Had a lovely dinner with sankakukoen eating gyoza at the restaurant section of Ikebukuro's Namjatown (a sort of summer festival-themed indoor park w/haunted mansion and random things to do).

The best part was the ice cream store that had all the flavors that you love.... and then some. So our "batsu" game involved picking out the worst flavors to try and here ( Read more... )

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What I've been watching:

• I just finished the fourth episode of Katanagatari and now I really wish I was back in L.A. because I'd love to cosplay Yasuri Nanami, Shichika's older sister, at AX this year. She's ridiculously cute but is much stronger than she seems. I must admit that quite like this show. It's really quite fun, with a somewhat revolving ( Read more... )

I have not used my USJ bank account since I left the country (damn bank wouldn't give me a debit card, just a bank card and bank book) so that means my account has sort of been sitting there quietly w/a defunct address for almost a year now, though I left a little bit of money in my account so it is not completely empty. I am heading back to Japan ( Read more... )

My left shoulder has been aching since Friday making it hard to sleep and turning me into a cranky, grumpy girl. I have an osteopath appointment tomorrow which I am desperately looking forward to for some relief. I'm not sure what I did to my shoulder but I don't ever, ever want to do it again.
Just about finished my refugee/migrant essay on the U.S ( Read more... )

I have found my all-time favorite Kit-Kat. Initially I thought it was the Royal Milk Tea which was awesome but then I got wind of the Sakura Green Tea (桜抹茶) Kit-Kat. OHMYGODSOGOOD!!!! Out of 2 years worth of Kit-Kat that I have tried this has got to be my favorite!! I reeeeally hope the Asian convenience store in the city gets some more of these ( Read more... )

I'm working on an essay for my Globalisation to Localisation class (yes, those are spelled right if you're a Pom or an Aussie, rather than a Yank) dealing with the the Mexico-U.S. border problems, the migration northward, and the status of those migrating (are they economic migrants or can some be seen as asylum seekers or refugees?). It's ( Read more... )

Nagakaramu kokoro mo shirazu
Kurokami no
Midarete kesa wa
Mono wo koso omoe
[Will he always love me?
I cannot read his heart.
This morning my thoughts
Are as disordered
As my hair.]

~ Lady Horikawa

Taken from the opening page of Charles De Lint's A Pattern of Silver Strings

Today is not only the end of February but it is, apparently, the end of summer down under.
I'm not really sure where all of that time has gone. I have been out of university since mid-November and yet time has passed and my second - and final - semester will start soon. The whirlwind of school and work will continue and suddenly my dad will be here ( Read more... )

There is a story of a Zen master whose monastery and surrounding countryside were threatened by the savage destructiveness of a barbaric war lord. Everyone but the old Zen master fled. When the war lord heard that the old monk had not left he was infuriated and came to confront the master. With drawn sword he said to the old man, 'Why haven't you ( Read more... )