Yesterday I watched the movie "Red Cliff", an interesting movie that looks like it comes straight out of a video game (Dynasty Warriors from the Playstation). I don't know anything about Chinese history, so it was even more interesting to see it... (I do want to know more about Chinese history, though).
In the movie there are 3 actors that I really enjoy watching at; Takeshi Kaneshiro, Nakamura Shido, and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. The first actor Takeshi Kaneshiro is of both Japanese and Taiwanese (Hoklo) ancestry. Kaneshiro can speak with varying degrees of fluency in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese, and is probably most know of his part in the movies; Returner, House of Flying Daggers, and The Warlords.
Nakamura Shido is from orign a Kabuki actor, but started acting in movies when he was 30 years old. A couple of movies that he acted in are: Ping pong, Neighbour No. 13 (my favorite), Fearless, Letters from Iwo Jima, and Death note.
I don't think Tony Leung needs in introduction, does he? Anyway, if you don't know who he is please have a look on his page on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Leung_Chiu-Wai
So if you have the time, I would recommend watching this movie especially if you like to watch sword fighting bloody movie.
Trailer:
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Kanji DS game
As you could have read in a couple of posts ago... I failed to pass the JLPT 2 test last December, so I am going to take it again upcoming July.
I really have to work on my Kanji, and after searching for a kanji game for months... I have finally have found the perfect learning game (IMO); Zaidan Houjin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Koushiki Soft.
You will start from level 10, which is basic kanji (so basic, that I had forgotten a lot of them) and you can do tests from 10, 20 or 40 minutes. I think that if I will practice this game everyday for about 20 minutes, I should be able to increase my kanji knowledge a lot before July. (here is a full review of the game)
My Japanese teacher (sensei) also made a schedule for me, what to work on and how.
今から本当に頑張ろう！！！
p.s. what reminds me... It would be nice to do the JTEST as well in may... for a level check. Boukje? are you in? can you bring me a pamphlet from school for me? :D
I really have to work on my Kanji, and after searching for a kanji game for months... I have finally have found the perfect learning game (IMO); Zaidan Houjin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Koushiki Soft.
You will start from level 10, which is basic kanji (so basic, that I had forgotten a lot of them) and you can do tests from 10, 20 or 40 minutes. I think that if I will practice this game everyday for about 20 minutes, I should be able to increase my kanji knowledge a lot before July. (here is a full review of the game)
My Japanese teacher (sensei) also made a schedule for me, what to work on and how.
今から本当に頑張ろう！！！
p.s. what reminds me... It would be nice to do the JTEST as well in may... for a level check. Boukje? are you in? can you bring me a pamphlet from school for me? :D
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Wireless Internet (ahum part 1)
Reo is starting to put everything in his mouth, and is pulling every cord that he sees... including the one from my precious MAC.
So we had decided to buy a wireless router the other day. We bought one yesterday, a Planex MZK-WO4N...
I followed the instructions, I change some stuff that I needed to change, I searched for advice on the internet, but after trying to connected it for 4 hours last night, and 3 hours today... I failed to let it work.
Meaning, we need to call the "give me your money, I will do it for you in 30 minutes... sometimes 2 hours if they have nothing to do" guy. The sales woman told us, it's going to be around 20.000 yen... grrr
So yeah, this is what I did in my weekend! How about you guys
So we had decided to buy a wireless router the other day. We bought one yesterday, a Planex MZK-WO4N...
I followed the instructions, I change some stuff that I needed to change, I searched for advice on the internet, but after trying to connected it for 4 hours last night, and 3 hours today... I failed to let it work.
Meaning, we need to call the "give me your money, I will do it for you in 30 minutes... sometimes 2 hours if they have nothing to do" guy. The sales woman told us, it's going to be around 20.000 yen... grrr
So yeah, this is what I did in my weekend! How about you guys
Thursday, February 19, 2009
A new Job
As some of you might already know, I started a new job from the beginning of February. I am again teaching English, but this time I have my own class, with the exception of different kids in the afternoon class, and I have to work from Tuesday to Saturday. So I have 2 days off, instead of having only 1 week off with my previous work.
The work is pretty fun, and the kids are adorable! I still have a lot of things to learn, on how to be more strict and teach them things in a more interesting way than just playing the same game over and over again. My co-workers are pretty cool, and from March-April another Dutch person (Boukje) will be working for the same company.
I took this class over, from a very nice guy from NZ and beside this class I also took over 1 of his private classes (1 doctor and 2 nurses). So yeah, I am very busy... as always lol.
Reo
Reo is doing great, he is first tooth came out about a week ago, and he is starting to walk along the sofa and table. I think it will take maybe 1 or 2 months before he is able to stand and walk by himself. Let's wait and see :D . He already had his first child desease about a month ago (the sixt disease also known as the 3 day fever), meaning he had fever for 3 days (highest was 40.4 degrees) so that was pretty scary.
Japanese
I got the result of my Japanese language Proficiency Test:
I only had 166 points out of 400... I needed over 240 points to pass the test...
Aaah, well I am going to take the test again in June, and I should be able to pass that time. Only 20% to go :D
The work is pretty fun, and the kids are adorable! I still have a lot of things to learn, on how to be more strict and teach them things in a more interesting way than just playing the same game over and over again. My co-workers are pretty cool, and from March-April another Dutch person (Boukje) will be working for the same company.
I took this class over, from a very nice guy from NZ and beside this class I also took over 1 of his private classes (1 doctor and 2 nurses). So yeah, I am very busy... as always lol.
Reo
Reo is doing great, he is first tooth came out about a week ago, and he is starting to walk along the sofa and table. I think it will take maybe 1 or 2 months before he is able to stand and walk by himself. Let's wait and see :D . He already had his first child desease about a month ago (the sixt disease also known as the 3 day fever), meaning he had fever for 3 days (highest was 40.4 degrees) so that was pretty scary.
Japanese
I got the result of my Japanese language Proficiency Test:
I only had 166 points out of 400... I needed over 240 points to pass the test...
Aaah, well I am going to take the test again in June, and I should be able to pass that time. Only 20% to go :D
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
'Drunken' Japanese Politician Quits His Post
I thought, let's posts something about Japanese politicians:
A Japanese minister who appeared to be drunk at a G7 news conference has quit.
Shoichi Nakagawa denied being drunk at the G7 news conference
Finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa stunned fellow politicians when he appeared on camera slurring his words, swaying and apparently falling asleep.
He denied being drunk and said a glass of wine on top of a dose of cold medicine was to blame for his bizarre behaviour.
But the minister said he was stepping down for health reasons.
He has been replaced by Kaoru Yosano.
"I have caused trouble to the people," Mr Nakagawa said.
A Japanese minister who appeared to be drunk at a G7 news conference has quit.
Shoichi Nakagawa denied being drunk at the G7 news conference
Finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa stunned fellow politicians when he appeared on camera slurring his words, swaying and apparently falling asleep.
He denied being drunk and said a glass of wine on top of a dose of cold medicine was to blame for his bizarre behaviour.
But the minister said he was stepping down for health reasons.
He has been replaced by Kaoru Yosano.
"I have caused trouble to the people," Mr Nakagawa said.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
December 2008
I say it over and over again; it's been too long since I have posted something on my blog. I've got 2 reasons for that:
*Time
I've been studying for months in preperation for the JLPT, and Reo is keeping us busy as well (in a nice way of course)
*Readers
Seeing the amount of comments that I receive makes me wonder if people actually read my blog and if it has any meaning to write on it... I mean a blog is there to share stories, but without readers there isn't anything to share, is there?
JLPT
As you can read above, I've been really busy studying for the JLPT. What is the JLPT you might wonder, well the JLPT stands for; Japanese Language proficiency test. There are 4 levels in the test:
Test content and requirements summary
Level Kanji Vocabulary Listening Hours of Study Pass Mark
4 ~100 (103) ~800 (728) Beginner ~150 60%
3 ~300 (284) ~1,500 (1409) Basic ~300
2 ~1000 (1023) ~6,000 (5035) Intermediate ~600
1 ~2000 (1926) ~10,000 (8009) Advanced ~900 70%
I went for level 2, and I have to say that it was bloody hard so I'm not sure if I passed or not. But I will take the test again in July and will take care that I will pass it that time. Passing this test makes it easier for me to find a job in a Japanese environment because I am not planning to stay an English teacher for my whole life!!!
Reo
Reo is doing really great and he is starting to crawl from the living room to the kitchen and back, and likes to explore things (especially by putting everything in his mouth). Mayuko is doing great and she is really making a lot of effort for Reo and me (it's commonsense when you are married I think, but still I want to say that I am proud of her). It's such a pleasure to see him growing day by day!!
Work
Well, yesterday I finally got my contract for my new job. I am going to work for an international kindergarten not too far from here. My working hours are from 9.45 until 18.00 so that means that I can sleep in until 8 in the morning (hihihi). The morning class is a very nice small class, and in the afternoon I will have different kids every day. I am a bit nervous to start this job but I think I should be able to get used to it pretty fast.
Birthday
Yesterday was my 24th birthday (yes, I'm Jack bauer now), and enjoyed my day with Mayuko and Reo. Mayuko made a very nice dinner (kobe beef), a birthday cake, and gave me a nice belt and an organizer for next year. I'm also very happy with all the messages and the phone calls from my family.
I do have to say that when you are getting older, it seems that other people care less about it... I expected a bit more but guess there is nothing to do about it than except.
I hope to be able to update my blog a little bit more next year, but please give some more comments... a reason for me to write on my blog.
*Time
I've been studying for months in preperation for the JLPT, and Reo is keeping us busy as well (in a nice way of course)
*Readers
Seeing the amount of comments that I receive makes me wonder if people actually read my blog and if it has any meaning to write on it... I mean a blog is there to share stories, but without readers there isn't anything to share, is there?
JLPT
As you can read above, I've been really busy studying for the JLPT. What is the JLPT you might wonder, well the JLPT stands for; Japanese Language proficiency test. There are 4 levels in the test:
Test content and requirements summary
Level Kanji Vocabulary Listening Hours of Study Pass Mark
4 ~100 (103) ~800 (728) Beginner ~150 60%
3 ~300 (284) ~1,500 (1409) Basic ~300
2 ~1000 (1023) ~6,000 (5035) Intermediate ~600
1 ~2000 (1926) ~10,000 (8009) Advanced ~900 70%
I went for level 2, and I have to say that it was bloody hard so I'm not sure if I passed or not. But I will take the test again in July and will take care that I will pass it that time. Passing this test makes it easier for me to find a job in a Japanese environment because I am not planning to stay an English teacher for my whole life!!!
Reo
Reo is doing really great and he is starting to crawl from the living room to the kitchen and back, and likes to explore things (especially by putting everything in his mouth). Mayuko is doing great and she is really making a lot of effort for Reo and me (it's commonsense when you are married I think, but still I want to say that I am proud of her). It's such a pleasure to see him growing day by day!!
Work
Well, yesterday I finally got my contract for my new job. I am going to work for an international kindergarten not too far from here. My working hours are from 9.45 until 18.00 so that means that I can sleep in until 8 in the morning (hihihi). The morning class is a very nice small class, and in the afternoon I will have different kids every day. I am a bit nervous to start this job but I think I should be able to get used to it pretty fast.
Birthday
Yesterday was my 24th birthday (yes, I'm Jack bauer now), and enjoyed my day with Mayuko and Reo. Mayuko made a very nice dinner (kobe beef), a birthday cake, and gave me a nice belt and an organizer for next year. I'm also very happy with all the messages and the phone calls from my family.
I do have to say that when you are getting older, it seems that other people care less about it... I expected a bit more but guess there is nothing to do about it than except.
I hope to be able to update my blog a little bit more next year, but please give some more comments... a reason for me to write on my blog.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Summer 2008
Hello everyone,
Here a summer update live from the worlds greatest city, Kobe.
It's been a pretty hot summer this year, guess it will only get hotter in the future (if you do not believe in the Day after tomorrow I guess). The weather was a bit hard for the baby tough, especially for his skin because he is mecha mecha (very very) chubby.
Beside his skin, that we are a little worried about, Reo is doing super. He is growing fast, and I think he will become smarter than Mayuko and I are... His neck is also pretty stable, so with our help he is able to sit down, and do sit ups. He is now about 6.5 kilo.
My summer holiday started from half July, and I will go back to the schools tomorrow. I had 2 summer jobs, and they actually make me not wanting to go back to the elementary schools. I am kind of getting tired of traveling to different schools, teaching 800 kids a week, and a lot of teachers/kids just don't care about English. It's a fun job to do, but after 2 years I say: GIVE ME ANOTHER JOB. A well, just another 6 months to go and I will do something else than this (that's my intention though).
I have also decided that I will be doing the JLPT 2 this year, even though the change that I might not pass is a pretty big I will do my best to prepare for it. I does mean that until December, I should at least study 2 hours a day (14 hours a week + 14 weeks is almost 200 hours)... fewww If I do fail, I will take the test again next July. I WILL GET JLPT 2 BEFORE NEXT SUMMER..
There was also a pretty dramatic accident a couple of weeks ago near our house. A river started to flood, and 4 people died.
I have a lot of photo's from Reo, and if you want to see all. Then please visit my flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/34591504@N00/
Have fun, and if you have any specific questions on how life in Japan is... FIRE them :D
Here a summer update live from the worlds greatest city, Kobe.
It's been a pretty hot summer this year, guess it will only get hotter in the future (if you do not believe in the Day after tomorrow I guess). The weather was a bit hard for the baby tough, especially for his skin because he is mecha mecha (very very) chubby.
Beside his skin, that we are a little worried about, Reo is doing super. He is growing fast, and I think he will become smarter than Mayuko and I are... His neck is also pretty stable, so with our help he is able to sit down, and do sit ups. He is now about 6.5 kilo.
My summer holiday started from half July, and I will go back to the schools tomorrow. I had 2 summer jobs, and they actually make me not wanting to go back to the elementary schools. I am kind of getting tired of traveling to different schools, teaching 800 kids a week, and a lot of teachers/kids just don't care about English. It's a fun job to do, but after 2 years I say: GIVE ME ANOTHER JOB. A well, just another 6 months to go and I will do something else than this (that's my intention though).
I have also decided that I will be doing the JLPT 2 this year, even though the change that I might not pass is a pretty big I will do my best to prepare for it. I does mean that until December, I should at least study 2 hours a day (14 hours a week + 14 weeks is almost 200 hours)... fewww If I do fail, I will take the test again next July. I WILL GET JLPT 2 BEFORE NEXT SUMMER..
There was also a pretty dramatic accident a couple of weeks ago near our house. A river started to flood, and 4 people died.
I have a lot of photo's from Reo, and if you want to see all. Then please visit my flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/34591504@N00/
Have fun, and if you have any specific questions on how life in Japan is... FIRE them :D
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Happy Birthday, 1 month old
Happy Birthday Reo, tomorrow you will become one month old.
Life has changed so much, after he has been born. I want to go home a.s.a.p. , responsibility has tripled, life has got more meaning then before in my opinion. The wife is sometimes complaining a lot towards me, but I can understand that with certain things, and in the other way she is still very sweet to me. I though I would really become on the background, but that's not the thing.
Reo is sleeping very well, even though he got his crying hours (especially between 10-1 in the evening), drinking a lot of milk, becomes cuter and fatter every day.
Today we went to Tarumi Kai Jinja (temple), to pray for his health and future. We sat on a bench, and the priest was walking around, saying stuff in Japanese, and reading text from a book and our names (DEEEVIIEEE SUTOKUUHOFFF , which makes me feel good that we decided to not change Mayuko her last name).
We have been at her parents place for about a month now (it's normal in Japan to go to the parents after the baby is born, to get support and learn how to do certain things... which I think was very nice, because now we can go home with a good feeling).
Anyway, here are some photo's.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
The baby is born! Good morning little boy.
On Friday, May 30th at 10.34 A.M. in the Tanabe FrauenKlinik in Kobe Japan, our little boy was born. He weighted 2970 gram, and was 50.5cm tall when he came out. He already gained about 200 gram in the last week, and he is getting milk from the breast.
His official name is Reo Terao 怜朗 寺尾、but feel free to call him Reo Terao Stokhof in unofficial matters.
He is now already 9 days old, and is a very sweet and smart boy... meaning he doesn't keep us awake all night. He has some things of me, and some things of my wife.... which is one of the most interesting thing of having a mixed child... what's his Japanese side and what's his Dutch side. I will let you people decide your own opinion, because I'm not really good in that.
Our life has changed huge since the day he was born, and there are a lot of things we have to learn, and have to get used to, but we are enjoying every day with our little boy. Before I was happy to go home after work, but now I am really really looking forward going home again, and seeing Reo again. Holding him in my arms, watching his 1000's different expressions, and giving him milk by the bottle when Mayuko is too tired.
A couple of difficult things are, the fact that he is soooo small and fragile and taking a bath with him is a bit hard. Another thing is, but I guess that's also a funny thing is when changing diapers, is that he sometimes urinating straight up... almost in your face.
We will enjoy our time with him, and will do all our best to raise him in a proper way. If anyone has any advice for us, feel free to do that.
Last but definitely not least. I want to thank all our family and friends for their heart warming congratulations, and we will try to post as many blogs, photo's and other updates on the net for your guys...
A happy happy Birthday for our little son Reo Terao (Stokhof)
His official name is Reo Terao 怜朗 寺尾、but feel free to call him Reo Terao Stokhof in unofficial matters.
He is now already 9 days old, and is a very sweet and smart boy... meaning he doesn't keep us awake all night. He has some things of me, and some things of my wife.... which is one of the most interesting thing of having a mixed child... what's his Japanese side and what's his Dutch side. I will let you people decide your own opinion, because I'm not really good in that.
Our life has changed huge since the day he was born, and there are a lot of things we have to learn, and have to get used to, but we are enjoying every day with our little boy. Before I was happy to go home after work, but now I am really really looking forward going home again, and seeing Reo again. Holding him in my arms, watching his 1000's different expressions, and giving him milk by the bottle when Mayuko is too tired.
A couple of difficult things are, the fact that he is soooo small and fragile and taking a bath with him is a bit hard. Another thing is, but I guess that's also a funny thing is when changing diapers, is that he sometimes urinating straight up... almost in your face.
We will enjoy our time with him, and will do all our best to raise him in a proper way. If anyone has any advice for us, feel free to do that.
Last but definitely not least. I want to thank all our family and friends for their heart warming congratulations, and we will try to post as many blogs, photo's and other updates on the net for your guys...
A happy happy Birthday for our little son Reo Terao (Stokhof)
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
School, Studying, and the BABY
Hello everyone,
How's life? It's been a while again...ahum...
Anyway, everything is doing alright up here. Started school again last week, after I had a holiday for 2 months. Although, I am not sure if I can call it a holiday because I have been studying Japanese for 1.5 month in Osaka from 9 in the morning until sometimes 5 in the afternoon.
Studying Japanese at a school was a lot of fun, and I've made a lot of friends. My Japanese has definitely improved, although I am worried that a lot of things will fade away because I started working again. I should start some private lessons next week though.
I've also done a Japanese test last week, the J-test, which went pretty good (result will come in next month).
School is doing alright, although it's a bit far... but I've got nothing to complain about.
Mayuko is doing good as well... only about 1.5 week to go until the baby is there...
I'll keep you guys up to date
How's life? It's been a while again...ahum...
Anyway, everything is doing alright up here. Started school again last week, after I had a holiday for 2 months. Although, I am not sure if I can call it a holiday because I have been studying Japanese for 1.5 month in Osaka from 9 in the morning until sometimes 5 in the afternoon.
Studying Japanese at a school was a lot of fun, and I've made a lot of friends. My Japanese has definitely improved, although I am worried that a lot of things will fade away because I started working again. I should start some private lessons next week though.
I've also done a Japanese test last week, the J-test, which went pretty good (result will come in next month).
School is doing alright, although it's a bit far... but I've got nothing to complain about.
Mayuko is doing good as well... only about 1.5 week to go until the baby is there...
I'll keep you guys up to date
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Group photo
ow. just to add another one.
We had a Hanami party last wednesday with my Japanese school in Osaka jo koen. We had a great time, with some nice beers, games, and karaoke after wards (7 Koreans, and 1 Dutch).
Bad thing was... my battery was dead so I couldn't call my wife, and I came home late.... yeah I know. I suck :(
We had a Hanami party last wednesday with my Japanese school in Osaka jo koen. We had a great time, with some nice beers, games, and karaoke after wards (7 Koreans, and 1 Dutch).
Bad thing was... my battery was dead so I couldn't call my wife, and I came home late.... yeah I know. I suck :(
Mayuko pregnant
Well, here is a photo of Mayuko in her 30th week of her pregnancy.
We went for a small Hanami(cherry blossom viewing party)2 weeks ago in Shukugawa (4stops away from our train station). It was a bit cold that day, but the Sakura was very beautiful, but I have to say that nothing beats the belly of Mayuko.
b.t.w. for the people whom are reading my blog, I am looking forward to reading some of your comments, it's the reason I can and want to update this blog.
We went for a small Hanami(cherry blossom viewing party)2 weeks ago in Shukugawa (4stops away from our train station). It was a bit cold that day, but the Sakura was very beautiful, but I have to say that nothing beats the belly of Mayuko.
b.t.w. for the people whom are reading my blog, I am looking forward to reading some of your comments, it's the reason I can and want to update this blog.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Going to a Japanese language school
Since I have about 1.5/2 months vacation, I have decided to work on my Japanese by going to a school this time. I was looking for a school already last year, but couldn't find anything besides private lessons for 3000 yen an hour, and unqualified looking teachers.
This year, I finally found something nice, KKC, a school located in Namba Osaka (about 1 hour away from my house and 1050 yen transportation a day). I can study in the morning from 9 to 12.30 and/or from 1 to 4.30. For one month it costs me 44.000 yen, which sounds expensive, but if you calculate the hours it's actually very cheap.
We use the text book: Mina Nihongo 2, and are in a class of 6 to 10 persons. A lot of koreans, and Chinese, but they are fun besides the fact that they do speak a lot of Korean and I can't understand a word.
Anyway, I really have to put some extra power behind studying Japanese. This year I really hope to do JLPT 2, even though it might be a very VERY big challenge... Wish me luck
This year, I finally found something nice, KKC, a school located in Namba Osaka (about 1 hour away from my house and 1050 yen transportation a day). I can study in the morning from 9 to 12.30 and/or from 1 to 4.30. For one month it costs me 44.000 yen, which sounds expensive, but if you calculate the hours it's actually very cheap.
We use the text book: Mina Nihongo 2, and are in a class of 6 to 10 persons. A lot of koreans, and Chinese, but they are fun besides the fact that they do speak a lot of Korean and I can't understand a word.
Anyway, I really have to put some extra power behind studying Japanese. This year I really hope to do JLPT 2, even though it might be a very VERY big challenge... Wish me luck
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Japanese TV... an addition to it
I think a lot of foreigners in Japan dislike Japanese TV. Why I think that... because I have almost never heard any foreigner talking about Japanese TV when I talked to them about it.
What I think about Japanese TV? Well, I sometimes really enjoy watching it, and have some programs that I just don't want to miss: Mechaike, Lincoln, etc. But I have to agree on some things: There are too many cooking programs where people are lying about the taste, there are too many stupid and low budget commercials, and they amount of foreign programs (movies, drama's etc) is very low to zero (if you do want to watch them, you have to stay up until 1 or 2 in the night).
So, I have been complaining to my wife about it for months... crying, and breaking glasses on the wall. No just kidding.
But yeah, I have been asking for an addition for already a couple of months, but she always said it wasn't necessary or a waste of money. Until this guy from J:com came by and gave her some more information about it. After that she decided to give me a present:
J:Com TV.
J:Com gives you internet, phone, and TV for only 9.000 yen a month. So right now we have 66 extra TV channels :D :D YATTA. I can now watch 7 sports channels, 3 music channels, CNN and CNBC, FOX tv, Discovery channel, history channel, and a lot more Japanese and international TV programs. (here is a list of the channels and the link to J:com in English)
So, thank you Mayuko!
What I think about Japanese TV? Well, I sometimes really enjoy watching it, and have some programs that I just don't want to miss: Mechaike, Lincoln, etc. But I have to agree on some things: There are too many cooking programs where people are lying about the taste, there are too many stupid and low budget commercials, and they amount of foreign programs (movies, drama's etc) is very low to zero (if you do want to watch them, you have to stay up until 1 or 2 in the night).
So, I have been complaining to my wife about it for months... crying, and breaking glasses on the wall. No just kidding.
But yeah, I have been asking for an addition for already a couple of months, but she always said it wasn't necessary or a waste of money. Until this guy from J:com came by and gave her some more information about it. After that she decided to give me a present:
J:Com TV.
J:Com gives you internet, phone, and TV for only 9.000 yen a month. So right now we have 66 extra TV channels :D :D YATTA. I can now watch 7 sports channels, 3 music channels, CNN and CNBC, FOX tv, Discovery channel, history channel, and a lot more Japanese and international TV programs. (here is a list of the channels and the link to J:com in English)
So, thank you Mayuko!
Friday, March 07, 2008
March update
I guess it has been a while since I have posted a blog entry. Life in Japan can be very busy so now and then, and from June it will be even busier. Mayuko is doing fine although working is getting harder every day, and she can't get the rest that she needs to have. Only 2 weeks left for her, and one week left for myself and then we don't have to work anymore.
Mayuko will then have another 2 months to enjoy by herself before the baby will arrive. I just hope that she will not stay at home to much but that she will start doing some exercise. I will try to push her a bit but she can be sooo stubborn... is that the real Japanese women?
As I have said before, I only have another week left before I have another long holiday. I was thinking of searching for another job (I still have some interviews), but I will probably stay with the same company that I am working for now (W5SS) here at the Kobe elementary schools (Shougakkou) and that will start from the end of May, beginning of June. During the holiday I want to study Japanese as much as possible ( The JLPT 3 should be fair enough).
I'm searching for interesting ways to study Japanese, because studying from a textbook for 4-5 hours a day isn't very exciting. I was thinking about taking my camera out and make photo's of Kanji signs here in the area, and writing a daily dairy on Mixi... Anyone else got some nice ideas for me?
We are also planning a short trip during this holiday, because the last one sure wasn't fun. I, myself was thinking about Kita (north) Hyogo (Prefecture I am living in) at the Japanese sea for 1 or 2 nights.
Anyway, live is doing alright up here, even though it can always be better.
Mayuko will then have another 2 months to enjoy by herself before the baby will arrive. I just hope that she will not stay at home to much but that she will start doing some exercise. I will try to push her a bit but she can be sooo stubborn... is that the real Japanese women?
As I have said before, I only have another week left before I have another long holiday. I was thinking of searching for another job (I still have some interviews), but I will probably stay with the same company that I am working for now (W5SS) here at the Kobe elementary schools (Shougakkou) and that will start from the end of May, beginning of June. During the holiday I want to study Japanese as much as possible ( The JLPT 3 should be fair enough).
I'm searching for interesting ways to study Japanese, because studying from a textbook for 4-5 hours a day isn't very exciting. I was thinking about taking my camera out and make photo's of Kanji signs here in the area, and writing a daily dairy on Mixi... Anyone else got some nice ideas for me?
We are also planning a short trip during this holiday, because the last one sure wasn't fun. I, myself was thinking about Kita (north) Hyogo (Prefecture I am living in) at the Japanese sea for 1 or 2 nights.
Anyway, live is doing alright up here, even though it can always be better.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Winter Holiday part 2
Well to continue from the first part;
The Flu.
I still had to stay another couple of days in my room, just in case I would infect Mayuko with it. But I guess it was alright, I finished my book about the daughter of a Yakuza boss (a very nice book, I might even write another blog entry about this book called "Yakuza Moon"), played "Prince of Persia" and "FF3" on my DS and got to see some movies that I downloaded from the net.
Unfortunately a couple of days later Mayuko also got sick and got 37.5 degrees. We were worried that she also got the flu, but luckily she got a normal temperature again the day after and it didn't go any further then coughing!
All together
On Saturday the 29th my Takuya, Aki-chan and Nana-chan came over from Osaka, to spend the new year together with the whole family. It feels great to be together with the whole family like that, even tough it also makes me miss my own family. The only one who was still missing was my sister in law Minako, but she would come over on the first of Jan.
Golf practice
On the 30th I played some golf with Takuya and Kimio, well not really playing but more practicing swing on the golf range. Because the two of them would go to a real golf park on the 31st and my golf level is way to low we decided to just go for some swings... It didn't went very well, maybe because I wanted to play golf so much I think I put too much pressure on myself and didn't enjoy a lot. My wife is telling me to stick with futsal because golf is too expensive for me... I guess she is right but still I would like to learn golf a bit more and go with them on the last day of 2008. A well, a nice target.
Baby sitting
Minako couldn't come before the 1st of January but she did got us some delicious fish (buri - yellowtail???), Ikura (salmon eggs), and some other stuff. Because Minako was living in Osaka one of us needed to pick it up from there, and due the fact that I still wasn't feeling 100% Aki-chan decided (forced by mom ;)) to pick it up.
So Aki-chan went to Osaka, Mayuko to the hair dresser, Kimio and Takuya to the golf court, and Akiko needed to drive from the station to the hairdresser. So there I was alone with Nana-chan.... HELP ME !!!!!! BABY!!!!!! No joke, I had a lot of fun taking care of the little one; watching anpanman together, playing with toys and walking around in the house together. She is growing week by week, and she is surprising us all the time. During this holiday she started to walk a bit more by herself, and can walk about 10 meters without any help from us. It was also great to teach her the high-5 (they call it high-touch in Japan for some reason lol)
New years eve
New years eve in Japan is totally different than in the Netherlands. No champagne, no oliebollen, en no Fireworks. I guess I could have bought some Champagne for the eve but I already spend a lot of money on Christmas presents so I was fine with beer! Oliebollen... well I though about making them but I do not have a big frying pan. Fireworks... a well guess its just the way it is haha.
So yeah on new years eve we ate some delicious buri (shabu shabu), drunk foreign beer, and watched the K-1 Dynamite together (some nice fights, especially "Kid" did well). While we were preparing for a count down with beer and toshikoshi soba (noodles) my mother called us to say happy new year and sing a new year song on the speaker (which was funny and very warming) So I (well Mayuko had the phone in her hand) spend the new year with my Japanese family and my mom.
After the beer, and when the little one went to bed we played some kachi kachi (Japanese card game, with 100 yen bets...I won about 4000 yen that evening) and went to bed around 3.
New years day
On new years day we had a traditional Japanese breakfast, watched the Down town Batsu game ( a TV game, in which some famous Japanese comedians were not allowed to laugh or else they would be hit on the ass with a slap stick...See here if you are interested), slept all together on the floor in the living room ate suki-yaki with again delicious beef, and played another Kachi-kachi game (this time Minako was there as well).
Obachan
On the second we left early for Ako, to visit Oba-chan (grandmother) with the whole family. We ate some very nice sushi up there and walked around with Nana-chan. Nana-chan was a bit scared of Oba-chan in the beginning but got in her mood later on the day.
Another golf game, and time to go home
On the third we practiced some golf again, which went way better than before (maybe because I checked some stuff on you tube how to practice the swing), played some wii, and visited a friend of Mayuko; Yumi and her husband. She has a very cute but small house (something we also would like in the upcoming years) In the evening we ate Okonomiyaki from Aki-chan (I think I ate Okonomiyaki 4 times in one month lol).
In the evening we went home again, which was a bit sad but we were happy to be home again as well... We had spend 2.5 week at the parents their house.
It was a great holiday, besides the fact that I fainted and got the flu. Nana-chan grew a lot in 2.5 week time and it was nice to spend time with the family. I can't wait to spend more time with the family again (next time will be in February or March though.
Tomorrow I got to go back to work again... hmmm... aaa well it's alright got to make money to support my family and work on my career the upcoming year.
Here is a video of me playing golf
The Flu.
I still had to stay another couple of days in my room, just in case I would infect Mayuko with it. But I guess it was alright, I finished my book about the daughter of a Yakuza boss (a very nice book, I might even write another blog entry about this book called "Yakuza Moon"), played "Prince of Persia" and "FF3" on my DS and got to see some movies that I downloaded from the net.
Unfortunately a couple of days later Mayuko also got sick and got 37.5 degrees. We were worried that she also got the flu, but luckily she got a normal temperature again the day after and it didn't go any further then coughing!
All together
On Saturday the 29th my Takuya, Aki-chan and Nana-chan came over from Osaka, to spend the new year together with the whole family. It feels great to be together with the whole family like that, even tough it also makes me miss my own family. The only one who was still missing was my sister in law Minako, but she would come over on the first of Jan.
Golf practice
On the 30th I played some golf with Takuya and Kimio, well not really playing but more practicing swing on the golf range. Because the two of them would go to a real golf park on the 31st and my golf level is way to low we decided to just go for some swings... It didn't went very well, maybe because I wanted to play golf so much I think I put too much pressure on myself and didn't enjoy a lot. My wife is telling me to stick with futsal because golf is too expensive for me... I guess she is right but still I would like to learn golf a bit more and go with them on the last day of 2008. A well, a nice target.
Baby sitting
Minako couldn't come before the 1st of January but she did got us some delicious fish (buri - yellowtail???), Ikura (salmon eggs), and some other stuff. Because Minako was living in Osaka one of us needed to pick it up from there, and due the fact that I still wasn't feeling 100% Aki-chan decided (forced by mom ;)) to pick it up.
So Aki-chan went to Osaka, Mayuko to the hair dresser, Kimio and Takuya to the golf court, and Akiko needed to drive from the station to the hairdresser. So there I was alone with Nana-chan.... HELP ME !!!!!! BABY!!!!!! No joke, I had a lot of fun taking care of the little one; watching anpanman together, playing with toys and walking around in the house together. She is growing week by week, and she is surprising us all the time. During this holiday she started to walk a bit more by herself, and can walk about 10 meters without any help from us. It was also great to teach her the high-5 (they call it high-touch in Japan for some reason lol)
New years eve
New years eve in Japan is totally different than in the Netherlands. No champagne, no oliebollen, en no Fireworks. I guess I could have bought some Champagne for the eve but I already spend a lot of money on Christmas presents so I was fine with beer! Oliebollen... well I though about making them but I do not have a big frying pan. Fireworks... a well guess its just the way it is haha.
So yeah on new years eve we ate some delicious buri (shabu shabu), drunk foreign beer, and watched the K-1 Dynamite together (some nice fights, especially "Kid" did well). While we were preparing for a count down with beer and toshikoshi soba (noodles) my mother called us to say happy new year and sing a new year song on the speaker (which was funny and very warming) So I (well Mayuko had the phone in her hand) spend the new year with my Japanese family and my mom.
After the beer, and when the little one went to bed we played some kachi kachi (Japanese card game, with 100 yen bets...I won about 4000 yen that evening) and went to bed around 3.
New years day
On new years day we had a traditional Japanese breakfast, watched the Down town Batsu game ( a TV game, in which some famous Japanese comedians were not allowed to laugh or else they would be hit on the ass with a slap stick...See here if you are interested), slept all together on the floor in the living room ate suki-yaki with again delicious beef, and played another Kachi-kachi game (this time Minako was there as well).
Obachan
On the second we left early for Ako, to visit Oba-chan (grandmother) with the whole family. We ate some very nice sushi up there and walked around with Nana-chan. Nana-chan was a bit scared of Oba-chan in the beginning but got in her mood later on the day.
Another golf game, and time to go home
On the third we practiced some golf again, which went way better than before (maybe because I checked some stuff on you tube how to practice the swing), played some wii, and visited a friend of Mayuko; Yumi and her husband. She has a very cute but small house (something we also would like in the upcoming years) In the evening we ate Okonomiyaki from Aki-chan (I think I ate Okonomiyaki 4 times in one month lol).
In the evening we went home again, which was a bit sad but we were happy to be home again as well... We had spend 2.5 week at the parents their house.
It was a great holiday, besides the fact that I fainted and got the flu. Nana-chan grew a lot in 2.5 week time and it was nice to spend time with the family. I can't wait to spend more time with the family again (next time will be in February or March though.
Tomorrow I got to go back to work again... hmmm... aaa well it's alright got to make money to support my family and work on my career the upcoming year.
Here is a video of me playing golf
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Winter holiday part 1
My holiday started on the 19th, just a couple of days after my wife had started her holiday. We where already at her parents place, because we can relax there more than we can at our own little house and are having fun spending time together with them.
Oba-chan in Ako
On my first day off we went to Mayuko her grandmother, a sweet old lady with a funny way off talking (she can say stuff such as kuso baba (my own grandmother can't scold further than "you old pancake lady"), the last time we had been to her place was about a year ago so it felt nice to be back again. Grandmother (obachan) is living in a small city 1.5 hour west of Kobe in the city of Ako, once a samurai town with a famous story (which I have to search up for you guys but I can' use the internet right now...see below). We went there to clean her house, to have some nice lunch in a seafood restaurant, and to give some presents to her sisters whom are living in the same town. One of her sisters was cutting some fish when we came in her garden, the fish was still moving even though it had no head.
Rokko Island
On the next day we went home for a night (we were supposed to clean the house, but it was already clean... It really was), and in the afternoon we spend our time on Rokko Island (one of two large artificial islands that kobe has build in the last 60 years). There are a lot of foreigners on Rokko island, and because of that there is also a foreigner store called the FBC (Foreigners Buyers Club), they have a very large catalogue that you can order true the internet or by phone with stuff from Holland to Australia and from stuff from the states to India. Because we already had seen their catalogue we expected to see a lot of nice stuff in the store, but it was a bit disappointing because they only had a small collection in comparison with their catalogue... but yeah anyway we've bough some peanuts and sweet chili sauce that I really love (especially to put on my chicken). After our visit we went to the a very nice Okonomiyaki restaurant on the island called Fetsuya. Some say that it's the best Okonomiyaki chain in the Kansai area, and I have to say that I was not disappointed at all.
Osaka and the Yaki-Niku restaurant
On Saturday we did some Christmas shopping in Osaka, which was fun at first but after walking around for 2 hours in main Osaka (Umeda) it's wasn't that fun anymore... Osaka is such a crowded city (imagine Amsterdam on Queens day). I've bought some Dutch cheese, and cookies for the family, and also bought a nice one piece for Mayuko (early Christmas present). After shopping we went to a very nice Yaki-niku (Japanese bbq) restaurant, with Mayuko her Brother Takuya, his wife Aki-chan and the baby Nana-chan, where we ate some delicious meat, and with delicious I really mean DELICIOUS.
Jogging and the flu
On Sunday morning, I woke up early (as usual in this holiday, because I always wake up around 8 even though I am having a holiday) and decided to join my father in law with jogging (after he got an operation at his back last year he decided to do something about his condition so he is now jogging 5 times a week for about an hour... and that on an age of 60 years old). We first walked to the park which is about 15-minutes away and in the park we run two rounds (one together, one at own pace). It's been a while since I've been jogging and I really enjoyed doing it (too bad I can't really jog near my own place, because there are too many hills up their).
After we came back, my brother decided to go to the hospital to check his condition, he had not been feeling well for about 2 days so he wanted to check it out. Back from the hospital he came with the news that he had the flu. Because he did not wanted to infect my pregnant wife he went home straight after the lunch. There goes the Christmas together, but yeah the most important thing was that Mayuko did not get infected or the other family members.
He did not had a high fever, so he could drive home (took about an hour though).
Christmas and Wii
Because we were planning on going to Tokyo on Tuesday we had decided to have Christmas on Monday. In Holland we always start with a Christmas Breakfast with bread, smoked sausage, and other small snacks, so I wanted to do the same for my Japanese family. I woke up early to go to the supermarket to buy some stuff for the breakfast, but when I came back around 9 I saw that everyone already had woken up, and that my wife was already eating rice and miso soup... there went my surprise... I was a bit disappointed and started to have a fight with my wife on Christmas morning... nice moment to have a fight.
Anyway, after the fight, we cleaned the house together and the Dutch style breakfast changed into a lunch, which was delicious and the whole family loved it. Later in the afternoon my wife made a cake, and we played some Wii together. Wii fit, a game where you can play balance games on the balance board, and do a whole body work out and yoga. A lovely game, with a lot of games in it. We also have Wii sports (favorite is tennis and bowling), Being Olympics, and Super Mario party (anyone else here with a Wii, and some nice games?).
In the evening my wife and her mom had made a very nice Chicken Christmas Dinner, and gave some presents to the parents (a Hanshin TIgers calendar, and some beer bottles (Duvel, Heineken, Guinness, etc) for dad).
Destination Tokyo.... Stop... Destination Hospital ;(
On Tuesday we got ready to go to Tokyo, we first needed to go to Shin-Osaka to take the Shinkansen (bullet train). I had a bad sleep, and woke up with a lot of pain in my neck. It was busy in the train towards Osaka, and we needed to stand for about 40 minutes. Finally after Ashiya Mayuko could sit down (pregnant and unable to sit down isn't funny).
I stood there in the train and suddenly got a bad feeling, the sound around me started to vague away, and everything in front of me as well. I needed to close my eyes, and about 3 seconds later I noticed I was laying on the floor. Blackout... Mayuko ran up towards me, and a lady gave away her chair for me. When I sat down it went a little bit better, but than suddenly I told Mayuko that I needed to close my eyes again. Again another black out, this time I was even shaking for about 3 seconds. Someone pushed the emergency button and we got out at Amagasaki station where the train conductors came immediately with a wheel chair and was brought to the Hospital with an ambulance about 30 minutes later. I was feeling a bit better again, but was shocked about what had happened, and the same goes for Mayuko. I got an MRI scan, which was pretty scary and I prayed that there was nothing wrong in my brain (a tumor or something....). I even told myself not to sleep while I was in the MRI for 15-minutes.
We were both very relieved to hear that there was nothing wrong with my brain (even though I still have to do a small check for my brain waves), and that I probably had a black-out because I was tired and felt exhausted (I have had some pretty busy months with working 6 days a week, and taking care of Mayuko because she had the morning sickness during the whole day). When we were almost finished we had decided to also do a check if I might had the flu... which I indeed had... Mayuko also did a check, and did not had the flu.
In bed...
So here I am laying in bed for already 2.5 days, all alone with only Mayuko or her mom coming up bringing me food and drinks. It feels pretty lonely, especially because the last time I slept alone was about 1.5 year ago, but on the other hand it gives me some time to give my body and my mind some rest. Mayuko is sleeping downstairs and we won't be able to sleep together for maybe another 4-5 days... meaning we might not be able to spend our new-years night together snif snif. But it's all for the baby so I guess it's just the way it is.
We also tried to cancel our trip to Tokyo, but it was too late... so we can't get any money back for 2 hotel nights and a two person shinkansen return ticket... not the most important thing but still a waste of money.
I am feeling a lot better, and even though I am having the flu, I do not have any fever and can just enjoy watching TV, playing Nintendo DS games, and sleeping.
I hope all of you had a nice Christmas, and will have a great start in the new year.
Oba-chan in Ako
On my first day off we went to Mayuko her grandmother, a sweet old lady with a funny way off talking (she can say stuff such as kuso baba (my own grandmother can't scold further than "you old pancake lady"), the last time we had been to her place was about a year ago so it felt nice to be back again. Grandmother (obachan) is living in a small city 1.5 hour west of Kobe in the city of Ako, once a samurai town with a famous story (which I have to search up for you guys but I can' use the internet right now...see below). We went there to clean her house, to have some nice lunch in a seafood restaurant, and to give some presents to her sisters whom are living in the same town. One of her sisters was cutting some fish when we came in her garden, the fish was still moving even though it had no head.
Rokko Island
On the next day we went home for a night (we were supposed to clean the house, but it was already clean... It really was), and in the afternoon we spend our time on Rokko Island (one of two large artificial islands that kobe has build in the last 60 years). There are a lot of foreigners on Rokko island, and because of that there is also a foreigner store called the FBC (Foreigners Buyers Club), they have a very large catalogue that you can order true the internet or by phone with stuff from Holland to Australia and from stuff from the states to India. Because we already had seen their catalogue we expected to see a lot of nice stuff in the store, but it was a bit disappointing because they only had a small collection in comparison with their catalogue... but yeah anyway we've bough some peanuts and sweet chili sauce that I really love (especially to put on my chicken). After our visit we went to the a very nice Okonomiyaki restaurant on the island called Fetsuya. Some say that it's the best Okonomiyaki chain in the Kansai area, and I have to say that I was not disappointed at all.
Osaka and the Yaki-Niku restaurant
On Saturday we did some Christmas shopping in Osaka, which was fun at first but after walking around for 2 hours in main Osaka (Umeda) it's wasn't that fun anymore... Osaka is such a crowded city (imagine Amsterdam on Queens day). I've bought some Dutch cheese, and cookies for the family, and also bought a nice one piece for Mayuko (early Christmas present). After shopping we went to a very nice Yaki-niku (Japanese bbq) restaurant, with Mayuko her Brother Takuya, his wife Aki-chan and the baby Nana-chan, where we ate some delicious meat, and with delicious I really mean DELICIOUS.
Jogging and the flu
On Sunday morning, I woke up early (as usual in this holiday, because I always wake up around 8 even though I am having a holiday) and decided to join my father in law with jogging (after he got an operation at his back last year he decided to do something about his condition so he is now jogging 5 times a week for about an hour... and that on an age of 60 years old). We first walked to the park which is about 15-minutes away and in the park we run two rounds (one together, one at own pace). It's been a while since I've been jogging and I really enjoyed doing it (too bad I can't really jog near my own place, because there are too many hills up their).
After we came back, my brother decided to go to the hospital to check his condition, he had not been feeling well for about 2 days so he wanted to check it out. Back from the hospital he came with the news that he had the flu. Because he did not wanted to infect my pregnant wife he went home straight after the lunch. There goes the Christmas together, but yeah the most important thing was that Mayuko did not get infected or the other family members.
He did not had a high fever, so he could drive home (took about an hour though).
Christmas and Wii
Because we were planning on going to Tokyo on Tuesday we had decided to have Christmas on Monday. In Holland we always start with a Christmas Breakfast with bread, smoked sausage, and other small snacks, so I wanted to do the same for my Japanese family. I woke up early to go to the supermarket to buy some stuff for the breakfast, but when I came back around 9 I saw that everyone already had woken up, and that my wife was already eating rice and miso soup... there went my surprise... I was a bit disappointed and started to have a fight with my wife on Christmas morning... nice moment to have a fight.
Anyway, after the fight, we cleaned the house together and the Dutch style breakfast changed into a lunch, which was delicious and the whole family loved it. Later in the afternoon my wife made a cake, and we played some Wii together. Wii fit, a game where you can play balance games on the balance board, and do a whole body work out and yoga. A lovely game, with a lot of games in it. We also have Wii sports (favorite is tennis and bowling), Being Olympics, and Super Mario party (anyone else here with a Wii, and some nice games?).
In the evening my wife and her mom had made a very nice Chicken Christmas Dinner, and gave some presents to the parents (a Hanshin TIgers calendar, and some beer bottles (Duvel, Heineken, Guinness, etc) for dad).
Destination Tokyo.... Stop... Destination Hospital ;(
On Tuesday we got ready to go to Tokyo, we first needed to go to Shin-Osaka to take the Shinkansen (bullet train). I had a bad sleep, and woke up with a lot of pain in my neck. It was busy in the train towards Osaka, and we needed to stand for about 40 minutes. Finally after Ashiya Mayuko could sit down (pregnant and unable to sit down isn't funny).
I stood there in the train and suddenly got a bad feeling, the sound around me started to vague away, and everything in front of me as well. I needed to close my eyes, and about 3 seconds later I noticed I was laying on the floor. Blackout... Mayuko ran up towards me, and a lady gave away her chair for me. When I sat down it went a little bit better, but than suddenly I told Mayuko that I needed to close my eyes again. Again another black out, this time I was even shaking for about 3 seconds. Someone pushed the emergency button and we got out at Amagasaki station where the train conductors came immediately with a wheel chair and was brought to the Hospital with an ambulance about 30 minutes later. I was feeling a bit better again, but was shocked about what had happened, and the same goes for Mayuko. I got an MRI scan, which was pretty scary and I prayed that there was nothing wrong in my brain (a tumor or something....). I even told myself not to sleep while I was in the MRI for 15-minutes.
We were both very relieved to hear that there was nothing wrong with my brain (even though I still have to do a small check for my brain waves), and that I probably had a black-out because I was tired and felt exhausted (I have had some pretty busy months with working 6 days a week, and taking care of Mayuko because she had the morning sickness during the whole day). When we were almost finished we had decided to also do a check if I might had the flu... which I indeed had... Mayuko also did a check, and did not had the flu.
In bed...
So here I am laying in bed for already 2.5 days, all alone with only Mayuko or her mom coming up bringing me food and drinks. It feels pretty lonely, especially because the last time I slept alone was about 1.5 year ago, but on the other hand it gives me some time to give my body and my mind some rest. Mayuko is sleeping downstairs and we won't be able to sleep together for maybe another 4-5 days... meaning we might not be able to spend our new-years night together snif snif. But it's all for the baby so I guess it's just the way it is.
We also tried to cancel our trip to Tokyo, but it was too late... so we can't get any money back for 2 hotel nights and a two person shinkansen return ticket... not the most important thing but still a waste of money.
I am feeling a lot better, and even though I am having the flu, I do not have any fever and can just enjoy watching TV, playing Nintendo DS games, and sleeping.
I hope all of you had a nice Christmas, and will have a great start in the new year.
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