Sayonara Sale

Well, it's nearly time to leave Japan. We went through our place and have a heap of household items and clothes to sell/giveaway. If you live in Japan please have a look. Or if you know someone who lives in Japan, please let them know. We would hate to just gomi (chuck) a lot of these things.

We can send COD in Japan for the clothes and smaller household items. Or pick up in Hirakata Osaka for the larger items.

Men's and women's shirts

skirts, pants, socks, sweaters, jackets, shoes. Washing machine, mixer

drawers etc. Please take a look.

Pictures of everything for sale

La Sure Am!

Japlish Japlish everywhere in Japan. I thought I was immune to it and then I walked past La PIST. I guess it's not technically Jap'lish' as it appears to be French. So maybe Japrench or Japench? Is pist a word in French?

*giggle*

Adopt a virtual pet

Kit Kat in a Can

Too busy to pop into a conbini for your choc fix? No worries, grab a can of kit kat with your coffee at this vending machine.

What flavour Pocky are you?

what flavor pocky are you?

[c] sugardew

I've never even seen milk pocky!! Now white chocolate pocky....that is gooood.

Japanese cinemas gets smelly

Japanese cinemas gets smelly

It was only a matter of time.

New hair cut

It is boy short with blonde, pink and purple bits.

According to Yutaka, I look like a 'British punk'. Why British, i'm not sure?

Limericks

Inspired by Fluid Pudding and her 'Annual Trip to the OB/GYN', I pulled out a couple of limericks I wrote a few months ago.

The first is based on a true story:

There was a young girl in Japan
Who went to that land with a plan
She went there to teach
It wasn’t a peach
And she ended up finding a man

The second is fictional...oh, who am I kidding, I guess it's true too except my name didn't rhyme with Japan:

There was a plump lady named Fran
Who started to work in Japan
They all were surprised
At the size of her thighs
So she stuck to a sushi diet plan

What Kind of Cookie Are You?

You Are a Jam Cookie

On the outside, you project a straight-laced, innocent vibe. But on the inside, you're complex, exotic, and full of flavor.

What Kind of Cookie Are You?

Our Move

A couple of people asked me in the comments, so I thought i'd post about it. Yutaka and I are moving to Australia at the end of May. We always had the plan to move to Australia and last year we applied for his spouse visa. It came through earlier than expected about a month ago.

So now comes the crazy moving, packing, planning, stressing time. One big bummer about an international marriage, you have to be apart from someone's family. So as you can imagine, my parents are happy we're moving close and Yutaka's are sad we're going.

It feels so right though and Yutaka and I are excited about starting this next phase of our lives.

Migraines

I had a lousy weekend. Both days I woke up with a migraine and had to spend a lot of both days in bed. So I missed out on going to an antiques fair in Kyoto that i'd been dying to go to. I am soooo bummed!!! And today, just a lousy normal Monday, I wake up feeling great.

What causes migraines? Perhaps I am stressing about our imminent move and all the things we have to do before we go. Or perhaps because i've taken on a busy teaching schedule for last week and this week?

Accident at the local train station.

I wrote the following passage the day this incident happened (March 19th) and posted it to an internet group that I’m a member of. Yesterday I had my camera with me at my local train station where it occurred and was able to take some pics to help tell this story. So today I decided to post this to my blog also.

Yutaka and I were heading into the city this morning. At our local train station the train pulls up and a family of a Grandma, Mother and little (2 or 3 year old) son rush up to the door. Yutaka and I were standing behind them a bit to the side and then right in front of my eyes, the Mother and Grandma step onto the train and the little boy steps into the gap between the train and the platform and falls straight down!

So the Mum starts going ballistic, I signal the train driver to stop (or not go) then get down on my knees to try and help the poor little thing. It was such a long way down and we couldn't reach him and then this big guy rushes up and just pulls him up in one swift movement.

All the little boy had was a bit of dirt on his face (not to mention he'll probably be scared of trains for life).

Man, it was soooo scary. I can't even imagine what the Mother felt. My heart was pumping for so long afterwards.

This station is currently under construction to make the platform stick out more towards the train, the old gap was stupidly wide. But this little boy fell at the new (narrower) section.

I feel all teary just thinking about it.

Extra story- I just remembered a few years ago at a train station at the end of the line, the doors open on one side, shut, then open on the other. I had got off the train and was walking along the platform when I saw the door shut...right on an old man! He was stuck and people were trying to pry open the door.

Now, i'm just scaring myself with these stories...

Short Memory

This song by the Australian group Midnight Oil has always touched me. I was listening to it again today and felt the need to post the lyrics here.

Conquistador of Mexico, the Zulu and the Navaho
The Belgians in the Congo short memory
Plantation in Virginia, the Raj in British India
The deadline in South Africa short memory
The story of El Salvador, the silence of Hiroshima
Destruction of Cambodia short memory

Short memory, must have a, short memory

The sight of hotels by the nile, the designated hilton style
With running water specially bought short memory
A smallish man Afghanistan, a watch dog in a nervous land
They're only there to lend a hand short memory
Wake up in sweat at dead of night
And in the tents new rifles hey short memory

If you read the history books you'll see the same things happen again and again
Repeat repeat short memory they've all got it
When are we going to play it again
Got a short, got a short, got a short, got a short
They've got a short must have a short they've got a short aah
Short memory, they've got a.

Midnight Oil

Natto (fermented soy beans) and quail eggs....yum! NOT

natto and quail eggs
Originally uploaded by eecue.

Have you ever seen a more disgusting looking food?

What 2007 Car Should You Drive?

You Should Drive a Jaguar XK 4.2

You don't care how you get there as long as you get there with class. And having a little power doesn't hurt either!

What 2007 Car Should You Drive?

What does it mean to be white?

What does it mean to be white? From SCU News

"Unpacking white privilege is like asking a fish to notice water or birds to notice air," she said, quoting a favourite phrase.

I want people to explore their own attitudes and values by asking themselves how they perceive whiteness. For example, is white a race or is it a social construct?

If you were blind, you'd have no concept of the colour of a person, so would their skin colour affect how you related to them? Think about flesh-coloured underwear. Think about skin-coloured bandaids. They're always pink.

An interesting follow on from my post here:
Being White, the new uncool?

Pink Cyclamen

Look what is flowering in my garden! I had never been able to get a second season out of a cyclamen before. I am so chuffed.

Personal DNA

Well it's no secret that I like taking online personality tests. I like to see how the results compare from test to test and day to day. This test was actually interesting to complete and gives the outcome in written, graphical and pictorial form. You can also invite your friends to assess your personality.

Try it. Hold the cursor over each coloured bar below to see what it represents.

My results:

Benevolent Leader


My Personal DNA Report

He did good

Worked on Valentine's Day. Was really tired. Got home. Went shopping. Planned dinner. Felt really sleepy. Nothing romantic had happened. Then the doorbell rang and an arrangement was delivered.



Made me cry. What a sweetie. Yutaka did good.

What Kind of Food Are You?

You Are French Food

Snobby yet ubiquitous. People act like they understand you more than they actually do.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Because I like cheese??!!