I Eat Everyday

 Today, I had a dental appointment. Going out in this heat, I didn't want to but I had to.  As soon as I open the door and step out, the humidity and the heat hit me. I immediately start sweating, and I can feel that my cap is getting wet. I was worried about my body because my stomach was weird last night which made me vomit.  Then as soon as you step into a carriage of the train, it is cold. I felt cold. The extremes of hot and cold affect my body. It sounds weird, but I usually get cold during the summer in Japan because of this.  My dentist got a new chair, and it looked very fancy. She told me that I need a small-headed toothbrush for my molars because my Oral-B head is not small enough to reach back there. So, I got one. On the way home, I stopped by the supermarket. Purchased avocados to make a toast. It was yum.  Right now, I am sitting and finishing my last assignments of a course I am taking online, and sweating.  Oh, I restarted my fasting and di...

 Work drama 2 Here is what happened.       At the beginning of the year, several structural changes were implemented. At least, they are in work-in-progress. My position didn't change but got the official recognition of the work that I was doing for the last 5 years.       We had a head teacher. That person became the English School Director, which is basically the same position but a different name. Because he is in this new position, he thinks he has to butt in everybody's job. According to his new job description, he has to know everybody's work and schedule. However, he is not doing a good job of it or demanding the position responsibilities from the lady who does all the things aka my supervisor. It has been years since he only has a title and she does everything because she is Japanese. He can't speak Japanese even though he has been living here for more than two decades. I understand it is very easy to live in a bubble where you don't ...

     Every day has been over 30 degrees Celsius. During this heat, it is smelly if you are riding trains like me. don't think Japanese people realize that they stink.       Imagine this: you are standing next to a guy whose arm is stretched to hold on to the rail. You get a whiff of his underarm smell, and you must stand next to him until he or you get off because the train is packed. After all, it is rush hour. OR… you finally get a seat next to a guy. That guy is talking to someone that is sitting next to him. Every time he opens his mouth, you get the smell of someone who is not in the habit of brushing his teeth. Again, you must sit next to him because the train is packed. AND…you wish you had a mask to put on.       I don’t think Japanese people realize that they stink or don’t care about personal hygiene. Sounds ironic. Japan is the land of onsens and public bathhouses.       The majority of the time, you w...

     It is mid-June, and it is starting to get hot. We are still rainy season. However, it is hot when it is sunny.      Japan has a lot to see if you are traveling. On top of that, if you like the summer season, I applaud you.       I don't like the summer season. It probably is my least favorite of the seasons. Japanese summer, I would call it, the sweaty season.       If you are like me who sweat easily, the one you sweat through the crack of your butt, you will not like Japanese summer.       So, the sweaty season of the year has started. At this moment, it is tolerable. There will be a nice breeze, like today, once in a while. I feel overall okay when going out (of course with my hat and sunscreen).        Once July starts and rolls over to August, that is when it becomes unbearable. I would sweat just sitting still. I felt that last year when I broke bones in my foot ...

     I always wanted to own a house of my own. Since returning from my vacation, I have been seeing properties along with my cousins. Up until now, there wasn't any property that I liked. However, yesterday, we saw a property that I liked that everybody liked. Right then, I thought I would go for it.       So, after seeing the property, I applied for the mortgage. After sending my application, there was a feeling and thought that I might have decided on my emotions instead of rational thinking.       Right now, my mind is trying to justify the decision that I made yesterday. Other factors that affect whether I will get the house is getting approval for the loan. We will have to wait and see. 

     There are so many easy fixes that help with traffic jams around the world. Two arguments are happening in my mind. One is that those easy fixes work because everybody is polite and mannered while driving. Good manners happen everywhere and all the time. Maybe Mongolians lack that and cannot be better than they are now. The other argument is Mongolians ignore road safety rules and laws. Rules and regulations are in place to provide everybody with a safe journey from Point A to B. Maybe Mongolians ignore all of them when they are behind the wheel and think it is "survival of the fittest."       Like any problem, it is a combination of everything. One part concerns the lack of mannerisms, another part is the ignorance of the rules and regulations, another part is that everybody feels that everybody else has to give way, another part is that lights change too fast, and another part is maybe the lack of sufficient parking.       One...

     I have noticed that people do things with a half-assed attitude in Mongolia, or rather, people who are building stuff don't have any architectural sense or imagination. Here is what I mean.       I went to a specific store with my parents. Right next to the store, there was a ramp and a staircase (built together). The only purpose that was done was to provide access to people, including a wheelchairs. The ramp and staircase are providing that. However, it was built only using the concrete mixture. There is no architectural sense or beauty. When I saw them, I felt ashamed and sad for everybody. I felt ashamed because even now, at least during my lifetime, people are treating their job out of spite for the Mongolian corrupt government. I felt sad because the project could have brought some gentrification to the area, and the people who executed the project don't have the decency to think a little more than what was required of them.   ...

It has been a few weeks since I posted.  I went home for a couple of weeks. It felt nice and comfortable, but upsetting at the same time.  One of the nicest and necessary things that I have done for myself was getting traditional medicine treatment for my body. This was also my mom's hope when I went home.  In Mongolia, we have a traditional medicine. The doctors feel your veins and arteries and diagnose how your internal organs are performing. It may feel very alien to Western ears, but such medicine exists in Asia.  So, I had my doctor's appointment. The doctor felt my veins and arteries, and said the following. (1) She said I drink too much water, especially cold water. Because of that, my kidneys are working very hard. Moreover, because Japan is very humid and cold, my kidneys are cold. Normally, the kidneys are supposed to feel warm. The symptom, I realized later on, was frequent urination. (2) Because of my excess water consumption, my internal organs had local...

     For as long as I can remember, Mongolia celebrated March 8th. In my teenage years, I found out that it was the International Women's Day. The day that women fought for their rights, today my rights.       On a personal level, I don't care much for celebrations. Basically, I treat them as any normal day.       In Mongolia, celebrations are on different levels. That celebration always means excessive drinking. If the celebrations are about women, that means women expecting, more like demanding, some kind of gifts from their significant others. I find that whole thing bizarre.       Yesterday, my dad was reading the news and pointed out that in Mongolia more than 700 women spent the night in a place we call, eruuljuuleh tub or sobering up centers (roughly translating into English). Based on that, I am amazed at how low Mongolian people get.       It is not just this day. The majority of cele...

     Getting home on Sunday evening from our Lunar New Year celebration, I started to feel sick. The funny thing is that I know what I ate that made me ill. It was the good old lamb meat.       Living in Japan, I mostly eat beef, pork, and chicken. Sometimes, I cook internal organs such as the liver or heart.       For the celebration, my cousin and his girlfriend cooked some lamb meat. I had a few pieces along with the famous buuz. Halfway through the dinner, my stomach started to bloat, and it began to feel very uncomfortable. Right then, I knew I was going to be sick.       I got home fine and started to continue working on the small gifts that I was making for my students, who were graduating in a couple of weeks. Slowly, my stomach started to act up. My visits to the toilet increased and I felt sick every time I sat in front of the toilet ready to vomit. After a couple of hours, it happened, everything that ...

     Like many Asian countries, Mongolians celebrate the Lunar New Year or we call it Tsagaan Sar.      We put an elaborate centerpiece, aka tavag, which consists of long-shaped fried dough with engraving. The number of layers depends on the household head or the elder. For example: If the head of the household is in their 30s, the layer would be three. If the person is in their 40s, the number of layers would be five. If the person is elderly, then the number would be nine. The centerpiece layer number cannot end in an even number. That is also reflected in the gifts that the guests receive, hence the guests would receive usually 3 pieces of things. On top, we put candies, aaruul (my favorite snack made from milk), and anything (people usually put white edible things).       Another thing we put on the table is an almost whole sheep, obviously cooking either steam or smoking. The "almost whole sheep" means that the front portion of the ...

So, I moved to Japan about 2 years ago for school. As a Mongolian, I love to eat, especially meat, and first I struggled with Japanese meat. Do not give me wrong because I know Japan is famous for its Wagyu and Kobe beef. HOWEVER, I prefer to eat Mongolian meat that comes from cattle that roamed the pasture and only consumed grass.  On top of that, I tried eating keto to lose some fat. I really struggled with finding ingredients that are low-carb, since Japan is a rice country. More on that later! So, in order to be accountable with myself, I created an Instagram account and started posting my food pictures, hence the photos for some inspiration.  During the last 2 years, I did keto on and off. Finally, I am starting to learn what I like to eat and how I should eat that is good for my body. Now, I tend to eat keto but I do not restrict high-carb foods like bread and rice. I live in JAPAN, the rice is very delicious!!! Hope you will join me on this blog and share your experienc...