What A Month!

I have had such a super busy social month!!!

I decided this month that I was going to leave all the men behind and focus on catching up with friends.

And catch up I most certainly did!

17 dates with friends over the month.

I'm so tired! And broke! LOL!

I got to catch up with friends visiting from ogther countries and prefectures as well as people here in Tokyo and Saitama that I haven't seen in forever!

From stalls in Ebisu to the Hyatts and everywhere in between, it's been lunch, dinner, drinks and coffee every week! It's been really great to see what's been happening with everyone and make plans.

After such a crazy month though, I'm kinda looking forward to toning it down a little this month and concentrating on planning my birthday and saving a little bit more money.

I'm seriously looking into my DELTA now that I have accrued more than enough hours for it. My friend and I were originally planning to do it together, but he is really limited in his timeframe and so wants to go back to Bangkok. Even though that would be the cheapest option in terms of lifestyle, I can't help but feel that it would be more beneficial to do it somewhere. It's looking like Istanbul is the most reasonable option at this point, but we'll see.

What a great month it's been!

xoxo

Masterchef

There are no words to describe how addicted I am to this program. 

Out of options, I've now started on the Australian version.

Funnily enough, it reminds me of my holiday in Bali when I spent hours watching it before going to bed! LOL!

I have learnt so much from that show. My mum taught me how to make desserts, but I've never taken a cooking lesson in my life and I am completely self taught.

But it's shows like this, that let people like me take their cooking to the next level. 

I am becoming seriously good at making sauces and it's been awesome looking at the different techniques to cook meat.

After about 6 or 7 attempts over the last 6 months or so, I have managed to finally NAIL a chicken madras. FROM SCRATCH. I bought most of the ingredients online and have never managed to get the balance of spices right when grinding the paste. But FINALLY, this afternoon.....it was AMAZING!!! It only dawned on me that I should've taken a picture after I have shovelled the whole lot down. 

Honestly, I could spend all day, every day in front of the TV watching this show.

The other great thing is you can find all the recipes online as well so there's always a ton of different dishes to try,

Last week I finished watching Masterchef USA. The winner was a BLIND cook. No joke - she was phenomenal and it just goes to show how important it is to understand taste when putting out a dish.

How awesome would it be to enter that kind of competition?! I just want access to that kind of super high tech equipped kitchen!!

Man, I can't wait to get my own house built. It's going to have the most insanely equipped kitchen EVER.

xoxo

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Nearly 5 months into the year, I have finally finished uploading the last of my pics from New Zealand.

The last batch, were from the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Better known as Mordor from Lord of the Rings.

When I look back on those pictures, I still can't believe I did that. I'm not a hiker, climber, trekker, whatever you wanna call them, but this crossing is considered NZ's best one day hike and I knew I just couldn't miss it. I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous as hell about doing it, as I knew it was going to be tough and everyone had warned me it could take anything from 7-9 hours, depending on the weather conditions.

It was the big one. The night before, I was in bed early, but I literally worked myself up into a complete state and couldn't sleep at all. I had pains in my abdomen, I felt sick and I was really wondering if I was going to be able to do it. I'd invested in a really good pair of hiking boots and backpack...no, you're not going to see any of the pictures of me in all that gear! HAHA! And yes, I did put make up on! LOL!

I decided to catch the early bus because I thought I wanted to take it really slow and it would be better to give myself enough time. The crossing is situated in Tongariro National Park and the pick up times of the buses are not frequent and the last one was like 3pm. I wanted to head out early enough to make sure I could make it back. As we got nearer and you could see the crossing from the window, it was just FREEZING and I felt sick with nerves. 

After I had completely the crossing, I felt so stupid for having worked myself up like that! The crossing is single handedly one of the most amazing things I've ever done - I mean, it's right up there with the Great Wall of China. The most astonishing part of it for me was that I managed to complete it in a speedy 4 hours and 55 minutes! WHAT?! I really underestimated my own physical fitness! I know I took my time, I took hundreds of pictures....although I know I was rushing at the top of the Red Crater Ridge, but that was because it was so effing windy, absolutely FREEZING and the ridge was so narrow with these insanely steep drops on either side, that I was so scared I was going to get blown off and die! a sheer drop on either side and the only way you can go is forward! I dropped to my hands and knees because that wind was no joke. Seriously, I was panicking the whole time that I was going to fall.

Mt. Ngauruhoe is the real name for Mt. Doom. It's where Frodo and Sam dropped the ring into the lava at the end of LOTR.  It is such an impressive sight and I had actually set out with the intention of climbing it. When I got closer and the sheer scale of the task hit me, I was really unconfident that I would actually make it...especially when some guy told me that he had come back down half way because it was really, really dangerous with a lot of scree. It was also a little unnerving to know that it's still very active and had erupted only a few months earlier.

Yah, I decided to pass. 

The sense of accomplishment I felt when I got to the end was priceless. I was super chuffed with the time, my fitness and even though I knew it was going to hurt the next day, I couldn't stop grinning. I didn't realise how exhausted I was until I sat on the side of the rode waiting for the bus and completely knocked out. 

I had planned to have an early night that night, but when I got back to my hostel, LOTR was on TV! HAHAHAHA! It was so cool to watch it and recognise all of th places! I was knackered when I woke up in the morning and I was still suffering from aching thighs 2 days later.

It was perfect though, because my nex stop was Waihi and that was my time to kick back and relax on the beach.

What an experience. Absolutely incredible.

It's a must do if you ever go to New Zealand!

xoxo

A Different Sunday

So last night my friend invited me to a gokon.

I think the group was supposed to be much bigger, but we all know the weather yesterday was nothing short of ghastly and people pulled out left, right and centre. I was considering doing the same, but I haven't seen my girl for ages, so even though I was knackered after work, I decided to put on a dress and go.

When I got to Ebisu station, my friend was full of apologies. She was apologising over and over and over again. She had told me that it was a kind of VIP party but I think the guys that she was expecting to show up were a little bit different! LOL!

Yep - imagine my surprise when I walked in to see two guys in their fifties sitting at the table! DOH! I decided to just kick back and enjoy the food. We were at this beauitful yakiniku restaurant and the cuts of meat on the table were stunning and absolutely delicious.

I actually had a really good time! These two guys were boxing promoters and sponsors and so interesting! Incredibly well tavelled and with a network that most people could only dream of, I didn't hesitate to hand over my details when they asked me to attend some VIP events that are coming up this summer. I'm not sure how "convenient" it was that one of them had a picture of himself and DON EFFING KING on his smartphone. Are you kidding me? Don King?! Only one of the most legendary boxing promoters EVER!!! I'm not heavily into boxing, I don't exactly have a lively interest in it, but I was still impressed. Not that I told him that - he was a little too arrogant and smug for my liking.

Not only that, this guy spoke Spanish, could understand Portuguese, has 2 houses in Tokyo, one in Fukushima, Yamagata, 2 in Panama and has family in none other than Belo Horizonte in Brazil! The same place I went to uni when I was 21. Unbelievable! He also seemed to have a strong penchant for mixed latinas, but I don't think he;s ever been dumb enough to make a move - he's 54 years old! My friend works in a "club" and he's the type of guy that just wants to have a beautiful woman on his arm.

 Even though I was having a good time, my girl and I certainly didn't want to spend the whole evening in their company! They were offering to drive me back to Nerima, even though they live in Toyosu, but I declined, made my excuses about 9pm and then me and my girl ran off to the Oak Door in the Grand Hyatt. LOL!

It's amazing how you can run into people you know in a city as big as Tokyo. When we sat down at the counter for cocktails, I looked to my left, and sitting next to me was the owner of Two Rooms! I hadn't seen him for a while and that little encounter led to a deal with a fat discount on a party plan for my 30th!

Moving downstairs to Maduro, we were sipping on champagne and listening to live jazz. It's always kinda quiet on a Sunday night, so we called it a night and I just made the last train home. 

What the hell was up with the weather yesterday? It was so effing cold and that walk back to the station was just horrible. But it was great to see my girl and catch up and I have a feeling this is going to be a really fun summmer!

xoxo

Beautiful

I've just finished watching Margaret Thatcher's funeral.

I know I'm not a supporter, but she commands respect for being the first, and only, British prime Minister and also served the longest term in office for 150 years. Or something like that, I can't remember the exact stats.

It was a beautiful service. It was held in St. Paul's Cathedral and it was such a joy to be reminded of how simply STUNNING that building is. Absolutely stunning. 

Speech of the service hands down goes to the Bishop Chartres, the Bishop of London. He reminded everyone that Maggie was a human being, just like the rest of us, and therefore subject to the same destiny. He said that her funeral day was "neither the time nor place" to debate her legacy and her politics. 

Very well said. 

What I liked most about his speech, was that he recognised that she was a super controversial figure but also congratulated her on her achievements AS A WOMAN. Apparently when she entered office, only 4% of the House Of Commons were female. 4%!!! He went on to talk about the courage that she had in the face of so much opposition and gender discrimination.

Love her or hate her, you HAVE to respect that!

Did anyone else know that Maggie Thatcher was part of the team that invented Mr. Whippy ice cream!!!! How did I not know this! LOL!

It was also good to see that the protests in the streets of London were peaceful. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and at least the protesters had the decency to do it respectfully.

A beautiful service. 

xoxo

 

Disgusting

I woke up this morning feeling great - a little tired, but the sun is shining.

That mood last for about 10 seconds as I checked the news and saw reports of the Boston marathon bombings.

******* horrific.

I was going to write a post with all these updates about what's been going on this month, but in light of what's happened, it doesn't feel very appropriate right now.

Attacking all those innocent bystanders - it's just awful! And scary. You just never know when someone is going to strike and it certainly makes one a little wary of hanging out with large groups of people. 

I just watched some really graphic footage of the explosion and the immediate aftermath. And I really DO mean graphic. So much so, that I feel it's wrong to post it. But one thing I think has to be commended is the speed at which everyone ran to help - the police, the volunteers, other spectators....I remember the 7/7 bombings in London and I think it's fair to say that most people's first instinct would be to run in the opposite direction. But in the footage, after the smoke from the first explosion had started to clear, you could see a whole load of people running back to the scene to help the wounded.

Good for them. Really. I commend them. 

Horrible news to wake up to. I just hope that they can catch whoever is responsible.

Thinking of Boston today.

xoxo

Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead?

As news of Maggie Thatcher's death hit the world, my Facebook feed went mental.

As I reading through everyone's comments, I couldn't help but notice a couple of trends.

The most popular status update among Brits was:

DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD.

Then from the non-Brits there was:

RIP MARGARET THATCHER.

Interesting, ne.

Now, without getting overly political about all of this...

There were a coupld of my male American friends which, in addition to RIP, said that all women should "bow down and show some respect" to her.

My reaction?

You're joking, right?!

I don't want to sit here and say that Americans don't understand the real effect that this woman had on our country, but I can't help but wonder if they really know the full extent of what happened.

The only possible respect that I can show her, is pat her on the back for being the first, and only, female PM. I'm not a Tory anyway and the harm that she caused our country cannot be justified. I will never understand the logic behind her policies and I found her actions to be truly disgusting. BUT, I have to hand it to her - she did what she said she was going to do. Even though I abhor what she did, she said she was going to do it, and then actually carried it out. A rare trait in many PMs.

As one of the most divisive political figues ever, from what I've been observing, she seems to have quite a favourable image outside of the UK. I'm not quite sure why....I can only put it down to a lack of understanding? I don't know. 

Something else which interested me was people's reactions to the movie "The Iron Lady". Again I noticed that Brits deemed it a shit movie or just "OK", yet my friends from other countries said it was brilliant and amazing. Again, I'm not sure why, but if it's down to Meryl Streep - well, that's a given because she's an amazing actress. But it doesn't make the film brilliant.

On a personal level, I was more than umimpressed. As an opposer to everything that ghastly woman stood for, I watched the movie thinking that FINALLY we  could see what thinking laid behind those policies. Instead, we were given a pitiful story of her mental demise. NOOOO!!!! Speaking only for myself, I wanted to see more of the POLITICS. I wanted to see her though process. I wanted to at least be given the option to try and understand what she did. 

But no.

We were just given the story of her pathetic existence after resigning.

Grrrrrr.....

Having said all of this though, I'm not sure that it's right to celebrate her death with status updates like "Ding dong the witch is dead". I mean, despite the societal effects her policies had and the harm that she caused, she certainly was no Mugabe. Or Hitler.

I have to share my friend's update because I think she's hit the nail on the head.

"I can despise the legacy someone left, and the harm that they did to the social fabric of my country. I found her ideals and actions abhorrent. That doesn't mean I'm going to celebrate a human death as if England had just scored in a world-cup final."

Amen to that, girl!

xoxo 

Waihi

On my first day in Kyushu, I met this guy from New Zealand.

Super cool, chilled and confident, I liked him straightaway.

We ended up becoming really good friends and when he left Japan, I was super sad.

During the 4 years that we were both in Japan, he was always talking about his hometown. A little beach town in the North Island of NZ called Waihi.

He always described it as "mean as" and I'm not joking - I swear the National Tourist Board should pay him for the way he advocated it.

When I decided to go to NZ, there was no way my trip wasn't going to include a visit to this town. And the best bit of it was seeing him again on his home turf.

I loved it. I could completely understand why he had decided to settle there with his beautiful family and after spending one afternoon on the tranquil beach, I could also understand why he didn't want to leave again.

Kicking back with him and catching up on the beach was perfect. It was exactly what I needed after 2 weeks of tramping and mad sightseeing. It might only be a little town, but it's wide, sandy beaches, insanely beautiful starry skies were stunning. For the first time, I was staying in a holiday park (lack of other options) and I just LOVED my accommodation! I was in a self contained unit 2 seconds from the beach. All these other 5* hotels I had stayed in were nothing compared to this dinky little place - which also included a speaker dock for your ipod. Perfect!

The most special thing for me was seeing how happy my boy was. Due to wed in a couple, a STUNNING daughter and a little baby boy on the way - it was so precious to see him with his beautiful family. I'm so, so happy for him and I'm looking forward to going back and catching up in the future.

On the night that I was there, we went to this rock gig. Rock isn't really either or our things, but it was nice to be enjoyuing live music outside and to see the crowds enjoying themselves.

It was a really great couple of days. Waihi is often overlooked in NZ, but if you're heading up to Coromandel, then it's defintiely worth a short stop.

xoxo