Born to Ski!

We spent an awesome weekend at the Shiga Kogen Ski Resort in Nagano, as part of a fun-filled trip organized by TIEC staff and the Japanese Resident Assistants of TIEC. A large group of us signed up for this and boy did we have fun!
Thanks to a patient and wonderful teacher who taught us the basics of skiing, we quickly developed enough confidence to navigate through the green slopes of the resort. Ski-lifts brought us from one place to another and by the end of the first day, we were feeling like 'professionals'. The daring few among us continued on the second day when it was snowing.

Now, that's a slope for advanced experts..

Ski-lifts, dangling legs and shouting out into the wilderness of a white forest. :)

That's my ski set. I would use this as my desktop background when I return to Singapore to remind me of my glorious past. heh.

The cheerful Almagul, Oksana & Asabek made skiing on the second day extra fun!

Falling in style is easy, but getting up takes practice.

On the way to the resort..

Alot of games were organized as part of our night-time activities! Our team 'I' won first prize. :)

These happy days never fail to recharge me. Cheers to the wonderful snow and ski!

Bowling@VenusFort

A spontaneous afternoon of bowling showcased the skills of many talents and styles of different countries, haha.. Taufik is our 'God of Bowling' and he has a super cool style. This is our team of players.

What a colorful photo!

***

This semester is less rigorous than the previous as we touch base with the 'softer' issues of policy, including international negotiations like that of the Kyoto Protocol, isolating education policy effects, understanding the nature of leadership in the civil service which includes overcoming existing bureaucratic barriers and the workings of the Japanese financial system etc. This gives us more time to discuss more specific issues relating to our various countries, especially the developing ones. I begin to realise how difficult it is to create an efficient and honest government given the danger of vicious cycles of corruption, risks involved in using religion to create hegemony in states etc. It's time like these where I feel much pride describing the system in Singapore. Again, international politics including the nature of the Japan-US relations with regards to security policies have got the few of us excited in our discussions. Very intriguing stuff!

On another note, the weather's gradually warming up and it is really amazing to walk down streets with so many green leaves starting to appear on the thin and wrinkled winter trees. I am looking forward to spending more weekend afternoons admiring the various blossoms that will bloom across Japan throughout Spring.

Till then, it's one more weekend ski trip at the Shiga Kogen Ski Resort with all-you-can-eat buffets and onsens.. :)

Courtesy of Ry's camera :)

This was on a train from New Chitose Airport back to Sapporo after our flight got cancelled due to heavy snow. The view from the train, to see endless streets and fields and forests covered in thick snow, was unforgettable.

This pair of earmuffs has gone through thick and thin with me. :)

The beginning of Spring

A second visit to the Koishikawa Korakuen (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3034_003.html) left me feeling pleasantly surprised. The garden of red and yellow autumn leaves have given way to winter, and now, the beginning of spring.
The Ume, or plum blossoms, were simply a sight to behold. One could linger in the garden for hours and every turn brings something new.

Colorful Happy Things

Our lovely lodge at Morinoki.

Snowflake on my jacket.

P.S These birds are real! We saw them at the Otaru Aquarium and thought that they make a funny statue when one of them started to flap its wings.. heh.

Doing the penguin walk.

@The Sapporo Tower

A quaint accessory shop.

Pretty wrappers for chocolates!

An Ode to Snow

I have never seen as much snow in my life as I had in Hokkaido. Snow is indeed as pure and beautiful as I had imagined to be. I had never known how snow would look like if it fell on the branches of trees, or if it melted immediately when it touches the river.
I love snow so much... so here's a post on nothing but snow at its finest. :)

"Where there is snow, there must be love"