Category: Link LOVE

The December Link Love

Happy jolly month of December to youuuuuuuuuu!

You didn’t think I’d just fade away into the new year, did you? I’d like to say that neither broken computer nor depressing short daylight could keep me away from updating this blog. But in fact, it had.

Until the Christmas miracle. You guys, my computer is still aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!

It’s a little shaky and shuts down automatically sometimes, but I’ve decided to appreciate the time I have left with my computer. Hopefully I’ll have enough time to also begin posting photos from this summer, which I have been wanting to do for a long time.

Speaking of Christmas, how are you going to enjoy the holidays this year?

I’m actually going to be travelling again. Christmas travel may become a tradition for me (I went to DC last year)…although not sure it’s the best time for travel really. I missed one of my flights last year and had to reschedule, but hopefully that won’t happen again this year. The plan is to head home to Ehime for new years via Helsinki and Kobe!

Oh, and this winter? If the snow in November (which hasn’t happened in Tokyo for over 50 years) is any indication, Tokyo may actually get a real winter this year (and by real, I mean piles of snow)! Whoo hoo!!!

I am excited and even thinking about getting snow boots. Ha.

Well, whether you get snow or not, I hope you are enjoying the jolly joyful season that is the year end holidays! x

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– Chuckles all around.

– Finally made my way here.

– Let it snow…in Tokyo!

– Christmas trees from around the world.

– But actually this tree is my favorite this year.

– This is all kinds of sweet.

– It’s time to choose…this, this or this?

The September Link Love

Happy September everyone!

Is it just me or does it feel like fall all of a sudden? Here I am wanting to cling onto summer for a bit longer and wearing a sundress and I step outside and it’s cardigan weather? WHAT. IS. HAPPENING. This is not the heat island Tokyo weather I’m used to and I feel a bit confused.

Well, enough about the weather. How are you? I hope you’ve had a great summer!

I had a really great summer actually, all surrounding the big family event of the year…my sister’s wedding! It was wonderfully joyous with a bit of chaos thrown in, which I think makes for the best parties. It was quite the Mountain Day (the day of their wedding was on a new Japanese holiday that was just established this year) for our family!

I would tell you all about it except my computer broke down (so long ago that I don’t even remember when…) and I am too lazy to write blog posts on my cellphone.

I could completely overcome this hurdle by just buying a new computer, but was all things in life, you sort of get used to not having something. I haven’t had a tv for over 5 years now and I don’t really miss it. The same thing is slowly happening with my computer, too.

One the one hand, I have more time to swim, read, or sleep when I would have previously just watched an episode of something on the computer. But on the other hand, I really want to catch up on watching all the Elementary episodes while organizing all my photos, especially for the blog. Blog posts are always a place for me to remember things by…so I really want to share photos from Germany and Kobe before I forget everything. And more importantly, apparently Sherlock Season 4 is set to begin in 2017 so I DEFINITELY need a new computer by then.

All this to say, I am enjoying my computer-less days while I can because it’s not something I can live without for long…but until then, my blog posts may be very sporadic.

But I hope you’re all doing well and enjoying this gradual shift from summer to fall! xx

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– Some days are totally like this.

– Amazing views.

– How many have you tried from this list?

– This hashtag is everything.

– Who left an impression on you at the Olympics? (Me: Fu Yuanhui, Michelle Carter, Yusra Mardini and Saori Yoshida, to name a few)

The June Link Love

Oh June, how can you almost be over?

If you haven’t noticed, I’m a little behind on my blogging schedule. Work has been insane, as in 2am emails and endless documents to go through. And yet, I am weirdly excited about all this because I’m learning so much and it’s a project we’ve been working on for a while now. I’m in an odd place where my body is yawning-so-hard-that-my-jaw-may-dislocated-exhausted but my mind is totally-ready-to-do-handsprings-down-the-hall-pumped!

Hopefully next month, body and mind will unite.

Anyways, did I mention that I was in Germany earlier this month? It was amazing. AMAZING. My first time in Europe and although it was only a long weekend, I had the best time. Can’t wait to share with you!

How are you enjoying June? Is it raining where you are? It’s pretty darn sunny here in Tokyo…is rainy season over? xx

 

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– Here comes the rain!

– Famous novels retitled like Friends episodes.

– Throwback to all this gorgeousness.

– Tokyo subway map by walking types.

– A new kind of real estate?

– Who are you at the airport?

The May Link Love

Helloooooooo May!

And if you live in Japan, happy Golden Week! Are you travelling? Or are you like me and waiting out this peak travel season to go anywhere besides the supermarket?

April was a great month for me. My sister has settled into my apartment this past month and now we have a pretty good rhythem going. I won’t lie and say it was easy. It’s always a challenge living with someone who is not yourself, especially when you’ve lived on your own for so long. Am I right? I may or may not have cried in the bathroom when my sister came with so much stuff that I couldn’t see the apartment floor. So yes, it definitely took me awhile to adjust. But then I think back to my days in boarding school with over a hundred girls, not to mention this will probably be the last time we’ll get to spend so much time together as just us sisters (she’s getting married in August!!!), and I want to embrace this opportunity and enjoy having a roommate. Especially one who knows how to cook! ;D

So that’s what’s up with me. How are you doing?

I really love this season before the rainy season. It’s been so gorgeous outside and walking everywhere has never felt better. Hope you’re all enjoying this perfect weather!

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– The breakdown of flag designs.

– Chicago neighborhoods. (I love this city!)

– A new kind of camouflage.

– What book should you read next?

– The beautiful art of repairing.

The April Link Love

Happy first day of April!

I just remembered that today is April fool’s day, which I have never been into. Do you like jokes and tricks? I am just one of those people that can’t handle purposely embarrassing people. I know, so uptight and boring. But I get even more embarrassed for them and it’s just too much. Ha.

Anyways, March was an interesting month. My cellphone passed away and since I haven’t made the time to get it fixed or exchanged, I am now living like a pilgrim. Or when I was in 5th grade, give or take a few hundred year. No computer, no cellphone.

It’s not too bad to tell you the truth. Which brings me to question myself…do we really need to be connected to every single person we’ve ever met? But then on the other hand, I’d like to get my cellphone fixed so I can actually call home and talk to my parents.

In other news, the sakura season is finally upon us! Yay!

Happy hanami season, everyone 😉

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– Jane Austen is probably mad at us.

– I had no idea!

– Not in the mood to party? (Heehee!)

– Haunting photographs.

– Community.

– Perfect for hanami!

The March Link Love

Helloooooo March!

I was up in the mountains the last weekend of February and it was fantastic! Well, maybe not when I nearly cracked my kneecaps from my lack of snowboarding skills…but other than that? It was all good. And you know what, I hadn’t seen this much snow since my last snowboarding trip so I didn’t even mind wiping out in the snow!

Other than that it was pretty much work work work. But it’s that time of year and I don’t mind. The big presentation I mentioned last month went really well. Really really well. I am so relieved it’s over. But at the same time I hope this kind of challenge comes more often so that I can get used to it and it’s not such a big hurdle every time.

Are you excited for March?

It’s going to bring on the spring allergies in full force but that never gets me down. Because the world is finally alive and warm again! Everything is starting to bloom and I am loving it! Get your picnic blankets and drinks ready for hanami season!

Wishing you all a lovely start to spring! xx

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– How awesome is this?

– I want these words on my wall.

– These earplugs are too cute.

– Adventurousness.

– Hmmm, is this not a thing already?

– Good advice.

– Made me laugh.

– Ways to move past embarrassment.

– Which side of your brain is more dominant? (I use my brain equally: left 47% / right 53%!)

The February Link Love

Hellooooooo February! 
That first month of the year really zooms on by, doesn’t it? I am ready to take it slower this month, despite Valentine’s Day baking and wedding dress fittings for my sister are already on the calendar. Hopefully the one extra day of February we have this year will make a difference!

Did I mention I still have not had the time to find a new computer. Although I was leaning toward a MacBook, I’ve just discovered this Dell computer and like that it has an SD card reader. Any thoughts?

This month will finally be the end of the in-house seminar I’ve been partaking in since September, which involves working in teams. I’ve been saying this to everyone but team work is just as difficult as an adult than it was in grade school. Maybe even more so because there are no teachers around to play referee. I am definitely learning the skills of keeping a team together and moving forward. (Whoever said Japanese are ubiquitously known for their teamwork needs to do their research over again!) Well…whatever happens, the big power point presentation to HR is coming up next week. Wish me luck!

What are you up to this month?

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– This katakana font is awesome.

– Learn how to seek & accept help.

– Offensive books need to be read.

– Love the Japanese version of this game!

– This is hypnotizingly beautiful.

– BFFs from kindergarten the best!

– “We don’t all look alike, until we do.”

– This makes me want to go to an onsen immediately!

The January Link Love

Haaaaaaappy new year!!!

How did you all welcome twenty sixteen? I made it home to Ehime, just in time to watch Kohaku with the family and wake up at the crack of dawn to climb a mountain to see the first sunrise.

My sister and I huffed and puffed our way up a small mountain. I did not expect to be exercising this early in the year but it felt really good. We made good time and made it to the top with a few minutes to spare, which we spent hopping around, waiting for the sun to rise above the clouds. We watched as the tips of the clouds started to glisten like caramel. Then suddenly the first light burst above the clouds and it instantly warmed our faces. That sun, so dramatic!

I had a really fun time at home with the family. This year my sister came with her fiance and I suddenly realized that having the whole family together will come further and further apart. I guess that’s the whole point of “leaving the nest.” But that still doesn’t stop me from yearning for more time together. (Or maybe it’s just the holiday sentiment?)

This year should be very interesting, with family dynamics changing and work being more challenging than ever. But I am excited! Something about the new year that makes me optimistic! (Yes, even more than I already am…ha.)

I’m looking forward to exploring new places, even if just around the corner, and learning new things. I’m also going to continue practicing my skate boarding and maybe take up running again. I feel so much better after exercising. And more than anything, I’m going to appreciate the people around me and make sure they know that I care. I hope to make this year meaningful 🙂

What are you looking forward to this year? xx

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– My nengajo this year.

– Keep it simple.

– We’ve all experienced it, right?

– This reminds me that I need to read more often.

– Ha! Remember this song?

– A do-for-yourself-at-least-once-a-year list.

– Tokyo in these photos.

December Link Love　

The holidays are here! Whoop whoop!

I am welcoming December with open arms this year, bring on the Christmas songs and merry gatherings! And by merry gatherings, I mean bonenkai, of course. Just kidding, I am actually cutting back on all the bonenkai this season and going to only a selected few. Makes the few more special, don’t you think?

December is like a blur every year. My head is already filled with a long list of things I need to do. I’m sure yours is, too. But this year I’m going to take deliberate time to enjoy this season with family and friends and to just soak it all in. Or in other words, what cookie monster said.

I hope you’re all staying warm and enjoying the holidays! xx

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– Embrace winter like a Norwegian.

– A 2015 update of Ironic (has it truly been 20 years since Jagged Little Pill?).

– I never get tired of this smart kid and his tiger.

– Screw finding your passion.

– Ah this postage stamp is too delicious!

– This happens to me sometimes.

– “How will we change the world if the lady cats are always in dresses?“

– China from above is fascinating.

– Climb every mountain and get these pins!

– Interesting look into Japan.

November Link Love

Happy November everyone!

How are we doing? Good, I hope? I am doing swell (and I don’t use that word lightly). And it weirdly connects to my home computer breaking down.

Mid month, my computer stopped working. So I am currently updating on my cell phone. lt’s beyond inconvenient, thus making it easy to cut out a large portion of web browsing from my daily life. And despite a couple of other hurdles here and there, October was a highly fulfilling month filled with morning walks, good conversation and even a short hike!

This month is going to continue to be computer-less. This should help with my productivity, especially since I have a list the length of my arm of people I need to write a letter to. I know, who does that anymore? But, I do 🙂

What are you up to lately? x

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– Ways to say no, thank you.

– Baseball is bigger than baseball

– A lovely  visual introduction to kanji.

– That was way harsh, Tai.

– To broadcast your deepest secrets.

– This is all true.