The Irony

It has been a while since I've been here.  My duties have increased exponentially to even point my mouse pointer on this even though this is just a click away from my tab bar. I've been planning on moving this whole content to my new website but I decided to keep all these here.

I finally had a day to brave myself to come here to see how this page still looks like. It's still the same but I feel there's been a lot missing. I can only regret what I haven't done for the past few months. I made a mistake of not giving a time to write a little bit about what is happening on my side.

Trying to balance my work life, social, personal and family life is a difficult battle. I recently have been feeling maxed out of energy and patience that tends me to completely shutdown and go on with my daily routine like a zombie. It gets boring.

I don't know what brought me here but more or less, I want to leash out what's eating me even though there's a heartbreaking 0.99 percentage of those who concern me will ever read this. I don't know if I'm feeling down..maybe mellow is the right word. I realize I can peak my brains however little to do something to relax a little bit.

I went to Bali, Indonesia for Christmas and New Years. It was a good holiday-not over the top but a  nice one. No drama except for some money exchange people who tried to rip us off and a couple of bartenders who dared to cheat right in front of my brown face. Other than that, it was pleasant.

Coming home and going back to work the next day was a pain in the butt. I'm so happy to just be able to relax, fire up my computer and tell everyone the merriment of not going to work and the sickness I endure when I go to work which actually earns me yens to fund my holidays. The irony.

Jackie

I swear I didn't do this.

Might be this person..

😏😏

Overdone

After a weeklong of feeling my nostrils blocked and sore throat, I am doomed with this irritating cough I've never had in my life. Living in a freaking throat candy to ease the cause of taking care of my self-badly.

I don't understand why it had to come on a festive weekend and right when I'm meeting friends I haven't seen in a while. What a blooper. 

Talking about my uncooperative throat, it itched the whole night making my voice so harsh and sexy. But sexy voice is not needed on all these occasions, I needed energy and well tuned voice to be able to talk and of course down few beers.

A dear friend came down miles away to pick me up. I was already intoxicated at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. How nice- yeah nice. We picked up some birthday gifts for our friends at the outlet park. Good lord my feet sore but was able to buy great sentimental stuff for our friends. It was fun.

Still my voice husky. I think I talked and acted like drunk as well. Oops, wait nobody knows me. I'd be just another lady in a rainforest dress if anyone cared. Time to rock the girls up.

We came to the restaurant reserved for us, six minutes late. Oh yeah, they were probably thinking we're not coming then when everyone arrived they thought we're group of "b" that ends with an "s" girls  for being late. Oh Japan.

Since we haven't seen each other in years- we chatted for years too. The staff  might have thought to kick us out. We started our beverages- chat more, eat more and more of the chat. My voice is killing me already. One commented on me having a British accent. Okay, I understand her. Haha

Now the night is going to end for some but not for others including me. We head to the nearest karaoke place. Wohooo! Can I hold it? I asked myself. Hell yes! And so I went with my voice coarse like unprocessed seasalt and rough as sandpaper. Goodness. I sang but no one cared. I danced everyone laughed. Hard. 

It's time to go home at 3am. I had a very good time and is well recommended to do it again but I lost my voice completely. From singing, laughing and coughing, that's where the magic lied. Uhuh.

All Sunday I was again up for another ride around the town. Played shooting game and won some prices. Yay. Couple more beers and  there, I'm down. Following day I called in sick. First ever time I called sick because of  bad cough and lost voice. Where is it?  Eh di wow. I must have overdone it. Now I'm  struggling not even being able to hear my own voice. Plenty of :-( faces but the punctuation mark really is plenty of :-) faces.

Cloudy Dreams

The sun has finally showed up after three weeks of hiding. It's been an annoying three weeks I haven't had in a long while. It poured every drop of rain there is up in the sky. All of it, seemingly none left for the upcoming months. I assume it's going to be a record breaking heat come summertime.

I gained few pounds and my students have gone mad not being able to go out in the playground. Busses and trains are becoming late on a daily basis. It's taken a toll to everyone and everything around me. It felt like sun the God is not going to ever come out and end my misery.

One Saturday hungover morning I woke feeling well, hungover--and mellow. I actually like waking without the sunlight beaming into my bedroom. I can hear the rain pitter-patter on my balcony. Nice also ugly. Anyways,  I picked my favorite brush, chose a paper and clipped onto my clipboard. I sat on the beside and here is what I came up to.

A lady that is clouded by dreams. I suppose that is me or could be you..

The Sign

It was one of the days I come home early in the afternoon. Coming home at past 6 pm has been early to me since I have taken a new job. Usually not being able to see and admire the day looking at this beautiful sunset has made me think I have not done such a thing for almost eight months.

My train home is cramped as a train in Tokyo. Long ride and crowded like canned sardines. Standing position I can barely see the outside panic of rush hour afternoon and the smoke coming out from the factories.

I was mesmerized by this beauty it took my weariness away from a long day of working. I stood in front of the station astonished and wished I had my DSLR camera to take more photos and rush to the port side to get a better view.

This beautiful sunset had me thinking that this could be negated by hours or days of bad weather or even a calamity. I am being superstitious. Knock on the wood to the latter.

With my extremely busy working schedule makes me appreciate things that I used to ignore. I guess that's what life is. You don't realize you have all these things until you don't have them. Istill haven't  lose the opportunity and I am bound to not take simple things for granted because these simple things worth more than anything I can get with huge monetary equivalent. 

She

It was one of those nights along an unfamiliar street when she decided to distribute guitars to many young students with the help of her loving husband and a friend. She saw their faces light up with glee. How could these people suddenly give out such beautiful presents. It was such a nice act.

The night has fallen, she thought she might go home but she found herself alone on the train track. There was no one else but a pile of military camouflage bags occupying huge space near the tracks. Shouldn't soldiers be carrying their things with them rather than shipping them? She did not understand.

Soon the train arrived and hopped in. On the train sitting beside her was a young girl who recognized her giving out guitars. They were so pleased and exchanged with her beautiful smiles--smiles of fondness and gratitude.

She didn't quite remember how she ended up sitting on a huge hip high tree trunk looking at the horizon. It was a magical afternoon when the light and the dark are meeting. Moment later she was surrounded by beautiful boys and girls most of them carrying buckets and vases to fetch some water from the adjacent well.

Her job was a teacher. That day the school board has decided to conduct an event that would require all the children to stay at school one night. The event was fuzzy to her and all she was about was the enjoyment of the children being at school all night. Wouldn't that be fun? She made sure all of her students' parents are notified..

During lunch time the big common room was empty. All children are suppose to be there for lunch. How can some five hundred students be left unseen any where. Something fishy was going on. There was only one teacher sitting in front of her untouched lunch and all the rest of the tables were only wet towels, chopsticks, spoon and forks all laid out meal ready. She told this teacher to right go on ahead with her lunch.

The night came when all the kids are going to stay in. Kids were so fond of her. She's lovable and has got so much energy reserved for every child. She put on quite a show.

The same day, this little girl fell off the ground and tore her pants. She had no spare clothes. The only way for her to wear presentable clothes was to cut them and make it short above the knee. In other words, a short pants. The other halves was cut into many sections around looking like a rag. She entertained everyone by acting of swallowing it to make her pregnant then pretend to vomit it up and make silly faces. It was very silly and highly noneducational but hey, she did it out of the live cameras' sight.

All the laughter was gone abruptly when the slash of the wooden sliding doors echoed and banged harshly on their jambs. It was frightening. And it was the master. Even more frightening. All of them teachers and students had their eyes wide opened when all the lights come to life and realize it's time to be serious and let the night away from home be silly and seriously fun until the night is over and it's snooze time.

Missing the Blossom

 It's the cherry blossom season now here in Japan. Cherry blossoms of different kinds are blooming making tress all white and pink. They stay only for few days and slowly fall to the ground. They're still pretty when they're on the ground but not as pretty as they're on the tree. :-D Many people misses the opportunity to enjoy the blossoms because this time of the year is rainy, even stormy. High winds certainly do not help the flowers from staying pretty. This is the reason why I get so annoyed when the rain comes. Due to my work schedule, time is gold and the weather does not help at all. I gotta make a move quickly. It's not that these flowers are going to wait for my perfect time. So there..

 Few days ago I took the courage to go to the closest park. I didn't know what I'm going to see but was delighted seeing the tress still looking great despite of all the rain and wind devastation the previous day.

There was a small crowd watching these youth showcasing their dance moves mostly pop. They're apparently going to be competing in some sort of competition sometime this month. It was great to see young people devote themselves into something healthy. Good luck with them.

 You can see group of people on the their picnic mats enjoying the blossoms. They bring with them portable grills, stoves, foodstuff, games and of course the presence of their friends and loved ones. It's fun to watch them get lost with their singing and dancing while eating and drinking. It's so much fun to see people with their lovely smiles and admiration of their surroundings.

 Setting here looking at the beautiful blossoms is amazing. The sound of the river flowing endlessly is music to my ears. I couldn't get enough of the natures beauty lying before my eyes. I could just sit here forever..well--not forever maybe it's tiresome. How can people not see this and stop polluting the environment. I decided to drive to the nearest another favorite spot of mine..

This place is where a tower lie. This tower is in memory of two lovers who got separated by the ocean. The man went out to fish but never ever came back. I hope it wasn't his intention. The woman waited and waited right on the mountain they made a promise to each other. hmmm sad:-( Located on or underneath this mountain is also a museum displaying historic memorabilia dated hundreds of years ago.

 Some firewood near the shrine. I really have no idea where they use this for but I can see a lot of them around. Talk about maintaining the whole mountain. I'm pretty sure you'll get lots of this. This could be very helpful at my island right now. Malaga gud in nga sungo haha

  After roaming around the mountain, I decide to go back to the river but then my bike took me somewhere didn't know existed. In the middle of nothingness here I saw this coffee shop. It was too cozy from the outside I was not able to help myself but go in. I've been looking for a place like this. Twas comfortable inside. They have good selection on their menu from coffee down to dessert. I have to admit that their cheesecake was amazing. Take note the next coffee is free and when you order any food your coffee is only a hundred yen. How's that?

After few hours of savoring the goodies I ordered..yes few hours, a lot more that I have spent at any coffee shop, I decided to leave. Easing my way back home stopping by to see some oldies having dinner and some drinks in their tent. The day has gone without missing the blossoms and things around it. It's half past six and I thought a couple of beers from the nearby favorite pub would not hurt plus I will get to meet some of my wacky friends in the area.

Saturday Bones

Today I woke up feeling with piles of anxiousness growing out my body. It's not that I've never felt this way before but this time it's bad. God knows why. I told myself I'm going to go out of my four corners and make myself some good breakfast. Yes I did. Clap, clap. Only after the hockey game finished at 11am. which my team lost on shootout on the worst team in the league. 11 am doesn't sound like breakfast anymore but I was still making my breakfast. I checked out my fridge only to find out there's really nothing in there to make a fancy one. My man is not around so I can let that happen. After a couple of minutes there I have a full on hotdog-(not delicious), scrambled eggs and grilled tomatoes paired with black coffee. Oh wait, I thought I was gonna make myself some tea to lessen my period cramps? Oh well.

Going back to being anxious, looking at my kitchen so messy, almost empty fridge, my pet hamster running out of feed. I think I know where these crap feeling has all begun. In one second I'm gonna attend to everything today but then in once second, I feel the caffeine kicking in and there I lost it and decided to just say maniana with a snort. I will instead go see the cherry blossoms then after my eyes are feed will I do things on my free will. I have been rooting for all these flowers all year long but it was all windy last night. I'm probably be looking at some balding tree instead.

August Heat

There's no doubt summer is my favorite season of the year. I came from a tropical country so this explains a lot. How can you not love the sun? You can do almost everything except making snowman haha. Do you wanna build a snow man? Possibly, out of sand or maybe mud? haha Ahhh summer, you're so addictive, I always ache for you. There's too many things to do but too little time.

This year's August was the most exciting to me. I felt so alive after a veeeery looooong wait. Although I did things alone, it was the busiest of all summers I had here in Japan. From the first day of August I made lots of arrangement to fill up my rather loose work schedule. Sometimes I so love the company I work for. Working with pleasure or business with pleasure? What must I call it? Actually, never mind.

I spent most of my time in the beach. Yes, the beach, that's where I belong. No one can blame me. There's only July and August beaches here are good for swimming. August-along Tokyo bay and July till September-along the Pacific Ocean coastline. See, I had to make the best and the most of it. Call me greedy but time is gold. But greediness as it apply anywhere have consequences. 

As you see, I spent a lot of time in the water, unfortunately, I got stung by something while showing off my moves in the sea. haha Ouch. But, in twenty-five years of my life living surrounded and swimming in the ocean, I've never experienced being stung by some unfriendly sea creatures until this summer. They must have missed me! Man, it was painful! My leg got swollen for several days. I guess there's always a first time and not all first times are gold! Thankfully, I have that skin of a carabao lol!, it did not hinder me from going everywhere. I still swam tirelessly and had myself plenty if sunburn. I, in fact as of this writing, have them behind my back to which part my short arms couldn't reach for the sunscreen. I'm not flexible too, you know. This is when you need someone with you, to help you slather that lotion all over you and be spared from flaking like a hibernating snake. haha

 
 Mountains are so close to my heart. Being born and brought up in a nature abundant island, there shall no summer to pass by without hiking a few mountains. Being close to nature-trees, rivers, birds chirping is heaven. I could listen to them all forever. You're free to call me: jungle girl. Wished I had friends close enough to me to go with but, there were none, so nga-nga hahaha. 
 

There were festivals and shows almost every weekend. I went to many of them. They're pretty cool. People flock together in their yukatas and kimonos. There are the same food stand of barbeque of seafood and meat, takoyaki and many many more you will only find in Japan. It still amazes me how this country could love deep fried spaghetti noodles! 

I took plenty of pictures beautified by the combination of lively green trees, colorful flowers, blue and green sea, orange and blood-red sun. There are also chirpy people, laughing children, teasing teenagers, loving couples and happy pets. These are the things you'll rarely see during colder days. This is most probably the reason why people in the tropics are the happiest because there's the sun all year round. 

I feel so free walking around in a tropical outfit. You know the looks-sundress, sunglasses, handmade tote, sandals, wide brimmed hat, parasol and of course, the sunscreen smell aannd let's not forget about the sweat! Now here I am, thinking about my sweating beer or cocktail; sitting under the parasol while listening to music with my eye shut; in-front of me is a beach full of people busy with summer activities, fishing boats and ship from afar; on each side of the beach are beautiful rock formations and mountains; there I am breathing contentedly, savoring all the beauty of the August heat. 

My love of Orange

Why do I love orange? Because it's one of summer's hot colors. Let's skip Halloween here for now. haha

This picture on the left was taken summer time few years ago at a beach called Hojoh/ Hojou in Tateyama. I still find this beautiful. I feel like I'm still in that beach.


This summer I bring you a Kitty parasol and grandpa. I'm sure it's the last thing to worry about when you are babysitting four grandchildren swimming hungrily in the sea. Make glasses are on!

This sight of  "cute things" is not new to Japan. You can see seniors rocking those cute little characters around. You can be the weirdest looking person on the planet but no one is going to bother to stare at you. One of the little things I love about this country. Your business is not mine.

This is the train station in Tateyama. It is on the street called the Orange street. From the name itself almost all houses and buildings has hints of orange in them. How cool isn't it?

A little Izakaya beside this beauty parlor. I could just drink sake all night then go next door, relax and restore my beauty back. I'm pretty sure it's owned by the same person, you know, sales tactics. Not to mention this is near the beach ah, they'd be making some cash  or maybe not. It looks like it's about to close and no one inside. Wait, this story could go on forever.

I love the combination of white and orange. These lovely street lights are scattered everywhere in this little camping, swimming and fishing village called Tomiura. This village just recently been merged to a city called Minamiboso located south of Tokyo bay facing the pacific ocean. Hold on...hold on.. this is geography.

See that little orange tent right there? The color stands out among many other tents. It's beautiful to see people relaxing all day. Go about fun things out like boating or swimming with their loved ones then return to their respective tents. Eat barbeque and grilled fish. Drink beer, play guitar and sing and chat around the bonfire. I always love outdoor activities specially in the summer.

Yes we need funky colored dump trucks to collect carefully segregated trash around this little village. Me thinks it's new or rarely been used. see how clean this place is or this country generally. The driver has the easiest job there is!

 I thought this was orange! but oh well, it's already here and besides it's really beautiful! They turn into orange at some point of their life time. They're tiny sunflowers, almost like a daisy. You can only identify them by their leaves. I remember planting these with my elder sister. They're absolutely beautiful flowers.

This hibiscus does not look orange too, just a little. Does it look like peach? It does eh? I used to play with them with I was young. I take all the petals leaving the ovary and the style then stick it onto my ears so that it looks like earrings. ;-D I certainly do have good memories with flowers.

This is a local festival called yassai mossai. People in groups dances through the night. Each group are judged by their costume and their dance moves. Although they have a set dance steps and music they could show off by making their own free style. The more lively your group is, the more chances of winning! This festival is the way of thanksgiving of the local businesses. They'll dance around carrying the name of their business. This is a two day annual festival which thousands of people patronize.


This is how the festival day looks like and it's only in the morning! How about in the afternoon or at night?! Picture it by clicking and reading the show!

How may fish can you see?Some goldfish at a nearby shrine. They're huge! I wonder how old these fish are! Are they edible? They certainly look like my favorite fish back in the island! I miss my father now.

I warn the shrine people around here, you know where they're going when they start to decrease in numbers! It's called easy catch.

The taste of the tropical paradise. This is probably where orange caught my eye because it loves whatever orange!

This is a wild flower back in my island but here in Japan this is a precious garden flowering plant.

 Here's my lovely niece Kathleen in Zoocobia sliding all the way down after she was persuaded by her four year old younger  brother. She then wanted to do it again and again! As they say, you won't get hurt because it's only downward. Just don't hit the ground hard. It was a lot of fun! Not so my pocket!

The sun has down and these surfers in an orange car are done for the day. At home waiting is a nice bottle of sake! Living the summer because it only stay for two months a year!

Not all old and rusty things are ugly. In everything lies beauty. This unpainted house is one of those old houses along the street. I guess this is for sale. Who would buy it is the big question, unless, it's half price.One piece of advice, DO NOT pay full price!