ニヴィスカスス：氷のばくはつ

Tomorrow's the day!

2008-05-03T03:23:05Z

I'm posting now while I'm waiting for the rice to be cooked because I won't have time to post tomorrow.

Finally, I'm leaving for Singapore tomorrow night. My flight's at 7pm but I'll be leaving Mitaka at 1:30. Bought a ticket for the Odakyu Limousine Bus which goes straight from Kichijoji to Narita Airport. Cost 3,000yen but that okay compared to the number of transfers I need to do if I take the train. Not to mention I'm lugging a stroller half my size + my laptop. 楽だもん。

Why leave at 1:30 when the appointed time for check-in still at 5pm? You see, I have this tendency to get lost easily. Or do something wrong in the process so I have go back to a place or whatever. Either way, I need lots of time to go around Narita Airport. I remember the day of my departure for Japan, the lady at JAL's check-in counter didn't give me an embarkation card so after queueing up for more than ten minutes in the Immigration part, I had to go back and get an embarkation card and fill it out and queue up again.o(>_<)o So yeah, I can't remember who told me this, but I think it's Ali, "you need plenty of time to get lost."

Yesterday, went around Tokyo to buy stuff for friends. I stopped by the post office on the way to the station to send Mothers' Day (May 11) cards. I went to Shinjuku first for Ate Mia's artbook, but unfortunately, Books Kinokuniya ran out of stock. So I just decided to look for Gift Gate to buy Pam's Keroppi something. I wasn't able to find a pencil, but I hope she'll like what I bought for her. Next stop was Ikebukuro, to buy stuff for Ann, Triccie and Ate Mia. I was able to buy a Namame (Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden) stuffed toy!:3 I love that character to bits so I bought it.XD Went back to Mitaka and bought 2000yen worth of chocolates for Terry's aunt and some snacks for our trip. Last on the list was 100yen shop to buy those rough bath towels for my mother.:P 私はけっちで～す。XD

Now I'm supposed to finish packing. And I'm supposed to tidy up my room because people are going to remove the old air-conditioning unit and replace it with a new one.(*u*)/ They're doing the renovation on the 7th so I'm not here. I. NEED. TO. TIDY. UP. MY. MESSY. ROOM. *dies*

So everyone, I'll be gone for a week.( ^o^)/~ Will take lots of pictures in Singapore and Malaysia.:DDD

The good thing about living near Kichijoji

2008-04-28T12:48:44Z

is you get to watch a shooting for an ongoing drama.

I watched Last Friends only yesterday out of exhaustion from studying. I got to see parts of the first episode weeks ago on TV (and commentating and spoiling Ali and Alex at the same time) and when I saw the setting, I just had an inkling of where it might be, but somehow I couldn't put my finger on it.

This was the first scene I saw. I was thinking of Kichijoji but I wasn't sure.

And then this, too. I know there's a Lonlon in Kichijoji but there's one in Mitaka, too.

This should've told me it was Kichijoji, but there were no landmarks I could remember.;A;

If I knew this scene would come a few seconds later, I wouldn't have switched channels. Those kanji characters would've told me everything I needed to know.

But since I stupidly changed channels, when I saw this scene, the place being Inokashira Park was still a hunch.

And then I watched the whole three subbed episodes, and whee~ IT IS KICHIJOJI!

North side of Kichijoji. There's the Yuzawaya, and the JR Chuo Line Kichijoji Station.

Kichijoji Station

Most familiar place. Just near the Park Entrance. There the Odakyu Bus (the one I take from the dormitory most of the time) and Matsuya, where I sometimes buy gyuudon. Yoshinoya's somewhere on the right.

Street to Inokashira Park

And Inokashira Park!

Thiswas the area from the earlier cap. Prolly the place where we ate lunch when the AIKOMsei went to Kichijoji for the first time, and the same place where Viet Thi and I ate lunch (again) when we went cherry blossom viewing.

Keio Inokashira Kouen Station. I've never taken the train from here but it's on the same line as the one I take every single day I commute to school.

This street...

is the street...

I always take when I come from...

99 (Kyukyu) Shop!

It was just the right timing when I saw that shooting. Carla and I were talking on the train about Last Friends, when she joked that if there is a shooting, "we might get our chance to be seen on JTV" (verbatim). I never actually imagined that there would be a shooting tonight. I was on my way home and I had to go to 99 Shop to buy eggs, because I was running out of eggs, when I saw this crowd in front of the NiCHE salon.This morning, when I was cycling towards my (illegal) parking space, I made it a point to check which street the parlor was in. It didn't take a lot of time because I'm familiar with the place. I just didn't pay too much attention to the names of the shops there. I guess that's the problem when you're too familiar with the place. You really don't think a lot about the names of the buildings.

So yeah, I got a glimpse of Nagasawa Masami (Michiru). I could've stayed longer if my stomach wasn't making the "kyuu~" sound again, telling me to get my ass home and eat dinner. They might be shooting a scene with Nishikido Ryo waiting outside the parlor again, but then again, you really can't stay and watch there because staff people were yelling "TACHITOMARANAIDE KUDASAI! TACHITOMARANAIDE KUDASAI!" Honestly, I hate that line. I always hear it in conventions. TACHITOMARANAIDE KUDASAI!

I wish I could see Ueno Juri, too. I'm totally crushing on Ruka now.<3 Kakkoii~

So yeah, I tried to take a decent picture, but au phone cameras fail miserably.

This is the NiCHE parlor. Sorry for the crappy quality.

It didn't help that I have poor eyesight so I couldn't see much. But anyway, they're shooting in Kichijoji anyway, so there'll be lots of chances to see this... I hope.:P

But I am going to finish this series (this is coming from me, a person who hasn't finished any drama she started watching ages ago) because it's fun to see places you know so well in it. I was able to finish Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi because of Nara, and the deers, of course. But damn, now I know the agony in waiting for the next episode. Alex told me about it when she was watching Shikaotoko, but of course, being the abovementioned type of audience that I was, I didn't really care. But gah! Oh well, at least I can watch it on TV onThurday. :D

Credits: Caps from Kioku's releases

Self-confidence

2008-04-14T14:47:17Z

...is what I lack extremely.

Today was the start of my Nihongo tutorial sessions with a volunteer from Mishop. Sure, I'm taking Nihongo classes at school, but I feel they're not enough to really improve my Japanese. I kind of feel sympathy for students of Gaba, since in a class of three (or in my case, ten) you really don't get a lot of chance to speak up. Hence, I signed up for the Nihongo private lessons.

We just talked for one hour and a half, and what my tutor said to me was I should be have more confidence in myself, and I shouldn't be too afraid of making mistakes, because if I always let myself be impeded by such things, I won't be able to communicate.

I remember myself saying the exact same words to my Algerian student, who always thinks that his English is not good, and that he can only talk in English to Japanese people. He thinks that he cannot strike a conversation with native speakers because his English is still elementary.

Self-confidence is something that I've always lacked, in whatever I do. People say I give myself too little credit. As for me, I don't want to be confident because I'm afraid of failure. Failure had, has and will always have a big impact on me. I always give my best in everything I do, but I can't say I am confident of the results. For me, if I don't carry too much confidence, then if I fail, I won't be too disappointed. I hate expecting, because if I expect too much, and things do not go as I please, then there's disappointment, which is an understatement, really. It's more of like, depression.

Why don't I just go out with Japanese friends, you ask? Why go all the trouble of signing up for private lessons when you can have "lessons" when you're out talking with friends? That just means you don't know me very well. Going out is not my thing. Sure, I go out sometimes, but that is to take a breather. I don't want to pressure myself thinking about school and serious stuff when I'm with them. Second, they're all busy. They may look oshare and everything, but they are still students of the Tokyo University. They take their studies seriously, and would spend hours in the library studying. They would even sacrifice days that would've been ideal for going out somewhere, just to study. Lastly, students who are always going out are those who love drinking. And most of you know that I DON'T DRINK. So there.

Okay, that would be enough rambling. Right now, all I want to do in my remaining months here in Japan is to improve my conversation skills, and I will just do my best to do just that, without expecting anything. My friends said that I have improved during the past few months, but I don't think it's enough. I have a goal I badly want to reach, and I must do everything I can just to be suitable for that kind of job. Oooh~ Pressure.XD

Spring has come!

2008-04-11T10:47:17Z

And so have classes.

Classes for the new semester started yesterday. It wasn't a very good start, since it was raining the whole day. I had to wake up early to finish rewriting my essay for Japanese IV. I started writing it the day before yesterday (yes, I'm still a UP student at heart) and and I finished with 3 pages and half of the 20x20 原稿用紙 (genkouyoushi), that is, 1400 characters on my experiences during the spring vacation. But I'm afraid it's too long again. Last semester, I sort of overdid my presentation for Japanese III, and instead of giving a 15-minute presentation, I ended up giving a 20-30-minute one. My classmates found it interesting, though.^^;

I thought (because the schedule from J3 said so) that we were supposed to have a Kanji review test, too, but it turns out, it's not until next month. Yatta! I wasn't able to study at all so I was worried.^^;;

After our Japanese class, we had to rush to Building 8 for the Summer Semester Orientation. We only had ten minutes in between the J3 class and the orientation so we didn't have enough time for lunch. They gave us the AIKOM Summer Semester booklet, as well as the Todai book and pamphlet for classes, and then Kibata-sensei talked to the ten students taking the Independent Study course, and those include me. They gave us the contact details of our advisers, so that we can talk to them asap about our topics, and then told us about the monthly meetings aka progress report dates.

As soon as the orientation finished, third period started. I went to the second floor (we were on the third) to check the class under Prof. Carter, a visiting professor from Australia. The course was titled Cultures of English-speaking Nations in the AIKOM pamphlet so I was thinking of trying it since it may be related to my degree program, but as it turned out, it was about Multicultural Australia, meaning, the professor will talk about Australia, Australia, Australia, and yes, you guessed it right, Australia. So I decided to go back to the third floor and take the class about Japan's Modernization and its Issues. It's Takada-sensei again, but I guess he's more bearable since I will be learning about Japan, not Australia.;P

Fourth period was literature (again) but this time, our professor's kind of an "otaku." She kept on talking about works that have anything to do with manga, even mentioning Ikebukuro West Gate Park. Well, the course is about contemporary literature, after all, so I guess it can't be helped? But before you go thinking that I will also be jumping on the bandwagon that is IWGP, I am thinking of taking a regular course in English, which is Introduction to Sociolinguistics. This will help me in my undergraduate thesis after all, so I guess I will bid farewell to Otomo-sensei's class. I'm still not sure yet, though, since the course description's written in Japanese, so I will consult with Ellis-sensei first on Monday. It's time to get serious with my studies here. I did come here with the intention of gathering data for my undergrad thesis so I hope I can take at least one subject here in Todai that can help me finish that last requirement. Last semester should be enough goofing around with subjects that aren't related to my major at all.^^;;

By the way, I got all A's in my classes last semester. But take a look at the equivalent. A=100-80. Very motivating, yes? D: Well, at least I didn't get a B. Just imagine how mortifying that would be?XD

Adventures of Chibi Boom Comics

2008-04-03T06:22:38Z

Created by teeth_for_eyes / Kuya Robert.

Based on this Livejournal post.

Maraming salamat po!♥

These just made me go ROFLing! But I kind of look like My Neighbor Totoro's Mei. Only with braids.;P

Next post's my report on TAF 2008. :D

LOL!

2008-03-26T13:54:45Z

I'm sorry for the spam. I really just had to post this.

It was yesterday when I saw the new Canon ads on the train:

Now, why do I find this amusing?XD Click this and you'll find out why. If not, well, sorry, you're slow.XD

Off to Singapore on Golden Week!

2008-03-26T07:41:53Z

Hello everyone. I'm back to Tokyo from our Kansai trip. Again, thanks so much to Micchan (who's currently on the Seishun 18 Kippu journey to Tokyo from Osaka right now) for letting me stay in her room for four days. ♥

I was supposed to go on the 17th but things happened so I had to go on the 18th. Anyway, changes in plans were made by Terry and me, so we've decided to meet in Singapore instead. We'll be staying there from the 4th until the early morning of the 12th. Well, I'll be arriving on the 5th, actually, since my flight's at 7 in the evening, and I'll be arriving in Singapore at 1:45 am. Geh. I'm just glad I have money for this trip, since I'll be getting my first *true* salary on the 25th of April.:D February's BS here in Gaba since I started on the last week and got only 2 lessons: one lesson, one cancelled but paid.

Speaking of money, I think I spent too much on my Kansai trip, I've got nothing but 300yen left in my wallet. My bank fund's all used up, and hurrah, my next allowance is not until the 15th of April.D: I'm glad I have other baitos to back me up financially, otherwise I'd be a binbou chibi now.o(T-T)o

Nothing much happened in my Kansai trip. I went around Osaka, Nara and Kobe alone during the last two days. But there are interesting stuff that happened to me. The first day I went around alone (21st), my mobile phone died on me, so I couldn't contact Micchan when I arrived at their dormitory. The door was locked, I needed to go to the toilet badly, It was so farkin' cold and windy. I didn't know how to contact her. I could turn on my phone and copy her number during the time it's still on so I thought of calling her. I saw a payphone booth nearby, but yay I only had 50yen coins with me. The payphone only receives 100 and 10 yen coins. I was on the verge of tears, going back and forth the street in front of their building. Fortunately, a guy from the first floor went out of his room to smoke, and he opened the door for me. Whew~

The second day was funny. I went to Nara first and then Kobe. I fell asleep during the train ride from Nara to Osaka, where I should change trains to Kobe. The moment I woke up, the train was about to leave Osaka station. The door was closing when I rushed out; it's a good thing it was just the signal that they're closing the doors, so the doors opened again. Then groggily I ran to the platform where I was supposed to take the train to Kobe. Uguu.

Seishun 18 Kippu is really convenient for students who want to travel around Japan, since for example, the local train ride from Tokyo to Osaka would've cost me 8,000+ yen but since I had the ticket with me, I only spent 2,500. The downside is that you have to take local/rapid trains only, and the trip takes 9hours or more, with more than 5 transfers. I was lucky I had to transfer only 5 times on my way back to Tokyo, so it wasn't that exhausting. The way to Osaka was so tiring. I had to transfer seven times, carry my luggage going up a flight of stairs, and I didn't have a decent sleep because I went straight to karaoke box, where Micchan and Klao were.

Anyway, in the meantime, I'm back here in Tokyo, back to working in Gaba, and trying my best to keep myself alive by doing part-time jobs. Tokyo International Anime Fair's on the weekend, but I won't be spending much on anime goods.

Oh and yeah, sakura are blooming now!o(*o*)o The first time I saw a sakura tree (from the train) I had goosebumps. They're so beautiful. And yay~ We're going hanami on Tuesday! ♥♥♥

JR Yamanote Line, I curse thee.

2008-03-13T09:55:05Z

Nope, a person didn't commit suicide while I was on the train, which I am hoping to experience at least once here in Japan. Morbid, I know.

Well, my student pass expired yesterday so I won't get a 70yen discount in taking the Keio Inokashira Line from Kichijoji to Shibuya anymore. So I tried going to Ebisu the cheaper way, which is to take the Chuo Line Rapid Service to Shinjuku, then change to Yamanote Line to Ebisu. Wrong move.

JR Yamanote Line + Shinkuju Station + Morning Rush Hour = TERRIBLE

The trains were so crowded you didn't need to hold onto the handrails because you'd be standing straight while being squashed by other passengers.

It took about ten minutes from Shinjuku to Ebisu, and I must say those were the longest ten minutes of my life. Seriously.

I've learned my lesson. I won't be changing trains in Shinjuku anytime soon. That I know for a fact.D:

Gaba, Kansai Trip, TAF 2008 and Relief Goods

2008-03-11T09:08:14Z

Ohisashiburi desu.

All I've been doing since the start of March was work in Gaba. I started work last March 1 and since then I've been working from 10am till 5pm. I'd always get up two and a half hours earlier to prepare my lunchbox and commute to the Tachikawa Learning Studio, where I was placed. I had preferred teaching in Kichijoji since it's only a twenty-minute bicycle ride away from my dormitory, but looking at the number of instructors there, I was glad to be placed in Tachikawa. That school's almost as busy as the one in Shinjuku, with at least thirty-five Instructors working everyday.

Having thirty-five Instructors in the same Learning Studio's tough, especially if there are Clients who take two or three lessons in a row. We have this chart in the LS where you can see all the lessons booked for the day. In Kichijoji, you have to scroll down the page to see if your Client has another lesson after yours, while in Tachikawa, you only have one page and that's it. Plus, the fewer the Instructors, the more chance you get to teach. Most Instructors teach at night, because there are lots of students at that time. I can't do that so I teach in the morning until late afternoon. I get a fair amount of students, and I try my best to build my Client base from those students who take my class.

I taught straight from the 1st of March until the 9th. Weekdays are really quiet, while the weekends are really busy. We have at least five Instructors working during the weekends, and most of them are fully-booked. Gaba's getting a lot of Clients and Instructors now that's Nova's gone bankrupt.

I scheduled for B1 Belt Modules tomorrow and the 13th, and the B1 Certification Test on the 14th. I'm doing this because our Senior Instructor Support Leader suggested so, since most of the people in our LS have belted up. There is also the higher pay incentive. You get 1700 instead of the Belt A 1500 for lessons taught during weekends. After the B1 Certification, I'm off to work again on the 15th and the 16th.

I won't be here in Tokyo from the 17th to the 23rd since we will be going to Kansai. We'll be staying in Micchan's place in Osaka. But we haven't got an itinerary yet. We can do that when we're there. I've scheduled this week only for this trip, so I have to make the best out of it. I just wish people'd stick to the schedule when one's been agreed on. I've been getting it since winter break and frankly, I'm getting tired of fitting my busy schedule for other people.x_x;;

After the Kansai trip, I'll have a one-day break, then I'm off to work again. Hopefully, my lesson slots get filled up, so I don't get that much idle time at work. Although, I'm not complaining much since I get to catch up with manga titles I haven't read for a while.:P

After that week, there's the Tokyo International Anime Fair on the 29th and 30th!

I've known about this convention for months now, and I've marked it on my planner since then. It's funny how people tell me about it as if I don't know how to search the Internet for anime events.XD Anyway, I've bought my tickets already (yay~) and Micchan and I (and Trish, too I think) are going on both days. I have to remember to save money for this one. There are lots of exhibitors again:

Click image to enlarge

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I've got my tickets, yay~

TAF's going to be the first convention I'm attending that's got an entrance fee. Jump Festa and Comic Market were free so I didn't need to pay money for admission. This is okay anyway, because I got two eco bags with the TAF logo. I can use that when I'm buying stuff in TAF.:P Anyway, to those who want anything bought there (because there will be lots of original goods, again) I (finally!) have a Paypal account, so you can just transfer funds there. Just make sure to add an additional 200yen for the transfer fee to my Japanese bank account.^^;;

In other news, relief goods have arrived! I received yet another package from my mother last Saturday containing: 10 packs of Lucky Me! Pancit Canton, 10 packs of Lucky Me! Beef Noodles, 1 dozen Head and Shoulders Shampoo, 1 dozen Pantene Conditioner, 1 bottle of Hot Oil Cream, 2 packs of Hany and Spicy Dilis (yay!) and read this: 10 packs of sanitary napkins.DDD: I probably won't need to buy napkins for the rest of my stay here in Japan.

3 packs of spicy dilis from FaMusu also arrived yesterday, in a battered long brown envelope:

Notice the note taped at the left? It says something like the package broke (in this case, the scotch tape Mikai used to seal the envelope didn't do its job) on the way to the post office, so they had to repair it (reinforcing it by adding another layer of masking tape). No wonder your letters/packages to Yanagi do not arrive, Mikai. The contents get lost on the way.:D Peace! Thanks for the Valentine's Gift, anyway.<3

That would be all for this update. I can't think of anything else to add anymore. Oh yeah, congratulations to Kate Janagap for becoming the nominee for being next year's AIKOM Prorgram participant! She's going to be my kouhai, haha! Too bad for her, me and my senpai's both small so our winter clothes aren't not going to fit her.^^;; But we've got a lot of appliances here so lucky Keto.:D

Ijyou desu!

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I'm still alive.

2008-03-01T15:22:07Z

Yo~ mina-san~ Genki genki?

I haven't updated my blog for quite a long time, I just realized that. Last post was for Klaine, but well, that was because she really deserved a post of her own.:P

Well, a lot has happened since our short trip to Sapporo for the Yuki Matsuri, and what can I say? TSUKARETA!!!:P It's supposed to be the spring break, but hell, I don't want to get stuck in my room staring at Oto's screen 24/7. That's like having no life.D: Anyway, enough rambling. So yeah, the AIKOM students went to Hakone for an overnight trip. Impressions? I wanna go back. It's a great place. There are lots of ryokans + onsens. You can stare in awe at Mt. Fuji's beauty. If I hadn't been afraid of heights, I would've pressed my face on the glass of the cablecar. Unfortunately, I was frozen in my seat (beside my equally frightened tutor) so I only had some pictures of it. But really, a perfectly cone-shaped snow-covered mountain is a rare sight. Probably the reason why Fuji-san has more pictures than me in my Hakone photo album.

Next, skiing. Well, duh, I've never skied before.^^;; I was only able to go forward after two days. The first day, I really enjoyed skiing, and rode the lift a second time. But I still wasn't able to control my speed then, so I fell over twice. No, rolled's more like it.^^;;

What am I busy with now? Work. I started teaching in Gaba last Tuesday, but my real first working day was Wednesday, when I had to give one lesson. All I did during the previous day were trainings with experienced Instructors. The first Instructors I met were a bit uptight in their work actually, so I was a bit pressured. But no worries now. After teaching six lessons (40 minutes per lesson) in one day, four of which I did consecutively, with just a 5-minute break in between, I think I can handle the work. Met some great people there, too, who make Gaba a bearable place so I guess I'm okay. Not to mention, they're going from 1400 per lesson to 1500 starting April 1. And that's without Belting up (or leveling up). I'm scheduled for two B2 (one level up the lowest one) certification sessions next week, and after a few weeks, I'll be getting 1700 per lesson given during weekends, and 1500 on non-peak times. *kaching kaching*

Of course, I'm still doing my other part-time jobs. There's the everyday online lesson with the Algerian diplomat, then the occasional lessons with the guy living near my dorm, and the weekly conversations with another salaryman. It's really amazing how I'm able to fit all these into my schedule.D: I'm amazed, myself. I never realized I can juggle so much work at the same time. Good thing I have my stress reliever every night.^^

Speaking of her, Terry's *going* to come here on April. But she hasn't really filed an application for the visa yet and all that shit but she *is* going here.XD So yay for two weeks! And it just so happens that one of those two weeks'll be Golden Week, so more time to go around Tokyo. We're planning on going to Hakone, actually.:3 Wah~ I can't wait.X3 Cheers to a person who knows what she wants and does everything to get what she wants. Well, I'm to blame, too... partly.^^;

I'm tired.D: So much for this update. Until next time~

PS You probably think I have lots of money now, but not really. It's not like I'm going to spend the money I earn for myself only. I have better plans for the money I earn, thanks.:P

Hello Klaine! This post is for you!

2008-02-13T17:22:01Z

Because I missed you, and I want to congratulate you on realizing things, albeit late, but still! Omedetou~ (^.^)/~

You go finish your thesis and graduate before I come back, OK?! >:3

Snow, snow and more snow!: Yuki Matsuri 2008

2008-02-12T06:42:18Z

I have never seen so much snow in one day. Of course, I am talking about Sapporo, where snow is powdery, unlike Tokyo's snow, which is wet, dirty and icky.

It was just Miggy and me who went to Sapporo. The original plan was going to Yuki Matsuri during the weekend (Feb 8-10) but it was fully-booked so we had to move the sked to 5-7. Karen had work; Trish was going to the L'arc concert on the 6th; Kat didn't have enough money; Razel, I think because Karen's not going. So yeah, just me and Miggy left.^^;; Much love to Nagi and her friend Nacchan for doing us the favor of doing the talking with the travel agency and all that shit.XD

Our flight was in the afternoon of the 5th, aboard the ANA Pokemon Jet (B747-400). We went WTH when we saw it at Gate 53.XD To make the flight more interesting, we had free Pokemon Jet postcards as souvenirs. Of course, we also stashed the Pokemon cup from the flight.X3

We arrived in Shin Chitose Airport at around 14:30, and took the train that'd take us to Sapporo Station and then changed to the Subway Namboku Line to Nakajima Kouen where Hotel Sunlight Sapporo, our hotel's located. Checked in, dumped our bags in our respective rooms, and immediately headed to Susukino where the Ice Festival was being held.

These are real, btw.:P

Dragon

But seriously, they need a proper translator. This is a popular event flocked by foreigners, after all.o(>_<)o

More Susukino ice sculptures' pictures here

We spent until 20:00 going around Susukino and Odori, looking at the ice sculptures and large snow sculptures. We were able to see the snow sculptures in 4chome and 5chome of Odori Park.

Odori 4chome: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Odori 4chome: We Want to Protect the Earth and the Future of our Children

Odori 5chome: Do Your Best! Consadole Sapporo

Odori 5chome: Sapporo Railway Station

The next day, we went to Sato-Land Farm Park, another Yuki Matsuri site. It was a giant snow playground. Everything was just soooooooo white.*O*

So yeah, we went to the giant tube snow slide twice, made yuki darumas, went through the snow maze, and went snow rafting! Couldn't do the snowrafting twice though, since we had to pay 500yen for each turn.^^;;

Giant tube slide!!!

Snow maze

Snow rafting

Little snowman I made :3

Again. With the other yuki darumas.XD
(I don't know whether to put snowmen or not.XO)

Last one.:3 I love my snowman's expression.XD

More Sato-Land Farm Park pictures here

Went back to the hotel for a while, because I was having cramps.o(>_<)o Rested for a bit (hurrah for warm packs) and went out again to go to Odori Park and look at the remaining giant snow sculptures we didn't get to see the night before. We tried another route from the hotel to go to Odori, but we ended up getting lost and asking for directions.XD

Odori 10chome: A Mammoth Adventure at the North Pole

Odori 6chome: Hokkaido Winter Food Park (where we had dinner. Temp check: -2ºC)

Dinner! Hot Hokkaido Ramen and Squid :3

Odori 8chome: National Treasure Inuyama Castle
The one I like most.:3 Took 3,000+ people to make this one.

Odori 8chome: Giant Snow Board Jump

Odori 7chome: Relics of Egypt

Odori 3chome: FREEDOM

Odori 2chome: Harmony with Nature: Shiretoko's Forest Companions (Medium-sized Ice Sculpture)

Odori 1chome: Bonolon: Legend of the Magical Forest

More Odori Park pictures here

1chome's where Sapporo's TV Tower is so I forced Miggy to accompany me in going to the Observatory Deck. I had this "carpe diem" mentality because who knows when or if I'll be able to go to Sapporo again.^^;; So yeah, for the famous panoramic shot of Odori Park during Yuki Matsuri:

Odori Park Illumination

More Sapporo TV Tower pictures here

We went back to Tokyo on the 7th. I really hate flying, especially now after experiencing the flight back to Tokyo.o(>_<)o I hate domestic flights. It's like being in a train.o(T-T)o I really got dizzy when the plane was landing on Haneda.@_@ Oh and yeah, we were on a plain B747. No Pokemon Jet, boo.

Anyway, I spent 20,000 I think just for this trip, but that's because I bought stuffed toys for souvenirs.:3 If Nagi splurged on chocolates, I splurged on stuffed toys, the Snow Festival mascot and TV Tousan, Sapporo TV Tower's mascot.:P And FAMUSU, I also bought you guys something-like-snow-but-not-really-snow souvenir.:D

I'm really glad I didn't miss one of Japan's most famous festivals. Thanks again, Nagi!|(^.^)/

YUKI MATSURI, HERE WE COME!

2008-02-05T00:15:42Z

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Taken from the Official Snow Festival Website

We'll be seeing this and thirteen more ice sculptures later! I'm so excited to see the real thing!!! YUKI MATSURI, MATTEIMASHITA* (I've been waiting)!!!

* Kabuki high.:P We watched Kabuki yesterday and avid fans from the audience were shouting again and again. "Matteimashita" is shouted when a particular scene a participant in the audience has been waiting for is starting.

Back to Yuki Matsuri, Nagi says it's negative up there. Woohoo~ x__x;; Good luck saten, Miggy.

Yay~! Winter semester is finally over!

2008-01-28T18:04:22Z

Which means that I only have 8 months left in Japan. Have I gotten better in Japanese? Most Japanese friends said I did. As for my opinion, I think I became better, being able to talk in Japanese straight (though still not spontaneously), than the me who had forgotten all her Japanese and could not talk at all four months ago. とにかく、日本語がペラペラになるように、頑張ります！

Last week's schedule had been very hectic. I had to write report papers for the Relay Lectures and History of Science and Technology classes, do presentations in Japanese Literature and Nihongo, and write the proposal for the Directed Independent Study course for Summer Semester. I was supposed to give a presentation in the Lit class earlier, but I couldn't finish the book I chose, so I just asked Ellis-sensei for a shorter and much easier story. That was okay, since she warned me about the complexity of the book I chose anyway. For the presentation in Nihongo, I did my best. I even think I overdid it a little. I think my presentation was 20 minutes long, but I realized that only after watching the video of the presentations. The proposal for the Independent Study was easy for me, since I'll try working on the same topic as my thesis. Having a Todai professor whose specialty is language change will be a big help for my thesis come November when I have to continue writing it.

So yeah, I was so busy I didn't even had the chance to blog about my first snow in Tokyo so I'll just put up the links to the pictures and video here.

PICTURES

Sorry for being such a dork. It was my first time to see snow after all.:P Anyway, Miggy and I will be going to Yuki Matsuri on the 5th so we'll be seeing large snow sculptures there.(*o*)/ dreaming_nagi13 will be going with her friends, but we're going to meet in Sapporo.:D I'm getting excited, after seeing the snow sculptures they're going to have (and a biiiiiig snow slide and snow maze, too!!!) I'll try my best to record videos of the festival, using my DVD camcorder. But I still have to buy blank DVD-RWs for it, and one blank 8cm DVD-RW costs 1000yen.

We still have to pass two term papers, one for the Japan's External Relations class and the other for the Lit class. But I think those'll be easy since for the JER class, we only need to pass a 500-800-word essay and in Lit class, a 2000-word essay, which is what I consider a normal term paper in UP. But for the time being, since I have a loooooong break (Spring-Summer semester will start on April) I plan to travel a lot.:D After Yuki Matsuri, we have the overnight trip to an onsen in Hakone, then two days after, Viet Thi and I are off to Nagano Prefecture to ski~!(^.^)/ There is also the plan to go to Kansai region with Karen and the others, since we were invited by Micchan, who's studying in Osaka GaiDai.:3

Of course, I'm still doing part-time jobs. I've been able to save quite a lot, but I had to spend 10,000 for the Ski Tour.>_<;; I'll definitely return that to my savings when I get my allowance on the 15th. My student who lives near my dorm also contacted me again, after having a hectic week at work. I have online conversations with the Algerian guy almost every night, and meet once a week for the payment. The third one is an employee in an insurance company, a Todai alumnus, who wants to improve his conversation skills. We also talk online, and he'll be depositing his payment to my bank account every month.

I don't know what else to write here. I just want everyone to know that I'm going fine and still alive! But I lost weight, actually. In three months, I lost 3 pounds.D: I guess not eating fastfood for a change helps.^^;;

SHOUTOUTS

FAMUSU, I miss you, too!T--T The past month made me realize how much I miss you guys, and how lucky I am to have such bitchy, vulgar, but true people as my bestest friends.o(>_<;)o

choconoir and coffeeinvain! Sorry for not sending your djs yet.o(>_<)o I'll try going to the post office once I find boxes to put your djs in.^^;;

BAITO TRIPLE GET!

2008-01-17T12:53:21Z

Hehehe~ Whee~ I'm so happy right now~!

I have three baitos now, but if you consider one baito as one type of job, then I only have one baito, that is, teaching English.^^;;

The first one's really teaching English, because we have a book that we follow every lesson, and the student's a Japanese salaryman. We have one one-hour lesson during weekdays, and one two-hour lesson during weekends. The lessons' schedule depends on our schedule, and we talk about the next lesson's date after each lesson.

The second one's just being an Algerian's conversation partner. I talk to him in English and point out the mistakes he make. On weekends, we'll talk for an hour via Yahoo! Messenger, and on weekends, we'll meet to talk again (and to get my money, of course.XD)

The third, well, I've been hired by Gaba.(^0^)/ This is the most assuring baito I have, since I will be working under a 6-month contract, which means I have extra money until August.:D

I have another student, one who got my contact details from My-sensei.com. No, this is not the person before who stood me and Klao up. But he/she hasn't been contacting me, so I'm still waiting.^^;;

I'm not worried about having a hectic schedule at all, because my two students are really kind, and they allow me to not work during field trips or other AIKOM-related events. The work schedule in Gaba is customizable, so you can teach during the days you want to give a lesson.:) If my schedule does become hectic, that's a problem on my part. That means I've been neglecting my AIKOM assignments and need to procrastinate to be able to pass them on time.^^;;

My bicycle is my life right now. If it breaks, I wouldn't be able to do my part-time jobs.o(>.<)o Go Bike-chan! ILU!!!

SHET! MISS KO NA RODIC'S!!!T-T

2008-01-15T16:48:52Z

1. Student number?
2004-12344

2. College?
College of Arts and Letters

3. Ano ang course mo?
BA English Studies - Language

4. Nag-shift ka ba o na-kickout?
No.

5. Saan ka kumuha ng UPCAT?
Sa Physics Pav.:D

6. Favorite GE subject?
Panpil 17.(^.^)/

7. Favorite PE?
Archery.<3

8. Saan ka nag-aabang ng hot ~~girl~~ guy sa UP?
Uh...

9. Favorite prof(s)
Si Ma'am Salanga.:D Tas si Weng-sensei. Lol.XD

10. Pinaka-ayaw na GE subject.
Math 2?XD

11. Kumuha ka ba ng Wed or Sat classes?
Pag wala lang choice (tulad ng CWTS ~_~;)

12. Nakapag-field trip ka ba?
Uu~ Sa Mt. Makiling (yay~ /sarcasm) tsaka Bicol :D

13. Naging CS ka na ba or US sa UP?
US isang beses. CS ilang beses. Pero pero... (T--T)

14. Ano ang Org/Frat/Soro mo?
UP AME. Yung E-soc pero di recognized.XD

15. Saan ka tumatambay palagi?
AME tambayan.

16. Dorm, Boarding house, o Bahay?
Bahay.:)

17. Kung walang UPCAT test at malaya kang nakapili ng kurso mo sa UP, ano yun? (Given ang mentality mo nung HS ka)
CompSci siguro.XO

18. Sino ang pinaka-una mong nakilala sa UP?
Si Myka? Kaso magkakilala na kami before pa. So si Coline.:D (English majors)

19. First play na napanood mo sa UP?
Noli me Tangere. Pero HS pa ako nun. Sa UP kami nanunuud ng play.^^;;

20. Name the 5 most conyo orgs in UP.
Shet pwede ba sabihin dito?:O

21. Name 5 of the coolest orgs/frats/soro in UP.
Hmm...=/

22. May frat/soro bang nag-recruit sa yo?
Wala lol.:3

23. Saan ka madalas mag-lunch?
Katag. Tas NISMED. Tas Casaa. Tas Rodic's! SHET NAMIMISS KO NA RODIC'S!!!

24. Masaya ba sa UP?
Uu.^_^

25. Nakasama ka na ba sa rally?
Er, rally nga ba yung ginawa namin sa Nestle sa Laguna?@.@

26. Ilang beses ka bumoto sa Student Council?
Waha! Zero.XD

27. Name at least 5 leftist groups in UP.
(-.-)zzzzzz

28. Pinangarap mo rin bang mag-laude nung freshman ka?
Uu naman.:3

29. Kanino ka pinaka-patay sa UP?
Er?@.@

30. Kung di ka UP, anong school ka?
UST.^^;;

Tapsilog...T-T

新年の決意　（しんねんのけつい）

2008-01-13T10:02:54Z

I don't make New Year's resolutions. I know that I won't be able to follow them anyway.

We were made to think of one word which will be our shinnen no ketsui or New Year's Resolutions, and write them down (using Japanese calligraphy, of course). One word to guide me during 2008:

にん　たい
忍耐
(Perseverance, Endurance, Patience, Tolerance)

That's it. I don't need to write long lines of "I want to do this" or "I want to do that" or "I need to be more like this." Just one word is enough. Because listening to a person who blabbers on and on about his or her plans to change his/herself can be so tiring.

And this is the result of our shodou session last January 7th:

AIKOM生たちの新年の決意

Top (left to right):

? - 愛　（あい）　・　Love
? - 夢　（ゆめ）　・　Dream
Shu - 私のすべての夢が叶えますように　・　May all my dreams be fulfilled
Helene - 天国　（てんごく）　・　Heaven, Paradise
? - 新年。。。　華留良。。。楽。。。（しんねん。。。　カ・リュウ・よい。。。ラク。。）　・　New Year... Rich・Stay・Good... Ease
Viet Thi - 忍　（にん）　・　Endurance
Wan　-　道　（みち）　・　Road、Way
Lam　-　真　（しん）　・　Truth
Chiara　-　頑張る　（がんばる）　・　Do one’s best
mine - 忍耐　（にんたい）　・ Perseverance
? - 書き初めはみんなと一緒うれしいな
Michelle - 努力　（どりょく）　・　Effort
Bernard　-　崇弾　（スウ・ダイ）　・　Worship/Play

2nd row (left to right):

Clara - 青空　（あおぞろ）　・　Blue Sky
Nguyen - 心r　（こころ）　・　Mind
Ben - 茶　（ちゃ）　・　Tea
? - 元気　（げんき）　・　Vigor
Zeno - 夢　（ゆめ）　・　Dream
Andrew - 春　（はる）　・　Spring

Bottom (left to right):

? - ?
Max -　無し　（なし）　・　 None
? - 気　（き）　・　Disposition

Chinese people wrote their names in Kanji so I can't read them.>_<;; I was fascinated when I saw these in the AIKOM office that I had to take a picture and make a special entry for it. It was the first time all AIKOM students who are taking Japanese classes were in one special class so it's really memorable for me.

In other news...

We are going to YUKI MATSURI!!!

From February 5-7. YATTA~!!!\\(^0^)//

Random Things

2008-01-08T14:21:12Z

Random Thing #1:

There are only three weeks left till the end of fall-winter semester. After January, we have a two-month break (Feb-Mar) and go back to school for the spring-summer semester on April.:3

Three weeks left and I still have to do these things:

2nd long test and presentation on Japanese III
Test on Japanese History
3 report papers and 1 term paper on Japan External Relations
3 report papers on Relay Lectures
Presentation and term paper on Japanese Literature
3 report papers and 1 term paper on History of Science and Technology of Japan

I regularly pass report papers on the Relay Lectures and History of Science and Technology classes so I don't have to worry about those. I just have to read the assigned readings and write a 300-500-word essay. What I'm worried about is the External Relations class because I have not passed anything from the start of semester until now.x__x;; Oh well.:P

Random Thing #2:

I wasn't selected in the Ski Tour organized by Todai, but I applied for MISHOP's Ski Tour, which costs exactly the same as Todai's. This tour's capacity's 50 people, compared to Todai's 30, so I think I have a bigger chance of being able to join this one. Also, when I called MISHOP this morning to confirm whether they've received my e-mail or not, the guy on the phone said that I might be able to come (maybe, there aren't many people who applied for the tour). So this means, SNOW!XD

Random Thing #3:

AIKOM's organizing an overnight trip to Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture on Feb 20th-21st. This means onsen, Lake Ashi and Mt. Fuji!\(^-^)/ We'll be staying in this ryokan where there is onsen.:D Yay~

Random Thing #4:

Today, I was able to talk to Ayumi-san, the Japanese student to came to UP last year as an exchange student. Mhel-senpai wanted us three to meet before I left for Japan, but she wasn't able to contact Ayumi-san so I couldn't meet her. It was fun talking with her (her English is really good), especially when I asked her about cockroaches and Ma'am Cory of OIL. She's working part-time as a call center agent now, but I hope she can get to join our field trips.:)

Random Thing #5:

Tomorrow I have an interview in Gaba. This will be my second interview. Wah. Wish me luck.o(>_<;;)o

Random Thing #6:

I received another package from Mama today. And finally!

I got my DVD Camcorder!

Aside from that, I got my one-month supply of shampoo and conditioner, because Japan's cheap shampoo made my scalp itch.x__x;; And two more bars of papaya soap (last batch was 5) What the hell am I going to do with six bars of papaya soap?? Somebody stop my mother from sending me more papaya soap, please!XO

I still have to name my new DVD camcorder, whee~

Random Thing #7:

I must remind myself to start writing the Comiket reports (and perhaps Jump Festa reports, too) for Ozine and Cosplay.ph whenever I have time.

Tagalog post WHUT?!

2008-01-05T18:45:24Z

Nope, wala akong kagalit. Trip ko lang mag-Tagalog this time. Ewan ko ba. Mag-aalas kwatro na dito pero genki genki pa rin ako.o_O Pero sigurado pagdikit ng likod ko sa kama, para akong naknockout.XD

Una sa lahat...

BAITO GET!!!

Hehe. Nagtrial lesson kami kanina sa Starbucks sa Kichijoji. Shet napapadalas ako sa Starbucks ah.o_O Anyway, ayun. May baito na ako. 2 hours per lesson. Ibig sabihin ¥4000 per lesson! Ang maganda pa, malapit lang dito sa dorm yung pagtuturuan ko. Siguro 10 minutes by bicycle lang. Whee~

Tapos tapos, pupunta kaming Ghibli Museum mamaya. Well, dalawa lang kami ni Viet Thi, pero kahit na. Hehe. Ang engot namin, ngayon lang kami pupuntang Ghibli Museum samantalang nadadaanan ng bus yun palagi pag papasok kaming school.XD

After ng Ghibli, kain lang saglit sa Kichijoji at bili ng one month train pass from Kichijoji to Komaba Todai Mae, tapos babike na ulit ako pabalik ng NTT Biru Mae para imeet yung student ko.

After nun, Shinnenkaaaaaaaaaaai~!!! NEW YEAR'S PARTY DITO SA DORM!!! WHOO~!!! Free food ulit~\(^0^)/ Gusto ko ulit mag-MoPara. Dun yung eat-all-you-can sukiyaki. Mas mura pala sila kapag lunch. ¥980 lang. Eh yung kinain namin ni Klao nung New Year's Eve, ¥1600+.

Grah~! Dapat matulog na ako. Maaga pa ako gigising mamaya dahil kailangan mag-almusal bago magbike ng mga 20 minutes pa-Ghibli Museum!

Ang high ko ngayon. Siguro masaya lang ako dahil may baito na ako sa wakas. Pero may interview pa rin sa Gaba sa Jan 9. Ay takte, hinihintay ko pa pala yung package na pinadala ni mama. Andun na yung DVD Camcorder!\\(^0^)// Whee~

Ayan, sige. Matutulog na talaga ako.

Mami~!

2008-01-03T16:30:29Z

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!
WHOOO~!!!

SALAMAT SA SPICY DILIS!!!XDDDDDDDDDDD

Winter Comiket 73

2008-01-02T14:44:44Z

Two words.

I SURVIVED!

And if you're thinking I'm exaggerating, just take look at this picture of the sea of people waiting for Comiket to start.

Picture c/o Mikko who got it somewhere

As one of the crowd (Day 2)

Day One (Dec 29)

Arrived at around 11:30 on Day 1 (the 29th) because I woke up late. I think that was good since we were able to get it Tokyo Big Sight after 10 minutes of waiting.

Tokyo Big Sight

Going up...

Entrance to East and West Halls

The East and West Halls are where the doujinshi and goods were. But my companions wanted to go to the cosplayers' square first. They weren' t really into manga (just went with me because Big Sight's in Odaiba and they want to go sightseeing after).

Stairs to Cosplayers' Area

And cosplayers:

Umi (Magic Knight Rayearth)

Haruhi (Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu)

Vocaloid Mascots Miku and Kaito

Kakashi-sensei and Pakkun

Ragnarok Online characters

I wasn't able to buy anything except for the 2000円 FuyuComi 73 Catalogue.o(T-T)o I needed to buy it so I can look for circles who are selling the doujinshi I needed to buy.>_< Went home around 3pm,empty-handed (except for that @#$@$#%&* 1-inch thick catalogue).

Day Two (Dec 30)

This time I went with Hei-won, Mahendra, Carla, Andrew and Zeno. We left Mitaka Ryou at 7am and arrived in Tokyo Big Sight at around 8:50.

There's this big block of people already.

And of course, we went to line up.

People started moving at around 9:45. So one hour of standing and waiting. I played Tetris on Zeno's DS while Zeno was reading an assigned novel for Japanese Literature and Andrew was browsing my Comike catalogue. There were many women that day, because it was Jump Day, meaning doujinshi sold at East Halls 1-6 are all Jump titles, ergo most of them are BL.\(^0^)/ So yeah, Andrew and Zeno helped me finding the booths of the circles I needed to look for. Bought doujinshis for Caro, Angela-chan, Ate Mia and Klaine. Circles that are really popular were located against the walls, because of the loooooooooooong lines that even spill out the convention halls.XO And for some pictures of East halls:

Circles...

And more circles...

There's a long line of girls there waiting for their turn to buy.

People...

And more people!!!@____@

After buying the doujinshi I needed to buy, met up with my companions to go to the cosplayers' area.

Gintama

Evangelion

Lambo~!

I dunno where this came from, but the kid's so cute!XD

I like Jeanne (the character) and the costume.=_=

Sugoi costumes.*o*

Naruto characters. This I like.:3

Whoa. Zagato and Emeraude! \\(*0*)//

For more pictures: Winter Comiket 73 (Dec 29-30, 2007)

Personally, I like the cosplayers from Jump Festa.=P I didn't like the area for the cosplayers here because the cosplayers didn't have their own places so if one asked a random cosplayer who's pulling his/her stroller, they'd pose.You can't take a good picture because there are a lot of people in the background.x_x;; And you can't see all the cosplayers because they're all roaming the place.>____<;; I wasn't able to see the cosplayers from the last two pictures (nabbed them from Zeno).T--T

I also didn't bother going to the goods section because 1. there are a lot of smelly otakus lined up waiting for their goodies; 2. I used up all the money I had for doujinshi. Besides, I'm not into what they were selling, goods from anime I don't even know.^^;; The goods were mostly for the male audience, too.

So yeah, I'm thinking of going again on the summer Comiket, but still thinking because it's *summer*. Natsukomi=more people. They said that people in winter Comikets are fewer because most of the people are going back to their provinces. So yeah, summer.>< I must bring at least 10,000yen if I want to buy a lot. I only had 5,000yen when I went and 2,000 went to the catalogue, and 1,500 to doujinshi for friends.^^;; So I had to settle for 500-200 doujinshi and free ones given away by circles.:"( Not to mention, Jump Festa was a week before Comiket, and that I spent 18,000 yen on a new camera.^^;; So yeah, no more money until the 15th~! Yaay~(-___-;;)

What I did on Dec 31

2008-01-01T02:44:08Z

1. Woke up late
2. Chatted with Terry
3. Fetched fresh-from-Kyoto Klao from Kichijoji Station
4. Went to Shibuya for eat-all-you-can Sukiyaki with Klao
5. Ate a lot of sukiyaki and rice
6. Took PuriKura with Klao, Micchan, Trish & Kat
7. Watched Johnny's Countdown on TV. WHUT.D:
8. Slept... and woke up an hour later
9. Wished Terry a Happy New Year on the phone
10. Slept

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

今年もヨロピク！(^-^)/

ニヴィス カスス：氷のばくはつ