By:
On:
In: Japan, Life

Surprisingly enough, this happens to me quite frequently… Japanese student (JS): Hi, I’m Mayuki. Me: Hi, I’m Jennifer. JS: So where are you from? Me: California. JS: But where are you from originally? Me: California. JS: Oh… *looks disappointed* (awkward silence) Me: Oh, but my parents are from Hong Kong! JS: *face brightens up again*  Wow, so can you speak Chinese? Me: Yes!  In fact, I’m fluent in Chinese. JS: Oh really?  That’s amazing! It’s interesting to note that most of the time it’s the Japanese people (mostly students) I meet who seem more interested that my parents are from Hong Kong than the factRead More →

By:
On:
In: Family, Life

This week has been quite a week. For a while now, I’ve been wondering what life would be like once I settle back into work and school. Obviously, it’s not going to be the same since I have E to care for now. To tell you the truth, I was hoping that everything will work out and I can start the school year off without a hitch. When the week started off with rain on Monday and Jason still limping around, I had a really bad feeling that this was going to be a rough week. I think I jinxed myself because things just gotRead More →

By:
On:
In: Life, Reflections

Despite all the rain, today was a good day. The weather has been nutty lately.  On Wednesday, it was sunny and hot with temperatures at about 25 degrees C (77 degrees F).  Then Thursday, it became incredibly cold and rainy with temperatures down to about 8 degrees C (47 degrees F).  In fact, it was snowing in some parts of Japan.  Some places had both snow and cherry blossoms in bloom!  It was pure madness and all over the news. Here’s a glimpse of my Thursday… I got quite a bit done today.  I did a bunch of cleaning and vacuuming.  I worked on myRead More →

By:
On:
In: Life, Reflections

Last post of the day, I promise… 3 posts in one day, talk about a busy day!  I don’t know about you but all this blogging has tired me out. Here’s a glimpse at my Wednesday… Wednesday E had a fever today which meant no daycare since they send kids home if they have a fever over 37.5 degree C.  Of course having a feverish E at home all day with me meant that I was going to go crazy at some point. Thankfully I didn’t. E was acting pretty normal today despite the fact that she had a fever and had some tummy troublesRead More →

By:
On:
In: Life, Reflections

Welcome to my Monday! Truth be told, this week is a little bit different from my usual routine.  I don’t often work on jigsaw puzzles on a weekly basis.  It just so happen that I bought one last weekend and want to work on it and finish it before the week is over…something I’ll explain later. If you want to see a bigger picture, just click on the one you want to see and a larger version will open up. If you actually want to read what my Monday was like…. Read More →

By:
On:
In: Life, Reflections

This week, I’ve decided to participate in Ali Edward’s “Week in the Life” project.  I’ll spend a week documenting all the mundane things that I do in my life and then put it together in an album form later. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while so it’s going to be fun.  My life isn’t very interesting so the next few posts this week will be quite boring to some.  Either way, you’ll get a glimpse into what I do on a daily basis now that E’s in daycare and I haven’t gone back to work or school yet.  Of course all thisRead More →

By:
On:
In: Family, Life

For the first time, the entire Hamster residence, Japan branch, is sick together at the same time. We’re pretty sure it’s just a simple cold but usually, one of us is healthy enough to care for the other. Not this time! It started out with Jason feeling unwell on Monday. Tuesday, he came home from work with a cough and a slight fever. I moved myself out into the living room sofa bed so I don’t get sick. Wednesday, he called in sick and I went to work and bought food to make chicken soup. Today, I woke up with a cough and a soreRead More →