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.

My new blog has launched! Thanks very much to Snoskred for all the work she has done setting this site up…..I am so happy. So if you are thinking of switching to wordpress on your own domain send that girl an email!

From now on all my posts will be here…the typepad blog will be up for another couple of weeks but everything has been transferred over here now so anything you want should be here!

Thanks to all who have followed me over!

Is anyone else attempting to do something for NaBloPoMo?

Yesterday and today are the first International iCiNG Day (Thank you to Sigsy for putting me on to this great blog!) which is a celebration of ourselves and what we hold dear to us. The theme for the first International iCiNG Day is `I Love…` Since I have only discovered this blog today (and it just happens to be international iCiNG Day) I haven`t had a lot of time to think about it, but I thought for the first one I would just write a list of things I love (Since I do not have the time before midnight to throw a party for all my friends and family who I love dearly!)

So here goes…things I love as of 11th of November 2007…Keep in mind I am going for more of a random list of things

• I love discovering new blogs such as galadarling.com and having those inspire me to do something.
• I love the colour pink and the colour green and can not imagine life without them.
• I love the fact I am going back to Australia at Christmas time…
• I love that it is almost Christmas
• I love that I have finally learned to knit again properly
• I love that lately I have become more creative
• I love my winter clothes
• I love Autumn crispness
• I love Craftster.org
• I love haircuts (I desperately need one!)
• I love massages
• I love discovering new restaurants in my local area and finding places that we love and continue to go to all the time until the staff and owners begin to recognize us (Although I do tend to stand out a little in restaurants usually!)
• I love remone, a Japanese softdrink.
• I love chocolate cupcakes.
• I love weekends
• I love Japanese fabrics and wish I could learn to sew with them
• I love strawberries especially in fruit salad
• I love learning to cook new things!
• I love it when I can remember Japanese words for things
• I love my ipod
• I love books and wish I could surround myself with books all the time
• I love many more things but it is too hard to list them all here at this time since I could go on forever and forever and forever.

And of course I love Shumpei, my family and my friends! I love you guys most of all!!!!!!!!!!

I am now going to devote the rest of my evening to doing things that I love…maybe some knitting, beading and cruising around on other people`s blogs!

What do you love?

We have moved into our new place. It is so nice to have space. And furniture other than some drawers and a bed, I am loving having a table…and a sofa! I have even gotten used to having to walk more than a minute to the closest train station (We are now 5 minutes away from Nakano station on foot!)

Shun has been very busy with work, coming home after midnight every night (Including most weekends) so we haven`t seen a lot of each other recently despite living together. He comes home after I go to sleep and I leave before he wakes up pretty much but thankfully his current project ends on the 23rd of August. I can not wait (I am sure he can`t either since he will get a weeks holiday then!)

I can`t believe it has been almost a month since Mandy was here. I finally uploaded a couple of pictures to Flickr, which you can see here! Here are a couple of them though…

We managed to do a lot in the 3 and a bit days Mandy was in Japan including a day trip out to Nikko, Seeing Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Ryogoku and the museum plus a night out an izakaya and Karaoke. We did a lot actually!

Will be back in ten days hopefully with some exciting stories of China!

I can see why ebay and online shopping could get addictive. I was an ebay virgin…yes, you heard correctly…I WAS. Now I am not!!

These cute little shoes arrived on Friday and I can happily say I LOVE THEM! They are my first ever ebay purchase and they will always be held dear to my heart!

Pretty much the extent of my online shopping experiences was with amazon but I now after my first successful purchase on ebay I can feel the pull…and I can hear the computer saying `Go to ebay, go to ebay` but I am resisting that urge, because really I only needed a pair of shoes. I wish I was rich. I am also glad (yet kind of disappointed at the same time) that I don`t have a credit card as such. I have a debit card…so I basically have to have money in the account to purchase anything. This is definitely a good thing considering I am hopeless with money (hence no credit card!) and would buy everything I laid my eyes on if given the chance. Has anyone ever read the shopaholic book series by Sophie Kinsella…Well Becky Bloomwood is me.

I needed shoes for three reasons.

1. Some of my other flats were getting a bit knocked around since I do so much walking here.

2. It is hard to get nice shoes in my size here and

3. well who doesn`t need shoes.

I was going to wait til April when I will be in Australia but I thought I should check out ebay because well I am a sheep, and everyone else was doing it. I have stepped onto the ebay bandwagon! I heart ebay! Yay!

I am at a complete loss of how to stay on top of things like this. Since I started working full-time again I have had a hard time keeping track of the blogs I want to read. I usually just use the sidebar on my own blog but I really need to go through and add some and delete some I think. Plus what about news sites? I really want one site where it will have it all there for me, all I have to do is log in. But is it worth the trouble it will take me to set that up. I have to check sites manually to see if they have been updated which is getting to be a bit time consuming.

Does anyone use bloglines or something similar? Or do you swear by another method? Since my computer died a couple of months ago I use Shun`s computer for everything…So I lost all my old favourites list and while I have started adding to one on this computer again I keep forgetting to add them to my blog so that I actually go visit the sites!!

Help me people!

Ps: I am not sure how I have managed to post for the last four days…Don`t get to used to it!

Pps: Had a terrible day at work yesterday. Just me and the kids in the morning as Sumi was off sick with the flu. But then she had to come in cos the other girl Stef is off Monday`s and we couldn`t reach her and we are meant to have a ratio of five to one at all times. Poor Sumi though, she was so sick and could barely walk. And having to catch the train and walking to the school would not of helped her. Catching the train sucks so bad when your sick!!! She went to the doctors again this afternoon and she definitely has influenza (Type A)…She will be off work at least until next monday but our boss wants her back Wednesday (Tomorrow), which is impossible….I feel so sorry for her. I also really hope that I do not get it!!

I have no idea how my grandmother managed to have NINE kids!!! I only had eight yesterday, and keeping an eye on them, answering the door for the book delivery people, answering the phone, helping one kid go to the toilet while holding another kid who was crying cos another kid through a block at her. Impossible!!!!

Thought I should let on that not everyday at my job is perfect since I always seem to be going on about how great it is!!!

For now, while I continue to get everything re-installed on my computer I will leave you with a meme…I stole it from D’Jen…Here goes…

1) Are your parents married or divorced?
Seperated
2) Are you a vegetarian?
No…am a fan of beef…chicken…lamb…pork…seafood. Not so much guts and stuff or tongue…or liver…don’t like liver.
3) Do you believe in Heaven?
Yes. I grew up with my father telling me that Heaven is where we go when we die and it is whatever we want it to be. As a child I always imagined it would be a lot like care bears…you know playing on clouds and stars with a cool flying car…I also think that everything will be free and that money will not be needed.
4) Have you ever come close to dying?
Not really. Had a couple of close calls in sailing accidents.
5) What jewelery do you wear 24/7?
A watch, two rings and a Tiffany & Co Bracelet Shun gave me for my birthday. I have a necklace I used to wear all the time but it broke and am waiting for it to be fixed…I take off my watch to shower but sleep and do everything else with the rest of the jewelery on.
6) Favourite time of day?
Not sure. Probably laying in bed just before sleep as TV, computer etc is off and Shumpei and I chat…It is the most likely time we will have conversations about life and death, the future, travel and what if scenarios…
7) Do you eat the stems of broccoli?

No…not a huge fan of broccoli
Do you wear makeup?
Yes, most days.
9) Ever have plastic surgery?
Nope.
10) Do you color your hair?
Yes whenever I can afford it. Not entirely sure what my natural hair colour is…although haven’t dyed it in awhile so it would be pretty close to natural now!
11) What do you wear to bed?
Well tonight it is elmo pj bottoms and a white singlet
12) Have you ever done anything illegal?
Yes…
13) Can you roll your tongue?
yes and I can turn it inside out and over in my mouth
14) Do You tweeze your eyebrows?
Sometimes I pluck if they get a little unruly…But I am very lucky to actually have nice shaped eyebrows…it is just a shame about the rest of my face
15) What kind of sneakers?
New balance for excersise and sport. Converse sneakers for other sneaker wearing time…
16) Do you believe in Abortions?
Yes. While I am not sure I would have one I support anybody that wants to or needs to so I am definitely pro-choice (The way I see it I wouldn’t want to be forced to have one, so I would also not like to be forced to not have one)
17) What is your Hair color?
Naturally light brownish (I think..who knows it has been a long time) at the moment kind of a reddish copper colour.
18) Future child’s name?
Kai, Sho, Yoshi,Yuki, Jack, Tom, Taichi, Hiro for boys( Shun likes Rick but I am going to veto it)

Mia, Mai, Hana Maya (maiya), Aya, Mika, Ana, Ayami, Emi, Olivia, Lucie, Ella, for girls (I am always thinking of more)
19) Do you snore?
Sometimes…lightly…apparently. I cry in my sleep sometimes and I talk a lot…and move around a lot.
20) If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?
Vietnam (the place I really want to go to next), Korea, China, Guam (the places I will go to if I can’t afford Vietnam in the next six months), Hawaii, Back to Europe and definitely visit Prague this time round as well as a lot of other places in Italy and France as well as through a lot of other countries. Greece. Ireland. Back to Thailand. Egypt, Peru, Argentina, Brazil and New York. Actually I really want to do a lot more travel. I think I would also like to go to Canada one day and also Russia.I would also one day like to go to space.
21) Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
Are tofu-cushion stuffed animals? There is also Ushi-san my cow puppet that is sometimes around. Bow, a childhood bear (thing?) is in my room but not in the bed…
22) If you won the lottery, what would you do first?

How much money??? Send money to my brother. Pay off my uni debt. Then travel… buy an apartment in Tokyo and a property in Brisbane and a unit on the Goldcoast or Sunshine Coast….Actually if I won a lot of money I would probably buy a lot of property and travel! I would also start sponsoring several children in Africa…My parents always have, My dad since he was young. And my little brother has just started sponsoring a child in Africa recently.
23) Gold or silver?
silver.
24) Hamburger or hot dog?
Gourmet? Probably a handburger (unless it is my dad’s hotdogs with cheese. Onion and bacon)
25) If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Fruit
26) City, beach or country?
Probably the city.
27) What was the last thing you touched?
Before my computer…Shumpei? My dictionairy? Can’t remember
28) Where did you eat last?
At our apartment
29) When’s the last time you cried?
Yesterday
30) Do you read blogs?
Yes! Will definitely be having withdrawal while rebuilding my hardrive etc….
31) Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex?
Not unless I was going to a fancy dress party? Or getting lots of money
32) Ever been involved with the police?
Everytime I am lost I ask policemen in the Koban where something is. They have lots of maps and think nothing of looking something up in the phonebook and ringing for you. In Australia just for speeding and RBT stuff…
33) What’s your favourite shampoo, conditioner and soap?
At the moment Frutrience…
34) Do you talk in your sleep?
Yes. Whole conversations.
35) Ocean or pool?
Pool. Not a huge fan of sand…Although I like swimming in the ocean…It just needs to have less sand…
38) Window seat or aisle?
Aisle

39)Everr met anyone famous?
No body overly famous. Andy Bichel was my neighbour so I met a few different Aussie and QLD cricketers at different times.
40) Do you feel that you’ve had a truly successful life?
I am not sure. If I was to die now I think it would a no, but am still quite young so might need some more time to work on the successful part.
41) Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it?
Cut. I have not mastered twirling…
42) Ricki Lake or Oprah Winfrey?
Is this a joke? Oprah…
43) Basketball or Football?
Football
44) How long do your showers last?
5 minutes. Longer if I wash my hair.
45) Automatic or do you drive a stick?
Usually manual in Australia.
46) Cake or ice cream?
What are the flavours? Probably cake. Am not a huge icecream fan…
47) Are you self-conscious?
Yes
48) Have you ever drank so much you threw up?
On more than one occasion…
49) Have you ever given money to a beggar?
Yes.
50) Have you been in love?
Yes. Twice.
51) Where do you wish you were?
I am quite happy were I am but if I could fly back to Australia for 2 nights to see my family I’d do that.
52) Are you wearing socks?
Nope.
53) Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
Yes. A couple of times…
54) Can you tango?
Good god no…
55) Last gift you received?
Probably something from mum! Books. Clothes or food! I get packages sometimes too from swapping…
56) Last sport you played?
Probably soccer.
57) Things you spend a lot of money on?
Rent.
58) Where do you live?
Tokyo
59) Where were you born?
Brisbane
60) Last wedding attended?
Shumpei’s brothers wedding 6 weeks ago.
63) Most hated food(s)?
Daikon, Nato, liked Jen’s suggestion of Oysters, Konyaku, Lots of Japanese food I do not like, or do not like the look of.
64) What’s your least fav?
I am going to make this my favourite instead and say Choclate, dried apricots or perhaps fruit or cocktails or actually I like a lot of food. Pizza is always good…
65) Can you sing?
I can hold a tune…
66) Last person you instant messaged?
On my phone? Jen & Em
67) Last place you went on holiday?
Okinawa
68) Favourite regular drink?
Water without a doubt. Followed by coffee
69) Tag 3 friends:
Anybody please feel free to steal it. I stole it off D’Jen
70) Current Song?
Well current noise…No music at the moment but I can hear the TV, Shumpei breathing (we have a small apartment) and the washing machine…

71)Favourite song at the moment …too hard.

Will update again soon, with photos perhaps from my adventures over the last couple of weeks!!

I have given up on 365 days, and checking blogs as of late just because well my computer’s hard drive crashed…so we bought a new one and reinstalled windows…But somewhere in between re-installing internet last night and today I have gotten some nasty virus that is taking over my computer….ARGHHHH! I do not know how long I will be gone but will try to check email at least once a day and hopefully if we reinstall everything again then maybe (I HOPE SO!) everything will be back to normal soon.

Poor Shumpei, got it all working again last night and brought me home a poinsettia plant (that is pink instead of red!!!!Photo another time perhaps!) and I was so happy…and now it is screwed again…and I will have to ask him to help me yet again. Poor thing.

Me too…I am a poor thing because I am going to turn off my computer now, unplug it and disconnect the internet and take out the hard drive!! Oh No!!!