Archive for the "Friends" Category
Wordless Wednesday #16
May 14th, 2008
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Photohunt: Coffee Buddies
May 10th, 2008
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When you’re far from home, it would help a lot if you have someone you can talk to about just anything, over a cup of coffee. But do you know that it’s hard to find a coffee shop here in Osaka that’s open 24 hours? Even the Starbucks cafe in Umeda, Osaka’s main northern railway terminus, is open only up to 2:00AM. The Starbucks cafe closest to my apartment and to the Shin-Osaka station is open only up to 10:00PM! We’re glad to have found this cafe (Travel Cafe) because it closes later than Starbucks. It closes at 11:00PM.
Dotombori
May 1st, 2008
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The biggest *shotengai in Osaka runs through the Dotonbori, near the Namba station. It’s one of the most crowded places in Osaka. It may be flooded with people, but it’s still one of the most famous meeting places because of this crab, a very effective landmark:
For over a year of staying in Osaka, finally I was able to pose in Dotonbori with some friends:
Stephen in Osaka
March 4th, 2008
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Stephen of Sun Jun visited Osaka. Reunited with other ex-officemates, I shamelessly feasted on all-you-can-eat buffet! And after more than a year, I was able to eat leche flan again!
I really miss hanging out with friends from company #4. It’s really nice seeing you here, Steph!
By the way, in the Philippines, we refer to all-you-can-eat buffet as “eat-all-you-can“. But here in Japan, it is referred to as “viking“. Dunno why…
Takoyaki Challenge
February 25th, 2008
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Days ago, Akane-san and I we went to a takoyaki (literally fried or baked octopus) restaurant here in Osaka. I love takoyaki but cooking it is entirely a different story. In that restaurant, a stuff just pour the ingredients onto those takoyaki pans. The rest is up to the diners. Forming a decent takoyaki was an impossible feat and we ended up eating deformed and burnt takoyaki. But it was fun and the food was still delicious.
After much struggle, here’s the almost cooked takoyaki:
And the ladies who took the takoyaki challenge:
Maruho Duo – The Reunion
February 18th, 2008
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I was really surprised, but was of course, delighted when I heard Mayen was coming to Osaka. She arrived last month but I’m really busy nowadays that I only got to meet her yesterday! We went to Osaka’s electronic gadgets haven in Den Den Town. As always, I almost drooled over those really cool gadgets but for now, they’re for my eyes only. 
Mayen already made mental note on what to buy on her next visit. We concluded our reunion with a quick tour at Namba parks and of course… pictures! Here they are….
Why I call ourselves Maruho Duo? We worked on the same project before, code named “Maruho”. That project was really unforgettable. I experienced staying in the office for more than 24 hours and there were occasional “ghost” encounters…
I forgot to mention that I haven’t seen Mayen for almost 4 years!
A Night With Okonomiyaki
February 4th, 2008
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Akane-san, some Filipino friends, and I were supposed to meet at Tully’s Cafe in *Umeda but almost everyone had to work overtime, leaving Akane-san and me to splurge in one of my favorite Japanese food: okonomiyaki! Okonomiyaki is considered as the Japanese-style pancake or pizza. But it is far from being a junk food as its ingredients mainly include chopped cabbage and some bits of sea foods.
While waiting for our okonomiyaki, there’s nothing better to do than take photos with our food-endorser wannabes pose:
Please check out this entry for more pictures of okonomiyaki.
Wordless Wednesday #4: We Just Love The Camera
January 29th, 2008
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Christmas Eve 2007
December 24th, 2007
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I went out this afternoon, not with a Japanese guy, but with a Japanese gal and a friend, Akane-san. Since most of the Japanese are not Christians, Christmas here is celebrated not like the way I am used to.
Indeed, some Japanese families now practice gift-giving but for those who are single and/or available, Christmas day here seems to be lovers’ day. Akane-san and I couldn’t help but notice that everywhere we look, people are “moving in pairs”. We went in for a chat at a cafe and splurged on the delicious cakes – I had my favorite tiramisu. Later, we met our date, Nicholas Cage, at the cinema. Thank you, Akane-san for the early birthday gift.
“National Treasure 2″ is as good as the first one. It is indeed worth watching at the theater. I was really glad we opted to watch that movie instead of “I Am Legend”.
I planned on meeting up with the other Pinoys after the movie and go with them to the mass. However, another “girlie” mishap made me frantic, embarrassed, and left me feeling-stupid. I had no other option but to go home. That surely ate up my time so I decided to stay home and do the Christmas countdown alone…
Thank you, Yoohoopips!
November 23rd, 2007
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I was just fresh out of college when I first came to Japan. First trip abroad – I was really ecstatic. Didn’t thought about how horrible homesickness could be. But I was so blessed to share my adventure with Yohoopips. At least, in them, I found a home in Japan.
Got this from Florence:
Sweet Neo
November 17th, 2007
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She was my block mate, who then became my roommate and later on turned best friend. One of the kindest person I’ve ever met. I never saw her angry! She’s always calm, composed, graceful (so feminine), patient, and trustworthy. That’s why I really treasure her. She’s also one of my pen pals and I love her handwriting! Despite the different roads we took, I know she’ll always be a good friend…
Treats from America
October 31st, 2007
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Trick or Treat! I may be living far from the U.S. but I got my share of treats from two blogger friends!
This beautiful New Jersey postcard came from Fortuitous Faery. After some e-mail exchanges, we learned that we both love writing mails! Now, she’s not only my blogging friend, but she’s now my pen friend.
I’ve always loved writing and receiving letters!
Gotta start collecting new stationery sets again. I’m so happy I now have something new to look forward to in the mailbox. Thank you Fortuitous and I look forward to receiving more letters from you!
The next batch of treats came from Laura of Seabird Chronicles! I joined the Autumn Goody Swap and Laura sent these cool stuffs to all the way to Japan! There’s this very cute wooden bird she got from their recent trip to Uruguay.
The gummy bears that came with it helped me ease the stress away. Finally, she put in something that’s really hard to find here in Japan: Red Bull! I really laughed hard when I found out it’s my most favorite energy drink. This just indicates that she’s reading my blog. Thank you very much Laura! Those were really great treats!
