Illumination at Rockwell

Rockwell Drive, Makati City.

Davao Leg Two

December 23, 2008

Slow Day, Meal at Taps and the Pineapple Vendor

I woke up late as usual. With nothing much to do around my hometown except to galavant and enjoy my stay, I decided to leave home a little late during the day. I arrived downtown area at around 1230 noon to meet my former colleague from Davao Doctors College. We met at Taps. My favorite comfort food. I have been dying to eat Ox Feet (beef knuckles in thick and spicy soup) for ages since I left my hoemtown more than 2 years ago. The price of Ox Feet two years ago was at 40 pesos. But now, it became 90 pesos. Perhaps because of the devalued peso and the sure of the recent inflation. After having a casual talk and information gathering, we walked along Gov. Duterte St. and came across a pineapple vendor. The vendor sells the whole pineapple at only 15 pesos and can be seen freshly opened right in front of you. I decided to try how does it really differ the pineapples exported to Japan from our locally consumed pineapples. It was very sweet, juicy and less fibers on the inner side. Totally different from the pineapples sold in Japan. I took a video while Manong Tetet was peeling the pineapples right in front of our eyes.


Pirated DVDs
Pirated "all-in-one" DVDs and the like are selling like hotcakes in the city. One disc is around 70 pesos. I decided to buy several of them for the entertainment pleasure of my little brother and two little cousins who like cartoons very much. I bought Spongebob, Dora, Blues Clues, and a whole bunch of educational videos for toddlers and pre-schoolers. I was able to haggle for a cheaper price down to 60 and the vendor okayed.

The following night I stopped by at Bo's Coffee at F. Torres Street. Free Wi-fi and smooth coffee and delicious Tuna Sandwich. I was finally able to blog. The one I blog was my recent post about Davao Leg 1 and a couple of those blog next after it. Then, I waited for another friend of mine, Christian, who helped me secure documents needed for my VISA renewal there in Japan.

Bigbys
We stopped by at Bigby's Restaurant adjacent to Bo's, where I just recently had coffee. I ordered pasta.

Bakbak
The recent fad in Davao hang-out is Bakbak. This is the place to be. We went there and drank four bottle of Red Horse beer. We also munched some Porky's best chicharon. I saw a lot of familiar faces like former colleagues, acquaintances and former crushes. Ahem...

Sad Fate of Davao's Entertainment Industry
We decided to tour around the places we used to hang out before. Let's have a quick look how are they now.

1. The Venue and Venue Compound - Almost closed since The Venue is only open during special functions and occasions. All bars are almost closed. The former glamour of The Venue and its bars are now gone.

2. Rizal Promenade and 183 - The crowd suddenly shifted and not much frequented with people.

3. Autoshop - closed.

Looks like my former hangout places are either dying or have died already.

Christmas Day
Day spent for my younger brother. I treated him to Jollibee. We stayed overnight at the hospital.

December 26, 2008
SM
Went to see my gimik friends. Christian for the 2nd time, Paknat, Janet, and Johfil joined me for a cup of coffee and ensaimada at Figaro. I saw a lot of friends, former barkadas, and acquaintances in SM Mall. After the chat at Fugaro, we ate at Times Beach.

Sutokil
Sutokil was on the menu with matching "lato," a kind of seaweed. Sinuglaw was really delicious. Sinuglaw is a kinilaw (raw fish mixed with coconut vinegar) mixed with cubed grilled pork.

Kangaroo Coffee
One of the newly established coffee shop in Davao along Tiongko Drive. Famed for its strong coffee, which actually tasted like Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's Americano.

Merry Christmas 2008

It is almost 7AM here in Davao City, Philippines. This Internet Cafe has never closed despite the observance of Christmas Day. Surprisingly, my one hour PC rental for Internet usage is only P6 (Six pesos) or roughly around 15 yen per hour! This is Davao. Where cheap and competitive high speed Internet access 24x7 at the lowest possible price in the entire Philippines. So why am I here? I am killing the time. I was waiting for Chowking to open by 7AM because all stores during December 25th, especially malls and shops, open late up to 12 noon. Some are even close for the entire day. My Christmas was memorable. I had to treat my younger brother for some Chicken Joy at Jollibee and take care of my sick father who is still now at the hospital. Davao is known to be zero firecracker/fireworks city for the past five years so there was not even a single firecracker I heard exploded the past days I stayed here and most especially last night.

To my friends who greeted me through SMS and messages on Yahoo Messenger, Merry Christmas too.

How do you say Merry Christmas in several languages?

English: Merry Christmas
Filipino: Maligayang Pasko
Bisaya/Cebuano: Malipayong Pasko
Japanese/Nihongo: Meri Kurisumasu

Most people in Davao celebrate Christmas by going to malls after lunch, going to the beach or just stay at home and eat, eat and eat....

I could still remember last year on how I celebrated Christmas in Japan. It was December 25, 2007, 7AM and I was walking towards Kunitachi Station in the Chuo Line. No one was rushing except me. It was the Emperor's Birthday and it seemed no one worked during that day. Trains were empty and this is the only day you could lie down you body on train seat because there are few to no passengers at all. Walking towards the office was even lonelier. Only few people walking and almost all people had a vacation. It was the only time that we did not have the morning greetings (aisatsu) because our company President was not around. Anyway, it felt too sad and lonely. I cried because it was too opposite with how we observe Christmas in the Philippines.

Anyway, let's not forget the real reason why we celebrate Christmas. Let's love one another and share our blessings during this day.

GPS on Japanese Automobiles

Convenient, reliable and efficient. These are the adjectives I can use to describe Global Positioning System installed on Japanese automobiles. To go from point A to B, you can either do the following:

1. Input the postal code.
2. Input the landline number.
3. Browse at pre-defined areas in the database.
4. Input the exact address.

Depending on its version, the GPS can also give you the estimated time of arrival based on your speed and will inform you on traffic situations several kilometers away ahead. The GPS plots the easiest way and based on car configurations, it will route you to automated ETC tollways or manual toll gate expressways.

Side features of a car GPS:
1. It has a radio.
2. 1-Seg TV tuner. (1-Seg is a digital TV broadcast unique only to Japan)
3. CD player. (audio)
4. MP3 burner/converter.
5. MP3 storage. (only from CDs)

The downsides are:

1. For foreigners, all in Japanese. You need to be able to read hiragana, katakana and especially kanji.
2. Voice prompts are also in Japanese.
3. Cost. Very expensive for average income earners. One configuration for a typical car would range from 150,000 to 250,000 yen, depending on features and type of car.

Illumination in Roppongi

Near Roppongi Hills. Far right illumination can be seen upclose below.

Illumination is one way of expressing Christmas in Japan but I don't really feel real Christmas with it.

Lucky to be a Foreigner in Japan

Gov't to extend cash handouts to 2 mil registered foreign residents
Sunday 21st December, 07:40 AM JST

TOKYO — The government said Saturday it has decided to recognize 2 million foreigners registered as residents with local governments as of next Feb 1 as eligible for cash benefits it will hand out next year as a fiscal measure to spur private consumption.

The government will recognize foreigners registered as residents on the foreign registry as of Feb 1, 2009 as qualified recipients of the cash handout under the 2 trillion yen program, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Among the 2 million recipients are permanent foreign residents, such as North and South Korean residents in Japan, as well as foreign workers of Japanese ancestry who have residential permits as migrant workers, the ministry said.

Foreigners studying at Japanese schools as well as foreigners accepted as trainees by Japanese companies are also recognized as qualified recipients.

Foreign tourists, foreigners overstaying their visas and other illegal aliens will not be recognized as legitimate recipients, the ministry said.

The administration of Prime Minister Taro Aso approved on Saturday a second supplementary budget that includes the handouts as its main pillar.

The ministry said Feb 1 is the set date for deciding on eligibility for the handouts for both Japanese citizens and registered foreigners. The number of recipients, including foreigners, will total 129 million.

Japanese citizens and foreigners will basically be given 12,000 yen per person, but an extra 8,000 yen will be given to recipients up to and including 18 years old as of the standard date, as well as to recipients 65 years old or older.

Local government officials will check on such recipients’ ages when the cash handouts are disbursed. This means that those receiving additional payouts must be young people born on Feb 2, 1990, or later and elderly people born on Feb 2, 1944, or before.

Feb 2 became the defining date because Japanese law adds one more year to a person’s legal age at midnight on the day before he or she is born, the ministry said.

Consequently, people whose 65th birthday falls on next Feb 2 are counted among qualified recipients of the cash.

The older qualified recipients will total 28 million, while young recipients up to and including 18 years old will number 22 million persons.

But babies who will be born exactly on next Feb 2 or after will not be recognized as qualified recipients, because the government is designating Feb 1 as the defining date for eligibility, it said.

The cash will be handed out through the offices of the local governments at which Japanese citizens or foreigners are registered as residents.

The payments assume that the second extra budget and other relevant bills will pass the Diet. They also assume that local assemblies will pass budgetary bills to cover expenses for administering the payments.

It is not yet known, therefore, whether the government will be able to hand out the cash benefits prior to next March 31 because deliberations on these bills may drag on.

Davao Leg One

Upon arriving, I went straight to Davao Medical Center, where my father was confined due to thoraxic aneurism. After reaching the corridors of the hospital, I heared someone called me, "Uy, Corpuz!" It was my classmate in college, Ronald Muyco, who took up nursing and was on duty at DMC that time. I was really finally in Davao. Someone finally knew me at random.

My dad was okay. And hopefully his operation will push through this 1st week of January.

Gaisano Mall
I had to do errands and grocerries for my parents. Grocery at Gaisano Mall along Bajada for food supplies proved that prices of goods especially fruits in Davao is really affordable! With almost the same quantity of food and supplies I bought in G-Mall and compared with Trinoma in Quezon City was just around 700 pesos compared to a more doubled price of 2,000 pesos in Manila. Fruits are at a shocking price. Seven pieces of bananas at 35 pesos compared to 100+ in Manila and 150 pesos when in Japan. Pears at 30 pesos of 4 pieces compared to 200 pesos when in Japan. Apples, of course, from China, and not from Japan are really cheap. Everything was very affordable. Whole roasted chicken at a local shop inside the mall is at 150 pesos.

Mandarin Tea Garden
My favorite Chinese dimsum restaurant in Davao City is still there at Gaisano Mall. I ordered my favorite chopseuy rice and Chinese Tea. Priced at 68 pesos for the rice topping and 25 pesos for the Chinese Tea in teapot.

Taxi
Gradually, old non-airconditioned taxis in Davao are slowly being phased-out. When I went home, I flagged a non-airconditioned taxi, for roughly around 30 kilometers from Bajada going to our house in Dumoy, it only took 130 pesos. In Japan, I think it would reach around 20,000 yen or roughly around 10,000 pesos.

Downsides
The scorching temperature of 25-30 degrees Centigrade is a pain in my ass. My cough and colds were trigerred and I don't feel well up to this hour. The dusty side road and travel to-and-from our house is quite far and a little taxing. I wasn't really prepared for this temperature. I thought that it is already cool here in Davao. Despite this, I still love my hometown. :-D

Manila Leg Two

Friday, December 19, 2008.

I woke up a little late and I was waiting for my dear to arrive from night-shift work. Then, after lunch, we headed towards SM Mall of Asia. Since the entire metropolis was in shopping mode, we couldn't find any vacant taxi. The worse, taxi drivers kept on ignoring flagging-down passengers along the highway. So we decided to take the usual jeepney route. Jeepney fares were slightly decreased back to its original price while taxi fares have been slashed with their additional 10-peso add-on. Upon arriving after the 1-hour, 2-ride jeepney travel, our first destination was food.

Bacolod Chicken Haus
We ordered grilled chicken pecho (breast and drumstick) which was filled with special sauce and served with rice topped with fried garlic. We also ordered chicken molo soup, which is a specialty of the Bacolodnons. Our main meal was partnered with mais-con-yelo (corn in crushed ice with milk and rice crispies) and sago-at-gulaman (tapioca pearls and gelatin drink). It was tasty and delicious. Now, I was filled with so much joy because I have once again tasted Filipino food after two years of foreign work.

Krispy Kreme
Finally Krispy Kreme is everywhere in Manila. When it first opened more than 2 years ago, their only outlet was at Serenda in The Fort. It was too incovenient to go there just to taste their very sweet doughnuts. We stopped by there to taste their doughnuts for dessert and brewed coffee.

Top Grill Videoke
The following night, we had videoke (karaoke). Our housemate, Donna, initially decided to have it at Maru because its consumable. But because it was Friday and everyone is on party mode, we weren't able to secure a slot. Thus we decided to transfer to a nearby videoke named Top Grill. All of these bars are in Makati. We sung and ate for three hours. Their front desk officer was too slow in processing our orders so our food was a little late for about 45 minutes. One of the strangest food we ordered in their menu was the nachos. Their nachos is a black-sesame filled kropek. I haven't thought that I could only find this type of "nachos" in their menu list. Five bottles of beer for 100 pesos was awesome. I drank too much beer but not quite drunk. They were all San Miguel Light and I guess I am already fond of Asahi and Kirin beers in Japan. If I were in Davao, I would order Red Horse. Hehehe...

Krispy Kreme
After drinking, we went to the Fort, and again drank coffee at Krispy Kreme.

December 20, 2008, Saturday
Off to Rockwell, the closest and most accessible mall from our apartment in Makati. Ground floor restaurants and food stalls are elegantly styled. Since I arrived in Manila, I wanted to taste Filipino food. So we again ate at KFC and I ordered Arroz Caldo. After our lunch, we strolled around Rockwell and had coffee at Bread Talk. Bread Talk serves unique and delicious bread creations. Coffee was indeed delicious though a little expensive.

By 7PM, I met my Japanese friend Saori. It was nice talking to her as I have again practiced my Japanese conversational skills. It felt confident to talk to a native and I was in a way happy to have applied my stock knowledge on Japanese vocabularies. We ate at Good Earth Roasts outside of Rockwell Mall. I ordered duck rice bowl and Saori ordered fish rice bowl. Saori also ordered tofu but it was not delicious. The food was just so-so. After dinner we went to UCC, a coffee shop where its close to our hearts. But not to our pockets. Hehehe.. If I was in Japan, I would probably easily afford it. I just ordered brewed coffee, as always. We had a casual chat about the people we met before from our previous work and about the economic turmoil in Japan which directly affected most of the Japanese.

Sunday
Sunday was a slow day. I had my foot spa in a nearby parlor for only 150 pesos including pedicure. The foot spa had a massage as part of the service. Totally relaxing and tooooo affordable compared to Japan. Afterwhich, we went to Glorietta for some lasagna and pizza at Greenwich.

Monday
My flight was scheduled to depart at 740AM. Good thing it was on time. Cebu Pacific's terminal is now at NAIA Centenial Terminal 3. I am bound for Davao City, my hometown.

Manila Leg One

Airport Blitz
The plane finally landed. December 16, 2008. Cebu Pacific flight 5J0827. An hour delayed. As usual. What do you expect from a low budget airline? The airline used terminal 3, the old Villamor Airbase next to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. We were greeted with the usual cold people from the airport. It really felt the Philippines. The airport was huge and confusing.

Gilligans
After arriving at our rented apartment in Makati, we ate at Gilligan's in Glorietta. I was very hungry as the airlines did not provide complimentary food. I ordered pinakbet and my favorite pork sisig. Pinakbet is a medley of vegetables stuffed with pork and fish paste as the base sauce. Vegetables include string beans, squash, okra, ampalaya (bittergourd in English and ゴヤ in Japanese), and eggplant (茄子). Sisig is a kapampangan dish which constitutes sliced/diced pork ears, and skin fats sizzled to a crunchy taste. We also ordered iced tea. The real iced tea. Sweet and tastes the real Philippine-iced tea. The meal was very comforting. It felt like I am really back at my comfort zone. Plus the fact that despite we ate at a restaurant, it was really cheap.

December 17, 2008

Metrobank - Alfaro, Salcedo Village, Makati
Foreign Currency Exchange rate was at 49.9587 something. I was a little disappointed because it was at 52.xxx something the previous week and the value of my hard-earned yen lost a few thousands of pesos. Since I had no choice, I had to exchange it as it is riskier to go to money changers around the dangerous metropolis.

Bench
One of my favorite and truly Philippine-made clothes shop is Bench. Me and Maan went to Bench at Glorietta. They are on-sale! I bought so many winter and spring inner clothes. Funny thing here in Manila is that people wear warmers such as mufflers, bonnets, and even knitted sweaters. The temperature is just at 20 degrees Centigrade and they feel cold already. I bought 7 pieces of clothes. Roughly around 4,500 pesos in all and did not even reached 10,000 yen. Really worth the money!

MRT
The Philippines' main railway in the central metropolis. I felt ashamed comparing our very own MRT to Japan's railway system. In the Philippines, almost everything is manual. There is a huge bottleneck of people who queue just to buy tickets and even a longer line for those who pass the ticket inspection barriers. Furthermore, the train schedule itself is not fixed and most of the time is delayed. It took us 30 minutes to ride on the train. Upon getting off at the last terminal in Quezon City which is North Avenue, I decided to buy 100-peso stored value tickets to lessen our ordeal once we travel the MRT next time.

Padala
I did meet the niece of my Filipina friend from Tachikawa, Tokyo and gave the perfume and 20,000 yen which she requested me to bring in her behalf. We met her in Starbucks in Trinoma Mall.

Tilapia
We deep fried tilapia, a kind of Philippine cultivated fish. The fish was perfect to dip in bagoong (fish paste) sauce which was garnished with so many tomatoes and red onions. I ate too much.

Crocodile Grill
During the evening, we met Rex, my colleague way back in Davao along with his friend and had several hours of talk over bottles of San Miguel Light beer. Crocodile grill is still probably the cheapest bar in Greenbelt 3 to offer affordable beer and pulutan. Afterwhich, we transferred to Gilligans and had 3-for-100-pesos beer. The bar is flocked with most yuppies and call center agents who want to enjoy the company of their colleagues. The restobar has also acoustic gigs to enlighten the night. I consumed 6 bottles that night.

December 18

Smart Tower
We went to RCBC and gave some pasalubongs to my former colleagues. Afterwhich, we went to Smart Tower in Ayala and obtained a new Smart Money card. Service was a little faster. And the newbie to took my request on the front desk was really polite and nice. I finished my transaction earlier.

KFC
My girlfriend said that why would I want to eat in KFC wherein there is a KFC in Japan. I told her that I have never eaten in any KFC in Japan because their chicken meals are too expensive. She felt funny about my answer. So I ordered 2-piece chicken value meal. My order was hot-and-spicy breast and drumstick. Of course the cartilage was really delicious. One thing I miss is their gravy which I haven't seen in Japan.

Divisoria
Bargain hunting? Go to Divisoria. We bought many clothes with so many cool designs and at a shocking cheap price! The catch is.... The entire area is too crowded. It's like there is a huge rally towards the stalls. Favorite place for shoppers is the 168 Shopping Mall and Tutuban Shopping Center.

Ukay-Ukay sa Bambang
For 60 both, we rode the trisibot (farm-type machine operated bicycle) and went to Bambang ukay-ukay. I was ready for my ultimate winter trench coat bargain hunting but sad to say I was not able to find one. Ukay-ukay is from the word ukay which means to scavenge or find. Ukay-ukay is a verb used to find worth clothes in a pile of it. Maybe I will come back next year for it.

Nep, Jan and Starbucks
Nep and Jan already transferred their apartment and their place was nice. Jan recently met an accident and broke his leg due to a basketball game. Nep and I went to Starbucks at the Columns, a posh upscale residential condominium in front of RCBC Tower. Nep, again, with his quest for Starbucks' yearly Christmas offering, wanted me to fill his promo card. So we did drank coffee and talk about anything.

Tonton Thai Massage
After having a mocha coffee, I went to Tonton Thai coffee in Salcedo Village. Only a couple of blocks away from Columns and I was ready to relax. I chose the one hour foot massage. It was very relaxing. One hour is 300 pesos. Very cheap compared to Japan. It is as if all of my worried and foot pains for the past year were all gone.

Kansai Trip

I have endured a quite long and tiresome travel. Last night, the temperature dropped to 5 degrees in the shivering cold, windy and sleepy night in Shinjuku, the place where I boarded for bus going to Osaka. Cebu Pacific's plane fare has invited a lot of people from Kanto Area to grab the fare promo. I met someone from Kouenji in Tokyo and he was also bound for Osaka. Along the way, we met a lot of Filipinos. Same destination: Cebu Pacific's flight in Kansai Airport.

Going Home

It was a hectic day. I am scheduled to go home tomorrow night through Kansai Airport. I am taking a night bus bound for Osaka tonight. I might be very busy when I arrive in Manila to do a lot of errands and in my hometown in Davao. I hope everything goes smoothly, especially with Cebu Pacific. You know how notorious this airline is. Godspeed. For the meantime, I am temporarily signing off.

本日はとても忙しかったんです。明日の夜位関西空港でフィリピンへ帰るつもりです。今夜大阪行きのバスに乗るつもりんだ。フィリピンのマニラ市とダバオ市の出身に居るの場合にはいろんな事をしましたからとても忙しくなるかもしません。セブパシフィックエアーラインスで問題がなくなりたいのは望んでいます。この会社の悪名高いサービスがあると思います。取敢えず、このブログサイトがサインオフになっております。

大変申し訳で御座いません。

Akaneiro no Yakusoku (茜色の約束)

茜色した　陽だまりのなか　無口な風が　ふたりを包む
akaneiro shita hidamari no naka mukuchi na kaze ga futari wo tsutsumu

歩幅合わせて　歩く坂道　いつもあたしは　追いかけるだけ
hohaba awasete aruku sakamichi itsumo atashiwa oikakeru dake

つまずいたり　転んで　泣いてみたり
tsumazuitari koronde naitemitari

決して　うまく　生きれる　あたしじゃないけど
keshite umaku ikireru atashi janaikedo

あなたがほら　あたしの　手を引くから
anata ga hora atashi no te wo hikukara

恐がる　心も　強くね　なれるよ
kowagaru kokoro mo tsuyoku ne nareru yo

だから
dakara

泣いて　笑って　つないだこの手は　重ねた言葉に負けない　約束
naite waratte tsunaida kono te wa kasaneta kotoba ni makenai yakusoku

あなたに　出逢えた　茜の空に　ほら　あの日と　おなじことを　願うよ
anata ni deaeta akane no sora ni hora ano hi to onaji koto wo negau yo

時はいつでも　木の葉散るように　知らぬ間に手を　すり抜けていく
toki wa itsudemo ko no ha chiru youni shirane ma ni te wo suri nuketeiku

ひとつひとつ　季節は過ぎていくけど
hitotsu hitotsu kisetsu wa sugiteikukedo

あと　いくつの　想いを　伝えられるだろう
ato ikutsu no omoi wo tsutaerareru darou

ありふれていた　日々さえ　戻せはしない
arifureteita hibisae modose wa shinai

この毎日を　一瞬を　愛しく　想うの
kono mainichi wo isshun wo itoshiku omoi no

だから
dakara

涙も　笑顔も　つないだこの手も　幾重の写真に負けない　想い出
namida mo egao mo tsunaida kono te mo ikue no shasshin ni makenai omoi de

あなたに　出逢えた　茜の空に　ほら　あの日と　おなじことを　誓うよ
anata ni deaeta akane no sora ni hora ano hi to onaji koto wo chikauyo

やがて「別れ」が訪れても　ふたり　すべてを　受け止めていく
yagate "wakare" ga otozuretemo futari subete wo uke tometeiku

「出逢った場所」も「今いる場所」も　永遠に　心と　繋がっている
"deatta basho" mo "ima iru basho" mo to* ni kokoro to tsunagatteiru

ほら　振り返れば　足跡が　続くよ
hora furikaereba ashiato ga tsuzuku yo

だから
dakara

泣いて　笑って　つないだこの手は　最後の瞬間まで　離しはしないで
naite waratte tsunaida kono te wa saigo no toki made hanashi wa shinaide

この道の先を　またふたりで
kono michi no saki wo mata futari de

歩いていこう…　歩いていこう…
aruiteikou... aruiteikou...


だから
dakara

泣いて　笑って　つないだこの手は　すべての言葉に負けない　約束
naite waratte tsunaida kono te subete no kotoba ni makenai yakusoku

あなたと　出逢えた　茜の空に　ほら　あの日と　おなじことを　願うよ
anata to deaeta akane no sora ni hora ano hi to onaji koto wo negau yo

December School Lunch Menu

For those who want to study Japanese, this material below is for you.

Train Receipts

Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line: Roppongi Station Issued Receipt

Toubu Railway - Hanyu Station Issued Receipt

Toubu Railway - Ryoumo Special Reserved Ticket
Hanyu to Kita-Senju Station: Additional 750 yen

Food Tasting Opportunity

After the scorching potato broiling in the field, yet another memorable surprise from my noisy yet thoughtful students. Their cooking class teacher left this place of classroom-made food on my desk. A perfect merienda over a hot mug of brewed UCC Coffee.

The note:

Read as:

Ian Sensei: イアン　先生

From 1st year section 5.　１年　５組
Names of Students: Iizuka, Shikii, Watanabe and Takatori　飯塚、式井、渡辺、高鳥

Sensei no koto wo kangaete isshoukenmei tsukurimashita. 先生の事を考えて一生懸命作りました。
Have a taste with the food we earnestly made.

Tabete kudasai. 食べて下さい！！！
Please eat.

The menu is boiled carrots, hamburger steak (Japanese style with Teriyaki Sauce)
and potato balls.

Tasty, surprising and filling.

Broiled Sweet Potatoes (ジャが芋を焼く)

After lunch this afternoon, I was invited by one of the 3rd year teachers. He said that they are roasting some potatoes and sweet potatoes. I decided to come along with him. I was caught surprised after seeing what they meant with roasting. In my mind, I thought their concept of roasting is skewered. But then here is what I found out. Along the south entrance of the campus, lies mounds of burning pile of leaves, which underneath, potatoes and sweet potatoes. I helped piling up the dried leaves on top but some of them were wet so it didn't help that much in cooking the potatoes. The fire continuously cooked the root crops until 4PM. The potatoes were covered in wet newspaper and then covered with aluminum foil. That is how it was cooked, supposedly. But because of the uncooperative wind which didn't blew that much, some of them were either half-roasted and either still raw and hard. About 30 kilos of potatoes were roasted in this event. Well, here are the pictures. I call this Hanyu City Minami Chuu Gakkou Potato Winter Festival 2008 (平成２０年度第回羽生市南中学校芋冬祭).

Falling Fuel Prices and Combating Winter in Japan

Falling Fuel Prices and Combating Winter in Japan

The downturn in the global fuel prices has certainly benefited the entire humanity. As I have observed here in Japan, every week, the price of kerosene, which I always use on my heater, is dropping gradually. My first purchase during the last week of October was around 100 yen per liter. Then during the middle of November, it suddenly dropped to 93 yen per liter. Then last week, the price was at 71 yen per liter. The latest news this morning was that it might drop to as low as 50 yen per liter during winter.

Heaters Sold in Japan

1. Gasoline Heater – The most cost effective because gasoline is more combustible than kerosene. But the downside is that it’s a little risky. A standard heater may have a capacity of more or less 10 liters.

2. Kerosene Liter – Uses kerosene. Cost-effective since kerosene is cheap. Downside is the smell of kerosene during and after turning off of the equipment.

3. Halogen – Uses halogen lamp. Steady one-directional heater is effective for heating one area of the room only. Consumes more electricity.

4. Carbon Heater – Uses no light to heat but very effective heating equipment. Consumes more electricity too.

5. Oven-type Heater – I have used this in the past and it is notorious in jacking up your electric bills. Most oven-type heaters have water provisions to humidify the room.

6. Electric Blanket

7. Stove – A kerosene-based electric heater. Used commonly in huge and wide areas such as classrooms, halls and convention areas and even wide-spaced apartments. The stove can also act as a humidifier since you can heat water on top of it. Or you can even put a kettle to warm tea during the winter season.

8. Kotatsu Table Heater – a coiled oven-type heater installed in kotatsu (Japanese-style table for tatami rooms), used especially during winter in Japan.

9. Electric Carpet

10. Electric neck and foot warmer.

11. Bi-functional air-condition/heater – the most expensive because it purely uses electricity and the machine works like an air-conditioner.

12. Hot-water container – Used to warm pillows and blankets.

13. Electric Flat Panel Heater – used in tiny and small places like toilet and below the office desks.

14. Water Heaters – The famous Rinnai brand uses propane gas and is typically embedded in the piping system of your house to automatically heat the water. This is the most important heater because even during summer, water used for bathing in Japan is relatively cold.

Tips to combat cold and save electricity.

1. Keep on moving. The more you more, the more you warm your body up. A nice stroll every morning and during afternoon would be a nice idea.

2. Do not sleep while your heater is on. It is a precautionary measure against fire and suffocation to hazardous fumes. Use layers of thick blankets instead to insulate yourself.

3. For you to move quickly during the morning, wake up 30 minutes ahead than the usual schedule then quickly turn on the heater. After 30 minutes, if the room is already warm, you don’t feel sloth to move around.

4. Always take a bath during the evening as it will make your body adjust to the room temperature of your home. Thus, the lesser the probability to maximize the temperature gauge of your heater.

5. Set your heater temperature to the lowest possible degree. Then gradually go up to adjust the room temperature.

6. Buy kerosene in bulk. If you have a car, it is a good idea to buy in bulk since there are some gasoline stations who sell their kerosene in bulk at discounted prizes.

7. Practice drinking beer, sake, Nihonshu, shochuu and the like. As with Russians, they drink vodka to warm their body. The above-mentioned alcohols are easily available anywhere in Japan.

8. Enjoy eating nabe dishes, sukiyaki and/or shabu-shabu. While in the process of cooking, the heat generated by the portable nabe stove acts as a heater itself. So it’s a dual purpose.

9. Put salonpas-like pads to warm certain portions of your body. Cheap and easily available.

10. It’s always nice to have someone with under the futon. You know what I mean.

Ramen Jiro (二郎ラーメン)

This ramen shop is near my favorite magurodon shop, Totoya, in Mita, Minato-ku. Especially during lunchtime, this famous ramen shop is crowded with people queueing up to the back of the building and even near the road. My colleague said that this ramen shop was featured on TV that is why it is very popular in downtown Mita. And just a few days ago, I stumbled on this video. I didn't realize that the price of their ramen is very affordable and the size is really big. And they have this term mashi mashi (増し増し) which means add more. Yeah, add more garlic and further more garlic. Soup is also floating in pork fat! I love Japan because of its' food and ramen is one of them. I just realize that I haven't really explored much the outskirts of Mita. I hope to drop by there next year and queue up as early as 11AM.

Ramen Jiro

Juju - Kiseki wo Nozomunara (奇跡を望むなら)

Another love song to practice to impress Japanese colleagues in karaoke bars. This is ideal especially during year-end company bounenkais (忘年会).





Lyrics:

君が教えてくれた
『ひとりじゃない』そう言ってくれたね
kimi ga oshiete kureta
"hitori ja nai" sou itte kureta ne


いまさら 少し遅いけど
君がいなければ 今日は違ってた
imasara sukoshi osoi kedo
kimi ga inakereba kyou wa chigatteta


時々この世界で
ひとり取り残されたような
tokidoki kono sekai de
hitori torinokosareta you na

抱えきれないほどの
悲しみに胸が包まれる夜も
kakaekirenai hodo no
kanashimi ni mune ga tsutsumareru yoru mo

*1 『奇跡を望むなら 泣いてばかりいないで
シアワセには ふさわしい 笑顔があるはず...』
*1 "kiseki wo nozomu nara naite bakari inaide
shiawase ni wa fusawashii egao ga aru hazu..."

*2 夜明けを待ちながら 見つめるその先には
探していた 未来が 微笑む 両手を 広げて
*2 yoake wo machinagara mitsumeru sono saki ni wa
sagashite ita mirai ga hohoemu ryoute wo hirogete

気がつけば想ってる
ほんの少し 苦い 過ぎた日々を
ki ga tsukeba omotteru
hon no sukoshi nigai sugita hibi wo

今はまだ 愛せないけど
いつになるか まだわからないけれど
ima wa mada aisenai kedo
itsu ni naru ka mada wakaranai keredo

君のいない現実(せかい)に
向きあわなきゃ いけなくなる
kimi no inai 現実(sekai) ni
mukiawanakya ikenaku naru

たとえ 思い出すのも
つらいことだって 消えるわけじゃない
tatoe omoidasu no mo
tsurai koto datte kieru wake ja nai

『奇跡を望むなら 一人きりでいないで
手を伸ばせば 誰にでもコタエはあるから...』
"kiseki wo nozomu nara hitorikiri de inaide
te wo nobaseba dare ni demo kotae wa aru kara..."

夜明けを待ちながら 輝く明日を信じ
忘れていた 勇気を
yoake wo machinagara kagayaku asu wo shinji
wasurete ita yuuki wo

もう一度 この胸に 描くよ
mou ichido kono mune ni egaku yo

ありふれた 言葉から 誓いは生まれてゆく
まっすぐに歩いて ゆけたなら…
arifureta kotoba kara chikai wa umarete yuku
massugu ni aruite yuketa nara...

*1, *2 repeat

Working With Fellow Gaijins

The image below was my only memorabilia that I have with my fellow Foreign Counsellors. I worked with them in a Summer Camp for a local Eikaiwa (英会話) School (English Conversation Cram School) for Children a couple of months ago.

It was fun and exciting working with them especially that this was my first time to deal with a multi-cultural people in a completely changing workplace for just 3 days. I was paired with Bryce from Australia and my colleague Elly from Indonesia. Of course Bryce was a proud Australian. He showed so many interesting things about Australia. I was also able to interact with Massimilliano of Italy. I was glad to hear stories of his place in Italy. Kelly from America is a foreign student in Oyama and learned so much from her school in Oyama. Nishant from India is a graduate student of Tsukuba University especializing in Nanotechnology. It was fun knowing his work as a researcher for a Japanese university. Because the hotel was very big and we were assigned to many kids, we weren't able to bond with each other. Plus the mere fact that alcohol is not allowed during the camp. It sucked a bit. :-D

These are the common misconceptions of the Japanese people learning English language towards English-speaking people.

1. That only people living in USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are purely native speakers.
2. That all Caucasians are presumed to be English speakers.
3. Amazed to realize that non-Caucasians, especially fellow Asians, are good English speakers.

Below are our pictures. Spot where am I in the picture.

The picture above is the kids' autograph card which all of us have to sign as a token of remembrance. Summer camp was very exhausting yet a very fulfilling job. It made me cry when I saw small kids cry during our farewell activity. Too bad I can't join the winter camp this last week of December.

My House

As I have told my friends, I don't reside in the mountains of Saitama Prefecture but in the midst of vast ricefields. Here is the proof. All green empty plots of land are ricefields. The adjacent river on the upper area is the Tone River, Japan's 2nd longest river. Adjacent cities are Tatebayashi in Gunma Prefecture, Kazo City in the right and Gyoda City on the left. Access trains are Hanyu Station of the Tobu Isezaki Line and the Chichibu Tetsudou Railways. Hanyu City population approximately 50,000+.

View Larger Map

Fukuyoshi 福よし

Looking for the best katsudon (カツ丼) in town and probably the most delicious miso tonjiro (味噌豚汁)? Visit Fukuyoshi in Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture. A hearty serving of their breaded katsudon and refillable rice and miso tonjiro soup is surely remind your of authentic Japanese cuisine. Click to visit their website or view the map below.

Map


View Larger Map

Farewell Messages

During my class this morning, I was surprised to receive some nice, funny and cute farewell messages from some of my 1st year section 1 students. Here are some of them.

The Japanese part reads as hontou ni arigatou gozaimashita '本当にありがとうございました' (I really thank you very much.) and tanoshikatta '楽しかった’ (It was fun.)
Just forgive the English grammar but it's really amazing that someone could compose such message at their age here in Japan. Written by Seiyu Yamaguchi. せいゆう山口。

The caption reads, "Ima made arigatou gozaimashita" (今までありがとうございました)。Eien ni sayonara.　"永遠にさよなら” means goodbye to eternity. The translation is too literal. It may also means "Until the next time we see." The last part reads "Aki Sakura is beautiful!" ( 秋桜ってきれいですよね！) Sakura Trees during Autumn are beautiful. From my student named Tanaka （田中）

Reads "Sayonara. Baibai. Ima made arigatou gozaimashita" (さようなら。ばいばい。今までありがとうございました) Written by Yumoto. (湯本)

This one is really funny.

To Ian, イアンへ、

Ian wa, kanojo iru deshou!　イアンは彼女いるんでしょう！
Do you have a girlfriend right?

Kekkon shiki ni okonatte agemasu.　けっこん式に行ってあげます。
By all means engage in marriage.

Dakara, shoutai shite kudasai.　だから。しょうたいしてください。
Therefore, please introduce her.

Oｓhiawase ni ........ !! お幸せに。。。。。。！！
I hope you will be happy!

Kodomo un de ne.　こどもうんでね！
Goodluck with the kids.

Kodomo tsukutte ne.　こども作ってね。
Create kids! (Literally!)

1-1 Yoshida Mika　吉田みか

This is another funny one.

Boku no namae wa Suzuki Yuu desu. ぼくのなまえは鈴木です。
My name is Yuu Suzuki.

Ian sensei wa, kanojo no koto wo Love desu ka? イアン先生は、彼女のことをLoveですか？
Do you love your girlfriend?

Kekkon shite kudasai. けっこんしてください。
Please marry.

Ganbatte kudasai.　がんばってください。
Please strive hard.

Yeah! イエーイ！！
　
1-1　Yuu Suzuki 悠鈴木

Mr. Children - Shirushi (ミスチルーしるし)

This is my recent favorite Japanese song here in Japan. I used to hear this as a ringtone from my former officemate in SHT. Just recently, after attending the birthday party of Marvin in Kawasaki, one of his friends sung this. And my reaction was "Ahhh... Shirushi pala ang title niyan? Tagal ko na yang hinahanap na song." Well, here is the music video with lyrics.



しるし　歌詞
Shirushi Lyrics

最初からこうなることが決まっていたみたいに
saisho kara kou naru koto ga kimatteita mitai ni

違うテンポで刻む鼓動を互いが聞いてる
chigau tenpo de kizamu kodou wo tagai ga kiiteru

どんな言葉を選んでも　どこか嘘っぽいんだ
donna kotoba wo erande mo dokoka ga uso ppoin da

左脳に書いた手紙　ぐちゃぐちゃに丸めて捨てる
sanou ni kaita tegami guchagucha ni marumete suteru

心の声は君に届くのかな?
kokoro no koe ha kimi ni todoku no ka na?

沈黙の歌に乗って...
shinmoku no uta ni notte...

ダーリンダーリン　いろんな角度から君を見てきた
da-rin da-rin ironna kakudo kara kimi wo mitekita

そのどれもが素晴しくて　僕は愛を思い知るんだ
sono dore mo ga subarashikute boku ha ai wo omoishirun da

「半信半疑=傷つかない為の予防線」を
'hanshinhangi = kizutsukanai tame no yobousen' wo

今、微妙なニュアンスで君は示そうとしている
ima, bimyou na nyuansu de kimi ha shimesou to shiteiru

「おんなじ顔をしてる」と誰かが冷やかした写真
'onnaji kao wo shiteru to' dareka ga hiyakashita shashin

僕らは似ているのかなぁ?　それとも似てきたのかなぁ?
bokura ha niteiru no ka naa? sore to mo nitekita no ka naa?

面倒臭いって思うくらいに真面目に向き合っていた
mendoukusai tte omoukurai ni majime ni mukiatteita

軽はずみだった自分をうらやましくなるほどに
karuhazumi datta jibun wo urayamashiku naru hodo ni

心の声は誰が聞くこともない
kokoro no koe ha dare ga kiku koto mo nai

それもいい　その方がいい
sore mo ii, sono hou ga ii

ダーリンダーリン　いろんな顔を持つ君を知ってるよ
da-rin da-rin ironna kao wo motsu kimi wo kimi wo shitteiru yo

何をして過ごしていたって　思いだして苦しくなるんだ
nani wo shite sugoshiteita tte omoidashite kurushiku narun da

カレンダーに記入したいくつもの記念日より
karenda- ni kinyuu shita ikutsumono kinenbi yori

小刻みに　鮮明に　僕の記憶を埋めつくす
kokizami ni senmei ni boku no kioku wo umetsukusu


泣いたり笑ったり　不安定な想いだけど
naitari warattari fuantei na omoi dakedo

それが君と僕のしるし
sore ga kimi to boku no shirushi


ダーリンダーリン　いろんな角度から君を見てきた
da-lin da-lin ironna kakudo kara kimi wo mitekita

共に生きれない日が来たって　どうせ 愛してしまうと思うんだ
tomo ni ikirenai hi ga kita tte douse aishiteshimau to omoun da

ダーリンダーリン　Oh My darling
da-lin da-lin oh my darling

狂おしく　鮮明に　 僕の記憶を埋めつくす
kuruoshiku senmei ni boku no kioku wo umetsukusu

ダーリンダーリン
da-rin da-rin



Lyric Translation:

we each listened to our hearts beating to different tempos
as if things were meant to be this way from the start

no matter what words I choose, it sounds insincere
I crumple up the letter I wrote with the left side of my brain
and throw it away

do you hear the voice of my heart?
It's in this silent song...

darling, darling, I've seen you from many different angles
all of them exquisite, you've shown me what love is
now you're trying to show me by way of subtle techniques *1
that your uncertainty is a precautionary border
to keep you from getting hurt.

someone makes fun of our picture, "you two make such a pair"
Do we look alike? Or is it that we've started to?

we faced one another with such seriousness
that it was almost a burden to get on with it
so much so that it makes me jealous of the thoughtless guy I used to be. * 2

no one will hear the voice of my heart
I'm ok with that, it's better that way.

Darling, Darling,
I know you have many faces.
no matter what I do,
when I remember you, it pains me so.
more than all those memorable days on my calendar
my memory is filled completely by vivid memories
of every second of every day with you. *3
we cry, we laugh
it's a precarious sort of feeling but
it is proof of you and me.

Darling, darling
I've seen you from so many different angles
even if the day we can no longer be together comes our way
I don't think it matters because I can't help loving you.

Darling, Darling
Oh my darling
Maddeningly, and vividly
you fill in my memories completely
Darling, Darling.

Farewell Speech

Yesterday, I did a farewell speech to the entire South Junior High School. It was a little advance since I am scheduled to have my vacation for the Philippines on the 16th. The odd side of Japanese formalities especially in leaving companies, they give you a bouquet of flowers as a symbol of gratitude. Well, when I walked towards home carrying those bunch of roses, everyone is looking at me. "Hey look a gaijin with a bunch of roses!" Aside from that, a teacher told me that some students wept in tears especially after listening the Japanese part. Hopefully they can internalize what I mean. Anyway, here is the picture of the bouquet.



Here is my speech in English and Japanese. Thanks to Ms. Kotsuka and Mrs. Tsutsumi for editing my Japanese speech.

Farewell Speech for South Junior High

My stint in this school is almost over and I am saddened that it will end soon. First of all, I would like to sincerely thank all of your for your help and kindness. Someday, I would like to see all of you to become good in English conversation. In my own opinion, studying a foreign language is very difficult. Before coming to Japan, I studied Japanese for about four months. Even until now, I am studying Japanese. Despite its difficulty, I still strive to understand everything. I find your language very interesting and informative that is why I absolutely will not give up studying it. I hope that students will also have that kind of challenge in their lives. Always strive hard and do not give up. My stay in this school was very memorable because of the friendship I had with all of you. Once again, thank you very much and hopefully we will meet again someday somewhere.

Maraming Salamat Po.

この学校(がっこう)の私(わたし)の任務(にんむ)は殆(ほとん)ど終(お)わっていますので今(いま)とても悲(かな)しいです。

先ず私(わたし)を助(たす)け優(やさ)しくして下(くだ)さった皆様(みなさま)に感謝(かんしゃ)したいと思(おも)います。

いつか皆(みな)さんの英会話(えいかいわ)が上手(じょうず)になるのが私(わたし)の希望(きぼう)です。

確(たし)かに外国語(がいこくご)の勉強(べんきょう)はとても大変(たいへん)だと思います。

私(わたし)もフィリピン(ふぃりぴん)で日本(にほん)へ来る前(まえ)に四(よん)ヶ(か)月位日本語(げつぐらいにほんご)を勉強(べんきょう)していました。

今でも毎日(まいにち)自分(じぶん)で勉強(べんきょう)しています。

日本語(にほんご)は難(むずか)しいですが一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい)頑張(がんば)りたいと思(おも)います。

私(わたし)は、日本語(にほんご)は面白(おもしろ)くて役(やく)に立(た)つと知(し)っていますので勉強(べんきょう)することを絶対(ぜったい)に諦(あきら)めません。

私(わたし)は皆様に一生(いっしょう)の間(あいだ)その挑戦(ちょうせん)を続(つづ)けて欲(ほ)しいと思います。

是非日々(ぜひひび)、熱心(ねっしん)に努力(どりょく)して下(くだ)さい。

南中学校(みなみちゅうがっこう)での私(わたし)の滞在(たいざい)中私(わたし)が皆様(みなさま)すべてと築(きず)いた友情(ゆうじょう)を決(けっ)して忘(わす)れません。

重(かさ)ねて、お礼(れい)を申(もう)し上(あ)げます。チャンスがあれば、私達(わたしたち)はいつか、どこかで再会(さいかい)出来るでしょう。

以上(いじょう)です。