going to Yokohama for o-shogatsu

Going away for a few days - we'll be celebrating the New Year with the Yamada family. I'll try my best not to choke on rice cakes. Should you not hear from me anymore...you'll have a pretty darn good idea of what happened. ^_^

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your vacation everyone!

SEX withdrawal

Ha ha, just joking...but on a similar note, have you ever suffered from boyfriend or girlfriend withdrawal? If you've ever had a long-distance relationship you'll surely know what I am talking about...but even if you haven't, you may know what it feels like. For the first time in my life I am suffering from boyfriend withdrawal. Don't know why - I've never been addicted to anyone before. (PHOTO: the arm pillow for singles or, good replacement for a boyfriend)

In my last summer in Woodstock (prior to uni) I met my first boyfriend, a co-worker (yes, mistake numero uno) whom I met up with maybe twice a week. That was plenty enough for me but he kept complaining it was hardly enough. Then the pattern continued in university. I didn't want to see anyone I dated more than once a week. Overdosing on anyone just made me feel like I was an irritated claustrophobic in a tight elevator... perhaps due to deeply entrenched commitophobia. The one time I had a relationship longer than three weeks they guy said the 3 words I feared most...yes, you know it - I love you. AGHhh...oh, dying, dying, dying - I need a respirator! Needless to say I had to get out fast - and that I did! Then I pulled a Houdini...flew across the globe to Japan. Ha ha, just kidding - not because of him but it sure makes for a good story. ";D

Then now, my first more than one-month relationship and I am the one suffering from boyfriend withdrawal. Life is so strange and cruel. My boyfriend says I suffer from *sabishii garia* complex which means fear of being alone. I wonder if being a foreign country makes us cling onto things more than we would back in our own niche back home. Sometimes I call him at midnight just to ask him to come over. I'm freezing cold and need my human heater, I say. Really it's just an attack of *sabishii garia* Perhaps this is when we know when we have found the one that is right for us. When we cannot get enough of them and want to see them more and more even after it's been a year and counting.

How about you? Do you miss your boyfriend or girlfriend when they are away? Did this only last during your honeymoon faze? Did you only suffer from bf/gf withdrawal with some people and not others? I am curious to find out more about this...

BLACK beans...argh, stupid food perfectionism

This morning I've got a pot of black beans simmering on my stove, praying that I don't forget the little buggers on the burner. I have a tendency to cook and forget things - apparently this thing runs in my family!

This past November when on a visit to my aunt Cathy and Uncle George's, the fire department decided to visit their house. My uncle had left some meat simmering in a pot - some neighbors spotted heaps of smoke coming out of the house and contacted the police. Geez - an extra hour or so and the place would have been toast. Phew, needless to say, they went out shopping for some auto-off range. I think I need that too.

Oh, back to the black beans...KUROMAME are a staple in Japanese osechi ryori, which means traditional New Year's cuisine. Osechi ryori includes various incredibly difficult foods to make and takes more than a day or two to prepare. Two years ago I prepared it twice and promised myself I wouldn't make it (I mean the whole 9-yards) again. Being faithful to promises made to others and not to myself, I'm likely to make the whole thing again some year...just wait and see. These beans have to look like shiny lustrous black pearls - achieving that is not as easy as it looks! Two years ago mine came out beautifully shiny but awfully wrinkly. Each food has some kind of significance...the teriyaki dried fish are supposed to represent a bumper crop; chestnuts in the KURI KINTON are for prosperity; dai dai kumquats represent generation after generation; lotus root gives one a clear view of the future; black beans signify perfection and hard work...hmm, I cannot remember anything else. (picture is OSECHI I painstakingly made two years ago!)

Oh, and on New Year's day lots of people have OZOUNI soup which is a soup with various veggies and a block of roasted sticky rice cake. It is to be eaten for a long life...but for some, instead of longevity it brings um, sudden death? No joke. Some elderly folks choke on the rice cake and pass out! If their family is around them, they can be rescued by ...get this, a vacuum cleaner! It was one of the most hilarious moments in my career - a student telling me they had OZOUNI soup with a vacuum cleaner nearby. They told me it was in the event of choking - I couldn't believe it! Hmm, guess they haven't heard of the Heimlich maneuver - I'll just call it modern Japan. Leave everything to the electronic gadgets. (picture to the L is mochi on the grill)

Reunions are the best, especially when people look different!

We met here at Andersen Bakery...I wonder if it was originally from America and came to Japan, or vice versa. Hmm, I'll have to find out.

Oh how wonderful reunions are!!! I met a former co-worker Mayuri after not having seen her for over three years! How different she looks with a new shorter and stylish haircut. I also met up with Kyoko (another former co-worker) whom was in and out of town, also looking very different with longer gorgeous jet-black hair. *happy* *happy* Reminiscing about old times, catching up with who-what-where gossip, and more. Oh I only wish I had more time to chat!

Life is full of so much fun - you have new friends to share new things or funny stories with and friends from the past to talk about shared experiences and new events in your life. The best part is finding out after a long seperation that you can still get along famously as before. That's the true test, I think. The second best part is seeing how different they look or find out how much they've matured (er, hopefully).

ATTAAAAAA

ATTAHHHHHH. Atta is what I say when I have succeeded in doing something, figured out something difficult, etc...

Today I learnt that a couple was formed from a party I'd held a few months ago. Now that makes it three couples - and many more to go. ^_^ My friends call me the perpetual matchmaker...tee hee.

So if you have some single friends, why not throw a huge singles party?

a daily affair...

How do these Japanese housewives do it?! Here in Japan, cleaning the house is a daily affair...as I recall, back home it was more like a weekly thing. Every morning they wake up at the break of dawn to prepare their children's bento boxes to ensure their lunch is filled with cutsie designs, healthy foods, and more. Then they whip up breakfast and shoo off the kids to school and husband to work. The rest of the morning is spent tiding up the house, doing laundry, and making sure things squeek and shimmer by the time it's done.

In the States people hire professional cleaners yet it still hasn't quite caught on here. Some housewives seem to enjoy it but others are just worn-out and frustrated at the ol' routine. It doesn't help that their husbands rarely pitch in. I admire these housewives, sometimes given the least credit by their husbands and children...I really hope that they enjoy those occasional coffee or luncheons with their girlfriends. Oh it's true - go to any cafe of restaurant from 1-4pm and it'll be packed with chatty housewives. Who said business isn't booming in Japan anymore? The housewives alone are holding up the food industry. ^_^ Anyway I am out the door for today...I have washed the dishes and have a load in the wash - good enough for now. I'm no housewife but hey, at least I've got time to do things like...er, blog.

PICTURE: chopstick trainers -pick up yours today!

A reminder to all the absent-minded...

Make a record of what u give your gf or bf!

Yesterday my student told me the funniest story. Background info: He has a long-distance girlfriend who lives quite a few hours away. Anyway they hadn't exchanged Christmas presents yet and he seemed a bit perplexed about what to get her. I was a bit surprised that he hadn't gotten the gift yet (she's coming tomorrow) and even more surprised that he looked so flustered. Dilemma? As it just so happens, this guy has a good memory when it comes to work-related matters...on the other hand, when it comes to his own personal life...he has the memory of a goldfish.

He recounted how once he exaggeratedly complimented her on her beautiful handbag, even going so far as to inquire, "where did you buy it?" Her delicate angel's halo mutated into prickly horns and she growled, "you bought it for me!!!" By this time I was howling with laughter, trying my best to shoot him a sympathetic look. (I think that failed) He was particularly worried that he'd buy her a gift which he'd already bought before. Anyhoo...after some quick thinking, I suggested he buy her a nice day trip to a local spa or something luxurious like a 2-hour massage...you know, something she wouldn't splurge on for herself. He smiled and flashed a "that's a brilliant idea" look. We'll see how it went - look for the update sometime in January.

party at Tamami's

Here are some pics from last night's party. After some strong coffee and my 'carpal tunnel' project, I stayed up until 4am - *yawn* *yawn* The adorable dog is Yoshio, my flatmate for about two weeks last year when I stayed at Tamami's while I was apartment hunting. What a sweetie she was for putting up with me for almost two weeks - I mean both Yoshio and Tamami. ^_^

See the 'candy?' (top L) Well one is a marshmallow with soft chocolate inside; the other is snack cheese camouflaged as white chocolate! They call it candy cheese...ah ha - another very tricky food item in Japan...not unsimilar to the red bean camouflaged as chocolate. Next item: easy pasta salad (top middle) - shrimp, green pepper, orange pepper, cucumber, salt/pepper, italian dressing. Curry fry (bottom middle): pumpkin, carrots, onions, green pepper, ground pork, curry powder, eggplant, bulldog 'sauce', ketchup...served up on a dish of rice. Lastly (top R) the fried chicken covered with grated Japanese radish with vinegared soy sauce dressing...garnished with sprouts.

You see the dessert photo: they may LOOK like Mont Blanc (not to be confused with the luxury pen) and they ARE Mont Blanc but probably not the kind you and I will eat Mont Blanc. It's from a dog cafe - that's right, it's for dogs. I suppose one 'could' technically eat it and turn out okay...hey, if you're up for the challenge. Like I say, ya gotta try everything at least once - or in the case of natto (future entry on that) - three times! btw: Yoshio really loved eating the Mont Blanc for dogs! For those of you not in the know about Mont Blanc, it's a sweet (sometimes sickeningly so but I luv it!) chestnut dessert composed of yellow cake covered with heaps of whipped cream which is again covered in noodley-strands of chestnut puree and then topped off with a chestnut.

The party was really enjoyable. I had to stumble around with my Japanese but in terms of listening, I was happy to catch on 80% of the conversation...hey anything over 50% these days makes me happy! This American guy from LA I was chatting with gave me a big compliment - "are you a translator here?" Ha ha, I almost spit out my coffee. I suppose his Japanese level is so low that he cannot distinguish between well-spoken Japanese and er, my Japanese. Either way, I felt it was a fantastic unintentional compliment...and yes, maybe one day I WILL become a real translator. ^_^

Sunday night DINNER

It was nice to be back home and be able to make culinary creations in my narrow but cozy kitchen again. Last night's dinner included: organic Chinese veggies from the farm we visited in Izu (L bottom), simmered carrots/chikua fishcake/chicken/burdock root/fried tofu puff (middle bottom), mentaiko - spicy cod roe rice with parmesan cheese and green onions (R top), premium Tsukuba mountain sake and nameko miso soup (middle top)! Oh, I made some kinpira gobo which is stir-fried julienned burdock root and carrots...but it didn't photograph so well!

For the first time ever, I used FRESH nameko mushrooms (see picture). FRESH ones are rather rare because they spoil so easily. Usually they are vinegared and sold in a clear vacuum pack. I was jumping for joy to find them 'FRESH' at the veggie market. I fear I scared some regulars (with my shrieks of delight) at the store - they gave me some pretty bizarre looks. The taste is nothing to get excited about - it's the slimy texture and the quality of the 'chew' that make nameko mushrooms so special.

3 years ago I never would have thought I'd be cooking with such strange ingredients! I just LOVE randomly picking up some strange veggies or ingredients and throwing them into my dishes. The results are always a surprise. Sometimes I get a BOO review in the form of, "oh this is rare taste, isn't it?"...or a YAHOO review in the form of, "oh, it's not bad at all." Sometimes I even surprise myself and cannot resist saying, "ohh, it's surprisingly good!!!" It's a little disconcerting for dining guests to hear the host a bit shocked at the tastiness of her own dishes. I will try to restrain myself in the future.

Maybe I should switch careers to research science, perhaps at a pharmaceutical lab or something???

Recovering from holiday cheer

Christmas was an interesting one, indeed. We met up with Hiro's university days friends at a nice cottage in Izu. It was really nice to meet all of them for me but I do admit, I was a little nervous about it at first. I think his friends are quite unlike other 'typical' Japanese - it must be the 'engineer' factor? I cannot pinpoint it exactly (how they're different) but they just are. I could hardly remember anyone's name from the party so after the party I assigned a nickname to each guy: spacey man, mumbly man, superhero dad man, poor lonely loner man... As for their wives, spacey man's wife...and so on. They seemed to give my boyfriend a nickname too - 'cradle robber.' Everyone was in their mid-30's so they were a bit surprised to find out I'm a decade younger, oh, and the foreigner thing too.

THE WIVES, in Japanese: "so how old are you actually?"
ME: 25
WIVES: (blink, blink...gasp) "ohhh, Yamada-sannnnnn, he's almost 35 isn't he? Ooo, isn't that a crime?"
ME: umm, umm, umm...
THEM: (still blinking and gasping)
.
.
.

You can imagine how it went. Despite everyone's initial shock they were so friendly and frank - kind of unusual considering it was our first time to meet.

We had hot pot (see entries below for more on that), pizza from Costco, Christmas cake, rotisserie chicken from Costco, draft beer (see Tarunama entry below), and more...ohhh so full! Mumbly man's wife had a bit too much to drink and started to complain about her husband. Whining and complaining turned into full out crying - at which point the host, spacey man, tried to change the topic only to be redirected to the couple's situation by the sobbing wife. She said her husband had such a cold heart and was so mean to her. Eeks. Lonely loner man decided to be the 'talk-show' host and started to shoot many questions at them. Everyone in the room told mumbly man, 'tisk tisk tisk' and 'you shouldn't do that to your wife.' What a shock it was for me to see this. Usually Japanese are very composed and don't wander out of their persona, much less in public... Again I stand corrected.

Have you ever been victim of 'motehara?' It means popularity harrassment. Perhaps your friends, family, and acquaintances are all harrassing you to get a boyfriend/girlfriend or to go out and find a wider social circle. They use scare tactics and all sorts of things to get you to take action. Anyway this weekend I saw 'motehara' in its most pure form - them attacking the lonely loner guy. He was the only one who came to the cottage solo and everyone gave him hell for that. Questions were intrusive and frequent - why didn't he meet someone at English school? what is his type? why did past relationships fail? It didn't help that he's 35 (plus or minus a year) and never had a serious relationship with a girl. After that everyone tried to give him pointers - from what to do...to what kinds of topics he should talk about. Number one: don't talk about engineering and shoptalk!!! It was said that he has a tendency to scare women away with that...oooh.

Merry Christmas to you, wherever you are!!!

Snickerdoodles before baking... I am putting some more finishing touches on more batches of cookies. I'd made 5 batches of various cookies but ran out...so I need to make more more more! I could have slept in an extra few hours but I really want to pass on the Christmas tradition to those here in Japan! See choco-biscotti below. The one curious thing about making cookies is that you get sick of seeing so many of them and don't want to see another cookie in sight. So although I'm making a slew of them, I have yet to eat more than a few! I wonder if bakers at patisseries feel the same about their baked creations?

Today we're off to Izu penninsula, to the cottage of my boyfriend's university friend. The cottage has a small hot spring in it made of cypress wood - ooooh, sounds good. 12 of us will spend the night there - ooh, rowdy rowdy cottage. The day after that, Christmas eve, will be spent in Yokohama...though not in a love hotel as other couples here will be. Traditionally Christmas is a strictly couples thing and all the love hotels are booked. Wow, how raunchy is that for Christmas...who knew Christmas could be so R-rated. I'll write an interesting blurb on love hotels when I get the chance. It's something not to be missed. ^_^ We'll be chomping on KFC and Christmas cake (strawberry shortcake). That's Japanese tradition. I do miss my turkey though and fully intend on having a "real" Christmas dinner next year. A few years ago I cooked Christmas dinner for 20 people here (to introduce them to the bona fide Christmas dinner) but I need time to recover from that...yes, it takes years!

Shoot. I am off to pack now! Speaking of packing, 90% of the time I go on a trip with my boyfriend, I inevitably forget something very important. Once I forgot my swimsuit (trip to the beach), another time I forgot my wallet (daytrip up north), another time I forgot a change of clothes (going kayaking) and once I forgot some bath towel (visiting a hot spring)... The thing is, when I go on a trip on my own, I never forget a thing. I wonder if there is some psychological quirk behind my forgetfulness. How about you? Are you more likely to forget something when you're with other people?

So signing off for now...until Christmas day, maybe!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Today's breakfast

This morning breakfast consisted of the following:
- Miso soup with aburage (#2 from left)
- Steamed rice with pickled mustard greens (centre)
- Simmered pumpkin (#1 from right)
- Curry carrot salad (#4 from left)
- Bean sprouts and nagaimo (mountain yam) salad (#3 from left)
- Sesame tofu (far left)

- placemat courtesy of Kazue for Christmas...this picture doesn't do it any justice
- tea serving set courtesy of Misaki who magically knew I was looking for a tea set!

...and topped off with a hot cup of Oolong cha, second from right. I wouldn't say this is a typical Japanese breakfast - one day I'll take a picture of that. I used to be a toast and eggs kinda gal but now I find Western breakfasts less and less satisfying, not to mention less appealing. Did you know you could have a meal like this would come up to about 500 calories whereas just two pancakes and two spoons of syrup would be calorically equivalent?

PHEW...ok we're game again

I've finally moved all my past weblogs from Friendster to Blogger. It took some time but gosh darn it, I finally got into the groove of writing a blog when they tell me I have reached my photo limit of the month? Like men (wink wink), I am a very visual person! Of course to bypass that I'd have to pay a great deal of money to get my account 'upgraded.' Sure if it was 10-20 bucks, maybe...but more than 100 dollars? Forget about it. Sorry Friendster - you can be fun but I'm blogging on blogger from now on. ^_^

Thanks to those who've emailed me with feedback on the blog. Good to know at least someone out there is reading my verbal diarrhea. Working at home does have it's benefits, I guess! I could never keep up a diary so a blog is a great way to keep me updated on what I do too! But fret not, I'm not the type to let all the juicy details of my life ooze out - those stay in my diary in my brain. Pthhhh.

OUTRAGEOUSLY priced but not the most attractive cake...

Employees of Takashimaya Department store look at a 223 diamond studded "Diamond Christmas cake" on the jewelry floor in Tokyo on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2005. The cake, with a price tag of 200 million yen (USD$ 1.72 million), is a two-layer hexagonal fruit cake measuring 20 centimeters tall and 18 centimeters in diameter and is covered with pink icing that is good for one year -- then you can eat it after removing the diamonds. (AP)
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Ouch, can you imagine how badly it'd hurt if you chomped on a diamond by accident? Seriously they use diamonds to cut diamonds...that's some hefty duty cutting power...imagine what damange it could do to your precious teeth! Hmm, I find this diamond cake a bit overdone and tacky, to say the least...if I were to choose a fancy cake, I'd pick one more like this (see pic below): Fresh, simple and minus the painful price tag. I'm going to stay posted on this one, just to see who buys it!!!
^_^
AGH!!! I just noticed that you can eat it after one year - are you joking? Just for decoration or really edible? Goodness, just a wedge of that stuff could likely kill you. I'll take an army MRE pack over that cake any day!

TOU-ji day!!!

Today I reminded all my students that it is TOUji day - winter solstice, the day with the least amount of sunlight. I'll say! It was freeeeezing...but my toes are lovely and toasty, thank you. My student presented me with thermal socks as a Christmas present - I was more than delighted. Call it ecstatic...and all over a few pairs of socks. ^_^ Not just ANY socks, but Mizuho thermal dry socks...oh, I'm feelin' the loving! In Japan it's not common practice to give and get Christmas presents (from people other than family) but this particular student is very much in-tune with Western practices. Her son-in-law is an American and he lives with her daughter in Seattle, Washington. (pic to the left: azuki beans)

Many students had forgotten or didn't realize it was TOUji and some weren't sure of how to celebrate it. I was surprised at that. I realized that it is in fact the foreigners who sometimes know a country the best - they are really curious and often ask around to get more than one answer. So if you're not sure about some cultural practice, tradition in your home country, why don't you consult the experts next time? (pic is a bowl of yuzu)

So you ask, what exactly is touji? Is it a holiday, festival, or spiritual day? It's kind of a tradition to prepare one's body for the long winter. The yuzu (Japanese citron) bath will hopefully give your body more energy and endurance to last through those cold-to-the-marrow days. In addition to the vitalizing yuzu bath, one should eat pumpkin which has been simmered with red azuki beans. (yes the same ones that go in an-pan...read the previous post) It's said that pumpkin contains a great deal of vitamins, beta carotene and other magic wonders to fend off nasty viruses of all sorts. (pic to the left: Japanese pumpkin, sweeter and softer in texture than its American cousin)

Two more classes and I am off to my yuzu bath...ahh, the mere thought of it makes me gurgle and drool. Speaking of which, when was the last time you took a bath? Not a quick one, I mean a good one-hour soaking. Here in Japan they do it regularly - the whole family uses the same tub water. Wait...before you think it's that gross...first, they wash up outside of the tub so by the time they enter the water, they're already clean to the core. The soaking part is just to relax and refresh one's tired body. Here it seems the regular bathing tradition is rather indiscriminate. If my memory serves me correctly, back in North America the bath tradition is usually reserved for women/children and some couples.

Frozen Fukuroda falls

Tourists view frozen Fukuroda waterfall in Daigo, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Monday. The waterfall was almost completely frozen on Monday morning as the temperature declined to minus 5.5 degrees below in the town in the predawn hours. It began to snow in Daigo at around 7 a.m., covering the waterfall.It is rare that the Fukuroda waterfall completely freezes in December, according to Daigo Municipal Government officials.
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Last year we went to Fukuroda Falls for Christmas and the water was not frozen. Only a few traces of icicles and frozen bits. A cold snap has really hit us this year. This morning while shivering and attempting to wash dishes, my half-frostbite numb fingers clumsily dropped and broke a bowl. This is why I don't own fancy Riedel wine glasses. Oh, and the affordability factor, er...unaffordability factor.

Cheery blossom buns!

Oops, I meant to type Cherry blossom but the typo seems appropriate to some extent. Eating the cherry blossom bun made me feel cheerful, um right. This morning I had some an-pan bread presented to me by a student. It is from KIMURAYA, the shop known for inventing an-pan, or in English, bean paste bread. A small bun is typically filled with red bean paste. Nowadays they come in a variety of flavors. Purple sweet potato paste, red bean and salted pickled cherry blossom and red bean paste, yuzu (Japanese citron) paste...and more! The unique marriage of salty pickled cherry blossoms and the smooth red bean paste was surprisingly good. When you're in Japan next time, why don't you head over to Ginza to grab yourself one or two of these?! BEWARE: many a-foreigner has been deceived by an-pan (red bean paste bread) unaware that it was just that - RED BEAN PASTE and not chocolate. So if you're looking for chocolate, you might have to look somewhere else.

=================================
update: my student told me she is friends with the daughter of the founder of Kimuraya! What a small world it is!

New Year's cards, Japanese nengajyou

This is an example of a nengajyou, a traditional New Year's card. It's much akin to the Christmas card, however, unlike the Xmas card, it cannot be sent out well in advance...well it can but the post office will hold onto it until the 1st. It means on January 1st, if you are lucky and have a slew of friends...you'll get tons of postcards all at once! It's rather exciting, awaiting New Year's cards and after having received them, waiting for the lottery day. The lottery day is a week or so after New Year's Day - they release a bunch of 'winning' numbers with prize. Prizes run from mere stamps...to nice electronics. If you have a winning number, you can go to the post office to get your respective prize. Last year my boyfriend's card won me a set of memorial post stamps...being the secret geeky stamp collector that I am, I was delighted at the seemingly trivial prize. ^_^ I let out a big whee with glee...oh dear, cheesy me...someone stop me!
Ack sorry 'bout my stupidity...moving on to a more serious tone. If you've experienced the passing away of a close relative, you are not allowed to send or receive cards. Before New Year's those people notify friends and acquaintances with cards which request that people abstain from sending them any 'nengajyou' cards. Two people already informed me of that. I was so sorry to hear that, therefore I decided to circumvent the policy by sending them a holiday Christmas card. It was given an okay by both parties. Hurrah~! Ah, taking what I want from either culture...it's the great advantage of living in a foreign country. Live as the Romans do but from time to time play like a rebel and still get away with it.

A different kind of carpal tunnel is on the horizon now. OUCH, my wrist hurts...I mean, it really hurts now. Not from knitting - the knitting project had to be put on a hiatus because of Xmas cards, Xmas cookies, year-end parties, New Year's cards...the list goes on and on! Anyway I just finished writing about 70 cards and have more to go. According to card sending etiquette, I have to send one to everyone and their grandma and dog. ^_^ The thing about New Year's cards is you cannot 'forget' someone without a little bit of embarrassment or last-minute scrambling. As for Christmas cards back home, it seems that there is a bit of leeway as to when it can be sent...weeks in advance, a week or two after...it's all good. As for Japanese New Year's cards...since they are delivered in one big lot on January 1st, it's sometimes obvious when one has been forgotten. Though tradition is now fading and cards are arriving later and later and people don't mind so much at all.

A few days ago I just finished designing and putting the cards together. It's in fact rather rare for people to make handmade cards these days but I'm not a big fan of cookie cutter cards made by PC topped off with a signature. Yes, it is the thought (of a real snail mail card) that counts but if that is the case, isn't an e-greeting just the same? Sorry I think my standards are set a bit high there. Ok, so getting a card PERIOD is good enough in my books.

DRAFT beer at home minus the keg?!

Kirin Tarunama System Fresh and Delicious Draft Beer at Home A frosty mug of draft beer is just the thing to chase away the thirst after a long day. In the past, this small luxury could only be enjoyed at restaurants and bars.
"I want to enjoy a real mug of beer at home!"
In order to satisfy the voice of these consumers, KIRIN Tarunama Ichiban - Home draft beer system - was launched in 2002. There have been always people who like drinking draft beer at home. In fact, the sales of home beer servers manufactured by some toy makers are often good but they only sell at some toy retailers.
(1) Tarunama is delivered at below 10°C from factories to retailers to keep the beer as fresh as possible.
(2) Pouring beer by CO2 pressure of specialized server enables the creation of a creamy form, so to feel the taste and form as if in beer hall.
(3) Air discharge of specialized server prevents the oxidation and thus quality is guaranteed for one week after opening.
The specialized server is compact and fits the Aluminum keg to be stored in door pocket of refrigerator. You can drink at your pace when and how much you want!
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We had this at last night's party. Powered by CO2, this stuff really does change the taste of regular 'can' beer. Mmm Mmm good. Cheers to tabletop draft beer!

Bento entry #2

This morning time was scarce so I made a very simple bento box. It consisted of: salted salmon, stir-fried mushrooms, sesame-flavored spinach, and pumpkin. The little red thing is an umeboshi pickled plum, (in my case) purely for ornamental reasons. Dessert included strawberries and a giant tangerine. Some women give their boyfriends a bento after they've been dating for a short time. I find that the Japanese don't induge in PDA's so much but they have their own way of showing their affection for one another. One prime example is the bento, the not so subtle subtle expression of love.
Read more about the bento tradition...

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?ek20040325ks.htm

ONE POT, TWO Pot, THREE pot, HOT POT

This pic is of a traditional Japanese hot pot, a.k.a. *nabe* in Japanese. Yesterday night we had a nabe party at my place. From a small 3-member gathering, it turned into a 6-member event. My boyfriend said he'd cook for me one day - then he said he'd make nabe. I said, *NO FAIR - 'hot pot' is not cooking - it's just cutting!* It's true. The hardest, most tedious part is cutting everything up. Then you throw it into the claypot, add some water and wait until it boils over and everything is cooked through. VOILA - time to eat.

As for flavor, we like to pour in ponzu, a YUZU (Japanese citron) based soy sauce vinegar. My ponzu sauce cost 800yen (8USD) a bottle - pricey but trust me, it's worth it! A few weeks ago we made hotpot with a soymilk base. Yesterday we used a simple milk base. Sometimes we use kimchi and chili sauce as a flavour base.

Why don't you try nabe someday? It is a GREAT way to warm up/steam up your room without a humidifier and tastes great! And for you single men out there, it's a great source of vegetables. In Japan we say one should eat 30 different kinds of food/drink each day...that doesn't mean 1) honey lager 2) regular lager 3) bitters 4) light beer...nor does it mean 1) snickers bar 2) Mars bar 3) M&M's...

SUMO - or suMOH, in Japanese

On Sunday we went to a "sumo appreciation" event - it included just about everything but the real thing, a match. This pic is of the Bulgarian sumo wrestler, Kotooshu (22-yr old whopping 2.04 meters=6 ft 8 in, 143 kg=315lb) the guy ranked right under topdog Yokozuna (highest rank in sumo) Asashoryu. What makes them unique is neither one is Japanese. To many sumo purist's dismay, Asashoryu is a Mongolian wrestler. ^_^ Globalization - it's EVERYWHERE.

We were greeted by all the sumo wrestlers at the entrance and they served us a big bowl of "chanko nabe" for 100yen (less than a dollar!). Sumo wrestlers eat buckets of this stuff to gain weight - and it's no wonder. They put anything and everything in it! Our included: mirin (sweet cooking sake), carrots, konnyaku jelly, satoimo (mountain potato), burdock root, cotton tofu, egg yolks (my bowl alone had 4!!!), soy sauce, onion, chicken meat and skin, eggplant, shitake mushroom, enoki mushroom, aburage (fried soybean puff), Chinese nappa cabbage, negi (Japanese leeks)...and so on. After they've eaten a hearty meal, they take a nap...hmm, it helps speed up the fat building process?

Like a well-seasoned sumo wrestler, I too fell asleep post-chanko nabe meal...and was awoken by a match between Asashoryu and some elementary school boys. It was funny seeing the big guy pick up the boys by their 'diaper' wraps. Some boys got a head start to run into Asashoryu's stomach...THUD. Overall the event was interesting and sumo players were so friendly and polite - I think I'll head out for a game next sumo season.

Me-o like-o el cheese-o...Spanglish

THE LANGUAGE CURVE>>> if you don't use it, you lose it!

Not too long ago I finished up a Christmas card for my father and his family. I cannot believe I have another sibling...few-month old half-sister Nicole. It's kind of surreal because she's young enough to be my lil' niece! Back to the card - I wrote some of it in English and then proceeded to write (er, attempt to write) a few lines in Spanish, formerly my third language after Mandarin...when I realized how RUSTY it'd gotten. I swear you could hear the creaking - the result of my brain thinking and churning for words. My best friend Jessie and I used to study Spanish in high school - whenever we didn't know a word, we'd just attach an "O" to the end. Instant Spanglish. A few summers ago I felt incredibly frustrated trying to tell Brandon (my now 5...or is it 6-year old half-brother) that "no voy a jugar contigo si jueges como asi"...meaning, I won't play with you if you cheat like that.
CONCLUSION: They say you forget the most about a language within the first two years. After that the memory loss seems to come to a much slower declining plateau. I think I have defied this theory.

Earthquakes - trembling Viv

Have you ever experienced an earthquake? How about a really strong shaker?

This morning I was jolted awake by an earthquake. They occur quite often these days - either that or I'm more paranoid/sensitive to them than ever!
Many months ago a huge earthquake struck the Kanto region (this area) while I was on my way to Tokyo. On the highway bus I didn't feel a thing. When we arrived at Tokyo Station I noticed nothing was running and a bunch of security guards were scrambling about. I immediately thought, "terrorists!!!" only to be informed by another passenger that a fairly large earthquake just took place. How very inconvenient - I was late for my party in Ebisu...an ol' businessmen drinking district. Finally quite late and exasperated from waiting for a train (the whole Tokyo trans system halted for a number of hours) I taxi-ed it with a gal also destined for Ebisu. Anyway since that earthquake came and went, I became even less fond of Tokyo. If such a minor earthquake could paralyze the city to such an extent, how about THE BIG ONE? You know, the overdue earthquake seismologists predict might topple and crush Tokyo. I dunno about topple and crush...but you get the idea of what kind of damage could be done!

I'll never forget an earthquake (in Taiwan) that struck while my mom and I were watching "The Quick and the Dead." (don't ask about the movie...) I thought, "amaaazing! These Asian theatres are fully-equipped with surround sound AND motion effects, too!" That thought persisted seconds until I heard people trampling over one another to get to the exit. Everyone was shouting, "DEE ZHENNNNNN," which means "earthquake" in Mandarin Chinese.

Aren't you from Chicago???

This is what I always hear from students when they see me, teeth chattering, body not just shivering but convulsing... Of course Chicago is much colder than this part of Japan. The difference being lack of CENTRAL HEATING...oh God that is such a beautiful word. I'll 'say' it again, "CENTRAL HEATING." AHHHHHHHHH, I feel warmer just thinking about it.

Frosty the Vivian...da de doo de do da dummmm. (ugh, sorry...cheese mode...) This morning I woke up all warm and snug in my 'tent' made up of an electric blanket on my futon covered with a light blanket with me sandwiched in between it and a fluffy lightweight comforter. It was all toasty and great until I decided it was time to get a glug of coffee in the kitchen. I groggily grabbed my java and then...whoaa, 'what's this?!" FROSTY air? I could see clouds forming when I opened my mouth...POOF, I breathed...just like a roaring dragon from a fairy tale I'd become. Back in Illinois we used a wood stove to heat the house...then years later we started to use natural gas. I don't EVER recall being cold at all. I guess that's something we take for granted back home. Though I do recall freezing in Canada because my aunt is a thrifty woman who is a big advocate of wearing layers (and layers and layers) of clothes. I was always laughed at by Uncle George when he saw me get ready for bed by throwing on my thickest toque and gloves.
Did you know the energy consumption in Japan is only 50% or so that of the States? With it being so cold and all, I can surely attest to that! Anyway I am now toasty with my halogen heater aimed squarely at my body...though my fingers are 1/4 frozen feeling. Please send me warm energy...brr brrr BRRRRR. I've heard they have central heating in Northern Japan - way up in Hokkaido but that doesn't do me any good. With my 100 dollar or more electricity bill...you'd think I paid enough to keep warm, eh? (cannot lose those Canadian 'ehs' - I wonder if it rubs off on my students...)

This is a simple model of the heated toilet seat...they can range from 200 dollars to 800~ dollars. Some have water jets, gurgly noises to mask your tinkle sound, deodorizers, automatic lid controls (men: no more lectures on leaving the seat up), and more! Life without one would be a very barren life. &_& Now if only they had shower room heaters...taking bath each morning and stepping on the icy floor - it looks like I am doing a hat dance or prancing all over hot coals.
SEND ME HEATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Bonnenkai parties

Tonight I had an 'end of the year' party. They are called 'bonnenkai' and are a way to celebrate the end of a (hopefully) good year. More often than none one ends up paying an average of 5-7000 yen ($50USD) at each Japanese pub...OUCH. Make that one or two parties each week...and there goes that month's salary. >_< If you are lucky, you'll get invited to a potluck party at one's house though let it be noted that the Japanese rarely entertain at home. (due to size and lack of custom) I cannot wait until next year when the partying continues with 'shinenkai' - can you guess what that is??? Yes, it's a 'celebrate the new year' party...they happen all throughout January and in some cases, even February. Parties. Aren't they the best?! ^_^

Vroom Vroom...or crash?

How's my prospective lil' one doing there... GM - a stock I've been mulling over for awhile now. After having done some research on it, logic tells me the odds are against this one. Nevertheless my guts tell me otherwise and I'm going in for the buy. That is, if it hits 21.50 in the next few weeks. I'm hoping it will dip lower and rebound again...and not just sink sink sink. How do you feel about GM company? Have you ever bought one of their cars? I had an Olds '97 back in high school - not a bad car despite the faulty 'engine is in need of repair' light on the dashboard. UPDATE 12/19: I got a case of cold feet and canceled the order. My guts now tell me it might do a sudden 'file for Chapter 11' so I'm bailing out... UPDATE 12/21: Thank God I didn't buy it at 21.50 - the whole stock took a plunge and looks like GM is in more eminent danger than ever. Eeks. Not a high risk high return investment. JUST high risk.

UPDATE 12/22: Kerkorian sells 12 million GM shares
LOS ANGELES — Billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian reduced his stake in General Motors Corp. to 7.8 percent this month, taking a significant loss on his investment in order to qualify for a tax break, according to a regulatory filing.

GM will be helped by Toyota to develop models of hybrid cars. That should help them out in the future. I drove the PRIUS in Japan...it was scary - not the car itself but my first time driving in Japan AND on the LEFT hand side of the road. According to witnesses I almost took out the left rear-view window...oops. I was never that great a driver back in the States so it shouldn't come as a big surprise. That's why I drove the rented PRIUS. My boyfriend knows me FAR too well...so much that he didn't trust me within an inch of the driver's wheel of his silver 'baby.'

Handling and feel of the PRIUS? Nice and a very smooth drive. Very silent slick machine it is. Though it did leave a high-pitched ringing tone in my ears after a long day trip. Maybe that was just me. The rear mirror really threw me off - it is not a whole panel of glass...it's divided into two sections, making it incredibly difficult to get a good view. Personally I like the shape and design of the body though most others I'd asked couldn't agree. @:P WOW gas-saver at 21km/L...shoot in American miles...errrr...errr...okay, that's 52 miles per gallon...

How are your pearly ones doing today???

This is NOTHING compared to what the dentist showed me a month ago. Before my routine checkup, I gave my teeth and tongue a quick brush but forgot to do the usual-Listerine swish. I figured a brush-a-brush was good enough. Well soon after that a video microscope told me otherwise...EWWWWWWWWW...squigglies, creatures, dots zooming across the slide, worm-like goobers, oh disgusting! I couldn't believe my mouth harbored so many little organisms. It's a wonder why we don't get sick from all those things. Since then I religiously count on Spearmint Listerine (disclaimer: I own some of Pfizer) and always use my trusty albeit expensive flosswands. Then I told the woman to cap me over with some invisible fillings for prevention's sake. From the look on her face, I think it was the first time anyone ever told them they wanted a thorough cleaning and unnecessary treatment. Well, it's my specialty to shock people every once in awhile...glad to be of service.

I once asked a student how often he went to the dentist. He cringed and couldn't remember the last time he went. So I started polling the rest of my students...shockingly similar results! Wowow. It seems that people here only go to the dentist when absolutely necessary. By far and large, the majority fear the pain factor induced by various tools. As for me, I'm more afraid of those horrifying sounds those gadgets emit...I then resumed my questioning, this time with one more question, "do you brush your tongue?" It seems that more than 70% don't brush it...oh the horror continues.

Now I am trying to educate my students into brushing their tongue and actually heading to the dentist before their teeth are brown and rotting out. If you don't believe me, just come here to Japan...you'll notice there is an obviously lower number of people with straight, white, and beautiful pearly sets of teeth. I suppose it doesn't help that braces cost $10,000USD or more. It's not that they don't want braces, it's rather a matter of not being able to afford them. HIM: "So honey, what shall we do...get your teeth fixed or buy a new car for the new addition in our family?"

So if you live in the States or Canada, be thankful you come from a country which puts high priority on dental hygiene. I got a so-called dental checkup and cleaning in Taiwan...after the checkup, I swear my mouth felt even grimier from the doc's hands. Uck. In Honduras after a routine cleaning, the dentist (a woman, not that it matters) told me I had to get my 11 cavities filled. Upon visiting my dentist in Toronto, I was informed that no such 11 cavities existed. After I insisted he was wrong, he took an x-ray and showed me the cold proof. I shut up, thanked him and left. ^_^

Oh and if you have some spare toothbrushes with a tongue brush on the reverse which you don't want, feel free to send 'em my way! I've got one person converted and the rest of the country to go. I'm a cock-eyed optimist...so shoot me. @(>_<)@

An acknowledgement to all the broken-hearted out there

BOSTON (Reuters) -- Are diamonds really forever?

An anonymous gift-giver left a $15,000 diamond engagement ring to the owner of an unlocked car in western Massachusetts with a typed note hinting at a broken heart. (see picture, left) "Merry Christmas. Thank you for leaving your car door unlocked. Instead of stealing your car I gave you a present. Hopefully this will land in the hands of someone you love, for my love is gone now. Merry Christmas to you," the note said.An anonymous gift-giver left a $15,000 diamond engagement ring to the owner of an unlocked car in western Massachusetts with a typed note hinting at a broken heart.

So there it is: diamonds may be a girl's best friend but apparently the same cannot be said for men. What to pick, getting over sticker shock, how to present it and surprise her, potential rejection...the list goes on... As for the ring itself...I prefer a very orthodox ring like the one pictured to the left. Perhaps the Japanese essence of simplicity is starting to affect me... Poor guy - now his wallet + his heart are hurting.
What do you suppose happened? Theory #1: he'd proposed to his girlfriend and she rejected him right off the bat Theory #2: the night before their wedding, she was attacked by a case of cold feet and returned the ring + (obviously) canceled the wedding plans. Theory #3: he never got to give the ring to her - he found out she was cheating on him with his best friend Theory #4: ...(you give it a whirl in the comments section)