Early Evening

I got home before 5.30 today. I had no idea what to do. I was excited because there were dishes, washing and ironing to be done.



I spoke to my lovely friend for 30 minutes then got very cold and very sleepy - exhausted kind of sleepy so I snuggled under my covers, put on the radiator and tried to start watching Voyager. Which is rubbish. Then I slept until 8.30, woke up in a fug, slightly annoyed that I had effectively wasted my evening and Hubby called and we went out and ate ebi ramen after I had done the dishes. One thing achieved.



Then I realised it is the last day of the month and my invoices are overdue because February is a short month. Gah if only it were a leap year I would be in no trouble at all. Now, rather than actually doing and faxing the invoices I am engaging in Web-logging (Blogging).



I have a rudimentary Tokyo family tree in the offing, which I have been working on during my time listening to the latest oral communication tests at school. It is a big job and I am wondering about the best way to execute it, so I am just doing it and will tidy it up later. It's kind of fun. There are so many connections. I like the seemingly random connections.

Today's photos have been brought to you from the walk home from school. They include February photo law, 'Ume Blossom'.

Top Random

Top Shop has opened in Laforet Harajuku. Lord be praised! It is small but there were size 14s in there and you know, there is potential. Very pleased with that. Here are the Scissor Sisters celebrating the miracle.



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Conversation had with husband:

Him: What was 'My Left Foot' about?

Me: A disabled guy who grew up in Ireland whose Mum never gave up on him and could paint with his left foot.

Him: I could do that.

Me: Right...

Him: What if he was right handed?

Me:

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Today we had organised a surprise party for the last English club, for a girl who was returning to Korea. We had games, prizes, music, pass the parcel, twister, decorations, snacks and drinks.

She went home to study before the party.

Tokyo Family Tree

I got to thinking, on the back of the comments on the last post, about my Tokyo family tree and all the people I have met here and how we are all connected to one another. It is, of course, no surprise that our networks are all intermingled as we are all expats. In the most generic sense, not in the sense we usually use the term 'expat'.

I want to map my Tokyo family tree. Although I suspect I shall lose interest before it comes to fruition, such is my nature!

Weekend - is over...

Wow what a wild few weeks it has been. This weekend was a welcome break from the whirlwind of work and a reminder that there is life outside of ahem, company life. Well needed reminder!

Kei has been amazing, having dinner ready and cooked for me every night this week as I have been working pretty late a few nights.

Friday night - Salsa sayonara for Emiko. I have no pics as I didn't take the camera.

Saturday - did the workshop 'My Fair Lady' it was fine.

Saturday night - watched half of 'Perfume' fell asleep.

Sunday - lunch with Sugis in Harajuku's Fujimama's. A stroll around Harajuku.



Then on to Kichijoji to check out Martine's exhibition at Mikorin Bar. There was quite a turn out so it was good fun and the exhibition was great!



We had dinner at an Izakaya in Kichijoji



If you wore glasses you got a free drink!

Chinese New Year

258_5861
Originally uploaded by The Wallasey Clicker.

Go Check out my Dad's pictures of the Chinese New Year celebrations in Liverpool's China Town. They are grrrrreat.

Happy New Year! It's the the year of the Wild Boar. My Sign!

Plugging Myself

Well, I will be hosting a workshop at Roppongi Hills on Saturday evening from 4.30-6.30. It is caled 'My Fair Lady' and is all about how to walk and talk with English manners and etiquette. No laughing.

映画の”My　Fair　Lady”を覚えていますか。オードリーヘップバーンが演じる花売り娘をヒギンズ教授が躾と訛りの矯正で一流のレディーに変身させる物語です。皆さんもこれを体験してレディーになりましょう。イギリスのマナーとスピーチクリニック入門編です。講義と演習は英語で行われます。※動きやすい服装でお越しください。
開催日時：2007年2月24日(土) 16:30～18:30会場：六本木アカデミーヒルズ40または49（六本木ヒルズ森タワー40階、49階）受講料：3,000円（税込）
セブンシーズセブンシーズは単なる英会話スクールではありません。あなたのコミュニケーション力を、英語という道具を使ってぐんぐん伸ばし、あなたが世界のどこに行っても、人と人との関係を楽しく豊かに作ることができるようになるためのお手伝いをします。 一人ひとりの希望にあわせ、ニーズを分析し、ゴールを設定。希望実現のために細かく目標設定した、「結果がでる」完全オーダーメイドのプログラムをご提供します。プログラム実現のために、あなたをサポートするのは多くの有名企業でもレッスンを行っているネイティブスピーカーの経験豊富なコンサルタントたちです。


If you have any Japanese friends who would like to come down and see me try and teach them in the ways of the English through the medium of 'My Fair Lady', then tell them too look HERE!

Valentines

2007Feb Lisa Sayonara 002
Originally uploaded by sigsy.

I got the chocolate, the post it was attached to some flowers.

Blog Buddies Adventures...

It gives me the greatest of pleasure to see two of my Blog Buddies going totally creative and entrepreneur on our asses! So hooray for:

MARTINE whose first exhibition went ahead in Kichijoji this week. Can't wait to get down there and chickedy check it out! I am lucky enough to own one of Martine's prints. I won it by being the 1000th commenter on her website. I was also lucky enough to have had her photograph my wedding day in Tokyo last year.



THEN as if that weren't enough excitement for one girl's Blogoshpere (check out the Blog lingo)

TOKYO MADE went and popped up! The baby of SUSHI ZUME and her chappy. So go and check these things out because these people are bloody marvellous. And they have day jobs. Lots of them.

Frangipani and Sushi Zume I salute you!

Pervs

Slip your...
Originally uploaded by sigsy.

Did I ever tell you about the time when I was having a walk around Inokashira Park when suddenly I heard a young man shout to his mate 'KEN MITTE MITTE HAYAKU KAMERA KASHITE' which means 'KEN LOOK LOOK QUICK GIVE ME THE CAMERA'. I followed their gaze and in the middle of the public lake was a girl standing up in a row boat with nothing but a short white grandad shirt on. She was being photographed by some people in another boat. Then lo and behold, she slipped the shirt off and was stark Boll#ck naked standing up in the boat and being snapped away with her gigglers and gibblers out. Then she slipped the shirt back on and they rowed off really fast. I don't know who looked more shocked. Me, or Ken and his mate. I know who looked most delighted.

FIRE!

Last night Paddy and Nika came over for dinner. We had nabe. Made by Keisuke - oishii.


We had a little gas stove that holds a gas canister



To cook the nabe on the table. It wasn't working very well, so Kei came in and decided that the best thing to do would be to turn it on, full, then open up the canister protector and supress the canister allowing a stream of gas to come out and set the entire thing alight.



IN OUR LIVING ROOM. So, yes there was a small gas stove, with a gas canister, alight, ON OUR TABLE IN OUR LIVING ROOM. There was a kind of quiet panic as we all decided what to do. Paddy closed the cover and the flames went down and eventually died out. Gosh. It was one of those moments where you see all the safety shows and presentations you have ever seen as a child and adult flash through your head and you can't work out which one is appropriate for the small nabe stove. The gas canister could have blown up for pete's sake. It's a bit scary. Anyway today Kei took it our onto the balcony to work out how to use it properly and it turns out we didn't have it connected correctly.

We all survived



And sat around eating nabe and having the craic and just enjoying the long weekend. Paddy will leave Japan in 2 weeks after nine and a half years here. He will be setting up a business in Dublin involving taking Japanese visitors on homestays and such. GOOD LUCK PADDY AND NIKA!

Dilemma...

Outside My house on Gomi Day
Originally uploaded by sigsy.

On Tuesday, the recycle rubbish day (in Tokyo all rubbish is separated into burnable, non burnable and recycle, which is turn is separated into PET bottles, glass, paper and tins) I found this solid gold collection of magazines outside our apartment. It was 9.00 and I had just got back from work and I was tired yet thrilled. I looked and mused and salivated. British Vogue, January 2000. Among other editions. I was tired, vulnerable, self concious. I wasn't sure if I wanted to rifle through other people's rubbish to satisfy my own magazine cravings. But then, look a gift horse?

I left them. I came out to take a picture and mull it over. But I left them. Space constraints. A real need to rationlaise whether I really needed another stack of old magazines in our already bursting-at-the-seams flat. But free issues from long ago...

Wooh - what a week!

Ramen Shinjuku
Originally uploaded by sigsy.

It has been a week and a half! But it is all good.

Yoga was hard today - maybe I am not 100 percent.

Off to Shibuya now for browsing and shopping. Yata!

Earthquake! Weekend!

We just had a little earthquake. I hate that.

Well the weekend started out with meetings, then the discovery that something I have taken on will involve a whole lot more work than I had ever imagined. So I chant the mantra:

'Be present, be in the moment, don't judge'

Actually it should be quite a good string to the bow. But still I feel desperately stifled by work at the moment. Like my brain has been turned inside out and I have been sucked in to this wild Tokyo work ethic. I long for Europe. April and I talked about it. I long for it. On the other hand I love Tokyo and should really be more positive about it. Hopefully this year will bring a whole host of changes and renewal. Starting with my being positive, brave and confident and getting out and doing the things I love a bit more.



So as I was walking toward the house at about 9 o'clock I saw Kei coming in the other direction and we decided to eat out and started walking in a different direction to usual in search of a French restaurant. It was cold. I had it in my mind that there was one just about a 15 minutes walk away. When we got there, it was a 'singing and chatting' place. And it looked weird so we carried on walking. To Kagurazka. It was cold. We went to another French restaurant that we know and it had just closed, we walked again for about 10 minutes and hit Kagurazaka. I really recommend a mooch around Kagurazaka, an old pleasure district, it has loads of little alleys and paths to explore and lots and lots of little drinking places. Except all the French places close at about 10 with last orders at 9.30. We ended up in this weird weird weird little place run by 2 very old ladies. It looked alright from the outside and the decor inside wasn't bad either. But this two doddy little old ladies took 20 minutes to bring us a bottle of wine and we were debating getting a taxi to Jonathans. In the end we did eat there after Kei asked about how long it would be. Strange place.

Saturday I went to Hot Yoga again then met K for lunch then went to the Sugi's to play with a very excited Sasuke and see the new baby.


Sasuke was so excited to see K it was funny to watch, I mean he was beside himself and went pretty much wild playing with him. He's quite excitable since the newy arrived. So he was well pleased to see K. We drank red wine and ate pizza.


Today I went to Yoga again then spent the afternoon doing housework and making food. It seems there is never enough time to do everything and my days never contain as much as I'd like. At the weekend. In the week they contain way too much right now. So now I am feeling very relaxed yet am just one small step away from panic...

BIG BIRD!

Haha I can't believe it! I am a Big Bird. One of my nicknames at many points in my life. This is a kind of fun survey. I think I might use it in the career coaching I am embarking on!

You Are Big Bird

Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around. You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy. You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you. How you life your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper."

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz