Friday with the Fam in Seattle

Thought I'd get some shots of the tree as we've just finished decorated it last night. Now that I've been back for a day or so it's nice to appreciate little things about America. Although oddly enough I really miss being in Japan already!!!

Sometimes things here just don't compare at all to Japan.

The day after I got here though I had to give a presentation in my sisters Japanese class about Japan. JEEEEEZ it started early, and I had to speak in all 5 classes. By the end though I was happy I came, it was really interesting talking to high school kids in America and what they thought about Japan and questions they had. I thought it was really funny in one class, they asked me how much I made so I told them, and he said, "So you're poor!" half jokingly.
I found this really interesting because in Japan I make a lot of money, and people I talk to can't believe we make so much for doing so little. Personally I think if I were to be more careful with my money I'd have a lot...but I found the students reaction very interesting.

All in all they asked very good questions and I think I did alright for giving my first presentation and speech in front of students that actually understand everything I say, except when I would subconsciously speak Japanese to the Japanese teacher. I loved that though because the simplest of things I can now say without hesitation and it feels pretty good.

Anywho, check out Mandy Pachinkins in her new Santa outfit I picked up for here in Japan.

It was so good to see Mandy Pachinkins again! And jeez I love dogs...and she remembered me, which felt good...we chilled together most of the afternoon as I lazily watched sportscenter and comedy central soaking up the boob tube since I haven't had a chance to do that in a while.

And then here we are...Saturday morning and I woke up at 5:30 and couldn't really sleep so well. Jet lag or whatever it was funky having the sun not come out till about 7:30, but that's Washington.

Might do some snowboarding today with Mark...He was the dude with his arm stretched in the first pic. The night riding at Steven's Pass looks pretty good...about 5 lifts open which is very good. Want to get in the family time though it's funny kicking it with the kids. It's only been a year but some of them have grown almost half a foot I couldn't believe it!!!

One of my favorite things about this house in Duvall is waking up and looking out the windows to have everything outside be super foggy! We live on river basically and the haziness will stay here until the sun blasts things out around 10 or 11. It's a very nice way to wake up in the morning unlike the desert sun blasting you through the windows.

Off to Florida tomorrow and very excited to hang out with the pops. It's going to be different going out and doing stuff all day and probably going to exercise all the time with the pops when I've just been sitting around here eating pizza and about 20 Christmas cookies a day, but hey I'm on vacation!!! I'll be sure to update the blog when I can(ie when I'm awake at the wrong times!!!).

I hope everyone's having a good holiday!

Gettin pumped to come back..

...!

But first...does your ski resort have a disco ball!!



ha! Japan never ceases to amaze....



...Very fun, although the park was closed, and then after an hour it started raining! Snowed on the way back home though.

Jeez I love Karin...so funny when she's dancing with the headphones on too.

Uploading some pics

...Trying to blog while the weekend is still pretty fresh in my head. Unfortunately this weekend I only had one day off because I worked for a friend on Monday. I'm pissed too because there was a big festival in Kofu, it was funny it was a hip-hop festival with people spray painting and dj's playing some pretty good hip-hop! It's funny listening to hip-hop here when nobody really knows the words, and seeing the crowd who's listening. LOL Yesterday the dj was playing Notorious BIG while people were pushing around their parents in wheel chairs while Mr. Notorious was talking about doing drugs, killing people, and living in the ghetto(this of course is very nicely put by me, not him though :P)

Here was one of the artists, had a friend painting right next to him!



I was bummed to go to work, but my buddy worked for me when I went snowboarding last month so the trade off was worth it. The day before though I really seized the day off and went to Tokyo, stopped in Harajuku to go to the H & M then off to Yokohama. Just so everyone knows, Yokohama is kind of outside the Tokyo area, but a very cool place. Lots of cafe's & cool streets, it's more of a younger crowd too, a very fun place. But Sunday was all business, snowboard expo sale. Lots of cool gear, took the train in!

Right to Left




Thought this picture of Hazuki is pretty funny, she was cold so she word my gloves. Taking the high speed train into Tokyo is so fun! Second stop...Yokohama...

By Day!(Yes another xmas tree!)



By Night!

Funky picture of the Ferris Wheel by the pier, it's a lot bigger than it looks!

We later went to meet a good friend of mine, DAVID! He lives in Kamata(South Tokyo) just a few stops away from Yokohama.


Haha he didn't realize I was taking a pic of him, we were goofing off at a bar before we found this jazz spot!



They weren't bad, it's funny just about every live jazz band here always plays the girl from impanena. Good thing I love that song because it's huuuuge out here...

...the smoking section



and the beer section!



We were able to catch a couple sets until we had to book it to catch our train into Shinjuku Station(basically the center of Tokyo) Here's a couple snaps I took as Haz and I were waiting for the last train back to Kofu!




So that was basically my really quick weekend. Still fighting a sore throat...I think I've been sick the whole month of November, I HATE IT! I'm trying everything to get better, this morning I bought a whole bunch of parsimmons I think I'm going to eat a bunch tomorrow. I also bought some vitamins so hopefully I'll kick this thing. I don't even feel up to go to the gym! Eff this hopefully I'll bounce back this week. Just was checking the calendar, 3 weeks till I go back to see fam for the holidays! Stoked. Hope everyone enjoyed the pics, sorry none in the snowboarding place having too much fun!!

Whoa I'm a horrible speller...

I meant to say no time to be wasting time but totally butchered that line....


I'M SICK AGAIN!!!!!! This time though it's a little more serious, goin to the doctor tomorrow...YUCK I FEEL LIKE...well I don't feel good. Anyways, I said in a comment that there's a lot of Hello Kitty around, I meant a lot!



and it's strawberry scented too!!


Went to a winery over the weekend, pretty fun...was walking to the vineyard and saw this house hanging parsimmons. In Japan there are two types, these you have to hang so all the bitterness falls to the bottom or something. There were about 10 houses doing this but only took a snap of one.

No to to be wasting time.....

on blogs...or basically i'm addicted to playing scrabble on facebook so everything else is being put on the backburner!!!!

here's a quick picture reference of what I've been doing...I think one of them needed explaining...ohh!!! Might as well put it first...


Getting ready to clean the litter box, chi-chi takes no prisoners!

Forgot to Mention...

TODAY IS MY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY BEING IN JAPAN!

!

Well I thought I would put up a post really quick before I bombarded this page with Disneyland shenanagins! OUCH! It's 11:30 here and I have to meet up to jump on a bus @ 6:45!!!


AHHHHHHH

Just finished a mean game of scrabble though and came out on top 275 to 245....gotta love playing SUAVE between given and pipes = w00t!!!!



Don't hate on my takin a picture of my Saturday night activities either! haha like I said I'm going to Disneyland tomorrow so I need to rest up. :)

Ok, so for those of you who wonder how many koi fish there are around here...I decided I would take a picture when riding home from work today going across a bridge... and here you are....



Yes koi(aka carp!) are everywhere here....just about under every bridge and also every mellow spot in rivers I see some pretty big ones. It's really great riding my bike to my branch though and throwing some food out and feeding them though, a small highlight of the day...besides riding my bike to work which is also very fun. I always see something interesting or almost get run over, but Japanese people are such curtious drivers I can basically ride in the middle of a lane and they will wait for me(patiently of course) until they have enough room to curtiously pass me by.

On Friday's and Saturday I ride to work, It only takes me about 20 minutes to get there, and 10 - 15 back because it's downhill. It's a nice bike ride, just enough you know! A couple songs to listen to and not really too much strain or exercise...love it actually. For some reason took a pic of lunch on Friday...funny huh :)



Yes that's salmon sushi. In America I really didn't care for salmon raw so much, but here it tatses diffrent! Better I think, I really like it a lot. Also some dried mangos, which are becoming very common with me...I love them! I think the fam in Kauai should start drying the thousands of mangos they harvest and send them to me(HINT!), btw mangos are crazy expensive here, one mango... 8 bucks! but dried aren't so bad. Somtimes prices in Japan blow my mind, grapes...5 bucks! WHHHAT....a coffee at Starbucks here, tall, $2.00~

Anyways peep my cat! She's been very annoying this week....she's getting super huge though I think she wants to get outside. I feel bad everytime I leave work because I leave my balcony open and I see her head peeking out watching me leave...hmm, maybe next time I'll take a pic of that for some proof!





Haha it was so funny when she jumped up into the freezer, I tried to shut her in but she wasn't having it...I've managed to shut her in the fridge once I thought it was very funny! Don't worry no animal cruelty going on cat's are just annoyingly curious...never really understood the whole saying until I got one....it's annoying but really funny sometimes.

Anyways it's time to say goodbye....to my Jalepenos. Winter is almost officialy here in Japan and my babies that I raised to fruitition are dying out. last night I harvested the last of them, which are incredibly spicy by the way(YES) and put them in some pasta I cooked with some scallops w00t! Also in the pic is the last of the basil...you did good minature farm on my balcony, have a good winter and hopefully see you in the spring...for just a little while :)



Anyhow that just about does it for the past couple of days. Disneyland should be interesting, hey at least I get to go for free!!! And be with kids while at Disneyland, I really wouldn't care to go there by myself...I hear Disney Sea here is pretty rad, I'll try and peep it out while I'm there. Who knows! HAHAhA Starbucks has already started playing Christmas songs here...really funny in Japan...amercia tooooooo?????