Pre-Thanksgiving Day!!

Cleaned the house, painted my nails today yesterday and hit the town with my best friend. I had a blast..........IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME!!

Love you G!!

120 Manly Eyeshadow Palette

Well, my 120 Manly Eyeshadow Palette finally arrived a few weeks ago. Woo Hoo!! However, in the beginning, I was a little apprehensive about ordering my kit because I thought some of the colors might break during shipping. However, they used tons of bubble wrap and everything was perfectly intact!!!


The palette includes matte and shimmer colors and if you pay for shipping cost you receive a 5pc brush set, six glitter eye shadow colors, and nail stickers. I am so pleased with my purchase. In my next few post, I will do a couple of swatches for you all and take a few pics after I have applied some color on my lids..................SO STAY TUNED!!

SURPRISE..........I'm Back!!!

I know I haven’t posted anything in a week and that’s because I AM BACK IN LITTLE ROCK!!! Woo Hoo!! I will be here for two weeks. YAY!! However, my 1st week has already finished!! Sheesh!! Nonetheless, it has been great being back home. Everything feels so much bigger and spacious here. I was absolutely excited to see all my family and friends. Oh yeah, did I mention they were in for a shock of a lifetime. Yep!! No one knew I was coming home except my mom. When I tell you I shocked them all……………..I shocked them all!! It was fantastic!


Anyway, I have exactly one week left and I don’t know if I am looking forward to going back to Japan. I am enjoying being home. Well, I will keep you all posted and let you know the outcome………………………………………………….

Drinking in Japan

My two favorite drinks in Japan.

This one is Hot Lemon Tea that you can purchase out of the vendor machine for 130 yen. Oh my gosh, it's the best thing to drink when you want something soothing and relaxing to the soul. I usually drink this while I'm on the platform waiting on the train to go to work in the cold.

Now, this drink is the bomb also!! It's by Minute Maid, but I have never seen it in the States. It doesn't taste like grape juice it taste more like .....hmm....I can't really describe the taste, but it is good. The added bonus to this drink is the gelatin cubes of aloe inside. Oh my gosh, this is absolutely to die for. Loves it!

The City!!

Last week Wednesdy, after leaving work, I discovered I had forgotten the key to the house. I decided that I would go into the city (Shinjuku) and do some unneccesary shopping and wait for Alex to get off from work. While I was there, I decided to take a couple of pictures of the night life in the city. So, here are the pictures for your viewing pleasures.........ENJOY!!

This  building is where I did my shopping, it has tons of floors.

The Empire State Building in Japan?

The busy streets of Shinjuku

They already had Christmas lights out......lighting up the city

Isn't it beautiful.....

Of course........Krispy Kreme

The building above is where I bought my Halloween costume.

Lunchtime in Japan

Another one of my student's lunches..................I had to take a pic!!

MEOW!!

Do you remember me previously asking for help on my Halloween costume? Well, only my best friend chimed in and suggested a few good ideas (Beyonce, Tyra Banks, and Mary J ), however, I decided to keep it simple this year for Halloween. I was a cat. I know right?? Well, there's always next year. Check out the pics below......

Us all loading up in Saki's car heading to the park

Me with Minnie and Mrs. Pumpkin

Renee chan and Maki chan

Let go of my tail................AHHHHH!!!

My 3 favorite students

Aww I love Raito

Had to take a pic with Mario and Luigi

Pink Ranger and Spiderman going at it...................

After spending the afternoon at the park with the kids it was time to go home, eat, and take a nap. Later that evening we all decided to go to Club Pure in Shibuya because it was the happening spot for the night. When we arrived at 2a.m. the club was packed and we still had to wait in a long line to get inside. Finally, when we made it inside it was sooo hott. I was ready to leave. Needless to say, the night was somewhat of a bust because the club was too crowded for my liking.

Fashion in Japan continued.......

Street fashion in Japan!! This is what I see everyday all day here in Tokyo. Let me know what you think.................CLICK HERE!!

ENJOY!!

Fashion in Japan.........

I always get asked "What's the fashion like in Japan?" My answer…………..DIFFERENT!! I believe it all boils down to whatever you want to wear goes. Now, when I say "WHATEVER" I mean WHATEVER!!! For the longest, my eyebrows were always raised with a question ....“What were they thinking when they put that on?” However, after being here for over a year, my eyebrows have lowered and a permanent crease has been left above my forehead!! Lol!! Just kidding!! Let's just say, now I look at fashion differently. I’ve learned that you can’t look at fashion with a judgmental eye. I mean seriously, who or what defines fashion anyway……….

Top 20 Must-haves for Women living in Japan

1. An over the shoulder handbag

2. Leggings-black, zipped on the side, denim, ripped, or studded

3. Tights-jet black, purple, patterned, or thick cotton

4. Manicured nails

5. Blush

6. Long eyelashes

7. Boots-over the knee, ankle, or Ugg’s

8. Plaid shirts

9. As many skirts as you can possibly have in different styles

10. Hair scrunchies (oh yes!! I said scrunchies!! These are major sellers here!! And might I add, very expensive!!)

11. Oversized sweaters or shirts

12. A Samantha Thavasa bag

13. Anna Sui cosmetics

14. Studded-purses, shoes, or clothes

15. Overalls

16. Boyfriend jeans

17. Denim- shirts, jackets, or vest

18. Flat laced-up Oxfords

19. Shorts – fringed, rolled up, or denim (paired with tights)

AND LASTLY.............

20. Jodhpur pants

I know!! I know!! It's been ages!!

So, you've probably been wondering what I have been up to lately and the answer is, NOTHING! I know it's been forever since I posted something, 14 days to be exact, but it's been out of pure laziness. lol! I just haven't felt like blogging lately. I suppose everyone gets that way every now and then. Nevertheless, I promise this week I will give you an overdose of post.......Stay tuned!!

It's been days....

I know I haven't posted anything in awhile and it's because I just haven't been in the mood lately. I have tons to tell you, but I just can't be bothered or as the Japanese say "mendoi". I promise though that in a few days I will post something. Until then be safe!! Toodles!

I Need Help........

Halloween is fast approaching us and I need to think about what I'm going to be for Halloween. Me and a few girls are planning a big night out on the town and I have no clue what to wear!! So, this is where you come into the picture because I need some help with an idea for a Halloween costume..........any ideas or suggestions??

Memoirs of a Rainy Day in Japan

I seriously don't know what has happened to the weather here in Japan.  A few days ago, I had to get out of the house and go to the mall because it was so nice and sunny outside. Now today, it's freezing cold and raining. Oh my gosh, I had to cut on the heat downstairs because it was so freaking cold (only to me of course). So, you know what all of this means right? Yep, it was a cornmeal porridge night! lol! Good Night Everyone!!

You can't make cornmeal porridge without these ingredients.

20 minutes later........ Wah Lah!!

 The sunny day I went to the mall...........

The mall houses my favorite store......Zara!

Aeon Mall is only a 5 minute drive from the house.......gotta love it!!

What was in your lunch box?

Can you remember when you were in Elementary and your mom would make your lunch for school? Do you remember what would be in your lunch box? I can!! Most kids at my school had things like potato chips, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cookies, an apple, and maybe some carrots in their lunch boxes. And everything would be wrapped up in foil, cling, or zip lock bags. Do you remember? Well, here in Japan it's a little different (maybe a lot). I don't think any of the kids have seen a lunch like ours.

For Japanese, presentation is everything. The lunches our moms made us would be frowned upon. When I first started teaching here and lunchtime rolled around my jaw dropped. I was so fascinated with the kid’s lunches. All the moms put so much time and effort into preparing their kid's lunches it's unreal. Everything is so detailed! It would make anyone want to eat their lunch. You know what, just check out the pics for yourself.

Above is one of my student's lunches. Cool Right? I told you it's all about presentation!

These 2 pics I found on the web of Japanese school kids lunch. Presentation is key!!

Status Update.....

Eating oats and drinking tea!! Off to work until 7 tonight!! Argh! I hate going to work on Thursdays!

My last day....

Well, today is the last day of my 4 day mini-vacation *sad face*. Nevertheless, it was a relaxing well needed break from work. On Friday, my friends came over for dinner and we had a great time. They loved the food and of course my cheese cake was a hit too. After dinner, we played board games and laughed and joked the night away.

Saturday night, we went to the Reggae Party that I mentioned previously, but it wasn't quite what I expected. I thought it was going to be at a club, but it turned out to be a house party, that was on the 11th floor of this guys apartment. The apartment wasn't too bad. It was in Shibuya and you could see the city skyline from his balcony. Of course they had to have West Indian food and Jamaican Rum Punch because without it, well, it wouldn't be a West Indian Party. It was well attended and there were people from all walks of life there (Japanese, Jamaicans, Americans, and Australians). Oh yeah, did I mention Russian!! How could I forget that!!! Oh my gosh, about 1 hour into the party this Russian lady shows up and turns the party upside down. Apparently, it was her birthday and she was acting a FOOL. When I tell you she was CRAZY, she was CRAZY *note the caps*!!! YOU HAVE GOT TO SEE THE PICS FROM THIS PARTY....... Look down below *note: sorry I had to blur her face out*

Sunday, was a pretty relaxing day for me. I was suppose to go to a BBQ that my friend was throwing, but I didn't feel like going. I just wanted to chill. Later that day, I was bored and pretended that I was a Dj on HOT 96.5 and played music all night long and took request from invisible callers (my grandma, mom, and aunt) and real request from Alex. lol!! It turned out to be a Reggae Lovers Rock night!! lol!!

This brings us to Monday and I AM DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. However, I am enjoying doing nothing. I plan on watching this movie with Renee Zelleweger called "New In Town" and enjoying a peaceful and relaxing afternoon.

Talk to you all soon

No need for captions for these pics, they are self explanatory

1-2-3-4!! 4 Days Off!!

Yay!! No work for the next 4 days. Oh how the time is gonna fly as it usually does.....Argh! However, I plan to make the best of it. Tomorrow, I am going to be relaxing during the day and later in the evening some of my friends will be coming over for dinner. They requested curry chicken and rice and for dessert I will be making a cherry cheese cake. Yummy right? I'm looking forward to it!!

On Saturday night, I am going out to a Reggae Party.

Sunday, I might be going to Tokyo's electronic city Akihabara to look for an I-pod because mine is messing up.

And Monday, it looks like I will be meeting up with two of my friends at one of the local coffee shops in Fuchu.

Anyway, I promise to keep you posted as the days unfold.

As Promised....pics from dinner.

As promised in the previous post, here are the pics from the "Goodbye Dinner" at Barbacoa's......... Enjoy!!

Goodbye Dinner :--(

On Sunday, after trying to catch some zzzz's from the night before, it was time to go into Harajuku for a Sayonora Dinner. Yep, my two friends that are leaving for Europe had a going away dinner at Barbacoa's. I'm gonna miss them bunches, but this means I have another place to go visit. Yay!! GERMANY, HERE I COME!! LOL!

Anyway, Barbacoa's is an authentic Brazilian restaurant that is OFF THE CHAIN! When I tell you it was nice, IT WAS NICE!! It's an underground restaurant with an all you can eat salad bar and then the waiters come around to your table with different types of meats on a skewer hot off the grill. Oh my gosh, I had the BEST PORK CHOP EVER!! It had a golden crust around it that was unbelievably good!! The seasoning was on point!! Not to mention, the pepper steak was absolutely delish too. My mouth is salivating thinking about it. The salad bar was very impressive too with a thousand and one types of pre-made salads to choose from. Now, while it was really pricey ($65.00 per person) the food was to die for. I honestly don't think I could write enough about how good it was!! Pics coming soon!!

The Mak's Birthday!

On Saturday, I went to work and after work I raced home to find my friend Maki a birthday gift. I searched high and low for something at the mall, but to no avail. ARRRRGH!! Anyway, do you remember me previously mentioning what I did for Alex's Birthday? Probably not!! Well, I had his birthday at a place called "Locked Up" in Shibuya. We had a blast. My friend Maki found it for me.

"Locked Up" is a novelty restaurant that's themed around the idea of being in prison. Upon arrival, Alex and I were handcuffed by women dressed in sexy police uniforms and escorted to a jail cell to meet our friends. It was a lot of fun and we had plenty of laughs. Now, it cost about $45.00 dollars per person, but that included an eight course meal (very delish), dessert, and all you can drink (alcohol) for 2 hours. Anyway, I say all that to say this........

Maki had her birthday at a place called "Alcatraz ER" another novelty restaurant based around the idea of a medical prison. Unlike "Locked Up", upon arrival you have to state your blood type to enter and if you don't know, well, your just assed out. No, I'm only kidding! I think you can still enter if you don't know! Once you enter the restaurant, you are then escorted by sexy nurses to your medical jail cell.

After we ate all that we could eat from the menu for $35.00, it was time to play some drinking games. By the way, the food was pretty good! The fried chicken wings were my favorite. So, back to the drinks...... they had many drinks to choose from and they were all named after different medical terms like "influenza" and "myocardial infarction" and the list continues. It was good!

When all was said and done, no one was ready to go home, so we went to a club called Gaspanic. It was free to get in, as long as you were ordering from the bar or had a drink in your hand. By the end of the night morning (5:30a.m) we were all pooped!! Alex and I returned home and tried to catch some shut eye for a few hours because Sunday was going to be another eventful day.

Click Here to view pics.....

Hmm? Where should I begin...

Let's start from last Thursday and move forward......

On Thursday, I went to work and returned home a little after 6p.m. and went on a cleaning frenzy.

OH!! WAIT!! WAIT! WAIT!! Scratch that!!!

OH MY GOD, HOW COULD I FORGET!! I HAVE A NEW BABY SISTER!! GRACE!! SHE IS ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE AND LOOKS JUST LIKE ME WHEN I WAS A BABY!! You know what that means!! She is going to be absolutely gorgeous! So, I am not only an Aunty to an adorable newphew, but also a sister again!! YAY!! Anyway, sorry for that outburst, but I had to announce that to the world.

We will now return to our daily scheduled program..........5, 4, 3, 2, 1..

On Thursday, I went to work and returned home a little after 6p.m. and both Alex and I went on a cleaning frenzy. Why? Because our friends were coming over on Friday to spend the night. SLUMBER PARTY!! YAY!! Well, maybe not.

When they arrived Friday night they were absolutely tired. They had been cleaning their house and packing all day long because they are getting ready move to Europe (maybe that might be my next stop??). Anyway, when they eventually arrived we all socialized for a while and before long we were all knocked out. So, that brings us to Saturday. Click Here