Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Bidet-ing my time
After living for 3 years in Japan and spraying all over the country, I thought I would have used enough Japanese toilets, in all their 'squat', 'Western', and 'washlet' gadgety glory, to be able to avoid the incident I had yesterday.
Kentaro and I went for one of our regular Saturday Guam drives (guruguru Guam doraibu), and happened upon a nice Japanese golf resort in the middle of the island. It reminded us of a typical onsen resort, with its landscaped grounds, cafe-restaurant, lockers, and shoji-screen decor. Except there wasn't an onsen, boohoo.
We thought we'd spray here before leaving, and headed towards the restroom. Upon completion of business, I reached down and fumbled for the flush mechanism, my hands grasping a strangely shaped knob. I turned it, and got the surprise of my life when water came JETTING out of the bowl, completely saturating my shorts and half of my top. My first instinct was to run away, but realising that that would just create an even bigger mess, I bravely fought the jet and reached in to turn it off. I then followed my instinct, grabbed a confused Kentaro, and hastily exited the facility, leaving my water-drenched stall as a warning for its next visitor.
*blush*
Kentaro and I went for one of our regular Saturday Guam drives (guruguru Guam doraibu), and happened upon a nice Japanese golf resort in the middle of the island. It reminded us of a typical onsen resort, with its landscaped grounds, cafe-restaurant, lockers, and shoji-screen decor. Except there wasn't an onsen, boohoo.
We thought we'd spray here before leaving, and headed towards the restroom. Upon completion of business, I reached down and fumbled for the flush mechanism, my hands grasping a strangely shaped knob. I turned it, and got the surprise of my life when water came JETTING out of the bowl, completely saturating my shorts and half of my top. My first instinct was to run away, but realising that that would just create an even bigger mess, I bravely fought the jet and reached in to turn it off. I then followed my instinct, grabbed a confused Kentaro, and hastily exited the facility, leaving my water-drenched stall as a warning for its next visitor.
*blush*
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Premature Pumpkin Death
Well nobody told me that a jack-o-lantern will decompose into a soggy mess within 3 days of lighting a candle inside it!
We thought we were so ahead of the game by carving out our big pumpkin last Monday. I gutted the gourd and roasted its delectable seeds while Kentaro carved out a terrific design, and we put it, lit, on display in our window, chuffed that we were all prepared for trick-or-treaters come this Wednesday.
By yesterday the thing was growing a forest of mould inside, and the outside was buckling and seeping ooze which threatened to overflow onto the floor. It earned itself an untimely date with the dumpster. D'oh!!!
Kentaro is still armed for Wednesday night with a black cat and a truckload of candy (I will be at work, of course, leaving him to fend off the deluge of kids that will no doubt come a-knockin').
We thought we were so ahead of the game by carving out our big pumpkin last Monday. I gutted the gourd and roasted its delectable seeds while Kentaro carved out a terrific design, and we put it, lit, on display in our window, chuffed that we were all prepared for trick-or-treaters come this Wednesday.
By yesterday the thing was growing a forest of mould inside, and the outside was buckling and seeping ooze which threatened to overflow onto the floor. It earned itself an untimely date with the dumpster. D'oh!!!
Kentaro is still armed for Wednesday night with a black cat and a truckload of candy (I will be at work, of course, leaving him to fend off the deluge of kids that will no doubt come a-knockin').
Sunday, October 21, 2007
BYE BYE!!!
Thanks to my two TV ads that play every 15 minutes, 24/7 on the local 'Visitor's Channel', I have become somewhat of a reluctant celebrity on Guam.
I do a promotional spiel for 'Hafatel', a Guam-based cellphone service provider, which has me reading a very predictable script in a swimsuit top. But people almost never recognise me from this one - although a co-worker did approach me one day and stared at my cheek, wondering to himself, "Wow, she really does have a big mole there, just like the Hafatel commercial." I gave his culture the benefit of the doubt.
My other ad has me introducing the endangered ko'ko' bird, aka the 'Guam Rail', and this one is unscripted. I man-handle the little bird all throughout as I'm waffling on in Japanese, and at the end I grab its little beak and make it bow goodbye to the viewers whilst saying "Bye bye! Bye bye!" like a 2 year old. Watching it afterwards I was surprised the bird didn't try to peck my eyes out. But I guess my true personality shines through in this one, because no matter where I go, I hear:
"Oh look, it's the ko'ko' girl!"
Or better yet:
"BYE BYE!!!! BYE BYE!!!"
Piss off.
I do a promotional spiel for 'Hafatel', a Guam-based cellphone service provider, which has me reading a very predictable script in a swimsuit top. But people almost never recognise me from this one - although a co-worker did approach me one day and stared at my cheek, wondering to himself, "Wow, she really does have a big mole there, just like the Hafatel commercial." I gave his culture the benefit of the doubt.
My other ad has me introducing the endangered ko'ko' bird, aka the 'Guam Rail', and this one is unscripted. I man-handle the little bird all throughout as I'm waffling on in Japanese, and at the end I grab its little beak and make it bow goodbye to the viewers whilst saying "Bye bye! Bye bye!" like a 2 year old. Watching it afterwards I was surprised the bird didn't try to peck my eyes out. But I guess my true personality shines through in this one, because no matter where I go, I hear:
"Oh look, it's the ko'ko' girl!"
Or better yet:
"BYE BYE!!!! BYE BYE!!!"
Piss off.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Like Pigs in Mud
Last weekend, I had a real, 2 day weekend.
So we decided to take advantage of this momentous occasion by booking ourselves into the PIC Hotel in Tumon, using the voucher Mr. Nole gave us as a generous wedding present in May.
PIC has been around since I was a kiddo and was always in the top 3 list of places I wanted to go (the other 2 places being McDonalds with the wicked indoor playground, and Jones Beach Resort). It is famous for its water & activities park. Waterslides and pools abound, with other activities including archery, tennis, snorkeling, kayaking and hourly aqua aerobics! It has a very 'summer camp' feel with extremely genki staff smiling and encouraging guests to join in and have fun.
I checked in solo last Friday afternoon while Kentaro was off doing a plum-wine tasting at Cost-U-Less, and enjoyed a few hours reading books and painting my nails in our beachfront room.
We dined at Jamaican Grill, which is just about our favourite restaurant on island, and ordered the works - ribs, jerk chicken, Jamaican and red rice, kelaguen salad, a "jerk" burger with curry mayonnaise, and for dessert a Jamaican Grill take on the 'banana split' which was more like a challenge to unearth the lone banana under 3 pounds of ice cream & whipped cream with a cherry on top. Thank God we only had to roll across the road afterwards to return to our hotel room.
Saturday was the best day EVER for 2007 (excluding the wedding festivities of course).
The Boy and I reverted to age 10 with the greatest of ease and spent the day running up, sliding down, running up, sliding down, running up, sliding down backwards, losing mat and bruising ass, running up, surfing down on knees, ad infinitum.
We also heartily enjoyed the 'floating bridge' - a series of 10 foam squares linked together extending out over the centre pool. The real kids had a pretty easy time with this as the object was to walk out across the bridge, U-turn and come back. The kids weighing 60kg and 80kg had a harder time as the squares tended to sink under our weight, hindering balance. This game had us busy for a good hour and a half, and after a bit of staring I really forgot we were the only kids over age 10 lining up to try again. Though the 80kg kid only ever managed to do a good impression of an elephant tripping on a banana peel, the 60kg kid conquered the floating bridge on her 62nd try and showed those kids a thing or two.
We became adults again at lunchtime when we dined at Hanagi. I have never seen a Japanese buffet that includes ALL of: udon, soba, tempura, tonkatsu, tsukemono, teppanyaki, sushi, sashimi and goma ice cream, and I riked it arot.
All in all it was a ripper of a weekend. Now back to 6 day working weeks.
So we decided to take advantage of this momentous occasion by booking ourselves into the PIC Hotel in Tumon, using the voucher Mr. Nole gave us as a generous wedding present in May.
PIC has been around since I was a kiddo and was always in the top 3 list of places I wanted to go (the other 2 places being McDonalds with the wicked indoor playground, and Jones Beach Resort). It is famous for its water & activities park. Waterslides and pools abound, with other activities including archery, tennis, snorkeling, kayaking and hourly aqua aerobics! It has a very 'summer camp' feel with extremely genki staff smiling and encouraging guests to join in and have fun.
I checked in solo last Friday afternoon while Kentaro was off doing a plum-wine tasting at Cost-U-Less, and enjoyed a few hours reading books and painting my nails in our beachfront room.
We dined at Jamaican Grill, which is just about our favourite restaurant on island, and ordered the works - ribs, jerk chicken, Jamaican and red rice, kelaguen salad, a "jerk" burger with curry mayonnaise, and for dessert a Jamaican Grill take on the 'banana split' which was more like a challenge to unearth the lone banana under 3 pounds of ice cream & whipped cream with a cherry on top. Thank God we only had to roll across the road afterwards to return to our hotel room.
Saturday was the best day EVER for 2007 (excluding the wedding festivities of course).
The Boy and I reverted to age 10 with the greatest of ease and spent the day running up, sliding down, running up, sliding down, running up, sliding down backwards, losing mat and bruising ass, running up, surfing down on knees, ad infinitum.
We also heartily enjoyed the 'floating bridge' - a series of 10 foam squares linked together extending out over the centre pool. The real kids had a pretty easy time with this as the object was to walk out across the bridge, U-turn and come back. The kids weighing 60kg and 80kg had a harder time as the squares tended to sink under our weight, hindering balance. This game had us busy for a good hour and a half, and after a bit of staring I really forgot we were the only kids over age 10 lining up to try again. Though the 80kg kid only ever managed to do a good impression of an elephant tripping on a banana peel, the 60kg kid conquered the floating bridge on her 62nd try and showed those kids a thing or two.
We became adults again at lunchtime when we dined at Hanagi. I have never seen a Japanese buffet that includes ALL of: udon, soba, tempura, tonkatsu, tsukemono, teppanyaki, sushi, sashimi and goma ice cream, and I riked it arot.
All in all it was a ripper of a weekend. Now back to 6 day working weeks.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
G-Day
Kentaro's green card was finally approved and arrived in the mail last week. Woohoo!
After 6 months of waiting it was rather anti-climactic, and given that he has been working for our company anyway it doesn't present any immediate benefits except for us being able to leave the country should we need to. He wouldn't have been able to leave Guam during the application process without nullifying his application.
However we can all breathe a sigh of relief now that this most recent challenge has been hurdled. How nice that we now both have valid visas to live and work in each other's country should the need arise!
August weather is cloudy and rainy and I'm ready for it to end! It's a real bummer when my one day off a week can't be a beach day because of lousy weather!
Our new house is ab fab, and we are looking forward to hosting a family member temporarily - Casper is going to spend a month with us while the parents go on the honeymoon they never had.
That's all folks!
After 6 months of waiting it was rather anti-climactic, and given that he has been working for our company anyway it doesn't present any immediate benefits except for us being able to leave the country should we need to. He wouldn't have been able to leave Guam during the application process without nullifying his application.
However we can all breathe a sigh of relief now that this most recent challenge has been hurdled. How nice that we now both have valid visas to live and work in each other's country should the need arise!
August weather is cloudy and rainy and I'm ready for it to end! It's a real bummer when my one day off a week can't be a beach day because of lousy weather!
Our new house is ab fab, and we are looking forward to hosting a family member temporarily - Casper is going to spend a month with us while the parents go on the honeymoon they never had.
That's all folks!
Friday, August 10, 2007
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Sunday, August 05, 2007
The House is Warm
We held our Housewarming Party last night.
Thank you to the parents, Judy, Dottie, Doris, Becky, Hiro, Mohammed, Rowena, Minako, Sachiko, Saori & kids, and Naoko & kids for helping make it a fun occasion!
Thank you to the parents, Judy, Dottie, Doris, Becky, Hiro, Mohammed, Rowena, Minako, Sachiko, Saori & kids, and Naoko & kids for helping make it a fun occasion!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Playing House
Well I seem to be doing a bunch of grown-up things recently. It must be my time. I bought a cat, tied the knot, committed myself to a gruelling work schedule, and now I have a house to call my own.
Kentaro and I have entered the wonderful world of home ownership, complete with loans and common area fees, and the freedom to lay down tatami flooring and shoji screens wherever we so please. Yatta!
Following ever so subconsciouly in my parents' footsteps, we have purchased a Perez Acres townhouse all of a 2 minute walk from the townhouse I grew up in. It's not new or flashy - but has comfort and nostalgia in spades, plus is right next to a pool and basketball court. AND there's a bloomin' avacado tree in the front yard. When we saw that our eyes lit up - for different reasons. I was thinking, "GUACAMOLE, ALRIGHT!!!" while on Kentaro's mind was, "CALIFORNIA ROLL, YATTA!" I think we'll make a lot of both. :)
Kentaro and I have entered the wonderful world of home ownership, complete with loans and common area fees, and the freedom to lay down tatami flooring and shoji screens wherever we so please. Yatta!
Following ever so subconsciouly in my parents' footsteps, we have purchased a Perez Acres townhouse all of a 2 minute walk from the townhouse I grew up in. It's not new or flashy - but has comfort and nostalgia in spades, plus is right next to a pool and basketball court. AND there's a bloomin' avacado tree in the front yard. When we saw that our eyes lit up - for different reasons. I was thinking, "GUACAMOLE, ALRIGHT!!!" while on Kentaro's mind was, "CALIFORNIA ROLL, YATTA!" I think we'll make a lot of both. :)
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Tagged
I have been tagged by Laura.
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.
Hmmm well twiddly dee dee, let's see... I'll try to stick to random facts, as the random habits might be a bit revolting to readers.
1. I was named after my wonderful Grandmother, India Olean Brown.
2. I was officially enrolled in and due to commence a Masters of International Communication at Macquarie University when Kentaro dropped out of the sky and proposed, whisking me off to Florida.
3. I lived in a weasel/cockroach/giant spider/flea/jumping mini spider-infested 80 year old barnhouse in rural Japan for one year, and loved it.
4. I sang solo at the Sydney Opera House in an emerald green ballgown.
5. I can devour a jar of Nutella in one sitting with a single chopstick. And I do.
6. I am a regular face on Guam's Visitors' Channel.
7. My cat Cookie is a furry black talking machine. She spouts kitty talk 24/7. Funny stuff.
8. I can kick your ass at Mario Kart 64.
Now comes the tough part. I don't think there are 8 people I know who blog and would actually do this, so I'm cutting the number to 2.
Natalie and Libby. You're on!
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.
Hmmm well twiddly dee dee, let's see... I'll try to stick to random facts, as the random habits might be a bit revolting to readers.
1. I was named after my wonderful Grandmother, India Olean Brown.
2. I was officially enrolled in and due to commence a Masters of International Communication at Macquarie University when Kentaro dropped out of the sky and proposed, whisking me off to Florida.
3. I lived in a weasel/cockroach/giant spider/flea/jumping mini spider-infested 80 year old barnhouse in rural Japan for one year, and loved it.
4. I sang solo at the Sydney Opera House in an emerald green ballgown.
5. I can devour a jar of Nutella in one sitting with a single chopstick. And I do.
6. I am a regular face on Guam's Visitors' Channel.
7. My cat Cookie is a furry black talking machine. She spouts kitty talk 24/7. Funny stuff.
8. I can kick your ass at Mario Kart 64.
Now comes the tough part. I don't think there are 8 people I know who blog and would actually do this, so I'm cutting the number to 2.
Natalie and Libby. You're on!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
All work and no play...
makes Indy a dull but responsible adult!
Well I was bound to end my lady-of-leisure lifestyle sooner or later, it's just a shock to the system after all this time!
It has been a long while since my last post, but we have been very very busy!
My Personal Shopper position has turned out to be more of a concierge role, but I am serving high-spending customers and have the chance to meet some real characters. Predictably falling in line with my experience, those who spend the most (eg dropping $20,000 on one watch) are the most nonchalant and friendly about their purchases, while those who spend in the lower end of the ultra-high spending category are often trying to impress somebody, whether it be the friends with whom they travelled here, their partners, or themselves, and can be more challenging to deal with.
My duties as concierge include serving delicious coffees and chocolates, and quality-testing these products thoroughly.
The teaching is also going well. I have some lovely adult students at the Japan Club of Guam (Job #2), and my kids at the School (Job #3) are good on most days!
Kentaro is not letting the fact that he still hasn't received his green card slow him down at all. As President of ********* Trading (Job #4), I have hired/enlisted him as my slave and he is doing my bidding all over town. Our sake is now available at all the major supermarkets and most of the hotels in Tumon. The next step is to broaden our product line and advertise advertise advertise!
Speaking of advertising, my 5th job as Japanese-talking face on the Visitor's Channel is starting to get me smiles from strangers and phony requests for autographs from co-workers.
Episode 1 of the Guamazing Race features Monday night, which will no doubt earn Kentaro and myself even more fame on island. Episodes 2 and 3 follow the next two Mondays. I can't wait to see us sweating like jungle pigs as we truck up and down the mountainous south of Guam.
My parents have purchased local membership at the Hyatt hotel, so on my day off we can lounge around the pools there and pretend that we're on vacation in paradise instead of just living here!
Well I was bound to end my lady-of-leisure lifestyle sooner or later, it's just a shock to the system after all this time!
It has been a long while since my last post, but we have been very very busy!
My Personal Shopper position has turned out to be more of a concierge role, but I am serving high-spending customers and have the chance to meet some real characters. Predictably falling in line with my experience, those who spend the most (eg dropping $20,000 on one watch) are the most nonchalant and friendly about their purchases, while those who spend in the lower end of the ultra-high spending category are often trying to impress somebody, whether it be the friends with whom they travelled here, their partners, or themselves, and can be more challenging to deal with.
My duties as concierge include serving delicious coffees and chocolates, and quality-testing these products thoroughly.
The teaching is also going well. I have some lovely adult students at the Japan Club of Guam (Job #2), and my kids at the School (Job #3) are good on most days!
Kentaro is not letting the fact that he still hasn't received his green card slow him down at all. As President of ********* Trading (Job #4), I have hired/enlisted him as my slave and he is doing my bidding all over town. Our sake is now available at all the major supermarkets and most of the hotels in Tumon. The next step is to broaden our product line and advertise advertise advertise!
Speaking of advertising, my 5th job as Japanese-talking face on the Visitor's Channel is starting to get me smiles from strangers and phony requests for autographs from co-workers.
Episode 1 of the Guamazing Race features Monday night, which will no doubt earn Kentaro and myself even more fame on island. Episodes 2 and 3 follow the next two Mondays. I can't wait to see us sweating like jungle pigs as we truck up and down the mountainous south of Guam.
My parents have purchased local membership at the Hyatt hotel, so on my day off we can lounge around the pools there and pretend that we're on vacation in paradise instead of just living here!
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Mr & Mrs
There used to be gorgeous wedding pics in this post but they kept popping up in search engines so I deleted them! If you really need to see them again just ask. ;)
Saturday, April 28, 2007
It's all on now!
The first wedding guests, Solon and Andrew, arrived at the crack of dawn Friday and were followed in the afternoon by my wonderful grandparents, aunt & uncle from the States.
There have already been quite a few memorable occasions and many many more are predicted!
It has been far too many years since I have gathered together with my relatives and we are all definitely feeling the love. I couldn't ask for a nicer family!
Kentaro, Grandma and I were good sports tonight when asked to get up and bellydance at the local Persian restaurant...
There have already been quite a few memorable occasions and many many more are predicted!
It has been far too many years since I have gathered together with my relatives and we are all definitely feeling the love. I couldn't ask for a nicer family!
Kentaro, Grandma and I were good sports tonight when asked to get up and bellydance at the local Persian restaurant...
Monday, April 23, 2007
Countdown
Well, this wedding of ours is finally just around the corner.
We have been so busy settling in to our new lifestyle here in Guam that I've had little time to cultivate my inner Bridezilla.
Our first guests (Grandma & Grandpa Brown, Aunt Mickey & Uncle Wayne from the States and Solon and Andrew from Oz) arrive on Friday morning. Gary from Hawaii flies in Sunday, leaving Jess, Jen, Mike, Nhu, Phillip, Alex, Toshiko, Yoshiko, Miho, Yuki, Mayu, Soichiro, Marcia & Ross flying in Monday, the day of the BIG FIESTA. On different flights of course.
Tuesday is the main event with the ceremony kicking off at 5pm, at the Hilton.
Then the rest of the week will be spent snorkeling, shopping, eating, swimming, drinking, touring, relaxing and more eating.
Good times and exhaustion for all.
On a work-related note:
I will continue my part-time roles as English Teacher at the Japan Club of Guam and Japan School of Guam and pick up a third FULL-TIME position at DFS as a Personal Shopper/Concierge in their VIP lounge. It will be a rough transition back to the world of full-time work after this extended period of early retirement, but I am happy knowing that I'll be speaking lots of Japanese because I don't want to lose it.
Wish me luck!
We have been so busy settling in to our new lifestyle here in Guam that I've had little time to cultivate my inner Bridezilla.
Our first guests (Grandma & Grandpa Brown, Aunt Mickey & Uncle Wayne from the States and Solon and Andrew from Oz) arrive on Friday morning. Gary from Hawaii flies in Sunday, leaving Jess, Jen, Mike, Nhu, Phillip, Alex, Toshiko, Yoshiko, Miho, Yuki, Mayu, Soichiro, Marcia & Ross flying in Monday, the day of the BIG FIESTA. On different flights of course.
Tuesday is the main event with the ceremony kicking off at 5pm, at the Hilton.
Then the rest of the week will be spent snorkeling, shopping, eating, swimming, drinking, touring, relaxing and more eating.
Good times and exhaustion for all.
On a work-related note:
I will continue my part-time roles as English Teacher at the Japan Club of Guam and Japan School of Guam and pick up a third FULL-TIME position at DFS as a Personal Shopper/Concierge in their VIP lounge. It will be a rough transition back to the world of full-time work after this extended period of early retirement, but I am happy knowing that I'll be speaking lots of Japanese because I don't want to lose it.
Wish me luck!
卒業おめでとう！！！
ワンさん、やった～～！最初から最後までよく頑張りました。尊敬します！
My wonderful friend Wan Lu graduated from her Post Grad International Education degree after 2 years of hard slog! Congratulations!!!
She's half my size and looks half my age but is in fact 4 years older. Check out these gorgeous graduation pics:
My wonderful friend Wan Lu graduated from her Post Grad International Education degree after 2 years of hard slog! Congratulations!!!
She's half my size and looks half my age but is in fact 4 years older. Check out these gorgeous graduation pics:
Monday, March 26, 2007
Mahi Burgers
We are getting used to this tropical lifestyle and taking advantage of what it has to offer.
Sometimes we like to stop at the local fish shops to see what the professionals bring in.
For $20 this delectable dolphin was ours (and no, it's not a real dolphin):
Fish enough for the whole week! What a luxury it is to have a fish burger, with extra fish.
Pity I ate a few fish burgers before going to my neighbor's poolside fiesta, which was full of fiesta delights such as red rice, barbecued chicken and ribs, chicken kelaguen, velvet cake, coconut pie and Dottie's famous choc-chip brownies. Of course I didn't let a mere busting gut prevent me from feasting. As I was told by one of the young fiesta-goers, "This is a fiesta! We come here to eat!"
Um yeah must think about that wedding dress I need to fit in a few weeks...
Sometimes we like to stop at the local fish shops to see what the professionals bring in.
For $20 this delectable dolphin was ours (and no, it's not a real dolphin):
Fish enough for the whole week! What a luxury it is to have a fish burger, with extra fish.
Pity I ate a few fish burgers before going to my neighbor's poolside fiesta, which was full of fiesta delights such as red rice, barbecued chicken and ribs, chicken kelaguen, velvet cake, coconut pie and Dottie's famous choc-chip brownies. Of course I didn't let a mere busting gut prevent me from feasting. As I was told by one of the young fiesta-goers, "This is a fiesta! We come here to eat!"
Um yeah must think about that wedding dress I need to fit in a few weeks...
Sunday, March 25, 2007
We love-a fishy...
Kentaro's latest theme song is this, by Rather Good, which he hums whilst slicing and dicing his latest catch.
He has also proven himself to be quite the Gatherer, locating bounties of breadfruit, calamansi, papaya.
Our Catch & Snatch of the Day looked like this:
It was very tasty, and free.
Glad I don't need to worry about doing THIS on my wedding day...
I'll be doing my own make-up, but not this.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
ME LOVE COOKIE!!!
It must be sorrowfully admitted at this point that our beloved cockatiels and the namesakes of this blog are not with us in Guam.
Had we known we would be moving to Guam I would have left them in Florida for a few months, as it is possible to import pet birds from the US to Guam, but not from Japan to Guam. And had we moved to Australia, customs there wouldn't have taken them either. So all that paperwork and hassle not to mention dollars to get them to Japan, for diddly.
But we have learned many things the hard way, sigh, and our little feathered babes are enjoying themselves at the German-themed village in the mountains of Akaiwa, Okayama Prefecture. Say hi to them if you're ever in the neighbourhood! They are surrounded by hamsters and guinea pigs in the air-conditioned comfort of the barnyard staff room. *sniff*
On a happier note, we decided to invest in a pet that is international-move friendly. Welcome Cookie to our clan!! It's a shame, she would have looooved Salt & Sesame I'm sure.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Guam shots
I used to collect shells on this beach with this old guy when I was a wee widdle one.
Kentaro's introduction to the art of palm tree sprout collecting (we planted it in front of our townhouse, see below).
Home sweet home.
Pool, SWEET pool.
My man, the sushi chef.
Walking off the margaritas on Hagatna Bay.Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Happy Valentines...
Oh man, does it get better than Ferrero Rochers, pink champagne, strawberries and teddy bears?? (Thanks Mom).
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
First Blog of 2007
Happy Bleated New Year, here are some fainting goats!
Kentaro and I have officially lost our camera.
The last picture we took with it was on New Year's Eve when his whole family was gathered around making mochi balls. It's a Japanese thing. Whether it got mushed into the mochi and gobbled up with the rest of the food we're not sure, but that was the last time we saw it.
We braved the cold that night and headed to Saijo Inari Jinja where 60,000 other residents of Okayama decided to take in their hatsumode, or first shrine visit of the new year. Thinking we could beat the crowds we left the house at 10pm, only to get stuck in some very uncelebratory traffic. It took us 3 hours to drive 15km, and we would have walked had it not been zero degrees outside.
We made use of the time by creating all kinds of resolutions for 2007. Ours are rather broad this year, along the lines of: Get a job, find a place to live, get married, settle down, etc.
It was definitely worth braving the cold, crowds and fatigue once we clamped our chattering mouths around a hot taiyaki and prayed to the fox gods for a healthy and prosperous 2007.
Wish us luck, and best of luck to you too!
Kentaro and I have officially lost our camera.
The last picture we took with it was on New Year's Eve when his whole family was gathered around making mochi balls. It's a Japanese thing. Whether it got mushed into the mochi and gobbled up with the rest of the food we're not sure, but that was the last time we saw it.
We braved the cold that night and headed to Saijo Inari Jinja where 60,000 other residents of Okayama decided to take in their hatsumode, or first shrine visit of the new year. Thinking we could beat the crowds we left the house at 10pm, only to get stuck in some very uncelebratory traffic. It took us 3 hours to drive 15km, and we would have walked had it not been zero degrees outside.
We made use of the time by creating all kinds of resolutions for 2007. Ours are rather broad this year, along the lines of: Get a job, find a place to live, get married, settle down, etc.
It was definitely worth braving the cold, crowds and fatigue once we clamped our chattering mouths around a hot taiyaki and prayed to the fox gods for a healthy and prosperous 2007.
Wish us luck, and best of luck to you too!
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