Hakata-ben

I will be going to Fukuoka and the people there use the Hakata dialect.

I want to learn Hakata-ben. Imagine how funny it will be when I use it elsewhere in Japan.

It’s like when I was in China on student exchange and a girl there spoke English with (what I think is) a Texan accent. It was amazing, hearing a Chinese girl speak like a cowboy. How’dy!

The Hakata-ben was featured in CHANGE as whatshisname (played by Kimura) was from Fukuoka. But it was illogical that he spoke standard Japanese when his mom speaks in Hakata-ben with him. The script writers should have bothered to change his lines.

The other time I’ve heard Hakata-ben was in a movie. The mom talked a lot in Hakata-ben while her daughter replied in mmm… Very good lines, script writer, or were you on strike too?

No need for Chinese visa

Called the Chinese embassy today and wasted RM10.70 listening to the recorded messages.

Called once more and keyed the extension and got an operator in 30 seconds. She told me that I wouldn’t need a visa for my transit.

Yipee!

Terrible experiment: Shall I get a Japanese-sounding name?

Decided that I won’t be a prude and post this up:

My name Yun Qing in Chinese is written as 韻情. The Mandarin
pronunciation of “u” in “Yun” is not found in English and it’s not in
Japanese neither.

I found something online about the “u”: ü as the German umlauted u. Do you speak German? I don’t.

Then it’s the Qing. It isn’t pronounced “king”, in pinyin the “q” is “ch”. So it’s “ching” in Mandarin.

Oh, I forgot to add that Yun is the 4th tone and Qing is the second. Good luck!

Anyway,
I don’t feel like saying my name again and again. So, I have to come up
with something easier to pronounce. And I don’t want names like Mary,
Jane or Elizabeth. (Wasn’t thinking about English queens when I typed
those names, I swear!)

I went online to search for pronunciations of Chinese characters (kanji) and came up with this:

Kanji: Pinyin: Japanese pronunciation
韻: Yun: in
情: Qing: jyo (from feelings: kanjyo. closest thing I can find)

So should my name in Japanese be In-jyo? Hope it doesn’t pun with anything rude. Fingers crossed.

Oh my ceiling cat, it can be written as “horny-girl”. Found it as a link of an SM hotel.

—

shit! good thing I found out before doing something that stupid. I’m sticking with Yun Qing. Thanks for the not-rude name, Mom!

Updates!

I finally have my Japanese visa and I have information on my host family!

This sticker costed me nights of worry. I finally have it!

Another news, the travel agent here tells me that I do not need a transit visa. I will call the airlines tomorrow to double check.

I have info on my host family. I won’t post much about their private info.

My hosts are Mr J, Mrs J and K-kun (who likes games). I will be sleeping in a five-tatami room on a sofa bed.

They have a total of five animals. Yes, you’ve read right. FIVE animals. I don’t mind animals but I’ve never been around FIVE animals. And they’ve never showed a family with FIVE animals in J-dramas. Good thing I’m not allergic.

Oh, I’m expected to help walk the dogs. Perhaps I can exercise and explore the neighborhood and take lots and lots of pictures ^___^. Cool.

I want to buy: make up ;D

I admit that I’m a beginner when it comes to make up. The most I can do (and not mess up) is brush on powder foundation, blush and swipe on mascara. But foundation makes my skin look bumpy, my blush rusts in half a day and my eyelashes don’t curl. Ha ha ha!

BUT! I want to buy make up in Japan! Do you know that they have the cutest/ prettiest/ fantastic packaging? Just looking at it brings out the anti-girl-on-a-budget in me.

I’m usually sensible when it comes to money (yes, you can stay stingy) but when I look at the Japanese cosmetics ads, I feel the urge to get one (or ALL!) They’re so pretty!!!

A good point of getting make up in Japan is that they’re probably cheaper than buying in SG or MY. There wouldn’t be extra shipping charges. AND I get to choose newly released products, but knowing me. I might choose last season stuff if they’re cheaper.

So here’s a (boring) list of make up I would like to buy. I’m not including things that are out of my budget or it will turn into a “things I wish I have enough money to buy”.

Majorica Majolca mascara

Yes, your lashes will reach your glasses and stain them if you use this mascara.
-I have really oily eyelids so I look like a panda by the end of the day if I use wrong mascaras. It’s really tricky for me to buy mascaras. I now have Dejavu Fiberwig (bought on sale, of course) and as they have black fibers instead of paint, I look normal.
-MajoMajo’s mascara has positive reviews and one review says that it’s really hard to remove. Does that mean it’ll stay on my lashes? I hope!

Gel eyeliner from KATE

KATE’s available in Singapore and Malaysia but I’ve not seen the gel eyeliner yet. And if my theory of no-shipping-charge is right, buying it from Japan will save me money. :D
My oily lids prevent me from using pencil liners and with liquid liner, I look like I used a permanent marker on my eyes. I can’t afford expensive gel liners so KATE’s a good thing to try.

I can only think of two products I want (for now, heh heh). WIll update when the spending-demon in me crawls out.

My travel plans

I’ve been reading my 6 travel books and my travelling plan is this:

Fukuoka -> Kobe -> Osaka -> Kyoto -> Uji (for Genji museum) -> Nara -> Tokyo

I also plan to use the Seishun 18 tickets during my 6 weeks in Fukuoka to visit other places in Kyushu.

To N, I might go and visit Nodame’s hometown, it’s in Okawa, Kyushu. (Secretly wish some Chiaki will ambush me.) ha ha ha

Grr to Malaysian Airlines

Malaysian Airlines is selling RM0 tickets for Kota Kinabalu to Singapore. Yipee!!

BUT! the flights only start on July 1. I need to fly on June 26.

Sigh. And guess what, Airasia is having another round of discounted flight. Yipee!! BUT! (Again!!) There is no cheap flight for Kota Kinabalu to Johor Bahru.

I am cursed! Shoo Daimaou!!!

Visa Application Go Go Go

I visited the Japanese Consulate of Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday. Very lucky that it is in Sabah or else I’ll have to ask a travel agent to apply for my visa and that will take lots of time and cause other hassles.

Like I said in a previous post, Malaysians (in theory) do not have to apply for a visa because the government is (supposedly) friendly with the Japanese government. But (in reality) the Japanese authority suggests that we get a visa to enter Japan. So, it means that I can buy a ticket to fly to Japan, arrive in Narita Airport and be sent home because the officials there think I look like someone who will overstay.

It sucks. And visa applying sucks even more because of all the rubbish we have to submit.

In theory, my visa application is going to be smooth because of the documents I have from Kyushu University. And they’ll give me a 90-day visa because that’s the regular visa. Yipee! But (there is always a “but”!!) as I want to travel after the summer programme, visa is not that simple.

I went to the consulate to ask about that. I don’t want to buy an extra week free in Japan air ticket and then they say they don’t want to give me a visa. Air ticket is so exp.

Thank goodness the old man at the consulate speaks understandable English. He advised me to get the extra document to apply for visa. So the visa application journey begins!

~~A valid passport~~
One(1) visa aplication form [will fill up soon]
~~One(1) Malaysian passport size photo~~
Confirmed flight itinerary (issued by the travel agency/airline) or a flight schedule in detail [will pay soon]
Visiting relatives: Documents clarifying their relationship Visiting friends: Documents clarifying their relationship between the applicants and his/her friends in Japan
~~Material showing your capacity to bear staying expenses in Japan (e.g. Bank statement) [yup]~~
~~A letter of guarantee from your relatives or friends in Japan, guarantor’s income certificate and the residence certificate in case the guarantor bear the expenses during your staying in Japan~~
A copy of your relative or friend’s passport and Alien Registration Certificate in case your friend is a registered foreigner residing in Japan

Gasp. I hate bureaucracy.

Youthful reads and plans

I like to plan my travels. It makes me more secure than just plopping in some where and walk aimlessly.

But even with planning, I would walk in the opposite direction of my destination. My sense of direction falls below average in foreign places.

I’m now planning a seven day backpack trip (should I say, wheeled trolley trip). I want to stop in historical locations. I’ll skip the big cities during this solo travelling trip because my main aim is Tokyo.

Tokyo Trip

The card represents the critical factor for the issue at hand. Five of Wands (Strife), when reversed: Pointless struggles motivated by the vain pursuit of recognition, financial reward, or base desires. Disunity, chaos, and petty quarreling at a time of crisis. A stressful situation that brings out the worst in the participants.

from: http://www.facade.com/tarot

I’m having a dilemma of either going to Tokyo for 3 days or not going to Tokyo.

I’ve always loved big cities and I keep telling everyone that going to Japan and not going to Tokyo is like going to France and not going to Paris; going to England and not to London. It makes no sense!

But now I think, going to Tokyo for only 3 days means I will have to rush around. It means that I will not be able to enjoy Tokyo as much as I should.

And now tarot tells me “A stressful situation that brings out the worst in the participants.” I don’t want to lose my temper in front of my kind host because of my own bad planning.

WiIl think for one more day before confirming.