The end draws near......

That's how it sounds to me when I say I'm turning 30 this month. It's weird because I don't think it's old for others, but it sounds scary for me to be entering my 30s. It sounds like the start of the terrifying decent into an abyss of nothing but deteriorating bodies and lost dreams and time. Okay, it's not nearly that dramatic. It's more like - oh wow, my age starts with a "3" now.

I would like to use this as a perfect time to start taking care of myself - both mind and body. I was doing well about body last year but then I got busy, and then I moved and I just haven't taken care of myself lately. With my amazing rice cooker, I'm able to eat actual food again. I ought to be able to balance that out with some smoothies and water. I'm riding my bike more often (when it's not raining) and I'm planning to try out different physical activities this summer.

As for mind - I'm trying to challenge my abilities more often. I want to focus on my work, but I want to do things for myself as well - language exchange, writing, etc. This month I'll be presenting at Pechakucha, and that'll be a huge challenge for me. I'm quite nervous, but I want to create more chances to step out of my comfort zone this month.

So, I'm going to try to blog - here or on my other blogs - at least once a day. Wish me luck!

An ode to the Rice Cooker

Rice Cooker, Oh Rice Cooker
How you've lit up my life.
In the kitchen of all -
from student to wife.

You quietly silently
sit on the shelf.
No doubt you're acutally
proud of yourself.

It seems people use you
daily for rice.
Not knowing you can cook
other things quite nice.

But I see you have more
potential in you
To cook other things
Perhaps even stew

Today I tried pasta
It left me well fed
Tomorrow'll be something new
I'm thinking banana bread.

I hope you don't mind
of your skills I do boast.
Of all my kitchen tools
It is you I love most.

The adventure continues

So, there's been one or two more normal messages. Then I get this:

Guy: What's your go to karaoke song?

I name off some songs and he makes a comment about them, to which I also respond. Then...

Guy: Feel like doing something other than karaoke tonight?

Me: (thinking: yeah.......not so much) I'm really busy today.

That was actually true, but I would have said so anyway.

Guy: Well, I'm leaving tomorrow so...

Me: That's a shame. (thinking: but not really)

Do these kind of messages actually work? I guess they must on occasion, right?

Newest adventure

So caving into to peer pressure from some of my best friends, I've signed up to a dating site. I have to say, the whole process of signing up and creating a profile is extremely 面倒くさい (bothersome). I really couldn't be asked. So one of my friends ended up creating the profile for me. He actually knows me really well and the answers were pretty well suited to me, so that's that.

The profile has been up for three days, and I've received three messages so far. Out of the three, one seemed interesting and somewhat human. The other two however left a bit to be desired.

Guy 1: 'Sup?

Really? Is this supposed to pique my interest? You're not talking to me at the bar. Can't you put a little more thought into your opening statement?

Guy 2: I'm gonna be honest...

Thanks, I appreciate that, but I can already tell you that I probably don't need to read the rest of the message. But I will anyway

Guy 2 continued: I'm not looking for a girlfriend.

Okay...I can guess where you're going with this....

Guy 2 continued (slightly paraphrased): I'm looking for some sexual pleasure and if you are too and you're interested in a 39 year old, contact me.

Never mind that my profile says nothing about casual hookups (though that's an option listed on the site) and that you're out of the age range I've listed. I do appreciate the upfrontness, but I'm gonna pass.

So, let's see what the next day or so brings.

Sakura #3

 

Yay! Another yummy delight!










This time is was a simple castella cake piece. It was really sweet and reminded me of the Starbucks chiffon cake. But without the icing, of course. The texture was a bit buttery and less airy too. Given a choice, I'd go with chiffon cake, but this was great too.

Sakura delight #2

Well, like I said yesterday, it's the season of the sakura-flavored goods. Today I stopped by a shop that carried souvenirs from different areas in Japan and found 桜八つ橋(sakura yatsuhashi)! Yatsuhashi are the typical souvenir item from Kyoto. They come in all sorts of flavors - cinnamon, strawberry, chocolate and banana, etc. There's usually seasonal ones as well. When I visited Kyoto it was the fall so I found persimmon yatsuhashi then.

Anyway. These were sakura! Sakura and anko (sweet red bean paste) go really well together. The sakura flavor is subtle but noticeable. And in general, I like the texture of yatsuhashi, so I was a happy camper.

Yum!!

Sakura season has begun!

I love this season in Japan. There's so many delicious sakura-flavored snacks. It is one of my all time favorite things!

Today I went to Starbucks to meet with someone and they've started selling their sakura goods. They've got sweets and drinks. I want to pace myself a bit, so today I went with the sakura chiffon cafe. It is really sweet! The pink cake and white icing look great together. And the preserved sakura flower on top? Pure delight! I'm looking forward to next time for one of the drinks!