Wakayama VS Osaka... Are they really neighbour?

Last weekend, I went to the hot spring in Wakayama prefecture with my lab friends for the annual Autumn laboratory trip.

Sat. 2005-11-26

We were toward to the south (Katsura > Kansai International Airport > Wakayama city) and spent less than 4 hours to reach Ryujin-onsen in Wakayama prefecture which is the south-eastern city in Kansai area coasted to Pacific Ocean. Ryujin-onsen is located in the mountain with such a very up-country atmosphere. There is nothing there except for the onsen, so we just enjoyed relaxing with the onsen and the nature surrounded at the Ryokan we stayed. Eventhough our ryokan has such a nice onsen, we also went to another most famous onsen by walking along the stream and the valley. I really like this feeling of breathing very pure air in the hill.

Sun. 2005-11-27

We left the ryokan around 9.30am to the destination of Koya Mt. Before we reached the Koya town, we passed some wonderful view points of Koya Mt. to visit and take a photo. Finally, we reached Koya town and had a vegetarian food as our lunch there at the souvenir shop. After that, we separated into 2 groups. One stayed visiting around the town which has old shrines. Another one drove back to Osaka for Osaka Motor Show 2005. I was in the latter group. This was my first time for the motor show in my life. I had intended to go to the motor show in Bangkok several times but I felt too tired with crowded people, so I quit going there. We had to wait for almost an hour for parking and enjoyed 1.5-hr taking tons of photos of hi-tech cars and pretty presenters. I ended this 2-day trip reaching the laboratory in Katsura campus around 7.30pm.

Just 2 hours apart, I could see and touch 2 totally different and really contrast scences in just one day between Wakayama and Osaka.

Nature of mountain with nearly colour leaves ending

in countryside Wakayama

Lovely outside onsen with red maples in our ryokan

Marvalous scence from the top view of Koya-san

Modern technology of lots of automobiles manufacture
in suburb Osaka

A sexy and cute girl in Mitsubishi booth

Prius Toyota with environmentally friendly hybrid technology

-- Colourful Autumn (3) --

Saturday 19 Nov 05

8:34 Woke up from the futon...and then showered in a hurry
8:57 Left the room (5th floor) and met the gang on 4th floor
9:04 Left the apartment (Miyabi House)
9:10 Took a bus to Katsura St.
9:42 Took a train to Arashiyama
9:58 Reached Arashiyama

and then... really enjoyed seeing Koyo, walking, and taking a photo...

Katsura < > Arashiyama

A bird flying out

Red...Orange...Green...Yellow

Beautiful view from the top of Arashiyama

Boats in the wonderful river..

A Japanese boy in the Autumn

Red Momiji with the temple gate roof

Just really like this photo....

Colourful leaves with a resounding bell in Jojakkoin temple

What a wonderful colour...

Even the drain on the road is also the picture of Momiji leaves

-- Colourful Autumn (2) --

A day after day trip to Ohara, a katsura gang took a family Sunday cycling around our place to see the colourful Autumn in the afternoon after eating ราดหน้า lunch by P'Ploy. At the same day in early morning, my new digital camera (SONY, DSC-H1) was delivered to my room by Takyubin. So, it was a good chance for me to test a new digital camera. Enjoy...

(What an easy and very fast buying with the e-commerce thru yodobashi.com!!!!! Just ordered at late Friday night, Then paid at Lawson convenient store in Saturday morning, Finally received in Sunday early morning)

... The Autumn ... The Colour ... The Coldness ... The Laziness ... The Loneliness ...

... To Be Continued ...

My Mountain Bike with a Red-Colour-Leaf Tree along a small river just 2min from My Place

A Group of Birds Flying in the Blue Sky above the Small River nearby My Place

A View of Nice Mountain around My Place in Katsura Area

A Tree with All-Yellow Leaves nearby the Supermarket that We Have just Dicovered

-- Colourful Autumn (1) --

Lots of Thai friends in Kyoto and Osaka and I had a short journey to Ohara, the north of Kyoto city last Saturday weekend (05.Nov.19). The colour red maple leaves in Ohara have not turned to all red yet. Some were green. Some were ....... .

Anyway, it was not too bad because I had seen too much last year. So, I don't have any eager or much expectation to see the KOYO this year. This was the first KOYO this year. Although I did not feel too impressive for the red maple leaves but the Onsen here, named Ohara no sato hot spring, made me feel so relaxed... The next KOYO trip is coming soon.

.. .. .. To be continued .. .. ..

Me, in Sanzen-in Temple, Ohara, with a Background of Colourful Trees

A Tree with lots of MOMO fruits on the Way to Onsen in Ohara

Colourful Maple trees in Sanzen-in Temple, Ohara

Red and Orange Maple leaves in in Sanzen-in Temple, Ohara

Maple leaves with blue sky in Ohara, North Kyoto

-- Loy Kratong Festival in Japan --

A full moon day of the last month of the year according to Thai calendar is coming soon this Wednesday (Nov,16-the day that Bush president will be here in Kyoto). We, Thai people, celebrate the day, called Loy Kratong festival, at night by floating the Kratong, which is traditionally made by banana leaves and trunk, into the river or the pond in order to thank the river that gives us happy life.

It was the first time here in Kansai area that we formally celebrated the festival.
The festival was held in Ogimachi Park in Osaka.....

I was a part of the festival as a visitor and also a contest singer...haha Unbelievable, right??
That was just for fun and never hope for the prize (And it was finally true)..
Thanks for P'Jiw being a nice acoustic guitar back-up...
I was accidentally the first person for the contest, and only few audience listened to me.
But that's enough for me.... : )

Always...จะเก็บเธออยู่ในใจเสมอ
และนี่คือเสียง... เสียงเพลงที่มาจากใจ
เธอจะอยู่ที่ไหน ขอจงได้รับรู้
หากเธอมีทุกข์ ร้อนใดตอนที่ฉันไม่อยู่
อยากให้เธอรู้ว่ายังมีฉันยืนอยู่ข้างเธอ
*จะยืนอยู่ตรงนี้ จะรอเธอตรงนี้ เพื่อเธอคนเดียว
ไม่ว่าทางจะคดเคี้ยว ทางจะลดเลี้ยวเท่าไหร่
จะนานสักเพียงไหน ยาวนานสักเพียงไหน จะนานนานเท่าไหร่
ยังคนเก็บเธอไว้ จะเก็บเธออยู่ในใจเสมอ...
...ยังอยู่ในใจเสมอ...

This festival had another contest called Miss Loy Kratong..(นางนพมาศ)..
It was finally a girl aged 13-year old won the contest, while the representative from Thai students in Kyoto went to the 3rd. But, that might be reasonable.....

Before we went back home around 7.30pm, we tried to find Kratong to float as traditions but they were sold out...What the pity!!!! Many Kratongs floated in the pond made me feel the past atmostphere on the Loy Kratong day in Chulalongkorn, my undergraduate university.

I miss U wa, Chulalongkorn...
And I miss U wa, Thailand...

-- Midnight My Love -- เฉิ่ม --

Such a long time that I have never watched any movies if not including 'Kingdom of Heaven (Thai Soundtrack)' that I downloaded from Nihonguru.com and watched it once during my presentation preparation.

-- Midnight My Love -- or เฉิ่ม (Cherm) in Thai

A taxi-meter driver in Bangkok named Sombat Deeprom (สมบัติ ดีพร้อม) is the main character of the movie. He killed a guy who was making love with her wife.

After he went out from the jail, he had stayed alone at night in his taxi with his favorite AM sterio which always open the very old style Thai songs and radio drama. He always did the same things , had dinner at the same place, had the same toffie called Botan (โบตัน) everyday, and used the same wax for his same-style hair before going to work every evening.

He had never felt that all streets that he had driven pass are his friends like other taxis. He is still alone and tried to write a letter to his favorite D.J. many times and hope one day he may hear his written letter on air by the D.J. but it never happened.

Once he met a beautiful woman who works at the --อาบ อบ นวด-- place where he always parked and waited for the customers every night. His life is kind of change when she asked him to send her back home every night and had dinner together.

This might be a thing that change his life and realize the word of LOVE again.
He always tried to do everything as good as he can.
But destiny made these two separate each other when lots of different sad incidents happened to his ans her life.

However, finally, the destiny itself made them meet again......

-- เฉิ่ม --
หนังไทยพอดีๆเรื่องหนึ่งที่แม้จะไม่สามารถไปเป็นหนังโปรดในใจได้ แต่มันก็เป็นหนังที่ไม่เฉิ่มอย่างที่คุณคิด
หนังไทยดราม่า ที่จะเศร้าไปกับหม่ำ และความน่ารักของนุ่น เพลินกับเสียงเพลงเก่าๆ
บวกกับแง่คิดที่ว่า ทำดี สักวันต้องได้ดีแน่นอน

--Presentation Day--

Finally, I passed my first Japanese presentation in my lab.
It was not bad not good...but I really like my prepared document. จริงๆนะ
It is bilingual --both English and Japanese in separated column-- かっこいいやろう？？
I am so proud of it..haha
(Thanks a lot for Omukai-san, my senior doctor, and Charles, my Thai friend, for checking my poor Japanese) , though my work done was not that correct and I must study more and more,...

Anyway, I have one embarassing thing to tell....
Please remember this Kanji and don't speak it wwong

--> 傾き　อ่านว่า katamuki which means SLOPE,
not murasaki which means VIOLET colour

I don't even recognize that I pronounced it worng way and there was nobody told me during the presentation. So embarassing...
One of my friends told me after that さき笑っちゃってごめんね。

Gambatte ne minna-san.....

First Time Here with Very Busy Life

Hello...all of my friends.
I will try to share my daily life and release my feeling here as often as I can.

Work and work and work have come to my life.
I have spent more than 2/3 of the day concentrating on my research almost everyday for two weeks. My first presentation for my master research in the lab was postponed from last Wednesday (Nov,2) to this coming Monday (Nov, 7). I felt more relaxed after hearing this news from email, but, at the same time, I felt like I must be more tired. Till now, I have not finished my document for the presentation yet. This presentation will be my first time to present and speak in Japanese. So, I am doing the document in bilingual version (Both English and Japanese). That's why I am so tired in double. My Japanese, expecially writing skill, is still not good enough to automatically come out from my brain compared to English (which is also not that good).

Anyway, sometimes, to extremely concentrate on doing something causes my life more valuable.

Gambatte...NoTtO-san