Whatcha readin'?

In typical Jo-Lo fashion, though I have little time to read, while idly internet surfing at work, I ordered two books from Amazon.com. The first, to no surprise, was the latest Harry Potter, which I am now about half-way through. It's a good read, of course, and requires little thought, which is welcoming for a Jo-Lo stressed by thoughts of a big trip, then a big move, studies and a long distance relationship, but having read 5 Harry Potters before, I can't say it is anything earth-shattering thus far.

I am more anxious, perhaps, to finish this Harry Potter so I can move on to my second purchase, which I came upon by chance through a review written up in the Japan Times. The book seemed to fit exactly in my area of interest, even being dubbed (perhaps on the back cover of the book) as an extension of Edward Said's critique of the Orientalism theory, and ever since, it seems I just keep finding more and more commentary about this book. Perhaps I have a slight bias since I found out the author received a B.A. in international affairs from George Washington University and did her Masters at Cambridge, but she seems to have approached a topic academically that for the first time has gone mainstream by book: Asian exoticism.

For Asians and Asian Americans who have been looking for some methodological academic research on "yellow fever," "traditional" Asian wives, and relationships between Asian women and Western men, this seems to be the book. Too bad I didn't get around to writing it first...

300 more pages of Harry Potter and I'll give you a better review.

All shook up

Tokyo hit by strongest quake in 13 years, at least 27 injured
200500:23 Kyodo NewsEnglish(c) 2005 Kyodo News

Tokyo was struck by the strongest earthquake to rattle the capital in 13 years Saturday afternoon when a magnitude 6.0 temblor shook eastern Japan, injuring at least 27 people and prompting the prime minister's office and police to set up crisis management task forces.
The 4:35 p.m. quake measured upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Tokyo's Adachi Ward, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

It is the first time since February 1992 that the capital, excluding its tiny islands in the Pacific Ocean, has been hit by a temblor of that grade, which the agency defines as being strong enough to make unreinforced concrete-block walls collapse and most dishes in a cupboard fall.

Where was I? In the middle of my "girly day" receiving a pedicure in a stuffy 2nd floor room of a shaky Takeshita-dori building. With just 3 more toes to go, I felt some pretty big tremors. Fortunately the my beauty guru was not applying any polish at that exact moment, but in the front of the shop, a clock had fallen off the wall, and several bottles of nail polish fell from their shelves. I had my 3 toes finished and left in a hurry.... only to find that the subway was stopped. Luckily S was out and about on his scooter and able to pick me up and deliver me to a safer and less shaky location.

Rice, spare, sea and samurai...

can come close to yet far from encapsulating our long weekend getaway.

S and Gilou, rented car, GMS and I somehow made our way to the beautiful sites of the Western Japanese coast--Noto Peninsula, and finally Kanazawa, ironically, the first place I "lived" in Japan three years ago now for my study abroad orientation. Seems like light years ago, literally, since I could barely remember places I had even been before. Perhaps one's first week in Japan and one's 80th or so week in Japan don't necessarily feel the same...


Escaping Tokyo's labyrinth of concrete and lights for a weekend can really make you appreciate the lesser developed parts of the country, that's for sure. Never in my life have I seen so many shades of green in one place. The deep green of the tree tops makes the verdant bright green of the rice paddies stand out that much more. We were lucky our GMS navigated the way through some of the most isolated country roads.





The weather was in our favor, but unfortunately the road was not. While driving on one such country road, surrounded by only rice fields and more than one hour from the nearest town, S turned a curve about a tire's width too close to the left. Into the irrigation ditch (also known as "gaijin trap") we went. Fortunately we were following our other friends, who turned around when they realized we weren't behind. They were able to find a thick rope wrapped around a random fence, S was able to find a small tree, and one hour, a spare tire, and some frustration later, we were able to haul the car out of the ditch.


So in addition to the rice fields and farm houses, Noto is of course a peninsula, so it also offers some of the most beautiful rocky coastline in Japan. I thought I would be "beaching it" for most of the weekend, but really there were very few nice beaches. We hit one on the way back to Kanazawa (click for more pics), and we managed a nap and a swim in the sea, but otherwise I would not recommend the Sea of Japan coast for beachfront property.






We finished the trip in Kanazawa, the "little Kyoto," with some sightseeing in Kenroku-en, deemed one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan, a tour of the "Ninja Temple," which was actually named such just because of the maze of hidden passageways and staircases inside. It was one of the few buildings that remained after WWII, and it is the original structure from the 1600s. And then we explored Higashi-chaya and Nishi-chaya (where this pic is), which were the old geisha teahouse districts, kind of like Gion in Kyoto.

Anyway, the rest of the photos are magnificent, so have a look for yourself!! This will probably be one of my last travels in Japan for a while, so I went a little picture crazy. But for good reason, of course!

Packing the schedule

Just thought I would let you all know my schedule over the next few months, as it’s changing more rapidly than I’d like.

August 9: Last day of work!

August 11 – September 3: China trip. Actually it’s a different trip than the one I posted before. I found a more affordable one for a longer time with a better itinerary, so I opted to go with G.A.P. The itinerary looks something like this:

Day 1-3 Beijing

Day 4,5 Xi'an, home to one of the greatest archeological discoveries of our time - the Terracotta Warriors.

Day 6-8 Xiahe, through the Yellow River valley up to the edge of the Tibetan plateau.

Day 9,10 Langmusi, the remote magical Tibetan monastery town.

Day 11-13 Jiuzhaigou, passing through vast grasslands and across beautiful mountain passes

Day 14,15 Chengdu, characterised by markets, traditional teahouses and spicy Sichuan cuisine

Day 16-19 Yangshuo, cycling off the beaten track amongst the backdrop of imposing limestone karsts, rising dramatically from a lush rural landscape.

Day 20,21 Hong Kong

And I will be going it alone... I figure a month trekking around China should definitely toughen me up for those hostile drunk Brits.

Sometime in late September: The big move to Cambridge.

My Cambridge schedule:

Full Michaelmas Term: Tuesday, Oct. 4th - Friday, Dec. 2nd
(Break 1: Dec 3 - Jan 17)

Full Lent Term: Tuesday, Jan. 18th - Friday, Mar. 18th
(Break 2: March 19 - April 24)

Full Easter Term: Tuesday, Apr. 25th - Friday, June 16th
(Finish research: June 17 - August 31, or whenever complete)

Count on a one-week trip to the Caribbean in December, some scattered stays back in Tokyo during the breaks, and regular short trips around Europe. I don’t intend for this year to pass without adventure. Anyway, you people need something to read about!

Communications professional in Japan ?

VOMIT VOMIT VOMIT. How are Japanese ever going to take public relations seriously when THIS is what they read about? Perhaps I should just start applying too much make-up and thinking with a pea-sized brain, and then I can publish my own book on PR too...

Livedoor's 'beautiful face' launches book of work tips

Ayako Otobe, a public-relations official for Internet company Livedoor who attracted attention as the "beautiful face" of the firm during a recent takeover bid, has published a book of essays on her work policies.

Two hundred people were invited to a bookstore in Tokyo's Roppongi Hills on Tuesday for the launch and signing of the book, whose title translates as "Livedoor public relations, Ayako Otobe -- 40 hints on positive work techniques."

Besides essays, the book includes color photographs of Otobe, including a shot of her in a bathrobe sold on Livedoor's Internet shopping site. The 16 pages of photographs appear at the front of the book.

"I like the natural shot that Horie took of me inside the company," Otobe said.

The essays explain Otobe's work policies since her encounter with Livedoor President Takafumi Horie, using simple language. She explains the care she takes with fashion and makeup as someone who has to publicly represent the firm.

Royalties for the book will reportedly go to Livedoor, not Otobe.

"If you believe in yourself as you proceed, your dreams will certainly be fulfilled. I want lots of people to read this and feel happy," she said.

Otobe gained attention as the face of Livedoor, which operates an Internet portal site, during its battle with Fuji Television Network for control of Nippon Broadcasting System Inc. Livedoor eventually reached a settlement with Fuji TV. (Mainichi)

Mama-chari gone awry

As if the broken washing machine hasn't been bad enough, my mama-chari brakes are failing me. Believe me, I've tried getting them fixed at gas stands, bike shops, and any other place that just might service a mama-chari. But in this country, apparently bike shops only service real bikes, not bikes with baskets and without gears, so I have been told to go back to the shop I bought the bike from, which happens to be more than hour ride away these days.

So, I've continued riding my squeaky bike to the office everyday, still cutting my commuting time down by 10 to 15 minutes. However, it's recently become almost too embarrassing and too dangerous to ride! These brakes make THE most obnoxious screeching noise, so much so that I'm sure everyone in a 2-kilo radius thinks that hell has emerged from the depths of the earth and swallowed them. THAT LOUD! So, as to avoid making such a scene every time I want to come to a complete stop, I've been trying to take it easy on the brakes. I slow down until the point where I can reach the ground and stop the bike with one foot. Annoying but way less embarrassing.

However, there does come a time when brakes are necessary, particularly after a hard rain when the ground, the bike, my feet-- are slippery. I was riding on the street in the "buses only" lane and went to hop a small curb to get back on the sidewalk. I was going a bit too fast so I slowed down, but perhaps put too much pressure on my rear brake and not enough on my front. I skidded and the side of my front tire hit the curb, toppling me over like an unsteady domino. I hit the sidewalk face down on my hands, knees and chest, brushburning one and all of them. Close to tears (of frustration more than hurt) I quickly got up, brushed off, and continued to walk my mama-chari for a while before building the courage to climb back on.

It is quite embarrassing to fall on one's face with too loud a squeak, but perhaps even more appalling is that in the massive swarm of Tokyo rush hour, not one person stopped to ask if I was ok. I am sure that in the U.S., guys in particular would run over to see if a damsel in distress was hurt. But in Japan, are people too reserved or too self-absorbed to ask? Ignoring my stinging knees, I was fuming all the way home at all of the faces that certainly turned at the spectacle, even sometimes with surprise, but then kept walking without a word.

Word of advice: you do not want to run into a Jo-Lo fuming on a bike in slippery conditions with squeaky brakes. One girl almost did on the rest of my treacherous ride home-- almost crashed right into me in fact-- and then glared at me. Had she understood English, I surely would have just blown my fuse at that point, but lucky for her, my Japanese isn't angry-sounding enough. I continued the rest of my ride home swearing to myself.

In my distress, S was kind of enough to make me dinner. Can we all look at how domestic he's become and say AWWWWW!? I am such a good influence !

For this cold, rainy Monday, I also think my tired little butt also sees a nap in her post-office future. Saturday night was a big one at WOMB, which featured DJ Danny Howells. A noble 6 a.m. finish-- no wonder I am a walking zombie with a sore throat today...

My crystal ball...

In my future, as long as my shrinking wallet does not betray me, I am seeing a trip to China. Since I'm doing it alone, as far as I know (if anyone wants to join me, speak now!), I've decided on a tour package to:

Beijing, the emperors' city (3 nights/4 days)
Xian & the great terra cotta army (2 nights/3 days)
Guilin, the scenic Li River, & Yangshuo (2 nights/3 days)
Hangzhou, Marco Polo's favorite city (2 nights/3 days)
Shanghai, the amazing city (2 nights/3 days)

I just have to make sure the finances are all in order, and then I can start booking. The plan is to go from August 15th - August 28th, so I'll be working a couple of weeks in the beginning of August to save up a bit more money.

Also in my future, I found out today, is Wolfson College at Cambridge. For those of you who, like me, have no clue about the English old school system, the college in which you are placed basically determines your social circle and living quarters. Wolfson is a new college, compared to the likes of Kings and Trinity, but is supposedly the most "cosmopolitan" of the colleges, one of the most international, and it is also geared toward graduate students. Coming from Tokyo and being that I think the town of Cambridge itself is enough "college" for me, I think a cosmopolitan and international atmosphere will be perfect for me. For the past year, I've also been hanging out with people 5-10 years older than I am, so the graduate living shouldn't bother me either. My research supervisor is also placed at this college, so that should be convenient, and he assured me it is a great place to be. So tally ho, off I go to Wolfson!

"Jya ne" to Px

We bid a heartfelt "jya ne" [good-bye for now, as opposed to "sayonara," good-bye permanently] to Px this past weekend as she makes her way back to Oz. I couldn't have asked for a better flatmate as I started out here in Tokyo. Thanks so much for everything, P, and please, remember us little people when you become a famous pop star diva. xoxox!

The Mash Hits Tokyo

My little Mashy came allllll this way just to see me... ok and maybe them too. Click the Harajuku freaks for more pics of feeding frenzies, karaoke and our trip to Nikko.

The Joys of PR

My task of the morning was to create sample panel displays in order to illustrate our ingenious thoughts to the designer working for our client. Though our jurisdiction is actually only the contents of each panel (messages, text, etc.), the boss felt it would be “helpful” to create a “visual” to estimate how much text we would need. I am a serious communications professional—which means I work with scissors, colored paper, and bubble letters. Behold...


And they say cheerleading is worthless. Bah! Obviously it helps you to become a serious communications professional. It is because of high school’s football season that I became an expert at drawing and cutting out bubble letters and making signs and posters. Look where it has gotten me today (tear).

Let me just say, the closer it gets to quittin’ the less I feel like workin’.

Home Sweet Home photos

Internet has been miraculously repaired. Now if only I could say the same about the washing machine... The pictures you have all been patiently (not necessarily anxiously) awaiting...

Washington DC, Nazareth, New York: June 1 - 10, 2005. Click!

Danger zone

Internet problems have severely limited picture posting and entries to the blog. S’ modem seems to be broken at the moment, and my attempts to steal a wireless connection from the neighbors have been in vain. I have pictures from our trip to the States, Mash’s visit to Tokyo, and now P’s sayonara accumulating all the memory on my camera instead of taking the spotlight on my blog. Hopefully this situation will be ameliorated very very soon.

It’s now been one week since I’ve moved into Masters Akasaka and have taken part in the “living together” arrangement. So far so good, though the situation has prompted some good moments.

I moved in last Sunday. On Monday, I flooded the bathroom (by no fault of my own). The washing machine hasn’t been working right, and during my load of laundry, it decided to start spewing water everywhere, leaving a centimeter of water or so all across the bathroom floor. Our second night in-house was spent sopping up water with towels and wringing them into buckets—we filled two to the brim. And for the past week we have been going back and forth with the Japanese repairmen, trying to get the thing fixed. Conclusion: Japanese repairmen are merely liaison to the real fix-it people. They apparently don’t know how to fix anything themselves.

The week continued with an eventful Wednesday night. S left the door to the veranda open in his room, and at 2am we were awoken by a “zzzz, zzzz” next to our ears and in my case, 6 new red and swelling mosquito bites in various no-need-to-be-mentioned locations. We switched on the lights and jumped onto the bed G.I. style with an aerosol can of insect killer as our chosen weapon. “There’s one!” I pointed and shouted. “Putain!” the Frenchman reveled as he leapt across the bed with the spray. Definitely deserved a photo.

Last night topped off the end of the official 1st week. S was looking for a plastic bag to hold his dirty laundry (which has been piling up immensely due to scenario #1). “Babe, have you seen my Fuji Rock bag?” he queried. She looked at him sheepishly. “I kind of threw away all those plastic bags in your closet since we had so many in the kitchen.” Apparently it was a souvenir from his first Fuji Rock concert two years ago.

Good thing I’m not being graded on this moving in thing. And even better that S isn’t such a harsh grader!

Ah, Muggles...

Well, Onigiriman, the opportunity for you to get here while I’m here, I must say, is unfortunately slim, at least for the near future. I’ve been making some references here and there about a shorter time in Japan than I expected, and now that things are more official, I can clarify.

My short-lived Tokyo stay is coming to a close. I have three more months to eat as much sushi as possible, yell “sumimasen” for some service, and play harder than I’ve ever played before. The next destination will be undoubtedly more demure. Think Harry Potter. Think high tea and pinky rings. Cambridge, England best prepare itself for my arrival.

I’ve been awarded a full scholarship (the GWU Bender, for those who would know) to do my M.Phil degree in East Asian Studies at Cambridge. It is a one-year program, 2/3 taught and 1/3 research, with my proposed topic being on how China and South Korea can be expected to react to Japan’s increasingly more assertive foreign policy.

My Japanese probably isn’t quite at the level it should be to undertake this level of research, meaning I will be working extremely hard. Surprisingly, this doesn’t bother me. I’m ready for a new challenge. But the thought of being a full-time student again-- having no time, no money, and much more stress leaves me feeling more than a little unprepared.

But, it’s one of those things that if I don’t do now, will I ever? Knowing myself as well as I do, I’m sure I would eventually regret not going. After all, as people keep telling me, Japan will always be here (barring any natural disasters of catastrophic proportions).

Of course, in addition to all of these disruptive life changes, the one at the forefront of my mind is what kind of masochistic drive in me will force me to leave S? And how can I possibly think that the opportunity cost of leaving him will somehow be offset by a Masters degree from Cambridge? Why does “self-improvement” always seem to trump love? And why do I always seem to feel that the one thing I can procrastinate is love?

Just the thought of leaving S makes me feel utterly nauseous, yet I made the decision as if there was no other choice. Am I taking for granted that he’ll wait for me? Am I avoiding the thought that maybe, he won’t? Still, rather than stay safe and happy here with him, I have decided to put the one thing I really want up for gamble. It doesn’t make any sense to me, yet I’m doing it. I am consciously deciding to leave someone I have fallen irrevocably in love with.

Can anyone explain human behavior to me? Apparently it’s one more degree I don’t have.

A Side of Mash and a New Home

My university roommate for all 4 years (minus the year we were both abroad), also known as the Mash Daddy, came with her high school friend Nina for a week-long visit in Tokyo. Being that we met at the airport as I was just arriving back from the States, we all persevered through the jet lag and made the most of our week, which included but was far from limited to the most well-attended Harajuku freak show I've ever seen, delicious dinners every night, a karaoke session of insanity followed by an early early morning (4am) trip to Tsukiji Fish Market, an overnight at a ryokan in Nikko and a day seeing the shrines and temples there, Peking duck and clubbing, a Frenchy for everyone, and limitless inside jokes and laughs. Was so great to have you here, girls. Just when I thought Tokyo couldn't get any more crazy and fun-- I should have known better ;-) One city obviously just can't handle all of us!

Continuing the whirlwind that basically began back when I had left for the States June 1st, I found myself at June 19th, working everyday and still going out every night after the non-stop tour up the East Coast U.S. To top it all off, yesterday I moved out of my place in Gakugei and in with my new "flat mate" S in Akasaka. It is amazing to me how I arrived in Tokyo with 3 suitcases and yesterday needed to rent a car and make 2 absolutely packed trips with my stuff. Did I really accumulate so much JUNK!?

Anyway, despite S' fears that I would totally invade his space, I actually only half-invaded it, as I was supposed to. Except for some empty suitcases that can't quite find a home yet, it seems that I will be pretty comfortable in my new home, be it temporary nevertheless. I still think it hasn't hit me yet that I've actually "moved in," as opposed to staying the night with my all too familiar tote bag, but I am realizing it little by little, particularly from simple things, like showering with my own shampoo (never felt better!).

I'm really looking forward to some quality time with S in the couple of months ahead, and especially to this week-- only thing planned is some rest and relaxation!

"Miss" placed

I thought I would feel that way-- "misplaced," that is. Lost in translation in a dimension somewhere between Harajuku and Times Square. But no, my trip to the States made me feel far from "misplaced." In fact, I was brought back to a "missed" place. Home.

From my too short time in Nazareth (I feel as though I spent way too little time with my mom), I arrived in DC after a frenzied drive, stopping at K's house to see her parents and sister, my sister's, and T-pan's in Adams Morgan on the way in. Before I knew it, it was time to meet S at the airport, and I had barely made it into the city. I found him sitting on the baggage claim like a lost little boy with an IPOD. He'd had to wait half an hour after already flying 8. I'm a horrible person!

After we had gotten back to the T&B pad, it felt as if I'd never left-- all except for the Frenchman next to me, who reminded me that actually I was just passing through. But even with S in the picture, seeming to add a misplaced element to the reminiscence of it all, it really felt perfectly natural being there with him. That's good, at least I know we function the same, even outside the twilight zone of Tokyo. The T&B provided excellent service as always (late night spoons and even a short though unintentional peep show-- Thanks Trish!), and I got to spend some, though not enough, time with my girls and even a Mikey for breakfast at the greasiest diner I've ever experienced. The next day was spent showing S the sites of DC-- made even more special, I think, because I think it communicated in the best way where I come from. It's fairly natural to be able to meet someone and share fun experiences, but as things become more serious, isn't it also just as important to share the elements that make you who you are? My family, my friends from home, my life in Washington-- I feel like these are all major contributors to who I am now... and without understanding these elements, I think there are parts of me that would just always seem distant.

As for my family, S met the whole crew. According to him, "I trapped him." Partially true, but not intentionally. We were supposed to meet my sister and brother-in-law, which I knew would go over fine-- how could it not over a lobster dinner overlooking the sunset on the Potomac? But Mom was a different story. Fortunately, everyone liked each other (a lot, in fact!), and that especially made me very happy.

New York felt a bit more like a vacation to me, which is good, because I needed one! We stayed with a friend of S' in a beautiful apartment in the West Village. We brunched, we drank in some pretty hip local bars, we cultured ourselves with a Broadway show and a stop at the Frick Collection, we ran around like crazy to meet the friends we wanted to see, and we ate New York pizza (if only a very small slice), a veal parmigiana, and though I unfortunately failed to satisfy a few more cravings (Philly cheesesteak, STEAK, hamburger-- seems like a red meat thing), I did fulfill my shopping goals (black high pumps, black belt, and a few extras).

The trip wrapped up with a very long flight, made even longer by the Japanese ojisan next to me who, even after I had told him I live in Japan and majored in Japanese in university, apparently felt obliged to ask me if I can eat sushi, what sushi I like, if I've been to Kyoto, if I know that Japanese has 3 alphabets, and if I'd heard of the Kobe earthquake. Finally, I found seppuku to be the only solution and am writing now from the afterlife. Kidding, but not far from the truth. I returned with 2 little souvenirs-- one is Mash Daddy and the other is my favorite of her "home" friends Nina. Time to polish my tour leading skills some more. This-- to be continued....

Home sweet home...

Jet lag is the culprit. It is 8:15 am, and I think I have been awake, tossing restlessly about in bed since 6. This comes after a night of merciless stomach pains no doubt caused by the poor shock to my system of America's "natural" diet. Night one was fine-- my mom made a great dinner for my friends and me, and my tummy was as happy as could be. But yesterday, in restaurants, I could eat only half a sandwich at lunch with my dad and a shrimp appetizer for dinner with my mom, and one of those? a combination maybe? left me in the bathroom for the entire rest of my Thursday night.

On a more pleasant note, the time home so far has been quick, busy, but great overall. My best friend K picked me up at the airport, and we finally got to catch up on everything over the past year. K is my technology averse friend who has yet to accept the convenience of communications through such means as E-MAIL! so compared to my other friends, we have been in far less contact. But how do you know your best friend is your best friend? We picked up right where we left off, as if we had been talking every day for the past 9 months.

K and I could not be more opposite when it comes to lifestyle. We stopped by her house, which she began renting with her boyfriend not long ago. Located outside the "town" of Nazareth, it has a big backyard with a shed that her boyfriend built for his motorcycle, and she has the inside beautifully decorated like a big country home. My boyfriend rides a scooter, because it's the most convenient form of transportation in the metropolis of Tokyo, and I am selling all of my furniture (which wasn't even mine to begin with) in two weeks to move into my boyfriend's one bedroom apartment.

R and K have been together since high school. I still remember the day, when we were driving around and stopped by Wendy's for food, that she excitedly told me that they'd gotten together. She had the biggest crush on him for a long time, but had dated his best friend. Finally enough time had passed that they could start dating, and they've been together, on and off a bit, ever since. She informed me that since I'd last seen R last summer, he had gained 45 pounds and a B cup, making him just about 250 now. "Be careful he doesn't get breast cancer!" my mom piped up.

As I gave K a brief overview of equity derivatives trading (she asked what S did for his job), I asked, "Hey, where is R by the way?" "Planting corn with his buddies," she answers. "Our dryer is broken, I've been driving this car without a sideview mirror for months, and he's out farming instead of fixing stuff at home." Sigh.

I don't think our worlds could be more different, but we ourselves are not so different from each other. Makes you think about how many other best friends you could have in some remote part of the world where life is 100% different from what you're used to. K will never read this-- or at least not until she befriends the technology of today, but no matter where we are or what we're doing, I think we'll always be best friends.

Last smile...

全て溶けだした noon　絵にならない Monday

A rainy one too...

The Single Life

No no, I haven't been dumped (phew!). S left for France Friday night, leaving me to my own devices, and reminding me of what "life pre-S" was like. I still can't get over just how much I got done. I should include, however, that this weekend "on my own" was also a weekend of staying relatively sober and not partying at night. I was literally dying of exhaustion from the week, so I finally crashed Friday night, still being unprepared, however, for all of this:

1. out of bed at 9 AM as opposed to the average 2 PM. Saturday and Sunday mornings-- I admit I forgot what they looked like! It's amazing the amount I can get done if I wake up 5 hours earlier-- things like laundry, which can be hung outside on the line in daylight and therefore dry in just a couple of hours; cleaning the apartment top to bottom; ironing my huge pile of wrinkly clothes (my most hated task, hence the pile); cleaning out the fridge; and other household tasks that usually get shoved aside.

2. being on time for my hair cut. Honestly, the past 3 times I have had to call for being more than 15 minutes late, because I couldn't pull myself out of bed. This time I even went shopping for presents for people back home AND ate lunch outside at a cafe-- all before my appointment!

3. SHOPPING! Lots and lots of shopping for Jo-Lo, because I had time to walk from Harajuku to Shibuya instead of rushing to catch the soonest train to get to some other place I'm late for. Two pairs of sneakers (there was a phenomenal sale, I swear!) and a sweater that I fell in love with later, I made a quick but much required trip to the bank before meeting the girls.

4. girl time! Went to karaoke with my bunnies and lunched and browsed in Jyuugaoka with A. Rode my mama-chari uphill there and back in true "weekender" style.

5. went to church. SHOCK! It was the first time since Christmas, and my first ever time in Japan. Most of you probably don't know but could probably guess ;-) that I was a Catholic schoolgirl, and that my 2nd grade teacher, who was a Salesian nun, and I still keep in touch. She wrote me an Easter letter and enclosed with it the name of a Salesian convent close to me in case I ever wanted to do some volunteer work. This has guiltily lurked in the back of my mind, but I just never found the time to go... until my weekend of free time, that is. This morning I found the church, very coincidentally, I might add (ask if you want to know the whole story, because I think it is some kind of spiritual beckoning to me), and went to a Mass in Japanese. I found it most amusing, maybe, that the service was pretty much directly translated from the English Mass, so even when they refer to Christ as the "lamb," etc., they say "hitsuji" in Japanese. It makes sense, but just sounded strange to me. Despite the "Japanese-ness" of it all, it was very natsukashii-- the atmosphere was so much like my Catholic school in Roseto, PA, it was uncanny. I can't explain it very well, but even the nuns, who had Japanese faces, still had the same gestures and mannerisms as my schoolteachers back home.

So, what do I conclude about my weekend? It's great to have one of these for a catch-up every once in a while, yes. But would I rather have an "S"-filled weekend of sleep, sun, and se... ahem, silliness? Absolutely!