My Friendship with Kitchen

Winter in my kitchen 

I'VE WANTED THIS SINCE LONG TIME AGO

Because of this corona things, I limit myself to not eat outside, to not go outside. I only go outside for work and shopping. Yesterday was actually, my first time after more than a month to take a little a bit of walk. I went to a temple around 2 kilo meters from my home, and of course it is not a crowded temple.

Since I'm working in Kyoto Station and it surrounded by shopping mall and many stores so usually I will go shopping after I finish work. Few days ago, I went to Daiso to buy alcohol wipes and kitchen paper. I ended up buy more than that.

I bought a WIG.

I have really wanted to try to wear a wig since I was young (now already an auntie). Since it is only 400 yen, let me buy this. There are other kinds of party wigs, like afro and brunette long hair, but I decided to buy the short bob one. My real hair is better than those brunette wig 😇

Using beauty camera app on my phone, here are my selfies! 😜

Really la so boring at home. I just couldn't only cook, eat, sleep, and watch movies whole day. So this is kind of entertainment for me also. Hm, also one thing to attract attention from my acquaintances 😂  My father even is using my picture for his profile picture on WhatsApp 😂

Corona Effect

I sent face masks to my friend in HK on February 14th, and arrived around eight days later. It was not as long as I thought. 😄 I'm glad she's happy to receive the mask and my birthday gift for her.

I feel lucky as well because a month ago it was hard to find face masks, but now? it's harder than ever. I'm not sure if it makes more difficult, but because since I live not so far from Kyoto Station where most people gather (commuters and travellers) so I can't find masks around my home. Another thing I feel lucky about is as a worker in convenience store, I have a chance to order a box of mask, but still I have to wait around two weeks to get mine 😭

For your information, the delivery of goods of non-daily items (not food, drink, and bread) comes three times a week and since there are mask scarcity, every single store has purchase limit. There are many kinds of mask 7-Eleven is selling but the box one, with 60 masks inside, only can be ordered one per delivery per store. Can you imagine I'm working in 7-Eleven, for example it has 20 workers, and all want to buy a box of mask, and we need to queue, so last person will get the mask in seven weeks 😂

Now not only face masks, but every store has purchase limit for toilet paper, kitchen paper (for store use), and sanitary napkins. Usually we wash our hands and dry them with paper, but since there is scarce we dry our hands with kitchen cloth that can be used many times. 😂

I'm here still fine and not doing any panic buying. I almost finished my rice and I'm not trying to stockpile toilet paper (we can wash with water only why need paper? 😂) The thing that really changes on me is, eating out. I love trying new food and eating out. But since this corona thing happened I rarely eat outside. The last time, I ate outside was 11 days ago in McDonald's and drank coffee in a coffee shop. For me 11 days is such an achievement 😂

The only eating out I did after that were eating my friend's cooking and 7-Eleven food that I get in my working place. Now almost everyday I cook.

See what I cooked today! My purple (red) cabbage soup 😂

Now I'm having a runny nose so I'm trying my best not to go outside. It's really hard to stay whole day at home 😂 I always want to go outside.

Okay la, take care everyone. Stay healthy!

No Taiwan Trip

I supposed to meet my Hong Kong friend in Taiwan tomorrow (14/2). We booked the flight more than a month ago and we planned it since it is her birthday as well. But then, the novel coronavirus things happened and she even cannot leave the country and go to Taiwan.

She wants me to go Taiwan but actually my motivation to go Taiwan has already gone even I don't mind to travel alone. It's just because we planned to see our friends and celebrate her birthday together. I was still thinking should I go or not since my mind is full of bubble tea.

But then when I worked last week my store manager asked me if I still going to Taiwan, and she said that her advice is better not to go to Taiwan. I was still considering to go actually that time. Until after I came home, I saw my mom message and she asked me if I still going since Indonesia has already banned people from Taiwan (is it? but anyway many countries already has entry ban for visitors from Taiwan). In the day time, my Taiwanese friend sent me message asking same question, and she said better not to come now.

So, I'm sure now that I am not going.

Sigh.

Yea, and now is still hard to buy mask. In 7-Eleven I'm working in, as a worker we can book 60 pieces box of masks but since everyone is booking, need to wait maybe few weeks. So I even haven't booked, I still have stock at home though. So, delivery of goods only come three times a week and one store only can order one of the 60 pieces mask box.

Yesterday my Hong Kong friend called me and asked me if I can buy mask for her, even though after that she said "it's okay it's okay, no need" but I want to send her. I remember in my 7-Eleven the delivery of goods come every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, so I decided to wander around to visit every single convenience stores near my home.

Around 00.30 am (12/2), I rode my bicycle and visited the nearest 7-Eleven, and it was exactly when the goods came! I successfully bought one pack of masks (only five pieces inside). It has purchase limit, so I can only buy one. The second 7-Eleven, I visited, nothing. The third 7-Eleven I visited was the heaven.

I asked if they have mask, and the staff just put them on the shelves. And I saw the 60 pieces box one 😢 I was really happy I want to cry 😭😭 I just grabbed the box and asked if they have purchase limit, and he said NO. I wanted to cry again 😂

I feel bad if I buy all (and some are small sizes as well) so I was considering which small packs I wanted to buy. Then a Chinese couple came to the store and looking for masks, so I grabbed six packs of them (almost half of them though haha). I felt so uncomfortable since they were looking at my basket so I just 'ran away' and paid it at cashier.

They asked for the 60 pieces mask box but they have only one. They bought all the face masks left. I feel happy I was earlier, but feel bad at the same times because people are sick 😭 I visited another convenience stores but most of them not selling masks and in some stores I bought small pack of masks.

I will try tomorrow again. Since now I only collected around 100 masks for her.

I will try Daiso as well, 100 yen for 30 pieces of masks! 

Hope I also can get the 60 one in 7-Eleven la. 

Drugstore, I'm not sure.

I'll send to my friend on Friday. Hope all good.

Actually my other purpose is to send her birthday gift!

Hope she likes it!

I will update after she receive it.

Mask Scarcity in Kyoto

I think the mask scarcity now is all around the world, though. But I just want to wrote about the scarcity in the city I live in.

After the new coronavirus news appeared in media, my Chinese friends were (and still are) busy to look for surgical face masks to send to their family and friends in China. Few weeks ago, I was still confused. I was still relaxed,  I knew I still saw many face masks in the convenience stores and drugstore so why did they so look tired when telling me about sending thousand masks to China?

Next day, there was a Cantonese-speaking customer in my 7-Eleven and bought almost 30 packs (7 sheets inside) masks. Whoa! I was still like relaxed. Until I realised, there are so many Chinese people in Kyoto and we don't know whether are they from Hubei or not (even not, all Chinese provinces already infected). Now I am scared! I know now I have to wear mask!

And then the Japan's first new coronavirus human transmission appeared, and the patient is from Nara, neighbour prefecture of Kyoto. And then, a Chinese foreign student living in Kyoto also confirmed infected by coronavirus.

I went to Daiso and saw still many masks but there is a limit for a person only can buy 1 pack of each kind of masks. So anyway, I bought one box of 30 pcs of small face mask (and it's quite small that's why they still have a lot of it!), and two packs of other mask (7 sheets inside).

People waiting drugstore open

All sold ou

I was lucky that day since I worked in 7-Eleven in midnight shift and delivery goods come in midnight. There are some masks but so few. A box of 60 masks had already booked by my colleague, and there are still some 5 or 7 pcs-packs masks. In the morning I asked the owner if I can buy those masks, since other stores limit one person one pack. She said I can, so I bought seven packs! Spent almost 2000 yen 😔

Yesterday, I finished my work around 6 am and I went to Lawson 100 my workplace and luckily I could buy a 30 pcs box mask for 100 yen (13000 rupiah). I also got another masks from a Japanese friend also so now I still have stocks of around 100 masks (half of them small one though). I think I am fine but if I see mask I will still buy maybe if my friends need.

I dunno how bad is new coronavirus but at least prevention is better o~ other than mask we need to maintain our hygiene. I'm trying my best to take shower everyday 😂 and always wash my hands.

Homophones Across Languages

Around two weeks ago, I went to 7-Eleven nearby my home and charged my Nanaco (7-Eleven membership and prepaid electronic money) card. I wanted to charge for 1000 yen. I gave my money to the staff, he charged my card, then used the Nanaco to pay stuff I bought.

But then he put 1000 yen one more time to my card. Wait, but he charged already in the beginning right? Hmmm... And then he wanted to give my 1000 yen back. I rejected since it was the money to pay my card charge. If I received then I would get 3000 yen for free 😂

While walking home, I checked the receipt, and yeah, he put 2000 yen on my money. I was thinking a little bit, should I assume this as my luck or should I go back to the store to tell this that the staff made a mistake. I ended up doing the first one 😂 Greedy human.

And the staff who made a mistake was an old man and his name is たい (Tai).

Few days later, I went to the same eleven around 11 pm. That time, the staff who served me is the owner and his name is also Tai. Out of curiosity, I asked him whether Tai-san who is always work in the morning is his father, and immediately the owner and another guy said, "Yes, he is our father." Then I realised another guy also has the same name: Tai. They are brothers. 

I asked them whether they are Japanese because this is my first time to know Japanese family name Tai. If Chinese family name Tai, many people has it. The owner said many Tais are from northern part of Kyoto. The owner brother told me the kanji of is 'ta' of 'field' and 'i' from 'well: 田井.When I got back home, I checked and even there is a town called 'Tai' in Kyoto.

Then I got more curious whether they have been to Indonesia or not. What if they reserve a hotel room, and the receptionist ask them, "So the booking is in the name of Mr. Tai?"

And since Japanese most likely using their family name to introduce themselves then they will say,

"Hi, I am Tai."

And what if they start to learn Bahasa Indonesia, and they will say, "Saya Tai."

Tai means 'shit' in Indonesian 😭

One day, I went to Kebab store near my school with a Nigerian friend. He talked about Nigerian snack he is missing called Puff Puff. I think it is similar with poffertjes or doughnut. I checked immediately on Google with keyword: puff puff Japan. And what I found was, "puff puff is a Japanese term for the placing of a person's face between a woman's breasts, often for sexual pleasure". 😭😭😭

Nigerian also has snack called 'chin chin', and it means 'men's genital' in Japanese. 😂

What if a Japanese visits a family in Nigeria and they serve chinchin and puff puff for him/her 😭

In my school there is a lady called 'Saaru'. In Japanese, 'saru' means monkey, and in Javanese 'saru' means 'obscene'. Another case, there is a teacher in my school who has an Arabic name, and it means 'monkey' in Nepali 😂