Fancy Pants

Saturday night we took out our fancy pants, added a dollop of extra make-up, and got ready for a swanky night out. A friend, who works at XEX bar in Tokyo, invited us to participate in a champagne night they were having. We paid our 5000 yen, and essentially had MOET on tap all night. At 42 floors up, XEX is hands down the sexiest bar I've even been to.

[1] XEX

[2] Kate & Debs

[3] Debs and her dancy dress

[4] Kate and her dancy skirt

[5] Sushi dinner

[6] Tokyo Tower at 4am

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4] 

[5]

[6]

Thanks again for everything, Aldo and Sienna!

Fancy Skirt,
Kate

[The Latest]

Must Read: Post Secret Solder`s Secrets...from Post Secret...Happy Memorial Day!

Google Search: iphone covers.

Tune: Titanium By David Guetta.

Accomplishment: Finishing The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series.
Obsessions:  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series. 

Cloud Soundtrack

This afternoon, just as I was about to bike home, the winds picked up and the clouds rolled in. Then we heard the thunder, the kind that makes you think the universe is mad at you, followed by a flash of lightening, the kind the makes you wonder if there is someone up there throwing bolts. 

The clouds we both noisy and mysterious, 

so much so, it seemed silly not to take a few pictures.

Angry iphone weather warning.

Boom, Boom, Flash,

Kate

[The Latest]

Must Read: Happy Birthday Golden Gate ...wish I was there to celebrate with the big red bridge.

Google Search: Angkor Wat.

Tune: YMCA By The Village People...the song came on while I was grocery shopping today and I danced all around the store. The cashiers we well entertained. 

Accomplishment: Spending the majority of my weekend outside in the sun.
Obsessions: My summer wardrobe.

Happy Birthday Dad

Today, May 25, is my dad's 74th birthday, and the first that he's not here to celebrate. 

But we are.

So, in an effort to keep this a happy occasion, I sent my mom flowers and decided to order pizza tonight, like we used to do on Friday nights when I was little. And while we can't watch Jeopardy and TGIF anymore as a family remember the TGIF shows?! we can continue to make new traditions, while holding on to old memories. 

Happy Birthday Dad, 

Kate

[The Latest]

Must Read: Chinese Activist Chen Gives First In-Depth Interview...from CNN.

Google Search: Laos.

Tune: Home By Philip Philips.

Accomplishment: Mopping my floors. They're sparkling.
Obsessions: My new, free, virtual tamagotchi app. Again.

Lollipop

In an effort to spice up our work week, Debs and I headed to a nearby bar for dinner and drinks last night after work. The bar is western style and has the occasional foreigner or two. It felt great to have a causal conversation with strangers in our native language. As we were paying our bill, the bartender leaned over and gave each of us a lollipop! It had been quite awhile since either of us had enjoyed a little pop and both of us were a little overly excited about it.

A few beers deep and lollipop in hand, we had an excellent train ride home.

Lollipop, Lollipop, OOOOO Lolli Lolli Pop, 

Kate

[The Latest]

Must Read: The Demise of Guys...from CNN.

Google Search: Charlotte Bronte.

Tune: Charlie Brown By Coldplay.

Accomplishment: Going for a run yesterday, when all I wanted to do after school was nap.
Obsessions: My new, free, virtual tamagotchi app.

Journals of Conversation

Talking to my students can either be largely successful, or end in complete misunderstanding. Often times they are excited to see me, and I them, but verbal communication can only go so far. As most ALTs will tell you, the students are much better at reading and writing, than they are at speaking. So, in combining all their strengths, I came up with the idea of conversation journals. And pushed the idea, as delicately as possible, until it happened. 

One of the teachers has made it mandatory in his class. The day I come into their class, is the day they read my response and write back. The kids love it! The idea has gone over so well that a few of the other teachers have made it optional for their students, and quite a few students have taken to the idea. 

It's so much fun to have real, original conversations, 

with my students on a more personal level!

The Writing's in the Journal,
Kate

[The Latest]

Must Read: TV Remote Control Inventor Dies...from BBC.

Google Search: ESL Adult Conversation Topics.

Tune: Dutty Love By Don Omar. Again.

Accomplishment: Making a great dinner last night.
Obsessions: Conbini Starbucks Coffees.

Weekend Update

Had another lovely weekend full of friends and food. 

Highlights included...

[1] a san francisco beer at an over the top american bar. 

[2] a tapas restaurant in akihabara, complete with fancy snack plates and sangria. 

i was in heaven.

[3] a day in ueno park.

[4] dinner at a Thai restaurant located directly under the train tracks of tokyo main station.

[5] and the ever classy, train beers.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

[1]

[2]

 [3]

No pics, sorry. But here is one that comes up when you google Ueno Park.

I don't know how google knew, but that is exactly what I was wearing.

[4]

 [5]

These are all kinds of blurry, but I think it makes you feel like you were right there with us!

Weekend Refreshed,

Kate

[The Latest]

Must Read: China`s 4D Roller Coaster ..from CNN Intl.

Google Search: Max Records.

Tune: Dutty Love By Don Omar. Again.

Accomplishment: Wearing things I don't usually wear. The weather is helping a bit with that.
Obsessions: Bubbly water.

Eclipse Rules

For those of you who were lucky enough to get to see the solar eclipse today, how cool was that?! I don't know what the build up for the eclipse was like in other countries, but I can tell you that Japan had its residents prepared and excited weeks in advance. Our city hall had a huge slide show of how to properly watch the eclipse.

How to properly watch the eclipse.

I don't think you need to understand the language
to know what this is telling you.

How not to watch the eclipse.
Can you even see through a CD?

The nifty shades were for sale just about everywhere and cost upwards of 10 bucks. Does that seem expensive to anyone else? The eclipse passed over us at about 7:30 this morning and most of the students, and residents, diligently stood outside to observe this unique natural happening.

Japan Viewing Times.
Of the two dots the red line passes over...
I live right next to the top/Tokyo one.

It was a pretty awesome spectacle, made even more so since it won't be coming around again in our lifetime.
Pretty nifty.

Earth, Moon, Sun, 

Kate

P.S. Even google got in on the action.
In case you didn't see their home page today...

[The Latest]

Must Read: Starbucks 31-oz `Trenta` Cup Size Set for Debut ...from Reuters.
Is this for real?!!

Google Search: Starbucks 31oz drink.

Tune: Dutty Love By Don Omar. 

Accomplishment: Spending the majority of my weekend outside in the sun.
Obsessions: Lotion that adds a touch of a tan.