new place

after 12 days in the weekly mansion... it was about time to pack and move again... this time we wont have to move for the next 1 year... =)

we can officially move in tmrw... but thank God we have this weekly mansion till saturday... which gives us the luxury of taking our time in the moving...

2 luggage will be moved to the new place tmrw... then will assess the place... check out what are the things in the store room... left by previous students from singapore... then probably clean up a little... get to know more about our surrounding...

then on friday... we'd be shopping... for bed sheets... pots and pans... basically setting up the kitchen... that's assuming the previous tenants didnt cook...

hopefully by saturday... we'd be ready to stay in our new place... then we will have to start preparing and unpacking... cos hubby starts his course on monday...

initially they said that the apartment may be partially furnished only... so we were prepared to buy beds... cupboards... looking out for place that rents out washing machines... fridge...

till hubby went to visit last week... there were enough beds for all of us... a new fridge... a new washing machine... dining table with 4 chairs... tv in the master bedroom... and a store room full of stuff... heard there was a baby car-seat in there too..!

after our 2 weeks of 'holiday'... it is almost time we really settled down... to routine... schedules... home school time table... cooking... washing... cleaning...

before that... gonna catch sakuras this sunday at the parks...! =)

one week... almost

tomorrow and it'll be one week here in tokyo...

really thankful for the weekly mansion that we are staying at... not the biggest of places that we've stayed in... but comfortable... convenient stores nearby... restaurants... supermarket... train station... all within walking distances...

jus tokyo alone... there are so much to see and do...

we've gone to Roppongi Hills... lunched @ Shibuya... shopped at Harajuku... visited the Tokyo Tower...

had planned for Disneyland... but it rained for 2 full days... the weather jus cleared today... but this weekend... we'd be busy getting our new place ready...

we jus got news of our new place... and we actually went exploring the area yesterday... in the rain and cold... we got lost... and together with the gals... we walked for more than an hour... the gals have been great... a bit of whining along the way... but nothing major... proud of them actually... =)

the place that we will be staying at in in their Ministry of Defense... looked more like a jail... haha... with a guard house at the main entrance... tall walls surrounding the compound... barbed wires... hubby's course will be within the compound as well...

but jus outside the compound... there are 2 parks... very near Ebisu... where there's shopping and food...

hubby has gone out to check out the 'partially furnished' apartment that we would be getting... and probably this weekend would be spent buying stuff so that we can move next week...

the japanese teacher that hubby had for 3 months while in Singapore last year... is gonna be back here next week with her hubby... and we are all meeting up for dinner on Monday... hoping to do Disneyland on Tuesday... then move in Wednesday... giving us some buffer time till we check out form our current place on Saturday...

we're going to Tobu World Square tomorrow... gonna prepare some typical japanese breakfast of rice balls with seaweed... pack them in cellophane wrap to be eaten during our 2-hr train ride there...

thinking of capturing some night shots tonight... jus love the city lights... =)

updates on FB

dont really have the time to journal about the things that we get to do here...
there's only 1 internet connection... and all 4 of us have to take turns using it... =(

most of our first 2 weeks here will be spent on exploring the area around us... visiting parks... viewing sakuras when they bloom...

so do watch out for the photos on FB...
hopefully the captions are helpful... =)

日本... finally...

after the period of waiting... then setting the date to go... sourcing of accommodation... planning... and not forgetting the frantic packing...

the send off @ T3 was awesome... thanks to all the friends and family who were there... never hugged so many ppl in a night..! =p

during the 6-hour flight... rachelle and i could only catch an hour of sleep on board... there was a wailing baby in our cabin.... but joanna slept most of the way... skipping breakfast...

we finally arrived in japan..! =)

gals were generally cooperative as there were many bags to handle... a lot of walking as we decided to make our way to the accommodation by train rides...

weather was great... gals' appetite was even better...

it was a very tiring first day... but thankful to be with hubby again... happy to see the gals with their dad again... =)

twentyfourhours

that's about how much time we have... before we fly off...

jus distributed my privilege cards to family... amongst other possessions...

gonna wait for tmrw to do the final packing... together with carmen... i really wun know how to do it alone... worst case scenario... gotta upsize one of the luggage...

many have said that one year is a very short time... though to a certain extend i might agree... but it's long enough for us to be missing out on quite a number of happenings back at home...

my prayer for all loved ones here... will be that all are well and healthy... that the Lord will protect them all form harm... that love will continue to reside in their individual families...

i'm gonna so miss them...
especially the 2 boys...

have already prepped the gals to keep their minds open to change... open to try new things... open to new experiences... it's gonna be a really exciting time for us... it will be a great time for the family to bond even closer...

last minute rush

though i had a good 3 months to get ready for this trip...
it's still a mad rush..! =P

i had intended for thursday to be free of appointments... so that i could pack and really get ready for our departure on friday...

but now it seems like tmrw's gonna be another packed day for me... gals are going to their friend's place for a little party... and i will be attended 2 wakes in the afternoon... change some more money... run a few more errands like buy locks and DVDs... in the evening... i'll be helping to watch my nephew as SIL goes with dad to one of the wakes...

managed to pack a little jus now... what doesnt seem like a lot of things... filled 95% of the remaining 2 luggage..! and i still have plenty of stuff outside the luggage..!

started to panic... but carmen was assuring... she said no worries... she can squeeze all in by friday... and i really pray that we can... if not... i'll jus have to forgo bringing some stuff...

managed to check us all in already... chosen our seats... and printed our boarding passes...

less than 2 more days... =)

feast-athon

since last friday... it's been nothing but good food...

each meal would last approx 2 hours... and usually... that'll be the only meal i have that day... can you imagine how much weight i'd be putting on if i din do that..? =P

the final feast here... before we leave... would be shared with family... at the airport...

jus 3 more days... woot..! =)

sealed

jus sealed the final box tonight...
all in all... 3 boxes... 72kg...

now to wait patiently for the address for them to be shipped to...

praying that we will have the address for our 1-year stay...
by this friday... before gals and i leave...

starting tmrw... can begin to pack the other 2 luggage...

jus 4 more days...
*heart skipping a beat*

sleepless in singapore

was awaken by the call of nature at 4am...
and couldn't sleep after that...

mind was too active to fall back asleep... was thinking about friday... about what are the things that should be going into my handheld luggage... then i wanna be wearing my contact lens... cos hiao... wanna look good in photos at the airport... then was thinking how i could change to my specs before boarding... =P

then reach japan... when to wash up nei..? after immigration..? or before..?

then all my privilege cards... wondering who i should be passing them to... my keys... what should we wear to the airport... and what extra clothing to bring in our handheld luggage...

coffee machine... when is a good time to bring it to bro's place... gotta let him know how to take care of the machine...

how to load up 3 luggage... plus 3 handheld luggage... plus 3 adults... plus 2 children... all in a matrix..?

all these minute details la... they were keeping me up...

maybe i'm jus too excited...
but still got 4 more nights worr... 8P

last service

woke up later than we usually do this morning... but was very determined to make it for church... it was gonna be our last... for at least a year...

met redcouch on the way into church... and when we reached the 3rd floor... she gave me the regular weekly hug... but this time... it felt precious... something that i'd be missing for a while... she almost squeezed the tears right out of me...

throughout the service... there was this strange feeling of 'missing'... dont really know wad to label it... but i guess i had already begun to miss my church...

and the car ride out after church... more ppl came to mind that i'd be missing...

guess this is it...
jus 5 more days...

日本語

after 5 weeks of japanese lessons... 4 times a week... 2 hours per session...

today... i finally graduated..!
*beginners course only la*

took a 1-hr test this morning... felt really weird cos it's been ages since i last sat for any form of examination... =P

scored 90% for the test..!
and received a certificate too..!

red tape

instructions given me before hubby left for japan... was to count back 7 days before our departure... call C to arrange for a time to collect our official passports...

our official passports have already been made last year... but we cannot hold on to them for more than a stipulated period of time... as policy states for official passports...

being the kiasu that i am... i called them not jus 7 days before we leave... but 9 days... yesterday...

called C... he didnt sound very friendly... i introduced myself... stated the purpose of my call... he asked me who i was... not once but twice... asked me where i was going... not once... but twice... then told me that he needs an email from hubby's company... so that he can release the passports...

faint... and we all know how 'efficient' govt bodies are when it comes to writing emails...

so i sms hubby and asked for his help... in the evening... he called me and told me that he had called D... D then asked him to ask M to email her... so that D can then tell C to release the passports... *faint again*

asked hubby for D's number instead... so that i can call her direct... cos by the time i hear from hubby again the next day... another working day would have been lost...

so i called D jus now... she said that she is going to see C to ask about the procedure... *fainted*... then will get back to me in the afternoon... then when i asked of her to help expedite the collection... she turned round and asked me why have i only waited till now to arrange for the collection of the passports... *i is wanna slap her you know*

anyways... really pray that this hurdle will be crossed by today... smoothly... without any more glitches...

impressed

when i got home from a dinner appointment last night... the gals were already fast asleep...

i noticed that their devotion was on the floor... assumed that dad must have done devotion with them before they went to bed...

it was only during lunch.. that i found out that it was the gals themselves... who had noticed that it was time for bed... went and washed up... prepared the beds... and it was rachelle who had read the devotion with joanna... and the thing that i am most well-pleased is... a bedtime prayer was said by rachelle before they slept..!

all done by themselves..!

i'm one very proud mama now... =P

results

as the gals would be 'skipping school' for a whole year... i had told them that they would have to do extremely well in their Topical Assessments and Continual Assessments... reason i gave was that this is the only score that the school will see of them this year... and they had better leave a good impression... =P

the week leading to the gals' tests week was not easy... both for them... and for myself... the tests week itself... was jus as stressful...

Rachelle
English 90%
Math 94%
Science 83%
Chinese 92%

Joanna
English 99%
Math 96%
Chinese 100%

gals recognise that God has enabled them to do well... assuring them that they will be fine... even though they do not attend school for a year... =)

God is good..!

掌声鼓励鼓励。。！

rachelle's really sweet today...

joanna did not have any homework today... dad and carmen had decided to go the the club for a dip to get out from this ridiculous heat... joanna then went with them for a swim...

rachelle had a little homework... i believe she could have anticipated that she would not take long to complete the 2 math sums... when given the choice between the club and staying home with me to pack... she chose the latter... =)

and she was a great help indeed... you see... this gal has inherited the 'packing' genes from her dad... she is amazing when it comes to packing things neatly...

with her help... we managed to pack a 30kg box... and another unsealed box which weighs about 14kg now... to be sealed next week... when we should have more or less completed our packing...

not bad eh..? =P

be BORED tween

amidst all the packing... calling to make appointments... attending lunches and dinners... and more packing... i get BORED...

think it's cos i've completed the cross-stitch project... and now that when the gals are in school... i'm bored...

and i cannot begin to pack... cos i still have japanese classes to attend soon... so dun wanna start then stop unfinished...

then there's a jap test on fri... but too nuah to go revise for it... cos it's getting tougher...

oh wells... jus 10 more days..! =P

achievement

with much support and push from my gals... we finally began packing this afternoon... even my dad was involved in the mission... =P

after about 1.5hrs... we managed to fill out the largest luggage... setting aside clothes that we'd be wearing for the next 2 weeks here... and the first 2 weeks there... all the rest were vacuum packed... even our winter wear is in one of the 3 bags that are in the luggage...

basically all clothes in that luggage...
and the final weight of that ONE luggage... was 30kg..!

what's left to be packed... about 36kg of books... lotions... pre-packed mixes... medicine... games and toys... shoes... laptops... all the other small stuff...

gotta get boxes to ship the books and stuff... that we might not have space for in the other 2 luggages that we have...

time will go really fast from here on...

final week of school for the gals... oso the final week for my japanese classes... heard that there's gonna be a test... *sweat*... then the many lunches and dinners...

it seems that we have waited all eternity for this... and yet... when it's jus around the corner... it seems jus too fast... =P

but gals and i... and oso hubby... are getting really excited... =)

4-letter word

P A C K

really dun like to... i took almost 30min jus to get myself out from my state of 'nuah-ness' to at least attempt to pack... the gals helped a bit... by asking periodically... 'din u say u were gonna pack..?' =P

well... i did... or should i say... attempted to...

after almost 1.5hrs in the heat... and dust... all i did was to take things out from luggage A into luggage B... and then from luggage B to a space bag... then throw out some more stuff that i thought shouldnt be brought over... put all the winter stuff into 1 space bag... decided which luggage was to contain wad items...

i think i left a bigger mess than i first started...

oh wells... i am determined to REALLY pack tomorrow... aim to pack at least the big luggage... let's see how it'll go...
*fingers crossed*

the line up

jus 2 more weeks left here...

6th
lunch @ in-laws
dinner with Pri 1F (1996)

8th
spend time with ryan while his mommy visits the hair salon

12th
appointment with hairdresser
dinner with ex-colleagues

13th
appointment with dentist

14th
lunch with ex-colleagues

16th
shopping and dinner with ribena

17th
zoo with ryan

18th
dinner treat for all the birthdays missed next year

19th
sayounara..!

and amidst all that... i need to pack... and collect passports...
*faint*

getting exciting

collected our e-tickets today..!
and on the way back... made appointments with my hairdresser... and also the dentist...

made several calls to check on rates to bring 50kg of books and clothes over by next month... got quotations...

all that is left to do... is to pack..! =P