Last day of CHADOU class

This afternoon was the last day of our Chadou or Sadou... meaning "Way of Tea" class.

Our master taught us again on how to behave as a guest in a tea gathering and also the proper way of bowings, walking, drinking tea, eating sweets and many more. He also taught us on how to prepare the powdered tea and serve it to our classmates.

The Japanese actually serve the tea with respect and drink it with gratitude!

Today's hanging scroll at our tea roomTea toolsOur master demonstrating the proper opening and closing of the sliding door.demonstrating the proper way of entering the house...Master with some of my-co students The host preparing the Japanese "way of tea"Sample of Japanese sweetsMy teaNo more... Our host demonstrating how to remove and clear away the tea cups.Our master also taught us some origins of hiragana from kanji! Omake lecture desu!Some of my classmates with our master, Mr. Mochizuki Studying CHADOU was a great experience! I will surely miss this class!

This is the reality!

Whenever you find the key to success, someone changes the lock!

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To Err is human, but to forgive is not a COMPANY policy.

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The road to success... Is always under construction.

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Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but if you think again, neither does Milk.

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In order to get a Loan, you first need to prove that you have ability to repay back.

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All the desirable things in life are either illegal, expensive or fattening.

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Since Light travels faster than Sound, people appear brighter before you hear them speak.

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Everyone has a scheme of getting rich... Which never works.

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If at first you don't succeed... Destroy all evidence that you ever tried.

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You can never determine which side of the bread to butter. If it falls down, it will always land on the buttered side.

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Anything dropped on the floor will roll over to the most inaccessible corner.

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42.7% of all statistics is made on the spot.

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As soon as you mention something... If it is good, it is taken... If it is bad, it happens.

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He who has the gold, makes the rules ---- Murphy's golden rule.

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If you come early, the bus is late. If you come late... the bus is still late.

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Once you have bought something, you will find the same item being sold somewhere else at a cheaper rate.

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Especially for engg. students : If you have bunked the class, the professor has taken attendance.

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If you have paper, you don't have a pen. If you have a pen, you don't have paper. If you have both, no one calls.

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The door bell or your mobile will always ring when you are in the bathroom.

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You will pick up maximum wrong numbers when on roaming.

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After a long wait for bus no.20, two 20 number buses will always pull in together and the bus which you get in will be crowded than the other.

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Before borrowing money from a friend, decide whether you need more.

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Irrespective of the direction of the wind, the smoke from the cigarette will always tend to go to the non-smoker!

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An expert is someone who takes a subject you understand and makes it sound confusing.

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There are three sides to every argument: your side, my side and the right side.

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Many things can be preserved in alcohol. Dignity is not one of them.

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Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.

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When you're right, no one remembers. When you're wrong, no one forgets.

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Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.

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Well done is better than well said.

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Everyone makes mistakes. The trick is to make them when nobody is looking.

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Where there is a WILL, there is a WAY, Where there is MONEY, there are many WAYS.

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Where there is MONEY, there are many FRIENDS and RELATIVES!

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Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.

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Cool (^-^)v

Lunch date with Ana

Here's the continuation of my date with tita Amie and Ana! Ana invited us to Toscana Italian Restaurant downtown for lunch today. Wooow even it was raining... talagang sugod naman kami ni tita Amie! Basta kainan... di ba tita?! Lalo na raw pag-libre!

Talaga namang yummy ang mga foods nila! I will surely be back to that restaurant.

Here's Ana taking our pictures...

After our lunch... we had our coffee break at Ana's office in Hitoyado-cho. Bidahan ng mga family pictures and activities... then we also had some tutorial session regarding computer. That's it!

Ana lend me this book... The Secrets by Rhonda Byrne. It's more or less about the revelation and discoveries on how to achieve happiness, contentment and success in every aspect of life.

Andito cguro ang secret ni Ann kung bakit s'ya happy palagi lately! kekekeee!

When I left the office in the afternoon... the weather was fine... just like my feeling... it was fair!

Gochisosama and arigatou Ana... sana palaging birthday mo na lang! (^-^)v

A birthday date with Ana!

Amie and I went to Ana's birthday celebration held in Heartbeat. Actually si Amie ang surprise gift ko sa kanya...kekkekkeee! Sayang tita Liza did not make it!

Wooow... seductive ang beauty ni Ann with her white sexy outfit! Birthday n'ya nga naman!

Hisashiburi no omise... but we really enjoyed it. Maraming mga kakilala... mga lokah at kalog pa! Ang Pinoy talaga! Ganbatte guys-- Ann, Len, Elizabeth, Apple, Miho & Ricky!!!

We're thankful to Erap for treating us! Ana was like a busy butterfly last night... well... it was her night... that's why we decided to meet on Wednesday for a private date for the continuation of our chikas and bidahan! hehehe!

Again... may you'll always be happy Ann... not only on your birthday but 4ever!

Valentine Live Music!

I've just treated myself to a live music tonight!

Maritess did a stunning performance tonight on her Valentine Live... entitled Marites with Friends which was held in Flex-Munchen, Shizuoka City. The show was sponsored by Asahi TV Culture.

Our song bird... Maritess on her 1st stage... sexy huh!

The awesome band!Maritess on her 2nd stage... singing Save the Last Dance!Duet with David Cook... Quando, quandoBack on stage for an encore performance of her orig song... Life to Live! Some NAKAMA group who cheered the show!Our souvenir photo with MaritessWe did have a great time tonight! The show was trully fabulous! Yeheeeey!

Hanggang sa uulitin!

Demonstration of tea gathering

Two weeks ago... I joined this CHADOU or tea ceremony class... but our sensei or tea master said it's actually tea gathering class! On our first class meeting ... we learned some history of chadou.

This afternoon was our 2nd class meeting and our tea master showed us the demonstration of the tea gathering... from how they open the sliding door... the bowings.. the way they walk, the preparations of the tea, the manners on drinking and appreciating the tea... including the way of eating sweets and so on...and so forth!

Below photos is our chashitsu or tea room. The tea room must have tokonoma or alcove (too bad that our tea room have no proper tokonoma) . They place hanging scroll, flowers and incense burner in tokonoma.

Hanging scrolls is usually selected by the host and it has always a significant meaning as it also stands for the theme of the gathering. Like in the picture below... TOKU WA KONARAZU... means "always together" or "you're not alone". The flowers and incense suggest the season. In front of the tokonoma was placed the tea host tea sets like fresh water jar, kettle and fire brazier... some utensils used for tea preparations.
The host preparing tea for the guest. The guest observe the preparation.

Formal way of drinking tea... host offered sweets first to guests to balance the bitter taste of the tea.
After tea gathering
After the demonstrations... they taught us the manners and basic procedures of drinking tea in tea bowl and how to eat Japanese sweets. The procedures is quite sensitive... I felt that it's not all about drinking tea... it's their character, decipline, their art... yap... their culture!

Our last class will be next Saturday. o(^-^)0

Original Pinoy Animation: DAYO

This one is interesting! The first 3D animated movie of the Philippines, DAYO that was screened last December at the Metro Manila Film Fest 2008.

Dayo, a full-feature animated film that feature the story of an 11-year-old kid named Bubuy. The story revolves around Bubuy who has to save his grandparents who were abducted and brought to the strange land called Elementalia, which is home to a host of strange creatures.

The popular cultures of Pinoy was presented in this movie and they also used Pinoy mythological creatures like manananggal, tikbalang, tiyanak, kapre, diwata and many more that makes the story trully an original Pinoy.

More info at DAYO movie official site: http://www.dayomovie.com/

Below is my fave Lea Salonga's version of "Lipad," theme song of DAYO. The song was recorded with the FILharmoniKA, conducted by Gerard Salonga. Awesome di ba!

I've heard that this movie is also for international release... entitled, WANDERER.

Can't wait to watch!

Belated Happy Valentine's Day!

How was your Valentine's Day?

Here are some souvenir photos of gifts I received lately...It's not all about gifts but the thoughts...

At work... a Chinese friend, my co-foreigner staff at SAME gave each one of us this collections of Chinese Tea (on plastic pack below)

Here is a hand made Japanese box by my student, Nakajima san... with choco inside

My friend Oyagi san gave me chocos in accessory box...

Below, I personally prepared this choco gifts for Yuki kun and Yuta kun!

No doubts... tumataba na naman ako (^-^)v! Whaaaaah!

Food for thoughts!

Our Aoi District committee had a meeting tonight in City Hall regarding our up coming event on March 1st, the Aoi District Fiesta-- Sengen Doori de Omotenashi.

Before our meeting started one of our members, Shiratori san-- who was like a dear mom to me distributed to each one of us this two bean-jam rice cake (photo below) and what I discovered so unique was that she put them over the white paper where half part of it was folded in crane design! She said... we could place the chopstick or toothpick inside the folded part. Cool di ba? Much more amazing was that inside the white paper... some quotes were printed...... if I will simply translate it... it goes like this...

A single word can be challenging

A single word can be encouraging

A single word can set visions

A single word can make you feels good

A single word can make you strong.

A single world can also be aggravating

A single word can make you cry.

It is strange that in just a single word... it can give you great strenght

and it that slight single word... you can be lovely and pure hearted.

... some thoughts to be considered... meron nang food... meron pang good thoughts!

GOCHISOSAMA DESHITA... Shiratori san!

A Visit to Gotemba

It's holiday today celebrating Japan's National Foundation Day! Baabaa went to her Day Center... so I invited papie to go on driving and we end up in Gotenba Kogen Resort. We look around the place... there are some hotels, hot springs, sports facilities, stalls, restaurants and so on and so forth!

Traditional hot spring... Chame Yudono. For adults only lang daw! 'wonder what's inside!

The winter illumination event at day time

340 meter long tunnel... this event ends on March 8th

Giant dove statue !

Sachan will gonna love this stall... YAKI IMO (baked sweet potatoes)

We had lunch at this restaurant

Our lunch... ala kaming gana! hehehe!

The unique rounded slow house villas... too bad Mt. Fuji was covered with cloudy skies!

UCHUU NO HIBIKI (sounds of the universe)The giant bell ... bell of love daw!

... with giant face

Buddha Statue MountainAbout 1,800 little buddha statuesToday, we had quite an adventure!

We might come back with Sachan and hopefully Baabaa next time!

Uncle Jo's live in Esquinita

I just got back home tonight from uncle Jo's first solo live... a mini dinner concert to be exact held in Esquinita. The capacity of the venue is about 30-40 but it was really fully packed! Sign that it was a success! It's good to see same familiar faces! It was Sarah's birthday celebration too!The NAKAMA friends supported uncle Jo's live! ... but it was Dang who had his full support! Syempre! We enjoyed uncle's music while we enjoyed the foods! It's eat-all-u-can basis!I am so glad to see one of my long lost friend... Gigi! I was surprised that she can cook... and they're all tasty! She game me bopis as omiage too! I loved it!More power uncle JO!