Vending machines

For those who have been to Japan, I'm sure you have seen vending machines in restaurants. First, you decide on a set meal and then buy the coupon before passing it to the waitress. I have always thought this is very tourist-friendly since there are photos showing what you're ordering. Well, today Rey and I went to 1 such restaurant. I slipped in a note and within the few seconds when I turned to see where I can sit, Rey has already pressed 4 buttons on the machine. "whaa!! what did you press?!" The 4 coupons showed 2 set meals, comprising of fried lemon chicken meal + fried prawns with pork cutlet + (rice + soup + tofu + pickles)X 2 + fried squid + edamame (green beans). I thought, never mind, we can finish all that, maybe. I could have easily asked for a refund but was just too 'blur' to do that in the confusion. All the running at Rey's sport's day meet yesterday has not only half-numbed my limbs but also my brain. I prepared myself and threatened Rey to eat up all the food he has ordered without my permission.

The food came and it occupied the whole table. I have to ask the waitress to take away the teapot due to the lack of space. All the while when we were eating, I sensed this ojiisan ( Japanese old man) sitting beside us glancing at us now and then. Well, maybe he is eyeing on my half-eaten pork cutlet. I continued to nag Rey to eat up his rice. When we were almost done with our meal, the ojiisan spoke to us in English, "Are you from Malaysia or Hong kong, because you have an accent?" (all right, the Singapore accent, you mean.) At that moment, I quickly rewinded the past 30 minutes if I have said something offensive about Japan, this man, the food, or the restaurant. Nothing offensive, safe. And I kindly continued the simple conversation. Afterall, it's like 1 out of 10 possibility you meet an English speaking Japanese old man. All was well, until the ojiisan told me, "You have ordered too much food!" Urghh!! thanks for the unwanted reminder!

the 'never say die' attitude

Went for Rey's sports day today but I'm just too tired to write about it. Will write about it on another day without having Rey asking "mummy, why is the pirate so scared of the crocodile?", "mummy, why doesn't Peter Pan have parents?" every second. See, I'm blogging (trying to) while rey is watching his fav Peter Pan show. But his 'why why why' questions keep interrupting me now and then. SO to end my ordeal, I shall just post a past video of Rey, dated about 1 year ago. In this video, Rey challenges himself on the the monkey bar. Maybe he was too tired after several tries before this. He just keep falling, real hard! and I convinced him that he fell because his hands were too wet from perspiration. Anyway, I like this video because he kept trying.

(taken last year, rey was 2.5 years old)

eggs hatching

After doing some painting on eggs (empty the insides 1st), Rey invited me to 'lay' the green eggs like chickens do. I thought maybe we could find some videos of hens laying eggs on youtube. We did! But what I saw reminded me of child birth! Though I find it gross, it was an eye-opener for us. Educational in a sense. Watch it if you dare. I clicked on other links and we watched emu, ostrich, snake and quails lay their eggs too, plus some egg hatching videos. Emus lay black eggs!

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=lGypSfoIM1M

Rey's school taught him this...

Rey learnt this in school, a song about 'farting!'. Quite a cute song and the tune has been on my mind the whole night. Sang in Japanese "Bokura wa PUuu, bokura wa puuu, Bokura wa Pu PU PU!" (simply translated to as "we are farting X 3"). That easy. So you can sing a Japanese song!

ps: the new drama (romantic princess) that i thought was boring is getting more and more interesting!

whatever!

One thing good about shopping with Rey is that he never says he wants this or that. Simply because he has heard "you don't need this", "it's too expensive, or "We can buy that in Singapore" too many times.

But what do you do if you find yourself fighting with a 3 years old son over trival things like what to buy at the supermarket? I've tried yelling, coercing, and giving in.

Yelling attracts attention and it depends on my energy level on that day and where I am( is someone i know here?). Coercing and persuasion takes up mental energy and time too, with Rey giving in to my nagging at the end. Giving in is simply so easy!! but it means you have lost to a child and that child is going to have his ways from then on. I have gave in (or rather, gave up!) to Rey a few times after fighting over brands of toilet rolls, tissue paper, and even types of ice cream to buy. The conversation is usually this:

I: Rey, can you get the bag of tissue boxes over there? (discounted item)
R: ok...(then Rey comes back hugging a more expensive brand of tissues)
I: No, not this. This is expensive, i want that, you see?
R: but this is better!
I: No, i say that!
R: This!
(and it goes on and on.)
I: okok, whatever! (too tired and too embarrassed already)

Saying "whatever" is so easy! and so addictive. I adopted this 'magic word' from my teenage cousin, Meredith (yes, you!) when I heard her saying that to her naggy mother during their stay in Japan.

ok, back to the story, the same thing happen yesterday, this time was a fight over the type and fragrance of bath powder. You know, Japanese uses a kind of bath powder for dipping in bathtubs, sometimes with onsen effects such as removing backaches, rejuvenating skin, creamy or bright green, forest or roses fragrances. There are so many types of them.
Well, rey wanted a bright orange bath while i wanted some soothing pink bath. In the midst of our usual fight, i turned to see pp in the shop looking at us (partly because we were talking in English). I was so embarrassed and as I turned to Rey, ready to say "whatever", Rey hugged his 'prize' and asked me innocently "mummy, is it "whatever?" !!!!!! I just burst out laughing non stop.....
I was going to say that! He can read my mind! or maybe I always say "whatever" in the end. sigh, whatever lah!

youtube dramas

hi! found a new taiwan drama on youtube, yippee. Heard of gong(1) zhu(3) xiao (3) mei (4)? It is still showing in Taipei, but thanks to the fans of Wu Zun, they upload the drama every week. The story seems 'boring' i must say, something to do with a poor girl becoming a princess and bla bla bla, so boring. But who cares! There is my fav Wu Zun in it! Just watching it to kill time while blogging, listening to the talking and then watch it when Wu Zun appears.

so far, I have watched more than 15 dramas on youtube. Here's the list. I know you guys can't find time to watch it but just envy me lor! ( I can hear Meredith and Nana calling me 'lame' again, alright who cares hehe)

1) Why why love (taipei, Mike He and Rainy yang)
2) Tokyo Juliet (taipei, Wu Zun)
3) Demons beside you (Mike He)
4) Smiling Pasta
5) Coffee Prince (korea)
6) Hua yang Shao Nan Shao nyu (Taipei)
and more, not good at remembering names and titles anyway.

cousin-in-law's wedding

At the rehearsal.

Took this photo after failing to catch him a few times.

Rey and his towering uncle, Atsushi (bride's brother).

Got souvenirs after presenting bouquets to the couple.

Japanese wedding Angpow, a not-so-red packet.



smart boy looking smart



Where is my flower girl?


With the Anzawa family.

yippee! My fav sashimi!

Lobsters and abalone. It'll be perfect if cooked in Chinese style!


Yummy dessert, more please!

Rey's dessert is self-serving.

with grandpa

ME!

couple's parents, very smartly dressed

Rey is happy after getting souvenirs from the couple.

grandma and Rey

More food awaits us when evening came.....

..........2nd celebration in the night, just a few of us.

Cheeky Rey always looks his best whenever I'm not in the photo!

Wide smiles with full stomach. Seated in front is Rey's great grandma who is 90 years old. We celebrated her birthday too. Plus grandpa who is 60 years old.

New found playmate, Sachiko auntie.

Rey: Take me home with you!

Attended a wedding in Osaka on Sunday 23rd. The hotel has a wedding chapel, so we attended the ceremony 1st and then celebrated at the hotel restaurant after that. Compared to the Chinese wedding dinners we have in Singapore, I must say the wedding celebration in Japan is quite solemn. People turn up in suits and ties, and kimonos. And the major difference is you wear BLACK, which is a taboo in Chinese weddings. But i must say the whole event is very grand, coupled with the bridegroom's and bride's touching thank-you speech to their parents. Bouquets are presented to the couple's parents as an appreciation for bringing them up.

We had a 2nd celebration for dinner on the same day, just with close relatives. These are just starters, 5 0r 6 more rounds of food came later. I took just a few bites for the last 2 dishes because I was just too full. Now I just wish I could have eaten more (hungry already)...

A unique race

At 9:50am every morning, I'll tune in to my fav channel for my horoscope readings. It's not because I'm superstitious, but I just wanted to cheer for my own blood group 'O'. Ganbare O!! I am the champion for today's race!hehehe... See the cute video for yourself.

Love these fruits!

kiwi yawn Zzzzz
monstrous capsicum
smart ?? spring onions?
grouchy orange
loving tomatoes

strawberry kiss
mushroomy smile
mush melon turtle
surprised apple
gossiping lemons

Seems that some people do more than just simple potato printing in art and crafts lessons! Found these in a story book! From now, I will always be reminded of these kawaii creatures whenever i go grocery shopping.

funny things he does

with boxes

simple origami butterfly

Step 1: Fold the paper into a triangle.

Step 2: Fold half again.

Step 3: Make tilted fold on the left.

Step 4: Cut along the black line (if you can see well) and make 2 curved slits in the middle as shown.

Step 5: Just open it out gently.

Rey wanted to make a paper butterfly so we made this together, with origami guide. Try it, it's very simple.

Rey's nickname

3 weeks ago, Rey has decided on having his own Hero name.
R: Mummy, from today, you have to call me Michael Rey Hero (flashing a proud grin).
I : Why Michael? (must be from one of the videos). Oh right, why are you a HERO by the way? You are afraid of the dark, right.
R: I fight pirates and save the children! Just like Peter Pan. I can fly in the sky with fairy powder poured on me.
(and he went on fighting, pretending I'm a pirate while he is the hero, poor me)

Till now, I have successfully censored cartoon fighting characters like Power Rangers and Ultraman on TV and even Pikacchu because I didn't think they are educational at all. What he knows are Spiderman and Superman (both printed on his underwears), Disneyland characters like Pinnochio, Peter Pan, Snow white and Alice in the Wonderland.

Sometime later, I casually called "Rey, would you like to have some milk now?" and he turned to say, "It's Michael Rey Hero, remember ok?". All right, he still sticks faithfully to his hero name.

But just recently, I've given him a new nickname, much to his disapproval. It is "3-2". Very simple, he has learned to ignore my calls. Doesn't this happen only from teenage?? It is useless to call him "Rey, come here" because he never comes. Instead, I do a countdown "3-2-1-ZEroooo!!", after which, all the nagging and #%$" will begin. Rey is smart because he had learnt to weigh the consequences of not coming by the count of zero. He runs to me when I call out "3, 2,..." SO I told him I shall call him "3-2" instead of Rey, or Michael Rey Hero.

Rey is holding the sword I have promised him. He looks very satisfied because he is finally a 'real' hero.

Shichi-go-san 7-5-3

7-5-3. Hey I'm not giving any 4D number but if you strike, remember my rule, must gimme 10% of your winnings hor. hehehe.

Rey is very well-behaved when putting on his father's kimono. That's right. Anchan wore the same kimono when he was 3 years old! See how smart looking he is...

This photo session is to celebrate 7-5-3, pronounced as "shichi-go-san". It is a traditional festival for children of seven, five, and three years old. That's why we're taking this photo for Rey before he turns 4 in October 31st (Halloween monster he is). Families visit shrines and pray for their children's healthy growth. On Nov 15th, children put on their kimonos, dresses, and suits for their shrine visits. We shall be going to but not in kimono for Rey. I can imagine the worst with Rey yelling to rip off the thick kimono. If that happens, I'll rip off my hair too.

finally got started

yah, finally a blog. I got a Blog!!

For my closest friends and beloved relatives, this is for you (applause).

Initially, it really gets on my nerves to have a personal blog read by people whom you don't know, but who cares? I'm not good at telling jokes nor writing witty stuff so there shouldn't be many people looking at my blog anyway. So hey, if you don't know me, don't read this from now. sayonara!

Rey (on the left) is attending school now. This free time is very precious to me so I'll just blog fast. Remind, you, it's going to be very simple, because I have to allocate some time for reading my mangas on the net after this, and maybe some youtube videos, and preparing lunch.

To sum it up, I have lived in Japan for many years now (Tokyo, Tochigi and now Kyoto). Many friends have visited and were fascinated by how 'wonderful' Japan is. I remember feeling that way too when I 1st came here. Sadly I've lost that feeling after having lived here for too long. So, besides blogging about Rey my darling son, you can expect some photos of Kyoto too. I'll be 'Re-Discovering" Kyoto from a tourist point of view again.