Kyoto

OMG, it's been almost 2 months since the last update and 4 months since the trip. Gomennasai! I'll try to be a bit more on-task.

Anyway, Kyoto was the former capital of Japan, and a very interesting city. We started off at a meeting ground somewhere near ACT city, where we introduced Isaac Lee to Hanayume, who seemed to have a crush on him. We set off for Kyoto, which was about a 3-4 hour bus ride away. The bus ride was spent playing cards, mostly taiti, bridge and *cough* poker *cough* with Hong Cheng. Rule number one of poker: Never play with marked cards when you don't know the markings... The scenery along the highways was very nice, especially when you live in a place like Singapore and don't get to see much.

We arrived in Kyoto at around lunch time. Hong Cheng and I found a very interesting shop down there selling swords. Hong Cheng immediately bought one, while I hesitated a bit before buying. Then, we went for lunch. Since we didn't know the place, we decided to trail Muto sensei and Momose san, who were surprisingly, shall we say, close. Reminds me of 2 certain people in school (RI Amaths ppl should know)...

After lunch, we visited a temple known as the Golden Pavillion. Hong Cheng took a very good picture here, so good that many at home believed that it was a professional picture. Scenery was very beautiful, and I'm sad that we don't see any of it here.

There was also a kimono factory, where we learned how kimonos were made. We also learned how to dye fabric using stencils, and produced some nice handkerchiefs, although mine was destroyed when I attempted to write my name. Some nice souveniers were in the shop, and I in particular bought a small crystal thing and a kamikaze headband.

Our last attraction for the day was Kiyomizu Dera, the most famous temple in Kyoto. There were 3 waterfalls there, and apparently if you drink from them, you will have wealth, long life and a good love life. Also, we had some fortune telling stuff done there, although I don't believe in the stuff and didn't take a paper. How it works is, you take a paper with a number on it out of a box/dispenser. The number is from 1-100 and the lower the number, the luckier you will be. I did this a week before when I went to a temple with my host and got 26, so that's not bad. Branden got a 71, and was quite scared, although the custom is that you can make your luck better by tying the paper to a tree or pole.

Souvenier shopping was next, and there were some nice things to buy. Swords, of course, and Branden, Hong Cheng and Gabu each picked up one, which meant that Hong Cheng had a matching set. Also, our dear friend Isaac Lee spent 15 minutes browsing ties, so there must have been a wide variety Japanese food and ice creams, statues, flags of various countries and many more interesting things could be found. I managed to pick up a few things, and my favourite was this iron-on patch from the US Air Combat Command.

Bus ride back was interesting, we watched the movie where our theme song, Hitomi Wo Tojite came from. We all sang it together when it played, and looking back, I can see that we became quite close. Dinner was at a rest stop, and I seem to have grown attached to those "Hello Squares"

At Nambu, we had a few interesting events. Since it was quite late, about 10-10.30, the whole school was dark and deserted. Hong Cheng and I were discussing the famous RI ghost stories with Branden, scaring a few people. Then all of a sudden, Isaac Sim screamed. This was most likely due to 3 people appearing out of nowhere, or at least appearing to appear out of nowhere. Some of the girls also got scared. It seems that our ghost stories had some negative effects...

Once home, I discussed the trip with my host family. They particularly liked the sword and the picture that Hong Cheng took, which I will post once I find it. And so ended another day.

That's all for now, stay tuned for the next instalment! And I promise to bring the next instalment right after my Common Tests!!!

BTW: Gabu is a prefect nominee!

Week 2

Sorry for the recent lag in updating, due to me being either busy or suffering from writer's block. Anyway, I'll TRY to make this a long post, but the problem is that nothing much happened in the second week of the program.

On Friday, we had some sort of party in the school hall, which consisted of introductions and games, such as human knot. Also, if I understood correctly, there was a comparison game where the Japanese students were asked to compare stuff between Japan and Singapore, and see which is bigger. For instance "Do you think that McDonalds hamburgers in Singapore are bigger than the ones in Japan?"

Following that, we had a session with a British teacher, which was a very welcome relief. We discussed various things, most notably Singlish, as well as sharing our experience.

That afternoon we also had CIP, which involved cutting grass down by the river. That was surprisingly fun compared to the usual CIP (except busking along Orchard road with my sax). Other than that, it was a normal school day.

On the day after, which was a Saturday, Ikuto and I played PS2, the usual Dynasty Warriors 3, of course. Then, in the afternoon, we cycled around the city with his friend. We also visited the Hamamatsu museum of science. Hamamatsu being a music center in Japan, there was a large exhibit on sound. There were also many other interesting exhibits, and although they were in Jap, the concepts were easy enough to understand.

After that, we cycled down to ACT City and bought McDonalds, which was slightly more expensive than over here. I also discovered that Singaporean McChickens are in fact bigger than Japanese ones. We ate outdoors while watching a local school band play. They sounded around the same standard as the RIMB. We took a "slightly" less conventional road home. I also realised that Japanese have very different views on road safety, and it's apparently the norm to cross a 6-lane road without traffic lights, crossings or anything, and cars WILL stop if they see someone waiting to cross.

The next day, we took a car ride up to some place call Acti or something. It was around a 2 hour drive, but the scenery was brilliant, especially up the mountains. We went to one of the mountains for lunch, where there was a stall selling soba (Japanese noodles) and barbequed salted fish. Then, we played minigolf for about an hour, before returning home.

The following days were uneventful, regular schooldays. On Wednesday though, we had a nice calligraphy session, as well as a talk on how Japanese characters evolved. Most people, yearning for Singaporean food, wrote the Chinese names of many Singaporean delicacies, such as chicken rice, chilli crab.... the usual. On that same day, we also witnessed a very interesting fight between a student and a teacher. I mean a real fight, and it may have turned serious if teachers and students weren't there to restrain them.

Thursday was our last day in school, although we would be attending one more lesson on the following Monday. We gave out our souveniers from Singapore, which consisted of various keychains. I also gave one of my school badges to this guy called Shunsuke, aka Ni Hao, due to his love for that phrase. The teacher in charge seemed especially happy to receive one, as she wasn't expecting it. We also got some nicely laminated copies of the class photos that we took earlier.

The next day, we would visit Kyoto, but I'll talk more about that some other time. Sorry if my updates are getting less frequent, and I will try to update more frequently... Also, sorry for the lack of nice pictures, but my "State-of-the-art" phone deleted all the pictures I took...

That's all for now, stay tuned for the next instalment!

Well, another update has finally arrived, which should make all of you happy, especially since I'm being spammed for updates. Ah well, I hope this is long enough to last...

Anyway, the day started off as normal, except that at that morning, JL712 left Singapore with my school band in it. Sadly I could not join them... Anyway, that day was also our city tour of Hamamatsu, which would prove to be an interesting one.

At school, we met up at the usual meeting room, then headed for the bus, which was already waiting for us. Most people were happy to meet up with the people from the other group, as we had much to discuss. Our first destination was the Yamaha factory/museum, which was interesting to me because of the saxophones and other such instruments in there. We also had fun in the factory "rong-gaeing" past Isaac Lee, although I doubt if he liked it too much. Also picked up some basic trumpet and trombone skills at the museum.

Following that, we went to the mayor's office, which was slightly boring, although we got free harmonicas, as well as a feature in the local papers the next day. Lunch was at the Hotel Concord, where we performed a while back. Brought back memories... The buffet was good.

The photonics center was next, which was rather interesting, but there weren't enough exhibits. Still, it was a research lab, not a science museum, so what to do?

Our final destination was the Honda factory, where we confirmed that motorcycles do sound like their brand names. Nothing much their either. Hamamatsu isn't a very interesting city, with the exception of the Yamaha museum and the air base. Not much happened after that, and I arrived home at around 5.30. Rest of the day was boring.

That's all for today, stay tuned for the next instalment!

School days

Sigh... today received some bad news about the program. I will not be hosting an exchange student :(. Still, at least I get to attend the welcome dinner and the Malaysia trip, bird flu permitting. Anyway, I shall continue my story from the time I first met the Tahara family, my hosts for the 2 weeks I spent there.

During the ceremony, my host, Tahara Ikuto, was the only one who wore civvies (home clothes) to the ceremony. My kind of guy. First impression of his mother was that she looked like a 10-year older version of Mrs Eunice Tay, my physics teacher. We listened to a few more speeches, then left the hotel.

Once leaving, my host's father drove his own car back, while my host and his mother took me on a short drive around town, allowing me to see the famed in-car GPS system for the first time. The, we arrived home. Nothing much happened after that, except for the buffet dinner at a very good restaurant. Our first attempts at communication could be summed up in this comment my host's older brother made to his mother, "Why is it that you talk to Aaron in English and he talks to you in Japanese". Still, we got along.

The next day was our first day at the Japanese school, in my case Nambu Junior High. I managed to meet the other people from Group A there, which was a welcome relief, as I could "speak good english" this time. We took a tour of the school, which was a bit run down compared to RI. Lessons after that were boring, especially maths, where I sweeped through extremely challenging maths questions such as "if 2:3 = x:6, find x". After leaving school, the rest of the day was rather boring.

The next day was also relatively boring, except for the founding of Shimpanese. More will be written on this interesting topic later. The day after that, we had a flower arrangement ceremony and a tea ceremony. Again, enjoyable, but not much to be learnt.

Sorry if this blog entry is too short, but I am too angry with ppl like ceiling fan and Mr Chong, our dance instructor, who I shall not talk about here.

That's all for this post, stay tuned for the next instalment!

Japan Trip - The Beginning

Every story has to start somewhere, as they say. For me, the beginning was at 4 in the morning at Changi Airport. I was the earliest there, with the rest of the people arriving at around 4.30-5. Check in was slow, since there was a large group of tourists in front of us. We went directly to the gate after that. I, being an aviation enthusiast, noted the plane's registration. (For those of you who care, it was JA701J).

When we boarded, I found myself next to Gabu and Isaac Sim. During our taxi to the runway, some guy in the terminal coincidentally took a photo of the plane and uploaded it onto the internet. If you look closely at the windows, you might see one of us, but I doubt it.



The flight was EXTREMELY boring, and I ended up listening to jazz music on the in-flight entertainment system, due to my mp3 being in my check-in bag and the 2 jokers sitting next to me falling asleep.

When I reached Narita airport, for the 5th time, I saw a few interesting planes around. We cleared customs quickly, and left the airport. We met Momose san there as well. The Narita Excel Tokyu hotel, where we were to stay, was a rather short drive from the airport.

At the hotel, we had a "final" rehearsal for our performance the next day. The radios kept screwing up and delaying our dismissal. I ended up playing com for the rest of the night.

The next day, me and Hong Cheng, whom I shared a room with, took a walk around the gardens, which were quite beautiful. Sadly, we left the hotel at around 9, for our long drive to the city of Hamamatsu. That was even more boring than the flight, and I ended up listening to Der Vogelhandler, my school band's SYF piece, over and over again.

When we reached the Hotel Concorde in Hamamatsu, we had to change into our Malay costumes. Then we had yet more rehearsals, until the Japanese students, and various other people arrived.

When the hall was filled up, a few people gave speeches, including the principals of the schools and Mr Tan. Then, we performed, which wasn't as bad as I expected. Finally, we had to introduce ourselves to the Japanese people. Then, we dispersed to our various hosts. Hong Cheng, as usual, quoted Star Wars as a farewell, "There is no fear, there is no hate, there is the Force". No idea how that was relevant, but it was inspirational, at least.

That's all for this post, stay tuned for the next instalment!

Japan Trip - Introductions

Japan... Interesting place to spend 3 weeks in, don't you think. Of course, all stories start with introductions. So, introducing.... the gang.



On the extreme left is Hong Cheng (RI Sec 3). Interesting person. though he is musically inclined, (he plays the piano) he is also very health-conscious and exercises vigorously to maintain his fitness. Maybe that's because his ambition is to become a commando. A friendly and undoubtedly helpful person, he is well liked by his fellow Japan trip mates. He is rather knowledgable about swords and is a master in the major arcana (tarot cards). Dislikes Isaac Lee for obvious reasons. Owns 2 swords.

Next to Hong Cheng is Gabriel Tong (RI Sec 2) aka Gabu. Poser if I ever saw one, like Hong Cheng. Seems to attract all the girls for some reason or the other. Owns a sword.

The lady next to Gabu is my Jap teacher and overall teacher in charge, Muto sensei. During lessons, she's tough, but during the trip, I saw her gentler side. Makes a good riding partner on Space Mountain.

Standing to her left is Nicholas Lau(Anderson Sec 3). One of the founders of Shimpanese, which I shall explain later on. A member of his school's outdoor adventure club, he is strong and tall. Also enjoys performing acrobatic stunts, which he is adept in. Most of us think that he is pretty cool, too. A humorous and articulate person, he is popular with girls, both Japanese and Singaporeans. Dislikes swords, particularly when one is pointed at him.

To Nicholas's left, and front row, we have Ariele Pati (CHIJ sec 2). I don't know her too well, so someone please help me...

Above her stands Pauline (RGS Sec 2) aka Paul. One would think she's a sec 3. Many character fluctuations. However, she is a warm and understanding person, who does not shy away from expressing her personality and would always provide a listening ear

Half-blocked by Ariele's face is Chuang Ding Fang (NYGS Sec 3). She's the usual target of Branden Seow (see below), who likes her name a lot. Famous for diarrhea in the first week of school.

Standing in front and to the left of Ding Fang is Jeaness Wang(St Nicholas Sec 2), wearing the yellow jacket. I don't know her either, so someone help!

Above her is Fiona (RGS Sec 3). A good friend of Nicholas, she is a nice and outgoing person. A big fan of Yoshiki, she enjoys playing pop songs on the piano. Also enjoys reading manga and never fails to share trendy and catchy Japanese phrases with her peers.

Standing to her left is Samantha (RGS Sec 2). Surprisingly pure-minded and likes to hang around with the CHIJ girls, for some reason.

In front of Samantha is Xin Hui (St Nics Sec 2). As per most of the girls from Group B, I don't know her....

Behind Samantha is Ng Hui Yi (RGS Sec 3). Co-founder of Shimpanese (See below). For some reason, she doesn't know what a saxophone is.

Standing next to her is Peiying (Anderson Sec 3). A pretty and artistic girl, she is Huiyi's cousin and has a nice and outgoing personality. Never failing to humour others, she enjoys roller-coasters and is the creator of a much-loved diao expression.

Below her is Aline Chan (CHIJ Sec 2), good friends with Audrey and Samantha. She's a nice girl, and did most of the work with the Jap class.

Audrey Kang (St Nics Sec 2) is standing below Aline. See above.... Sorry, but I don't know what to write about her....

The girl in the red jacket is Joycelen Kam (River Valley Sec 3). A pretty and cool girl, i admire her for her individuality and her unique personality. Even though she might have slight flaws in character, i feel that maintaining your own individuality is a very important quality a person must have, or else the world would be a boring place, wouldnt it? It's always a pleasure to talk to her, because she's just so cool! (By Hong Cheng)

Standing below Joycelyn is Jia Hui (River Valley Sec 3). Still don't know anything about her, so someone please help.

Below her is Isaac Sim (RI Sec 2). He's a very nice guy, though he can be a bit timid at times. Soft-spoken and gentlemanly, he gets along well with the girls and is brothered by the boys. Very passionate about what he likes, and is a person who is true to his feelings. His only flaw is that he has periodic mood swings.

Standing above Isaac in the beige Hwa Chong uniform is Branden Seow (HCI/CHS Sec 3). An articulate and outspoken person, he is actively involved in school politics and aims to be an MP as well as a doctor. Has been mentored by the Minister of Education, Mr.Tharman Shanmuguratnam and idolizes Mr Vivian Balakrisnan. Also a close friend of Hong Cheng and me, he likes magic and insulting Ding Fang. Dislikes roller coasters to the core. Owns a sword.

Above him is, to quote Hong Cheng, "our DEAREST and most HONOURABLE friend", Isaac Lee (ACS Sec 2). In my opinion, i think that he is as hot as liquid nitrogen. He also thinks that he is extremely cool and that his definition of cool is by behaving uptightly all the time, not forgetting that he never fails to showcase his exceptional leadership and persuation skills by bossing people around and getting them extremely pissed. Not exactly the best way to make friends. An outgoing and friendly person, he never fails to reach out to his peers and bond with them by sportingly not participating in rides such as splash mountain, and talking about extremely interesting topics such as academics, which i'm sure is something everyone cant get enough of. His steadfastness and determination of steel was undeniable since the first day, when he did his mathematics homework on the plane, and judging by the fact that he finished all his holiday homework by the end of the trip. An extremely high class person who has sophisticated interests, he displays maturity beyond his years, through his undying passion for formal wear, especially ties. Once spent the full 45 minutes we were given to go shopping in Kyoto browsing ties. A mysterious person, he is usually uncontactable (in singapore). A true man of spirit, valour and action, he has a huge crush on Jeaness but doesnt dare to tell her. He doesnt seem to realize that Jeaness is not stupid and that she isn't blind either, though. Best friends with Mr Tan Soo Thian, who is as honourable and amiable as him. (By Hong Cheng)

And leaning on Branden is me, your friendly author, Aaron Theseira (RI Sec 3). Avid saxophone player and com game player, of course. I own a sword!

There are 2 other people involved in this trip who are not featured in the photo. The first is Mr Tan Soo Thian, our second teacher in charge. He is very kind, almost as kind as Mr Koh or Mrs Ang, my school class's form teachers, and Mr Lim, our year-head. He speaks Japanese well too, and is even slightly better than Jeremy Wong.

The second person is Mr Momose, from the Japanese version of our MOE. He's very playful, as you can see from the picture, and very generous as well.

That's it for the intros, stay tuned for the next instalment!