Sophia said...

Some things never change. YESSS. Oh nostalgia! (link)

Sat, 25 May 2013 11:34:19 +0900

Some things never change.

YESSS. Oh nostalgia! (link)

A song to help you remember the stops on the JR Yamanote Line in...

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:57:00 +0900

A song to help you remember the stops on the JR Yamanote Line in Tokyo.

Sometimes things in Japan drive me crazy: how they treat women, no one holding doors, lack of people laughing aloud, how some people are so afraid of reaching out to others, and all the crazy rules. However, this place…it’s something I’d never imagine. Despite all these things that bother me occasionally, I’ve never met such honest, kind and creative people in my entire life.

I was telling my coworker that I was surprised by Japanese reaction to an obese man who cross dresses regularly and appears on TV shows as his female persona, Matsuko DX. They don’t ridicule him or laugh at him (at least not to his face directly), but they just get on with it like it’s something you see all the time. I know people in America would be losing their shit over that, judging, criticizing, and hating.

Oh, Japan. You guys are something special and I mean that from the warmest part of my heart.

If you’re not convinced this zany country is worth visiting after watching that video, do you know they also have a song for 焼き肉食べ放題, all-you-can-eat grilled meat? My ex-coworker, Dan, would tell me his previous coworkers would sing it ALL THE TIME at karaoke.

P.S.:I’m going to make this song into a ringtone :)

Spring has finally reached Hokkaido but I’m stuck inside....

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:56:52 +0900

Spring has finally reached Hokkaido but I’m stuck inside. Today’s payday and I plan to buy a book! What are you going to buy with your new monies?

"Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with..."

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:17:22 +0900

“Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as an escape.”

- Bell Hooks (via mishproductions)
Truth.

Loving this song, I Always Knew by The Vaccines, that I heard in...

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:45:00 +0900

Loving this song, I Always Knew by The Vaccines, that I heard in the last episode of The Mindy Project. Oh, TV, what will I do without you until September?

At the moment, I’m trying to rewatch all the Arrested Development episodes before the 4th season is released on Netflix on the 26th. Wish me luck!

motherjones: nickbaumann: Awesome icons of the Female Saints...

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:54:02 +0900

motherjones:

nickbaumann:

Awesome icons of the Female Saints of Television, by Spencer Salberg. Prints are available here.

“Our Lady of Having it All”

Lessons in Adulthood #2

Sun, 12 May 2013 22:48:50 +0900

In honor of Mother’s Day, here’s a lesson I learned from my mom. (I just got off the phone with her, go call your moms, everyone!)

When I still lived with my family, my mom would always have me wash the rice. She would always insist on two washes, just because. When the rice was clean enough, you have to add some for cooking. An easy way to measure the rice to water ratio is to put your hand, flat against the rice and the water should only come up to your knuckles and that should do the trick. I’ve never used that cup that comes with rice cookers.

Source: I’ve been making rice for 10 years.

Disclaimer: I’ve only made white rice, so I’m not sure how this applies to other rices. Give it a try though!

izzstumblr: Go on ! NBC decided to pull Go On. Sigh. I...

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:16:56 +0900

izzstumblr:

Go on !

NBC decided to pull Go On. Sigh. I loved it and you took away everything beautiful. I don’t understand any of the choices you make, NBC. You cancel this original and genuinely funny show, but kept on the Office for god knows how long.

TBS, any chance you’ll pick this up?

A little of this and a little of that

Sun, 12 May 2013 16:47:11 +0900

Bleh, I think I’ve been in a rut recently. It’s been raining most days and it’s slowly beginning to feel like spring. That being said, none of the trees have leaves on them, but some daffodils and tulips popped up.

Golden Week has come and gone. I went on a small road trip on the first part of Golden Week, visiting Noboribetsu, Shakotan, and Lake Toya. The second part of Golden Week, I’m convinced I had the norovirus and didn’t leave my apartment for 3 days. I marathoned Late Night with Jimmy Fallon episodes and made minestrone soup which was easier than I thought. A lot of soups have tomato bases, it’s really surprising.

This Friday, I went downtown to have a chat with Phylicia. Shopping no longer has any allure for me. I used to get joy from going shopping. Joy and happiness. I need something more. She was telling me how she felt like she was in a rut too, we both suspect it’s just a bout of homesickness and Sapporo cabin fever.

I fell out of my nighttime showering cycle. You know how you shower at night, so then you have to shower all the nights, but if you skip then you are forced to shower in the morning, but then the next day you have to take 2 showers to get back into the night time cycle? Craziness. Because I skipped one cycle, I had to put up my hair…lest I attack someone. When my hair starts to feel oily, I get real crabby. Anyway, I didn’t know the heidi braid was so easy. You just braid two and then attach it to your head vis-a-vis a buttload of bobby pins.

Here’s a link to a how-to YouTube video, for fellow visual learners!

Nursing some kind of bug

Sat, 04 May 2013 21:45:15 +0900

Through some unluckiness I caught some form of bug. My energy levels have been drained and I’ve made a cocoon in my bedroom. I stayed home watching a lot of TV and hydrating.

I’ve been watching a lot of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Fallon used to be on Saturday Night Live, had a movie with Queen Latifah, and landed his own late night show after the Conan/Leno ~*~drama~*~.

I never used to watch late night shows because I love sleeping and I’d fall asleep half way through. But thanks to YouTube and the interwebs, I can watch clips anytime. Besides interviews, LNJF has a lot of games. Some of my faves are below:

Water War: It’s the same as the card game War but with water. Each player flips over a card and the higher number wins, but in this game, you get doused with water. Each player gets five glasses and the winner gets to hit the other one with a water cannon at the end. Some guests who have played are Tom Cruise and Hugh Jackman. Click for hilarity.
Rock, Paper, Pie: Same rules as rock, paper, scissors except you have to turn a dial which may or may not launch a pie at your face. Lucy Liu played after promoting her show Elementary where she is the female Watson. (link)

I wonder if I can convince someone to play Water War with me…

I can’t agree more!

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:24:51 +0900

I can’t agree more!

"I need a drink."

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 21:29:00 +0900

This week was insane. This is how it went down in standard Tokyo time:

Tuesday: woke up, read the news, holy shit, what’s going on in Boston?!
Wednesday: Ricin letters to the POTUS and senators..?!
Thursday: They release the photos of the Boston Marathon bombers. Ginormous explosion in Texas.
Friday: Celebratory shopping trip after payday, shooting at MIT. Linked the the bombers?! Intense manhunt begins and one suspect is killed. Celebratory drink was had (see above - the waiter rushed me, I forgot what it’s called…Boston something).
Saturday morning: Where the hell is the second guy?! If this was me I would have been caught in 3 hours. Police and SWAT teams find him under some tarp on a boat.

Insane. Last week was all the pressure and threats from North Korea. The bombing, ricin, and explosions pushed Kim Jung-Un from the news, thank god. This week in April has historically been quite dangerous. The Oklahoma City bombing took place around April 15 (tax day) and the Virginia Tech massacre also took place around the same time. I think there’s just something with this week… I don’t think it holds much symbolism to me personally, but I guess people think it does hold some for the government.

After the Boston bombing, the police didn’t have any leads. I remember double locking the door to my apartment as if the bombers would fly all the way to Sapporo, come to my apt, and kill me in my sleep. Kind of crazy, but I didn’t feel safe. After events like the Boston marathon bombing and 9/11, you realize how much of your life lies in other people’s hands.

In the years after 9/11, every now and then when I was taking the train, this thought would pop into my head. What if someone detonated a bomb on this train? I’d die in an instant. It’s really disturbing now that I’ve written it out, but it’s the truth.

I don’t like how I was gripped by those fears, how they’d invade my thoughts. Being afraid and changing how you live your life means they’ve won. The best way is to live your life to the fullest, laugh all the time and don’t get angry about small things.

I don’t know… I’m just rambling. I just wanted to say, I know how it feels and it gets better with time. If there’s anything people learn from these tragedies, I think the good in people shines through. It’s like Anne Frank said, Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.

Right now I’m watching Nelly Furtado videos. Good singer, weird videos. Also, after my celebratory drink, I decided to cut my bangs (or fringe for those who speak the Queen’s English) and…they’re all different lengths. Lesson: Do not cut hair after drinking.

Lessons in Adulthood #1

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:39:00 +0900

I had dinner with Sarah on Friday and she said I don’t blog enough. I thought about it and sometimes I don’t really have anything to say, so I thought what could I tell people? I’ve been living on my own, away from mom and dad for about four years now. I’ve decided to start a new series of posts called Lessons in Adulthood where I’ll make bullet points of things that I’ve learned since entering adulthood. Hopefully you’ll think they’re helpful too…Today’s edition will focus on the kitchen.

Honey solidifies over time, don’t freak out and throw it away. It’s a waste! In order to get it to revert back to it’s liquid form, you have to put the jar in a pot of hot water. Leave it for about 5 minutes, stir a bit, and voila! Finished. Here’s a link for further information: How to decrystallize honey.
Baking soda is magic. It can get out burns on pans and rust on table tops. When I came over to Japan, I was overwhelmed by all the language on chemical cleaners and looked for a way to be clean but without accidentally blinding myself because I couldn’t read labels. Baking soda is a natural cleaner that can do so much! Next time you burn a pan, wet it and then sprinkle some baking soda. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and gently scrub, the burn should come off. For further evidence on how baking soda=magic, check out Life Hackery’s 75 Extraordinary Uses for Baking Soda.

comedycentral: You really have to watch this whole thing from...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:59:30 +0900

comedycentral:

You really have to watch this whole thing from last night’s Colbert Report.

Love this man.

Today in clothes

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:18:18 +0900

Students in India designed a bra that will send a 3800kv electric shock to anyone trying to forcibly take if off of the wearer. The bra would also be able to send a text message to the police and give the wearer’s location with an embedded GPS chip. (article)
Someone in Japan has created a coat that can simulate someone hugging you from behind. In addition, it can whisper sweet nothings in your ear. (Why don’t you just hug someone…?! I’ll have to begin a Hugging Crusade that will work its way from Hokkaido, all the way down to Okinawa.) [article]

I’m only posting because I have 666 posts thus far and I am a...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 19:14:00 +0900

I’m only posting because I have 666 posts thus far and I am a superstitious one. I took this photo with my phone when walking to the indoor greenhouses which are called Flower Dome and Cloud Forest. The Flower Dome houses 1,000 year old baobab trees and trees from as far as the Mediterranean! Cloud Forest boasts an artificial waterfall and plants that are known to grow in high altitudes.

I’ve never seen such beautiful clouds before.

While making my way to the domes, I was bitten by a mosquito and thoroughly convinced I had Dengue fever when I was back in Sapporo. I was wearing 2 long sleeved shirts, a wool poncho, IN my kotatsu and with the heater on, but still cold, very cold.

The general consensus

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:51:00 +0900

This week was the first week back at work. I found out that I have 4 out of 5 days where I have 1st period classes ;_; I’m by no means a “morning person” - I don’t greet the sun with a smile and sing with birds. I need some tea to awaken the brain and silence. I don’t think I talk to anybody using my voice from 6 am to 8 am.

This morning began with flurries and snow rage. How can it be snowing in April? Come on now! The rest of Japan is enjoying flowers except Hokkaido >_< I’m grateful that the snow mountains have greatly diminished in size. However my students are still practicing their sports in fields overtaken by piles of snow and big puddles of water.

Singapore was amazing. I had such a grand time. The only drawback were the 30+ C days that forced me to stay indoors. I’d totally go to Singapore again :) The shopping was good, people were fun and humorous, the food was yummy and cheap.

I don’t think I’d go back to Malaysia… You can see the contrast going from one country to the next. Malaysia needs A-LOT of work. The taxi we got into was circa 1980 with windows that need to be rolled down manually and decorated with “buckle up” stickers, but with one seat belt for 4 people (the driver). The driver was smoking and while not driving, tried to kill a fly with his free hand. Shu had to revert back to her Singlish to converse, otherwise the driver would think we were stuck up. Singlish isn’t that hard to understand if you prepare yourself. It’s kind of like listening to drunk people where they drop a lot of articles and words.

So looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow! The gas man is coming by to check the safety of the pipes. Whenever people come by, I clean like a mad woman because I don’t want people to see the actual state I live in.

P.S.: This business with North Korea is Crazy with a capital C. I don’t know what their next move is. I think there will definitely be some kind of move because backing down is not an option for such a young leader. He’s painted into a corner…I sometimes feel bad for him, but then he opens his big mouth and threatens people again. That’s not how you play nice.

Busy Philipps as Cougar Town’s loud clothes wearing, cake...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 16:56:00 +0900

Busy Philipps as Cougar Town’s loud clothes wearing, cake baking, wine drinking Laurie Keller. She’s my fashion spirit animal. I imagine if I wasn’t allergic to most metals, my jewelry collection would be tripled.

Malaysia’s version of Pimp My Ride. I’m currently...

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:56:46 +0900

Malaysia’s version of Pimp My Ride. I’m currently down in the South East of Asia, sweltering and sipping sugar cane drinks. Posts will resume by next week.

Singapore and Malaysia are amazing!

The Pants Crisis of 2013

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 22:33:33 +0900

I love wearing pants. Wearing them I can walk quickly, jump around without showing people my business, and kick people. I don’t have to wear stockings, a slip, or worry about matching footwear.

Tonight I was gathering clothes to bring on vacation, I decided to separate the clothes I need to mend into a pile. Danny lent me his sewing machine, so I plan to mend a whole bunch of things while all my friends are away holidaying. Upon closer inspection, several of my work pants are experiencing some wear and tear. I’ll try fixing them…but who KNOWS how that’ll turn out.

I pray that I can find pants in Singapore. Otherwise, I’ll have to retire to a life filled with skirts…