Surviving

I was at a party last night and for some reason I needed to drink quickly all the wine that was served - someone else could have taken my share. I ended up being pretty drunk and today I have been on the survival-mode.

Bad Film, Bad Shopper

Me and M went to see 'The Da Vinci Code' yesterday while an entire family baby-sat Vimme. He knew them all well and had spent hours and hours of time with them before. Still he screamed for an half an hour after we left asking for me and M. Then he decided to play a little, then scream a bit more and then have a nap with an 'I vant to be left alone'-attitude (he has some good 'drama queen or king'-qualities). But, he seemed OK when we came back home and hasn't talked that much about the whole incident.

The film wasn't good. I knew it would be a terrible film, but I wanted to see it anyway.

Today I went to a clothing shop. I looked at clothes at the 'On Sale'-section when a nice looking sales-person came to tell me something in Japanese. I wondered if he wanted to underline the fact that those clothes were on sale and therefore not the hippest thing to buy or if he told me that one can't buy them at all... he left me puzzled. I tried to look as if I was looking for something particular while I found my way out. Could someone send me instrucions for shops?

Another visit to Museum of Contemporary Art

I got two tickets from a friend and decided to take my family to see the exhibition I saw on my own few weeks ago (Cartier Foundation's Collections). M had a look at pieces of art and I supervised the force of nature I'd brought to the museum. The force enjoyed himself and found some works intresting, but he would have caused major damage to the whole exhibition if I'd let him do what he wanted to do. So, call me 'the keeper of the force'.

Drowning Finns

Today is a big party day at least in Finland and in Sweden: Midsummer Day's eve (Juhannus aatto). People rush to drink their arses onto their shoulders (a Finnish saying) by a lake or sea shore.

On sunday's paper there'll be this year's numbers of how many people got drowned. Drowning takes usually place, when a male citizen needs to pee on a small boat in a state of heavy intoxication. The boat starts to rock while the citizen is balancing on his to unsteady feet and terrible accident happens. So, you party people: take a pail with you on the boat and sit down if you have to pee and you'll be fine.

Useless Beach and Orange Hair

The ever so scary, scientological monster, Tom 'Yuck' Cruise did some stunts on my beach on tuesday. Now I have to avoid the beach until all Tom-molecules have dissappeared - I wonder how long that'll take.

To comfort anyone who (for some unknown reason) happens to like Tom: I am sure he wouldn't like me either. So no harm done.

Yesterday I saw the dog in the picture. Oh yes, it was dressed - of course - the extra nuance was orange dyed paws, ears and tail.

Good to Know

The kid comes to say good night. Before he goes back to bedroom he asks me if Haneda airport is that way (pointing at a window) or that way (pointing at a wall). We agree that it's at wall's directions. Then he needs to know the same facts about Narita airport before he runs off.

A wise move. People have stayd up all night thinking about such questions without getting any satisfactory answers.

Salarymen

By now I am quite used to seeing women who are putting on their make up on trains. I don't pay attention to them (or to dressed dogs)anymore like I did when I first arrived to Tokyo. But today I saw a complitely ordinary looking salaryman plucking his eyebrows on a train - that was unusual. On the same trip another salaryman was having a loud conversation about something with someone whom no one else saw. All the same: the kid was happy to ride on the train.

Minor Annoyance

When I tried to log on to my e-mail account this morning, I noticed that e and w on my keyboard had died. It took me a while to figure it out though. Now I have to use the 'cut and paste'-method when I need to use either of those letters. Very annoying.

I should get myself a new computer.

Oh, we've been married for 18 years today. Happy anniversary M.

Free PR

As a person who is always ready for challenges and excitement, I went to Interior and Lifestyle Exhibition at Tokyo Big Sight with Vimme. I got two tickets from a friend who didn't have a chance to go there.

I have to say I didn't get much to look at the exhibition - only those booths with toys and kids' stuff in them. It was intresting though that Japanese exhibitors were thrilled to see Vimme looking at toys. He happened to be the only kid in the hall at the moment (...and I wonder why) and that way he was the only one who could do real PR for toy-producers by playing with their toys. And he did.

Today has been a rainy day. I was suppose to clean the flat, but my energy was elsewhere and I started to read Zadie Smith's 'On Beauty' instead. It was a good choice.

Fountains

Today was a perfect day for the great outdoors (read: the park near by). Thin clouds covered the sun and it was very warm and pleasant to sit on the lawn. A friend of mine joined us with her kids and our kids jumped around in a huge shallow fountain. There are no signs that tell it's prohibited to let kids play in park's fountains, therefore kids may play there.

Once the heat wave lands on Tokyo in July, we'll practically live by the fountain. Join us anytime.

Elvis and the Usual

Here's another 10 minutes mouse drawing of a Tokyo Elvis. In this picture he has his chihuahua with him. He is waiting for his pals to arrive, so that they can start dancing. (Note his worn out dancing boots).

In my real life not much worth a report is going on. Just the usual: me being tired, the kid's screaming, crowded trains, low clouds, skyscrapers and sushi.

Ukiyo-e

Yesterday I had pleasure to see Japanese woodblock prints (Ukiyo-e) been printed at The Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints. The "show" was all in Japanese, but it didn't make it any less intresting.

Of course it would have been great to be able to ask about what kind of glue they used on blocks before brushing the colour on it or about colours, if they still use traditional pigments - and such, but that I may do another time.

It is inspiring to see craftsmen doing their work.

Party Party

I was at a birthday party with the kid yesterday. It all went pretty well after half an hour's horrendous screaming (Vimme woke up from his nap a bit too early). Birthday boy become five years old and all the kids wanted desperately to eat cake until the moment a piece of it was placed on their plates. Kids always do that.

After the party we went to a playground close by. This picture is taken there.

Whiter Shade of Pale

Weather has been really lovely for some time and people tell me my face has got some colour. Does that mean I don't look my usual living-dead pale now?

Saved

I must have lived in Tokyo a bit too long, otherwise I wouldn't have looked at a pair of PINK pirate trousers even concidering to buy them.

They were on sale and they looked so... pink. So, I took my usual size and a size smaller, that sometimes fits me and went off to try them on.

It must have been god that saved me from looking like Miss Piggy this summer: even the bigger size was absolutely too small. Those pink wonders on I looked like I was ready to be sliced to bacon for someone's breakfast. Oh lord, I am overwhelmingly grateful because I was saved: I remembered who I really was and the pink tokyote devil didn't get me!

Yet.

Shady Spot

We had a nice picknic with some friends today in a park close to our home. Weather was perfect: not too hot and still sunny most of the time. I will definitely have few more picknics during this summer - as often as I can - at that same spot under that particular shade. It's located perfectly next to a playground and no cars are in sight.

Being a Finn

This is one of those things that make me proud being a Finn. Though this reminds me of how bad it also can be.