You thicked-skinned orange!
In my humble opinion, thicked-skinned oranges are always juicier and easier to peel compared to thin-skinned oranges. Whenever I peel thin-skinned oranges, the skin always sticks to the flesh whereas I can peel off a thicked-skinned orange rather cleanly and easily. Why is that so? Are thicked-skinned oranges less protective of themselves? Or are they simply older / more mature oranges, ripe to be eaten?
I am a good salesman, at least I self-proclaim myself to be. I have thick skin. BUT I dread it and sometimes, I really envy others with thinner skin. Why? Although it is true that it is harder to inflict pain on a thick-skinned person, its also harder for pain to get out after it got in. In the end, you get a richochet effect like that of a light under total internal reflection in a waveguide. Did I really want to be thick skinned? Unfortunately, with every miserable moment that passed in my life, my skin just thickened and hardened…
My cousin said that I have young skin. He apparently had no idea how many layers of hardened dead skin lie beneath the seemingly smooth surface.
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Last trains
Its been such a long time since I last blogged… Although I am supposed to sleep early tonight, I have this sudden inspiration to write… so many thoughts in my mind which I want to pen down.
As usual, I caught the last train bound for IzumiTamagawa and as usual, the trains were so packed that you could hardly breath. But something unusual happened tonight. At one of the stations (Soshigaya-Okura), a young man (in his mid 20s) pinned an older man (seemingly in his 60s) to the wall by the neck. The older man was grasping for air as the younger man pressed hard on the older man’s neck with his forearm.
At first, I did not and could not notice anything, blocked by the numerous huge bodies in front of me. Then I noticed that there was a lot of commotion at the door. Very quickly, I took a peek at the windows and saw the scene described above.
What really shocked me was that everyone at the door was just looking and could not be bothered! In Japan, we are taught (by experience) to squeeze together like sardines, sometimes in a very rude fashion in order to make our way home as taxis are really infrequent and expensive in Japan. Did the old man provoke the younger one in any way when we were all packed together? Were they under the influence of alcohol? More importantly, is going home by the last train or saving a life more important? Or was that a common sight in the last trains in Tokyo? I wanted to rush out to stop the younger guy (or at least ask what happened?)! But the door closed even before I could get through the heaps of bodies between me and the door. After the door closed, the earlier commotion died down and everyone resumed their usual activities (messaging, listening to music or just dozing off). My eyes could not help but to focus on the old man who looked like he was going to take his last breath as the train departed. The last scene that I saw was another younger person tapping the shoulder of the belligerent one. All I could do was to pray for the old man’s safety and also for the young man’s patience. I hope I dont see another report of a death/murder on the evening news tomorrow.
On a brighter note, I learnt about the 5 ways of loving a person / of how you want to receive love. They are:
1. Spending time with that person e.g. going out together
2. Physical contact (hugging, kissing etc)
3. Words of reassurance (by emails, letters and by mouth)
4. Showering of gifts and presents
5. Offer of help in work / doing things for a person. (e.g. housework etc)
It seems that Japanese men would want their wives to do the housework, take care of the children wholeheartedly while they slog their lives away in the company. I know of girls who would value the love from their boyfriends/husbands through gifts and presents (in terms of their monetary value). I know of some weird guys who only need physical contact from their girlfriends and nothing else.
Back in JC, Gerald once asked me, ” what do you seek from love?” If I were to answer his question now, it probably would be to spend time with the other party. Sometimes when you love a person, you will be able to derive the highest level of pleasure just by talking to him/her (at least thats what I feel). Haha.. but recently, I have grown to like reading emails and letters…
Punchline:
1. I am scared of last trains in Tokyo.
2. How can you make a blessed, happy person even happier?
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More than 2 months here already…
Today is the 9th of December. I have been in Japan for 2 months and 9 days already. Its amazing, because sometimes, I still cannot believe I am in Japan. “Why is everyone speaking Japanese and not English, or Chinese or Cantonese?”, my mind would go. Thats the problem: I have not managed to localise myself especially with the language. One of the saddest bits is that when I go to Karaoke, I find myself only able to sing Chinese or English songs and not Japanese songs. Hence from today onwards, I have decided to be very serious in compiling “My Music” folder esp the “Male Singers” under the “Japanese Songs” folder. HAHA… *only listening to Japanese songs and fav Chinese/Canto/English songs from now on!!!*
Although its been slightly more than 2 months, my life here has been really a roller coaster ride. Just today, I was appointed the treasurer (again?) of the Singapore Student Association of Japan (SSAJ). Hope that works out fine. My academics… moving slowly with the most worrying bit being the “search for a research topic”. My love life… ups and downs (shall not say anymore). I dun know… maybe I should wait… I have a hunch that something life changing will happen soon. But before that happens, I will wait because:
Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rudem it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
(Quoted from the Bible Cor 13:4-8)
Meanwhile, I will work superhard! I have to… there are too many things I need to do. Wish me luck! Thank you!
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The poser and singlehood!
My first haircut in Japan was definitely a memorable one. I looked so Japanese and could hardly recognise myself. Knowing that I will not be able to reproduce the hair style waxed by the Japanese barber, I decided to take some photos for remembrance. I need to get a hairdryer soon! Please do not puke! =)
Why do people broadcast the fact that they have broken up and hence is single? Even if we cannot be together, I hope we don’t lose the friendship. Take good care of Yourself!
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Another weekend with Sakata-san
Sakata-san, probably my favourite Japanese in Japan (haha), once again brought me and also Kamil out on Saturday. We went to first Odawara Castle and then Hakone. For more information about Odawara Castle, please visit: http://www.answers.com/topic/odawara-castle. Haha but the website did not mention that there was a small scale zoo inside the castle. They even got a big elephant there!
After Odawara Castle, Sakata-san drove us to Hakone. Unfortunately, the roads were so packed because we were joined by other travellers encouraged by the good weather. Despite taking many short-cuts and small roads enabled only by the excellent driving skills of Sakata-san, we reached the centre of Hakone, the lake at about 430pm, which was about nightfall (!!!) in Winter. Sigh… at least I took a good picture of the snow-capped Mount Fuji. I definitely have to come back to Hakone again!
Well, the consolation of missing the sights of Hakone was that we had a wonderful onsen experience in Ten-zan, one of the most famous and very packed open air onsen in Hakone. *I have never seen so many naked men in my life* Haha…
Many thanks to Sakata-san and Kamil for making last weekend a memorable one!
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Asakusa!
After departing from Nikko, we came to Asakusa to visit the famous Senso-ji. Yes, its very famous, and is often the cover page for your Tokyo travel guides. Its also a very good place to buy Japanese souvenoirs (Omiyage) Here are some pictures:
The story of an orange
I opened the fridge and sigh, I forgot to buy oranges again. Its been two days since I had my daily intake of fresh oranges. Guess I will have to do with orange juice instead!
Thought of the day:
You can never buy an orange and hope to eat it a few months later. You have chosen this juicy and sweet orange from the supermarket but you are not sure if you are allowed to eat it now. Thus, you choose to put the orange in a fridge, hoping that you can eat the orange when “the Time is Right”. However, orange, being a fruit, is perishable and has a good probability of rotting although being really thick-skinned. Also, according to Ning Sung, you should never put your oranges in the freezer because they will just denature and go rotten. You can try putting layers of fresh wrap around the orange for this period of time when you do not want to eat the orange. BUT, can the orange remain as fresh as a few months ago? Would you still want to eat the orange at that time? At the same time, the orange is afraid that after tolerating the coldness of the fridge for months, you will eventually decide not to eat the orange and throw the orange into the rubbish bin. After a few months, will you decide to eat a banana instead?
By: the orangeman, or the man lacking in Orange and Vit C.
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日光 with love! (2)
We woke up at 8am from a broken up 12-hour sleep to begin our conquest of the World Heritage sites in Nikko!
First stop was the Sanbutsu-do (Three Buddha Hall) of Rinnonji. Founded in 766 and erected around 848, this was also Nikko’s largest temple. My deepest impression about the temple, however, was a grammar mistake describing the significance of the statues in the temple. “the tree Buddha statues….”. I am like, “Is this translated by a Singaporean?” After that, I showed it to Kamil and he burst out laughing. =)
Next, we went to To-Sho Gu. To-sho Gu is probably the most famous shrine in Nikko. It houses many important relics like the Sleeping Cat (Nemuri Neko) and the Tomb of Ieyasu. In fact, most buildings inside the To-Sho Gu are considered sacred by the Japanese and of these, I was attracted to the “sacred stable”. On top of this stable, there are carvings of three monkeys depicting, “hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil.”
After passing through the Yo-mei mon, we looked at the different “sacred” buildings. I was so sure there is more history about this place. If not for my terrible Japanese…
Next, we went to Taiyuin-byo the Mago (grandson) version of To-sho Gu. I mean, yeah, its really the mago version. According to my guidebook, Taiyubin-byo was constructed in memory of Iemitsu Tokugawa, the grandson of Ieyasu who originally commissioned To-sho-gu. Kamil really liked this place, maybe its because he is also a Mago.
Seriously, to me, all these World Heritage sites are quite normal in terms of architecture. (I mean after travelling around Europe and seeing all those elaborate buildings, cathedrals there). However, nature and the environment which these buildings are located give me a very serene, spiritual feeling. Its the entire package. I dont know why but I felt at ease there.
Well, after looking at the World Heritage sites, we decided that we had nothing to do. “Is that it?” After much delibration, we finally decided to head towards the Nikko Ogura-yama Shinrin Koen. Simply unbelievable but I met my Chinese High Classmate, Zehan, on the streets of Nikko! I was like, “WOW”! Zehan is here on holidays and also to visit another friend, Zushen. But, its incredibly coincidental!
After parting with Zehan, we continued walking. These are some of the sights we saw.
Really liked Nikko! =) But I will come back here one day, with my special someone.
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日光 with love! (1)
The weather forecast, usually very accurate in Japan, predicted that Thursday and Friday this week would be cloudy, downcast and even rainy (haha, sounds like London!=P). According to Yongqin, the “red leave” weather report says that everywhere in the Kanto region will be expecting red leaves with the exception of Nikko, where all leaves would have already fallen. This was what Kamil and I saw outside the train station! *surprise!!*
*Wow* this was the first time I saw red leaves. Pleasantly stunned by the beauty of the environment we were in, we decided to make our way to the Ryokan. After checking in, we left the Ryokan and first stop was the Kannon-ji which was 5mins away from the Ryokan. Not one of the featured temples in Nikko, but still great. *Vincent would have loved it here… =P*
Next, we made our way to the Shin-kyo (sacred bridge). We were quite lucky because the Shin-kyo just re-opened after years of reconstrution. I really like the scenery here. Can you imagine having your marriage held here, right in the middle of this bridge? River flowing beneath, trees covered with red Autumn-flavoured leaves at the flanks and the backdrop of the Kirifuri highlands. Wow..! Anyway, this bridge has even a supernatural story and rich history behind it, adding to its mysterious side. (However, Kamil and I refused to pay 520 yen to get on the bridge, maybe someother time, with somebody else)
So what is Nikko famous for? Well, of course, its the World Heritage sites located in the Nikko National Park. By the way, Kamil and I bought this ‘World Heritage Pass’ which we thought was quite a good deal! =P
Unfortunately, during winter, daytime is short. Before we knew it, the temples, shrines and even Mr. Sun closed for the day.
Nikko, at night, is still very nice but FREEZING. I was so glad I brought my gloves! =P
After 8pm, Nikko became a ghost town. After taking my first public bath with Kamil (eekss!), I tried to sleep at 830pm. After several nights of sleeping at 4am, it was nearly impossible! Sigh.. and there was this constant snoring… =P
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An evening at the Singapore Embassy in Japan
Monday, Yongqin invited us to a party organised by the Singapore-Japan Association held in the Singapore Embassy. I was so looking forward to this party… I mean “Wow, finally get to meet all the who’s who Singaporeans in Japan!” BUT…
It was so coincidental but I met Ning Sung on the train. Although we were 5mins late, we realised that we were the 1st ones to reach. Then Ning Sung passed an interesting comment, “This is expected. Singaporeans are always late.” As it turned out, we waited like half an hour for the rest. And we even thought we made a mistake with the venue. After everyone arrived, we made our way to the Embassy only to realise that, “Wow, where were the Singaporeans?” Yes, it turned out that this party was packed with Japanese people who have business relations or a strong interest in Singapore… *excellent chance for EDB-to-be people*.
After the buffet social interaction session where the other EDB scholar proved her worth, we were treated to a great Jazz performance in the Main Hall. We even got to know another Singaporean, Olivia, who is here on a 1-year exchange programme from NUS. She is currently studying Econs at Waseda University. Good luck! P.S. this girl got her JLPT 1 back in Singapore *bows in admiration*
After the Embassy dinner, we walked to Roppongi and we were treated to nice Christmas decorations. Roppongi is like the part of Tokyo specially dedicated to Westerners and also Westerner-wannabes. *Christmas is coming… means that I have already been in Japan for a long time… *
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