twenty five for twenty ten: april

5 keep track of finances
i'm sort of back on track.  i still have some receipts in my wallet and purchases to put in my ds.  also, my pay check this past month was a reality check so i think an actual "budget" will be being made and implemented soon.

8 make two quilts (from start to finish)
i've got my fabric from the swap in march/april but still haven't decided on a design.  just waiting for the right inspiration, or motivation.

15 go to a performance of some kind
i went to my old school's orchestra concert on the 29th with some old coworkers and Ro.  the orchestra is nationally recognized and played in the sydney opera house a couple years ago.  impressive, needless to say.

21 read a book once a month
it's sort of cheating, since it's a manga, but i'm reading "ダーリンは外国人" but it's in japanese, so that i think that makes up for it being shorter than a book.  might have to give up on 1000 acres, since i haven't opened it all month.   and Ro and i are still in the middle of Bridge to Terabithia.

25 keep nails looking nice in an effort to quit biting my nails
i got my nails done again this month. it's oddly addicting.

キラキラ take two

from april 17:

depending on the angle and how the light hits them, they change from pink (the underlying color) to glitter in shades of orange, green and a kind of purple-ly blue.  sounds bizarre but i love it. 

my nails are a bit longer than in this photo because it's been almost two weeks since i got them done.  i had them filed down pretty short so that they wouldn't get unbearably long between appointments (four weeks).  right now they are the perfect length: they go past my finger tips, but don't get in the way when i take my contacts out.  and, i'm already thinking about what to get next time!  (addicted much??)  after what will be two months of bright sparkly colors, i might go more classic and get a french manicure or at least something a little bit more subtle.  though, who knows, i may not be able to resist all the pretty colors once i get in the chair!

things i love thursday

.vanilla candle = yummy smelling apartment.
.beer with lunch on a friday.
.rearranging my apartment.
.giving presents.
.banana chips.
.apricot tea.
.spicy food with a yuzu sour.
.idea shopping (like window shopping).
.golden week!!!.

other people plans

i've worked the last couple sundays, meaning my week starts on saturday and thursday/friday becomes my "weekend." it's not ideal, but my paycheck last week (for march) left a bit to be desired, so i take the extra days semi-willingly.

what makes it hard is that saturday and sunday morning, my bed is so warm and leaving Ro sleeping in that warm bed, to go to work, is no fun. but on monday and tuesday, we both roll out of his bed, stumble to get ready and leave within 20 minutes of each other.

it's sort of a strange half and half deal, involving planning ahead work/clothes-wise and a backpack, but it's nice to come "home" on monday night to Ro cooking dinner, or meet up for dinner somewhere on saturday after i get off work, and then ride the train home together.

i do fear i've "disappeared" a bit, spending so much time with Ro, though. i'm not exactly unhappy with the situation (we like each other, after all!), but i also like the idea of each of us still having a bit of our own schedule and not assuming that the other person is free, just because they haven't said they aren't. but maybe it's too late for that?

either way, i realize i need to be a bit more conscious of my "other people" plans and not just "default" to Ro because i haven't made the effort to plan or do anything else.

things i love thursday

.strawberry picking.
.othello.
.tazo tea.
.finally a day off.
.free dinners.
.iPhone maps.
.pay day.
.getting my new passport.
.cucumbers and thousand island dressing.

quote of the day

"Today has your name all over it."

- the Universe

3%

it's been two and a half weeks and 246 photos

since i uploaded photos from my camera.

here's the abridged version:

long exposure ueno.

box of laura secord mint chocolates i got for my birthday.  i ate almost the whole box by myself (did i mention i was stressed about work? well, either way, they were excellent.)

flowers i got during a graduation celebration party at my old school.

some serious hanami-ers in yoyogi park.  there was a man with a huge bubble maker too, but i have so many bubble pictures that they will be getting their own post.

party treats for a three year old's birthday party at work.  amazing.

a tasty tofu hamburger with yuba on top, at komachi in kamakura.  so good!

the entrance gate to tsurugaoka hachimangu in kamakura.

strawberry picking in tochigi with Ro.

things i love thursday

.acerola flavored things.
.angel wing earrings.
.the way jeans fit after the dryer.
.a good nose blow.
.bonding with coworkers.
.tenugui.
.kamakura.
.dinner and dessert dates with Ro.
.banana muffins.

four fourteen

i was out with Ro last night, eating cheesecake, drinking tea and discussing how time flies. i mean, it's already the middle of april. (!!!)

i've got stories and photos and ideas and lists and dreams that i imagine as posts but when i sit down to write, my mind goes blank and words fail me.

i have the next three days off but have some appointments and meetings and probably should get my passport reissued since it expired almost 2 weeks ago (yikes!) and Ro and i are going strawberry picking on friday. then another 5 days of work and maybe finally falling into a routine since training at work is over and i'll be on a regular (Mon, Tues, Wed, Sat) schedule.

it makes for a boring blog, but hopefully some where in there the inspiration will come back...

things i love thursday

.hamburger helper.
.new agendas.
.mint chocolates.
.cherry blossoms.
.good hand cream.
.new fabric.
.sleepovers.
.beer at lunch.
.waking up naturally.

international grocery store

i work in an area of tokyo with a lot of foreign embassies. consequently, there are a lot of foreigners. walking from the station to work, it's not uncommon to hear a handful of different languages. it feels so "un-tokyo" but it's refreshing. when i've been to other big cities (i'm specifically thinking toronto and chicago, from recent travels) there has always been a hodge-podge of people and an "international feeling" that i rarely get in tokyo.

most of the time in tokyo, it feels like there's "japanese" and "white people," even though, statistically, this is not the case. sure a lot of foreigners in tokyo speak english and are white, but there are also a lot of other people, speaking other languages. and in my morning walk to work, i finally feel like i get to experience that.

all that to preface that yesterday i made my first time trip to the international super market near where i work. it's on the way back to the station so i've passed it several times a week for 2 months but had never visited. it was amazing.

they had grapes like home! (not the really thick skinned and huge seed japanese ones) they were a little expensive and i passed them up...this time! the vegetable section was pretty standard, otherwise. there were also spices i can't find at my local grocer, which i will be taking advantage of later. there was also a whole aisle of curries, taco "supplies" and salsas.

and they had TURKEY! that you order at the deli counter and they slice for you. this is a huge deal for me. turkey, lettuce, and cheese sandwich? you are within my reach! sort of unsurprisingly, the american cleaning products were about 5 times more expensive than their japanese counterparts.

so as to be expected, some of the food and products were more expensive than the states, but i expected things to be more expensive than they were. i was willing to pay 480some yen for hamburger helper fettucine alfredo. i had a chicken breast in the fridge and it made enough for dinner last night and i had leftovers for lunch today. it was only missing some broccoli, which i will definitely add next time.

i've always felt like i've had to "give up" some comforts from home, because i didn't like the idea of paying so much for things at international stores (and maybe was a bit pretentious in my martyr-like avoidance of international stores), but i've realized you just have to pick and choose. not everything will be a deal, but some things are still quite reasonable. and even when a medium size bunch of grapes is 500yen, sometimes it's worth the little taste of "home."

i'll definitely be stopping by every once in awhile from now on. :)

time out

it's been a rough week.

my routine is...wait, what routine?

i'm finally getting over being sick.

training at work is stressing me out.

Ro and i just can't seem to see eye to eye.

and i'm tired of it always being my fault.

i'm forgetting things all over the place

and even my dreams are exhausting.


it's making my head spin.


can i take a time out from life?

things i love thursday

.going home this summer.
.more fresh flowers.
.hanami.
.hooping in the park.
.this song.
.getting fabric in the mail.
.hot baths.
.america's next top model.
.drink bar at gusto.