nawawalang payong

I lost my kasa (Nihongo for umbrella) last night at the JR Rokko Michi mall.    I had it for almost a month.  Got it from one of those recycle shops.  The thing is, I brought along an umbrella from the Philippines when I came here to Japan 2 years ago.  Back home, I hated using the umbrella.  Until, I lived with Melissa for a year and she kept on insisting that I got all these dark spots from - not using sunblock (totally acceptable for me) and umbrella (huh?  the one that Mommy always carry because she teaches in Magsaysay-Espana where a slight drizzle can cause floods????).  Of course when we separated, like the prodigal daughter that I became, I heeded all her rules - clean the toilet, tidy the room and wear sunblock and always bring an umbrella even though it's not raining....
This is really petty but I remember walking from Kobe Uni and checking out all the supa's (supermarket) in Rokko Michi leading to the JR eki.  When I came to the first stop to check out the prices of salmon, I felt torn - should I put my dripping kasa inside the fashionable tote bag that Lulu sent from New York or just hold it?  I held it all the way to the 3rd supa stop - where I think, I forgot it after bagging all those grocery items.  I swear this is one of those rare times when I am really looking forward to going home - kasi malapit lang ang SM West sa bahay at may mga nag-ba-bag ng grocery items doon!!!
Ah, the lost payong?  Not really a Burberry umbrella but i think it can pass for one.  Besides, its circumference, size and weight are the most important things about this kasa.   It's small enough to fit in my Fossil bag, the smallest I own.  I also noticed yesterday that it was wide enough because I didn't get drenched - even the tote that I was lugging on my shoulders was protected.  Although, not as light as Mommy's previous umbrella, the first two characteristics more than made up for this slight deficiency.  In addition, the fact that the recycle shop guy would not budge when I haggled really makes this kasa super special (it even says so in the handle - super mini).  Imagine, I can buy a 500-yen umbrella at Claire's but this buruberi mitai na kasa has the same price!
Maybe this post will help me move on.  Aagh! I still have that paper for Katayama sensei and the thesis defense on Tuesday!  

Look to this Day

Found myself sobbing while watching the ending of Kimutaku's Karei-naru Ichizoku.  Then at the end of the dorama - they flashed this poem from Kalidasa: 

Look to this day:

For it is life, the very life of life.

In its brief course

Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.

The bliss of growth,

The glory of action,

The splendour of achievement

Are but experiences of time.

For yesterday is but a dream

Ant tomorrow is only a vision;

And today well-lived, makes

Yesterday a dream of happiness  

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well therefore to this day;

Such is the salutation of the ever-new dawn!

thesis deadline

July 19 and 20 are big dates for Kobe university students at GSICS.  Those of us expecting to graduate this fall have to submit our thesis on these dates.  The deadline was really on Friday, July 20. 
Thursday, July 19:  I came in early just to print the final version of my thesis.  Had some help from Rudy-kun and Tine-san, both students from Indonesia, in binding four copies of my thesis.  They even took pictures of us holding our copies.  Then, off to the admin office to deliver the bound copies and accomplish some forms.  After accomplishing everything, I went to the computer room and helped people with the margins, pagination and editing of their paper.  They still have a day to accomplish everything.  Went home with Melissa at 8:30 p.m.
Friday, July 20:  Planned to wash clothes, clean the dorm and cook some meals but I got a wake up call from Melissa reading aloud the portion of her acknowledgment where she specifically mentioned my name. My guilty conscience went on overdrive - hurriedly took a shower and then proceeded to the university with Manny, another Pinoy scholar from a different program.  We requested him to allow us to print Melissa thesis using the printer from the YLP room.  He even helped out in the editing.  Kai-san from Laos, helped in the binding.  After making sure that Melissa is downstairs submitting her bound thesis,  I found myself re-checking Kora-san's thesis with the rest of the students from Laos.  
Then, I realized that everybody really was helping out each other.  We all want to make sure that everybody in our batch submits on time.  Come to think of it, looking after your "kababayan" (countryman) is strong for us Asians.  All the Vietnamese, Indonesians, Laotians and us, Pinoys were there making sure that nobody misses the deadline. 

e-mails from my sensei

These are mails from Katayama sensei, my thesis adviser.  I thought of posting them here to remind myself that I have to work harder for my thesis defense and the concept paper that I have to submit to him this August.

RE: thesis submission

From: Yutaka KATAYAMA 

Sent:

Wednesday, July 18, 2007 9:23:33 PM

To:

Ma. Martina Robles (mmprobles@hotmail.com)

Dear Martina,

      You are one of the best students I have ever had.

               YK

Re: thesis submission

From: Yutaka KATAYAMA 

Sent:

Wednesday, July 18, 2007 3:18:07 PM

To:

Ma. Martina Robles

 

Dear Martina,

   I trust you. You can submit the thesis any time now.

              Katayama



At 16:15 07/07/18, you wrote:

Dear Katayama sensei,

I met Mary for lunch yesterday and we discussed the incorporation of her comments and suggestions to my thesis draft.  We discussed in detail the phrasing of the research question and the hypothesis plus my explanations on her questions for chapters 4-5.  We also went over some typographical corrections and format of the final version of the thesis.  Attached are files of the latest draft with revisions from yesterday's meeting with Mary.

Sensei, since the deadline for the submission is on Friday, July 20, can I have your permission to start finalizing the paper on Thursday afternoon?  

Hope things are still going well even if you have a very busy schedule.


Martina
 

 

birthday wish

A friend sent me the usual birthday greeting e-mail.  He ended it by asking about my birthday wish.  That made me think about my birthday celebration last week.  It was raining hard as Japan was in the middle of a typhoon (soon after, an earthquake followed). 
The point is, my birthday celebration usually comes before or after major tragedies.  Even my grandmother, who raised me and acted as my surrogate mom, died two days after my 21st birthday.  The worst was 7 years ago - death came to a favorite relative exactly on the day of my birth.  I had a birthday wish then and I thought it will never come true.  Well 7 years after, it did - finally, I was celebrating my birthday on a Friday the 13th and I didn't feel like as if I was amidst some horror movie.  It went pretty ordinary - no fuss, no guest, no pressure - just those e-mails and phone calls.  I was also kinda happy that the rain and gloomy weather were still present.
The following day, I saw myself enjoying the cafe work.  I am actually getting to know some of the regular Japanese participants.  It felt like I was just conversing with friends.
Until, headlines come in again and there were the reports of deaths from the typhoon and the earthquake.  Still, for those 2 days - I got the birthday wish that I had 7 years ago, everything was perfect....

he got a new haircut!

Currently, the Korean apple of my eye or as Santa, my cousin in NYC, would say:  my favorite Korean guy but since it's starting to feel like summer here in Kobe and I have been checking out the ice cream section at the konbini (convenience store) and supa (supermarket) - I'll call him my Korean flavor of the season - Shin Dong Wook.  Starting to be crazy about this guy, he's the reason why the Soulmate OST is found in this blog.   

Credits to whoever posted these pics in Money's Warfare thread in sommpi.

the wait

It's been three weeks and I still am on pins and needles about how my sensei will evaluate the first draft of my thesis.  Lots of things have been going on....
Spring's almost over.  I'll only have one more season to spend here in Japan then I'll be back home. 
Kobe Uni was closed for almost two weeks due to measles outbreak (well there were just two cases reported). 
For almost a week I had an intermittent internet connection.  I told a friend loosing the connection was like suffering from death of a family member or friend - you go through the whole grieving process - denial, anger, bargaining, depression and then acceptance.
Got the part time work at the cafe again.  Every time I go to the cafe and talk to these Japanese learning English, I'd really just wish to be back in my dorm - safe, alone and comfortable.  Hate being slave to the yen currency and to think the yen-peso exchange rate is going down.... down... down....
Was at first into Japanese morning tv shows, then progressed to afternoon dorama marathon.  Now I'm just into doramas Liar Game and Proposal Daisakusen  and the variety show Smap X Smap. 
Currently watching - Flowers for My Life (I love the couple Na Hana and Wang Dae-Bek), Money's Warfare (Shin Dong Wook was the initial reason for watching this but I am warming up to the Park couple - Shin Yang and Jin Hee), Bad Couple (want the female lead's lifestyle), Air City (no particular reason - just Lee Jung Jae) and Love Story (was first interested in checking out Shingo Katori but now falling in love with Toyokawa Etsushi).
Started taking out more books on tax reform in developing countries again after the university library re-opened - just in case....
Just yesterday - got an offer from my sensei to write a concept paper on governance and structural reforms in Philippine fiscal policy.  Cooked a decent sinigang na baboy, burned my hands while cooking the pasta and sauce at the same time (need to practice on multi-tasking in the kitchen).  When my sister heard that I did all these and have started to hang out in the dorm's kitchen - befriending other dormers - she uttered these:  ibang tao ka na - dati coke lang at chippy pwede na!  Felt really blessed and grateful that I have her.