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Thursday, December 22, 2005

warm wishes from down under

  Pics_295 Pics_333 Pics_380 Pics_369 Pics_417 Pics_240_1Pics_259Wishing you all a very happy holiday season and a fab new year!



and if you didn't already know...down under rocks! While zume works on his tan i am happily working on my tummy. Hope you are all having a safe and happy time - LOVe from Oz



Please note the 'space' - will you check out the pic of the train. Opposite in every way - Melbourne train = dirty free space,  tokyo train = sparkling can o sardines

Saturday, November 26, 2005

postsecret

Addicted



i spotted postsecret an age ago on floating world views and was instantly hooked...
people have some really amazing stuff going on in their lives! some quite horrific, some laughable and some down right surprising.  For a gen X Yer who thinks nothing can surprise her...for some reason postsecret keeps me guessing and wondering.
So I decided to do my own postsecret card...no shocking or hideous secrets here! I am addicted to other peoples secrets.
I have always been open to and aware of my voyeuristic tendencies - i once bruised my eye ball as i launched at the peep hole in my door, trying to get a better view of the neighbours.



The only real secret I have is that I'm a little jacked off at myself for not having come up with this ingenious postsecret project first - what a fascinating way to learn more about the other crazies in this world, a way for people to get things off their chest by sending them out into the essentially anonymous cyber stratosphere and a way for me to avoid eyeball bruising but still get to peep into other peoples lives.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

instrumental damage

A_tambojust a friendly word of advice to all tambourine manufacturers or those considering diving into the profession - it wouldnt hurt if you could possibly put some kind of warning on your instruments, something like, oh i dont know...'WARNING; THIS BRIGHT AND SEDUCTIVE INSTRUMENT MAY CAUSE SEVERE BRUISING TO PARTS OF YOUR BODY IF STRUCK RAPIDLY AND JOYOUSLY AGAINST IT' or simply 'NOT RECOMMENDED FOR THOSE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF BODY NUMBING SUBSTANCES; IS LIKELY TO CAUSE PAINFUL DAMAGE AND/OR SKIN DISCOLOURATION AS A RESULT OF BRUISING'...or perhaps 'WARNING; JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE POSSESSION OF THIS INSTRUMENT DOES NOT MAKE YOU ONE OF THE BANGLES! PLEASE USE IT WISELY - AVOID STRIKING YOUR HIP, THIGH, BUTTOCKS AND OTHER HAND REPEATEDLY AND FEROCIOUSLY FOR ANY EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME'
oh and you chu hi makers...well you should DEFINITELY be putting some kinda warning on your cans. you must be very aware by now that your product turns brains to paper.

go go tokyo

it is a well established fact that ones second language skills are enhanced when under the influence of certain intoxicants. we hit the streets of tokyo last night just to test the theory once more.
yep its on the money our japanese was on fire - theory proven. here is the photo proof. 1. kickin it wit the homes 2. warming up in a cosy little karaoke box 3. g: 'heeeeyyy where did my drink go?' me: 'aaahhh i dunno maybe that japanese guy took it' 4. photo op with our friendly karaoke host with whom i somehow (due to above mentioned theory) successfully ordered copious rounds of drinks for the 7 of us, negotiated extra time when there seemed to be too many good tunes and not enough time to sing them...although we are still waiting for the pizza we ordered  5. note the tambourine...lets just say it stuck by us through thick and thin and is now on its way with its blue twin to a land down under  6. madonna madness  7. the people you meet  8. in sync - the groovy chicks doing what they do best - grooving  9.  smells like  beer & spirits  10. me and bunny chan - her beer soaked bunny ears were a hit on the streets gaining all kinds of attention and offers
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Thursday, November 17, 2005

tokyo r&r = shop shop shop x explore

my mon - fri job +  zume's wed - sun job = no weekends together
so i wrangled a coupla days off and we had a very rare but relaxing and romantic 'weekend together'
it is amazing how much you can explore in tokyo during the week days
tokyo weekdays = less people, slower pace, more space
tokyo weekends = squished but exciting and tiring
here are a few snap shots from our 'weekend'
we actually got to see some nature - the 'autumn leavings'
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Wednesday, November 16, 2005

harajuku baby

yay for 4 day weekends
a leisurely sunday strolling the streets of harajuku with anna and nico (who seemed particularly at home in the arms of the harajuku girls...he is such a rad little tokyo boy!)







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Wednesday, November 9, 2005

Tuesday, November 8, 2005

Sunday, November 6, 2005

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a huge gorgeous flower for all mums!
in australia this is what we give mum on mum's day
in japan the chrysanthemum is the national flower
check them out in all their gorgeous glory at shinjuku gyoen

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Friday, November 4, 2005

planning for a pandemic

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taking the afternoon off to visit the immigration office in shinagawa, was not exactly my idea of relaxation. sure i got to leave work early, but i had been having flushes for a week thinking about what the visit would entail. i dont know why i get so worked up when i have to fill out documents, present myself as an upstanding citizen worthy of staying in the country and flashing my credentials around.
as i stepped off the bus i was instantly hit by the fact that about eighty five percent of the foriegners now residing in tokyo, had also decided to take the afternoon off to get their visas sorted. i raced up the elevator to scope out the situation. a friend had told me, it shouldnt take too long. i had learnt once before that you always get your numbered ticket prior to spending half an hour filling out the often incomprehensible forms.
i grabbed for the number, glancing at it (624) and then up at the current customer number on the screen (412) the full brunt of this ordeal hit me...exactly 212 others would go before me.
i had some other business to get sorted out, which took no time, then i found a quiet little spot to fill in the three forms i had been given.
i dont know what it is, but when i am in situations like that or even at the airport, i treasure my passport like it is some kind of diamond encrusted bra and hold onto it for dear life. maybe i have watched too many movies rife with international espionage and identity theft. i clutch my little blue book embellished with its innocent aussie logo, in fear that the 12 spies surrounding me with their wires, cameras and amnesia, are poised to whisk my selfhood from me, leaving me a nobody in a foreign country; only to sell my identity to some underworld 'gorgeous alchemist'.
anyway after a long lounge around and a few emails and calls to my tokyo pals, the next thing i know the gorgeous yet totally 'over it!' lassie who dealt with my case was sending me on my way.
little did i know, as i rode the bus back to the station that i was in for an even bigger gut grabber. now i'm not one for getting caught up in media hype, in fact i bore and berate those around me with my constant crys of 'never believe anything you see on tv or read in the paper' ' you cant trust anything in the media' blah blah. yet as i strolled back through the horde, making my way for the station i glanced up at a big screen. usually belting out visuals of the latest product or pop star, this one displayed the cnn logo in the bottom corner, an official looking dude reading off some document and the caption in big, bold, red, letters - 'PLANNING FOR THE PANDEMIC' Usually I would brush something like this off, viewing it as scare tactics, but i instantly remembered an article i had read in last weeks newsweek about the bird flu and its economic side effects. i then remembered all the other crazy banter i heard on the topic. my mind then flashed to zume saying, only a few nights ago, that he really thinks we should head back to australia soon because the japanese economy is going to get the flu. and then suddenly i found myself surrounded by swarms of coughing and spluttering salary men.
needless to say as soon as i got in the door of my apartment, i scrubbed myself down, gargled and put my clothes in the washer. paranoid? perhaps... but i also googled 'planning for a pandemic' and do you know what came up? - 'Can you survive the bird flu? www.survivetheflew.com' can you believe that??
while i don't intend to get too panic striken about this, i think the threat of such an outbreak is enough to make me a little more proactive...its enough to make me chose my bike over the train; even when i am feeling a little sleepy in the mornings. its enough to get me setting up a 'gargle station' at work and enforcing a stricter handwashing routine.
enough to get me filling my glass just a little higher tonight
here's to good health
kampai

Wednesday, November 2, 2005

past life




In a Past Life...



You Were: A Gorgeous Alchemist.



Where You Lived: Russia.



How You Died: Decapitation.




see now that's what i like to hear!

certainly explains my recent neck problems

don't ask me how i stumbled upon such i thing - believe me i certainly wasn't searching for it...i wasn't!

but i posted it because i heard a story from a friend, about a japanese girl who went to a fortune teller, a common thing to do in japan. this fortune teller only charged a mere 3000 dollars to tell the girl all about her past life. yes, that was 3000 dollars.

when the all seeing teller relayed to the girl that she was once, in fact a pirates wife and a gang leaders girl (both of which i would have been extremely content with - pretty cool huh?) a light bulb moment sprung forth ... 'ah so that's why this life sucks so much'...'but wait never fear' said the the teller 'for not only can i tell you what you were, now that i have your 3000 dollars, i will also be so kind as to change your past life for you so that all things in this life will soon be well'

sure why not thought the girl, and so in no time the teller had rearranged her past and given her a more holy past position. no longer a pirates wife (which just sounds radder every time i write it) she was now a - NUN ???

(i think at that point i may have promptly asked for my money back)

i also think the three grand could have been more wisely spent and the chick could have just as easily gone to the 'what were you in a past life?' part of the blogthings site. she herself would even have the power to change her own past.

see look what i was this time round....






In a Past Life...



You Were: An Albino Sailor.



Where You Lived: Central Africa.



How You Died: Dysentery.




obviously shat myself to death

ouch

Monday, October 31, 2005

we

Img_0470since december last year, when we basically spent the whole winter locked away in what i like to think of as a cosy log cabin in the woods but was in actual fact a studio apartment the size of a caravan on the outskirts of tokyo, we have been meaning to get together, collaborate, mix it up multicultural style. for any of you who have read the about page of this site/blog/page you may have noticed that we originally intended to  go halves on the writing side of things. so far i have been 100% writer and the boy has been more of a silent partner in this whole venture, a fact finder and information giver/interpreter.  but i am pushing more, ensuring we are going on plenty of dates to trendy tokyo hot spots to fuel him with enough inspiration to spring into literary action sometime soon. so keep yours eyes peeled for some entertaining english to come...
oh and happy halloween - alas i fail to provide any post worthy pictures of me in the insanely oversized, neck to toe, fluffy bear costume i sported all day. i danced, sang, read, drew, skipped, smiled, guided, played the day away with a superficial aura of friendly beary fluffy love, while underneath it all i was literally sweating like a pig. feeling my legs go to jelly on a number of occassions due to my out of control body temperature, i gave thanks to the saint of halloween for providing the candy sugar rush that kept me on my paws just long enough to wave the last buzz light year and disney princess off at 2 oclock this afternoon.

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there was some crazy heat happening on the street as i rushed to the station saturday night (was on my way to meet zume at a spunky daikanyama cafe - a date at the place we first met aahhh how romantic) trying ever so hard not to be late, as i usually am for most social events, i was struck by the bright flashing lights and the men in uniform swarming the street. i couldn't help but take a few snapshots. the crowd was so intense and ever increasing and the fleet of red fire trucks made our eventless street seem like a hollywood movie set.
seems someone or something was trapped on the 5th story of a tired looking apartment block. i really couldn't stick around to witness the full outcome of the rescue. but alls i can say is that 'when the subway explodes into a million pieces and i just happen to be riding it - there had better be just as many frantic fire officers and their shiny red trucks at my rescue!'

Saturday, October 22, 2005

mt fuji animation

kyohappClay_animation

some friends and i got together today for a short course on clay animation. i have played around with imovie, sprouted fancy ideas and made a few video collections but i had never known the technique behind the pingu style flicks.
after a quick brainstorming sesh, we decided to go with the erupting volcano theme. scanning the classroom we were in, we caught site of a spring water bottle brandishing the almighty fujisan as its logo. we were thinking something educational with a twist. a simple 123 or abc concept, infused with a splash of mechanically operated and heavenly sent natural disaster.
the end result... "Now is the time to learn count to 4!"
You can click here or on the above photo to check out our first and slightly rushed attempt at clay animation on vimeo.
for those of you who cant view it...
its basically a paper and clay model of fuji with cherry red lava already spilling over the sides, a fine looking hand comes down from the heavens, finger outstretched to press an oversized button perched on the side of the volcano, causing a construction paper and clay explosion resembling a volcanic eruption. numbers in sequence start to fly out, spinning this way and that... (we originally wanted to count to 20...but ended up getting to 4) and landing next to fujisan which continues to erupt with ferocity until that same hand reaches down squashing fuji with almighty force and then rips it fair off the earth. (a bit of dramatic and horrific counting practice for early childhood learners - that oughta get em lovin math!!!)
oh and 'the watch' well thats another story...

Monday, October 17, 2005

integration matsuri - claska



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clicking around the yogajaya
site, as i often do in the hope that i will latch onto enough
inspiration and good intention to propel me from my daydreamy state in
front of this bloody computer fair onto the floor of their studio in
omotesando with the yoga mat i bought for the purpose 3 MONTHS AGO, i
found that an ultra cool event had been organised. an event i wasn't
going to miss for the world.

integration matsuri was a line up of all the things my daydreamings
consist of...capoeira, yoga, smooth tunes and lush vodka and tonics,
all in a very sleek space - claska meguro.

most excitingly the craziest awe-inspiring man i have ever had the
pleasure of casting my dreamy eyes over (as i laze around staring at
the photos of him in his books in seriously impossible yoga
poses)...david swenson - ashtanga yogi extradonaire.

the night, for us, kicked off (literally) with a high energy, steam
building capoeira performance by an very fine looking yokohaman group



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and ended as i turned around to watch zume drop, with fainting
motion from the perch he had been sat up on, all pale faced and ready
to vomit over the silent and yogafied crowd.  seems that the warm,
concentrated energy of the room created during the yoga performance
coupled with the fact that the room was asked to be silent to aid the
focus, was all too much for the boy who had been clock watching, deep
yawning, mint chewing and fidgiting for 20 mintues in an attempt to
prolong the inevitable...a near social disaster and a rapid escape from
the over heated and far too centered room.

an extremely awesome event!
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Saturday, October 15, 2005

novice knitter...indeed

Dsc06825recognition and public esteem come in many forms, but i am oh so proud to announce that zume has made his mark, exhausted 3.5 seconds of fame as a 'novice knitter'. obviously looking like a fish out of water at last week's tokyo stitch and bitch meeting, zume spoke candidly (as he is often known to do) to a curious reporter from the asahi shimbun...and whadda you know he made it to print...
"I'm getting the hang of it," says Masao Tamaoki, a novice who admits
he has yet to be struck with the knitting passion. "I think it's good
for the brain. That's why I'm doing it right now."
i'm as proud as punch (never really known what that idiom means but it sums up exactly how im feeling)
read the full story on asahi.com
thanks to anna for the tip off

Sunday, October 9, 2005

hair update

our appointment was made for 12 at the harajuku toni & guy salon. i think we were both a little apprehensive as we rushed to make it on time. but once inside all my worries seemed to float away. i adore the salon experience, the washing basins, the smell of hair products, the sound of the driers and those funky stylist hip bags that hold all the tools of their trade, its the whole package.
my stylist, sunao, put me at ease straight away confidently displaying what he would like to do and saying 'yeah let's go for it' (a straight perm).
anna and i sat side by side and chatted as the team went to work on our locks. she was done before me and swished from the salon looking so captivating and cosmopolitan, in true anna style. i took my camera along to snap off some shots of her new do, but i was wrapped up in the goings on and didnt have a chance to take any pics, so i hope she posts some on her site, she looks fabulous.
my transformation was a lengthy one, but a relaxing and new experience. wash - massage - cut - dry - treatment - rinse - dry - iron - treatment - rinse - cut - dry - style and...tadaa
the final product



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GOD SORRY BOUT THE BIG GAUDY PIC - not sure how to resize it
i have never had smooth straight hair before, its a strange but good feeling. and i dont think it is possible to look more like my sister, unintentionally i am her doppelganger.
here she is showing off one of her fine hair moments



Karla

tokyo stitch and bitch

who knew knitting could be so cool? and so addictive...i have tried to resist the urge, and while i really cant see myself getting any further than a scarf, i have been sitting on the couch knitting just a little.



Dsc09978on tuesday night we ventured out to hang with the tokyo stitichers and bitchers at the pink cow in omotesando. i had first heard about the group after reading pinku's (organiser of the tokyo group) posts. the thought of going along and getting crafty had kind of slipped away. although seems it is such a small world, it was not long after that as anna and i sat sipping on our afternoon cuppas, she began to tell me about this cool knitters group and a very awesome chick, knitter extraordinaire that she had met (pinku).
anna is a pretty whiz bang knitter herself, her completed projects range from the very cute to the very vintage, so it was a bit intimidating to consider myself surrounded by such pros. to soften the blow i decided to take zume along with me. anna offered to be his knitting sensei and a very fine job she did. surpisingly he was not the only guy there. the other male knitters showed off their speed and precision, while zume was content to dabble in a bit of soft core knitting, but i think far more interested in what was on the pink cow's menu. unfortunately he was not overly inspired by all of the super talented knitters, although he found it very intriguing and i'm sure was wondering how the crafty group found time to play their PSPs and muck around with their macs if they were creating such complex treasures.


Tuesday, October 4, 2005

tokyo hair

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in an attempt to make up for the previous egomaniacal post and get back to the real issue at hand - TOKYO...i wanted to share with you the small range of, yet typically cool, tokyo hair dos i found in my recent search...

if you are checking out some new looks for your tuft, you should definitely sneek a peek at uk hairdressers, while the focus is on salons in the uk, they also feature a few funky styles crafted by Xchange Japan.
and the farouk salon USA take hair to a new level



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and while i did stumble across some pretty trippy stuff when i goggled tokyo hair styles (e.g. japanese women styling their pubic hair to resemble the hair on beckhams head, which i personally dont think is a fanatical thing i think the resemblance is pure coincidence. ive been to onsens, thus have conducted adequate research on the shape of japanese womens pubic hair and i noted a number of grandmas, mums and unsporty types flashing a stylish albeit much darker beckham)



i think the best bet for the latest and greatest street styles, hair or other, is style-arena tokyo street style



as for tokyo hair salon's...
you could try hairfinder.com

and if you are ever in doubt that you are in good hands...frame mag assures you tokyo is the place to be as far as your hair is concerned

metropolis lists some of the problems
as for me...i'm going straight to the ones i know and love - toni & guy

Monday, October 3, 2005

hair today gone tomorrow

Reality_bites_2i totally blame lelaina for this! as i sat here dribbling through my past and grasping to recollect most of it, i ran smack bang into one of the turning points in the life of my hair. sure i had always been obsessed with brushes, combs, mirrors, hair pins, hair ties, ribbons, even scrunchies (and other weird and wonderful hair contraptions that would be advertised on the burt newton show for the amazing price of $39.95 but then sold off at the $2 shop when the original sales figures plummeted) but it was winona's character in reality bites that really fuelled the flames of hair obsession for me.
1994 was a tender time, 17 years of age, fresh out of senior and looking to break free, try new things. as a teenager with a head of wild and wooly hair i was especially eager to change the look that had given me so much attention. others would pour it on thick...'wow look at your hair' 'most women would pay a lot of money to have hair like you' and other continuous ramblings. i often thought but never said...'well most women would be friggin out of their tree if they ended up with a mound of curly locks like me, so thick and revolting, cause of the most irritating scalp itch and soaker of gallons of hair products'
so when trends started to change and the grungy, short matted look grew more popular...i was hooked!! i would parade in front of the mirror for hours - hair pinned back glancing from side to side, admiring my new look to be. 
i remember the day i did it, a friend had an aunty who i thought was seriously one of the coolest women i had ever laid eyes on. her fashion was street, her piercings were many and her hair was shaved and dyed purple (it was the 90's). best thing of all she was a hair dresser. i was dropped off at her house with a flowing golden mane and picked up with a funky new do. i think there was a tear in mums eye...and maybe a tear in mine when my new style was so very much different to the pinned back version i had simulated in the weeks before the chop. after a number of bad cuts i think i ended up growing the mop back for a while. but i always envied the girls with the funky crops and knew i just had to try it again
perhaps it was a year or two later and i ended up in the barbers chair again, this time at a stylish and expensive inner city salon. my stylist was reknowned for his work, sporting a spunky bleached shag he asked me what i wanted. feeling adventurous and wanting to appear cool and carefree i said 'just go for it, do what ever you want' about 2 hours and $211 later, i swished from the salon not quite sure what had just happened but later realising that in my eagerness to act hip and desensitised to any kind of shock, i had allowed the spunk with the shag to basically shave my hair down to the roots apart from a few whisps from the crown of my head which were a shimmering gold and copper colour.
i dont know if it was the exhiliration of that experience or the fact that i never had the energy to go through the 'growing out' phase, but i have pretty much had my hair short (and loved it) for the last decade. i have have had crushes on most of my gay stylists, rejoiced in the feeling of a 3hour salon visit, and always felt a weight lifted with every new cut. the wonderful thing about short hair it that it allowed so much experimentation, i wish i could show you some of my older predigital photos, i have been every colour from platinum and champaign to blue black and silver/ purple (that one was not on purpose), i have chopped it myself, chipped at it, shaved it and smoothed it.
but since coming to tokyo i have pretty much had the same do, with a few shade and style variations...586032882106_0_alb


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i had been floating merrily along until people started commenting again 'wow look at your hair' 'its so curly isnt it?' 'what have you done to your hair' then zume reminded me, much to my horror, i have not had a hair cut for 6 months!! i dont know how this could have happened, i am the six week girl...alas 6 months has slipped by...and this is where i'm at -



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and this is where i need/want to be -



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its a little/lot different from where it all began, and it may take a straight perm and alot of chopping, but i'll let you know how it goes.
so what do you think?
zume is making the appointment in the morning...



oh and ps speaking of change, i think i can say this because there is very little chance that mr.d will read this...you might be spotting an ultra chic anna dilemna cruising the streets of tokyo with her stroller and knitting very soon

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