Hello everyone. I'm back to Tokyo from our Kansai trip. Again, thanks so much to Micchan (who's currently on the Seishun 18 Kippu journey to Tokyo from Osaka right now) for letting me stay in her room for four days. <3

I was supposed to go on the 17th but things happened so I had to go on the 18th. Anyway, changes in plans were made by Terry and me, so we've decided to meet in Singapore instead. We'll be staying there from the 4th until the early morning of the 12th. Well, I'll be arriving on the 5th, actually, since my flight's at 7 in the evening, and I'll be arriving in Singapore at 1:45 am. Geh. I'm just glad I have money for this trip, since I'll be getting my first *true* salary on the 25th of April.:D February's BS here in Gaba since I started on the last week and got only 2 lessons: one lesson, one cancelled but paid.

Speaking of money, I think I spent too much on my Kansai trip, I've got nothing but 300yen left in my wallet. My bank fund's all used up, and hurrah, my next allowance is not until the 15th of April.D: I'm glad I have other baitos to back me up financially, otherwise I'd be a binbou chibi now.o(T-T)o

Nothing much happened in my Kansai trip. I went around Osaka, Nara and Kobe alone during the last two days. But there are interesting stuff that happened to me. The first day I went around alone (21st), my mobile phone died on me, so I couldn't contact Micchan when I arrived at their dormitory. The door was locked, I needed to go to the toilet badly, It was so farkin' cold and windy. I didn't know how to contact her. I could turn on my phone and copy her number during the time it's still on so I thought of calling her. I saw a payphone booth nearby, but yay I only had 50yen coins with me. The payphone only receives 100 and 10 yen coins. I was on the verge of tears, going back and forth the street in front of their building. Fortunately, a guy from the first floor went out of his room to smoke, and he opened the door for me. Whew~

The second day was funny. I went to Nara first and then Kobe. I fell asleep during the train ride from Nara to Osaka, where I should change trains to Kobe. The moment I woke up, the train was about to leave Osaka station. The door was closing when I rushed out; it's a good thing it was just the signal that they're closing the doors, so the doors opened again. Then groggily I ran to the platform where I was supposed to take the train to Kobe. Uguu.

Seishun 18 Kippu is really convenient for students who want to travel around Japan, since for example, the local train ride from Tokyo to Osaka would've cost me 8,000+ yen but since I had the ticket with me, I only spent 2,500. The downside is that you have to take local/rapid trains only, and the trip takes 9hours or more, with more than 5 transfers. I was lucky I had to transfer only 5 times on my way back to Tokyo, so it wasn't that exhausting. The way to Osaka was so tiring. I had to transfer seven times, carry my luggage going up a flight of stairs, and I didn't have a decent sleep because I went straight to karaoke box, where Micchan and Klao were.

Anyway, in the meantime, I'm back here in Tokyo, back to working in Gaba, and trying my best to keep myself alive by doing part-time jobs. Tokyo International Anime Fair's on the weekend, but I won't be spending much on anime goods.

Oh and yeah, sakura are blooming now!o(*o*)o The first time I saw a sakura tree (from the train) I had goosebumps. They're so beautiful. And yay~ We're going hanami on Tuesday! \(^o^)/

Ohisashiburi desu.

All I've been doing since the start of March was work in Gaba. I started work last March 1 and since then I've been working from 10am till 5pm. I'd always get up two and a half hours earlier to prepare my lunchbox and commute to the Tachikawa Learning Studio, where I was placed. I had preferred teaching in Kichijoji since it's only a twenty-minute bicycle ride away from my dormitory, but looking at the number of instructors there, I was glad to be placed in Tachikawa. That school's almost as busy as the one in Shinjuku, with at least thirty-five Instructors working everyday.

Having thirty-five Instructors in the same Learning Studio's tough, especially if there are Clients who take two or three lessons in a row. We have this chart in the LS where you can see all the lessons booked for the day. In Kichijoji, you have to scroll down the page to see if your Client has another lesson after yours, while in Tachikawa, you only have one page and that's it. Plus, the fewer the Instructors, the more chance you get to teach. Most Instructors teach at night, because there are lots of students at that time. I can't do that so I teach in the morning until late afternoon. I get a fair amount of students, and I try my best to build my Client base from those students who take my class.

I taught straight from the 1st of March until the 9th. Weekdays are really quiet, while the weekends are really busy. We have at least five Instructors working during the weekends, and most of them are fully-booked. Gaba's getting a lot of Clients and Instructors now that's Nova's gone bankrupt.

I scheduled for B1 Belt Modules tomorrow and the 13th, and the B1 Certification Test on the 14th. I'm doing this because our Senior Instructor Support Leader suggested so, since most of the people in our LS have belted up. There is also the higher pay incentive. You get 1700 instead of the Belt A 1500 for lessons taught during weekends. After the B1 Certification, I'm off to work again on the 15th and the 16th.

I won't be here in Tokyo from the 17th to the 23rd since we will be going to Kansai. We'll be staying in Micchan's place in Osaka. But we haven't got an itinerary yet. We can do that when we're there. I've scheduled this week only for this trip, so I have to make the best out of it. I just wish people'd stick to the schedule when one's been agreed on. I've been getting it since winter break and frankly, I'm getting tired of fitting my busy schedule for other people.x_x;;

After the Kansai trip, I'll have a one-day break, then I'm off to work again. Hopefully, my lesson slots get filled up, so I don't get that much idle time at work. Although, I'm not complaining much since I get to catch up with manga titles I haven't read for a while.:P

After that week, there's the Tokyo International Anime Fair on the 29th and 30th!
I've known about this convention for months now, and I've marked it on my planner since then. It's funny how people tell me about it as if I don't know how to search the Internet for anime events.XD Anyway, I've bought my tickets already (yay~) and Micchan and I (and Trish, too I think) are going on both days. I have to remember to save money for this one. There are lots of exhibitors again:

TAF's going to be the first convention I'm attending that's got an entrance fee. Jump Festa and Comic Market were free so I didn't need to pay money for admission. This is okay anyway, because I got two eco bags with the TAF logo. I can use that when I'm buying stuff in TAF.:P Anyway, to those who want anything bought there (because there will be lots of original goods, again) I (finally!) have a Paypal account, so you can just transfer funds there. Just make sure to add an additional 200yen for the transfer fee to my Japanese bank account.^^;;

In other news, relief goods have arrived! I received yet another package from my mother last Saturday containing: 10 packs of Lucky Me! Pancit Canton, 10 packs of Lucky Me! Beef Noodles, 1 dozen Head and Shoulders Shampoo, 1 dozen Pantene Conditioner, 1 bottle of Hot Oil Cream, 2 packs of Hany and Spicy Dilis (yay!) and read this: 10 packs of sanitary napkins.DDD: I probably won't need to buy napkins for the rest of my stay here in Japan.

3 packs of spicy dilis from FaMusu also arrived yesterday, in a battered long brown envelope:


Notice the note taped at the left? It says something like the package broke (in this case, the scotch tape Mikai used to seal the envelope didn't do its job) on the way to the post office, so they had to repair it (reinforcing it by adding another layer of masking tape). No wonder your letters/packages to Yanagi do not arrive, Mikai. The contents get lost on the way.:D Peace! Thanks for the Valentine's Gift, anyway.<3

That would be all for this update. I can't think of anything else to add anymore. Oh yeah, congratulations to Kate Janagap for becoming the nominee for being next year's AIKOM Prorgram participant! She's going to be my kouhai, haha! Too bad for her, me and my senpai's both small so our winter clothes aren't not going to fit her.^^;; But we've got a lot of appliances here so lucky Keto.:D

Ijyou desu!

Yo~ mina-san~ Genki genki?

I haven't updated my blog for quite a long time, I just realized that. Last post was for Klaine, but well, that was because she really deserved a post of her own.:P

Well, a lot has happened since our short trip to Sapporo for the Yuki Matsuri, and what can I say? TSUKARETA!!!:P It's supposed to be the spring break, but hell, I don't want to get stuck in my room staring at Oto's screen 24/7. That's like having no life.D: Anyway, enough rambling. So yeah, the AIKOM students went to Hakone for an overnight trip. Impressions? I wanna go back. It's a great place. There are lots of ryokans + onsens. You can stare in awe at Mt. Fuji's beauty. If I hadn't been afraid of heights, I would've pressed my face on the glass of the cablecar. Unfortunately, I was frozen in my seat (beside my equally frightened tutor) so I only had some pictures of it. But really, a perfectly cone-shaped snow-covered mountain is a rare sight. Probably the reason why Fuji-san has more pictures than me in my Hakone photo album.

Next, skiing. Well, duh, I've never skied before.^^;; I was only able to go forward after two days. The first day, I really enjoyed skiing, and rode the lift a second time. But I still wasn't able to control my speed then, so I fell over twice. No, rolled's more like it.^^;;

What am I busy with now? Work. I started teaching in Gaba last Tuesday, but my real first working day was Wednesday, when I had to give one lesson. All I did during the previous day were trainings with experienced Instructors. The first Instructors I met were a bit uptight in their work actually, so I was a bit pressured. But no worries now. After teaching six lessons (40 minutes per lesson) in one day, four of which I did consecutively, with just a 5-minute break in between, I think I can handle the work. Met some great people there, too, who make Gaba a bearable place so I guess I'm okay. Not to mention, they're going from 1400 per lesson to 1500 starting April 1. And that's without Belting up (or leveling up). I'm scheduled for two B2 (one level up the lowest one) certification sessions next week, and after a few weeks, I'll be getting 1700 per lesson given during weekends, and 1500 on non-peak times. *kaching kaching*

Of course, I'm still doing my other part-time jobs. There's the everyday online lesson with the Algerian diplomat, then the occasional lessons with the guy living near my dorm, and the weekly conversations with another salaryman. It's really amazing how I'm able to fit all these into my schedule.D: I'm amazed, myself. I never realized I can juggle so much work at the same time. Good thing I have my stress reliever every night.^^

Speaking of her, Terry's *going* to come here on April. But she hasn't really filed an application for the visa yet and all that shit but she *is* going here.XD So yay for two weeks! And it just so happens that one of those two weeks'll be Golden Week, so more time to go around Tokyo. We're planning on going to Hakone, actually.:3 Wah~ I can't wait.X3 Cheers to a person who knows what she wants and does everything to get what she wants. Well, I'm to blame, too... partly.^^;

I'm tired.D: So much for this update. Until next time~

PS You probably think I have lots of money now, but not really. It's not like I'm going to spend the money I earn for myself only. I have better plans for the money I earn, thanks.:P

How long have I been here again... hmm... 53 days.

Dada, a Filipina who is also studying in Komaba Campus (yay!(^-^)/) under the Monbukagakusho, told me that 80,000円 is definitely not enough when you're living in Tokyo. I know this, but if you just put me inside a 99 or 100 Yen Shop, I'll be going home with a 1千 (1000) 円 worth of things I probably would just stuff inside my drawer.

Today, I sent nearly 一万(10,000) to my mother to pay for the money they used to send me my sewing kit (with my other things, of course). What's left in my bank account is 40,000円 (Php20,000), BUT, I still have to pay the rent for my room by the end of the month, which costs 10,400円, plus I have to prepay for the metered water and electricity. Because it's winter already, I'll be prepaying 5000円 because I know I will be using the heater A LOT. It's 15ºC-11ºC here so uhm, yeah. It's still November, so that'll go lower. People are saying that it might snow in Tokyo this year, but not as much as in Hokkaido (duh~) or Kansai area. They say, snow's going to fall and then melt immediately. Speaking of Hokkaido and Kansai area, I did say (did I?) that I'm planning to tag along with Karen's group who's travelling here and there using the Seishun 18 Kippu on winter vacation. So for that, I'm also going to save 10,000円. I absolutely must not spend that 10,000. Therefore (lol), what'll be left in my allowance until the 15th of December is (dun dun dun) 20,000円 (Php10,000). IF I were in the Philippines, it would be easy not to spend much, but with the high cost of living here in Japan, especially in Tokyo, it would be hard. Very hard indeed. As Klao PMed me, DEKINAI YO!!!

Tomorrow, the AIKOMsei are going hiking in Mt. Takao.\\(≧∀≦)// Momiji~ I think we can also see Mt. Fuji from the top. Oooh~ I hope we can see Mt. Fuji!o(>-<)o There's the map guide to Mt. Takao I got from Mitakadai station, and you can see Mt. Fuji there.:3 Sorry for the crappy picture. I took it using my au keitai and emailed the picture so erm, there. I just wanted to show what Mt. Takao's top should look like.=P

I've also been given a free ticket to the National Art Center in Roppongi Hills by Ishizaki-sensei. Getting a free ticket is really good, especially if the entrance fee is 1500円. But the current exhibiton there is Milkmaid by Vermeer and Dutch Genre Painting – Masterworks from the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, and I don't think I'm the right person to attend such (I might find it boring ^^;;). Last Saturday, Klao and I went to the Tokyo National Museum, too (pictures here), but that was interesting, mainly because most of the artifacts displayed in the archeological section are haniwa which was my report yesterday.^^;;

What else... I mentioned it's getting colder here, so biking became more difficult. I bought a one month bus pass worth 7,500円 yesterday, so from today, I'm going to school by bus and train. I'm also learning to go to places in the cheapest way possible, meaning riding the Inokashira Line every single time (since I have a three month pass there) I go anywhere. All of us AIKOMsei are most probably going by Inokashira Sen tomorrow, since we don't have to pay anything from Kichijoji to Meidaimae.:3

Lastly, I'm planning to spend just 2,000 (excluding travel expenses) every week until the 15th. Dekiru ka na? Probably not.^^;;

Day fourty-eight. Wow. I've been living here in Japan for a month a a half now.XD

Anyway, happy happy day. Nevermind what has happened lately.My Sony Ericsson phone's entire memory erased without my knowledge, thanks to the pokute. One year worth of contacts,  messages, pictures, and videos. People touching/using your things/resources without permission are much HATED, yes?^_^ Oh well, what can I do? People must have been born that way, uncivilized and without an ounce of respect in their values.

Anyway, today is the fifteenth. We got our allowance for November today. Mata kanemochi da! Oh, and me and Terry's fourth month together.♥ She was checking her archive last time and realized that we have been talking every single night since October 1. Sugoi.XD

And yeah, pictures from last Saturday are uploaded here: Ueno Zoo (Panda! Penguin!XD) and Tokyo Tower. Klao also has pictures (asakusa, ueno doubutsu koen, tokyo tower II- 3 landmarks in a day!):D Sorry, couldn't do the Sakura thingy because 1. we were inside the observatory; 2. we were 150m above the ground. As some of you know, I'm acrophobic. To prove my point, there was this part of the floor of the first level of the main observatory where the floor was made of glass, so you can see below the tower. Klao wanted me to step on it so she could take a picture of my feet. She was able to take a photo (click here) but what you can't see in that photo is a frightened Boomboom with her eyes shut and hands gripping the handrail tightly.o(>-<)o

On the 21st (Wed), the AIKOMsei are going hiking in Mt. Takao!(^o^)/ Mt. Takao is a place popular for its autumn leaves. They said at the top, the leaves are all red.♥ Mitaiiiiiii~

Then on 23-25, Todai Komaba Campus will be holding their annual Komabasai. Yay~! It's Todai's school festival at last! On the 23rd (Fri) I'm going to attend the play thingy at the Tokyo GaiDai  (Tokyo University for Foreign Students) with Klao and on Saturday, the 24th, we're attending Komabasai.:D I wish there'll be a flea market.:3

Then then on December 2, we're going to Kamakura! Yay~

I'll be getting my work permit soon so I can apply for a part-time job. Money is much needed if you want to go to Kyouto and Oosaka during the winter break.:D

Klao, Winston and I went to Chuo University's School Festival today.:) We watched the mens' cheering squad (LOL) and bought a lot of things at the flea market. ♥♥♥ Too bad, Ate Lizz had baito (Karen said) so I wasn't able to meet her.;A; I was hoping to meet her today.

I bought a bag for 100円, a knitted dress for 400円, a new pair of shoes for 500円 and...

If you push the "HG" on his cap, it'll go "FOO!" or "Oh-kay!" or "Say say say!" and other Engrish I don't understand.XD I bought it only for 100円. HAH! *points at Klausen*

Then Karen brought us to Hachioji to show us the way to the Filipino store. Uwah~(*0*) I realized how much I have taken for granted seeing Filipino de latas, Mang Tomas or even Chocnut. They're quite expensive, though... but still! Filipino shokuhin! Yay~ \(^o^)/

But of course, for the manga fan side of me, the best part of the day was getting free tankoubons! Yay~! It's a good thing Karen wasn't an anime/manga fan, so she didn't need these 14 volumes of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles and Trinity Blood. I got volumes 7, 9-15 of TRC, and volumes 1-6 of ToriBura. Yatta! Only 2 more to go, which I can buy at some honya. TORIBURA~ (*0*)// Much love and thanks to Karen (even though I'm not sure she will be able to read this or not)!

Today was tiring, but I haven't had this much fun in such a long time. It was always reading readings and doing homeworks for me. Yay~(^-^)/

Bad day.

Went to Nihonbashi to send the money we borrowed from my aunt. Waited for 45 minutes for my turn. Watched CNN while waiting. Was shocked by the great fire in Southern California. It cost me 6,500円 to send the money. Unwillingly chatted with a French diplomat. Finally got away from him and went back to Kichijoji to meet Klao.

Spent 790円 for late lunch and about 2000円 for a white poncho and a long sleeved shirt. Klao was to call her sister using my Sony Ericsson unit and when we switched sim cards, my phone won't turn on. We thought it's only because of the battery, but when we arrived here at Mitaka Ryou, I immediately charged it and it's still dead. Until now. I don't know what to do anymore.T--T

I'll try going to the Sony Ericsson building here in Tokyo when I'm free. I can't afford to let my phone be dead like this. If I do, I won't be able to receive messages to Mama and Terry for one year. Shit.

I HATE YOU JO KLAUSEN MACENAS!!!

Everytime I'm with you, you make me spend a lot of money! XO

Anyway, this day was supposed to be just another day spent inside my room, me not spending money on anything. That was the plan. But, because of the woman named Jokla, I spent a little less than 10,000 yen in one day.x__x;; Every time I enter a shop, I can't stop myself from buying something. The futon was planned, of course, But those other things I bought? Nooooo~>______<

Thanks for the free ice sand (ice cream sandwich) anyway~:3 Natunaw siya.>_<

Lulz~

Even though my classes start at 1pm, I woke up early today to finish my paper in Eng 120.x_x"

Classes ended at almost 6. Uguu~ I hate Mondays. We have to squish ourselves in the train because it's sooooo crowded.T--T

The professor for the last class was sooooooo boring. But that's already given since he can't speak very well because the right side of his face is paralyzed. But to read his lecture like he was giving some sort of speech? Myuur. He said he was an ambassador before. Ok, that explains it.=_="

But... ureshiiiiiiii~ We got our relocation allowance + stipend for October today! That means I have 220,000 yen in my bank account!XD Wai~ I'm moneyless no more!XD Now I have to pay all my expenses before I can shop for my denshi jishou.>_<"

I'm also done with my research proposal!!! Whee~ \\\\(^O^)////

And lastly...

HAPPY 3RD MONTHSARY, TERRY~! <3

Did nothing all day yesterday except sleep. Started doing my Eng 191 at around 6pm. Only one part left.

Had a little accident in the kitchen this morning.x_x I was scared the smoke might activate the smoke alarm.^^;; Anyway, had three classes today. We're still studying keigo in Nihongo class. Second and third periods are Japanese Literature, and History of Science and Technology of Japan. We were given assignments already. Two novels for next Thursday in Lit class and 2 essays in the Science and Tech class. Tsukareta~

Must also start on my research proposal today and finish it tomorrow.

I received my bankbook and cash card today!(^o^)/ We're getting our money on Monday! Squee~

Haaaah~ I'm so tired... But I still have to finish my papers.x_x" *ded*

Almost forgot. My schedule for the autumn-winter semester:

Monday
1-2:30 Japanese III
2:40-4:10 Dynamics of Japanese Cultural History I
4:20-5:50 Aspects of Japanese Society: Japan's Diplomatic Policy

Tuesday
9-10:30 Japanese III
1-2:30 Relay Lectures

Wednesday
NO CLASSES WHEE!

Thursday
10:40-12:10 Japanese III
1-2:30 The Dilemma of the Modern in Japanese Literature
2:40-4:10 The History of Science and Technology in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Society

Friday
9-10:30 Japanese III
10:40-12:10 Japanese III
2:40-4:10 Seminar

Just finished our Nihongo class. Uwaah~ I really have to review all my lessons before, because I can't keep up with my classmates. I was placed in Japanese III, by the way, which is the intermediate class. Viet Thi got placed in Japanese V, where all the gooooood speakers are. She said she was scared because she's not that good yet. Anyway, we're ten in the class: Ben from Canada, Wan from Malaysia, Shu from France, Max from Germany, Bernard from Singapore (I think), Andrew from China, Zeno from Switzerland, Lam from UK, me, and Nguyen from Vietnam.

Our Nihongo class is on Tuesdays and Fridays, 9am. So I have to leave the dorm at around 7:45am to get on the train at around 8:15, then get squished by people in the train and arrive at school at 8:45.

I also bought the textbook for this class, which costs ¥2400 (around Php1200).x_x" Nguyen, Wan and I are on our break now, so we're here at the library, surfing the net.XD Our next class starts at 1pm. After that, Viet Thi and I are heading to the AIKOM Office to fill out forms so we can get our stipend for October. I'm running low on money now; I only have ¥13000 left.x_x"

Wah~ I'm sleepy. Will edit this later.