tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12695195833643998612024-03-20T02:30:52.665-07:00TokyoにっきGabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-57916157288854734492011-04-23T14:31:00.000-07:002011-04-23T14:56:31.282-07:00It's as if we never said goodbye<div style="text-align: center;">So I'm alive and back in the UK.<br /><br />For anyone who hadn't guessed I came home because of the horrific earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. I was in my Pre school when the earthquake hit Tokyo and it was honestly the scariest experience of my life...not just because my own life was in danger but because I was responsible for all of the children in my class. We evacuated the school without anyone being hurt and the school was undamaged. The monorail station directly outside the school shook violently and we could see the train car down the track swaying from side to side. All of the mothers told us that in all their life they had never expeienced something like this which made it all the more scary. At the time we had no idea of the destruction happening in the north of the country and we were stuck at school for the magority of the night due to all the trains in Tokyo being on shut down. The next day Nozomi and I took a trip to Hakuba to go to a party at a ski resort and when i arrived back in Tokyo I got a message from my folks to get on Skype. We had a discussion about how safe I was regarding the nucleur reactor in Fukashimi. Obviously back home the news had been contantly playing footage and reports of the horrific detruction and the general state of Japan so I can understand my family's concerns. I made the decision to leave Japan the next day.<br />My heart goes out to all those who have been effected by this horrific event and for all my friends still over there. From what I hear everything is pretty normal in Tokyo but please everyone TAKE CARE!<br /><br />And thats basically it. I'm still dealing with the fact that my life there is over for the forseeable future but I am making plans to return and get a full working visa. This will take me several years of planning and working but the love that I feel for the country has given me the drive and inspiration to see the path I'm going to walk down. I won't ever forget the year I spent in Tokyo, the people I've become so close to and the fact that I was brave enough to do it in the first place.<br /><br />Right now I am taking a few months out to live like a lazy bum and enjoy the summer with my UK friends. I have a really part time job in a deli in my hometown with one of my best friends Toni so I'm earning a little money to have fun with while my last months wages from the school is going to be used to get me on some early childcare courses so I can work at a preschool here.<br /><br />As I am one of those people who need something to obsess about or I go nuts, I am starting a new blog mainly about clothes and my favourite styles and anything else that comes to mind. So if that interests you please come over to...<br /><br />http://thegetgoremix.blogspot.com/<br /><br />and lets have some new age fun with a vintage feel.... :P<br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-177419872507802442010-12-17T07:17:00.000-08:002010-12-17T08:00:39.665-08:00Honest to blog<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Well that took a while.</div><div style="text-align: center;">My laptop died a few weeks back and so I've been out of blogging action. Also I am in fact a lazy human being who can't even be bothered to type a few thoughts now and again!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I've found myself being very lazy in alot of aspects of my life recently. My Japanese studies have been neglected and I'm pretty shocked that even after a year my listening, reading and most of all speaking is rediculously bad. I admit it's better than it was when I first came here but still I would have liked to have seen myself doing a bit better by now. Hey </div><div style="text-align: center;">Ho though, some days I'm filled with the drive to learn and study hard but I had a period of being very dissinterested in language. Perhaps due to my job allowin</div><div style="text-align: center;">g me to speak only English I had no fear of communication. The only words I have to speak everyday is "Arigatou Gozaimasu" to the clerks at the 7Eleven. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Conclusion, I need the fear!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the highlights for December has been getting the FLU. I was knocked out for a week, and I do mean knocked out. Flopping around in bed like a fish, sweating and crying for my mum! </div><div style="text-align: center;">I visited the doctor 4 times and 4 times I was put on drips of vitamines and antibiotics.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfkce1wEMx6Au8WMqFpqKwOn1kyfzLOp-cl2QGU0ymKMrLLsusOIbANo4xTBuw44DgiZn6XvS8Ft2fYsfopvFHrBlhOklB-DJGAwd_1ZUzjf5gOggnYb7_1xY2htS3RkrU5PPT6crkQ0/s400/sick.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551674470801698210" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Seeing as I'd never in my life been on a drip before this was somewhat of a novelty but by the 4th time of being sat for 2 hours with a pin in my arm I was ready to get the fuck better. </div><div style="text-align: center;">It's funny, in England I would visit the doctor maybe once or twice a year if that but since I've been in Japan I have been to the doctor/hospital a total of 6 times! SIX! WHY IS THIS? Does riding the Chou line everyday mean really mean I am just begging for sickness? Should I really start wearing those masks to keep peoples nasty germs away? Or is it the fact I work with a classroom of toddlers who lick their snot off their hands and cough in my face? These are mysteries of the universe but nevermind, Tokyo made me sick. Not that getting the flu is uncommon but I haven't had it for a few years and so I'd fogotten how truely crap it is. I sware I get man flu...</div><div style="text-align: center;">The attitudes towards illness are slightly different here too. Like being put on a drip was, for me, a fairly extreme thing to go through. In England, you are told to drink fluids and rest for a few days while taking painkillers. There was a point in my illness where the doctor told me he was going to refere me to a hospital if I didn't improve by my next appoinment (The next day)...LIKE WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY? But I understand why now....</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm not complaining, but (ohh but) the medicine here sucks. The Japanese drugs seem to be a good few years behind most other places, the painkillers you get are expensive and weak and are pretty much a waste of everyones time. Cold medicines cost around Y1500, roughly GPB10 which is, quiet honestly TAKING THE PISS. But I haven't found the perscription to be any better. The doctor gave me Tamiflu, which was made notorious in England for making people worse when they had flu, and another tablet I got was just a B12 vitamin...but I trust these doctors medical knowledge is greater than my own so I took the pills and felt the same. The drips however did have an effect and after my second dose of the purple bag I found I could sit down, stand up and move my head without wishing I was dead. The drips may have seemed extreme at the time but I have I feeling they are the only thing that would do any good.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It was a quicky, however Christmas is fast approching and I'm interested to see how 2 Brits and a Sweedish girl (Namely me and my housemates) will fare this holiday season....having no oven to cook a roast dinner, no Christmas crackers and no SPROUTS. Drama is sure to happen, please watch out!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6B2GWZNwd3xKpkU8chu6tkrylOw8RLxwotygQBPU3IyN7QEAb9ZVlIhpGxrN5ZiB9rYK7ZkNjr_A14fJsCTx6edsjvyweOd9K2NY5H6ZtzvXWN7iW4xNuP0tktffPhDMx9ucrQ64LfY/s400/gaylord.jpg" /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-13000303079629599532010-10-10T23:24:00.000-07:002010-10-11T08:46:07.367-07:00Harajuku girls I am yo biggest fan<div style="text-align: center;">Let's talk about one of the things I love most about Japan. Cosplay!
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I've tried my hand at cosplay many years ago but anything I attempted just ended up an embarrassing mess on me. So it really impresses me when I see people doing the character they're cosplaying justice. With cosplay's growing popularity it now seems really easy to find resources and people to help you with costumes. Online and real stores now exist for all your cosplaying needs so it's easier than ever to become your favourite character. Although i think cosplaying is alot more then just putting on a wig and a store bought costume and the people who manage to pull all those extra things together are a real inspiration to me. I get so excited to see someone looking exactly how I would imagine the character to look in real life and I become a total fangirl all over again.
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<br />I went to a cosplay event in the oldest theme park in Tokyo, in Asakusa. A pretty odd setting for a cosplay event but when I got there I realised it was pretty appropriate as there where alot of interesting places for everyone to have photos taken with various types of shrubbery!
<br />As this was a cosplay event some of the cosplayers seemed a little too Pro and it seemed like they didn't want their photos taken by non-pro photographer white-assed-white-girl, which seemed a bit silly to me but most of the crowed were very friendly and put up with my bad Japanese when trying to compliment them on their effort.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_ZemEPNvlRAvG8SJ2JC0Y-gJRCYKPJEAickIMO0fw9zDCPt3SfCcbaig1tKAY3LbIG4FB3IN4u-0YWg_baDBuinAx12gNZIK9veFQ0X7d_oJ7ahZzCbZy9I4CbmuOsvBdrrOrOfq7nQ/s1600/ninja.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_ZemEPNvlRAvG8SJ2JC0Y-gJRCYKPJEAickIMO0fw9zDCPt3SfCcbaig1tKAY3LbIG4FB3IN4u-0YWg_baDBuinAx12gNZIK9veFQ0X7d_oJ7ahZzCbZy9I4CbmuOsvBdrrOrOfq7nQ/s400/ninja.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526675901267252578" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBlRy1yFhQ4b5r56AHSEhlTLU5cTu8FGkkI4m_FpPln1Bo7hhK6KAmhzU9s8OX-Wag7lNxkO4AHra5gsCY5OyaiKYgxwnNtD2MXut4El1-veV1xQ0zovgOCfNthQSjJFFHODlyyef0Hk/s1600/ff78.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBlRy1yFhQ4b5r56AHSEhlTLU5cTu8FGkkI4m_FpPln1Bo7hhK6KAmhzU9s8OX-Wag7lNxkO4AHra5gsCY5OyaiKYgxwnNtD2MXut4El1-veV1xQ0zovgOCfNthQSjJFFHODlyyef0Hk/s400/ff78.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526675899525378562" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUh-PfzVsmsrPTX5gFdpQdcArJe-K0y-JOSE5aoWkfQsRCRl1bewV_URZYqim-c4ppU8f1p-9G5MDDQ65lhN0b_dKbiwDIdE-hZKptOgP2kC4J3NxNqA-yWqZEJrAU9wnFqtMAl2A2P0/s1600/naruto.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUh-PfzVsmsrPTX5gFdpQdcArJe-K0y-JOSE5aoWkfQsRCRl1bewV_URZYqim-c4ppU8f1p-9G5MDDQ65lhN0b_dKbiwDIdE-hZKptOgP2kC4J3NxNqA-yWqZEJrAU9wnFqtMAl2A2P0/s400/naruto.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526675894013504322" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJyZDhI-vgNBvZHUvLuJzoOywGNu8AsUuhA3_SJ-ZeklyNmOm_hm85BCseve640euF_vJCtOvJdGgYI38N2PwSNKkaWUHp_K3KH2VmSiTaTvMrSkV9FiVjgitNUP22oo_LZlsx9flUPI/s1600/durarara.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJyZDhI-vgNBvZHUvLuJzoOywGNu8AsUuhA3_SJ-ZeklyNmOm_hm85BCseve640euF_vJCtOvJdGgYI38N2PwSNKkaWUHp_K3KH2VmSiTaTvMrSkV9FiVjgitNUP22oo_LZlsx9flUPI/s400/durarara.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526675890948829698" border="0" /></a>There where alot more but these are my favourite and were the nicest people.
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<br />The next event was Tokyo Game Show. Although I saw alot of cosplays I couldn't take photos of all of them because it was sooo busy and there was no space to take a decent photo. However, there was a whole cosplay area where you could fight your way through the crowds and ask them to pose how you wanted :/ Mostly I just lerked around and took photos when I had a good oppotunity. Obviously, this being a gaming convention, there are only game characters...
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrXUBm6k2luIyqFqNJuhzwyxw1axvC-n3aK7onALNE_Yfdv411Hh7GHj9NAPicD3EgfO2z5bwSI4zrY7eDFFnYIZ24bNNmFsiJlTpIHkKanA_cvWpFBzYa4NZ0ongiKbQp16XsFo7PME/s1600/paper+kh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrXUBm6k2luIyqFqNJuhzwyxw1axvC-n3aK7onALNE_Yfdv411Hh7GHj9NAPicD3EgfO2z5bwSI4zrY7eDFFnYIZ24bNNmFsiJlTpIHkKanA_cvWpFBzYa4NZ0ongiKbQp16XsFo7PME/s400/paper+kh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526753797823657842" border="0" /></a>2D Kingdom Hearts
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOqdKJrufjxjwcwi7Tm8RWnm1CbUDGXTrtqx76lBHQKp_maUEiKQ00mwgqNKETT5riPSPX5pPqkL3ZyqxGqKAfXDnVjUiW_iPwPJOXTYxxZipvux6kNPNyINO_o-vV1-Z43E9LtWp_og/s1600/fake+sora.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOqdKJrufjxjwcwi7Tm8RWnm1CbUDGXTrtqx76lBHQKp_maUEiKQ00mwgqNKETT5riPSPX5pPqkL3ZyqxGqKAfXDnVjUiW_iPwPJOXTYxxZipvux6kNPNyINO_o-vV1-Z43E9LtWp_og/s400/fake+sora.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526753794279955282" border="0" /></a>3D Sora
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbq_lZg4Nro0JzKobTHkZThHMvJ_V8HcWBUwNUCoxcn4uJJbUuU2N38xVENPaxlhPM6kn_yOtxWF1ICC5P50tcETHPJ-NmVRxKeTqd_VCdpA2xyhkZVDJPDH5wttg762g3E2wWOUYoj8/s1600/real+sora.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbq_lZg4Nro0JzKobTHkZThHMvJ_V8HcWBUwNUCoxcn4uJJbUuU2N38xVENPaxlhPM6kn_yOtxWF1ICC5P50tcETHPJ-NmVRxKeTqd_VCdpA2xyhkZVDJPDH5wttg762g3E2wWOUYoj8/s400/real+sora.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526753805852170434" border="0" /></a>Real Sora :D
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIAROCzBR5XoNMPxgbEWJOMm2SBjkU-SMu9iq9qswpSbUA05rS2DG-gvv01Bz8ESpUzUSNQhwtE81aDP4PAJsC5jo4Fuj6LwkMchFxRTKYFSNZCxX7aRg9ouPpb540psYVRzj4kXRqXw/s1600/kh+group.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIAROCzBR5XoNMPxgbEWJOMm2SBjkU-SMu9iq9qswpSbUA05rS2DG-gvv01Bz8ESpUzUSNQhwtE81aDP4PAJsC5jo4Fuj6LwkMchFxRTKYFSNZCxX7aRg9ouPpb540psYVRzj4kXRqXw/s400/kh+group.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526753791177887922" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv38YIwFZt2hx0sa0mBSsDHokV-9e32KdEMoflwpVsrlJ3XVinxoa-czahlDe6DIq6PcyKvGTeZxXzCDnMJuS_XMolRJWW3dTmdzPtYembfpaq8RKdfluraayQi3bKpwtfM9T3ysXlrOo/s1600/chaos.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv38YIwFZt2hx0sa0mBSsDHokV-9e32KdEMoflwpVsrlJ3XVinxoa-czahlDe6DIq6PcyKvGTeZxXzCDnMJuS_XMolRJWW3dTmdzPtYembfpaq8RKdfluraayQi3bKpwtfM9T3ysXlrOo/s400/chaos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526758046551501330" border="0" /></a>Chaos Vincent Valentine
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrCEixcxtkwQYpCEzx7fiPQ0B4WtCSGCdI7LkIw8zaYaVXdkey7JgPQC_ecHcDZeEUcT2OKtmA9Og4q2MRhgCZC_NZGcn1ilYblYO81c2wLwvedlijULQw0Bet3XsDpx1SyslViEWoDI/s1600/ffx.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrCEixcxtkwQYpCEzx7fiPQ0B4WtCSGCdI7LkIw8zaYaVXdkey7JgPQC_ecHcDZeEUcT2OKtmA9Og4q2MRhgCZC_NZGcn1ilYblYO81c2wLwvedlijULQw0Bet3XsDpx1SyslViEWoDI/s400/ffx.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526758038714330738" border="0" /></a>FFX ladies
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0E1aevqZAxmepraPLsX1soMWhr9GGuEflK2pOmZfkO1n_zHN1QotCkm84MSDmw9auqDHSOXXiPvv0m0AAP31rwfz9_9H1-FEuQSrRNjZ2bxnrog8K_GNYmXcvqmOdLgwCoaJp9PAIuI/s1600/booty.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0E1aevqZAxmepraPLsX1soMWhr9GGuEflK2pOmZfkO1n_zHN1QotCkm84MSDmw9auqDHSOXXiPvv0m0AAP31rwfz9_9H1-FEuQSrRNjZ2bxnrog8K_GNYmXcvqmOdLgwCoaJp9PAIuI/s400/booty.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526758044960796178" border="0" /></a>Mai from King of Fighters being surrounded by pro cams :O
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuoM6fjtvmbg9omxb_pjTm5IfJhroXSnWbsKbUvuEoFL5zf0gcJuLFl4QOz8jyuSKh51IrC2z_spidTVpNHW4_C-O03X8rUmewIWMTTLAZSFW5F-qouAUu86DfwA_yT-0VQKQ4UUsOzg/s1600/asuka.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuoM6fjtvmbg9omxb_pjTm5IfJhroXSnWbsKbUvuEoFL5zf0gcJuLFl4QOz8jyuSKh51IrC2z_spidTVpNHW4_C-O03X8rUmewIWMTTLAZSFW5F-qouAUu86DfwA_yT-0VQKQ4UUsOzg/s400/asuka.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526758033073949058" border="0" /></a>Asuka handing out Evangelion fans.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6kayiRb8gyJVEwNn-QLp9K20tvHjOnYKUXJTt66fw4FRo2-b_0QyASLuPgvASl1ISCg0slf4lWPBnBCqs0HNejXPTu64DVt28O5Exe2IEfR_HUctGMsOpToqIbfLb1qcn-7Q52-3OVE/s1600/persona3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6kayiRb8gyJVEwNn-QLp9K20tvHjOnYKUXJTt66fw4FRo2-b_0QyASLuPgvASl1ISCg0slf4lWPBnBCqs0HNejXPTu64DVt28O5Exe2IEfR_HUctGMsOpToqIbfLb1qcn-7Q52-3OVE/s400/persona3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526759139684223186" border="0" /></a>Persona 3 Portable
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrobsoxV2URGztnZrHWn7KBfRIN2Nwn9MMjke1z7OqsEFQOWi-9G9uVMJkzWyjS-aNFLxeEwGNfWn20XkDlK-zR_xyun-_a8VGgBv1FDeuLI-r-6iti6pZkvTspvUe3inE7M9pLgqbcA/s1600/re4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrobsoxV2URGztnZrHWn7KBfRIN2Nwn9MMjke1z7OqsEFQOWi-9G9uVMJkzWyjS-aNFLxeEwGNfWn20XkDlK-zR_xyun-_a8VGgBv1FDeuLI-r-6iti6pZkvTspvUe3inE7M9pLgqbcA/s400/re4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526759132771069026" border="0" /></a>Resident Evil! CHRISS! LEON!
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<br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkl31aiM0kQlSB9XkRXCKzaLTDJ3KQz5dvs8W9S2TIM7JepmvtYtSpjO_hb1E6ved4XfU5MinGgKHRe1RlG7kEBp5D-O_nFnQeQARWUvzVVJx-JfMofIvwzgVvNZN87nQfmMyO-YtXZQ/s400/sarah+and+snow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526759138695763826" border="0" />Snow and Sarah
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckVU9ZhP4TyF8MJkae39OKRGfHUSHidhgeSjwp2TdpOVdbWeO1l9-2VHgNXqF4GXCd2sXyZJBOUIvxxf8e-vXqMfppG_LDp16b6raRdwmSDwEfA9d1aJhpqRxEz2eEx8_UinbWUMdHTg/s1600/vanille+and+sarah.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckVU9ZhP4TyF8MJkae39OKRGfHUSHidhgeSjwp2TdpOVdbWeO1l9-2VHgNXqF4GXCd2sXyZJBOUIvxxf8e-vXqMfppG_LDp16b6raRdwmSDwEfA9d1aJhpqRxEz2eEx8_UinbWUMdHTg/s400/vanille+and+sarah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526759152846055410" border="0" /></a>Sarah and Vanille FF13
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0g9oyVoQlmhWuikOVpUYF7ORI3u_r8Zu8xuiateVWEufvkMaU1JaUjpMTO8MAKKYZ9emez-pufepvd__NzyxAyaycTQ4IB-vNMZRjxNC8hZydu5xG2BUUifUVckhJkmx-eXCN8cxpGkE/s1600/vanille+and+gundam.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0g9oyVoQlmhWuikOVpUYF7ORI3u_r8Zu8xuiateVWEufvkMaU1JaUjpMTO8MAKKYZ9emez-pufepvd__NzyxAyaycTQ4IB-vNMZRjxNC8hZydu5xG2BUUifUVckhJkmx-eXCN8cxpGkE/s400/vanille+and+gundam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526759148693909074" border="0" /></a>:3
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqeW1yToUfC184IEmzW9wRuhBlXZSpoehh9PEU6NHC1mUhVKwRBeTQ3igGpUhh9Kt9xaQ-PwnZ7iAmrSE8MjEA6_s12cR2SzF-Eik0gyoBOHdZtHeliuMH5wZbohMDBEsLJmirEf86lU/s1600/tifa+n+cloud.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFqeW1yToUfC184IEmzW9wRuhBlXZSpoehh9PEU6NHC1mUhVKwRBeTQ3igGpUhh9Kt9xaQ-PwnZ7iAmrSE8MjEA6_s12cR2SzF-Eik0gyoBOHdZtHeliuMH5wZbohMDBEsLJmirEf86lU/s400/tifa+n+cloud.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526760039772171186" border="0" /></a>FF7 Cloud and PERFECT Tifa
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMma1T_RYr8yhBUUJ0eSnfNyEdtVwRJv9TMvHvZSZ3JSoAWEzdlLx1lRoTry8iCN5c_sz5XtwxZ_hzh1fxEl3N_qr41J6fQVh69II-JsRXtDSKuhetEJgYYzVCf0fSaDFBCU8LowdIz0I/s1600/bayonetta.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMma1T_RYr8yhBUUJ0eSnfNyEdtVwRJv9TMvHvZSZ3JSoAWEzdlLx1lRoTry8iCN5c_sz5XtwxZ_hzh1fxEl3N_qr41J6fQVh69II-JsRXtDSKuhetEJgYYzVCf0fSaDFBCU8LowdIz0I/s400/bayonetta.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526760039510728146" border="0" /></a>My ultimate favourite cosplay of the day and one that I was so lucky to get a photo of. Jasmine and me saw them standing in a queue for one of the games and nearly wet ourselves. I think they must have seen the pleading in my eyes as they agreed to a photo. HOW PERFECT ARE THEY. Just as a referance..
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54gC0s1JoVd1tHZiOjL456Z8WdfIOgbbcPYIG_eo3XMcj8KOgx9oJsw94uunUtf3UQM4ahaE3cKEINetvmJ792DI9H5OZh52-RSA2cIcZ7CC9R38chnBv9mt5Ksn585kculHkYFLGJfE/s1600/bayonettaomg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 391px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54gC0s1JoVd1tHZiOjL456Z8WdfIOgbbcPYIG_eo3XMcj8KOgx9oJsw94uunUtf3UQM4ahaE3cKEINetvmJ792DI9H5OZh52-RSA2cIcZ7CC9R38chnBv9mt5Ksn585kculHkYFLGJfE/s400/bayonettaomg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526766515901449794" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs6UVNGRnUZuXWxeODUy2m3WPMxoJPAMg6xi4ew5vOCvJXVjQTnfA6pxBwV9anJOICQf5QhneSgs_gNamZPmRXljVIi0vPPcBCYaatxmcYpsmOF8H89UVEq1prYVLIQselz4zpXauQ8M/s1600/bayonetta23.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs6UVNGRnUZuXWxeODUy2m3WPMxoJPAMg6xi4ew5vOCvJXVjQTnfA6pxBwV9anJOICQf5QhneSgs_gNamZPmRXljVIi0vPPcBCYaatxmcYpsmOF8H89UVEq1prYVLIQselz4zpXauQ8M/s400/bayonetta23.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526765959261489250" border="0" /></a>Ohhhh Bayonetta! <3<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4lW6i-iYDPefdJc78qOCSGZMdEJdZJhDYSh5nn2fZpocNgPz7yI2kcZwUKsvfinxdnZLA-zymTdnYySBNaeJ8oX1jLO-m-63_fVaAStzk0apSo9Z2Wfv8TTzFhzenvZf0Mv9gsHK4K8/s400/poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526768960029432562" border="0" />
<br />That about wraps up my cosplay report. I hope you enjoyed these awesome costumes! </div></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-46542184903099899012010-09-25T06:48:00.000-07:002010-09-25T09:21:58.016-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be able to be asked to do a podcast on westerners views on gyaru and gyaru culture in the UK. I hope everyone realises that while I love the gyaru style and use elements of it for my own style I don't think I'm dedicated enough to call myself gyaru. Nevertheless I tried to put forward some of my opinions on gyaru culture.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />The podcast isn't available yet but as soon as it is I shall post it. I am a little worried seeing as I had 4 hours sleep because I was clubbing in Shibuya until 6am! I don't think I was able to convey some ideas very coherently so please enjoy laughing at that!<br /><br />I was asked to do the podcast by two wonderful people Matthew and Terri who run this fantastic place in Meguro called Tokyo Hacker Space<br /><br />http://www.tokyohackerspace.org/<br /><br />I didn't realize but there are many Hacker Spaces around the world! I was so surprised at the type of work that goes on in the Hacker Space. It's a place where anyone can take their ideas and use the resources to make it real, weither that idea is to do with art, the environment, computer hacking, fashion, language, music...anything! All the Hacker Space's tools can be used and they have a huge library on many subjects that are available. Workshops go on all the time and when they also hold BBQ's, movie and anime events and talks on various subjects. It really is a wonderful place to meet creative people from all over and I hope to get to visit them again soon!<br />Terri and Matthew were so kind to me and made me feel very at home, they even gave me ideas and tips for making my own podcast or video blog which I hope to get off my lazy arse and actually DO one of these days! They asked me lots of questions about the UK gyaru scene, what resources are used etc and gave me some facts about gyaru I didn't even know myself!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZ9QVJ5Q3inVCtTHQwn-TTAKDripGOJyVgEOxQUYCog3Ny2t0PiuC7A0L0fBnc9kEgLnwXGTZhZgkDeIrcYRsYXV9xaDEhz5mNxJ7gWJ17_rp4AP-FFCKIfLnOs9zSMraaSU_nyrByo0/s1600/hi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 349px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZ9QVJ5Q3inVCtTHQwn-TTAKDripGOJyVgEOxQUYCog3Ny2t0PiuC7A0L0fBnc9kEgLnwXGTZhZgkDeIrcYRsYXV9xaDEhz5mNxJ7gWJ17_rp4AP-FFCKIfLnOs9zSMraaSU_nyrByo0/s400/hi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520872766599639874" border="0" /></a>My podcast will be on..<br /><br />http://www.japanpodcast.net/<br /><br />Terri and Matthew do wonderful shows with lots of interesting insights so please take some time and listen to them!<br /><br />In other news, work is going well. I've been asked to take on some extra English classes in the afternoons for older kids which is great. It's a fantastic opportunity for my teaching skills to level up and it'll mean a bit more money for shopping!<br />I've been checking out the party scene in Tokyo a bit more, I've been to a few dance music events in Shibuya and I love them. Before it felt like I hadn't been out dancing in an age, even though I LOVE to have a boogie! Le Fabric hosted a school girl themed event but Nozomi and I were the only ones dressed up!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLVyz-Mq9xwmg0rusBYpmov7BOY5RBTNC9oHP3a-k4b0DIJL6sadTuhfMd6yqYXVPoMnX9bFi-YKqhpTgWB57eLz4g53XykkMRIXB5om56Rh2P6fOcEl7xnzx_ec9TDIAarKzPji2ijY/s1600/nozomi+et+moi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLVyz-Mq9xwmg0rusBYpmov7BOY5RBTNC9oHP3a-k4b0DIJL6sadTuhfMd6yqYXVPoMnX9bFi-YKqhpTgWB57eLz4g53XykkMRIXB5om56Rh2P6fOcEl7xnzx_ec9TDIAarKzPji2ijY/s400/nozomi+et+moi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520880699906162498" border="0" /></a>It was a great night but the crowd got a bit thin towards the end and getting the first train back in the morning was a little weird in a full school girl costume! At least I didn't get ID'd on the way home like Nozomi. I didn't know that in Japan all minors have a curfew and will get pulled off the streets if they're caught out D: So very different from the UK where gangs of kids can stay out all night in front of my old work making a mess and skateboarding.<br /><br />I went to a club night recently near Shibuya where my workmate was DJing. Great night although I ended up going for soba at 3am so I missed alot of it! Also Nozomi did the classic Japanese "I've-had-too-much-tequila" thing and passed out on a table.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2uEjkYcGxzKX239ro_0F7C6nooIr-IiKFmUTSz3e6bZeZYBVMJzoIaXjE0vFoRs-X5VLAOilJ_edOnDHR0sWoNg-22TKMTn8uDtUdiD21EkPzNyAeEJVmEtiaiD-7j_0r9SLef5JHV4/s1600/workmates.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2uEjkYcGxzKX239ro_0F7C6nooIr-IiKFmUTSz3e6bZeZYBVMJzoIaXjE0vFoRs-X5VLAOilJ_edOnDHR0sWoNg-22TKMTn8uDtUdiD21EkPzNyAeEJVmEtiaiD-7j_0r9SLef5JHV4/s400/workmates.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520883614716271570" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QDbckVPXhMNimvuoUtvlOjgqQYB4LhYCyV6yNsIwo_cvdyAuDHoLHspQeb0ukbyh1e-LKJExjwOmKFZVOl9xlwKh73F4HliIbVj_BQT1BAbJcikUpjeACQ_PaQlzJw8cEzlfB6F702s/s1600/oh+nozomi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QDbckVPXhMNimvuoUtvlOjgqQYB4LhYCyV6yNsIwo_cvdyAuDHoLHspQeb0ukbyh1e-LKJExjwOmKFZVOl9xlwKh73F4HliIbVj_BQT1BAbJcikUpjeACQ_PaQlzJw8cEzlfB6F702s/s400/oh+nozomi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520883616935528514" border="0" /></a><br />Even though I'm going out more I've not been bad drunk for a long time. I'm finding it easier to keep myself in check so I don't end up a stupid mess like when i first came here. Maybe this is me growing up a little bit. Although I know I don't feel anything drastic I can see that I'm not the same person I was when I left England. Especially recently I feel like I'm taking on more responsability and it's not phasing me as much. I'm also taking responsabilty to make sure I get out and take oppotunities to see some amazing things, over the summer I felt very boring and that I wasn't using my time wisely enough but now I feel like im hitting my stride and I feel more confidant exploring Tokyo. The trains and cities don't intimidate me much anymore so I feel I can actually go and meet people. I went to a gaijin bar called the Pink Cow this week and it was probably the friendliest bar I have ever been too. The barmaid and 2 regulars chatted with me for hours and I ended up completly neglecting Jasmine and the two men we came with! I'm sorry, but I am definately going to pay it another visit.<br /><br />Next time COSPLAY AND TOKYO GAME SHOW<br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-57603389618200693872010-09-02T05:16:00.000-07:002010-09-02T08:02:17.127-07:00I be looking for labels, I ain't looking for love...<div style="text-align: center;">I'll get everything negative out of the way first. Today was an utter failure. I hoped to go to the bank to sort out some finances. I was told there was a branch of my bank in Shinjuku near the shopping centre Alta, but alas I wondered up and down the main road with no bank. So I thought I would take a trip to Harajuku to scout out some hair salons. Of the two I found that actually did extensions the cheapest price I was offered was Y20,000...I was thinking more like Y12,000! So I turned back up the main street and tried to do some shopping. BUT NO, the universe was not my friend today and I couldn't decide on anything to buy except some AWESOME underwhere that turned out to be too small (they were all in packs and marked S,M,L).<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Ok, that's out of the way! Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet up with an old friend Emma (http://blooomzy.blogspot.com/) . Just seeing her and hearing her voice was a surreal experience just because she reminded me of home and all my friends from my town! It actually made me really really happy rather than more homesick. It was great just being able to talk about home our experiences of Tokyo.<br /><br />109 was obviously hit. I think the only shop I actually spent money in was CocoLulu...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK08R72eQD7FYrGlWCyaLiRB3OmXTcKN9MiF5YO9zuf27UyQhqGRt5x_u4PPz-kw4V7qHA9pNqVHnobad9SttTwnELoByO7vL044fvF_caXAuoiG2prc4krj7SiYb_WDv5_ccwiQnOl7M/s1600/store.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK08R72eQD7FYrGlWCyaLiRB3OmXTcKN9MiF5YO9zuf27UyQhqGRt5x_u4PPz-kw4V7qHA9pNqVHnobad9SttTwnELoByO7vL044fvF_caXAuoiG2prc4krj7SiYb_WDv5_ccwiQnOl7M/s400/store.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512296342381773538" border="0" /></a><br />I treated myself to the new "ACTION" hoodie, mentioned a few posts ago, and the complementing tee.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwv_1ekyumWXHA2t4duSZNmakcfhVPGCe4bgDMJXzsHkCP9mroD3qjzU-XEYpyCghhPZqmKWIxHkX18cW9NCHqXoX_yFExT3C8kVbIOljK5Q6kOkBgB3_HD0muwdF7d_wd9AAQ6o-Cc3k/s1600/P1050427.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwv_1ekyumWXHA2t4duSZNmakcfhVPGCe4bgDMJXzsHkCP9mroD3qjzU-XEYpyCghhPZqmKWIxHkX18cW9NCHqXoX_yFExT3C8kVbIOljK5Q6kOkBgB3_HD0muwdF7d_wd9AAQ6o-Cc3k/s400/P1050427.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512297433794397394" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVneriRfeB9O6CN_fRQ4eD1X7uzXr9g-1PaOj0co1kEZqfcPtOLQV88U6x2AXYmezE-pu16GC6ySXpHB_rfat4MPXy7uG3tajWq_42s1CVMnvy6h6fMk_oVP2vaJQKDz70DxuorWqs6uY/s1600/P1050433.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVneriRfeB9O6CN_fRQ4eD1X7uzXr9g-1PaOj0co1kEZqfcPtOLQV88U6x2AXYmezE-pu16GC6ySXpHB_rfat4MPXy7uG3tajWq_42s1CVMnvy6h6fMk_oVP2vaJQKDz70DxuorWqs6uY/s400/P1050433.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512297071277608866" border="0" /></a>Dirty mirror!! D:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZbHQJmPTPQ3Zkcc2rOjtHobwIp2kbfmyK6xvWtQsYrrzMLDBgqxiiPGU2f8qTWqZpycW5P6GSztGV_mi5oKxa4Bte20D6KVQYqzLLl7w6k9J3xJfpcpkf9jWZ4D2XxZECdKCVsoV87M/s1600/P1050408.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZbHQJmPTPQ3Zkcc2rOjtHobwIp2kbfmyK6xvWtQsYrrzMLDBgqxiiPGU2f8qTWqZpycW5P6GSztGV_mi5oKxa4Bte20D6KVQYqzLLl7w6k9J3xJfpcpkf9jWZ4D2XxZECdKCVsoV87M/s400/P1050408.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512297448276729602" border="0" /></a>Wow and I only realised on the train that they gave me some cute buttons<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgST9kc1eE3rsntWphIYrpHU413E5euGX719DFCytjGDCJJBEqMee9iTU8TUgzzKCuAX0tO7l8fhwwezigAZKXN5AUKX76LMc9e7j6Me-vFxrJrr-JTbmX3VsHmy0OFHARtYLgfyvqA2V8/s1600/P1050425.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgST9kc1eE3rsntWphIYrpHU413E5euGX719DFCytjGDCJJBEqMee9iTU8TUgzzKCuAX0tO7l8fhwwezigAZKXN5AUKX76LMc9e7j6Me-vFxrJrr-JTbmX3VsHmy0OFHARtYLgfyvqA2V8/s400/P1050425.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512298960587307298" border="0" /></a>I actually had a bit of inspiration while walking around 109 and thought it would be a great idea to do a virtual makeover for people I know. Just because when I go shopping I always see things other people would look fantastic in. One Spo currently have this incredably sexy Russian/military theme going on and I imidiately thought of Toni. Since One Spo have no online store I had to use one of my photos! So forgive my poor editing Toni, but I thought this outfit suited you to a T!<br /><br />PRESENTING THEGETGOTOKYO's VIRTUAL BLOG MAKEOVER #1<br />:Toni in One Spo Autumn 2010<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9_p96-I77blm991KSUwN7vKkre6q6tbiJxiSY-OsntZC833-i30Q0ZSLdfPacJ2XxWvoR_PedTnOj7GqG5N8B2SYniHnCvTlwMv9o0SZLZ9iH-yYVrkI61qpbYECyld6I46O_yTnK5o/s1600/onespotoni.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 526px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX9_p96-I77blm991KSUwN7vKkre6q6tbiJxiSY-OsntZC833-i30Q0ZSLdfPacJ2XxWvoR_PedTnOj7GqG5N8B2SYniHnCvTlwMv9o0SZLZ9iH-yYVrkI61qpbYECyld6I46O_yTnK5o/s400/onespotoni.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512307600538632162" border="0" /></a><br />X3<br /><br />Tomorrow I will hopefully manage to do the things I planned for today but also I am going to Le Fabrique for the house/trance night 'Disco Manga' which happens to be a 'Back to School' theme :D Perfct for me an my school uniform love!<br />After I came back from Shibuya I took myself to Donki to pick up this little number...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyAWqNRNf6dBrcquddUKCdfTkEE71bc2He_LYA6pVVqF64FPIvOjc_xwqyWLY3OxR0mTBzKKtGkBuX4qfSpzQh2uKw5DChrqsqOlMBg1xJA_l3-svbeP6xhMdJeLQit1X3RSHOjaixIk/s1600/P1050445.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyAWqNRNf6dBrcquddUKCdfTkEE71bc2He_LYA6pVVqF64FPIvOjc_xwqyWLY3OxR0mTBzKKtGkBuX4qfSpzQh2uKw5DChrqsqOlMBg1xJA_l3-svbeP6xhMdJeLQit1X3RSHOjaixIk/s400/P1050445.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512298973372897474" border="0" /></a>Also had a great message in the tag...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDJtGvgILYTApY4GgvG1nxjOz4QlZ6YX1Q0Jy87RfEFrfN8YmnN8x8REcHE3OFakAWi5XtXeS34xlm10eKo7b5Sv0JdoYh2ohvZkadewKqJLwpPbHXXUGlUIVBuBKFSM2ZJiNk344gD0/s1600/P1050446.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDJtGvgILYTApY4GgvG1nxjOz4QlZ6YX1Q0Jy87RfEFrfN8YmnN8x8REcHE3OFakAWi5XtXeS34xlm10eKo7b5Sv0JdoYh2ohvZkadewKqJLwpPbHXXUGlUIVBuBKFSM2ZJiNk344gD0/s400/P1050446.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512298984204802674" border="0" /></a>Thanks Teen Girls, I will!<br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-25875270190163393412010-08-29T04:16:00.000-07:002010-08-29T05:11:12.241-07:00I told you that Im crazy for these cupcakes, cousin.<div style="text-align: center;">Obligatory lazy Sunday post.<br />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!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />For once I will actually show you what I wear down the shops<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxi34KCnA2kXe251eR_XDKQr5167xy_Qfes12zHrwrtHLJVhvaymvm-75orMCl0Jfz7_rlTHAE8_L5kP62R-pLv1g5knApCJFtRq0qNQrniZIjug_JoRMp_vAiqeNhMS9RYI-mSNQwgC0/s1600/P1050351.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxi34KCnA2kXe251eR_XDKQr5167xy_Qfes12zHrwrtHLJVhvaymvm-75orMCl0Jfz7_rlTHAE8_L5kP62R-pLv1g5knApCJFtRq0qNQrniZIjug_JoRMp_vAiqeNhMS9RYI-mSNQwgC0/s400/P1050351.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510794214599734114" border="0" /></a><br />Despite not making effort with my clothes I try to practice my makeup every day whether I am leaving the house or not<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsJS4S8B1P7CNv6tdOpY1PmmDs_epkmB2ByAWXEdPutHIvzN5T-bgDkMEFP7fvPQrFk9gU3d1B9Bao5-JYzBuqyzW8vDL8QYfO53R1jnsRK3Fua_HwLh__5Ou8P_PZYEdNMruh9_aB9Q/s1600/P1050358.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsJS4S8B1P7CNv6tdOpY1PmmDs_epkmB2ByAWXEdPutHIvzN5T-bgDkMEFP7fvPQrFk9gU3d1B9Bao5-JYzBuqyzW8vDL8QYfO53R1jnsRK3Fua_HwLh__5Ou8P_PZYEdNMruh9_aB9Q/s400/P1050358.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510794222244112210" border="0" /></a><br />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!<br />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!<br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-15199463517607874762010-08-28T04:30:00.000-07:002010-08-28T08:30:14.882-07:00Swallow a little of that sea, now taste a little bit of the salt in me...<div style="text-align: center;">Hello there Internetland.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1CrzgF95frZss1g5JbRs4rhn4vkRsZsRfiJR4KIpMpXvA6A2US208HMELGUxvmtK36Jb3U-Ia2jFtRPCe86tjFW9il2M8JU75xAQVJh3fOhk0SEuFTAFGS7WKiE9IGULJ2zFTfiEtS8/s1600/bah.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1CrzgF95frZss1g5JbRs4rhn4vkRsZsRfiJR4KIpMpXvA6A2US208HMELGUxvmtK36Jb3U-Ia2jFtRPCe86tjFW9il2M8JU75xAQVJh3fOhk0SEuFTAFGS7WKiE9IGULJ2zFTfiEtS8/s400/bah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510441252432055778" border="0" /></a><br />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.<br />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!<br /><br />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?<br />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...<br /><br />http://blooomzy.blogspot.com/<br /><br />Also this week I have been asked to do a podcast for this website<br /><br />http://www.japanpodcast.net/<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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 *_~<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVDtOwy6i6tzCu-sjros_yMuHZ-sMpH9nvEhD24w3xzJ4dBoHnRgsMOcj71AbDZznKDk0bYvtCszXn8S52jMC6i78MDJFZBSlpMyR3ZWL0a7ZfTNJQKlHmGmBlVKrvVp01NTCqsyBgWM/s1600/Photo-0027.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVDtOwy6i6tzCu-sjros_yMuHZ-sMpH9nvEhD24w3xzJ4dBoHnRgsMOcj71AbDZznKDk0bYvtCszXn8S52jMC6i78MDJFZBSlpMyR3ZWL0a7ZfTNJQKlHmGmBlVKrvVp01NTCqsyBgWM/s400/Photo-0027.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510441844764777266" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KRLf2G9x7T_CfGcRKa8GPXLyFgkHWG40rS6kbLv-Xa4GkmV-bo7QeazeeYRljrV0lXf-4akx1piVA7_0Byt9n64RmXZPC5dvO4tg2s_ZC9ystXj-qFUc-v0lysK_PlxSDczAPirzbk0/s1600/Photo-0032.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KRLf2G9x7T_CfGcRKa8GPXLyFgkHWG40rS6kbLv-Xa4GkmV-bo7QeazeeYRljrV0lXf-4akx1piVA7_0Byt9n64RmXZPC5dvO4tg2s_ZC9ystXj-qFUc-v0lysK_PlxSDczAPirzbk0/s400/Photo-0032.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510442346835862370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6xd-o5TJJIa_7_EdHG2Y328NP2JXFPsQUsHYDK9uyOks3McR_WbsS0Tc5IRo96ZzqToU_YsHy2sLA3rg7DSPQWWa1MJOPeNPHU2zME1WFT0tBy1OyB1_t2ePdzaZbu6gGZ0LiwXrGDY/s1600/Photo-0029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6xd-o5TJJIa_7_EdHG2Y328NP2JXFPsQUsHYDK9uyOks3McR_WbsS0Tc5IRo96ZzqToU_YsHy2sLA3rg7DSPQWWa1MJOPeNPHU2zME1WFT0tBy1OyB1_t2ePdzaZbu6gGZ0LiwXrGDY/s400/Photo-0029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510442339038684354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgv_fpCsNDYiI_e9obvWAEWI-xAiN1TJnhKwZh3bhdMKB5y0JS013edv1HfeDqfQuhRGOahJXwoUO8q3xf9r5zUV7h2GFSED3NJIHXdW2aZwxeBvOkzyzQUYAASqsaJJIGZeRpv0lAEU/s1600/Photo-0028.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgv_fpCsNDYiI_e9obvWAEWI-xAiN1TJnhKwZh3bhdMKB5y0JS013edv1HfeDqfQuhRGOahJXwoUO8q3xf9r5zUV7h2GFSED3NJIHXdW2aZwxeBvOkzyzQUYAASqsaJJIGZeRpv0lAEU/s400/Photo-0028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510442334446263362" border="0" /></a></div></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-44668766585575231952010-08-15T03:48:00.000-07:002010-08-15T08:27:38.740-07:00G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S<div style="text-align: center;">I thought I'd take a moment to muse over some gyaru topics.<br />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.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvV2IYzl4tJWc6fGUbSMDCTuKqgqJortJNUz-cFMbSRANExmQ-HwhdjZt1awLdNjpp5BIvCcKYXqPtjHJFS0Y6zzWrIPlT44H8ufBpyrXaS9DsdoMsDwZeoACWcOvXlwzcrDUMIEZH-QU/s1600/hoodie+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvV2IYzl4tJWc6fGUbSMDCTuKqgqJortJNUz-cFMbSRANExmQ-HwhdjZt1awLdNjpp5BIvCcKYXqPtjHJFS0Y6zzWrIPlT44H8ufBpyrXaS9DsdoMsDwZeoACWcOvXlwzcrDUMIEZH-QU/s400/hoodie+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505630104486901410" border="0" /></a>I'm especially loving this hoodie right now.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiE5x1R3MsPT5s6_PffUqW8YdRIyp4Zr8uMnW_M-24DHx9MlaA-W8CLL7C6Z-M334qHJu19JtP1V0R-8e01sTtVbMOg-C7Fm8p_cWzgbDMPkvNOzI3ui6sNTw3FYYThCtqMMBZlv-r8uQ/s1600/can+top.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 327px; height: 391px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiE5x1R3MsPT5s6_PffUqW8YdRIyp4Zr8uMnW_M-24DHx9MlaA-W8CLL7C6Z-M334qHJu19JtP1V0R-8e01sTtVbMOg-C7Fm8p_cWzgbDMPkvNOzI3ui6sNTw3FYYThCtqMMBZlv-r8uQ/s400/can+top.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505627978632567218" border="0" /></a></div><br />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!!<br /><br />These clothes are just MADE for summer and in the winter when it's dark and cold they cheer you up!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br />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.<br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-64601468431888531312010-08-13T10:45:00.000-07:002010-08-13T11:44:19.965-07:00Soz lol<div style="text-align: center;">Bit of a hiatus there. Let's recap the last month or so..<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I MOVED. Yes we are now out of the guesthouse and into our lovely Tokyo apartment. We used a gaijin rental agency called Fontana<br /><br />http://www.tokyocityapartments.net/about-us/<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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 =_=<br />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.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfu3iVS8up-3iJhFbb8TwWjEjgPfWfAd5NAgcaQi9ImZX_6a_ujjLQOb2bumUya5DXGyU49XStxPCscLLmYHfYMTItU5M2IunwCr6nDlgpgyyn5dpys25VdCSmvGbxu6WLiWXzjgacNM/s1600/40470_456059850844_566035844_6683077_7800272_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfu3iVS8up-3iJhFbb8TwWjEjgPfWfAd5NAgcaQi9ImZX_6a_ujjLQOb2bumUya5DXGyU49XStxPCscLLmYHfYMTItU5M2IunwCr6nDlgpgyyn5dpys25VdCSmvGbxu6WLiWXzjgacNM/s400/40470_456059850844_566035844_6683077_7800272_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504961509086244482" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzvhOV6uerMzstTwZ9y5JvjlwDfDzyNvCvdj9PtYyo9v9GjbzbeayJh0fnLGBPEDXo-kWyJh6CWlXo1ZLjK-5bjtS0LnalDKeo_0T6F9cFL7o1EHaxWotKOyHJILMkX58j8ToOmBH86k/s1600/mountains.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzvhOV6uerMzstTwZ9y5JvjlwDfDzyNvCvdj9PtYyo9v9GjbzbeayJh0fnLGBPEDXo-kWyJh6CWlXo1ZLjK-5bjtS0LnalDKeo_0T6F9cFL7o1EHaxWotKOyHJILMkX58j8ToOmBH86k/s400/mountains.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504962366264495922" border="0" /></a><br />GORGEOUS!<br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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.<br />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.<br /><br />Peace.<br /><br /><br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-80118654429722187012010-06-21T06:27:00.000-07:002010-06-21T07:22:49.477-07:00Money talks, money talks. Dirty cash i want you..<div style="text-align: center;">Wow that last post was pure frustration wasn't it? Let's move swiftly on.<br /><br />My camera is out of action due to having a bent USB cable which I will replace sometime after pay day. So I can't bring you any photos of my new bike "Unit 1" or any of the new snaz I've shot.<br /><br />This post is going to be about Japanese trade secrets, probably useless if you're not in Japan or thinking of coming here but here we go. I won't lie when I say that money goes very quickly over here. Even for someone like me who doesn't go out drinking often and doesn't go shopping at all. Even compared to living on your own in the UK i find Japan leeches your money even more, alot of this has to do with my concept of Yen, meaning that my mind hasn't really adjusted to the fact that Y1,000 is actually doesn't stretch that far here. I mean if you go to the corner shop and buy lunch and a coffee you're looking at a grand. Another way Tokyo zaps the monies is travel. Back home I would walk everywhere or be lucky enough to be given a ride, but here you take the train everywhere and everyday. From Nakano to my work (40mins and 1 change) costs me Y1,000 return, so Y20,000 a month (around £150) which is a BIG chunk out of my pay packet. And I would have gone on paying this unless I was told by my co-worker to get a monthly pass. Now I've never heard of these before, they weren't mentioned in any of the guidebooks and even people who have lived here for years didn't mention them. They're called commuter passes and you can buy them from special JR ticket machienes, you have to input your details and it will give you a paper ticket (or update your Suica train pass) to last you a month. You pick which route you take on what lines and it will give you a mega discount bonus for a month. Instead of paying Y20,000 on av. a month the commuter pass charges me Y13,300. A whopping saving there already! Also if you decide "Hey I'd like to go to one of the stops along my route" at anytime of the month then the card will not charge you anymore, so I can explore any of the 13 stops along my route for free. The Japanese seem reluctant to advertise this fact but I'm telling you now if you use the same route on a regular basis YOU NEED ONE OF THESE.<br /><br />Another good idea is to keep an eye on Craigslist. Sometimes in the job sections are random one off jobs for foreigners they you just have to send an email to apply for. They are a good way to make some extra money and can be extremly fun. I applied to dance on a music video for Team JyunJyou<br /><br />http://ameblo.jp/teamjj/<br /><br />I spent a Saturday in a club in Shibuya with a bunch of other people being filmed dancing to a concert. Super fun, met some great people and got paid! You have to keep an eye out for these oppotunities right?<br /><br />Another money spinner is food. Eating out alot can drain your money hella fast although places like Matsuya (you order what you want from a ticket booth and hand it to the servers) offer plates of food for Y290. If you enjoy eating the same food most nights a week then this is pretty cheap. Ramen bars offer up huge bowls of nutritious broth for Y1,000 and these will keep you full all day. Bento-ya means you can pick whatever you like for your box lunch so you can keep it cheap but these still work out slightly pricey and convinient store bento's are hardly worth what you pay for them (and they make me feel sick) . Supermarkets are favourite because I love to cook but the goods can really range in price, also I find cooking for one person quite hard as all my vegetables, fish and meat don't get used up in a week so I have to get creative with how I can combine them all for my breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also RICE! Buy in bulk! You can pick up a big bag for Y2,000 (5kg lasts me 6 week for lunch and dinner). Even with supermarkets I find you have to shop around though, some supermarkets will charge Y168 for spinche whereas my local will charge Y88, so it really is worth it to explore. Also try and find some markets where sushi and sashimi are so much cheaper.<br /><br />If you have any more money making/saving ideas lemme know!<br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-560272058844877732010-06-20T14:34:00.000-07:002010-06-20T15:05:17.081-07:00It's my party....I'll cry if I want to<div style="text-align: center;">Yesterday marked the 23rd anniversary of me being on this planet. I always find birthdays a bit odd and uncomfortable since theres this pressure to make the day feel special but that usually means just getting drinking to excess just "because it's your birthday!!". I'm not that imaginative when it comes to planning birthdays so I usually just cave in and say "Yeah OK pissup it is" but yet again this proved to be the worst idea. I've been feeling a little run down this week and haven't been sleeping well due to the humidity, couple this with being hormonal and homesick and it became bad times. Since I didn't really have any plans i agreed to go to a Para night that Max was going to. I don't know why I didn't just say "I'm just go wander around Akihabara" I guess since I have no money that would have been a bad idea too but it certainly beats giving away Y1000 and then blowing another Y2000 on karaoke that tried to charge us Y17,000....then going to a para club where nobody whould talk or even look at us then getting thrown out of our reserved booth and being denied a glass of fucking tap water! In the end I threw my drink on the floor and filled it up in the bathroom. I seriously just wanted to bomb Japan last night and I feel like an idiot for thinking I could make the day "special" by doing all this stuff. At the end of the day just being in Tokyo is special enough and I didn't need a fucking party because it made things worse. I'm now hungover, angry and tired. I would have been upset regardless but at least it wouldn't have been put down to "Oh, she just can't hold her drink very well". In all honesty I just wanted to be home yesterday with my family. I was made a beautiful video by my best friend Holly with everyone wishing me a happy birthday, that in itself made the day spiecial enough for me. The comments I recieved on Facebook, those make it special enough.<br />This morning I woke up at 5am and just wished so much to be home. I'm loving it so much here and I've got an awesome thing going with my job and my life here....but Goddamn I wish I could just teleport back for a little while...just enough time for a hug and a cup of tea.<br />So this is the tough time where I need to be strong and not give up. I'm certain this feeling won't last long. I think the lesson learned is just "Recognise your feelings and do what YOU want" If I'm feeling sad and homesick don't cover it up with fake cheeriness and think it's ok to have a few drinks....It will be the worst of times. It not like I was even that drunk, just stupidly tired and homesick.<br /><br />So now it's time for work.<br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-45062528756628434772010-06-09T02:30:00.000-07:002010-06-09T06:02:16.430-07:00Yatta Yatta YattaYatta<div style="text-align: center;">Ouu laziness got the better of me there. Soz lol<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Right lets crack on! About a month ago Max, Carly and I all thought we'd be super cool and find an anime convention to go to in Tokyo. We looked for one at the famous Tokyo Big Sight, home of the biggest anime conventions and we found one called "Dream Party" ....PERFECT!<br />The ride on the monorail to Tokyo Big Sight is AWESOME I'd just like to add. They designed it to go round the best scenic route possible, past all the amazing architecture and eventually past rainbow bride and to the seaside (well...sea at least)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DWzWVR4H9enXQRVgZJHUjckm__lcDcJnn7WzsVRnWw3t3sezlMIB1zPu7RWTn5lj8PVwUNE4oFStcVbV1Jr_nyCgxAdXyrIm9qNgm4t5eRmCoOcmt2yeGiK9Yy5rm9gZm4aH_c2gEAA/s1600/Japan+2057.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DWzWVR4H9enXQRVgZJHUjckm__lcDcJnn7WzsVRnWw3t3sezlMIB1zPu7RWTn5lj8PVwUNE4oFStcVbV1Jr_nyCgxAdXyrIm9qNgm4t5eRmCoOcmt2yeGiK9Yy5rm9gZm4aH_c2gEAA/s400/Japan+2057.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480722872709325042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPbbNk1LkCCTQ9v7xJj0m4W0xDij8OQg1XX0fa149mknWmHfE_smhSiuF7fpRot0w1x2tGK8nXLxKAzv-xi3lqOmFemR7f5frysVWYz1lef-fGqiNpFmm3jzLUHT7GK4XGpjMoKgb0I4/s1600/Japan+2074.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPbbNk1LkCCTQ9v7xJj0m4W0xDij8OQg1XX0fa149mknWmHfE_smhSiuF7fpRot0w1x2tGK8nXLxKAzv-xi3lqOmFemR7f5frysVWYz1lef-fGqiNpFmm3jzLUHT7GK4XGpjMoKgb0I4/s400/Japan+2074.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480722866392544914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3r6EjODW6sd04I9IwiMvsw9xNcZYc3iMGK4lHLMoU21vpJTjrLTH9V2LTUh6_7uya_OrSj7nQWA-8W9UYmThXNHZXXF-kCSt4rnGnW-Mwjh0Q58jy27CVjFPXkZrQt9ODQP82i5dwZU/s1600/Japan+2077.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3r6EjODW6sd04I9IwiMvsw9xNcZYc3iMGK4lHLMoU21vpJTjrLTH9V2LTUh6_7uya_OrSj7nQWA-8W9UYmThXNHZXXF-kCSt4rnGnW-Mwjh0Q58jy27CVjFPXkZrQt9ODQP82i5dwZU/s400/Japan+2077.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480722853552250850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkAKqn05e4Ik3LHohoVA7XedG473TM5xgNs48-aesVAlddH1877YrSMvo92hglWYuiQ3cjQKhhKI11IXmHuZIChQ6Xl7G-r8H_bV5J5I1cRLNUNsdG0H5aZGdjCyFIet8bIx0k5mlKDc/s1600/Japan+2068.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkAKqn05e4Ik3LHohoVA7XedG473TM5xgNs48-aesVAlddH1877YrSMvo92hglWYuiQ3cjQKhhKI11IXmHuZIChQ6Xl7G-r8H_bV5J5I1cRLNUNsdG0H5aZGdjCyFIet8bIx0k5mlKDc/s400/Japan+2068.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480722841050723762" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So we made our way through Tokyo Big Sight and noticed THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of women making their way out...suspicious we thought. They all seemed to becoming from downstairs and we were heading upstairs, but we'll come back to them later. So we paid our Y2,000 to get into "Dream Party" and made our way into the huge warehouse where we were confronted by a stage and a few stalls with huge groups of men hanging round them. Not exactly what I'd pictured but whatever. They only woman besides ourselves that we could see were working on the stalls and in cosplay outfits. Weird. So we turned a corner and got stopped because Carly had been given a different coloured broucher than us....again we thought that was weird so we hopped back to the desk and got it swapped. Then we realised what the big deal was. We were being let into the 18+ area which was the magoritiy of the conventions tables and on these tables they were selling moe and love simulator games.<br /><br />:O<br /><br />XO<br /><br />:O<br /><br />AWESOME!! The whole thing was a riot and we walked around as the only gaijin and the only people not buying anything. Although if I'd had the money I would have gotten me one of these..<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7mjwKXzgFpL6T8XVCYMEcuTC5p_fz6dLiNmzbDhnfwkesaqYns0gmTM_FHbn827cbg9NpuUigBOYppYz_TA9eMTn4ZnSr3Vlz1Z3Vl_b1y4NjGEu8fym14uAQKjtyNLVT_ZWwFz3Dcc/s1600/Japan+2083.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7mjwKXzgFpL6T8XVCYMEcuTC5p_fz6dLiNmzbDhnfwkesaqYns0gmTM_FHbn827cbg9NpuUigBOYppYz_TA9eMTn4ZnSr3Vlz1Z3Vl_b1y4NjGEu8fym14uAQKjtyNLVT_ZWwFz3Dcc/s400/Japan+2083.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480729065416200738" border="0" /></a>PRETTY SWEET RIDE EH?!<br /><br />It was all a bit weird with guys seeming to queue for ages for 1 leaflet...not even a good leaflet with some boobies on it either...like just writing. Strange times. Of course there were voice actresses there giving little talks on their respective porno game stalls and live acts of cosplay girls singing moe moe songs. Feds were patrolling and you weren't allowed to film or take pictures so we snuck to the back but as it turns out there were far more interesting things to film than the stage. It was all getting a bit off the hook. Otaku were uniting and throwing their nuts all over the shop, every 5 seconds the feds would come and tell them to quieten down but ohhhh the raving otaku cannot be stopped. Carly, Max and I fell apart laughing at the antics, of course we joined in and became one of the mob and it was all fantastic fun!<br /><br />Get a load of the moves!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zofdIiwt-1I&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zofdIiwt-1I&hl=en_US&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />YES!!<br /><br />After wondering about in a serreal haze we trecked back downstairs to where there were STILL thousands of woman walking out of. We snuck into the warehouse sized room and....SWEET JESUS ITS A DOUJINSHI CONVENTION!!<br /><br />:O<br /><br />XO<br /><br />D:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pxFDvK1V8nk7B3qP403hMRvlw56N4hpdpSVqWp6ImvWtIpBXMIoKAeBEnsNTooO5dx_-PXO2R69VxAi8bo4fdbwDIkXtGu8Ga6maoeBV1e0KUKmillrOl_oowl1ZFHO_OfJ2zFywk6M/s1600/Japan+2099.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pxFDvK1V8nk7B3qP403hMRvlw56N4hpdpSVqWp6ImvWtIpBXMIoKAeBEnsNTooO5dx_-PXO2R69VxAi8bo4fdbwDIkXtGu8Ga6maoeBV1e0KUKmillrOl_oowl1ZFHO_OfJ2zFywk6M/s400/Japan+2099.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480741963994465426" border="0" /></a><br />How did this happen?! Sorry, but the photo does no justice to how HUGE this place was...and this was only half of it! I was told again not to take photos but DANG. So we spent another hour wondering round in a daze of porn, this time of the gay variety, most of it Durarara related O.o (U WUT?!) Again nothing was bought. We couldn't even pick anything up to look because the artists are sitting right there and it would've be awkward...<br /><br />Thing is everyone is just walking around reading their porn, talking with their friends about it and it's so natural. There was no weird, seedy vibe going on, it was a fun atmosphere and everyone was just chillin' with their comics. If I was into dating sims and doujinshi I would have been pissing my pants....I was still pissing my pants but from the sheer excitment at actually getting to experience this totally bizaar and awesome cultural activity unique to Japan. ROCK ON NIPPON!<br /><br />I think this sums up my feelings on the day...<br /><br /><object style="background-image: url(http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/k16OPvLk8vM/hqdefault.jpg);" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k16OPvLk8vM&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k16OPvLk8vM&hl=en_US&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />I have no idea where we went after for food, a few stops on the monorail. Came out after to see the PERFECT sunset over Tokyo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTYqYJNSOfgGu0xhJKS8kFur1SFMNRBgGrY3ZfH-sGNgRQ26elVDIujcqzF7AMnWb5_pQ7T_a_Qoe8O-OZef6BoRJii0C_crDyH9jhvnhhAiUOG5vsai6gwe0EAnSqr3JDJCOKpafNAs/s1600/Japan+2143.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTYqYJNSOfgGu0xhJKS8kFur1SFMNRBgGrY3ZfH-sGNgRQ26elVDIujcqzF7AMnWb5_pQ7T_a_Qoe8O-OZef6BoRJii0C_crDyH9jhvnhhAiUOG5vsai6gwe0EAnSqr3JDJCOKpafNAs/s400/Japan+2143.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480755435261527778" border="0" /></a>And a Statue of Liberty...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUz01Kk7G_MRjV_1SdhJxN6XCuDbocnkyzMZdRKtDRNUDFAKdNREpCvzJh27opRGfYCVpfruNW3B781LWihTS024fBEQt1ovssl5ZB9CK_rdmzlHVIhxhNjm_ROenjcIDUY13hyphenhyphen9DeN0/s1600/Japan+2153.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUz01Kk7G_MRjV_1SdhJxN6XCuDbocnkyzMZdRKtDRNUDFAKdNREpCvzJh27opRGfYCVpfruNW3B781LWihTS024fBEQt1ovssl5ZB9CK_rdmzlHVIhxhNjm_ROenjcIDUY13hyphenhyphen9DeN0/s400/Japan+2153.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480755422708309314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWqJdg-lO5DFR1aJEMHpYWifnuEIbX0MrIQgH40Rd_vOl6mP-3t6xgICvJQBU0Ka9TqpIP5UJWRnpZRvj0gIoijfE54FGDQ1Z7Zp1NpG7he6vkK0orNEIRg7BeJ-5nSUkFbrOph4WQoc/s1600/Japan+2144.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWqJdg-lO5DFR1aJEMHpYWifnuEIbX0MrIQgH40Rd_vOl6mP-3t6xgICvJQBU0Ka9TqpIP5UJWRnpZRvj0gIoijfE54FGDQ1Z7Zp1NpG7he6vkK0orNEIRg7BeJ-5nSUkFbrOph4WQoc/s400/Japan+2144.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480755411075743522" border="0" /></a><br />So I have yet to experience a "real" anime convention in Tokyo, but I'm sure I will sometime and when I do I'm gonna be ready!<br /><br />In real news, my job is still awesome! The kids are great and I feel like I'm beginging to find my feet as a teacher. It all comes with time I guess. I also reallllly liked being paid! For the first time in months I've been able to spend money without really feeling guilty! Glorious!<br />I went a bit blind a few weeks ago and went to hospital to get it checked out. From this one experience I have to say I find the Japanese healthcare system to be pretty good, they're very thorough with tests (the doctor even gave me some eye drops to freeze my pupils so it looked like I was on some kind of drugs for 6 hours!) and very kind. Of course it isn't like England and you have to pay for healthcare, it only came to Y2100 but at least I had the peace of mind that I probably wouldn't go totally blind. AND HEY I DIDN'T! My eyesight is back to normal :D<br />My Japanese is improving ever so slightly, I'm still rubbish but I'm making efforts now and I have lessons that I practice on my hour communte to work every morning...DON'T GIVE UP<br /><br />Over the last few weeks I have been decovering a few secrets to save and earn money (sounds dodge but it isnt...) so I will post about that next time.<br /><br />Ahhh this post was lazy ne?<br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-82145772544061446062010-05-21T18:35:00.000-07:002010-05-23T03:09:19.948-07:00What a way to make a living<div style="text-align: center;">Let's updating more! Jeez I really have been quite slack with posting recently. The main reason being that I have another job! I'm now officially a pre-school teacher! 9-3:30 Monday to Friday with the occational meeting or afterschool club thrown in afterwards. I work for an international school which means I don't have to know any Japanese at all, but most of the other teachers are fluent which means they can talk to parents more easily and answer emails in Japanese.<br /><br />I must admit I was pretty daunted when I went to my interview and the director was telling me about the curriculum and I was like....I have to actually TEACH these kids?! Bearing in mind I have no degree and no real childcare experience. But regardless I accepted the job and went to work the day after Golden Week and I absolutely love it! We have between 7 - 10 kids in every day and they're all adorable!! They're aged between 1 - 3 years old, some of them are little shits but I love them anyway and most of them aren't fully toilet trained so yes that means I have to deal with changing nappies, but even thats ok! The staff are lovely too, of course I'm still the new girl so there's a certain adjustment period to go through, I'm not in the crew just yet which, I'll be honest, is a bit weird considering I came from a job I was at for 3 years where I felt like my coworkers were like my brothers and sisters! But just like when I started that job it took me a while to really interact with the staff. But I'm feeling more and more comfortable everyday, and I'm begining to accept my role as a real teacher, not just a classroom assistant who helps the kids go potty. I'm expected to come up with lesson plans and ideas for the weeks themes aswell as help adjust the curriculum based on the class's achievments and level of progress. I also have to write weekly reports to the parents and administration. It's a real learning experience for me and I guess my first "real" job where I have a sense of real resposibility. I think it's a great oppotunity for me to grow and learn how to cope with such things on my own.<br /><br />I found it a bit weird that I was lucky enough to find 2 jobs in 3 weeks with no degree or tefl course qualifications or anything. Every job I looked at on the internet required me to have a degree and most people I talked to told me the same but the reality is that if you put in the leg work, are flexable with your hours, have good interview skills and really want to work in this country you shouldn't have much of a problem. Of course it also helps if you're British :3<br />I feel like I've always been lucky when it comes to getting jobs, I've always seemed to be in the right place at the right time so I don't really have to go through any real stress or pressure. If you are thinking about moving to Japan to work just be prepared to do some legwork and explore every option because you never know what oppotunities could come your way.<br /><br />I have to say I'm feeling pretty proud of myself right now, I can't believe that just 6 weeks ago I came to this country to live for a year with barely £700 to my name and now I'm managing to make a real life for myself out here. I have very little money left now but I'm more than capable of budgeting so I have enough to last me until next pay day. Over the last 6 weeks I have realised alot about myself, about how I love to feel settled in one place rather than the "backpacky" lifestyle people my age seem to be so fond of, how I love to have a space to call home - Of course my real home will always be with my family but even out here I like to feel like my bed is MY bed...not like I'm just renting it out, and also how I like routine. I need to feel like I'm being productive, I couldn't bare it if I was on holiday for this long, even if I could afford it. After I started work I felt so much more at ease with myself and also about living here, like it wasn't just an idea anymore, it was a reality.<br /><br />Next time : TOKYO BIG SIGHT (prepare for lulz)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06R53L9bkmbgYC7kIIYRMoALJooOc_Thz4vPNDEI_tTLohYOh7twYzcvVWldS94qwTHWHLiSNQKD82-pWkag9T_UchSPRX5SQysVA8ugkRJcGLzr0kHr9hAaoIa4lLLR32LEXet6TQyo/s1600/Japan+2112.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 369px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06R53L9bkmbgYC7kIIYRMoALJooOc_Thz4vPNDEI_tTLohYOh7twYzcvVWldS94qwTHWHLiSNQKD82-pWkag9T_UchSPRX5SQysVA8ugkRJcGLzr0kHr9hAaoIa4lLLR32LEXet6TQyo/s320/Japan+2112.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473916087127051650" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-62209163051920119302010-04-29T10:00:00.000-07:002010-05-23T03:10:24.367-07:00For the Moe consciousness<div style="text-align: center;">OH AKIHABARA! How I have heard of your wonders! But oh lord I didn't expect to be quiet as uplifted as I was by todays adventure.<br /><br />Entering Akihabara is like leaving the real world and entering dream world, where everything is anime, games, moe and maids. There are literally hundreds of shops, each with several floors to explore filled with crap you didn't even know you wanted. Thousands of people wonder around with bags filled with their favourite figures or pillows or comics. While most of this is geared towards men and alot of what is on sale is hentai or ecchi related there was still plenty of stuff for me to enjoy. Japan has succeeded in reigniting my love for animes I used to watch when I was a teenager.<br /><br />Firstly there is TONNES of Evangelion stuff around, I suppose to promote the new movies ("You can (Not) advance" is released on DVD on the 27th :D) so I was super snap happy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0J3xfo3Afa_AvPoiy9KxYARIW-n9CD0bbPpkuv8jpjelAW765HnrBvKdpt1cDy0Hq7sTxFukZkqF_Qbcbo237JPPgHbGSLcDihhyphenhyphenS4YdXWkrRPBt-gUZ5loASmQ9whd-K47kiDn57lg/s1600/Picture+2006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0J3xfo3Afa_AvPoiy9KxYARIW-n9CD0bbPpkuv8jpjelAW765HnrBvKdpt1cDy0Hq7sTxFukZkqF_Qbcbo237JPPgHbGSLcDihhyphenhyphenS4YdXWkrRPBt-gUZ5loASmQ9whd-K47kiDn57lg/s320/Picture+2006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468718689012731522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePt7np7Vll-_f1l82qcQ2F4QEvS9_oPEpfWEnkGSJxEnJ1K6HOXhJUOjgUjugQvK8hDOhHJcyDTmkJdesM1c72ch9Nv7PeSeC16MSv_tlspOGU_dIZfednPn0-uACo_qJUfJuTAZFnIk/s1600/Picture+2011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePt7np7Vll-_f1l82qcQ2F4QEvS9_oPEpfWEnkGSJxEnJ1K6HOXhJUOjgUjugQvK8hDOhHJcyDTmkJdesM1c72ch9Nv7PeSeC16MSv_tlspOGU_dIZfednPn0-uACo_qJUfJuTAZFnIk/s320/Picture+2011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468718692776526882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganDceJbiENzz1P4H7URRLSFqWMBGPv__2Smj275aw1T-3iw2Mv_MVJc2qq4pCCRVCO377F4I3BkT3a0RT4m0zoOU32alreHXULlqOboh-h1PskEN9gW69h13xAVzpn9E8xYUVrR792Os/s1600/Picture+2036.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganDceJbiENzz1P4H7URRLSFqWMBGPv__2Smj275aw1T-3iw2Mv_MVJc2qq4pCCRVCO377F4I3BkT3a0RT4m0zoOU32alreHXULlqOboh-h1PskEN9gW69h13xAVzpn9E8xYUVrR792Os/s320/Picture+2036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468718706771711714" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCL1zI4hlG3QsqfwpHjD93W6BWhNnJQp7F2vhyphenhyphenzcUIOatVBWBhyphenhyphenpC-MVckBolITIJcuI1YmanS3muUbqKOjDa0YTxloSQrobAwC61zPKBlZxnlagJWn85v6DJdtFAXEjI_raQv6dJumxs/s1600/Picture+2044.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCL1zI4hlG3QsqfwpHjD93W6BWhNnJQp7F2vhyphenhyphenzcUIOatVBWBhyphenhyphenpC-MVckBolITIJcuI1YmanS3muUbqKOjDa0YTxloSQrobAwC61zPKBlZxnlagJWn85v6DJdtFAXEjI_raQv6dJumxs/s320/Picture+2044.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468718715029446114" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg576354mw0VTy8RWXMTGscfURqqnin6sy5ciWbDdgOOm7q20iFKBU11akRBPfmJR_Nu2YC5Z9wSSYkt7QKTx6qR_Kg9QAfQeEUmuy8CnmKBNYYMe6d2BKyvAI9Btive65cLLkMCWwETAQ/s1600/Picture+2048.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg576354mw0VTy8RWXMTGscfURqqnin6sy5ciWbDdgOOm7q20iFKBU11akRBPfmJR_Nu2YC5Z9wSSYkt7QKTx6qR_Kg9QAfQeEUmuy8CnmKBNYYMe6d2BKyvAI9Btive65cLLkMCWwETAQ/s320/Picture+2048.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468718718168337826" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgcEaayhNulvhiykLX5b6t9IprgdoDX9bNR0n6s6Hs2tU2_CxMae5L4JkxaEVL7MteywVpbHZH9LBJ6d9heKTINTsoJdHhk5BO0pulu3dMFmJuE3oBmujk2YQjvNu6JfJCvKKbk0h-_g/s1600/Picture+2056.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgcEaayhNulvhiykLX5b6t9IprgdoDX9bNR0n6s6Hs2tU2_CxMae5L4JkxaEVL7MteywVpbHZH9LBJ6d9heKTINTsoJdHhk5BO0pulu3dMFmJuE3oBmujk2YQjvNu6JfJCvKKbk0h-_g/s320/Picture+2056.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468720455683767394" border="0" /></a><br />I'm glad to see old series like Eva and Gundam Wing still have a place in the manic world of otaku where there are a million an one new animes to take their place. Nostalgic series are the best!<br /><br />Akiba is also renound for its maid cafes. A bizaar trend that nowhere else in the world has caught onto. We as westerners cannot comprehend that somthing that seems like fetish work can be so completly innocent. Oviously there are certain establishments that are a bit dodgy and offer 'extras' but for the most part the world of Maid-o is sweet and clean. We went to one particular cafe called "Mai Dreamin". As soon as you step into the cafe you feel like you've been transported to a different planet. Away from the harsh grey of the world outside and into a rainbow! There are fluffy clouds coming out of the ceiling, ribbons lining the bar, massive plush toys on the stage and every girl is wearing a maid costume! There are no bouncers, no security cameras, nothing, because noone there is ever expected to cause a ruckus. Even though there is a bar and I expect patrons can get quite loud on occasions you never get the feeling that the girls are in any danger, which is astonising since I could never imagine such a place in England.<br />To make their money the girls sell glossy photos of themselves, cd's of songs they sing and the privledge to have a poloroid taken with a maid of your choice. Since you arent allowed to take photos of the girls yourself you're pretty much forced into this but the photos you get are something to keep forever, as they write a thankyou message on the back and decorate the front with stars and hearts!<br />We spent two hours in there enjoying the singing and whole sugary sweetness of it all. We had to pay around Y3000-4000 each but for such a unique experience it was sooooooo worth it. I won't ever forget my first visit to a maid cafe XD<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgippi-SbV7wfFKlhht37xu64pumDRF4qCXcNysu9789Z4JVMcRuoXQLINPDueJ5xCcbbNyp9zCOIzKxzDBK4wguTXBCCRFI-59fF2zx00wY7SGnTIeh4YCPOPNATpEOyf9wkhfosCslZ0/s1600/Picture+2025.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgippi-SbV7wfFKlhht37xu64pumDRF4qCXcNysu9789Z4JVMcRuoXQLINPDueJ5xCcbbNyp9zCOIzKxzDBK4wguTXBCCRFI-59fF2zx00wY7SGnTIeh4YCPOPNATpEOyf9wkhfosCslZ0/s320/Picture+2025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468720448463089218" border="0" /></a>Akiba is a strange place indeed and maybe not for everyone visiting Japan, I would still recommend it for tourists but if you have no interest in anime, gaming, moe or electrical goods then you're going to find it very weird indeed. The most important thing about it is to keep an open mind, and I'm sure you'll love Akiba as much as I did!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdNBEvxAjqmw_J1xHSj0J6UfdEXbVX_FyjSGXb53CcZb018-uaoSfXW_m-TZSa75L6k1Lkffj3rnT0PtaMc6r8yPxk5-TLS3MHOZNLkzQSI3CqmrSfA2-qdBqiIzoSQOpibOCDnYvpi4/s1600/Picture+2016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdNBEvxAjqmw_J1xHSj0J6UfdEXbVX_FyjSGXb53CcZb018-uaoSfXW_m-TZSa75L6k1Lkffj3rnT0PtaMc6r8yPxk5-TLS3MHOZNLkzQSI3CqmrSfA2-qdBqiIzoSQOpibOCDnYvpi4/s320/Picture+2016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468735963117535074" border="0" /></a><br />Us outside the legendary "Gamers" shop, home of DiGi Charet<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0hqT1JXzxsN8p_c_zpWCI-02rQGNI6e8gkq7COypbwzjbmUVgF9xDTiQW6fkBb8_UU-yfCmcZGOe55LTbE3-aC0XmiM5MwU3QBW3fDY0tyExz-oF0dKREVdnQFmh14oii1SPDy0r0i4Y/s1600/Picture+2033.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0hqT1JXzxsN8p_c_zpWCI-02rQGNI6e8gkq7COypbwzjbmUVgF9xDTiQW6fkBb8_UU-yfCmcZGOe55LTbE3-aC0XmiM5MwU3QBW3fDY0tyExz-oF0dKREVdnQFmh14oii1SPDy0r0i4Y/s320/Picture+2033.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468735977716750386" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tPxTrP4ewC-d08aDXlnzQnmbYtGC81KCPMTVNRY2_3XyVwck-UAjsDN3iZ3yS1ePJxOSD_pcrEm6LpUGIur6uff69NwBH57Lfjtfh6DWZKK9BfbMFjsNfeJJcQz904_7CBki7IdHb2E/s1600/Picture+2018.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tPxTrP4ewC-d08aDXlnzQnmbYtGC81KCPMTVNRY2_3XyVwck-UAjsDN3iZ3yS1ePJxOSD_pcrEm6LpUGIur6uff69NwBH57Lfjtfh6DWZKK9BfbMFjsNfeJJcQz904_7CBki7IdHb2E/s320/Picture+2018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468736400250732562" border="0" /></a>That about covers it for Akiba. I'm writing this with the flu and so I'll be staying in to blog more tomorrow. Coming up, Greeary day, Jobs, Dealing with Homesickness and Tokyo Big Sight<br /><br />Love to all my readers xxx<br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-36644359563903548312010-04-22T08:42:00.000-07:002010-04-22T10:23:17.134-07:00I want to be a Lilikoi boy...Wowzahs! It's been nearly 2 weeks since I arrived in Japan-land. It's been full of mixed emotions but I feel much better after resolving to not drink and take some time for myself. One of the problems I've faced here is being with Max and Carly for most of my waking time. Don't get me wrong I ADORE them and LOVE hanging out with them but I've learned that I find it difficult to be around even my bestest mates for too long before I start wanting some time to just sit and be quiet. I end up just becoming short with everyone and it's not their fault, it's mine for not making sure I get the time I need. But today was an awesome day! I woke up nice and early (10:30 lol) and got ready for my interview at LeafCup which is a small "cafe" (they serve tea) where people learning English can come and practice speaking and listening in a relaxed environment.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGN_FlhfRAZ-kyd-yiD-bWA5rmdMA17zvdVI71QhwiCZyxxL9gOP9TfdbCWBGLvzAIpXssHI7DXqqatmTPqjIwy2adf0N6eqVD3NBTe6ZA1Blp0dpv6KSMx8ASAvxAVqoEGAm6rgVkWSk/s1600/P1030666.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGN_FlhfRAZ-kyd-yiD-bWA5rmdMA17zvdVI71QhwiCZyxxL9gOP9TfdbCWBGLvzAIpXssHI7DXqqatmTPqjIwy2adf0N6eqVD3NBTe6ZA1Blp0dpv6KSMx8ASAvxAVqoEGAm6rgVkWSk/s320/P1030666.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463012614819525058" border="0" /></a><br />The interview itself couldnt have gone better, I arrived early and so they took me upstaires and sat me with 2 people to "wait", then the interviewer went off and I was left to chat by myself....I think that was the real interview tbh. Then I was called over to chat with the interviewer and another girl there wanting a job. She didn't ask any questions or anything...I on the otherhand blabbed on and on about what club activities are all about and was there a chance to become a teacher etc etc...So after a while I sat back down with the group and was asked to stay for another hour :D So I have one part time job...it may only be for a few hours a week but at least it's something! I have another interview on Tuesday for IHCWAY, which is a company that recruits private teachers and pairs them up with interviewed inderviduals. If I can get alot of students hopefully I can fit them around working at LeafCup, both jobs seem pretty flexible so it should be doable. But I think even if I do work both jobs it's still not stable enough for me to live on while over here. My rent for the guesthouse is 40,000 yen a month, which is very good but then the cost of living is quiet high. I must spend 1000 yen a day on food, drink and trains, which might not sound alot but it soon adds up. I've begun to think more economically and filling my water bottles up at home, eating simple meals of rice and cabbage and generally trying to cut down on spending on silly things like Kigurumin and puri kura. I know Max wants me to live it up and splash some cash but I really don't mind living the simple life for a while, there are plenty of things to see and do in Tokyo that require minamal amounts of money. Even walking around Nakano and taking photos is an awesome day out for me. I'm sure I can enjoy myself without shopping everyday.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8nfVoTnkTCRxbK42kvfYBKfbSKNo14jtVGuUKWinZ68eceVdLs7gCWq8BRVEDdsnA93ZKwMXm7vxlSVtj4cFSZhyphenhyphenAB7pC1UZiZ2kwRM2v693Cw9zGopKiqQT6OuE4BRBZVkTvC0MTic/s1600/P1030561.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8nfVoTnkTCRxbK42kvfYBKfbSKNo14jtVGuUKWinZ68eceVdLs7gCWq8BRVEDdsnA93ZKwMXm7vxlSVtj4cFSZhyphenhyphenAB7pC1UZiZ2kwRM2v693Cw9zGopKiqQT6OuE4BRBZVkTvC0MTic/s320/P1030561.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463012602211802738" border="0" /></a><br />Speaking of shopping, I went to Shibuya last week. Wasn't overly impressed...had alot of pimps and crowds of punk and gyaru kids around. Also Center-gai was just bars and resaurants...nothing to wet yourself over. Maybe it's different in the daytime and I guess I didn't really explore all that well. I'll give it another go one day and give a full report. Pretty lights though...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeu8eplUCgbC8Y4145Ow0RnVOPlX6tOWTS6cXaqKmIh2TaHy5wpWaWWLPXoIMofwztdqempdOplUzxBhmOekIS4a-6MYf8-7YosAf0gw0xWlYrnNsQTLmxVeLcwRcAi-amlyfMrKGyk8/s1600/P1030499.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeu8eplUCgbC8Y4145Ow0RnVOPlX6tOWTS6cXaqKmIh2TaHy5wpWaWWLPXoIMofwztdqempdOplUzxBhmOekIS4a-6MYf8-7YosAf0gw0xWlYrnNsQTLmxVeLcwRcAi-amlyfMrKGyk8/s320/P1030499.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463012597484946658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvkVCMF9HEauaV8CLxjQxf5OICtbnbsWaYPUNDdPG173cREGbOSmqkgNQsa-y6WRIhXFHw1RmHAuC9K64Uv0C6O7xlB4wnR4WBPG1FxcTKaXW3XA2ncvFyuyo0nUjCYpVjLJSzCvZboc/s1600/P1030504.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvkVCMF9HEauaV8CLxjQxf5OICtbnbsWaYPUNDdPG173cREGbOSmqkgNQsa-y6WRIhXFHw1RmHAuC9K64Uv0C6O7xlB4wnR4WBPG1FxcTKaXW3XA2ncvFyuyo0nUjCYpVjLJSzCvZboc/s320/P1030504.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463012629683710850" border="0" /></a>Puri Kura booths and posters were distroyed!<br /><br />Tomorow I'm going to a Japanese class in Ichigaya so I'm hitting the hay for now. I only really have time to blog late at night when everyone is done with the computer Y_Y<br />I need more coffee maybe so I can become an awesome blogger. OH WAIT<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXukoDu_ezJlydLdKkiy0QCyj52Fd1bfJPHH6rbn8iZnCMQEC0E69Y4degBnIV1Ujo10idE27ou5A2mdLMIqFh2CWm0ZHCpJSzgIy_-ZkATUY_OgDx17Ez4eWyg8fKRf68LQxH7gCSnYA/s1600/P1030656.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXukoDu_ezJlydLdKkiy0QCyj52Fd1bfJPHH6rbn8iZnCMQEC0E69Y4degBnIV1Ujo10idE27ou5A2mdLMIqFh2CWm0ZHCpJSzgIy_-ZkATUY_OgDx17Ez4eWyg8fKRf68LQxH7gCSnYA/s200/P1030656.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463010165319523042" border="0" /></a><br />I do really like the coffee here (Starbucks is pretty good in Japan) but it's not nearly as strong or as what I was used to having/serving back in Marzano. OH for a honeycomb latte with a leaf drawn in it! Wow I didn't think I would miss anything about my old work!<br />One thing England doesn't have yet KITKAT BANANA!! <3 OH OMNOM<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhezzdNGp0zBWICQRmBEW7TrDONNvUDMyUwHoCn2HZCp9aERi5V9-8OW51FUNVqiKX0Op3pGrABY1J7iFMucHuUnY84MR1DtzfuWbnhbKD5VZN0p19_LI4TuvjJO8UUjR1M5yhzCptjQ4Q/s1600/P1030472.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhezzdNGp0zBWICQRmBEW7TrDONNvUDMyUwHoCn2HZCp9aERi5V9-8OW51FUNVqiKX0Op3pGrABY1J7iFMucHuUnY84MR1DtzfuWbnhbKD5VZN0p19_LI4TuvjJO8UUjR1M5yhzCptjQ4Q/s320/P1030472.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463012621989951954" border="0" /></a><br />Peace y'all<br /><br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-18520485287427832482010-04-19T07:48:00.000-07:002010-04-19T08:18:10.638-07:00Lost in Translation<div style="text-align: center;">Ok its been over a week since we landed ourselves in Nip-land. So far its been an intense experience. Even after this short amount of time I'm missing my family and friends soo much. While I have Carly and Max here and I'm making new friends I feel very isolated and like I'm adrift at sea. Most people here will stare at us as we walk down the street and we really are made to feel like aliens. Or maybe its just poliet curiousity...like people are obseving us because we're different. TBH I find myself staring at alot of the people here just because they're so well presented, or because I really like their clothes or because I too am curious about people who are different to myself. I come from a town where there are virtually no ethnic minorities so being surrounded by people I'm not used to seeing, while fine with me, is very different and I feel very out of my comfort zone.<br />I think this anixety and discomfort is making me behave like a twat aswell....like I haven't been able to relax at all and I feel like I'm not being myself. I've had two nights since I arrived where I have been overly drunk and extreamly stupid. Whereas at home I was well aware that my tollorence for alcohol is low and my reaction to it is well...not good, over here I seemed to forget all that and last night everything went to hell. Nothing seriously wrong happened but I saw a video of myself and cried with shame. I had become everything I hate about drinking culture in the west. Loud, stupid and incoherant. For this reason I'm giving up drink for the forseeable future. Drink has never done anything good for me and it's finally hit home that it never will. In some ways I'm really glad that this has happend since one thing I wanted to gain from this experience was to learn more about myself and to become a better and stronger person.<br />Although I'm so thankful and so happy to be here right now I kindof feel like this isn't MY life yet. Like I have no place in this world yet, but then I keep reminding myself that it's only been a week and I should give myself a break. Even so I think I need to keep myself busy to stop myself from missing home so much so tomorrow I'm going to the job center and getting on it! I won't give up! Even though it's hard and part of me wants to run straight back to the UK I won't give up until I have given it my all!!<br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-74833500473645440422010-04-15T09:34:00.000-07:002010-04-15T10:22:50.056-07:00My first few days<div style="text-align: center;">WOW I MADE IT!! Finally I've landed in Japan. I think I've been running on over-excitment for the past week but now jet-lag has begun to overcome me and I've been sleeping for 12 hours and a time and still being tired when I wake up. Bad times! But WOW what an amazing and scary place Tokyo is. It's not like anywhere I've ever been. It's busy like I don't know what, London doesn't even compare I don't think. Every building is a mountain high and NEON.<br />We're staying in Nakano which is right next to Shinjuku, however, while Nakano is still quite busy around the station you only have to walk for a few minutes and it becomes really peaceful and you feel like you're in a crazy little town! Our guesthouse is a traditional style Japanese house with sliding paper doors and walls (which means I can hear Max snoring from the other room) , a tiny kitchen with one gas burner, and a toilet seat that stays warm all the time! The house itself can get really cold if the weather isnt good but its ok in our room because we have a miniture heater that makes our room nice and toasty. I'm really happy we didn't just get a western style hostel, that would have been rubbish. This is what they call "living the dream"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrhbZKivS6vH_2zZtu3r2DNgB7WedRdpzgRLbQ-1yQHB575ZU2yt4voDE7gooFydhtp1DNBu0u0jYAOM-zdafdYEmdr5tSgcDU9thet9IvrSuehyexG1ouL4VlveBOeYiTQqzf9BcW5s/s1600/Picture+136.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrhbZKivS6vH_2zZtu3r2DNgB7WedRdpzgRLbQ-1yQHB575ZU2yt4voDE7gooFydhtp1DNBu0u0jYAOM-zdafdYEmdr5tSgcDU9thet9IvrSuehyexG1ouL4VlveBOeYiTQqzf9BcW5s/s320/Picture+136.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460408184547224818" border="0" /></a>Entrance<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfkexVbtbyuu6_z16MXJognhAisaav2wZEJNuURDgzTiQxTa1aRieh4t01VIAAAf2QGlTRP0GioyXUG80FUMVTK8JUYOJtTjwrV-tYPeL5up7DldX9rMWEwEWEjlTRI4qdL55bwNAnRk/s1600/Picture+144.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfkexVbtbyuu6_z16MXJognhAisaav2wZEJNuURDgzTiQxTa1aRieh4t01VIAAAf2QGlTRP0GioyXUG80FUMVTK8JUYOJtTjwrV-tYPeL5up7DldX9rMWEwEWEjlTRI4qdL55bwNAnRk/s320/Picture+144.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460408203618889346" border="0" /></a>Kitchen/tv room<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjody257mPFOkWJLewTaFifcQDlO5zJOYFucEQ3jzbrzGXFiFYchhiwt-cbTS6GKRbemTh_hksRMad50R9B4UJgMMLs1rUeucgV9qEl_qw3eY2Jq2PCFeUc58vC1eVCtcKqXwBtAZiojJ4/s1600/Picture+143.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjody257mPFOkWJLewTaFifcQDlO5zJOYFucEQ3jzbrzGXFiFYchhiwt-cbTS6GKRbemTh_hksRMad50R9B4UJgMMLs1rUeucgV9qEl_qw3eY2Jq2PCFeUc58vC1eVCtcKqXwBtAZiojJ4/s320/Picture+143.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460408195591296066" border="0" /></a>Tv with FOUR WHOLE CHANNELS AND TAPE!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5roLYMPESRHwX-pm0fz0F5yfx266qlhOBg3YHMQIQfNczV4VqZkXlJ5pl_zMpEpKvvHitaU2xsi2_Nb9bdLATqD5M2KlaRnrEpxVdeankObYlFKeHLkbLhuZcG23BhVXzlEpNCeDN9s/s1600/Picture+150.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5roLYMPESRHwX-pm0fz0F5yfx266qlhOBg3YHMQIQfNczV4VqZkXlJ5pl_zMpEpKvvHitaU2xsi2_Nb9bdLATqD5M2KlaRnrEpxVdeankObYlFKeHLkbLhuZcG23BhVXzlEpNCeDN9s/s320/Picture+150.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460408206784353378" border="0" /></a>Shower...room?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjsDOupnCmtj_fsFWN_ZbuYzfpBTMVgH5U84FcfwhJCTYfyBbcTECVuYKeCqgeK9kBu2ocydbJEBZKHSNP-i5Y4gTwDdqD40z2Cgftf3-tsfK383VlJDZcDhoD0NaLN-zX48qYRjY3tA/s1600/Picture+157.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjsDOupnCmtj_fsFWN_ZbuYzfpBTMVgH5U84FcfwhJCTYfyBbcTECVuYKeCqgeK9kBu2ocydbJEBZKHSNP-i5Y4gTwDdqD40z2Cgftf3-tsfK383VlJDZcDhoD0NaLN-zX48qYRjY3tA/s320/Picture+157.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460408216270737682" border="0" /></a>Our bedroom with futons, there's also a door that leads to the garden behind the curtain.<br /><br />My overall first impression of Japan would be "MENTAL". Seriously this place is mad! It's so clean and COLOURFUL! The first day we arrived and Max showed us around I was so shocked at the amount of colour everywhere. Signs, shops, trees, and people are so colourful! It's beautiful to see everything so well presented and is completely different to the big cities I'm used to. Obviously Tokyo is known for its neon signs at night but if you take a walk to the residentual areas you'll see they're just as bright and colourful and neat. I haven't really photographed much but I will bring you photos to try and show you what I mean.<br /><br />Next important point, food! FOOD IS EVERYWHERE HERE! Honestly, EVERYWHERE. Vurtually every street here has a million tiny food bars serving up hot noodles, curries, takoyaki, sushi, cakes, bentos....everything. I can't believe that such a slim and healthy nation is this obsessed with food. THEY LOVE IT! I know thats because everyone in Tokyo probably eats out but one of the big reasons I wanted to come here was so I could taste this food and try it out for myself. So I've been itching to cook with all these different ingredients I've found in the supermarket! I've been making at least one meal a day for Carly and Max.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs425.snc3/24551_380248892686_506107686_4434313_7814074_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 382px; height: 286px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs425.snc3/24551_380248892686_506107686_4434313_7814074_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Breakfast of teriyaki fish, rice and tamoyaki and cabbage.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs405.snc3/24551_380248972686_506107686_4434328_168807_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 401px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs405.snc3/24551_380248972686_506107686_4434328_168807_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>After a dinner of tempura, cabbage and hot soba with sauce.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs425.snc3/24551_380248877686_506107686_4434310_7288476_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 297px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs425.snc3/24551_380248877686_506107686_4434310_7288476_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Dinner of rice, tofu in broth with shitake mushrooms, carrots and daikon, and chicken and eggs and blanched spinach with bonito flakes and sesame seeds.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs445.ash1/24551_380248887686_506107686_4434312_7767824_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 299px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs445.ash1/24551_380248887686_506107686_4434312_7767824_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I also attempted making bentos for Carly and me to take to Hello Kitty Land! Gentlemen bears!<br /><br />So the last week has gone so fast and it's been so amazing being here. I'll admit I've had some problems adjusting to the idea of actually living here. My biggest hang up is the language barrier which has proven to be a bit embarrassing. I can only speak a few words and phrases and I find it very difficult to get the jist of what people are saying to me. I know that this will improve with time but I'm really embarrassed that sometimes people have to try and explain in English what they've just said. It's going to take some real dedication on my part to study and learn and get to grips with this language but in the end this is what I came here to do. To imerse myself in this culture and pick up a new language. Ironic that this seems to be my biggest adversity right now!<br /><br />I think thats all I'll post for now. Look out for a video blog coming sometime next week. I might just have to do a general one about Nakano and our guesthouse! Who can say? Shoganai??<br /><br /><br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-16582743174061559012010-04-06T17:48:00.000-07:002010-04-06T18:01:01.133-07:00Just a short update<div style="text-align: center;">So 3 days before the big move and my laptop breaks! AWAH! I honestly thought that thing would last forever, I mean we've been through so much together!<br /><br />So it was a bit of a lol rushing around with no money trying to find a new laptop to take with me. My laptop was such an important piece of kit to take with me, I need it to keep in touch with my family, for video editing so I can bring you real vlogs over the year, photo editing so I can pimp this blog, music managing (I never go anywhere on my own without a mp3 player....EVER) and being able to put a movie on when I have days where I just need to just chill and escape.<br /><br />So anyway, found one on ebay for £20 with a broken screen that could be replaced by mine but that was a bust so we left it for the night.<br /><br />But today my sister came through and said I could have her old one. So happy because noone had to spend money to buy a new one. Anyway I wouldnt want to take a super nice one all the way to Japan just incase something happend to it. As long as I can blog and Skype on it I don't care!<br /><br />THANKYOU SIS! Just in the nick of time! 2 days to go!!!<br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-48584175126603918672010-04-02T15:18:00.000-07:002010-04-03T10:51:56.862-07:005 Things I WON'T miss<div style="text-align: center;">Now let's get some negativity in these posts and talk about why I really won't miss England. I can look back on this entry when I'm having a bad day in Japan and remind myself of all the rubbish things I won't want to come home to lol!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />1) Food. Not so much the food, I am a sucker for my family's home cooking and there are some lovely places to eat here, but more the Western world's attitude towards food. Calories, trans fats, carbs etc are all stuff that we've been programed to fear. It's become such an issue for the west that you can't open a newspaper without some article about the latest research telling us that eating a certain protein or something could lead to cancer. Food isn't about enjoying nutrition and the health it brings, it's now about what you can allow yourself to have without losing any points or feeling bad about it.<br />Eastern countries have the lowest obesity rates (3% in Japan compared to 30% in the USA) and the longest life expectancy in the world, and this is, without question, due to their diets. While we in Europe tend to eat 45 different foods every week on average the Japanese eat over 100. They are getting so many more nutrients in their diets and are so much healthier because of it. If we could only see food as a source of nutrition and get over the idea that if you're thin you'll be healthy then I'd be very happy. Yes, losing weight is a good idea if you're overweight and unhappy with the way you look but I think people need to stop going fucking mental over it, stop being retards and realize that if you're healthy and taking the time to learn about new foods and new ways of cooking then those pounds will probably drop off, and if not then you won't care coz you'll feel so fucking healthy anyway.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSJO-de4AXbCHYtOIPVZDN5p-l3naYkHHvQz7n79-rdEHEqv6aPRELRCb69dA5p10mBHrxZRHhy3BjayBkqkAcG5Ovgzh1CS93zQ62sYF5LHOug2HaYZiM-Lzya2GlfEs0Lx6C6eHMwM/s1600/Cheese-Sandwich_337x506.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSJO-de4AXbCHYtOIPVZDN5p-l3naYkHHvQz7n79-rdEHEqv6aPRELRCb69dA5p10mBHrxZRHhy3BjayBkqkAcG5Ovgzh1CS93zQ62sYF5LHOug2HaYZiM-Lzya2GlfEs0Lx6C6eHMwM/s320/Cheese-Sandwich_337x506.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455679309730234690" border="0" /></a><br />2) The Forum. Namely my work place (not anymore) for the last 3 years. I've loved this place and I enjoyed going to work every day but now I need to get the hell away from it. Luckily it can't get up and follow me!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6zGNRXqGrVAWryjhmGkqvGXO0znhpCXVbqvH6rYXe_21hobtfdy9HeOszTuvLIE8_Sh9o0XUoJpmChh9TXMS6_wNGfy5qdzwXSIoi9XBQm7GJqBDbk3tQ5iE3vXJc8UN37y3xzcVqmg/s1600/forum+copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6zGNRXqGrVAWryjhmGkqvGXO0znhpCXVbqvH6rYXe_21hobtfdy9HeOszTuvLIE8_Sh9o0XUoJpmChh9TXMS6_wNGfy5qdzwXSIoi9XBQm7GJqBDbk3tQ5iE3vXJc8UN37y3xzcVqmg/s320/forum+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455688960166745554" border="0" /></a>3) Chavs. Hords of them getting their jollys from standing around with pitbulls looking 'hard'. I have no problem with how they dress, what music they listen to or how they pimp their rides but the general attitude and making girls who walks past them think she's about to get mugged. I won't say that the men are worse because chav girls are disgusting. They know they can get away with shouting whatever they like and no man is going to hit them. I saw a group in the park one evening throwing abuse at a man who was of some Russian decent and while most of the boys just laughed and held back the one girl (about 13 I would say) was screaming the most racist shit in his face. To be fair the man should have walked away, but jesus christ I would have wanted to lay them all out if it was me.<br />This leads nicely into my next issue with British culture.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABA06_bhIvNreuUxy-pooc2PnvZwawxuZmdYD1PaOhcrh5aCLSB8h-KFc3dFv8FVpY354j_wLsxvKMF5MwE9970nAOhPmKQyj5KQVMvRKbgk4jWZfT20OihL0-jZT-c8MgZzO1D_xWi8/s1600/chav.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABA06_bhIvNreuUxy-pooc2PnvZwawxuZmdYD1PaOhcrh5aCLSB8h-KFc3dFv8FVpY354j_wLsxvKMF5MwE9970nAOhPmKQyj5KQVMvRKbgk4jWZfT20OihL0-jZT-c8MgZzO1D_xWi8/s320/chav.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455908007632955298" border="0" /></a>4) Lack of respect. Lack of respect for people around us, for the environment and for ourselves. The British just don't give a shit anymore, there's no national pride, everyone seems to hate each other. If you keel over in the street you're more likely to be ignored or have your bag stolen than for someone to actually come over and ask if you're ok. To Europian countries we come across and drunken, aggressive yobs and think we have the right to go whereever we like and ignore other cultures and values yet, when people come to our country looking for a better life, we bitch and moan because they're ready to do jobs we're far too lazy to do. Grow up Britain, start sorting your shit out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbOdBvl4hbywUFpIP3nwBKof0OiiWMuo1cfvNnD1UK1BV4XBdyT5XoZn5PkdX31a9p4o5LtsK3Qjj2tHxIYnc9USxEr3sQJ3K8Dx_YZKzGwbCG2I1mexY1caSKCcHouq4m_33MvfVmKA/s1600/lack_of_respect.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbOdBvl4hbywUFpIP3nwBKof0OiiWMuo1cfvNnD1UK1BV4XBdyT5XoZn5PkdX31a9p4o5LtsK3Qjj2tHxIYnc9USxEr3sQJ3K8Dx_YZKzGwbCG2I1mexY1caSKCcHouq4m_33MvfVmKA/s320/lack_of_respect.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455961889733235394" border="0" /></a>5) Binge drinking. Alright, alright now I know I have been guilty of this aswell in the past. Nowadays I don't drink often because I don't enjoy hangovers and to be honest, I'm a terrible drunk. I just end up going home because it makes me sleepy and sick. When I was younger I didn't drink, it was all nonsense to me (and still is) why kids my age wanted to drink until they were sick. I see kids aged 13/14 walking around swigging from bottles of vodka and it makes me want to cry for the future of Britain.<br />Even now my peers are obsessed with getting drunk at every opportunity, and it's not to just have a nice time either (having a few beers with friends I can totally understand) but to get completely wasted EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT just so they can justify getting into fights and causing havoc in the streets. Why is it mainly England that has this massive problem with binge drinking? Most other countries seem to be able to have a drinking culture without all this aggravation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDVV7zO5Y9GM1lGT1OlsCnWbNqhyx6i_vWMlWa9qG4oSTLtoBydlHXE27YAOhf8R-ttBJj6UPuxq4wb2mr4Cm5bpQ1OjonRV-lWKa6edBLwq1ZAXPoX7_UARqq3Tb_TDNQmii9XbYPmI/s1600/drunk.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDVV7zO5Y9GM1lGT1OlsCnWbNqhyx6i_vWMlWa9qG4oSTLtoBydlHXE27YAOhf8R-ttBJj6UPuxq4wb2mr4Cm5bpQ1OjonRV-lWKa6edBLwq1ZAXPoX7_UARqq3Tb_TDNQmii9XbYPmI/s320/drunk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455968803947265586" border="0" /></a><br />I guess that concludes my little rant about my country! In other news I have begun packing with 6 days left until I fly. So far I have packed 14 pants, 7 bras, 4 bags, 8 pairs of tights, 2 pairs of jeans, 5 pairs of shoes and 6 dresses. Also I have dyed my hair a ginger colour lol, pics soon when I can be bothered to do my makeup =_=<br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-58632271520815113852010-03-19T10:46:00.000-07:002010-03-19T15:31:55.937-07:00Things I plan to see in Tokyo3 weeks to go 3 weeks to gooooo!! 21 little days and I will be on that plane to the other side of the world!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br />I'll take some time to post about what I actually want to see in Japan so you guys have an idea about what to expect from this blog in the future. I know I'll want to pack everything into the first week but I'm gonna try and spread them out over the course of my year. Just to try and keep things interesting.<br /><br />1) Tsukiji fish market. THE LARGEST FISH MARKET IN THE WORLD! They handle more that 400 different types of sea food! Now thats amazing!! Anyone who knows me knows I love food. And I love sea food! To be surrounded by 2000 metric tonnes of the stuff is going to be heaven for me. I'm sure I'm gonna see some really weird shit there (lots of fish guts ick) but OMG this has to be experienced, just so I can sit there and say "Hey, I've eaten the freshest sushi you can get"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTG43sYoUjYA6xaIfZ4moR5BQEzYD0vwOKwnwBVqYRDf0-uMH5ShRFmSJ6zpyXlfVwf7J7fwX1pjbF3I9yLeLUg4wU9USkkLPn19BzkdGf-r6wVffpYk5_8T1zih4ZLv7DIOCvZdvYIs/s1600-h/800px-Tsukiji_Fresh_Tuna_Auction.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTG43sYoUjYA6xaIfZ4moR5BQEzYD0vwOKwnwBVqYRDf0-uMH5ShRFmSJ6zpyXlfVwf7J7fwX1pjbF3I9yLeLUg4wU9USkkLPn19BzkdGf-r6wVffpYk5_8T1zih4ZLv7DIOCvZdvYIs/s320/800px-Tsukiji_Fresh_Tuna_Auction.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450441278701378034" border="0" /></a><br />Oh ho ho come to me fishies Om nomnommm...I bet this place stinks of niceness.<br /><br />2) Sensoji aka Asakusa Kannon temple. The oldest temple in Tokyo, built for the Goddess of Mercy, Kannon in 645 (fuck thats a long time ago....I mean....FUCK) ...seriously LOOK at this place<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJUi7fDTD58p3AxzOnPQQYF444b6YwsbJl_zSrYcx5GqGMSjTrBr8uu_M2WXS8GntFKnf-8kuitOTPELYOmesPTSiyALqpLay82QOce1rsu1pZzMQ08Q2D-d8xyT2FTgQ1Kud4gBsaxA/s1600-h/3001_02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 385px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJUi7fDTD58p3AxzOnPQQYF444b6YwsbJl_zSrYcx5GqGMSjTrBr8uu_M2WXS8GntFKnf-8kuitOTPELYOmesPTSiyALqpLay82QOce1rsu1pZzMQ08Q2D-d8xyT2FTgQ1Kud4gBsaxA/s320/3001_02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450443963875402002" border="0" /></a>Old Japanese architecture is mind-blowing. The details, the shape of the roofs, the COLOURS. I just love them. It's a shame more of the old buildings haven't survived the earthquakes and bombs of the last few centuries, they're so beautifully crafted and inspirational. If you woke up in one of these wouldn't you feel like royalty? Maybe one day when I'm super rich I'll have me one of these to live in!<br />Unfortunately there are some renovations going on this year so I won't be able to visit the actual main temple until November Y_Y BOO but I still want to see the market street outside and eat some agemanju :D<br /><br />3) Dancehall clubs. Japanese dancehall is the hot music trend in Tokyo right now and I wanna be there to experience the asian take on Jamaican music. I hear the 'Dancehall Queens' get pretty crazy on the dancefloor. Maybe I can pick up some moves :P<br /><br />4) FUJI-SAN. Obviously. I'm gonna be such a tourist but watching the sunrise from one of the most beautiful mountains (ok volcanos!) in the world just seems like something I should do before I die.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtbTEn0vWELvlPZoByHFwzStH9RusavpL30-IOfJXR1RUbhbRcStTVIOeYT9AXH1h7dkmNj8oXCx9Oai_LRE1veXC3sHch6nTJRcOoJTtXppCHov7Hfss6QiAd8NxHfLOH_bbBNEOrjw/s1600-h/mount_fuji14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtbTEn0vWELvlPZoByHFwzStH9RusavpL30-IOfJXR1RUbhbRcStTVIOeYT9AXH1h7dkmNj8oXCx9Oai_LRE1veXC3sHch6nTJRcOoJTtXppCHov7Hfss6QiAd8NxHfLOH_bbBNEOrjw/s320/mount_fuji14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450471576300754194" border="0" /></a>If anyone has any more suggestions for places (obviously I will be going to the normal places like 109, Tokyo Tower, DisneyLand and Hello Kitty Land) please leave me a comment.<br /><br />The funds for this trip are slowly coming together. I sense it's going to be a mad rush at the end of the month to get as much money as possible by selling everything I own. Well not everything, if the worst happens and I have to come home I'd want SOME stuff to come back to...like my bed.<br />Over the last few weeks I have been concentrating on work which has proved to be a bit of a bust as it's actually effecting my health now. Unfortunately I tend to be overly sensitive to most emotional situations, basically I find it difficult to just "let things go" so working with a guy I'm heartbroken over has literally given me a broken heart. I've been suffering from shortness of breath, dizziness, insomnia, chest pains, and tingling sensations in my left arm for nearly 2 months now (post break-up) so I went to the doctor to have it checked out (as I don't fancy dealing with it while abroad), she did and EKG and found I have an irregular heart beat. All this is being caused by stress and anxiety which is causing me to pump out too much adrenaline. So I really do have to chill the fuck out or I'll have to be put on beta blockers....which I really don't fancy. Even if they sort my heart out my head would still be a mess and I REALLY don't want to end up on any kind of medication for that. Space is what I need, living my dream and exploring this beautiful world.<br /><br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-75786420980169483532010-03-09T11:27:00.000-08:002010-03-10T14:11:18.127-08:00Review post : Capsule and cosmeticROBOT<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">As I really don't have anything super exciting to tell about (Except that CARLY GOT HER VISA!! Congrats babe!) I'll do a review post.<br />Japanese music is such a passion of mine, my true love is electro and house music and there have been more and more J-electro groups popping up over the last year or so and this makes for a very happy Gaby! Japanese electro-pop has a style that is very very rarely heard in the west, same bouncy electro beats but with typically very cutesy Japanese voices over the top. I ADORE this combination of computer and kawaii. It breaks out of that "anime disco" soundtrack feel and becomes something you can really imagine dancing to in a Tokyo club (not that I know what that feels like yet!)<br /><br />One of the superstars of this genre is, of course, Capsule. From their first single in 2001 they have evolved from more of a chilled sound into something very danceable and club-y.<br /><br />Their latest album "Player" has been on constant repeat since I got it a few days ago. For some reason I was taken off guard by some of the tracks, while some of them are so perfectly "Capsule". I think the mix of this album is fantastic it shows they still experimenting with their style while keeping some tracks totally recognizable if you've heard any album previous.<br />I'll talk briefly about the tracks I really really enjoyed.<br />"Player" The title track for the album, WOW This feels like proper UK dance with a proper British MC (note: I don't actually know who the MC is but ME LIKEY) with a hard and dark back beat. Something to add to my dj list for sure. If I heard this in a club I would be dancing like a beast...lol<br /><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mGSEfN32OOI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mGSEfN32OOI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br />"I wish You" is a beautiful, clear track. I feel like I could just float away listening to this. I massive fan of that backwards sounding backing melody with the piano. Gorgeous.<br />"The Music" sounds like a slightly more commercial TECHPARA tack, which is great for someone like me who isn't a fan of ALL para music and doesn't para on a regular basis. This is something I can listen to easily and imagine myself doing some freestyle!<br /><br />"I was Wrong" Wonderful lyrics, again something I could float away listening to. This track reminds me of Daft Punk's sound...maybe from the Homework album.<br /><br />"Hello" Pure Capsule. Nuff said.<br /><br />"Love and Lies" So summer-y and dancey. I feel like this song is trying to merge the different styles of this album. Great Capsule sound for the most part but they bring in a female MC towards the end! Some people are saying it sounds like Lady Sovereign but it's clearly not! Especially considering she said "It's the return of the best and my name is Roxanne"...get a clue!<br /><br />I hear this album is #31 in the American chart for electro. It's fantastic to know that Capsule are appealing to a wider audience and hopefully there will be more J-electro groups forming. I've been reading some mixed reviews of this album, alot of people really don't seem to like it at all which I can understand, it is a very mixed album, some of the tracks are so so different to what we're used to hearing from a Japanese group...especially since some of the tracks have English MCing but I think if you're open minded this album is TOTALLY worth it. Like I say it's been on repeat ever since I got it!<br /><br />Now my next review is of a new generation of "Perfume", named cosmeticROBOT. Heavily influenced by the pre-named trio, I believe this is their forth single (I haven't heard anything by this group before) , entitled "<span style="font-family:times;"><i><span style="font-family:georgia;">デジタル・LOVE" </span></i><span style="font-family:georgia;">or "Digital Love". The title track is sweet but I find nothing really stood out for me...I wouldn't have a reason to replay it. However I like the second track "</span></span>JUICY ~Give me kiss so JUICY~ (Miz Remix)" alot more. Bouncier and more fun this sounds more like something I could boogie to. Of course it's impossible NOT to compare them to Perfume and all I can say is "yeah...they're good" I definitely don't dislike this single and I can't dismiss them for sounding like Perfume coz as I say I love this style of bubblegum dance music and the more I can get the better. So yeah, this is worth a download, but obviously download Perfume first!<br />Also a quick note on their name...seriously?! I've heard Perfume songs have been used for cosmetic adverts, and obviously their voices are robotised....I dunno maybe I'm just reading too much into it but it seems so contrived.<br /><br />30 days to go!</span></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-90543151618715683622010-03-04T05:28:00.000-08:002010-03-04T06:26:14.973-08:00Visa GETS<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8osfnDl1IcOUhjdM5lmEfd76J1oieKBLvlntK6oSonTKh6WXuUrW1YKpzmGsyqdDWXAGpeC2h4PbLakEYiWHvs468r8rmCs_WgdcBTYZGu_yJPalu5oQEWAKm9P5hAdqpomFlnAzmn_0/s1600-h/visa.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8osfnDl1IcOUhjdM5lmEfd76J1oieKBLvlntK6oSonTKh6WXuUrW1YKpzmGsyqdDWXAGpeC2h4PbLakEYiWHvs468r8rmCs_WgdcBTYZGu_yJPalu5oQEWAKm9P5hAdqpomFlnAzmn_0/s320/visa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444777511062304594" border="0" /></a> <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">In this OH so stunning photo where I have literally just fallen out of bed I have my newly acquired JAPANESE VISA!!!!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">FOR REAL REAL!!</span><br /><br />A complete surprise to me as I hadn't had a phone call to let me know I'd been approved like Carly did.<br /><br />They toyed with my heart!!<br /><br />Oh cruel but beautiful Japanese Embassy, I thank you so much for the opportunity to visit your mad mad country!<br />After all that hassle in the office with my tickets and itinerary it was all worth it to make sure they had what they needed so I wouldn't have to be faxing stuff backwards and forwards all week.<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> There's only one little hang up I have....the visa is valid from March 10 to March 11....I'm getting scammed out of a whole month! I told them I was going in April, you'd think they'd make it valid from April!!<br /><br />Not that I'm complaining..!<br />So that the last step on my way to becoming an expat! The feeling of relief that this brings is amazing, like a huge weight has been lifted. The thought that I only have 36 days left fills me with such joy, like the nearer my trip gets the further all the shit I've gone through over the last 6 months gets. It's so confidence building to know that I'm embarking on a great adventure, leaving my old life behind, leaving all the nonsense behind and using the pain to become stronger and make it into something positive!<br /><br />All that's left is to pack, to finish my last few weeks of work and to make any extra money by clearing out my room.<br />HAPPY DAYS<br /><br />...wow this is getting scarily real now lol</span><br /><br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-80621661557214046792010-02-28T13:57:00.000-08:002010-02-28T17:32:00.837-08:005 things I'll miss<div style="text-align: center;">Everyone seems to be doing this and as I have to keep my mind off worrying about my visa I thought I'd post about what I'm going to miss about living in England.<br /><br />The thing I'm going to miss most is my friends and family, this just seems too obvious to put on this list! I'll just list the material and conventional comforts of home.<br /><br />1) Koppaberg. Actually I haven't really done my research on this one but it seems highly unlikely that Japan would stock my favourite ever alcoholic beverage. The sweet sweet nectar that is Pear Koppaberg. It's awesome for 2 reasons, it tastes like pic n mix and it comes in pints.<br /><br />2) New Look. Affordable (for me...I still think Top Shop is 99% full of overpriced shit) and great clothes. Tonnes of my clothes are from New Look and probably most of my shoes. When I'm in Tokyo, shopping for clothes and shoes may prove to be slightly more of a challenge. I'm not a big girl. I'm size 12, but I fear I will be considered XXXL in the 109 stores! Sad, but this just means I have to plan carefully what clothes to take with me, they'll need to last me but be easy to mix and match for different looks when I get bored.<br /><br />3) The British summer. Sounds weird to say that I'll be missing the weather but summer in Britain is awesome! Hanging out in park with some booze and strawberrys, kicking a ball around with friends. I know I'm probably going to do this in Japan but it won't smell the same. Also the seaside! Every country has the seaside but there's only one British seaside! Fish and Chips don't taste the same anywhere else.<br /><br />4) My own DVD's/Games etc. Bit weird I guess but not having my personal selection of movies and games that I can put on and play whenever I want is something I will miss. I know there will be a million other things to keep me amused but there's nothing than sitting in your own bed in your jimjams and wacking on a movie of your choice or settling down for a proper session of Twilight Princess.<br /><br />5) British telly. Yep, pretty obvious I know but I'm gonna miss shows like Buzzcocks, Shooting Stars, Peep Show, and even Torchwood (before it betrayed me). Oh beautiful British comedy, tickling that funny bone that only you can reach. There is something so utterly bizarre about our sense of humour, something that other nations just cannot understand. I don't think I'll be finding the same sarcastic nonsense over the other side of the world.<br /><br />This list took me a long time to come up with. I couldn't even think of many things I will miss. Maybe it will be interesting to do another post like this 6 months down the line when I realize what I really do miss.<br /><br />Stay tuned!<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-73708849260344846482010-02-27T15:35:00.000-08:002010-02-27T16:44:40.658-08:00Visa update<div style="text-align: center;">Yesterday was the day I traveled to London to meet Carly and we would go to the Japanese Embassy in Park Lane to apply for our visas. There were a few hiccups along the way...<br /><br />When Carly and I booked our flights with STA we asked for open returns which was all fine but the travel agents cannot book you on a flight 1 year in advance because the times and flights have not been planned that far in advance, 11 months is the furthest you can book. So what you have to do is phone STA up (while on holiday) and ask to move your flight date, they book you on a 6 month advance flight...I guess to kind of give you a return ticket...if you were retarded and forgot to ring up then you though "FUCK WHERES MY TICKET??". They are then able to book your time and seats and you pay a small fee.<br />The woman who was dealing with my application didn't understand this. She saw my itinerary was planned for 12 months, looked at my return date and proceeded to tell me they didn't match...<br /><br />I KNOW THIS<br /><br />My plan is to stay for a year, I am going to change my flight dates as soon as STA allow me to.<br />I can understand that it looks dodgy, what if this ISN'T an open return and my plan is to miss my flight that I've paid nearly £600 for...OK I kind of get it.<br />Maybe it was silly of me to assume that they would let it slide but then I didn't think it would be a problem. My worries were more focused on my bank statements to be honest! I had to get a print out from the bank showing my recent transactions with a special stamp on it but it doesn't say where the money is coming from so she asked me...I dunno I just felt like a criminal, like it was so suspicious to have 2 largish amounts of money going into my account! Obviously one was my wages from work and the other was a cash loan from a friend. Still I felt like she thought I was really trying to con her into giving me a visa!<br />Anyway so the itinerary and the plane tickets didn't match so she told me that I wouldn't get approved. So I asked her what to do, she said the only thing I could do was to change my itinerary to a 6 month plan. Seeing as I'd do pretty much anything for this visa right now, fibbing a little bit so the documents matched wasn't going to be a problem but it involved phoning my dad and getting him to edit one of the pages aswell as going into my e-mail and finding a receipt for the plane ticket then fax them over to the embassy.<br /><br />Carly also had to get a photocopy of the cheque that had been paid into her account. All this stuff just seems so fucking red taped it's stupid.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">C'mon Gaby! Jump through those hoops!!</span><br /><br />Now would probably be a good time to say I dislike dealing with bureaucracy. I'm not very good at it for one thing. I don't understand terms and conditions and when I don't understand what an official is saying to me I go blank as keep asking them to explain, which gets us both annoyed and I look like an twat.<br />Anyway the whole process of getting the forms sorted took about 3 hours but I did express to the woman behind the counter how much I wanted this visa and how I wanted to make sure everything was sorted so I gave myself the best chance possible of getting approved.<br /><br />I'll be honest she wasn't very sympathetic or helpful but then she might have been having a bad day...I made sure to give her big smile and thank her honestly for her help and she eventually smiled back and said they phone if there were any more problems.<br /><br />Unfortunately now we have to play the waiting game. I doubt they will even get to review our applications until Monday, then if there are any more problems it'll take another day...then if we get approved our passports have to be sent back...that's another day. Maybe by the end of the week we'll know.<br /><br />So Carly and I headed into London Town for some well earned food. Also we went to the puri kura place in China Town but none of the Japanese machines had paper....still we had fun on the crappy old ones!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoLGqgHxLKLpaBrep9-7jOdIgc3ckT2AgYoohWvWF6mscdLY9-d4f4QYEXb9tgz5Sw0ig0Xjx-rEQs1Qqw7smAu-akkpBKQKDsNkZgRFgIw3wl_eUaLrRWBDVBoOBcqO0rVwNGFYlwbg/s1600-h/tmp0.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoLGqgHxLKLpaBrep9-7jOdIgc3ckT2AgYoohWvWF6mscdLY9-d4f4QYEXb9tgz5Sw0ig0Xjx-rEQs1Qqw7smAu-akkpBKQKDsNkZgRFgIw3wl_eUaLrRWBDVBoOBcqO0rVwNGFYlwbg/s320/tmp0.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443087787355522706" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjsD8IsNhOz_X3PLmXY77VcuG0-C9EuypBafxND4PEje2WDdZbDp8-nbrQ_BK3HC2Sxqgu5-XLO92Koe-faCBwDcYIOCtoP3pnBU1PFqlMNBFV1TJP0n_iJEeMnMBw64NKeezZXdaYxU/s1600-h/tmp5.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjsD8IsNhOz_X3PLmXY77VcuG0-C9EuypBafxND4PEje2WDdZbDp8-nbrQ_BK3HC2Sxqgu5-XLO92Koe-faCBwDcYIOCtoP3pnBU1PFqlMNBFV1TJP0n_iJEeMnMBw64NKeezZXdaYxU/s320/tmp5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443087787100639058" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhdZTSMYiCISTEWcnC0V4HI1hNHyBiSPfGeDu4rCTmVhwJ4NKQ_opd8G8rKLGAHzcBLjooc2nEJ8hslYM3kQdOF4PIuRKRxjt9vlgqKbPvge64-sgr9WT6UnjwpMnGtXY3yqA9O6-ueqM/s1600-h/tmp7.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhdZTSMYiCISTEWcnC0V4HI1hNHyBiSPfGeDu4rCTmVhwJ4NKQ_opd8G8rKLGAHzcBLjooc2nEJ8hslYM3kQdOF4PIuRKRxjt9vlgqKbPvge64-sgr9WT6UnjwpMnGtXY3yqA9O6-ueqM/s320/tmp7.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443087789458786866" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I guess that concludes the visa part of my story. It's the last step apart from packing and actually getting on the plane.<br /><br />On a personal note I'm meeting my ex on Tuesday to tell him exactly why I nearly smacked 7 types of shit out of him the other night. Wish him luck!<br /><br />Gaby<br /><br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269519583364399861.post-84039462377116737842010-02-25T04:24:00.000-08:002010-02-28T07:16:55.268-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">Last night was one of the worst of my life. This is very personal stuff that maybe shouldn't go on a blog about moving to Japan but my reasons for going are tied together with the need to get away, move on and do something I've only ever dreamed of.<br /><br />My ex boyfriend turned up at a gig that he knew I would be at...with another girl. It completely blindsided me and I'll be honest here, I went ape shit. I pulled him over and screamed in his face. He was terrified and did what any natural fucker would do and blamed it on "not knowing" and then, worst of all, me.<br /><br />It ended with me being in one of the worst emotional states I've ever known. I am not an angry person. I know that carrying hate around with me does nothing but hinder me getting on with my life and being happy. Pain is different, pain can be turned into positive things and I can grow and learn from it. Also pain goes away with time but if you haven't learnt anything from it then it wasted time.<br /><br />I know that this will be a distant memory and I will look back with a different perspective and smile. I am 22 years old, and while it feels painful and confusing right now this is a very small part of my life. There are so many bigger things to be happy about, my life is about to change dramatically and a great adventure is coming. I think that going through this will make me appreciate what I am doing even more.<br /><br />6 weeks and 1 day until I am on that plane.<br /></div>Gabrielle Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06074962438416250885noreply@blogger.com0