to his friends. I lied that i've deleted the photos. Next he wants photos of Spore, and i've none for him. Then he asked for recommendations for Chinese dramas & i said i only watch HK dramas. So he said he'd ask his Taiwanese friends instead.

Finally he asked me to send him a Chinese New Year card so that he can learn to write the words in Chinese. Have you ever come across a more thick-skinned person than him?! And guess what? He said he can send me a Korean New Year card if i want. My goodness!! How insincere a person can be?! I told him i don't have the practice of sending CNY cards [nonsense! fyi: this yr i sent out 10 CNY cards, half of whom to Japanese friends just to surprise them!]Seeing that he's failed in getting any help from me for all 4 favors, he ended the conversation saying he's going to sleep... wish me happy new year.

This is it, another jerk to the list of jerks. Why am i so suay to meet these jerks? And to think that i thot they were treasures in the past... I think i'd rather remain single than end up with a jerk like them...