Missing Miss J

The dragon fruit and that "watashi no kokoro wo ageru" sentence
Could you possibly forget it?
When somebody said we would be friend for life
How impossible to doubt it?

Nights and days in the library
I would in a million times repeat it if I should
Catching up the last train from Takebashi
Would you stop the time for a minute if you could

Sleeping over in Odaiba, cooking together in Kodaira every other holidays
Talking bout boys and books, watching Carrie and her friends all the way
When endless assignments and deadlines were coming their ways
You could sound grumpy, but only sometimes I must say

There you are Miss J, my favorite classmate ever
Keep your witty jokes that bring your friends into laughter
With your new path, good luck, and be happier, my dear
After all, balance is an indispensable treasure, please remember

With love,
your twin

Lovely Hanoi

It's like I was thrown back to Indonesia circa 80s in a good sense. I had the privilege of visiting this retro city for 5 days from 17-22 Oct 2007. During five full days there I was roaming around the city with my friend, Thao, riding her stylish piaggio scooter :)

I was planning to record the experience here since I got so impressed by the city, but it turned out I am really bad at remembering details. I realized this so I was taking some notes there. But still it's not easy, unless I can take some time to sit and write while browsing again on my notebook. But before that, I should just post this one, in case I never get the chance to ever write it, like never ever :-p

Without my notebook, I can only spell correctly the name of Hoan Kiem Lake. I fell in love at first sight with it. Being located in the center of the city the lake serves as natural landmark perfectly. The name, meaning returned/restored sword, has its own legendary history. There was this king or general who received sword from the king of turtle descendant of the lake, and had to return the sword after he won the battle in this lake.

Other than that it's the food, but unfortunately I can't pronounce any single of them. Oh gosh I'm so poor at details. It was just great. And then, it's the warm hospitality of my friends there that was the champion.

So, before I go to other adorations to the city (probably in later entries), I just want to express my big gratitude to Thao, and her sisters: Hien and Hiep, and their cute cousin Thang (gosh forgive me coz I really don't know the spelling). For they let me stayed in their cozy house and cooked beautiful meals for me. We also had great time watching Audrey Tatou's movie in French (luckily the subtitle was English), which had a French title none of us understood. And I also thank my other friends like Hien, Van, and Binh. You had all been great in receiving me. and I wish a great2 happy marriage for dear Van.

See you again later Hanoi and great friends :-)

It's been so long, I miss the world...and blogging

It's been so long since my last post. I have been thinking of constantly writing again, but I always end up in saying later, later, in my mind.

I always have loads of material floating around in my head. But there are periods that I don't want to spell it out loud (or in characters). But when I was feeling like opening myself again, letting it out again, I can't find time, and most often words that best express what's in my mind. I just wish I have the ability to write like Jane Austen (why her, cause I'm currently reading a book called "Jane Austen's Guide to Dating"..hahaha).

This year I've been reading lots of book, watching movies, meeting new people, and debating with myself, about a lot of things, and so many of them are interesting to tell. My first intention of having this blog was to have a record of interesting things (not in a very tangible way) I have found in this world, and share with you who care. But through time, I got cut off every now and then by different reasons.

To Jo-Ann, your comment to my last post has pushed me to start again. I wish you can also spare some of your busy time to write yours as well. I love your poems. And your other blog, it's so amusing. Please 3x, write again?

To Tisha, as a professional writer you should be ashamed of not having a post since August! ;))

Welcome to myself...

On the cheek kiss

I have mixed feelings about my mentor who was my also my sensei, my supervisor as well as the person who actually sent me to Japan. I admire him for his brightness (gosh...such an old guy with sharp memory he is), hate him for his high standard I felt I could never met, and eventually come to acceptance that I love him like a father (or grandfather in his viewpoint;p). He always tells me that I look alike his granddaughter, whom I believe is a total Japanese... now how can a Japanese kid looks like me?;)

Last Sunday I had lunch with him, our (used-to-be) program coordinator and other Hitotsubashi alumni. We had that kind of get-together before and I always did it with the feeling more like doing an assignment from school. On that Sunday, although I was the one doing the arrangement (still with a feeling like I'm doing an assignment), I myself expected no more than a dry chat for courtesy that one should does once in a while, which worths a lavish free lunch.

But when he entered the room and hugged and kissed me on the cheek I felt a different warm already. Maybe it was my state of feeling or it was real sincerity I usually missed when dealing with them, I don't know. And then the conversation flowed nicely.

When one senior annoyingly asked me when I will get married because Javanese families would not like an old girl to be their daughter in law, I said I wouldn't like that kind of family as my in law anyway. He supported me exactly in a way how I needed it, and in an way that shutted that senior up ;). And when he told me not to forget inviting him when I finally get married, I really felt his sincere care.

After two years of avoidance and restrain, I now feel a real nice-to-see him feeling eventually. He will be fully retired by the end of this month (March 2006). I'm glad that I have the chance to know him this well and can now really look forward to seeing him again in the future. He has become one of my good memory about Japan.