On The Year's End

By the time this blog gets updated, I will be in UAE, doing God knows what. My sister asked me to come along with her on her spur-of-the-moment trip to Dubai a few weeks ago, and I said hell yea! to that. Right on the spot.

2010 is ending, and I need to take a moment to thank God for all the things that have happened to me because I was truly blessed this year. Everything that I could have wished for came true and better. Everything that was in question and in doubt fell into right places. So thank you with all my heart!

Thank all of you that are in, around, and out of my life.

Until next time,

Sak

Whoever Came Up With Tankinies Must Have Never Gone On a Trip to a Beach Resort

I have always thought that the anticipation is probably the best part of a trip. And this time, when I was heading to UAE, was no exception to my excitement a la packing, espeicially because I had never had the chance to take my bikini anywhere before.


I'm so glad I didn't chuck it along with other things I hadn't worn just a while ago.

And of course, my sun allergy is still good and valid, so I'm slipping into something cover my whole skin too, but who the hell cares! I get to wear a bikini in winter, whooo hoooooooooo!

Until next time,

Sak

List of 10 - Christmas Wishes

I was reading a friend's blog where she listed all the things for Christmas that she wants to wish for, and was very much inspired to make my own. So here it is. And since I am nearing 31 and no longer a little girl who is simply good or naughty (I'm hell of a lot more things than just good or naughty, thank you very much), lemme just blur out like a grownup woman without bullshits.

1) a kitten
I love all animals and wouldn't say no to having a dog. But cats are lower-maintenance, and for a woman with very little energy who can't bear the idea of going for a walk twice a day every day, a kitty will do.


2) an oven
Ovens are hard to come by in Japan, and I am dying for one. I haven't baked much this year, unlike last year when I blogged about my baking goodies a lot, and I partially blame the lack of oven system in this country for it. Sure, the gas price is sky-rocketing. But hell, if I had an oven like this one below, I'd save money on ... on... something, to bake pies and muffins all year long.


3) an apartment in Paris
Like, why the hell not?


I mean, what right-minded girl would NOT want an apartment in Paris, where she can go on a morning stroll along Seine or go museum hopping in the afternoon, or have a croissant-and-a-freshly-squeezed-OJ brunch on the balcony overlooking the Eiffel tower?


4) a TV
By July 2011, I need to have a digital television by law to watch TV in my own household. While I am not a big TV watcher, I will be very sad to miss out on The Big Bang Theory and The Mentalist on SuperDramaTV. So, a new TV by July, I need. And since I am getting one, I might as well get a nice one, the kind I will love for the rest of my life and my grandchildren will be saying "Your TV is so old, grandma!"

5) more time off
I want more time off. Time to be NOT working or doing or even thinking about things related to work. I have less and less of that, lately.

6) consecutive days off
And I want a consecutive two-day off on a regular basis. If I had that, I get to "not think about things related to work" that I mentioned in 5) at least one day, on the first day of the two days. Since I have Tuesday and Sunday off, I am thinking about Wednesday on Tuesday, and about Monday on Sunday. I'd looooooove not to do that, at least one day of the week.

7) a home library

You know the beginning scene from Beauty and the Beast where Belle goes town to the bookstore and finds her favorite book from the shelf as she rides on a sliding ladder? The first time I saw that when I was, like, 11, I was electrified. I was in love with that book shelf with the ladder. And I still am, as I approach 31.

Dad was a major book collector/reader, and still owns thousands. Mom, a not a big reader, has been trying to think of ways to get rid of them all. Hell to the no! I want to take over all of dad's preciousness and make me a home library one day. So mom, stop cleaning the loft!

8) a car
A Mustang, and a yellow one at that, has always been my dream car...

...but here in Japan, any American vehicles don't quite look right, not to mention driving one like a Mustang or a Corvette is a tad difficult to pull off in style: the roads are freaking narrow and curvy, parking lots are limited, and gas is super duper expensive. So lately, I am prone to droll at a Mini Cooper whenever I pass by one on the road. A European coop seems better suited for a country Japanadian girl like myself than an American convertible.
9) a central heating system
Oh my gawd it's cold in winter! And oh my gawd they need a better heating system in Japanese houses!

10) a fireplace
That's one thing I reeeeeeally miss about living in British Columbia. The smell of the cedars burning. The sound of the logs cracking. Now THAT is Christmas time.

Thank you, Santa, for at least reading my list. Show me what you got, alright?

Until next time,

Sak

Power Stones for Christmas

Mother of a student made a cell phone strap for all of our staff with power stones. She made them all with different stones, and I chose the one with pink opals. Very cute.

And she told me that pink opals are supposed to bring luck in love, affection , and well-being and strength.

Thank you, Mrs. N.

Until next time,

Sak

First Snow Day

Woke up at parents house, thinking that the lights coming into the room from the curtain gaps were a little too bright. I opened the curtains up to find...



...the winder wonderland!

Why is it so exciting, no matter how freaking cold and no mattter how grossly wet the street gets afterwards, to have the first snow of the winter on the ground?




Pretty all around us.

Until next time,

Sak

Lunch in Tokyo

Was in Tokyo for T's guitar (and my curling hair dryer), and for lunch we went to a semi-microbiotic restaurant where meat is allowed. I opted for a curry lunch, and the yumminess blew the roof off!




Num num.

Btw, I haven't blogged about how my macrobiotic life has been going, but I still do believe in and practice it. For lunch or dinner together with a company of someone, however, it's hard to follow the whole all-organic, no-animal-anything concept completely. I have meat and dairy, yet the enjoyment of having a meal with the people I love takes my feeling guilty to back seat. Like my beloved author Mireille Guilliano says, "moderation is the key," and I believe that should be applied to everything in life.

Untill next time,

Sak

My New Magic Wand

How can a 30-year-old woman not get stoked when she is given a very special wand to give herself pleasures???

...oh my.

As erotic as the line might sound AND as I fully intented it to, you are probably imagining a different kind of wand right now so I should proceed right away to introducing my new...

...curling hair dryer!



It's not just a dryer, it's nano-ion dryer!

What the heck that is is a dryer that blows air that is packed with " (n)ano sized moisture ions (that) deeply penetrate into your hair to make it shine & healthy".



Ever since I got a haircut two months or so ago, I had been needing a curling hair dryer to make my morning ritual of hair styling a little easier. I knew about the nano-ion dryer that is far better than a regular nothing-air dryer, so when I was in Tokyo the other day I visited Bic Camera to look for one.

There were billions of dryers that are regular ones, and only two kinds that are nano-ion. The two are easily 3 times more expensive than a regular dryer. In fact, they are probably the most expensive nano-ness a person would ever pay for. But I really wanted one and I was debating which kind to get when T, who was with me at the time, offered to buy me one.

While I really didn't expect him to, he insisted on paying for one since I tagged along with him all the way to Tokyo just to go to this music store where he wanted to to check out guitars. So I gave in. Yay, it's an early Christmas gift.

Thank you, T! I will use this every day, you won't regret a nano bit!

Until next time,

Sak

List of 10 -Things That Never Fail to Cheer Me Up

1) pancakes
2) The Big Bang Theory (click for the theme song)
3) shopping on line
4) Walking With The Dinosaurs
5) a hand written letter
6) pedi and mani
7) a bouquet of flowers
8) Versailles Philharmonic Quintet
9) fruit
10) my little baby nephew

In no particular order.

Until next time,

Sak

White Are The Roses

A dear friend of mine Y had a wedding party, and I was there to be shared the love and happiness that she and her hubby spreaded.

I have been to many weddings in my life. Some traditional. Some unique. Some simple. Some nonparticular. But one thing I can say in common about all of them is that they have always left me with the belief in love. And I LOVE that feeling, like you have become a better person just because you've seen something beautiful.

Ah, weddings...

Anyways, Y let us bring all the center-piece flowers home after the party. Being the flower lover that I am, I jumped onto the roses that I was eyeing the whole time.

In the living room...


...and on my vanity.



Thank you for sharing the love, Y, and congratulations!

Until next time,

Sak

List of 10 - My Pet Peeves

1) an unmade bed
2) a sealed envelope/bag (bills, Doritos, gummy bears, anything) that's vertically ripped open
3) a weak handshake
4) people who don't get jokes
5) an unorganized bookshelf
6) girls who sound like they're speaking from their nose (we spot them a lot in Japan)
7) men who pluck their eyebrows (we spot them a lot in Japan)
8) a telephone operator who ought to work on not sounding like he/she is obviously reading a script
9) a father who has no idea how to hug his little kid
10) a person in front of me holding an umbrella

In no particular order.

Until next time,

Sak

List of 10 -Habits I Have

1) touching earlobes when bored, nervous, or absent-minded
2) cracking fingers
3) "Seriously?"
4) plugging both ears with middle fingers when sitting on toilet.
5) reading something when eating alone
6) reading something when brushing teeth
7) "Crap and a half!"
8) Imagining giving a finger to a bad driver
9) Imagining giving a finger to a moron in front of me
10) making a joke in mind and starts laughing myself before telling it

In no particular order.

Until next time,

Sak

At the Zoo

My favorite...

...has to be him!

Until next time,

Sak

Breakfast on The Way

Had too much time at hand before we headed out, so I made some sandwiches.

I haven't made sandwiches in such a long time. Forgot how ridiculousy easy it is, and it made me think I should make them more often for work.

Until next time,

Sak

Off to See the Monkeys!

Awoke and crawled out of bed at 5:30, too excited about the trip to a zoo that is about to take place. I haven't been to a zoo since...

...Since?

I have no idea when the last time I was at a zoo was. I think I was still on a tricycle.

Keeping my fingers crossed for it not to rain. Pleeeeeease!

Until next time,

Sak

List of 10 -Words I Love Saying

1) galaxy
2) Galapagos
3) triskaidekaphobia
4) prehistoric
5) philharmonic
6) Kodak
7) espadrilles
8) Scandinavian
9) falcon
10) triceratops

In no particular order. I think I am prone to the "ck" and "ks" and "s" sounds. Feels good uttering them for some reason.

Until next time,

Sak

The Devil Moment II

Like last year, I was the "devil" director at this year's Halloween party for kids.

Too much makeup goes a long way on the occasion, no matter how unprofessionally slutty I may look.

Until next time,

Sak

No Trick Required

The cutest Halloween treat ever. A gift from a three-year-old student of mine.

Thank you, little M!

Until next time,

Sak

Autumn Fun

You know what's great about the colder weather? I can knit and have a big cup of coffee!

I am not a big all-year-round coffee person, but enjoy a good cup when the wind starts to feel chilly.


Yum.

And I have loved knitting since high school. A surprising amount of people are dumbfounded at the thought that I knit for fun, the same way they are astonished at that I cook and bake. I guess I don't easily give off the I-can-do-something-homey vibe, but I guess it's a good thing. The unexpected goes a long way in a reltionship, I can tell you.

I am trying to figure out what to knit for my little nephew for the first time, and in the mean time, making my own scarf.


Until next time,

Sak

Lost in Translation II

Woke up and the first thing that jumped in my eyes were a sight of two sliding window doors.


...Right.
...I'm in Nagoya now.
I tell myself.

Still groggy, I get up from the bed, walk to the window to open them, only to find...


... another building 20 feet away from my hotel. How delighting...

Which overlooks a skyscraper that tries to look very cool.


Nagoya's very likable, though. I find the city very easy to get around and not too traffic-y like Tokyo. The beautiful autumn weather didn't kill it, either.

They have a zoo and an aquarium, too. Wish to come back for them in near future.

Until next time,

Sak

Look, The Sun Is Rising!

Woke up at 4:30. Crap. It's very depressing when it's still dark out and you can't bring yourself to go back to sleep. So I got up and gave myself a pedi-and-mani treatment. I'm doing laundry as I write, and I probably will start cleaning after this. Love how unnecessarily productive I am being out of freaking out and not being able to stay still.

Didn't I just have a similar morning? click here. Well, this time, it's not about a debut at an important seminar or making a maid-of-honor speech at a wedding. It's about, gasp, meeting "the parents." Obviously, being brought up in a very traditional household, I never thought the day would come until I am to lawfully tie the knot with my other half, where meeting them would be more like, "hi, my name is Sak and I am to be your daughter-in-law" kind of thing, rather than, "hi, my name is Sak and your son has not proposed to me but I am here because, you know, I thought I should give you the headsup."

My high-school gal pal R is getting married today, by the way. Congrats, girl! Sorry I can't go to the wedding, but we will meet soon to celebrate, 'K?

Maybe it's a great day for me, too. Well, I can hope, can't I?

Good luck, me!

Until next time,

Sak

Another Friday Morning

I love Friday mornings. It feels like the week is ending, and I love the notion that it's only a day and a half more till Saturday evening.

I've posted a similar entry before, but I also love my breakfast-and-the-weekly ritual, too. I love the unwinding time, catching up with what's happening in the world and getting inspired by the word choices of the good writers.

Pancakes and tea! Most likely my favorite combo for a breakfast.

And look! They unearthed another new dinosaur species, closely related to Triceratops!


I'm haveing a great day already. Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Until next time,

Sak

Auntie Sak Goes Awwww

My beloved nephew H was over at my house.

Him getting his nail trimmed while he's asleep:


His arms are hilariously adorable.



Until next time,

Sak

List of 10 -English Words I Had Trouble Learning How to Pronounce Properly When I was 15

1) fifth
2) literally
3) martyr
4) executives
5) Bartholomew
6) Vancouver
7) thesaurus
8) cathedrals
9) itinerary
10) Clinton

All because of f and v and th and l-and-r-confusion. And I was forced to move my tongue and lips in the way that no Japanese is physically capable to.

In no particular order.

Until next time,

Sak

Good Morning! And Really Early At It, Too!

Awoke and looked at the alarm to see that it was barely 4, but couldn't go back to sleep. I know when it's not working if I tried, so I got up and went over the seminar plan once more at the kitchen table.

It's rare that I'm this nervous about something.

Good luck, me!

Until next time,

Sak

Lost in Translation

I woke up at 7 in the morning, and was in a total dismay to find the unfamiliar in my room...

...and I come to my senses and remind myself that It's NOT my room. It's the hotel room I've been staying since the night before.

I get up and open the curtains to see on my right...

...buildings. And on my left...


...more buildings.

Good morning, Tokyo!

Anyway, this was last Monday. Two nights in the capital city got me really lonely. Not the kind of loneliness where I miss someone and need a hug, but the kind where things are happening before I can think, you know? The kind where mind comes after matter. Lonely in the sense that you don't know what the heck you want because you can't hear yourself think very clearly.

Well, being lost aside, I do love the over-sized robe thingy that Japanese hotels usually have in each room, though. Very cozy to sleep in. And the cotton slippers.



Until next time,

Sak

List of 10 -Things I Collect

1) magnets from cities and countries I visited
2) macrobiotic-related books
3) Kate Spade
4) handkerchiefs
5) dinosaur-related books and DVDs
6) glasses (eye wear)
7) nail colors (mostly pink)
8) 500-yen coins
9) Issey Miyake fragrances
10) scrunchies

In no particular order.

Until next time,

Sak

My Cousin And Breakfast II

Cousin A is leaving Tokyo in a half month, and our breakfast tradition was to end. Very, very sad about it. I really liked our morning time together. I'm going to miss it a lot everytime I come and stay in Tokyo now.

But leave, she must. And our last breakfast was had at Segafredo in Hiroo, just around the corner from her mansion. I didn't know that they had the cafe in Japan, too.


Anyways, cheers to cousin A for her new journey in life, and to her youth and freedom!

Until next time,

Sak

Spice It Up!

Cousin A took me to her favorite Indian restaurant in Ebisu, called Tandoor.



The place is small but very cozy, and this Indian waiter in his late 30s was really nice and friendly. I told him "Thank you" in Hindu, sort of recalling from my college years when I had an Indian-American roommate at one point. Surprised myself that I still remembered the word. He was really impressed and pleased, he gabe me a free ice tea.

Why don't people in Japan have a mind of friendliness like that?

Anyways, the lamb curry was superbly delicious as A claimed it to be, and so was tandori chicken salad that we tried. Much to be recommended.



I remembered this Indian place in Vancouver that I used to love and go to very often, and realized I hadn't had good Indian curry like this one since then. Thank you, A!

Until next time,

Sak

List of 10 -Things I Want To Try

1) horse-back riding
2) bungee jumping
3) sky diving
4) cruising
5) tae kwon do
6) bread-baking
7) hato-bus tour in Tokyo
8) camping
9) archery
10) painting

more or less in order of preference.

Until next time,

Sak

Macaron Scarf and Hankie

We were at a department store in Shinjuku and I found La Duree macaron scarves that I was looking for.



And and I have T to thank for buying them right on the spot! Loooooooove them! Thank you, T! You are the best!

Until next time,

Sak

J'aime Versailles -Concert

So, anyway, I went to their tour grand final live at C. C. Lemon Hall, and totally had a blast! I loved it so much I can't stop thinking how good it was, and keep wanting to relive that magical time all over again. I mean, nothing beats music played live. Don't you agree?

My right arm is hurting like hell now from waving it around the whole time. And I lost my favorite piece of necklace while at the concert. Too much jumping, I think. Oh well.

Until next time,

Sak

J'aime Versailles -Prélude

Was in Tokyo this weekend for a concert on Saturday. Of what?

Voilla!!



Introducing Versailles Philharmonic Quintet, I think I have to first write about my favorite Japanese heavy metal band for the first time in my blog before I talk about their concert.

Surprised?

Please don't let what you see decide if you like them or not and stop reading this post here. Or, please don't judge my taste altogether and stop being a reader of this blog. I am not exactly a Goth-and-Renaissance-fairs-and-role-playing-video-games-with-a-Medieval-setting-lover type of person who moved back to Japan from the states to embrace anime-otakuness. I have nothing against whoever may be the case. I am just saying I am not. I am also not for too much makeup and costume in anything other than a ballet performance or the wonders of Cirque du Soleil. I also am not even readily fond of heavy metal music in general to begin with.

So why did I come to being a fan of them? Because I never knew what they looked like until after I heard their music and fell in love with it to begin with.

I heard their CD, without any conception of what the band is about (or what they look like), and I have to admit I was totally and utterly wowed by their musical concussion. Sure, they were different from Chopin and Schubert and Rachmaninoff that I usually hear from my stereo, and I had to turn down the volume a lot the minute it started playing... by A LOT. But I genuinely liked what I heard. I played the CD again, and like it more.

Their music, while linguistically confusing at times (like any other music by a band, heavy metal or otherwise, really), is simply great. I was intrigued enough and googled them and saw what they looked like, and I went totally dumbfounded because of their gender-confused, French-aristocrats-meets-Final-Fantasy sort of presentation of themselves. Well, I pretty much had the same exact reaction that you had when you first saw them a little while ago in my post.

I also wiki-ed them, and found out they are also critically quite acclaimed, and each member is super duper talented and have a classical music background to base the band's music on. And they are more majorly known in Europe and Latin America than in Japan.

Whatever critics say or whatever they look like or whatever they are to other people, though, I decided I love their music. Let them wear whatever they want and look however they want, because if their looks and performance styles were to overwhelm their music and their talents take backseat, I would stop listening to them pronto.

I am not writing this post to promote the band or spread my love for them. I'm not even tagging their clip on YouTube, see? (Although, I am sending copies of their CD to my friends in USA who are actually the Goth-and-Renaissance-fairs-and-role-playing-video-games-with-a-Medieval-setting-lover type of people who wish to come to Japan to embrace anime-otakuness. Oh yes, I am. Wait for CDs, E and J!) Let me tell you honestly. Had I made my visual encounter with them on line or CD jacket before I actually heard their music, I might have not given them so much of a chance to begin with. Well, because, like any other person who is not optically challenged, more often than not I use my eyes to decide what I like. And I certainly am guilty of having judged a book by its cover, or worse, by my presumption, on many occasions in my life. Aren't we all? And sadly, sometimes, as much as we know it's not the ideal, we have to be that way. There are simply too many things available out there that we can't stop and give each and every thing a fair chance to be liked, and you have to use something as your filter system, be it your eyes or ears or instinct. I am just saying, Versailles Philharmonic Quintet is something I liked using my filter system that I normally would not use. And I am sticking to it.

Until next time,

Sak

Got My Ass-sets Back!

I just had a Julie-Andrews-singing-with-her-arms-wide-spread-on-the-hills-that-are-aliiiiiiiive-with-the-sound-of-music moment!

I had a funeral to go to today and being clad in all black was called for.

So, 10 o'clock in the mo, I have my head and ass in the closet digging deep for something black and formal-looking, and what do I find? A pair of Ya Ya silk-and-satin size-zero skinny pants that I bought when I weighed the least in my life at age 25. With them in my hands I'm thinking, "Hmmm... do I dare?"

I hadn't fit in these for the last three years, and the last time I tried them on I couldn't even pull them up half my thighs. And nothing feels worse than when something that used to make my ass look pretty darn hot doesn't even make it thus far. Right, ladies???

But tried them on, I did. And...

... they slided up on my skin all the way to the waist!! Can buckle both bottons, with no love hundle hanging on the waist or anything!!

Whooooo hoooooooooooo me and my size-zero ass!! I'm so happy I migh just sleep in those tonight.

Until next time,

Sak

New Wallie

Bought a new wallie a while ago. It's my big summer buy, and I am writing this post to big fat brag about it. Duh!

It's from Miu Miu spring collection.

I had my eyes, yes both, on it for the longest time. The color I wanted, canary or pineapple or lemonade or sunflower or whatever you call it, was sold out in Hong Kong in May, which I was really counting on. So it was tough trying to find it. But find it I did! And boy, am I happy!

Until her, my wallies have always been very, very chic and classic, in colors like black or beige. At one point I had a very chunky D&G that was very rock'n-roll and had whoever saw it go gaga, but I gave it to my gay friend J who wanted it so bad he wouldn't shut up in my face, and it was a little too bulky for my minimalist self anyway.

But in the last one year or so, I have been turning to colors, and bright ones at that, too, from my chic and classic black-and-gray-proneness. Only black that I can't get enough of now is my eye lash extensions. Colors make me happy. And I've been told I look happier in colors, too. So why the hell not?

Besides, in Feng Shui, yellow is supposed to invite in lots of fortune. What's better than a yellow wallet, then? But I'm not gonna testing my luck and shall put my credit cards to rest for a good while.

Until next time,

Sak

List of 10 -Things I Cannot Live Without

1) books
2) blotting sheets
3) Shu Uemura eye lashes
4) Issey Miyake fragrance series for women
5) soy milk
6) Vogue
7) FANCL skincare products
8) my glass nail buffer
9) internet
10) fruit

In no particular order.

Until next time,

Sak

Mad About Fruit

My dinner last Tuesday at my favorite fruit parlor:

Calorie-wise I think the plate sufficed as a meal. In my defence, it was a really hot day in Tokyo and I did not want anything that involved having to chew a lot.

Until next time,

Sak