Moral of the story: we both need a hair cut.
Et la morale de cette histoire est la suivante: une visite chez le coiffeur est vivement recomandée.
Sunday 23 February 2014
Hey, someone made a video that really reminds me of... me...
Special dedicace Lea. Comme quoi j'suis pas toute seule. Yay.
Special dedicace Lea. Comme quoi j'suis pas toute seule. Yay.
Thursday 20 February 2014
Neko (no) Hanabi !
One of the little one pulled out a book that was called...
exactly like this blog! Neko No Hanabi! Cats' Fireworks!
La petite a tiré un livre au hasard dans la bibliothèque qui s'appelle...
exactement comme ce blog! Neko No Hanabi! Le feu d'artifice des chats!
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| Those are all coming from the book pictured above and is not my work. |
I love google translation used for printed materials.
Sinon, juste pour le plaisir, une etiquette explicative pour un sac a dos.
For sheer pleasure, a backpack tag.
Wednesday 19 February 2014
So today for the first time since Friday, we have been able to leave the house and get out!
I was too busy looking at stuff to buy (you know the essential after 5 days locked in, like cute pocket tissues and seaweed).
We should now be able to drive out normally, well more or less, as the roads have been cleared the width of a small car, so we cannot meet another car on the way (if we stop we will be stuck).
Fun.
A bit like a driving video game... but not in a video game.
Anyways, we're all safe and sound.
Nearly one month later, I am still studying by myself between pies and wash loads, but the snow is amazing and Tokyo is getting friendlier.
I was too busy looking at stuff to buy (you know the essential after 5 days locked in, like cute pocket tissues and seaweed).
We should now be able to drive out normally, well more or less, as the roads have been cleared the width of a small car, so we cannot meet another car on the way (if we stop we will be stuck).
Fun.
A bit like a driving video game... but not in a video game.
Anyways, we're all safe and sound.
Nearly one month later, I am still studying by myself between pies and wash loads, but the snow is amazing and Tokyo is getting friendlier.
Monday 17 February 2014
Friends and Family Update on snow
Hey. Think snow is fun fun fun?
So by Friday evening the little one and I walked back from the school, there was shhhhugar-loads of snow on the ground and falling on us, it was fun though cold. I took a video, we laughed, I was expecting my week end away in Tokyo and woke up early saturday, ready to walk to the station like a warrior. I had my snow shows, my icelandic leggings... What i didn't expect is snow to my hips. And man, I'm 1m75. Walking with snow up to your hips, even with my long legs, if pretty tiring. I couldn't have walked to the train station to save my life (and hey, I had a ping pong game planned in Tokyo, which more or less equals saving my life).
So since friday, we have been stuck in the house, kids, boss, dog and cat.
We are now Monday morning, day 3 of being house bound due to 1.20 meter of snow falling in less then 24 hours. There is more snow announced for tomorrow but I cannot seem to find how much (in Japan, they forecast snow with a little snow man ranging from small to big, very effective... )
Day one was fun - we shoveled snow with my boss until I was like hey, it hurts, I'm going in with the kids, and he carried on. Kids played outside for an hour, I made French crepes and prepared a hot bath. All good.
Day 2 was fun, until we realised there would be no school Monday/Tuesday (not that we could get there anyways). I played with the kids in the snow while my boss shoveled snow for 8 hours to be able to get the car pass a steep road, in case they would come and clear the road. I made more cakes, we looked a Tom and Jerry a 4th time, and we played out while Jim was shoveling more snow.
While outside, I heard big announcement in loudspeakers in town, it sounded like a mix of 1984 and some scary contemporary horror science fiction. It was too far to understand what they were saying, so we settled for 'hey, it's very cold and snowy, be careful', which sounded like something they would say.
I focused on the sun falling on the snow (and tried to make the kids not murder each other for the use of the single sledge) and didn't worry.
This is day 3.
Today, we know that the army is in town, and that the announcements were to warn people that they are dropping food by helicopter and planes. The part you don't want to know is that when this all started friday, thousands of people were on the road towards us for a week-end of ski... some people abandoned their cars and were sheltered in schools, but some have been stuck in their vehicule since friday, with no food. This is why the army is in, and this is why we are nowhere near having any roads cleared anytime soon: they are taking care of the people stuck on the roads. Apparently about 12 people have already been found lifeless in their cars, because of the cold and the lack of food.
See, my boss shops in bulks. I laughed at him hard for buying 20 liters of soya milk for me 2 weeks ago, and having so much dry and frozen food from the buy-in-bulk place... Well, I ain't laughing now.
I am so glad he made sure the kerosene tank were filled just before the storm started, that he has a flipping fireplace in the living room and that there's food and water in the house. The guy even has a generator.
Now, nobody gets sick or hurt, and we shall be all good until the roads get cleared and we can move again.
That's if watching the same Tom and Jerry dvd played for the 12th time doesn't make us all mad first...
So by Friday evening the little one and I walked back from the school, there was shhhhugar-loads of snow on the ground and falling on us, it was fun though cold. I took a video, we laughed, I was expecting my week end away in Tokyo and woke up early saturday, ready to walk to the station like a warrior. I had my snow shows, my icelandic leggings... What i didn't expect is snow to my hips. And man, I'm 1m75. Walking with snow up to your hips, even with my long legs, if pretty tiring. I couldn't have walked to the train station to save my life (and hey, I had a ping pong game planned in Tokyo, which more or less equals saving my life).
So since friday, we have been stuck in the house, kids, boss, dog and cat.
We are now Monday morning, day 3 of being house bound due to 1.20 meter of snow falling in less then 24 hours. There is more snow announced for tomorrow but I cannot seem to find how much (in Japan, they forecast snow with a little snow man ranging from small to big, very effective... )
Day one was fun - we shoveled snow with my boss until I was like hey, it hurts, I'm going in with the kids, and he carried on. Kids played outside for an hour, I made French crepes and prepared a hot bath. All good.
Day 2 was fun, until we realised there would be no school Monday/Tuesday (not that we could get there anyways). I played with the kids in the snow while my boss shoveled snow for 8 hours to be able to get the car pass a steep road, in case they would come and clear the road. I made more cakes, we looked a Tom and Jerry a 4th time, and we played out while Jim was shoveling more snow.
While outside, I heard big announcement in loudspeakers in town, it sounded like a mix of 1984 and some scary contemporary horror science fiction. It was too far to understand what they were saying, so we settled for 'hey, it's very cold and snowy, be careful', which sounded like something they would say.
I focused on the sun falling on the snow (and tried to make the kids not murder each other for the use of the single sledge) and didn't worry.
This is day 3.
Today, we know that the army is in town, and that the announcements were to warn people that they are dropping food by helicopter and planes. The part you don't want to know is that when this all started friday, thousands of people were on the road towards us for a week-end of ski... some people abandoned their cars and were sheltered in schools, but some have been stuck in their vehicule since friday, with no food. This is why the army is in, and this is why we are nowhere near having any roads cleared anytime soon: they are taking care of the people stuck on the roads. Apparently about 12 people have already been found lifeless in their cars, because of the cold and the lack of food.
See, my boss shops in bulks. I laughed at him hard for buying 20 liters of soya milk for me 2 weeks ago, and having so much dry and frozen food from the buy-in-bulk place... Well, I ain't laughing now.
I am so glad he made sure the kerosene tank were filled just before the storm started, that he has a flipping fireplace in the living room and that there's food and water in the house. The guy even has a generator.
Now, nobody gets sick or hurt, and we shall be all good until the roads get cleared and we can move again.
That's if watching the same Tom and Jerry dvd played for the 12th time doesn't make us all mad first...
Sunday 16 February 2014
Saturday 15 February 2014
Ain't going anywhere
So I woke up early on my day off. Put some clean clothes on and all.
Had booked my capsule hotel, was ready to sip a coffee with the friend-of-my-mother's-friend-of-the-cousin-partner's-friend's-sister-in-law.
I went to the door ready to walk to the Shinkansen for Tokyo, like every week end.
That was the front door.
Voila.
Had booked my capsule hotel, was ready to sip a coffee with the friend-of-my-mother's-friend-of-the-cousin-partner's-friend's-sister-in-law.
I went to the door ready to walk to the Shinkansen for Tokyo, like every week end.
That was the front door.
Voila.
No Tokyo ping pong, coffee or strolling for me.
WE ARE SNOWED IN!!!
Yeeehhhheeee heeeheeeheeee!
 |
| I shall ask for a salary increase for snow shovelling. |
James: Hey, I learned a new word today - in 20 years I never ever camer across it...
Fang: What's that?
James: Service Suspended.
Fang: Oh, wow... Hey, Jim?
James: Yes?
Fang: Do I get more money for shovelling snow on my day off?
James: No.
Fang: Ah. Alright.
Fang: Oh, wow... Hey, Jim?
James: Yes?
Fang: Do I get more money for shovelling snow on my day off?
James: No.
Fang: Ah. Alright.
Friday 14 February 2014
Miaaaouuuwwwww
There's this book for the kids.
I fell in love with the illustrations.
So here you are :)
This is for Léa and Léa!
(ouai mais vous etes chiantes, vous avez le meme prénom, vous habitez toutes les deux Paris, vous aimez les petits lapins, le dessin, les paillettes et les lattés... Mannnnn...)
Thursday 13 February 2014
Furansu San
The little boy (when, somedays he's a little boy, other days a little git) I take care of calls me.
Le petit dont je m'occupe (le petit garcon certains jours, petit con d'autres jours) m'appelle.
He doesn't say 'Fang' nor 'Fan'. So I ask him:
Il ne m'a pas appelé Fang ou Fan. Alors je lui demande:
wait hang on (chotto matte), what's my name (watashi no namae nan desuka)?
attends attends... c'est quoi mon nom?
And he repeats what I thought I had heard;
Et il repete ce que j'avais cru entendre:
Le petit dont je m'occupe (le petit garcon certains jours, petit con d'autres jours) m'appelle.
He doesn't say 'Fang' nor 'Fan'. So I ask him:
Il ne m'a pas appelé Fang ou Fan. Alors je lui demande:
wait hang on (chotto matte), what's my name (watashi no namae nan desuka)?
attends attends... c'est quoi mon nom?
And he repeats what I thought I had heard;
Et il repete ce que j'avais cru entendre:
Furan(su?)San...
Miss France
Mademoiselle France
Wednesday 12 February 2014
Key Shoes Phone.
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| Une clé japonaise en bois (bah quoi, j'suis une touriste ou pas?) Tradictional Japanese wooden key (I'm a tourist or what?) |
 |
| Made In Japan chaussures |
 |
| L'Iphone cadeau de Kenichi-San - avec petit-chat-de-telephone de la part de ma famille d'accueil (nan mais j'essaie de me fondre dans le decors tu vois) |
Tuesday 11 February 2014
J'ai 10 ans
Today I turned 10 so I went to see the mountains again, and then we went to a town that resembles the bathing town Chihiro and her parents enter in Spirited Away and took a bath obviously, and then it was time to sleep.
Aujourd'hui j'ai eu 10 ans, alors je suis allée vois les montagnes et apres on est allé dans une ville qui ressemble a celle ou Chihiro s'aventure avec ses parents et on a pris un bain et apres c'etait l'heure de dormir.
More to come.
Aujourd'hui j'ai eu 10 ans, alors je suis allée vois les montagnes et apres on est allé dans une ville qui ressemble a celle ou Chihiro s'aventure avec ses parents et on a pris un bain et apres c'etait l'heure de dormir.
More to come.
Monday 10 February 2014
February Tokyo 2
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| A Bunny Café where you can... hug bunnies and have a coffee. I am not sure how I feel about this. If they were rescue bunnies left with a lot of space I think I would be more keen - as it is they didn't 'seen' unhappy but hey... rabbits aren't here for humans to come and grab them and have hugs - though I'm sure they enjoy human company. Well. Any animal in a small cage isn't gonna put a smile on my face. |
 |
| Tokyo upside down inside out from Sky Tree. |
 |
| dumbass in the snow. |
 |
| A very subtle camera. |
 |
| Vas y si t'es pas sage, pas de gateau papillon au citron. Voila. (J'fais peur, hein? Hein?) |
Sunday 9 February 2014
nemu
Also, on the train,
sometimes you don't know if they are clouds or buildings.
Also, the public bath is the best thing ever. Especially when there's a meter of snow outside. I need to speak to Anne and Tom about this... for very different reasons. But yeah. Public bath: go go go.
Also, I ate until I was totally full at a kaiten sushi and it cost me:... 2.53 euros.
Also, I'm sorry but the lattes taste better in Japan.
Also, I bought plastic waterproof cute shoes made in Japan for 12 euros.
Also, Tower Record is probably one of the best place on earth to discover music, and to hide away from, I don't know, a massive snow storm for example.
Also, I need new feet, mine are completely destroyed despite changing shoes 3 times - I will very probably walk on my hands for the next 2 days to give my feet a rest.
So, after being totally buried in the snow in Shibuya (Shibuya as dead as a donut on a Saturday night is a pretty ghostly scenery - obviously the only people stupid enough to get out in a snow storm being foreigners),
spanking all my money on English books and panda-face-making-tools-with-seaweed-yay,
and MORE black pens and brushes (I completely admit it, I am obsessed with black pens for drawing and calligraphy, the quality of the stuff in Japan for the price is not helping me reduce my collection though), as well as looking for a ping pong club that didn't exist and therefore entering buildings and basement and top floors to ask my way (man, I went into a basement with no light or anything and knocked on a door that looked like no one opened it since 1990, and sure enough loads of people were working behind it, and then there was something 'cafe' on the last floor so I went too and it was a warm open office, nothing to do at all with a coffee shop, but hey nobody could resist helping a poor wet tall white girl - anyways that club just didn't exist but it was great to speak to so many people willing to help), ok after all this,
I met Kenichi-san who gave me a flipping I-Phone 4S, just like that, that was sitting at his home because the home button is malfunctioning.
Like. Just gave it to me. One of the most useful tool for learning kanjis. That can also act as an mp3 player, with a memory of 16 gb. Just like that.WHAAAAAAT? I know. In french, you would say ' I have/(s)he has her bum surrounded with noodles' which doesn't make any sense but means I am really f-word-ing lucky.
Talking about Kanjis, more Japanese came out of my mouth in one day than in 3 weeks, the moral of the story being: I need to meet friendly Japanese human beings where I live as a matter of urgency. Because my japanese ain't going to get better talking to the cat.
I mean, I have no social life whatsoever but hey, the toilets seats are heated and the food is good!
Which is alright for a bit. I now need to pass my car-snow-boarding license (yes at the moment, this is not DRIVING, it's snow-boarding with a car) and get to a school, however far it is.
I need to get there fast.
Also, in Japan, people don't have a phone with the internet in it. They have a little wifi modem that fits into a pocket to provide internet to their phone. And you thought those Japanese guys were well ahead of us tech wise... well let me tell you it came as a bit of a shock to see everybody walking around with a wifi box but hey. Sometimes you just have to... not comment... I guess...
And then I just went to sleep.
Friday 7 February 2014
WTF?
Ok y'a une énorme faute 'quelle' cabinet au lieu de quel, mais je toute façon j'irais deja en enfer donc je m'excuse platement.
Thursday 6 February 2014
Un peu froid un peu. Just a little cold, a little.
Funnily enough, I used to forget my gloves sometimes in the UK, but when it's -10 degrees, somehow, your brain just switches to survival mode and won't let you forget your gloves.
Who the f*ck goes out for a walk at -10 anyways? Just me?
C'est marrant, des fois en Angleterre j'oubliais mes gants, mais en fait quand il -10 degrés ton cerveau se met en mode survie et te laisse juste pas oublier tes gants. Quel débile sort quand il fait -10 de toute façon? Juste moi?
Who the f*ck goes out for a walk at -10 anyways? Just me?
C'est marrant, des fois en Angleterre j'oubliais mes gants, mais en fait quand il -10 degrés ton cerveau se met en mode survie et te laisse juste pas oublier tes gants. Quel débile sort quand il fait -10 de toute façon? Juste moi?
Wednesday 5 February 2014
heavy metal shamisen
Another wtf moment: between laughing at loud (like really, I was laughing so loudly the cat looked at me weird) at the Japanese music channel (you wouldn't believe what cheap 90's special effect they dare using today, nor would you believe the lyrics they sing in English - the facial expression proving that they don't have the slightest idea of what they are saying) and folding tiny clothes, I was looking for some shamisen music and found some heavy metal shamisen music.
Hmmmm...yes. I said heavy metal shamisen music. Seriously.
Hmmmm...yes. I said heavy metal shamisen music. Seriously.
cat hair cut
Pour Lea.
Je cherche un coiffeur pour des cheveux bleu. Sur la page du staff, ils mettent leur chat:
http://www.watanabe-hair.com/the_team.html
Gniiiiigh.
:D
Je cherche un coiffeur pour des cheveux bleu. Sur la page du staff, ils mettent leur chat:
http://www.watanabe-hair.com/the_team.html
Gniiiiigh.
:D
fautes oh.
I won't get a new digital SLR.
I want to remarry my Yashica, before going to Israel next year, before continuing GPF.
I missed it. In my eyes.
I will use a beautifully fast compact for glimpses of life, and my Yashica for everything that matters.
And maybe get another one while I'm here.
Discovery of the day (Ginny, Tom, doesn't this just make you feel in awe?)
I want to remarry my Yashica, before going to Israel next year, before continuing GPF.
I missed it. In my eyes.
I will use a beautifully fast compact for glimpses of life, and my Yashica for everything that matters.
And maybe get another one while I'm here.
Discovery of the day (Ginny, Tom, doesn't this just make you feel in awe?)
Monday 3 February 2014
Sunday 2 February 2014
Tokyo February - Tokyo Fevrier - 東京 二月
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| Winter sun on a wooden corner above the trains, a break half way between Tokyo Station and Shinjuku half way between me and the others. naaahhhh...Whatever. Just another excuse to down a matcha latte. |
First week end out. First day of February.
First steps in Tokyo again, I stumbled upon the same kaiten sushi I used to eat at every day. Somehow up there my brain took me where good cheap food was, though I couldn't tell you where it is to save my own life.
Amongst other things, this week end in tokyo was made of, in no particular order:
golden dry grass smelling like summer,
Hazuki-san, muse-mother-friend I cannot not record one way or another, Yuichi-san, a friendly face and voice amongst the masses of glass and metal of Shinjuku,
a saturday night screening of To Catch a Thief to give my poor feet a break
(-where's the screen please?
-On floor 11.
-I'm sorry? The cinema screen?
- Yes, on floor 11...?
welcome to vertical urbanism) ,
a wooden capsule bed in a hostel that was so cheap you feel the floor with your hips through your futon, walking with one shoe on and the other in my hand in the middle of the night searching the public bath,
buying cute stamps and ink and paper letter and drawing paper, drawing pens made in japan for something like 2 pounds each (sorry guys),
crossing my eyes in front of zoom mics in what you think is just a computer shop but happens to be 3 f*cking building with 7 floors of anything electronicamerapplestuff ever produced on planet earth the last 3 years (you HAVE to ask for your way out or you risk sleeping in there, there is so much stuff on so many floors even with a map and compas you would get lost, it's like diving, there's no more sky no more ground no direction nothing but electronic stuff, everywhere you look),
a botanical garden with warm moist air and kindness from two awesome people,
matcha dango watching passers by in a station, seeing in complete disbelief hundreds of people queuing for the store/mall/gigantic store/small city of shops on sunday morning, eating my own weight in onigiri,
spending a fortune on plasters for my feet (who the hell puts on new shoes to walk a city, man I can be dumb sometimes, damn), recording the sound of the underground a little, rethinking my photography practice camera wise, feeling the underground passing 9 floors underneath me while falling asleep and loving it each time.
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