tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39356090978991130952024-03-14T19:03:55.631+11:00FSphereWelcome to my private space.
This is a gateway to my daily life, thoughts and my heart - either for you or for myself.Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-81201464411391118642019-08-29T02:36:00.001+10:002019-08-29T03:12:32.050+10:00Less Than Zero the Movie. <p dir="ltr">This is a film came out in 1987, roughly based on Brett Easton Ellis's novel under the same title. Novel version review: http://blogfsphere.blogspot.com/2012/04/whats-point.html?m=0</p>
<p dir="ltr">The characters are the same. They are all spoiled kids from wealthy family trying to fit in the superficial circle of so-called friends. You can still see the main storyline is the same, but what's different is the experience. It is about the main characters' relationships, and the snapshot of the time and era. The sound track takes you back to the 80s.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In short, the film makes you cry while the novel leaves you helpless and empty.</p>
<p dir="ltr">You might complain that film didn't do justice.<br>
And you're absolutely right. <br>
It's a Film - so there had to be a drama.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The movie starts with the high school graduation scene where 3 main characters, Clay, Julian and Blair holding shoulders, and happily posing for camera.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Robert Downey Jr perfectly portrayed Julian, the immature, troubled kid from wealthy family who "used to be" the main character's best friend. Obviously he still was Clay's best mate when they graduated together. </p>
<p dir="ltr">But then the main character Clay decided to study at a collage out of town, leaving Julian and Blair (Clay's ex-girlfriend who later became a model).</p>
<p dir="ltr">Both Blair and Julian seem to share the abandonment issue with the family already, but when Clay left, they also felt abandoned by him,  as Blair infers at the Christmas party at the club. A flashback shows when Clay caught Blair in bed with Julian when he briefly came back in town.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Blair begs forgiveness for herself, and Julian, implying how her having sex with Julian was, kind of, a way to fill the gap left behind by Clay, that they needed each other at that time. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Well, forget it. It doesn't matter anymore, Clay replies, but it is obvious that he hasn't forgiven his friend, and there stll is the strong sexual chemistry between him and his ex-girlfriend. Flirtation grew more and more bold and open when fuelled with cocaine and alcohol. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Half way through the film you start to feel just how out of control the whole scene is. Clay is a college student, and he observes "Others" in a dettached view. <br>
Yes. In the film, Clay is the one who don't merge with anyone. <br>
The shared habits of the in-crowd is exemplified by the frequent snorting scenes. <br>
Clay's look of condescendence, and reluctance is so clear that you can tell he's only tolerating his ex-schoolmates, including his old friend Julian. He's only really engaging in conversation with Blair. <br>
He looks annoyed everytime she mentions Julian's name. <br>
Blair tells him, <br>
- Julian is in trouble. <br>
- Which trouble? <br>
Julian is in deep shit all the time, debt, drug dependence and family issues. <br>
Blair can defend him as much as she likes, like, - he's trying so hard to get off drugs.<br>
But, that's not true, and Blair knows it, everyone knows it. And she herherself snorts more than enough.<br>
Blair declares, <br>
- I can quit any time. <br>
- Really? <br>
- Yeah<br>
- That's impressive. <br>
Clay still cares for Blair. He's not being sarcastic, he's just doesn't want to hurt her by being harsh. After all, she also is a troubled, immature girl trying to act cool and glamourous. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Julian is gullible, vulnerable and sometimes sweet in his awkward way. Clay looks he's had enough of him but<br>
Julian seems to be more attached to him, clinging to the happy memories from the old days. And he hasn't moved on from that time, he's just a boy who can't do anything right on his own. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Young James Spader was superb as a sinister ex-schoolmate, now a drug dealer  who sweet-talks Julian into buying more cocaine if he tries to kick the habit, then coldly demands to clear the debt he owes him and acts as a pimp who forces him to prostitute to pay it off. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Julian has no family or other friends to turn to for help, and like in the book it was already too late to save him when Clay eventually, reluctantly did so, and as 3 of them was driving out of town to escape, Julian died in the back seat of the car. </p>
<p dir="ltr">In the novel Clay gave him money to pay off the debt he owed Rip. Although he was no longer certain about their friendship, Julian was still special to him, thus he couldn't entirely cut him off, as it seemed. However, that was until Clay finally realised there was nothing left he could do to save his old friend. <br>
In the end, he left the town leaving his past behind. </p>
<p dir="ltr">So, which one did I like better? <br>
Well, personally I couldn't decide. <br>
The movie and the novel were two different things. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I loved the book, <br>
I loved the film. </p>
Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-30992952002769087432018-10-02T01:20:00.002+10:002018-10-02T10:55:03.289+10:00Nagasaki 2 and something else.Recently I see many TV programs featuring Japan, making me feel nostalgic how we went to the same place and the way we felt there.<br>
<br>
One of them was showing the <a href="http://okinawa.stripes.com/travel/japanese-navy-underground-headquarters-serves-reminder-bloody-battle-okinawa">Former Navy Underground Headquaters in Okinawa</a>, which we visited in 2016, one of the main war memorials in Southern part of Japan.<br>
<br>
But for now, let me talk about Nagasaki during the war.<br>
<br>
When you think about Nagasaki, the first thing that comes into your mind is Atomic Bomb. Everybody knows Hiroshima and Nagasaki are two cities where atomic bomb was dropped, and yet the feel that evokes is somewhat different.<br>
<br>
Nagasaki was the first city where the Christianity was introduced and remained to be the most Christian city throughout Edo era.<br>
Shimabara region is famous for the Christian rebellion in 1637-1638, by April 1638, over 27,000 rebels were fighting against approx. 125,000 soldiers sent by the Tokugawa Shogunate government, after the battle ended, more than 37,000 Christian rebels and sympathisers were beheaded according to <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimabara_Rebellion">Wikipedia</a>. Reference: The Shimabara-Amakusa Uprising- Tragedy for 37,000 (<a href="https://christian-nagasaki.jp/en/stories/7.html">jump to the site</a>)<br>
<br>
Japan went into National Seclusion Period after that and the Christianity was officially banned, and over 30,000 hidden Christians with unwavering faith held their belief in the shadow until they resurfaced in the 18th century when Nagasaki opened as the first international trading port in Japan.<br>
<br>
Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture also shows you how Nagasaki developed to be the most multi-cultural, Christian town in Japan since 15th century.<br>
You can download the English leaflet from the following link.<br>
<a href="https://visit-nagasaki.com/spots/detail/214">The Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture (EN)</a><br>
Oura region (nearby Dejima) became the main foreign settlement during the mid to late 18th century (<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagasaki_foreign_settlement">Nagasaki foreign settlemement</a>) where traders and sailors from China, Holand, France, Portugal, Scotland, England and America lived, and caused its colourful culture to flourish, until the war erupted.<br>
<br>
Nowadays, although you don't find many foreigners inh Nagasaki other than Chinese and overseas tourists, you still see the influence of Asian and European influence everywhere in the city and there are many Christian schools that were built before the war and demolished by the atomic bombing.<br>
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<br>
What made the Nagasaki Bombing more tragic than Hiroshima was the fact that the Christians were killed by all-Christian US army crew on the mission.<br>
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The day when the Fat Man was dropped, inside the Urakami Cathedral, which happened to be the most prominent catholic church in Asia back then, were few dozens of Church members and priests summoned for the upcoming preparation for Mass, some for confession.<br>
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The church was located within 500 metres from ground Zero and all died instantly. There were over 15,000 Christians in Nagasaki, out of which, approx. 10,000 Christians eventually said to have lost their lives because of the radiation trauma.<br>
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What touched me the most was the way the survivors viewed the tragedy as “the sacred sacrifice that was crucial to end the war” and how forgiving they were. Nagasaki Christians stayed true to their belief and didn’t hold hostility towards Americans.<br>
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Seeing the photo of the collapsed Urakami Cathedral and then the head of St. Mary exhibited in the museum after that, was an awesome experience. There was this initial hopelessness and sadness I felt when I saw the wreck of the Church, and then the strange sense of tranquillity consumed me after seeing the head of St. Mary.<br>
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Growing up in Yokohama, I was used to see the remains of former Hiranuma station in Yokohama, which was destroyed in the great fire bombing of Yokohama.<br>
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Towards the end of war, hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians died in the bombings, the total death toll mounted up to easily over 500,000, and yet, it’s far less than the war casualties Japanese military caused in China during the war. And we also mustn’t forget those Koreans, especially young girls brutally raped and killed by Japanese soldiers during the war.<br>
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The worst cruelty of the war in general is the fact that innocent civilians are the ones who are really victimised, rather than the military themselves. Why don’t all the ministers, prime ministers and the presidents go to the war and fight themselves without involving civilians? How come do innocent people have to hate each other only because their countries are fighting each other?<br>
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Like those all Christian army crew who dropped the Fat Man, many of those who start the wars probably are religious, and yet the hunger for power and/or false sense of obligation and justice always seem to engulf the human conscience.<br>
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There was a poem by Akiko Yosano (as seen in the photo below), called Kimi Shinitamou Koto Nakare, which is the most famous anti-war poem of that time, meaning “You shall not die”<br>
It goes like this. (I apologize that I don’t remember the full version.)<br>
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Oh, my brother<br>
I cry for you<br>
You shall not die<br>
For you were the last born<br>
Our parents loved you all the more for that reason<br>
Yet did they teach you to grab a sword and kill people?<br>
Kill them and eventually die yourself<br>
At 24?<br>
<br>
Born into the prominent merchant family in the town of Sakai<br>
Because you are the young master of the house, who has to carry the family name<br>
You shall not die, my brother<br>
The castle of Ryojun (Port Arthur) may fall but what's the big deal?<br>
It doesn't say in the rule book of our merchant family (that you should fight in the battle)<br>
Although you may not know<br>
<br>
Don’t you die, my brother<br>
Our emperor doesn’t fight in the front line himself, does he?<br>Are you sure you have to shed human blood unnecessarily,<br>
And die like a beast,<br>Is it really honourable to die (like that)?<br>As the emperor's being so compassionate,<br>He wouldn't think like that to start with, would he?<br>
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">I think I was taught this poem at high school somewhere between Year 10 and 12.</span> Since it is like 3 decades ago I only remember the poem up to here, but it is still enough to represent the true feeling of the civilians (especially females).<div><br><div>I apologize that I translated this poem with my own interpretation. The original Japanese version was written in the old style, which has made it confusing at times.</div><div><br></div><div>During my multiple attempts, I even considered changing the style completely. The third verse is full of personal feeling, sarcasm and criticism towards the emperor and his army, therefore it was hard not to get my emotion in the way of making it more accurate. There are heaps of better translations elsewhere under the title "Thou Shalt Not Die" by Akiko Yosano.</div><div>Published in 1904, I must say it must've been a miracle that such a controversial poet got away without getting enjailed or even killed.<br>
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We all know that it’s wrong to kill unnecesarily. Whether it’s another human being or animals - and yet we still do if there is even a single excuse or a cause, even if it’s not always justifiable.<br>
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Everyday, uncountable numbers of cattle were killed and wasted. The prevalence of vegetarian, and vegan culture may have lessened the total meat consumption, but the decrease in the demand doesn’t seem to reflect much on the supply department.<br>
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The cause? The cattle farmers need to sell the livestock to sustain their business, right?<br>
<br>
What about human lives?<br>
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In present days, many countries banned the capital punishment, resulting in murderers sometimes coming out of the jails depending on their behaviours in prison, WHILE in the war, were too many innocent people who lose their precious lives. Or would you call it the sacred sacrifice?<br>
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Sometimes wars and fights are started under the name of justice and yet, I can’t help but feel the doubt as to how much justice was really concerned in the initial decision to start them.<br>
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Often when money and greed are concerned, our morals get clouded. Wars often have positive effect in the economy because the munitions industry prospers by selling weapons. It’s all relevant, isn't it?<br>
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Why do we have to prioritise things that have little to do with human lives?<br>
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Well then, why don’t we all go back to the primitive, nomad life style?<br>
<br>
Now I’m starting to sound stupid.<br>
<br>
What appears to be meaningless is not really meaningless,<br>
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As long as we stay aware.<br>
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<a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 海外生活ブログ オーストラリア情報へ" border="0" height="15" src="https://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/img/australia80_15_gold.gif" width="80"></a><a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"></a><a href="http://english.blogmura.com/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 英語ブログへ" border="0" height="15" src="https://english.blogmura.com/img/english80_15_1.gif" width="80"></a></div></div>Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-47947834667724511022018-09-07T17:51:00.001+10:002018-09-07T19:00:20.204+10:00The Massive Challenge Today- was the photo uploading.<br />
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Like I mentioned while I was in Japan, I had a big problem uploading photos on my blog from my mobile phone.<br />
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From the time I started to use my android phone, I became slack on using computers, because like all of us know, I didn't need to. Almost everything can be done on your mobile. Almost. That was the only thing that I didn't realize.<br />
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Now I figured out that I had to upload them on my computer, I also had to transfer those photos to my PC, from my mobile and my husband's. As I anticipated, it took a long time uploading a huge number of photos. There was also the downer that some of the photos went missing. I searched all folders on my mobile, his mobile on the micro SD disks and even on HDD where the backup copies were.<br />
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I can't believe that I've spent over 6 hours today to edit my previous posts from Japan.<br />
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I suppose that it's only natural that by finding and uploading those photos brings me back the fond memories of my previous visits to Japan. Just as I write this, I remember that Osaka has a significant Korean population just like Chinese in Yokohama and Nagasaki. I have heard of Tsuruhashi Koreatown in Osaka but decided not to go because my husband can't handle the smell of Kimuchi.<br />
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Anyway. I'm only half way through my project. There's other half of Nagasaki I haven't covered yet, and some more I want to write about Nagasaki, and Kamakura, possibly.<br />
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For now I have to take a breather, Leave it to tomorrow.<br />
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<a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 海外生活ブログ オーストラリア情報へ" border="0" src="https://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/img/australia80_15_gold.gif" height="15" width="80"></a><a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"></a><a href="http://english.blogmura.com/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 英語ブログへ" border="0" src="https://english.blogmura.com/img/english80_15_1.gif" height="15" width="80"></a>Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-20366488942315110332018-09-07T15:48:00.000+10:002018-09-07T19:46:49.337+10:00Collection of photos from the trip to Japan.Here, I would like to show you some more photos I took in Shibuya and Osaka.<br />
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Incide the funky Nepalese (I am not sure if it was the Nepalese cuisine that we ate but the owner and the chefs were Nepalese.) restaurant we dined in on the third night.<br />
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CHECK THIS OUT!!!<br />
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Those guys in the photo below must have really been enjoying riding the go-karts in their costume.</div>
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Yes. Novelty item is popular in Japan.<br />
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Himonya Park. There's this sign telling you not to fish in the pond, but there always are some naughty boys who dare to break the rules.<br />
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I thought those guys were girls who looked like boys, but it was the other way around.<br />
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Osaka has a reputation of having a big live band scene.<br />
There is a place called American Village where locals fondly call "Ame-mura", it's not like you see many Americans walking pass, actually there was none...but there were many band venues for certain.<br />
In Melbourne not many people are willing to pay for the live band venues, even when the door charge is under $10, but the average door charge including one free drink costs $26 - $35 in Osaka.<br />
Yet, there are many people who chase around their favourite local bands by saving up their pocket money.<br />
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The one we checked out was one of the three venues in the same building called Clapper.<br />
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There are a couple of good bands there. One is called Dicentra</div>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/MR7XywpoWH4">Dicentra 1st single ~Throw the DICE in our hand~</a></div>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/mi9k7jpxanM">Dicentra 2nd single ~We'll reach one day~</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyfZHwbH5X3sLB5042wcb4ovcFrPCXmdjdrhBTZa7C4nVm4KhY7O8PIk7x5WQctHzkFWqw6Py-Ooe_LWzBCpuOaO_c-4ocme1sGomL0qQ4muzeNz6njfrgdXG5IHPn_l0Kc1h1fU9A61w/s1600/Clapper+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyfZHwbH5X3sLB5042wcb4ovcFrPCXmdjdrhBTZa7C4nVm4KhY7O8PIk7x5WQctHzkFWqw6Py-Ooe_LWzBCpuOaO_c-4ocme1sGomL0qQ4muzeNz6njfrgdXG5IHPn_l0Kc1h1fU9A61w/s1600/Clapper+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNgqqC0wPZM_PO058SM5_dK6V7aC5_tD7GQhOpWLwprFhkcoZF1BHmy3JXRV2cw1RsHxRLJwF_DdY7yhCPSdz-EJNoxYZBPsfIFD1B5vemq8NbIhK-P2r6SAldO-YAPcDbyBUgA1U1o0/s1600/Clapper+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNgqqC0wPZM_PO058SM5_dK6V7aC5_tD7GQhOpWLwprFhkcoZF1BHmy3JXRV2cw1RsHxRLJwF_DdY7yhCPSdz-EJNoxYZBPsfIFD1B5vemq8NbIhK-P2r6SAldO-YAPcDbyBUgA1U1o0/s1600/Clapper+3.jpg" /></a></div>
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Here's another band called Ninth Call.<br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/ag4uig34j9E">NINthCALL 1st Single "Drug Addiction" Trailer</a><br />
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The song title is a bit of a cliche and I don't like it, but they were awesome in live.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIq1lRbCFPYpzTe_5XAQYGsGHtHLVCSoAM4F0YGYrtt54xITDdtzseO0FBjGnUDD1a0K4Sr1Tzzg1zpt1u4FNSntPQk6C5HtH4mjHlbwTQ4lguCQ674x-_Y5cNpPHxIPfzZuGEU0GLt4/s1600/Clapper+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="157" data-original-width="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIq1lRbCFPYpzTe_5XAQYGsGHtHLVCSoAM4F0YGYrtt54xITDdtzseO0FBjGnUDD1a0K4Sr1Tzzg1zpt1u4FNSntPQk6C5HtH4mjHlbwTQ4lguCQ674x-_Y5cNpPHxIPfzZuGEU0GLt4/s1600/Clapper+4.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEircXrH7Mb7QsMfLjF0Aoc6z1MN6NQB2Oyg_KHuLKuKKYtpv3_aH56dCDGo5vBw8pTlQqSJ1EwLm1XqKyGjLkBvK9T7BKy4OtV9ipdqnDkfDzBk3RNxv_nAb3iMJwp-81CPPXhH1737xkg/s1600/Clapper+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="157" data-original-width="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEircXrH7Mb7QsMfLjF0Aoc6z1MN6NQB2Oyg_KHuLKuKKYtpv3_aH56dCDGo5vBw8pTlQqSJ1EwLm1XqKyGjLkBvK9T7BKy4OtV9ipdqnDkfDzBk3RNxv_nAb3iMJwp-81CPPXhH1737xkg/s1600/Clapper+5.jpg" /></a></div>
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If you're interested in live bands, there are more venues around the area.<br />
BigCat, Zepp, Shinsaibashi Varon are also popular.<br />
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Snap shots of average Osaka life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9t3CeFVGZxXCoFes1b3E33TrhNtoC3rEES9a7X975_dHYnKYnihmlObPN2TV_mR94z4JQiWvD2E44gMVg09Pwx0gFtxLl-kr05PxdklwjPBVlggSPv1PXUP0msCCwnv0Cw2gb0ghWnQ/s1600/20180518_120456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9t3CeFVGZxXCoFes1b3E33TrhNtoC3rEES9a7X975_dHYnKYnihmlObPN2TV_mR94z4JQiWvD2E44gMVg09Pwx0gFtxLl-kr05PxdklwjPBVlggSPv1PXUP0msCCwnv0Cw2gb0ghWnQ/s320/20180518_120456.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Bento (Lunch Box) Stall.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoX4sIdsGKz_vFVg6kxMridUMZlQlCTEP6jhJnfuARl5IMnTFLv6qNYq3gmRk2OBZvAUluR84zOPTvzOhQj2KAwBMZWWs-IXgqClQasPDpSBiC_A3E0BUF28esiXBVbv6X1I7EJWDslSs/s1600/20180518_160057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoX4sIdsGKz_vFVg6kxMridUMZlQlCTEP6jhJnfuARl5IMnTFLv6qNYq3gmRk2OBZvAUluR84zOPTvzOhQj2KAwBMZWWs-IXgqClQasPDpSBiC_A3E0BUF28esiXBVbv6X1I7EJWDslSs/s320/20180518_160057.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Local Shrine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRg9PT7iYw3S61HDhLi0B9EYGY4X43jjsSX1sAPsaEca-dmLnf7ZjXcJFDHuVvkCRCB-mU27r0-xtv9jyDkOS6ZAjJL8_IWn5nXQSsUgf_aJvznNBo2jbyq5a9P6hyz0_6lJf3xvIZ98/s1600/20180518_161443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRg9PT7iYw3S61HDhLi0B9EYGY4X43jjsSX1sAPsaEca-dmLnf7ZjXcJFDHuVvkCRCB-mU27r0-xtv9jyDkOS6ZAjJL8_IWn5nXQSsUgf_aJvznNBo2jbyq5a9P6hyz0_6lJf3xvIZ98/s320/20180518_161443.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Neibourhood Okonomi-yaki Shop (that also sells cheap snacks and fizzy drinks). This oba-chan (auntie) was just back from her shopping (you can see the plastic shopping bag lying in the right corner) when I went to buy one with squid in it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-QwgdAIIunkCr81pdEL8cptIxVXMCGMcNFtuMFm3eh4WglA2QNCuiWECuBkDBtX9_uMcRyWOWxPBs52qpMV10PyR_xPweV_PmnfD8WwBt-bCB8KmBuJLAF31G8LF1LbdKlsLm-47_Gs/s1600/20180517_204032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-QwgdAIIunkCr81pdEL8cptIxVXMCGMcNFtuMFm3eh4WglA2QNCuiWECuBkDBtX9_uMcRyWOWxPBs52qpMV10PyR_xPweV_PmnfD8WwBt-bCB8KmBuJLAF31G8LF1LbdKlsLm-47_Gs/s320/20180517_204032.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPf0eTj1TDBoHgHeat7GAqd1Tzt5tlb7lem-cwu0i2Y_dWgRFs-Qz5ennRFtX0j-ao4MXwPgiCOZOlNLKTTvjq1JxENGYdcvzHze7HpykE8z8v2_zfDFo_Be3dASwc47MvhTi_D_LJQeU/s1600/20180517_204047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPf0eTj1TDBoHgHeat7GAqd1Tzt5tlb7lem-cwu0i2Y_dWgRFs-Qz5ennRFtX0j-ao4MXwPgiCOZOlNLKTTvjq1JxENGYdcvzHze7HpykE8z8v2_zfDFo_Be3dASwc47MvhTi_D_LJQeU/s320/20180517_204047.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPJo4bbSC9HqgkMw9MOi1PxCLXZxVgwZwniAy1tF9tOv8k-iUAlxzyz8r7haQ1AKkHuZGtDfUiP2ogZXe39V2LRyFWSKEHWG0snOMp1kQgrKnLj35IqneHgy6ObJ1IQ_vgT5ktVp9cII/s1600/20180517_204112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPJo4bbSC9HqgkMw9MOi1PxCLXZxVgwZwniAy1tF9tOv8k-iUAlxzyz8r7haQ1AKkHuZGtDfUiP2ogZXe39V2LRyFWSKEHWG0snOMp1kQgrKnLj35IqneHgy6ObJ1IQ_vgT5ktVp9cII/s320/20180517_204112.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTf8WiGqxxvG7J-TNmyf3ptKfpqDNjRoKWXigX-JsnnHUMP7GSmVL_wzWYvUcDqWBrhrDsiJb2JoH7bECvXLsuBaePIQe-30bC6EvD_bFd9Pw7-uOWmydC5ECU2grDt_jcYzQzEKtik2I/s1600/20180517_204136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTf8WiGqxxvG7J-TNmyf3ptKfpqDNjRoKWXigX-JsnnHUMP7GSmVL_wzWYvUcDqWBrhrDsiJb2JoH7bECvXLsuBaePIQe-30bC6EvD_bFd9Pw7-uOWmydC5ECU2grDt_jcYzQzEKtik2I/s320/20180517_204136.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Pubs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXToO8CFpNZ2DTbQhD9E4rgqxMrzue8Et6btL8kPmK55c97bfNUarc0aIf9UKjzh8L77EgQkJHjC5SYMK-hgdFN8loupjRP_Jt8G84EtH6M0sYH3vSnw3dRTR0mD1o9mX20GNvjkeYbQ/s1600/Oiriya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXToO8CFpNZ2DTbQhD9E4rgqxMrzue8Et6btL8kPmK55c97bfNUarc0aIf9UKjzh8L77EgQkJHjC5SYMK-hgdFN8loupjRP_Jt8G84EtH6M0sYH3vSnw3dRTR0mD1o9mX20GNvjkeYbQ/s320/Oiriya.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
and Meshi-ya (restaurant).<br />
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If you are into old trains and the history, here're some photos for you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWh3VXpD_m_1NpUAg0FllPqxJ06om3xG49VuN1L146xop6wrJylfApZiNQ7u_Y9aeR27qt2l3tX23xKgVa8YSPXKo5pscAm8AeOvlXIPiRQUkT8uEptGRP_jboRqRY_JIhObWc-SaI19E/s1600/history+of+Osaka+subway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWh3VXpD_m_1NpUAg0FllPqxJ06om3xG49VuN1L146xop6wrJylfApZiNQ7u_Y9aeR27qt2l3tX23xKgVa8YSPXKo5pscAm8AeOvlXIPiRQUkT8uEptGRP_jboRqRY_JIhObWc-SaI19E/s1600/history+of+Osaka+subway.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhi9_7a9xGKxjLUp_MufPkl4vxe_syewzdGs48vcgNoonp-l6euPub1yAnsiMNxYPidah3YitecjiI-L8qNwhE7RHxai5f0_5_CnHHf0w2Nsh2czk6s-iPV12yDimu5nm62zBB_iJ-ntc/s1600/one+of+them.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhi9_7a9xGKxjLUp_MufPkl4vxe_syewzdGs48vcgNoonp-l6euPub1yAnsiMNxYPidah3YitecjiI-L8qNwhE7RHxai5f0_5_CnHHf0w2Nsh2czk6s-iPV12yDimu5nm62zBB_iJ-ntc/s1600/one+of+them.jpg" /></a></div>
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Osaka subway Midosuji line celebrated its 85th anniversary, and those little diecast models are the older designs of the trains. </div>
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On the eve of leaving Osaka we headed to Osaka castle, not to go into the building but to see the surroundings. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xHwpcxwXjckxojqB92lZKp-0DjUC-J3kAO5oDvaWB0nG1OI1M4tMkzhW0wL9QAWBQQ1vpvux9-_czPrSyE9ZEruSkwEn5klclJNKj6tIJZAlx5xV7JqygYTOfn7L8_DCYQaApcgTYCk/s1600/20180519_135809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xHwpcxwXjckxojqB92lZKp-0DjUC-J3kAO5oDvaWB0nG1OI1M4tMkzhW0wL9QAWBQQ1vpvux9-_czPrSyE9ZEruSkwEn5klclJNKj6tIJZAlx5xV7JqygYTOfn7L8_DCYQaApcgTYCk/s320/20180519_135809.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A primitive-style house displayed nearby.<br />
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As we walked by the moat, we heard the loud, thumping noise coming from the yard next to the main premises of Osaka Castle. We followed the noise and some other crowds heading down there as I checked on the web to see if there was any special event happening at Osaka Castle Park, and then I discovered that it was a big scale live event called "Rush Ball 2018" . </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWobnFMu7l_xAFyzbsv8Te1Y2E_MjDHHa4qnMGH0sSVkcsyhqVf4ca9GKQntczXEjSo5-pdi9UsGCuSub18CpF5teMjVKwWQQpn-X4mUTolmYyYKEHRmktrSMFJx_UlPoGqTpmGnNj20/s1600/20180519_145344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWobnFMu7l_xAFyzbsv8Te1Y2E_MjDHHa4qnMGH0sSVkcsyhqVf4ca9GKQntczXEjSo5-pdi9UsGCuSub18CpF5teMjVKwWQQpn-X4mUTolmYyYKEHRmktrSMFJx_UlPoGqTpmGnNj20/s320/20180519_145344.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Amongst the bands played that day was the one called Creepy Nuts. The guy in the right corner of the photo must be the massive supporter of the band.</div>
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Once the performance started, those crowds went berserk, jumping up and down, raising their fists, singing along with the bands, the energy was MAX when our favourite TETO went on stage.<br />
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<a href="http://te-to.net/movie"><img alt=" Music Clips" border="0" data-original-height="93" data-original-width="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eTqxSa7Ug6b9THbonRBj_Y-fEWT-uASr00Hx1dS2Fx-RfGlFIm3oFmEipGZwd2KoRwD2zienimxyC2kKwWvSdHg59RksxG1WG2J_jdkuclYlrR1z1_TIvC1XsHBtfdZr6rjgeAPXoSA/s1600/d580d6162d8cfa8bd7dfae7804f74cf4.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://te-to.net/movie">Jump to TETO's Music Clips.</a><br />
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None of the bands were actually commercially successful bands, but this one may be the next big thing. Who knows.<br />
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By the time we left the event it was getting late, after 5 pm, most of those tourists on package tour deals were gone and around the moat was quiet and tranquil. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdBISqTlm3aWg1yoHmLQfEAGoWi7ejzYM4i2BK09VNLQoqlTmme10QFveeEI-RQOJTOEHQSaom7UzUvQD_VP-l8_c9Lox0k9B7Rz308KzAcnqf_T-dbZu-R555CganbE9zFrtTHpzxFs/s1600/20180519_180746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdBISqTlm3aWg1yoHmLQfEAGoWi7ejzYM4i2BK09VNLQoqlTmme10QFveeEI-RQOJTOEHQSaom7UzUvQD_VP-l8_c9Lox0k9B7Rz308KzAcnqf_T-dbZu-R555CganbE9zFrtTHpzxFs/s320/20180519_180746.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Walking around the moat was challenging, though. It was massive compared to the Odawara castle's that I was used to.</div>
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<a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 海外生活ブログ オーストラリア情報へ" border="0" height="15" src="https://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/img/australia80_15_gold.gif" width="80" /></a><a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"></a><a href="http://english.blogmura.com/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 英語ブログへ" border="0" height="15" src="https://english.blogmura.com/img/english80_15_1.gif" width="80" /></a>Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-45041299789265206302018-09-07T11:56:00.000+10:002018-09-07T19:49:41.605+10:00Nagasaki Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjRxwgNakS6i4FciSdjE2bULeeiunvx0bWoEuvqGj-C9EzrO0ly2HjeSbORohzymBW7ZM4s2djZYJjWJobp6bW-Q1bsIOqG8NK-TCCkVSntVw2Dq72NIACM8nsrvvMbr_L6LJtfqpo8s/s1600/Tram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="157" data-original-width="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjRxwgNakS6i4FciSdjE2bULeeiunvx0bWoEuvqGj-C9EzrO0ly2HjeSbORohzymBW7ZM4s2djZYJjWJobp6bW-Q1bsIOqG8NK-TCCkVSntVw2Dq72NIACM8nsrvvMbr_L6LJtfqpo8s/s1600/Tram.jpg" /></a></div>
Me and my husband spent 6 nights in Nagasaki, initially we thought it was going to be too long for just one place. We were wrong.<br />
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Where we stayed was situated in the middle of local red-light district. (Phew, again!)<br />
The noise was just relentless and kept us awake till the early morning...so natuarally we developed the habit of late-start.<br />
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Day One.<br />
It wasn't too hard to find the neighbourhood of our accomodation, but the actual building, especially the front part was hidden behind the Cosplay pub (costume play) that it was so easy to miss. When I rang up the owner, she told me to ask at the police station, but I couldn't spot what looked like a police station.<br />
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Did you find the police station in this photo? Well if you're wondering, you're like me. The one on the left behind the passing car is the police station, believe it or not.<br />
Yep, this is Nagasaki we're discussing here. Here's the better one.<br />
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As you might guess, we were so exhausted from all the walking we did in Osaka and Nara that we didn't do much apart from doing the grocery shopping.<br />
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Day Two.<br />
Walked to Dejima Wharf. Almost every tourist destination was in walking distance. We had went to the big cafe by the sea and had coffee with Sakamoto Ryoma's face froating on it. There was a nice park across as well, so we had a decent walk and had lunch there.<br />
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By 1pm, we were back in our room.<br />
We had a plan to see the night view from the peak of Inasa Mountain later that night, so we just rested up until 3pm.<br />
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We left our room around 4pm. With plenty of time to kill, we decided to have a stroll around the neighbourhood first.<br />
Shianbashi Street mall, just 2 minutes from us was small and narrow, was located opposite from the red light district and most of the shops were restaurants and pubs. There were also a few alleyways, about the width of an average pedestrian path, with tiny Izakayas and Karaokes (those places all had this musty smell, possibly coming from old timber). As we got to the main street, we saw more<br />
shopping malls we would have liked to explore had we had the time. That time, however, we just stopped by Kanko Street shopping mall where we had an early dinner and bought some cheap veggies, then walked further down to the cozier shopping district ahead. The famous <i>Meganebashi </i>(Spectacles Bridge) was just a minute walk from there.<br />
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Departed from "<i>Kokaido Mae </i>(Town Hall)" tram stop around 5:30pm.<br />
Mt. Inasa Ropeway wasn't too far away. The weather was okay. It was forcasted to rain the next day so we did it while we could.<br />
There was a Gondola lift operating every 20 minutes from 9am to 10pm. It was only about 7 minutes ride from the Fuchi Jinja Station.<br />
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(Inside the tram.)<br />
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We were very early and had enough time to see other small islands through the telescopes set up on the viewing platform.<br />
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Below it was an expensive but amazing restaurant with perfect view of the city. The food there was said to be really nice but we only had a drink each since we were rather short of money.<br />
For the next 2 hours we enjoyed the free wifi provided there and from time to time, watched the Nagasaki's nightlife slowly came alive.<br />
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While we were there, I read a bit more about Dejima Wharf's history and then planned the activities for the rest of our stay.<br />
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Day Three.</div>
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Rainy during the day, overcast in the evening.</div>
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We rested most of the day, got some massage in the evening near Shianbashi tram stop. Ate an amazing meal at seafood restaurant on Shianbashi Street mall, with live fishes caught in front of you and cooked in the kitchen behind.</div>
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Yep, the Sashimi was fresh, alright. The tail of the fish that the guys eating next to us was still moving! Oh, it made me so close to tears.<br />
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On the way back, I dropped into a cafe run by an oldish lady, who introduced me to the brief history of the neighbourhood and Nagasaki in general.</div>
The area (Maruyama Machi) used to be an up market Hana-Machi (where wealthy men were entertained by female performers, such as Geisha and Maiko.)<br />
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The historical high-class brothel called <i>Kagetsu</i>, which now was an exclusive restaurant, was just around the corner, so we walked up there to see Maiko san's coming out of the building. Straight away you could see that grade of Maiko san different to what you are used to see on the TV. They had a class. Everything about them was graceful, literally, from tip to toe.<br />
From the elegant way they walked, how their hands swayed, the proper manner when they talked to their seniors, it was easy to imagine that they would make a perfect cup of green tea, and entertain the customers with their top level dancing and music performance. How I wish I could take their photos. Even the photos wouldn't have been enough to capture the air they emanated.<br />
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I was hoping to upload the photo of the restaurant but I seemed to have lost it. There are few photos that went missing after coming back from Japan. If I manage to dig them up, I will put them up.<br />
Kagetsu is actually on the very top of the large photo in which you can see the very old dutch style police station on the left. I have some daytime shots of the place. Here are some.<br />
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Well, the first three days flew past like that. We only had two more days to explore Nagasaki. The main part was yet to come.<br />
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Oh, talking of Tram. Trams are still operating in few towns in Japan, Nagasaki, Hakodate and Tokyo. There used to be ones running in my hometown Yokohama, and I used to play on the old, decaying tram desplayed in the big park next to my old elementary school as a child.<br />
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In the next post, I would like to upload some photos of the trams.<br />
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<a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 海外生活ブログ オーストラリア情報へ" border="0" height="15" src="https://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/img/australia80_15_gold.gif" width="80" /></a><a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"></a><a href="http://english.blogmura.com/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 英語ブログへ" border="0" height="15" src="https://english.blogmura.com/img/english80_15_1.gif" width="80" /></a>Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-33794026408918872012018-09-05T21:51:00.002+10:002018-09-07T19:01:45.322+10:00Chinatowns in JapanWell, it's already been 3 months since I came back from Japan but the memory is still afresh, so I am going to write a little about Japanese Chinatowns.<br />
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As you may know Chinatowns are found in a few large cities in the world. I am sure that there are many more than I know, namely the one in Melbourne, and the one in Sydney as well as in San Francisco and New York.<br />
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Prior to my last trip to Japan, I only knew the one in Yokohama where I grew up. The biggest one in Japan. As far as I know, many shops are run by 2nd and 3rd generation Chinese-Japanese. There is a high school just outside the Chinatown for Chinese Japanese children.<br />
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When I was a kid growing up, Chinatown was always bustling with tourists as well as Yokohama locals, for us Yokohama locals, it was located close to other popular spots like Isezaki and Motomachi shopping malls, which made this place an ideal weekend leisure destination.<br />
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The Chinatown in Yokohama, I realise now is that it is more commercial than those in Nagasaki and Kobe.<br />
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The reason for this is probably due to the short history of this particular one. Even though Chinese immigration started in the mid 19th century, the establishment of the Yokohama Chinatown was slow due to the Great Kanto Earthquake (which destroyed over 570,000 homes in central Japan and killed up to 142,000 people according to Wikipaedia) and of course the WWII.<br />
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So really, the Yokohama Chinatown didn't happen until the war ended. That explains the more contemporary design of the place.<br />
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Up there are the photos of Guan Di Miao temple in Yokohama.<br />
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In comparison to "our" Chinatown, Kobe one is smaller, and older. It originates in 1860s and even though it was destroyed by the bombing during the war, it was rebuilt as soon as the war ended.<br />
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Here are some photos of Kobe chinatown.<br />
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The last one we visited was the Nagasaki Chinatown.<br />
This one was very different from the other two. Since the 15th century, Chinese traders settled in and around where the Chinatown is. Nagasaki has long history as the biggest and oldest trading port in Japan, and the only port remained open to the western world during the Edo era though limited.<br />
The style of the gate and the roof design, are quite distinctive, too, I found.<br />
It was less than half the size of Yokohama Chinatown, but had this homey, intimate vibe where you can't experience in other two Chinatowns. How do I explain this, I don't quite know, but I sensed that this place wasn't meant for tourists, but for Chinese people. It was nothing spectacular, but a part of life.<br />
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Unfortunately, the photos of this particular Chinatown are amongst those went missing after coming back from Japan. Good news is that you can still find similar photos under google photo search, using the keyword "Nagasaki Chinatown".<br />
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<a href="https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Nagasaki+Chinatown&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwizgOXp9qfdAhUYQd4KHaxxDiUQ_AUICygC&biw=1366&bih=631">Nagasaki Chinatown google images</a><br />
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(During the lantern festival the Chinatown lit up and looks vibe-y and more glamorous but usually looks rather modest.)<br />
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There weren't many things to see there, but having a stroll there day in and day out while we were in Nagasaki and soaking in the feel of the place was a very memorable experience.<br />
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We saw other histrical buildings built by early Chinese migrants and have to admit that the one in Nagasaki is very special.<br />
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It is said that at one time about one-third of the population in Nagasaki may have been Chinese.<br />
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Actually I found the Chinatown in Nagasaki similar to some part of Okinawa design-wise. It could be because that Okinawa was an independent country from early 15th century to mid to late 19th century, and many Okinawan were genetically very close to Chinese. Time wise the Okinawa (then called Ryukyu kingdom) and Nagasaki Chinatown shares the great part of pre-Meiji Restoration history.<br />
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Kind-hearted, friendly Okinawans I met in 2011.<br />
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My guess is that many Chinese migrated into these two places around the same time that the both also shares the similar ambience. Down here are the photos of chinese buildings.<br />
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The typical Cinese style fence.<br />
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Overlooking them from Oranda zaka.<br />
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Now here are the photos of Shurijo Casle I took back in 2011.<br />
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This is a castle so it may not be a good example of the similarity, but some of the old houses in Okinawa has the roof design similar to those I found in Nagasaki. (it's just my own impression.)<br />
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Nagasaki is famously known for the atomic bombing, but it has influences of China, Korea and western countries everywhere.<br />
I am hoping to write a little more about Nagasaki in the next post.<br />
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<a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 海外生活ブログ オーストラリア情報へ" border="0" height="15" src="https://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/img/australia80_15_gold.gif" width="80" /></a><a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"></a><a href="http://english.blogmura.com/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 英語ブログへ" border="0" height="15" src="https://english.blogmura.com/img/english80_15_1.gif" width="80" /></a>Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-67293521509022704842018-06-21T22:10:00.001+10:002018-09-07T19:01:59.100+10:00One Day in NaraWell, I'm now back in Melbourne and reminiscing my time in Japan.<br />
It was as exciting as ever but at the same time it was tiring. It was largely to blame on my cheap and nasty pair of walking shoes with no proper arc support, which were already giving me enough trouble; and the day's destination was Mt. Shigi in Nara.<br />
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It took a few transfers to get to the foot of the mountain. The Hanshin line train my husband I took took us to Kintetsu Ue-Honmachi station, where we transferred to a connecting train to Shigi sanguchi station ("The Foot of Mt Shigi" station) where we took a cable way to Takayasu Yama Station, which means Mt. Takayasu station.<br />
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Takayasu mountain is another mountain in Ikoma Mountain Range, but I don't know, for some reason I was intrigued by Mt. Shigi more.<br />
We took a bus from the cable way station and the amazing view was already in front of us.<br />
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Out of a pure serendipity, we found a hotel that had a hot spring. We were so pleased because we had wanted to go to a hot spring but all those I could find were too far away from where I was staying.<br />
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We didn't have any bath towel with us, but I had a small towel and my husband bought one at the reception. They had a Roten Buro (Open-air bath) in Women's bath as well as Men's. Enjoying the hot spring while watching a magnificent mountain view was truly indulging, but one thing to note; people with tattoos are not allowed in the (public) bath.<br />
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A lovely view from the front lounge.<br />
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About half an hour later we headed to the peak of the mountain, which the google map said would take 17 minutes walk.<br />
No way, it took more like 30 minutes. Maybe it was because the weather was rather hot, or maybe it was after having a bath, or it could be because we detoured a lot by dropping by the temple half way up the mountain that made the distance feel a lot farther. Either way, we continued to walk up the seemingly endless steps to the top of the mountain.<br />
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Temples on the way up.<br />
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We were puffing heavily, as I was dragging my body up somehow, my husband would ask me every few minutes "how much longer to the top?" - Well, that's my question, my dear.<br />
Then shortly after, a monk in Yamabushi-like outfit spotted us and greeted us with a bow. He spoke English and told us that it would be just 5 more minutes walk away and gave us a god's blessing with a horn as he took off.<br />
Amazingly all the people we met on the way up there were middle-aged to old people, who are used to walking up and down the mountain daily.<br />
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The peak we finally reached was nothing fancy, but very special. The sense of achievement was of course part of it, but overlooking the breathtaking mountain range and the nearby temples with nobody else around but us, sitting at a bench and eating sandwiches, is also something that we will never forget.<br />
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After coming back to our accomodation, I could barely move. I was so exhausted, my legs felt like tree trunks, and we had to give up on the plan to go to Kyoto the next day.<br />
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We spent a few more days in Osaka, but for now I finish my journal entry for the day and wish you good night.<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 海外生活ブログ オーストラリア情報へ" border="0" height="15" src="https://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/img/australia80_15_gold.gif" width="80" /></a><a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"></a><a href="http://english.blogmura.com/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 英語ブログへ" border="0" height="15" src="https://english.blogmura.com/img/english80_15_1.gif" width="80" /></a>Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-60545811154131719032018-05-14T21:39:00.001+10:002018-09-07T19:02:17.796+10:00Quite an experience for one day.Today we decided to walk to a market near Nanba, which on the Google Map said is about 35 minutes walk away from where we are staying.<br />
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Out accomodation is actually located in the midst of red light district, with many old buildings with young chinese and japanese girls waving at us. From the look of the neighbourhood, seems to suggest that the area has been full of <i>aibiki yados </i>(something like <i>love hotel</i> of old days) for a long, long time.<br />
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Less than 5 minutes walk from the district is a local shopping arcade which already have everything essential and more, and we were thinking, like,<br />
"Hey, this is THE REAL Osaka" isn't it?" , yet it was only a small part of it.<br />
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Side alleyways.</div>
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Walking across a river, of which I don't know the name,<br />
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Walked pass a local school, a few parks,<br />
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and supermarkets,<br />
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<br />
we were there.<br />
It turned out that what we thought was a market, was just an average sized supermarket. Our consolation was that it was close to Nanba, about 1.2K away.<br />
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From there on, it was a real tourist experience.<br />
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It felt like we were in Shibuya again, just that people in Osaka are heaps more friendly and helpful. We enjoyed the street performances outside Takashimaya department store and then explored shopping arcades right, left and centre, and headed to Dotonbori, which is the real centre of Osaka tourism. I will put up photos I took on the way to and from once we are back in Melbourne.<br />
We nearly got lost few times today but GPS helped me a lot. With the portable wifi provided, made my day a lot easier. Still, we managed to walk at least 8km, about 3 hours. After days and days of eating out, this long walk was a good workout. I bought enough fruits and vegies (plus eggs and bacon) to last for the rest of our time in Osaka, to maintain our healthy lifestyle at least while we are here.<br />
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On the way back to our room.<br />
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Tap-water flushing toilet?<br />
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One of those typical alleyways in Osaka. It comes alive as the night falls, and pissed businessmen huddle in what looks like 3-4 metres square cubicle with simple timber counter and stools.<br />
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<a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 海外生活ブログ オーストラリア情報へ" border="0" height="15" src="https://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/img/australia80_15_gold.gif" width="80" /></a><a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"></a><a href="http://english.blogmura.com/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 英語ブログへ" border="0" height="15" src="https://english.blogmura.com/img/english80_15_1.gif" width="80" /></a>Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-26590421480248836422018-05-12T22:31:00.001+10:002018-09-07T19:02:39.036+10:00Good Bye Shibuya, Hello Kobe!Just as we were leaving Shibuya, finally sun came out. We didn't do much while we were in Shibuya, but yesterday we did something special. I took my husband to the place I spent 4 years in my 20s. It was right after my devorce from the last husband. I kick started the new life there, I often went to the local park called "Himonya park". I remember I threw my wedding ring into the lake.<br />
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It was an expensive ring so perhaps I should've kept it, but I never really regretted doing it, for it gave me the courage to move on, and lifted the emotional hung-up that was weighing me down.<br />
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After that I truly started enjoying my new single state. Met new people, went to many fabulous restautants, both traditional and multi-national.<br />
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The place is called "Gakugei Daigaku", which is like 5 stops from Shibuya via To-Yoko Line local train. It's only like 10 minutes from Shibuya and yet, people are more down to earth, and "Himonya Park" was just as tranquil as always.</div>
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I also went to the cafe right outside the station called "An-gui-yu", which I think is a French word, but don't count me on it.<br />
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Anyway, 23 years ago I used to go there almost everyday. the owner made an amazing cup of coffee. Everything was special, the music he chose to play, the kind of customers they had, the desserts and the vibe and of course the coffee were all so special. He was a quiet man who didn't communicate with people but his coffee was a piece of art. The price is rather high, but everything there tastes like WOW, I don't mind paying extra for that. Only sad thing I found this time was the owner is now an old man and looks very old to the extent I couldn't recognise him. That means I am getting old. Time has past.<br />
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I am not sure how many more times I get to see him, but would certainly try to go there every time I come to Japan.<br />
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Oh, there is one more thing to mention about Gakugei Daigaku. There is a chemist where you can buy boxes of cigarettes and alcohol. It felt strange that a pharmacy sells things that are so unhealthy, but to consider them as types of drugs, it sort of makes sense. All kinds of drugs could be found at a drug store - hmm, would it be plausible?<br />
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Next coming, Kobe.<br />
Before coming here all I knew about this place was about the earthquake that killed around 5000 people and injured 40000 people.<br />
But geez, this place has completely revived. I wish I could stay a lot longer. People here are so much more easy-going and genuinely helpful. And the food - everything I've eaten here is nothing like I had before. Kanto (the central state of Japan) has its great food culture of its own, and the China town in Yokohama offers mouth watering noodles and all but, Kobe offers the BEST sweets especially those made from local milk, literally melt in your mouth.<br />
This place also has its top-grade beef called Kobe-Gyu, which is more lean and full of taste, we loved it. Chinese noodles I ate in China Town was different in taste from Kanto style, less salty maybe?, I could definitely taste Kansai style in the way it was seasoned.<br />
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Another special experience we had was dining at Mosrite Cafe in Kobe Harbourland. We accidentally found the place while walking down the main street leading to the Port Kobe. The food was superb, just as you would expect from any restaurants in Kobe. The place was full of Mosrite guitars and my husband got so excited. As it turned out that the old man who was running the restaurant was the guy who owns the guitar manufacturer Mosrite, which is originally a US company, but Mosrite was no longer manufactured in the US. After the factory was closed down in the States, the old man bought all the licence from Mosrite, and now the factory in Kyoto is the only one that manufactures Mosrite guitars!!!<br />
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My husband felt so previledged to meet the owner and we spent hours listening to their houseband playing 60's Ventures' style music. I know it's not the type of music that attracts many audiences but their musicianship was great, their timing was spot-on, the band was so tight and together.<br />
The band members all spoke a little English and my husband had a great time talking to them - sharing the passion for music in particular.<br />
I still have so many places I want to check out but unfortunately our time in Kobe is running out. We are taking a train to Osaka tomorrow but at least we don't need to worry about the departure time, thank god.<br />
You know I'm gonna stay in Kobe as long as I can and have lunch before heading off to Osaka tomorrow.<br />
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Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-40986221730310752632018-05-09T16:31:00.001+10:002018-09-07T19:02:59.191+10:00Another Rainy Day in TokyoSo looks like the weather forecast is right. It's already 3 days into our stay in Japan and the weather hasn't been very kind to us.<br />
<br />
There are still fun activities you can distract you from the rather depressing weather.<br />
Shibuya certainly has heaps of department stores, electrical shops and huge convenience stores (Jap version of triple seven or coles express) and more, and more. (They even sell porn magazines.)<br />
Just take a look at the photos of one of the <i>conbini </i>(completely different scale from triple seven you are used to).<br />
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They even have window seats where you can sit down with your tablets and a cup of coffee and use free-wifi service that all convenience stores supply in Japan these days.<br />
I was in Sangenjaya yesterday evening (one of the downtowns in Tokyo) which I heard is a nice area to check out, but the daylight was fading and the wet weather let us down. Main problem was I could hardly use Internet anywhere. First, my mobile was on global roaming setting, so it would cost a lot if I use data or make calls carelessly. Most free-wifi don't allow you to access websites that share ads and personal infomation of any sort. In the end I gave up going to the "fasionable" side of Sangenjaya and headed back to Shibuya.<br />
It would've been a lot easier if I had planned it ahead of our trip,,,but I thought I could get by by asking locals for direction.<br />
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Outside the station.<br />
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Unfortunately those people you find in Tokyo are not necessarily locals, indeed, majority are commuting from other neighbouring surburbs and cities such as Yokohama.<br />
So my advice is. Don't try to save budget when it comes to Internet and phone services. Bite a bullet and get a prepaid or travel sim. You definitely need it.<br />
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<a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 海外生活ブログ オーストラリア情報へ" border="0" height="15" src="https://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/img/australia80_15_gold.gif" width="80" /></a><a href="http://overseas.blogmura.com/australia/"></a><a href="http://english.blogmura.com/"><img alt="にほんブログ村 英語ブログへ" border="0" height="15" src="https://english.blogmura.com/img/english80_15_1.gif" width="80" /></a>Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-66852912585188546232018-05-07T23:30:00.000+10:002018-09-07T19:03:49.397+10:00A hectic day.The plane arrived in Narita at 9am Japan time, and the good thing is that the airport was still quiet that all the entry procedures didn't take any more than 20 minutes.<br />
We, me and my husband had so much time left before check-in time so that we decided to go to my home town Kamiooka.<br />
There are many places where we can connect to free-wifi and while my husband was using Internet at Starbucks I dropped into my family home and had an afternoon tea with my mum.<br />
She is already 80 and while she is definitely starting to show her age, she is amazingly sharp and fit.<br />
It's always such a big relief to a daughter living overseas to know that her aging parent (Dad's passed away like 10 years ago.) is doing really well.<br />
I wish I could stay there a bit longer but I was keeping my hubby waiting for hours so I went back to Kamiooka station and did some shopping.<br />
The train ride to Shibuya where we spend the next 5 days were smooth as usual, but there were so many people that we found it hard to walk through. The way to our accomodation for the night was draining after a long full-on day like today. Shibuya is pretty central so if someone says "it's close to the station" could mean 20 minutes walk from the station. Or it was actually close but seems a lot longer because it was pissing outside, and oh, we had to look for our umbrellas that were packed "somewhere" definitely, but couldn't remember where we placed them so we were frantically digging everything out of the suitcases and backpacks like a pair of lunatics.<br />
The weather forecast says that it's going to be rainy for the next 4 days. Well, I don't mind it. The accomodation is located in a sidestreet just off Dogenzaka with many great restaurants and casual nomiya (pubs) packed with businessmen and the locals.<br />
We had a nice meal at a cozy restaurant with this very intimate vibe. We were the only customers there but the food was great.<br />
It was a hard day but it all ended well, and we are looking forward to whatever we come across with tomorrow.<br />
<br />Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-43728733753764536772018-05-06T23:36:00.000+10:002018-05-06T23:36:26.648+10:00...I just had a cup of cafe latte near our boarding gate. God, you really shouldn't have any drink including coffee at the airport.<br />
The cafe charged me $4.90 for an absolute shit that I only managed to take one small sip. The bar next to it had the old menus on their menu cards that don't exist anymore and they didn't even apologize.<br />
Talking of customer service, I can expect a really good one I guess.Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-2745162352179816502018-05-06T23:04:00.000+10:002018-05-06T23:37:16.250+10:00To Japan Here I am at Tullamarine airport waiting for our flight to Japan.<br />
Since it is a midnight flight the departure lounge was fairly quiet and even after two stage bag check - one for explosives and body check and then normal bag check, we still have over an hour left before boarding time.<br />
At least nowadays we get free wifi at every airport to kill time, which is exactly what I'm doing now.<br />
Over the next 3 weeks and a few days I'll be in several different places I haven't been before. When you live in the country of your origin, you just don't travel around different places that much, because you're thinking that you can go there any time you want and if you want, and you don't appreciate your country as much as you do when you live outside your country.<br />
I'm sure I'll find something new and interesting everywhere I go with my husband.<br />
It's going to be too precious experience to forget, photos only won't be enough to describe what I am going to see. So I'm thinking about posting a travel journal as often as I can while I'm there.Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-18689132047573872142018-04-26T19:44:00.001+10:002018-04-26T19:44:08.800+10:00Opioid addictionThe name of the substances came up in the movie I saw yesterday. Indeed I didn't k km now what it was before Michael Jackson's death made it famous worldwide.<br />
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We swallow painkiller fairly often in the modern life filled with so much pain and stress. Then soon I realised that the effect only last me an hour or so. So I started to take Panadeine. There was a stage that I admit I was dependent on it because it surely worked better and the effects don't wear off too soon.<br />
<br />
Then I heard at my local chemist that the medicine was taken off the shelves completely and not even generic ones were available. Codeine, one of the two active ingredients is decided to be too addictive. See the details of what happened: <a href="https://creakyjoints.org.au/news-and-features/changes-codeine-prescription-regulations-australia-will-affect/">https://creakyjoints.org.au/news-and-features/changes-codeine-prescription-regulations-australia-will-affect/</a><br />
They are right about some people misusing codeine by mixing it up with alcohol or taking the amount well over the dosage limit, which probably the cause of many deaths illustrated on the article.<br />
People with any sorts of addiction I think has a certain personality and are prone to getting addicted. Bust is Panadeine that harmful? I think it's debatable. There is an element of hypocrisy to what happened to the medicine, and I tell you what. While Panadeine became unavailable over the counter, Panadeine forte, which contains over twice the amount of codeine has been still prescribed by the doctors and the dentists. Even Opioid, I heard, is still legal.<br />
<br />
So what's next?<br />
All those painkillers, Panadol, Avril, Neurofen, etc. don't do anything for your pain, and you get more dependent on stronger painkillers.<br />
If or when eventually Opioid painkillers are illegalised (apart from the use as an anasthetic), it'll be replaced by something equivalent in strength and more likely be addictive.<br />
<br />
I was feeling safer taking only 1 pr 2 panadeine every 2 or 3 days to keep my pain more bearable, rather than going to the doctor and get him to prescribe me Panadeine Forte.<br />
This really shouldn't have happened because Panadeine was far more benign in comparison to some other over the counter painkillers.<br />
<br />
If they keep taking off less addictive painkillers, Australia might head to the Opioid epidemic like how it's happening in the US.<br />
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Your thoughts?<br />
<br />
<br />Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-90578327935848733092018-04-25T22:37:00.001+10:002018-04-25T23:45:42.492+10:00Anzac DayIt is the day to commemorate the Australians who fought in any wars, or, and lost their lives.<br />
Maybe for that reason, all Japanese restaurants and grocers I've seen today were closed.<br />
<br />
You know a long time has passed since the last war.<br />
You may think Japanese lost more lives in the wars.<br />
You may think it's unfair that some Australians still have hang-up over what Japanese did to them many decades ago, it doesn't change the history where the mistakes were made.<br />
I think it's fair, because the point is not about the number of lives that were sacrificed in those wars. Every single person's life is important.<br />
No matter how many years go by, it still pains to think about your beloved father and grand father losing their lives.<br />
Anzac Day is not about being hostile towards the country that killed their people.<br />
It is about commemorating all the brave people who fought for the value that they believed in back then. Just like what Japanese soldiers did.<br />
And majority of people in modern society have the awareness.<br />
<br />
The wars brings back sad, morbid memories for sure.<br />
But Lest us Forget. (Let us not forget)<br />
The past wars were not meaningless as long as we don't repeat it.<br />
Without those wars modern Australia we live in wouldn't exist. The same goes with Japan. The wars were the important part of what our countries have become.<br />
<br />
Even some of my relatives fought in the last war and some died and one returned with a lost leg. My parents had next to nothing to eat, stavation and malnutrition was common. You shouldn't eat too much so those brave soldiers have enough riceballs to sustain themselves...<br />
<br />
There is this huge controversy over the Japanese government officials visiting Yasukuni shrine every year to commemorate the soldiers died in the last war, and people think it is not appropriate.<br />
But I think otherwise. They were the making of the present day Japan. Not everything they did was right, but the same time, not everything they did was wrong either.<br />
<br />I was listening to ABC just an hour ago and Lindy Burns was hosting a program, and naturally there was a topic on the true meaning of the Anzac Day, which happens every year and refreshes your memory.<br />
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I've come to love Australia as much as my home country Japan. It is my second home now. People here don't judge me by the country of my origin.<br />
Most people just see me as who I am, for which I'm truly grateful.<br />
<br />
For now, let me commemorate all the brave soldiers in both countries.<br />
<br />
I remember you.<br />
<br />Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-21523832174961597322018-04-25T22:16:00.001+10:002018-09-07T19:05:27.645+10:00UnsaneI caught up with my friend Ania today, walking down from Smith St in Fitzloy to Lygon St in Carlton.<br />
We watched some great psycho thriller movie about a girl, who is a bit neurotic, but got a good job, and was about to be promoted because of her immaculate work.<br />
<br />
Next thing she was at a bar looking around as if she was waiting for someone. And there he was, waving at her. It looks like they met on an online dating site. Next they were flirting and making out, and were drunk, and she took him to her apartment.<br />
Then she came to her sense, realising what she was doing, freaking out and hid herself in the bathroom. The guy was totally puzzled, and eventually left.<br />
<br />
So something was wrong with her.<br />
<br />
Now she is looking for help on victims of stalkers and finds a clinic that is a possible help to the likes of her. She drops by the clinic on her way to work, or maybe on her break to book some therapy sessions. Then she discovers that it doesn't end up there.<br />
<br />
It's well past the time she should be back at work, but they get her to sign paperworks, and put her through tests and then took her to a room where all other insane people are.<br />
<br />
She is a bit neurotic, but for a good reason. As it turned out, she got stalked by a guy in her hometown, and ran away to the new city to start a new life, but the terror remained and she couldn't move on.<br />
<br />
Next thing she knew that she was to stay in the room for 24 hours. Other people in the room looked like all lunatics to her, and next morning when she attempted to escape from the room, a guy blocked her way and grabbed her boobs. She attacked him back. She kept banging the door as hard as she could, and after a short while several nurses surged in, and one of them was HIM, who was stalking her back in her home town. Initially I thought it was her delusion, which wasn't. He really was the guy. With no one believing her, police wouldn't want to be involved, lawyers want nothing to do with it, her personal belongings and mobile were all temporality confiscated.<br />
Oh no how horrifying!<br />
A few days later she found by a pure accident that one of the "inmates" has his mobile hidden in his clothes. Who also was more sane compared to other room mates, he was there for the opioid addiction, which is quite common these days. Geradually they started to get close. It was just a good friendship, but it was witnessed by the stalker and infuriented him. In a fit of violent jealousy the male nurse "The Stalker" murdered him.<br />
<br />
Of course, the climic tried to cover up what happened - the stalker appeared to be a meek, halmless type. You would never, even for one moment, suspect the guy would do anything criminal. Looks can be deceptive.<br />
<br />
From then on more murders were commited. She's not the kind of girl who would give up without fighting, but her standing up for her self and self protecting only labelled her "violently insane and dangerous" and every time she "misbehaves" tranquiliser would be used against her will.<br />
<br />
So they really unsane-d her who was only marginally insane.<br />
The movie was compelling, although my friend wasn't too sure because of the intencity of the movie, and at times was rather predictable. She would've preferred more subtle, arty presentation.<br />
<br />
But I liked it. I thought the obviousness made it more convincing. After all<br />
her problem remained unresolved. She should've been happier, now being free from the stalker, and more contented after being promoted.<br />
<br />
I know that I explained too much about the film already, but I recommend you watching the film if you want to find out everything.<br />
<br />
Me myself have an experience being stalked by a guy in the past, so I know that every time the victim see someone looks like the tormenter they have the flashback that brings back the horror. I think I've moved on, but maybe not. Because even when I am only telling someone about that little incident, triggers the upsetting feeling and corners me to cry.<br />
<br />
Probably love and care from your family and friends are the best therapy you could get.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-35724712096782035202018-04-19T21:33:00.000+10:002018-04-19T21:37:07.653+10:00How devastating.It was yesterday I bought a multi-device keyboard, which was fairly reasonably priced and they said that it would work on pretty much everything, including my mobile, tablet and PC if it were compatible.<br />
<br />
The main reason for buying it was I wanted to use my tablet more often, my first tablet PC came with detachable keyboard with mouse on the bottom like most other laptop computer.<br />
I'm horrible at using that type of keyboard and after a while I stopped using the tablet often enough to worth my money.<br />
<br />
So I was excited after successfully connecting it to my new keyboard. It worked fantastic!<br />
It didn't work with my old PC though. It still runs on windows 7 and it doesn't have the latest version of bluetooth. (The one on my PC is Ver. 2.0) so it isn't compatible with many new devices. But it wasn't a big deal with me, I could probably buy a new CPU in a few years, and I love the way it works so well with my android phone as well. I'm hopeless with touch panel keyboard so things like writing a blog entry and emails used to be a nightmare task for me. I can't beleave how all those kids and young milennials type so fast with their two thumbs. But still, I can't connect a mouse with an android phone, so when I came back from work today I was so looking forward to use my tablet, AND it didn't work.<br />
<br />
- Oh no, looks like there's a big crack on the bottom right side, had it been there for a while?<br />
<br />
I thought.<br />
<br />
- Probably it's only a cosmetic damage...<br />
<br />
I hoped.<br />
<br />
Then I realised that the touch panel wasn't responding at all. I couldn't even switch off the device.<br />
<br />
Definitely the crack wasn't there last night. Somebody, surely killed my new friend.<br />
<br />
Even though the overall price of all those tech devices are coming down recently, if you buy few things it all adds up to your annual expence.<br />
<br />
If you have been using the same device for over 3 years, there's a good chance that it has compatibility issues with not just your other devices, but could cause problem with windows updates or adobe updates.<br />
They really make you spend your money, hey?<br />
These days tax returns, payroll, police check and banking are mostly done online. Once upon a time having a mobile phone and a PC wasn't a necessity. But nowadays, it is. When I went to a bank in Japan, some of the procedures were only supposed to be done online, and I didn't have an easy access to internet because I was just visiting and wifi didn't work very well either (because my android phone at that time was a few years old).<br />
Now imagine you can't use your PC or your phone died. You are pretty much fucked. Oh, that's right, you can still go to your local library to use internet. However nothing changes the fact that we have become so completely dependent on the technology.<br />
<br />
I am thinking.<br />
<br />
Should I take my broken tablet to a repair guy, or buy a new one between 200 and 300 dollars? Or if I leave the tablet overnight, maybe, just maybe, it fixes itself?<br />
<br />
Dream on, girl.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-68784069948143173592018-04-19T00:03:00.002+10:002018-04-19T00:06:49.331+10:00Looking after health costs a lot.For a long long time I hadn't been writing anything. My lame excuse could be being busy, which wasn't true. However, I had been sick, very very sick.<br />
<br />
Especially since last year I started feeling the familiar foreboding of having a seizure. It didn't happen, but I was consistently having those nasty migraines and dizziness. My energy level hit the rock bottom, and on one of those sick days I couldn't even get out of my bed. As a result my sick leaves were mounting up and of course my bosses weren't too happy.<br />
<br />
The side effect from my medication were causing nausea, water retention among many other things that were making me feel ill.<br />
<br />
Late last year I made many attempts to see a specialist doctor, however they were all busy and I was told that the waiting time would be nearly 3 months. If you live in Australia, you should be familiar with this bullshit.<br />
General practitioner aka GP, especially bulk bill ones are only good for issuing prescriptions or medical certificates. If you really think you are think, you'll have to pay to get your body properly checked, because bulk bill GPs can't point out the problem you have by just hearing you speak about the symptoms. They don't take time to listen to you. Usually you are stuck feeling nothing's solved.<br />
If you get injured and have to take some time off work, bulk bill doctors want absolutely nothing to do with work cover. It's safer to avoid responsibility, right?<br />
<br />
Australian medical system isn't very kind to people will any serious ailments. It takes so long before being able to see a specialist. You can see one of them straight away only if something drastic happens to you, and more often than not, your illness would be so advanced and sometimes it could even be life threatening.<br />
<br />
My situation was the same. I hadn't had a seizure yet, hence my condition was not serious enough to be seen "urgent" from their point of view.<br />
Well, it was URGENT from my point of view. If I hadn't done anything by now I would probably have had a grand-mal seizure anytime soon.<br />
<br />
That was when I decided to see an acupuncturist. It took me over a month before I found the right acupuncturist, but my immune system is working a lot better, my energy level's almost normal and I stopped having the twitches and ominous migraines. Plus my back injury doesn't bother me that much anymore.<br />
<br />
From my experience, traditional Chinese acupuncture isn't for me. I have tried cupping for my back problem. There are two types of cupping; traditional cupping and mobile cupping with oil. For me the latter worked heaps better.<br />
The one I have been seeing is an Australian practitioner and she is very good at controlling the amount of pressure she uses during the cupping session.<br />
<br />
Still, it is extremely inconvenient having to wait so long to see a specialist. There are times I have to see one of them because the holistic approach alone isn't enough and since GP doesn't make any professional decision for me, I have to seek for a professional opinion every time I feel the medications or treatments are not working for me.<br />
<br />
On top of all this, the fee for one consultation cost around 300 dollars, even after medicare rebate it still costs about 180 dollars if my memory is right.<br />
With medicines, doctor visits, acupuncture sessions, etc the money I spend in one year costs a fortune.<br />
Private health insurance is such a scam and you have to pay like 50 dollars a week and the insurance company won't give you the option of unlimited coverage for "acupuncture" for example. The claim limit is often a few hundred dollars a year for each different treatments; optical, dental, chiropractic, remedial massage, etc. and you can't claim any more after that. Probably you'll end up spending more if you are WITH private health insurance.<br />
<br />
I can't do hard exercise but just do gentle exercise like yoga and walking. Fortunately my ab muscle is pretty strong so I can easily do about 50 plus sit ups at a time (not overdoing it is a key to pursuing with exercise).<br />
<br />
Yes. It hurts having to spend so much for keeping my health under control but at least I can answer "pretty good" instead of "not too bad" most time someone ask me how I am.<br />
<br />
<br />Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-59696473998209283292017-06-22T13:19:00.000+10:002017-06-22T14:24:26.435+10:00A big sigh. Now I'm well and truly in my mid 40s, and probably like every women in my age, I'm struggling to keep my figure.<br />
I won't say I'm overweight, and from the side with my clothes on, I look pretty good. However, the problem lies in where you can't see - that is "love handles" "chicken wings" and "upper thighs". The areas that are hard to tackle.<br />
Plus I'm combating nagging pain in my knees, shoulders and back due to an injury which makes the situation even harder.<br />
All those planking, dumbbell exercises that are supposed to target the areas - just forget them.<br />
I've tried, and ended up further aggravating my pain.<br />
Whinging too much, you say?<br />
Well, I may be middle-aged, but still an woman, so let me dream.<br />
I'm telling you, I've been eating healthy. Less carb, more vitamin and fibre rich diet, and no alcohol. Doing steps, yoga, walking and whatever the exercises I can do without hurting my body, and I just can't get rid of my bloody fat!!!<br />
It's winter now. So you may think it's ok having fat where is covered with clothes. I know. But I can't wear my favourite red dress because I look disproportionally fat with my chicken wings exposed.<br />
Those trainers should really help people like me with arthritis problems to keep our posture.<br />
Don't you agree?<br />
<br />
<br />Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-88735421223574957512016-04-01T21:55:00.001+11:002016-04-02T01:01:30.756+11:00My painful first experience. I'm going to see my hair stylist tomorrow for a hair cut.<br />
Last time I saw him was pretty traumatic.<br />
<br />
It wasn't the hair style I didn’t like; I love his job so much that he is the only one I go to. Seriously.<br />
<br />
The story was, about 6 months ago I dyed my hair for the first time in my life, which I used to think I never would until 2 years ago. The only reason I thought I'd try this was the fact I started seeing some grey in my hair.<br />
<br />
At that point I only wanted thin strands of hair coloured here and there so I asked him not to colour my entire hair.<br />
I was anxious but also exited.<br />
<br />
Like I said in the beginning, it was my first experience, which means I didn't know the colouring procedure, at all.<br />
Halfway through the process I began to get this uneasy feeling that something was going terribly wrong.<br />
<br />
He dyed my hair in 2 stages - he actually took strands of my hair and breached them, then next he dyed my entire hair in dark brown. It wasn't too different from my original hair colour so what the big deal, most people would say. Yeah I get it.<br />
<br />
But it was a big deal. Hair dye can damage your hair and changes the natural texture of it. I was so shocked to see strands of bright red in my dyed chocolate brown hair.<br />
<br />
In most people's eyes it must've looked great. However, it was to me like losing my virginity for the second time - oh, I can still recall how my heart ached, I'm telling you, as fresh as if it happened yesterday.<br />
<br />
Coming home, the first thing I did that night was wrapping my entire hair with detox clay to rid of as much chemicals in it as I could, cos either the smell or the chemicals, whichever it was, or maybe it was the combination of both was making me feel queasy.<br />
<br />
The clay managed to remove most of the smell, and after detoxifying my hair the red bits looked a bit faded but it at least gave me some emotional relief.<br />
<br />
The faint scent of the dye still lingered for the next few days which I didn't likebut I eventually moved on from the initial devastation.<br />
<br />
Well, perhaps I wasn't that unhappy about the colour itself but my subconscious sort of went into the denial mode - maybe I'm not as adventurous as I think I am. In the past I fantasised myself getting a small tatt somewhere on less obvious part of my body but I realise now I'm the kind of person who come to regret it. Getting a tattoo is different, it's irreversible.<br />
<br />
My new look was extremely popular among my workmates, but I don't think I'll ever colour my hair again.<br />
<br />
Sometimes a fantasy is best left as a fantasy.<br />
<br />
<br />Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-16594784992439853382016-03-30T19:30:00.001+11:002016-03-31T03:59:57.509+11:00Breakfast at ...<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It’s been a
long, long time since my last entry. Just out of blue I felt like writing
again. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Over the last couple of years,</span> were moments I planned to write something, like travel exeriences or
Café reviews or you know, just something, anything.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I took
photos which still live somewhere on my computer, under various combinations of alphabetics and numerics, and you know they exist but can't mentally picture exactly where, cos you never
use them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And by now they
are all old stories. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While I was
taking a long leave from writing I can’t say I did anything constructive or much at all. Apart
from usual part time job and daily house chores, I just spent fair bit of time
reading Japanese online novels, I have to say I found several good ones, but
most were kind of same-y plot-wise and eventually my fad is over. It was fairly
long passing phase though. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was constantly sick last year, mainly due to hormone change, low metabolism, low immunity etc, coming with age I guess. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">However there have been a few positive changes lately. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I have been
exercising everyday for the last 3 months, doing dance-move inspired exercises
in the morning and yoga at night. Nothing strict, moves are modified depending on my condition of, say, knee pains and back pains; as a result it became very different from textbook yoga. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But this daily
exercise works wonders for me. it gives me more energy and boosts my immune system, and even when I do get sick it doesn't last long. Plus I
haven’t taken any sick leave yet. It's WOW considering how I was taking one or two sickies every month for well over a year.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I have been
eating home cooked meal most of the time now (until last year I was a perpetual indian/thai takeout eater</span><span lang="EN-US">) and avoiding sweets the best I
can. I can't say this too firmly because, </span>as with everything else I can’t
stick to my own rules for long. You know the
way it is with people like me – I allow myself occasional treat. Strict regimen
never works. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At different time, with different problems with different parts of your
body, you have to go through the motions accordingly, am I right or am I right???</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh what’s that to do with sweets,
you ask?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Never mind.
I never eat sugar-free sweets. Guilt-free pleasure, they say – then how come
are they still so sweet, some syrup or artificial sweetener must’ve been in there right? I
would rather have modest amount of raw or brown sugar. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At least they are natural aren't they, or honey – </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is my reasoning – Not bad,
Honey.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">If I were a
pedantic dieter, I would’ve also disapproved of Café meals but some are really
good. I gotta admit. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I went to this Café last month and it was still hot you bet. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This place
is situated near Hurstbridge station and from I gather, they are run by a family, cos the
boy behind the counter at that time was talking to the local customer about some unhappy event in
the family that prevented his mum from turning up that day. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Hmmm, more unhappy news, where
does it all end? I thought I’ve heard enough since the start of this year. Maybe it
was the heat this summer to be blamed – it really was a long, hot summer. But
we survived through it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Oh, right. I was about
to mention Café meals, now I remember – I have this bad habit of drifting off
to different topic and forgetting where I was before – but yep, about Café meals. I actually
don’t mind classic breakfast menu like toast with scrambled eggs or poached
eggs with crispy bacon. Sometimes I do get the craving, I don't even mind the oily, leathery
(rubbery?) texture of the bacon at some anonymous neighbourhood coffee joint (not stylish enough to be called Café, you know the kind I mean.), but this is
different. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Look at these.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXvTBZz9TBJeVGymSfMSCUGAaKMyEXJO3y7V-vxL3ETN-E3LNptRdztNlWLSK4GE1NFaJ6SB2tJWl48xS6PZhcm88mYu0fEyDVcfPzhCYrZu1AKOQuCqFkLYJaqrTz5_VV2VgwXhWbRo/s1600/DSC_0160+%25282%2529+%2528Small%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXvTBZz9TBJeVGymSfMSCUGAaKMyEXJO3y7V-vxL3ETN-E3LNptRdztNlWLSK4GE1NFaJ6SB2tJWl48xS6PZhcm88mYu0fEyDVcfPzhCYrZu1AKOQuCqFkLYJaqrTz5_VV2VgwXhWbRo/s320/DSC_0160+%25282%2529+%2528Small%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZEnr5bTZn1bGiilcLrQjeMNb6lgi2fIW5J4WtN4i2qWmhcIANA-RsvdmeY8Jnc8ZmHmJRnZ_7GS4AgZZv9ZlVZ2tLCgAAi-rFG5xZKq02FNC0hyphenhyphenv3CQqTjzrENNpDCAaq9IaxuAs2bo/s1600/DSC_0161+%25282%2529+%2528Small%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZEnr5bTZn1bGiilcLrQjeMNb6lgi2fIW5J4WtN4i2qWmhcIANA-RsvdmeY8Jnc8ZmHmJRnZ_7GS4AgZZv9ZlVZ2tLCgAAi-rFG5xZKq02FNC0hyphenhyphenv3CQqTjzrENNpDCAaq9IaxuAs2bo/s320/DSC_0161+%25282%2529+%2528Small%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Poached eggs were <o:p></o:p></span><span style="text-align: center;">perfectly poached, not too runny or hard – and as may
see (or maybe it's not quite the right angle), they have the open kitchen so you can see them preparing food. It’s
getting more and more trendy to have open kitchen in a Café these days.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then again even the simple breakfast is priced like 13 dollars. Yeah and those menu we ordered cost more. But it’s worth paying for.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5ihItRXqWLqEXYQSV9pRzLDUr0CcKeFrRaLcsSOpPoxKqcqELjksuXownjPpQIjt-gP6W87tW3zDxX7fhNgLwv_YKTpRW9ZxWipnR2LjKPpv1KEbOjvJLphM_PJOiAiE2kUQLd6Uqks/s1600/DSC_0159+%25282%2529+%2528Small%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5ihItRXqWLqEXYQSV9pRzLDUr0CcKeFrRaLcsSOpPoxKqcqELjksuXownjPpQIjt-gP6W87tW3zDxX7fhNgLwv_YKTpRW9ZxWipnR2LjKPpv1KEbOjvJLphM_PJOiAiE2kUQLd6Uqks/s400/DSC_0159+%25282%2529+%2528Small%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">You see, not just they are delicious but also beautifully presented. In the old days Café
meals looked like these. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Actually they look very, very nice. Far from those rubbery slices of bacon I mentioned...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Talking
about good </span>Café, they don’t have to look quite this fancy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s this tiny
Café in Brunswick I frequent, which used to be a derelict milk bar not even 10 years
ago. Now converted into one of many popular cafes in Brunswick, it only offers 2 or
3 signature menus (and the food quality is consistently high) as far as I know. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And they are so simple and nothing too fancy
and not as pricey either. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This very cozy joint that serves one of the best cups
of coffee, popular as it deserves, is called La Paloma. Staff are all friendly and many seem to have
south American background. Definitely worth checking out. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-58096645355599637792013-07-17T04:23:00.001+10:002013-07-17T07:08:55.771+10:00Le Renaissance 4<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">It's been nearly an year past since I uploaded the earlier part of the story. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I originally wrote this part in 3rd person narrative, thinking that it might give the character a different perspective, or make it sound like the main character is watching herself in a more detached way. However, when I did it, it seemed to make the narrative voice less powerful.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I also contemplated writing in present tense, but since it's a process of going back to the past in a sense, I decided to use past tense here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I'm just afraid the tone of the narrative might have changed slightly and I am not quite sure what is the right thing to do, but for the time being I will just keep writing and enjoy how the story unfolds itself and I might change bits and pieces later if necessary. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, let's see...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">***********************************************************************</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">When I
finally arrived at Hakata station, I was astonished by how different it looked.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">‘Bullet
trains didn’t stop at Hakata back then, that’s why.’ I thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Hakata had always been the most exciting part of Fukuoka and Fukuoka had always been a city, but now it really felt like a proper city, not like how I
remembered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I sat by
the window at a café just outside the station and blankly watched the view
spreading in front of me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">‘It feels
so strange and unreal being here again…and why now?’ I whispered to myself,
‘after all these years wasted for trying to act like someone who I’m not.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">‘…but if I
hadn’t been the person who I really am, what exactly is real me? Nana must have
changed too, just like I have.’ I let out an inaudible sigh as I sipped a cup
of tall black.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">The next few
hours were spent just hopping on and off several different local train stops and
checking out places where I was supposed to know well. </span>The view
became more familiar as I traveled farther out of the main city. I traced back my fading
memory and managed to find an old tobacco shop, which was something like a milk
bar, still ran by the same grandma who obviously suffers from some form of
dementia. Her daughter Akane-san came back from mainland over ten years ago
after a messy divorce was helping her business. In a few years time, Akane-san
said, that they would sell out this shop, and move to somewhere closer to the city, but considering
this country's economic state even the idea of selling the shop appeared
challenging, Akane-san whinged with a forced smile. The
situation was similar in all the villages I visited. Many houses and milk
bars were gone, so were all my old school mates who obviously shifted to either
city or mainland. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">The heat was murderous in the countryside. Monsoon season
this year apparently didn't bring enough rain and the dry merciless sun quickly
burnt my neck. I had limitless time on my hand but having to wait 20 minutes in
this sun...with nowhere to escape….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">‘Oh, this is
the beauty of country life. The public transport is useless. I should’ve
known better! Why didn’t I check the timetable more carefully? This is the side
effect of living in Metropolitan area for so many years.’ I quietly cursed myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I wondered
how I could possibly have survived through those ten years in the rural part of
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Fukuoka</st1:place></st1:city>. I know
why. It’s because there was Nana, and we shared many good and bad times,
including this heat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I was
struck by sudden rush of nostalgia. There are things would never change. The
endless view of rice paddies and wheat fields, and far, far away in distance, I saw mountains covered with soft, wispy clouds. This place had the pristine beauty that was
hard to find elsewhere, and despite the brutal sun, the air itself smelt almost
sweet. As the faint breeze brushed past me I let the familiar scent tingle my
nose. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">While waiting
for the next train, I kept thinking about Nana. I know I used to call her the
best friend, but she was more than a friend, more special than a friend or could’ve
even been something completely different. Infatuation. That was what it was, or
you could call it my obsession that I couldn’t entirely move on from. I
desperately needed some form of conclusion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">After
leaving F<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">ukuoka</st1:place></st1:city>
I never took interest in another girl, that was for sure. I enjoyed the casual
relationships with guys to a certain point, although it might have been partly due
to the invisible pressure coming from my parents and relatives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">During this 20
years filled with regrets and vain efforts to re-create my image of being a straight mature adult, I could't remember how many nights I kissed Nana in my dreams,
touched her with my fingers and felt her heat and heartbeat. Then saw that flashback, again, of us on that riverbank, I lied next to Nana and was
painfully aware how badly I wanted to kiss her lips.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Only if I
could forget, or if I could find a soul mate, I wouldn’t have come back. Or
would’ve come back and laugh about it as a silly adolescent fantasy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">‘What do I
want?’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">The small village
where they spent those 10 years together was less than 10 minutes away. Once on
the train, the coolness of air-coned inside brought back my usual self. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘That’s
right, what do I want? She is more likely won’t be there anymore. How stupid,
how absurd…what a laugh!’ I snorted. I was a 34-year-old woman acting impulsively like a kid. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">It was a
village with only one junior high school, with about 300 students including those from few
surrounding villages. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">‘What the
hell am I doing here?’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I took an
old photo of us photographed in 1972, so we would’ve been 12 then, out of the
side pocket of my bag as I got out of the train stop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">It was like
stepping back in the old days. Everyone remembered me and everyone I knew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">The old guy
who used to live in the wooden hut behind that water mill passed away two years
ago just a few days before his 100-year old birthday. All the grandpas and
grandmas stayed in this village but not many families in the village had enough
young blood to sustain their wheat farming business. Future was looking bleak. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I couldn’t
avoid the inevitable questions like;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">“Chisa-chan,
Are you coming back to stay?” to which I just answered timidly, “No, I haven't
planned anything yet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">“Where’s
your husband, Chisa-chan? How many children do you have?” to which of course I
couldn’t say anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Those
questions were not the kind I wanted to hear, but t</span>he words
like “husband” and “kids” made me think about something else.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">‘What would
she be like?’ That was the question that popped in my head. ‘A mum? …No, it's
too hard to imagine her with a baby.’ I chuckled. ‘But we are old enough to be
a mum of teenage kids’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Teenage
kids! It was scary to remind myself that we were teenage kids back then.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">My feeling
towards Nana, to myself, was spiritual, beautiful and sensual at the same time.
But no matter how I would have described it I would’ve been just a dyke to these
village people anyway, some creature that all homophobiac crowd would spit on and
disdain. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">And these nice people – and I meant it - weren’t even aware that they
were those crowd. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I was now
carrying on like a “normal” adult who used to be a good girl, but was actually
someone who they would’ve labelled as “<i>Wacho</i>”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">The brick
wall was tall and tough. Invincible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">I nearly
forgot how it was like having to suppress my burning, choking desire, and how
many times I cursed my goddess in my mind yelling, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">“Damn you,
get out my head!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">Now I
remembered how close to the edge I was and all the complicating and turbulent
emotions that were driving me mad. And I
didn’t even know what Nana was feeling, either. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-AU">The
chemistry which seemed to me was mutual, could’ve just been my wishful
imagination.</span></div>
Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-54381037751662440552013-04-25T02:09:00.004+10:002013-04-25T02:12:54.083+10:00Turning Pages of History.When I was volunteering at a charity op-shop, I got hold of a little English dictionary the width of 50 cent coin and the height of my small thumb, which is called "lilliput webster dictionary'. Printed in 1969 in Germany, this tiny dictionary obviously is quite popular for past 75 years.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've always had an eye for antique,<br />
Antique, that is not too expensive, not in perfect condition, </div>
<div>
but with some wear and tear or a unique character of its own.</div>
<div>
"The little webster from Spotless Dry Cleaning and Laundry" is certainly one of the kind.<br />
I placed it on the fireplace alcove in our lounge, and admired it from time to time.</div>
<div>
I had never took a great notice of anything else except, the size of the dictionary.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ian was watching 'American Pickers' on TV on the sofa.</div>
<div>
I was standing with my back facing the heater.</div>
<div>
We were talking about how I have a thing for old items with some company logos on them.</div>
<div>
Then I abruptly looked in the direction of the alcove.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBs1ntIHHbwo2vV_JU6WdHrHm8nCadeP5OErJqOaASqiG-pu7tuNP9aPnCqUmMWTmlU4RnTyKwppDB7dNupqpSLgAhBcrAnOznZTk4tg4ZwawseNyP_fR0YIGKKhyu9ZuyIT7h6hY3GI/s1600/Spotless+dry+cleaning+and+laundry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqBs1ntIHHbwo2vV_JU6WdHrHm8nCadeP5OErJqOaASqiG-pu7tuNP9aPnCqUmMWTmlU4RnTyKwppDB7dNupqpSLgAhBcrAnOznZTk4tg4ZwawseNyP_fR0YIGKKhyu9ZuyIT7h6hY3GI/s1600/Spotless+dry+cleaning+and+laundry.jpg" /></a>This one was a great pick, wasn't it? I said.</div>
<div>
Sure was, said Ian.</div>
<div>
It is in amazing condition...did I pay 50 cents for it or got it for free? </div>
<div>
I'm pretty sure I didn't pay anything for it.</div>
<div>
And I wouldn't have had to anyway.</div>
<div>
It was a free giveaway someone got from Spotless Dry Cleaning and Laundry store in Melbourne, or someone who was working for the place donated one, I'm not hundred percent sure.</div>
<div>
I found a photo archived on National Library of Australia Website.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This photo was taken in 1967, two years in prior to the dictionary was printed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
The same logo you see on the roof of the store is found on the cover of the dictionary.<br />
<br />
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The definition is simple and easy to understand.</div>
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In its 640 pages, it covers pretty much every word you will need in daily life.</div>
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<br />
The spotless dry cleaning and laundry store in Melbourne probably changed its name slightly since then, well, I don't know.<br />
In 1969, Australia must have been still pretty "white".<br />
Most migrants were those from Mediterranean nations and Eastern European nations.<br />
But slowly but surely Australia was heading towards multiculturalism.<br />
That's why the idea of a dry cleaner using an English dictionary as a promotional item is so interesting.<br />
<br />
Well, it certainly is not the tiniest like Bryce's,<br />
Even the original 1969 Lilliput Dictionary costs only 19 Australian Dollars.<br />
But it is special.<br />
<br /></div>
Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-57400403390767169192013-03-15T19:23:00.001+11:002013-03-15T19:23:34.583+11:00The Best Revenge.<p>...was the title of the book I was reading last night.</p>
<p>It was about a female FBI agent, Kelda who was obsessed with her vengeance to Thomas Clone, an innocent guy who she, and everyone thought murdered his ex-girlfriend, Ivy Campbell and whom she believed killed her artist friend, Joan Winslet, in Hawaii. He was on death row when Kelda helped him getting released from jail by fabricating an evidence that proved his innocence. </p>
<p>However, Kelda's ultimate motive was not to save the guy, but to make him taste the fear of death that he inflicted on Joan before he killed her. She planned the revenge with Ira, her lover who, as later revealed to be her dead friend's brother. The plan was to give him Fear Lesson, which is to torture Tom Clone to death. The narrative character used in the story was her psychiatrist Dr. Alan Gregory, who wound up consulting the supposed murderer, who in fact was referred to by the FBI agent herself. Through the process of consulting both of them he started to see what was behind the surface. </p>
<p>It was a gripping novel because there was a fair amount of comedy element in the story, such as - the total absurdity of the FBI agent's point of retaliation, the crazy obsession, her rationalisation of her actions. </p>
<p>Kelda's mission of revenge seem to stem from her early experience of her sister being molested by a boy in their neighbourhood. When she witnessed  them in their cubby house and what was happening, she pushed the boy off the tree to save her sister, that left the boy brain-damaged and paralysed. But she was too late to prevent her sister from being molested. </p>
<p>When she was still fresh out of FBI academy, she saved the life of a kidnapped little girl called Rosa Alija and the same thing happened. By the time she saved Rosa, she was already molested by the kidnapper who died instantly from Kelda's gunshot. She was furious that the guy died without suffering. And years later, she failed to save the life of her friend. </p>
<p>Her idea of revenge was to make Tom suffer the same fear he supposedly inflicted upon his 'victims'.<br>
Nobody really believed he didn't kill anyone. He spent 13 years in jail for the murder he didn't commit and got further tortured for another murder he wasn't responsible for. Yet his idea of best revenge was to move on and have as normal a life as he could possibly lead. He had had enough misfortune in his life already, a bipolar mother, who in her good mood, was the most fun person to be with yet deserted him when her bad mood kicked in and the ex-girlfriend who he supposedly killed had panic syndrome who pushed him out of the house when she had one of those episodes. </p>
<p>Tom Clone unfortunately had the tendency to be drawn towards women who were eccentric and fun, but crazy, including his infatuation with his tormentor, Kelda Jones. It was that tendency that always led him to one tragedy after another. <br>
In the end, he survived and hopefully he'll be eventually rewarded with the life he always wanted. Just a normal life.</p>
<p>The full of ironies and sarcasm in the novel was what made the book extremely intriguing. It was something refreshing and unpredictable - a very good read indeed.</p>
Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935609097899113095.post-78380024137642568362013-03-07T03:22:00.001+11:002013-03-07T04:41:29.795+11:00Xperia Acro S Review.<p>This is my first post from my new Xperia Acro S.<br>
After wavering between physical keyboard and android phone for ages I finally decided on this phone.</p>
<p>I've long had this massive phobia towards touch-panel and always thought virtual keyboard was something I'd never get usee to.<br>
However, I managed to overcome it.<br>
I have to admit, touch-panel haw come a long way...</p>
<p>My first impression of my first smart phone was    <br>
"big and heavy"<br>
It must have been because I was so used to my extremely reliable, small but old Sony Ericsson Cedar. <br>
Now after using it for a week, I don't think it's that big - indeed, I find the size just right in my tiny hands.<br>
Well, I can definitely hold this phone in one hand.</p>
<p>One thing though, I've found rather disapponting is its short battery life. It was about 4pm today I realised that the battery was running low.<br>
By that time I was using it for Internet surfing for 5 hours at least. So you could say this device maybe isn't ideal for a heavy Internet user or gamer. <br>
But apart from that I haven't encountered any issues at all.<br>
Internet browsing experience is so fast and smooth even when the battery is low.<br>
The keyboard is comfortable to use with all the right word suggestions. Seriously I don't think we need any upgraded interface or processor. This is an amazing phone.</p>
<p>What's most amazing is its pre-installed Japanese keyboard, which is a must-have for me.<br>
In landscape mode, roma-ji input is automatically activated while it's direct input mode in portrait mode.<br>
Swapping between English and Japanese keyboard is super-easy by just flicking bottom left key.<br>
However Xperia Japanese keyboard doesn't offer Swype input.<br>
Default Xperia keyboard is even easier to use if you don't need the bilingual keyboard option.</p>
<p>GPS also works damn well. It quickly pinpoint where you are now, and track you wherever you go...</p>
<p>As for other features like waterproof and dust/shatter proof, are not that important to me. The price of the phone now is about the same as Samsung galaxy SII. The call quality and signal reception are exellent. For about AU$350-400, I think it definitely worths the price.</p>
Fumiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09157746737050242536noreply@blogger.com0