I have caught the bug - the gardening bug, that is! Now I don't walk past a flower shop without oohing and ahhing over the peonies and lilies. Ai and I each bought a gardnia bush and are eagerly awaiting the fragrant blooms.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
I vant to suck your vlood!
Philip Glass performed a "cinema concert" to the old Dracula movie with Bela Lugosi.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Identical cousins?
Everyone tells me, my sister and my two cousins Madoka and Midori that we resemble each other. I take that as a most excellent compliment!
Peace and yakitori
It's the 50th annual St. Mary's Bazaar! We enjoyed tons of food from around the world, excellent live music from student bands, saw lots of people and participated in a Scandinavian drinking song where we downed a shot of aquavit and a mini fish sandwich. This happy St. Mary's dad was very cooperative with my photo request.
coming home to the hyatt
ahh, the Hyatt Regency Macau. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Thou art 5-star, with room service and air conditioning, a big beautiful room and view of the ocean, breakfast buffet with strong hot coffee (actually all of Macau had wickedly good coffee) and the biggest outdoor pool in Macau, a sauna, delicious restaurants, and the nicest staff waiting on me hand and foot. During the day I had the whole of Macau to explore and discover, and then I had you waiting for me at the end of the day to come back to. Have I found heaven??
Saturday, May 14, 2005
bright shining lights
Macau is very definitely a major gambling spot. But the glitzy, modern, $$$ culture seems to be in very good harmony with the historical and natural culture of Macau too. I liked the balance of of the business and aesthetics.
Friday, May 13, 2005
looks like modern art, but isn't
These were 'signals' that are put on the top of the lighthouse in Macau to warn citizens of typhoons and other natural disasters. Each shape indicates a different level of danger. They looked like museum pieces to me!
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Lotus blooms
Many beautiful displays of flora in Macau - these purple lotuses were at the rooftop garden of the Macau Museum.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
The Military Club
Amazing buildings like this are all throughout Macau. At night the pillars are lit up and look like something out of a movie. The main dining room is one of the nicest I have ever seen, with tall, tall ceilings and colonial-style decorations. With the delicious dinner we had the Portughese white wine that was served on the night when Macau was handed back over to China.
A night at the races
Macau has Asia's only dog race stadium. 4 times a week, anyone can go and bet on the superfast greyhounds. i wagered on "Cat Master" who made a good effort and came in second. don't blink, or you'll miss them.
Living on the edge
just another day in macau sitting at the edge of the Macau Tower, some 250 meters high!
Morning exercises
In a Chinese-style garden in the middle of the city, the locals gather to practice Tai Chi, sing and play music, and channel Li Mu Bai from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Fresh juice, anyone?
Fresh squeezed kiwi juice looks delicious and refreshing on a balmy Macau day out sightseeing.
Macau!!
Oh what a trip it was!! This is from my first day, on the island of Taipa. Macau is made up of Macau (a peninsula, attached to mainland china), and the islands of Taipa and Coloane.
Macau is beautiful!
Macau is beautiful!
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Golden Week Getaway
Also I have been told that there are very good egg tarts.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Treats from Beige Tokyo
These are some of the delectable treats that were served at Alain Ducasse's press conference. They are from his first Tokyo restaurant, Beige. The one of the right was most excellent - a pile of candied orange peel atop a mini tarte citron.
Alain Ducasse
Celebrity megachef Alain Ducasse was in Tokyo for a press conference about his new restaurant, Benoit, opening in September in Aoyama. As a member of The Press (I think), I attended and got to meet this amiable, elegant, warm gentleman. Champagne was served and the view of Tokyo from the 9th floor of the La Porte Aoyama building was enchanting. I never cease to be amazed whenever I get to a high enough elevation to get an aerial view of the city - it truly is a Metropolis! I gathered enough nerve to introduce myself to him towards the end of the conference, and he told me he was looking forward to seeing me again in September at the opening. Ooh la la!
Sunday, April 24, 2005
omatsuri
The annual Akabane Matsuri took place today and from the balcony I had a most excellent view. There was an endless stream of marching bands and I felt like I was in the scene in the Godfather part II where the young Vito Corleone (portrayed most excellenty by Robert De Niro) decides to take matters into his own hands and kill the big Don of Little Italy in New York. There is a big religious festival taking place at the time, with lots of similar-sounding music like the music I heard in the streets of Akabane today!
Saturday, April 23, 2005
bon appetite!
I escaped from the office last Friday, on what had to be the nicest, sunniest, most-perfectly-warm spring day so far. Ai was heading to get her nails done in the area, so we zigzagged through the sidestreets off Omotesando to Le Bretagne, a crepe and galette restaurant that we had been to 4 years ago with Pop. This traditional cuisine from the Brittany region of France is made from buckwheat flour, and filled with such delectables as cheese, ham, mushrooms, eggs and salad greens. Ai had the salmon and egg galette, while I ordered the "healthy" crepe with swiss cheese and greens. Chilled vichyssoise to start, a glass of organic apple juice for Ai, a bowl of cidre for me, and a shared pomme crepe for dessert - perfection!
Thursday, April 21, 2005
ibook+ninapod+popo
Popo is a great companion and makes funny snoring sounds when he sleeps. when you walk through the door, he acts like it is Christmas and never fails to make you feel you are his favorite person in the world. apparently he will throw himself against certain Tickle Attackers who like to torture Ai, in an attempt to save her. what a sweetie pie!
she was asking for it!
Ai was playing around with my phone last night, and I thought she had just taken a couple of photos. today, sitting at my desk at work, I picked up my phone and discovered about 17 new photos all similar to this lovely shot. i burst out laughing and most likely made my coworkers wonder about my sanity.
thanks for putting some comedy into my day aibo!
thanks for putting some comedy into my day aibo!
the real stuff
After a hard day at work where i HAD to accept free cosmetic samples from Avon, I had a great dessert of kusamochi, imported directly from Niigata this morning by a Famous Actress/student of Ai. They came bundled up in (according to HK) banana leaves and were an amazingly beautiful swamp-green color. Perfect with a cup of green tea.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
morning dennys adventure
one of the great things about tokyo is the abundant fine dining choices. but every once in a while, i need to go to Denny's!!! i love denny's. their menus are fun to look at, the service is basic and no-nonsense (if a little amatuer-ish), the food is well priced and pretty good. i love breakfast denny's especially. this morning, i went with ai before heading off to work. i recommend the ham and egg japanese style meal.
spring has sprung
on the veranda, the droopy cilantro plant suddenly bloomed into gorgeous white pink flowers. the yellow pansies have been going crazy ever since i came here two months ago. i heard the first cicadas start their meeeee meeeeeeeee meeeeeeeee sounds yesterday morning. summer is just around the corner!
Saturday, April 16, 2005
the return of jack, er, ai
ai came back safely to tokyo and brought back many fun goodies to share with her family and friends! for herself, her favorite purchases were some fantastic tropical print sandals from Paolo, Nordstrom's exclusive shoe brand, and two tubes of arm and hammer dental care baking soda toothpaste. she discovered a great store called White House Black Market in Seattle that sells, need I say it, white and black clothes. this is genius! keeping a basic wardrobe with simple colors and going crazy with the accesories is the way to go, in my book. this way, you don't run into quite so many problems coordinating your articles of clothing due to fuschia not mixing with puce. this theory works for cooking too. a big plate of al dente pasta with a little fiery arabiatta sauce works via the same concept as a chic beige suite with a crimson scarf tied around the neck.
anyway, ai looks like she is channeling jack white in this photo, taken when we were going through all of her overseas purchases. popo is just happy that she is back.
anyway, ai looks like she is channeling jack white in this photo, taken when we were going through all of her overseas purchases. popo is just happy that she is back.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Let's go!
I took the boys for a walk on a recent Sunday. It is just the end of the Hanami season, so we sauntered to a nearby park and took in the last of the beautiful white-pink cherry blossoms. They were very good boy and didn't try to run away, as I had been warned one of them might attempt to do. The sight of them earned many ooohs and aaahs and 'kawaiiiiiiii's from the residents of Akabane. They were pooped (and they pooped) by the end and once back home, took comfort in lying down on the cold stone flags of the genkan and slurping up lots of water. I can't wait for our next outing!
not just a dream
AG performed a solid set at Star Pine's Cafe in Kichijoji. I was amazed at how the songs that I have come to know well can sound so different when performed live! I though everything sounded perfect, and I loved the intimacy of the venue as well. May I make one request? bring back the organ song!!
Sunday, March 27, 2005
AG
Check it out! Now available at your nearest Tower Records (as long as you live in Tokyo): Avant Garde's first mini album, "Just a Dream"
Chuchu and popo for prime minister
This photo reminds me of Prime Minister Koizumi's poster when he was running for his office in 2001, the one with the caption "さあ！変えよう、自民党”which translates to "Come on, let's transform the Liberal Democratic Party!" or something.
Rue Favart
Ai and I discovered a cozy and chic restaurant in Ebisu. The ceilings were painted with bright red poppies, butterflies and bees, and from the third floor window-side table where we had dinner, we had a cool view of the entrance to Garden Place. What a find!
Friday, March 25, 2005
ooh la la
Be careful, because you just may be blinded by what is in that unmistakable seafoam blue bag from Tiffany.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Birthday dinner
Ai is 27!!!!!!!!!! Still in her 20s, DUDE. HK made steak, pasta gratin, salad, tofu with wasabi and ginger, and also ham with avocadoes. It was a feast! it was delicious!
Monday, March 21, 2005
watchful protector popo
Ai has been sick in bed for the past few days, but is feeling better. just in time for the big B-Day!!!
Saturday, March 19, 2005
what's cookin'
It's ホルモンat the tented yakiniku restaurant in the Akabane arcade. What's ホルモン、 you ask? you may not want to know, but it's tasty and fun to cook. At the end of the meal, Hiroshi wanted to heat up his soup, so he put the metal bowl right onto the hibachi. just don't ask the waiters for extra plates...
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Chuchu post-salon
Recently my life has gone from a lot of cats to a lot of dogs. I still consider myself a cat person, but when they are as cute as this guy, it's hard not to love them.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
playing with phones
I love my cellphone. It is my hobby. I never had a cellphone in Seattle but I use it every 5 minutes in Japan. Notice the goth rhinestone cross cover on my phone, a gift from my sister. It has generated many compliments, my favorite so far being, "Nina, I didn't know you were into that kind of thing."
no idea who the guy in the back is
Out for lunch on a recent sunday in Marunouchi with the Buerges. Food, weekend, fun city, great company. What's not to like?
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Ato-manx?
There are four types of Manx cats, called (I love this) the stumpy, rumpy, rumpy-riser and longy. With long hind legs, a prominent tush, round eyes and face, extra-thick coat, rabbit-like hop and unusually small meow, doesn't it remind you of certain black kitty seen bopping around Seattle?
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Keep looking up
I was taking a walk late last night and noticed an especially bright star that twinkled and sparkled as spectacularly as any rock that J.Lo's got. The whole night sky, in fact, was aglitter with stars. It reminded me of a funny scene in "The Lion King", where the warthog Pumbaa and meerkat (apparently a relative of the mongoose and prarie dog. Neither a cat, a goose, nor a dog. Dicuss.) Timon are lying in the grass, looking up at the stars.
Pumbaa: Timon, ever wonder what those sparkly dots are up there?
Timon: Pumbaa, I don't wonder - I know.
Pumbaa: Oh, what are they?
Timon: They're fire flies - fire flies that got stuck up in the big bluish black thing.
Pumbaa: Oh. I always thought they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away.
Timon: Pumbaa, with you everything's gas!
When I got home I looked at a chart of the winter night sky, and found out that the sparkly dot was Sirius, the Dog Star.
Pumbaa: Timon, ever wonder what those sparkly dots are up there?
Timon: Pumbaa, I don't wonder - I know.
Pumbaa: Oh, what are they?
Timon: They're fire flies - fire flies that got stuck up in the big bluish black thing.
Pumbaa: Oh. I always thought they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away.
Timon: Pumbaa, with you everything's gas!
When I got home I looked at a chart of the winter night sky, and found out that the sparkly dot was Sirius, the Dog Star.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
a film to see
I have just one full week left in Seattle before I leave for Tokyo. I'm very glad that I decided to take my mom's advice and planned to stay in Seattle for about 6 weeks before leaving. It's given me time to digest the upcoming change and get things in order without feeling the need to rush. Also I have plenty of time to take advantage of the things I will miss about Seattle, like beautiful crisp air and inexpensive produce and libraries where I can check out excellent movies like "Touching the Void" and CDs like Radiohead and make MD copies to take with me.
A little more about "Touching the Void". Have you seen it? NO?? Never has a movie left me with (sorry for being un-lady-like) trails of snot running down my nose from crying. I remember seeing previews for the film last year and thinking, "I will never watch this, I hate scary people-falling-into-bottomless-crevasse movies like this." Oh how wrong I was. It's based on a true story about a mountain climbing adventure gone very unpleasant. There's re-enactments with actors, using very little dialogue. Nothing is melodramatic, even though it's a weighty and existential story. The breathtaking mountain scenes and landscapes do so much in communicating the loneliness and struggles that the characters go through. But the real show stopper is what's said in the on-camera interviews from Joe, Simon and Richard, the actual people. I really can't describe it, it's just amazing.
Oh, and the score is beautiful too.
A little more about "Touching the Void". Have you seen it? NO?? Never has a movie left me with (sorry for being un-lady-like) trails of snot running down my nose from crying. I remember seeing previews for the film last year and thinking, "I will never watch this, I hate scary people-falling-into-bottomless-crevasse movies like this." Oh how wrong I was. It's based on a true story about a mountain climbing adventure gone very unpleasant. There's re-enactments with actors, using very little dialogue. Nothing is melodramatic, even though it's a weighty and existential story. The breathtaking mountain scenes and landscapes do so much in communicating the loneliness and struggles that the characters go through. But the real show stopper is what's said in the on-camera interviews from Joe, Simon and Richard, the actual people. I really can't describe it, it's just amazing.
Oh, and the score is beautiful too.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Groundhog Day
It's that special day again - did Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? Will there be 6 more weeks of winter?
Judging from the spring-like weather in Seattle these past few months, the answer is no.
"Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray and Andie Macdowell is one of my favorite movies. It's hysterical. Bill Murray is genius!
"This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather."
Deja vu, anyone?
Judging from the spring-like weather in Seattle these past few months, the answer is no.
"Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray and Andie Macdowell is one of my favorite movies. It's hysterical. Bill Murray is genius!
"This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather."
Deja vu, anyone?
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
career week
Last week I went to many panel discussions set up by UW's 6th annual Career Discovery Week. They were all very interesting and helpful in giving me ideas about careers, and I was able to make some new contacts, too. Networking is always stressed as the most helpful thing in finding out about jobs and careers, and I am getting better at it.
Most of all, though, it was good to hear how people's career paths are very unique, and the most rewarding things are to continue to pursue your interests, and keep meeting new people and staying in touch with them, and keep an open and optimistic mind.
isn't she lovely?
the Spirit of Massachusetts, where I spent 4 amazing months in 1998.
Most of all, though, it was good to hear how people's career paths are very unique, and the most rewarding things are to continue to pursue your interests, and keep meeting new people and staying in touch with them, and keep an open and optimistic mind.
isn't she lovely?
the Spirit of Massachusetts, where I spent 4 amazing months in 1998.
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