I told you that Im crazy for these cupcakes, cousin.

Obligatory lazy Sunday post.
Due to my sickness still not letting up I have done very little today apart from play Star Ocean for a few hours, watch Six Feet Under for a few hours and nip down the shops for some Oreo's and juice!

For once I will actually show you what I wear down the shops


Despite not making effort with my clothes I try to practice my makeup every day whether I am leaving the house or not


You can also see how bad my extensions have gotten! I know I probably wouldn't get best quality for paying Y6,000 but I didn't want to go hella expensive on my first try. Now I know better though. I mean I seriously tried to look after these extensions, I bought treatments and really good quality conditioners, slept with my hair in plats every night and brushed them gently as so to not damage them but they were dry and brittle within a week. Extensions are amazingly cheap in Tokyo because they are extremely popular, I guess mostly due to the gyaru boom. Even though they are so cheap I still find spending that much money in one go difficult...like I feel like I shouldn't be spending it on myself so I guess I went for the cheapest option I found...which turned out to be a bit rubbish. So in the name of research I will be going to a different salon this week to document getting some better extensions!
I'm going on the hunt for English speaking salons too so I can give some reviews on service...basically if they don't bring me a coffee its an instant fail!

Swallow a little of that sea, now taste a little bit of the salt in me...

Hello there Internetland.

It's been a busy time at work as the holidays are now coming to an end, which means I've had to wrap up my summer school art classes, finish the progress reports for the class and help dismantle our classroom in preparation for the move to our new school this weekend. Also I have fallen a bit ill with a tempreture and lightheadedness...which has scared me a bit since the last time I was ill here I actually fainted on the train at Shinjuku station! The humidity here is unreal, obviously being a Brit I've never known a summer to go on for so long. My experience of summer is one week of blasting sunshine then back to gray skies. Here in Tokyo we've had the hottest summer on record since the war ended with everyday temperatures in the mid 30's....and it isn't going to start letting up for another month! I'm all for sunshine but I literally feel like I don't want to venture too far from home because of the heat! I know that keeping hydrayted is essential and having vendo-machienes everywhere makes that pretty easy but even so I'm not used to this intesity and find that it saps my energy so so quickly. Now I understand why I always see women with black umbrellas, long black sleeves and visors.
Staying in all the time gets me down sometimes but I know that this heat is not good for me. At the moment I'm planning to do things in the autumn when it has cooled down a bit and I feel like I can go on day trips!

Amoungst the mayhem that is the weather (Yes I'm allowed to talk about the weather) I've made a new header for this blog, the old one felt a bit outdated as the picture was old and crap! Maybe the new one is better?
Eventually I want to make this journal more colourful and fun to reflect my current fashion obsessions like Co&Lu. After Tuesday this week and taking myself on a little shopping trip and will try and make an effort to take photos of my purchases. Also I have the oppotunity to meet up with an old friend from my hometown Emma, or you may know her as bloomzy. From...

http://blooomzy.blogspot.com/

Also this week I have been asked to do a podcast for this website

http://www.japanpodcast.net/

I've been asked to talk about gyaru, and I while I don't consider myself an expert on the subject I'm excited to have the oppotunity to express my views to the internet, so please look forward to that!

I'm also still waiting for a link to the music video I was in a few months back. It seems incredably hard to find! I may just have to bite the bullet and buy the DVD! GASH!

Just going to end with some phone photos as my camera cable still hasn't been fixed. For now enjoy some awesome kids wearing CocoLulu *_~

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

I thought I'd take a moment to muse over some gyaru topics.
Firstly, I've been able to actually go shopping this month which has lead me to delve back into gyaru and my own gyaru style. Shopping in 109 is quite inspirational and CocoLulu shop girls have made me gaga for their clothes.

I'm especially loving this hoodie right now.

My only problem with Co&Lu is that I can sometimes feel very tomboyish in my baggy jeans and high tops so I have to think a bit harder about how to balance it out so I still feel cute and feminine. This is such a minor gripe though because the happy, energetic feeling I get from just LOOKING at their clothes gets me giddy! I WANT TO BE A CO&LU girl!!

These clothes are just MADE for summer and in the winter when it's dark and cold they cheer you up!

Unfortunately for me though Co&Lu in 109 only stock sizes S and L which is fine for me when it comes to tops and hoodies but jeans are a different story. British hips were not ment to fit into a Japanese size M sadly. Although I'm not sure that even an L size would look good on me considering the idea of the item is to hang loose on the hips for the casual look.

Moving swiftly on. Gyaru-sa, Gal Circles. I've had my share. Although I love gyaru and love to talk about gyaru with like minded girls I no longer feel like I have to be part of the community. My point of view, coming from my own experiences, is that a Gal circle should be something natural. A group of friends who enjoy this style. I think maybe western girls who know about this style seek out the community because they want people to share it with. But I think this can often be problematic when friendships are based on surface alone. I'm not saying that wonderful friendships can't come out of these groups and also that it isn't wonderful to meet new people with the same interests but for me personally I'd rather explore gyaru with people I consider close friends a.k.a Toni (http://mysparetimeretreat.blogspot.com/). There are alot of UK gals who I really like and respect but I wonder if I could ever be in a Gal circle again considering my change in attitude.
This has all been bought up by a recent event where I was reminded that you can love gyaru style more than anything in the world but it doesn't mean you'll get along with other gyaru. I think maybe one of the reasons there seems to be so much drama in the western gyaru scene is because circles form based on need, either to copy the Japanese concept of Gal circles or the need to find people to share the passion with but alot of the time it isn't considered whether personalities will clash resulting in feelings getting hurt.
Alot of Gals out there want everyone to get along and have fun being in a circle but you never know if someone will come along and rub you up the wrong way.

For now I'm happy not being in a Gal circle, although I respect all those out there who are in one and happy. I'm cheering you on!

Soz lol

Bit of a hiatus there. Let's recap the last month or so..

I MOVED. Yes we are now out of the guesthouse and into our lovely Tokyo apartment. We used a gaijin rental agency called Fontana

http://www.tokyocityapartments.net/about-us/

Moving with Fontana has been a really stress free time and i recommend them highly if you want to live in Tokyo. The staff are friendly, there are no key fees and you can get pretty much any furniture you may need for them for nothing. The apartments all come furnished but if you need anything else like chairs, tables or tvs Fontana will look in their storeroom for you and get you what you need. Check them out!

I'm now coming to the end of my 1 week summer holiday from school. Before the holiday started I was teaching summer school kids (aged 8 and 9) art. It has proven to be quite a challenge to get these kids fired up about art work. I'm teaching them how I liked to be taught, which was to be shown some artwork, discuss what was interesting about said artwork and try and take some inspiration from it to create something new. But honestly, I think these kids just want to play with clay =_=
I have to say, as much as I miss work and my kids it's been great to have a rest! I had the oppotunity to go to the mountains for a "Bonkura BBQ" hosted by people from the ParaPara community. It was probably the most awesome day I've spent in Japan. The mountains we just breathtaking, and the BBQ was beautiful. One of the best things was swimming in the river with everyone and just relaxing with friends.


GORGEOUS!
After we went to an onsen which was one of the things I wanted to cross off my To Do list. It was amazing and I would have loved to have been able to sit in there for hours but honestly after 20 minuets I was ready to pass out from the heat.

OH YES I also fainted on the train! After being ill one weekend I thought I went to a beautiful firework display in Yokohama with a workmate, I spent all day in the sun and humidity and fainted on the train to Shinjuku. Luckly that was my stop so I was carted onto the platform then wheeled to the rest room and told to lay down for a bit. Bit of an adventure. I was helped out by some lovely girls in yukatas who gave me cold tea!

My week off has resulted in me becoming a Shibuya whore, that is a whore for Shibuya shopping! Shibuya always seemed a bit of a let down to me before, maybe because I had such high hopes for the shopping and fashion district. But after a little shopping spree in 109 on the weekend I felt alot more at home. I went with a friend and it actually felt like being back home with my ultimate shopping maye Toni (http://mysparetimeretreat.blogspot.com/ CHECK OUT HER BLOG) . My love for clothes seems to be reignited a little bit, and CoCoLulu has definately had its influence on me.
Also I had my first experience in a Japanese salon. I went to an adorable place around the back streets of Shibuya for my extensions. The whole deal took about 45 - 50 minuets, and I was only 6,400 yen (about £47) lighter. Honestly not a bad price for the amount of hair I got (50 pieces down to the bottom of my bra line). Most other places seem to charge in the region of 9,000 yen but I'm pretty sure the hair will be higher quality and they will bring you a cup of coffee aswell. However for my first braided extensions these are perfect! Photos will eventually be put up when I can be bothered to dress up for them. There is a gyaru meet tomorrow in Shibuya which I will try to document for all the Gal lovers out there. I'll keep you posted. Hopefully.

Peace.