What's better than a long weekend? two long weekends! tomorrow is a public holiday, and i took friday off since school ends on thursday. added bonus is it means that i'm only working 3 days this coming week. then again, it's scheduled to be pretty slack. practically all of the major events of this school year are over, save the primary schools' graduation ceremonies. in fact, i think i'm only scheduled for one more actual class, on tuesday. otherwise it's just showing face at the respective schools.

i finally got around to using the glutinous rice flour and coconut sugar that i bought last year. the goal has always been to make ondeh-ondeh, but i was holding out for pandan essence. the singaporean JET placed closest to me was supposed to help me ask his wife to bring it over, but since his wife's been here a month and there hasn't been any word, i figure that she didn't manage to do it. oh well. i ended up making them plain (i bought matcha powder but didn't add it since it's for the kids). i'll probably add matcha powder in the batch for my colleagues. also, the recipe testing process was a bit more painful this time. there were so many variations - pre-cook the dough, use it raw, add pre-cooked tapioca starch, add rice flour, add cooking oil, etc. one thing i did wrong was to blindly follow the recommended volume of water. i think because my flour is different, that volume of water ended up being too much and my dough got too sticky. anyway, i'll post 2 variations that i found workable.

ingredients (makes about 20-30 individual balls)

200g glutinous rice flour (dango flour is an easy substitute in japan)

~170mL water, +- a bit

food colouring or flavouring of your choice

~120g palm sugar (aka. gula melaka, gula jawa)

~50g grated coconut

pinch of salt

method

mix the coconut and salt, steam for 5-10 minutes and set aside.

mix the water and colouring/flavouring into the flour. knead to get a cohesive but not too wet dough.

(guideline: the dough should leave a thin coating of barely-damp flour on your hand.)

*pro tip: mix the water in in several portions. you may need less or more than 170mL.

variation 1: steam the dough for 20-30 minutes.

take the dough out of the steamer and knead it with some utensil on a floured surface (it'll be too hot for your hands at first).

when the dough has cooled, split it into portions and make the individual ondeh-ondeh.

put the ondeh-ondeh in lightly simmering water to melt the sugar inside, about 3-5 minutes.

fish them out and coat them in the coconut.

variation 2: use the raw dough as-is.

form the ondeh-ondeh balls.

cook them in boiling water for about 5-8 minutes, take them out before they leak/break.

coat them in the coconut.

general tips

roll the dough out evenly (compulsory) and thinly (if possible) when making the individual balls.

shave or chop up the palm sugar into small pieces so it melts easily.

make sure there aren't any seams on the surface of the balls.

cook the balls soon-ish after making them; the palm sugar may leak through regardless otherwise.

the main advantage of variation 1 is that the dough will be cooked already, so there's no risk of raw dough in the final product. but the problem is that the steamed dough is really sticky and needs a dusting of flour to be workable. variation 2 has more manageable dough, but it's a bit more fragile, and the cooking time has to be more carefully controlled between the two extremes of raw dough and exploded balls. personally, i prefer variation 2 (no steaming) because it's so much less messy. i think like the mooncakes, this will be something that i don't do very often.

on and off, i've been thinking about where i want to live in the future. i really like japan for the safety and the general environment. at the same time, i don't think i'll be able to go far with my limited command of japanese, plus my status as a foreigner. my next country of choice, australia, has a higher crime rate and worse internet. the biggest positive is that it's an english-speaking country, so communication won't be a problem. i don't know if the tradeoff is worth it. i'd better use the 8 days of term break to get closer to an answer.

minor final fantasy drama - i was asked to leave a raid team. i'm not taking it hard at all; we definitely had very different expectations. considering that the team was advertised as having completed the first 3 fights and looking to progress on the fourth, it was dismaying to not be able to clear the third fight again. fine, i can accept that a new team may need a while to get used to each other and to the strategy. what i couldn't accept was when the leader didn't take action when someone did something stupid. i'll spare you the details, but it was something that greatly inconvenienced the other 7 people and basically had the potential to delay our progress by a week. maybe it's a different style of conflict resolution - "what's done is done, let it go". personally, i wouldn't (and didn't) take it lying down. but yes...like i told the person at fault, it's no longer my problem, so i have nothing more to say to them. i think it's a lesson that not all rejections are bad, and we shouldn't try to force incompatible people together. related thought - without going through the trouble of doing a detailed background check, people only know what you tell them. i'm not saying to lie, but how you present something matters.

this year's personnel transfer came out; the town hall's on thursday, and the schools' this morning. supervisor 2 is transferring out! considering that our sporadic interactions were all about work, i don't feel sad to see her go. supervisor 1 is staying (again). the selfish part of me feels happy that she'll still be around, but i'm also concerned about how she feels about being in the same department for so long, and for her career progression. a few other people are leaving, including basically all of the cute guys, which makes me just a little sad. most of the english teachers are staying, except for one - the one who's a nice person but a not-so-good english teacher. i'm not exactly over the moon about it, but i'm not too broken up about it either. most importantly, i really hope that the incoming english teacher will have a higher level of english. of all the english teachers that i'm working with now, the one i'd hate to lose the most is the primary school teacher. partly because i can't handle primary school kids, and partly because he's good at his job. thank goodness he's staying!

also from the next school year onwards, i think that i won't feel too attached to the primary school. the current primary 5 kids (who will be primary 6 next year) are just...i don't know, living in their own worlds? i mean, it's ok when they're playing, but it happens in class time too. i guess the reason it throws me off so much is that it's very different from typical japanese kid behaviour. makes me wonder if i'm expecting too much of them. i mean, they ARE kids. oh, i forgot to mention. my favourite primary 3 kid changed schools, and i know that at least one primary 6 kid will be going to a different secondary school. while i feel sad that i won't get to see them any more, i feel happy that they're moving out of this little town - spreading their wings, so to speak. maybe it's me seeing what i want to see, but i think it's the beginning of the end. should start planning my exit strategy soon.

since the school year is ending, i think i'll treat myself to a nicer-than-usual lunch of sushi in the next town. i'll also use the opportunity to do some groceries, since it's 5% off day at the supermarket. looking a little further, i should start converting the house into warm weather mode - keeping the blankets away, getting out the fan and cool sheets. it's a bit tricky to decide when exactly to do this, since it oscillates from warm-ish to cool. at least i don't really have second thoughts about getting out of the shower any more! 

-random thought of the day: Insects are appearing again.-

Emotions are stupid. there were graduation ceremonies for the 2 secondary schools in town this morning. and since i still can't split myself in two, i went for only one of them - at the school i didn't go to last year. i should really talk to the board of education to schedule them at different dates, or different times, at least! there wasn't much crying this time round. i actually think that the form teacher cried more than the kids! one kid who is usually quiet and spaced out in class had red eyes. makes me think that maybe i don't know them as well as i think.

after everything had wound down, i got pulled aside by the head teacher. he told me off (in the nicest possible way) for something i did earlier that day. he's completely right about it, and i feel bad that we even had to have that conversation in the first place. although i did it with the best of intentions, it could have caused a huge problem. but, i shall take comfort in the fact that it didn't, and that it seems nobody is majorly upset with me.

this thing gave me 2 points to think about. at the risk of sounding self-indulgent, the first point is whether i need to be kinder to myself. considering that (1) there were no negative consequences, and (2) nobody is upset about it, why am i still beating myself up over it? probably because of the "what if-s" that might have happened. i also may be holding myself to a too-high standard? like i can't or shouldn't be causing unnecessary inconvenience to others. to be fair, i don't think i'm giving myself too much pressure. like, i'm ok with the fact that i'm not always perfect.

next point is how to interact with others when you have the moral high ground. i've often said that how a message is delivered can be more important than the actual contents of the message. in this case, the head teacher could have berated me for being thoughtless and potentially messing up the ceremony. but instead, he softened the impact by recognizing my intention and telling me that while he was happy at my motive/reason, the actual act was still not good. he also suggested alternatives, like doing it at a different time, or even on a different day.

my main takeaway (other than the lesson about the act itself) is that i should be more mindful about looking beyond the surface and more importantly, beyond my own feelings of anger/annoyance at the time. the one mitigating factor i have is that i already do this when i'm talking to people face-to-face, or if it's someone i know. but the gloves are off if it's a random encounter either in real life or online. does my not knowing people i'm conflicting with justify treating them worse? i don't know.

jumping back to graduation season, i'll miss this bunch of kids. one of the other JETs (who's an MOE-trained teacher) said that seeing a class graduate is like finishing a good book. might be because i wasn't here for all 3 years of their secondary school life, but i don't feel quite ready to let them go yet. it's not up to me though. and who knows? i might not have liked some of them when they were younger, or they might not have liked me. perhaps this present moment is all that matters. well, the silver lining is that some of the kids are going to high school in the neighbouring city, so i imagine they'll be commuting daily. and practically all of them should be coming back during the school holidays. whether they drop by the school or come and visit me at the board of education is a separate matter. i have no expectations that they'll do any of that, but i'd be happy to occasionally run into them on the street or something.

because today counted as a half a work day for me, i'm getting half of monday off. decided to use annual leave to extend it to a full day. i should really start on cleaning, now that the weather's getting warmer. i finally fully appreciate why they call it spring cleaning - it's done around the time spring comes about. obvious, but seasonal events are meaningless in singapore. even say in china, it's not really spring cleaning, because although CNY is also called spring festival, it occurs in winter! linked to that, i plan on stowing away my winter stuff by next monday (the blankets at least, we'll see if i still need the fleece). this probably means that i should get a move on for cycling. 

-random thought of the day: Ondeh-ondeh success!-

According to various sources (none scientifically credible, though), the human body hits its peak in terms of fitness and health at the age of 25 or so. and by the time we get to 30, it's a slow decline. i think that it's a little exaggerated, and our body's condition is more largely governed by how we take care of it. but just half an hour ago, i experienced something that made me think i'm on the downhill path to decline already. for absolutely no reason at all, a chip broke off from one of my teeth. it's not like i bit down on anything hard either; i just suddenly felt a loose piece of something in my mouth. the first thought was that i'd somehow ingested sand or something. further investigation showed that the affected tooth was the second from the middle, on the right. the chip itself is about the size of half a grain of rice. not all that big in absolute terms, but between 5 to 10% of the visible area of the tooth. bad news is, it's quite obvious since the tooth is in a very visible location. good news: i'm not in pain, and the dentist is apparently open tomorrow. looks like i'll have to spend some extra time and money.

i've been driving to work every day for this past week. the official reason is that it's a week after my booster shot, and i'm being careful not to risk overexerting myself - risk of myocarditis and pericarditis, after all. the less official (and more actual) reason is that i've been sleeping late and waking up late as a consequence. also in just the past 2 days alone, 2 separate people have commented on my bed head. i don't normally style my hair or anything, but it's gotten long enough to become slightly unruly without some taming. guess i'm overdue for a haircut. so that's tomorrow's plan more or less set. go to the dentist, then to the barber. after that, some cooking experiments...provided i can still eat properly after the dentist visit.

maybe i'm imagining things, but i felt that the week ended on a bit of a strange note. might be the general atmosphere since the secondary school kids are graduating at the end of next week. or that spring is coming. i project that i won't need the electric blanket in another 1-2 weeks. i'm looking forward to slightly warmer weather, but not to summer. well...whatever it is, i'm sure the feeling will pass. i should probably sleep earlier to reset my body clock.

-random thought of the day: What caused the chip!?-

Unplanned long weekend! the side effects of the booster shot only hit me on wednesday night/early thursday morning, and hit me they did. do you know how weird it is to feel hot and cold at the same time? my body temperature was high, so i was feeling hot internally. but that meant that there was a greater temperature difference between me and my surroundings, so i lost heat faster and thus felt cold too. this feeling persisted through most of thursday. thankfully, my fever broke by friday morning, but i was still feeling out of sorts (lethargy, weakness), so i called in sick as well. good thing that i don't take MCs regularly (at all so far, actually), so my positive karma pool is still fairly full. although come to think of it, i don't think i've seen any of my colleagues take sick leave, unless it was for a medical checkup. healthy rural lifestyle, i guess.

currently. i'm 85% over the side effects. just experiencing a mild headache and some fatigue, though that could equally likely be because i've been sleeping late these past few days. probably because i've been spending so long in bed, i've also developed an ache in my...not really lower back. it's like lower than the lower back, but above the tailbone area? guess i need to do that rolled-up towel trick to get rid of the ache. the last time i encountered this problem was back in singapore, when i was largely inactive during the year that should have never been, so i guess it says something about how a more active lifestyle keeps me feeling better.

yesterday, i used some of the excess cream that i'd impulse-bought during a supermarket sale to make cream biscuits. "biscuit" here referring to the savoury american type, of course. i think the equivalent in UK english would be scone? but don't quote me on that. anyway, the recipe is really easy. approximately equal parts cream and flour, plus some salt, sugar and baking powder. mix all the dry ingredients, then add in the cream portionwise. mix until there's no more dry flour, then turn the dough out and do a quick/crude dough lamination (i did 2 letter folds, but a few more would work too). cut into biscuit-sized pieces, then bake at 230 °C for 12-15 minutes. the result probably isn't as good as the traditional southern-style biscuits with the buttery layers, but i think the savings in effort more than make up for the difference in quality. i quite enjoyed them, actually! they were crisp on the outside and soft/tender on the inside, with a really nice flavour. it got me thinking - as long as a person knows how to cook, they can probably survive in any country in the world. provided they have access to groceries, that is. even if the seasonings/spices are unfamiliar, it would only take some experimentation to find something that works. that gives me confidence that i can live alone anywhere i choose.

having too much free time on my hands isn't good, either. my mind's beginning to wander to scary places. hypothesizing about things like the end of the universe, what happens after death, possible scenarios of my own death. the thought that a person simply ceases to exist/function is actually quite terrifying. i can see why so many people believe in religions that promise them life after death, or eternal paradise. i'm not saying that they aren't true; there isn't enough evidence to draw a definitive conclusion. but personally, i don't believe it. well, there's no point worrying too much. i'll die when i die, and until then, i should focus on living.

-random thought of the day: Big English meeting on Monday.-

Didn't think that it would take until another public holiday for my next post, but here we are. granted it's been less than 2 weeks, but still. today's holiday is because it's the emperor's birthday. and to celebrate it, i went and got stabbed. not my ideal way to spend a public holiday, but if it helps end COVID sooner, i figure i can live with some discomfort. so yes, i got my booster shot today. i was decently impressed that my town decided to go with the pfizer-pfizer-moderna regimen (aka. ppm), because that's said to give maximum protection against the virus. unfortunately, the side effects from the moderna booster are also said to be worse, so i'm bracing myself for the worst case that i won't be able to leave the house for the next few days. the fridge is stocked with enough food to comfortably last me a week or more.

in past events, i made something for the board of education for valentine's day. the youtube recipe video calls them galettes, but i'm not sure if that's the proper name. what it is is a cookie dipped in white chocolate. possibly because japan, the video used matcha to flavour and colour the cookie dough and the chocolate. my colleagues were quite complimentary, which means i probably did something right. i also rediscovered the fun of tempering chocolate. although i must admit, the cold weather is a cheat code to get a good temper. it's so much easier when the chocolate wants to set, unlike in singapore (or summer here, i imagine) when the chocolate prefers to stay liquid for longer. i might actually make matcha flavoured chocolate for myself occasionally now!

speaking of temper, mine seems to be getting the better of me again. not for important things like work or school, thankfully...but for final fantasy raiding. people still mess up the fight, and get defensive when called out. one even tried to find fault with me. but unlike them, i hadn't made any mistakes that killed the entire team. that being said, i definitely could have played better too, so glass houses. i think it's more of a human nature thing than a game thing. could i have been kinder? maybe. in my opinion, that person didn't deserve kindness, so no. i guess it's a reminder for me as well, not to get too offended or defensive when people point out my own shortcomings. all in all, it's not really a big thing...just that it's fresh because it happened so persistently yesterday. that moron is on a different server, and on my blacklist already as well, so it's more than likely we'll never interact again. good riddance, i say.

on to more uplifting things. some of my kids had to present an original story. most of the stories were quite honestly painful to listen to, because japanese kids don't get much chance to write fiction, be it in english or japanese. i was pleasantly surprised by one group, that gave by far and away the best presentation of the class. that group also contained the kid who gave me attitude previously. whether it was for the sake of getting a good grade, not letting their groupmates down, or genuinely wanting to give english a chance, that kid was surprisingly cooperative. i don't know what the reason was, but it was a nice change from the usual sour/standoffish attitude. would it be pushing my luck to hope that this new improved attitude persists?

there was a brief warm period earlier in the week. about 8 degrees, so "warm" is relative here. but today, it's back to zero degrees. february is ending! it shouldn't be cold now. and yet, it is. well, it's projected to get warmer from next week onwards. we're talking like a ten-degree jump in temperatures over a few days. this rapid change in seasons still amazes me. also, my boosted arm is starting to ache. think i'll take it easy tonight and depending on how i feel, call in sick tomorrow.

-random thought of the day: Still feeling ok for now.-

Public holidays that link into weekends are the best. waking up on your second day off from work, and knowing that there's another day off to go is the most amazing feeling. i haven't been super productive this long weekend (i blame the cold), but i feel nice and relaxed. well, more than usual anyway!

there are a few things i want to talk about. first thing weighing heavily on my mind - COVID. kochi is now under the state of emergency as well, and cases have started popping up in my town. there were 44 cases in the neighbouring city on thursday! it doesn't seem like much, but those are big numbers for this neck of the woods. also, more people who i know personally back in singapore have contracted COVID. it's worrying, but i suppose the bright side is that we're all moving towards opening up. i heard australia is planning on welcoming fully vaccinated travellers. considering the larger picture, i think staying for another year and only moving on in 2023 (or early 2024) is better, timing-wise. the world should hopefully be back to normal-ish by then.

next, weight loss. i stepped on the scales for the first time in 2 or 3 weeks, and got a pleasant surprise. my weight is down 2 kilos since the last measurement, and i'm REALLY close to my next self-set milestone! it's affirmation that i'm doing something right, and motivation to continue. personally, it seems that portion control is the most important factor for me. i feel that a good starting point for anyone who wants to lose weight is to prepare a typical meal, record down quantities of food in whatever way is the most convenient (be it by weight or number of pieces). then, cut the portions to 80% as a start. it's not super scientific, and due to the large variance in initial "typical meal" size, there's no real formula on the exact amount of food to cut. on top of that, the danger of this method is that some people may go overboard, and the worst case is eating disorders may develop. as a general guideline, i would say that you shouldn't feel overly hungry after a meal, and that you shouldn't feel the need to eat again for the next 3 to 4 hours. i should stress that i'm not a dietitian or nutritionist, and this is just what i find to have worked for me. so do exercise your own judgement and/or seek professional help.

since this coming monday is valentine's day, i was thinking of making something for the office. will probably try this recipe for matcha galettes that i saw on youtube. thing is, i'll need to go out of the house to get some ingredients tomorrow. not too inclined to do that because lazy, but it'll give me a reason to step out and cycle. i probably don't need to restock my food supplies (i bought a lot of food in anticipation of staying home all the way this weekend), so it'll probably be a light trip. if i do do it, i'll need almond powder, rum, and white chocolate.

is it boring for you all to read my posts? i realize that i don't really do many (any) interesting things, and that's in equal parts due to COVID and my homely nature. it's probably not helped that the same few themes seem to resurface constantly. it should get a little better in spring, when the weather warms up a little and i can go cycling. a community gym also opened up in another district. i say "gym" but it's more like an exercise room - a couple of weight machines, treadmills, exercise bikes, and floor space. no free weights or barbells, unfortunately, but hey - it's something. i'm tempted to try yoga or stretching there, since they've got mats. although the question is, why go all the way there (and pay for admission) when i can do stretching more comfortably at home?

-random thought of the day: Got a few mysterious scratches.-

Lots of new experiences this past weekend! starting with the less good, i had a small accident on saturday and my bedlinen got dirty. while my washing machine could handle the electric blanket and bedsheet, there simply wasn't enough capacity for my big fluffy blanket. so i used the industrial washing machine at the coin laundry for the first time. there are actually 2 places, and the nearer one (which i went to) is a little bit more expensive. i spent 900 yen on the wash/dry cycle, then another 100 yen for an additional 8 minutes' drying because the blanket was still a little damp after the first run through. more expensive than i'd thought, but it's ok if i wash my winter stuff just once a year before putting them away.

there's a cold snap passing through the area now, and night temperatures are hovering around zero degrees. it was worse in the mountains; apparently parts of the road froze over on saturday. i was supposed to go to my supervisor's place, so we postponed it to the next day. the decision came a little late, because i'd already finished making the crepes and was about to start cake assembly. the delay meant that i had to keep the components in the fridge overnight. thanks to that, i learnt that crepes can keep for a night with insignificant deterioration. unfortunately, i made two mistakes with the ganache frosting. first, i used 400mL of milk, instead of 200mL milk and 200mL cream. next, i used milk chocolate instead of dark. the end result was that the frosting turned out too liquid and tasted too milky, like a milky chocolate sauce - better suited for drinking than for use with a cake! it made the crepes overly soggy, which i didn't like. not sure if my supervisor's family was being just polite, but they said it was good. not as good as it could have been, in my opinion. for future reference, don't add all the liquid at once.

on the bright side, i'm getting pretty good at making crepes! they're thin enough that i can get away with just cooking them all the way on one side. i also realized that the lumps i saw weren't from the hot butter cooking the batter where it landed. rather, because it's so cold, the melted butter resolidified when it touched the batter! i find it's fascinating that i don't have to oil the pan, because the oil comes from the batter itself.

i went to my supervisor's place in the afternoon this time, instead of just for dinner. we took her son for a walk to the nearby cow farm. there apparently are 2 cow farms in the area, one for dairy cows and the other for meat. the farm we visited was the dairy one. you know you hear stories of how in japan, cows are treated like royalty? they're fed beer, given massages, all that stuff. i think that only applies to meat cows. the dairy cows that i saw aren't being ill-treated, for sure, but i think a bit more cleaning wouldn't be amiss. it also made me think about the ethics/morals of eating meat. a common argument that the anti-meat-eating people use is "oh look how cute they are! how can you bear to eat them?"...which implies it's ok to eat ugly-looking animals. seems superficial to me. i'd prioritize nutritional value and flavour over appearance, although i will admit to having biases about appearances as well. for instance, i don't like the thought of eating escargot, because snails. but if you "tricked" me into eating it, i wouldn't be mad if it tasted decent.

also on this visit, i went with my supervisor's family to a hot spring - a first for any JET posted here! i was quite surprised, because the hot spring was located quite literally in the middle of nowhere. nothing but farmland and residential places all around, then suddenly hot spring and hotel. even more surprisingly, there were guests! and a decent number too. i'd estimate that there were 20 or so people in the male bath. probably people who work nearby, and/or who came here for a staycation. it was only my second time in a hot spring. still a little self-conscious about the public nudity thing, but it's really a way of life in japan. maybe i need a few more visits to get over it. and somewhat unfortunately for me, the guys closest to my age all appear to be married with kids. not like i'd try to pick anyone up, especially when with my supervisor and family. not to mention i don't think guys would appreciate getting hit on while trying to relax in the baths. but just an observation.

visited the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. good news is there are no new cavities, so i just paid for the cleaning. it cost about 3000 yen with health insurance, so that was nice. my gums bled, as usual. the dentist recommended that i come in every month until my gums stop bleeding. i don't know, but it really sounds like a cash grab to me. my dentist friend in singapore said once every 3 to 6 months would be good enough. the plan is to go in once every 2 or 3 months, depending on school schedule and all that. hopefully it'll not cost too much, and result in healthier gums by the time i leave.

thoughts have been running through my head. i don't regret recontracting, especially with the surge in COVID cases (we're on purple alert - the highest level - as of this week). at the same time, i kind of wonder how it would be different now if i'd decided to end my JET term this july. i'd be doing things with more urgency, probably. but well, i've got another year. assuming that my end date is end-july 2023, that's a total of 32 months in this posting. currently, it's just under month 14.5 for me, so slightly less than halfway total. well...the goal is to make the best out of my current situation. 

-random thought of the day: 3-day week this week!-

Cooking really helps to relax me and take my mind off things. of course, i've got to be cooking under no pressure or expectations for best effect. today, i was testing a recipe for crepe cake. well, the crepe part, anyway. i'm planning for the filling to be chocolate ganache, which is something i've made many times before. so i'm not too worried on that front. crepes, however, are something that i've never made before today. thankfully, like most things, making them is a little tricky at first, but it gets easier over time. here's just a quick recipe, mostly for my own reference.

250g all-purpose/medium-strength flour

50g sugar

pinch of salt

500mL milk

100mL water

4 eggs

100g butter

melt the butter and allow it to cool while prepping the main batter.

combine flour, sugar, salt.

add milk a splash at a time while whisking.

add water, eggs, vanilla, whisk to homogenize.

add the cooled melted butter (it can be added hot, but little lumps will form in the batter even with whisking).

use the pan that the butter was melted in (preferably).

pour in enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan, and swirl around.

let the crepe cook for about a minute or two, and flip.

remove after another 30 seconds to a minute.

repeat until batter is used up.

right now, i'm investigating 2 related variables - thickness and crispiness of the crepes. i know that the textbook answer is that crepes should be as thin as possible. but for this application, i'm thinking a little thickness might be beneficial so the crepes don't rip when i spread the filling on. although honestly by the time it's done, i don't think it'll matter! more practically, thicker crepes means that fewer layers are needed, and that in turn means less time, gas, and effort. personally, i wouldn't go for crispy crepes in a crepe cake, because the filling will un-crispify them anyway. maybe for the top few layers. i'm also trying to see if resting the batter overnight will improve the flavour and/or texture. i've heard that it does, but we'll see tomorrow when i cook the other half.

i should probably mention that the reason i'm thinking of making crepe cake is because my supervisor's son turns 4 sometime this coming week; i forget the exact day. but i used my "visit anytime" card and am scheduled for dinner at her place next saturday. i figured that i should take up their hospitality once in a while. i'm also finding out that i quite like to feed people. while i don't think that i'll be opening up a restaurant anytime soon, i'm more than happy to cook for people that i care for. so count yourself lucky if i've ever cooked for you! and if i haven't, get in touch. we'll see if we can arrange something.

more JET thoughts over the past week. right now, my thought is that i'll stay until the end of my current contract at the least. although at recontract time this december, i plan to ask if i can be recontracted for half a year, ie. until march/april 2024. the goal of doing that is so that i can see one more cohort of students all the way through until graduation. unfortunately, this timeframe means that i won't get to see the current primary 6 kids graduate secondary school, as i'll leave halfway through or at the end of their sec 2 year. it's when faced with this kind of fact that i have to remind myself of what i said before JET - that ultimately, i should prioritize my own life and future. the kids here are really sweet and all, but at the end of the day, i'll probably just be another face in the long list of teachers in their lives. it's to be expected, given the transient nature of JET. i don't think any of the kids keep in touch with my predecessor, even though he left less than 2 years ago.

speaking of teachers, i should talk about the 2 encounters that i alluded to in the last post, and explain why they stuck with me. the first was my primary 3 science teacher. for background, i hated homework as a primary school kid, to the point where i'd hide my workbooks and worksheets (i wasn't brave enough to throw them away, though i should have). i could owe homework for half a year or more, and i think every year of primary school without fail, i'd be in trouble for not doing work. having said that, it amazes me how i got to my current academic qualification. so, yes, primary 3 was a particularly bad year, i think, because it was afternoon session and i didn't like my chinese teacher very much. my recollection now is that she was a mean little old lady with an unpleasant voice, who rarely smiled. so, i didn't do much/any of her homework. and when i got in trouble for that, i had to go the the staff room with her as she called my parents. while standing against the wall outside the staff room, my science teacher passed by. i remember she was quite heavily pregnant at that time. she said something along the line of, "why are you here again? you're such a smart boy, this shouldn't be happening".

the reason this stuck with me is that it was the first time someone outside of people that i was related to had sincerely told me to my face that i was smart. and perhaps that shaped my self-perception. of course, i'm not a polymath or anything that advanced. but i do think that i'm capable of greater things than teaching english in rural japan. like, i should be applying myself more, using more of the knowledge and skills that i've accumulated to help society and improve my own standing (financial, possibly social) in life.

encounter 2 was with the chinese teacher who taught me in primary 5 and 6. i think it was because i didn't do homework again, or maybe i was daydreaming in class. she said something like, "你是不是打算要这样子混着过日子?", which translates to "do you plan on muddling through the days like this?", criticizing me for not being as on the ball/driven as some of my other classmates.

in direct opposition to encounter 1, my thought is, 'is it wrong to muddle the days away?' some people are perfectly happy working in a little diner, or as a supermarket cashier. some of the town hall staff are in their twenties, and plan on working here until retirement. they won't revolutionize the world. then again, most people won't. bringing the context back to my situation, there is nothing wrong with teaching english in japan. it's a respectable job, the pay is decent, and i know teachers who have taught in this area for most of their careers. the high-pressure type A lifestyle has been overly glorified, i think. you know the standard phrases - work hard, hustle, steal peoples' lunches. i still cannot get over or forgive the fact that singapore's PRIME MINISTER said that last one. it shows how soulless and heartless those in power are.

so, those two opposing arguments are in conflict within me now. perhaps if i'd done JET right out of undergrad, or majored in education/english, it might be easier for me to switch to teaching english. but i know that i wouldn't be fulfilled. i'm very happy with my current life in japan, but i don't feel fulfillment. and it's for that reason that i can't see myself teaching english here forever.

i've read a bit more about my parachute colour. there's this exercise called a flower diagram that's supposed to help you understand yourself better, with the eventual goal of helping you find a job that you'd love. each petal of the eventual flower represents an aspect that's important while job hunting (work environment, type of job, salary, etc.) and i'll probably be starting on that soon. since flowers take time to bloom, i'm not in a huge rush to complete it...by this year would be good. side note: maybe i haven't read it closely enough, but i don't think i've seen any mention about parachutes, literal or otherwise!

today's post wasn't very focused/deliberate. but neither have my thoughts been for a while now. perhaps i'm getting restless and looking forward to the next adventure? i don't know. the current plan is to finish JET, and try to get into australia, be it for work or study. i'm still undecided about going for the masters, but i plan on getting in touch with some prospective employers and asking for advice...assuming they'll even give me the time of the day. in my most recent kaypoh on the accursed IP firm's website, i saw that most of the people from the science division that i knew had left the company, including some who i thought were definitely going to stay until qualification. maybe they found greener pastures, or were asked to leave after a certain period of time passed without them qualifying. well...who's there has no impact on my life now, but i'm happy that we (the company and i) parted ways. i don't regret the experience of working there, but i do regret how i let the negativity consume me for so long. but if that didn't happen, i wouldn't have made the drastic move to accept JET. well...everything happens for a reason.

-random thought of the day: Need more reflection time.-

Earthquakes happened both this past saturday and the previous saturday. it worries me a little, because of the regularity, and also because the most recent earthquake was quite strong. like, i felt things shaking around me. more than that, the epicentre was close to the nankai trough, which increases the chance of the nankai happening soon. i just hope that it can wait until after my JET term finishes, but natural disasters don't wait for anyone. it's a reminder that i should prepare a disaster evacuation kit. my predecessor left me the bag, but filled it with barbeque supplies. well...it's a start. at least i don't have to buy everything from scratch.

unrelated next thought, i was just window shopping for bicycles. no, i'm not actually going to get another one...not yet, anyway. my two bicycles are more than enough for my current needs. but one can dream. after about 3 to 4 months of cycling to work almost every weekday, i think i have a better idea of what i want in a bike. thankfully, the starting points that i kind of arbitrarily chose were already quite close, so i didn't waste money on an unsuitable bike.

right now, i think i'd go for something that looks more like my hybrid bike, but with a belt drive. that would necessitate an internal gear hub. i would prefer a few more gears than the 5 that are on my grocery bike, so maybe 8 or 11 gears. and if i'm only going to have one bike, i'd want it to be convertible for different purposes - like to go grocery shopping, or for a fun ride around town. that means it'd have to have a cargo rack and/or mounting points for bags. not a full-blown basket, i don't think, unless it's detachable too. i actually have a few bikes in mind already, like the trek district 4. this one in particular has basically everything i'm looking for, along with some bonus things like dynamo lights (they should be called generator lights) and disc brakes. while the company does have retailers in japan, the japan website doesn't have this model listed. maybe it's by special order or something. well, i'm not too concerned about that, since the next bike purchase i make will probably be after JET. unless a super good deal comes up, in which case i'd sell one of my current bikes to balance it out.

this weekend was really restful, which is a nicer way of saying "i didn't do anything". i think it's the cold weather, plus the sense of novelty wearing off. again, i get the feeling that i should be doing more - making full use of my time here in japan, especially since JET affords me tons of free time. i was just thinking that if i pursue further education in IP, i don't think japan is the right place for me to do it. i mean, probably the most important skill in IP is reading and writing accurately. and while i can get in the ballpark as far as japanese verbs go, i'm way more precise in english. so, i was looking at masters programs in australia. there's a one year full-time option by the university of melbourne that leads to eventual patent attorney qualification after some work experience. the drawback is that it's in-person on campus, meaning that i'd have to move to australia. an alternative is the fully-online masters course by the university of technology sydney, but i get a better impression of the melbourne one. also the sydney one has a duration of 1.5 years, which means more fees and time. for now, i know that i'm set to be in japan until at least july/august 2023, and the main thing i want to do this year is pass JLPT N2.

gosh, thinking about that really gave me a headache. it feels like i'm being pulled in two separate directions, and the worst part is that i don't have a clear preference now. each country has its pros and cons, and the pros are all attractive, but in different ways. i suppose that i could go study a for year in australia then come back to work in japan...but i really think that my progression in japan will be limited by my lack of language ability. or i could settle down in australia and visit japan occasionally. or i could skip the degree and just find work in an IP firm in singapore...although now that i've written it out, i'm not sure that i want to work in singapore.

well...i will have to think about this more concretely in the near future. one thing i still have to sort out in my head is whether the idea that i am meant to do great things is really true or not. related to that, how does one define "great"? might dedicate a whole post to that soon. is this what a mid-life crisis feels like? i sure hope not, because if 33 years old is mid-life, it means i'll only live till 66. maybe it's a one-third-life crisis. as a reminder to myself for whenever i write that post, i want to talk about 2 interactions with my primary school teachers (one science, one chinese) that may have shaped my mindset/attitude. but that's for another post. this one feels heavy enough.

-random thought of the day: Would being a digital nomad work?-

This week, i've discovered the benefit? joy? of leaving work an hour early. i'm usually more inclined to just take a whole day off instead. my leave-taking habits were greatly influenced by the army, since that was the first time i actually had to take leave. for most of my NS life, i was posted to really inaccessible camps, so much so that it was just easier to take a whole day off rather than waste an hour or more on the commute. come to think of it, that might also be why i greatly prefer using my leave days to extend my weekends. but now that i live less than a 10 minute cycle from work, it's not such an unthinkable idea. to be honest, i was kind of "forced" into it this week; i had to clear my off-in-lieu. and since school is going on, i can't take more than an hour off per day without good reason, because of the way my classes are scheduled. but i'm not unhappy with the result. like i said before, it made me discover that going home an hour early is quite satisfying sometimes.

remember how i was saying that the tax rebate thing wasn't worth it? to further prove that point, i bought some sea urchin from rakuten. about 3500 yen for 200g, which i used some points for and ended up paying under 3000. i've had sea urchin over rice for the past 2 dinners, and i quite like it. and although it's far cheaper than what i'd pay under the tax scheme, it's still more expensive than a regular meal for me. so, i probably won't do this too often...maybe once a term or so. although i did get a 7000+ yen tax refund earlier this month (they calculated and determined that i was due some money back for some reason), so maybe i can afford one more order?

i should tell you all about the magic ATM. i said "ATM machine" last post, which is like saying "SAM missile" - the last word is redundant since it's part of the acronym. but i digress. my bank still operates in quite an old-school way, and by that i mean there's no internet banking (not like i could use it for very much, anyway), and i have to keep track of money going in and out of my account using a bank book. the amazing thing that happened to me was that on my most recent bank book update, the machine detected that my bank book had run out of pages. instead of asking me to contact the bank for a new one, it issued me a new bank book, printed my name and account number on it, and continued from where it left off in the first book! the last time i used a bank book before japan was in...JC? i do remember updating it at ATMs in singapore, but that's something i haven't done in literally more than a decade before coming to japan. so perhaps i've been out of touch with bank book technology. i've also never met this scenario in singapore, so it's possible that singaporean ATMs are capable of this function too. but for ATMs to be able to do this, it means that they have a stock of empty bank books inside. that's not something i've really thought about before.

my spontaneous diet went pretty well. surprisingly, eating only fruits for dinner didn't leave me hungry. guess it's all the bulk from the fibre. i'm also feeling much better now; stomach issues have all gone away. just to be clear, i don't think there's a correlation between the fruit diet and my recovery. the annoying thing is that i've developed an ulcer on the inner surface of my upper lip, so that's causing some pain. i suspect the ulcer came about because i'm dehydrated. i can see the water i lose just by breathing! need to up my water intake even more. and if the ulcer persists, it's time for salt treatment.

it got cold enough for me to activate my electric blanket when i sleep, which i did 2 or 3 days ago. it's such a small thing, but the quality of life increase is ridiculous. downside is that i don't want to leave the futon in the morning! i still haven't got round to taking cycling videos yet - it's still too cold! but i have messed around a little with the gopro and have a decent idea of how it works. don't think i'll mess around too much with the "pro" settings - ISO, exposure, etc. as long as the video looks decent, i figure it'll be ok.

-random thought of the day: Looking forward to bedtime now!-

Usually, i'm pretty good about not bringing my work home with me. but something that happened in school stuck with me all throughout the weekend. skipping all the details, the basic story is that this student gave me attitude when their performance wasn't up to standard. according to various people i've talked to, this student uses attitude to hide their insecurity about being bad at english. i wish i could communicate that no matter how much attitude they give, their english isn't going to get better if they don't study. also, i'm not the enemy. my job is to raise the standard of english here. everything i do is with that goal in mind. but at the end of the day, i can't do anything if they don't take charge of their own learning. side note, this is the first time i've actually felt like slapping someone in japan. but i know the child protection laws here, and i'm not about to jeopardize my job (and worse, my criminal record) because of some stupid kid. my next alternative would be to yell at them, but the impact is lost when the two parties can't speak each other's language well.

maybe one reason that this stuck with me was that i was sick this weekend, and thus didn't have the energy to occupy myself with anything more interesting. it was the weirdest sickness, too! so i ate dinner and did everything as per normal on friday night, including going to sleep at the usual time. cue me waking up at 4am feeling bloated. unfortunately, i ended up throwing up most of dinner, and that gave me stomach cramps that lasted the whole of saturday. so, i slept most of saturday (and today) away. this has only happened to me one other time before, and that was in singapore. i think the common factor was that i ate food that was too oily for dinner. should do a better job of skimming my soup. anyway, thank goodness for small mercies, there was a big bowl conveniently placed beside my bed so i didn't mess up the tatami mats. i'm feeling almost back to normal now, compared to the worst of it when i thought that i might have to take MC on monday. strangely too, i had a mad craving for apples on saturday. might have been from feeling dehydrated or something. consequently, i've got a box of aomori apples sitting around now (they were the cheapest per apple), and i think i'll have only fruits for dinner for the next couple of days. might help to reset my stomach too.

better head off to sleep. it's a normal work week starting tomorrow, although i do get to claim 4 hours' off-in-lieu. while i'd normally prefer to take it all as a single block, my schedule necessitates taking them separately. i'll probably do an hour a day for 4 days. also, reminder to self to tell you about the magic ATM machine and bank books.

-random thought of the day: When to start taking videos?-

New format testing time! i'm going to try to write haikus about the major events that happened this week. thought i'd stretch my creative muscles a bit. the haikus are in no particular order, by the way...except maybe the order in which the ideas popped into my head.

biggest irony // my gopro came to japan // shipped from singapore.

despite the distance // and less flights due to COVID // it took just 4 days.

how did they manage // to give free shipping to me // in the current times?

helping teachers out // voluntary overtime // i get off-in-lieu.

just because you're weak // don't show me your CB face // study more english.

(bonus one, in hokkien) eh, li si ginna // na si ka ki mai tak chek // mai ga wa guai lan.

(eh, you rotten kid. if you yourself don't want to study, don't be guai lan with/at me.)

it snowed on thursday // my kind big boss and colleague // drove me to and fro.

a kid told me off // teacher saw and intervened // karma at its best.

english meeting soon // not much has changed since last year // just a wayang show.

how i love it when // sec 1 kids know sec 3 stuff // teaching them's a joy.

taking a shower // while waiting for the postman // is a big gamble.

saw delicious snacks // resisted temptation and // bought edamame.

that's not quite true though // actually i also bought // a box of chocolate.

they have batang here! // only that in japanese // it's called sawara.

cute music teacher // i enjoy talking to you // tell me, are you gay?

the new year's party // more damaging than i thought // five thousand yen each.

someone took my car! // the one that i booked for work // lucky we had spare.

easing into work // not that many classes yet // next week will be worse.

forgot just how much // i spent on online shopping // bad for my wallet. 

not really tracking // how much i spent with my card // scared to get my bill.

that was way more fun than i thought it would be! and look at the amount of words i saved. just imagine - each haiku replaces a few sentences, or even a paragraph! i might just do this more often. although i like long-form writing, a change can be refreshing. as alluded to earlier, i've still got work tomorrow, so i'm just going to wind down and (maybe) sleep early. not before gaming though!

-random thought of the day: Remember the 5 people who were nice, not the one who wasn't.-

Knowing that a long break is going to be over soon has always sucked for me. there was one exception, and that was for the 7-month break between ORD and the start of university. was a little too long, if you ask me. then again, i didn't have many things to occupy my time then. anyway, it's back to the daily routine for me tomorrow. i typed "daily grind" at first, but then deleted it because it's certainly not a grind for me. the downtime was nice, and i think it was a good break away from each other, for both me and the kids. but i'd be lying if i said that i'm not looking forward to seeing them again. hope that feeling lasts for most of the term.

wrapping up my holiday business, i bought the gopro today. i'm mostly excited for it, but my heart still skipped a beat in fear when the transaction went through. not used to spending like that, you see. but yes, it's done, and i also bought some accessories for it. some were third-party, like the various mounts and cases; but i did buy authentic batteries and a charger. i figured that it'd be safer to go original for potential fire hazards. that should bring my spending total for aeon to above 50000 yen. makes me wonder if my groceries for the next month will make up the remaining 50000 yen to hit the highest reward tier...but i doubt it. either way, i'm not going to change my spending habits just for the campaign. maybe an unavoidable big expense will come my way if i'm lucky. or should i say unlucky?

for a guy in his 30s, i don't really have a good handle on shaving. more often than not, i cut myself unintentionally in the process. in fairness, i use a safety razor, which takes a bit more skill to handle than the disposable cartridge blades. but i've read that it's better for the skin, and causes fewer ingrown hairs. today though, i learned that adjusting the razor (mine's adjustable, not all are) to a milder setting helps prevent cuts, though at the cost of efficiency, as less hair is removed each time. and for someone like me who doesn't shave very often (once a week or even less), and whose hair grows at a decent rate, i think the best method would be to do a preliminary shave at the higher setting, then fine-tune at the lower setting. or, perhaps shaving more frequently might negate the need for that first step.

oh, i found some interesting things to put into my hotpot, namely chicken skin and beef tendon. they're supposedly high in collagen or something like that. the hotpot also helps to cook some of the fat out of the skin, so i guess it's healthier as long as i skim the fat off. one interesting effect was that these ingredients caused my soup to jellify, and quite solidly at that. it melts back down to a liquid after heating, and i quite enjoy the resulting thick soup. i wonder if i could sell it as premade stock, or a hotpot base...

even though school is starting, i don't think there'll be much difference from my average day in japan. i hope term 3 will go well, and that there will be more positives than negatives every day. also, i should start thinking of various logistics things as far as video recording/streaming is concerned. but well, let's see if the camera and accessories get here in one piece first!

-random thought of the day: Raiding has started again.-

Dry air in winter is apparently the cause of many illnesses, including colds. something about how the lack of mucus means that germs are less likely to get stopped in the nose, and so there's a higher chance that they go on to infect the body. strange that i didn't feel it as much last year. anyway, the fact that (gross mental image incoming) bits of dried blood are coming out when i blow my nose further convinces me that the reason i'm sick is the lack of humidity. to combat that, i've jerry-rigged a makeshift humidifier in my computer room - basically just a bucket with a towel draped over the upright handle. might be the placebo effect, but i've felt that it's easier to breathe after i set it up yesterday. there's still one component missing from the set-up though, and that's a way to circulate the moistened air. sure i could set up my fan, but it seems like a waste of electricity. i guess diffusion or occasional manual fanning will have to do for now.

pleasant yet mildly annoying surprise yesterday - i went to work in the morning only to find that the town hall doors were locked. that effectively meant that i got up, got out of bed, and got changed, all for nothing! at least i did get some exercise in by cycling to and from the town hall. goodness knows i need it after rotting at home for so long. i've got to get a better handle on the year-end break dates in japan. right now my impression is that it's from 29 december to 03 january, both dates inclusive. let's see if that holds true at the end of this year. i also have to sort out a pending issue with my leave balance, because i took half day's leave for monday without knowing that it wasn't a work day. should be easy enough to settle.

in future events, i've got another 2 days of leave before going back to the office on friday, then a long weekend (public holiday on monday), before school goes back into full swing. term 3 is usually the busiest, because the graduating sec 3 kids have high school entrance exams to prepare for, and it's a shorter term (just about 3 months compared to almost 4 months each for the other 2 terms). that means that there's less time into which to pack activities. i shouldn't have any difficulty adjusting back into the routine, but i will miss the ton of free time i've had over the winter break.

one odd thought before i go. youtube recently recommended me videos about record players. i was incredibly surprised to learn that there are modern versions, and that people still use them! it seems a little pretentious/excessive (especially since these people are generally referred to as "audiophiles"), but perhaps i shouldn't be so critical considering i still use fountain pens. i don't understand it, though. is the audio quality of music from vinyl records THAT superior to digital audio? it isn't worth the hassle to me, in terms of the effort needed to play music and keep the records in good condition, as well as the space requirements for storage. give me a hard drive full of music any day. well, ultimately i suppose it's a case of "to each his own".

-random thought of the day: Bit my lip really badly this morning.-

Potentially divisive question incoming: is french toast a savoury or sweet dish? the vast majority of recipes i see and places where i've ordered it from the menu pair it with things like fruit, syrup, honey - suggesting it's leaning towards the sweet side. but in my mind, french toast is savoury. is it actually divisive, or is it just me against the world here? my reasoning is that french toast is, in essence, eggs and bread. yes, i know that eggs are used in desserts, but for their ability to incorporate air and to thicken mixtures rather than their taste. i like to taste the egginess in my french toast. prior to this morning, the last time i made french toast was at least 10 years ago, when i made it for my bowling friends and coach during NS/undergrad. one of the pieces of feedback i got then was that the egg mixture wasn't runny enough, and it tasted like an omelette cooked into bread - which was what i was going for! in that vein, this morning's egg mixture was made of eggs, water, salt, soy sauce, and pepper. i would have used stock if i had some ready, but i was feeling lazy.

it's 2022! you can bet i'll get the date wrong at least once in the first few weeks of work. that's dangerous, since i have to fill in some forms for changing my electricity and internet plans. i'm going to shift them to credit card payment instead of bank account withdrawal, so that means it's still automated, and i can accumulate points for those things now!

yesterday's post was more about looking at the past from the present. today's post will be looking towards the future. i mentioned before that there are some key questions that i need to answer by the time i'm close to the end of JET. i think that i've made some progress towards knowing the answer for some of them, but i am definitely not ready to give a final answer yet. let's capture my thoughts here for future reference:

live in singapore or japan? 40% singapore, 60% japan

give up singapore citizenship? 70% no, 30% yes

consider teaching as a career? 85% no, 15% it depends

go for a job in IP? 75% yes, 25% no

go for a corporate job using science? 90% yes, 10% uncertain

go to grad school for IP? 55% no, 35% if conditions are favourable, 10% yes

go into academic research? 100% no

go into industry? 75% no, 25% yes

finish my full 5 years on JET? 85% no, 15% if it can't be helped

stay in kochi beyond JET? 90% no, 10% yes

for more immediate things, i have some goals this year. some are related to my future in japan specifically, others are more general. the main japan-specific goal is to pass JPLT N2. preferably on the first attempt, but within my time on JET. i'm thinking of taking the december exam this year, because i don't think i'll be able to study everything in time for the june/july one. there are 2 strategies for JLPT study...textbooks, and drilling past year papers. i'm currently thinking of mixing them both, but we'll see if one wins out over the other.

general goals have to do with work. money, and health. on the work front, i want to maintain my good relations with my colleagues and kids. shouldn't be too hard. ideally, i want to raise the english standard, but i need more time and freedom. not time as in years on JET, but like, time for more english classes per week where the teachers are not rushing to cover the syllabus and can cover things that are not critical for their knowledge, but that can help their english learning. prefixes and suffixes (un-, dis-, -ly), for example.

i haven't done my finances in great detail yet, but between the money in my bank account and the national pension program (similar to CPF), i think i have about half my income saved every month? i'll do a more detailed calculation when i update my bank book on monday. i'm tempted to send most of the money in my bank account back to singapore and start the year on a clean slate...except that the exchange rate absolutely sucks now! it's 85 yen to 1 SGD, compared to about 79-80 when i came over! hopefully it'll go up in a few years. but does the exchange rate really matter if i may not go back to singapore? considering that i have to pay residence tax this year, i don't think that i'll save more than i already do. then again, i'm scheduled for a pay raise in august, i think? so that might help.

as for health, i lost weight last year without taking any special effort to exercise. sure, i did go for bike rides sometimes, but i saw those as more of learning to cycle than cycling for exercise. this year, i think that i should be able to lose more weight with the addition of deliberate exercise. my current idea is to have longer cycling trips. so far, most of my trips have been less than 5km. my plan is to cycle to the next district, which is about 15km round trip. eventually, that will progress to cycling to my supervisor's house in yet another district, 15 km away and at a significantly increased elevation! of course, it goes without saying that i still have to be mindful about my food intake. more cooked food, less processed stuff, and minimal (preferably zero) mindless eating. note: cut back on snacks. also, reminder that it's ok to feel hungry/peckish, especially close to bedtime or when no more major activity is scheduled for the day. 

on things that are beyond my control, i hope that the pandemic will be solved somehow. it started in late 2019/early 2020, meaning that we are going into year 3 of COVID. am i the only one who feels that given the technology and knowledge at our disposal, it is unacceptable for a pandemic to last this long? but for various reasons, like incompetent governments, stupid/selfish/fearful people, that's the reality that we're facing now. i'd like to be able to go back for a short visit to singapore, without fearing that border policies might change while i'm away. while i'm being hopeful, let's hope that i can make a short trip back this year without the need for any quarantine. ideally in summer, but winter break would work for me too.

life here isn't super demanding, so i think that i'll have plenty of energy to direct towards my various pursuits. while i am worried that i may be sacrificing too much time by staying put here for too long, that worry hasn't become powerful enough to cause me to want to leave yet. i'm optimistic that 2022 will be a great year as well.

-random thought of the day: The cold is still persisting.-