Blo-Re-Mo

36 and counting...

2011-09-30T23:28:00.000-07:00

Another birthday...

I have had a lovely day...after a rather rough night where Luka vomited seven times so it felt like I was up every half hour. After eventually giving up on sleep and getting up at 7am, I managed to enjoy some me-time while Seiji took Rai to his absurdly early Saturday morning swimming class (8am - what was I thinking?!). Cup of tea, Vogels with vegemite, national radio, blogs, emails...vacuuming. Such an exciting life!

I did buy some rather nice lingerie thanks to a voucher deal and a present from a friend. Also some false eyelashes.

We went out to Bella Italia for lunch then all came home to pass out for an afternoon siesta. We were all up again by 3pm and went to a garden centre where I used the money from my Japanese mother-in-law to buy some plants. Then to Queensgate to buy new sandals.

Now I am enjoying a beer while writing this, listening to the concert programme (Rai's choice - he just did his take on ballet for me - with more protruding bottom than I think the Royal NZ Ballet would appreciate) and watching Seiji produce some izayaka-like treats (sashimi and tataki amongst them : )).

It has been a good day.

Toast life begins

2011-07-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

I attended an indie pop fiesta at San Franscisco Bath House here in Wellington with new gal-pal Irina. The clientele consisted of people in their mid-thirties like us who actually heard the music at the time, and groovy young 20-somethings who think it is all very retro-cool like I did of 80s music at Barneys back in the day. When I asked a couple who were being SO COOL by yelling the lyrics at each other on the dance floor who the band was for one song, they looked at me very scathingly "The Arctic Monkeys of course!". Ahh...music wankery continues (although, of course, I have been guilty of it myself too). Got home 2am, woken by baby Luka at 5am. I realised I haven't been so hungover in at least 18 months. Twas very good fun though.
I start my new job at the Open Polytechnic tomorrow - exciting and nervous-making (for want of a better word...) but I am very much looking forward to it. Seiji, my husband and personal chef has gone to Japan for 2.5 weeks with Rai. Now I need to fend for myself, the amount of takeaways and toast I eat will most likely rise.

Today's toast count:
2 (Vogel's with vegemite and butter - yum)
Other foods eaten:
1 orange iceblock
2 cups of tea

The vodka is looking attractive, but, alas, it is still only 11:52am and I still have some breastfeeding to do. Weaning is starting to look good, but I'm not sure if I am willing to cut back on the extra 800 calories I get to consume each day to pass on to Luka.

Living the life of Riley

2011-06-16T01:39:00.000-07:00

Breakfast for a queen

I have a lovely lifestyle at the moment. I am able to do a whole lot of enjoyable activities since I am not working - choir with my mother, book club, sign language lessons with Luka, Rai's school assembly every Friday, walks on the hills, play dates for Rai, teaching private students and lots of reading, reading, reading. I just finished re-reading a childhood favourite - the Borrowers (the first one, and ...Afield, ...Afloat and ...Aloft - I need to get the Borrowers Avenged to have the full set). Such a beautiful set of stories.

I'm also enjoying slowing down and relaxing a bit. Having said that, I keep busy with various projects. We were looking into setting up a cafe but changed our minds at the last minute; and I applied for a job this week - haven't found out the result yet.

I'm living the life of Riley, really.

In contrast, I got a message from a friend, Sue, who is working for the Red Cross in East Timor (Timor Leste). She is doing important work training local people so they can manage their own development projects. She had mentioned that her driver died suddenly, leaving his widow and six children without any salary. I offered to give them NZ$100 (probably about 2 weeks' salary) and Sue took it to them for me. Her heart-rending message below:

"I delivered the money to Abilio's widow. It was very sad. Although they live in Dili the road to their house is a rough, rutted dirt one. Their house is a simple concrete block...The floors are bare concrete, the living room had 4 plasic chairs, a sort of desk with a TV and... a couple of photos on the wall.

I explained that my friend in NZ had sent this money for her and gave it to her. She cried for a little while. Then she talked a bit - I can't understand Tetun much (although I can speak a bit) but the driver who had taken me there talked with her. It seems there has been a hitch in her receiving severance pay from Cruz Vermelha so now the driver and I can try to get that sorted out. She said to say thank you to you.

I asked if I could take a photo and she said yes, and suddenly four children appeared. Two have had to drop out of university because they can't afford it now. I'm attaching photos."

If I get the job I applied for, I hope to be able to send some regular donations to this family.

Some reading

2011-04-18T14:52:00.001-07:00

Well, I haven't posted recently and one person (thanks Karen!) has noticed. While I haven't been too busy to blog, the creative urge waxes and wanes. Today, I will just post links to what I have been reading over the past 24 hours. You can see how the Internet has taken over my life and yesterday I was considering having a holiday from my iPad. Anyway, I read an inspiring blog about a women who went from being over 90 kilos to running the London Marathon. Quite good timing as I am thinking of doing a 10k run in December, in Wanganui no less, and now I realise it is entirely doable. [Insert segue here - OK - you think about a connection between running and feminism]. I have been going through a phase recently of reading a bit more about feminism (thanks somewhat to a student I am helping who is doing a sociology course at Victoria University). There are many, many interesting blogs out there, but this one looks to be very good, and I love the name The Stroppery. On the other side of the spectrum, I also enjoy reading the blog of Dilbert creator Scott Adams. He sure does get himself into trouble though, as you will see from his latest post. I am an economics geek from the past, but have never come across this essay written from the point of view of a pencil, to explain the concept of the invisible hand. This post from Kiwiblog relates, though is probably not interesting enough for you to go and see, since it just talks about the price of milk in New Zealand ; ) I like reading Kiwiblog, but would like to read a few other political blogs (preferably with David Farrar's relative openmindedness to various points of view, but with a better quality of commenter), so recommendations please. Also economic, I enjoy reading Freakonomics, this post about cheap and simple solutions, for example (thoroughly geeky and not humourous at all, I'm afraid). For humour, I enjoy Laughing Squid, which writes about various things cultural. With this post on gender reveal parties, I am concerned about the evolution of society and whether I want to be part of it, but that is just the old fogey in me, which I must suppress in order to remain hip and cool. However, I will NEVER EVER have a gender reveal party (unless Rai or Luka want to tell me something in the future, and then, it would be kinda fun). Laughing Squid do link to useful posts though, for example, how to make bacon roses, which I should surprise Seiji with sometime (Father's Day 2011 perhaps?). I came across this interesting post by Ricky Gervais on why he is a good Christian (although athiest). On a lighter note, (since Ricky was actually a bit heavy in that post), tumblrs are an awesome new (well, new to me anyway) internet invention. Powerful for their subtlety. Or not. You decide. Chicks with Steve Buschemi eyes. You might ask "Why?". I ask "Why not?". Ditto for Ridiculous Pictures of Celine Dion. If it makes you think or happy for just a minute, it is art. I have just realised that I am only "creative" when procrastinating. Actually, I am supposed to be writing model essays for some of my IELTS students. Fortunately, though, I have found just the website that has already done that for me. Yay for the interweb.

60K Run

2011-01-21T14:30:00.000-08:00

Seiji is doing his 60k Ultra Marathon as I write. He is probably just over halfway now.

I am very excited for him and can't wait to go down to see him cross the finish line. I have been Googling 6ok runs to see how long he will take (he thinks 8 - 9 hours - but what if he comes in earlier and I miss him?! Hence, the Googling).

Turns out a pretty good runner will do it in 8 hours. At least this guy did. Wearing these insane shoes I have never heard of called Vibram Five Fingers (see picture above). Wow.

Turns out, human beings are very good at running long distances, and used to do it to catch prey (they chased the prey until the animal dropped down dead from exhaustion / heat stroke). Wow again!

Seiji is just wearing the shoes the Shoe Clinic recommended for him.

Speaking of running forever, do Sea Monkeys ever stop swimming?

Arty day

2011-01-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

Seiji started work today at the New Zealand stock exchange; two things should make him very happy.

1. They had work drinks to welcome him, so they obviously like a tipple now and then.

2. There are two showers available so he can easily go running at lunch times. He is going through a mad running phase at the moment and is due to do a 60k Ultra Marathon in two weeks!

Because I was on my own today with Rai and Luka, we had to do a few activities and outings to keep us all sane (except poor Luka, who became a bit insane about 7pm from lack of sleep).

First, Rai and I donned our Masterchef hats and cooked up some pikelets served with mixed berry coulis and cream. I think I have picked up a few things from watching so many cooking shows recently (Masterchef and Jamie Oliver's Food Escapes being current favourites), because I self-critiqued my coulis and found it to be "sour, dull-coloured and under-strained", though it still tasted pretty good overall. My inner chef is starting to emerge! I also realised how great it is to have a bottle of cream in the house (we have some leftover from Christmas, otherwise it is something we never have). I think I may start to follow my grandmother's lead - she always has bacon and cream in the fridge. It seems these two ingredients are enough to inspire or add to dozens of dishes.

After our Masterclass, we visited Riverstone in Upper Hutt to pick up a cute "Welcome" sign (see above) I bought off Trade Me. I have never been to Riverstone, a newish suburb, and had brief fantasies of buying a huge house there with a big garden. However, the suburban neurosis would soon get to me, and I love Korokoro, so we won't be moving there quite yet.

Later, Rai was inspired by the Welcome sign to make a fake cake tea party - his own styling.

Since we were in Upper Hutt, I decided to go to the Expressions Art Gallery, which my friend Penny had told me about. It was surprisingly good. There was an excellent exhibition by John McLean which Rai and I enjoyed a lot, especially since we had the whole gallery to ourselves. McLean has done a series called "The Farmer" - reminiscent of Nigel Brown, quite familiar. Not something I'd want to buy (nor could afford to!), but glorious to see the whole series of huge paintings hung together.

I do have a couple more NY resolutions already - buy some more art and purchase a good digital camera. Anyone have opinions about Canon's 450D? Also, what do you think of Rai's latest art piece?

Resolutions from The Age

2011-01-02T23:40:00.000-08:00

This article has some resolutions I could definitely keep - not sure about eating banana skin though!

New Years Resolutions

2011-01-02T23:30:00.000-08:00

Okay..well, I tried to avoid making resolutions because it seems to be the fashionable thing to say "Well, I'll just break them anyway, so why bother?", but I have been inspired by a blog I frequent called HelloKo - written by Koichi, a super entrepreneur whom I admire greatly. Pop over to his blog to see his interesting set of resolutions (not funny ones, though - I quite like the serious stuff!). I particularly like the lucid dreaming and rejection therapy ones - but I don't think I'm quite ready for them myself.

So, here goes...in 2011, I want to...

1. Not kill Rai's sea monkeys - these are the BEST present ever for small children (ages 6 - 8 would most appreciate them, I think), and also kids like me who never grew up...but it would be sad if they died too soon, they've only just reached 1mm in length.

Isn't his the cutest monkey you've ever seen?

2. Complete a duathlon, and possibly other sporty stuff...
I have signed up for this already, and since it cost $60 I will definitely do it (it is just a short "for the ladies" one, but still...). I started my fitness regime by doing an exercise video for fifty minutes this morning...still recovering, but I think I will be able to do it every day. I would prefer to go jogging every morning, but early morning baby feeds and the hills around my house are current obstacles.

3. Upload my photos every day - this seems to be the easiest way to motivate myself to write this blog - and take interesting photos. I really need to upskill my photography skills though. Mine are so 1985.

Rai's 6th birthday present (a bit early) - he got to put it together himself

The finished product (yes, a bit too small but he hasn't noticed that yet)

Rai made a teepee

4. Look forward to going back to work in June and enjoy it when I'm there - I don't think it will be too hard, lovely staff, lovely students...just need to get Luka sleeping through the night by then ; ) (currently he wakes once or twice a night - around 12am and 3am..though I am thinking of Ferberizing him in the next two months - just because I like the word "Ferberize").

5. Beautify the garden
I got some great tips from an ex- landscape gardener friend - which include a lot of digging, concreting (in a good way), weed spraying, tree cutting and ground levelling - all of which I have never done. It could be a steep learning curve, but I'm willing to do it..

Plus some other things...but I will add them in February. It is hard to know what I am capable of because currently Seiji is at home on holiday (he starts work on Wednesday though - yay Seiji!) so I am not very busy looking after the boys; then Rai is on school holidays until the end of January, so I don't think I will get too much "me" time before then..so the beginning of February is when I might reflect and add a few more resolutions.

New Years Update

2011-01-01T12:21:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! A picture of me getting my hair done on New Years Eve. Then went home and hosted a party for Japanese friends. Unfortunately, I don't have an "after" shot of my hair do, but these are the photos I showed the hairdresser of what I wanted - taken in France a few years ago. Seiji thinks these photos look photoshopped - we were really there!

I took Rai and his new friend Chase to Play Playland in Lower Hutt (yes, a mad name - they used to be called Lollipops Playland). Loved it - I got to hang out with Luka and read my book for about two uninterrupted hours while Rai tired himself out so much playing that he had to have a 2 hour nap after we got home.

Ummm...Christmas leftovers!

I don't have any major resolutions yet except to spend more money and eat more chocolate.

Xmas in pictures

2010-12-25T16:45:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite Christmases ever - low stress, great food, great family and lots of fun Christmassy activities ; )

I bought Rai some new pants at Craft 2.0. After putting them on, he went running to his room and after a few seconds came out in this outfit, singing....."Zumba zumba zumba!".

Carol singing on Christmas Eve - we had salads, KFC, Christmas cake from Rudolf Steiner fair, and icecream with jelly and LOTS of songs.

My cousin Rose's WTF face ; )

Rai and Luka on Christmas morning - Rai was thrilled with his presents. He got a seven-Bakugan set, water slide, Paul Jennings books, a huge bag of lollies for his birthday lolly scramble, pavement chalk and a spray can of Dettol (he is always asking me to buy Dettol at the supermarket, and I refuse...but dang, their marketing is good, because he is obsessed with germs). Luka got a fresh clean nappy and a promise of plenty more to come. Lucky kid.

We went to my parents house for a delish Christmas lunch of ham, BBQed chicken and salmon and salads, with trifle and beautiful berries for desert. The kids (and Seiji) played on the waterslide a bit, had lunch and then did a fairly massive treasure hunt to find their presents from my family. Another tradition is born.

Rai with a couple of his fave presents - the Bakugan (lower left) and his chef's outfit from his cupcake making kit.

Random photo - I told Rai that Luka loves looking at patterns, so Rai is trying to look like a pattern in this photo - cute!

Another gift winner - Rai's Nerf gun - he has found an alternative use for the bullets.

We hosted a Christmas party in the evening for friends - it was potluck so there were more lovely salads, BBQed sausages and yakiniku, and tiramisu for desert. I highly rate seeing friends on Christmas along with family - makes for an ideal day.

Oh, and one more tradition I have started - last week I sent Seiji and Rai off to buy me a nice set of lingerie from the Bendon store in Queensgate. Me thinks this should become an annual event. (I tried to take a photo of my bra, but it looked too pornographic, so I can't upload it here ; ) ).

Happy Christmas everyone!

Eggnog

2010-12-19T00:02:00.000-08:00

I am hosting a cheesy carol night for my family on Christmas Eve. The menu (for now):

Appetiser

Devils on Horseback - two versions - prunes wrapped in bacon and mussels wrapped in bacon

Main
Quinoa pilaf
Vege kebabs OR antipasto platter if we can't be bothered with the BBQ
Garden salad
KFC chicken for whoever wants it (we're bringing a bit of Japanese Xmas tradition to NZ!)

Desert
Vanilla icecream with Russian fudge sauce

Drinks
Eggnog
Homemade lemonade

I just tried an eggnog recipe - the only one I could find that we had the ingredients for (and that can be made in 2 minutes, and with a baby bottle as a measurer and an old honey pot as a shaker ; ) )...

60 mls whiskey

1 tsp icing sugar
1 whole egg

150mls milk

Mix all with ice. Pour into a collins glass. Top with nutmeg.

I'm guessing this serves 2 people, because a small amount of it nearly knocked me over.

And the verdict? Bleurgh. Too whiskey-y, and too raw egg-y.

Instead, this recipe looks A LOT nicer:

6 eggs
2 extra egg yolks
4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup bourbon

(see the link for directions - but they include boiling then cooling most of the ingredients).

Of course, I don't have all the ingredients now, but this might be the one to go with on Friday night (will make some virgin version for the kiddies too).

My two beautiful boys checking out tonight's gorgeous dinner - fish gently fried in butter, onigiri (rice balls) and salad with some veges and herbs from our garden ; )

And...oh my goodness - I just realised I planned a whole dinner party menu and it was EASY. Oh my! Entertainment city here I come!

New Year's Resolutions

2010-12-18T11:50:00.001-08:00

OK, duly inspired by an article in O magazine (and Jennifer Nicole Lee ; ) ), I am starting my main New Years goal early - getting fit.

First steps, signing up for a mini-triathlon (the one in Eastbourne) in February, and just now, walking down to the Warehouse to buy an aerobics video ; )

Will then need to, ahem, get a bike from somewhere....

EDIT: Thwarted by rain - Rai and I were just ready to set off when it started to rain. However, this has given me time to pay for the triathlon online ($65) and research exercise videos - from the comfort of my armchair ; ) Ha ha.

EDIT 2: Well, how serendipitous (my latest fave word - since I lead a fairly charmed life at the moment)! If I HAD gone for a walk this morning, I wouldn't have found these two great exercise videos on Trade Me - both auctions I won (unsurprisingly). Now Rai and I have something else to bond over these holidays. First one was $10, second $16.

The Joy of Cooking

2010-12-16T12:11:00.001-08:00

I made this delicious pumpkin and quinoa pilaf the other day. For some reason, when I look at a recipe and see that I have all the ingredients in my kitchen, I feel very excited, very grown-up, very accomplished. For this recipe though, I didn't have chicken stock...but wait...I had a chicken carcass in the freezer (thanks to Seiji) and I made chicken stock for the first time in my life (lazy man's version - boiled for one hour instead of four!). Tres satisfying using my own stock and home-grown parsley to

make this dish (recipe below).

Do you like my food styling? I find pictures of food a bit boring, so have decided to spice these ones up with le bebe and some kitchen objects.
Meet Luka - no, I'm not actually feeding it to him - except, well, indirectly.

Here you can see "Energy Slice" - an absolutely delicious combination of dried fruit and nuts that is perfect for morning or afternoon tea - I think this one is the secret to my producing copious amounts of breast milk and the subsequent size of Luka ; ) This slice is not for people who like recipes that say "crush a packet of bsicuits and combine with a tin of condensed milk, press into tin, cut into pieces and eat". If you are one of these people, you will definitely find this slice a little bit too wholesome ; ) Recipe below. You can see groovy traditional Russian matryoshkas style measuring cups to the left. These can be purchased here (and yes, I am connected with the seller - she's my sis ; ) ).
This is our vege garden. I love pictures of people's gardens, and especially the harvests they get from them (like this lady in Hokkaido).

Thanks to having this garden, I have been having salads with no less than 13 different herbs and veges - YUM.

From top to bottom, you can see
- parsley
- thyme
- tomatoes
- carrots
- basil
- lettuce
- spinach

Rai, our local Masterchef, is creating a "fruit salad" (his words, not mine) on our new chopping board. I actually bought the board for chopping fruit (I'm sick of my oranges tasting like onions), so technically shouldn't be chopping the greens seen here. I guess the tomatoes are okay though....or are they? The debate continues...

Recipes from "THE YUMMY MUMMY" by Nadia Holland

Quinoa and pumpkin pilaf

1 cup quinoa, rinsed in water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 pumpkin, cut into 2cm cubes
500 ml chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup parsley
100g feta for topping (optional)

Heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Saute the onion, garlic and pumpkin for vie minutes. Add the quinoaand saute a further 2 - 3 minutes. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is translucent. Stir through chopped parsley.
Serves 4 - 6 (although I managed to scoff it all for lunch and dinner by myself).

Energy slice

1 cup oats
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup dried fruit, chopped (anything goes)
1 cup nuts and seeds, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup trim milk

Mix all dry ingredients together, add the milk and stir to combine. Press into a greased tin (any size, width etc is okay, just cut the final result into 24 pieces), and bake for 20 - 30 minutes, until firm to the touch and slightly browned on top. Cut into 24 pieces and store in an airtight container.

Facebook readers - check out my blog directly to see additions and previous posts:
http://blo-re-mo.blogspot.com/

Junior Chefs

2010-12-14T11:11:00.001-08:00

I just found a great Xmas present idea for Rai...the full series of Junior Masterchef Australia (he loved the adult version and he loves cooking). Unfortunately, it isn't available on demand in NZ or on DVD. Does anyone have any skills in illicit downloading and burning to DVD? I know I could do it, but it always seems too difficult.

Would be nice in combination with one of these groovy cooking kits. Although we kind of have all the stuff we need for baking - except that cute piping thingamajig.

Oh! Holy Weekend

2010-12-13T00:32:00.000-08:00

Wow - I really got into the Christmas spirit this weekend!

On Saturday night, we went to the Petone Baptist Church to see their portrayal of the first Christmas in Bethlehem. It was beautifully done. We arrived and outside in the garden was a petting zoo with a goat, alpaca, cute little kunekune pig and lamb. As we walked towards the entrance, a choir serenaded us with carols. Upon entering, we met a shepherd who had lost his sheep and was rather frantic. A couple of teenage "officials" recorded our presence by making a chalk mark on a blackboard - representing the census takers in Bethlehem, the census being the reason Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem (or perhaps, the reason they couldn't find accommodation? My knowledge of these things is mainly limited to Jesus Christ Superstar and the lyrics of Chrsitmas carols!).

We then entered the main "market place" (hall) and Rai took part in all the various activities - making a clay pot, decorating a cupcake, folding a flax flower, spinning wool, baking bread and petting a rabbit. We also dressed up as the holy family, we had Baby Jesus and Baby Luka, plus an Asian Joseph (Seiji) and random boy added (Rai). They haven't sent us the photos yet, but apparently they will.

It was all simply magical and I hope to go again next year.

Then, on Sunday, I dragged Rai along to the Christmas carols at Lower Hutt Town Hall. One and a half hours later, we had sung 14 songs with the choir, and listened to them sing a selection of tunes, including an awesome version of Summertime from Porgy and Bess. Rai loved it because he knew quite a few of the carols from his own school's Christmas Concert. His favourite is Feliz Navidad.

Rai's songsheet

Then, best news of all, today I completed my Christmas shopping! And most of it from the comfort of my own armchair - thank you internet.

Too cool - Japanese lemmings

2010-12-11T00:47:00.000-08:00

Just reading over my blog posts from a couple of years ago and came across this awesome music video that I blogged about. Worth mentioning again, check it out!

For those reading this on Facebook - here is my blog address:

http://blo-re-mo.blogspot.com/

Xmas Do

2010-12-10T20:37:00.001-08:00

XMAS DO

Oh, I had such a lovely day yesterday at my work's Christmas Do. It was held at St John Bar (where the St John ambulance used to be housed). A very stylish place as you can seen in the top two pictures. I realised I haven't been out for a flash meal since leaving Tokyo in February! My bosses were kind enough to invite me even though I am off work for nine months and I took Luka and he was like an Angel Baby for the full four hours I was there. There were plenty of clucky women around, and a couple who weren't but who had turned clucky after they spent enough time watching me being able to swan around have conversations, while my baby gurgled in his buggy or someone else's arms. He didn't cry once.

We did the Secret Santa thing which I loved. I went around ordering everyone to pose with their gift (a Japanese trait, someone claimed). I'm not sure about putting up people's photos without their permission, so will just add a couple. There was a $10 limit and everyone had great ideas. One person made muesli and put in in a large jar, along with another jar full of different nuts in layers. One guy had always harboured the secret dream of giving someone a salami as a present - and this was his chance! I gave a teatowel from my sister's Dishy brand (very cool, kiwiana-style) and homemade Russian fudge. The recipient cut the fudge up and we had small pieces of it with the coffee at the end of the meal - she probably realised eating it alone was not a good idea!

The food was amazing - I had turkey for my main course because I probably won't have a chance to eat it any other time.

Came home with a real hankering for Baileys - something I drank occasionally in Tokyo (natsukashii!) - so bought a bottle when Seiji got his weekly whiskey top-up. Mixed with ice and milk, it hit the spot nicely. When people at the Xmas party asked what I did to make such a relaxed baby, I said I tried to be a relaxed mother. However, I think it might be more due to the fact that I have cut out all caffeine and have the odd alcoholic tipple now and then. Baileys is good because I never want more than a couple of glasses, because, well, it is kind of sickly.

I haven't got the same self-control for licorice.

DATES WITH RAI

Seiji just took Rai out this afternoon for some Daddy-date time. Rai's latest joy is a trip to the dairy - simple pleasures! (We don't have one within walking distance unfortunately, so Seiji needed to drive. I have a secret dream of opening a dairy nearby - isn't that every kid's dream? To have their own personal supply of lollies?). I ordered a couple of straps of licorice because I can never stop if I get a larger amount. Unfortunately, there was only the box which has about 30 straps - which I would consume in less than an hour if given the chance. I took out some then asked Seiji to hide the box. This is how I control my addiction!

I took Rai out for Mummy-date time this morning and we dropped some old stuff off at the Salvation Army op shop and I found some awesome blankets of that old school style that people now use to make groovy cushion covers (including my mother ; ) ). They were only $30 each and in great condition. Made me very happy. I was also happy that the Sally Army took the bag of coal I accidentally bought for the BBQ - COAL, not charcoal. Oops. Rai got a book for $2.50, then we went to a garage sale where he got a full toy farm set for $2. To the library for more books, then McDonald's where we both have Happy Meals (and I wondered - why doesn't KFC do meals with toys?), then grocery shopping. Almost the longest I have been away from baby since he was born. What is great is that I came home to a peaceful house, baby sleeping and Seiji looking stress-free - which means I can do it all again sometime : )

Xmas Carols at Rai's School

2010-12-09T13:21:00.001-08:00

Baby is making small hungry-ish cries, but I have just put him on a three hour routine, to save my own sanity (demand feeding for six weeks was good, but enough already). The little heffalump is in the top TWO PERCENT of babies his age for weight, and top ten percent for height / length, so I think he could probably deal with spreading out the feeds (and the fats) a little ; )

Last night we went to Rai's school to listen to the kids sing Christmas carols. It wasn't a traditional selection (Korokoro School's principal doesn't do "traditional"), and I really got into their rendition of "Zombie" by the Cranberries.

I decided to make a cheesecake for the event, but was too lazy to go to the supermarket to buy the required ingredients (according to Edmond's anyway). So I searched the Internet and cobbled together a surprisingly successful cheesecake from the ingredients in my kitchen (fortunately, I did have cream cheese, as cheesecake tends to need some form of cheesyness and I don't think Edam or Tasty would have been quite right). Recipe below.

After the singing, there was a lolly scramble which I really wanted to join, but held back. There was also a tug-o-war, which I did join and WE WON. The reason to have kids is to re-live all these awesome events and activities. I will take Rai carol singing this weekend as well.

What did I read last night at 4am while feeding baby? (And Jo, you might well ask how I was able to look at a computer while feeding in the middle of the night - the key is to lie in bed, not be too well-endowed - no risk of smothering baby with my manly chest - and to have an iPad - the gadget EVERY new mother needs). Well, I checked out some beautiful kete on Trade Me (NZ's version of Ebay), as well as some kilim rugs (my latest fetishes). Plus a calendar of nude female rugby players (not a fetish YET). The team has put out a calendar to raise funds and awareness of women's rugby. They seem to be surprised at how well their calendars of NAKED FEMALE rugby PLAYERS are selling. Way to make a lot of money? Make a calendar of naked women for a "good cause". Preferably splatter the ladies with mud and have them carry some form of sporting equipment, to make it legit in front of the wife that you have a calendar of NAKED FEMALE rugby PLAYERS on the wall.

My goodness my baby is cute - he just got a bit fidgety as he knows that I know it is past 10am and his scheduled feeding time, so I put the Xmas tree lights on to distract him and he smiled. Gotta love little babies, patterns are more thrilling than almost anything...even releasing pent up air bubbles! Will turn lights off now, lest he get too euphoric and over-stimulate himself.

LAZY MAN'S* CHEESECAKE RECIPE

Base

Packet of biscuits (something plain like digestives or gingernuts)
3 tablespoons butter (maybe more if needed)
3 tablespoons sugar

Mix together crushed biscuits (get your five year old to pound them to smithereens with a hammer) with melted butter and sugar, put into tin (any size that suits), bake in oven for ten minutes at 160C.

Filling
Approx. 250 grams cream cheese (one pottle)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
lemon juice to taste (if you have lemons, otherwise, leave them out)

Beat together softened cream cheese and sugar. Add egg yolks, vanilla and lemon juice and mix. Whip up egg whites until fluffy then fold in. Put onto base and cook for 10 minutes at 230C, then 15-20 minutes at 120C until firm. Leave in the oven with the door open to cool to prevent the top cracking.

Easy huh? Let me know if you try it.

*We're not PC around here.

A New Era of Blogging

2010-12-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

It's time to start blogging again. These days, time is going by so fast that events are a blur. Baby Luka has already doubled in size and reached nearly eight weeks and seven kilos, and I haven't written down anything about what he is doing. I have become an awesome housewife and cooked dinner nearly every day, and no-one is experiencing the awesomeness of my awesome creations (apart from guinea pig husband and older son) - coal barbecued sausages anyone? (yes, that's COAL not CHARCOAL - oops!); my fusion of Thai curry with that French (?) thing where you combine celery, carrot and some other vegetable in some kind of threesome which I need to remember the name of so I can start throwing it into my conversations...ahh....yes, Masterchef I am not quite yet, but working on it!

Plus, I would like to blog a few teaching ideas, business ideas, and links to all the thrilling blog posts I have been reading in the middle of the night while feeding baby. Anything in the middle of the night can seem awesome - often, in the morning, I wonder where all my money-making schemes, Xmas present ideas and general theories on life have gone - gone, I say, like a dream!

In addition to late night crazies, I also have the sort-after "nappy brain" - a general feeling of vagueness but overall well-being brought on by lack of sleep and over-production of oxytocin.

What I want from you, dear readers (all two of you - thanks momma and sis!) - is links to your own blogs, so that I can have a read and steal ideas....I mean, add links on my blog (must also learn how to do that strike-through font thing you can do to make and "undo" witty comments).

This blog will be totally random, as you're meant to "Write as if you're talking to your sister" (see more great blog tips from obvious pro The Pioneer Woman). I may even level it up and write as if I am talking to Abby or Kirstin - two people with whom I censor nothing. Or perhaps I should remember that these blog posts are posted to my Facebook page - where my boss, ex-boss, possible future boss, friends and "person I met once when buying sports shoes" (yes, that's you Donald - Hi! The shoes are great!) all have access. Might have to get rid of that feature. We'll see.

SEE YOU TOMORROW.

2010-09-27T12:54:00.001-07:00

Test

2010-04-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Ahhh.....it has been a while and a lot has happened. We got back to NZ at the beginning of February and I had a week or so off before starting work at the Campbell Institute, my lovely new workplace.

The last few weeks in Japan were crazy busy. A few weeks before coming back to NZ, we went down to Kyoto for Seiji's cousin's wedding (absolutely beautiful) and a really great family reunion. Then a couple of weeks before coming back, I went to Thailand to give a presentation on learner autonomy and self-study using websites. It went really well, but I was feeling pretty tired and a bit ill. Am guessing that was as a result of being a few weeks pregnant, which I found out a few days before starting my new teaching job.

We stayed with my wonderful parents for about 6 weeks after coming back, which was wonderful as all I could do was work and sleep, due to first trimester / new job tiredness.

We moved into our new place on March 10th and have been really enjoying the place - native birds outside out windows (tuis and kereru mainly), a tiny view of Wellington harbour from my upstairs bedroom, and lovely neighbours for Rai to play with (three kids!). There's even a sheep living about 100 metres away. It is completely still and quiet at night, and the oxygen in the air (from all the native bush around) is intoxicating.

We have been enjoying New Zealand too with a trip up to Taumarunui early on, and a lovely stay with Susan in Nelson over Easter weekend.

Second trimester now and I am finally getting some energy back and my groove on.

Had a great weekend last weekend - went to a tea house called Martha's Pantry last Saturday and had high tea with some lovely ladies. Went to the movie "Boy" on Thursday. Feeling a bit more sociable - book club next week and maybe an attendance at the Wellington Community choir.

I really want to catch up with more people and especially see people at Massey.

I love New Zealand. I have just been watching Country Calendar with Rai (all about Bendigo Station and Shrek the Sheep). Soon, I'll take Rai to a birthday party, then pop to Porirua to pick up some furniture I bought off Trade Me, and a nice lunch, (all by myself!), at Pataka gallery.

Life is good ; )

Banana Bread

2009-12-01T03:01:00.000-08:00

Made this recipe, substituted margarine (bleurgh) with olive oil and soy milk, vanilla soy with regular, etc etc. Turned out very well. Thoroughly recommend it.

2009-10-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

So far, this month hasn't been too challenging at all. I have noticed a few things:

1. Being semi-vego helps me to make decisions with regards to eating. The rules are so simple - no dairy; no meat; some fish; whole grains where possible (challenging in Japan). So, instead of the usual conversation I have with myself:

Hana: Should I have some chocolate?
Hana: No, it's not healthy and you want to lose weight.
Hana: But, I deserve it.
Hana: Okay, just a little.
Hana: Man, I'm hungry.
Hana: Okay, a little more because you walked to work.

Blah blah blah.

Now, it's like:

Hana: Does chocolate fit the rules?
Hana: No.
Hana: Okay, I'll have some fruit.

2. I feel like I'm having a lot more salt - but probably because I'm cooking from scratch more, or using salad dressings / soy sauce, which seem to be high in salt.

3. I don't get cravings like I used to. Also, I don't get food-caused mood swings.

4. I feel healthier and have lost about 1/2 kilo.

Anyway, I do still get urges for sweet things and I was thinking about that delicious orange almond cake that I saw in all the cafes in NZ when I was last there. I found a recipe, but it has eggs, so then I found a list of egg substitutes and came up with this recipe.

1 cup almond flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 orange boiled for 2 hours or nuked for 20 minutes (I cut it up and put it in a bowl with a little water)
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup of soy milk (egg replacement)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (also egg replacement)

Blend orange until liquid, add other ingredients, put into greased cake tin and put into oven. I'm trying 180C for 20 minutes at first. It's like the easiest recipe I've ever seen. Hope it works!

UPDATE: Baked the cake for 40 minutes in the end. It came out very moist, but gorgeous.

I also baked bread for the first time in a very, very long time, using this recipe - perhaps the easiest bread recipe in the world. Mix, leave for 12 hours, bake. I didn't bother with any extra rests / kneading. It was delish with this potato soup (adapted to be vegan - oil in stead of butter, fish stock instead of chicken, well, yes, that isn't vegan, and soy milk instead of milk). Fantastic dinner!

Vegan for a month challenge

2009-10-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

Just for fun (ha ha) I'm going vegan (well, actually, pescetarian, also known as a peskitarian) for a month. So far, actually very fun. I went to the local Mitsukoshi department store, which has an organic foods section, bought some soy milk and a few other things. Then I went to Mujirushi (MUJI), which has a very fun range of meal sets - I got Tom Yum Kun (spicy Thai soup), spring rolls (Vietnamese?) and Pad Thai (Thai fried noodles) and a whole lot of frozen shrimps to put in them all. Couldn't resist the do-it-yourself tiramisu kit as well - will try it with soy milk : )

Cooked gorgeous banana and blueberry whole-wheat pancakes this morning.

What's all this in aid of? Well, I just read two books:

"Skinny Bitch"

and

"The China Study"

Both very compelling. I also want to extend my cooking repertoire, and this seems a good way to do it (limits release creativity and all that).

Cooking 6 - chickpea curry with roti

2009-08-11T02:49:00.000-07:00

Last night, I cooked tortillas for the first time. I must admit I used a packet mix, but it must be dead easy to do from scratch. They were great. Can't believe I waited 33 years to make them!

Tonight, I am making chickpea curry (a variation of this recipe, with kidney beans and potatoes added) and roti bread (continuing the instant bread theme). This video makes roti bread look ridiculously easy. We'll see!

Cheesy songs I love - Number 2

2009-08-03T17:22:00.001-07:00

Speaking of the soundtrack to my life, I distinctly remember the first time I heard Chris Knox's "Not Given Lightly". I was with my father, Terry. We were driving to the Crofton Downs supermarket to do our weekly shopping and this song came on. At the end, we looked at each other and said "That was a REALLY nice song". An absolutely clear-as-day memory from almost 20 years ago...

Chris always seems to be breaking guitar strings - I remember him re-stringing his guitar and making up little tunes as he did it.

Beautiful Wellington on a fine day : )

The soundtrack to my life

2009-08-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling like my life is a bit bland lately. Even though I live in Tokyo and go out a lot and am able to experience cool shopping and international type people, well...something is missing.

Then I realised in the car this morning what it was - no soundtrack. I haven't bought a CD or downloaded new music for years. The extent of my listening (dis)pleasure is usually YouTube videos and songs sung on American Idol. Lately, Rai and I have been listening to Lady Gaga, Pink and Adam Lambert while doing our weekly baking, and it is just not doing it for me. I need to get some new music and FAST, or these three years in Japan are going to afford no nostalgia value for me in the future whatsoever.

Icecream-in-a-bag with Lady Gaga

2009-08-01T19:21:00.001-07:00

We attempted to make icecream in a bag today with this recipe. We didn't shake it for long enough, so it didn't quite freeze. We'll try again later.

What you'll need:

* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1/2 cup milk or half & half
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
* 6 tablespoons rock salt
* 1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
* 1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
* Ice cubes

How to make it:

1. Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
2. Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
3. Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
4. Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.
5. Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!

Tips:

A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don't increase the proportions more that that -- a large amount might be too big for kids to pick-up because the ice itself is heavy.

There's a video here:

Rai and I recommend dancing to Lady Gaga while making this - adds something to the whole event, I think. A little class, perhaps?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkOx3DaeA_Y

Fairs in Tokyo

2009-08-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

It's lucky I missed these four gift fairs in Tokyo - I'm sure I would have been all over-inspired and not have been able to sleep for weeks with all the ideas going around my head :)

Cheesy songs I love - Number 1

2009-07-30T03:55:00.000-07:00

I like this one, both versions.

Plus, you can sing it karaoke at this cool site.

Kid's Websites

2009-07-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

Along with www.readingeggs.com (a subscription reading site for kids learning to read), there seem to be a million other websites for kids:

All Sorts of Things
http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/abcZebra.htm

General Online Resources - Reading Material & Activities
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/ (or http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/language/)
http://www.globio.org/
http://kids.yahoo.com/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/

Reference Books
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/
http://www.factmonster.com/
http://www.almanac4kids.com/index.php
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/artcenter.aspx
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/

Mother Goose
http://www.fidella.com/trmg/
http://www.mothergoose.com/Rhymes/merryMelodieMenu.htm
http://www.mothergoose.com/Rhymes/Azrhymes.htm
http://www.nurseryrhymes4u.com/
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/

Fables & Fairytales
http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fairytales/
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-stories-fairy-tales.htm
http://www.grimmfairytales.com/en/stories

Kids' Stories Online
http://storynory.com/
http://www.magickeys.com/books/
http://www.pitara.com/talespin/story.asp
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-stories.htm
http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-stories-little-kids.htm

ESL Teaching Resources & Tips for Teachers
http://www.eslkidstuff.com/
http://www.eslkidstuff.com/TipsLibrary.htm
http://www.genkienglish.net/curriculum.htm
http://www.genkienglish.net/songs.htm
http://www.genkienglish.net/games.htm

Songs
http://www.weesing.com/homepage.htm
http://www.seussville.com/

Phonics & Reading
http://kanagawaschools.webng.com/CILS/Phonics.doc (Sounds of English letter-combinations [graphemes] in order of frequency)
http://kanagawaschools.webng.com/CILS/Phonic%20Rules.doc
http://www.syntheticphonics.com/
http://www.foniks.org/
http://www.verticalphonics.com/
http://www.readinga-z.com/phonics/reading-phonics.php
http://www.icanreadsystem.com/?gclid=CIaQ-9WmgJECFRkZewodmk45_A

Vanilla Sky

2009-07-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

Okay...onto my second movie for today (just watched Blow this morning) and am surprised how good Vanilla Sky is. I guess it came out when I was in Japan and I got it confused with Days of Thunder. Therefore, I thought it was a movie with Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz and fast cars....not quite.

Anyway, half way through. According to one reviewer on IMDB, "I for one really like this movie for some reasons I'll go into later but I want to touch on why I think people don't like it. First off, there are people out there who just like to hate Tom Cruise. I don't understand it really. Second, Cameron Crowe I think successfully p***es off two groups of movie-goers with this film. The casual, relaxed, "not looking to think too hard" group of movie-goers are left confused when the plot takes a complete 180 at the end of the movie. And the deep, philosophical, mystery-fans are devastated when Crowe has one of his characters completely explain the mystery."

I am interested to see which type I am today : ) I think a little of both.

Holidays!

2009-07-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

Technically (and, well, actually too) I have three more days of work, but they are fairly light days:

Monday - one class in the computer lab - students are finishing their self-study worksheets (called "Bingo" to make it fun!) - every time someone completes their sheet, I shout BINGO and everyone claps. Love the Japanese!

Tuesday - another class in the computer lab - students will evaluate themselves for semester 1 and we'll discuss what to do in semester 2 - I am tossing up between following the same format as another class (blogs / songs / music / websites / self-study) or having students do presentations on different learning resources (MUCH more hassle)....after that class, there's one more writing class where I am interviewing them individually and giving out summer homework (evil teacher!).

Wednesday - one more 1a class - where the six students who have pretty much failed, get a second chance by showing me how sincere they are about changing their ways!!!

So, only four more classes (my other university classes finished early - as all good universities do). YAY!

Sometimes, though, when I get into holiday mode, it takes a while to adjust. I tend to sit in front of the Internet for hours at a time and not do much else...(what? you mean that's what you all do as well?). To avoid that, I'll make a few plans for each day.

Today's possibilities:

- sew a cushion cover
- clean the apartment from top to bottom
- go to a party this evening in Tokyo
- order some cosmetics off strawberrynet.com
- go somewhere else in Tokyo before the party
- reply to all starred emails
- sleep
- eat

Obviously, not all possible, me thinks....

Other stuff to do during the vacation

- prepare for my trip to New York
- make a scrapbook about my previous trip to Australia
- sort photos on the computer
- check out the Gibli museum (home of Totoro and other famous Japanese animated movie characters by Hayao Miyazaki)
- check out the Tokyo Edo Museum
- go clothes shopping at the Gap and Banana Republic (same company, same clothes, different prices)
- upload all first semester work to box.net (my teaching group's shared drive)
- eat lots of sushi and drink lots of beer and enjoy the 30 degree heat as much as possible
- plan another trip to Ishikawa and maybe to Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto)
- go to Harajuku to see the crazies
- go to the movies
- check out some exhibitions at Odaiba (toy / craft shows etc - thousands of stalls)

I'm baaaccckkkk!

2009-07-22T00:44:00.001-07:00

Phew...oh my lord it has been a busy semester. Working two jobs probably ain't the best idea, but I'm doing it and almost surviving.

Today, I had a class party for my 1a class. There is one more class next week, but only the ones who have "failed" must attend - I have a soft heart, so if they attend and do some extra credit work over the summer vacation, they can pass.

The party was interesting. There are three rough boys who are repeating all their English courses for a second year, since they failed the first time around. One says |"I love you!" every time he sees me and waits for my response - it is a good way for me to assess my own mood - when it's good, I automatically say "I love you" back - because I love all of humankind and its many foibles. When I'm in a bad mood, he gets a grunt in response for his ridiculous childishness. Poor guy must really think I run hot and cold, because I do.

So anyway, I made an effort this morning - I bought coke (yuck!), jelly beans, and chips from Costco and baked some lemon cupcakes in my tiny microwave / oven. I made a "count how many jelly beans are in the jar" game for them (my creativity and their lack of English skills didn't extend to anything more) and spent a couple of hours preparing report sheets for each one. The ones who had to do the make-up work got yellow report cards. The rest got orange report cards. I realised most of them are good kids, apart from the three which are basically Japanese examples of Beavis and Butthead.

Another teacher came along and asked me what a more appropriate word than "sexy" would be to call the teacher. Apparently Beavis and co had said "Today, you are sexy" to her. I had a wee chat to the boys, saying it's a bit rude to say that to a female teacher. I asked whether they would say it to a Japanese staff member and they said "Sure, why not?". I couldnt' quite believe it, so I went to one of the office workers and asked her. She said she wouldn't mind, although it was "a bit seku-hara" (sexual harassment). So I went back and told the boys that. I tried to explain about women's rights etc etc. How in "my country" women didn't have to put up with those types of comments. Ha ha ha. I think one kind of understood, but the other two live in/for their lovely world of porn stars, beer and no real female company.

More stories about Beavis and co later.

Now I'm home again with Rai - he's watching Tom and Jerry (something I missed as a child - plenty of Road Runner, no Tom and Jerry in NZ), I'm gonna have a beer.

Phew.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

2009-06-13T02:08:00.000-07:00

LOVE this show. Intelligent, witty...and the only way these days that I catch up with what's happening in the good ol' U S of A.

Two classic episodes:

Leah! Sasha!

Obama makes a wee mistake....

(Thanks for the comment Nikki : ) )

MEMEMEMEME

2009-05-29T03:50:00.000-07:00

What is your current obsession?

Rubik's cube. I am officially a geek. But MAN! Check this out. Such a geek (me). And they use such cute words....like cubies.

What is your weirdest obsession?

I am a licoricolic.

What are you wearing today?

Brown trousers from Esprit (size 10! - ha ha - not in MY reality). Grey top that makes me look pregnant...not pregnant though. In case you were wondering Marth.

What's for dinner?

Spicy shrimps on rice. Delicious instant food available in Japan (just nuke for 4 minutes).

What would you eat for your last meal?

Lamb shanks. Fish and chips. I would say salmon sushi but I've had too much recently.

What's the last thing you bought?

A second-hand red bike for my son - $40 bargain.

What are you listening to right now?

Rai clearing his bronchial throat, followed by Seiji clearing his bronchial throat. Crap American television on Sky as background noise.

What do you think of the person who tagged you?

Love her. Funniest and bestest person I know.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?

Heh heh - that's what I've got now...in Tokyo : )

OK, seriously, but boringly, Paris. Or maybe London.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

Into my sister's exotic imagination.

Which language do you want to learn?

Chinese. Lie Confucius.

What is your favorite colour?

Nipple.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?

A groovy purple dress / top thingy bought in Barcelona. Too tight to be worn anytime soon.

What is your dream job?

Big boss lady (of anything and everyone).

What's your favourite magazine?

I used to like "O" (Oprah) magazine, but it's gone crappy.

If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on?

A taxi ride home from a night out in Tokyo.

Describe your personal style?

Mix and match so many styles that I end up with no style at all. Alternatively going for "classic" and "alternative cool" at the same time. Dumb.

What are you going to do after this?

Watch "Weeds" because I found the DVD somewhere. Gagging for more Big Love and Mad Men, but the new seasons are not due out until June / July.

What are your favourite films?

An eclectic mix ranging from About a Boy to Jesus Christ Superstar.

What's your favourite fruit?

Persimmons.

What inspires you?

People who manage to enjoy things minute to minute and don't worry about the future (Christians?).

Do you collect anything?

Postcards. Other people's pens.

Your favourite books?

Stuff by David Lodge. Books I steal from my parents. Anything without "The Notebook" in the title.

What are you currently reading?

Book: Unsent Letters by Malcolm Bradbury. Brilliant old-school wit.

Blogs...favourites:

- http://wandaharland.blogspot.com

- http://presentsimple.blogspot.com

- http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com (I am SUCH a geek)

Go to your book shelf, take down the first book with a red spine you see, turn to page 26 and type out the first line:

"Le cirque des dix lunes s'est installe dans la grande prairie du ciel." French book for kids. Geek.

By what criteria do you judge a person?

Talking versus listening time.

What skill would you like to acquire immediately?

Killing with a single thought? (Perhaps just maiming?)

I challenge anyone who reads this blog to do this (that's all three of you : ) )

Chess

2009-03-30T01:39:00.000-07:00

We are home again after 6 weeks of brilliant holidaying. We arrived this morning after an overnight flight. To avoid going to sleep too early, I just finished a chess game with my husband. I won. Hmmm. Maybe jet lag combined with my usual vagueness provided some excellent strategising skill. However, I think the fact that I didn't care and sacrificed left, right and center helped.

Usually I hate chess, and my feeling hasn't changed. I don't like for someone to have to lose - especially not my darling other half. I guess I don't play competitive games very much. The thrill of winning was outdone by the sadness at making someone lose.

How pathetic.

Australian Souvenirs

2009-02-22T01:21:00.000-08:00

I am quite proud of the Aussie souvenirs I found in the local supermarket.

Australian Goodness

2009-02-21T23:29:00.000-08:00

This trip has been amazing. All I can say is everyone should come to Busselton and stay at my aunt's house.

You will be served gourmet food and drinks and put on two kilos in six days.

You will be taken on tours to exotic and interesting places, on yachts and through caves.

You (possibly imaginary) son will get thoroughly wet every day.

You will be taken to view kangaroos hopping around in nature and yachtsmen hopping around on their boats.

In the evening, you will be shown a selection of movies and TV shows tailored to your tastes - Aboriginal culture / Wallace and Gromit / Iron Chef.

You will be accommodated in a luxury apartment located separately from the house - with your own bathroom, kitchen, hammock, chooks and fruit bowl filled with summer fruits.

Your house will be situated directly across the road from a supermarket and liquor store. You will be within easy walking distance of galleries. In fact, the very house where you are staying will contain its very own gallery.

You will be close to at least three op shops - within which you can pretend you are very, very wealthy.

You will have instant and unlimited access to the internet.

You will be approximately two blocks away from a beautiful beach and a famous jetty - near which annual Ironman competitions take place.

You could not buy this experience - even with a Mastercard.

Wow!

2009-02-12T21:05:00.001-08:00

Loving this cutie! Want to live in a small space so I can try it out...oh, I DO live in a small space...seem to be doing fine.

My main concern (although I do LOVE this) is where to put all the cushions when I'm sleeping.

KIVA gifts

2009-02-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

Since it is the end of the school year here in Japan, a few friends are leaving and it is SAD, SAD, SAD.

In the old days (my 20s) I would have bought goodbye gifts, but these days it seems like an extra burden for people -

"You're leaving? You've just packed everything you own and are stressing that the airline will charge you $1 million for overweight luggage? That sucks. By the way, here's a miniature sized Mount Fuji and some very fragile pottery from a famous, but internationally unknown, location in Japan! It was kind of expensive, but you're worth it. Just be a little careful carrying it. I'm gonna miss you so much!"

So, instead, I'm thinking of using these dinky Kiva gift vouchers to show I care! They're like the UNICEF gifts, but I like Kiva donations more, because you GET YOUR MONEY BACK - love it!

Gadgets

2009-02-12T16:54:00.001-08:00

My sister posted on all the new gadgets she got this last year and asked for more ideas to fuel her shopping fantasies...

Well, this is what I WANT. NOW.

I can use it to threaten Rai - "Clean up your toys! I'm setting the Roomba loose!"

Eye strain and bulging head

2009-02-11T21:08:00.001-08:00

I don't know why, but when I find a new blog that I like, I HAVE to read it all. In this case, about three years worth of blogging. What an amazing woman though! I also looked at some other sites, and found out about sending faxes via email - who knew?

My brain is now officially fried, and although I have been inspired to be a better mother and blogger (not to mention housekeeper and gardener and teacher)...I feel too tired and will watch some TV instead!

Maybe I'll take Rai out somewhere today after creche?

P.S. This blog is also a favourite of mine - loved this post! (Thanks Marth for pointing blogger one out to me).

Ah Australia...

2009-02-09T23:21:00.000-08:00

Since I am visiting Perth this week to see relatives, I have been following the Victoria fires quite closely. It's really sad. I looked at over 200 photos today and read numerous news-stories. Then I donated some more money to Red Cross and also made a small donation to the Healesville Sanctuary, an animal park that Seiji and I visited when my parents lived in Melbourne.

Hope those fires don't last much longer...

On a more positive note, I am trying to see if I can use Google Documents (and other Google applications) exclusively for all my work and home stuff. Google Docs seems to have a few bugs, but I am ever hopeful...I am sick of converting files between Microsoft and Open Office and sending myself attachments all the time : )

Officially a geek

2009-02-09T17:32:00.001-08:00

I have known I'm a geek for a long time, this finally proves it. I like this site and I think this product is funny.

Ah Japan....

2009-02-09T17:14:00.000-08:00

'Tis truly a unique place where you can buy theme DVD players and enjoy air yakiniku during these tough economic times.

Dreams 1

2009-02-06T14:55:00.001-08:00

I wanna open a cupcake shop so I can use these cupcake liners and put these cuties on top.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

2009-02-05T18:47:00.000-08:00

My latest TV viewing pleasure - and this episode is GOLD.

How to get great abs - it works!

2009-02-04T23:54:00.000-08:00

2009-02-04T03:59:00.000-08:00

I thoroughly enjoyed these Cake Wrecks.

Then I found this video on the original site. Classic.

Reminds me of the Dark Crystal.

Quite a traumatic scene to watch - don't see torture scenes like this in kids' movies these days!

Cooking 5

2009-02-04T02:45:00.000-08:00

Insane in the membrane! She cooks again!

This time I cooked "oyakodon" - I won't provide a recipe, because this You Tube video says it all - however, I didn't use all those fancy ingredients - just soy sauce, sugar and some light dashi. I also used spring onions instead of Japanese parsley (less subtle, but still good).

Cooking 4

2009-02-03T15:50:00.000-08:00

Wow, I cooked two meals in a row this week - amazing!

They were ridiculously easy, so I'll share them here.

HONEY SOY CHICKEN

Mix SMALL CHICKEN BITS with SOY SAUCE, HONEY and SESAME OIL (amounts don't matter). Chop up BROCCOLI (or some other green vege) and stir fry, add chicken and fry until cooked. Add some WATER at the end to make a sauce. Serve on RICE. Voila!

JAPANESE STEW

Stir-fry BEEF (mince or strips, or even CHICKEN) until cooked, then add FOUR POTATOES (cut into 4), ONE CARROT (cut up chunky) and one ONION (also chunky). Fry for a minute or too, then add SOME SOY SAUCE (about 1/4 - 1/3 cup! sounds like a lot, but no salt is added to this recipe) and 1 - 2 SPOONS OF SUGAR (about 1 heaped teaspooon will do). Add enough WATER to JUST cover the ingredients, top with TINFOIL or COOKING PAPER, and let simmer for as long as it takes to get cooked through (20 - 40 minutes). Serve on RICE.

Of course, Japanese sticky rice is best, because it soaks up the flavours properly and tastes amazing - but then a rice cooker is needed (well, it certainly makes it all easier). No rice cooker - get one now :)

A Good Sick Day

2009-02-03T01:53:00.000-08:00

I was a little sick today - up last night with a sore throat. However, it worked out quite well, as I stayed home instead of going out somewhere and got to relax "well and proper". I watched some Japanese T.V., then Fahrenheit 911 (fairly moving, as I imagined it would be) and looked at this cool website.

David Byrne

2009-02-03T01:50:00.001-08:00

David Byrne's concert last week was awesome. I love the songs on his new album.

Lovely lunch date

2009-01-21T21:47:00.000-08:00

Seiji took the day off work today, still a bit sick, and we went to a local Italian restaurant we seemed to have missed in our two years here. It was gorgeous - lovely service and nice food and just SO NICE to be out without Rai for a change : )

Ahh....

Rai's 4th Birthday

2009-01-17T02:23:00.000-08:00

It was Rai's 4th birthday today. We woke up at about 7am and some men came to the apartment at 8am to change our living room and kitchen ceiling. It was amazing - they managed to finish in 2.5 hours!! Now we have a lovely flat white ceiling covering up the ugly, asbestos-y looking one underneath (overtop?).

So, we spent 2.5 hours in my bedroom hanging out this morning. First, we opened Rai's presents. He got a lot of Shimajiro stuff that we had been saving - they sent out a present, and we had January's package as well. I had also bought him a few things at Ikea yesterday. A tin of ginger biscuits (which we had for breakfast - the kitchen being out of commission) and a dog's bowl with a cute crown motif. There was also a lovely book / first dictionary from his obaachan.

I took Rai to the nearby MacDonald's, which has a play area outside, and Tim and his twin boys Mark and Luke came along for a very good play. They gave Rai a lovely book called "The Magic Donkey Ride".

After that, we went and had sushi in Tama Center and bought some small cakes. WE got home, very tired, at about 2:30pm and I had a sleep for 2 hours!

Then, we went and had takoyaki and okonomiyaki at the local restaurant. Now we are home again, smelling of food and smoke from the restaurant and about to go to bed.

Before that, I might do some friendly proof-reading at a language site called Lang-8. I highly recommend it for anyone learning a language.

(Later) I just finished proofreading someone's writing on the Hanshin Earthquake which occurred in 1995 and severely affected my host family living in Nishinomiya. I didn't realise Rai was born on its anniversary.

The End of Charity

2009-01-15T15:38:00.000-08:00

I finished the "End of Charity" book I bought while in New Zealand. I was so inspired that I couldn't sleep until 1am!

The book is about social responsibility - not just of individuals but of businesses. It presents the idea that businesses can make profit a secondary goal after their primary goal of being a positive entity in society.

Along the same lines, I just got an email from an American site where individuals can LEND (not give) money to other people at reasonable interest rates.

The site directed me to this one, where you can vote to encourage more P2P lending. The comments are very interesting.

I don't use that site to lend money, but I do use Kiva. I love looking at my portfolio.

To do

2009-01-15T03:05:00.000-08:00

IRD for Seiji

Get a book on MBAs

MBAs in NZ.

A Busy Day

2009-01-15T02:22:00.000-08:00

I had my first Thursday off in a while (well, apart from that wee three week holiday I just had in NZ!). I was working at Soka University every Thursday, but their semester finishes quite early and I have no more Thursday classes. Yay!

I got so much done today:

I posted thank-you / congratulation messages to:
- Yoshiko's parents for the present of lovely clothes that they gave to Rai
- Mr. Nishi in Beppu who chairs the Oita Prefecture New Zealand Friendship Association and got onto NZ's New Year Honours List (I met him many times when I lived in Beppu and often went to his house for barbecues and to watch rugby - he couldn't speak a word of English - or, for me, intelligible Japanese - but he is a great guy)
- Maki and Garreth's twin boys Sean and Kieran (sp?) - born in the middle of last year!

A New Year's card to Randy in Beppu, whom I saw at Yoshiko's wedding and had a great time catching up with.

Plus some administrative stuff - airpoints membership for Rai and a subscription to O (Oprah) magazine for me.

I also tried to check out Seiji's student loan status...have a feeling we should pay off his loan while the exchange rate is good...he owes about $10,000 which would be nice to be rid of.

I bought lots of things at the 100 yen shop for Seiji (medical masks because the poor man has a terrible cold) and for me (hooks to hang my coat and umbrella on at work, and other exciting things like that).

I realised that bookshops in Japan don't sell gift cards like in NZ - they have special stationery shops for that. It was quite a hassle because the two bookshops I went to only had a very small range of cards....something they should reconsider! (similar to post offices here which sell hardly any packaging at all, and no envelopes as far as I can tell - crazy!).

I am still interested in business stuff....and doing an MBA...info here and here.

I enjoyed looking at the Benesse website today - I thought it would be all Japanese and painful to read, but they have an excellent English website. The company is truly huge and has HEAPS of information. I requested their annual report and may even buy some shares.

I also looked at the ABC childcare group in NZ. Their parent company in Australia seems to have gone bankrupt (or whatever companies do - should probably learn that word before I start an MBA!), but the NZ part is fine apparently - shares are incredibly low (or worthless possibly) and I'm guessing won't be for sale if the parent company goes down...I cheekily asked them for an annual report as well.

I did a bit of research on Suzanne Paul (a potential mentor??!!)..I was surprised to learn that she won season 3 of Dancing with the Stars. Things you miss when living in another country : )

Plus, watched and enjoyed Rocky 2 with Seiji with morning and a bit of Summer of Sam good Spike Lee stuff with the sexy and under-rated John Leguizamo.

Wednesday, lovely Wednesday

2009-01-14T01:16:00.000-08:00

Today, I taught only one class at Meisei but managed to be there from 9:30am to 5pm.

I got a lot done, including cleaning out my office, putting up a mirror (yes, I'm vain), sorting out a grading system for my 1a class and having a meeting with Declan about the syllabus for the IIc class. Also, the DVDs I ordered back in December arrived - so exciting! Now the DVD library will be up-to-date. I hope to use some of the DVDs in my classes.

I also had a good meeting with Tim about next year's 1b class - we worked out what would be good to use in the lowest level class (the focus is reading and writing, but we decided a four-skills approach was more appropriate). The students are almost absolute beginners, some being unable to read English properly, so it will be a challenge to teach..I'm looking forward to it!

I will have all the students buy a folder which will be kept in the classroom (no more excuses about forgotten sheets, etc) and become their writing portfolio. I will also do grammar worksheets out of the 100 yen grammar books, get them to buy a dictionary if their phone dictionary doesn't work, and do a few more, well, exciting things - graded readers, DVDs etc etc.

If I had a million dollars....

2009-01-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

Apart from all the usual, holidays, great food, buy a house etc etc...if I won a million dollars, I would love to set up some enterprise that does good in society - whilst still making a profit! I would love to develop a company in NZ that employs lot of people, especially people who need some support getting back on their feet...

I would also like to set up something to help families...similar to Plunket...

Which brings me to my latest scheme and that is setting up a service like one that exists here in Japan. You can sign up to a company called Benesse's service and they send a pack out each month to your house with toys, books, DVDs, etc for your child. The toys / books are all based around a character called Shimajiro and his friends. The packs also include advice for parents and I think this is what NZ needs more of.

The packs are really good, because you choose the level appropriate to the age of your child - so all the toys are age-appropriate, and the books etc introduce various skills that children can work on that suit their age. Benesse also makes excellent use of their database of customers for this service, by sending out catalogues / promotions etc for other goods and services. E.g. they also have a frozen food (mainly lunch-box contents) service that really helps out working mothers here in Japan.

Ever since I first saw the Shimajiro goods, I have wanted to start something similar in NZ - but there are a few barriers - namely, the market is much smaller in NZ, so the economies of scale are not as great (the packs in Japan only cost $15 - $30 a month - an absolute bargain for what you get). Plus, I am not a huge organisation like Benessse with 1000s of staff. I also don't have the skills (or interest in getting the skills!) to produce educational materials for children and parents.

I realised (yes, at 5am this morning), that a true entrepreneur would

A. Not wait until they had $1 million to do these things
B. ORGANISE people who have the right skills to produce the packs / do whatever is needed

In fact, in NZ, there are already many great groups that could work together to do this
e.g. Plunket / Treasures magazine / Tots to Teens / NZ Post / Children's toy distributors / the Warehouse etc etc

Lots of companies would be keen to sponsor it too...

So, now, instead of doing a PhD on learner autonomy (I'll just publish some small papers instead and do the conference thing)...I might do an MBA next year. I've always wanted to do one, but never really had a business idea to work on. Now I do.

Update

2009-01-13T01:42:00.001-08:00

I tend to dislike posts where the poster starts by apologising for not posting, so I'm not going to do that. But I will try to sum up the past few weeks, if only for my own benefit, as memories seem to fade faster than cheap coloured paper in the sun.

- Trip to NZ from December 17th-January 7th -

- Christmas - great presents, great food
- My father's 60th birthday
- Cute cousins
- A new baby
- Good friends - morning teas, afternoon teas, BBQs
- The Dominion Post
- TV ONE with my mother
- Walks for Rai with my father
- Petone Rec ground, a soccer ball and icecream in cones
- Food - fish and chips, Vogel's bread, licorice, Wholly Bagel's
- "Working" at the coolest shop in Petone
- The beach - at Petone, at Eastbourne, at Oriental Bay
- An exchange rate that made everything cost only the equivalent of 2 cents
- Movies and a good boy on the plane going back to Japan
- Flowers and a clean toilet from my husband

ABSOLUTE BLISS

And now we are back in Japan

- chilly but beautiful clear days and amazing night skies with the brightest star I have ever seen (perhaps Sirius, or perhaps not a star at all, Mars?, I must check whether it twinkles or not)
- lovely students appreciative of candy cane souvenirs
- last classes at Soka University (will miss it, but am glad of the break)
- an excellent gig on Saturday - the star Michael Boustany, the audience 1/2/ Meisei half something else and my husband all included
- mochi and sushi, of course
- good gas heating
- deep baths
- our new Exercycle to make me feel virtuous
- witnessing a gorgeous butoh dance performance
- all the other things to discover over the next year

OTANOSHIMI NI

ポんず！ Ponzu!

2008-11-29T01:00:00.000-08:00

Yum, I got a box of kabosu (a kind of lime) from the Washimi family in Oita. Kabosu are one of Oita's famous foods, so it was lovely to get such a gift. Seiji looked up some recipes on the Internet and is in the process of making ponzu - a delicious soy sauce mixed with chili and kabosu juice concoction for using with meats or on salads or anything else that takes a good sauce.

He is using this recipe. It will take a few days...can't wait!

I borrowed the photo from the website - looks like it has gone a bit sidewise - please tilt your head : )

Worst haiku in the world?

2008-11-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

I decided to write a haiku...it blends Japanese and Kiwi influences - see if you can spot how:

It is autumn, oh!
The leaves they are a fallin'
They sound like rain eh?

Update and final attempt!

2008-11-28T01:55:00.000-08:00

Hmmm...my word count hasn't shifted much from last time I checked - I wonder why that is?!!

Now I am using this blog as a procrastination tool...yes, I have many things to do, namely, about six hours of proof-reading for an old student of mine who is doing a PhD and is in the final stages of her thesis...I have been checking her work for nearly four years now - amazing! Her topic is macroeconomics related - about companies in Malaysia - I have learnt a lot!!

I have had a full few weeks...

I went to my friend Yoshiko's wedding last weekend - it was fantastic fun - I was able to catch up with her and her family, and also see old friends Randy, Sayuri, Katoh-sensei and so on. It was bitter-sweet as I miss my old life...but it was really great to see people again - I wouldn't get that chance so much if it were not for my few connections left in Oita.

This week was pretty big too because I decided to stay in Japan for another year and had to talk to my boss about it...I tried to negotiate a few changes to my contract...but nothing doing...I lost a bit of respect for the Japanese way of doing things - treating people like robots (and especially foreigners - like disposable robots)...but I can't be bothered fighting the battle...I have fairly good conditions here, so it is all good.

I just got the crazy idea that I could write 50,000 by the end of November - if I stayed up all night for the next two days and typed my fingers down to the bones. I have only written a few paragraphs and I can feel the OOS setting in, so I think I will give away that idea.

However, I am amazed at how much I managed to write in about two weeks...now I will have more time (next year) and I plan to do quite a lot of research and more reflecting in this blog, so I will have plenty more to write.

I wonder when I will get my first comment? If ever?!!

Looking for a university job in Japan?

2008-11-27T03:30:00.000-08:00

This site has a useful list of links.

Blo-re-mo challenge update

2008-11-15T15:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I set myself the challenge of writing 50,000 blog words in this month of November...(in lieu of writing a 50,000 novel a la NaNoWriMo - although I am using their handy counter to keep myself motivated)...am currently at 12,796. Should be at 25,000. Oh dear.

It is much harder to write a lot of words on blogs than in a novel....I keep stopping to do previews, add pictures and links and check that a post is half-way public-worthy.

Oh dear.

Echino Fabrics

2008-11-15T15:01:00.000-08:00

I recently (well, about 20 minutes ago) posted about Design Festa and indirectly referred to Echino Etsuko, a designer for Kokka fabrics. I thought I would write a little more about her.

When I first got to Japan nearly two years ago, somehow I came across her designs on the Internet. I tried really hard to find a shop that stocked her products (I even went to Nippori - fabric town - which is famous for its wide variety of sewing goods) but I couldn't find anything.

Finally, I found out she was exhibiting at Odaiba in a huge craft exhibition. I went there with the naive hope that she would be there (maybe this occurs in Kiwis who are used to seeing NZ TV stars ont eh street or out shopping?). Well, she wasn't, but her gorgeous fabric was - I bought a few hundred dollars worth and went home happy.

It seems very difficult to buy the fabrics here in Japan - unless you are a commercial outfit...but in the U.S. and Australia there seem to be stockists. Some lovely people on the lovely Etsy are using it to make lovely products.

Cute postcards - Design Festa

2008-11-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

These are some cute cards - there for postcards available to buy at nearly every booth - ranging from 80 - 500 yen. It is an excellent way for people to be able to buy a piece of art, support the artist, and get a memory of (and contact details for) the other artworks the artist had on display.

It is one of my dreams to have a post-card shop with REALLY cool postcards from designers and artists from all over the world. It could look really good - like an art gallery or my sister's shop, with very white walls and just amazing designs on the walls.

Xmas goods from Design Festa

2008-11-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a cute Christmas tree figurine with the modern twist of some cute characters.

Design Festa last weekend!

2008-11-15T14:09:00.000-08:00

Well, I dragged myself to Odaiba last weekend to go to the Design Festa. I was pretty tired after a full week and rather anxious that it might not live up to my expectations. But, it was great!

First, though, I had to get "Lost in Odaiba" for about 50 minutes and wandered the streets trying to find Tokyo Big Sight. I can't believe I managed to find it last time, about two years ago when I went to a draft exhibition to find this wonderful lady and her fabric designs. I was new to Tokyo at the time, and INCREDIBLY hungover, but I managed to make the 90 minute trek there (and caught the airport bus home so I could sleep for two hours without worrying about changing trains).

Anyway, this year I finally made it at around 12pm and promptly found a cafe to have lunch and a coffee - I needed to steel myself for the 2000-odd booths of crafts and art ranging from mediocre to fabulous....

I felt satisfied at about 3:30pm and went home. My wallet felt about 12,000 yen lighter (NZ$200), but my heart felt a whole lot fuller (in a good way : ) ).

Pictures of the goodies I bought will be in the next post.

Talking / Writing about dreams

2008-11-14T15:42:00.000-08:00

I have had some trippy dreams lately...actually awesomely real where I wake up and feel like something is in the room.

Anyway, I will not tell any of these dreams to you, because, dear reader, we all know that other people's dreams are not interesting. Why?

Because, contrary to a good fantasy story (or any story), dreams usually have no plot, no in-built-tension, no deep characters, and no subtlety what-so-ever (and, something that might redeem them, no connection with reality as I see it).

However, this doesn't stop an internet search coming with with a heck of a lot of people who write about their dreams. Google search results:

"Other interesting things that have been happening inside my head lately include some trippy dreams about my teeth .... So as it turns out, this same woman came up to him out of the blue in the week that I was pregnant that he knew I was ..." - a blog I do not want to read!

"I've had some weird weird weird dreams during pregnancy that I thought I should start putting on my blog. A few of them, frankly, ..." (should not be talked about, except with people who love you dearly, in my opinion).

There is, however, a whole industry built around analysing dreams for people who think they might actually mean something. This website offers dream analysis for $9 a pop.

A Good Day to be in Japan

2008-11-13T02:56:00.000-08:00

Had the great luck today to catch an absolutely gorgeous view of Mount Fuji on the way to creche...It (she? he?) was covered in snow and STUNNING. I asked Rai if he had seen it and he said "chotto mienai" ("I can't really see it") which is what we say most days...I guess he has just got into a pattern!

Anyway, I got another view from S*ka Unviversity on the 4th floor, still stunning.

Finally, when I picked up Rai at 7pm (poor kid!), the teacher pointed out the moon to me and I was able to finally see the "rabbit" shape that Japanese people claim to see in the moon's face. Well, I am now a believer - there is no "man on the moon" there is a "rabbit on the moon". It was clear as a clear thing. This picture does not do it justice...it was AWESOME.

Phew! Peer observation over

2008-11-13T02:38:00.000-08:00

At my Thursday university, S*ka, I have to be observed teaching once each semester.

Today was my second time and although I was a bit nervous, it went much better than the first time, and I almost enjoyed the process. My observer was another staff member at Soka, Helen Smith (hmmm...my arch nemesis's name....another Helen....but interesting!).

She is a lovely woman, originally from England but now settled in Australia (and presently teaching in Japan). She said that she gets bored after living in one country for about 2 years and that is exactly how I feel! Phew, there are other people like me. Now, I want to get to know her more - will hopefully observe on of her classes and also another teacher, Val, at some point soon.

The feedback I received was:

- My tasks were too challenging (not put in so many words, but this is the gist)

- I could try stepping outside the group and observing; using different pair systems and setting tasks for the third person, etc etc

There is a professional development meeting next week, and I would like to attend...just have to work out a way to wriggle out of Meisei responsibilities : )

Anyway, I have now had half a beer which went straight to my head, so I can't write many more coherent words, but because I have to reach 50,000 words, I will persevere.

My goal to do cooking has not worked out...I would have to cheat significantly now to catch up...let's see....I already wrote about making a cup of tea and putting flavouring on rice....now I can write about....opening a can of beer....cooking rice in a rice cooker....cooking Rai's instant porridge every morning....boiling soya beans....heating up leftovers....going to Mos Burger...buying dinner at a convenience store...yes, actually that last one is what I did today. Rai and I stopped in at Lawson's and got an onigiri and mochi for me and a mochi and caramel popcorn for Rai...that boy is headed for obesity at this rate!

Aaahhh...now I feel tired...it has been a long day....gotta go and lie on the couch and stop overusing full-stops...

Diary Update

2008-11-11T17:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I seem to be busy (or at least feel busy) again...I already feel like I need a holiday and I just had five days off last week!

I guess this teaching business is more tiring than it looks. My darling husband often says "You've only got a half day today right?" which is true on Tuesdays and Fridays, but I am still buggered and recovering basically from the three classes I have on Mondays and Thursdays. It is a block of five classes over two days without preparation time in between that seems to do me in. Just when I have finished three demanding (two eigo - so demanding in terms of patience and energy; one C class, so demanding in terms of keeping people awake and on task - including myself!) classes, I have two think about two more before 9am the next morning. Some would say I should prepare the week before, and I do sometimes, but it is difficult to prepare too far in ahead - I always need to look at things again before class and see what is suitable....The same process happens again on Thursday (three classes from first period to fifth period), I leave the house at about 7;30am, get home twelve hours later and then have two classes the following morning.

Actually, I really love my timetable, because it means I don't waste too much time preparing - I find I am still doing good enough classes even without preparing for every step. This timetable is also a million times better than last year where I had three days finishing at 6pm - which meant I was very tired when I went to pick up a very tired Rai at 6;30pm. Another day started with a 9am class, so my body clock was completely out of sync!!

I don't seem as tired these days and I put that down to kicking my lovely boy out of my bed! Although it is a double bed, it ain't big and I wonder how couples survive in it. As for me, everytime Rai moved or sighed or coughed or asked for water or lost his blankie, I would wake up - and usually wake up completely, so it was difficult to fall asleep.

These days, I am sleeping so well that I sometimes wake up naturally at 6:30am after a good 8 hours unbroken sleep. This morning I woke up at 4:40am but it didn't matter - I had had seven and a half hours sleep and felt fine and still feel fine now.

So...what is all this rambling in aid of? Well, I have two purposes:

1. To add more words to my blog count - my aim is to reach 50,000 words my teh end of November

2. To avoid preparing for S*ka University tomorrow - I will be observed for my fifth period class, so I should try to produce something amazing, but at this point I am thinking I will just do what I normally do. I mean, there are only three students in the class and I am going to be observed "teaching" them?! I think I will just ask for feedback on my materials and tasks...

So, here we are. I will now go back to the IELTS task that I wrote previously and do some other stuff.

Later.

Seaweed and Rice (Blo-Co-Mo 5)

2008-11-05T02:33:00.000-08:00

Today, I had about 10 minutes to have lunch before I set off for work. I knew there was some leftover rice, so I fired up the kettle to heat some water, to use with my old standby "ochazuke", only to find that I had no packets left. Shock horror!

I searched the the fridge for something else to put on my rice and found something called "gohan desu yo" ("It's dinnertime!"). It is a kind of seaweed sludge, mixed with soy sauce and other yummy flavours and it tasted DAMN good on the rice. Worth taking back to NZ if we can.

I love my tea (Blo-Co-Mo number 4)

2008-11-05T02:18:00.000-08:00

Today, as with every day, in the morning, I made myself a cup of tea (well, to be honest, Seiji did, but I made my second cup). It was Earl Grey - which Seiji and I love. We buy it at rather a premium price from the foreign food shop in Mitsukoshi, but it is well worth it.

I sometimes have two cups but seldom more. I discovered that caffeine and I don't mix well after 4pm, so I have to avoid coffee, tea, coke and even chocolate after this time to prevent insomnia later on. It sucks actually. I guess if I built up my tolerance gradually, I could have more, but it's not worth the sleepless nights I would experience in the meantime.

Recipe for tea

Some hot water
A tea bad
Milk - a couple of tablespoons
Plenty of time to steep and then cool down (I can't drink hot stuff)

Seiji usually makes me a cup of tea every morning and it is a lovely thing to do for someone. Thanks Seiji - maybe I will tell you this one day to your face...maybe...

Gratuitous copy and paste from Wikipedia to up my wordcount (has some intersting stuff though!):

Earl Grey tea is a tea blend with a distinctive flavour and aroma derived from the addition of oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange, a fragrant citrus fruit.

Traditionally the term "Earl Grey" was applied only to black tea; however, today the term is also applied to green teas, including white tea and oolong, and tisanes, such as rooibos, that contain oil of bergamot.

Blog Update - How's it going Hana?

2008-11-05T02:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I seem to be resorting to asking myself inane questions in order to get the word count up a bit on this blog (which I need to get to 50,000 words by the end of November to achieve my self-set blog-novel-writing-month challenge).

Today, I was VERY tired. I think five-days of non-stop action did me in. Luckily, I only had one class to teach today (plus 90 minutes in the Language Lounge - one annoying student turned up so I decided to close it early!).

The class went really well actually. I had devised this nasty assignment meant to get the students doing some more speaking and writing and I thought they would react badly, but they didn't and I put it down to a few teacher-y techniques on my part.

1. I let them choose 4 topics out of a possible 15 or so. I just spread out all the different sheets across some desks and they came and took what they wanted.

2. We listened to Avril Lavigne in the background while they got started writing.

3. I gave them some very specific feedback on their speaking tests and told them why saying "oh-oh-oh" didn't sound very English and why they should strive to use subject-verb sentences when speaking. I thought this would be annoying for them - it is very basic grammar that they learnt in their first few years of junior highschool - but I managed to come up with some common errors that they make to help send it home to them that they need to bloody well concentrate when they are speaking : )

e.g.1 In answer to "Did you do your homework?", they invariably answer "Forget" (literal translation from "wasureta" in Japanese).

e.g.2 In answer to "Why were you absent last week?", they usually say "Cold" (literal translation from "kaze" in Japanese), they laughed when they realized it has a couple of meanings.

e.g.3 "What will you do this weekend?" "Go out" ("dekakeru"). I explained that without a subject, this would sound like a command "Go out!". I used a bit of my teacher-ly license here, because actually it is quite a natural way to answer the question, but I wanted to drive home the fact that students need to learn and use the "rules" correctly before they start "breaking" them.

Most of the above explanation was for the benefit of one student who seems to be the lowest in the class. I have no idea how he got to be into the level 5 (out of 6 levels) class. I also don't know why another student, Masanori, whose speaking and comprehension are excellent, is not in the highest class. I am going to ask Price, our academic co-ordinator person, how they were tested.

So, that was a good class.

Back to the blog, well, I have written over 4000 words and done a lot of cooking (well, um, three things?). The words are okay because I can add more whenever but I have to catch up on the cooking a bit - or write some posts on the cups of tea, morning porridge for Rai, or even the seaweed glug smeared on rice that I had for lunch today, in order to reach my goal of "cooking" something every day.

Dammit - why don't I just do that and stop feeling guilty?

Akihabara!

2008-11-04T02:02:00.000-08:00

It has been about ten years since I went to Akihabara with my friend Chris and we bought electronic dictionaries together. It was the start of a great relationship...with the Japanese language!

Today, I went again with Susan and this time we deliberately sought out signs of "otaku-ness" - Japanese geekiness, and boy did we find it!

First, we started by being geeky ourselves and celebrating what I thought was international donut day. I can't seem to find any links to it (it appears to actually be the 1st of June, in fact), so I must have been misinformed by the AFN radio station I listen to when I drive Rai to creche. Maybe the DJ was confused, because it seems that there are a lot of donuts being given away for people in the U.S. who vote...

Anyway, after enjoying our donuts and taking suitably geeky photos, we wandered around some figurine shops, electronics shops, and sex shops (well, okay, to be honest, one of each was enough for us).

At the sex shop, I was sorely tempted to buy a breast enlargement contraption but changed my mind at the last minute.

We also walked around for quite a while in search of a maid cafe. I could hardly suppress my excitement as we went in - I didn't know how welcome female, foreign, customers would be, but it seems that we were very welcome - and the only ones there! Ah-ah. The maid didn't even call us "master" or feed us - we needed to pay extra for that. Photos were also not permitted. At least they had a video playing that showed various comedians in the cafe - including members of SMAP, so I was somewhat mollified.

Overall, it was a great day - and now we can check another tourist site off our lists.

Cool music video from "Denki Groove"

2008-11-03T16:49:00.001-08:00

I have just got to show you this cool video. What do you think? Leave a comment!

(Link below doesn't work so try here).

An amazing five days - boring diary post

2008-11-03T02:45:00.000-08:00

(These diary posts are just to help me remember what I have done - I don't plan to write or edit them particularly well - sorry gentle readers!)

Well, I can truly say I achieved my goal of having a fabulous time this weekend and really taking advantage of all the days off.

I'm so glad I didn't go anywhere because I got to save time and money and spend lots of time with Rai. I also managed to do lots of stuff in Tokyo.

Thursday: Rai stayed home from creche and I took a well-deserved metnal health day after a bad night's sleep, a persistent semi-cold and an accidental sleep in. We took up the invitation from Declan, Meghan and Brian (Meisei teachers) to go and climb Mount Takao. We took a few (wrong trains) and got there in about an hour and a half, took the cable car up the VERY steep hill and then climbed up the final 40 minutes or so to the top past an amazing amount of temples (I pity the poor monks who used to live / worship there before the cable car was built!). We took a wrong turn on teh way down (took track 5 instead of track 4) and had to back-track a bit which tested all our muscles pushing 18 kilo Rai up the hill in his buggy. It made it quite fun and memorable though and we all felt we had had a good workout.

Friday: Rai didn't want to go to creche so I kep him home and we ended up going to Omotesando to see the amazing five (six?) story Kiddyland toystore. We also went to eh Design Festa gallery and had a delicious lunch nextdoor of chijimi (Korean pancake) which I cooked on the table in front of us.

Saturday: A relaxing day was punctuated by a trip to the supermarket to buy ingredients for my pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. At 5pm we left the house to go to Seiji's old workmate's friend's Halloween party. Had a great time talking to the hosts and otehr guests Raj, Dio, Yuko, and some crazy Japanese guy whose name I can't remember.

Sunday: We were pretty tired after a late night, but I decided to take Rai to the Meisei Cultural Festival and give Seiji some time off. It turned out we spent FIVE hours there and had an amazing time. Some highlights included the chamber music club's cafe - we had coffee and cake for only 300 yen and listened to the most gorgeous live violin and cello music; the manga club's cafe - all the members were dressed up as various characters and acted COMPLETELY like otaku (Japanese geeky salarymen) - even though they are only about 18 years old; the movie club's short movies; the live concert performed by various rock bands; visiting the computer club's room and checking out the various projects they had made (none of which worked); looking at the beautiful ikebana design from the flower arrangement club and putting stickers next to our favourites; watching the "ningyou geki" (puppet show) and laughing our guts out at the simple minds of children; seeing lots of students enjoying themselves and truly being themselves (not often seen in class!).

Monday: I finally attended a session at JALT, also checked out some books, got a few freebies, chatted to Craig at his poster session and got home by 3pm to have a sleep and do some cooking.

Tomorrow's plan: Go to Akihabara with Susan and check out the otaku shops - a post on it will surely follow : )

Cooking 3

2008-11-03T00:56:00.000-08:00

Tonight I plan to prepare the ingredients for Chickpea and Pumpkin Patties using this recipe.

I won't be cooking them because we've already had dinner, but I figure preparing it all to be cooked tomorrow satisfies my "cook something everyday" challenge. Of course, tomorrow I need to cook something else as well - it might be the cucumber dip that goes with the patty recipe. I never said I would cook difficult stuff : )

JALT Conference

2008-11-02T23:40:00.000-08:00

I got up early (well, 7am) this morning to go to the JALT Conference and see my friend Kelly do a presentation on art and creativity in the classroom. It was a very cool presentation - we made gargoyles out of air dry clay. I loved the little goodie bags that Kelly had prepared for each participant - including air dry clay in black and white and little aluminum balls for the body and head for the gargoyle - all presented in a white paper bag with a gargoyle sticker on it. Very professional and very cool.

There were five participants and we had a good time creating our own individual gargoyles in the 1 hour session.

Afterwards, we walked around the publishers' hall and talked to Perceptia Press - two very genki guys (Paul and Brian) - about their books "Octopus Activities" and "Scraps". The first is a speaking book that includes rip-out questions for students to use in class - they each get a question / topic to research in the class and report back on their findings. The book has cool pull-out question strips which look really tactile and fun.

The other book was "Scraps" a gorgeously presented book that includes scrapbooking pages that can be ripped out at the end of the course and put together to make a personal autobiography for the student. I would love to try this with some Eigo or Communication students next year and I think it would have been ideal for Susan's classes where she had students make their own scrapbooks. She said the students were very enthusiastic but that she got a little burnt out thinking of ideas for each week - this book would definitely solve that problem as it includes listening exercises with interviews with real people, pair-talk activities, useful vocabulary, a scrapbook page for each topic, presentations, readings and crosswords.

What I love most about small publishers in Japan, like Perceptia Press and others, is that their books are aimed at the Japanese market and involve and address issues that interest Japanese students. One reason I really dislike using the Interchange series (which is what we are required to use for Eigo classes at Meisei) is that it is not aimed at this market and the tasks included are generally not inherently motivating - it assumes a level of interest and motivation on the the student that is just not there and also avoids the fact that these students are false beginners - many of whom have not had a successful or positive experience with previous English classes, so repeating the same old pattern (as Interchange does) is not efficient or effective. The dumbed-down approach (for example, explicit teaching of BE-verb patterns) treats the student like they don't know anything, and just hasn't worked in my classes (although, I must admit, I have little experience teaching such students, so my teaching is also at fault, I believe). Anyway, enough of the incoherent rant and back to JALT.

Another book that Perceptia Press introduced us to (which they don't actually publish themselves) is "Common English Errors" for Japanese learners. We talked to the author, David, and his idea was for students to buy the book as a reference, then all teachers could refer students to it when they met a specific problem in their writing or speaking - this way the teacher wouldn't have to explain the same thing a million times, the student would be empowered to do their own "research" (at least, to find the entry in the book by themselves) and would also be able to read a Japanese explanation. The book includes practice, workbook-type, exercises at the back which really helps it stand out from a basic grammar reference. It would be great for developing learner autonomy, but I think teachers at Meisei aren't really organised enough as a group to carry out the process properly. Ah well.

I also had a quick talk with Compass Publishing Japan about books for my students who have to do the TOEIC test. They recommended "Very Easy TOEIC" so I ordered a sample. At about 2300 yen for the book and CDs, it could be a good required text for our second year students.

Design Festa next weekend!

2008-11-02T02:20:00.000-08:00

I finally found the Design Festa gallery and cafe in Harajuku last week and got to check out a couple of exhibitions. I wish I had found it two years ago when I first read about it on the net - but one mustn't live with too many regrets, so I'll just focus on how cool it is that I finally worked out where it is.

There were flyers for the upcoming Design Festa event at Odaiba and I WANNA GO!

Apparently, there will be over 2600 booths - quite an unbelievable number (very Tokyo), so I have a feeling I will be passing quite a few very quickly.

Blo-Co-Mo 2 Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!

2008-11-02T01:46:00.000-07:00

Today, since I am rather tired and we are ordering in pizza for dinner, I don't have anything major to cook - so, I am now cooking the pumpkin seeds left over from yesterday's muffins!

How eco is that?

Here is the recipe.

And, just to get my Blo-Re-Mo word-count up, I will add a bit of info about Jack o'Lanterns - which I never knew about before:

Why Carve Pumpkins?

The story of the Jack o'Lantern comes from Irish folklore. Jack was a crafty farmer who tricked the Devil into climbing a tall tree. When the Devil reached the highest branch, Jack carved a large cross in the trunk, making it impossible for the Devil to climb down. In exchange for help getting out of the tree, the Devil promised never to tempt Jack with evil again. When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven for his sins and turned away from Hell because of his trickery. Condemned to wander the Earth without rest, Jack carved out one of his turnips, took an ember from the devil, and used it for a lantern to light his way. He became known as "Jack of the Lantern."

Okay, enough education.

Now, the seeds are finished and this is what they look like.

I now realise I have only ever had store-bought, shelled pumpkin seeds - I don't really know how to eat them in this state!

I thought I should just shell them, so I tried one, and I must say, it is a lot of effort for quite a small amount of seed. I looked it up online to see what I should be doing and apparently you can eat them shelled or un-shelled.

I tried them with the shell on, and they are kind of tough, but still pretty good. Probably seeds with thinner shells would be better.

Halloween Party

2008-11-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

SS, Rai (3 years old) and I had a great time at a very eclectic Halloween Party last night. It was on the other side of Tokyo, so took a good hour and a half to get there, but was worth it.

We got there at about 7pm and were introduced to the hosts. They live in a nice, two-bedroom apartment which they rent for just over 140,000 yen per month (I can be so specific because I specifically asked - yes, the obsession with money continues! I mainly wanted to know, because where we live, the rent is paid for by my university, so I have little idea of how much apartments cost - now I know a little more).

The guy is Canadian and is a stay-at-home-dad. The woman is Japanese and worked at Lehrman's - recently she was forced to change jobs. They had a lovely 4 year old daughter who played beautifully with Rai.

As usual when you arrive at someone's apartment (or is it just me?), I took a look around at the bookshelves and general decor. On the bookshelf, I was interested to see the Holy Bible (good to note so that I avoid saying anything stupidly offensive), Japanese learning books, two full sets of Multiple Streams of Internet Income books (or cassette books?), a six-set of pornographic DVDs, quite a few Japanese porn magazines (these could have been fairly normal magazines - it seems that a lot of Japanese magazines aimed at men have overly "ripe" ladies on the front cover - quite distracting when shopping in convenience stores) and books of spirituality and tarot.

It was difficult to come to any firm conclusions after that eclectic mix, except that these people were majorly flaky. However, by the end of the evening (after having had my tarot read; no it did not turn into a swinging sex party, fortunately) I worked out they were pretty normal, down-to-earth people and we had a great time. Left at about 9:30pm and were home around 11:15pm.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins

2008-10-31T22:51:00.001-07:00

SS and I are going to a potluck party tonight, and in honour of the occasion, I have just made these pumpkin chocolate cookie muffins (I don't have baking paper or a proper baking sheet), from a recipe from La Fuji Mama's lovely blog.

They worked out okay, although I didn't have cinnamon, which would have made them a lot better. Hmmm...the problem of not enjoying my own cooking continues, but this month I am (almost) committing myself to cooking something (from scratch) every day in order to raise my confidence. It can be part of the whole NaNoWriMo / Blo-Re-Mo challenge - a kind of Blo-Co-Mo. We'll see how long this lasts!!

Some photos (I also have to learn how to take good photos - ahh - so much to do!!).

I used cheap 'n' nasty Meiji chocolate (but it was "bitter" so not to fat tasting) because I couldn't find any chocolate chips at our local store.

I cooked up the pumpkin while I prepared the rest of the ingredients.

You can see the ugly patchwork I made.

The second batch - I put chocolate chips on the top of each one.

* My last batch I made as cookies and they tasted MUCH BETTER than the muffins (of which I made about 30!) - ah well!!

Television - the drug of a nation

2008-10-31T20:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't enjoyed TV much recently - I am sick of seeing semi-crap movies on Sky and Japanese TV is okay for about 20 minutes but not much more. I think I find most TV boring (even at home in NZ) unless I have something to do at the same time, e.g. mark students' work or sew or something.

So, when I asked my sister, Martha (sometimes known as Wanda) what she watches and how, she gave me three great programmes to try and suggested I download them or watch them on YouTube.

I always follow my sister's excellent advice and it just so happened that the day I decided to start watching Project Runway, season 5, I also bought a very cheesy patchwork kit (Halloween theme) to help while away the hours. 48 hours later and I had watched all 14 episodes and completed sewing that would normally take a few weeks.

My eyes were sore and my fingers much more nimble...and I felt truly satisfied, both entertainment and craft-wise.

Ghibli Museum

2008-10-31T20:45:00.001-07:00

I have wanted to go to Ghibli Museum since my friend Susan told me about it last year. It is a museum run by Studio Ghibli, which has produced Hayao Miyazaki's masterpieces, including "Tonari no Totoro", "Howl's Moving Castle", "Sen to Chihiro no monogatarai", "Mononokehime" and more recently "Ponyo".

To be honest, I have only seen "Tonari no Totoro" but I really enjoyed it and will eventually see the others I am sure.

The museum is located in Mitaka on the Chuo line. Tickets can be bought at Lawson stores and apparently sell out very fast. We hope to buy some today, but might not be able get ones for this week (my ideal plan). We may even have to wait until January. We'll see.

Welcome to Blo-Re-Mo

2008-10-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well, it is 3:30am in the morning and I am officially starting NaNoWriMo! NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, where you challenge yourself to write a (shortish) novel of 50, 000 words over the space of 30 days. This year, I am going to cheat a little.

I also cheated last year. My friend Kelly, a cool chick from the U.S. who is an amazing singer at karaoke (and introduced me to lots of angry girl rock) and beautiful and talented in many ways (the art of conversation, art, using American English), invited me to join and I jumped on the bandwagon without much thought. Another friend, Susan, a cool chick from New Zealand who is an amazing, hilarious conversationalist and gets on with EVERYONE, also joined and November 1st we all set off on our novels. Kelly wrote a fantasy-thriller set in Tokyo and Susan chose to write about a person who traveled through time and ended up in a different country each time jump. They followed the NaNoWriMo rules to the tee and ended up with fully fictional, complete novels by the end. My concept was a little different. I decided to do a sliding doors type expose on my own life. I would look at every memory / event I ever experienced and see how it could have been different. Yes, you're right, that doesn't sound like a plot, it sounds like going through therapy - and basically that is what I did. I ended up with 50,000 words of the most honest drivel I could possibly come up with and have not been able to look at since I finished it on November 30, 2007 and submitted it to the NaNoWriMo to achieve my false "winning status" as a novel writer.

This year, I thought, would be different. I even came up with some plot ideas that on the surface did not look like they could possibly be related to "brainwork, cerebration, cogitation, contemplation, deliberation, excogitation, meditation, rumination, speculation" of oneself (thanks, www.thesaurus.com - you will be duly linked to this blog in appreciation).

The sum of my plot ideas:

1. Someone finds out (not sure how - possibly told by a fortune teller) when they are going to die - how does this affect their life and actions and dealings with other people?

2. (Somehow manage to work in the latest obsession with craft that seems to be sweeping the world - this idea came to me at 3am in the morning, so not the best)

3. Friends go to a fortune teller - one gets told they will die when they are 40, the other when they are 90

4. Could be people on the JET programme in Japan...they go to a Japanese "uranai" (fortune teller)...

5. Write the novel via a series of blogs....

6. Each blog has a different theme on something I am interested in....

7. Make sure I write 50,000 words on my various blogs to combine, and submit to NaNoWriMo, thus achieving false novel status for the second time via an obviously self-absorbed route.

VOILA! Here I am.

I have decided to re-name the month to either "Revelation Month" or "Reflection Month", either of which can be reduced to "Re-Mo" (I like it because it has "emo" in it - a popular buzz-word of recent years relating to...heck...I thought it related to being overly emotional, but all I can find is this info on Wikipedia:

Emo (pronounced /ˈiːmoʊ/) is a genre of music that originated from hardcore punk ^[1] and later adopted pop-punk influences when it became mainstream in the US.

It has since come to describe several variations of music with common roots and associated fashion and stereotypes.

In the mid-1980s, the term emo described a subgenre of hardcore punk which stemmed from the Washington, D.C. music scene. In later years, the term emocore, short for "emotional hardcore", was also used to describe the emotional performances of bands in the Washington, D.C. scene and some of the offshoot regional scenes such as Rites of Spring, Embrace, One Last Wish, Beefeater, Gray Matter, Fire Party, and later, Moss Icon

In the mid-1990s, the term emo began to refer to the indie scene that followed the influences of Fugazi, which itself was an offshoot of the first wave of emo. Bands including Sunny Day Real Estate and Texas Is the Reason had a more indie rock style of emo, more melodic and less chaotic. The so-called "indie emo" scene survived until the late 1990s, when many of the bands either disbanded or shifted to mainstream styles. As the remaining indie emo bands entered the mainstream, newer bands began to emulate the mainstream style.

Today popular bands like Fall Out Boy^[2], My Chemical Romance^[3], Panic at the Disco^[4], and Paramore^[5] are described as emo despite playing a differing style of music from the previous emo bands.

(Me again): So, I guess I got it wrong and...NO WAIT! Google might be better than Wikipedia in this case and I found this video from searching for "what is emo"..which describes it thus: "Emo is short for emotive or emotional and describes an emerging social trend".

So, ANYWAY (and yes, I did cheat at NaNoWriMo last year by copying and pasting liberally from: Wikipedia, my own emails, my journal, just to get the word count up each day).

The reason I am a bit obsessed about the reflectiveness of my "novel" (aka a series of blogs about whatever I am interested in that hopefully have some kind of "self-improvement" flavour to them) is that in the NaNoWriMo bible "No plot? No problem!" written by its founder Chris Baty, it specifically says that this is NOT AN OPPORTUNITY for self-reflection or self-improvement. Fair enough too, because who wants to read about that?

Ah ha, but I am not writing my "blog novel" for anyone else but me : )

Possible Blog topics:

1. Using a blog
2. Teaching
3. Re-discovering cooking
4. Crafts
5. Blogs I like

To make it all sound a bit fancier, I will add Blog to Re-Mo...thus becoming "Blo-Re-Mo"...and here ends the first chapter at just over 1000 words.