We're Engaged!

The morning after Valentine's Day

The Boy and I have been engaged since Japan, around November 2013, but we didn't have a ring or a traditional and romantic proposal story to tell our friends when we broke the news. So I didn't really announce our engagement in any official way, just telling friends individually as we caught up through the months. 

First post of the year

A quick recap of the new year so far...

I finished my web development course, hooray! 

It totally blew past in a sort of exciting and painful way, but bring it on! Moar! More learning excitement though, maybe I'll feel a bit less pain eventually...

Kuma helping me with my work...not

My sister flew out to spend Christmas with us!

It's been years since we've been able to hang out, just the two of us, and even longer to enjoy Christmas together.

Kuma's first Christmas

Welcome, Kuma-chan!

I have exciting news as we have been searching for a new addition to our home!

Changing Career Paths

So I resigned from my company a few weeks ago.

Lists and Leaving Dos

Thanks for the photo, Azu! Taken at a BBQ outside of Tokyo.

The moment I found out we were going to be moving to Hong Kong, I was stricken with panic.

Why?

Season of Selfies

How awful am I, only my second post of the year and we're almost at the end of the first quarter!

I really did mean to write more...I have all these half-completed posts about my trips to Boracay,  London and Niseko, but I never know how to write a good story and experience like so many other bloggers do.   I kept pushing them off and before I knew it, it all snowballed (haha, get it?) into a season of work, snowboarding, and trying to stay warm.

Going for a Wander

View around the Palace

My mom has been visiting Japan for almost 4 weeks but has spent half the time in Kansai area with her sister, mom and nephew.  So now that she's returned, I finally have her all to myself for a couple days before she leaves me to go back to California. 

Change in Seasons

Mt. Takao in the Autumn (That's me in the left reflection!)

The thing about living in a place with defined seasons is that it really feels like time is moving; time seems to pass by in a slideshow of colors and I always feel the need to...change.

Anniversaries of Sorts

I know, I know, I've done that thing again where I have a surge of posting and then disappear. I told you that I'd be back to the grind once my holiday finished!

The funny thing about blogging is that it's my outlet for various reasons: mobile, unassuming, comforting and familiar. The flip side is that anyone can stumble upon my blog and all of a sudden I feel pressure to always be interesting, funny, and entertaining; things that I rarely am with intention. I mean, really, are you laughing with me or...?



Anyways, a few things have happened in the past month or so:

August 23rd, I celebrated my 2 year anniversary in Japan!  I can't believe I've lived in Japan longer than any other country (other than my beloved US of A) and it's felt like a blur.  I know everyone says that, but it's really freaking me out how time passes.  I'm still the worst student ever in learning and absorbing the language but I'm working at it.

August 23rd was also my 3 year anniversary with The Boy in which I do have a story to go along with it. It consists of a beautiful yet slightly embarrassing dinner that just continues to prove to me that I am not quite the graceful grown-up yet, despite my fancy dress.  Happy 3 years to us!

***

Anyways, I've kind of had my head down and out of sight, even socially.  Summer blazed through but I barely noticed because I only went to the beach once (versus last year's almost-every-weekend-at-our-beach-house).  Maybe it's because I'm preparing myself to savor what's coming up because I feel that this year is going to blow by me before I know it.  

What am I suggesting? Well, visitors. LOTS of visitors who will be staying with us for the rest of the year and while I know having guests can be tiring, I love housing friends and family.

And dare I say that I'm actually looking forward to Winter this year?  Picking up a winter sport sure does help.

I'm also going to be visiting beautiful California this weekend for a good 10 days and I cannot wait to see my beautiful friends and binge on everything made of sunshine and rainbows (like In N Out, Target, and sale shopping). 

Until next time...!

Settling in

Things have been fast, fun and, overall, very good lately. Things I've been wanting to blog about but haven't had time to actually string together as a decent post:

- Happy and fun trip with my mom and sister visiting.
- Bursting into tears when they left
- Getting my bonus (yay)
- Spending/celebrating my bonus
- cold weather and changing leaves
- holiday decoration shopping and how online shopping blows in Japan
- how I can't see what I'm typing anymore bc this Blogger app sucks.
- Preparing for my first 5k run (don't laugh people, I'm a novice!)
- Planning for our trip to London for Christmas
- our holiday to Kyoto and surrounding region
- Hosting our first Thanksgiving dinner this weekend

Overall, I'm so happy and excited when I wake up in the morning. Maybe it's because it's the holiday season, maybe it's because of my mom and sisters trip, or maybe it's because I'm finally starting to feel settled into my life but I'm really happy and content with things.

Is that sugary sweet enough for ya?

Feeling Homey

Taken with iPhone and Photosynth. Edited with Procamera, Diptic, Photo Studio.

I didn't think it would make such a big difference moving into a new apartment, but it does!  We had a great place before, but this place is just so nice to actually live in with separate rooms to walk into and - wait for it - 

A walk-in closet. *squeal*

I know, I'm going on about a closet, but with my seemingly constant roaming about and inability to grow some roots the past several years, it's nice to have a place to store my material things in. 

By the way, I bought that little stand on the right for the Boy's very belated birthday gift. He always hangs his trousers on random boxes and furniture after work and I thought this would be perfect, especially since I can never find anything he would like within a reasonable budget.

Also, I hope this entices visitors:

A spare room with a balcony. And awesome view(s).

We didn't think we needed one in our last place but we were so wrong. Our poor guests who did visit had to deal with us waking up and getting ready for work while being in the foot traffic to midnight restroom treks. 

Hopefully we'll be able to keep this place looking clean with all the hidden storage places (since when did I ever think about that sort of thing?).  My co-worker warned me, "Be care of where you set things down the first time because once you place it, it's never moving!"  So true!

New Apartment

This weekend has been a long awaited day: Moving Day!

It may sound silly, but we actually moved just 5 minutes away...walking.

Just to say, we loved our previous apartment. It was a cool layout due to the fact that it was a converted photography studio.  I can completely see how that aspect and I loved it. The kitchen was amazing as was our huge bathroom.  The location was great; so close to both Azabu Juban and Roppongi Hills, which is perfect for our commutes to work.  Huge windows and lots of light, it was a pretty apartment.

There was one problem: it had huge windows.  Windows that weren't double glazed!  In the winter, it was freezing!  I wore a jacket and scarf to sleep and often had to huddle in bed most of the time because it was just too, too cold.  Also, ridiculously bright in the mornings you wanted to sleep in and no curtains.

We casually suggested to our awesome real estate agent (seriously, he's fantastic) that we were thinking of moving before the next winter but were perfectly happy for the summer and fall.  Then, he told us that the apartment from last year was vacant again.

"The" apartment from last year was this beautiful marble-floored thang with a induction stove kitchen, a spare room with connecting balconies and amazing city skyline views from every room.

It was also vastly out of our budget.  I guess it's amazing what 8 months did to the housing market.

Anyways, long story short, we jumped at the opportunity and moved in a month later.  Here's the setup the evening we moved in:

View from the spare room and lounge to towards the kitchen.  The bathroom and restroom are through the door next to the fridge and the entrance is on the right.

A view of Tokyo Tower and the city from the guest/spare room.  I think our guests will like their stay!

This is the view from our master room this morning.  Roppongi Hills (grey building on the left of center) was swallowed in a cloud and you can barely see Tokyo Tower on the right side.  Panoramic photo taken with Photosynth, it's an awesome app my sister told me about.

Anyways, I wanted to update, but I'm exhausted now.  I'll hopefully continue to unpack, decorate and be able to keep the apartment clean enough to photograph.

Another Week Flies By

Before this week, I've barely had any time to myself because prior I was living with my family; when I came to Japan, we had a guest for 10 days; then it was a few days of me and the boy.  Then, the boy left for a week to go back home and now I've had 7 days to myself!  (There will be lots of exclamation points in this post.)

Here are a few high lights:

It snowed!  As a California Girl, I was just minding my own business, getting ready for work, and just when I was about to step outside I saw a White Christmas!  Well, obviously not Christmas but that's what it felt like. I ran around trying to take photos without slipping and giving myself frostbite (which I actually think happens within 5 minutes of cold contact). Unfortunately, my photos didn't turn out quite as magical as it felt but I was smiling all the way to work, feeling like I was in a snow globed fairy tale.

Progress at work!  I've been really happy with my progress at work this week and starting to really make headway.  Also, I got a Friends and Family Sale Invite for Gucci next week.  Perks, whatup!

Going out with colleagues and friends. And barely making it home in a taxi.  Waking up way too early the next work day and asking WHY, GOD, WHY AM I UP SO EARLY??

Surprise visit from SD.  I had a friend just randomly fly into Tokyo for a business trip.  SO nice to see a face from college!


Things to look forward to this weekend:

Sleep
Eyelash extensions (it's happening!)
New makeup
Tidying up
Shopping (does it ever stop?  no.)
Self-pampering

I hope next week is even better!

The New Home

They say "Home is where the heart is" and if that were the case, I'd split all over the world!

However, here is where part of my heart is settling for now.  This first photo is one from the entrance and you can see that it's the kitchen/dining room that leads up to the living room and bedroom.  It's actually a really spacious apartment (especially for Tokyo) and has an amazing kitchen setup.  

Did you know that most apartments don't have an oven?  Japanese people don't use it much; instead they have a small "toaster" of sorts that grills fish for the most part.  Not much roasting of red meats here. 

Since I'm co-habitating, I've had to compromise on decor.  If it were up to me, there would be a lot more pink...so we've decided to stick with neutrals and navy blue, lol.

The bedroom is a mess because I don't have a dresser yet, so photos of that are yet to come.  Not exciting for anyone else but I'm so looking forward to really "settling in" and feeling at home in my new home!  

It Snows in Tokyo

Quite bizarre to live in a city that actually snows.  In the middle of the day.  Like it's normal or something!  Clearly, it's a novelty to me and I was pretty gleeful even though it was freezing (of course).  I've been pretty proud of myself in being able to handle it so far, though I have found the secret to staying warm: heat packs.

I stick one to my innermost layer every morning and incubate myself all day (lasts 12 hours!).  That stuff is pure magic.  They even have ones you can stick in your pocket, shoes, etc.  Amazing.  I've even worn tights out and managed with these babies.  It seems that as long as my upper body is sealed up with layers and a scarf, I'm pretty okay.  My next goal: survive a whole day in heels.

Hope I'm not jinxing it, but I'm also very happy with work!  Time flies by and I really lucked out with my coworkers.  It really makes such a difference when you actually enjoy the people you work with and the work you do.  Who would have thought, right?

I'm excited for my new life!

Closet Space

He doesn't know it, but I have my sights on the The Closet.

It started out 50/50 between me and the boy, but clearly I'm taking claim to about 66% now.  Hey, those winter clothes take up way more space!  This doesn't included another closet about half the size that holds my coats and his work shirts.  Did I mention I'm shopping for a dresser (with a mirror on top for maximum makeup/jewelry accessibility, please), too?

Something like this would be ideal.  Of course, it doesn't seem to exist in Japan.  Just like crockpots.

Honestly, I don't know how people in Japan store everything they need in the tiny apartments.  Jackets and sweaters themselves take up too much space!  I wish I could observe people and learn their ways (in the most uncreepy way possible).

Drinking on the Job and Staying Warm

Well, not exactly...is it really on the job if I haven't officially started?  I'm drinking English tea at the moment, bytheway...

...but I did just come back from having work drinks with my soon-to-be colleagues.  Apparently, it's the "British thing" to have work drinks at...2PM.  Is it?  English Boyfriend = useless.  Just kidding, I've learned lots from him...mostly about why everyone mocks Americans, that we're fat, have poor taste in style, and terrible footwear.

Anywho, very excited for my first weekend back in Tokyo, my first week of work and my first cup of tea.  I've been eating up a storm as well (on my second lunch and counting; I feel like a Hobbit) and I think that's due to my fast metabolism and the cold weather.  Brr!

This weekend, I'll be on the hunt for some gloves and a coat (of all things, I know).  The girls here are killer with their style and I have a sudden longing for a lovely wool coat with a fur collar.  I'm very particular about [faux] fur and I prefer fox, mink or rabbit...a sort of even, soft texture rather than the very long, scraggly-looking kind.

This one is just lovely...the huge price tag makes me want it even more.  It's sick.

And being female, of course I'm not satisfied with just one color, I "need" black, beige, navy and then something unpredictable...like aqua or fuschia.  In that order.

P.S. Just realized that I forgot to take the price tag off my new sweater (pictured).  Nice one.  Apparently I'm worth $59.90 from Ann Taylor Loft (but it's now on sale for $12.88!). 

I'm an Alien

It's my 2nd full day back in Tokyo and I'm feeling a bit tired!  I'm glad I bumped up my flight by one day because it's made a big difference in my settling-in.  I remember how to get to the train station and how to buy tickets, etc., however I've found that I've forgotten how to use the electric appliances in our apartment!  Other things I've noticed:

1.  Slow cookers/crockpots do not exist in Japan.  They cook rice, rice only and do a darn good job of it by the price of some of them! 

2.  Girls still look chic and amazing in the freezing winter.

3.  Fur really does make you warmer; it especially cuts down on the wind chill.

4.  I've forgotten what little Japanese I had so intensively studied.

5.  Adam's negligence of the refrigerator lead to a horrifying discovery.  The eggplant I found had it's own colony developing.  

6.  I want to buy everything. 

But most notable for today:  I applied for my Alien Registration Card!  It's just the first step to becoming a permanent resident here...O_o

Otherwise, I've mostly been adjusting the recent bachelor pad into it's previous decency.  Lots of cleaning, organizing, laundry (4 loads so far!), grocery shopping, unpacking, furniture/home shopping, and did I mention cleaning?  

I needed to take a bit of a break so I made myself a delicious dinner of chicken, soup and roast spare ribs.  The chicken came out so much better than anticipated!  Mom would be proud.  I even made the sauce to go with it.

I'm not sure what to call this chicken...it's not Hainan chicken but it's similar. Boiled and served with brown rice, bok choy, and the homemade ginger sauce. No photo but I also made a pretty good soup after with the chicken stock, carrots, onions, dried dates and berries and salted turnip.

Grilled pork spare ribs with garlic salt, pepper and fresh thyme. I'm not sure if its the oven in Japan but I haven't quite got it down perfectly like Mom and Amah's.

I feel that sort of limp exhaustion now that I've laid down.  I'm just going to blame it on the weather, the walking, or the jetlag.  Or all of the above.  

Tokyo, Here I (and a Vitamix) Come!

I decided to take the job offer in Tokyo!  What a relief it is to make the decision and stick with it.  I know a lot of people think I'm crazy, but I guess I've always imagined life abroad.  Maybe it's because I know I'll always come back to California.

In all honesty, I am really looking forward to feeling a bit settled for a while.  This is the first time I've made a solid decision to actually move abroad with the intention of staying for a bit.  So now I'm frantically stocking up on things I feel I can't get (especially) in Japan and being a bit ridiculous about it.

For example, it started out with the idea that everything in the States is cheaper than in Japan (it's true), so I figured I should buy my work clothes here since the sales are ridiculously amazing post winter season.  Then I was reminded about how I can't read anything in Japanese and how I struggled to find cold/flu medicine while I was over there a few months ago.  So I stocked up on common meds and remedies.  Then came Costco food: dried nuts, berries, chocolate chips (seriously, I found a tiny bag for too much money in Japan), and I even contemplated a bag of radiation-free brown rice before my mom chastised me with an AI-YAHH!

While I was in Costco, I saw that the Vitamix people were blending together tortilla soup and talking about pulverizing avocado pits - it was amazing.   Because it's healthy and don't I want to be healthy, too?

So here I am with 3 massive suitcases (1 extra baggage already) full of clothes, shoes, meds, food and a 16-pound Vitamix box that will be my travel buddy and carry-on to Tokyo.

Have I mentioned I need to figure out how to carry my laptop and SLR camera?

Packing in a hurricane.

5 Weeks of Awesome to Come

Tomorrow is my last day of work before:

I jet off to Koh Lanta, Thailand for a 5-day tropical vacation.  Beach, Thai food, massages, diving/snorkling and a bit of tanning.  What more could I ask for?

Oh yeah, a trip to CALIFORNIA!  I finally get to visit my beloved home!  Family, Friends and Food.  That's the best alliteration ever.

Chibi Girl

Amazing Mom

Best Friends

Oh wait, I'm not finished?  Then I want to do a quick trip to Korea on my way back to Singapore.  Umm, hello shopping and beautiful people??

Not to mention, I return to Singapore the week of my birthday where I've been granted that Friday night and Saturday off.  And the cherry on top?  I have friends visiting Singapore that weekend!  Friends from Bigfoot days and college which just adds to the already wonderful Singapore crew.

March is going to be amazing, I can barely contain myself!