New year…no blog.

So no recently updates from me since about September. Shock, horror and shame.

Too much and not a lot, at the same time, has been going on here.

I really do not see the point in updating in great details the last four-something months, because frankly it would take me another four-something months.

So let’s just start as of now! Thanks to my wonderful Scott, one of my dreams came true and he treated me to a trip to Disneyland last year around December! So now I can cross that off my list – only a visit to New York is left now!!!

As of everything else – the job is as it is, the school year is over in two months and some, and selfishly I am waiting for lessons to end. Were my teachers back at school as cynical about their lessons when I was studying??

On another not, I really need to start finding a hobby AND start enjoying my weekends. As for now I get the unsatisfied feeling of wanting to go somewhere, and when I’m out wanting to be at home with a book and a blanket. And when I’m at home with a book and a blanket, I want to go somewhere…you see a pattern developing here? And that’s driving me insane in the brain. It’s gotta stop. So if anyone has ANY suggestions about hobbies – please let me know. I’d like to do something creative.

So for now, I am going to go and put my thoughts together while I try to familiarize myself with the settings of this blog, again!

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Guess who’s back?

So it has been ages and a half since I have blogged….Albeit subtle hits that I should update my blog, something made me refuse sitting down and writing about what has been going on.

So it is already September. Can you imagine that this year is almost over??? Where does the time go?? You look back and all you see is routine with a few weekends inbetween. Pretty standard. But anyways. I had a great summer. Doing this job makes up for the one month vacation that I get, although unpaid..(shhh, must not remind self). I spent a little time in Japan, hanging out, eating oysters, going to Tokyo Sealife Park,  going to summer matsuri and generally just having a great time not working. Then I went back to London and spent all of, oh what, one day there? Before heading with my family down to Cote d’Azur for 5 days. Nice was great. Beautiful beaches, palm trees, pure sunshine and amazing food. What more could you want? For once, I actually couldn’t complain about anything. I ate an amazing variety of pizza, oysters, seafood, watermelon, salads and of course, onion soup. If the French Riviera has one thing…it’s definitely food.

For once in a great while I also got an even tan (almost) without burning first. I was very proud. Thanks to Hawaiian Tanning Oil!! mmm the smell of coconut…makes me want to go back…But I digress. After coming back to London, I headed to visit Amelie in Dusseldorf. Although only for 2 days, we had a great time. Eating great Thai food, sushi, hanging out at home, eating lovely dinner with champage in the garden and talking, talking, talking.

Finally coming back to London for longer than 48 hours, I was able to sit back and not worry about packing and boarding another airplane. Being at home was great. I have almost forgotten that kitchens around the world are bigger than a sink and a stove and that you can have an actual shower without climbing into an ofuro. Homemade meals and sleeping in your own bed can never be replaced.

Eventually though, I had to pack up and get on my Tokyo bound flight, 6th and final flight in a span of two weeks. Arriving in Tokyo I was greeted by lovely Scott, who was kind enough to come and meet me at Narita, and of course the incredible heat which hasn’t changed since I left. Japan’s summer IS hot, though. And although walking or biking in it is an incredible challenge, I can’t help but smile and feel happy at the pure bright sunshine outside my window. So while I complain that it’s ‘atsui’, just about like every other human being here, I love walking out of my apartment and seeing sunshine.

As it is, vacation came to an end and here I am working again. My first lesson back is tomorrow, so we shall see how that goes. Other than that all is the same. I have finally cleaned my apartment and, with the help of Scott, my kitchen and organized my closet. So now I have no reason to not enjoy coming back home.

Many ideas to write about here at a later stage, but until then…. stay tuned!

Spring?

Oh lordy, so I really need to get used to blogging more often….I tend to wait until something worth blogging happens until I write….But not this time..

Nothing really exciting has been going on over here. I started work, so am just getting used to waking up early and heading out and working etc., etc.. The weather has been atrocious. Hot and sunny one day and pouring and freezing the next. What is up??

But on a side note, last weekend the weather was great. So warm and spring-like. And it was so great to not wear a bazillion layers and go out and get a coffee and enjoy the pretty cherry blossoms outside. Really, really nice.

At the start of this week I also had this sudden urge to throw out all of my make up that I don’t use but still keep…still haven’t done it though…should I?? No, but really…should I??

Thankfully, tomorrow is Friday. Finally on Saturday I have my first day off in a few weeks..a reall weeknd. Gosh, I’ve forgotten how that feels…

Right now, I was contemplating whether to have some tea or eat the ice cream that I bought yesterday. So, because I am how I am…I’m having both! 🙂 Let me tell you..Häagen-Dazs is doing something right!!! Macadamia Nut is delicious!

So, I suppose that is it for now. I shall be kicking back with my ice cream and tea (reallll good for my teeth..) and another episode of 30 Rock!

Hope you are well. Promise again to write updates more often!!

Oh and P.S. – my new craze is hot sauce… Had half a bottle with popcorn today (recipe courtesy of S.T.Y)…seriously..junk food much??

 

New cozy furniture!

YaaayyY! Now I don’t have to spend my evenings sitting on my rug, eating on the floor with my body z-shaped! I finally bought a mini-table and a zaisu (or a small reclining chair!)

I’m so happy with it! Probably a lot better for my back!! Wahooo! It’s all awesome colors too… I love pink and blue, so here goes!! I can never decide between which I like more, so I decided that it’s a good combination! Yay!!

Also, since it was Easter this weekend, Happy Easter to Everyone!!! Here are my mini-decorations for my apartment and the eggs that I decorated!

 

Yesterday I went to Kiddyland… It’s pretty much a Sanrio store…with all those typically Japanese (and other) characters! Such as Hello Kitty, Snoopy, Rilakkuma, CareBears etc etc. The store is 4 or so floors and it was great. I don’t usually go there, but I was feeling silly soo…. One thing I realized, no longer do i scream in excitement when I see stuff like that…is that bad?? Have I lost the child in me? Or maybe I just wasn’t in that mood or so…Did I turn into too much of an adult?? Who knows. But it was pretty cute…And I bought a new mug that I can use at school (since I work at Elementary, I may as well try and connect with the kids on some level..). Here goes the mug! Mamegoma! Which is Japanese means small (mame), sesame seed-mottled seal (goma), which technically means small spotted seal. It’s super cute! (Yeah, that’s right, I said it! 🙂 )

It’s raining again today..and tonight I will just be chilling at my with my new furniture, some tea and choco pies! Yay last few days of vacation!!

Hope it’s sunny tomorrow!

Courtesy of STY

Nikko Trip

 

So last weekend Scott and I went to Nikko. It was my first trip to go on for a while and I was super excited. Nevermind the fact that it is well north in Tochigi, which meant that it would be a fair bit colder….Nevermind that, one of Scott’s students lend us an SLR camera, which meant we could take awesome pictures while we are there!!

The train ride was over two hours and really not so bad. The scenery, however, was a different story… Above that, the weather was not so amazing and it was really gray and cloudy..which made the it seem even more miserable.

However! When we finally got to our station, it was fffffreezing!! And the station looked…..quite…something…Can I say…ruins?

Gorgeous ruins at Kosagoe Station

  When we go to our hotel, though, it was great! Typical Japanese style “ryokan” hotel, with tatami-mat rooms, wooden sliding doors, futons and an onsen. The view from the window was gorgeous too!! It was so peaceful and tranquil….Totally beautiful!!

 

The dinner course was delicious too!!! The meal was huge and I think I was still full the next morning…. Check it out!

Towards the evening it began to……SNOW. AS IF I haven’t had enough of that this winter…But to be really honest, being far away from my usual life, not worrying about travelling the next morning or anything at all, I loved seeing the falling snow..So soft, light and so very peaceful. We tried to go outside to take pictures of it at night, but it hardly worked..

We woke up to find that the snow is still outside and hasn’t melted!! Moreover, the sun was out and it all looked like out of a guide-book! 

Like the dinner, the next morning’s meal was yummy! A typically Japanese breakfast with fish, rice and all those yummies!!

After breakfast we set out for Nikko! Luckily it was still sunny while we were getting ready. Unfortunately that didn’t last very long. Once we got to Nikko it was still sunny…but the wind………….oh.my.god. We took a bus that got us to Lake Chuzenji (中禅寺湖). When we got there, it was fffffreeeezing again. And windy. But sunny.Oh. and snow everywhere. And. Since it was windy and the snow was so light, it was snow wind. Yay!! On pictures it looks like the most perfect day ever..But in reality…..oh my.Anyways. Here are the pictures. So enjoy!!

After that we just HAD to go somewhere inside for lunch to warm up….The wind sort of stopped and after we set out to look at the Kegon Falls (華厳滝). It was really really pretty…But unfortunately the trees were still brown and gray..which didn’t really add to a very pretty picture, but either way… Here goes.

All in all, it was a very nice trip, with gorgeous pictures, delicious food and great company. I’m really happy I went and have finally taken a trip somewhere around! Where to next??  

Do humans ever evolve?

I used to think I had the answers to everything.. I used to be able to be happy, I used to smile and enjoy the simplest things in life. Recently…I realize that I have those moments less and less. Is it because we get older? Grow up? Tend to think that the simple things that we used to take pleasure in are no longer important?

For a year I have worked with elementary school kids. It being my first year working with young children I rummaged my mind trying to think of interesting games so that the kids could enjoy my class. I kept thinking that even the simplest, most repetitive, monotonous games would be too boring for the little ones. Surely there is no way somebody could enjoy hitting an eraser on the table every time the teacher said a specific word…?? No way. But more and more, I realized, young kids are so simple. So pure, so innocent and so easily entertained. It can be the most pathetic game for adults, but kids will get a kick out of it as if it is the best time of their life…

I remember a couple of years ago, I was on the train with someone, who for that time was a boyfriend, and across from us was a family. One kid kept asking his dad to pull him up to the horizontal handle bar on the train so that he could hang off it and then ask the dad to take him down. Over and over again. The little boy was laughing, cracking up with the biggest smile on his small little face ever. And I remember looking at him, how happy he was, doing something so simple like that…. Why is it that when we get older we stop enjoying simple things like that? We are always missing something. Be it money, a person, the right weather, the right mood, something of value, it is always SOMETHING that isn’t there that’s stopping us from enjoying a particular thing. Why is it that we can’t cook a good meal, sit down, eat it, enjoy someone’s company and that’s it. Be happy. The end. It always has to be something, something that will come along, that will make you think that something is missing.

So in some ways, I am really happy that I will have another chance of working with kids again. Moreso than they learn English from me, maybe I will learn to enjoy the simple things in life from them… Maybe I will have a chance to extend my happiness, to make it last longer, to make it more available. Instead of always stopping and picking on whatever is wrong with the perfectly happy, acceptable situation. Maybe each and every one should step back, look around, take some time to go to the playground once in a while, or something. Just to sit back and learn. Learn from the young, pure, innocent childer. Learn to have fun. Learn to laugh. Learn to enjoy. Learn to never question why. Learn to never try to understand. Just stand back. Smile. Look around. Appreciate. And smile again.

When do we become someone?

So I was laying in bed last night and a random thought crossed my mind…

So everyone has a dream, right? Or many, in some cases. Some people just live their lives without accomplishing anything, some strive to always do things in life and reach goals that they set for themselves….

I`ve always been thrown off by people who are just content with what they have. Or when asked what they what to do in their life, they said “I just want to live a comfortable life”. I thought to myself, how can somebody just say that? No goals, nothing you want to see or do in life, just a comfortable life?? Everyone wants a comfortable life, everyone wants to be happy, isn`t that a universal desire?? What is it that you do that makes you get there though?

I know those who are out there, doing things. Doing SOMETHING, becoming SOMEONE…And I admire their stamina. Their ability to stick with what they have set for themselves, their ability to overcome whatever comes their way…I also know those, who just sail through life. No problems, nothing to overcome, nothing to beat, nothing to strive for. Plain sailing. They`ve never had to deal with major experiences in their lives, never had to prove anything to anyone or themselves. And selfishly, it made me angry. It`s not that I was jealous of them, no, not at all. I was more angry..that they do nothing and still get everything. Whereas there some of us, who work like dogs, also strive to do something, to get somewhere, to become better, to improve ourselves or what we are doing.. And it is so incredibly difficult, even then.

What is that? Is that destiny? Faith? For some, it`s one way, for others it`s different?

So, there I was wondering. What about those that want to become something, someone. Those who have goals, but who haven`t yet started to accomplish them? When does that leap forward happen? If ever…. Wanting is one thing…but how does it happen?? What does it take? And when does it happen?  Or are there just those, who always strive, but never achieve? I wish I knew…. Maybe that way..it would give me a better understanding of what to do in life, if I`m doing something right at all…if I`m even remotely on the right path…..How does one know? And will one ever? Or do we just live lives hoping that one day it will be clearer…Living a comfortable life is all nice and well…but what does it take to get there?

So here`s to hope…that somehow there will come a sign, that what you`re doing is right.

What`s up in Saitama??

Hello World!

So it`s almost been a decade since I have blogged..Why aren`t I getting better at this??

I got sick a few weeks ago.. Probably the worst my immune system has felt in a couple of years…I was down with a fever, coughing, sinus infection and an eye inflammation… Overall,　you would say, gorgeous…But thankfully I had a very special person who took care of me and calmed me down throughout my panic attacks. Thank you.

On a different note, I am coming up to finishing my first year in Japan. In fact, I have bypassed my one year anniversary of being in Japan again last week. Wahooo!! Altogether it has been two years of me living in Japan. Although with a one year break inbetween…Thank you, Japan, for taking care of me throughout all this time!!

BIG NEWS! I cleaned my entire apartment last weekend!!!!! Everything! All of it. It is the most satisfying feeling to wake up the morning after you have cleaned and feel like you have conquered the world!! I love it!! I forever never want my apartment to get that dirty ever again!!!

Next step? To clean out my closet..But I suppose that will happen over the spring break!!

I finished my last day at one of my schools yesterday. The students and the teachers were so sweet to me!! And I also received a bouquet of flowers!! It was a little bit sad to see my 6^th grade kids graduate….How is it that people get so attached to the students that they teach??

Tomorrow is my last day at my other school.. Who knows what schools I will be at next semester..All you can really do is hope, huh?

As it is, I am running out of time as I want to go see a lesson with one of the teachers..Sorry for such a short update, but more will be written as soon as I am on vacation!!

Until then take care, stay healthy and keep smiling!

Peace out! 🙂

Finally

Slowly, but surely I’m going to update on the ups and downs of my life recently. 

A few weeks back, I got a new phone! It’s so pink and girly….but hey, you only live once, right??  There’s loads of illumination patterns and I am totally lame for getting excited about this…But that was the highlight of my weekend a few weeks back. It’s light too, and I managed to get my contract changed and get a new phone etc all in Japanese! Wahooo me! So there we go. Some people get excited about their DS, or PS3 or whatnot. I get excited about my phone! 🙂 

 

  

Last weekend I went on a trip to go strawberry picking! That’s right. Winter. And I’m going strawberry picking. But it was a lot of fun. I wish I could remember the name of the place..but will have to edit that later. Anyway.  It was a great time. Granted that the weather was pretty terrible, raining etc, but being indoors and eating delicious, sweet strawberry was a a lot of fun! Albeit being very, very full, it was a great way to spend the day and do something unusual! Here we go. 

Yummy, sweet, delicious strawberries!

Kouhei, me, Tomomi and Scott all happy happy

Delicious perfection at its best

 This weekend it is raining again. And I have been losing my voice and having all kinds of sinus congestion, due to what appeares to be cedar tree allergies. Whatever it is, I don’t like it and I wish it would go away soon. All kinds of lethargy and all the rest of it, with no fever. It’s a real treat. Scott came over and brought me soup though. Which was incredibly sweet – thank you!  Being a teacher with no voice is hardly a good combination…. So today I stayed in all day, trying to recover. So hopefully it will all clear up before Monday. It was nice to stay in and relax and chill. Moreover, I got to finally catch up with Amelie…girlie, I miss you very much. 

This will be my last week of official classes before spring vacation. After that I will still have to go into the office, but won’t be teaching! Fun fun fun. This week should be fun since I will only be doing wrap up review games with the little kids! So stay tuned for picture updates!! 

That’s it for today! Getting hungry… To eat or to sleep? That is the question!

Long time…!

It’s been forever since I have blogged on here!

Loads of things have been happening around here…troubles with the job etc etc. But I have a lot of things to update about, which I will do as soon as I can ! Hopefully this weekend!!

Thanks everyone for stopping by!

Current news to be updated:

• New cellphone!
• Went strawberry picking!
• Lost my voice…
• Job

Update coming sooooon!! 🙂