work....

hmm it's one week left before i leave my job! my first job experience! so cool. i entered bongout as a gaki who doesn't know anything, someone who just wants to try something new, and earn some money for himself. even setsuko and michiyo said that i looked like those kind who only know how to study, and they were shocked at how much i didn't know at the start. hahaha aiya wadeva! i'm a spoilt brat. but luckily i learnt quickly before i could get sacked. haha.

work has been a pleasure since the start. it's quite complicated to be explained in a few words, cuz it really involves doing many stuff. in fact, almost everything that is required to maintain a cafe, except the cooking part. it's during the recent few weeks that i've become closer to everyone else in bongout, all the staff, cooks, hmm and customers as well =) but it just came a bit too late cuz i'll be leaving soon! but it's okay. i kind of understood what ppl mean by bu zai hu tian chang di jiu, zhi zai hu cheng jing yong you. haha doesn't really fit in this context, but i'm really glad that i plucked up enough courage to come to bongout to ask for a job. i've learnt so so so much stuff that i'll never learn in rj, or anywhere else. i daresay i've had more fun at bongout than at rj, except the japanese experience in rj/ japan.

not only have i gained knowledge about japanese food (which is a great deal of knowledge), i've learnt much about japanese culture in terms of japanese cuisines. and also, how to speak to customers and all the polite form put to use in real life. i was really happy that day when i felt so natural speaking on the phone to a japanese customer. everytime i speak to japanese customers, i always get nervous and stumble but that day was exceptional. i wish i could be so naturaly always.

anywayy, there are many ways to make working fun! who says working is boring. my work isn't! here are some tips on how to make working, especially waitering, exciting!

1) Guess what customers will order.
there's a stark contrast to wad japanese and singaporean customers will order, so it's very interesting to observe the differences. The most observable difference is in the kind of ramen they eat. most japanese customers, especially kids, eat shoyu ramen. on the other hand, most singaporean customers like tonkotsu ramen, for some reason i do not know. i personally do not like tonkotsu ramen, i like miso ramen, which is not particularly liked by japanese nor singaporean customers. and then, most japanese regular customers eat the "today's special" cuz they are probably sick of the food in the menu, and wants to eat something special. another reason is perhaps they don't want to waste brain cells thinking about wad to eat everyday, yet they do not want to eat the same thing, so they choose "today's special", which changes everyday!

2) Speaking to japanese customers in japanese.
This might seem quite logical but most customers assume that we are singaporeans, so they try to speak english. but amusingly, most of the time we understand better when they speak in japanese. so most of the time, even when they speak in english, i'll reply in japanese. it's hard to describe, but it's a real joy to talk to them in japanese! of course there are some customers who insist on trying to speak in english, so our conversation will end up with them speaking in english, and then me speaking in japanese! cool!

3) Watching small kids!
Small kids are a real treat to the eyes! cuz they are reallyyy dam cuteee. and listening to their conversations is a joy too~ recently the small kids have been reading porn comics! hahaha. at first i thought it was just a bit too mature for them, not exactly explicit porn. it all started with the small girl with big eyes reading it. den she recommended to rika-chan~ who den introduced to the other small kids. den every time they come, they'll be reading those comics! naughtyyy.... haha so out of curiosity i went to see what's inside. and to my surprise (more of horror), it's really quite explicit for small kids! omg. to think they even showed to their parents. hahaha. even when it gets busy, everytime i see the small kids, i feel that all this hard work is worth it! =) oooh, esp when they say thank you, or smile at us, we feel rewarded! i love rika-chan and yuki-chan's "arigatou gozaimasu". sounds so formal yet so cute!

4) Talking to the chefs and mixing around in the kitchen
Our chefs, anthony and andy, are dam funny people! they are experienced too! so it's always interesting to listeng to them speak about their experiences. it's also very fun to watch them cook or prepare meals. hehe.. i'm sometimes impressed by how much they know about japanese, both the language and culture! it's no surprise cuz they have been working as japanese chefs for most of their lives. there was once anthony told us about how he has caused several restaurants to close down cuz of his lacklustre attitude. hahaha so funnyyyy... and he has really many friends. some of the customers used to work with him, so he goes out to greet them when they come. so cool. and their straightforward way of speaking amuses me! hahaha. cool people.

oh well this list is non-exhaustive but u get the idea. i enjoy my work! i'll probably go back to bongout as a customer after i leave! oh wells, it somehow reminds me of how hard i worked to try and earn money to go japan. so it'll motivate me.
argh i can't type japanese characters now, but "shoshin wo wasuru bekarazu"...! it means "do not forget your beliefs/ dreams" it's badly translated cuz there's no direct substitution for the word "shoshin" but it basically says that we all have a dream in mind from the start that made us push so hard till now. we musn't forget wad it is, and must work hard till we get to the end.

school

i went back to school today~~

and we were surprised the number of lame posters they have all around! dam funny!


wahhh sounds so badd...but...


wah. for every seat u give up for an elderly, u get to skip three lectures or three ccas! so cool. we must give up our seats more often then...


never drive after drinking, u need to give up seats to elderly FOUR times to make up for it!


this is funnyyy...

nani mo nai basho

ahh long time no update. it's been a tiring week. x_X... many ppl have been telling me tt i should go enjoy life/ enjoy my last days of freedom blah blah before i enlist. hmmm if i had the money, i would go travel. i will go japan or somewhere. and it's 2 weeks left before i go tekong. hmmm actually i'm actually quite looking forward to going to tekong, as it'll be a brand-new experience, in a new place, with a new lifestyle. oh well, it might not, and probably will not, turn out as easy and carefree as what i'm thinking right now, but it'll be a good experience, i guess.

and i'm playing soccer tml! yay =) i hope everything goes fine and we'll have a good game.

i'm extremely tired right now. grr...
oh yes, weixuan asked me, or rather, i volunteered to translate the lyrics of kobukuro's "koko ni shika sakanai hana" and it was actually the first time i'm looking so closely at the lyrics, and it still stuns me, how it touches my heart so deeply. it's definitely one of my favourite japanese songs.

sometimes i wonder, why am i working so hard right now?
at first, it was for the experience, and partly for the money. i was very determined at the start that i'll get into a japanese university, so i'll need lots of money. but now, my parents are asking me to apply for a local university, because they are afraid that i might not get into a japan university. but i'm really reluctant to do so, because i don't want myself to get really undecided in the end.
what was the reason i didn't want to take s paper? what was the reason why i chose a path so different from everyone else?
i had a dream, i wanted to fufil my hopes. i never wanted any distractions to direct me off the my dream path, that's why i didn't want s papers. i didn't want SATS. i didn't want to do anything that will tempt me to do something that will destroy my dreams. even if i don't get into a japan uni, i'll never get into one in europe or america. i'd rather take the examination again the next year. if i don't get into a university, it's ok. i'll try again. i'll try until one day, i'll get in.
that is how strongly i believe in myself, which, well, might end up destroying my own future. ppl have been telling me that i'm in rj, so i'm at the cream of the crop and stuff like that. things like i'll grow to become a future leader... things like i'm meant to do something BIGGER, and destined to become a great person. but i don't want all these. if i could choose, i'd rather lead a simple live, or rather, an ideal one in my point of view. i'll be happy with that.

anywayyy, i met iwakiri and her daughter todayy. so cute! we waved each other good bye!

alright good night. im tireddd...

meet the botaks

yesterdayy was supposed to be a botaks outing, but it was seriously modified cuz yanhan couldn't make it in the end, and we had to change ALL our plans (cuz we were supposed to stay over at his house) but anyway, i met up with boss for the first time in a long while at his house. sick i tink he's dam fit and strong now. in fact all the botaks are very tanned and fit now! sickassses... but anyway we then went for dinner at dhoby ghaut with junhan (the commando!), and den met sk at ps. we wanted to watch a movie but it was saturday night and all the tix were sold out. so we were left with the choice of renting/buying dvds and watching it at someone's house. we then went to boss's house to stay over. haha we bought some dvds, but we ended up not watching them cuz everyone was very tiredd, esp our commando who jus booked out that afternoon, and will be booking in the next night. so then we all went to sleep before 1am. ohh i slept in the living room on his sofa, and surprisingly it was supercomfortable!

and the next morning, we had breakfast at some prata shop in serangoon and guess who we met! we met the most well-known soccer personnel in singapore---- fandi ahmad! omg he went with his wife,children and some of his relatives. and there were 8 kids! we were dam jealous cuz we wanted to play soccer but didn't have enough ppl. and their family alone can play 4 on 4! wahlauuuuuuz... and all the kids were wearing jerseys, with their names printed behind., so cool! we wanted to go challenge them hahaha. ohh and fandi ahmad must be dam happy, cuz his team- young lions, drew with ALBIREX NIIGATA with a last min goal. grrrr.... it's ALBIREX OKAY. HOW CAN THEY DRAW???? THEY SHOULD HAVE GET THRASHED 3-0 OR SOMETHING.

hahaha okay i've got to go for work! ohh i'm working 7 days a week this week! ie everyday!! cuz everyone's not available, which brings my concern, cuz i'll be leaving in a few weeks' time. den when i leave, who's going to take up my space? not that i'm very important, but there must be someone who is able, or willing to work everyday right... oh and i'm working on sunday morning! cool! i love weekend mornings. =) cuz they are quiet and peaceful! sunday morning lovers!

one thing i'll miss

one thing i'll miss when i leave bongout is..... THE KIDS!!!

omg i reallyy love seeing the small japanese kids come to the restaurant, even though most of the time, they will take some time to order, and it'll be very confusing and all cuz we have to take orders separately for individual families. and the kids will need small bowls to eat their ramen (90% of the kids eat ramen btw), and they'll kope all our bowls, causing bowl-deficiency. and they'll spill the water, noodles all over the place. and the worst thing is, they never finish their food! they'll leave 50% of the pork in their noodles. as most of them eat shoyu ramen, which contains some funny dried vegetables-like stuff, so the kids will leave them in their bowls too. and then, most of the kids will read books (comics) after their meals, so it's quite hard to judge whether they have finished their food. and some of the kids will talk a lot after their meals, and it's quite interesting to hear them talk! cuz the way they talk is dam cuteeeee!

ohh there's this little boy who speaks with many "sa"s... ok those ppl who don't know japanese may not know what it means. but i tink the way he speaks is very cutee! blah blah blah saaa... blah blah blah tte saaa.... ahh so cuteee!
den there's rika chan! hahaha ok i know it's quite biantai to go remember the kids' names, but they kept calling her, and she was sitting at the counter (right in front of us) yesterdayy. so it left a deep impression.
and then... there's the small girl with cute eyes and loooooooong eye lashes. omg she's going to grow into a big beauty (da mei nu!).. i've only seen her once though. then there's nanami! whose family are our regular customers.
and there's the small girl who stares at ppl with her big eyes! and she's very shyyy too.
and then there's iwakiri's daughter! haha her mother likes to drink heineken! (tink she's the only customer who buys our heineken!) hahaha.
and then there are so so so many cute kids which i can't differentiate. haha but they are just so cute!

smile once more

have u ever felt that you have forgotten how it is like to smile, to get angry, to cry? have u ever felt that you have lost all the emotions a normal being is entitled to? i've found a cure to it, and just re-assured that soccer is it! having lost my emotions for a long long time, having not get worked-up over something for a long long time, i finally rediscovered my ability to scream and shout in frustration, in despair, in exasperation. Everytime i watch soccer, especially in a match where i want a particular team to win, i feel all my emotions pouring out. last night, while watching the champion's league match between arsenal and real madrid, i could feel the exasperation. i can never find this feeling anywhere else. i can never get this worked up over something that is going on thousands of miles away, and something that i cannot do anything about to change it. but i still inevitably show the weaker side of me.

it was rather disappointing to see Real Madrid crash out of the Champion's league, but it was more disappointing to see such a lacklustre effort put up by them. this morning's match could be the last match i'll be watching, cuz soon, i'll be locked up in some forbidden island to the east of singapore.

i still remember four years ago, when we were in japan, we saw thousands of people crying on the night of 18th june, when japan was eventually knocked out of the world cup by turkey. it was one of those nights i won't forget. and it goes to show once again that soccer brings tears to even the toughest men on earth. Or should i say passion? although i probably won't be able to catch the japan national team in action in this year;s world cup, i swear i will be behind them again, four years later, to go through everything with them, to show once again, through our teary eyes, how passion brings emotions, and creates emotions out of a person who has once lost all of his.

epilogue

RJ has a japanese food stall, Subway and an ATM machine. wow... i was especially amazed by the ATM machine. haha and robin's exaggerated reaction when he saw it. amazing amazing stuff. soon we'll have pool and arcade in RJ.

but anyway, when i went bAck to collect results yesterday, i met many ppl. Oh well, not that i know many ppl, but i met most of those ppl whom i know. Thankfully most of them still recognize, or rather see me as a friend and at least smile at me. Of course there were a few others who don't know me anymore. I'm really glad that most of my juniors still remember me, and bothered to come forward to talk to, or at least sms me. The hostility I expected wasn't to be seen, which was truly something that comforts me. I enjoyed all the smiles and happiness and friendliness that day, even though it only lasted the few hours i was there, and a few hours later, now, everything's been reverted to normal- nobody to sms, no one to talk to online and blah blah blah.

I thought of this issue for very long and once, i came out with an explanation to solve my doubts. I concluded that everyone has their own lives and circle of best friends; it just happened that I'm not in any of them. I might have become a little more optimistic about it now, but everything i turn around to see nothing but my shadow, i'll ruminate about this funny theory and think, "maybe it's true after all."

My angel once told me, "we should be grateful that our lives crossed. our fate might not last for the rest of our lives, we might not stay as friends forever, but it'd be enough. We might eventually become mere passers-by of each other's lives, crossing and staying at each other's lives just for a brief moment."
I know it's true, but i never expected it to be especially true in my life, as i see friends come, friends go. Sometimes i regret not treating them better after they left, sometimes i'm glad i've done my best as a friend, but as they leave eventually, i'll always be questioning my real view of friendship, and whether they should have deserved slightly more than the "best" which i thought i had given.

I'd like to bring out a quote by myself four years ago. it was nothing more than a casual remark then, but i feel it time and time again, its true meaning, and even till now, i get touched by the immense emotions involved in the short phrase.

"This is the end of our story, but the epilogue shall continue forever."
Four years ago, when we left Japan in tears, that was exactly what was in my mind, and which was what became my motivation to do miracles, and to grow stronger. Now, all of us have our own lives and we have moved on since then. But all of us have, in one way or another, been affected by the whole "story". and many of us are fighting on in this epilogue of the "story". and so we'll be fighting on forever in this never-ending epilogue.

Alevels

I am glad with my results. =D

I am happier for the results my japanese class got. SIX (possibly seven) out of TWELVE people got A for japanese. That's amazing. And from 75% As and Bs to 92% As and Bs is unbelievable. Initially, we heard rumours from our juniors that only TWO people got A for japanese this time, and i knew it wasn't true. Because our class doesn't deserve that. Even if i were one of the two As, i wouldn't be happy, because it does not reflect the true standard of our japanese class. Now, this result does, thankfully. =) Our sensei will be happy to hear that, even though i didn't get to see him today. =(

I'm glad ,though still in doubt, that our batch achieved the best results in 25 years. I thought the "worst results in 25 years" would have been more possible, looking from how our teachers have always compared us with the previous batches, and showing the great difference in grades. Anyway, it's amazing to see about 6 out of 10, ie 3 out of 5 ppl, getting 4 As. Of course, i never failed to see sad faces as well, which i quickly turn away to avoid getting influenced by them.

Alright, so one large obstacle has been overcome. the next one is EJU! oh no i have a feeling that's going to be one tough hinderance to the road of success! help!