Trenery/End of Trimester

Settle down people, I'm not pregnant. Although, I would feel better about my recent holiday weight gain if I atleast had a baby to blame it on! Food baby does not count.

I'm talking end of Trimester at uni. Deakin are special like that- we have trimesters instead of semesters. In all of the brochures they talk this up like 'Get your degree quicker at Deakin! Do a summer trimester!' but it's fuck all usefullness if your course doesnt offer any units in the summer trimester.

Anywho.

It's almost the end of Trimester 1 for the year. It also marks the end of my first complete year at uni! I did things the wonky way and started the Bachelor of Primary Education mid year 2011, essentially turning a 4 year degree into a 4 and a half year degree because they changed the course structure at the beginning of 2012. It feels like I still have foreeeever to go!

So to celebrate (read: I randomly felt like shopping and am using this event as an excuse) I have purchased the following from Trenery- (and when I say bought I mean put on lay-buy with the minimum deposit, because I'm a poor uni student)


Erika Ostrich Embossed Tote from Trenery


I love a good bag, and my reasoning on this one is-

• I don't have any brown bags
• I don't have any bags big enough to fit all of my uni books
• This bag will match my brown or black leather boots for winter
• I wanted it

The ostrich leather is very soft.This bag is not my usual taste, I am generally a fan of black everything. Time to branch out, and lets face it, this is much less drastic than bungee jumping.

I did have to stop myself from purchasing the following-



Zig Zag Scarf from Trenery

Basket Weave Scarf from Trenery

It's funny- the unit I despised all trimester (Analysing Childrens Literature) is the one I have received the best marks in and have decided to continue on with as an elective. The marks I earnt didnt come easy, and I was really forced to sharpen my essay writing skills for my tough tutor.

But for now....it's holiday time.

Did I mention I am going on a cruise to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand? I am.

My niece turned 18 in March, so 3 of my sisters and myself are all celebrating with her and going cruising for a week. Only a little trip, but am feeling very lucky to be going on it, especially since Ive barely unpacked from Japan.

Not bad for an end of uni reward, hey?

x

Sakura in Spring

When I first started planning my trip to Japan, I just knew I had to go during Cherry Blossom (sakura) season.

WARNING: Things are going to get pic heavy around here

It was highly inconvenient. Taking a two and a half week trip right in the middle of the semester at uni was going to be problematic- I would have to take my uni stuff with me and submit two assignments whilst on my holiday.

But to go all the way to Japan and not see the Cherry Blossoms, not even once? Wasnt going to happen.

After the Tokyo leg of my tour (the first round anyway) Kyoto was an absolute breath of fresh air. It's still busy, but not as congested as Tokyo, and there are gorgeous green parks everywhere. Whilst I am very fond of the craziness that is Tokyo, Kyoto was the perfect place to see the natural beauty in Japan.

My destination for hanami (cherry blossom viewing) was the Kyoto Imperial Palace Gardens. The gardens are HUGE and there was no way I was going to be able to see it in all its glory. I did not do a tour of the palace, as I did not realise you had to put your name down on a list prior to the tour day. No big deal- it was still a sight to behold just looking at the big old gates!

Kyoto Imperial Palace Gates
Source: Wikipedia

The palace tour will have to be better organised on my next trip to Japan! From what I heard it is very interesting. It has nightingale floors, which means that the Emporer could hear anyone sneaking about to potentially murder him in his sleep!

Wouldnt that be handy in your own home? Admittedly, I dont have to thwart too many assassination attempts, but you never do know! Plus,  I would only hear my Pug traipsing around the house at all hours, lol.

The whole North section of the gardens is where all the cherry blossoms are, and it is by far the busiest section of the park. I love that even the Kyoto locals get really excited when the cherry blossom are out- strangers that could speak very little English would approach me and ask if I was going to see the sakura.

The outside of the North section of the Imperial Palace Gardens...cherry blossoms await inside!

Cherry Blossoms range from the brightest of reds, a million variations on pink, all the way to white

This diorama shows exactly how big the gardens are! Each button gave information about a certain section...of course it was in Japanese so I didnt take a whole lot in. Lol

I saw this bike parked next to the cherry blossoms, whilst the owner was snapping photos. I've never seen a bike with a cat carrier before! If you look inside the basket there is even a little pooper scooper :)

Do you know how hard it is to take a self portrait with a big heavy DSLR, that gets both yourself AND the cherry blossoms in the frame? Not easy.

There were families having picnics under the cherry blossoms everywhere. I felt a little twinge of homesickness!



Woman posing for photo under blossoms

What a beautiful place for wedding photos!

The bride was lovely enough to let me take a quick snap on my way past

There were so many families out and about enjoying the park

I fell in love with this little champ. He was SO STRONG...he was the one who let his walker know exactly where he wanted to go

Who can resist a sausage dog?



This is my favourite photo. I love how the blossom cascade over the branches like little pink tufts of fairy floss

I think I have assaulted you with enough photos. I'm compiling them all now into albums and I must say, I went overboard snapping the cherry blossoms!

Strolling around Kyoto Imperial Palace was a definite pinch yourself moment, I couldve explored around there for hours. I'm so lucky to have the image of a giant wall of cherry blossoms as one of my travel memories.

To those that have lasted to the end of this post- Congratulations x

Memoirs of a Cindy-geisha?

I really loved Kyoto.

Kyoto is the Japan you imagine in your dreams- old-style houses with tatami mats, narrow cobbled streets lined with cherry-blossoms, and geishas slipping from one appointment to the next.

Always fascinated in Japanese culture, I have read a lot of books about the mysterious geisha (or geiko as they are called in Kyoto), the famed Memoirs of a Geisha (a work of fiction) and another called Geisha by Liza Dalby, an account of an American woman who worked and lived alongside geishas in the 70's.

Something about the painted faces, their elegance, and the elaborately beautiful kimonos has always gotten me...and so when I went to Japan I wanted in! (Or as in as uncoordinated chubby Australian is ever going to get!)

Signage in front of Maiko. Not a word of English, but easily worked through

My trusty Lonely Planet guide recommended a company called Maica, who specialise in the geiko and maiko makeover experience. A maiko is an apprentice geisha, which many non-Japanese get mixed up. The image of the geiko in bright kimono with flowers in her hair is stunning, but is more likely to be a maiko. Geiko tend to have a more subdued appearance, with muted colours and less adornments.

Maica is quite easy to spot, despite not having a street number

I did a little bit of a double take when there was only an intercom to communicate- when I pressed the button a Japanese sing-song voice spoke a mile a minute whilst I stood there looking baffled. Luckily, the lady of the house heard my pathetic little "Hello?" took pity on me, and collected me from the front door.

The lovely woman (I wish her name, but it was very difficult to find out with no common language!) was very warm and welcoming, and made it clear what she needed from me with her pointing and hand gestures. The whole process was very smooth.

Sexy cotton robe I was to wear over my undergrunds

The first step was makeup. The woman led me into the very narrow, creaky old building with three stories of winding stairs (with no handrails). Even the steps were super narrow, and I felt like a giant bull in a china shop, lol.

The white makeup basewas very, very thick. It was thicker than the pancake I recognise from dancing, and the Kroyolan I have at home for costume parties. I had moisturiser on but I could just tell that this was going to be a tough job to get off my face! The makeup itself was very oily, and reminded me of the oil paintings I paint on canvas at home.

I found it interesting that there was only a tiny touch of red on my top lip- most of my top lip was went over with the white base, and then the bottom was highlighted.

Ironically the pink eyebrows matched my hair for the first time ever

Next step was the dressing room, which was kind of intense. No photos for this process, it was arduous by all accounts, lol.

Have you ever been on school camp and when it came to pack up time, became frustrated that your sleeping bag was not fitting in its case, so you stuff it in haphazardly?

Yeah. I was the sleeping bag being stuffed into a kimono. Stuffed in by tiny Japanese women, the heaviest of which probably weighed 50kg. (When wet.)

There were 3 (!) women grabbing here, grabbing there, one holding an obi (Japanese sash) tie, one with her hand inside my cotton robe pressing down on my boobs to keep them flat, and another behind trying to secure it all in.

It wasn't so much that I was too fat for the kimono (they are kind of a free size situation) it was just that there are so many layers, things to tie, and bits to keep hidden under the final kimono layer.

In the end the kimono was very tight and the lady kept asking me if I was ok. I think she thought I was going to faint or something, but all I could think of was 'This is nothing compared to the first time I wore Spanx!'

I will also mention that if you have a chubby round face, and a double (or triple?) chin you are trying to draw attention from, a slicked back hairdo and white face paint is not going to do you any favours, lol.

A maiko emerges from the dressing experience

After I was dressed we had a photo-shoot inside for the professional shots I could purchase. To be honest, most of them are so stiff (in terms of how they have posed me) I'm not that keen on them. I did get some hilarious stickers, which are so small its impossible to tell that I'm not a real maiko.

My hair was combed over what they call a semi-wig. The semi-wig was exceptionally heavy and I felt like I couldnt move my head too quickly or I would lose the whole lot. Did you ever try to balance books on your head as a kid? It felt like that.

Instead of just having hair on the semi-wig there were like 3 waxy blocks covered in hair, that they then took my hair and brushed into it before securing the whole 'do with some pins and flower clips.

Source: Maica

I kinda like how my pink hair matches me outfit! All of the photos of Japanese women getting the makeover have the black hair that matches- im not sure what they would do if I was a blonde. Maybe they would then offer the full wig? (I spied one in the shelf where they had my wig, but it didnt look nearly as good as the semi-wigs.)

Mock tea ceremony

I thought it was really helpful that the team at Maica let you take photos with your own camera. Because I was all on my lonesome, they even acted as a photographer for me, which I thought was really kind!

There are all kind of mock traditional setups inside the building for posing. I felt very silly, but how often am I going to be dressed as a maiko in Kyoto?!

My new photography assistant even took me outside, to get authentic photos in Gion. Gion is the tradional Geiko quarters in Kyoto, and much of the old architecture remains. I truly felt like a real geiko hobbling around those streets.

Oh yes, hobbling. Ever worn camel socks, and balanced on wooden clogs that have an exceptionally small base but a very high platform? Oh, and they were about an Australian size 5 (if even that.) My shoe size is normally 8.5.

The photographer kept making odd movements indicating for me to look in the distance, tilt my head etc. Most of these photos I just look kind of confused, lol.

Shit. I know that I'm short (5'2 :( ) but holy crap this photo really makes it obvious haha. Can you see my feet handing over the base of the shoes? The little bit of skin showing is supposed to be alluring- the only little bit of flesh visible. Certainly classier than getting my cans out.

 Just before my Maiko experience in Kyoto was over, an older Japanese woman ran up to me and tapped me on the shoulder and beamed at me-

'Pretty! Pretty! Gaijin Green eye geiko!' (Gaijin means non-Japanese or foreigner.)

She then giggled and ran away!

Lol?

You went to Japan- did you just eat fish?! Part I

When telling people I have just been to Japan, invariably the first question is- 'Did you just eat fish the whole time?!'

Ah, no.

It's like asking an Australian if all they eat is steak because you've seen one of those gross Outback Steakhouses in foreign countries, lol.

(Although if you asked Billasaurus Rex if he only eats steak, you'd be eerily dead-on)

I ate beautifully the whole time I was in Japan, despite speaking much Japanese. In fact as a whole I got by only knowing Hello, Goodbye, Excuse Me, Bathroom, Cute, This meal was delicious, Thank-you and a shitload of pointing with some hilarious but often undecipherable hand gestures, a la charades.

Alot of restaurants had menus that had atleast a couple of things pictured, and often when I walked in a picture menu was fished (I'm punny!) out from under the counter without me having to say a word.

Yes, I did eat a bit of sashimi in Japan. Looking back though, I probably had no more than I would have had on my lunch break at home! I ate a really varied diet, with some magnificent ramen, tempura, sashimi, rice and egg dishes, and so much more.

On to the photos!

Excuse the iPhone photo. Pork Konkatsu in Hiroshima. Delicously golden, crumby fried pork with a bizarre sour apple sauce blobbed on top. Tempure prawn was so crunchy! Japanese obsessed with shallots.





What did suprise me was the 7/11's in Tokyo and Kyoto (I didnt see them in Osaka and Hiroshima, mainly other chains like Family Mart. It's not to say they dont exist, but the certainly werent as prevelant as in Tokyo). Not only were they everywhere, but inside them was amazing!



They are more like mini supermarkets, with walls of fresh, ready to go meals. At first I was wary, and thought of the icky frozen cheeseburgers at my local 7/11, but they were FANTASTIC! Locals were buying them at a crazy rate, and i'm a joiner, so I did too.

The meals were very fresh, cheap (around 500 yen, which works out to be around $6!) and super tasty.

I ate a fair bit of 7/11, because it was always handy and sometimes you dont want to go out for a meal, just want something simple. They cashiers even heat them up for you!



Intricate and beautiful desserts at Isetan, and the phenomenal food hall



Mos Burger- Teriyaki Chicken


Whoever the precious angel was that told me about Mos Burger-THANKYOU.

(I think it was the fantastic GC Real Estate Girl?)

Mos Burger is a Japanese burger chain, and they are everywhere over there. The burgers look tiny, but in reality are the perfect portion. I had a Chicken Teriyaki burger which was great, the chicken was so moist and tender! (Most is a creepy word, no?)

I googled Mos burger to see if it had two s's or just the one, and turns out we have them in Australia?! Where?!

Matcha (Green Tea) Kit Kats....YUM!

One one of my many 7/11 trips in Tokyo (What can I say, I have a weird obsession with foreign snack foods) I discovered Green Tea Kit Kats. It was love at first bite.

They are bright green, with green filling too. They were really sweet like white chocolate, but with a little of the green tea bitterness so they werent sickingly sweet. Love!

There were also Wasabi Kit Kats (I bought home a gift back for Billasaurus, but we both only had one and then never spoke of them again) and also Sakura & Green Tea (Cherry Blossom). That one tasted a shit load like the plain Green Tea, but with a vague plasticy cherry flavour.

Now I hate to break this to you, but this is only Part 1 of my Japanese food posts. These were just the pics off my iPhone! The shots from my DSLR are absolutely  mammoth files, and crashed my parents computer just from trying to upload them.

Wasn't me, must have been an intruder who needed somewhere to view his travel pics.

X

I'm kreativ, this is evidence.

Thankyou to the ever wonderful Ms Jelena, who has awarded me with the Kreativ Blogger award.
Why should you visit Ms Jelena's blog? She is very funny, posts much more regularly than I do, and knows her way around a manicure. Occasionally she also posts photos of hot shirtless men, which I dont complain about. (I'm sure her page views just went WAY up with that information, lol)


In order to receive this award I must share 7 little facts about myself. Didn't you know nothing in life is free? :)


1. When I was 9, my Mum took me to the local park with her friends and their kids. This park is pure magic- there are lakes and geese, ducks and pelicans. (I still get really into it when I go there now, 15 years later) Mum gave me about 3 slices of bread and told me to wait near the lake whilst she hurried the other kids along. (In hindsight Mum- good one, I could have drowned. Can you call DOCS retrospectively?)
I didnt know quite what the bread was for, but being the fat kid I was, I was hungry. Besides- isnt that what bread was for, eating?
Mum came back with the other kids having promised them they would all get a turn to feed the ducklings. She stopped short and everyone stares at me, with narrow eyes, and I can tell my Mum is embarassed. Her friend (who incidentally is a major bitch) gets super hysterical and tells me that there will be no feeding of the ducks now because I have ruined it, and now all the little duckies will have to go to bed without any dinner and might get sick!
Because I was 9, I believed her and the whole night lay awake thinking about the poor ducks that were going to die all because I have an unnatural obsession with white bread!

2. I am a recent Kindle owner and CANNOT.STOP.BUYING.BOOKS.
This might be ok if I was limiting them to the ebook variety, but I havent let up my habit of buying books and turning up at garage sales early in the morn with a deranged look on my face in the pursuit of musty literature.

3. Uni makes me feel really old (at ripe old age of 24). I went to uni determined to not be 'that' mature aged student who knows all the answers and wants to share them, but seriously, as a MA student when a tutor is in front of the class and the 18yos are leaving her hanging, they will ALWAYS call on me. And my favourite is when you are assigned a group for a project and the 18yo's look at me expectantly, like I have got it all figured out and they can coast by and receive a HD by just being in my group. GAHH. Rant over.

4. I have the travel bug well and truly. Any tips on how to get my boyfriend to come with me this time, and preferably think it was his own idea?

5. I just joined a gym, for the 7,582,231 time in my life. They say 7 million, five hundred and eighty-two thousand, two hundred and thirty one times a charm, don't they? I'll celebrate when I actually attend.

6. The first ever concert I went to was to see Good Charlotte at Festival Hall when I was 16. I begged my older sister to take me, or else my olds wouldnt let me go. I wore my best baby punk outfit (you bet your ass there were safety pins and a studded belt) and to this day I wouldn't object to a Madden brothers sandwhch. I later moved on to more hardcore punk tastes, but kept my secret attraction to the twins. Benji's my personal flavour, but I wouldnt kick either of them out of the bed.

7. I lost a friend last year- (she's still alive, that sounded weird- like she had passed on or I left her on top of my car and drove off, losing her) because she got fake engaged- YES. She was eloping to Vegas, so I threw her a Vegas themed hens party, organised gifts from myself and others, took the day off work to pamper her, and turns out she was never getting married and or engaged at all.

I havent tagged anyone- this is an open tagfest. Want this award? Take it! Go on, you know you want to.
Except for you George, you've had enough. (And now the duckies will go hungry!!!)


Evidently i'm delirious, and not fit for blogging. 

Things I learnt whilst travelling alone in Japan



Source

 I'm back!

Have had a whirlwind adventure, a whale of a time, a terrific trip, and all of the other holiday cliches you can think of. Except a romance. Although, I think the amount of time and enjoyment I spent with Green Tea KitKats, and maybe that qualifies as a romance.

Just a quick post today- I need to catch up on all of your blogs! Was wonderful to have some time offline, but definitely missed reading them.

So without further ado (what does that saying mean anyway? Can you have a little ado? I know you can have much ado about nothing, but can you ever just have sufficient ado?)

I present to you my illustrious list of lessons learnt during my holiday- (In no particular order, and I reserve the right to add more as my foggy brain remembers them)

1. If you are on a train in Tokyo on your first day, and the trip seems to be going alot longer than the 1 stop you thought it was going to, and you are then on that train for another 3 hours and eventually see farm animals, you have probably not gotten off at the right stop. You are most definitely not in Tokyo anymore

2. Ice-Cream from a vending machine is delicious

3. Squeezing through a hole the size of Buddhas nostril is best left for children

4. DO NOT I repeat DO NOT approach a man who you have just seen blowing his nose into his palms

5. You will never feel quite so body conscious as you do when you are standing in your undies with 5 tiny Japanese women bustling around you, tyring to dress you in a kimono, one flattening down your ample bosom and the others stuffing your fat into the back like they are packing up a sleeping bag

6. Disneyland is the most overwhelming place ever experienced

7. Japanese people are the most polite people on Earth

8. You will get quite a shock if you bump the wrong button on the toilet control panel

9. Japanese desserts are so intricate, beautifully well presented, and delicious

10. Most of the food you will admire outside shops is made of plastic

11. Dont get the currency conversion wrong, and post boxes back to Australia full of shopping. It will cost you $130 per box, but because you failed to do the conversion properly you will think it is a cost effective $13 and post even more

12. Sometimes, a cab driver will abandon you in his cab with the keys in the ignition. He'll come back.

13. One should duck their head before getting into a cab

14. Travelling alone is frightening, and nerve wracking, but once you get past that you will start to enjoy your own company

15. Although around day 17 you may buy a stuffed lobster from the aquarium and start talking to it, longing to communicate with someone

16. Go on a tour. I didnt. I should have (atleast a day tour or something)

17. There is an alcoholic beverage called 'Japanese Spirit' that is overpoweringly strong. Even a tiny bit in a glass makes the rest of the glass undrinkable.

18. Japanese people genuinely want to help you, and go out of their way

19. Desserts in Japan are often sneaky- what you think is a donut is really a fist sized ball of bean paste

20. 7/11 is great in Japan, you can buy good quality, cheap and filling meals for under $10AUD.

21. You can also buy something at 7/11 called 'Sexy Spray' with a tagline of 'To use when you are on the prowl'. It doesnt smell even remotely sexy.

22. Wasabi Kit Kats are not suprisingly, not that great. Green Tea and Cherry Blossom are spectacular though

23. You will fall in love with the culture, the people, the fashion and want to return desperately

And here just a tiny little sample of the *ahem over 2,000* photos I took....

This is just the beginning of the billion posts you will soon be sick of reading about Japan!

And now, im off to catch up on all of your posts!

x