Another Year Gone...

Hello 2019.

I am back from my hiatus. I think I am ready to share bits of my life again on this space.

Around the mid of Last year I decided I needed a break from everything. I kept away from social media and focus on real life. I needed to reorganise myself and prioritise myself and my own mental health. I've decided to cut out toxic people from my life. I simply felt like I needed that and be gone with all the drama and nonsense. I am glad I did. Now, I feel like I am in a better place. I am happy in my new apartment, my new job and with my new(hopefully the last) boyfriend.

I apologise for making my friends worry for me. But just know that I am in a much better place now. I hardly share things on social media anymore because I am focusing a lot more on real life. I am also focusing a lot more on gaming and spending time with my boyfriend. Being with him makes me really comfortable and happy. He is very patient with me and takes really good care of me. I will try to share our adventures together someday soon.

Meanwhile, let me share a photo of our recent dining at this vegetarian friendly place at Omotesando. My boyfriend loves this place. I really enjoyed to food so I hope to come back soon to try other dishes they have.

Mr Farmer, Vegan friendly cafe in Tokyo, Japan.

I hope to write again soon.

January: A month of non-stop gaming

My favourite photo from P5!

Heya. I can't believe it is already the end of the month of January! Ever since graduation, I have been embracing the NEET life and going full-on gaming mode while handling other adult errands like a  responsible adult that I am.

January started fairly slow for me as I did not have anything exciting planned out for the new year. I was only excited to finish all the games I've been wanting to play since I got a PS4 console. I've never had a console that I can call my own but now that I do, I want to use it to its full potential! I am fulfilling that promise very well this month. I have completed 2 games so far and I'm onto my third game.

This is my short review/comment of the two PS4 games I've proudly completed in January. I know I know, I'm a year late with the games but I can't help it. School and real life responsibilities are just more important. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to the game releases this year since no more homework from uni! I just hope work responsibilities don't get in the way.

Persona 5
The first game that I've completed this month is Persona 5. This game is by far the most time consuming one so far. I've spent close to 100 hours trying to completed it. I would say that the game is very well done. I really liked the gameplay in Persona 5, the story and the character designs. They aced the protagonist design because he is cute af! I also really liked that the whole game was set in Tokyo. Especially because I'm living in Tokyo, it was fairly easy to relate to the game. Now, I don't think I can ever walk around Shibuya and look at it the same way as before. However, I don't think this story was my favourite out of Persona series. I'm still a P3 fan but that's probably because it was my first Persona series I laid my hands.

My favourite character in P5 besides the Protagonist? Morgana.
My least favourite character? Ryuuji. Hands down. I don't think I'll ever like him. lol.
Rating: 9/10

I can't give it a full ten points like I hoped to because I wasn't able to relate that much with the characters this time for some reason. Maybe my approach to the game was different or that I've grown out of the high school fantasy or that because I'm actually living here the spark of 'Oh Japan!' and died down quite a lot.

Hoever, for any first timers, this is still an awesome game because I managed to get B to get hooked onto it. He loves this game so much that he is playing it everyday after work and during the weekends. I've never seen him so dedicated to something until I introduced this game to him. lol.

NieR: Automata
This by far is the BEST game I've ever played so far. I went on to youtube/google to search on more things about this game because this game has taken over my life. I just didn't know what to do anymore if I didn't understand the world of the series thoroughly. The game doesn't simply explain everything. It requires fairly bit of analysing and theorising. (Thank goodness of fan theories.) I think partly why I didn't understand a lot of things in story was because I have never played the NieR series at all so trying to piece everything together was a little difficult. But thanks to the loyal fans to the series, I managed to learn about the previous series and piece it all together. From my research, this game is an indirect sequel from the previous game, NieR RepliCant. It is an extension from one of the endings in the game so technically, you don't have to play previous series to enjoy this one but of course to understand the world of the NieR/Darkengard, it is recommended(?).

This game is fairly short if compared to Persona5. This game took about 50 hours of game play including trying to finish all the side quests. But I thoroughly enjoyed myself and still think about this game once in a while. Yes, I'm  still having withdrawals from this game. What made this game so good is the story and the awesome soundtrack. Just when I thought "Kingdom Hearts and FF has the best soundtrack", I was so wrong. I'm not even sure how to put it in words. The creator of this game made the story and music so well together that just listening to the music itself brings back so much memories and scenes of the game.

As I was making my way through the game and finding out so much of the NieR: Automata world, it broke me. When I was near the ending, I know I felt this ache in my heart. The same feeling I get when I am heartbroken. I swear, it was so difficult to finish the game because of the emotions I was feeling at that point. I've never been so attached to a character in game before and neither had I been so immersed in a game until now. So when I finished the game, I just didn't know how to live any more. It left me depress and empty. Most would say, 'Aren't most games like that?" Well, yeah, I don't deny that but this time though it was another level. I'd say I wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared for what was coming.

This game is highly and without a doubt recommended for the awesome story and soundtrack. i never regretted playing and would play it again once my emotions are more stable. The only regret is probably not playing it sooner and that I didn't join this cryptic NieR cult.

Favourite character: 9S
Rating: 10/10
Awesome story and soundtrack. A game created by a genius!


******

This month is a lot of gaming be it on console or on PC so I don't really have a lot of exciting things I could really write down besides me expressing my love for games. But, I do have good news that totally don't deserve a post on its own. Ha!

Firstly, I managed to get my work visa; a rather lengthy one too. Secondly, I'll be heading back to Singapore in February for Chinese New Year. I am excited for all the local goodies I get to have. My dad started cooking again and my mom has officially retired so that means more stay-in and more family time. So, if I happen to not do as much meet up, please try to understand that this time round is more about family and pet dog, BB, time for me. Also, since I have become more introverted than before, I really value my time indoors oh so very much. My best friends understand that side of me and I am thankful.

May February be kind to us.

Will write again.
C.

Looking back at 2017

Hello. Since it is the new year, I want to do a wrap-up of 2017. I want to look back in 2017 and recall the events that made me who I am today. And, share a little bit of my insecurities and how I overcome them last year.

At the beginning of 2017, I got a chance to do an internship with an embassy. It was the best decision I made to kick start the year.  I also met some of the most amazing people. Taking up this internship gave me a huge boost in confidence in my Japanese skills, interpersonal and creative skills.

After the internship officially ended, I focused on the dreaded Japanese-style job hunting. This job-hunting is the most mentally stressful thing I ever had to experience throughout my entire 4-5 years in Japan. This was one of the most difficult hurdles I have had to face so far. And I thought settling in and university was difficult. My Japanese language had been stagnant for about two years now and there was hardly any improvements even though I had no problem with everyday conversations. But the series of interviews and re-write of my Japanese resume helped improved my Japanese to the point where I am a lot better at conveying my opinions and in general, things that I want to say without feeling like I half-assed it. Nevertheless, I feel like this experience really helped improved my Japanese language a lot. Overall, I felt that this experience was really eye-opening. Overcoming this really made me feel a lot more confident and that there is nothing I can't overcome as long as I keep working hard on it. I am really thankful to my university's career adviser for helping me with the whole job-hunting process because I couldn't have done it by myself without him.

At the end of summer, I had two unexpected news and opportunity presented to me. Firstly, I received two job offers. I was so happy when I got the news as it was completely unexpected. After months of getting rejected from interviews, I thought this would have the same ending. Initially, I struggled to decide which company I decided to go for because both had their strengths. Eventually, I had to make a decision, so I did. And, so far attending newcomer get-together parties had been quite enjoyable.

Secondly, I received a part-time job offer that was completely unexpected. It was like as if god made this possible so I will be ready when the real deal comes in 2018. So, I begun my part-time job working in a Japanese office for one of their side projects as a social media coordinator. Everyone was so kind and friendly that I did not want to leave this job after graduation but due to some visa regulations, I had to. Nevertheless, the few months in the company was a good learning experience for me and I will take all the things I've learnt to my new job starting in a few months. I will forever be thankful to the opportunity given to me.

Finally, I managed to graduate from university with a Bachelors in International Affairs, minoring in Japanese. I struggled with three writing intensive classes during my final semester because my motivation levels was close to nothing. All I wanted to do was graduate since I already settled my job-hunting. The biggest take-away from the semester was my Japanese capstone class (Basically, a class that Japanese majors need to graduate, kinda like a final thesis class if you will?). The class wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be but the real worry was doing a full-on presentation and a 5000 words essay in Japanese for the first time. Despite living in Japan for close to five years, my writing skills had been the worst and I haven't done presentations in Japanese at all. All these while, it had been one of the reasons why when people compliment my Japanese skills, I'd flat out say "no, I'm not good at it." It wasn't even tatemae, it was what I really feel deep down inside. So knowing that I need to overcome this before i actually start work, I took on this challenge (though it was unintended) while I am still in a protected school environment and pushed through the semester. By the end of the semester, I can confidently say that all the insecurities about my lack of skills in presentation and writing (or typing if you will) in Japanese has been debunk! I'm still not 100% perfect in my language but I don't think it is a huge hurdle for me anymore since there isn't a huge mental block in me anymore.

To sum-up, 2017 was a intense but a very fulfilling and enriching year. This is one of those years that I felt that I overcame a lot my uncertainties and grew a lot as a person. I am very extremely lucky to be given these opportunities and I am forever thankful. x

With Love,
C.


PS: I begun writing short records of my days on my Instagram because I don't have the time to write a blog post all the time. I am glad I did because it was an alternative for me to share my days and life in Japan. I hope to continue to do so in 2018 and share more things about my life in Japan. Of course, I am not saying goodbye to this space.

PPS: I am reaching my 5th year anniversary in a few months time and I want to do something memorable about it. I'm not sure what I want to do yet but I want to make it something I can look back on and feel proud about my journey thus far. 

Hello festive month!

Hello festive month!

Dear December,

I've levelled up on the last day of November. It was a simple night in with my final research papers. B managed to surprise me with a birthday present and a cake! I was so engrossed with getting through this semester that I wasn't even in the mood for celebrations. So I was really happy that B still made an effort to get me this fluffy room wear from gelato pique. (Thank you B!) I've received my grades for my papers, and my grades were better than expected! With that out of the way, I am pretty confident that I am on the graduate lists. Yay! 

Since last week, I have been starting my mornings with a cuppa peppermint tea. A good way to remove water retention and warm my up my body during winter. On stay-in days, I just start off my morning with my one week old PS4! Yes, I have just bought a PS4 last week, on the last day of my papers. I have been waiting for this day for quite a long time. Now, I can finally indulge in games I've been wanting to play for a while. I am currently trying to get through Persona 5 while playing other online games on my PC and mobile. If you have any other games to recommend, please do!

Before I head off to indulge in my games a little more, I have a little announcement to make. I will be visiting Singapore next year in February! Looking forward to indulge in delicious Singapore food! x 

Just letting you know I am well.

Skyline of Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. 5th Nov 2017.

Hello. I realised that writing in the mid-week of the month has become a thing for this little space. 

Fall semester is coming to an end in about three to four weeks. That is crazy. (I can't believe 2017 is also coming to an end in less than two months too.) That also means I have less than 3 weeks to finish up three research papers. I'm not sure how I am going to do that but I am going to break a new personal record and do my best to write decently enough to secure my graduation.

I would love to write more this time but I have to concentrate on getting my assignments done. I just want let people who cares for me and still reads this blog to know that I am well. See you in a couple of weeks. x

Short update

Awesome sushi I had at Kensennuma, Miyagi.

Hello. It has been months since my last update. So many things happened, I'm not sure where to begin. 

I decided to take a break from social media as much as I can because I wanted to focus on real life and make sure it's going the well. I'll be graduating from university (finally!), and also to be going back into the working society so this year is an important year for me.

This summer was really mentally strenuous. I tried to focus on both school and job-hunting but was really difficult. I was mostly worried about my job interviews to keep up my motivation for school. I was failing almost every job interview so I was really bumped out over it. Japan's job hunting is a really unique process and it takes a while to get used to it. Not to mention, I'm trying to do it in a whole different language! Nonetheless, I did not give up and I did it! I managed to find a job! So, I will continue to stay in Japan for a while longer! With job-hunting out of the way, I have to focus 100% on university and make sure I can graduate after this semester! 

I sincerely thank those who have been supporting me all these while, and been hoping the best for me. You know who you are. This will be another huge hurdle for me but I'll try my hardest to overcome it! To those who have been secretly wishing that I fail, eat slugs! 

I've been in the best of moods recently because I've not only managed to triumph over the hell-ish Japanese job hunting process, I've also managed to clinch a part time job. I wasn't expecting to find a part time job, especially during this period. Because of this part time job, I got a chance to do a lot more translation work and producing contents for social media. It is definitely a good experience! I wish I could put more days for my part time job but graduating from university comes first right now.

I'll write again soon. x

Golden Week Digest

Hot spring at Hakone

I went on a short trip to Hakone with my best friend, Crystal, who as in town for a short get away. We wanted to get away from the bustling city for some nature and hot spring; somewhere with a slower pace of life. In our Japanese inn, Kisenzo, breakfast and dinner was provided in our Japanese inn which was perfect. I haven't had such a scrumptious Japanese styled meal in a while so it was just an amazing experience. The hot spring bath was also really helpful with relaxing my body after months of toiling under the stressful reality.  

We met up on the final night before her flight the next day for some A5 grade wagyu beef. It was always the final nights where the catching up session gets really sentimental. It was really difficult to say goodbye but I know we'll meet again really soon. I'm really happy and thankful she made this trip down despite her crazy schedule for work. Kudos to her for planning this trip to Hakone while during my busiest period! <3 p="">

Super Comic City 26

I helped out at my friend's @saaiiro doujin booth at the Super Comic City 26 event earlier this month. I'm not a fan of either of the anime but it was definitely an experience for me. My friend's artwork was amazing and I'm really happy that some of her work sold really well! :)
I got a chance to catch up with her after 2 years too, which was great. I hope she had a wonderful time during the rest of her trip in Japan.


Gudetama Cafe

「いいね！」がほしだけでしょ？
You just wanted a 'like' right?

I visited the Gudetama collaboration Cafe at Yokohama during this time with my lovely friend Sandy. I had been a while since we met up so I really looked forward to this outing. The menu was really cute, and this was one of the items we ordered from the menu.  We were allowed to order one drink and a main dish, alongside with an all you can eat buffet, which usually were a selection of desserts, pasta, salad and soft drinks for about ¥2000 yen each person. For the amount of food we had, the price was definitely worth the trip down from Tokyo.

After the trip to the cafe, we spent some time hanging around Yokohama and doing a little window shopping around the malls. I had a great time hanging out with Sandy and catching up with her. I won't be seeing her for a the whole summer because she took the summer semester off from uni. I'll definitely miss her and I look forward to her return. Let's hang out again!!


Hitachinaka Seaside Park

I went on a trip with B back to his hometown in ibaraki prefecture and visited the famous Hitachinaka Seaside Park which was famous for the nemophila flowers during spring. I had a great time there viewing the beautiful flowers and having some food from the pop-up stalls there. It was a rather warm day so we decided to have some shaved ice to cool our body temperature under the heat. These custard bears tasted amazing! It was so much better than the shaved ice, in my opinion! lol.

After having a quick meal, went deeper into the park where most of the rides were for the bike rental service. Since I still can't ride a bike, we sat on the double seater bikes and off we went on our bike ride date. It totally feels like some high school style date! I feel young again doing all these simple stuff. the best part is since we're adults, the worry about not having enough cash is off the list of our worries! This was definitely one of the best dates I had in a while. :)


New Music

Harry Styles just released his new album not too long ago and I must say, I am in love. I'm not a One Direction fan but Harry was definitely one of my favourite members. I'm saying this as a person who listens to them casually and as someone who stumble on celebrity gossips once in a while.

His songs just screams David Bowie and old British music. I'm not an expert on British music but my impression of British music is something like this (pardon my ignorance). Whatever it is, I just love his new album. Speaking as someone who isn't a 1D fan, I'm glad Harry went solo and released his own music. I am definitely a Harry Styles fan right now. Please keep making good music like this and I'll love you and your music forever.

I've compiled my favourites from his album into this playlist. I love his whole album but these 5 songs would be the ones that I'd loop it over and over again for the whole week or even months. I can finally bring my earphones out and listen to some music during my travels again. It has been so long since I've did that but yes, I would love to listen to these songs over and over again for the whole day.

***

That sums up my short but fulfilling golden week holiday straight after finals. This has been me for the past weeks. Take care.

Last day of credit internship

Lunch time with Allyson (PRO) and the interns present on that day

After a few months of interning at the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Embassy in Tokyo, I have successfully completed my credit internship! I can't believe time just flew by so fast. It feels like yesterday that I started my internship at the embassy feeling a little nervous and unsure of what is to come and BAM(!), It's the almost end of my spring semester at university and the end of my credit internship at the embassy.

If it wasn't for this internship, I wouldn't have got to meet so many talented new people!  I am very thankful for all the opportunities given to me at the embassy. I've learnt so much about Afghanistan and its culture, it has indeed  changed my perceptions about Afghanistan. I really wish the best for Afghanistan and would love to visit there one day and have more Afghanistan's local food! The ones I had during my time interning at the embassy were wicked delicious!

Even though my credit internship with the embassy has ended, I've decided to continue my internship and continuing to volunteer at the embassy until.. well, for as long as I am able to without sacrificing my other responsibilities. 

With Love,

Charis

AnimeJapan 2017

I love Anime conventions! There will always be experience zones, new exciting news and lovely merchandises from my favourite animes. Despite being in Japan, I hardly have a chance to attend those because of my busy schedules. I should really find time to immerse myself in those events whenever possible.

Fortunately, I had the honour of working for Sozo once again, this time helping them with their WOWJAPAN channel's coverage of AnimeJapan 2017. It was great meeting and working with new and familiar faces again! I also got a chance to see anime booths showcasing upcoming and current animes titles. Since I was there, I took the chance to visit booths and shops that sold Sword Art Online's merchandises and got myself a set of Kirito and Asuna's sword mark logo ball point pen!

SAO Sword Mark Ball Point Pen ¥500 each @ AnimeJapan 2017

I'm just so obsessed with this anime at the moment. I remember 'dropping' the anime after several episodes of it in season one, but I had to go back and finish the series after watching the new movie, Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale. I went as far as introducing it to B (He really liked the series!), and watching the movie twice; the second time on IMAX 4D at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku. I personally recommend watching it in 4D because it offered a better immersion into the battle scenes of the movie. I was blown away after watching it a second time, no doubt, if I could I would watch it a third time in 4D.

Once again, I would want to express my thanks to wowjapan team for entrusting me with hosting some parts of the coverage of AnimeJapan 2017. It was a great experience and I learnt a lot from this. I wish all of you the best in the future and I look forward to seeing everyone again!

いつもお世話になったSozoと WOWJapanチームの皆さん本当にありがとうございました。この二日間に沢山勉強になったので、本当に感謝の気持ちがいっぱいです。これからもよろしくお願いします！

Charis C. x

チャリス より

Internship

This internship has been one of the best thing ever happened to me since the start of the new year. It feels great to be doing something else other than school. I also got a chance to meet new people and fair bit of translation from Japanese to English, vice-versa. I'm looking forward to the next couple of months with this amazing team of people while I juggle everything else so I can adjust smoothly from a college student back into a working adult after graduation (which is still months away but then again time files. Yes, no?).

December Digest

Hello 2017 and Happy New Year! I hope it's still alright to do a 2016 December Digest without being too 'last year'.

Bossa Nova/Elevator/Cafe Music

I have been in love with this genre for a long time and only got to know what the genre is called after googling and finding this awesome youtube channel that uploads three to five hours worth of tracks. (yes, talk about ignorance. laughs) I know this is going to be my 'to-go' music when I need to sit down and get some work done without getting distracted. This is their most recent upload for the new year and I'm loving it. I'm listening to this as I am doing this post! Do yourself a favour and check it out. :)

Persona 20th Anniversary Festival

I went to Akihabara for the Persona 20th Anniversary Festival with Wendy; thank you for joining with me! The event was pretty alright for someone who isn't super crazy over the series. I had fun looking through the art work and reminiscing over familiar music soundtracks and game characters. The highlight had to be seeing Kuma from persona 5 and the new cat, I believe is called Morgana from Persona 5. They were so cute, but I guess Kuma stole the show since everyone was perhaps more familiar with it. I know I was trying to get through the crowd so I can have a photo with it. Kuma was too cute. That was my little dose of  otaku moment.

Me with クマ！ (kuma)

Machida

After keeping myself at home trying to cut down on my spending, it's always nice to explore Tokyo once in a while. I went down to Machida to meet up with Mai and had a great time hanging out and discussing about our plans for the future. We went to this awesome cafe that served fantastic food, had wifi and an awesome atmosphere. Haven't been to cafes like such for a long time so this was definitely something refreshing.

Chicken Parmasan

Taiwan, Taipei

Spent a week in Taiwan just before the new years. I was dying to visit Taiwan and have some Taiwanese style street food and a getaway from Japan. I visited Jiufen, Shi fen, the usual must-visit spots in the city such as Xi men ding and Shilin night market. My Taiwanese friend was kind enough to drive us to Shifen and Jiufen which made the trip there so much more convenient. (Thank you Ani!) Best way to end the year! A little getaway trip with great company and great food!

Job-hunting & Career fairs
I'm in my final year of uni so it's also time for job-hunting. Job-hunting is a huge part of the Japanese work culture. It's scary venturing in a completely different environment. But since several of my friends are also job-hunting I think it would be fun. One thing I realised about career fairs was that it wasn't as scary as how it was commonly advertised. It can be rather nerve-wrecking but I think it was a good experience. I got to know so many companies and finding out what industries I am interested in. It was also like attending uni lectures in Japanese. lol

*** ***

This was how I ended 2016. Fulfilling month with a bit of chance to do a little of everything. I had productive days/weeks and unproductive stay-in days for me to catch up on gaming. 

Stay warm. 

First week of winter break

30th November

Another year celebrating my birth into this world. I celebrated my birthday with B after his work. He brought me to this fancy restaurant and surprised me with a cute bear birthday cake. Although I don't exactly have the same fondness of bears now compared to how I was a few years ago; I appreciate his thoughtfulness to surprise me with this delicious chocolate cake! The steak dinner was also very delicious. Happy birthday to me.

A beary cute birthday cake

4th December

Second last day of finals week, I decided to be a rebel and went out to have fun at Shinjuku. B and I went to the arcade to play some shooting game (we're getting better at it, I think.), while watching for the movies to start. We caught the new Harry Potter series 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'. It was a brilliant movie, I'm just missing the British accent a lot.

Just had to get myself a souvenir after watching the movie.  

 7th December

I paid a visit to my best friend from Beijing at her new place. I can't believe she moved to the outskirts of Tokyo. It was a lot further out than I expected; it took me about an hour and fifteen minutes to reach her place! As the train drives to the outskirts of the city, more sunlight shined through the train windows. I looked up and saw trees, rivers, vegetable farms and mountains(?). It was an amazing sight! I haven't seen that much nature in a while. I can understand why people choose to live in the countryside or the outskirts of the city even though it might seem a little 'inconvenient'.

One of the reasons why I visit her was to play with the two new additions to her family. Dogs! I can never give a miss to play with dogs because it reminds me of the time with BB. I hate to play favouritism when it comes to pets but this one is really cute. It reminds me of BB a lot. I kept playing with her pet dogs until my dust allergy starts acting up again. It was a fairly short trip but I'm glad I got a chance to see her again. I haven't laughed this hard in a while. :)

Look at those puppy eyes!! :3

*** ***

Haven't got the time to write about the interesting stuff in my life for a bit so I thought I'd do so now that I have plenty of free time. It was fun writing in this space again. :)

Aside from all that's going on in my life, a little update on my uni; I managed to do really well this semester. I was surprised because I swore I was dying this semester. I'm really glad everything worked out and I managed to bring my GPA up a little. (^^)

I'll be heading over to the Persona 20th Anniversary Festival at Akihabara tomorrow. I'm really excited because I haven't gone to such events in a while now. I'll share my experience during my trip there if I manage to spot anything extremely interesting and/or where photography is allowed. I'm excited to see the Junes food court set up! x

それじゃあ～

A little break from the hustle and bustle

The weather dived all of a sudden last week and it snowed! It snowed in November! It's something that doesn't happen very often. Nonetheless, it's finally winter! Time to pull out the heat-tech inner wear, sweaters, coats and scarfs from the storage.

Finally, I am able to have a little breather after weeks of hustle and bustle from school. I took the weekend off from my assignments so I can nurse my health back to normal. I'm feeling a lot better now; I can taste and smell things again! 

I'm down to another one and a half weeks of school and I will be done with the fall semester! This semester had been so amazing. I got to meet some amazing people while doing a group project and tackled a few assignment-intensive classes fairly well. I also managed to pass an internship interview about a week ago. This means, I'll be taking on an internship next semester; alongside with three other classes. I'm really looking forward to this internship! :)

In another two days time, it will be my birthday! Sadly, I have assignments and finals to complete so until then, I won't be celebrating my birthday until the semester is officially over. Instead, I'll be celebrating my birthday with B instead since his birthday is one week away from mine! How convenient! We'll most probably have to push it all the way to the weekends to celebrate since he has work and I want to have a full day of celebration! Nothing has been planned yet though.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to write in this space again but I hope to bring back good news again when I do update. Next year would be a busy year with all the job-hunting, internship and school work. I hope I'll be able to improve my business Japanese and handle all the work-load! Until then... xoxo

Hello October!!

Hello. I barely updated my blog in September and it's already October. I've just been overwhelmed with assignments again. I have a lot of essays to write this semester, in both Japanese and English, so I have just been trying to juggle them. Now that I've finished several major assignments and have a little time for a breather, I thought, "why not update this little space of mine?"

I'll share the two things I've been working on and hope to do it by the end of this year:

• I'm hoping to change my whole look, by growing out my hair again; off with the bangs and short hair, and in with the long fringe and long hair. As you can see, it's very well on it's progress and I'm looking forward to the end results. I might do a perm to it if I'm feeling it! No promises because I still do love my naturally straight hair!

• I've also been trying to be able to pair my outfits with pumps and more skirts! I don't have a chance to prove that yet because of school. I don't want to be wearing heels to school because who has time for dressing up in uni?! Thankfully, I managed to wear heels without pain in my foot earlier this week to some fancy event with the embassy. So, this also means there is progress! My marketing group mate even complemented the top I wore for that event so I'm very happy and honoured! Thank you, Shelby (Though, I doubt she will see this but just in case she does!)

• I've been trying to use more Japanese! I know it's ironic since I'm living in Japan. But I can get by my day without using a single Japanese while I'm still a student. Especially, when my classes are in English and surrounded by English speakers. Thankfully, I'm taking Japanese classes again so I'm writing and reading a lot more Japanese before. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I've been trying to update my social media in Japanese again. I'm using the social media as a platform to practice the language since I hardly have any chance to use it anymore. So, if you understand Japanese, let's converse! :)

Seeing that action is taken and that there is progress with something I planned with myself mentally, I'm very pleased with myself. I'm looking forward to a 'new and improved' me! There is no reason why I should not focus on my own well-being and my goals just because I have a new partner in my life, right?

I'll update again when I have time.
Let's see if I'll have all of these accomplished by the end of this year! :) Adios!

Hello September

Blue

Hello September. I haven't been writing as much as I hope I would. I've either been busy doing things or simply busy doing nothing. I'm surviving uni pretty alright at this point of the new semester and I hope to hustle through this. I'm just dreading one of my writing intensive classes because I just simply cannot do that class. I might have to withdraw from that class if things doesn't get better. ((o(;△;)o))

Anyways, the weather is finally cooling down and I am excited for autumn to arrive! I can't wait to be in comfy over-sized sweaters while commuting to school. The change in the season also gives me a reason to do shopping as well. I love shopping for sweaters because you simply just cannot go wrong with sweaters!

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I just woke up from an afternoon nap. I was suppose to finish this post before doing anything but I guess the cooling weather got the better of me! I should stop writing and finish up my assignments. I could have wrote a better post but I guess it will have to wait.
#LifeOfAUniversityStudent (/□＼*)・゜

Staring into spaces

I've been spending a lot of time at home. I go straight home after school if I have no plans; I usually have no plans which sounds kinda sad. I live in the bustling city where all the 'action' is but yet I still chose to be at home where there is just simply nothing. It slows my days down when I do that. It's great sometimes because it helps me to unwind a little after going through complicated issues and theories in uni.

I get caught up in current issues a little too often. I'm not sure if it is because of what I am studying in university which lead me to my constant habit of reading the news. It's good to be always 'in the know

 of the current affairs. But let's be honest here, it's tiring to always be doing that. I applaud the great leaders in the political world for being able to being able to do this and still loving what they do. 

I made a little video out of boredom and also because I want to get in touch with my creative side again. I haven't been out a lot or doing anything impressive that makes me want to film. But its important that I start doing something, baby steps if I need to. Let's hope this kick starts into something more impressive. I need more self-confidence. x

Second week of school!

Snapchat filters are fun

Before I start being productive and work on my assignments from school, I want to write a little. It's the second week of school and I think Japan is going into its rainy season. (Huge bummer!) 

Today was horrible! I almost dozed off in all my classes. It was unintentional, I swear!  It was drizzling and the weather was pretty chilly. Perfect weather to sleep in or to take a nap, right? I also had so much fun the day before on my monthly date that I can't help lacking a little energy. Yes, B and I hardly go on dates because we're really tight on budget every month. I'm okay with it since I love staying at home too! 

Anyways, yes, I was dozing off... But I did pay attention in class. I'm not sure how I do it but I remember at least two-thirds of what was taught in class. Mind you, I was barely awake, so this is definitely an achievement!

Speaking of achievements, I've recently updated my 'dusty' resume and revamped it. I really like how everything looked! It looks simple and easy to read! I had a lot of help from google.com, so thanks google! I also wrote an amazing self introduction! Not to be bragging but I suck at self-introductions and this was just the best I had in like... forever. 

Anyways, I'll be graduating really soon, like in a year and a half's time. (I can't believe I literally took 3 years to graduate an American university. I rock! lol. ) So it is important to get myself some additional work experience since I took a break from the working society. I mean, I need to update myself on the new working etiquettes, right? I'll also be in a completely different culture so I would really love to start early while I am a student so I have something to fall back on - school and internships. I'm really nervous on how the whole process would go, so wish me luck! Meantime, I will focus on getting my homework assignments done. Can't be slacking too much in this really short summer semester! x 

My Trip to Mie Prefecture

Mie Prefecture, Train Station

A few days after the Golden Week, B and I went on a trip to Mie Prefecture to visit the famous Ise Shrine, Iga Ninja Museum and Moku Moku farm. The two cities we visited, Iga-shi and Ise-shi It was a complete opposite from what I am used to in Tokyo; bustling streets with many shops closing really late and many modes of transport. The trains don't come very often, and all the shops closes really early. There was hardly anything there compared to Tokyo. It was a bummer that it was raining half the time during our trip and it made travelling to places less convenient. 

I got to see my cute piggies at the farm, tried amazing food from Ise city, underwent my 'ninja training' and visited one of the holiest Shinto shrine in Japan! I never thought I'd be able to do all of these so soon. This trip was amazing; short and sweet. What a pleasant get away trip from the city before school starts!

I took some clips during the trip but I wasn't too focused on getting cinematic shots because I wanted to enjoy myself to the fullest. I don't want to be too absorbed on my electronics. I think I still managed to put everything together nicely in a 7mins video to sum up my trip. x

PS: I took a placement test in uni and was put in advance level class. I guess I haven't lost my touch on Japanese just yet!

Dog Heart Dog cafe

Mingling with the pups!
27th April 2016

My visit to the dog cafe with Sandy was fantastic. I love dogs. I haven't seen BB for 5 months now and I'm missing him dearly. Visiting the dog cafe gives me the chance to cuddle with dogs. Even though I am unable to receive the same amount of love and companionship as I could have being with BB, this was enough to suffice for now.

I realised I'm not good with big dogs even though I think it would be really nice to hug them. There was this golden retriever in the dog cafe and I was slightly scared of it. I don't know how to handle big dogs. All these time, my experience with dogs were only the small to medium sizes and perhaps slightly obese ones. BB and Doli are pretty fat for their size because my family feeds them constantly; almost like a daily ritual. Nonetheless, the golden retriever was, like all dogs, cute! x

If anyone is interested in visiting this dog cafe in Tokyo, do visit their website: http://dog-heart.ico.bz/
It's only in Japanese but I think its pretty easy to navigate while having no knowledge of Japanese. Google translate would suffice for translation for basic information.

Moving out soon

Chilling at the new (empty) apartment with my trusty vitamin filled C.C. Lemon drink

The beauty of life; how it can surprise you with all the amazing wonders it has to offer.

Moving to the new apartment has been surprisingly smooth and faster than expected. I thought it was going to take longer than expected. I also managed to find time to head to the immigration office to get apply for my visa extension. We'll see how that goes.

This whole experience of moving into a new flat that is unfurnished was a challenge. Both B and I was new to interior design and we have only ever stayed in furnished flats or sharehouses. The process of getting new basic furniture for the flat and setting up the wifi and other kitchen appliances was nerve-wrecking but I believe we both learnt a great deal through this. We might have miscalculated several small things but I am glad B was with me throughout this whole process. I would never have been able to handle all of this by myself with my less-than-perfect Japanese. I am also glad I could easily text my mom for advices and help. Thank goodness for technology! haha

Just a few more days before I can officially stay at the new place with electricity, water and gas. I can't wait to start using the new kitchen! I miss home-cooked food.

xoxo