Cuti Emas "Golden Week 2015"

Ini deretan cuit umum untuk 2015 yang dinamakan Golden Week di Jepun. Jajaran cuti umum ini bermula daripada 29 April hingga hari ini 6 Mei. Ramai rakyat Jepun mengambil peluang deretan hari cuti ini melancong ke luar negara.

Ini jiran saya. Kebunnya banyak sayur dan bukan dijual. Dia tanam untuk suka-suka. Dia makan apa yang ditanamnya. Dia tidak perlu mendapatkan sayur lain. Kami sering bertukar-tukar hasil tanaman sendiri.

Latar di belakang itu ialah rumah pekebun ini. Rumah dua aras. Dia tidak punya kereta. Dia gunakan basikal atau berjalan sahaja setiap hari.

Pekebun itu bukan orang miskin. Ini bangunan kepunyaannya, terletak di hadapan rumahnya. Bangunan ini disewakan sebagai kedai dan pejabat.

Ini hasil pertukaran hari ini.
Mungkin pembaca di Malaysia akan berkata, "alahai, berapa sen saja sayur-sayur itu!"
Pada saya bukan nilainya yang penting, kehidupan mudah begini yang saya pandang tinggi. Makan hasil tanaman sendiri, bertukar-tukar hasil kebun untuk menjalin siratulrahmi, tidak menunjuk-nunjukkan kekayaan wang ringgit dan berjimat dalam segala perkara.

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Jiran

Jiranku, si emaknya dah lebih setahun tinggal di rumah orang tua. Rumah itu kosong. Sesekali adik beradik mereka berkumpul, makan2 untuk meraikan hari sembah roh atau tahun baru atau entah apa2 lagi.

Yang tinggal tetap di rumah itu, hanya seorang bujang tua. Dia bukan tinggal dalam rumah itu tapi dia bina sebuah pondok simen di tanah lapang depan rumah dia. Tanah lapang itu depan rumah ambo juga.

Si bujang itu dah tua. Lebih tua dari ambo tapi masih bujang. Kerja entah apa. Pondok simen itu bertentang rumah ambo. Saban hari waktu petang, dia duduk depan pondoknya, mengarah pandang ke rumah ambo. Nasib baik, binaan rumah ambo tidak bertentangan.

Sekarang dia membina kepungan di keliling rumahnya. Jiran-jiran di belakang rumah dan saya tidak dapat melihat lagi ke dalam kawasan rumahnya.

Si bujang ini agak pelik. Entahlah saya rasa orang lelaki yang membujang sampai ke tua memang pelik. Orang lelaki mesti kahwin. Kalau tidak mana nak ganti darah. Kaum perempuan lain.

Saya tak kisah dia kepung tanah dan rumah dia tapi saya terfikir kes di Jepun satu hari dulu tentang seorang bujang tua menculik anak gadis. Gadis itu dikurungnya dalam bilik di rumahnya yang berkepung dan mendera gadis itu berbulan-bulan.

Lagi satu saya teringat pula tentang kes Banting sekarang...kan ke tembuk setinggi 1.5 m juga mengepung kawasan itu?

Orang yang mengepung rumah mereka, saya rasa mesti ada sesuatu yang mereka ingin sembunyikan. Ini theori saya yang fobia dengan kelakuan manusia-manusia pelik!

Seekor arnab
dalam tuala putih
berkibar-kibar.

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Life Path

courtesy of Google-Mt.Fuji

Today is the last day of the year for climbers to struggle up Mt. Fuji. The mountain is closed from tomorrow until July next year, when it will be opened again for climbers. Once a year from July till August, everybody can try to climb this mountain. July/August this year, a record 280,000 people tried to climb to the summit. But whether these 280,000 succeed to the summit is not in the record.
I've done my share of climbing of Mt. Fuji and successfully reached the summit. But if you ask me, do I want to climb again...my right heart says YES but my left heart says NO (anyway, you figure out the left and right).
I can see the path to the top at the beginning of the climb. Its there! All laid out!

I, also have my path laid out at the beginning of my life journey. I wanted to become the most powerful, influential women of a huge, international organization. I want people to jump at the click of my fingers, I want drivers to open and close doors for me, I want different meals serve everyday.
I was willing to work hard and climb this path to reach the top. That was my plan, that was my goal.

But no...it did not turn up that way!

Now, I am sitting in my house, thinking my of two girls having successful careers climbing up the mountain path.
Now, I am sitting at home, washing dishes everyday.
Now, I am sitting in front of this laptop, knocking the keyboard.
Now, I write everyday.
Somehow, somewhere I must have took a different turning...!!!

But my right heart say YOU'VE DONE IT, GIRL and my left heart says I'M OK!

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Sashiki no Yu

Sashiki no Yu is a big public bath-house facing the Pacific Ocean. You can see this beautiful scene from the new banner I put up.
I go to this bath-house every week. Each time taking about 3 hours in the hot water and thereafter relaxing there till dark.
This is my escape hide-out. I've made some friends there. These friends do not recognize me with my full clothes on, which is an advantage (like the entry below, taking me as a famous actress, whatever!)
Without my glasses, I am half-blind. So I hardly see much "reality" while enjoying myself.
Also, inspiration for my writings bubble up from the hot water.
For those who visit me, I will pull you along this bath-house as well. So get ready for the open show.

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Aku bukan Okama!

Mikawa Kenichi

Lepas ambo keluar dari dewan mandi, ambo menghala terus ke Relax Room. Dalam kamar ini, kami boleh baring-baring berlama-lamaan. Ada kerusi malas yang boleh direbahkan menjadi pangkin tidur.

Dua orang empuan dalam 60 tahun, menoleh ke arah ambo.
Seorang berkata, "Ingatkan engkau Mikawa Kenichi!"

Kening ambo terjungkit! Apa engkau ingat aku ini pondan ke?
Dengan menguatkan suara, ambo kata, "Kan kita dah mandi bersama, apa pulak aku ini Mikawa Keninchi!"
Nada ambo serius.

"Pakaian engkau macam Mikawa!" sorang lagi tambah.
Dahlah, malas betul ambo melayan orang-orang Jepun!

Salah seorang watak dalam novel Pulut sakura serunding kasih, ambo jadikan dengan meniru gaya Mikawa Kenichi.

Sebenarnya Mikawa lelaki tulen (setakat mana ketulenan, ambo belum pasti hehe), pada awal dia meneroka dunia hiburan. Tapi semuanya bertukar apabila kedudukannya dalam carta hiburan naik melambung setelah dia beraksi dengan pakaian perempuan, dia terus kekalkan gaya perempuan dan menampilkan pakaian seksi hingga mutakhir ini. Tapi orang kata (orang yang kata bukan ambo!), dia masih lelaki tulen.

Tak kisahlah apa Mikawa Kenichi buat tapi suka-suka kata ambo ini pondan macam Mikawa, itu sudah melampau!

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Landing flat tyme

This afternoon, I was trying on a new pair of room slippers, those that comes with soft hairy fur. As I climbed the stairs to go up, one foot stepped on another slippers and I came crashing on the landing. I could not get up and I stayed flat on my face for a little while to wait for the blood to dripple from my nose. No, my nose is not bleeding but the impact of the fall give me a much flatter nose than before, similar to purple Indian onions.
The lips is a blossom of burgundy rose, getting dark purple after the blood settled inside. Seems to be bigger than that of Angelina's but not any inch as sexy.
HUHUHU.

Dip in Beauty tyme

Foreign people or as the law in Japan called them The Aliens, should never missed the chance to have a bath in the BathHouse or the Communal Bath. I am not afraid to swear that communal bathing is a very unique experience.
Of course, there are rules to follow before dipping your bare body in the bubbly, hot water and if you ignore those rules, for sure another fellow bather would tell you off or let you know the rules with exact precision.
You'll see from the picture, all the gadgets I use in the grooming process.

You will have to leave your shoes before entering the changing room. Once inside the changing room, you will be allocated a locker. Everything goes in. Normally, I wrapped myself with the brown, soft material. I would carry my gadget in a small container into the communal bath area.

Usually, shampoo and body soap is provided at every shower point. You used your own thing from home if you fancy those they provided is not to your liking.

Wet your hair and shampoo, use the hair srubber if you don't have long nails to scratch your head. Shower off and apply hair conditioner.

Here is what I normally do, while the conditioner do the work, I would sit in the sauna, letting the heat seep in the hair, 10 minutes is more than I can bear in there.

From the sauna, I would sit under the shoulder-beater. Shoulder-beater is water that falls off from the top in heavy beating movement on both the shoulder. I would repeat the trip from sauna to the shoulder-beater about 4 rounds. I really need the shoulder-beater, all these writings on the keyboard makes my shoulder cry.

Wash off the conditioner and I am on the body grooming stage now.

First of, brush my teeth. Then, with a stone-scrub, both feet goes under the gruelling srubbing.

Finish that, goes the elbow and knee scrub. You know sometimes those areas are rough, so a little scrub will make them smile. I have the razor ready but I don't need to disclose how I use it. Some things need to be kept private.

Out ooze the body soap from BodyShop. Long, brush goes behind my back. Pulling on the string on each side, up and down the whole trunk. But for the front, I used softer materials that need softer rubbing, here I used body wash-clothe.

You noticed all this time, I have not soak in any hot tub yet. Yes, that is the BIG rule.

YOU HAVE TO WASH HEAD TO TOE BEFORE THE DIP!

After all these rubbing and scrubbing, only now I can soak in any of the hot water pools. Of course, there are various functions the water can do for you. There is the jacuzzi that beat your painful backs, there is the message attack that do your shoulder, there is the bubble trip that bring you all the way to the clouds and of course there is the perfume bath that fills with lavender scent or cherry-blossom. Scents of flowers that are in the season.

I would finish my rounds with a dip in the scented pool and come out feeling really flowery and blossomy.

With a clean and dry towel, I go for the second, grooming round in the changing room. I called this the after-bath groom and this will take another 45 minutes.

Shortest time I take from the start point till I walk away from there would be like 4 hours.

Hey, that is the shortest time. When my mood run away, I would be there like 5 hours and my skin would beg for mercy.

Girlfriends and female-bloggers closed to me, come have a dip with me.

Morning that sips time

I've been eating clear soup with spinach, shiitake mushrooms and carrots adding 2 pieces of mochi rice-cake for the past 3 days.
On top of that I haven't been cooking for several days as we are eating sashimi (raw fish) all the time. Those are gifts from people around us. It's not like we are in with the festive occasion, it's just that the current of flow pulls us in the wave of celebrations.
The cold, biting winter wind that is blowing from the north as a way of nature welcoming the changing year, is stopping me from stepping out in the world.
Sipping on a cup of hot, milk coffee, I looked at the sparrows in my front yard feeding on the bird feeds that Otto throws.

Yes, life is easy,
Life is moving,
and I'm moving easily with life.

The last singer of the Kouhaku Utagassen 2008 (The Red & White Singing Contest)-Hikawa Kiyoshi with Zun-doko Bushi.
The song is about how he missed his mother while staying apart, starting a new life of his own.