Lazy Sunday

As much as I love TGI-Fridays and Party All Night Saturdays, I have to say, Lazy Sundays are probably my all time favorite. It's a day to just relax, spending it however you want. It's a day where you're justified to be lazy, hence Lazy Sundays.

On this particular lazy Sunday, I visited a new part of the island with my friends. Starting off with Dim Sum at a 5 star resort hotel, we sampled all the foods they had to offer. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, it was all delicious. Besides all the wonderful food, the scenery was just as great. The resort itself was beautiful. It was like being in Tuscanny or some place in the Mediterranean with the architecture and warm climate.

After the resort, we went to the old that was just down the road. We climbed all the way to the top where the view was incredible. With the sky was so clear and the water so blue, you could see for miles and miles, even to the next island chain. And being up so high, with the wind blowing through my hair and the sun shining down on me, the feeling was just liberating. So free, almost like flying. After climbing down from the top, we romped around on the surrounding cliffs, enjoying the simplicity of just being outside in the sun which was definitely a nice change from being stuck in an office all the time. To add icing on the cake, we even got ice cream.

As a closing to this Lazy Sunday, I find myself typing up this post while lounging on the couch, watching a movie. Truely a lazy, but wonderful Sunday.

I wonder what Monday will have in store for me...

A Little Island Called Okinawa

So it's been a while... what can I say? I've been busy which is no real excuse but it's the truth.

Anyway, as the year is coming to an end, let me sum up what has happened since my last post (and pretty much the entire year):

• Graduated Tech School and FINALLY left Texas... I was kind of torn here because it was both good and bad- good because I got out of Texas and got to get on with my real life/job; bad because I had to leave all the friends I made... But I guess there's always Global :)
• Went to lovely ol Maxwell where I made even more friends and learned how to play an interesting game of "Icarus"... And as a not so fond memory, the early demise of my poor car... *tear* For those who don't know, Alabama drivers are CRAZY!
• Went home on leave and got my motorcycle license... yes, that's right. I'm a BA
• Packed up my stuff and moved to Japan but went back to the States for another month of training the week after I arrived on island
• Got back to Japan and finally started settling in... which seems to be a work in progress that may possibly never end. Who knows at this rate!

But yes, that's the whole last year in a nut shell... well, at least most of the significant events that I can remember. I'm sure there are some other details in there but you know how the saying goes: "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Perhaps at another time soon in the future, I will post some pictures of my new place but until then, you can use your imagination. As for now, I've worked a long day and it's time to veg out and eat dinner. Ciao!

I could use a hug...

Sometimes, at the end of the day, all I want is for someone to give me a hug. Not one of those awkward little "do I even know you" hugs but a big bear hug. No words required. Just hold me tight for a little bit. It's not too much to ask for is it?

We dont hug each other nearly as much as we should... and that is very unfortunate...

...because sometimes, a hug can make everything seem better...

Chinese New Year prep...

It's been a while since my last post (what can I say... I've been booked!) but I just realized that the Chinese New Year is right around the corner! So to prepare myself for the festivities (and to wish you all a happy New Year!) I started cleaning my dorm. You may think I have some time before February 7th, but you haven’t seen my apartment (or the crazy schedule we have going on here). Anyway, this got me thinking of my childhood during the New Year when Mom would not let us shower or cut our hair on Chinese New Year (or get in fights...). Additionally, all house cleaning had to be done before the that day. Talking to some of my classmates today, they asked me about some of the other Chinese New Year superstitions that we follow... so, below is a list of superstitions I found on about.com.

1. Dirty Doings
Put your feet up and relax. Certainly the most enjoyable of the Chinese New Year superstitions, sweeping and cleaning is strictly forbidden. The Chinese believe cleaning means you’ll sweep all of your good luck out the front door.

2. Time to Come Clean
Before you can enjoy number two, you need to give the house a full spring clean, before putting cleaning tools in the cupboard on New Year’s Eve.

3. Read Between the Lines
Be sure to stock up on reading materials before Chinese New Year, as Hong Kong’s bookshops will be padlocked tight. In Cantonese, book is a homonym for ‘lose’.

4. Choppy Waters
Make sure you avoid rough seas in the new year by not buying shoes over the holiday period. In Cantonese, shoes are a homonym for ‘rough’.

5. Balance the Books
If you’re in debt, it’s time to dip into your pockets and pay people off. The Chinese believe that if you start the new year in the red, you’ll finish it the same way.

6. Ghostly Conversations
Caught round a campfire over the holiday period? No ghost stories. Tales of death, dying and ghosts is considered supremely inauspicious, especially during Chinese New Year.

7. Lady in Red
Chinese New Year is packed with colors, and while all the colors of the rainbow bring good luck, it’s the color red that is considered the ultimate luck bringer.

8. Sweet Year
Hong Kongers have a sweet touch at the best of times, but Chinese New Year offers the perfect chance to raid the sweet shop, as eating candies is said to deliver a sweeter year.

9. Feel the Breeze
Welcome in the New Year with a blast of fresh air, opening your windows is said to let in good luck.

10. Get to the Point
Sharp objects are said to be harbingers of bad luck, as their sharp points cut out your good luck, pack them away.You should also avoid the hairdressers or you’ll have your good luck chopped off.



PS. Mardi Gras is also that weekend so it's going to be a great party weekend!

Last weekend in Japan

Sadly, my time here is coming to an end… so for my last weekend in Japan, I went to Kyoto on Saturday and then an onsen (hot springs) on Sunday-Monday.

In Kyoto, I went to the Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), the Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), the Nijojo and some other temples. The Kinkakuji is probably one of more famous structures in Japan. It is a gold-leaf covered temple which enshrines a fragment of bone from the Buddha. There is a phoenix at the top of the pavilion which is said to appear during times of just rule.

The Ginkakuji is just like the Kinkakuji… but not as impressive. Originally, it was supposed to be covered in silver (hence “Gin”) but that plan was abandoned due to financial difficulties of one of the previous rulers.

The Nijojo is famous for its “nightingale floor” which produces a noise similar to a nightingale’s song whenever you step on the floor. The original purpose of the nightingale floor was to warn that in intruder was approaching. And while this is a really smart idea, I think the noise would get annoying after a while…

Anyway, Sunday… went to an onsen resort up in the mountains. It was gorgeous! The place itself was a mix between modern Asian art and tradition Japanese culture. Everything was beautiful. It was so completely and totally relaxing. I took a lot of showers, soaked in hot waters, drank wine and had a really great time… it was amazing We even had a private onsen in our room that was out on the porch with a clear view to the moon.

Tokyo

This weekend was a three day weekend so I went down to Tokyo with Monica. We took an overnight bus down to Tokyo on Friday night. It left Osaka at 11:50 PM and we arrived in Tokyo at 8 AM. I know that may sound like a really long ride but let me tell you, the bus was wonderful! The seats reclined almost all the way, we had a leg rest and foot rest and they gave us slippers. Not to mention the bus was a double decker bus and had refreshments. I sleep soundly that night.

Anyway, we arrive Saturday morning in Tokyo and I called my aunt to pick us up from the train station (which is like 5 minutes walking distance from the house). We went back to the house, dropped off our luggage and then went out again to see the town. The streets were especially busy as people were preparing for the festivals. We went to a nice French restaurant to eat for lunch and then we met my aunt's niece (Asami) at the train station. There, we parted with my aunt and Asami proceeded to play tour guide for us for the day. We went to Shinjuku and Tokyo Tower. Tokyo Tower is fantastic. The view is absolutely gorgeous! I want to go at night sometime.. I'll bet its even better then. You can't jump off though. There are safety nets EVERWHERE.

Anyhow, after Tokyo Tower, we went back to the house where we met my grandmother, uncle and his wife for dinner. We all went out to this fabulous little Japanese restaurants where we all stuffed ourselves silly. It was glorious :) I sat next to my grandmother who would get upset if I didnt eat (but I DID eat- a lot! But she kept missing it so she made me eat more.. ). She's so cute. After dinner, me, Monica, Asami and Asami's little sister went out to karaoke. Oh goodness, it was so much fun. They were impressed with me and Mon trying to sing Japanese music (but we struggled as we can't read the Japanese lyrics yet lol)

Sunday, my grandmother was leaving for the weekend so we spent the morning with her. She really wanted to spend time with us but there wasnt really anything to do... so we went out for ice cream. At 10 in the morning. So yes, I had ice cream for breakfast and it was fantastic (I know, I'm a fatty). After that, Monica and I went to the Asakusa Temple to do some sightseeing and souvenier shopping. Soon after, we went to Shibuya and walked around for a few hours until we met up with my friend from high school (Elton). He showed us some great places around town and then we went to a cafe for dessert. No dinner, just dessert :) Monica and I shared this ginourmous ice cream sundae. Mmmm soooooooooooo good. After that, we did the "purikura" (the little sticker booth things). It was crazy! These sticker machines are ridiculous! You take like 6 pictures and then you get to decorate all of them! It was fun. After that, we went to karaoke again... it was lots and lots of fun. We're totally ridiculous :) But it was a good night.

Monday, we went out to Harajuku to do some souvenier shopping. Needless to say, we bought a lot of stuff and it was kind of awkward trying to bring it all back on the train. We looked like extreme tourists. All we needed was the Fromer's guidebook and fanny pack -_-; Anyhow, we took the Shinkansen back (the Japanese bullet train) so the ride was about 3 hours. The train was pretty neat. The seats were spacious and we got served refreshments on a pushcart (airplane style)... it was cool. The view was fantastic too. Mt Fuji on one side and the ocean on the other.

I finally made it back by 6:45 to my house where I took a shower and fell asleep. All in all, it was a great weekend. I got to see my family and just hang out. I know it might sound a bit boring, but I've done all of the Tokyo stuff before. It was nice just to relax :) Anyhow, that was my weekend.

Smile!

PS Sorry the pics arent as good today. I got lazy... but you can probably see more on facebook or something.

Kyoto

This past weekend, I went to Kyoto with my host mom. Kyoto is the city of waterways, the heart of traditional Japan. Only in Kyoto is it possible to cross paths with a real geisha (or as they are now called... maiko. But actually, they're not really real... people just pay so they can dress up as the geishas to walk around the city and take pictures of themselves so they can be cool. Or hot and sweating as the case may be when I went. And the only people who think they are real are the foreigners) as you stop for a snack at a convenient store.

On Saturday, after walking the streets of old Kyoto, we visited the Kodai-ji Temple which is located in the Higashiyama Mountains. It was established by Kita-no-Mandokoro in memory of her late husband, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (one of the founding fathers of Japan). It's pretty big and has a gorgeous garden of which I am envious and a lot of tea houses... which could have also been converted to a guest house or a place where bad children had to live. There was also a nice bamboo forest/path that led from the tea houses to the main house. It reminded me of how a certain friend of mine used to play "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in his bamboo filled backyard... Lol too bad we can't really do the flying bamboo thing, ne?

We also went to the Kiyomizudera, which is another one of Japan's most popular temples. Its "dancing stage" (which has a fantastic view of Kyoto) stands about 13 meters tall. Kiyomizu means "holy water" in Japanese and by drinking the water from the springs here purifies the spirit and grants one's desires (supposedly anyway). Not sure if it really works, but I gave it a try :) The main hall of Kiyomizudera is notable for its vast veranda, supported by hundreds of pillars, that juts out over the hillside and offers impressive views of the city. The popular expression "to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu" is the Japanese equivalent of the English expression "to take the plunge". This refers to an Edo period tradition that held that, if one were to survive jumping from the stage, one's wish would be granted. (FYI- Survival appears plausible: The vegetation below the platform might cushion the fall of a lucky jumper.... however the practice is now prohibited. 234 jumps were recorded in the Edo period and, of those, 85.4% survived)


On Sunday, we went to the "Forest of Legends" aka Tadasu-no-mori where the Shrine of Shimogamo-jinja is located. Supposedly, this is a forest where the gods dwell. This shrine is famous for its sacred forest which was used as a model for the movie Princess Mononoke directed by Hayao Miyazaki (also created Spirited Away, KiKi's Delivery Service, Laputa etc.. probably my favorite director). Aside from the guide book's opinion, I thought it was pretty cool. The forest was nice and cool and peaceful. Lots of green... of all sorts of variations. Lots of good energy flowing and keeping you relaxed. Smaller than what I thought it would be however. I was expecting HUGE vast forest... but it was just a litle area of forest. I guess that's what happens when people start to urbanize. Despite that, it was still cool.

After the Tadasu-no-mori, we went to the Kamigamo-jinja which is said to be the oldest shrine in Kyoto. The shrine is dedicated to a deity who appeared miraculously when Tama-yori-hime- no-mikoto, the daughter of Kamo-taketsu-numi-no-mikoto of the ruling clan of Kamo, went to the Kamo river to perform purification ceremonies. At first, the deity was enshrined on a stone altar on top of the peak of Ko-yama. The mountain was regarded as sacred,and therefore later religious rites were performed on pure grounds at the South-eastern foot of the mountain. This shrine was built as Yosai-den in 678 during the reign of the Emperor Tenmu, which became the principal building during the reign or of the Emperor Kanmu in the Heian Period. Its 2 large conical sand mounds supposedly represent Ying and Yang of Taoism. The mounds itself... not that impressive. The travel magazine's pictures were more impressive. But the shrine did have some nice amulets and good luck charms which I bought. They also had a nice creek where you could sit and rest your feet in the running water after doing all that walking. It was very relaxing.

Of course, after relaxing, we relaxed by getting some of the local food- Aburimochi. Aburimochi is made of sticky rice cakes which are cut into finger sized pieces. They are then skewered onto a bamboo stick and dusted with a sweet, toasted soybean flour called kinako. They are then grilled and dipped in a white miso sauce. Eating this sweet has traditionally been regarded as a defense against ill-health and bad luck.

All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. Saw some sights, got some pictures and got a little cultured. Yep, good weekend.

Keep Smiling :)

PS. If you are reading my blog, you should comment... otherwise I'll think no one is reading and then maybe I won't post anymore.but then again.. i guess that wouldnt be such a bad thing either.. ..