back in Atsugi

I'm back in Japan! Got back last week and I'm still trying to get used to the much colder weather over here.

I took the Cathay Pacific flight from Manila to Haneda (layover in Hong Kong for an hour or two). Was lucky enough to get upgraded to business class for the MNL-HKG leg. (Thank you, Cathay Pacific!) Whee! I've always flown economy class; this was my first time to fly business class. Loved the service and extra legroom! :)

CX900 - MNL-HKG

Ronjie and I walked around downtown last weekend. Brrrr! It's really cold here! Single digit temperature most days; I usually wear 4 layers of clothes. (Missing Manila already!) The weather is good for sleeping in and staying at home. Not many people on the streets these days.

This is the now-leafless batibot tree in Cheerful Park. Looks kinda gloomy without any green.

Sidewalk flowers! These look like cabbages. (I wonder that they are.) I'm also starting to see pansies all over the place again. :) Photos of those in upcoming blog posts.

Woke up late last Saturday (plus, I forgot to set the alarm) so I missed Nihongo class. :D I'm blaming the weather. Sarap matulog! At nakakatamad lumabas ng bahay. This Saturday, papasok na talaga ako. And I'll tell you about it. :) Hope I didn't miss much.

A few more weeks of winter to go! Already looking forward to spring!

Calvin and Hobbes 120105

Hermanos Taco Shop, Take 2

Last November, I tried this new taqueria but the photos I took were orange and had weird lines on them so I promised to blog about the place again when I ate in it, again. Last month when my husband got to Manila for the Christmas holidays, I invited him to try Hermanos Taco Shop for dinner one evening. :)

This time, I tried their rolled tacos, in chicken and in beef. (Beef tasted better.)

Ronjie got a burrito. I forget what they call this; it has french fries in it.

The rolled tacos and the burrito were both yummy and filling. Good food! :9 The price, however, just seemed a bit expensive. And we just found it strange that they didn't have complimentary drinking water.

Happy New Year!

Garfield 111231

Mutts 120102

Tita M got this weird pineapple on a trip to Tagaytay last December. This served as the buffet table centerpiece during New Year's Eve. Pampasuwerte daw. I wonder how the inside looks like and if it's edible. My aunts are not planning to open up the pineapple until after Chinese New Year (January 23) so we'll have to wait until then.

I hope your Christmas and New Year holiday celebrations were joyful and heartwarming! (As mine was.) A peaceful and prosperous 2012 to us all! :)

Atsugi Catholic Church

on a regular day

Christmas setting

Sunday English masses in Atsugi Catholic Church are every first and third Sundays of the month at 3:00pm.

On the second and fourth Sundays, we usually attend the 9:30am Japanese mass, which we participate in with the help of this:

Atsugi Catholic Church also has anticipated Sunday mass (in Japanese) every Saturday evening at 7:00.

holiday greetings

(My husband made this.) Merry Christmas, everyone! :)