January 1-5, 2019 Happy New Year!

January 1 (T)

Happy New Year!

I had a typical Japanese breakfast as part of New Year’s celebration. This is soba, wheat noodle, and fish and egg cake. The soba is believed to give long life.

Then, I, my parents and my Japanese friend went to do hatsumode. It is a Japanese tradition during New Year’s to go to a shrine to pay respects and make a wish. Then I took a mikuji. It is like a fortune telling. I got a daikichi, which is the very lucky one. So it says here that; health - will recover; love – good; person waiting for – will come; wish – will come true; lost item – will recover; and others. But there is no guarantee that everything will be as this fortune said, this is just a guide.

Then we went sightseeing at the nearby parks and shopping and food district. We went to see the Tennoji park and Tennoji Zoo.

Then we went to Shinsekai and eat Osaka’s delicacies like okonomiyaki and Kushi katsu. It is basically like a pancake made out of cabbage cooked on top of an iron plate. And Kushi katsu, is anything (pork, beef, quail egg or vegetables) covered with a batter and deep fried. It was very delicious.

January 2 (W)

I really walked a lot yesterday, it was very tiring but I enjoyed sightseeing. I have to pay the price of that enjoyment. My leg muscles really hurt right now. Even though I just ate 1 piece of the quail egg Kushi katsu, my stomach hurts and I am experiencing loose bowel movements (LBM) today. I really guess I cannot eat oily food anymore.

January 3 (W)

When we visited a shrine on the New Year’s, I bought a candy-coated apple, or the so-called ringo ame. It is literally an apple covered with candy. Back then I just saw it in animes, so I tried it. Indeed it is sweet!

January 4 (Th)

With nothing to do, I tried making a chocolate cake. I just used a hot cake mix then added cocoa powder, and for the filling and glazing, I used cream mixed with melted chocolate and I used peaches. Using a hot cake mix was really convenient and fast.

January 5 (F)

After saving up, and buying little by little, I accumulated these snacks. And then I packed it in small bags so that when my parents go home in the Philippines, I can give Christmas presents and pasalubong to my inaanaks (godchildren) and the kids in the neighborhood.

My medicine dosage is still at:

🌅Morning: 10mg of Predonine, 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-osteoporosis, half of blood pressure medicine, medicine for uric acid, intestinal medicine, Plaquenil, and additional medicine for infection reduced to every Monday only.

🌜Evening: 7.5mg of Predonine, 3 capsules of Prograf and 2 capsules of Cellcept, anti-cholesterol medicine, half of a blood pressure medicine and sleeping pills #1 & #2.