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Thursday, April 29, 2010
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Monday, June 16, 2008
Ah, the countryside...
So the last two days have been filled with lots of traveling and lots of traditional Japanese things. On Sunday, we woke up early and hopped on the Shinkansen to head to Fukuoka / Hakata. The train trip took about 6 hours, but it wasn't bad at all! Instead, it was quite relaxing and provided a nice overview of central and southern Honshu. While the train isn't as quick as a plane, there is no stress and much more space. I was really impressed with how nice it was! Once we got to Hakata, we met up with my friend from high school. We wandered around, and got a bite to eat at the best ramen restaurant. The ramen was amazing, with not too much richness to the soup and good noodle texture. The flavor was very full and I added some garlic and roast pork slices to be a little extravagant. Natalie describes it as "jizz in your mouth." The restaurant was the type where you select and pay for what you want outside at a machine, and then you take the tickets that the machine gives you inside to the kitchen counter. You sit in a little box so no one can see if you are a messy eater ... or if you are alone. It was a really fun experience! Afterwards, we headed to the trendy shopping part of Fukuoka and checked out the local shopping scene. We played around with taking Purikura and having fun, and then headed back to the station to take the train to Okayama.
Okayama is a smaller town, about 45 minutes from Osaka on the train. It's very near to some hot spring resorts, so that's where we headed yesterday. We drove for about an hour, and then we got to the hotel. We went into the outdoor hot springs for about an hour to soak and relax, and then were treated to a delicious traditional Japanese meal. After lunch, we continued our drive and went to an extremely old Japanese temple. The people there were so nice and showed us around the entire thing ^^ We headed home afterwards, and then went to the office so that I could help Keigo with some of the work he needed to get done. For dinner, we went to an extremely cheap revolving sushi restaurant. Dinner for 5 people was $30 USD! It was a good deal ^^
Shopping!
We finally got to go shopping on Saturday ^_^ And what a treat it was! We explored all over Shinjuku, and spent way too much money, but we had a great time. It was so neat getting to see all of the new and trendy fashions that are popular in Tokyo. Also, because it was Saturday, everything was packed with people trying to look around. It was amazing to see the power of Japanese consumerism at full throttle. When we finished shopping, we looked around for a cute place to eat. However, it took us so long to just find a place that had chairs! The department stores had lots of little food shops, but no where to sit. After a long day of shopping and looking around, that wasn't what we wanted at all, no matter how good the food looked. We stuck it out though, and ended up being rewarded by finding a cute soup place that was reasonably priced and quite tasty. They also had chairs =) It provided a nice vista to do some people watching before heading back to our Inn.
In the evening, we got a little bit dressed up, and headed out to Akihabara. Akihabara is the electronics center of Tokyo, and is where you can find mostly anything that runs on electricity. We spent the majority of our time in Yodobashi camera, a huge 9 story department store that has everything you could think of when it comes to consumer electronics. The best way to describe it is taking Best Buy, filling it with everything people actually want, making it awesome, and then hiring helpful staff that actually know a lot. After dinner and Yodobashi, we walked around Akihabara for a bit and came across a very interesting sex / cosplay shop. Too bad there were no pictures allowed ^_~
Next, we headed to Roppongi to check out the nightlife and see Tokyo Tower. While I knew it was a neighborhood frequented by foreigners, I didn't expect to see so many! It was a huge change from everywhere else we visited in Tokyo, where we hardly saw anyone who wasn't Japanese. Roppongi is packed with bars of all types, and is quite an interesting neighborhood. We had to be up early the next day though, so we headed home on the last train and got some good sleep.
Friday, June 13, 2008
My new love...
We adventured off to Disney Seas yesterday, for another amazing and exciting day. What we didn't know before we went in, is that Disney Sea is the most expensive theme park ever built, and it definitely showed. While normal Disney parks are extremely detailed already, Disney Sea was incredible. No matter where you looked, every scene was breathtaking. The amount of care that went into each building, and the time that they must have spent on everything...the only way to describe it is "wow".
It was another very fun day as well, with lots of rides, shopping, and shows. Of course, even though we tried to go home earlier, we still ended up totally exhausted and ready to go straight to bed once we left the park. We'll have to save going out for tonight perhaps!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Day 2
I woke up far too early yesterday, to the sounds of rain and a pleasant lack of humidity. After playing around on the internet looking for things in Tokyo, we finally had the energy to get ready and head down for breakfast. We ate at the Inn, which was amazingly cheap and delicious. I was really surprised by the quality of everything that they do here. While it's essentially a cheap hostel, they take care of their customers very well and try really hard to provide the best level of service that they can. Also, everyone that I've spoken to has amazing English skills.
At breakfast, the nice Swedish woman and her son were there as well. It turns out that they were bound for Disneyland as well, so we walked together to the train station to help each other navigate through the subway system. It was nice to talk to her and see how her perspective differs from ours. She also knew a faster way to get to Disneyland, so that was nice as well. It was still quite muggy and wet when we arrived, so not too many people were at the park. It was nice not to have to fight through huge crowds of people when we wanted to see something. Natalie and I also estimated that we were 2 of approximately 20 foreigners there yesterday. Although we got quite a few stares, everyone was very polite and appreciated my poor attempts at understanding their instructions.
Seeing as I haven't been to Tokyo Disneyland for a good 7 years, I didn't remember a ton about it. What shocked Natalie and I the most was how immaculate the park is. While Disneyland in California is quite clean, in Tokyo there was nothing on the ground, no gum, and no wrappers. Their janitorial staff is extremely efficient, and they do their jobs very well. Also, the technology for some of the attractions is much more advanced here. While the Winnie the Pooh ride is somewhat boring in California, here it is "trackless" and is just amazingly put together. Both Natalie and I were constantly impressed by the level of detail and care that was put into the park.
We were also impressed by the variety of snack choices. In California and in Tokyo they have the standard popcorn and churros, but in Tokyo they flavor everything. We spotted Soda, Curry, Carmel, Honey, Chocolate, and Salted popcorn as well as Honey-Lemon, Maple, and Cinnamon Churros. All in all, we spent an enjoyable but exhausting day at Disneyland, and we're going back for Disney Sea today.
Want to see the pictures? Check them out!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Hisashiburi Nihon!
I set out on my adventure to Japan early this morning, mostly because I needed to take public transit to get to the airport. I rode with Will to his work on the outskirts of the city, and then from there took Muni and then Bart to get to the airport. Conveniently, I didn't bring much with me besides my computer and a few outfits, so the transit systems weren't too difficult to navigate. After finally checking in and getting to the gate, I was met with a very pleasant surprise. A friend from Fanime was also on the same flight! We weren't able to sit together, but it was very nice to see him before he goes off on the next stage of his life.
On the plane, things have been quite uneventful. A bit of turbulence as we got close to Alaska/ Russia, but as we head in to the final 2 hours of the flight, it's just as smooth as can be. More from the Airport!
...
So, we finally got to our Inn from the airport after a good 90 minutes riding trains and navigating stations. We had to make 2 transfers, which didn't look hard on the map, but ended up with us having to pull our suitcases up about 20 flights of stairs, wander through the streets in Ueno getting lost, and spend way too long figuring out how to get to the Inn from the station. Thank goodness a helpful Sweedish mom and her son noticed us! They were also staying at the same Inn, and when they overheard us talking about being lost, they lead the way. I don't think we would have ever found it on our own, so yay!
After checking in and sitting until we had our wits with us, we gathered the strength to walk over to the local store to get nibbles and rejuvinate before bed. Today's adventure will consist of Tokyo Disneyland and then wandering the streets of downtown Tokyo tonight. And, of course, Natalie's quote from this morning? "I'm like a fucking Chia Pet."
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Between a rock and a hard place is always a terrible understatement.
It's been forever since I've written something. It's been even longer since I've felt as if I had an actual place to do this writing. Yes, I suppose that I have here, or that I have livejournal, but it's just not a place where I actually want to do writing anymore. I have files upon files of crap written in text edit, but that's all it is- crap. Livejournal, of course, is too exposed =P
Sitting here on the couch watching him play GTA though reminds me that I finally have the time to express myself again. To let things out instead of keeping it inside. Even when I have to force myself into feeling better.
At least there's been lots of ice cream, and lots of fun times. Just have to hold my breath a little bit longer and hope that I can make it through the rest of the fire unscathed.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Let the seasons begin...
As long as I don't think about the old house and what used to be, things are alright. But when I go there, that's the worst. Too many memories and too many feelings. Too many nights spent crying in my room. Too many nights spent on top of the world.
Where I had to look so much inside myself to be able to love someone else.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
My body...
...is constantly weak.
...is frustrating me at this very moment for succumbing to sickness again.
...endures constant torture from my actions.
...is the source of far too much of my self loathing.
...will always have the ability to drive me insane.
...never seems to be under my control.
...is one of my greatest tools.
...is something that i do not cherish enough.
Haha. Adult or no, I'm still just as full of teenage angst.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Nemo nemo nemo
So I kind of decided that driving down to Disneyland to ride the new Nemo ride would be a good idea. At 4pm on Sunday afternoon. When I was planning on leaving on 8pm to make sure I got the special opening day pin.
After convincing Sam that no, I wasn't completely crazy, I headed up to Davis to get her and start on the adventure.
But there were far too many stories for just a little blog! So I've made a timeline.
Sunday, May 9th:
8:00 pm - Leave SF
9:30 pm - Arrive Davis, eat some cookies
10:00 pm - Leave Davis
(lots of driving)
Monday, May 10th:
4:00 am - Arrive at Disneyland! ^^
4:30 am - Naptime
6:00 am - Wake up
6:30 am - Get in line for the special limited edition Nemo opening day pin!
7:00 am - Get the pin! Super cute ^_^
7:15 am - Back to sleep
1:30 pm - Head over to Disneyland
2:30 pm - Get in line for Nemo
3:30 pm - Line stops moving, because someone 2 people infront of us threw up. A lot. Possibly because they had been eating cheetos all day. However, they escaped from the scene of the crime and continued to wait in line.
3:50 pm - Line continues moving
5:00 pm - Get into the submarine!
5:15 pm - Ride finishes
5:20 pm - Get out of the submarine
(shopping)
7:45 pm - Dinner at curry house ^_^ mmmmmm.
11:00 pm - Sleepytime
Tuesday, May 11th
1:00 am - Wake up to snatch up Ed to bring him up north
2:00 am - More sleepy
6:30 am - Wake up to ride Nemo again!
7:45 am - Back in line
9:30 am - Riding again!
11:00 am - Leaving the park and driving home
Approx. 1:30 pm - See an SF MUNI bus driving along side us o.0
2:30 pm - Stop for pea soup
5:30 pm - Back in Davis
9:00 pm - Back home! ^_^
So, I'm sure that was a bit too tl;dr for most. But that's how jam packed my days off were. Lots of fun! The tons of driving were worth it. All the time with Sam and Ed was great too. So good to relax. =)
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
No matter where you are...
It's taken me a long time to feel like I can truly write again. I tend to get the feeling that I've suppressed all of the lovely beautiful creative things and the dark painful things so deeply inside that my inspiration is trapped.
But lately, perhaps because I've been relaxed, perhaps because I've been tearing myself apart, perhaps because I've reached another crossroads, I seem to have dug up some of those feelings. And while they are indeed signs of a dark and stormy time within me, I don't think that they are exactly bad.
This time of year, the long stretch between March and May, has always been the worst time of year for me. Partly due to school stress and partly due to the forces of the universe being so parallel to me, I always seem to find myself lost and confused around now. This year has been no exception, with the last two months being a very long and looping rollercoaster.
Even when thing seem to be fine, I still end up bursting into tears far too often. The cause of so many of my emotional stumbles? My attempts to find the ever mysterious state of being "grown up". Going through the motions can't change how I am inside, can it? Because I still feel nowhere near mature.
And at the end of the day, at least today I can say that it's alright. I still have time left to be a kid, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Night.
Running on empty once again
Too tired for tears I dread
Sink deep into those magic dreams
While I blast off in my bed...
Oh music from 9th grade, how you always manage to haunt me at my coldest moments.
In otherwords, it seems as I'm starting to turn a house into a home? Or, well, I'm praying that I will.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
keys = get!
Of course, this is not to say that I've finished my little obstacle course here. But I've definitely found the rare item. =)
Still almost feel that I'm fighting an uphill battle. But I think I'm going to make it. I have what I need to get there, I just need to figure out how to put it all together without sacrificing myself.
Monday, January 22, 2007
busy again.
Back to school today! Or, I should say, back to class today. I've been back on the mainland for awhile now. And back to work too, after having the weekend off so that I could go down south with the boy =)
I like work a lot. It feels really good to be doing something so productive again. I really enjoyed the break, but...I still get really frustrated when I don't feel that busy. Work leaves me with that same satisfaction as when I make something or cook or something like that. Feels nice, even when I'm tired at the end of the day. I just hope doing work and school at the same time works out alright.
Lots to explore still.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Umm...
Well, I kinda cut my hair. I was getting it highlighted again and when she was in the middle of washing out the dye, I decided that I wanted to try something different. Since I've had the same hairstyle for...6 years now? it's not a huge change, but at least it's a change at all. So now I have some long bangs in the front on the sides and it's a little bit shorter and more rounded in the back. Not too bad, but of course it'll take some getting used to. Felt good to change though.
Hmm. I don't think I've ever said that about change before. Usually I'm ranting about how I don't like it. But hair isn't something too drama filled.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Tarot
You are The Star
Hope, expectation, Bright promises.
The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised
The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.
What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Nighttime.
I seem to spend much more daytime in my room than nighttime. But then there are nights like tonight where I'm here all day and get to just be me. Alone time was something that was so essential to me back at home, and it's really something that I don't get enough of over here I think. Not to say that I don't spend a lot of time by myself, since I still do plenty of that. But it's very different from the alone time I got at home.
But I think that it's good for me to be spending less time by myself. I'm definetly learning to cope with problems much better, at least. And the importance of being able to just relax and spend time with others. That's one of those things that I'm really starting to enjoy.
Of course, I also have found even more ways to fill my time with things that are not schoolwork as well. Which is bad during the week, since that's the time when I'm supposed to be getting work done. But not bad on the weekends, because I love that I've gotten to explore and do so many things. But there is no good without bad. Haha.
Then again, it's 11pm and I haven't done work all day. Oh what an accomplished student I am!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Winter. Where did this come from?
So, it's finally getting cold here. And no, not like at home where it's only 55 and everyone is shivering. Tonight by the coast it's supposed to get down below freezing! I'm always cold now and it feels like whatever I wear, it won't keep me warm. Haha, I'm not doing a very good job at dressing approprietly I suppose. Time to get the laundry! More thoughts about living in the dorms later when I'm not putting off doing a paper =)
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Saying goodbye.
Maybe I laugh, maybe I cry
Maybe I scream, maybe I sigh
Baby I feel, the feeling is real
Maybe I curse, maybe I squeal
...
Be sure you know how to have a real good time
Thanks aaron carter. For helping explain how I feel. Because right now it's everything all at once in a big rush. Saying goodbye is hard to do, but I'll be back soon enough. Not like anything really could be forever.
I'm vaguely reminded of "Goodnight Moon". And it's the same thing for me in a way. Goodbye bed, goodbye shower. Goodbye closet, goodbye flowers. But it's alright.
And I'm sure I'll have a real good time.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
*trying* to post...ha.
To leave the world behind and start anew.
The excitement fades, joy is left behind, and just the awful empty feeling remains. Deep in the pit of your stomach, a hollowed out spot of what might have been.
And yet, I really am looking forward to it all.
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