*Widgets*

I'm so addicted to Widgets right now. I've just spent the last hour filling my desktop with widgets. I had also spent the better part of yesterday clearing my desktop of work-related documents... uh.... D'oh...~

*Lightning*

There's nothing I hate more than lightning and thunder. It sounds like the sky's falling down outside.
I hate living alone sometimes...~

*Twas the night after Christmas...*

'Twas the night after Christmas and all through Liv's house...
Right... I've just come home from the biggest Christmas feast EVER! It was nice, and small and we had so much food! We'd bought 3 roast chickens, a ton of salads, christmas pudding, ice-cream (which just turned to cream in Al's warm freezer), smoked salmon... basically everything edible from Costco. It was FAB!
In terms of memorable Christmases... this one's not quite up there, but it was nice. The run-up to Christmas was exciting and thrilling and totally fun... and Christmas day was just really quite mellow and warm. I enjoyed myself thoroughly today and wouldn't change any part of it.
I'm so stuffed. Food coma's set in. Going to take a nice bubbly cranberry bath now before jumping into my heated bed. It's freezing here!
Merry Christmas! I'll see y'all soon enough!~

*Fun*

I haven't done so much in ages. It's all been really fun... but there are only so many nights a person can go without sleeping...
Last week was so busy at work. It was a nightmarish kinda week. I have no idea how I managed to get through it... Got up real early on Friday morning to drive the girls to the airport... the drive there was quick enough, but I missed my exit coming back and it took me almost 2 hours to get home! But at least I've learned my lesson so I'm ready next week when I pick G up from the airport...
Took a real long nap on Friday, then flaked on dinner number 1 and headed straight for dinner number 2. Dinner number 2 was awesome. J and M are the sweetest couple ever. I'm pretty sad that they're leaving soon...
Drove out to Tokyo yesterday. It was easy enough until I hit Shibuya. It was really cool driving through Hachiko crossing (busiest intersection in the world). But I'll NEVER do that again. I'm a pretty confident driver, but Japanese drivers are awful! They're aggressive, but they can't drive! They tail-gate like crazy!
Tokyo was fun. R and I attempted to do some Christmas shopping, before I gave up and we bought a picnic and went to Yoyogi Park (there are some really strange people there). After that, I met up with Connie and Al and we all went to an Izakaya in Shinjuku for dinner (FAB!). Met up with R after again... and we went looking for a Blues bar with his 2 friends. Found the bar... but the bar was just too tiny. We ended up eating and drinking again at an Okinawan izakaya. The drive home after that was brutal... no sleep, too much food... ugh...
Christmas Eve today. It looks like I'm just going to veg and recuperate today. Do laundry and CLEAN my dust-bunny-filled apartment.
I just realised that I barely live at home...~

*In The Air*

I'm starting to feel Christmas. It just hit over dinner tonight...
I got my first Christmas card today in the post. Thank you Lyssi! I LOVE YOU!
I've been incredibly stressed and tired lately. I'm glad I'm done with my year's commitment to the Student Activities Committee as "fearless convenor". I live for this sort of organization, but this last party was just a bad time all-round for everyone at work... I'm really glad it's over.
Connie and Al fly in on Wednesday. I'm very excited that I get to see my best friend again. It'll be cool to show her my favourite bits of Tokyo... though... Al's going to be around... it's not going to be all girlie girl...
Been pretty stressed so my immune system's shot. I don't like taking meds, so I'm only JUST getting over this awful cold I've had for the last SIX weeks. But at least I can say that I'm healthy enough to get over it without the help of meds!
Was walking around Ginza yesterday. Got terribly homesick for Vancouver - more than usual. There's a street down in Ginza that looks like it turns from Spring Street (Soho, NY) to Bute / Jervis Street area (Vancouver). That knawing and yearning for home just kicked into 5th gear after. As often as I travel to HK, I still can't call it "home" there. That's just the physical place where my mum and dad live right now, and I just can't call it home. I don't feel as though HK embraces me and my imperfections the way Vancouver and Toronto can.
I've made up my mind to visit Vancouver again when I do my N. America trip in March. I miss it too much. I'll be on a tight budget by the time I hit New York, but I really must get my fill of "home"...
Ugh... gotta catch up with some friends... blog more later...~

*Tis The Season*

'Tis the season for...
Ella & Louis
Hot Chocolate
Good friends
Snow-related activities
Looking HOT
Hugs
Presents & Cards!~

*Amazing*

**JULIE! DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T YET WATCHED THE FINAL EPISODE!**


I just watched the finale of Season 10 of The Amazing Race. Ugh... I can't believe the male models won... but it was a good race. I also can't believe they had to run from Times Square all the way down to Astor Place! All I could think about when I saw the picture clue of The Alamo... was Coldstone and Crif Dogs. I can't WAIT to get back to New York in Feb!
J... I hope you're still on for trying to submit a tape for the next round of the race. I'd LOVE to do the race just 'cause I'm so damn competitive...
I think I'm finally getting better, but still a little not quite with it. I dropped my bottle of foundation this morning and now I have teeny shards of glass all over my apartment and it was such a pain to clean up.
Hmmm... this week has flown by again. One week to go 'til the hols! Every night from tomorrow on 'til January 2nd is booked up. This is going to be one awesome Christmas and New Year here in Japan!
Greg's confirmed his flight... YAY! I haven't seen him since Sam's wedding - summer 2004. It'll be fun to hang out again...
I'm tired. Gotta wash my hair... was asked today if I'd shoot a shampoo commercial for some students today - HA!
Grr... so much to mark. I need to clone myself to get everything done...~

*Sorry*

I had to scrap my original post...
Something from a couple years ago popped into my head...
"Only you and me know about what really went wrong between you and me..."~

*A Lung and a Half*

This super-cold that I've got... it's not going away. It's clinging on for dear life... %$*#@!*

It started as a head cold, worked its way to my sinuses and it's now worked its way to my bronchi and lungs... and I'm starting to cough for lack of oxygen. I don't even remember now what it feels like to feel "well" $*#&%@

Anyways... here's an update in Le Monde de la Mooncake:

• Felt like crap for the past 2 weeks, took Thursday off.



• Felt well enough to socialize Friday... but was shot down by EVERYONE I asked to dinner.



• Got the world's best pep talk from "Rook" and "Lo-Man" on Friday night.



• Went out to dinner at Iron Chef Morimoto's restaurant (FAB Teppanyaki) Sat.



• Painted the town "festively" with Nic Sat night - Sun morning (we were HOT!)



• Slept all of Sunday... Then went make-up shopping with Nic...

Right... I'll admit it... I'm starting to like Japan a bit more now. When I actually manage to peel myself off my couch and my desk at work... Tokyo's pretty cool...

Had a really good chat with my office-mates today. We're a funny group... so different... but yet... we get on so well. I love them all.

Time for bed. Costco shopping first thing tomorrow morning! I LOVE my job!~

*Still Sick*

Can't get over this bloody cold. It might actually be the flu... but what's the diff? I'm still sick...
Got a new(ish) song to obsess about today... "Love You Lately" The sappiest song around, but I guess since I'm sick... I've got an excuse to obsess over a sappy song.
My nose is raw from the nose-blowing... awww.....~

*2 Boxes of Kleenex Later...*

Dammit. I can't shake this bloody cold I've got. I thought I'd got over it, but it's come back to drive me crazy again. Sore throat has also made a whopping return. I've been in bed all day sleeping and watching DVDs...
I HATE getting sick. I hate feeling helpless and I especially hate it when it's just me and my hot water bottle. My toes are cold and I'm miserable. My nose is red and raw from going through 2 boxes of Kleenex. I want someone to rub my back... *wail*
Remind me again why I chose this path?~

*Inexcusable*

I did something horrible yesterday. I honestly didn't mean to do it. I feel really really awful about it. I've barely been sleeping all week and I've just been physically, mentally and emotionally drained... I did it almost as a reflex reaction and I just can't get it out of my mind now.
It's so bad, that I can't say what it is exactly that I did. But let's put it this way... you're with really good friends and colleagues and you're out chilling... when you accidently commit a social faux-pas. The worst thing is that you'll have to see this person next week...
Jeez... it was embarrassing. I feel like such a dweeb. I wasn't even drunk. At least if I were drunk, I'd have an excuse.
Urgh... I'm such a social loser. I can't be taken out anywhere. I think I'll just go dig myself a hole now...~

*Casino Royale*

Opening night of the new Bond movie here in Japan... It was FAB! I'm not usually a fan of these types of movies, but I found it really entertaining. I hated the "eye" scene towards the end, but overall, I was definitely impressed. The first "action" sequence was definitely... uh... entertaining? And most of the movie was actually bordering on comical... but c'mon... it's James Bond!
I'm not a huge fan of Daniel Craig, but he's not a bad Bond. Not good-looking or particularly charming, but really quite believable. Yep... I like him as a Bond.
So 2 movies in Japan in 2 weeks. "The Devil Wears Prada" was definitely another must-buy when it comes out on DVD. LOVED the clothes on that movie. The Chanel outfit was definitely my fave.
I'm knackered. My brains not really processing information that's coming in... It's all kinda dream-like right now... Need sleep...~

*With Or Without U*

My absolute favourite song by U2. The vid's crap, but I can't believe I got to hear it LIVE! I've got an extended edited version coming soon. I LOVE this song!~

*Sometimes U Can't Make It On Your Own*

First clip from last night's concert...