More Best of 2009

Well, there's not much of 2009 left to go now, is there? New Year's Eve is almost upon us. Does that mean I have to stay up late? 'cos I kinda enjoy an early night these days... Perhaps I could go crazy and wait for the 12 o'clock Big Ben chimes, it's not like he does it every hour, on the hour, every day of every year, is it?
So, I'm still here at the suburban ranch, just got back from a sojourn on the almost-coast to visit Yummy Mummy and her beautiful baby. Cue much eating of cheese, sausages and, my personal favourite, fish and chips. I particularly enjoy fish and chips next to the sea, on account of the fresh air cancelling out the calories. If I've somehow got confused and that's not how it works, please allow me my delusion.
So, I have a lot of catching up to do on the Best of ... challenge haven't I? Where was I?... Oh yes,...

Best Learning experience
I guess, this year, I learned that I'm stronger than I realise. I have a tendency to be lazy, but, when I really want to do something, I can finish it. Climbing Mount Fuji, finishing a 10k without walking and even just keeping up my Japanese study, have all made me a bit more confident in my abilities. I also learned that Damascus is a real place with an airport. Who knew? Apart from people using Damascus airport, that is.

Best gift
A gift I gave myself that just kept giving? Hmmmmm Perhaps the DS I selected as a Christmas present will be just such a gift. The only reason I'm even doing my blog today is because the telly's rubbish and my DS needs to charge before I can continue my word games. I'm enlarging my vocabulary, so watch out for some big words on here in the future as my gift continues to give, not just to me, but also to you.

Insight or a-ha! moment
An epiphany? I just don't really have those. I'm not deep and thoughtful enough. I did read this week that the A-ha video for "Take on me" was voted one of the best videos ever made. Which is largely irrelevant but yet strangely interesting. Don't you think?

Social Web moment
I can't really think of a moment and I certainly haven't met up with anyone I met online (I'm far too anti social for that) but I did manage to find several family members on Facebook, as well as some old school friends who I've enjoyed catching up with online. Living thousands of miles away from your family can be really isolating sometimes. They all carry on with their lives and then when you finally do get the chance to see them, you've missed out on so much, but Facebook means I get the chance to see what they've been doing, although on a superficial level, and I'm very grateful for that.

Best stationery
Eh? Someone bought me a letter set for my birthday that's gone away in a drawer never to be used. It's beautiful, but I just can't remember the last time I wrote a letter. Maybe 2010 should be the year I start.

Best laugh
I make a point of trying to laugh every day, which makes for a lot of laughs to choose from. Some of the things that make me laugh are the Fairy Godmother's insane dog and his attempts to take over the world one toy at a time; Gavin and Stacey (a BBC Sitcom) because the characters are just amazing; Scott Mills on BBC Radio 1, especially when he plays pointless, childish and yet hilarious practical jokes; my Mum's constant obsession with the weather, a topic which dominates all our international phone calls; any big debate on the Chris Moyles show, a recent favourite being an argument over how to deal with a botched sandwich order; my students when they have a really complicated story to share that sometimes involve diagrams; and most recently Yummy Mummy's baby boy and his indecipherable facial expressions. Just what is he trying to say? I guess we'll never know. So, no best laugh, just a promise to keep finding something to laugh at every day.

Best Ad
There's a great ad in Japan for hair wax. It's four actors dressed up like the Beatles, running around London. It always makes me smile and I often get pathetically excited at being able to identify the places in the ad. I still haven't found anyone who loves that ad as much as me. I think I might be a bit strange.

So, there you have it. There's only one "Best of..." left to go, so I'll save that for another time. Maybe even until next year, particularly if the telly stays rubbish and the novelty of the DS wears off. So, take care this NYE, have fun and be sure to stay awake until 12o'clock.

Home for the holidays

So, I just had a look at the choices for the last few days of the "best of..." challenge, and I'm afraid I don't have much to say. I don't know of any start ups, I'm so techno-illiterate (or whatever the geeks call people like me) that I'm not altogether sure what a "web tool" is and the word "project" reminds me of the time I had to make a volcano model for geography class (it involved wire, paper mache and special stuff to look like grass from the model shop). So I'm leaving the "Best of..." for this time and am simply stopping by to say "hohoho, Merry Christmas" to you all. I am back at the suburban ranch that is the mama and the papa's place in London That makes it sounds like they have others, they don't, but they'd love a place in France if anyone has one going free). It's freezing, literally. Mum and I ice skated to the tube station yesterday for our annual jolly to the big Marks and Spencer on Oxford Street (every family has their tradition and that's ours.). Apparently, it wasn't possible to put salt down before the snow because of the rain that came beforehand, or something like that. I did try to pretend to be an interested citizen and listen to the news, but I got a bit bored and started wondering about the newsreader's tie. Where do newsreader's buy their ties? I mean, do they go to the big M and S on Oxford Street with their Mums just before Christmas? Answers on a postcard, please.
Anyway, life is good here at the suburban ranch. The new bathroom is aMAzing. Just like a hotel. Sadly, there's no room service in this hotel. In fact, Mum was a bit offended when I suggested it. Apparently, this isn't a hotel and if I want a cup of tea, she'd quite like one while I'm there. Hmmm, you don't get that at the Hilton. Or so I've been told.
Well, as the PC here at the suburban ranch runs on a similar system to the Flintstones' car (at least it seems to, judging by the speed of it), I'll toddle off and take up residence on the sofa again. It has to be said, the PC here is conveniently situated next to a heater, but I think the quilt and sofa combo may prove to be warmer. Have a very Merry Christmas, please eat as many mince pies as humanly possible and do please fall asleep during the Queen. Traditions should never be lost.

Best of 2009- Car ride and person

I don't drive myself. I have a licence, and have had a licence for 14 years (ouch, that hurt to work out!) but have never owned a car. In Japan, that's called a "paper driver". Whenever I've lived somewhere that required it, I haven't had the budget to stretch to it. Whenever I've had the money, I just haven't needed it.
However, never fear, this blog is not lost, because, this year, the Fairy Godmother got her driving licence. Despite my reservations, I got in the car with her and the crazy pup and went for a drive. It was surprisingly (I never have faith in my friends until they prove to me that I should, which really changes it from "faith" to "knowledge" but we are not here to deal in semantics, OK) relaxing. She's a good driver and I have graced her car with my presence a number of times. Lucky her, I hear you cry.
We often spend Sunday afternoons driving in the mountains, stopping to let the dog out for a run and to buy food. These drives are always a good time. We have no agenda (well maybe the Fairy Godmother does, but she never lets on) so we can go wherever the fancy takes us. Well, to be honest, we go wherever the fancy takes the Fairy Godmother, she's the one in control of the steering wheel, after all, but the days are no less enjoyable as a result.

Best of 2009- New Person
I have met a few new people this year. In fact, I climbed Mount Fuji with two girls I only met this spring. And yeah, I know I'm talking about Fuji again, but only in passing, we're focusing on the new friends. Both girls are lovely, and we feel a definite bond because of the climb. In fact, just today we went out for a coffee and dinner. We often meet at various marathon events and whenever I can make it to running club training (not often, it clashes with my work schedule) and I'm glad to have this bond with them. We encourage and motivate each other, checking out when we will all be running next. They've been running longer than me, so they give me good advice and constantly reassure me that my goals are achievable. They're a good addition to the group of friends I already cherish.

Best of 2009- shop

Wahey! (channeling Keith Chegwin there- we all need a little "Wahey" from time to time, dontcha think?") Now we're talking my language. Favourite shop?! Easy. Parkside Cafe. OK, so technically a cafe, but I never drink there. I just stop by and pick up delicious muffins. They often have new flavours, my favourite of late has been chesnut and white chocolate, although I was a big fan of the cannele. The staff are adorable, they often give me samples, which is a sure fire way to my cheapskate heart. If ever you pass my little Japanese city, stop by and be amazed. Oh, and tell them I said hi.
http://parksidecafe.jp/

Best of 2009- word or phrase

Word or phrase? Of the year?! Wow, I get through a fair number of words and phrases every day. For such an anti-social old bucket (yeah, I don't know where "bucket" came from either, work with me here, it's hard to come up with a word that works there while also not being hugely offensive) I talk a LOT. And I mean a LOT of a LOT!! I had to start a blog to give me an extra outlet. My friends and family have totally stopped listening, I'm altogether too verbal. I have a severe case of verbal diarrhea. I think you can get what I'm trying to say.
So, to choose one phrase is a bit tricky. I paid attention today to what I said and I realised I say "aMAzing" a lot, which I don't like much. I think it makes me sound like an 80s yuppie with a filofax. I also say "SO" in a loud voice, very often in an attempt to get my classes started. If I don't say "SO" very loudly, we'll get bogged down in gossip, which I love, and never get around to the grammar, which I hate. It's a way of reminding myself that I'm there to work, not chat. Sometimes I forget.
On reflection, I realised that the phrase I have used a lot this year, along with so many other people was "Yes, we can!". By the by, I'd just like to point out that Obama totally filched this from Bob the Builder, who has, for many years now, asked "Can we fix it?" and got the answer "Yes, we can!". He even had a number one record declaring it. Bob the Builder, not Obama. Although, we know Obama would totally get a number one if he so desired. I may not use it in the same way as Obama, I'm not a President trying to get votes after all, but I guess I've used it many times. So I'll take that as my phrase of the year. Mostly because it's less cheesy that "aMAZing".

Best of 2009- Best tea

Well, now, tea should be something I have a lot to say about (when don't I have a lot to say, even when I don't really know much about the topic?). I am, after all, British. If "tea-aholism" was a real condition, my Mum, Dad and brother would be the first in line at the rehab clinic. I was raised in a house where "put the kettle on" is said every time there's an advert break. In fact, my Mum doesn't even need to say anything anymore, she just nods her head towards the kitchen and I understand that it's time to make a brew. The weird thing being, I don't really drink tea. At least, not the English kind. I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would drink tea with milk. I'd rather chew my own toenails (actually, I used to do that when I was a kid, but I was, admittedly, a bit of a weird kid. Weird kid=weird adult, right?).
I do like some fruit teas, though, if they're not too sweet. And, actually, I do quite like some green tea, as long as they're not too bitter. In the Japanese tea ceremony, the tea is so bitter, you have to eat overly sweet sweets to balance out the taste.
This year, my new favourite would have to be rosehip and hibiscus tea. It's fruity, not too sweet and tastes good even when you've left the cup on the desk for too long and it's gone cold. Which, for me, is the key to a delicious tea.

Another catch up- Christmas is getting in the way!

Well, after a busy, crazy, Christmas filled weekend, I'm back and once again providing a bumper pack. It's like the hours long Eastenders on Sunday. Actually, do they still do that? It's so long since I've spent much time in the UK, I'm getting out of touch.
So where am I up to?
Best of 2009- Best place
Crikey, can we ever really have a best place? I find it depends on the day, who I'm with, my mood and if I've had my "happy chocolate" that day. I'm often quite happy at home in my apartment, mostly because I'm not there anywhere near enough, especially recently. Sitting under the kotatsu in winter, with my music, my PC, remote at hand and plenty of food and drink around. Really, I ask you, what could be better? Also, I'm quite anti-social and I don't have to talk to anyone when I'm at home.
I quite like the mountains when I'm hiking with friends, or camping with friends. The great thing about that kind of thing is that I'm not required to have a conversation unless I have something to say, which is always a relief. By the by, does anyone actually enjoy small talk? I always run out of things to say once we've discussed the weather.
Then again, I am also pretty happy at the sushi shop. Hanging out, eating good food, and, sometimes, chatting with people, although, as I say, I'm quite anti-social, and don't always want to talk to people, but, on the odd occasion I end up talking to quite nice people. And, in the sushi shop, we can talk about the weather and the fish. Awesome.


Best of 2009- New food
Ready-made peanut butter sandwiches with cute lil' peanuts on them. And, yes, I'm aware how lazy that makes me sound.

Best of 2009- Best change to the place you live
I bought a new quilt for my kotatsu. If you don't know what a kotatsu is, it's a table with a heater on it and a quilt draped over the table. It's a little bit of heaven in your house. The new quilt has transformed my kotatsu time (the last one was inherited and kind of smelled funny, I never wanted to think too hard about what it actually smelled of) and I now spend most of my time sitting here when I should be doing other things.

Best of 2009- rush
When I first read that, I thought it meant "rush" as in "hurry", and I'd find it hard to pick a favourite if I'm honest. But then I had a rethink and wondered if it didn't mean "rush" as in "energy rush", which is a slightly different take on it, isn't it. Maybe my best rush, apart from getting to the top of Mount Fuji (I think I may have referred to that at some point), would be the 10K I did in November. Although I was overtaken for the second year running (ha! running, great pun, damn I'm funny) by two men in penguin costumes, I managed to run the whole distance, which was my personal goal, so I was quite happy. Obviously, I'm hoping to kick their penguin arses next year.

Best of 2009- Best packaging
Ah! A trick question. Everyone knows packaging is bad for the planet. And I love the world. Therefor there's no such thing as good packaging.

Right, that's today's offering. I am off to think a bit more about getting ready for Christmas. I might not actually start getting ready, don't want to be too hasty.

Best of 2009 Catch- 'coz I suck at daily blogging.

I did warn you when I started this challenge that I might not manage every day. That's mainly because I'm quite lazy. So now you understand that the warning was not a test, you won't be surprised if it happens again, will you? Anyway, hope you weren't too disappointed in me and are all geared up for a bumper issue.

2009 Moment of calm
Hmmm, this is quite a difficult one. It's a bit hippy dippy for me, I'm not a person who has moments where I feel at one with the universe. When I was at school, we had a stereotypically bonkers art teacher who used to play meditation tapes to encourage our artistic flow. Needless to say, it didn't really have the desired effect and we spent most of the class trying not to let her see us pissing ourselves laughing. "The sun is gently climbing your leg" is not a phrase designed to get anything sensible out of a group of 14 year old girls. So much for that moment of calm.
So ever since then, I've had a minor allergy to any kind of activity promising to get me "in touch with myself". Mostly because it usually seems to involve tie dye clothing, and that's altogether too mid-90s for me. That's not to say that I am incapable of walking on the hippy trail, just that I'm a part time hippy in regular clothes from Uniqlo.
Anyway, back to my moment of calm. Not being a full time hippy type, I'm not going to wax lyrical about a particular moment. Partly because that's not my style, and partly because the only possibility involves Mount Fuji and I did actually do other things this year. In general, I think 2009 is the year I began to be a little calmer (emphasis on calmer). I've got better at finding positive things to think about and positive people to be around. I've kind of spring cleaned my life a bit, and found some great friends as a result; I plan on keeping them. Life is too short to waste on having a rant on a daily basis. Don't worry, I didn't have a personality transplant, I still have a regular rant (you might have noticed by reading this here blog), but I react to stressful things more calmly than I used to, more often than I used to. So, 2009 had a lot of moments of calm, and I'm hoping 2010 will have even more. If only for the sake of my friends.

Challenge of 2009
Oh Dear. I was doing so well. I hadn't mentioned Japan's highest mountain today, and I was planning to keep it that way. So, I'll think of something else I did this year....
To be honest, every day has a new challenge when you live in Japan. Well, if you're not Japanese, that is. I think it's relatively straight forward if you're Japanese. I consider it to be an achievement whenever I manage to explain to my hairdresser what style I would like (skipping over the minor Lego hairstyle I'm currently sporting); every time I manage to understand about 10% of what the rambling old lady is going on about when I'm trying to swim and all of the times I've managed to get home from the supermarket with packets containing exactly what I'd hoped they would contain. Today's challenge was manging not to fall over while trying to copy the, actually quite embarrassingly simple, moves in my aerobics class (BTW we were working out to a danced up version of Amazing Grace, which I just felt odd about). Every day is a challenge when you are a bit dopey.

Album of 2009
I don't buy a lot of albums but I do love me an online radio. I've always been a fan of Chris Moyles and Scott Mills on BBC Radio 1, and this year I've loved their free podcasts and I've listened to their shows regularly. My not-to-be-missed tip is the Golden Hour on Chris Moyles every Friday. If you're a geeky 20 (ahem OK 30) something the first half hour is music you probably listened to growing up. He plays songs from the same year and you have to work out which year it is. The second half hour is chosen at random by the show's team, and it's usually very random to say the least. Recently they had Opposites Attract by Paula Abdul, and I was impressed to notice I knew a fair amount of the lyrics. One for future karaoke, methinks.

Best of 2009- Blog find

2009 was the year I noticed blogs weren't just for strange people with no friends. So, all the blogs I read this year were a new find this year, and I noticed that, in order to have something to write about, you have to have a life to write about. Which was a revelation.
Having said that, my absolute favourite blog has to be Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock at a Time. (http://whisperingwriter.blogspot.com/). It's absolutely hilarious, well written and engaging. I normally avoid "Mommy Blogs" partly because I'm not one so it's hard to relate sometimes, but mostly because I tend to find the Mommys just a little Gwyneth Paltrow for me. By that I mean smug yoga/organic food types who make the rest of the world feel bad for using frozen vegetables; c'mon, you know who I mean and would run across a four lane highway to avoid them just as much as I would.
Luckily this lady is nothing like that. She writes about her family with humour, even when her kids play up at the photo studio and the weird kid in the neighbourhood won't leave her alone. It's a definite recommendation.

Best of 2009- Workshop or conference

Never shy of a chance to blow my own trumpet (get your mind out the gutter, it's NOT a euphemism thank you), added to the fact that I don't do conferences or workshops as a general rule, the workshop I enjoyed the most this year was one that I organised. Most of the students I teach English to are Japanese businessmen, and, increasingly, they are looking overseas for customers. That means making presentations in English. That terrifies me, and English is my first language. Making presentations isn't even just about the language, there's cultural differences and body language and ten tons of potential hazards to get in the way of a successful business trip. So, with the help of my boss, we designed a one-day seminar to teach some of the things not covered in the usual English lesson.
It was easy for me to relate to the students on the day, because I was actually shaking when I opened the seminar. I've never done business in my life and felt utterly unqualified to be giving advice. But as the day went on, and the students seemed to be appreciating what they were learning, I began to relax. The day went well and the feedback was good. I was thrilled and, just for one day, felt like I might actually be good at what I do. This crazy idea I'd had ended up being really useful for people I have the utmost respect for. So, it wasn't so much the content of the workshop that made it good for me. It was the fact that I had an idea, worked on it, saw it through to the end and made a success of it. You just can't buy that feeling.

Best of 2009- Night out

It's not so much a big night out, but the night that I remember the most from this year is the full moon I watched when camping in September. We went up into the mountains, away from the rest of the world and blissfully peaceful. We didn't need lamps that night because the moon was so bright. One of my friends brought fireworks and we had so much fun. Not really a party night, but a memorable one.

Best of 2009- book

OK, so my article choice was distinctly un-intellectual (I don't even know if that's a word, I'm just not intellectual enough!) but this year, I actually read something other than my usual chick- lit. Not that there's anything wrong with chick-lit, I love it, but I'm trying to show my intellectual side here. The side my parents wish was more apparent, especially when they consider the price tag on my education (BTW thanks ever so, The Mama and The Papa, school rocked, particularly the parties.)
I can't narrow it down to just one choice, so I'll choose two. I'm greedy like that.
First book I loved this year was Haruki Murakami's "What I talk about when I talk about running". I should probably point out here that I am not a fan of Haruki Murakami generally. I tried "Kafka on the Shore", I really did, but it was just too weird for me. Something tells me, Murakami-san doesn't lose much sleep about that. But, being a runner myself made me pick up this book and I just loved it. I loved the fact that we share a similar approach to running; stick on some music and enjoy. I read it as I trained to climb Mount Fuji (Have I mentioned that I climbed Mount Fuji this year? Yes? Oh. A few times. Oh, sorry. More than a few, more like a million? Crikey. Sorry about that.). Reading about someone else training helped me to keep motivated, and, at one stage, made me seriously consider trying a triathlon, it's that good. Once I finished reading it, I got a grip and decided to stick with running alone.
The other book I am borderline obsessed with is "The Story of Sushi" by Trevor Corson. I have probably mentioned that I like sushi, just a bit, maybe a big bit. I learned so much from this book. If you're not really into fish, you probably won't be as fascinated as me, but it's worth a try. The book follows the progress of some trainee sushi chefs as they train at a California-based sushi school. Throughout the story, interesting fish-related information is scattered. I have been using it as a reference book ever since I read it.
So there are my book recommendations for this year. What did you enjoy reading? Recommendations, please.

Best of 2009- article

Oh Crikey, I'm guessing the person who established this list intended people doing it to have a ever-so-slightly more intellectual approach to their reading matter than me. This year, I have devoured any tacky tabloid magazine that has winged it's merry way to me and taken an unhealthy interest in the lives of the rich and famous because I love the feeling of schadenfreude (oooh check me and awesome vocabulary out) when I read entirely fabricated tales of arguments in the Brangelina household (almost certainly caused by that beard, if you ask me, but sadly, Brangelina haven't). I know that makes me an encourager of the evil paparazzi and therefore the indirect cause of car accidents and punch-ups all over the place, but it's one of my many guilty pleasures and I just can't quit you. Oh evil tabloids.
To get back to the point, there is no real article that has had a lasting effect on me this year. However, the story that has influenced the articles that I have read is the Peter Andre/Jordan divorce. Obviously, for those concerned, quite distressing, but for the observers who get a kick out of watching fame hungry stars rip their ex-partners apart in the press, it was like all our birthdays come at once.Now, I know divorce is never a joke, especially with kids involved, but it's hard to take anyone seriously when they refuse to speak to each other, except via a Sun journalist. Although, to be fair, I didn't take them particularly seriously in the first place.
So, the Peter Andre/Jordan divorce would be the inspiration for my article of the year. Oh, and, as a result of said break-up, it's now almost OK to have a bit of a crushlette on Peter Andre, if only he would leave the fake tan down for a day or two. Good times. Well, OK satisfactory times, but sometimes that's all you get.

Best of 2009

Hmmm, the Best of 2009. Is it that time already? And when did I start saying things like that? I really do spend too much time with old people. Where did all the young hipsters go? Ok, that also made me sound like an Obachan... First new year's resolution? Start talking like I'm my actual age and not my age by association

Anyhoo, back to the "Best of...". As with all my good ideas, it originated with someone else (http://www.gwenbell.com/blog/2009/11/30/the-best-of-2009-blog-challenge.html to be precise) but I thought it seemed like a good plan. As I was a bit late to the table, I'll do December 1st and 2nd in one post and try to do the others on the right day. I should say in advance though, if I miss a few days and end up doing loads together, I'm not disrespecting the original notion, I'm just very disorganised, it's drinking season and I think being in charge of a keyboard while drunk is a bad idea, and sometimes I try to spend time with real people face to face(not too much though, real people are weird).

So- Best trip of 2009.

In August, I climbed Mount Fuji. To put it simply, it was awesome. I really never thought I would be able to do something like that. I'd seen Mount Fuji before, a few years ago and, at that time, ruled out climbing because, frankly, I was fat, out of shape and unlikely to get to the top without serious medical attention. In an unrelated coincidence about a year later, I took up running in an effort to lose the spare tyres I had accumulated. So, when an acquaintance asked me if I'd like to join him and his friends to climb with them, I jumped at the opportunity. Said acquaintance has since become a friend and part time hero of mine, but I think that's a post for another time.

We set off in the early morning from here on the small island and were dismayed to hear the weather report for rain, rain and possibly thunderstorms during our climb. Rain, I can deal with, I am British, after all, but thunderstorms might have made the climb far too dangerous. Luckily, while the rain hammered down, the thunder stayed away.

The rain did make the climb hard work, no one likes to deal with wet clothes at 3 degrees Celsius, but we kept plugging away and watched as the sun went down and the moon came out over Fuji. In fact, by the time we stopped at the 8th station for a sleep and some food, the rain had stopped. After a much shorter stop than planned, we headed back out. One surprising thing about Mount Fuji is the crowds. I was expecting a nice peaceful climb, but I found myself queuing to get up the mountain. How very British of me. In fact, that was why our stop was so short, we couldn't risk getting caught in crowds and not reaching the summit in time for the main event, the sunrise.

The last part of the climb was quite tough, if only because I was so tired and demoralised after three members of our group dropped out (to be fair, one was in his late 60s, and one is still in elementary school. The other is daughter to one of them and mother to the other, I'll let work out which way around it went). Getting to the top, in the dark, was a bit of an anti climax. It was really too dark to fully appreciate where we were. Also, it's hard to appreciate anything when you can't actually feel your face due to the cold conditions. The hot chocolate, from a can heated in boiling water, may well have burned my mouth, but no other cocoa has tasted so good before or since.

Waiting for the sun to come up was a kind of slow and cold torture. It seemed it would never happen. But when it did, oh! it was amazing. Worth every step up that mountain. I took photo after photo, and bored people with them for weeks afterwards. And, with the sun, came some much sought after warmth. Heavenly!

Then came the climb down. Rubbish. The rain made the path incredibly slippery. Volcanic rock doesn't make a good walkway, apparently, and rain makes it worse. I think I got a fair way down on my arse, which worried me as I was wearing borrowed waterproof pants and didn't want to tear them. By the time I reached the bottom, the novelty of climbing this legendary mountain had worn off slightly. But a hot spring bath later, followed by a good meal, and duty free shopping at the airport, I was refreshed and happy to bore people to tears with tales of my adventure for, possibly, years to come.

Restaurant moment of 2009

Easy, although it's technically not a moment but a collection of good memories. Isami sushi, Matsuyama. Every time I go there, it's like hanging out with old friends (well, usually that's precisely what I'm doing). The food is always amazing. The staff are adorable. And I learn stuff there, stuff I never knew I wanted to know. Like about what season fish is available in (I'm currently lamenting the end of Pacific Saury season as it's a particular favourite in Autumn) and the best way to eat it to get the best taste. Oh, and the sushi cake. Who can forget the sushi cake? Cute and tasty.

Tribulations of a shopaholic

Ooh, Christmas is in the air, isn't it? I spent ages today, finding random places to drape tinsel around the school. Vending machines, umbrella stands, even rubbish bins, nothing was safe from my tinsel enthusiasm. I did try to decorate the other staff, but they were strangely opposed to the idea. How disappointing.
So with Christmas fast approaching and yesterday being pay day, I decided to toddle over to The Big Shopping Centre. The Big Shopping Centre was opened last year to great excitement. It's not quite Oxford Street but there are enough places for me to spend all my money. A Gap opened up last month and I nearly passed out with excitement, it felt like The Big Shopping Centre could now be taken seriously ('cos I take my shopping centres very seriously). I was all geared up for a joyful Christmas shop, ready to select a wonderful selection of gifts for my loved ones and full of images of attractive knitwear reserved only for Christmas. I should have known, when does Christmas shopping ever look like the adverts? I repeat, I should have known.
Now, to be fair, it was a lot more civilised than a Big Shopping Centre in England at this time of year, with it being Japan and that. There weren't that many people there, if the truth be told. Christmas is different here. It's not a family day, it's more like Valentine's Day. Couples celebrate Christmas with cake and beautiful tokens of love. The rest of the world eat fried chicken and carry on as usual. It's not even a day off here, and they don't feel the need to eat their body weight in chocolates on December 25th, the fools. This meant that The Big Shopping Centre wasn't full of arguing families working out what to get Grandma, 'cos she wasn't that fussed about the talc she got last year and loudly breaking it to Little Jimmy that he has a cat in Hell's chance of getting an X-Box this year. Good times. But, it also meant that there was a distinct lack of the "gift idea" displays that I often rely on for inspiration. Basically, I was on my own, Japan had abandoned me in my hour of gift selection need. There were no Fenjal gift packs on special 3 for 2 in Boots (To be honest, I've never bought a Fenjal gift pack in my life, but the name always makes me smile, even if it does smell like the 70s), no Cadbury's selection packs, and, to cap it all off, no overly twee posters with falsely happy families celebrating a fake Christmas (you know the ones, the ones where you just know the actors were on the phones to their agents as soon as the snap was taken and the child actors are actually related to Satan himself). Now, I'm not particularly talented at shopping for other people at the best of times, it seems slightly wasteful somehow, but with no Christmas hype to motivate me, I was totally lost.
I did manage, after a lot of gormless wandering around muttering to myself, to find a few gifts. The fact that they were gifts for me is irrelevant. Isn't it? I mean, I needed a coat to wear when I go home over the holidays, it's much colder over there. And I would have been a fool to pass on the super discounted shirt in Gap (did I mention how excited I was when that finally opened here? If we don't shop there, they might close it, and then what would I do?). I wasn't entirely selfish, I did manage to find a couple of things for my family, although I'm not sure how much they'll like them. By the time I left in the early evening, I was a bit disappointed in myself, if I'm honest. I thought I could be one of those amazing people that deals with Christmas in a day, but, sadly, I'm not. I will have to dedicate a fair portion of the month of December to festive preparations. Perhaps I shall bring my own Christmas propaganda in the shape of Christmas songs on my I-Pod, that should make it go with a swing.