KIT-IJST 4th Week Classes [1st Half]
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
It's 4th week already. We had Cultural & JST classes today. The former was like usual, without an article presentation. In JST, we learnt Japanese mimetic expressions - gitaigo & giongo (words that mimic states & sounds). These are very abundant here, and whoever reads manga a lot would certainly know this.

Examples:
Water running = ざーざー　(zaa zaa)
Cat meow = ニャーニャー (nya nya)
Twirling around = くるくる (kuru kuru)
Shining object = きらきら (kira kira)
Totally cute. Sensei gave us stuff to touch & see, and let us guess the appropriate expressions. I saw nattou for the 1st time, it's really gross-looking. I also tried eating wasabi & umeboshi (pickled plum)-flavored potato chips. Japanese really has literally everything huh... I spent the night mostly at room, listening to songs & doing homeworks. All boring stuff...


Wednesday, July 7, 2010

I learnt to write a Japanese resume in JPN class, it's harder than American one, given the crazy kanji here and there. No other class after that. I went to Segway session. We tried riding on it, it's really fun! I'd no idea it would be this awesome. A little dangerous, but that's what makes things more challenging, right?


Today is Tanabata festival day, but no real festival being held since it's sort of a family thing. Some of us have bought their own yukata to wear during Tanabata, but oh well, they're gonna wear it tonight! I had to walk very fast to get my very 1st yukata at Bookoff. Not much choices left, so I had to consider buying an expensive one. At first, I chose blue and red yukata, red's cheaper since it's a secondhand. The blue one was good, but looked weird when I was wearing it. The salesgirl got me another one, a purple yukata. Very nice color & design, but far more expensive than the other two. So, I'd rather get my hands on a new yukata than old one, so I bought the purple. Total purchase of yukata, obi, geta sandal, tabi: SECRET! It's quite costly for me, but I'm happy getting it by myself ^___^


9 of us (me, diya, sam, tiana, sarah, jackie, taylor, rohit, john) wore yukata and took pictures together. Jackie's still sick so she didn't join us for dinner at Katsuya. Ebi fried set for me! Then, we had Baskin Robbins ice-cream, umm ummm so good! Funny thing, Japanese people couldn't stop staring at us wearing yukata. I might feel the same way if I see a foreigner wearing baju kurung/baju melayu. They thought we were cute, I supposed? Haha... So, we're gonna do this again, with fireworks beside the river, and much more! Yay, I can't wait!

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KIT-IJST Long Weekend Part 3
Monday, July 5, 2010

As promised, we did go explore Kanazawa downtown! First thing in the morning, we went to Myoryuji Temple, or nicknamed as Ninja-dera. No reservation, but we managed to slip in as soon as we arrived. Nice! No relationship whatsoever with ninja, (with samurai, yes), got its nickname from many traps, contraptions & cool hidden staircases to prevent enemy attack during war times. 4-storey with 7 ‘layers’, like an old castle. So cool…


Then, we walked to samurai area, Naga-machi district, somewhere behind LABBRO. Met no samurai, unfortunately. Several museums, but we didn’t go in. Jimat admission fee. Pictures here and there, we finished touring the area in 1 hour. Walked back to Korinbo, singgah kat Natural Hills shop (adik bradik ¥100 shop). The streets were nice with European-like atmosphere mixed with Japanese feel. Waited for Kanazawa green flat bus to a geisha area called Higashi-chaya, somewhere northwest of the city. Mula-mula salah bus stop, then terlepas bus pulak. Terpaksa tunggu another 15min. Kakdiya dah start kelaparan yang amat sebab tak breakfast. As for me, weirdly I didn’t get that hungry although breakfast hanyalah semangkuk cereal. Ajaiblah cereal itu!

At Higashi-chaya, we tried to find a decent restaurant, but most serve snacks and expensive meals (>¥1000). Continued walking to the geisha houses, pictures again. Diya dah hilang tenaga & semangat, dia takde mood nak masuk Shima Geisha House. “Intimidated,” katanya. Huhu, I really wanted to meet a real geisha… Oh, we found 2 cats around here! They’re the 2nd & 3rd cats we saw today, the 1st one was sleeping at a souvenir shop outside Ninja-dera. Finally, Japanese cats! All these while, I saw only dogs. Yay, happy!

We rode a bus to Omi-cho (Fish Market) to find some food. At last, diya got to feed herself with takoyaki. I bought Mister Donut’s matchan & strawberry-filled donuts. Now I know why others like MisDon too much, donuts are spongy & awesome! Since she got her energy back, diya nak jelajah M’za department store. 8-level with many Japanese brands. Clothes, food, etc. Harga a bit expensive than shops at Tera-machi, so window shopping sajer lah. Hari ni saya siuman, so mood membeli baju kurang drpd biasa. Busan sudah, we found a food section at underground floor. I got to buy my favorite grilled squid for only ¥220 (30% off!). Diya cakap “pakcik tu kesian tgk ko kuis2 duit syiling nak bayar, nmpk macam miskin jer.” LOL Diya, sampai hati!
Next, we walked ~20min to Korinbo. Next exploration, Atrio mall. Seriously, ini memang tahap The Gardens kat Midvalley. Gucci, LV, Ralph Lauren, Coach, most are international branded names. Coach kat Jepun cantik2 T___T… Eventhough agak inferior nak masuk, berbekalkan beg Coach yg sedia ada, kami menebalkan muka dan buat2 muka kaya. Haha! 8-level as well, tapi dah penat & hilang semangat tgk harga still hundreds USDolar even after 70% discount, we skipped level 3-7. There’s a restaurant mall at 8th level, utk orang kaya2. Finally dah insaf, we waited for returning bus.

Haaa…nak dijadikan cerita. Supposedly our bus to Kodai-mae at 7:19pm; we got on wrong bus at 7:17pm (this one should arrive 7:12pm). I started to realize the unfamiliar shops outside after 10min (journey takes 20min). Mula-mula dah gelabah, tapi tak mahu gelabah ayam, so senyap sajer. Then I saw KFC restaurant on rightside. Yes, that should be right (same-looking KFC 2mins from KIT). Suddenly, the bus took left turn! Ok, dah bole start panic! Fee pun dah naik ke ¥370 – usual ¥330 jer. Diya tak sedar lagi (lol, boleh jer kan). Kitorg terus tekan loceng, bayar, & turun at the middle of nowhere. Time tu dah gelap. Nombor cellphone sensei tertinggal kat bilik. Dugaan sungguh! Since I saw the KFC earlier, I wanted to believe it to be the one near KIT, we walked at opposite direction we came. Cuak jugak, nak naik taxi, risau mahal. Maka berjalanlah kami…kaki pun dah sakit… Oh oh, I saw something! A familiar bus stop at front! It’s the 2nd Kodai-mae bus stop, 3mins away from the 1st one. OMG, my instinct was correct! Rasa nak berlari peluk cium bus stop tu. Apparently, we were off >10 blocks (~30min walk) from the real route. Alhamdulillah, at least bus tu pusing around KIT area, imagine if completely different area? Mahu menangis bayar taxi balik.

Itu lah pengalaman menarik hari ini. Seronok berjalan explore Kanazawa at past (ninja, samurai, geisha), moody tak jumpa makanan murah, tersalah naik bus & tersesat pulak. A day walking on foot, lenguh2 jadinya. Other words, it’s a meaningful & productive day!

11:31 AM | Category: | 3 cookies for me!

Current Music Update
...In the Name of ALLAH...

Kluar tajuk drpd Japan trip. But still in Japan category, somewhat...I'm excited to be in Japan, on the same land as my Jae-oppa. But he currently flew to LA to record new album for JYJ - 3hree Voices. URghHh...Naze!? Doushite??

I dunno why, I tend to like a group of 5. Best of all: Tohoshinki! But they're now inactive...no more ads seen anywhere. So sad T____T

Skrg artis apa? Arashi, ss501, Big Bang, ShiNee, Bonnie Pink, SNSD, Wonder Girls, KARA, f(x)
See? Most of them are 5-people groups. Syndrome Tohoshinki kot...

Current favorite song:
ss501 - Love Ya
Tohoshinki - Love in the Ice, Love After Love
Arashi - One Love
P/S: Haha! Semuanya ada perkataan 'LoVe'! Kebetulan yg menarik~ :D


Mengimbas kembali Tohoshinki/DBSK/TVXQ yg masih happy & berlima!


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KIT-IJST Long Weekend [Part 2]
Saturday, July 3, 2010

It's raining all day. Lebat pulak tu. Zannen! We couldn't go out to explore Nonoichi town as promised. Backup plan? Kitorang keluar jugak, literally walking in the rain, utk usha2 kedai behind Nishikawa Heights. KakDiya dah lama curious about kedai apa yg wujud kat situ. Apparently, nothing great pun. Terasa mcm orang tak betul pun ade, purposely berjalan-jalan tgk alam dalam hujan. Haha... After that, seharian berkurung dlm bilik, menyiapkan homework setakat terdaya, sigh~

Oh, this morning, we met Kidoguchi-san and Obaa-chan in front of Nishikawa Heights. They came to give us some souvenirs. Sangat terharu! Both of us received a bag of stuff from Hakuichi (gold leaf company mentioned in previous entry). Mahal semua tu *oh mata berkaca-kaca* Saya sayang host family Jepun saya sangat2!! (^___^)

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Today's raining as well, tapi beransur-ansur stop around noon. Apelagi, kitorg terus capai wallet & payung, then keluar naik Notty bus merah ke Nonoichi town area. Supposedly we shoud go to Tatemachi at Kata-machi again, but it's too far. 1st destination, Fashion shop. He he... 2 jam lah di situ sajer. Choice selection tak lah semeriah kat Kata-machi and LABBRO, but enough to get cute and cheap (penting nih!) clothes there. Next, Maruei grocery shop. I spent quite a lot here, but I got everything I wanted! Takoyaki, sayur-mayur, roti sedap, kek choc, etc. Happy!

We might go to Ninjadera or geisha/samurai district tomorrow. Oh, our long weekend is left with 1 day. Cepatnya masa berlalu...

8:07 PM | Category: | 0 cookies for me!

KIT-IJST Long Weekend! [Part 1]


Friday, July 2, 2010

Yay, the 4-day holiday is here! We're not going to Osaka like others, lepak2 around Kanazawa jer lah. So today, we're going to Kata-machi! The biggest shopping/commercial district in 3 prefectures: ishikawa, fukui, toyama. Really? OK jom confirmkan!



Naik bus from Kodai-mae to Korinbo, then jalan kaki ke Kata-machi district. Byk kedai tgh sale, 20% - 80% discount! Tapi disebabkan original prices pun da beratus, discounted pun still mahal. Forever 21, punyelah mahal T___T. Rindu USA, nak shopping! Fashion sense in Japan mmg kuat, baju cute2. Kebanyakan current style - baggy & labuh. But! Kat bawah (leg area) singkat sgt pulak. Mostly miniskirts, shorts. Kat atas nak bertutup, pelik sungguh.

Ktorang masuk this 1 shop, Harajuku style. Byk benar legal Lolita costumes! Excited jugak la nmpk yg original, bila tgk harganya mmg tersedak lah. Photography is not allowed, sorry tak dpt upload here. Then masuk anime and figurine shops. There's 1 section for doll making. Creepy, ade dolls merata-rata, pakaian cantik2, tapi mata dolls tu mcm tgh tgk kita. Ee, meremang roma! I found Dragonball Z x One Piece figurines (I got SuperBezict & Luffy!), and keychain son gohan, haha sronok! If only ade Totoro...


Had snack of banana choc waffle & caramel milktea tapioca drink. Yummy! Then, pegi LABBRO mall. OMG, sgt byk baju2 cantekkk! Rambang kejap. Nak nangis pun ada, sbb niat hati nak berjimat, tapi tangan terketar nak byr. Isk...nasib baik masih siuman. Takpe, bukan tiap2 tahun dtg Japan, next time nak dtg Kata-machi lagi! (>__<)



11:15 AM | Category: | 0 cookies for me!

KIT-IJST 3rd Week Classes
ok da malas nk tulis dlm full english. bantai lah dlm broken english-malay pon.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

We went to Bookoff & ¥100 shops. Da lewat petang baru nak gerak. Terserempak dgn sam, jackie, tiana. They got very cheap cup & bowl sets at bookoff. 3 plates + 4 cups = <￥1000! Murah! Maka berlari-larilah kami ke arah kedai tersebut, kerisauan sudah kehabisan, juga sudah lewat petang - kedai mungkin hampir tutup. Apparently, bookoff tutup 10pm, lega~ Kak diya sibuk mencari patung bear yg dia nak dulu, tapi dah takde. Too bad. Eventually, ktorg pusing2 usha benda lain. I bought 1 bowl set, 1 cup set. Soon, shopping @ ¥100 pulak. Lagi murah, so 'berjuta'lah barang yg diborong. OTW back, singgah @ Hokkahokkatei (take out bento boxes). Aritu cakap boleh pegi hokkahokkatei skali sebulan jer, masuk kali ni dah 3 kali beli. Nice lah.

Monday, June 28, 2010

RPro class start 10:40am! Yes, lambat sejam! As usual, we did research on our topics and made progress report. For JPN Comm, we changed classrooms into those @ 10th floor library. The view is nice. In class, we wrote thank-you letter to host family. Oh, how I miss them...



Suda-sensei brought us to 11th floor, a floor special for GIRLS ONLY! I found Sakurai Sho-chan's version of an-an! Hahaha, abunaiii! I'd certainly come again here!


Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Nothing unusual in Cultural class. For JST, we had another vocab quiz (sigh~) & new vocabs to learn (sigh lagi). Several students had to do presentation practice in front of us, I wonder if we have to memorize everything for the real one. O___o

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Only 2 days till long weekend! Fujii-sensei sangat bersemangat dlm kelas hari ni, dia pun tak sabar nak cuti agaknye. Hoshigumi went to English class for JPN students, conversed in both JPN & English. I got 2 cool groups, agak talkative & funny. Groups lain byk yg pendiam. 1 of the guy said he likes Tohoshinki, ONLY. Eeee...hontou?? Ye la tuuh... Also, we wrote wishes and hung them on bamboo tree, for Tanabata festival.


After class, an all-girl trip to Strawberry Cafe! Me, diya, sam, jackie, and tiana. It's a western-style shop, based on maybe, 60's period. I got veggie cheese pizza & matchan waffle. So yummy! Walaupun mahal - ¥1100, I can afford that once in a while :)



Thursday, July 1, 2010

Multiculturism in-class presentation. We had to discuss topics within groups. I got myself "Ch.6: Transnational Migration of Women Crossing Boundaries". Menarik jugak, it's about how JPN women lari ke overseas drpd stressful work in Japan. Kat Japan, women is considered at lower rank than men. Sexist, kan?

Tak sabar, long weekend esok!

10:06 AM | Category: | 2 cookies for me!