Hey peepz!

Finally gotten the chance to use the school terminal here. Im currently in a 24 hour computer lab in Building 19. This place resembles the YIH study room during the exam period, where students careless and selfishly or perhaps just being kiasu, place their belongings at computer terminals to 'chop' the seat, leaving newcomers to wander around the lab, frantically looking for a terminal to use. The reason? There is no time limit to how long one can use the terminal. Hence, there are cases when students stay overnight in the lab. Either because they are rushing assignments, or they simply missed the last train home.

Anyway, yesterday marked the first day of orientation. Met the whole cohort of exchange students. They come from all over the world really. There is even an African lady who seems to comprehend completely and speak fluently, Japanese. There are about 2700 foreign students in total in Waseda.

Yet, I always find it quite ironic, that while the school prides on being a 'glocal' university, our buildings seem to be at the fringes of the entire university campus... Herm.

We had a placement test today for Japanese. 7 pages of Japanese fill in the blanks in ascending order of difficulty. For the reason of placing us in our respective levels of competence in our future Japanese class. I really take my hats off Seowhan who did level 6, and Olivia who did not need to take Japanese classes at all. Because I could not get beyond the second page. -_-''' This of course is explained by a years worth of Japanese study.

My other times yesterday and today were filled with shopping! Went to Omote-sando Hills with four other ladies, from Canada, Australia, Taiwan, and Singapore respectively. Omote-sando Hills is Singapore's Takashimaya blown out into a full street. (Japan's Takashimaya in Shinjuku is probably equivalent to two times Vivocity in length, and five times vivocity in height, with an extra wing) So Omote-sando Hills is the high class, branded street for the young, rich and trendy. There, brand names don't take up one vending shop in a shopping mall. Here, brand names take up 2 or 3 level buildings BY THEMSELVES. (Will put up pictures as soon as I can.)

And Sammi, the Australian lady said, that this is for the young rich. Ginza, is for the old rich. and is probably the Houte Couture of the filthy rich of Japan. (How much wealth is there exactly in recession-struck Japan?!) Anyway, we walked far and wide in our holy search for, herm. nail polish, make up remover, pillows, plugs and apple headphones. Oh Apple headphones were in Shibuya, which requires another train ride to the NEXT station, which cost 160 Yen, which is about SGD 2.30, which is probably from Boon Lay to Simei. Yes, everything here is exaggerated to gigantic proportions. From fashion to transport prices.

Oh, and also, the snobbish manners of high class aunties covered head to toe in branded gear and who take the subway. Oh, and I have never seen so many LV handbags in single street before.

Today, we went to look for cell phones. There are three main providers: the famous Docomo, the rival AU and the up and coming Softbank (previously Vodaphone). There are also rental phone services. Each with their own pros and cons. Each with very irritating marketing strategies. A double edged sword, services like mails, messages and calls from say, an AU phone to another AU phone is ridicously cheaper than from an AU phone to a softbank phone. You get the picture. Of course, its a business strategy. But now, I have to start counting how many of my soon-to-be bestest friends are of which providers. Ha...

Oh, the phones are are expensive, but they are very pretty and definitely high-tech. Most of them can watch television on their phones because they are on an internet connection. One phone sports a swivelling screen from portrait to landscape so you can watch your programs on your miniature 'wide-screen' television on jam packed commuter trains, that arrive ever so often but people choose to run for them anyway, especially the Office Ladies (OLs) in high heels. Speaking of which, I have never seen so many high-heeled ladies sprint so fast in one station in my entire life. If there were to be a high heeled 100 metre race in the olympics, the finalists should all be Japanese OLs. Ha..

If you think thats all the gripe I have so far. I have one more. Because I live so near to Disneyland, I should be able to see their fireworks everynight. But because this one tall hotel decided to construct itself right in the path of my view of Disneyland, all I can see is the glowing peripherals of the sky around the hotel. And of course, hear the fireworks quite clearly. Thats pretty duh.

oh, and of course, the administration is a pain in the ass. I shant go into too much details.

Whats nice that I have experienced so far? The people are (if you would look over the whole tatemae/honne [what they say/what they feel] skepticism) really nice and friendly. All with a bow, and a smile. Even between strangers. The sales services are of no exception. And the high class shops will still wrap your merchandise in beautiful packages that killed a tree. But still, girls, if you like shopping and you have the money, you'd swear you would have died and arrived in shopping heaven. Oh, actually that applies to guys too. Cos Im telling you the guys (found in Otome-sando) are without a doubt, metrosexual. I feel out of place with my gorgeous A&F shirt. Ha... So for beautiful, friendly and nice people, come to Japan!

I do hope I will get down to enjoying school life once all the administrative procedures are done. And I do hope to start putting up pictures too! So stay tuned!

Miss you guys back at home!