happy anniversary..!

the past 10 anniversaries were celebrated without the gals... this year... not that we do not have any caregivers cos we can always drop them off at our neighbour's... but rather... thought that it would be nice to have them around... and involve them in the celebrations too...

it started with shopping... hubby went on the shopping date with rachelle... while joanna was with me...

we went to takashimaya @ shinjuku... we separated for 2 hours... to hunt for a present for each other... it was a nice experience... the gals had a say as to what gift to buy... or a say in the choice of design...

the gals enjoyed the shopping dates... =)

we met up later and went for dinner at sizzler... the gals were so eager for us to open our presents during dinner...

hubby got me a purse from paul smith... rachelle helped choose the design... and they thought that the usual browns and blacks were too boring... and felt that this one was the most 'me'... =)


joanna and i really had a hard time... shopping for hubby is never easy... so we had to think through his daily routine... thinking wad could make his routine more enjoyable... something that enhances...

hubby drinks a lot of coffee when he reads or writes his papers... he usually drinks from his usual 100yen coffee cup... sometimes he forgets that he still has coffee... or that the coffee turns cold to fast...

and so... we got him a bodum desktop tumbler...

joanna felt funny that my gift to hubby was so cheap... compared to what hubby had spent on mine... but hubby told her that it's really the thought that mattered... and he liked the tumbler...

though hubby and i miss shopping together... and winding down in the evening after dinner over a drink... it was meaningful with the gals... =)

COSTCO warehouse

finally visited the much raved about COSTCO yesterday... heard of how cheap stuff there are... and i was really excited about getting there...

so together with my 2 korean neighbours... we set of in the morning... it was an hour drive...

when we reached there... i was so overwhelmed by the size of everything... everything was so huge..! things are definitely cheaper... cos instead of buying 10 eggs at a time... you'll have to buy 30.. at least... of course... the more you buy... the cheaper it gets...

after about 2hrs there... i was SGD200 poorer... =P

however... my fridge is now bursting at the seams... bought lots of pork and chicken... even prawns...

my verdict...

yes... costco is cheap... but unless i share what i buy with my neighbours... i'd be wasting more food cos i dun think we can eat fast enough before the foodstuff expire...

so for me... i'd still visit the nearby supermarket for the daily stuff like bread... ham... milk... and veggies... then for heavier things like rice and beer... i'd go online to order and let them deliver...

and maybe once a fortnight... i'd visit Jusco... to buy things like coffee and frozen stuff...

costco..?
only when my neighbours wanna go... then i'll tag along...

irony

it all started out with me thinking that i would probably be talking more with the idian lady next door... i mean... there is no language barrier... we both speak fluent english... she has a son that is the same age as rachelle... our children even go to the same school...

little did i think that i'd be spending most of my time now with Munjoo (korean lady next door)... the major problem between us was language...

funny how things turned out... i hardly see nor speak with the indian lady... in fact... i am now friends with 3 korean ladies in the building... one is Munjoo... then Munjoo's neighbour... and Munjoo's neighbour's friend who lives one floor down...

the 4 of us started going out... wad i thought initially was a shopping trip... and since then we have been to each other's house for tea... coffee... lunch... and we are often seen passing dishes of our own cooking for each other to try... especially at dinner times...

we have even started our very own english and japanese study group... which are on every thursday...

so how do we overcome our language barrier..? we act... charade... make sound effects... hand gestures... and though it often resulted in the meanings lost in translation... we do have a good laugh at each other...

especially for Munjoo... her neighbour (Yi-san)... and myself... we are closer... maybe cos we are on the same level... and the fact that we have 2 daughters each... =)

wad tickles me most is the sharing of food amongst the 3 of us... i would receive a plate of their home-cooking... and not wanting to return an empty plate... i'd prepare something and place it on the plate... and return it... then the cycle continues with Yi-san... then i'd share my chicken curry... they'll share their kim-chi rice... ... ...

it's fun... =)

scrapbooking

got started after dinner...
managed to only paste pretty papers on 2 pieces of cardboard from the album... =P

but felt that it was fun... something that i can do... it was somewhat therapeutic...

right now... i need to choose the photos that i want... so that i can really begin on the album... but think choosing which photos go into the album would be the toughest part of the process..?

anyways... let's see how i progress from here... =)

cheese cake

and so the gals and i baked today...

as we began... i first measured out the ingredients... only to realise that i do not have a kitchen scale... so i was not able to measure 50g of sugar... nor 30g of flour... so how..? estimate lor... using tablespoons... =P

and also... i dun have a proper mixing bowl... nor a whisk... so we made do with the largest soup bowl that we have... and a coffee-cup sized metal stirrer as a whisk... and boy... it was really hard work to get the egg whites and sugar to fluff up..! think my right arm is aching from all the 'whisking'...

then it was time to bake it in our new rice cooker... set it to bake for an hour... and was actually not too optimistic about how it'll turn out...

after an hour... the rice cooker chimed... and we were so excited... so anxious... to see how it'll look like... if we had succeeded...

i opened the rice cooker... and we all squealed with joy... it looks great..! smelt delicious..!

carefully inverted the contents onto a dish... cooled it... and put it into the fridge... for dessert after dinner... the gals and i couldnt wait...

right after dinner... rachelle took the cake out... armed with the bottle of fresh cream... ready to devour the cake...

it was so easy to cut the cake... it felt moist as the knife glided through it...

the slice looked really good... tasted ok... nice... texture was right... maybe estimation for sugar and flour needed to be more accurate... but all in all... very good for the first attempt..!

shared the rest of the cake with our neighbour and the security guard (they call them managers here)... my neighbour was so impressed that it had come from a rice cooker... and had asked for a cooking demo tomorrow..! =)

next project... will try doing a sponge cake with it... rachelle has since asked that her birthday cake be home-baked... so i gotta perfect it in time for her birthday... i have about 3 months... haha...

baking and scrapping

went shopping yesterday... all by myself at Shibuya...
bought a new... and bigger rice cooker... and got myself a portable HDD as my lappie's memory is running low due to the many photos in it...

i'm especially pleased with the rice cooker... it's actually cheaper than my portable HDD... and IT BAKES..! =)

read thru the manual... yep... all in 日本語... took ages... and then realised that there is this cake function... and there were 2 cake recipes in the manual too..! but alas... after figuring out the ingredients... i jus couldnt decipher the instructions...

so i went online and searched for an english one... after much searching... googling... i found it..! the exact one for the machine..!

so i am gonna bake a cheese cake today...

another thing that came with the shipment... was my prezzie from ribena... a pack of scrapbooking materials to help me get started with the hobby...

as i opened the package that she had packed... it was loaded with little pretty things... i sure hope i do justice to the things that she had given me..! she even wote me a step-by-step instruction sheet to get me started... so sweet hor.. =)

this will be my first attempt at doing both things... never have i baked anything for a very long time... in fact... it was since home economic days in secondary school...

and never have i scrapped anything... ever... never had the courage to do so... cos dun wanna make pretty things look ugly after passing through me... =P

nonetheless... let's do it..! =)

lost weight

in the shipment... was my weighing scale too... and it confirmed that i had lost some weight... hahaha... =P

it could be due to various reasons...

a lot more walking...
a healthier diet (jap food)...
or...

ngiao... cos everything here is so expensive... so eat less of the expensive stuff... like meats... seafood... =P

think it's a combination of all the reasons la...
wadever the reason... yeah..!
lost weight..! =)

besides jus losing weight... my clever machine tells me that i am healthier too... body fat has gone down... even the tough fats around the vital organs have decreased too... and my metabolic rate is increased..! woot..!

shipment is here..!

after a long day out with a friend... about 10hrs of walking and shopping and eating at お台場(Odaiba)... we headed home for some drinks...

as we entered our building... the manager told us that there are 3 boxes for us..! the gals squealed with delight... and i was absolutely glad that they have finally arrived..! =)

the next day... we unpacked... gals were great... they unpacked most of the stuff... since most of them were their books anyway... and all their books were nicely sorted out and placed in their bookshelf... so proud of them eh...

my many packets of pre-mixes were in the boxes too... and as i looked through each one... i realised that the rice-cooker that we currently have... is not big enough for me to cook chicken rice... nor claypot rice...

the one that we have is a really tiny one... 3 cups of rice... max... and at times... the amount is not even enough for the 4 of us... the gals were often seen fighting over the last scoop of rice from the pot... =P

so with the anticipation of cooking for more guests to come... family and friends... we have decided to get ourselves a bigger rice-cooker...

i jus came back from the supermarket... chicken was on offer.! so i got ourselves 2kg of chicken... and we're gonna have chicken curry tonight...! singapore style...!

happy... =)

what happens after death?

heh... not that i'm being dark here... jus that the message i heard yesterday... had set me thinking on the topic... and also how the pastor is able to speak so freely...

i like the way the pastor preaches here... maybe it's cos it is not a multi-racial... multi-religious country like back home... so maybe he does not need to be overly sensitive..? but then again... are we to preach the Word differently in different cultures..? maybe so... the approach may be different...

but the way this pastor preached... i like... no apologies kind... hard facts... in your face kind of message...

he made a few 'spiritual principles' from the story of the rich man from Luke 16:19-31... saying things like... 'if you dont know Jesus... you are going to hell'... woah... made me really sit up and listen for a while...

but of course... ultimately... he speaks of the hope we have when we have Jesus as our Saviour...

i like this statement... or definition he made on death...
'death is the moving from a temporal earthly life... to an eternal life in either heaven or in hell'...

never really saw it that way... we always talked about eternal life after we die... but seldom do we question... if it's eternity in heaven... or in hell... felt that it was a very good gospel message...

looking forward to more 'tough teachings' preached... =)

thursdays

usually on wednesday nights... i'd begin to think of excuses to not go for the japanese class (crayons)... mainly cos of the company that i will be with... purely koreans...

not that i dun like them... they are beautiful people... it's jus that a lot of effort has to be put in jus to communicate... using a bit of japanese... a bit og english... a whole lot of animation..! =P

last week they were jus talking about having english class with me after lunch... after crayons... and gosh... they were serious..! i was not even prepared yesterday to conduct any class with them...

but they came prepared... korean-english dictionary in hand... and notebook and pen...

guess yesterday was rather informal... we talked over tea... they asked me a few questions... i taught them english while talking to them... getting examples of what they had jus talked about... i was even able to share some parenting tips to them too..! =)

after yesterday... i am more motivated to really prepare to teach them english... yesterday may jus be the 3rd time we have gathered... but i think the relationship between us is growing... very fast actually...

this group of ladies are actually quite fun... already... we have made plans to go swimming... leaving the kids with husbands... go for evening bicycle rides... go to a huge supermart (costo)... and even a date was set to drink together..! happy hour during one of the afternoons..! ha... =)

mom's day prezzie

the place that we are staying... is a rather hilly area... and the nearest supermart is about 7min walk away... and buying milk and other heavy stuff can be a rather daunting task... not to mention... muscle building too...

so we have been looking around for a trolley bag... but the ones that we have seen around here... are either too large... or too expensive... like over SGD150 each... way beyond wad we were willing to pay for...

so we were jus shopping on mothers' day... when hubby chanced upon this trolley bag... i liked the print... the colour... even the price... jus about SGD53... it was jus perfect..! and i asked for it as a mothers' day gift to me... =P

the bag is so cool... and it's a reisenthel..! we jus love this brand of shopping bags... and their range of reusable bags...

when the bag is not in use... the wheels cleverly fold in... and the entire bag can be folded nicely into a pouch... such a clever design i tell you... =)

i have since used it twice... once to the nearby supermart... to get milk and yogurt... jus to test it out... see if it was easy to pull...

the second was today... ventured to jusco... which is jus a 20min train ride away..! was so happy to have gone there... all by myself... so proud leh... and i returned with the trolley overflowing with groceries... and another bag of veg in hand..! =P

i am so glad that i have this bag..!

lost in translation

korean drama continues...

there came a knock on my door at about noon yesterday... after much guess work... 金さん's wife (munju) told me that lunch (焼そば) @ namsan's house... asked me if i had forgotten...

still stunned... i said i'll be over in a while...

as i changed... i recalled that last thrusday... namsan's wife (李さん) mentioned something about 焼そば... 12pm... and when i confirmed with Munju if 李さん was saying that she had family coming over on monday and they are having 焼そば..? she said 'yes'...

so now i know that it was an invitation..!

as i entered the house... i saw another lady whom i have not met before... guessing that this is the 'family' whom 李さんhad mentioned... it turned out that this other korean lady (Pakさん)... speaks a little bit more english... but still... i was not able to understand much form her...

initially... after she had introduced herself... i reckoned that her husband works in the korean embassy... but then later... she mentioned that her husband is in the army... so as of now... i dunno who she is... =P

during lunch... korean drama began... they would talk for a good 2 min... and the translation offered me was jus a 1-liner... hmm... so i had to guess a lot... rather tiring... really... and still maintain a smile on my face...

then the conversation soon developed... and they had wanted me to teach english to them..! after our regular jap lesson on thursday... we'd do lunch and then continue to learn english... *faint*

how to say no leh..?

then we had to decide on a location... i would have gladly offered to open my house to them... but i really cannot 'tahan' one of the ladies son... about 2yrs... a rascal i tell you... and the korean's way of bringing up a child is soooooo different from wad i believe... you should read all about him in "little korean boy"

but the beauty of it all is that... amongst the 4 korean ladies... 3 are christians... and are praying that Munju will become one too...

so... let's see wad happens this thursday...
will we have english lessons..?
will we understand each other..?
will i eventually discipline the little boy..?
hahaha... i really dunno... =P

little korean boy

i have learnt that the koreans have a different way of disciplining... their child up-bringing beliefs are jus so different... from mine at least... this is wad i witnessed over lunch yesterday...

this little boy... maybe about 2-3yrs old... emptied the contents of a dustbin on the floor... the mom... continuing her lunch conversation... went calmly over... picked up all the litter... and put the dustbin back to its original place... all the while... the boy jus stood and watched...

then... he did it again... and the mom... did the same thing again... she did not address the misbehaviour wadsoever...

then the boy went into the master bedroom... took out a little trinket box... and again... emptied the contents on the floor... and the mom... said nothing again..!

throwing his half-eaten bun into the pot of 焼そば repeatedly... slamming the piano cover... drinking from other ppl's cup... snatching... whining... were jus a few of the misbehaviour that i noticed during my very short time with them...

dare i play host to them..?

Kobuchizawa

we got invited to our host family's house last weekend... a one night stay at their house in Kobuchizawa... in Yamanashi prefecture... which is about 2hrs away by train...

織田さんand wife picked us up from the station... as it was around 9pm... we couldnt see much during the ride to the house... from about 100m away from the house... he pointed to us which one was his... and we jus couldnt stop 'wow-ing' from there...

on his land... there were 2 houses... a small one... and a big one... we were ushered to the bigger house... it was beautiful... like a cottage... a lodge... so cosy... so relaxing... it was indescribable...

we were then shown our bedrooms... 織田さんand wife will be at the smaller house for the night... we felt very blessed... a little uneasy cos of the impeccable hospitality shown... but soon relaxed...

dinner was BBQ lamb from Hokkaido... yummy..! even the gals loved it...

after dinner... we stepped out of the house to see the millions of stars that were in the night sky... simply breath-taking..! never have i seen so many stars in my life..!

by the time we were done eating... showered and all... it was already 2am... and were to be up by 8am... the hosts have planned for us a day of sight-seeing in the Yamanashi prefecture...

i knew we were gonna have an amazing day ahead... when i opened my eyes the next morning... and looked out from the window... mountains...!

after a relaxing breakfast... we went about sight-seeing...
(photos are posted on FB)

the visit ended with 織田さんtaking us to the train station at about 4pm... we were all exhausted... but agreed that it has been the most memorable weekend since coming to Japan... =)

mothers' day

while snoozing in bed... about 6.30am... i noticed that my bedroom door was closed... remembering that we had kept it opened the night before... didnt think much of it... went back to snooze...

then i heard my microwave beep... this time... i got up and opened the door... rachelle immediately stopped me from getting out from the room... and asked me to go back to bed... told me to wake at only 8am...

i knew what she was up to already... =)

couldnt sleep after that already... waiting for her to call us up...

breakfast was ready by 7.30am... and she woke hubby and i up... she had made for herself a cheese omelet before making our breakfast... so clever... settle her own tummy frst...

hubby had a ham sandwich and black coffee... and i had a ham sandwich with japanese 0-cha... then as we were having our breakfast... she went on to make joanna a smiley faced ham omelet... and then woke joanna up in time for her breakkie...

i then asked her what made her think of fixing breakfast for me... her reply was the sweetest... she said she had awoken early... and was thinking that she has not done anything for mothers' day... and then thought of making breakfast for us...

then why not only for me..? why for the whole family..?

her response... so that i dun have to fix their breakfast... she even said she'd wash up after breakfast... but hubby beat her to that... =)

so sweet hor...

this gal is growing sweeter by the day... feel that she has changed much since coming to japan... she does not lose her temper as easily as before... and is also more loving towards joanna... =)

after breakfast... we headed for church... and then lunch... and then shopping at shibuya... and since it was my special day... they were instructed by hubby... not to whine nor complain... =P

hubby bought me a gift... a reisenthel foldable trolley... very mothers' day gift indeed..!
but a much needed one... as i do all the groceries on foot... and we're living in a hilly estate... it can get quite tough when i'm buying milk and other heavy stuff...

ended the day by getting half-priced sushi from the nearby supermarket... and sat under the night sky while savouring the sushi... gals had the space to play after dinner...

all in all... happy... =)

shopping trip..?

after our our first meeting with 金さん's wife (Korean)... hubby has encouraged me to bring her about... to my favourite haunts for groceries... and shopping...

and so... the very next day... i plucked up courage and walked over to her place... jus before setting off for my regular exploratory walk around the estate...

金さん was at home... and they were going to visit the ward office to settle some stuff... so was not able to go with her... so this was attempt #1...

attempt #2...
we were all in a little coach... on our way to meet all our host families... and in that coach... 金さん asked if i could take his wife out shopping... so thinking that both hubbys will be at shool... i suggested the very next day...

but in the coach... i felt that nothing was confirmed... i suggested 10am... but they looked doubtful... and then we were interrupted with instructions by another lady... so to me... nothing confirmed...

it was very much later that i knew that the next day was a public holiday... hubbys are not required to be in school... so yeah... we could go out... as a family...

then the next day... my doorbell rang... yup... it was 金さん's wife... all ready to go... hai... so i apologised profusely... trying to explain that i didnt know that the appointment was confirmed... since our husbands were gonna be at home...

then attempt #3... this time we got the day and time right... she appeared at my door... and i was ready to take her about the estate...

when we came out from the lift on the first floor... there were already 2 other korean ladies waiting for us... then she asked of we could go together... but of course... the more the merrier... i thought...

as we walked out from our compound... the other 2 ladies were walking in front... somewhat knowing exactly where they were going... never mind... i jus followed...

during the journey... machiam like i watching korean drama... hahaha... didnt understand a word they said...

then after about 5min... we entered a building... looked like an office building... i thought to myself... wow... there's shopping here..? so i asked... where are we... think i asked about 3 times... no one could tell me... all they could say was 'crayon'... so i figured... we;re here to get some art stuff...

then we reached the 9th floor... eh..? looks like classroom leh... then was directed to one of the rooms... we sat down... i was still blurr what i was in for... and we were given some forms...

it was then that i know... it was a japanese class la... crayons is the name of this group of ladies... all volunteers... to help non-japanese residents to learn the language...

chey...

so after 1.5hrs... they said let's do lunch together... one of them suggested ramen... and off we went...

it was crowded at the ramen shop... so we had to wait a little... while we were waiting... again korean drama began... then we were given the menu... they kept pointing to the 'special' for the day... and jibberish-ing... so i looked at the other menu... and was really looking forward to having a hot bowl of veg ramen...

then the lady walked into the ramen shop with the menu... came out empty handed... suspecting that she has already placed orders... i asked what they were having... she pointed to the 'special'... and then i asked again... are we all having the same thing...? she nodded her head...

oh great... i dun even have a say in wad i ate for lunch... hahaha... it was super interesting with them...

after lunch... i really needed my time alone to browse in the supermart... so i took my time and suggested for them to go back earlier... if they are done with their shopping... which they did...

haha... think this is gonna be a weekly affair... since this is jus the 1st time... will keep this going for sometime... and see how la... we should then develop our own language where we understand each other... i hope..! =P

so blessed

truly the Lord blesses beyond measure... beyond what we could ever imagine... or think of... my heart sings of His goodness... His loving-kindness forever more... =)

though we had great plans... before even embarking on this year-long trip... to visit... to tour... the many places in... and about japan...

and since coming here... with the gals in school... and hubby in the course... planning for a real trip seems difficult to do...

that is why it amazes my soul to see how the Lord has blessed us... with the many opportunities... to visit... to enjoy...

last week we had the privilege of visiting Saitama prefecture... where many ppl who work in tokyo stay... managed to experience the quietness of the suburban... the relaxed pace... the beautiful scenery... and of course... their impeccable hospitality... not forgetting the mouth-watering food prepared for us...

and tonight... we are making ur way to our host family's 2nd house... which is located a little farther than Saitama... where deers... wild boar... can be seen from their house..!

this is gonna be a great experience for us... i jus know it... =)

we have another 2 invitations from hubby's assigned buddy from the course... at the end of May... we've been invited to his place for a meal... and he too... has a 2nd house... which is about 50min... by plane..! wow..!

the buddy's mother is a teacher... she teaches others how to make tea... which means... we would have the privilege of having our own tea ceremony..! in his house..!

cant wait..!

then later in oct... there are plans to join a missionary from our home church... for a weekend chalet... at the foot of Mt Fuji..! i saw the photos of the chalet... and really wished i was there immediately... the sights were awesome..!

and for all these things... we are immensely grateful...
not that we have asked... but we have been blessed...

how great is our God... =)

Golden Week

we approached the week with no plans whatsoever... cos it was ridiculously expensive to be travelling or touring during this period... besides... the sea of people everywhere deterred us from planning a getaway...

but we still managed to spend the week nicely... rather spontaneous... rather fun..! =)

Ueno Zoo
on friday night... we sat around and thought what we should do during the golden week... then
we decided to visit the ueno zoo... cos it was convenient... no need to change train...

the zoo is huge... actually... i felt that it was more like a park... with lakes... bridges... lots of trees... and the animals were scarcely placed all around the zoo...

gals did not enjoy the zoo... largely due to the fact that the animals are in cages... that didnt make the gals very happy... unlike the singapore zoo... where animals roam freely in their large enclosures... the animals at the ueno zoo were kept in relatively small cages...

moreover... the zoo was filled with more people than animals... it was difficult jus to catch a glimpse of the animals...

but gals were still happy at the end of the day... cos there was a mini amusement park at the entrance of the zoo... hubby got them 3 rides each... and left them to decide and queue for which ever rides they so prefer... then hubby and i waited outside the park for them...

Saitama
then on sunday... we got invited to a friend's house for lunch... 上林さん is from the college that hubby is attending the course... he looks into the welfare of the foreign students... like our accommodation... and the family's needs... like getting the gals into the public school...

上林さん came to pick us up in his MPV... we were prepared for a 1.5hr ride to his place in saitama prefecture... however... on the way there... joanna felt queasy and threw up in the car..! she felt so bad and so did we... so we had to make a stop to wash her up... and clean the car...

continued on the journey... joanna sitting on her wet skirt... felt bad for her... but she was not complaining... but i knew that she was uncomfortable... so i requested for us to stop by any stores where i could get her a new skirt...

and so we did... and the rest of the journey was more comfortable for her...

there were traffic jams on the roads... all in all... we took about 3.5hr jus to get to his place...

lunch was great... sukiyaki... learnt how to make it their style and cant wait to try it out myself..! tried new foods... food that i would not buy when i am out alone at the supermart... but they were oishii..!

with the lunch... we had beer... followed by coffee liqueur... then some sake... and ending all off with a slice of strawberry sponge cake... and coffee... heavenly..!

the gals also had a whale of a time with his elder daughter... children are jus so borderless... with no common language... they played so well together... lots of laughter... and giggles...

their common language... pokemon... and NDS lite... thank God we brought along ours... =)

by the time we were done... it was about 7pm when we left his place... and by the time we reached home... it was about 9.30pm... then i made a quick dinner... dinner was served at 10pm...

it was a very tiring day... but it was meaningful... =)

Roppongi Hills
we had initially planned for us to go to Gotenba for some serious shopping... it is a place where duty free outlets congregated... placed is a famous spot for shopping... but hubby received an sms invitation for dinner...

his ex-japanese classmates had invited us for dinner... it was also to celebrate one of their friend's birthday... and so we postponed our Gotenba trip... anyways... we still had lots of time to do that one...

didnt do much on monday... hubby had an assignment due on thursday... immediately after the golden week... so he spent some time working on his assignment...

dinner was at Roppongi Hills... a very nice restaurants... it was a good time with friends... even the gals enjoyed the dinner... nice... =)

Yokohama
and so Gotenba was pushed to tuesday... but on monday night... we asked ourselves if we were planning to buy anything in particular there... both of us said nothing... and so we decided to postpone the trip there again... and do something that would involve the gals as well...

and so we spontaneously chose to visit Yokohama... jus like that... no planning whatsoever... jus go... =P

set off for Yokohama right after breakfast... it was jus a 40min train ride from where we are... reached the station... went straight to get ourselves a visitor's guide and map... and headed off on foot...

we fell in love with Yokohama... it was really nice... near the sea... cos there were ports and piers... we saw ships... tall buildings... even a big amusement park..!

the family went on quite a number of rides... it was fun... lots of screams and laughter... gals were very grateful to us for bringing them there...

but we were on foot most of the time... it was really tiring... think we walked over 3km... ending up in chinatown... which was very crowded... too crowded for us to settle dinner there... so we headed somewhere near home...

ended up back at Shibuya for dinner... went to a tonkatsu restaurant... and dinner was truly satisfying... nice... =)

yesterday was the final day of the golden week... we spent the entire day at home... hubby needed desperately to complete his assignment... which he did by 11pm... =P

phew..!
that's our week in a nutshell..! =)

blog time

yeah..!
finally... i have time to blog..!

it's been a week-long holiday here... they call it the Golden Week... 3 consecutive public holidays and a weekend...

have done many things... jus didn't have the time or the energy to do so... at the end of the day... i could hardly keep my eyes opened while manning my 'cafe'... hee... =P

now i realise... how nice it is to have the whole morning to myself... think i'm getting used to this... =)

20min

made sure that there was more than enough rice last night... so that i could pack the leftovers for the bentos this morning... oso made the pasta salad and garden salad last night...

got up at 6.30am to get the bentos ready... hubby waking at 7am... and gals were to wake at 7.10am...

bentos were done in 20mins... well... not the very pretty ones... but thought i had better start by making simple ones... and slowly get more adventurous... =P

guess it must be all the buzz in the kitchen... gals were up around 7am... by themselves... washed up... and rachelle even prepared breakfast for themselves... milk and cereal... =)

they were delighted to see the bentos... joanna will get hers soon... when she goes for her field trip...

hope they will enjoy them too..! =)

chicken hamburger patties

rachelle's bento & hubby's bento
*sprinkles for the rice are in the cute mickey container... salad sauce in the fish-shaped container*

hubby's bento
*using joanna's bento set... so the cute mickey =P*

first bentos

rachelle's going on her very first field trip tomorrow... and a bento is one of the many things she has to bring...

while planning her bento... i was thinking to myself... since i was already making one bento... and hubby's gonna be at class tomorrow... why dont i jus make him one too..?

and so... i planned to 'surprise' him tmrw...

after returning from his jog... he asked if it was any trouble for me to prepare a bento for him as well...

ha... no longer a surprise... and when he learnt that i already had intentions to make him one... he seemed pleased... =)

gonna wake up in 6hrs to prepare 2 bentos...
wish me luck..! =P

online groceries

jus finished doing my groceries... online... =)

visited the site introduced by the american's wife... it cost 105yen (SGD1.50) to deliver if i order more than 3000yen (SGD45) worth of stuff... and delivery is free if purchases are above 5000yen...

not too bad a deal... especially when i think of buying 5kg rice... milk... and other heavy stuff... this is really good...

so jus to try it out... i made the first purchase tonight... jus over 3000yen... delivery is expected on saturday...

let's see how it goes..!

well-stocked

after the meeting with our host family... the 3 families were ferried back to our homes... the koreans... the americans... and us...

on the ride home... hubby invited the other 2 families to our house for coffee and tea... then the american's wife turned to me and asked if it was ok... cos she realised hubby hadnt asked me... haha... of course it was ok... thank God i like to entertain... =)

so we had 3 families over at our house... a total of 6 adults... and 6 children... aged 3 months to 10 years...

boy... was i glad i stocked up on cookies... snacks... coffee... tea... even had bak kwa... and chili tapioca crisps to serve..! =)

now my cupboard is almost empty...
time to buy more..! =P

host family

met them this morning... felt that they were really nice people... not as what i had expected them to be... =P

they even invited us over to their 2nd house over next weekend... it's about a 2hr train journey from where we stay... from how the couple had described it... it seems like a very big house... and we are so looking forward to spending a night at their place..!

it was a rather formal first meeting... rather stressed but it was made a lot easier that they speak english... and that hubby and them know a common friend... this friend has helped prepare us for our first meeting... by telling us about his friendship with the host family... and it really did help a lot...

thank God... =)

dress up

each foreign student has been attached to a host family... usually a retiree... an ex-officer... usually... rather high ranking...

so we're meeting ours tomorrow...
*stress*

that's the reason why i have been desperately trying to buy a pair of shoes... my nicer shoes are still in the shipment... and the only pair of shoes i have now... is a pair of walking shoes... and i thought that i had better be in a skirt or a dress...

spent some time deciding what to wear jus now... after deciding what to wear... i soon realised that i do not have a nice coat... it's gonna be funny having a casual jacket over my outfit tmrw... oh wells...

got my nails painted as well... figured that they wouldnt last 2 days with all the cleaning and washing and cooking... i got the nail polish from the nearby 100Yen shop... and did my own manicure... not too bad la... =P

anticipating such an event... i oso bought a box of merlion-shaped chocolates and a packet of dried mangoes... as gifts to the host family...

it may be jus a simple meeting... no need for all this fuss... but i believe first impressions are lasting... and they matter... first impressions set the tone... it tells the other party how you would like to be treated... it's respect...

that's why i bother so much...
besides... hubby looks good when i do... =P

best

maybe cos i'm rather competitive by nature... and some even say a 'perfectionist'... it has helped me enjoy my stay here... or rather... find meaning in the mundane things i do everyday...

i take pride in keeping the house clean and tidy for my gals and hubby... that when they return... they are happy... they are relaxed...

taking care of their dinner has now become my job... not only it's my job... it is my joy... making sure they are satisfied... and that the dinner table is a place where we share the happenings of the day passed... usually filled with laughter... =)

jus tonight... hubby commented...
that of the 3 homes...
he felt that ours is the cleanest and most organised...

i take that as a compliment... =P

korean dinner

3 out of the 4 foreign students' families stay here at meguro-ku... and all 3 families are neighbours... we being sandwiched between them...

before kim-san's (korean) wife and daughters arrived on sunday... we have been inviting him over for meals occasionally... so once his family arrived... they invited us for dinner last night...

dinner was a simple meal of rice cakes in soup... there's a special name but i simply cannot remember la... then there were at least 7 different types of kimchi on the table...

it was quite an experience for me and the gals... but glad they tried to at least finish their bowl of rice cakes... and even had black bean rice... =)

what is more interesting about the dinner was the conversations shared over the table...

here's who at the table...
kim-san... speaks korean and jap... little english...
kim-san's wife... speaks only korean... very little jap and english...
hubby... speaks english and limited jap...
me... speaks only english... very little jap...

hubby was like the official translator... so proud of him...

if kim-san wants to tell me something... he has to tell hubby... and hubby tells me... vice-versa...

what's more interesting... is when kim-san's wife wanna tell me something... she tells kim-san... kim-san then translates to jap to hubby... and then hubby translates to english for me...

then hubby tells kim-san that i could show his wife around... i was like... huh..? how to talk..? so stressful... see how la... =P

but it was an enjoyable night... the gals played well with his gals... =)

Matthew 25: 21

'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

this verse stood out the most for me yesterday... it was not expounded on by the pastor... it was jus revelation to me... as i read the scripture text...

so many times we only hear the part about God putting us in charge of many things cos of our faithfulness... and many times... that almost sound like a punishment...

sometimes i get fearful of this verse... cos afraid of the MORE THINGS that will be added to me if i were faithful with the few things...

come share your MASTER'S HAPPINESS...

this is what spoke to me... what is this 'master's happiness' that Jesus is saying..?

applying the rules of the english language and understanding the context and syntax... this simply refers to the part where it says 'in charge of many things'... doesn't it..?

that being put 'in charge of many things'... is actually sharing my master's happiness... that actually He is making me in charge of more of His business... therefore... it should be a happy thing... a joyous celebration... isn't it..?

then why are we so worried of the 'more things' that He will put us in charge of..?

isn't this the fear that the 3rd man has in the parable of the talents..? therefore he hid his talent in the ground..?

i know it all sounds too easy... with the little that we are given... already 'cry father cry mother' liao... how can we even fathom about 'more things'..?

but duno la... it jus brought me joy when i read that last part of the verse... =)

more spiritual nuggets

yesterday's message was video-taped... the pastor of the church was at the opening service of their new worship site @ misato...

initially... i was skeptical... not live... but video-taped... how much would i listen and learn..?

the message was on the parable of the talents...

i mean... how many times have we read that..? and how many times have we heard of a message from that parable..? how else can you preach that passage..?

anyways... i was amazed... think yesterday's message was clearest and meaningful for me... picked up a few nuggets along the way...

it was interesting that the pastor shared the message differently... it was not your usual message of using your talents well... about not burying your talents... but use it for the Lord and He will multiply what we have...

instead his message was all about 'risks'... about how the 3rd man never knew who Christ really was cos he never took the risk to do so... he was captured by fear...

another nugget was when he shared... 'your faith determines your vision'... at first i was puzzled... but as he taught... i began to see... he said that many ppl plan... have a vision first... then pray for faith to carry out the vision...

he is saying that faith should come first... when we have the willingness to risk by faith opportunities for the gospel... then we see the Kingdom purpose... the vision...

after the sermon... i am really wondering... what can i do at this church that we are attending... dun wanna 'waste' this year jus warming one of the seats there...

church

after our move to meguro-ku... we have been attending Tokyo Baptist Church @ Shibuya... it's jus a train station and a 5min bus ride away from our place...

we usually attend the 9am service on sunday... which sees about 200 ppl at that service...

having been attending TPMC for the past 24 years... the experience is rather different for me... truly... there's no place like HIS home... =P

being in the worship ministry... my attention was immediately drawn to the instruments and vocalists... was very encouraged by the team... tho the congregation is not big and not young... their team is no smaller than 15... and most importantly... each team member played his part and it was not clashy... or loud...

yesterday... the team was made up of...
1 bassist
2 electric guitarists
1 synthesizer
1 organist
1 drummer
1 percussionist
2 trumpeters
1 violinist
5 singers

though there were many ppl serving on the team... it was not noisy... nor messy... each instrument played their small part at the right time... not anyone instrument was louder than another... nor playing too much...

and when the instrument is not being played... the musician worships... what a lovely sight...

it reminded me that we are firstly made to worship Him... with or without instrument... the talent of being able to play an instrument in worship... is simply to enhance OUR worship to Him... whether we play an instrument or not... it does not add pleasure to HIS enjoyment... if we had worshipped from our hearts...

焼そば

weekends are here again... as hubby has to catch up on his reading... we have decided to spend only one day out... instead of on both days... so we are home today... and will be out tomorrow... which includes church... and SHOPPING..! =)

usually i plan not to cook on weekends... i need a break too wad hor... =P

anyways... we were all too lazy to go out... though the sun shining really bright today... we are still staying home... after 2 loads of wash... which will definitely dry in the sun by evening... i looked into my fridge and decided to fry soba...

never done it before... so wasnt sure if it'll turn out right...

pictured in my head how a 焼そば is served outside... and started to prepare the ingredients... it began to turn out really well... colour and smell were familiar... =)

joanna decided to take a pix of me while i cooked... as you can see... my kitchen is super small... 2 burners... a very shallow frying pan... in fact... for the 4 of us... i have to fry 2 rounds... cos the pan was jus too small...

the finished product..! not too bad eh..? and it was so easy to do... guess we'd ba having more of this more often... and it costs under Y500 for the 4 of us..!

いただきます。。！

i love school..!

yes i do..! =)
not that i attend school... but i simply love wad it's doing with my gals..!

lunch is provided for in school... and since day 1... i've been checking with them... what was being served and if they finished their lunch in school...

the first couple of days... they confessed that they have difficulty finishing their food... but since 2-3 days ago... they have been reporting to me that they finished all that was given them..!

joanna said it's cos her friends kept encouraging her by saying 'がんばって！'... and she will try her very best to finish her meal...

to date... they have eaten more veg than they had in months... including raw lettuce... strawberries... onions... strawberry sauce... parsley...

quite impressive eh..? =)

nerves

both gals had their own complaints this morning...

rachelle woke up... and jus before she was gonna wash up... she threw up... and complained that there seem to be gas in her tummy... making her feel bloated... and thus does not wish to have any breakfast...

joanna complained that her throat still hurts... coughed a little... sniffled a lot... said that her nose was stuck...

gave rachelle some medicine for the gas in the tummy... and hubby asked both gals if they were ok for school...

both did not say 'no'... but hesitated to say 'yes'... but finally... they mustered enough courage to say that they did not wanna go to school today...

and so... hubby and i agreed... i wud monitor both gals to see what's really the matter...

hubby left for class at 7.30am... and usually gals would leave by 8.10am...

but by 8am... gals were already asking for omelet for their breakfast... one with pork floss... and the other with cheese...

and for the rest of the day... they were perfectly normal... joanna was still coughing and sniffling a little... but other than that... they'd definitely would have survived school...

verdict... NERVES...

as long as they get to school... be amongst their friends... they'd usually come home happy and report that they enjoyed school...

let's see what happens tomorrow...

onigiri

was getting really bored yesterday... hubby was in class... gals were in school... and chores were done on monday...

then was jus surfing the net... basically looking for things to do... then some how i thought of bentos... of how japanese women would wake up before anyone else in the family... jus to prepare bentos for everyone...

so i googled 'bento'... and was so inspired by the pretty bentos..!

i thought to myself... if i were to be here for a year... the least i could do is to have at least mastered the art of creating a decent bento..!

that night... joanna came back with a memo saying that she would be going on a field trip on 10 may... and she needs to pack a bento along... how timely... =)

so i decided to start some where... read up a bit about bento... about how there is a ratio to follow... 4:3:2:1... 4 parts carbs... 3 parts protein... 2 parts veg... 1 part dessert...

since carbs take up almost half a bento... i decided to play around with rice... and so decided to make onigiris...

i was really excited... and oso wanted it to cheer the gals up when they get back from school...

the ingredients were really simple... most of which i already have in my kitchen...

the dish of salted water was for my hands... so that the rice would not stick to my hands when i mold it... but later realised that using cling wrap is a better idea...

the containers were bought about 3 weeks ago... at disneyland... they were jus too pretty not to buy... =P

stuffed the onigiris with pork floss... and then rolled them in the rice toppings... we call them 'sprinkles'... cos dun really know how to call those delicious stuff...

it wasnt easy to shape them nicely in triangles... and silly me didnt think of using the containers as molds...

i hid the finished product under a cloth... waiting for the gals to return... they were delighted to see them... and they polished off everything very quickly... asking for more in between bites...

and they kept going 'おいしい！おいしい！'... =)
*oishii: delicious*

this has given me courage to be more adventurous... and to complete a bento..!

rainbow after the 'rain'

rachelle woke up with a tummy ache... in the wee hours of the morning... after breakfast... she puked everything out again...

thought she was gonna fall ill... but i think it's jus nerves... think she was still a little apprehensive after yesterday's incident during sports club...

anyways... off she went to school...

was praying the whole time she was in school...

then waited for the gals return... i could hear them even before the bell rang... smiling faces greeted me as i opened the door...

everything seems to have gone back to normal... and they said that they had enjoyed their day in school today... =)

がんばって。。！

gals walked home alone from school today... joanna returned before 3pm... and rachelle was expected to be home by 4pm...

from our balcony... i could spot the gals walking back...

as i opened the door to welcome rachelle... tears started to well in her eyes... i got so worried... wondered what happened...

she said that the last lesson was 'sports club'... much like CCA... she chose to be sports club... and they were all speaking in japanese... and she didnt understand one single bit... she felt left out...

so she asked to be excused... she went to the toilet and sobbed... and when she returned to class... her friends noticed and asked if she was ok... that made her cry some more... then her form teacher called for the english-speaking teacher to talk with her...

the teacher comforted her saying that she doesnt need to understand the language to join sports club... advised her to enjoy being in the club...

when i heard this... my heart broke... even joanna teared... guess she must have felt the same as rachelle in school...

i began to wonder if we are doing the right thing by putting them in a local school... cos this might jus jeopardise their singapore syllabus also... and this is adding stress to the gals... and also to hubby...

every night... hubby needs to read the many memos sent home... and he will spend at least 45min explaining line by line to me after the gals have gone to bed...

and my gals... think they have inherited our characters... they wouldnt jus 'go through' school... they would wanna do their best too... thus adding pressure...

had a chat with hubby with regards to this... and we felt that this is barely the first week... we should carry on... recognising that this builds character and perseverance in our gals...

guess i feel really bad cos... i am the only one that seems to have absolutely nothing to do... no class... no school... jus wash and cook...

but like what hubby said... let's press on... we will see the good in this soon...
yes we will... =)

wanted

ACTIVITIES..!

with all chores done yesterday... i am super bored today... have been sitting in front of the comp since 9am...

thinking of taking up japanese language course...
but it's almost SGD900..!

wanna bake... prepare special meals...
ingredients... how to buy..? all written in japanese..?

hubby says 'go get yourself a pair of shoes'...
but i dun like to shop alone... and when the gals are back... they dun wanna go shopping with me... =(

haiyo...

tired but fulfilled

8am - 12.30pm

• changed beddings
• put futons out to sun
• vacuumed the floor
• 3 loads of laundry

12.30pm - 2.30pm

• groceries

2.30pm - 5pm

• gals back from school
• chinese lesson

5pm - 7.30pm

• prepared dinner
• dinner

7.30pm - 9pm

• taught basic japanese to the gals
• bed time for the gals

now... tired...
but fulfilled... =)

first day of school... the verdict...

the gals loved it..!

they had a blast in school... especially rachelle... she remarked how kind and helpful her classmates were to her... joanna was jus delighted to have a go at unicycle... and loads of play time while waiting for rachelle to be dismissed...

they didnt stop telling me all about school... how they had to brush their teeth after lunch... how lunch was taken in the classroom... it was jus so exciting to hear them...

i'm jus amazed at their ability to adapt and have fun in a totally new environment... structure... and culture...

proud of them... =)

first day of school

felt so rushed into this actually... but it's amazing how adaptable God has made us to be...

we were all so busy last night... writing their names (in katakana) on all their belongings... packing their bags... gals wrote 5 sentences in english on what they want to say when introducing themselves to the class... hubby did the translation... and then gals memorised their script...

oh... we had to dye their hair black... not that the school insisted... but thought it would be better for the gals not to be so 'special'... we tried our best but felt that the streaks were still faint... but at least they were not that obvious... then gals would have to remove their ear-studs for school...
gals put themselves to bed last night... rachelle did devotion and prayed... i could hear through the thin walls here... =)

it was a wet... cold and windy morning... after breakfast... gals recited wad they memorised... and off to school we went...

the VP received us... and in her office... the gals introduced themselves in japanese... and she clapped and said, 'じょうすです!'... which means 'good!'...

then the P walked me around the school... taking me to the gals' classrooms... both were on level 2... there i witnessed rachelle introduce herself to the class... joanna was seated near the windows...

both gals looked rather apprehensive... but think they should be alright...

before they left with their home room teacher (form teacher) for their classes... i told them this... it's only the first day... expect to understand nothing... jus follow wad your friends do... and go with the flow... if can learn 1 or 2 phrases today... good enough for me... =)

joanna finishes school at 2.30pm... while rachelle at 3.30pm... this is another thing i need to learn... their dismissal timings... different everyday...

but i'm glad that the gals are in a public school... i really like the way they teach responsibility and independence...

there are no cleaners in school... every child cleans everyday... no parents are seen in school... i was the only one today... the children walk to and from school themselves... either alone... or in a group... it is not a frequent sight to see children walking with their parents to school... even less being driven to school... all of them walk to school...

while i am enjoying this new found freedom... i'm already beginning to feel a little bored... better get my hands on some baking recipes... or japanese classes... or ikebana (flower arrangement) classes... i cannot do this (staying at home alone from 8am-3pm) every day... =P

school starts tomorrow..!

met with the P and VP this morning...
and we were told that the gals could start school tmrw..!

a bit sudden and not prepared... but gals were game for it... especially rachelle... so excited to go to school...

i'm really proud of the gals... cos before we left singapore... i told them to keep their minds open to many new things... things that are different may not always be worse... or better... jus be open to try new things... gain new experiences... and this was so avidly displayed today...

after the meeting... we rushed off to get their sports wear... there is no school uniform... but there is uniform for sports wear... then we had to get this emergency bag... which actually acts as a helmet in times of emergency... then there was this little red cap they had to get... and they had to get 'inner shoes'... shoes that are to be worn only in the school building...

all these amounted to about SGD400... thank God the textbooks are provided... we dun even know how much school fees we are paying... and then there's an annual fee to be paid to join their Parent Teacher Association (PTA)...

then hubby has to open a local bank account... so that everything can be 'giro-ed'...

i've oso availed myself to the school... when they learnt that i was a primary school teacher... they were delighted... and suggested for me to be their guest teacher... details not available yet...

it's really a great experience for the gals and myself... a totally different culture... language... friends... i'm glad the gals are positive about this... =)

田道小学校 (Dendo Elementary School)

went to the Meguro Ward Office this morning...
and registered the gals into 田道小学校... jus 10min walk from our place...

this is the first step to get the gals in a local school... then we're gonna meet the principal on thursday...

rachelle's looking forward to going to school... but joanna's not too enthusiastic about it...

the school has a student body of less than 300... with about 25 teachers... school hours are from 8am to almost 4pm... rather long hours... but lunch is catered for... and their local schools here rave about how tasty and nutritious their meals are...

joanna should be attending the Grade 2 class... while rachelle should be going to the Grade 4 class...

many have asked... why a local school..? and not an international one..?

well... first and foremost... international school fees are exorbitant... think the fees are either equivalent or higher than the universities back in singapore...

we have planned for me to let the principal know that i am a qualified teacher... and see if there is any opportunity for me to volunteer to teach english in the school...

think it is good exposure for the gals to attend a local school... they'd probably not able to fully understand all that have been taught in school... that is if they are not employing an english-speaking teacher for the foreign students in their fold...

but we have made our expectations very clear to the gals... that they do not need to top the class... they jus need to go and make friends... and maybe pick up the language... all other learning... will be done at home...

i'm hoping that they start school soon too... more for their benefit... cos if i dun get to volunteer in the school... then i'll have to find things to do to occupy my free time... =P

お誕生日おめでとございます。。！

joanna turns 8 tomorrow... our very first birthday celebration here in Japan... she has been singing her little jingle... 'it's gonna be my birthday..!' since it turned April...=)

it was a quiet affair... cos it was jus the 4 of us... tonight... after a simple meal of jus fried rice and soup... ending nicely with an ice-cream cake from Baskin Robbins...

joanna's really looking forward to tomorrow... they will be enjoying a full 6hrs at Kidzania... after which... if time permits... they get to soak in the tub when we get home...

my baby is turning 8... how time flies...

home schooling

it's been a week since we moved to meguro... and we've had 4 'school days' and 1 'sports day'... as the gals have put it... they declared the day they played at the playground as their 'sports day'...

the 4 'school days' that we had we all different...

on the 1st day... i had both gals with me at the dining table... 3 hours... found that it was not too efficient as both gals may need my attention at the same time... causing me to be rather stressed and 'pek chek'...

so on the 2nd day... we had it slightly differently... both gals started at the same time... but while rachelle was doing the work that i've assigned her... i took joanna with me to the room to cover a chinese comprehension passage... then we switched...

didnt quite feel that it was efficient as well... gals really need a lot of individual attention from me as we are doing topics that they have not learnt in school back home...

then on the 3rd day... i took rachelle first... for 3 hours... joanna was free to do whatever she wanted... as long as she doesnt come and call for my attention... unless it was urgent...

then we did lunch... and it was joanna's turn with me... for 3 hours...

felt that the gals benefited from the personal time with me... but it was difficult to have them spend 3hrs alone... with no playmate... and nothing constructive to do...

so at the end of day 3... i had set 'homework' for rachelle to do the next day... to be done during the time that i am teaching joanna... any left over time would be hers to enjoy... and i would alternate who starts 'school' first... that means each gal would have 'homework' only on every alternate day...

the 4th day... while i was with joanna... rachelle did her 'homework'... realised that 3hrs is too long a period for joanna... so joanna does 2.5hrs of school... and when joanna's done... she will be given 'homework' to be done the next day... when i start with rachelle first...

then immediately after joanna... i carried on with rachelle... while joanna went to bathe and wind down... rachelle is not given any 'homework' as she starts first the following day...

after 'school'... i quickly prepared a quick lunch... and after lunch... the rest of the day was free for all.... we could go shopping... or do other fun things... =)

a little complicated... but still gotta add in fixed days for spelling and 听写...

it's gonna be fun..! =)

groceries & cooking

one of the many things that i have to learn here very quickly... is to hunt for the most reasonably priced place to get our groceries... and it has to be nearby too... have been doing a lot of budgeting and comparing of prices...

almost everything here costs more than those back home... the normal bread... cheese... ham... eggs and milk... cost twice the regular price in singapore...

gonna see how much we are able to save by eating at home during the weekdays... only dining out during the weekends... right now... i am planning menu everyday... our lunches and dinners... we are only into our 3rd day... and i am running out of ideas for the menus...

have tried to buy in bulk... cos that's how we do it in singapore... that's how the cost will come down... but over here... i dun seem to be able to do that...

i cant seem to find large packets of frozen chicken wings... meat... so that i can apportion them to be used for one meal... things here are packed nicely into small servings... no one seems to buy in bulk... so i am not sure how much we can save by cooking at home...

cant seem to find oyster sauce... dark soy sauce here too... so have asked dad to send some over... =P

let's see how we fare after one month...

international families

there are a total of 54 candidates in the course that hubby is currently attending... 50 japanese... and 4 international ones... of which... 1 korean... 1 indian... 1 american... and of course... hubby from singapore...

strange that the previous candidates from singapore have come alone... cos this year... all the international candidates have come in families...

we met the korean on the day when we first moved in... his wife... and 2 daughters... aged 5 and 3 years... will be joining him this saturday... so far... tonight will be the 2nd time that we are inviting him over for dinner with us...

the indian family... we met last night... wife and son... son is the same age as rachelle... attending the school nearby... we are hoping that our gals will be able to get places in the same school too... wife has a rather outgoing personality and she speaks english..! =) was amazed at her kitchen... and soon found out that she has flown over 200kg worth of stuff for the stay... no wonder she has matching cups and bowls... even her very own special pot...

the only family not staying here... is the american... heard that he is here with his wife and 2 sons... 1.5 years old and 3 month-old... have not met this family yet...

it's really a fun time getting to know one another... guess the most difficult one to have a conversation with will be the koreans... the man speaks fluent japanese and korean... with little english... the wife speaks only korean... that will be a challenge...

looking forward to the international experience here... tasting authentic indian and korean food from their kitchens... in fact... when the gals and i left for our shopping trip yesterday... we could smell the aroma of curry along the corridor... it was nice...

it's gonna be a fun and enriching stay here... i'm sure... =)

now what?

the start of hubby's course marks the end of our holiday here in tokyo...

it's been 2 days... and things have indeed slowed down for us... maybe not for hubby... but definitely for the gals and i...

it rained the whole of yesterday... making it very cold... did a little of home schooling... not much done... but at least we got started... then i tried using the washing machine... it took almost 5 hours for one load..! can imagine the amount of electricity used...

prepared a simple meal of fried rice for lunch... and then planned to go get groceries for the week... but since it rained... we didnt get any veggies as they were to be bought at a different place... so dinner was jus instant noodles and omelet...

hubby returned home and invited his korean friend to dinner... i almost fainted... we were jus having instant noodles..! but anyway... he came and we ate...

i'm a bit more satisfied with wad we did today...

managed a get home school going for 2 hours... covering at least 2 subjects per gal... prepared lunch... and gals and i headed for the nearby mall... got a bread toaster... 2 cushions for the gals to sit on the cold floor while they watched TV... some more groceries... prepared a bit more dinner... jus in case we had guests... =P

then went over to our neighbours... hubby's Indian course-mate... spent almost 2 hours there...

guess after this week then will i know how to schedule a routine for the gals and myself... i need more structure... if not... i will get bored... =P

there are plans to get the gals into a nearby school... japanese lessons for us... join the Meguro International Family Association... ... ...

so blessed

checked out from the weekly mansion yesterday... wondering when we'll be able to get internet access... wondering if our purchase of bedding will arrive as promised... wondering how long we'd take to settle and unpack...

the bedding arrived promptly... and shortly after... the other 2 boxes and 2 luggage arrived... and we spent the entire afternoon... shifting furniture... unpacking... cleaning... sorting...

gals were amazing... all i did was to place their clothes from the luggage onto their beds... and they did all the sorting out into their wardrobe... we were utterly impressed by them... their wardrobe looks great..!

figured we wouldnt have time to walk out for lunch... so rachelle and i went to the nearby supermarket to buy some stuff... came back and i prepared a simple lunch for us... our very first home-cooked meal at our new place..! =)

by evening... we decided that we should go out and have a good dinner... to celebrate our moving in... and we did... wad a lovely evening we had...

it was a rather chilly night last night... there wasnt a air-conditioner in the gals' room that could warm their room... all we had was a heater that could not be used when sleeping... and it looked dangerous actually...

so we heated up their room with it... and turned it off when the gals slept...

at about 4am... rachelle came over... shivering from the cold... hubby went over with her and turned on the heater again... by then... i couldnt fall back asleep anymore... i was thinking of ways to keep the gals warm at night... we had to do something...

so today... we went hunting for a heater... that was safe for overnight use... and also proper sleep wear for the gals...

after much walking... and comparing... we came back happy with our purchase... a humidifier and a ceramic heater all rolled in one... and it was very reasonably priced too...

another thing we settled today... was to get our internet connection... had wanted to get something to be used in the house... an ADSL line... as compared to a pocket WIFI... though can be brought out of the house to be used... it was pricier... and not as fast as the ADSL...

but we have to wait 3 weeks for it to be connected..! =(

we couldnt wait... 3 weeks is a long time to be disconnected... and hubby would be starting his course tomorrow... and he might need to start doing research...

and so we settled for the pocket WIFI... and it's great..! =)

into our second night at meguro... gals are nice and warm in their room now... fast asleep...

think we are already nicely settled in... =)

we see God in the process... truly without him... how else could it all be possible..?

pack and finally... unpacking!

the big move is tomorrow... =)
we have been moving stuff up for the past 2 days...

mainly shopped for bedding today... the most important thing for our first night there... searched the net for the nearest 'home centre'... a place that sells almost everything you'd need in a house... even pets...

when we got there... the first thing we checked was to make sure that they do delivery... cos we're planning to buy lots of things... the sales person told us that delivery takes 3 days... but there was a taxi stand at the foot of the building...

with that... we decided to buy jus the necessary so that we can at least sleep comfortably tmrw night... we bought 4 comforters... 4 pillows... 4 bed sheet sets... and 4 bolsters...

when we saw the amount of stuff we had to carry... we were doubtful if we could all go in 1 taxi... we were prepared to go in 2 taxis...

we asked for directions to the taxi stand... then was told that there was not one nearby... nearest one was near Shibuya station... not funny lor... with all the bedding... and 2 gals... really not funny lor...

then another person came and spoke with us... then realised that they could actually deliver the stuff tmrw..! =)

all was well in the end..!
we were really thankful... cannot imagine how we could have managed on our own...

then we moved on to buy toiletries... followed on to 100 yen shop... there we shopped for a wok.. pot... cutlery... knives... scissors... hot water pot... amongst other smaller stuff...

together with the gals help... we managed to transport all to the new place... by foot..!
the gals were amazing...

at our bedtime prayer tonight... led them to see how God has looked upon us with favour... even as we move to our new place... =)

gonna view sakuras over the weekend... do groceries shopping for the week... prepare hubby's uniform... then finally gotta settle down...

oh... gotta get our own internet connection for the new place too... duno when can get online again... hope it'll be soon... really feel so handicapped without it... =P

toughies

really very proud of the gals... we have been walking quite a bit in the last 13 days here...

right from day one... we travelled... with a full backpack each... from narita airport to the weekly mansion... by train... took us more than an hour... gals whimpered a little... but even i was tired from the flight and walking...

everyday we have been taking trains and walking... sight-seeing... all on foot...

today we went to our new place... each gal had their share of stuff to carry in their backpacks... hubby and i pulled a luggage each... each weighing more than 20kg...

we travelled by train... gotta change trains... and there are plenty of stairs here in their stations... and to transfer from one line to another... is not as easy as crossing a platform... had to walk at least 300m to the next line...

when we reached ebisu station... had to walk at least 15min to our new place... and it was not easy to walk... up slopes with the luggage... gals were walking not as quickly as us... thus the weight of the luggage seems heavier...

but when we finally got to the new place... we forgot how tired we were... it was so nice... so much space... =)

it was about noon when we got there... we bought a few rice triangular thingy to fill our stomachs... then we began cleaning... unpacking wad we brought... and wad we 'inherited'... and by 4pm... we were all very hungry... that's when we left and headed back to the weekly mansion...

gotta go shopping for the house tmrw..!
so fun..! =P