Monday, February 27, 2006

Five Food Challenges

I got tagged by Jo.

Here are my Five Food Challenges:

1. The biggest food challenge is to prepare healthy meals the kid doesn't refuse to eat.

2. I drink too little water. I should drink more. A friend of mine told me that when your body is lacking a half a liter of water, you get unfocused and don't function in general as well as you could. And when your body needs a liter of water that you haven't drank, because we people don't drink enough, then you feel the thirst.

3. I don't eat meat. It is a tough job to ask people in food stores if the product I'd be intrested to buy has meat in it or not. As you might already know, I can't read Japanese and most Japanese people don't speak english.

4. Good coffee is hard to find.

5. I haven't been able to find Swedish anjovis anywhere in Tokyo.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Scientists

Having a scientist as a house-pet, I found this ever so entertaining. Here is a quote from the site: To me, a scientist is bald and has hair coming out of the sides of his head. . . . Scientists live in their own world and the rest of society puts them there.

Saturday, February 25, 2006

A Night Out

Yes folks, last night I was out clubbing. It was my first time here in Tokyo, which itself tells lot about my present life: I have lived here over a year.

Me and my two friends went to a gigantic club at Shin-Kiba to enjoy a reggae night, which itself wasn't that good. Too much of a "show" (read: japanese DJs shouting) and too little music to dance. And it sort of bothered me that I could have been any other party-person's mom there - by the age. I have to choose a better age-blender place for my next Tokyo clubbing experience.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Chewable Coffee

For those who wonder, it didn't taste good.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Finnish women vs. American women

This amused me. I don't know if it's true or not.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

No Sightseeing

Plum trees are getting wild with flowers. The kid is screaming and testing his limits more than ever. I am getting new gray hair every day. I don't have nerves to follow my friends to Tokyo sighseeing with the crazy kid. And mind you - I have tried.

Good news is that summer is closer day by day.

Friday, February 17, 2006

A Kick

A moment of getting a kick: I found my name mentioned on The Internet Movie Database. Me and Viggo on the same database. It's like we almost knew each others.

Oh well, maybe everybody's there anyway.

Other than that: a good friend of mine is coming to visit us with her son. That'll be the reason for my less frequent blogging during the coming next two weeks. But, if something very important comes up, you'll be updated. I love you all.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

What Was That?

Ok, first kid is OK all morning. Then suddenly he gets quite a high fever and sleeps for four hours. Then the fever is gone and he is OK again. What the hell was that?

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Monday, February 13, 2006

An Easy Way to Get Space at a Gym

Eat a box of sushi a bit too late before training. Once you start sweating, you'll produce hefty burbs that drive away both fellow trainers and my guess is that even evil spirits will be gone. Sushi is good for you.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Shibuya Sunday

It's been a cold day again. I saw this giant mannequin in Shibuya today and watching it made me freeze even more than I already did.

Few years ago we got "Ge-Ge-Ge-no-Kitaro" book as a present from our friends who visited Japan. Today I bought two following books and it was about time - I haven't bought any cartoons for so long that even I myself started to get a bit worried about that fact.

Friday, February 10, 2006

Acne Scars

I am reading Barbara Kingsolver's 'Animal Dreams'. I enjoy reading the book and I try to read it slowly, to make it last a bit longer.

My eyes stuck into this sentence while reading: '...with the kind of face that's made more handsome, not less, by the scars of teenage acne.' I have always thought that teenage acne scars are good looking on a man's face. I won't feel odd because of that from now on.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Born Again Cap

My old worn-out cap got a new life with this fabulous Pushkin Patch Sunny sent me. Thank you!

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Yay!

Today we were away from home for six hours. During our outing the kid didn't wear a diaper and he didn't wet his pants. I think this is the beginning of a new wonderful diaperless era. Boy, am I glad!

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Shopping

The other day when I loitered around with a friend, I bought a sketch book and two good quality pencils.
Do I have to start sketching now?

Fortunately I managed to avoid buying any of these beautiful brushes - I wouldn't have place in my life for a serious calligraphy hobby.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

I Want More

What a wonderful day! Sun shone and I went to see two exhibitions at MOT. The other one was contemporary art from Eastern Europe. I was positively surprised how good works there were. For example: a video of deaf people's choir singing was very touching and a thick velvet mattress with holes full of intimate female voices was quite a funny one. I've had a prejustice about Eastern European art being totally gray and sad, but it obviously isn't only that. Another exhibition was about comtemporary japanese paintings and that was a fantastic exhibition to see. I seldom see so many new paintings that I like and that manage to wake any feelings in me. It seems to me, that japanese painters are more free to produce pictures they happen to like, without any notions to recent trends. I like that.

After that I saw a friend and we had some quality time together, meaning kids were at home with their fathers. I want more days like this.

Friday, February 03, 2006

Setsubun

According to the traditional Japanese calendar it's Setsubun, day before the beginning of spring. Today one is ought to throw soybeans at home, both in- and outdoors and shout "Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi", while throwing. And that would mean something like "Demon out, good luck in". After throwing your beans, you should eat as many beans as is the number of your years. That way you'll be healthy during the passing year.

Have I done this? No. It's not my tradition, though it sounds like fun. And February the 3rd has been always been another special day as long as I remember: my mother's birthday. Happy birthday mom.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Thursday

Today we went out after a week and half indoors. We didn't do anything exiting, just walked to the food store and back.

The weather has become warmer, but as a sceptical person I don't believe that spring is already on its way here. I am prepared to freeze two more months, then spring better be here.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Thank You Texas

I bow deep to the direction of Texas. I am being overwhelmingly grateful to our friends there sending us a packet full of books. Thank you Erin & guys.