The secret world of Shell

Here we go Adelaide Crows!

2009-09-07T09:16:00.004+09:00

Huge smiles all across my face. Can't hide it, I'm in love even more with my Adelaide Crows! They played so well on Friday night against Essendon, I guess the smile is helped by the fact we inflicted a bit of pain to a Victorian team. None the less a 100 point plus drumming goes down any which way. The crowd was electric all night, loving every minute of play. Nothing like being at the ground! The game, being a sellout, was packed to the roof. Somehow we managed to be sitting right next to Essendon supporters. They were first timers to AMMI and I think they left with quite an education!

All that there is left to say is "Bring it on Collingwood!!"

Lazy Sunday

2009-07-26T12:55:00.002+09:00

I have done it again! I have a few spare minutes now and wanted to check up on everyones blogs while I had the chance and do you think I could remember my log in!! Anyway made it and it seems you have all been quite busy and happy :)

I have started working (a little more than I really care too-my feet kill me!). The crew that I work with a pretty much all new to the game and so we bounce off one another. They are a friendly, light bunch so it makes the day stress free and fun to be there. I am now in training to be a barista (work the coffee machine) and that takes more skill than it looks...I have new respect! But in my last shift I managed to work out how to make hearts on the top of the coffees so it is all good.

Outside work, what limited time there is, I do the usual, shopping and meeting people for coffees (hahaha). Last week I asked to have Monday off because a family friend from Canada was coming across from Perth for a few day. We all headed down to Goolwa for Sunday/Monday in the hope of R&R and seeing nature again. We weren't disappointed, we saw three whales just off the coast, enjoying the late weekend. They waived with their massive tails at us for most of the afternoon!

The big footy showdown between Adelaide and Port Adelaide is about to start so I will have to call it a day. Go Crows!! :)

The Good Old Days

2009-05-20T15:13:00.000+09:00

Remember me?

2009-05-11T16:58:00.004+09:00

It has been so long that I needed to think a moment just now as to what my password just might be! All is good now, I'm in! ;)

I come to you from the almost southern most point of the world (if don't included Antarctica) and much to my dismay the days are getting shorter and colder. The day time is still quite lovely ,today had a cuppa out under the pergola, but now as the sun sets in front of me I am thinking I need to pack up and head back inside soon.

Until late last we Chi chan was here to help me explore the sights and tastes of Adelaide and Kangaroo Island. I enjoyed immensely having her here to help me settle back in. Playing the tourist in your hometown is not an opportunity that most of us have but I highly recommend it!

Now I am slowly getting into the job hunt mode but enjoying more the time to shop at ease- choices, choice, choices! This week's major target is to get reconnected to the mobile phone world. Lunches, shopping sprees and play dates are also all on the calendar this week. But with time on my hands I guess I will be able to do a better job of keeping this updated!! ;)

Finale

2009-03-27T18:51:00.004+09:00

Today is my last day at Y. Sad to say goodbye to everyone here, 9 years is along time in one place and it is interesting how fond you can become of something over time. This week has more or less about giving things away, chucking away and saying goodbye. Memories everywhere.

I had an eventful beginning to the day too. Woke up a bit later than expected and during breakfast I saw man climbing into my balcony. I rushed to the balcony doors and screamed at him in Japanese "What the h*** are you doing?". He was rather taken a back and replied "I have come to paint the outside of the building. Didn't you get a letter?". When I told him that I hadn't he apologised and asked if it was OK to continue. At that point I realised that I was standing in my PJ's and so decided to let him continue so I could get back to my breaky.

After breakfast I decided to open the past few days mail that I hadn't had time to get to. What do you think I found? Yep, a letter from the company warning about paint work from March 27-31. So embarrassed!!

At Y it has been all clam and relaxed. I just have my Friday night 8pm class so took an executive 2 hour lunch with a student (from tomorrow I guess I am no longer the boss either). Came back for coffee and cake with Poul and one other Eikaiwa staff member and now writing this to fill in the remaining time before class.

Thanks for the memories Y. It has been fun!

Naoshima

2009-03-21T19:33:00.005+09:00

Sadly my last trip with the gang is over. But what fun we had! Thanks to Chi chan we spent last weekend on Naoshima in Kagawa prefecture. She had been eyeing off this island for sometime and I am so glad she suggested the weekend away there.

Basically the island is one big art museum. Half of it is covered with strange creations thanks to Benesse company. The cover girl of Benesse's show pieces is a large pumpkin on the waters edge. Despite the strong wind blowing it was such fun to go from piece to piece never quite sure what we would find up ahead.

We spent the night in a Mongolian tent called a Ger or Pao. Complete with heater it was sufficiently cozy and our central tent became the site of serious card playing.

The next day we headed back in the direction of the ferry terminal but on the way we visited the islands "Art House Project" area. Modern art to the extreme, very interesting creations of completely different themes and designs.

Change in perspective

2009-03-09T22:23:00.002+09:00

Greetings...I come to you from the floor of my apartment. My table , chairs and large fridge were suddenly collected by YMCA today. I had a total of five minutes notice!! Just enough time to fly home and hide my washing that was neatly hung around the room before the guys came to do the lifting.

I have to say that sitting on the floor is not all that bad, warmer than I expected. But I guess with three weeks of this to come I may be complaining soon!

Australians

2009-02-12T21:40:00.003+09:00

I think I have spent most of this week in tears. My heart is hurting for the incredible loss the Victorian bushfire victims are experiencing. But also my heart has been warmed by the complete and unselfish giving of so many Aussies. Kids donating their pocket money, people who have lost their jobs in these tough economic times, Queenslanders suffering their own tragedy of flooding and many other citizens digging deep. Extreme pride to be an Aussie, would never want to change that!

Thoughts and prayers

Bowling the night fantastic

2009-02-08T21:36:00.004+09:00

A long time coming, last night we had Himelympics Games Bowling night thanks to the super organisation and planning of Makoto. We took over half the bowling alley and battled our way through two games to find the best and worst of the lanes. Heaps of fun and plenty of laughs, balls bounced back from the gutters even!!

The night still young, drinks next. Looking to go somewhere other than the local Steff, Chi chan , Stefan and I ended up at Straw Hat with a nice little bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. Even the cork became a source of amusement! Steff's party trick had 3 of us determined to work it out...with varying degrees of success. hahaha

2 am and the tummies rumbling (some anyway!), the call for Maan Ten ramen was made. So 4 people on 3 bikes dodged hosts and taxis to get their fill. The ramen there is REALLY good. Usually ramen has an oily film on the soups surface. But Maan Ten's soup is made from bonito so it is completely oil free-yum!

Another year begins...

2009-02-04T10:38:00.002+09:00

I am not sure were time goes...it just does! All to quickly for my liking of late. The clock has ticked over and this leads me into my tenth year in Japan. Time here now has a limit which means I won't see the year out but still think it is a feat to make it to ten years. Some would say time for reflection and reevaluation which is exactly where I feel myself at. I feel excitement, fear, happieness and sadness growing by the day about change about to take place but know this change is the right one!

Happy Birthdays and New Years

2009-01-27T11:06:00.001+09:00

Celebrating birthdays is a good excuse to have fun and pamper yourself. Steff gave us the opportunity this weekend to do just that. On Friday evening we went to Refeel Ganbanyoku for some good old-fashioned R&R. Us girls sweated our troubles away until 2 am.

With soft, rejuvenated skin, Saturday evening we went to Hummock Café for the celebration. I love this Café! It is a quirky little place down at Matogata port. The building was originally shipping containers that the owner/chef modified into the café. The interior is a retro collection of pieces of furniture that create a funky atmosphere. There is space for artists to come and perform live as well as DJ facilities, on Saturday a chilled out Jazz vibe to the place.

The food was all so delicious especially the desserts! The selection of beers and wines well complementing the meal. Our group enjoyed the entire evening.
Lazy start to Sunday, brunch at the Indian restaurant near the Mall. Yummy! Stomachs full we headed back to Steff’s to chill out and watch DVDs. Being Chinese New Year’s Eve, Steff cooked Laksa for us before robbing us blind at Blackjack (apparently this is her families New’ Year’s Eve tradition)

The year of the...dragon?

2009-01-12T11:05:00.002+09:00

My holidays are over...but they ended with a fun filled weekend.

First up spent Saturday with Steff hunting out bargains in the Kobe sales. Can't say we exactly shopped up a storm but we both did make a purchase. In the evening the gang came to Kobe for our Shinnenkai at a cool little Spanish style place . Not a bad deal of course and 2 1/2hr nomihodai for 3500 yen except the paella was a suspect. After dinner we went to Hobgobblin for a drink before catching last trains to our respective homes.

Back in Himeji Steff and I expected to meet up with Chichan at Himeji station so she could also crash at mine. Only problem was Chi chan was mid swing at her shinnenkai #2 and wasn't quite ready to leave. So the good friends that we are, Steff and I walked in the cold to pick Chi chan up from Tropicana. (Is this one more point to Chi chan becoming gaijin?hehehe)

Not up early on Sunday but managed to get going in time to get out to Himeji horse racing course for the annual kite flying day. It was FREEZING but quite a few families were braving the weather to take part in the day. Chi chan bought a kite with 龍(dragon) printed on it an was having fun joining the kids until suddenly the weather changes for the worse and the white stuff started to fall. We took shelter in the betting center until we were brave enough to go out for one more fly. After leaving the kite festival we drove up Hiromine mountain and checked out the views from Hiromine shrine.

New Years 2009

2009-01-01T22:27:00.002+09:00

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that 2009 is wonderful for all of you and your families.

Last night Makoto hosted a New Years Eve Sukiyaki party. Chi chan, Kyosuke, Makoto and I were joined this year by Kazuyo chan, Achan and her friend Chika. We ate, drank and laughed our heads off before countdown. We were watching 絶対笑ってはいけない and this years theme was newspaper reporters. Hilarious!!

Just before midnight we prepared 年越しそば to eat for longevity. Where we put it I am not sure as we had been pretty much eating non-stop for the past 4 hours. But we saw in the new year with yet more food.

Then it was game time. First off Jenga! Of course not wanting to be the one to knock the tower down we all strived to take from the middle and put it on top. Inevitably though sometimes the plan didn't work. :) Next game, Pass the Pigs. Also a bit of a thinking game, we were stretched to the limits there. hahaha

Partied away and before we knew it it was daylight! 7 am saw us pack up for home and well deserved sleep. But Chi chan was determined not to let today go to waste. So she convinced me to meet up around 5pm after "breakfast" to go to Sosha for Hatsumode. ;) It was FREEZING and I actually think it snowed a bit. Next we went for Hatsu Starbucks. hahaha More than anything we just needed something warm to hold!

Fuji Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T18:51:00.008+09:00

With time ticking, it was time to visit places still on my list. So for my Christmas break I decided to go on a 青春18きっぷ adventure. This special ticket is only available during the school holiday periods and allows travelers to travel on most trains excluding the Shinkansens for only 2300 yen per day! So on day one I went to Nagoya. An early start meant arriving at lunch time, great timing to enjoy Misokatsu! Yum! In the afternoon saw the sights in nearby towns before heading back into Nagoya to catch up with Gerrit for dinner. He showed us the night sights of the Nagoya Christmas illumination and nearby shopping district before going to an izakaya for more Nagoya fare.

Day two lunch was Ekiben at Shizuoka station. :) Then the main attraction of the trip, Fuji san!! I was nervous about if it would be possible to actually see Japan's most famous symbol. In the pass I have passed it on the Shinkansen many times but never really seen it. But my prayers were answered with blue skies and little cloud activity. Arriving at our hotel we were elated to discover we had full view of Fuji sama from our room!

Day three-Christmas Day. The best present of all awaited when I looked out the window. A completely cloudless sky meaning I could see 100% of Fuji sama!!Had I really been that good this year??? We swapped 18きっぷ for 富士半周フリー bus pass that while technically a two day bus pass of which we could only use for one day, it still made economic sense to buy this ticket to visit Kawaguchiko and Yamanakako for the day. Kawaguchiko alone was so beautiful and peaceful. But after a short walk around to the north of the lake, the team of the lake and Fuji sama was breath taking. Yamanakako was also spectacular, especially as we were there for sun set. So good I just wanted to eat Fuji so a piece of it would remain with me forever!

Day four and time to leave Fuji but not without a stop over at Fuji station to eat Fuji style yakisoba. Then heading west on the way to Biwako. Along the way stopping off at various stations to have a little look around before finally arriving at Otsu in Shiga prefecture. Just before arriving there in Shiga suddenly there was a lot of snow around. Just three days earlier we had travelled the same route but now there was a very thick white blanket covering everything. Late White Christmas!! :)

Day five and final travels. Backtracked a little to a cute, old town. It was covered in snow so only one thing for it- snow fight!! hahaha Wandered the streets and enjoyed the winter wonderland. One the return trip to Himeji, one more stop off for lunch before getting on a packed train for the final two hour trip home.

German Christmas Market 2008

2008-12-22T22:34:00.005+09:00

Once again it was time to celebrate Christmas the German way. The Sky building in Osaka hosted the German Christmas market complete with a massive Christmas tree. Stalls selling Christmas ornaments, lollies, gingerbread, German potato, sausages and most importantly, Gluhwein. Hot and spicy aromas filled the night air supported by Christmas carols it made a very festive atmosphere!

Announcement!

2008-12-17T17:11:00.009+09:00

News flash!

I have decided to go back to Adelaide sometime mid April next year. It has been a really hard decision to make and one that I still question at times but I know that I need a change. Plans about where my life is heading have been in the back of my mind for a while now but I have been too comfortable to put them into action. I am thankful for all the experiences I have had during the past 10 years here, made all the richer by the wonderful people that I have met and made friends with along the way.

Things I will miss
Friends and family, Villa trips, Himeji Castle. Onsens, Kareoke, Massages at the hairdresser, Calbee fruit granola,Chiroru chocolates, Festivals

Things I won’t miss
Pedestrians that don't look more than two steps ahead of themselves, Cyclists who can't ride in a straight line, Natto, Humid summers, Cigarette smoke everywhere

Feuerzangenbowle

2008-12-16T21:54:00.004+09:00

What to do on a cold winters night? Answer: Drink Feuerzangenbowle!

Stefan introduced us to the German Christmas tradition of Feuerzangenbowle on Saturday night. It resembles Gluhwein (hot mulled wine) but the final stage is to lay a sugar dome over the pot, pour rum onto the dome and set it alight. The sugar slowly melts into the wine adding extra sweetness. The drink is spicy and warming, perfect for cold winter nights. The gathering of merry people enjoyed this Christmas tradition until the wee hours of the morning! Hick hick!!

Tennis, Concerts and Goodbyes

2008-12-08T21:41:00.001+09:00

Many things tell me that winter is well and truly here to stay. As of the weekend before last we decided that tennis was now out of the question until spring, Chi chan’s orchestra had their wonderful mandolin concert and this past weekend the freezing wind and cold air. We braved the conditions to meet up at Nobu on Sunday night for Greg’s farewell drinks. I think the speech he gave was the first time that I saw him with a straight face. Hahaha

Christmas parties and Bonenkais may help to drag people out of their comfortable, warm homes. If not I will see you all when it decides to warm up a bit!

久しぶりなKTV

2008-11-29T11:20:00.002+09:00

Last night was so much fun. Just the girls blasting out a few tunes at KTV. We smuggled in drinks to Time Machine. The system there is actually quite funny. On entry, Love Hotel style, the rooms that are still vacant are lit up and you choose the one that you want. Of course there are things to consider such as the type of karaoke machine in the room and possibly most important of all, the decor and backdrop of the room. hahaha

We sang our faves plus a few retro hits??? and in the process a star was born. Steff had me close to tears when she sang a song in Chinese. NO idea what it was about but man she did a great job! I recommend that she fly to China and enter Chinese Idol...winner for sure!!

Takebe Villa Trip

2008-11-18T23:11:00.008+09:00

Off to see the autumn leaves. We jumped into cars, one with a car fairy, and shuttled off to find trees on fire. But as we were all finally assembled around lunchtime the first priority was on buying obento and finding somewhere to eat it. The buying part was relatively easy, the picnic spot on the other hand proved to be a different story.

Finally off route 2 and heading in the general north direction we finally came across open space by the river. The spot turned out to be a remote control car racetrack although half the jumps seemed mountainous for any remote control car to challenge. It was also the first point where we got in touch with nature as we came face to face with a snake as we tried to return to the cars.

In the morning Plan A had been to stop off somewhere before arriving at the villa to view pretty red autumn leaves. Plan A failed due to lack of sunlight so we headed to the villa instead, checked in and then took an onsen. Takebe Villa’s onsen is right beside the river, very relaxing!

Bathed, relaxed and refreshed we returned to the villa for happy hour (with hungry tummies really only happy 5 minutes!) followed by dinner of Kimuchi nabe and Chanko nabe. With zousui and noodles planned once the veggies and meat had all been eaten we found ourselves with the slight problem of barely enough remaining soup. Never deterred we went ahead with baking the noodles, in the process creating a new dish, spicy yakisoba!! ;)

Happy little vegemites again, it was time for card games. Nimuto by now the game of choice! Battle lines drawn we fought to not be the “best farmer” until 2 am. Exactly at 2 am we were freaked out with the clock in the dinning area suddenly becoming possessed and speeding through time to 4 am. It stopped at this time for a few minutes and was then possessed again racing through time to correct itself. Spooky!!

The girls made it up in time to have breakfast and one more onsen before the 10 am checkout. The boys for the most part barely made it out the door on time, most with empty stomachs.

The weather had been wet over night but as it was clearing up it was decided to try to put the day befores Plan A into action. Directed by the less than reliable Naviko (hehehe) we went to the beautiful site of . Hear red autumn leaves were on 撮り放題. It was a really lovely mountain area.
Next stop was Kurashiki for lunch and then looking around the historical center. We found a café to accommodate ten hungry people. Recharged a little we headed to the main tourist center and browsed the shops around the riverside. On the search for Inoue house we found Ivy Square. I have been to Kurashiki countless times but somehow never made it to Ivy Square. It is a interesting open square which as it’s name suggests is covered in ivy. Good to finally see. After leaving the square and heading back to the main tourist strip we thought we had found Inoue house for Chi chan. We soon realized we were mistaken so Chi chan left Kurashiki homeless. :(

Okonomiyaki for dinner on the way home before splitting up to get people on trains and such for home.

Beer, Bums, Drums '08, late night rescue and being framed

2008-10-13T22:53:00.004+09:00

When are you considered famous? Maybe when you have a chocolate named after you?

The long weekend was turned upside down. Plans to do nothing much became a whole lot of something. Saturday went pretty much to plan, spent the day with my Japanese family. They were trying to avoid their town’s autumn festival because their father had back problems after a full on schedule at work. But who said it is possible to deter grandchildren from attending the once a year “yoyasa” festival??? Impossible! The grandies won out and so Sundays attendance at the hill was arranged. I was required to attend too because mum ordered too many lunch boxes. Hahaha Secretly I was thrilled and more than happy to get up a bit early for a Sunday to treck down to Toyotomi.

Later that evening Chi chan, Tsuyoshi and I went to Reza’s new place where we were “entertained” waiting for Kanako to arrive. Emails and phone calls reveled that she was more than likely to arrive around 10pm so we waited no longer to eat (although with rice cooker problems it was delayed, and then delayed again ;p).

By 11pm and still no Kanako we were starting to get a bit concerned. Next thing, a call from the elf to say that she was stranded at Lawsons not so far away as her car had broken down. Well only one thing to do, THE Awesome Foursome to the rescue!! Totally clueless about how we were potentially going to be at all helpful we scrambled into Chi chan’s car (thank god she drives!) and off we went. Reza filming the adventure for historical purposes. It is fair to assume that we were a little affected by liquid refreshments. But we arrived at the Lawson’s, saved Kanako from….boredom and then headed into the Lawson’s to shop while true help arrived.

It is here that I found out just how famous I am. In the snacks section my favourite chocolate company, Chirol, had a new series of chocs. A variety of foreigners on the labels, Michelle being one of them. Hehehe Having now sampled myself I must say I am delicious!!!

The reality of Kanako's car trouble was that her car needed to be towed back to Aboshi and she had to go with it. New plan was to get a new car and come back some time in the early hours. So The Awesome Foursome returned to Reza's couch. The party finally came to an end around 2 am.

Public holiday Monday was a well deserved sleep in. Once up and about it was off for a bit of glasses shopping. I thought that I could find a bargain in Japan seeing as the process of eye testing, frame selection and fitting would set me back around $400 once back in Australia. Glasses here can be as cheap as $50 with eye testing included! Five glasses stores latter and still now glasses I realised that my taste and Japanese fashion trends were gonna be difficult to match. Just when I was about to give up, Chi chan suggested a pair. I had to agree that I did like them but I didn't much like the price tag. The pair she had spied were Ray Bans and hence attracted a reasonable charge. Even though I was still coming out ahead compared to the price back in Oz so I went with it.

Chi chan was dress shopping for up coming wedding parties. When we were all shopped out we went to Star for coffee and latter on were met by Reza and Tsuyoshi for a meeting of The Awesome Foursome!

Sake festival at Ebisu shrine

2008-10-07T23:05:00.002+09:00

Traveling to a new part of Hyogo, on Saturday I went to Ebisu Shrine in Nishinomiya for a sake festival. Not being what you would call an expert in sake I was just interested in seeing somewhere new and having a fun day out with friends.

Sake producers from about 10 companies were on hand to show their product. Each provided small samples for the public to try and decide if it was to their taste. The aim being to get a sale out the customer.

We tried all on offer, light, dry, cloudy sake and my favourite umeshu. I had what was latter termed “gaijin power” because while the Japanese public were given standard two sip tastes, I in a few cases were given full blown shots. After not very long this “power” started to have a negative effect!
Full on sake and in need of some food to soak it up, we found a table (after stealing some chairs from other table) to munch and chat the afternoon away.

Sports Day

2008-09-23T23:34:00.001+09:00

As the national holiday required, we got a little active today. I was interested to try a batting center so the gang went to Homerun Dome to try it out. After watching the others try a round I decided to give it a go. MAN is it hard! hahahaa. Having never done this before I and everyone else assumed that I would bat left handed. Wrong! hahaaha After a few very unnatural swings I switched mid set and started to get a rhythm. Swing and miss, swing and miss....it took a while for me to get my eye in but eventually it happened. Lots of fun!

Also tennis, golf, soccer, pitching and BASKETBALL were on offer. We tried most things and no surprises I like basketball best.hehee As if all this sporting challenges weren't enough, we decided to move to Round One in Shikama to play table tennis.

All energy gone we headed to an Okonomiyaki place for dinner. With self service soft serve, the boys tucked into ice cream before mains!!sheesh ;p Think we put on more calories than we worked off during the day thou!

What to do???

2008-09-22T10:28:00.001+09:00

What is an normal length of contemplation when formulating plans? Chi chan and I definitely over ran the mark trying to plan out Saturday. And the day had got off to a such a good start, we went down to Matogata to a really cool cafe called Hummock. The cafe was constructed out of shipping freighter crates and positioned down at Matogata port. Classic cars filled the entrance way and inside the interior and furniture of the cafe was very retro.

After chatting the afternoon away we did a bit of shopping at Rivercity. But when this came to an end this is when disaster struck. What to do next!?! It was only 6pm for heaven sake! We mailed peeps to see if anything was happening but disappointed to find out the answer was no.

More than an hour of putting pressure on each other to come up with a plan before a decision was made. Ganbayoku! We had a light dinner then headed out to the salon to sweat the night away. By 1 am we were all sweated out and feeling very chilled out. The right plan for the evening!

Doha and Greece

2008-08-29T09:18:00.004+09:00

My summer holiday trip to Greece was made extra exciting when I found out that the package I had bought meant that I would be flying with Qatar Airlines. This meant a 7 hour stop over in Doha and luckily Jojo had gone back two days earlier so she came picked us up at 4:30 in the morning. By this point the temperature was already 35 degrees with something like 85% humidity!

Jo took us on a tour of the city, explaining that before Qatar became an oil nation they traded pearls. She also showed us the Kings palace, mosques and general city sights before heading to her place. I was amazed with the SPACE she has! Her living room is bigger than my whole place!

After chilling out and sticky beaking around at Jo's we went for breakfast at a nearby cafe. Everything was supersized, quite a feast! Back in the car and off to a market area that looked very old and traditional but Jo informed us that it had been rebuilt recently. After about 10 mins we couldn't bear to be out in the heat anymore so back to the car. Next Jo took us to see the wealthy area of the city, along the way she picked out her future home. hehehe

Deciding that a coffee would be nice, Jo took us to the Ritz Carlton hotel where we lapped up the service before taking on the heat again to try to find a camel sign. Having almost driven all the way to the northern tip of Qatar without any luck we gave up and returned to the airport. Said goodbyes to Jo and then through customs to board our flight to Greece.

Later that day and after some transfers we arrived on Mykonos Island. Strong winds greeted us as we waited for a taxi to our hotel. We checked in and just took it easy at the hotel.

The next morning after breakfast we went out and down to the town centre. Wandered the coastline and then the rabbits warren of shops all the time being pushed along by the strong wind.

After lunch came back to the hotel and headed down to the pool. Even with the wind had fun in the sun, swimming and then lazing poolside. Good to catch up on reading some books. Later that evening headed back into town for food.

The next day after a lazy morning headed back into town for final shopping on Mykonos then to the airport to transfer to Santorini Island. We thought Mykonos was nice but Santorini proved to be beautiful. We arrived and checked into our hotel a bit before sunset which was great coz we were settled and watched one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen from our hotel balcony. After which we headed out to find food and explore the shops. Shopping in Santorini outside of the souvenir shops was quite a pinch in the purse strings. On several occasions I found pieces that I quite liked but became suspicious when I could find a price tag attached. Curious I asked how much and was floored when I was told nearly $10000!! Needless to say they all went back on the rack.

Day two and a bit of sightseeing around the hill top off the town trying to take photos like the postcards all over the place. Later in the day we walked down to the old port. This is easier said than down. The path is shared with donkeys that carry people and luggage up and down the hillside so even though the path is old, crumbly and slippery anyway it is also peppered with donkey presents. Half way down I was thinking I should have taken a donkey down. So many people were slipping over on the way down.

However made it safely down and took in another side to the island and the volcano that lies just off the bay. In returning to the top of the hill I decided to take the cable car back up. A bit of browsing along the way but main purpose was to go back to the hotel and relax poolside again. A couple of hours later feeling a bit hungry went out in search of food.

The next morning breakfast then a bit of shopping before going back to the airport for transferring to Athens.

Arriving in Athens we caught the subway into the city. So easy! Then after a bit of confusion found our hotel, check in and then headed out to get familiar with the city. Walked back to the Syntagma area just in time to see the changing of the guards in front of the parliament building. Surprised that once settled you could go up and have your photo taken next to one of the guards. But god help you if you didn't take it serious coz any poses or over reactions and the guard would bang his rifle on the ground then the minder would come over and send you on your way.

After seeing this performance we walked through the national garden ,down and around the Temple of Olympian Zeus. For the first time this trip 35 degrees felt hot! With little or no wind to cool things down we felt the heat. So we headed into the Plaka area (main tourist center near the Acropolis) in search of food and liquid refreshment. End result Yiros and beer! After which a bit of shopping and then with a big final day planned we decided to have an early night.

Final morning after breakfast we went to the Acropolis. In summer it is well worth going as early as possible because it just gets hotter and hotter making it more and more difficult to climb all over the historic sight.

Battling the heat we saw the Theatre of Dionysos, Theatre of Herodes, Propylaia, Temple of Athena Nike, The Parthenon, Porch of the Caryatids and the Erechtheion. Unfortunately many of the points were under maintenance construction however this didn't take away from the awe of history in the place.

After a quick bite trekked over to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, this time going inside for a quick look around before having to head off to the airport for return to Japan.

Summer Fun

2008-08-18T16:05:00.002+09:00

Heading off to Greece in a few hours with a stop over to see Jojo in Doha. Yay! All packed and ready to go now just need to wait for the flight...ahhh!

This summer so far has been like the good old days with both Jojo and Steff back in town. And we have done a lot. Celebrated Chi chan's 30th birthday, Shikama fireworks, Tottori weekend trip, Olympic Opening ceremony party, Summer Sonic 2008, beer gardens and Night Castle picnic (with Kareoke of course). Not bad really for a couple of weeks.

I will be back to report more summer fun in Greece soon!!!

Sex and the City

2008-08-17T19:32:00.001+09:00

I love my life.

I finally have seen the movie. Japan being behind the rest of the world, it has taken until now but it was worth the wait. It was a natural extension to the TV series. I laughed one minute, cried the next, emotion packed to say the least.

Chi chan and I digested the moves of the characters in the movie afterwards coming to the conclusion that we were happy with the decision they made for themselves. Although not completely sure if we would make the same moves.

Loved it!

Summer Sonic 2008

2008-08-12T15:08:00.004+09:00

Sunday was time to head to Maishima again for this years Summer Sonic line up. This year Chi chan and I were joined by Steff and Ben to party. Let the fun begin!

Before the mainline acts that we wanted to see we rotated from The Metros, Jun Sky Walker(s) and These New Puritans. Next headed over to see Perfume only to be turned away coz the stage was already packed. But this turned out to be a positive for me coz just as Chi chan and I crossed the road to head back to Ocean stage, OneRepublic can down to street so close we could touch them. OMG!! But before I could explain who they were (no one around us had a clue) I lost the power of speech and so Chi chan was left with a babbling fool. hahaha

So next thing Ryan and the boys were up on stage doing their thing and I enjoyed EVERY minute of it!! Great song selection!! After OneRepublic we hung around for a bit then I headed over to see Old Man River, the others catching up there too. A lot of fun, especially the final song ,Lalala, which was a good sing a long with the crowd.

Back to the main stage for Panic! At the disco. These guys know how to party. Their stage presence great and commentary between songs hilarious, all be it a little over the head for majority of the audience. One again loved their play selection.

The main attractions for me over I was content to go with the flow of what the others wanted to see. This turned out to be The Verve and for Ben ,The Prodigy. The Verve played well but sucked in terms of stage presence and crowd interaction. What's with smashing two guitars??? The Prodigy predictable turned into a large jumping fest. With every second word coming out of their being and expletive I soon tired of their performance and was more than happy to head over to the dance stage to see Pendulum. This proved a great choice, the guys were great and I even knew some of their tracks which surprised me.

All in all a great day out!

Hot in the city

2008-07-28T22:50:00.002+09:00

Earlier this evening I had one experience in Japan that I didn't really wish for. After a wild afternoon of thunderstorms, complete with lightning, the power went off. Apparently it had already been of a few times during the afternoon (that message brought home with very soft ice cream in the freezer). But the latest round happened just as I decided to jump under the shower and remove the sweat of Summer School.

After 45 mins when the power wasn't back on I decided it was time to complain to the outside world via mobile phone. The power finally came back on 30 mins later.

Power outages are not that rare back home but this is the first time here that I have experienced one. I hope it is not repeated!

Full on fun!

2008-07-22T22:11:00.003+09:00

I have just had a really great two and a half weeks with my family visiting from Australia. First my uncle and his family from Sydney arrived and then a few days later my mum joined us. It was really great to spend time with all of them and I realised just how much of life back home I have missed. My cousins were just 6 and 10 the last time I saw them and now they are 11 and 15!

During their time here the Sydneyits visited Osaka and followed by Tokyo for 4 days, then mum joined them for a day trip to Hiroshima. The following day I joined them all for a weekend in Kyoto. It was such a hoot hanging out together in the hotel room like family trips of the past. Mum acted as guide around Himeji and then we all went together for a day in Kobe.

My uncle's curiosity about Pachinko landed us in a little trouble, the boys LOVED their Shinkansen rides (so much that they caught the Shinkansen from Ueno to Tokyo hahaha), fireworks almost landed us in trouble again and the favourite food (at least according to the boys) was Yakisoba.

My place has returned to its quiet little state and I am suffering from withdrawal symptoms of fun...anyone have a cure???

On the weekends....

2008-06-30T22:29:00.002+09:00

The weekend before last Chi chan once again treated us to the fantastic sounds of her Mandolin orchestra. A mix of Japanese traditional and modern songs together with Russian folk pieces made for a really entertaining afternoon.

Jumping to this past weekend, Friday, we had a night out at Tiger to meet Jon for the last time. We thought he had come back to Himeji for the last few days before his departure to Chicago, but the nutter actually had to return to Nagoya the next day to try up loose ends. Jonらしいね！hahaha It was also probably the last time to hang out with Mike before he also leaves in 2 weeks. The Mitsu boys were in fine form making the evening a most entertaining one! ;)

Saturday we had grand plans to have a "No cherry blossom night picnic" at the castle. BUT someone forgot to tell the rain about it and so the heavens opened up and ruined that plan. Plan B turned out to be dinner (inside!) and then bowling. Shock horror if I didn't tie with Achan for first place! Did someone spike my drink??? Back to Tiger, but party in full flow so we opted to go to Nobu so we could at least hear each other and hold a conversation.

NB: The weather since Saturday night has been quite nice. ムカつく！！！

Births, Deaths and Marriages

2008-06-04T20:42:00.004+09:00

It has been a pretty powerful week.

On the 25th Jon and Kazuko had their wedding party in Himeji. It was a nice afternoon and good to spend some with them, probably the last time for Jon in Himeji for awhile.

On the 30th, much against my wishes, my birthday was celebrated. Chi chan had set up drinks, which was supposed to be just me and her having a hisashiburi night out on the town. However before meeting up, Chi chan's grand plan was blown thanks to an email I guess i wasn't supposed to receive from Stefan...hahaha

That night my world was rocked. Mum called me at 3:30 in the morning to tell me that Grandma had passed away. Although I know it is for the best, she is in a far better place away from pain and the inhumanity of alzheimers, it is still really hard to believe that she is gone. She was my cricket buddy and I love her so much. Thanks for so much Grandma!

After that news though, my head was in a spin. I had planned a villa trip to Okayama with the gang but was in two minds what to do. Mum told me to go and enjoy, it is what Grandma would have wanted. So I did, all be it more than an hour late than the arranged meet time with everyone. Sorry guys....

We went to Hattoji Villa, a lovely old Japanese farm house. Treated to the farmers planting rice right at our doorstep it really was perfect. We made Temakisushi, did fireworks, made friends with nature and just when I thought I was safe, Chi chan ambushed me again with birthday champagne around the irori. Thanks Chi chan xxx

Despite staying up after 3 am playing a cool German card game we did get up and out by 11am. We visited Okayama's Korakoen after lunch. It is such a beautiful garden and HUGE!! After the more than two hour stroll around the garden we headed back to Himeji.

When I got back here there was an email from Alicia's dad letting me know that little Emily was born on the 31st. That date is forever etched in my brain. Bob has since sent me some pics and Emily is sooo cute. But where did the dark hair come from Lis?

Reflecting on things this week, I see that I have been loved, I am loved and I love. I know I don't say it enough to you all out there but you are all very special and important to me and I thank you for your love and support. xxx

Brazilian BBQ

2008-05-20T22:27:00.003+09:00

Igor had a great idea to get together on the weekend. "Let's go to Kobe for Brazilian BBQ" he said. So we did! But what exactly did we eat Igor??? The waiters proclaimed that they were serving Wani no shippo (Aligator's tail), Zou no mimi (Elephant's ears) and Saru no shippo (Monkey's tail)! Huh!?! Still can't complain about the taste! hahaha

We snagged an outside table, enjoying the slight sea breeze along with each others company. As it was tabehoudi we did our best to eat our fill, Igor was a little surprised that the rest of us gave in so early I think. ;)

We walked off our stomaches by walking from Kobe to Sannomiya (longer than we thought really!) But after Chi chan met up with her friends for wedding shopping, Igor and I recouped in the nearest coffee shop. Intending to browse the shops while waiting for Chi chan we were amazed (not really..hahaha) that when Chi chan called nearly 2 hours later we were STILL sitting in the same coffee shop. :)

After meeting up again we went shopping before Chi chan's feet caught up with her. Back to a coffee shop. But we put it to good use by helping Igor translate his homework assignment. Chi chan and I came full circle by eating again before catching the train back.

Golden Week

2008-05-07T22:22:00.001+09:00

Holidays are all toooooo short! It seems like GW just began and yet it is already over and back to work today! Sigh!! I guess we should be thankful that only two more days and then the weekend is here again.

The first part of GW I had a work BBQ party that was more a requirement to work on a holiday than a holiday (did I make a mistake in taking this promo?) But to be fair it was actually nice to get out to YMCA's campsite and enjoy a day out in greenery, fresh air and nature.

GW part two I chilled, read, went out for drinks with friends, played tennis at a really cool sports centre, discovered a friend is preparing to get married, met his future wife and was invited to their new apartment for dinner, more drinks with friends and relived a friends 10 day trip to Singapore. Not bad for 4 days, hey? ;)

Sakura

2008-04-16T22:24:00.003+09:00

Greetings from Adelaide

2008-04-03T12:35:00.003+09:00

Been a bit slack with the whole blog thing lately. Good excuses for that though, number one being that right now I am in Australia on homestay tour with 9 students. Before coming out here though things got pretty tight, didn't have a couple of homestay families set up until right at the last minute.

The students have really enjoyed the 10 days here and don't want to leave tomorrow. I have to admit I would love to have a couple more days to chill. It has been so nice to catch up with friends from high school days through to people I've met in Himeji over the last little while. And nice to have choices, going out to dinner I had forgotten that just coz the menu says the meal comes with a garden salad, if I want sweet potato and soy salad all I have to do is ask. hahaaha I was amazed when friend after friend altered their menu choices with easy!

Second reason for not writing much lately is that I have been given quite a big promotion, officially effective as of Tuesday. I am now the Director of the English department. This will take me out of the classroom a bit as I now have a more management focus to my role at YMCA. It is a challenge that I have been hoping for for a while but never thought they would give the position to a foreigner. I am a little nervous about taking on the role because I worry that my Japanese skill is just not up to it, all the more reason to study HARD!! But I know that I can do the job and will give it my all!

I'm off now to complete preparation for the goodbye party tonight for students and their hosts, about 50 people in all. Just hope the rain holds off!

Omizutori

2008-03-12T21:29:00.003+09:00

Omizutori is a serious fire risk. Ten big torches are carried up to the balcony of Todaiji (in Nara) with priests running across the balcony with the touch, in the process dropping embers on not just the balcony but the public lined up to the roped off area. The night air is thus filled with screams as the public is "purified" by the embers falling on them. Madness! Afterwards I saw more than a few people with fresh holes in their coats and ash in their hair. hahaha

Takoyaki!

2008-03-03T11:03:00.002+09:00

On Saturday afternoon Chi chan and I once again got some culture by visiting Himeji Art Museum to see their exhibition of watercolours. Just stepping into the exhibition room I was impressed by a picture of old Japan. Further on I enjoyed scenes of Fiorenze and Assisi, they took me back.

On the way back to my place Chi chan suggested getting take out Starbucks for the walk. In Japan I was yet to do that so I happily agreed. Remind me who the gaijin is again??? Back to mine but no time to rest because we had shopping to do for the Takoyaki party that night at Makoto's place. I had arranged with Poul to meet up at YMCA so he could follow us up there. Off we went quick smart, also picking up Kazuyo and Atsuko along the way.

It was great fun to try to make takoyaki. We had various kinds too such as cheese, corn, kimuchi and my favourite, CHOCO!! Also we had Okonomiyaki to help fill the gaps while waiting for the next round of takoyaki. Yummmm!

Things wound down around 2 am, after which Chi chan and I headed off to Nobu because there a special party was taking place. For those who haven't heard yet, Jon announced his engagement the weekend before with the official paper work to go in here on the 10th of this month! SO the Mitsu boys got into gear and organised a bucks night on Saturday for Jon. By the time Chi chan and I got there Jon had his shirt and pants back on! hahaha He looked like the guys had taken him a few time round the block but all in all he was ok. Although he did have to catch a flight to America at 5 am that morning for a business trip!!Wow!! By all reports he did arrive in the US alright. :)

Be careful what you wish for!

2008-02-24T10:42:00.004+09:00

It is snowing still! Every weekend in February so far has had some degree of snow. Also several week days have had some snow fall. I can't remember it ever snowing more than about 2 days in a season so for me this is a lot! In reality it doesn't amount to a huge stack of the white stuff, more like a beautiful white blanket covering everything.

After four weeks of snow my opinion about snow is changing. For so long I longed to have a decent covering so as to see the castle in full beauty. But having successfully achieved that a few weeks back now I just want it to warm up! hahaha I guess though, if it must be this cold then at least having snow around makes it semi worth it.

Goodbye Sk8er Boi

2008-02-16T10:44:00.003+09:00

Valentines day was full of chocolates, drinks and friends. The third annual Anti Valentines gathering was this year held at Nobu. It also served another purpose, to say goodbye to Brandon. In style that only Brandon can do he literally rolled but to his sayonara bash in in-line skates! He tried one last attempt to stay in the country by formally proposing to Chi chan (down on bended knee and all!) However he couldn't produce a ring so that mission failed.

As most of us hadn't stepped outside our houses much in the past few weeks it was a 久しぶり catch up for all. Thankfully everyone seemed to have survived the winter weather. Bring on spring!!

More things ticked off the list

2008-02-11T18:58:00.000+09:00

Yesterday I found my new favourite restaurant. Masigomotta! It is a mouthful of a name but it makes up for it in its yummy Korean dishes. It opened up just 2 mins down the road from me about a year ago but until yesterday I hadn't had the chance to go check it out. Chi chan joined me and did we have fun. From the instant we walked in the door we knew we had hit the jackpot. Scrummy aromas filled the air. We had a hard time deciding from the 10 items on the lunch time set menu. But when our sets arrived we were not disappointed. Only 9 more sets to try so who's up for Korean?

We let our tummies settle a bit by watching 探偵ナイトスクープ Vol. 5 (Tante Knight Scoop). Yes we have jumped ahead of ourselves a couple of volumes but they were unavailable. Sigh sigh! Still nothing wrong with Vol. 5!

Then we headed off to Akane no yu, a public bath that so many people had raved about for ages and I somehow hadn't managed to go to. When we pulled up to the parking lot we were surprised to discover that Akane no yu was much more than your average bath. IT WAS HUGE!!! It is more like an amusement centre of the personal hygiene and beauty treatment kind. hahaha Chi chan and I just used the public bath area but this alone had 5 indoor baths of differing varieties, 2 saunas and 5 different outside baths!! WOW!! As well as the baths upstairs, downstairs there was a 岩盤欲（Ganbanyoku) style beauty treatment area, massage parlor, relaxation lounge, cafe and HAIRDRESSER!! This place has it all!!!

After an hour or so of total relaxation we headed back to my place, obentos in hand, to watch 探偵ナイトスクープ Vol.6. Suckers for punishment!!

Winter Wonderland

2008-02-09T20:04:00.000+09:00

One of my biggest dreams was furfilled today. I recieved a phone call from Manami earlish this morning. Luckly I was out of bed and starting to think about breakfast otherwise I could have well missed this important call. Actually she called to ask about something else but during the course of our conversation she complained about how scary it had been riding her bicycle to work just now because of the snow. What did you say? Snow?? (Looking out the window) OMG SNOW!!!

So after quickly getting dressed I walked into the city to see the castle in all its glory. And it was well worth braving the freezing temperatures. The castle was more white than I had ever seen it! hahaha The Sakura trees also had a unique look to them with the powder covering of snow. The constant flow of fresh snowflakes falling added extra beauty to the winter wonderland atmosphere.

I had fun taking a million pics to commemorate the day, several videos too. hahaha A kind old Japanese man saw me struggling to get the right affect of me and castle with camera stretched to arms lenght and offered to take the photo for me. So please enjoy the experience with me through the pics above! :)

The beautiful white

2008-01-28T23:37:00.000+09:00

It is still freezing but at least as I write this there is snow falling. It has been snowing for about 5 hours now, just slightly but a nice white blanket is forming on cars, plants and everything else in between. Which means that tomorrow Himeji Castle will wake up with an extra white glow to it. My dream for so long has been to go to the castle on such a morning and see the sight with my own eyes but I know right now that tomorrow morning I will not be up early enough for the pleasure.

By the way Happy Australia Day to all back home. I guess the BBQ is cooling down now and it's back to work tomorrow.Sigh..Hope you all had a good day! :)

Another relaxing weekend. I did manage to leave my apartment this time. hehehe. Reza had a small party at his place. Good fun! Then yesterday Chi chan brought over 探偵ナイトスクープ Vol. 2 (Tante Knight Scoop). See a pattern forming anyone? :p Later in the evening Brandon came over the three of us swapped YouTube findings.hehehe

Pain without the gain

2008-01-22T21:11:00.000+09:00

Thank god for Chi chan! She saved me from being totally a total social snob. The horrid, cold weather of the past weekend did not entice me outside much. Forecasts had suggested snow, which at least would have made the cold worthwhile, but no white stuff eventuated. So except for the basic necessities I was quite content to stay indoors.

Saturday evening my angel of social conscience emailed to inquire as to my plans for the following day. When my reply was "to stay warm" she suggested watching 探偵ナイトスクープ DVD Vol. 1 (Tante Knight Scoop) to which I couldn't reply "Yes!Yes!Yes!" fast enough. hahaha

So the darling came over the following afternoon with not only the DVD but possibly the worlds largest collection of teas. I am not kidding when I say there was easily 20 different types of tea and Chi chan said that she had already consumed some! Total confusion, time was need just to decided on tea!!!

The DVD was superb! We laughed our heads off for the next couple of hours. Some episodes I had seen before but re watching them did not detract from their entertainment factor. Tears in the eyes!

Back to the serious stuff...

2008-01-07T21:43:00.000+09:00

Sigh, ahh...I have struggled today to try to return life to normality. Three weeks just disappears way too fast. Getting out of a nice warm bed to a cold apartment to get ready for work today was HARD! At work I tried hard to put on my genki face for students but in the staff room I was caught out by Poul after one too many sighs. He could see my heart wasn't really in it. But as they say I will just take it one day at a time and slowly should get back into the swing of things (I hope).

I guess a three day trip with the girls to Okayama right on the end of the holidays just made the drop back into reality a big one. We had so much fun though, renting a villa in the mountains for two nights, exploring the area and watching DVDs by the fireplace. Atsuko taught us how to make smoores, yum!! Not to out done, Chi chan created her own combo of marshmallow and カール. She insists that its an adult taste, lost on me! Kana chan told us about our auras and Kazuyo chan kept us well fed.

Thankfully the area had not received a lot of snow in the early days of the new year because otherwise I doubt we would have made it to the villa. The road at times was no more than a narrow mountain edge trek ,Chi chan and Kana chan are superstars for getting us up there!!

Happy 2008!!

2008-01-01T19:34:00.000+09:00

Happy New Year! I hope that 2008 is a wonderful, exciting year for everyone.

Last night a small gathering of Makoto, Chichan, Kyosuke and myself welcomed in the new year at Makoto's place. It had been FREEZING all day and so nabe was welcomed for dinner, followed by toshikoshi soba just before midnight. We watch NHK's Kohaku singing contest marvelling at how many of the artists we had never heard of! (Are we out of touch??)

I paused at 10:30 to wish all you Aussies a Happy New Year as you entered the new year. When it came to our turn the fanfare and noise of fireworks and loud music was replaced by a simple and relatively quiet tolling of the shrine bell. We popped party crackers just to feel a bit more in the moment! :)

Then until the early hours of this morning a serious round of Pass the Pigs and then UNO took over. It seems this year may be lucky for me as I did quite well in both.

Nearly there...

2007-12-16T20:42:00.000+09:00

One more working day left this year. I feel a bit bad counting down like this, but the last few weeks have been exhausting. I think it is has been the hardest few weeks I have ever experienced in this job. Challenge is important but seeing once again flashes of the life after this...Don't read too much into this folks. No decisions have been made, just making slightly more concrete inquiries about various things.

Yesterday got into the holiday mode slightly early with a party at Reza's. Funny boy that one. He planned to make chilli for us all but hadn't managed to start the process by the official party time and so after arriving slightly late, I was left to entertain his three students who had arrived on time, while Reza cooked. For two hours we chatted and finally others slowly arrived, before I knew it I was holding court with 5 Japanese guys while Reza cooked. hahaha

The idea was to appease the neighbours by finishing the party around 9pm then moving into town to Tiger or something for a few drinks. But the frosty winter night soon quashed that idea. We wisely decided to stay tucked up in the nice cozy "teaching room".

German Christmas Market and Luminarie

2007-12-09T20:30:00.000+09:00

Yesterday I went with Chi chan to the German Christmas Market in Osaka. A huge Christmas tree, Christmas decorations all around, a Nativity scene and yummy smells in the air created a special Christmas atmosphere.

Reza met up with us there a bit later. We dined on German potato, German sausage, pizza (not so German! hehehe) all superbly complimented by Gluhwein wine and lemon beer. Or in Reza's case, a 1 litre stien of beer! I am in love with Gluhwein wine! Such the perfect drink on a cold winter's night!! It gave Chi chan a cute pink flush to her cheeks. ;)

Then we went to Kobe for Luminarie. The lights were difficult to get to though, about a 45 min walk just to get to the top of the street. But so worth it! The beautiful twinkle of blue, green, red, yellow and orange lights that line the streets creating a fairytale world.

Bonenkai 2007

2007-12-04T22:28:00.000+09:00

All be it barely December, on Saturday night I held YMCA Eikawa's bonenkai, I think I deserved the relax as earlier in the day I had played host to 20 some kids for our children's Christmas party. So students and staff gathered to Okinawa bar (I still fail to call it by it's proper name!!) for 2 hours nomihodai. Yummy Okinawian food included in the deal made for a very enjoyable evening. Such a relaxed place, they let us in effect have three hours nomihodai for no extra charge. So cool!

Nijikai was kareoke at diageki where we got the room for half price! Sang our hearts out (could in part explain my lack of voice even now :{ ) Then moved on to sanjikai at a yakitoriya, more drinking and eating. A very fun night!

Sunday I DID NOTHING for the most part. DVD's all day (Calendar Girls is a laugh) then went to Makoto's Wai Wai, the last of the year. Dinner at Watami then home to bed. Party animal? I think not!

Recap

2007-11-28T22:07:00.000+09:00

Time gets so disorganised without the tools of life to keep it organised! The last couple of weeks have been a challenge and eye opening. I didn't realise just how reliant I am on my computer. Shock horror!

But I tore myself away from it and work to go with Chi chan to Kyoto to visit Igor for Kyoto University's student festival. It was fun to be back on a campus again and see the wacky students doing their thing. Was that a rugby player we saw dressed as a swan??? hahaha We did make a mistake of having lunch before hitting the campus as so all the food on sale went begging.

After a brief look around we headed to Kyomizudera in search of autumn leaves. We weren't disappointed! It was so beautiful, red, orange, yellow! I am envious of Igor's photo technique though, every shot he took was just perfect. I will try to steal!! heehee ;)

At dinner we met up with some of Igor's Brazilian friends who are studying in Tokyo. The crazy nuts had driven down over night but the normal streets (not the highway!). This had taken them about 11 hours! It was also a funny to hear Igor talk in Portuguese, I guess we just assume he is actually a Japanese or English native speaker.

Saturday I worked. It was Speech contest time again and so my judging hat was firmly in place. The students from all over Himeji did really well. It was TOUGH on us judges, little split the 4 place getters. But the pressure showed with one contestant breaking into tears when she failed to get a place in the top 4. Her school is kinda famous for doing well in the contest and so missing out on a place was unbearable for her. Poor thing!

Saturday night saw the beginning of a new era for Aussies. Election time and the Howard government was convincingly dumped, the public well and truly showing through their votes just how out of touch the government was. A new future, the chance to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, an apology to Indigenous Australians, an overhaul of IR all on the cards. It's about time!!!

Sunday and Chi chan showed us her talents again on the Mandolin stage. I had the best position it seems because I effortlessly found our Chi chan in every part of the program. hehehe The Christmas concert was a lot of fun and a pleasant way to spend the day with good friends. Of course topped it off with a couple of hours chatting in Starbucks afterwards. ;)

Trails and tribulations

2007-11-24T20:20:00.000+09:00

Can't live with them, can't live without them! Computers...grrr. After a second breakdown I was forced to send my PC off to DELL for revival. Such inconvenience and bad timing...one of the busiest points of the year...speech contest today to prepare for, Christmas functions starting next Saturday and of course reports. I didn't realise how much of an important tool this electronic, metal box was until I couldn't access it's power. Frustration!! Thank God my mobile was functioning normally or I would have been at a complete loss! hahaha

Girl Interrupted

2007-11-11T18:08:00.000+09:00

Frustration to the max!! Yesterday my computer broke down. At first it didn't look good, thought nothing could be done to fix it BUT Makoto worked a miracle and I am back in business. No idea what caused the crash so therefore not really sure if it is completely healed. Have spent most of the weekend reinstalling operating systems and software. So sick of rebooting every 5 minutes. Sad also because I lost some pictures that I hadn't backed up. Thank god I had backed up Spain or it would have broken my heart!

And all this pain after such a nice start to the weekend. Caught up with Chi chan and Atsuko for a picnic infront of the castle. So beautiful now with the Autumn leaves. Then we went to Himeji Art gallery to see an exhibition of God and Nature: The Essence of European Art.

A few more things to install...sigh!

Tired....and smelly!

2007-10-30T19:53:00.000+09:00

How many times in one day can you cycle back and forth along the same track? Not sure but on Sunday I gave the record a fair crack, going 6 times between YMCA and Himeji International Friendship Festival. For the first time my worst nightmare had occured because both YMCA's bazzar and the Himeji IFF had been scheduled on the same day! grrrr. Thankfully a beautiful day and so the trips by bike were very pleasant but I am REALLY hoping that this phenomenon does not happen again!!!

Of course at IFF my team blitzed the other food stalls to sell out in 90 mins (making a record 463 serves of BBQ!) which while from a IFF PR point of view not so good, for me personally it meant I could peddle back to Y a little earlier than first thought and help out my team working hard to sell curry there.

By the end of the day I was smelling of BBQ and Indian chicken curry. And Makoto, who had come to Y to check out the bargains(hahaha) suggested going for coffee with Sachiko, who was also in the area. They so politely ignored my odour and it was nice to hangout for a bit after a busy busy day.

Beer, Bums, Drums and Lanterns

2007-10-24T20:02:00.000+09:00

The thing that makes Aboshi festival stand out from the rest is that on the first evening of the festival lantern fighting takes place!! It is something special and even a stubborn head cold couldn't keep me away! So Reza and I caught the train to Aboshi, planning to meet up with Chi chan there only to be foiled in that plan coz Chi chan couldn't get through the police barricades. :(

So now I was really feeling under pressure to take good pics for everyone who couldn't be there. And I have to say I think I did a pretty good job, even managing to record some pretty cool video bits. That is until Reza decided to get me to talk to his student on his phone while I was trying to video this years cool animation character lantern being destroyed. Somehow I managed to multitask with a fair end result (see facebook for the video). phew!!

Eventually the cold won out and we headed back into Himeji. We meet up with Brandon for late dinner before calling it a night.

Adventures with Jojo

2007-10-20T22:25:00.000+09:00

Nada Kenka Matsuri 2007

2007-10-17T21:59:00.000+09:00

Jojo being back in town meant a LATE night Sat after dinner, drinks and KAREOKE!!Yeah baby!! It took Jo to come back into the country for me to get a mic in my hand! Need to work on that, just not good enough!!

So we NEEDED a sleep in and finally creeped out of bed around 1pm. Headed off to Shirahama for the Kenka festival and as Jo puts it "Beer, Bums, Drums". We were torn between supporting the highly drunk red team that struggled to lift their Mikoshi for more than 5 seconds or the blue team with the cute boy supporters. ;)

Later in the day meet up with Reza, Tsuyoshi and Brandon and dodged and weeved the onslaught of Mikoshis exiting the shrine together. The Mikoshis locked horns and rumbled, so cool!

Energy levels pretty low from too much partying the night before, we all retreated to Starbucks and chilled out there with Chi chan and Makoto.

USJ Universal Wonder Halloween

2007-10-13T16:20:00.000+09:00

Thursday was YMCA's Anniversary so I had the day off. Yay! Not to let the day go to waste I organised a trip to USJ. I had been when the the amusement park first opened 7 years ago but since then a load of new attractions and rides had been added and I was dying to have a go. To add to the attractions it is also Halloween season so I was also looking forward to seeing the decorations and characters.

The day started off cloudy and a little rain even fell but as we entered the park the sun shone down and it was time to have FUN!!! First off the massive roller coaster at the entrance called Hollywood Dream the Ride. It was so cool but scary as hell! We all plugged into Eminem's "Lose Yourself" as we took on this thrill of every drop, twist and flip.

During the day we made it through Shrek 4D Adventure, Spiderman The Ride, Terminator 2 : 3D, Sorciere, Back to the Future the Ride, Backdraft, Jurassic Park the Ride, Jaws and finished off with the show Peter Pan.

My favourite was Spiderman. The 4D effects and semi roller coaster action kept our hearts pumping and attention on the surroundings at all times. It was such a thrill and worth every second of the wait!

Before returning to Himeji we had dinner at the Universal Citywalk Hard Rock cafe. My day was complete by listening to Ok Go, Keene and Green Day while enjoying everyone's company and the Halloween specials that were on offer.

A Wii bit of fun :)

2007-10-08T18:32:00.001+09:00

Another three day weekend with time spent at Fukudomari beach with Manami and her friends for a lovely BBQ, the last of the year??? It was so lovely and relaxing lounging around on the camping chairs. With full bellies Manami and I struggled not to be antisocial, resisting the temptation to nap. Seiji took control and taught the basics of Salsa dance. He was a fantastic teacher coz the others learnt quickly!!

After saying goodbye I headed off to Shikama for a pre matsuri matsuri (hehehe) with Kazumi and family. It was kinda difficult to see the yatais in the dark because in Shikama they are not lit up like in other areas. But it was still very cool to follow the procession through the neighbourhood. The cries of "Yoyasa" filling the night air. The only competition was an ambulance that brought the final "dance" to an abrupt end. (See video)

Back at Kazumi's we settled in for a night of Wii Sports. Kaito, Kazumi's 5 year old nephew put us all to shame in bowling. With his cute little hop, skip and jump bowling action, he bowled up strike after strike to well and truly win game after game. And didn't he just LOVE beating us all!!! hahaha

Festival October

2007-10-04T23:24:00.000+09:00

It's mad season! Every weekend this month is planned!! Autumn festivals are on in full swing. Actually started early coz on the weekend just past (technically still Sept! hehehe) Chi chan and I went to Kasai to join Ben and Poul at the Sai Sai Kasai festival. Kind of an end to summer with the last fireworks display of the year.

But so much coming up and in the middle of the yearly festival mayhem Jojo will return next week to spice up Himeji with her own brand of mayhem. Yay!!! The countdown has begun!!

Bowling Comp 07

2007-09-20T22:36:00.000+09:00

On Saturday Makoto organised a bowling comp for the masses. It appeared that the whole of Himeji was at loose ends because pretty much everyone said yes leading to a turn out of 32 people.

It was a lot of fun. And very loud down the other end of the bowling alley. We were sure that they must have been bowling up a storm of strikes. Found out later that they were doing hopelessly and decided to cheer and scream for everything!hahaha For us Lucy put a bit of excitement into things when she managed to bowl the ball backwards and it came flying to meet us in the seats! oh 怖い! :{

Makoto had prepared prizes for first and last positions for females and males plus the winning lane's prize. Thanks for all the prep Makoto! Afterwards we headed off to Tiger for a few drinks.

Spain

2007-09-09T10:57:00.000+09:00

Super excited about this trip, two years in the planning and finally I was on the plane and heading there. Transfers and sitting around airports waiting for flights frustrated me...JUST GET ME THERE!

Touched down in Madrid and it was game on. Checked in and then started to explore the capital. Finding the main landmarks easily, including the Real Madrid superstore hahaha, we soaked up the laid back atmosphere. That night dinner was at a Tapas bar where the sangria flowed delightfully.

Having seen all of the landmarks and museums in Madrid that we had bookmarked in the first day we decided to not waste our second day by sticking around the capital. Instead we booked an express train (no mean feat!!) to Toledo. Toledo is a world heritage town situated on a hill top and is just gorgeous! A walled town, the turret at the entrance gives an impressive medieval feel. Despite the crowds, as I wondered the narrow streets that were barely wide enough for a car to pass through, I had fun imagining the old days of horse and carts and soldiers walking the passages for protection.

The next morning we were up at the crack of dawn (yuck!) to get to the central train station for our transfer to Granada. The four and half hour train trip was so interesting. In a lot of ways the countryside reminded me of Aus coz outside the town centers it was bare and brown. The white building townships that popped up along the way were however very not Aus! hahaha

Checked in and out straightaway, not a moment to waste! But hungry so food first in the thought process. This posed a slight problem coz we hadn't quite adjusted to Spanish time yet. Siesta time is 2pm to 4 or 5pm and try to find food before that and good luck to ya! So battling hunger pains we browsed gift shops until 2 .

Refueled we inquired about a flamenco dance performance and sourced out tourist bus tickets that allowed us to prebuy tickets for the Alhambra palace for the next morning. This ticket later proved to be a lifesaver!

The tourist ticket had allowed us to select our entrance time for the Alhambra palace, we chose the respectable time of 10am. So the next day we had to be at the ticket office an hour before to exchange the coupons. We were expecting to have to wait sometime in our reduced queue however we barely waited a minute before being ushered in. Hearing stories later of people queuing up in the non reserved ticket line for 2 hours BEFORE the ticket office opened only to be told no more tickets for the morning session (3000 tickets) and having to settle for a ticket in the afternoon session, we were once again thankful for our purchase the day before.

Alhambra is with out a doubt worth every second of the wait. The gardens and water features are described as works of art and I don't think that is an overstatement at all. I can't describe in words the beauty of the palace and surrounding areas so for some idea please look at my photos in the slide show above.

The flamenco performance that we saw that evening was of the gypsy style. Moody, sultry, sad, angry and powerful. The background singer makes or breaks the performance though. With him there is no tension in the air for the dancers to play with. Wonderful performance. Then afterwards included in the show price was a night tour to see the Alhambra lit up. Such beauty!!

Early start again, back to the train station and off to Seville. In Seville for the first time I questioned my orienteering skills. Generally specking I have no problems with maps and directions but Seville proved a slight challenge. The streets so narrow that a car cant even drive down them we were forced to find our hotel on foot with map in hand. And following the map the travel agent had given us took us into an area filled with souvenir shops. Time to ask for help and of course I pick the one shop assistant who speaks NO English! All the more confused from listening to directions in Spanish I decided to roam the streets a few blocks over and miraculously found our hotel! First thing I did was ask for a CORRECT map from reception!!

Having wasted an hour but getting hungry in the process you guessed it food stop first. Then we checked out the Seville cathedral where Christopher Columbus' tomb is. The orange garden in the courtyard was really lovely.Afterwards we wandered the streets, enjoying the old town feel.

Next morning up at the crack of dawn again! (so over it!!) This time to the Seville airport to fly out to Barcelona. A transfer into a central location, checked in and once again off to explore our final destination. We bought a 3 day tourist pass that allowed us unlimited travel on all bus, train and subway lines as well as discounted entry into most tourist attractions as well as a few free entries.(great deal!)

With the pass we headed straight for Sagrada Familia. I loved every second here, it is such an unusual experience. No where else in the world would tourists be allowed onto a construction site in large numbers, and certainly NOT without hardhats and bright coloured jackets for safety and protection. Yet here the construction side of things is very much part of the attraction and the workers happily pose for pictures! hahaha

The next day we allowed ourselves to chill out to Spanish time. Breakfast after 9 and out sightseeing just before 11. Civilised!We did the rounds of Gaudi's other numerous pieces of design wizardry, La Pedrera (formally known as Casa Mila), Guell Park then checked out FC Barcelona's home stadium. But we didn't know that it was game day until we saw the masses stream towards the stadium. We later found out that the game didn't even start until 10pm!!On the way to our next stop I got the thrill of the trip because suddenly right in front of my eyes was a completely NUDE guy riding his mountain bike down the street. It must be fairly normal (???) coz not a single other soul reacted to him, not even the numerous police on hand to control the flow of fans heading to the stadium!!

On the way back to the hotel I wanted to go see La Font Magica because I had heard of the impressive display of the fountain flowing and water changing colour, all choreographed to music. A little surprised that there was hardly anyone around it wasn't until we got right up the the fountain that we discovered that show only took place on Thursdays to Sundays. So disappointed as we were not a big hassle coz we still had time tomorrow to come back.

Once again a relaxed start to our final full day. We headed straight for the central market where I couldn't resist buying some fresh fruit, yum. Seeing the meat hanging from the roof, the whole pig heads, bulls tails plus much more all for sale was amazing! Our eyes filled with strange sights we moved off to the port area for our free 90 min cruse on the bay (part of the tourist ticket deal). Back on land we climbed Columbus' tower (also free) then wandered the market like streets heading backing the city before finally lunching at around 4pm (you can see we had completely transformed into handling Spanish time by now!haha).

Refueled again we visited the cathedral after which I did make a slight miscalculation of direction to find the King's plaza before heading off to Museu Picasso (worth a visit).

After dinner, our final splurge at a Tapas bar, we revisited La Font Magica and this time saw the delightfully playful entertainment of water moving to music. This time 60 plus tourist bus loads of people joined us. It was crazy but so worth it!!

And so my Spanish adventure came to an end. The trip home was unfortunately through Heathrow. I say unfortunately coz after transferring into the second plane we were made to wait for more than two hours ON BOARD because another plane had had engine troubles on the runway. A full inspection of the area was required hence delaying us and numerous other flights from departure! ahhhhh Kazumi's fear was that she wouldn't make it back to Japan the same age as when she left. (Her birthday was the day after we got back) hahaha But much to her relief we did!

Shiraishi Island Villa

2007-08-21T19:13:00.000+09:00

One of my oldest dreams has finally come true! I have been trying forever to go to Shiraishi Island Villa in Okayama for a LONG TIME and I can say the experience was well worth the wait. The island is a little ferry ride from Kasaoka (all be it not much fun in the storage area) and then a 10 min walk from the ferry terminal.

We had lugged all our food and drinks for the two nights stay and were dying of thirst on arrival. Problem was we had nothing cold to drink.:( The wait was excruciating!! But we busied ourselves settling in and then headed down to the beach. It was so refreshing to dip in the water. The girls decided not to go swimming just going in to knee level. Heaven!!

Dinner was curry and rice and we sat out on the balcony to eat. The evening was so pleasant and the island welcomed us with a fireworks display that we could watch quite comfortably from our seats. The star night also grabbed our attention as we relaxed and soaked up the night atmosphere.

Sleep in, late breaky and then beach time!!! Ben headed in first and by the time the rest of us got down there he had managed to be attacked by jellyfish. With trepidation we entered the beckoning waters but were rewarded with cool relief.

Lunch become very late and then the weather turned stormy. We headed back down to water and paddled around for awhile but the lighting in the distance soon made us give up and return to the villa. Some naps, games and listening to music and still with full stomachs, we gave up on dinner and opted for fireworks and champagne on the beach. However the experience was not quite what I had imagined coz we were forced to deal with a little rain. Nevertheless still a lot of fun! Back to the villa and we snacked and chatted with other villa guests the night away.

And all too soon our weekend was over. We checked out and caught the ferry back to the mainland. Still with the better part of the day to enjoy, we headed to the park in Ako that we visited after the last villa trip, to play frizbee. But it was SO HOT so only the ganbariya 4 actually played hacky sack. Miki chan and I held the fort under the shade of a nearby tree.hehehe

And another of my dreams is about to come true. In a few hours I will be jetting off to Spain for 12 lovely days. So for now adios amigos!

Summer Sonic 2007

2007-08-13T16:15:00.000+09:00

My head is exploding with how to write this post. So much packed into one day makes it very tough, but I will struggle with the flashbacks in my head and try my best to get this done!

Chi chan and I struggled with sleepiness to get ourselves to Maishima by 9:30am, exchanged our tickets for a wristband and them flew to the Ocean Stage to wait for Ok Go. I have turned into a little bit of a minor MAJOR fan of these guys so was stoked that we could get up quite close to the stage. Man Damian is so cute in real life too! hehehe Sang my heart out while dancing around and enjoying their stage presence. Loved their song selection, they must have read my mind.hahaha Off to a great start!

A ten minute rest for a bit of food and we transferred to the Sky Stage to see Travis and the boys of Gym Class Heroes rip up the stage. Chi chan tells me she has taken an interest in these guys and I don't blame her coz they were very good.

Back to the Ocean Stage to see rock performances from B'z and then The Goo Goo Dolls. Then moved to the Park Stage to see Ganga Zumba perform an earthy feel. Then raced through the Ocean Stage to get back over to the Sky Stage to see my second favourite band of the moment, Fall Out Boy. I enjoyed their performance and once again sang myself stupid. But from my perspective they spent too much time singing covers, cut into the time to hear their songs.

Final move back to the Ocean Stage with a BIG line up yet to come, still 4 hours of performances!! First off in the home leg was Gwen Stefani. She was the ultimate professional. She got right out into the crowd and mixed with her fans. Which in the end nearly was a disaster because it caused a stampede by the crowd, crushing one female fan. As soon as Gwen saw this she stopped the performance and took care of the fan herself. Once she was sure the fan was ok she restarted the show and blew everyone away.

Next up Avril Lavigne to shrills of "kawaii, kawaii". She rocked the stage and played her pink guitar to the joy of the crowd. After Avril Chi chan had our second sit down of the day during the 20 min stage change. At this point the hunger pains were well and truly shining through but no way were we leaving the stage at this important point of the day.

And we were rewarded when the Black Eyed Peas came out to entertain. They had the place pumping in seconds, people jumping and dancing around. A bit of comedy too, Will.I.Am repeatedly getting the crowd to mimic him with a Oooosaka call. A lot of cross promotion with each of the members promoting their own solo efforts. They were definitely a great final performance !!

But unfortunately for us the night was not over at 9pm. It took an hour and 20 mins to get on a shuttle bus back to the Universal Studios station (hence the photos hehehe), 40 mins on the bus to the station (normally the trip takes 10 mins), 30 mins waiting for trains back to Osaka, finally catching a kaisoku train to Himeji at 0:03am. Somewhere on the trip home the train suddenly stopped because someone had pressed the emergency button. 10 minute wait before off again only to be stopped two stations later with another sick passenger. Now a 17 minute delay...ahhhh! I'm not sure but I think the emergencies were fellow Summer Sonic revellers who had had too much sun, fun and possibly alcohol and now were struggling with the trip home. Which meant we got back to Himeji at 2:37 am and home at 3 am.

Summer School 2007

2007-08-11T12:32:00.000+09:00

Yay! Summer holidays start from today for me...three weeks of fun ahead!! Finished up Summer school with a camp to Yutopia Sasayama, a lovely new camping park with very modern facilities, with 20 kids. We had fun trying to name everything we saw in English, playing in the pool, learning a drama, doing fireworks and relaxing in the onsen.

Nature did seem to want to join in our fun a bit too much though, coz the girls bungalow was inundated with a cicada that took every opportunity to get in. No sooner had we removed it than it once again flew back in. One of the girls summed it up perfectly exclaiming "バカこいつ！”(This one is an idiot!)hahaha But coming from a 7 year olds mouth I just had to laugh! :)

The students again moved me to tears with their perfect performance of the drama we had practiced on camp and the song we had learnt in music classes during the week, when we returned to YMCA yesterday. Seeing them go from not understanding a word at the beginning of the week to being able to perform the 20 min drama for their parents made me quite emotional.hahaha

Festivals and parties

2007-08-08T21:35:00.000+09:00

Kazumi came up with the wonderful idea to get dressed up in Yukatas and go to the Himeji Castle festival Saturday night. Last weekend we both complained that we had only had one chance to wear Yukatas this year and that just wouldn't do!! So after dressing MYSELF (proud as punch,hehehe) at Kazumi's house we travelled into Himeji to with Tatsuya, Ryuji and Brandon and met up with Bob.

We checked out the night parade that was taking place. Lots of historical groups dressed up in traditional period clothing, impressive. Enjoyed some fried food and beers and soaked up the festival atmosphere.

Then on to the main event of the night, dinner.hahahaa We went to an Izakaya for a very pleasant and fun evening. Mine being completely made when mum called to say my wayward Crows had lifted their game to beat Port :) And then we followed up with a round in Acqua. Great night!

Then the next day, the traditional BBQ at Fukudome beach. Sun, sand, beach, BBQ, friends adds up to a lot of fun. With constant eating for a good 8 hours we were well catered for. Some took a dip to get some relief from the heat, frisbee and soccer were other peoples choices of activity and then the rest of us skillfully lazied around on the beach. Such talent!

Things that go BANG in the night

2007-07-30T10:30:00.000+09:00

My weekend started off in a panic. Kyoko was sick which meant she wasn't coming out to play. The big plan of the weekend was to get dressed up in yukatas and go to Shikama fireworks festival. But no Kyoko meant disaster for me coz now how was I gonna get dressed?? :{ But Kazumi thought that なとかなる so with trepidation I went to her house to get suited up.

Kazuyo also ended up arriving on the train so we walked together to Kazumi's. Lucky we had plenty of time before needing to get dressed because we were hot and sweaty just getting to Kazumi's.

Soon the time came to try to do the impossible. But with Kazumi and Kazuyo's step by step instructions I managed to basically dress myself!!! The obi was the biggest struggle and took a couple of goes to succeed but with time to spare we three were dressed! :)

We met the others at the station and then walked down to the port. This year we were a little earlier than before so we had time to walk all the way down to the immigration office. Then in true gaijin pushy style we stepped over people who had probably been there most of the afternoon to save a good spot, to find a spot to sit down right in the front. And I even did better finding a spot with a car as a back rest! hehehe

The extra walk was worth it because this year for the first time we could enjoy the fireworks that were smaller and lower to the water surface as well as the big impressive bangs. It was a perfect night for firework viewing with little wind and most dramatically the full moon shining next to or at times behind the fireworks.

Afterwards we went back to Kazumi's for a pizza party. A few bottles of sparkling wine also added to the festive evening. Lots of fun! ;)

I have responsibilities

2007-07-23T21:41:00.000+09:00

Saturday under a cloudy cloudy sky I managed to turn pink after playing tennis with Makoto, Kyosuke and Marie for a couple of hours. Then later that afternoon I went to Fumi's for dinner. I was amazed at Riku's English development. At not quite 3, he understood almost everything I said and responded accordingly. Not too surprising considering who his mother is but none the less very impressive!!

Sunday I went with Sakane san to NHK Osaka Hall to see an Irish group called Ragus perform a mixture of Irish dance, instrumental and vocal performance. They were very entertaining. The vocalists voice was hauntingly beautiful. Overall a very enjoyable afternoon.

But somewhere along the course of the afternoon I became responsible for two living souls. Namely turtles. To be completely accurate I will be taking care of them at YMCA as of Friday. It all comes about coz Troy is leaving Japan for Hawaii and so his pals need a new home...but Jo doesn't fill me with confidence about taking on this responsibility. :{

Partying in Okinawa

2007-07-19T19:20:00.000+09:00

A weekend of natural disasters nearly interfered with a carefully planned long weekend. I say nearly because even a typhoon hurtling towards us was not enough to stop Kyoko and I lunching and shopping in Kobe on Saturday. We waited out the hard rain in a cute and lovely vegetarian cafe. Then were off to find bargain in the sales. Actually the typhoon worked to our advantage because there were less people out and about, all the more freedom to search!!

Sunday I was invited to a goodbye BBQ for Troy and Yuko at their house in Shingu. The only request was "don't bring ANYTHING in fact take some of our junk home!" They will be moving to Hawaii on Aug 1st so trying to limit what they have to move. They did successfully get someone to take their sofa home!!hahaha

Monday was Chi chan's birthday!! A celebration in Churaumi (Okinawa bar) was planned because I discovered on the way to Osaka a few weeks ago that somehow Chi chan had NEVER been to the Okinawa bar. How did that happen??? It turned out to be the perfect location for her because they played The Boom (Chi chan's fav group) all night. Plus the nomihodai deal included SO MUCH food and at the end they surprised us with a complimentary bottle of Rose sparkling wine (didn't tell me about that when I booked). The service was great as usual so Churaumi is reconfirmed as my favourite place in Himeji.

But back to the party action. Poor Igor was an hour late because of the earthquake in Nigata earlier in the day. JR was delayed and so this interrupted his arrival. And the poor love had to leave us early to get back to Kyoto. But we still ate, drank and made merry. Chi chan opened her presents and then was required to open the Rose. It took some twisting and tugging but when it finally did pop, the cork flew and popped poor Kazuyo in the forehead. And this all after she had presented Chi chan with a lovely handmade bracelet! hahaha

A climate in crisis...answer the call

2007-07-07T23:08:00.000+09:00

Lucky me!!

2007-07-05T19:21:00.000+09:00

I got notification yesterday that my radio station from back home wants to give me a Motorola RAZR Maxx V6 Mobile with a $50 Bigpond music card! It seems that my weekly joy of rating new music they play has paid off because they are rewarding me with this prize. Is this a sign to go home though???

Bye Bye Jen

2007-07-04T19:15:00.000+09:00

Friday night was our chance to say goodbye to Jen (as Makoto pointed out on her poster, for a second time). We reminised the night away at Tiger. Tears were shed and stories were told. Jon was really drunk before any of the rest of us arrived and whether this helped or hindered his magic preformances I am not sure but he kept the crowd entertained well into the early hours of the morning.

I thought this was gonna be my last night out with Jen because our planned surprise night picnic idea had been canceled at the last minute because Jen had plans to work Saturday night for a last fistful of cash before skipping shores. But to my surprise there she was at the Beer Garden night that Reza suddenly planned. So sudden in fact he failed to research the fact that you need a booking for the egret beer garden and so after being rejected there we all trekked over to the Forus beer garden for 3 hrs of roof top fun.

Even though she had to be up bright and early for a trip to Hiroshima, Jen was not ready to go home. So off to Tiger and then B's bar we went, much to Reza's disgust. But after this it was time to say bye to Jen for real.Sniff sniff! Good luck convincing your dad that you have your plans under control babe! ;)

Need a haircut?

2007-07-01T10:57:00.000+09:00

Purely...innocent

2007-06-25T19:46:00.000+09:00

Saturday night Chi chan, Miki chan and I headed off to Osaka to meet up with Ben for a drink before going to Pure. On the way we stopped off in Umeda for dinner. Miki chan took us to the basement food gallery of Hankyu department store where we wandered the culinary delights before choosing a little place that served EVERYTHING and more. The walls were covered with pictures of what was on offer, making a selection was tricky!!

Stomachs full, we headed into Namba (we found another route in Jojo! hehehe) and met Ben and his friend at the big crab then off to Cinquecento. Surprise surprise BUT I managed to guide us all straight there, no back tracking needed!

Of course I ordered a Lemon Drop, YUM!!!Each of us ordered something different which lead to a taste testing fest. Joji met up with us in Cinquecento and from that moment on the guys were pushing to go to Pure. Their reasoning was if we were there before 12 we wouldn't have to wait. WRONG!!! Still we needed to queue, heaven knows why coz the place was less than half full!!

In and for the first time ever we had space on the floor to dance!! Although there were TWO bar tables on the dance floor!?! Madness!!The crowd soon piled in and the usual dance floor atmosphere was up and running...plus two tables...sheesh...but Chi chan and I didn't let that spoil our fun! ;) hehehe

Summer Sensation

2007-06-18T23:02:00.000+09:00

Chi chan's Mandolin Orchestra once again wowed the crowd that gathered to see them perform at the citizen's hall yesterday. They had a varied performance of familiar cinema tunes in the first half followed by a classical touch in the second half. A really beautiful performance that all of us commented afterwards relaxed and soothed us.

Afterwards Chi chan really just wanted to drink! hehehe But we convinced her to settle for coffee with us at Star until her orchestra's dinner party. Thanks once again for the invite Chi chan! Did you enjoy your liquid refreshments last night??

I see the vision

2007-06-10T21:28:00.000+09:00

I have grown up with a basic knowledge of Eurovision but never had the experience of watching the whole performance...until now! Jen organised a hilariously funny evening Friday, and educated us on the process of Eurovision. Those not of European or colonial decent really didn't know what they had let themselves in for. Jen took it in her stride to explain that the weird costumes, tacky tunes and off rhythm dancing/singing actually had a very good chance of winning! After judging and critiquing each performance we chose who we thought would win and who should win...and Chi chan chose correctly for BOTH!!!...my vote for who should win went to Spain....can anyone guess why??? ;)

Welcome to 30's world!!

2007-06-04T20:28:00.000+09:00

Saturday was an eventful, surprising day. Started out with a nice morning of tennis and then lunch with Chi chan, Makoto, Kyosuke, Ben and Jon then home to relax and prepare for a night of fun with the gang.

A bit after 7:15 we met up at Himeji station where I received my first surprise of the night. Chi chan had asked Igor to come in for my birthday, all the way from Kyoto. (Thanks Igor!) People were running late, as usual, but we did make it to the restaurant shortly after 7:30. Chi chan, the superstar, had gone round to several places to check out the atmosphere first hand before deciding on the location for my party. And she chose extremely well, the choice being a new place called IVY Cafe Dining on the 6th floor of the new WAT building. It was classy, especially the toilet!!LOL (see photos of Jen and Reza)

All 15 of us enjoyed the food and nomihodai for several hours. Through out the evening I was showered with many wonderful and thoughtful presents. Jen got the ball rolling almost before we started eating!!! by presenting me with a beautiful tiara. And so it was settled, I became a princess for the rest of the night. Kazumi's present made me cry because she put together TWO photo albums of memories of the past 8 years! So emotional!! Also I received beautiful earrings, two bouquets of flowers, international time zone clock, bicycle umbrella holder, cookies, chocolates and bottles of wine!! :)

But yet another surprise was just around the corner. Chi chan had made a CAKE!!! It was beautifully hand decorated and needless to say delicious! I don't know when the girl found the time to make it but I thank her from the bottom of my heart!!

After several hours of merriment at IVY, it was off to Tiger because "people were waiting". Of course still wearing my tiara, I was greeted by Yusuke, Hanako, Yaiyo, Mike, Thomas and Jon in Tiger. Asked what I would like to drink I replied white wine (the only drink of a princess ;) ). Mike and Thomas got the bright idea to ask for it in a beer jyoki, at least three standard drinks!!Thanks guys!! And that pretty much set the pace of the evening after that.

In the small hours of the morning we moved to a new bar called B's bar. From this point I was only drinking water but I REALLY like the place and so will be going back. Much smaller than Tiger, in fact we well and truly packed the place out, but it has a great new, fresh feel to it.

Thanks again to everyone for giving me a great night to remember. You all are such wonderful, special people. I am so lucky to know you. You make thinking of a future outside Japan VERY difficult!!

PS. I have now overcome the technical difficulties of last week and actually updated to a WEBCAM...whoohoo...so if I don't already have your Skype address then PLEASE email me the details and then you can hear my lovely voice!! ;)

Birthday Frustration!!

2007-05-30T22:09:00.000+09:00

Thanks everyone for your calls, emails, ecards and pressies!! I am very lucky to have so many wonderful people thinking of me from places far and near....Ireland, America, Thailand, Qatar, Germany, Australia and JAPAN!!

Looks like I need to invest in another headset/mic coz the one I have now decided not to work in my conversations with people in Australia. I could hear them but they couldn't hear me!! Just not good enough on my day!!! Let you all hear my voice again soon. xxx

Gonna make you sweat!

2007-05-28T22:38:00.000+09:00

Had a fairly low key weekend. Mind you not sure if you count screaming at your computer as you listen to several dramatic AFL games low key??? But other than my footy fix, hung out at Makoto's Wai Wai group and went to Ganbanyoku Saturday night with Chi chan.

All I can say is that Ganbanyoku is heavenly delight for us of the female variety. Nearly two hours of lying in a hot, humid room that makes you sweat so much that the beige pajamas they give you to wear change to a deeper brown, leaves your skin so soft and supple. I found out just how soft the skin becomes. After lying on my side, the left side of my face was imprinted by the wicker pillow, much to Chi chans amusement!! ;)

After we worked our skin into shape we were able to indulge in the herbal tea and vinegar self service selection. I think the idea was you either had tea or vinegar but with such an interesting selection Chi chan and I wanted to try the lot!! So it turned into nomihodai tea, sharing each others selections.

Blue sky, white clouds and the Agean sea

2007-05-24T19:12:00.000+09:00

A while back Jon put the call out for villa trip 2007. I didn't need to be asked twice and quickly set about reserving a villa and inviting the troops to join in the fun.

On Saturday we set out for Ushimado just before lunch and arrived to a beautiful blue sky, white coastline and green mountainside. Trekked up to the olive park on the mountain top for round two of the worlds "second best" view, rang the happiness bell and tried out the sports course. Back down the hill for gelati and then up the other side of the mountain for frisbee.

Dinner was well deserved after all our physical activity and so the girls set about making tacos, burritos, pizza and nachos with salad. Have to say some of the boys did offer to help but only so many cooks could fit in the kitchen. During the cooking process the city of Ushimado welcomed us with a firework display down at the port, of which we had a perfect view from the lounge room window. :)

The boys were superb with the clean up doing all the dishes!!! (We worked that one out well girls!! ;0 )Then a do or die round(s) of UNO was on. It was an all out war, even cheating was part of the tactics. Some, who shall remain nameless, had no shame in looking at my cards!!!

Up for breakfast and checkout, then down to the coast for drive along the shore finding a quite peaceful, white sandy beach. Next stop was a town called Hinase where the town festival was being held. Chi chan got close to winning the bingo game they were running but gave up possible professional baseball tickets or Nintendo DS because our tummies were a rumbling. So off to Ako for a tummy fuel stop then in search of ground to play frisbee, soccer, American footy and hacky sack.

Thanks for a weekend of fun everyone! Let me know when you wanna get away again!!

Strawberries!!!!

2007-05-14T21:50:00.000+09:00

Yesterday Manami invited me to join her and some friends to go strawberry picking. I LOVE strawberries, especially Japanese ones, which are soooooooo flavoursome. Yum yum!! We ate and picked and ate and picked for about half an hour. The fruits of our labour was a HUGE MASSIVE pile of strawberries each to take home. The owner of the field had even made Ichigodaifuku for us. Perfection!!! :)

We had worked up an appetite (even after scoffing down countless berries) so we headed for Sushiro. Only problem was because it was Mother's Day every family in Himeji was giving mum the night off and so not only was Sushiro an hour wait, the next 4 restaurants we tried to go to were similarly packed. On last legs we tried one more Okonomiyaki restaurant, Shiohachi, and got in. And Shiohachi proved to be worth the trouble we had been put to. I also LOVE okonomiyaki but until now didn't really have a favourite place. I can now announce that with out a doubt Shiohachi is the place!!

Finally a request: A mountain of strawberries in my fridge right now so recipes or ideas how to use them PLEASE!!!

Totally Chilled

2007-05-10T20:43:00.000+09:00

GW part two was low key. Seeing as you all left me alone to my devices in Himeji I was forced to make my own entertainment. So over 4 days I think I watched 10 DVDs!! Only on Friday did I venture further than my front door, to go to Kobe to the Sweets Harbour (v cool!) and then back to Himeji to try Ganbanyoku with Sakane san. Ganbanyoku is kinda like a sauna except you lie down on hot stones. It makes you sweat "good" sweat that really cleans out all your pores and leaves you feeling so refreshed! I could dribble on here about the feeling but I guess there is only so much you all care to read about my sweat. ;)

Days of Gold

2007-05-01T22:04:00.000+09:00

Golden Week for me this year is a three day weekend (just past), two days of work then a four day weekend starting Thursday. Quite inconvenient to have these two days of work interrupting freedom, the down side of working for an International organisation in Japan (one of the few times that this is a negative).

So far I have had a full on three days. On Saturday I met the newest member of our family. Shin and Motoko's first child, Shutaro, is so gorgeous. He is a little angel too, didn't make a sound except little giggles all day. The highlight of my day with them was helping to give him a bath. I was a million times slower than Motoko and her mum, guess that is to be expected.

Sunday I went to Troy and Yuko's wedding at Ikuta Shrine in Kobe. I have been to my Japanese sister's weddings here but this was my first time to attend a wedding at a shrine. Quite an experience having to stand up, bow, sit down, stand up, bow, sit down, about 15 times through out the 30 min service! The bride and groom looked perfect in the traditional wear. A truly lovely day.

Monday the gang went to Kasai for a BBQ in Maruyama park, the trip extra special because Igor made the trip down from Kyoto. I had targeted this park ever since Ben took me there several months ago. Reason, slides!!! Not one BUT two!!! After food we all reverted to childhood and wizzed down the slippery dipperies. hehehe To round out the day we played frisbee, soccer and badminton until the light evaded us.

Chasing Laughs

2007-04-25T23:41:00.000+09:00

These guys are edgy!

The Trogan Horse

Bed Testing

Hanami 2007

2007-04-12T22:14:00.000+09:00

Sunday was perfect for Hanami. Not too hot, not too windy, good company, obentos and a good bottle of wine or two! Gathering down close to the castle we chatted away the afternoon surrounded by the beauty of pink blossom. Later in the day, Chi chan, Sakane san, Bob and I did the social rounds and in the process discovered an even more impressive location up on the hillside to the left of the castle.

As the light faded the lanterns set up around the park gave the trees another whole glow. We left the park to sing kareoke, farewelled by the cherry trees.

Well I never!!!

2007-04-11T23:15:00.000+09:00

I have just learnt that my computer has a SD memory card reader built into it! Not bad seeing as I have had this computer for 2 years and only just made this discovery tonight. Actually wouldn't have except my mum just called, I told her about my broken camera and the frustration of not being able look at the pics on my SD. By chance a few months back she bought the exact same lap top as me so tonight she said "So use your SD reader!" So now it is my turn to be a guppy! Good news though coz now I can put Hiroshima pictures up!! :)

休みの日はPriceless (Holidays are Priceless) pics

2007-04-11T23:03:00.000+09:00

休みの日はPriceless (Holidays are Priceless)

2007-04-07T17:42:00.000+09:00

Kazumi and I took the slow train to Hiroshima on Thursday to make use of the Seishun 18 kippu. This is a special ticket available in each of the school holiday periods that allow travellers unlimited travel on JR trains (excluding Shinkansen and Rapid express). Usually the tickets have a represented cost of 2300 yen but this holiday period the price was reduced to 1600 yen, bargain! So while the Shinkansen would have got us there in an hour we took the much cheaper, 4 hour option.

The main purpose of the trip was to see the Cherry Blossom that right now is opening up around the country. So along the way we stopped off in Onomichi, had ramen for lunch before climbing a million stairs up the mountain side to Senkoji Park. Quite rightly we had equipped ourselves with a few cans of liquid refreshment to enjoy in a most pleasant setting.

We arrived in Hiroshima, checked in to our hotel then went in search of Okonomiyaki for dinner. We were stunned to find that we had landed in Gaijin town. I swear gaijins out numbered Japanese 3 to 1 everywhere we went!!hahahaa After our fill we went back to our hotel to enjoy the public bath and mist sauna.

The next day we visited the Atomic Bomb Memorial Peace Park. Along the way we commented that even though it is hanami season surely the Peace Park would not be a host to such activities. To our surprise and amusement we found blue sheets and the guard "ossan" that is sent to protect the precious space throughout the park, especially around the dome.

Our hanami site of the day was Miyajima, legs swinging as we sat with obento and drinks on the wharf, with the symbolic red tori floating in the water. We had to battle with pesky deer that call the island home for our food, but still reveled in the blue sky, sunshine and idyllic conditions. The Cherry Blossom on the island was at full bloom, perfect, perfect, perfect! :)

Unfortunately my camera got broken on Miyajima so right now I am not able to show you all my pics but will try to get that rectified soon. Bad timing because tomorrow I will have Hanami at Himeji castle for the first time in 4 years (usually I am diving in Okinawa at this time) and no camera to record it :( Will steal from the others!!

Home is where the heart is

2007-04-04T15:36:00.000+09:00

Back in Japan after 10 busy days playing mother to 15 students. A few interesting, heart stopping moments but managed to get all safely on the plane back so giving myself the thumbs up. Actually the group worked really well together so I loved showing them around Adelaide. Did use a bit of energy though, slept for a full 24 hours after getting back.

As well as the tour I had a special event to attend on my one day off. My mum and her longtime partner, Jim, got married and they chose the date of March 31st so I could attend. The wedding was held in one of the gardens that Jim's landscape gardening business manages. About 60 people attended and then after the ceremony 22 of us went out to dinner to celebrate.

Back in Japan the Cherry Blossom is starting to bloom. Tomorrow Kazumi and I will head to Hiroshima for a few days of sightseeing, drinking under the blossom then back to Himeji for a repeat with the gang in front of Himeji Castle. :) Love this time of year!!

A changing world

2007-03-23T23:16:00.000+09:00

I sit here crying as I type on my computer. I have just said goodbye to Jo. I leave on home stay tour to Adelaide tomorrow and when I get back in 10 days Jojo will be gone, starting her new adventure in Doha. :(

Of course I wish her all the best and great success in the next stage of her career. But also I will deeply miss her warm smiley face, her advice on life and hanging out at countless events (hanami’s just around the corner too!!)

On Saturday we threw her a surprise (but not so much of a surprise) “no goodbye” party. As is only fitting for Jojo, we booked the VIP room at Time Machine karaoke and partied for three hours before moving on to Tiger for one last night all together.

Love you heaps Jo! You know I can’t resist the chance to travel to a new place so expect to see me soon. Plus looking forward to a bit of sand surfing!! hehehe Take care of yourself babe!! xxx

What do you think?

2007-03-15T14:10:00.000+09:00

If someone can have their life threatened just because they expressed their opinion then this proves to me that there are things very wrong with this world. This week I heard the Dixie Chicks new song being played on Australian radio and became intrigued with it. Titled “Not ready to make nice”, at first I thought it was a typical love gone wrong song but one part of a verse struck me as weird in this context.

The lines were:
“And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter
Saying that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over”

With a bit of help for the Internet I discovered the truth about the origins of this song.

Back at the beginning of the US invasion into Iraq, the Dixie Chicks’ lead singer, Natalie Maines, angry and disappointed about the Iraq war, commented on stage during a concert in London that she was ashamed that President Bush was from their home state of Texas. The consequences of stating how she felt was almost instant banishment from Country music radio but worse still threats made to their lives!

Now with more and more people agreeing with the opinion that the invasion was a mistake, it is interesting to note that the song has gone to number one in downloads and yet sits very low on the Billboard charts (the reason for this is that many country radio stations are afraid to play the song because if they do they receive angry calls from what I predict is now a minority group).

I don’t like being told what to do or think. I am thankful for the right to free speech, the opportunity to hear various opinions and the healthy debates that are sometimes created. I agree that the war was a mistake and do not support Australia’s involvement. I hope that the true story behind this song becomes wide knowledge and will be interested in the thoughts of others connected to this story. What do you think?

A cup makes a better knife than a toothbrush

2007-03-12T10:59:00.000+09:00

I love Onsens and jumped at the chance to go with the girls for an over night trip on the weekend. We bathed in the rotenburo (outside bath) before returning to our private dinning room for a spread and a half of kaiseki ryori.

Full to the brim, we returned to our room opened a bottle of wine and relaxed for a bit. Then headed back to the baths to try the indoor bath. We decided we needed to experience the rotenburo one more time before retiring for the evening. It was so peaceful to sit outside in the hot bath listening to the pitter patter of soft rain on the rooftop.

With wine and cheese, we chattered the night away. Only problem was we didn't have a knife to cut the cheese. This didn't stop us for long though, we experimented with different things and discovered that a cup works better than a toothbrush as a substitute! hehehe

Plans to get up to see the sunrise while taking a morning bathe were squashed when everyone decided to ignore their alarm clocks. But Chi chan and I did go and enjoy the experience one more time before breakfast. The baths overlooked the shimmering blue ocean, the sun sparkled off the water, it was perfect!

What's ya name again??? pics

2007-03-06T22:43:00.000+09:00

What's ya name again???

2007-03-06T22:15:00.000+09:00

We boogied the night away at Pure on Saturday. Mishap of the night was me blanking out on Jojo's NAME!!! at the martini bar (oh the shame!!!) She didn't speak to me for half of the rest of the night :( But she did forgive me enough to have a dance on the stage together. (phew!!) Twas a great night!! Pictures above ;)

Once in a lifetime experience

2007-02-28T20:12:00.000+09:00

Saturday morning I was asked to record some Eikawa things for a juku here in Himeji and that meant that I got to sit in a real professional recording studio!! It was a soooooooooooooo much fun. The title here is once in a lifetime experience but I'm hoping there will be a twice and third time. hehehe Here is a picture of me enjoying myself. ;)

Sayonara Koki...new adventures ahead

2007-02-26T22:02:00.000+09:00

Next Monday Koki leaves for Canada, Japan will not be the same. Koki is one of the first people that I met when i first moved here and so to try to imagine life without him is strange. God, sounds like he is dying or something instead of just moving to Canada. hahaha

So on Saturday we all got together at Makoto's for nabe and bon voyage. And it was there at the party that I realised just how thankful I should be to Koki for introducing me to many of the people who are so special to me. Anyway with the departure of other close people all too soon I vow to once again extend the circle of friendship!!

I hope that Koki has heaps of fun in Canada and if any of the business ideas suggested come off I will put my hand out for the commission! ;) Safe travels!

Evolution of Dance

2007-02-18T20:58:00.000+09:00

Didn't get to PURE this weekend as planned...but got my fill of dance floor action from this guy!!

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Anti-Valentines Day 2007

2007-02-15T19:14:00.000+09:00

Round 2- This year I had two beautiful dates, oshikunai ramen hair girl and hot rock chick. How lucky can a girl be??? Very!!! ;)

We ate and drank at a yakitori restaurant while confessing our deep love and respect for each other (and many other secrets). Then we moved onto the 500 yen bar for much needed wine. Two bottles later we were joined by Reza and Makoto to balance out the gender imbalance.

Thanks all- love ya heaps!

Happy Birthday Kyoko!

2007-02-15T17:55:00.000+09:00

Kyoko has reached the final year of her 20’s.hehehe (She will kill me for writing this!) We had a lovely time on Saturday at Zebra to celebrate.

However I have to say that organizing this party was quite a tactical adventure because of the foods that the guest of honor doesn’t much care for. It took a good 40 minutes discussion with the chef as to what he could and couldn’t prepare for us, his biggest surprise that a cake wouldn’t be required for a birthday party led to much amusement!

Afterwards we moved on to Tiger for cheese (instead of cake ;)) and wine. I think the birthday girl enjoyed herself as she kept us all partying with her until 5 am !!!! (Not sure how much she remembers though!!) hehehe

One year on!

2007-01-29T21:37:00.000+09:00

It seems that it is a year since Reza moved into the house. Saturday night we marked the occasion with a small gathering of good friends, blended drinks and the usual insane conversations.

Earlier in the afternoon Reza and I attempted to make curry for the mob, problem was that I couldn't chop fast enough and Reza skipped worrying about putting the ingredients in the correct order plus we ran out of curry powder. hahahaha So what we ended up with was a new creation called tomato vegetable stew. (Not sure it will be repeated).

A little after seven thirty a gorgeous brunette walked into my life. Jojo has changed her hair colour while back in Scotland and it (and she) looks stunning. I had seen her picture on messenger but real life is so spectacular. After more than a month apart it was great to see her, and now I have FINALLY caught up with everyone this year. But looking forward to a girls night and chats over a bottle of wine in the near future!!

All was fine until Jon called to say he was lost. He said he was near the library (about 3 min bike ride from Reza's) so I told him to go back there and I would come meet him. As it turns out he was NOWHERE near there so after freezing for 10 mins outside, I took refuge back at Reza's and waited for Jon to find another landmark. The call came in and he asked "Do you know the Cha Cha hotel? I'm there." This sent the rest of us into hysterics and for the rest of the night Jon couldn't live it down. hahaha (Sorry Jon ;) )

Love you guys...as always thanks for the fun...Here's to another year of it!

Hey True Blue!

2007-01-26T21:36:00.000+09:00

Happy Australia Day guys! Received more than a few emails with barbie pictures today (thanks for that! :( ) Hope you enjoyed a few snags n coopers for me!! (sniff sniff)

I'm celebrating by meeting up with the guys for darts now! Bye