just swingin'

Just when I thought I had visited enough mountains for the season, Yuko invited us to join her at the Futatabi Park just half an hour's drive from the Kitano area. It was amazing to see a lake in the hills and to enjoy the beginning of autumn colours so near the city.

What was more amazing was to see these 2 ladies swinging around like kids in the playground near the lake. I had no choice but to join them. Later I found out Japanese kids do these all the time during sports sessions. 

plentiful indeed

I had arrived Tohoku right in the middle of the autumn harvest season. All around me were golden rice fields which looked more like comfy yellow carpets to be rolled around on.

As I wondered at the absence of humans, animals and machines at the vast fields to my left and right, I was reminded that indeed, "... the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."

find Me

While trying to look for sword beans amongst the vines, these oft-repeated verses came to mind.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
- Matthew 7:7

"But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul."
- Deuteronomy 4:29

"You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
- Jeremiah 29:13

the tohoku getaway

My last week away have been summarised by the collage of sorts below. You could say each represented the days spent with Lee Sin in Miyage prefecture, and the Prof Komiya and wife in Iwate prefecture.

Visited the area devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. There is just so much natural beauty here I wish I could express through my lens. Thinking I'd do a quick day trip, turns out I have more reasons to go back again.

Happy to be able to meet up again with Lee Sin, encouraged by her OM ministry and blessed by the fact that a fellow Malaysian is here in Japan too. Though so far from Kobe, and ironically never really met though staying in Subang before, I guess when it's meant to be, you will meet up somehow.

Though I had to bid Lee Sin farewell and head up north, the main part of my break was to visit the Prof whom I've last visited at his Iwate kampung 5 years ago. I still remember when I escaped to the north when I lost my job during the 2008 recession.

They always welcome me with open arms, as if I'm their daughter! The sight of their wooden home in the hills filled me with warm memories of that winter years ago when I felt like I didn't know what to do.

I always admire the Japanese who never fail to keep going even when it gets tough. He introduced me to his daughter who moved from Tokyo to start a bakery, and a local friend who specialises in handmade wooden utensils. Though Takizawa is a rural city surrounded by greens, there's a certain charm that reminds me of Hokkaido.

The artisan goods reminded me of the online shop my previous company was involved in. I told Sato-san that though Japanese prefer foreign goods, ironically it's the foreigners who are interested in traditional Japanese crafts.

Since it was peak period at his farm, I decided to lend a helping hand. My main task was to harvest the sword beans, and remove the beans from their pods. I'd stay indoors and help whatever I could when it rained. When the sun came out in its glorious form, we harvested corn, removed the malformed ones (it was his first attempt, so not all were fully pollinated), and cleaned up to make way for fresh ones next round.

Prof Komiya was happy I was able to help him out, so he could concentrate on cutting firewood in preparation for winter. His wife would be busy with baking, carpentry and housework. Looking at them busying away made me feel very lazy indeed!

As a "reward" for the "hard work", we took a ski lift up to the mountain to enjoy autumn leaves. Prof Komiya was so delighted because it was really perfect weather, and we could see the surrounding cities clearly. He had never really been able to do this because of the farm work, and his wife was also busy.

Seeing him get so excited about the ride up helped me to forget that it was almost 10 degrees at the top. Now that I'm back in Kobe, I can't help but reminisce about the 5 layers I had to wear last week. It still feels like late summer here, but I'll cherish it while I can.

germany is finally up!

Our Germany site finally went live this week. I was getting sceptical it would launch before autumn due to the challenges we've been facing. So when the team finally made the decision to go ahead despite the minor issues remaining, I almost couldn't believe it.

On the other hand, I've been hoping we would complete this project soon. It's been the biggest and longest ever this year. So a month ago, I started plotting for a break. Since coming to Kobe, I have not been able to visit Prof Komiya.

When he emailed his former students about the latest update from his kampung in Iwate prefecture, I dropped him a note to tell him I was keen to help him harvest his produce. Getting this reply made me reminisce about my uni days :

Dear Salah:

No problem! Whenever you have confirmed your schedule would you please let me know.

Just relax and enjoy onsen every day, reading books and having a nap etc. etc..

You can stay our guest house one week, two weeks to recover!!

All of us are looking forward to seeing you soon.

Regards,

Ryoichi Komiya

double my yolk please

It was the Mid-Autumn Festival recently, and I've had the opportunity to indulge in some mooncakes that my mum had sent over through Chyn. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the sweet delicacies, but I'm game for the yolk versions. 

After the home church service at Ako's mum's home, I shared with them this double-yolk lotus paste mooncake, and they all really enjoyed it.

There are mooncakes apparently sold in Japan, but really small size and does not taste anything like the original. Hence, my Japanese friends were curious about the ingredients and the taste, and seemed to be fascinated with this Chinese delicacy.

I was excited myself as I actually managed to cut this cake into almost precise 8 slices, thanks to a good knife in their kitchen.

To be honest, I have no recollection of actually cutting mooncakes back in Malaysia. Usually it's my dad who does it and we just ... eat 'em! How ironic that now I'm away from home, I learn how to do such seemingly simple things and feel a sense of achievement (^.~)"

For such a treat as the double-yolk, it definitely deserves the finest cut. With the yolks so evenly distributed, it would be a waste if any crumbles and falls out. 

steamed cod drizzled with fried garlic oil

For the longest time, I've been toying with the idea of getting a white plate. I have enough plates alright, and there's always paper plates when there are guests. But finally I decided maybe it would be a good investment.

I was trying out steamed cod fish for the first time. What a nice dish to officiate the white plate with, and now with my new toy, even better pictures!

It's kinda fusion of what I remember my mum making, and also a little tip from this recipe I found, which made me wish I got the exact cut of the fish.

more good

There's been some changes at work recently. If you have read some of my posts, you might be inclined to think that the recent change would be for the worse. If you knew me personally, you'd understand why I was not looking forward to it.

However, I choose to believe that God is still in control, and I prayed that no matter what happens, something good would still come out of it.

It has been one week, and it has been pretty good so far. More good than not-so-good, to be honest.

To start off the week reflecting on the good, I'm thankful we finally changed our corporate Blackberry's to iPhones! Now I get a proper phone which can do a whole lot more than remind me about work alone. For example, I can indulge in better coloured photography :