Baggy and I looked in disbelief at our newly-arrived passports, delivered early by the Takkyubin man today. Has it really been just three days ago when we went to the Italian Embassy to apply for our visas? And here they are, the familiar Schengen visas already tucked into our passports. I had to slap my face to wake me up in case I was just dreaming. 😛

Year in, year out, it’s the same story. You want to go places, you apply for a visa. Exceptions to the rule are given to nationalities whose countries have entered into agreements with other countries, like between Japan and the USA, for example. Citizens of Japan and the States do not need visas as long as their stay in the other country does not exceed 30 days. Philippine-passport holders like us are at least spared from this repetitive scrutiny if our destinations are within Southeast Asia. But that’s just about it. In most countries that we visit, we don’t even bother anymore to check if Filipinos are exempted from visas or not; in most if not all cases, a visa is generally required. This is the rule.

So it’s the same cycle. Napupuno na ang passport namin kakadikit ng mga visas. Bakit ba nila tayo pinapahirapan? Kasalanan to ng mga nauna nating kababayan. Kasalanan to ng gobyerno natin. Kasalanan to ng ekonomiya natin. Tingin nila sa mga Pinoy na bumibisita ng ibang bansa, balak mag-TNT siguro.

Back to the recently-approved Schengen visa. Nasubukan na kasi naming mag-apply sa Italian Embassy three years ago. Hindi kasing-bilis ang nangyari, at sobrang stressful. I may be a little hazy on the details, but let me recall what happened then:

June 2003. Baggy and I went to the embassy early in the morning, because the visa/consular section only opens from 9:30-11:30. Still, we had to wait for a long time because there were a lot of people who arrived there ahead of us. Our turn came, eventually. The guy at the window perused through our documents, one person at a time. Since I was the one attending the conference, he looked over my documents first. No problems. I heaved a sigh of relief while he turned his attention to Baggy’s documents. He looked at the copy of Baggy’s passbook, then frowned. Uh-oh. It didn’t look good, and he sadly broke the news to us – but it wasn’t even about the sad state of affairs conveyed by Baggy’s passbook. Instead, Baggy had to submit a Certificate of Leave. Nowhere was this document mentioned in the list of requirements posted at their website; otherwise we would have brought it with us already. And since they would rather process our application as a family, they’d keep my application on file in the meantime. How about our daughter’s application? Well, he said that they have a law that the child must be accompanied by both parents, so if both parents have not yet obtained their visas, the child’s visa application cannot be processed. Uhm. Okay, fine. Whatever. 🙁

Ok, that time Baggy was still residing in Osaka. So we had to wait for another week for him to obtain the said document and return to Tsukuba. Balik embassy na naman kami.

This time around, a different guy looked at our papers (there were only two windows, by the way, and whichever becomes available serves the next applicant). So kasama na nga yung Certificate of Leave sa papers ni Baggy, as they requested. We explained that he was only accompanying me, and that I was the one with the official business there. He squinted at us (yes, I remember this specifically. What’s the squinting all about? I do know that you squint when you look at small bugs.). And then he broke the news to us – hey look, your husband’s residence is in Osaka. Why is he applying in Tokyo? Turning to Baggy – you should apply in Osaka Consulate, because your address is in Osaka. Why the heck did they not tell us that in the first place? And by the way, he added, if you want to have your child’s application processed, she must be here in person. We tried to argue – but she’s only 1 year old! No exceptions, we were told. Everyone must apply “in person.” Even if that person happens to be a babbling, drooling one year-old baby.

Tumaas ang buhok namin. Nahighblood si Baggy. We wanted to squint back at him, but we were too shocked to react that way. Squinty Guy kept right on squinting at us. We had no choice but to go home defeated, again, that day. Anyway, I demanded that my application be processed. I was then given a stub number, to be used when I finally pick up my passport.

Baggy went back to Osaka. Wonder of wonders, he got his visa, no further documents needed. Sobrang dali nga raw roon. Nauna pa siyang makakuha ng visa kesa sa akin.

We went back to the Embassy – for the third time, and hopefully for the last time. We brought Aya along. Guy #1 was available at that time, and he gleefully gave me back my passport with the approved visa. I then brought out Baggy’s passport, showed him that Baggy already had his visa approved too, and promptly submitted Aya’s documents. For some reason he didn’t expect me to apply for the baby’s visa. He probably forgot that we had intended to apply as a family from the start.

We were made to wait for about 30 minutes while he chatted with other guys, talked on the phone, and shuffled papers on his desk. It must have been Aya bawling in the room, or the time to close must be nearing, when he finally perused through her documents and said OK. I requested that the passport be mailed back – I swore to high heavens that I will not go back there anymore just to pick up the passport. Fortunately, the request was granted and we left rejoicing but anxious about Aya’s application. Her visa came, a few weeks later, with ample time to spare before departure.

April 2006. After days of preparing our documents, we finally decided that it was time to make that inevitable visit to the embassy. We prepared our hearts for the worst; but can it really get any worse than our experience before? We checked and rechecked our documents.

The worst didn’t happen. We were wrong. This time, there was only one kind-looking lady at the window. As before, we had to wait for several minutes before our turn.

The lady inspected Baggy’s papers first, because he was the one with the official business. However, she pointed out that because Baggy’s invitation letter came from the organizer based in the States, it was insufficient. Apparently, the invitation letter must come from Italy. But, she added, the letter can be sent directly to them by FAX. We heaved a sigh of relief. We almost thought that we would be turned away again, because our documents were incomplete.
She perused through our documents one by one, and when she was finally satisfied, she asked us to pay for the processing fee. With a smile, she told us that they will try to process our applications within this week. She said that they will send the passports by Takkyubin (chakubarai = COD).

You think that went well? Nah, it was excellent! Now that’s efficiency for you! We got our visas three days after applying. In fact right now we are still sort of dazed, wondering why it was so easy this time. Maybe because it’s our second time, so they probably have records of our previous application. At any rate, we are happy because we didn’t have to deal with crap this time around. See, things could change for the better!

Oh, by the way, I saw Squinty Guy passing by the window during the time we were there. He squinted briefly and passed from view. Some people never change, do they? 😛

Happy Easter Sunday!

I’m really into shooting flowers nowadays. Maybe I’m just happy with spring finally being here and all. I am really getting hooked. Everywhere you look there are so many flowers, from the lowly dandelions to the regal-like tulips. I really need a better camera – but in the meantime, here’s what I am getting from our Canon Powershot S45.

Sobrang daming flowers, nakakagigil. Rarr. 🙂 Indulge me while I fill this page with flowers. Just for now, ne?

Ever wondered how the tulip looks inside? Here’s peeking into the tulip’s “reproductive organs” hehe. Embarrasing for the plant.

The orange was screaming so loud at me, I just had to take a pic! One of the marigolds found at Matsumi Koen in Amakubo, Tsukuba.

Open wide! One of the marigolds found at Matsumi Koen in Amakubo, Tsukuba.

Di ba ito yung dandelion na pinagkakaguluhan ng mga prehistoric animals sa Ice Age? 🙂 In Japanese, this is known as “tampopo” (thanks to Aya chan for the translation!)

Danda ng white daisies! Kuha rin to sa Matsumi Koen.

Except for the inevitable kafun (pollen) that’s making the air toxic for hay fever sufferers like us, spring is really a wonderful time to go outdoors and enjoy the cool breeze, smell the flowers, celebrate the end of winter. It still is a bit chilly this time of year, but the sakura (cherry blossoms) are already in full bloom. I doubt if they would survive the end of the week, though.

Yesterday we attended a very interesting hanami (literally means flower watching, but is really a convenient excuse to party and drink booze for some people). The weather was not cooperating at all; it rained just about the time when we were barbecuing. Pinoys, resourceful as ever, used the plastic “latag” as a makeshift tent so everybody can still eat the barbecue even with the pouring rain. The sun came out after an hour or so of rain.

But today, oh, the weather was simply great, and we all took our bicycles and went to the park. It is high time for some physical activity to melt the winter fat accumulating around our middles. While in the park we enjoyed a delightful sight of flowers, flowers, flowers everywhere. We sniffed the air, unmindful of the pollen, and breathed the warm breeze. Wonderful. This is life. 🙂

I thought I’d post here some colorful flower pics for guests like you to enjoy. Well, enjoy! 🙂

Lovely, aren’t they? Enjoy them while they last. Next weekend, they’re goners.

Spring just isn’t complete without the good ol’ tulips. But after seeing the gazillions of tulips at Hitachi Seaside Park last year, I think I’d seen enough tulips to last me a lifetime. 🙂

I really don’t know what this flower is called. Looks like a wild one. But it’s really pretty, isn’t it? If there’s somebody out there who knows what this is called, I’d appreciate it if you would let me know!

Well, Baggy has almost finished playing FFX. I wanted him to finish the game ASAP so that we can resume playing FFXII. As it turns out, finishing Jecht off is not so easy. It hadn’t been easy the first time, but at least back then we spent many hours building up our characters’ strengths and powers. This time around I think Baggy rushed things a bit too much. His characters still lacked the powers to finish off the last and most crucial battle of all.

Sigh. By the looks of it, it seems that I may have to wait far longer than I expected. 🙁

And so we meet again, Sir Jecht.

Yuna and company listen intently to Jecht’s revelations.

The company’s all here! From the left: Sir Auron, Wakka, Yuna, Tidus, Lulu, Kimahri, and Rikku.

Tidus: Let’s end this!

And so we meet again. Good luck na lang sa inyo mhahaha.

A few days ago, Aya herself reminded me that we haven’t done any experiments in a while. Uh-oh. I had been too wrapped up with so many things that I forgot to devote some time for this. I said OK. Right away Aya took out the book and chose which experiment we’d perform! I obliged, even if it was a weekday. As much as possible I wanted to do the experiments on weekends, where we have more time to spend. Anyways.

This experiment is relatively easy to do. Things you will need: Plate, milk, food coloring, and washing-up liquid. This experiment illustrates a literally colorful way to explain surface tension of liquids.

With the book wide open in front of her, Aya prepares the things needed.

Since we only had powdered food coloring, Aya has to dissolve each color in separate cups. We only have two colors, actually – red and yellow. We just combined the two colors to make orange. It would have been nice to have blue, though!

Next we pour milk onto the plate. The milk has to fill the plate up to the rim.

Aya adds food coloring to the milk by the spoonfuls.

Next, Aya drops a small amount of washing-up liquid onto the center of the mixture.

The washing-up liquid breaks the surface tension, and the milk molecules move apart. As the milk moves, the colors run into one another.What was really cool about this experiment is that once Aya poured the washing-up liquid, the mixture began moving and pulsing as if alive. Aya watched in fascination as the different colors began moving right before her eyes! We could even make out images of a flying bird, hehe. Parents, do try this at home with your kids! Highly recommended.

I wrote in my diary a year ago – “Growing old is everyone’s business. There will always be someone younger than you, and always someone older than you. The point is not in comparing your age to someone else’s, but in comparing yourself now to yourself as you were years ago. How much you have changed in the years that passed is what matters.”

Today I feel nostalgic of sorts, because today marks the 10th year since I last spent my birthday together with my family in the Philippines. Fortunately, I’ve got my own family here in Japan – Baggy, Aya, and with Mommy as a “bonus,” heheh. Plus the friends and other acquaintances I’ve made – Japanese, Filipinos, and other foreign friends. They’re as much as my family now.

I’m not much into gifts, but well, I’ve just received my early gifts on this day. One is a humongous card from Mom and my sisters. The other is another flower “shower” from Baggy! Sobrang daming roses, hay – I have to use three flower vases to contain them all! A word of advice to all single women out there – if you’re looking for a lifetime partner, look for someone who will give you flowers not when he is wooing you, but someone who will still give you flowers way after you’re married. Di ba?

So much to be thankful for, so much to look forward to. I know this year will be GREAT.

See how big it is???

Don’t expect any gifts. Right. Thanks for the reminder! haha

I’m a sucker for red roses. Kung puede lang kainin tong rose na to, kakainin ko eh.

Petit pink roses!

Well, I do want one gift for my birthday – a digital SLR camera! Heheh! I’m tired of using point-and-shoot cameras and would really, really love to experiment with a “real” camera.

Aya, together with her classmates, has only two more days to go in her current class, the Momo (Japanese word for peach) class. Starting next month, the start of the fiscal year in Japan, she will be moving to the 3-year old class. Unlike her current class where they had three adult teachers looking after the children, the 3-year old class will be looked after by only one teacher. Wow, they’re not babies anymore!

Aya chan with the rest of the Momo class. She’s the one wearing a maroon sweater at the center. I find it rather amusing that some of the kids are already flashing the “V” sign!

Starting next month, Aya will be moving to the other wing of the building, where the “big kids” rooms are located. And starting next month, she will be bringing a lunchbox filled with gohan (rice). Good thing we didn’t have to prepare a complete lunch meal. The rest will still be provided by the daycare. Money-wise, we will be paying much less than what we are paying now. And here’s a big plus for me – I won’t have to make entries in her journal everyday, and instead of private communications from the respective teachers, announcements and other notices will only be posted at the door or at the entrance to the room. Well, that’s goodbye to my forced Japanese writing everyday! Yay! Now, if only I could do speed reading…sigh. My only recourse right now is to take pictures of announcements and read them at home, where I can plough through the unknown kanji characters in the comfort of my online and handheld dictionaries.

Anyways, every year the whole class is photographed together with their senseis and copies are given to each one as keepsake. Tanong ng Mom ko, may bayad ba yun? Actually wala. Sa Pinas kasi di ba kailangang bayaran mo pa ang kopya ng picture mo. Racket kasi nila, hehe. 😛

In our group, a postdoc is packing up and leaving us for another institute, but next month another one will be joining us. Every year we face the same cycle of students leaving at the end of March, and new faces greeting us at the start of April. Many of our friends are hauling their stuffs and cleaning out their rooms before the end of the month in preparation for moving into their new niches by April 1. I think it’s no coincidence that the start of the fiscal year here in Japan is about the same time when the sakuras bloom and the spring season has officially arrived. It’s an appropriate symbolism for the start of new things, the rebirth and reawakening of life.

Time to move on, indeed.

The last game I’ve ever played on PS2 was Final Fantasy X (FFX), about four years ago. That was about the time when Aya was born. Since we had to spend many a night wide awake tending to her, we were able to finish the game spending a lot of time up to the wee hours of the morning. As a newborn baby Aya would just sleep clutched in our arms (of course we had to take turns). It was as much fun to watch the game as playing it.

Here’s the cover of the just-released Final Fantasy XII.

After that, well, we just became too busy to play anymore. Baggy went back to Osaka to resume work, and he brought the PS2 with him. That was one of the reasons why I didn’t get to play anything else since then. When he finally joined us in Tsukuba, of course he brought the PS2 back with him. But since then the PS2 had been tucked inside the AV board, hidden from sight. It was only when we had our cable upgraded to digital did we finally take it out of its hiding place, and only because the digital tuner set top box was too big to place on top of our tv. The only place to put it is inside the AV board. So the PS2 had to be displaced outside.

Since Baggy joined us in Tsukuba, he had been quite busy with FAST affairs. Now that he has already passed on the responsibilities to somebody else, we can have our weekends back. Yay! 🙂

Anyway, to make a long story short, the temptation proved too much to resist. Pretty soon Baggy and I were twiddling the controllers again. At ang kunsintidor na tatay, tinuruan pa ang anak na si Aya. Kaya ayun, marunong nang maggalaw-galaw ng controller. 🙂 In fact for the past week Baggy has been playing FFX all over again. I’ve lost interest in FFX and really wanted to play something else. Coincidentally, Final Fantaxy XII was just released last March 16. We saw the full motion video being played at the electronics shop nearby, and oh boy, it was damn gorgeous. It was all we could do to keep from buying it. Suckers. Hehehe. But the graphics are really awesome. That’s about four years of improvement from the last FF we played. We skipped the online game FFXI, so I can’t tell if there was something extra we missed between FFX and FFXII.

I found a cool website made by a gamer already playing FFXII. You can find his review of the game here. We have completed as much as he (the gamer) had already, actually up to fighting the T-Rex. In my play, I got too cocky as well and tried to take on the T-Rex. Big mistake! Anyway, since everything is in Japanese, progress is a bit slow, because I had to take a lot of time trying to understand the dialogues and all. Playing the game is easy enough, but we’d really like to follow the story line because that’s part of enjoying the game, too.

Signout na ko para makapaglaro ulit…hahahaa.

While others are celebrating the beginning of spring already, we “kafunsho” or hay fever patients are suffering in every sense of the word. We were lucky in that we didn’t experience the symptoms as early as February, as in some years. But you can bet your bottom dollar that the hay fever season will surely come. Right smack at the beginning of this month, we started experiencing the sniffles. Red, itchy eyes and clogged nostrils. Hay buhay.

Eto ang may kasalanan ng lahat. Ang sugi…bow. Dito galing lahat ng pollen na nalalanghap namin.

Funny thing is, we only developed these allergies after having stayed here for a long time – during the first three years or so of our stay here, we breezed through spring and enjoyed the sakuras and all the other stuff you can enjoy in spring. I remember when my labmate asked me if I had “kafunsho,” I could only reply, huh? What the heck is that? I didn’t have a clue then. A few years later, I was wheezing like the rest of them.

Why in the world did the Japanese plant “sugi” or Japanese cedar (cryptomeria japonica) all over their mountains? I don’t know the reason. What I do know is that about 20 years ago the word “kafunsho” was inexistent. They made up the word when the number of allergy sufferers shot up. Apparently, they are now trying to develop species of the cedar which do not pollinate so much. Good luck to them. In the meantime, the pharmaceutical companies and drug stores are drawing for a kill. Everything from nose sprays, eye drops, anti-histamines, masks and even goggles are for sale. I’ve tried all except for the goggles. They simply look silly. Parang pang-Halloween costume. Anyway, good thing that at our clinic I could get all my drugs for free. The perks of health insurance. I have to buy the masks, though. 🙁

Since both Baggy and I are hay-fever sufferers, there is a very good chance that Aya would develop her own allergy, too. Good thing she is not experiencing it yet.

As for us, we’ll enjoy the cool spring air, but we’ll curse the pollen.

I’ve created a separate category for blogs about Aya’s experiments (see “Experiments” – what a no-brainer, eh?). Last week we performed a so-called “bottle tornado,” where we created a water vortex using two PET bottles.

For this experiment, we used the following: 2 PET bottles, one make-shift washer (just one of the caps for the PET bottle, with a hole bored through it), tape, and some food coloring.

Aya fills one of the PET bottles with water, about 2/3 full.

Aya then adds food coloring to the water. This is only optional, actually. Aya chose yellow, her favorite color!

The mouth of the second bottle is then balanced on top of the make-shift washer. The two bottles are fastened with tape.

The bottles are then turned over. With Tatay’s help, Aya then moves the top bottle in rapid circles.

After giving the bottle a good spin, a water vortex is formed – success! 🙂

Here’s a closeup of the water vortex formed at the top bottle. Can you see it?

The principle is simple – water is held in the top bottle by the air pressure in the lower bottle, and the surface tension of the water in the “washer.” Spinning the bottle creates a turning force in the water that breaks the surface tension, allowing the water to flow. The air in the lower bottle is then forced into the top.

Till next experiment! 🙂 🙂 🙂