8月31日：今日は。。。

交通組織（こうつうそしき）のパリで紙のチケットを廃止（はいし）することを発表（はっぴょう）しました。7月11日にパリの交通組織は２０１９からNavigoカードを使わないといけない。

三つの理由（りゆう）をあげました。まず、そのチケットは無くしやすいです。（なくしややすい）次に時々じきストライプは問題（もんだい）があります。最後にある人々はどこでも適当にチケットを捨てる（すてる）ので、パリの通りは汚い（きたない）です。

IDFMという交通組織によると紙のチケットは時間と労力（ろうりょく）のムダだと言いました。

紙のチケットは１１６年前に使われ始めました。

この決断（けつだん）は地球（ちきゅう）にいいです。東京は同じことをするのだろうかと思います。

Afternoon tea in Tokyo series: Aman Tokyo

The mission to try the different afternoon tea places in Tokyo continues. This time, headed to Aman Tokyo. Grateful that Lionel was in town so the whole experience was more memorable. I made the reservations a few days earlier. Thankfully, I was able to get a window seat. It was rainy that day but the panoramic view of the Imperial Palace Gardens from the 33rd floor was still relaxing.

Grateful for visiting friends...

The heavens have been really kind to me lately.

Probably aware of the fact that I've been missing my friends and aware of the challenge of finding real friends in the city, the gods have been very kind to make sure that friends from Manila, Singapore, and elsewhere come to Tokyo either for vacation or a business trip recently. Yay!

A few weeks ago, the ex's best friend was in town. Last week, Makii and Paul were in town. This week, Lionel is in town.

Really grateful for friends who come to Tokyo whether it's for vacation or for business.

6月8日：今日は。。。

Today's writing practice:

鯨の死去はおなかの中から８０枚のプラスチックのゴミが原因でした。

タイのニュース、タイの南の海岸（かいがん）で鯨　（くじら）が見つかりました。その鯨は雄（おす）です。

海岸の近くに住んでいる人たちは、その鯨を助けようとしましたが、（たす蹴ようとしました）鯨は死にました。（しにました）

鯨を調べるとおなかの中から８０枚（まい）以上（いじょう）のプラスチックのゴミが見つかりました。

その記事（きじ）はひほうです。海にはたくさんのプラスチックのゴミがあるので魚が死んでいるのです。みんなで大自然（だいしぜん）をた

もつのをいしょうにきょうりょくしなければなりませんと思います。

6月1日：今日は。。。

Today's writing practice:

宮内ちは天皇陛下と皇后さまを描いた絵ができたとはっぴょうしました。絵はたてとよこが２mの油絵です。

天皇陛下と皇后さまを描いた絵がなかったため、宮内庁は２０１３年に画家のノダヒロシさんにかいてほしいとお願いました。

ノダさんにとって点横柄kたと皇后さまの絵を描くのは光栄　（こうえい）だと思います。天皇陛下と皇后さまの絵を描く人は少しです。どんな絵だろう。見たいです。

５月２4日：今日は。。。

鎌倉市に有名なお寺があります。

大仏園というお寺です。そのお寺は８００年ぐらい前に作られました。最近、さびができたり汚れてきました。

おととし掃除をしました。専門家によると近くの海から吹く風や鳥のふんなどが原因です。お寺はさびなどができないようにする方法を考えたいと言っています。

大仏園は日本の国宝だと思います。だから大仏園を保つのは大切です。みんなは国宝を保つのを支えなければなりません。

Hiking in Japan: First visit to Takaosan...

In a recent post, I mentioned something about starting two new hobbies.

I started the second hobby yesterday - hiking!

In Singapore, I was able to do a lot of easy hikes thanks to my good friend Kok Kuan. Yup, there are hiking places in Singapore. Maybe they’re not hardcore hiking spots but they’re still a good escape from the city.

Yesterday, I finally got to do my first hike in Japan.

Mt. Takao is one of the most popular hiking places near Tokyo. It’s about an hour away from my place. It’s very accessible.

Prior to the trip, I bought a pair of hiking shoes and other hiking stuff (pants, backpack, shirt, and so on). Though Takao is a relatively easy hike, I still wanted to look the part of a hiking fan. Lol! I think I succeeded in that aspect.

Anyway, I got up at 6 on Sunday. There were some hits and misses with the train. Lol! I had to change trains twice. The first train was a local train. I knew I was on the right train when I saw many other hikers with their gear and all. Haha!

The great thing about Takao is that there are six trails (and a few other difficult trails). I wanted to take the less popular trails but I decided to stick with Trail 1 when I started panting after the first 2 kilometers of the ascent. Lol!

You see, you can actually “cheat” the climb. To shorten the climb, you can take a cable car and that cuts your hiking time by more than an hour I suppose. I decided to ditch the cable car and went for the 3.8 km hike up to the Takao Information Center. I decided that since it was my first visit, I should do Trail 1 and check out the popular places along the way such as the Yakuoin Temple.

Actually, Trail 1 is not difficult at all. The first 2 km was a challenge because it was pretty steep. However, the path is generally paved so no problems there.

For my descent, I decided to take Trail 4 and that felt a real hike because it was in the middle of the forest.

You could also tell the seasoned hikers from the rest because they knew hiking etiquette. I lost count of the number of times I said “konnichiwa” on my way down. Lol!

Anyway, it was a really, really, really good hike. The best part was seeing Mt. Fuji.

At first, I didn’t see her because the clouds blocked the view. Suddenly, people started exclaiming “Sugoi! Sugoi!” I took a second look and there she was. Really, really pretty.

I also enjoyed my lunch - tororo soba and oden. Actually, I packed some onigiri which I planned to eat at the summit. However, I decided to go for soba and oden. They were gooood!

I’m defo going to go hiking again next month. As I enjoyed my lunch, I texted my best friend in Manila and said, “I’m genuinely genuinely feeling very happy right now.”

Don’t get me wrong. Tokyo is a great city and all but I really need to escape the city at times. Many people think I’m crazy for saying that. I stopped explaining myself. Lol. Anyway, this topic is for another post.

For now, I just want to write that I’m SO glad to have been able to do a hike. I will definitely make it into a monthly thing.

Next month, I’ll try to go to Nokogiriyama. Excited.

Happy Friday...

Japanese version follows below

Today was a bit humid.

I guess summer is here. Haha! Thankfully, Cool Biz dress code has started this week. Otherwise, I would be sweating like crazy.

Today was my fake day off. Fake because it's only half day. In the morning, I had three lessons. After my third lesson, I headed home, changed and went for a jog around the Palace.

After that I headed back home to take a shower, change and return again to the office for two lessons. Unfortunately, my 1PM didn't show up today. The student was probably busy at work.

Too bad but that also meant I got to go home early.

In the afternoon, I did a bit of housework. Then, I bought some stuff for my day trip on Sunday. A few posts ago, I mentioned starting two new hobbies this month.

The second hobby starts on Sunday... provided that the weather cooperates.

Looking forward to it. Hehe!

Happy weekend!

日本語のバージョン:

今日は蒸し暑いよ。

夏になりるそうです。笑。　神をおかげさまです、今週は仕事でCool Bizを始まったよ。

今日は僕のお休みよ。でも、半日だけだよ。朝は三つのレッスンがあったよ。０８：３０のレッスンの後で帰って、着替えて、皇居の周りにジョギングをしたよ。とても暑かったよ。

ジョギングの後は家に帰って、シャワーを浴びて、会社に戻りたよ。

午後に仕事の後では家に掃除した。後は銀座に行って、買い物をしたよ。

今週の日曜日にもう一つの新しい趣味をはじまるよ。いい天気があるといいね。

楽しみによ。笑。

週末が楽しんで。

Japanese skills put to a test...

Yesterday, I survived a date in Japanese. Haha!

The person does not speak English well (or maybe the person does but just doesn't want to. Lol!)

In any case, the whole time we were together we spoke in Japanese. Okay, maybe we used some English but only one or two sentences.

Before meeting up, I told the person to use simple Japanese words and to speak more slowly. Lol!

It turned out okay, I think.

Random Friday blah...

It was a busy week. Maybe because it's because after Golden Week. People are back at work. People are back in Tokyo. So yeah, Tokyo is crowded once again. Haha! It doesn't really bother me because I don't really like going to Shibuya or Shinjuku. If I do go to those areas, the places I go to are in the less crowded areas.

As for the trains, I haven't been taking the train so often. Given the nice weather, I've been walking to work and back home almost every day. Hehe. It's not much of an exercise because it only takes about 15 to 20 minutes but it still counts for something I guess.

I haven't had a chance to go for a run this week. I'm planning to go for a run this afternoon after my Japanese lessons.

Tonight, I'm having dinner with a visiting friend from Singapore. Like I said, God has been good enough to send my friends to Tokyo almost every month. Maybe he knows how I feel here. Haha!

Anyway, I had made another decision recently. I'll say I'm almost 90% decided. I chatted with Tey and with Tipz and I'm glad to get their support.

Long story short: as much as I enjoy hitting the drums, there's just something that's off. So I guess I should move on and try to find whatever it is somewhere else.

"I still haven't found what I'm looking for" is playing in my head.

I guess I'm kind of going to miss it. I wouldn't say I'm super good but I think I'm good. Lol.

Thinking about it now, I also decided to just go for one-to-one Japanese lessons instead of my usual small group lessons. I felt like the group lesson's not really working for me. I only feel bad about myself when I go for the lesson and I decided I'm not going to sit in another lesson for two hours feeling bad about myself. Lol.

Changes, changes....

Afternoon tea in Tokyo series: Andaz Tokyo

So, I started one of two new hobbies(?)/activities of interest today.

Afternoon tea at the different hotels in Tokyo... Haha!

That's one of the things I kind of liked a lot when I was still living in Singapore - brunch and sometimes, afternoon tea. Hehe!

Sooo.... today I headed to my first of many venues - Andaz Tokyo at Toranomon Hills.

Initially, the weather forecast was cloudy so I wasn't expecting a great view. Also, I booked a table via this great site called JPNEazy. For a measly ¥500, they were able to book a table for me. Of course, I asked for a table by the window but they told me the lounge was fully booked.

Surprise, surprise. When I arrived at the place this afternoon, not only was I able to get in about an hour before my reserved time, they also gave me a table by the window. Hurrah!

The afternoon tea is at the Andaz Tavern on the 51st floor. Because this is Japan (or maybe because it’s Andaz... lol!), the decors, the design was pure understated elegance.

I think the afternoon menu changes every so often. For summer, the theme is tomato from Kumamoto (based on the website).

The sweet and savory creations were served on a three-tiered stand. I’m not really a tea person, so I just got a latte instead. Hehe!

At first, I thought I would finish everything in under an hour. I had to tell myself that part of the afternoon tea experience is to enjoy the view and the food.

So, I made sure I got my money’s worth and stayed for about 2 hours. Haha! I didn’t feel guilty at all because 1.) I paid an insane amount of money and 2.) the place was not packed at all. Anybody could have walked in and they would have gotten a table immediately. Hehe!

Food was enjoyable. I didn’t think I’d enjoy it because it was tomato but I actually loved everything. The service, of course, was great.

I spent a good amount of time taking photos of the food and the outside view. One of the wait staff approached me and asked if there was something wrong with my food. Haha! So I just explained that I was taking photos of everything.

After the meal (and to feel less guilty about what I ate), I walked back to my place from Andaz Tokyo at a leisurely pace. It took me just about an hour. It wasn’t far at all. In the morning, I went for a 7K run. Hehe!

It was a good first experience for afternoon tea in Tokyo. Next month, I’ll try another place. Haha!

Solo karaoke X ohitorisama life...

Recently, I learned of the "Ohitorisama" culture. It refers to people living and doing things alone. (hitori means one person. sama is an honorific title "Mr./Ms." o is an honorific prefix.

To some people, I know doing things alone seems depressing or unbearable. Not to me. For as long as I can remember, I've been okay doing things on my own. When I did my internship in university, I had lunch on my own because I was the only intern in my department and my bosses had their own schedules. I've never had any issues watching movies on my own or dining alone. True that I'm clingy to my friends, but yeah I don't mind being on my own when no one's around.

And it seems I've found the perfect place to live the "ohitorisama" life. Haha!

I've yet to find the same kind of friends I have in Manila and in Singapore. For some reason, most of the people I meet here turn out to be one-way kind of friendships. I was the one always inviting the other party to do something.

I learned my lesson the painful way. Lol. Example, there was this one person I hung out with. One time, I lamented how I have no real friends in Tokyo. The person said, "Hey! I'm your friend." Gullible person that I am, I believed him. But whenever I invited this person to hang out, there was always some kind of excuse. Eventually, I just got tired dealing with the BS and stopped making an effort. There were a few other similar encounters.

Oh well, I'm sure they have their reasons and it's perfectly fine. Thankfully, there are still a few who I think I can consider as real friends.

But recently, I had this realization than I'm done with such kinds of toxic relationships.

So, enter the decision to adopt the "Ohitorisama" life, at least for now.

Haha! That was such a long introduction, what I really wanted to say was that I found this awesome karaoke place for solo people! It's a chain and there's one that's really, really close to my house.

Since today's a holiday, I decided to check it out.

It was goooooood!!! Hmm, the selection of English songs were updated. The downside is you should probably know how to read hiragana/katakana, at least. That's because you'll have to register as a member. Also, if you want to sing Japanese songs, there's no romaji option so hiragana/katakana knowledge would be useful. Chinese and Korean songs are also available.

Because it's Golden Week, the place was almost deserted. I imagine it gets busy on regular days. It was a good decision to check it out tonight.

The facilities were really good. They have a drink all you can station.

One of the really good things as well, and this is going to sounds really "ohitorisama", is that you can sing as crazy as you want, you can sing whatever song you want, you don't have to wait for your turn to sing. While it is true that karaoke with friends is probably more fun, there are times when you just want to sing your heart out. Haha!

The name of the place is 1Kara. They've got a few branches in Tokyo. Will definitely be back soon....

Corrected version...

Below is the corrected version from one of the tutors at italki.com:

今日は忙しくないかったよ。たぶん、GWなのでだから。←なので sounds a little bit formal. You wrote in a casual way and だから sounds better:)

今朝、一つのレッスンはひとつだけだった。レッスンの後で帰りた。 →レッスンの後(家に)帰った。

家から皇居に行って、皇居のまわりにを走った。

それから、２時間に日本語のオンラインレッスンがあったよ。

夜は仕事があった。ちょっと忙しいかった。

明日、仕事があるけど、早く起きなくてもいいよ。すごくよかったよ。 →すごく嬉(うれ)しい。or よかった！ 明日の午後は日比谷でに友達と映画を観に行く予定だよ。 ←日比谷で友達と映画を観る and 日比谷に友達と映画を観に行く:)

楽しみにだよ。

５月２日：今日は。。。

こんばんは。

今日は忙しくないよ。たぶん、GWなので。

今朝、一つのレッスンだけだった。レッスンの後で帰りた。

家から皇居に行って、皇居のまわりに走った。

それから、２時間に日本語のオンラインレッスンがあったよ。

夜は仕事があった。ちょっと忙しいかった。

明日、仕事があるけど、早く起きなくてもいいよ。すごくよかったよ。

明日の午後は日比谷で友達と映画を観に行く予定だよ。

楽しみによ。

Another near miss...

I went out on a date last night. It wasn't really planned. He was one of the guys I chatted with months ago but we never got the chance to meet up.

Anyway, last night our schedules matched and we agreed to have dinner.

It was good. I actually enjoyed. We went to an izakaya around Okachimachi.

I say it was good because the conversation flowed naturally. There were no awkward moments. Plus, I thought it was a good sign because we sort of had a number of things in common: he liked the outdoors; he's interested in similar movies; he likes walking.

As we were about to end dinner, I asked him if he wanted to walk around Ueno Park. He agreed so I thought it was a good sign.

I thought it was also a good sign because he agreed to go walking even though he lived in a neighboring prefecture and even though he had to wake up early today due to work.

Anyway, this morning, I messaged him and invited him to do dinner but he said he wanted to go home immediately after work.

That's my sign I guess.

Another near miss. When will I ever get it right? Lol!

Two new hobbies... sort of...

Last month, my ex was in town and he said, "Make sure you stop to smell the roses."

That kind of stayed with me. I've been working my big, fat a** off every day like crazy. I do find some time to enjoy but I feel that I'm not really making the most of life in Japan.

So starting next month, I've decided to get myself into two new things.

Hopefully, they'll both be good. Hehe!

Sunday run....

So, it was a productive Sunday.

In the morning, I went to work. I had a few lessons and I was happy to see some of my usual students in the other learning studio.

In the afternoon, I did some house chores and some side jobs. At the same time, I also found time to squeeze in a jog around the Palace.

The run was much longer since it was a weekend.

I was pretty happy with my time given that the last time I did a run more than 5K was ages ago. Haha!

Laksa dinner...

Today was a busy day. It wasn't the usual busy but it was busy.

Does that make sense? Lol!

After work, I was supposed to go to a birthday party. However, I was just dead tired and I wanted a quiet evening so I told the celebrant I couldn't make it.

On the way back home, I passed by a Singaporean restaurant near the office to treat myself. Lol!

I've been meaning to try the food at the restau and I'm glad that I finally had a chance to do it.

Initially, I planned to get chicken rice and laksa. I eventually settled for laksa, chicken satay, and.... drumroll please... bubur hitam for dessert.

The food was good. This is Japan after all! Lol! Still, I could taste the difference from Toastbox's laksa and 328 Katong Laksa and the satay stalls at Lau Pa Sat.

I was one happy boy though... even though I had to shell out ¥3,000 for dinner. Hahaha!

Now, I have to look for another restau to satisfy my craving for rendang.

Sometimes, I think I'm too nice...

Someone once told me that I'm too nice. And that I have to stop being too nice.

That person's not the first one to tell me such.

The thing is I don't think I'm a nice person. I'm just your usual guy, I think. I wouldn't say I'm rude, though. Lol. I would say that I was much nicer when I was in my early 20s.

However, life has taught me so many things. Maybe it also comes with age. Now that I'm in my 30s, (most of the time) I just stopped caring about what other people think. I now feel like I can say no without the guilt. I will leave a place if I don't feel like being there. And I noticed I have no more patience to listen to idiots. Lol!

Even so, I still think I'm a nice guy.

Sometimes, I think I should heed that person's advice.

The other day, a friend I had not seen for some time asked me to lunch. I was happy because I had not seen this friend in a while.

On the day of the lunch, all of a sudden this friend dragged someone along.

Long story short I ended up being the third wheel in what was supposed to be a catchup.

It makes me wonder why some people do the things they do.

Lol.

３月２０日: 今日は。。。

今日はよかったの日だよ。

朝の仕事はとても忙しかったよ。だけど、楽しかったよ。

最初のレッスンは７時に始めた。今朝６のレッスンがあった。僕の生徒はほとんど ビジネスマンだよ。いろいろなレベルよ。何人かビギナーズよ。何人か上級よ。

仕事の後で早く帰りた。二つの日本語のレッスンがあった。１２時から午後の２時までだよ。

家に帰る途中コンビニでコーヒーを買うのを立ち寄った。

今日の日本語のレッスンはすごく面白かっただよ。二人の先生は親切で優しいだよ。

だっから日本語のべんきょうをするは楽しかったよ。

夜は仕事があった。午後の６時から１０時までだよ。夜は５人の生徒はいった。

今日は忙しかったけど嬉しかっただよ。(•‿•)

What a Friday...

The gods smiled on me today.

As much as I love Google Maps and I won't survive without it, Google Maps almost cost me everything I had worked hard for when it told me to remain onboard the train.

I felt myself go cold when the train went the other way. My biggest fear was confirmed when the announcement came that the next station was a differen tone.

In the end, I was blessed to have everything work out well.

As my best friend Tey said to me in a message, "Just believe the universe will work out for you."

Nihongo teacher shopping...

I've been doing a different kind of shopping lately.

Because I'd like to really improve my Japanese, I've been doing some Skype lessons recently. At the moment, I'm doing three face-to-face lessons a week. One lesson is with a private tutor but it's only 40 minutes. The other two lessons are a group lesson.

The lessons, particularly the private lesson, have been most helpful. However, when I'm thrown in the outside world, I don't feel like I've improved.

I still have trouble expressing myself. I hate it that I can't make long sentences. There's some kind of disconnect between what I learn in the classroom and what is really used in the real world.

So, I've been trying lessons with a few teachers.

I dunno if I'm a difficult client (maybe I am) or because my standards are just too high. I have to remind myself that I'm not really paying a lot so I shouldn't expect too much. LOL!

So far, I've tried lessons with more than 10 teachers. Hehe!

I've had several lessons with one sensei. He's really good because he can explain things well. He also gives assignments which are really helpful. I've made some requests how to handle the lesson but I don't think it's his style so I decided to go look for another instructor.

There's another instructor I tried but it was too easy. I tried a lesson with another instructor based in another country. He was okay, I guess, but I found him to be rude and unprofessional so sayounara, sensei. There was another instructor but that was also terrible so again, sayounara, sensei.

Today, I had two lessons with new instructors. Both are Japanese but based outside Tokyo.

I really loved their teaching style and I think it'll work for me. I hope they plan to teach for a loooong time because it's difficult to go shopping for teachers. Lol!

Tomorrow, I have another trial lesson with another teacher. I hope she's also good.

Rewrite the stars...

So, I went to the movies last night.

I was debating whether to see The Greatest Showman in the cinema or online. Thanks to Jon, I decided to see it in the cinema.

Super awesome decision!

I'm in love with the movie, particularly this scene.

Random stuff...

In The September Issue, Grace Coddington tells Edward "Don't be too nice... even to me... otherwise, you'll lose." It's a completely different situation but I guess it somehow applies to many situations.

Sometimes, I think I'm too nice. And I let other people walk all over me. This year, my resolution was to stand up to others but I can already recall a few situations where I didn't do anything and I felt terrible after.

Tonight, I had another similar situation. Long story short, a person I consider as my friend told another friend that I'm angry with someone. It's funny because the person I'm supposedly angry with is someone I've never met.

I was completely caught off guard when people started asking me why are you angry with this person. I was like, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Things became clear when they said, "Well, this person said you're angry."

I was completely floored. It made me wonder why some people would do that. If I were indeed angry, that should come from me. I don't think this person was in any position to speak on my behalf.

So I was left wondering what this person's reason for doing such a thing was. Oh well.

Another lesson learned.

Mother Teresa said, "Some people come into your life as blessings. Others come into your life as lessons."

Well, I hope God will stop sending lessons my way. Hehe!

Relaxing Sunday...

What a really nice day Sunday turned out to be.

First of all, I had six or seven hours of sleep. Hehe.

In the morning, I did some preparation for work. After that, I attended the 7AM Mass at St. Ignatius.

I was extra excited about today because the weather forecast was between 20 and 12 degrees. Hooray!

Given this temp forecast, I had a plan in mind last night.

Around 10AM, I carried on with my plan.

I changed into my running attire and walked to the Imperial Palace for an easy 5K run around the palace. It was really relaxing and it was also enjoyable to see several runners enjoying the sunny weather. Can't wait to do more runs in the next few weeks. I think spring is coming soon.

In the afternoon, I headed to Shinjuku. I wanted to get more uniforms (read: black polo shirts) but I dunno why Muji doesn't have em.

Anyway, after enjoying walking around Nishi Shinjuku and Shinjuku Sanchome, I just headed back home and had a quiet dinner. Hehe!

Going to bed early. Hehe!

Rainy day Thursday...

It's my fake day off today.

Fake day off because I still work in the morning. Haha! However, I only have one lesson this morning. I decided to give up the other lesson as I wanted to do some other stuff.

I'm kinda dreading this day. It's raining and I'm hoping that's not an ominous sign of how this day will turn out. Lol!

This morning, I'm going to the tax office to file my taxes. As a freelancer, I have to do it myself.

Last year, I dragged Take to come with me and even then, he was just as confused.

Not really looking forward to it.

Slow Thursday...

Today's a bit of a slow day.

Not sure why but a bunch of students canceled lessons today and yesterday.

It's both good and bad. Good because I get more time to relax and do other stuff. Bad for my paycheck. Haha!

Anyway, this morning I did some house chores and some other stuff that I've been meaning to do. I took a nap and I finally got to drag myself back to the gym. I seriously need to fix my schedule.

My Thursday lunchtime private lesson was canceled so that gave me more free time today. Tonight, I don't have taiko lessons so I decided to do some work.

I knock at 745 though so that's good.

Just want to get some sleep. Lol!

Weekend shopping...

It was a shopping weekend of sorts.

As I may have written in a previous post, I'm at a stage where I rarely buy new clothes. Now I'm more after certain pieces. I'm more discerning I guess? Haha!

When it comes to office clothes, I'm a bit more stingy. Maybe because they're clothes I don't really get to wear on weekends. My shirts are from Uniqlo. I only have two styles of shirts, two pieces for each style. It's sort of like a uniform.

My suit used to be a mix of brands - jacket from H&M, pants from Armani Exchange. My only special pieces are my neckties, which I got from fave brand Comme des Garçons. And I only have four. That's enough, imo.

Recently though, I've been thinking that I should invest more in better suits for two reasons. One, I'm working in the business capital of Tokyo, (probably Japan). I have to look professional. Second, it's part of the whole self brand I guess. I feel like I'm doing my fellow Filipinos a disservice if I don't properly present myself. Hehe!

Thankfully, I have a good source for great suits. Last December, I got a suit from Beams. The jacket fits nicely. The pants could be a it tighter but that's just my preference. Last weekend, I went to the store again and tried a few suits. There was a Paul Smith suit I fell in love with but they didn't have my size. After going through a number of suits, I found a nice Barney's New York suit. It's charcoal gray and pinstriped. I actually like it.

The best thing was that it didn't really cost me an arm and a leg. Well, maybe it did cost me an arm. Lol.

I've also been meaning to have some skinny ties. So, I decided to get rid of two of my CdG ties and got two Dior Homme ties. Hehe!

That's it for shopping. I don't think I'll be buying new clothes anytime soon. There is a Longchamp bag I've been eyeing but I think it's a justified purchase because I don't have a weekender bag.

In any case, I haven't been the only one shopping. After a lengthy message exchange, I finally got my best friend Tey to invest in some good bags. So proud to have been able to convince (push?) her to get something from Prada and Balenciaga. Hehe.

My purpose in life is complete. Char.

Random Friday...

I went for training today so I finished work early.

Actually, I finished early because I decided not to work in the evening. It was a good decision because I was beat by the end of the training session.

The good thing was I passed the training. Yay!

After work, I was supposed to meet up with Jack. We planned to go to the izakaya in Iidabashi we used to frequent. However, he had to work overtime so we threw the plan out of the window.

Instead, I ended up walking around Shinjuku and Ginza and finding pieces I'm not supposed to get. Lol. Technically, I still haven't gotten the pieces but they're all on hold.

Hahaha!

Fun long weekend....

It was a long weekend for most Japanese.

For me, it was a normal weekend, of course.... with a hint of special. Hehe.

On Saturday, I worked of course. In the evening, I met up with Ibaraki Guy and we had dinner at a yakiniku place. After that, we went to a karaoke place as I requested for both. Hehe. It was nice seeing him.

Sunday was quite normal. I didn't work this Sunday so I had a lot of free time. It was good and not so good. It was good because I had some time to relax and do normal weekend stuff. The bad thing was I ended up doing some shopping... Lol.

In the evening, I didn't really plan to go out as I had work today. Plus, I was out all day so I was a bit tired.

However, Jun messaged and I sort of dragged myself to Nich for a drink and a dance. I was able to drag Takeshi to join us, too. Hehe! It was a good idea as the music at our fave club is awesome 95% of the time.

Today was also an awesome day. After work, I went to Nich again to see some of the taiko guys perform.

After the performance, I went to dinner with Takeshi and Liam. Jun, on the other hand, had to go to the gym. It was a great dinner with Takeshi and Liam because we talked about very familiar topics.

The good thing about our conversation was that it confirmed that my experience is something shared by other guys as well. I guess that was somewhat reassuring and worrying? Haha!

Too bad Jun couldn't join dinner. Otherwise, it would've been a scene straight out of Sex and the City, Lol.

In any case, there was a second dinner after Jun committed me and Liam to another dinner. Ugh. It was fun though, Lol!

It really was a good idea that I moved out of Katsushika.

Another one....

Yesterday, one of my regular students had his last lesson.

He had used up all his lesson points.

We usually have our lesson at lesson. After some time, you kinda get used to seeing the person.

One of my first super regular students was a guy who was prepping for his overseas assignment. He had a lot of room for improvement but he's really motivated to learn.

When we had our last lesson together, it felt like breaking up with someone.

After I had similar instances with other students, I thought it would be easier the next time but it's not. I still feel sad when it's time to say goodbye to a student.

Sigh.

I need to be tougher. Hehe!

Honne and Tatemae...

Though I may have been living in Tokyo for more than a year, the place is still one big mystery to me.

I may live here for a hundred years and I still probably wouldn't fully understand the Japanese culture.

Recently, one of the things I'm learning to understand/deal with is honne and tatemae.

Simply put, honne is a person's true feelings and desires (本音, "true sound") and tatemae is the behavior and opinions one displays in public (建前, "built in front", "façade").

It's a concept that I feel a lot of foreigners find difficult to understand.

To the outsider, it seems like being two-faced. To the local, it means being polite.

It's difficult to understand and I'm not starting to see this in the past few failed dates I've had. On more than one occasion, at the end of a date that I thought went well, the other guy would say, "Let's hang out again." "Looking forward to seeing you again."

Now, I know that they don't really mean it. It's just their way of avoiding conflict, or perhaps avoiding to hurt someone's feelings.

What I'm wondering is if they know that either way, they actually hurt another person's feelings. Hehe!

In any case, I feel I have to constantly remind myself of these two concepts. Maybe then I won't be as annoyed with some people. Maybe then I would move one step forward to understanding this beautiful country and its people more.

Not replying promptly... is it a Tokyo disease? Lol.

It doesn't really take a lot of time to reply to a message, does it?

Read somewhere:

If someone wants to be a part of your life, they will seriously make an effort to be in it.
No Reasons.
No Excuses.

So true. For this reason, get a dose of your own medicine. Lol!

Feverish Wednesday night...

There's always a first time.

So, today, I had to cancel four lessons because I'm down with fever.

Thankfully, there were only four lessons this morning (since Thursday is my day off sort of. Lol!). That means I didn't lose a lot of money (since I'm in a no work, no pay arrangement).

I could have tried to go to work this morning but I think it was smarter to stay in bed and rest.

Hmm, I dunno what happened. Yesterday morning I was feeling super genki and in the afternoon, my temperature shot up. It was a hellish experience as I had to work six straight hours in the evening.

First, I had to make sure I looked okay in front of the student. Second, I had to ensure that I was giving a quality lesson. At one point, I felt like I was going to throw up. Thankfully, I didn't.

Shitty as I felt, the show had to go on.

After my last lesson, I spoke with the manager and explained my situation. It was better to cancel this morning's lessons I told him.

Heading home was also an excruciating journey. Even though my place is 15 minutes away from work, it was the longest 15 minutes with the chills and blurry vision. On top of that, you have the stupid cold weather.

Ugh! Can't wait for winter to be over!

Random Monday blah...

My 18:15 student didn't show up. I wonder why. He must've been busy at work. I was looking forward to seeing him though.

Now, my 19:00 student also didn't show up. I wonder what happened to her. It was supposed to be our first lesson together.

Oh well, maybe another time.

Today has been quite an interesting day. It's super busy with 13 lessons, but I'm able to get through it because I managed to take a nap this afternoon. Haha!

In the morning, I stopped by Bake cheese tarts in Tokyo Station to buy a few pieces. They're not for me though. From Tokyo Station, I walked to nearby Marunouchi Building to deliver the tarts.

They were quite nice. Hehe.

Random blah...

Last Friday, I went out on a date. Wait, tbh, I'm not sure if it was a date. It was more of a meetup.

I chatted with this guy. He seemed interested. On Friday night, he said he'll wait for me to finish work. I said he shouldn't because I was going to finish work at 10PM. He said it was okay. Good sign, I thought.

We met up. We had a good conversation. We flirted a little.

He had to catch his train back to Shinagawa so we parted ways just before midnight. I didn't read too much into the whole thing.

The Whatsapp exchanges after that Friday night were sweeter.

Sunday was a highlight because we met up again and hung out for a few hours. It was really good.

We met up in Otemachi, walked around the Palace and Marunouchi. He had to take a work call for an hour. While he talked to his boss, I did some of my own work. After that, we continued our date.

Again, it was good.

I even told him that I enjoy hanging out with him because it was effortless. Seriously. It was. That’s the sign of a good date, I thought.

Add to that the fact that he was good on paper - Tokyo U grad, works for a good company, can carry a decent conversation, has a good sense of humor. Nice, right?

I dunno what happened though. Somewhere between the heavy snowfall last Monday and the drop in temperature today, something changed. Lol!

It really drives me nuts.

The other day I was talking with a co-instructor and we were talking about dating. Our conversation somehow led to talking about this particular kind of guy.

I said, “How long do I have to date this guy before I can finally read him?”

My co-instructor said, “You can date him for 2,000 years and you will still not understand him.” Haha!

Touché.

Taiko boy....

So, this is what I've been doing three Thursdays a month since July 2017.

Because I wanted to improve my Japanese language skills, I joined a taiko group. I think there are one or two other foreigners but both of them can speak Japanese. So, I'm kinda the only one who's struggling with speaking in Japanese. Lol!

Six months later, my Japanese hasn't improved that much but I can say that I'm able to do some taiko now. Lol!

Last weekend, the group joined a concert where other music groups also performed. Our group did four pieces. I was in two pieces.

Tbh, I wasn't that nervous because we really, really, really practiced before the performance.

It was a good experience.

Who would've thought I'd be doing this. Haha!