GOOD NEWS

1 I feel much better but took an extra day off just to be sure. I didn't fancy having to leg it out the classroom every 10 minutes to aim my sickness into a squat toilet. No thank you. I also felt rough when I got up.

2 My brother has found gainful employment as a REAL teacher in Battersea, London. FAB NEWS! CONGRATULATIONS! Love you bro - you are amazing!

3 I have a link to my favorite song of the moment - enjoy http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/tarako/

AAAAAAAHHHHHRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH

Woke up. Puked up. Haven't stopped one way or another since. Cancelled trainees. Back in bed.
So much for cleaning up - I can hardly move.

poor me...

Sick and Tired

I am so knackered I cancelled my private student tonight. I felt sick and was so tired because it has been a really tiring few weeks. And I didn't feel like making Blog entries at all. One of the major reasons for this exhaustion is that AT 4 AND THEN 5 THIS MORNING A MOSQUITO FOUND ITS WAY INTO MY EAR AND I NEVER CAUGHT THE BASTARD. IT IS NEARLY DECEMBER MOSQUITOES. THIS IS NOT YOUR TIME.
Many things have occured over the past few weeks among them the following:
A visit from and old friend Ilona - lunch and karaoke with the Sugis

A sayonara afternoon for Carla and Gareth
A Pirate themed Thanksgiving dinner

A company trip to Odawara staying at the Hilton Spa Resort
Watching husband play futsal and drinking with his pals


Our flat turning into a total ming pit due to all the previously mentioned activity. Seriously I am ashamed right now. I feel like a student and that is not good. I have some time off tomorrow so can get stuck in but my word it is a major league challenge. Can't get on top of the washing the clothes either because the weather has been bad or has been good when we have been away. Couple that with how cold it is getting and how difficult it is not to leave the bed and you can see the situation. We have created a little microcosm in our bedroom. The bed has its own thing going on. There are bags, magazines, a computer, toiletries, books, a feather boa (?), clean and dirty clothes, Hilton toiletries, DVDs and spiders all in the futons. It's a nightmare. I have no idea where to start. Getting a decent night's sleep might be a start...

I have pictures and have been meaning to make entries but somehow just having had the motivation at all to do it. Busy busy. All is well. Besides me feeling off colour. My friend's son was very sick in the pub yesterday and I am worried I have a bit of sickness. I should get in my bath, get to sleep and recharge my batteries this week. This weekend includes another round of sayonara, birthdays and flea markets - all of which will be great fun. Really looking forward to it. But just need to get off the stupid computer and get some bloody sleep!

Another mememe

Found this on Sushi Zume

1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question.


What does next year have in store for me?
Berimbau - Sergio Mendes

What's my love life like?
Bitch - Rinocerose (I kid you not)

What do I say when life gets hard?
Wada Na Tod - Lata Mangeshkar

What do u think of on waking up?
Heliosphan - Aphex Twin

What song will I dance to at my wedding?
Peer Pressure - Jon Brion (Actually it was MC Hammer and ELO)

What do you want as a career?
Intro/Tokyo - Various Artists

Your favourite saying?
Revolution 999 - Daft Punk

Favourite place?
Weapon of Choice - Fat Boy Slim

What do you think of your parents?
Music Kills Me - Rinocerose

What's your Pornstar name?
Mais Que Nada - Sergio Mendes

Where would you go on a first date?
Sho Nuff - Fat Boy Slim

Drug of choice?
Kelly Watch the Stars - Air

Describe yourself
Cubicle - Eraser head mix - Rinocerose


What is the thing i like doing most?
The Journey - Fatboy Slim

What is my state of mind like at the moment?
Goin Out of my Head - Fatboy Slim

How will I die?
What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong

No cheating...I pass it to YOU!

A Me me me

1) Are your parents married or divorced? married. To each other.
2) Are you a vegetarian? I have been but now I eat fish. No meat for 18 years.
3) Do you believe in Heaven? No. I believe in earth.
4) Have you ever come close to dying? Yep - head on collision in the car. And drunken accidents.
5) What jewelery do you wear 24/7? My wedding ring and my great grandmother's wedding ring..
6) Favourite time of day? Late night
7) Do you eat the stems of broccoli? Yes
8) Do you wear makeup? Yes. I am a dog.
9) Ever have plastic surgery? I'd think about it.
10) Do you color your hair? Yes - I have highlights. I used to dye it redder but now I like a sunkissed look.
11) What do you wear to bed? Pajamas
10) Have you ever done anything illegal? Yes…
13) Can you roll your tongue? yes and I can turn it inside out and over in my mouth
14) Do You tweeze your eyebrows? Yes
15) What kind of sneakers? DCs - the best trainers
16) Do you believe in Abortions? They most certainly exist.
17) What is your Hair color? Ginger. Ginner. Bungy. Minga. I could go on.

18) Future child's name? Pantsuke (boy) Horroko (girl)
19) Do you snore? Yes loudly.
20) If you could go anywhere right now where would it be? Right now - to London to be with my best friend for a few weeks, and spend the days with my other friend and her kids and see my other friends too. There seems to be some sadness around at the moment...
21) Do you sleep with stuffed animals? Not now, but until I left the UK I had a bear called Gravy
22) If you won the lottery, what would you do first? Probably pee my pants. Then buy new pants. Designer pants.
23) Gold or silver? Bit of both these days.
24) Hamburger or hot dog? Veggie burger
25) If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Rice
26) City, beach or country? A city near the beach.
27) What was the last thing you touched? A mouse
28) Where did you eat last? At my desk in the teacher's room of a private high school in the suburbs of Tokyo
29) When's the last time you cried? I cry every time I think of my good friends' impending departure from Japan
30) Do you read blogs? Almost obsessively
31) Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex? Yes - infact last night I dressed as a male pirate and soon I will be going out dressed as John Lennon
32) Ever been involved with the police? Yes
33) What's your favourite shampoo, conditioner and soap? Tsubaka conditioner, shampoo - I brand hop. Soap usually en(karma) from Lush but now I like a Body Shop one that stops violence in the home apparently. I was hoping it would calm me down a bit.
34) Do you talk in your sleep? Yes. And I have odd half waking experiences.
35) Ocean or pool? Ocean
38) Window seat or aisle? Window every time.

39)Ever met anyone famous? Yes - quite a few. I was a waitress in a City Centre Restaurant for a few years (career high point) and we'd get a lot of minor and sometimes not so minor (Belinda Carlisle) celebs in there.
40) Do you feel that you've had a truly successful life? I have no idea what that means but I am still alive so it seems to be succeeding. Or at least persisting. Enough. Yes my life is brilliant...
41) Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? Twirl - I would get told off by my Italian friend otherwise. That frightens me.
42) Ricki Lake or Oprah Winfrey? Ricki in John Waters movies, Oprah for chat shows. She is the best. THE BEST.
43) Basketball or Football? Football (soccer, for the wrong)
44) How long do your showers last? 10-25 minutes. I have become a serious bather since moving to Japan
45) Automatic or do you drive a stick? Only ever driven a manual.
46) Cake or ice cream? Cake and Ice cream. Cake with Ice cream.
47) Are you self-conscious? Cripplingly so sometimes, but with age comes the ability to give less of a shit. Thank God.
48) Have you ever drank so much you threw up? Dear God I can't even begin to answer this question.
49) Have you ever given money to a beggar? Yes.
50) Have you been in love? Yes, madly and am now madly madly madly. I have been lucky. And happy.
51) Where do you wish you were? In tomorrow where my hangover will not be.
52) Are you wearing socks? Yes. New ones.
53) Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? To my shame, once, to my recovery once.
54) Can you tango? I assume so.
55) Last gift you received? A book and some sparkly purses from a spesh friend.
56) Last sport you played? Probably soccer.
57) Things you spend a lot of money on? Food and drink
58) Where do you live? Tokyo
59) Where were you born? Wallasey, Merseyside, UK
60) Last wedding attended? My own. 3 times this year

63) Most hated food(s)? Mammal or fowl muscle based foodstuffs. Fish muscle and ovums no problem.
64) What's your least fav? What an odd question.
65) Can you sing? Hell yes

66) Last person you instant messaged? Becca
67) Last place you went on holiday? Budapest no wait, Fujikyu Highland and Isehara!

68) Favourite regular drink? Water or a nice cup of tea
69) huhuhuhuh Tag 3 friends: Dozo
) Current Song? I don't feel like dancing Scissor Sisters and video kicks Ass
71)Favourite song at the moment As above

Celtic stun Man United

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

A stunning free kick from Shunsuke Nakamura sees
Celtic beat United and reach the final 16.

Nice one Shunsuke!

I have a new tooth

It's entirely made of metal and it hurt like hell today. No novocaine (something of a disappointment) but incredible shooting pain as the dentist shoved the metal beast up into my rear molar. A regular James Frey. Only it really happened to me. And I'm not about to get a public whipping off Oprah. Not nearly famous enough. Shame.
I also asked the dentist why, given that I am somewhat fastidious about dental hygiene, I floss, I brush 3 times a day with a fluoride toothpaste, I swill, I don't eat many sweets, do I have teeth like Austin Powers. Obviously my friends from the other side of the Atlantic believe it is my birthright as a British Citizen to have bad teeth. But I really do do all the right things.
I'm a brachiator. Well that may be a dinosau or something but there is a word that sounds similar that means someone who grinds their teeth so hard that it causes strain at the place where the gums meet the tooth causing decay and unsightly states of teeth. Distress.

Retribution for Oral Rant

Yesterday, as I was enjoying a jelly bean on the train on the way home from work, I was surprised to find a big chunk of metal in one of them. Disgusted, I vowed to return to the shop and sue the bastards for every yen they have for the dangerous foreign body lodged in my bean.

On closer inspection I realised it was my filling and sucked the remaining jelly from it, then wrapped it up, put it in my purse and demanded the earliest possible appointment at the dentist.

Today I can't feel my face but have a newly constructed tooth. And because I went back to the dentist who did my work 5 years ago, it was free! Bring it on!

Thank you 11/11

There's something I forgot to say on November 11th.



That is thank you for my freedom and it is amazing what people of my grandparent's, my husband's grandparent's and their parent's generations lived and fought through.



I wish I could ask mine about it.



These are pictures from my Dad's attendance of the Remembrance Day March in Liverpool at the weekend. He said it was very moving.

Bad Breath and deep frying

Today's beginning and end was marked by bad breath. Of course although every morning I wake up with kuchi de chien, this morning it was even worse than usual after a mammouth one Friday night. Yes Friday. That's right. But after years and years of binge abuse my jaded liver just can't process all the toxins quick enough and after a night of izakaya nomihodai and karaoke followed by memory loss, a total write-off of a Saturday, a dodgy Sunday and a Monday where my body was still dumping waste into my mouth and onto my tongue, not even my honey's endless love could force him into a morning snogette this morning.
Yet that is not the breath of which I speak. No, my hangover morning mouth smelled like freshly cut grass on a perfect summer's day compared with the young salareyman who sat next to me at the first stop of my 25 minute journey, sending swathes of caustic gas my way every time he peered over my shoulder to check my book or yawned. Which was often. I think he either doesn't own a toothbrush or he shares his toothbrush with his dog. And the dog licks it's own rear. Often. And the dog gets 1st dibs on the brush. Thank Zeus he got off at the next stop because I was starting to heave into the Bordeaux region of France. Did I mention some nutty old lady with a skinhead fully fell onto me sleeping on the train then woke up with a start uttering 'What time is it?' in Japanese. She fell with a big noise, was totally ignored by all and sundrie and I thought I would have to perform CPR.
School passed without incident. Nice lunch, kids were fine, I had twitchy eye all day though, I believe this is related to the aformentioned drinking session.
First private student of the day also passed without incident. Looked at his pictures of Canada and Kyoto. Very nice.
Dinner. I have to do a sprint dinner as I have one lesson finish at about 6.15 and another start at 7 with a train ride in between. I usually go for kaiten sushi at the sushiya we have been visiting for 4 years and where Kei and I did a lot of our 'courting'. We went there at least once a week when we lived in Baba. The Moma-san there is this delightful gravel-voiced lady, a straight-talking, salt of the earth, rough diamond 60 woodbines a day kind of lady. Anyway, I go there every week for dinner on Monday, but Kei hadn't been for ages and we thought we'd have dinner there on Saturday as part of my hangover rehab. She was made up to see us together - usually just me, so she actually got to have a conversation with us. Sits us down and immediately says, while pointing furiously at my stomach 'Baby baby, have you made a baby yet?' 'Not yet' says Kei. But don't stop there Moma-san, for you could get much more personal. 'Are you trying? Planning?' 'Errh yeah' 'I can't wait to to see your babies, bring your babies in here' 'OK' She's ace. No heirs and graces. A proper proper lady. Love her. She gave us 2 free bowls, that they usually give to the old people on the first Wednesday of every month, as a wedding present.
So because I had been there for dinner on Saturday, I decided to replace my blood with oil and go for tendon (tempura over rice) the fish n chips of Japan. At Tenya, for 500 yen you can get a bowl piled high with deep fried goodies. I had deep fried battered oysters, deep fried battered aubergine, DFB prawn, DFB frilly mushrooms. I still have an oily headache from this feast of fat. I couldn't finish all the rice as it was so drenched in oil. I'm hoping before I sleep tonight I will have blood rather than cooking fat running through my veins.
Then I got on the train again to go to my next private student. And who should be sitting next to me on the train, but the man who shares his toothbrush with the dog and the man from the morning and get final dibs on the toothbrush. This was unbelievable. I have rarely smelled breath like this. It wasn't caustic. It wasn't that face-burning acrid acid reek. This was the fetid, noxious smell of decay and death. The worst Shinjuku drain, the most heinous and concentrated station toilet after the worst case of food poisoning in the worst izakaya on the busiest night of the year stench. It was incredible. Every time he angled even slightly toward me, even by a fraction of a degree, this viscous malodor clung in the air unmoving. Unreal. Thank the lord, this old man alighted at the next stop, by this time I had moved onto Chablis and was no more prepared to hurl on Chablis than Bordeaux.
I'm home now and safely in the bed with the husband. Who stinks of Ramen, all over, even his sidies permeated by ramen whiff. But compared to today's stink-horror he smells like a baby's head. Mmmmmm.

To My Blogging Buddies

I feel I have to explain something. I haven't worked out how to add other people's Blogs to my side panel. And this is starting to cause me some shame. Any other Blogger people out there able to tell me what to do? I have tried. Similarly I have not worked out how to link in my posts without putting the entire URL in there. It's getting on my norks.

Cardiacs - Tarred and Feathered

I have spent the afternoon watching Cardiacs on 'you tube'. A big bad blast from the past. I'm lovin it. Matt - get on You Tube and check it out!

Reggae Monkey - Bogart the Joint...

As seen on boy's pencil case today, replete with a picture of a reggae monkey with a big fat one in his mouth. Clearly bogarting the joint. I declined to discuss it.

The Tooth Fairy

Today is a perfect Autumn Day. Honey Colored light, sun low in the sky and for the first time in a long time, the crisp blue skies that you only get in Tokyo in winter. And from the train this morning, my first glimpse this season on the majestic Fuji, snow capped and clear as a bell. Just lovely. This confirms that autumn is definitely here and heralds the onset of winter. I love the changing of the seasons.
This morning started well. Last night Kei came home with his wisdom tooth in a little bag. I declined to have a close up look but asked if he was going to put it under his pillow and see if the tooth fairy would take it. He looked at me like I was mad so I explained to him that if he popped it under the pillow, he would get a pound from the tooth fairy. He excitedly put it under his pillow and made a face not unlike this one,

but praying. Like a child might when they were praying for a Scalectrix the night before Christmas. That's how I saw him when he went to bed. Praying and looking incredibly cute.
The alarm went off in the morning and we went through our usual ritual of one person snuggling under the other's covers (we have 2 separate futons that we brought to the marriage and haven't yet purchased a double bed. I have an orthapaedic futon because I am an old dame) before getting up for work. Kei rolled into my side of the bed, looked at me with wild anticipation then felt under his pillow and...the tooth was still there. He was wracked with disappointment. It was heartbreaking. I got up found 500 yen and quickly slipped it under the pillow. 'You should look again'. He does 'That's not a pound - that's 500 yen!' 'Put it back and see if the tooth fairy comes back. They might if they heard you.' I quickly look around the apartment and find a 2 pound coin, make the switch and say - try again. He does 'A pound! A pound!' 'Actually it's 2 pounds because it was a very big tooth.' He pulls the smiley face again and snuggles under the covers clutching his 2 pounds. My husband is 32 years old. This all happened before 6.30 this morning.
So many reasons why I love him...

Chloe, I need you to patch me through to...

Today was a national holiday. It was also a beautiful, perfect Autumn day. Sun low in the sky, warm and dry. Ideal for a day out in the park. Or a leisurely bike ride. Or staying in all day and watching 9 hours of '24' Season 5 back to back.



Then nipping out for a couple of hours to ensure you weren't getting fused to the sofa like the fat lady in 'Nip Tuck', then nipping back to catch another couple of hours of '24' before falling asleep, drooling infront of the computer having feasted of festy food and Subway Sandwich (the husband's latest obsession). Then realising that all your converations or references are just rehashed versions of those that people have in American TV dramas. But if we don't work together we're never gonna get through today. Trust me on this. Everything's gonna be OK. Americna lives are at threat.

CHIKAN

I was going to write something about my weekend, but instead I think it is important to link to this:

http://http://cherryblossomadventures.typepad.com

on the lovely 'Cherry Blossom Adventures' look for the post titled 'Chikan'.

Here is the Wikipedia entry on Chikan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikan_(body_contact)

In short they are violators who molest women on the packed trains in Japan. The trains do get packed, like most people never ever get packed and dirty old men (that is what they are) take advantage of this.

READ THE ENTRY AND THE COMMENTS - THEY COULD BE USEFUL TO YOU IF YOU LIVE IN JAPAN.

KA!

Last night I was rudely awakened TWICE by TWO different mosquitoes. Around our apartments there is a lot of vegetation and a lot of water. It's great because we have frogs and it feel less concrete jungly and more jungly, but it means that the mozzies get extra time after the summer to come and eat us and wake us. That VZZZZZZ VZZZZZZ sound is among the most hideous of all the sounds and at 2 then 3 o'clock this morning is penetrated my brain and had me leaping out of bed to stalk and kill my prey. I HATE THEM. I HATE THEM SO MUCH. I then had to get up at 6.15 having first attempted sleep at 12.30. I just want to feel refreshed. I made it to the pool yesterday - had massages off chairs that, should robots and machines ever rule the world, it will not be the Arnie-esque androids of the Terminator films or the sea life creatures of The Matrix that take over, but the vice like grip of the massage chairs will incapacitate the human race after lulling them into the medical massage mode of their machine genius. Those massage chairs are the dog's kintama. For just 600 yen (3 quid) I go to the pool, take a massage in the chair FOR FREE, stretch, swim a few lengths, shower, take a bath - nice big ofuro, have another massage from the chair of genius then leave relaxed yet energised. It makes for a lovely deep sleep - the kind of sleep you only get after physical exercise. UNLESS A BLOODY MOSQUITO GETS INTO YOUR EAR - I DO NOT TRUST THEM. IF THE CHAIRS DON'T GET US THE MOSQUITOES WILL.