I'm Too Big For This

These are the only two photos we took with the Disney Characters at Tokyo DisneySea in 2010. Just two instead of many, many because my Son felt that he is way too big and way too cool to be running after and pose with them.

It sure was different when he was three or four, as you can see from the slide here. We had fun chasing characters and posing with them and stood in a long queue for a photo with Mickey & Minnie too. No anymore now!

Pretty soon he'll be way to cool for Ultraman! Sigh, they sure grow fast, don't they?

Anyway, won't be going to either Disney Parks on our next trip. We are planning to hit Universal Studios instead. :-)

I♥栃木

Tochigi residents are sure nice people. Don't believe me? A random comment of mine over at  Yoshi's Extracting Abstract and the dear Anna (and Yoshi too) of Budget Trouble really took the trouble to send me not one, not two but three absolutely awesome I♥Tochigi T-Shirts. 

Aren't the t-shirts cool? Me, being a brat just couldn't resist showing them off to friends and colleagues over at the office. (I gave my office address because seems like I've been missing quite a few mails that was sent to my house address).

No photo of me or the hubs here. I look fat so I won't be showing off my fat self any time soon!

Can't wait to visit Tochigi one day and you bet we'll wear the t-shirts there! ^-^

This is my "show-off I got cool friends over in Japan"  post and I thought of putting it up for a third entry this week for Budget Trouble's : Show Me Japan. Well, never mind. Can't be too greedy. ^^! Anyhoo, check the link for awesome Japan posts.

Fresh Wasabi!

One of those things you think about Japan - sushi and the condiment: wasabi. Some of us only ever see the green paste form and not the root form.

Found these on sale at the cable car station, on the way up to Mount Mitake.  Sure ain't cheap, these horseradish.

Fresh leaves of wasabi can also be eaten and have some of the hot flavor of wasabi roots. The leaves can be dried and used for flavour in foods such as salad dressing, cheese, and crackers or pickled fresh in sake brine or soy sauce. I read somewhere that there's wasabi wine sold  in some Japanese specialty stores as well as a higher alcohol content Wasabi liqueur.How does it taste, I wonder?

I put this photo up after eating a strongly wasabi flavoured "ika wasabi" a manager in my department bought for us as souvenir from her trip to Hokkaido.Sure cleared the nasal passage, eating these.

Leaving Seattle Snow, Greeting Manila Sun OLA

Cathay Pacific's Boeing 777 at SFO International Airport

Finally on February 22 after a day of sleet we left Seattle with a forecast of below freezing temperatures and snow for the next 10 days! We are so lucky because we were still given the chance to enjoy sunny, warm, tropical days, as we had intended for winter! At the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Bill relaxed as he settled down with a glorious Starbucks non-fat no-whip mocha grande (and his emails) while I had my good old large Calm (chamomile) tea and this blog.

Bill relaxing at SEATAC Int'l Airport

That night we landed in San Francisco for a quick layover. My sister, Cherry was so gracious, as usual, with an adobo dinner waiting for us. The next day she got up early to make a big breakfast before her daughter Zan brought us to the airport for our noon flight to Hong Kong and Manila.  It was sad to leave their cute African turtle, Jethro! At the airport the giant Cathay Pacific B777 jumbo jet jumped through the huge windows at us. Then I realized that the tension that gripped us for 6 months, with all the delays around the citizenship test and interview (especially in the cold weather to which we are no longer accustomed), was completely gone!  

Jethro, an African turtle in SFO

The Changi International Airport in Hong Kong has totally changed from the days when I spent half of the month working there (the other half in Manila). It is now one of the most completely modern airports in the world. And what I loooooved best about it before, duty-free shopping is still unbeatable.  We did not buy anything but looking at all the fancy stores (at every wing and every corner of the airport of perhaps the shopping capital of the world) while waiting for your flight is a feeling to die for!

Cherry and Zan and me in SFO

Around midnight of February 24, on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the peaceful EDSA revolution that toppled the Marcos dictatorship (shades of the successful Egyptian revolution), our plane approached the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.  This is where the protest moment began, when Ninoy Aquino, father of current President Noynoy Aquino and husband of the post revolution president Corazon Aquino, was gunned down on the tarmac upon arrival from exile in the US.

The International Airport in HK

Funny, but I still felt I had come back ‘home’, after 7 years in America.  The mix of emotions was expected. I was arriving in Manila for the first time as an American citizen but I was also secretly hoping that sometime during the next three months I would be able to establish a dual citizenship. Aside from truly feeling the dual nature of my allegiance, a Filipino returnee (Balikbayan) has advantages like bestowing Bill the same status and one-year stay in the country without the need for a visa.  

Bill having breakfast at Prince Plaza 2

April, my only daughter still remaining in Manila who works as a project manager at HP Philippines, picked us up and brought us post-haste to the Prince Plaza 2 Condominium where for a privileged rate of only $15 a day we will be staying at the 22^nd floor in the comfort of a suite of our friend and father-in-law of my eldest daughter Patricia, Tavy Aberion. The condo is in the busy, plush, and trendy Greenbelt Park and Mall, right in the heart of the Philippines’ financial district, Makati.

But, after a grueling 20-hour airport-to-airport flight a slew of 6 movies (127 hours, Life As We Know It, Morning Glory, Experiment, Due Date, and Never Let Me Go), we dropped to what we thought would be a looooong restful sleep. But the brightness of the next morning and the busy-ness of the streets down below woke us up earlier than we had expected. And the sun is beckoning us to the massive shopping malls around the megalopolis of 16 cities such as the Mall of Asia, 3^rd largest in the world! Watch for my post next week!   

The Aizenkatsura Tree

Visiting the Kitamuki Kanon Temple, I was enthralled by this majestic looking tree. This Aizenkatsura tree was designated by Nagano Prefecture as a natural monument in 1939. It is said that a Buddhist deity, Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin) changed form to this tree some 1,200 years ago.

The tree leaves bears the shape of hearts, and there's a believe that single people who came to the tree will meet their perfect partner there. You should know that Kitamuki Kannon is also unusual in that she is said to answer prayers for this life rather than the next.

Aaaah.... the tree of love. The tree's name from the Aizen Myoo (The Japanese god of love/Ragaraja/Airan Mingwang) and was given by the master artist Kawaguchi Matsutaro. Aizen Myoo is known to transform worldly lust into spiritual awakening.

Another "romantic" spot one can visit here is the Nogura Couple Dosojin, some 20 minutes walk from Bessho Onsen. Don't you just go aaaawwww looking at the statue. :) 

They do say that Dosojin are worshipped for bringing fertility and children's growth apart from warding off danger near village borders and crossroads.

More Sushi - For Dinner

OK, so we ate sushi for lunch at Sushi Zanmai  in Asakusa earlier. You didn't think that was the only time we visited Sushi Zanmai while in Japan, did you?

We made a return visit for dinner too. This time, instead of sitting at the counter, we chose to sit at a table.

Sitting at the counter meant that the all orders are directed to the sushi chef who will be taking your order personally. At the table, you get this huge menu and it's in multiple language and you fill up the chit/order form (or whatever) to order. Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese in one menu - now, you wouldn't have any problem ordering, right?

We ordered a bowl of clam  miso soup (or something). I need to look for the receipt to confirm but I'm lazy.

Some sushi - ika (squid), tako (octopus) and sake (salmon). I must say, ika and tako together on a platter don't make good photo subjects. All that whiteness!  Well, I am not a great photographer either otherwise, even white food would look great.

The staff will always ask whether you want the wasabi or to exclude them. For us, we want wasabi on the side because although Mommy loves wasabi (it clears her sinus.LOL),  Raimie can't take them.

Anago (conger eel) and kohada (gizzard shad). I like anago better than unagi because of anago's softness and the apparent lack of bones.

yummy yummy

followed by my fave - uni (sea urchin)! And tamago (egg) & bintoro (albacore tuna or pink tuna). Oh bliss. I miss those uni. Eating good uni in KL can be an exorbitantly expensive affair!

and more order of the yummy, melt-in-my mouth bintoro tuna, ika and salmon. Our tummies were happy. I would love to order the fatty tuna variety but there was no promotion for the fatty tuna and it'd be a tad expensive for us to eat them so we settled for those pink tuna. Pink tuna or fatty tuna, I was satisfied.

How do you tell the staff you finished eating and want a check? Just catch one's eyes and make a cross sign across your chest with your arms to mark you are finished.  Go to the cashier and pay afterwards. Simple.

We are definitely eating here again this year! If we managed to stash away some extra dough for the trip, that is. ;)

Anyway, we've been talking about the next trip, Zaini and I. Maybe we'll just hit Osaka and below the next time we go to Japan. Zaini wanted to get onboard the new shinkansen. ^^

Wordless Wednesday . . . Cool Canines!

As usual . . . almost wordless!

I'm venturing away from the Florida theme for this week

because I felt like having a tribute to my babies who have

 departed to Rainbow Bridge . . . and because I am craving

a sweet fur baby doggie to love . . . 

a look at some cool canines!

these are not my photos

Grab my button!

<a href="http://myfloridaparadise.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Gina's Wordless Wednesday" src="http://www.donitaworld.com/blog/Logo/WordlessWednesday125.jpg" /></a>

All For Peace

Point a camera at me, and the "peace" sign will automatically come up without hesitation. I should try and vary my poses. But it's kinda hard to control my hands and stop my fingers from forming that V sign. LOL

p.s. this is my excuse of putting up my old photos of my "younger self" up in this blog. Haha Cheesy, I know.

Bear with me. This is after all MY BLOG.

An enlightening post on Japan next, I promise. :D

A Fleeting View Of Japan

Sure makes a long-distance trip on the numerous train rides we took more interesting . Who needs personal video entertainment system or handheld games when you have these out your window? I keep my camera in tight grip though, while staring out of the window, ready to press the shutter button. ^^

This is my second post for Budget Trouble's : Show Me Japan. this week.