Life is GREAT!!

Tokamachi Yuki Matsuri

2009-02-22T02:17:00.009+09:00

The Tokamachi snow festival is one the biggest snow festival in Japan. Enjoy the pics!!!

School Visit to Elementary Schools

2008-12-12T16:07:00.002+09:00

One of my activities during this fall term is to participate in school visits. Sometimes, the teachers just asked us to listen to the kids' presentations or shows. Most of the time, it is to introduce about my country. This is where I go all out!! Malaysian flag, baju kurung, Ringgit notes and coins and postcards are basically my presentation items. Check out one of the school's websites of yours truly in action. Can you guess which picture I am in??

http://www.minamiuonuma.ed.jp/~oosaki/

Halloween Party

2008-11-13T11:42:00.009+09:00

We had a Halloween cosplay party recently at the university. Quite a number of students took the opportunity to come and dress up : ). Really had a great time!!! I was dressed as a witch with the hat i borrowed from a local elementary school teacher.

Doraemon trying to bring us to our home perhaps? We are supposed to ride on a broom which this camera failed to capture : )

Kowaiii desu yoo!! Casting curses on pregnant lady. She is not really pregnant by the way. No harm done even if the curses are genuine!!!

Outside of the venue - taking a breather as it was very hot inside. However it is freezing cold outside. Japan - the land of extremes!!!

The Filipinos students carved this pumpkin donated by the local farmers!! It is really big!! I do wonder what happened to its inside?

Ken - the super DJ!!!! Nice music makes people eager to boogie!!!

Not to worry for any ghouls or zombies as we have a sailor uniform student equipped with a sword to protect the innocents (and not so innocents) on Halloween night!!!

It was the best party ever and a great way to kick start the first semester!!!

Akibahara and Ueno!!!

2008-10-25T02:11:00.009+09:00

After the Yokohama visits, we went to Akibahara and Ueno for some RnR. Thanks to my friends, I had lovely pictures from my visit to both places. The above picture was taken from behind while walking to the Akibahara station . The picture below is in Ueno - just outside the JR station as we made our way to Ameyoko

Akiba rocks!!! This is my first time here on Sunday.
So it was amazing to see lots of people cosplaying as well as many girls in their maid costumes!!!

Yokohama Memories II

2008-10-25T01:50:00.009+09:00

I have been told that my blogs sounds and look like a travel blog. Could not help it since basically this blog is about my journey as a grad student in Japan. So hopefully my friends that keep coming back to read my blog are entertain through the pictures posted here.Certainly this is not a blog for intellectual discussion : )

The above picture was taken in Chinatown, Yokohama. I love this picture as it provides a vivid background.

This picture was taken at the amusement park, Cosmo World. I also realize that this is the theme park in the Japanese Drama Titled Yasuko to Kenji. I was so excited when I found out about it recently

First Chicken Tikka while I am in Japan. There was a Diwali celebration at the Yamashita Koen and some of the food were HALAL!!! I was so excited and this can be seen by how I looked like when svoring the taste of Chicken!!! It is a big deal because usually I have to cook if I want to eat any meat based food in Japan.

My friend and I went for a ride in this. Two mistakes!! 1. Should not bring a backpack (especially filled with a laptop to amusement park) and 2. Should start with a less wild ride. Totally cool ride but I was dizzy about 15 - 20 minutes after the ride. Definitely a recommendation for the thrill seeker. My friend did not appreciate the ride though : ) as she was dizzier than me!!

Pondering?? Nahh.. More just posed for a more artistic picture.

The sea was nice and it was sunny on that day. However the wind made it a bit cold. As for me I truly enjoyed it as I dislike hot weather!!!

More entries coming soon!!!

Yokohama Nights

2008-10-25T01:38:00.005+09:00

This is the view from the hotel room in the Landmark Tower - from the 58th Floor if I am not mistaken. We were fortunate as we were invited to visit one of the HR staff at her hotel room.
The view is spectacular and would cost us 1000 yen from the observatory tower of the same building.
I totally love the Ferris Wheel. There is a romantic feeling to it even though from past experiences, Ferris wheel ride can be pretty boring. Maybe I need to find the right person to ride the Ferris wheel to feel the romantic atmosphere. : )

With friends enjoying the evening breeze near the Yamashita Koen (Park). We took a boat ride (Seabass) to get to the park which is not that far from the Landmark Tower. The view was fantastic. Definitely a place that I would love to come again

Yokohama Memories

2008-10-24T21:34:00.022+09:00

I was in Yokohama!!! Attended a job interview with two fellow uni mates and met other Malaysian students there!! The interview was for two days so we managed to squeeze an extra one day for sightseeing activities.

This picture was taken at the Sakuragicho station at Yokohama.

It is the Halloween season in Japan where a lot of Halloween theme accessories as well as decorations can be seen. Really had fun posing for pictures in front of the Landmark Tower.

The interview took place on Thursday and Friday, so on Saturday, I went with friends to the Chinatown in Yokohama as well as Motomachi Street. The Chinatown is pretty nice although not as interesting as I would have thought. Maybe due to the similarities to other Chinatowns that I have visited. However I found a cute stuffed panda hand. Wish I could have bought it but at the price tag of 1700yen, I am too practical to waste my money on trivial things.

The last week in Cambodia - If things goes well

2008-09-13T23:43:00.002+09:00

Yesterday I was roped in by a friend of mine to go to a dance club, Heart of Darkness in Phnom Penh. She convinced me that I have to experience the Phnom Penh night life at least once. It was good fun and the place was not that crowded as it usually are on Friday nights. Therefore yesterday night I had my first and most probably last exposure with the Cambodian night life.

Today after recovering from a not so late night out, I went to the Central Market to do some last minute shopping for my sister and mum. Gotten them some tshirts and bags. I also went and picked up my custom made shoes. The boots is quite good but the sandals was disappointing though. Sigh.. Shopping for custom made items in Cambodia can be a hazardous thing. Often you might end up for a substandard product.

Tomorrow would be the last Sunday I would be in Phnom Penh. If things goes well and I do not have to extend my stay here, I would be back in the Malaysian soil next Saturday, Sept 20th!!!
Can't wait to go to Pasar Ramadhan and get a taste of Bubur Lambuk. Malaysia - Here I come!!

I miss Japan. I miss sushi. I miss IUJ!!!

2008-09-11T21:38:00.004+09:00

How do I defined IUJ? Its basically my friends over back in IUJ - although most of them are not back in Urasa yet. Gosh!!! I really miss them. It is sad to know that it would not be the same after graduation. It would be very difficult to get everyone hang out together consider that after graduation all of us going to disperse all over the world. most would be around Asia of course. However Asia is a pretty damn big continent.

I even miss the classes and the report writing. I miss the time we celebrated Nila's birthday. She is
the girl that sits on the right and holding the cake
on her lap. I miss Connie chan laughter. I miss
Rabiah levelheaded advise (although i do get that
from time to time through skype). I miss Mar Lar's cooking and many things. IUJ would not be the same anymore for me as there would be first year coming in. Hopefully it would be better and bigger : ).

Its funny that I did not say I miss Malaysia. Maybe because I have been back to Msia before coming to Phnom Penh. Maybe because my parents and brother were here last month. or maybe because there were many Malaysian things to remind me of home. Malaysian restaurant, maggi chilli sauce and even a cleaning lady that could speak malay. Or maybe because I know my time in Japan is limited and Malaysia would always be there for me.

Trip to Siem Reap

2008-09-04T13:27:00.006+09:00

I went to Siem Reap last weekend with my friend Azreena and her family. I had a great time!!!It has been ages since I met her in person and really appreciate the time we spent together. It was also cute when her son, Shaquille become jealous whenever both of us started talking.

This is the interior of the boat we rode on our way to Siem Reap. Basically the view is breathtaking for the first hour but after that it gotten monotonous. It is pretty small and thankfully the boat was not full so I managed to secure two seats to myself and dah a relaxing nap for an hour or two. Most of the tourists enjoy sunbathing on top of the roof!!

This is at Angkor Wat. Its already near the entrance. You can see it from my tired face : ) Although we did not go to a lot of the temples, we took our time at the places we visit. Including the old and new market of course : ).

Holiday with children is fun and ensure that the pace is not that difficult. Overall it was an enjoyable experience.

We also went to dinner at a couple of Malaysian Restaurant. The food there is a bit of hit and miss with some of the dishes very nice and some of the things we ordered did not taste that good. A bit embarrassed that almost all the expenditures are paid by Azreena's parents. The offer to pay at least the tuk tuk driver was decline.

I came back by bus. It was very bumpy ride and I suspect that the bus suspension is not that good either. Met another Malaysian couple on their way back to Phnom Penh during the bus trip. A practicing lawyer and a retiree teacher. I have a good time chit chatting with both of them. Hopefully I would be able to see them whenever i come back to Malaysia.

My parents and brother were in Phnom Penh

2008-08-26T12:44:00.007+09:00

My parents and my brother came to Phnom Penh last weekend for 3 nights. Since they deemed that 5 hour bus ride to Siem Reap would be too tiring, we went around the Phnom Penh area.
It was enjoyable and slow pace holiday. Basically about two or three places in a day.

This is what we had for our first breakfast together in Phnom Penh. I had fish congee and my family ordered toasts and scrambled eggs. The anise hotel restaurant is very nice and the food is good too!

The royal palace grounds in Phnom Penh. It cost 25USD for four people to enter. There is different prices for locals and tourists. The place is very nice and provided a lot of pictures opportunities. It opened specific hours though and we went in at 2pm with a very large crowd.

While waiting for the royal palace to open, my dad decided to try out the tuk tuk!! His passengers were my mum and brother. We had great fun taking this picture.

This is at the mosque's area in Phnom Penh. We were waiting for my dad to come out of the mosque. My parents wanted to see how the mosque in Cambodia looks like so we end up here on both Sunday and Monday.

The highlight of the trip!!! I am too scared to ride it on my own. Fortunately I manage to convince my brother to come along with me. It cost about 15USD for a ride and it was slow!!
The elephant name is Sambo and he is 49 years old. Poor Sambo being put to work despite his old age. Although with his appetite, he has to work extra hard.

More on my adventures in Cambodia! Next week - Siem Reap.

In the meantime I am counting the weeks I have left here as I wish to go back home and be with my family and friends in Kuala Lumpur. At the moment, I am making the most of my experience here. 4 weeks and counting!!!

5.5 Weeks and counting

2008-08-14T11:08:00.005+09:00

It has been a great adventure coming to Phnom Penh, Cambodia and working for 3 months with
one of the UN agencies relating to the recent national election in Cambodia. I could not believe I have been here for more than a month already!! Time flew very fast.

Although things have been fun at times, i yearn to be back in Japan. Hmm.. I did not miss Malaysia but Japan? Maybe the fact that I stayed in Malaysia for 2 weeks before coming to Phnom Penh make me miss Japan more than Malaysia. It also helps that my parents are coming over to Phnom Penh at the end of august to have a vacation and visiting yours truly. Actually, rather than missing Japan, I am missing the sushi and tempura!! I vow that the first thing I would be doing once I arrive at Japan is to have sushi at Ueno before taking the shinkansen to Niigata.

On the phnom penh side - The pagoda above is the first polling station that I visited during the recent election in Cambodia. In Cambodia, schools, pagodas and tents are used as polling stations.
And this picture is one of the office staff participating in a fire training - basically learning to use the fire extinguisher. I tried it once and it was easier than i anticipated.

The third picture was taken at the Cambodian Disabled People's Organization's office in Phnom Penh on 12th August 2008. They were conducting a workshop on data collection and the participants were outside of the workshop's room having group discussion. Part of my job assignment is to liaise with CDPO on specific projects that they were implementing. I am very happy to be involve with a great organization!!

Kampong Speu Trip

2008-07-22T14:57:00.002+09:00

Today I made my first trip to one of the provinces outside of Phnom Penh. It is not that far as it only took about one and a half hour to arrive there. I was accompanied by Sokkhoeun, the office translator and Hai the driver. The trip to Kampong Speu was uneventful. It was the usual scenery of a countryside which mainly consists of cows, goats and paddy fields.

The picture above was taken when we had finished observing the workshop conducted by local disabled people organization to increase the awareness regarding the importance of voting among the disabled people in cambodia. The workshop also help to disseminate information of electoral procedures. Overall, i deemed the workshop was a success which makes me happy to be part of the program which sponsoring this workshop!!

3rd Week in Phnom Penh - Approaching Elections

2008-07-20T21:27:00.002+09:00

It is almost my 3rd week in Phnom Penh. Besides the good things I mentioned earlier in my previous postings (wedding + riding a motorbike + good food) there were negative sides also.
I have my first car accident in Phnom Penh in my first week here when the car driven by my cambodian friend's father was hit from behind. Luckily it is minor and nobody were injured except some minor shocks and dents to the car.

This weekend - I have my first major food poisoning. Although i suspect it is more on drink poisoning as I did not have lunch yesterday. Only a mix mango smoothies at one of the cafe at Monivong Boulevard before going back to my friends' apartment to start preparing for dinner.
Due to the food poisoning - i am having a slight fever though and maybe making me a bit maudlin.

At the moment I am thinking that my weekend is not filled to the rafters yet. Just a bit shopping, relaxing etc but not on serious sightseeing. My plan would be to go to the Royal Palace and maybe to Kandal. I am debating though whether i should go and see the killing fields etc.
People will say it is a good place to go and look and ponder on the atrocities that mankind could commit. However I am not that brave or strong spirited to go to a place like that. I am a believer of ghosts, spirits and souls. I am not sure it is wise for me to go to a place which have so many gruesome deaths. Time will tell whether I would gain enough courage to do so. Or maybe it is not about courage but more on the wisdom to make a sound decision.

As for today - I was speaking to a tuk tuk driver who goes by the name of Polo. He helped me communicating with the tailor that I had made my shirt today. While waiting for the shirt to finish, I spoke to him for a while. It was interesting to listen to what some people on the street has to say on the upcoming elections. While some intellectuals or educated cambodian are very vocal on their opinions regarding the elections - parties and even whether it is free and transparent - Polo was telling me that he would go and vote. However he would not tell people which party he supports and he also thinks that other people should not be too eager to declare their affiliations. He also thinks that people should respect other people's decision and not to impose their views on others. I found that his thinking is very liberating. I hope other cambodians would think the same way he does.

Anyway - thats all for the 3rd week updates from Phnom Penh!!!

Baby Shower

2008-07-18T12:18:00.003+09:00

I attended my first baby shower in my life in Phnom Penh. The guest of honour was Thay Bone, one of the staff at UNDP. The female staff of the election team (UNDP project which concerns directly with the election) attended the baby shower.

Alison arranged the venue (her place which have fantastic balcony) and the refreshments and Sarah organized the games. I certainly had a great time and won a bottle of jelly beans at one of the games. It was certainly a great opportunity to meet and mingle with some of the staffs at a more informal settings.

Overall, it was a great experience!!

Phnom Penh Adventure

2008-07-11T23:55:00.003+09:00

I have been in Phnom Penh for more than a week to start my 3 month short stint of summer job with an international organization involving with the recent upcoming election. So far despite the
short time, I have attended a Cambodian wedding, countless rides on tuk tuks and even become a
passenger on a motorcycle with one of good Cambodian friend, Richie. Although initially I thought it would be very scary, but Richie's driving is prety good and I really enjoy the short ride.

However the Phnom Penh is quite scary. A lot of cars, tuk tuks and motorcycles that do not follow the law. It takes some time to get used to it. It was less scary nowadays but sometimes my heartbeat will rise a bit.

Have tried some different types of cuisine. Khmer, Thai, Middle Eastern, Indian and even Pakistani. My favourite Khmer food would the fish amok. It is a bit similar to the Malaysian cooking of 'masak lemak cili api'. Fish cook with coconut gravy and small chillis. It was very delicious. There is a Malaysian restaurant at Street 114 name Mamak's corner. Went there during the weekend to eat nasi campur. I wanted to eat the nasi lemak but apparently nasi lemak is only served during the breakfast hour. Above is my picture in front of the Malaysian restaurant.

My transition to Phnon Penh is not that easy. The street scares me. The roads are dusty, Too many dogs on the street. Maybe I am just a scaredy cat. However the work makes up for it. It
is very challenging and I enjoy it very much. The people are quite cool too. So maybe this stint would not be that bad after I get used to the conditions here.

ASEAN night

2008-06-01T08:19:00.004+09:00

Recently on 24th May, the university organized ASEAN night. Students from ASEAN member countries and Japanese students set up food booths and performed on stage. While there are a lot of traditional performances, there some hilarious acts especially from the Japanese students as they were wearing a lot of cute costumes such as high school uniforms, doraemon costume and even the yankee ( http://smt.blogs.com/mari_diary/2005/07/yankee_is_a_bad.html) style wigs.

I have put a link that explains the term yankee so hopefully there would be no misunderstanding.

During the ASEAN night too, i helped out with the fund raising effort for Myanmar cyclone victims which was organized by my classmates and I. We gave out coconut and durian flavoured candies as well as dodol (Malaysian traditional sweets) to those who are kind enough to donate. Anyway, entirely enjoyable ASEAN night for me.

Please enjoy looking at the pics

Tokamachi Kimono Matsuri (Festival) Visit

2008-05-03T21:12:00.004+09:00

Went to the Tokamachi Kimono Festival today with quite a number of IUJ students and some of the locals. Had lots of fun watching kimono shows as well observing the normal streets in Tokamachi being turned into a streetshow. Also have a lot of other activities such as vintage car shows, modern and traditional dances, carnival like games and street food stalls. Too bad not many choices available for Halal food except for the tempura and fries.

Overall, had a lot of fun despite the scorching sun. Spring here is very hot!! I hate to think what would the summer be like.

Sakura in Kyoto - Chasing Sakura!!!

2008-04-19T17:22:00.003+09:00

After the Kawaguchiko visit - watching the Fuji mountain - we immediately went to Kyoto.

Definitely would not recommend the midnight bus especially the standard bus. Lets just say that it is a standard "Japanese' bus. It is small and does not cater for the bigger sizes : )

Nevertheless, it was a good experience. I am suprise a lot of the people - young people - dress up to board the bus. Make ups, high heels and for the guys only loosening the tie. If its me - the ties would definitely tuck away in a bag or somewhere similar. In Kyoto - the sakura has just begun blossoming but managed to get some good pictures especially the really pink colour ones.

One the first day - we went to Kiyomizu Dera for half a day. The reason for this is due to the numerous arrays of shops lining up the street to Kiyomizu Dera. We only spent half an hour at the temple with the remaining time set for shopping!!!

The result - the parting of some serious money by my sister : ) and yours truly. As we were too tired to continue the exploration - we went back to the hotel to check in and rest a bit before walking to nearby shops for more shopping and dinner.

I am unable to download the pics at the moment - Will do so asap : )

April 13th - Trip to Kanazawa

2008-04-19T00:58:00.005+09:00

On April 13th, 2008, 70 students and UMEX members (Local Association) went to Kanazawa to enjoy the sakuras as well as the panoramic view of the kenrokuen.

We stayed there only for a bit more than 2 hours. However the trip there took 4 hours by bus - ONE WAY!!! Nevertheless, with the entertaining antics by fellow 'graduate' students as well providing yours truly to practise my broken and limited japanese - the trip of 8 hours to and fro was worth it. Especially when you consider the awesome pictures we took. The picture of the sea was taken on our way back to Urasa - so it is no longer in Kanazawa

If anyone visiting Tokyo for a short time, thus limiting the chances to go to Kyoto - do give Kanazawa a try as it is being promoted as the 2nd Kyoto. In my opinion, Kyoto is still the best - however, Kanazawa certainly provide a good alternative if you are short on time.

The Yearbook 2008 Pictures

2008-04-19T00:16:00.005+09:00

Sorry for the long absence. My laptop broke down and at the moment i have to resorted to using the university's computer lab. Kinda sad though and feel a bit depressed especially when i consider the age of my laptop. It has only been 9 months!!!

Back to the title above, Today we had a photo shoot for IPSP students. That means the International Peace Studies Program Students!! Really had a wonderful time. After the photo shoot, some of us went to the sakura lane in IUJ to take some more awesome pics. Will be posting the pictures from my last holiday pretty soon. At the moment - please enjoy some wacky and half bloom sakuras in Yukiguni (Snow country).

Fuji san!!! Marvelous trip to Kawaguchiko.

2008-04-05T01:19:00.006+09:00

In my Spring holiday trip with my sister, we spent 2 days one night to Kawaguchiko - the base of Fuji Mountain. Usually its a one day affair but we decided that it is cheaper to stay in Kawaguchiko rather than Tokyo as well as the fickle weather that might make the mountain invisible to us.

We stayed at a female dormitory in K's House Mount Fuji. As it is newly opened (just a bit more than a year), the facilities are good even though we have to share bathroom and toilets with others. It is also comfortable. The best part would be that the guests receive special price for the onsen behind the hostel. With the exception of the first picture of K's House, all of the pictures supposed to have Fujisan as the background. Nevertheless, some of the pictures could not capture Fuji in its magnificence. My sister blame it on my camera even though i just bought it for 4 - 5 months ago. Anyway - thats all for the day. Have a safe trip!!!

A day in Yoyogi Park - Harajuku Rocks!!!

2008-04-04T20:00:00.006+09:00

Totally in love with Yoyogi Koen (Park) in Harajuku. Went there on Sunday noon and was amazed with the crowd in the area. The performances were awesome. Ranging from band performances to drum beatings as well as comedic shows, the Yoyogi Park certainly brought to live by all its denizens. The pictures above is the one that i liked most when i went to Yoyogi koen. They were really good. I enjoyed the performances very much. Unfortunately i could not understand very much their songs or even the flyers that they gave out to the crowds.

Check out their website if you could understand Japanese!! The one wearing the 'moo' outfit is so totally cute : )

http://scapegoat.vv.cx/
Band name is scapegoat.

Asakusa and Kabuki!!!!

2008-04-04T14:55:00.004+09:00

My sister and I started our holiday by visiting the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday. There was a big crowd on the day we choose to have our tour. Thankfully i have booked it early online.
Definitely a place to go especially when you consider that it is free and the place is so beautiful and serene!! Unfortunately the sakura has not blossom at this stage and we only saw the buds of sakura.

The second picture above was taken at Asakusa near the temple and the row of stalls. Thank goodness this is the second day and my sister was thinking of logistic problem of lugging around shopping bags to Kyoto and Osaka. We managed some restraint and only bought some Daifukus as well as cute key chains!!

The first picture is taken in Kabuki - za, a kabuki theatre near the Higashi Ginza subway exit.
We actually came here on Saturday night only to find out the timetable i copied a several weeks ago have changed and we missed the last act. So we make our way again on Sunday morning to watch kabuki for an hour as it would take us half a day if we choose to sit for the whole show!!
It is pretty slow for me but my sister seems to enjoy it very much. Nevertheless it was interesting and the costumes alone made it worth watching!!

More postings to come on my holiday!! Please do not get too tired of it : )

Sakura in Ueno - promoting starbucks

2008-04-03T01:19:00.005+09:00

My spring holiday finally comes to an end. It was a very exhausting holiday as i went to Tokyo, Kawaguchiko, Kyoto and Osaka all within 1 and a half week. It was the great Kanto Kansai Marathon!!! From Osaka, i stopped at Tokyo before getting on the train to come back to Niigata.
It turned out to be a very good decision as the sakura was blooming beautifully in Tokyo.
Went to Ueno park to enjoy the sakura scenery. Would be posting more updates on my recent spring holidays!!!

Urasa Elementary School Visit - February 2008

2008-03-12T17:46:00.003+09:00

Urasa is a pretty small town. The nearest town with department stores is Muikamachi. It takes about half an hour of bus ride from our university. So there is a need to find an alternative for entertainment especially if one does not want to burn his or her pockets too deeply since transportation is very expensive. One of my favourite activities is school visits. Basically its a visit to neighbouring schools arranged by the schools themselves to give their students opportunities to learn about other countries as well as practising english with the graduate students.

The children are so cute and very energetic. After studying on dark matters such as issues on international conflict resolution as well as genocides, it is very refreshing to be reminded that mankind are not that hopeless. That we as a human are born free of sins and the subsequent events form our thoughts and morals. Now, if only there is a way to ensure that these hideous and atrocious ideas such as ethnic cleansing, tortures, rapes and many more crime are being prevented. Sometimes, we do live in such a sad world.

The above picture ws taken in the Urasa Elementary School's Gym. They are so 'kawaii'.

Trip to Zenkoji and Obuse Town - Fall 2007

2008-03-11T19:28:00.006+09:00

I went to the Zenkoji and Obuse Town in neighbouring prefecture, Nagano during Fall term 2007 with the UMEX members. If I am not mistaken it was on 4th November, a day before my mid term examination for Global Governance of Human Security subject. However, even though studying and preparing for the exam was important, i gave in to temptation and joined the visit to Nagano-ken. Of course, to appease my guilty feelings, i brought along the notes for the particular subject as I was planning to read it on the bus. The trip took 2 hours to go to Nagano-ken and another two hours to come back to Urasa. Nevertheless, it remained in my bag as I was too busy enjoying the conversation with everyone.

Zenkoji could be considered is one of the many famous temples in Japan. Rather than elaborating the history and significance of the place which everyone could find in other websites, i prefer to remember Zenkoji for its beauty. The building is very nice and its architecture was wonderful. However, after several months having visited Zenkoji, the things that i remembered the most are the trees and flowers. The garden was magnificent. The pictures above which consisted a lot of green were taken while i was in Zenkoji. As for the ghostlike figure, it is one of the window display in the Obuse Town where we stopped to get some shopping done. It is one of my favourite although at a first glance it kind of look scary. The other picture is of the ice cream shop in Obuse Town. Really had a nice time eating ice creams in Zenkoji as well as in Obuse Town. In fact i did not even eat lunch or the proper equivalent of lunch as i only ate 3 ice creams for the whole day. I did wonder how I survived that day though.

Anyway, if you want to know more about Zenkoji, just follow the link below.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6001.html

For those who are curious on what happened to my mid term, there was no need to worry. I got 29/30 for that particular mid term. I am quite amazed at myself. Maybe the trip to Zenkoji acted as a stress reliever that allowed me to perform to the fullest of my potential. I don't really know. However i do not plan to make it a habit of going to tours and such a day before important exams.

Firewalking Festival at the Hakkaisan shrine

2008-03-10T19:42:00.006+09:00

Speaking of the colour of green, one of my most interesting experience during Fall 2007 in Niigata was attending the Firewalking Festival held at Hakkaisan shrine. It is based on the shinto religion and the locals basically pray for good harvest.

Most of the students attended the festival as the university provided free transportation to the Festival site. Besides the firewalking ceremony, the festivals also consisted of rows of stalls selling food, drinks and snacks and i ate my first taiyaki here.

Missing the GREEN!

2008-03-10T19:07:00.004+09:00

GREEN here does not refer to the $$$. It refers to the colour of the leaves. Winter is a very fun season even with the pain related to the learning of winter sports. However after a while, all those white background starts to bug you. The above pictures is the pictures i took when i had just arrived at Urasa, Niigata. The parking lot is a view from my room whereas the other picture featuring the tennis court is the view from my dormitory rooftop.

Notice the difference. One of my sensei had a haircut today and we mentioned it to him. His reply is that this is his spring hair cut. Spring? Did someone mention spring? I wonder when spring would come as the snow is still there. Maybe not as high as before. It also has not been snowing for roughly a week now. Anyway, i am going down south for the spring break end of this month. Hopefully the green as well as the pink colour from the sakura would put some life back in me. I never thought my mood would be affected by the weather. However, there is such thing as too much, at least where winter is concerned.

Tokamachi Snow Festival

2008-03-10T06:43:00.002+09:00

Its the Tokamachi annual yuki matsuri (Snow Festival) which takes place every February. I went on the 9th February with the locals to check out the fireworks in the snow. The above pictures is the stage where they have the festivals performances as well as the fireworks. It is made from the snow!! Very impressive.

As the festival consist several sites in the tokamachi town, we made several pit stops before reaching the final destination at the stage which is situated at a very hilly side of the town.
Managed to watch the tea ceremony in the snow. It was very beautiful. Did not participate in it though as the line was quite long and we had limited time to spent. So many things to do, to see as well to eat. : )

2nd Attempt at skiing

2008-03-10T06:28:00.000+09:00

This is a trip undertaken with the UMEX members, a local association that help the students from all around the world to adjust and experience life in Urasa, Niigata. As most of my friends would know of my limited skills in any athletic endeavours, it can be safely assume that i have not master the art of skiing. Nevertheless the trip itself was a very good experience for me despite the continuous 'gomenasai' mutterings from yours truly as i kinda 'crash' into some of the people as i was lining up to the ski lift. That was embarassing.

Lets hope it would not deter me from going to future ski trips. At this moment, i am still retiring from the skiing experience. At least for the remainder of this winter!!

Winter in Niigata - The first blog entry

2008-03-10T06:15:00.001+09:00

As requested by several friends, i have begun the attempt to write a blog on details of my life in Niigata, Japan as a graduate student. I have been enjoying the experience living in Japan that i have been delaying the process of blogging for almost half a year. With only one year and a half to go before graduation, I decided to start blogging my so called exploits from the current period. Once in a while i will insert some of the pictures as well as my thought on the earlier periods. Hopefully this will appease my friends who have been accusing me of having too much fun. Can't help it though as this opportunity to further my studies in the land of the rising sun is like a dream come true for me.

As currently it is the winter season, most of the current pictures would be basically all white. That is basically the view from my room, classrooms and everywhere else in this small town in Niigata. Just do not get too sick of the white background.