Two out of Twelve

white christmas

2011-12-26T23:06:00.001+09:00

It was a white Christmas.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T23:30:00.002+09:00

It's day two of my winter vacation and I started it off by lugging a very heavy, half-broaken suitcase, stuffed with a variety of presents for my siblings and, well,... bottles of alcoholic delight for me and Boris to share, to the Yoyogi JR bus station. At 10:20am, I found myself on a bus that would take me back up to Nasu and family for Christmas. It was a smooth and relaxing bus ride, thanks to the fact that there was no traffic, the weather was lovely, and no one was occupying the seat next to me. The only thing lacking was a can of beer which I was planning on picking up on a rest-station on the way. Upon arriving to the rest-stop though, I was horrified to find out that they didn't have beer or any alcohol for that matter!! So wrong!

When i saw Boris, Yuya and Nonny waiting to pick me up at my bus stop, I was soooooooo excited and overwhelmed with happy emotions I almost didn't feel the biting cold air that hit me when the doors to the bus flung open! It's good to be back in Nasu! It's good to be at Mom and Dad's place. I missed it all--the pollution-free air, the peaceful atmosphere, and even the smell of cow!

I spent my day catching up and chilling with siblings, and, believe it or not, cooking dinner!! All that for not wanting to be in the kitchen during my stay here! Damn the camels nose!!

I cooked a chicken, eggplant pasta.

Then I spent the rest of the evening with my daaaaahling over cake, strawberries, sparklingi wine and chocolate! Best . Christmas . Eve . EVER!!

it is finished

2011-12-23T00:19:00.001+09:00

It is finished!!

Yesterday was my last day of work for the year, and I'm feeling soooooooooooo good! Starting from today, I have around 2 weeks off from teaching, and I am at loss for words to describe how relieved and relaxed I am right now as I sit on the floor of my room in front of the heater, just being. Coldplay is playing in the background. I'm alone. It's perfect. I don't have to mind anybody. I don't have to fuss about the students I'll be teaching the next day. I don't have to plan any lessons. I'm loving the stillness of everything. I want to take this moment--this slice of perfection--and make it last forever.

Unfortunately, wishful thinking doesn't help or change anything. All good things have the tendency to come to an end. Annoying, but it's OK, especially when I've got better things to look forward to! Like Boris, for example. If there's going to be noise, if there's going to be any kind of talking and listening going on for me this holiday, it might as well be with people I love--Boris, other siblings, Mom, Dad, and a few other dear friends.

I really miss her. She's one person I feel I can really be myself around, all the good and all the bad, without the fear of being accepted or misjudged. I can be who I really am without the need I sometimes feel to impress, to be strong, to entertain, or being careful about what's coming out of my mouth. Our friendship somehow holds through everything. I can be weak with her. I can let myself be the mess that I am, and I know she'll still love me the same. I'm so glad we're spending this winter vacation together! I'm even more glad that she's going to be living with me in Tokyo next year!

hayaku!!

2011-12-20T01:28:00.000+09:00

I'm excited! I've only got 3 more days of work before I enter my long awaited, much deserved (?) winter vacation!! Can somebody please fast-forward time to the 23rd? I want to get on with my life!! I want to see Boris! I want to be breathing in fresh air and drinking clean water! I want to eat home-made food! I want to see my siblings!

weird men. ew!

2011-12-18T22:39:00.000+09:00

A few weeks ago while I was walking around a nearby department store during break time, an old man approached me out of the blue and handed me a piece of paper:

ちょっと後で読んでみてください。

It was weird. I gave him a very blank, quizzical stare and raised an eyebrow, stuffed the piece of paper in my pocket, turned around and walked off. I had nothing to say to him, and besides I'm quite leery of men who come up and talk to me, as they often end up to just be your average, horny, slightly pervy dude, hoping for a date or a one-night-stand. To be honest though, I initially thought this old man was different (that with the note and all). I thought he might be one of those fortune tellers who randomly receive premonitions about random people he randomly meets, and gives them prophecies that he receives for them. I was very wrong.

On my way back to my office, I pulled the piece of paper from my pocket and gave it a quick skim. It was instantly obvious to me that it wasn't a prophecy at all. What first caught my eye out of the messy, hand written note was '30-40万'. What caught my eye after that was a phone number. After connecting the dots and being hit over the head with the realization that the note I was holding in my hand was really a proposal to be this man's personal .... well, whore, and making my 'ewww-grose-face', I picked up the pace and did my best to hurry in my new, decently-heeled-boots, (awesome for making my legs look long and not-so-fat, but horrible when you need to rush it). I felt anxious and kept looking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being followed. What a creep!!

As soon as I reached my office, I heaved a gigantic sigh of relief and disgust and sank in my chair. I took out the piece of paper and this time gave it a decent read. A rough summary of the note would be that he wanted to 'date' me, and for every 'date' he would offer anywhere between 300-400,000 yen. 2-3 times a week would be nice. He's 61 years old (Ew!) and owns his own company. The last girl he was 'dating' had graduated from uni and was moving to a different country and he was interested in looking for another...well, date. He's in a hurry to catch an appointment, but if I could kindly leave a message at the number he had written, he would get back to me ASAP.

Wow. Seriously? Seriously??? Ran to the bathroom and stared into the mirror, raised my eyebrows, asked myself: Seriously? How many weird old men do I have to meet before I meet someone decent?! I think I'm a magnet for strange, horny, old pervs. If not that, then married, engaged, divorced!! I need a break. SERIOUSLY!

P.S

My finger '(which I had accidentally sliced while attempting to cook after a night out drinking ) is healing up. The image bellow was taken a week after the incident, and now after 2 weeks, it looks very different but not any prettier, unfortunately. Since I had decided against getting stitched up at a hospital, the cut kept opening up, and healed in such a way that it looks like a,...well,...healed open cut. It's VERY unattractive. VERY sad.

feel gross

2011-12-18T20:26:00.000+09:00

Whew!. My diet, which has been laden with alcohol, oily izakaya food, and junk from Lawson, is taking it's toll on me and I feel sluggish and contaminated! There have been 8 drinking events since entering December, and I'm glad to finally be able to say that there are only 2 more to go before I leave for fresh and crisp Nasu to celebrate Christmas with my family.

It's definitely a festive time, and I sincerely enjoy drinking and talking with my students, but it's far from relaxing! Having to always watch what you say, making sure that you're not offending anyone, smiling, being generally happy, and listening and acting like you understand can become quite exhausting, even if all of this is done sitting down with a drink in hand. I, for one, desperately need a break! Thankfully, I've only got 4 more working days before my first day of a long vacation! Yeeessss!

It's been a good year of experiencing and learning for me, and I feel like I've made a lot of progress in so many areas of my life. Although it wasn't always easy, I can honestly say that it has been a great year. I can't wait to celebrate how great 2011 has been for me with best friend Boris! Let's rock it, hun!

Below is a picture of me and my 'crazy women' student group!

some crazy women

2011-12-07T16:29:00.001+09:00

Every Wednesday, from 10:15 to 12:00, I teach a lovely group of 8 ladies in their 40-60's. Each one of them is unique in their own special way, and although their personalities are so different from each other, they are all very close as if they were friends for years!

Initially, I was quite intimidated by this group as I had no idea how to interact, much less teach older ladies. But after getting to know them through the many lessons and discussions we've had over the past few months, there's so much that I absolutely LOVE about them! i HAVE to share this with you all...

Yu:

....is your typical polite, nice 50-some year old Japanese lady. She's got puppy-dog-eyes that have a twinkle of youth, and a very cute face with short hair that frames it perfectly. She's petite but healthy looking, and if I had to choose a word to describe her it would be 'adorable'!

What is special about Yu is that she has a thing for hot guys with muscles. And when I say 'muscles', I'm not talking about your everyday toned, well-built-Joe! I'm talking about no-neck, larger-than-life, bulging, Vin-Diesel-muscles!! In fact, she's in love with the dude! She's already met him twice during his premiers to Japan, and she said she almost fainted with pure, undiluted delight!

Her hobbies: watching movies, obsessing and fantasizing about the hot men and their muscular bodies, and chasing celebrities down when they visit Japan (well, only if they're hot actors, anyway...) Just this Wednesday, she excitedly announced that she went to see Tom Cruise on her day off at his premier! She really glows when she talks about movies and celebrities!
Not only does she know the actors' names, but she's quite versed in their general background, filmography, and the other basics like age, who they're married to, children, so on and so forth. Coming from a typical, Japanese, 50-some housewife, it's quite... well... different! And I love it!

Me: What would you say if you had 5 minutes with Vin Diesel?
Yu: O.M.G!! My heart would beat out of my chest!! I would tell him 'I love you!'
Me: Yeah, but you have 5 minutes. I love you would only take up 3 seconds to say.
Yu: I'll say it over and over again!
Me: Is your husband OK with your ... um (cough)... hobbies??

K.K

This is a beginner's class, but K.K is quite fluent in her English. More than anything, her pronunciation surprises me! She doesn't seem to struggle with her 'R' and 'L' sounds, and apparently, she was quite the hottie when she was younger. Even now in her late 50's or 60's, you can tell that she must have been a real knock-out back in the day. She takes good care of herself, is not stuck up, very friendly, talkative, and outgoing. She can even be quite girlie at times, commenting on the other ladies' romantic life and husbands in a good-natured way, and is inclusive in her actions and speech. Love her.

What is special about K.K. is definitely the amount of alcohol she can chug down! We had all gone to an izakaya once during the summer, and I do believe she drank at least 10 drinks, and seemed to be doing just fine! We go for lunch every now and then and always has either wine or beer with her food. She's also a smoker, and when asked by one of the other students during a lesson centered around health if she thought of changing her diet and unhealthy habits, she shrugged her shoulders and frowned, 'I don't have to because I really don't care! At this age it's not worth fussing about.'

Haru

...is very pretty, has what anybody would call doe-eyes, takes good care of herself, has nice hair, perfect nails, very fashion conscious, and oh-so-young, despite really being in her mid-50's.

What is special about Haru is that she's just absolutely wild!! Really, really wild! I'm talking about partying till 4:00 am, drinking with friends, singing in Karaoke, dancing, going to Ginza for a night out with girl-friends, late nights over wine and singing along with YouTube, going to the cinema with her 26 year old son (who I also happen to teach as well), flying around the world, playing tennis, sporting bikinis in the summer, attending three English lessons and two yoga lessons a week, wears high-heels, comments on how men look, takes purikuras, goes bowling, and is queen of organizing anything to do with fun and partying!

One time, we were at a student's English speaking/drinking event, and everyone was handed a small piece of paper to write a short question, which would then be tossed in a bucket, and from where people will randomly draw from to get conversations going. Her question? 'What was your first kiss like?'

Koko

...is very short and small. She has pitch black, emo-style hair that shags into her face. (You know, where the hair is shading one eye and all?) She's always wearing black and grayish tones. Her shirts often have writings on it--definitely punk. She wears leather and hoodies. She has a pretty face. I'm guessing she's in her early 50'sor late 40's. She's a smoker.

What's special about Koko is her insane schedule and hobbies. Let's start with hobbies. She LOVES dancing hip-hop and attends a hip-hop dance class 5 times a week. She also LOVES Korean drama! I think she spends at least 3 hours a day watching 'em! Her love for Korean dramas has lead her to study Korean, which means she is presently studying two languages at the same time. She also works 5 times a week in the kitchen of some restaurant! How she manages to follow such a crazy schedule every effing day baffles me! How on earth can one tiny person fit all of the above, not to mention the housework in a week? I couldn't do it.

The others are funny too!!
One other lady shared the story of how she had stripped down to her bra and panties and dived into a pool (with her entire family as the onlookers) after realizing that the resort they were all staying at had an amazing indoor pool and that she hadn't packed a bathing suit! You would never guess that she were the type to do such a thing if you just saw her!
Another lady had the time of her life attending a SMAP concert. Another shared us her concerns about her hair... it's just never glossy enough!!!

My bounenkai with this happy group is coming up soon! It's going to be exciting!

hair

2011-12-07T00:53:00.001+09:00

I can be a bit impulsive at times.
I felt a great need to for a change this morning, and decided to settle with an inexpensive, quick-and-snappy one. Grabbed a pair of kitchen scissors and snipped twice. Voila! I cut myself some bangs, and I got what I wanted: change!

drunk cooking is stupid

2011-12-06T02:57:00.001+09:00

Woke up with a throbbing head ache (or hangover, choose your pick), and also a throbbing, dull-and-sharp-at-the-same-time-pain in my finger!! Figuring out why my head was in pain was no rocket science--the alcohol staining my breath helped. But why my finger was in so much pain was a mystery to me. I squinted my eyes and tried to focus on my left index finger and made out a very bloody excuse for a band-aide wrapped tightly around the top of my finger. Hm. Ok, a cut. Interesting.

But upon pulling myself out of bed and looking around my room, I noticed that my bed sheets were also smeared with blood in messy splotches here and there. The walls of my room, the door, carpet, door handle, clothes, and bag had splotches of blood as well. Something wasn't quite right. I glanced at my aching finger and raised a curious eyebrow. The blood all over my room had to come from somewhere, and although I obviously had a cut on my finger, it seemed to be rather small to have bled all that...well, blood!

After giving myself some time to remember the previous night and also many glasses of water, little bits and pieces of what had happened began to return to me. I had started my Friday night with the first drink of the week with a colleague, and I remember thinking how delicious it was! After coming home, I drank a little in the cafe with the Chiba family, and then helped Ken out with the wine he had received from one of his many fans. I don't remember feeling especially drunk, but i reckon I must have been because a. I only had a coffee and a sandwich that day and b. it was my first drink in 6 solid days!

I must have been feeling hungry, because I distinctly remember trying to peel and mince some garlic up for a soup of some kind, and naturally, I'm guessing that's when I cut my finger.

I do remember panicking. I remember blood drip, drip, dripping from the cut. I remember not feeling any pain too, which kind of freaked me out because there was so much blood everywhere! I'm talking about puddles on the floor, smudges on the table, on the cutting board, knife, counter, sink, hallway, ... everywhere!

According to Ken, I was quite drunk and very annoying. (To be fair, i was drunk!!) The kind soul managed to overcome the annoyance he felt at the moment and patched my finger up with a band-aid and cleaned up the aftermath, except the mess in my room. That would explain my bloody bedsheets and walls.

Moral of the evening I drank too much:

Cooking when you're drunk is a very stupid idea.

P.S.

It's been a few days, and my cut keeps reopening. I think I may need stitches. Although, I am positive I won't go to get stitched up whether I need to or not.

bounenkai 1

2011-12-04T19:59:00.001+09:00

First bounenkai out of the way! It was a big, lively one of 38 members and was held at an izakaya which we had booked for the party a month or so in advance. The fun began at 8:00 after our English discussion, and went straight on through the night, past last-train time, and into the next morning. For the party, The bounenkai's official cut-off time was 10:00, but seriously, in who's twisted world is two hours of drinking and partying enough? A lot of the members stayed until much later, reluctantly excusing themselves from the party to catch their last train. I briefly considered catching my last train as well, but the fun was on, I was with good company, it was my first bounenkai of the year, and I HATE rushing for my last train (Really, the excuses were endless). So I ended up sticking around till the first train with a handful of members who, like me, didn't want the partying to end with midnight. We wrapped things up with an hour and a half of surprisingly energetic singing at karaoke! And by then, believe me, I was exhausted! That's 10 hours of partying straight with no breaks in between! No more, thanks! I had quite enough!

And oh, damn! I definitely drank too much. It's Japanese etiquette to pour each other's alcohol, and also to make sure that each other's glasses are full or that they have enough to drink. The student sitting directly in front of me was a very polite man, and made sure that my cup was always full. This was very nice of him, but it also made it difficult for me to estimate exactly how much I was drinking and at what rate. But I do remember exactly what I was getting drunk on: lot's of beer, umeshu nihonshu, and sake! It was the perfect recipe for a smashing hangover! Thankfully, I had my head screwed on properly that night, and I was very conscious of the need to keep my drinking at a moderate pace at a year-end party with students. I also didn't do or say anything embarassing, and was able to keep a good conversation up with the members that were sitting at the same table as me, despite feeling the affects of alcohol quite strongly. I'm very proud of myself! Well done! Oh, and love the fact that my face doesn't change color when I drink! Yay!

But despite drinking too much, and the long night, and feeling exhausted the next day with a horrible hangover, I had so much fun and don't regret a thing! Looking forward to the next one, on the 13th!

seriously...

2011-12-02T16:10:00.001+09:00

I'm at a cozy Starbucks, enjoying my lunch break with a cup of hot coffee, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, and a bit of blogging on the side.

It's a perfect December day: the piercing cold, heavy clouds, gray sky, and Christmas decorations and music everywhere! To be honest, I hate the cold. My body doesn't seem to know how to cope with crazy-low temperatures and has the tendency to shut down a bit during the winter. I've been trying to figure all this out for the many years I have had to suffer through the cold seasons, and I think I've finally figured out what's going on! My body is trying to go into hibernation, just like any other sensible mamel should! But since it's December, one of the bussiest months of the year, hibernation isn't anywhere close to being even an option to cope with cold. So I don't hibernate and struggle on. My body freaks out because it's not hibernating! My body starts shutting down certain functions as a result, and I start feeling and looking awful! I'm brilliant!!

Every year when winter rolls around, my neck and shoulders cramp up, my back starts hurting, my toes change from healthy pink to a dangerous grey-purple, my usually lucious lips crack and consequently are a bloody mess, the time that it takes to tumble out of bed is anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, and if you were to only look at my hands, you would think that they belonged to someone 30 years older! But despite all these symptoms of badness, if it weren't cold during December, something wouldn't seem right. To me, winter time is what it is because getting up in the morning and crawling out of bed is so difficult. Because I can see my breath. Because I get to wear my favorite winter boots. Because I have to sleep under layers of blankets to keep warm. Because when I come back from the bathroom around midnight, my bed is no longer warm, and finding sleep after that takes forever. Without these things, winter wouldn't be winter! It would be something entirely else, and I don't think I'll like it very much.

Speaking of winter, it's almost Christmas. Christmas is all about family, love and the food!! Speaking of the food, I can't believe I'll be cooking Christmas dinner this year after I repeatedly let the family know that Boris and I would take little to no part in cooking for everybody this year! We were so determined not to, you should have heard us!

Over the phone with Boris:

Boris: Eiko, let's not cook Christmas dinner this year.

Me: Yeah, forget it! I'm not gunna be anywhere near that kitchen! Ugh! HATE my hair and clothes smelling like fried chicken! (HUGE pet-peeve) Hate my fingers smelling like garlic days after! Hate my finger nails being fucked up by my sloppy knife skills!

Boris: Let's just relax and let everybody else fuss and take care of stuff we do every year! I mean, I'll have work at Ikegami that day! I don't want to come back and cook dinner! I just want to spend time with you and relax! (Awww!) It's their turn anyway.

Me: Totally. I can't enjoy anything laid out on the table after slaving away in the kitchen, cutting, tasting, preparing, marinating and cooking all of it! I smell and look bad after a day in the kitchen, and I feel full. Can't even enjoy drinking when I'm like that! Dangerous sign! No ways, man! I'm not gunna cook! But who's gunna cook if we aren't?

Boris: Eiko, don't worry about that! If we won't, somebody will HAVE to! We're a smart family AND we're a big family. Somebody will figure something out eventually. I'd rather a whatever dinner, or even ordering pizza or eating out than cooking! Seriouslly, Eiko. This year, we're gunna be the ones enjoying the dinner while everybody else runs around fixing things up. I'm NOT.GOING.TO.COOK!!

Me: True. Why has it always been us anyway when there are so many of us?

Boris: I know, right? So many able-bodied Matsuokas! There's Yoko, there's Tom, there's the sisters-in-law minus, I guess, the pregnant one, there's Mom (Boris was very desperate), and there's well, ...Dad! (Desperate!) And Ai-chan and Akari-chan will whip up the deserts! Voilla!! Christmas dinner is served! Oh, and there's Yasu and Yuya! Oh, and there's Sam! Wow!

Me: OK, Boris, let's do this! We're going to retire! (for this year, anyway)

Boris: This is so awesome! We need to let the family know we've retired!

Me: OK! Let's post this on FB!

Boris: Seriously!

Me: I know, seriously!

Boris: OK, good.

And after all that and then some, where we are, planning and fussing over Christmas dinner. I'm going to need a box or two of fags!

golden silence

2011-12-01T23:39:00.001+09:00

I hurriedly stomped my way through the painful cold to the station to catch my train home. It had been a long day of teaching and all I could think of was hot food, and relaxing in my warm room with David Cook's sexy voice in the back ground, helping me erase all thoughts of work, negativity and annoyances from my mind.

My work is by no means difficult or physically taxing. I enjoy teaching, and my working environment is generally relaxed and casual. My students are very nice, and the colleagues are too, usually. But somehow, I find myself feeling quite drained by the end of each week. Perhaps it's the constant interaction with people that my job requires of me. It could also be the 'teacher-face' that I have to keep up all day that gets to be so exhausting. (You know, when you have to keep smiling, agreeing, nodding, being polite, being gentle, laughing, commenting, instructing, complimenting, when that's the exact opposite of what you really feel at the moment.) But whatever it is, I just want to be alone when I'm not working. I don't want to have to open my mouth unless I want to. I don't want to be polite unless I feel like it. I don't want to have any thoughts of keeping up a conversation unless I want to be conversing in the first place. I don't want to have to be thinking of what the right thing to say might be. I want to be silent. I want to be alone. I want to be with company that understands this, and that can even appreciate a healthy silent streak.

I love chatting and sharing thoughts and opinions with people. I love getting to know people better and of course, I want to be closer to my friends. But there's a time for everything, and after I come back from work is just not the time for it.

I'm counting the days till my winter vacation. I want to be with my family!!

no effin' ways

2011-11-29T21:33:00.006+09:00

My boss and I were waiting at a cross way for the lights to change, when the conversation that changed my whole attitude towards the Holiday season happened!

He began out of the blue, "You know, I attended 17 'bounenkais' last year?"

Out loud, I replied with a, "Wow, impressive!"

In my mind,
Wow, Sir! I used to wonder where you got that fine beer belly of yours, but not anymore!

Our conversation consisted of the Holiday season, year end parties, and about some of our mutual students, but what he had said about his bounenkais really got me thinking. I had initially found the connection between his beer belly and the 17 bounekais funny, but after giving it more thought, I remembered that I had 5 year-end parties already marked in my schedule book, and being that it's not even December, I wouldn't be surprised if more were on the horizon! Somehow, the connection between my belly and those year end parties weren't as humorous. In fact, the thought depressed me.

Year-end parties are unavoidable. And even if I could avoid them, I wouldn't want to! For me, they are what make the holiday season quite exciting! The drinks and food are usually free for me as the English Instructor, so obviously that's an attractive, great factor. I also enjoy hanging out with my students/colleagues outside of the classroom/office setting, Everybody is generally more relaxed and 'themselves'. And it's no secret that I genuinely enjoy drinking! Unfortunately, the reality is that these bounekais are exactly what they are because of all the drinking, eating, late-nights, second-hand-smoke (or in my case, first-hand smoke) and the rest of the unhealthy package! In Japan, December is just as much 'bounenkai-time' as it is 'Christmas-time'. Put them both together (oh, and don't forget New Years and vacation) and you've got the perfect recipe for 'get-super-fat'! It really is depressing!

For me, skipping a bounenkai to keep my waist line in check is not an option. But neither is not fitting into my favorite winter outfits, or purging. I felt quite hopeless after mulling this all over in my mind, but I did come to a conclusion and a definite decision. I simply would NOT allow myself to gain weight with the rest of the nation! Ugh! No ways!! The big, unanswered questions is 'how?' How I'm going to manage maintaining a healthy weight during the weeks of partying and celebrating is still a little bit hazy. But I am DETERMINED!

Below are some steps I'm taking right now to avoid the year end weight gain.

*I ONLY drink on the weekends, or at parties.
*I drink loads of water everyday to flush out the crap I've fed my body at the last party.
*I work out frequently and passionately.
*I balance out my enormous calorie intake throughout the following week of the party.
*I make a conscious effort to keep track of my daily calorie intake, and what these calories consist of.

Yep.

And seriously, Sir? seven-effing-bounenkais? Seriously?

very happy

2011-11-10T23:16:00.002+09:00

Eiko says...

Let's add 'a free pass for either Disney Sea or Land' to the list of 'perks', shall we not? Damn, my students love me! And the love is mutual, of course. Can't help loving someone that doesn't know when to stop treating you.

Naturally, I was in a very festive mood after receiving the gift from one of my students, so I headed off to Zara to compliment the moment with a bit of shopping for my winter wardrobe! I bought a black coat that I had my eyes on ever since it first graced one of the Zara mannequins a month ago, and a simple red shirt that has a wonderful winter touch to it. I'm all set and ready for the weekend!

Oh, and I've been such a good girl!! I haven't touched alcohol since last Sunday!! I successfully turned down two drinking invitations and I've only got just under 20 more hours to go till I get to celebrate my strong will power with my first drink in 6 days! Damn, I feel good!

I've been struggling a bit to keep alcohol only to the weekends and holidays for the past few weeks and this got me worrying. It also got motivated to make a very determined commitment last Sunday to not touch alcohol until Friday evening. Thursday is fast coming to an end, and although I was worried I would give in, here I am, just hours away from my goal! So, unless I decide to sneak in a drink in on one of my breaks between lessons, (or now...) I've basically reached my goal!

This is awesome!

last last friday night...

2011-11-09T00:11:00.015+09:00

While waiting at a smoking area for my colleague for some after-work-otsukare-drinks at the HUB, a cigarette in one hand and my mobile in the other, I noticed a man scooting his way closer to me through the other smokers from the opposite side of the smoking area.

"Oneeesan..."

Now? Seriously? I thought as I pulled my mobile closer to my face and turned away from him. I took a long puff on my cigarette. Let's give him the silent treatment.

"Oneeesan..."

Silent treatment. A puff.

"Oneeesan,...Oneeesan,..."

By the forth 'Oneesan', I was pretty creeped out. I mean, how many times does a dude need to say 'Oneesan' till he thinks he has been heard? I turned his way and gave him my, 'do you belong somewhere else--a mental institute to be exact?' look. I think he took it the wrong way.

'ちょっと魅力的な顔だなと思ってさ。。。’

Ew!! I turned away, rolling my eyes. He was ugly AND old! And seriously? 'ちょっと魅力的’???　How 'bout ’今までも見たことの無いような’ or something better if you're trying to pick up a girl that is obviously 30 years (or more) younger than you!!! Back to my cigarette. Back to silent mode.

'オレとさ、お食事しましょう。ネ？お食事。お食事どうですか？’

I was like, 'SUPER not interested!' I'm meeting up with my (imaginary) boy friend,　and he's here any second, so you can F off now. Take a hint or talk to my cold shoulder, huh?' (in jp of course)

’彼氏？ウソだろ。いないだろ？一晩だけ。お食事だけですよ。このわたしじゃダメ？これじゃダメですか？’

I was like, 'Lemme think,...yeah, nope. Go away. Now.'

'笑い。良いじゃないですか！ダメですか？彼氏は一晩おいてオレとさ。。。ダメですか？’

At this point I started walking towards the other smokers, having had far more than enough of all his 'damedesukas' and his nudges and super creepy yellow-teeth-smile.

'ハハ！ダメですか？お食事まだでしょ？まだ早いからね。いいところ知ってるんですよ、この近くにっかなりの居酒屋があってさ。彼氏とのデートは他の日にしてさ、オレと。。。’

Wow! All of this talk directed at my back!! He really did belong in a mental hospital, didn't he? Where's my colleague? Why me? Can't he pick on that girl over there? I need a beeeer!!

While these thoughts and thoughts like these raced through my mind, I could hear him continue on his pathetic pick-up lines in the distance. My thoughts were loud, but not loud enough to drown out his sleazy words. I had had enough.

'Shut up, yeah? You're ruining my Friday night and I haven't even had my first beer!!'

'ハハ！ハハ！本当にダメですか？このオレじゃダメ？

At this point I do recall growling out of sheer annoyance at this dude that couldn't take a hint of any kind! That, I mean the growling, seemed to do the trick, thank god!

And with a reluctant , 'ジャ。。。また今度会いましょう！’, he started walking off towards the station.

What the hell is 'let's meet again' suppose to mean?! I was starting to get quite annoyed at my colleague who was running 5 minutes late to meet up with me for drinks. What was taking him so long? Ugh! I settled into a vacant corner in the smoking are, pulled out my 5th cig, and began lighting it when whadyaknow! Another equally old, ugly man started shimming his way towards me! It was NOT my night.

'Oneeesan...chottosa....' he began, and I wasn't going to let him finish his sentence.

'Oh, Fuck NO!! Super big FUCK NO, all capitalized! '

'オレとさ、お食事。。。’

I think I was just about to explode. I was very, VERY thirsty, my colleague was late, I had just finished my longest teaching day of the week, and I was in dire need to be left alone by perverts! I think he saw all that being translated into lava building up behind my irises, about to explode in his face and he only continued his pathetic pick-up lines for a few more seconds!

'ハハじゃ、また今度。。。’and with that he started walking away. What's with these dudes and their, 'see you next times'??? Idiots.

When my colleague finally showed up, I let him have it! Was annoyed, thirsty, tired and pissed. I drank quite a bit that night, tell ya that much.

perks

2011-11-06T11:16:00.007+09:00

Eiko says...

There are so many things I dislike about English teaching, but it definitely has its perks.

Just today, one of my students excitedly presented me with a large paper bag after we exchanged our traditional 'how are yous?' and the 'and yous?'
"I thought you'd like it. I hope you do, anyway." she said as she watched as I peered inside the bag. Like it? I LOVED it!

I don't know how it's like with other English teacher's and how their relationships with their students are like, but my students seem to be obsessed with giving me gifts of all kinds whenever they have the opportunity. Not that I mind, really. There couldn't be a healthier obsession than to get your 'Eiko-sensei' a souvenir from your trip to Europe, or your short vacation to Okinawa, or some jewelery from your weekend in Ginza, or that coffee on your way to class.

By the way, what I found in the paper bag was a beautiful, pricey-looking leather coat! Apparently she thought the flats I was wearing last week while teaching her would go very well with the leather coat, and therefore decided that the coat just had to be mine! I think the coat actually goes better with my boots, but that's such a minor detail! The flats did it for her, and I've got a new coat!

I've also received from my students...

*home-made jewelery
*a diamond necklace
*home made Umeshu
*cosmetics
*face-packs from Korea
*confectioneries from a 5 star hotel
*horseback riding tickets
*Valentine chocolate
*sweets from all over Japan and wherever they last visited
*a bottle of expensive rum
*and did I mention the leather jacket??
*AND they take you out for meals and drinks!! Their treat!

I've got awesome students! I really, really do!

Me and the awesome face pack from Korea, courtesy of one of my student's vacation

oughta

2011-11-06T02:01:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

-I need to cut back on...

*smoking
*drinking
*eating junk food
*shopping at conbinis
*shopping at Zara
*browsing Facebook
*daydreaming
*being depressed

-I need to put a greater emphasis on...

*planning upcoming lessons,
*working-out
*eating healthy
*cleaning after myself
*taking care of my complexion
*thinking pretty thoughts
*prioritizing
*keeping in contact with friends
*planning ahead

-I'm looking forward to...

*spending Christmas with my family
*spending Winter Vacation with Boris
*every new weekend
*my new full paycheck
*meeting Shane again (if it's ever gunna happen)
*my next winter shopping spree (whenever that's gunna be...)
*the next Desperate Housewives episode to come out

-I'm dreading...

*my destructive cycle
*being depressed
*not being payed
*being lonely
*gaining weight over winter vacation (inevitable)
*teaching a particular student
*the day after tomorrow

ganbaranaito

2011-11-05T16:11:00.006+09:00

Eiko says...

My life follows two cycle, generally speaking. I have my self-destructive cycle and I call the other one the self-productive cycle.

When I'm in self-destructive mode, I drink, smoke and eat with the word 'destruction' behind all my actions, influencing everything. Everything I do tends to reflect that word during this time. I find packs of empty M.reds all over my room. A decent collection of empty bottles of wine accumulates on the corner table, and the garbage bin for cans fills up twice as quickly. I'm inconsistent with my work outs. I feel sluggish, lethargic, drowsy, sleepy, unmotivated, and moody.

When I'm in self-productive mode, I stay far away from alcohol, I eat clean, and my consumption rate for cigarettes drops to less than one pack a week. I work out at every opportunity, and I'm happier, cleaner, and fitter. I'm more alert, and I get more accomplished. I turn down drinking gatherings, and I sleep early. My skin clears up.

Right now, I'm struggling to climb out of my self-destructive cycle. I know that if I don't soon, my obsession for drinking and cigarettes will be too hard to break free from. It's not easy as it is already, and this particular self-destructive cycle has been going on for a bit longer than usual. It's taking it's toll on me, and the scary part about it all is that I'm getting comfortable in my bad habits. It's not good.

emo . penie

2011-11-04T21:47:00.010+09:00

Eiko says...

It's relaxing right now. On the table is a glass of wine. Soothing music is playing in the background. There is a cigarette in my hand. I'm in comfortable clothes. I have a place I can call my own. I find thoughts racing through my mind...

It's almost been a year since I started working at my present work place and looking back, I can see that I'm a completely different person now on so many levels. So many things happened. So many things have changed. I've been through so many new experiences. I've experienced so many highs and so many lows. Each decision I've made through the multiple experiences I've been through this year has changed and defined me, and yet I still find myself wondering who I really am and what I want to be a year from now and farther.

I find myself thinking if I've ever been through 'enough' pain and hurt. When have I been through enough pain and heartbreak? Is there even an enough point? If there isn't, is there a way to deal with the pain that life tends to throw at you at random?

I know I'm young. I know I've got years ahead of me and that I don't need to live up to the expectations of those around me. But having tasted hell and having met its servants, and knowing that life has only started for me , the possibility that what I've been through is just the beginning is one heck of a disturbing thought. I want to call stops to the sands of time. I feel like I deserve better and at the same time, like I deserve nothing beautiful, nothing good....just nothing.

When will it be enough?

How effing EMO was that?

Disgusted beyond words, I'll tell you a very amusing story of mine, from a few weeks back.

Amusing yet Disturbing Story:

I was on my way to work, one crispy morning when I saw the most disturbing thing EVER!
Across from me and slighty to my right,-- when I was glancing around like I usually do to check my surroundings,--I saw a 30(ish), constipated, not-so-very-good-looking man of average height on the opposite side of the train in baggy knee-high shorts and a T. Whatever. His appearance is so unimportant compared to what I saw, due to Mr. Constipated not wearing any undergarments!!

From where I was sitting, I could clearly see his semi-hard 'private bits' peaking through one side of his baggy shorts! I could get into details...purple and pink, bigger than average, semi hard...EW !! Ok, I'm grossing myself out! I'll stop there.

I was so disturbed I wanted to take my eye balls out of my eye sockets and disinfect them with the strongest bleach known to man!! So sicked out, I quickly turned my head and gagged.

Now, after one sees something so outrageous, they often, despite not wanting to see it again, tend to glance back to check if they actually saw what they saw. They want to see if it wasn't their sick imagination playing tricks on them, if it's still there or not. I was no exception. I kept finding myself gingerly and subconsciously glancing back to Mr. Constipated's direction, and each time being confirmed that it really wasn't just my sick imagination. That it was actually there, staring me and everyone else in the face! Turn my head. Gaaaaggg! Puke!

Mr. Constipated, I don't know if you use the Toneri Liner on a regular basis, or if you always look that constipated. In fact, I don't know anything about you and don't care to either. But PLEASE wear boxers, or boxer briefs, or Ts, or SOMETHING, ...ANYTHING, just in case I happen to bump into you again!

And although I'd love to finish this post, the degree of intoxication is too high to write anything coherent.

Will try to be more faithful with blogging, my dear blog-followers.

Cheers and enjoy the effng weekend!

atsu

2011-08-12T21:41:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

I just finished a very insane week at work. It's not like I had extra classes or that my students decided to collectively gang up on me or anything. For some strange reason though, I felt tired and contaminated all week long. NO, it's not because I've been drinking on week nights. I'm consistent with my work-out regime. I eat enough. I only smoke when I'm binge drinking....

It's gotta be the heat! Like 'duh' it's the heat!! The awful stench in the trains during rush hour when your nose is pressed into someone else's arm pit confirms this. All the sweat marks around the arm pit, back and neck area confirms this. Old men walking around in wife-beaters confirms this. Girls showing off lot's of leg regardless of the shape confirms this. The strong urge to run to the convenient store first thing in the morning to quench my thirst with a beer confirms all this.

I can't wait till autumn!

French

2011-08-10T21:35:00.024+09:00

Eiko says...

I've been studying French as a third language, and although I have classified 'sticking to any one activity long-term' the epitome of the word 'impossible' long ago when I was still in nappies, I have successfully stuck to French for 2 months now! Although my study habits weren't consistent by any means, 2 months is an impressive chunk of time in my books. At least it's better than giving up after experiencing your first low which occurs within the week of starting any new activity--a nasty habit of mine.

To reward myself for this amazing achievement, I decided to find myself a French teacher. Fortunately for me, I didn't have to go on any long hunting trips to find what I wanted. The ever helpful Ken kindly offered to introduce me to his French teacher which he seemed quite happy learning from, and who he thought was a good teacher. Since Ken has the tendency to be quite picky, I was surprised by the high ratings he gave this guy, and decided to give him a go.

So, last weekend, I found myself sitting in on one of their lessons to see whether I thought he would be any good teaching a complete idiot like myself or if he was handicapped to teaching only pre-intermediate to advanced students of French. Although quite nervous and anxious over the fact that I hadn't the slightest clue as to what they were yapping on about, (the entire lesson was 100% in French) half way through the lesson I decided that I would gladly pay for this guy to be my teacher.

The reasons are as follows:

He's got very beautiful eyes--definitely worth paying an hour's worth for those to be staring at me. I liked his teaching style. He had a good aura about him, and held himself well. He rated low on the Snobbish Frenchmen Scale. He smiled a lot. He seemed relaxed and confident. He gave off a healthy young, energetic vibe. He was polite.

Our first official lesson took place last Sunday, and I was quite relieved that the lesson went smoothly, despite all the questions I kept throwing at him on a 30 second basis, and my poor understanding of only 30% of the lesson. He also was quite nice about all of my, "Je detest les nombres francais!!", which put me at ease. You see, what really threw a bucket of cold water on my efforts when I was studying French on my own were the crazy French numbers!! The counting system they have in the French language seemed like nothing short of pure non-sense and drove me bonkers! He made them seem like apple pie!

Give me 6 months, everyone. I should be able to hold a good conversation in French by then. That would be the case if, of course, I don't die from the morbid heat we're all experiencing lately!!

my drug

2011-08-06T17:27:00.009+09:00

Eiko....

We all have our drugs, our obsessions, our addictions.
For some, it's the need to read the paper in the morning. For others, it's their cup (or x amount of cups) of coffee. It may be an ice cream in the evening, or a cigarette during a lunch break. It could be an episode of a TV series they are going through, or a certain band, singer or song. It could easily be a certain 'someone'. Without a dose of these things, we tend to become edgy, easily annoyed and fidgety. Our moods are greatly affected when we find out we won't have time or can't afford to engage in our addictions, and we simply can't get our minds off of thinking about the next time we'll be getting our 'fix'.

I've got a few.

*a beer after work
*cup noodles after a night out drinking/clubbing
*cigarettes when I'm drinking
*a coffee at least once a day
*facebook (ouch!!)

and the list goes on.

My most recent drug though is shopping. I think some call this being a shopaholic. But it's not just any random shopping. When it comes to clothes, it has to be at Zara! This sucks for me, because I pass by Zara everyday on my way to work! Seeing their latest selections through the display window and NOT buying anything requires a great deal of self-control, and I don't have a lot of the stuff.

I also don't have a lot of money! I must do something about this...

Here's the latest!

A casual T.

and a loose throw over shirt

tabetai

2011-07-29T22:02:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

Thanks to the weather dropping a few degrees these past few days, my appetite has decided to grace me with its presence again. I'm swinging towards sandwiches and mushroom soup these days. I don't think I have to mention beer. Beer is always welcome, rain or shine, summer, autumn, winter and spring!

Speaking of which, I just had one on my way back from work on the train. You do get the stares from all around, especially from the businessmen who ought to be drinking their stress away, but who don't have any beers in their hands. I guess when they see a young girl in front of them chugging down a can of beer with relish makes them feel a bit ... strange.

Food talk aside, work has been good for me these days. I'm learning a lot about what it means to be an English teacher. It's definitely not just about knowing your grammar and being able to spout off all you know about the topic of discussion, although very important. It's being able to know when to stay on one lesson and repeat it several times instead of just moving on to the next lesson. It's being able to detect when the student needs extra practice and drill work, or when the lesson is too easy and it's time to move on. It's being able to manage group lessons from 10 to 20 with a variety of levels mixed in there in a calm, patient way. Speaking clearly. Listening. Asking questions. Talking less. Using body language. Being intuitive. Being considerate. Being polite. And so much more!

Anybody with suggestions and pointers for English teaching? Share!

working again

2011-07-28T15:45:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

There's nothing like your first day at work after summer holiday. The transition from play mode to work mode isn't always the easiest thing, especially if you're a bit of an idiot like me, and drank the night before. I think I had one drink too many of whiskey, ensuring that my first day of work would be accompanied by an annoying hang over.

Finding myself at work feeling quite gross and tired, I made an impromptu decision to help myself through the rest of the week with a shopping spree. I just got paid, and Zara had their latest assortment on display. I'm thinking wicked pumps and black, classy pants to match. Also, a new bag.

vaca pics

2011-07-24T02:01:00.016+09:00

Eiko says...

Here are some photographs from my way-too-short summer vacation! Enjoy!

Ken made these very colorful cocktails for me and Kato-san after a delicious pasta. Was quite enjoyable.

Boris is stunning even when she has had one too many drinks! (at karaoke after Disney)

I cooked a lemon pasta and whipped up a sea-food salad for Boris and me on her first night in Tokyo. We washed it all down with a new favorite chardonnay.

Krispy Kream with Boris on her last day in Tokyo. I have been drinking every single day since starting my vacation, and in order to not break the cycle, I made sure to carry a bottle of baileys to add to my latte. if you haven't noticed, I either looked smashed or hung over in every photo in this post!! Good job!

After having a farewell brunch for Lisa, Ken and I head out to a mall to window shop. I stumbled across this headless manican who happened to be missing his third leg. Note the surprise written all over my face!!

At Disney Sea with friends.

After straight drinking from 9AM, and loads of walking and excitement at Disney Sea, Boris and I decided to sit our asses down a block away from home. Apparently, we didn't want to walk a step farther!

more stuff

2011-07-17T00:00:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

I found this very thin fabriced dress shirt and figured it would be convenient to have at the office, so I bought myself one. As I'm sure you've guessed, it's Zara. Great cut, easy to match up with other items of clothing, and very suzushii. What's not to like, eh?

Ken and I hung out last night over these! An amazing combination of crackers, smoked salmon, cheese and black pepper! The only missing ingredient to perfection was a chilled chardonnay to go with it. Great job, Ken.

holiday begin

2011-07-16T01:26:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

1:26am, tipsy, relaxed, happy, relieved that I was able to make the last train home, amused that I had to break into my own house due to all the keys to my apartment being lost by idiots, loving friends, listening to 'More Than Words' by Extreme, and am beginning a 9-day payed-holiday.

Life is a truly beautiful thing. Although full of disappointments, there are flickers of beauty that far out-shine, and at this moment, I can't help but reflect on those past and present moments of beauty and feel like the luckiest alive on the planet.

Let the fun begin!

Life is damn good!

es sick

2011-07-11T23:11:00.007+09:00

Eiko says...

Four days and counting till my summer vacation, and I can hardly wait! Boris will be coming down to spend a few days with me, and we've got very wicked things planned this time around. So, as long as I don't have a heat stroke, collapse and die, I should be having the time of my life in just a few days! I think I can manage to hold myself together until then. Besides, work isn't all that difficult. I enjoy English teaching overall, and the best part is that our office keeps the cooling system running at a healthy level. We contribute to the energy saving in other ways like turning the lights off during the day etc. as opposed to torturing ourselves by turning our English school into a sauna. People aren't paying us to sweat and lose water weight. They pay us to study and to become geeky and successful!

Anyway, that's probably a big part of the reason why I'm still functioning. Although, there's something else that's been eating away at me little by little which has been pushing me to my limit! And not in a good way, either!

It has come to my attention that a great deal of neglect (NOT, mind you, on my part) of cleaning after one's self has been accumulating over sometime around the kitchen and dining room area of my flat. Whenever I have time to notice, I have been making an effort to clean up the mess and left-out food that ppl tend to leave out before or after an understandably long day at work. Recently though, I haven't been able to clean up more than just after myself, and that has been manifesting itself in the sick form of FLEAS! Furious, I dedicated a day-off to scrubbing every inch of my flat, but there are still fleas flying around (although noticeably less than before). It's just sick! I'm not talking about 5 or 7 fleas happily announcing their presence around the garbage bin and the kitchen sink drain. I'm talking about fleas in the bathroom, in the bedrooms, in the kitchen and dinning room area, in the hallways and closets! In these temperatures that we're all experiencing right now, the consequences of leaving any kind of food out even just over night, (or less) is disastrous! I feel like murder!

I finished venting. I'm going to focus on the awesome pairs of shoes I recently purchased and how comfortable they were walking in today. I'm going to start breathing now.

Black nail polish ftw!
It's actually not black. It's deep purple. I just painted on four coats of polish, and you can hardly tell it's purple unless in sunlight. I kinda like that! It's more classy!

perfect sunday

2011-07-10T22:55:00.018+09:00

Eiko says...

I was in very high spirits ever since last night after exerting myself with a mid-night workout, that I decided to treat myself to a hair cut. I'm actually trying to grow my hair out, but I've got hair enough for 3, and it was getting to be far too heavy for this year's summer. So I asked my barber to just layer and thin my hair out for me without changing the length. She did a decent enough job, and I was generally happy with her work.
I ended my day with a bit of shopping at my all-time-favorite shopping place--Nishiarai Ario. I think I made some pretty good purchases today that I'm flipping over as of now. All around, today was nothing short of perfect!

The new hair.
My barber curled my hair a little at the end, so the length of my hair is actually around 10cm or so longer than shoulder length.
I briefly considered bangs, but that thought was almost instantly disposed of by me. It's just way too hot for bangs and they also require far too much work to keep them looking decent.

The shopping.
I LOVE Randa! When it comes to shoes, the first place that comes to mind for shopping is this shoe store. They've got awesome shoes that are trendy, but also original and they offer excellent quality. Their foot wear is generally comfortable as well--a huge plus in my books. You have no idea how excited I was when I found out that they were doing a massive clearance sale! The majority of the shoes were over 50% off! Made my day!

And I saw this tunic and fell in love... so I bought it.

Tadaaimaaa~!
Man! I'm so proud of myself for walking in 'this heat' in heals with all of that stuff for 4 hours without collapsing somewhere and passing out! I mean, just breathing normally without sweating buckets is next to impossible these days.

Dinner.
I made a sea-food salad after a long day out, and washed it all down with beer! Best way EVER to end a day.

dinner these days

2011-07-07T01:32:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

Keep it to yourself if that doesn't look appetizing to you! A cold beer and a crisp, leafy salad is exactly what I want every night for dinner!! It's simple, satisfying, delicious and refreshing!

After work, I went out with my Wednesday morning students for 暑気払い！Was great fun drinking with them, and also chatting with them outside of the classroom. 　ヤッパ日本の夏は飲まないとダメ！！Especially this summer, with all the energy conserving going on, you have to make a conscious effort to keep your spirits high and your mind off of the heat and the humidity. And what better way than to bond over a few drinks at an Izakaya or a bar with friends?

need new shades

2011-07-05T17:07:00.007+09:00

Eiko says...

Looking forward to...

-autumn
-going to Disney Sea for summer vaca with Boris and friends
-drinking cold beer when I get home from work
-pay day
-Friday night

I love earthy colors and simple cuts. The green dress--an early spring purchase-- is from Uniqlo and the fact that it's just so simple and no-nonsense appeals to me.

And I need a new pair of sunglasses. These ones have the tendency to slip off my nose, defeating the whole purpose of shading my eyes from the piercing rays of the sun, not to mention shielding everyone's eyes from how my face can look when I'm too lazy to wear make-up. New shades that 'stick' are at the top of my shopping list.

Yep. Shades are an absolute must-have! Keeps you from looking like a squinting dork too--a regular sight these bright sunny days! FTW!

beer ftw

2011-07-04T22:47:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

As unhealthy as I know this is, the only thing I can manage to stomach in this gross weather is ice-cream and beer. Just to ease my conscious I throw in a leafy salad at the end of the day (to eat with my beer) to give me the impression that I'm eating tons of vegetables and balancing things out. Of course, I know full well that lettuce isn't all that high in nutrition. But I like salads, and as of this summer the only things that will be making it past my throat and stomach are things that I like or feel like eating. The problem seems to be that the list of 'foods I like' is limited to 3: ice-cream, beer, and salad.

Wait! Make that 4. I can't make it through a day without coffee!

I just can't seem to help not eating! This heat and humidity is killing my appetite! Even if my brain still remembers how delicious pasta is and how satisfying sushi can be, when I'm face to face with food, I just can't bring myself to eat. The sensation of hunger is fast becoming a mere memory to me.

I'm not intentionally torturing myself. I simply don't have an appetite and I'm not doing anything special about it. If I don't feel like eating, I won't eat. I am concerned though that I'll pass out during an English lesson, or while I'm on my way to work, or just silently die in my sleep for lack of nutrition and energy. Dehydration may even do the trick, given that the majority of liquids I take consists of alcoholic and caffeinated beverages. I'm not cool with that.

The solution seems to be fairly simple.

a. drink more water
b. eat more food
c. stop being an idiot about all this

But since I love eating so much, the idea of forcing food and drink down when it's not welcome or when I don't feel up to eating it, is just down right unattractive to me.

We'll see what happens.

Zara tunic

2011-07-03T23:16:00.006+09:00

Eiko says...

It's fucking hot! In this kind of hot, muggy weather the only thing I am capable of doing properly is to spread myself flat on my bed, legs and arms sprawled in all directions, and just focus on breathing. Everything else I do is being accomplished with 20% less energy and effort because simply staying alive in this freakish weather takes so much more of everything out of me.

One of the few joys of summer for me, other than eating ice-cream and drinking cold beer at the end of a work day, is shopping. I was actually going to post these pictures in my last post, but I was running short on time and decided to just spread the photos out in several posts.

This tunic is once again from Zara. Love the breezy, summery look. The material is very light and comfortable. The cut is great for when let's say you're invited to a drinking party or a barbecue and you're planning on doing a bit of binging. People won't be able to notice your growing tummy. It's just awesome!!

more Zara shopping

2011-07-02T17:46:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

I did more shopping at Zara!! I couldn't help myself. I just knew I'd be regretting it if I hadn't bought these items before the sales were out, and I've been told by multiple people, multiple times to not do things one may regret in the future.

I LOVE summer sales!!

This blue, ...thing has had me fixed on buying it for the longest time, and now it's mine!! The material is amazingly comfortable and I love the fact that it's loose. Perfect for the freakish temperatures these days.

The short white vest I'm wearing over everything is not Zara, but the summer sales has caught up with all the clothes stores around, and when I splurge, I really splurge!
I've got an unspoken 'no-lace' rule, but I guess this would be the exception to that. It worked well with the blue thingie, and when something works, you're allowed to fuck the rules.

Zara

2011-06-29T00:23:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

Right next to Starbucks to the left of the station is the awesome, way-too-expensive Zara that I frequent for wishful window shopping. Rows of clothing too expensive to randomly buy simultaneously temp and depress me whenever I take the time to drop by and lust. The beauty temps me. The prices depress me. I lust in vain.

To be honest, Zara can be a bit too vibrant and loud with their colors, and tend to have a very distinct, loose-fitting 'look' and cut that can become a bit cliche after a while. But I love their class and the quality they offer. Zara's style is also a welcomed change from this summer's look in Japan which is starting to become an eye-sore for me.

Anyway, I was heading for my daily Starbucks before work when I noticed that Zara was quite crowded for a week day. I decided to drop by and see what everyone was gathering for. And that's when I noticed that the black, anorexic manikins that faithfully greet everyone at the entrance were clad in white T's with a single word in black italic that would make any girl's heart race--'sale'!

I was ecstatic! I could hardly believe all those goodies were actually within arms reach--literally! I made an on-the-spot decision to splurge. A fantastic decision, really. You'll NEVER get Zara at these amazing prices! Most of the items were 50% off. A perfect opportunity to get my wardrobe together for 2011's cool-bizzing! Wee-hoo!

The Kinshicho Zara

The creepy, face-less, black, Zara manikins wearing the 'sale' T's.

Check out the shirt I got! Love the 'I miss you' going on with the picture of the red phones.

And I got these super aaawesome pants that I wanted for the longest time!
Love the fact that you can adjust the length of the pants, their loose, the material is very comfortable and totally ventilation-savy!
Also, check out the cream-colored pumps I bought a while back. I think they look pretty good and summery. They also hurt my feet like ****!! The longest I'm willing to stand in them are 2 hours! Stupid pumps.

I'm wrapping all that together with a leather-y, light jacket I got at Uniqlo. Way too hot for now, but if it's ever cool in the evenings, it's my first choice to throw on.

torn

2011-06-27T16:08:00.005+09:00

Eiko says...

My boobs are getting fat! It's time to panic and to put them on a diet! Of course, as much as I'd like to I know I can't just selectively put my boobs on a diet. I would have to go on a diet for my boobs to size down, and I'm not sure if I want to go on a diet right now. Sure, it's summer, and I can't hide behind layers of clothes to hide the layers of fat, but summer's the time for ice cream and cold beer! I'm torn.

And it seems like I've got another cold! I had just recovered from a month long, throat/nose/head cold 2 weeks ago, and the symptoms are back! Argh! I sound like a she-man, my nose is running, I feel dizzy and weak. I haven't seen a doctor yet, but unless the doctor is super-eye-candy I don't think it's worth my time and energy for a stupid cold. Or is it just a stupid cold? I'm torn.

Stupid post.

life pics

2011-06-26T22:27:00.009+09:00

Eiko says...

I find myself religiously dropping by Starbucks for a coffee, (these days ice, no milk, no sugar) and a macadamia cookie before work. The newly opened Starbucks right around the corner from my work place has a nice atmosphere, is pretty big, and is convenient to stop by as it is situated just to the left after getting out of the station. It's also a good place to get some reading, writing, and studying done as there's a big table where you can spread all your papers and stationary out on, with surprisingly comfortable, un-cushioned chairs.

I've got the perfect view of the Skytree from my office. I don't know what all the fuss is about concerning the Skytree to be honest, and I'm definitely not one of those Skytree worshipers. But heck! I've got the view, and I'm not gunna complain!

The summer of 2011 is now upon Japan and consequently me. That with the whole March 11th disaster, I am face to face with possibly the most unbearable of summers in all my 20 years. With all the energy conserving going on, and with people still struggling to get back on their feet since the Earthquake, I believe surviving this summer is going to be nothing short of memorable! So memorable that I see myself telling my grandchildren about how I made it through the summer of 2011 in Japan with minimal air conditioning, as if I were some kind of hero. ..
How the hell did I start talking about grandchildren and heroes? It's got to be the heat getting to my head. I actually wanted to talk about how I believe focusing on fashion and how to look good and stay cool despite the humidity and heat would help me stay all around more upbeat, positive and happy this summer.
So acting on that thought, I went out and bought this beige, net throw-over thingie. Since I'm not so comfortable showing shoulders all the time, I thought it would be awesome to have something full of ventilation to throw over when I wanna wear something a bit skimpy like spaghetti strap or less. I think I found what I was looking for. I like it!

I also got myself new shoes. I love them for the fact that they give me an additional 13 or so centimeters to my height and that I can actually stay in them for long hours without feeling the need to chop my legs off! I actually went clubbing all night in them and my feet were fine!

suicidal *uckers!

2011-05-27T16:13:00.007+09:00

Eiko says...

It has been a very long week for me and I just wanted to go home. After teaching 7 classes with a bad cough, a runny nose, and a migraine, the only thing on my mind was to rush home, take a shower, and watch an episode of Desperate Housewives over a bite to eat and a glass of chardonnay.

I stretched and twisted my achy feet--which I have been torturing in my new, way-too-high heels--as I glanced around to see if there was any eye-candy in the form of men to rest my eyes on, while I waited for my train. To my left, a nerdy looking group of businessmen were chatting about i-don't-wanna-know-what. To my right, a posh group of ladies in their late 40's were gossiping about this and that. Neither were eye-candy. Highly disappointing.

My train was a few minutes late, and by the time it finally arrived I had scored the platform through, and instead of eye-pleasure I ended up with just an eye-sore! The worst part about it was, I was one of those eye-sores as well. I sighed. This just wasn't cool. I couldn't stop coughing, my nose was out of control, my head was throbbing, and there wasn't anyone pleasant-looking to offer me at least a visual pick-me-up. I climbed into the train with a humph and a sigh.

To make matters a notch or two worse, an announcement is being made about a 人身事故 (they really should just call a spade a spade and say 'suicide') which occured 5:00ish, and that we would be doing some waiting until they've completed the safety check! So that's why my train was late! Brilliant! Fucker!

This morning, on my way to my first English class, the Yamanote Line was late as well, thanks to yet another fuck who probably thought, 'Train, don't wanna live. Jump!!' Geeez!

Patience is one of those virtues--among many others--that I just don't have a lot of. I hate being told to, or made to wait for anything or anybody. I hate tardy people, and I hate myself when I'm tardy too. Being made to wait when I'm sick and really wanting to go home, not to mention hungry, is a VERY bad combination. But I wasn't so worried. According to the announcement, the accident happened more than two hours ago, so I wasn't expecting a long wait. I pulled out the latest issue of Metropolis and got comfortable.

10 minutes went by, and I kept smiling and reading. But as soon as 12 minutes passed, I had had enough!! A searing anger towards the nameless fucker who decided to jump in front of that particular train at this particular time began to build up inside me and I really needed to vent! And vent I did! I pulled out my mobile and began angrily texting Boris about how much I hate suicidal people who lack creativity and/or are too lazy to think out of the box! I've been depressed before and I know how lethargic one's mind becomes when depressed, but seriously! Jumping in front of a train is so cliche and more importantly, it puts hundreds of people7s lives on hold! Can't you suicidal people tie a big stone to your self and jump off a bridge, or hang yourself in your apartment, or gas yourself? (Harakiri is a bit out-dated, to be honest.)

I looked up from my texting and heaved a long sigh. Everybody else seemed a bit restless as well. At this point, 30 minutes went by and we still had no clue as to when our train will start. The train conductor faithfully reminded us that they had no clue either. Great! Fantastic!

I mean, seriously. If you want to end it all, keep it private! I'm not encouraging suicide by any means. But if you're going to do it regardless, than for beans sake DO NOT jump in front of a train! Or any moving vehicle for that matter! It's over done, boring, cliche, annoying, pathetic, loserish, rude, thoughtless, selfish and a hellofalot mrore! Suicide in itself is all of those things already, but the badness is doubled when you make a lot of other people's lives suffer for the already selfish act of taking your own life. I hate you!!

I ended up waiting for 10 minutes at on station and 50 freakin minutes at the next!

I'm finished...

golden week

2011-05-07T23:48:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

My only plan for the Golden Week was to sleep, relax over good food and films, and try to detox my life from alcohol, smokes, and bad sleeping habits. Unfortunately, I think I did everything but what I planned. I didn't watch any films, I definitely drank and smoked, and I also went without sleep for two full days, due to an eventful night out in Roppongi with friends.

All in all, Golden Week was everything I didn't expect it to be, but I love the fact that I had a great time anyway. I met old friends, I had new experiences, I drank too much, I laughed, and made new connections. I basically insured that my first day of work after the mini vaca would be a real drag.

Good job!

useless

2011-04-21T13:39:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

Most things take time to change. I needed a change NOW. I headed off to the barber for a quick fix. I came back looking the SAME! I HATE my barber and his bowl-haircut and buckteeth! Gimme my money back!

cute student/earthquake

2011-04-12T23:59:00.010+09:00

Eiko says...

Was it this morning? It doesn't matter. I was woken up, AGAIN, by one of those big earthquakes. The creaking walls, the windows shaking, falling books thudding, and picture frames banging against the walls of my rooms is enough noise to wake anybody out of deep slumber, and I am no exception! No worries. It was time to roll out of bed anyway, so I didn't mind being woken up so much. Never mind the fact that the time I actually got out of bed was 2 hours after that.
This one was a real biggie. A level 4 in Tokyo. Man, do they keep coming or what?

Just the day before at work, an earthquake hit, and despite the fact that it was only a level 3 in Tokyo, train lines were suspended, and two of my colleagues had to do a bit of walking to get back home. Unfortunately for them, it was pouring rain and there was a cold wing blowing--not the weather of choice to make a long night walk in, if you'd ask me. But at least they made it home, right? There's really no complaining when you think about all the people who are still stuck up North in bad-living conditions at the Evacuation centers, separated from loved-ones, homes, and stability.

Now, continuing on the subject of train lines, if there's an earthquake, and there are train line issues, there is no question at all that the Nippori-Toneri Line is out. I really wouldn't care less about this crappy, far-too-expensive-train-line if it wasn't the key to my getting home without having to walk for hours, or wait for an unreliable bus ride. Luckily, this time around, the line was only suspended for a few hours, and I was able to make it back home before midnight.

Why am I blogging about Earthquakes again?

I've got a crazy English student I wanna tell you about!

So, I have this English student that comes for classes every Monday. She's a cute 9 year old that has the memory of a senile grandma!! A.K.A, she doesn't have much for a memory! I'm not just talking about her not remembering what we learned in our previous week's English lesson. I'm talking about...

Me: Okay, sweetie. What did you have for lunch today?
Student:　アレ、何食べたんだっけ。ご飯と納豆だったと思う。
Me: Cool. So, you had rice and natto for lunch.
Student: うん。ライス・アンド・ナットウ
Me: Great. In English, we say, "I had rice and natto for lunch." Can you repeat that?
Student: アイ・ハッド...あれ？何食べたんだっけ？忘れた。
Me: Huh? You forgot what you ate for lunch? You just told me what you had for lunch 30 seconds ago!!
Student: ハッ？先生が言っていること全然わからない。
Me: Sorry. さっきお昼何食べたか先生に言わなかった？
Student:　うん。思い出せない。
Me: Natto and rice by any chance?
Student:　ソーダッタ！
Me: Yeah. Okay. Breakfast. What did you eat for breakfast?
Student: ”Breakfast"　何だったっけ？
Me:　朝ご飯何食べた？
Student:　何だったっけー。何食べたか思い出せない！お姉さんに電話しようかな。
Me： Are you serious? (I raise both eyebrows.)
Student：ハッ？
Me: Never mind. Okay, so...remember I taught you how to say 地震 in English? We just did that a minute ago. 覚えてる？
Student：　ノー。
Me: Why am I not surprised by that answer?
Student: ハッ？

*I hear a chuckle coming from the other side of the partition. A colleague finds my frustration highly amusing.*

Me: Yeah, shut up. You wanna teach her?
Colleague: Aren't you happy she doesn't know what you just said? Heh, heh.
Me: Yes! No! ARGggghhh!

And this is about EVERYTHING! I tell her how to say a phrase, and she forgets after she repeats it to you fine once. She tells me about something that she learned at school and she forgets what that was when you ask her about a minute later. She is seriously a big question mark to me. She also doesn't care for the word 'punctuality'. We're making progress on that one though. One day, she accidentally showed up 10 minutes early. She showed up at 5:20. Apparently, she thought that class was suppose to start from 5:00 instead of 5:30 which means, if class really was from 5:00, she would have been 20min late. It didn't matter! I was so shocked and pleased at her being early for class that we celebrated this with a few rounds of card games. She liked that. She's always been on the dot since! Unfortunately, her memory is hopeless. I gave up many classes ago when she had difficulty remember what her sister looked like. No joke.

The thing that I love about her though, is that she has the most disarming, guilty face! Each time she forgets something--a frequent occurrence--she has this 'guilty' look face that I simply can't hate! I still have disbelief and annoyance written all over my face when this happens but it's just SO DAMN CUTE! Annoying though. I teach her something which she forgets moments after, and she makes me smile with that 'look' of hers. It's a mixture of disbelief and adoration. I'm left with sheer frustration. Her smile wins out each time. I'll make a horrible mother!!

earthquake and french

2011-04-09T19:50:00.000+09:00

Eiko says...

Earthquake
On the 7th night, there was yet another earthquake, (or aftershock) a level six in Miyagi, killing 4 and injuring over 100 people. We felt it strong in Tokyo as well, and although I'm only on the 2nd floor, everything on my table, not to mention the windows, were shaking and making a very disturbing, 'earthquake' noise.
I had just finished watching the epic film 'The Next Three Days' starring Russel Crowe and Elizabeth Banks, and with my mind still in awe, I was in no mood of making a run for anything. I did feel a bit strange though, sitting on the floor of my tiny room, hugging my legs, resting my chin on my knees, deeply contemplating the depth of the film and also feeling, seeing, listening, and experiencing a fairly big Earthquake at the same time. At one point, the idea of opening the door 'just in case' the Earthquake decided to throw a bigger fit than it already was throwing, crossed my mind, but the shaking turned into a small tremor while I was calculating in my mind whether the act of opening the door was even worth getting up for.
Earthquakes have stopped making me jump ever since the 11th of March.

Anyhow.

Coffee and French
These days, I have been spending a lot of my morning/early afternoon time in a variety of cafes, studying French and reading whatever book I'm going through at the moment. I have just finished The Picture of Dorian Grey and The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wild, and now, I'm going through '127 Hours'. But notice the 'French' part!! Yes, I'm studying French. I'm experiencing, for the first time, the joy of learning a foreign language. Being that I can't say I studied either Japanese or English, (and the bit of Khmer that I learned doesn't count either) French is truly a new experience for me, and I'm loving every bit of it! This is a lie, of course. There's nothing more annoying than learning how to count in French! For example, 'Soixante0-dix huit' is seventy eight in French, which is all well and good. But wait for the explanation! The idea is anything past 69 is that you cannot say sixty nine, seventy, seventy one, seventy two. Instead you go, sixty nine, sixty ten, sixty eleven, sixty twelve!! And that's just one example!! This coupled with the very different pronunciation system than we have in English can get to your head at times. Which is why I generally choose cafes that allow you to have a puff. Unfortunately, I do love a good Starbucks coffee every now and then, not to mention their generally relaxing atmosphere they've got going. So despite the fact that they are strictly zero-smoke, I frequent Starbucks on a fairly regular basis. Lucky me, they recently built a new Starbucks Cafe right near my work place, so it's perfect to go to before a day of classes. I must admit, it can be expensive but a good cup of coffee plus the relaxed atmosphere is worth it.

Damn! Need to make more money.

run for your lives!

2011-03-18T18:11:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

It's been exactly a week since the big, 9.0 quake, and things have definitely NOT calmed down! A day hasn't gone by without an earthquake big enough to feel and fuss over. The so called 'scheduled' black outs don't always follow the schedule, and this affects every part of work life and transportation. No electricity means no classes. It could also mean no trains home. But the biggest fuss right now in Tokyo seems to be the fear of radiation.

"Hey, dude, are you evacuating Tokyo?"

"I dunno man. Radiation levels are barely above average in Tokyo, and there are suffering people up North with hardly enough food or warmth, but I'm a pansy, so I'm gunna make a run for it!!"

*I roll my eyes*

Anyhow.

All that aside, Anna paid us a short, surprise visit, and we had the funnest of times drinking through the quakes! Love you, girl!

Quake story

2011-03-14T01:10:00.013+09:00

Eiko says...

Everyone has their own story of where they were when the quake hit, what they were doing, how they coped, and what thoughts went flashing through their mind as the ground shook under their feet and things started falling all around them.

Apparently,...

-Sunny got stuck in a train during the quake and got home 48 hours later than planned.

-Yasu and Dawnie and Kippins were in their loft 3 stories off the ground when the quake hit.

-Ken was making afternoon tea on the 4th floor of Lodge Home.

Here's MY story, if you like.

I was 3 hours early for my first English lesson for the day in Kinshichou. Having missed my last train accidentally on purpose the night before, I remember being tired and in desperate need of more sleep. So after dropping by my office and letting the staff there know that I was in Kinshichou and that I'd be back for my first lesson, I decided to go for a cup of hot coffee at Mc.D to wake me up, and also hoping to make some progress on 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', a totally addicting, twisted book by Oscar Wild.

At the counter trying to figure out whether or not I wanted any munchies with my coffee:

Me: エーットデスネ。。。
Mc.D person: はい。
Me:コーヒーとですね。。。
Mc.D person：はい。

And that's when things started shaking.

BUT! There was really only one thing on my mind at the moment, and that was coffee. And perhaps something sweet on the side since I like my coffee black? Definitely not fries. Or I could really just have a cigarette with my coffee in the smoking area. I didn't have much for breakfast though. A pack of natto was it? I'm kinda short on money this month though... I just could NOT make up my mind!

I held on to the counter to steady myself from the now much stronger shaking, and quickly glanced up to see if the 'Mc.D-person' was still with me. さすが！！Her lips were still holding that plastic smile! Eyes were a bit worried, but the smile was still there. Great!

Me: そうですね。。。アップルパイにしようかな。
Mc.D person: ホットコーヒーとアップルパイで？
Me:　フム。でもどうしようかな。最近甘いものバッカだし。。。

By now things were really shaking up, and all the customers were looking very alarmed and jumping out of their seets. I held onto the counter a bit stronger and cursed myself for not being able to make my mind up quicker. The girl who was taking my order still had the plastic smile going, but her eyebrows gave away her true feelings about what was happening inside. She was terrified! I decided to be nice and just order!

Me: じゃ、それで。
Mc.D person: ２２０円になります。

I let go of the counter and pulled out my wallet and put down the coins. By now though, things were quite crazy. All the staff in the kitchen were jumping over the register counter and were heading straight for the exit. Fuck the customers! Save your own asses! I decided to junk the idea of sitting down for a read, and decided to just take my coffee and leave. The problem was that she just wouldn't hand me my coffee!! I didn't really care for the apple pie, but my eyes were on that black energy drink, and she just wouldn't hand it over. Well, fair enough, I guess. Things were shaking so hard I thought I might as well join the crowd and make it down to the first floor myself just in case things got even more shaky! I wobbled/stumbled through the shakes to the escalator and half ran, half stumbled down and stepped outside.

EVERYONE was out there! The Mc.D was right outide the station, in front of the bus/taxi stop, and EVERYONE from the station and buildings around were there trying and failing miserably to contact somebody or anybody on their mobile phones! So BAKA! Me too. I pulled out my phone and tried dialing BORIS FIRST!! *wink* After failing at that, I quickly text messaged one of my colleagues if everything was alright at the office, and tried to find my footing.

All the lamp posts and everything that wasn't suppose to be shaking/swaying was shaking dangerously. Everybody was in shock and freaking out! Everybody that is but the people sucking on their cigarettes in the smoking area. They looked as if they were in another world and that nothing out of the ordinary--like a 9.0 earthquake--was happening around them. Brilliant idea! I thought. But quickly remembered that I puffed on my last two the previous night. Shit.

By the time I completed that thought, the first biggie seemed to have calmed down. I must admit, by then I was quite shaken, but WAY too short on energy from lack of sleep the previous night to be freaking out with everybody else! I decided I really DID need that coffee, and since I had already paid for it, it only made sense to go back and get it.

I went inside the Mc. D and grabbed my coffee with a humph, and sat down. All the staff members were back in the kitchen, smiling and serving customers again. Very good. I opened up my lap top at a table, and started sipping and reading away. I had a bite of my apple pie. It had been ages since I had one of those! I started relaxing. Unfortunately, I think I got something under 5 minutes of peace, because the second big shake started up just around that time. I rolled my eyes and looked around. By now, everybody was already in 'freak-out-mode'! There were a few customers who instantly got up and ran for the exit. A lot of people were reluctant to leave their MSG laden, food-colored cardboard sandwhiches that they nickname 'burgers', and looked like they couldn't make up their mind whether they should drop the shit in their hands and run for it, or finish their crap and THEN run for it. I honestly was just so tired! I decided to finish my hot coffee as fast as I could without burning my tounge, finish two more chapters of the book, get a refill on my coffee, and head out.

Wasn't as easy as I thought though. When everything is shaking like that, and everybody else is freaking out around you, it's really difficult to concentrate on reading a book--especially one like 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'! Also, if I could help it at all, I didn't want to die in a McD!

I quickly ran for my refill. This time a dude-staff. He just stared at me like I had lost my mind. I stared back and raised my eyebrows. Gimme my refill so I can make it through my day without sleeping on one of my students, yeah? He awkwardly took my cup, and half pored half spilled coffee in my cup, tried hard to put the top back on and failed, and clumsily handed me my cup of coffee. I rolled my eyes, forgot to say thanks and stumbled/ran out of the building with everybody else for the second time. People were still on their phones saying stuff like, 「だめだ。ぜんぜんつながらない」 while trying to keep steady on their feet. Once again, all the smokers seemed so surreal, peaceful. Amazing.

Headed over to my office which is on the 4th floor, and was delighted to see that all my colleagues were alright and beaming from ear to ear.

"You're alright!" Andy, my boss, gushed.
"Not really. I'm exhausted."
"Oh, no! What happened?" A concerned fellow teacher at work.
"No sleep last night and horrible service at Mc. D. I really just wanted my coffee, you know? Seriously!"
"Ok...that means you ARE alright?..."
"I guess" I sighed, and took a sip from my coffee. The coffee was too hot. I burned my tongue.

Apparently, everybody was unharmed by the quake at work. All the guys at my work place are SO cool! Their totally chaos savvy! One jumped up and held the partitions up from falling on student. Another ran over to the tall book shelf and held it against the wall while keeping the door open. Andy ran over to the drinking fountain which was propped up on the fridge to keep that from toppling over. They said it was a nasty shake, and that they loved it. It was time for a drink!

The reasoning behind that was that the trains will have stopped and no students will be able to come to the office even if they were crazy enough to want an English lesson after something this big--the trains were fucked! This means work for the day was over like it or not. Also, we had a 6-pack just chilling in the fridge. Lastly it's a Friday, and we were all going to drink that evening anyway! Why not start early? We did!

We took the beers outside and toasted to being alive! A few random people joined our little group with beers of their own, and some otsumami as well. A liquor store ran by a sweet old man had lost over 20 bottles in the quake, and so out of compassion we bought 2 more 6 packs of beer off of him, and chugged them down. It was a party!!

After confirming that no students would be arriving, we headed over to the HUB and caught Happy Hour. It was a full night out! Wee-hoo! By the time I was properly tipsy, I was able to get in contact with all of my loved ones and found out the wonderful news that everyone was unharmed! Relieved. I had a few more drinks while watching the news in the HUB. Spent the remainder of the night with Andy and Aich at Karaoke. Trains won't be running till morning anyway, right? Our Karaoke box was on the 8th floor! You could imagine how all those little tremors felt like up there! Big yikes!

Got home safely though. I honestly thought my lungs will be crushed while in the Yamanote line heading for Nippori! I've never been pressed against so hard in a train before! The train was beyond packed! Since there were so few trains running, people had to wait out in the cold for long periods of time before getting a ride and were consequently grumpy! I thought I would get trampled over at one point and have my lungs squished by a fellow human who was in danger of his/her lungs being squished by yet another human in danger of the same horrible death! It was pretty damn painful! Yasu was lovely and picked me up at Nippori since the liner wasn't working. I got back home at around noon, Saturday. It was a looong night.

Showered. Slept. Stocked up the fridge with food. Watched a lot of Glee. Read more of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. Called a lot of friends. Received a lot of calls from concerned friends as well.

It's all good.

No pictures. If you want some there are plenty everywhere on the internet, if what you see when you step out of your door isn't enough.

Write more later.

Take care, all!

oh shit...im 20

2011-03-06T16:47:00.001+09:00

Eiko says...

I'm 20 freakin' years old!

Enough said.

birthday eve

2011-03-04T16:33:00.007+09:00

Eiko says...

It's the 4th of March, which means that tomorrow is my Birthday. I've only got a few precious hours left to being 19, and I can't believe I'm at work, teaching English in a freakin' striped dress shirt! Oh, well. This is life.

My 19th year has been the best year yet, and it's such a shame it's coming to an end. I wish I could stay 19 a bit longer, but at the same time, I'm glad I'm finally going to be out of my 'teens'. I'm tired of my students freaking out over the fact that I'm not yet 20! When they are curious enough about my age, (being 19 is not something I advertise when I'm working at an office, teaching people older than me in suits and such) I usually get them to guess how old they think I am, and often, they go way off!! The number-one WORST guess really made me feel like running to the nearest mirror to check for any white hairs and extra wrinkles!

Student: Are you married yet? If so, than do you have any children?
Me: *cough* Yeah, um. I'm not really thinking about marriage right now. Same goes with children, really. I think I'll give that a few years.
Student: Really?
Me: Yes. Reeaally.
Student: Excuse me, but how old are you?
Me: Ah! Here goes. Well, how old do you think I am?
Student: Hm. 32?
Me: Oh my. *cough* No.
Student: 35?
Me: *cough cough* No, no, no.
Student: 38??
Me: No where near correct.
Student: Oh, my goodness! Are you in your 40's!?
Me: Geeeezzus, woman, NO!
Student: Oh.... wait.... are you still in your teteteeeeeens? Gasp! You're 19?!
Me: ....
Student: ....
Me: Yup.
Student: ...

You see. And that's when I felt like making a dash to the nearest mirror!! Aaaaanyhow. I really don't look that old. I think it's just the dress shirt and the way I have to hold myself since I'm in an office. Hm. Actually, the above conversation happened just the other day in a non-business setting. In a bar, actually. A group of middle aged, over weight men from Tennessee were drinking a table away from me and my boss. We all started talking and the guy nearest to me asked me straight out if I was married. I rolled my eyes to this and said no. My boss thought it was hilarious and asked the group to guess my age, and that they'd never get it right. I assume they thought I was much older than I looked, because when the guessing began, it went seomething like...

"Let's be nice. She's 32."
"What are you talking about? 28!"
"She's 33, the age Christ died for our sins!"
"She could be in her 40's, you know..."

OMG!

So, really, it's about time I turn 20.

And I feel like doing something outrageous! Any ideas? Well, tomorrow, on my Birthday, me and friends are going drinking to an Izakaya, and that's gotta be fun. But! I want to do something before I turn 2 decades old! Argh! Can't believe I'm at work, in this freakin' dress shirt! Ridiculous.

terribly unhealthy

2011-02-17T18:08:00.007+09:00

Eiko says...

For the hundredth time, I have decided to pick up my exercise routine.

I really ought to just keep to a particular exercise routine and go at it so I won't have to go through the trouble of my regaining lost stamina and strength, and having to schedule and time things all over again to fit a work out, and cooking food. Unfortunately, when a crisis happens in my life, the first thing that tends to get kicked out of order happens to be my health and everything tied to it. I get depressed or emotional--> I eat chocolate and drink lot's and lot's of alcohol, --> When I drink, I smoke--> I don't wake up early enough to fit in a work out--> I get lazy and my lungs get weak, and my blood sluggish--> after a week or two, I feel terrible--> working out is the last thing on my mind--> I continue on in my lazy state and ...

THAT'S about time when I put my foot down and call it time to get back!!

Right now is right about time where I'm putting my foot down and getting back into a healthy schedule, but I just started my monthly the other day, and I am in quite a bit of pain. Yuck. It will just have to wait. . . some more.

valentines

2011-02-15T00:40:00.004+09:00

Eiko says,...

Happy Valentine's Day to you all.

The last week has been one tear-jerking event after another, and honestly, I'm all out of tears to cry. (possibly the biggest lie I've ever told on this blog) I really think I had enough of drama to last me at least another week, and I would really appreciate it if I could get away with not shedding a tear these next 7 days or so. (tears from cutting onions and yawning don't count!)

Break Ups are never fun and/or pretty things, and mine was quite dramatic. I haven't felt that kind of void in a while. It's been ages since I cried like that too...I do surprise myself sometimes with the most ridiculous outbursts when it comes to things related to matters of the heart. Well, that sickening void that seems to suck the rest of the life left in you away needs to be taken care of quick, and I have been going to great lengths to fill that particular void that I was feeling in my heart to make sure that doesn't happen.

The last 4 days have been a series of weeping, drowning myself in alcohol, cigarettes, and indulging myself in disgustingly romantic novels and films, sappy music, chocolate, filth, and self-loathing. Indulging in those things seemed to be the only few things I was capable of doing! I was mentally paralyzed.

I missed my last train AGAIN the other night while out drinking down-town with co-workers. I almost slipped on the icy-sidewalk walking back from an all-you-can-drink-night-out. One night I even drank alone...something I JUST DON'T DO! The mornings were spent recovering from hang-overs and rolling and moaning in bed from exhaustion and pain.

But it's time to get up, get over it, and start living. It's Valentine's Day, and I started it off right. I woke up and did a work-out--flushing out my lungs from all the smoke, and getting my heart pumping and my blood flowing. I felt better teaching at work, and talking with friends. Something happened later on in the evening that threw me back on my back and I felt paralyzed all over again. But what can you do? Right now, staying on the floor isn't much of an option. Tomorrow's another day.

Life can be a real bitch sometimes.

Sigh.

Oh, right. Happy Valentine's Day, just in case I didn't say it here.

Bah!

P.S.
'No emotional, sappy shit on this blog' was a rule, and I just broke it! ...
Watch 'Tangled'. It was a great film! *wink*

lookin' back

2011-01-20T19:37:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

Teaching English today, me and my two students hit an interesting and very familiar topic in the text book were going through: Anorexia

The subject starts with a article written by a young woman suffering from anorexia nervosa. The article consists of her day to day life at a institution specifically designed to help anorexic patients like herself, her struggles, her fears, and her hopes.

Along with the article, there are around a dozen discussion points, two activities (where you put yourself in the parent's shoes of somebody suffering from the illness, and you describe how you feel, and what steps you will take to help your child etc.), a fact box, and so on and so forth. We talked and discussed this issue for an hour and a half, and many interesting points were covered, and many interesting conclusions were made.

The whole class was very deep and the students talked much more than they usually do. They seemed very much in deep thought when we finished the class, and seemed to be pondering the topic. Naturally so. It's a very complicated, intricate and thought provoking topic to be discussing for a language lesson.

I was left with the strong admiration for all the parents (esp. my own) with a child that has this mental disease, and who refuses to give up hope despite the circumstances. How Mom and Dad kept their sanity and weren't admitted to the mental hospital themselves is a mystery and a miracle all on their own! Whew!

i want this i want that

2011-01-12T18:40:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

The cold is finally catching up with Tokyo, and consequently, I've been doing a lot of late winter shopping. Conveniently for me and my shopping spree, there's a whole section of the station where I get off for work that's closing in a few days and the sales are AMAZING! There's a shoe store that has 60% off sales, and I'm planing on going crazy with that. What's tricky with sales though, is that you tend to lose track of the amount of money that you're really spending. Still,...prices for good shoes are generally anywhere from 5000 yen to 15000 yen, and when that price drops to 2000-4000 yen, it's time to set your frugality aside for just enough time to get yourself a decent deal. When you start doing this everyday, because you're surrounded by the winter sales, you will have a problem. Like me, for example. Because the station shops closing down aside, winter is coming to an end, and therefore prices all around are dropping like crazy!

Yikes!!

Double Yikes!!

P.S.
I went to a hair salon the other day, and got my hair cut. I like the new look very much and contemplated taking a picture and posting it here on the blog. BUT!! I realized that my face is still the same, and the subtle difference wasn't worth the trouble. I promise to post a picture if and when I shave my hair off. Which of course, I won't do... unless cancer hits me.

holidays at Nasu-picture taking

2011-01-05T16:20:00.005+09:00

Eiko says...

wow, we are a big family, aren't we?

gay boys...and they're notgay

2011-01-01T20:30:00.002+09:00

Eiko says...

So gay.

O.M.G!

So, so gay!

They need therapy.
I may need therapy too, for liking them so much for this.

holidays at Nasu-gaming

2011-01-01T17:12:00.008+09:00

Eiko says...

Every spare moment there was, all the siblings and the nephews and niece would run to their computers and i-touches to game. So, what are we going to do after lunch? Uh,...game? What about after dinner? Uh,...game? What about tomorrow? Uh,...game?
The first thing that comes to mind when board was the i-touch for the nephews and Kiyona. "Can I have i-touch? Pleeeeeease, Mommy, pleeeeeeeease?"

holidays at Nasu

2011-01-01T15:50:00.017+09:00

Eiko says...

Happy 2011, world!!
It's a brand new year, and I think I started it off right. I went back home to my parents' place and had a bunch of fun catching up on life with Mom and Dad, the younger siblings, BORIS, the relatives and the bunch. Mom and Dad's tiny cottage was packed and bustling with happy holiday spirit.

Along with celebrating a brand new year, we also had a belated Christmas party over lot's of food and drinks. Boris and I happened to be the cooks for these occasions, and spent all day in the kitchen baking, cooking, frying, and decorating. I cooked Christmas dinner last year as well, but only for 8 people. This year, with all the relatives present, (minus 4 = Yoko, Seiko, Rich, and Ryden) we had 21 Matsuoka's at this gathering, and cooking for everybody was quite exhausting.

Both me and Boris refused to cook anything traditional, and being that it's not even 'Christmas', we strayed far from turkey, pasta and gravy. Egg nog and wine were the happy exceptions. No need to eliminate those. We made pizza (boris made an amazing crust), some wraps, fried chicken, tiramisu, a cake, egg-nog, and appetizers. Cooking with next to zero counter space,...I think we did a good job.

To compliment the Christmas celebration, it snowed all day on the 30th, and everything outside was white! Check out the awesome pictures that I got from
Tom! She was our faithful camera-woman while Sam was suffering from a stomach ache/fever. There are some pictures from Sam later tough.

I'll post more pictures of the New Year's Party, the snow, and the family pictures of us all.

P.S

The following posts will center around this family get-together with lot's of pictures! AND! Yuya drew this totally amazing picture! Check it out at our art blog!

follow up interview

2010-12-14T16:19:00.002+09:00

Eiko says...

It's a freezing cold, rainy December day, and it's just my luck that I had to go for a follow up interview at Shinjuku with Minerva English. I really shouldn't be complaining though, especially since this interview could very likely mean the end of my worries for finding a job. But I complain regardless because me and cold weather have an ugly relationship. When I say 'ugly', I mean really ugly. For example, my hands turn a grayish purple and its' soft look is replaced by a dry wrinkly one. My lips crack and consequently flake and bleed. My shoulders begin to ache, and they start hunching up. Oh, and did I mention my frost-bitten toes? Like I said, me and cold weather have an ugly relationship.

So, as I hurried in my heels through wind and rain, (I had stupidly left my umbrella at home), I felt totally under attack from all sides, not to mention nervous for the interview. To top it off, the company had also just recently moved to a new location which was an additional 15 minute walk away, and as you all know how women (me, in particular) are with directions, you could imagine how many times I walked around in circles ( in the rain, feeling ugly AND lost, hoping to get there on time) trying and somewhat failing to make sense of the map before finding the building.

Once at the Minerva office, warmer and relieved that I was 5 minuets early, I felt much better. I was interviewed after a short wait by two people. I remembered one of the interviewers from my last visit with them, and the lady that was sitting next to him was a new face. Rather than an interview though, it was more of an explanation of what position they were hoping me to fill, and what would be required of me should I accept the job offer. I really had no reason to be nervous as I had been...or so I thought.

Right around the end when it's usually the time to get up and say good bye etc, they handed me some flash cards and asked me to come up with a simple game while they got some manuals to show me. Memories from the demo lesson I gave came tumbling back and I went blank for a short moment. They had asked me to be creative and fun in front of all those 40+ year olds acting like bratty kids, checking to see how I would control a completely out of control classroom, and how I would respond to every teacher's worst nightmare! That was really horrid of them! But I quickly got a hold of my self, and started planning something simple, and kept reminding myself that this isn't a demo lesson, and they just want to see creativity. I did my best, and the man told me he was impressed. I heaved a sigh of relief, and headed out. Now waiting for to give an afternoon English class at Kinshicho, I'm expecting the call of confirmation. I can't help but hope that all the others they will be interviewing before they're final decision have something along the lines of a heart attack or a panic attack.

I'm getting this job!!

Oh, and BTW, Merry Christmas!! Forgot to say that in my last post.

P.S.

I like 'em Mc Cafes. I'm at one now, actually, as I type this post over my third cup of hot coffee.

2010-12-09T18:01:00.002+09:00

Eiko says...

Updates on English teaching

Despite the demo-lesson being quite out of hand, thanks to the rowdy 12-13 year olds who were really 40+ year olds, and having a retarded contact lens torturing my left eye to tears, the company called me to schedule another meeting, this time with the Coordinator of the company. This is very good news, everyone. I might have a job in less than a week!

That aside, this past week has been very busy and quite exhausting mentally and physically. Therefore, I decided to treat myself to a shopping spree at some nearby clothes shops. The winter sales are on, girls! Let's live up to our reputation and shop till we drop!

Not...

Well...

Buy what you need and absolutely can't live without. When the entire clothes line fits that description...well, make sure you find yourself a very rich husband.

Engllish teacher?

2010-12-08T19:07:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

In the previous post, I mentioned how I quit my job at Gusto. It's definitely for the better that I did, since they were very uncooperative, but now I have found myself job-less and in danger of not being able to pay the very low rent that my place requires! It was time for job-hunting all over again! This time around I wanted a job other than your average part-time that pays shit money for shitty shifts that consist of shitty work. This left me with fewer options to chose from, and naturally, one of the options that stood out to me was English teaching. This was something that I really wanted to steer away from doing, but when you're out of a job, and you're desperate enough, everything and anything is a possibility! I found my self working hard on a resume and a general cover letter for English teaching and started applying on various sites that were looking for employees. I applied for at least 10 jobs, mainly revolving around English teaching, but I also threw out a few applications for other jobs that required a bilingual speaker. I realized that finding a good job is really a full-time job in itself! You need your resume looking good. You need a good cover letter, and you need to do a bunch of research. After people contact you and are interested in what you have to offer, you need to continually sell yourself, not to mention the interviews, mails and phone calls to attend to! And this is exactly what I have been up to these past 2 weeks.

Out of all the applications that I sent out, so far, 2 companies responded and contacted me. One was a position for a customer service in a real estate company. The other was a English Teacher position with Minerva. Both companies replied the next day I applied for the job, asking me to send my resume and to fill out a simple form for more details. The position for customer service is presently on hold as they reevaluate my resume, but Minerva called me for an interview as soon as I sent my resume, and so I went. After the interview, I was contacted for a demo lesson. Once again, I went. And man, I wasn't expecting what I experienced today, during the demo lesson!

Upon arrival, I am given, (along with the 4 others who were applying for the same position) a general class plan, and I am suppose to give it my own twist, and give this class to all the others in the room, including the interviewer and his assistant. Now, all of them are acting like 6 graders, with no clue whatsoever about English and who have short concentration spams. It was quite frustrating to deal with these 12-13 year olds who really are 40+ years old who are on their worst behavior. ( and who are also evaluating my teaching skills and my classroom control skills, etc. ) It was tough, and quite long, as I had to sit through the others who had role play the 'teacher', while the rest of the room were stupid, difficult 'students'. I left home at 11:30 and got home at 5:00. It was a full day, and I'm ready to treat myself now that the worst of it is over. I'm expecting them to contact me within the week. I'm up for some wine and chocolate! Now!!

updates

2010-11-30T18:18:00.002+09:00

Eiko says...

Updates:

Contact Lenses
Bless my dear brother Yasu's dear heart for giving me those contact lens coupons! I now have 3 months worth of contact lenses, and I'm hoping to stretch their use for 5 months at least.

Quit my job at Gusto
Apparently, there has been a little misunderstanding between me and my former bitchy boss and my present fat boss, which actually isn't such a little misunderstanding. I had told my former boss that unless she gave me more shifts and could promise me at least 70,000 yen income, than I would quit. This freaked her out, and promised me that she would give me more shifts and that she would pass on the information to my new boss. But according to my new fat boss, this information wasn't passed on to him, and I continued to have only 2 shifts a week, with each shift consisting of 2-3 hours!! I told him to give me more shifts, or I'd have to start looking for another job. He said he couldn't give me more shifts (idiot!) and therefore, I told him I couldn't work for him anymore. I need to look for a new job all over again.

Christmas
It seems to me that all the Matsuokas (in Japan) are getting together for a massive family reunion for Christmas! Woooah! Enough said.

new computer post

2010-11-28T14:22:00.006+09:00

Eiko says...

It's been a while since I've posted anything on Two out of Twelve, and you may be thinking that I've decided to move on from my blogger's life completely. Wrong. I only stopped blogging because I have been computer-less for the past few weeks and had no means to blog whatsoever. But that's all going to change now because I am no longer computer-less!

Just a few days back, I went to Akihabara--widely known as 'digital city' and also where all the 'otaku' perves gather from around Japan to find extra gadgets to add to their 'otaku-perv-collections and to stimulate and satisfy their otaku-perv obsessions. To clarify the beginning of the sentence above, I would like to change 'went to Akihabara' to 'biked to Akihabara'! It's great exercise, it doesn't cost you transportation, and it really only takes 1 hour and 30 minutes to get there by bike. It does suck though, when you have to bike through pouring rain, in which case it would take you 2 hours--speaking from experience here. Honestly, if I had checked the weather forecast, I doubt I would have even considered the bike ride. But I'm not complaining! I got what I needed, and I'd say the 2 hour bike ride on the way back through freezing cold rain was worth my purchase. I would have been ecstatic if they had a red computer to match the code color for my room, but this gorgeous blue is winning my heart over! I'm in love!

Check out my 10 inch, sexy baby!

It's not a mac or apple, but I really could care less as anybody who knows me will testify how little electronic gadgets have a hold on me. I got this one for a very reasonable price though, and it's the latest of its kind. It will suffice for the nature of work I'd do on it which would mostly be translating, browsing the internet on the rare occasion, blogging, and watching movies. It's more than plenty.

So you can count on me blogging on a more regular basis. But until then, I want to assure everybody that my back is recovering, as is my foot. I can walk without limping and I've got freer movements as my back is healing up. A big thanks to all who have kept me in their prayers. My new fat boss, is no better than my skinny bitchy one though, and that sucks beyond words. My financial state is NOT cool, and you wouldn't want to bring up the topic with me, unless I address it myself, in which case you really would have hoped I didn't. I can go on forever about this particular issue in my life. I'll elaborate in an upcoming post.

Take care peoples, and watch your health. It's getting cold!

Peace.

killer pains

2010-11-04T16:18:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

People who know me even just for a week will confirm that I whine about having a back ache and that I need a massage. I had comments thrown at me that I'm such a whiner about it, or that I just like massages, but don't really have a back problem, or that I'm spoiled and don't really know what a back ache really is. Well, what I had then is peanuts and raisins in comparison to the huge amounts of pain that I'm being subjected to right now! It feels like a knife is slicing through my back and touching some very sensitive nerves in a very un-gentle way.

The pain started up 2 weeks ago, and at first I thought it would leave me alone if I ignored it long enough, but after 4 days, I had enough. I started doing some research on the internet concerning the problems with my lower back, and I started freaking myself out. After two hours of browsing symptoms and solutions, I decided, despite my unexplainable hatred for hospitals and their kind, to visit an orthopedic clinic to check out what's wrong with my back.

The clinic that I went to wasn't anything big, and the doctor that was running the place was nice and animated. What really made me relax and feel comfortable was the instrumental soundtrack of Tottoro playing softly as backdrop music. There's no way things could go wrong.

I waited 5 minutes before he called me in from the waiting room and asked me to sit down on an adjacent bed. He brought a stool in for me to rest my feet on, and as soon as I thanked him and my feet touched the stool, he right away pointed at my feet and said, "Ah hah! That's why!!" I jumped, and quickly glanced down to see what he was freaking out about. From the tone of his voice and facial expressions, I thought I had an extra toe or worse!

I may not have an extra toe, but according to him, the bone structure of my feet is horrible. Due to the bad bone structure in my feet, I have bad balance which affects the way I hold my self, and consequently, my lower back takes a hit. This easily explained my chronic back pains. Obviously, there's nothing much I can do about my bone structure. But he did advise me though, while giving me a quick massage, to build more leg and core muscles for better posture. I knew I had bad posture from before, but he said my posture being bad was an under statement by far! That drove things home. I was determined to start strength training as soon as my back pains and my foot heal up.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to happen any time soon, and this is no apple pie for me. I'm an active individual, and having to stay in a sitting position for long periods of time is not my favorite things to do. My daily schedule used to consist of me waking up and starting the day off with a Insanity work out, than take a shower, clean and organize the room, head out for a long bike ride, come home for a short break before work at Gusto, and maybe go out again to chill with friends until something past midnight. Now, I can't even do half of that. For one, walking is still difficult due to my strained left foot. Secondly, my lower back can't handle any physical exercise. I thought I'd give a light pilates a shot, but the moment I got into the '100' position, my entire back almost froze up with pain! I barely make my way around my work place. It's not so cool.

But speaking of Gusto and work, (and since talking about problems that don't have any immediate solutions is stupid) my new boss is as easy going as he is fat. What surprises me the most about my fat boss is how he can move so fast carrying all that excess weight! I'm delighted that he doesn't shout every word that he voices, and that he doesn't look constipated or annal. I think me and him will get along just fine, so long as he puts me in more shifts like I requested. We really shouldn't be having much for problems.

And that's it for now, because to be completely honest, my back is yelling out bloody murder, and my brain is fried from translating all day. I'll blog more in the next few days so keep in touch. Peace, ladies.

double rainbow

2010-10-31T22:55:00.009+09:00

Eiko says...

Hiki showed this to me the other day, and I laughed so hard I thought I'd faint!

Apparently, Mr. DoubleRainbow (who's name is really Bear Vasquez) got tons of views on YouTube for this vid, and has become quite famous and loved for his genuine reaction to nature's beauty: "Oh, my God! It's a double complete rainbow! What does it mean? It's so intense! Whaaaa ha haaaa!"

He has since showed up on Jimmy Kimmel and confirms that he was completely sober 'this time'. And believe it or not, there are Double Rainbow T-Shirts! I would love to have my very own double-complete-rainbow T!!

And a big hand of applause to the fans who made this sweet little tune for Double Rainbow! Great job, guys!! I hear Hiki singing and humming this song around the clock! It's so catchy, I've got it running through my brain all day too. Love it!

morning activity and family

2010-10-29T22:56:00.013+09:00

Eiko says...

Tell me, what are some of the first things you do when you wake up in the morning? Do you stretch? Do you check your clock? Do you do a quick mental rundown of the day's scheduled? Do you stumble your way to the bathroom?

Personally, the first thing I find myself doing is to automatically reach for my mobile phone and check the time. The second thing I do is to see how my back is fairing by stretching a bit. Stumbling to the bathroom is also among the first five things I do when I get up in the morning. And in the process of the first five things I find myself doing, I usually catch my reflection in either a mirror hanging on the wall, or a window. Not really for vanity's sake, but simply for the fact that there are mirrors and windows in my room, and I haven't been in my room long enough to walk around with my eyes closed.

Now, some people wake up looking amazing, and wouldn't be embarrassed even if, let's say, their pervy neighbor was snapping pictures of them from across the street and posting them on the internet, or showing them to their friends. Unfortunately, I'm not a member of this group of people. (Nor am I among the 'pervy neighbor' group, just in case you were wondering.) I am among the majority of people who wake up in the morning and look like they just woke up--sleepy, messy hair, heavy eye lids, slightly slouched shoulders, no make up, heavy steps,

--you get the picture.

On this fine morning, coming out of the bathroom and washing my hands at the sink, I glanced up, caught my morning-face in the mirror, and quickly glanced back at my hands. No use dwelling on the negative. But after washing the soap off my hands, I subconsciously caught my reflection in the mirror again, but this time around, I stared for a few moments into my very familiar face. Godamnit! How boring do you get!? Waking up to this every morning is a bit routine. But what can I do? Like it or not, this face will be mine, and something I'll just have to deal with. Uhhh,...no. Bad idea. I'm not convincing myself here.

"Dawnie," I called out to Dawn who was finishing up breakfast dishes,"I'm thinking bangs. What do you think?"

"Bangs are cool." Was Dawn's simple yet very straightforward answer--the kind of answer I appreciate, especially first thing in the morning when long explanations

of any kind bore me to death, and consequently do very little to help.

"Cool!" I said, as I quickly ran to the kitchen and grabbed the kitchen scissors. After all, there is no time like the present.

"I think it's time to do something about this...face" I said as I grabbed a handful of hair that was messily falling in my face and snipped straight across in one sweeping, confident 'SNIP'.

"Shit!" I happily exclaimed. I was satisfied with how fast it was done, and that it was fairly un-crooked for a first-thing-in-the-morning hair cutting session. I also looked quite different from moments earlier. I got what I wanted.

So now, I have bangs again. I'll most likely start regretting this spontaneous act, but the damage has been done, and I will just have to live with it.

That aside, our little apartment housed all three of my brothers' families! Did I say that right? Yasu's family obviously live here, as it's their apartment. Hiki and Angel and their two cutie-pies are visiting for a while, and Sam and Leika, with their 3 munchies dropped by for dinner! We had a very full and lively house, and I was highly amused by the ever growing Matsuoka Clan. I also realized all over again that my brothers are quite good looking. Each one of them is unique, charming and handsome in their own way, and it all made me smile. I've got beautiful sister in laws as well. Not only are they physically beautiful, but also have personalities that show confidence and maturity. Absolutely overwhelming!

I think I reached a point during our little hang out where I just had to retire from all the awesomeness that I was being exposed to. For one, the population density was quite a bit too much, and the people that were populating the apartment were such complete human beings, with such alive children, I just had to excuse myself to give them all a bit more oxygen and space. That was a crappy explanation for why I retired to my room. In truth, I felt the edge of a cold sneaking up on me. The head ache, the runny nose and heavy feeling were all too familiar symptoms to me and I needed to rest up for work tomorrow. But it was great seeing everybody. I'm very blessed to have grown up with such a wonderful family.

Dad, Mom, look at what you have made! Be proud of this mess!

it's cold and I'm turning blue

2010-10-28T22:14:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

pain accident magnet

My BF left for the States a week and a half ago, and I still have five, long, cold days till he gets back! I miss him terribly. And ever since he's been away, I started using a pillow when I sleep, and my back problem is haunting me yet again. It's entirely my fault though, really, and I don't mean to place the blame on anybody but myself! Because despite my knowledge of how sensitive my back can be, and how it reacts to pillows, I continue to sleep with pillows! I'm an idiot.

That aside, I think I'm really a pain and accident magnet. Within the month, I've had 3 bicycle accidents, my back pain has returned, I got a nasty cold, and to top it all off, I also injured my foot. How this happened, I haven't the slightest idea. All I know is that I noticed the pain while walking to work one day. It's a sharp pain in my foot--as if I had strained a muscle. I can't put any weight on my left without feeling a very sharp pain, so in order to get anywhere walking, I have to look like an idiot and limp. After 5 days of this and my lower back is completely zapped! My foot being as unreliable as it is right now, and consequently haven't to limp really seemed to have a negative affect on my lower back, and I can barely stand straight without feeling sharp pain slicing through my back and shoulders. I thought working at Gusto was tough before, but now having to run around on a foot that won't support you properly and having a back that exudes pain, I get tired and annoyed twice as quickly. My boss and her unpredictable moods also get to me more easily. I might have to revisit the hospital I just got out of a few weeks ago for the car accident check up...

glad tidings

Speaking of my boss and work, I've got fantastic news! She just told me 2 days back that she'll be transfered to a Gusto in Yokohama and that our new boss will be coming in just two weeks! I couldn't believe my ears! I'm overjoyed! Of course, my new boss could be even more mentally unstable and freakish, but in order to pull that one off, he'd have to be a complete retard, and I highly doubt that the Skylark Company hires complete retards. I know I shouldn't get my hopes up, but almost anybody could be better than my present boss. I guess we'll see soon.

And that's it for now. I'm gunna go make some hot soup to keep me warm.

It's so damn cold these days!

he calls it being 'appropriately selfish'

2010-10-20T01:11:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

Oooh, la la! It's been quite a while since I've posted anything on this blog! Lif has been keeping me quite occupied recently, and blogging is probably in the bottom 5 of my to-do list along side flossing and eating fruit, both of which are healthy and which some poeple swear by, but also is something I couldn't care less for. Yup. Blogging is definitely in the bottom 5 of my to-do list.

I've recently been trying to put a greater emphasis on exercising. I've been reading a few articles by Tom Venuto about health and fitness, and he said something quite interesting on the lines of making your health a priority in life. It's good to keep things in the right perspective and really knowing waht your priorities are. I think Tom got it right.

"There are fires burning all around you. I know. Kids are screaming, other kids need a ride to school. Spouses need attention. Bills must be paid. You're late on your tax return. Clients need service. Your boss needs you there now. There are phone calls to return. Information overload is driving you insane-there are books to read, TV shows to watch, news to keep up on. And E-mail! You're drowning it! Life is moving faster than ever before. How will we eer get it all done? Where will you find the time?

I know, I know. Almost everyone is feeling the same way too!

Here's what to do.

STOP!

In the middle of all the chaos! With fires burning all around you! Just STOP! Stop moving. Stop thinking. Take a deep breath. Take two more deep breaths. Center yourself. Now shift focus to what's most important in life.

Then tell yourself, "None of this stuff that's stressing me out matters-not one bit of it-if I'm sick, immobilized or dead. I want to look good. I want to feel good. I come first. I can only take care of my family and my business, and I can only feel good and look good if I've taken care of myself first.

Then calmly and quietly go take care of yourself. Go take a work out. Go take a stress relief break. Go calmly int o the kitchen to eat a healthy meal or prepare your meals for the entiere day, neatly pre-packaged if necessary, in anticipation of the hectic, fast paced day ahead. Go shopping and stock your kitchen with healthy foods.

Person life values are important. They are precious. They include things like your family, humanitarian endeavers and even your spiritual beliefs. So I'm not going to tell you what your values should be. That's your personal business. But I will tell you what ORDER yoru values should be in- your health goes first. Above all esle.

Is that selfish?

Yes.

But it's appropriately selfish. Being appropriately selfish is not about bucking your responsibilities. It's not about ONLY taking care of yourself. It's about putting your priorities in the right order. And it's one of the keys to great health, happiness and personal success. "

Now, I don't have any kids, and I'm not married, and I don't have any clients or important phone calls to return. I'm young and have my whole life ahead of me, and therefore, the time factor isn't really a huge issue as opposed to the "lethargic-human-nature" issue. But if I start letting my health slide now, and take my young energy for granted, and if I don't make health a priority and a habit while I'm generally free from any major pressing emergencies to attend to that life tends t toss in our path on a fairly unexpected, regular basis, it'll only be a matter of time before my un-checked lazy nature will have it's way with my life. My future will suffer, and I will suffer if I don't form the good habit of putting first things first, and health is definitely something I consider a priority in my life.

An interesting thought.

hit and run

2010-10-02T20:43:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

It was just yesterday that I got ran over by a car while riding my bike, and I've got the money to prove it, but apparently, no scars. Here's the long and short of it.

It was a lovely Friday, and I went on my weekly rounds to Lodge Home to help share their provisioned goods from the market with us. I had filled my basket full of fruits and vegetables and also some precious dairy products that are far too expensive to afford in Japan like sour cream and whipped cream and cheese, and was on my way back to my new apartment that I share with Yasu and Dawn. Now, I was being very careful riding my bike, because just the night before, while riding to Lodge Home for some fellowship and fun, despite my being absolutely alert and careful, I got rammed into by a motor bike! Yes, I was wearing my glasses. Yes, I had my light on. Yes, I wasn't speeding. And yes, I flew off my bike and have the bruises to prove it. My BF had given me an hour lecture about being more careful and to be even more responsible than I was being already, for every action that I take; to be the adult, not the child. Which is why, I was ever so alert and ever so careful to make sure that the events of the previous evening would not have to repeat itself due to carelessness on my part.

The light had just turned from red to blue, and even then, I looked both ways like they teach you to do in kindergarten. I'm glad I did too, because there were two cars that were coming from opposite me that had their blinkers on, which signaled that they needed to make the turn. Regardless of the fact that I could have just biked my way across the walk way since my bike was already on the road, ready to be on my way home, I patiently waited for the first car to make the turn and go by. The second car had to slow down for the first car to take the move, and since it was still at a distance, and since the driver saw me press against my pedal to get moving, I was under the impression that he would obey the traffic rules and stop his car, and wait until the coast was clear, and I was out of hitting range. But apparently, the driver was a complete idiot. Because despite the fact that he saw me making my way across the road, and despite the traffic rules, and despite the fact that there was no way in the universe that he would not hit me if he decided to NOT step on the breaks, (which wouldn't have been too hard to do being that he wasn't speeding or anything) he did NOT stop and ran right into me, and sent me flying through the air, with all the vegetables and fruits and such that was neatly secured in my bike basket.

I remember thinking, "What the hell is the idiot not stopping for when I'm already hitting the half-way-point of the cross way?" Then I remember thinking, "Damn it! I'm flying through the air!" Then I remember trying to get up and contemplating the fact that I had to pick up all the vegies and fruits and dairy products from all over the road, pick my bike up and get the hell out of the middle of the road so that I don't get run over by the next idiot who can't see a girl struggling on the ground, surrounded by scattered groceries.

The idiot who hit me appeared to be in his late 40's and was not apologetic in the least. In fact, he seemed annoyed and in a hurry to get the mess behind him. He did help me pick everything up though, so I'll give him that, although that's the very least he could have done. I remember him asking me questions like, "Are you alright?" I was like, "Dude, you just smashed me over with your car! Of course I'm not alright! Don't make yourself seem even more idiotic than you already made yourself appear by disregarding traffic rules and almost killing me." Anyhow, he pulled out 100 dollars and told me to go to the hospital and get my bike fixed. I remember insisting that I was fine, but I was referring to the fact that I wasn't in a puddle of my own blood and there were no visible wounds on my body. He insisted back, and I had absolutely no shame in taking his money and his name card. I was in way too much shock to think straight, and thinking straight would have been me saying something along the lines of, "100 dollars?! You are officially out of your mind! If I call the police right now, you will at least have your license revoked for a year, not to mention the fine you'll have to pay, if not time in jail! Don't be an idiot. 500 dollars and no less for the hospital bill that I may or may not have to pay, and for the scratch that you gave my bike which cost me 30 dollars!" But unfortunately, the impact of the crash, and the shock I was in completely fucked with my thinking process and all I could think of was getting home, and the sweet relief of being alive and whole with all limbs attached.

Anyway, after insisting that I get a check up, and handing me the money and his card, he drove off, and apparently, that is nothing short of 'hit and run'. But at the moment, while I was basking in the beauty of life and breath, and the money that was in my hand, I couldn't care less.

The fact that I saw no visible ouchies told me that going to work was totally fine. But I started noticing odd pains on my way to work, which increased through the night, and was quite uncomfortable in the morning. I'm determined to get it checked tomorrow, since the discomfort continues, and will be back here with the results.

gusto kitchen crazies

2010-09-21T21:39:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

I am now at Lodge Home, sitting at Sam's super awesome computer, trying to catch up on some blogging, but coming up completely blank.

For one, I'm too busy admiring Sam's computer, and secondly, there's so much that happened since my last post that I'm confused as to where to pick up from.

In a crisis like this, I junk all the rules and start from what first comes to mind.

Work Life

I'm working in the kitchen at Gusto, and words fail to describe the amount of insanity that's going on behind the scenes. There is of course, my crazy boss. I do recall saying something like how she seemed perpetually constipated and such, but if anybody had to be in charge of anything as hectic and crazy as Gusto, I'd say there's a legitimate reason to appearing perpetually constipated. It's that insane.

Starting with the food which is also a bunch of insanity. I'm sure it's common knowledge, but everything, and I mean E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G, (save the fresh salads, the negi, the white rice, the tofu, the decorative mint leaves that you see adorning your sundays and deserts, and the occasional slice of banana you get in the chocolate sunday) on the menu is frozen/packaged food. The pasta is boiled and frozen pasta, the ketchup rice for your omelet is packaged and frozen, and even the omelet itself is made out of what you call 'eguron'--whole, mixed eggs, packaged and frozen! All the sauces, including the pasta meat sauce and tomato sauce are packaged, and so are most of the meat. The maze-gohan is packaged, the udon noodles are frozen, the soups are packaged, the cakes and deserts are all frozen and packaged, the vegie dishes are also composed of frozen vegies and what not! Everything is heated with either the microwave, or the oven, or the electric stove. And get this...we use our hands, and directly touch your food...all the time. Don't worry! It's not that we do dirty things with our hands!! Every last one of us, (myself included) are clean freaks and are absolutely paranoid about keeping our hands germ-free! We even wear plastic gloves to the toilet so we won't have to expose our hands to anything that will give you a stomach ache. Totally.

Now you might think that working with all this frozen/packaged food would be easy and sweat free. Well, it's definitely not sweat free, and it's most definitely not easy. Mainly because having to make the vast variety of dishes that 5-7 groups of people randomly order at the same time with just 4 people during lunch or dinner time, is never a piece of cake. Orders are streaming in and special requests are always thrown in at the most inconvenient time. If you can't make 3 dishes at the same time while working the washer, you won't ever catch up with the orders. The insanity never stops.

My boss expects me to remember every dish I make the first time I make it, and also where all the ingredients/sauces/frozen foods are, and since that is very difficult to do when you're amongst so much confusion, I am often yelled at. I have considered yelling back, but that would most definitely make me lose my train of thought so I refrain from such action. I also kind of think my boss has a legitimate reason to be as constipated looking and cranky as she is. I mean, if I had to be in charge of all that... stuff...I would have already gone bonkers. The day I am able to move like a food producing machine like she can, and she stops yelling at me, I think we could even have a very decent conversation, and we'd probably get along just fine.

My co-workers seem to be very decent individuals, though I have yet to actually have a conversation with any of them. There's no way you can actually have time to talk amongst all the confusion during work time, so it will be awhile before I get to know them at all, much less remember their names. The only conversations that stands out to me that I had with my co-workers is when it was pouring rain outside, and one of the waitresses announced that a half naked foreigner had brought me an umbrella and was wondering when I'd get off. 'Half-naked-foreigner' could no one else but my BF. He'd be shirt-less come hell or high waters! Anyhow, later on while I was getting out of my food-smelling work clothes, another waitress, after lingering on the fact that the foreigner that brought me an umbrella wasn't wearing a shirt, asked what kind of acquaintance he was. I was like, 'oh, he's my BF.' They were like 'ahhh, naruhodo.' And I was like, 'yup'. The next day, one of my dude co-workers brought up the subject. "I heard that you had a half-naked friend come over to bring you an umbrella..." Apparently, being half naked in Japan is a biggie. They can't seem to leave the topic alone. *shrugs*

Anyhow, not much more is coming to mind. I would post a picture of me in my work clothes...but on second thought, nah. It's really nothing special. I'm wearing the dorky hair net, and on top of that the chef hat, black pants, a collar T-shirt and a green apron. Very standard, nothing special or attractive. Yup. No pictures.

Speaking of pictures, I was suppose to post pictures of our new house. But since this is Sam's computer, I don't have any of those with me. That will just have to wait for next time. I'm calling it a night.

Long belated post...

2010-09-11T19:34:00.007+09:00

P.B. says...

Here I am, staring at the computer in vain, doing my best to make up a proper post from my limited vocabulary. Right, vocabulary isn't the problem. It's because I'm uncreative. I could sit in front of a computer for 40 minutes, and still not even have a simple paragraph typed down. Okay, it probably takes so long because I'm playing computer games at the same time I'm trying to cook up a post; but it would still take me a good 20 to 30 minutes to write something.

Anyway, I'm not here to rant away about how stupid I am. I'm here because I wrote something like '...you can be expecting something from me after I come back(from the trip)', and what do you know? Three weeks passed without me posting anything! No excuses or reasons why I didn't post, I'll just get on with it.

So here are the best pictures we've got. We hardly took any photos on this trip and the ones that we have are quite junky. Blame that on Mom or our stubborn will that won the camera over!

At Tazawako.

Granny teaching us how to make a fire.

It's nothing compared to Sam's photography, but this is one of Mom's best.

This trip, we stayed home all day, watching movies, and taking naps and watching some more movies; the best way to spend a vacation. We did go out camping at Tazawako, though, and me, nonny, and Yuya had a swim in the lake. All in all, this trip was a relaxing one, and a one we all enjoyed to the full. Oh, and before I go, let me just list the movies we watched.

*Titanic.
We watched the shorter version. I still don't understand why 'Wose threw the necklace into the sea.

*Transporters.
We were thinking about watching Moulin Rouge, but we wouldn't watch another Drama, so we decided on this.

*The Notebook.
Everyone cried on this one(I and Yuya excluded).

moved in

2010-09-06T19:11:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

'Awesome' is the word for this past week, everybody! It's almost been a week since moving into my new apartment, and everything about the new place fits the description of awesome. I take that back. Almost everything fits the description of awesome. I said almost because we don't have air cons, and sweating it out in this heat isn't so cool. If we weren't as excited as we were about moving into our new place, we wouldn't have been able to move all our stuff in the car and out of the car, and then into the apartment, then up the stairs and into the closets in this effing heat without losing our marbles! We were literally sweating machines! Ironically, we ordered pizza for our very first dinner at our new place. The pizza was great, but it didn't really help the sweating factor. I remember being insanely full, hot, sticky, and dead tired the first night here. I took a shower, and sweated myself to sleep.

Since my first day of work is the 8th, there's plenty of time to check out the neighborhood and settle in, both of which I've been doing plenty of. We have a 業務スーパー nearby, as well as a few good second hand shops, family restaurants, a big 100 yen shop and a yamada denki, all within biking distance, and a Mini Stop right down the road. I'm loving the neighborhood.

The theme colors for my room are black and red, but if it weren't for the BF taking me to Ikea, and if it weren't for the super awesome oil painting he got for me in Thailand, I wouldn't be anywhere close to getting my room started on the righteous path of red and black. It's getting there though. It needs a lot of help, but it's getting there. I'll post the pictures in the next post.

I'm calling it a night.

me and aich at gusto

2010-08-30T14:26:00.005+09:00

Eiko says...

Here are a few pics from the outing Aich and I had at Gusto--my work place now.

got a job

2010-08-29T19:34:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

On our way out from having some quality girl time together at a nearby Gusto, Aich and I noticed a billboard in the entrance way announcing the need for more workers. I thought of writing the shops number on my hand so that I could give them a ring later on in the evening, ( because believe it or not, I still was job-less) Aich reminded me of the modern convenience in my back pocket--the keitai! I hit my forehead with my palm in a 'Duh! stupid me' kinda way, and proceeded to take a picture of the whole billboard, with all the bits of information on it, and made a mental note to call them up as soon as I finished my night shift in Cafe Marche.

That evening, I called the shop, and had a civil conversation with the Tenchou. I was expecting a man to be on the other side of the line, mainly because I distinctly remember the Tenchou being male last time Boris and I applied for Gusto. Complications were in our way at the time so we ended up not working there, but I remember clearly how nice the man was, and how cool it must be working for him. I guess he quit or was moved elsewhere. Whatever the case, the new Tenchou was definitely not a man,...or a woman for that matter. I would say something in the middle of a monster and a monkey.

Anyhow, I got a interview scheduled for 9 AM the next day. This was the first indication that the Tenchou was not mentally healthy. I'm not in the best of moods in the morning, and in order to be there at 9 AM, I had to get up at 7 AM to get ready and looking presentable. That's a rather early start, and the sizzling hot, sweaty walk to Gusto didn't help my moods to lighten up very much. I got there and was told to fill out a resume at one of the tables, which I did, and after filling it out in the most attractive way I thought my resume could possibly appear, I rung the bell and waited...

Moments later, in the seat directly in front of me sits this woman, with no shape to her body whatsoever. Her face was gaunt, black, and wire rimmed glasses balanced on her nose in a peculiar way. A sharp bob that didn't compliment her face shape made her look stupid, and her not wearing make up made her look like a man. She had bony fingers that reminded me of an anorexic patient, and her mouth appeared to have 2 ton weights attached to either side. People like this woman and George W. B. keep the theory of Evolution alive! You see them and it's understandable as to why some believe that we have monkeys for ancestors! She also looked and acted perpetually constipated, which worried me since we all know how awful that can be. She also sat as if she had a stick up her ass, and so I thought I'd do her a favor and politely asked if I could lend her a hand in pulling it out. This kind offer on my part was not received so kindly. I just got the blank, no-emotions, constipated stare, and I gave up on helping her... until I realized that the woman sitting in front of me was the Tenchou of Gusto,the lady I talked to on the phone...who could very possibly end up being my future boss, if all went well with the interview. I was like, 'Damn it! Not cool!'

She quickly took a glance at my resume, lingered a bit on my TOEIC score, asked a few questions as to why I wasn't getting an English related job if my English was as good as it seemed, asked me a few questions about my past job experiences, and then pushed my resume aside and just stared at me. I was like....woah. Then she started threatening.

"Little girl, you may think you know what the word, 'strict' means, but you will never know the true meaning of that word until you've worked here, under me. Boys cry, and most of the girls quit within the first few months. You may think that work here is easy, but you're wrong. You may think that it could possibly be fun, but you're wrong. You may think that it's a glorious job that you'll enjoy doing, but you're wrong. The work here is not easy, it's not fun, it's not glorious, and it's likely that you won't enjoy it. We are quite hard on people, and proud of it. So if you do get the phone call of acceptance here, I want you to come to work knowing what you're getting yourself into."

I was like..."Uh, dudess, if you made me cry, that would make me a mega loser. I have better things and people to cry over, and you are the last person on the face of the earth that I feel like wasting tears on. Go figure! But know that I've worked in hard situations. I've got experience in cooking and waitressing, and I've been given the responsibility of taking full charge over one of my old work places,--cooking, working the register, serving the customer and the cleaning--all by myself! I'm good with customers, I'm a fast learner, and I don't whine. And although totally irrelevant, I'm fluent in English and have my TOEIC score to prove it. So, yeah, go figure again!"

I didn't care if I was bluffing 80% of everything I said! She annoyed me! Who on earth talks like that to a perfect stranger? Making boys cry isn't something to boast about! I wouldn't have any of it. I was determined to prove to this lady that I would not be one of her victims.

The interview was short and went smoothly. I was still sickened by everything about her. I even found a part of me hoping that I wouldn't get the job! She was a 100%, no non-sense phyco.

Yesterday, while recovering from a fever and a migraine, I get a call. I got the effing job! That phyco lady hired me. I have nothing more to say. My search for employment is over and I'm happy about that. Then a mental picture of her pops in my mind, and I feel like puking.

God, spare me from hell!!

like this

2010-08-24T21:57:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

Rule #1 Never be sappy or emotional or depressing on Two out of Twelve.

Enough said. Over.

Chocolate! Go!

kick ass voice & stripping old man

2010-08-22T13:39:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

Ladies and gents, my apologies for the absence. Once again, I have many excuses, but they're all lousy, so I'm not going to waste your time, or my precious finger energy by listing them up.

Knowing how word spreads faster than light here in JP TFI, I'm sure most of you have heard about how Dawn and Yasu and I are getting an apartment together. It's likely that I mentioned that at least twice somewhere on this blog. But whatever! The exact date is the 1st of September and fast approaching!! I need to start packing and purging....AGAIN! You know, I've been doing a lot of moving around recently--from T.O.M Home to Icthus Home to Lodge Home, and now I'm off to a brand new beginning with Dawn and Yasu and Kippins, and that's all within 10 months! But more than needing to pack and purge, ( which should be fairly easy since all the clothes and the stuff and the clutter haven't left the fit-cases since coming here ) I need to get my ass a damn good job! Okay, forget the 'good' part. I just need a damn job that doesn't pay poop. Pray that I find one.

The above was the updates. Below is everything else.

I've recently caught a pretty bad 夏風邪, and consequently, I sound like a man. No joke. A very sick man. Give me a ring, and you'll know what I'm talking about. You probably won't even recognize my voice.

I'll answer the call and you'll be like,

"Woah, FREAK! Give Eiko's cell back to Eiko!"

And I'll be like,

"Dude, (or girl friend or whatever) this is Eiko..."

And whether you believe me or not is something else.

I'm actually on my way to recovery, but in the hight of my summer cold, my head hurt, my throat stung, my nose was runny, my stomach was upset, and to top it all off, I was on my bloody monthly. I was also slightly emotional over a certain personal something, and all of that combined made a very miserable me. The worst part about the cold was my throat. I think what really gave my voice that extra husky, raspy touch was going to karaoke, and not just drinking the drinks and eating the snacks, but singing for 5 hours straight! If I didn't have a throat cold, singing for 5 hours wouldn't have given such fantastic results. Unfortunately, there was the throat cold issue. I had loads of fun regardless, but we must not forget the consequences.

Cafe Marche--The Unexpected Strip Show

We have an older customer who I'd agree to count as a regular. He drops by often enough, although mostly during the Friday and Saturday nights when we have the live music going on. He's 80-ish-years-old, and he reminds us of his age each time he drops by. Did I mention that I've never seen this man enter our cafe sober? He only drops by after he's drunk himself tipsy somewhere else. Anyhow, one Friday evening, he swings by Cafe Marche, tipsy as always, and orders a beer, and than another beer, and then whisky, and then wine and on and on and one he orders. I'd say it was less then 15 minutes until he started singing and clapping his hands AND dancing all over the cafe, trying to get the other customers to join him, and making little to no sense when he orders or tries to make conversation! His moment of glory (and embarrassment if he'd remember anything at all the next day) was when he starting stripping! I'm not kidding. He stripped! Thank the good Lord he kept the stripping to the upper half of his body. I gave Stephan a quick worried glance, but Steph was laughing his head off. I was like 'cool!' and quickly joined him. I mean, this skinny, genki yet crazy, old ojiiichan started taking his clothes off, stood in front of the stage where J.D. and the other band members were performing, and spread his arms wide, and began jigging, saluting people, and making a huge fool out of himself! The other customers had quite the show, and were laughing as well. I kind of felt sorry for the ladies he was trying to persuade to dance with him. Once the ojiichan realized he wouldn't get any luck from the customer ladies, he came over to me and began insisting that I dance with him. I had to give him the, no-can-do-I'm-working-talk. He was too high to be offended. Alcohol is indeed a magical beverage.

Dick in a Box

2010-08-16T19:31:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

It's waay to hot and humid to think straight, so blogging is completely out of the question. BUT!! Posting a You Tube vid isn't all that tough, and so here you go: Dick in a Box!!

If you need something to get you laughing like hell, watch this!

Akita Trip

2010-08-14T21:02:00.005+09:00

P.B. says...

We will be going to Akita tomorrow and would be back by the 21st. I'm so happy that Boris will still be coming with us, even when all the other older brothers and sisters have abandoned us(shame on you!!). Well, I suppose it is okay traveling with only a few for a change. It makes it easier for everyone―More oxygen and space in the car, and makes moving more faster. Besides, Granny's cottage isn't big enough to house all of us.

Anyway, I think I wouldn't be able to post during our trip. We're going to bring the internet connection thingie there, but not so sure if it would work, but you can be expecting something about our trip after I come back.

That's about it. Mom and my good older sis is banging me over the head...
Good night. gtg...

kissing and pick up lines for idiots

2010-08-08T12:15:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

These two vids are hilarious!

Post #2 of summer vaca 2010

2010-08-05T01:26:00.007+09:00

Eiko says...

The list of movies I watched during my 6 day vacation:

-After Life

Staring Christina Ricci and Liam Neeson, 'After Life' is about a young woman caught between life and death...and a funeral director who appears to have the gift of transitioning the dead, but might just be intent on burying her alive. My least favorite movie that I watched this week.

-Bunny and the Bull

A movie about a young shut-in takes an imaginary road trip inside his aparmtent, based on mementos and memories of a European trek from years before. A very quirky film with loads to get you cracking up! The charactor 'Bunny' reminds me of a messed up version of my dear bro Hiki. Loved this one!

-Man on Fire

It's an epic 2004 film staring dear old Denzel Washington, and I finally got around to watching it! It's about a former assassin who swears vengeance on those who commited an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect. This film is one of those rare gems that Hollywood produces. A must-see!

-The Italian Job

This film reminded me of Oceans 11, but had it's original twist to it. I must say, I loved Jason Statham in it! Classic movie, great plot, good acting! Loved it!

-When in Rome

A sweet 'chic-flick' with a touch of magic! Cute story, cute guy, cute plot! The perfect 'light' movie after something like 'Man on Fire'!

-Zombie Land

The BEST zombie movie EVER, across the board! I really enjoyed this one! A great comedy to sit down to and laugh your heart and waist line away to!

-Dear John

What can I say? Nicholas Sparks did it again with one of his sappy love stories that always sting... in a sad kind of way. It was realistic, sweet, sad DRAMA! I liked it though. Channing was awful cute in it.

The places I ate with Boris during our 6 day vaca:

-McDonalads

'Cmon! Mc 'D is classic! Regardless of the fact that it tastes like tasted c

ardboard, you have to go there at least once during a vacation, and we went like... 3 times! An all time favorite is the cheese burger and their coffee! A new favorite is their 'juicy chicken' that they sell for 100 yen per piece. It's a fairly new addition, and if you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it! You won't be disappointed!

You also gotta love their new Mc Cafe' designs! Quite classy if I may say so myself.

-KFC

They totally shrunk their 'Twisters', and their potato fries aren't worth eating, but their chicken is to die for, and so we ate there once. Delicious.

-Gusto

Only for their drink bar and for the fact that they are open 24-7! Went there twice and enjoyed many leisurely talks with Boris over their drinks.

-Cafe Marche

Steph held true to his word and let us eat for free at Cafe Marche for filling in a shift d

uring our vacation. It's a completely different feeling if you're in the cafe as a customer! Loved Sam waiting on me! Haha!

-Made pastas on several occasions. An all time fav!

All in all had a smashing vacation! Rested up, watched a great deal of great movies, cached up with my BEST friend, and am ready for the MOVE that will be happening first thing come September! We FOUND the PERFECT APARTMENT! It has a loft, and a balcony and plenty of space to breath and live! I can't wait to move in! Woo hoo!

And I need an effing job!!!

Drinking coffee at Gusto waaay past midnight!

On our way to Shibuya, we decided to take some pictures of our shadows!

Sushi night!

here, take my seat

2010-08-04T21:59:00.011+09:00

Eiko says...

On the train back from Shibuya, all hot and sweaty and tired, squashed against strangers like sardines in a can, holding on to the bar for dear life in the moving train, I saw something beautiful take place.

The business man who was sitting in front of me started getting out of his seat, put his bag where his ass once was in order to keep the seat secure, and began shifting towards I-have-no-idea-what. I was clueless as to what he was trying to do, and tried to make sense of his actions. Moving out of his snug seat through human-sardines in a jostling train during rush hour? Honestly, I questioned his mental stability. Well, a few moments later I found out that he was probably the most mentally stable human on this train as I saw him leading a woman who looked around 7 months pregnant through the maze of humans against humans, and offered her his seat! She seemed to be exhausted and in pain, and I was so proud of that businessman for noting her in this crowded train, where everybody is smooshed up against everybody else. He just earned the 'Knight-in-shining-armor-title' of the day!

What I really wanted to know was what the HELL was wrong with all the big-time-Losers who were sitting closer to this obviously pregnant woman and didn't offer her a seat! She was literally the 'damsel in distress' desperately needing a hero! The pathetic part about it was that she was surrounded by able bodied humans who could have easily been her hero! There weren't any wild beasts or evil mythical monsters to fight off in order to rescue her from the pain she was feeling! All she needed was someone who was selfless enough to get back on their tired feet, fight back the pride, and offer her a place to sit. There should have been at least a dozen guys throwing themselves at her to lend her a hand! Unfortunately there was only one of them that cared enough. And he wasn't even sitting close to her!!

What a messed up world!

Yeah, SUPER messed up!! I mean, after witnessing this heroic act unfold before my very eyes, I wanted to celebrate the beauty of the moment with someone, and so turned to Boris who was squashed against me and began praising the kind business man who was such a gentleman--the only gentleman in the cart, apparently. Then Boris let out a long sigh as she shifted her heeled feet from side to side and said,

"That's exactly why I wanted to purchase one of those pregnant-mommy-tummy-suits! With one of those strapped on, and a bit of acting on my part, I would have a seat of my own by now!"

Well, Boris, at this rate, fat chance! If the businessman didn't notice the real pregnant lady, she would still be seat-less and suffering!

2010 summer vaca day 1,2,3,4

2010-08-01T19:45:00.006+09:00

Eiko says...

Welcome to the first of my 2010 summer vacation post! The very one and only Boris is here to contribute to the fun, and together, we are wreaking havoc on the Adachi-ku night streets and loving every moment of it. We live a complete night life over here where we sleep half of the morning away, and laze the rest of the afternoon through with movies and naps and snacks, and we reserect from the zombie life that we lived all morning and come alive after the sun sets, and hit the streets--like vampires! Eff the Collins! They're #ussies! The Matsuoka vamps know how to rock the night life. I mean, my great grand dad knew how to party better than Edward, and I don't even know my great grand dad!

Whatever!

Day #1 (29th)

The Adachi-ku Hanabi taikai was the perfect kick start to my vacation! Since it was raining buckets all morning, not to mention the terrific wind that was blowing everything in it's path away, I honestly thought that they'd cancel it. But a few hours before the designated time, the rain stopped and they carried on as planned! Okasan ordered an amazing amount of sushi, and the home bought the drinks. Beer is the ultimate omatsuri beverage EVER--a definite must-have. As if that weren't enough, (well, there never really is 'enough' when it comes to food) J.D. made awesome fried chicken and even more sushi! You can't go wrong with stuff like that. Boris came in just time to enjoy the yummies! Kampai to an amazing vacation!

After we finished dinner, we went out to Gusto for a late night out. We chilled and chit-chatted over a drink bar until an ungodly hour, and finally got home at around 4:30 AM ish. Yup. I was serious about the "night-life" thingie.

Day #2 (30th)

Slept in, and had a brunch over a movie called "After Life". It was interesting. I think I liked my granola that I was eating better than I liked the movie. But than again, my granola was pretty damn good! Boris has a to-die-for recipe for the best granola that you could ever imagine eating, and she made me some of this kick-ass granola! I'm loving it!

Anyhow, after the movie, we napped. I was woken from that nap by Ken, who had a proposition to make:

-Proposition

"We have around 30 customers and we were hoping you would lend us a hand with the waitressing. Stephan says he'll pay you and give you a free meal from the cafe."

I think I mumbled something that resembled I'll think about it, and rolled over and continued my nap. After a few more minutes of Zzzzs, I rolled out of bed, and decided that it wouldn't hurt to have some extra vacation money, although my first thoughts were along the lines of 'no ways am I working a shift in the cafe during my vacation!' Well, I ended up agreed to taking the shift despite it being my vacation and Boris was cool enough to lend the cafe a hand too!

With the time we had before our shift, we made a tiramisu for the movie night we were planning with Dawn and Yasu, and then I ran Boris through the steps of waitressing at Cafe Marche, and got her outfit together. The steps of waitressing at Cafe Marche is nothing complicated. Just gotta keep your eyes peeled for the customers happiness, memorize your standard lines, be polite and SMILE!

Boris and I had the 6 to 8 shift, and I was shocked to enter the cafe that was jam packed with 30 customers! That's a ton of people considering the fact that our cafe looks packed with just 20 customers!

A secular band was performing, and all of his fans decided to show up! The majority of the fans were women, and for very understandable reasons. The guy was cute (although very short), and had this knock out wife and adorable child! They were by every standard, the 'looks' couple for sure. I guess the wife explained the male fans that showed up that evening.

Anyhow, it was hectic and confusing, but knowing that we were getting paid was very comforting. After our shift, we watched 'The Italian Job' over the tiramisu that boris and I made. Loved that film! We got to bed at around 2:00 AM. Not so late.

Day#3

Woke up fairly late, dragged ourselves out of bed and had a brunch over a movie called "Bunny and the Bull". I laughed so hard, it would have taken the place of an abs work out!! Very quirky, hilarious and sweet all in one film!

After lazing around a bit more, we walked to the only mall in walking distance, window shopped, and stopped by a Mc. D on our way back, which we stayed at till 10:30. Walked home and called it a night.

Day #4

No sleeping in today! Got up at normal time and went out with Dawn and Yasu to check an apartment that we had our eyes on for a while. It seemed like a dream when we found it online, but when we actually walked through the house, and saw exactly how fantastic it really was, I just knew we had to live there! I want it so bad! Pray that there are no complications in getting this baby!

Got back and watched "Man on Fire", another epic by Denzel Washington, over a brunch. Loved everything about this movie! It's a must-see if you haven't yet. After that, Went out for a bit of shopping and ate a meal at Cafe Marche with Boris. I appreciate the cafe a lot more when I enter it as a customer rather then the waitress. And that's as far as day 3 goes, because now, I'm blogging, and I'm not so sure about our future plans! Will update you all with more as it comes.

News:

I applied for Baskin Robbins! Pray I get the job! I neeeeed it!

tsukareta atsui yo~

2010-07-24T22:26:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

I just showered off an insanely busy night shift at our cafe! We had over 20 customers ordering the dinner sets, the alcoholic beverages and otsumami all at the SAME TIME--literally! Well, they can go ahead and order away, but it doesn't mean that they'll get what they want the moment they order it. Unfortunately, some seem to forget that we are merely humans running the cafe.

I got a lot of:

"Can't you see that we're thirsty? Where's the beer I didn't order yet?!"

"We're drinking here! How do you expect us to drink without any food?"

"I ordered 5 minutes ago! I'm hungry!"

"Dude, notice that you're among 20 + customers with only one of me, trying to serve y'all! Take a hint and quit waving your glass at me! I also only have two hands. Patience would be very appropriate."

is NOT what I said, although I might have felt like it at one point or another.

Instead, the words that I found myself repeating over and over and OVER again were,

「大変お待たせいたしました。」

「大変失礼いたしました。」

「申し訳ございません。」

Also, the air-conditioning decided to go on strike or something because they started acting up, and soon, we had many customers complaining about the heat! Hell! It was cooler outside than in our little cafe, and that speaks volumes! If it really was cooler outside, than the customers sure had something to bitch about. I mean, counting all the staff and customers together, there were around 30 people in the cafe, it's Tokyo, people were drinking and eating, there was live music that everybody was grooving and clapping and moving to, AND the cooling system went bonkers! BUT! Just imagine how hot it was for me, and all the Marche staff who were on duty! We were all running around, taking and serving orders, apologizing for late orders, wiping up messes, washing dirty dishes, and making sure the customers were happy, SWEATING buckets! I soaked my shirt through! Ew!!

We really need to do something about our air-con problem. Like YESTERDAY!

On a happier note, Stephan brought home a ton of mangoes and watermelons that are just what you want to eat on a sweltering summer day. It's fruit heaven here at Lodge Home. I'm loving it.

Rufus

2010-07-24T19:20:00.004+09:00

P.B. says...

One rainy night, a stray cat came to our house, crying its head off. I gave him some fish to keep him quiet, then, what do you know...he came the night after that and the next and the next, crying away. So now he stays all day on our front door, in hopes of someone to pity him and give him some food. Well,he never gets disappointed and that 'someone' happens to be me. I claimed him as my pet cat, and even named him after one of my favorite actors―Rufus.

There were some suggestions of calling him Puss in boots, or Berúthiel( from The Unfinished Tales, The istari, Notes, who kept 10 cats as her slaves), but really, it would sound too odd if I called him 'puss' or 'beru' after the psycho Queen, so I'll just stick with Rufus.

Well, that's all from Icthus home. See you all later...

who's ur prince, sleeping beauty?

2010-07-23T00:23:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

Remember how I mentioned in several posts that I have difficulty sleeping? Some people call it insomnia. Some people believe that insomnia is all in the mind, and that people are blowing the sleepless nights waay out of proportion. Whatever. I don't really care what you call it. The point is that as an 'insomniac' you can't sleep for one reason or another, and apparently, I had it bad. But do take careful notice that 'had' is a past tense. I can sleep quite well these days, and I couldn't be happier for it! I actually set an alarm clock these days to make sure I wake up on time! Those who know me well, know that this is nothing short of a miracle! Happy!

But! The strangest thing happened the other day where I experienced sleep paralysis--something that hasn't haunted me in a while. I kept falling in and out of the paralysis state, and I couldn't shrug off the sheer terror of the moment. I just wanted to wake up. I just wanted to be able to breath. Unfortunately, I haven't found a way to control the paralysis. I don't even know if you can. It just hadn't happened in a while, and came as a shock to me--a bad shock. I always firmly believed that, although science seems to have an explanation for it, it is a very spiritual experience--and not at all a good one. I'm interested in anybody who has learned to combat sleep paralysis, physically/spiritually/mentally. It's something I've done some research on, but never really could find a concrete solution to. I'm just happy it doesn't happen so often anymore.

Whatever. We're not going to dwell on something as negative as sleep paralysis.

To end this post on a happy note, my summer vaca is coming up fast, and I can't wait! I'm hoping to spend some good quality time with the people that I love, and I'm hoping to make the most out of it. Boris, hurry up and get your act together!! We're going to have a blast this summer!! *wink*

changes

2010-07-22T14:24:00.007+09:00

Eiko says...

So here's the news.

I am moving out of Lodge Home with Yasu, Dawnie and Kippins into an apartment, sometime in the next 2 or 3 months. It's been a great stay at Lodge Home, and I've learned many new things, as well as stashed extra experience under my belt for the future. I was also able to build wonderful friendships here, which I will miss terribly. BUT! I would be lying to say that I'm unhappy about moving out. I feel like my stay here has ran it's course, and I'm up for some change and excitement! Whoopee!

We haven't exactly decided on an apartment yet, but we're hoping to get it within the area--something not too far away. But first things first! Step number 1 is getting a job. Yup. I'm still job-less. Pray that I find something convenient, well-paying, with tons of cool co-workers, a boss that doesn't yell at me and that's within a reasonable distance.

I was with some of our friends' kids today so that they could attend a Bible class 'noise and racket free', and since the heat was unbearable, and also because my legs were sore beyond words due to some running I've been doing recently for exercise, I decided that playing games and/or engaging our minds in educational anything would be unreasonable, both for me and them, mentally and physically. Well, thank the good Lord for Disney cartoons, because today, they were salvation itself! We had a video tape of Tarzan in Japanese lying around, and since it happens to be one of my favorite Disney cartoons, and also since I haven't watched it in Japanese before, I decided it could very well be an exciting experience. It WAS! Especially when the song 'Two Worlds' began to play....IN JAPANESE! Somehow, I was expecting Phil Collins to be singing it. What was I thinking? I was stunned, just staring, unable to do anything else. I mean, whoever was singing it completely ruined it! Oh, well. The songs aside, I liked it. So did the kids. I think our favorite part is when the gorillas trash the camp!

Okay, Disney stuff aside, it's HOT! Just the fact that I'm breathing is a miracle! This miracle is called 'modern technology'. (a.k.a air-cons ) Yup. This is how we survive the summers in Tokyo. It's either your electricity bill or your funeral expenses. If you put it that way, it's pretty easy to make the decision to turn the air-cons on.

ice coffee black

2010-07-18T22:47:00.007+09:00

Eiko says...

Obviously, I'm blogging a lot less than I used to due to my comp crashing on me.

And I'm living in the effing SAHARA! Worse yet, I'm living in smelly, stinky, humid Tokyo!! The weather is unbelievable! The only time any sane person would go outside is past 7:00, and this is what I've been doing to clear my head of the heat and

the kitchen and the cafe.

I take a walk down to a nearby park, lie myself down on a bench, and stare up into the darkening sky and let the evening breeze blow the stress of the day away, with my favorite music and the sound of dancing trees complementing the moment. It works wonders, and I always feel so much better after my little 'park time'. Of course, I do have the little nagging thoughts of Adachi-ku perverts attacking me during my times out, but so far, I've been spared, and either way, I think my sanity is top priority. Alone time is a must!

But so is friend time. Aich, Izu and I had a Word date (sharing quo

tes and stuff) at Jonathan's over a drink bar, which was lot's of fun and totally necessary. Living with these two Sagittarius girls makes life very exciting! In fact, I live with 5 Sages right now, and it's the most interesting thing ever. They are definitely there own species. Yup.

Me and Aich at Jonathan's

never to wake up again...wahhh

2010-07-13T20:09:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

Everybody, a tragedy happened yesterday morning. My baby laptop put himself to sleep, never to wake up again. The doctors (a.k.a Sam and J.D.) are trying everything, but I can tell by the look in their eyes, and the tone of their voices that my laptop has permanently moved on to 'the other side'. I think he was tired and weary of this world. I should have hidden that pistol more carefully. Damn it!!

Anyway, I'm in mourning now, and I'm planning on mourning for a few more days. I mourn the loss of the lonely nights which I used to spend with my laptop, watching a film, browsing YouTube, blogging, etc. It will take a while to get used to 'single life'. I don't think I ever will. Which is why I'm planning on buying a new one!! That is of course, after I get a job and save up for one.

Speaking of which, I'm looking for a job, and I've got a few options. Be nice, pretty please, and pray that I get a good one.

New Stuff:

*David Stine left for the States a few days ago, and before he left, we all had a bye-bye party for him over beer and whiskey and stuff. Will miss his strange ways and addicting humor. Have a great time over there, David!

*A good friend, Yuri-chan, came over, and me and Aich had a girls night out with her over drinks and yummies. I haven't seen that girl in ages! I hope you find yourself some good luck in Nagoya! Come visit us again!!

*Me and Aich are presently going through a highly addicting TV series known as, "Desperate Housewives", much to Kenny Benny's horror and disghust!! He finds the series repulsive. I don't know what he's talking about!! Aich and I managed to find time to squeeze in 3 full episodes today, despite the busy schedule and all! Just shows that you make time for what you really want and believe to be important. We're insane!

*The lovable Dawnie and Yasu and Kippins are moving in the day after tomorrow!! I'm happy beyond words!

Cafe Marche News:
The little stage that situates in the right corner of our cafe is living up it's worth! Aside from Up Country's weekly performance on Friday and Saturday evenings, we are staging a variety of other bands as well, both secular and TFI, amateur and professional.
The music is one of our biggest attractions, and when we have live music playing, customers flock!!! On top of the music, the fact that we serve alcohol is a recipe for busy nights for the staff at Cafe Marche. The other night, one of our regulars invited 7 friends to chill out at our cafe to the live music and food and drinks. The same night, we had a family who reserved 6 seats for a Birthday special. That night was crazy busy! Aside from these two groups--who ordered up a storm,-- we had our usual customers, who kept us, the floor staff, very busy! Around the second session of music, we had intoxicated customers dancing jigs, hitting on the waitresses, and singing along as if they were at karaoke! Keeping tabs on orders that people randomly yell at you from across the room, and remembering who yelled those exact orders, in the midst of live music and dancing and horny men being horny, is NOT the easiest thing. But whatever. It can be fun.

We have our insanely busy days, where all of the Marche Staff feel as if they are going to go nuts, and we also have our insanely slow days, where we feel like we are going to go nuts because of sheer boredom. But considering the fact that we've only been in business for less than 3 months, I'd say we're doing a great job. Keep praying for us! This whole thing is a new experience for us. It's very exciting.

guess it

2010-07-09T23:40:00.005+09:00

Eiko says...

Pictures are the life and breath of a blog! So here goes!

Tell me, peoples....

Guess what the thing that is sitting it's fat ass on our kitchen counter is?

If you guessed, 'a 16 kg chunk of Parmesan cheese', than you are correct! Because, what is sitting on our counter is indeed, a 16 kg chunk of Parmesan cheese!! It brings all of our taste buds great pleasure on many occasions. You want some? Come and get it!!

And guess what Ken is holding in his hand with great disinterest?

If you guessed, 'an eggplant growing a ****', than you are correct! Ken brought the super special eggplant all the way to my room, so I could take a picture of it before he amputated the special growth. All I can say is WOW! Waytago, Mr. Eggplant!

And some happy news is that Dawn and Yasu and Kippins are going to be residing here at Lodge Home!! I'm happy beyond words! Can't wait, can't wait! Yasu, Dawnie, if you come quickly enough, we still might have some cheese left! Quick! Quick! Quick!

uhuh uhuh

2010-07-07T22:38:00.002+09:00

Eiko says...

I haven't been posting for a while, and I have no excuse whatsoever aside from having very little to blog about that would make an interesting read. That's a lie. But all the interesting stuff is private, and although this is my personal blog, where I have every rite to post whatever I feel like posting, just the fact that YOU are reading it makes it a very public thing, and some private things are suppose to remain private--and for good reasons too.

So, all the things in my life that's reader-friendly and un-private isn't so interesting. But since that's all I have right now, I'll make the most of it, and write it up anyway. Brace yourself! (or just skip this one all together. I'm simply blogging for the sake of blogging, and when people do that, their posts tend to be very difficult to read through. )

*My back is hurting less these days. I think I found out what the problem was! I decided to sleep without a pillow, and after 2 weeks of no pillow sleep, I've been having less pain.

*I've been more faithful with my exercise. My favorite work out video is still Shaun T's Insanity program. I'm fascinated by the fact that I can't really complete the work out. I like a challenge.

*I'm looking for employment somewhere. I wanna save up for one, and secondly, the Home is needing some steady income.

*And the minor identity crisis thingie mostly gone. I'm finding my footing again--somewhat.

And ladies and gentlemen, I want to draw your attention to an absolute masterpiece Akari drew! It's posted on our Art Blog! It's perfection itself! Words fail me, Akari, dahling! Keep this up and you'll be the best out of us all! Woo hoo!

hair dyed

2010-07-01T14:25:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

Over da Phone w/ Oli

"So, Oli, what kinda crazy gathering are you planning this time?"

"It's of the adult nature."

"Ah. I seee... Wanna expound on that?"

"Sure! So, here's the plan..."

And he shared the plan with me, and I started having second thoughts about going. But I found myself at the NODA gathering anyway. It was of the 'adult nature'. But I had more fun than I originally thought I would. So that was that, and it was good.

Anyhow, now that my hair is nice and short, I've been having the strongest urge to dye my hair a completely whack color. It usually takes me around 4 boxes of hair dye to get my hair evenly dyed, but now that it's shoulder length and layered, I figured I was up for a different hair color--something a bit more summer-friendly. But since I'm trying to get employed somewhere, and since I already work at Cafe Marche, I left the extreme colors like blue and pink and green out of my options, and I was only left with shades of brown. So I chose a relatively safe shade of brown, and since my hair is thick and stubborn, it only noticeably colored my hair. But the good news is that I like it, and most everybody else seems to be cool with it too.

I'll blog more later when I'm less spaced out and tired.

night.

hair cut

2010-06-28T12:31:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

I feel like melting--melting like the rotten Bananas and Daikon that were left outside in the heat and humidity, that I spent 2 hours cleaning up today. I'm void of energy when the weather is freaking out like this, and I'm totally up for an entire day in a walk-in freezer with an all-you-can-eat ice-cream buffet!

Anyway, it was hot and sweaty and sticky, and my long, wild hair wasn't helping anything. So I (well, Joanna) cut it--SHORT! And when I looked in the mirror I had a mini identity crises. My hair hasn't been this length in ages! But I think I could work it somehow. My hair is loads lighter and I'm happy that the split ends and the dead hair are no more! It's good.

At Icthus home

2010-06-25T19:04:00.014+09:00

P.B. says...

Recently, we are watching 低燃費少女ハイジ everyday. We laugh our heads off! This one is our favorite!

We also watched the mask of Zorro and the Fall(a movie that I enjoyed a lot), and I've just started reading the Mediator series.

Aside from that, I started making cards again.

And this is my poor, ugly toenail, that is peeling off. Grooooossss.....

Anyway, We're all drawing recently, so stay tuned to our Art blog. Yuya is now drawing Anne Hathaway, and I'm trying to draw Natalie Portman. Well, I'm running out of time, so see you all later. ;)

N.P. can sing at my wedding

2010-06-24T19:22:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

Big News:

Izu, from far, far away is here, living with me, in my room! Be jealous, because O.M.G, she is so cool!!

And although this guy isn't new stuff, he's still fantastic! All you singing people, (ladies, in particular) should be very, very jealous of this dude's talent. Nick Pitera is amazing!!

clown socks R cool

2010-06-22T16:49:00.009+09:00

Eiko says...

Yesterday, after a work out, I spent around 2 hours on my hands and knees scrubbing our super-dirty-stairs with a rag and cleanser while listening to Breaking Benjamin belch out, 'give me a sign' on full volume!

I love scrubbing dirty floors and surfaces and see them get clean after all the elbow grease put in there.

Those stairs are blinding! I swear, the possibility of sickness is higher tonging your BF/GF than licking those stairs! You better believe it!

I also had some time to clean and purge our fridges,

and aside from your usual 'peeled and half used, shriveled up, mummy-carrot/daikon/cucumber/garlic', I found some serious fermentation, and mold growth going on in one of the containers I opened. It must have been in there for centuries to look and smell that puke-ish!

It seemed to me like somebody was working on a very successful chemistry project on mold growth or something because there was a huge forest of mold growing over whatever the container used to contain! I regret not taking a picture. Words cannot accurately describe the freakishness of what I saw and smelt.

Grossness aside, I finally got around to watching Alice in Wonderland last night, and I was throughly impressed by it all. Not exactly what I was expecting, but still brilliant.

And since today was my Free Day, I went out for some window shopping and found these totally whack, clown socks, and I made them mine! I like clown-socks.

I feel quite happy.

Our super-dirty-stairs before I scrubbed them.

Our stair case AFTER I scrubbed them!

So beautiful!

For those of you who can't read Japanese, the label on the bottle I'm holding reads 'soy sauce for your ice cream'! 「アイスにかけるしょうゆ」PUKE!

My new, clown socks.

And this is me. I'm thinking, 'pasta'!

happy father's day, dad!

2010-06-20T22:51:00.003+09:00

Eiko says...

A Word to Dad

You've been with me through hell, and you fought death beside me. Despite all my big talk, and strange words--and I wouldn't be surprised if any of it made little or no sense to you-- I truly think you're wonderful, that you're a good father, and I love you.

A Word To the Other Dads

When your kids or teens are in their, I-hate-you moods, and they say I-hate-you things, 99.9% of the time, they don't mean it, no matter how sincere they seemed at the moment, or how loud their volume was when they yelled whatever they yelled at you. Especially the I-hate-you part. You're loved!

And

Okay, ppls, next time you're staring at your filthy kitchen floor with all that grease, and stomped-on-bits-of-rotten-food, and muck on it, and you're hating the filth, yet cleaning it seems like such a monumental task, and you're asking yourself, should I or shouldn't I? here's some advice:

Get into your sweat pants and a baggy T, turn on some damn good music (and make sure the volume is on high,) do at least 20 jumping jacks to get all warmed up, and get on your effing hands and knees and just get SCRUBBING! I'm not crazy, it's SO FUN! I just finished 90 minutes of it, and I'm feeling great! The floor is clean and I got an extra bit of exercise in there! I remember scrubbing the L.I.M Home's kitchen one night when I couldn't sleep, and I felt like I was on top of the world! I also did the same during one of my no-sleep-nights back in the 'T.O.M Home' days. You HAVE to try it! It's a very productive pass time, not to mention excellent exercise.

Finally

2010-06-18T20:45:00.004+09:00

Prodigal blogger says...

Mrs. Horse-tail is no more, thanks to Boris who did an amazing job at cutting the 'hard to handle' and 'slippery' hair. I finally became bored of Mom pounding me over the head for not 'fixing' my hair up, and of Boris' threats of bobbing my hair at night. Besides, I was quite tired of having to sweep it forward before going to W.C., and my hair getting all tangled up in the morning.

So here's a pic, Eiko, of me being a good girl and writing a blog post.

Aside from Boris cutting my hair, I've been reading Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde. I can't say much about it because I'm not finished with it, but so far so good, quite interesting, esp. the 13th chapter. No, 'interesting' doesn't really fits the chapter well, but it's much too late to search in the thesaurus for adequate words.

So, Good night. Hope japan wins at world cup....

World Cup Time!!

2010-06-16T23:26:00.002+09:00

Eiko says...

Being that it's all about the World Cup right now, I thought it would be only right if I wrote a little about it and keep this blog updated and current. But unfortunately, I have zero interest in the World Cup and I couldn't care less as to who wins or loses. Right now, all the Lodge Home young people and David S. are upstairs, crowded around the TV with chips and drinks, watching the poor soccer ball being kicked from one end of the field to the other, and although thoughts of promoting unity and joining them in the cheering passed my mind, I decided not to.

For one, I was feeling quite tired. It's just so effing hot over here in Tokyo! And not just 'hot'. It's hot and sticky, and humid! I was out on a walk after lunch today, and I felt like I would melt into a puddle right there on the sidewalk! It's very exhausting.

Secondly, my back is acting up again. It's been a problem for a while now, and I'm not liking it at all. I want to find out what I'm doing wrong so that I can hurry up and fix the problem. Is it my posture? The way I sleep? A lack of exercise? A bad diet? A slipped disk? A combination of all of the above?! I want to know!

I've also got this ugly cut on my thigh from a razor while shaving my legs. It's almost been a week since I cut myself, but it's starting to get red and puffy and ugly, and it hurts when the fabric of my pants or skirt touches it. At one point, I thought it would be kinda sexy to have a 5 cm long scar on my thigh, but right now, it just looks plain ugly and painful! If it scars right, it might eventually become a 'sexy scar', but as of now, it just plain hurts. I think it got infected.

Anyhow, this was my very irrelevant, World Cup blog post.

And I'm up for Bed Time!!

Good night, world.

Dream about soccer or something.

buh-bye, mom & dad's place...

2010-06-09T15:41:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

I've been here at my parent's place (Icthus Home) for around 3 weeks, and I'm all rested up and ready for some 'real fun' at Lodge Home! My back is completely better now, and I'm hoping to keep it that way by being more faithful to keep it strengthened through regular exercise and better posture when I'm in the kitchen. I was able to spend lot's of quality time with Boris over countless walks, talks, films and TV series, and cooking together for our now small family of eight, including Mom and Dad. All in all, my stay here was great, and I do believe it's time to move on, especially with all the snakes that are popping up! Boris and I spotted three snakes on a walk today--one was dead, and two were very much alive and evil looking! According to Dad, they're poisonous! Yup! It's time to move on!

That's me going 'ewww' at the dead snake.

Oh, check out my very first pair of crocks! I still hold to my original stance that they are an abomination to the fashion world, and that whoever designed them should be arrested by the 'fashion police'. But I must admit they are comfortable and easy to slip on when in a hurry--a regular occurrence at Lodge Home.

mom and pappy and spartacus

2010-06-05T16:45:00.008+09:00

Eiko says...

Mom and Dad, still in love and holding hands after 31 years of marriage! It's so cute. They hold hands on walks, at the table, during movies, in the shower, in bed....like all the time! Amaaaazing!

New TV Series Interest

On a completely different note, I've been going through the TV series, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand", which really should have been titled, "Spartacus: Blood and ***". I personally like it, although it can be a bit 'too much' sometimes--and all those of you who have watched the series knows what I'm talking about when I say 'too much'.

The story line is good and unpredictable, thanks to Spartacus (the main character, starred by Andy Whitfield) who is generally an unpredictable character with some serious attitude issues. Anyhow, I now know why all the guys are crazy over the series. It's literally corn! (And we all know what word rhymes with 'corn'. Heh!) Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to Season 2. Besides, I've been a fan of Andy Whitfield far before he was running around 90% naked in 'Spartacus'. A shame he has cancer! Let's all pray for his recovery!

Oh, and check out this morbid, spartacus Birthday cake!! It's so well done!

Marche and stuff

2010-06-02T16:39:00.006+09:00

Eiko says...

I was on one of those walks with Boris, when all of a sudden, my mobile that I had stuffed in the back pocket of my jeans started freaking out--buzzing, and ringing and making a racket. (I purposely picked a loud and annoying ring tone as motivation to answer quickly and silence the horrible noise!) I picked up, and it was Aich calling from Lodge Home.

I was like,

"What's up?"

And she's like,

"I'm good. Oh, hey, you're blog is linked to Mama's Blog!"

And then I literally yelled,

「ウソ!　マジで?!」

The first thing that came to mind was, did I post anything offensive? Was Maria addressing some of my ungodly, adolescent attitudes that Mom and Dad are always ranting on about, that were mirrored in my posts? Was I being made as an example to the entire TFI of WHAT NOT TO BE LIKE? I was desperately trying to remember what my latest post was about, but honestly, I couldn't. Because I was panicking!

Aich quickly assured me that Maria wanted to point out our new coffee shop adventure at Lodge Home, and since my blog had pictures of Cafe Marche, she had linked my blog to that post. Whew! Good thing I didn't write up post that's been on my mind to blog about for a while, titled 'Vampires All Around Us'! Close call!

Cafe Marche

Aaanyway, from what I heard from Lodge Home, Cafe Marche is becoming more popular. The live music on Friday and Saturday evenings are a big hit, and the cafe is quite busy during that time. Last I remember, Heart to Heart will be performing on that tiny little stage in the near future! I can imagine Cafe Marche being jam packed! It will be so cool!

And below are some beauty shots of the baked snacks we serve at the cafe. Thanks for the photos, Sam! Great stuff!

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brownies

raining cats and dogs

2010-05-31T19:57:00.004+09:00

Eiko says...

Boris and I go on walks quite frequently over here, for the fresh air and exercise while getting in some good sister time in the process. Today, while on such a walk, we literally waded through the potent stench of manure, and when I say, 'potent', I mean REALLY potent! As in, it could kill a cockroach! And 'roaches are said to be able to survive an atomic bomb!! It had the affect of what wasabe does to your nose and makes your eyes tear! I really want to know what exactly the farmers are feeding their crops here! It smelt like bull crap x 100!!

Anyhow, the potent stench aside, Nasu is gorgeous! I'm lovin' the GREEN! It's so beautiful.

And it's been raining almost every day since I got here, and it's SO COOL! The road right outside our house floods over, and becomes like a little river! Boris and I got our boots on and stomped and splashed through the rain and the wind and the water, like 5 year olds would, and it was SO FUN! I like rain. I like water. It's refreshing.

Remember how I mentioned I was going through a minor identity crisis in my last post? It's annoying. I'm realizing a lot more how much the changes are affecting me. I mean, up until quite recently, you were told to 'forsake all and follow Jesus,' and therefore, it was 'buh-bye' to a lot of your personal dreams and wants. Life in the Family consisted of regulations and standards that you were suppose to follow. Do good in upholding the standard and keeping the regulations and you were a good disciple. Your daily schedule consisted of 'ministries', such as JJT, Child Care, taking the kids on 'Get Out', and if you had a title, you were allotted time for that. Like, if you were in the Steering Council, or you were the JT Counselor, you had your responsibilities which you invested time, thought and prayer into.

But thanks to the Reboot, we have a lot more freedom to practice our faith according to what we each feel comfortable in and have the faith for, but the thing is, I was pretty comfortable with how things were, being that I was born and raised in the Family! That's the life I knew and was familiar with. Now, with a few posts on HIM, things have completely changed, and although I have no doubt in my mind that the changes were good and necessary, and although I'm very happy with how things are looking now, I'm a bit wobbly on my feet. There are no set rules or standards to measure your discipleship and spiritual health with. There are far few do's and don'ts. It will take some time to find my footing again.

Good news is, I'm not slightly uncertain and depressed and worrying, I am uncertain yet happyand hopeful! I'm quite excited about my future, and I'm lovin' life.

And blah, blah, blah.

cheers

greetings from nasu

2010-05-29T21:17:00.006+09:00

Eiko says...

Staying at the parent's place

My stay at Lodge Home made me appreciate so many things about my parent's place in the peaceful countryside. I don't have a problem with being busy, and I actually would prefer bordering on being too busy as opposed to being too relaxed. I like the 'up tempo' lifestyle because it gives me a sense of accomplishment and makes me feel like I'm actually doing something. But after taking a few steps back, I've realized how much I've been craving the peaceful environment. It's great to be able to just SLEEP, and not be worrying about anything in particular. It's been a very relaxing week in so many ways, I almost feel over rested. Too much of this will eventually get me edgy, but I haven't reached the point of being 'over rested' just yet, so I'm still good.

Health and stuff

In the past few weeks, I've noticed a strange pain in my back, and it's been bothering me for a while. At first I didn't think much of it, and that it was probably the work load, but it seemed to worsen after coming here to Nasu. It really caught my attention during a work out session, when I couldn't complete a certain exercise that I have been able to do without any problem before. The pain in back nearly paralyzed me! It almost feels like a strain, a dull pain, and if I bend over past a certain angle, my back gives in. The pain also occurs when I lay down, flat on my back. It's extremely uncomfortable.

Last night, because of the pain in my back, I slept on my side, only to wake up with my arm that I had used as a pillow, all stiff. I think my upper body is a pain magnet. My shoulders cramp up easily, and I get neck strains. I'm hoping this can be remedied by better posture, strength training and an overall healthier schedule.

Other than my back issues, I am happy and healthy. As I noted earlier, I am SLEEPING! I'm sleeping so well, I can't even drag myself out of bed in the morning! THIS is the life!! I am loving my sleep!

Reboot-ing

Being that my daily schedule is very relaxed, I have a lot of time to read and study the reboot material. With all the changes that are being addressed so suddenly, there will be people who will either love the 'new' TFI, or people who won't be so happy with the 'new' TFI and all the changes that are happening. I am among the ones who are lovin' the changes. But at the same time, I'm finding myself at a minor identity crisis. Notice that I said 'minor'.

Because although I'm very happy about there being more freedom in how we can live our faith, being that a big part of our lives have consisted of following rules and living up to standards, and our discipleship and membership being measured by how well we've been doing in those respects, when those things are so suddenly taken away, I feel a bit shaky and unsure about what exactly I want to do from now. I feel like the chained eagle, that had just been released from the chain! The chain no longer exists, but I've been so used to doing things in a certain way, that I think it will take a bit of time getting used to having 'wings' and learning how to use them. I feel like I want to explore these new changes. The problem is that I don't exactly know how to do that. Therefore, the 'minor' identity crisis exists. I'll be getting over it as soon as I get used to all this new stuff that's happening.

Art

For the 100th time, I'm giving up on art! I seriously suck at it. For one, my patience for art has gone way down. After the basic sketch and the first layer of shading, I'm board out of my mind with the picture I'm drawing1 Secondly, I'm simply getting bad at it. I'm losing the 'touch', and it's become pretty obvious. It's more difficult and it takes more time for me to get the proportions right, and my shading skills have dropped. More importantly though, I'm losing the desire to draw to begin with. I don't have the inspiration.

But although my skills have been going down the drain, the other Matsuoka artists have only been getting better and better! Akari and Yuya have been practicing and the results of their efforts are amazing! Check out their latests: a pencil drawing of Brittany Murphy by Akari, and the character of Richard Sharpe in color by Yuya at Matsuoka Art!

Okay, well, I'll blog more later, because frankly, I'm blank. Life has been pretty uneventful these days. Actually, I take that back. There have been some pretty memorable moments and events that happened this past week. But some stuff just shouldn't be read by people that aren't directly involved, which is YOU, so I'm keeping that to myself.