She waits

She waits in darkness.
Solitary.
They come.
Straining against invisible bonds.
Scratching and scrabbling, swallowing.
In the end, she waits.
In darkness.
Solitary.

Sports Festival!!!!

Well, its finally here. I have been training my kids for 3 weeks now - and tomorrow is the big day. We will perform our dance to the Cha Cha Slide, and run in a sack race and a dress-up race. The kids are excited and so am I. I hope they do really well. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is getting up so damn early in the morning. I have to be in Yao at 9AM. Yao is not near my house. It involves taking a bus, the subway, the Kintestsu train and either another bus or a good 15 minute walk. Either way, I'm thinking its going to take at least an hour to get there. Wish us luck!

Tyson the Skateboarding Dog

This dog is my hero.

Check out his moves here.

Richards new do!

Check out the fantastic stylings of me - my husbands hair dresser. Hot bitch that he is!

Human Tetris

Funny!

Keep on truckin'

I've often commented to Karaoke Queen and Osaka Otaku about the insane pimped out trucks we see here in Osaka. Well, I was lucky enough to be walking home night when I had my camera, and this little beauty was parked at the side of the road. Score.

These kind of trucks are normally going so fast they often look like a blur when I try to take a picture, but I was fortunate this driver stopped to grab some beers at Lawsons.


The thing is that this truck is pretty tame in comparison to the others. I've seen others that look like they were rejected from the movie Transformers because they would be too badass ! I'm going to start a pool of photos of this kind thing in the future. Wish me luck.

Catching up Part III

As KQ's handle implies, she loves Karaoke. So when Scottish, as opposed to English (Lou), Louise's mum came for a visit we hit Obou in Kita for a night of singing. We chose to get the all night all you can drink soft drink (mixer) package. The gin and vodka in our bags were well appreciated by all.

Soon after we attended Dawn's Sayounara. We started at Slices for some pizza and then we headed to Cream bar for drinks and karaoke. We had to write the songs on slips of paper! How old school.

After partying with a lot of people, it was nice to relax at an intimate get together. This was a good way to describe Marina and Stephen's sayounara. We went to a place in Shinsaibashi for some great Italian food.

You'd think with everyone leaving that our circle of friends is shrinking. So we made some new friends. There was fresh blood and we broke them in with some Karaoke. We went out to Rainbow Karaoke with the newbies. They loved the drinking and singing.

Damn! So many people coming and going so what is one to do? Well, some friends of ours decided to have a party! We made our way to the Apaato party at Lou and Heather's place. There was a cake made for them and there were two rooms, one for some innocent fun while the other was reserved for naughty fun.

To break up the monotony of partying we decided to do some good old sightseeing. Originally it was a hike for me and Adelle, but Jamie really wanted to come to Fushimi Inari. Ikuyo came along as well and we had a great time even though it was hot.

After we hiked around Fushimi Inari we had plans to meet someone. Someone Jamie met through Facebook. That's how we ended up meeting Erika. Ikuyo came along for the All-you-can-eat shabu shabu (hotpot). It was easy to see that Ikuyo and Erika seemed to hit it off.

Once we had a day or two of rest we had a July BBQ on our rooftop. Usually we invite lots of people but this night was a smaller affair since people had to work and such. Some people wanted more notice. In any case we had the BBQ and finished it off with some marshmallows over the coals.

The BBQ was at the beginning of the week. To end the week I ended up meeting Jamie's co-workers. KQ works for an international preschool so I got to meet some of the people she'll hang out with. We went for drinks downtown and ended the night with Karaoke. Yes, again... we can never get enough!

Another week went by and we had another awesome weekend. This time we attended the Shin-Imamiya Party. The hosts were Steph, Mala, and Te Rae. They had so many people crowd into their apartment and the AC failed. No-one minded as it went into the morning. In fact Steph, KQ and I went for breakfast that morning.

Well, after breakfast, instead of sleeping, the three of us decided to go to Isonoura beach. We tried to convince others but they like their sleep. The girls rode the waves on some rented body boards and hung out in the sun. This was how KQ got burned so badly.

So now you know the hardship we've been through :)

Another Rocking Do!

I am sooooo rocking this haircut!



Yah!

Vindicated!

So remember how I said that a certain person kind of screwed me over? Apparently 2 other people that were employed at the same place quit! I feel alot better knowing that it really wasn't me and that the place of which I speak kinda sucked. Yah! Oh, I know it's a bit petty but I am dancing a little inside :D

Catching Up Part II

Next our friend Ryan, a fellow Canadian came to visit. We met him in Canada before coming to Japan. It was in the transition period after we moved down to Kelowna from Vancouver. KQ worked with him at a clothing shop. Anyway, he was visiting from Canada to make a second trip to Japan to see his girl Midori and they were passing through the Kansai region.

We let them stay at our place and took them to different places around the area. One day we took Ryan and Midori to Kiyomizudera temple and the Gion Matsuri. It was crazy crowded. We also met our friend Chieko, who KQ taught in Canada while getting her Teaching Engrish Certificate.

The next day I took Ryan and Midori to Nara. There we met up with Midori's friend Chiaki. I discovered Midori's love for interacting with nature. She had no problems playing with the deer or the cicadas.

After Nara we met up with KQ in Umeda. We were to go up to the top of the Umeda Sky Building. However, Midori spent time with her sister, who had been up the tower too many times to take her sister who had never been and probably will never in a long while.

Cedric's Parents parents came by after Ryan and Midori left for Fukuoka. Ced and Michiko took us and our friend Ikuyo to a great Oudon restaurant. It was yummy.

More to come...

Catching up. Part I

Hey!

It's been awhile. I've been so busy posting pics of our nefarious nights out at my own blog that I have neglected my duties here. I think the last major event that was mentioned here, excluding the new job and Scotland, was Lana's visit.

Well, after the trio left we were snowed under by a deluge of birthdays and sayounara parties. First there was Kirsten's down town sayounara. We hit a few different places as the night progressed. It was sad a little but we drowned the sorrows pretty well.

After that there was some beach fun. I was working so I missed out. It sounded like fun except for the beach police, who interfered with any fun activities that happened. No frisbees!

Like many others Kirsten needed a second sayo because who can leave Japan without one last night of drunken Karaoke?

Kirsten's departure didn't stop the fun machine as we had to hit the town for Adelle's birthday. We did it in style and hit two hotspots and danced the night away.

A few days later Jamie and Adelle expressed their creativity at an Art drawing thing. A guy we know opened an Art Gallery called SoHo and he holds various events for local artists.

The sayounaras just wouldn't stop. Ashleigh was a co-worker of mine and she was returning to New York. We went out for a small and intimate farewell dinner at a new to us Mexican restaurant.

More to come from Otaku...

Burned......

Ouch. I am soooooo burned. I hit the beach yesterday and came home looking like a lobster. I will be buying some new sunscreen as the one I have is obviously useless!

Ouch!

Going back home.

I returned to Scotland a few days ago and found it was still where I left it. Nothing had changed at all and the local people were still doing what they do best: being cheery in dreadful situations and conditions. I'd forgotten how poor some areas in Scotland are until I cam back and had to drive through them. I makes me appreciate the amazing opportunities I have living in Osaka.


Anyway, back to my little adventure. I'd just arrived at Heathrow with the lovely Sabs Batool (my partner in crime on this flight), when I met my parents waiting for me and the gate entrance. They'd been waiting for 3 hours and told me they were going to drive me back up to Glasgow. Eight hours in my dad's Mercedes going at warp 10 back up north. Rock on. What's a further 8 hours on top of a 14 hour flight...


After two days of weird sleeping patterns I decided to go hiking in the local hills. The weather was fair and the path was an easy 6 hour walk through gorgeous countryside. Needless to say, I took loads of pictures. Please enjoy these as I'm going to Edinburgh (Dun Eideann) and Falkirk tomorrow to take some more.

What is it with me and bus drivers?

So today was going sooooo well. I finished my week at my new job and am feeling pretty good about it. I was taking the trek home when it happened. First I walked to the kintetsu station. Then I grabbed a train there and get off at Midoribashi to catch a bus from there. Unfortunately, the bus only goes to Imazatou so I had to catch another bus there. So this is when it happened. I forgot to get the little transfer ticket from bus to bus. They are free, so it wasn't a matter of forgetting to pay, or not paying enough or anything like that - I had already paid for the whole trip by the time I'd exited the subway - you can buy your subway to bus transfer there which costs you a whole 100 yen. Once you get on a bus, you can transfer from one to another almost indefinitely without paying any extra as long as you push the little button that gives you a transfer. So when I got off my first bus, I dropped the little slip into the money box - forgetting to get the little transfer ticket in the process. Big mistake. I realised it as I got on the second bus, but by then it was too late. So I decided to do the right thing and explain to the bus driver what had happened. Usually when this sort of thing happens in Osaka (at the bus or train station), they tell you to please be more careful next time or something like that and you apologize and the matter is finished. Except that this guy turned all Hitler on my ass and told me that I had to pay another 200 yen (the price without subway transfer or anything) when I got off. My whole trip is really expensive - 540 one way - so I wasn't going to stick any more money into their little box for a small paperwork error. I got the feeling that perhaps I was just the icing on the top of a very bad day or something for him, as I felt more than a little animosity headed in my direction. Or I could've run across the bus driver who hates foreigners. Really it could have been anything. I told him that perhaps I could speak to his manager? They must have little walkie talkies or something on those buses. Nope. He won't even consider it as 'the manager' will say the same. Well, we will never know if you don't contact him will we? He didn't contact him of course. So, I told him I wasn't going to pay because I had already paid 540 yen for my trip. I felt kinda bad for him cause he was obviously pissed about it, but I wasn't going to pay just to make him feel better. The bad bit is, that it's my regular route and I don't know how the guy doesn't recognize me in the first place. I must have taken his bus before and I'm seriously the only white person for miles who lives in our area AND takes the bus. And I will continue having to take that route to get anywhere really! I just hope he doesn't hold it against me. *sigh*

I have a new job!!

I am now a kinderkids teacher. I am so happy I can't even explain. I turned them down when I took this other job 3 months ago and when I called them yesterday and asked if they would still consider hiring me, they told me to come in for a quick re-interview. SO the next day I hop on the train, walk into the building with my resume in hand, talk to the manager for about 10 minutes and she says, "When can you start?". I start next week on Tuesday. I've only heard good stuff about these guys from people who have been working there short and long periods of time. The pay is good, the vacation time is even better. And I won't be getting the probationary salary due to weirdness of holidays in August. Full salary baby! And lots of cute ass little ankle biters running around everyday.

An unfortunate epiphany

I have come to a time in my life where I fully realised that people are not nice. I had, thus far, in my life believed that most people have this little spark in them that tells them what is wrong, what is right, what is fair, and who the good people are, and what the right thing to do is.

This has been blown to little itty bitty pieces this last couple of weeks. I won't go into details, but I will say that I have been screwed. I was used.

I feel like the rose coloured glasses have come off and I don't like what I see. People are greedy and cruel, dishonest and generally untrustworthy. It makes me a little depressed to think that these people are out there and that I have to interact with them. It makes me angry to think that they feel they can do whatever they want and use other people like this.

I am usually the person who says, maybe they're just having a bad day. Maybe they didn't mean it like that. Maybe there are extenuating circumstances. I try to go about life with the mantra of: Be nice to others, put out the good vibes and they will come back. Help people when you can. Get help when you need it. Most people are good in their heart of hearts. Work hard and be rewarded. Set goals and you can climb over a mountain to do it. I think in general that I and most other people are nice, helpful, reasonably intelligent and productive persons.

Now, I am NOT the perfect person. Far from it! I'm loud, and usually fail to think of other peoples feelings when I speak. I argue with my husband frequently. I don't recycle (here in Japan). I am easily excitable, and am too honest for my own good sometimes. This is called hoof-in-mouth disease. I can be overly analytical and thus a bit anal retentive. I hate rude people. I mean being rude on purpose to hurt someones feelings etc. I spend too much money on shoes. But I'm a person who can forgive. I may get angry fast, but I cool down just as quickly. I yelled at Richard the other day, I remember being mad, but I couldn't tell you at this point what the hell I was mad about. And people have done things that have hurt me, but I have forgiven them and let them back into my heart because there was lots of room in there for everyone.

That said, this is different. This is a slow burn deep inside my chest. I don't think I've ever felt quite like this before. I wasn't angry at first - I tried to rationalise what had happened and even made excuses for them. I even told myself that I wasn't angry and it was for the best. And then, the glasses fell off. And then, the burn grew. I started to think about how I couldn't believe someone could actually do that. And why! And that they were still doing it to someone else! Then I realised that these people were everywhere!!! Doing it to someone else!!!

I keep wishing I could just put them back on, but now its too late.....

The visit!

Richards sister came and we went nuts. We travelled all over Kansai for about 10 days. Here are some of the best pics.



We went to Kyoto, Shirahama, USJ in Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Nara in 10 days. It was jam packed.

忙しい、忙しい

I've been neglecting Karaoke Queen's blog of late for a very good reason; I'm going home to visit my family in Scotland. I've been busy buying plane tickets, organizing re-entry permits, calling home, saving money, etc.


One of the things I'm worried about is how much things will have changed when I return. (I'm not looking froward to seeing my recently married, pregnant ex-girlfriend!) It's gotten to the stage where I have to practice listening to scottish internet radio broadcasts, just so I can remember all I've forgotten in the time I've spent here teaching bloody American english. Alas...


On the positive side, my japanese has improved a lot in the last 6 months. So much so, I can now understand the cops when they try to bust me for having a stolen bicycle (never proven!). And I can explain that it's present condition is a result of me kicking the crap out it when I lost the key for the lock.

僕; かぎをなくしていたんです.
警察官;そうですか。

The good news is that I'm going back to the Shirahama onsen resort next week for some much needed R'n'R. I can't wait. Staying at an hotel full of cute girls. I'm so gonna try out my new skills there . Hehehehe.

A Film Exhibition in a strange location

There is a place called 'Festival Gate' in Osaka. It is a mall that was built a few years back with some really funky architecture that was popular for a couple of years and then kind of became a ghost town. It even contains a roller coaster that doesn't run anymore. We went to see a Film Exhibition there with a few friends....