Friends from Taiwan :>

Last night I met my friends from Taiwan (well, they are my boyfriend's friends but Ill just say they are my friends )

My day started so early since i had to work in the early morning at VasTre( i started an extra job at a hotel restaurant i love it its awesome ) Then I had the Daycare Saturday English from 330, so i got pretty busy but i was so excited to see them !!! I met Osajo, Showmeng, Mark, and her friend Lai (very Taiwanese style- we just meet everyone at once.) Mark and Lai were so good at English so i was really reliefed, because acutally showmeng and Osajo are my friends as well and we had some things we wanted to catch up but we normally end up not being able to communicate very well. hahahha

Well, i was thinking something like "Sushi" or "Yakiniku", somewhere around that for dinner, something we can sit down together and really just try out all kinds of different fresh fish or meat but they said they wanted to eat "RAMEN" and as a Japanese we go "Don't you chinese people eat that all the time...."  but believe or not that RAMEN SHOP was full of ASIAN TOURISTS!!!!!!!YES, Japanese Ramen is a real JAPANESE FOOD,very different fromthe noodles of Taiwan or China.

I kept saying "i need a beey right now! im so tired" but my friends were surprised that i dont "look" tired, i look rather happy or excited. haha thats because im "too tired" and got super high from lack of sleep but thats great i dont look tired when i am, thats much better than someone telling me"you look really tired, go take a rest"

So we went to this Ramen shop which normally has at least more than 15 minutes waiting line which i had never been (haha!) Lai had everything planned out for this trip and she was so organized where to go next, i almost felt like i was helpless.  I can just read and speak the language, and i dont really know the places  so bad...

The Ramen shop was a new experience. Ive only been to the one where you buy the ticket at the machine or just order at the counter, wait for the Ramen to arrive, eat and leave.... but this one, after you buy the ticket at the machine which I thought it was interesting that they only had ONE MENU "RAMEN" - thats all, no flavor choices. Hmm thats cool, they must be so confident with what they have to offer. (you can actually by the ticket "egg" or " Pork" and add extra them on your Ramen) After you get the tickets we were asked to sit in the "waiting seats" inside the shop then walked to the "Individual Booth", not a table!!! its pretty hard to explain so i will post a picture.

 

I call it "Taking the finals"

 

but they call it 味集中カウンター　(Counter for Tasting concentration)

 

There is a small curtain in front of you so you wont see the ktchen, you open the curtain and give them the ramen ticket and the little piece of paper that the lady gives you before you walk to the counter with all the request check list. There are things like "How do you like your noodle?" Loose, Normal, Hard  or "Would you like Garlic?" YES, NO  "Would you like leaks?" Circle Green or White  (green onion or White onion) I was amazed you can pick one... haha of course i chose white onion i love shironegi! Of course at the end of the day- i needed a beer, i finished it like THAT! so quick!

Of course my friends were pretty confused but amazed that everything was so systematic but awesome. and deeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllicious!

We finished eating then we decided to walk around to see some souveniors, I got my bf Niku miso (its like a meat and miso spread you can use for cooking or on top of rice) and Showmeng got more than enough stuff

It was really nice visit, tomorrow they will go shopping and sightseeing more, then to Hanshin basball game Monday, going back on Tuesday

 That is more than enough fun for 4 days!! GOOD JOB THANK YOU

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOGA!

Last Monday, I　went to my first "real" YOGA class.

My friend Yuko who is an owner of "Hana Canna" , body salon in Horie, Osaka is the insructor for this new class and surprisingly she only charges 1000yen for almost an hour and half class. So when she announced that she will start teaching yoga class, i was like "why not?!"

Only problem is yoga class is held in Tamatsukuri, Osaka which is almost near Osaka castle where my granma lives, so so so so far, from my Monday work. I　work in Okubo, Akashi city until 530 on Mondays and yoga class also happen to be every Mondays! But then I　thought, "this is a good chance to visit my granma!" since from yoga class to her place is a walking distance.

There were 7 ppl all total men and women, and it was the first time or everyone. I felt good about it, i mean if i was the only one who had no idea what to do, i would totally feel embarassed....

although i realized i had forgotten my yoga clothes and i had to rush to 100yen shop to buy a t-shirt, i was reliefed to see almost everyone wore a t shirt or some sort, nothing too yogalike. haha

My favorite part of the yoga session was when she said

"Let your body worry about it, and you can relax"

体のことは体にまかせましょう

 

yeah, and we rested, for about 5 minutes, and for second, i really, felt that i "flew" somewhere, or I　moved to some different world until she said "ok, now slowly come back to your heart"  i was totally out, i think i was even dreaming and felt really relaxed after that. like i had a good sleep. how amazing!

it wasnt a difficult stuff, some of the poses were new and my body needs to get way more flexibile to be like her, but i could feel some changes in my body especially my bottom bones and back. Breathing and relax is almost all it is, there is nothing complicated ^^ but i guess it is hard to be simple when you TRY to be simple because you are "thinking" too much about being "simple" i hope you are getting this, hahaha

anyways, its great for me, and i feel really reliefed about my friend being a teacher so i will go to this class whenever i can!! 

Thank you teacher!!! I will do some light yoga poses before bed every night!!!! i feel great!

 

Vegetable Vegetable Vegetable

 

今日は、たくさんの素敵な野菜が食べられるお店にいきました！！！！

This is the best restaurant I've been in a long time!!!! Mai and I go out for lunch or dinner, we TRY to do that every month but weve been busy and we hadnt done it for a long time... well, last night was a BLAST!

Their main thing is the Vegetable Nabe, and the Bagna Cauda which is like a dipping sauce- the best best best!!

service is really good they are real friendly, and most of all  everything you order there will catch your heart (or your stomach?) hehe it will not dissapoint you in any way. If you want to eat vegetables and try something different- you should def. go!!!!!!!!!!!!!! there are also different dishes like spanish dishes !! anyways everything is jus so good!

野菜もおいしい、他のメニューもあるけど昨日はもう鍋でおなかがいっぱいなのでいらなかった！！

鍋は一人前で２人分なので他の料理も楽しめるんですよねー！alcohole のドリンク以外にスムージーとかジュースたくさんあて

最高なんです！！　there are different types of drinks, nonalcoholuc drinks too, you cant find it anywhere else!!!fresh juice!!!

私たちの中のベストは・・・OUR FAVORITES!

1.桜鍋（桜の塩漬けのスープで蒸す鍋）　Sakura Nabe (the soup base is made from salt pickled sakra flowers)

2.バーニャカウダ　Bagna Cauda　fresh and interesting row veges dipping in a sauce

3.ムーンポテト　Moon Potatosー Garlic and anchovy flavor fried potatos!!! its so good!!

 

we already picked what we gonna order next time we go there! heee heee!

 

 

 

模様替え★ Cleaness★★

Im trying to rearrange my room :>

There are so many stuffs everywehere, and I just wanna make my room look more neat and simple.

To do that, i need......

to get rid of my stuff.... So i did.

 

on my desk...

my laptop, webcam, a flower pot, two little animals and snowmen.

and dontforget my dreamcatcher :> it was a ift from my mom in america.

Now Im cleaning out my closet.... how can i get rid of more stuff? I already threw away one big trash bag.

模様替えは大変；；　でも、気分も部屋もすっきりさせたいので

毎日少しずつがんばりますー★　とりあえずデスクはきれいになったよ。

 

 

11. My plants! Which one is your Favorite?

Plant No.1, 2, and 3  (from left to right)　　yay, VIVA 100 yen shop. (all of these plants are from 100yen shop)

100円ショップの植物だってとてもきれいなんだもーん♪

The one in the middle is "COffee Tree"

Plant No.4   Next to the fridge- This one was given to my mom- when she hurt her neck, she was in bed for few weeks- her friend gave it to her and she still talks about it.And as you can see a magnet sticker form Taiwan.

 

 

Plant No.5 and 6   "Rubber Tree" ゴムの木 Next to TV. and ofcourse, Christmas tree is fake :) These used to be just one plant, but it gre and grew ( you cant even see the top part in the pic, its soo tall. so we bought another pot and soil, then cut the whole tree and re-planted in another one. then it grew that tall already. the one on the left is the new one)

 

Plant No.7   Really really long---!!  I really like this one :) I tr to change my Genkan display every season- and now its Christmas :>

Plant No.8, 9, 10

These are really cute :) and two in the front are from 100yen shop. (one doller)!!!!!　the pink flower was given to my mom.  Ya, she gets flowers all the time. why not me.

and.... finally..... No.11   Another part of the "Rubber Tree"- it grows soooooo fast. we gatta get a pot for this one too, but we just put it in a glass case (its actually for tea. we didnt have anything so just replaced it haha)

 

 

So, which is your favorite plant?

 

Massage

I loooooooooove to go get a massage.. i mean who doesnt?

compared to Taiwan or Thailand, getting a massage cost twice as much here in Japan, and normally their skill is nothing compared to South East Asia, every massage place you go in Taiwan its really really good.
BUT, since i experienced a lot of places- there is the right place :)

When my face(head), neck is tired (when i have  headcahe) - I go to
"iyashima senka" 癒しま専家 near Hanshin Amagasaki station-尼崎駅から徒歩1分★　三和商店街の入り口 just at the entrance of Sanwa arcade street :))
 they are really good, angreat acess from train station- you get off, and walk for a minute!
They have 眼精疲労コースa face massage !!!!! THIS IS so good. people are so nice there and very quiet and relaxing mood. they also have nail salon, only by appointment :) i think its pretty convinient, you can give yourself a whole relaxation sometime. get your massage, then nails done!!!!


and the foot massage.... i went to a place in COCOE Amagasaki,
a big shopping mall near JR amagasaki station ココエあまがさき- JR尼崎駅
Natural Garden　ナチュラルガーデン
I got a reflexology, 30 min- my reflexologist was Awesome, she hit every points that needed to be hit, like she could see the points written!!!!!!!



and... When you wanna have your WHOLE BODY relaxed- this is the place for you!!!!  Enjoy the conversation with the "master", my friend, YUKO chan!!!!
全身疲れてるとか、腰が痛いとかとにかく大きいパーツをリラックスしたいときは
ハナカンナ Hana Canna- in fact this salon is quiet new,  my friend YUKO chan used to be one of the busy "OL" - a japense word for office lady and determined to start something new, what makes her realy happy. And did she love it? she is great at it..... :)
she has all different kind of flavored tea, and the salon always smells sooooooooo good- love it how she puts some essencial oil under the massage bed so as you breath it leads you to "the other side"- literally,  everything about the place is 120% relaxing!!
She is so freakin good with using her "elbow" and beats each "origin of pain" or what i call "it" and omg, after the massage you feel like you are 2kg lighter.
心斎橋駅か四ツ橋から歩くー★わからなかったら、電話したらYUKO ちゃんが優しく教えてくれます。
06-6536-1808　ハナカンナ

OK, to finish this entry, i just wanna say-
GO GET A MASSAGE
before
 your body is entirely crying for help, like me.

girls night!

i went to see

"eat, pray love"- Julia Robert's in it, it was really really good!! hmm is this movie made for me?
I hadnt been to the movie with my friends for a while, and my friend i used to work with for a little while- we went to the movie and we were totally in love with the movie.

the movie talks about following the dreams, serching for god, looking for directions, ways to live, different cultures, believing in love, learning anotehr languages....
so much things we can relate to since both i and she work in an international enviroment, and we totally love strong women who dont give up their dreams to
be "happy".

this movie took place in Italy, India and Bali.
well, what did "Liz", the main charactor do in Italy?
All she did was eat, eat eat.
and we were on it.
when it showed the scene where she eats full plate of spaghetti, we looked at each other and said "oh my gosh, looks so good."
right after the movie, despite of coke and popcorn, we were sturbing
and without words we knew where we were heading. can you guess?

"italian restaurant"

so, we went to a very very good italia restaurant in Sannomiya.
oh man the pizza was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo yummy, pizza margerita
i could eat more and more.

after a glass of white one and sangria later, i was feeling so good, and thought to myself, "need to save more money, and go traveling again. yes. and... need to have girls night more often."

Tooth Tooth SANNOMIYA, Kobe

i met my friend from college for lunch :)
I picked the restaurant- ive wanted to go there for a long time but somehow i never had been!!!

The place was really nice, they have a garden outside of the glass window, you can look out and it gives you the comfortable feeling - big space!!
our favorite was freshed baked bread, all different kind- then they also have different kind of oil and seasonings for the bread :) plus, its ALL YOU CAN EAT!

for lunch combo you can choose the main dish, i got a grilled chicken
it was soooooooooooo yum yum!!


i liked everything about the restaurant, and i will definitly go back there!!


here is the salad they offered, and it was sooooo great!





The magic of "just olive oil and vinegar" is amazing, whenever i do that at home, it never works like one in restaurant. is that the quality of olive oil!?

i dont know....



http://www.toothtooth.com/


5 minutes from Sannomiya station, 11th floor of KOKUSAI KAIKAN (there is starbucks underground)

My tea collection

I love tea!


And if my friend comes to my place they will immediely know it, because i have my tea and coffee shelf, and all the collection :)



My favorite is...


ICED.... EARL GRAY
HOT.... PEACH tea

of course, there are a lot more but these days i have been drinking a lot of those. i would loooooooooove to trave and collect more interesting tea!!

Im not a techonology person, but i need it.

last night i got online and saw someone from high school was online too.
SHe used to be in my gym class when i was an exchange student in Indiana, i thought she might not have remmebered me but i said hey, and she rememberd me!
we havent talked since 1999, and even though we had class together we didnt talk outside of our classes, so i was surprised !!
she told me that she got out of indiana as soon as she graduated, then she traveled a lot in europe and worked!!! it was realy cool to know she went all over the places, i also told her about my education trip experiences and she was like "fantastic!"
when you are young you dont really know what potential your friends have, and what kind of person she will become- and i figured out last night, that she has become someone who love to try new things and love the change in life, just like me! she now lives in an island near south calorina- that must be nice

i guess now it is so much easier to keep in touch with oversea people when we can see someone online that easily, and only in one night i got to know my friend from high school back in 1999, what her life is like now. that is pretty amazing!

im pretty analog person, and i still write letters too.
i do like writing. when i write it i picture her face more than when i write emails. i would pick a color that she likes and maybe out a little bit of perfume wishing that it would also reach her.

Few years ago, i met a couple from France in Amagasaki station. they were totally lost or nore like confused or in trouble,so my friend and i went up to them and asked them what was wrong, then the truth was... they had left their bag, literally everything on the train which they just gotten off.

well, japan is prett ysafe country, even if you had left a bag with passports, wallet video caemras and all, it will come back to the owner most of the time, some nice person will report it to the "lost and found" counter, in order to get this ccall you have to write down all the information and your contact number, however the staffs at the train station had no idea of english, and the sheet was only in japanese, so they were having some trouble, and more than anything she jsu felt like crying im sure.

many people in US halped me a lot in the past years, and why not help this person? she might not get her bag if noone helps her.

I asked he what the bag looked like, and write down all the information on the paper. it waseasy, the thing was, iwhen i asked her where she was staying, she didnt know. because all the information was in her bag, then only one hint was there.



The name of the hotel is SAKURA, and its in TOKYO


TOKYO!?!?!
Yes, they were staying in TOKYO, then that day they had traveld from tokyyo to kansai , and they were suposed to go back .
well i was sure there are more than a lot of hotels that name sakura, so what did we do? my friend got out her cell phone (japanese cell phiones with great techonology) she started searching all the hotels in tokyo that names sakura which had like a lot.....
and.. i wrote a note to the staff of a hotel what had happend, and that they will get a phone all from JR (train office) if they found a bag.


AND guess what. they found it, and they got everything back.


So ever since, we have been great friends!!! :) we write emails and plus for christmas we send each other christmas cards , and it has been great! although we actually havent seen each other since that, we would really love to hang out someday! somewhere! hehe


Thank you to the techonology- i can keep in touch with my friends, all over the world!!