May 21, 2007 (Mon)

yepey!
yes. you heard and read it right. i didn’t know how to ride a bike. i wasn’t exposed to bicycles. my family doesn’t own a bike and perhaps, i wasn’t that interested. a bike was merely a want, not a need.

well, here in Japan, a bike is considered every man’s feet, a need, not a want. young and adults alike have bicycles. and while i maybe capable of having one, i didn’t know how to ride on it. confessing to anyone (here in Japan) that i didn’t know how to, is such a shame. all of them were surprised and did think that i was just kidding. but, no, i wasn’t kidding.

i missed all those bike riding activities and i replaced bike rides with train rides and walks.

until i decided to finally try learning how to. to be honest, it’s hard. i wanted to learn it quick but i couldn’t. i tried moving around the park only to fail. watching young and adults riding on their bike made me feel so frustrated and somehow, i felt a bit discouraged and yeah, so ashamed.

kay was encouraging me and telling to ignore all those surprised faces of both adults and young watching me. she was coaching me how to do it in the way she did it when she was yet learning.

but i never did learn on my first day. i only earned bruises and body pains (esp my butt). but it’s worth another try. i concluded, learning japanese especially kanji is easier than learning how to bike.

i searched the internet for tips but the lists are those that i know. there was no secret revealed that i needed to know to learn quickly.

this morning, i was with another friend, keren. she’s an expert with bike riding and she swore i’d learn in just a single session. so, we went to the park again and she taught me the first few steps to learning how to do it. balancing was the first goal. i rotated the park for perhaps, almost an hour, just trying to balance. and then, i tried putting my legs on the pedal. alas! i did it! in two hours, i learned how to do it.

and i am damn so proud of myself. and i was wrong. learning japanese (kanji esp) is far more difficult than learning to ride the bike.

i think i am the only one in our family who knows how to ride a bike (except my dad). hehe.

i’ve learned that there are some things in life so simple for the majority but so complicated for me. i’ve learned that some things in life are only learned by actual activity and never by theory.

thanks to kay, keren and kagz!

Posted: May 25th, 2007 under Health, Passion, Serious Talk.
Comments: 4

i love cooking (and baking).  perhaps, it’s one of those passion i have deep inside of me that i never did discover when i was back home.  maybe because mom always does the cooking and i never had so much role except helping her with little stuffs when it’s almost done.

now, that i’m far away, i get to discover this hidden passion and perhaps, hidden talent. hehe.

to cut this short, i have learned that i do love cooking and baking.  so, once, i tried cooking japanese chicken curry. and here’s how it looked.  yum. yum. hehe.

i didn’t think i’d take this more seriously.  guess what?  i bought myself a new toy - an oven.  and i am so looking forward to having fun and exciting and delicious moments with my oven. 

and here’s what i made first - Philippine biko.  mom cooks biko really well and i haven’t tried doing it myself when i was back home.  not being around her makes me try it myself. and i am so damn proud of myself having done this thing.  it doesn’t look so good though, but… give me a chance… =)

yesterday, i made carbonara (pasta with white sauce) too for my dear friends who stayed overnight. i did it as i’ve seen on tv.

and this afternoon, we made cookies for tomorrow’s open church.  i had so much fun and i learned a lot.

way to go.  so much to learn.  and perhaps so much time left too.  well, maybe.

well, i’m just so looking forward to cooking and baking more. and more. really, when you’re doing something that you love to do, there’s no pushing yourself into doing it.  you find joy. and there’s always time for it.

Posted: May 19th, 2007 under Cooking, Passion.
Comments: 3

i woke up 8:30 a.m. today to catch the 9:42 train bound for sone.  i’ll be seeing a dear friend who’ll kindly teach me how to bake a chocolate cake. 

i reached the station and there was she, aya-san, meeting me at the station.  i was so glad to see her.  we head to her place and then proceeded to what i was there for- chocolate cake baking.  she’s got a really nice and clean place.  i had fun measuring the ingredients, mixing them while chatting with her. 

we’re talking about her life and mine.  we’re having a good time.  actually, this is the first time that we get to really chat.  at the church, we just say hi’s and hello’s and that’s it.  i find her really nice as our conversation goes. 

a Christian really does have a light heart.  i mean, that’s how i see her.  she finds joy in everything she does.  and she doesn’t feel bad about all the bad things that come her way.  she has that faith.  and in a way, i am envious for i know i don’t have that much faith as she does.  she handles conversation really well, like she doesn’t have a problem at all.  mind you, she is sick.  her liver is not doing well.  but she is so positive.  i love her.  the way that she is.  she plays the guitar and the piano for GOD.  she paints and creates solid portrait of jesus dying on the cross to save us.  by profession, she is an english teacher.  but her classroom is like a music room and a restaurant at the same time.  she serves meals to her students.  how amazing that is!

after more than an hour, our cake was ready.  i was so excited to see how it goes and how it tastes.  hmnn… yappari oishii.  she took a box and placed 4 of what we made inside it for me to take home.  sore ha ii ne..

she said a prayer for me before i left and it moved me to tears.  she said the words, the exact words i have in my heart.

i learned everything i wanted to learn about chocolate cake today.  and something far beyond that.  how lovely!

Posted: February 17th, 2007 under Passion, Religion, Serious Talk.
Comments: 2