Since I have been office-bound since I arrived, my closest to catching up with the good ol’ Malaysian food was ta-paoed (take away) nasi briyani kambing at the office for both yesterday and today’s lunch. Hehe. As always, greedy me forgot to take pics of the food BEFORE they got lost in my tummy so I only have this pic – the after effect of the panda tummy!!!!! Hahaha.
Finishing up some last minute work before catch the flight to Manila tomorrow morning for my Japanese music video shoot. Wish me luck!!!! Hehehe. Mwah!
So much has happened in the past 1 week but I always believe that what doesn’t break you can only make you stronger. *smile* My to-do list seems to be growing by the day and I’m seriously looking into cloning technologies so let me know if you do come across any ya. *laugh*
In dire need of a good 8-hour panda hibernation… *laugh*
On a different note, I’m actually currently basking in the humid heat writing this post so you could probably guess where I am now….hehe. There’s no doubt that I’m tired, but what’s most important is that I’m h-a-p-p-y!!!! *grin* Happy to be back! I actually had my first Malaysian teh tarik (Malaysian ‘pulled’ milk tea) and nasi kandar (‘mamak’ mixed rice) last nite! Hehe.
Before we head over to more Malaysian news this week, allow me to share one of the most memorable days in Tokyo for me before I left for home this trip – the last day of classes at Arc Academy Japanese Language School.
Thanks to my management company Fillmore Far East Inc, I had the chance to complete a 6-month Japanese language course at the academy so for now, I can safely say goodbye to the weekly Achievement tests, Kanji tests, comprehension, hatsuon (accent) and kaiwa (conversation) tests. 6 months prior I couldn’t quite understand Japanese for nuts but now I reckon I can pretty much survive la….*laugh* Obviously not an expert yet but at least living in Tokyo won’t be such an alienating experience for me now. *laugh*
Reminding me of school almost 1 decade ago, this report card and cert signified the end of the study term for the last 6 months. Phew~ Hehehe.
Our last day of classes proved to be a rather sad one for each and every one of us. Nevertheless, before our goodbyes were exchanged, we decided to dig into some comfort food first. Pot luck!!!!! Hehehe. Everyone brought a dish each and those who didn’t have the chance to cook ordered out instead. At the end of the day, we had stuffed both our faces and tummies to the brim at our very own ‘International Buffet’. It was a feast!!!!! Haha.
my home-cooked contribution - Malaysian curry chicken!!!! Hehe
The bond some of us shared in the past few months will not be broken despite the geographical distances and I do pray that we would all have an opportunity to meet again in the very near future. To all my classmates from F1A through F2A, thank you so much for all the smiles, laughter, love and support (not to mention the food too!!!! Haha). Thank you for adding colour to my first six months in Tokyo. Love love LOVE you guys to the max. Mwahhh!
Dearest friends, I need you to help pray with me for someone very important to me – Uncle Ham. He’s my close friend Adam’s dad who’s been treating me as part of his family all this while. Uncle Ham is currently on life support now and as of this afternoon, the doctors gave him only a few hours to live. Yet by the grace of God he has miraculously outlived those few hours and is currently fighting hard to stay alive.
Doctors have diagnosed Uncle Ham of Hemophagocytosis which is an illness that is said to be very difficult to cure. All we can do now is pray. We need a miracle and your prayers worldwide will make the difference. Thank you all for caring. *smile* Will keep you updated. xxx
This picture was taken on the 9th, courtesy of Adam
21 June Update - Thank you so much for praying guys. Really appreciate it and it means a lot to me and Adam's family too. Unfortunately Uncle Ham passed away this morning. :-( May he rest in peace. Sincere condolences to Adam and family.
It’s been one of the more challenging times of my life of late and I’m just trying to trust that God has His purpose and plan for what I’m going through right now. I thank you for your unconditional love, support, encouragement and prayers which have been contributing to my sanity thus far! *laugh* For lack of ways to express myself I’ve put all my thoughts and feelings into songs which I’ve written quite recently, so am really hoping to have the chance to put those into digital format when I get back to Malaysia soon for my scheduled quarterly trip. *smile* It’s something I can’t wait to share with you. *smile*
A really thoughtful message I received from my classmate Mimi San @ Birgit from Germany *smile*
She actually wrote me a poem! I was so touched I cried when I read it *smile*
Thanks Mimi San for being such an angel *smile* LOVE YOU!!!!
On another note, the weather here in Tokyo has been getting hotter by the day. Reminds me so much of home! *laugh*At this very moment, the temperature outside is 28 degrees – perfect for an ice cream!! Hahaha.
Back to the subject header of this blog post, I wanted to share my experience with you for a nail advertisement shoot I did this week. And thanks to the gracious client, I have permission to release these behind-the-scenes pics. Check it out! *wink*
holding as still as I can...being careful as to not to mess up even a strand of hair! Haha
ta-daaaaaa! *grin*
on set *smile*
super duper production team! *smile*
The longest nails I’ve ever had in my life indeed. Cool ay? Hehehehe. Very intricate work of art as each and every bit of these were done by hand. Mind you, it takes serious skill to get this done (not to mention hours of hard work and concentration!) so compliments to the 2 nail artists and the team that came up with this concept. Wonderful job! *smile*
So ladies, if you’re out of ideas for your nails and want the latest Japanese fashion fix, you’ve got your answer right in this post! Hehe. Have a wonderful day ahead. Big panda hugs~
I recently had the opportunity of paying a visit to Kokyutenho’s heya again for a typical oishii Sumo nabe dinner. For those who missed out on my previous post on Sumo wrestling, you can check it out here: *smile*
another cute Sumo wrestler from the same team/heya (the one on the left ya... hehe)
Coincidently at the same time I also had the honour of meeting a Japanese comedian called Dandy Sakano whom I was informed to be quite renowned here in Japan. *smile*
Dandy Sakano
Y’know I just realized that I have already been spending almost half a year in Tokyo and having balik kampong (Malaysian slang for "go home" with the literal translation of "going back to the village") only once during this term. I can't believe I survived almost 5 months of tests, exams and homework - literally being back to school again (which comes with the territory of learning a new language BTW *laugh*).
my classmate Denise San and I during our very own 'boushi' (hat) day. *laugh* What a coincidence!!! Hahaha.
Denise San is from Hong Kong BTW. One of the smartest students in class. *smile*
I also can’t believe time flew so fast and I actually survived the distance and change in environment without being too homesick. *laugh* I reckon that with the internet nowadays it’s not like it used to be about a decade or 2 ago ay? *laugh* That’s a good thing and in circumstances like mine, I thank God for creating the creators of Skype! Hahaha. Mum and dad don’t feel so far away now with Skype and PLUS the fact that they have pretty much learnt to be Internet savvy (way to go mum and dad!!! *grin*).
I can’t wait for our next live video chat to catch up on things BTW. Hopefully by then my management will allow me to release details of our upcoming Japan debut single. *smile* Oh and guess what I had for dinner last nite? Hehe…
Homemade ochazuke – a Japanese version of the Chinese ‘moi’ or rice-in-soup sorta’ meal. *grin*
ochazuke
umeboshi
It’s actually the simplest and most convenient meal to have on your own at home. The soup is made of savoury green tea and my favourite topping for this is umeboshi (Japanese plum) and nori (seaweed) PLUS a bit of wasabi for added flavour. I guess this is the best way to NOT waste left-over rice. *laugh*
Traditionally in the Heian period, water was more often used instead of green tea and only at the beginning of the Edo period did ocha become a substitute. In Kyoto, ochazuke is said to be known as bubuzuke and according to Wikipedia, when a Kyoto native asks if a guest wants to eat bubuzuke, it really means that the person has overstayed and is being politely asked to leave. *laugh* So take note if you’re heading to Kyoto anytime soon ya! Hehe.
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