Tigermama talks

Fruit Parfait

2011-07-02T22:17:00.003+09:00

This parfait is huge and stuffed with fresh fruit. Strawberries, kiwi, cherries, cantaloupe, plums, bananas, mango, peaches, apples, and apricots. There's also some kind of crumbly cheese and nuts. They are amazing and inexpensive. I will miss the fruit parfaits availiable throughout Lebanon....especially the ones from this shop in south Beirut.

Over the Top

2011-06-17T15:31:00.006+09:00

I was visiting a friend the other day for lunch and she told me to stop on the 9th floor of her building for a peek at her neighbor's entranceway. Luckily I had my camera because this is what I saw:

The walls are covered in silver glitter. I'll try to get more pictures next time I go over there as that is only a very small taste of the decor in that entranceway.

Last weekend we went out to a place called The Music Hall. It's a place like no other. Live acts interspersed with dj club-like music whilst you drink and dance your heart out (on/around your table). The acts were varied and included cover bands based on Tom Jones, Beyonce, Heart, and Latin groove with plenty of Arabic (traditional and pop) thrown in. My personal favourtie was the Boney M cover band:

I'd post incriminating photos of myself and all of my friends but "what happens at Music Hall, stays at Music Hall."

They Still Believe

2011-05-16T18:54:00.003+09:00

Happy Belated Easter!

Cafe Younes

2011-04-11T15:29:00.002+09:00

This coffee shope is the best! The coffee is roasted next door and very very good. They also have great homemade pancakes and my favourite bagel, grilled halloum with tomato, cucumber, and fresh mint. And, it's a Beirut institution that survived the war. I will miss Cafe Younes!

Skiing at Faraya

2011-03-20T23:32:00.008+09:00

First time on skis:

Off they go:

The Bunny Hill:

Finishing his first run:

Moving on to harder runs. You can see them coming down with Tigerpapa (he's wearing orange):

Looking good:

On the way home:

Starbucks at the end of the day:

I too donned the skis (after 20 years!) and enjoyed the day out with my family even though thoughts of Japan were never far from my mind.

Inexpensive Mani/Pedi

2011-03-03T15:40:00.004+09:00

I'm blogging from my iPhone for the first time...from the nail salon!
My next entry for things I will miss from Beirut. $20 for an extremely good manicure/pedicure. And that includes tip.

4 months

2011-02-28T19:36:00.003+09:00

We gave our 2-months notice on our apartment yesterday. We will move into a serviced apartment for May/June and then it's back to Japan (probably Tokyo). I can't believe we only have 4 more months in Beirut. So, on that note, I will start to blog about all of the things I will miss (or NOT miss) about this crazy place.

Today as I was walking home from a coffee shop I decided to stop in at one of the many fresh fruit/veggie stalls in my neighborhood to pick up a few things. The guy running the shop knows me and always teases me about my lack of Arabic. I always comment that there is no room in my head for Arabic because of the Japanese rattling around in there. Today he said, "konnichiwa". I will miss the friendliness of my neighborhood and the good-natured teasing of the local shopkeepers. I will also miss the fact that I can buy locally grown and organic fruit and vegetables for a pittance. Today it was avocados, red onions, bananas, strawberries, potatoes, baby carrots, ginger, pears, and some apples for less than $8!

The Eyebrows

2011-02-16T03:44:00.005+09:00

It's all in the eyebrows.....

This is an advertisement for a plastic surgeon as seen in the onboard magazine for this country's airline. It's rather odd.

The Hospital

2011-02-06T19:23:00.004+09:00

Excuse the poor quality of this picture. It was snapped quickly from my iPhone, when I was driving by the hospital:

The posh hospital where they have valet service.

A Car

2011-02-03T03:29:00.002+09:00

Another ride in need of pimping:

The Nest

2011-01-31T04:34:00.004+09:00

Lately the game is all about baby dinosaurs in the nest. Tigergirl and Tigerboy will spend hours making up elaborate stories and then act them out with their "props". Last week they fell asleep in the midst of their game. I'm so glad they are such good friends.

The View

2011-01-28T22:12:00.006+09:00

And I'm not talking about that horrible show where 4 or 5 women screech at/over each other on Amercian television (sorry, that show drives me nuts). No, this is the LOVELY view from my back window. And you people in Japan think all the power lines there are eyesores....at least they aren't a jumbled mess like the ones here. :-)

2011-01-24T02:00:00.006+09:00

Proof they are learning Arabic:

Damascus. I followed the woman with the stuff on her head for ages trying to get a better picture but she was too fast:

Mobile veggie stall:

The Beirut Marathon. Smoking at the finish line...just what the runners need:

Halloween

2010-10-30T20:22:00.006+09:00

Some pictures from the children's halloween parade at school:

Not So Innocent

2010-10-26T14:26:00.016+09:00

"I've got it in my sights":

"I'll get you my pretty...and your little dog...wait, what? FOCUS!":

"WooooHoooo!":

"Bwahahaha!":

"The flower drops.":

"You're mine, ALL MINE!":

Where we keep the flowers...

2010-10-24T01:25:00.010+09:00

Last night we hosted a dinner party and one of the guests brought a beautiful plant. We put it here:

Another guest brought a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers. We put it here (with the door closed):

This is why:

In case you couldn't see the problem in the previous picture, here's a close-up:

Every plant that has entered our domain has met it's demise at the claws of our kitty. We've lost two or three glass vases as well. We had a palm tree that she shredded like Christmas ribbon. Despite this flaw in her character, we choose to keep her and put the plants "away".

2010-09-30T14:50:00.002+09:00

I am still alive and to prove it, here is a meme floating around the blogosphere:

1. What's your middle name?

Nicole

2. What's your favorite magazine?

Psychologies, the UK edition. It's a lifestyle magazine introduced to me by my good friend, L. I was visiting her in London and she thoughtfully placed it on my bed opened to an article about Johnny Depp.

3. What are you wearing right now?

Nothing special, khaki cargo capris and a black t-shirt.

4. What color are your bed sheets?

brown

5. Who was your third grade teacher?

I can't remember...maybe Mrs. Husdall (Sp?)

6. What is the weather like right now?

Still hot diggity dawg and humid but not as unbearable as last week.

7. Do you know how to ski?

It's been a very long time but I think so.

8. What was the last thing you drank?

A homemade strawberry-banana smoothie.

9. Dream vacation?

Prague, Bali, or Alaska.

10. Favorite article of clothing?

I don't know, maybe my Lululemon yoga pants.

11. Do you prefer baking or cooking?

Cooking.

12. Is your hair above or below your shoulders?

Below.

13. What drink do you order when out?

Sparkling water.

14. What book are you reading?

"Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

15. What did you dream about last night?

I can't remember.

16. What was the last movie you went to?

Cats and Dogs in 3D.

17. Any injuries at the moment?

No.

18. What color is your bathroom?

We have four. 1=white, 2=beige, 3=beige and reddish brown, 4=blue

19. What's the state of your laundry right now?

Who cares?! In the dryer.

20. Do you take vitamins?

MagnaB and calcium.

21. Where do you love to shop?

Lately, the souks.

22. How often do you buy groceries?

The main shopping is once per week but I pick things up daily as needed.

23. Do you have a pet/pets?

Katykins the best kitty in the whole world.

24. If you are married, when is your next anniversary?

10 years next May.

25. How do you take your coffee and/or tea?

I gave up coffee but I miss my lattes! I drink chai tea with milk and maple syrup.

26. Mac or PC? Desktop or Laptop?

We have 4 (Just like the bathrooms!). All laptops, 1 mac, 1 HP, 2 Dell, oh yeah...an iPad too.

27. Favorite month of the year?

It depends on the country. In Canada it's September, in Japan it's October, in Lebanon it's November. I like the month where things cool off and the leaves start changing.

28. Do you have a hobby?

Reading (always), blogging (infrequently), cooking (occasionally) stuff with pictures, my art class.

29. What salad dressing do you prefer?

lemon, oil, and garlic and Japanese sesame.

30. Live or fake Christmas tree?

Fake. Lebanon needs all of it's trees to remain in the ground.

31. Did you walk or take a bus to school?

I walked....miles, uphill, in the blizzard....

32. Do you have any phobias?

Not really. I don't like a lot of things but nothing reaches PHOBIA level.

33. What's your favorite snack food?

Nachos. Cheese and crackers.

34. When do you take your shower/bath?

Before bed.

35. What time did you get up this morning?

6:20, as usual.

36. What's your favorite animal?

Kitty. I also like dogs.

37. Have you ever broken a bone?

Yes. My nose, various toes and fingers.

38. Do you wear makeup?

Not every day. It depends what I'm doing that day/night.

39. Do you speak any foreign languages?

I'd really like to say Japanese but sadly, I don't think I can really speak it. I can understand it and I can communicate on a basic level.

40. Have you ever played a sport?

Many. Basketball (college), soccer, badminton, track.

41. Your last UPS package contained ...

There is no UPS here....that I know of.

42. What's on your desktop?

My children on a beach on Vancouver Island.

43. What is your home page?

iGoogle.

44. Extrovert or introvert?

Extorvert but not as much as I used to be.

45. Favorite board game?

Cranium.

46. What class did you like best in high school? In college?

English in high school, and Sociology of Aging in college.

47. What would you do with an extra hour each day?

I don't need an extra hour.

48. Do you have allergies?

I'm allergic to bee and wasp stings.

49. Are your nails painted?

Of course, I live in Lebanon! They are a deep, dark red...the name is "Naughty".

50. Where are you right now?

In my salon (living room) at the coffee table.

If anyone is still reading, do this meme and let me know so I can read it on your blog!

Playdate

2010-06-17T02:12:00.007+09:00

Tigergirl had a half-day of school today so she went over to a friend's house for a playdate. At one point they went to the "Kids Salon". TG said it was the BEST time of her whole life! And then she told me they have a summer camp. I can only imagine what that would entail. Summer camp at the salon. I don't think there will be rockclimbing or kayaking.

Here's what she looks like post-salon:

You'll have to imagine the purple sparkly nails. :)

I'd like to see MTV pimp this ride

2010-04-29T17:42:00.005+09:00

I've seen a lot of questionable cars on the road here in Beirut but I do believe this one takes the cake:

London

2010-04-16T18:27:00.012+09:00

We had an awesome spring break in London and Edinburgh. Tigergirl and Tigerboy are at the perfect age for traveling. Everything is exciting and an adventure. I think they enjoyed the London Eye, the train ride from London to Edinburgh, and the performance of "Grease" the most. Unfortunately, Grease was the show I chose as an introduction to musical theatre for Tigerpapa....I don't think he will be joining us for another show anytime soon. In my defence, we were meant to go to The Lion King but due to some mistake at the booking company, we couldn't get tickets to that show and had to scramble for something else on the day of the show.

London Eye:

Big Ben:

Another reason we had such a fabulous trip was that we got to spend time with our friends in London. I've known M for about 5 years and finally had the chance to meet her gorgeous son J. J has become like another cousin for Tigerboy and Tigergirl and we hope they have a chance to come and see us in Beirut (J is the third child in the pictures below):

A highlight for Tigerpapa and I was our VIP viewing of the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Due to the kindness of some very good friends of ours here in Beirut, we were escorted inside the gates to watch it:

We also spent plenty of time in London pubs:

Edinburgh post coming soon.

Been Traveling

2010-02-24T19:39:00.018+09:00

Lately we have had the opportunity to travel to some places around Lebanon that would be difficult to go to without help. We are so lucky to have met a lovely Lebanese couple who have graciously shown us some of these places. The first trip was back in December when we drove to the southern most region of Lebanon, Tyre and the Lebanon/Israel border. The drive down was almost as entertaining as the ancient ruins and historical sites that were waiting for us. On the highway...look at this taxi:

How many X's do they need?

Down south:

This is where we were heading:

And here it is, the location of Jesus's first miracle...turning the water into wine at the Wedding of Cana. All that is left are these broken jugs where the water was kept:

It is maintained that Jesus, his Mother, and his earliest disciples made the journey, along a path way lining the valley pictured below, from Nazareth to Cana of Tyre (and the famous wedding):

A series of sculptures etched into the limestone along the path leading to the grotto where Jesus and company are said to have spent the night present scenes from the life of Jesus and are quite old, suggesting that a very early community of Christians recognized this to be a sacred site:

The cave:

Next we drove to the border between Lebanon and Israel. Lots of UN tanks around:

When we got to the border, I was surprised at how close the division was...literally only metres away and you could see a couple of villages in the distance:

The way back north. Here is Mount Hermon which is the southern tip of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range which defines the border with Syria:

An overloaded truck on it's way to the border:

Stay tuned for a post about our trip to the Northern border of Lebanon and our lunch with a monk at a monestary in the only Christian village in the area.

A Formidable Opponent

2010-02-23T17:33:00.011+09:00

He starts off strong:

Trouble:

Uh Oh:

Crap:

Dusting

2010-01-25T04:08:00.007+09:00

Time to dust this thing off and start again. I'm not sure what happened. It seems like I blinked and 2 or 3 months went by. Actually, it's more like I lost the will to blog, among other things. Nevertheless, I will try again.

Here's the family (OMG, I married a Blue Man!) at Tokyo Disneyland:

We went over the winter holidays which was, in fact, a BIG MISTAKE (lines were upwards of 240 minutes for the good rides). Thank goodness a very special friend came along for the fun and kept me company (Hi LT!).

Well, that's all I've got. Baby steps.

Random

2009-11-10T02:36:00.013+09:00

The first few photos are not posed. She really does sleep like this:

And she really does like a belly rub:

Birthday party:

My favourite bookmark:

Really have no words for this one:

AUB campus has a little bit of a cat "problem":

As you do:

Halloween

2009-11-02T21:12:00.003+09:00

Happy Halloween everyone! We went to the school carnival during the day and a wonderful party in the evening. Even Tigerpapa dressed up in a costume. He was a vampire. He went a little crazy with the blood around his mouth and looked more like a lion feasting on prey than a vampire but oh well. Fun was had by all!

Katy was a Wet Cat:

Katykins meets Bazooka

2009-10-16T16:32:00.002+09:00

New Writing Skills

2009-10-13T19:27:00.005+09:00

Last year I posted Tigergirl's first few attempts at writing. She had written out the lyrics to that song from The Sound of Music about needles pulling thread and tea with jam and bread. This year it's Tigerboy's turn. I have found two great examples of Tigerboy's blossoming skills as a writer. This one is short and to the point:

The next one is a bit more complicated. Tigerboy's music teacher sent it to us via email. Since TB is usually a model student (the teacher's own words), I'm thinking the contract was sent to us because it's so cute rather than as a concern about Tigerboy's behaviour in class.

Blogs?

2009-10-11T02:29:00.003+09:00

As most of you know, I am starting a post-graduate diploma in teaching elementary school here at The American University of Beirut. I had my first classes last week. In one of them (Teaching Reading to Elementary School Students) the professor had us get together in groups of four and write down all of the things we had read in the past week. I had "blogs" down on my list and, I KID YOU NOT, a young (they're ALL young) girl in my group asked me, "What are blogs?". Is it possible, in this day and age, for young people not to know about blogs? Wow! Anyway, it got me thinking about how much I enjoy reading blogs and how neglectful I have been towards this one.

I'll try to do better.

P.S. I sent out the three packages for the pay-it-forward blog giveaway at the end of August. I hope they arrived!

High Kicks

2009-06-01T04:46:00.006+09:00

Tigerboy loves his Taekwondo. He's been going since February. Yesterday after class he was showing me a new kick he learned.

Tigerboy: "It's very important that you tilt your head back mummy, otherwise you might kick yourself in the face."

Me: "Of course!" (seriously? How could you kick yourself in the face, wouldn't it be a natural instinct to tilt your head back and just exactly what would you be trying to kick by aiming so high, a bird?).

Apparently it IS possible:

The tooth was already loose so it wasn't really painful. Just lots of blood. Now Tigerboy walks around saying, "I can't believe I kicked my own tooth out!"

Me either.

Poetry Cafe

2009-05-12T15:47:00.003+09:00

Last week we had "Poetry Cafe" night at Tigergirl's school. It was such a wonderful event for the parents and for the children. In a nutshell, all elementary school children (teachers and parents too) are given the opportunity to perform an original poem in front of an audience made up of other students, parents, and teachers. The children use time at home as well as time in the classroom during the 2 weeks beforehand to prepare their poems. The parent committee (of which I am a part) decorated 4 rooms with various themes (Spa, Garden, Living Room, and Curtain-call) to make room for all of the poets. The rooms were amazing, covered with meters of gauzy materials and beautiful background collages. I wish I had snapped some pictures but I was too busy acting as one of the MC's. The poems were read simultaneously within the four rooms with 3 sections of 8-10 poets in each room. I think those numbers show you how successful the event was and how much the children enjoy writing and reading poetry. I was especially proud that Tigergirl chose to participate. Here is her poem:

My Cat

My Cat has three colors

Orange, white, and black

With a cute black stripe

Right across her nose

Her eyes are as green

As grass

Her belly as fluffy

As cotton candy

She rubs my chin

Purrs and purrs.

When she is excited

Her pupils open wide

I love my cat

I always will

By: Tigergirl

I'm so happy that the kids can attend a school that encourages and supports events like this. :)

Syria and Jordan Part 2

2009-05-11T14:27:00.004+09:00

Our last sightseeing day was spent exploring Mt. Nebo and the site of Jesus' baptism in the Jordan river. We found Mt. Nebo after 2 hours of driving through the back country. It seemed to take a tad too long to get there and we found out later that we were right about that as Mt. Nebo is only 10 minutes from the hotel. That is, IF one were to turn left rather than right upon exiting the hotel. Live and learn (or mutter if you are Tigerpapa). It was too hazy to see anything from the lookout point but here's a nice plaque telling you what is out there on a clear day, The Promised Land:

The Jordan river:

The place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus:

Come to visit me and I will take you to all of these places....without any muttering!

Syria and Jordan

2009-05-11T02:45:00.030+09:00

We had such a great trip to Jordan (and Syria)! Jordan was so CLEAN and QUIET and the people knew how to DRIVE without causing me to have a heart attack at any moment. I liked Syria too but in a different way. It's kind of like having 2 boyfriends. One is dependable, comforting, and looks good. The other is dangerous, dirty, and a bit of a bad-ass.

It only takes an hour or so to reach the Syrian border from Beirut. Then we waited about an hour while Tigerpapa sorted out my visa and registered the car. It wasn't unpleasant although the anticipation of "trouble" can be somewhat disconcerting as you never know if some border guy is going to decide that you cannot enter that day. We got through with no difficulty and proceeded to drive to Damascus where we would spend one day exploring before continuing to Jordan.

Damascus was an interesting place and I look forward to going back there so that we can see more of it. Due to our time restraint, we only saw the souk and the Umayyad mosque:

The entrance to the souk from the Mosque. You can see how old the pillars are here:

The entrance to the souk from the other side:

Some of the things to buy in the souk:

The next morning we drove the rest of the way to Jordan after spending an hour trying to get out of Damascus. I heard tigerpapa mutter something about a F-@#*$-ing Labrynth and then something about how my map-reading skills weren't very good and if he had his friend so-and-so with him we wouldn't be so lost.....blah, blah, blah!

Anyhoo, we eventually made it to the border where we waited another hour or so to do all the visa-getting and car-registering we had done at the Syrian border all over again. Soon enough we were pulling in to our Bedouin camp to spend the next 3 nights of our trip. Bedouin Camp:

Near the camp:

The camp was very close to Petra so that is where we spent the first day we were there. Petra:

The second day in Jordan we drove down to Wadi Rum and (using our very own Rav4) explored this vast and beautiful desert area. I started out doing the driving but, after a few fishtails, Tigerpapa took over whilst doing some more of his muttering....blah, blah, blah. Wadi Rum (7 Pillars of Wisdom):

Wadi Rum, The Camel:

The morning of our 3rd day in Jordan, we moved to a really nice resort hotel on the Dead Sea. Here is the view from our room:

The kids enjoying the mud from the Dead Sea:

For some reason I can't add any more pictures to this post so I will end here and put the rest in a "Part 2" post later.

Mata ne!

Preparation

2009-04-05T21:12:00.002+09:00

We will go to Jordan next week and stay 3 nights camping under the desert stars at a Bedouin campground. In preparation for all the hiking and sightseeing, we bought the kids some serious hiking boots. Today we walked to the downtown to break them in a bit and get the kids used to how they feel. It was a beautiful day with little traffic and few people out and about (downtown, that is...the corniche was a different story!).

After the Bedouin experience, we will head to the Dead Sea and stay at a resort hotel for two nights. I have been reading up on Jordan and it seems April is the perfect time to go there as the weather will be ideal. I'm really looking forward to exploring Jordan, especially Petra where they filmed some of the Indiana Jones film. Tomorrow night I will rent the movie and we will all watch it together in anticipation of our trip.

Tigerpapa will check and see if he can get an extra day off next week so that we can spend a day in Syria. We figure since we are driving to Jordan (that means going through Syria), we may as well spend a day exploring Damascus!

Just imagine if YOU (and that means YOU!!) come and visit us in Beirut, you could be doing all of this with us! ;) :)

Pay it Forward Giveaway

2009-03-18T15:29:00.002+09:00

I saw this on a friend's blog and thought it would be fun to participate especially because I live somewhere different from most of you.

The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a gift from me some time this year. There's a small catch. You must post this same thing (Paying it Forward Giveaway) on your own blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in, along with a link!

Isn't this fun?!

P.S. My gift will NOT be homemade...just so you know, I'm not crafty.

I'm Still Here

2009-03-12T17:02:00.003+09:00

We've had a busy and rough couple of months with lots of sickness running through the household. I'm pretty sure it's all over now although Tigerpapa was feeling rough last night and almost took the day off of work today.

Spring is definitely here with temperatures reaching 26 degrees this past weekend. It's a much more reasonable 21 degrees today. :)

Tigergirl is doing great at school and still getting advanced math homework. She only did 2 months of first grade in Japan but it was enough to put her way ahead of the rest of her class here. I appreciate that they try to keep her challenged.

Tigerboy is finally starting to read some words and has a real interest in building three dimensional objects with his blocks or pieces of origami paper (buildings, spaceships, airplanes, etc.). He's also started Tae Kwan Do which he loves because he thinks it will help him to become a ninja turtle. I will have to get a picture of him in his very cool uniform.

Spring break is from April 10th to the 20th. We are thinking about taking a trip somewhere like Paris but will have to see about Tigerpapa's time off. Of course, we would much rather have someone come here to visit us during that time so, if you are free, please book your flight now so that I can plan a fabulous itinerary for you! There are many vineyards to tour.

I'm very close to booking our flights home for the summer. We will leave Beirut at the beginning of June and come back at the beginning of September, a lovely long holiday! I can hardly wait.

That's it for now.

My Daily Walk to School

2009-02-02T21:00:00.005+09:00

We looked at many many apartments before we found the one in which we now live. The most important feature for me was that it be located close to the Tigerkid`s school. The reason being that the traffic in this city is atrocious and we only have one car. If we had to drive to school, I would need to drop off Tigerpapa at work and then continue to the school to be there by 7:50 am. Then, I would need to return to the school twice to pick up the kids because they are let out at different times (Tigerboy is still in kindergarten). Our real estate agent kept telling me that it only takes 10 minutes to drive to the school from here or there but she was LYING. She meant that it only takes 10 minutes to drive to the school if I was living in some freaky parallel universe where I was the ONLY one driving to pick up my children at their respective finishing times. Not only that, there are many days here where the roads are blocked off for various reasons (usually peaceful but you never know....). Also, keep in mind that the Tigerkid`s school is one of 3 schools in the same neighborhood and they are all connected. One of those schools is the American University of Beirut and huge. Anyhoo, I finally ditched the bad agent and found our place all by myself. What I didn`t realize is that the walk to and, more importantly, from school would involve a lot of stairs.

This is where we enter the campus of one of the other schools in the area. It`s really great that this campus opens it`s gates to the parents and children of our school because it is a major shortcut. The entrance is on the other side of the street beyond the red-rimmed triangle sign (notice all the traffic!):

Isn`t it pretty:

Beyond the trees you can see the Mediterranean sea:

Here comes the first set of stairs:

And the next:

Oh look! Some more:

And MORE:

Then we arrive at the school (once again, notice the cars!):

It`s not so bad on the way down. It`s going back that`s the killer. Here is our "resting tree" on the way back:

Continuing back:

Over on the righthand side of this picture is the home of the president of the school we shortcut through. He has two black labs that are very friendly. Most days the kids stop to pet them:

Last set of stairs on the way back:

Home sweet home:

I get to do that 3 times every day...woohoo!

P.S. Look who`s waiting for us every day:

Stamps Galore

2009-01-30T18:14:00.003+09:00

I sent a large envelope to my parents 2 weeks before Christmas. I thought it would take me 10 minutes to pop by the post office and get it in the mail. Wrong! First, I had to wait while the guy behind the counter talked on the phone for awhile. Then I had to wait wile the guy behind the counter chatted with his coworker for awhile. Then I had to wait while the guy behind the counter helped the old woman who came in after me and passed him a package while I was standing there waiting. Then I had to wait while the guy behind the counter (at a giant sloth`s pace) weighed and measured the envelope. Then I had to wait while the guy behind the counter used his calculator to determine the number of stamps I would need to send the envelope. Then I personally placed each of the stamps on the envelope. Finally, I had to wait while the guy behind the counter finished his coffee so that I could pass him the envelope to place it in the basket right beside his desk.

30 frickin` minutes later....

...this was on it`s way back home!

Katycone

2009-01-29T16:21:00.003+09:00

Katy had "The Operation" last week and is stuck with the cone until the end of this week. We are happy to report that she had no complications and is already back to her old, sweet self!

Unseasonably warm

2009-01-26T16:52:00.003+09:00

It`s like spring here with temperatures in the 20`s every day. I was walking on the corniche last week and this is what I saw:

Can you see all the guys sunbathing? I`m not sure if they sunbathe all year long or if it`s the unseasonably warm weather this year that has brought them out.

We meant to go skiing this week but because of this darn warm weather we have decided to wait until February. Hopefully it will cool down by then. :) In the meantime, I think we will buy some rollar blades!

Happy New Year

2009-01-18T16:28:00.002+09:00

We had a Japanese New Year`s party here in Beirut that involved pounding of the rice to make mochi.

We had fun but the best part was that the kids got to eat the mochi, something they have missed since we moved here.

Happy 2009!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T17:56:00.004+09:00

We had a lovely Christmas here in Beirut. On the 23rd, I hosted the infamous Turkey Dinner for 14 of our friends. I ended up cheating and ordering the actual turkey from a catering company because I wasn`t confident about our gas oven or my own turkey roasting abilities. I did, however, make all of the side dishes and deserts as well as a delicious mulled wine (thanks for that recipe Leylao!). ANYHOO, everything turned out well and a good time was had by all!

Christmas eve was spent doing some last minute shopping and then having dinner at our favourite pasta restaurant. It is a teeny tiny place that makes their own pasta and deserts. Then we went home and let the kids open a few presents. They got some wonderful art supplies from auntie K (thanks auntie K!!!) and a craft set and bb gun from Tigerpapa`s friend (thanks M-san!), as well as the present from Tigerpapa and I. Tigergirl got a digital "Barbie" camera and Tigerboy got "WOW The Visual Encyclopedia of everything".

The kid`s made some gifts for each other and for us so we opened those as well. Tigergirl made Tigerboy this picture of Sponge Bob:

Tigerboy made Tigergirl a Magic Wand Finger:

Christmas morning was spent opening our stockings from Santa Claus. The Tigerkids asked for 2 or 3 small things each and were happy to see that Santa complied with their wishes. We try to keep it simple and low-key. After the stockings were opened we went to our favourite cafe, PAUL, for brunch. They have a gorgeous real hot chocolate drink served with homemade croissants and other yummy breads followed by a fluffy cheese omelet. It was delicious! The rest of the day was spent playing with new toys, watching movies, and then driving down to Saida just to get out of the house for awhile.

Tigerpapa and I got presents too in case you were wondering! I get to go to London for 5 days at the end of December and Tigerpapa just ordered a new watch that he`s been eyeing for the last few months. We also got a beautiful snowflake chime to help decorate our home (Thanks auntie K!).

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!!

Happy Birthday Tigergirl!

2008-12-16T06:13:00.019+09:00

Happy Birthday Tigergirl! I am having a very hard time with the fact that you are SEVEN years old. How did that happen?

I don`t have any pictures of TG as a baby on this computer so we will have to start here, just before she turned 2. We were staying at my parent`s house for the winter holidays. This was her "Christmas Dress":

After her first haircut (at a salon):

Here she is a few months later, in February 2004:

Continuing through the years:

In Okinawa right after we moved (May, 2005):

Her first time wearing Kimono (for 7-5-3 festival):

Her first Undokai (Sports Festival):

Her 4th birthday:

5th Birthday:

6th Birthday:

First day of 1st Grade:

These last photos are from Tigergirl`s birthday party. It was so much fun!

For the past 2 years Tigergirl has been asking to get her ears pierced. We decided that it would be a good birthday present for her this year and so that is what she got. She is so happy and proud that she can now wear earrings!

Tigerboy`s Open House

2008-12-03T16:24:00.002+09:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to Tigerboy`s school for Open House. He loves his class and his teacher (and his teacher`s teenaged daughter...but that`s another story!) and so he was really proud to show me a typical day in his life at school. We made a snack together and then he showed me the "kitchen" area.

He really likes those rubber gloves!

Next he showed me his plant. Each child brought in their own plant to take care of over the course of the year. As you can see in the following picture, some of them are not doing very well. TB`s plant is the one with the little red flowers....still living but not exactly thriving. :)

Here is a lovely drawing for fall:

Tigerboy learned all about trees and leaves and how they fall off when the weather turns colder. After he drew his picture, the teacher asked him about it. The commentary below the drawing is what Tigerboy had to say about his work;

"There`s a guy watering the plant, this is water. There`s an owl on the tree. These are the leaves falling down and this is the sky. It will drink water because the water is going up to the leaf from the roots. I am a leaf and these are the roots!"

I like that the owl seems to be upside down, much like a bat. Since I know Tigerboy really likes bats, I think he meant "bat" when he said "owl"....I suppose I will never know the truth about that.

Now it`s time for him to "read" me a story. His favourite part was holding the pointer but I really liked the story itself. The plot was to the point and the pictures were interesting and very expressive!

And here is his lovely pumpkin:

As you can see, it`s much the same as all the other pumpkins in the class although, if you look closely, you can see Tigerboy`s "exacting" personality shining through. His little orange blobs are all in a neat line!

I also like this Scarecrow:

I love that he says, "Maybe it will scare a crow"! lol.

There was a whole section of the classroom dedicated to Arabic learning and I can`t believe I didn`t get any pictures of it. Tigerboy can write his name in Arabic, count to 20, and read 18 syllables. Pretty impressive!

A Meme

2008-11-18T16:17:00.002+09:00

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I found this on one of the blogs I read and thought it would be fun to throw it out into the blogosphere.

Outside my window... it`s a bright sunny day with a teeny tiny little nip in the air (I LOVE it!).

I am thinking... about whether I should take the kids to Prague for a week at the beginning of December. Tigerpapa can`t come so it would be just me and the kids.

I am thankful for... everything, especially my family.

From the kitchen... I plan to make squash risotto and wholewheat biscuits for dinner. I have never made risotto before so it should be interesting.

I am wearing... a cream coloured long-sleeve sweater with a hood and jeans.

I am creating... nothing lately. Maybe I`ll try to start knitting again.

I am going... to go across the street to the German Cultural Center to buy some homemade bread. Then I will drive to a furniture store to look for a shoe closet for our entrance.

I am reading... "Merry Christms Amelia Bedelia" and "Girls of Riyadh" by Rajaa Alsanea

I am hoping... and praying for my mom!

I am hearing... an awesome 1980`s compilation cd that my LSF (Lovely Scottish Friend) gave me for Christmas last year. It`s currently playing the theme from Miami Vice...wait, its now changed to "Life in a Northern Town" by The Dream Academy.

Around the house... things are sparkling clean and organized because the home helper came yesterday! :).

One of my favorite things... is to snuggle with the kids and read them a story before bed. Right now we are reading "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe". I also like chocolate and coffee.

A few plans for the rest of the week... I will volunteer in Tigergirl`s classroom to help with handwriting and find some pictures to go on our walls. I`d also like to get our Christmas picture taken so that I can get my cards sent out in time!

Here is picture thought I am sharing... I feel this bumper sticker really represents the people here in Beirut....at least in my recent experience:

Here are the people I`m tagging... Midori, Gina, Shinshu Life, Jan, and Lily.

Katykins

2008-11-16T22:58:00.002+09:00

Katy likes to completely relax. This is how I found her today:

Jack-o-Lanterns

2008-11-08T18:09:00.005+09:00

I forgot to showcase these puppies:

Yes, that`s mold you see in the mouth and eyes. Tigergirl had carved this pumpkin at school a couple of days before the picture.

Tigerboy drew the face and Tigerpapa did the carving.

They aren`t the right kind of pumpkins but I think they are lovely and full of character. :)

Creative Spelling

2008-11-03T01:08:00.003+09:00

I found this taped up on Tigergirl`s wall. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out what she has written. Can you see it?

My favourite part is, "jam and toast" as opposed to "jam and bread". I also enjoyed "a needle pulling fred" which is far more interesting than "a needle pulling thread" if you ask me. :)

The method of teaching reading and writing has changed since I went to school. Along with this "creative spelling" there is a lot of time spent on reading and writing in the classroom. The students have one-on-one conferences every day with the teachers to evaluate their level and see if there are any problems. They also use pens instead of pencils so that the students don`t spend so much time correcting their work. The main goal though is to encourage the children to develop a love of reading. It`s totally working too. Tigergirl told me her favourite part of school is reading from her book bag (a bag of books that is tailored to that child`s level) and she gets very excited when she moves up a level.

I`m off to check Tigergirl`s homework. She has to make a photo/drawing report about the uniqueness of her family....should be interesting!!!

The Event Pt. 2

2008-10-31T15:40:00.003+09:00

LOL at your answers....especially hula hooping! The big event was a family FOLK dance with an emphasis on square dancing. It was lots of fun especially for Tigerboy who loves music. Tigerpapa was concerned that he was one of only 2 dads present. I told him it is a great example for our kids that he came and participated. Not only did we have fun, but I discovered a new chocolatey treat. It`s called a Kinder Delice and it`s made up of a double layer of soft dark chocolate cake, filled with creamy milk chocolate and then covered in rich, dark chocolate:

They are sooooo good!

The Event

2008-10-24T20:59:00.004+09:00

Tonight the Tigerfamily will go to an event at the Tigerkid`s school. I made chocolate chip cookies to take with us for snack time after the event. I have not done this kind of activity since elementary school and I`m betting Tigerpapa has never even heard of it, let alone tried it. Any guesses as to what we will be doing?

That Place

2008-10-21T15:40:00.004+09:00

I do not know where to begin in describing a certain place we toured back in August. It is nestled in the mountains near Beiteddine and is one of the weirdest places I have ever been in my whole life. There was no theme, no discernible meaning to the displays that I could pinpoint but I do know the story behind it. The name of this place is "Castle Moussa"! Apparently, Mr. Moussa (an architect) had a dream to build a castle to impress (and win the heart of) the girl he loved. He built the castle by himself over a period of about 50 years using 6,500 hand carved tablets. None of the tablets are the same. If you look closely at the picture below, you can see the different carving on each stone. It`s really quite amazing:

There were displays. Many displays. Some were depicting Lebanese life at various times in history:

*Note the hands and feet on the floor at the front of the second display (more on that later).

Some more happy:

than others:

There were internationally famous scenes:

As well as guns. Lots and lots of guns. I`ve never seen so many guns in one place:

*There was also a marked interest in severed appendages:

Here are the kids at the end of the tour:

Tigerboy looks psychologically damaged and Tigergirl looks a bit worried but I`m sure they had a good time!

Busy busy

2008-10-06T15:25:00.003+09:00

We have been touring Lebanon like mad since Tiger-aunty arrived. I have so many pictures and stories that I don`t know where to begin. I`ll start with something short and easy because I don`t have much time right now. Remember back in August when I blogged about going to Byblos and looking at the fish fossils? Well, on Thursday last week, the kids and I took Tiger-aunty to Byblos and we were on our way to that same museum when my phone rang. It was the proprieter calling to see if we were free on Saturday to go fossil finding. What a coincidence! So, Saturday afternoon we headed up the mountain with our very kind host and a few other groups of people to look for fossils. Can you see the people on the pathway? We had to hike about 10 minutes to get to the spot:

We were so lucky to get to have this experience. There are only two places in all of the Middle East where these fossils have been found and both of them are here in Lebanon. Pierre (our host) is quite famous and has been written about in The Lonely Planet and in CNN`s science magazine. He is very passionate about his fish and very generous with his time and knowledge. Here he is showing us how to break the rock:

He even let us keep the fish that we found! Basically, you can keep anything you find unless it is something rare that belongs with the collection at the museum. We found quite a few fossils and got to take all of them home. Here is a sample of our find:

Can you believe those fossils are over 100 million years old?

And here we are hard at work chiseling the rock:

It was a really great afternoon!

Katykins in Action

2008-09-25T17:08:00.006+09:00

The Kitty is doing well. She`s gained lots of weight and is very playful now as well as sweet. We will take her in for another vaccination at the end of the week and soon it will be time to get her "fixed". I can`t believe how much sunshine and love she has brought into our home. It`s so great. Tigerpapa is particularly smitten. which is very cute. I`m glad because now he has someone to keep him company when the kids and I go home for Christmas. :)

Tiger-auntie arrived on Tuesday for two weeks and the kids are so happy to spend time with her (as are Tigerpapa and I). The kids have a holiday from school coming up so we are planning a trip to Jordan to float in the Dead Sea. We will also spend a night in the mountains this weekend and see the famous "Cedars of Lebanon". It should be fun. Finally, we plan to go here:

It`s a vineyard and winery owned and operated by a single family. They started producing wine in 2004 or 2005 so it`s a very young estate. Anyway, the tour is very informative and they serve a lovely lunch with, you guessed it, tons of wine to taste! We have been once before and were so impressed that we chose it as the "wine destination" for Tiger-auntie.

A coffee break with Tiger-auntie:

Lastly, here is a picture of me from the 1950`s. I think I look a little bit like my mom...she had the same kind of glasses:

Tigerboy

2008-09-11T19:50:00.002+09:00

Here he is with his new haircut:

I wasn`t too keen about the gel part but he was so happy with it (he didn`t want to take a bath the first night because he thought it would ruin his cool hair) that I broke down and bought some. I now find myself "styling" my 5-year-old son`s hair every morning. sheesh.

Here is the first picture he drew at his new kindergarten (he is KG2!):

Seems pretty normal, no?! Look closely at the upper righthand corner. Do you see it?

That is his name in Arabic. He gets a 45 minute Arabic class every day and they already started learning to write. In the picture, he traced over the teacher`s letters (symbols? characters?). Hopefully he learns quickly so he can translate for me with our concierge. I need to let the concierge know when he can come up to our apartment to hook up the cable tv. So far things aren`t being understood between us and we`ve been trying all week! Life is hard. ;)

A New Addition to the Family

2008-09-09T16:32:00.004+09:00

Please welcome our new family member:

We were going to name her "Fleah (as in Flea ah) but thought that was a little mean because she couldn`t help it that she was infested with fleas coming from the streets of Beirut. Then, Tigerboy started calling her "Fuzzy Ball" and that went on for a few hours until we collectively decide on the name, "katy".

It was an adoption that was "meant to be". Saturday night we were at a friend`s house for a bbq and started talking about pets (they have 2 dogs). I said I would love to get a cat and Tigerpapa was all, "I don`t like cats...blah blah blah". Well, we got home around midnight and this really sweet kitty is waiting by our apartment door like she belongs to us. She was purring like crazy and sooooo friendly. Tigerpapa melted. He picked her up and brought her inside! I couldn`t believe it!

Anyhoo, we put her in the maid`s room and gave her some tuna. The next day I took her to the vet and had her checked out. She has fleas and needs her vaccinations but is healthy other than that. She will be allowed out in the rest of the apartment after her flea treatment is complete and she has another bath. We LOVE her!

Byblos

2008-08-21T02:34:00.003+09:00

We finally have internet!* Yipee! Instead of 20 minutes per picture to upload, it now only takes 5....what an improvement! Anyway, we have been to two interesting places in the last few weeks. The first was Byblos, a quaint (and beautiful) little city approximately 40 km north of Beirut. According to Wikipedia, Byblos is thought to be the oldest continuosly-inhabited city in the world founded between 7000 and 5000 BC. Isn`t that incredible?!

There is a large area of extensive excavations showing the remains of the ancient city, the Crusader castle, the church of John the Baptist, and the old market area. It was truly amazing to walk through it all if not a tad confusing! There are so many remains from different periods and different civilizations that it was hard to get a grasp of what you were seeing!

The castle:

The church:

Some cool pillars in the distance:

Beautiful arch:

Market Area:

TG and TB near the open air theatre:

A couple of cute statues:

We also went to a Byblos Fossil Museum. This museum has a collection of fossilized fish, sharks, eel, flying fish and plants that are millions of years old. We met the proprietor of the museum and he offered to take us out to his land to chisel the rocks and search for fossils in October. Needless to say, the kids were very excited by this prospect! Tigerpapa purchased them each a little fossilized fish and we were on our way back to Beirut.

*I have been using internet cafes for the last 5 weeks which really limited my online time. Not to mention how slow the connection is there!

Miss Yummy Yummy

2008-08-11T00:08:00.002+09:00

Giving Miss Oooolala a run for her money:

Rubberband

2008-08-09T17:19:00.002+09:00

Something made for Tigergirl:

She had a blast!

Sidon

2008-08-05T16:35:00.003+09:00

A couple of weeks ago we drove south of Beirut to Sidon (Saida) and enjoyed a day of sightseeing. Sidon is an ancient city inhabited since 4000 BC and conquered many times over by many different Empires. It is mentioned in the bible and it`s said that Jesus and St. Paul preached there. Isn`t that amazing!? One of the biggest attractions is the Crusader`s Castle, built in the 13th century and located near the port.

After checking out the castle, we walked through the souks (markets) to go to the Soap museum which traces the history of soap making in Lebanon and also shows you how it was manufactured. Apparently the only change to soap-making over thousands of years is that there is now a motor that turns the "stirring" mechanism. The soap is made of olive oil and laurel and very very good for your skin. Many of Tigerpapa`s coworkers sing it`s praises and say that the eczema that plagued them (and their kids) throughout their lives disappeared after using this soap. I bought a bar made with Jasmine and it`s heavenly! Here is a tower of soap as it dries before being packaged:

The Market:

There was a lovely family with 3 little boys sitting at the table behind us (you can see them in the background of the following pictures). One of the little boys kept trying to talk to Tigerboy. :) Anyway, the father gave our kids a piece of corn that he had purchased from the vendor pictured above. I must say that people here are very friendly especially to the kids. They are often given a pinch on the cheek or a pat on the head.

Tigerpapa gets a weeks holiday in August and we were thinking of going to Europe but, with all of the moving expenses (we have to buy furniture!), we have decided to stay in Lebanon this time. Luckily, there is no shortage of great places to explore. We will go to Baalbeck and explore the Roman ruins located there and then stay at a mountain resort with a pool. There may even be time to tour another vineyard.

Oh, and we found an apartment (Sept. 1st move in date). I will post pictures as soon as I can get in and take some. :)

Raw Veg

2008-07-31T16:32:00.002+09:00

I thought it was the centerpiece but it was meant to be eaten. The tomatoes were fantastic!

Traffic!

2008-07-28T16:36:00.004+09:00

I started to drive here in Beirut. That may not seem like a big deal to most of you but I assure you, it`s quite a brave step. Here are some typical traffic scenarios from around town.

There are lanes but nobody uses them. If there is room, you squeeze yourself in between to get as close to the people in front of you as possible:

Nobody uses their turn signal and it is not uncommon for someone to suddenly veer over 2 or 3 lanes to exit or stop at the side of the road...especially taxis. People will also sort of glide around from one side of their "lane" to another just to keep you on your toes. Usually they are talking on their cell phone.

There are very few stop signs or traffic lights although there is usually a traffic policeman "guiding" the traffic as best as he can at the very busy intersections. You just have to "stick in" and hold your breath to get through the intersection.

There is no speed limit. At least none that anyone follows. If there is space, you should gun it as fast as you can for the 20 or so metres until you catch up to the traffic ahead of you...and there is ALWAYS traffic ahead of you!

There are no rules about seatbelts or carseats. In fact, it`s perfectly acceptable to ride standing in the sunroof, in the trunk of the car, or hanging out the back door:

Also, every second you are here blasts of the horn. If you wait one second after the light (when there is a light!) turns green...BLAST! If someone wants to pass you...BLAST! If someone thinks you are too slow....BLAST! If someone wants to merge into your lane....BLAST!

Lastly, if you are lucky (and brave enough to take your eyes off the road), you can see posters such as this one of Miss Ooolala:

The most amazing thing about all of this chaos is that there is very little road rage (except from dh...haha). People just shrug and honk and smile and gesture and continue on their merry way!

Internet woes

2008-07-04T20:59:00.011+09:00

I never know when it`s going to cut out and I can`t seem to upload any pictures to my blog or through my hotmail. I`m currently trying some alternative ways to upload and will see if that works. If not, I`ll just have to use my powers of description.

Not only does the internet cut out, but the electricity does as well. It hadn`t bothered me because the generator always starts up right away and things go right back to normal but then it happened right when we waiting for the elevator to take us up to our apartment. Now all I can think about is what would happen if we were actually IN the elevator and between floors or something. Eek!

Then we have the noise. I mentioned the honking right? Well, it is constant and it doesn`t seem to matter what time of day or night it is. People will honk for anything and everything. Of course you can get used to honking. Gunshots, on the other hand, are a bit harder to get used to! At midnight a few days ago there was sudden and sporadic shots along with honking and yelling. The reason: Spain won the European Cup. Apparently the Lebanese like to celebrate with shooting their guns into the air. Yeeeehaw!

We have been looking at apartments all this week and last. Hopefully we will find something soon. It`s hard to know what`s what when you have people telling you conflicting things about where you should live. Is it better to live downtown where it`s noisy (gunshots, remember?!) and where the kid`s school is located? Or, is it better to live a bit outside downtown where it`s quieter but you have to face horrible traffic every morning? As for the apartments themselves, it seems we will get something pretty nice and large enough for GUESTS (hint hint!).

Here`s a few random shots of Beirut (if I can upload pictures!):

Hey, it works!

Beirut

2008-06-20T21:46:00.002+09:00

We made it! We arrived in Beirut a couple of hours ago and so far these are the words to describe a very vibrant, exciting city:

Hot and humid, crowded, honking, staring, traffic, colour, beautiful women (I`m going to have to watch dh...haha!), happy smiling people, gesturing, laughing, HONKING, bullet-ridden buildings (soooo many, I was surprised!), friendly, pollution, French, congestion, Did I mention the HONKING???

That`s it for now. Remember, we JUST arrived so the above really is just a first impression. I can`t wait to discover what our life will be like here.

P.S. Our serviced apartment is HUGE....we have 3 bathrooms.

SexyBack

2008-06-10T12:56:00.003+09:00

Speaking of "SexyBack":

Okinawa!

2008-06-06T11:53:00.012+09:00

Last week I went to Okinawa to spend time with my LSF* and other friends before we make the big move far, far away from Japan. It was so much fun that I felt like I was gone for two days instead of four! I sailed through the air high above the jungles of Okinawa:

I spent one night on the lovely island of Kume, a small island west of the main island of Okinawa. It only took 25 minutes to get there on our little propeller airplane. Kumejima is known for a few things, one of which are these rock formations that look like a turtle`s back that you can find at the aptly named, "Turtle Beach":

Our hotel:

We were so lucky that it didn`t rain the entire time we were there especially as it was the middle of the rainy season. It was grey and overcast but no rain!

Another famous aspect of Kumejima is a huge sandbar called "Hate no Hama" that is located on it`s southern-most tip. We took a boat out to it and spent the morning swimming and relaxing on it`s white sands. As you can see, it is a very beautiful place with gorgeous turquoise water and lots of coral. Not only that, the fish were plentiful and amazing to see...they practically swam into your hands!

And, I have to share with you the STAR of the entire trip. The K-man. He is the cutest, sweetest, most smiley baby you have ever seen. Just look at him! :)

Finally, what would a visit to Okinawa be without a fun-filled evening of karaoke. Yes, it was just my LSF and I. Why, is that weird? Don`t most people spend hours in a karaoke bar with just one friend?!? We planned on staying for one hour and then kept extending the time until it was 3am! We just couldn`t leave until we had perfected our duet of "Sexy Back" (Get your sexy ON!)! Too bad no one will ever get to see it. HA! I do, however, have some pictures of my LSF, aka "THE QUEEN OF KARAOKE!"...heeheehee:

*Lovely Scottish Friend

Tigerboy!

2008-05-14T20:18:00.014+09:00

Well it`s taken me FOREVER, but I`m finally getting around to posting the "8 random facts meme" that Midori tagged me for back in April. I thought I would do it for Tigerboy in honour of his 5th birthday (May 14)!

1.) Tigerboy was, and I quote, "A GIANT BABY"...weighing in at 4300 grams. That`s like 9lbs something. Big in Canada, HUGE in Japan.

2.) Tigerboy is very very sweet. He loves to snuggle and cuddle and he always makes sure that I kiss, hug, and blow kisses with him when I drop him off at kindergarten. Every morning until he turned 4, he would stumble into the living room and wait for me to snuggle him on the couch. He only needed about 5 minutes and then he would be ready to start his day. I always ask him if he will always snuggle and kiss me and he says, "Even when I am OLD!". Haha. I will have to get that in writing!

3.) Tigerboy is very exacting. He likes to "make things neat" including his environment, his clothes, and his toys. He can make amazing ships and buildings with blocks. They are intricate and colour-coded and very very detailed. He draws pictures like this as well. I imagine he will be an engineer or an architect when he grows up.

4.) Tigerboy is a good dancer. We had a dance competition for all of the kids at our sayonara party in Okinawa and they had to watch and copy Michael Jackson`s video "Thriller". Well, you should have seen Tigerboy`s moves! He had the head movements, shoulder movements, and great timing.

5.) Tigerboy LOVES icecream. I can get him to do ANYTHING if there is icecream in it for him.

6.) Tigerboy (and Tigergirl actually) loves all of the Star Wars movies. There is much discussion about Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker and how one became the other. The "Dark Side" is also a topic of much discussion and I find it very useful for teaching about morals and life in general. Sometimes Tigerboy will say, "that man has gone to the dark side, hasn`t he?" and I will say, "Yes he has, you shouldn`t litter!".

7.) Tigerboy`s name was actually the name we had chosen for Tigergirl if she had been a boy. It means Ocean in Japanese and Hawaiin and, since we have always lived by the sea, it is fitting. It`s also an easy name to make cute. I call him "My Kai Guy", "The Kaimeister", "Kai-bear", and "Kai-kun".

8.) Kai is exceptionally well-behaved and easy to parent. He listens and follows directions without any arguing. ALTHOUGH, he does have quite a temper on him. It takes a lot to make him mad, but once he has crossed that line, there is nothing I (or anyone else) can do to appease him. Thankfully, it is a very rare occurence for this to happen. I can remember 2 or 3 tantrums that were HOURS long.

Bonus Fact: Kai loves to wear yukatta. Whenever we stay at an onsen, the first thing he does is ask where the yukatta is and puts it on. Oh, and it has to be "neat" with the obi tied perfectly!

We love you Kai!

May

2008-05-13T15:17:00.003+09:00

So far, in the month of May there has been:

- 2 Birthdays (mine and *Tigerboy)
- 2 Stomach Virus episodes (mine)
- 1 Anniversary (mine and Tigerpapa)
- 1 Mother`s Day
- 1 Horrible Head Cold (mine)
- 1 Holiday to the deep country of Japan
- 1 Episode of Paragliding (Tigerpapa)
- 1 new LAPTOP (mine)
- Scary happenings in Lebanon

And we still have half the month to go!

*TB`s birthday isn`t until tomorrow but I wanted to include it! :)

American Idol!

2008-04-27T17:09:00.002+09:00

I knew season 7 had started but hadn`t yet watched one episode. Then, due to an unfortunate turn of events this weekend (puking and a stomach infection), I found myself watching it online. All I can say is, WHY WHY WHY?!?!? The person voted off last (I think it`s 7 left now) should NOT have gone home.

On another note, we have an estimated date of departure complete with airline tickets and hotel reservations! EEK!

The Park: Tigergirl Style

2008-04-15T16:37:00.014+09:00

Tigergirl loves the park but only when she can play her way. Basically, she uses every piece of equipement in a way that it`s not supposed to be used:

Last weekend Tigerpapa found the ultimate "Tigergirl" park. It was awesome. There were 50 different contraptions to overcome and TG and TB (to a degree) did them ALL!

Early Retirement

2008-04-14T19:15:00.002+09:00

Tigermama: What shall we do today?
Tigerpapa: We can go for coffee...
TM: Of course! And we can take a walk.
TP: How about 10km. Is that too long?
TM: Not when we have all day to do it.
TP: Right. Good point.
TM: I imagine this is what it`s like to be retired.
TP: Hahahahahahahaha.
TP: Do you think we should be doing something?
TM: Probably. Are you studying French.
TP: I should be.
TM: So, do that!
TP: What about you?
TM: Hmmmm???????

So everyone....what would you do if you had lots and lots of free time? Keep in mind that I can`t make any commitments (like getting a job!) as we will be moving far, far away in 2 months time.

Look who`s in Grade one!

2008-04-07T16:00:00.009+09:00

I`m so behind on blogging! I have all kinds of things to write about but can`t seem to get on top of it. We had a fabulous month at my parent`s place and have just started to get into the groove of life back here in Yokohama. It`s not for long though....soon we will be moving again.

In the meantime, Tigergirl started First grade. Here she is at her desk:

And with me at the entrance to her school:

This past weekend we went hiking in Shizuoka Prefecture (west of Tokyo). It was incredibly beautiful. If I hadn`t been so tired, I would have taken more pictures. The only reason I made it through the first day`s hike was by remembering that my 4-year-old was ahead of me! :) Seriously, it was over 10 km and steep and took us over 5 hours! I was really proud of both of the kids (and myself too) to complete such a hike. We hope to do lots more over the next couple of months as spring time is the best time for hiking in Japan.

On Saturday we went for a shorter (and easier) hike along the coastline of Jyogasaki. It was really beautiful as well and I was able to take lots of pictures:

Oh and we got back from Washington just in time to see the cherry blossoms! Here`s a picture near the cottage we stayed at on the weekend. The town of Jyogasaki is gorgeous. It would be the perfect place to have a cabin (if you live in Tokyo/Yokohama):

Valentine`s Day Cooking Class

2008-02-18T14:08:00.013+09:00

Last week we attended our local grocery store`s Valentine`s Day cooking class. It took 2 hours to make a no-bake chocolate desert because of the extreme unorganization and constant chatter of the volunteers. But, since they were volunteers and really very sweet, we persevered to the end! Here`s the "head of operations" talking about raisins:

Here are three of the chefs:

Waiting:

Still waiting:

Finally "cooking":

Clean up:

I didn`t get a picture of the final product but that`s because it didn`t look very good. In fact, the "director of operations" used our desert to demonstrate how the finished product should NOT look. Ah well, it tasted good....even with raisins!

Saturday afternoon

2008-02-02T16:55:00.001+09:00

Today we went out to our favourite coffee shop:

Then to our favourite Indian curry restaurant:

Where they promise to package their food in a "good-looking paper bag":

Then Tigerboy got a much-needed haircut:

Now I will go make some Thai curry for dinner.

Money Matters

2008-01-24T15:31:00.000+09:00

We opened bank accounts for both of the kids last week. We needed a place to put all of their otoshidama. They`ve figured out that ALL of the little envelopes belong to them and not just the ONE we let them spend! No more sponging off the kids! Haha. Anyhoo, look at the cute bank card they got:

My Dream Bento

2008-01-23T13:06:00.001+09:00

Johnny Depp　BENTO
Originally uploaded by sayuri.kubo

Snow

2008-01-23T11:25:00.000+09:00

Every day this week I have been warned by various people that it`s going to snow tomorrow so GET READY! So, every day I wait for the snow and wonder what it will be like and what kinds of things will I have to do in order to GET READY. Will I have to go outside 30 minutes early to scrape off the ice from the car windows and start the car so it can warm up? Will I have to put antifreeze in the engine? Will I have to plug the car in in the evening so that it will start the next day? Will I have to shovel the snow from the entranceway and also 10 metres in either direction? Will I have to wear long johns and a toque along with my parka? The answer is NO, I will not have to do any of those things because snow here is a light dusting of beautiful powdery flakes that melt when they hit the ground. It`s like the kind of snow they use on a movie set to create the right effect. It is "kitten-like" snow. It`s nothing but a tad colder than usual and somewhat wetter.

P.S. Would someone please tell my MIL that we don`t need snow tires on the minivan!

"It`s Not A Tumor!"

2008-01-18T16:49:00.000+09:00

You know when you have to do something and you think, "oh, that will be no problem. There`s nothing difficult or fearful about that", and then you go to do it and it`s surprisingly difficult? Well, that happened to me today. I went to a neurologist to get some help for my migranes because the tylenol isn`t working so well anymore and I`m starting to get nauseous and throw-up at the onset. Anyhoo, my mil and husband thought it would be a good idea to get an MRI. In Canada I think you would have to wait ages to get an MRI, but here you can just go to a doctor and get one on the spot (it`s cheap too...about $60). So, there I am in the office trying to explain my symptoms in Japanese:

Doctor: Is the pain "don don" or "pari pari"
Me: Um, "don don" usually on the right side near the front of my head.
Doctor: Do you see light behind your eyes?
Me: Sometimes and it helps if I do this "guuuu" (make pushing movement against my right eye).
Doctor: Ah, how about an MRI.
Me: okay.

So now I go to wait for my MRI and I have just enough time to imagine the worst. A big tumor that will have to be cut out leaving me a drooling idiot (literally). I actually saw a vision of me lying in bed with spittle coming out of my mouth (dh was wiping it away, bless him!). Try to remember the neuropsychology class I took 8 years ago and what important functions the right frontal lobe is responsible for. Decide it`s responsible for "emotions" and think that`s not so bad...might even be beneficial to lose some of THAT part of my brain (nervous laughter in my head). Tick tock. They move me to the MRI waiting area where an ancient lady is wheeled out as some drool slides out of the corner of her mouth.

Now it`s my turn. Take off all jewelry. Tell the nurse I don`t have any steel limbs or pins inside my body (forgetting about my permanent retainer for the time being). Lie down on the bed. Put the earphones on (MRI`s are really noisy). Watch as the "hannibal Lecter" type mask is slowly descending upon my face. Panic. Seriously, I felt my stomach drop and started to hyperventilate. The attendant is asking if I`m okay and I`m thinking, "NO, I`M NOT!". Get a grip on my emotions and breathe. Say I`m okay just a little "doki doki" (sound of a heartbeating). The attendant hands me a device that acts as an emergency call button. Feel a bit better. Procede whilst praying the Hail Mary. Start to calm down as the procedure begins and then remember that I have a permanent retainer in my mouth! Start to panic again (mildly) as I wonder what will happen to my mouth as the giant magnet pulls the retainer out. Nothing happens but I feel the retainer touch my tongue. Wait, that`s my tongue touching the retainer. PHEW, everything`s okay! Hear a voice say, "IT`S FINISHED". Think to myself, "Is that God`s voice?" then realize no, it`s the attendant and I`m coming out of the tube. Hooray!

Now I get some more time to imagine the worst except I`m so glad to be out of the machine that I don`t imagine anything too bad. Decide to send a text message to my LSF (Lovely Scottish Friend) in Okinawa telling her about the MRI. She texts me back and says she had an MRI and they found out she does in fact have a brain. I laugh (comic relief) and tell her I will call her if I do have a tumor (more comic relief). Get called into the doctor`s office to be told I have a perfectly normal brain. No problem. It`s obviously severe migranes you have been experiencing (think to myself in an "Arnold" accent, "IT`S NOT A TUMOR!" and then think, "wow, I`m actually happy to hear that it`s only severe migranes.") and here`s a prescription for a drug that should work a heck-of-a-lot better than tylenol.

It`s really nice to know that I don`t have a tumor. I know that sounds a bit daft but when you get headaches there`s a possiblility it`s a "stage 4 gemistocytic astrocytoma of the right frontal lobe" (Don`t you watch House?).

Ja ne.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-04T11:41:00.000+09:00

I hope you all had a fabulous New Year! We here at the Tiger-in-law house didn`t have a very good start to the year as we all caught some kind of killer virus. It manifested itself in different forms with all of us though so it was really hard to figure out who gave it to who and where it came from. There are some people (and I`m not naming names) who think it came all the way from CANADA. Anyhoo, I`m just glad that I`m the one who was puking. Now there is a sentence I never imagined would come from my lips. Seriously though it`s far better to have an adult puking than a child, right?!

So, hopefully the bad is behind us and 2008 will bring forth lots of love, laughter, and adventure! For all of you too!!!

Crazy Eights Meme!

2007-12-29T20:41:00.000+09:00

I can`t believe it`s been so long since I`ve posted. We`ve had a lot going on but still. Anyhoo, I was tagged by the lovely illahee to do this meme and it seems pretty interesting so here goes...

8 things i’m passionate about:

1. My family, and not just my husband and kids, it includes my parents and siblings (and siblings in-law!).

2. My friends, I am a very loyal friend who will never tell your secrets so feel free to email me with ALL of them. ;)

3. Reading. Not unlike many other people, I truly love to read a good book and think it`s one of life`s greatest pleasures.

4. Playing games....sometimes I am a tad TOO competative although I have mellowed a bit in my older age.

5. Food. I seriously love a good meal.

6. Nature. I love camping and hiking or just being outside in a beautiful environment. I`m forever pointing out little things to my dh and kids. "Look at the beautiful sky", "Look at all those cute birds in that tree", "That house has a beautiful garden", "can you see the gorgeous flower over there"....etc.

7. Traveling. I can`t wait to experience a whole new continent!

8. Music. I love so many different songs and artists that it is going to be very difficult to pick only 8!

Honourable mention: Faith in God (this is what sustains me in life).

8 things i want to do before i die:

1. Travel to many more countries.

2. A triathlon.

3. The West Coast Trail (I did it once but would like to do it again with my husband).

4. Change at least one person`s (hopefully more though!) life for the better.

5. Find a job I truly love.

6. Own a cabin in Waterton Lakes National Park (or somewhere like it!).

7. Spend more time with friends I haven`t seen for a long time, haven`t even met yet (online friends), or have just moved away from.

8. Attend an annual family reunion where ALL members of the family are in attendance.

8 things i often say:

1. See number 6 under "things I`m passionate about" above.

2. "Oh, for fox creek!"

3. "come here!"

4. "crap!"

5. "You`re (it`s, he`s, she`s etc.) Beautiful" (sung like the James Blunt song).

6. "be quiet!"

7. "what did she/he/you/that lady/that man/that kid/ say" (meaning, "please translate into English").

8. "I once was a werewolf, but I`m all right nowwooooooooo!"

8 books i’ve recently or am currently reading:

1. The Berenstein Bears (Strangers, Junk Food, School etc.)

2. Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis

3. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

4. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

5. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

6. The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton

7. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

8. A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton

*8 songs i could listen to over and over:

1. Kiss - Prince (I love all of Prince`s songs actually)

2. Haunted - Shane MacGowan & Sinéad O'Connor (I love all of Sinead O`connor`s songs too)

3. SexyBack - Justin Timberlake (I DON`T love all of Justin Timberlake`s songs though)

4. Beautiful Day - U2

5. Have I Told You Lately - Van Morrison

6. Be Near - Shane & Shane

7. Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews Band

8. Mr. Brightside - The Killers

8 things that attract me to my best friends:

1. laughter (same sense of humour)

2. loyalty

3. kindness

4. honesty

5. love

6. similar likes/dislikes (basically but it`s good to have differences)

7. broadens or expands my mind

8. companionship

8 people i think should do crazy 8s:

Let`s see, Jan (now that I know you have a blog!), MissBehaving, Lily, Gina, Sheri, Marianne, My sister A, and Trisha. Hopefully all of you will read this post so that you know I`ve tagged you!

* I could go on and on with this list and it would probably reach 100. These are the first songs that came to me. :)

Baby Shower!

2007-11-09T20:29:00.000+09:00

I have a new friend here on The Island. She`s British and just moved back to Okinawa to have her baby. A couple of weeks ago we organized a surprise baby shower for her and it was so much fun. I know that a baby shower isn`t so exciting for a lot of you out there but when you live in a culture that doesn`t celebrate the same things that you do, it`s nice to have a chance to do things your way once in awhile. The best part of the whole day was the food....oops no, I mean the best part of the day was spending time with the incredible ladies I have met here and grown to love. I`ve said it before and I`ll say it again, it`s going to suck when I leave next month! :(

Here are a few pictures from the day:

P.S. My friend gave birth to a beautiful baby boy yesterday morning!

Show Kids

2007-10-27T19:35:00.000+09:00

We have had so much going on over the past two weeks that I have TOO much material for blogging. I haven`t yet posted about the undokai and I will but first I had to write about today`s experience. A new shopping centre opened up here in my little town a few months ago and in a brilliant PR move they decided to invite 20 (or so) of the local yochiens to come and perform today. It was very interesting. I only had enough camera space to capture 2 of the more, shall we say, risque acts. The clip below consists of two different acts. The first is of 5-year-old girls prancing around in little hot pink halter tops with pom poms and the second is of the boys. I don`t even know what you would call the second little number. The outfits were unbelievable. Sort of like little Village People, no?! And check out the makeup! I will say this, they performed very well and danced their little hearts out:

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I`m so glad our yochien stuck to a basic song with actions and no weirdo costumes!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sorry about my unsteady hands. If you get motion sick easily, you might want to skip this video. Also, it`s unfortunate that Tigergirl and Tigerboy are on opposite ends of the stage. They are easy to find, however, because they are the only ones without their hat. Once again, I missed a memo.

Cupping

2007-10-24T08:48:00.000+09:00

On Monday I went to see a "cupping doctor". He is an acupuncturist who has added this technique to his repertoire. Basically, he pricks you with needles to release blood, then he lights a match and creates a vacuum within a glass jar that he sets on your back over the pricks creating a suction. Wow, that was a horrible explanation. Can you tell I haven`t been writing lately?! Here is a much better explanation taken from Wikipedia:

"Fire cupping is a method of applying acupressure by creating a vacuum next to the patient's skin. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) it involves placing glass, plastic, or bamboo cups on the skin with a vacuum. The therapy is used to relieve what is called "stagnation" in TCM terms, and is used in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as the common cold, pneumonia, and bronchitis. Cupping is also used to treat back, neck, shoulder, and other musculoskeletal pain. Its advocates claim it has other applications as well. This technique, in varying forms, has also been found in the folk medicine of Vietnam, the Balkans, modern Greece, Mexico, and Russia, among other places, including Iran where it is called 'bod-kesh' meaning literally 'pull with air'"

The reason I got it done was that I am tired of getting migranes and the friend who recomended this doctor has referred 3 or 4 other people with headaches and they have all raved about the results. We shall see.

The experience was odd but not too painful (the pricks hurt a bit) and the doctor was wonderful. He had a great personality and was very knowledgable about "Natural Health". I found it interesting that he could tell by looking at me that I rarely cry. He told me I need to cry more, by watching sad movies or something. Or........perhaps I could start thinking about my impending move away from all of my good friends here on Okinawa. :( :( :( IT`S WORKING! Waaaaa!

This is a bad picture but it`s really hard to take a picture of one`s own back!

I had nine cups, so there are nine round bruises on my back at this time. An unexpected bonus of the bruises was that I got to use the one near my neck to get one of my kindergarten English classes to pay attention. I was teaching halloween vocabulary and came upon the card "vampire". Well, the kids were out of control, screaming and not paying attention so I casually pulled the neck of my shirt down and said, "See what can happen if a vampire gets you!". The class was speechless (a first for this particular group) and the looks on their faces was priceless. The Japanese teacher and I could not stop laughing. Don`t worry, I explained it was just a joke!!!

Bye for now!

Bicycle Riding

2007-09-28T17:23:00.001+09:00

Tigerboy can ride a two-wheeler and he learned by himself! Well, Tigergirl tried to teach him over the summer when we were at grandpa and grandma`s house so she should get some credit too.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Personality

2007-09-10T23:10:00.000+09:00

It`s fun to do these kinds of personality questionaires and see what "type" you are. Seven years ago, when I was studying psychology at university, I took the Myers-Briggs (which is what the above test is based on) and had the same result:

"ESFJs are social butterflies that value relationships, supporting and nurturing others. Never one to shy away from social events, they are often the host. They are great encouragers of teamwork. ESFJs are responsible, dutiful, observe traditions and follow rules. ESFJs have a deep concern for others and often end up as caretakers. They are sensitive to criticism and have a need to be appreciated for the good they do for others. ESFJs are understanding, generous, have a quick wit and a knack for composition and beautification."

Those of you who know me, what do you think? Is the assesment correct?

My new ketai

2007-09-10T09:09:00.000+09:00

The reason I needed a new ketai was because somewhere between my parents house and the Taipei airport, I lost my old one. At the time I was upset because I knew it would be expensive to replace my old phone and I had no way to call Tigerpapa and let him know that we missed our connecting flight and wouldn`t be in Okinawa until the next day. I REALLY had no way to call him because his phone number was programmed into my old phone and I hadn`t memorized it (11 Numbers people!). Thankfully, I had memorized my lovely Scottish friend`s number and contacted her to relay the message. Anyhoo, when I returned to Okinawa the first thing we did was go into Softbank (nice name for a cell phone company eh?) to get a new ketai. There was a long list of phones to choose from starting from the most expensive (best quality, most functions) to least expensive. The least expensive were each aproximately 24,000 yen ($270). I had narrowed it down to one of two that I liked when suddenly the clerk jumped up and said, "I do believe you can get the BEST phone!!". Imagine our surprise! So, we waited while the store clerk disappeared into the back room to do his calculations and confer with his boss. He came out smiling and said that since we had insurance on our contract we could indeed get the best phone and it would be \6000 cheaper than the lowest priced phone: 18,000 yen! Woohoo! So, I got it:

It might not look like much but boy is it awesome. There is a 5.0 megapixel digital camera (and video camera). It seems better than my Canon IXY. See how it works:

Flipping like the whippety little snippet it is!

There is an MP3 player in there that lets me download 200 songs or so and, if I want, I can watch television. The sounds, alerts, patterns, and ringtones are amazing. If I receive a text message from Tigerpapa, it sounds like a beer can popping and being pored into a glass. I can also put the phone on "speaker phone" so everyone in the room can hear and talk to the person on the other line (useful for when the tiger kids are fighting over who gets to talk to daddy). This also means I can drive along and talk without having to stick anything in my ear. I can use the phone in almost any country too. Lastly, I can talk for free to anyone who also uses softbank. Oh yeah, I can make "video calls" as well! Technology is amazing.

The only problem I`ve had is actually quite embarrassing to share....but I will. I had the phone for 5 days before Tigerpapa moved to Tokyo so I hadn`t used it very much because he is the person I primarily talk to on the phone. The first time he called me I thought; "it is really difficult to hear him" so I went into the "settings" folder on my phone and adjusted the earpiece volume to the maximum strength. I continued to have problems hearing anyone who called me. I had to turn off all outside sounds and cover my other ear and still it was really hard to hear. Hmmm? I thought something must be wrong with the phone so I asked my LSF`s husband if he would mind going to the Softbank store with me to help me explain what is wrong with the phone and see if we could get it fixed. He obliged and off we went. We get to the store and explain the problem to the clerk. She confirms that it is indeed very hard to hear and that something is wrong. Suddenly she starts to laugh....LOUDLY. If you know Japanese people, you know this is not normal especially when the person laughing loudly is a store clerk who is supposed to be serving you. She points to the face of the phone and asks if I had put a protective covering on it. I said, "no" and then remembered that Tigerpapa was talking about doing that for me and we had indeed bought the protective sheet the day before he left. He must have put the sheet on my phone when I wasn`t paying attention! And, he had put the sheet all the way to the top of the face of the phone covering the earphone in the process. I felt like such a LOSER! We all started laughing as the store clerk passed over a pair of scissors for me to correct the problem on my own.

So, really there are no problems with this phone at all. Except it takes quite awhile to recharge. I don`t mind though because the battery lasts a really long time once it is charged.

Back home!

2007-09-07T08:38:00.001+09:00

We`ve been home for a week and have gotten right back into the swing of things. The kids started swimming lessons, piano lessons (Tigergirl) and have been back in school since Monday. I started teaching on Tuesday.

A new shopping centre opened up in my little town but, unfortunately, there is no starbucks. I can`t believe it! I have a new cell phone that I love more than I should. What else? Tigerpapa is gone to Tokyo already. We all miss him.

I have some more pictures from out summer to share:

The next one my very talented niece took. Isn`t it awesome? She won first prize in a photo contest with it!

That last one is of "Bronze Lady". She stands like a statue until someone puts money in her pot. Then she moves around. It`s simple yet fascinating and the kids loved it. In fact, they loved all the buskers and Tigergirl got involved more than once!

Belly dancing:

Fire Juggling Dude:

Scottish bagpipes:

Polka Playing Dude:

Reggae Dude:

I`m sure there will be more pictures soon!

Best Camping Trip EVAHHHHH!

2007-08-18T03:02:00.001+09:00

We spent a week on the west coast of Vancouver Island at a campground in Pacific Rim National Park. It was one of the best camping trips I've ever gone on....and that says A LOT because I grew up camping and have been on many! Here is the view from our camping site:

The beach was fabulous and the waves were even better. We all rented or borrowed wetsuits so that we could go body surfing. I was really happy that both of my kids loved the water and wanted to go again and again even though the water was freezing (6-10 degrees celcius). I myself had an awesome time boogie boarding even after I got barrel rolled by a huge double wave. Here we are in our wetsuit glory:

And, of course, we played and played on the beach. The only thing missing on this trip was Tigerpapa. He would have LOVED it. Hopefully we can go again next year all together!

We made it!

2007-07-15T14:42:00.000+09:00

We are back in the United States of American enjoying spending time with my parents and other family members. We got out of Okinawa on the morning of the worst typhoon in over 2 years so we are really counting our blessings. Apparently trees were blown over, electricity was out, and traffic lights were on the blink. I'm glad we missed it! We've already eaten tons of raspberries, tayberries, blackberries, and blueberries and will spend tomorrow at the beach with Uncle B, Aunt L, and their 2 gorgeous girls. Well, maybe the beach. The other option is Costco, Target, and the outlet shops....COACH bag, here I come! WoooHooo!

Eight Things About Moi

2007-06-21T15:11:00.000+09:00

I was tagged by the lovely Gina and so here goes nothin`!

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Eight random facts about me:

1.) I was a waitress for a really long time (in university and beyond) and to this day I over-tip because I know what it`s like to be running around trying to serve people. I also can`t bring myself to yell "SUMIMASEN" in order to get the server`s attention here in Japan (a perfectly normal and polite thing to do). I cringe every time my husband does it.

2.) I hate mornings. It doesn`t matter how early or late I go to sleep, I CANNOT get up before 7am and if circumstances require an early start, it`s best you avoid me if you can. I actually book flights and other travel arrangements with this in mind. My dh is the complete opposite.

3.) Okay, I`m going to let a secret out of the bag. Once you know this information, you are in NO WAY allowed to use it against me. I hate feet. If other people`s feet come near me, I go beserk. I will never ever give anyone a foot massage. EVER. On the other hand, I have no problem with people touching my feet and request foot massages from dh on a regular basis.

4.) I LOVE to eat out. It is pure joy for me. If you want to butter me up, give me a gift, or otherwise make me happy, take me out for dinner! I would rather spend $100 on a gorgeous dinner in a nice restaurant than on anything else. I also love staying in nice hotels. So, a nice dinner in a fancy hotel (that we are staying at) would be the ULTIMATE present for me. This includes bed and breakfasts. :)

5.) I am very weird about fruit. I like cherries, oranges, strawberries, pineapples, and bananas....IF they are perfectly ripe. I love raspberry-flavored things like soda or chocolate pie but I`m not fond of eating only raspberries. I don`t like blueberries unless they are in something like muffins. I don`t like chunky fruit in yogurt or jam but it`s okay if it`s smooth. Not sure if this one is making any sense.....??

6.) I LOVE coffee and going for coffee and talking over coffee and trying different coffee. I like it sweet and strong with cream (or lattes). Unfortunately, coffee does not like me and sometimes I have an "overdose" that results in a kind of freak out where I shake and get extremely anxious. When one of these "episodes" occur, I will cut out all coffee for about 2 weeks and then slowly slip back into my coffee-drinking ways. I`ve tried to substitute tea but it`s just not the same.

7.) I have 4 sisters and 2 brothers. I love them all and miss them a lot. I would love to have a large family like that but I don`t think I can handle the baby years again.

8.) I never intended to come to Japan. I had no interest in Japan or it`s culture until one of my best friends, who was living here, sent me a letter with pictures from her daily life. They intrigued me and so I booked a trip over to visit her. Obviously the rest is history.

Now, I don`t think I know eight bloggers who haven`t already done this! Let`s see,

-Midori (The Babe in Kyushu who is now in London!).
-Jenn (Medeafication)
-Sheri (Life Here)
-Laura (Laura no Iken)

I`d love to hear from people who don`t have blogs too! You can just leave your eight things in my comments! :)

-Jan in Nagasaki
-Christine in Calgary
-Sister Amy
-Sister Kristin
-Sister Laurie
-Sister-in-law Clare
-my mom

It`s a Small (and kind) Blogging World

2007-06-18T22:51:00.000+09:00

Last week I received these by delivery:

I don`t want to embarrass anyone so I won`t say who it was, but I had to acknowledge this totally kind and generous gesture of friendship. I hope to "pay it forward" so if anyone out there in Japan is missing a particular American product that you can`t get easily on Mainland Japan, please send me an email (or leave a comment and I won`t publish it) and tell me what it is. There are a lot of items for sale here that you can`t get in the rest of Japan so, if I can get it, I will send it to you as soon as possible. And, if by some chance you choose something not availiable here, I will send it from North America this summer! I await your requests.

Kids Stuff

2007-06-18T22:33:00.000+09:00

Lots of stuff happening around here lately. We had a Father`s Day function at the yochien this past Saturday where I got to experience one of my more embarrasing moments here in Japan. It all happened during the "stilt race". That`s right, I had to participate in a race involving stilts (blast you Tigerpapa for not being here to suffer the humiliation intended for the FATHERS!). This may seem odd to you but in Japan it`s perfectly normal. I think most kindergartens here have stilts, unicycles, and hoola hoops as "outdoor equipement". Anyhoo, I have never in my life ridden (performed? experienced?) stilts and thought I`d be able to do it. Wrong. I couldn`t do it, no matter how hard I tried. EVERYONE was watching and pointing and laughing because I was the ONLY one who couldn`t do it. Mr. Pudgy Office Guy, he could do it. Mr. Muscle Work Out Guy, he could do it. Mrs. Stick Thin Housewife, she could do it. I just couldn`t do it. I can still hear the laughter ringing in my ears even now, 2 days later. Here`s a cute picture of the kids from that day:

The other thing I want to post is a bit lengthy but worth it. Here is Tigerboy "reading" one of our favourite bedtime stories:

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Yochien

2007-06-10T18:47:00.000+09:00

You will never guess what I need to do for the yochien this week. Well, maybe some of you could guess but none of my family and friends in North America will guess. I have to do a poo-test on both of my kids. I have a little sticker thing (looks like a blue bull`s eye) that I have to press onto the kid`s bums as the "turtle is coming out of it`s shell". I though a metaphor would be more pleasant than the actual words. And the best part of all is that I have to do it twice...twice on TWO kids....that makes FOUR times! Judging from the instruction sheet, it is to check for some kind of worm. Wish me luck.

Enough of the unpleasantness.

I also have to make 3 origami paper cranes. Luckily, my LSF and I ran into a really friendly family* at the restaurant where we ate lunch today and they showed us how to do it. After a few practice sessions which resulted in these:

I came home and found a website with clearer (read ENGLISH) instructions and made these:

Then there`s the fresh cut flowers that need to go with each kid tomorrow for some kind of thank you ceremony. Hopefully, the sunflowers I purchased today will fit the bill and won`t be representative of death or anything. I once bought some beautiful flowers for my apartment and had them on display when my boss came over and exclaimed, "Who Died?". Apparently, some flowers are ONLY used for funerals. Who knew???

Lastly, I have to find a couple of white t-shirts for the kids to bring for an art project tomorrow. I`m not sure if the shirt is supposed to be adult-sized or kid-sized so I`m going to send both. This is the way I handle most things when Tigerpapa isn`t here to read the information letters. I Wing it!

*This might seem strange to a lot of you. You know, that complete strangers will start talking to you while you are eating lunch in a restaurant, but it happens all the time in Japan especially if you happen to be a visible foreigner. The conversation started off with the mother saying "excuse me, will you check my daughter`s English homework?".

Posers....not hosers.

2007-06-06T21:53:00.001+09:00

I have a Lovely American Friend here on Okinawa who has kindly invited us to many gorgeous bbq`s at her home. We always have such a great time with her and her family....and not just because of the great food. ;) My friend`s daughter and Tigergirl get along amazingly well and it warms my heart to watch them play together. Well, when they aren`t being devious together! Anyhoo, the last bbq was a couple of weeks ago and it was so much fun. They had a trampoline set up with a sprinkler turned on to keep the kids cool. I was reminded of summer days in my hometown....except the trampoline we jumped on never had a net surrounding it so somebody always ended up with a broken arm or a mild concussion.

Host clubs

2007-06-01T16:57:00.000+09:00

If you are a woman and feeling lonely where do you go? Why to a "Host Club" where you can be entertained by guys like this:

Apparently these guys work at a Club in Tokyo. The woman in the video don`t look particularily impressed. How about you?

New Camera!

2007-05-30T14:04:00.000+09:00

You knew it was going to be a bento picture, didn`t you?

I`ll be back soon!

Snow!

2007-05-26T17:29:00.001+09:00

It never snows in Okinawa but that doesn`t mean you can`t have a snowman shipped down from Hokkaido. In fact, this is exactly what happened one fine day in January this year. I went to pick up the kids at the bus stop downstairs and noticed there was an excited buzz going through the crowd of mothers and children. Then I saw this:

What could it be? You guessed it, a SNOWMAN! One of the children`s grandfather had sent it down from Hokkaido so that his grandson could "remember" Hokkaido.

I frequently feel like I live in another dimension, not just another country.

Thanks Illahee!

2007-05-25T16:33:00.000+09:00

My camera will arrive tonight (COD...not sure how THAT is a birthday present but I`ll take it.) and I had set out the "monkey-mayonaise-holders" for the photo shoot tonight when I opened up Illahee`s blog and saw that she had already done the deed for me! Go on and look at the pictures. Aren`t they cute? Does anyone want me to bring them some this summer? What.....you have no use for teeny little mayonaise holders? How sad.

Describing Interesting Items

2007-05-17T22:22:00.000+09:00

I`m still waiting for my new camera. Tigerpapa, I hope you are reading this post since you are the one who is supposed to be sending it.

I will describe to you in words the new items I purchased last week for the obento. One is a teeny little plastic carrot that comes with a toothpick-size squeegy-type thing. You insert the squeegy into the sauce (soy or whatever you`re using) and suck up a small amount to transfer into the little carrot. This is to hold the dipping sauce for various food items such as gyoza, roll sushi, and the like. The next item is by far the best thing I have come across in a long long time here in Japan. It is a teeny tiny little monkey face container that holds mayonaise (or other types of sauce that have a thicker consistency NOT conducive to being sucked up by the squeegy). It also has a teeny tiny spoon that fits perfectily under the face of the monkey. The spoon has a banana shaped handle that fits under the monkey`s head....just like a little bowtie. Now, can you all see it in your head? I thought not. I will post a picture as soon as I get my camera.

In other news, Tigergirl and Tigerboy finally got their Canadian passports! No more waiting in line at the American border to register for a travel visa when we come across to see the Grandparents. Woohoo! Tigergirl`s picture is really cute. Unfortunately, Tigerboy`s picture is not so good. He looks like a bi-racial sumo wrestler. I suppose that could be considered cute by some.

I`m off to bed. Tomorrow is a busy day of conversation lessons....hopefully I`ll come up with something good to talk about. Hey, maybe the monkey-face item would be a good topic. "Describe this item using as many adjectives as you possibly can"....hehehe.

Can You Believe He`s 4?

2007-05-13T22:59:00.000+09:00

I certainly can`t! Where does the time go?

The Post With No Pictures

2007-05-10T14:36:00.000+09:00

I figure I could actually write something instead of relying on my pictures. It`s a bit daunting as I`m not very good at descriptions (hence the pictures).

Why I am Busy:

-I have 3 new jobs, 2 private students and another yochien (in addition to the Tigerkid`s yochien). One of the private students is HIGHLY motivated and takes two 2-hour lessons per week and also sends me a short email every evening. The other private student is an assistant professor of English at a university here on Okinawa and only needs help with her PHD (proofreading). Since she is writing at a very high level, I find I`m using long-lost brain cells when correcting her work! Phew.

-I only have one reason that I`m so busy....see above.

I thought I`d have more to say but actually I do not. Time to go eat cake!

Broken camera, Busy life

2007-05-07T21:40:00.000+09:00

These two things have led to a small hiatus on my blog.

I leave you with the following video taken from a children`s show here in Japan. I actually recorded these guys on video 4 or 5 years ago to show my younger sister as I knew she would love it as much as I did. Now we can learn the correct words to the song for our next "performance"! :)