20091211 Brastel Year End Party

Every year we will have year end party.
Brastel is my partime company, I am doing programming job there managing some system stuff.

These two years, I learnt a lot of things and met alot of nice people.

Komaba International Festival 20091123

First time on stage performing fashion show.
I was wearing a red baju kurung made by my good friend Kai,
the guy who was performing together with me wearing baju melayu.

The photos are again with the courtesy of Amin.

Japanese class closing ceremony

On my Birthday, 10 Feb it was also closing ceremony of my Japanese class. Few students presented including me. I was talking about Malaysia.

One guy presented about his part time job in a modeling firm. He says most of the models are not pretty, they rely much on makeup and photoshop.

The Japanese volunteers there are really nice, I feel the warmth from them.

Chinese New Year Celebration

I didn't have any strong feeling towards the Chinese New Year as Japanese celebrate their new year on 1st of Jan. It is more lonelier during Japanese new year as everyone back to hometown celebrating with family.

Ming, me and other Chinese friends have dinner during the Chinese New Year eve.
We ate Bei Jing roasted duck..yum yum...

My Birthday celebration

Just wonder why during every celebration in Japan, we go to KaraoK, new year also karaok, my brithday also karaoK..hehe..we are KaraoK king and queen.

Every year birthday celebration, my family will have dinner outside, we seldom eat out and it makes it a special day. Birthday is actually a day for the mother, she gave birth to me on this day, without her, without me. I know my family love me even they are far from me, but the closeness doesn't change even by little.

Thanks for all the friends for the birthday wishes..and thanks to Kai and Noel to spend the night with me.

Imperial Palace visit and home party

On 3 Jan, Emperors family making appearance in the Imperial palace for 5 sessions and each time for around 1 minute. The speech is less than 30 seconds and basically the Emperor wishing for good year for Japan. Most of the visitors on that day is either seniour citizen or foreign people like us.

It was my first hang out with Kim Ean, Kim Huey and Ah Met (a-too-easily-blush-Turkey-guy). It was so fun ^^ We had dinner party at Kim Huey's place at night on that day itself. Oishikatta~~~

Happy New Year 2009!!!!

Another day feeling warm with friends, even family members are not around.
My new year gift for myself, 8G Ipod Nano.. yeah..

New year is a big day for Japanese, on 1 Jan. They used to celebrate Chinese Lunar calendar new year but since few decades ago they changed their new year date. Last year I was in Nagoya celebrating with the host family and this year with friends.

We went to KaraoK, our three favourites. Then count down near Tokyo Tower, in a temple. We were like mistakenly squeezed into the temple where our destination was supposed to be Tokyo Tower. No time to change place..10, 9,8 ....3,2,1....Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New year resolution..of course I have
1. To work hard in my research.
2. To get a job.
3. To find time to go back Malaysia.
4. Maybe to get a bf , this appears to be one of my resolution but never come true for many years.. :P

and I wish, my good friend will get what he wants this year, and do well in his exam.
and my other dear friends, wish you all wishes come true.

Christmas

Maybe for people who dun have bf/gf, Christmas represents another day of loneliness. But for me, this year Christmas represents friendship.

I have work on Christmas eve and after finish work, I went to a Mc D which near my uni to eat dinner with noel. This Mc D is a nice place to sit down and chat. Ya..Mc D for Christmas eve. Time flies and I gotta rush for my last train to go home.

On the Christmas itself, I finish my work earlier to hang out with friends. There were three of us, Noel, Daniel and I. After eating steam boat (steam boat on Christmas?haha..should be western food right?). The food are quite nice..After that, we were modeling in Shinjuku illumination street.

Nice Christmas with friends, my friend said that he dun really like to socialize and make new friends, I am kind of agree..maybe I have become old, maybe I dun have much time, maybe I am lazy, or maybe I have found my good friends...

13July Drum Performance @Kawasaki

There was drum performance performed by Kawasaki Drum group and by teenagers from Kyrgyzstan. My friend Begali is from the same country and he was performing too.

There will be another performance from the Kawasaki drum group on 3rd August.
http://www.hirama-wanpaku.com/event/080803/index.html

Last Sunday@Yokohama Fireworks

The members of the day : Dave& Ming,Hinde, Begali, Iana, Patrina, Begali's friends (Ban, Daisuke, Yamato).

We were invited by Begali's friends to go fireworks in Yokohama together. In Japan, there will be a series of fireworks (hanabi-花火) during summer time (July and August). The gals will dress in Yukata and guys will dress themselves in Yukata or Jinbei (with trousers).

From 11am in the morning we started to dress each other and it was a headache to tie the Obi (belt) in nice shape. We watched Youtube and tie it over and over again. Hinde san's was responsible to tie our obi as tied as possible (actually she wanted to suffocate us) so the yukata wouldn't open when we walk.

We took couple of photoes around Yokohama station and we met Begali's friends at Sakurakicho station. I didn't take any photo during the night because the fireworks are blocked by lamp post. :~( Anyway, it was fun to be with the gang of friends :D and it was fun to dress in YUkata and walk around..hehe~

Thai Festival in Yoyogi Park Last week

Last week went to Yoyogi Park Thai festival, met Kim Huey and her friends there. Ming, Dave and Begali came to meet us afterwards but din take photo with them.

It was crowded with people (as always) but the food there are very nice, all cooked by Thai people. There were fruit stalls selling tropical fruits like durian (RM15 for one 'Hoot'), mangosteens and etc. I tried the Thai spicy papaya (a lot of small chilies inside and it is sour sweet and SPICY!!!).

It is spring now, I took some pictures of the beautiful flowers in the park :)

A bed of roses

Mint,Kim Huey, me and Noel

Parade

Their traditional costume

Really wish to go Thai one day ^^;

Holi Party

Holi (Hindi), or Phagwa (Bhojpuri), also called the Festival of Colours, is a popular Hindu spring festival observed in India,Guyana and Nepal. There was a Holi party at Komaba 22Mac, Surean invited me to this. Even there are alot of Indian in Malaysia, this is first time I heard of this festival. According to my friends, the festival is celebrated more in the Northen part of India.

In this festival, people throwing colored powder and water at each other. The spring season, during which the weather changes, is believed to cause viral fever and cold.

Metro and Mado, from Malaysia

Kabaddi, a very violent game like dotch ball

Kembodian guest

Chinese New Year Eve

On the day of Chinese New Year, I still had my partime. There was no Chinese New Year feel at all in Tokyo Japan. On the CNY eve, I bought bento from Origin Bento as dinner, sitting in front of laptop and plan to on TV, I was thinking maybe my new year eve will just pass like a normal day, just as any other day.

Lam was on YM and I was surprised, buzz him and just wished to wish him happy CNY. But the very nice senpai invited me for lamb steamboat in Shinjuku together with teo. wao..hooray!!..then I called Chua to ask wether he wanna follow, surprisingly he has 7 other friends at his side. At my side I have natsuko.

Lamb steamboat shop in Shinjuku

Werner and Mahabu

Chua and Birdy

Lam always do the job of ordering food.

The girls

The guys

Our food, half is spicy and half is clear soup

After the dinner, Natsuko and I were attracted by the nice smell of bake sweet potatoes from a vending van by roadside. We bought two, the portion was big. We should have shared. We walked to the train station and ate there at one corner. Like 流浪汉. We counted down there for CNY, while eating our sweet potatoes..happy and contented, celebrating it with my close friend. I felt that I was not alone.

me
Natsuko

Rasa Sayang CNY Party

Beatrice invited us to Rasa Sayang restaurant CNY party. It is a Malaysian Restaurant situated in Ginza.
Many nice food and many nice people around.

To download photo:http://picasaweb.google.com/kellygan83/20080209_RasaSayangCNYParty

Mochi Making Festival in Komaba

I am sorry that my pictures are blurred because I forgot to bring my camera, all the pictures are taken using my handphone. There was a mochi making festival in Komaba Jacsso lodge yesterday. They always organise activities for international students.

There were Mochi making session, Japanese drum, Sumo and Free food..haha..

Mochi before being hit is in powdery form

Students can try to hit mochi. It is very hot. The process is A hit,B damp and turn the mochi abit,A hit again, the process repeats

The free pork soup,delicious. It couldn't be finished on that time and at nite there was a free-giving for the soup again also in cafeteria.

Japanese drum

Origin of G-String (note the ham sap hand)

Sumo warming up..so keng,open leg flat

Big-sized VS not so big-sized

Sumo demonstrates to the students the gesture before a game is started

Girls match

Begali VS big sumo.Begali won!!!He is strong

Photo with the winner..his prize is 1000 yen

Ming san and Me,kawaii?

Homestay Day 11-New Year, Kimono Debut

On the first day of Japanese New Year, Japanese will eat New Year meal to bring good fortune. We did　書き初め(kakizome) and went to 熱田神社 to pray and to debut my Kimono :P.

御屠蘇（otoso)is Sake with added medicinal herbs to be drunk on New Years Day to ward off sickness for the entire year ahead.

Simple おせち(osechi) contains 黒豆(sweetened black bean), 甘煮栗 and dried fish. Most of them are sweet.

お雑煮(ozouni), Mochi cooked in Miso(味噌）/Dashi(だし）with 年菜

After the New Year meal, we did Kakizome 書き初め(First Calligraphy of the New Year)　The tools are same with what we use for Chinese calligraphy

Hidemaru was writing Nezumi(Mice) which represent the mice year.

Our art work, can guess which one is by me?

Kimono debut. The kimono belongs to okaasan and she helped me to wear. There are a lot of layers and a lot of strings. It is very hard for a person to wear by their own as the Obi (帯）-the ribbon need others to help.

Me with white fur. Japanese girls will wear Kimono with white fur during their 成人式 when they reach 20 year old. Tomorrow will be the 成人式 for girls and boys who reach 20 year old, it is Japan public holiday.

At the train station on the way to Atsuta shrine (熱田神社) There was an ojiisan passed by me and say I was wearing 晴れ着(haregi), which means wearing kimono to pray in Shrine or temple.

There were a lot of stalls selling food in the Shrine.

Oishii takoyaki

Behind of us is place to pray. They throw coins into the pool and to make a wish. 5 Yen is good because it stands for Go-Yen(御縁）-Good Luck

Hidemaru with his Yakiniku, spot the head one the top of the meat

Omikuji(御神籤） is basically done to tell the fortune of the year. The way is similar to Chinese's one. Shake the container until a stick fallen out and take your omikuji according to the number written on the stick.

HIdemaru and Otoosan

While queuing, snap snap snap..~

Game stall

Nagoya train 名鉄(Mei tetsu) with red train

On the train

Hidemaru wants a bit of alcohol, we gave him 5.53mm.haha..

Kan pai!~

Otoshi dama(お年玉） and お守り (omamori) from my host family to wish for my studies