Cherry Blossom Adventures

Noah & I went to our first English playgroup today with Tokyo North East team- today`s meeting was at a play area in Nishi-Ojima. The group meets once a week on Thursday`s or Friday`s either in Nishi-Ojima, Ryogoku or Akihabara. The last two places are a lot easier for me to get to with Noah as it is only one train (and there are elevators).

The people I met were lovely (and a couple of them read this blog, strange to have people recognize me and me not know them. Although I guess now I know them!)- Noah was by far the youngest there today (the next youngest was almost 9 months or so) however one of the members is pregnant and will be having her baby in about 2 months. I won`t be able to go again now for a couple of weeks because my dad will be here but I definitely look forward to going back. Plus, Noah slept in his pram the entire way there and on the way back (and had two other short naps today as well)…

I have to upload some new photos of Noah- it has only been a week since I put some up but he is changing so much everyday! He has already outgrown all his 0000 clothes (except the two outfits from Nay, which luckily still fit!).

Also some of you have mentioned having issues accessing my blog and commenting on my blog- were the issues only on the day before yesterday? If so, this is because one of the other sites on the server where my blog is kept (In Australia) had a huge influx of traffic which is why my site was also slow. If you are still having problems (like with commenting) could you please let me know. Also, if you receive an error message could you please let me know what the error message is (either in the comments or email me). My host will try to solve the issue, we just need to figure out exactly what it is. Sorry for the problems you have been having.

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Woke up this morning with an extremely sore back- it was okay when I first woke up earlier to go the bathroom (yes, a very regular occurrence at night now) but when I went back to sleep I must have flipped onto my back and slept that way. I guess the extra wait of goma-chan meant that when I did wake up I could barely move. My neck was stiff and sore and just trying to move my legs to get out of bed was so painful I wanted to cry.

There is not much you can do for back pain during pregnancy from what I can tell except yoga stretches and the like. A hot shower would be good too I am sure. I have suffered lower back problems on and off since my teens and know quite a few exercises that can help so when I finally did manage to get out of bed (saying “ouch, ouch, ouch, itai, itai, itai”) I did some stretches put some cold ice on my back and luckily felt a bit better.

We are having visitors this weekend and had a busy day of cleaning planned for today and tomorrow (kind of have to space it out a little ). I was dreading it with the sore back but I think the fairly constant movement most of the day really helped as while it is still sore I can move freely again (instead of like a stiff robot that needs oiling!)… I did two loads of washing, cleaned the oven, fridge, stove-top, kitchen and grill plus swept out the kitchen and the area. Also did the dusting and cleaned the bedroom and put up the wall art in goma-chan`s room (photos to follow sometime soon!). Still a couple more things to do tomorrow but most of it was done today thankfully.

Sarah and her family (including baby Sakura) arrive on Friday afternoon in Funabashi and Nay is coming around the same time on the bus from Shizuoka- Nay will stay til Sunday afternoon and Sarah and her family until Monday afternoon so the Cherry Blossom Adventures household is turning into a mini hotel for the weekend! Saturday we are all going to meet up with Khea and meet baby Missha for the first time. On Sunday Cassie & her family and Melanie and her husband T are coming for lunch at our place to meet Sarah, Sakura & Nay. I am so excited about the weekend and can not wait to see everyone again! Bring on Friday!!!!!!!

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Check out my guest post today at The Secret Society of List Addicts where I wrote about my dream jobs…

What is your dream job or do you already have it?

If you are a fan of list making then The Secret Society of List Addicts is a blog for you!

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I have a question, or I suppose I should say a couple of questions.

Why did you start a blog (or why not if you don`t have one)?

Why do you keep blogging (or why did you stop)?

& finally…

Would you consider password protection for certain posts?

I have been thinking about this a little bit the last couple of days, and then Nay wrote that she was contemplating stopping (and this saddened me a lot- so I hope after she takes a little break perhaps she will be back & enthused about blogging)

I promise I will answer these questions at a later date.

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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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Today marks my 400th post at Cherry Blossom Adventures and over 2 and a half years of blogging.

When I started this blog originally I honestly thought my mum would be the only one that read it but as it turns out it seems to be more people that I originally may not have known in RL (my mum has stopped reading since I returned to Australia though, I am sure she will start again once I return to Japan). I have made so many wonderful friends through blogging and I would not have it any other way. I have taken a couple of breaks over the 2.5 years but I always return with more to say!

I started originally, prompted by an article a friend wrote….her and I used to work together and write/work for the same magazine publishing company (which worked out for neither of us). She is now in Sydney & can be found here (Hi Suzy!) She wrote an article on female bloggers in Japan and it was an inspiring piece which prompted me to start my own blog.

So happy 400th post to me! I tried to think of a way in which I could celebrate my 400th post but unfortunately came up with nothing…not very imaginative of me now is it. So how many posts have you published & in what amount of time?

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Reading the blog posts that came through my reader overnight I discovered that quite a few blogs I read are joining in for Nablopomo challenge for the month of November- the original National Blog Posting Month.

Some of you may remember that I actually did Nablopomo in September as part of my 101 things in 1001 days list. I wasn`t going to sign up for this month but I actually had a lot of fun doing it in September so I have decided to give it another go.

Earlier this week I tossed up joining Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) but decided with all that is going on at the moment I couldn`t devote the time to the project that I want to. That doesn`t mean I don`t believe I have a novel in me somewhere- I am sure there is a brilliant idea floating around up there in my head bursting to come out but I just haven`t reached that point yet!

But, Nablopomo is something I know I can do. So you can all look forward to hearing from me every day this month!

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I have had a couple of strange searches that have led people to my blog of late.

Including

• chikan porn (WHAT??get out of here!)
• chikan forum (why?)
• shirley temple badges Australia (Got no idea)
• pee pee cone (My own fault I guess as I once wrote about the pee cone)
• did people love ray charles? ( I am sure they did- I certainly think he was awesome)
• western chikan groping (Why all this chikan stuff? I wrote about chikans ONCE)
• Jonathon Shampoo Australia (Again, I have got no idea)
• groping on the bus chikan (I was on a train?!)
• harajuku girl (I have about 50 searches for this a month that leads to my blog and another 100 or so cherry blossom searches)

I am too tired and lazy to do a proper post tonight. I did have a haircut today and an awesome massage. Oh and we used fresh herbs from our garden in dinner tonight.

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Ever wondered what you would of looked like way back when? I saw a cool link on Martine`s site here for this very cool site. And well it looked like fun so I gave it ago!

Presenting…1952 Lulu

1964 Lulu

1968 Lulu

1978 Lulu

1984 Lulu

1994 Lulu

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