It snowed non stop today
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
On the bus
We have
reached Kiroro resort
Kim from Korea. Student in Hokudai.
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…
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…
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
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
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.
3rd and final term of the school year
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
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.
Its 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.
Back from Singapore…and what a shock!
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!