| What's Up? |
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| Dec 24, 2004 We went to Shanghai. First time for both Chan and I. We enjoyed spending time in book shops and DVD shops. And, of course, ate Shanghai hairy crab. (photo: posing in front of the famous TV Tower at the embankment of Huangpu River) Dec 17, 2004 I saw an old lady fell in the street this morning and I rushed to her help. Another girl called the ambulance. I used my limited Japanese to comfort her. It is times like these that I wish I could speak fluent Japanese... Dec 15, 2004 It's been a really long time since I last updated my blog. So many things have happened: We went back to HK in summer to celebrate my father's 70th birthday; many friends came to visit -- Raymond, Candy, Martin...; met new friends -- Alice, Stanley, Florence... My good friend is pregnant after years of waiting... And most importantly, I took Level I Japanese Proficiency Test earlier this month! (What an achievement! Ha! Ha!) Having said that, my conversation skill is really bad compared to my reading and writiing. So my next goal is to improve my spoken Japanese. July 20, 2004 Tokyo temperature hit a record high of 39.5 degrees. The heat in Tokyo is not the same as that in HK. In HK, suffocating heat from bus exhaust and air-cons is trapped between tall buidlings and narrow streets. One can hardly breathe and often drowns in his/her own sweat. In Tokyo, it's the strong sun and the heat reflected from the concrete/ asphalt ground. Wind is still blowing and it's not that bad once the sun sets. July 19, 2004 Participated in the Community Team Work of Chan's company. We painted the fences of Squirrel Park in Komazawa Olympic Park -- not just painting, but each also got to decide what s/he wanted to paint. On the spot, I didn't feel that I was "serving the community" -- more like vandalising the park with ugly paintings. Yet, when everyone's finished, those paintings just miraculously blended into a very cheerful background behind the swings and slides. July 17, 2004 Met Martin and Hideyo for lunch in Shiodome Oregon Bar & Grill. This restaurant we recently discovered serves salad and dessert buffet at lunch for just 1,300 yen. Very reasonable. Plus, can enjoy 270 degree view of Tokyo. July 4, 2004 Bought 25+ books in Maruzen's summer sale, some at up to 70% discount. It's really a very good deal. After the sale, all the books are still on display sold at normal prices. I am so happy :) June 26, 2004 Suddenly felt homesick. So Chan and I biked to Shiodome and had a great dim sum lunch. Ate so much (and unlike us, paid so much) it felt sooooo good. June 19, 2004 Our building's management installed washlets for all the residents. Typical Japanese toy. (For those who do not know what a "washlet" does, please see "Interesting Facts about Japan") June 6, 2004 Invited my girl friends home for lunch. At first I planned to cook some Chinese dishes. But after several unsuccessful experiments, I ended up buying Chinese take-out from Takashimaya... Luckily, my home made grilled chicken got some good reviews :) (photo: taken with girl friends Tatiana, Valerie and Preeti after Valerie (middle) gave birth to Yanis-kun. This little fellow is already 8 months old now.) June 1, 2004 I found myself a student through FindaTeacher.net. So starting from today, I am a Chinese language teacher. Luckily, Chan has a lot of books about learning Cantonese and Putonghua, so I can use them as teaching material. May 23, 2004 I bought a copy of The Big Issue Japan magazine today. (A magazine sold by the homeless to help them get back on their feet.) When I handed the money to the vendor, he said a lot of things to me. Though I don't understand everything he said, I do know that he said something about how much he appreciated my support, and that he would work hard not to disappoint people who gave him a chance. I am touched. May 22, 2004 We went to the temple of Shinnyo-en Buddhist Order in Tachigawa with Madam Kiba. She is a dedicated follower and always encourages us to expose ourselves to spiritual learnings. May 4, 2004 Mr. and Mrs. Suzuoki invited us to spend a night in Nikkei's onsen resort in Atami. The resort is located at the top of Izu Hill overlooking Atami beach. We always enjoy the company of the Suzuokis. Mrs. Suzuoki is a vey nice lady and Mr. Suzuoki is knowledgeable and never hesitates to share his ideas with us. May 1, 2004 My sister's husband Thomas visited Japan with his parents and we had dinner with them. We are very impressed by their energy, travelling around Northeast Honshu and Hokkaido in a week (Morioka - Kakunodate - Aomori - Hirosaki - Noboribetsu - Hakodate - Sendai - Tokyo - Hakone). Apr 24, 2004 Just came back from a 4-day trip to Beijing.. We had a very good time there. My last visit to Beijing was 13 years ago and this was Chan's first visit. The city is unexpectedly clean and tidy; service is good in general; and shopping malls in the city center are almost as good as any in the world. (photo: Starbucks inside the Forbidden City... Depressing, isn't it?) Apr 10, 2004 We had dinner with Irene, Kitty, Chris and Hasegawa-san in an izakaya in Shinjuku. We tried horse meat for the first time.... (photo from left: Kitty, Hasegawa-san and Irene) Apr 5, 2004 Ichiban-travel.com is finally completely. Martin helped me a lot. People from Hong Kong has been granted visa-free access starting this month. Hopefully, that will bring some new business to the company. Apr 4, 2004 Chan and I attended the Palm Sunday mass at Meguro Catholic Church of St. Anselm. English mass is held there every Sunday at 12pm. We are not Christians but it feels good to be in a Church. Mar 27, 2004 Hanami season starts this week. We cycled to Kitanomaru Park to see cherry bloosoms. Mar 21, 2004 I finally bought a bike from Takeya. Those who know me know that I have a phobia after the bicycle accident in 1991. Well, I think (or hope) I have overcome it. |
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