Little Kitty Things

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but for the past year, I've come to grow an interest in all things Hello Kitty. Quite unlike the true fans, I don't need everything Kitti-fied. Occasionally when I chanced upon any shop that sells anything with Hello Kitty on it, I tend loiter there a little longer. Hehe.

On the 5th floor of Haneda airport lies a cute Tokyo Pop Town and the shops on the floor all sell novelty items, focusing on Japan's favorite cartoon and anime characters.

Guests with kids can spend time at shop that sells car models, where there is a car racing simulator circuit for the kids to challenge others! How thoughtful and such luxury!

The Hello Kitty shop is down the corner, facing R Burger. Kitty fans rejoice!

Within the Hello Kitty shop also lies the coin-pressing machine. Sis and I each chose a design. :)

You know how girls will sometimes buy anything as long as their favorite character is printed on it? Well, we did.

We even bought random stuff like Hello Kitty oil blotter and water bottle, just for the pretty sake of it. Haha. 

On top of that I also bought a box of cookies because I like the packaging so much.

Opening the box revealing the packet of HK cookies!

Each cookie comes in the shape of different character - there is HK, her friends and even her grandparents. Too cute!

I was munching on my cookie when I realised that the box can be folded!

It can be compressed and then kept inside your bag, saving space.

Seriously, that's brilliant product design. Ideal lunch box for school children.  Compact & handy.

I've also acquired some HK things from the US! Hahaha. I cannot answer the boyfriend when he asked me,

Since when you start liking Hello Kitty one?

Don't know when, don't know why!

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Shiraoi Ainu Village

Sakura in late Spring

Our family decided to go to Japan a month after the earthquake and tsunami. If anything, by visiting Japan helps boost their economy, a lot.

Sis and I at a convenience store, picking up fash mags.

So the first stop was an aboriginal habitat in Hokkaido. Situated next to the forest of kotan is Porotokotan, which means the village beside the big lake (Lake Poroto).

Ainu Village

We were introduced to their houses, such that in most cases, all the huts in the olden days are built in the exact same manner, where both the exterior and interior (called Qi-sei) design are identical. In fact, even the positioning of the furniture is the same too. Everything is placed in one direction.

Part of the Ainu's lifestyle include barter trading. Villagers trade bear skin in exchange for salmon.

Real salmon hung above our heads as we listen to the stories.

These salmon were caught in fall and dried in Summer. The hut do smell like fish. But not that kind of fishy. Hur.

Our very cute and lively host

The wood shavings are used as decorations to chase away the evil spirits.

Hi dad.

The Ainu museum showcases some of the past tools.

Before exploring the vicinity, we watched the traditional Ainu folk dance that feature songs and dances that evoke the natural splendor of the North, such as iyomante rimse (a ceremonial dance for sending bears' spirits back to heaven), saroruncikap rimse (a crane dance), and an Ainu musical instrument mukkari (mouth harp).



 Saroruncikap rimse - the crane dance

Picture with the Ainu

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Summer Afterthoughts

It has been just a little over two weeks since I’m back from a two-month break. The destinations this time were San Francisco and Taipei. And though at the risk of sounding cliché, boy, this summer was definitely a memorable one.

 

I went for the summer session at the University of California, Berkeley, and you could say that I also took it as an opportunity to satisfy my wanderlust (guilty as charged!). This was the longest I’ve ever been away from ‘home’, and yet it didn’t feel like I left at all. 

Art8 class photo shot, Summer 2011

(From left standing: Ms Seraj Azin {my prof}, Anni Dai, Phoenix, Ai, Lauren, Me, Trisha, Adrianne, Anakaren, Vincent, Esion {Bao Di}, Adriana, Sol, Masie, Hanna, Justin, Logan, Emerson)

(From left kneeling: Kathy, Ever, Linda, Dana, Shehla) 

The moment I set foot back here, I was immediately greeted with the numerous reasons that drove me away in the first place – the sickeningly humid weather, rude, unappreciative people in the neighbourhood and the ever-increasing cost of living in Singapore.

Perhaps it was the culture, the people, the environment, or the interesting amalgam of all three factors that made me appreciate life and space so much more elsewhere. A newfound freedom is what I call it. While zipping around the big cities alone on my e-bike (hey, SF has many steep slopes!), I enjoyed the sights and sounds, and through open-mindedness I made new friends from all over the world. Even more surprisingly, I felt much happier there. I’d like to think I’m a more pleasant person now that I no longer get mad at little things, but it didn't last. 

Meeting <3 in Taipei, and meeting good friend there too!

It disgusts me to say that things are almost back to square one. The environment here makes it hard to focus on the positive things in life. What a bummer. So I have been wanting to update this blog for months, yet I don't have the discipline and drive to do so. I wonder why. It just reminds me of how much I wanted to be a broadcast personality in radio for years but not even close to attaining my goal. After years of trying and dreaming, it can be quite a blow to my ego. I wonder what it takes to make the cut in Singapore’s small and competitive industry, since media companies here are monopolized? Once, I thought I was a step closer to realizing my dream just because I got into the semi-finals for a competition. How naïve I was. Last week, I went for the open auditions for Fight Club 2011 and failed to get in. Sucks. 

Oh well, maybe better luck next time.

In school, friends have been asking me, 

"So how was Berkeley?"

 I always answer them: AWESOME. And that's the truth. I wouldn't give anything in the world to miss the past 2 months. There are just so many things I learnt and appreciate from this trip. I shall attempt to cover my journey with separate posts.


{Extra love to Jojo who took really good care of me while I'm there (you're the best!!!) and Sanyu who has been very patient. :) }



 

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