avos

thingsorganizedneatly.tumblr.com

can we just talk about how amazing/delicious/healthily fatty avocados are? tis the season now. go eat one- on crackers, in sambos (sandwiches), on toast, as guacamole, in salads, with pepper/lemon juice or shoyu...nom. just make sure that when you squeeze the surface, it gives a little (if the little nub at the top can wiggle around, that's a good sign). cut into it vertically, all the way around and pull the two halves apart. stick your knife into the big seed & twist to remove it from the fleshy goodness. prepare it however you like. how can you resist?

^_^ www.fuckyeahtattoos.tumblr.com

ps- favorite guacamole recipe via mark bittman (How To Cook Everything)

Guacamole: 2-4 servings; prep time: 10 mins

Cut 1 large avocado in half (and keep the pit/seed if you won't be serving the guac right away). Mash in a bowl with a fork/potato masher and add diced tomatoes, diced onions/shallots, garlic, chili powder, a pinch of salt/pepper, & 1 tbsp of lemon juice to taste.

*If you're not serving immediately, tuck the pit back into the guac, cover with plastic wrap, & refrigerate for up to 4 hours (so that your guac doesn't turn brown). Remove pit before serving. Bliss.

paint, sexuality

the rest of gabriel wickbold's series can be found HERE.

okinawa part deux

the last of my pictures until i steal more off of friends. *also i told myself i wouldn't normally post pics of people on le blog but vacay = exception.

okinawa is known for beni imo (purple sweet potatoes). their omiyage (presents you bring back for people at work/friends/etc who weren't as lucky as you to be going on vacay) is full of beni imo flavored everythings- like kit kats! i had beni imo ice cream. kinda just tasted like vanilla with a tinge of sweet taters.

the beni imo tarts everyone loves.

goya [bitter melon] is also REALLY popular. i knew to look out for goya champuru [a kind of veggie/pork stir-fry with goya] but DID NOT know i'd see: goya tea, goya juice, goya-shaped park benches, goya buta-man [which is a similar concept to char siu bao or manapua], posters with "goya men" as mascots, okinawan burger with goya, etcetc. it's healthy but not THAT delicious. is this the secret to okinawan longevity?

i found finger puppets! i want to make some. the pink elephant is the cutest, if only because it's ears, nose, and little pocket are all heart-shaped.

only in japan

these adverts were all over. i love it- i think it's the mix of japanese and english in harmony together
"onaka no official supporter" ie the stomach's official supporter: all for hungry youth!

okinawa part ichi

okay. i seriously cleaned for THREE hours last night. it was a workout- there was sweat involved.

things i've learned about futons: you need to hang them outside to air out once a week or else you'll grow dani (bed bugs) who know no boundaries & whose bites (on your booty, back, boobs, everywhere) are huge and red and itchy for 2+ weeks. to get rid of these, you can buy a spray which kills all the bugs but then you need to vacuum your bedding/surrounding area to get rid of their carcasses. so that is what i did last night. plus 2 loads of laundry. plus delicious curry making. then i knocked out. true story.

anyway, onto more exciting things: pictures! from okinawa. these beaches are amazing! i know i'm a hawaii beach snob & am about to blaspheme all over the place but these beaches are nicer than hawaii's & there's NO ONE around at some. i like pretending (particularly while hiking) that i am one of the only people who have traversed the area-- away from all that urbanization, commercialism, etcetc. you can definitely do that on some of okinawa's islands. peaceful, untouched, serene. i approve. okay- less talking, more showing:

hoshizuna beach: iriomote island, okinawa
[all of the brightly colored fishes just come right up to you! amazing!]

kaijihama ie kaiji beach: taketomi island, okinawa
[most beautiful beach i've been to- with the exception of all of the disgusting sea cucumbers we had to navigate around]

yes, those are the only real beach pics i took [i'll put more up once i steal them from friends]. this was a cautionary sticker in the train- so cute the crab! trains everywhere should have cute crab warnings! "Be careful of the door[s closing]"

what the eff! ridiculously expensive mangoes (in all of japan, not just okinawa).

shisa- traditional ryukyu [native gov't/religion/peoples before China/Japan/etc colonized okinawa] mythological creatures. they're often found in pairs on either side of the front entrances of houses & other establishments and are thought to ward off evil. the shisa on the right is open-mouthed to allow good luck to enter and the shisa on the left is closed-mouthed to keep the luck in.

and of course, monchichi shisa

no adventure would be complete without engrish. the cute & well-meaning sign on the way up to our Sora House hostel in naha.
"Take cake that you don't slip on a rainy day." ^__^

self-intro letters

so my hawaii/japan pen-pal project is finally underway. YAY! fought through bureaucratic shit to get this off the ground. ^_^ I am now looking over the self-intro letters (which i'm being forced to correct but kind of want to scan the originals and send those to the hawaii students). The engrish is so cute and amusing- don't you agree?

*most of these are responses to pre-letter-writing assignments

☛My favorite subject is English. Because Each of English vocabulary has many meaning. It is very interesting for me to understand the profundity of English.
☛I don't like mathematics. Because I am slow at figures.
☛I don't like mathematics. Because I'm not good at the logical idea.
☛My father's birthday is January 24. I want to present leather shoes on father's birthday. Because leather shoes that father is using are awful and tattered.
☛Hi. My name is___. I'm 16 years old. I have three people in my family. I have a brother. My brotehr is 21 years old. He is a colledge student. We are getting along very well with each other. But I wanted to have a sister. Do you have any brothers or sisters?

--These next excerpts are from the same boy. He is adorable.
☛P.E. is liker than any other subject. Because I like play sports. Especially I like track & field. I'm good at hurdle. Because I run hurdles everyday. And I want to be a P.E. teacher in junior high school or high scool in the future.
☛I don't like music. Because I can't read a score. So, I can't play a musical instrument.
☛I'm from Fukuoka. I have a brother. His name is "Atsushi." My birth day is December 5. I go to school by train and walk everyday. Where you from? How many do you have brother and sister? Is it name? When your barthday?
☛I will introduce my friend Rui. He is very fast sprinter. and he has nice face. His work is high school students. He likes food is "fried rice, chicken and rice casserole and tomato. He lives in Koga. He said me "Koga is very good town."
☛My friend's birthday is June 24th. I will give him track and field spike. Because his spike is broken. One day I find nice spike. It is very cool, a high faction spike. and nice color. But It is very expensive. So I may be not able to buy it.
☛My hobby is cycling by my bike. Because it is very interesting and feels good. But my bicycle is a flat tire in a while. So I'm sad. Why don't you cycling? It may be diet.
☛Have you ever eaten a flog [frog]?
☛I have belonged to track and field club. there were many people in the club. I play 110 meter hurdle and 4x100 meter relay. It is very interesting and very exciting. We had been goaling "All Japan junior high school championship and Junior Olympic championship. So This club's consciousness is higher.
☛You are invited Kumi's party! My name is Y__. This party is host. You can take interesting goods and you may take camera. Because you may take a interesting photo. This party will start at p.m.3.
☛I should do my homework now. Because my homework has not finished yet. And I have to clearn my room. Because my room is dirty. So Father say me "Clear up your room!"
☛My miss is not finished homework. I should have done homework then. So I may have done hardships.
☛I like "All my treasures" for Oda Yuji. Because He is nice gay [guy?]. and he is tasteful! This song sang in 2007 Osaka track and field world championship. And It sang in 2009 Berlin track and field world championship. When I listened the music, I moved.
☛*A self-made conversation between A & B:
A: Hello
B: Hello
A: What are you doing?
B: I running around the Imperial Palace.
A: Oh...I want to run together.
B. Ok.
A: See you.
☛Q: What are you doing next Sunday?
A: I will more sleep next Sunday. Because I'm very sleepy everyday. It is called "charge."

And finally: his self-introduction letter...
Hi!
My name is YF. My age is 16 and my birthday is December 5. When your birthday? I belong to Track and Field club in my high school. I run 110 meter hurdle. This competition is very difficult. but very exciting! I have one brother. his age is 13. He plays baseball everyday. I also have a turtle. She is very interesting. Do you have brother or sister?
I live in Munakata city. There is the "Munakata Taisya". This temple is very wonderful place. Where you live? From my house, it takes me about 40 minutes to bike, train and walk to school. How do you usually go to school? Are there like a temple in Hawaii? In my free time, I like watching TV. I usually watch Japan probaseball games. And I play baseball. I used to play baseball. So I like baseball very well. What do you usually do in your free time?

Are the kids not the cutest?

Emerging Adulthood: self-discovery vs self-indulgence?

Stumbled upon THIS NYtimes article a couple of days ago.

The article (What's is it about 20-somethings?) is basically about a proposed developmental period termed "emerging adulthood" which encompasses those in their 20's who are delaying "adulthood" (re: starting careers, settling down, having children) by traveling, participating in programs such as Teach for America/JET Programme, etc. This phase is a time for people to engage in identity exploration and experiment with love, work, and worldviews. It's a time of feeling grown-up & not fully so; of feeling less sure of the future but simultaneously more optimistic and idealistic. A time of change, transformation, and movement.

One 20-something comments on the common struggle & frustration during this period of life:

"It's somewhat terrifying...to think about all the things I'm supposed to be doing in order to 'get somewhere' successful: 'Follow your passions, live your dreams, take risks, network with the right people, find mentors, be financially responsible, volunteer, work, think about or go to grad school, fall in love and maintain personal well-being, mental health and nutrition.' When is there time to just be and enjoy?"

Being in this sort of no man's land, I think about this a lot. Not knowing "the plan" anymore, it's a constant push/pull between being content with self-development, life lessons, really growing into myself & feeling more comfortable with the person I am becoming and then, on the other hand, worrying about what I'm doing with my life as friends are climbing up the corporate ladder and I'm off frolicking in Japan. It's scary and overwhelming and suffocating sometimes but as I keep repeating to myself, it's okay. Things will work out. Idealistic? Yes. But true? I think that's also a yes.


On my trip to Okinawa, we stayed at a couple of different hostels and I got the chance to chat with some of the people working there. Listening to their stories is so interesting and inspiring- I felt like I was meeting Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love- go read that book!) in Japanese form. I met a guy from the states who had moved to a rural island in Okinawa to work on a farm "just because", broke his leg & stayed in the hostel we were at on the main island, got offered a job, and there he's been for the past half a year. Another 26-year old from Tokyo (who took us kayaking and hiking to a waterfall!- and does this everyday) visited Iriomote (an Okinawan island covered in dense jungle & beauteous beaches) last October and decided to move there with his friend in February "because I like the ocean". And ANOTHER guy (who was really intelligent and loved reading/was interested in reading books in English to learn the language) moved from Tokyo because "it's warmer in Okinawa". Oh! And in our dorm-style hostel, I met an English woman (photographer by trade) who had taken half a year out to backpack around the world (africa, asia, on her way to south america!).

It's people like these who reassure me that it's okay not to know for certain what I'm doing or where I'm going from here. Call it self-discovery or self-indulgence- either way, we're still learning valuable lessons and gaining experiences that we'll hopefully use for self-improvement now and in the future. Those are my thoughts of the day.

..salacious..

No, I don't have any stories for you regarding salacious behavior. Unfortunate, I know. I just like that word. But I'm just letting you know that I'M BACK from OKINAWA- tan and beached/kayaked/scuba-dived/frolicked out. Pictures to come (hopefully soon!). It was a pretty epic trip but I'm glad to be back to my normal life and can safely say that after two weeks of not being home, I only had to kill one roach last night (re: frantically run around spraying said roach and nudging it's twitching almost-carcass out the door. ew.)

love you all! more updates to come.

ps- can i just complain about how the firefighters in training (yes, there is a firefighter training academy across the street from my apt) served as a natural alarm at 6:30am this morning- a whole 45 minutes before i intended to wake up??? WHY must they shout and chant while they run and do drills SO FREAKING EARLY IN THE MORNING??? okay, vent over.

survivor

okay, this woman is awesome. Janelle Monae- check her video for "Cold War" HERE.

unrelatedly, just started reading chuck palahniuk's "survivor". i don't think i identify with his style of writing. i'm not connecting. but perhaps it just requires pushing through the crap and getting to the substance. about 50 pages in. have not gotten there yet.

however, one part did resonate with me and that is:

"The world can be a lot better than we settle for. All you have to do is ask." (p.262)

(if you're wondering, the page numbers go backwards. i haven't read 262 pages yet)

lost in the ocean with baby floaters

i just had a really great conversation with a friend via gchat. we got on the topic of love and relationships (and it's amazing 1- how knowledgeable people are based on their own experiences (and how much you find you don't know about them), 2- how using technology to convey opinions/experiences makes it so much easier to share information that you normally wouldn't feel comfortable sharing with most people (esp. if you haven't hung out very much), and 3- how relationships (platonic and not) and emotions are so complex and almost impossible to "pin down". by which i mean, ...okay, perhaps i'll just explain the situation.

we were discussing whether there is just an EPIPHANY in a relationship where a light bulb turns on and you realize, "oh em gee, i think i love this person". my friend made the analogy of his relationship as similar to being lost in the ocean with little baby floaties on where sometimes he'll be really attracted/"in love" with his gf and at other times be really distant.

i guess what i got out of this conversation was that love is more of a fleeting feeling but caring about someone is what lingers and is more important? too much hype over that basically meaningless 4 letter word. actions>words. although words are nice too. le sigh. navigating emotions/feelings and being inept at understanding them. story of life.

also, how is it possible to know OF someone for so long and not actually get to know them until a year+ after meeting them? it's like, how did i not know you existed and where have you been in my life??? but at least they are in it now. and that is what matters. :)

ps- the percussionist of the school band is jamming out right now. love it.

wordboner

because i have a tendency to (or as brisbeezy would say "penchant" for- stealing your words!) overanalyze and attempt to control, plan, organize every part of my life, it often stresses me the eff out when i start thinking about the future (as i mentioned in a previous post which i am too lazy to link). i need to stick this photo up somewhere. future wall-painting project/constant reminder to live in the now? actually, no. i'm too busy living life. :)

taxes

another street art photo; london. [woostercollective.com]

filing taxes sucks. end of story.

on a happier note, new JET orientation is over. partied with the new peeps- many of whom are very very cool- esp. the celtic peeps. :) i want to be an honorary irish person (tasia is ainm dom!; story!; bollocks!... i'm on my way already!). ehm, yup. that's all i've got today. will try to update with a more substantial/interesting post later.

oh, okinawa vacay in 2 days...weeeeeee!

also, talked to some really cool japanese dudes (my age!) at the club but didn't have a chance to exchange info. i need some young, hip, male japanese friends in my life (must improve speaking!-- although, even through broken english/japanese it always feels like such an accomplishment/breakthrough when we finally understand/can communicate what we are trying to share!)

beau & b.o.

today is also the 16th anniversary of the day my little brother dearest graced the earth with his presence. i feel so old. effing love this kid (but am slightly freaked out that has transformed from video game playing/muscle atrophying/"i have been in the same position&pajamas for the past 8 hours" brother to iron pumping, skateboarding, track running, contact-wearing brother. who IS this?)

also, i know it's hot & humid here but seriously. beezies need to educate themselves about DEODORANT up in this heezy (ie staff room). foreal. gross. febreeze??

my one year anniversary

[swissmiss]

today is my one year anniversary with Japan. how CRAZY is that? i wonder what this upcoming year has in store...

ps- how awesome is this calendar? desire to cross things off lists + desire to pop all those little packaging bubbles + calendar = daily satisfaction.