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月別アーカイブ: 2011年12月

iPhone case

Like I said before, I’m slow to adopt trends but I usually eventually do. I recently got on the iPhone bandwagon for the first time. It’s quite a handy device, isn’t it?! But this is not a conversation about the device rather this is a conversation about the case for it.

I wanted something unique, something that fit my personality. So when I saw my sister’s case I knew I needed one too. Now I know you are probably wondering how can it be unique if my sister already has it but the answer is: design. You see the case is like a cross-stitch canvas and you cross- stitch the design. I used inspiration from the Japanese sashiko (刺し子) art form to come up with my design. I like it a lot and it was super fun to make!

iphonecase

Lost

No, I am not talking about being lost in translation despite having it happen to me on a daily basis. Instead I’m talking about the TV show from back in the day. I recently started watching it on Hulu.com. Yes, I’m a little slow on the up keep but that’s how I roll.

Hulu, newly available in Japan, was offering the first month free and so I joined to see what it was like. The movie selection has seen better days but the TV show selection is pretty good. So inevitably by the end of that trial period I was hooked. I probably would have canceled then but I happen to have entered my three week vacation and with no concrete plans needed a bit of entertainment. So I joined. I’ll consider it an early Christmas present to myself, just for one month… maybe.

losthulu

VOWELS ARE TRICKY

Engrish is the name given to butchered English by the Japanese people. It provides hours of entertainment and a barral of laughs. Now I’m not saying that I don’t butcher the Japanese language so this post it all in good fun.

Our manager is very good about putting notices up in Japanese and English which is greatly appreciated. However, they don’t lack English mistakes. One of our favorites was when he bought new “flying pans” and proudly announced it on the board. So the other day I came upon the following photo at our guest house and I am more than happy to share it with you.

Now what he means is “Staff Only” to ward off people from putting their belongings in this specific corner of the house. However, with the easy vowel mistake of “a” and “u” it has now become “Stuff Only”. Now if this was an area that we all shared it wouldn’t necessarily be a mistake -although a bit weird- as maybe he is might be implying that you can’t put food or something there. But because it’s a private area it makes me what do ask, “What things can we put back there other than stuff?”. Haha. Makes me giggle every time I walk past it.

Thank you Koga-san!

vowels

Christmas in Japan

In my previous post I wrote about how I was grateful to be surrounded by my “second family” during the holidays. While this is true, at the same time this is also the time of the year that I feel the most homesick and often think “why do I live so far away from home?!”.

Christmas in Japan is… different. They don’t really celebrate it but it is prevalent, at least in the stores. Couples go on dates, people eat KFC for dinner, make cakes instead of baking pies, and give one store-prewrapped gift to their loved ones. It’s a thoughtful holiday here but not a thought-filled holiday. It’s easy.

But back in America, Christmas is a lot of work and up until now I don’t think I’ve really appreciated it. So much work and love put into the dinner, the presents, and even down to the wrapping. I miss that. You hear people in America complain that Christmas is just consumerism but I think it’s different. The family connection is still there although it may be fading. In Japan, it’s definitely consumerism but I feel that some Japanese are trying to make it more about the family… it’s hard though when most people still work on Christmas. It’s not even just Christmas day that I miss. I miss the build-up to the Christmas season. The store decorations and the music playing in the background. They do that all here but the heart isn’t behind it. No one hears the music and feels warm because Christmas is near. That’s what I miss.

So while I’m still an amateur-compared to my family- I decided to put my heart into the cheap little Secret Santa gift that I will be giving a fellow housemate on Christmas. Not too bad, right?

christmasjapan

New Oven

Once again another addition to the Oak house family has arrived and this time it is in the form of a brand new oven! I haven’t used it myself but I have eaten cake made by others who have used it. Along with the oven, new chopsticks, and a bit more organization sharing a kitchen had become a bit more bearable.

I admit not having my own kitchen is one of the things that makes me want to jump the proverbial ship. However with a brand new oven and the holidays right around the corner, it feels pretty good to be surrounded by so many other people, my family away from home. Happy holidays everyone! Hope you get to spend it with those you love!

oven

Scenery, Sukiya, Dinner ^^

the above 2 were taken while visiting the balcony floor of a skyscraper in … 三軒茶屋?

sorry i forgot the name.

it was the same place where is the Skycarrot is.

i NEVER get tired of taking picture of this dish.

it is the めぐろ in すきや, but my goodness, never know real fish can taste so delicious! the rice is a bit too fulfilling but it comes with it so no other way.

price is great too, and it comes in FAST.

i LOVE beef, but i also like chicken.

every night i arrive the home station, if it is early enough, before 11pm, and supermarket not yet closed (yes, everyday i do not get to go home till super late … ><, food store already closed ほど！）i could not help myself from going in because they always have nice sales, before other ppl/competitors snap them from me.

look at the price, 普段 sooooooo expensive no way i will buy! not a good price, but after 50% off, even not as fresh as during the day time, i get to try the taste, there goes my dinner!

i always planned to eat just half, but of course, it never happens.

japan chicken so soft and taste great, not like the US one, shoot!

i think until now, i never see the supermarket sells cooked chicken breast, which can scare ppl enough not to eat chicken again.

駅 resting room, Skycarrot …

just a couple months ago, suddenly 1 day i got fever, i slept all day, the next day i tried to go to work, but … i could not make it. i fell down in the train cause it was SO nauseous and i was too weak, there is a very very sweet lady, while i was on the train’s floor feeling like dying, she kneeled down next to me and pad my back, and strangely it DID help make me feel better! such comfort …

then i was “taken” / “transported” by some very nice young man and took me in to the “resting room” inside the station in 溝の口。i insisted, while i was being transporting, that i want to go back to あざみ野、but he said i looked very sick so i better rest.

and the photo above is the resting room inside the 駅。the service is wonderful, very great, the young man was super super kind and gentle. i could not believe there are such nice people working there …

in japan, you always can be taken by surprise by many things.

in other country, you would have thought, he is just someone working in the station, cannot be this great, but he not only sincere and kind, and he looks great. in here, there seems to be respect for every aspect of the industry. that really is something i admire. such a peaceful country.

just because someone looks great, does not mean he would stop himself from working in the station. or being not respected in any way.

in other country, you probably will never see someone like this working in a station, cause his silly parents or relatives will give him so much social pressure and he will give up.

isn’t that CUTE? carrot is eatable you know, and now it appears in the skyscraper as a … restaurant … ~.~ cute name cute name.

Room, Ramen …

the corner of my room.

i do like the place that i stay, except that i have no 体力 and going to bathroom, shower room … that is already very difficult, and the kitchen … 無理です。

i can only afford to go to the kitchen maybe max. once a week, when i really have to wash something or cut some veggie that i bought during sale.

as you can see, that is the laptop that i use to type my lovely blog.

and the “black” object next to it actually is a PSP. i did not pay for it, i got it from someone that left japan and he obviously rich enough to leave the PSP behind and not care about it …

isn’t the yellow light romantic? i always love it.

i believe this is called 大学いも, interesting name to a foreigner but don’t know why it is named this way. it sure looks great, the gloss actually is a sugar coating, so it is super sweet. not my fav. but very once in a while i am tempted to buy this when it is 50% off, because … it looks good … -__- 弱いね。。。

THIS, is called non-necessity.

this bowl is actually HUGE! 超 huge, i think i have to force myself to eat it after half is chowed down … this is like for 2 ppl. crazy, why they make 1 bowl of noodle for such a high price but it is just TOO much for female! consider i actually can eat a lot i also cannot be comfortable with swallowing all these.

taste .. ma ma ..

i never go to that restaurant again, of course, even tho super close to work, so is the other one.

Food, cute things from コンビニ

there is a restaurant called GUSTO (i think it is called GUSTO Buffet), my goodness, good price, and wonderful good!

you order the steak, for around 1000円, then you can have the salad bar that is full of fresh and delicious veggie and dessert!

the above photo, you can see the whole set, it taste great!

満足できる、full mouth of chicken streak!

in LAWSON convenient store, once in a while they have some program, which allow you to have special products of Relex Kuma, Miffy, and many many other anime or lovely characters, super sweet!!!

if you love cute stuff, this is heaven!

you can pay 500円 and tried a “lottery” thing, and if you are lucky you can a BIG kuma (in the case of Relex Kuma), if you are not very lucky, just like me, you get the above, a towel … ><

not only LAWSON, 7-11 too, SunRus i do not know.

i think this the soba from a very famous but cheap place in Shinjuku, taste great.

and the egg, yes, delicious as always.