• Event

    Mom Thinks I’m Crazy to Marry a Japanese Guy

    Okay, first of all, contrary to this post’s title, I’m not getting married to a Japanese guy. Heck, I’m not even getting married to anyone! Well, at least not yet anyway… One day, perhaps?

    You’re probably wondering why I titled this post as “Mom thinks I’m crazy to marry a Japanese guy” and it’s because it’s the title of a movie I watched recently. On the 8th, the Japan Foundation held a screening of this movie at the Taiwanese Art Academy in Westwood. Yeah, Westwood of all places. (Westwood traffic was bad. The 405 traffic was also bad. So, what else is new?) Because of it being in Westwood, I was close to not attending this screening. I was actually quite hesitant to RSVP for this screening. And then on the day of the screening, I had other errands to tend to prior to the screening which made me second guess on whether I actually wanted to even go to Westwood. In the end, I decided to go to the screening. I was a few minutes late, but I made it and me being a tad bit late wasn’t a problem because 1) I managed to get a seat and 2) the screening hadn’t begun yet. I honestly wished I had gotten there early so that I could have gotten a seat in the front row. Sitting behind people taller than me was a pain. Worst of all was how I couldn’t see all of the movie’s subtitles thanks to it being blocked by heads in the audience. Meh. (Thank goodness that my crappy Japanese skills came in handy, I guess?) The idea of sitting on the ground, right in front of the first row actually crossed my mind a few times during the screening but I suppose I knew better and chose to stay put. (I mean, I was actually fortunate to even have a seat. There were actually people standing against the wall in the back of the room to watch the movie.)

  • Ponderings,  Travel

    A Fleeting Encounter at the Niomon Gate

    Niomon Gate, pathway to Mount Misen

    Whenever I’m abroad, I always get amused at how we, as people can encounter so many people (strangers) only to see them once. It’s strange how the world works, isn’t it? When I was in Japan, this amusement (or amazement rather) seemed to heighten since there was hardly ever a day that I didn’t hang out on a train filled with people I didn’t know.

  • Nature,  Travel

    On Top of Miyajima Island

    View of Seto Inland Sea from Miyajima Observatory
    View of Seto Inland Sea from Miyajima Observatory

    Never in my life have I walked as much as I did while in Japan. Each day I was there, I walked anywhere from 20,000 – 30,000 steps and this was a good thing. A very good thing. (So good that I hope I can attempt to walk that many steps every now and then in the states.)

    One of my most intense “walks” in Japan would have to be while on top of Miyajima Island (Hiroshima, Japan). Yes, while on top of Miyajima Island.

    My travel companion and I had originally pondered the idea of hiking from the grounds of the island all the way to the top of the island. This of course didn’t happen. Due to time constraints, we decided it was best for us to take a one-way ropeway trip to the “top” of the island. I honestly was feeling a bit chicken about this since I had never been on a ropeway before but sometimes, there’s a first for things and this just happened to be one of those times.

  • Travel

    What I Don’t Miss About Japan

    Vegetarian options at Tokyo Disney Sea
    Vegetarian options at Tokyo Disney Sea

    Lack of Vegetarian Food 🥕

    You can live off of convenience store onigiris but you can’t live off of them for too long. Besides, the likelihood of your onigiri being available at all times is slim. (I managed to survive off of seasoned seaweed onigiris, inari sushi and junk, like fries.) Vegetarianism is a joke in Japan but I knew that before coming to the land of the rising sun and somehow made it work for me despite going hungry here and there during my trip.

  • Event

    Hot country. Hot boys. Eels?

    Unagi Pie event in Thailand
    Central Plaza Ladprao (Bangkok, Thailand) had an unagi pie event, where attendees had the chance to meet and greet 3 Thai male celebrities on 3/23 and 3/25. (As if one male celebrity wasn’t enough, right? lol) The three celebrities were Boy Pakorn, Nong and Pat.
    I want to say that I was present at this event however the truth is that it wasn’t me that was present, it was my mom. I kid you not on this.