life is wanderful

sugoi nihon experiences

2010-06-27T04:52:00.000-07:00

as i start to cross the t's and the dot the i's of my life here in nihon by thinking and preparing my list of things to do before i leave, i thought how about the best experiences Ive had on this country so far.

So here they are in no particular order:

HOKKAIDO RAMEN at Lake Shikotsu
While ramen originated from China, Japanese made it their own! it is a must-try when one visits Japan. There are several variations, but so far the one I had in Hokkaido is still the best-tasting Ramen, so yummy that it merits a place on my top nihon experiences! Topped with snow crabs and other seafood delights it was still pocket friendly.
COST: Less than 1000 yen
BASE: MISO soup

WEARING YUKATA

Hanabi is summer tradition of fireworks display in Japan. I had been to several Hanabis including the famous walking hanabi by Sumida river in Tokyo. But what complete my Hanabi experience is the chance to wear yukata - summer kimono, while watching the fireworks display at Chiba Minato.
WHEN: SUMMER 2009

5th Station MT. FUJI
I know the typical goal is to scale up the mt. fuji and watch the sunrise from its summit. But hhhmmm, i am not up to the rigors of climbing to the top of the mighty fuji-san. Not while i am slaving in nihon and have to work the day before or after the climb. However, the chance to be at Mt Fuji, even only up to its 5th station, is more than enough for me. The daytrip to Mt. Fuji as well as the chance to wear yukata is courtesy of a younger female engineer in the office. She is a friendly, pretty and smart lady, i hope T will not steal her zest for life.

A WALK IN KAMIKOCHI
A walk rather than hike is more fitting as the Kamikochi trail is mostly flat terrain. My desire to see Kamikochi can be traced back four years ago when a former colleague at sumitomo told me about this place. So it was on top of my list when I got back here in nihon. The experience did not disappoint, the fresh air and the clear river waters are testament of japan's other attraction, its nature. I might still wonder how it would like with the japan alps capped with snow during winter, but for now I consider Kamikochi experience checked and completed.

L AUBERGE, a French resto at Tokyo
Tokyo will definitely give Paris a run for his money in terms of Michelin starred restos. and while I cant say that L Auberge is the best resto I had been to in Tokyo, this is where i had my priciest lunch.ever. I was with a very good company too, with my three single (that time) very good friends. It was a sort of rite of passage for the four of us, racking up $620 tab for a lunch, that we felt we're entitled to "ladies-who-lunch" sash! :)

SHINKANSEN RIDE - Nozomi
A long stay in Japan is just not complete without a bullet train ride!! And Nozomi is the fastest of em all. I`ve only taken shinkansen three times, during my kyoto-hiroshima trip, autumn 2008, and i think two of those rides were inside Nozomi.
Shinkansen does not come cheap, however for visitors who are in Japan just for sightseeing, consider purchasing Japan Railpass. It offers unlimited shinkansen rides for a selected period of time (Nozomi lines are excluded). For foreigners who are working here, JTB tours is the way to go, with its accommodation plus shinkansen packages.

MATCHA AND WAGASHI
Green tea and sweets, these are usually offered on small teahouses inside japanese parks. I tried this first time at Hama-Rikyu garden. Their matcha, or green tea was very good, i can still remember how it tasted, so smooth even up to the last drop and without that bitter residue. What made it more fun is them giving us instructions on how to properly drink the tea (how to hold and turn), and that is probably the closest I get to an authentic tea ceremony.
After that experience, it has become a habit to check out the teahouses inside the parks that I visit.

HANAMI
Many has extolled the beauty of sakura. whether in famous places in tokyo, yokohama or lesser known parks in chiba, sakura viewing in its full bloom and splendour will never disappoint. After a gloomy winter, there is nothing more that can perk the moods of workaholic japanese more than the chance to laze around and under the beautiful blooming sakura trees.

KOYO
Fall is my favorite season. The explosion of orange, red and even yellow colors would be my poignant memory of Japan. If there is one activity that I will probably never get tire of (yet) here, it is chasing koyo during autumn.

There are lots of small things that i could probably only experience in Japan. And part of me knows that I will somewhat miss being here. I am grateful that i have these experiences to carry with me, it is just that life is a series of moving-on. And i feel like i have overstayed my welcome in this land of the rising sun.

X, L and F

2010-06-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

of all the things that i get to discover on my ex-crushie, the fact that he cross dresses, is the bomb that kill the remaining infatuation i had on him! he is still one funny guy, but now I cant remove the image of him on his friend's wedding wearing sexy (his words!) dress.
tonight we had a short beer drinking/team building in the project, and it was just held in the vicinity of the office. though we all know, there are tasks waiting on our desks after the drinking, it was still a breather from all the work stress. we all had our turn for laughters. i was seated between ex-crushie and a younger korean guy.
what actually turns out as a pleasant surprise is knowing that the younger korean lived in London, studied English near Hammersmith (Bechtel's nearest tube station) and stayed in Ealing Broadway, just few stops after Gunnersbury which is the nearest tube to where I lived. He told me how that at that time he already got his chemical engineering degree, but worked parttime making pizza, and he treasures that experience. and together we each related the good times of being in London. We both admit that looking back can be both tricky, as we normally just retain the good memories. But the fact that another person, in a different circumstance, longs for the environment of London, somehow validated my separation grief with London. I am actually over L now (i think). maybe not the over forever kind, but at least i can reminisce, read about it without feeling like i am missing a lost love. Hearing how this younger korean plans to look for opportunities in UK, and how he hope to work there next year, made me visit the UK skilled migrant program website again. I checked his chances, with his age, and work based in Korea, and found out that he can probably meet the points. And that thought cheer me up. If it does not happen to you, its a consolation to know that it can happen to someone you know. Although i know the results will be different for my case, i still checked but even with the help of strong yen, overtime, free accommodation, higher points for earnings in Japan is just quite difficult to achieve. I thought of another friend who is based in Korea, who also got the L bug but like me, has already recovered too. I hope it warms her to know that once she completes her one year in Korea, she will have the L option if she so desires.
Even if it appears that L is not one of my options right now, I am rather optimistic about my future. I guess i feel like this quagmire i am in cannot be any worse. working with hardly any motivation! working because i have to, feeling burdened, rather than being inspired or challenged. and yet have to be grateful that i still have this job. so yes i cant wait for my contract to end. to do some of the things that i enjoy, to look for a career that may not pay as much but will allow me to the work-life balancing act properly. to see that blush back on my cheeks and not all these signs of stress, and hopefully gain back the few pounds i lost due to this stress-related syndrome that i have.
there will be lots of things that I will miss in Japan, but hey it is not like its doors will be forever closed to me. Its a good place to travel, but not to work. So maybe in the future, I will visit J again. But i want a proper closure this time around, so for now i will work on crossing out, one by one, the list on my things to do before i leave J.

compliment of the day

2010-04-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

we were in a project meeting and one of my kuya-kuyahan commented (in tagalog) that the guy seating beside me and I are bagay! whoa! its not that the guy is an eye-candy material (though he actually is by T standards, but a bit metro so he is not my type) but he's practically a kid in the group, he's probabaly five years younger than me!
maybe i should ask kuya if he's been watching cougartown lately? lol

a place to work and play

2009-12-11T02:12:00.000-08:00

just heard this scoop from a younger engineer in the office...
according to him, each of the Japan epc companies has certain reputation to workforce newbies.
T, my current workplace, is where people remain single. OUCH!! C, is for divorcees and then J, parent company of my first employer is where love AFFAIRs flourish!!
Hhhmm i'm not sure if he actually mean affair, knowing how words could get mistranslated. But surely if i were a new engineer there will be no doubt which will be my first choice! LOL and here i thought, its the location and prestige that draws potential employees to J.

london whatabouts

2009-09-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

Two years back, the chance to live and work in London, was suddenly dropped on my lap. Looking back, I am glad I had the presence of mind to grab that opportunity.
It was six months of balanced life and work, of travelling and quality time with friends.
One of the hundred things that I missed when I left London, are the free newspapers distributed near the train station after work. There are actually two papers circulated, but while we say No, thanks on the Lite paper, my friend would even ask, "can i have one please?" on the one that distributes thelondonpaper, who would obligingly give at least two copies! Thelondonpaper had been our source of gossip in the city but the fun sections to read are the London Struck, and the About Town columns.
Months after I left London, and started to show signs of you-never-know-what-you-have-until-its-gone syndrome, i begun visiting the online site of the londonpaper. It's a small connection, but it helped me sort out why I seem to have difficulty letting go of living in London, and what are the things that I really miss about the place.
However, this little solace will be cut short, because as of yesterday, the paper ceased its circulation, and the website will no longer be updated.

chiba minato hanabi

2009-08-01T23:12:00.000-07:00

together with a couple of colleagues from the office, I went and watched the hanabi at chiba minato. only this time, i was wearing yukata (japanese summer kimono). It was my first time to wear this japanese traditional dress and is actually a nice experience.
Though truth be told, I dont plan to go to another hanabi wearing yukata, as it is not exactly the most comfortable outfit.

while the bigger cat is away, the smaller cat took the mouse away

2009-06-03T04:28:00.000-07:00

... and the mouse cant play.

It was a dinner with the team which I was not really looking forward to. If not only for the fact that the department just recently organized and that would be a chance for me to know who are going to be my teammates, I would not hesitate making an excuse not to join. Not that I’m even really interested on meeting the new members, but as a contract personnel and a gaijin at that, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to make myself be less ignorant of the ways in the office.

But the thought that the dinner is not exactly worth the while, is underestimating Small Cat’s* knack for making meetings like that worth-blogging.
(Small cat is our team manager who is not exactly small at all ;p)

At first, as there were new members new to the team (three are freshmeat)and the others because of the reorganization, everyone was asked to introduce themselves, say something about themselves. There’s even Q and A portion, mind you! (well it has to be imposed else no one would really take the effort of pretending that they were paying attention on what each one is saying). Though, there were bits of “revealing” details, like how one of the freshman just broke up with his girl… it was still not the thing that made the night ... sort of life changing for me, the little mouse.

Small cat started which I could only call now as “signing up the mouse”. I had the shortsightedness of seating beside him again!! Anyway, one of our conversation went on like this…..
Small cat: So are you busy?
Me the mouse: A bit, there’s still some work being done.
Small cat: Oh, I don’t think so.
Me the mouse: (Is he calling me a liar?). No, really. There’s some stuff on offsite.. yada.. yada..
Small cat: You see last month, I was requesting to take some people from your project to work on this proposal. But I was told Big Cat* just had some work cut out for you guys at the time. But I believe now, your project is in lull stage, that it would just get busy later this year.
(* Big Cat by the way is the department manager up until he joined our project at the beginning of this month. He’s now acting like the adviser of the project and I think of the department still.)
And you know this proposal is for 400 kbsd grassroots refinery (times three my present project), five hydrotreaters, etcetera..

And he went on how remarkable the project is. He really looked like a kid who’s talking about his chance to own the newest and coolest game console and well….one couldn’t help to be as enthusiastic as he is… and I just heard myself agreeing how challenging it must be!!
And so he went for the kill…

Small cat: I need lots of people for this proposal. So what do you think about working for this proposal? Interesting right?
Me the mouse: well yeah… (with more enthusiasm than i should have shown.. darn!)

So that was last Friday, and Monday morning, just sometime past 9, my project lead talked to me and let me know that I will be moving to that proposal project after a week. Big Cat by the way, is away and in Client’s office.

From not so busy life with my current project, I will be jumping in to another one where my only hope is at the end of the project, I get to keep my sanity! ;p

the wedding

2009-05-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

this is quite long overdue

We are a group of seven different personalities. But somehow during our highschool days, we found ourselves drawn to each other. The first couple of years, the `barkada` was a work in progress, but during our last year in highschool we knew our friendship had blossomed enough to carry us through the years of separation to come. Truly enough, we tread our paths for our dreams individually.

After highschool we kept our channels open, trying to keep on tab of each other whereabouts and whatabouts. The meetings were not as frequent as we would want to, but every time we get together, it would be like highschool days all over again, reminiscing in between giggles, and though the thoughts and secrets that we share has more serious undertones, it always feel right confide to each other.
During our reunion last december, everyone`s in attendance. Rightly so as it is R`s wedding day!

Its the first wedding in the group, and everyone`s excited. R made sure everyone is gonna be part of her wedding, involving all of us in her entourage.

The date`s 12.27.08 at the town where we all grew up, the wedding ceremony inside the church which had been part of our highschool years ;)
It`s a very fine day, quite fitting for the occasion.

To R and R....
You were born together, and together you shall be for evermore....but let there be spaces in your togetherness. And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. - Kahlil Gibran

hina matsuri

2009-03-03T06:33:00.000-08:00

or doll festival...

another japanese tradition (would have been better if a real holiday though). it is also considered Girl`s day and families with young daughters will display a set of ornamental dolls showing the emperor and empress and attendants.

these were on display near the exit gates of the train station nearest to my apartment. The doll set is usually 7-tiered, and from the prices I saw in the shops, they do not come cheap.

Anyway one of my japanese officemate, a cool but quite advanced in age, and has three daughters, mentioned that he put up their ornamental doll set one month early. That he did to remind his daughters they are not that young anymore, to consider to move out of their home.. and get married maybe....
the eldest daughter is probably about my age. looks like father`s wish for not quite young daughters is universal. hehehe

twenty.. thirty..

2009-01-12T23:40:00.000-08:00

Travelling back to Philippines had been synonymous to leaving the foreign country where I am based.for good. That was how it was for my past three jobs, from Japan, to USA, to UK and then back to Japan. The vacation that i just recently took was my first official homeleave. Yesterday I arrived at my familiar apartment here in Chiba and tomorrow I will be going to the same workplace. What a change 'no? Though change is not necessarily better. Its just different. As I was boarding my plane yesterday, I was teling myself so that was how to travel to another foreign country without being grippped with the excitement and anxiety of stepping into unknown territory. Different.

Anyway, today as I went out for shopping to catch the last days of january sale, I saw young adults wearing kimono (japanese traditional clothes) outside the train station.

It then hit me, that the holiday today here in Japan is the Coming of Age (Seijin no Hi). Japanese turning twenty usually celebrates the day by wearing kimono in all its finery. Twenty, in japan is considered the beginning of adulthood in japan, as it is the minimum legal age for drinking and voting.
After I finished my shopping, I saw another group of young females in kimonos. I muster the guts to ask if it would be okay to take their pictures. And they gamely posed for one.

On the other hand, two of my good friends are turning 3-0 this month, a decade older than those young delightful adults. But I know they are both smiling and happy now, having both received very promising gifts :) I am glad for them. I wish that I will have something special to celebrate when my turn comes... in 9 months time. Amidst the uncertainty and shadow looming ahead, it does not hurt to hope right? :)

happy new year!

2009-01-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

Oompawoompagirl tagged me.. the rule being
The first player of this game starts with the "6 weird things/habits about yourself" and people who get tagged need to write a blog of their 6 weird habits/things, as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read yours.

i decided to dust off the cobwebs on this blog with this entry, though i still dont know if i will be able to come up with 6 eccentricities about moi.

(1) heights.. heights.. im a "little" acrophobic. More so.. if there's no barrier between me and the vast heights!
(2) i usually have dreams during my sleep, some of it i even remember after waking up. It is only when I am bone tired that i get to have a dreamless sleep. also, i was told i speak while sleeping too. busy sleeper!
(3) Dory syndrome, short term memory loss! its the only explanation for my being quite forgetful. Its one habit by the way that i tend to improve on this new year.
(4) boring tastebuds! while i enjoy travelling and the adventure of discovering new places, cultivating my tastebuds for different gourmet in the world has become too much of an effort! Thus, i tend to miss the delights and hazards of experimenting on local foods of places i visit.
(5) i didnt learn how to swim until college days when I enrolled in a PE Class. That may not be quite so unique, as I know of few friends who still can't swim much up to now.. hehehe ;p. But i grew up near the beach. My father used to work in a beach resort and i usually spend half of my summer vacation in that resort when i was young. I love the beach and the sea even then.. pero p float float lang.
(6) Unique handwriting..it takes sometime for most people to decipher.

And for friends to tag.. im tagging yuki, the only other close friend i know that is still actively blogging.

brokering a date

2008-08-22T07:44:00.001-07:00

yesterday my friendly japanese officemate emailed asking me about my project mate who is from India. While I was curious why, I tried not to put much stock on it and told her the guy is not married. And then she told me he finds the guy cute! : ) well the guy looks okay and got a nice smile, but not too extraordinary. She asked me to make an introduction.... but I guess just like how I usually am with guys.. even just on trying to be a bridge, I move too slow. So after 24 hours without results, she told me why not the three of us go out for dinner one time...
Hhhmm I really don't mind being a go-between. Heck i would even be proud if I could claim that once I had been a catalyst to a couple's relationship. But how could I tell this japanese officemate that I am not quite sure on the right approach on setting up two people?
Anyway, a thought crossed my mind about another friend who is very much into a male friend. And how it would have been less torturous if she could just do the same, be able to go out with that guy on a real date just to know how things are. But for some reasons, Philippines being quite progressive on gender equality.. heck we already had two female presidents (one of which is currently in the office), but when it comes to relationship, it is still a guy's prerogative to make the first move. For a woman, flatly asking a guy out for a date is still somewhat taboo. Call it being brainwashed but the "Maria Clara" ideals, or at least some of it are still ingrained in the subconscious of our society! A girl can be friendly but should be aware of proper decorum lest she be branded as too forward! So seems like my friend has to wait for the guy to take the action! Unfair i know...
Back on my japanese officemate though, since I am really clueless on the ways of the world, hehe, I cleared up with her whether I should give the guy a hint that he finds him cute ... or just be vague about it and just asked him if he could join us on a dinner in an indian restaurant as she is craving for some indian delicacy and let the guy draw his own conclusion... at least up until the dinner date : )
Well I will know on Monday as it seemed that she left by the time I emailed her.
hhhmmm.. goodluck on me brokering a date. If I cant have my own, making it happen to two nice people is the next best thing.

hanabi 2008

2008-07-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

26 July Sumidagawa Tokyo

19 July Yokohama

unhurried nihon life??

2008-06-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

today is my first time to go to greater tokyo area, eight weeks after arriving here in japan. Not that I live far away from tokyo, its just 4o minutes to one hour by train. I was not even driven by the intention to go sightseeing, i just have to remit money to philippines to pay for my mortgage and the bank's office is in Tokyo.
I am not in a hurry of seeing places at once anymore... as my good neighbor friend puts it... 3.5 years flounder of nihon! I am not sure if I will stay for 3.5 years, but unless the company ask me otherwise, I plan to make good of my contract which is 17 months.
I remember how it was before I left japan for texas... it was as if japan would be gone the following day. Backpacking and travelling sunday night even there was an office the next day monday. Making the most of every "gala" and squeezing in as much places as possible. It's similar with London. Knowing right from the start that it was just borrowed time, every ungloomy and not so chilly weekend had to be spent for sightseeing. I even felt guilty not going out when the weather is nice because it would be lost time.
I can take my wandering adventures easy now, but it does not mean I will not pursue it with the same fervor. In fact I already have plans for this this coming weekend.. rafting in minakami and on the end of july, Hokkaido.

clean slate

2008-06-23T04:12:00.000-07:00

I decided to build a new blog, with a site's name that i feel is more appropriate to the life that I lived so far.

this might still be just another outlet of endless chatter, of angsts, of my opinion and thoughts, of tidbits that's going on in my life. No one may even care. But I hope that with or without creativity, the words will flow...and that even if they would come out like my uncoordinated dancing or offkey singing, my stories would still be written.

--------

Full circle

After leaving this country less than two years ago and working and travelling to the States and then UK, circumstances led me back to this land.

It was a hard easy decision if there is such a thing. Th easy part is knowing that I am crazy about the country, i like the convenience, the four seasons that are quite distinct from each other, the accessibility of sightseeing places. The hard part is working again in a japanese office setting, the cost of living and sometimes the language barrier.
But I still burnt a bridge that I havent even crossed, made a sudden turn and came to a full circle.