パンとスープとネコ日和

My good blog friend, Sun, kindly forwarded me the link to the television drama series Bread and Soup and Cat Weather.  A beautiful piece of film work I have been wanting to watch for a very long time now.  Staring Satomi Kobayashi, who has been in many of my favourite Japanese films encompassing a more simple and quiet lifestyle full of lifes little pleasures.

With only four, 50 minute episodes, this short series feels more like mini-movies taken in perfect little doses.  Whether it be the quaint little cafe offering daily set meals of a simple homemade soup and sandwich, or the perfectly organized Muji-like apartment that comes with the company of a charismatic cat, or even the unexpected relationships built off of the many interesting characters in the neighborhood; you are sure to walk away with a light-hearted easy feeling from this show.

Though no English subtitles are offered,  I still thoroughly loved all the episodes.  I guess it may be to my benefit as well since it helped me study my Japanese on a more conversational level.  Here's the link, I hope you enjoy it too!

cat stuff from my tumblr.

hello hello!  just thought i'd do a random post.  

so, 2 weeks ago i went sailing on a friends boat and ended up dropping my phone in the ocean, thus ending the life of my beloved iphone.  since then, i have been borrowing a very old phone from my friend which is only good for calling and texting.  i actually got used to it pretty fast and find it quite peaceful to be away from all the hyper attention i gave to my smart phone before this.

i'll just wait to get the new iphone when i move to Japan next month :-p

other than that, my visa finally got approved and now i continue my desperate hunt to find the perfect Japanese apartment.  cross your fingers for me!

hope you all had a nice weekend!  and now two wonderful quotes to get us through this week ahead:

"And the days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations,  I have really good days."   - Ray Wylie Hubbard

"Have more than you show, speak less than you know."                                     - William Shakespeare 

my days lately

Just wanted to share some pictures I took lately on my iphone.  I'm trying to take advantage of our beaches much more before I move to Tokyo in the winter time.  I don't even know how to dress for cold weather, so I'm sure that will be a fun challenge for me!

Also, I tried to reply back to all of you on your own personal blogs in thanks of my good news on moving to Japan, but if not, thank you all so much for your kind words of encouragement and support!!! It really means a lot to me on this big life move, and I will try to make sure to take you all along the way as I settle into my new life in Tokyo!  Just about 2 more months left!

♥♥♥

I'm moving to Japan!!

Wow, I don't even know where to begin...

Well, basically I applied to about 3 companies in Japan, all English teaching schools, and I got one!!  the process was really fast, but also stressful.  I really had to prepare a lot, make a lot of sacrifices, plan for things way in the future... and now it's happening.

Of course my number one priority will be my new job since this is the sole reason for everything coming together.  I am actually really excited to have my own students, and teaching English is something I've always wanted to do since I find the art of communication to be such an important and beautiful tool that I hope can offer a change in these peoples lives.

My big move to Tokyo couldn't come any sooner.  I have to be there by October already!  So now it's crunch time as I have more than enough things to take care of.  I sent in my Visa application documents yesterday, so that will take a while to process.  And right now I'm apartment hunting which is turning out to not be the most fun thing.  But other than all the legal matters and technical formalities I don't want to bore you with, the main thing is how life changing this experience will be!

 I also have all of you to thank.  My blog friends have shown me so much support and love throughout all these years.  I'm also so blessed to have already met a handful of you throughout my travels, and for that I am grateful.  I can't even really believe it myself.  One of my life goals is finally happening and I couldn't be any happier.

So this is probably the biggest door in my life to open, and I am more than ready for this next chapter to unfold.  I know it's not going to be perfect or easy and I'm sure I will have a lot of struggles to grow from, but my passion and appreciation for this wonderful opportunity will be a great driving force for me.  I am so excited for this new part of my life to start!!!

Japan, here I come.

my very own ceramics!

I mentioned in previous entries that I took summer classes at a Pottery Guild, so here are the pieces I hand made!!  the first picture is of my favourite bowl and the second photo is an entire meal using all the pieces I made so far!

It's actually a much longer process than I thought.  By now I would have imagined that I made much more pieces than this, but with my actual life schedule with work and applying to jobs in Japan, it's quite hard to squeeze in... but maybe those are just excuses I made for myself. hahah

the last photo was some cute pieces I did with hand molding.  but unfortunately I did not get to see them come to life because (I think) someone stole them!  after their first firing process, I could not find them no matter how hard I searched!  and they're not going to get up and walk away on their own, so what are the chances that all 3 of my character pieces just disappeared altogether.  :-(

anyway, making pottery is really fun!  I enjoyed the feeling of molding the clay with my hands while spinning on the wheel... it's a nice sensation.  and surprisingly I picked up the technique quite fast.  the most exciting part for me was glazing the pieces because you can't really tell what they will look like when you're mixing and matching the colours, but after it comes out from the firing kiln, its such a delightful surprise to see how it worked out (or not worked out. haha).  I really enjoyed this new creative outlet and hope to come back to it in the future again.

Oklahoma!

here are some of my favourite photos i took on my trip to Oklahoma last week!  a bunch of friends and family from all over flew to Oklahoma for our best friends wedding.  it was such a warm and beautiful gathering, where we met a lot of new faces that we are happy to call family now.  

Oklahoma was more beautiful that i ever imagined.  the wide open lands filled with farms and animals was so relaxing and calming.  compared to all the city life i am used to, these vast spaces really opened up my mind into a more freeing state... it was quite therapeutic actually.  and not to mention the people there have so much southern hospitality.  everyone was so kind and welcoming to us.

apart from staying one night near the city, we drove to Elgin where her family house is.  they own 40 acres of land and have their own ranch with 4 horses and like 7 dogs!  it was absolutely amazing!  on the last night, we all had a party on their huge patio deck where we drank wine, listened to music, danced under the moonlight (it was also a super-moon that night!), caught fire flies, and just talked the night away enjoying everyones company and love...

as fast as this trip was, everyday was filled with things to do.  so we were non-stop, from morning till late at night helping with wedding arrangements, doing rehearsal lunches and dinners, running flower errands, bridal party photo shoots, and fitting in as much sight-seeing as we could between those times. also, at the very last minute (literally on our drive to their home town, 2 days before the wedding) i was asked to become the wedding coordinator at the church!  so as crazy and stressed as everyone was, the end result was just perfect... watching my best friend in the entire world, walk down the isle with her knight in shining armor was more than magical to see.  i will never forget that moment.  

♥♥♥