Saturday, April 26, 2008

Remaining of Sakura


My boss must have secretly read my earlier blog.

A month after my earlier trip to Japan, another business trip to Japan was confirmed. The exciting part was to know that I might be able to see cherry blossom. My counterpart in Kobe dashed my hope during one of the calls that I had with him, "Nope! It's been raining heavily the last couple of days! By the time you reach here, there will be no sakura left for you to see!" Okay, forget about Sakura, anyway, I come to Japan for business. Business aside, it should be fun to visit Japan in different season other than winter. Deep inside, I still harboured the thought of seeing sakura during my trip. I wish..I wish..I wish!

This time around, I did not get the luxury of getting decent flight hour. Instead, I had to take midnight flight to Osaka. With barely 3 hours of sleep that night, my colleague and I were welcomed by the 2-hour long queue in immigration. What a great way to start our trip.
After we cleared the immigration, the reality sunk in. I had to go to Kobe on my own (actually there's my colleague too, but she's a first-timer to Osaka). For the first time, I've got to rely on myself to go to Kobe from Osaka. While for other people, the trip from Osaka to Kobe seems to be efortless, for me, it's a real challenge. That's because I have no sense of direction. I could not even tell the difference between left and right. Everywhere looks the same to me.

Long story cut short, somehow, I managed to reach my hotel in Kobe safely. By the time I was getting closer to town, I could see some flowery trees on the streets. Sakura! Yes, some of the cherry blossom still held its power. Yay!!!!
I brainwashed my colleague to go to a place that I've been wanting to visit for so long. The old town, Kyoto.
So, after lunch, we started our small adventure. We took a train from Kobe to Kyoto. I expected to see the temples, old Japan in Kyoto. However, after I stepped out of the train station, I was greeted by shopping mall and Isetan. I looked at my colleague, "Do you want to go to Isetan to look for our Blue Label? Or do you want to see the temple?"
We've finally decided to look for the temple first. After all, it's just the sensible thing to do. People go to Kyoto because of the temples, not because of the shopping malls.

Another challenge. After I popped out my head from station, I did not see any temple. I saw buildings, but no temple. So I went to the tourist centre, and found out that the temple was not within walking distance from the train station. To go to the temple, I needed to take the bus followed by another 15 minutes walk.
So based on the advise that I got from the tourist centre, I took the bus to Kiyomizu temple, boasted to be the one of the oldest and most beautiful temples in Japan. The 15 minutes walk was a breeze, for there were a lot of things to see a long the way.

It's very good advise for Kiyomizu temple is famous for the sakura. I reached my hysterical point when I saw the lush sakura at the entrance of the temple. They were waiting for me!





We had to cut short our visit to Kiyomizu since it rained.
Of course the day would not be perfect without the visit to Isetan. It was in the train station, anyway!

For the rest of the days, business as usual. I could barely find time to take a look at the other side of Kobe. It's always office and hotel! Not much to tell.

This time around, I did not get to eat my favourite kobe beef. I just did not have the time. Anyway, it's business trip.

Some things worth noted down from this trip:

1. Cherry blossom will not produce cherries. Well, some species will. Different people came up with different opinion on this.

2. Singapore MRT treat the passengers like human. In Japan, I had the chance of experiencing how it felt to be the human sandwich. The train was so packed and crowded, I did not have room for my own feet. The good thing was, I did not have to care about losing my balance and fell down, as there would be no room for me to fall down.

3. Male chauvisnism is still very strong in Japan. The factory manager refused to shake hands with me and another female colleague! On one occasion, they even made me and my colleague wait outside the restaurant, we were not allowed to sit in the restaurant until all the guys came out! Hmm..lucky I am not a feminist!

4. I have the renewed faith on all the things pastries and cakes. Japanese love them. I love them. We share strong bond, Japan and I.




Boss, if you really read this blog again, what about a trip to Sagami next? Then I can visit Tokyo. I wish..I wish..I wish..



My Masterpiece



Call me a show-off. I am one.


But I am just so proud that I could come up with this Little Mermaid birthday cake for my little girl in early April. 
Not the best in cake decorating. And I did a shortcut by using edible image. Icing was still badly done. But give me credit for effort. I just did not have time to practice.
But for a 3-year old, the above mentioned flaws did not matter much. She loved it all the same. And the kids in her school loved it too, or so I thought.




And how exclusive it is just to receive cake order from my daughter! 

Next one in the line: Ben 10 cake from my little boy!


I am my mother's daughter




I asked my daughter, "Why are you so pretty?" She answered, "Because I am your daughter, that's why!" Not a bad answer for a 3-year old girl.

I think in every little girl, they can only see the good thing in her mother. The mother could not do any wrong. I remember the much younger me, looking at my mother, and thought how lucky I was to have such a beautiful lady as my mother.

You see, I wanted to look just like my mother. My mother's very pretty. As for me, I look exactly like my father. And how I hated it when people said that I looked just like my father. Although they were right. I was the exact replica of my father.

When I was a child was so angry when someone said that I was found in front of the hospital, that I was not my mother's daughter. My fear was, "what if they were right?" We were just too different.

And it's just so hard to accept, that the same DNA that my mother and I shared did not generate the same traits or temperaments or look. I am everything my mother's not. Even the way my mother put on her lipstick is so different than mine. My mother will have the flat lipstick shape, because of the way she applied the pressure in her lips. My lipstick would maintain the angular shape. Here's the best part: at one time, I even tried to copy my mother's way of applying lipstick. Somehow I gave up doing that. I just could not imitate her.
For me, my mother is my idol.

It took me years to realize one thing. Yes, I am so different than my mother and it may not be the bad thing. My mother's humble background has taught her the values that she instilled in me and my sister. Perseverance, hard-work, frugality, and compassion.
For me, I've enjoyed a much better life. Perhaps that's why I take things for granted. Not as ambitious, not as driven, much more laid back. I have my father's genetic traits in myself as well.

So what if my mother's just very hardworking and I boast myself to be the laziest girl in the whole world? Lazy people will work smart, not work hard! So, my mother's street smart and I am street dumb? Well, dumb people get all the luck, ha!

But it's just hard not to notice that over the years, I have changed. Now people have been commenting that I look like my mother. Initially, I would tell them that they are wrong. But now, I just keep quiet, because I realize something. There is some truth in it. Call it genetic mutation, or years of unconscious behavior emulation. Or maybe it's the shared motherhood experience. But I become more and more like mother. The way I talk, the way I smile, the way I handle things. And yes, I proudly announce, I am turning into my mother. 

Somehow, those values that she instilled in me and my sister are the same values that I am instilling in my children. I want my children to persevere, to work hard (and play hard), to save and live frugally, and to be kind and compassionate to all creatures. And I hope in the future, my children will pass these values to their children.
And for my daughter, I just hope that when people made the comment that she looks just like her mother, she will just smile and proudly announce,
"Because I am my mother's daughter!' Just like what I do now.


All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his.

Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895.

Note:
This is the post that I wrote to honor mother's day. The carnation picture is actually the gift from my daughter that she did at school.
On the other hand, why should we wait until mother's day to commemorate motherhood?
So, to all mothers in the world, from the bottom of my heart, I salute you.