A Long Arse Day

OMG today was soooo long!!!!

After my run this morning, I set out to Toyocho to renew my driving license. It was all going so swimmingly and I was sitting there after my eye test thinking to myself that I'll be getting out nice and early, nip to IKEA and then make it home late afternoon/early evening and do some studying.

Fat chance!!

The seminar that I had to attend for my mammoth crime of not renewing my driving license (It only expired last month and I was in England at the time) was a whopping 2 hours long!! And I had to wait 40 minutes for the stupid thing to start!! I couldn't believe it!!

It was such a waste of time. This guy gave us an envelope with some leaflets in it and he just read passages from each of them! And then we had to do this test to assess what kind of driver we are. I apparently suffer from road rage! LOL!! I was actually shocked I understood the questions!! I went into the whole thing thinking that I'd be able to switch off because my Japanese vocabulary isn't good enough, but I ended up actually listening because I realized half way through that I was actually understanding about 85% of what the guy was saying. More of a shock was that I could read 90% of the kanji in the test and could pretty accurately guess the meaning of the rest. So I guess some good came out of it!! HAHAHA!

I then met my roommate in Minami-Funabashi and we had a mammoth IKEA shop. A spree that ended up lasting 4 hours and resulted in considerably lighter wallets! We're getting all the big and heavy stuff delivered at the weekend. I'm so tired now - we didn't get back until after 10pm!! I'm looking forward to setting everything up though and putting up our new pictures and mirrors as well as clearing out the kitchen and putting away all our fabulous new stuff. =D YAY!

I just wish I had a day off where I don't actually need to do anything! I'm just like BAM BAM BAM all the time. My roommate told me she admired me because I'm not lazy and I'm always doing something. I on the other hand wish I had that day where I could just lounge around in bed all day and not have to be constantly looking at the clock.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!! I forgot to buy a clock!!!!! DOH!! They were really cheap as well! Oh well., looks like I'll have to look online or make a visit to LOFT. Argh - that was one fo the main things I wanted as well!!

Talk about productivity. The crap bit is I have a super long day at work tomorrow and a busy weekend. No rest for the wicked!

xoxo

One Down!!

I just got back from completely my first run.

When I was younger, probably between the ages of 10 and 12, I used to be a cross country runner. Then from the age of 12 I switched to sprinting. By the time I was 14, I could run the 100m in 12.46 seconds. I firmly believe that if I had stuck with it, I would have turned pro and be competing in the Olympics. No joke - it would have happened!!!!

I honestly, truly believe that.

But no, I didn't train throughout a winter and my time slowed down and for some reason i just lost all motivation to continue. I wanted to hang out with my friends instead of spending all my free time training. Definitely one of the regrets that I have about my teenage years!!

So you know that I've been struggling to deal with this extra weight gain and you also know that I don't believe in diets. I decided that ab workouts and aerobics alone isn't gonna cut it, so I decided that I should start running. When I was in London, I bought an expensive pair of Nike running trainers so the guilt that I feel every time I look at them unworn is just as motivating as looking in the mirror.

So this morning, my day off, I got up and went for a run. I wanted to go before it got to hot and now I'm back, I have a horrible feeling that I'm gonna be feeling this tomorrow!!

How far did I run? This is the bit where I'm probably going to embarrass myself but hey, whatever!!! I haven't run anything further than the 400m sprint in about 14 years so give a girl a break!! HAHA!!

I made it 2 miles. The time? Errrmmmm....do I wanna admit this? Yeh OK...but don't laugh....

15 minutes!!!!

I have no idea just HOW bad that is compared to average or what everyone else does but I know it's slow!!! I KNOW!!!! But like I said, it's been more than a decade (GOD that makes me feel old) so you can't expect me to be running like Paula Radcliffe now!! HAHA!!

I don't care - I feel proud of me. I'm lazy as hell but I don't wanna look like those other women I see at the gym!! I don't want my body to turn into that so I'm gonna try and stick with it - not every day but I think I'll start with once or twice a week. I only went today as a substitue for not being able to make it to my aqua class. I have to go all the way to Toyocho to renew my driving license and attend some breaking the law seminar. A complete waste of time and money. But then I'm heading to IKEA to get some goodies for my house. Including a mammoth full length mirror!!

=)

Off to the shower!!

xoxo

Getting Back....

....into the swing of it!

2 days in a row I've made it to the gym and I'm feeling absolutely fantastic - even if I have an insane pot belly which has past the stage of being cute and is actually just fat.

It wobbles.

So gross.

That shit's gotta go....and it's gotta go by exercise alone because you all know that I have never been on a diet in my life!! Hell - I don't even believe in dieting just because I have absolutely no will power to give up any kind of cake or dessert.

I started this intensive ab work out programme this evening before I went to the gym. It's only 10 minutes but that was enough to leave me aching. Then it was straight up and out for a 20 minute power walk to the gym, a 40 minutes step class and then a nice stroll back home.

I even managed to do my Japanese homework for once!!! Feeling very productive and proud. =)

Now I just need to make sure I keep it up. Although to be honest, looking in the mirror and that rounded pregnant looking belly is all the motivation I need! Disgusting.

I kinda wanna blame the weight gain on this new pill that I've switched to. It is a really common side effect, but it's kinda hard to tell after taking it for just one month. I'm gonna give it another month or two and then see if I'm still gaining weight. If I am, then I'm coming straight off this one and back onto my old one!!! High risk of DVT or not!!!!

xoxo

Droopy Eyes

Rah\ - I hardcore feel like I haven't slept in days.

Even though I was in bed super early last night, I was woken up at like 5am by a message from my friend. And that's when I realised it was boiling and I couldn't get back to sleep.

I wasn't too bad going into work, but the minute I was in front of the client and getting bored senseless, I could just feeli my eyelids drooping and could barely suppress the yawns. After that, they were coming thick and fast throughout the rest of my shift.

I'm pretty sure I'll see the results of that soon enough!!

I came home with the sad intention of spending my Saturday night studying. But I'm just too knackered. Watching Season 9 of Project Runway (HOW happy am I that that's back on?!?!?) and stuffing my face with custard creams is a much more appealing option!! HAHA!! It feels like a Sunday anyway....not sure what difference that makes, but I feel like it should!!

Now i think I'm ready for a nap!

xoxo

Sticky Sticky

I'm not gonna sit here and complain about the heat.

I CAN'T complain about the heat...purely because I find winter way more unbearable. So even though it's sticky and uncomfortable, I'm not gonna complain.

But I AM gonna complain and people on the trains!!!!

Man, I seriously wish that the trains here had armrests like the London tube. It separates the seats making it harder for people to invade your personal speace. Something the Japanese love to do for some unknown reason.

I am getting sooooo irritated on trains recently. Having people sit so close to you that their arm is touching yours. It's so gross and seriously annoying!! And then the sleeve of their shirt keeps tickling my bare arm and my constant tutting and fidgeting is having little effect. It's starting to grind on me more and more and then heat is just making me even more irate.

GRRRRRRR.....

I'm just like MMOOOVVVVVEEEEE!!!!

Had a nice early finish today - 4pm. I was at head office helping out with a marketing seminar. Good money and fun, easy work. I should definitely look into doing more stuff like that which actually shows off my skills and potential instead of wasting my time on people who don't deserve it.

There's a different dynamic at the office now as well which I'm not really feeling. I thought that after I took a break I would come back and feel excited to see my clients but I don't. Not all of them anyway. And the ones that I don't wanna see, I feel are more ungrateful than ever. Honestly, it's only their lack of gratitude which is leaving me so disgruntled. Everything else I can deal with.

Definitely trying to explore my options right now - and it turns out there may just be more than I thought. =)

xoxo

WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?!?

I've spent all morning catching up with the footage of the London riots.

I'm shocked, disgusted, revolted and horrendously upset that this is happening. That road in Clapham where all that insane looting is going on? I used to live at the other end of that road. It's not only ghetto areas that are being targeted - as the looting and disruption in Ealing has also shown.

My friend lives in Croydon. She has a 4 year old daughter and lived above a florist. She told me that she watched from the other side of the road as 4 guys looted the florist and then set it on fire. A FUCKING FLORIST?!?!?!? Are you kidding me?!?!?! She watched on helplessly as the fire spread up to her flat and her life went up in smoke.

My heart broke for her. =(

Seriously - what are people supposed to do now?! I just can't comprehend why people would do this to their OWN communities. To the places that they ACTUALLY LIVE?!?!?! What do they think's gonna happen when everything calms down? There's gonna be no jobs, no stores, no amenities coz these dickheads smashed them all up and burnt them down!

The sickening part of watching the footage is listening to the youths plan what they're gonna loot and from what stores and then come out laughing and giggling, having the time of their lives. Some were stupid enough to even go in with their faces uncovered. You can kiss your freedom goodbye you idiots!

It's hard to believe that I was in London only a few weeks ago. To think that this is the next Olympic city - what kind of message is this sending to the world about Londoners?! Even through all of this knobhead Boris Johnson is still claiming that London is one of the world's safest cities. I'm sure tourists planning to come for the Olympics or on holiday may disagree. There's no knowing where the riots are gonna spread to next. The fact that they've spread to the North just goes to show that people are just doing this for the sake of. There's absolutely no reason for all of this to be going on anywhere outside of Tottenham. And even then, there's no excuse for what started as such a peacful protest turning so violent and ugly in the first place.

Thugs. You lot have a complete disregard for human life.

Absolutely disgusting.

Thank you to all my London peeps who have already mailed or messaged me to let me know that you are all OK. Since too many of you insist on living in those ghetto arse areas, it means a lot to know that you are all safe. Please stay that way.

Thinking about you all.

xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Goodbye Greys!

I finally got off my arse and made it to the hairdressers to cover my greys.

LOL - when I told my hairdresser that I wanted grey cover, he told me that I didn't have any grey hair.....but a whole load of white hair!!! CHARMING!!! At least he wasn't behaving like everyone else and pretending that he couldn't see anything!

So I'm back to dark brown. Everytime I colour my hair, it always fades in a few months because my hair can't hold the colour. That's what years of bleaching does to ya! It also means that until all the bleach grows out (only a few more inches to go), then my hair will never be one colour. I guess that's OK though - it makes it more interesting! It's good as well because I can see exactly how much my hair has grown - just over 3 inches in 7 months. That's not bad, right? Well, I thought it sounded pretty good anyway =)

I just feel like I have so much to do all the time. My driving license has expired and I really need to get on with trying to renew it because it's been more than enough now. I have a horrible feeling that I'm gonna get stung with some massive fine or something, but I do have the excuse that I wasn't sent a reminder card and I was out of the country when the card expired. Well, that's the route I'm gonna go down anyway.

I just never have the time to sit back and do NOTHING. I always have something that I need to be doing. I'm so close to having my room all sorted out - just a few more bits and pieces to do and then I need to deal with the JCom people who have refused to speak to my flatmate because the account is in my name. Ruddy Japanese bureaucracy - always makes this a billion times harder than they need to be.

xoxo

Nearly There

A week after moving upstairs, I've nearly got everything in order in my new room.

Nearly.

I was so dead set on going to the gym today, but when it started pouring and thundering, I quickly changed my mind! I saw it as an opportunity to finally start putting stuff away that has been lying around for the past week. When I moved upstairs, I just dumped everything on the floor and left it there.

A big mistake - now I can't find my contract!! (T T) I'm gonna have another look tomorrow, but I have a horrible feeling that I might have thrown it away when I was sorting through a load of documents and chucking out really old stuff. DOH!

Was really hoping to bake some brownies and even get some study in, but tidying up has ltierally taken me hours and now I'm knackered - plus it's like 11pm and I really can't be arsed! Gonna try and get this last bit of tidying done before I make it to bed.

xoxo

お疲れ様！

I am totally saying that to myself! LOL!

I'm absolutely knackered after what turned out to be a really busy and productive day. I feel just as tired as I would have done if I had gone into work for the evening shift that I normally work on a Wednesday. I decided to start cutting back to save myself from hating on my clients too much (if that's possible).

So I was up at 8.30, walked to the gym and did a 30 minute aqua dance class. It felt amazing after 2 months away but I was really feeling it afterwards. After the gym, I went to the supermarket and did a mammoth food shop. I decided that I was going to try and cook both lunch and dinner as far as possible, not only to ensure I don't eat a load of crap, but to also save money. I was in the supermarket for way longer than I planned and stocked up on shit loadsa meat, fish and fresh fuit and veg. I managed to run up quite a bill but I decided that I have no choice but to pay the extortianate prices over here if I'm to maintain any kind of healthier eating lifestyle.

I was planning on walking back home, but I had so many bags and jumped on the train. When I got off at my station, it was absolutely tipping down and I got so soaked - I don't know why but whenever it's disgustingly hot and humid, this country never seems to turn on the air con, but when it's cooler and pouring (levaing me soaked and freezing), the air con always seems to be on full blast. I was absolutely freezing on the trains all day. I got home and just had enough time to put my shopping away and get changed before I had to head for my Japanese lesson.

Still pouring and still freezing my arse off on the train. I was wearing like canvas pumps and they were completely soaked right through, leaving puddles of water in my shoes. Lovely. I'm definitely gonna have to throw them away for sure.

After my class I had to head to Aoyama for my wax. I had some Russian girl who I had never seen before do it and I'm never gonna let her near me again! For some unknown reason, she took an HOUR to do it - an HOUR?!?!?!?! The longest it's ever taken has been like 40 minutes! Definitely inexperienced though because I haven't had a wax that hurt that much in absolutely years! On top of that, I got told that from October, the price is going up by like 1000yen! Ufffff....that is soooo expensive for a wax. I used to do it myself but it took me ages because it was always difficult to rip the wax off myself. It's made a nice change to just lie back and let someone else take care of it - but at a price of 6300yen?! Not so sure about that - I'll have to see if I can find somewhere cheaper...although I remember when I was researching salons before, most of the credible ones were at least 6700.

Then it was back to my place and time to make dinner. On the menu tonight was a squid, avocado and mushroom salad (marinaded in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsely and salt and vinegar) with rice and edamame. It was rather nice if I do say so myself! I've just finished all the washing up, made and onigiri and fruit salad for lunch tomorrow and now I just feel so exhausted that I'm debating going to bed. I haven't even had a chance to do any tidying in my room today. =(

At least it was a productive day off. I'm still looking forward to having that day where I don't have to do anything. It's gonna be every other Sunday come October.

xoxo