My new peeps from 2C: Fri 20 Oct 2006

Tonight I went out with the class I had previously called 'a bunch of animals'. hehehe....They are crazy!! I think I wrote a post last term about going clubbing with the 1C (now 2C class) and their sensei! Well I take it back, they are awesome!! I just crack up laughing when I'm with them... My class (2B) has now turned into a boring class. Its just not the same anymore. I guess the people are too smart for their own good... hehe. Anyway, thank God for 2C, a refreshing breath of fresh air. I couldn't take any photos of our sensei ripping up Travolta moves on the dance floor, but here's two of the girls from the class. (NOTE: picture looks more innocent than it is...) By the way, don't you think this shot of me epitomises the term "A Yellow Asian"? hahahahaha.....

Rippin tunes with my homeboys: Mon 9 Oct 2006

So what do you do on a Monday night, when karaoke costs RM 12 an hour??? You sing your heart out with your new housemates! First Cat, Yuta and I had dinner at this Asian foodcourt, secretly shoved into an office building in Shinjuku's Kabuki-cho (the slutville of Tokyo- also known as the red light district). Yes, and there I had my first Nasi goreng in Tokyo. Total heaven!!! Aaahh....Sedapnya!!! I can still taste it... Then the 3 of us went and cranked up some tunes on the old Kara-O-K, exercising a few vocal chords here and there...

Is Tokyo safe or what!!??!

When I was still living in Kajigaya, I took a photo of this little boy walking in front of me. He had just been to the convenience store to buy something, and was walking along the street with his plastic bag. I couldn't believe it! He was around 4 years old, but there he was walking at the side of the road, ALONE doing an errand probably for his mom! He kept looking back at me (with wary eyes), but somehow I managed to sneak in this shot. All the while, cars were passing us on the road. Maybe in the 'kampung' this is normal, but I sure was not expecting this in suburbia Tokyo. So I guess this was one of the 'safe' aspects of my old neighbourhood, but coincidentally, a few nights before I moved to the new house, a girl was stabbed in our area (don't freak out, all is fine. it was quite a fair way from where i lived). Still, i was a little relieved to be moving finally! Anyway, it seemed to be a murder because she wasnt robbed or anything. Probably a lover's fight, who knows...A freak accident I hope.

Mommas in Shibuya

Here is a photo of some crazy girls in Shibuya. To top it off they are not only girls, they are mothers as well!! These 'geru girls' (thats what we call heavily made-up, brown haired, bling bling wearing Japanese girls) walk around with strollers constantly having a fag here and there. It must be the trend now to have REAL LIFE DOLLS, because their kids sure look like little Harajuku baby models. The babies even have dyed hair like their mummys. I guess its not a real shock to me. I expected nothing less from Tokyo...

The Rock Gig I went to: Sat 7 Oct 2006

Ok, here's a photo of the rock gig I went to with Yuta and Cat (the night before my mac had a seizure). These are his friends. They were playing that night. A real cool bunch of guys (the group was called 'gigbox'). Totally Tokyo Punk in dressing, but their music was Rock! I Loved it!!!

My mac had a heart attack：Sun 8 Oct 06

Well last night, I came back from the rock gig and tried to log onto my mac. It would not start up and kept thinking for an hour (I know the guys at work are probably rolling their eyes now...) So today, I am at the Apple Mac store in Shibuya waiting for my turn at the Genius Bar. It’s great! I hope I can use my mac tomorrow and link back up again to my loved ones.

My new room: 7 Oct 06

It's been nearly a week since I moved into the new place. It's fantastic. I love it! I'm so much more happier than I was at my last place. The location where I'm at is so convenient. Lots of shops, banks etc and its only 1 train stop away from Shinjuku (It takes me 15 mins by train to Shibuya, where my school is at). I don't feel like I'm living in a concrete jungle at all! My neighbourhood has an old 'retro' feel to it. There are lots of small traditional shops run by some very friendly old people. Most of the print ads they place are still from the 70's! The street is also very quiet. The walk to the station is less than 5 mins, and if you walk a bit further, there is a beautiful Turqish mosque 10 mins away.


My room is a traditional Japanese tatami mat room, I even have a low table and cushions, where I do my work in. Off course I have decorated my room to my tastes, which you will see in the pictures. I have a sliding door that opens out to the garden and a little veranda area, where I can put potted plants etc. The loving area is small, but cozy for the 5 of us. The kitchen is stocked up with an oven, microwave, fridge, cutlery, the works, more than enough to start cooking.

And what can I say about my housemates, we get along really well. Usually, we all get back home late and stay up and watch a bit of telly (which is Cable TV so I can swap the language from Japanese to English) but usually I try and watch in Japanese. The last few days, we've been staying up just chatting to each other. I feel like I'm back in civilisation again, after living with half-mute people at the dormitory. Ok, they weren't so bad, just extremely shy I guess.

One of my housemates (Yuta 20, Japanese born Korean boy) just returned from the Middle East last month (Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan). He even gave me a tasbih he bought in Turkey. He is only 20, but he went alone to the Middle East to see all the fuss the media is making and to judge it with his own eyes. I think that is so brave (even I wouldn't go to the Middle East now). My housemates are all quite supportive of me as a muslim. So far we have the same taste in music, which is a bonus point, as all of us can share each other's playlist through the internet. (Catherine 24, English) sleeps next door to me. She is very english, loud and fun and has a string of boyfriends she always has stories to share about. There is never a dull moment with Cat. The girl from my school (Anita 26, Hong Kong), is also sweet. A bit quiet but very kind. We even chat in Cantonese sometimes. he is so surprised that I know some words. (i practice to impress Jeff saje la..) Last night, Anita shared with us some mooncakes she received from Hong Kong (its now mooncake festival). Naoko (27, Japanese) works in a clinical trial group (testing clinical products etc etc). She is also great. Everynight so far, I have been chatting to Naoko and Yuta, both in a mix of English and Japanese. In fact tonight, Im going to a rock gig with Yuta and his friends. The other girls all have their dates, since its Saturday night. But we should be planning something soon anyway.

For more pictures: Click on the link 'Sasazuka' under links on the right column

Le Petit Prince Museum: 28 Sept 06

Can you believe that we found the only 'Little Prince' museum in the whole world, in Hakone. It was so beautiful! I felt like I was in France. They did a good job with the museum. The whole place looked like the South of France. The museum itself was a tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupé. There were photos of his flights all around the world, and rooms where they re-created his office in Argentina and his childhood bedroom and also the cargo hold of his plane. They had a collection of 'Le Petit Prince' books published in all sorts of languages. Archived sketches of Antoine's initial ideas conceiving the Prince were also displayed. I even saw books on Barbapapa! He is quite popular here in Japan. Dezryn and I grew up with the Barbapapa family. It's such a pity that they don't show it in Malaysia. Anyway, Ive noticed the Japanese are closet francophiles. You can see French sensibility and elegance in shop window designs, fashion, cafes, bakeries etc. I must say, i was so impressed with the museum that it was the highlight of my trip to Hakone.

For more pictures: Click on the link 'Little Prince' under links on the right column

Hakone Lake Ashi: Wed 27 Sept 06

For the Autumn Holidays, Julie and I went to Hakone. As soon as we arrived from Tokyo (the trip took 2 hours by train), it was pouring cats and dogs. So we waited a little and finally 3 hours later, arrived a beautiful sunny day. We went to Lake Ashi hoping to see Mt. Fuji, but sadly, it wasn't visible throughout our whole trip (or more like I couldn't recognise it without the famous snowcap). Lake Ashi is quite famous, especially the shot of the lake with the red 'torii' gate.

A snapshot from the 'Pirate Ship'
The whole day was packed with riding all sorts of transportation, we began with the train from Shinjuku to Hakone, then took a bus to the B&B (checked in, waited for the rain to pass) and then took a bus to the lake. There we got onto a Pirate Ship ferry, then onto a Ropeway up the mountain. There the volcano was still active, steam from the hot springs were spurting out everywhere and the air stank of sulfur. After eating the famous 'black eggs' of the mountain, we took a cable car down the mountain, and another train back to the station. Then another bus back to the B&B. The route took around 5 hours.

At night, we jumped into the hot spa of the B&B (similar to a hot spring). I thought I would test this out first before trying out the real thing, but I didn't even last 5 minutes! I was out of there by 10. It was too hot, and I was getting dizzy and lethargic. It was also my first experience having to strip bare naked with strangers ( just us girls laa...) Aiyo, malu betul, but I got over it fast. We have to shower first before getting in. Once that was over, I slowly dragged myself up to bed for a good nights sleep. On the way up to the room, I stopped by the vending machine to get some chips. The vending machines in Japan sell almost everything! From socks and towels to microwaved ready made pasta. They're one of my favourite things about Japan.

For more pictures: Click on the link 'Hakone' under links on the right column