the grouchy mame

Almost...

2010-02-21T03:57:00.001-08:00

The cold spell will soon be over. Spring is almost here. And soon I have to bade goodbye. Just when everything starts to blossom.

Interesting...

2010-02-19T00:39:00.000-08:00

I have recently discovered an interesting blog. And I have been spending the past few days reading it. Well sometimes I get headache because of staring too much at the computer screen. But what the heck, it's interesting and my sequence results have not arrived yet anyway. So it's better to read the blog than just die in anticipation whether I get the intron this time. And it's nice knowing that I'm not only one fascinated with the moon, stars and sunset and Japan.

Now that I’m almost 30, what have I learned from life so far…

2010-02-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

I made this list almost 2 years ago...it was on October 13, 2008...5 days before my 30th birthday...

1.There are always two sides to every story. However, there are times that I will not be able to know the other side. During those times I must be critical and think carefully before I believe the only side that I know of.

2.It is not good to make decisions if I’m very angry or very sad.

3.I cannot always have what I want.

4.Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes I do not know the reasons why certain things happen. But there is no need to panic because eventually in the end I will know the reason.

5.No matter how tired or sad or angry I am, a baby or a little kid’s face would always cheer me up.

6.Patience is really a virtue.

7.My family and true friends will always be there for me, no matter what I do, no matter where I go.

8.Change is the only thing constant.

9.I cannot force other people to love me.

10.I should be honest every time but there are times that telling a lie is inevitable.

11.The truth can really set you free.

12.It is important to count my blessings.

13.There are times that I can only rely on myself. During these times I should pray and be brave.

14.Life’s little surprises come when you really do not expect them.

15.When everything seems not to be working, I should take a break. Then when my mind is relaxed I should focus again.

16.I cannot please everyone.

17.Death is inevitable and I will not now when mine will come. That’s why I should live my life to the fullest.

18.I can change a bad habit if I will really try my best.

19.Usually, watching TV is a waste of time.

20.Time really flies.

21.Starting the day early is very important.

22.There are things that I cannot change. But I can change my attitude towards them.

23.Acceptance is difficult but it will make me feel better.

24.When all else fails, pray and God will give me answers.

25.It is really possible to miss someone even though he or she is just sitting next to you.

26.There are things that I lost to forever.

27.Respect is important. I cannot impose it, I must earn it.

28.Saying I’m sorry sincerely is also important.

29.Saying what I really feel is also important or else I will lose the chance.

30.When I get old, the things that I will regret are the things that I did not do or the things that I did not say.

31.Life is too short.

32.It is important to save.

33.When life seems to be passing by so fast, it is good to stop for a while and reflect on what kind of life that I am living.

34.It is good to have a hobby.

35.I am responsible for myself.

36.Each person is unique.

37.Time management is important. It is handy to have a day to day plan.

38.Setting goals and time frame to achieve them is important.

39.Dreaming is free, so I should dream to my heart’s content just as long as I know the boundaries between dream and reality.

40.Life wasn’t meant to be easy. If it is, then it is not worth living.

41.I should overcome my fears. But doing so is really difficult.

42.Happiness can be achieved on a daily basis but achieving peace of mind takes a long process.

43.Envy and pride are things that can ruin me.

44.It is good to cry my heart out.

45.It is good to travel once in a while if the budget allows.

46.It is important to set priorities.

47.Cultural differences really exist.

48.Scenes from movies don’t happen in real life. Well, maybe they do sometimes, but probably not in my life.

49.Taking chances and risks is a part of life.

50.It’s good to persevere but it is also good to have the ability to recognize when something is a hopeless case.

51.Think and plan for the future without worrying excessively.

52.Celebrate birthdays and Christmas et. al. because you will miss them when you are in place that doesn’t have such celebrations.

53.Be critically open-minded.

54.Love your country and your roots.

55.Do not forget to say thank you and please.

56.Do not make excessive compliments.

57.Value the people you love.

58.Appreciate and enjoy the beauty of nature.

59.Music has a calming effect.

60.A broken heart is really not fatal.

61.It is bad to have grudges.

62.Forgiving is such a difficult thing to do but doing so feels really good.

63.Love unconditionally.

64.Expect less from others, expect more from yourself.

65.Each person is unique.

66.There are certain things that bind humanity.

67.Learn to say no.

I know I still have many things to learn about life...

Life was meant to be easy part 2: rice milling on your own

2009-11-21T00:30:00.000-08:00

I think in Japan they designed equipments/gadgets etc not to only make life easier but also so that you can have a work done even by yourself. Like milling rice, here you can just go to that coin rice mill booth [looks like an ATM booth, sorry I was not able to take picture :-( ]. Here is the picture on how to do it, maybe not so complicated at all...

just put the rice, then the money, select how clean/white you want the rice to be, wait for a while and then voila! You have your milled rice ready for cooking.

here is where you put the rice

you select the "whiteness" and put money here

and the milled rice will come out from here

it is easy and maybe all you need is a strong back so that you can carry a sack of rice on your own.

deki agari desu :-)

Trying to cook: Thai omelet

2009-11-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

This morning, because it is Saturday and I'm a bit tired of eating bento from the university's hospital or from the various conbini nearby, I decided to try cooking omelet for breakfast. I got the recipe of a Thai omelet from this website http://pinoycook.net/. And this was my finish product...

Well, my omelet picture is a bit different from that of the site; mine looks more like an embutido. I think I was a bit generous with the ingredients. But still I felt good seeing the finish product. And the taste-- it was eatable enough :-)

The not so serious ikebana

2009-11-10T03:39:00.000-08:00

I always thought that Ikebana arrangements should always be so serious and formal, until I saw this arrangement two weekends ago at an Ikebana exhibit in the city...

closer view of the materials used...

this arrangement really made me smile...

Life was meant to be easy: my struggle with kuri

2009-11-10T03:25:00.000-08:00

After struggling with the kuri (chestnuts)because I do not know how to open them, after trying all the possibilities that I can thought of...suddenly I saw on the packaging the instructions (complete with drawing) for the proper way of opening them...

I forgot that here in Japan life was meant to be easy and convenient...especially, when it comes to food consumption...lesson learned: read food labels/packaging first before trying to be creative...I just hope they come with pictures or else I will struggle with the kanji...

Weekend in Nagasaki

2009-11-09T23:14:00.000-08:00

In between deadlines and unfinished experiments, I made a dash to Nagasaki last weekend to visit my friend who is having a short training at the Tropical Medicine Institute at Nagasaki University. Being too busy and on a budget, I forgot that there is a plane from Kochi to Fukuoka so I just took the bus and endured the almost 10-hour bus ride from Kochi station to Fukouka station plus 2 hours from Fukuoka to Nagasaki city. It was quite a tiring travel and finally at around 11:30 am on Saturday I was able to meet my friend.

Nagasaki is not a big city but it is still bigger than Kochi and the public transport is so convenient and cheap. Each tourist spot is accessible, just check out the map and ride the densha and the fare is just Y120.

Our first stop was the Peace memorial park, then the hypocenter of the atomic bomb,the atomic bomb museum, and memorial for the atomic bomb victims. Visits to these kind of places always make me sad and hopeful that wars will not happen anymore.

After meeting up with another pinoy we headed for the site of San Lorenzo Ruiz shrine. San Lorenzo Ruiz is the first Filipino saint and he died a martyr in Nagasaki while on a mission to spread the word of God. We also visited the shrine of the 26 martyrs and the temple with the giant Buddha on top of giant turtle.

Walking up and down the hilly streets of Nagasaki made us hungry and for dinner we met up with two more pinoys and ate in a kaiten sushi shop at the shoutengai (my first time to try the kaiten sushi). Then we had coffee at Starbucks.

Next day we went to the Glover garden on top of a mountain. From there you can see the entire Nagasaki city (I'm exaggerating ;-)). By 5:45 pm I was on the bus again on my way back to Fukuoka and by 7 am on Monday I was back to Kochi. It was fun and tiring weekend.

parting ways

2009-10-26T21:56:00.000-07:00

I always wonder when two people part ways and say goodbye to each other who will be lonelier, the one leaving or the one that will be left behind. I always think that the one left behind will be lonelier because the one who leaves will have something new to look forward to while the one left behind is stuck in the same place, stuck with the memories. But when I came to Japan I realized that the one who left (me) can also be lonelier, with all the adjustments and homesickness that I have experienced.

Last September Fiona graduated from Kochi Daigaku and she went back to the Philippines after her graduation. I was both happy and sad. Happy because she finally earned her PhD degree; after all the trials and challenges that she had experienced. I also know that she misses home so much so I was happy that she can finally go home. I was sad because I knew I will miss her. She is one of my closest friends here, one of the reasons why I am surviving life in Kochi, surviving life away from home. She's not only a friend but also a big sister (though I do not call her Ate) and a confidante. I will always be thankful to her, for all the help and times shared together.

I'm not good at saying goodbye, it's always difficult for me. But I was surprised that I did not cry when we saw her off at the station. Maybe in my heart I know that she is happy and someday we will see each other again and reminisce about our days in Kochi.

onsen

2009-10-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

I have been procrastinating and at the same time busy (bit of ironic) for the past weeks hence this late blog entry...

Japan is also famous for onsen or hot spring. I have never been to an onsen since coming to Kochi until we went to Hotel Iya Onsen in Tokushima last September. It was a girl bonding trip and also Fiona will be graduating and was soon going back to the Philippines.

We also have hot springs in the Philippines but it's quite different because there we can take a bath in just swimsuits or T-shirts and shorts. But here you are allowed to wear only your birthday suit. Maybe that is why I waited this long to go to an onsen here.

The hotel was located on a mountain so the view was really beautiful. We first tried the outdoor onsen located down by the riverside. Then after dinner we tried the indoor one.

It was an enjoyable experience and I was so glad to have some bonding moments with my friends whom I consider my big sisters in Kochi.

31st

2009-10-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

Today is my 31st birthday! As they say the last date in the calendar and because I'm single I should be worried. Yes, there are times that I'm worried but most of the time I still feel that I am stuck in my early 20's. Well, better to be young at heart, enjoy life, and count my blessings.

Finally finding the canon

2009-09-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have been searching for it for quite some time.
I have heard it before and the last time I heard it was I think from former Pres. Aquino's funeral. I have been searching it in youtube in vain for I did not know the title and the composer as well. Then last night, thanks to a friend's post in FB, I was finally able to find it-- Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D major. I was really happy finding it, it's like finally figuring out the thing that was on the tip of your tongue. And last night as I was listening to it for the nth time I realized to my surprise-- it was my cellphone's ring tone! Life is really full of surprises and sometimes the very thing we are looking for is that something we already have, we have just taken it for granted that we barely notice it.

Morning walk

2009-09-11T22:11:00.001-07:00

I took some pictures while doing my morning walk to practice my skills on photography hoping that I will be a pro someday ;-). This was at Oko by the river near Kochi Medical School...

fascinating snail...bud of an autumn flower...

Gumamela?

orange cosmos

and my breakfast...

A yogurt a day...

2009-09-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

I do not like sour food so much (except for sinigang). I like my mangoes ripe and yellow; the green ones make me salivate but it takes so much will power to eat them even with bagoong. I do not like pickles in my burger. When I was younger I do not like eating atsara and pinangat na isda because they are sour; I never knew what I was missing until I tried to them.

I am almost always hesitant to try sour foods. But now because I am on a diet and trying to have a healthy lifestyle, I am trying to like yogurt. So last Saturday I bought a bunch (different brands) of them from the grocery. So far the flavored ones are alright but they are a bit expensive so I also bought the unflavored ones. Yesterday I tried the unflavored ones for dinner and I realized it will take a lot of will power to be able to get use to the flavor. Maybe if I would have it every night for dinner I will get use to it. I like Yakult so much so maybe it will not be a problem. I hope. :-)

Morning struggle

2009-09-05T21:20:00.001-07:00

It is really difficult! To be a morning person, that is, especially for someone like me who is nocturnal. Nowadays, I am trying to wake up early. Why? Because I think sometimes I waste too much time sleeping (especially during the weekend). I also wanted to have some exercise in the morning to lose all the weight I gained from my vacation three months ago and besides my metabolism, I noticed, is really getting slower because I'm getting older. I am also doing it for a change, maybe I will become a better person if a wake up early each day.

But it is really hard! Every morning I struggle with my bed. Sometimes the bed wins sometimes I do. But until now I never really learned to have the discipline to wake up and get out of bed once I hear the sound of the alarm clock. It is really a challenge.

Oh well, as hard as it maybe, I really want to be a morning person. For now I will continue my struggle. Be patient, and think of the things I am enjoying because of waking up early-- the crisp, cool morning; greeting the folks I meet during my morning walk; savoring the serenity unfolding early each morning while the rest of the world is still in slumber.

Spontaneity...the unplanned Yosakoi dance

2009-08-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

Since coming to Kochi I find it difficult to be spontaneous. Because here you have to schedule almost all of your activities especially if you do not have a car. The buses have schedule (different for weekdays and weekends) and they follow it strictly unlike in my country that public transport is available almost anytime. So here I learned to plan my activities beforehand, slowly I was losing my spontaneity (little spontaneity, that is).

Last August we (Fiona and Jam, Fiona's labmate from Thailand) went to watch the Yosakoi, a big summer festival here in Kochi. During this festival many teams from different places join to dance the Yosakoi-- complete with colorful costume and of course the naruko (small wooden clappers that the dancers hold). As we were passing by the prefectural office we saw the Kencho's team practicing and we suddenly thought "Maybe we can join!" So with just a bit of hesitation, we approached the person in charge and asked. Fortunately, he said yes! So after about ten minutes of practice we headed to the streets of Kochi together with the whole team and had fun dancing in the Yosakoi. It really feels good to be spontaneous once in a while...you can even earn a medal for it ;-)

Semi's sonata

2009-07-28T04:29:00.000-07:00

I hated them for two summers. Early each morning (as early as 5 o'clock) they would disturb my deep slumber with their own nonstop sonata. Their concert would last until night. I never thought that summer in Japan would be this noisy courtesy of the semi or cicada. Together with the dragonfly and fireflies, the semi announce (in really high decibels) the arrival of summer here.

Last year, around the start of winter, they cut the maple and other trees surrounding my dormitory. I was a bit saddened by this because I really like watching from my room window the changing the maple with the season-- scarlet in autumn, shedding of their leaves in winter, new buds during spring and vivid green during summer. For sure I knew I will miss this show every season but I never thought that I will miss one more thing, I just realized it at the beginning of this summer. I missed the concert of the semi. I can still hear them around the dorm but it was not as intense as before maybe because the trees have not fully grown back their branches and leaves. I can still hear the faint noise, as I sip my coffee every morning but I miss the intensity. I miss the semi's sonata.

eaten by the moon

2009-07-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

It has been 46 years since Japan last saw the moon eating the sun. So yesterday many people here were excited to watch the phenomenon, the eclipse that is (eclipse in nihongo is nishoku [ni=sun, shoku=meal]. I was also a bit excited because it has been a long time since I last saw an eclipse. I was still in elementary school during that time, I don't remember exactly what grade, but what I remember is that because we have no sunglasses back then, me and my brother watched the eclipse on a basin filled with water. So lo-tech compared to the special eclipse viewing glasses used by many people yesterday.

However, the weather did not cooperate that much because it was cloudy here in Kochi and even rainy in some parts of Japan where the eclipse could be seen 100%. My excitement was dampened and I just decided to stay in the lab during the eclipse and just watched it on tv in the afternoon and just looked at the pictures in the net (including the diamond ring shape).

It was a bit disappointing to miss the eclipse yesterday because I may expire before I can witness another one. Oh well, when the next full moon comes I will just ask the moon how did the sun taste?

Night of music...supposed to be

2009-07-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

The working week is almost over. It has been a busy week for me so far. Since Monday I was working in the lab from morning until midnight because I have many experiments to do and also I don't want to stay so much in the dorm because the summer heat is unbearable there. At least in the lab I have a never ending supply of cold air from the AC.

I was supposed to watch a concert earlier this evening together with my friend. It was a quartet saxophone concert. We have watched them performed before and they were quite good and the tickets were a lot cheaper (cheap as in a student like me can afford) compared to the usual concerts here in Japan (usual can mean up to or more than Y10,000). But we did not buy tickets beforehand because my friend was not that sure if he can watch due to his work schedule. We arrived 30 minutes early at the concert venue; we thought it was still early and just let the time pass in the car until it was 10 minutes before the start of the concert (we were so confident). Upon arriving at the entrance of the hall we were greeted by a sign in Kanji that the tickets were sold out (my friend translated). Still hopeful that we can buy tickets, we approached one of the staff and explained to her our situation. She was kind enough to try and ask the other person in charge if there is any chance that we can be accommodated. But here usually, the rule is the rule. We were not able to buy tickets for what I thought was to be my two-hour relaxation time for tonight. Two hours when my thoughts would be away from lab work. Zannendeshita. sigh.

Anyway, we just decided to have dinner in a restaurant. Just relaxed, talked, and ate dinner. After these relaxing moments I went straight back to the lab and though I was so sleepy because I ate so much and a bit tired (wanted to try using toothpicks to prevent my eves from closing), I still managed to finish one more experiment for the day. And finally I had the time to write this blog. Next time I should remember to buy concert tickets in advance.

Wish upon a star

2009-07-09T04:40:00.000-07:00

July 7 is the day for the Tanabata omatsuri (Star Festival) in Japan; though some prefectures celebrate it on August 7 based on the old Japanese calendar. During this day kids (also some adults) write their wish on a paper and hang them on branches of bamboo decorated with origamis.

Though I never had a chance to write and hang my wishes, I had the chance of granting a friend's wish because his wish was so simple and also because he granted my wish of eating a bowl of ramen last Friday.

Most of us have our own wishes. Whatever they are, simple or hard to reach, we must always be hopeful that someday our wishes will come true.

Carpentry ala McGyver

2009-07-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

If you grew up during the '80s, surely you know who McGyver is. FYI for those who do not know him, he is the main character in an '80s tv show with the same title. He is a secret agent who is so resourceful that he can escape from anything with just maybe a piece of paper in hand. We grew up idolizing him and dreaming to be as resourceful as him.
Anyway, last Wednesday I tried to mimic him while doing a little carpentry. I bought this "assemble your own" shelf so that I can put the microwave (which has been lying on the floor of my dorm room for almost two weeks) on top of it. I was so excited to assemble it (it is my first time to this kind of project, I just usually do crocheting and other girl projects) that I did not wait to buy or borrow the right size screw driver. I was thinking (ala McGyver) that I can tighten all the screws (just 16!) using just the kitchen knife and a pair of scissors. So at around 10:30 pm I opened the box and started the project.

When I looked at the diagram on how to assemble the shelf, I thought that it would be easy. I was a bit wrong! Following the diagram was not difficult but tightening all the screws using only the tools that I have was so hard. By 1 am I finally finished (sort of) the shelf, with almost all the screws still jutting out and my hands were so painful and bruised.

Last Saturday I was finally able to buy screw drivers from the 100 yen shop. I realized that it was a way lot easier and less painful using the screw driver for tightening the screws. No more carpentry projects for me anytime soon.

Going through the ring

2009-07-02T02:33:00.000-07:00

It is officially the rainy season in Japan. It has been raining almost everyday since last week. Luckily, the rain stopped last Tuesday night when me and Fiona went to a temple (I forgot again the name but it's a big one and just beyond the red bridge) in Kochi city for the Wanukesama omatsuri. This omatsuri is celebrated every June 30 to pray for good health. People go through a ring/arch of leaves in a certain direction (sorry for I forgot again). It's was the first time for Fiona to go to an omatsuri like this. I first attended the Wanukesama in 2007 together with other foreign students. I wore the yukata (summer kimono) back then and I remember that it was quite difficult to walk especially with the matching geta. But it was a fun experience.

It was not as humid and hot as 2 years ago and there were less people I think, maybe because it was a weekday. But still the long walkway to the temple was crowded. There were girls and cute little kids wearing yukata. There were many little shops lining up the way to the temple. They were selling the usual omatsuri foods like tamagoyaki, okunomiyaki, bbq, crushed ice with fuity flavors, cotton candies etc. There were also shops wherein you can catch small fishes. Little kids and adults like catching the fishes. These remind of of the shops in the perya during fiesta in my hometown.

When we reach the temple we skipped the washing of the hands and mouth because I forgot the right way of doing it (I'm not a good tour guide...sigh). We lined up with other people to go through the ring; and because we also do not know the right direction of doing it (it's different for girls and boys) we just decided to follow the woman in front of us. It was not that complicated after all.

After going through the ring and wishing for our and our families good health, we then headed to get our omikuji (paper with fortune written on it). It was like a vending machine, you have to put Y100 and voila you will get your omikuji! They said that after reading it you have to tie it on the tree or in a designated place in the temple; but since we cannot read ours because they are in Nihongo we decided to take it home and ask our Japanese friends to read them for us.

On the way home we tried the pork bbq and I bought my favorite anpanman tamagoyaki to share with my labmates.

Catching Up: 3 blog entries in a day

2009-06-28T22:37:00.001-07:00

Because I was too busy and too tired to write during the weekend...here are three entries in one day...

1. Merry Me and the Merry Wives of Windsor (Friday, 26 June 2009)

I was never really into Shakespeare's works. Maybe because I was not exposed to them in any of my literature classes while I was studying and also I do not like old english so much. The thee and thou make me confused. The closest encounter I had with Shakespeare's and his work is watching the movies Romeo and Juliet (primarily because of Leonardo di Caprio) and Shakespeare in Love

So honestly it was my first time to watch a play by William Shakespeare last Friday night at Haruno town. We (me, Fiona, Ate Susan, Ate Minda, Ate Alice and Mitsuru san) watched “The Merry Wives of Windsor” presented by the Meitoku International Players composed mainly of highschool students. It was actually a charity show of the said club.

I never thought that a play by Shakespeare could be that funny. I had a notion that almost all of his works has somewhat tragic endings. I really enjoyed the show and I commend the students for a job well done. I know it was quiet challenging for them to present a play in english.

After the show we (except Mitsuru san) went to Juunikagetsu restaurant for dinner. I had a fun time chatting with my Ates over dinner. Like the wives of Windsor I went home merry. But the tragedy happened...I was not able to sleep until three in the morning...because of the very strong coffee I had after dinner.

2. A Walk by the Kokubun River, (Saturday, 27 June 2009)

Though I was feeling dizzy because of lack of sleep and tired due to my experiments, I decided to have a one hour walk by the river near the university last Saturday. I also brought along my camera to take some pictures of the surroundings and interesting things that I would see.

It was a cloudy and humid afternoon. I met one of the Chinese students along the way and he asked me what I was doing. Maybe it was not so obvious that I was having some exercise and honing my photography skills at the same time.

It was a indeed a satisfying walk. I had a nice peaceful time by myself.

3. Motivation (Sunday, 27 June 2009)

Besides God's gospel, here are the other reasons why I always look forward to attending the english mass in Kochi city every Sunday afternoon-- pinoy friends and pinoy foods...feels like home...somehow.

Kamikiri mushi

2009-06-25T20:40:00.001-07:00

It was my first time to see this interesting insect last night. I saw it just outside my dorm room. Even though I was so tired, I hurriedly got my camera to take pictures of this insect.

This morning I showed the picture to my labmate (Shinji) and asked if he knows the name of this insect with such long antennae. He said it is a kamikiri mushi (kami=paper, kiri-cut, mushi=insect---paper-cutting insect).Omoshiroi! Maybe we do not have this insect in the Philippines ( I should confirm with an entomologist). Anyway, the next time I will see this insect I will try to shove a paper into its face to see if it can really cut it.

working mode

2009-06-25T06:40:00.001-07:00

It is exactly two weeks now since I came back from vacation. I am back to my usual working mode self. Right now it is almost 11 pm but still I'm here at the lab waiting for my last electrophoresis for the day to finish(I did ten in all today). It has been a busy, tiring, however, productive day. And I enjoyed honing my multi-tasking skill. I have to work, work, work. Last night, while I was checking the calendar to fit to my schedule a trip to a botanical garden, I realized that June is almost finish and if I want to start writing my thesis by September, I should work double time to finish all my assays by end of August. So many things to do and yet so little time in my hands. I just hope I will not mess up any of my remaining experiments; I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Tomorrow is Friday and thank God (really!) that I have some activity with my friends. We are going to watch a play in Haruno. At least I will not be stucked in the lab tomorrow night (though I really like working in the lab). And maybe after watching the play, I can write a about it. I think it will be definitely better than writing my musings about my "lablife".

Six minutes more and my work for the day will be done, lab work, that is. I still have to do my laundry when I get home to the dorm.

The grouchy eda mame

2009-06-24T04:46:00.001-07:00

Last Friday, after watching The Harimaya Bridge movie in Aeon, we went to this little shop inside the mall to check if they have the eda mame key chain. I was supposed to give it as omiyage to my friends last month when I went home for vacation; but they were out of stock during that time. My fellow pinoy friend (Fiona) from the Agriculture campus was the one who introduced me to this key chain. She has seen it from the Market Manila blog site. She really liked it, and after hearing her description of the infamous mame, I knew that I will also like it (besides the fact that I like eating the real ones).

We were lucky, the store has stocks of the eda mame key chain. We bought two each. I planned to give one to my Nihonjin friend. On the way home we were so excited to open the eda mame that we have chosen for ourselves. We were so excited to see what kind of face (the middle bean has a face painted on it) will we get. We surely wanted the smiling face. Then as we open the packing, and press out the middle bean...

...we both got the grouchy one! But still we like our eda mame key chains.

Two days ago I gave the other key chain to my friend. And when I asked him "Donna kao ga derundesuka?" He showed it to me...he got the one with the smiling face.
Maybe it's because I am always grouchy that is why I got the grouchy eda mame.

Less than 9 months

2009-06-23T00:21:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to maintain my own blog site. Actually, besides this one, I have a blog site in my friendster account. I have not updated these sites (until now) because I’m too lazy to write or sometimes I think my style of writing and the things I write about will not be interesting to other people. But today, reading other people’s blogs, I realized that I can write whatever I want to write. And because in less than 9 months I will be leaving Kochi, I will write about each of my remaining days here.

So for starter here it goes…

It’s Tuesday, a working day, so I am here in the lab. At the moment I am in the middle of an experiment. I have some waiting time and opted to write this blog entry instead of analyzing phylogenetic trees for a paper that I am painstakingly trying to write. I think the trees can wait; I have to relax my mind through this creative writing exercise.

Until now I really cannot appreciate the significance of phylogeny in my daily life. Maybe this is the reason why I am really having a hard time writing the paper. Or maybe I am not intelligent enough for this kind of stuff. Or maybe I am just your typical procrastinator who will not be “inspired’ to write a technical paper unless the deadline is near. Well, for this paper there is no actual deadline, I have to set it myself. That is why I am not feeling the pressure.

Right now my other labmate (who is also a foreign student) is busy writing his paper. He really can write so fast. He has published I think 4 papers as first author. He has really a gift when it comes to technical writing.

5 more minutes to go before the alarm goes off. I have to wrap this up. I think this will be alright for starters. I have to concentrate again on my experiments for the time being.

Rainy day

2009-04-27T03:57:00.000-07:00

I usually feel gloomy during rainy days. Looking at the ashen sky and hearing the raindrops on the roof make me sigh. But this morning I felt otherwise. Maybe the morning greeting sent by my friend and the heron on the field I saw as I gazed out my bedroom window somehow lifted up my spirit.

After replying to my friend, realizing that I will be almost late for an appointment, I rushed to the bathroom, had a quick shower and dressed up. After less than 30 minutes, I was ready and was walking briskly to the bus stop. The rain has stopped by the time I got out and I thought that maybe this will be a nice day after all.

It has been sometime now since I have taken the bus to the city. Lately I have been enjoying driving though I still feel nervous from time to time and I feel I my driving skills still needs some honing. I also enjoy riding the bus as much as driving. While listening to the music from my MP3 player, I savor the passing sceneries outside while random thoughts ran through my mind. I guess I will never get tired of the sceneries before my eyes though I have seen them maybe for nearly a hundred times.

After about twenty minutes I reached my first destination—Kochi Station. I bought a bus ticket for my trip to Osaka next month. Then I headed excitedly to my next destination—the bookstore inside the station. Going to the bookstore always fill me with excitement and happiness. I love reading books. I love standing in front of the bookshelves and reading the titles of each book; trying to find an interesting one. But there are times, I think, that a good book finds me and not the other way around. It may sound weird, but yes, I do believe it happens. It is just like saying that true love will somehow find you. Hopeless romantic and peculiar as it appears, today two good books (I feel) found me. With books in hand, I then went to the audio CD section and picked a Carpenters CD for my friend then I paid for the items and exited the bookstore feeling elated.

I did not want to walk to my next destination so I went to the tram station nearby. A tram was there and about to leave. I was in a bit of confusion because I cannot read the destination flashed in front of the tram; kanji is just difficult and at times frustrating. Hesitant and shy to ask the driver, I decided to wait for the next one. It did not take long for the next one to arrive; I got in along with some locals and tourists. After two stops, I reached Harimayabashi, got down and walked to a shop to buy a bottle of perfume for my mother. I hope that she will like the scent of the one I have chosen.

It was almost eleven in the morning, I felt hungry for I was not able to take breakfast. I went to McDonalds and ordered my usual set meal—spicy chicken burger, medium size fries and diet Coke. I sat in favorite spot, near the window where I can see people passing by. I like watching people from that spot. Usually during weekends I see families walking together. If I see little kids, I will wave and smile at them and I will feel really happy if they also wave and smile back at me. Watching kids takes away my stress; their innocent happiness, I guess, is infectious.

By time I finished lunch and people watching, I felt good. I did not care anymore whether it will rain again in the afternoon. I knew I will not feel sad and besides I had my dependable oritatami umbrella in my bag and little happiness inside my heart.