i heart kyoto

I'm Home

2008-09-27T01:01:00.005+09:00

It has been a month since I moved back to LA and surprisingly it has been quite a busy month at that....

1. Ran a half-marathon- the Disneyland Half Marathon.
Fun, exhausting, rewarding all in a span of about 2 1/2 hours. Also, NEVER underestimate the crazy which goes hand-in-hand with the mention of "Disney" (i.e. Just to cite a few...I ran besides a couple dressed as Aladdin and Princess Jasmine and a Japanese man dress in Minnie Mouse drag. Really folks?? Come on. Why?)

2. I bought a car, a BEAUTIFUL car.
That's right I got myself a nice, new set of wheels. A silver 2008 Acura TSX. (R.I.P. "Berry" my purple Volvo station wagon)

3. I got a new job.
Starting Monday, September 29 I will be working in the offices of the Cancer Center of Irvine.

4. Our dog got SKUNKED.
Poor, little Bradshaw got skunked. BAD.

5. Visited the set of Boston Legal.
Helped out my Mom on the set in the wardrobe department and had a conversation with Tara Summers(a.k.a Katie Lloyd on the show) in Japanese. Apparently, her half sister is Japanese so she has taken it upon herself to study the language via audio tapes on her drive to and from work. In addition, I got to watch the ever so funny William Shatner and James Spader run through a scene for an upcoming episode. Also, if you have not watched the HILARITY which is Boston Legal, please do so!

Aside from those few events, I have been enjoying catching up with all my Wonderfuls from Southern California. However, I am sorely missing the AMAZING who reside in a small country known as Japan...

A New Addition to the Family...

2008-08-05T08:05:00.004+09:00

I just got the news that my cousin Holly and husband Taylor had their beautiful baby boy!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS HOLLY and TAYLOR!

And introducing our newest member of the family...

Hendrix Craig Shigeyuki Parkin
(wow! what a name!)

Born August 2 at 7:00am
6 lbs. 13 oz. and 20 inches long

Grrrrr....

2008-08-05T00:34:00.002+09:00

I just needed to vent...

I HATE PACKING.

(ACTUAL posts are coming. Just been a little busy with packing and good-byes...both are definitely not fun.)

Where oh where is Berry?

2008-07-16T14:43:00.004+09:00

Happy Wednesday everyone. Today I will be reminiscing about Berry. Berry and I had a very good relationship for 6 long years. What can I say, Berry was reliable, adaptable, efficient (most of the time), strong, and safe. Here is the best shot I have with Berry.

Yes, that's right Berry was my '97 Volvo station wagon (The color is called, "Blackberry". Hence, the name "Berry". Wow I am so clever!!!!). And only recently have I pangs of regret that Berry is no longer with me. This is mainly due the horrible, tedious task I am having to undertake...moving.

It's amazing how much junk I have collected after a mere 2 years here. What's more is the process it takes to get rid of things here! For starters I have to arrange to get "daigomi" (big garbage) taken away because you cannot simply set it out with your normal garbage. Second packing up and sending all my shoes, clothes, and books back to California is getting to be a real expensive venture.

I realize that my impatience tends to make things more difficult on myself than they really need to be but let me say that good ole Berry would have come in real handy Monday when I was taking boxes over to the post office. 4 boxes, doesn't sound too bad right? WRONG! Again, I will say I made this much harder than it needed to be. However, taking 4 boxes on my little red bike to the post office was a PROCESS and a half!

First I had to bungee cord them all down so I could walk my bike the short 10 minute walk it normally takes to get there. As I was shipping books and clothes the boxes were a bit more heavy than expected, so trying to get up a slight incline on the sidewalk was almost the end of me until a good Samaritan helped me steady my bike before it went rolling backwards into the street. By the time I got there, thanks to the 90 degree heat and 70% humidity I was looking mighty sexy.
One happy camper folks!

Ok, anyways, I get the boxes shipped off and also purchase a few more big boxes to take back home. Well, as I do not have my trusty volvo sidekick to throw my boxes in, I had to figure out a way to walk my bike (I was not about to try and ride one handed while carrying 4 flat boxes with me) and carry the boxes home. As luck would have it, BOOM, flash thunderstorm. Yes, yes, yes. It was lovely. Almost as lovely as coming home to find my big stand up mirror shattered on the floor. (I think my apartment knows that I am moving away soon and is throwing a tantrum in response.)

Despite the horrible afternoon I had, all was made right in th evening when I, along with my 2 friends, elementary school principal, and teacher, attended the Gion Matsuri (1 of the 3 largest and most famous Kyoto festivals).

My principal and teacher.

Ruth, Claire, and I.

I am really proud of my obi that I tied all by myself!

Us gals got all dolled up in our yukatas and enjoyed viewing the various floats that will be displayed during the parade tomorrow morning (7/17). I also ran into a couple of my elementary schools students and I was put into "Awwww, they are so cute" mode when I heard them say, "Ah! Toreshii sensei!!!!!! I'm fine thank you and you? It's hot!"

Isn't my student a doll?

And with that all being said, I am going to go have a nap now.

SYTYCD

2008-07-16T00:19:00.002+09:00

What is "SYTYCD"? Well for those who are not familiar with the best dance show on American TV allow me to now inform you about the show, "So You Think You Can Dance". It is a weekly dance reality TV show and competition, but NOTHING like "Dancing With the Stars" or "American Idol", though it does have a similar premise to "American Idol" in which the audience votes for the dancers they would like to proceed into the finals. This show is complied of the 20 best dancers ranging from unknown street dancers to national dance champions (and this year the talent is FIERCE!!!), 10 girls and 10 guys. They are then put into pairs and are asked to randomly pick a dance genre (ballroom, hip hop, jazz, contemporary, broadway, etc.) which, as a couple, they must perform. I am addicted and always left amazed at what these dancers can do. They get to work talented choreographers such as Mia Michaels(contemporary) and Tyce Diorio (broadway) and perform with such passion that it is very hard for me not to watch certain pieces over and over again. In fact, some performances are so moving that, actually this is embarrassing to admit, but, sometimes I am left in tears because I am so touched by the piece. I know, I know, I am quite lame. But, dance is such a beautiful art form and expression of life so I just thought I would share with you some of my favorite pieces from the show so far.

1. Bleeding Love, performed by Mark & Chelsie (MY FAVORITE COUPLE!)
choreographed by Napoleon & Tabitha

2. Beautiful, performed by Mark & Chelsie
choreographed by Mia Michaels

3. Hometown Glory, performed by Katee & Joshua
choreographed by Mia Michaels

4.Dreaming With A Broken Heart, performed by Twitch & Kherington
choreographed by Mia Michaels

5. No Air, performed by Katee & Joshua
choreographed by Napoleon & Tabitha

The Dance, performed by the Top 16 Group,
choreographed by the amazing Mia Michaels

Money, performed by the Top 14 Group,
choreographed by Tyce Diorio

A month and a half of good excuses!!!!

2008-07-14T01:31:00.009+09:00

So, I guess it's been a while since I have posted anything...GOMEN! It has been quite busy over here in the far East the past month and a half. Let me give you a few excuses regarding my posting absence...

1. Family came to Japan!
It was so great to have EVERYONE here, it was almost like being home back in Cali (which by the way I will be on AUGUST 17th!!! For GOOD.) We did a lot of sightseeing (I think Dad got a little overwhelmed with the shrines, castles, and shopping) and in true Oshiro style...EATING!

I don't know why but the song, "I Think I'm Turning Japanese" by The Vapors keeps running through my head.

Now here is a new look for Uncle David! Rock it out!!!

We also got to meet up with Tomi and Sachi (Kelly's great aunts) on our last stop in Tokyo.

After almost a year of planning out this family reunion in the motherland it just came and went in a blink of an eye! But in that blink we all took a bunch of pictures, unfortunately, I was not one of the "we" so I am really looking forward to seeing all the great shots my family took of amazing, beautiful Japan when I finally get home.

2. I broke out in horrible stress hives.
I was a hot mess. And hot only because its nasty summer weather in Kyoto. It was not pretty and so I will go not go forth into explaining the depths of my ugly.

3. I am trying to get things packed up and ready to move back to Cali.
It's not so easy packing things on the back of your bike and getting over to the post office without boxes falling off. These are the times when I actually miss having a car.

4. Figuring out the right words to say on my last days at my schools it a bit more time consuming than I expected.
Well I guess that should have been an obvious DUH for me considering all I can really express is, "I had so much fun!" "I will miss you." "Thank you so much." "I love [insert school name]." But thanks to my friend Ted I have a few new phrases to throw into the mix. I give my final speech to my junior high school on Friday during my "Good-Bye" ceremony in the gym. And I am so ready to stutter in Japanese in front of everyone...YES!

I have already had my last days at my 3 elementary schools, and it was a lot harder to leave my little ones than I expected. And now I am going to overload you with pictures of them (so for those of you who can't stand looking at my cute, cute kids (and if that is you then you have no soul) feel free to scroll on down)

My happy 6th graders Michitaka and Sei-chan.

Yoshiki, my tough (so he thinks) 5th grader.

My little ray of sunshine Hiroshi.

My 3rd grade "Japanese teacher". She came in whenever I was there and taught me "new" vocabulary words. And, we drew pictures together...it was a good time in the staff room.

One of my 5th grade classes at Itahahashi Elementary School.
My beautiful bouquet of flowers from my elementary school. *sniff sniff*

5. I have been really busy on the weekends with dance classes, meeting up with friends, going away to the beach, Sayonara parties...
yea, I have a REAL hard life. I KNOW. (It's going to be kiiiinda hard leaving all this WONDERFUL behind.) Needless to say, it has been a great past few weeks and time is really just flying by. As this is my last week of work I am really looking forward to having time to just enjoy all my beautiful friends that I have made here while taking in as much of Kyoto as I can. I am so grateful to have gotten this opportunity because these past 2 years have really just made life....perfect.

Tottori

Getting ready to spend the day floating in the calm ocean waters. It was such a great way to spend a weekend!

Tedders and me posing before we head out to the "classy" JET Sayonara party for Kyoto City.
A sea of salary men...I think there was a total of 5 girls in the room. Yea...kinda awkward not gonna lie. So this is how Japanese salary men "live it up" on Friday evenings, nice.
Mr. Takemoto, the ALT supervisor. This s the man that takes care of us whenever we have any sort of problem. I don't know what we would do without him!
The real men of Kyoto City.
My beautiful home of 2 years.

Double Fly Dance Happyokai

2008-05-26T14:13:00.001+09:00

Watch and Enjoy...

The Joys of ENGRISH

2008-05-24T07:29:00.004+09:00

Engrish, not English, eng"r"ish is just a little something that you become accustomed to after living in Japan for a while. Engrish refers to the grammatically incorrect variations of the English language. To see this is effect, get a Japanese person to tell you the difference between "lice" and "rice"! Those tricky "l" and "r" sounds get them every time. I hardly take notice of it anymore, which worries me slightly as I will be returning back to California in August and the phrase, "I love dog" doesn't phase me at all.

(some very important moss)

With that being said, there are some outrageous phrases written on t-shirts that you cannot help but take notice of! And the most surprising thing is these "special" shirts is that it is not adults that are wearing them, but the elementary school kids that we teach (please see photo below).

(Photo taken by my friend Nina at one of her elementary schools.)

Now, what is a cute, little 3rd grader doing wearing a shirt like this?! hahahaha. I think what makes shirts like this even more funny is the kids that wear them. It tends to be the kids you would least expect. Case in point, yesterday, in my 6th grade class I had this sweet, soft spoken girl wearing a shirt with big, bold print saying, "Don't Fuck With Me! Get Out!" I actually had to stop teaching to fully read her shirt. And of course this girl pairs this shirt with, a little frilly skirt and a bow on top of her head. Oh Japan.

Happy Basudei KURTIS!

2008-05-22T20:29:00.003+09:00

Just wanted to wish the little brother happy 22nd!!! Hope you had a good day and I will make missing 2 of your birthdays when you come visit in 10 days!!!!!

Go Girl, Go Girl

2008-05-14T06:28:00.002+09:00

I was browsing through MSNBC and came across this article about lowering your chances of breast cancer later on in your adulthood.

Exercising as a teen may stave off breast cancer.

(Guess I can thank my high school basketball coaches for all those hours of practice and long distance runs now...right girls?)

Basically, keep your bodies in check ladies because the amount of exercise and your body weight you CAN control. And, in addition to lowering your chance of breast cancer, why wouldn't you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle? “Women who engage in physical activity not only during adolescence but during adulthood lower their risk.” Kudos to my Mama for always busting out those yoga , tae bo, and pilates dvds! (But seriously Mom, a day off from yoga, especially right after your surgery, wouldn't have been such a bad idea either. *wink*)

Alright, so, ladies get on that exercise and stay healthy! As the rapper Pitbull would say, "Go Girl, Go Girl..."

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-12T06:50:00.003+09:00

To my Mama and all the other fabulous ladies in my life,

Happy Mothers Day!!!

mama's boy

音楽 (ongaku)

2008-05-10T10:38:00.002+09:00

Just a couple songs I am feeling at the moment...

George Nozuka, "Talk to Me"

George Nozuka, "Last Time"

The Dream ft. Rihanna, "Livin' a Lie"

MAMA O update

2008-05-08T22:58:00.004+09:00

At times I forget I am time zones and 5,282 miles away from my California home. What with email, skype, and blogs I feel almost completely up to date with all the ongoings state side. Yet the past couple months have brought nothing but consistent reminders that even with all the technological conveniences some things are just easier to deal with in person.

Recently my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Actually, it was only I that found out semi-recently due to computer problems inhibiting skype from working properly, therefore my only means of communication with my mother was through email. Well, being the strong lady she is, she withheld her diagnosis from me because she didn't want to scare me with a long, drawn out email. So I was about a good month and couple weeks behind everyone else. Turns out, it didn't really matter if she told me through email or on the phone because I still freaked out!

Anyways, during the past month she has been undergoing various consultations, doctor visits, a lumpectomy, and only just last week she underwent a mastectomy. Through it all she has been her amazing self. Actually, go figure, she was more concerned with not being able to make it out to Japan next month for a family visit (Oh Mom.). As calm and cool as she was when she would update me, waiting for the various "after surgery/consultation" emails or phone calls was horrible. This is where I must say how lucky we are to have such great family and friends because they were by her side (and sending me news and comforting words) every step of the way!

That being said, I am happy, actually, wait, change that, ECSTATIC to report that her mastectomy went well and yesterday her final tests on her lymph nodes indicated that she is now completely cancer free!!!

On behalf of Mama O and the us other 3 Oshiros we just wanted to thank everyone for all their beautiful flowers, cards, emails, and words of support and solace. (I especially wanted to thank you, Auntie Becky, Anty Pam, Auntie Gail, Uncle David, and Uncle Gary from the bottom of my heart.)

And with this happy news I thought I would close this post off with my Mom's favorite song (seriously she LOVES this...),

Yo, you all back in CA...

2008-05-07T23:37:00.009+09:00

I was just browsing through my old photos and thought that TONIGHT would be the perfect time to send out all my love to those who I have greatly missed. I was laughing (crying laughing, ok, so that may not be too out of the ordinary for me, point was I was laughing all by MYSELF) so much that I just had to remind you all how special you are!

FYI: See you in August!

Oh the roomies.
Jennie Tran, Thao Thao I miss you.
Mama and Stitch
Another day...

Yelena and Aleta in their PRIME!

Whose great idea was this?

Gabi=sexy
Helena= special
Mikey Kino, nuff said
What you want Komaki?
Miss Katy Kelly! I wish I could make it back for your wedding to Big Mark (*sniffle*sniffle*) CONGRATS!!!

Gabi and Natalie continuing in their quest for the perfect dance.

how about a fast(kinda) recap???

2008-05-01T17:40:00.010+09:00

(Taipei 101, was the tallest building in the world, until the Burj Dubai opened this past April)

Wow, I apologize to those of you who actually take time to look at my blog because it has been quite a while! I do have some good reasons, well ok, just lame excuses (but I do have them!), for why I have been so lackadaisical.

First, since my last blog (oh a good month and 13 days ago) I went to Taiwan with Ted. Yes, my friends Taiwan. Taipei, to be exact.

(Like always, people thought we were a couple..if the only knew hahaha)

We went during the time off we had before the new school term began in April (Yes, this would also be known as SPRING BREAK! WAHOO!). It was a great 5 days in Taipei where
we met some of Ted's family,

(His Uncle and great Aunt picked us up from the airport with huge smiles and hugs waiting. They were so cute. I liked it better because they thought I was Ted's girlfriend. Seriously, I ruin this kid's street cred all the time! hahaha)
did some sight seeing,

(Longshan Temple, demonstrates the Southern Chinese architectural influence that many buildings in Taiwan have)

(The National Peace Museum)(In the gardens of the National Peace Museum. Ted fits right in!)(The Chang Kai Shek Memorial Hall)(At the Taipei Zoo.)

and well, our favorite activity, EAT.

(One of the many night markets in Taipei. The food was dellllllicious!)

(The theme of the restaurant...toilets. Your food is serves in one and you sit on one while you eat. I just couldn't make myself do it, I was grossed out. IT'S A TOILET!!!!! Sorry Ted.)(mmmmm Boba Ted, also known as zhēnzhū nǎichá ! It took me soooooo long to get the name right, and I still probably say it wrong. Clearly I am never meant to speak any other language but English...sigh.)(Stinky tofu- fermented tofu. Just like the name indicates, it stinks. The first initial taste of it wasn't so bad for me but then the aftertaste turned into a taste of something nasty. I would compare it to if you had to eat dirty socks. Some like it, and I do not want to put anyone off from trying it. Quite the contrary I think one should try it if you venture to Taiwan for the sake of being adventurous and trying the many tastes the country has to offer. But I just had to give you my take on it...yuck!)(Ted enjoyed it and his mother swears by it! Don't be afraid to try it!)

I was very impressed with the layout and people in the city of Taipei. We never really encountered a problem with communication because

A) Ted speaks a little Taiwanese (It was his first language, so he has the most important words down, "No." "I want this." "Yes." and "Thank you.")

B) The English ability there is amazing! hmmm...Japan really needs to pick up the slack. This is of course not due to the lack of our hard work here as language teachers! hah!

C) The train system in the city was so easy and efficient that for the most part, we hardly ever found ourselves lost or in need of directions. We are THAT good, actually it was due to the fact there were signs all over the place written in English.

(Obviously, I enjoyed my trip to Taiwan!)

Second, my computer broke. Yes, yes the life of my trusty (or actually not so trusty) DELL laptop came to an end. It was very frustrating at the end because it would freeze, delay when I was typing emails or using my Skype to communicate with my family...blah, blah, blah. (This was why was so M.I.A. for a while with emails and calling to those of you who complained, not to mention any names but, KURTIS.) So I decided that it was time to make the BIG switch over to MAC. (I think I just heard all the PC advocates let out a huge sigh!) Let me say that it was a good switch. I love my new 17" MacBook Pro. I had no problem adjusting to the slight differences in the keyboard or layout. The only thing my new computer lacks at the moment is, um, wait, NOTHING!

Third, winter finally ended in Japan and with the nice, slightly warmer weather came the Sakura (cherry blossoms)! Spring here lasts, oh a good month before the weather starts to get really warm and humid so I was out trying to take advantage of the "you still need a light jacket" weather (my favorite kind) and the beautiful cherry blossoms before it disappears. Here are some pictures to show you why the Japanese people love having "Hanami" (flower viewing events, most common is picnics under the trees), and one of the many reasons why I have come to love this country as much as I do.

(My dear friend, Urano Sensei and her niece Mitsuki)
(My favorite spot in Kyoto, the Philosophers Walk)

Well, that just about sums up what I have been up to in the past month and 13 days. I have a few more things to write about but I have to take a step away from my computer for a little bit to get some fresh air before I do...I love my SMALL apartment but gets a little tight in here sometimes. Till next time folks...

I ♥ Fushimi

2008-03-18T19:59:00.007+09:00

One of the many ways Japanese schools differ from American ones is the term dates. In Japan the school year runs from April-March. With that being said, can you guess what major school milestone is "commencing" at this time???? If you guess GRADUATION you are correct!

Last year I unfortunately had to teach at one of my elementary schools and subsequently had to miss out on my junior high's graduation...but not this year (my principal and students got upset with my supervisor last year because he had scheduled me to work instead of attend the ceremony...I feel so loved). From what I remember about my junior high graduation there were speeches made by the principal, vice-principal, various student performances (some not so good, but what are ya gonna do?), and awards. So, I was a little surprised to see how boring and formal my junior high school's ceremony was! The principal, vice-principal, and student body president made speeches of course but, instead let's talk about how all these men starting off the water works!!! I felt like I should have been crying too, but I had nothing in me (I'm so cold I know...). It was sad to see my tough, macho rugby boys crying and the girls hyperventilating but...

Aaaanyways, aside from the crying there were a couple other speeches made by the 2nd year (8th grade) representative and PTA chairman and then the diplomas were handed out. As each student went up one by one I was observing their hair and uniform (yup, they all still had to wear their uniforms that they have worn EVERYDAY for the past THREE years to graduation), as there was nothing else subject to judgment, and you would think that some of the kids would do their hair and wash their uniforms for their last day at school, but alas...hahaha.

After each student had their diploma and the ceremony was all said and done the teachers then applied their power over the 2nd years to clean up the gym. I must say, the gym was clean in no time, it must have been some kind of record for sure!
It was sad to watch this particular 3rd year class graduate because I really enjoyed most of the kids. I don't what it was about this class, but they always were very friendly and wanted to talked(in the wonderful language of broken English/Japanese) which always made the day entertaining. Hopefully I will get the chance to see some of them again before I leave Japan because they were simply great kids.
My favorite 3rd year boys!
The boy on the right, Nishida kun, is going all the way to Hokkaido for high school for baseball!

Ren, on the far left next to one of my English teachers, Hirai Sensei, was my music buddy. He always won the music games in class! And next year he is off to a private art school!

**Below are just some pictures of the notes/presents my elementary schools made for me and presented me on my last day of teaching their classes for this year.
The 3rd grade girls, found out when my birthday was and since we wouldn't be in school at that time they made me presents and brought them to my last class! And they learned how to write "Happy Birthday" and little messages to put in the cards...how cute is that?!!!

***And today my favorite elementary school called me over to take a group photo with the graduating 6th grade class. These 6th graders are my little angels and by far the BEST out of all my elementary schools...seriously not one brat in this class!!!!

Karen and Mizuki
Cute Reina with amazing English
Ok, where's Waldo???

Dancing at Fly...

2008-03-12T19:45:00.004+09:00

Every Monday I make my way to the jazz hip hop class at Fly Dance Studio. This past Monday in my second class they recorded our dance to Janet's new song, "2nite". I always talk about how much I love this particular dance class and our teacher, so I thought I would show you why...(I'm dancing in the video, but I am not gonna tell you where...)

And this is our teacher, Reiko (who also has a hot haircut that I totally want!), who may be one of the fiercest dancers in Japan...

Legally Blond: The Musical

2008-03-08T21:15:00.004+09:00

You may not be aware, but there is a musical that has been made based on an MGM 2002 comedy film known as...Legally Blond.

I know, I didn't quite believe it myself, nor was I all THAT excited to watch it. However, all my doubts subsided as soon as the opening song began because it is nothing short of hilarious and AMAZING!

Now this song will be stuck in your head for the rest of the week. Normally I would apologize but this is such a fun song! And now we can all sing it together! muahahahahaha

Cute right?!

She is actually Japanese...

2008-03-08T20:37:00.003+09:00

So, last weekend my friend Maya (we met in Tokyo for the JET orientation and also went to Bali together with Lisa and Jun) came for a quick visit, I am so glad her work sent her down to Kyoto for a conference. I must preface this post with a simple fact, Maya is actually Japanese. That's right folks. She is not the blond hair, blue eyed girl from Minnesota, no no. She is the completely fluent, born in Hokkaido, Japan, more Japanese than Traci will ever be, awesome Maya. Yes, that's right. And now I will tell you about our Kyoto reunion!

Well, her timing was perfect for yet another DRAG NIGHT! Apparently we like to take our out of town guests to this...(uh hem, Lisa Molly Mallin). The them was 50's pin up girl and we tried our best to dress within the theme.

(group shot!)

Of course, a drag night would not be complete without meeting "Naoki Campbell"!

After our drag night extravaganza Maya and I took a stroll through the beautiful Kyoto. We were lucky that it was actually nice weather...finally! As we were a bit tired we took it a bit easy on Saturday and just had a nice evening with our fabulous boys.

The bar tender at the "Mushroom Bar". I am not kidding, he actually looks like this!!!

Lovely Maya and cute, cute Chris.

"Oh my God, Oh my God you guuuuuuys!!"

On Maya's last day we decided to go visit Fushimi Inari and get our exercise for the weekend by climbing ALL the stairs of the beautiful shrine. I love when I go out with Maya because EVERYONE starts talking to me immediately but then all of the sudden just as I am getting my "I really have no idea what you are saying to me." face on Maya jumps in with her perfect Japanese and freaks them out! hahaha. What can I say, it's the little things in life. To sum things up, it was so wonderful to see Maya and we had a BOMB (wink, wink) weekend.

Thanks Mom!

2008-02-26T21:46:00.004+09:00

Today my wonderful Mom sent me an early (actually very early, a month early!) birthday present! And inside was this awesome card that I had to take a video of so that you all could appreciate it as well. It made me laugh so hard, I simply couldn't resist making a short video about it. Thanks Mom! As ever you are on the ball and have great taste!

(God, I know I am Asian and all but why are my eyes so squinty in this video!!! Guess I am THAT happy??!!)

**I hope that more of you are familiar with the 80's classic "Flashdance"(which is where the song from the card, "What a Feeling" by Irene Cara, is taken) unlike the video taker, I don't want to mention names but, um, TED. If you have no idea of what I am talking about I suggest you check out this clip.

Its a long clip, but it includes two very fun dance scenes which just scream 80's!!

Dance

2008-02-23T11:28:00.003+09:00

I love dancing, as some of you may know. Especially hip hop dancing such as this....

(This was one of my FAVORITE pieces from the show, "So You Think You Can Dance". The dancers, Sabra and Dominic, are amazing!)

Apparently there is a new dance movie called, "Step Up 2". Now I DID see the first one...don't judge me. The dancing was great but as expected the story lacks. Sounds the same for the 2nd movie but the dancing looks pretty hot to me...

Naked Man Festival

2008-02-21T06:33:00.004+09:00

That's right folks you heard me right. NAKED MAN FESTIVAL. Also known as Hadaka Matsuri! This past weekend I went with my wonderful, fabulous friends Ted (who also competed in the competition!) and Chris (in the videos below he is also referred to as "Shiga" because that is where he works now).

On Saturday we boarded our shinkansen(the bullet train) to Okayama, about a 3 hour ride, and from there I will allow the videos and pictures we took to give you a look at what we did this weekend. (I urge you to watched Ted's video blog because he is quite informative of about the competition that goes down in...THE NAKED MAN FESTIVAL

The runners, pre-nakedness.

Go ahead. You can all judge me but I was FREEZING! I definitely grew up in a different climate.

OTSUKARE! (Good work fellas!)

Beg, Borrow, or Steal

2008-02-18T21:22:00.005+09:00

So apparently a while back some of my guy friends from my old job back at Bacara Resort made a short film! While I was still in Santa Barbara I had the pleasure of helping them out with a previous short (Which ended up being wonderfully hilarious! Props to them!), so I am very excited to see that they have continued on and made more things!

My friend Cathy (who plays...TracY Oshiro, the news reporter, wrong spelling but its the thought that counts!) sent me the link for their trailer. Hope you enjoy!

By the way I would just like to mention that one of the leads in the film was my supervisor at the concierge desk and the other was an ever-so-charming bell man.

Phoenix Wright Attorney At Law

2008-02-16T10:31:00.002+09:00

OK, I have become addicted to this game! This is actually a series made for the Nintendo DS Lite (Yes, I own a DS and its a wonderful piece of software!) and its quite fun to play so I hope you enjoy playing it too! This is just a demo for the newest game that will be released, just to give you a little taste of all the fun you could be having should you choose to buy it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-15T00:27:00.005+09:00

(Just so you all know, the 'heart' is a special Japanese sweet from the Fukuoka area known as Hiyoko. It is filled with a sweet bean paste and is scrumptious!)

Happy Valentine's Day! For those unaware in Japan it is commonplace for the women to give men presents on this day (it is usually in the form of chocolate or 'choko' or 'chokoreto'). From what I have read and been told, it was thought that, in general, Japanese women are too shy to truly express their feelings towards their 'special someone' therefore this Western holiday was adopted as an answer to all the shyness problems! WOW! In my opinion it was just smart chocolate companies trying to boost their sales, but whatever.

But, as it is so common for women to give 'choko' out on this day specific names have been created to label the level of expression assigned to each chocolate gift. So all you men don't get too excited because you could just be receving 'giri-choko- or obligation cholocate. muahahahahahaha. This is given to all those boys that the girls pity because they are all alone on this holiday, and they just don't want anyone's feelings to get hurt...JUST KIDDING! Well, actually that may be true for some, but generally 'giri-choko' is reserved for co-workers, bosses, or friends. Similar to what we do, only it goes BOTH ways, you feel me ladies?! (As I am such a great Japanese girl I gave pictures of chocolate to all my friends through my cell phone! How great am I? I made some last year, but I just ran out of time this year. OK, truthfully, I just really didn't care to. There is not space in my kitchen to work my chocolate making magic!)

The special chocolate or 'honmei-choko' is given to their loved ones. I have not personally seen a gift of 'giri-choko' and 'honmei-choko' set next to one another to compare if the 'honmei-choko' is better looking or better tasting but, I am sure with all the time and love that the girls put into each piece of home-made goodness the men can really taste it and appreciate it (PSSH!).

That was just a bit of Japanese Valentine Day info for those of you who were interested. Now, allow me to tell you about MY day! YEA!

Well, first I received a wonderful surprise in the mail from my Anty Pam and Uncle David! Thank you so much! It truly made my day! You guys are so thoughtful!
(LOVE YOU!)

After work I went over to my friend, Nina's place in Kameoka (a town just right outside Kyoto City) for a delicious home-made pasta dinner! She also made us dark chocolate covered strawberries and home-made chocolate treats! It was a great dinner and we had so much fun just catching up with one another. Thanks for a great meal Nina Bina!

(My sweet Valentine's basket with chocolates made by Nina.)

( I swear this little Indian girl is more Japanese than me!)

And lastly, to all my American loves, I hope you have a great day! Here is some chocolate I would like you all to imagine I made by hand! (It's delicious by the way!) Enjoy! hehe Much love!

Baby It's Cold Outside

2008-02-13T21:33:00.004+09:00

Every work day I wake up, make my coffee, fix my bed head hair, pick out my outfit, and then rush out the door. During the winter time, when its painful to have to get up out of your nice, warm bed, I keep my double curtains shut most of the time to prevent any extra heat leaving or any form of cold to enter my small apartment. This being the case, I usually never really know what the weather is truly like until I walk out my door (not a great method, but you know I like to make things difficult for myself), I can't always rely on the weather forecasts because sometimes they LIE! However, this Wednesday morning I decided to open my curtains just to see if it was raining (my weather forecast told me to expect 'precipitation') and to my surprise it was completely white outside!

(Entrance into my building)

It was a good thing I checked prior to my usual dash to the train because in this weather dashing is just not something one should do on an icy road. Even with my careful walking I almost fell about 4 different times! Lucky for my agile, cat-like skills or else that would have been a great start to the day!

Apparently 11cm of snow fell in Kyoto today!

In the area where I work, Fushimi, it tends to be slightly warmer and snow hardly ever really sticks when it falls. Well, to the happiness of my elementary school kids, the snow stuck for a good portion of the day enabling them to partake in snowball fights throughout the day. It was really fun watching such a heavy snowfall, too bad I had to walk 30 minutes in it to get to my school. Nevertheless, as a southern Californian it was still wonderful to have such a snowy day! I am not gonna lie, I was tempted to call into work today just so I could enjoy a snow day. But, as I am such a good, hard working English teacher, I decided not to deprive my students of a day with Toreshi Sensei. Haha! Like they cared, they just wanted to play in the snow! And they wonder why 'L' and 'R' sounds are hard to pronounce.

(Snowball fight right outside the staffroom.)

(The playground of Shimotoba Elementary School)

Fukuoka Ramen Feast

2008-02-12T20:41:00.001+09:00

This past weekend was a 3-day weekend for us "Japanese". And in honor of this occasion Ted and I decided to get out of Kyoto and go visit Fukuoka City, the capital of Fukuoka Prefecture located on the northern side of Kyushu, just across the way from South Korea's Busan. Also, this particular area is also know for...RAMEN. Tonkotsu ramen to be precise.

The ever wonderful Kyoto.

We left Friday evening right after we got out of work and arrived in Hakata Station (main station in Fukuoka) around 10pm. After we checked in our hostel (Khosan International Hostel, nice and clean! Very high rating in my books!) we decided that we had to hit the street in search of this amazing ramen we had heard so much about. Luckily we stumbled upon a ramen shop a few blocks away from our hostel and at 11:30pm we had our first, DELICIOUS, experience of Tonkotsu ramen.

Waiting for our ramen...we are a lil tired at this point. Does it show?!

This is 'tonkotsu ramen'. mmmmmmmm

For our first full day in Fukuoka we headed off to Canal City, a 6 building shopping structure. How strange that I would wind up in a shopping structure?! In all honesty, it wasn't all that impressive aside from the size of the complex. Nothing really worth looking at or buying, which is good news for my bank account!

Ted did find a lovely lady there however. This is a picture of Ted and family. (**This reminds me of Dad's Iniki family picture from back in the day. hahahahaha. )In regards to the shopping we were left wanting. But, when it comes to ramen, nothing beats Ichiran Ramen! When you type in ramen and Fukuoka into your internet search engine I am positive that the name 'Ichiran' will pop up. Out of all the ramen we had this past weekend, Ichiran tops the list. Before you are seated in your own semi-individual counter seat inside the shop, you are required to 'individualize' your ramen order. By this I mean you are asked to indicate how you would like your noodles prepared (soft, medium, hard), the fat content in your broth (none, little, medium, high), egg or no egg, the level of spiciness, and the strength in your green onion flavor (little, medium, strong). I opted for medium, little fat, egg, spicy, and medium green onion tonkotsu ramen, and, can i just say how OISHII (delicious) it was?! Well, I will...It was DELICIOUS!

The mall robot directory service. Just ask where you would like to go! Oh Japan, so many wonderful things.
We ate well, what can I say?

Another highlight of our day, aside from all great eating, was an impromptu hip hop show in the middle of the mall! I actually shouldn't call it impromptu, because that would be so "un-Japan", but it was nothing really official. There were no announcements of who the performers were or what the exact purpose of the show was, other than good dancing.
Please make sure to watch the video I recorded below of my favorite group
(It also helped that the guys in it were pretty cute too!).

B-boys breakin it down.

PLEASE WATCH!

Our second day we got off to a late start, but we made a great discover in the IMS building in Tenjin (the downtown area of the city). Inside this other, um, ahem, shopping structure (Yea, i know I did a lot of really good sight seeing huh?!) we found some good eats and I also foind my future car! The Nissan Fair Lady. Its only a little over $200,000. Fits right into my budget, no problem (I wish!).

It may seem as though we just hung out in malls, but we actually did get to see some of the other finer points of the city. I forgot to mention this earlier but on our first day we saw the Asian Art Museum, which held some interesting pieces. I wish I could have had more explanation on a few of the artists, but I will be fluent in Japanese soon enough and will have no problem reading things (Again, I wish!).

The second day we made our way to the beautiful Ohori park which also lead us to the Fukuoka Art Museum. Unfortunately, we arrived a little late so we barely got to see any of the art work. From what I saw however I would have liked to seen more. I hope that there will be a time when I will be able to go back and visit.

This creeped me out A LOT! I wish this Alfred Hitchcock-esque tree had not been set right in the middle of Ohori Pond because aside from this tree of nasty, scavenger birds
the park was beautiful.

WARNING. Display of ugly, red dresses. Do not look directly at them.

The place we found ugly, red dresses. FYI.

Another bowl of ramen! We found this place in a section of the Canal City Mall called, "Ramen Stadium". I think our ramen count stood at 4 bowls in 3 days. Definitely have had my fill for a while...

No explanation other than, I had to take a photo of this club...

This is our friend Chris. He found a kangaroo suit on sale during the day. This is Chris after a night out dancing (the suit was not worn during actual time in club). Isn't he a cute kangaroo?

These are faces of disappointment in the HORRENDOUS D.J. who took music requests but decided that bad music was more fun to listen to.

Lucky for us, one of our friends, Chris, who works in Shiga also happened to be visiting Fukuoka the same time as us. He and his 3 friends made our trip so much more fun!Oh! Fun side note, I met the Sendai basketball team! It was so odd to see all these tall basketball players inside the club. I mean, with their height, they totally blend in ya know? All in all it was a great 3-day weekend with great food and dancing. So great in fact that our entire trip back to Kyoto was met with zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Golden DRAG Beach Partaaaay

2008-02-12T19:32:00.000+09:00

This post is long overdue, but I could not simply forgo this entry because...IT WAS SUCH A FUN NIGHT! You may have noticed that we like going to the drag nights here. Usually our nights out to these particular events are planned but sometimes we just get lucky and stumble upon one (e.g. our New Years Eve club hopping) . Guess it is because we are so f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s! *wink*

Anyways let me begin our tales of Beach, Drag night...

It all begins with my good friend Lisa coming to Kyoto for a visit. Thankfully her timing was perfect with Metro's (one of the few clubs in Kyoto, and probably the best one) monthly drag night. Prior the the announcement of the theme of drag night we had decided to don GOLD. And to our pleasant surprise the theme was "beach" so we felt we could just make it a little Miami Beach fabulous or rather explain ourselves as such...

Alisa and I are getting our 'look' together.

Alisa and Ted giving us a little modeling show before we depart to the club.

Ted's "Egyptian" look. Make-up by Traci.

Hard to tell in the photo but I was going for a "feather" effect with my eyeliner.

Guest appearances by the oh-so-fun Sam and Yujiro!

Ingram and Alisa, sporting the flotation devices.Our fashionably late friend Chris, glad he made it!
The most unattractive drag queen there just HAD to dance to the Beach Boys, "California Girls"...why, why why?! Please, more respect to California next time honey!

Lisa and I with our new friend "Naoki Campbell" hahahaha. 'DON DAKE!'(A current, popular Japanese phrase which apparently comes from a transvestite named Ikko, who also happens to be a make-up artist. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think that the phrase has any particular meaning other than when used as a retort to when someone does something that is strange or
when something doesn't make sense.)

In the end the music was "aiite" but what made the night was the great people that we were with, OBVIOUSLY! I look forward to the next drag night, the theme has been set as 50's/pin-up. Alright all you wanna-be Betty Grables, Veronica Lakes, greasers, and poodle skirt wearing ladies and gentlemen get ready! That being said keep your eyes open for some interesting pictures from pur next adventure at Club Metro!

**Sadly, Ted's gold shorts will not be making an appearance in the next drag event, but knowing him they will be out sooner rather than later! *wink*wink**

bbbbrrrrrrr

2008-02-03T22:23:00.001+09:00

Lately it has been quite chilly here in good ole Kyoto City. Thank goodness that Japan doesn't believe in insulation or else I would be really cold (please sense the sarcasm)! For all those that live or have lived in Japan, I know you feel me on this one. Why none of the buildings or home s are insulated here is beyond my comprehension! Japan gets pretty harsh weather extremes, and well, insulated buildings would really come in handy during those times. But, whatever.

This is one of those few times that I really appreciate the small size of my apartment because it doesn't take much to heat it up therefore saving me a few yen on my electric bill at the end of the month.

But, with the cold 30-40 degree weather we are experiencing comes the beautiful precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, a.k.a snow.

My view right as I step out of my building.

It is mornings like this one which really makes me wish that California experienced seasons other than spring and summer.

Although the snow rarely sticks like in the photos above, I just thought I would give you a glimpse of the pleasant surprise I had one morning on my way to work at 7:45am (I actually almost slipped on my brisk walk to the train station, but luckily I have the reflexes of cat, hahahaha, and was spared THAT humiliation!).

This is what happens when you leave your bike outside overnight in this weather. Good thing my friend Alisa opted for a cab instead.

Another fun event that happened was that my friend Lisa came to visit me the other weekend and we had a great time getting caught in the light snow falls while running around the city!

Outside the entrance to the Imperial Palace, just a block away from me and my tiny apartment!

Returning home from our day trip to Osaka. Loving the snow! Gee, is it obvious that I have hardly ever seen snow fall in my life? *sigh* I am truly a Southern California girl huh?

There are actually some more stories from the lovely Lisa's visit, but I will have to save those for another post because it is getting late in the evening and I need my beauty sleep! Until then...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Guilty Pleasure

2008-01-14T18:53:00.000+09:00

This is gonna kill me to say, but it is time that you all know...

I like watching High School Musical...1 & 2!

I know! I know! It's a made-for-DISNEY movie! How gross right?!... Hell to the NO! It actually is endearing, the kids are legitimately talented, and well, yes, it is a bit cheesy but it was a great way to spend my flight to Bali with my girls Maya and Lisa. (They can back me up on this one!) And, one last thing, Zac Efron is a cutie pie! If you don't believe me do me a favor and go watch "Hairspray" and "High School Musical" then come back and tell me what you think.
Ok, so I was browsing through YouTube, because clearly I don't have enough time on my hands, and I found this Punk'd episode of Zac Efron getting punk'd by his co-star from High School Musical. Its pretty funny, he handled it well, and, let's be honest it broke up my day of boredom. Just something fun to watch and something for me to write about...

i HEART m-flo

2008-01-14T16:14:00.000+09:00

For Christmas my friend Ted gave me this AWESOME concert DVD of M-Flo. Since coming to Japan, this is one of my FAVORITE Japanese hip-hop, well actually, in general, one of my top favorite artists in music . I unfortunately had to miss their concert last year in July (for good reason, ah hem, Hawaii) but the DVD Ted gave me is now on constant loop in my apartment. Here are some of my favorite songs. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do....

M-flo loves Alex, "Love Me After 12am"

M-Flo loves Emi, "Love Don't Cry"

M-Flo loves Yoshika and Emyli, "Loop In My Heart"

Kimono Me Baby!!!

2008-01-07T23:42:00.000+09:00

Today's article is about...ME. As much as I love fashion and clothes I have no idea where to begin on wearing a kimono PROPERLY.But with the help of Miyuki and Miyuki's mother, Yumiko, I got the ultimate New Year's makeover...

Day 1

Fresh off my return trip back to Kyoto from California I packed my bags and headed to Tokyo to visit the ever-so-cute Miyuki and as a bonus I also got to see my other friends who work VERY far from me, as they were also visiting Tokyo, in addition to...CATHY LEE, my roommate from college! Allow me to quote the always fun, fiesty, and spunky Cathy, "We are in Tokyo! Seriously we are all in Japan, when does THAT happen..ever?!" I would normally say "NEVER!" But Japan has magic that I can not begin to describe!

Lisa and Maya (They both are fluent in Japanese! Mom, why am I not?!!!)

Miyuki and CATHY LEE!!! Roomies reunited in Tokyo!

Day 2

We unfortunately had to cut out early on everyone the night before (Gomen Cath!) because, well, we HAD to get our beauty sleep for KIMONO DAY! Our day started at 8am with a delicious udon breakfast with Miyuki's family. Mmmmmm udon (Pardon me while I salivate over my love for Japanese food). And then it was off the the salon with all the kimono pieces in tote. I knew that there were many layers to a complete kimono outfit, but I didn't know it was THAT many! While Miyuki was getting her hair done I was behind a dressing curtain getting tied into Miyuki's mothers beautiful cream, gold thread embroidered, silk kimono.

Miyuki getting tied in.

I have to say that I was so nervous about wearing it because I didn't want to trip or drag the sleeves (which take some getting use to due to the sleeve length) or spill anything on it. But in my opinion, back in the day when the kimono design and outfit was first created, the designer must have had the same thing in mind because once a girl is all tied in and has on her zori, flat Japanese sandal, there is no way she is walking anywhere fast!

Yea, and good luck trying to go to the bathroom!

Yup, I was doing the Japanese shuffle for a good part of the day. Though the shuffle made it much easier for me to pay more attention to the safety of the gown.

ALL these layers on one girl! It was such a process to put on AND take off!!!

It was such a wonderful day to spend with Miyuki, her mother, and her father. Her parents drove us to a beautiful garden to take our pictures and then we had a nice lunch together and our last stop was a shrine to pay our New Year's respects. I feel so fortunate to have such a great friend like Miyuki, she has made my whole time in Japan more memorable than I ever could have imagined.

Mama and Papa Mori

haha Papa san is so funny!!!

New Years Day at Shimogamo

2008-01-07T22:52:00.001+09:00

あけまして　おめでとう　ございます。
akemashite omedetou gozaimasu
Happy New Year!

These are just a few photos of Shimogamo Shrine, one of the oldest shrines that can be found in Japan. If you follow the link (to my favorite information go to site, wikipedia) you will learn about the two Kamo Shrines located here, in Kyoto City. These shrines, Shimogamo (the lower shrine, referring to location in Kyoto) and Kamigamo (the upper shrine), are dedicated to the god of Thunder. Shimogamo Shrine is believed to be older by 100 years and was built to protect Kyoto City. Another interesting fact is that this historical shrine is located a mere 5 minute walk from my apartment! So much fun information to share!

Last year my Mom and I made a couple trips to the shrine to view the New Years festivities and I was once again intrigued to observe the ongoings during Japan's most venerated holiday.

I take such joy in people watching on New Years Day. It is wonderful to see the old and young come to the shrines dressed in kimono or to see the mothers and fathers bring their little children out all bundled in their winter clothes or to even see the couples enjoying their time together by writing their New Year's wishes on pieces of wood or paper and hanging them around the shrine.

Visiting the shrines is also fun because the have all the fair foods set up and ready to buy! And let me add that Japanese fair foods completely beat out the foods you find at the fairs in America! Of course there are the carmel/candy apples, hot dogs (well more just the dog on a stick, basically a naked corn dog) and some other sweets but there is also takoyaki (fried octopus dumpling), okonomiyaki (pan fried dish, the name means "cook what you like" because the contents and batters vary in each region), sweet potato french fries, and my favorite imagawayaki (a round dessert with a pancake like batter filled with azuki beans)! Ok, i realize that the translations in English might actually make these foods unappealing, but people, they are goooooooooood. All my family and friends be warned, I WILL MAKE YOU TRY THEM ALL! (In addition to other new Japanese foods that I have come to enjoy). YEA!

Unfortunately this year I was a bit too jet-lagged which also left my appetite out of wack as well. Therefore, I sadly did not indulge in the various foods I just described. But, there are many more Japanese holidays and fairs to come and you can be sure I will satisfy my taste buds at that time.

Girls just wanna have fun....

2008-01-07T10:24:00.000+09:00

...drag queens too!

After a 12 hour and 45 minute flight from LAX to Seoul Icheon airport and another 2 hours from Korea to Osaka Kansai airport I was nice and jet-lagged and...

ready to hit up the clubs with my friends to bring in 2008! YESSSSSSSSSSSSS.

Thank goodness that Japan airports (Well, actually, most of the foreign airports I have been to...A.K.A NOT LAX) have taken it upon themselves to create an efficient and dummy proof arrival system, something that “Airports for Dummies” (if there was such a book) would be proud of. With the “dummy-proof” organization as my guide I walked right off the plane in Osaka into a pretty much empty terminal, breezed through customs (and that is with the new Japanese policy of finger printing foreigners!), collected my “small” pieces of luggage, exchanged my money, arranged for my “small” pieces of luggage to be dropped off at my apartment the next day, and exchanged my money all within 1 hour of arriving! Actually, I think it took longer to get from the airport to the hotel my friends and I were staying at in Osaka City. Odd.

Annnnnnyways, can we please change the topic to celebrating New Years with watching 2 drag shows and dancing till 4am in a gay club in Osaka? OK! I mean, since you asked and all.

By the time we all got settled into our luxurious suite (I wish!) and got all prettied up it was time for the 2008 countdown. Thank god for Alisa bringing the champagne and the hotel for supplying us with the most classy of coffee mugs for our midnight cheers! After our few minutes of undeniable elegance we headed off into the 39 degree weather to find us some good dancin’! About 3 clubs later we found “Jack in the Box”. No, not the fast food, grease infested dining establishment, but the oh-so-fabulous gay club we spent the rest of our night/early morning in! Take a peek at what we had in store for us our first day in 2008.

There are really no words to describe the following performance aside from WHY?!!!!

(It is not shown in the video, BUT this smooth dancer of a drag queen proceeded to dance off beat,
twirl her umbrella, throw her umbrella, and DROP her umbrella!
All in one performance…hahahaha it was the highlight of my night.)

And with that...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I LOVE an LA Christmas!

2008-01-07T09:56:00.000+09:00

It is unbelievable how fast 2 weeks can fly by! It feels as if I should be packing up my suitcases getting ready to take off back to LA rather than begin the most tedious process of unpacking. It is always so depressing to have to unpack. A) My once, nice, neat room becomes somewhat of a mess due to the unpacking and reorganizing process that I always undertake despite my desire to get everything finished quickly. And, B) It just reminds me of all the fun things that I just did on my vacation and how depressing it is to have to return to the monotony of work.

But, enough of this pity party for Traci. Now I would like to give the interested parties a glimpse into just a few of the many reasons why I LOVE LA!!

Randoms run-ins at the bars always make the evenings fun!!!

I love these girls.

Hand crafted plates by Uncle David and Anty Pam

Two cool guys

Getting down with the dancing pad!

Turkey made by Kurt!

Friends since birth. Love it!

I love my lil brother!

C-A-L-I Part 1

2007-12-22T07:22:00.000+09:00

Day 1

Christmas Tree on the Beach...love California beaches.

Megs and Me, since kindergarden.

Lunch with the Cochranes.

Of course I can't go a day in LA without seeing my best girl Natalie.

Day 2

Family time with cousin Kelly.

Bradshaw 1- Kelly 0

Day 3

Shopping is tough work!

Day 4

Trip to the studios.Auntie Becky and the kids.

This one is for you Miyuki! Shelly misses you!

Day 5

Trip to the Getty Center.

No Place Like Home

2007-12-22T06:39:00.000+09:00

After all the anticipation and longing to be back in California you would think that I would have been all packed and ready to just jump into my shuttle to the airport last Saturday Decemeber 15th. YOU WOULD THINK. After over a year and a half in Japan it would be reasonable to think that I have at least gained the ability to understand numbers and time over the phone, but apparently the moment my countdown to California turned to 1 day my mind automatically switched into English only/Japanese retarded mode. I misunderstood my shuttle pickup time to be at 11:10am when it was actually just 10:00am. So imagine my surprise when I heard my doorbell ring while I was dancing around to my music in the process of getting my hair and makeup travel ready. So much for leaving my tiny apartment in a perfectly clean state for my return. But, the important thing is that I got everything I needed packed and what is more is that I am now typing this post from the comfort of home sweet home in California.

It was such a great feeling to walk off the plane into....a crowd of Asians. (Wait! Didn't I just leave Asia?!) Apparently LAX hates common sense and organization because the Tom Bradley wing (location for all international flights) has signs in English only. That makes sense in the international wing right? I mean everyone speaks and reads English don't they?! Of course the answer is...N-O. So why would LAX expect there not to be a massive crowd of confused Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian and other (please forgive the lack of P.C.) trying to figure out what customs line they should be getting into? Needless to say after a long 10 hour, infant copious flight it was great to wait another 1 1/2 hour in a mess of disorganization. But, (deep breath) after all that it was wonderful to finally walk out into the arms of my family!

My Dad, Mom, and brother were waiting for me with a sign and bouquet of flowers (they spoil me, I know) and all ready to take me to get my first proper dinner of Mexican food! It was a great first evening because I also got to see my Auntie Pam and Uncle David!

After our fill of enchilladas, chimichangas, fajitas, and margaritas it was time to head back to the best place in the world, my room. By my room I actually mean my bed. Yes, bed, not futon. And with that all I can say is that its so great to be back home...

Welcome back to middle school days....

2007-12-13T21:30:00.000+09:00

I recently (as in yesterday) was reunited with a TV program I use to enjoy during my middle school days...Sailor Moon. I thought that you also would like to enjoy my favorite part of each Sailor Moon episode, her transformations. (I would like to thank my friend Ted for sending this to me.) I never really made it past 1 1/2 seasons of Sailor Moon and I was shocked to find out that there is more, so much more, to this show than meets the eye. Especially a child's eye. (I will have to do further research before I disclose more of my insight into this show.) But for now enjoy the clip...

Is this week over yet?

2007-12-11T22:33:00.000+09:00

4 more days, 4 more days!!!!! I know that my anticipation for my return visit back to California is only going to make this week go by even slower than it already is but I can't help it.
I AM SO EXCITED TO GO HOME!!!!
I can't believe its been 1 year, 4 months, 2 weeks, and 2 days (496 days) give or take a day or two since I have been back to that oasis of warm weather, car driving, bumper to bumper traffic, and comfort. Also known asLA (Rowland Heights to be exact)!

It is going to be so nice to be back home for the holidays. Though its only been a little over a year I feel as if I have been away for such a long time! I feel so out of touch...scary. But, I have had a few visits from some wonderful people who have helped bring a little bit of California out this way, and I greatly appreciated it! Ok, I really have to get off the computer now because this post is only making me more anxious to get on my flight home! Is it weird that I am pretty much all done packing aside from the daily necessities? To wrap things up I just have to say that I am really looking forward to spending time with my beautiful family and of course, my girls!

(They are so special...)

cha cha chaka chaka chaka chaka.....

2007-12-08T12:32:00.000+09:00

Now, you may be curious as to what mnemonic gibberish I used to entitle this specific post. Well my friends, allow me to show you…

Assuming you played the clip (as you were suppose to…), let me enlighten you about the traditional Balinese Kecak ("KEH-chahk") dance. This specific form of dance dates all the way back to the 1930’s….uh, hmm, um wait, I am confused. How is this classified as traditional when it has not even been around a century in a civilization that dates back to 1^st century AD (wikipedia)? Oh! Silly me! The purpose of this post is not to inform you of the “traditional” Kecak dance but to tell you about the comedic value my 3 friends and I found in it during one of the best vacations of my life! Let’s start over…

Two weeks ago (I know, this post has been way overdue) my 3 friends (Maya, Lisa, and Jun) and I took a break from the chilly Japan weather and made our way over to a little island in Indonesia known as BALI.

(Over looking the cliff of the Pura Luhur Temple in Uluwatu)

(On our train ride out to Narita Airport. Jun just makes friends so easily...must be the phone connection.)

But, before we arrived on one of Indonesia’s 33 provinces we “roughed” it in the Singapore airport, also known as AMAZING-ness.　I won’t go into full details but I will say endless duty free shopping,

orchid gardens, massages chairs,

sports bars, complimentary Singaporean noodles,

ABSOLUT disco floors, free shots of mimosas, free internet, and a place where Jun can start his modeling career (that’s fun story for another time) all add up to a magical place called Singapore’s Changi Airport.

(Taking a little nap during our first lay-over in Singapore.)

After our lay-over in Singapore we finally made it to 86 degree weather paradise. From day 1 our trip was nothing short of pure fun and non-stop laughter.

Though our trip was only a total of 5 days I am happy to report that we most definitely made the most of it! Somehow in our short span of time in Kuta, Bali we managed to get maximum beach/sun time,

make friends with the 2 chillest, local guys on the island (Dickie and Agus),

watch the sunset at Dreamland (Yes my friends, Dreamland. A beautiful beach we would have never known about had we not met Dickie and Agus.),

take over the dance floors at various clubs,

visit Pura Luhur,

retrieve Lisa’s camera case from one devious, little monkey,

and see the “traditional” Kecak dance.

And might I add that the Kecak dance was the icing on the cake for me. We were all so inspired that it crossed our minds to give the folks on our return flight a treat and perform our rendition of Kecak (Jun being the lead and the 3 of us girls as back-up) but, alas, the 4 hr a night’s sleep that we had maintained during our vacation finally caught up with us and thus postponed our performance.

Once back in Japan, though seriously craving some onigiri (Japanese rice ball), it was unanimous that Bali definitely left its mark on us or maybe it was we that left our mark on Bali. Either way, it was a vacation with 3 wonderful people that I will always remember.

And to my Bali Crew: Maya, Lisa, Jun, “chakachakachakachakachaka” forever!

October 27th Post

2007-11-19T06:39:00.000+09:00

I finally just finished editing a post from October 27th last night...I know bad bad. So for those of you that are interested in seeing what the Kobe Biennale had to offer I do recommend that you take a quick peek at some of the photos from the event. It was really a fun art festival with so many different aspects of art ranging from ikebana to robotics to performance art.

In other news, I leave for Bali in 2 days!!! Yea! (Jealous are you?! I would be too! hahaha) Its gonna be nice to play in warm 87 degree weather versus the brisk 50 degrees that Kyoto has recently been offering. I am heading there with 3 of my good friends who all work in prefectures a distance from me, so its going to be nice to get to spend time with them. So I guess the next post will be full of our Bali adventures. Until then!

Breathtaking

2007-11-18T21:57:00.000+09:00

The piece is called, "Hand in Hand". Performed by Ma Li and Zhai Xiaowei.

I have no words to describe this beautiful modern dance performance. Enjoy.

Grandma is GENKI

2007-11-03T10:55:00.001+09:00

I was given one of the nicest surprises this past week! My Grandma visited me from Seattle, Washington! Let me preface this story by saying that she is 88 years old! That's right folks. 88 and looking FABULOUS!

She is traveling with one of her friends, Grant Hirabayashi, who is one of the most interesting people I have ever met. It was great having a chance to talk to both of them because of all the amazing things they have done in their lives.
First and foremost they belong to the Nisei(2nd) generation, which commands utmost respect from what they went through during WW2 and what they accomplished in the face of adversity. They battled blatant acts of prejudice and rejection from their own country. A country which, many of the nisei men fought to defend. However, in spite of it all the nisei remained positive and tenaciously worked to provide a better life for their next generations. During our conversations about their pasts Grant so wisely put it that, "It does nothing to be negative. So, of course we remained positive because we wanted to make something of ourselves." Needless to say, we could all do with taking a page from their book.

Actually Grant is being interviewed during about this specific topic by a school from a neighboring prefecture. He was part of the Merill's Marauders and has so many amazing stories it was a shame I only got to spend a short amount of time with them. However, if you google his name countless sites come up so I intend to read up as much as I can before I see him next time.

It was a really great little visit with Grandma and Grant. I am so happy that they got an opportunity to come out to Japan. We had a nice such and unagi (eel) dinner to celebrate their time in Kyoto. And like all my teachers said, "Your Grandma is GENKI (healthy/energentic)!!!" And its so true!!! Go Grandma!

135 Years

2007-11-01T22:10:00.000+09:00

I was diligently studying my Japanese at my desk in the staffroom of my junior high, when my vice principal came up to me and asked if I would like to join him and watch the brass band perform for the neighboring elementary school. "Of course I would Vice Principal!" Ans as this particular elementary school happens to be a favorite, I was more than happy to receive an excuse to break from the tedious act of studying. Much to my surprise it was not just any mere performance for the elementary school. No, no. It was a mini-concert to honor the 135th anniversary of the school's existence!!! I know right?! 135 years old! Crazy! But it's not as crazy as all the kids, 1st-6th, singing the Japanized version of Happy Birthday (a.k.a Happy Batsudei) to a big cardboard cake. And when I say crazy, I mean crazy CUTE!

(If you couldn't catch the middle part they are singing, "Happy Birthday Itahashi Shougako" )

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T22:56:00.000+09:00

Well, it is that time of year when the creative, tacky, scandalous, cute, funny costumes come out and massive amounts of candy is distributed to the worthy 'trick-or-treaters'....WAIT! I almost forgot I live in Japan where Halloween is barely recognized aside from us "English teachers" who try to bring a bit of culture to our classes!

Despite the fact that Halloween is, *sigh*, just another day here, my friends and I did our best to bring out the FIERCE which is Halloween this past weekend! That's right we brought out the pumpkin decorations, fake spider webs, candy, hot pants, leg warmers, tights, head bands....*ahem* hot pants? That is right my friends HOT PANTS, green hot pants to be exact!

My oh-so-fabulous friends and I paid our tributes to the 80s/Flashdance and, if I do say so myself, we were a "bodacious" (yes, I said "bodacious") looking group!

The DudesThe Chicks

It's is a little disconcerting that the decade I was born in is now a legit costume, but WHATEVER! We blasted our favorite 80's tunes and turned Phil's amazing apartment into the hottest dance club in Kyoto that evening.

Not to mention, we also had ourselves a Tyra-worthy runway show. Yes, we had over festive bunch strut their best runway walk to compete for the honors of Halloween's Top Model.

And, who was our Halloween Top Model you ask???? It was none other than Wolverine (alias: Adam Fletcher).

What made the night even better was the fact that our friends shamelessly wore their costumes on their respective trains out to Phil's apartment. That, right there, is true Halloween spirit.

And with that I bid you farewell and a Happy Halloween!

Kobe Biennale Part 1 & 2

2007-10-27T10:20:00.001+09:00

Part 1. October 20

My friend Nina and I recently attended the Kobe Biennale. The purpose of this "art festival" was to get various artists to examine the power and potential of art within the confines of a limited space (a shipping container, measuring 40 ft length (deep), 8 feet wide, 8 feet tall). There were over 60 various containers exhibiting the winners of the "Art in a Container", Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) displays, and local school children's paintings. It was a great event and I was so happy to have gotten the chance to attend it. I so often keep myself busy that I forget to take time and appreciate the artist talent that resides here in Japan. It was nice to gain a new sense of inspiration and to break out of my "routine".

Below are just a few of my favorite containers that we saw....

Pandas!!!!

This was one of my favorites. The exact title of the piece I forget, but allow me to elaborate on the visual presentation a bit. The lighting slowly faded from blue to purple to pink with a slight breeze positioned to gently create movement from the various hanging balloons. And in the background a soundtrack of soft wind chimes played. The aim of the artist was to transport us back to the fun, light-heart feelings of our youth, and through simplicity and lighting I personally felt that the aim was captured.

A creative and intriguing view on the education system.

Part 2. November 2
We were told that new pieces would be introduced into the festival within a months time. As we were so blown away by our first visit we were more than willing to come back a second time to view the new pieces. Much to our disappointment, very few new pieces were introduced and as we went during the early afternoon rather than the evening like the time before we felt that a bit of the mystique was taken away as well. Needless to say we were not quite in the mood to review the pieces again. So we enjoyed a beautiful, warm day in Kobe instead!

Piece entitled, "Goldfish"

Cali on fire...

2007-10-23T20:43:00.001+09:00

I have finally caught up with the world outside Kyoto and am so upset to hear about all the fires in Southern California! I hope that everyone is ok! I did just talk to my Mom last night, so I am going to take no news as good news? Every year So. Cal does tend to get its fair share of brush fires but this one seems to be reminiscent of the 1993 Malibu fires. I wish, wish I could be back in California right now to be with everyone, I am there in spirit. Love.

Crocs are 　だめ！

2007-10-17T22:32:00.001+09:00

Translation: Crocs are BAD!
　だめ=da-me=BAD

Ok, obviously I had some spare time tonight as I have posted quite a few new entries. Now I would like to write/vent about something that has been lingering in my mind for some time now. This issue has been building up ever since my arrival to this wonderful place, known as Kyoto. However, I do have one, small, tiny, minuscule problem when I walk around the city....CROCS!

(A picture from a nightmare I had recently.)

People, people, people CROCS ARE NOT FASHION!!!!!! They are not even good looking! Why, in the love of Jimmy Choo are you wearing them as part of your outfit?! Crocs are meant to be worn in the garden where the weeds are so high that you cannot see the monstrosities that adorn your feet. Or, they are meant to be worn by young children because young children can pretty much wear anything and get away with it, even crocs.

I was reminded of my issue with this shoe (Would you even call it a shoe? Or is is more of an ugly slipper thing?) when I saw one of my teachers strutting around school with them on. And for those of you who work in Japan this was not one of the schools that require indoor shoes. He was actually just wearing them as part of his ensemble. AND he has influenced another teacher and now TWO of my teachers were them around (in bright red and yellow)! Such a shame.

I am not sure what it is with Japan (or, dare I ask, is the craze every where now?), but apparently I missed the memo they sent out saying that it was ok to wear crocs AND BEDAZZLE them and then pass them off as "fashion".

And for my last piece of evidence of why you shouldn't wear crocs....

Now, come on, let's be honest. Is George W. Bush really someone you want to imitate? Hah! Didn't think so.

Fushi-chu = Rugby Champions!!!

2007-10-17T20:34:00.001+09:00

FUSHIMI 26 - Seiryo 7

Once again my junior high school, Fushimi, has reclaimed their title as the Kyoto Rugby Champions! I am so proud of them, they definitely work the hardest out of all the clubs at the school. Now they advance onto the regional finals for Kinki (aka Kansai Region) held in Osaka City in two weeks! It was an awesome game and they beat down Seiryo Junior High (which my friend Phil works at, but he doesn't care for this school all that much, so it's ok when I say, "HA! We won again! Yay!!!!") for the second time! Go FUSHIMI!

Yea! They just won!

Receiving their honors

"Iguchi Senseiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!" As the boys throw their coach in the air.

There were tears of joy...especially for the 3rd years as it is their second to last game to play at Fushimi Junior High.

Miho Museum

2007-10-17T18:07:00.000+09:00

This past Saturday I took some very good advice from my Auntie Gail and went out to Shiga Prefecture (which is the Prefecture northeast to Kyoto) to visit the Miho Museum. The history of the museum is actually quite interesting because it all started with the founder's, Mihoko Koyama, ambition to create a museum for her private collection of the various antiques she had collected from around the world. In addition to her desire for a museum, Mihoko also founded the Shinji Shumeikai spiritual movement( a fairly new religion which, to my understanding is aimed at the channeling of the divine powers into various methods of healing) which was the reason for the specific location of the museum. She wanted her museum to be near the Shumeikai temple in the Shiga mountains. I also have no doubt that the gorgeous views also attracted her to the location.
Anyways, enough of the history, let me get to the point. The Miho Museum, designed by the renowned architect IM Pei (he also designed the Louvre) , is BEAUTIFUL! The design asethetics that Pei incorporated with the setting of the Shiga mountains is simply amazing! To be honest I have to say that I was more overwhelmed by the architecture than the museum's collection. Don't get me wrong, the collection (containing various pieces from Egypt, China, Persia, Greece, Rome, South Asia, and Japan) is impressive but the views and the structure of the building is what really makes the museum. And, from all the different books appears to take full advantage of each change of season. So I definitely plan to make a few more trips back there just to walk through the grounds again during winter and especially spring (I'll pass on summer, its just too damn hot).

This post is especially dedicated to my Auntie Gail who recommended this museum to me. Thank you Auntie Gail, I loved it!

Koyasan

2007-10-15T21:58:00.000+09:00

My Mom has been telling about this beautiful place that I need to go to for months now. And, I can finally say, "Mom I have gone to visit Koyasan!"

For those who have never heard of Mt. Koya, it is a mountain located in Wakayama Prefecture which is just a bit south of Osaka, and is known as the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. According to Wikitravel, "First settled in 819 by the monk Kūkai as a retreat far away from the courtly intrigues of Kyoto, Mt. Koya is located in a 800m-high valley amid the 8 peaks of the mountain. The original monastery has grown into the town of Koya, featuring a university dedicated to religious studies." And, after a 3 hour transit of trains, cable cars, and buses you finally reach the top of the mountain where over 100 temples sit waiting for the various tourists and/or religious pilgrims.

Let me tell you, by the time you have completed the 3 hour commute of riding the local train through countless, insignificant stops and and squeezing into an overcrowded cable car you are so happy to finally be at the top that even the dingy bus station gives off some kind of allure.
But, please don't let the frustrations of travel detour you away from the calm and beauty that will ultimately transcend you once you step off the local bus into the city center. With so many temples to visit my friend Megumi and I were not quite sure where to head first. In the end, I feel that we made the right decision by starting with Okunoin, the mausoleum of Kukai, the monk who established the area. It is the largest and, in my opinion, the most beautiful out of all the sights in the town.

Megumi and I spent about 4 hours or so walking around the town and going in and out of the various temples and pagodas. And of course we had to make a pit stop for some tea and Japanese sweets! Yummmmm.

Thankfully we had great weather, its nice to know that you can never count on the weather man to be right (it was predicted to be a rainy day, but it WASN'T!)! It was so nice to get out of Kyoto for the day to break my normal shopping/errand filled weekends. Thanks for a great day Megumi!!!!

**Don't worry Mom, we will still go to Mt. Koya together! You will love it...I can just hear you now, "Wait! Traci, come here. Look at this! Now, how beautiful is this place huh?"

Kyoto needs our Panda Bear back...

2007-10-06T07:05:00.000+09:00

As of this past August our numbers of Kyoto City JETS dwindled down to 1/2, actually less than that, due to the somber departure of many of our friends. For those unaware, Kyoto City has stopped the use of the JET Program and will be commissioning all future ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) from a locally base company, also known as Interac. The result of this is, no new ALTs to fill in the positions of the JET participants who left us over the summer holiday. Not that this particularly matters because what Kyoto City really needs is its Panda Bear back.

Now, you may be asking "What in the name of Buddah, are you talking about?" Well my friends, it is not what I am talking about, it is WHO I am talking about. That's right. This is our Panda Bear that we (meaning ME the most) miss so dearly...

This is our PANDA BEAR.

Kyoto misses her...

Claire misses you too!

See Nechan (another nickname I have for Elisa, meaning older sister), I told you you would get a special post too! I heart you!

So...you teach English in Japan??

2007-10-01T22:43:00.001+09:00

I thought that it was about time that I gave you all a small glimpse of what is it like to teach English to a group of genki (energetic) elementary school kids.

They just can't help making their best faces for the camera!

This is one of my favorite 4th grade classes in action.

*Below are my 4th graders in the middle of a conversation game. Most of these games involve "Rock, Scissors, Paper" as a determinant of who will speak first (just, in case you actually picked that phrase out amongst the yelling and Japanese). Let's enjoy English!!!!

How to hike in Japan....

2007-10-01T21:35:00.000+09:00

This past Saturday I went on a hike with a small group of teachers and students from my handicapped school to Mt. Daimonji (This is one of 5 hillsides displaying a particular kanji character which is annually lit during the Daimonji Festival in August to commemorate the passing of family ancestors.).

It was a wonderful afternoon and a great experience (evident from all the pictures that I took!) but, I would like to take this time to jot down a few pointers of how hikes are done here in Japan...

1. Prior to the start of the hike, make sure that everyone is present, accounted for, and has a walking buddy.

2. Take the time to enjoy significant sites along the way.
In this case we had a kodak moment in front of Kinkakuji (The Golden Pavilion), thus making this my 5th time of enjoyment.

3. A walking stick an essential to hiking "Do's"!
Along with a suitable hiking bag to hold the necessities.

4. When they say, "Lunch break", they mean bust out the blue tarps!

5. Do not underestimate your hiking leader's lunch time preparations!
They will have pots to boil water, gas lamps to heat up the pots, and plenty of instant ramen, rice balls, and chopsticks to go around!
See, normally, poor, little, Keisuke would have been out of luck once he spilled his ramen onto the dirt...but not on this hike!!!! They had a whole other backpack filled of ramen waiting.

6. And finally, make sure you pose with your hiking buddies in the appropriate kanji character (in our case 大 'dai') to make the hike complete!

Happy hiking!

Update

2007-09-30T23:14:00.000+09:00

Puma boots were NOT bought today....*sigh* it was not meant to be, they just didn't look quite right. On a brighter note, it was a great relaxing Sunday spent reading in a coffee shop, enjoying the new items in my favorite stores, a nice, catch-up dinner with my friend Nina, followed by a stroke of inspiration with Ted and Alisa about our futures. And let me tell you, our lives will be nothing short of pure rhapsody!

Here is a preview of what you can expect.....

Panel Productions presents....

Jing Tai KA-POW
Coming at you fast and fierce...Nothing is holding him back...Are you ready???
Lock it*

*adapted from Philip Cardiff

Decisions, decisions

2007-09-30T12:28:00.001+09:00

Today is a lovely rainy day in Kyoto City. This being the case, it provides me with an excuse to get out of the rain and into all the shops downtown!!!! What a tough day huh? Thank goodness for the rain because it brings shopping and cooler weather! The temperature of Kyoto has changed overnight, literally, and it's wonderful. I was walking home to the train station last night and I was, for the first time in MONTHS, actually cold. Ok, now onto my real reason for this entry....

I was perusing through the shops yesterday with my favorite gentlemen, Phil and Ted,
when I came across some very fun PUMA boots. I tried them on, put them on hold, and am heading to make the purchase today. But, I just wanted to let you all in on my excitement.

(imagine in all black)

You know, it is getting to that time of the year again...BOOT SEASON! Thank goodness for Fall and Winter because I just love all the clothes and shoes that come hand in hand with the colder weather. Yes! Summer is finally over!

Safety Issues

2007-09-27T21:48:00.000+09:00

Japan is undeniably the safest place I have ever lived in. Well, that is the impression that I have come to obtain during my stay in this country. I feel my friends would also acquiesce to this statement. Nonetheless, as my teachers and Japanese friends have told me, you still have to be aware and not over estimate Japan's safety (duh).

Case in point:
Today during the morning meeting at my elementary school the principal made an announcement, and this is what I comprehended for the most part, that there was some sort of attack on one of the junior high school 1st year students walking home from school the previous day. As he was speaking quite fast I definitely missed out on the finer points of the attack, however, I did manage to understand that there had been something involved with the cutting of the girls hair?! Subsequently, I emailed one of my English speaking teachers at the junior high school to find out what exactly happened and if everyone was ok?

Well, it is now 10:00pm and I have just received word from my teacher and here are her exact words about the incident...

"1st year girl was cut her hair (10cm) by a man with a knife, who is about 156cm tall and 50 years old! She was safe except for her hair! He's not been captured yet, so watch out around Tanbabashi Street!!"

And with that all I can say is, "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!!"

To Do....

2007-09-26T23:03:00.000+09:00

1. Be more diligent about studying Japanese.
2. Visit a new museum at least once a month.
3. Run the Kyoto Half Marathon in March.
4. Take more pictures on a daily basis.
5. Get through my entire book list of 'Must Reads'
6. Get out of Kyoto on the weekends more often.

Drunk Jerks

2007-09-18T20:09:00.001+09:00

I just had to vent this out because this bothered me intensely all the way home today. I had just gone out on a run and was picking up something to drink at the conbini (convenience store for those back in the states). As I was checking out, paying the clerk some old man starts yelling from the xerox machine over at me! I am guessing that he was having problems working this "hi-tech" machine due to his blood alcohol level (and/or he was just an ass) and wanted IMMEDIATE help, however the clerk was in the middle of helping me. So this jerk walks over and yells in my face, so in return I just shoot him a dirty look while pointing to my headphones. He gets in line behind me and I can just feel this jerk glaring at my back, so as I am walking out I shoot him one more look of disgust and leave. THEN as I am about to get up on my bike the ass comes out of the store and starts to yell at me again, so then I say in a nice, clear, SLOW voice, "I don't speak Japanese. I don't know what you are saying!" and finally the jerk walks away.

I HATE it how some drunk men feel like they can just go ahead and yell at women because it gives them some kind of power trip knowing that they can belittle someone. I know that this particular ass would not have attempted this with a man because he did not yell at any of the male workers (who chose to not help him) in the store. NO, he decided to pick on the girl who was finishing up her transaction because he needed somewhere to displace his frustration at being a xerox, drunken moron.

Thankfully all the men in my life are true gentlemen. It is such a pity that there ARE those select asses walking around....

It's a small, small world...

2007-09-17T11:38:00.001+09:00

I just spent a wonderful Kyoto, rainy afternoon with Mandy and Jason! It was great to catch up with them on the happenings of their family and their adorable little boy, Luke. Also I got some great travel advice for when my family comes back to visit next spring time.
Now, I would like to take a moment and comment on how small the world actually is and with that being said I will now give you an explanation of why....
Their first evening in Kyoto, after a LONG day of traveling around Japan, Mandy and Jason were in a search of a place for dinner. As they were walking down the street from their hotel, looking at a map of the city a tall, thin, Canadian man stops them and asks if they need help finding something because he is a resident of Kyoto and knows his way around. This tall, thin, Canadian man then gives them a recommendation for an Italian restaurant that is off one of Kyoto's many obscure streets and offers to walk them there as he is headed in that direction as well. During their 15 minute walk to the restaurant, Mandy and Jason find out that this tall, thin, Canadian man has lived in Kyoto for over 18 years and also works as the director of an English program at the YMCA... WAIT! STOP! At this point during their retelling I look over at both of them and exclaim, "I know him! I use to work at the YMCA! I was one of those English teachers in his program!" Apparently Mandy and Jason were right outside the YMCA that night and little did they know that I was right upstairs in that building teaching my last English lesson! And of all the 1.5 million people that they could have talked to, they run into my old boss who I had just been talking to about 30 minutes prior!
Mandy told me that their meal that evening was some of the best Italian food she has had (and in Japan of all places!) so I guess I am gonna have to talk to Max (the tall, thin, Canadian man a.k.a. my old boss) and find out where he took them!

The Best of Nat and Tre

2007-09-09T10:48:00.000+09:00

I cannot believe it has already been 2 weeks since my lovely "Natari" left me here in Japan. This post is for you Nat...thanks for a great summer! xoxo

Top 10 Moments of the Cali Duo

10. Reunited and it feels so gooooood!
(A 12 hour delay in Alaska later and Natalie is here with nothing but the best reading from America...celebrity magazines!!!!!)

9. Being ever so classy while clubbin' it in Roppongi...
(For those of you unaware, Natalie is serenading us with the classic Bon Jovi song "It's My Life", it was...magical)

(Yes, we love the camera...WHAT?!)

8. Having our quality Miyuki time!
(The best family in the world! I daisuki the Mori family!)

7. "Special" Time in 80's Clothes
(There really are no words to describe what took a hold of us for these pictures...just enjoy)

6. Sleeping Beauty on the Bus

5. "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"
(Nat's FIT! Right mate?!)

4. "I'd like a Ted to go."
("I'd just like to put him in my pocket and take him home. To go! Thank you!")

3. Girls Day
(A great lunch and afternoon massages = the best day with my best girls xoxo)

2. The Pyramid of Kanazawa
(It was a night of "tough" work. Thank you's to Jun for being a lovely host! hahaha)

1. The Beach that ate our shoes... (We aren't quite sure, but we are almost positive that the beach in Uchinada is the most magical place in Japan. You have the best time partying it up on an awesome beach with live musical entertainment, hammocks, a beach bar, and a skate park filled with legitimate skating talent to watch but your shoes disappear! And, you don't realize your shoes are gone until you have to leave the next morning....classic)
(Sad we lost our shoes...but completely satisfied with a great weekend in Kanazawa. Too bad we had a 2 hour train delay on our way home.)

And now for some of NATALIE'S best moments.....

1. Climbing over a fence on her first night out in Tokyo...
(Ok, ok, so I "made" her do it. But there was no other way out! hahaha And I got this great picture in return!)

2. Getting stuck in the club bathroom....
(She made it out! I was standing outside waiting for her dying of laughter watching her try to figure out the door handle. Oh Nat, I love you.)

3. Supermodel Natalie
(My beautiful, beautiful Natalie. You are gorgeous! Everyone loves you!!!)

4. Joy of receiving a cold towel in the taxi...
(I don't know why I never noticed before, but Nat, your face here is CLASSIC...and a lil creepy too haha I am still laughing!)

5. Natalie's Special Faces
(I think she is scaring the Japanese girl in the background. This is why I LOVE NATALIE!!!)

6. Natalie speaking "Japanese"
(So, Natalie fell in love while on the beach in Uchinada...with this 9 year old skater!!! My friend Jun and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her trying to talk to this kid. She must have done ok because she was over there talking to him for a good 10 minutes! I guess high school Japanese class really did pay off!)

Best show in America...

2007-09-09T09:16:00.000+09:00

With all the bad television that America has, a lot of which I am now behind/unaware of now, there is one show that was just a wonderful, wonderful creation..."So You Think You Can Dance?". For those you do not watch or have never heard of this show, I pity you. I really do. Yes, yes it is one of those reality/"America votes for their favorite" but it contains none of the campy elements that other simmilar shows do. It doesn't aim to produce the next "Mikhail Baryshnikov" or anything but to simply display America's true favorite dancer. This show really finds amazing dance talent coming from a wide range of genres (hip hop, b-boys/girls, ballroom, jazz, contemporary) and the ending production just blows me away. Thanks to my friend Ted, I finally got to see the finale and am so excited that my favorite dancer won! SABRA!!! yessssssssssss. This girl must only be barely 5'0'' and has only been seriously dancing for 4 years but she can do anything and make it look good! Ok, enough promoting, just watch next season and you will understand my love for this show.

Oh Sensei....

2007-09-06T22:08:00.000+09:00

Well, my first two weeks back at junior high are coming to an end as I will begin my elementary school rotation the week after next. As much as I tend to get a bit bored at junior high just being a human tape recorder and doing the same things in the classroom (usually, sometimes I do get to plan a game of some sort!!! wow...I know.) day in and day out I will miss my students. Don't get me wrong being a mini-celebrity at elementary school is wonderful, but its nice to be able to talk to my teachers at junior high. I have a particular teacher who is quite, well, interesting. She is absolutely lovely and very thoughtful (she brings me sweets and fruit to snack on), but she also pimps me out to the 3rd year boys (9th graders in the states)! yup, you heard me right. Strange I know. Let me give you an example....

So, there is one particular class which apparently asks her, "Where is Traci today?", "Why didn't you bring Traci to our class, its more fun with her.", "Does Traci have a boyfriend?". Yeaaaaaaaaaa. Anyways she told some of the boys in class (she relayed this whole story back to me after she did this), "Why don't you ask Traci to go out after school? You can maybe take her to the park or go take sticker pictures with her." First...WHAT THE HECK AM I SUPPOSE TO DO WITH THEM AT THE PARK! But when she told me this all I could do was laugh and say, "Oh, sensei. You are a funny, funny lady." I mean really? Really? Also she has had me eating lunch with her in her classroom at lunch time (and NO ONE eats with their junior high students in the classroom, that all ends with elementary school) so that "the students all have an equal opportunity to talk to me." And let me give you a brief insight into the "conversations that we have...

#1
Traci: How are you?
Student: bery goodo.

#2
Student: Hair cut-o?
Traci: Yes.
Student: bery bery nice.

Fun right?! Well actually, they aren't that bad, with the little Japanese I know thrown in we can usually have about a good 2 minute conversation! hahaha It definitely makes my day interesting nonetheless. It's not that I don't enjoy attention, but I am not about being pimped out to junior high boys.

Just thought I would share my recent events at the ever-so-wonderful Fushimi Junior High.

(Also...Auntie Gail, sorry its taken me so long to post! I promise to be better! hahaha Thanks for checking up on me! xoxo)

5 Foreigners in a Japanese Apartment

2007-09-02T15:46:00.000+09:00

Wow I feel like I just went to bed on July 31st and woke up and suddenly it's September! Did summer even happen???
The answer to that question my friends is, yes, yes it did...and it was AMAZING!

First, I got my summer started by working at the JET Programme's orientation for new participants. And when I say work I mean going out, dancing, and living it up in Tokyo with some of the funnest people I have ever met in my life! Oh, and doing a couple presentations here and there when "work" was called for. Life is just so hard!

(Welcome Wagon, or Arriving at the Airport for dummies...just follow the blue shirts)

(My lovely Maya and Lisa xoxo)

(Working hard with Maya and Brindley)

(If you are Japanese and went to UCSB get in the picture)

(SB united in Tokyo)

Then comes August a.k.a. the hottest, most humid month in Japan. But, it was made much more tolerable with the arrival of my best girl, NATALIE!
Basically Nat's trip was us trying to cram everything wonderful about Japan into 2 1/2 weeks. We lived it up in Tokyo, chillaxed in Kyoto, made our mark on Kanazawa (our trip there will have its own special post), and ate in Hiroshima. haha In a nutshell it was nothing but the best of times with Natalie!

(AHHHH!! Miyuki is driving! And...she rocked it out in the 4 hr long traffic!)

(clubbin in Roppongi)

(Enjoying our Miyuki time in Tokyo)

(Kanazawa, how we love you.)

(Hiroshima)

During Natalie's first week we were also joined by our girl Alicia (who will, from this point on, be referred to as Komaki) and her two friends Krista and Doug.
We met up with Komaki and friends in Tokyo and then they joined us in Kyoto.

(Harajuku)

(80's clothes+train ride= fun times in Kyoto)

(Fushimi Inari, Kyoto)

Question: Is is possible to fit 5 people into a Japanese apartment?
Answer: Apparently so!
(photo of proof is unavailable due to the restriction of body movement during the actual event)

I don't think any of my friends expected my place to be as small as it actually is but we made it work; 4 big suitcases lined up in my 10 ft kitchen/walkway/closet, 3 futons laid out on the ground as everyone's bed, and fan blowing to keep everyone cool in the 90+ degree weather. Yeaaaaa, we made it work for sure.

So many things went down over the past few months I cannot possibly write it down in one post, but I will eventually get it all up to date...maybe.

OH!! But one other fun thing that happened this summer...

I chopped my hair! Yessssss

Sweet Escape

2007-07-15T10:43:00.000+09:00

Sweet Escape n. and afternoon/evening event invented by Ted Liaw in which individuals bring various high caloric candies, cakes, and/or drinks to eat/drink as an excuse to eat/drink various high caloric candies, cakes, and/or drinks

BEFORE

AFTER

Yes, yes it is true such an ingenious event does take place on occasion. Personally I LOVE these days because it is really only when I can go ahead and put on my fat girl muumuu dress, eat sweets, and not feel bad (or THAT bad at least)! Ted Liaw, you, my friend are a genius! The afternoon is then of course only made better when everyone starts to laugh about really obscure things because the sugar rush has kicked in and then is followed by a mellow period of small conversations because we have all crashed.

As the weather was in a torrential rainfall all yesterday the afternoon was made FABULOUS by staying in and eating our favorite sweets. Well, let me rephrase this, MOST of our favorite sweets. My Mama, bless her, sent me these Jelly Bellies imitating "Bernie Botts Every Flavor Beans" from the Harry Potter series. And, so of course I brought them along with me to see how they really tasted. I was curious, as were my friends, if the taste was true to the name or if it was just the company trying to scare people with names like "vomit flavor" but actually making them just like a normal jelly bean. Verdict in...THEY ARE A CRUEL, CRUEL INVENTION OF A FOOD!!!!! We tried pickle, soap, dirt, sausage (which I thought was vomit flavored at first and had a momentary spaz attack), and vomit (Ted said it tasted more like feet..I can't decide which is worse). And...we spit all of them out because they are nastaaaaaaaaaaay. So as a warning to anyone who wants/wanted to try them, they are most definitely true to their name!!!!

Aside from the early experimentation of the horrible, death by taste, jelly beans the entire "Sweet Escape" was another wonderful afternoon spent as Ted's (unfairly large) apartment.

Sayonara

2007-07-15T09:53:00.000+09:00

It is really strange to think just how fast the time has really gone here in Kyoto. Not to get all cheesy on you, but... "It just feels like we got here yesterday and were having our welcome party."
And now, we already have to start saying our good-byes. What makes it worse is that there are so many great people leaving and NO new jet arrival preparation to distract those of us that are re contracting!!! (Kyoto City Board of Education, what are you doing to us?! You are making a mistake!) It is unfortunate how time moves so fast because there are some people leaving who I really didn't get to know that well and wish I had gotten more time with. Anyhow, this post is just a very small thank you to all the leaving Kyoto JETs who made my first year what is was...AAAAAMAZING!

Let's take it back to the early 90's

2007-07-13T01:03:00.000+09:00

I was just browsing through the great invention of YouTube when I came across something that just really brought me back to my early childhood...

Please tell me you remember the wonderful melodies that was once known as New Kids on the Block??!!!

This got me thinking about all the other things that made the 90's so much fun...

1. It was the time when the great Michael Jackson was at his BEST and not some crazy looking, alleged child molester that he is now...

2. Toys like Skip-It, My Little Pony, Trolls (which thank god I never really liked, because they are kinda scary looking)

3. TV shows like Saved by the Bell, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Cosby Show, Full House, and Family Matters were all the rage!

4. Michael Jordan, the Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Bevis and Butthead all got their own movies

5. It was cool for guys to look liked they rolled out of bed into their fat uncle's pants and an ugly flannel shirt. While young girls looked to "As if!", "Whatever" Alicia Silverstone in the movie "Clueless" as their fashion icon or else wear the Doc Martins with their favorite baby doll dress. Not to mention that it was ok for anyone to don overalls (in any color I might add).
6. Finally, there was just some solid, smooth, good music that was produced in the 90's....Mariah, Boyz II Men, Santana, Madonna, Sheryl Crow, 112, Az Yet, Fugees, Dr. Dre, Keith Sweat, .......

*sigh* Oh, the 90's...how I loved you.

These boots are made for walkin'...or cutting

2007-07-13T00:24:00.001+09:00

Have you ever had one of those days when you saw a car commercial with a girl cutting her own hair into a really cute short 'do and just felt compelled to do the same?!

No?! Well, I haven't either. But I have decided to chop off my hair! (Giiiirrrlllll whaaaaaaaaaattt?!) I know some of you now are reading this and thinking, "That was one of the worst ways to introduce your blog for today." And that, "This is post the not the usual, insightful blog that our dear Traci normally writes...maaaybe I won't continue on reading today..." But, WAIT! Well, let's be honest, if you have gotten this far, might as well read the whole thing...And so, before you turn your eyes away allow me to show you the few options I have narrowed it down to after careful research. And with that I would like to extend a big thanks to Ted, Elisa and my Mama for contributing insightful tips and opinions on my constant search for the "right " hairstlye...

1. Victoria Beckham- I have to admit, this woman always has good hair! I like the sharpness to this cut, but I don't think I will go quite so short...

2. Kelis
3. Renee from America's Next Top Model Cycle 8

4. No idea who this is, but a fun cut nonetheless

5. And finally...
Just kidding!

Yeah for FASHION!

2007-07-07T12:13:00.001+09:00

"Fashions are a sort of communal art, through which a culture examines its notions of beauty and goodness."

Thanks to Lora and her boyfriend, an up and coming designer in Kyoto, Kenichi, my friends and I were able to experience one of the coolest events that I have attended since being in Japan. A few weeks ago the Kyoto Fashion Guild, Fendi, and various celebrated kimono designers came together for an amazing display of fashion! Here are just a few pictures and videos....

The next clip is of a previous Miss Japan modeling in the show...

apparently a very popular tv drama actress

design by Kenichi Tanaka

And this event was not just a fashion show. During the changed between designers we were entertained by some very captivating performances of tap dancing and Noh (classic Japanese musical drama). Yes, yes, and yessssssssssss.....

The couple, Lora and Kenichi

Alooooha Oshiros!

2007-07-07T10:38:00.000+09:00

(*I would like to apologize for my recent lack of posts. Right after I returned from my family trip I jumped straight into a couple of the busiest weeks I have ever had in Japan! So it is my goal today to update as much as I can. Please enjoy....)

Let me begin with the reunion of the Oshiro family...

June 11 I hopped on my 8 hour United Airlines flight (which was made even longer by the nasty, tea/too much rice breath of the old man sitting next to me) back to America. Wait. Excuse me, did I say America? haha Silly me, I meant HAWAII! (Yes, yes I know you hate me...but you know what?....I DON'T CARE!)

(The family right off the plane.)

As I was going through customs at guard at the passport check point said, "Welcome back to America Miss Oshiro" and I just about teared from excitement because I was hearing English spoken all around me! (You know it's the little things in life right?!) After waiting for 3 hours my family finally walked off the plane and what do you think the first thing we did as a family?? EAT! haha. That's right we went and had some good ole Hawaiian soul food, saimin. mmmmmm.

Then it was off to the hotel, the ever-so-lovely Halekulani (great surprise Dad!!!) where we had the very difficult job of relaxing and tanning everyday.

It was great to catch up with my family. Especially since it had been almost an entire year since I have seen my Dad and little brother (Who has, oh my goodness, gotten so buff! My little Kurtie has grown up...sniff, sniff). Also, as it was recently Kurt's 21st birthday, we also got to fully enjoy all the happiness of "happy hour".

In short it was a great vacation filled with great food, tanning by the beach, sightseeing, and of course some family lovin'! Thanks Family Oshiro for a nice break from the motherland!

At the Dole Plantation

Dinner at the new Nobu Restaurant in Waikiki. Great recommendation Auntie Gail!

I ADORE my family!

A brief recap of May

2007-06-04T23:02:00.001+09:00

Long time no post, I know. But quick update....

First, my junior high school rugby team recently won the Kyoto Championship!

(Eiri, one of my recently graduated junior high school students)

Secondly, I just went to a JET conference for the re contracting assistant language teachers in Japan and well, um, it was "interesting". Clearly there are some people who have been stuck out in the country side too long! And they have not been to a big city in a while because I was appalled by some of the behavior exhibited by these so-called adults. It was like the first day of a junior high summer camp. We were fortunate enough to be staying in the Portopia Hotel in Kobe

and sadly in the late evenings there were people running around in the lobby, sleeping in the middle of hallways, and some doing capoeira in the midst of the utterly disgusted hotel employees. It was quite embarrassing to be associated with this large group of "gaijin" (foreigners). I don't understand how the term "business conference" was completely misunderstood to mean "be obnoxious and unprofessional and act like the students that we teach in school"?

There were fun times had at the conference however. Please do not let my ranting and raving mislead you. I was able to spend time with some friends that I haven't seen in weeks, some months (i.e. Jen and Marshall! We brought it back to the good ole Santa Barbara days fo real!), and it was great to be able to catch up.

We also found a great Turkish Restaurant with some very delicious kebabs which sadly, I won't be returning to anytime soon. Not because of the fact that it is in Kobe City but because the old, slightly chubby, Turkish man who ran the establishment asked me out, oh-so-smoothly, to dinner. As we were paying and about to leave I went to reach for one of the small business pamphlets, so that I could remember how to get back to the restaurant should I crave Turkish food in the future. It was then the owner said (with a Turkish accent), "You don't want that one, you want this one eh?....secret eh." Well, silly me, I thought "How nice! This man is giving me an english version!" But as I glanced at it a second time I realized that it had his phone number, email address, and a note saying "Lets go to dinner."

As I looked up at him again he said, "I'm shy...hehehe." I then nodded at him and gracefully made my exit. Well, at least we got a free round of tea out of it! Actually, I thought he was being generous because my friend Marshall kept on exclaiming praises of approval throughout dinner! (i.e. "ureshiiiii!" (i'm so happy!!!), "oishiiii" (delicious!), etc...) Well, I will take the compliments where I can get them, but definitely no Turkish food in Kobe for a while.

Other than my experiences at the conference there is nothing else to report really. Oh! I will be working the welcome orientation for new JET participants in Tokyo during the end of July! What this really means is that I will be able to hang out my Tokyo girls and a couple of my friends who recently got accepted into the program! But I am also a but sad because my friend Ted will not be able to work the orientation with me. We had such great plans for our presentations we are obligated to give during the conference as well too (think America's Next Top Model meets English, elementary teachers in Japan)! It's ok, Ted and I actually have a presentation on Asian American culture this upcoming Friday evening for Kyoto City teachers. This should be interesting as they will most likely speak very little English.

Oh, and one more thing....one week till I see my wonderful family in HAWAII!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Japan is MAGICAL!

2007-05-20T22:17:00.000+09:00

Have you ever stopped to notice how beautiful the flowers really are?
Or how peaceful and calm the street you live on can become on a gorgeous Sunday evening?
How about the joy of the simplicity in the usual daily activities?
Or the fun of watching your friends striking a fierce pose just like Tyra Banks?

Well...I have. Now, you may be wondering why am I taking on such a "glass half full" sort of attitude. Let me tell you why...it's quite simple...

JAPAN IS MAGICAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who are unaware of this, I am sorry for you because this place, this wonderful, AMAZING place, this place which is home to 128,085,000 people is M-A-G-I-C!

"Why?" you may ask. It is because, only in Japan can you lose your cherished, cute, Coach clutch (which holds sentimental value as it was a gift from your little brother) holding your bank card, foreigner card, travel pass, and HOUSE KEYS inside and have it be RETURNED to your MAILBOX the next day with EVERYTHING inside!!!!!! No my friends this is not a lie! And it is also not a lie that Ray from Nagoya is a saint from heaven!

You now may be wondering how I got into such a pickle. It all begins with a great night out dancing and, um, yes, drinking with friends till 4am. My friend Lauren
and I were taking our fabulous selves back in a taxi when I looked around and realized "I don't have my cute, Coach, clutch!" So we have our driver turn back around and take us to where he picked us up. I am frantic and very, very tired at this point and am running around Sanjo Kiyamachi in my 3 inch, Jessica Simpson heels looking for my cute, Coach clutch. Disheartened and despondent I have our taxi driver (who is trying to use all the English that he learned in his high school classes) take us to the police station where I, and when I say "I" I mean the taxi driver, make a full report to the police about my cute, Coach clutch. After an exhausting and unavailing session of looking for my clutch we return to my apartment with intentions of waking my landlord in the wee hours of the morning to let us in the building. As my luck would have it, my landlord chose to ignore my calls of desperation, leaving us locked out, tired, and stranded. But like Mama taught me "Never give up." So I kick off my 3 inch, Jessica Simpson heels and begin to scale up the building wall to my second level balcony. As I am pulling myself over my balcony bar I paused and thought, "Life cannot get any better. And I cannot get anymore classier than I am at this very moment." Thankfully I had left my balcony door unlocked so I was able to get inside and let Lauren in so that we could finally go to sleep.

After a solid 5 hour rest Lauren and I drag our butts out of bed and head downtown to make a day of it. Following a fun day of shopping with Phil and Ted us girls head back to my apartment. As we enter the building I decide to check my mailbox and as I open the door and look inside what do I see???? MY CUTE, COACH CLUTCH!!!! WITH EVERYTHING INSIDE along with this note...
RAY, who turns out to have been a former JET and currently lives in Nagoya, you are a life saver and good Samaritan!!!!

So after I settle down from screaming and jumping all over the place I came to the realization that JAPAN IS MAGIC and LIFE IS WONDERFUL!!!!!!

Like I said before this place which is amazing, wonderful and home to 128,085,00 people (including Super Ray from Nagoya) is magic and has restored my outlook on life!

Re: My Mama San is Meccha Kawaii

2007-05-12T13:41:00.000+09:00

It was brought to my attention that I did not fully cite all my sources correctly in a recent post.

My understanding of the terms Mama-san and Papa-san was made by my friend Ted Liaw.

Ted Liaw (born July 27) is a Japanese Major, Art Minor from WashU '06
Quotes:
'Whaaaat...girl you know it was ME who told you about the true meaning of "mama-san!" Cite yo sources!! *z-snap*'
'I do what I want!'