I'm sure it wasn't surprising to hear that James Arthur is the winner of the X Factor 2012.
I would have been just as happy if Jahmene had one - they both are so effing talented, amazing and deserve it.
I've loved Jahmene since his first audition but I only really got James from about week 3 and even from then, I haven't loved every performance. Saying that though, over the last 3-4 weeks, he has KILLED everything that he has done. And his performance of Feeling Good on Saturday was the best performance of his yet.....MARGINALLY better than his rendition of Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On. And you KNOW how much I loved that one!!!
So happy for him. Although in a way, it's the runners up who always seem to do better. There's no doubt that he's going to be a global phenomenon, but it may have been better for him to have come second and get more of a freer reign for him to do things the way he wants to. Jahmene seems like he'd be much easier to mould.
Anyway, it's all good and fabulous. I've thoroughly enjoyed the season this year. With a couple of exceptions, it has certainly been the most talented year ever.
And now you can breathe a sigh of relief - you have a year without any X Factor updates from me! HAHAHAHA!
xoxo
Monday, 10 December 2012
Sunday, 9 December 2012
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Well, that wasn't the night that I was expecting to have!
I was out last night to celebrate my dear friend's birthday. A few days ago, I decided to cancel my Sunday shift at work - it wasn't anything to do with the party - I just thought it would be nice to chill out and rest and finally get onto to working out all this stuff for NZ. More than anything, I just wanted to have a mammoth lie in!!
So I told my friend (and myself) that I would go to the party and then catch the last train home.
Yeahhhhhhh.......didn't quite work out like that.
I came stumbling through the door at 6am. With a considerably lighter wallet. >_<
DOH!!
The hangover isn't too bad, but I've been struck down by acute laziness, so there goes my super productive day! Oh and I've somehow managed to lose my voice - how the hell did that happen?!
Blinding night though - I love nothing more than watching my friend get down on the dancefloor!! It was great to see him having such a good time!!
And now it's time for The X-Factor final!
=)
xoxo
I was out last night to celebrate my dear friend's birthday. A few days ago, I decided to cancel my Sunday shift at work - it wasn't anything to do with the party - I just thought it would be nice to chill out and rest and finally get onto to working out all this stuff for NZ. More than anything, I just wanted to have a mammoth lie in!!
So I told my friend (and myself) that I would go to the party and then catch the last train home.
Yeahhhhhhh.......didn't quite work out like that.
I came stumbling through the door at 6am. With a considerably lighter wallet. >_<
DOH!!
The hangover isn't too bad, but I've been struck down by acute laziness, so there goes my super productive day! Oh and I've somehow managed to lose my voice - how the hell did that happen?!
Blinding night though - I love nothing more than watching my friend get down on the dancefloor!! It was great to see him having such a good time!!
And now it's time for The X-Factor final!
=)
xoxo
Friday, 7 December 2012
An Emotional Evening
And to think that my day started off so well.....
Over the last few weeks, I've felt more earthquakes than I have in a long time. Most of them have been almpost unnoticeable, but then there was a large one in Chiba on the Thanksgiving weekend. That jolt shocked me and my ladies as we were preparing dinner and I wondered if it was a sign of things to come.
Then late this afternoon while I was teaching, a 7.3 quake hit the Tohoku region again, shaking Tokyo pretty violently. It wasn't the strength of the quake which sent alarm bells ringing in my head. It was the duration. When a quake doesn't stop after like 10 seconds, I start to get REALLY nervous and as it got stronger me and client stating packing up our stuff and reaching for our coats in case we needed to evacuate.
As the shaking continued, my heart leapt into my throat and I got sudden flashbacks, one after the other, of the devastating pictures of the destruction of the March 11 quake. All I could think was that this couldn't be happening again. The next thought was at least I was in Shinjuku and closer to my home than last time!
As the shaking subsided, there were sighs of relief all around my the office and my client removed her nails from my arm. LOL! Even if the lesson hadn't of been nearly over, neither of us were in the right mindframe to continue. I was able to put those feelings aside for the remainder of my shift, but on my journey home, I was plagued by the awful memories of last year and I had to bite my lip as I thought about my dear friends who were swept away by the March 11 tsunami and all the panic and uncertainty and aftershocks that followed that horrible day - the scariest of my life.
Everyone was saying that another big earthquake was going to hit - I'm just hoping it was that one. I have a friend in Aomori who I haven't managed to contact yet, but the news has said there hasn't been any major damage or reported fatalities so I have to trust that he is OK. I'm not sure I'd be able to go through all of that drama again.
So if THAT wasn't bad enough, I called home to tell my mum that I was safe and to get an update on my grandad. I don't wanna go into details but it's not good news and I'm embarrassed to say that I am related to some of the greediest, devious, heartless ******* in the world and what they are doing is shameful, disrespectful and just selfish. My heart goes out to my grandad, but even more to my parents who are breaking their backs to do everything that they can to take care of him. My uncle, my cousins - they don't give a **** and then they think they can just take, take, take. It's so sad to see my family get torn apart because all these damn people care about is money and all my parents are trying to do is make sure that my Grandad is well looked after. It's being taken to court. It's disgusting.
I feel guilty about taking a trip to NZ, but my mum has assured me that it's OK and there's nothing I can do. I'm sending letters and photos and getting updates every week which my parents tell me are cheering him up. I'm so mad at my uncle that I'm not sure if I'd be able to control my temper even if I was there. He's NOTHING like my dad, it's unbelievable.
Horrible, horrible man.
Emotions running high this even - memories and worry.
Ufffff.
xoxo
Over the last few weeks, I've felt more earthquakes than I have in a long time. Most of them have been almpost unnoticeable, but then there was a large one in Chiba on the Thanksgiving weekend. That jolt shocked me and my ladies as we were preparing dinner and I wondered if it was a sign of things to come.
Then late this afternoon while I was teaching, a 7.3 quake hit the Tohoku region again, shaking Tokyo pretty violently. It wasn't the strength of the quake which sent alarm bells ringing in my head. It was the duration. When a quake doesn't stop after like 10 seconds, I start to get REALLY nervous and as it got stronger me and client stating packing up our stuff and reaching for our coats in case we needed to evacuate.
As the shaking continued, my heart leapt into my throat and I got sudden flashbacks, one after the other, of the devastating pictures of the destruction of the March 11 quake. All I could think was that this couldn't be happening again. The next thought was at least I was in Shinjuku and closer to my home than last time!
As the shaking subsided, there were sighs of relief all around my the office and my client removed her nails from my arm. LOL! Even if the lesson hadn't of been nearly over, neither of us were in the right mindframe to continue. I was able to put those feelings aside for the remainder of my shift, but on my journey home, I was plagued by the awful memories of last year and I had to bite my lip as I thought about my dear friends who were swept away by the March 11 tsunami and all the panic and uncertainty and aftershocks that followed that horrible day - the scariest of my life.
Everyone was saying that another big earthquake was going to hit - I'm just hoping it was that one. I have a friend in Aomori who I haven't managed to contact yet, but the news has said there hasn't been any major damage or reported fatalities so I have to trust that he is OK. I'm not sure I'd be able to go through all of that drama again.
So if THAT wasn't bad enough, I called home to tell my mum that I was safe and to get an update on my grandad. I don't wanna go into details but it's not good news and I'm embarrassed to say that I am related to some of the greediest, devious, heartless ******* in the world and what they are doing is shameful, disrespectful and just selfish. My heart goes out to my grandad, but even more to my parents who are breaking their backs to do everything that they can to take care of him. My uncle, my cousins - they don't give a **** and then they think they can just take, take, take. It's so sad to see my family get torn apart because all these damn people care about is money and all my parents are trying to do is make sure that my Grandad is well looked after. It's being taken to court. It's disgusting.
I feel guilty about taking a trip to NZ, but my mum has assured me that it's OK and there's nothing I can do. I'm sending letters and photos and getting updates every week which my parents tell me are cheering him up. I'm so mad at my uncle that I'm not sure if I'd be able to control my temper even if I was there. He's NOTHING like my dad, it's unbelievable.
Horrible, horrible man.
Emotions running high this even - memories and worry.
Ufffff.
xoxo
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
STARVING!!!!
Normally on a Wednesday morning I go to the gym.
But when my alarm went off this morning, I just couldn't get up. And since I'm working 7 days a week until I go on holiday, I just simply rolled over and went back to sleep.
I woke up at 11.30!!!!!
Guess that goes to show I made the right call there!!!
Today was another one of those days where I've spent like an hour making lunch. It's still not eready yet and I'm absolutely starving! On the menu today is pumpkin soup and then a stuffed chicken breast. I wanted to make a potato fondant, but then I realised that I don't have any potatoes!
DOH!
Looks like it's just gonna be served with a side of spinach instead!!!
Excited - the smells filling my kitchen are amazing!!
xoxo
But when my alarm went off this morning, I just couldn't get up. And since I'm working 7 days a week until I go on holiday, I just simply rolled over and went back to sleep.
I woke up at 11.30!!!!!
Guess that goes to show I made the right call there!!!
Today was another one of those days where I've spent like an hour making lunch. It's still not eready yet and I'm absolutely starving! On the menu today is pumpkin soup and then a stuffed chicken breast. I wanted to make a potato fondant, but then I realised that I don't have any potatoes!
DOH!
Looks like it's just gonna be served with a side of spinach instead!!!
Excited - the smells filling my kitchen are amazing!!
xoxo
Sunday, 2 December 2012
Unapologetic
I am seriously all over Rihanna's new album.
It's funny because I have loved every single one of her albums. Of course, I like some more than others but I've liked all of them. That's rare - when an artist has been around as long as she has, normally I would have lost interest but I'm loving her more than ever.
Sexy.
LOVE it.
It's been a pretty chilled out weekend. I went out last night for a gorgeous French dinner. My friend spoiled me rotten with champagne and she picked up the huge bill at the end of the night.
ごちそうさまでした！
And as usual I went to work today and rushed back for my weekly X-Factor fix.
I won't talk too much about it - you all know that I'm rooting for James Arthur to win. And to be honest, looking at the acts left, it should be a walk in the park for him.
COME ON JAMES!!!
I'm still trying to decide what to do about that guy I went on a date with a couple of days ago. He mails me way more than I ever reply and to be honest, he's crossing the line with the direction of his conversation....having said that, I bet if I thought he was smoking hot, then I wouldn't mind! Double standards, I know, but whatever.
We all have them.
Unapologetic.
If you didn't know, that's the name of the new album (and my mood right now). Check it out when you have time, ne.
xoxo
It's funny because I have loved every single one of her albums. Of course, I like some more than others but I've liked all of them. That's rare - when an artist has been around as long as she has, normally I would have lost interest but I'm loving her more than ever.
Sexy.
LOVE it.
It's been a pretty chilled out weekend. I went out last night for a gorgeous French dinner. My friend spoiled me rotten with champagne and she picked up the huge bill at the end of the night.
ごちそうさまでした！
And as usual I went to work today and rushed back for my weekly X-Factor fix.
I won't talk too much about it - you all know that I'm rooting for James Arthur to win. And to be honest, looking at the acts left, it should be a walk in the park for him.
COME ON JAMES!!!
I'm still trying to decide what to do about that guy I went on a date with a couple of days ago. He mails me way more than I ever reply and to be honest, he's crossing the line with the direction of his conversation....having said that, I bet if I thought he was smoking hot, then I wouldn't mind! Double standards, I know, but whatever.
We all have them.
Unapologetic.
If you didn't know, that's the name of the new album (and my mood right now). Check it out when you have time, ne.
xoxo
Friday, 30 November 2012
DOH!
You know when you meet someone and then you smile to yourself at how hot they are...
...and then you see them again and you realise that they're not as hot as you thought they were?
Yeaaahhhh.........
*sigh*
Don't get me wrong - I'm all about personality these days, but it's still hard not to feel just a little disappointed when that realisation hits home.
And it's even worse when the other person is telling you that you are even more stunning than they thought you were!
DOH!
I'm going to be good, though, and give it a chance to see where it goes.
OMG I HAVE TO TELL YOU!!!
Last night I met a Republican!!!
You know I was saying during the election campaign that I'd never met one before? well I randomly bumped into one at a bar. The guy I was with was as pure a Democrat as you can get and oh my goodness I got caught bang in the middle of a hardcore debate about taxes!!
It was so funny and fascinating to watch - I couldn't believe my ears with some of the stuff that was coming outta the Republican guy's mouth! To be fair though, it was pretty much from a fiscal point of you (he's in finance himself) and he was able to argue his point way better than the other guy could.
Amazing.
xoxo
...and then you see them again and you realise that they're not as hot as you thought they were?
Yeaaahhhh.........
*sigh*
Don't get me wrong - I'm all about personality these days, but it's still hard not to feel just a little disappointed when that realisation hits home.
And it's even worse when the other person is telling you that you are even more stunning than they thought you were!
DOH!
I'm going to be good, though, and give it a chance to see where it goes.
OMG I HAVE TO TELL YOU!!!
Last night I met a Republican!!!
You know I was saying during the election campaign that I'd never met one before? well I randomly bumped into one at a bar. The guy I was with was as pure a Democrat as you can get and oh my goodness I got caught bang in the middle of a hardcore debate about taxes!!
It was so funny and fascinating to watch - I couldn't believe my ears with some of the stuff that was coming outta the Republican guy's mouth! To be fair though, it was pretty much from a fiscal point of you (he's in finance himself) and he was able to argue his point way better than the other guy could.
Amazing.
xoxo
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving weekend was certainly eventful!!
I was absolutely knackered on Friday. I struggled my way through work and then had to leg it home to meet my girl who came up from Nagoya. After chilling out for a bit and baking brownies, I called it a night and passed out.
I woke up on Saturday as sick as a dog. The second I opened my eyes, I was overcome by a wave of nausea and started throwing up.
Typical.
I haven't been sick ALL YEAR. All year. And then the one day that I do get sick has to be the day that I was due to host a Thanksgiving dinner and my girl was here.
WHY? Sod's law.
My girl was amazing. While I was dying in bed and with my head sporadically down the toilet, I gave her a shopping list and she headed out to the supermarket to get the stuff we needed for dinner while I rested up in bed. She helped me clean and then we started cooking.
So what was on the menu?
I was so impressed with my pie!!!! The pastry was a little thin but it tasted absolutely delicious - not bad for a first attempt! There is no way I could've got everything done without my fabulous ladies though. They helped me get everything chopped and prepped so I could just go ahead and cook it all. It was so nice to see all my guests enjoy their meal - I barely ate a mouthful and was drinking water all night, but they had a good time.
And I finally attempted a plate of leftovers on Sunday while watching Breaking Dawn Part 2.
A little disappointed with some of the cringeworthy moments in that movie but I still enjoyed it!!
After mooching around, we headed out to Midtown to see the Christmas lights. Absolutely beautiful - I'd been in a festive mood all day because I'd boiled down the chicken bones to make a stock and my kitchen smelled AMAZING!!! So seeing the lights just made me excited to go back to the UK for Christmas next year. LOL - only I could be that excited about a trip that I'm planning to take a year from now!
Another spot of good news - when we were heading back to Roppongi station, I met a very fine specimen crossing the road. It was one of those typical moments when you're both looking around at each other shamelessly! HAHAHA! When I turned around again, he was running back across the road to talk to me, opened with a hilarious one liner and it was all good from there!
I've had the most disastrous dates over the last few months so I just cut to the chase.
Married?
Girlfriend?
Seeing someone?
Living with someone?
Age?
LOL!!!!! And all came back with very positive answers!!!
The rare thing about this guy?
He CALLS.
As in on the phone. No mail.
I can't remember the last time a guy called me just to talk to me. On the phone that is - I'm on Skype all the time. It feels weird but refreshing at the same time.
And even better?
Man, this boy CRACKS ME UP!!!!
HAHAHHAHAHA!!!
We'll see.
xoxo
I was absolutely knackered on Friday. I struggled my way through work and then had to leg it home to meet my girl who came up from Nagoya. After chilling out for a bit and baking brownies, I called it a night and passed out.
I woke up on Saturday as sick as a dog. The second I opened my eyes, I was overcome by a wave of nausea and started throwing up.
Typical.
I haven't been sick ALL YEAR. All year. And then the one day that I do get sick has to be the day that I was due to host a Thanksgiving dinner and my girl was here.
WHY? Sod's law.
My girl was amazing. While I was dying in bed and with my head sporadically down the toilet, I gave her a shopping list and she headed out to the supermarket to get the stuff we needed for dinner while I rested up in bed. She helped me clean and then we started cooking.
So what was on the menu?
- Brushchetta
- Pumpkin soup
- Chips and dip and a bean salad brought over by my friends
- Roast chicken
- Sweet potato and white potato mash
- Garlic sauteed green beans
- Carrots
- Broccolli
- Stuffing
- Gravy
- Pumpkin pie
- Brownies
- Copious amounts of wine
I was so impressed with my pie!!!! The pastry was a little thin but it tasted absolutely delicious - not bad for a first attempt! There is no way I could've got everything done without my fabulous ladies though. They helped me get everything chopped and prepped so I could just go ahead and cook it all. It was so nice to see all my guests enjoy their meal - I barely ate a mouthful and was drinking water all night, but they had a good time.
And I finally attempted a plate of leftovers on Sunday while watching Breaking Dawn Part 2.
A little disappointed with some of the cringeworthy moments in that movie but I still enjoyed it!!
After mooching around, we headed out to Midtown to see the Christmas lights. Absolutely beautiful - I'd been in a festive mood all day because I'd boiled down the chicken bones to make a stock and my kitchen smelled AMAZING!!! So seeing the lights just made me excited to go back to the UK for Christmas next year. LOL - only I could be that excited about a trip that I'm planning to take a year from now!
Another spot of good news - when we were heading back to Roppongi station, I met a very fine specimen crossing the road. It was one of those typical moments when you're both looking around at each other shamelessly! HAHAHA! When I turned around again, he was running back across the road to talk to me, opened with a hilarious one liner and it was all good from there!
I've had the most disastrous dates over the last few months so I just cut to the chase.
Married?
Girlfriend?
Seeing someone?
Living with someone?
Age?
LOL!!!!! And all came back with very positive answers!!!
The rare thing about this guy?
He CALLS.
As in on the phone. No mail.
I can't remember the last time a guy called me just to talk to me. On the phone that is - I'm on Skype all the time. It feels weird but refreshing at the same time.
And even better?
Man, this boy CRACKS ME UP!!!!
HAHAHHAHAHA!!!
We'll see.
xoxo
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Masterchef?
I've just spent an hour making lunch.
I'm just amazed that after a seriously tough aqua workout (which was more like aqua kickboxing than aqua dance!!), I could still be arsed to come home and put so much effort into my lunch.
So what was on the menu today?
Cumin infused hamburgers with a salad.
And they were DELIGHTFUL!!!
Maybe I should go on Masterchef!! Or not...HAHAHA!!
Super excited about this weekend - my girl will be arriving from Nagoya on Friday night and I have my other girlfriend coming down from Saitama and we're having a massive cook-a-thon on Saturday for Thanksgiving. None of us have done it before. And none of us are American!
HAHAHAHA!
Gonna be so much fun though - we're gonna have chicken (no time to defrost a turkey) with a whole load of sexed up sides! A variety of stuffing, sweet potato mash, garlic and rosemary roasted potates, a whole load of vegetables cooked with a twist, bruschetta, stuffed peppers and pumpkin pie!! Haven't made a pumpkin pie before either - gonna attempt that on Friday night.
How it all turns out remains to be seen!
xoxo
I'm just amazed that after a seriously tough aqua workout (which was more like aqua kickboxing than aqua dance!!), I could still be arsed to come home and put so much effort into my lunch.
So what was on the menu today?
Cumin infused hamburgers with a salad.
And they were DELIGHTFUL!!!
Maybe I should go on Masterchef!! Or not...HAHAHA!!
Super excited about this weekend - my girl will be arriving from Nagoya on Friday night and I have my other girlfriend coming down from Saitama and we're having a massive cook-a-thon on Saturday for Thanksgiving. None of us have done it before. And none of us are American!
HAHAHAHA!
Gonna be so much fun though - we're gonna have chicken (no time to defrost a turkey) with a whole load of sexed up sides! A variety of stuffing, sweet potato mash, garlic and rosemary roasted potates, a whole load of vegetables cooked with a twist, bruschetta, stuffed peppers and pumpkin pie!! Haven't made a pumpkin pie before either - gonna attempt that on Friday night.
How it all turns out remains to be seen!
xoxo
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