Luxury Day

I napped for 3 hours today! That I call luxury.

Entertaining

We've been watching 'Desperate Housewives' lately. It's a very entertaining TV series. Thank god there are ways to watch TV without opening the TV!

Loud Insects

Local grasshoppers are really loud. I call them grasshoppers - god knows what they actually are. One morning our family unit stopped all together to listen to a very strange sound that came from outside. The sound was closest to a sound of a very powerful wire grass cutter, the thing you use to shave those part of the lawn the mower didn't reach - god knows what that is called. My vocabularity is limited. Anyway, it took us a while to understand that it was an insect that made the noice.

A Secret Revealed

The secret to my everlasting youthfull appearance is Cow Beauty Soap.

Rice on the Side Walk

A Rice Field.

Another thing I like here in Tokyo: people put flower pots on side walks front of their houses and no one touches those plants, except those who take care of them. Both in Finland and in Sweden those pots wouldn't survive a weekend. Someone would break the pots and throw plants all over the place.

Typhoons

Typhoon is coming closer to Tokyo. I haven't experienced that weather phenomenon before. I am curious to see how it is. Hopefully not too strong.

My own personal home typhoon has his tantrums daily now a days and I must say it takes a lot of energy to stay calm and adult when he is in that state. I could easily sell my soul for a week under a palm tree, drinking cool alcohol drinks and watching the horizon.

Dark Side of Parenting

I understand why parents sometimes feel like they could slap their kids, but I honestly don't understand parents who actually do it. And for some people slapping kids doesn't even seem to be something that they should be ashame of. I've seen japanese parents (usually mothers) slapping their kids in public places quite often. And it's not only japanese that keep on slapping their kids: M talked to a neighbour who happily told a story that included her hitting her 3 years old kid. Jesusgod I find it disturbing.

I think most situations where kid-slapping takes place are caused by parents themselves. I can see it in myself. When I loose my nerves with the boy, it's usually when I do something that I shouldn't even try doing when the kid is awake, like writing e-mail. Of course kids can be a handfull, but nothing that a grown-up couldn't take care of without using any kind of violence.

Another Earth Quake

Today's earth quake was the biggest so far during our time here in Tokyo. We were on our way home from a store and walked through the campus when it hitted. It didn't feel strong out there. A big building next to us made a big 'bang'-sound and tinkled for a while. I'm sure it would have felt stronger if we'd been indoors.

Food and Languages

I still find japanese food stores quite exciting. You never know what you'll find there. Even stuff you see everyday stays unspecified to you, unless you know japanese - and I don't.

Yesterday we had a visitor who knows japanese. She kindly showed us which button to push on TV's remote control to make american movie stars to speak english again instead of japanese. Though I must say, last night's film's only highlight was to see and hear Sly Stallone speak macho-japanese.

High Fever

The kid got sick yesterday: he threw up and had a high fever. While he slept and slept and slept, I went through all the worst scenarios in my mind. Now he is feeling better and the fever is gone. I must say I am feeling grateful for V getting better to the Force, to the Universe, to Gods and Goddesses, and to the Holy-What-Ever. Thank You.

Cold Versus Hot

When weather is hot like this, you get easily feeling of a really hard work out when you ride your granny bicycle up and down hills. But I am not complaining. I prefer hot before cold, unless the cold is really cold and snow piles are high. And well heated home is close. And sauna is ready. And hot drinks wait for me... Am I making myself home sick on purpose?

Cockroach Spotting

Cockroach.

Today I spotted my first Japanese cockroach - outdoors. I wish I won't meet any of them creatures in our flat. Ever.

Unintresting Person

Now that I have a kid I have noticed that it makes me totally unintresting in some people's eyes. Especially when I reveal that I am a house wife. I first found it very disturbing and extreamly unfair. I was put into 'unwanted' category without any chance to prove what a jerk I can be. Argh.

Then I remembered how I was before the boy came into my life. Most kids just annoyed me. And most mothers too - oooooh, especially mothers! All they did was talk about their kids, about how tired they were, how they had gained weight, and anything totally trivial.

So, I am not reacting to negative actions on that front anymore. I understand where people with the 'unwanted'-stamp stand. I am simply letting negativity pass by and I will keep my eyes open for more tolerant people ...who want to know all about my adorable little boy. Muahahahahaaaaa!

A Horse Park

You can meet horses.

Today's entertainment included a visit to Baji Park that "...was the arena used for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964 and has been used for many equestrian games ever since". The sky was gray and weather cool, which was nice. We saw horses and kids played at two of park's three play grounds. It was all very nice. When I came home, I noticed that my shoulders were all pink pink pink. Damn! I have to start wearing sunblock all the time to be safe. Even indoors.

Sunday's Program

First I check that this is my english blog and I am writing in english (read: in finglish).



Ok, now I can tell that today we went to Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography. The work above was there (Toshio Iwai, Time Stratum II) and lots of other pieces of art. It was a fine museum, worth visiting.

At the museum was World Press Photo 2005 exhibition. While seeing it I made a mental note not to enter a press photo showing ever again in my life. I think it's discusting to watch other people's suffering in an exhibition hall. Ok, sport photos were good, but tsunami, Bezlan, Haiti etc photos were just painful to watch. I won't forget all that though it isn't rubbed on my face.

After that we went to Good Day Book Store, that is quite close to the Museum. I will go there again. They had a great selection of english books - second hand and new and prizes were OK. There was a sign on the wall, that said: 'Unattented children will be sold as slaves'.

Then we went to today's third nice place: Good Honest Grub restaurant. They served nice vegetarian food. I had an avocado & tofu wrap - it was just plain delicious.

This is a Scandal!

I apologise my non-finn readers about my accidentally published finnish post. I was in hurry and on my way to spend some relaxing time at an onsen, so I saw my mistake first today. This is how life gets when you are doing bilingual tricks.

The onsen was great and I finally had a chance to have a bath in Japanese way. It was so nice. I recommend it to everyone. Now, after three hours in a bus and in several trains too, we are at home and all I want to do is to rest after all relaxation we did.

Why, why, why, oh why?

I am sad and angry because of London's bombs. I can't understand what the bombers think they will achieve by this. Do they think that everyone now will say: yes, we give you what ever you ask for?

Hate creates hate, violence creates violence - what can we do to stop this vicious circle?

Reasons for Moving

I found Hanoi Rocks' album at the local 'rent-a-CD'-store. I had to rent it though I have never really liked the band. It wasn't any better this time. Too glittery.

Someone told me that there is a group of Japanese women still living in Finland (not all of them together though). They immigrated to Finland in 80's because of Hanoi Rocks and ended up staying there for good. I can't think of any band that would make me to move to another country. Or even a block away.

A New Place to Entertain the Kid

Today we visited a children's play centre called "Loghouse" (well, it was a loghouse). Vimme liked it, though first, when I turned my back, he climbed too high and saw up there a woman with an eye patch and got so scared that he just screamed. Once he got over that shock he ran around like little boys do. When we got back home I remembered that I didn't bring a ball back inside. Vimme threw one out of a window. Damn - and I told the ladies that I will. I hope we'll be welcome there again in spite of that.


A Running Boy.

Sunday shopping

We went to Daiei department store today. It's not far away from where we live - by bicycle that is. Strangest thing I saw there was a 2 inch long beetle in a little terrarium (unfocused picture included).



I didn't buy one, though I used to have a pet tarantula when we still lived in Finland. Spiders are nicer than giant beetles.

I did buy a small kettle, which I dropped on a stone pavement right when I stepped out the store. Now I have a brand new kettle with a dent.

At home I managed to drop a bowl of noodle on my lap. I did say some really bad words and then I had a priviledge to hear a little boy voice echo saying those words again and again and again.

When will I learn?

A Museum

We went to Museum of Contemporary Art today. It was a fun place to see. We had a perfect timing with Vimme's nap and had a chance to see the exhibition without either of us running frantically after the little monster. When he woke up, we showed him the parts we thought he might like. He seemed to like the museum. So did we.

Yes!

Yes, weekend and shared parenthood is here! I am separately grateful that I am not a single parent, though in a magazine I read today a single parent said, that it is better to a parent without a partner than parenting with a bad partner.

I wonder if I should get myself a Japanese housewife apron. I am tempted to buy one and ride my bicycle to a food store wearing the apron - like locals do - and see if I can do it with straight face. Oh, they do have other clothes under the apron, so this fantacy isn't as kinky as it first appeared to be - sorry.