Haha.

Sorry for the very late update!


Life's been very hectic after arriving in Singapore... And I just couldn't find time to update. Well, I have some time to spare now for a little update... I shall use my reflection instead then. Of course, I will have to edit it a little to suit the atmosphere here, haha. On the other hand, never mind.

Ok, here it goes:
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Upon knowing that I would be joining my fellow mates on a trip to Japan, I thought my being over the moon was ridiculous.

However, the real joy came when I actually arrived in Japan on Saturday, and boy, the joy must have been infectious. The difference was evident. It was a totally different world, and the culture was obvious. You see people doing polite gestures and the gracious mannerism the Singapore government wants to instill in everyone was everywhere.

After clearing all the immigration points, we were led out to where Miyano sensei, our Japanese teacher and guide, was waiting with the bus driver, Yamamoto-san (I think, since I do not remember), who will be our “friend” for the next few days. We were then told to introduce ourselves to him. I was shocked nevertheless when we were told to introduce ourselves to almost everyone we meet there though, even when Mdm Oen came. I mean, I assumed we know Mdm Oen already.

We then proceeded to the bus, and then we set off the Osaka University of Sports and Health Science, where we did a traditional sport of Japan, “kendo”「剣道」. First we introduced ourselves to students in the club, and after the speech, we began learning the sport. The teacher there first explained to us about the sport, with translations from Miyano sensei. Soon, we were grouped and the students began teaching us the stances and the way to hold the wooden and bamboo swords, named “bokutou”「木刀」and “shinai”「竹刀」respectively.

It was very interesting to know that there are profound meanings behind the sport, and it is not all about violence. You will learn to be a better person, and have respect and care towards your opponent. Next, we were off to the famous Osaka Castle, where one of the powerful lords stayed during the Edo period. We made our own takoyaki balls for lunch at a nearby eating house too. It was simply fantastic. At night, we went to eat at a nearby shopping district. No, unlike Akihabara though. After eating ramen for dinner, I rushed off to the nearest bookstore to find books... And guess what I found, CDS WERE SOLD THERE TOO! Double blessings!! I bought V6's 34th DVD-single, VIBES, and KAT-TUN's 2nd album, cartoon KAT-TUN II You. It was pretty cheap, compared to Singapore... Around $30 plus for VIBES, $20 plus for KAT-TUN... Though thinking back, 7 songs and a DVD with only 2 clips seem to little to be priced at $30...

The second day led us to Kyoto, where we toured around in yukatas. The yukata is another form of the kimono, except that it is only worn in summer instead, and it does not have so many layers as compared to the kimono. The day was rather hot and we spent most of the day walking around doing tasks in form of a mini competition. It was not easy, and I had to ask passers-by where a certain place is quite often too. Overall, it was a fun day in its own right. You cannot deny that you did not enjoy the sights as we walked around the area, and took photos. The people were exceptionally helpful too. The only con was that we all had contracted the “stairs phobia” at the end of the day, since we kept climbing.

On the morning of the third day which was a Monday, we were brought to this place called the “Momofuku Ando Instant Noodle Museum”. There, we learnt about how instant noodles came about to the first instant noodle being eaten in space. It was very shocking to find hundreds or even thousands of instant noodles’ packaging being displayed across the hall. Unnerving too. After that, we got to design and make our own cup noodles. I chose curry as its soup base, with cheese, bacon, mini fishcakes and spring onions as its ingredients. Soon after, we left for Kanazawa city in Ishikawa prefecture.

We visited the College of Design on Tuesday, and we were pleasantly surprised to see a sign outside welcoming us. Inside, we were led onto a tour around the school, and I was awed by the artwork and animations done by their students. After the tour, we had a lesson on how to make our own mini animation using a special wheel and some theory. It turned out to be an art and crafts session with us doing colouring and cutting. How nostalgic. I was tempted to join the school after all these events too. I was surprised when the teacher asked me about the piercings though. It seems that in Japan, if students were to have piercings, they are said to have bad images or are simply “bad” students. This shows the obvious difference in culture… And guess what, I'm interested in enrolling into the school... I get to stay in JAPAN, after all...

On Wednesday, we had a bonus trip to USJ, otherwise known as Universal Studios Japan. We arrived there by public transport, the train. Their train system seems complicated, and the tickets are all sold through machines. The trains are bound for different destinations, even if they are on the same platform.

We were told to choose our own groups of more than 5 and after my group had settled, we set off to the first attraction we laid our eyes on. Some of the rides were unforgettable, like the Spiderman ride. Despite the long waiting time, it was worth every single second. It was pretty scary with fire and water near you, and wearing the goggles made everything look so real. Some of them were screaming away. Another one was the rollercoaster, “Hollywood Dream”. The ride itself was fantastic. We rode all the way high up and came down really fast, and there was still the whooping sensation in my stomach after the ride. However, despite that, we rode it twice in a row. Some worth mentioning were the Jurassic Park one, and the Jaws one. Some shows were breath-taking too, like the Terminator one and the Backdraft one. The Terminator was scary with the goggles on too. However, the Backdraft made me think a lot. The actors in the movie were determined enough to endure the intense heat to continue filming, and were brave enough to be “set on fire”. That made me wondered, if we use that determination, would we be able to do well? Or will we break under the pressure? The fire was beautiful yet scary though.

I guess you are interested in who was in my group... Well, they are: Zhixian, Xianyang, Isaac, Jordan, Jeremy, Angie, Valencia and me... The Sec3s became our parents (Xianyang is mummy, :]) and uncle respectively, and I'm big jiejie! Haha.

Thursday was our last day in Japan. We shopped more in the morning and after lunch, we made our way to the airport for departure to Singapore. I felt sad at leaving Japan too. It was funny that I did not miss home at all during the trip but yet felt sad at leaving. We boarded the flight and soon, after 6 hours, we arrived back in Singapore.

I miss Japan so much!

I mean, my Japanese friends came to look for me at the hotel when I was there! I was so touched and I almost cried when they wanted to leave... The thought of it brings tears to my eyes still... Sigh. I tooks photos with them of course! But I won't put them up... Privacy matters, hehe.

Anyway, had a series of tests these few days, and am thoroughly defeated. Just hope that the results don't turn out too bad, that's all I'm asking. I want my results to maintain at that standard too, no dropping at all! But my HCL MUST improve, by hook or by crook. Sigh.


Anyway, I bought a CD today... Shounen Onmyouji Sound Clip and Drama OST... Quite cheap too, and the music is great. I mean, most of them consist of traditional Japanese instruments and it suited the anime very well, and they sound so nice too. Just like the Inuyasha one too. The drama is soooooo cute! And funny too. I'm too lazy to translate it, it's all in Japanese by the way. Haha.