Cherry Blossom Adventures

Well the photos finally uploaded to flickr after much effort and waiting on my part I might add. We did have a lovely weekend down on the Gold Coast though (Coolangatta) and it is just so nice to be able to spend time with my dad (and Shun of course) especially considering how is health was only 4 months ago.

We actually stayed down the coast because for Father`s Day I gave dad two tickets to see Toni Childs in concert at Twin Towns just over the border in New South Wales. In the end he asked me if I would go with him so I booked a place down the caost for us to stay the night as part of his birthday present (Fathers Day 1st Sunday of September and his Birthday is today, the 20th). While we only had two tickets we thought staying down there was the best idea and it meant Shun could come with us even though I couldn`t get another ticket to the concert.

There was fruit juice and smoothie places EVERYWHERE! We went for a walk along the main street in Coolangatta before we could check in checking out the smoothie bars, the beach, the new resteraunts and hotels that had popped up since we had last been down there and of course I checked out my favourite all-time second hand book place (I was good and only bout 8 second hand novels!!!!)

At dusk we hung around the pool.

And luckily we had booked into the seafood place downstairs for dinner. Honestly, if you are ever staying down at Coolangatta and like seafood you should definitely book a table at Fisherman`s Cove. We went a couple of time when I was younger (We used to stay at Calypso , the hotel above, over Christmas, Summer holidays) and it has always been good. Check out the bug dinner….Dad & Shun certainly enjoyed it (I had ginger chillie prawns which were also bellisimo!)

The concert was awesome. Toni Childs ( I am not sure if any of you have heard of her? but her most famous songs were Zimbabwe and Many Rivers to Cross) had the most powerful voice I have ever heard and she danced around the stage barefoot and I honestly think that so many people in the audiance were just in awe of her talent. I have to say that the girl before her Jess McAvoy was also quite good- her voice was not quite as powerful but she was an excellent entertainer and a brilliant guitar player. I quite liked her and have since downloaded a couple of songs from Itunes!!!

Despite been out quite late the night before we were up early the next morning (early for me on a weekend at least- just after 8am). Dad had already been for 2 walks along the beach by the time we got up not to mention almost completed the Sunday paper crosswords (he got up at 4:30am which is the time he pretty much wakes up every day…sometimes on Sundays he sleeps in an extra hour though).

We checked out, ate a lovely local breakfast and had a quick walk along the beach before heading to Currumbin Bird Sanctuary which we had decided to stop at on the way home.

I haven`t been to Currumbin Bird Sancturary since I was a baby. It has been so long in fact, that I do not remember. It wasn`t really like how I imagined and surprisingly we saw no lorrikeets which the sanctuary is famous for (we were there the wrong time) but we did see the wild bird show and reptiles, feed the kangaroos and emus and saw a crocodile which was so big that we actually thought it might have been fake (and therefore dead).

Do you see the last picture of the emu? See the black tuffs of hair on the side of its face- that is its ears. Does anybody else find that weird??

Anyway, we had a great weekend and if definitely goes to show that a weekend away can make the world of difference in attitudes. It was so nice to get so much fresh air, sunshine and conversation in on one weekend. I hope Shun & I or Shun, Dad & I can take another weekend away together soon. In fact I think a weekend away to Melbourne in November may be in order…

Today is the last day of Septemer, and I have successfully posted everyday so yay!

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In about an hour I am off down the coast for the weekend with Shumpei & my dad. Dad`s birthday is on Tuesday (as is my friend James`!!! Happy Birthday) and for father`s day earlier in the week I bought him some tickets to see Toni Childs on the Gold Coast at Twin Towns. He asked me to go with him so I booked accomodation for his birthday and now we are off down the coast for a little mini weekend holiday!

We will be staying here…. which is just across the road from the beach. And well, tomorrow it is supposed to hit 30 degrees so might even have a dip.

Hope everyone else had a great weekend- I will try to come back tomorrow with some photos.

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On Thursday nights we have dinner at my mum`s house- it is great because she is like me and can not cook small dishes so there is always leftovers and lucky for us that usually means lunch for Friday. Tonight was lasange-Yummy!

In Japan I drank a lot during the week- Shumpei worked late so I would often have a couple of glasses of wine by myself or stop off at a bar where I knew the owner for a couple of drinks, before heading home. Yet in Australia, I hardly drink at all. Occasionly if I go out for an event (For example a concert or wedding or dinner out if I am not driving) I will have a couple drinks but I never drink in my dad`s house. Yet sometimes, as a contribution to the fact mum makes us dinner once a week, I might take a bottle of wine. or 2. Like tonight for example. The amount I was drinking in Japan bothered me a lot which is why I gave up alcohol for a month or so earlier in the year- I was worried that I had a problem with drinking but am releived to say it didn`t seem to be the case because I gave up coffee at the same time and that was a hell of a lot harder to give up than alcohol

So long story short, I am a little drunk on a Thursday night due to the wine I took t mum`s. Shun drove home since he hadn`t had anything but iced coffee and vitamin water. As I said, in Australia I hardly ever drink on weeknights, if at all, so I am slightly worried about how I will pull up tomorrow.

But hey, I can`t be too drunk since I remembered to blog!

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My little brother turns 21 today…I vaguely remember when he was born or at least I remember been dropped at my grandmothers house in what seemed like the middle of the night (Although probably would of been only about 8pm). I was 2 and a half when he was born and don`t remember much except that he was a big fat buddha of a baby (10 pound 10) who constantly sucked his thumb and had a shock of white hair. My brother was born with his thumb in his mouth and at the hospital after he was born a nurse joked that if the pizza man came it would be for him because he looked like he should of been on solids from the word go.

My brother and I got on quite well when we were younger but as he headed into his teenage years our relationship was a little strained. I think all teenage boys go through that grunting stage though? He is ok though, most of the time. I am hoping the older we get the more our relationship will become more adult. At the moment though we still seem to annoy each other too much! Although he took care of a lot while I have been away including supporting both my parents when they separated and also was hear to support them again when my dad had a bad turn in 2004 when I was in Japan on exchange.

He is not so little anymore- he is over 6 ft tall and while I am tall he still towers over me! He came to visit me in Tokyo the first time I was living there as a student. He had just turned 17 and we went to one of my favourite bars in Kichijoji on his first night there and Abe-san, the owner of the bar, said ” So this is your older brother?” and I replied ” no, my little brother” and he took one look at me and one look at him and said “But you are underage which makes him very underage… so am I going to get in trouble for serving him beer? What will your mum say?”. The first time I ever saw snow was the next day, and I got to share it with my brother.

Despite hating piano lessons when he was younger and giving up within the year he has now found his musical talent and taught himself to play the guitar (He is left handed- he taught himself originally on a right handed guitar upside down before getting his own left handed guitar!) and now plays the piano again as well. When I am away in Japan he sends me CD`s and the names of bands to check out so that I don`t  lose track of the Australian music scene!

His hair is kept pretty long now. In fact in this shot above we had very similar haircuts- I paid a lot for mine yet his just grew like that and ended up like that because he didn`t cut it!

He has been with his girlfriend for three years now and she is great. They suit each other and she is lovely- in fact her and I probably get on better than he and I do most of the time but at least she keeps me up to date with what is going on with him!

Last night we had a family dinner at a seafood restaurant at Portside. It was so delicious and it was lovely. He did not want a big 21st party or anything so we decided dinner would be best. There was 9 of us altogether. Mum, Dad, me, Paul, Shumpei, Gem (his gf), Gem`s parents and Gem`s little brother. I hope he had a good night also- I think he did

Happy 21st Birthday Paulie! I love you!

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In an effort to improve on my writing I have decided to sign up for Encyclopedia of me which started over at Bella Dia (and which I found out about by reading Laura`s blog here...)… I have noticed though that participating in this has not improved my writing at all and I am way behind really because I should be trying to do at least one a week- oh well, hopefully I will try to get it done by the end of the year!!!

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S is for Sandlot Kids

When I was about 8 my dad took us to the movies to see The Sandlot Kids in town. I am pretty sure we were in there visiting mum on one of her many hospital stays and it was our first time to see a film in the city and probably also one of the first movies I saw at the cinema. My brother was about 5 or 6 and it was most definitely the first time we had gone to the movies with just dad.

We bought our tickets, popcorn drinks and lollies (My father spoiled us rotten) and headed into the cinema and dad asked the question “Where should we sit?”…any mother would know you don`t ask your kids that you just choose seats somewhere in the middle and tell the kids to sit there but my dad was new at this so my brother and I pulled him down to the very very front row.

Two years previously my father had lost an eye at work when a nail went through it so he has so vision from his left eye and sitting in the front row, and been so close to the screen, meant he was constantly swinging his head from side to side to try and catch the movie. Despite this, we left the cinema that day and dad could not stop raving about the film. Despite it having been a children`s film he had loved it.

Tonight, I watched The Sandalot Kids DVD with dad and Shun and it brought back memories of that day. We had the video when we were younger and a couple of years back dad bought himself the DVD. My father has a strange collection of DVDs most of them old concerts and shows about old and or dead singers and pop groups. His others include Happy Feet, Jeremiah Johnson, The Man who Shot Liberty Valence, The Blues Brothers & Across the Universe. All of which he has introduced to Shumpei since has been here.

What is your favourite childhood movie? I would have to say mine were probably The Sandalot kids, Mighty Ducks, The Little Mermaid or The Lion King.  But I am sure there are some I am forgetting.

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No, not me! Shumpei`s university friend Sasa and his lovely wife Sachi are expecting their first baby this month! They got married mid 2007 and were so excited when they found out they were pregnant at the beggining of the year- in fact Sasa mailed all the boys from uni to tell them even though Sachi was only 4 weeks pregnant at the time (From what I can tell, literally as soon as he found out!)

I saw them both just before I left in May and Sachi had a tiny little baby bump (I know when I am pregnant there will be nothing tiny about my baby bump but that is Japanese women for you!) and they already knew they were expecting a girl. We are now waiting for the news from Sasa sometime this month to tell us their little girl has arrived!

Sachi has gone back to Tokyo for now to be close to her parents even though her and Sasa now live in Nagoya where Sasa works. This seems to be the norm in Japan- going back home to be with your mum when you are about to give birth, especially with your first. I know Shumpei`s mum went back to Tochigi for when his brother was born but stayed in Chiba when he was born!  So Sasa might not be there for the birth of his daughter if he is working at the time, or if it is quick labor but my understanding is that he will head to Tokyo has soon as he gets the news and take a little time off work.

Anyway, the point of this post, apart from to share the good news of our friends impending arrival, is that I knit her a hat. The baby I mean! It is my first time knitting something other than a scarf and though while it is a little holey on top I am so proud of it!  I am going to try to make booties to go with it too!!! ALthough that may be a little ambitious!!! Thanks to Suzy who sent me the pattern for the umbilical cord hat featured! It is from one of the Stich and Bitch books which I have in Tokyo but unfortunately couldn`t bring with me so she kindly sent it to me cos she is tops!

Shumpei and his friends (and me!) are very excited about the new baby arrival as Sasa was the first in their little uni soccer group to get married and the first to have a baby and so they are all very excited to become “uncles”. It is a shame we won`t be back in Japan til next year to meet the little apple blossom child!

Due to the excitement of the new babies arrival and wanting to send something from Australia to Sasa, Sachi and their new family member we went a little nuts in the shopping! I am still yet to buy some Australian stuff to go in there also (Koala socks? Aussie animals book or stuffed baby toy? Some kind of nice handcream or something or Sachi? Any ideas?) Here is the other stuff we have bought to send the little munchkin when she arrives!

Buying and looking at baby clothes and seeing Shun even getting quite excited about it has made me more than a little clucky! While I am not ready to start a family just yet I look forward to the day when we are ready! It is all so exciting! Best of luck to Sachi- and lucky she doesn`t read this blog so she will still be surprised when she, Sasa and the new baby get the package!

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When I came back to Australia, after a long flight, all I wanted to do was have a shower. So after getting to dad`s place I hopped into the shower, rinsed my hair and reached for the shampoo. But there wasn`t any…and there wasn`t any under the sink either? So after hopping out I asked dad where he kept it and he pointed to his head and said “Lu, as If I need shampoo” and then I realized he was right, he has no hair and therefore no need for shampoo.

Dad came home later that day with some shampoo and said ” I asked the lady in the shop and she said this is a good one” and my response was ” Great, is there conditioner too?” and he looked blank and said ” I thought it was all in the same bottle”

Yes, as you can see it has been awhile since my dad has used either shampoo or conditioner. Us living together was going to take a little getting used to. I just bought the same conditioner that matched the shampoo.

But now it is almost finished and I am thinking about what I should get next. What shampoo do you use and why? The one that dad bought was Wella Balsam, which is reasonable but it has been a long time since I have used shampoo from Australia and I need some hints on the best way to go!!!

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I think I am ready to start blogging again…I can`t promise it will be regular but Dad is out of the hospital and I am getting settled into my life back here. I think I was a little overwhelmed at first with all that was going on…coming back to Australia has been a huge transition for me and not having Shumpei around has also made things a little lonely. Even though I have family and friends here I had been relying on a completely different set of people in Tokyo and when I got back here I had to try and adjust.

Work is going well, still temping for UQ as student coordinator for medical students and I am really enjoying it. I have applied for a permanent position but they know I will only be here until next June so I am not sure if I will get it although it would be nice if I did. If I don`t though I am not too worried because I will just go temp somewhere else once this role is finished.

Shumpei has finally set a date to arrive and he will be here on July 12th, a little less than 4 weeks to go. He is getting very excited I think because he will be finishing up work at the end of next week and then will be able to relax for and get ready for 2 weeks before he comes.

In other news I have booked a photographer for our wedding. I am going with Sylvie from http://www.papillonstudio.com.au/ who was recomended by somebody at work. She was the first photographer I met with and I had an instant connection with her (so did my mum) and while I had planned to meet with other photographers (I had a list of those to contact!) I decided on meeting her that I didn`t need to. She really is lovely and I can tell she will do a great job of taking beautiful photos on our wedding day. She is local to the south side of Brisbane and has actually done weddings at Shangri-la before (where we are having our wedding) and taken photos down near the manly bay which is exactley what Shun and I wanted to have our extra shots done. So she is perfect! Next step is to find a celebrant and to book cars…..Then I might start looking at dresses!!!!

I did join Weight Watchers almost four weeks ago now. In my first two weeks I lose 2.3 kilos and then lost track a little and didn`t go last week cos I was at a doctors appointment with Dad but I am trying to get back on track this week with the walking and watching what I eat. I will go back this Thursday and while I don`t think I will have lost due to the last not so great 10 days but hopefully I won`t have put on either. I think since returning to Australia almost five weeks ago I have lost about 3 kilos altogether though so it isn`t going so bad. Hopefully once i get back on track with excersise and eating better and tracking what I eat then the weight will start to come off again.

I also ordered two hoola hoops the other day online from here and they should arrive sometime soon I hope! I think they get sent out of Sydney? So I can`t wait to get them and start doing some hooping!!!

I caught up with my friend Clarie (she is also one of my bridesmaids) while she was in town this last week which has been great. I hadn`t seen her since I was home at Christmas and she is now living in Mt Isa so I do not get to see her as much as I would like even though I am now back in Brisbane…..trust her to move away as I am moving back! I did some much needed shopping with her over the weekend and we caught up and had a look at some possible bridesmaids dresses! Having bridesmaids in three different countries is going to be a challenge!

I also saw the Sex and the City movie with my brothers girlfriend Gem (Who turns 21 tomorrow the darling thing!) and it was awesome. Definitely worth seeing even if you weren`t a Sex and the City addict!!!

Well I think that is enough of an update for now but I just want to say thanks to those who commented on my last post and also those who sent me personal emails or facebook messages. I am sorry If I did not respond to you all but it did mean a lot. It is nice to know that I had a lot of people thinking of me and sending good vibes to my dad. While he has awhile to go yet he is improving a lot and will hopefully go well.

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In an effort to improve on my writing I have decided to sign up for Encyclopedia of me which started over at Bella Dia (and which I found out about by reading Laura`s blog here...)

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M is for mother…

I don`t write a whole lot about my family on my blog although in the past I have written posts about my dad and also my grandmother in New Zealand but as I looked though my archives recently I realized I have never really written much about my mum.

A lot of the blogs I read are by women, in particular mothers or those already planning their first children. In fact Sarah has written about this recently which started a discussion between Nay, Sarah and I on our blogs and also on facebook because we will probably be having children around similar times, and in Japan to boot! Actually I think they will both have babies by the time I get around to even getting pregnant. So the discussion of what it is to be a mother has come up a lot….some people have talked about how they are not sure if they would make good mothers or not due to their own experiences with their own mothers.

I am extremely lucky, and I don`t say it enough, that I have a terrific mother. While we have had our ups and downs over the years (as most mothers and daughters do) we are at the point in our lives now where we truly are great friends…I am old enough now to respect her in the way I should for all she has done for me! Her and my father raised us well and a lot of what she instilled in me as a kid I know that I am going to want to instill in my own children. Some very important lessons she taught me is that I could do whatever I wanted to do (My parents have always been very supportive of my decisions and what I have wanted to do with my life) and that I should always treat people the way I want to be treated.

My mother and I are very similar (which is why we often clashed when I was in my teens) and I can see myself in a lot of her (and I am sure she can see a lot of me in her). Looking at photos of my mother as a child is often like looking into a mirror….My favourite photo of my mother is of her in a yellow bikini with her hair in pigtails and she is about 18 or 19 and she had just moved to Australia from New Zealand (All by herself I might add). I like it because she looks so happy and because it looks so much like me but with long hair! Our personalities are also very similar also….we are both highly emotional! And we both tend to think we are always right! We are also very organized….I definitely get my organizational skills from my mother!

I love my mum and I miss not been around her all the time (Although I think we both know that we could never live together again for long periods of time….). We speak on the phone twice a week or so, she reads my blog and we email occassionly. The year I was on exchange in Japan we emailed almost everyday and she printed out every email I wrote and gave them to me when I got back to Australia…..It is kind of like a journal of what I did that year!

The job I am currently in, teaching, sometimes makes me think I would make a terrible mother. I get stressed out and lose my patience when patience is something a teacher really really needs. It is one of the reasons I am leaving early to go home in May instead of the original plan of July. I need a break from teaching, I need to figure out what I want to do and I need to spend some time with my own family. I think teaching at my current school for 18 months has helped me realize the things I need to work on before I become a mother also….patience been one of them! But it also has taught me a lot…it has taught me to try to help kids reach their full ability without crowding them too much and also that some kids are naughty and that giving them time-out or getting angry is not always going to be the way to handle it…. In fact sometimes they act out because all the need is a hug! Sometimes I still think I won`t make a very good mother and I had this discussion with my school owner about a month ago and she told me she thought I would make a great mother. I am not so sure, but I hope so! I think at this stage in my life I am still too selfish to be a good mum…

I want to be a mother one day. Shumpei would be happy to have kids as soon as we are married (actually I think he would be quite happy if I was to get pregnant now) but I have told him that we need to be more realistic. We need to come back to Japan, set ourselves back up here with jobs and start saving before we can have a baby. Having a baby here costs anywhere between $4000-$10,000 dollars and while you get something similar to the Australian baby bonus it usually isn`t enough to even cover half of the medical costs (Pregnancy is not covered under National Health Insurance from what I can understand…which sucks since that is what I have) and that is just to have the baby! After the baby comes or even before there are a lot of other things that you need to think about that are going to cost money! I have promised that as long as we are in a fairly secure place financially then we can start trying for a baby before he turns 30 (May 2011).

I want to be a mother. I see so many people around with their children and I read so many blogs of those who have babies and children and I am a little clucky I suppose. There is so much I want to teach my child (children) and so much I want to do with them. I have always wanted a boy and a girl, like my family, but I know I will be happy either way. Shumpei and I are thinking about having two kids….

I think I am extremely lucky to have had my mother as a role model! Sure I am sure she made mistakes, but I turned out ok and if I can give as much love to my child as my mother has given to me and continues to give to me then I think my children are going to be pretty damn lucky!

Thanks mama, for everything! I love you lots!

xoxo

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In an effort to improve on my writing I have decided to sign up for Encyclopedia of me which started over at Bella Dia (and which I found out about by reading Laura`s blog here...)

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post (and the posts before that in the `Encyclopedia of me`)

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F is for future…If you had asked me ten years ago or even five years ago if I thought the life I am living now is what I would of being living I probably would of laughed and said no way! But life takes you in strange directions, some stranger than others (like half way around the world)…

I handed in my notice at work today…I will finish up on April 11th. By then I will have worked at my current preschool for almost 18 months….I love the kids, I really do, but several months ago I mentioned how lately my job had been making me feel like I would be a terrible mother. And with all the stuff going on back home I didn`t need the added stress of that, and under-staffing issues that my job has being causing me lately. After speaking with the owner, and after having finalized my decision with Shumpei and my family I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders..

I am ready for the next step of my life. Which will be me returning to Australia in May spending time with my family, helping Shumpei learn English when he arrives in July (and also teaching him more about my `Australian life`)and taking a year to do some temp work, see if I find a job or industry I like….Also,  planning a wedding and saving money to move back to Tokyo as a married couple….

I am hoping that somewhere in all this I will be able to cross a few things off my life list…..Something I plan to focus on a lot more over the next year.

Sometimes future is a scary word….mainly because people rarely have any idea what is going to happen….I have a little bit of and idea what the next six months will entail at least, and for after that we will have to see!!! While future is a scary work, it is also a word that brings to mind new experiences, closure and excitement…all things I am ready for!

Here is to my future(our future!)…and to yours!

ps: I love ps`s…sorry this is not a very long post for the enc of me, but I am lacking blogging inspiration today!

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