Osaka holidays: Day 4
(Monday, May 31, 2010/9:23 PM)
As the day of my return to Singapore inevitably draws nearer, I'm compelled and motivated to live the remaining days of my student life in Japan to the fullest. =) Which is why I seldom have time to update my blog regularly nowadays. But here's the overdue update on my trip which is almost a month ago. (>.<)
On day 4 of our trip, we went to Kyoto, THE place to go if you're into Japanese traditional culture. The city boasts of splendid, exquisite temples and shrines, traditional streets, bolstered by a rather vibrant modern youth culture in the town centre!
But the crowd was horribleee... =( It took us 1 hour to get to one attraction, when on normal days, it would probably take 20 minutes or so. Moral of the story: Don't travel to Japan during the Golden Week. =S
Gateway to the magnificent Kiyomizu-dera
A shrine dedicated to matters of love... Only in Japan! =D
Tired from climbing but still happy =)
Next up, another wildly popular tourist attraction, Kinkakuji (goldennn)
Waaa~ It's blinding my eyes!!! (okay, that was lame)
Back to the same spot I sat 2 years ago when I came to Japan with Jeffrey, my Japanese class buddy
Apparently famous spot but we only looked at it from a bridge. Should be interesting to dine with that ambience! (if it weren't that cold =S)
Everything is falling into place... Establishing strong friendships with my international friends, getting to socialize with new people frequently, re-connecting with Fukuoka Harvest Church, and of cos', meeting the love of my life. =)
I don't want to leave... But all things good must come to an end... Whatever it takes, I'll work my way back here someday...
On day 4 of our trip, we went to Kyoto, THE place to go if you're into Japanese traditional culture. The city boasts of splendid, exquisite temples and shrines, traditional streets, bolstered by a rather vibrant modern youth culture in the town centre!
But the crowd was horribleee... =( It took us 1 hour to get to one attraction, when on normal days, it would probably take 20 minutes or so. Moral of the story: Don't travel to Japan during the Golden Week. =S
Gateway to the magnificent Kiyomizu-dera
A shrine dedicated to matters of love... Only in Japan! =D
Tired from climbing but still happy =)
Next up, another wildly popular tourist attraction, Kinkakuji (goldennn)
Waaa~ It's blinding my eyes!!! (okay, that was lame)
Back to the same spot I sat 2 years ago when I came to Japan with Jeffrey, my Japanese class buddy
Apparently famous spot but we only looked at it from a bridge. Should be interesting to dine with that ambience! (if it weren't that cold =S)
Everything is falling into place... Establishing strong friendships with my international friends, getting to socialize with new people frequently, re-connecting with Fukuoka Harvest Church, and of cos', meeting the love of my life. =)
I don't want to leave... But all things good must come to an end... Whatever it takes, I'll work my way back here someday...
posted by MightyFlameboy. shoot me? | 0 shot me.
Osaka holidays: Day 3
(Friday, May 21, 2010/9:39 PM)
These past 1 week + has been a whirlwind of events which I, myself, am trying my best to come to terms with the reality of matters. Friends close to my heart will know what I'm referring to. =)
Cos' of that, my blog updates have been on a crawl. But better now than never! Day 3 of my recent holidays to the Kansai region of Japan - Nara, the former capital city which holds the biggest Buddha statue in the world.
Cute deers as side-attractions so the kids wouldn't get bored with the temples :P
Docile deers are cute haha!
Todaiji, the great temple which houses the Buddha statue
Group shot!
Looks pretty scary huh? =S
Hugeee~
Feels like autumn!?
Insane number of people! Lesson learnt: Never travel to popular cities in Japan during Golden Week (>.<)
Cos' of that, my blog updates have been on a crawl. But better now than never! Day 3 of my recent holidays to the Kansai region of Japan - Nara, the former capital city which holds the biggest Buddha statue in the world.
Cute deers as side-attractions so the kids wouldn't get bored with the temples :P
Docile deers are cute haha!
Todaiji, the great temple which houses the Buddha statue
Group shot!
Looks pretty scary huh? =S
Hugeee~
Feels like autumn!?
Insane number of people! Lesson learnt: Never travel to popular cities in Japan during Golden Week (>.<) I think I care too much about my friends. Helping them till the extent that I may be seen as a busybody. Possibly angering them without a word of gratitude in return.
And also cos' I invest my emotions in the lives of my friends, if they don't reciprocate the same amount, I can't feel but feel disappointed, a little pissed, and cheated of my feelings.
I have a friend who makes promises too carelessly, and more often than not, he fails to follow through and I feel so bad inside, thinking if I did something wrong or he just doesn't care about me as a friend.
But oh well, what did I wish to expect? This is a short 4 month exchange program and everyone just wants to have fun and doesn't care to build long-lasting relationships.
I've got someone more important in my life to focus on now, so I'm just gotta shut out my emotions for the time being. =)
And also cos' I invest my emotions in the lives of my friends, if they don't reciprocate the same amount, I can't feel but feel disappointed, a little pissed, and cheated of my feelings.
I have a friend who makes promises too carelessly, and more often than not, he fails to follow through and I feel so bad inside, thinking if I did something wrong or he just doesn't care about me as a friend.
But oh well, what did I wish to expect? This is a short 4 month exchange program and everyone just wants to have fun and doesn't care to build long-lasting relationships.
I've got someone more important in my life to focus on now, so I'm just gotta shut out my emotions for the time being. =)
posted by MightyFlameboy. shoot me? | 0 shot me.
The bliss of love~
(Saturday, May 15, 2010/11:41 PM)
Just came back from my first ever date with a girl whom I like! (^-^) After 23 long years of staying single all the while, I finally know what it feels to be in love. =)
We've only met 2 weeks ago so she can't ascertain if I'm really the guy she's looking for, and if it is within God's will. But it's going smoothly, and I'll continue to do my best to match up with her faith so that she'll come to embrace me as her confidant and hopefully, boyfriend. =)
However, there are some complicated circumstances which we have to face so I can't post any (future) pics on FB, nor blog about our progress any longer.
If anybody's interested, please feel free to send me a personal email! =D I'll be glad to share the joy with my buddies. =)
We've only met 2 weeks ago so she can't ascertain if I'm really the guy she's looking for, and if it is within God's will. But it's going smoothly, and I'll continue to do my best to match up with her faith so that she'll come to embrace me as her confidant and hopefully, boyfriend. =)
However, there are some complicated circumstances which we have to face so I can't post any (future) pics on FB, nor blog about our progress any longer.
If anybody's interested, please feel free to send me a personal email! =D I'll be glad to share the joy with my buddies. =)
posted by MightyFlameboy. shoot me? | 0 shot me.
Osaka holidays: Day 2~
(Tuesday, May 11, 2010/11:45 PM)
Long time no see, Osaka! (^^) I'm still not a big fan of the place because it's much more rowdier and dirtier than most of the other developed urban cities in Japan e.g. Tokyo. But it is definitely worth the trip to diversify one's perspective about Japan!
Good-looking guys, eh? =X
Tranquil, serene atmosphere to kick-start the day of sightseeing in Osaka!
Osaka Castle in sight!
Great shot! (^^)
A rare chance to experience a Japanese university school festival! Something that you can never do if you go as a mere tourist :)
Statue of Liberty? (lol)
We jokingly remarked that my Chinese friend looked like Aaron Kwok with this sunglasses on, so I tried to joke that I look like Andy Lau, and my friends were trying hard to suppress their laughter... :(
I hate blur photos!!! But anyway, this is Billiken, the resident deity of Osaka. Cute, eh? (rofl) :D
Tsutenkaku Tower... It's really pretty when it lights up at night
Good-looking guys, eh? =X
Tranquil, serene atmosphere to kick-start the day of sightseeing in Osaka!
Osaka Castle in sight!
Great shot! (^^)
A rare chance to experience a Japanese university school festival! Something that you can never do if you go as a mere tourist :)
Statue of Liberty? (lol)
We jokingly remarked that my Chinese friend looked like Aaron Kwok with this sunglasses on, so I tried to joke that I look like Andy Lau, and my friends were trying hard to suppress their laughter... :(
I hate blur photos!!! But anyway, this is Billiken, the resident deity of Osaka. Cute, eh? (rofl) :D
Tsutenkaku Tower... It's really pretty when it lights up at nightI don't know why, but there's a sudden urge to seize every moment, every opportunity, every single second when I'm here in Japan. The lazy bum I was in Singapore is nonexistent in Japan. :P
I wake up no later than 9 AM everyday. I go out of my way to meet friends to build relationships, until as late as midnight. I'm actually enthusiastic to study in the library nowadays (maybe because I befriended a very pretty Japanese girl who's always studying in the library :D).
And onto my main point... Finally after 23 long years of passivity, I actually confessed to a girl that I like her. Okay, not exactly, since I only met her recently. I'm not that shallow, okay. :P But I did tell her that I had the "fall head over heels" feeling when I first saw her, and she fits exactly according to my criteria for a girlfriend.
In just... 1-2 days of getting to know her (lol)! Maybe I'm just sick and tired of waiting for the "right one" who may never be a reality at all. Plus the fact that she's a fervent Christian herself, which is extremely rare in Japan.
For a Japanese girl, my actions would be shocking because Japanese guys are more reserved and seldom say such matters directly. In fact, it is shocking to myself as well, because I have never confessed about my feelings to a girl ever in my life.
Despite that, we're still emailing frequently and we're open to get to know each other better. I hope it leads to something. Because if this is not the chance which God has put in place for me, I might end up becoming a bachelor for life. (>.<)
I'll definitely keep you guys updated about my progress. :)
I wake up no later than 9 AM everyday. I go out of my way to meet friends to build relationships, until as late as midnight. I'm actually enthusiastic to study in the library nowadays (maybe because I befriended a very pretty Japanese girl who's always studying in the library :D).
And onto my main point... Finally after 23 long years of passivity, I actually confessed to a girl that I like her. Okay, not exactly, since I only met her recently. I'm not that shallow, okay. :P But I did tell her that I had the "fall head over heels" feeling when I first saw her, and she fits exactly according to my criteria for a girlfriend.
In just... 1-2 days of getting to know her (lol)! Maybe I'm just sick and tired of waiting for the "right one" who may never be a reality at all. Plus the fact that she's a fervent Christian herself, which is extremely rare in Japan.
For a Japanese girl, my actions would be shocking because Japanese guys are more reserved and seldom say such matters directly. In fact, it is shocking to myself as well, because I have never confessed about my feelings to a girl ever in my life.
Despite that, we're still emailing frequently and we're open to get to know each other better. I hope it leads to something. Because if this is not the chance which God has put in place for me, I might end up becoming a bachelor for life. (>.<)
I'll definitely keep you guys updated about my progress. :)
posted by MightyFlameboy. shoot me? | 0 shot me.
Back in Kansai
(Friday, May 7, 2010/10:53 PM)
Just barely a month after I started school proper, I had almost a week long holiday aptly named "Golden Week" (indeed lol). Thanks to my Singaporean friend Reina who did most of the planning (お疲れ様でした！＾＾), a bunch of close friends and I went on a vacation to Osaka.
Kicked off things with a visit to a shrine in Kobe!
My fellow zodiac "brother" from another (Korean) mother. Life would be boring without this witty friend of mine. :)
Yep, starting to sink in that I'm back in Kobe after 2 years!
The obligatory crazy jump pose :P
Aftermath of the Great Hanshin earthquake...
Lawl :D
I didn't know I own such a posh mansion in the richest area of Kobe. :P
Grand daddy of Jurong Point's Mr Crabby :D
Rong Yi, a soft-spoken guy from China
Great yakisoba dinner to reward ourselves for a tiring day of traveling!
Kicked off things with a visit to a shrine in Kobe!
My fellow zodiac "brother" from another (Korean) mother. Life would be boring without this witty friend of mine. :)
Yep, starting to sink in that I'm back in Kobe after 2 years!
The obligatory crazy jump pose :P
Aftermath of the Great Hanshin earthquake...
Lawl :D
I didn't know I own such a posh mansion in the richest area of Kobe. :P
Grand daddy of Jurong Point's Mr Crabby :D
Rong Yi, a soft-spoken guy from China
Great yakisoba dinner to reward ourselves for a tiring day of traveling!Counting down to the day when I have to return to Singapore... Exactly about 3 months from now... Every minute is so precious and I'm trying my best to maximize every moment to the fullest.
My project about Japanese dramas grind to a halt when my group mates realize we have no common favorite drama which we are sufficiently interested in to analyze and report on. Reina suggested that we can watch a drama together, but I was quite against the idea cos' I've no time to waste on dramas when I have the rare opportunity to physically experience Japanese culture for myself!
For the same reason, I'm breaking out of my shy demeanor and am taking the initiative to know EVERY Japanese person whom I come across. Pushing aside the awkwardness when I interact with pretty girls (being good friends with pretty E441 sisters helps alot HAHA :D). Requesting for 2 conversation partners when most of my friends only requested for 1.
In barely over a month, I have made so many eventful memories. I don't want to even think of the day when I have to say my painful goodbyes to Japan and my friends. Just gonna live by the day. Learn as much as I can while it lasts. Forge lasting friendships which will withstand the test of time and space. And of course... play hard and enjoy life! :P
My project about Japanese dramas grind to a halt when my group mates realize we have no common favorite drama which we are sufficiently interested in to analyze and report on. Reina suggested that we can watch a drama together, but I was quite against the idea cos' I've no time to waste on dramas when I have the rare opportunity to physically experience Japanese culture for myself!
For the same reason, I'm breaking out of my shy demeanor and am taking the initiative to know EVERY Japanese person whom I come across. Pushing aside the awkwardness when I interact with pretty girls (being good friends with pretty E441 sisters helps alot HAHA :D). Requesting for 2 conversation partners when most of my friends only requested for 1.
In barely over a month, I have made so many eventful memories. I don't want to even think of the day when I have to say my painful goodbyes to Japan and my friends. Just gonna live by the day. Learn as much as I can while it lasts. Forge lasting friendships which will withstand the test of time and space. And of course... play hard and enjoy life! :P
posted by MightyFlameboy. shoot me? | 0 shot me.