Vappu

It's Vappu eve in Finland today. Most citizens of that cold and distant country will get really drunk and the next morning - when everyone is still awake from the previous night - people have a nice "herring brunch". In Helsinki that often takes place in a wonderful park called Kaivopuisto. If you go there for a walk few hours after the brunch time, you'll find tons of garbage, empty (and not so often unbroken) bottles, even whole tables after a huge party and all the seagulls of the northern hemisphere... In Japan people would clean their crap - no matter how drunk they were, but in Finland they won't. Not even when they are sober.

It was 16 years ago I quit eating meat, which itself didn't have anything to do with Vappu.

The Real Music

We went to a free children's concert today. The orchestra played Vivaldi's Four Seasons and some other classical pieces. The concert started and after a while Vimme asked, if anyone is going to sing. He wasn't pleased when we told him that no one will sing this time. Then he asked when the real music starts. I guess we have focused too much on listening to The Ramones lately and now there's no other music for Vimme than rock music. So, we left the concert.

Shibuya was full of black vans with Japanese flags (Naval Ensign) and with loudspeakers hollering something agressive in Japanese. I am glad I didn't understand what they said. And most people on streets seemed to be annoeyd by the noice and propably by the message too. At least I hope so.

About to Dive

Someone's about to dive.

Well, he didn't manage to do that. I was too fast.

Reading

I am reading a wonderful book from Marianne Fredriksson (Den Som Vandrar om Natten). It's great to be positively surprised by a book, you didn't expect to give you anything, but 'something to read'. I am not going into details of the story - everyone should read all the books anyway.

I hadn't heard about the author before I got this book by chance into my hands. She seems to be very popular in Sweden and her books have been translated to other languages too. And, last not but not least, she is from Göteborg (Gothenburg), my Swedish hometown. She must be a good person.

The kid is giving circus performances on my lap while I am trying to write - so I give up.

Latest News

Today at noon was almost as dark as at night. Rain and thunder clouds filled the sky. Our mama-kid-unit was luckily indoors and after some lightning and raining clouds shifted off and sun was there again.

On sunday morning I ran a bit too eagerly on the treadmill, was about to puke after the session and couldn't do any "weightlifting". I guess a cold is haunting me or some other physical condition that prevents me to live fully. All the same, I don't feel like sporting at the moment at all. And - Emperor Akihito has fever.

Not Much Going On

I am all 'Ooooh, aaaah!!!' - it's a warm day. I still had my winter parka on today and I felt hot in it. Not hot like 'what-a-hottie', but hot like 'god-i'm-sweaty'. But I liked that. I can't wait for summer to begin.

Other than that: not much. Days go by and I keep on doing same things as I've done for some time already: waking up too early, making breakfast, cooking lunch, doing the laundry, washing dishes, etc. What would I do right now if I could do anything? I would have a nap. It might just happen - the kid climbed to his bed and said he is tired.

Empty Hall

I took the kid to the children's hall yesterday. The place was almost empty. That was luxurious. My ears didn't ring the usual way after couple of hours session there.

At home Vimme looked at me and told me that I have great lines on my forehead. I told him he might end up having same kind of lines himself in thirty years. He looked pleased to hear that.

Homesick?

This site didn't make me miss Helsinki any less.

The First Love

Vimme is in love with Gloria the Hippo from Madagaskar film. He said yesterday that if he could go inside the computer he would go to swim with Gloria - we have watched the DVD on M's computer.

Vimme takes the DVD-cover to eat with him and gives food samples to Gloria's picture on the cover. Isn't it touching.

Good Old Times

I wondered the other day, why the hell this housewifing is so tough right now and how come I wasn't this drained a year ago. Then I remembered that the kid had then a nap - every single day - for two hours and I had my own private coffee break!

Monday at a Playground

Vimme become an accidental photomodel today. We went to our usual playground and there was a small group of people taking photos of a cute young woman - there often is.

Vimme was curious about what they were doing and went to have a look. Photo people went all 'KAWAII!!!' and asked me if they could take some pictures of him too - with and without the woman. Vimme seemed to like it so I said yes.

He'll be big in Japan in no time. Though I am not sure if they are going to use those photos - Vimme's nose had ran on his face and I hadn't been bother to wipe it.

Roppongi - Been There, Seen It

I was out partying on friday - it was M's birthday, wasn't it. Though he stayed at home with the kid. But here's how the night was:

- I ate a delicious dinner at buffet in a restaurant. It costed more than any buffet I've ever had and it wasn't really worth it - though it was good, but not that good.

- Beer tasted good. I had quite many. I even had a pint of Guinness. Yummy.

- I sang my lungs out at a Karaoke - for the first time in my life - and it was fun! I will do it again. Anytime! Yes!

- Danced for god-knows-how-long (read: jumped up and down at one spot) in an extreamly crowded bar at Roppongi.

- At 4:30 am decided to head home. It was a tough journey:
1. A lift to Shibuya on a taxi a friend took. Thank you friend.
2. Dozing off for a half an hour at Shibuya Station.
3. Taking a train to another station.
4. Dozing off there for 40 minutes (all together that makes 70 minutes of dozing off at stations).
5. Taking another train.
6. Riding home on the bicycle.

- At home I took a preventious painkiller, drank water and lost my consciousness before my head hit the pillow.

In retrospect it was fun, but I have a feeling that when I go out again I will take the last train home (around midnight). The way home after last trains is just too much of a hard work and one doesn't want to work hard 4:30 in the morning. Especially in a lack of sleep and sobriety.

A Lesson Learnt - Hopefully

Few weeks ago I found some nice Finnish and Swedish books (English translations) here in Tokyo. I bought some to send to a friend in US of A. At home I made a neat little packet of them and sent them away the next day.

What did my friend receive? Yes, the wrapping paper I used for making the package. Nothing else. My lesson learnt in this case was: use proper boxes to send stuff for people and quit experimenting with the material you happen to have at home.
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Forgot to say this: Happy Birthday M!

I Hope This Is Just A Bad Day

God knows what would help me quicker, a beer, a vacation or a shrink. I am utterly tired of my present post. I am not a natural born mother or a housewife. I wonder if anyone is, unless they are natural born filthy rich housewives.

I dislike housekeeping. It's an endless marshland. There's no end to washing dishes, picking up stuff off the floor, doing the laundry and cooking. I used to love cooking, but now that I do it twice a day, daily, it isn't fun at all.

Maybe I am just having a bad day, or maybe this is as good as it gets. God, I am starting to sound like the miserable teenage me. Not that I was a housewife already back then.

Do I have anything positive to report? Do I? I'll tell you when I come up with something.

A Minor Earthquake

There was an eartquake quarter to six this evening. For a moment I thought it was just my imagination, but Tenki showed bright and clear that it was the earth indeed that trembled, not just me. I have a bad habbit of noticing non-existing earthquakes.

A Pleasant Surprise

I am so used to japanese not speaking english or even finglish, that I am almost shocked every time I get service in either of those languages. I have to say I haven't heard any finglish here yet. Anyway, at today's sushi bar here in Odaiba the waiter spoke english more than well. It was easy to order our sushi sets and get a special portion without wasabi for Vimme. I am going to go there again.

Here's the picture

Tokyo housewife, from year 16 to year 18.

Helping Dave

I regret bitterly that I didn't go to see Nirvana when they gave a concert in Helsinki sometimes in the first half of the 90's. I wanted to, but I can't remember which one of the usual reasons (no money, no time or both) I had back then. It's so long ago. Soooo looooong agoooooo.

I've been listening to 'Nevermind' a lot this week. I bought the CD this monday. I've had it before in some illegal form. Then I came to think that Dave Grohl is having a baby soon and I bought both 'Nevermind' and Foo Fighter's 'Colour and Shape'. Now Dave can take some times off from touring and help his wife with the baby. This week's good deed is therefore done.

Relative Nothingness

Time seems to fly, though nothing happens. That nothing is, of course, an illusion and something is going on all the time.

Yesterday we had Swedish guests. It was fun to hear Swedish again and it made me glad that I was still able to have a conversation in that language.

Off Duty

I had a day off. I tried desperately to shop, but didn't manage to buy much. I don't like shopping.

Later that day I got a new tattoo. The tattoo studio was a small one woman's business and the customer before me was getting a huge Buddha picture on his back. He was obviously coming back to have more colour on his Buddha on some near future day.

My small tattoo was done quickly. I have now a Japanese sentence written on my right shoulder.

Sober Sakura Hanami

Today was a perfect day for cherry blossom spotting - sakura hanami. M ran after the kid and I had a pleasure to stay seated on the usual bright blue picknic sheet. I didn't get drunk though one should. It just doesn't feel right to drink when the kid is with us. I save that kind of bad behaviour for some sunny future day. I hope I still want to behave badly when that day arrives.