Gift wrapped in a different package

This is the first time a persocom would write on this blog. Yuzuki is currently doing some DVD burning stuffs so I she was temporarily disconnected from the network. For this reason Chii will be transcribing everything that Master says... *

After the 2:00 PM mass I got too little time to get on a Jusco bus on my way to Jusco. Jusco buses offer free rides to the Jusco department store. It was already afternoon and I only had one hour to roam around and buy what I needed.

I saw what I wanted and it was on sale. But before I surrendered my hard-earned or should I say hardly kept money to the cashier, I decided to check the nearby shop for the price of that same merchandise. Good thing that they are selling the item on the same price. Now my advantage in getting the one from Jusco is that it won't be that a shame to the bus driver on the way home that since I won't be carrying an item not bought from the store. So I quickly went back to Jusco and bought the thing over.

Unfortunately, it was already 5 o'clock in the afternoon. In this between autumn-and-winter season in Yamagata, the sun sets way so much earlier as compared to summer that even made my head think that I was having my biological clock disorientated. In other words, it has been so dark already as compared to the still sun shiny afternoon setting of Yamagata during the spring and summer.

Back to my story, it was already five o'clock in the afternoon and the last Jusco bus will leave in fifteen minutes time. It would be difficult for me if I get left by bus since I would be carrying this big box on my way home which I estimated to be around 30-45 minutes on foot against the searing chill of the Yamagata evening. Not to mention the around 10 kilogram package that I need to burden. The staff told me to wait for just ten minutes and that had been a relief for me as I thought I could still catch the bus.

As I was still looking at the other merchandises there, from time to time I peeped at the counter looking how was my package had been doing but for the next five minutes they were still not yet done with wrapping it. With so much pain in my heart, I accepted the fact that I would surely miss the train. Immediately, my mind ran simulations as to which method should I take upon going home. There were two algorithms that played in my mind. First was to hail a taxi and have myself delivered right in front of our buildings entrance steps. Having no experience of taking a taxi from Jusco to my home, I just made a slight approximation that it might cost me around 2,000 to 3,000 yen. The logic switch gates quickly indicated that the discount won't be of no use as it would just go to the taxi fare. The second, and definitely the cost cutting method was to carry this big and bulky stuff home by foot. It would take me so much a time but will be able to spare two or three paper bills in my wallet. But the map data base warned me that it would really be a long way home.

The optimization systems suggested that I should look for the taxi stand, just in case. Which was what I did. But there was no taxi there. I just saw three phone numbers of different taxi companies servicing Yamagata. I hesitated to call as I thought of how much money would be spent just for the taxi ride. I tried to carry the box and I guessed I could managed to carry it and walk home.

Just a few steps until I reached the first crossroad away from Jusco and I felt the heaviness of the thing. It was not that the thing itself was too heavy for me to carry, but it was the length of time that I have to carry it. My arms felt strained and I felt that urge to put down my load and take a few moments of rest. I saw a taxi coming towards me but it was too late. I was still carrying the box as it passed by me and it was too far enough to see me calling him. So I just did the cycle of carrying the box until a considerable crossroad, take a rest and resume carrying but the longer I move far from the store, the heavier the load seemed to be. At this rate, I thought I would not be able to bring it home.

If only I had brought my bicycle and semi-rubber strap, there should be no difficulty in bring this thing home. But there was no regrets to be made with regards to the bicycle as it could be of no help anymore. I was contemplating of spending around 1,500 pesos for a worry free trip home and save my energy for another task or to continue my agony and penitence of carrying it despite of the severe coldness of the night. I made a slow decision and prayed to God and to the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo for a taxi. I waited in the spot where I was resting, hopefully thinking that a cab would appear and save me from my self-created misery. But to no avail. I desperately resumed my cycle of carrying my load and still hoped that my fervent petition for a taxi would be granted.

I was already exhausted and my arms were so weak but I was still a straight road away from Jusco. It wasn't still safe to claim that I've already made a third of my journey. I was thinking of calling my friend who owns a car and ask a favor to fetch me here and bring me home. But that would be too much trouble on my friend's part. I also thought of calling a friend who owns a bicycle to bring a semi-rubber strap so I can mount the box on the bicycle and have my friend accompany me on my way home. But the again it would be too much for my friend. I also imagined myself leaving the box right there, go home for my bike and strap and go back to fetch it. But my fear that someone might take it home trashed this current idea in my mind. I was about to call the National Directory Assistance Hotline (104 for Japan) for a taxi customer service number but I again hesitated. I was about to give up and eat my pride to call 104 again when I saw the light of hope flashing before me.

I found myself standing beside a bus stop sign. In it posted was the schedule for two buses-both of them would stop at Yamagata Station. Yamagata Station would be a little too far pass my home that that would be better as compared to walking the entire route home. But wait, what if the buses' last trips were already over? I looked at the timetable and saw that the last trips would be 6:17 and 6:57 PM. I checked my watch-6:14! Luckily I made it quite just on time for one of the buses. After a few moments of waiting, the bus grandiosely made its dramatic entrance and I got on.

There were only two passengers in the bus aside from me. Thanks to the Yamako company that they didn't stop this bus service despite the obviously very low patronage of their buses. I checked the bus fare to Yamagata Station and was surprised to see that the bus would also make a stop at Yamagata City Hall, the bus stop nearest to my place! I was able to sit comfortably (just figuratively as the box had been so huge that we can not squeeze each other on the seat and sit together harmoniously. But still I wouldn't move myself away from my precious box. We've been through a lot already!) and breathe smoothly as I enjoyed the luxury of being on top of a velvet bus seat. Thanks heavens! I asked for a taxi and They've sent me a bus. They certainly knew that it would be hard for me to shell out such a big amount for the taxi fare. This incident really happened this way so that I would once again remember how much They love me. Thank You, Lord. Thank you, Mahal na Birhen ng Antipolo.

* Yuzuki is my high-spec laptop while Chii is my oh-yeah-it's-also-a-pretty-good-spec desktop.

Here Is Gone

HERE IS GONE
木之本桃矢(Toya Kinomoto)＆月城雪兎(Yukito Tsukishiro)

You and I got somethin’
But it's all and then it's nuthin’ to me, yeah
And I got my defenses
When it comes through your intentions for me, yeah

And we wake up in the breakdown
With the things we never thought we could be, yeah

I'm not the one who broke you
I'm not the one you should fear
We got to move you darlin’
I thought I lost you somewhere
But you were never really ever there at all

And I want to get free
Talk to me
I can feel you falling
And I wanted to be
All you need
Somehow here is gone

I am no solution
To the sound of this pollution in me, yeah
And I was not the answer
So forget you ever thought it was me, yeah

I'm not the one who broke you
I'm not the one you should fear
We got to move you darlin’
I thought I lost you somewhere
But you were never really ever there at all

And I want to get free
Talk to me
I can feel you falling
And I wanted to be
All you need
Somehow here is gone

And I don’t need the fallout
Of all the past that's in between us
And I'm not holding on
And all your lies weren't enough to keep me here

And I want to get free
Talk to me
I can feel you falling
And I wanted to be
All you need
Somehow here is gone

And I want to get free
Talk to me
I can feel you falling

I know it's out there
I know it's out there
And I can feel you falling

I know it's out there
I know it's out there
Somehow here is gone, yeah

I know it's out there
I know it's out there
Somehow here is gone, yeah

你好 (Ni hao)

Watching "The Last Samurai" made me realize that I have a penchant for languages. This is a bit relevant for today's theme. I will talk a little about our exchange program yesterday at Ookura village in Yamagata Prefecture.

I was chosen to present a 10-minute slideshow presentation to the children of Ookura village. I had been notified about a month ago but my cramming instinct didn't fail me again to make me work on my slideshow overnight on the night before the actual day of the exchange program. I had been worrying about using the school's computer installed with Microsoft Powerpoint but as I still had no enought data and picture files until last Friday, I just settled myself in thinking that I would just use my computer at home with Open Office installed on my Linux platform.

I tried the slideshow editing software but found it too difficult to use. I regreted that I didn't prepared early enough to make it on Friday but luckily, I checked out Open Office's website and found out that they'd just released a new version. I downloaded it and installed in in my Windows platform hoping that this last choice would be able to buy me some time for me to sleep. To my astonishment, Open Office Impress (OO's version of Powerpoint) was so easy to use and almost made me forget that it was not Powerpoint that I was using.

I was able to work on my slideshow smoothly and that enabled me to add more topics and enhance the layout of my presentation. To cut the long story short, I finished at around 5:45 am, leaving me with barely 45 minutes to close my eyes and feel the warmth of my think blanket against the almost freezing autumn dawn of Yamagata.

Ookura village is quite far from Yamagata City. I thought it would be around 60 minutes by car but in reality it had been one and a half hour. Along the way I was so worried of getting car sick besides the known fact that I had no enough sleep. Luckily, I neither felt dizzy nor sleepy during the long journey.

My presentation went well though I wasn't really fulfilled as the time limit was so short and I had put so much information on my presentation. Anyway, after everyone had their presentation, a Taiwanese professor had a game where he taught everyone simple greetings and expressions in Chinese. Here are what I learned:

謝謝 (谢谢 in Simple Chinese) - This is "Thank You" in Chinese, "Arigato" in Japanese. It is pronounced as "Sheshe". The character itself means "thanks".
不氣起 (不气起 in Simple Chinese) - This is "You're welcome." in Chinese, "Doitashimashite" in Japanese. It is pronounced slightly like "Bukechi". As I understand, the three characters literaly mean, "not minding what happened", exactly "Walang anuman" in Tagalog.
早安 - This is "Good morning." in Chinese, "Ohayo" in Japanese. It is pronounced as "Sao an". The first character means "early". The next one means "safety".
晩安 - This is "Good evening." in Chinese, "Kombanwa" in Japanese. It is pronounced as "Wan an". Some of you may recall that one of my favorite Mandarin songs is Vic Zhou's "Wen Rou De Wan An" (A Gentle Good Night). The two characters mean "night" and "safety", respectively.
你好 - This is the well-known "Hello." in Chinese, the counterpart of "O genki desu ka?" in Japanese. It is pronounced as "Ni haw". Literally means "you, well?"

I also showed off to one of my Korean schoolmates but letting her hear some of the Korean words that I learned from "Stairways to Heaven". Yesterday was a day full of fun and words from different countries.