wednesday

my favorite mid-week day when i have nothing to do.
i sat in bed the entire morning slurping chinese ramen, reading blogs of artists, trying to learn this chinese song i heard a couple of days back, and watching re-runs of 300(have fallen HARD for the graphics of this film) and Curse of the Golden Flower (hmm.. beautiful sets & clothes that can be seen from 2continents away).
as for my fellowsufferes, they are busier than me with more worthwhile tasks like giving bloodtests on the hilltop (aka. APU), feeling relieved/relaxed after cleaning their kitchens, teaching English to a group Japanese kids.. which reminds me i better be getting ready for my english conversations lesson with a student in 30mins.
until we meet again!

kai wo toru

we left midday for the banks of the waterfront in Hiji city. the goal was to get a bucket full of shell-fish.

after a brief lunch of ham-sandos (sandwiches) we strenuosly scanned the rocks on the banks of the incoming-sea to accompanish our goal. every now and then we had little crabs running out from under the stones that we moved to see if we found more shells for my japanese parents, and their friends, to eat! to our surprise, Otousan found 2 octopuses - surely a BIG treat, cuz we werent expecting to find anything more than shells.

later, we left for the Jumonji-hilltop (close to the four towers behind APU). while some of us went to pluck take (bamboos) from the forest, two-others sat and basked in the sun besides a japanese graveyard.

on returning to our base-camp, Okaasan and us kids went to an old-old onsen.. you know, one of those 'tokubestsu na tokoro'. neways, after trying for 20mins to hike ourslves into the water, we figured that it was JUST TOO HOT - like 40degs £@^*!$% - so we extended one of the cold water pipes to make the ofuro a lil lukewarm so that we could sit in it atleast. just as we had started to enjoy ourselves 2 obaasans (grandmoms) scolded us for spoiling the kimochi (feeling) of the ofuro by making the water cold, cuz they had cme there yesterday, and it was much hotter and better then!!

heneways, so we got home feeling dizzy with ecstacy, and were welcomed with onsen-tamago (steamed eggs) - which were yummm - being from the chickens that were kept at the entrance of the farmhouse!!

and now i sit on my dining table, making this blog entry and i think to myself.. this is the "wierdest" post i have ever made!!!

Peugeot

花見（桜）Cherry Blossom Seeing

毎年のように今年も４月１日に花見をした。今回はバルベキューではなく、色々な国の１５人学生と私たちのホストファミリーと一緒に山鹿市（熊本県）に行った。曇っても、雨が降っても、私たちはスライダーで遊んでパデルボートを乗って、すごい楽しみにた。


ノート：

２００７年の桜祭りは、米国のワシングタンディーシーで「ジェフレソンメモリアル」にある３０００本の桜木の９５周年です。１９１２年に東京の人たちから差し上げたこの桜の木は、ピンクと白色の波で、人生とお祝いの象徴です。

Like every April, we went for the 'hanami' on the 1st of the month.. only this time there wasnt a bbq, instead a big bunch of kids with my Jap mum dad!!

We left for Yamaga, a lil town in the midst of nowhere between Hiji and Beppu. Even though the day wasn't as sunny and bright, we had the greatest time riding sliders and going for paddle-boat rides in the rain.

Did You Know:
The 2007 National Cherry Blossom Festival marks the 95th celebration of the original gift of the 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, DC in 1912. The trees signal the coming of Spring with an explosion of life and color surrounding the Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin in a sea of pink and white.