magjunkie’s blog

This is so long overdue! But better late than never right? Without further ado, let me launch into some quick bites on Hokkaido, before I forget them all :p

- Hokkaido is a beautiful place but October is really not the best month to visit. Why? Cos you don't get to see any lavender fields or sunflower beds or much of red maple leaves. Everything's pretty much lost its colour by the time we arrived (around third week of October). So if you're hoping to see pretty blooms, avoid this time and wait till the next spring please.
- Sapporo: This is the main city in Hokkaido. However, we didn't see much of it because we miscalculated the time taken to travel to Otaru and back. We did pop over to the Odori Park (nothing to shout about) and slurp up a steaming bowl of ramen (not in the famed Ramen street but the bowl we had was rather satisfying too! yum!). Oh, not to forget the Ishiya Chocolate Factory - almost like a lifelike fairytale.
- Otaru: Like obedient tourists, we attempted to cover the must-sees including the Otaru Canal. We were hoping for a view that would take our breath away but what greeted us was just so-so. That said, Otaru is a charming little town on its own. I like the Otaru Music Box museum which has a sprawling retail space with dazzling music boxes all lined up and a little showcase on its upper levels. I used to collect music boxes in my younger days but stopped before I even hit 10 pieces cos they were just too pricey for poor student me. That might have explained why I am so in love with this jewelled place. One thing to note, most shops, F&B included, close by 6pm. That's really early by our standard. We were however lucky cos we found a little stretch that was still open at 7pm and the eateries served really delicious fare. I'd say we tasted one of the freshest sushi here, smooth beer and this deep-fried bird that looked like a cross between chicken and turkey - we had no idea what it was but it was good!
- Furano: We knew the odds of seeing lavender fields were not high but we took a chance and took a three-hour drive from Sapporo to Furano, Farm Tomita. There we had lavender sundae in the freezing weather, bought lavender tea bags and saw withering lavender. Haha! Ok, the view was not one to behold, thanks to the dried up fields, but well, it was an experience nevertheless.
- Asahikawa: After Furano, we drove for about an hour and a half so we could sleep over in Asahikawa. We didn't have proper food the whole day cos we were on the road all the time so the only goal we had was to make it to the Asahikawa Ramen Village and stuff ourselves. Oh yes, we found the "village" which was really a cluster of eight to ten ramen shops. Although there wasn't the buzz we expected, the ramen was goooood! The eggs that came with the noodles were done on the outside and slightly runny within and the soup base had this peppery taste. Oh, just delicious!
- Sounkyo: It was my birthday when we reached Sounkyo. A deliberate plan from Mister - he wanted us to rest and relax in this onsen haven. And haven, it was! I love the zen feel of the resort we stayed at (Choyo Resort Hotel), the unhurried pace of the day, the indulgent private bath, the hot stone spa and of course, the dinner buffet too! Everything was just puuuurfect!
- Noboribetsu: Again, we miscalculated the time taken to travel to this hot spring zone. By the time we reached the resort (Dai-ichi Takimotokan), it was already 7.30pm. We dashed for the buffet dinner, rested in our room for a bit before heading to their 24-hour public bath. Their public bath (one section for each gender) is divided into seven different pools - for beauty, wellness, health etc. I like the outdoor bath the best because you get to enjoy the cool breeze while immersing yourself in the natural hot spring. Very tranquil. That said, I still prefer Choyo Resort in Sounkyo to this.
- Hakodate: This is the last stop of our Hokkaido trip. We were hoping to go to the Mount Hakodate Ropeway but it was under maintenance. We thought we'd be bored for the rest of the stay there but of course, we were wrong. There is this whole other world along Motomachi - the historical district - where all the old churches, consulates and temples reside. It was here that we discovered a little cafe that was way traditional looking, quaint and cosy. Love it to bits! Of course, we also visited the Hakodate morning market, just a stone's throw away from our hotel (Toyoko Inn Ekimae Asaichi) where the freshest produce like seafood and melons were sold. We ate as we strolled - awesome!

That's about all I have on Hokkaido, at least still fresh in my head. All in all, we totally enjoyed ourselves, despite this being not the ideal season to visit. Sometimes all you need is to be a little more adventurous and see the fun in everything you come across. That makes the wrong season the right season all over again!
 

We've been back from our Osaka/Hokkaido holiday for about 3 weeks now and I realised I hadn't said much about the trip. Everything gets a bit hazier as the days go by so I decide to summarise each place in point form before I forget the details :p Let's start with Osaka, which was both the first and last stops of our vacation.

- We stayed at two different hotels in Osaka cos in between we had the Hokkaido road trip. The first was Dotonburi hotel which is about 10 mins' walk from Namba train station. The location is great though I wouldn't say the same about the hotel's cleanliness. That said, it's still one of the more popular places to stay, according to Tripadvisor.com. Next up, we booked this Flexstay inn at Shinsaibashi. Even better location cos it's right next to the busy shopping district but hotel is fairly old so expect a musty smell. Both hotels are considered cheap so if you're not fussy about hotel interiors, you can consider them.

- Food! We were told repeatedly that we must try okonomiyaki and takoyaki, both are Osaka signatures apparently. Okonomiyaki is actually a cabbage pancake fried on a hotplate, drizzled with a sourish Japanese sauce. You can throw in other ingredients like beef, pork, chicken or seafood if you like. I think it's not bad at all. But what takes the cake is takoyaki - it's just different from the ones we get from pasar malam or foodcourts here. Yum!

- We did a spot of shopping but because we only had about 2.5 days in Osaka altogether, we didn't really buy that much. Of course, we hit the pharmacy-looking cosmetic stores and stock up on Kose sheet masks. :) We love Shinsaibashi shopping street! It was bustling with life even after the shops had closed at 8pm.

- The brochures also recommended Tenjimbashisuji Shopping Street, said to be the longest shopping arcade in Japan. It must be because we walked for over 2 hours and couldn't see an end to it. But if you're serious about shopping, I'd say, give this a miss as most shops are meant for their local housewives rather than fashionista tourists like us. :p However, by some stroke of luck, thanks to the shopping street, we discovered two gems - the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living and the Osaka Temmangu Shrine. Both beautiful in their own way. You'll spot the museum just when you exit from the Tenjimbashisuji 6-chome station towards the shopping street. As for the shrine, we stumbled onto it when we took an unexpected exit to the left of the shopping street, after we were about 1.5 hours into it. Some brochure says you can get there from the Minami-Morimachi station.

- The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is said to be a must-see. It's not bad as we had the chance to get up close and personal with some amazing marine life like whale shark, stingray, sunfish and adorable sea otter and penguins. If you're going, remember to ask for the train ticket that includes the admission fee to the aquarium - it's cheaper that way. We got ours from Namba station - ask the friendly people at the tourism information counter. They were extremely helpful to us!

Ok, that's about all I can remember from Osaka. Next up, Hokkaido! Stay tuned!

Two things: I've just come back from a holiday to Osaka and Hokkaido (actually back for a week already but in denial, thinking it was just yesterday that I touched down) and I'm packing my dreams into a rattan basket and shoving it under my bed for a while. In other words, I've called it quits and moving on to somewhere else. Note: I didn't use the words "greener pastures". Fingers crossed.  

This is a love story written in Qiong-Yao style but in English. At the heart of the story is Peony, a 16-year-old maiden in a traditional Chinese family who's betrothed to a man she's never seen but who has fallen for another - possibly the first man without blood relation that she's seen in her 16 years - after a few brief yet intense encounters. Like the scenes from the novel The Peony Pavilion that she's obsessed with, Peony tries to take control over matters in her life in the hope that one day she'll be with the one she loves. Then follows a series of unfortunate events - ala Romeo & Juliet - which leads to Peony's discovery of love, helplessness and forgiveness.

I like the author's choice of words, so poetic yet so down-to-earth that it's easy for me to relate to, despite the setting in a different country and a totally different era from the one I'm familiar with. Yet, the plot seems a little thin to sustain its 374 pages. After a while, I start to ponder, is this all there is to it? With the writer's prose, I keep thinking there should be more. Maybe I don't appreciate the story fully, maybe I didn't read between the lines more. Somehow I am quite certain it's more than a story of a lovelorn girl.

Rating: 3 bookmarks out of 5

A new colleague has joined the team and without hesitating, I dated her for lunch and made her my lunchtime companion. She seems happy with the arrangement so far. So yes, no more eating at my desk, surfing web mindlessly and reading on my own during lunch. I think I don't cut such a sad figure anymore. That is, until we grow sick of each other or the job, whichever comes first. I think the job bit has already happened.

Not many of us are lucky in that way - to do what we really want, not because we were seduced by the money, prestige or the security work can offer. And then if you got lucky and did what you love, you may realise that you're not equipped to do it well. Does that make sense?

I have some serious decision-making to do and was pondering aloud. So Mister shared this article with me: How to do what you love by Paul Graham (Vox is not letting me do hyperlink now so am pasting the URL here: http://www.paulgraham.com/love.html)

It's a good read and I might have just learned that lil bit more about myself. Some excerpts to share:
 
"To be happy I think you have to be doing something you not only enjoy, but admire. You have to be able to say, at the end, wow, that's pretty cool."

"Finding work you love is very difficult. Most people fail. Even if you succeed, it's rare to be free to work on what you want till your thirties or forties. But if you have the destination in sight you'll be more likely to arrive at it. If you know you can love work, you're in the home stretch, and if you know what work you love, you're practically there."

So are you there yet?

And I am not counting. Because I would feel a dull pain somewhere and a heaviness that weighs my heart down so much I don't know how I can ever breathe again. Sometimes it's not so bad. I remember the reason I'm here. I remember the feverish delight as I type out the words. I remember the whirl as I block out the world's goings and live in my thoughts, formed and changed many times until the sentences read like poems to me. But most days, I wonder what I am doing. One comma here, one brand name there, one logo here, one fullstop there. I struggle. Wrong preposition, wrong article, wrong word, wrong structure. I fail. And then I deflate. And as my battle with my own disquiet goes on and on and on, a year has finally passed. And I am still alive.  

In a way, I feel rather peaceful, if I stop asking why or how. The past year has not been smooth but I am still here, still me. Isn't that worth some celebration? Oh yes. Despite everything, I have learned more about myself and I have learned to be more self-reliant. Ain't this the life lesson most of us need? To be self-sufficient and be thankful for what's dished out, good or bad? I haven't mastered the latter yet but who knows? Maybe I am getting there. I can laugh at situations I used to cry over. I can see the silver lining when something seemingly bad happens. Yes, I whine too. All the time. But mostly it's a way to detox my emotions. That's all. So what next? Wait, don't tell me. Let me try finding my own way.   

Set in the 17th century, the book illustrates the times of slavery in early America through the voices of five women. It begins with Florens, an eight-year-old, who is given away by her mother to Jacob Vaark as part of a debt settlement for her owner. Jacob, who never believes in the trade of people, accepts the offer only in the hope that the girl can replace the daughter he's lost, alleviating the pain for his wife Rebakka. Back on his farm, there is Lina, their native American servant and Sorrow, another girl who's rescued from a shipwreck.

The story unfolds with each woman telling their stories of how they've come to this farm. Rebekka leaves behind a fiercely religious family on a ship packed with people who are making their escapes for different reasons to marry a man she's never met. When she arrives greeted by her new husband's servant Lina, she eyes her suspiciously. The two however develop a bond out of neccessity, even more so as Rebekka loses her infants one after another to sickness. Lina comes from a village wiped out by a smallpox epidemic. Having traumatised by witnessing the deaths of her own family and the Presbyterians who later take her in and teach her new ways to live, she is wary of people and does her chores dutifully to keep her place in the family. Sorrow comes across as a wildchild, not knowing who fathers the baby in her womb and keeps to herself and her imaginary twin. Florens, the character central to this story, reeling from her mother's abandonment, is eager to please and seeks love where she can. The last chapter is written in the voice of Florens' mother as she tells of her inner turmoil and gives meaning to the title of this book - A Mercy.

Their stories tell of their helplessness in times when the females were often victimised. They had no place in the world and they had no choice but to accept their fates and come to terms with things to make life bearable.

Some excerpts:

Lina: "Sir and Mistress believed they could have honest free-thinking lives, yet without heirs, all their work meant less than a swallow's nest. Their drift away from others produced a selfish privacy and they had lost the refuge and the consolation of a clan...Pride alone made them think they needed only themselves, could shape life that way, like Adam and Eve, like gods from nowhere beholden to nothing except their own creations...As long as Sir was alive, it was easy to veil the truth: that they were not a family - not even a like-minded group. They were orphans, each and all."

Florens: "You say you see slaves freeer than free men...That it is the withering inside that enslaves and opens the door for what is wild."
"You are correct...I am become wilderness but I am also Florens. In full. Unforgiven. Unforgiving. No ruth, my love. None. Hear me? Slave. Free. I last. I will keep one sadness. That all this time I cannot know what my mother is telling me. Nor can she know what I am wanting to tell her."

Rating: 3 bookmarks out of 5

The recent book promos meant I had a legitimate reason to stock up on books. Am happy with these buys.

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The weeks have been rough. On one of the awful days, Mister made it better by surprising me with this lil sweetie. Love it and love him more.

Flowers_s