A memorable second day of 2018...

The second day of 2018 was just as memorable.

Today, I got up really early. So did Moi and I-van because we planned to go to the Imperial Palace for the New Year greeting.

I'm glad that both Moi and I-van were up for the event.

It's such a memorable event for me: First, this is one of those rare opportunities that you get to enter the Imperial Palace grounds; Second, this is the last time to see Princess Mako. After she marries her fiancé this year, she will lose her royal title; Third, this is the first and probably only time I will get to see Emperor Akihito before he abdicates next year.

We queued for more than 2 hours (thankfully the weather was cool). We only got to see the Imperial Family for less than 10 minutes.

It was a very memorable experience though...

Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu...

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!

Good first day of the year!

The day started with breakkie in Ebisu. From Ebisu, I walked to Shibuya where I met up with I-van and Moi. It's Moi's first visit to Japan. His timing was very good.

After taking the mandatory photos with Hachiko, we walked to Harajuku area. Thankfully, the crowd at Meiji Shrine was bearable soooo we actually got to do hatsumode, or the first shrine visit for the New Year. I guess it's one of the parallelisms between Catholicism and Shintoism - going to the church/shrine to pray for the New Year.

From there, we walked around Omotesando and Aoyama. However, most of the shops were closed since it was January 1.

We went to Kyu Shiba Rikyu so Moi can see a Japanese garden but it was also closed. Hehe! Instead, we headed to Tokyo Tower and passed by Zōjō-ji along the way.

Our final stop was Shibuya where we met up with Frances. We had dinner at a semi-izakaya place. I made the guys try various kinds of kushiyage which they liked. Yahoo!

Nice first day of 2018!

Hakone getaway...

I had another out of town trip recently. Yay.

Two friend from Singapore were in town and they were kind enough to let me tag along with them to Hakone. Hehe!

It was my first time to Hakone.

After the Nikko traffic jam experience, I braced myself for a similar situation in Hakone. But... surprise, surprise, the trip was generally smooth.

We stayed there overnight and it wasn't enough.

Here's our itinerary:

Thu:

0700 - Left Shinjuku via Odakyu Romancecar

0840 - Arrived in Hakone and took the Tozan Line to Gora Station for the Hakone Tozan Cable Car.

From Gora Station, we took the cable car to Souzan but we were told the Hakone Ropeway service was suspended due to volcanic gases. We didn't let this ruin the trip.

We took a bus that took us to Togendai-ko, where Lake Ashi and the mountainside with fall colors greeted us.

At Togendai-ko, we had lovely lunch by the lake. We planned to do the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise but we saw that the Hakone Ropeway was back in service. Sooo...

We took the Ropeway to Owakudani. We got off at Owakudani and took some pictures, then we took the Ropeway back to Togendai-ko.

It was such a beautiful ride as we got to see the fall colors from the cable car/gondola.

At Togendai-ko, we took the boat and we got off at Hakonemachi-ko.

Our accomms were a stone's throw away from Hakonemachi-ko Pier. It was defo a blessing.

After checking in, we walked around and then took the bus to Tenzan Tohji-kyo. It was my first authentic onsen experience and I loved it.

Fri:

Following breakkie, we took the bus to Mishima Skywalk. We spent about an hour or so at Mishima Skywalk.

Then, we had lunch at Hakonemachi-ko before taking the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise ship back to Togendai-ko.

At Togendai-ko, we took the bus back to Hakone Yumoto Station.

1619 - Left Hakone Yumoto via Odakyu Romance Car

1800 - Arrived in Shinjuku

There were so many other things that we weren't able to do... Need to go back to Hakone one of these days.

TIP: Get the Hakone Free Pass!

Tsukareta....

What a tiring day.

Thursday is my half day off but the work just never ends. Lol.

After my morning lessons, I headed to Nishi-Shinjuku to give a private lessons.

Then, I had to go all the way to Tateishi because I needed to sort something at the Ward Office. I was told that I needed to go to another office. Lol!

Hmm, with my very limited Japanese, I was able to sort things out. Thank goodness.

Then, I went home. Now, I'm waiting for my laundry to be done.

After that, I'll go to the coin laundry to use the dryer.

In the evening, I'm heading to Kuramae for taiko practice.

Tired. Lol!

Thankfully, tomorrow is a public holiday. I originally had three lessons, but the other two lessons were canceled.

Sunday afternoon with dinosaurs...

Last Sunday, I went to Makuhari Messe in faraway Chiba to check out the Giga 2017 exhibit.

I had no other plans and I was done with my work so I had free time.

The exhibit was okay. I thought it was more interesting for the kids, rather than adults.

Perhaps I was expecting something more in terms of the exhibit's layout and set design. I remember going to a similar exhibit in Singapore and I was floored by the setup.

So, I kinda hoped this one was going to be just as exciting if not more.

Oh well, it was still a good visit to faraway Chiba. Plus, I now know that there's an outlet store in Chiba that I can visit. Haha!

Still here...

In a recent chat with Tipz, he said that I don't update my blog anymore.

That's true. May and June were extremely busy so I didn't have time to sit down and write an entry, even a lousy one. Lol!

So, what's new?

Work. I can't believe it's almost a year since I made the move. I'm grateful for the job. I love what I do. When I wake in the morning, I don't feel like going back to bed. The only thing I wish for is more physical energy. Haha! On some days, I really feel the exhaustion. I want to do more, but I just don't have the energy.

Other stuff. Let's see. I signed up for private Japanese lessons. So far, it's been enjoyable. The teacher is good. The most important thing is that she listens to my requests. Haha! Aside from this, I still go to the Wednesday Japanese lessons at another center. It's a group class but since there are only two of us in our group, the other student and I already became Wednesday lunch buddies/friends. Yay.

Hmm, I've also been trying to be more health by trying to go to the gym at least twice a week. On some days, I'm able to go for a run along the river near my house. I'm actually happy about that.

What else? No other news, I guess.

Ariana Grande is coming to Japan next month. I hope I can score some tix. Seriously.

Pressies from students...

I must be doing something right.

At least with two of my students. Lol!

Last Wednesday, I was surprised to see one of my regulars whom I haven't seen in a long time. The last time I saw this student was just before he flew to the US for a business trip. We had a few lessons before his trip to work on his presentation. I did wonder about the outcome of his business trip.... so I was really happy when I saw my schedule last Wednesday.

The other surprise was yesterday. It was also one of my regulars. She's almost done with the course. I actually thought yesterday was her last lesson so I got her some brownies to say thank you.

To my surprise, she gave me a bag of biscuits when she arrived at my booth yesterday.

This afternoon, another one of my regulars also had his lesson. So I also got some brownies for him.

I'm actually sad to see these students go. Sigh...

Kamakura and Enoshima...

Some photos from the day trip to Kamakura and Enoshima a few weeks ago...

Can't believe it's almost May...

Ii hi da ne...

So beautiful, Tokyo.

Day trip outside of Tokyo...

I went on a day trip today. I just got back thirty minutes ago and I'm beat.

So, I'm just going to leave this photo here.

Any guess where this was taken? :P

An update...

I've been lazy.

Actually, no. Let me correct that. I've been busy.

Things have been pretty crazy and that's mainly the reason why I haven't been updating the blog.

I should do better in managing my schedule. I thought I'm already good at managing it, but not as good as I want to be. Lol!

Now, I have some free time before my private lessons so I have time to do a bit of updating.

What have I been up to:

Japanese classes. I've been going to three Japanese classes every week. Each class is about 2 hours. I decided to go for new classes because I feel I'm not learning a lot from the other two classes. Still, I have a loooong way to go.

Bills, bills. I recently went to the tax office to file my income tax. As a freelancer, I have to do it myself. Thankfully, I managed to ask my friend Take to go with me. However, I think he didn't have any idea it was going to be so troublesome. I feel sorry for him because he looked so exhausted after the three hours at the tax office. I did buy him lunch and coffee. Lol! I also went to the ward office by myself to sign up for the national pension system. The monthly contribution is a lot. I have no choice because I think the government will check my pension contributions when I apply for Permanent Residency in a few years.

Some kind of breaks. I'm slowly starting to insert full off days in my monthly schedule. At the moment, I work six and a half days a week. I enjoy the job very much so it doesn't feel like work. However, it's still exhausting because I spend a lot of time prepping for each lesson. Add to that the Japanese classes and you've got a very tired Angelo. Lol!

Gym. Finally, I managed to find the time to look for the sports center near the office. It's actually just about half a kilometer away from my office. So, I've ben taking the time to go and work out when I could. I miss Pump and Combat and yoga, but with all the bills it's better to go t the sports center. Hehe!

Hmm, that's it, I guess.

I still want to make new friends. However, I need to really work on my Japanese skills if I want to achieve having more friends.

Boku wa makeru wake-ni wa ikanainda!

Letters for you...

So, it seems like I still have the cheesy person in me. Haha!

One letter for each day you're away...

Extra grateful today...

Today was an extremely tiring day.

I had 9 lessons. My day started at 8AM and ended at 730PM. I had breaks in between, yeah but today was one of those extra exhausting days.

Just to be clear, I am not complaining.

In fact, I feel quite the opposite. I feel extra grateful today.

My last lesson was with a guy whom I've had a few lessons with. He's a funny guy, nice guy to teach. Today is his last lesson with the center. Again, I'm sad to see a student go. I do hope he learned something from us.

After I left the center, I treated myself to KFC... haha! Because KFC in Japan = Christmas and Christmas = happy day! When I got home, I rested for a short while and then packed a few things and headed out again. My destination was just a few minutes away from the house on foot.

Yeah, I went to the sentou to relax by soaking myself in hot...very hot... water. Haha! It was sooo nice!

Now, I'm back home. It's almost midnight. I'm not in a hurry to sleep because...

I'm not working tomorrow! Hooray! I'm trying to slowly insert a full day off in my schedule. Hehe! For now, I'll try taking two full Sundays off in a month. Let's see how things will go.

Thank you, Lord.

It's already February...

Time flies.

It's already February! Can you believe it?!

Happy Sunday afternoon...

My original plan this afternoon was to watch Kimi no Na Ha. The movie with Eng subs is now in cinemas so I wanted to watch it.

However, I got a surprise message from my friend Jackson saying he managed to get a flight assignment to Tokyo.

I've been waiting for this for months, so I ditched the movie plans and instead headed to Yokohama after my Sunday work.

He was staying at Intercon Yokohama in Sakuragicho. It's my first time to visit the place. I've always loved Yokohama. After visiting Sakuragicho, I fell in love with Yokohama even more.

What a superb afternoon! =)

Well, it's not over yet...

So what I thought was over turned out otherwise.

Last Sunday, IBA guy and I met up again. It was unplanned. I asked him if he and I were going to meet soon. It turns out he was going to be in Tokyo that day because he had a review session.

We agreed to meet up in the evening to catch a movie and have dinner.

Hmm, it was still a good date.

I'm just being cautious and trying not to invest a lot in it.

Over before it even began...

Well, it seems it's over. Lol.

It didn't even make it to a month. Oh well, that's life I guess.

Hmm, I guess what sucks about it is I thought it was actually going somewhere. I should've known it was too good to be true.

In a way, it's good that I have a drop of cynicism in me so I didn't completely commit the mistake I would've committed had I been in my early 20s.

残念ですね.

The analytical side of me saw me reading the conversations that started in late December. It's funny how a few weeks can change how a conversation goes. But I guess that's the reality of dating, huh? You date to find out if you fit with the other person.

Hmm, the thing is I really thought there was a fit. I dun care about the distance. 64 kilometers is nothing. Heck, I'm willing to take the train to and fro Tokyo every Sunday if that's the only way to have some QT. But these past few days, you've been like the weather in Tokyo - on some days cool, on most days cold... and I guess it's only going to get colder.

At the very least, I'm grateful for the awesome date last 28 December and 30 December. It's been awhile since I've had a great date like that. I felt the kilig and it was good.

Ueno Park. Starbucks Ueno. A walk around the park. United Arrows gloves. Last train to Ibaraki. Last train to Horikirishobuen.

Good one.

Found my neighbourhood sentou...

Ever since the first visit to an onsen, I've been wanting to make another visit again. Haha!

The thing is there are very few authentic onsens in Tokyo (I think). The next best thing was prolly the sentou (which is same same but different from an onsen).

Well, guess what, I was so glad when I learned that there's a sentou a stone's throw away from my apartment. Yay!

I meant to go the other night, but it was already closed when I checked it out.

Tonight, I got to visit the sentou. It's as local as you want it to be. The shoe lockers are made of wood. The reception is very simple and shared between the male and female sections. I made the stupid mistake of confusing the kanji for male and female and headed for the wrong section. Stupid gaijin. Haha!

The bath area was pretty small. It was okay because when I entered the bath area, there were only two other uncles. After rinsing myself, I went for the ofuro with the piping hot water. It was about 50 degrees Celsius, lol. I actually enjoyed it mainly because the weather outside was damn freezing.

I spent a good hour getting in and out of the ofuro and rinsing myself again. Of course, I felt super super clean again afterwards. I think I'll be a regular at this sentou...

I'm home at 730PM!

Well, this is something that happens once in a blue moon. Haha!

Today, I attended a company training and decided not to teach in the evening anymore. I figured I'd be exhausted from the training (I was right!) so I thought I'd just go home and relax.

It was a good idea. I'm trying to figure out why Image Capture is not recognising my phone but after I solve that, I plan to watch an episode or two of Merlin. Haha!

Not planning on staying up late though because tomorrow, it's back to normal.

First visit to the doctor...

I've been fighting the colds for so long and it looks like I am almost close to losing the battle.

The other day, I know something was not right when my voice sounded deeper than it usually is. Even my coworker noticed it. Lol! While it's a nice thing, I defo knew something was not right.

So, yesterday, I paid a visit to a clinic near the house. Thankfully, there is a clinic nearby. And I'm a lucky boy because there was an English-speaking doctor on duty. I went to the clinic, waited for a few minutes, and was attended to. I'm not sure what the doctor prescribed but I felt better after taking one pill. It must be strong.

In addition to the meds, I also tripled my Vitamin C intake. Ugh, the last thing any foreign worker should want is to get sick in another country. It's costly. The good thing is I'm covered by the government insurance and I only paid 30% of the bill. Still, I'd prefer to pay a monthly rider insurance to cover that extra 30%. I should do some research about it.

Another blessing in disguise this week is that the lessons are slow. It's not good because I'm not earning any money without any lessons, but it's also a chance for me to go home after my morning shift and get some rest before heading back to work in the afternoon.

Winter is just about to start. I hope my body acclimatises asap...