The Imperial Palace, Mount Kurama and Seika U

To get to the Imperial Palace, one has to go through a tedious affair of enlisting ahead of time by presenting your passport if you are a tourist. I happened to read this month's tourist guide and today is that fateful day when pre-registration is no longer required.

We were supposed to go with Mae's fellow scientist (she was from UPLB). We were a few minutes late than the agreed time of 7:30, she left a message on her apartment door saying that she went ahead of us.

The palace was easy to spot. Outside the train station, we just had to follow the direction of the throng and we found ourselves in the company of about a thousand or so like us. Most of the tourists are locals, old folks who finally got the time to explore and spend the money that they worked so hard for. The other major group consists of Koreans.

It was a bright day to be out and about. We went clockwise around the palace, passing by four massive gates (one for each side). The highlights of the tour were the view of the imperial throne, the garden and the different rooms that royals use to entertain commoners and courtiers.

After a heavy steak lunch, up we went to Mt. Kurama. It is the highest point at this part of Kyoto. Along the the maple grove, the leaves are already starting to show their early autumn colors. We just took the easiest route available to the main temple by riding a cable car up and walking back down. Even after the short walk, my right foot felt the strain already (after five days of endless walking)

Day Trip to Hiroshima

Our day at Hiroshima was a cornucopia of experience. Mae has never been there yet so it was literally an adventure. 

The adventure began at the Kyoto Subway Station where we had to run to catch our train. It was a near miss. Shinkansen's n700 bullet train has just ejected its last passenger when we arrived. Late in getting our tickets, we were assigned seats away from each other. I was seated on the left where the morning sun was that the window was closed most of the time so I didn't get to see how the other cities we passed by look like. To my right though, I saw suburb homes on mountainsides. They all look the same as the houses here in Kyoto: small but have all the comforts imaginable. Some homes ran on solar power. Sigh! 

At Hiroshima station, we had our first western breakfast since we got here: McDonald's. My sausage burger seem less appealing now that I have sampled Japan's good food. So anyways, we started our walk out of the Station towards the direction of the garden, the castle and the war memorial. We walked past our first destination and had to go back about half the distance we already covered. Shukenin garden was located in the middle of the city just behind the modern art museum. Unlike around the temples, the trees here are relatively young but all bore the trained beauty that only Japanese's "OCness" and eye for detail can accomplish. Like all Japanese gardens, this one has a pond with gazebo and bridges and ducks and koi in it. 



Our next destination was the remade Hiroshima Castle. The original structure was lost in a fire a long time ago. The rebuilt one was destroyed during the '45 bombings. Its base was made from cut boulders which is an extension of its massive double wall that was designed to come down to drown those who dare cross the moat. Now it houses an interesting collection of Katanas and Samurai helmets. Boy, samurai swords are heavy (They have one displayed inside a glass which guests are allowed to touch and lift), so is the helmet and head protector. You wonder how the Samurai used to get around or move at all. 

There's one section there where guests are allowed to dress up as Samurai or a Japaneses lady. That part was fun. That belt for the inner garment almost did not fit me...lol. I was really looking forward to getting to the bay side where Wolverine was when the A-Bomb hit Japan but the Peace Memorial took so much of our time. 

We walked past the A-Bomb dome (which stucture is the only one left standing 4 seconds after the world's first atomic bomb was detonated), the monument of Sadako (erected in honor of the all the children who died), the Cenotaph (listing of all their local heroes that died in the war), and the well manicured park located on the way towards the museum. 

Hearing of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing from all the history classes that I've had from grade school to college were nothing more than just historical dates to me. Seeing the remnants of the horrors that these people or their ancestors have gone through  broke my heart. If dropping the bomb has ended the war, was it a good or a bad decision? The thing is, I would have preferred to die instantly by sword or bullet rather than to live with melted body and writhing in pain for days. Nobody were spared from the blast. Children ages 12-14 mostly suffered having been outdoors when the bomb hit the ground. It only lasted four seconds but imagine its force which wiped out the whole city and melted stone into glassy substance. How could anyone survive it? Most of the people died. Those who survived, suffered a great deal and died anyways within the day, some for a few days and longer for others. Those pregnant mothers bore children with microcephaly. And cancer became commonplace. On display were audio and video on the actual bombing, singed and tattered clothes of children, melted lacquer teacups, deformed nails and so much more. 

We walked slowly to the tram stop to get to the Hiroshima station. There we had udon with shrimp, bacon, sprouts, cabbage, squid and eggs over crepe before catching the 7:58 bullet train back to Kyoto.

Central Kyoto

Kyoto houses a thousand shrines and temples which are either Shinto or Buddhist.

Today we started with the manga museum. It was actually a big library where locals spend time to read books at their leisure. Books lined the walls on three storeys that were open to the public, mostly by Japanese authors. Comic books and superheroes from other country's were also featured in one section. And did you know that they had manga classified as for male adults and female adults only just to mention two?

No picture taking is allowed at the special exhibit featuring the four seasons of Japan with their females scantily clad in some as subjects.  After being in touch with the kids in us, we heard mass at a catholic cathedral at 12 noon. The priest was local and talked very slowly in English.

Lunch was at an eatery where they have a sushi and sashimi carousel. I finished 7 varieties (that included grilled salmon, raw tuna, sea bass, squid, shrimp tempura, etc) and downed maybe with a pitcher of hot green tea.

Then we visited Ginkakuji Temple which is a cultural heritage site. Then we walked the 2km philosophers path (stopping by a cat park) which was lined by sakura that are getting ready for their winter sleep.

Lunch was so filling, we just had some roasted chestnuts I spied in the Market on our way to Guion district (Memoirs of a Geisha). It was almost 8 and the Maiko and Geiko might have been already performing for Kyoto's elite inside closed doors. We spied two geishas in a taxi and we ran back to see where they alit and asked to get a photograph to which one (we have 'cornered') unfortunately declined.

It was another long day. We took a single van train and alit at ... where we had to walk 5 minutes to get back to our apartments. Tomorrow is another day...and more stories to share.

Flor @ 71

...shared birthday with one-year olds: Limbo (Oct 17), Prince (Oct 27) and Momo (Oct 27)

What Now? Five Point Oh Earthquake on the Richter Scale

I was taking a break from walking Cuchi (my third that morning) eating thai curry at sis when everything around us shook. Stating the obvious was our common initial reaction - Linog? (earthquake?). Then we both exclaimed, "breaker!" I dashed off to get a towel to insulate my hands but when I got to the main switch, sis had switched it off already. We both sat out the horror, confident that the roof won't collapse on our heads. It seemed unwise to expose ourselves out of the house.

The day started out alright. The only thing odd about it was my walking up so early I managed to walk all three dogs. Speaking of dogs, none of the seven seemed to sense the impending calamity. When we called in to check about the old folks, nanay was able to station herself in the middle of the garden leaving her husband inside their room praying.

We count ourselves fortunate that besides tapwater being rich in sediments, we didn't have to endure the destruction and anxiety experienced by residents of Bohol and Cebu which had it worst. Cultural heritage sites as the Baclayon Church in Bohol and Sto. Niño in Cebu were not spared. Their massive structures did not stood up to the sheer pressure of earth's crust movement.

It is a relief that all my friends in Cebu are doing well, anxious at every aftershocks but nevertheless safe.

GRAVITY

A favorite comedienne, Sandra Bullock, took on a serious role as a bio-medical engineer, Dr. Ryan Stone, sent to service the Hubble. The mission went awry when they got hit by showers of debris from a missile strike which started a domino effect, killing their shuttle crew and hurtled her into space for a spell. Her mission commander, veteran astronaut Kowalski played by the debonair George Clooney, rescued her from an eventual death so early in the film. Kowalski provided Ryan motivation to survive while jovially resting in the thought of bagging the record for the longest spacewalk even if it were his last.

Close to giving up all hope (I would, if I were in her place. Her frustration in putting out a fire inside the ISS, disentangling the craft from a parachute and  understanding manuals in Russian and Chinese was contagious.)  to the point of asphyxiating herself inside the Chinese space station, memories of Kowalski's words jolted her awake and brought back her will to live. She faced her greatest fear, landing the craft, which her simulation sessions always ended in a crash.

Stone lived to breathe earth's atmosphere again, swim across the lake and walk (on wobbly legs) on the sandy shores.

Except for the three times that power went out and the guy sitting across the aisle from me (who talked on the phone apparently to his boss with an irritatingly loud voice), I have one word for today's experience with Gravity: "gripping."

From the moment when the "action" started, I was rendered immobile in my seat, holding on to the armrest for dear life. Did you ever had that dream where you face something scary or threatening and you struggled to get away from it but felt like you didn't move at all? Well, the weightless movement of the character/s in space looked dreamy. It was almost like I can feel what she felt at that time, that when she finally walked on earth, I echoed her sigh of relief.

Like the protagonist, I, too, took a solo flight (inside SM cinema).

Learn some. Teach some.

How many times have I told myself that I'm no longer up for more upgrades? It seems though that I have very little say to the matter and it's ironic how I can't say no to circumstance. Maybe, deep inside I'm still rearing for some challenge and unknowingly lies in wait when opportunity comes.

More than the madness of getting to understand the lure of cryptic ism (to THE singular entity whose enigma ruffles me so), that rush of joy at an accomplishment is something that I found interesting in my sedate existence of late. Not that I am getting bad at what I do routinely. It is the pride of hurdling a seemingly insurmountable obstacle that brings renewed excitement; a potent distraction from the baser facts of life.

And so began my quest in the almost forgotten path of html when little brother broached the topic of a niece needing help in web development. The task entails creation of a simple site from scratch; make use of links; no templates.

The online tutorial helped a lot but a sharp eye from an experienced programmer did me well in finding that missing slash or logical symbol to get the site up. Besides html, I did a little photoshop on the side (again to no avail) and used the versatility of powerpoint to design my background images.

As I was pressed for time (I was in a meeting for four hours), KZ did the links as well as text and background formatting, after I copied and edited some texts online.


Three things I gained from this project: learning a hosts of tags from KZ, teaching her how to understand positioning conventions (boy, I was so glad), and helping somebody complete a school requirement (hahaha).

Good day, indeed!

Delight

It's one of those days when spontaneity and great desire push you to do things that are beyond normal. It has been three days already when the "barako" grounds JM got me from his birthday in Manila ran out. I had to make do with (chos!) kopiccino and Nescafe gold until I got my stash replenished.

After a brief affair that was breakfast, I was on the bus by 9:15, reaching Starbucks just in time for a cup without feeling too full for lunch. For my free beverage (after successfully registering my Starbucks Card online), I had espresso frappe for Grace and bought a hot Ethiopian blend (with whole milk) for myself and a bag of Dark espresso roast to tide me through the days away from the big city.


When it was time for lunch, to Chalet we went for some "kansi"  And since it's not their specialty, it would be unfair to compare it to Sharyn's. (The place was so hot as a portion of it is being prepared for a kiddie party that afternoon.