あと１週間。。。。寂しい。。

1 min - wanna go home, the next min - I dun wanna LEAVE!

Insane - No, it's just that when I think about the fresh sashimi, ramen, tonkatsu, yakiniku, simplest bento, etc, etc, that I'm going to missed, the unique individual shops along most of every stretch I'm going to missed, the extroadinary ambience in the restaurants/izakayas/cafes, I'l be missing....ALL that I can't find in SG!

Don't slap me SINGAPOREANS! If only u have been here, You will know what I mean.
I'm not being crude BUT can anyone tell me what's interesting in Singapore?

"SEEK YR OWN INTEREST!" - perhaps this is what U will say?

Doesn't anyone know that interest have to be cultivated or prehaps there must 1st be an attraction, then comes the interest. If there's no initial attraction, interest will never exist! WHAT RUBBISH! Ya, forgive me, I'm going through the period of losing something INTERESTING! Just allow me to blar on.....

Alright - I have my family back there - my precious niece & nephews...my friends, my cousins, my yet-to-be-found new job, my new colleagues.....I NEED SOMETHING MORE AROUSING! ....alright, new house to look forward to, Japanese language course to attend, new kitchen necessities to shop for, new recipes to ponder on, new...?, new...? WHAT ELSE!

I'l just have to learn to be......alright, I SHALL BE CONTENTED.

"HUMAN - ever so contradicting!"

My 3 months in Japan....& it's coming to an end..

I arrived in Narita airport on 30th December 2005, out from immigration approx. 1600hrs.
I bought a Narita Express (bullet train) ticket to Shinagawa. The journey was about 1hr+15mins. There was about 15mins b4 the train depart so I walked towards a small convenient shop, trying to ask if there's any public phone. With my 'half-pail-water' japanese communication skills, I tried asking an 'oba-san' (middle-age lady who was tendering the shop). "すみません、電話どこありますか？" (May I know where I can find a public phone?) The aunty looked @me, started shaking her head & hands; left to right, (as though she just saw an alien). I walked away, irritated, I thought: Did I said something wrong? Nevermind....anyhow just a few steps from the shop, I found a WHOLE STRETCH of public phones! Happily, I made my call.

I board the train & waited eagerly for it to arrive @Shinagawa Station. "品川　station” - (intercom fr train). I then proceed to Ebisu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebisu,, - a very convenient place in Tokyo, filled with most foreigners & easily accessible to trendy areas like DAIKANYAMA, SHIBUYA, SHINJUKU, OMOTESANDO & ...etc

Link to OMOTESANDO, one of the classiest town, NOT TO BE MISSED!: http://metropolis.japantoday.com/HealthandBeauty/396/healthandbeautyinc.htm

Initially, I was homesick (ya, if u read my post on MY 1ST TIME, FAR & AWAY....). With the Japanese book I brought over from SG, I started learning Japanese (the awkward experience with the oba-san has triggered my eagerness in picking up their language). Then, I made a friend through SAIJ http://www.saij.org/feedback_help.asp (a link for Singaporeans in Japan - A MUST KNOW!). Initially, I was quite paranoid about meeting people through internet (so many scary stories we have heard rite) but then I was so desparate to shake my loneliness off. I braced up my courage & I met up with Aelis (my 1st SG girl friend!). GOSH - I can never explained how HAPPY I was! We met @the popular ROPPONGI HILLS http://www.roppongihills.com/en/facilities/ (You must not missed out this gorgeous shopping mall if you visit Tokyo, of course, there are many more such AMAZING buildings in Tokyo) - Heard about the LIVEDOOR scam - the office is just right in this 'HILL'! This is a TAKAI (expensive) HILL!

Tokyo is a country filled with trendiest coffee house; with delicate & delicious cakes & tarts! Every stretch, every corner I turned to, there's definitely an amazing boutique or restaurant or bar or gift shop, awaiting me! I'm telling the truth! There's no one corner where there's nothing!
It's such a BUSY city: I liked a quote Reki commented on Tokyo, he says: TOKYO NEVER SLEEPS! And true enough, "24-7" (24hrs, 7days), you can see groups of people, gathering everywhere, anytime, having FUN!

I am especially thrilled with the most common IZAKAYA-style restaurants. http://www.gnavi.co.jp/en/k_restaurant/izakaya.htm Most of the biz men & ladies patronized these restaurants after a hard-day's work, & u know - there are so many of them, most with excellent ambience that you don't really have to worry that it's FULL-HOUSE. The best part of these izakayas is you & your friends can stay there the whole nite, eat, drink, chat, all the way till the shop closes; some as late as 6AM! TOKYO NEVER SLEEPS!

There's just too many restaurants in Japan. My favorite: YAKINIKU! http://www.gnavi.co.jp/en/k_restaurant/yakiniku.htm I just can't stop eating MEAT! Anything, beef tongue, raw beef, u name it, I'v tried it! OISHII (delicious)!

Here's a link to all the different types of restaurants & food, from Tokyo to Yokohama:
http://ss.gnavi.co.jp/fl/search/?id=enU&area=AREA110&ctgry=CTG610 (You will LOVE ME for this!)

Perhaps I have never been to another foreign countries but coming to Tokyo gives me the feeling that I'v been to many parts of the world! Every place I visited, gives me a different experience & amazement! There's so many gorgeous architects, like PRADA, GUCCI, CHANEL, LOUIS VUITTON etc....branded BULDINGS on its OWN & in different parts of Tokyo!

(prada shop in aoyama) http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/pradatokyo/

One of the most important factor a shopper looks for is SERVICE & I can tell u, their service staffs; in restaurants, in shopping malls, any corner as long as they r running a biz., they provide u THE BEST! Every little product u purchase, as long as u mention "it's a gift for someone", they have it wrapped beautifully FREE-OF-CHARGE (so thoughtful of them)!

There are unique stalls like the 100yen shops where ALL products are sold at just 100yen!
I recently came across a 99yen supermarket where all fresh vegetables, fruits, bread, ice-creams....EVERYTHING u can find in a supermarket, everything at the price of 99yen (equiv to S$1.40)! Don't believe what I just said, U gotta see it for yourself!
http://www.kananet.com/japanguide/link10hiroo.htm

I probably can never stop talking about Tokyo...& it's only a small part of Tokyo that I'v been talking about! There are so many other areas in Tokyo & many more in different parts of Japan, like Yokohama, Kyoto.....etc...the Hakone (a place where one can find lots of ONSEN - hot springs)...TOO MANY & so many I still have not set foot on! It probably takes YEARS to travel the whole of Japan!

The fashion, the people, the food, the places of interests - YOU'V GOTTA EXPERIENCE IT YOURSELF TO GET THE FEEL OF IT!

My visa; 90 days, is expiring soon & I'm heading back to Singapore on 26th March 2006.

How do I feel? Sad that I'm leaving this interesting country. Happy that I'v learnt so much!

Thank you, Reki, for giving me a fruitful living experience in this beautiful country!

TOKYO NEVER SLEEPS - when I can hear visitors tag this comment to SINGAPORE?

All About Xavier...

Name: Xavier Ho Yuan Xian

(Xavier ~ Knight born in the dark ages, tall, handsome, & chivalrous)

D.O.B: 05 March 2005

Ruling planet: NEPTUNE
Mean Distance from the Sun (AU) 30.109
Sidereal period of orbit(years) 164.79
Equatorial Radius(km) 24764
Polar Radius(km) 24340
Body rotation period(hours) 16.11
Tilt of equator to orbit(degrees) 28.8
Number of observed satellites 8

Star Sign: Pisces

The color of choice: Soft Seagreen

Your starstone is the precious Moonstone. They are not brilliant stones, in fact, all of the specimens, from the peach and grays to the gem-quality blue and rainbow-colored pieces, are soft and translucent. The physical appearance of a stone often suggests its spiritual qualities, and moonstone's most important attribute is the ability to assist us in calming and soothing the emotions. When one has achieved a state of emotional calmness, this stone may be used to open a path to an intuitive understanding of spirituality.

LIKES:

Solitude to dream in

Mystery in all its guises

Anything discarded to stay discarded

The ridiculous

Like to get 'lost'

DISLIKES:

The obvious

Being criticized

Feeling all at sea about something

Know-it-alls

Pedantry

Traditional Pisces Traits:
Imaginative & Sensitive
Compassionate and kindSelfless
Uunworldly Intuitive and sympathetic

Pisces , On the dark side....
Escapist and idealistic
Secretive and vague
Weak-willed and easily led

All About Xavier; (+) & (-):

Xavier possesses a gentle, patient, malleable nature. He has many generous qualities, isfriendly, good natured, kind and compassionate, sensitive to the feelings of those around him, and responds with the utmost sympathy and tact to any suffering he encounters. He is deservedly popular with all kinds of people, partly because of his easygoing, affectionate, submissive nature offers no threat or challenge to stronger and more exuberant characters. He accepts the people around him and the circumstances in which he finds himself rather than trying to adapt them to suit himself, and he patiently waits for problems to sort themselves out rather than take the initiative in solving them. He is more readily concerned with the problems of others than with his own.

Xavier's nature tend to be too worldly for the practical purposes of living in this world as it is. He sometimes exists emotionally rather than rationally, instinctively more than intellectually (depending on how he is aspected). He longs to be recognized as greatly creative. He also dislikes disciple and confinement. The nine-to-five life is not for him. Any rebellion he makes against convention is personal, however, as he often does not have the energy or motivation to battle against the Establishment.

Xavier tends to withdraw into a dream world where his quality can bring mental satisfaction and sometimes, fame and financial reward for he is extremely gifted artistically. He is also versatile and intuitive, has quick understanding, observes and listens well, and is receptive to new ideas and atmospheres. All these factors can combine to produce remarkable creativity in literature, music and art. He may count among his gifts mediumistic qualities which gives him a feeling that his best work comes from outside himself, "Whispered beyond the misted curtains, screening this world from that." Even when he cannot express himself creatively, he has a greater than average instinct for, and love of, beauty in art and nature, a catlike appreciation of luxury and pleasure, and a yearning for new sensations and travel to remote, exotic places.

Xavier is never egotistical in his personal relationships and give more than he asks from his friends. He is sexually delicate, in the extreme almost asexual, and would want a relationship in which the partner's mind and spirit rather than the body resonated with his own. Unfortunately he can be easily misled by a lover who courts him delicately and in marriage makes him unhappy by a coarser sexuality than he expected. He is nevertheless intensely loyal and home-loving and will remain faithful.

In his employment he is better working either by himself or in subordinate position. His talents are individual in a commercial business or similar undertaking. He would be afraid to manage more than a small department, worrying always that he would fail in a crisis. His sympathy equips him for work in charities catering for the needy, catering after the sick and as veterinary surgeons caring for animals. As librarian or astronomer he can satisfies his mental wanderlust, and his fondness for "faraway places with strange-sounding names" may turn him into sailor or traveller. Xavier, when his creative abilities are combined with gifts of imitation and the ability to enter into the feelings of others, he finds his fulfillment on the stage. His psychic and spiritual qualities can lead him into careers in the church or as mediums and mystics. He may find an outlet for his creativity as caterers, and is said to make good detective because he can imagine himselves in the place of criminals and understand how their minds would work. In technical occupations he is well employed in dealing with anaesthetics, fluids, gases and plastics. Because of his lively versatility and inability to concentrate overmuch on any one project, Xavier often simultaneously follow more than one occupation.

All About Nadia...

Name: Nadia Ho Yuan Tong
(Nadia ~ Full of Hopes; lifting up one's spirits everyday)

D.O.B: 22nd October 2003

Ruling planet: VENUS.

Mean distance from the Sun (AU) 0.723
Sidereal period of orbit (years) 0.62
Equatorial radius (km) 6,052
Polar radius (km) 6,052
Body rotation period (hours) 5823(Retrograde)
Tilt of equator to orbit (degrees) 2.12
Number of observed satellites 0

Star Sign: Libra

The color of choice: Blue
Your starstone is the precious Sapphire.

The Sapphire is one of the most beautiful and sought after gems in the quartz family.

It is considered good luck in many ways and one of the major healing stones.

LIKES:

The finer things in life

Sharing

Conviviality

Gentleness

DISLIKES:

Violence

Injustice

Brutishness

Being a slave to fashion

Traditional Libra Traits:

Diplomaitic and urbane

Romantic and charming

Easygoing and sociable

Idealistic and peaceable.

Libra, On the dark side:

Indecisive and changeable

Gullible and easily infuenced

Flirtatious and self-indulgent

All about Librans:
Libra is the only inanimate sign of the zodiac. It is the most desirable of zodiacal types because it represents the zenith of the year, the high point of the seasons, when the harvest of all the hard work of the spring is reaped.

Librans are among the most civilized of the twelve zodiacal characters and are often good looking. They have elegance, charm and good taste, are naturally kind, very gentle, and lovers of beauty, harmony (both in music and social living) and the pleasures that these bring.

(+) about Nadia:

She has good critical faculty and are able to stand back and look impartially at matters which call for an impartial judgment to be made on them. But she does not tolerate argument from anyone who challenges her opinions, for once she has reached a conclusion, its truth seems to her self-evident; and among her faults is an impatience of criticism and a greed for approval. But her character are on the whole balanced, diplomatic and even tempered.

Nadia is sensitive to the needs of others and have the gift, sometimes to an almost psychic extent, of understanding the emotional needs of her companions and meeting them with her own innate optimism - she is the kind of person of whom it is said, "she often makes you feel better for having been with her." Nadia is a very social person. She loathes cruelty, viciousness and vulgarity and detest conflict between people, so she does her best to cooperate and compromise with everyone around her, and her ideal for her own circle and for society as a whole is unity.

Nadia's cast of mind is artistic rather than intellectual, though she is usually too moderate and well balanced to be avant garde in any artistic endeavor. She has good perception and observation and her critical ability, with which she is able to view her own efforts as well as those of others, gives her work integrity.

In her personal relationships she show understanding of the other person's point of view, trying to resolve any differences by compromise, and is often willing to allow claims against herself to be settled to her own disadvantage rather than spoil a relationship. She likes the opposite sex to the extent of promiscuity sometimes, and may indulge in romanticism bordering on sentimentality. Her marriage, however, stand a good chance of success because she is frequently the union of "true minds". Nadia's (Libran's) continuing kindness toward her partner mollifies any hurt the latter may feel if the two have had a tiff, for the Nadia (Libran) is usually the most empathetic of all the zodiacal types and the most ready to tolerate the beloved's failings.

(-) about Nadia:

Nadia's character may show frivolity, flirtatiousness and shallowness. She can be changeable and indecisive, impatient of routine, colorlessly conventional and timid, easygoing to the point of inertia, seldom angry when circumstances demand a show of annoyance at least; and yet Nadia can shock everyone around her with sudden storms of rage. Her love of pleasure may lead her into extravagance; Libran women are extravagant, jealous and careless; a characteristic of the type is an insatiable curiosity that tempts her to enquire into every social scandal in her circle.

In her work, Nadia can be surprisingly energetic, though it is true that she dislikes coarse, dirty work. With her dislike of extremes she makes a good diplomat but perhaps poor party politician, for she is moderate in her opinion and able to see other points of view. She can succeed as administrator, lawyer (she has a strong sense of justice, which cynics might say could handicap her in a legal career), antique dealer, civil servant and banker, for she is trustworthy in handling other people's money. Nadia has an ability in the management of all sorts of public entertainment. She works philanthropically for humanity with great self-disciple and significant results. Nadia probably make good speculator as a financial banker, for she has the optimism and ability to recover from financial crashes.

Possible Health Concerns...for Librans:

Libra governs the lumbar region, lower back and kidneys. Its subjects must beware of weaknesses in the back, and lumbago, and they are susceptible to troubles in the kidneys and bladder, especially gravel and stone. They need to avoid overindulgence in food and especially drink, for the latter can particularly harm the kidneys.