i'm graduating!

My parents are here! Yup! In Japan hehe :D Yes I'm really happy they finally made it here. They almost wanted to come last year when I was still in Niigata, but I guess this trip would be more meaningful since I'll be graduating tomorrow!

Time really flies, and it's an understatement to say that I will miss this place. A lot has happened here so much so that I think I must've gone through several years' worth of experiences that I will never forget!

As I was packing little by little throughout the week from the last, I felt bits of memories coming back to me.

The skiing trips on the snow-capped mountains last winter.

The gift that you made for my birthday.

The cup we used to make Milo together.

The assignment we spent hours working on.

The vitamin C soluble that cured your cold.

The Japanese homework in which you wrote about me.

The corals you picked up while diving in Okinawa.

As I ponder on my remaining hours here, I thank God for all the good and bad that has happened this past year. I've certainly learnt a lot, seen a lot and went through a rollercoaster ride. I wonder what would have happened if I have not taken the opportunity to come to Japan, whether life would have just been the same as the 4 years before that. Whether what I've gone through here would make sense in the bigger picture.

We shall see. Tomorrow is the end of a phase, and a beginning of a new one. One which is yet uncoloured, uncharted, unclear.

unique japanese food 2

Japanese bento sets can be such a feast for the eyes, and this attacts people to buy them in the first place. The bento that our campus Yamazaki usually sells don't look too appetising. When I first saw this colourful looking 4 section bento, I knew I had to try it. It was the most expensive bento I've seen there, but I think Y500 is considered quite affordable.


This is something my Papa wouldn't eat - raw fish! Sprinklings of squid, prawn, fish roe, scrambled eggs, cubed cucumber and some other unidentifiable food elements make this quite a healthy balance of a meal. No need to be warmed up, can be eaten straight away.


After Sour Cream and Onion, this has got to be my next favourite. Japan not only has a wide variety of delicious looking food, even their Pringles come in various flavours! I've never seen the Gourmet range before, so I was quite delighted when my friend let me try this, and I must say it really is addictive.


Imagine my delight while down in Tokyo recently I saw this range of Pringles in Lumine, Shinjuku. Since this particular store stocks food items from various countries but mainly from America, I'm thinking some of these could be from the US. However, when I checked with their website, some of these aren't in there... But still, knowing that my favourite ain't limited to only Sour Cream & Onion makes a world of difference between only settling for one flavour and having the ability to choose from many more.


The same goes with Kit Kat I guess. The above picture was taken from one of my purchases at the Niigata University co-op for in-between-class snacking. That must've been one of the spring range last year as this year, they offered the sakura flavour.



The wonderful thing about having 4 seasons mean you get to wear different clothes, and taste different cuisine. Thus, pineapple, orange and banana flavours for Kit Kat this summer. Looks edible enough, but there was one which was supposed to be melon flavour that looked kinda odd with green and ochre stripes. I didn't buy it, maybe it would have tasted better than it looked.

do i have a right to be upset? p3

Thank you all for your comments. I have gotten quite a mix of opinions, ranging from go-for-it to why-bother?! through this blog and personal messages. My personal reason for putting this up was to share my experience and gather feedback.

I have decided what to do and I hope it is for the best. In view of the larger picture, I shall leave it as it is for now as clearly this company is not worth my effort and time. I know who holds my future and am trusting Him in this matter.

Thank you and goodnight.

do i have a right to be upset? p2

Actually I kinda got over the company, but somehow through another round of events, they give me reason to be really upset this time.

They did not only send me a rejection letter, but they bad-mouthed about me to the uni's director of career services. She was the one who had posted the ad for them at our uni's notice board and little did I know that they must have been buddies coz I remember her mentioning that she had the company's President on her Skype list.

While taking a break down Kansai area, I got this email from her saying I should "LEARN (yes, in caps!) from this process" and "really need to look at in evaluating (myself) and how (I) conducted the job hunt". Apparently they told her that I put off a project, rearranged the telephone calls time and again and when it finally went through, I only talked about money and lifestyle.

What a bunch of twisted stories. First of all, I did a project for ANOTHER company which I was also interviewing for, and I only asked for a 2-day extension because it clashed with the deadline of my thesis. The President that company was fine with it and was even supportive that I should concentrate on my studies first.

Secondly, it wasn't the telephone calls which I postponed, it was the Skype interview. And lastly, for the particular interview which I postponed and apologised for, I did not mention about money. That was in the PREVIOUS interview as they asked me to go down Tokyo to start work for them before graduation. It was only natural then that I enquired about travelling and accomodation expenses. Wouldn't that be a sign that they wanted you to work as soon as possible, and a green light to ask about reimbursement?

I emailed her back, while on holiday (already spoilt by this load of accusations) and maintained that I did everything they asked, on my own initiative. I even asked her which project she was referring to.

She still defended the company by saying that this was the reason why they rejected me, then apologised for the mix-up with the other company about the project which I did. Then, to rub it in and not sound like she messed up the accusations, she said I shouldn't let travelling interfere with my job hunting.

Since there was no point in emailing her to defend myself, I replied by saying that I would meet her directly when I get back to campus to clear things up. I went to meet her the first thing I came back, even though I was tired after the 7 hour train ride from Tokyo. Even before I could finish saying what I had wanted to say, she quickly said "Well, we all have our own versions of reality". What the..?!

Since I still had the unreplied email of hers, I'm thinking of sending it back with what I had left out in that conversation with her. I'm planning to tell her to check her stories with both sides before jumping into conclustions. Besides, no other companies have complained about me before with regards to job interviews, and that I wish this particular company have set the story straight even though I postponed the interview.

Furthermore, I only started my travels after settling everything related to studies and job hunting. I even kept in contact with other companies, so my travel plans were no barrier to any job interviews. In fact, all interviews with this company were prior to my travels and inititated by myself.


Do you think I should send that email to her, or just let it go?



BTW, I was really excited and wanted to post up pictures and stories about my recent holiday, but I'll have to go down Tokyo again in a few days for another interview.