3, maybe 4 things to blog about today. to start off with, i should say that i'm now in a much better mood than i've been in for the past 2 days. that's directly linked to thing 1, which is my phone bill.

for some unknown reason, my SAFRA card, which i'd set up to pay my singapore phone bill before coming to japan, got declined. it was weird, because it'd worked fine until now. so i asked DBS, and they told me it was because my SAFRA membership ended. to be fair, SAFRA did send me multiple reminders to renew, but i'd registered with an email that i don't check at all. so, my card got blocked, and circles.life sent me a notice that the payment didn't go through. i thought it was a technical error at first, so i left it alone because they said they'd try again in a few days. notice #2 then came, and that got me worried.

normally, things like that would be settled on the app, where you can change card details. problem for me is, the app requires an OTP (delivered by SMS) to log in. and i can't see the SMSes sent to my singapore number because, you know, overseas and all. so i got in touch with the helpdesk. customer service agent 1 said i could pay this month's bill by bank transfer. but they stressed that it was a one-time courtesy, so i'd have this headache again next month. customer service agent 2 wasn't much help, either. they didn't offer any solutions at first. then, when i gave some ideas, they shot all of them down. when i asked for a solution, they recommended upgrading to the $28/month plan, so that i could activate roaming and receive the SMS OTP to access the app. for reference, i'm on the $5/month plan, for nothing more than to preserve my number while i'm in japan. asking me to pay 460% more per month for the next X months while i'm overseas, and worst of all, only using the roaming service once and not getting any of the other benefits...can you say cash grab? so just tonight, i talked to customer service agent #3. they were so much better! i offered to pay upfront for 20 months, and reiterated that i was overseas and wouldn't come back to singapore for at least a year. i don't know how they did it, but the request was approved. just transferred the money and sent them proof, so that's one big load off my mind. also if my number is terminated for some billing-related reason, i have grounds to fight!

although if it were at all possible, i really wouldn't want that to happen. i've had this number for literally more than half my life, since sec 3 or 4. and sentimental value aside, it's so easy to remember! i was just asking myself, if push came to shove, how far would i go to retain my number? the most extreme thing i could do would probably be flying back to singapore to update my card details. honestly, i did consider it, but with other objectives too, like bringing stuff back and going on a food tour. maybe if it was a year ago, i would have done it. but now that i'm on the home stretch to finishing JET, it seems like a waste of money. more so when you recall that i'd just met my friends in japan a couple of weeks ago! but yes...i'm happy that things worked out and no extreme measures were required.

thing 2: graduation ceremonies. i think i might have mentioned that they're taking place this sunday. to be fair to both secondary schools, i offered to bake the graduating students something. i even did up a little survey to let them choose! one school accepted at first, then changed their mind later. the other school accepted, but told me to just make something (ie. no survey). they then asked that i package everything individually for the students. considering it's the smaller school with a total enrollment of 12, i'm happy to do it. as for what to make...i was originally considering the glutinous rice and pandan custard kueh, but (1) it's hell of a time-consuming and (2) it's sticky and soft, so not the best for kids to carry home. or i might end up doing it anyway; i have until saturday morning to decide. it will mean that i need to get coconut milk, though. or i could just do maple syrup brownies. the staff would have had it before, but it'll be new for the kids, i think.

when telling me that the survey was scrapped, the principal of the school gave this reason: it's something from me, and to show my feelings, it should be something that comes from me, and not a request by the students. fine, i could accept that. he then said "i hope you understand our culture". i felt a little...destabilized by his statement. part of me wanted to ask him to understand my culture; that graduation day is all about the graduating students, so i'd do more than usual for them. but it would lead to unnecessary complications, so i decided to go with his idea. i guess the kids will understand and appreciate it more, being japanese and all.

still related to graduation, my predecessor is coming for this year's graduation ceremonies! i'm abnormally excited about it, and i can't explain why. maybe it's because we never officially met and had a hand/take over. you know, because of COVID and all. i wonder though, how many JETs actually get to meet their predecessors/successors? i know for sure i won't meet mine, because there'll be a 3-4 month gap between when i leave and when they come.

next thing: we had a farewell field trip in the smaller school today. went to kochi city to visit a company and learn more about their products/technology. we probably spent a longer time driving to and fro than actually looking around the company! but well, not going to complain. i got a free ride, some nice merchandise, and learnt some cool things too! like, how they came up with a new, silent method for piling works. silent construction...that's impressive.

part 2 was at a park in the neighbouring city. it was surprisingly large and well-built! spent 750 yen on maple ice cream (500 yen, no maple flavour, not worth it) and a cinnamon churro (250 yen, pretty good, might buy again). also played catching with the kids. and by that, i mean i slow jogged and got caught. this is what i mean when i say the kids in this school are simpler. like, they're perfectly content to play catching and enjoy each other's company. it's not a bad thing, just something that still amazes me. but i'll say, it was fun. the running, not so much. but getting to interact with the kids outside of the classroom, definitely.

still have more thoughts, but this post is long enough as it is. i'll save them for tomorrow or saturday, if i can bring myself to blog. otherwise, the thoughts will be added to the post about graduation.

-random thought of the day: Going to quit the science thing after this assignment!-