A Homeless Blog

Ahhh...Another Trip (Nara とKyoto)

The fact that I start writing this now, instead of studying for tomorrow's vocabs, confirms that I'm really addicted to blogging :P

I went on a (quite) short two-day trip. One to Nara, and about half a day in Kyoto. It was quite fun because there are many people this time...Mai & Jill's auntie and her friends. Sometimes I can't help but think about whether I'll have that much fun when I'm older. That'd be great.

Anyway...like my usual "travel" blog. Photos Photos and Photos...










We spent one day in Nara, then went back to Kyoto for a nice Tonkatsu dinner. Too bad I ate before I think :P No photos of Tonkatsu this time. Next morning, we just went out shopping on a busy streets of Kyoto. We stopped by a temple on our way. There's something going on there...like a festival or concert, but we didn't linger for long. The rest is just shopping, eating, shopping, and more eating :9 ...so much fun (really, except the walking).







Well...another satisfied trip. Too bad it's too short. I wish I can go somewhere again some time. Hopefully soon...hopefully.

posted by Bikku @ 9:56 PM 6 comments

Edward Monkton

I really don't know much about Edward Monkton, but I know that I like his artwork/thoughts. Thanks to my good friend who introduced me to his art. I browsed through his website...not much writing, more drawings though. So...this guy draws on greeting cards, mugs, t-shirts, and also write books. If anyone knows more about this guy, please let me know (^__^)





I took the liberty of putting some of his drawings here (since it's downloadable). If you wanna see more, just go to his website. I hope you like them too.

posted by Bikku @ 4:48 PM 3 comments

ともだちと　たべましょう　{Eating out with friends}

Today I went out for dinner with my close friends at Yamasa: Nomy-san, Nui-san, Sai-san, and Huang-san. Two Thais, two Koreans, and one Taiwanese...we went to a Japanese restaurant nearby. Really...there's no story except lots of delicious food and beer. In fact, I'm currently drunk while writing this blog. Here are some photos...



I can't help but to tell how happy I am with the dinner...because of two things: good food & good friends. Amazingly, all of us was able to communicate only in Japanese.

posted by Bikku @ 9:28 PM 3 comments

私の新しい(古い)自転車 {My new old bike}

Several day ago, I was lucky to inherit a bicycle from my Korean friend...Yoon-san. Thanks to Yoon-san (and to Jennifer-san for introducing him to me), I now have a bicycle without having to pay anything. So I treated him with a Sushi lunch one day :9

I can now go further and faster now. The bike is quite old (that's why I got it for free), and several things about it did't work properly. There was no bell, and the front brake (right-hand) was gone. The chain also crank a sound of loosing when I paddled a bit hard, especially uphill.


A few days ago, I bought it a bell and a lock (although it's probably the least attractive bike).
Yesterday, I found out that the front light still works :D
And, today, I just fixed up the front brake.

The chain is still a bit cranky though, but I guess I'm grateful already :D

posted by Bikku @ 5:19 PM 10 comments

October

Naomi is not a girl's name, but a German band (I believe)...two guys named Bernd and Nico. "October" is one of my favorite song of the album - Pappelallee. And afterall, this is October, eh?

posted by Bikku @ 2:14 PM 0 comments

When I really really have nothing to write (but still want to)

I have nothing to write because...

1. I now live in a very very small town in Japan
2. English, Thai, and Japanese are having a mini-WW3 in my head
...so I'm spaced out most of the time
3. I don't do much beside studying, eating, sleeping, and going to the grocery
4. I tend to eat all the time, which keeps my hand(s) occupied
...very difficult to type

But...But...But...I have a solution for today...because I feel like I should write something. I actually want to write something. Only that my brain is too tired for the heavy stuff. My days have not been very exciting for the fun stuffs. So...I'll just put some quotes on. Hahaha...what a cheap way out.


"If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion."
- George Bernard Shaw

"When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth."
- George Bernard Shaw (again)

"We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true."
- Robert Wilensky

"In mathematics you don't understand things. You just get used to them."
- Johann von Neumann

"Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities."
- Aldous Huxley

"I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult."
- Rita Rudner


There is no relation whatsoever among these quotes. Just something I come acrossed from time to time.
:P

posted by Bikku @ 12:42 AM 1 comments

Encountering Stress?

How do you deal with stress? And I'm not talking about a little stress...but rather a little strong stress. Strong enough to effect your concentration at work or your ability to sleep at night. Imagine that you have to pee badly that you almost cannot hold it any longer. That's the kind of stress I'm talking about.

People have their own way to deal with stress. Some are effective to some but not another. Some methods are common, some are useful, and some are radical. Here are some ways I can think of that people do to encounter stress:

Eat -- One the of the most popular stress-counter method is to eat. Eat snacks. Eat a full meal. Eat fried chicken. Or eat a veal. Eating method usually works, but more or less temporary. Once you get hungry again, you probably would be stressed again.

Drink -- Of course, I'm not talking about drinking water...but alcoholic beverages. This is very popular for people with broken heart (and if it's raining too :P) and want the stress to go away quickly somehow. It turns out that this method is unlikely to yield a success. Most of the time, it emphasizes stress...especially shortly after stop drinking or after waking up.

Exercise -- This is proved to be a very effective method to relieve stress, personal or work-related. I personally cannot find anything wrong with it, except that it's tough for lazy people to get started. Regular exercise can also prevent stress.

Massage -- This is a quick, addictive, and probably expensive way to relieve stress (unless you have someone who's willing to do it at you will). A good masseuse would make you forget about any stressful stuffs at the tip of their fingers...and likely to make you want to go into hybernation directly. It is addictive though. Sometimes stress comes up only because of the lack of massage :P

Work -- If it's not work-related, some people just put their minds into work or study. Similar to meditation, a high level of concentration makes the stress goes away. This can be useful sometimes.

Isolation -- This is popular (I think) again with the heartbrokens...either in love or in other things. Isolation sometimes help, but it is likely to increase the level of stress most of time. Usually accompanied with drinking and perhaps particular kind of music (which is not very useful for our purpose).

Shouting -- Though I have never really tried this myself, but I believe it's the quickest way to get a grip of oneself. Most people, I imagine, would shout into a pillow to prevent unnessary alarm to others nearby. I guess it's like a soft-reset of one's state of mind.

Writing -- Mostly it comes in the form of diary, either online or offline. Sometimes, stress is only needed to be let go somehow, somewhere, and in some form. As we grow up, we'll soon realize how little time we, our friends and family have each day. A lengthy talk on the phone or face-to-face might not be always available.

Friends & Family -- Friends and family often provide good support in stress relief (well, unless that stress are from them...but let's hope not). They are usually there to listen, which is more than enough most of the time.

Well...that's all I can think of right now. If anybody has any idea, please feel free to add some comments. In case you are wondering, I'm not under any kind of stress. At least, not recently. It's just some thoughts that acrossed my mind once in a while. Not a single brain cell was harmed during the production of this article.
...

posted by Bikku @ 11:50 PM 9 comments

Juicy Yolk!

When it comes to boiling an egg, I often have absolutely no clue how long it should take for an egg to get cooked...let alone how the egg would be cooked the way I like it. But today was different. Somehow...yes, somehow...I was determined to boil an egg just the way I like it, with juicy yolk หรือยางมะตูมนั่นแหละ (well not exactly juicy, but I think you know what I mean).

This might be just common knowledge, but I (for one) have never known nor remember the way. And I found the way today! The eggs came out perfect...and I really mean Perfect!!!

...Take an egg (or eggs) out the the fridge for a little while. Boil water and put the egg in when the water is a little warm. When the water starts to boil, wait about 6-8 minutes...then take the egg out and put it in cold water. Done!

If you are like me (i.e. like juicy egg yolk and don't know how to do it), please try and let me know whether it also works in your kitchen or not. Maybe I'm just lucky today :P

posted by Bikku @ 6:49 PM 4 comments

Emptiness

Like a page unwritten,
Like a penguin,
Like a song unsung,
Like a phone...never rings.

Like a cup on the shelf,
Like a bowl in the sink,
Like a ping-pong ball,
Like a date without a fling.

Like an unplugged TV,
Like my mailbox,
Like a black sky,
Like that quiet dog.

Like a broken lightbulb,
Like a ceramic doll,
Like an uncharged battery,
Like a shadow on the wall.

Like the horizon,
Like a new postcard,
Like the bamboo shrub,
Like a brand new start.

Like life sometimes
full of affairs,
But when look closely
see nothing there.
...

posted by Bikku @ 4:04 PM 3 comments

I got Tagged!!!

Mechanics of the "Weird List" - Tagging Game:
Write 5 weird habits that you have and then tag 5 other ppl by leaving a msg on their blog and/or putting their links in your own blog.

1. I come to Japan for a language study right after my PhD (a lot of people find it quite weird)
2. I get drunk after a glass of wine
3. I like to turn the light off after I'm already in bed
4. I always fall asleep in a classroom regardless of how much I slept the night before
5. I now travel alone



Five Songs - The Rules:
List five songs that you are currently loving. It doesn't matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artists, and the songs in your blog (Xanga). Then tag five other Xanga friends to see what they're listening to. (*Well...since I'm not really on Xanga, I'll just list my songs)

1. Ela E Carioca (Jobim-Morelenbaum)
2. Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole)
3. But Not For Me (Chet Baker)
4. Only Trust Your Heart (Stan Getz)
5. Summer (Joe Hasaishi)



Official rules:
Write 20 random facts about yourself then tag the same amount of people as minutes it takes you to write the facts.

1. I'm still a student
2. I love Macintosh
3. I don't have a Mac :(
4. I travel a lot lately
5. My clothes are hanging all over my apartment
6. I think slowly
7. I like snow
8. I miss my family & friends
9. I have many good friends, but all of them are quite far away
10. I love photography
11. I want an electronic dictionary (which is expensive)
12. I don't like studying Economics :P
13. I want a bicycle
14. My left foot is bigger than the right one
15. I love tennis
16. I love drinking with my close friends
17. I love delicious food
18. I write on my blog almost everyday now
19. I start to run out of idea now...
20. I wanna have a dog


TAG:
Hehe...it took me about 2 minutes to finish the list. I'd like to tag...
...Noomai... 'cus I know it'll spread through out Japan this way :D
...Kickoman... how about the 'cream of the crop' bunch of people? :D

posted by Bikku @ 6:07 PM 5 comments

Kyoto Revisited

It was last year that I went to Kyoto, a three-day sightseeing trip. It was intense and...well, sleepless. Last year, I picked up a few important location such as Kiyomizu, Kinkaku-ji, and a few places I don't remember their names.

This year, I had a chance to visit Kyoto once again. I stayed there for a few nights in order to go to Osaka for a sport event (which I lost terribly and don't want to talk about it :P), but I had a day to look around Kyoto. Well, it was more like half of a day because I couldn't drag my lazy ass out of the bed until almost lunch time. Anyway...special thanks for Noomai & Jill for hosting me...gave me shelter and food...and be my wonderful tour guides.

During that half day, we made it to two places...namely Byodoin and Fushimi Inari. I guess it's because Mai & Jill called it the temple behind a 10-yen coin, I thought there's a huge 10-yen coin in front of the temple. But, in fact, the temple on the coin portrays the Byodoin temple.

I think I've said too much already. So unlike me :P
Should get to the pictures, eh?







Near the Byodoin (actually it's on the way in and out), there are tons of tea shop letting out the sweet aroma of green tea. We couldn't resist, so we tried.



We also tried some 'tea ice cream' too, and it's very very delicious. Only that the picture is prohibited to the public (^^;)

Next was the Fushimi Inari. We got there at about the sunset time. I tried my luck with the Japanese "Siem-See" ...couldn't read. But it appeared that my luck was not so good. So I had to tie it somewhere.



By the time we went further in and walk through tons of the red gates, it was dark. It would give out a scary atmosphere if you go alone.

As usual, I took tons of photos. But we didn't stay too long because our stomachs wouldn't let us to. It was a long and torturing trip to a restaurant, but eventually our stomachs were fulfilled (with ramen & ice cream).

Too bad I didn't have so much time to look around more. There are more temples and shrines I want to visit. So, Kyoto, it's not over between us!!!

posted by Bikku @ 11:20 PM 7 comments

I really want to update my blog, But...

...but I'm too damn busy! Can you believe it? I shouldn't really be busy, but I really am! And the only thing that's keeping me occupied now is "memorization" !!!

That's right...one of the things I hate to do, memorization. But I have to do it. Here are my vocabs for today...

かんたん　= easy
ちかい = near
とおい = far
はやい = early, fast
おそい = late, slow
（ひとが）おおい = many, more (people)
（ひとが）すくない = less (people)
あたたかい = warm :)
すずしい = cool :)
あまい = sweet
からい = spicy
おもい = heavy
かるい = light

はる = Spring
なつ = Summer
あき = Fall, Autumn
ふゆ = Winter
きせつ = season
あめ = rain
ゆき = snow
くもり = cloud
てんき = weather
「お」まつり = festival

もみじ = maple (red) leaves
くうこう = airport
ヘテル = hotel
せかい = world

And some Kanjis...

上 ~ うえ = above, on, up
下 ~ した = down, under
中 ~ なか = middle, inside
大 ~ おお、だい = large, big, great
小 ~ ちい、しょう = small, little
半 ~ はん、なか = half
分 ~ ふん、わ = minute, part, division
力 ~ ちから、りょく = power, force, ability
何 ~ なに = what
明 ~ あか = bright, light
休 ~ やす = rest
体 ~ からだ、たい = body
好 ~ す、こう = love, like, favorite
男 ~ おとこ = man, male
林 ~ はやし = wood
森 ~ もり = forest
間 ~ あいだ = between, interval
畑 ~ はたけ = cultivated field
岩 ~ いわ、がん = rock
目 ~ め = eye
耳 ~ みみ = ear
手 ~ て = hand
足 ~ あし、そく、た = foot
雨 ~ あめ = rain
竹 ~ たけ = bamboo
米 ~ こめ、べい = rice
貝 ~ かい = shellfish
石 ~ いし = stone
糸 ~ いと = thread, string
花 ~ はな = flower
茶 ~ ちゃ、さ = tea
肉 ~ にく = meat, flesh
文 ~ ふみ、ぶん = pattern, letter, sentence
字 ~ じ = letter, character
物 ~ もの、ぶつ、もつ = thing

Well...that's pretty much most of it. Herr...all I'm asking for right now is nothing more than a little (a lot is also ok) improvement in my memorization ability.

posted by Bikku @ 12:08 AM 5 comments

Oh...I'm losing a will to tell stories...

Many things have happened in the past few days...many things I can cook up stories based on them. But, I just haven't felt like telling those stories. Not right now...not yet. It could be just because I'm plain lazy...or maybe something else...I don't really know. In fact, I did start writing several times before, about what had heppened. But I ended up discarding them all. Just didn't like them.

Anyway...in short, I went to Tokyo...then Kyoto...then Osaka day trip and back to Kyoto again. So many things, so many cities, so many train rides...

posted by Bikku @ 2:43 AM 2 comments

Water Morning Glory - Cooked!

Actually, there's nothing much. Just that I cooked the Water Morning Glory (herr...isn't there a shorter name? Now I shall call it WMG la kan!) for lunch. As always, in a freaky way, I took a photo of my food. Here it is...


This was actually a big pile of WMG. But when I cooked it, the damn WMG shrunk to about 1/7 of its original size. Taste good though :P

posted by Bikku @ 2:44 PM 3 comments

My Nagoya Day Trip

Since I arrived Japan, there has been no single weekend that I totally stay in Okazaki. Tokyo...Osaka...now Nagoya. Herr...these weekends has been hurting my beloved pocket, if you know what I mean. And they have made me pull out my secret superpower - stingy economist - out when I shop for food.

But anyway, I love all my weekend trips. Although just a day trip, this one is no exception. I went with other three of my classmates: Joerg-san, Liu-san, and Casey-san. When I call them, I always add "san" at the end because we always do that in class. Would feel weird without it :P

Joerg-san will leave tomorrow...going back to Switzerland. So we had our gathering as a day trip to Nagoya since no one had gone there before. First off...we went to Nagoya Castle.



An interesting place, only that it was burned down during the Second World War. But they did a good job in restoring it. Not much of the inside though. We spent a good amount of time there before heading to lunch.


We walked for quite a while until we found a place on the 10th floor of a building across Oasis 21. Well, out of hunger, we just went in without really knowing what they have to offer there. It turned out to be an All-U-Can-Eat "Japanese Fondue" (sorry, I don't really know the name). We ate a lot within the 1-hour limit a nice waiter told us. Actually, from eating there, we noticed Oasis 21 and went there afterward.




After we had our fun (which was basically walking around on a glass floor and took many pictures), we headed for the Osu Kannon Temple.


There was nothing much to do at the temple, except taking more pictures. So, we walked out shortly into a shopping district. After that, there was just a lot of walking and looking. Not before long, we said our goodbye and headed back to Okazaki.

My impression of Nagoya from just a day trip was that Nagoya is a big city that is not too crowdy. I like that. I guess I'll have time to find more about Nagoya later...again and again.

posted by Bikku @ 8:52 PM 0 comments