Olenju

2011-09-23T00:05:00.001+08:00

本当に二人は一人より良いですか？
今晩も悲しいです。

2011-08-06T15:47:00.000+08:00

清ちゃんのメールを。。。ありがとう。

2011-08-06T15:39:00.002+08:00

もうひとつの実を望まれ

主から選ばれて
この世に植えられた
もうひとつの実を望まれ

ありがとう気づいてなかった
どれほど愛されているのか
はじめから今まで神の愛は
いつも注がれていたこと

ありがとうその愛教えてくれた
主から与えられた君に
キリストの愛でもっと仕え
私もこの世に仕えよう

君は愛されるため
そしてその愛伝えるため
主から選ばれて
この世に植えられた
もうひとつの実を望まれ

2011-08-01T23:14:00.002+08:00

帰ってきたけどまだ元気がない。。。
信頼といえばどんなことでしょうか。
まだ心の痛みがあります。
まだ痛いです。

さっきギターを弾いた。
がっかりな感じはいつも溢れている。
どうしてどうしてどうしてな言葉ばかり。
どうして失敗？
どうして夢は壊れたの？
どうして現実はそうなの？

2011-07-25T16:10:00.002+08:00

望み

新しい役
新しい夢、幻、ビジョン
WCとの和解
心の癒し
FILの癌を治す
神様の知恵、注ぎ、フェいバ

2011-07-21T17:45:00.002+08:00

痛み

突然悲しくなります。
突然に。
なぜ。。。

昨日は元気になったけど。昨日は起こったことを忘れたかったけど、今日はぜんぜん元気でわない。
難しいな。

GWとまきのことを感謝し、昨日二人と話した後、元気になる。自分の問題を考えずに、ほかの人を集中し、夜の時間も経ちました。

今晩はどうすれば良いですか？

2011-07-19T15:16:00.001+08:00

Encouragement to Myself - Be Strong

Lam 3:22-33 (The Message)

^22-24God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He's all I've got left.

^25-27God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.
It's a good thing when you're young
to stick it out through the hard times.

^28-30When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The "worst" is never the worst.

^31-33Why? Because the Master won't ever
walk out and fail to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.
He takes no pleasure in making life hard,
in throwing roadblocks in the way:

2011-02-20T21:43:00.006+08:00

Believe within

Today I felt overwhelmed
But I will trust in God's promise.

Jer 29:11-14 (The Message)
This is God's Word on the subject: "As soon as Babylon's seventy years are up and not a day before, I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen.
"When you come looking for me, you'll find me.
"Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." God's Decree. "I'll turn things around for you. I'll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you"—God's Decree—"bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.

2011-02-11T00:42:00.005+08:00

Happy Night

I had such a fabulous time with Steve tonight. :) He will be very happy to read this - more than knowing that he is my best friend, it's him who has set me into action, to write an entry tonight.

Sometimes, things done in an impromptu manner bring about amazing results. We hadn't really intended to meet... I was already home, and then, yeah, we decided to go to Ajisen. It's been about 2 plus or 3 years since I last went to Ajisen. In our earlier years, we frequented Ajisen and it was a dating dinner place for us, so tonight, somehow, it was special. And enjoy the ramen we did.

What I want to say is that a relationship - a meaningful, deep relationship - is treasure. To find someone who understands you, can communicate with you, gives you the assurance and confidence... the list goes on... this is truly a blessing. Tonight we just talked. If you ask me what I talked about, actually I can't really recall now, ahha, but we just talked and fellowshipped. Thank you my dear. :)

And another highlight of the night - had a long chat with Maki over the phone and she shared with me about her trip back to Japan, the church there and the Holy Spirit. I really enjoyed the conversation with her, and we prayed together. I'm so looking forward to going to the mission trip in May. I know it will be a life-changing experience, and I pray that I can continue to be a blessing to the Japanese.

It's almost 1am... and tomorrow is Friday. Have to wake up early to work, but somehow I am wide awake. Could it be the mocha after the ramen? :) Steve and I went to Starbucks after Ajisen, and had a MO JIA. I am thankful that it's Fri, and weekend is coming, cos for certain, I'm looking forward to CG and service.

Suddenly I think that life is so beautiful.:) In the cool of the night, as I type this and reflect on my bed, I thank God for all He has shown me and blessed me with. I know 2011 will be a blast year!!

2009-04-24T23:59:00.002+08:00

Tonight is an amazing night.

After 1 whole week of work, several meetings and going out with friends and cell group yesterday, tonight is MY time!! :) It's ME time and after work, I went for a quick swim at Safra and now... I am at Minds Cafe, blogging and also sms-ing a few friends.

I seldom do this nowadays, but today, I just feel like finding a cosy corner in a cafe. Did some work and killed some brain cells, then decided to surf the internet and moment of inspiration - Write Blog!!! Haha, this blog is like a very old woman... Quiet, Slow, Aged, Lack of activity... but maybe, maybe it will change soon?!
Whahahahah.

And there's no specific blog topic. I am just happy to rant away.

I feel that it is so important to love people and at the same time, learn to receive love too. Being thankful is such a key thing in life. Tonight Steve has cell group. Just now he called me... i think they are eating KFC? (maybe my ears heard wrongly... wahhahaa..) I sort of miss him this week... cos we din meet up lar..

And tomorrow is Kelvin's BIG day!!! I am truly happy and excited for him. If you dunno him, you can find him in some past pictures in this blog. Can't miss him. Besides Steve, he is the next most handsome brother E151, N432 has ever produced... ahhaha... and tomorrow, I know it will be unforgettable for him and Karen. Marriage bliss to dear Kel and Karen.

And one night, recently, I came home to discover a "WOO WOO WOOOOOO" sound from my bedroom. To my amazement, my sister had got an air-conditioning unit installed. She was sick of the heat at night and just decided to do it. (My mum has opposed to getting air-conditioning for the longest time as she feels it is not good for health.) But Apple decided to just do it, and now, Yay!! We are both happy sisters, have an air-conditioned room to sleep in snugly and comfortably.

And well, Minds Cafe at Safra is still bustling with acitivty. A few tables are occupied, and groups are playing games, laughing heartily at times. Only 私。。。私だけ一人自分の時間を過ごします。ふふふ。でも本当に嬉しいです。一人だけど寂しくない。私ももうすぐスティブと会う。彼のことを感謝します。：）

And the time now is nearly 12.30am.. Gosh... I am going to go home le... my batt is almost flat already. :)

I am a happy owl.

2009-04-09T01:23:00.003+08:00

The God I know

Righteous and Holy

The God I know

Faithful and true

The God I know

My tower of refuge

Hearts are healed

Christ revealed

The God I know

Light of the city

The God I know

Strengthens the weak

The God I know

Your heart beats within me

As you are

So are we

2008-08-17T12:55:00.007+08:00

He gives and takes away

These past few weeks have passed like a whirlpool, the most significant being God showing us how His grace and mercy is more than sufficient.
Steve has gone through one of the toughest times in his life and yet, I see him being strong.
Next time I shall call him Strong Steve.

When I asked him why he did not even tear a drop, he said, "How could I?"
When I asked him further, he said, "I have totally trusted Him. He gives and takes away. This total surrender and trust and strength in Him in me simply does not allow me to cry."

One doesn't really know the extent and depth of simply declaring verses and promises of the Bible until one goes through that immense valley.
And at the end of the day when everything is stripped away, you will know how strong you truly are as a believer.

We sang this song during FOP. And this couldn't have come at a timing more apt.
I am able to write this entry now because I know that God is a good and faithful God.
I declare that He is a deliverer and He loves us.
Even in times of loss and pain, we can always choose to bless and praise His name.

Blessed Be Your Name
by Matt Redman

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

2008-06-15T00:38:00.003+08:00

???????

Fleeting moments
Tennis action
Love stories
Kungfu movies

Half an hour
20 minutes
Voices rising
Tired bodies

People running
Smelly lifts
Sister crying
Everything's messy

I am just sitting in front of the comp, waiting to use the bathroom.
Dad's inside, I dunno how long it'll be.
I just returned home and am feeling totally nothing.
It's been like that these couple of days.
I feel that I am a nothing trapped in another nothing.

Sometimes I want to write, but dun really know what to say. I don't really want to write melancholic and un-understandable posts like this, but whatever, I guess sometimes it's really OK to be totally honest with my own emotions.

Or worse still, when I dun really understand how I really feel?

I need a good, clean shower right now.

2008-04-26T12:12:00.002+08:00

I love Saturdays!!

Hmmm, actually I also really like Friday nights, because I know there's cell group where we always have a very cosy gathering, catching up with good friends, laughing as we play games and eat together, and learning as we hear the Word.

Maybe not everyone knows what I mean... wahhaha.. and may even think it's funny?! Play games? Make it a conscious point to sacrifice personal time to meet together? But really, I truly enjoy it very much and I know I have grown through the many cell groups. I think if everyone plays a part and contribute... akin to different branches on a main vine, the whole gathering gets even much better!!

Wahhaha... but anyway, why am I talking about Friday nights when i want to talk about Saturdays?

I love Saturdays because I know I can spend more time at home, reading, blogging, having a nice lunch (no need to rush to keep within an hour time frame... wahhahaha), oh yeah... read newspapers and drink kopi... and these days, these Saturdays, it's become a fixed lunch date with Morien. Morien always meets me for lunch at the big, round market near my house!

Anyway, I will write again... soon... I have a lunch date now!

ENJOY YOUR SATURDAY!!

2008-04-12T10:42:00.007+08:00

My Very Happy E151

My Very Hardworking Colleagues

My cosy Japanese fellowship group

My Papa, Mama, ShuShus and Ah Yi

My last date with Junko... at least for now

As I type this, Junko would have already been in Japan for 2 days. She's left Singapore to take care of her grandmother, putting aside her own dreams and ambitions. Though we have not known each other for long, I still thank God for this friendship where we can be open and share about our fears and inadequacies, and also when we encouraged each other on. :-D Arigato Junko san! またシンガポールに戻ってね。私も日本へ行く！いろいろなもありがとう。：）

Ok, this post is very short. hurhur. I just felt that it's been so long since I posted anything!! So I thought it would be nice to just give a quick update. And yeah, it looks threateningly dark outside now. I think it's gonna pour.

2008-03-28T01:06:00.003+08:00

Wonderful News

Praise God. :) Steve received his contract from SIA today and I am so happy for him. This is indeed a wonderful testimony, a walk and journey so exciting, so timely, so planned... These last 5 months have been exciting; they seemed like chapters of an adventure book, episodes of drama unfold. I feel his joy so much, inexplicable, unexplainable, tangible as I hear his voice over the phone just minutes ago. It is indeed in God's timing.

Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

2008-03-24T12:23:00.003+08:00

From Bill Farrel about his new book, Men are like Waffles, Women are like Spaghetti?

I found this quite true, and Steve and I just had waffle and some spaghetti last week too.

If you make a diagram of the way a man processes information, it looks like the top of a waffle. He puts the first issue of life in the first box, the second issue in the second box and so on. A man will spend time in one box at a time and one box only.

When a man is at work, he is at work. When he is watching TV, he is watching TV. As a result, he is a problem-solver by nature. He goes into a box, figures out the problem, assigns a soultion and then moves on.

If you make a diagram of the way a woman processes information, it looks like a plate of spaghetti. Each noodle represents an issue in life and every noodle touches each other noodle on the plate. She is, therefore, wired to connect the important issues in life and is naturally good at multi-tasking.

The italicised portion makes me laugh because I think it's so true!!

2008-03-17T13:37:00.007+08:00

There's a bit of child in everyone of us!

森の熊さん
ある日　森の中

クマさんに　出会った

花咲く森の道

クマさんに　出会った

クマさんの　いうことにゃ

お嬢さん　お逃げなさい

すたこら　サッササノサ

とごろが　クマさんが

後から　ついてくる

トコトコ　トコトコと

お嬢さん　お待ちなさい

ちょっと　落し物

白い　貝がらの

小さな　イヤリング

あらクマさん　ありがとう

お礼に　歌いましょう

ラララ　ララララララ

This is a song about how a young lady met a bear in a jungle and when i first heard it from a PSP game, it reminded me of childhood joy. It's akin to memories of me riding a horse on a merry-go-round or carousel in an amusement park with my parents taking pictures of me on the outskirt.

The melody is so uplifting and cheerful and I wanted to learn how to sing it, so Nobuko sent me the lyrics! Haha. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhB-YB6w1oQ

There are 3 children songs here and MorinoKumasan is the first song. Enjoy and relive those childhood moments!

And Mana just returned from Japan last Friday and she wrote me a very touching letter on a heart-shaped letter-pad. Again... brings me back to primary school days. Then I collected lots of different letter-pads and some of them even have fragrances! Haha! Oh yeah, and then I would exchange letter-pads with my school friends and my collection would grow! Those were also the days where good friends wrote letters to each other and I remember waiting in eagerness for letters from my friends and replying to them. Nowadays, email has become the norm, isn't it? Anyway, I was very touched by the letter. :) Thank you!

2008-02-27T10:13:00.011+08:00

Friends

This morning, I woke up with thanksgiving in my heart. It was just wonderful and there is this very gentle delight in me. I reached the office, went to the toilet and was humming and singing to myself. At my desk, before the onset of IT problems, before the busyness and the harried looks, I read an email from Pamela. (http://www.xanga.com/pamelakoh) Emotions welled up in me and so many things that she wrote about challenged and encouraged me… Suddenly I found myself humming to the tune of Michael W. Smith’s “Friends”. Dear friends, have you heard this song?

Friends (By Michael W. Smith)
Packing up the dreams God planted
In the fertile soil of you
Cant believe the hopes hes granted
Means a chapter in your life is through

But we'll keep you close as always
It wont even seem youve gone
cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

Chorus:
And friends are friends forever
If the lord's the lord of them
And a friend will not say never
cause the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go
In the father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long
to live as friends.

With the faith and love god's given
Springing from the hope we know
We will pray the joy you'll live in
Is the strength that now you show

But we'll keep you close as always
It wont even seem you've gone
cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

Well, I am not exactly thinking about friends who are going to leave but I am talking about having friends… Friends you know you can count on in your life. Yesterday, just yesterday, after work, I met up with 3 such friends separately and it was so good to spend quality time with them.

Here’s a bit of thankfulness I want to express to each of them.. :)

Ziwei has been a great friend and my mentor and leader and this one guy is REAL. No pretenses about him, no airs and despite being busy busy busy all the time, there is this confidence and calm he portrays. Hurhur… Last night’s dinner and coffee was really good. We just talked and talked and shared and shared and listened and listened and encouraged and encouraged. :) Sometimes, as we get caught up, so caught up with work, with commitments, the effort to consciously take time off to fellowship with close friends becomes sacrificial and very, very precious. Yet at the end of it, both parties will leave knowing that there’s been an imprint of the depth of friendship nourished and understanding deepened. That’s really what I felt last night on my way home. And this morning, I went online to ask him for a nice pict of him because I wanna write about him and hurhur… here are 2 pics he sent to me!! Dashing ne!!

Graduation at SOT

Ziwei and Jelaine

Celebrating his bday at Expo!

And next up is Wanz. She’s incredible. She brings another quality of what a friend is TO LIFE. She’s a great listener, encourager, radiates energy and love and most importantly, she goes the EXTRA EXTRA MILE. I know people do walk an extra mile but to me, Wanli goes a few extra miles… Steve and I, and I believe, her close friends, can testify to that.

We met up last night to go to StarHub because she wants to subscribe to their student plan. She could get a new handset because of that but guess what, she asked me if I would like to get one free or discounted handphone instead. This girl is really a gem.

At the airport with Wanz

And last of all, I’d like to share about Mr Goh. Haha, through Steve, I got to know Robin more and more and he’s one great, funny, solid, interesting guy. (Did I mention that he owns cafes too?!) He’s full of ideas, creativity and energy and takes his responsibilities seriously. One of my first impressions of him was when Steve visited me in Japan. Then, a typhoon was raging outside and Steve and I were at home atop my mountain.. hurhur and I was watching the telebe (otherwise known as TV) and both he and Robin were talking on the phone. I had NO IDEA that guys could talk for so long… It was revelational! It was a one-hour drama that I was watching and they were talking be4 the show… and still talking after the show… Really, they were like excited little boys, or little girls, yakking excitedly about everything!! Amazing and very amusing to me!

So last night, when Ziwei and I finally left around 11 plus, I called Steve to find out their wheareabouts (Steve and Robin and the security guys went to a wedding dinner). Heez, and Robin was sending them home and cruising through ECP when he heard that I was still at City Hall. Thanks brother… he turned back straightaway, picked me up and sent me home. Awwwww… so nice and so sweet and so 4 of us huddled in his branded van and I reached home before the clock struck 12.

Zhaowei and Robin

2008-02-22T09:57:00.010+08:00

I dunno what to title my entry

セルーグルップの日は今週から変わった。木曜日になったから　金曜日の夜は暇になる。ね。。私は友達にまだ言わないけど　三月からフェデックスの仕事を辞めます。ね。。この決まりはいいかどうか分からないけど　私もあのしょうがない条件があるので　辞めます。ね。。。けどフェデックスに感謝します。実は最初初めてここで働いたとき　三日目くらいになって　もうすぐこの仕事が　私にとっては仕事の性質は内の性格と間に合わないと思う。職務の選択に際しては自分の適性を考えなくてはいけませんと思いますけど。。。今ね。。私は本当に大分にすごく困る。私はずっと先生の仕事をしたから　二十八歳で転職を大きく変える事は真剣に考えなけれべならない。難しい決まりでしょうね。けど私は本当に転職したい。

そういう大きな決断が私の頭に毎日毎日繰り返して溢れている。特に最近感情はローラーコースターのようにめまぐるしく変化させるものです。希望を持っている時、本当に信仰があり。がっかりした時　元気じゃなくなってくる。祈りたい時
神様に待ち望むときも　誰でも話さない時　私は本当に失敗なものと思う時も時々感想した。

けどいろいろな未来の不確かな状態があるけど　私は生活に諦めたくない。自信が無い時　失敗したとき　神様のみ言葉を信じる。私は物価の無いものは絶対無いです。私の全ては神様のみ言葉を造られた。神様はいい天の父だから　忠実な天のお父様から　私のことを大切し愛します。これは心から深く信じます。

今の気持も感謝の気持ばかりです。ね。。私は本当に今は文句は全然無い。聖書のヨブになりたい。ね。。荒野はもうすぐ終わると思う。相続の地に望んで一歩一歩向こうに見てイエス様と一緒に歩いていきます。

水曜日の日本人交わり奉仕である一つ歌を歌った。きれいな歌詞と思います。歌詞は意味深いと思う。今ね　私も大きい声で歌いたい！歌詞を覚えれてできるだけ全部書きます。：）

BREATHE

あなたは - Anata ha
近くに - Chikakuni
吐息のよう - Toikinoyou
み言葉 - Mikotoba
すべてを - Subete wo
造られた - Tsukurareta

あなたの - Anatano
麗しさ - Uruwashisa
我を捕らえ -Ware wo torae

Breathe 命の -Breathe Inochi no
息吹を - Ibuki wo
吹きかけ - Fukikake
生かし - Ikashi
わが避けどころ - Wa ga sakedokoro
主のみ翼 - Shu no mitsubasa
今求める - Ima motomeru

暗闇 - Kurayami
歌う - Utau
夜明けの歌 - Yoakenouta
哀れみと - Awaremi to
恵みを - Megumi wo
絶えず歌う - Taezu utau

日々あなたを - Hibi anata wo
待ち望む - Machinozomu
主の臨在 - Shu no rinzai
だけを - Dake wo
どんな時も - Donna toki mo
崇めます - Agamemasu
命の水 - Inochi no mizu no

の川溢れ流れる - No kawa afurenagareru

Yup, this is the Japanese version of Breathe, a really beautiful song that sings of the beauty, greatness, strength... the draw of God upon one's life.

And I just want to sing it out loud. :) Tonight, there is overnight prayer meeting in church and I am looking forward to it. Haven't had overnight PM together in a long while and I know it's going to be good. And tomorrow, I will be going to the inaugural airshow with Steve. Yay!!

And my good colleauge has reported sick today. She's very bubbly and cheerful, and she's visibly brightened my life here in the workplace. Koff Koff.. dunno if she'll be reading this while reading at home, but if she does, dearie, know that I'll be missing you loads and do have a good rest, drink plenty of water, eat lotsa veggies and get well soon!

Yup, and here are some pics of the Japanese fellowship we had.. DONUTS from Nobuko and lotsa Japanese snacks from Naomi!!

And presenting to you... Nobuko and Naomi. whahaha. I have lots to write about them! Another time k!

And here's Junko too. Met up with Junko on Wednesday for dinner at Bugis and then we went to Toast Box for coffee and tea. It was good chit-chatting and of course we got to know each other better. She just returned from Hokkaido and told me it was -13deg there. Gosh.. I think I'd just be a SNOW ORANGE if I'd been there.. but the pics that she took.. the scenery - breathtaking. :) She bought me this... They are very very delicious!! Shiroikoibito Chocolates from Hokkaido. These choco cookies are chouninki (超人気）in Japan and make very good gifts. Thank you Junko! :)

2008-02-19T16:27:00.005+08:00

今日

まだ一時間半ぐらい残します。今日は手が空いているので　ちょっとブローグを書くと思う。根。。普通な話けど　良い日本語練習ね。

先週の日曜日　スティブと保障奉仕チームは毎週と同じに　サッカーゲームをする。違うのは信子のお友達も参加した。彼らは日本から来ていて今日までの旅行をする。竹さんとあやさんは優しし　明るい人と思う。

その時　私たちね竹さんを応援する！皆とのコミューニケイションがちょっと難しかったけど　竹さんは本当に頑張ってきた。最後に　多分靴と乾いた地面のせいで　竹さんの足が水ぶくれになった。水疱はすごく大きいぃぃぃぃぃぃ！！見ると痛い感じもする！！

信子と私　

別な話１
そして他の話を続き書きます。
先週　妹は私の足の詰めに黒いと茶色を塗った。きれいじゃない！ね。。妹はいつも化粧のことが得意。ふふふ。じゃだから私もあの専門のペディキュアをしないでも構いません。家にもこんなプロのサービスがあるね。さあ　妹のことが好き　私。妹は私と九年間の距離があるけど私たち二人は何でも喋れる。妹の性格はとても寛容し　妹は微笑んでいる時　とてもきれいと思う。　ありがとう　妹！！

私の靴もキレイぃぃぃぃぃ。。と思わない？ふふふ。

別な話２
私ね　チョコレートが大好き。一般的なミルクチョコレートはそんなに好きじゃないけど　ナッツを入っているチョコレートが好き！苦いチョコレートも！なぁぁぁ。。。この濃い味はおいしい！！チョコレートも私が余り元気じゃないときよく役に立つ。食べると　ねぇぇぇ　もうすぐ元気になる。ふふふ。いろいろなチョコレートに対する資料もこの実を認めるね。なんか　チョコレートの中身はある一つ精神的に刺激させるものを多く含んでいる。じゃ　だから食べるとちょっと回復になるかな。

ときとウェイユンからもらったチョコレート！有難う！

2008-02-15T15:57:00.009+08:00

Of Ex-students and V-day!!

On Tues, guess who I saw at Bedok Reservoir? Saliza and Hasinah!!!!!

I was so happy to see them both and gosh... memories upon memories... So we hugged each other and Saliza almost teared. Of course, I was very very touched and even happier to know that she managed to get a B4 for her 2nd retake of the EL paper. I am proud of you dearie!! :)

Haha, and what with camera-phones the norm nowadays, of course we took pics together. One kind jogger helped us snap the shots and I promised the girls I'd put this up on the blog, so here goes!!! The lighting ain't so good thou, but it's all right!!!

Saliza and Hasinah

The Sweaty Trio

And yesterday was Valentine's Day!! So hmmm... yeah, yesterday was a very quiet and hushed V-Day for me. I wasn't feeling very genki.. had quite a terrible noon and felt really down so I went home to fei lou with mama and had dinner with Gokusen. Gokusen is a Jap drama about a Yakuza teacher (Yakuza = Secret Society / Triad) with her bunch of notorious students. Well... it was very enjoyable and I definitely felt much better after that. :-D

Anyway, Steve hit the gym and we decided to meet up after that for some romance. :) I was very touched when he gave me this letter. :) It's funny, cos writing letters, using cutesy envelopes and letter pads are what I would do, not him. Yet, he decided to do it cos he knew I would like them. Arigatou ne. :)

Very cute right!!!! :D

And in one of the pieces, he bought these stickers and pasted them in... hahaha... so kawaii!! I like!!! Basketball, tennis and No. 6 all represent a part of me and these stickers emit a certain fragrance too. So nice!

And of course, the content is hurhur.. secret... so it's been blurred... These sports are some of the games I enjoy playing and really, thanks for the effort dearie!! :)

2008-02-11T08:40:00.000+08:00

Festive Mood

やっとチャイニーズニューイヤーの休日は昨日まで終わった。。今日から皆の仕事を始めて　なァァァァ　今朝起きた時　ある一つ考えがあっただけ。。いやァァァァ！！！　どうして素晴らしい時間はそんなに早く経つか？　もし一つ願いがあれば　もちろん過去に立ち戻って　まだ水曜日の夕食時を戻りたい。

ふふふ　写真を見るとちょっと私の願いを適うかな？

水曜日の夕食は　あのチャイニーズニューイヤーの前夜で家族の皆が集まって一緒に食事を食べる習慣です。どんなに忙しいけど　遠いけど　皆はできる限りに帰って　喜んで話しながら　食事する。

もう一日を経って。。昨日は　書く途中突然に忙しくなってきたから　書けなかった。今続きます。

先週の水曜日の夕食の写真。残念ながら　今年お父さんと一年下のい妹はいなかった。代わりにマレーシアの母方のおじさんが来て　一緒にその時間を楽しんで過ごした。

This is a picture of my youngest sis. :) She's very sweet and such a dearie at times.

Yup, anyway, I have decided to switch to English this morn. There's nothing very much that I want to write... I'll just upload some pictures. However, tonight, Nobuko and Mana will be joining me and some security guys at East Coast Park and I think it'll be great fun and fellowship. Pray for good weather ne!

Ok... some eclipses of the past few days.

Steve and his security buddies at a "Lau Yu Sheng" session

Star Dish of the Season

Funny Faces

Some of us went to June and Hong's house for a gathering and Nobuko and Mana were with us. Their house is breezy and has a nice panoramic view of the central area of Singapore. Ey, and their house is tastefully and simplistically designed with shades of different pastel hues. Very nice!! :)

Well, on a side note, house-shopping and hunting can be exciting and great fun... whahahhahaa. :)

2008-02-06T14:35:00.000+08:00

I DEEPLY REGRET

Not requesting for a half-day today.... SIGH!!!!!!!!! All the more so when I receive calls and mesges from friends who tell me that they are out doing last minute shopping... soaking in the CNY atmosphere... or when I speak to them, n in the background, I hear the very very LIVELY CROWD.
SIGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I just bribed a colleague. I asked him if he's a good friend. Hahahhahaha.... I asked him if he would like to work for 2 more hours for me and I can pay him due wages... I would give up my 2 hours worth of wages... n so I pleaded and pleaded with him... SIGH... I told him i would even pay more for his services..... and the result?

HE IS NOT MY GOOD COLLEAGUE. wahahhaha.

Hahhahaa... and just now for lunch, we searched high and low for a kopitiam... finally found one with seats and a short queue at Ubi Ave 1. My lunch was nice... Indian Rice with Fish... but my colleagues ... They were charged super exorbitant rates... Rice and a chicken drumstick = $4.00 and well... they said they'd never visit the place again... wahahahahaha.

And well... ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE... I decided to ask my boss.... SHE SAID.... shhhshhh... hahah.. GO GO GO... :)

So I shall end my post.
WHAHAHAHAHHA

2008-02-04T09:00:00.000+08:00

Monday morning
Alarm clock ringing
Eyes still blurry
Bed still inviting

Sky looks gloomy
Rain starts pelting
Bus comes arriving
I begin boarding

People crowding
Tempers flaring
Lots of pushing
Temperatures rising

Traffic lights aplenty
Each one stopping
Driver starts pleading
People MOVE IN!

Just like sardines
People start inching
Bus moves slowly
Some start complaining

I observed silently
Surreal Surroundings
Reservoir Passing
Strange Monday morning

Now in office
Eyes feel heavy
I start writing
I need refueling

I finished munching
Ham Sardine Sandwich
Now am drinking
One black coffee

New Year’s coming
New Year’s beckoning
New week’s beginning
This Monday morning

2008-02-04T08:48:00.000+08:00

Babes in the office

2008-01-25T01:20:00.000+08:00

神戸について

今夜寝れないから　ちょっと皆のブローグを読んできた。安保先生のブローグで見せてくれた神戸のヴィデオを見ながらいっぱい思い出した。いろいろな気持ちが溢れんばかり　涙も出て止めれなかった。この町は本当にきれいです。本当に見慣れた画面を見た時　一年の事を覚えだしました。。特に安保先生の事。安保先生　いろいろな手伝ってくれたことを感謝します。日本の生活はどうしてそんなに大好きな理由の一つは安保先生と知り合った理由です。ありがとう安保先生。

この着いた歌は　私も大好きです。コブクロの永遠にともにです。神戸のことを大好きです。
楽しんで見てください。

2008-01-24T09:29:00.000+08:00

Running Ramblings, Coffee Crazy

I don’t feel very well this morning. It’s been a queasy, uncomfortable feeling since yesterday… bloatedness?! Tiredness?! Anyway, I think it’s just that there are many uncertainties… exciting and yet fearful, looking forward and yet slightly apprehensive, expecting yet unsure… hurhur, so oxymoronic. Er… perhaps I am a mournful optimist? Faith-filled pessimist? Hahhaha… I just feel queer these days.

There have been recent bouts of beautiful sunny weather and it felt really good to soak in all the sun rays. One of the things that I enjoy the most is that after a long, hard run, my body feels alive and hot… sometimes when I am running, I feel as if I have such excessive energy and can simply run on and on… it’s so addictive and there’s such a sense of euphoria. The best part of running is that as I run, after a while, my whole body goes into auto-gear… I don’t even think and yet I do think about things… I look at the faces of the people I pass by… And if I run at the reservoir, of course I will meet other runners… Very very interesting… some struggling to take that next step, others with grit and determination written all over their faces, some simply just walking and chatting, quite a few with music in their ears… I suppose there are many like me too, that as they run, a thousand and one thoughts run through their mind, and yet, they are seemingly oblivious to what’s really happening around them.

And another most wonderful part of running is at the end of it. I like it especially more so when the sun rays beam right through my skin. I can feel the sweat dripping.. the adrenalin, the heat, my clockwork slowing down. Especially on a bright, beautiful Saturday morning at the reservoir, I will run down to this man-made platform.. and it’s quiet and serene. I’d look at the still reservoir waters and ne… I remember Psalms 23.. He leads me beside the still waters.  With my shades on, I congratulate myself for having conquered that other kilometer.. I thank God for being alive, I thank Him for all the wonderful things that He has blessed me with. I am still sweating profusely as I go through my cool-down routine… stretching, loosening the muscles and more, more stretching. Sometimes when there is no one around, I lie down on the platform, look up at the sky and just rest. Sometimes too, I look into the waters and I can see fishes and turtles.

Hahah… weird yeah… I just feel queer lar. There are also some days when I fear that one day, I may not be able to run anymore… weak knees, too busy, etc, etc, etc. On good days, I can really run but there are also many days when I feel so weary as I trudge my heavy feet through… Most times, the weariness is not so much due to physical constraints but they happen in the realm of my thought life. Hmmm… the mind is such a powerful tool… I feel that running is just like prayer.. we can get tired and don’t feel like even communing sometimes… but as we stick it through, as we breakthrough, surely just like running, at the end of it, we feel happier and more at ease. (Have you ever met someone who’s exercised and worked out hard and not feel happy and proud of himself for having crucify his flesh, beat that slothful nature? I have not. They may complain about being tired but they will feel happy for having done something good.)

Hahha… so much about the running ramblings.

I’m going to make some coffee now… hurhurhur. :)

2008-01-23T11:19:00.000+08:00

夢、新年

今日はスティブのパイロットの最後の面接です。時刻は八時四十五分。さっき私は彼のために祈ってくれた。ね。。本当に神様の計画かなと思った。信仰があって心配しなくて頑張ってくださいね　スティブさん！

最近彼からもらった“Good Luck” という日本ドラマが面白かった。ね。。この作品は　一人のパイロットの成長を描く、青春ドラマである。主演は木村拓哉です。ね。。木村拓哉がすごく人気がある。とても才能のある男優と思う。スティブのお勧めで私も毎晩このドラマを見て続く。ふふふ。疲れるけど止めれないね。ふふふ。

多分ちょうど今スティブは面接中と思います。私も昨日と今日ずっとずっと彼のことを祈っていて考えています。自分の面接の感じみたい。ね。。スティブは本当にこのパイロットの仕事が欲しい。毎日毎日この事を話して考えて想像しています。頑張ってね　しょうちゃん。

彼が操縦したいA380

もちろん私も自分の事、将来を考えている。今の仕事は本当に臨時でいつまでですか？がっかりしないよ。私ね本当に毎日希望を持って辛いけど主の真実さを信じる。私は祈ったけどまだ門が開かないです。いろいろな会社に履歴書を送ったけどまだ何でも聞かなかった。毎日ずっと待っているけど私は時々本当に寂しい。難しいね。一番難しいのは待っている時です。まだ見れないことを期待すると本当に信仰が無ければならない。

他の話をする。

もうすぐチャイニーズニューイヤーが来ます。今年は二月七日です。チャイニーズニューイヤーは太陰暦に基づいており毎年違います。去年私はに日本にいったからチャイニーズニューイヤーの気分をあまり感じできなかった。日本には一月一日はお正月ですがチャイニーズニューイヤーは中国人だけの新年です。じゃ　だから今年は興奮が溢れてきる！

事務室で私たちもちょっと新年の飾りをする。先日作ったの折り紙は魚です。“毎年魚が残る”という意味のことわざは中国語である。魚の発音は中国語でyuと言って　余と書く。中国語で余は繁栄、幸福、成功とかを表す。同じように日本語の言葉も余です。余の意味はより多いでしょうね。

作った折り紙（魚家族パパとママと子供たち）

同僚です！ウェィユンは魚をキースするわ！

先週の土曜日　私とリン予定の無いようにChinatown へ行った。ふふふ。楽しかったね。飾り物が並んで屋台でも。すごく込んでいたけど新年の雰囲気が濃かった。ね。。新年のおやつもいっぱい売っている！ふふふ。ね試食でもできる！！

リンです。可愛いね！

仲良し。。幸せなぁぁぁ。。：）

新年を楽しみに待ちます！

2008-01-22T15:21:00.000+08:00

はじめの切っ掛け

イエス様と知り合った切っ掛けは　友達の御かげです。その時私は大学校の二年生でした。２００１年１２月３１日の朝　日曜日なんですが　私が一人大学校の寮でいました。その時周りの人が新年のお祝いため皆が帰ったけど私だけ帰りたくなかった。なぜかというと　その時お父さんとお母さんの結婚が　なんか問題があって　毎日喧嘩し続けていた。その上に　私自分の問題もいっぱいありました。人に自信が段々無くなった私は　半年前　彼氏と別れました。騙されたのでとても悲し過ぎました。特に男の人のことを信じれなかってきた。信じるなら危ないじゃない？　心の痛みが誰でも理解できないと思った。いろいろな迷った状態に　人生は意味は無かって厳しくて不公平と思った。質問とか不満とかうらやんだ気持もあっても答えは無かった。

けど神様は本当に真実です。その日ある一人の友達は私に教会に誘ってきました。友達はCHCのメンバーで　名前はヴィターです。誘った時私がOKと返事しました。友達からイエス様のことを聞いた事がありましたけど　ずっと自分自身を信じて自分の力だけ頼った私はイエスのことを興味があったけど認めたくなかった。でもその日　希望の無いうちに　ちょっとイエスの事をして見てもかまいませんかと思って教会へ行きました。

その日のメスィジは心配しなくてもいいのメスィジでした。問題が続け終われない人生は実ですがイエス様と知り合った人は心配しなくてもいいのメスィジを牧師に教えられました。イエス様は私の友達ですから。神様は慰めさせあげる天の父ですから。私の弱さを見ても愛するですから。

ね。。。また一つ不思議なことが起こりました。その時もちろん神様の奇跡を知らなかった　経験が無かった。私が賛美中　眼が閉まったまま時　頭の左側を人に触れた事を感じました。びっくりして私はすぐ眼を開いた。けど隣の人が無我夢中のように　手も高く上げって　神様を賛美しました。隣の人は私の頭を振ることが不可能と思った。今私はその経験を分かってきた。聖霊様は私の頭を振りました。感覚はお父さんが娘の事を大切し愛しどんな嵐があって守る事ができるような安心感です。私は深くに感動しました。

きっかけ話が簡単けど私にっとて大事な事です。そしてその時から。。今まで。。永遠まで。。私は本当にもっともっとイエス様と知り合いたい。イエス様は私にとって大切です。人生はイエス様と一緒に歩んでいると一人より楽しい　一人より易しい。。

神様に感謝しています。
　

2008-01-18T08:27:00.000+08:00

晴れる

先ほど　私的な日記で書いたけど　突然に日本語で書きたいので　ブローグに変わった。ね。。少しつづ日本語の勉強をまた感じされた。過ごした二ヶ月ぐらい新しい仕事を探すため　色々な不安な　がっかりした気持の中に　なんか。。私にとって非常に大事な趣旨でも段々段々去ってきたそう。これが駄目なんて　希望の無い内に　自分の力もなくなった。けどけど最近問題とか困難を乗り越えているつもりがある。もう十分と思う。神様が私のことが大切し。。もちろん神様の考えは私より高いから。。私のそう思いより何倍何倍でも高いから。。本当に自分のことを任せて　神様の約束を信じる。本当にそう考えると人生の観点も変わっていくじゃない？

聖書によるとある二つ節がある。
イザヤ５５：８－９
私の計画はお前たちの考えつく考えつく計画とは違い、私の思いはお前たちの思いと同じではない。
天が地より高いように、私の道はお前たちの道より高く、私の思いはお前たちの思いより高い。

ね。。この二つ節は意味深いです。迷った、悩んだ時一番普通ないい訳は神さまのせいで神さまを責めることです。けどそうしったら前の状況は同じじゃない？もっともっと世界のことを嫌いじゃない？世のことが不公平と考えてきて　心の中にも怨みとかと他の私たちより成功、金持ち、幸福な人をうらやんでくる可能があるらしい。こんな価値観で生きている人はかなり寂しいと思う。私ならそんな人になりたくない。人生の喜び、平和、希望、愛を感じたい。神さまの約束を信じ　信仰を持って生きたい。

ね。。今の日本語レベルがまだまだから　書いた気持は自分の思いと完全じゃないと思う。本当にはっきり言いたい。ある将来の夢を適うため頑張りたい。

今外晴れだ。最近雨ずっとけど　昨日と今日はいい天気かなと思う。太陽、光、暑さが好き。：）明日は晴れるかな。

2008-01-15T14:39:00.000+08:00

有難う　ときさん

先週私とワンイーとときと直美とじゅんことイブリンは一緒に食事をした。ね。。この写真は先日のメモリなんですが。。。写真撮影が大好きなときさんは、この写真を撮った。彼も最近高価なカメラを買った。本当に腕のいい写真家が取った写真と思う。見て見て！！

2008-01-15T09:04:00.000+08:00

The Mystery of the disappearing Frozz Cherry Mints

My colleague bought this last week and gave it to me, lamenting that it tasted like cough syrup... and well erm... I didn't really take any of the pink mints till i reached out for one yesterday and and and... to both our surprise, amazement, only about two-thirds of it was left...

She ate one, I ate one... And this morning... here's what's left.

It's clearly gone.. only about one-third left.. whahahahahah.

WHO MOVED MY MINT?

2008-01-12T13:40:00.000+08:00

In the office

I'm working today, standing in for Toki who's done his very fair stretch of work cos the Japanese team is understaffed. It's pretty nice though.. the office is quiet and only Robert, Johnny and me are around. :)

I saw this poem that Serena Williams wrote and yeah, she's gonna be someone I will follow pretty closely. I do not know that much about her actually. It's just that recently, with Steve, and some others in the office getting crazy about tennis again, I have been following the tennis arena a bit more closely. She wrote this and I thought it was beautiful, and meaningful. :)

Please click on the picture to view it clearly. And if you want to find out more about her, go to serenawilliams.com.

2008-01-11T09:46:00.000+08:00

Hahhahahahahahhahaha.

Save the cheerleaders, Save the world!!

2008-01-07T08:50:00.000+08:00

A very simple post

It was a good weekend. Spent time resting, reading, meeting up with various ones, etc. :)

Fri nite, I went to Simei ITE to visit Mr Long! We chatted for quite some time and it was really just nice, and that was not before meeting Wanz... just shopping and fellowshipping and eating and yeah.. u know, with no specific agenda but just to spend some quality time together.

Hmmm... I am writing this because I just felt so happy seeing some of the messages on the tag board this morn from Xiumin, Anwar and Albert. Hahhaa... strange yeah... do miss them a bit. :) Maybe it's also cos everytime i pass by BNSS, I am reminded of the times there and and and, I have to pass it by every single day i go to work!

N when I saw Anwar at the bus stop last Fri, I just felt so proud of him! Hahaha... i believe i will feel this way should i see any of the 5 Diligent students! He looks so grown-up and kakkoi too.

Ok, and Pastor's mesg on Sunday was so good. He's preached about Focus before but yet, it was so apt, so good to hear it again. I feel that knowing what is right won't make a difference in anyone's life. It's also about doing what is right and that is the hard part. :) I am glad that it's a brand new year again and I pray that at times when I am weak, I can say I am strong. God will be my strength and my portion.

And yup, I started another blog... keke. It's called Princess-Olenju. That will be my personal blog online cos sometimes, I dun feel like writing in my book. I also bought a new Precious Moments diary. Got is with Wanz after much consideration because it ain't that cheap compared to the normal Exercise Book. Haha, but it's so kawaii jang. Sometimes, I feel that I am a little girl trapped in a grown up's body. I love to look at those kiddy stuff and I also bouught another schedule notebook to note my daily expenses and appointments. Really like it too. It's the Monokuro Boo Pigs and it was a steal find because really, the selection in Singapore is miserable compared to what you can find in Japan!

Precious Moments vs Exercise Book

My 2008 Schedule :)

And yeah, last pict for this post. After fellowship with my CG yesterday at TM, Wanz and I waited for Sabrina and we went to Long John. You know how Sabrina always places lotsa picts on her website right... so I got inspired by her and took a pict of the 2 lovely princesses. Haha. :)

Oh, herein lies this pretty pic
The 2 of them so chic and sweet
A good weekend flew by so quick
And here's another brand new week!

Wahahhahaha. :)

2007-12-20T22:50:00.000+08:00

明日晴れるか　(Ashita Hareru Kana)
Performed by: 桑田佳祐 (Kuwata Keisuke)

熱い涙や恋の叫びも
輝ける日はどこえ消えたの？
明日（あす）もあてなき道を彷徨うなら
これ以上もとには戻れない

耳を澄ませば心の声は
僕に何を語り掛けるだろう？
今は汚れた街の片隅にいて
あの頃の空を想うたびに

神より賜えし孤独やトラブル
泣きたい時は泣きなよ
これが運命（さだめ）でしょうか？
あきらめようか？
季節は巡る魔法のように

Oh, baby. No, maybe.
「愛」失くして「情」も無い？
嘆くようなフリ
世の中のせいにするだけ

Oh, baby. You’re maybe.
「愛」無くして「楽」は無い
幸せのFeeling
抱きしめてOne more time.

或りし日の己を愛するために
想い出は美しくあるのさ
遠い過去よりまだ見ぬ人生は
夢ひとつ叶えるためにある

奇跡のドアを開けるのは誰？
微笑みよ　もう一度だけ
君は気付くでしょうか？
その鍵はもう
君の手のひらの上に

Why baby? Oh, tell me.
「愛」失くして「憎」も無い？
見て見ないようなフリ
その身を守るため？

Oh, baby. You’re maybe.
もう少しの勝負じゃない！！
くじけそうなFeeling
乗り越えてOne more chance.

I talk to myself…

Oh, baby. No, maybe.
「愛」失くして「情」も無い？
嘆くようなフリ
残るのは後悔だけ！！

Oh, baby. Smile, baby.
その命は永遠（とわ）じゃない
誰もがひとりひとり胸の中で
そっと囁いているよ

「明日（あした）はれるかな・・・」

遥か空の下

This is one very nice song that caught my attention. Brings to mind that quite a long time ago, there was another song that I really liked by the same singer. That song was 白い恋人達.

Enjoy this song 明日晴れるかな。It means "I suppose it's gonna be a fine day tomorrow."

2007-12-19T15:34:00.001+08:00

Talk of the office this morn

2007-12-19T15:03:00.000+08:00

1506
Then, I took out my notebook
I started to scribble
I know not what I wrote
The pages started to fill

0921
So much to write
So much to say
Yet so hard to verbalise
What's on my mind

I can dispense advice
But how does that apply
When it's my own life?

Running last evening
I saw the beauty
The sun's rays diminishing
The waters reflecting

With Mr M later
We talked about life
Zap Chai* and Chicken
With some fat, yellow fries

Out thoughts, our musings
2 individuals' lives
Our dreams, our desires,
So similar, so divine

In the bus I did wonder
Why in God's presence,
simply beyond human reason,
There is comfort and encouragement
And I feel strong, tall..
Like a giant

Yet many times, I do struggle,
Just like, just like... the... Grasshopper.

King Soloman, the wisest man says
"To enjoy your work
And accept life's lot -
That's really indeed
A gift from God."

Life is beautiful; life is short
Time is constant, a moment in thought
There is no flow, these lines of words
The letters and alphabets, the punctuations and pauses
They are all trying to capture
My very randomness

Zap Chai is a kind of meal, chinese food. You can get it at any Mixed Vegetable Rice stall and お好みに, you can choose what you want to eat, e,g. beancurd with tao gei, plus gu-lu-yok and maybe fried vegetables and then, you eat it along with rice or porridge. :-D

2007-12-14T15:37:00.000+08:00

Running

走ることが大好き。
特に最近です。
走る時　神様の翼のように持って　走りながら　生活の悩みとか一瞬に忘れれる。走りながら祈る事もできる。

今朝面接の結果はメールからもらった。残念だった。成功しなかった。今度本当に悲しすぎた。ね。。どうしてですか？なぜですか？頭にいろいろなことを考えて溢れるようになった。けどけど　私は確信して辛いでもまた神様の約束を信じます。

こんな悲しさは私の生活の中であまり起こらない。今まで私が欲しいものは大体取れるけど　最近ね。。難しいそう。難しいそう。

今神様の約束を信じる以外　他の方法は無い。主は私が生まれる前に　もう私のことが知るから。私のことを大切に考えるから。

もうすぐ週末だ。後で交わりがある。がっかり気持ちは止まないけど　後でできる限りに普通の顔をする。主の素晴らしいさを賛美するつもり。

頑張ってオレンジ。

I love to run, especially recently.
Running frees my mind.
Running reminds me of God's grace and His love. It's just like the breeze that can't be caught but can be felt. As I run, I feel as if my whole body is on fire.

Yesterday, at Bedok Reservoir, I saw a FedEx colleague. Jacky is from another department and he called out to me as I ran past him and so, we ran together and chit-chatted while running. It was a good run. Sometimes, life is so unexpected and so strange; the twists and turns, the people we meet, the choices and demands. And while doing my cool-down after the run near my house, a kind grandmama came up to me and talked to me. She invited me to her house and hmmm, yeah, she just talked to me about her life. It was a very different evening for a change.

To be able to run long-distance, you need to train and prepare yourself physically and mentally. You need to build up your stamina. I feel that at this point in my life, that's what I need. I need strength. I must develop stamina. Stamina = power to endure, power to trust, power to keep on keeping on, power to belive, power to have faith. I need stamina in all areas of my life. :)

In running, there are also recovery periods. I need to know my own limits and weaknesses and I must also know when to rest. Only then can I continue to run the long long race and emerge victorious at the end.

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isa 40:31

2007-12-13T10:15:00.000+08:00

あきらめたくない

私は今悲しいですが　あきらめたくない。昨日の夜七時ぐらいジョリンさんからメールをもらったけど。。ジョリンさんはポーストを取った。。もちろん私は彼女のために喜んだけど内は何でも言いたくないほど悲しい。今本当の気持ちもそうけどこの事実を信じたくない。まだ担当者から聞いていないから０点一パーセントまだあると思う。だからまだ希望を持ちたい。。

けど気持ちはさびしい。私は本当にこの事を誰でもまだ伝えない。スティブでも。

2007-12-12T09:34:00.000+08:00

Nameless entry

また一週間が経ちました。
面接の結果はまだ聞いていないけど　希望を持ちます。
最近目が痛いです。ずっと長い時間でパソコンを見てはいけないから。今ね仕事中ですかサングラスを掛けている。ふふふ。
昨日ある同僚は　あの。。この人の名前はJohnnyと呼ぶ。ね。ジョンさんの席で河合折り紙を見つかった。見て！可愛いじゃない？

And while he was trying to pass me this crane, he actually broke a mirror... n so, my colleagues said, "Hey, Orange, it's all your fault!"... to which i thought for a moment... n replied, "Hey hey, it's the bird's fault."

ふふふ。可愛いそうな鳥ね。

Yup, the weather's been getting colder these days. Brrrrr... Christmas is round the corner and i wanna go walk down orchard and take lotsa pictures. My thoughts are random this morning. I think the human brain and mind are simply too amazing. The ability to think and create, to dream... well, it's just beyond comprehension.

Anyway, I like my FedEx colleagues in my department very much. They are very lovely and simple people and it's really different to work with people of different nationalities. I find that the people here are more spontaneous, open and hmmm... real. :)
And so this Sat, we are gonna have a Badminton Game!

Anyway, last Saturday, some of us played tennis and you can't believe how tired we were after the game. One good year of hiatus and it felt good to be whacking some balls. I think Steve has improved tremendously!! :) Proud of you man!

Steve, Kel, Louise, Lawrence

Kel and Steve

Princess Olenju in action :) Whahahhahaha.

Next up, I wanna talk about one of my most dearest friends. Pardon the English. Hmmm, friends are really special and God-sent. It's also amazing how 2 strangers can, over time, develop a strong bond and this must be treasured. Wanli is one super super dear friend and she's hmmmm... so many years younger than me, and yet, I really thank God we could become so close. I often tell Steve that I can't believe how it's so possible to build such a strong friendship with someone so much younger than me... but indeed, it is so possible. She's like my little sister, and she's even younger than Minli. :) Anyway, she's very sweet and now that she's working in Nestle, she's even blessed my mum with milk powder, not to mention the errmm... sinful but extremely oooiiiishiiiii numerous chocolate bars. :) Thank you dearie. You have made such a difference in my life and I am very very absolutely sure that your friends can testify to that too.

Dinner at Kenny Rogers with Wanz last Sunday after Amazing Race :)

With Wanz at Bugis Junction. :) Merry merry Christmas!!

And yeah, Christmas is round the corner. I wanna shop shop shop. At FedEx here, on the way to the toilet, you can hear cheery Christmas songs... Lalallalaa. It's nice, so nice! It's the most wonderful season of the year. Christmas brings to mind the drama "Last Christmas", also the many pressies, cookies, chocolates, snow, food, dinner, loved ones, dear friends, family, joy, hope, warmth, love.. n the list goes on and on.

Yup, and finally, i wanna say a huge "Arigatou" to Michael, for his unrelentless pursuit of wanting to assist me in getting my laptop bluetooth-configured.... Hee. :)

And... presenting to you Johnny and Michael :)

それでこのブローグが終わります。お腹も空いてきます！

2007-12-07T15:20:00.000+08:00

面接にてういて

おととい。。水曜日だって。その日私は面接があった。その面接はこの仕事の最後の面接と思う。あのね。。三回の面接後　残り応募者は三人しかないです。そのポストは一人だけのポストで。。このポストが欲しい。

今の気持ちはどう説明するかいいか　分からない。

私にとって　待っていることがきついです。平和な気持ちが持ちたいけど。。難しい。結果が知りたいから。ね。。。成功の結果が本当に聞きたい。聞きたい聞きたい。

その声を聞きたい。そのイメルを読みたい。

昨日の夜　私はその面接について夢になった。ね。三人の中で私と一人は今友達になる。彼女の名前はジョリンと言う。第三応募者は私たちが知らないけど人事部の担当から　その人はこの職務に対する資格はとても高いで　能力が持ちそう　と聞かれた。

ね。。私はその時何も言わないで　何も言いたくなかった。今でもそのことを集中したくない。神様の忠実さだけ集中しています。聖書の中の約束を信じます。神様は私の主で　私の天の父です。もし本当にこの仕事が私の　私は心配しなくてもいい。うちは将来のことが神様に任せって　心配しなくてもいい。

だから信仰を持って　この願うを適うためにずっと祈ってやまない。皆一緒に祈ってくれませんか。

面接部屋を出る前に私が二人の副社長に結果がいつか発表するか聞いた。大体一週間ぐらいかかると答えた。ね。。じゃだからこの一週間はとても緊張なものがある。緊張けど信仰を持ちたい。緊張は人間だから。信仰は決断です。

ね。。。もうすぐ五時になる。五時に経つと会社から出ます。今勤めている会社は世界的に有名な会社です。フェデラルエクスプレスです。フェデラルエクスプレスは　世界最大の総合航空貨物輸送会社であるフェデックスコーポレーションの一部門です。一ヶ月間ぐらいここで働いている経験が面白い。ね。。私は皆とだんだんダンダン仲良くなる。：）これが本当に嬉しいです。今朝なんかバドミントンをやりに行く計画を立ていた！来週の日曜日です！ねぇぇぇぇぇ。幸せじゃない？周りの同僚と仲良くなること。

今日は断食中です。面接を成功するためと妹を救うためを祈っていますから。断食期間は朝の六時から夕方の六時までです。ね。。その後スティブと会う！ね。。私はスティブのことを感謝します。：）彼は本当に私の生活の欠かない人です。彼と一緒に安全感が感じる。ふふふ。彼は日本語が読めないのでこの感謝な話すは知らないだろう。。。ふふふ。。秘密にしようか！

ね。。。最近日本語をあまり書かないので今度はすごく時間がかかった。間違いだらけかも！

今晩のCell Groupを楽しみ！！：）
いい週末皆！

2007-11-27T09:23:00.000+08:00

Dealing with the past
I had quite an unusual evening with different surges of emotions last night. I'm using "unusual" because I don't want to be bitter or harbour negative feelings and even at that point in time, although I did feel sad and jealous, in my heart, I knew that everything would be fine. This is really because I understand that through the incident, God wants me to come to terms and face certain hidden emotions and issues and more importantly, for me to relinquish control to Him.

3:5
Donny was such a great encouragement this morning. :) Arigatou Brother. :) I am thankful to have a friend in you.

Pro 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

箴言3:5-6
你要專心仰賴耶和華、不可倚靠自己的聰明．
在你一切所行的事上、都要認定他、他必指引你的路。

箴言3:4-6
神にも人にも喜ばれ、物事を正しく判断できるようになりたければ、徹底的に頼ることです。絶対に自分を頼ってはいけません。
何をするにも、神様を第一にしなさい。神様からどうすれば良いか教えてくださり、それを成功させてくださいます。

2007-10-30T08:52:00.000+08:00

Yorokobi

This morning, I feel happy. Just a joy that I want to write about and share and the truth is I haven't been feeling such outright, explicit rejoicing of my heart for a long time. I think the last time was when I was still in Japan...

About 10 minutes ago, I wrote the above paragraph and I just came back to my desk after a call from Theresia. There was such an excitement and exhuberance in her voice. You can't believe how glad I am now... haha.. I am getting a little crazy now, yet also feeling calm and peace.

Ochitsuite Ochitsuite...

My laptop has some problems and I cannot use the Japanese font despite trying to install it many many times. And it's so slow too. But I am still so thankful for one to use. At least it's functioning and I can do the basic I need for work.

Ochitsuite means "To remain calm".

Anyway, last night, I received a call from Okaasan. It was the first time I heard her voice break. She was trying to be strong and courageous. My heart broke too when she tried to tell me what's on her heart. Dear friends, please pray for my Otousan... He is losing his sight and she told me he couldn't really see and I could sense the fear, the worry, the apprehension, the sorrow. I asked her what happened and she couldn't say anything except to keep saying "Gomen ne.. Gomen ne..", "Shinpaishinai de, Shinpaishinai de...", "Me ga mienakunaru. Demo, mondai ha nai..", "Arigatou Arigatou".

All she could do was to repeat the above phrases over and over again.

I knew something was wrong and all I could do was to pray for her and for Otousan. Otousan has been on medication for very long due to health problems and I know she is really feeling very worried. I'm definitely going to stand in the gap for them.

Yup, and last night I had a very good fellowship with Steve. Sometimes I feel so blessed. Despite the quarrels... and they are usually really really petty ones, I feel so thankful for him in my life. :) Arigatou ne... tomoni tomoni... hahaha..

And I am also super thankful to E151. It's strange how God can bring together a family of strangers, then one step at a time, because of the love of God, we become firm friends. That's what's so special about God's house - people helping each other, praying for each other, finding a hurt and healing it, finding a need and meeting it.

E151, 2007

2007-10-25T11:09:00.000+08:00

Lost in Cyberspace

I have finally decided to blog again.
This time, I am doing so because I want to start encouraging myself again!!
:)

I know words are a powerful way of shaping your thoughts and mind as well, so here goes!!
Yeah, right now at this moment, I am anticipating the farewell luncheon of 2 of my colleagues. And hmm, it's been a mad rush here since 2 days ago due to some software bug from America, n also because of the Southern California wildfires that have been raging, causing disruptions in services.

Today, the situation seemed to have improved. :)

I am now working temporarily at FedEx and I thank God for this opportunity to see things and learn as I go through this transitory period in my life. I seriously have so much to write and say, n I do write loads... just that I dun do it on the blog. I really love to write and express my feelings and thoughts and now even carry a notebook around... you know those cheap 40 cents kind we use in Primary school, with the brownish, recycled cover? Hahhah. Kekekek... yeah, still remember those 15-cent blue notebooks?

Anyway, it's good to be back here and cos I suffered from the unimaginable, freezing cold up in Suzurandai (though I really do miss the place too...), I shudder now to think how I managed to gingerly step out of my electric-blanketed bed, go to work feeling cold even under numerous layers or trudge back home in the chills and uber, strong winds... hahaha.. n hor... n hor... u know what.. it's not even winter in Japan though it certainly is nearing. It's only still Autumn!!!!! But i keep up with what's happening there and dear Anpo sensei told me about how it's already starting to get quite cold at Suzu and how there could be lotsa snow this year!!!! Hahhahahahaa....

Yeah, Ok.... that's all for now. Can you hear my stomach growling.... I am gonna go back to Cyberspace and the world of unintelligible Japanese technical jargon and keigo now...

The Japanese Team - Masae, Toki n Sing Hon

2007-09-21T00:00:00.000+08:00

Announcement Announcement

Princess Olenju is back in sunny Singapore.

2007-09-05T07:59:00.000+08:00

MY HEART GOES THUMP-A-THUMPING AWAY....

2007-08-31T23:11:00.000+08:00

お姉さん　清美ちゃんへ

さようならと言うのは　難しいね。。。
清ちゃんと知り合ったのは　本当に神様に感謝しています。。。偶然と言われたけど　そんなに偶然じゃないと思う。。何か特別な理由があるで　この友情が始まるみたい感じがあるかもしれない。。。私はそうと思うけど、清ちゃんもそうと思わない？

色々なことを教えてくれたのは　ありがとう。。ムカデとか　私がお湯で起こった事件を本当に手伝ってくれたとか　いっぱい話しかけたとか　本心から何も隠れないように伝えたこととか、私の布団が雨にぬれた時　慰めるためにケーキを買って　私のアパートで行って　一緒に食べた時とか。。。私は今本当にびっくりして　感動されました。。。絶対忘れない。。。

さっき　さようならと言ったら　一人帰り道時本当に寂しい感じが気にした。。人間は本当に時々不思議なことが起こるかなと思う。清ちゃんと知り合うことはその中の一つです。寂しいけどやっぱりさっきの約束通りに　シンガポールででも良いし　タイのチャッツッチャ市場の時計の下でも良いし　日本でも良いし　会うことまた待っている。。。望んでいるね。。：）

清ちゃんは　本当に私の日本のお姉さんです。。。ありがとうございます。

さっき取った写真。。。楽しんでね！

いい勧めでしょう！秋刀魚はものすごく美味しいでしょう！：）

ありがとう！！！！！！！！！

2007-08-31T10:48:00.000+08:00

Specially for my dearest ah-ne YanYan

Glorious Chirashimi (Dinner with Racheru at Kanazawa... a place famous for their seafood)

Dinner at the dormitory with my Taiwanese friends... You see the salmon that I made? I offered it to them too but none of them wanted it! Wahhahahahaha....

My breakfast these days... I recently developed a love for peanut-cheese toast! It's extremely good and you wash everything down with a huge mug of aromatic coffee.... And as you have breakfast, read a good book! Guaranteed to give u the genki for the day! :)

2007-08-28T08:57:00.000+08:00

At Rachel's house

Woke up pretty early while Princess Rachel was still in Lala land... Kanazawa really lives up to its name.. this place is very beautiful.. the colours are so vivid and it's actually known as a smaller version of Kyoto.

We went to Upper Noto yesterday with a tour bus... errr... all old folks except for us 2 genki "xiao huo zi" and it's the 1st time I joined a tour group like this in Japan. Hmmm.. it was quite all right though personally, I think it would have been much better if we had a car or could explore the whole entire place by ourselves.

Write again cos i am going to Mister Donuts soon!

Good Morning!!! Well, this is a continuation after 2 long days! I am back in Kobe, Motomachi, Yamate, in my humble dormitory room and this morning is beautiful, the sky a little downcast though... I slept really well thru the night prolly of the long bus ride i took back to Osaka... sit until leg n neck cramp that kind... but still in a way, i do enjoy taking the highway buses becos during the bus ride, there's pretty much nothing to do except to read, listen to music or sermon, pray and think about life... n hurhur of cos snack along the way.

Well, highway buses are the cheapest option to travel long distance here though of course they are certainly the slowest and many people do prefer taking the shinkansen or a flight. Not for me though.. hmmm, i kinda like the feeling of settling myself down by a window seat, looking at the scenery (if it's a day bus)... study jap along the way... or if it's a night bus, then i will catch some sleep n wake up during the various snack-cum-toilet breaks in between and when i open my eyes, i would have reached my destination. Save on accommodation too! It's really very nice to me and some people say I am crazy?! Hahahhahahaha.

Ok, i dunno why i write about highway buses... but here's how they look like, picts courtesy off the various bus companies' websites. :)

Depending on the amount u pay, u get to sit on the different classes of buses. The most "high-class" ones come even with multimedia entertainment! Most will have slippers, blankets and some companies, head rest pillows and also coffee and tea. :) Not too bad yah!

Ok, i go eat breakfast now n continue later! Today's menu - Peanut cheese toast washed down with a mug of hot, aromatic Blendy coffee latte...

2007-08-25T10:24:00.000+08:00

Herculean Effort

Have been intending to write but somehow, every time I sit down in front of the computer, the desire to write just vanishes.. wahhaha... that's why it's taking me a herculean effort to update this blog today.

Yesterday was the last day of my Japanese language course. I can't believe it... One month just slipped by and it's so fast. Twinking of an eye really and everyday, I will wake up early, have breakfast, go study at MacDonalds, n start school at 9.30am... It's a very structured lifestyle and when lessons end at 2pm, I go for lunch, then walk and window-shop for a while, take a break before heading for KICC to mug again.

Being at Sannomiya is a good thing. When my attention span wanders, i will be able to explore new places. It's a very bustling place. Lotsa shopping and nice things to see. :) Yesterday, I went to the Kobe Municipal library and borrowed a book - "The Showa Anthology". It's a collection of short stories of modern classic literature by various acclaimed Japanese authors and well, I have been reading some Japanese authors recently. These short stories make for interesting reading when I am taking a break or during meal times. :)

Anyway, you know what happened at school yesterday? I won for myself 2 tickets to Awajishima for being present for lessons everyday and for punctuality. Wahahhaha. That came as a nice surprise! However, I dunno if i have the time to go there considering that I really don't have much time left here.

And tomorrow, I will be going to Kanazawa to visit Rachel at her little country cottage. Was told that Kanazawa is famous for fresh fish. Yippeee!!! I love to eat fish... really can't understand why. :) And this reminds me too of the sashimi dinner Fujiike sensei treated me to. Was invited to his house last weekend for dinner n after that, we played tennis. :)

And while taking a break, I saw this really funny signboard. LEELAX peeps!

Relax (English), Leelax (Chinese), Lelakkusu (Japanese)
The wonders of the English language... :)

2007-08-17T12:24:00.000+08:00

A very very long morning indeed

I decided to put this up. It's my email to Steve this morning. Enjoy.

Dearie, you won't believe what happened to me last night... I slept rather late and dear... i really had a very very scary night....

Heez, my intro sounds like some horror story... but dear, I am glad to say that though I am still frightened, I have definitely become much braver as compared to in the past...

I was doing some reading up on Kyoto and Thailand when out of the corner of my eye, across the floor, I thought I saw some sleek creature scurry across... And then it happened again the second time within 1 second and I looked... To my immense horror, there was nothing... so i thought it could be my imagination.

You know what... If I had seen something, I would have been less shocked.. cos it made me unsure if there was SOMETHING or NOT.

And I took a few steps back and scrutinised my table from a distance... It seemed to have been approaching me.

And then I saw it again.

Man... Cockroach. I wanna die even as I type the word out now.... n it was super huge... n had super long feeeeeeeeleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers.

Can I spell it like that?

Stunned and shocked.
Paralysed.
Thoughts zoomed in my mind.
What should I do.
Wake my room mate?
Kill it myself?
I definitely couldn't leave it just lying there... or have it roaming carefreely in my presence.

So I woke my room mate and dear... sigh... it was a wrong move... She was super grumpy and she really didn't want to help at all... Sigh... Dear, you know what, in cases like this, I would rather kill the slugroach myself and be fearful and all than to have an unwilling person help me.

She got up nonetheless and used a slipper to tap the wall beside the roach and the roach went in another direction be4 disappearing from view. Then she told me it's fine now. It's gone and I was like... HUH? It's gone? It's just there. Behind the table. And anyway, after some time, she managed to help me get it out of the room... but it was still freaking alive. She didn't want to kill it.

So i decided to go to bed.

And this morning, I woke up at 6.15 am and went to the toilet and upon returning.. guess what I saw again. The stupid slug roach and I am inclined to believe that it's the same one... I just dun wanna think about it being part of a huge family festering in the room.

So I woke her up again. Again, wrong move. This time, she whined and complained and that really struck something in me. I just told her to forget it. I would kill it myself. I told her too, in all her drowsiness and unwillingness, that most of us do fear some stuff in our lives and in mine, it just happened to be this ugly creature. I told her that it's all right. I would manage myself... Dear, i was a little upset...

So i stood staring at the roach for a minute... And prayed for boldness and then guess what... I was still shocked and finally, decided to get another person to help me. My room mate has retreated back to the warm furrows and was totally oblivious... or mebbe pretending to be oblivious?

And this other girl came to my rescue... She had such a different attitude and she was so reassuring and warm and kind... She kept telling me not to worry and brave her simply used her slipper to kill it this time. Dear... it was like dejavu.. you know where the roach chose to escape to? The closet, cabinet where I keep my clothes. Sigh... that was what happened to me in Eusoff Hall years back.

Anyway, she killed it without an ounce of effort and kept reassuring me. She really really made a huge and positive difference in my life and I am so thankful for people like her... Dear, I really appreciate her help and i couldn't help but compare the 2 different attitudes.

I feel that even as i type this, God is speaking to me too... That we can never be too busy, too preoccupied with ourselves that we cannot help others in need. To make a difference, we have to go out of the way to help. I was really touched and I am going to have an even greater attitude towards the people around me now.

Dear... it was such an awful yet awesome experience. I am now much more relaxed, after having breakfast and now, I am seated right at the same table, typing this email. I have gotten braver because the prior me wouldn't have the guts to sit at the same place even after disinfecting or cleaning the place. Now I can.

So the rest is history. I cleaned my area of the room... And there's basically nothing very much to clean or clear since i din bring much luggage with me... but I wiped the desks with mamalemon... wiped the walls, cleaned the cupboards... did some basic cleaning and dear... as I was cleaning, my room mate just muttered something. I thought she was asleep... but she said that she was really tired and she was sorry she couldn't help from the bed and I felt a little upset still and at that point in time, I REALLY REALLY WANTED TO BO-CHUP HER AND NOT RESPOND TO HER. Still, I told her nevermind.. it's fine... And then she said she wouldn't kill the cockroach anyway since it is a living thing... Sigh... Whatever whatever whatever.

But I have decided that despite this, I would still treat her nicely.

And so, I din sleep much the whole night... and now, i have almost finished my story.

It's a triumphant email from me to you dear... I hate slug roaches and I still do. Nothing's gonna change that and I still shudder at the thought of it now... But but but...

In all situations, I can give thanks to my precious Lord and learn something from it. That's the beauty and essence of this email.

Dear... i shall study a bit now and then see what i will do later on... initially intended to go to MacDonalds for a nice morning breakfast but due to all the unforseen circumstances, I knew it would be impossible to enjoy a nice, hearty meal. Still, the Old Town Coffee, Premier Biscuits and Sweet Momo gave me the genki this morning.

Dear, thank you for reading this terrifically exciting email. :)

And that's the end of my story....

2007-08-13T11:11:00.000+08:00

目茶苦茶　ばらばらの日記

色々な考えが溢れてくる。。。さっき日本語の一級の単語をできるだけ覚えると　集中できないから　ブログを書くかなと思う。。。

今ね　神戸東洋日本語学院で一ヶ月間ぐらいの集中コースをしっている。毎日学校通って4時間ぐらいの勉強は本当に楽しんでいる。けれども5年ぶりで　勉強しなかった私はこんな集中コースはちょっと大変と思う。hmmm。。。多分まだ慣れていないからね。

私が書きながら　色々な新しい文型も使いたいけど　時々めちゃくちゃ覚えてきたけど　自然的に出ってこないね。違う文型は　その違うさは一つの平仮名だけけど　意味は本当に違う！　その上で覚えることも難しい。毎日何回何回を練習したけど　本当に覚えにくい。でも皆は諦めずに　毎日笑顔で互いに励まして一緒に参考して勉強する。教室の雰囲気はすごく良いと思う。：）

ね。。。私にとっては　一番難しいのは　文型の「なイーない」形です。私の頭にずっと考えて　巡って考えて　時々本当に諦めたい！！！！とても理解できないからね。。。疲れるものがあるね。。。疲れ気味があるね。。。疲れ嫌いがある。。。疲れてくる。。。

例えば　上に書いたの四つの疲れる文型はどう違う？ふふふ。。。私は本当に神様の力と知恵はもっともっと欲しいです。自分の弱さがはっきり分かるから。。天の父はいっぱい知恵を与えてください。。。

でもね。。色々な微妙なニュアンスがある中に　できる限り毎日毎日繰り返して勉強しながら　やっぱり良い結果になる。大切なポイントは絶対諦めずそ言う態度です！成功の通りは長く　順調なものじゃないです。。もちろん様々困難である。でも　私ね　本当に神様の約束を信じるから　頑張りたい。。。この気持ちは本当に説明は難しい。。。

昨日　私は神戸バイブルフェローシプという教会初めて行った。この教会は国際的な賛美と礼拝があります。外国人の人も多くいます。4時の礼拝は英語と日本語で両方行われている。素晴らしいと思う。：）昨日のメーセジは詩篇によって　ダビデが書いたとても耳慣れるの23書です。

聖書によって　詩篇２３書1－6節
主は私の羊飼い。私は、乏しいことがありません。主は私を緑の牧場に伏させ、いこいの水のほとりに供われます。主は私の魂を生き返らせ、御名の為に、私を義の道に導かれます。たとい、死の陰の谷を歩くことがあっても、私はわざわいを恐れません。あなたが私とともにおられますから。あなたのむちとあなたの杖、それが私の慰めです。私の敵の前で、あなたは私のためにしょくじをととのえ、私の頭に油を注いでくださいます。私の杯は、溢れています。まことに、私の命の日の限り、いくつしみと恵みとが、私を追ってくるでしょう。私は、いつでも、主の家に住まいましょう。

今二日の後です。このブログは目茶苦茶、ばらばらけど日本語で書きたいだけかく。だれも読まなくてもいい。ふふふ。

昨日KICC で一日過ごした。もちろんずっとじゃなくて　私も食事したり　疲れたとき買い物した。休憩が大切！KICCの雰囲気はとても良いと思う。皆日本語の勉強とか　交流のため　KICC で集まることです。：）今日の予定は昨日と同じでしょう。多分のんびり日本語を勉強すると思う。：）

私ももうすぐ帰ります。また三週間ぐらい。。。本当に寂しいと思う。今からの人生は本当に何をする前に絶対神様に祈り捧げます。神様は私の力と知恵と命の源です。今ずっとずっと私の頭に巡っている約束は二つです。多分皆も聞いたことあるかもしれない。とても耳慣れるバイブルの節ですから。

イザヤ55書：8－9節
私の計画はお前たちの考え付く計画とは違い、私の思いはお前たちの思いと同じではない。天が地より高いように、私の道はお前たちの道より高く、私の思いはお前たちの思いより高い。

Isa　55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

エレミヤ29書：11節
私はお前たちの為に　立てた計画をよく知っている。それは災いではなく　祝福を与える計画で、ばら色の将来と希望を約束する。

Jer　29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

この二つの神様の約束に励まされた。本当に希望と信仰が与えてくださった。天の父　ありがとう。。。
私が信じるから。

これまで　全部日本語を書きました。次写真時間です。ふふふ。

私と渡辺先生

渡辺先生は本当に責任を持って　熱心に教える。一番、最高の先生と思う。先週の水曜日渡辺先生と一緒に食事しながら　色々なことを喋った。ありがとうね。とても面白い話でした。残念ながら来週の授業は渡辺先生がまだ東京でいるから。。渡辺先生が担当授業はない。。。会うこともなさそう。。。

水族館

先週末の土曜日　寮の台湾人の二人と一緒に須磨水族館へ行った。

びっくり大きさ

日本の昔話の中に一つのは　一人である若い男の人が一つの亀ちゃんを救って　その後感謝の為に　水中国の女王の誘うと従って　おじいちゃんの亀の貝で通って　水中国へ行きました。：）

怖く見えるカニ達

怖く見える言えども　やっぱり長く見ると　神様の創造は面白いぐらいにきれいやんなぁぁぁぁぁ。。。

寮について

台所で　三人の姿

寮で私以外皆が台湾人です。この寮は女性の寮です。：）
皆と一緒に住むこの一ヶ月間　もちろん一緒に協力して楽しみ過ごしたい。：）
また三週間残りだけです！！

ばらばら靴

皆女性のことだから　もちろん靴が大好き！！！靴戸棚の中に全部満たされます！

私の部屋

私の席です！大好き。。。小さいけど。。。

今の部屋は　智子と言う名前のルームメイトと一緒に住む。ふふふ。部屋もばらばらでしょう。

今まで　書くと思う。時刻は十一時半ぐらい。：）もうすぐ　KICC にいくと思う。：）
今日も猛暑の夏の日です。でも私は本当に太陽の方が大好き。良い一日を！

2007-08-04T07:34:00.000+08:00

Saturday morning

This week's flown by and I have 15 minutes here before the school administrator and the tatami people come to my place!

Anyway, yesterday was a super good day for me and I took some very interesting photos. See for yourself!

Was walking down Centre-Gai when I heard the military band and was wondering what it was when I saw one of the most amazing processions... A whole group of volunteers, the police, traffic police, the Town Council, etc... marching to the beat of some famous Japanese matsuri tune! I heard them first before I saw them and guess what... They were protesting against drinking and driving! It was quite a sight to behold and they were really serious and at the same time, giving out tissues and cutesy reminders not to drink and drive. Here in Japan, you CANNOT drink and drive. It's punishable by law even if it's just a drop of liquor. The slogan says "YOU WILL DEFINITELY NOT BE FORGIVEN IF YOU DRINK AND DRIVE"

Left, Left, Left-Right-Left....

And then I went to cell group after that... Took a pict from afar... Will miss this place so much too when i go home.

KBC @ Dusk

And LOOK AT THIS!!!!!!!!
Let's Enjoy Yukata Time!
Me with the girls in our pretty Yukatas! It's my first time in this traditional Japanese Yukata... and do i look every inch like a Japanese in it? It's so pretty and I must definitely wear a kimono or yukata at my wedding!!!! hahahhahaha....

VIVID Girls!

The ribbon at the back. Wearing the Yukata is difficult and we took more than an hour to get everyone dressed up. There are many different steps to follow and hurhur... the ribbon is the hardest to get right... Still, the final result is beautiful!

Pretty Me
(Whahahahhahahah) And I think I took the pict at a wrong place... There is a world map just behind me and ahahhaha... I must have blended in so well with the wall such that the world map looks like it's part of my costume.

And dear Nozo prepared Church Supper for me!!!!!! It's another fave of mine. It's CURRY RICE!!!!!! with Tofu, Salad, Egg and Ham..... HAhahhahahaha.

It was so good I had a hearty second helping of the curry sauce!

And my door goes a-knocking away.... Mata ne!

2007-07-29T06:44:00.000+08:00

Of Bees and Ants

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yeah, ENJOY A BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY!

2007-07-27T00:05:00.000+08:00

Friday Morning, 1.15am

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

2007-07-25T22:13:00.000+08:00

A smile can give you genki

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Koike sensei on his guitar

Pretty Yukata

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

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

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

A smile can really make a difference. :)

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

2007-07-21T19:47:00.000+08:00

All for Salmon!

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

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

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

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

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

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

MmmmmmmmmmmmmM......

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

2007-07-21T10:43:00.000+08:00

Break-Time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ありがとう！

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

2007-07-21T08:54:00.000+08:00

Saturday Morning, 21st July 2007

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

2007-07-20T10:07:00.000+08:00

ありがとうございます

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

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

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

甲北の皆　ありがとうございます。

2007-07-18T15:16:00.000+08:00

My new Denshi Jisho

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

2007-07-18T09:18:00.000+08:00

10 days

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

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

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

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

2007-07-05T08:39:00.000+08:00

のんびりのんびり朝

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And this is DA MAN.

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

So here are some picts.

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

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

The kids getting excited over the snacks and drinks

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

My Suan La Tang

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

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

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

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

And now, it's MPTF time!
Wahhahahahahahaha.

2007-07-02T23:24:00.000+08:00

Thank you, Pippi

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

ありがとう。。。

2007-07-01T06:14:00.000+08:00

日曜日の朝の感じ。。。

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

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

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

頑張ります！

とても良い一日を！

2007-06-28T22:17:00.000+08:00

My favourite Kouhoku Class!

Tonight, I just dun feel like sleeping so early. A bit excited and happy. Why? :D Cos tomorrow is Friday and more than just that, it's officially the last day of lesson for me as a JET. Next week, exams begin... so this week is the last teaching week for me. Hmmm, actually I do have another lesson on Monday on the 5th period, but I really dun consider that a proper, usual lesson cos I know I will be having so much fun with this class, so much so that it seems more like PLAY rather than WORK. Suddenly, I remember this very interesting quote Pst Phil said. (Actually I had to re-listen to his "Loyalty" message so that I can write out exactly what he said.)

You've got to do what you love and love what you do. If you don't do what you love, start to love what you do or else change what you do until you are doing what you love.

I simply love the way he puts it. Don't you?

Yup, back to this class. It's my favourite class on this entire JET programme and I so enjoy meeting these 8 students and teaching them together with Nakai sensei. I am going to miss them! Personally, I think I do better when I teach motivated students. I get so genki and excited when they try and one of my greatest and happiest moments as a teacher here was hearing Hako (the only thorn among all the roses) making a great effort to eliminate all the vowel sounds during the oral test. Really, WAY TO GO!

And Nakai sensei is great too! It's been a tremendous school semester with him. Co-teaching with him has taught me many things. Now I understand perfectly why Tom said his OC1 1st year class last year was his best class. :)

Well, Nakai sensei has an amazing way with the students and he is very patient with them. He has creative ideas and he is very organised and plans his lessons well. Also, his laughter and mannerisms are really cool. Today, I heard him guffaw during a game we played. It was so funny. It was a hearty, boisterous and manly laugh... so infectious and contagious and the whole classroom atmosphere went up another notch. This OC2 class wouldn't have been the same without you, dear Nakai sensei. 本当にありがとうね、なかい先生。

So today, we had a great 2-hour lesson and at the end of it, we took many pictures and a video clip. Here are 2 pictures. Say Chiiiii-Zu!

Luma, Hako, Yuka, Pippi, Anne, Saho, Saori, Maluco,
一緒に頑張りましょうね！

2007-06-25T07:20:00.000+08:00

UPDATES!

お早うございます！
最近　すごく忙しくなってきたので　あまりブログを最新のものにしなかったね。。。でも私は本当にこのごろいっぱい主イエスの祝福と恵みを受け取りました。本当に神様は忠実である。今朝の天気は少し霧気味けど　雨が降らないから　私も嬉しいです。今梅雨の時期から　時々雨がバット降ってきた。激しい雨の日はもしその時外にでっている場は　もちろん大変でしょう。でももしその時家にいると　とても幸せと思う。私はそんな感じが大好き。家に安全感があるし　雨の匂い雨の音とか　本当に皆の心を癒されると思う。そしていろいろな考え、思いもでって　祈りまして　幸せです。

私ね　最近まで　本当にもう一回学校に入ることがあまりはっきり考えなかった。けど福岡から帰るとそうするつもりです。今度ＪＥＴの契約を終わって日本語学院に一ヶ月間で集中して勉強します。これはどうしてかと言うと夢を持っているからです。最近一つ忙しいの理由はいい学校を探していることです。今申し込んだ学校はとてもいいと思う！私も先生と相談した。。今ね本当に授業のを楽しみにしている！

今少し疲れた！簡単な朝食を食べながら　書き続けます！
濃いコーヒーとチーズを添えているクラッカーを食べました。簡単でも嬉しいです。今も一つの大好きな聖書のみ言葉を思い出す。。。

ピリピ４書11-13節
生活に困っていたから、こう言うのではありません。私は、物が豊富にあろうとなかろうと、楽しく生きていくすべを学びました。文なしの時にも、何でも揃っている時にも、どのように生活すべきか知っています。満腹の時にも　空腹の時にも、豊かな時にも　貧しい時にも、どんな境遇でも満足する秘訣を見につけのです。なぜなら、力を与え、強めてくださるキリスト様に助けられて、私は、神様の要求を、何でも成し遂げることができるからです。

ふふふ。だから簡単な食べ物も満足してできる！感謝してできるです！

Well, and now, I am really a little tired! Japanese language is difficult but fun. :) A brief translation of what I have attempted above... First I talked about the morning and the rain. It's the rainy season here and well, the rain here is quite different from what we have in Singapore. Hahhahah. The feeling is just different. When it rains, it isn't exactly those thunderstorm kind that we experience during the monsoon season.. these days, the rain here goes pitter patter.. a little milder than what I would have expected. However, weather conditions here are super volatile and unpredictable! It could be sunny in the morning, then suddenly, suddenly, BATTO! The rain pours! And then, after a while, it stops. Hmmm... what is challenging here is being out in the streets when it rains when the wind is strong. My umbrella has gone koyak many times... but haha, you can grab any nice cheap umbrella at the hyaku yen shops (the 100yen shops) or combini (convenience stores) that dot the streets everywhere.

And well, I love the feeling of being at home, cosy and snug, when there is a thunderstorm or heavy rain. Nothing beats that safe and protected feeling, knowing that I am warm and dry in my santuary up the mountains though the whole world outside is being trashed by the winds and storms. Hahhahaha. I dunno if you know what I mean. And of course, at the same time, you could read a good book, surf the internet, mull around the house, do housechores, be jolly and happy... and enjoy a good, steaming cup of coffee or cocoa!

Next up... Recently, I haven't been updating the blog much cos I have been pretty busy! Towards the end of the JET contract, must finish all the school work, set exam papers, email successor, sort apartment stuff, administrative matters... and that aside, I am going to study the language intensively for a month at one school here before jetting home. So need to search for school, settle accommodation, check out courses... lots to be done! And well, seriously, I have never really thought that I would go back to school again... and I am really excited about it. God has really brought me thus far and I know my adventure with Him has just begun. I have a dream and I am going to keep dreaming bigger dreams for Him and I am so looking forward to starting school. :)

And also, I have been busy meeting up with friends and and and... Steve is coming to visit! So have to plan the itinerary, check out the cheapest yet most luxurious accommodation, best way to travel, interesting places to explore... book stuff online, aiyah... many things to do, but I am so enjoying the process and I am getting happier and more excited by the day. I already told him I envisioned meeting him at the airport, imagining his coming out of the arrival gates, wondering how much he has changed... what hairstyle, what clothes, leaner and fitter perhaps! And wahahahaha... I leave the rest to your imagination. It is so good to have a hope to look forward to.

And then I wrote about eating breakfast. Hahhaha. I was eating Premier Brand lightly salted biscuits with cheese and drinking my Nescafe Expresso (Italian Roast) just now and enjoying, savouring every bit of it. It ain't the most luxurious or delectable spread, but I simply love it. I love its simplicity and then while I was eating it, I was reminded of these verses.

Phil 4:11-13
Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

I love it! In Japan here, I am truly learning to be content with whatever I have, despite the circumstances and situations. I want to continue to grow to be like Paul, to be able to be more content in all things! And I know I can do it because Christ gives me the strength. :D

And now, I am wondering what pictures I should put in this blog. Of course I dun necessarily have to... but it's nice to show you beautiful Japan. :D

Vending machines

Kawaii Menu

Kobe Kouhoku School Festival

Last year's Sports Day

Cows!!!!!

Have a very very nice day ahead!

2007-06-24T10:15:00.000+08:00

ガチャピン（Gachapin)

One of my newly-found friends told me one day I look like Gachapin! So I asked her what Gachapin is.... Here it is... Wahhahahahha.

Do I look like Gachapin? Is there a tinge of resemblence?

Hahahahhaa...

So I did a search on Gachapin... n here is what Wikipidia has to say about Gachapin.

Gachapin is a child dinosaur, a popular Japanese children's television character, usually accompanied by his friend Mukku.

Name: Gachapin
Age: 5-yrs old
Birthday: April 2
Birthplace: Tropical Island (Singapore?!)
Special Abilities: Sports
Secret: The energy balls on his wrists enable him to fly, dive underwater, and gives him strength and courage whenever he faces a challenging situation.

Ok... and last Saturday, it was the school culture festival... HUGE event and a real eye-opener for me. ESS did an international cafe... Some picts. :)

England and Singapore!

Akane, Me and Hisako... Some of my favourite students in this school. Akane is such a warm and affectionate girl. She always comes to me and hugs me from behind. Ganbatte Akane. :D And Hisako just came back from Australia after a year there, so she will be rejoining Kouhoku soon. :)

Ok, i gtg soon. :)

2007-06-19T10:47:00.000+08:00

欲しいィィィィィィィィィ

2007-06-09T10:15:00.000+08:00

Updated!

This morning, I was awoken by "beep" "beep" "beeeeeeep" "beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep" of my doorbell and still in a daze, opened the door rather cheerily cos through my peephole, I saw the school nurse outside. I mustered a genki "Ohaiyo Gozaimasu" and she was so apologetic cos when she saw my face, she knew she must have awoken me from zzzzzz land.

It was already 10.00am! Man! First time I slept in till so late in J-land... and it was nice for a change. :D

Well, apparently, her veranda (She lives in the apartment just below me) got flooded because rain water seemed to be seeping down from my veranda to hers. It's the rainy and thunderstorm season in Japan now and last night, there was a huge storm. Lightning, thunder, wind... So the contractor came up to check my place... hmmm, i hope the problem will be solved soon anyway, cos i really understand now the inconveniences of a leaking pipe, unseen cracks, torn nettings, clogged toilet pipes, faulty flushing system, etc, etc, etc...

Hahhahahaha... anyway, I don't really know what I wanna write about this morning. It's already 11.30 am and I just finished my breakfast/brunch and actually, i wasn't even thinking about updating the blog till i decided to just check how it's coming along and saw this person "Update" asking for an update, and I got so encouraged and happy.... and now decided to update.... What should be my blog title?

And get ready for a loooooong loooooooong update because suddenly, I just feel like typing away with my coffee in front of me, laundry waiting in the washing machine... and the rain ceasing... and the birds starting to sing.... lalalallala.

And after 2 hours, I am back again. Ziwei was talking me on Skype... and we yakked for 2 hours!!!! hahahhaha.... and now I am stuck under my kotatsu table... i need the toilet urgently!!!!
Will be back either in a jiffy or maybe tonight!

And I am back! It's 2pm... doing laundry now and just talked to Anpo sensei on the phone... I made a mistake! In my excitement.. also dunno what I was so excited about actually... maybe it was the looooong skype call with Ziwei... yeah, I told him I woke up at 12.00 when I was talking to Ziwei at 12.00.. or did I say 12.00? I also couldn't remember... whahahah.. anyway, yeah, he is prolly running hard at the gym now... maybe later I will go gymming too and bike or run or swim a little... then take a nice, loooooooong hot shower at the gym.

Ohhhhhhhhh... and talking about showers, how I love the onsens and public baths in Japan... It's so nice and so convenient; you can easily find one public bath and enjoy a good soak that will leave you refreshed and energised... very good and strongly recommended if you feel stressed out or tired... Well.. I really enjoy the public baths and onsens here but unfortunately, there is no such culture in Sing! Anyway, maybe next time I will write about onsens and public bath culture!

This is Anpo sensei and I at Arima Onsen. We went there after visiting the Fruit and Herb Garden last week cos there was practically nothing blooming at the Garden!! And man, were we disappointed... so anyway, we decided to go onsen! And this place is scenic and pretty... but i wouldn't really say the Kin Onsen that we visited was so great... cos it was really crowded and quite small. Hmmm.. but beautiful famous onsen village anyway.

Ok, some Fruit Garden Picts.... Unfortunately, nothing much we saw there... guess we went during the wrong season!!!
Still, thank God for beautiful roses.. :)

And the pretty entrance.

And me at Harbourland. Was there with Yuen Yee and we went shopping... Harbourland is one of my fave places here... by the sea.. lotsa restaurants, great view, lovely shopping crowd, big shopping malls, trendy shops, quaint pushcart stores, affordable prices, nice parks, good atmosphere, ferris wheel, romantic nightview, trusty MacDonalds, chic Starbucks, new stores, mountains and more mountains, LOVELY LOVELY HARBOURLAND!

A display at Comsa, one very "designer" kinda store that sells apparels, bags, accessories and also kitchen ware, cute household items, etc.. I think "Comsa" is not spelt like this.. probably it's spelt wrongly... heesh.... So many people were taking picts of this. It's really very impressive. And this store just opened recently in Harbourland... it's mega huge! Will definitely visit it again some time soon!

A close-up

Ok... last night, Beth and I talked for so long in the car. It was so nice to just talk to a good friend. We talked about our lives... about our future, about our dreams, about God... I really enjoyed it. Thanks Beth. :) And after cell group, we made some posters cos there is a flea market today and the Dream Girls are selling popcorn! Take a look at this! A very popcornish effort by Yori, Raimu and Me!

And I was at KICC... oh... so hisashiburi. Haven't been there for a long time. This was the place I used to be at to study Japanese last year and this is a view taken from the toilet, 20th storey. :) Really nice view right!

And this morn, I woke up missing my cell group friends back in Singapore so much. :) It was so funny... some days, I wake up missing certain aspects of home so much! Today, I thought of cell group the instant I awoke! They must be all at Kel's house now.. wahaha. Ok. I am gonna stop writing now. Dear "Update", this update is specially for you. :)

2007-05-28T09:12:00.000+08:00

Yet another great weekend (Updated version with more pics!)

I feel a little tired these days... I know the reason. I have been excited for some time and excitement, especially a prolonged one, can cause tiredness... Yesterday on the bus back from Kobe, I was slumped in my seat, closed my eyes and rested. Tired but my mind was wide awake... my brain was working hard... my thoughts were in a flurry... it's that kind of feeling. These days I wake up dreaming and I sleep dreaming too... very strange and yet I am not really that tired.. it’s just the constant stream of dreams and thoughts. I haven’t felt like this in a very very long time. It’s very difficult to explain this. :)

Anyway, again I had a tremendous weekend. I love my weekends and cherish them very much. Yesterday during service, Pastor preached a very good message. I think Pastor Umetani is a very family-oriented man. He always talks about the importance of families and I cannot agree more. Anyway, yesterday's message was about one's goals and aims in life and how we can reach our goals by overcoming obstacles in the Lord.

This is Oshare Chi-chan! (Oshare = Fashionable) Chi is one smart girl! She goes to the top school in Kakogawa and yeah, not only is she academically-inclined, she's very teachable and hungry! She's always eager to help and takes her roles seriously and one day, she wants to become a wedding planner. Ganbatte Chi!

And this is Kawaii Naho-chan! Naho is really a very cute and funny girl. She loves to imitate all the actors and actresses and she's so natural at that! She always teaches me all the very strange Japanese phrases and slangs. She's beri funny and never fails to bring laughter to the people around her!

Haha... notice their similar shades?? Those shades belong to me!!!! :D

ね　今日本語の勉強のために　昨日のメセージと自分の感想を簡単に粗筋べく！頑張って！

あなたはの生活の目的と目標は何でしょうか。勝る人はゴールをはっきり知っている人です。何をするにも目的と目標が大切。どんなに熱心でも　目的が分からないなら　無駄に空を打つボシングをしているようなものです。

その上に自分の目標を達するために　いっぱい困難が起こる状態を分かることが大切です。その知恵を持って　困難が当たり前と思って　神様と一緒に恐れず歩むことができます。なぜかと言うと　私たちは何か働きたい時　特にお大きい事をしている時　難しい状態が何回何回絶対起こる！問題の起こらない仕事、困難のない働きはありません。これを知っていると　心の準備ができる。

ゴールを達した最後　精一杯頑張らなければならない。この実は誰でも分かる。途中に誰でも疲れる時が起こる。妨害があったらどうすれば良いでしょうか。どんな妨害がありますか？

昨日牧師は妨害について教えた。妨害は三いろいろなあるけど　三つは嘲り、陰謀と噂です。妨害が起こる時　私たちを持っている態度はどんな態度ですか？すぐできないと思う？すぐ諦める？できない人はどうしてそうと思っている？できない人は自分を見て　自然な情況を見て　恐れてきたからです。

妨害を成し遂げるために何か大切ですか？ネヘミヤ4書を基にして　困難と問題を解決する第一歩は神様の前に行って祈ることです。そうすれば神様の知恵、力と平和を受け取れる。神様が私たちの願うと困難が分かるから　私たちを愛される天のお父さんから　解決の方法と指示を絶対教えくれます。

二番目は見張りを置くことです。妨害が起こることを備えらないといけないです。そうすると　困難があってもするべきことを知っています。

最後に目的を示すことです。何回何回繰り返して目的と目標を完成のために　頭に想像に描きましょう。口に言いましょう。

Lastly, recently I have been having a lot of fun trying to create interesting pictures or backgrounds with effects.

And this is one of my favourite picts, taken at the airport before I left for Japan last year.

2007-05-25T14:31:00.000+08:00

Friday afternoons

I am always exhausted after the last 2 periods of the last day of school... Today is no exception. Last 2 periods, 2 hours in all... it requires much energy to focus and to give it my all. Yet everytime after the lesson, I will feel happy and satisfied knowing that I have finished my work week well.

Friday afternoon classes are especially challenging cos students are usually lethargic, sleepy or restless. The challenges with teaching the Japanese the English language are numerous... And one of the greatest I face is to be able to lift up the atmosphere of the class... It's imperative for a good EL lesson here!

And this requires a lot a lot a lot of energy...

TGIF though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-05-24T10:15:00.000+08:00

日本語の勉強のために

今熱心していることがいっぱいけど　その中の一つは日本語の勉強です。日本語は本当に難しいです。私にとって一番難しいのは文法と会話です。新しい単語も覚えにくい！何回繰り返して読んで覚えるでも　すぐ忘れてしまった！今まで　もうほぼ九ヶ月間ぐらい日本に住んでいる。。そしてこの間の日本語の勉強の進むは　本当に上達になろうか分からないです。

時々私も本当に勉強したくないです。本当にいややな感じがする。逆にたまに非常に夢中している。この過程は第三言語を勉強する時の迷うとこですか？今年下旬に　日本語能力試験を受験したいから　精一杯がんばらなければならない。けれども本当に時々疲れる時も起こる。。。

だから私はいつも勉強を進むように新しい良い方法を試みる。例えば日本語でブーログを書く。シンガポールの友達は読めないけど　残念けど　ブーログを書く時　いい練習と思う。ほかの方法は簡単な学校に配分資料を読んでいる。その後　知らない単語を辞書とかインタネットから探す。

今日ね一つの資料を読んだ。じゃアアア　その資料について　単語をもっともっと効果的に覚えるように　簡単に要約する。

この資料は最近の日本のニュースです。最近は日本に麻疹(はしか)という感染病気が起こります。麻疹は感染力が強いで　防ぐために以下のポイントを注意しましょう！

１）症状は何ですか？
三十八度の熱、咳、鼻水が見られます。その後、発疹期に再び高熱となり、赤い小さな発疹が耳の後ろから顔面に初めて出て　次第に手足などに広がります。

２）麻疹にかからないように　どうすればいいんですか？
感染を予防するために　政府は外出時にマスクを着用し　帰宅時に手を洗って口をうがいことするようにとお勧めします。
また　一番効果的な方法は　麻疹のワクチンを接種することが最大の方法です。すでに麻疹にかかったことがある人は　免疫が持って　再びかかることはありませんので　罹患者は心配することはないでしょう。

３）麻疹にかかってしまったら？
その人は自分のために　周りの人のために　早めに治療を受け取って受診しましょう。また麻疹患者は　無理をして　学校や職場などどこか行くこととは避けましょう。ゆっくり休んで、治しましょう。

終わり。。。難しいいい。。。数回で辞書を探して。。。

書く途中　私も昼ごはんを食べた。今日の食事はパンと胡麻ラテで、もうすぐりんごを食べようと思う。
　

きれいいいイイイ！！！

2007-05-23T13:44:00.000+08:00

Quiet Time
Yesterday after school, I had originally intended to go for a good workout at the gym but as I was walking towards the destination, I felt very very very much that I wanted to take a walk with the Lord.

And I did just that. Walked, listened to PnW, prayed and simply enjoyed God's presence. At one point, I was so touched that it was almost unimaginable... nearly cried, cos I was reminded once and again of how He never fails.

Pst Kong's series on 'The Sermon on the Mount' have blessed me so much. I know that as I enter the next phase of my life, there will be much more that God has in store for me, and I want to hear His voice and seek His face. I want the fresh manna. I want to be poor in spirit, to be meek, to be broken...

Exam Time
And well, this week is the exam week in school and during exam time, teachers here leave rather early. I think there are less than 10 teachers in the staffroom right now... I just made myself a banana fruit milkshake and heez, I have to say it is really tasty, and so awfully easy to make.

Shake Time
Got this brilliant idea from a TV variety show. You need only a small, transparent plastic bag and whatever mushy fruits you can gather. So I decided to try this concoction today.

Ingredients:
1) Banana
2) Tomato
2) Milk
4) Fruit Juice
5) Green Tea
6) Ice cubes

Hahhaha, if it sounds yucky, let me assure you it is quite the opposite. It is marvellous!

First, peel the banana and put it into the plastic bag. Add in the washed tomato and get ready to squash them both together! And it's actually quite fun to squeeze them in the plastic bag. wahahha. Then, after they are mashed and a little gross-looking, slit a small hole at one end of the plastic bag and squeeze the content out into a glass.

Add low-fat milk, soya milk or whatever milk you like and fill up your glass with it. I also added some supermarket fruit juice to the mixture. Stir it using a spoon and tada! That's a delicious, frothy and fruity shake you have! For me today, the mixture was a little too thick, so after taking a few sips, i decided to pour in some green tea. It really tastes very nice!

And on a hot, humid, summery day, add in some ice cubes and enjoy your very nutritious banana fruity milkshake!

Himeji Time
And last Saturday, I visited the Himeji Matsuri (Matsuri = Festival) with Yuen Yee. Yuen is a Singaporean Australian Chinese. Wahahah. Born in Singapore, raised in Australia and Chinese by race. It's been some months since we last met and so, cos spring weather is cool and comfy for walks, I decided to meet her up at Himeji.

Himeji is famous for its castle. Himeji Castle is possibly Japan's most famous castle and it is also registered in 1993 on UNESCO's World Heritage list. What causes it to stand out is that it has kept its original form for nearly 400 years, never damaged by fire and warfare, even during the 2nd World War. This is pretty impressive considering that many castles in Japan have been destroyed by fire as they are made of wood. Himeji Castle is a wooden structure too and its towers, stone ramparts and earthern walls are extremely well-preserved.

Anyway, I really wanted to go into the castle, but could only admire its grandeur from afar that day because of the Matsuri! Still, it's ok... I have complimentary tickets from one Japanese ambassador, so I can always go back anytime. And Matsuris are always lotsa fun! There are many ya-tais (think pasar malam stalls) selling all sorts of food and snacks, drinks, trinklets, etc... And it's so nice to just soak in the festive spring atmosphere. :)

Himeji Castle in the background

Matsuri Picts

Yuen Yee and I at Mount Shosha

Shosha Time
After the Himeji Matsuri, we went to Mount Shosha. This place is the filming location for 'The Last Samurai' in which Tom Cruise was the leading man. Anyway, I have never watched the show before and maybe now I will! Visited a number of temples and shrines, did a bit of hiking and of course along the way, we talked and talked and yeah, it's really a nice way to spend a Saturday - quality time with a good friend!

The contrast between the various shades of green

A coffee-cum-souvenir shop snuggled in the woods

Autumn has arrived?!

As I finish tap-tapping away on my keyboard, the staffroom gets quieter and quieter... bu zhi bu jue, it's time to go home le... ahha. Tomorrow is the last day of the examination, then it's back to some real classroom action again! Ganbarou!

2007-05-23T09:46:00.000+08:00

マナ

マナは旧約聖書出エジプト記第16章に登場する食物。イスラエルの民がシンの荒野で飢えた時、神がモーセの祈りに応じて天から降らせたという。この時人々は「これは何だろう」と口にし、このことから「これは何だろう」を意味するヘブライ語のマナと呼ばれるようになる。
(このマナの説明は　きれい日本語でしょう。ウィキペディアから調べた。）

神様は超自然的に　天からイスラエルの民のために　マナという食べ物を下さいました。４０年間毎日毎日新鮮なマナを与えて続いていました。マナは　神秘的な力の源とされる概念であります。私も毎日毎日このマナを神様から受け取りたい。

下の聖書の文を見てください。

聞く耳のある人は、聖霊様の諸教会へのお告げを、よく聞きなさい。勝利を得る人は、天から下さる秘密のマナを食べることができます。また、めいめいに白い石が与えられます。その石には、本人以外は誰も知らない、新しい名前が刻まれているのです。
ヨハネの黙示録２：１７

マナは天から下さる秘密という！本当にイムペットされる考え。この文を読むとマナを欲しい人はもちろんさっき神様の声を聞かないといけません。よく聞きなさい！秘密だから　捜さないと見つかられない。私たちは聖書を読むけど　もしこの新鮮なマナを受け取れないと　神様との関係も進まない。だから私たちの神様は本当の生きている神様です。私たちを助けてくださるためにマナを与える神様です。私たちは毎日デボーションをする時　神様に聞いて　神様から聞かなければなりません。

ひもじい思いをさせたのも、謙そんを学ばせるためでした。なぜなら、そのあとで、マナという見たこともない食べ物を下さり、人はただパンだけで生きるのではなく、神様の命令を守ることによって真に生きるのだということを教えてくださったからです。
申命記８：３

私はもっともっとマナが欲しい。

2007-05-22T08:47:00.000+08:00

Hanshin Tigers

先週の金曜日　藤池先生と安保先生とトームと私は　四人と一緒　阪神野球ゲーム見に行った。相手はもっともっと強い横浜ベースターズです。結果は阪神が勝ち！良かったね。

この野球ゲームを見ることは　私の最初の体験です。日本には野球は本当に大人気なスポーツです。日本のスポーツを考えると　伝統的なのは　相撲を始めます。その後やっぱり野球と思う。私にとっては　野球は見慣れていないから　規則とか選手の名前とかあまり知らないです。でも　日本と言えば日本に滞在する時　絶対一回野球競争の経験が欲しいから　甲子園へ行った。

甲子園はその試合の野球場です。接近してると本当に生き生きな感じが溢れます。場所がにぎやかなで　人が多かった！甲子園の玄関の前野球お土産を売ってる屋台がいっぱい並んでいる。その時駅とか周りの街道とか本当活気に満ちたと思う！

Just outside Koshien stadium before the game between Hanshin Tigers and Yokohama Baystars

It was my first time to a baseball game and though I am not a huge fan of baseball, it was really worth the time and effort to make the trip to Koshien. The atmosphere was so good. Fans turned up in jerseys to support their teams, had all those wacky batons and the place was really lively. The picts show it all.

The crowd

An exhuberant embrace between a security officer and a fan

Balloons dotting the night sky after the 7th inning

The professional cheerleaders

Mi with some fans!

Mi with 2 handsome hunks!

Won The Game Tigers!!!

And a beautiful picture of the night setting in... :)

Yeah, it was definitely quite an experience to attend a baseball game. It's one of those "must-do things" if you stay in Japan. I donned the Tigers Jersey courtesy of James. :) One thing I walked away with from the game was how uniform the Japanese were. They sang together, beat their batons together... everyone of them knew how to cheer and sway or clap unanimously. And each player has his own special cheer. Amazing.

2007-05-14T07:20:00.000+08:00

また新しい週

また月曜日ね。月曜日は私にとって二つ意味がある。一つは疲れるぎみで　もう一つは主の日で特に最初の日だから美しいです。ふふふ。でも私は人間だから　二つ目の意味を知ってるけど　時々一つ目に感じられた。今日目覚まし時計に六時四十五分から目覚められた時　本当に起きたくなかった。でも仕方がなかったね。仕事があるから。そして朝の準備しながら　口に神様に感謝していて　｢今日は本当にきれいな日を認めます！新しい日は新しい希望もありますように！今週もいろいろなことをできるように力を与えてください！」

今ね私の気持ちは本当に明るくなってきた！ふふふ。

コーヒーを飲みながらブーログを書く。私の月曜日の授業は四時間目からので今ちょっと時間がある。日本語の勉強のために書くつもり！このブーログの内容は最近の生活についてです。楽しみ読んでください！

昨日教会の礼拝が終わったらゆかちゃんと会った。神戸祭りへ見に行った。ね。。日本は本当に文化が豊かなです。この特徴はいいいいなと思う。季節も四つがあるから　別の季節によって　いろいろな文化イベントが起こる。シンガポールの方はもちろん自分の面白い文化があるけど　日本と比べると　そんなに深くないと思う。最近は神戸祭りというイベントがある。

神戸祭りというのは神戸について紹介するフェステバルです。文化とか歴史とかを中心して　いろいろなパレードで舞台演技で歌うことと踊ることから皆に見せる。聞いた一つの子供の歌の歌詞から　神戸祭りの意味ははっきりわかる。｢神戸は素敵な町　忘れないように」写真を見てください。：）写真は神戸祭りのホームペジから取ったけど　全部昔の写真ので　意味深いと思う。

And now I shall write in English. Basically what's written above is about the Kobe Festival which I went to with Yuka after service yesterday. :) Yeah, a disclaimer here.. I downloaded the photos from the official website because they look so old and historic.. and ahhahaha, cos I din bring my cable with me to upload the photos in school. Anyway, I really enjoyed it. The weather was perfect! Fine and breezy, just right for a really nice walk!

Ok, and what I really want to say is that Japan's culture is really rich. Also, because there are 4 seasons here, you kinda feel different emotions for each different season. And there are so many festivals and celebrations. So many that there is always something for everyone. There could be flower exhibitions, dances, hip-hop, songs, paintings, food fairs, sports... it's just happening all the time! I even went to the art gallery last week to view some paintings... I am becoming very cultural indeed. It's just so nice to discover and learn new things. And this coming Friday, I am going to a Hanshin Tigers Baseball game with my school colleagues and then, on Saturday, I will visit the renowned famous Himeji castle. :-D

And next, I wanna talk about OKONOMIYAKI!!!! Hahhahah, this is doubtlessly one of Japan's tastiest dishes. I can talk so much about how I love Japanese food, but I have to がまん(resist) for now. Just focus on Okonimiyaki first.

OKONOMIYAKI
Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き）is one of Japan's best creations.. hahah.. to me, that is. It is basically made of flour, eggs and cabbage ... and anything else that you want to throw in! Okonomi (お好み）means according to one's preference and Yaki (焼き）stands for baking, grilling, toasting, burning.. (that's how you get takoyaki, yakiniku... all the yaki stuff).

Anyway, I really like this dish. After it's made, you lace it with a generous layer of sauce (sweet or spicy again up to your own preference). For a very "saucy" person like me, it's sublime. Many people top it with lotsa mayonnaise, but I stop at that. I still can't take to mayo... eeeee.. and when I saw Yuka squeeeeezing the mayo out of the bottle... eeee.. haha, I balked at that... Heesh... but she, a mayo-lover, claimed that life is impossible without mayo. Haha. :) After that, you add very thin toufu flakes, all sorts of condiments and garnishes and tada! The dish is ready! Woohoooooo!!!! So nice!

And some people also like to add udon or soba into their okonomiyaki. It's really delicious too. I think Steve will love this! For a Bar Chor Mee lover like him, it will be simply too heavenly. Can you imagine Bar Chor and Mee in the Okonomiyaki? Hahhaha...

So when I go home, the point is I will so miss Japanese food!!!! Sigh....

Hahhaha... And now I am a little dazed and tired. Yesterday I bought a JLPT 1 book. It's so much cheaper here and I am thinking of taking the exam at the end of the year. It's very difficult and challenging though!

2007-05-12T09:09:00.000+08:00

Saturday mornings

It's a Saturday morning again. Due to a sleep-deprived week, especially on Thursday night, and a topsy-turvy messed-up internal clock, last night, I think I slept quite soundly. Sweet, deep rest. :) But strangely enough, I feel a little sleepy again.

I like Saturday mornings very much. They are usually very のんびり for me - relaxing, therapeutic, restful. I like to sit down with a book, read some news online, watch TV variety programmes (or the more better if it's cultural or has something to do with food... :) ), write diary entries, surf the net, check email... you get the idea... and then have breakfast after finishing my household chores. It's a nice feeling for me.

After that, usually I try to study a little. :)

I remember Saturday mornings back home in Singapore. Then, I had to wake up very early as well and rush to BNSS for the basketball trainings. Hahahha. Quite memorable. The girls will be training hard. Sometimes I will join them for a game, other times I will watch them train and just be there to cheer them on. Or I will be in the staffroom busy marking! Those were the days!

OK! I must stand up from my kotatsu now, else I will fall asleep soon. People laugh when they hear I still use the kotatsu... but then, the weather's crazy and erratic here! On Wednesday, the temperature soared to 27 degrees, n then on Thurs, it dipped to 13 degrees??!?! I was so cold.. frigidly cold!! I am gonna hang out my laundry now and then I will ganbatte.

Happy Ah-Cen

2007-05-11T08:57:00.000+08:00

無我夢中

昨日の晩は　皆ちょっと想像してみて　私が何時寝ていたと思う？
ね。。朝の４時！
昨日ね　本当に活力がいっぱいあった。いろいろなこともできた。

学校は終わった後　私はジームに行って　その後安保先生と一緒にマクドーナルドに楽しんでいた。私は本当にいっぱい祝福された。：）いつもジームの後　安保先生か　ひょうごさんか　私に手伝ってくれた。いつも乗せて送ってくれた。本当に幸せです。。

安保先生と　マクドーナルドにいる時も習慣になってきた。時間があれば　ジームの後マクドーナルドに行く！一緒にジームに健康のためにがんばったら　その後　疲れって来たけれど　爽快感があふれる！その上に精神と活気も増えていく。すごいでしょう！その感じを持って　マクドーナルドに　ナゲットを食べてジュースを飲みながら　私と安保先生が　いっぱいしゃべれる！これはすごく二人に役に立つ。どうしてかと言うと　私が今日本語の勉強中　逆に　安保先生は今英語をもっともっと上手になりたいからです。

先週は私と直美とヅゥアング先生と一緒に熊本で三日間のJ-Impactコンフレンスに参加して行った。二人はシンガポールから来て　私は神戸からです。非常に楽しかった！！！神様の栄光と偉大さ偉大さははっきり見た。私はいっぱい受け取って　感動されて　励まされた。

無我夢中はこのコンフレンスのテーマです。
皆は今夢中していることはなんですか？

賛美時

なおみとヅゥアング先生

笑顔で

チーズ！

今日は私は睡眠不足かもしれないけど　元気！今日も金曜日だから　嬉しいです！週末に楽しんでいる！

2007-05-09T13:43:00.000+08:00

It's been a long while since I last updated the blog and I want to say it has been a really really great and fruitful long while for me.

My heart goes out to the Japanese.

No words can sufficiently describe how I felt and am still feeling now....

So much I want to write, but I am in a state of delirium.

He is good and faithful,
His mercies never fail.

無我夢中

2007-04-30T06:52:00.000+08:00

From 5.30am till 7.45am

What a weird title... but so apt. I woke up this morning at an unearthly 5.30am to go to the toilet, and the sun has already risen... And I couldn't get back to sleep, much as my logical senses tell me to.

As of now, my brain simply can't reconcile the fact that "very bright and sunny, the sun has risen = you can still sleep some more". I tried to snuggle back into my bed and even attempted to cover my entire head under the quilt, but it didn't really help much. Sooooo, I decided to get up and give thanks for this wonderful and beautiful day ahead!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hahah, I called my mum... No one picked up the phone... Then I tried calling Steve... and a sleepy, groggy voice greeted me from across many lands.... "Why you call me....." hahahhaha.

Yeah, I decided to do soji!!!! So i cleaned the house again, sorted my trash, folded my clothes... well, din manage to complete a lot, but felt quite happy to be able to just mull around the house, and of course the TV was switched on, and it still is on now... And then now I decide to eat breakfast and take a break!

Here's a pict of my super-healthy breakfast - Soya Milk and Bran Fruit Granola!

Recently, I have developed a liking for genmai, wheat and bran products, especially for breakfast. The nutritious value and health benefits of these breakfast cereals, biscuits and bread are widely touted today and they are so delicious too. :)

Oh yes, and today, or actually last Friday, marks the beginning of a long 9-day break for many employees. This is known as the Golden Week here in Japan and employees need to only take 2 days' leave to enjoy an uninterrupted 9-day break. Yesterday was Showa Day, a day to commemorate the birthday of former Emperor Showa, and since it was Sunday yesterday, today is marked as a public holiday. Then, on Wed, it's Constitution Day, on thurs - Greenery Day, on Friday - Children's Day... Then it's the weekend... Japan really baffles me in surprising ways sometimes! So many holidays!

Anyway, I am happy. Ain't complaining about not having to report to work.. and later, Yuiko and Lily will be coming over to my house cos I will be cooking laksa for them! Yay... ahhaha... so happy lar. I really want to have a good fellowship with them!

Beautiful Flowers!

2007-04-28T11:28:00.000+08:00

Doing household chores can be so tiring...

I am so tired now. Spent the entire morning just meddling around my house, trying to clean it up, and I am far from being done. And I feel exhausted!!!! I had to stop halfway just to drink some soya bean milk to recharge myself and finally, after a four-hour session, I have decided to give up (for the time being) and just rest a little.

Did laundry and then had breakfast while waiting for it. :) I wanted to blog while having breakfast cos I felt rather happy! I had genmai bread with cheese, and also made some pizza bread. It's so easy to make and I washed it down with soya milk. Then, I was watching a "Good morning" variety show and they were showing some grapefruit breakfast, and that piqued my interest in reaching out for the last citrus fruit I had in my fridge - an orange from Matsuyama where I went cycling.

Laundry was easy. What was most challenging this morning was trying to get my lamp up and going again. 2 nights ago, the bulb fused. Thank goodness I have another lamp in my living room, else the place would be rather dark. I have never replaced any bulbs before (not here nor in Singapore). It was always my dad who would do the job and today, I had to do it... and the result? Yay! It is really very easy and fool-proof! What was baffling though was trying to figure how to fix the lamp back into the socket again. Still, it was really not difficult.

I was tired cos I guess I also cleaned and wiped away the dust. Also cleaned my microwave oven, the kitchen area... Sunned my bedding and futons too... I thought I could accomplish lots more, but the sad truth... I haven't even vaccuumed the floor or ironed my clothes. Ganbatte!!

Well, it's tiring but I definitely feel happier knowing my house is cleaner.

Yeah, and just have to say a huge "Thank You" to my mum. Thank you for doing the housework day in day out. When I go home, I will definitely help out more. :)

Clean, fresh laundry

2007-04-26T23:39:00.000+08:00

Learning Ying Wen is easy

Hahhaha... I received this from dear fenfen and laughed myself silly.... Steve said it was so lame but he laughed too... I really found it quite amusing, especially the last sentence! Enjoy!!! Learning Ying Wen is really not so hard afterall!

2007-04-25T13:06:00.000+08:00

F-I-G-H-T-O, OC2!!!

This academic year, there's a new Oral Communication elective class for students who wish to take English Oral Communication for another year at a higher level. This means that they must have taken the OC1 class before, and I am so happy to be able to teach this OC2 class.

They are a bunch of eager and enthusiastic learners and I can sense that they really want to improve in their English ability, whether spoken or written. Haha, I guess it was quite a shock for the 8 of them during the first lesson when they realised that OC2 is really vastly different from OC1! Nevertheless, these students are a determined group and after about 2 weeks of lessons, they have more or less grown used to the faster pace and the heavier workload.
F-I-G-H-T-O!!!!!

Last week, Nakai sensei, my co-teacher, brought his guitar to the class and there was a sing-along session at the end of a gruelling 2-hour lesson. It was great fun! We sang the first verse of "Wonderful World", a song by Sam Cooke, one of the most famous and influential R&B singers in the 1960s.

Wonderful World
Don't know much about History
Don't know much about Biology
Don't know much about a Science book
Don't know much about the French I took
But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love me too
What a wonderful world this would be

Of course, Nakai sensei and I took this chance to teach them about rhyme and rhythm and also introduced many various school subjects. It was good fun! And and and Nakai sensei plays the guitar very well! Incorporating music during lessons really changes the atmosphere of the class; learning becomes much more enjoyable!

My OC2 class!

And below is a sample of a piece of their work. Like I had previously mentioned in another entry, whenever the Japanese students write a diary entry, most of them never fail to add in their own cutesy drawings. Japanese students CAN draw. Almost everyone of them can draw quite well and it's always such a joy to look at their creative drawings!

F-I-G-H-T-O, OC2!!!

2007-04-21T12:51:00.000+08:00

最近について

いつの間にか　時間が速く経ちました。

今週は本当に速かったね。私は今から三時まで日本語を一生懸命に勉強するつもりです。最初は今週の日記を書こう！

今週の中旬はとても疲れていた。覚えるほど水曜日かな私はジームから帰った後こたつで寝てしまった。多分最近はいろいろなイベントとや観光などをして　興奮しすぎっただから　疲れてきた。

新学期が始まると私も忙しくなってきた。新しい生徒の顔を見ると少しい緊張したけど楽しかった。学校に活気が戻ると本当にいい感じです！仕事をよく働いている人は幸せと思う。：）

昨日は甲北の遠足会でした。シンガポールに生まて育てた私にとって　遠足会はとてもいい考えです！日本の方は四つの季節があるから違う季節としていろんな活動を行ってできる。日本の自然な所も多いし　この自然は季節にとって変わっていてから　皆の気持ちも従いに変わってきて溢れれ。今は春です。春はとてもきれいと思う。寒い冬がしんどかったから。春は命の溢れる時です。始めに昼間は段々ながくなって　桜も順々に咲いてきた。：）

やすさんから教えた「はかない」という単語は面白いです。桜はとてもきれいけど命が短い。一般の桜は二週間ぐらいの命しかない。人生も同じような短いと思う！私の生活はせいぜい八十歳と思ってから短いからもっと充実した人生を送りたい。：）人生は桜のようなはかないからもっと頑張らなくてはいけない！

ふふふ。いろいろな考えが溢れたけど　実は何を書きたい？

昨日の遠足は楽しかった！九時半ぐらい出発して　歩くことは二時間ぐらいがかかって　十一時十一時半ぐらいその一つのバベキュウ場に着いた。：）私はくろかみ先生の生徒の集団に割り当てられたから　くろかみ先生と一緒に歩きながらいろいろなことを喋った。私は本当に嬉しかった！くろかみ先生はとても優しくて　この遠足のおかげで　もっともっと仲良くなってきた。

くろかみ先生

ちょっと信じられなかったけどこの遠足は全学校が参加したから人数は多分七百人ぐらい！：）

生徒たちは協力して皆一日一緒に楽しんで暮らした。この遠足会の目指しは二年生と三年生は新入生の歓迎のためです。こういう状況ので　一年生は本当に幸せです！皆は実はぜんぜん知らなかったけど最後まで友達になる。先輩は一年生の為にバベキュウを準備して料理を作ってあげた。：）一年生の皆は最初はにかんだけど段々元気になった。：）

私と割り当たられたの生徒と一緒に

くろかみ先生のグルプはたくさん食べ物を準備して持ってきた。焼肉を始め　野菜や焼そばやドリンクやおやつやパンケーキもありました。美味しかった！日本のバベキュウはシンガポールより健康と思う！シンガポールの方はとても油ぽいと思う！日本の方は野菜を中心して　油を使うけど油量は少ない。：）私とトームは自分のグループ以外他のグループにちょっと訪問していて　いろんな食べ物をもらった！楽しかった！

私ね一番大好きなバベキュウの食べ物は焼肉じゃなくて　野菜です。玉葱とシイタケとトウモロコシが大好きです！：）日本のバベキュウの食べ方は材料を焼いた後ソースをかけて食べる。新鮮な野菜とソースと一緒に美味しいです！：）

焼そばを作り中

おいしいいいいいいいい。。。。。

このブーログの書く時間は長いです。もうすぐ一時間ぐらいがかかるね。私もちょっと疲れてきた。。。書きながら新しい単語も勉強した。例えば「割り当てる」と「充実した人生を送る」です。今ちょっと休憩したい！：）

今日の天気は晴れですけど風が強い！

2007-04-16T21:14:00.000+08:00

Let's enjoy bike riding

I have just returned from what I believe will be one of the most unforgettable highlights of my JET experience. Last Saturday, together with a group of 18 mainly Gifu prefecture JETs, we set off to cycle from Honshu to Shikoku via the Shimanami Kaido for a good cause - to raise funds to help rebuild an Indian village that was devastated by the 2004 Tsunami.

There is just too much to say... and recollecting every single bit will take ages... yet once again, just like the Ski camp at Nagano, I am really glad and so happy that I decided to take part in this project.

It was really strange... I receive many many emails daily from AJET, HAJET, from several JET volunteer groups or committees... there are all sorts of different activities and events, but none jumped at me like this particular project did. I remember being so excited when I read Rosa's email and I just wanted to volunteer and go! Turning to Tom straightaway, we both decided we would make the trip. And also, Anpo sensei decided to join us and his son came along too. And then, Abel decided to go too! Haha... that's half of the Suzu group already!

Yeah, so fund-raising began. Only had less than one week to prepare and solicit funds, and in the end, the total amount from the Kouhoku teachers and staff came to about 34771yen, which is about $450. On the whole, the entire team collected more than 4000 USD I think... and this amount will greatly benefit the Dalit communities of Andhra Pradesh in the southern Indian state.

What I prepared for the teachers in the school, and dear Fujiike sensei kindly helped me translate everything into Japanese too!

And then, the bike expedition began on Saturday. This entire route from Onomichi to Imabari is about 77km and there are 6 bridges in all that we have to cross. Shimanami Kaido is quite reputable as a cycling route in Japan and the tracks are marked; it's virtually impossible to lose your way... so that was really a relief to me. :) It was so so so so nice... The entire cycling trip, if I have to recapture the entire expe, it will take me the entire night. I could just write on and on... cos while cycling, so many so many thoughts filled my mind, and everything really indeed came together so well to make the whole trip so unforgettable for me.

The whole route
Shimanamikaido = 島波街道 and the name simply means island-waves-road. It's a very easy name to remember for me because I will cross many islands and ride over the waves via the bridges! Cool name!

Outside, a storm is brewing. My windows and doors are starting to rattle again.

And this is another great testimony too.. cos before setting off, according to the weather forecast, it would rain on Saturday. However, the weather was really fine. Beautiful, sunny day! And Sunday was terrific too. It was only today that it started to rain. :)

Me and my lovely Mama Charlie
Haha... it's really incredible. I never ever thought I would ride this. For many Japanese, this is their trusty mode of transport. Heez, I was imagining how it would turn out if I bring this back home to Singapore and cycle to work. These days, in Tokyo, there's also this trend of business men in their suits and briefcases cycling on their Charlies to work. I saw it in the news just 3 days ago... The revenge of the Charlies... ahhahaha.

Olenju in Orange Country
Guess what... Onomichi and Imbari, well, basically this area is famous for its ORANGES!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so so so pleasantly surprised! What could be more apt. Miss Olenju going on a trip to Olenju World. And look at the Orange train (Yes, the train is on the road) and the Orange shopping mall in Matsuyama.

I had absolutely no idea whatsoever that this place is so famous for its oranges. :) No wonder this certain JET project jumped at me.

And here are some beautiful pictures of the bridges and the scenery. Cycling up the bridges were pretty tiring, but whizzing down was great fun! Why must bridges be built at such a height? Hmmmm...

And the Happy Gaijins

休憩 by the coast - Taking a break

We did it!!!!

And this marks the end of our cycling expe as we got ready for the night - In the road train to Dogo onsen and Matsuyama hostel where we spent the night.

Sleepyzzzz now... write again another time... Enjoy the picts! :)

2007-04-12T15:03:00.000+08:00

Thursday noon and Thursday night

Thursday noon
This week's flown by really fast and it's already Thursday!!! Well, here's another super super quick update. I have less than 20 minutes, then I have a meeting to attend. Hmm, so here goes!

Lessons began on Wednesday and I have had 3 different classes so far, and the lessons were really enjoyable and good. Yay.. so happy! Guess right now, nothing beats the sense of fulfilment and satisfaction knowing that I have tried my best to teach and that the students are absorbing and learning. :-D I really enjoy seeing the kids try to speak English and the atmosphere in the 3 different classes are all very good! Eager and enthusiastic faces... lovely! I am looking forward to meeting all the rest of my classes.

And this weekend, I will be cycling to Shikoku from Hiroshima via the Shimanami Kaido as part of a fund-raising project for one Indian village that was struck by the 2004 Tsunami. I am looking forward to this expedition and have been raising funds in school. My colleagues have been generous! One teacher actually donated 5000￥. Wow!

Check out these links if you are interested in making a donation!
http://www.firstgiving.com/BC-India-ShikokuBikers
http://www.building-communities.blogspot.com/
http://www.firstgiving.com/BC-India

And and and I made another friend recently. Got to know her at the gym and her name is Yuiko. Lovely lovely lady, and she's tall too, nearly 1.8m! We hit it off instantly and cos she had stayed in Malaysia for about 2 years, she could speak English really quite well... so yeah, it was really good for both of us. I could practise Japanese and her, English. And we went to this very quaint and cosy Indian restaurant for dinner last Saturday and the food was good!! The cheese naan was so nice... hahaa... my mind is running as time runs short... I guess I may have to complete this post tonight! And maybe then, I will be much calmer. Haha!

And sakuras are beautiful.. BEEAUUUUTIFUUUUL... no wonder the Japanese rave about it. SAKURA SAKURA... lalala lalala... suddenly remember the 'Sakura Sakura' song that I was taught to sing in Primary school!

And take a look at the 2 picts. What does it remind you of? I chanced upon this place 2 days ago trying to find a short cut to get to the main road.

This place is tucked right in one neighbourhood and unless you decide to venture right into this housing area, you'd probably never see it. In the area where I stay, flats are grouped together and they form one community, sharing the same waste disposal area. (In Japan, there are designated days to bring out your rubbish and waste... and you have to separate your waste into burnables and non-burnables and bulky items, etc.. Next time, I will write a post on this.) There are fences and bridges and pathways that mark each neighbourhood's boundary and you can actually walk into one housing area or pass through it.

I stopped for a moment really and it was a nice, slightly cloudy Tuesday morning, and memories of me being a little girl, living in the ulu ulu small estate in Jalan Tentarang (not sure if I got the spelling right) near Whampoa, came flooding back to me. It was a really nostalgic moment. Then, I remembered mornings when I woke up, with Daddy bringing me to the market.. walking through blocks of flats, some of them low-rise like the picture above. You would also see the big, sandy playground, with swings, sea-saws, dragon-shaped slides and I remembered playing catching... I remembered the provision shops, i remembered the morning awakening, sunlight filtering into our rented 2-room flat... (used to stay on the ground floor)... also remembered the mama store near my apartment, where I bought lotsa kakas...hahahah... n those 20cents per packet surprise black goodie bag... I was lost for a moment deep in thought ... u know, like deja-vu too, except that it's deja-vu in an opposite way... whaha. Man, even as I write now, I can remember so many so many more details of my childhood... of those wonderful days back in the 1980s growing up. :D
ARGH... i must run now. Will complete this again.

Thursday night
And I am home now and just had dinner... salmon, some veges and rice and soya milk. :)

Ok, yeah, I will just leave the above entry as it is and put more picts now!

Entrance of Sapna Restaurant
Yuiko knows the restaurant owner as this restaurant used to be in Suzurandai where I am staying now. Aiyoh.. wat a pity they have relocated... else I will surely visit them whenever I have curry cravings!

With the restaurant owner and the Nepalese chef!

Interior deco

The food!! It was really delicious and we ate to our fill... The mutton curry was fabulous!

And finally, 2 happy and satisfied customers at the end of the meal. :)
Olenju and Yuiko! And she's tall, right? Hahha, or maybe I am short lar... :)

And now I am so tired... wahahha.. I am pretty excited about Saturday's cycling expedition. Let there be no rain dear God...
NO RAIN!!!!

2007-04-09T13:42:00.000+08:00

プリクラ Time!!! (Purikura = Neo Print)

Let's enjoying beautiful flowers time!!!

2007-04-07T11:23:00.000+08:00

High

I couldn't sleep last night and I think I was high on sheep and sakura... Went to bed only at 3.30am and woke up around 7. And what greeted me when I looked out of my balcony was an amazing sight of a single cherry blossom tree.... It's not in full bloom, but nonetheless, I felt so happy.

I want to write lots here but I have to go soon. Tonight I will be meeting a new friend I met at the gym. :) Gonna eat Indian food... Yummy yummy and school is starting on Monday. I am so excited.

From an elatedly-calm Olenju

2007-04-04T18:05:00.000+08:00

感謝の日記

今日早く帰ってきて良かった。：）本当に懐かしい。。。以前　即ち去年私はKICCに会話の授業を参加したから大低十時か十時半ぐらい帰った。最近学校を終わったらジームへ行くので八時半か九時ぐらい帰る。今日安保先生のおかげで車に乗せて帰って　私もすぐ帰った。やっぱり車が便利なあああ。ありがとうね安保先生。：）

今日の天気は　私にとってもちょっと可笑しいと思う。起きた時ちょっと寒かったけど晴れでした。学校へ着いていつの間にかもっと寒くなってきた。風もちょっと大きくなった。一番びくっりのは一時半ぐらい昼ごはんを食べる時　雪が降りました！信じられないね。その時私は　'可笑しい天気’のイメルを書いて　スチブに送った。。送ったら　多分十分後雪が止めって　太陽も出って来た！ふふふ。一日中　いろいろな天気状態を体験すると面白いわああああ。さっき　天気予報によるとも一回寒さが戻すみたい。一番寒い時は今夜です。

とても早いね。。今も四月です。実は　本当に冬の寒さがきつい　全然慣れてないと思った私は　最近少しい慣れて来た。春の兆しだからと思う。日本は本当にきれい。。。自然なところもいっぱい。花と木の種類といろいろな色はめっちゃめっちゃきれい。そんなきれいな景色を見ると　神様の偉大さと栄光と神様は常に真実であることをいっぱい思い出す。日本に半年の生活の感謝気持ちもあふれる。。。

ネヘミヤ記９：６
ただ、あなただけが主です。あなたは天と、天の天と、その万象、地とその上のすべてのもの、海とその中のすべてのものを造り、そのすべてを生かしておられます。そして、天の軍勢はあなたを伏し拝んでおります。

Neh 9:6
You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to eveything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.