Sarah does Japan

farewell, blogger

2010-02-23T18:15:00.000-08:00

it`s been a long time coming in my mind, but a bit of sudden change i guess, to everyone else, but i have decided to leave blogger (i`ve been having a lot of issues with blogger recently).

i`ve been at the same url now for almost two years... a long time by my standards , and i think i need to move on.

it`s a bit of a risk because i have decided to move to tumblr - i really like how things seem to work over there... but there are some setbacks to moving - tumblr is still quite new and they are still adding things on all the time, but for now, you cant really comment and stuff. so if tumblr doesnt work out for me, i might find myself back at trusty blogger {if any of you are on tumblr, please add me or let me know! }

i have really enjoyed meeting you all here ; hope you will still read about sarah-japan life at my new home and i will definitely keep up with you all still.

just cos i`m moving home, doesnt mean i`m moving away!

peace out and thanks for the good time, blogger

MY NEW BLOG :

nomad`s land

http://thenomadsland.tumblr.com/

book store babylon

2010-02-22T18:14:00.000-08:00

my valentine`s post made me all nostalgic and stuff なつかしい

and i went trawling through all of Tom`s photo albums on Facebook during which i stumbled on a few real beauties that Tom took with his cell phone from our time working at the book store.

{for a few years when we (me, thomas and shakti) were at university, we worked as night staff at one of the branches of a South African book store conglomerate called Exclusive Books. we had some amazing times there... both before and after our managers turned into hitler-esque despots intent on destroying the planet.}

the first time Mandela came into the store during our shift. my coworker Monique ran to help him. Tom and I stood open mouthed behind the counter like fools.

sometimes we would throw caution to the wind and lie on the floor instead of cleaning just to damn the man

the time thomas thought shakti`s scarf arranged on our heads in the right manner would make us look like Belarusian refugees

i remember thomas saying `geez sarah, look more DESPONDENT... look HOPELESS... look like your CHILDREN are on a RAFT in the OCEAN`... it was a very draining photo shoot.

shakti went through an origami box phase.

thomas and i went through a `put origami box on shakti`s head` phase.

she is a very patient girl.

bookstore makeovers!

you know you`re getting older when you think of the `good old days`. but... yeah... they were good.

dusky time snowy views from the apartment of sarah

2010-02-17T02:52:00.000-08:00

here in the land of sapporo, lady winter dictates that the sun set at 3 or 4 every day.

which means , by the time i change into my outdoor shoes and head out of school,bed time seems to be creeping up upon me.

i now subscribe to geriatric happy hour - you get to a certain age where bed time is better than party time. hell, bed time IS party time.

wait. that didn`t quite come out right.

Bygones.

{isn`t this police station so cute? i would totally live there.}

.
but yesterday i realised that spring might just be around the corner indeed. For, lo and behold, when i got home {way earlier than usual} at 5:30 , it wasn`t pitch dark at all! Instead it was a light pinky dusk.

apart from the fact that today was -8 and that it snowed for a good 6 hours straight, i`d say that all the signs point towards spring slowly a headin` my way.

{which means soon i can wear my new sparkly navy blue pumps instead of these stupid uggs. snow boots are only fun for the first month... after that, they can go suck it}

AKB48 freaks me out

2010-02-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

sometimes, i give my boys work to do.
but when i walk past their computers, a picture like this is on the screen :

AKB48 is this massive Japanese all girl pop group consisting of 48 schoolgirls in three teams : Team A, Team K and Team B.

That`s exactly 9.6 x the size of the Backstreet Boys.

And my students spend way too much of their time on the website trying to decide which girl they like the most. Which is kind of cute in the way I used to be in love with Devon Sawa after he was Casper {remember when Casper became a real boy? swoon}

but when you go out with your grown up friends with grown up lives and grown up jobs and THEY talk about which barely legal member of AKB48 they like and then they SING THIS WHOLE SONG and DO THE DANCE :

that`s creepy, non?! i need to find {real life, air breathing, walking, talking} girlfriends for some of my friends... and fast.

Valentine`s Flashback Circa 1995

2010-02-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

on this valentine`s day 2010, i am not going to wax lyrical about ラブラブ love.

boyfriends come and boyfriends go {especially with this attention span of mine} , but instead, i am going to tell you the tale of Valentines Day 1995 when I was the wise old age of 10.

{Even if i had a photo of myself at 10 you wouldn`t get to see it... but if you think of Hermione Granger, you`re pretty close. Thick glasses, wild curly hair, annoying bossy girl guide like attitude. And I really really liked maths. }

it was also the year i got my first secret admirer valentine`s day card...

that i promptly flushed down the loo.

{meet my best friend thomas}

seriously, what was / is wrong with me?! the minute i got tom`s card, 10 year old feminist me was so overcome with disdain that i tore it up and flushed it. to this day, i find it really difficult to handle outward displays of mushiness. friends still tell the urban legend of how i refused a second date with a boy because he bought me red roses on our first date {bleugh... i know... pretty heartless}. I`m not talking PDA here, I`m not entirely Holding Hand-ist, but it really gives me the heebie jeebies to be given things like giant pink bunnies by people i barely know...

anyway, 10 year old thomas was so upset when he heard of my valentines card murder ritual, he refused to talk to me for a few weeks {how long was it, tommy?} , but 10 year old sarah probably didnt notice because she was off studying fractions or bossily telling people to plant a tree or something.

To cut a long story short, tom subsequently realised he was more into men than woman and came out of the closet. To this day, he jokingly blames me for turning him off women ... at least it seems joking to me. But just in case, i think i might need to find a gay boy to `turn straight` just to fix the balance of the universe.

{pictures of us like this are always surfacing on the internet. no wonder a lot of people think we`re going out}

I believe that we have many soul mates in life. Some of them are lovers, some are friends. I love that I know almost everything about thomas. I love that I know just how much he loves his rotties and how much he hates Bryan Adams. I love how we can drive down the highway singing Jamie Cullum and Mika together for hours. I love that we can be so smart togther, but also so silly. I love that my life is technicolour because him and shakti are a part of it.

thomas and shakti {indian sarah haha} i love you guys

Happy Valentines Day

{mushy mushy mushy}

p.s. Thomas has a superb blog about life in Johannesburg that you should definitely take a gander at if you are so inclined : Urban Joburg

and on the third day

2010-02-13T09:18:00.000-08:00

I spent Day Three of the Grand 4 Day Weekend with some of my favourite people and filled with completely atrocious jokes and really へんたいness and lost loves and cake.

As you know, once a year in summer, Sapporo has the huge Beer Festival where everyone sits in the park and drinks and gets rowdy-ish {only -ish mind you...this IS japan after all} and it is the perfect time to Fish For Friends. It`s not so easy to make friends here, people tend to stick to their groups and whereas back home, we have things like house parties, there isn`t that culture here. Either you meet by being friends of a friend or you pick people up on the side of the street. It`s hardknock, man! {maybe it is different in Tokyo / other parts of Japan?}

My first beer festival, Teej and I were so busy making eyes at the Hokkaido University Tennis team {who later turned out to be... Not So Nice} that we almost missed out on becoming friends with this group. But, as fate and a spilled beer would have it, we ended up forming one huge circle of friends that, almost three years later, is still going strong.

we don`t get to meet them in a group much... sometimes we hang out one on one, but at least once every two or three months, we have a huge shinding that lasts way into the morning. 5 of the boys had their birthdays in Jan / Feb, so we had a 飲み会... often in japan, you will go to something called a `tabe - nomi houdai` which means you go to a place and pay a set amount for two hours for all you can drink and eat and then after your 2 hours are up, you usually go to a second party {like karaoke or another bar or bowling}. well, we usually go to a third and fourth and fifth...

and the night usually ends with Ryota sleeping on the floor of some establishment.

friends can really make your home away from home feel more... homey.

in which sarah goes to 小樽 on a very grey day

2010-02-12T03:24:00.000-08:00

Day Two of The Great 4 Day Weekend was a little more productive.. 10 points Sarah.

it was very very very very {you catch my drift} cold, but we dragged ourselves out into the world and went to 小樽　Otaru, one of my favourite towns in japan - about half an hour out of Sapporo by train and on the coast. i`ve been a million times and it is one of the cutest places ever ... i mean, last year winter there was Harry Potter theme music playing in the streets...where does that HAPPEN?! it`s super quaint :

it also has a lot of buildings with pictures of the island of Hokkaido adorned with boobs... hmmm...

anyway, this week is the Otaru Romantic Lantern Festival - it ends on Valentines Day and there were hearts and lovey dovey nonsense everywhere.

Star Crossed Snowmen

about two steps away was this fellow... i call him Third Wheel Marcus

and, of course, the lanterns and the `lights of the lovers`

and now, i am watching the japanese national defense force VIOLENTLY DESTROY all the snow sculptures on the news with cranes.

WHAM there goes the gorilla`s head.

i am distressed.

{p.s. small edit... people seem to be confused and think that the Japanese NDF has gone rabid and are destroying the snow sculptures because they didnt receive enough love from their mothers when they were children. this is in part, my fault because i didnt explain that its their job, on the last day of the snow festival, to SMASH the statues down with large pieces of construction equipment. its my least favourite part of the festival... hearing those snowmen scream}

frozen fish sapporo style

2010-02-11T21:20:00.000-08:00

today, Day One of The Great 4 Day Weekend, i was lazy. but i have given up thinking that laziness is a bad thing, and have chosen to embrace it... especially when its -12 outside.

twas also the last day of the Sapporo Snow Festival and so i went downtown to すすきの and had a last minute shuffle around the ice statues before they tear them down tomorrow.

i particularly love this sculpture of a korean temple, but with a whole bunch of giant real life fish inside it.

it made me hungry. so we ate some crab from the Giant Crab Building (i am sure the building has a real name, but whatevs.)

Hokkaido crab is famous. For being delicious.

also, the crab on the building moves ... like something from a spiderman movie.

PS long walk to freedom

2010-02-11T21:15:00.000-08:00

today, 20 years ago, Mandela was released from prison.

I was 5. I don`t remember it at all. but it changed my entire country. (you know how much i love Madiba from my last post about him)

viva madiba

amandla amandla

last night i watched Invictus... it was good, bar the usual ridiculous south african accents (matt damon didnt do too badly though, props) and it made me quite rah rah south africa...
{also, hearing afrikaans in japan blows my mind... }

and now i REALLY want to go to ellis park and watch a game of rugby and drink a Castle.
(good article from The Guardian here)

do you like my new hat?

2010-02-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

unless i am invited to a There Is A Monkey On Your Head themed party, in which case, i am set because It`s Good To Be Prepared, i am most likely never going to wear this outside the house.

{but knowing i have it makes me happy}

4 DAY WEEEEEKEND, BABYYYY!

can i get a whoop whoop!

my weekend : the blurry photo version

2010-02-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

this weekend was tres tres amusement

and i have so much to write about and so many things to say, that i can`t possibly do it and am pulling a bit of a cop out and am going to post a bunch of amazingly blurry iphone pictures instead of putting together award winning / slightly coherent sentences. i hope that`s ok with everyone. (i wish julie ann had been here, her photography is amazing)

first things first, i had my first real life blog date with the pretty damn awesome selena. she is one of those people who makes you feel comfortable in about 10 seconds in a kindredy spirit kind of way. she manages all at once, to be calming but exciting ...hmmm... i feel like this `explanation` of her is a bit... lame(?)... but i fear that if i gush too much i`ll come off as her pimp... so just accept the fact that i love her to pieces already.

we saw things made of SNOW

we saw things made of ICE

we oohed and aaaaahed over the (hot) ski jump men in their (hot) neon attire. selena had dibs on green pants, i do believe.

{haha see how awful this photo is? can you even tell there is someone performing a quadruple backflip? no, just believe me. he`s there.}

we bought random pink glowing ball things

we climbed / slid up a bazillion icy stairs to get to the top of Mt.Moiwa just so we could...
...have this wonderful photo taken in the snow storm that had just started

{hello jess!!}

we threw / dodged snowballs {hello don , joeschmo}, ate fruity indian, fell on our butts, tried to win llamas, played arcade games, ferris wheeled
and ate giant parfait

and now, i need a nap :p

i LOVE meeting new people. especially new people who are just great company. (Jen B, it`s your turn next, right?!)

cuba a`callin`

2010-02-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

This weekend is the Sapporo Snow Festival 札幌雪祭り　

and Selena is coming to visit! Reportback next week.

In other news, I woke up with Cuba on my mind. Does that ever happen to anyone else? Wake up longing for the sounds and smells of a country? Never been though... so pictures and random music off the Dirty Dancing 2 : Havana Nights soundtrack (haha lame) will have to suffice for today.

{ah cuba, you have eluded me for so long... i will set foot on your shores oneday... hopefully before castro pegs it and there are mcdonalds on every corner}

Have great weekend x

what was for supper last night

2010-02-05T04:59:00.000-08:00

well, since you asked

last night`s nourishment consisted of some lovely fresh ダイエイー　sushi and sashimi, washed down by some Sapporo Royce Valentine`s Day Bitter Chocolate Beer...

which was not quite as delightful as the name might suggest.

as demonstrated before, I am willing to, pretty much, ingest anything in the name of research (within reason, mind you.)

I think it`s because I went to boarding school for five years and as a result of that, am in proud posession of a strong stomch and the belief that, covered in tomato sauce (what do you call tomato sauce in American again?? Ketchup?) anything can be delicious.

Alas, alack, I didn`t like the chocolate beer. Maybe it`s because I have only recently acquired a taste for beer or maybe it`s because it wasn`t meant to be drunk coupled with salmon sashimi... whatever the reason, I`m sad that I didn`t like it because the can and the packaging was so pretty. I hate it when something is superbly enticing on the outside, but the inside fails to live up to the hype...

{that could be a very deep metaphor for life. I will let you decide}

Anyway, nobody can fault Sapporo Beer and Royce Chocolate for trying. It was a nice idea. And I am sure someone out there appreciated it. And I hope that that someone calls me so I can give them the other 3 cans I have in my fridge.

Because I don`t think I can drink another one.

tis 節分　time!

2010-02-03T18:09:00.000-08:00

Good Morning! It`s February 3rd and we all know what that means! Setsubun 節分! One of the nice things about having a blog is that you can go back and see what you did on the same day in the past（here) . Last year was the first real year I celebrated Setsubun and this is what I wrote :

`Last week, on the 3rd of February, it was Setsubun - a Japanese festival that marks the beginning of Spring (ahahahaaaa. its -6 degrees today. Spring?!) and is celebrated by the expulsion of evil and the renewal of the spirit! How is this done? I am so glad you asked - well, what happens is, one person dons a mask of the devil / ogre called an 'Oni' and everyone else prances about chucking peanuts at him. And so, I had the great pleasure of being in a class of 8 year olds when their homeroom teacher put on his devil mask that he had bought at the grocery store and we all ran around the school pelting him with peanuts.`

This year, on this supposed `first day of spring`, I am sitting at my desk on a -14 degree day wearing a bazillion layers and trying to get through the 25 peanuts I am supposed to eat today to drive evil away for the new season (you`re supposed to eat your age in peanuts... which is harder than it sounds. It`s going to suck when I am 78, let me tell you).

Sigh... last year was fun. Throwing peanuts at the cute homeroom teacher. I did suggest in class earlier today, that Mr Katagiri put on the devil mask and that we attack him. He laughed nervously. But that`s hopeful right? I mean, he didn`t say no... It scares me how much I like throwing things at people.

Righty ho then. Back to work.

sarah`s music to watch snow by

2010-02-01T04:49:00.000-08:00

An overdose of Sarah`s Random Selection of Music?

Undoubtedly 。。。ごめんね。

But, you see, I saw on the weather report that tomorrow`s forecast for Sapporo is a high of -9 and a low of -14 with blizzards looming.

And so this, without ration rhyme nor reason prompted me to put my jacket over my PJs and sit on a deck chair on my balcony with a box of winter Pocky and watch the snow fall for almost an hour.

and while doing so, this is what i listened to

{i think i outdid myself with the random}

Yuri Lane : Harmonica Beatbox {because i love a good harmonica lead intro to a playlist as much as the next girl}

Bajka : Clear As Water (ft Una Mas Trio) {introduced to me by a host boy called Rui in the HMV}

Chocolat Soundtrack : Opening Theme {because I collect scores... calm yourselves people... talking about movie scores here. minds out of the gutter}

Mel Torme : Comin Home Baby

Matthew Stone (saxophonist) : You`d Be So Nice To Come Home To

Paloma Faith : New York {she has such a gorgeous voice}

The Vitamin String Quartet plays Coldplay : Yellow {there is a much better version of this video, but I chose the one from So You Think You Can Dance because the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers creates such jealousy in me... I wish I could dance like that}

And from my snowy globe apartment, i bid you adieu

　おやすみなさい ducks x

(side note : i am sorry for having abandoned your blogs lately. I will be better. Tomorrow. I swear.}

new school term : new morning playlist

2010-01-31T21:58:00.000-08:00

It`s safe to say that I`m not really a music snob.

I like everything (except for pan pipe music... that stuff drives me freaking dilly). From main stream rock, to Korean pop, to Afro Jazz Fusion ,chances are, it`s somewhere on my ipod (miley cyrus? psht yeah she`s under `M`)

Sometimes I make Celeste and Tarnjeet listen to a song on the subway because I know that they will think it`s complete nonsense and that they will look at me like I have a poor sense of taste and asthetics.

Whatevs.

The one constant is that I need a very up -beat filled morning. As long as it has a beat to get me moving, it`s all good. Don`t judge me on the commericality of my life 笑

My morning in music :

Coeur de Pirate (French Canadian) : Comme des Enfants

For as long as I can remember, I have used French pop as my wake up alarm, while i am still lying in bed... thinking about how nice it would be if my coffee could make itself and walk to me :

Go Back To The Zoo (Netherlands) : Electric
brushing my teeth, putting those contact lenses in, making myself look acceptable :

{this group is from the Netherlands and I discovered them when I had swine flu and was lying in bed going through a bit of a Dutch phase}

The Veronicas (Australia) : Untouched

in the hot months, i ride my bike everywhere, which has a very different beat requirement. In winter when I do my embarrassing half shuffle half slippy slide on the snow on my walk to the subway, I need a very defined walking beat... so this does pretty nicely.

{And it has rather good memories from my trip home}

Asian Kung Fu Generation (Japan) : 君という花

On the subway : I love Asian Kung Fu Generation... I went to their concert in November and they were amazing live. I was also the tallest person in the whole concert hall and had the most perfect view of the band haha. The one and only time I was proud of my giantness.

{the video from about 3;15 is great, i`m a pretty big fan of geek dancing with an elf)

The Rapture (NYC) ft Timbaland : No Sex for Ben

realising that I have missed the bus... again... checking the bus timetable to see when the next one will be... smsing my colleague to explain that I will be late...

Paolo Nutini (Scotland) : Coming up Easy

walking down the hill of doom... seriously it`s like an ice slide down to my school. I need a pick me up... dance dance dance to school...

{from 2:30 is my favourite part `it was in love i was created and in love is how i hope i die` plus paolo is super cute}

mornings in the house of sarah are like being in a dance club. Rest assured that my playlist for the journey home is a lot more low key and relaxed ... pat on the back for a good day done. But the mornings require me to dance my butt out of the door like there`s no tomorrow.

what`s on your morning get me up playlist? I always need new おすすめ

飲み物 discoveries by sarah

2010-01-28T18:59:00.000-08:00

a few weeks ago the lovely Australian Al left me a message on my facebook wall. she had stumbled across an article about a new Valentines Day Japanese drink that she wanted me to find and try out for her.

i gallantly accept any challenge. bring it on.

{if you have anything you want me to do / try for you before i leave Japan, let me know, don`t be shy}

i went to the コンビ二 `conbini` (convenience store) next to my subway station every day for a week until it finally arrived.

while i was perusing the drink aisles in my down time, i found these two beauties that i also decided to try out for you -

Vinegar and Milk... this was... how should i put it...

GROSS.

｛It tasted like weird grapefruit yogurt.｝

Love Mode Ginger...

this was acceptable.　But, you know... if it was there and I had nothing else to do, I would probably take a sip.

and finally, the grand moment of soft drink research... the Chocolate Sparkling.

When I first read the article Al sent me, I was suspicious. I envisioned myself on a sugar high to end all sugar highs. I`m not usually a person who craves sugar.

BUT, DAMN, this stuff is GOOD.

I took my first sip and thought... could it be?! is it really this tasty? and then, doubting my own opinion, i bought three more bottles and took them 1) to school, 2) to my friend`s house and 3) on a group date and made everyone try it and report back.

Crowd pleaser. 100 % success rate.

The marketing for this drink centres around Valentines Day... you see, in Japan, Valentines Day is a bit different to other countries. In Japan, only the girls give chocolates to the boys they like. And then, exactly a month later, on March 14th , is White Day when the boys pick the girl they like the best from all the Valentines Day gifts they got and then give that girl a chocolate. I think its atrocious. And sexist :p

Chocolate Sparkling is something girls are encouraged to buy for themselves for Valentines Day.

P.S. However, some boys might want to go against the grain and actually give a girl a chocolate on Valentines (gasp)... so new for this year are these 逆チョコ　`GyakuChoco` or `Opposite Chocolates`
DEFY tradition, boys! Do it!

THE END

saint young men

2010-01-26T22:05:00.000-08:00

you know sometimes you wonder : what would it be like if Jesus and Buddha were young roomates living in modern day Japan and grappling with the customs and culture?

No? Me neither.

But yesterday I went to buy my New York Times from the bookstore near 札幌駅　and i was walking through the massive manga section when i saw this book -

and i thought `that dude looks like Jesus`. Well, it was. And in the new bestselling Japanese comic book called Saint Young Men, Jesus shares a lovely spacious apartment with his best friend Buddha (the one holding the man bag) and they do things like go to Disneyland and the public pool and battle with rush hour trains.

Remember the ex number one Hitler manga i told you about (here)? Well, this is the new # 1... Jesus and Buddha beat Hitler. Good times.

P.S. it has rave reviews and supposedly makes a valid social point about religion and its apparent insignificance in Japanese society... how people, in the comic book, think `Jesus is Johnny Depp and Buddha is a weird guy with a button on his head`.

hello sun... you`re awfully bright today

2010-01-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

it was one of those saturday nights {yay}

which has resulted in one of those sunday mornings {urgh}

had a 合コン ... seem to have had a lot of those recently. well, no. not recently. have had a lot of those my entire japanese existence.

fuzzy memory of talking to one of these host boys outside すすきの駅... think we spoke about robots... for ages...

{these robots, not the south african kind}
soggy memory of coming to a mutual consensus that robots do, in fact, fall in love ... think that particular host boy was quite deep. under all that hair.

must get up now must get up now must get up now

have some diem to go carpe

tv here cracks me up

2010-01-20T01:44:00.000-08:00

people are always asking me about Japanese Game Shows.

which is understandable because their arbness is fabulous

{being in the audience of a live taping of a game show is on my bucket list of Things Sarah Should Do Before She Leaves Japan}

last night i remembered one of my favourite shows from about two years ago... man i loved this show, i cried every single time i watched it.

two teams, one elastic band attached to the wall and marshmellows hanging on strings from the ceiling... so simple. so genius.

also, here is the new Japanese advert for Glee featuring Akebono, a really famous retired Sumo wrestler. Because that is most definitely something i associate with Glee. Sumo wrestlers.

{i`m talking to you , lea michele. That`s how sue sees it}

good night x

{p.s. if you`re not quite finished with the Amazing Video Watching, click here to go to one of my favourite blogs... Mic makes me laugh. A lot. And her post today was classic.}

snow plows and me

2010-01-19T03:47:00.000-08:00

i love snow plows.

like, a lot...is that weird?

wait. don`t answer that... i don`t want to know.

i love waking up in the morning to the sound of them.

i love coming home at ridiculous hours and hearing them purr and whir down the street as i get into bed.

(it might only be me, but after i watched the Disney movie Cars, all vehicles i see have distinct personalities.)

the other day whilst walking from the subway station home, without thinking much, i reached out my mitten clad hand and patted a snow plow that was merrily trundling down the street. yup, i gave it a pat {i was this close to giving it a loving stroke and scratch behind the ears} the driver shot me an odd but politely japanesey glance {crazy gaijin} but now we nod at each other (we nod!)

I know it`s a pipe dream. nothing but a pipe dream... but maybe... just

maybe... one day he will let me drive

P.S.

warning mental breakdown looming...

2010-01-18T20:51:00.000-08:00

why hello there. how are you?

i am having a day wracked with emotional instability, thanks for asking.

i was chatting to some friends about leaving japan (that`s all we seem to talk about lately... which can`t be helping my inner turmoil much) and someone said to me,`we should start facebook groups and see how many people join each one and that`s how you should make your decision.`

`Sarah should stay in Japan` vs `Sarah should go back to South Africa` (haha how vain.)

but that would be very biased since most of my Japanese friends aren`t on facebook - they use the Japanese networking site Mixi, which is ridiculously user unfriendly. (see how i actually considered the idea for a split second?)

in August, Japan will be wrenched away from me like this poor little boy (love his lion king shirt by the way) and his Burger King juice thing (what is Burger King? do we like it?) and then some stupid fat cat will get more than his fair share of Japan. while i am left with fond memories and old hello kitty slippers that i will refuse to wash because `they smell like japan`.

i am already planning my move back here in 2012. i havent even left yet and i am planning the logistics of coming back.

life and decisions are hard. and it`s stupid how emotional i am. (i hate you,emotions) emotions are for psychologists and people who care. get over it sarah. stop whining like a little girl and suck it up.

but boy, will i miss my life with work days that end like this...

yes indeed, nappy roots... good day ahead

2010-01-15T04:43:00.000-08:00

...we`re gonna have a good day
and ain`t nobody gotta cry today
cos ain`t nobody gonna die today
you can save that trouble for another day

hey we`re gonna have a good day...

i just danced to this song about 5 times in my apartment while drinking my morning coffee.

i like to think i looked like cameron diaz in charlie`s angels. sans the spiderman underwear.

but i have a feeling that that was probably just in my head.

(annabellarina, when i move in with you, is this behaviour still acceptable? ie. will you please join in?)

it`s FRIDAY, BABY!

whoop whoop

鯛焼き... mmm deliciousness

2010-01-14T21:01:00.000-08:00

the third term of school starts tomorrow.

yay!

i`m not much of a fan of office politics / being inside / sitting for too long, so

i can`t wait to go back to school and see my students!

to commemorate our last day at ちえりあ - our Board of Education, Teej and i ate some 鯛焼き `Taiyaki` - a Japanese fish shaped cake.

it`s made from normal waffle or pancake batter, poured into a fish mold and has some kind of filling : usually cream, custard, chocolate or red bean paste.

i think its really random that they are fish shaped (and nobody can tell me why)...

* mmmmmm * vair vair tasty.

in which sarah covers many unrelated topics

2010-01-13T04:39:00.000-08:00

*edit : help me! damn blogger format for some reason won`t let me put a space between my paragraphs and so now all my writing is smushed together. why why why?!*

1. when i was home i discovered the fact that unbeknownst to me, many of my family members read this blog.
i only have two things to say about this:

1. censorship!

{ not that i ever post the really interesting / incriminating stuff on here anyway }

2. bloody lurkers!

japanese marriage hunting bra

2010-01-12T19:10:00.000-08:00

I am at that age where everyone i know is getting married.

Hardly a week goes by without me hearing about someone`s engagement. Luckily I am not at that age where this sends my mental marital clock into a countdown of doom causing me to fling myself into a frenzied man hunt (yet)

If you read anything about Japan in the news, you have heard about the rise of the Japanese herbivore men. Men here have supposedly stopped caring about love and romance and coupledom and so Japanese woman are becoming carnivores : actively hunting men down (this topic bores me a little to be honest. people have been talking about it for aaaages)

Triumph Japan`s new wedding bra : it comes with a countdown timer and ring holding slot to remind young women about their single status.

the timer is set to the expected date of marriage and will only stop when a ring slides into the allocated slot.

i think it might be a limited edition. I might not need one now... but i should probably buy one just in case.

(Haha. No I won`t. that`s completely ridiculous.)

it was saturday night and it was cold

2010-01-10T21:17:00.000-08:00

sapporo you are so beautiful.

lets have a great last 8 months shall we? yoroshikuuuuu!

dearest cathay pacific

2010-01-09T00:46:00.000-08:00

you know that normally i love you.

even though i'm not much of a fan of flying long haul because it's so superbly dull and i can't stand up and dance, we usually get along pretty well

when i phoned you last week to ask if i could change my flight from johannesburg to japan from tuesday to friday so i could spend more time with my family and you said no, i was sad, but i understood

but then to actually book me on the later flight when i was already back in japan and then send me taunting emails for days about checking in online and pre flight reminders was just mean

if i you booked me on the flight and i could have taken it, why did you say no?!

that's all
love, sarah

ただいま i am back in Japan-land ^^

2010-01-08T03:43:00.000-08:00

the long awaited trip home was grand.

i was home for such a short time that i`d only just gotten over the reverse culture shock and the grumpiness of travelling, when i had to leave again. so it was a bit of a whirlwind...

i met up with almost all of my favourite friends (rina... sad times), made a bunch of new fantastic ones, drank way too much creme soda, ate christmas pudding and boerewors rolls, basked in the pre soccer world cup vibe that has landed over johannesburg, wondered what the heck ayoba meant (anyone?! anyone at all??), spent some quality family time

my brother and hayley got engaged...

and i plodded around the house playing with our zoo of pets... my students are always fascinated with pictures of my house so i promised i would take more. but it was a bit of a sarah fail because i took some of the back garden and the pool and then got bored. and stopped.

it was quite hot, although not as bad as bloody Tokyo... or even Sapporo in the summer. Jo`burg has some of the best weather in the world... not too much humidity. So I die in Japan come summer.

and so i have returned to the land of snow and darkness in a conundrum...

you see, before i left, i was 100% sure of life. I was about to sign my contract for the next year - until August 2011 and was feeling pretty satisfied with my decision...

and now i have done a complete 180 degree flip-around. and as la-di-da as i usually am about making decisions, this one has taken me by complete surprise. i want to go home. i love japan. and i am in love with my life in japan. but something has been missing these past three years. and i finally realised what it was. and i know my heart will break when i leave because japan and i are tight. but i can always always always come back. and i will, when the time comes.

but for now i have until january 18th to make my decision about my comings and goings (my contract this year only ends in august, so i will be here until then at least). it will be a tough one to make.

ponder ponder ponder...

メリークリスマス

2009-12-25T19:58:00.000-08:00

merry christmas everyone!

i must apologise for my embarrassing mini melt down yesterday... i am slightly ashamed of it all.

and as promised, i am right as rain today...
thank you so much for all the kind comments and emails , i really needed it all last night and my group of blog friends really pulled through. i felt the love. thank you

plus i watched a million episodes of Chuck, ate a bunch of cake and listened to bad french pop. recipe for happiness

merry christmas everyone. i hope those of you who get to spend it with your loved ones and family appreciate them extra much this year, for me

xx

just a bit woeful

2009-12-24T03:49:00.000-08:00

i was supposed to be home for christmas

i was supposed to be `helping` cook the turkey now

and pour brandy into the tipsy pudding

i havent been home for almost 2 years

but a slight encounter with bad luck means i am only going home on the 28th...

which isn`t bad... at least i am still going...

i just wish all my friends werent working tonight... or in

london / korea / thailand / amsterdam

I am not particularly happy this christmas eve...
i had a small weepy moment walking home in the blizzard after dropping celeste off at the airport... snow flakes stuck in my eyelashes

and promptly went to the alcohol vending machine in my lobby
and bought some canned cocktails

i will be over it tomorrow.
but for tonight... i am just a little bit sadly

see you next spring

2009-12-23T17:10:00.000-08:00

extreme kotatsu love 炬燵大好き

if you need me i will be under here for the rest of winter

the delivery boy was tres beautiful :)

but i hate him

I also ordered a new book case. and he was like `oh hello. here are all your giant boxes. have fun with them. goodbye!` and I spent a few hours decoding the japanese instructions, using wood glue and running to the hardware to buy new screwdrivers (haha i now own screwdrivers) and yelping when splinters stuck in my fingers.

i am not all that DIY-ish (surprise!) I was bored of the project by the end, and had some parts left over, but i just shoved the shelves on anyway (and hid the extra bolts and screws in the cupboard so I didn`t have to look at them) . So it might fall apart at any time. But, I threw a pillow at it from the opposite end of the room as a test and it didnt budge, so I think I did pretty good. Won`t stand near it during an earthquake though.

waitin` waitin`

2009-12-22T15:39:00.000-08:00

i ordered a 　炬燵　kotatsu from ニトリ　and i am waiting patiently for it to come. When I had to choose the delivery time, I picked the earliest one they had, I hate spending the whole day waiting for something. When I got home, I realised the time said from morning until 12 midday. What the heck does that mean? Morning as in 7? Morning as in 10? Being impeccably raised by my grandmother (`One should never have to say that one was immpecably raised, Sarah-Jane. It should be innately implied` Sorry grams.) , I am deathly afraid of having delivery men come to my apartment and waking me up unready. So I have been awake since 7 just in case. This, naturally, has very little to do with the fact that delivery men in Japan are usually extremely beautiful. That affects me in no way or form.

A 炬燵　is a Japanese heated table. Basically, there is a heater underneath this baby and you plug it in and sit under it, cover your legs with a blanket and stay there the whole winter. This week has seen me cower in the face of -10 celcius snow storms and the 炬燵 is undoubtedly going to be my saviour.

Anyway... so now I am waiting. And I was feeling very tra la la with my vanilla latte and the view of the snowy river from my window. But I looked at my clock and its only 8h45 and I feel like I have been awake for AGES and AGES.

So I have just made the decision that I am going to get back into bed fully clothed and all. And wait there.

Haha this post had like no point to it at all

snowy mornings...

2009-12-20T17:07:00.000-08:00

... make it hard for me to wake up

you said you`d blog, sarah

2009-12-08T21:38:00.000-08:00

Blah blah Yes.
But,
I caught swine flu. And it was a rather UN FUN experience, let me tell you.
I always knew it was only a matter of time before my body let me down and became infected. Apart from working in schools that continuously have whole classes shut down for 学級閉鎖　,I have a rather rebellious immune system. Having disease ridden kids around me aaaall day made my infection inevitable.

I was on Tamiflu for a week and I thought I was going nuts. Only when I came back to school this week and was speaking to my fellow swine flu survivors did I realise that craziness seems to be a symptom of Tamiflu. So if you , god forbid, get struck down and have to take the evil drug, don`t worry if your brain feels like slush and you are in a hitler-esque mood for a few days. It`s not you. It`s the chemicals.

But I`m all good now! Just catching up on the mountain of work I missed. Yay!

NaNoWriMo

2009-11-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

hello! おは！

November is National Novel Writing Month - NaNoWriMo
and so I have been quiet on my blog these last two weeks because I have been attempting to write a book. (Go to the site and join if you`re interested.)
So so far it`s just been me and my little yellow laptop Prudence, trying to whip up a tale or two.

But alas, alack, it doesn`t seem like I have the stamina to hit the 50,000 word mark by the end of November. I really wanted to complete the whole challenge this year, but November is also one of my busiest months at work AND the month with the most birthdays, so I have been lagging behind. Makes me sad inside.　ざんねんね！

だから　I have decided to drop the month long deadline (sigh. a pity. Next year perhaps?) and will take the book writing at my own pace. Which means I get my blogging time back. Yay!　

English? Japanese? Who knows really

2009-10-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

(Mmmm. Obama sushi.)

Somewhat inspired by something Julie wrote last week, sometimes an English phrase becomes so popular in Japan that it becomes everyday language and people start thinking it`s actually Japanese. `Bye bye`, `Hello`, `Thank you`, `What`s crackalackaling?` (no, not really)

True story :

Elementary School Child to me on the subway this morning: Yes, we can!

Sarah to Elementary School Child : Sure (usually I am more talkative and encouraging. But its Monday.)

Elementary School Child to Friend (in an excited psuedo whisper in Japanese) : That foreigner over there can speak Japanese! I just said` Yes We Can` to her and she understood me! Maybe she is fluent!`

Friend : Wow thats awesome.

when catnip just ain`t enough...

2009-10-20T05:24:00.000-07:00

cat smack

{japanese cat food}

bwaahahaaaa

Hello Kitty is the goodwill ambassador for Japan...

2009-10-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

... no seriously. She is. That`s her official title from the Japanese government.

So judging by the response to my post about Diwali, my Hello Kitty fireworks were a big hit. I was surprised!!

I think I have been living in Japan for so long, that I have stopped being amazed by strange things... I think I might be shocked if the things around me were normal.
I can see large robotic creatures in the middle of the street or buy a tshirt from a vending machine and it`s all in a day`s work to me.
Which is a bit sad.

But anyhoo. Japan and Hello Kitty {or Kitty Chan as she is called here} have such a special relationship I wouldn`t be surprised if one day, the island itself changed into the shape of her head. It would be rather Ho hum.

You can buy anything Hello Kitty adorned. Toilet paper, condoms, curtains, cars, airplanes, wedding dresses, houses, suitcases, tea pots, light bulbs. Every city in Japan has a special Hello Kitty designed key chain or cell phone accessory. Japan, for all intents and purposes should be called Land of the Rising Hello Kitty {haha. lame}

Here are a few of my Hello Kitty must haves :

Number ONE : Hello Kitty rifle. Words cannot describe this.

Hello Kitty sander ... for all your wood sanding needs

Mmmm. Hello Kitty sausages. These are actually pretty good. Better than the Pokemon ones.

Hello Kitty contact lenses.

Japan is definitely the country ruled by the accessory. I am somewhat scared to admit this, but I didnt care much for Hello Kitty when I was living in South Africa.

But I`ve been brainwashed by her. Did you know she weighs three apples? It`s one of those facts known by all Japanese people... The Japanese flag is red and white / sushi is made from fish / Kitty chan weighs three apples.

diwali diwali diwali!

2009-10-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

दिवाली मुबारक

Happy Diwali!

I had a really fantastic night.

今日はなまら楽しかったね

本当にありがとう。。。 Diwali は私の好きなインド祭り

Hokkaido University here in Sapporo has an Indian club for post graduate students studying on scholarship.

They were kind enough to invite us to their Diwali {the Indian festival of lights} celebration. I ate the best Indian food I have ever eaten in Japan. Pretty sure I will dream of that food tonight.

we have been living here for 2 years and this was Tarnjeet`s 3rd consecutive Diwali away from her family. I was so glad she was able to have a real proper celebration ...especially since last year, I downloaded the Diwali episode of The Office as my contribution. I am glad this year was a little more traditional for her.

Diwali is one of my favourite celebrations of any religion / nationality. I love the theme of dark and light... I like how it teaches us that no matter how much darkness there is, it only takes one light to switch on and vanquish it. That and i LOVE SPARKLERS!!

We bought some Hello Kitty fireworks. They come with a pair of Hello Kitty 3D glasses and when you wear them, the light is fragmented into Hello Kitty`s head... damn awesome. And nothing says Diwali more than Hello Kitty shaped firework appendages. (well, apart from Dwight and Michael singing the Diwali song...)

Midori commented on how she felt like she had left Japan and was in India. I loved that. I love how international my life is and has always been. I appreciate each and every time I am able to experience other cultures and celebrate the somewhat utopian but still beautiful ideas of love and peace, hope and respect. Those are things that transcend the boundaries of culture and nationality. (mushy mushy mushy!)

P.S. Thanks a lot for all the comments on my last post! wow. you guys really care :p ありがとうね！
i will let you know... maybe see... my decision at a latter date. Now, thats something to look foward to.

100 % self absorbed post

2009-10-14T04:20:00.000-07:00

i almost can`t believe i am posting this. At first I thought to myself : Sarah, that post would be so dof and slightly shallow... who would want to read bout your random girly dilemma?

And then I laughed to myself... because, what`s more self absorbed than having a blog anyway? Not much, not much.

So here goes. I hope you care , but its also OK if you don`t. Go and spend this time reading about global warming and polar bears.

I cannot decide what colour my hair should be. Without really realising it, in the span of about 4 years, i have gone from one end of the spectrum to another. And it`s not really such a big problem to me, I ain`t losing sleep... but I can`t decide. And I am bored of my own indecision. So, let`s open it up to you , internet people.

{gah i hate posting photos of myself}

circa 2005... i dont remember being this dark

this time last year... probably closest to being naturalish

the only photo i have of my now almost blondeness.

the weird thing is , i have been using the same dye for almost 2 years , but recently it has been turning my hair from the brown in the 2nd photo to the almost hay yellow it is now. weird. my friends keep saying `have you bleached it???` not to my knowledge. But who knows what I get up to in my sleep. I always awaken with a new bruise or two... my best friend thinks I fight crime in my sleep. Maybe I multitask that with the bleaching of my hair?

i would much prefer to leave it and not dye it at all, but it is the curse of my gene pool that i have an inordinate amount of greyness that I just cant live with. few more years and i will be Storm from Xmen.

Help. Thanks. Cookies for all.

Phuza Thursday... no not really

2009-10-08T03:45:00.000-07:00

Just sittin` here a`waitin` for my friend Typhoon Melor to arrive... school might be cancelled tomorrow whoop dee doo!

This video is probably old news to you all, but i remembered it yesterday.

i LOVE this little Korean kid, man can he dance! One day, when I have them, my kids shall all dance like this. I will make them dance in a troupe like the Von Trapp family... all over Austria.

{i love when all the little girls squeal in the background, you can tell he was such a stud after this video haha}

being sick is stupid

2009-10-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

i`m sick... boo

it`s been brewing for a few days - woke up on Monday with a gruff voice to rival any karaoke obsessed chain smoker out there. My coworker said I reminded him of Portia DeRossi`s character on Arrested Development when she lost her voice and everyone thought she was a transvestite. Which is just the comparison I go for on a daily basis.

This morning, my voice was gone.

And I have a cold. So i stayed home. Cant speak , Cant teach.

Luckily, the Japanese have invented a suit that fights the flu. Seriously, go here. It`s covered with a technical sounding chemical that kills viruses. However, it seems like only men need to worry about swine flu... no womenly suits I see. tsk tsk.

Anyway, back to bed. Was just awake to eat me some luncheon.

PS Typhoon Melor set to hit us tomorrow or Friday. Button down those hatches, Japan.

Very Important Academic Poll

2009-10-06T22:38:00.000-07:00

Betty or Veronica??

Age old question needs to be answered. I am at school and have finished all my work (let`s all take a moment to celebrate something that hardly ever happens. I am on top of things!) and have been brushing up on my news. Amidst Islamic fundamentalism and life threatening climate change-tastrophies, I came across this article : Archie`s Destiny as shaped by Robert Frost in the New York Times.

I really loved Archie comics when I was younger. But because I was growing up in the swansong of apartheid in downtown Johannesburg, things from the great western world were either not available (sanctioning is a tad inconvenient) or really ridiculously expensive. So i savoured any Archie digest I could find...usually at a school fete or a second hand book store.

Now, the latest Archie digests see two publications : one with Archie marrying Betty and one where he marries Veronica. But only one future will come true (reminds me of Choose your own Adventure books... remember those?). And so, which one?

Veronica or Betty?

One might as well ask - Angelina or Jen (same thing, in the end)

My favourite part of the article is this : alternative future will be a relief to the fans who reacted negatively to the marriage to Veronica. “The polls that I’ve seen ran about 80/20, Betty over Veronica, with Jughead continually coming in a strong third” Hahahahaa!

Personally, I vote Jughead. Him and Archie would be a very cute couple.

Sit down, Pepsi... we need to talk.

2009-10-05T04:14:00.000-07:00

Look, I`m not breaking up with you or anything, but listen here Pepsi Japan, if you continue on in this rebellious manner, I may have to leave you and take up permanent residence with Coke.

What`s up with your recent spate of reinvention? You`re not Madonna. Or Al Gore.

I heard through the grapevine that you`re thinking of mixing with AZUKI?! I hate to break it to you, but the thought of Azuki flavoured Pepsi isn`t very appealing. Azuki is RED BEAN PASTE... I dont quite think that`s the crowd you should be chilling with.
Do you remember that little hiccup we had when you hooked up with Shiso? That little green minty herb hussy. Hah. That relationship didnt last long. Two months tops.
And, good grief, who can forget the Blue Hawaiian Pepsi skandaal of last year... might as well have hopped into bed with cough medicine.

we like you as you are.

And on another note completely ^ seriously unrelated, after the small appearance in my post yesterday, i would like to present you, two of the reasons I almost took that job in Seoul last year :

Daniel Henney (did you see him as agent zero in Xmen?)

Dennis Oh

I don`t often blog about boys. But these two are special. Korean boys, you are so very handsome. Would you like to come over for some tea?... {if you know what i mean.... he he he}

A whole entire post about construction workers

2009-10-04T00:53:00.000-07:00

No matter the country, some things are the same world over.

No matter where you go, there are some irrefutable certainties.

It is a well known fact that any country in possession of a human population will be blessed with a gaggle of vocally leery construction workers. It`s somewhat comforting to know that when you uproot yourself to a foreign land, you`ll find some familiar things to help you feel right at home.

Trust Japan to make things slightly different... Construction workers in Japan, while they stare at you as you walk by in a manner that I`m pretty sure is something that construction workers worldwide learn ... Construction Worker Eyeballing 101, even they are distinctively Japanese.

For one thing, some of them are beautiful... a synonym I am certain is not often used to describe a construction worker.
One who used to work on a site near my old flat looked like this :
splitting image of daniel henney. no jokes. first time i saw him, i thought he was an actor filming a movie or an advert.

Apart from that, Japanese construction worker FASHION is crrrrrazy!

The first time I spotted a bunch of them walking towards me, I thought they were boys coming home from a tough night clubbing. The MC Hammer pants and gold shoes. The Samurai-like outfits. I was enthralled.

I mean... LOOK at these shoes! They`re called 足袋　or Tabi - traditional Japanese thonged footwear and I have seen them before , but never GOLD ones worn while scaling scaffolding?!

In Japan, image is really important. Fashion consciousness is a big part of Japanese lifestyle. And this extends to everyone - truck drivers, fast food workers, train men... everyone is suave... or at least tries their damndest to be suave. And so Japanese construction worker fashion has actually become a fashion statement in its own right.
Check out the photo shoot below. (its what actual construction workers look like)

Ha ha I think its ridonculous. But I love it.

I love you, 日本　Japan.

もう結構です

2009-10-01T02:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I will not be eating at the Gag Square restaurant in Kiyota, Sapporo

Nor will I be reading the current bestselling manga in Japan :

Ain`t that just a grand big nein right there.

Mein Kampf in manga form

i be wingwoman bangs fist on chest

2009-09-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

this is cath. we are friends in that rare way - more like sisters than mere mortal buddies. we met back when we were 12 - i transfered to a new school and amidst all that adolescentness, we bonded together into family.

we`ve been through a lot together. she knew me back before i was cool (ha ha). our idea of fun was walking 20 kilometres of a golf course to buy gingerbread men at the bakery across the city. we were always late together - we never once saw the beginning of a movie. she let me shoot thousands of these portraits during my phase of professional photography. she is now a doctor (i still cant believe it... she`ll always be 12 to me) and she just got ENGAGED! and its all because of ME!! me me me!! yeah! go sarah!

the story of how sarah found cath her husband- to- be :

things you should know before we begin :

During university, we would all go hang out at the Bowls Club. Yes, bowls. That old people`s sport. For some reason, the Johannesburg Zoo Lake Bowls Club became the spot for all uni students to hang out. (i think it still is to this day.) we would all mill around the bowling greens and drink cheap beer on the lawns.
every single boy I have ever met called `Wayne` has been hands down the strangest boy I have ever met. I know three : Weird Wayne 1, Weird Wayne 2 and Weird Wayne 3. This story involves Weird Wayne 2.
Cath is so nice that she cannot ever be rude to anybody. This requires me to save her ass. A lot. Because a good bitch slap is not beneath me.

One night a few years ago (gotta love my attention to detail), we were hanging out at the Bowls Club. I had gone there with Cath and Vanessa. Cath had just been spotted by her ex boyfriend who we shall call `Stu` because of his uncanny resemblance to Stuart Little - skinny blonde mouse. I had just saved Cath from his clutches... JUST saved her... when all I did was turn around to scan the room for prospects, turn back and notice Cath in the clutches of none other than Weird Wayne 2.

Good grief.

I could see dear sweetheart Cath giggle and be nice while Weird Wayne just stood there... being Weird. I remember going over and saying, `Hey Cath. Hey Weird Wayne 2. Cath,look over there! Doesnt it look incredibly interesting over there?? Lets go there!` and pointing across the room.

I think Weird Wayne 2 took offense at me calling him out on his weirdness (why , i cannot imagine. i was so unbelievably tactful.) and took Cath`s arm. Good grief. This had never happened before. The Weird Waynes had never ever touched us. I needed to do something. Cath was just standing there. Too lovely to move away from the strange man.

I turned around, spotted this boy leaning against the wall with his friends. I needed help.

`Hello I`m Sarah. Nice to meet you. You see that girl there? The pretty small one with the red hair? Yes well, that boy holding her arm is Weird Wayne 2. I need you to rescue her because she is too nice to push him off and run away screaming.`

`Weird Wayne 2, you say?` said the cool boy.

`Yup`

`Well then. we can`t sit around doing nothing` . He pushed himself off the wall... and the rest is history. He saved Cath from Weird Wayne 2. And a few weeks ago, he proposed to her.

Catherine Louise. I love you. So much. Remember this photo , where i squished your face between my hand and cheek because you were so freaking cute? Well, I`m doing that to you right this very minute, over the interwebs.

And thank you, Weird Wayne 2. You did good.

my house is a zoo

2009-09-27T05:26:00.000-07:00

back home in johannesburg, i have a lot of pets. i`ve always grown up with tons of animals - when i was little, we had an aviary full of budgies and lovebirds and canaries and, for some reason, a large tortoise with half a shell my mom rescued from the SPCA (his previous owner had ridden over him with a lawnmower... asshole).

it was at the bottom of our garden and you could walk in and suddenly be in another world - surrounded by cooing fluttery little birds -colourful clouds whizzing past your ear. sounds wonderful and romantic, doesnt it? yeah... except for all the bird poo, it was splendid.

some of my family live on a farm and when i was young, i believed that everyone had a farm somewhere in their family and went off for christmas holidays and had to herd cattle aboard a large cart horse... or help shear sheep... or make butter. i thought it was a rite of passage. now i know i was just slightly better than a farm slave... i was free family service :p

actually, growing up i had a lot of misconceptions about normality. our holiday home was near the kruger national park - the largest game reserve in South Africa and one of my favourite places on the planet. (our pets at the holiday home were two fat warthogs called twort and esmerelda) My mom adored elephants. she could watch them all day. and when we went on game drives - something i believe americans call going on safari (??) - she would drive around and follow the elephants for hours and hours ( i would always get so bored and whine `more elephants?! seriously??`) . BUT then, on our last day, before we headed back, she would follow a herd and when they took a poo, she would get out of the car and collect some so she could fertilise our garden back home. elephant dung is amazing for flowers. i always thought it was normal to drive back with bags of ellie dung in the boot. i thought it was something everyone did. ha ha.

anyhoo, this is turning into a long post... and all i wanted to do was show you these photos - at the moment, we have 4 dogs - a newfoundland, a scottie and two golden retrievers called Amy and Jeremiah Bullfrog who just had puppies!!!!

eeeeeeeee i want to EAT you!!
sibling butt cuddling

hayley - my brothers girlfriend

most of the puppies are going to be given away to be trained as guide dogs, but mike and hayley get to keep one. and i am beyond jealous. i want to kiss that soft puppy fur!!!!

i lied

2009-09-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

look at this picture! it has absolutely nothing to do with this blog post. at all

hello friends and strangers!

so, i lied about becoming a better blogger . ごめんなさい... sorry sorry. I ended up running into my stalker a few more times (although i do rate that you cant ever run into a stalker... i mean, he`d be a pretty crappy stalker if he only ever saw you by mistake, right ?) and the time when 4 policemen surrounded me and TJ and told us, in scary tones, to go home right away... kinda freaked me out.

and ended up speeding up my moving process.

as you can imagine, moving is stressful and moving in japan is slightly more complicated considering the contract was in another language. luckily my dear wonderful friends helped me and i am the proud inhabitant of a gorgeous new place on the top floor of a building with the view of the city on one side and river on the other. and with a bathroom that makes me feel like i am in a hotel.

the only room i`ve managed to unpack... the little adorable kitchen

{i`ll take more pictures as soon as i unpack my camera... hmmm... where are you?}

anyway, so it was all i could do to go to work and organise the move allll alllone... that is my wonderfully good excuse for not blogging, you forgive me, right? i mean, the excuse is fantastic!

i have my net set up in my new place, so i am back in the land of the living! yee haw!

楽しみましょう

the new puricura machine makes me look so super creepy

2009-09-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

lets do a puricura machine test shall we - take a quick gander, if you will, at this normal puricura machine photo sticker : it does what any good puricura machine is meant to do - it makes you look all cute かわいい and flawless. i love these machines because i fool myself into thinking this is what i actually look like in real life.

THEN : look a`here at this NEW machine we found yesterday. wow. ok, so you know that in Asia, many women go long distances to get bigger eyes? There are tons of cosmetic products and accessories and procedures you can buy and use to make your eyes pop out. This puricura machine , somehow... technology is awesome... promises to make your eyes bigger. i DO NOT need this. I have huge eyes anyway. like a fish.

LOOK HOW CREEEEEPY I AM :

brrrr. i scare myself.

hello world it`s me, sarah

2009-09-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

a thousand apologies.

the end of summer has seen a definite shift in my life... a shift from slightly busy to rather hectic.

leaving my comfort zone and old patterns, I`ve been swimming in the deep end of the pool. It`s been a fun ride so far, but with a definite downside : it leaves me with very little free time... actually let me clarify... very little free time when i can actually stay awake!!

that said, i promise to never again be so silent for such an extended period of time! i just needed some time to adjust and hopefully, i am almost there! i missed you all!! (AND i am sorry for the abandonment of your blogs. i am putting some of this weekend aside as catch up!)

since starting work again, all time i have off is spent sleeping and / or getting out of the city before the snow starts to fall.

lots of camping on the beach

and hanging out at lakes

i am not an organised person by nature. i mean, i`m not one of those airy fairies, but neither am i, in any way, always on the ball. so ever since i started this new job, i have had to change my ways. and try try try become a better person. one who keeps a schedule book (gasp)

i`ve been going to festivals, saying farewell to friends leaving japan, getting to know my new kids (can`t even begin to tell you how fantastic they are) and being stalked. My friend TJ and i have a new stalker. And boy is he scary. To cut a long story short, he followed us home on Sunday night and grabbed us, trying to pull us away with him. I think he had a mental problem, which doesn`t make it any less scary when i see him hiding behind my building, but it does make me less inclined to scissor kick him.

that said, it has made me want to move even more. Japan, as we know, is a safe country... one of the reasons i love living here. BUT, that said, there are strange people all over the world. And Japan is also known for its fetishism... a man with a fetish for foreign women who knows where i live is not something that helps me sleep at night. So, I am meeting with the estate agent today and going to look at new apartments.

it`s the swansong of summer. and the start of my absolute favourite time of year - autumn. New month, new job, (hopefully) new apartment. And a new promise to start blogging again... with vigour. Hope you`re all happy! And I look forward to catching up xxx

in which Sarah admits she is utterly useless when it comes to awards

2009-08-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

i`m really sorry at how atrocious i am with blog awards. i do appreciate it when you award me! i really do! and then i just never seem to find the time to follow through with them. please forgive me?

The lovely Laura gave me the Honest Scrap award (I think this is about the 5th time I have been given it. eeek!)... and today I was running late and forgot ALL my Japanese studying material at home and so have some spare time at the office. SO... with no further ado...

Here are 10 things about me. Sarah.

1. I love cold weather. I cannot WAIT for autumn to get here. My perfect holiday involves this snowy log cabin, some fairy lights, a fireplace, hot chocolate and some good books. Thats all I need.

2. I hate having my picture taken. And as soon as a camera is pointed at my face, I bust out these Booty Lips. In fact, thats my new nickname at the office. BL. Booty Lips. It`s not on purpose, I swear. It`s simply a facial reaction to a camera.

3. Emily Blunt and I have the same taste in men.

Michael Buble. John Krasinski.

What can I say? I like `em hysterical and slightly unkempt.

4. I cannot walk straight unless I have been drinking. Haha. So unlikely. So true.

5. I LOVE war movies. I studied war for so long... i even have a favourite war.
6. I love dinosaurs.

7. KOREAN POP!! (Miku i know you know what i`m talking about!!!) Korean pop rocks my boat.

8. This is my favourite chocolate... I think it`s only available in South Africa... it`s called Cadbury Question and each bar has a different Question on it `Do you think Im hot?` `Want to grab a drink?` etc etc and the bar is in 2 pieces - one has YES and one has NO. It`s very useful!

9. I have broken my butt. Well, not broken as such, but I`ve pulled a muscle in the left cheek of my butt. Which is kind of sucky because, you know, you use your butt a lot. To sit on etc. My friend Teej massaged my muscle for me. She is a true top mate. She wins a thousand points from me.

10. One of the things I have found from living in a foreign country is that some of your worst traits tend to become stronger. I don`t know why. Good ones come out too, but it`s all rather extreme. And one of my WORST new traits is my inability to be polite if I think you`re dumb. I used to be able to pretend that you were interesting. Now? My face goes like this. And you can tell that I don`t give a flying monkey. It`s bad. It`s something I need to change if I ever become a diplomat. Can you imagine?? I`m talking to, say, the Cuban ambassador and I`m all like, `I`m sorry but you seem to have confused me with someone who actually cares` and then WHAM next day... cuba and south africa at war. Not good.

Ocean Dreams gave me this award - Circle of Friends!

In turn I should give it to 5 bloggers who have become friends! This is difficult. FIVE?? only five?! No can do.

So I have decided to sub categorise. I am going to give it to 5 fellow expat bloggers who understand how necessary blogs become when you`re living away from home. Links you to friends and family and like minded people.

Ann`s world : Swiss expat in Italy

Miss Independent in Sicily : Polish expat in Italy

Rambling Brooke : American in Lithuania

The Wonder Years : American in Seoul

Backwater Views : South African in Saigon

ALSO : I do not know how this passed me, but I am so LATE in telling you this : the amazing KYM is having an amazing giveaway and you should enter!

Giant Jellyfish Attack

2009-08-11T22:34:00.000-07:00

little known fact about Sarah (number six million twenty three) : i love jellyfish.

little cute sparkly jellyfish.
i`m a sucker for the cute.　

BUT HOLY COW

take a gander at these babies :
{i don`t know if you know, but back in 2005, Japan was attacked by giant jellyfish. the fishing industry took a huge hit as the jellyfish blocked nets and killed shoals with their poison. AND they are coming back. They are busy collecting off the coast in China and are coming to Japaaaaaan again. they are SO FREAKY}

the stuff of nightmares.

pre post rambling

2009-08-08T01:20:00.000-07:00

hello! i am home.

disclaimer - this will be a verrry long post. ごめんね

before we begin, you need to meet chuck.

The night before leaving for Shiretoko, I went to the dvd rental shop to return my late dvds (whoops) and ended up playing crane games and winning chuck. We aren`t all that sure what exactly Chuck IS... but it`s an uncontested fact that Chuck is amazing. And a great travel companion.

He features in most of my photo album. Quite lame, i admit. But I am nothing if not lame, so there you have it.

Also, big props to my 2 guest bloggers - Kym and Tom for doing such a stand up banging job. 50 points to each of you. Such capable, amazing golden nuggets.

And thank you for all who offered... I had NO signal for most of my trip, so I only saw your offers when I got home. Most definitely be taking you up next time!

With no further ado : LET`S GO!

modes of transport

2009-08-08T01:14:00.000-07:00

i ain`t a fussy traveller. i don`t care about things, BUT transport is important to me!! it should either be scenic or comfortable or really really hysterical. {that`s why i do NOT like flying. especially the 20 odd hours it takes me to fly home from japan. super boring}

TRAINS ROCK ME SIDEWAYS. whoop whoop!

After our 7 hour train ride, we caught a tour bus. I can`t say this with more enforcement : Japanese people are in love with organised tours. I like going off the beaten track a lot, but I will admit, Japanese bus tours are insanely well organised and easy. They make travelling pleasurable.

Also, they are often superbly ugly.

Look at this gorgeous red velvet chair. And the curtains were purple and pink. And it had silver and gold chandelier dangly things. South Africans will understand me when I say that it was a few porcelain figurines away from being an old Afrikaans ouma se huis. And our bus was called `The Twinkle Bus`

Gorgeous ferries.

Little known fact about Sarah : I love boats.

Not the beach.

Not the sea too much (scaaary)

but boats?

fan-frigging-tastic!

people

2009-08-08T01:11:00.000-07:00

As you might have learnt from Tom`s quest post, I like giving people nicknames. I name everyone. {except for the cute little old Ainu woman above. She is just `little old Ainu woman`}

Here are some people I met on my trip :

Our tour guide. I called her `Phyllis Chatty McTwinkleBus` because she did NOT stop talking. About everything. Not just interesting things like waterfalls and Ainu culture, but also waxed lyrical for aaages about Japan`s largest carboard box factory that we drove past. A cardboard box factory. I know it`s her job. But wow.

This is our bus driver -

Danny The Man Valentino.

We caught the ferry around the coast line. While we were waiting to get on, we met some of the captains. The one on the left looked like some famous actor... but I couldn`t remember who. So I said to my friend Carl `Who does Captain Boy look like?` and Carl said `obviously, Whoopie Goldberg`. And so, until the end of time, he will be called Captain Goldberg. The one on the right was adorable, and so nerdy. And so going with the Jewish theme, we called him First Mate Nerdstein.

We had a lot of people on our bus. The Hatleys - this adorable elderly couple who wore amazing hats. The McGrinningans - a wait for it REALLY grinny couple. Rebecca Loveless - a lone girl traveller who kept staring out of the window. The Bin Ladens - this group of old women who wore black scarves as hats. A lovely couple who just moved to Sapporo from China - {I can`t wait to hang out with them in Sapporo }who old Chatty named `China`... when she checked if everyone was on the bus, she would just yell out `China??` bwahahaaa. Oh, Chatty...

And my favourites : The Darlings. On the first day we named them the Nose Browns because they were sucking up to Chatty a LOT. But, as we got closer to them we realised how cute they were... adorable little married couple, so we renamed them.

I also loved this family who I christened Fam Damily (which is what my uncle pete says when the whole family is together `Oh look... its the whole Damn Family, only we aren`t allowed to say the word Damn near my gran). They had a million children and the eldest one seemed to be controlling all the little ones. I called her The Slave Child. That`s why you have a lot of kids, right? So the elder ones can cook and clean and stuff :p

food

2009-08-08T01:10:00.000-07:00

because we went to the coast, the seafood was wonderful.

the sushi was super soft and melty

and the crab was amazing

and we ate amazing ice cream flavours * bear bamboo grass
*lake fog * pumpkin *asparagus *lily

my favourite food was the potato dango - hot potato balls.

we ate

* pumpkin

*cheese and

*becambe (water lily seed)

mmmmm delicious.

Ainu culture

2009-08-08T01:01:00.000-07:00

The Ainu people are considered by some to the very first Japanese people. I know that terminology with regards to this kind of thing is always very complicated so you should read up about it if you are interested.

Much like the Native Indian people of America, the Ainu were discriminated against and nowadays, it`s difficult to find anyone who claims to be 100 % Ainu.

Less than 100 people speak the Ainu language. It makes me a little heart sore to think about all the culture and language we have lost due to discrimination all over the world.

We participated in an Ainu fire festival in the Ainu village.

I wrote my wishes on the slip of bamboo and placed it to be burnt.

A lot of what I saw at the village was wish based. There were tons of wooden animals and statues that you placed both hands on and spoke your heart`s desire.

I wished on all of them.

nature

2009-08-08T01:00:00.000-07:00

Shiretoko is most famous for its 5 lakes and the beautiful drift ice during winter... which i will have to go back to see...

Japanese people consider Shiretoko to be one of the most beautiful natural places in Japan.

The Japanese crane reserve was amazing.

A few years ago, there were only 13 cranes left. Until a group of people decided that if the cranes died, so would the essence of Japan. And now there are a few hundred in the reserve.

90 % of the time, this lake is covered in fog... the story goes : if you go there for the first time and it`s clear, you are cursed. Young women : your marriage will be delayed by 4 years. Young men : it will take you 4 extra years to find a good job. And if you are old? Sorry for you, your life span gets chopped by 4 years. Lake of doom!

This baby volcano smelt like eggs.

We didn`t see any bears, which was sad... BUT on one occasion, we decided to go for a walk to find the nearby town and we stumbled into a random meadow that was full of wild deer. They were so beautiful.

Our tour guide, Chatty, at one stage, pointed at a field of deer that we drove past and asked The Slave Child if she thought the deer were cute. Slave Child nodded. And Chatty looked sad... `well... thats a pity. You see, there are too many deer in Shiretoko. But because it`s protected by the UN, hunters cant kill the deer. And so, this field has a whole lot of deer food in it. And if the deer wander in by themselves... thats their own bad decision. Today wild and free. Tomorrow, Bambi burger.`

The Slave Child looked appalled.

THE END.

Sarah By Tom

2009-08-06T14:43:00.001-07:00

So I had a long blah-blah-blah post written. But then I reread it and realised that it was boring. Hopefully this attempt will be more successful. I find that when writing a blog post, it is just best to go with the flow and not think so much about what you are writing. And, yes, that was very cliched of me, but nef.

Since I am lucky enough to be a Thursday's Guest Poster on Sarah's Blog, I have decided that I want to write what I love about Sarah. There is lots to write about Sarah. She IS a very interesting and multi-faceted and dynamic and funny and witty (soooooo fudging witty) and appreciative person. She is also very intelligent and quick on her feet, and this translates into such funny moments that make one crack up.

One such moment was the video below. This was taken by me on my cellphone in our new bookstore, where Sarah and I had such good times. I was always incredibly happy when I had a shift with Sarah, and in the end the management had to separate us, ostensibly because we were "the cream behind the counter" and they wanted some chocolate mixed in with shifts (yes, really) but in reality because I think they hated The Two Of Us (tm).

Anyway, our store was in a very dead shopping mall, and so we always had tons of time to fool around, which we did (perhaps also explains why management hated The Two Of Us). In this video below, we re-enact a Death-By-Stapler scene.

It's completely silly and stupid, but I LOVE it everytime :)

Or here, where we give ourselves a pair of luscious lips

Or here, where we (or rather, Sarah) gave names to regular random people who would frequent our store. Like Lonely Religion Boy (i think that was his name?) who made it a habit of coming almost every night to the bookstore and looking at books. Don't ever assume you are oblivious to people behind the counter. If we're bored, and especially if you're hot, we do notice you :) And sometimes we even google you (we have our ways of finding names) and track you on facebook :p

Indeed, one such hot man was Hot Lebanese Man... (but unfortunately my googling skills weren't up to tracking him down)

Alas, whilst we never really got far with THESE hot men, we were hit on once or twice by OTHER men. Sarah was hit on by a man who gave her a CD of a South African band she detests. And when I say 'detests', I mean it in as full a sense as possible. It was deeply ironic, slightly freaky for Sarah, but utterly hilarious for the rest of us. Or Shakti (Sarah's bestestestest friend) who was hit on a man from Congo-Brazzaville, who gave her a musical card that played Mozart's Fur Elise and who asked her - in a very, very long letter - to marry him and return with him to Congo-Brazzaville to have his babies. This isn't a story to entertain - it's a fact, folks.

But for the most part, we just had a whale of a time goofing about and enjoying life with such joyfulness. One just cannot help but glow with radiance, happiness and confidence about her - and it comes ever so naturally with Ms Richmond :)

Us - on the floor in the bookstore. Just cos we wanted to see what it was like.

Itchy Knee Sun!

2009-08-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

Moshi-moshi, Arigato Everyone! Clearly this isn't Sarah as Sarah would actually know how to say 'Hello' properly in Japanese and the closest thing that could ever make me a cool 'Japanese' person would be the Hello Kitty sun shade I was peer pressured into buying:

It's me, Kym from www.beecreative.ca. Sarah has given me the honor of writing a guest post for her as she deceives little children with fake games such as the infamous "South African Janken" - just kidding, she's on a 3 day trip with friends and wanted to keep you guys entertained while she's gone. For some of you who know me, you know that I love Engrish which is one of the things I love most about Japan, or Asia for that matter. I had the brilliant idea of posting some awesome japanese facts or videos, but what's the point? Sarah's got first hand experience with that stuff so I thought I would post a video that I just saw today, its pretty old but i'm sure its still funny to those who have seen it before. The premise is that this kid's mom cancelled his World of War Craft account and his brother caught him on video having an awesome freak out session.

The best part comes at exactly ONE MINUTE AND ELEVEN SECONDS. I pretty much pressed rewind and watched that moment several times. hahaha!

Lastly, since Sarah is away, I thought we should all work together and leave nice little interesting comments for her. Please complete this sentence using your wildest imagination (keeping it PG) and leave it in your comments...

"Dear Sarah, If I were stuck on an island with you, I would _________________ because you are just so ____________ that the _______________ would never end."

So Sarah, while you're away, remember:

going to shiretoko

2009-08-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

i`ve not been shy about the fact that i love travelling by train. and i leap at any chance to go anywhere. even if you want me to go and water your plants while you are away, i will make that 40 minute train trip every day(true story).

tomorrow i start a great epic... semi epic (trying to tone down the dramatics) journey from Sapporo to Shiretoko on the East Coast of Hokkaido. It`s faaaaar. I could write a novel during that time. But I won`t. I will be playing chess. And doing my crossword puzzle. And napping. Ah Japanese trains

Shiretoko is an UNESCO World Heritage Site - Nature all the way.

Bring it on.

i would love to go during the winter and go diving under the ice... maybe next blizzard season? Sounds like a plan!

{looking for some blog babysitters for while i am away!

the freaking awesome and superbly famous Kym will be writing a guest post for Wednesday. Any takers for Thursday and Friday? sjc.richmond@gmail.com}

Also, the lovely Olivia Rae featured little old me on her blog. Please have a look at her site. She is one of those positive people who make you feel happier just by seeing how happy she is!

You will win ten points from me....

2009-08-03T02:10:00.000-07:00

if you can guess what the heck this Japanese advert is actually advertising.

What were the advertisers thinking?! It is so straaaange. If you can say with complete honesty and one hand on your heart that you knew what this ad was for, then I will give you something nice. But I don`t think that will happen.

And, as the guy who posted this video on YouTube said - the music? It`s an annoying little ditty that will get stuck in your head FOREVERRRRR!!!!!! Good luck.
(also, once you discover what this advert is for, please let me know if it in any way encouraged you to go and buy the product. Spanks interweb people)

p.s i got a little carried away finding japanese ads. if you care, take a gander at these :

I love this ad... it`s for Okinawa- the Southern most paradise island of Japan. We are BEACH! you can learn some Japanese too!

this is looooong, but reminds me of my kids!

the things one does when one is (apparently) a bit cuckcoo

2009-08-03T01:02:00.000-07:00

everyone meet jun

*hello jun!*

jun is pretty much my new BFF and favourite person in japan land.

he is an 英語の先生 English teacher and baseball player extraordinaire. I, Sarah, understand this about baseball : they use a ball and bat and run in circles. I come from a lovely former British colony and so I was brought up on a robust diet of rugby and cricket. And when JunJun asked if I wanted to go watch a game, I said sure. Always up for learning. And I thought that maybe I could learn how to be a score keeper... I used to do cricket scoring back home, how different could it be?

Bwahahahahaaaaa.

Jun`s team, Ocairns (hello boys!) play in a league that has games at odd times of day.

For example, Sunday`s game started a little before 6 AM.

Thus, this is what it looked outside when Jun and Tyson picked me up at 4 AM.

pitch black , because all the lovely normal people were sleeping peacefully. Not leaping into a giant white car completely strung out on 2 hours sleep and three cups of coffee.

Awesomeness abounded. Although I still understand diddly squat about baseball. But that didn`t seem to deter me from becoming a special team member (and photographer for the website). I think one thing that made me so happy was that back in South Africa, I have a lovely giant group of guy friends. I, of course, have my beautiful girls who, you know, got mah back and shizz. But I miss my boys. Here in Japan, I am always surrounded by girls. Which isn`t a problem, because they are lovely, but I have been in need of some friendly male company. I didn`t realise how much I missed being one of the boys until yesterday.

my new friend Moe - the 12 year old daughter of one of the players. Dugout buddies.

After baseball, we went home and napped, then met up at the Sapporo beer festival, followed by bowling, a bar, karaoke and a two hour conversation outside a 7 - 11 where I snapped my new umbrella in half with my bare hands. Brute strength.

Next week, game is at one. One in the afternoon. Thank the pope and his little red hat.

Gloomy Bear is scary ass

2009-07-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

Japanese characters are world renowned for being super かわいい　kawaii. Right?

Well, meet Gloomy Bear. He was created by a Japanese artist called Mori Chack as the antithesis to Disney and Hello Kitty. He believes that humans and animals are incompatible because animals are wild by nature. So, according to him, the birds would never actually style Sleeping Beatuy`s hair in prep for her wedding ... they would peck her head off.

from wikipedia : Gloomy, an abandoned little bear, is rescued by Pitty (the little boy). At first, he is cute and cuddly, but becomes more wild as he grows up. Since bears do not become attached to people like dogs by nature, Gloomy attacks Pitty even though he is the owner. So Gloomy has blood on him from biting and/or scratching Pitty.

I took these photos on a recent trip to the arcade. His blood stained claws are scary. All my friends really love this character and spend bazillions of yen trying to win him. I will stick with my giant fuzzy hamsters thankyouverymuch. I am one of those scary cat chickens who, when i was younger, couldnt sleep after watching Scooby Doo. The cartoon. Very embarrassing. But true.

In which Sarah makes a decision

2009-07-30T00:17:00.000-07:00

I`ve never been an indecisive person. I don`t quite weigh up two sides of any decision. Ever.

Move to Japan? Sure! Why not? When should I be packed by ?

And it usually turns out A*OK.
No regrets.

The only thing that I regret not choosing wisely is when I am ordering food and I can`t quite decide between A or B and I choose B, but my friend gets A and A IS FREAKING AMAZING and B is neither here nor there.

That really grates my carrot sideways if you know what I mean. It`s like - Why do you make the dish look so good in the menu photo?! ARE YOU TRYING TO TRICK ME?!

Moving on.

So I never really sit and ponder my decisions much. I`m not deep enough for all that internal analytical nonsense. I think I would drive myself dilly.

Recently, all the games I have been making at school involve dice. So, I have to carry around my box of dice wherever I go and, on occasion, i have found dice in interesting places. My makeup bag, my pockets, my shoe at home (that one is a complete mystery). So I have been using the dice in my pocket to make decisions. It really saves me time!

my place of work! screams maturity!

At a bar and you can`t decide what drink to get? Roll the dice. What movie to see? What to cook for dinner?
I have been rolling with the decisions of the dice. All those little things that you don`t really care about, but waste time on deciding can be solved with the flick of a wrist.

Yesterday I asked the dice : `Should I move apartments? Even for yes, Odds no`

The dice was even. hoorah hoorah!

Seems I`ll be moving apartments sometime soon folks!

I currently live in a JET program government owned flat. Which was ok when I first got here and when I thought I would be in Japan land for 1 -2 years. Now I am getting into my 3rd and I am beginning to realise that this is my life...and not just some stop along the way, I am craving something more permanent. Something more... mine.

久しぶり！

2009-07-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

こんにちは！久しぶりだよね。。。最近は本当に忙しい。

Hello everyone and sundry! Been a while.

School ended last Friday and I have been on the go ever since. On Friday, I had the grand task of giving THREE farewell speeches in Japanese, so I was pretty stressed out (one was in a traditional Japanese ceremony on stage and my speech had to be like 5 minutes long). And saying goodbye to my kids and goodbye to a chapter of my life (everything is about to change), so times were nuts.

Since then, summer vacation started. I don`t actually get a holiday, I am on the JET program and I am employed by the Japanese government and so I am treated like I am Japanese. I have to take paid leave if I want time off... since I am going back to South AFrica for Christmas, I am saving my leave for then! SO, I am busy working at the Sapporo Board of Education - making an elementary school English textbook.

BUT still prancing about doing other things!

Making New Friends : this is the beautiful Korean- British Bo. She is lovely and she shares her umbrella with me when it rains at festivals.

Hanging with old friends! Hello Carl! Carl was a JET for 3 years and he is currently living in Hawaii with his Japanese fiancee studying his masters in Asian studies. Carl is the most fluent foreigner in the whole world. He is pretty much Japanese. And I missed him a lot this year. And i FREAKING LOVE his tshirt! bwahaha.

Going to the SAPPORO BEER FESTIVAL. Every year, in Odori Park, the big Japanese beer companies have a beer festival. I consider this my time of year to shop for friends. People laugh at me, but it`s TRUE. I always make the best groups of friends at the beer garden. Last year I went home in August, so this is my first real full time summer in Sapps. and I am taking ADVANTAGE! The friends we made here last year are fantastic, and this year I am on the ball.

Eating cherries at the cherry festival.

Eating corn at the あいあいfestival (this is Summer. She is moving back to the states in 2 days. I will miss her. Sigh, goodbyes)

Taking tons and tons of puricura (sparkly photo stickers)

winning giant furry hamsters in crane games at the local arcade.

It is so freaking humid. My poor hair. POOF into an afro every day. This new hairstyle probably explains why pretty much every day people have been telling me I look like Hermione from Harry Potter. I don`t know why people tell me I look like irritating people :( so sad inside. NO HERMIONE!

Pretty good for 4 days of non - vacation!

my memory of an icon

2009-07-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

*housekeeping : sorry for the abandonment... things are busy lately. trying to prepare for the end of school. i will be back on track and ready to rumble soon.*

It was Nelson Mandela`s birthday this weekend.

I remember when I met him. And when I say met... for someone of Mandela`s calibre, one doesn`t actually meet them as such. One stands in the same space for a moment in time. I have been so lucky to have done this on three occasions. But it`s the second one that stands out for me the most.

I was lucky enough to have grown up in a family 100% against apartheid. Quiet activists if you will - nobody ever got arrested or anything. I don`t condone racism at all. But I do believe that if you grow up in a racist environment with a racist belief system shoved on you, then it`s a little more difficult to form your own opinions. I was lucky enough to have a family and a childhood of equality even in the swansong of the apartheid era.

I worked night shift in a book store during my university days. It was located in a shopping centre quite busy by day, dead by night. But at the change of the shift, there were always tons of people milling about. South Africans are not a quiet bunch. We don`t really subscribe to the silent respectful Japanese way of life. No sirree. But on this day, the minute Nelson Mandela appeared in the doorway of my book store, the entire shopping mall went dead. People stopped talking. Sandwiches half way to their mouths, CDs clattering to the floor. People gaped and, as a collective, we stopped breathing. It sounds so dramatic, but the air was sucked out of the building. The hair on the back of my neck stood up... my scalp prickled...my hands went clammy.

His bodyguards and great grandson entered the store with him. Immediately, everyone else filed out to give the elderly walking stick aided icon some space. People were crowding around outside the book store. No shoving, no pushing, not a sound.

He chose some books and paid for them. Smiled at me and said, thank you. I looked at him like a monkey. He just said thank you TO ME? Hah.

I went around the counter and spoke to his grandson who was playing some portable gaming contraption.
`is that fun?` i asked
`meh. it`s ok` mumbled the teenager
`are you any good?`
`no. i lose all the time`

Nelson turned to us. He opened his mouth to unleash some wise words about losing and not giving up and such... passing on morals to the next generation.

`I tell him not to mind. He can just take the batteries out of the game, that way it resets and nobody ever knows how low the score was`

As he turned to leave, one of the women standing outside started singing a traditional Zulu song. If you have ever heard any of the Zulu anthems from the apartheid era, you know how haunting they can be. Madiba stood and listened with his head bowed. When she had finished, he started walking out. Everyone started clapping. I don`t think anyone knew the words through which to convey the level of respect and thanks we as a nation feel for him. We applauded him as he left, an old bent man who had saint like status in our country.

When Michael Jackson died, I felt sad. Death generally affects me in that way. But I didn`t mourn him. I mourned the passing of a human being, but I didn`t know Michael Jackson. When the day arrives that Nelson dies, I... I don`t know what to tell you... a part of my country will die too.

we merely see him and we lose the ability to move a muscle. Nelson Mandela is not just someone from the history books. To South Africans he is... South Africa.

Happy Birthday Madiba

drive me somewhere! thank you!

2009-07-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

one thing i sometimes miss from home is driving.

bwaaaaaaaaaaahahahahaaaa! that is false. i do not drive. i do not have a licence. so what i should say is - one thing i sometimes miss from home is being driven (shout out to friends-who-used-to-drive-me-places! domo arigato)

South Africa has no subways. South African buses are scary ass... once, i got stranded in ghandi square for 2 hours and i thought i was going to die. so, in South Africa, we drive (*ahem* or are driven). And i miss it sometimes. i love trains. i love walking and riding my bike. but car rides around town are superb! superb i tell you!

yesterday my friend Kiyomi drove me to have indian food!

meet onsenmanjukun! he is adorable!

it was just awesome. who would like to drive me tomorrow??

P.S. This week sucks. And next week will suck. I am leaving this school next week Friday... I have been here for TWO YEARS and have watched my little nunus grow up. I am being `upgraded` to high school, but half of me wants to stay here. Damn you CHANGE! So this week has been full of last classes. Kids have been crying. I have been sniffling (WHAT`S UP WITH THAT? I NEVER CRY.) Lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth. And the kicker : they have been singing. And giving me cards. And dancing. Why do they have to be so cute?!

Often, the things I say are just complete nonsense.

2009-07-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

it`s a widely known mathematical equasion that :

1 x foot

plus

1 x mouth

equals

sarah the fool (that`s me)

I haven`t been sleeping very well. My nights have been tossy and turny leaving me excessively groggy in the mornings.

This renders me unable to speak Japanese very well. By now you know that my Japanese level operates by this mantra :
speak to amuse! shun grammar!

And while I can have many an amusing conversation with many an amused Japanese person, if you add lack of sleep or an excess of alcohol, I turn into a mumble jumble nutjob.

This is the story of What I Said To My 15 Year Olds At Lunch Time. subtitled : I most likely won`t live it down anytime soon.

I eat lunch with the kids - in Japanese Junior High Schools, the school provides (a really top notch delicious) school lunch and the kids eat in their home room classes. I eat in a different class every day. Lately, I haven`t been all that hungry (I can never eat when it`s too hot outside). So yesterday, I didn`t finish any of the dishes and one of the girls asked me if I didn`t like the food.

Usually at school i don`t speak one word of Japanese to the kids. That`s not my job. There`s a country full of people for them to speak with. But if I am speaking to a student who is just not getting it, I don`t want them to walk away from the conversation with a lack of confidence `oh, i can`t speak to foreigners`... so I help them out.

Yesterday, she wasn`t getting me explaining that I had eaten enough. My head was pounding. My eyes were glazed over. So I responded in Japanese and told her :

いっぱいたべた。　Which means `I have eaten a lot` and is pronounced `Ippai Tabeta`

Only, that`s not what I said.
I said　おっぱいたべた。　Which is pronounced `Oppai Tabeta`. One little vowel difference. `Ippai` to `Oppai`. What does `oppai` mean?! Boob. It means breast. I told my kids that I had eaten somebody`s boob.

`Oh no you didn`t!`

Yes. Yes, Elvis. I did.

And now the kids yell おっぱい！　Oppai! at me down the hallway.

It`s just so not raven.

if / when you visit me, i will take you here (part 2)

2009-07-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

part 1 being this kaiten sushi place of love.

In downtown Sapporo, you will find the best gosh darned Beatles coverband in the whole entire world. I challenge you to find me someone better (triple dare you, in fact!)

The Brits Beat Club is amaaaaaazing!

I remember the first time we went there - it was my very first weekend in Sapporo ; I had been in Japan for only two weeks - the first week spent attending a conference in Tokyo. My friend Patrick suggested he show us his favourite places around town and he took us here. And my life has never been the same :p (over exaggerate much?)

The band (called Finger Pie) consists of 4 members, all complete masters of their instruments. It reaffirms something my friend Cathryn and I came up with back in high school - GOSS - Guy On Stage Syndrome. Take any guy, add a stage and a musical instrument and WHAZAM instant cool. These boys are all freaking phenomenal. And in the two years we`ve been going there, their repertoire has grown to include U2, Coldplay, The Verve... any British artist with a smidgen of credibility.

when shaks and tom came to visit, we went!

I think one of the things i love the most about BBC is that when the band isn`t playing, they become the bar tenders... so we sit and chat with them about the weather and such. I remember back in the day, chatting to the guitarist and telling him that i wanted them to play at my wedding. Only my Japanese was bad bad bad then, so I think I may have asked him to marry me (??) but bygones.

If you come to visit me, I will take you here.

P.S. Nikolett, Jo and Jordan, I cant comment on your blogs. why why? I cant type in the verification code. Is it just me or is blogger going through some mental issues?

P.P.S Would anyone like this Kentucky Chicken Bucket Chandelier?

Come on... you know you want one.

nostalgia

2009-07-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

i have a secret

I don`t really like summer.
I can almost hear the gasps and shocked silences echoing through the halls of blogdom. I don`t much like the heat and don`t much like the uncomfortable stickiness of the season.

BUT summer has one saving grace (apart from the ice cream)...

the rain

i love love love rain. And today, in my little nook of Japan, it`s raining all drippety droppety greyness that makes me strangely happy. i`ve never understood my love for rain. the very nature of it - the ominous colours, the dull light - is supposed to put me down in the bottom of the dumps. But it doesn`t.

Rain in Japan does bring out one more thing in me.

Nostalgia.

Nostalgia for the rain of my African childhood gone by. The rain of Japan is very silent and inobtrusive. Much like the people.

The rain of Africa comes at you with the force of a Greek God

it takes over the sky...one bit at a time...
until complete erruption signals that no matter what humans, as self proclaimed rulers of the planet do on a daily basis, we are no match for the earth itself.

It`s a lot like Africa itself. My continent has all this power bottled up inside. The power to do as much good and create as much beauty as it has to completely destroy itself.

I want to sit on a window seat in my holiday home in the bushveld and smell the thunderstorm in the thatch roof. That`s what I`d like to do today.

P.S. Thank you for your video comments. And I say this with a lot of love and respect for you all - What the heck are you talking about?!?

Good grief people! I`d give you my accent! Here - have it! The South African accent (often confused for an Australian one) is not really a coveted commodity. I hate hearing myself speak. Hate it. I had a brief stint reading the news on the radio. I ran away.

PPS Hello Brooke`s mom!

Videos!

2009-07-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

Haha. Like I said, I am not great in video mode. a bit of a loser, in fact. But here they are anyway. The first one was shot on the train to Furano about SA Janken and the second one is from Christmas (for Thomas. I miss you Tommy!) ... we were supposed to talk about the joys of Christmas, but became completely sidetracked by whether or not Anderson Cooper is gay.

We went to Furano! Only we didn`t actually get there!

2009-07-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend was interesting. I would say `the best laid plans ...` etc etc, but that would imply that we had plans to begin with. Instead of travelling with disregard to schedule. This weekend was originally a road trip - most of my friends in Japan are Japanese... and really busy. Slowly, in the lead up to this weekend, they started having to cancel because of work (bar my friend Masaki who randomly decided to go to Australia to run a marathon without telling anyone). So by the end, it was just us 3 foreign frauleins and we ended up having to take the train. Yay Yay Trains!
Only now, we had lost our travel guides. And, none of us 3 really bothered to research anything. We just went to karaoke on Friday night, got home at about 3 am, packed and left Saturday morning at 9:30.

The slow train journey took about 3 hours , with us changing trains a few times and taking pictures with the random characters on random platforms.

We also shot the video explaining my South African rock paper scissor creation... please don`t judge me on this video. I am awful on camera. I hate it.

We had booked a hotel through our usually trustworthy travel agent Mika. She gets us amazing deals - her hotels in Korea were awesome... I dream of those hotels.

But for some reason, she put us in this `town` called いくとら　Ikutora about an hour away from Furano. It was basically this - a grass field in the middle of nowhere -

With one traffic light and a (as you can see) really busy main road.
We stepped off the train and laughed for about 20 minutes because we were well and truly NOWHERE. Oh Mika. Why did you put us here?! There was nothing (beautiful nothing, but nothing nonetheless). Absolutely zippety doo dah. But for some strange reason, we loved it. It was one of those moments where you think - I never would have come here... I never would have been here at this moment in time.

The town was featured in a famous Japanese movie called ぽっぽや　Poppoya - about a train man in the middle of rural nowhere (pretty apt place to shoot) and so the movie soundtrack (completely haunting music) was played all over town. This dead quiet place with beautiful music echoing through the streets.

We kept looking at each other and canning ourselves.

Or saying how we felt like we were in Signs or (insert any horror movie). It was completely amazing.

富良野　Furano Day Deux

2009-07-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

i heart furano

One of the things about travelling by train, especially in the `wilderness` is that train times are quite few and far between.

It forces you to travel slow and enjoy the view.

It forces you to try teach people how to jump like a cheerleader go celeste go!!

Or to laugh like a loon atop a grassy knell in the middle of nowhere.

Furano Day Two AKA : We Actually Got Ourselves there and Things I Love Bout Furano.

The Flowers.

I can`t begin to describe how beautiful they were. The colours and the smell... I fell in love with the smell of Furano. I had to steal these pictures from the website of the flower farm because my photos didn`t do the colours justice. I would live in these fields in a heartbeat. Like a fairy. Or a hippie. Or a hippie fairy.

We didn`t make it to the asparagus cheese ice cream place, but we did eat Lavender ice cream! I`d heard mixed reports about it , but I loved it. (I think I would have loved anything about Furano at this point)

Because Furano is The BellyButton Of Hokkaido, (the geographic centre of the island) there is a Bellybutton shrine and a Bellybutton festival.
Next year I would love to paint a face on my stomach and dance with a giant red hat! It`s so strange! :p

This isn`t just a Furano thing, it`s an all around Japan thing -all train stations have stamps for you to stamp into your scrap book. I love this idea and it always reminds me of my best friend Shakti - when she came, she collected the stamps... we ran around all the stations looking for the stamp booth. I always stamp things in honour of you , Shaks! <3

The weekend didn`t turn out as planned. We didn`t get to the winery, nor the cheese factory nor the beer jam place. But I think it turned out the way it was supposed to. It was a great birthday (thank you for all your lovely wishes! xx)

trains trains trains trains! how i love you!

I`m getting very very old

2009-07-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday is my birthday.

やばいやばいやばい

I`m turning twenty five.

That`s half way to 50.
And a quarter of 100.

Basic maths. Sad times.

I`m not one of those people who has a bucket list or a bunch of things she needs to accomplish by a set date. I admire things like clocks and calendars and diaries because they help the world maintain a smidgen of order. But one thing I`m wary of is letting the notion of time rule my life. I`d much rather let experiences and love and, dammit, life itself have its way with me. So although I cringe inwardly at the mere thought of 25 , I blame that on society :p and not because I am scared of a wrinkle or two.

There are things I want to do. Things I want to see. People I have yet to be changed by. But I`m in no rush. When we start trying to keep a checklist, it becomes more about ticking things off than about actually doing those things.

I got a pile of cards from my kids today -

Apart from the beautiful Obama one you can see there, the gems of the bunch were
`Dear Sarah Sensei , Happy Bathday. Let`s enjoy.`
`No Sarah? No LIFE! yeah! Birthday!`
`Dear Sarah - You come around. My heart beats endlessly. I will come again and again. Happy Birthday`

And the classic card with a drawing of a monster holding a giant knife climbing up a building while being chased by a squinty eyed wolf that simply said , `Merry クリスマス｀　Merry Christmas.

I`m going away for the weekend! Yay! We are travelling by TRAIN (my absolute favourite way to travel) up to Furano - a town about 3 hours away from Sapporo. It`s famous for lavender fields, beer jam and weird ice cream (asparagus flavour?!)

P.S. I am going to try and make a video depicting South African Janken from the last post. Haha. I can`t explain it. It`s a visual thing. I just need some sidekicks. It`s a project for the train ride!

I lie to small children

2009-07-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

So far, I`ve taken the liberty of presenting myself to you on this blog as a (generally) decent type person. Here is one reason why I am not so :

I lie to my students.

Actually, worse, not to my Junior High kids. To the Elementary school ones. Little 7 year olds who`ve done nothing to me bar the odd poke on the butt and awkward snapping of my bra straps in front of the PTA. I straight out lie.

But I have a defense. I swear. In many instances I have no choice. Walk in my shoes for a moment if you will : - imagine this. You`ve arrived at a school and placed in front of about seventy 6 & 7 year olds in a gym. You`re then told that there`s no real plan for this class so would you just please go ahead and do whatever you`d like to do for 40 minutes. Only catch - the kids can`t understand a word of English. But they`d like you to teach them something English based and cultural.

The first time this happened, I`m pretty sure the look on my face was priceless. And it prompted one of the teachers to make a helpful suggestion : `Teach them one of your childhood South African games!`

Great idea. But for one thing : WHAT THE HECK is a cultural childhood South African game?! Seriously. There aren`t any. And the few songs I do know? None of them are in English - they are in Afrikaans and Zulu and are rather embarrassing to perform.

I did what I had to do. I made something up.

One thing you should know - rock, paper, scissors RULES Japan :

My teachers play it in the staff room. News readers play it. The kids gather round in groups of 20 people and play it all together (often I have no idea who the winner is, it goes so quickly). I`m 93 % sure that members of parliament use rock, paper, scissors to decide on votes. It`s called `janken` in Japanese. And I play it every day of my life.

So I created a South African version : -

Bushman beats Hunter

Hunter beats lion

Lion beats Bushman

THIS IS A FABRICATION OF MY MIND.

And I feel a bit bad about it because I taught it to about 20 different Elementary Schools. That`s hundreds of kids. Kids who might one day go to South Africa and try play South African Janken with other kids. Kids who will then look at my former students like they are completely and utterly nuts as my students prance around growling like a lion or ululating like a Kalahari bushman.

South African friends ; one day, if a Japanese tourist comes up to you and challenges you to a game, please go along with it. It`ll ease my conscience. Thanks in advance.

kanji and the art of embarrassing yourself

2009-07-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

When I say - `I am about to tell you an embarrassing story`, i can tell that the first thought that runs through your head is this - That`s just not possible. Sarah is so full of class and dignity and grace, she wouldn`t ever do something to cause herself humiliation.

I don`t know where you got such a lovely bunch of hogwash from.

I am one of those people who falls down, drops things, spills things, sets things on fire (my own hair, twice), who yells out `wow, he`s HOT` just as the room goes completely silent and everyone turns around - on a daily basis. My grandmother was the head mistress of an all girls Catholic school and everything she does is with the posture and finesse of someone who aced their way through charm school. And she raised me with the hope that I would be the same. I`m not.

This story really isn`t all that embarrassing as it is funny. I don`t air my embarrassing stuff out in public. I would die of shame. Die I tell you. But I thought I would start small.

So I moved to Japan (that you know, right? :p ) and the first thing that hit me was that I didn`t understand anything. It was like being in a foreign country (hahaha). If you don`t know anything about the Japanese language - all you need to know is this - it`s made out of THREE different alphabets. One called katakana which looks like this セーラ　(that`s my name), hiragana which looks like this ありがとう！(which says arigato! or thank you) and thirdly, Kanji (ancient chinese characters) like : -

my favourite kanji. This says みらい　or `future`. I don`t know why I like it. I just do.

And when you write, you mix all three like this - 南アフリカから来ました。　Which says `I`m from South Africa.`

I desperately wanted a kanji name. Kanji is so freaking cool. So, I set about finding one that matched the syllables of Sarah - Se & Ra.

I started with Se - 世　which means World.

Ra was a little harder. There aren`t all that many Ra kanji - so I found a bunch and asked my friend Masa what they meant. The one I liked best was this 裸- and I asked him to translate. He said `noodle`. And since my family calls each other `noodle` (Sarah-noodle, pass the salt, please etc) as a term of endearment, I thought that 世裸　World Noodle, would be a fitting and apt name.

Only, he didn`t say Noodle.

He said Nu-do.

Which means naked. And for about 3 weeks I went around showing everyone (my students! friends! boss!!) my new kanji name - 世裸　World Naked.

I should have had business cards made. Only I`m not so sure people would`ve known what kind of business i was in exactly.

P.S. I would have auctioned my Africa Cheese Miracle off on Ebay and made my millions (retired on miracle cheese money). But alas alack - I have no forward thinking. I ate it! It was delicious)

This is not a very good post because the heat wave is killing me, but you can still read it if you want to

2009-06-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

hothumid　じめじめ
brain melting puddle
no。 more。 sun おねがい

I cannot function today. I photocopied the lunch menu instead of my worksheet. I took a box of dice to class instead of my chalk. And as with most days of brain shut down, I have a full day of classes.

The computer from last week is dead. I killed it. And the guilt might kill me. It has a large sign in Japanese saying `This computer is broken.` Oh the guilt. 本当にごめんなさい! weep weep.

Last Friday Teej and I went to my favourite Italian place in Sapporo station. I love love love it ... it has the best Italian food in Hokkaido and I have a small crush on the economics student - waiter who is just so lovely and who brings me pencils to do my crossword puzzle with. But then again, I have a crush on everyone and anyone who does something sweet.

I digress.

The point of mentioning the Italian dinner was not to waft lyrical about the loveliness of waiter boy. It was to show you the MIRACLE CHEESE INCIDENT! I ordered my favourite pizza and when I was just about to eat one of the final pieces, a bit of cheese slid off onto the plate and it looked like this :

IT`S AFRICA!!!!!!!!!!

Right!?! do you see it???? do ya do ya? It`s almost as miraculous as that woman who saw Mother Mary and Jesus on a sweet potato once - I remember watching it on Sky News and thinking - `PAH. Since when does that happen?`
Well, it happened to me folks. My own little Cheese Miracle. Ah Africa. I miss you , but you`ll always be close by.

Now, if you`ll all excuse me, I am off to go and sit under a fan until it`s time to go home and I can have a nap in a bath of ICE CUBES.

air tennis

2009-06-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

going dancing tonight with these boys - the best air tennis team in Japan

whew, close game

P.S. I have broken one of the computers at school! I was just sitting being all normal and stuff when it suddenly went black black black! Eeeeeee!!!! やばい！　Thus, I am going to run away and hide from the evidence (cowardly cowardly Sarah! Is that how you were raised?!). Will be offline most of the day. Check up on blog land later. Over and out. Sarah the Fugitive x

They came home bearing gifts!

2009-06-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

The Japanese school calender is very set in its ways. You know that come rain or shine, hell or high water, earthquake or alien invasion : every year around August, the school will hold its school festival, around November - the chorus contest and every June, school trips! In Sapporo, the 3 年生　or third graders all travel down to Aomori 　青森　by train or ferry.My third graders came back yesterday. I was so glad to have them home - school has been awfully quiet. It`s nice to hear them murdering each other in the hallways outside the staff room again.

If there is one thing about travelling in Japan it`s this : every prefecture, every city, every town is famous for something.

Something to see - the Himeji Castle in Aomori ...

Something to eat - Aomori Apple Curry

No matter WHERE you go. For example, when I went to Hakodate I was told - Go up the mountain and See the Night View! Eat いか (cuttlefish) ! Visit the Goryokaku! And I did these things. Amidst a flock of Japanese tourists. Each town has a superb tourism hub. You know exactly what there is to see and do wherever you go. And each town is amazingly proud of what it has to offer - and without fail, if you mention to a Japanese friend that you are planning on going somewhere the first words out of their mouth will be `you HAVE to eat ...` (insert whatever food is famous in that region). Japanese people are serious about their food. It`s no joke.

So last year, when the previous third graders left, I asked them - What`s Aomori famous for? The answer? - Apples. Everyone knows about Aomori apples. And when they said , `Sarah sensei, what おみやげ souvenir would you like?` I did what I was brought up to do in these situations - I waved them away, `No no honey. You don`t need to buy me anything. Save your money.` But I learned two things since then -

1) Apple Mochi from Aomori is SO DELICIOUS I could eat it ALL DAY and 2) souvenir shopping is half the reason Japanese people go travelling in the first place. You would not believe how much time money and dedication is spent finding the perfect souvenir for the perfect person. Literally half the holiday. I have born witness to the frenzy that is souvenir shopping. Remember Domokun? Look at him above - dressed as an Aomori apple. There are thousands upon thousands of souvenir shops around Japan... and it`s Japanese custom to return with something for everyone in the office. Whenever anyone comes back from Tokyo or Kyoto or Okinawa I get a nice little cake or biscuit on my desk the next morning.

This morning I was given a MOUNTAIN of stuff from my 3rd graders. When they left last week, I didn`t even let them finish the question about what I wanted.

`Sarah sensei what would y -...`

`APPLE MOCHI BRING ME PILES OF APPLE MOCHI!!`And they did. I have boxes of it. As well as some little apple characters. This little fellow looks like he is crying a bit. Maybe because I put him on top of a box of Apple Mochi.. and inside some of his friends have been sliced, diced and pounded away. Into deliciousness.

Lemon kisses

2009-06-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

Haha. I`m not one for maths and statistics - my final mark in high school speaks volumes about my inability to function numerically, but I do love surveys. Especially about Japan. I`ve mentioned this site before - What Japan Thinks - I love learning things about the culture I live in that I otherwise probably never would have known.

Today I read about First Kiss Thoughts in Japan and apart from funny but pretty international thoughts like `yuck` , `Will we continue to marriage?` , `What did she have for breakfast?` and `Did she cut her nose hair?` , there was one that made me laugh the most

`It doesn`t taste of lemons!`

I have never ever heard this before - I`ve never even thought that a kiss was supposed to taste like a lemon... have you? Is this just a Japanese thing? I think it`s a wide spread idea in Japan - I asked a friend and she said `That`s what I grew up believing`. I think it`s rather cute. And I can just imagine a whole array of Japanese teenagers having their first kiss and being dismayed that there was very little zesty lemon-ness involved.

On another note - last weekend, this couple Erin Finnegan and NoahFulmor, became the first couple to get married in zero gravity aboard a Boeing 727.

(trying to) kiss the bride

floating vows

diving for the bouquet

When, if, etc etc I ever get married I would want to do something fun. Maybe not news worthy fun, but I would need some excitement. My attention span is only this long ***** you know!

Around the World : Summer Solstice Stonehenge

2009-06-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

Firstly - thanks everyone for the very very nice comments on yesterdays post. I won`t lie to you, about ten minutes after I posted it, I suddenly had this overwhelming desire to delete the thing. But people had already commented and I sighed and thought - Sarah, don`t be such a pansy. I guess I just don`t like attention all that much.

But yes, moving on :p

Things I want to do in my lifetime - So many things, as you know by now - The Dakar Rally, going for a nice relaxed sail around the world , the list is pretty endless. I read something new every day and think `Ooh! Let`s do that!`As long as it looks fun and there are bright colours and magic abounds, count me in.

Last Sunday was the Summer Solstice and I read about this festival in the UK where people flock to Stonehenge to see the sun rise on summer.

Next year! Who will come with me?

I mean... a PARTY at STONEHENGE?! Arb!

A Chapter in the Story of Sarah

2009-06-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

Last week, Kristin asked me `Why did you move from South Africa to Japan?` and then said she would go look for a post in my blog archives that would explain my transition. I thought, `did I ever write one?` and went looking myself. I hadn`t. I`d never so much as mentioned the word Why. I just left my old blog, chronicling a somewhat average life in Johannesburg and started this blog about my new ex-pat existance.

Why did I move from here...

to here?

There isn`t much of a stand out reason. Just many small parts of my life that culminated in this giant need for me to live more. I have had a rather eventful life in terms of things I have seen and things that have happened to me. I don`t tend to speak much about my life because it seems to generate pity - something I cringe at. I don`t like people feeling pity for me in any way. Just as much as I don`t like feeling pity for others, instead I like to be inspired by adversity - pity is a pretty useless emotion, don`t you think? Compassion and inspiration are much better uses for our time. But I don`t keep my life story hidden, like a closet worthy skeleton. I just don`t like my childhood being what defines me. I would rather people judge me on my character... does that make sense?

By the time I was 14, both my parents had died - my dad when I was 10 and my mom when I was 13. The death of parents is one of those things that happen to everyone - some people just have to go through it a little earlier than others, which is a tad inconvenient. I became one of my brother`s guardians and we were adopted by my grandparents - my mother`s parents - and by default, my mother`s 4 brothers. I often say my childhood was a little unique (although what the heck is a normal childhood anyway?) because my uncles were my uncle-brothers and my gran was my grandmother-mother : everyone had dual roles. My grandparents are the most phenomenal people I know. But after the death of my mom, his only daughter, gramps slowly became defeated by alzheimers and during my university years, the majority of my time was spent watching the disease take my gramps away. Too many things in my life seemed to happen too quickly - it was like looking after an aged father, only I was 19. I think in certain ways, for me, watching my gramps was harder than sudden deaths of my parents.

Jumping forward to 2006 when I graduated with my honours degree, I suddenly felt as though I was able to do anything I wanted to do. My brother was in the air force and would be training and flying around the world, my Uncle Dave had moved home from Dubai and my gran had moved in with him... suddenly I didn`t have any responsibility. My family have never ever pinned me down, but - chalk it up to my nature and a healthy sprinking of catholic guilt - I always felt a certain sense of duty. And suddenly I was free from those thoughts and the world was open.

In my honours year I had met Ikumi - an exchange student from Japan and she had fascinated me with her culture and stories of her country. I knew I had to travel. I knew I had to use my sudden spurt of life to get somewhere. I had studied Japanese history and politics, although now I know that you never really know anything about Japan until you come here... American movies about Japan are like Wikipedia versions of scientific papers... handy, but a little... wrong :)

At that time I had a professor who was obsessed with Japan. He told us of the wonderful people and places - he visited Japan every few months. He told us about the JET program - a teaching exchange program- and encouraged us all to apply. I had just won a scholarship for my masters degree and had done a few months of it when I got into JET and decided to go. I thought I would live in Japan for one year... it`s been two, I am about to start my third and everytime I think of leaving, my heart breaks a little - melodramatic, Sarah! But true. Japan is under my skin in every way. I have never been more happy. And although I miss my gran, my brother, my uncle-brothers and every picture of my friends on Facebook shows what I am missing, I just know that right now this is where I am meant to be.

My parents loved to travel. They loved culture and language - my mother was a Maths and Zulu teacher - charismatic and addictive, she could have anybody eating out of her hand. She taught me that meeting people and having your viewpoint changed is the most important thing - education is wonderful, but seeing and living defies anything that can possibly come from a textbook. People question my decision not to finish my Masters immediately (I strongly dislike naysayers - people who question other people`s life choices)- I intend to, one day. But rushing these things never seemed that important to me. I had the choice to go straight from my honours to a PhD, but at 21 I knew that wasn`t the right path for me.

I live and I am happy. And right now a large part of that is because of Japan. And that is why, no matter how long I stay here, Japan and I will always be indefinitely connected. Who`s to say how long I will feel this in love with Japan. I miss Africa and all that comes with it - you can`t have a childhood on the continent without it being a part of your very being. But now I have two places to love.

Isn`t that great?

That`s the long answer, Kristin :)

a bit of an `around the world` smorgasbord for a sunday!

2009-06-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

Randomness abounds!

I know about the famous La Tomatina festival in Spain, but I didn`t know about the relatively new one in Colombia last Thursday -
I`ve been involved in some food fights in my time (I went to boarding school so it`s as expected as hockey games and midnight feasts), but this looks insane. And dirty.

The Royal Ascot has never really been very much about the racing... going to see the horses is more an excuse to wear a large hat.

This year, the hats were less fashioney and more... abstract. And now I am craving Quality Street. I always liked the green triangle the best! Reminds me of Christmas.

And finally - a nice bit of PATRIOTISM! go Bokke go! Our rugby team whipped the Lions (a combined British and Irish team) in the first test... and I have no doubt they will win the series.

Bliksem hulle, boys!

dear sarah where have you been?!

2009-06-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

times have been busy.

We made some very lovely gay Japanese friends and have been drinking about town with them. The one thinks I look like Britney and introduces me as `my friend Brit` to everyone. Let the record show that this is a false opinion. He works in a gay bar and has invited us to go - i am very excited by this as Shaks and I used to go to gay bars with Tommy back in South Africa and the drag queens always used to hug me.

I have eaten about 6 times my own body weight in sushi.

I have been marking essays while eating kitkats - this one is Chinese Jasmine Tea flavour.

Tarnjeet and I tried our hands at Ikebana - traditional Japanese flower arranging.

I love how scared Teej looks in this picture - the woman teaching us was about 80 years old , 2 ft tall and had purple hair but was intimidating as hell!

I know what you`re thinking - Pah! Flower arranging!

How hard can it be?

it`s HARD!

I got roped into doing tons of arts and crafts at school in my free lessons. Do you like my paper bear? The kids call him Jonas - as in The Brothers. Poor bear.

I`ve been stopping to smell the roses.

Also went to a 2 day high school English camp and lectured about African politics - I love my students... they are awesome. And they baked me cookies.

So I had very little time for my cyber life. But I missed you all! And I think i caught up on all your blogs??

I hope so!

robots and more street dancing

2009-06-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

A scientist in Tokyo created this little chef robot - he specialises in cooking Japanese pancakes. He mixes batter, flips and serves.

I need one of him... maybe I can place a pre-order? I would treat him well and call him Neville. And he would make me breakfast. Sounds like a perfect relationship.

This week is quite on the insane side of life. I have to lecture high school students on African politcs- which is not an easy job, as I have only a few 50 minute classes in which to cover an insanely large topic and do it in English. Poor kids. They are going to Australia to attend high school for a month and so we have to do a total immersion course for them. Throw them in the deep end. I expect lots of glazed lost gazes.

Yosakoi update - the winner was the same team that won last year. And second place was the same too. They cried and cried. The men cried so hard their eyeliner ran. It was cute. The one thing I can say with certainty is that I don`t see any of the boys I know back home doing this kind of thing. And wearing that much makeup or that many sparkly kimono sets. I admire you, secure Japanese men!

How gorgeous are these umbrellas? I must buy one.

the university astronaut team! Here they are, waiting for lift-off ...

and here are the evil black and red aliens that they have to fight off to save the planet.

They rocked my socks.