..in the summertime..

'inertia creeps' - massive attack

well, looks like summer's here.
the humidity has kicked in, and the urge to run away or dive into baths of cold water has begun...

oh yes. summer.

now, don't get me wrong - i am not an anti-summer person.
i am not even an anti-hot person.
what i am, though, is an anti-tokyo-summer person.
i hate it.
i hate how i am sweaty and irritable BEFORE i even get to work.
i hate being crammed on the train with lots of rank smelly people in the morning.
(i really think there should be a law that everyone MUST have a shower in the morning before they leave home - but that's a whole different rant...)
i hate how my make-up sags down my face, making me feel old & ugly.
i hate sweat rings on my clothes.
talking of sweat - i hate sweating in places i didn't know i could sweat.

but let me be clear - i do NOT hate summer.
i love watermelon, ice lollies, those glass wind chime things, katori senko (mosquito incensey stuff), festivals, BEER, and getting out of tokyo.

there are lots of good things about summer here - it's just that 'work' and 'tokyo summer' do NOT go together very well.

Kyushu...

convertible - wedding present

been meaning to write about the parental trip & kyushu.

it was great - had a nice relaxed time with them. they've really mellowed in the last few years. or perhaps it's just me? don't really know on that one - perhaps a bit of both.

we went to kyushu for 5 days and managed to do 3 prefectures (kumamoto, kagoshima & miyazaki), 2 volcanoes (aso & sakurajima), one castle (kumamoto), lots of roses, palm trees & general greenery. lots of ocean too & some mountains. even managed to squeeze in an onsen everyday (finally found the joy of them - sorry j-ster & indigogirl for realising WAY too late!!)

yeah - it was an all round nice trip. great to get away from home, and great to get the parents all to myself for a while.

also had a big milestone occur during this trip...

for as long as i have smoked (a few years too many) i have always hid it from the parents. little sis always said to me "why? you're an adult, you don't have to hide it". and i guess she was right. just a habit i got into, i suppose...

anyway, one night we were out at a wine tasting that i was translating for, and i got a bit drunk (hey, what's the point in translating about the wine if you haven't tasted it yourself?!)

anyway, once i'd had a few, i couldn't control my nicotine cravings, and thought 'bugger it', apologised to the parents & said that i was going to spoke. and they were remarkably cool about it. got some dirty looks from daddy sin, but mummy sin told him to shut up as he'd been a smoker once, and had no right to preach to me. funny how ex smokers are the strongest anti-smokers...

anyway - that kind of sums up the trip. it was lovely.

and in a nice kind of symmetry, we went to Sata Misaki (Cape Sata). this is the most southern point of mainland japan. if you look at the photo above, you can see a photo i took of the 31 degree line marker. apparently, we were on the somae latitude as Cairo, New Delhi, New Orleans, Shanghai and Karachi.

why was it a nice kind of symmetry? well, because the last trip i took with the parents was to Soya Misaki - the most northern part of mainland japan, way up in hokkaido (near wakkanai) which, for those of you who want to know, is 45 degrees north.

and that was a good trip too!! must be an adult now - i seem to enjoy spending time with my parents!!!

...no longer an untagged virgin...

let your conscience be your guide - space jam

i've been tagged! j-ster tagged me and i am now no longer untagged. yup, she broke my virginity tag!

i would have written up my responses sooner, but what with a buggered computer, the world cup, stupid amounts of work and silly volumes of alcohol, i have haven't had the time, energy or bodily coordination to get things sorted...

But here goes...

5 Movies/DVDs That I Have Watched Recently

Walk the Line - i love Johnny Cash. and a wonderful film - well deserved oscar, if i might say so!
21 Grams - is that the right title? damn dark, but couldn't stop watching it
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (again) - oh johnny!
Code 51 - again, is that the right title? love samantha morton. i want to be her.
Beginning of random Steven Seagal film - thought he couldn't be as bad as people say. he was.


5 TV Shows That I Tend to Watch

Since i got satellite tv 6 months ago, i have renewed my love affair with tv.
think most of these shows have finished since i started wacthing them - but i still love them...

CSI (las vegas & miami)
Without a Trace
Felicity
Malcolm in the Middle
Six Feet Under


5 Restaurants I have Visited Recently

Do bars that serve food count? well, they do here...

Blue Corn - how can i live without it?!
Fat Mams - next door to blue corn...
Las Chicas - nice for sunny lunches...
Yukiguni - my favourite izakaya
La Boheme - great pizza


5 Foods That I Currently Enjoy Snacking On

Trying to cut down on snacks in my mission to be a thin svelte single girl in my 30s.
(and to make all random ex-boys feel bad that they screwed uop...hahaha...)

I did say trying - i have *so* not completely stopped...

jyagariko - love these potato chips stick things. any flavour works for me...
cheerio ice cream - way better than haagen daz, and less than half the price - bargain!
korean seaweed - damn tasty (and kind of halthy - i think/hope!)
banana chips - crunchy sweetness for that afternoon slump
grapefruit - for some reason i am having cravings for them lately...weird me


5 Musicians that I currently listen to

now this is a toughy - how can i just choose five?
but here goes...

Rolling Stones - they make me smile & sing
Mogwai - new album is bloody lovely
Johnny Cash - he makes me jiggle (that came out way worse than i intended)
Sigur Ros - somehow they still manage to make me cry
Sonic Youth - been reveisiting some of their older stuff lately - still rocks!

And i think that about does it!

and now for you. i'm not going to tag anyone in particular, but if you have the urge to answer these questions - please please do! and if you're blogless, feel free to come and answer in my comments. so want to hear what you're liking right now.