- hoop at least 10 minutes everyday - I hooped outside today for about 30 minutes while Abbey watched, most of the time sitting right at my feet as I hooped! In the end Shumpei had to call her over because I was so scared I would step on her….but she likes to sit in my shadow in the shade!

- track the food I eat in my little weight watchers book and do at least 4 walks! - I did this and I counted points plus I went for a half hour walk (But we were out for an hour because half of the hour was spent playing with Abbey in the park, running around, then Shumpei minded her while I went for a fast walk with mum and dad!)

- blog another 2 times- Well this is once and the next post will probably be all about our new little addition Abbey!

- Contact wedding celebrants (at least 2) and set up meetings for sometime in the next couple of weeks!- I am going to email two people I have found now and try and set up some meetings!

-Study Japanese for 3 hours! - I did this today!!! Kanji! I don`t think I remember any of it but I did at least do it! It has reminded me though how far I have to go because honestly my retention for kanji sucks and new words sucks (I am a lot better with grammar!)!!

- Plus one bonus that I was going to add today! I have decided it will be to start a new knitting project!

So I a putting it out there- I want a cool, easy pattern for a baby hat (or boots!)…preferrably with the name of wool I can get in Australia. I don`t even know where to buy wool in Brisbane though- Maybe Lincraft? Suzy if you are reading please pretty please send me the pattern for that umbilical cord hat we talked about! I am thinking that might be the one!!! But if anyone else has any ideas let me know (I will also search on ravelry!)

Hope everyone else had lovely lovely weekends- I know it is a long weekend in Japan too (for those lucky enough to be there) so I hope everyone is having fun!

My friend Mandy wrote “Have thought that perhaps instead of making so many to-do lists and planning, I should actually just take action and practice what I preach.” and continued on to write things she was working on for her 101 things in 1001 days list and she has already marked ONE OFF in just a day and I realized I need to be more like that! Jen had a rough couple of days and had to make a couple of hard decisions but she has bounced back and written about what she is going to do with her life and her plans sound so amazing (and yes I am jealous!) and again it made me realize that I too can achieve what I want to do! Deanne at Suzhizume (who has moved to a new location-update your links and reader all!)  is one of the people that inspired Jen and she is definitely worth a mention because she is such a fun loving, awesome, down to earth person (Who I have had the pleasure of meeting quite a few times- she is the one that inspired me to get some hula hoops!) who decided what she loved and is doing it and while I haven`t quite figured out what it is I love so much that I want to do I figure crossing some stuff off my to do list etc is going to help me head in the right direction!! She is such an inspiration! Another inspirational girl is Gala Darling, oh how I heart thee! This lady got up and went to New York and now has decided she wants to live there and is making her dream into a real possibility. If you have never read gala`s site then you simply must start now because it is fantastic stuff and I am so jealous (yet again!) of all the stuff she does- and she always does it so eloquently! She is a great writer, and I totally wish I could be more like her! And she used to do weekly resolutions which is what this post is actually all about!

I journal, and sometimes, after reading about them at Gala`s site ages ago, I write my own weekly resolutions in my journal and I realize that it is time to bring this back into my life- and sure it is another list but I do love lists and they do help keep me motivated! So here goes, here is my weekly resolutions for this week!

- hoop at least 10 minutes everyday

- track the food I eat in my little weight watchers book and do at least 4 walks!

- blog another 2 times

- Contact wedding celebrants (at least 2) and set up meetings for sometime in the next couple of weeks!

-Study Japanese for 3 hours!

-  and since it is nearly midnight I am going to think about this last one and make a decision on it by Monday! Or perhaps one of you might have an idea of something you think I should try and acheive this week in my weekly resolutions!

Thank you to all my bloggy friends out there- some of you I have met in real life and others I have yet to have the pleasure but the joy I get from following your adventures and reading your comments, advice and inspirational writing makes my day! I only mentioned a couple of you who have inspired me in the post but trust me, it is not only those I mentioned! My goals for the week might not seem like much but to me they are important and I promise I will try really hard to acheive them all!

Hugs to all, xoxoxo

Ps: All is going well with Shun- he is also inspiring me of late because he is trying so hard with his English already and it makes me realize how slack I have been with my Japanese study hence the mention in my weekly resolutions! Oh and in other news we picked up Abbey today and she is just adorable- Shun and I played with her all afternoon and it was delightful!!! And while writing this blog post- it was interupted by a howling little dog….but I went down to see her and she is doing ok now- I think she just woke up and forgot where she was for a minute!

Shumpei arrived safely on Saturday! And, when we got home he got down on one knee and said “marry me” and gave me the engagement ring featured in picture three!!! We choose it a couple of months ago but when I left Japan they were still making it- but now I can wear it everyday!!! You can`t see in the picture real well but it is a platinum ring with a white diamond and next to it is a small blue diamond. It is so pretty and I love it!

I promise a better update next time!!!

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P is for Possum Magic & Picture books…

Possum Magic, is a picture book for those who don`t know, and it is one of my favourite children`s books of all time. In fact I even bought it when I was in Australia last year for the kiddies at the preschool I worked at in Tokyo.

I love children`s books, and I got a great joy from reading with the kids at the preschool  every day. I found some beauties! Books that I hadn`t read when I was younger, and that I hadn`t known existed. I have a list in my head of the books I know I must read to my kids one day and Possum Magic is at the top of the list. I think some people when they are pregnant get worried about the essentials like clothes and nappies-but I am going to be one of those mothers that has bought 100s of books for their child before they are even born! I Will try to remember to buy the necessities too of course!

This book is such a delight. I think that most Aussie`s reading this blog will know this book–> It was published in 1983, before I was even born  and it is around in a lot of bookshops even now. I read, while looking for some pictures from the book, that it is one of the most sold picture books in Australia and still has hardcovers about despite being 25 years old.

It was written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Julie Vivas and it follows the adventures of 2 possums, Hush & Grandma Poss, who performs bush magic, turning Hush invisible then forgetting how to turn her back- although she does remember that it was some kind of Aussie food so they go off on adventure around to all the capital cities eating different Aussie foods in each (including lamination’s, pavlova, anzac biscuits, pumpkin scones and vegimite sandwiches) and Hush begins to be come visible again. But it is not just the story that is magical but also the beautiful illustrations done in water colour- these pictures really add to the book and also one of the reasons it remains a favourite of mine!!!

It is a beautiful book and if you have never read it then I highly recommend it! Now fess up, what are your favourite picture books?! What about your kids, what are their favourite books?

So I finish up this temp assignment next week and then I will be looking for another temp assignment to keep me going. I am happy to temp for the year it is just a little bit unpredictable and there is a chance some weeks I won`t have work which could screw up trying to save a little bit.  But I am trying not to think about the bad stuff that could happen if I can`t find work because in the past I have been really lucky and something has always come up!!!

Shumpei comes in just five sleeps! Saturday morning I will be going up to pick him up at the airport! He rang last night while he was at a goodbye party with Cat, James, Leader and our other friends (From when I was at uni in Japan) and I spoke to a couple of them. It was so good to hear Cat`s voice- I almost cried! I miss her and everyone so much…We have spoken a couple of times since I have been back in Australia but everytime I am just so happy to talk with her. Last night I also spoke with Leader and Junni- It was weird to be speaking Japanese again to someone other than Shun!

In other news if I lose .5kg on Thursday at weight watchers I will have lost 5 kilos since coming back to Australia!

Look out for P is for….. tomorrow!

I am sure this has been done before somewhere but ages ago I did a movie quote meme and it was a lot of fun so I introduce Lulu`s music lyric meme! Rules are below.

• List 10 lots of lyrics from 10 different songs (original singer is the answer that will count!)
•  No googling/searching
•  2 guesses max until others have had a turn to play
•  If you want to do this yourself, go ahead- I won`t be tagging anyone but anybody can  do it!

1. You must have known that I was lonely,
   Because you came to my rescue,
   And I know that this must be heaven,
   How could so much love be inside of you?-Stevie Wonder “You are the Sunshine of My Life”-There will definitely be Stevie Wonder at our wedding!
   
2. No matter how hard I try
   She has a reason just to pass me by
   She makes me cold in the summertime
   Doesn’t she now- “Katie Q” by Thirsty Merc-Another great Aussie band
   
3. We’ve compromised our pride
   And sacrificed out health
   We have to demand more
   Not of each other
   But more from ourselves- “Deep Water” by Jewel
   
4. Tomorrow’s getting harder make no mistake
   Luck ain’t even lucky
   Got to make your own breaks- Bon Jovi with “It`s my Life”- I put that in for you Mandy!
5. It’s coming round again
   The slowly creeping hand
   Of time and its demands- Paul got this with one of my fav songs of all time “These days” by Powderfinger
   
6. I want you to know, that I’m happy for you
   I wish nothing but the best for you both- Jen got it with Alanis Morrisette “You ought to know”
   
7. He’ll show you where the danger lies
   But he can’t help it if you capsize
   He’ll light your way but that is all- Jen again, The Waifs, “Lighthouse”
8. But now there’s nowhere to hide,
   since you pushed my love aside I’m not in my head- Sara got it with “Hopelessly Devoted To You” from Grease
9. Now Watergate does not bother me
   Does your conscience bother you?
   Tell the truth-Lynard Skynard with “Sweet Home Alabama”
10. But will you draw the line?
    Turn a blind eye to all the faces that you know- ” Katie” by Missy Higgins!

O if for Occupation…

I don`t really have an occupation, or a career…and that was never my plan. I always thought I would finish uni, travel a bit and then find a job, most likely in the PR industry and then work and be able to say “Hi I`m Lulu and I`m a ____” (Whatever I was) but it never really happened. Now that I am temping I say “Oh I`m a temp and at the moment I am a student coordinator for medical students at so and so hospital” But in three weeks that could change and I might be saying “Yeah I`m a temp working for the department of whatever working in admin” or as a personal assistant.

I do wonder if I`ll ever have a career yet I know the answer is probably not. In Japan I would say I was a preschool teacher but that never ever felt like me career since I never planned on being a teacher.

I went for an interview last week for the job I am currently doing as a temp and I was asked “Where do you see your career going” and I couldn`t very well say “No-where” now could I.  I would be happy to get the job since it would mean a little bit of job security while I am here in Australia but I never thought I would get a permanent position anywhere since I am only here for the year but if I get it, then that would be a bonus. (I will find out by the end of the week)

Anyway, the question was asked and I stumbled and then said ” Well, once I return to Japan I would love to get into translation and proofreading work or doing some work writing” and hey while that isn`t completely untrue it was a bit random and out of context. It did make me wonder though….what will I do when I return. Sure I could teach again, but I don`t really want to do that full time. I could improve my Japanese and try and get into translating but I am not really sure I want to do that either (Or if my Japanese will ever be good enough). The truth is I really have no idea what I want to do- and sometimes that is more than a little worrying. It also makes me think of the fact that i might go through life and never truly have a career…and if I never do, am I missing out?

5. Go to at least two of the following places: Nagasaki, Hakone, Nara or Hokkaido (1/2)

Well I went to Nara!!! When I was visiting Sarah down in Kobe we went to Nara and you can read all about it here. So there is one of the four places knocked off the list. Will have to wait until I return to Japan before I manage to get to any of the other places!

 12. Choose a theme or colour scheme

We have done both. The colours will be pink and silver and the theme will be cherry blossoms because we wanted to have the Japanese influence too.

15. Find and book a photographer

We have found one and she is fantastic! Her name is Sylvie and she is going to be fantastic and I knew as soon as I met her that she would be perfect. I can`t wait for Shumpei to meet with her too. She will be doing an engagement shoot also as part of the package so Shun will meet her then. But he has seen her work online (If anyone wants her website details just message or email me!) and he loves her too!

 31. Lose five kilos (4/5)

I have lost 4 of the first 5 since been back in Australia. So YAY! I had another lose at weight watchers on Thursday so have lost 3.4 since joining there and have lost almost another kilo before I started. I can`t really notice the difference yet but I am excersising a lot more than i usually do!!! I don`t love excersise yet but at least I am walking most days and hooping a bit also. The next step is to try a class because I really want to try pilates or yoga! There is a pilates class at my mums gym at 8:15am on Saturday`s and I think I will try that next week.

35. Do EFT everyday for two weeks

I did it near the end of May and through the beggining of June and haven`t done it since so I either wasn`t doing it right or it just doesn`t work for me. But I did give it ago!

38. Give up coffee for a month

I did this!!! It was a lot harder to give up than alcohol…and for the first week and a half I had a shocking headache! But I did it and I probably won`t be doing it again any time soon! It has curved my coffee buying habit a little bit though. I can stick with instant for now!

43. Get back into a proper skin care routine including suncreen everyday- Keep it up for at least 3 months (3/3)

I started this while I was still in Japan and have kept it up. I haven`t really noticed any difference but I guess I will keep it up anyway! In fact my skin has been terrible since I have been back in Australia and I don`t know why. Maybe I need to change the products I am using?

55. Go to five suburbs I have never visited before (3/5)

I went to Jimboomba to look at the puppies and pick Abbey. I went to portside, not really sure what the suburb is though?! and then yesterday I went to runcorn to visit Nay and her family and I think that was my first time to go there also! So it is a lot easier to knock off suburbs in Brisbane I haven`t been to before than I thought it would be!

57. Eat at at least 10 restaurants I have never been to before (4/10)

I love eating out! (Probably why I have problems losing weight!) so this is a really fun thing for me to knock off my list. I went to a great Japanese place with my dad at portside called “sono”. It was really yummy but pretty expensive. I also went to another place at Portside when my friend Clarie was in Brisbane…I forget the name but it was the one right on the river. It was very yummy also, great hummus and tabouli!!! Lastly for mum`s birthday we went to a little pizza place in Manly which was cheap but tasted it great. Will definitely be going back with Shun!!!

Oh there is actually four, I almost forgot. I went to a vegan/vegetarian place with Deb for her birthday several weeks back.It was in west end and I had a great vegan curry!!!

 61. Go to a concert

I saw “something with numbers” on Friday night with my friends Dani & Nicole at a club in the valley! They were ok, not really  my type of music though but I still had a great night out and it was great to see some live music!

65. (Buy) A hoola hoop

I bought two! Having a lot of fun with them but still haven`t really figured out how to do it real well but am having fun trying!!!!

 73. Meet at least five other bloggers in real life (2/5)

I met Nay several weeks back and again on Saturday! And it was great! I love meeting bloggers in real life and really hitting it off. I have been really lucky and almost all the people I have met through blogging have become great friends! It is also nice to meet with people that are in similar situations to me! Nay and I get on really well (I think!) and I will miss her when she moves to Japan in September but we will definitely be catching up once I am also back in Japan! Road trips around Japan will definitely be happening!

UPDATE: OMG, Sarah just brought it to my attention that I forgot to include her in the bloggers I have met list!!! I am so sorry babe! I didn`t forget I had met you, please don`t think that!!!

 75. Introduce some kind of ad system on my blog

Done! I am now a member of BlogHer! So far so good!

93. Go to the cinema 20 times (2/20)

I went and saw Sex and the City! Twice! I am also really really looking forward to seeing Mama Mia! in a couple of weeks! It looks like such a great film. Will have to take Shun to the movies too…something that isn`t too intense so he can follow the story line even if there is no subtitles!

Well there you go, that is what I have been up to! I have a couple of other things in progress but you can follow along and see what I have already done by checking out my 101 things in 1001 days page here which I am going to go update now. I know I should write about each thing as I mark them off but I find that this monthly update works better for me (and isn`t as boring for anybody reading!)

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!!!