Murphy's Law and the dinner event

The day before my next-door neighbour moved out, I prepared a humble dinner for her.  In spite of the ready-made sauces (thanks to my friends in Singapore who sent them), it took me two full hours to get the food ready. And as with all events, we know that things do not always go the way we plan. It's been a while since I experienced Murphy's Law.

 

Despite my planning in advance and getting all the ingredients the night before, I forgot to thaw the meat before I left for my class that morning. I realised it only after I got home in the late afternoon and immediately went off to the supermarket again to get fresh meat. The trip to the supermarkets left me a little disoriented and it took me a while to gather my wits back to work on the next issue - how to optimise the two pots and few bowls that I had with me in my pitiful kitchen.

The whole meal preparation process turned out to be a mad rush to get the starter (Prawn noodles) and main course (Singapore curry) ready.  I was fortunate that another neighbour whom I had also invited helped to cook the rice. And as the time drew near for the Guest-of-Honour to arrive, I still had dessert left to do.

 

I was planning to make corn starch pudding with Azuki beans. The Azuki beans were already cooked the night before to save time. But there was still not enough time in the end.  But my other neighbour saved the day again when she brought dessert with her, along with the rice she had cooked, to my pleasant surprise - milk pudding and Japanese chestnut wagashi.



Although it was a drab evening that brought heavy rain and chilly winds, the mood at my place was a celebratory one. My next-door neighbour had found a job here.  I think the best feeling in life is when you know your hard work paid off.  We were really happy for her.

 

It was with a great sense of satisfaction that I received the words "Gochisousama deshita" * from my guests at the end of the meal.  As I wrapped up the event for the day, I couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy that we would all be going our separate ways soon.

 

On a lighter note, I am excited that I will soon be able to eat the original prawn noodles and Singapore curry in a hawker centre. I can imagine me recounting my Kyoto experiences and talking about the amazing people I have met here, with the people waiting for me in Singapore ^^

 

An expression used to express appreciation for the food after eating. "Gochisou" literally means "a feast".

The surprise on a rainy morning

Sunflowers blooming in October! 

 

I have been rather worried about the plants because the weather has been terrible. We got only abit of sun and it has been drizzling for the past few days. But under my landlady's care, it looks like the flowers are blooming prettily.

 

My landlady said she kept some of the seeds I gave her for next year and she wanted to see if the plants will grow taller and the flowers bigger in summer as compared to autumn. Hmm, I won't be able to see the flowers next summer...



The few seconds of tremors



About 20 minutes ago, I experienced my first earthquake. It lasted only a matter of seconds (maybe three seconds). After the tremors ended, I checked the NTV news website on my laptop which was running on battery.  The website showed that the earthquake was a weak one.

Coincidentally, I was scheduled to go for an overnight evacuation training programme later in the afternoon and I was just finished with packing my sleeping bag and clothes when the quake took place.
 

The programme this afternoon will cover what to do in the event of an earthquake. I wonder if the programme was deliberately timed to coincide with the earthquake or perhaps, vice versa?

Portrait of a Ninja

A few days ago, a classmate who often sat next to me in one of my classes made an interesting comment. "You are like a ninja! You disappear from the class when the lesson ends and then reappear again just before the next one starts!?"

While I was amused to be likened to a ninja just for my ability to move around quickly between class intervals, the comments also got me curious about ninjas. Coincidentally, one of my Japanese teachers, though not a ninja, lives in Shiga Prefecture where one of the two major clans of ninjas was based in the old days. So from my Japanese teacher, I learnt a little more about ninjas.

What did ninjas do?

Ninjas first appeared in the Kamakura period (1192 - 1333) and operated until the close of the Edo period (1603 - 1868). In general terms, they were employed by feudal lords to gather intelligence about enemies, spread rumours and carry out assassinations.

Two major clans near Kyoto

Two major clans of ninjas operated during those days, namely, the Iga clan and the Koga clan. The Iga clan was known for their exceptional military art and individual assignments while the Koga clan excelled in intelligence gathering and group operations. The historical ninja bases were not far from Kyoto. The Iga clan was based in Mie Prefecture south of Kyoto, while the Koga clan was based in Shiga Prefecture east of Kyoto. 

Popular myths

When we talk about ninjas, the usual images that come to mind are agile masked Japanese men who scaled walls, flew over roofs, threw darts and disappeared in a puff of smoke.   So how accurate are these popular depictions of ninjas? An interesting article in one of my Japanese textbooks debunked some of the popular myths about ninjas.

What were the darts for?

Many of us might have strong impressions of ninjas fighting off their enemies with darts. However, rather than saying that ninjas engaged in open combat in that way, it was probably more accurate to say that the rule of thumb for ninjas was to first find a way to escape.  Darts were used more as a distraction so as to give them more time to escape the situation rather than as weapons.

Ninja skills and psywar

Ninjas were not just good at martial arts. There were also two other types of skills important to ninja training. The first type was skills related to conversations while the second type was related to causing confusion to the enemies. These skills were very much like psychological warfare, and involved influencing the emotions and manipulating the minds of people to obtain information.  They could be considered as secret agents as well as terrorists.

Ninja fashion

And finally, just a little trivia about ninja fashion.  When they had to go about their assignments, ninjas usually wore a disguise, pretending to be travellers or merchants, and even as women. Quite different from the popular image of black clothes and masks that we often see in the media.

Ninjas in Kyoto?

While ninjas are typically associated with Shiga and Mie which boast a few ninja attractions such as the ninja training village in Shiga as well as the museum and the ninja-themed trains in Mie, there is a place in Kyoto that is pretty popular with ninja fans as well as tourists. It is the ninja restaurant in Shijo.

I am sorry if you thought this post is about my encounter with a ninja. I wish I could find the time to visit all these ninja-related places. With the amount of homework to deal with daily, even the skills of a ninja wouldn't be any helpful I think.

A student's discipline

I find Japanese university students extremely disciplined when it comes to time management. In addition to school work, they also seem to spend alot of time on circle activities (basically clubs with a specific area of interest e.g. sports, dance, etc), as well as part-time jobs.  The Japanese students seem to have their time-table worked out really well. 

 

Clockwise from top: 1.Various circles putting up poster boards to recruit members.
2. A common sight at the beginning of a semester is that of students standing in groups promoting their circles/clubs
by yelling at the top of their voices to students passing by. They usually yell about upcoming activities of their circles or clubs.
3. Some circles or clubs show that action speak louder than words - dancers performing during lunch time.

I have also met some extremely proactive and diligent students at school who would look for organisations to volunteer their time and at the same time gain some insights and experience from helping out at these organisations. It is common to hear of students being volunteers or interns at some organisation outside school. They don't get paid but they are happy doing what they are doing. 

 

However, unlike the Japanese students with their colourful life,  my time is still mostly spent on school work since I do not have a part-time job. Although I volunteer at an organisation which I learnt about through the Kyoto City International Foundation's website for students, it is not too often.   

 

In fact, there is so much homework that after school, the only thing I do apart from the usual household chores and volunteer work, is my assignments. I would have loved to read some short stories, go out and find some inspiration for my blog posts or watch a movie online during my free time. But I find myself working on grammar exercises, writing essays, preparing presentation scripts or memorising vocabulary most of the time. So I guess this is what an intensive language programme is all about.

  

There is so much homework I don't know where to start most of the time.

While there were times I felt like I should not be spending so much time on school work and end up missing out on the interesting activities outside school, my rational mind always took over and reminded me that I am here to study the language afterall. So I had better be disciplined and work on those assignments. 

Speaking of which, I still have the "How to create an impression when you first introduce yourself" assignment for Speaking class, and the "How to introduce yourself and your boss in the most polite language" assignment for Business Japanese, which I have yet to do... And oh, there is also the reading comprehension questions related to the story of a woman prone to falling down staircases, and the cross-cultural communication assignments...

Hmm, exactly what did I do during the weekend?

JINS spectacles and a popular pair of eyes

I recently came to know that JINS, which specialises in spectacles, has a new TV commercial.  

 

I bought a cheap pair of spectacles from JINS a few months ago and mentioned that I wasn't sure if they sell Made in Japan spectacles. This new commercial begins with the huge colourful words, "Made in Japan", thus clarifying my doubt.

 

What also attracted my attention to the commercial was that it actually featured the eyes (!) of Sakurai Sho, a member of my favourite and very popular Jpop group, Arashi.

 

I wonder how much JINS air frames cost now that they are endorsed by Sakurai's eyes...

 

 

Introducing the Kamo nasu

Not too long after I finished my lunch in the classroom, my teacher for the afternoon class stepped in to set up the classroom for the lesson. I greeted her and then went about keeping my lunch box. She walked around the class to count the number of chairs and tables and stopped where I was seated.

 

"Have you had your lunch? Oh, I see you have a lunch box! Did you prepare your own lunch?"

"Yes, I did. I had fried Kamo nasu too!"

"Kamo nasu!"

"Yes, I like nasu very much. I got it at Fresco."

"Wow! Kamo nasu is expensive!"

"It was 98 Yen only because there was a sale."

That's so cheap! Kamo nasu is usually pretty expensive, probably about 250 Yen."

"It is usually around 200 Yen at the supermarkets near my place."

"I think it is cheap because it is autumn."

"I think so too!"

 

As another teacher walked into the classroom to speak to my teacher, the conversation ended.

 

While I don't want my blog to become full of tributes to Kyoto vegetables, I really felt that the Kamo nasu deserves a spot in a blog about Kyoto. If you google it, you will find a list of tempting words associated with this famous eggplant of Kyoto.  Tight meat, highly prized, rich taste, creamier, delicate texture, beautifully round. The Representative of Kyo Yasai.

 

The official Kyoto City page has a page dedicated to the Kamo nasu while soysauce maker, Kikkoman, has a section extolling the cancer-fighting properties of Kamo nasu in its page detailing the "Virtues of Kyoto Vegetables".

 

I didn't think much about my cooking method when I fried the nasu. I recall frying it with minced meat and soy sauce but read later (a bit too late) that it is most tasty when cooked with miso. How regrettable. 

 

Here is a picture of the Kamo nasu I bought.  The taste of the vegetable is going to be something I shall miss very much when I leave Kyoto.