Japan Trip Diary 4

Dear Diary,

Today is January 30, 2014, Thursdays. THURSDAY. The coldness of the morning woke me up. It’s a little foggy and I think it will rain… Oh please no. I want to enjoy my day and I will not be able to do so if it will rain.

My breakfast? Melon Pan! The taste is addicting. I couldn't stop myself from eating this bread. This is somehow memorable to me, why? Because of Shana from the Anime Shakugan No Shana. :)

My Aunt suggested that we should take the day slowly because she’s a little tired. Frankly speaking, me too, but I only have a limited time and I wanted to make my day worth it.

I missed the phone call of my friend Rie so I decided to call her back. She asked about my plans for today and I told her that I didn’t have any plan. She suggested Harajuku and Shibuya. However, I’m worried about her condition because she just came back from the hospital. I didn’t want to be a burden to her. However, she insisted on meeting me so I said yes and she told me the meeting place.

It really rained today. Everything was so wet. We didn’t have an umbrella so we bought somewhere. I usually love rainy days but not today. I’m disappointed with something and I couldn’t focus on today’s agenda.

Fortunately, Rie is such a good communicator. She’s very sociable and my Aunt loves her. We enjoyed talking with her, eating with her, shopping with her… just being with her.

Here's a short video with Rie-chan from my Aunt's camera. :)



Rie made me eat “Natto”, before I tried it, she warned me that a lot of foreigners don’t like the taste of this food. When I ate it… I was SPEECHLESS. I didn’t know how I am going to explain what I tasted. The smell is okay but the slimy and sticky feeling were a little too much for my taste buds. I was on the verge of crying and vomiting (this is a little embarrassing, sorry) when Rie told me to drink my green tea. Nevertheless, it was a GREAT experience. Will I try again? Sure… I like adventure. LOL.

My Aunt is a SUSHI-HOLIC. Back in Canada, she always told me that she enjoys eating sushi in a Japanese Restaurant there. I finally understand her, I was not a fan of RAW fish but my opinion was changed today. I like eel.

It was around 4:00 pm when we said our goodbye to Rie. She needed to go back home early. We are very thankful to her for accompanying us today. We enjoyed our lunch date with her. My Aunt is very thankful too… She gained another friend.

Back at hotel… I checked the foods given to me by Rie. Strawberry cake and Dorayaki. I suddenly remember Doraemon… haha! LOL. SO HAPPY! I’ll eat them in Manila on Saturday. I want to preserve them since it came from my friend Rie.

(As I am uploading this.... I feel HUNGRY!!!!!)

I felt very hot all of sudden and I insisted on taking off my coat tonight. We will have dinner with my former student Mr. Tatsuya and his two friends who were former students in our Academy.

(I miss this view. As I am typing this... I'm imagining the smell of clean air outside, the cold wind... and the few people walking.)

We waited for him in front of the hotel’s entrance. I was so happy to see him! We took the train to Shinagawa. It was a little crowded. Tatsuya was not very familiar with the place… he told us, so it was a little fun to get lost. Haha!

To be honest, I'm very worried tonight. I’m supposed to meet other people after dinner but it’s already 7:00 pm and I know that our dinner with Tatsuya will take a long time. Internet connection is very rare so I didn’t know how I am going to contact them. Tatsuya offered his phone but I didn’t know their numbers… so I gave up on meeting them. I decided to enjoy the company of Tatsuya, Tom and Jun.

(Alex looks so happy in this picture!)

Our three Ninjas. Tom, Alex (Tatsuya) and Jun. All of them are professionals but they are very funny! We enjoyed eating and casually talking with them. We talked about almost everything. They also have presents for us. I terribly like my Kumamon’s fan. Kumamon is very memorable since I drew that character before Alex left the Philippines and I really thought that he was from Kumamoto because he was wearing his Kumamon’s sweat shirt during his first class with me.

They taught my Aunt how to properly hold the chopsticks and finally!!!! She can now use them with ease.

We were supposed to ride the train together but it was so crowded around 10:30 pm so they accompanied us until we can get a taxi.

I had a GREAT time with them. I’m very very very HAPPY! EXTREMELY HAPPY today… BUT, something’s missing. I don’t know what… I’m bothered.

At the hotel, I checked my phone and there was a message from my friend. He said to meet him at Shimbashi station’s platform… the message was almost 3 hours ago. I don’t know how to go there! I don’t even know how to ride the train. They always say that it’s easy, but it’s difficult for me. Aside from that, my Aunt will KILL ME if I go there alone. She warned me that If I go there tonight she will definitely freak out and tell my mother about this… and she will leave me in Japan. I was very scared because she was so SERIOUS.

I talked to my friend, the friend of my friend. He told me that he could meet me after his job but in Shimbashi but it’s IMPOSSIBLE for me and it would be inconvenient for him to go to my place. He asked me if I am free tomorrow at lunch but it would be IMPOSSIBLE again since we need to change out hotel for the Airport Limousine. So see, he’s not available and he’s an extremely busy person. I don’t want to disturb him that’s why I decided to asked the home address of our friend to send the thing that he asked me to buy for him… I concluded that our situation is hopeless.

It’s sad. However, I still don’t know what might happen tomorrow… so I will not lose hope.

Good night. Bath time and I'm craving for some oranges now. See you tomorrow.

 

Sincerely,

Erica/Erix

___________________________________________________________

 

It's Sunday! March 30, 2014. Rest day for me. I will read and try to finish the book that I'm currently reading. My current addiction is History. I'll share my thoughts next time.

Things that made me happy this week:

1. Laughing with my students. You know, every time they laugh at my jokes and call me a "Funny" person... it makes me happy because it means... I have a sense of humor. Because, it is so difficult to make a foreigner laugh. It's an achievement for me. haha.
2. Being appreciated by my straight A junior high school student. He said that we are better than his teachers. He appreciated our efforts to make him understand the lessons and he likes our friendly approach to him.
3. Melon Pan! After a long time looking for this bread... I found it in a nearby bakeshop. LUCKY!
4. Reading history books. I like feeding my mind.
5. Receiving messages from a friend whom I thought already forgotten about me. It made me happy.

Have a nice day Everyone! Tomorrow is... Monday again. Let's work hard!

 

 

Japan Trip Diary 3

(Photo by: Erica/Erix)

 

Dear Diary,

 

Today is January 29, 2014 Wednesday and the 3^rd day of our “Tokyo Exploration”. My aunt and I ate the same breakfast as yesterday. Typical Rose Tea and Bread with red beans. We took our time in the morning because we were still tired. Today’s a little cold but it’s tolerable but my aunt told me to wear my coat because she didn’t want me to get sick. Honestly I felt very hot wearing that and I wanted to remove all my clothes because I couldn’t breathe easily with all the layers of clothing I was wearing.

As usual, we went at the hotel’s lobby to check emails and messages in facebook, Line and Skype. I received another email from Mr. Sometimes. He indicated in his mail the instruction on how to get to Ginza but we still decided to take a taxi instead.

 

Today, I suggested to my aunt that we should go to Asakusa… Senso-ji Temple because a lot of my students suggested that too and they all think that I would definitely enjoy the place since I like temples and Japanese culture.

 

We looked for a taxi while randomly walking around Osaki. I really like how the cold wind blew my hair, how it touched my face and yeah… it’s not that polluted. We waited for 10 minutes until we finally found a taxi.

 

Oh my goodness! We fell in love with the taxi driver. He’s such a funny, entertaining, sweet man. At first he talked to me in Nihongo and he thought that I was Japanese but I said no and told him that we’re from Philippines and that’s when he started talking in English. He likes American old songs/bands and he started singing some songs. Surprisingly we knew some of the songs. We talked, laughed and had a good time during our trip to Asakusa. We were so much entertained. Here’s the video of the singing taxi driver.

 

He even gave us coins and told us that we should keep this as a lucky charm. I asked one of my friends about the meaning behind them and she told me that we are now bonded with Japan. This country will always be close to us.

Here’s a video clip I made while we were in Senso-ji temple.

 

Honestly speaking, this is our favorite place. I was like transported into another dimension and I could imagine the old Japan.

 

Here are some pictures taken by my Aunt and I.

 

 

We enjoyed shopping for souvenirs and I bought this for my newly wed cousin. She asked me to buy this and I got lucky because it’s really “Made in Japan”. She warned me that if I bring a “Made in China” she will definitely kill me. Haha! I really love my cousin.

After that, I got a little lonely because I remembered all my problems. I felt so down and I wanted to cry. The good thing is my aunt brought me to Starbucks and bought me a Green Tea Latte. We talked about my problems, emotional issues, the things that’s making me sad and she gave advice about them. Somehow, I felt a little better but I could still feel the intense pain in my heart…

After that, we walked randomly and decided that it’s already time to go to Ginza to meet Mr. Sometimes. After arriving there, we couldn’t find the Pola Ginza Building… AGAIN. I checked the map and my aunt… yes, took a picture of me.

Since it was still early we decided to check some shops… AGAIN and walked around and around. It’s a little chilly that night but I love the coldness brought by the wind.

I wasn’t able to notice that the man standing in front of the building was already Mr. Sometimes. He changed!!!! His hair and his clothes… I’m not used to seeing him in suit and tie. Haha! We went straight to “Higashiya Restaurant”. We chatted for a while waiting for Mr. Sometimes' colleague. His name is Cris and he also studied in the Philippines but in a different school.

 

We had a great time eating and talking about everything. Mr. sometimes gave us presents and my aunt was very surprised to received them. She told me that I am very lucky because I have very nice student and she could see that they do really respect me even if I am younger than them. I really appreciate the book written by Mr. Sometimes' favorite author. I will read this on Summer vacation.

 

 

This is Mr. Sometimes, Cris and I. I really had a good time with them. They were so accommodating and welcoming and they made us feel comfortable the whole night. It's really nice because they treat us as a friend and not as a foreigner. I hope they could visit my country again... and during that time it will be my treat. For sure. :)

 

 

Going back to our hotel was a big problem for us. Mr. Cris offered to take us back to Osaki and luckily Mr. Sometimes went with us too. It was our first time to ride in a train. It was not very crowded so it was okay for all of us.

 

We said our "Goodbyes" to each other. I watched Mr. Sometimes and Cris walked away. My aunt saw me cry... I cried not because I'm sad but because I was really happy. It was very overwhelming for me. I am not accustomed with nice people. I suddenly realized how lucky I am with the choice I made to enter this teaching Industry. My job is not all about teaching... but I aim to inspire, support and help other people... not just English but the way of life. It's nice to know that these people who are professionals, older than me, more experienced than me... tells me that whenever they talked to me, they usually learn a lot of things from my view about everything. I am glad to meet all of them.

 

Tomorrow is Thursday. I will meet four former students of mine. It's time for my bubble bath. See you!

 

Love lots,

Erica/Erix

________________________________________________________

 

It's kind of late to post this 3rd entry from my diary. But, it's better late than never. Since I posted the first two entries... I decided to continue...

 

 

Things that made me happy:

1. Rice Juice and Boseong Green Tea. Another Korean Store shopping with my friends.
2. Shuriken Origami from my student. I'm very lucky to have him as my student for 1 month. I want to meet him again. In the future for sure.
3. Playing "Suteki Da Ne" in guitar. I need more practice but it's very nice to play this song in guitar.
4. Drinking Oolong Tea. They said this tea is a good fat burner.
5. Vegetables for lunch with my friend Shirley. We love eating vegetables so much!



What's Up: Road Trip and Healthy Food Trip // Start Of Three Weeks Vacation // Drama

YES!!!!!!!!!! I've been waiting for this day. March 15, 2014... is officially the start of our SUMMER VACATION. Meaning? I can finally have fun every Friday night without thinking of my Saturday Class. However, it would be for three weeks only because my plan is to enroll for the summer class. That's my plan but I'm still deciding...

My group mates and friends in Entrepreneurial Management; we passed our business proposal to our professor and this is us with her.

 (Coftea.org; Business Proposal, we spent a lot of time, effort and MONEY for this proposal. There's a trade-offs between benefit and cost. The Cost is the money we spent and the Benefit is the friendship we made during the course.)

 

(My Entrepreneurial Management Professor and I. She worked in Japan (Corporation) for almost 7 Years so we can relate to each other.)

 

After class, we decided to eat out. Luckily, one of my friends brought her car. Road TRIP!!!!

 

(In the car, where we sang, laughed out loud and talked about the future.)

 

We went to Teacher's Village (Near UP Diliman), my friend suggested the place. Some of the restaurants inside the Village were already featured in Television. My girlfriends and I wanted to eat something healthy and fortunately we saw this place.

 Fresh Selections. We parked just in front of Ministop. I got so HAPPY here because we're going to eat healthy food.

 

 I like the interior of the place. Very simple, cozy, relaxing and the foods are so GOOD! and yes... AFFORDABLE.

 

 I ordered Lumpiang Sariwa and Stir Fried Tatsoi.

So GOOD! We're planning to come back here... in the near future. I wanna come here with my cousins next time. :)

 

And since most of us are Accounting Graduates, we are very strict when it comes to money. This is us while discussing the division of our expenses. To be honest, I don't spend too much on eating out but today's an exception.

 

After turning the place upside down we decided to have some Tea and Coffee. My stomach ached so much and I didn't know why. Suddenly I felt so much pain. One of friends suggested this place. A Sweet Spot. I think the owner is a Japanese Enthusiast because I saw a lot of Haruki Murakami's books, Anime posters and Doraemon. For my friends, Japan =  Erica... nowadays.

 

I love this place. Definitely, I will come back here. Their Green Tea Latte was very mild and I think it didn't contain too much milk which is good because I am currently reducing my intake of dairy products. Aside from free Wi-Fi connection, the songs played inside the café were very relaxing. The lighting got me in the mood to write on my notebook.

I still feel the terrible pain in my stomach in this picture but my friends made me laughed. Really, I'm so lucky to meet them. I hope to be friends with them forever...

 



 (Mark Twain quote on the wall.)

 

After that, we decided to go to Araneta Center Cubao because I want to buy some teas. I want to buy Authentic Japanese Tea but the shop is located in Makati City, so maybe next time.

 

We ate our Dinner at Araneta Center Bancheto. There was a Dance concert during that time but we didn't know the group who danced on the stage. There were a lot of girls who were screaming and my ears hurt a lot. haha!

 



The ambience was so nice. It was windy and the music  was good too. There were a lot people and I surprisingly enjoyed the night.

 

I had FUN today. I want to thank all of my friends who treated me well. :)

 

_____________________________

 

Drama Part

 





Last week title was "A Week Of Disappointment". I waited for a call and message but I haven't received anything. ZERO!!!! As in NOTHING. How could that be? I was so depressed and I asked myself "Why are they so CRUEL to me? What did I do to deserve this?"

My students noticed my "DARK AURA" and they tried to cheered me up which they really did because the only time I felt happy last week was during class discussion. I got tired from pretending that I am okay, fine and happy... the muscle on face felt so stiff every time I go home.

In my room, I always find myself staring at the mirror.

"Clearly, you are trying so hard again. Why don't you take a rest and do something new? Why don't you try to set aside your feelings for someone and think about the beauty of your surroundings? Don't waste too much time thinking about someone who clearly don't think about you... you are being so pathetic. You have a lot of things to do, to organize, to study, to learn... you have a lot friends... you have a lot chocolates to eat... you have a lot books to read. Spend your time on things that will help you grow and not on things that will pull you on sadness... please... have mercy on yourself."

That's what my other half told me... Since I am sad. I tried to make everyone happy. I love surprising  people with simple notes. I left messages on my colleagues table. They told me that I am such a sweet person. I was so happy because they became happy too. Seeing the smile on their faces, I couldn't help but to feel good. Somehow, the sadness disappeared.

So today is Sunday... I will play guitar, drink tea, write on my notebook, clean my room, dance Zumba, cook, watch Tudors series and movies... etc... maybe by doing them, I can SET ASIDE.

Things that made me happy:

1. Road trip. I miss going out with friends. I miss thinking about nothing but good things.
2. Healthy food trip. Every time I eat healthy food, I always feel that my body is clean.
3. Eating out.
4. Green Tea Latte.
5. Tea shopping. I bought Organic White Tea, Oolong Tea and Peppermint Tea.
6. Strawberry Facial Mask. Since I want to pamper myself this Sunday, my girlfriends and I bought some facial mask and other feminine stuffs to relax ourselves.
7. Laughing with friends.
8. My students. I received a lot of gifts and letters. I feel so overwhelmed and I thought that I always received gifts... no matter how simple the gifts are... they MEAN SO MUCH TO ME. Every candy wrappers and containers of their gifts... I keep them in my treasure box because Every student is IMPORTANT for me.
9. MBA Good news. So, we went to MBA Office yesterday. We were told that after getting our MBA Degree we are allowed to teach. So, which means I can finally become a REAL teacher in the future. If this is true, I don't have to study again to get 18 teaching units after graduation. It would be nice... I want to teach Literature in College...but let's see.. because my plan is to work outside Philippines...  For now, I will have fun. :)

Have a great day everyone!

Blog // Shinno and Rino Tips: What Man Likes About Woman // Randomness

Sunday!!!!!!! Finally! I slept for almost 10 hours and I am still sleepy but I have a lot of things to do today. Like, cleaning, organizing my files, exercising, reading etc...

Last week, two people made me happy. Shinno and Rino. They were so warm hearted and I felt like I was a University student... again. Casually talking to them; I also learned lessons. They were both funny and they laugh easily. Their happiness is contagious that's why I feel at ease whenever I talk to them.

Today's blog is about what they had told me. I don't know the reason why we talked about this topic but since they were interested with "love", "like" girls, boys, man and woman... I asked them "What are the characteristics that man/woman likes about woman/man?"

Have a little fat (Same with Rino)

I was a little surprised about this answer. Why? because almost all the girls and women that I know of wants to be more slim, to reduce their weight or to be thin because they think that man actually likes "Slim Girls". However, according to my friends (Rino and Shinno) that men want women to have a little fat so that when they hug them they will not be skin and bones but they will be soft like cotton. Typical girls that I see in television, magazines, fashion shows are all thin and slim maybe this is the reason why females want to be thin and slim because they think that men prefers this physical characteristics.

Knows how to cook (Same with Rino)

I think it is a "MUST" for females to know how to cook. I remember that a woman told me that the way to man's heart is through his stomach. If a woman wants to get the man she likes... she must knows his favorite foods. Is this correct? Fortunately, I can cook... a little bit; especially sweet foods but I guess only children likes my sweet foods. HAHA!

Have common sense / Straight mind

I think woman likes this attributes in a man too. Including me, I like man who has knowledge about something... I don't really like having conversation with someone who don't know what he's talking about or only talks about himself. Self-centered, vain and boastful. I don't like them! Men who talks about how much he earns, his properties, how many cars or credit cards he has or showing off his gadgets. Maybe they think that ALL woman will be blinded with luxury... but NO! Some of us, prefers man who is rich in knowledge than a man who is only rich in pockets.
 
Straightforward / Tactful

Who doesn't want an honest person? I think everyone wants the other person to be honest to them as much as possible. I prefer people who are straightforward and knows how to express him/herself. I understand that not all can be like this but as for being a friend or more than friends... I think it would be nice if you can be honest. We are not mind readers... if you don't express yourself.... how are we going to know what's happening inside you? How are we going to help you or comfort you?

Wears casual clothes

I know girls who dressed up and put on makeup as if they're going to a night party whenever they meet their boyfriends or the man they like. Rino told me that she prefers to look as natural as she can be and she doesn't like dressing up so much. She wants to be like by a man for who she really is... with or without makeup. As for me, I don't like dressing up too. Date? maybe I'll wear my usual jeans, rubber shoes or sneakers, backpack and loose top... a little makeup without mascara, eye shadow, eyeliner or  fake eyelashes because this is me. You can never ask me to wear dress, high heels or go to salon to make my hair pretty. I don't want to spend a lot of money just to impress a man. If a man will be attracted to me... I want him to be attracted with my mind or my knowledge and not with my physical appearance.

This list is their opinions and I definitely agree with them. I think it's better to be who you really are if you want to attract the other person that you like. You don't have to pretend to be someone else and do unnecessary things to impress a man or woman. Natural is better. Simple is better. But of course, putting on a little accessory to yourself is not so bad... but make sure that these accessories will be use to ENHANCE your features and not to look like another person.

Good Luck!

------------------------------

 

Random Talk

 

All of a sudden, my Instagram account is full of food/snack pictures. This week's post are all food. My students and friends gave me food and snacks and tea and they told me not to count the calories. They were so funny and I appreciate them so much! <3

 

 ( http://instagram.com/p/lG4mActR8R/# )

(From Shinno-kun. Monday. We discussed about foods and calories)

 

 ( http://instagram.com/p/lJepdWtR7e/# )

(From Nhelzilicious. Team Leader. Donggulle Cha.)

 

 ( http://instagram.com/p/lOUGshNRx5/# )

(From Shinno and Rino. They told me not to check the calories. haha!)

 

 ( http://instagram.com/p/lOhtE4tRzJ/# )

(From Ryo. Friday. Strawberry. I want to try the green tea next time. ^^ )

 

 ( http://instagram.com/p/lTpiv9NR2E/# )

(From Ms. Che; MBA Classmate. Because she knows that I love drinking tea. I think everyone knows.)

 

 

This is my Presentation in Financial Management. I talked and discussed for almost 45 minutes and I was so tired from speaking and answering questions. It took me two weeks to prepare for this and my efforts are all worth it. I got nervous at first because my classmates are really intelligent but I was able to keep up with them... Finally. I am very happy!!!!

 

However, our business proposal needed a little editing here and there so we decided to go to Eastwood City to finalized our papers. In my opinion, it was not a good idea because we were surrounded by bars, clubs and people who were having a fun time relaxing and chilling out...

 

 

 

 

Things that made me happy:

1. Drinking different kinds of tea. Trying them and enjoying the smell and taste.
2. Eating chocolates. I did eat chocolates with my eyes closed so that I would not be tempted to check the calories.
3. Presenting my presentation and answering all the question. I did my best even of it was VERY HARD.
4. Drinking genmai cha at Eastwood while others were drinking beer, coffee etc...
5. Helping with our business proposal. Editing and proofreading.
6. Talking with Rino and Shinno. I like them both.
7. Walking at Ortigas.