April.... already!!

I can't believe I didn't post a single entry in March!!
I'm so sorry about this!!

Let me do a quick recap of what happened in March, if I still remember... Lol!!

First of all, on the 2nd, my friends and I went to an Italian restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday.
Oh my goodness, the food was so heavenly yummy!! The place is called Osteria Bar Ri.carica. Here are the photos of what we had (except for the desserts which were just "okay").
http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1317/A131702/13152745/

platter of appetizers for a party of 5

beef stomach

pork sausages

red cabbage soup

ricotta cheese and canola filled ravioli with clams 

oyster risotto

Amazingly delicious and so filling!! I really recommend this place if you are looking for good Italian in Tokyo. But the place is quite small so you have to make a reservation and you have a time limit of about 2 hours only though... But it's worth going!! 

Another event I went to was my friend's hula dancing performance. I seem to miss her performance every year due to work or my absence from Tokyo. But this year I could make it after work!! 

She danced beautifully and she looked so beautiful in her dresses too!! It was so cute when she started grinning more than usual when she made a slight mistake on stage. No one would have noticed if she hadn't grinned so widely!! Lol!! Her teacher is one of the pioneers of hula dancing in Japan and she is still very actively dancing. She radiated youth and enthusiasm so it was fun watching her too!! If I recall correctly, she's almost 80 years old!! Amazing!! 

The only problem was that the venue where the event was held was quite far from central Tokyo. It was held way out in Kameari which is located in the northern part of Tokyo city. This area is famous for a particular Japanese cartoon character who is a local policeman named Kankichi Ryotsu and he is well known for his daily crazy antics. He and his police colleagues help the local people out and they somehow all get caught up in his crazy antics. It's a very comical and heartwarming series that have been continuing for over 30 years. 

I also had two physiotherapy sessions and a hot springs trip but I shall enter those in separate entries.

First two concerts of 2014 (February)

I was supposed to post this in February... sorry!!

So my concert run has finally started for this year!!

I honestly don't remember how many concerts and events I went to last year so I hope I can keep count this year!! Lol!!

So this month, I went to two concerts in one week.

The first was Eric Clapton at the Yokohama arena. 
This was an unexpected and last minute decision with some good friends.
I like his music and mostly know of his ballads and blues songs more than this rock songs so I was worried how many songs I'd recognize. But luckily out of the 18 songs he sang (including the encore), I knew and recognized 9 of them. Phew!! Here's the set list.

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/eric-clapton/2014/yokohama-arena-yokohama-japan-6bc54af6.html

But the thing that most surprised me was how the Japanese audience is very proper and cordial, which for them is normal and a sign of respect for the artists, but honestly speaking, very boring from a Western point of view!!! They were all seated and listening intently (which is good), clapping here and there (okay...), and heaven forbid, not shouting and whistling!! Lol!! Only when Eric sang his last song, "Cocaine", did the fans stand up, sing along and shout "cocaine" with him!! But I guess Eric knows this so all he did was sing his 18 songs straight with a few "thank you" shouts in between and left the stage quickly with only a few waves here and there. A very "interesting" experience for me...

Oh and the guy sitting next to me was the drummer's fan and whenever a rock song came on, he would go crazy and start his own "air drum" performance. It was a little freaky sitting next to him... When the ballads and blues songs were performed, he became really quite and withdrawn... The couple sitting in front of us were like stone statues!! The husband never took off his winter coat and he only moved when we reached down to get a sip from his water bottle. His wife was the same but a least she took her coat off... Even when Eric left the stage they hardly clapped and when the encore finished, they got up and left right away. Mind you, they did look very satisfied after the concert but they were so stoic during the entire performance that you'd doubt they were Eric's fans!! But the the family sitting next to them, a father and his daughter and son-in-law were very enthusiastic about the performance and were whistling, hooting, enjoying their booze and singing along. It was quite fun watching them too!! Lol!! As for me, I clapped as loud as I could and hooted too when I knew the songs. I sang along too to some of the songs and had a fun time. Not only did Eric entertain me but so did the crowd!! Well, a few of them did... Lol!!

The second concert I went to was the Il Divo concert at the Budokan.

It was great to see them on stage again!! The last time my friends and I saw them was in 2011, in the Fall after the Northeastern Japan earthquake. This time the concert was based on their latest album called "A Musical Affair". All the songs are from famous musicals. They were also touring with Lea Solonga, a famous musical actress. Unfortunately, she isn't well known here in Japan so many of the Il Divo fans weren't very enthusiastic about seeing her. I felt so bad for her and very embarrassed by the reactions and comments by many of the female fans in the audience. They were complaining about her being on stage and singing solo and not clapping as loudly as they would for Il Divo. But I personally, enjoyed her performance and loved listening to her sing on stage. Her duet with Il Divo for the song "Music of the Night" from "Phantom of the Opera" sent shivers up my spine and I had goosebumps all over!!

Here's the set list from the concert.
http://www.setlist.fm/stats/average-setlist/il-divo-5bd6d3f8.html?tour=A+Musical+Affair+Japan+Tour+2014

They are still on tour around the world and they are busy as ever but I do hope they can come back to Japan again for another performance or event!! Now I feel like watching some classic musicals on stage!! But living in Japan, all the musicals are in Japanese so that takes away the feeling I really want to get... Hmm... This is one of the times I feel it sucks living here...  Lol!!

Snow, snow and perhaps more snow...

On Saturday, February 8th, we had a record snow fall in Tokyo. 
The last time it snowed so heavily in Tokyo was right after World War II!! 
Luckily it was on Saturday so it didn't cause much trouble for those who usually work on the weekdays. Plus, it was sunny on Sunday so a lot of the snow melted that day.
I had taken a 4 day long weekend so I was off until Tuesday so luckily I didn't have to deal with any of the snow.

in the morning

in the afternoon

late afternoon

in the evening

But on Friday, February 14th, it snowed again!! Plus this time the snow piled up quite a bit!! 
I was working that night and I was worried whether I'd be able to get home alright or not. But luckily, there were no bookings for the last two slots that evening so we were able to leave the school by 9:15 PM. By the time I got to my home station there was about 10 cm of snow on the ground. It was still a safe amount to walk in so I actually had fun walking home!! I took lots of photos along the way too.

tree branches covered with snow

doesn't it look like a snow sculpture?

around 4 AM

This night, the Men's Figure Skating Finals were held at the Sochi Winter Olympics so I stayed up to watch it from midnight to about 4 AM. All the while, I kept an eye on the snow condition since I had to go to work on Saturday. The weather forecast said that it'll turn to rain in the middle of the night so I was hoping it would melt a lot of the snow. But in actuality, the rain started in the early morning and caused pools of water and rivers between the melted snow and made it very difficult to walk. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of this... The rain was coming down hard and I was afraid of slipping and dropping my phone into a puddle of rain and melted snow...

around midnight

around 4 AM

I'm a Canadian and am used to snow and ice. But that's in my hometown of Vancouver. The city has many snow plows, the residents know they have to shovel the snow. The people know what to wear (foot gear) and how dangerous driving can be. 
But here?!?!?! Unbelievable!!!! 

The shop owners and business districts do shovel the snow so it's pretty safe to walk around in these areas.
But other streets and sidewalks are not cleaned at all by the city or residents.
Perhaps only about 60% of the people in the residential areas shovel any snow in front of their homes. Or if they do, they shovel only directly in front of their own homes and pile up the snow in the middle of the road (if they aren't facing a main road)...

As for the people, mainly the women, they are wearing regular high heels in the snow!!!! Do they want to slip and break their ankles?! Do they want to get frost bite on their toes?! But I was told that the heel works as a "spike" so it prevents them from slipping.... Go figure!!

Anyways, the snow has mostly melted except for the piled up shovel snow so I can't complain much.
All I can do now is pray that the snow predicted for this Wednesday and Thursday won't be too heavy...

 

Physio 15 (Jan 2014)

On Sunday, January 26th, I had my first treatment of the year.
I was suppose to have a treatment in December last year but I had caught a very bad cold (coughing mostly) that I asked to cancel it. I thought I wouldn't be able to breathe properly from the coughing and screaming from the pain...

So, I hadn't had a treatment for over 6 weeks so my body was really stiff and bloated...
My therapist took one look at me and told me to drink a bit of water, change and get on the plinths (physiotherapy bed).

But since it's been over 6 weeks, she took it easy on me and worked on improving the circulation in my legs and then worked on getting my pelvis back in place. I say "took it easy on me" but actually, it was a lot of pain...

Then she worked on my back and just laughed when she tried to loosen the muscles. She said that usually, the back muscles should move freely and the shoulder area and lower back area can move in opposite directions. However, in my case, they moved both in the same direction only. Basically, I was like a rolling pin rolling back and forth. That's how stiff my back was.... So she started to thoroughly work on my back. Oh my, did that every hurt!! But because I have such limited mobility in my back muscles, my blood circulation is so poor and I feel so cold back there. That's why I end up sleeping on my hot water bottle at night because it's so cold and painful. But when I do sleep on it, I end up sleeping in one position so I have a very stiff body the next morning... How stupid can it get?!

Next she worked on my chest and abdomen area. It was so tight from all the coughing I was doing. Was it ever painful when she worked on loosening them. But only at the beginning. Luckily, this area is already quite flexible already from past treatments. But the abdomen area was quite painful... I felt like I had done a countless amount to crunches

Finally, she worked on my skull, face, throat, and neck. Since I was coughing so much, I had basically bunched up my entire back and neck and stomach into a ball. So this time around she worked on straightening my body out.

After the treatment, I told her how this year I want to start some kind of exercise and we talked about what I could do. She still felt it was a bit early for me to try anything strenuous but if I want to, I should go and try out different places that offer trial lessons. But the key point was "only if I'm up to it". I shouldn't go because I "said I would" in my new year's resolutions. 

She said this because we talked about stress and how I tend to put pressure on myself unconsciously.
I also told her about how I want to be able to eat a few slimy foods this year and that I've been eating a lot of bananas already. But she asked me about my appetite in general. This is because she pointed out that my body tends to "stock up" on water and food and "not flush it out normally". She said this could be due to a mental problem. What she meant was "a fear" of not having enough at an important timing. She asked me when was the last time I "felt hungry and heard my stomach growl". I honestly don't remember... That scared me!! So we talked about "when" I eat and "why". I realized that I eat because I have to go to work and that I have to stay focused with the clients I deal with. I feel that if I don't I'll end up causing problems for them and not be able to perform as well as I can. After hearing this, she pointed out that this "fear" was created out of my sense of responsibility and that it was a bit irrational. I was creating an unnatural cycle and creating excess stress for myself.

So she said that;
I need to tell myself and my body that I will not be short on food or drinks and that I can get them whenever I want.
I need to tell myself that I will not cause anyone any problems if I feel hungry.
I need to keep reassuring myself that I have enough.
I should eat what I want to and do not need to eat things that I don't like (anymore since I'm not a growing child!!).

Let's see how I do...

Happy Box 2014

Last year I had ordered what the TVXQ fan club called a "Happy Box".

Basically it's a box full of items from the fan club that was left over in their stock.

This is a common practice in Japan in the new year to get rid of old stock and to clear out inventory. Stores put those items in a bag and it's called a "fukubukuro" in Japanese. The literal translation is "lucky bag". These bags are sold at a set price. Of course the total value of the contents in the "lucky bag" is more than the actual price of the bag. For example, if the price of the bag is 3,000yen the contents may be worth 5,000yen.

My "lucky box" or "happy box", as the fan club shop calls it, had 7 items in it.
1. Hoodie
2. 2012 concert tour T-shirt
3. Summer towel
4. Note book
5. Clear file folder (set of 2)
6. Mobile phone strap
7. Sunglass shaped photo frame

I was really excited about the first two since the TVXQ members wore the hoodie and t-shirt at their concerts and events too!! As for the towel, I already had one so that kinda was a bummer to get. The other items are useful so I was happy to get them though!!

How much was my "happy box", you ask? It was 6,900yen. But the total contents definitely are worth way more than that!!
I'm glad I got it♡♪

the "Happy Box" everything came in 

File folder, notebook, mobile phone strap and sunglasses shaped photo  frame (in pink box)

Hoodie, T-shirt, and summer version concert towel

2012 concert tour hoodie

2012 concert tour T-shirt

So far...

Hmm...
Of course it's too early to say anything but here it is!!

my first bag of gummy bears for this year and month

my first "slimy" food of the year

Japanese fried chicken called "karaage"

So like I wrote in my "resolutions and restrictions", these are the things I've done so far. 

I have only bought ONE bag of gummies so far.

I have eaten a banana for a snack today.

I made karaage for my lunch box. 

I have had many suggestions for other ways to eat other slimy foods.

One idea I got that I might try is making an okura, eggplant and chicken curry. 

The other slimy foods are probably too difficult for me still... 

Whole tomatoes are on my list to... 

As for last year's restrictions, I wasn't allowed to eat any Calbee products or drink any Mitsuya Cider. 

But now I can!!!! 

So here they are!!!!

I was so happy to have them!!!!

Now I have to be careful I don't go overboard with them... 

New Year's resolutions and restrictions for 2014

It's 2014 now...
2013 definitely flew by for me!! It was a great year for me with lots of fun and lots of achievements. 

Now, I have to think about 2014 and what I can strive for and what I can do to help myself.

So a recap of last year.
I had 3 main resolutions.
1) improve my physical condition
2) study Korean
3) cook more
I was able to do all three!! (clap, clap, clap!!!!)
I have been going to get treatments from my physiotherapist once every 3 to 4 weeks and my physical condition has improved considerably.
I took the Hangul proficiency test and got the 5th level (most basic).
I cooked a lot and made my lunch boxes for work too.

I had quite a few restrictions.
1) cannot eat any snacks from Calbee
2) cannot drink melon soda or Mitsuya cider
3) cannot buy any scarves (if I do I must get rid of the same amount I bought)
4) cannot buy any T-shirts
5) cannot buy any more hand towels (if I do I must get rid of the same amount I bought)
6) can only buy 16 items at most from Eddie Bauer
I was able to keep all to all of them!! (loud cheering!!)
I didn't eat or drink what I said I wouldn't.
I didn't buy a single scarf, T-shirt, or hand towel this year.
I only bought 2 items from Eddie Bauer. I actually didn't do much clothes shopping this year overall!

It was definitely a year of achievement for me!!
I have to say I'm quite proud of myself!!

So, for this year, I've come up with some new resolutions and restrictions with my good friends.

Here they are!!

RESOLUTIONS:
1) pass the level 4 test for the Hangul proficiency test
[extension of last year's resolution but with a clearer goal]
2) travel somewhere international
[hopefully Korea and Taiwan or Hong Kong]
3) start some sort of exercise with the advice of my physiotherapist
[was advised against doing active exercise by therapist until my muscles were in a more natural position]
4) try to get used to eating one of the slimy foods in the Japanese diet
[slimy foods are quite healthy]

RESTRICTIONS:
1) cannot order or buy karaage (Japanese style fried chicken pieces) but I can make them at home
[reason] I eat way too many plus they aren't healthy and I don't like deep frying at home so much
2) cannot buy any new novels (Japanese or English) unless it's a Kindle version
[reason] I have way too many novels already at home that I haven't touched yet
3) can only eat 2 bags of gummies per month
[reason] I eat way too many...

I think I can stick to my guns this year too.
I plan to continue the last 4 restrictions from last year too. I could stick by them for a year so I think I can stick by them without having to declare them any more.

I actually drank some melon soda the other day and it did absolutely nothing for me!! Lol!! To think a year ago I was pulling at my hair cause I couldn't drink any... The nostalgia has faded!!
Have yet to have a bottle of Mitsuya cider and a bag of Calbee potato chips though. I'll hit a convenience store on the way home!! Let's see how I'll react!!

So what are  your resolutions for this year?!?!