Going Places : Sanriku Area Part 2

(This is the second part of Going Places : Sanriku Area series. For Part 1, you can read it here.)

26th May 2009: Sendai - Kesennuma - Ofunato

Finally, I can move on to part 2...I hope you readers haven't forgot about what I wrote in part 1. As I had previously stated in the past post, I do not intend to educate y'all about the content of my study trip, but just to share with you the things that I couldn't "share" in my trip report, haha... so here's another day of the journey, where we moved on from Sendai City to places closer to the coasts, and farther than the high 'jive'ness of the city.

Early in the morning, we departed from Sendai to Kesennuma City by the rapid train. Kesennuma City is a fishery city and located at the most northeastern point of Miyagi prefecture. It has about 105.2 km coastline which is part of the Sanriku coasts. Here we visited the city's Emergency Management Division and the officers there were happy enough to show us some of their systems and brought us walking around the fishery ports and places with tsunami memorials.

'Hailing' a train..??

They also brought us to this beauuuuutiful site in Karakuwa Peninsula where there's a visitor's centre and near the centre, there's a walkway down until we reached this spot like in the photos below. The view was so breathtaking...with the fresh air, the seagulls, the sound of the waves, the pristine water...Subhanallah! 

 

We were in Kesennuma until late afternoon, then off we went to the next city, Ofunato, by another train. It seemed that we were going to a more rustic environment. Ofunato was peaceful and quite when we arrived there later in the evening. Not much thing going on. We went to check-in at the hotel and literally dropped our bags in our rooms, then off to the supermarket across the street to buy dinner. Then we walked around with our plastic bags, looking for a nice place to enjoy our dinner.

Our official visit in Ofunato hadn't started yet, but nevertheless, we started our own visit, since the signs of tsunami were almost in every nook and corner of this small port city.

one of the signs telling people where to run in the event of tsunami

me foolin' around...

After walking a little bit, we ended up at the port, no one was around, so we hopped on the seawall about 2-3 m high (if I am not mistaken)....the process of climbing was rather dangerous...but fun! The big brother anyway, was happy enough to stay down and enjoy his dinner by the parked boats, huh...And us girls? Never before in our life, enjoying dinner on top of a seawall...with view, the peacefulness, seagulls again...while the sun slowly sets behind us.

Us...on the seawall, enjoying our rice and tempura..

Oh, by the way, the photo above was taken by a curious and intrigued Japanese guy who happened to see us..in that condition. Until now, I am still wondering, what could be in his mind seeing us there.."Are those aliens?" "Are they crazy?" ... However, we didn't notice him until he suddenly popped in front of us and gesturing for permission to take our photo. Then he went. We thought that was it...but later, just as we were leaving the place, the guy came again, with copies of our photos, for each of us! My.....what a guy...

intrigued with the guy who was intrigued with us..

More photos...

'you jump, i jump'...on the tarmac

On our way back to the hotel, it was already dark, most shops were already closed....but this one was still open...and the result...thousands of yens spent on kimonos..well, them, not me..I just bought the little ones for my little nephew and niece..

the very friendly shop owner's family, regardless of the language barrier 

Oh well, another day spent on a faraway place...I put a lot of pictures of my friends here, some of them are theirs, I didn't take as many photos as them as I was more concentrated on taking videos. A little bit lonely because our other friends were in another place for their study trip, but with this little group, we had a very nice time with each other, at ease, more interaction with our resource persons and ...what else...peace!

See ya in part 3!

Note: The gif animation was done using the photos courtesy if Ms. Titi...thanks dear..

Blast from the past

The recent CNY holiday, I took the chance to escape to my hometown, back to my family home...while cleaning at some parts of the house, I stumbled upon two big dusty bags. Hmm, wondered what's inside, I took a peek and walla! There were my old notes and stuff from secondary school and uni years. And some old trinkets, memorabilia that suddenly flew me back to the past.

..down memory lane..

There were name tags and souvenir badges, old birthday cards, "words of wisdom" diary, my journal and school project books. In the picture above, there are Form 1 history project book and KH (Kemahiran Hidup / Living Skills) project book. Perusing those stuff, I couldn't help but noticing my handwriting style at that time and the things I collected. In the words of wisdom diary, there were .... of course, words of wisdom that I came across during those years, song lyrics and a few self-written personal poems, it would be nice to read back all those stuff...and laughed at some, huuhaa..

The journal...yes, teenage girls like to make pretty diary or journal that tells the stories in their life. Well, me too! It's just that mine wasn't as pretty as others, and anyway, I started it during my late teens. I remembered at that time, I didn't want to keep all things with sentimental values in it just inside a box. I thought that if I was no longer around in this world, my mom might throw away all my things without knowing what they meant to me. So, if I put them in the journal with some descriptions (the ones that could be pasted in the book, of course), at least, it would be a treasure in my life filled with things that are worth to be kept and remembered. Yeah, that's how my mind worked at that time.

As I flipped through the pages in my journal, I was quite astounded by the things I wrote and the stuff I pasted in it. Yes, it's ironic, considering that all work were done by myself. Generally, everything inside there is personal-yet-not-too-personal stuff. It isn't as heavyweight as the real diaries that I've been writing almost every single day of my life from primary school right until uni years, which I had 'safely cremated' at the front yard of my house last year. Yes, it sounds quite dramatic...I read them for the last time, then off into the fire. Those diaries had kept my happy and troubled times in them all these years, but I thought that I've had enough of keeping old stories within my life. I wanted to let go and move on.

Back to my journal, there are memorabilia of my school band. These bookmarks are souvenirs from the biggest concert that my school band ever held (and perhaps the only one during my time). It was in my junior year, when we, my batch, were still fresh in the game, hadn't even warmed up with our instruments yet. I remembered donning the all blacks attire, the uniform of the prop girls (bandgirls who are not playing during the event and in charge with helping the playing bandgirls with props and other things). And I also remembered feeling proud looking at my seniors playing the music in a large hall with a large audience...(everything seemed so large for a 13-year old at that time)...

Newspaper cut-outs of the persons that I admired for their talents....

 Excerpts from my Prinsip Akaun camp notes with the teacher's comments in it....(because I admire the teacher..uhuh..)

And...can you believe it...the examination registration no. slip that were pasted on the exam table, I still keep 'em! Excluding UPSR slip, my PMR and SPM slip were there.

   

...and a lot of other stuff, movie tickets, receipts of first assets (defined as camera with film roll...now already in the morgue), articles, old pen-pals' letters, postcards, etc. etc...including stories of my past crush...just silly...oh, those days....Now, reaching to the 3rd decade of my life, many things have changed, emotionally, mentally....but there are still bits and pieces of the past that I can still relate to and I can still feel. In life, it is a process of continuous changes. In moving forward, sometimes we have to look back to our past.

Now, I don't dabble in writing diaries. I just have a blog.
And a pair of ears who's always there for me.

Going Places : Sanriku Area Part 1

Date of travel : 25th - 29th May 2009

Organized by : JICA/IISEE. Accompanied by Dr. Fujii and Mr. Okada.

First of all, let me tell you that this trip is one of the official study trip that we had as part of the requirement to complete our study in Japan. This is the last official trip before we started our almost 3-months 'incubation' at our respective 'dungeons' to complete our 'curse'. Yikes! I'm making it sounds so bad. Well, don't worry...We were all rescued in the end by the 'scroll of freedom'...:)

The area of Sanriku coasts via Google Earth

Well, let's start with us getting to know where is this area, Sanriku. The Sanriku area is the coastal area in west Japan that stretches along 3 prefectures; Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi. Why is it significant to our trip? It is because this coastal area has that jagged, saw-toothed features with numerous bays, peninsulas and inlets which will enhance, and therefore intensifies the effect of a tsunami wave should a tsunami occur in that area. The area had suffered from tsunami disasters in the past centuries and since then, there have been numerous countermeasures and mitigation systems implemented in the area. So, that's why we were there...to see the remnants of the past disasters, the history, and the lessons learned by the local people. My post here is not meant to discuss all the scientific and technical details. Done that already...huh! This is just a brief trip down the memory lane...with some notes and photos...so please bear with me.

25th May 2009: Tsukuba - Sendai

Morning ~ Travelling.

The shinkansen

 I enjoy the view wherever I go...

The outside view from inside the shinkansen

Interesting inventions...

Shopping catalogue in the shinkansen..

Yeah, they have stewardesses with food trolleys for all you need and shopping catalogues in there..and more..comfortable enough..

Afternoon ~ Arrived at Tohoku University. Mission: Disaster Control Research Center to meet Prof. Imamura, one of the many tsunami experts in Japan.

The towel of knowledge; everything about what to do in an emergency

Later on, moving on to Sendai Regional Meteorological Observatory...sort of like our Regional Met. Office.., where we observe the operational office for weather, earthquake, volcano and tsunami activities.

Sendai Regional Meteorological Observatory

Evening ~ what else?....jalan-jalan cari makan...

Clis Road, Sendai, where we shopped and dined

 There you go...the first day. See you in Part 2!

Movie : Haq

From http://www.flixunlimited.com 

Haq is a brand new Malaysian movie, currently showing in the cinemas since 27 Jan. I had not any idea of its existence until yesterday, when I was waiting for my luggage at the airport. There's a big tv screen there, where they show ads and promos...a sort of entertainment, for the bored passengers, forever waiting for their bags..

So, anyway....there I saw the promo..felt quite interested in it, since the film looked like an action-thriller flick with elements of superpower heroes...the first one to be seen in the local film industry. Lately, there's a "pasar borong" market of horror flicks and comedies. Even the last local action hero movie was a comedy...yes, I mean Cicakman..So, this one seemed to be one of the serious stuff, so I went to check it out. Anyway, uhm...there's Adiputra in the main role...quite a hunk, huh...

This movie is obviously about a battle between good and evil. What I am going to write next might contain SPOILERS...so, if you don't want to be spoiled, please stop reading right now. But if you don't mind, be my guest and just scroll down.

the note of today

hari sabtu...

malam sabtu...

sabtu malam ahad...

aah..apa-apa je lah..yang penting, sekarang ni masih hari sabtu, tapi sudah malam..

setengah jam lagi masuklah ahad..ikut kiraan masihi la..

pagi tadi aku masih di pantai cenang...lepas bangun pagi, mandi, solat dan berkemas, terus men'cabut'kan diri ke tepi pantai...selepas 3 hari di pantai cenang, baru lah hari ini aku dapat menjamahkan kakiku ke dalam air laut yang dingin...membenamkan kakiku dalam pasir yang basah...menghirup udara nyaman...Alhamdulillah, segarrr..

jadi terlupa sekejap akan kekalutan hari-hari yang telah berlalu..terik matahari, kepala yang 'hangit'...

hilang ingatan sekejap akan keserabutan...kepatuhan kepada permintaan yang menggugat tembok sabar...

apapun aku tau...istirehat ini hanya sementara...kerana mahu atau tidak, akan dihadapi semula...

hidup ini sementara...semuanya di atas bumi ini sementara...

cuma, aku berharap dengan pengalaman ini...akan memberi lebih persiapan, lebih kematangan...

apapun...

...asal ada kesempatan je aku mesti nak berjiwang...

...suka ati aku la kan...

...hati yang diselubungi kegembiraan

bisa menceriakan hari yang kelabu...

Deep

This morning..the pleasant breeze is so nice, amidst the not-so-distant mild buzzing of the morning Saturday traffic. But since my room is on the other side of the house, I only enjoy it at the other window briefly. No, I am not going out, not just yet. I have something to do for today. Some work. I don't usually bring work home, just only when I need it. Anyway, there's a need to gather up the mood and spirit to start doing what I plan to do, and somehow, that need is translated to get into the virtual world and checking for updates. Then I saw something, an image. A creative effort of immortalizing the moments that you cherish. An image that will make you stay like the way you are now, even for thousands of years, doesn't make you older. I saw it, and I felt something. Well, I am still feeling it. A mixture of things. A bit of happiness, to see a happy moment. A sunken feeling, to unfulfilled dreams. Mine? Yes. The case is similar, yet something is different. A lot, actually. 

Funny, I thought. People can find the sense of belonging within each other, amidst the obvious differences. Funny..but it is reality. Funny, when you meet someone for the first time, but you feel that you've known that person for a long time. The comfortable feeling, the understanding, the unspoken words yet by a look it mends everything. When you feel it, you know it. But sometimes it is hard to bear, when distance is involved.

Yes, it is difficult.When everything now has to be done between thousands of miles. But still, the feeling is fresh...and never stop blooming. You dream for a better situation, yet when keeping the reality in check, you know, it won't happen so soon. Thus, the sunken feeling.

I keep on surfing....and I found this,

Insan perlu sedar, antara penghalang rahmat Tuhan kepadanya adalah dosa dan kesalahannya. Dan, setiap insan pula tidak terlepas dari salah dan dosa. Sehebat mana pun, sealim mana pun dia, insan tetap insan, terdedah kepada dosa. Jika tidak anggotanya, mungkin dosa jiwa atau hati nurani yang sombong dan bongkak, atau hasad atau sangka buruk dan pelbagai lagi. Percikan dosa sentiasa ada. Ia penghalang cahaya indah syahdu antara nurani insan mendampingi Allah untuk menjadi kekasihNya. Maka, doa sentiasa diganggu oleh dosa. Apakah penawar yang menerangi jalan agar doa itu sampai kepada insan dengan pantas dan mustajab?Jawapannya ialah taubat dan ‘istighfar’ iaitu kembalikan kepada Allah dan memohon ampun kepadaNya. Dengan jujur, dengan luhur, dengan kusyuk. Itulah penawar yang akan membuka kebahagian hidup. Itulah janjiNya: (maksudnya)

“Dan hendaklah kamu meminta ampun kepada Tuhan kamu, kemudian bertaubat kepadaNya supaya Dia memberi kamu nikmat kesenangan hidup yang baik (di dunia)…” (Surah Hud: 3)

Full article can be read here: Minda Tajdid

Yes, maybe I haven't prayed enough. Maybe I haven't fully recognized and analyzed my deeds and doings. All my efforts, are nothing without His Blessings. Thus.....

I cannot stop trying....

..and I have to keep going on...

There's No Place Like Here

This is the first novel of Cecelia Ahern, an Irish novelist, that I've ever read. The original title is actually "A Place Called Here" but in US the novel's title is changed to the one up there. Actually, I don't quite understand why some names or titles of movies or books need to be changed in some countries. I can understand if the original title has already existed in another work published/produced prior to the later ones, but for some other cases, I don't quite get it. For example, Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone in UK became Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone in US. Anyone care to explain?...

google image

From the novel's back cover,

Since Sandy Shortt's childhood classmate disappeared twenty years ago, Sandy has been obsessed with missing things. Finding what is lost becomes her single-minded goal - whether it's a sock that vanished in the washing machine, the car keys she misplaced, or the graver issue of finding people who vanished from their loved ones. Sandy dedicates her work to finding these missing people, offering devastated families a flicker of hope.

Jack ruttle is one of those desperate people. It's been a year since his brother Donal vanished into thin air, and he thinks Sandy Shortt could well be the answer to his prayers. but when Sandy goes missing too, she stumbles upon the place - and people - she's been looking for all her life. A world away from her loved ones and the home she ran for so long, Sandy soon resorts to her old habit again, searching. This time though, she is desperately trying to find her way home....

What I like about this story is the element of mystery in it. As the synopsis reveals, I wonder just where all the lost things go and why did they get missing? Why everything started to happen after the missing of Sandy's classmate, who's not actually being kind to Sandy during their childhood years. Sandy is a unique character who has this obsessive and compulsive behavior of finding missing things no matter what it takes or costs. She makes every case as her mission and doggedly pursue her missions until she could find no more. She is the most detached person I've ever met in a novel, always distancing herself from others, even her parents yet close to the people who seek her help in finding their missing loved ones.

And then there's 'Here'...where things took a mysterious turn. As the story goes along, we are following Sandy and Jack's journey to reveal the mystery. And in their journey, they find themselves.

A good read. Enjoy.

Ada ketika...

Ada ketikanya
aku rasa cemburu
kerana kamu di situ

Ada ketikanya
aku rasa jemu
kerana aku di sini

Ada ketikanya
aku rasa marah
kerana mereka tak endah

Ada ketikanya
aku rasa sayu
kerana hadirku tidak perlu

Ada ketikanya
aku rasa rindu
kerana kita terlalu jauh

Ada ketikanya
aku rasa loya
kerana dunia yang gila

Ada ketikanya
aku rasa malu
kerana tidak sehebatmu

Ada ketikanya
dan selalunya
aku rasa tegar bersendiri
sambil menantimu
dan berharap
agar tidak tertiarap
dalam ujian waktu...

The Dreamer©2011

Zero to One

ZERO

The final week of 2010 is spent at my hometown. Whenever I am back, I'd have a change of mode. Less FBing, blogging, e-mailing, Farmvilleing (less...but doesn't mean none). In short, less destruction to the eyes from the glaring computer screen. Instead, every day I plan what to do for breakfast, lunch and dinner to a family of 8 in this family house. Practically, me being home means cooking-holiday for mom, in which I don't mind at all. Also playing with the li'l 'uns and find that their older sisters and brothers have grown many inches taller than the last time I saw them. Kids, how fast they grow..and they are not even eating calci-yum..hihi..

However, this 9-day holiday is by far, the longest holiday I've ever had for this year. For the final 2 days I am starting to feel a li'l bit restless..uh oh, don't get me wrong, I am not actually rooting for my working days just yet..it's just a feeling..the weather is not helping at all, well...what else can you expect for Malaysian weather in December? Rain, rain, and rain..significantly at the eastern coastal area of Peninsula Malaysia, where I am now.

At the time of writing this, it is 1 hour and 15 minutes counting to the new year. Yep, 2010 is leaving and 2011 is coming. Suddenly I remembered my 2010 resolutions. There were 2 main things..and they need more than a year to be fulfilled..plus, some more new wishes for the next year..insyaAllah, I will continue to fulfill all of my dreams.

ONE

I just want to be a happier person.

Within that one sentence, there's a lot to carry and do.

InsyaAllah.

Happy New Year 2011, my friends.

Here and there..