Cherry Blossom Adventures

Saw this on Jen`s blog - My year in review. Please take & do yourself if you wish. Happy New Year to you all.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

Hula hoop with a giant hoop & get engaged.

 2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Last year I didn`t make resolutions just for 2008, but I wrote a life list at the end of the 2007 which then turned into a list of measurable goals for 1001 days (started April 1st) and that list is still continuing and I am stoked that in the past month I have managed to do quite a bit from that list. I will have new years resolutions for this year & I will probably post them on here- honestly any excuse to make a list of some kind & I am there.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Strangely enough, no- but if I do this meme next year then that will have changed. Oh actually Shun`s friend from Uni, Sasa & his wife Sachi had a little baby girl.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Nobody extremly close to me but like I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, a guy I knewwhen I was in highschool & uni died unxpectadly in November & finding out about that was a bit of a shock. Sadly,an old neighbour died unexpectadly as well leaving behind two teenagers & a husband.

5. What countries did you visit?

Sadly just Japan & Australia.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

Self-control

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

February 22nd- The day we got engaged.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Umm, tough one. Maybe coming back to Australia and finding a job so quickly. I came back on a Wednesday or a Thursday morning & started the following Monday in a temp position with reasonable pay. Another achievement was saving enought money to pay for things like wedding rings, photographer etc etc…

9. What was your biggest failure?

Losing my cool with my father (and/or Shun at times) & my lack of willpower to save money.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I had a stomach ulcer in Jan/Feb caused by stress.Apart from that nothing major.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Tickets back to Australia, hula hoops, phone calls to Japan & dinner with old friends.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My father, for giving up alcohol (at least 90% of the time)- he was sober straight fo 3 months though.

Cat, who got a job with a Japanese company (Ricoh!)

My brother who got good grades ( credits & distinctions) in his third year of civil engineering.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

My father.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Unfortunately probably on crap. Oh  & flights, wedding rings, travel to Kobe & books.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Getting engaged & I am already excited about our wedding in May & moving back to Japan. I also got excited about Shun arriving in Australia in July.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

Probably “Sweet About Me” by Gabriella Cilmi

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? 

happier I believe

ii. thinner or fatter?

Stoked to say thinner.

iii. richer or poorer?

again stoked to say richer- which for me is a big accomplishment!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

write & save

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Spend money

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

Well Christmas is over but I spent it with family. A lovely Christmas Eve dinner with mum, dad, Paul my brother, his girlfriend Gemma & her parents & of course Shumpei. Turkey, Ham & Prawns! Yum. Christmas morning we went back to mum`s to open presents & have a yummy breaky. Then back home to Dad`s to prepare for my Aunts for lunch. Great day.

At night we went to see T & K  of TJKR fame. T & I shared some wine & Shun had a beer while K enjoyed the festivities by playing in her baby pool then doing a couple of dances for us!

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?

I was already in love.

23. How many one-night stands?

0

24. What was your favorite TV program?

Probably Private Practice & Grey`s Anatomy. Closely followed by Hero`s, Lost & Prison Break.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

I don`t believe so.

26. What was the best book you read?

Losing Kei by Suzanne Kamata or Bar Flower by Lea Jacobson

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Along with everyone else probably Kings of Leon. Plus, Birds of Tokyo, Sara Bareilles & The Script.

28. What did you want and get?

An engagement ring.

29. What did you want and not get?

Good health for my father.

30. What were your favorite films of this year?

Mama Mia

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

On the actual day I got cuddles & a card from my kindy students. I also went out to dinner with friends for Italian food, drinks & karaoke. I was 23.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

For the word Cancer to be erradicated from the English language & my father`s body.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

Inexpensive.

34. What kept you sane?

Shun & Zoloft (hehe, same as Jen)

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

No idea.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

Not so much stirred me but the US political election kept me interested.

37. Who did you miss?

Before May my family, between May & July, Shun. After July, I missed Cat & James the most.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Sarah & Nay, without  a doubt.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.

No matter how much you want something it doesn`t necessarily mean it will happen.

Also probably that been in the middle sucks.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

“I don`t get many things right the first time…”

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As 2009 is just around the corner, it also means that our wedding is getting closer and closer. Just over four months now which means we are starting to have to think more and more about the finer details including table settings, decorations, invitations & music.

We have a band for our reception but have opted against having anything at our ceremony. My brother (and probably the venue) have enough sound equipment that we should be able to hook up some music for the walk down the aisle and for after.

After much thought, and searching, and more thinking, I think we have found the song that myself (with my dad) and my bridesmaids will walk down the aisle too.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World- Israel  Kamakawiwo`ole

I have always liked the originals to both these songs but together, and sung by Israel Kamakaiwo`ole, they create an amazing vibe.

Here are the lyrics

OK this one’s for Gabby
Ooooo oooooo ohoohohoo
Ooooo ohooohoo oooohoo
Ooooo ohoohooo oohoooo
Oohooo oohoooho ooooho
Ooooo oooooo oooooo
Ooooo oooooo oooooo

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Once in a lullaby ii ii iii
Somewhere over the rainbow
Blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Dreams really do come true ooh ooooh
Someday I’ll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me ee ee eeh
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops thats where you’ll find me oh
Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
And the dream that you dare to,why, oh why can’t I? i iiii

Well I see trees of green and
Red roses too,
I’ll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Well I see skies of blue and I see clouds of white
And the brightness of day
I like the dark and I think to myself
What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, “How do you do?”
They’re really saying, I…I love you
I hear babies cry and I watch them grow,
They’ll learn much more
Than we’ll know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world (w)oohoorld

Someday I’ll wish upon a star,
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney top that’s where you’ll find me
Oh, Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dream that you dare to, why, oh why can’t I? I hiii ?

Ooooo oooooo oooooo
Ooooo oooooo oooooo
Ooooo oooooo oooooo
Ooooo oooooo oooooo
Ooooo oooooo oooooo
Ooooo oooooo oooooo

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March 23 2008, Imperial Palace gardens in Tokyo, Olympus u830

Taking photos of sakura has got to be one of my favourite things to do with my camera- I will miss it next year in 2009, for the first time in 3 years but I hope to be out taking many a shots in March 2010.

For Christmas I got one of these…

I am quite possibly in love (Don`t worry Shun is aware- he is used to me falling in love with electrical equipment because in the time I have known him I have fallen for another camera, my mac, the coffee machine we had in Tokyo and now the Olympus E520 you see above.) I haven`t had much chance to experiment with it yet- although I did go take some photos down by the bay the other day when we walked down for fish and chips.

Hopefully next Macro Monday I will have a macro photo from my new camera. I would love to get a macro pancake lense although it will be awhile. My birthday is in February though!!!

I am not, by any means, any kind of professional photographer. I basically just pick up a camera and press the button- I do love it though and have always taken a lot of photos. I hope to improve on my photo taking skills over the coming months so you might be seeing some more of my photos.

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Near the end of last year I signed up for the 888 challenge- which challenged participants to choose 8 books in 8 categories for 2008. 8 overlaps were allowed meaning a total of at least 56 individual titles needed to be outline. Due to a mid-year international move my list changed slightly throughout the challenge however the ending was the same- I read all the books on the list below!

Completing the 888 challenge was also part of my 101 things in 1001 days list- so I will be able to cross it off! Reading 100 books in a year was also on my list and between November 2007 & November 2008 I completed this also. I keep track of all the books I read in my diary & in a word document so that I can remember when I read certain books. Sometimes I forget to add some though (usually kids books that I read in the bookshops or to the kids when I was a kindy teacher)- I would of read over 100 books in that year but based on the lists I kept I technically reached the 100 recorded books in mid November. I only started recording the books I read in about August of 2007 but I am glad I am doing it now.

Of all the books I read in the last year my favourites would have to have been the following.

Losing Kei- Suzanne Kamata

The Salaryman`s Wife- Sujata Massey

The Babymoon- Melanie La`Brooy

The Kite Runner-Khaled Hosseini

Bar Flower- Lea Jacobson

The Book Thief- Marcus Zusak

Overall, I read many great books over the last year and have about 4 books on the go at the moment (2 Non-Fiction, 1 Novel, 1 book of short stories)

I am debating about whether to do the the challenge again next year but with another international move planned it is hard to write a list of books to read over a year not knowing whether you will be able to take the books on your list with you etc. So I think I will give it a miss- but I on the lookout for a good mini challenge for the new year so let me know if you find any good ones.

So, what are the best books you have read during 2008? What do you think I should read in 2009?

Below is my list from the 888 challenge!

Favourite authors- Chose this category for obvious reasons

1. An offer you can`t refuse- Jill Mansell(Jun)
2. Change of Heart- Jodi Picoult (Jun)
3. Wife for Hire- Janet Evanovich (Cross over-mar)
4. Cage of Stars- Jacqelyn Mitchard* (Jan)
5. Prisoner of Earth- Jeffrey Archer (Cross over-Nov)
6. Dear John- Nicholas Sparks* (Cross over- Mar)
7. Lean Mean thirteen- Janet Evanovich (Cross over-Jan)
8. Black Cat- V.C Andrews (Cross over-Feb)

In a series- Chose this category since I have started a couple of different series but need to catch up on them, plus also already had a couple of these books on my shelves

1. Broken Flower- V.C Andrews* (Feb)
2. Scattered Leaves- V.C Andrews (Oct)
3. Lean Mean thirteen- Janet Evanovich (Cross over-Jan)
4. Fearless Fourteen- Janet Evanovich (Aug)
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Harrows- J.K Rowling*(April)
6. Skinny Bitch- Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouim (Jan)
7. Key Lime Pie Murder- Joanne Fluke (Jun)
8. Honky Tonk Kat- Karen Kijewski ( Oct)

Read because I moved back to Australia and got new books!- Choose this because had an unplanned mid year move (This is a major change from my original list- lucky changes were allowed!)

1. Lessons in Heartbreak- Cathy Kelly (Jun)
2. You Drive me Crazy- Carole Matthews (May)
3. It`s a Kind of Magic- Carole Matthews (Jul)
4. Bad Behaviour- Shelia O`Flanagan (Aug)
5.Tales from the Crib- Jennifer Coburn (May)
6. The Babymoon- Melanie La`Brooy (Sep)
7. The Alibi- Sandra Brown (Oct)
8. Second Chance- Jane Green (Nov)

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller- Chose this since mysteries etc are one of my most read style of books, this and chick-lit

1. Bell, book & scandal- Jill Churchill* (Nov)
2. Chocolate chip cookie murder- Joanne Fluke* (Jan)
3. Strawberry Short Cake murder- Joanne Fluke (Feb)
4. Count Down- Iris Johansen *(May)
5. Dream man- Linda Howard* (Feb)
6. Ricochet- Sandra Brown* (Apr)
7. Open Season- Linda Howard (Apr)
8. Play Dirty- Sandra Brown (Aug)

Chick-lit- What I read just as much, if not more than mysteries….

1. Baby Proof- Emily Giffin* (Jan)
2. You Could Do Better- Stephanie Lehman* (Feb)
3. Marshmallows for breakfast- Dorothy Koomson*(Jun)
4. Those Faraday Girls- Monica McInerney* (Mar)
5. Artistic Licence- Katie Fforde* (Sep)
6. Remember me- Sophie Kinsella (Oct)
7. Certain Girls – Jennifer Weiner (Jun)
8. Wife for Hire- Janet Evanovich (Cross over-Mar)

Young Adult/Children Fiction- Thought I should go back to some books that make me the reader I am today, and also read some other YA fiction that has had a lot of good reviews or awards!

1. Alison- Margaret Watts (One of my favourite books as a teenager- reread)* (Dec)
2. Dear Venny, Dear Saffron-Libby Hathorn (same as above)* (Nov)
3. The Book Thief- Marcus Zusak* (Nov)
4. Gossipgirl- Cecily Von Ziegesar*(Jun)
5. Kira Kira- Cynthia Kadohata* (Jan)
6. All American Girl- Meg Cabot* (Mar)
7. On the Jellicoe Road^ Melina Marchetta* (May)
8. Black Cat- V.C Andrews (Feb- Cross over)

Japanese authors/books about Japan- Live(d) in Japan so thought I should try to read some more books that have come from here…

1. In Praise of shadows- Junichiro Tanizaki*(Cross over-April)
2. Snow Country- Yasunari kawebata* (Cross over-Jan)
3. Kitchen- Banana Yoshimoto* (Jan)
4. South of the border, west of the sun- Murakami Haruki*(Cross over-Aug)
5. Yakuza moon- Shoko Tendo* (Feb)
6. Goodbye Tsugumi- Banana Yoshimoto (Feb)
7. Losing Kei- Suzanne Kamata (May)
8. Bar Flower- Lea Jacobson (Apr)

Male Authors- I am trying to broaden my reading horizons a little bit and it seems that most of the books I do read are by female authors…Hopefully this will help me get started on my quest to broaden my reading horizons.

1. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree- Nick Hornby* (Feb)
2. For one more day- Mitch Albom* (Oct)
3.South of the Border West of the Sun-Haruki Murakami (Cross over- August)
4. Dear John- Nicholas Sparks* (Cross over- mar)
5. Snow Country- Yasunari kawebata* (Cross over-Jan)
6. In Praise of shadows- Junichiro Tanizaki*(April)
7. Prisoner of Earth- Jeffrey Archer (Cross over-Nov)
8. The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini (Apr)

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To all my dear friends & family (and readers & lurkers)

All the best for Christmas and the New Year. I hope that you, and your families, have a very happy and safe Christmas.

Love Lulu

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December 13 2008, Melbourne, Olympus u830

I didn`t always like coffee. In fact, I believe I hated it with a passion until I was a student in Japan for the first time (age 19). It wasn`t until we went to Fukushima to go snowboarding that I realized that in order to stay remotely warm while waiting for everyone to finish snowboarding (I did not snowboard or ski) I needed something warm to drink. So I got hooked on can coffee. Sounds ridiculous I know, most people begin liking coffee after having a fancy shmancy mocha at a cafe or something…no, not me, I got hooked on can coffee sold from vending machines.

Now, I am a coffee lover. I drink upwards of 3 cups a day sometime as many as 6 or 7. I know it is bad for me, I know that I will eventually have to give it up if I want to have kids, but it doesn`t stop me. The strange thing is while I love a good coffee like the one you see above (so velvetty and creamy) I am just as happy with instant and a dash of skim milk.

I have given it up before for a month (I gave up alcohol the same month) and it was a lot harder to give up than I thought it would be. I was plagued by headaches and bad moods but luckily it only lasted a week….as soon as the month was up though I made a yummy latte with our coffee machine.

I can not believe I lived without coffee in my life for so long- how did I even get through those long nights of study?

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Almost two weeks ago I saw an old friend.

I knew him from when I was a high school student- we caught the same train for years. When I met Jake, my high school boyfriend, it turned out that Jimmy (the old friend I saw) knew him and I got to know Jimmy better because despite having caught the same train for years we hadn`t really had much to do with each other.

Seeing Jimmy brings back memories of high school parties, drinking too much, train rides to school & uni life as we were at the same uni for our first year, doing some similar subjects.

Ironically we ran into each other on the train to work- I have seen him a couple times since I have been back in Australia and once, about six weeks ago, we even stopped and had a coffee to catch up. He is doing well, hates his job and wants to change but apart from that he is good. Hasn`t changed at all really…

Two weeks ago he asked me if I remembered somebody. Some  identical twins that had been in the same year as Jake & Jimmy.

I replied, of course I remember P & M….I used to see them all the time at parties back in the day, back during the time I was still with Jake.

Then he said the words that threw me. ” M died a couple of weeks ago…”

I was shocked, I asked if he had been sick, I asked how P was but I really couldn`t comprehend what he was saying and all I could think of was that someone my age, a friend, had died. Poor P.  Poor M & P`s family.

M was electrocuted at work. He was an electrician. So is P. He was 22….he died several weeks before his 23rd birthday.

My mind was spinning around, I knew I should comfort Jimmy who had always been close to them both. I was speechless….I  did not know what to say.

Jimmy & I parted at the station and all I wanted to do was cry. How could something like this have happened? I walked around in a daze all day, I rang my mum to tell her & I tried to remember the last time I saw the twins. It has got to be 5 years….not since before Jake & I broke up which was all the way back in late 2003.  I can not recollect the last time I saw M or P though…

I am sending a prayer up today though, as P & his family are heading into their first christmas season without M and I can not even begin to imagine what they are going through and how hard this will be for them. I wish them the very best though and I just hope they can get through it. And I am sending a prayer up for M, whose life was taken from him way too early….such a tragedy.

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 Last year I got all inspired to make nengajyo, or new years postcards and I even bought all the stuff I would need to make them including some extremely cute mouse/rat stamps and stickers since it is quite common to put the chinese zodiac animal on the nengajyo. Shun & I had been together 3 years, living together for almost 2, and it seemed like we were at the age where sending nengajyo from both of us to family and friends would be appropriate…Plus we had received several the year before & I had felt bad that we hadn`t sent any.

I was sitting on the floor, heater going, making the cards when Shun came home from work.

S- “Tadaima (Im home)”

me- “Okaeri (welcome back)”

S in Japanese ” What are you doing?”

me- “making nengajyo…I am using stamps cos we do not have any kids so cute family photos are out”

S- “We can not send nengajyo this year”

me- ” What? Why? I bought all the stuff and I have already started and I made a list of who we could send them too and everything”

S- “Grandma died, so we can`t send”

me- “??????”

I had no idea (up until then obviously) that when there had been a death in the family the previous year that you could not send new years cards. When I asked Shun why he said it was to show respect for those who died.   I did not attend his Grandma`s funeral for a couple of reasons, one I had never met her since she had dementure & my poppy had that so I knew that meeting new people, and even trying to remember the old people you knew was difficult. She barely remembered Shun, throwing me in the mix, especially since I am not Japanese, would of confused her even more so I never got to meet her and secondly the funeral was not in Tokyo so Shun travelled with his family to Tochigi for it. There are a lot of rituals surrounding death in Japan, many of which I do not understand (or probably know about) but I respect them all the same. So, I knew that nengajyo were out…

A couple days later I asked Shun if we could send Christmas cards instead….he said it was fine as long as I only put my name on the ones I gave to his parents, brother/sister in law & other grandma (baabaa). I put both our names on the rest…If you click the link below you can see the cards I made.

Christmas cards

I didn`t send a lot of cards last year, but I did send a few. This year, despite the fact that I did buy a pack of Christmas cards with the intention of writing and sending them, I have not even opened the packet. It is now 5 days before Christmas and apart from the ones I will write for family to go with their presents, I know I will not write anymore. I should of but I didn`t. Also, since we are in Australia this year I do not feel like making nengajyo…and there is nowhere that you could buy them here I don`t think.

Next year, I am hoping to make nengajyo since last year I missed my chance. Obviously the mouse stamp will not get put to good use for another 11 years or so when the next year of the rat/mouse comes around so I might have to go an invest in some cute tiger stamps!!! Since 2010 will be the year of the tiger!! When I told Shun I wanted to make some for next year and would need to buy some tiger stamps he said we would probably put a wedding picture on them instead….somehow I think people would rather see a cute tiger stamp than a picture of us getting married!!!! But we will see…

I was born in the year of the cow/ox (and aparently my secret animal is the dragaon because of the time of the day I was born),  which isthis upcoming year (2009), so I feel a bit special! Which year are you?

In my family Shun is a rooster, my parents are snakes and my brother is a rabbit.

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Finally getting around to doing the Melbourne catch-up post- listening to Christmas Carols to get myself in the Christmassy mood!

Friday afternoon, Shun & I headed out to Brissie airport so that we could get to Melbourne. We left steamy Brisbane and arrived in cold, wet Melbourne 2 hours later.

I love Melbourne, don`t get me wrong, I could totally live there if it wasn`t for the crazy weather. Who has heard of of 16 degrees in December! Despite the weather, we had a fantastic, wonderful time. It was so great to see James (and his little brother Dean- who is not so little since he is the same age as me) as well as Gen & Alice some other friends I made on exchange several years back.

As usual I took 100s of photos of the weekend, but restrained myself and choose only 44 to add to flickr and if you are more of “like to see all in one shot” type of person then check out the album here.

James & Dean met us at the airport- we flew Qantas down (and JetStar back, leaving from the shed in Avalon…I mean airport!) and it was hard to believe it had been six month since I had been on an airplane. We headed to there place right away. James had only arrived Friday morning so he was a bit tired but we stayed up catching up, chatting etc and the boys even had a bit of a go on the WII. We crashed, but not before making plans for the next day…

Up bright and early the next morning, missing the train though by just a minute. I am used to trains coming every half hour or so here in the Brisbane `burbs (and Melbourne) but James could not believe the next train wasn`t for 22 minutes! I guess I have readjusted to Australian living because waiting that long for a train actually seemed fairly reasonable to me.

First stop after arriving in Melbourne city centre- a coffee/hot chocolate break. At a place you could make your own HOT CHOCOLATE. And it was divine. And Shun, well he liked the fact that while we had to sit outside and he was freezing that unlike in Brisbane you can smoke in cafes in Melbourne if you sit outside.

After some shopping and wandering around, we met up with Gen, another friend of ours who we studied with in Japan. He lives in Melbourne and works in a lawfirm. He took us into Melbourne Central and then do the DFO.

We also went to Lygon Street for lunch. Italian, yummy!

The casino awaited us so we headed there for a look around, dinner & some game playing in the arcade (none of us are big gamblers!)- Shun, while the oldest, was the only one asked for ID. And the guy quizzed him on his date of birth asking “What year were you born?” to which Shun replied “Japan”…. It is okay, I rescued him although I really hate to step in now as I really want Shun to learn from his own mistakes and be independent. He is doing so well though not just with his English but with living life here in general. He will go to the supermarket to pick up groceries, ringing me to see what we need and he is working with Dad most days and driving all around Brisbane….sometimes all by himself (in a manual truck I might add!)- The photo above is of James, me & Gen, outside the Casino in front of the city. It was about 7:30pm and still that light out! It was amazing, I had forgotten what daylight savings was like….stayling light until 9pm.

From there we said goodbye to Gen (who went to hunt down his gf Alice) promising to see each other the next day at Alice`s place for Chinese Hot Pot.

A short taxi ride later we had arrived at the Regent Theatre ready to see Wicked. Getting into the mood with a few “ozmopolitans” the green cocktails you see below. They were so yummy too, I was surprised! Wicked was amazing…I would see it again (and again and again)- nothing beats live theatre. Shun & James also loved it which made me so happy. It made me realize how many shows I have missed out on that I wish I could see. I left feeling a little sorry for the wicked witches and also with a desire to hire out Wizard of Oz to refresh my memory.

The Christmas spirit was alive and well in Melbourne, with this delightfully lit up tree near the theatre & St Paul`s Cathederal.

Unlike most cities in Australia, Melbourne still has a fantastic tram system in place. This one zoomed past in the rain at night after the show. If there is one thing (actually, okay there are a lot of things I wish I could of had time to do) I wish we could of done more of, it was ride trams. Especially the old kind!!

Sunday morning came around all too quickly and we were up and had left the house by 8:15am, to be sure we would not miss the only train that hour! Our winery tour bus picked us up in front of St Paul`s Cathederal (I didn`t get to go inside, as the couple of times we were close by it seemed they were having services inside)

First glass of wine- 10:3oam (we actually drank pretty much all day and all night, but in little amounts)

Wine storage in the Yarra Valley

The grapes are agrowing! We learn about different pallates and the different smells and flavours of the wine. I now know why people sniff and swirl- which I am sure will come in handy in my future life!

The three of us happy on love & quite possibly wine.

While it rained in the morning by the time we got to the Yarra Valley it had cleared a little and we were allowed to have a bit of a rain free day! The clouds were always there looming through but lucky they did not burst.

After the full-day wine tour we headed out to Alice` house as she was cooking Chinese Hot Pot. I had not see Alice and Gen since January when they visited Japan. I had never visted them in their own stomping grounds of Melbourne though. It was so lovely to see them both and I was so excited to hear they will be coming up to Brisbane for the wedding (I think Gen is more excited than we are if that is possible- it will be the first wedding he goes to where he actually knows the people getting married!)

I had thought Monday we might wake up a little worse for wear but after a bit of a sleep in, a pack-up and a bacon sandwich we were off again. This time to St Kilda before heading into the city.

While freezing pretty much the whole time we were in Melbourne it was a lovely lovely time. So great to see James & the others and I was so happy to be able to show Melbourne to Shumpei. It definitely was not enough time to do all we wanted to do, but definitely next time. I have a list already of all the things I want to do next time.

I think Shun loved Melbourne just as much I do (and James does)- although like me, the weather complexed him a little!

Popularity: 11% [?]

April 24 2008, Nakano in Tokyo, Olympus u830

There was a bar I used to frequent when we lived in Nakano as it was on my way home. I would stop in to say hello to the owner, have a drink and practice my Japanese conversation. He had been to Spain before, loved the type of “tapas” bars they had there and after spending 10 years as a salaryman he gave up his day job in marketing and started a bar. His name was Kentaro, and even if some days I did not stop to have a glass of wine he would come out to the street to say hello and ask after Shun. I promised him that once we returned to Japan I would be back to visit, even though travelling from Chiba out that way will take an hour or so.

This photo is of him playing this game on which you have to build a pyramid but you can only move one circle at a time.

* Back from Melbourne, had the most fab time! Post with photos to follow sometime soon.

Popularity: 8% [?]