was my last visit to Miyajima with Inez and the whole gang *____*
We were lucky that we stayed only 1 hour train rides away from such a beautiful place
And for the first time in my life, I’ve visited a World Heritage Site more than 5 times!
Would I want to go back again? You bet I do!
Sweet memories…miss you all!
Let’s take a look at the happenings around the world for the past week
Historians in Germany is lobbying to publish Hitler’s famous memoir, ‘Mein Kampf’ which is considered the ultimate taboo in the country before the copyright expires 5 years from now. Although the book is widely available in English, it has never been reprinted in the original country due to strict regulations by the Bavarian government.
It is fine to get into a brawl in any English pubs now since people get smashed but their glasses don’t. Thanks to this brilliant idea, the government will be able to save billions in health care cost where half of violent assaults in this country are alcohol-related and one is 5 times more likely to be involved in a violent incident if hangs around a licensed bar.
And in the world of food, a big battle is waging between the 2 giants, McDonalds Japan and Burger King with the latter started the ball rolling with its Delicacy of the World campaign from Feb-March (since when m’sia is famous for black pepper sauce?) and joined in by the earlier with its Big America campaign. Increases in the number of people developing heart diseases, diabetes and obesity, maybe?
For a country which boasts at least 3-5 of its national universities made it to the Top 10 World Universities Ranking, it is a surprise (or rather a big shock) that a local magazine brought up the issue of students being kanji illiterate, ignorant at history, at sea in maths, allergic to reading anything more serious than manga and rought a quarter of the population don’t read a single book in the course of a year. But for someone who comes from a country where the students can’t even read, write or do simple maths in primary school and the numbers of its citizens who reads is only in hundreds, somehow the gap between a first world country and a developing country grows larger.
Personally I do know a few who can’t read kanji properly (me included but since i am not a native speaker, seems like i’m out) and if you ask any of the students, “Did the fall of the Soviet Union happen before WW2?” you’ll probably be greeted with dazed eyes and an answer, “What is the Soviet Union? The name of the war?” The main reason is that we don’t learn (or more like we were not taught) world history in schools and since it’s not part of the syllabus, there isn’t any need to study about it, right? Unfortunately the education system (I won’t say worldwide but looks like it is heading that way now) has gone down the drain and the future of a child has been fixed ever since he/she takes a step into the school. Study because you’ll need good grades to get into a good university and not study because you’ll gain extra knowledge which will help you grow into to be a better person.
I was one of those lucky few who were not pressured to do well in my studies and now that I’m in the highest level of the so-called education strata, the rat race to graduate with good grades still continues. Lecturers even discourage students to take up courses which are not related or not of any added value to the major because “they are just wasting your time”. It’s kind of unsettling that these words were uttered by a lecturer, not a school teacher. But I feel that if you’ve made it this far in your life, you should be old, mature and wise enough to differentiate between the grey and the black. I want to live my life my way but is it really possible to do it without having to cross the boundaries? Or is this what breaking free means?
Picture courtesy of Japan Today
I am currently surrounded by people from all walks of life having their dinners, in the middle of chatting sessions with their drinking buddies or eyes glued to the big plasma TV screen against the wall which is showing the 8pm news now
A few minutes ago, the scene was different from the one above
The sun set but instead of the usual colors fading, the whole sky turned crimson red, as if someone had accidentally spilled a can of paint
And as time passed, red gave way to grey and finally turned pitch black
That’s when the cue turned on for the wind to start blowing and blowing and blowing
Like a tornado sweeping past an empty plains, it blew hard and strong
My glass of water on the table trembled under the force of Mother nature
But as soon as it came, it swirled away as fast
Leaving behind a trail of dust and dried leaves scattered all over the road
And all is calm once again
But it won’t be long before tears of heaven fall
And I should be taking my leave as well
was held last Monday and Tuesday (1st & 2nd February) at the walkway in front of Dewan Budaya. Both days were extremely super hot and I pitied the international students who had to bear the heat while attending to their booths. I’ve attended a few similar events during my exchange and thank God for the nice, cooling weather. If I were asked to do it during summer (which is unlikely as it coincides with the summer holidays -lucky!-) I might refuse, really. That’s how cool I am with hot days.
the promotional banners
♪♩pretty ladies walking down the street…♫
いらっしゃいませ！Sohm swaakohm! ยินดี! 환영합니다! Merhaba!
Chinese students from China performance~ he has a very nice voice ♥
Swedish girls preparing the delicious (but very sweet) Danish dessert, chocolate balls rolled in coconut flakes ♥ and macaroni and meatballs ♥
the super sweet, super delicious choco-coconut flakes-balls ♥♥
Finnish guys cooking! kya~!! ♥♥♥
tadaa~ dessert in the form of Finnish pancake called Letu…herkullisen!! ♥
one of my favorites! Thai papaya/mango salad som tam…อร่อย!! ♥
真剣な表情でゆすけくんは丁寧でお寿司を作る
珍珠奶茶 or Taiwan Bubble Tea ♥♥♥ I used to love this and drink it almost every week when I was younger
I was only helping around for a few hours but the hot weather and the clean up after tired me…thanks to that, I had a very good night sleep C=
PS: 10 more days to CNY and 1 week of holidays but I don’t think I’ll be enjoying the holidays much as I have lots of assignments to complete (hand in date: the week after the hols) and mid-sem exams are held after the hols too T___T
The weather has been crazily hot for the past days…7 days and counting
Reminded me of the summer back in Osaka where I got sunburnt >___<
Ah~ I am missing the cooling zaru soba ざるそば already…
If only the place I’m living now has a kitchen and a proper stove…
-sigh-
I missed the days when I have to think of the menu to cook for lunch/dinner
and the days when I have to cycle to the nearest supermarket after class…
and the occasionally cook-out nights with my friends
A simple meal like a bowl of rice, soup, salad and grilled fish is the best!
Balanced, nutritious, simple and fast
I seriously miss cooking now
And watching old episodes of Mago-Mago まごまご嵐 especially the cooking sections doesn’t help
T___T
-stomach growling-
Maybe I should go and ransack the fridge for my dinner now
-craving for my own homemade pasta-
PS: I don’t mind walking or cycling to the nearest food stall (by the way, やまなか食堂 was just 2 minutes walk away from my room) in Japan due to the cooling weather but I really hate to walk under the constant 35 degrees heat just to get my lunch/dinner where I’ll get sunburn and sweat falling down like waterfall by the time I got back…even if it’s after 7pm and the temperature drops to a pleasant 29-30 degrees but the high levels of humidity makes up for the lack of sunshine…even if the nearest food stall is about 10-15 minutes walk away
PSS: Gosh! I didn’t realise this until I saw the date written next to this post! 1 month into the new year and from tomorrow onwards, a new month will begin…time really flies~
Am I really alive? I can hear my own heartbeat, I can feel the tingling of my fingertips but really, am I living the life I wanted?
And the fever was so hot that a police report was lodged and the incident was highlighted in the newspaper! Just because someone was seen carrying a flag of the opposition, that person was confronted and ended with a scuffle. What happened to democracy and the rights to voice out individual opinions?
If this happened in an university where the students are most likely to be 2o years and above, legally adult in the eyes of the law, does it mean that the education that they’ve received since they were 7 years old has no meaning whatsoever in character building? What a waste of their precious childhood. So it’s not surprising that Parliament sessions always turn out the way they do.
And surprisingly, there is actually a small number of students who are active in this field of university politics but unfortunately, the enthusiasm shown by some (loyal) supporters were not shared by the other students in the campus. Not when they decided to start driving around, honking now and then and yelling out slogans through the megaphone. The best comment I’ve heard…
“Oi! Orang nak study la! Diamlah sikit!” and “Diamlah! Besok ada presentation! Nak revise ni!”
Flaming news aside, here’s a pictorial review of what happened around the campus for the past few days.
Naming of Candidates (25 January, 9am-12 noon)
Campaigning Period+Introducing the Candidates (26-27 January, 10pm)
Voting Day (28 January, 8.30am-5pm)
Counting of Ballots (28 January, 8pm)
PS: Since when “session” in BM is spelled as SESSI? @__@ a new revision done by DBP?
And so the campaigning starts…
a loop-sided banner, tale-tell sign that students have no interest in university politics?
more banners/fliers hanging along the lecture halls walkway
and more banners hanging at the bus stop
names of candidates for the general constituency’s seats
my senior decided to join in the crowd
Introducing the Candidates’ Night
The 11 candidates for the General Constituency
And as for the results which has been released at the university’s website
KONSTITUENSI UMUM (GENERAL CONSTITUENCY)
Mohamad Nur Hazim Mazlan
Ahmad Wafi b. Sahedan
Aishah Mohd Marsin
Abel Benjamin Lim
Bazilah Mohamad Zaki
Sivaneswari a/p Muniandy.
KONSTITUENSI PUSAT PENGAJIAN (FACULTIES CONSTITUENCIES)
PP KOMUNIKASI (COMMUNICATION)
Mohammad Faiz Omar
PP TEKNOLOGI INDUSTRI (INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY)
Kelvin Ying@Tang Shee Wei
PP SAINS KAJIHAYAT (LIFE SCIENCES)
Nadia Ab Razak
PP ILMU PENDIDIKAN (EDUCATION)
Muhd Juraidi Mat Yusoff
Siti Raznee Mansor
Nur Ilham Mohd Nor
PP BAHASA, LITERASI & TERJEMAHAN (SOLLAT)
Veraneeta Jumat
PP SAINS KOMPUTER (COMPUTER SCIENCE)
Goh Eng Keat (MTB)
PP SAINS MATEMATIK (MATHEMATICS)
Lim Shu Yi (MTB)
PP SAINS KIMIA (CHEMISTRY)
Muhamad Husni Mohd Rusli (MTB)
PP SAINS FIZIK (PHYSICS)
Muhamad Hafiz Abu Kasim (MTB)
PP ILMU KEMANUSIAAN (HUMANITIES)
Mohd Anuar Mat Daud (MTB)
Wan Mazita Wan Dir (MTB)
PP PENGURUSAN (MANAGEMENT)
Ang Ling Xiang (MTB)
Devendran a/l Rajagopal (MTB)
PP SAINS FARMASI (PHARMACY)
Farah Hain Misuon (MTB)
PP SAINS KEMASYARAKATAN (SOCIAL SCIENCE)
Nik Mohamed Hussein Nik Ali (MTB)
Sara Ayuni Hamdan (MTB)
PP SENI (ARTS)
Mohd Farid Wajidi Abdul Latif (MTB)
PP PERUMAHAN, BANGUNAN & PERANCANGAN (HOUSING, BUILDING & PLANING)
Ooi Say Jer (MTB)
Nota: MTB – Menang Tanpa Bertanding (Uncontested Win)
Photos Credit: zherong
I ♥ the smell of the rain on a quiet Saturday afternoon
It is raining now, no more than a slight drizzle to bring life back to the withered plants
With drops of crystal clear water
I see the water droplets
I hear the splatter of water crashing on the parched ground
I smell the alkaline-saltiness of the rain
I feel the cooling beads running across my palm
I taste the nothingness of water
that I can finally take after yet another long, busy and packed week
This situation is looking to stay till I’ve submitted all my assignments and I still have my finals to face…considering that it’ll be over a long period of time, wonder if there will be any long-term damages?
-sweat-
And the best thing is that I have totally no idea what I’m studying about after 4 weeks of classes and tutorials
I’ll know when everything falls in place by the end, maybe?
Studies aside, the recent calamities that kept the whole world gripping on ends seemed never ending
From the recent 2nd earthquake that struck the already-severely hit Haiti in the international scene to the recent dragon boat capsized accident on the local front, the roar of the year of tiger can be heard clearly, a warning sign for more to come?
Back home, nearer to the heart, a lot of events have taken place as well. What caught my attention was the Hari Bersama Pelajar or Student Interaction Day where various university departments come together and set up counters along the DK Foyer (the hallway where most of the lecture halls are) for students to drop by, ask questions and solve their problems directly with the officers in charge.
A new change indeed! I can’t recall ever seeing all the officers sitting behind tables and meeting students as direct as this unless the conversation takes place in the office building itself. Unfortunately it was only for a day but nevertheless I applaud this great idea of having such close authorities and students interaction. If I may recall, some students might not even know that such department exists within the campus or where exactly is such office located as only those concerned will pay such visits to such places. I had my lesson learnt thanks to the job that Rubi gave me when I was in my 1st year. Chores and tasks (which sometimes I deemed useless back then) are not so useless after all.
And then we have this…
A talk which in my humble point of view, can either be very bias or on the other hand, very informative
One is allowed the freedom of speech as well as freedom of choice but freedom shall be practiced with intellectual self-constraint
Let’s stop talking about depressing and serious subjects, shall we? This is something that caught me by surprise, literally as I didn’t know there will be one…
The new drama series shown on TBS, Fridays entitled Shinsengumi Peacemaker which is a remake of one of my favorite manga (albeit with a different title), Peacemaker Kurogane (has also been made into an anime)
Usually live-action adaptions of manga are quite scary and can either came up as very good or very bad…I’ve only seen the 1st episode so can’t comment much yet but the casts’ lineup surprised me! Most are coming-up young talents whom I’ve never seen before so it’s kind of refreshing to see new faces but there were a few familiar faces and among them is 荒木宏文 Araki Hirofumi whom I last saw in the PoT Musical as Inui (lol at my old fangirling days) and the newcomer 柳下大 Yanagishita Tomo last saw in Akai Ito…I loved both the manga and anime as I am really interested in Japanese History especially during the shogunates’ rule, Tokugawa’s rule and in the end, the epic Bakumatsu 幕末 If only my country’s history is as interesting as that…-ZZzzz during history class-
I’ve also just finished watching the 1st episode of the new 特上カバチ!! Tokujou Kabachi!! drama starring Sho-kun and Maki-chan! The story revolves around the employees of legal firms and the world of lawyers, judges and everything legal which means there are lots and lots of tongue-twisting, mind-boggling law terms thrown around. But to my delight, these do not distract me from enjoying the show and I think I’ve just gained extra knowledge in this field, additional information on top of the ones I have to learn! Episode 2? totally looking forward to it!
Lawyers and their slick moves and sweet mouths…a deal signed, a case solved, a day seeing someone coughing up compensations for damages due to negligence made…all in a day’s work
PS: Bloody Monday season 2 has also just started, so is Code Blue season 2 while Liar Game season 2 has just ended…I’m just about to start watching Code Blue season 1! Oh and Tokyo Dogs and my all-time favorite Ghost Hunt anime which I accidentally deleted! -is supposed to be doing assignments but throws the papers out of the window-
aka Fuji TV Spring human suspense drama 最後の約束 starring all the members of Arashi and also (coincidentally?) coincides with the celebration of Arashi’s 10th Anniversary which means it has been 10 years since the 5 of them appeared together in a Fuji TV drama.
The famous half-naked promotional poster that made a lot of fangirls’ minds go wild/crazy and maybe lots of train commuters got lost too as they were pasted all over Shibuya Train Station
Personally, the story was okay in the beginning witha lot of suspense and sub-plots thrown in circling the 5 different individuals but later on, somehow I had the inkling idea that Sho and Nino have something to do with the whole incident but I seriously didn’t think that Leader, Aiba and Matsujun were in it too! There were plotholes in the storyline of course with lots and lots of “Where these people come from?” or “There were 2 and now, there were 3?” moments but guess that’s what a drama supposed to do, turning the impossibles into possibles?!
Besides that, the other actors were fantastic!
藤木直人 Fujiki Naohito is as good as ever…I’ve seen him in better dramas but a veteran always shines.
黒木メイさ Kuroki Meisa is a new one for me as I have not seen any of her previous works but from this, she’s kind of stiff and her expressions are too static, more experiences needed perhaps.
津川雅彦 Tsugawa Masahikio is a great veteran in acting. I’ve seen him in numerous dramas, both old and new ones and his facial expression (the eyebrows!) never failed to amuse me.
小堺一機 Kosakai Kazuki as the friendly uncle and Leader’s cleaning partner in the drama. I’ve never seen him before but his jolly, good character always brings a smile to my face whenever he appears on screen.
大塚寧々 Otsuka Nene is yet another veteran whom I have little memory of but judging from her acting skills in this drama, she’s quite good. At least I felt as if I am watching a drama when she appears on the screen.
♥眼鏡をかけた翔くん は超かっこよかった♥ニノチャンは永遠の１７歳よね、相変らず、嫌いになれないよ
Unfortunately her partner in the drama (and also my favorite member) 翔くん pales in comparison >__<” I lol-ed so much when I watch Yatterman but had great time watching him and Yoko in The Quiz Show 2 (Yoko was good!) and this time, well, it’s sufficient to say that he’s not the best out there.
Leader was okay, as well as Matsujun (why he always gets the girls?) and I have nothing to say about Aiba (I watch My Girl because of Hina and Yuuka and the little girl after the first 3 episodes) which of course means that….
Nino was awesome! He definitely shines in this -cue fangirls’ screams- and now I know why Matsujun will be forever known for his potrayal of Domyoji in Hanadan while Nino will go on playing different roles and shines in each and every one of them. Truthfully, Ryusei no Kizuna 流星の絆 got me sitting on the edge watching till the end to find out who was the killer and was entertained by the silly actions and storyline in both Stand Up! and Yamada Taro Monogatari 山田太郎物語 Basically what Nino has while the others don’t is talent. A natural born actor. The eternal 17 years old.
PS: Matsjun fails terribly in the latest Arashi no Shukudai-kun! I give my thanks to the guest 八島智人 to bring the world of Maid Cafes to the studio and I have not laughed so much watching the members reactions on Shukudai-kun ever since the episode which Ayase Haruka was the guest. Matsujun’s ニャンニャン and バブバブ moments were epic! Leader definitely doesn’t go well with the ツンデレidea (would love to see the DoS番長 or maybe some 相葉 fail) but the best is still
Maid: お帰りなさいご主人様！♥ Welcome home, Master!
八島智人: ただい～ま！♥ I’m Back!
-lol- how much can a guy get excited by the presence of young girls dressed in maid costumes?
Stolen from plue-chan
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Lots! There were a lot of “firsts” for me in that year. Let’s see…went to live concerts and cheering for my favorite singers/bands/artists, fulfilled my childhood dream to go to Japan (for 1 year!), experienced all 4 different seasons (you’ll understand if you are born and live in the equator like I do), saw and played with SNOW!, saw sakura with my own eyes, ate the freshest sushi that I’ve ever tasted in my entire life!, talk in Japanese almost everyday for 1 year!, lost 6kgs WTF?!, got introduced into the JE+Laruku fandom and travelled alone to places that I’ve never been to and the list goes on…
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t have any resolutions as I tend to break them and prefer to go with the flow so nope, not making any for next year either
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Does friends’ siblings or relatives count? Guess not then
4. Did anyone close to you die?
None that I remember
5. What countries did you visit?
Japan! and this was back in 2008 but a stopover in Beijing!
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A fresh start maybe, more self-confidence? and definitely more time! -glance at the pile of assignments-
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
My birthday (thank you guys! ♥), the day I came back from Japan (17 August), the day I started going back to my studies (28 December)
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
1 year in Japan! ♥
9. What was your biggest failure?
Getting an earlier flight ticket back when I didn’t need to…could have stayed on longer T__T
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
A fall from the bicycle from late to class?
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Lots! Concert tickets, Seishun 18 Kippu 青春１８切符, 2000 yen super cool electric kettle, my ultra light bicycle -misses it very much now-
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Eh? I have no idea how to answer this…everyone?
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
…none really or maybe I can’t think of anyone!
14. Where did most of your money go?
100% travel and food
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Whenever I get out of Saijo ^___^
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Laruku’s My Heart Draws A Dream~ and maybe K8’s Musekinin Hero -misses those karaoke days-
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
Sadder ever since I got back
b) thinner or fatter?
Fatter! lol -tries hard to maintain the current weight-
c) richer or poorer?
Poorer…no more scholarship money in yen T__T
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Join a club/society and get to know more Japanese friends and travel more! (no time and no money T__T)
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Stay in my room most of the time…which I should not continue doing now -embarrass-
20. How did you/will you spend Christmas?
Christmas party at SPY’s new house! and exchanging christmas presents ♥
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Crushes here and there hehe
22. What was your favorite TV program?
Music Station before I get to know Arashi’s regular programs and the rest is Arashi’s history…
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope…it takes a lot of effort to make me hate someone
24. What was the best book you read?
Koizora was awesome! as well as Murakami Harumi’s 1904 (finished 1st book!)
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Got led astray into the Arashi and Laruku fandoms lol
26. What did you want and get?
Attend a Johnny’s concert and I made it to K8’s Puzzle Tour concert! ♥
27. What did you want and not get?
To travel to more places…it’s inevitable I guess
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I don’t remember watching any film…none I guess
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
A yearly reunion with my close friends and I’ve gotten Dan Brown’s latest book as my birthday present ♥
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More traveling? lol
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
I started wearing dress-like clothes! (on my own coordination) for the first time in my life
32. What kept you sane?
My PC and fast internet connection in my room…oh and
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
K8 rulez! ♥ but Arashi is slowing closing the gap…
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Obama became the president? Oh and also when Hatoyama became the new PM
35. Who did you miss?
My HUSA friends! -hugz-
36. Who were the best new persons you met?
Kristin, Listie, Inez, Ping, Nun, Yam, Champoo, La France, the China girls, Zhao Rui, Kevin, Tobias, my tutor, Akagi-san, all the lecturers that taught me and of course the people I met during my travels ♥
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Time flies, life is short so one should treasure and enjoy every moment in life and the best lesson, to master a foreign language, get yourself to the country and start living there!
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
日々の中で 小さな幸せ 見つけ重ね ゆっくり歩いた『軌跡』
僕らの出会いは大きな世界で 小さな出来事
巡り合えた それって『奇跡』
We found the little happiness in each day
In the slow path we walked
Our meeting is just one small thing
In a big world, but the fact that we met
Is a miracle
-GReeeeN’s キセキMiracle-
