12.09.2012 - photobooth is fun, no matter what.

Went to the beginners class this morning, with the intention of staying for Masuda Senei's class.
But I'm pretty sure I did the most glamourous (read: worst) thing and pulled a groin muscle.

Welcome to my ever classy, ever graceful, life.

Anyway, any ukemi (that's what the falling in aikido is called) is wildly painful at this point, so I called it quits and came home and took an advil instead.

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Skyped with my family, they're still better than sliced bread. I think it's actually 3 months today until I get to see them… Maybe less than that?
Whatevs, they're coming for christmas and I couldn't be happier.

Went to submit my Language Class Application at a different building. My map blew.
I finally got there, and guess what? It's closed today. No explanation, nothing on the website, no sign other than the 'closed' one.
Bastards.

Came home and took a nap because I am an old woman.
Went to work.

Ok class, I wasn't in my most patient mood which it hard to work and be excited through. But I mean, I think the kids still enjoyed it.

Was about a block between the club and the station and I realised I was all dizzy and off balance.
It's ok though, I was just having a serious low blood sugar moment. Stopped by Nissin and did something I've never had to do, and have always laughed at my father for doing, which is buy a candy bar and eat it before I could actually do my regular shopping.

Came home and made myself more gyoza (the good kind! not the weird artichoke ones.) and broccoli.
Actually the perfect meal.
It's not too much, but not too light so as to not even feel like a meal.
Because I steam them together the broccoli has the most wonderful ginger-y flavour.

And since I didn't have a single moment for photos, enjoy these Photo Booth photos I took today, post nap & pre work.
There's something so madly vain about Photo Booth and having a million 'pretty' photos of oneself, taken in ones bedroom. I don't know, maybe it's the horrid quality that just makes me love them more?
Anyway, these won't be as funny to anyone else as they are to me. C'est la vie, non?

it's conceptual

foxlet

final photo inspired by that video of Kirsten Dunst singing along to 'Turning Japanese'

which has been removed from youtube, so you can't experience the glory.

tomorrow night after work I'm going to a meetup thing at the restaurant that does a monthly vegan buffet. So I'm super excited! I get to meet people and eat vegan food. Which are two of my favourite passtimes.


have a pleasant day, all!

05.09.2012 - past two days. + I went up another tall building just for the view.

Tuesday

What a day.
Woke at at 4.30 this morning so I had time to mess about on the internet, drink water, braid my hair (it takes like 10 minutes to french braid all of it, therefor it much be factored in), and get out the door by 6 so I could be changed and ready for 7. It takes me about 40 minutes to get to this specific school if I don't walk especially fast to the train.

Worked for an hour, and was home at around 9.

Hung out, ate some food, skyped with Magnus (and mum, briefly), then started getting ready for the rest of my day.

At 12 I left to go meet Keiko for our English hour. Now we don't meet until 1 but I wasn't really at all sure I knew how to get from the station to the cafe, so I gave myself heaps and heaps of time.
Of course, once I got there I knew exactly where to go so I killed about 30 minutes walking up and down the street it's on, spent some time in a stationary store but it wasn't very nice.

Talked with her from 1-2, she's just a sweet lady. She said she wants to have me over for dinner in a few weeks, when her husband's back from his business trip, and that she's very excited to get to meet my family at Christmas 'because she can tell how much I love them'. Aw.

Then I had to go right from there to Tamachi Station to meet Paul for my second school of the day.
Had two classes, and then I came home and made myself dinner!
Tonight's dinner comes in two parts. The starter: a lovely blend of french bread that is right on the cusp of being stale and apples. And the main course: half a can of black beans and a tortilla!
Woo cooking.

someone hire me as a head chef, quick.

It seems like heaps of food, but because of the schedule/the fact that I can't eat less than 2 hours before class means I live on two meals a day. So I feel better about just tucking into massive dinners, haha.

While I was a work a package came for me from Melanie (of Dots & Loops fame)! She sent me a necklace that I've been lusting over for about a year and some handmade cat pins.
Fun fact, I love pins.
She's a peach.

I think I have Thursday off, and if I do I will definitely be getting all my packages full of delightful things for delightful people in the post, so they may enjoy all the delights soon!

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Wednesday

Woke up and went to Hombu. I even rode my bike! It was a bit nerve wracking, but since it cuts 20+ minutes from my commute it's worth it.
Class was taught by Miyamoto Sensei (7th dan, shihan) and I really liked him.
It was my best/most enjoyable class I've taken thus far.

Came home and skyped with Sarah briefly, but the connection wasn't very good.

Decided to go out in search of the Tokyo Metropolitan Building which has another place to look out at the city from the tall building! And it's free!
Eventually found it, I pretty much took the most complication route possible to get there. But it turns out it's just a 40 minute walk from my house with, like, 1 turn. Oops? I took a train and everything.
The train did cut off about 20 minutes of that walk, but yes.

this is the building!

It was gorgeous though, was better than the other place I went.
Largely because it's almost a 360 view. There's a cafe in one corner, which I would definitely go to for lunch if I was there with anyone else.

oh, Tokyo fading off into the smog. So lovely.

I even got some lady to take my photo, she made it look so difficult.
I mean, really, what's so hard? I set everything up. All she had to do was press the button half down, let it focus, then press it the rest of the way. Sweet jesus.
Anyway, this isn't nearly as good as it could have been, but it's the best I got.

aaaaaand I've made a few of my photos into fake tilt shifts. I was a tilt shift camera so badly, but they're ridiculously expensive for something I would use almost never, c'est la vie.

I just talked to Magnus for a bit, now I'm enjoying some Edward Sharpe while going through today's photos.

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Went to work for a few hours.
Stopped by Nissin to get some sorbet because it's still a million degrees and I've been wanting some.
But that's an expensive place to shop so I planned on stopping my the normal store for some vegetables/tomato sauce for tonight's dinner but then was just too tired of people to deal.
I made do with what I had in the house, which was just onions and lettuce. And pasta obviously.

But then I got to eat my sorbet! I got mango, but it's a bit on the sweet side for my tastes.
The same brand had a passionfruit which I think I'd get if I got it again.

I have tomorrow off so my goal is to, first, find a 100 Yen shop for s few things and, second, mail a bunch of presents home!
Then do something else to occupy the rest of my day, we'll see.

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Have a pleasant day, all of you delightful people.