ホームシック

Been feeling pretty shitty since yesterday. Maybe it was Harry Potter. I was looking quite forward to it. Once again, like all the previous movies, I was quite disappointed. It’s just not how I imagined it would be. I guess nothing beats the book. There were too many scenes cut out. Unsatisfied.

Well. Now the last blockbuster of the summer is gone. I’ve got no movie to look forward to anymore T_T But it was a good summer lah. It started with Spiderman 3, rolled on with Pirates 3 and Transformers before concluding with Harry Potty. It was a good wait. And well worth it.

Actually there’s a movie called Hot Fuzz that’s caught my eye. Some british parody of police films.

Yeah lor. Felt quite sian cos nothing to look forward to… And also cos I’ve been having some knee problems. Which means I can’t exercise when I want to. I get damn uncomfortable when I don’t exercise… Like too much energy causing a nuclear meltdown… Haha. I will feel damn sian and lazy. So contradictory.

There’s a match this sunday. Uncertain whether I will be fit enough. Ha. First time a weird knee hasn’t recovered in 3 days. And I still can’t bend my toe. Damn.

These are exciting times. I must say, I was pretty apprehensive about going to Arts Camp. I just wasn’t in the mood to socialise and stuff. But like all things you aren’t comfortable with, you’ve just got to throw yourself into the deep end and naturally you’ll learn. It took me about halfway through the camp for me to start thawing. Then I didn’t want it to end. But end it did. I was pretty upset about that. Regretted not thawing out earlier. Then again, you can’t have too much of a good thing either.

I made lots of new friends during arts camp. With lots of varied interests. But the cool thing is that for every person I talk to, there is a loose fragment inside me that can somehow connect with that person. This is in contrast to my upper sec class and jc class, where I often felt out of place. Disconnected. I must say the feeling rocks! Haha.

So right now I’m catching up on the few years of social life that I’ve been missing. The feeling is like EL again. I can feel myself warping back from the brooding anti-hero to someone oddly familiar. All the ice is melting away. Frozen in suspended animation for years, Megatron is back!

Anyway, I will be quitting my job on Sat. I think it was less than 1 month? Haha. But no matter. I’ve learnt all that I set out to learn when I took on the job. Yeah, even though the pay is miserly because of the restricted hours I got, that’s not important compared to the experience I’ve gained. I never would have imagined myself to be a salesman. But of course I took the job because I wanted to become more outgoing. And it worked. I got what I wanted.

I’ve just finished my 3rd day at my new job! In fact you can’t exactly say it’s new because to do so would imply that I had an old job, which isn’t applicable because this is my very first job ever in my entire life!

And it’s damn fun! I love it! Even though it’s quite tiring. Heh.

It’s at Sentosa, in the retail outlets. I have to say, Sentosa is so different now. All I can say is wow. I didn’t know they hired a CEO from Disney. That’s like freaking awesome!

Anyway, enough raving already. So far the highlights for the past 2 working days:

• Getting to talk to this really pretty television presenter from China. They were in Singapore to film a show for a local Shenyang channel. She wanted to do a 1 for 1 exchange for some jewel box so the cashier asked me to follow her be witness. Managed to talk to her for a few minutes. Pure bliss!
• Riduan with his 101 ways to slack on the job. Haha. I kept saying he’d do well in army.
• Showing an australian couple how to play traditional games such as five stones and pickup sticks. They were quite interested but they couldn’t bring wood products back to Aussie. So wasted!
• Buskering - carrying a basket of goods around to sell.

• Screwing up my first transaction because I was too kanchiong. They wanted to buy 2 fans ($2.30 each) and 2 plush toys ($7.90 each) and I couldn’t add it up. Even the customer also got the sum already then I was still being blur. The funny thing was, my colleague came to help me and got confused also. Haha. In the end he whipped out his phone and used the calculator there.
• Flirting with the ice cream girl. Cos she said she was "lonely" =p
• Selling the ultimate make money product - light wands ($4.80). Wave it and four colours appear!
• Targeting the kids. "Mammee I want to buy…"
• Getting swarmed by kids 15 mins before the show.
• There was this family bringing out 4 kids. The parents didn’t want to buy at first even though the kids were like damn fascinated with the light wand, almost snatching it. But they were going to take photo so the parents gathered them back. In a moment of brilliance, I offered to lend them my samples so they could hold it for the photo. When I tried to take them back the children just pestered the parents somemore and they finally relented! Muahahaha. That was damn satisfying lah. Haha.

3 days only and I’ve noticed such a big change in my personality. I no longer stutter when I talk and conversation just seems to come so naturally to me now. And now I’m much more daring… Especially when it comes to talking to strangers. I’m finally leveling up on the personal development front again after months of stagnation. SWEET.

On another note, I’ve started playing WoW again! It’s really something I look forward to after work. Keeps me motivated. Gosh am I attempting to justify yet another game addiction? Screw it!

Played Counter-strike with the guys at Clementi last night. As usual, it was such a blast! I can’t remember having so much fun in ages! Even though the game is old, the graphics are shoddy, and we really stick out compared to the rest of the ah bengs and kids there playing Dota, I haven’t gotten such a kick out of a game for a long time. We were making all the noise admist all the people. I think the other people there play until they have no feeling already. Haha. On the other hand for us it was damn exciting! It really feels great to play beside Detty and Marvin on the same team because we used to play CS together during those Sec 2 days when it was at the height of its popularity. The way we moved out was really like a team. And when I just said "Flashbang" suddenly, they just knew I was going to throw one and not that one was coming towards us. Anyone else would have been thinking "what flashbang? WTF!". Haha. Feels like the good old days again.

Went for another job interview yesterday and this time I got the job! It’s a shop assistant job at Sentosa! Sentosa is damn happening nowadays. When I went there yesterday I was surprised by the renovation. The place now really looks like a world class tourist attraction. And I didn’t know the new monorail goes straight into Vivocity! Fantastic. Very impressive. Anyway I guess I will be spending the rest of my holidays selling stuff to hot Japanese tourists. With kids. Yay.

Took a bus up the mountain called Owakudani.

Owakudani is the area around a crater created in the last eruption of Mount Hakone 3000 years ago. Sulfurous fumes, hot springs and hot rivers can be experienced on a walk around the area. Eggs, boiled in the naturally hot waters, are said to prolong one’s life by seven years and are readily available for sale.

Met some chiobus on the bus. Joyce managed to do a secret snapshot while pretending to take Dennis and Javin. We all wanted to take pictures with them after we got off the bus but we didn’t have the guts to ask so we dilly-dallied until they disappeared. We then agreed to ask them when we see them at the top of the mountain. But we never saw them again… =( I prefered the one in the centre while Dennis and Javin liked the one on the right. Too bad she’s covered by the seat =p

The mountain is actually a vulcano famous for the black eggs which they cook in the sulphur. Eating one egg is believed to extend your life by seven years. Eating two eggs has the reverse effect. Well, I ate one the other time I came Japan. And I ate around 2-3 eggs this time ’round. So does that make me a potential 100 year old? Haha.

After the mountain, we went down to Lake Arachi to take the pirate ship. YARRRRGH!

It was so windy that we couldn’t take it after a while and had to go below deck.

We got off at the far bank to take a look around.

So after that we went to check out from the hotel and headed back to Tokyo!

On our way back from Hakone it was still early evening so Joyce took us to this Shimokitazawa Street. It’s something like Bugis Street. Clothes and such but we didn’t buy anything except Peiqi’s (Joyce’s roommate) birthday cake because we were planning a little surprise celebration for her =)

Actually we wanted to light the candles then switch off the lights and say got blackout then ask her come in. But we cocked up cos the laptop was still switching off then suddenly got the windows switching off chime. =s We were too dumb and she was too smart to be surprised. Haha. Oh well.

We left the house quite early to take the train to Hakone. The ride was about 2 hours and we slept all the way.

We reached the Hakone station close to lunch time so we headed to a soba house to try the aforementioned famed dish. The weather was already freaking cold because it was a mountainous region so I opted for hot soba. Dennis and Javin opted for cold soba “because it’s nice!” The freaks. I was quite impressed with the arty deco of the place. It’s simple and it looks nice. Subtle but yet radical. I can’t seem to find the correct vocabulary when I want to describe the “Jap” feeling.

We walked around the area a bit and ran across this bridge with sakura trees flanking it. I was quite excited because it was our first sighting of sakura in Hakone, so I took more pics.

We found our way to the hotel to check in and rest for a while. Javin couldn’t wait and had a cosplay session.

The view from our hotel room.

Went for some sight seeing after we put down our things but we didn’t stray too far from the hotel.

But we still got caught in the rain! We were running from cover to cover when the rain got lighter.

Dinner was excellent! It was the kind of set meal they usually serve you during a tour but this one was much more well done. So many flavours to try. I was at a lost as to what to eat. The variety was overwhelming.

The highlight was the day was the onsen, or hot springs, which we went for after dinner. I’d been looking forward to it ever since we were at the planning stage of the trip! Well, it was much hotter than I remembered! But we lasted a shorter time than we expected because it was quite buay tahan to go inside for too long. Well obviously I don’t have pictures to show for this one. And what do you want to see anyway?!?

Javin and I decided to go try on the robes.

Some time into the night it started snowing heavily. Javin couldn’t resist himself and got dressed to go down. His enthusiasm spread quickly to the others and before I knew it, we were having a snow fight downstairs! It was cold, but damn fun as we started stuffing snow down each others’ necks. I’m not the revenge seeking type so I just stood there to watch as they chased each other around like children. Haha. It was damn fun, especially for Dennis as he’d never seen snow before.

After everything settled down we went back to our room to play cards and drink beer. As usual, I konked out first so I went to sleep. Halfway through my sleep I heard the window being opened. I think Dennis was doing a forfeit because he lost. They made him strip and stand in front of the open window! Must have been damn cold. Haha.

The trip started off with a bang as I met a chiobu on the plane! It was my good luck and fate I guess. I had just settled down in my seat when I saw this girl coming down the aisle.

I was thinking, “Wha! Chiobu sia! Shiok.”

There was a “movie” moment when we locked eyes. Haha. Can you feel the electricity pulsing through the air? I thought she was going to pass me by, but the next thing I knew she was asking me to help her lift her luggage into the storage compartment above. My barometer shot through the roof when the next thing she did was to settle into the seat beside me! Haha.

She looked young, so I just casually asked whether she was going to Japan to study. Turned out that she was, and the conversation kicked off from there. She’s an naturalised American currently studying in Texas University. She’s in Japan for a 3.5 month exchange programme. Pretty cool. I’d love to do something like that if I had the chance. She was also born in China before going overseas. Pretty same life story as mine =)

Anyway, at the end of the trip we exchanged emails to keep in contact.

And he slots it in for an unexpected early lead! Extraordinary!

When I arrived I had to wait for my cousin Joyce who was supposed to come fetch me. She was late because something cropped up with the train. Some foreign object on the tracks. Maybe someone committed suicide or some animal. Shrug.

Went straight to Akihabara to meet Javin and Dennis, who had arrived earlier from Singapore. They’d already visited Ueno Park and Asakusa.

Akihabara is the geek district, where they sell all the latest electronics, gadgets and manga stuff. We put my luggage into a locker, which they have in all stations, and proceeded to look around. Browsed through shops with Gundam models, big breasted plastic girl models, authentic looking gun models, and even Star Wars models.

We had our first meal at a sushi bar, where I was reluctantly persuaded to try unagi sushi. Tasted surprisingly good!

Shopped around some more until it was dinner time. We proceeded to Shinjuku, which functions like a Jurong East interchange, except that it’s 1000 times cooler, bigger and more happening. Met Joyce’s friends for dinner at a ramen shop. Hm… Not too many chiobus though. Haha.

We were already quite tired by then so we just headed to Joyce’s apartment, where we were staying for the rest of the trip. The apartment was just nice for Joyce and her roommate, Peiqi, but with three more guys it was quite packed. But otherwise it was surprisingly cosy. A place where I would choose to stay if I was living in Japan.

It felt great to have the guys come over yesterday. I finally feel close to civilisation. Haha. Hm… Showed them around the neighbourhood but could tell that it was kinda boring. Especially with the rain and stuff. But oh well. Good weather forecasted by googleweather for the next few days, so hopefully things will get much better.

Quite scared that I’m not playing the duties of a host well enough cos I don’t have an outgoing personality to make things more fun. My cousin did an excellent job of making Javin and Dennis feel welcome in Japan. It will be hard to replicate her performance. Haha.

Right now I’m working on a travel journey detailing my trip to Japan. Hopefully I will finish it before I forget too much of the details.

Went to cut my hair after dinner. The hair guy suggested some curling treatment to give my hair more volume. Waited pretty long for it to be done. Now I appreciate all the time girls spend on their hair! Haha. It’s really not easy to sit in a hair saloon for hours.

Anyway now my hair looks a bit korean.. Like… RAIN! Yeah right. Haha.

Will continue to work hard on growing my hair longer! Yarrrgh!