いい友達やいい食べ物- Good friends, good food.

Two massive nights, two very big dinners and some awesome friends. 

Pizza-chu

Friday night, despite some early hesitation regarding whether it would be appropriate to attend an all you can eat Italian buffet, while trying to lose weight( YOJO :D), was indeed awesome fun. For under 2,000yen I was able to have a full meal including desert and drinks. 

The pizzas were especially delicious and the chicken and cabbage was my favorite, though the cheese and strawberry was also interesting as it tasted like warm strawberry shortcake.

Much to my delight, there was a chocolate fountain with many tasty things to dip in it such as marshmallows and slices of cake that usually would have been rich enough on their own. There were also about 8 different flavours of icecream, each of which I happily taste tested.

This is my wonderful friend Lin-chan. Lin is from China and loves boys love comics almost as much as me.

She also has an excitable personality and we get on very well. I love Lin-chan.

Lin is an awesome friend and I hope that when I go to China, I will be able to visit her.

Sho-lin
and
Be-lin.

Dinner party time

Saturday saw another group cooking party event to celebrate the birthday of three Ihouse residents. These parties are one of the things that I have enjoyed the most so far in Japan and I know that I will really miss them when I go back to Australia. They are held in the main student study and dining area and always have a great atmosphere.

 This time I cooked roast potatoes with capsicum, mushroom, baccon, sour cream and cheese. My dish was very popular, though each of the dishes cooked was equally delicious.

The sheer amount of delicious food. *drool*

Desert was An-pan-chan's strawberry and pineapple sand-wedges and Laura's butter cake. That butter cake....possibly one of the most delicious things I have EVER tasted.

 友達はいっぱい出来た。
けれど、今から勉強しなきゃねえ～

トカゲ

So this happened, Grandad.


Found a little baby gecko in Japan, then I caught it.(You know it wanted to be caught and just wanted a hug and a photoshoot)


Lizards, frogs and bugs in Japan are thought of as "気持ち悪い" So when I showed Yoshida-san, the lovely man who looks after Ihouse , he was a little suprised.

Aparently Japanese people do not catch lizards, which makes me very happy that I grew up in Australia.

 

Life without lizards, it is really life at all?

PATRICK WOLF - "HARD TIMES"

In 2009 when I was studying for the JLPT, I discovered this song. Now I feel it is again applicable in explaining the experience of the expected study ethic within Japan. There is no time to think about giving up, you just have to keep working hard every moment you get.

Enjoy.

Playing with shadows.

Senti the mouse monster!

Rather creepy as it reminds me a little of Pans Labyrinth.

A delicate while flower after the rain




Here are some photos from the lookout atop the little mountain path I have been running along.
This is Nagakute and my University and dorm are just behind the brown golf nets.

You all know I love a good rainbow sky.

Especially one framed by the streets of Japan.

Special thanks to Tanuki-sama for helping me keep my sanity over the past few days. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Much love to you all, and may the gods forever be in your favour.

花道かどうか？

花道かどうか？

This week we used roses and ferns. 

Although roses are often  viewed as cliche, it was pleasant working with these laser lemon roses which despite having the thorns pre-removed, I still managed to prick my finger . 

The ferns were also delightful to work with as they had a cool pleasing texture.

 The teacher first asked us to create a double display, which I think that I handled rather well.
I enjoy the shape of the long leaning palm frond in the picture above and was offered the teachers rose to use as my shortest as she suggested that I leave at least one of mine long.

 Next we were to make another arrangement, though I was able to manage three including a single arrangement with double roses which could be combined with another to form a set, and the one that we were intended to make with curled leaves.
 That long stem rose came in handy.

Spirits of a rose
Send messages to the Sun
Fragrance in Yellow...

- Escaping Darkness,
iolanda Scripca 

ふわふわ不安。 Unsettling fluffyness.

Busy week lined up this week. Though shall share with you some of my discoveries from the week.


 For those of you who read my Facebook post, this is the closest that I came to Easter this year ------------>

However I did discover this mocchi that looks like frog eggs. Concerning.


Have been on a health binge after realizing that I was getting the hint of a double chin. Oh vanity!! Found this tree on a new trail that I discovered today. Nature in Japan is so beautiful.

  Have also been studying hard and sleeping as often as I can.

My plushy collection is steadily growing. Last week saw the addition of of a fluffy pink tanuki tail.

Oh and this!!! My good friend Gretchen's blog which also has lots of photos of the spring flowers. Please check it out ^_^

Spring Sakura (and other flowers too)

Happy Easter.

We need Easter in Japan so we can encourage more people to wear those bunny ears and be adorable. Also there should be more eating of chocolate.

期末試験の時間割 Exam timetable for Finals

From here on out, in the lead-up to my exams, I shall be busying myself with all things necessary to complete this semester and thus may have limited time to chat. However, I would appreciate any encouragement and support during this time.

Timetable for turmoil 

Let me confess my Coolish addiction

Wednesday 7th May 

9:30~10:30 Listening/Dictation 20%
11:00~12:30 Grammar 25%
13:00 4,000 word report due.

Thursday 8th May

STUDY!

Friday 9th May 

10:30~12:30 Conversation 20%
13:30~15:00 Kanji

Monday 12th 

10:30~12:20 Speech.

Happier Days 

On a much more pleasant note, I went for a walk through the mountain trails and surrounding neighborhood today.  There truly are many wonderous things to discover in Japan, from hidden mountain shrines, to the plethora of flowers that I have never seen in Australia and the fascinating balance struck between nature and civilization .

Japan never ceases to amaze me.

On an empty suburban block there is a garden.

 It is filled with orange trees and sakura, along with a number of other purposefully planted trees and accidentally accumulated weeds (which can sometimes be equally interesting). The garden is overgrown, though there is a barely visible path through. Taking one last look back to the predominantly grey and black, stone and steel houses along the street, I step into the net of grasses.

Wandered for a while and took photos to show you all, though you should know how much this contrast strikes me. I remember hearing of how some blocks in Japan are intentionally left free and shared as collective commons for the neighbors.

Japan never ceases to amaze me.



Hoping all enjoyed Easter.
Was sad to have missed this Easter with you all, though I did buy a block of Cadbury chocolate at the super market which I intend to nom as an attempted replacement for those delicious Easter eggs.

Thanking you all in advance for any love and support you will offer me over the coming weeks.



Shall leave you with an image of my latest kado creation and a line from Mika - Any Other World
which is rather special to me currently.




"I tried to live alone but lonely is so lonely, alone
So human as I am, I had to give up my defenses
So I smiled and tried to mean it to let myself let go"

今から大変だ。 It gets difficult from here.

Re-cap-puccino
- Met Chitaka, one of my classmates from 2009. She is studying International Relations.  Shall meet with her for lunch sometime

- Getting fat because I cannot go for long walks...I dislike it very much and intend to lose weight over summer holidays.

- Bought a large pink tanuki tail which joins my many other plushies on the bed and makes for a great hug pillow when I am not huggling Haruka

- Addicted to coffee again. Here is me at Starbucks. They even drew a cat on my cup. (right)


-Went to Osu Kannon on Saturday and had dondurma.  (left)

- Blood moon this-evening. Woke up just in time to see it rise then rushed up to the mountain shrine to get a better look.

- Finger nail almost died though Etsuko put some disinfectant on it and now though it's misshapen, it does seem to be healing and does not hurt.

- Finally got to give Remi and Etsuko their gifts. They seemed to like them which makes me happy. ^_^ Thankies also to mum and dad for helping me purchase such wonderful gifts.

Now I am Ababsolem

- Saturday I went to  Hookah bar -------------->

- One more month left of this semester for me, though as the title says, it just gets busier from here on.

Below are listed some of the more substantial tasks that I must complete in the coming weeks.

- 4,000 character report

- 5 minute speech (memorized)

 - Ungodly amounts of  homework, homework, homework (each evening I have quite a number of hours of study)

冒険 - The adventure

 Senti Flower


 The mysterious and beautiful Senti Flower blossoms for spring.



"It's blue, like you. The white on the inside reminds me of your tails. The fact that it has six petals is like your three tails, and three of mine, paired with them, tied tight around them."
      - a Dear Friend.






冒険
Adventures

Got lost on a mountain path today. Found a mountain shrine, a lizard, a spider and the wonder of sakura leaves drifting though a forest. 

I present, Spring in Japan.



 


























Sakura in a forest
 

 Their delicate leaves littered the forest floor and contrast with the rugged brown ones. 

Lizard tale

As I was walking, I saw a lizard. It looked not unlike the little brown lizards back home, though it's tail was long. I crouched low and decided it was worth trying to catch, just to have a closer look.

I leapt,

  though the lizard was quick,
                                    he hid behind a tree shoot....his tail still visible.....
  
               gotcha!!!!!                                          no, but I did get a hand full of some form of tree 
                                                                         sap as I watched the tip of it's tail disappear
                                                                         behind some leaves.... goodbye lizard.

Kado


Made animals with flowers. Everyone made rabbits or dogs and attached those silly red tongues that make the look derp. I made a fox and a rabbit (mine was the only one with long ears), though I think the "rabbit" looks a little too much like Mitsy to be a rabbit, don't you Alex?

Mail from Mum and Dad,

Thank you both for the Easter card and "lazy" post card. :P The post card has been stuck onto my door so that the other students can read all the funny options that were available to tick. Dad, you have fun wrestling that crocodile, and Mum, don't drink too much wine. Love you both and shall see you in Tokyo soon enough.

Hope everyone received their sakura post cards also. There are still some blossoms remaining, though the ground is pink and white wherever you walk. I was thinking the other day, how far some of the petals must travel in the wind...I wonder if any made it to Australia.

Much love to you all,
Senti/Belinda.