It snowed non stop today

Wow. I’m finally beginning to experience the full Hokkaido winter. Not the full brunt yet. But close.

This is how it looked like on the way to school.

Every thing everywhere is white in color!

 

White snow everywhere!

 

Fortunately I was able to walk comfortably though the snow is really piling up.

 

Evening time view

And this is how it looked like 8 hours later.

 

 

Waiting for the bus

Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait too long for the bus.

Unlike yesterday when I missed the bus, and had to wait 15 to 20 minutes for another bus. It was windy and raining and snowing at the same time! ARGH.

Luckily today I left school a little bit early and got the bus just on time.

Snowboarding kiroro

Went to Kiroro to snowboard last saturday. Here are some pictures!

On the bus

We have reached Kiroro resort

Off we go!

Our snowboarding sensei!

Tiny tots learning to ski!

 

Burton Snowboard

Strapping on to the snowboard

Lunch time!

 

Super hungry after snowboarding

scrubbing off snow

While in the region…

I visited Johor Bahru. This place used to be my favorite destination every weekend.

Mainly for the petrol of course!

But the place has got good food with low price. Singapore can’t beat that!

So I went to Jusco Tebrau City. Lo and behold, up sprang TESCO right next to it.

Its only been about 5 months I was away and already TESCO is vying for JUSCO’s customers.

Interesting.

Here are some photos!

Again, some photos have been omitted due to protection of privacy.

Went to eat at Kenny Roger’s. Then headed down to Plaza Pelangi to check out the latest movies available to buy there.

While back in Singapore…

Did many things while I was back in Singapore.. and one of the best thing I looked forward to was driving the car.

Let’s go through all activities in one post. With lots of pictures!

X’mas dinner at CP’s.

 

It was a potluck gathering. I brought caramel candy from Hokkaido. It was good.

Then it was my Cousins birthday.

 

His wife made this herself

Lamb chops

 

The little kids are all his sons!

 

Next, I went to Night Safari. The first time I went was back in 2000. I didn’t really like the experience. It was dark and there was nothing to photograph using my point-and-shoot 1-megapixel camera.

This was my second visit. Lots of things have changed since I last been there. I enjoyed it!

Trust me, half the time you won’t know what you’re looking at. So here’s a picture of an owl. There. Now let’s move on to brighter things..

Vintage eh?

 

So much for night safari. After that, I met up with old mates when I was in the army. Those were the days…

We had dinner at the Fishermen’s Wharf.

Next it was to this stall where they’re selling ice cream. You could choose different kinds of ingredients to be crushed and mixed with ice cream.

Went to Kent Ridge Park. Beautiful place.

After that, went to eat at Jimmy Yummy’s. Delicious.

 

Went to Orchard Road. Meh…nothing spectacular.

 

Next I went to Garuda Padang Restaurant. Also at Orchard area.

Met up with some of my great students from my previous school. They are wonderful people to work with.

After meeting them, I rushed down to Woodlands to visit my friend’s newly opened shop.

Then while I was at Suntec City, I bumped into these people! They were also students from the school I was teaching in.

Well if you noticed, some pictures are only of food. Well that’s because I left out lots of pictures which I feel should not be put up here to protect the privacy of certain individuals. Hahahha Sorry guys!

Omiyage

I bought a lot of cookies as a gift for the teachers here. Merlion shaped cookies.

They come in different flavours, and I got 4 boxes of them.

I got mangosteen, strawberry, pineapple and lychee.

I made it a point NOT to pick the DURIAN flavoured kind after the initial “puking” reaction of the durian candy I gave out when I first came to this school. Hahaha.

Paul Smith watch and a big smile

After the grand opening of the school term and when the students were leaving the gymnasium carrying back their chairs up to their classroom, I talked to one of the teachers.

He showed me his new watch. It was a Paul Smith’s watch. He asked me to guess who gave it to him. I asked if it was a girl. He smiled. Hah!

I ventured further and asked if the girl was in this school. He gave a hearty laugh. He said maybe, but definitely not from a student!

Hah! I wondered who. I tried to distract him by asking other questions not pertaining to our current topic. Then I asked for her name.

He’ a quick one. Hahahaha he didn’t fall for that. He told me not to ask any teachers. I was the first person he had disclosed this happy occasion. I pinched my thumb and forefinger together at the side of my mouth and made a zip-up action.

He understood my lips are sealed.

 

But heck. I just can’t keep wondering who the lady teacher in the school is.

I am so kaypoh. Its unbelievable.

3rd and final term of the school year

Again, I have to document the differences between Japanese junior High schools and Singapore’s Secondary schools.

At the start of every school term, all students and teachers will go to the gymnasium (multipurpose hall) for the speech by the school Principal. All students will carry their chairs from their classroom and bring it down there. There’s even a banner hung up at the stage area that says “3rd school term etc etc”.

After the “vocal warm-up” is done, the school song will be rehearsed, usually twice or thrice; led by the music teacher.

Everything is done in prim and proper fashion. Very formal.

Once the Principal’s speech is over, students will go up to the stage to present some good news like their recent win in the basketball or handball tournament, or other accolades. The principal will be there to congratulate them formally.

Oh, and there’re no lessons on the first day. Whoopedeedoo!

 

In Singapore, the start of a new school term sees students and teachers going back to classrooms, recapping on what has been taught before the term vacation and life just goes on without much of a fanfare.

Oh and lessons starts on the first day. Bummer.

An interesting note: Singapore students in the schools will not carry their chairs from their classrooms to the multipurpose hall. They will all sit on the floor in the hall.

Back to Singapore and getting a clearer mind

I took 9 days leave which spreads out to 3 weeks thanks to Japanese National holidays in December. It was a good getaway from the bitter cold. But yet here I am back in my apartment, the weather feeling colder than I remembered when I left for Chitose Airport.

But its good to be back in Sapporo.

Settled a lot of things back in Singapore. Learned a lot about human dynamics, relationships, friendship, and “long-time-no-see” acquaintances. It was great.

It has only been 5 months since I’ve been away so I don’t really feel that I’m missing Singapore that much. But she has always been on my mind. And now that I’m back in Sapporo, I’m missing her even more now. Sigh.

That re-contracting form is right beside me. Either I say yes to it and stay for another year or reject the offer and come back to Singapore where I get to see her almost everyday.

But I have to stick to my aim and purpose of why I am here.

There is no way I will go back to Singapore and be sucked down there. Once I get into the pitfalls of settling down there and by buying the outrageously overpriced HDB flat, there’s no way out. I refuse to fall into that mistake. The mistake that most Singaporeans born into the country refuse to see.

You can just brush it aside and say those issues don’t affect you, and tell me everyone should go on with their little lives, or even go all the way out to defend something that is so damning wrong, but the fact of the matter is those issues affect everyone. Something is terribly wrong with the governance of the country and trouble is brewing.

I’m happy here in Sapporo. But that doesn’t mean I want to live permanently in Japan. The working style in schools are much like Singapore’s. But of course the running of the schools here as I have observed are very much democratic. The student body run by students are truly democratic.

Now, I’ll wait patiently for Spring. I can’t wait to get back to running. Planning to get a good mountain bike and cycle across Hokkaido. Wonder if that’s possible within a week. Maybe I’ll do it during the Golden Week.

Golden indeed.

And yes, I won’t give her up. Whether her dad likes or not.

Back from Singapore…and what a shock!

Wow… what 3 weeks of vacation will do to you. I was very happy to arrive at Narita Airport. It was cold but it was great to see clear roads with no snow. Just wet and rainy.

And then I arrived at Chitose Airport. Boarded the train and was rather taken aback by the freezing cold!

Oh well. I reached Sapporo Station, took the subway to Higashi Sapporo and dragged my 25kg luggage through the snow covered walkway. Unbelievable. The snow had piled up till about waist to shoulder high. Thankfully the walkways are cleared daily.

Ice tractors

Carrying away the ice to the snow dump.

I wonder where the truck load of snow are being brought to.

Went to Daiei for grocery shopping the next day. Its just about 80o metres from my apartment. But with all that snow and ice, the walk took a little bit more time.

The sides of the walkways looked like its been walled like an igloo.

Picture taken the next day when I had to go grocery shopping

 

Check out this car which has been buried in snow. The owner is probably on holiday. Well its a long weekend because Monday (today) is a national holiday.

Check out the car on the top most side of this picture

Well anyway, was pleasantly surprised when I reached the lift lobby of my apartment that night. I check my mailbox and found this:

New Years Greeting Card

Given by Uncle Ben from Spiderman Movie!

The Principal of an elementary school sent me a New Years greeting! That made my day! Thanks Uncle Ben!