One of the things I am really missing at the moment is my dear friend Mona.I would usually end up at her place a couple of times a week and talk over stuff and drink any number of drinks,ranging from wine to water.Sometimes we would just drink coffee(this was rare!)Mona is now in Denmark and seems so far away.
I am missing our weekly get togethers, and so, in need of something to fill the gap I went and bought myself a milk frother.........(Mona had one too and we would drink wonderful cappucinos)It cost 1,344 yen and is superb.I am sure I could do other things with it apart from frothing milk . I now feel like I have a piece of mona too.I think I am very strange to connect so deeply with a battery operated milk frother ............anyone else have strange connections like mine? Anyways my house is now the house of great cappucino or chai latte or whipped cream! DOZO!!!!!
Monday, November 29, 2004
Friday, November 26, 2004
lost in translation
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!
I am having one of those days when everything I say comes out wrong ! I managed to insult my friend quite unwittingly and feel terrible. I failed to communicate with my man in a way that was loving and kind.All these things just create distance and I just wanna pop outside myself and say "hey everyone! I am nice, REALLY,I want to love you guys more ! I want you to love me more! I wanna hang out more ! I want to be part of a community and feel part of something" I guess I just wanna belong ! Am i normal?? Does anyone get me??
I am having one of those days when everything I say comes out wrong ! I managed to insult my friend quite unwittingly and feel terrible. I failed to communicate with my man in a way that was loving and kind.All these things just create distance and I just wanna pop outside myself and say "hey everyone! I am nice, REALLY,I want to love you guys more ! I want you to love me more! I wanna hang out more ! I want to be part of a community and feel part of something" I guess I just wanna belong ! Am i normal?? Does anyone get me??
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Falling Leaves............
Wow!! Isn't this beautiful weather just the best??? Last year I remember it got cold during October and I was wrapped in scarves, several layers and whoever I could find to huddle up too!!
This year is just one glorious warm day after another!! Being a tropical type of gal I have to say this is a much more pleasurable experience for me! Dont get me wrong I LUUUUUUUUURVE the snow ,but it has its time and place!
This sunday we decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and head out west to Okutama! I dont like getting up too early on my day off but Jonathan hauled me out of bed or should I say lured me out of bed and got us on the road at a very un-sunday like time of 8am.........all good things sometimes come with an investment or some kind of sacrifice and this was definately one of them! We arrived in Okutama (the end of the Ome line ,take the chuo to Tachikawa and change)around 10.15am and were met with smiling faces and enthusiasm galore! By this time I had managed to wake up sufficiently but it took 3 coffees and several cigs to get me there! I know !I know! I am a lush! I need stimulants man!
Anyways we started our hike in Okutama and made our way through the sunshine! Destination Okutama itself! Yes a huge damned lake,with no end in site.
As I said by the time we started walking I was feeling a little more lively and ready for anything! Our first stop was a shrine that was not visible unless one walked up ,i would say at least a hundred steps.Brad our beloved friend and tour guide assured me that if I ran up these steps (chotto steep) that I would have good luck for a year! A sucker for this kind of thing I dashed up there on the heels of 2 other fellas and made it to the top barely alive!( Bless my calves)
It was well worth it as now I feel I am blessed with luck in abundance and am sure I worked off a few pounds in the process! It got me my first whiff of damp mossy autumn though! Yum!
After this rather rude start to the day we continued on along what is called Mukashi Kaido.It used to be the main road through the area which I think now is Ome Kaido.Through lush beautiful reds ,yellows , burnt siennas,waterfalls gushing merrily , leaves dancing down upon us,the sound of laughter as 7 adults make like kids ,the abundance of Konichiwa's as we pass the several hundred seniour citizens out for a jaunt (not too many young folk out here! I guess the shopping and the lie in is all that sunday affords the tokyoites these days!),the deep lined faces of farmers selling fresh wasabe and vegetables on the side of the road who are ready to give you a full historial run down for just a smile,the hush of shrines and the on looking weathered trees...........Its all a mosaic of a perfest scene on a perfect day!
I wondered to myself why more of us dont get out there more often?? It was so good to get back to nature and watch the changing of the season and honour it.I felt like I had a 3 day holiday break all packed into one and man did we sleep well that night! What more could you want???
Ill let the pics tell more of the story! Enjo! Thanks all to those who made it a great day!
This year is just one glorious warm day after another!! Being a tropical type of gal I have to say this is a much more pleasurable experience for me! Dont get me wrong I LUUUUUUUUURVE the snow ,but it has its time and place!
This sunday we decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and head out west to Okutama! I dont like getting up too early on my day off but Jonathan hauled me out of bed or should I say lured me out of bed and got us on the road at a very un-sunday like time of 8am.........all good things sometimes come with an investment or some kind of sacrifice and this was definately one of them! We arrived in Okutama (the end of the Ome line ,take the chuo to Tachikawa and change)around 10.15am and were met with smiling faces and enthusiasm galore! By this time I had managed to wake up sufficiently but it took 3 coffees and several cigs to get me there! I know !I know! I am a lush! I need stimulants man!
Anyways we started our hike in Okutama and made our way through the sunshine! Destination Okutama itself! Yes a huge damned lake,with no end in site.
As I said by the time we started walking I was feeling a little more lively and ready for anything! Our first stop was a shrine that was not visible unless one walked up ,i would say at least a hundred steps.Brad our beloved friend and tour guide assured me that if I ran up these steps (chotto steep) that I would have good luck for a year! A sucker for this kind of thing I dashed up there on the heels of 2 other fellas and made it to the top barely alive!( Bless my calves)
It was well worth it as now I feel I am blessed with luck in abundance and am sure I worked off a few pounds in the process! It got me my first whiff of damp mossy autumn though! Yum!
After this rather rude start to the day we continued on along what is called Mukashi Kaido.It used to be the main road through the area which I think now is Ome Kaido.Through lush beautiful reds ,yellows , burnt siennas,waterfalls gushing merrily , leaves dancing down upon us,the sound of laughter as 7 adults make like kids ,the abundance of Konichiwa's as we pass the several hundred seniour citizens out for a jaunt (not too many young folk out here! I guess the shopping and the lie in is all that sunday affords the tokyoites these days!),the deep lined faces of farmers selling fresh wasabe and vegetables on the side of the road who are ready to give you a full historial run down for just a smile,the hush of shrines and the on looking weathered trees...........Its all a mosaic of a perfest scene on a perfect day!
I wondered to myself why more of us dont get out there more often?? It was so good to get back to nature and watch the changing of the season and honour it.I felt like I had a 3 day holiday break all packed into one and man did we sleep well that night! What more could you want???
Ill let the pics tell more of the story! Enjo! Thanks all to those who made it a great day!
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Our House!
Well it was a lovely sunny Wednesday afternoon and we were watching the elections on CNN when a full camera crew came cruising past my front door. I am not shy by any means and was curious to know what they were doing so I popped my head out and in my best Japanese said "Excuse me ,What are you doing?". The young guy turned to me and said he was going a couple of doors down to talk with a man who has been living in our building for the last 48 years. Thats the full lifetime of this brick and mortar.Apparently our building is of great cultural importance as it is the oldest in Tokyo, I say the oldest but don't mean the oldest building but it was the first mansion of its kind to be built in Tokyo. This tweaked my interest muchly! It was only a few days previously that my boss in an effort to make polite conversation had said, "I wonder why they haven't knocked down your building?? Its so old" Hmmmmmmmm........Comforting type of chat but all the same it left me thinking why.
So here was the answer. I managed to get my house mate (thank you) to do some research for me in Japanese as little was coming up in my search in English,and this is what we found out.
"Yotsuya condominium" (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) in Yotsuya, Tokyo, was the first condominium by a private sector in 1956 (Showa 31). Nihon Kaihatsu (literally translated as “Japan Development”), which dissociated and became an independent company from the real estate section of Nippon Shinpan (known for NICOS), handled the development and sales as a proprietor. In Showa 30s, the request from the members of Nippon Shinpan to have some benefits to get a residence became strong and that ignited Nippon Shinpan to progress the development and the subdivision for sale of their own property. As the land price in city area was rising in those days and the advanced use of land was a pressing need, the construction of a multistory apartment met the time.
Although it was small-scale apartment only with 28 houses in total in 5 stories, the sale-in-lots price of those days was about 2,300,000 yen for a 3LDK. That must be very luxuriant apartment, compared with the first public apartment in Miyamasu-zaka, having 60,000,000 to 1,000,000 for 2DK.
Both apartments are almost 50-year-old, existing, and people still living in there. Now the environment around the apartment is changing and people think much of stock (I do not understand what stock means here). It is glad that these apartments which can leave their name in history still exist in plain form. They are precious cultural property who teach us again that "the life of an apartment" is not depend on an advanced construction technology or the durability of concrete, but how to manage them."
I quoted this directly from the article she found and have kept the strange grammar and choice of wording as I thought it was fun!
It really tangled my brain to think that our apartment that looks like a run down 50's mess from the outside is actually an antique! In my country the houses that afford this kind of status are 150 years or older and certainly look a little finer!
I have been assured that even though it is an old apartment because of its high end status all those years ago that the materials used to build it would have been the most advanced and of the premiere quality. Its withstood 50 years of earthquakes! Will it stand another???
So here was the answer. I managed to get my house mate (thank you) to do some research for me in Japanese as little was coming up in my search in English,and this is what we found out.
"Yotsuya condominium" (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) in Yotsuya, Tokyo, was the first condominium by a private sector in 1956 (Showa 31). Nihon Kaihatsu (literally translated as “Japan Development”), which dissociated and became an independent company from the real estate section of Nippon Shinpan (known for NICOS), handled the development and sales as a proprietor. In Showa 30s, the request from the members of Nippon Shinpan to have some benefits to get a residence became strong and that ignited Nippon Shinpan to progress the development and the subdivision for sale of their own property. As the land price in city area was rising in those days and the advanced use of land was a pressing need, the construction of a multistory apartment met the time.
Although it was small-scale apartment only with 28 houses in total in 5 stories, the sale-in-lots price of those days was about 2,300,000 yen for a 3LDK. That must be very luxuriant apartment, compared with the first public apartment in Miyamasu-zaka, having 60,000,000 to 1,000,000 for 2DK.
Both apartments are almost 50-year-old, existing, and people still living in there. Now the environment around the apartment is changing and people think much of stock (I do not understand what stock means here). It is glad that these apartments which can leave their name in history still exist in plain form. They are precious cultural property who teach us again that "the life of an apartment" is not depend on an advanced construction technology or the durability of concrete, but how to manage them."
I quoted this directly from the article she found and have kept the strange grammar and choice of wording as I thought it was fun!
It really tangled my brain to think that our apartment that looks like a run down 50's mess from the outside is actually an antique! In my country the houses that afford this kind of status are 150 years or older and certainly look a little finer!
I have been assured that even though it is an old apartment because of its high end status all those years ago that the materials used to build it would have been the most advanced and of the premiere quality. Its withstood 50 years of earthquakes! Will it stand another???
Monday, November 08, 2004
Flump Day!!!
Okay today wasnt the best day for me! It took me at least 45 mins to do my hair and somehow it didnt look much different when I left!! Ho hum!
I feel really old today........
Anyways I will let the poem explain.Its an eleven minute poem(written on my way to work.......I know I know I am sooooooo lucky ! An eleven minute commute how good does it get!)
So here's eleven minutes of my day!
FLUMP DAY
Today is flump day
the wrinkles just wont go away
I'm 30 years for crying out loud
Is it not the time for feeling proud?
My butt looks huge
My thighs do too
Oh god! Oh god! I feel like poo!
My frock wont fit
Oh Shit Oh Shit
My pants I'm sure have shrunk
I'm feeling old
I'm in a funk
Theres nothing I can do
The Nihon gals look just like dolls
And here I am , a troll a troll
I feel really old today........
Anyways I will let the poem explain.Its an eleven minute poem(written on my way to work.......I know I know I am sooooooo lucky ! An eleven minute commute how good does it get!)
So here's eleven minutes of my day!
FLUMP DAY
Today is flump day
the wrinkles just wont go away
I'm 30 years for crying out loud
Is it not the time for feeling proud?
My butt looks huge
My thighs do too
Oh god! Oh god! I feel like poo!
My frock wont fit
Oh Shit Oh Shit
My pants I'm sure have shrunk
I'm feeling old
I'm in a funk
Theres nothing I can do
The Nihon gals look just like dolls
And here I am , a troll a troll
The onsen Gals
Jo and sarah
This was Jo and I looking sun kissed and relaxed(yet again) In indonesia at Christmas! yes us gals know how to do it good!!!
Jo has been a wonderful,loving supportive women to me this year! I have seen many sides to her and she just keeps on getting better!
Oasis
Living in Tokyo has its times! Often I feel tired and run down and in need of rejuvination.........Yesterday I took my beautiful friend to LA Qua .Ita a wonderful onsen in Tokyo Dome.Its been open I believe for about 2 years and is one of my favourite places to head when I need a little pick me up!
Its a real onsen in the very fact that the water comes from about 1,700 metres underground!! Thats alot of digging on behalf of relaxation and natural springs but believe me its worth it!
It was not my first time to visit La Qua .I have been several times before and I have also been by myself on several occasions.It was nice to see it through fresh eyes but honestly this place blows me away.It has a whole onsen area with natural springs,sauna,jacuzzi bath ,foot onsen and rotemburo.This section is not mixed,but I love the feeling of being naked around all the women ! Its so natural and comforting.
Then there is a Healing BAden (315 yen extra) It has heated floors and the ambience of somewhere tropical,say Bali or Thailand.You have to be dressed for this area and you are given special pajamas for it! The floors are heated and the lighting is warm and non-invasive.You can order a drink and sit on any of the platforms and enjoy the lucious green tropical feel while supping on a glass of wine!
There are no baths here just a place to relax!
Thirdly and lets not say lastly because this place has many feels and many functions ,there is the relaxation area.Its an area with beautiful plush chairs each with a small T.V and a telephone for waiter service ! Also included is a cinema, an internet area and massage chairs!! Pure bliss!
If you wanna pay extra and grab a massage then there are places you can do that too.
We enjoyed ALL of the facilities and had a wonderful relaxing time and finished up by preparing for the outside world in the .hmmmmmmm.....not sure what to say here.the leaflet says "womens locker room" I am not sure that really details it to the max! There is everything you need there to pamper yourself and look fabulous before you head out.Hairdryers ,hair products ,face products ,body products and even a make up bar!!! GIRLS!!! Its wonderful! Just be aware ! if you go with a fella you might take a little longer than he to get ready!!!
That was my lazy sunday!!! Followed by a great night sleep it was worth the cost at around 3,000 yen! Its a little extra at weekends and you have a 4 hour time limit which amazingly doesnt seem like enough time ! This place is awesome and if you ever miss your last train,well pop over there ! Its open from 11 am until 9am!!
Thanks Jo for a great day!!!
Heres the link for heaven!
http://www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/e/laqua/spa.htm
Its a real onsen in the very fact that the water comes from about 1,700 metres underground!! Thats alot of digging on behalf of relaxation and natural springs but believe me its worth it!
It was not my first time to visit La Qua .I have been several times before and I have also been by myself on several occasions.It was nice to see it through fresh eyes but honestly this place blows me away.It has a whole onsen area with natural springs,sauna,jacuzzi bath ,foot onsen and rotemburo.This section is not mixed,but I love the feeling of being naked around all the women ! Its so natural and comforting.
Then there is a Healing BAden (315 yen extra) It has heated floors and the ambience of somewhere tropical,say Bali or Thailand.You have to be dressed for this area and you are given special pajamas for it! The floors are heated and the lighting is warm and non-invasive.You can order a drink and sit on any of the platforms and enjoy the lucious green tropical feel while supping on a glass of wine!
There are no baths here just a place to relax!
Thirdly and lets not say lastly because this place has many feels and many functions ,there is the relaxation area.Its an area with beautiful plush chairs each with a small T.V and a telephone for waiter service ! Also included is a cinema, an internet area and massage chairs!! Pure bliss!
If you wanna pay extra and grab a massage then there are places you can do that too.
We enjoyed ALL of the facilities and had a wonderful relaxing time and finished up by preparing for the outside world in the .hmmmmmmm.....not sure what to say here.the leaflet says "womens locker room" I am not sure that really details it to the max! There is everything you need there to pamper yourself and look fabulous before you head out.Hairdryers ,hair products ,face products ,body products and even a make up bar!!! GIRLS!!! Its wonderful! Just be aware ! if you go with a fella you might take a little longer than he to get ready!!!
That was my lazy sunday!!! Followed by a great night sleep it was worth the cost at around 3,000 yen! Its a little extra at weekends and you have a 4 hour time limit which amazingly doesnt seem like enough time ! This place is awesome and if you ever miss your last train,well pop over there ! Its open from 11 am until 9am!!
Thanks Jo for a great day!!!
Heres the link for heaven!
http://www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/e/laqua/spa.htm
Thursday, November 04, 2004
What do you know!!!
I went out with a few friends the other night and after much beer and terrible service from the restaurant........(not sure if I should drop the name or not??? )We got to scribbling our signatures on the coasters and wondering what they can tell us about ourselves.Of course sometimes as one friend quite clearly pointed out its a case of having a signature that is really impossible to forge.
I , on the other hand have never been that logical and just wanted my signature to look nice and flow easily onto the paper. Having given it some thought I cruised the net and found this site! Wanna check out what your handwriting says about you?? then take a peek! I did it today and although some of it was way off the mark some of it was rather interesting! To note that my handwriting analysis said that I like to talk alot........about absolutely anything and everything (otherwise known as wittering) WHO ME???? NO!!!!!!
www.myhandwriting.com
Enjoy!
I , on the other hand have never been that logical and just wanted my signature to look nice and flow easily onto the paper. Having given it some thought I cruised the net and found this site! Wanna check out what your handwriting says about you?? then take a peek! I did it today and although some of it was way off the mark some of it was rather interesting! To note that my handwriting analysis said that I like to talk alot........about absolutely anything and everything (otherwise known as wittering) WHO ME???? NO!!!!!!
www.myhandwriting.com
Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Let me introduce Floppy...........
Floppy meets Gardner
World,Floppy.................Floppy,World!
Okay Okay! Yes I am 30 years old, I do have a fulltime job and a reasonable income,Yes I am relatively sane and Yes I do consider myself to be a well rounded adult,but there are times when the going gets tough and when the tough gets going Floppy comes to the rescue.
World meet one of my best friends! Yes he is an Usagi san (stuffed bunny rabbit.......not real I might add)
He has travelled the world with me,slept in numerous beds ,travelled on a host of airlines( he likes cathay) been introduced to most of my friends and seen boats ,trains and automobiles.
He has been to about 3o countries at a guess and loved Bangkok the most!
In this photo he is getting to know Gardner a dear friend of ours and protecting my drum.
For a long time I was hesitant to introduce him to the masses but recently I have met several others who also seem to have this affinity to the cuddly population.
Check out this site! http://www.zousan.com/blog/
This is Zou........he is a friend of a friend and travels extensively too.In fact Floppy and him may go to Oz together in December so watch this space about thier travels! Of course I will be the tour guide and protective mother.I am not ready for them to take on the world without an escort and floppy doesnt like to travel without me.
I also went camping a few months ago and discovered a whole host of little critters swinging in a hammock! This was a good day for me and for floppy.....I am not mad, there are others like me,sane intelligent individuals............... I am glad to have found these people and share my love of the fluffy loveable kingdom!
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