千九百八十七：booboobaby

the new baby

Finally, I got to meet the little one who was in me for the past 9 months. Say hi to bb Mirei :)

& goodbye to my social life.

i want to kill the person who invented this confinement shit. with this kind of weather, all that rubbish about no bathing allowed etc is really rubbish. & even with the herbal bathing thing, my very paranoid mum thinks that bathing should only be done every 2-3 days with the herbs. Which is crazy because I was perspiring alot every night with all those heaty confinement food everyday (& 2 fans in my face) & I was itching like crazy at the neck and back area (I have a history of heat rash at the neck area) & was really going to scratch my skin out already even though I bathed yesterday with the herbal water when my mum finally relented and I got to bathe with the herbal thing again. & I thought I could enjoy a leisurely shower when the bb had to wake up in the middle of it & I had to rush through it, & came out of the shower all sweaty again (with all the stupid no wind rule or you will get wind in the head blah blah) seriously, I don't believe in this crap! else all the people who don't do confinement will have all those diseases & that's alot of women in the world!! no wonder so many pple suffer from postnatal depression..

i hope the dark knight is still showing when Ryo comes back.. although I dunno how I will watch a movie with the baby.. this  must be one of those things you have to sacrifice when having a baby. (T.T)

千九百八十六：TGIF

finally completed my little crochet pouch!

It's been a long week. I guess it started badly which made it feel alot longer.

I'm feeling a little better, basically went to raid my sister's cupboard for stuff to wear (cos she has alot more dresses/skirt type clothing) and although I didn't manage to find alot, at least found some clothes that made me look less fat (i think). Of course anyone can say that I actually don't look that fat compared to other pregnant ladies, but firstly - their husbands are around to make them feel loved, mine isn't. When I feel ugly, no one really is around to give me a hug and say don't be stupid (and maybe just give me an ice cream at the same time to make me feel better) although I really did appreciate all the fb comments from friends who tried to encourage me. But still.. it is super tough to look in the mirror and see this monster of a tummy looking at me (T.T). The only comfortable place is when I lie down to sleep because when I lie flat, my tummy looks smaller haha.

I tried to put all my energy into other stuff instead - like crocheting & diablo-ing. Hopefully these will tide me through until the bb comes. I'm scared, even though I think the husband being there was not a must, but now all these insecurities are coming over me & I really do wish Ryo can be here in time, because they don't allow other family members in the delivery suite. & this other guy was saying his wife's heart stopped during labour & had to be revived ... what if I die and I never see Ryo ever again!? sighz..

I went for the detailed scan on Wednesday, and everything seems ok. Took the day off, & went around with mum to get the basic necessities for the bb. After that we just relaxed at Starbucks, which made it quite a good day of no work and just taking my mind off things.

千九百八十五： Back in Singapore

I love the dome roof of the National Museum

Maybe it's the hormones. But I'm just kinda wishing that I'm back in Japan already.

I dunno how come things can just change from quite ok to such awkwardness.  Maybe friendship is really only skin-deep? Now that I have a pregnant tummy, I'm repulsive and any show of concern towards a pregnant friend might be inappropriate? It's a depressing thought, and all the more so because I am feeling really ugly and any kind words or concern or some true friendship is actually very welcome and much appreciated. Some insensitive pig actually asked why I looked like a clown in my baggy bottoms. I just replied that cos I can't fit into my normal shorts anymore?? (T.T)

千九百八十四： The Sun and the Moon

Annular solar eclipse on 21/5/2012 - when the moon has almost covered the sun

It was great that the past 2 weeks had both a super moon & the solar eclipse. The solar eclipse was a very rare occasion; the previous one that was visible in Japan happened 932 years ago, and I'm really happy that I had the chance to witness it (even better it was with Ryo beside me since it was early morning before he had to go to work). It was spectacular to say the least, and although it isn't a total eclipse (when the whole world turns dark for that few seconds), it was still kinda breathtaking when the moon went straight into the center of the sun. Of course, my camera isn't powerful enough to take an amazing shot, so this is the best I can get. There is a shot of the moon in the center, but I think I like this one better, in terms of sharpness. Also, I think the media did really well, cos they actually did a full broadcast of the eclipse, counting down etc, so that people who can't get out of the house like old people were also able to experience and see the eclipse. I don't know why, but this felt like a very motivational moment for the Japanese people ever since the earthquake & tsunami last year, a sort of bright spot to get everyone happy and excited again, even if it was only for a day. Seeing everyone getting so excited on the streets on TV, strangers sharing their eclipse sunglasses, even dogs getting into the fun, it felt like the country was on the way to getting back on their feet. I don't know when I can see an eclipse again, but hopefully within this lifetime there will be a few more. :D

One more weekend to going back to SG, am having abit of mixed feelings to be separated from Ryo for such a long time this round. 5 months maybe? He's been great the past few months, although of cos not great at helping out at housework, but great in the sense that he tries to come home earlier, have more meals with me, accompanies me to all the doctors' visits and just basically accomodates me whenever i suddenly want to go some place or act a little crazy. This is probably the first time I actually feel like I will miss him alot when I go to sg, because he won't be around for me to hold his hand when I go out and watch out for me in crowded places. (T.T) and also I'm not sure if I can actually survive all the nagging/quarrelling that is inevitable to happen after staying at home for a while. sighzz.. I guess I should just think about all the positive parts, like friends & food for the time being.

I'm feeling super lethargic lately, and it's hard to climb out of bed in the mornings, and I actually almost slept until noon or later somedays by accident. I don't take naps after I get up, although I don't wake up at night after falling asleep at all, I'm wondering how I am able to go to work after getting to SG if this continues to happen. Suddenly am feeling full of admiration for preggy people who commute to work daily especially during peak hours, because I really don't think I can do that with all the waking up early and squeezing with the crowds. Especially hate guys who smell weird, some smell of smoke, some just smell funny (not BO, and not sweat, just a weird sour smell that they emit & I think they dunno it), and also coffee smells. & onion smells. Everything I don't like is just magnifiedx10 basically. hmm.. although the thought of what is going to happen in 2 months is even more scary.

千九百八十三： Late Nights

Mosaic, Habourland in Kobe (HDR)

Been swamped with work & late night calls. Golden week was really the last chance to relax although I didn't know it then. Manage to proceed along with my crocheting (but still... the pouch isn't completed yet), read a little, ate (quite alot?) and watched alot of TV.

This week has been midnight calls the whole week, all 5 days, & I don't understand why these people can't just think through things even before discussing them. We waste most of the hours discussing / reading the stuff on screen & then the last part saying let's consider this now, but there's no more time in the meeting and we have to have another meeting the next day. Anyway, I'm just glad I'm not speaking at these calls, just listening in is really enough to make me want to puke blood. I really need some sleep after a whole week of late nights, but when I wake up in the morning (when Ryo leaves for work at 7), it's so hard to fall asleep again that I'm just zombified the whole day after that. & that can't be good for my health...

I'm kind of dozing off in front of the laptop now in fact, maybe I should go take a quick nap. (>.<) good night!

千九百八十二： Spring!

Grom in Firenze, Italy

The weather has finally turned warmer! But I blame myself for being lazy, even though it's almost bright & sunny everyday, I'm just filled with too much inertia to go out for even a walk. Ryo has been working late the whole of this week, which makes it even harder to go out by myself (just because I'm feeling too lazy to) and eating all meals alone is not fun. If there is only me in the house, I'm very lazy to cook something proper, and alot of meals seem to be leftovers from Ryo's breakfast (miso soup & rice) or instant noodles, or canned food. or sandwiches meaning bread with peanut butter or kaya. I lost 1kg easily this week, due to the lack of meat or the smaller than usual meals I guess (>.<)

It's Friday, which means it's almost the holidays :D Next week is Golden Week, with Public holidays on Monday, Thursday & Friday. There's a holiday in Singapore on Tuesday which means I also get to relax (& wake up at my own time) so effectively only Wednesday is a work day. Even though I have no plans for going anywhere, I'm just happy to have time to myself and not be stuck at home to the PC (again, it's just laziness, I can bring the laptop out to work but zzz, it's so hard to find seats at starbucks that have a power point). Ryo has to work most of the days though, which means I have to have my meals myself again bleahz ...  but maybe I'll think of something soon.

I feel like having an ice cream everyday, or should I say I've been eating an ice cream almost everyday, which explains the Grom picture. I feel like having Grom! Maybe I'll go have some Grom this weekend as well. I need to check if the chicken rice set at tea time at the Singapore food restaurant is really available. They should offer for lunch instead of teatime! What an irritating timeslot - 3-5pm, too late for lunch & too early for dinner.

Starting on a new project this week, which is really a headache with the piles of documentation to wade through. But at least I can't say I have no work to do. Although I'm just trying to finish up the crochet pouch in the meantime. It's taken me 6 months + (including the winter months where I just gave up on it because it was too cold to hold the crochet needle); maybe I can finally complete it in the coming month.

Will be going back to Singapore in June - looking very much forward to all the food & also the Jason Mraz concert!

千九百八十一：Travelling is not for Everyone

LV window display

I'm very much done with negativity from other people. Especially family members. All they do is complain about other people or stress me with stuff that isn't going to happen in the next half a year, and all I want to do is scream, SHUT UP! Why are you always criticising other people? It's not like you are perfect yourself, and we don't find every single chance we can to criticise you behind your back right? I really hate such hypocritical behaviour, how can you smile at someone in the face one moment and behind her say this and that about her??

I'm really glad to be back on my own this week, enjoy some peace in the house and my ears can take abit of rest. I don't want to join in those complain sessions, I get my TV and couch back and at least no one tries to boss me around in my house. I must make it clear though, it's not that I don't enjoy company; I highly look forward to friends or family coming over and visiting, but some actions are really too much to take (eg. loud proclamations of "oh it's so easy to navigate around I could have done this myself (because I make it look easy & all you did was follow me)", or reaching places of interests that I've planned and then refusing to go in because it isn't free admission (which pisses me off because you make me plan and then you come sightseeing and you don't want to go in?!), or telling me to stop because I AM TIRED when actually you are the one who wants to rest and then after that boast about how energetic you were this trip (because i planned lots of rest time in between?) etc etc. ) I mean, the trip is over, but it wasn't enough to complain during the trip, you had to call me after the trip to complain again about the other party, about money, about how I should stop showing people around because it costs me money to take trains / sightsee with people. I got really angry there. How petty can anyone get?! It really sickened me to hear such words coming from someone I'm related to, I take people around because I want to, who counts those expenses as expenses anyway?? After the phone call, I felt totally depressed and exhausted.

Apart from the negativity, all the sightseeing was quite good because I went to quite a few places that I haven't been to myself, and also managed to see sakura at several places. Caught up with my cousin, had some of mum's cooking and got a bit of break from work. (although now I need abit of a break to rest from the break) Golden week is coming up (hopefully that will be a break). Although if I could go to Hawaii or Phuket now I would be very happy as well.

千九百八十：Thoughts from the iPad

Recycled plastic bottles at the Marina Barrage 

 I'm watching the Twilight movies for the very first time & it's quite captivating so far. The movie adaptation is quite close to the book (maybe it's because it's been years since I read the book so I can't really remember). Overall it's strangely romantic, and unexpectedly violent when they killed James.

 Also realised that some things are just better done on the PC. The blogger site is formatted a little strangely on the iPad and its alot harder to type.

OK I'm now continuing this on the PC because it's just so much easier. This week feels super long. I went for 2 hospital visits on Tuesday which turned out to be a good thing because we were indoors during the typhoon-like storm. We had planned to go to Sannomiya for me to do my work in a cafe but ended up we had no time. Which was lucky for us, cos it was flooding very badly. I'm having headaches daily, I don't know is it from lack of sleep or just headaches but I must try to sleep in tomorrow until i feel that I have had enough sleep.

I realise I have alot of photo editing to do! From last year that is. I had so many ambitious plans to create photobooks from our travels but nothing has been done yet.

& I need a break! i want to go for some spa treatments! I can't wait to go back to SG actually.. even just warmer weather will probably make me feel better.

Yawning like mad now.. & thoughts are not really flowing properly. Rambling a little.. will head to bed I guess..

千九百七十九：3 years of Grief

Kobe Tower

In the blink of an eye, 2+ weeks has gone by. Every weekend seems to be super busy even though I'm not sure why, and I go into the new work week all tired out from the weekend instead of being recharged.

I went to visit Ayaka's grave last last Sunday (18-March). I had intended to go the week before that but was too tired out from coming back from Tokyo & I just couldn't wake up early on Sunday morning to make my way there. I had thought that after 3 years, the pain of the loss would have lessened,  but I realised only too late when I reached there that I was wrong. Although I seldom think of her nowadays, and I was feeling cheerful all the way there,  everything just came rushing back into my mind when I saw her grave & my breath kinda got choked up in my throat and tears started to well in my eyes. My mind was blank but apparently grief is like a reflex action that didn't need any thoughts to be triggered. Ryo helped me to get water to clean up the gravestone, but it was raining anyway (it always rains when I visit her) so I placed some gerberras in the vases and lit up some incense for her. You know in movies, people speak to the dead aloud, in the cemetery, but I can't do that (I can't talk to myself aloud even), & I tried my best to make my thoughts to her heard over the sound of the raindrops & my sniffling, to let her know that we still miss her, and what updates I had in my life in the past year. Ryo was holding the umbrella for me, and I was really glad he was there with me because I felt so exhausted (perhaps with grief) after visiting her that I was just kinda hanging on to him for support as we made our way down to the busstop.  I was very much incapacitated of speech (it was like something switched off inside me) during the first year of her death that I just felt like I didn't have much to say to anyone and there was nothing really worth saying anyway, since we all die someday, especially words that hurt other people, words you end up regretting when you lose someone dear to you suddenly. I felt like that for the whole day afterwards, & I guess Ryo felt it so he was extra nice to me that day and I really appreciated it. I guess I have to try to let go, (I thought I had) but it just doesn't feel right to do so. Maybe someday it will happen.

Last weekend, we were invited to a brass band performance by Ryo's colleague; she was performing in it as an alumni. It was quite good (I only fell asleep in the middle when the current students were performing) for most of it, they performed very upbeat songs like the march from the Disneyland electrical parade, circus town etc. After that we brought Tamoto-san and her son to Harbourland since they seldom were in Kobe and the little boy was so fascinated by everything. Luckily he was quite a cheerful boy, even when he was tired he just said quietly to his mum that he was tired of walking for his mum to carry instead of wailing like some brats you see around you.

This week seems to be quite a busy week workwise (which is a good thing) but actually I'm feeling very lethargic and I really am feeling the need to go to some resort and just nua away for a week to rest.. :x I should start doing some holiday researching.

千九百七十八：Tokyo 2012

Wedding couple at Meiji Shrine

2nd last day of a 16-day stay in Tokyo & I'm ready to go home!

It was a hectic 10 days last week when the guys came to Tokyo for the marathon, & all the sightseeing and running around took quite abit out of me. I'm a very lazy traveller, meaning I like to wake up late, I like to take my time to see the sights and slowly walk around and see the streets and shops, instead of trying to cover as many places as I can in a day so a very tight schedule is not for me since I get tired quite easily and I don't have that much energy to stay on my feet the whole day. Despite the lack of energy, I had enthusiasm, & I tried to be a good guide for them, (although I'm really a tourist in the Tokyo area myself) and I did enjoy myself 90% of the time. The horrible parts of the trip was the freezing weather, the lack of sunlight for most of it, the rain & the super cold winds. Which led to alot of shivering and keeping my head down and being unable to properly enjoy myself and take photos because my fingers / body were so cold. This week seems to be better, with 2 days about 15degrees, but rain the rest of the day. where is the sunshine!?

I'm glad I stayed an extra week, was able to catch up with other friends in Tokyo and just catch up with some rest. Also basically to go to the shops I want to go/eat the non-japanese food that I want to eat w/o feeling bad about dragging the Singaporeans to and wasting their precious travel time.

The new iPad has been announced & I'm quite tempted to get one. But I still actually can't find a need for it. I think Ryo has more of a need for it than me actually. Since I already have a Kindle, I won't be reading on the iPad except for magazine subscriptions (which I'm actually too stingy to take out except for Runner's world). If you are looking at the iPad on the train, everyone around u can see what you are looking at. hmmmm... maybe it's just the impulse of the moment, hopefully I will stop thinking about it.

I want to go Itoya tomorrow again (properly slowly walk around) before going back to Osaka. This is going to be a busy weekend!

千九百七十七：Winter

Huat for 2012!

Finally got down to blogging today, after such a long break. FQR12 projects just ended last night, which is why today is quite a free day. (ok there's work but I'm just giving myself a break until deadlines loom near) Going to catch up on some reading hopefully.

I'm also back in Japan & not very happy about the weather. It's freezing here! There's some sort of cold drift across the whole country, and usually Kobe is sorta warmish, less than 10 degrees but never less than 0 degrees,  but this time it went to negative at night and I did not see any snow yet. humph! Last night was the coldest night so far, I just couldn't sleep because my face was freezing and in the end I buried myself (including my head) under the blankets before finally getting warm enough to fall asleep. I hope this doesn't get worse..

The last 2 weeks in SG went by in a blur. It seems to always be that I'm quite free & relaxed until the last 2 weeks when suddenly there just isn't enough time to meet up with everyone and do everything I want to do. I managed to go to Marina Barrage (very inconvenient place to get to without a car although it is a very relaxing environment, good for a picnic or just to lie down on the grass & enjoy the sky), take a ride on the Singapore Flyer (hmm.. a little overrated I guess, but the view was beautiful at night on the MBS side, and I'm glad I did it once), and went to the Singapore Botanic Gardens (fed swans with a friend's daughter, it was fun!) I didn't have time to catch Wicked, which was a pity, given that I've heard so many good reviews. But then, I'm really more of a play person, musicals just don't captivate me as much. I think my favourite is still The Inspector Calls with my sister & Calvin in London, that was hilarious and kept us in stitches the whole time. Maybe next time.

Chinese New Year was quite subdued this year, perhaps because there's only 2 weekdays and people are still tired after the Christmas & New Year holidays. With so many festivals back to back, who would have the mood to keep celebrating. (& also no mood to work at all for December/January) It was work for me for both days, which was good because it meant no need to give angbaos hehe.. and I don't really enjoy making small talk. Although at the end of it, I realised I did miss eating the CNY goodies, but it was too late, because we didn't have any at home.

Ryo is away for a week or so, which makes this short month with each other even shorter. After he comes back, we have around a week together before I go to Tokyo to meet up with the marathon people for a week plus. & we would have been married for 3 years after end of this month. How fast! Perhaps it's all the flying and being apart but it feels alot shorter than that. Which also means that our dear friend has left us for almost 3 years. The worst part is that it happened so soon after the wedding that every time I think about the anniversary, it will also be time for hers. I think of her less often now, but the sadness that comes up every time she comes to mind is overwhelming. The annual visits will be continued for as long as I can, but if I ever forget in future, I hope it will only mean that we are finally at peace with her being in heaven.

千九百七十六：2 more weeks

These moments are the reason why you have kids (not my kid..) 

Almost Chinese New Year, time really flies. 2 more weeks in Singapore & I'll be going back to Japan. I think I'm going to watch Wicked alone, the ticket is quite expensive to ask anyone else to go with me (no one else around me seems interested anyway).. & go to marina barrage to just see the real thing for myself and relive the peacefulness of lying on the grass (hope it's clean) or maybe fly a kite. Have tickets for the flyer, & will head to the botanic gardens to try to figure out my way around. Now it's so warm, it might not be that great an idea though, but I do want to walk around the place before I run out of energy to do so.

on a totally irrelevant note, I'm kind of trying to get kinder bueno to eat (white version) but everytime I see it I forget to buy it.

I've read 4 books so far, including Steve Jobs (the biography). It's pretty inspiring, in the sense that although he was such a control freak & perfectionist with very bad temper and eccentricities, he succeeded in making everyone around him see things his way & came up with the products we are using daily. And the Kindle choose to break down right when I was reaching the end of the book. (T.T) Luckily for the iPhone. I was able to upload a pdf version into my phone and finish reading it on iBooks. This is when I agreed with Steve saying all other products are crap. To give Amazon some credit, they immediately agreed to send a replacement Kindle (but to Japan?! how am I going to survive the next few weeks on the bus!?) because it seems like it was a common issue. and of course my Kindle was still within warranty. I guess I have to read real books on the bus for the next few weeks..

My appetite is improving, less nausea and less diarrhoea. turns out that i'm now lactose intolerant - which had led to the few weeks of very bloated feeling, tummyaches and nausea. & of course these led to no energy, no appetite as well as fatigue (as anyone would feel after going to the loo for the fifth time in a day)

As much as I'm enjoying being around friends and family, I miss being home in Japan. (not the cold though) I miss watching CSI on my big TV, or just tinkering around my plants, my kitchen and just lazing on my sofa. I miss going jogging, (totally no mood to run here due to the weather) and I just miss the supermarket outings once a week with Ryo. After shopping, he would load everything into the bicycle so that I don't have to carry anything, and then he would cycle like mad trying to catch up with me while i run as fast as I can home. & then we would both reach the lobby of the apartment panting like mad & laughing at each other for being silly. sighz.. after 2 weeks you'll read about me missing Singapore instead..

千九百七十五：2012 Resolutions

Teddy Bears at the ArtScience Museum

As usual, checking if I've fulfilled my resolutions for 2011 in my first post of 2012.
2011 resolutions : http://booboogal.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-resolutions.html

1. Running - 80km monthly, Run a half marathon by June, a Full marathon by end of the year. - Done the last 2, the first one only managed it for  April / May 2011 .. oops.. 
2. Photography - Improve on skills with all lenses. - hmmmmmm.. some commented my photos have improved (could be editing skills improved though) need to take more photos with the Macro lens though
3. French - Take classes and get to finish book 1 of the text book. - damn..... I think I didn't finish the book, had around 3-4 chapters left to go.. maybe I should try to clear this goal this year. 
4. Spend more time at home in JPN. seriously need to improve variety of food i can cook. & to try to wake up earlier... - I did manage to wake up earlier towards the end of the year. Also manage to only visit SG with a gap period of 6 months, but travelled alot everywhere else from June to December. Maybe I should be more  concrete about this as well (>.<) food variety probably not increased at all, have to try harder next year. 
5. Read /write more. & love myself alot more.. - Fulfilled my reading goal of 50 books from July-December2011!  -> check out the widget at the side. Made a conscious effort to blog more as well , tried to do a biweekly thing, if not weekly, instead of once a month update on my blog. Should have separated out the 2nd half of this resolution , because it is totally not linked to the first half. I have made some hard decisions in December, & will be adding them on to my resolutions for 2012 as well. & am seriously tired of all the mental strain from all the toxic relationships. 

2012 Resolutions on the way: 
1. Read more (80 books at least this year) - must try to read 2 books a week!? oops .. this didn't sound like that much when I finished 50 books in 5 months. 
2. Only be nice to people who deserve it. - hence my resolution yesterday of don't bother asking about pple's day if they are not interested in yours. (seriously, isn't it just courtesy to ask how about you? even after you reply a really boring answer because if the person didn't want to know, he or she wouldn't have asked in the first place. Since they have no interest in your day whatsoever, by just putting a stop to the conversation, i guess they don't need my concern in the first place. ) 

3. Detox my life. Cut off toxic/ poisonous people who call themselves my friends/family yet show no concern for me or my well-being or my life whatsoever (these people are usually self-centred, gets angry easily with me yet never reflects on their own behaviour to check if they themselves are guilty of such behaviour & speak without care if they hurt others.)  Holding on to such relationships only serve to put myself under tremendous mental strain & I'm currently under enough as it is. 

4. Appreciate my parents more. Not much time in their lives as they get older.. which means less time for me as well. Despite all the rebellious situations when I was younger, 

5. Again, be in Japan more. 

6. Finish my French elementary lessons (at least!!). 

Spent New Year's Day & the day after at home almost sleeping throughout. Perhaps because I stayed out on New Year's eve and it's been awhile since I had actually slept so late. The horrible situation of not being able to get any cab is really a turnoff for any future festive seasons though. Why can't they leave the SMRT to run for 24 hours on Xmas & New Year's Eve when they can do that for the marathon? But was a first time I actually ushered in the new year at a club/drinking venue, had quite a good time. Xinhuan visited with her family & her kids are already so grown up. 


Xmas was a quiet affair, but enjoyed myself nevertheless. I think. 


Am really hoping this year to be a good year (for everyone around me, not just me). All the best to everyone!

千九百七十四：Festivities

View of the Esplanade from the SkyPark

The festivities are upon us! 2011 is coming to an end and it's been a lazy cheerful mode in the country. With so much excitement in the air, of many things that happened, the major incident being  the SMRT breaking down leading to people being unable to buy their presents - seems abit stupid to me because can't they take buses or cabs? or just that the news programs all happen to interview dumbos?

I haven't had a Christmas in Singapore for 2 years, and it was nice being around for gifts exchanges & Xmas dinners which really added to the atmosphere compared to me being alone at home during the non-public holiday in Japan usually. Visited the Art Science museum, managed to see the Titanic & Cartier exhibition as well, ($24 for Singaporeans - ask for the Singaporean prices at the counter!) and despite the wet weather over the past week, it has been pretty good in terms of events so far. I am feeling better in terms of health, perhaps I can resume light running in a week or so. Met up with secondary school friends as well, & despite the fiasco at the end of the dinner, we had a pretty good time catching up.

A wedding lunch on New Year's eve, parents' wedding anniversary dinner next week or today probably.. Seems like the year will end pretty well :)

千九百七十三：Kinect

everyone wanted a shot of the rainbow

I think I am very forgetful nowadays. I can barely remember what I did last week, or the week before. Last week was the xmas lunch on friday (received chocolates for the gift exchange) and the food was only so-so despite being at the Raffles Hotel Bar & Billiards room. Convinced my parents to buy the Kinect on Sunday after lunch, and it has been quite fun so far. I must warn everyone not to buy the 4GB system because it is a scam! 4GB is barely enough (became 1.2GB after I updated the XBOX OS) it's like buying a 16GB iphone only to realised the OS takes up 10GB! ... quite angry at this, no choice but to buy an external xbox hard disk.

Another exciting moment was when we went to see the A&F models on Wednesday before we went to shoot the xmas lights at Orchard. Thanks to James & his super camera, the shots of the models & me turned out great :D hehehehe, so happy to have managed to catch them just before they left at 7pm. Borrowed the Pen from Julius' brother, it was quite good! lightweight (lighter than I had thought) and good quality pictures generally, but the price is still the obstacle to purchasing it.

Desaru day trip tomorrow, hope I don't feel sick or anything in the car. Work has been slow so far (maybe everyone is in the Christmas mood already) ..

It's almost 2012, the year went by in a flash!

千九百七十二：Singapore Marathon 2011

Runners heading to the finishing line

I am sad (embarrassed) to say that I didn't run my last planned race of the year due to some unforeseen circumstances. However I did go to support my colleagues & friends.

After seeing a few races in Japan go smoothly, I must say the Singapore one seems very disorganised! Long queues at bag deposits; no cut off times, so many barriers to deter supporters, too many people for all events (too many people crowding the finishing area), too many walkers (blocking photos of the marathoners). The only thing better was the pacers which were very visible in SG (& GC) with their  balloons and costumes. I couldn't see the pacers in Japan at all, all they had were the timings stuck on their backs (who can see those from afar?!)

After a morning at the marathon we headed to Tiong Bahru market for lunch & I got to eat my favourite chicken rice. Not something big to be happy about, but I guess nothing beats the real chicken rice in Singapore.

a Jack Russell outside Tiong Bahru Market

It's been non-stop eating (or at least feels so to me) of my favourite foods so far, even though I haven't had much appetite since last week. The volume of food I can take in is reduced though, hopefully this gets better over the next 2 months.

Not much thoughts so far, been feeling tired easily & discovered some hurtful stuff that I shall try to not think about (which the more I try, the more I end up thinking about it & feeling angry and sad). argh!!!

The least I can do is not let myself be hurt by people I care about anymore. But how? Build a wall around me?

千九百七十一：Korea

time waits for no man (or woman..)

I'm back from the Seoul super short trip! The temperatures were freezing (need 2 thick jackets above my heattech top & normal sweater & gloves) which really tired me out; I spent all my energy fighting the call and was dead tired by early evening.

The flight there was quite short, around 2 hours, but the trip to the hotel took around 2 hours as well. I should have taken the airport express bus to Myeongdong, but did not know of it until when going back, which was a pity, because it was cheaper and faster. I'm glad I got a room at Skypark hotel, because it was like 3 minutes from the subway station was was just plonk in the middle of the shopping area. I finally met up with Marini & Qling at around 4pm and we headed for my first proper meal of the day - bibim cold noodles. It was delicious! but very spicy. & I think I ate it wrongly w/o using the cold soup. hmmm.. We walked a little around, saw a demonstration in progress, escaped the confusion and crowds and met the bride for dinner at a crab place. I didn't know that crabs were famous in Korea. & they were pretty good! Unexpected food of this trip. After dinner, they brought us to Dongdaemun for me to look around a little - it's like MBK in Bangkok with all the small wholesale type clothing shops where there are lots of shops u have to bargain with and they all carry similar clothes after walking around for a bit. Maybe we were there too late, but the area isn't as happening as portrayed by the Japanese travel programs. (>.<)

The next day, we had brunch or actually an early lunch - some sort of hot pot. The luncheon meat was surprisingly good :) Then we went on to Red Mango for some dessert. I think I ordered a different item .. I wanted frozen yoghurt but the person didn't seem to understand me & I ended up with Yoghurt icecream. This is the problem with going to countries where they don't understand me! By the time I realised someone else did order frozen yoghurt, it was too late (because I was too full to eat anymore). We headed for the spa after lunch & it was a very very interesting experience. The old aunties who were the "scrubbers" were also in their undies (which was super weird) but practical & I dunno why we paid to torture ourselves in the oven sauna! At least at the end of it, I was scrubbed super clean & probably that "detox" session burnt some fats as well, because I was very hungry after 2-3 hours of spa activities. We had Ginseng Chicken for dinner, which was only so-so because I didn't like the sticky glutinous rice in the chicken. After dinner, we shopped a bit more & went back to the hotel early (too cold & we had to wake up the next day early for the wedding)

On the wedding day - it actually got colder. Cloudy overcast sky. I swear, I'll never go Korea in winter again. We made it to the wedding venue via shuttle bus, the wedding was quite an interesting affair. The usual ceremony was quite similar to a church wedding except we didn't understand what the officiating guy was chattering about - he made a speech for >15 minutes. The table arrangements were weird too, there was no eating no drinks, so why were there tables in there? They should have put in more chairs as >half of the people had to stand at the back of the hall. The traditional ceremony was funny, and I'm glad I was able to witness it. It was almost exactly as the dramas portrayed it, (with whichever few dramas I watched) the husband had to piggyback the wife around the room! I'm very glad I got the chance to see this, but most of all, happy that a friend who has been like a big sister to me has found her own happiness as well.

After the wedding, we went back to change, (dresses & heels are not for the super cold weather) and we headed for some tea at a store called Tea Therapy. It was a very cozy place, with half herbal teas and half herb teas, at a very reasonable price & we tried the very delicious ice kachang too! After that, we headed to dinner, finally we had bbq pork & chige & that was the last of my trip.

Headed back to JP yesterday morning at 6am for a 9am flight, I'm so glad JP is so warm (at 15 degrees it feels so warm!).

Now I'm just looking forward to Singapore to avoid the cold winter here for 2 months! :)

千九百七十：Kobe Marathon

Kobe Marathon Participation T-shirt

My 2nd last run for the year is over & I'm feeling that alot of weight is off my shoulders! I know that I'm not in to win but there is just pressure on myself (from myself) that I need to do better that I did previously. Now I have only the Standard Chartered half marathon in Singapore left to worry about!

The run expo was a rainy affair, and there was only a small hall with with not many exhibitors. It was quite a sad event compared to the Osaka Marathon Expo and I don't know if it was due to poor planning or just plain stinginess on the organisers' part, there was no wet weather plan.

It was lucky that the marathon day itself was sunny but with very strong winds. It was a horrible run mainly because I had the urge to pee which got very very bad towards the 7-8km mark & I was really running for the loo rather than for any other reason in the end. The race course was too crowded - again poor planning, I don't know why they start everyone off at the same time cos in the end the 10km runners are stuck behind the slow full marathon runners who are definitely not going to be running at the same pace as us (or the people who actually need to use the loo) with many sharp curves in the route where runners were slowed to a crawl when running (now i understand the pain of the F1 racers in Singapore).

I managed to finish the run in an hour+, seek immediate relief in the loo of the end point before going on to support the full marathon runners.

Hiroki did really well! I'm actually surprised that I managed to catch all the people that I know was running, & that cheering them on helped to boost their morale (at least that's what they said). It was fun chasing them with the trains to 2 different points in the race - something that is probably not doable in Singapore. (How to go to Orchard then ECP then suntec within a few hours with all the walking & road closures in between?!) But the sunny weather was such a boost to runners' morales & you can really see the difference in the videos. Most people tried to finish with a run here but in the heavy rains during the Osaka Marathon, everyone looked depressed even at the finishing line. At least I experienced the worse one with hopes that if I ever join any marathon again, it should have better weather?!

I'm glad I've done all I wanted to achieve this year (train up, improve my 10km, do a good half marathon & try a full marathon). Heading to Seoul tomorrow for a colleague's wedding, it seems to be super cold in Korea! I hate the cold, it makes me feel all sleepy and want to just hibernate like a bear. I'm so looking forward to escaping 2 months of the cold in SG in a week!!

千九百六十九：Kyoto

The escape artist at the Philosopher's Walk in Kyoto

Last week was quite relaxing in the sense that the projects got signed off finally! & the team went on some event on Friday so it was a very coincidentally good timing that Shuping & Susan came to Kyoto over the same days.

Thursday night was 焼肉、 finally settled my beef cravings. I can't even remember the last time I had bbq beef, was it with Ryo's team?

Friday was sightseeing at Kyoto with the girls, it was a very very gloomy & chilly day with rain & lots of bus rides. We got to chat a lot on the bus rides at least, & I realised that Kyoto is too big a city to cover even in a week!  (maybe because of the jams.. & the fact that we were taking buses.. the subway network is not comprehensive enough, we had to walk alot of places)  I feel sorry for the people who live in Kyoto; there are so many tourists on the public transportation system, & the buses are so tiny with so little seats, are they paying taxes to maintain these systems? Around evening time, the horrible buses are packed to the door, and locals are not able to get on the buses (because the buses are so small) & I  actually feel thankful for the SG buses being so spacious and user friendly in their designs (even for standing people!) We managed to head to the Philosopher's walk (stumbled upon the cat above), then 平安神宮 & 金閣寺. When the sun set, we headed towards Gion, & then the shopping district. Luckily, we were all laidback travellers (not the kind who must cheong 10 places a day) & this suited us very well + our legs were all super tired from the walking around & the standing in the bus for >40 minutes per ride.

Saturday was a trip to 嵐山 Arashiyama (the most scenic place in Kyoto in my opinion). I should have set off earlier, but I was in serious sleep debt after 2 nights of sleeping late & waking up early the next day, and the seats were all taken up by energetic old ladies who were ready to go sightseeing at 9+am. (T.T) I had to stand for the whole of the 1.5 hours train ride there. Although there was only about 20% of the trees having turned yellow for autumn, having not been in Arashiyama for 2 years++ , the view still pretty much took my breath away. Seeing the bridge against the mountainous backdrop with patches of red & yellow, & a river with super clear waters, it was very scenic, if you try to ignore all the human traffic trying to squeeze pass you when you try to stop to take a pic (>.<) Anyway, loads of fun that day with the girls. We headed to the 竹林, managed to see workmen cutting down bamboo trees, old men doing watercolour paintings by the roadside, duck udon for lunch, an orgel museum (only headed into the shop hehe)

Kyoto is famous for it's 漬物　(pickled vegetables?) so we had alot of fun trying out pickles at the stores (of course we bought some!) I think the best part was that we were all sorta on the same frequency, especially with the "take alot of pics of everything" & "take alot of candid pics of the other girls'" mentality since we all had our own quite good cameras. I haven't travelled with friends in a while, it's usually Ryo & he doesn't take pics much (unless he wants to post something on fb) or he will be kinda involved in playing his games on the phone (which is pretty irritating) and be waiting for me while i browse or take pics instead of taking pics himself so this time was 10x more fun.

Dinner on Saturday night was with my cousin who also happened to come to Osaka at the same weekend, (the girls went back to Tokyo..) & his baby is already 1 year old! I haven't met his wife/baby directly before, and I must say the baby is a really really cute & sweet little girl! She was just smiling all the time (almost) & charmed the socks off 3 grown men at the next table which was quite funny cos they actually looked very macho & scary to me, until they started making faces at the baby. wahahaha!

Sunday morning was runclub activities and had to wake up at 7am sobzz (T.T) But was quite happy that I went; I hadn't realised that the last time I went was in July! Everyone seemed genuinely happy to meet up with me, & I feel very guilty that the next one I can only join is in February after I return from Singapore. sighz. I had a good time catching up with everyone during lunch (brought them to eat chicken rice for lunch!) and made  some new friends as well.

I'm very glad to be not going any where this week (for now though) because my legs are so so so tired! There is the quarter marathon this Sunday, & Korea next weekend. Glad to have events to look forward to!

千九百六十八：Happy Birthday!

Mont Blanc Chocolat Birthday Dessert

My hubby turned 40 last Friday. It sounds old! (><) But I tried to make it a good birthday, since almost every year I am not in Japan for his birthday, actually, trying to recall, I don't even think I've celebrated his birthday at all since 2005. Since we were in Tokyo, we went out for his favourite お好み焼 for dinner, & I surprised him  by producing the above when he came back to the room. I went up first because I had to pee (really!) while he went to 7-eleven, & that gave me the chance to prepare the dessert/cake and the candles. I went to buy the cake on the way back to the hotel after working at starbucks in the afternoon, luckily we were staying within walking distance from the department stores. (Odakyu has a very poor choice of confectionery compared to Hankyu, I realised.) Anyway, he was surprised & quite touched (I didn't wish him happy birthday in the morning because I had forgotten haha), so yay! Still sore he didn't do anything for me for my birthday, but too bad for me ...

Back at home since Monday, Ryo has gone to New York for work this morning. I have resolved to clean up the mess at home while he is away so that I can surprise him again when he is back. (& I really should clean up the study room which is overflowing with books.) I've managed to throw away tons of receipts, even from 2009. & have finally called the garbage center to remove the broken suitcase which Ryo was supposed to have done. Cannot depend on him to help with anything!! I have also decided to read a book a day (or a book every 2 days)  which is very hard when you are at home and there is so much other things you want to do. So far so good, I've read 7 (?) books since last week, on the train rides in Tokyo & back home. Ryo being away should give me the chance to read in bed before I sleep anyway.

It was a good trip, as 1day was a public holiday & we had the weekend + Friday dinner together. Usually when i'm in tokyo, I would be having dinner myself almost every day. Met up with some ex colleagues for lunch, leisurely worked in the afternoon (only 1 work day anyway) & met up with 2 NY girls for dinner on Sunday. It was so fun to girl talk while the JP husbands 诉苦 to each other. (^^)v Shopped a little, ate alot, on the whole it was quite a relaxing trip. It was the first time I took an afternoon flight home as well and I managed to catch a glimpse of Osaka Castle & Umeda Sky building from the air. It was amazing!

Feeling very fulfilled after the big cleanup today, shall go read & cook dinner (not at the same time) now. Ciao!