YUMMMM Cupcakes

The List

The List is a list of things I want to do/see/go to before I die. They are in no particular order.

1. Visit all 7 continents (well maybe 6, do I really need to go to Antarctica??)
2. Scuba Dive
3. Ski Dive
4. Taj Mahal
5. Pyramids/Sphinx in Egypt
6. Live in NYC
7. Hot Air Balloon
8. Louvre Museum
9. London
10. Summer Roadtrip of America
11. Great Wall of China

Thats all for now, but this will be updated as I think of them.

Little Known Facts

1. Although I wasnt born in Texas, I claim Austin, it's all I can remember anyway.
2. Allergies- My eyes are allergic to anything and everything.
3. I am the only person in Japan who doesnt know their blood type.
4. I have worked since I was 15.
5. I have been on my own since 18.
6. I have only been in love once, very close a few times. (I miss that- being in love)
7. I have only one regret- missing my brothers wedding.
8. I secretly love my freckles.
9. I forgot what life was like before iPod.
10. I am a lot like my sister- and I like that.
11. It is my personal goal to be candid.
12. I miss soccer, but not as much as I thought I would.
13. I talk to myself. (who doesnt?)
14. I dont anger easily-(I think.)
15. I like green.
16. I can juggle.

Things that make me happy.

1. Knowing my parents are proud of me.
2. Being independent.
3. Dogs
4. Laughing
5. I love knowing that my friends think I am funny
6. Innocent flirting.
7. Excitement of going somewhere new
8. The excitement, build up, and energy before the first kiss
9. The first kiss
10. Reading a great book
11. Music
12. Star Wars
13. Indian/Thai/Mexican/Japanese food.
14. Giving/Recieving gifts
15. Popcorn and chocolate
16. Apples and Peanut Butter
17. PB&J
18. Kaiten Sushi



Things that piss me off.

1. Nothing can piss me off more or quicker than my brother Waylon. I love him, but he knows all the buttons to push, and has years of childhood experience.
2. Not saying what you mean. The Japanese have a hard time saying anything that may be construed as negative, but it leaves room for a lot of confusion. Tell it how it is.
3. Lack of consideration for other cultures/religions/etc.
4. Being stood up by friends/family/etc. Its rude, call.
5. My ghetto/broken/ancient bike.--I just got a new/used one :) Its red.
6. People with poor friendship etiquette. There are some things you just dont do.

Things I miss about America/Back Home

1. Mexican Food
2. My mom's lasagna
3. Driving-especially the long ones going nowhere
4. Knowing I understood the conversation
5. Christmas Festival
6. Shopping
7. Quiznos
8. Pizza





Thats all I can think of for now. I will add 'em as I think of 'em.
Feel free to comment. Hint, Hint.

Shawna Skywalker

Star Wars Horoscope for Cancer

You may whine at times, but you've developed a thick hard shell (like that of a crab). You are strong willed and persistent - until you get what you want. You never shy away from a fight, even when things get dangerous. Mentally sharp, you are starting to master the elements of mind manipulation. Star wars character you are most like: Luke Skywalker

What is Your Star Wars Horoscope?

I'm Sick :(

So I went to the doctor yesterday, I know just enough japanese to get the general idea. She said I had a cold and gave me some medicine. Last night and this morning I had a raging fever, cold sweats, etc. So I went back to the doctor and turns out I have the flu. I swear kids at school are little germ factories. Wiping there noses then touching me. YADA.

Anyway, since I just got back from Thailand, my inner paranoia immediately thought-Bird Flu. So in my very broken Japanese I told the doctor that I just got back from Thailand and I asked her if it could be Thailands Flu. She said it wasnt, but you know I had to ask.

I have been to the doctor 3 times since I came to Japan, the first two times a Japanese co-worker came with me to translate, and the doctor actually spoke a little English, so I told my manager that I can do it myself, but naturally when I show up without a translator she speaks only Japanese to me. Whats up with that? Whats funnier is her notes are half english half Japanese, but she is just gonna spew Japanese at this poor dumb foreign girl.

On the plus side, Japan has very good healthcare. The first trip cost me about $10, including my prescriptions, the second cost $20, I guess Tamiflu is a lttle more expensive. All in all only $30 for 2 doctor visits, plus all the prescriptions -6 different pills. Not to mention I can apply to my company and get reimbursed for a percentage of that.

On the downside I had a job interview for a promotion in my company scheduled tomorrow and I wont be able to go. I talked to Honbu-head office- they said I can make it up next month, but I need to get my life planned out. So I am going to be applying for things outside of Japan so I have the backups set up since it will be to late to get that done once I find out about the promotion.

So I came home early from work yesterday and stayed home today. I am already bored to death!!!! I could read, but I have a raging headache that wont quit.

Ok, enough whining.

Good Books

Books I am working on....

Confessions of a Yakuza
Sometimes a Great Notion
Never Let Me Go

Some of My Favorites...

Invisible Monsters
Survivor
Choke
Fight Club
Lullaby
Diary
Haunted
Non-Fiction
The Catcher in the Rye
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Breakfast of Champions
A Million Little Pieces
My Friend Leonard
One Flew the Cuckoos Nest
Life of Pi
Flowers for Algernon
Geisha, a Life
Memoirs of a Geisha
Anne Frank- The Diary of a Young Girl
Another Bullshit Night in Suck City
1984
Animal Farm
Lord of the Flies
Brave New World
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
The Virgin Suicides
Middlesex
While I Was Gone
Coin Locker Babies
The Green Mile
Brave New World
Of Mice and Men
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Old Man and the Sea
Reasons To Live
Tumble Home
High Fidelity
This Much I Know Is True
The Bell Jar
Prozac Nation
Farenheit 451
The Giver
A Wrinkle in Time
The Stranger
The Contortionist's Handbook
Everything is Illuminated
The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Gaijin Geekdom

I have finally reached the pinacle of gaijin-geekdom. I have officially become addicted to manga-Japanese comic books. It would be cool if I could read it in Japanese as reward for all my effort studying, but sadly, I cant. I must read the english versions. To my credit it started as an effort to be a better teacher for my students. They are always excited to tell me in English about the books, but would get so disappointed when I dont have any idea what they are talking about-pirates, ninjas, soul reapers, etc. (some things are just Lost in Translation)

So at the airport leaving for Thailand I found the 2 most popular ones in english- Naruto and One Piece. So I bought 1 of each to read at the beach. I liked them, they are fun stories. So on the way back I got a couple more of each and another one that my co-teacher loves (she is from hong kong, and is really into Japanese manga and anime)-Bleach. I really like Bleach. So now I am working on getting the series. So this is what geekdom feels like, not to bad, ne. ;)

New Year's Vacation-Thailand

So I am super lazy, so instead of writing this entry, I plagerized it from my friends blog. She covered all the PG-13 moments, which is all I would cover here any way. I edited it a little, mostly changed it to the first person, so for those of you who know me you will understand why it doesnt quite sound like me. Thailand was great, we had a wild time and learned a lot about one another. Thanks Jen!!!

I have so much to write, I hope I can make sense of it all and I don't leave anything out! First of all, make sure you check out the pictures in the album labeled "Thailand". I am still waiting for my friends to send me some so I'll add those when I get them. But I wanted to get this entry in because I know some of you are curious!

We flew out of Tokyo on Thursday evening and arrived in Bangkok around 11:00 pm. We went to our hotel and were exhausted so headed to bed. We stayed in an area of Bangkok called Khao San Road, which is a very popular spot for shopping. I am not used to seeing so many foreigners and hearing so much English spoken! There were foreigners everywhere! Because Thailand relies so much on tourism as part of their economy, most people learn at least basic English in order to communicate with the tourists. Many people spoke excellent English. The shower in Bangkok and at our hotel in Ko Samui was the same - just a shower hose/head on the wall. No shower stall or anything. I didn't take a picture, but basically you just shower in the bathroom wherever you can stand and not get anything else wet. But that wasn't too hard becuase the water pressure was virtually non-existent, especially in Ko Samui. But we had hot water so that was fine. We spent Friday shopping at all the little markets and vendors on Khao San Road. Taxis are abundant, as are tuk tuks. We rode tuk tuks in Bangkok and Ko Samui, but they were different. In Bangkok, it was kind of like a bench on the back of a motorbike or three wheeler. In Ko Samui, it was a pickup truck with a covered back and the passengers sit in back. The sides are open but the roof is covered. They're really cheap and we took them quite a bit. There are apparently no rules when it comes to driving in Thailand. People were driving wherever they could, paying no attention to the lane lines. Sometimes we would drive in the opposite lane if no one was coming that way! It's really crazy and I really can't begin to explain how insane it was. Glad I didn't have to drive!
We also did a little sight seeing in Bangok like some temples and the big Buddha statue. Jen and I got manicures and pedicures for around $8, Amy got a massage. Everything - the shopping, food, accomodations, etc., are very cheap in Thailand. For example, we ate for an average of maybe 100 baht per meal. 100 baht is about 300 yen or $3, and all of the food was excellent! We ate a lot of Thai food, but a lot of other things too that we can't find in Japan (at least where I live - like Burger King:)). Our hotel in Bangkok was 1000 baht for the three of us, around $25. Another cool thing about Bangkok are the stop lights. Some of them have a timer on the side so you know how many seconds left before the light turns red or green. Friday night we headed to the airport and took about an hour flight to Ko Samui.

Ko Samui is supposedly the second most popular island for tourists, after Phuket. The first night we got there it was late and we were exhausted, getting ready for bed, and the BIGGEST brown spider made his presence known in our room. We never did get it out, but we didn't see it the rest of the week. Saturday was New Year's Eve. We chilled by the beach during the day and just relaxed. That night we headed down to the beach where most of the people were. We met some people from England and Germany and ended up hanging out with them for the night. Everyone was letting off fireworks - there are no regulations like in the U.S. Anything goes! Needless to say, the fireworks were very close to us but were pretty. They also light these huge lanterns and let them float off to who knows where. I got one picture - they really were beautiful.
A month or two ago there was a big storm in Ko Samui and our hotel was damaged pretty bad. Not the rooms, but the pool and restaurant were pretty much destroyed. There was a lot of debris and work being done, so it wasn't the prettiest. And the beach was kind of dirty. But we walked down a little ways each day and hung out where it was cleaner. We spent a lot of time swimming, napping, and reading on the beach. You can also get manicures, pedicures, and massages right there. People walk around asking if you want a manicure/pedicure and there are massage stations set up everywhere. So we all got massages on the beach one day - it was so nice! And very cheap. Mine was 300 baht (around $8) for more than an hour. We also took a couple of tours. On one we took a little ferry out to another island; and did a little hiking up to a viewpoint. Then we went sea kayaking around some cool rock formations, snorkeling (although we couldn't really see anything) and we rode elepants. I kind of regret the elephant ride. I liked seeing them up close, but it was pretty sad to see and be apart of. The other tour Jen and Amy took was an around the island tour to see some of the sights - Big Buddha, waterfall, temples, etc. Lets just say I didnt make that one due to technical difficulties (sleeping off the night before).

The weather was hot and humid - maybe in the 80's. We all got a lot of sun and I got a great tan! But Jen and I also somehow got heat rash on our legs, atleast that is what we thought it was. So our legs were bright red and splotchy. But we kept lotion and aloe vera on them and they felt ok after the first day.

One sad thing is that many of the children are put to work at night, selling flowers and necklaces. One night some kids came up to us and wanted to play Connect Four. If we won, they would give us 100 baht. If we lose, we have to pay them 100 baht. Well these kids are professionals and so cute, you can't say no. Plus you feel sorry for them. One boy pinched my cheek and begged me to play! Now I know that Connect Four is not a difficult game, but these kids always win! But they give out a flower necklace after they beat you! There is a picture with me and "Andy" playing. They played one game and he thought he won, but Jen pointed out that I had won first. I thought he was going to cry! He actually was very mad and pouted , so played again and made sure he won, and paid him for both games. It's really a scam, but it's not that much money and they need it more than we do, besides I am a sucker for kids.

On Ko Samui there are a few modern gas stations, but mostly there were these little gas pumps, kind of like kegs, to get gas from. I took a picture so make sure you look at it. It was pretty interesting. Most people ride motorbikes instead of driving cars. Speaking of driving, the dirvers are all maniacs, especially in Bangkok. Our tuk-tuk dirvers see no problem with driving in on-coming lanes, even with cars coming. I just learned not to watch the street, its hard to watch your life flash before your eyes ever 3 minutes.

The night life was pretty good and we went out a few nights and met people from all over. We hung out a few times with different people we met from England. We also met people from Germany, Austria, and Australia. Gotta love the accents.

On Friday night we took a ferry from Ko Samui to Surat Thani and from there an overnight train to Bangkok. The train was actually pretty comfortable - private bunks for everyone and pretty clean. The toilets were a different story. There were two toilets, an asian style squatter and a western style toilet. The squatter was nothing more than a hole in the trains floor, the western one was a hole with a steel toilet mounted over it. You could actually see the train tracks flying by under the train!! That being said, they weren't that bad, I have seen a lot worse!! At public restrooms you have to pay 3 baht (9 yen or 7-8 cents), and the attendant would give you your ration of toilet paper-usually, that is not always the case, a lot of the time you charged and got to go without the luxury of TP!! Some public toilets are just like any western toilet, but some are a porcelain or steel seat with no tank or flusher. There is a big trashcan full of water with a scoop that you use to manually flush. Anyway, back to the story...So we arrived in Bangkok Saturday around noon, hung out for a while and then headed to the airport. Thailand is so convenient for tourists - everywhere we went we could leave our bags so we didn't have to carry them with us. We got to the airport and took showers, because there wasn't anywhere to shower on the train but we could pay a little and shower at one of the spas in the airport. Then we took the red eye from Bangok to Tokyo. Needless to say I'm exhausted! But it was really a fun trip.