I did a quick search on Google Trends with regard to our five presidential candidates and the result I got is interesting, but not at all surprising. If the Philippine Elections were a contest on who generates the most online buzz, i.e. “trending”, there seems to be one clear winner — Rodrigo Duterte. It’s not even close. Of…
Azaleas of Minami-Senju
Not known to many people, but Minami-Senju is kind of a hidden gem, known among the locals and hobbyist photographers for azalea spring viewing. The blooms usually start after the sakura cherry blossoms season (mid-April), and last a couple of weeks until around the Japanese golden week (early-May). During this period, the sidewalks and the center…
Tennis in Tokyo via Meetup
Recently, I found an easy and relatively cheap way to play tennis in Tokyo.
Playing The Blame Game
The other day, I was having this somewhat philosophical discussion with one of my managers and one question raised was “When a student fails a test, who should we blame?”
Three Day Weekend in Kyushu
Last month during the three day weekend (March 19-21), my wife and I went on a trip to Kyushu, in particular in Fukuoka and Mount Aso in Kumamoto. Day One in Fukuoka Interestingly, the first thing people ask me when I tell them I am going to Fukuoka is, “What’s in Fukuoka?”. Aside from tonkotsu…
Filipinos Applying For Schengen Visa from Japan
My wife and I just received our Schengen Visas today, and to help other Filipinos who would also like to visit the Schengen Area, let me share our experience getting it. We were planning to visit Austria and Germany in May so we figured two months before our planned trip would be a good time…
Moriyama Naotaro’s "Sakura"
Moriyama Naotaro’s Sakura is a classic Japanese song that I associate heavily with the cherry blossoms season (“sakura” is Japanese for cherry blossoms) and with graduation ceremonies. It is definitely one of my favorite Japanese songs and when I see cherry blossoms, this is always the first song that comes to mind. Original Singer: Moriyama…
Watching Pacquiao vs Bradley Match In Japan
On April 10th 11 AM Japan time (10 AM Philippine time). Pacquiao will fight his final match as a professional boxer. His opponent would be a familiar face, Timothy Bradley, with whom he has a 1 win 1 loss record. The question in the mind of most Filipinos in Tokyo would be where to watch…
Visit From A Policeman
The other morning while I was home alone, I heard the apartment doorbell ringing and when I checked the security camera, I saw a policeman waiting outside the building. Normally, I do not answer the doorbell if I’m not expecting a visitor or a delivery, but seeing he was a policeman, I answered and let…
Cannot Connect to bmonline.ph
Last time I went to the Philippine embassy to get my OEC, I was given this sheet containing a link to “www.bmonline.ph“. The lady advised me to start using this website as the embassy will soon stop processing manual applications and everything will be done online. Problem is, it seems I cannot connect to the…
Yiruma – River Flows In You
Yiruma is a recent discovery while I was searching the internet for pianists who play relaxing music. Yiruma’s style reminds me of another famous pianist, David Lanz, in that their music are both relaxing and beautiful even without the overly complex piano routines. When I ran into Yiruma’s “River Flows in You”, I loved it immediately….
Yellow Tokyo
The other day, I took a day off from work to run some errands, getting my OEC from the Philippine embassy, and renewing my Japanese International Driver’s License, both in preparation for my visit to the Philippines. The weather was amazing with clear blue skies, so I decided to bring my trusty camera with me…
